//------------------------------//
// The eve of the war  
// Story: War of the worlds. 
// by Shadow-Aura 
//------------------------------//

*Mars*

"The equines' are ruthless and in constant war with each other," a Martian said to his comrades "They don't deserve their planet "

"I agree we will destroy the ponies with our tripods," The other Martian said.

"What about their weapons," another asked, "These so-called elements of harmony what will these do to our mighty tripods."

"Nothing they shall be burnt by the heat ray," the first Martian replied "And any other resistants is futile."

"We will take this planet for our own and kill the equines," The second Martian said "Let us begin the war of the worlds."

*Equestria*

No pony would have believed that hat pony affairs where being watched from the timeless worlds of space. No pony could have dreamed we were being scrutinized as someone with a microscope studies creatures that swarm and multiply in a drop of water. Few ponies even considered the possibility of life other planets. And yet across the gulf of space minds immeasurably superior to ours regarded Equestria with envious eyes and slowly and surely they drew their plans against us.

Midnight the 12th August a huge explosion of green gas erupted from Mars and sped towards Equestria. Across two hundred million miles of void invisibly hurtling towards us was the first of the missiles. This was bringing the instruments of death and destruction. As I gazed through my telescope I saw another flash. Another missile on its way. A green flare sprouted from Mars. Bright green, drawing a green mist behind it. A beautiful but somehow disturbing sight. 

Dr whooves the astronomer assured me that we were in no danger. He was convinced that nothing could be living on that remote forbidding planet.

"Kaiber my friend the chances of anything coming from Mars are a million to one." he said. 

'The chances of anything coming from mars are a million,' to one I thought, 'but still they come..'

Then came the night the first missile approached Equestria. It was thought to be an ordinary falling star. Until the next morning, there was a huge crater in the middle of Everfree common. Whooves came to inspect what lay there: a cylinder, thirty yards across, glowing hot. I heard faint sounds of movement from within.

Suddenly the top began moving. Rotating. Unscrewing. Whooves feared there was a pony inside, trying to escape. He rushed to the cylinder, but the intense heat stopped him before he could burn self on the metal. 

Again I found myself thinking the same thing over and over. 

'The chances of anything coming from mars are a million to one but still they come!
The chances of anything coming from mars are a million to one he said
The chances of anything coming from mars are a million to one but still they come!
Yes, the chances of anything coming from mars are a million to one but still they come!'

It seems totally incredible to me now that every pony spent that evening as any other From the railway station came the sound of shunting trains, ringing and rumbling, softened almost into melody by the distance. It all seemed too safe and tranquil...