What is Friendship Now

by Narcissistic Writer

End Of The Line

Author's Note:

Hope you enjoy this comeback chapter of one of my favourite stories to write.

Twilight awoke from her less than pleasant slumber to see she was tied to a chair with multiple Pegasi watching her every move. Her thigh was burning she had a rash on her left thigh after all she had been dragged through a wasteland for God knows how long. She had no idea where she was, her field of view was limited as she suddenly came to the conclusion she had a bag over her head, and was not simply dizzy from her unconscious state she had slipped into minutes earlier. Or could it have been hours. Or days. Jesus even weeks. For she knew she could have been in a coma. This thought caused her to remember the moments before she had been......knocked out......knocked out by....oh no. A wave of panic hit Twilight like a bombshell she started to rock back and forth and spout nonsense to the the stallions looking at her in annoyance.

"You..what...di...you...do.....to...maaa......fwends" Twilight shouted and she started to realise she was under the influence of some kind of drug.

"Alright pipe down druggie" The smirking pony said while he lightly chuckled to his "friend" beside him.

"Now, now don't tease the princess she needs to focus on finding her friends isn't that right Sparkle" Said a familiar voice from the shadows. "AJ told me all about it, Twilight Sparkle saviour of harmony, you must be joking" Rambled the voice somewhat finding Twilights goal in some way pitiful.

"Its ok.....ill....be...da....one....wafing.....in....de.....end" Said Twilight who's consciousness began to fade.

"Ha, ha. We'll see Twilight. We'll see." The mare said smugly "Now take a nap" Suddenly Twilights consciousness had slipped away.

July 17 14:20 pm

"Jesus christ" Shadow exclaimed as he looked on at a sight so unholy he gagged. A strung up Spitfire lay dead in the trees with a punctured stomach seemingly from a shotgun blast blood dripping from her cold lips and entrails caught in nearby branches, some still acting as a kind of blocked blood hose occasionally allowing the crimson liquid to leak out the open intestines. But below that awful sight was a somehow a more gravitatingly shocking scene. Dozens of recruits Shadow recognised from the camp were blown to bits limbs littering the ground laying before the entrance to the Everfree Forest. Some had obviously ended their suffering before it could begin as multiple guards and rookies lay, firearms in hand and bullet holes visible through the side of each of their skulls. The sight was too much to take in Shadow knew himself he had a strong stomach but this made him sick as equally as it saddened him. Shadow looked at the time his clock read 14:27 he knew he would have to hurry if he were find Twilight on time. He jumped in the sports car he'd hot-wired from the Canterlot Auto-Mobile Retailer and accelerated towards his destination of the Wonderbolt Warehouse, he had twenty minutes to get there and was already running five mins late with the time he'd spent at the Everfree scene giving him fifteen minutes to get there which also added to the fact he didn't know the way, he had no time to waste and put the car into high gear and floored it, dust trailing behind him. He had to get there fast if he wanted to find Twilight instead of what would be left of her. Shadow knew the Pegasi were ruthless and their leader perfectly lived up to that ruthlessness. There wouldn't be much time to......SKKKRRRR! Shadow's car came to a stop skidding along the dirt ground. He exited his vehicle as his attention turned to the ground beneath him tracks of hooves....hooves that had been dragged..she's been here.....He knew she had.

July 17 14:34

Twilight awoke to ringing in her ears and a clanking noise directly above her head, once her eyes came into focus she saw a sight that gave Twilight a feeling of relief and horror as she lifted her head up to see her very own Rainbow Dash slumped in a chair guarded by the two Pegasi she had seen before both were armed with rifles and her old friend herself armed with a small handgun in one hand and a steel pipe in the other clanking the two together in a kind of clapping motion until she saw Twilight was fully conscious and then gestured to the two guards in a way Twilight couldn't understand the two stallions approached the restrained princess and pulled back her mane causing the chair she was restrained to to flip into its back giving Twilight a nasty bit of trauma to her head. Twilight moaned only to be silenced by the hand of Loyalty itself and was greeted by the friend she sought after for weeks by a slap to the cheek. Twilight gritted her teeth in pain still stunned from the chair flip. Twilight caught her breath after a couple seconds only to be plunged into pain once again as a sudden crack of a pipe striking the pony's kneecap caused her to scream in agony and plead for her friends motive for such an act.

"Rainbow...why?!" Twilight pleaded.

"Why? Because in this war there are two types of people there are predators and there's prey and there was no way I was being the latter so I built this empire, an empire consisting of the Wonderbolts their recruits and the Pegasi that were left behind by their old fellow comrades from the Pegasi Union. You don't think I didn't want to do this to you well guess what I didn't, but I'm a leader now I lead people, MY people into war and conflict and they trust my word to keep them safe, can you understand my responsibility now and if you really do, then how did you think Pegasi would react when they saw a unicorn and two earth ponies, may I remind you two hostile unions, they are going to act harshly and in a way I have taught them. Don't forget Twilight you caused this with the swift strike of a blade you slaughtered an innocent Pegasus after he gave an opinion how can you live with yourself you caused this, not Celestia, not Luna and not ME!" She shouted as the pipe came down a second time cracking the distraught princesses other knee with such force the sound echoed in the warehouse and so did Twilight's scream.

"Rainbow you coward, face the one who really disagrees with you!" Screamed a voice with a similar sounding southern accent. Dash turned and scowled at the farmer menacingly before approaching her trying to seem as intimidating as possible. "Yeah that's right you always did think you were tough turns out you're nothing but weak and powerless." Applejack spouted before bracing for an attack or outburst of somekind from the rainbow-maned mare. To both Twilight and AJ's surprise all the Pegasus did was laugh hysterically.

"Ahhh, you really are a crack up AJ, always have been but you see" Dash paused. "I can't be weak, because I'm not the one tied to a chair" Rainbow said as she leaned in close to Applejack.

"But you do have a busted up nose" Applejack said to the confusion of Rainbow Dash

"What are you talking ab-" Applejack leaned and cracked her forehead into the pegasus' lip and nose causing a spout of blood to spray from her nostrils.

"Ow you bitch!" Dash screamed with rage flipping the table to her side and gripping Applejack by her hide and throwing her to the ground with her chair following with her. "Shit I'm late for my meeting get the truck loaded I need to be there for 14:50 and its...." Rainbow Dash glanced at her watch. " 14:42...dammit! " she raced towards the exit before glancing at the two ponies once more "I'm not done with you two not by a long shot!"

July 17 14:39

Shadow had walked around a quarter of a mile after he ditched the sports car to avoid drawing attention after he thought he was closer to the warehouse and then suddenly it was in his sights, that rusty metal structure towering just a couple ten feet off the ground, but with an awfully wide outer structure causing the short height of the warehouse to be made up by the space on the inside. From what Black had heard it was mainly used for Rainbow Dash's vehicle storage and interrogations which didn't spark any hope for Twilight. He was only a couple hundred feet away from the warehouse, which was about the time he began to sprint it took him about a minute to get to the warehouse plus another minute of his inner thought rambling that was two minutes making it "Shit!" Shadow exclaimed " Its 14:42" he quickly increased the pace in his run and made it to the broken entrance of the warehouse, ponies usually used the side door and exit to enter and leave the warehouse he peeked at that side door to see Rainbow Dash and a team of guards leaving in a supply truck directly past Shadow he quickly ducked for cover behind some storage crates and made his way towards the side door on the the West side of the warehouse. He watched as Rainbows team left from the parking lot on the East side after the coast was clear he creaked the door open the guards oblivious to the stealthy movement he saw. .. 1...2.3.....4 guards, 4 rounds he had to be perfect no mistakes lives depended on it he waited. He'd go on three, there were two by the door and one by each of the Mares. He counted..... "1" The mag of the first pistol clicked into place ."2" The second mag clicked "3" Shadow leaped through the gap in the door way and aimed a pistol in both directions firing two rounds and connecting with two skulls. Straight after he rolled into the line of fire of both guards before firing a round into the shoulder of Applejacks guard and one into the chest of the Pegasus sat beside Twilight both guards fell to their knees and one ran to take cover behind some ammo boxes. "Shit" Shadow whispered under his breath. The soldier with the injured shoulder rose above his cover to fire when he saw the light of a match flying towards him the match landed inside the box of ammunition and then went out. Suddenly the pony rose above his cover once again . "Ha what did you think you were a genius, you stupid fu-" An explosion rattled the supports of the warehouse causing the collapse of the roof. As it caved in dust filled the room blinding the other injured soldier leaving a window of vulnerability Shadow darted for him charging at him as they both ran towards each other head on before Shadow slid through his separated legs and re-emerged behind him only to stick a knife into the his stomach twisting it round and swiftly pulling upwards on the handle of the blade causing the the injured Pegasus' vital organs to spill into the floor of the warehouse and blood to stain the hoofs of the two mares' knight in shining armour "Disgusting" Shadow complained. He approached Twilight and Applejack and untied them both. Twilight was unconscious by now but Applejack was fully conscious and fully confused

"Now tell me, who are you?" Applejack said puzzled. As they exited into the wasteland.

" The name's Black Shadow I expect Twilight has said something about me"

"Yeah, she said you rescued her or something like that" Applejack replied

"Well yeah I guess you could put it like that. So I guess that means I'm allowed to know who you are and if you have one, what your relationship with Rainbow Dash is.

"Applejack, to friends AJ and on my relationship with Rainbow, we had history but there's nothing but bad blood between us now, the war did a lot of things to people one thing it did to her. Was turn her psychopathic." Shadow listened on intrigued on the new info she was being given about Rainbow Dash's backstory " She has this ideal she can remake Equestria into a Pegausus only country but only her Pegasus not the union, not the official Pegasus tribe"

"Well that sounds like a grudge I'll leave you two to settle that on your own terms" Shadow barely got out due to the strain of Twilights bodyweight on his shoulder which caused agony for the stallion.

"Glad you understand I wish nothing but hell upon that god damned horse" Applejack shot back angrily.

"She has what's coming to her, especially after she kidnapped you, Twilight and that other one." Shadow blurted out and suddenly seeming puzzled. "That other one, Rarity isn't it?"

" Wait Rarity, Where the hell IS Rarity? "

"Oh Shit" Shadow said as he sighed and toppled over Twilight crushing him in the process .

"Life just ain't easy is it?" Applejack said disappointingly . " Then again Rainbow was in a hurry, and apparently loading up some cargo for a meeting." Applejack came to a realisation. "Oh Shit!"

"Oh Shit Indeed"