As the light faded and the orb cracked and splintered, Sky took a few steps back. Something was emerging, that much was obvious, but he couldn't be sure what. For all he knew this could be the baby of a constellation creature, much like the Ursa Major that attacked that new settlement, Canterlot, not too long ago. That ended quite badly for them, and so Sky was taking precaution. He proceeded to summon a dark cloud from his forehooves and give it a charge, just in case.

As the orb spider-webbed with cracks each emitting light, Sky sturdied himself, ready to pounce on the new threat if needed. He can't lie to himself, he was scared beyond belief, but his inherent evolutionary curiosity got the better of him. Pieces of the orb fell and broke apart in the air, disintegrating and scattering on the wind, eventually leaving behind a body of some kind, spindly and pale. Whatever this thing was, Sky knew for certain it was no pony. Or anything else he had ever heard of before, actually. It was covered in sickly white looking skin, not a trace of fur in sight. Perhaps it was all burned off in the fall? Something on the skin's surface moved a little, a shrinking black circle of some kind spun on his right shoulder before disappearing completely.

The chest of the strange creature seemed to be rising and falling in a regular rhythm, no blood or bruses were present anywhere he could see. Sky knew that this meant that whatever this thing was, it was still alive and, for all intents and purposes, unharmed from the drop.

He didn't know what to do, he couldn't just leave it here to the rats and bears, but if he took it away, it could wake up and attack him. He decided the best course of action was to call the guards and have them deal with it like they did with the other threats and lost animals. It would be given a cell to sleep in, and then when it woke up, it would be nursed back to health until it could be released back into the wild.

He readied his wings and took to the sky, confident that this strange creature wouldn't wake up in the 20 minutes it would take for him to get back with the creature control section of the local royal guard division. As he flew, thoughts of what the hell that thing is crossed his mind. The closest thing he could think of would be a cat person or a diamond dog, but it doesn't have claws or a muzzle or a snout. Beyond that, where did it come from? Why did it fall from the sky? Is it sapient or is it just an animal? What the hell was that moving circle on its skin? None of these questions escaped his mind as he made his way to the Neighwick Guard HQ. "Tsu will know what to do..." He whispered to himself.

He raced past the river, soared over the Great Dark Forest, and zoomed over a small hamlet or two, turning the heads of the few nosy ponies who were out at this time. He was starting to see the Misty Heights, the second biggest mountain range in all of Equestria, in the distance. He was getting close. Small buildings came into view as he approached the newly rebuilt town, the high set slate roofs of the cobble and sandstone constructions passing right below his speeding hooves. As he flew into the centre of the town, he decided it would be quicker to navigate the intricate streets on hoof.

He landed harshly, not bothering with grace, he just needed to get to the guard. They would surely care about the strange new creature that just destroyed the old barn house by falling from the sky. As he shuffled through the streets of Neighwick, he quickly made his way to the barracks they were stationed at. Nodding at the entry guards, knowing them from his time as a reserve, he entered the building. He made his way to the office of the Mundane Threat Suppression Unit branch, knocking on the door and steadying himself ready to face his superior officer.

"Enter." A strong, gruff voice answered. As Sky entered the room, an immediate sense of authority pressing down on him. "Ah, sergeant Sky Step. What can I do for you today? I don't believe you're on rotation this month..." He trailed off, looking at a time table.

Captain Tsunami was a large unicorn stallion, covered in scars, old and new from his various tours across the unstable boarders of Equestria as a soldier. His coat was a brilliant white, and his mane was greyed with age. Various wrinkles and pockmarks dotted his features, giving the appearence of a wise, experienced old stallion. His cutie mark was an image of two crossed spears in front of a silver shield, denoting his willingness to fight and protect his country. He had retired to the Royal Guard when he lost sight in his left eye, a long pink scar running diagonally across his face owing testament to this; he was not a stallion to be trifled with.

"Good evening, Captain." Sky said in, clearly rushed and still flustered from the flight over. "I'm here to report a foreign object that fell from the sky, it destroyed the old barn on the edge of town!"

"Hmm," Mused the Captain. "The princesses should have been able to spot it before it could hit anything and notified us... This is troubling indeed. At least now I know what the noises and explosion earlier were..."

"On top of that, Captain, it was no rock that fell to Equus, in the crater was a golden purpleish ball or egg of some kind. It looked magic in origin, but I couldn't feel any inherent magical energy coming from it. When it cracked and hatched, there was a spindly, naked catperson looking creature inside. It's unconscious, but I don't know for how long." Sky made a worried face. "I suggest we send the guards to escort it to a cell before it can wake up. It can't be doing too well after a fall from that height, but there were no bruises or blood so whatever it is, it's not normal... I've never seen anything like it."

"You've made the correct choice, sergeant. Whatever this thing is, it sounds dangerous, falling from the sky without a scratch... I'll mobilise the guard, as well as a few ponies from the local creature control. That should be enough for an unconscious sky monster. You are dismissed." His face softened for a second as he looked back at Sky. "Why are you up so late, anyway, Sky? You know Nurse Cross said you should stop staying up in that smithy you run. It's not good for your health."

Sky slumped his shoulders a bit and let his eyes droop, a gesture not usually shown in front of a superior officer, but the Captain was sort of like a second father to him, and he wasn't actually on duty this month. "On the 21st of every month I go up to the observatory on the edge of town and watch the sky for a night. You know that, Tsu"

"Ah yes" He muttered. "I'm sorry for bringing it up. I must be going senile in my old age" He laughed, smiling "Just make sure you're not working yourself to death, no pony ever got anywhere by dying before they could get their enjoyment out of life. Anyway, It's late, try and get yourself off to sleep." The Captain pushed.

Sky nodded, saluted, and left the room, sitting down just outside to recover, the tiredness of the night catching up with him. As he did, he could see a group of three guards scramble out of the building, heading toward the animal control centre. They would get the job done, he thought. That wouldn't stop him from following, however. Call it sheer fascination with the strange creature he had discovered.

As the guards left the building, Sky Step stealthily followed, hiding behind a cloud. Both this, and the nightfall should mask his presence enough to watch what goes down.

Author's Note

Been a while...