The colorful and cheerful lanterns scattered all around Ponyville gave a bright yellow glow to the warm night air, as laughing and talking ponies walked around the streets, enjoying the evening of the longest summer's day; the day of the Summer Sun celebration. After a day of wild partying and celebrating (to Pinkie Pie's glee), all the inhabitants of Ponyville were now slowing down, preferring to enjoy in calmer way the final part of the day.
Some of them were just fine with talking and walking in the square in front of the town hall, where a long set of stands had been placed, ranging from the Sugarcube Corner's cart where Mr. And Mrs. Cake were both keeping an eye on their foals and selling treats to their clients at the same time, to the simpler stand of the Apple Family, where Granny Smith and Big Macintosh where occupied selling apples to anyone who was searching for a less dental-damaging dinner.
Other ponies, preferring to pass a quieter evening, had moved towards the edge of the town, resting on the benches of the darker streets, talking and relaxing. Some had even gone to the edge of the town, into the fields surrounding it, looking at the clear and beautifull sky that Princess Luna had created to celebrate the day that had just passed.
That was the case for six mares and a baby dragon, sitting on a cloth on the top of a little grassy hill, while around them other ponies were enjoying the breeze.
"Here ya go, cider for everypony!" bellowed an orange earth pony mare, giving filled cups of liquid to her friends. "Ah kept a barrel just for us. Ya know, being the anniversary of us becoming friends and all."
"Heh. You had a good idea!" called a cyan pegasus, grasping her mug of cider and licking her lips.
"Well girls… to us!" cheered a pink earth pony, raising her cup, imitated by the otehr mares and the little dragon.
"To us!" they all called, before gulping down the cider, laughing and cheering happily. A little down the hill, Lyra raised her eyes towards the other mares, glaring slightly. She then returned her gaze to the cream coated mare beside her.
"What are you thinking, Bonny?" she asked, laying again on the ground beside BonBon and looking at the sky, where a multitude of stars were shining brightly, giving the sky the appearance of a shining blanket.
"Mh… do you ever think that we may be alone in the whole universe?" the earth pony asked, looking at the sky. The mint unicorn said nothing, looking at the sky.
"Maybe… that's quite a terrifying thought, if you think about that." she finally declared. Boy, her Bonny sure was able to think of the weirdest things. She shuffled a little on the grass, feeling the little box she was hiding behind her back.
"Bonny, listen…" started the unicorn, sitting, as her horn began to light up, the little box beginning to fly beside her.
"Look Lyra, a shooting star!" suddenly called BonBon, sitting as well and pointing a hoof towards the sky, accompanied by the exclamations of surprise and wonder from all the other ponies on the hill, as soon as they all saw the star. "Quick, make a wish!" exclaimed the earth pony, closing her eyes. Lyra blushed a little.
"Let her say yes." She pleaded to the star, which disappeared after a few seconds from her sight. "Listen Bonny, I…"
"Uh… Twilight? Isn't the meteor shower supposed to be only once every hundred years?" arrived the voice of Spike from the top of the hill.
"Indeed…" murmured the purple unicorn, watching as other shooting stars appeared in the sky. The ponies watched in awe at the show, even if the purple mare frowned as a couple of flying things darted far above her head.
"Well that's quite the amazing and unexpected show." Stated a candid unicorn mare, looking at the sky, amazed. "I suppose Princess Luna really did want to pay a tribute to her sister."
"That's such a nice thought…" murmured a yellow pegasus, holding her cup, before suddenly dropping it to cover her head and screaming as one of the shooting stars darted a few meters above them, leaving a stream of fire and smoke behind it, before landing with a crash inside town. Immediately all the ponies relaxing on the grass were on their hooves, running towards town, the little box abandoned on the ground.
-oOo-
"Is anypony hurt?" asked Twilight, trotting through the crowd of ponies that were around the place where the thing had hit the ground. It had hit a house during its fall, leaving a charred scar in it, plus a crumbled wall.
"No pony is wounded!" called the voice of the mayor through the crowd.
"What is that thing?" asked another voice. Twilight moved her eyes towards the object. She blinked, surprised. That wasn't a meteor, nor a compound of rock and ice. It was some strange…metallic thing.
"What in tarnation is that, Twilight?" asked the orange mare, scratching her hat. Twilight didn't answer, taking a little step towards the thing. It was of some sort of grayish metal thing in the shape of an egg, balanced by three sorts of legs like oblong drops. A few engravings in the object were emitting a faint green light.
"I've never seen anything like this ever before…" the unicorn admitted, after a few seconds. The other ponies looked at each other worriedly. Twilight took another step, reaching a hoof towards the thing…
Suddenly, four plates slid up, revealing a series of little pipes, which immediately start to emit a bright green fog with a hissing sound. Twilight immediately stepped back as the green substance started to spread quickly.
The ponies drew back, before turning and starting to run away in panic, screaming. One of the strings of gas hit a stallion on the leg, and he fell to the ground, as if his legs couldn't sustain him anymore. A greenish and gooey substance began to cover him where the gas had touched his skin, as the stallion struggled, unable to move.
A gray pegasus with a silverly mane that was trying to fly away was hit as well by the gas, falling to the ground with a loud thud, before the goo started to spread over her body.
"Flitter!" called in fear another pegasus, trying to run to her, but was dragged away by the panicking ponies. While the crowd of ponies was running away, Lyra had the vision of another two of those objects dart through the sky, just to land with a crash somewhere else in town.
She also had a vision of something circular float over the town.
Maybe they weren't alone, after all…
-oOo-
"This happened two days ago. Reports of similar events have been coming in from everywhere in Equestria. And the situation is not limited to Equestria, it appears to be a global issue." Stated Celestia, sliding a couple of papers to the other side of the table.
The Commander looked at them silently, before returning its eyes on the alicorn.
"Global?" it asked, raising an eyebrow. The alicorn nodded.
"In the buffalos' plains there are also traces of this kind of activity, as well as in the zebras' land, the deers' forests and the griffins' nation."
"How are they going to face this?" asked the Commander, examining the papers.
"The griffins have already withdrawn the possibility of cooperating with us. Their land is now off limits, for us as well. Buffalos, deers and zebras, on the other hoof, have agreed to an alliance."
"And how are you going to deal with this, princess?" asked the Commander. Celestia met its glare, without flinching.
"I will put every able unicorn into a global shielding program. It'll be a lot of work, but every single unicorn able to use magic will be deployed to that."
"Even civilians?"
"Even civilians. Except some exceptions I was thinking to deploy to other uses…"
"Fair enough, I think." Shrugged the Commander, sending back the papers.
"Pegasi will be in charge of a defensive system to deal with every unidentified flying object that may pass through the barrier." Continued the princess. "And also taking down the ones still roaming inside our atmosphere at this very instant. Except again for some exceptions…"
"I still don't get what do you want from me, princess." Admitted the Commander, studying the mare again with its inquisitive eyes. She shifted a little on her chair.
"We have kept some of the greatest and most advanced technologies of our time away from other ponies and allies, just to maintain peace, Commander." Started the mare, glaring at it. "But now, there is no longer peace. I, in accordance with my sister and our allies, have decided to create a special force, designed to directly confront this… menace. And I would like to have you guide the field troops, as well as the ponies I'll give you."
"I will have no unicorns or pegasi thought?" it asked, scratching its chin.
"It's not worth it. We'll leave to you whoever will be unable to contribute to the barrier, or to the flying squads. But yes, since it'll be mostly ground troops, I thought you would have appreciate having resistant earth ponies at your command. And of course, don't forget about our allies, they'll send what help they can as well."
"Where will we be operating from?"
"An underground facility. It'll ready in a week or so, while we recruit your ground units. We'll also grant you a team of engineer and scientist, as well as a well trained team of medics. You will be our only line of defence against this situation, if anything passes through both the shield and the pegasi air force."
"… I don't think I have much of a choice…" stated the Commander, after a few seconds of silence. "I'm in."
Oo-oOHoray, new oc centered fic, inspired, of course, by X-COM enemy unknown. As said, I will preferably accept earth ponies instead of pegasi or unicorns, unless they are heavily incapacitated with magic or flight. On the other hand I will gladly accept whoever would send an acceptable zebra, buffalo or deer. If interested, send a pm, I'll send you the chart.