It was a beautiful day in the Crystal Empire, the city was as sparkly as the crystal heart. Ruling this fine kingdom of ponies was non other than princess Cadance herself, the alicorn of love, mother of Flurryheart, and the wife to her beloved husband Shining Armor. Speaking of Shining, the stallion was currently in his and Cadance's bedroom, he sat by the window watching the clouds pass by with a steaming cup of coffee, his eyes shows obvious evidence of a sleepless night. What caused him to be deprived of sleep you ask? Well, if there was a ghost that was keeping you up because it had nothing else to do, then maybe you would also be in the same situation.

A grinning see through face suddenly pops in front of Shining's face, the living pony yelps out in fright and nearly spills his coffee.

"Hey Butt Stallion, why the long face?" Jack chuckles at his own joke as Shining glared at him.

"For the last time, I'm not Butt Stallion, it's Shining!" After correcting the ghost, Shining returns to looking out the window, but Jack still persists on annoying him.

"Come on Shining, can't you just laugh a little, I think you need it. I mean, wow, you look like death!"

"Jack, why are you here?"

"I already told you, I was trying to be a hero, but some bandits just doesn't want change! What's hard to understand?" He said as he floats above him.

"Not that, you could go anywhere you want, but here you are!"

"Oh, well that's because no one else could see me, only you. Also, I'm bored... Hey I got an idea!"

Shining sighed heavily before taking a sip from his mug. "I'm afraid to ask, but what is it?"

"Listen, my awesome brain is kinda filled with all sorts of ideas and plans, plus I can remember how to make a simple gun, so how about we send this sh*thole of a country of yours, to the future!"

"This country is not a sh*thole! Equestria is the best country on the whole world, and you should respect that."

"You, are too patriotic, I think that's a problem there buddy. I was just trying to be nice here and help take this planet towards a new era, but here you are being whiny."

"I am not whiny! Besides, how would I know you wouldn't backstab me when you get what you want?"

"Listen Shining, how am I gonna stab you in the back? I can't do anything!" The ghost for no reason at all slowly inhales for a second letting it out. "Shining, with my brains and experience, with your alive and fleshy body? You would go down in your people's history as the man who made it happen. I'm talking about cellphones, satellites, cars, 'floating cars', and robots! With me, they will know you more than the husband of a princess, they will all know you as the man or stallion of tomorrow."

Shining looks into his mug of coffee to think about his words, the idea was so tempting, but the ghost's history back when he was still alive was the thing Shining didn't like. Jack was practically a villain! Another but, he wanted to see how far Jack could bring Equestria to, so with an answer in mind he looks back to the ghost.

"I'll do it."

Jack became surprised by his answer since he had expected him to say no, he stuttered a little bit before a smile found itself on his fake face. "W-wait, really? Alright then, we are totally changing the world for the better! High f-hoof!" He raises his hoof in the air, Shining unconsciously moved his hoof to slap his, but it only phases through.

"Oh, well that's awkward." Said Shining before he took another sip from his coffee.

"Yeah, kinda forgot about that part. Oh right, before I could forget, what's up with that notebook about this Flash Sentry guy? You can tell me if you swing that way pal, I won't judge. Alright, I'll judge a little."

Shining spits his drink out through the window and to an unlucky pony, he coughs and cleared his throat before glaring at the ghost. "No, I don't swing that way, my sister just mentioned him once!" He said as he points the mug at Jack.

"So your sister was interested on the guy and now you stalk him for information as to why, got it. Also, you have a sister?"

"Yes I have a sister! And no, I do-"

"Shining?"

Before he could finish his sentence, Cadance just suddenly spoke from behind him, this in turn caused the stallion to spill his coffee all over his face, Shining recoils back from the boiling heat and fell on his back really roughly. This would have been very entertaining for Jack, but for some odd reason he had experienced the same pain the pony had at the same time, so he flailed his hooves around trying to stop the pain as he floats painfully in the air.

"Oh Shining, I-I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to scare you like that!" Cadance quickly stood by his side and tried to help ease the pain he was feeling.

"D-don't worry dear, its just hot coffee, nothing can bring me down!" Shining wipes away the drink away.

"I'm sorry again, I was just curious as to why you were talking to yourself."

"I was... Uh..." He looked around the room to find an excuse, when his eyes landed on his Ogres and Oubliettes box from the opening of their closet. "Practicing my O & O roleplay! You know how I like being in character."

"I see, sorry I scared you out of practice for your game, let me get you another cup of coffee."

Shining quickly held her still with a strange smile. "Its okay, I can get it on my own." He then walks towards the door, before he leaves through it, he looks back to his wife. "And I wasn't scared, only surprised!"

Jack who had recovered at the same time as Shining had followed the stallion, still confused by what happened to him.

"You alright Jack?"

The ghost frowns towards him. "Well I have discovered that when you're hurt, I get hurt also... There goes my plan to cut your leg off."

"Wait what!?"

"Relax, I was planning to give you a cybernetic leg, you just need to loose one, but since I don't want to find out if I loose my leg also, that plan is in the trash." He said before landing on the ground and pretended to walk with him.

"You really are nuts."

Before Jack could retort, Shining stops right in front of a door that the stallion swore it wasn't there before, being curious as to where it led, Shining opens it to find out what was behind it. Just as he cracks it open, a griffon's talon comes out and pulls the unicorn into the room, Shining was then pushed against the wall by a brown feathered griffon wearing a wide brim hat and a long black coat with a badge on it, she glares at him as she points a Jakobs pistol at him. With her was a large earth pony with a good looking facial beard, he wore some kind of uniform showing military background, but what was really notable was the robotic left fore hoof. Shining eyes went back and forth with the two, he was both scared and confused by the creatures that he had never seen before in the castle. Plus the room had so much boxes, those were also things he had never seen before.

"What do we have here?" The griffon spoke as she prods the muzzle of the gun on Shining's cheek. "I'm guessing by horse standard, I got myself a pretty boy."

"Calm down Nisha, we don't want to hurt him... Yet." The other pony said, the sound of his voice was like a machine.

"Alright, we got questions and we want some answers. What is the name of this planet?"

"Equus!" He answered quickly as to not anger the griffon, seemingly forgetting his military training.

"What kind of dumb horse named the planet that?" She asks her companion who only shrugged his shoulders. "Whatever. Next question, who's running this place?"

"Me and my wife!"

"Well now, we got ourselves a crown! This take over is gonna be easy as a psycho with a bomb." She turns towards the other pony. "You don't mind me stealing the spotlight, right?"

"Hah!" The cyborg laughed. "As long as I get myself my perfect body back, I don't care."

She faces Shining again with a sadistic grin. "Here's what's gonna happen, you and I are gonna go look for your lovely wife, then both of you will quietly step down and give me the rule over your city. You understand butt stalion?"

Shining would have given a firm 'no', but calling him with that name was irritating. "Don't call me that, only Jack can! Well not really, but that's besides the point!"

"W-wait a second!" The cyborg said as he got closer to Shining as if he doesn't know what the meaning of personal space. "You know who handsome Jack is?"

"Are you...his friends?"

"Friends?" The griffon spoke as if she was offended. "He might be, but I'm more than just friends with Jack."

Ghost Jack slips his head through the door with a bored look, you speak of the devil and he will come. "Hey Shining, are you dead? Oh, you're still alive I se- Nisha?"

Shining turns back towards the griffon holding him. "Are you Nisha?"

"So Jack told you about me, so where is he?"

"This is gonna be really hard to say, but he's here with us... As a ghost..." The first few seconds was spent in silence before the cyborg took out his Hyperion shotgun and aimed it next to Shining's head. "Wait, hold on! He's really here!"

"Ghost aren't real dumbass, change my mind." The cyborg said as he was about to pull the trigger, he was having a hard time since he had no fingers.

"I can, just hold on a second! Jack, help me!"

"Maybe later, I wanna see what the color of your blood is."

"Its red! Also, he hurts me, you get hurt also!"

"Okay! Fine, jeez. His name is Wilhelm, when he was a kid he was diagnosed with a disease which he was forced to have cybernetic implants, this causes him to gain an addiction for cybernetics and he dream to be a robot in the future."

Shining quickly repeats what Jack had said, but this wasn't enough for Wilhelm. "Still not convince."

"This guy, I have always liked him." Jack commented as he stood next to the cyborg. "Tell him this."

Shining follows what the ghost had told him to do. "You and Nisha were told to go inside Claptrap's head?"

Wilhelm stared at the pony for a few seconds before nodding and shrugging his shoulders, he places his gun away as he smirks. "Alright then, but the second a guy claims he's a god, I'll pop a bullet in you."

Seeing that her companion believed, she decided to play along and forget all her plans of taking over the city, Nisha then released Shining, letting him fall face first on the floor.

"Hey Jack, is there a way for you to commicate?"

Shining looks expectantly towards Jack, the ghost told Shining to pass his message "He says that since I'm the only one who could see and hear him, you'll have to listen to me."

"Okay." Was all Wilhelm said, when Nisha was doing nothing, Wilhelm shoved his elbow into her side.

"Yeah yeah, I'll listen."

"So what's the plan... Horse?"

"Shining. Also, Jack said something about bringing Equestria to the future."

"Hmm, I could teach military training, that's all I know." Wilhelm said, eager to work, but he wouldn't do it for free.

Before anyone could give off suggestions, a purple light suddenly lit the whole room, the occupants were blinded for short duration, when the light died out both Jack and Wilhelm smiled widely. Right before them was a miniature robot factory that could strengthen the kingdom's defense, a badass constructor. Wilhelm quickly ran over and activated it, the machine lights up as it awakens to its new world, its red eye landed on the enforcer.

[SCANNING... SCAN COMPLETE. CREATURE IDENTIFIED, GREETINGS ENFORCER WILHELM. I AM WAITING FOR COMMANDS]

"W-what is that?" Shining asks the smartest one in the room.

"That, Shining, is the future."

Author's Note

Welp, here's a quick one, I hope you enjoyed the read, this one was easy to write since I had this idea back when I first revealed Jack. Though I have mediocre writing, I actually enjoyed making stories. Believe it or not, I used to DM DnD games with my friends and siblings back then, they all say I'm a bit morbid with how enemies die when they get crit killed, but I just like to tell stories. Also I'm bad at describing stuff, just saying. Still, I have lots of fun when I write.

I was gonna describe Nisha as her pre sequel design, but I always like her Borderlands 2 design better, also Wilhelm was the best out of the pre sequel vault hunters.

See you in the next chapter future betrayers, lame joke, I know

(Edit: I changed the title because it kinda spoil it by revealing jack to new readers.)