Ghost in the shell: Equestrian architecture

Manhattan shined with glowing blue and green neon lights. Cars and trucks moved on the roads with paired yellow stars on the front of them. From the hotel Twilight Sparkle looked down from the vehicles seemed more akin to glowing blood cells moving through the veins of titanic organism.

“I´m moving into position, major.” Osborn´s growly voice said in her head, a moment before his profile picture appeared in the corner of her sight. He had amber colored skin with black short cut hair and a visible stub covered chin.

“Copy that.” Twilight responded without opening her mouth. “Rainbow Dash, what´s your status?”

“ETA to position; thirty seconds.” Osborn´s face disappeared and Rainbow Dashes took its place. She had her rainbow colored hair pulled back into a ponytail at the back of her head and her white skin looked almost pale in comparison to Osborn.

“You’ve got twenty.”

“Roger.”

Twilight Sparkle attached a line into one of the air pipes that crawled along the side of the building, removed the safety on the gun and walked up to the edge of the building. “Osborn, status?”

“In position and ready.”

“Use the EMP.”

“Roger.”

The major spread her arms and leapt forward. The wind pulled her violet hair back and sung with high, sharp tones in her ears. The windows rushed past her. An electrical tickle went through her skin. Or at least that’s what the scans told her brain. A few levels beneath her she saw a man rushing out to the balcony and hurled his head over the edge. She didn´t know the man but she knew he wasn´t the target.

The line reached its end at the same level as the sick man. Twilight felt the line tugging her side and pulling her spine when it stopped. With a graceful movement she flipped around and drew the gun. Her eyes found the target. A skinny man with light brown hair and golden brown eyes. He was in the company of six other men including the man on the balcony. All of them were dazed and clutching their heads in pain. She pulled the trigger, the muzzle flashed with a small flame and the skinny man´s head was torn apart in an explosion of grey metal and white plastic. Every piece of it covered in a layer of crimson blood.

“Now Rainbow Dash!” The major placed her hands on her hips and clipped the line off. In the corner of her eye she could see a shape moving towards her from one of the side buildings. Rainbow Dash took the major in her arms and ascended gently to the ground with a pair of cyan colored wings strapped to her back.

They landed on a sidewalk were Applejack was waiting for them. She was leaning a chrome colored car with her hat folded over her eyes and her blonde hair was tied in two braids. Rainbow Dash put the major down and began to fold her wings down.

“Status, Osborn?”

“I´m taking the elevator down.” He responded. “ETA to entrance; twenty-five seconds.”

“Copy that.” Twilight Sparkle climbed into the car. “We´ll regroup at HQ.”

“Roge-“ Something cut him off.

“Osborn? Osborn?!” There was no answer. “Applejack drive!”

The freckled sergeant started the engine and turned the car to the hotel with a few twist of sterring wheel.

“Osborn!” Twilight tried to make contact again.

“I´ve been hit.” He responded. “A sniper shoot through the window on the opposite building.”

“What’s your position?”

“In the elevator, heading down.”

“Copy that. Fluttershy,” Twilight contacted central and Fluttershy´s timid face appeared in the corner of her sight. “We´ve been compromised, Osborn´s been shoot. Send a medical unit to the hotel.”

“Affirmative.”

“Rainbow Dash,” Twilight turned to her colleague. “Take point when we exit the car and watch for the sniper. Applejack, you’re with me. We need to get Osborn out of the hotel and in to the rescue helicopter ASAP.”

“Copy.” Applejack put her foot down on the gas and they made it back to the hotel within the minute.

Rainbow Dash was the first one out. She climbed out with her assault rifle and took aim to the opposite building. “Go.”

Applejack and twilight Sparkle rushed out the moment she gave them the clear. People inside the hotel were staring at the bloody mess that was Osborn, staggering out of the elevator. Blood dripped from a dark wet mark on his white shirt.

Before he could see either of them, Applejack ran up to him and put on of his arms over her shoulder. Twilight rushed up alongside Applejack and injected Osborn with a syringe filled with a green-grey fluid. The moment the fluid had been pressed down the plunger, Osborn grunted and the muscles on his neck visible flexed.

“Let´s go.” Twilight threw Osborn´s arm over her shoulder and Applejack helped her carry him out of the hotel. When they exited through the door a rush of pressing air pressed them down and the hard noise of cutting helicopter blades meet them.

The helicopter set down in front of the them and two medics jumped out to meet them. Together they lifted Osborn into the chopper and gave him some painkillers via another syringe.
Twilight Sparkle climbed into to the helicopter and kept her eyes focused on the opposite building. She could see a sniper rifle resting on the edge of the roof.

“See the shooter?” Osborn from the carrier he was strapped into.

Twilight shacked her head slightly. “No. Just the rifle.”

“Already gone, huh?”

“I wonder if the shooter was never there.”

“What?”

“Just a hunch. Or perhaps a glitch.” She kept her sight locked to the building as if something would happen to resolve her doubts.

“Hmm…” Osborn put his head back and sighed. “Maybe the EMP got to your brain. Either way we got some big problems to deal with now.”