The Shipment: 1

>Departmento Munitorum world 665, also known as Insuranconus
>Bumstead #665-4859577 has made a fatal error
>He wrote an E instead of a 3 on a transfer order
>Bumstead #665-4859577 would be *BLAM*ed several years later for this, but the order was already sent and executed in an unseen period of efficiency
>The result of this sinful typo would cause an emergency shipment of fortification equipment to be transferred to a planet which, even in this vast galaxy, did not exist
>But orders were orders, and the supply barge made the jump to the planet
>The trip took three years and cost half of the crew, but the barge arrived at the planet and the trio of dropships were sent
>When the sky talons returned, the barge jumped back into the warp to deliver its final shipment to the Aurelian Subsector

>You are Princess Celestia
>You have just lowered the moon and rose the sun, and a new day has begun
>The denizens of Canterlot have started to stir and are running the same routine you have witnessed hundreds of years ago, as usual
>The only difference from your routine today would be sending your student to Ponyville so she could get out of the library for once, but the letter could wait for another minute as you took in the view from your balcony
>Your gaze drifts to the cloudless sky, the speck, and the endless void past that
>Like many days before, the void remains the s-

>Wait
>Speck?

>You focus, and there is indeed a tiny black speck in the sky
>Only you and your enhanced senses could've spotted it, and you further focus your eyesight to see it closer

>A ship!
>A massive ship floating in the void

>As three smaller ships descend from it, your mind races with possibilities
>The griffons have won the tech race somehow?
>Unlikely
>A horribly misfired teleportation?
>Even you would've had difficulty putting something THAT BIG into space
>Extraterrestrial beings
>...

>You look at the smaller ships as they enter the atmosphere
>The birdlike craft are heading straight for Canterlot, setting off a red flag in your head
>You reach out with your magic, hoping to figure out the aliens' intentions
>The ships themselves appear to be weaponless, but looks can be deceiving
>The beings piloting the craft feel like your average hauler on the job, half conscious of their work
>You focus on what is inside the large metal boxes carried by the crafts

>Guilt

>Faith

>Duty

>Death

>The sheer immensity of it all makes you reel and withdraw your magic
>You give one last look to the descending ships, before you teleport to the barracks to rally the Guard
>From now on, today is going to be anything but routine

>The ships are closing in on Canterlot
>While they haven't displayed any harmful intentions, you were not taking any chances
>Your ponies have taken shelter, and the Royal Guard has been mobilized and were posted in different places of the city
>You keep the pegasi in reserve, in fear of having them blown from the sky

>The three ships finally arrive mere minutes after you rose the sun, the roar of their propulsion systems deafening
>They head to the royal courtyard, and you teleport yourself and several of your unicorns in front of them as they touch down
>You keep on a stern face, even as the craft detach the large metal boxes from their bellies and, to your surprise, fly off
>You and your guard stare at the ships as they head back to the much bigger one
>A large *CLANK* snaps your attention back to the trio of boxes

>Several mechanisms sound from inside the containers, and you guard begin to surround them, ready for alien abominations to come charging out
>The final locks disengage, and the front of the boxes open up
>Ramps come down and slam to the ground, revealing darkness

>Squinting, you see several points of blue light, very small but great in number

>A pair of creatures emerge from each box, and take crouched positions on either side of the doors

>Bipedal, dragon-like in structure only without a tail, completely covered in a mixture of armor and dull cloth, wielding long, boxy devices of metal and wood
>All six are wearing unnerving gas masks, their expressions unreadable as they scanned their surroundings
>None of them have harmed any of your ponies so far, but these beings are definitely soldiers

>One of the creatures in the front most box raises a hand with five digits and waves it forward, before all six of them stand up in perfect union
>A second later, another being emerges from the frontmost container
>This one is in much more ornamental clothing, with a shiny silver breastplate, a dreary cape, and a fancy hat instead of a helmet
>A saber is visible, but it is sheathed and hanging from the being's belt

>It stops just outside the box and quickly looks around, before it marches towards you
>It ignores the fact that it is surrounded by Equestria's elite, and that it is approaching a magical being that has lived for over a thousand years
>You and your guard remain still, ready to strike on a moment's notice
>It continues marching towards you

"THAT IS CLOSE ENOUGH!" You announce when it is only a few steps away from you
>The being stops with a click of its boots and becomes as straight as a pole, its top limbs clasped behind its back and under its cape

>Silence
>You realize the being is tall, almost as tall as you

"WHAT IS THY BUSINESS HERE?" You ask, hoping to intimidate the being into backing off
>Instead, it takes a clipboard from its belt and holds it out in front, presenting it to you
>Confused, you take the clipboard with you magic and bring it to you
>The beings clasps its limbs behind its back again and remains still

>The paper clipped to the board is in perfectly legible equestrian, and its format is that of a transfer order
>A shipment of emergency fortification equipment has been requested by and sent to Planet #409914-E
>"Fortification equipment" being two squads of "Krieg Engineers," a "Heavy Weapons" squad, and a supplementary "Krieg Infantry" squad.
>Leading the "Death Korps of Krieg" was Captain Krumen, of the 488th Infantry Regiment

>You slowly look up at the Captain, who's as still as a statue
>...
>What?