2-3 flying objects that did not move much that were close enough to create a bright flash of light that fell vertically down & vanished

I returned home around 2:30 am & in my window saw 1 aircraft that I assumed was a plane. I watched it for several minutes & when it continued blinking colors I grabbed my binoculars & saw that it was not a plane. It had stopped moving when another craft appeared near it. I woke my partner up & we ended counting 3 crafts near, but not next, to each other. They were amongst/hidden by clouds for a couple minutes, however, you would still see the lights. After watching for 30 minutes we witnessed a bright light shoot vertically from in between 2 of the aircraft’s down toward the ground. The light disappeared & we had not heard a sound or any news reports. We watched them for a total of 3-4 hours before fall asleep. We assumed they remained in the sky.