It was late at night as the unicorn working at the Canterlot observatory looked through the telescope. He was not expecting all that much, but what he saw got his full attention and he used his magic to write it all down in a notepad complete with drawings with what he was seeing. While he couldn't make out details what he observed where two lights he assumed where stars till they started to move in odd erratic patterns.

What got his curiosity stronger is how they seemed to be dancing around each other with smaller bolts of light dancing between them. They even got brighter and dimmer like they where moving towards then away from Equis upon occasion. What he thought he was watching was maybe two magical beings dancing or perhaps going through some kind of mating ritual.

The truth was far from it though.

High above Equis just past the orbit of it's moon, two large hips maneuvered to avoid each others fire. One had a kind of triangular spearhead shape with what might be called a command tower design in the back flat part. The other looked more organic with lumps and such making the ship look more like piece of art, then a war ship.

Shoots and missiles shot between the two light up the darkness of space between them. As smaller crafts danced in there own battle between them. Both the mighty ships had visible fires on there hulls releasing trails of black smoke in to the depths of space. The fired able to flicker in space, as precious air escaped from breaches in the hull feeding them.

On the bridge of the spear like ship the captain that had looked very much like a earth pony, though standing on two legs, and his.. arms supported hands munched on a rather thick cigar. He called out to his pit crews on the bridge as he adjusted his captains cap. While others around him, of various species shook when the grav plating buckled from each shot that landed on there hull. He remained standing.

With one report he noted being repeated by one of his crewmen, the captain just yelled out, “Recall fighters to protective formation Delta-Niner-Six-Alpha.... MARK! In from crew to make preps for crash landing on the near by planet. Love live the monarchy!”

The other ship buckled and then shuddered and exploded, the waves slamming in tot he one the captain was on, knocking it off course. The captain predicted this and the crews where prepared as the ship started to descend towards the near by planet of Equis.

The unicorn noticed one of the lights went bright then disappeared. The other one started growing brighter and brighter. He then blinked and ran full gallop to the balcony, “Out of the way!” Several other ponies managed to move out of his way, watching him in confusion. His magic keeping his notes, quill and inkwell near him as he stopped and looked in the direction he was watching. He saw a fireball from in the sky then descend down, over the horizon to the north, only to be followed but a flash that lit up part of the night sky.

The unicorn noted all this then gulped as the realization that this could very well be the sign of something bad on the horizon and ran full gallop to the throne room. “Princess Luna! Princess Luna! I think i have something you want to hear!” He started yelling as he made his way to tell her what he saw and witnessed.

In the wreckage of the ship a wolf groaned and brought his hand to his head... He lost a arm in the crash and medics where fitting a replacement. He looked over to where his captain was, only to see him on the ground with a large bar of metal going through his chest.

The medic just picked up a surgical tool as he held the artificial limb in place, “Remains till, this is a very delicate procedure sir.”

The wolf nodded to the medic then barked out, “Status report, I want to know how it looks.”

A anthro falcon wearing a grey uniform started to speak, “By the emperor's luck the power core held, but the hyperdrive system and main engines are a lost cause. Deep space communications are down as well.. if the planet has the resources we could get most of the damage repaired in.. two years... if we are lucky. Oh a new report came in... the cloak is gone as well...so if this planet has natives they will see us, so isolation protocols will have to be rethought since they will be able to see the Alicorn's Blade without a problem.”

'As for the fighters, the ones in the bays are mostly trashed. But we can salvage them to repair the others we had in combat. So far we have 4 ground transports, 2 tanks, two wings of interceptors, 3 droppers, and 2 scouts left General Klask. Oh personal wise, we only suffered 10% in losses, and about 35% of the survivors are reporting for medical need. As for command staff, well your in charge now, since the high lord admiral is now dead.”

Klask just rubbed his grey furred hand over his face, “By the depths of tartus that is not good, fine assuming the scout fighters are of the newer pegusai class, send one out at high alt for recon. Have them rotate between patrols, with 2 fighters from the wing for escort should there be problems. Have the engineers start breaking down the ship to make a fort out of it, However I want a full team working round the clock to get communications with the monarchy back up. I don't want us stranded on this mud ball for so long as to bother the locals with our presence. Have all ground patrols try to avoid contact, and only engage at last resort and event hen stun only. No deaths.”

The falcon nodded, “By your will my general.”

Luna had wisely woke Celestia up when she heard the news from the unicron and sent him back to the observatory. The sisters looked over the notes, and drawings he left for them. Being more attuned to the night Luna did sense something odd and looked at a map laid out on a second table near them.

“Tia if what he says is true, and I believe it is... what ever it was likely landed here...' Luna pointed to a section of the crystal mountains, with a hoof, while north of the crystal empire, it was far west from them, slightly closer to Vanhoover and Cloudsdale.

Celistia nodded, “I'll send word to our contacts at Vanhoover then so they can have scouts head north and check it out for us. I just hope dear sister, that it's nothing to worry about.”

Luna gave her a flat look, “With our luck sister, I doubt it.'

Author's Note

Critique is always welcome, and while I know it seems like it's not, this story is going taking plae in the mlp universe, just with it's own twists and turns.