Equestria, Ponyville
Castle of Friendship

11:00 AM

As the sun continued to rise in the mid-morning sky, Princess Twilight Sparkle was busy in her royal duties, mainly the day's paperwork from Canterlot. As she looked over finance reports, a few proposed laws, and a potential ease on import taxes, Spike came into the room.

"You still working, Twilight?" the dragon asked, hopping up into his own chair next to her.

"Yep." she replied, continuing to write or abstain from her signature on several documents. "Just because I'm a Princess doesn't mean that I can't slack on my paperwork."

"Well, we're still on for our lunch appointment with the girls at 12:30, right?" Spike asked.

"Yes again." Twilight said, shuffling some approved papers away. "I know this is important, but do you honestly think I'd miss a lunch date with my best friends for some paperwork?"

"Maybe." Spike replied. "So...place your bets."

"On what?" Twilight asked, confused.

"It's Tuesday." Spike stated. "In the 3rd week of the month. It's That Day."

"Come on, Spike. A dangerous or supernatural occurrence doesn't happen every time this day comes around." Twilight admonished. Spike raised an eyebrow in response.

"First there was Nightmare Moon, which is one. Next was Chrysalis, that's two. Then Sombra for three. Then Tirek last month." Spike said. "It's correlation, Twilight."

"But not causation." Twilight said smartly. "The two might go hoof in hoof, but they don't cause each other. Simple logic."

"I'm going to prove you wrong someday." Spike muttered. "Wait, it's 12:20!"

"You're right!" Twilight said, glancing at the clock on her wall with a gasp. "Let's go!"

As the two of them raced out the door, neither of them knew that Spike's theory would soon be proven true.

====
Deep Space, Near Equestria

UNSC Scout Prowler - Echo Noble

As the blue blur of Slipspace rushed past the cockpit of his ship, Agent Nevada took in a weary sigh of exhaustion. As he removed his Recruit-Class Mjolnir Helmet and set it aside, he put his head in his hands.

"Is something wrong, Agent Nevada?"

A small holographic figure appeared next to Agent Nevada, wearing a trench coat and a fedora.

"I'm fine, Garrett." Nevada replied, looking at the UNSC AI he had "requisitioned". "What's our heading to Planet Chorus?"

"We will arrive in approximately one hour, thirty-two minutes." Garrett said. "I am reading slight gravitational anomalies near us, but they shouldn't bother us while we're in FTL speeds."

"Thanks." Nevada said, standing up and replacing his helmet. "I'm going to get some rest. Can you fly the ship?"

"Of course."

As Garrett gave a salute and disappeared, Nevada proceeded to the Prowler's crew bay. As he slid into his bunk, he gave off a moan of exhaustion. Ever since he had been recruited by the UNSC to investigate the civil war on Chorus, he hadn't been given a moment's respite.

Nevada was unique, even among men of his caliber. He had previously been a member of the elite UNSC military group known as Project Freelancer. The Freelancer Agents were supposed to be the best of the best, and Nevada was certainly qualified for the job. However, he had retired long ago due to one unfortunate occurrence.

His supposed "death" while on a dangerous mission. During an operation to recover a stolen UNSC flight recorder module, he had been ambushed by Insurrection forces. He had delivered the objective to the waiting Freelancers for extraction, then stayed behind to fight the Insurrection troops off in a stolen Broadsword Fighter...

...which got shot down before he could reach safety. Nevada had survived and extracted via an outbound cargo ship, but he knew that his chances of returning to Project Freelancer were nonexistent.

So, he left Project Freelancer behind and settled on the remote Planet Accord as local security for a UNSC Colony. He had enjoyed the quiet life of hunting and fishing, with his pay being food and board. The locals eventually grew used to him, even admiring him, and Nevada figured he'd spend his remaining days here in what he considered paradise.

That is, until the UNSC somehow figured out he was alive. Picked up in the middle of the night by Navy ODSTs, he had been given a new choice of occupation by UNSC Fleetcom.

Either go to prison for supporting the now-defunct Project Freelancer, or perform one last mission and be exonerated for his actions.

It wasn't much of a choice, but Nevada accepted his fate. He had been surprisingly well-prepared by the UNSC for his mission on Planet Chorus, which was against Nevada's expectations. He had been given a ship, an AI to manage his armor systems, an ample supply of weapons and ammo, and finally orders to use any means necessary to survive.

Even if that meant violent or forceful measures.

Either way, Nevada didn't care. As long as he could return to that little planet he had once called home, he was fine with whatever he had to do. As he finally laid back in his bunk and began to drift off to sleep, his helmet's visor flashed against the fluorescent lighting of the cabin.

====

As Twilight Sparkle and Spike walked through the town of Ponyville, they were surprised to see the Royal Crystal Express train docked at the station. As they approached, Shining Armor appeared and wrapped his sister in a hug.

"Hey, Twily." Shining said. "I hope I wasn't interrupting anything."

"No, it's okay." Twilight said. "What are you doing here?"

"I figured I'd stop in for a visit." Shining smiled. "See my sister and her friends, and check if everything's okay...seeing as it's That Day."

"You noticed that too?" Spike asked. "That every Tuesday in the third week..."

"...of every month, something bad happens." Shining finished. "I didn't think about it until Cadance told me a week ago."

"Wait, first you two and now Cadance think this phenomenon is real?" Twilight asked, raising an eyebrow in disbelief. "Are you kidding me?"

"Not really." Shining said. "So, wanna get something to eat? I'm starved."

"Sure, I was going to head to lunch with the girls..." Twilight said.

"Great! Let's go!" Shining interrupted as the three of them headed to Sugarcube Corner, followed closely by a squad of Crystal Guards.

====

"Agent Nevada, please wake up."

"Uh, I'm awake, Garrett." Nevada said as he slid out of his bunk and put his helmet on. "What's the matter?"

"We've got a big problem." Garrett said. "While we were en route to Chorus, a Slipspace rupture appeared right in front of this Prowler, tearing us out of the Slipspace jump. I had to cut the engines in order to prevent us from being crushed into scrap metal."

"Brilliant." Nevada groaned as he headed for the bridge. "Where are we?"

"AstroNav can't pinpoint our location. We're about 500 Light Years off course from Chorus." Garrett said. "I'm sorry about that."

"I don't blame you. You did what was necessary." Nevada replied, taking the Pilot's seat. "Any good news?"

"There is a habitable planet on the starboard side, with a remarkable similarity to Earth." Garrett said. "I recommend we sojourn there for the time being, until I can prepare a distress signal for the UNSC."

"Can't you do that now?" Nevada asked.

"Unfortunately, the systems of this Prowler were damaged during the rough exit. We've not no communications or further Slipspace capabilities, so in all essential purposes, we're stuck." Garrett deadpanned. "Shall I take us to that planet below and begin landing procedures?"

"Go for it." Nevada said as the Prowler dipped towards the mysterious world. "I'll be in the armory. Once we've landed, transfer to my helmet and prep my armor enhancements."

"Roger that." Garrett said as Nevada entered the Prowler's Armory, which consisted of little more than a rack stuffed with ammunition and grenades, modules for various armor enhancements, and a set of standard issue UNSC firearms.

Nevada unlocked the case and pulled out a BR55D Battle Rifle, shouldering it before sliding an M6G Magnum into his holster. Then, his eyes turned to the various Armor Enhancements in their charging racks.

"I must inform you that you can only run a maximum of four enhancements at a time." Garrett said. "Even with your suit's capabilities and my assistance, they don't play nice with each other if there's more than four at a time."

"Works for me." Nevada said as the atmosphere cleared up, revealing a vibrant forest. "I suppose I need the Healing Unit, Speed Boost, AUG Vision, and...what's this one?"

"Ah, the Kinetic Disruptor." Garrett said. "That enhancement is still a prototype. It takes incoming kinetic energy impacts and reroutes them into a powerful blast in all directions. A fairly strong one, too. However, it is a rather fragile piece of tech."

"I'll take it, then." Nevada said as the Prowler leveled out, reaching the planet's skyline. "We all set?"

"Affirmative." Garrett said. "Transferring to your Helmet now."

As the AI's icon appeared in his HUD, Nevada proceeded to the landing ramp to disembark. As he stepped onto the pale green grass, he smiled under his helmet.

"What now, Agent Nevada?" Garrett asked.

Nevada chuckled as he began to walk towards the edge of the forest.

"Now? We go find out who lives here." Nevada said.

"And if they're hostile?"

Nevada merely smiled.

"Then I'll do what I do best...Kick some ass."

Author's Note

Don't worry, the epic first fight scene comes next chapter.