Stars Above Equestria

Jack felt the servos in his suit struggle against the magic. Small jets of steam pushed out before he finally he admitted defated and stood still.

His eyes began roaming over Nightmare Moon. She seemed like a pony back from his own world. The only similarities were the same shape, there it ended. This mare, was clearly built for combat. She had toned slender legs, the muscles rippling as she stomped a hoof. Her hoof was round and made a soft muffled noise, jack realized that meant these things didn't wear horseshoes. He did notice a regal black metal wrapping up her hooves and legs like ivy, it bent and flowed easily. Her fur was a rich black, a shiny coat that any breeder back home would praise. Upon her chest and flanks sat onyx battle armor, modeled to wrap around her curves and block anything that would hit vital areas. Bat wings fit through special of crafted holes and rested on custom fit sockets along her sides. The helm stretched from the base of her neck in a shingle pattern, the plate above overlapping the one below it. It seemed to be made of shadows the way tendrils dropped off onto the floor.

Her horn was enveloped in the same azure light as his suit and everyone else assembled. Jack watched as she looked over the elected leaders. Nightmare Moon snorted in disgust before walking down the line. She reached the first and spat upon him. “Disgusting.”

Jack wasn't prepared for what happened next, with a quick tilt of her horn saw the man’s neck snap with a sickening crunch. He'd seen it before during riots or fights between prisoners, but to witness it in cold blood. Shocking even himself he admitted she was using scare tactics to cow the populace, a Mensk move but she was ensuring it sank in.

A single thought ran through his mind. 'What the fuck! This isn't like the show!'

Nightmare moon then proceeded to walk down the line, commenting on each man, before snapping their neck. “Filthy.” Crack! “Grotesque.” Crack! “Apes.” She made the last one particularly disgusting as she twisted his head upside down but kept the skin from breaking. Then her eyes turned towards Jack. There was an emotion in there that didn't belong, pure joy at what she'd just done.

Jack knew it was his turn, but a strange calm settled on his body as he flexed his chin and closed the visor. If he was gonna die, he would at least die in the dark.

Nightmare Moon relished the audacity of this ape who dared hide from her, so she reached out and tried to open the suit with her magic.

That was when everything went ass up.

The magic didn't work, the glow around Jack's suit faded as a small buzz filled the air, electricity arcing across the outside of the metal before he moved. Inside the suit, Jack saw as the personal adjacent inside his suit had calibrated the correct counter frequency. It took him only a moment to realize what that meant. Nightmare Moon realized it in the same instant.

Sadly neither could capitalize on it for an attack as a screech set everyone's teeth on edge. Nails on a chalkboard would of been favorable. Jack saw an image on his HUD of an enemy contact, it wasn't the mare before him but out through the plasma shield.

It wasn't a moment later that he saw the movement of wings, one of the mutalisk things had come back for more. That didn't make sense, he had activated the turrets by hand... Jack felt like an idiot for not getting the auto targeting. Now it might cost him and his crew their lives.

A hand reached back as he knelt down, soon he held the heavy commando rifle in his gauntlets. Jack peered through the scope and waited for a moment before squeezing the trigger.

There was a small delay of barely a second before the boom came, something sped away quickly from the end of his barrel. The kick alone almost tore his arm off as he grunted in pain.

A small female robotic voice spoke in his ear, “Activating recoil countermeasures.” He recognized that voice but couldn't tell what as he just set his shoulder and aimed back towards the beast.

Jack had taken too long as it had fired a shot off towards him, his vision filled with a massive orb of green energy about to crash right into him.

“Fuck...” That was all he said before his eyes closed and he braced himself.

There was a solid smack, but he didn't feel a damn thing. An eye opened slowly as he saw an almost transparent azure barrier floating before him like a shield. A quick glance confirmed that Nightmare Moon was standing beside him, horn aglow.

The shield dropped before orbs of azure light began shooting off towards the mutalisk. A glare was directed towards his way. "Are you going to just stare all day or destroy this abomination?”

Jack could feel her anger as he aimed and started popping off round after round. Each one found its mark and blew off a solid chunk of flesh.

After three solid hits from both the monster went dead in space, floating quickly towards the pair. Jack thought for a moment as his suit calculated the angle of impact.

It took no time at all for him to return his rifle, an arm wrapped solidly around Nightmare Moon's waist as he dove to the side. Jack angled it so his suit would take most of the impact and friction burns as they skidded clear.

Where the two were a moment again was painted in a mass of black flesh, the wings torn to shreds as yellow blood oozed out onto the floor.

Jack stood up slowly. He didn't see a single shell casing anywhere and would figure that out later, for now he turned to gingerly pick Nightmare Moon up.

The mare stood there with a disdainful look as his gauntlets brushed the dirt off her armor. Jack even adjusted the helmet that seemed a little crooked before standing before this demon? Yeah she seemed like a demon to him.

Nightmare Moon spoke with sarcasm dripping on every word. “Oh thank you brave hero for your valiant rescue. I am forever in your debt.” She snorted in disgust before turning to examine the corpse.

Normally Jack didn't enjoy arguing with people but right now he was a little agitated, well little isn't truly the right word. He was stuck in a robotic suit, looked like someone from a video-game, knew how to do things he never did before, was almost killed; twice!, and now she was being sarcastic after he saved her life. Oh he was gonna make her say thank you.

Nightmare Moon was quietly lifting bits and pieces other beast in her magic as she ran some magical scans on it. She was slightly oblivious to the world until she felt a soft push against the back of her helm. Her head tried to turn but she simply got a jab in the neck for that

“Alright bitch, we can do this two ways. Drop the act and treat me like a normal being. Or I blow your brains out the front of your head.”

There was a roar of approval from the prisoners who seemed ubfrozen and eager to attack. Several of them brandishig fists as they began forming a ring around the whole scene.

“You dare threaten the Empress of the Night, The Queen of Darkness, Sorceress of Shadows, Ruler of Ruin, and Mistress of All I Observe! .”

“Yes I do because you are fucking insane.”

Nightmare Moon just growled as he horn started to glow but she lost focus as he rammed the rifle onto the back of her head.

“Nice try bitch. I know how it works now.”

“I shall roast you over an open flame and savor the taste.”

Jack just rolled his eyes before stepping forward, his visor opened up as he talked in a small calm manner. “Go ahead and try, because if that is your fortress. I can set this ship to bombard and make it rubble in mere moments.”

“You're bluffing, no mortal is that heartless as to destroy a civilian target.”

Now that was where Jack laughed, it was long and hearty as he dropped the rifle away from the head and looked at her. He had a tear roll down his cheek before shaking his head. “I am a prison guard as a living. I can tell you just how much punishment each man in here can take. Most also know better than to fuck with me. I break them when they come through. If they disobey me then I do that." He pointed over to the body laying on the ground minus a head.

Nightmare Moon just turned her head to look at the man in the suit before reaching out and drawing on the repressed nightmares of those around her. She saw nothing but his old body tormenting and beating most of them. He did indeed have an evil side it seemed, she frowned and turned to face him.

“Why save me then if you are a monster inside?”

“Monsters need to stick together. Besides, I can't have someone as twisted as you alive without being partners. Now discuss some things.”

The prisoners around them growled and a few even stepped forwards as they glared at the two. Both of the two looked out as Jack simply raised a brow and pulled out his gauss rifle. "I thought I told you to tow the line. Or do we have a disagreement already?"

A burly prisoner stepped forward, a nazi symbol tattooed all across his back. "Yes, this bitch deserves to die for the simple act of restraining us."

"Oh is that so? Who agrees with that statement? Stand beside your comrade. The rest back the fuck off."

Several prisoners began standing behind the nazi before there was a about a dozen or so. Jack smirked as he looked over to Nightmare Moon. She was simply standing there eyeing up the two sides before sitting down.

"Don't let me stop you from disciplining those who aren't smart enough to realize the way things are."

Jack smirked as he simply leveled his rifle and before anyone could say a thing opened fire. The shots were quick as he began to see almost instantly that holes wete being ripped in the men. No one knew what was happening before there was just a pile of men's corpses riddled with holes. He shouldered the rifle before looking out across the sea of orange. "Again any other questions?"