Ghost in the shell: Equestrian architecture

“That´s the last of them.” Rainbow Dash loaded a diver tank sized battery into the combat tachikoma. This one was much bigger than the one Applejack and Twilight Sparkle took out to last night and Rainbow Dash was tasked with repairing some of the damages it received during that mission. She turned the handle at the end of the battery to look it in. A brief glance at the panel confirmed that it the battery was fully charged and ready to be used.

“Everything is working as it should.” She closed the panel and washed the thick, oily residence of her hands at the sink with a special alcohol. She glanced at her wrist watch. “Another hour until my shifts over, Twilight and Applejack are going over the security plans, and Fluttershy is working on getting into Trixie´s head.” She shrugged. “Might has well get some exercise.”

She took the elevator down a level, changed in the locker room and walked to the buildings gym. When she entered she heard the gym she someone grunting, a man. “Hey, Osborn.” She said when she saw him. He´s skin was shiny with sweet and his muscles twitched has he pulled himself up with a 25 kg weight tied around his waist.

“Hey, Rainbow Dash.” He stopped and dropped to the floor with heavy thud. “Come to work out?” He asked while untying the weight.

“I was, but sense you´re here I got two things I want to ask you.”

Osborn gasped for a few moments, put the weight against the wall and took a three big chugs from his water bottle before answering. “What do want to ask?” He wiped his forehead with the back of his hand.

“First;” Rainbow Dash marked with a finger. “Think you can take me in the ring?”

Osborn sniffed. “Sure. How many rounds to want to do?”

“One.”

He smirked. “Alright.”

Rainbow Dash picked two pairs of boxing gloves out of the storage. She gave Osborn the red pair while she used the white ones. Before she put them on she opened the control panel and raised the boxing ring out of the floor. Osborn climbed into it when it was only halfway through ascending.

“Ready?” He tightened the glove´s strap with his teeth.

“Oh, yeah.” She raised her fists to guard and walked towards him.

Osborn did the same and looked at her with a sharp smile.

She jumped forward and threw a punch with her right arm. The attack seemed to take Osborn by surprise. He barely managed to block it and took most of the impact with his forearms.

He staggered backwards and was close to falling over, but stopped himself with his foot. “Augmented your arms or something?”

“Nothing in arms but I´ve got a few in my back and behind my ears to help with flying and balance.”

“I guess old age is finally catching up to me.”

“You´re gonna start making excuses now?” She raised her brow. “Didn´t think you the type.”

He shook his head. “Just wait until you´re pushing forty plus.” He raised to guard.

“Your forty?” Rainbow Dash jumped to the side to avoid his incoming attack.

“Forty-three.” He countered her follow up with a low left hook. Rainbow Dash took the blow to her left side. “Do I look older?”

Rainbow Dash smiled faintly. “I honestly thought you were thirty.”

“What?” Osborn was stunned and Rainbow Dash wasted no time. Her right fist slammed into his lower jaw and Osborn hit the floor with a heavy thud.

“Come on, don´t tell me you´re downed already.”

Osborn grunted and got to his feet. “Was that the second question you wanted to ask me?” He avoided her strike and landed a hard blow in her stomach.

Rainbow Dash felt the air escaping her lungs. She took a moment regain herself. “No, it wasn´t that.” She said before rising to her feet.

“Still don´t think I have answered the first question?” He raised his left brow.

Rainbow Dash nodded.

“Alright, then.” Osborn lunged forward. His right fist rushed towards but Rainbow Dash managed to avoid it all the same.

Too slow. Rainbow Dash rammed her fist into his stomach. She could feel the muscles sinking inwards and he hit the ground a second time. He laid still, gasping and sweating.

“You win.” He said after lying still for teen seconds.

“You okay?” Rainbow Dash held out her hand to help him to his feet.

“Just dead tired.” Osborn took her hand. “You´ve got one hell of a right hook.” He took of his gloves and moaned has he gently rubbed his stomach.

“Now for the second question.” Rainbow Dash took her gloves of too. “How come you don´t have a cyber brain?”

“The Major uses me like an ace up her sleeve. Sense I have an organic brain I can´t be hacked and I´m immune to EMP blasts.” He said every word like a reversed speech. “It also helps that a lot of my criminal contacts trust me because I don´t have a cyber brain.”

“That´s not what I asked.” Rainbow Dash folded her arms over her chest. “You only told me how Twilight uses you during missions. You didn´t tell me why you choose to stay organic.”

“Fine.” Osborn sat down in the corner of the ring. “The reason I choose to stay organic is because I don´t want someone coming into my brain.”

“What do you mean?”

“You know the saying, that a man is nothing but the sum of his memories? Well, what if someone could change that sum. Every experience and memory that I have has formed me into the person I am today. Even a small memory can be vital in forming a personality. But when you get a cyber brain your memories become digital, like the hard drive in a computer, and that means they can be altered or outright deleted.”

“You do know that you can never augment your body beyond that little cyber com you have behind your ear because of that? If you get your arm torn of it will never regrow and if you get shoot in a vital area you could die right, there on the spot.”

“I do. But the though t of someone coming into my brain and changing my memories or deleting my person is something that scares me far more than losing a limp or dying.” He looked into her eyes. “Now let me ask you something; can respect my choice? That I will always be at greater risk than the rest of section twelve?”

“Let answer that with another question; do you look down on the rest of section twelve because we have augmented our bodies?”

“Not for a second. If anything I am envious of you and frustrated with myself.”

“In that case, I do respect it.”