The Castle at the End of Time

Chapters

W.M.F.
Tremors of Fate
Skyhold

W.M.F.

Skyhold Fortress. A hidden military sanctuary located in a heavily defended cluster of clouds. It served as a home to the W.M.F., The Wonderbolts Military Faction, an elite military force outside of the regular royal guard regiment. Only consisting of pegasi, these ponies are state-of-the-art killing machines whose purpose is hooves-on warfare. Whenever a threat is beyond magic, these ponies are the last resort. Seeing as the elements has been keeping Equestria safe from any and all threats these past few years, though, they have not had much to do.

Since the situation with the Gryphon Empire became unstable in recent years, this force was developed as a measure of last resort should the gryphons decide to invade. Yes, the unicorn soldiers would be able to hold their own, but the gryphons are talented fighters whose armies are far more formidable than the ponies could ever dream of. They are a race of warriors, and the population in the empire is easily four times their size. So, as a precaution, Skyhold delivers training specifically for dealing with gryphons. They weren't anywhere near matching the numbers of the gryphons, but they made up for it with combat ability. After all, pegasi were once regarded as warriors.

The fortress sat on an extensive system of clouds, similar to Cloudsdale. Unlike Cloudsdale, however, this facility was always in the same position and did not move around. Instead, it was suspended by several powerful enchantments that kept it locked in place. The entire facility was a marvel to behold. There were barracks, training grounds, a medical wing, as well as an armory and several large towers that held several different branches of the military. The facility itself hosted well over five hundred soldiers, all trained to be efficient killers.

The WMF is a military organization that works closely with Equestria's military sections: the Wonderbolts and the Royal Guards. They recruit their troops based on unique recommendations from both sections and put them through vigorous tests and challenges to see if they are up to the task.

Under no circumstances is it a walk in the park.

Celestia explained this to Twilight as soldiers escorted them through the headquarters. They had been allowed a night of sleep before they would wake up very early in the morning, as Lieutenant Holt had instructed them to meet with the commander of the WMF. Twilight barely slept, and she hadn't heard from Rainbow or any of her friends since they parted the night prior.

As she and Celestia walked, the halls were mostly deserted, and Twilight could sense an atmosphere of strict discipline. It was different from Canterlot. All the soldiers here had a different vibe from the ones she was used to seeing.

They arrived at a door that was guarded by several pegasi. Upon their arrival, they stood straight and saluted. They opened the door and were let in.

The room they entered was vast and open, with several windows overlooking the training grounds. Two guards were stationed inside, standing in each corner, and they saluted when Celestia and Twilight entered.

Twilight first saw a large desk with many pieces of parchment stacked on it, with a single quill sitting atop it. Next to the desk were shelves lined with books and a fireplace crackling beside the wall. The second thing Twilight saw was the figure sitting on the other side of the desk. This pony had their ruby-red front legs up on the table, and were looking out the window when they stepped inside.

This pony looked very different from the guards. They had a very thick coat and a muscular body build, and a dark mane that draped in front of their eyes slightly.

Twilight noticed the golden epaulets on the pony's shoulders and realized that this must be the commander.

"Commander! Princess Celestia and Princess Twilight have arrived!" One of the guards shouted.

The pony raised an eyebrow and grunted in a scratchy voice. "Yeah, I can see that."

The pony's head turned, and Twilight got a good look at their face. They had a strong jawline and a deep-set frown. Their eyes were piercing and intimidating, and they were deep blue. "So, the princesses have come to visit. Welcome. It's been a long time, Princess Celestia."

Celestia nodded, and she approached the desk. "Commander Rell. Please, I'm not your princess anymore. Just Celestia is fine."

The commander nodded, and gave a half-smile. "You know I could never do that. It would be against my honor."

"Your honor, eh? It seems some things don't change." Celestia chuckled, and Commander Rell nodded.

"No, they do not."

The commander looked over to Twilight and gave her a nod. "Princess Twilight."

"Hello," Twilight said, and she gave a small smile. "Thank you for accommodating us here."

"Oh, the pleasure is mine. Though I wish the circumstances were different. Your guards have informed me on most accounts, but I would like to hear the story from you. Please."

Celestia looked over to Twilight, and she nodded. "Go ahead, Twilight. Tell the commander everything you can."

Twilight looked up at the commander and took a deep breath. She started talking about everything that had happened only a few hours ago with incredible difficulty. Every second that passed was like a punch to her gut. Tears started building up as she finished her story, and she wiped them away.

The commander frowned, and sat back. "I see. That is quite the ordeal. You have my condolences."

Twilight gave Rell a nod, and she tried to compose herself. It wasn't easy to hear those words. "Thank you, Commander. But, I think I'd rather not talk about it right now."

"Of course. I understand." The commander said.

There was silence for a few seconds before Twilight spoke again. "Commander. Can you tell us what you know?"

The commander sighed. "There isn't much we do know. As you said, any ponies attempting to reach the floating castle have been immobilized. There has been no movement or activity from the castle whatsoever."

Twilight bit her lip. "Do you have any idea what could be causing this?"

"I have no clue." The commander said. "but we have our connections, and if anyone discovers anything, I'll be the first to know. For now, the only thing we can do is wait. My scouts are monitoring the city and surrounding area for any sign of the other creatures. Once they're located, we will send soldiers to take it out or, at the very least, get an understanding of the creatures. We do know that these things don't like fire; we can only assume any other physical attack is equally as effective."

"But the creature is a lot stronger than any pony," Twilight said.

"It is, which is why we aren't sending a single pony to deal with this threat. It would be suicide," the commander said. "No, we will deal with this threat using an elite force—one that I have hoof picked, not to mention a large selection of my soldiers."

Celestia shook her head. "If we can even locate the creatures, that is."

"We will find them." The commander said. "Until then, I want to point our attention to this dragon who intervened in the attack."

"Yes. Torgand. I have a lot of questions about him myself," Celestia said. "It's a most peculiar case. At first glance, I could tell this dragon was quite a significant one, yet I had never seen him before or heard of him through my connections with the dragons. Thus, I have summoned Dragon Lord Ember here to help identify him. From my understanding, he is quite an old dragon."

During her talk with Luna on the way to the fortress, they agreed to send word for Ember. The dragon lands currently had their yearly Lava Dance festival, and Spike was there with them. He would have to know of the current events in the most horrible of ways.

The commander nodded. "How can you tell a dragon's age by looking at them?"

Celestia raised her head slightly and lit up her horn. "The way our magic reacts around them. Dragons are quite weak to magic, so we react to their presence. And his is quite significant."

"I see. Is he dangerous?"

"Not from what I could tell. I don't believe Torgand is a direct threat to us. He helped us, after all."

The commander shook his head and pulled out some documents from a drawer behind the desk. "That doesn't necessarily mean he isn't dangerous. Since I first got the report of an unidentified dragon showing up in the capital, my attention was immediately drawn to a single conclusion."

Rell slid the closed documents across the table for the two alicorns to see. Celestia looked at it curiously and then opened it with her magic. She frowned at the title of the document on the front page. "The gryphons? What would they have to do with this?"

The commander blinked. "Read further down."

She looked down at the document and read the information on the page. On the side were a few attached photographs, pinned down with paper clips. Whoever had taken the photos, had been doing it in secret, as they showed dragons in prison cells from around a corner.

Twilight gasped. "The gryphons, using captive dragons to infiltrate Equestria? What sort of roundabout way of gathering intel is this? And how could they be controlling them?"

Commander Rell sighed. "Unfortunately, from the information we have received from our contacts in the kingdom, the gryphons have been capturing visiting dragons in the kingdom. Since ponies and dragons have become allies, they believe they can get the upper hand this way. It's a fairly new method, one that they still haven't made use of due to it still being in the experimental phase. However, this event leads me to conclude that it is now set into motion."

"But how can they even capture a dragon" Twilight asked.

"They have their ways. Once they have a dragon, they will use whatever mental warfare they can to get an upper hand on them. Thus, they will locate the nearest family member of their prisoner, and blackmail them into doing what they say." Rell said with disgust.

"What in Equestria... You think Torgand is one of these hostages?" Celestia asked.

The commander shrugged. "He certainly fits the bill. If they managed to get ahold of a dragon with this firepower, the possibilities would be endless."

Twilight frowned. "But, the way he acted... He seemed genuine. Would the gryphons attempt something this close to the castle?"

The commander stood up from a seated position. "Celestia, you said you do not trust this dragon. Does this feeling change, knowing what you do now?"

Celestia bit her lip. "I... I am not sure. Something feels off; I feel convinced that he is involved in this somehow, but If your statement is true, then perhaps his motives are more complicated."

Twilight looked up at her teacher. "What do we do?"

"Well, we won't know until Ember gets here. I don't expect her to know every member of the dragon community, but a dragon of his age has been around for... I don't even know." Celestia answered.

The door knocked, and in stepped a soldier who saluted and then went to report to the commander. "Commander, Your Majesty, one of the other creatures has been spotted. It appears to be a large manticore, with the same composition as the other creature. Colossal, covered in a black liquid, and rampaging. It is currently wreaking havoc in the woods outside of Oakwood."

Twilight and Celestia looked startled. "A manticore?"

The commander nodded and walked out from behind the desk. "We can discuss this later. Right now, ponies might have already been slaughtered by these things, and the other two beasts are still out there somewhere. I am dispatching my soldiers to deal with this, and since we might as well take advantage of this situation, we will send our new dragon friend with them."

Celestia nodded and walked over to him. "Agreed."

Commander Rell started for the door. "Come, I'll introduce you to my squad."

In the training grounds of Skyhold, several ponies were gathered around to observe the daily "exercise." Ponies were charging targets with great speed and deadly force. The targets were clouds; only they were enhanced to move around like a gryphon. It would have the same flying pattern, and there would be a new challenge around every corner. A flash of green appeared frequently, and the ponies would gain a boost in speed so fast one could barely see it.

The pegasi currently flying were equipped with state-of-the-art pegasi armor. Around their chest was a metal plate, snugly fit to dampen heavy attacks. It was fastened around their bodies with straps, which also held together the other contraptions they were required to carry.

On their forehooves were small enhanced firearms that were lined up with their hooves, which could be used to shoot small projectiles at their enemies with lethal force. The projectiles themselves had to be refilled manually, so it was a one-time use in an emergency. However, the use of these hoof cannons would be educated with creat care and accuracy.

Attached to a pegasi's wings were their most lethal weapons. Large blades ran along the base of their wings, deadly but thin to not weigh the wings during flight. These wing blades could extend if needed, but only at the compromise of becoming more flimsy. However, the final part of the armor prevented this downside.

They wore thin boots fastened tightly on their hindlegs. They were produced by unicorns and would act as a speed boost for attacks, which helps to propel a pegasus forward with incredible speed, but only for a second. It required a great amount of focus and training to pull off such a maneuver, which is why they would be required to train with them every day. Activating them was difficult, but experienced soldiers wore them with pride and skill.

Overseeing the training of the ponies trying to take out the gryphon targets was a group of four soldiers standing in a line off to the side, looking out over the training grounds.

The first of these ponies was a pegasus mare by the name of Emera Nightswarm. She had a dark blue coat and a silver mane, with a pair of hazel eyes that watched the field intently. When she first applied for a position many years ago, her kind and calculative nature helped her to gain her position within the top ranks of the elite soldiers in the WMFs.

Next to her was a pegasus stallion. His coat was a sandy brown, and his eyes were a piercing emerald. Scuddy Lippe, the newest addition to the WMF's elite squad, was a young rookie with a track record of being reckless. Despite this, his accuracy is immaculate when getting a job done, which earned him a spot in the top ranks.

"These rookies are getting better every day," Emera said as she watched them fly.

Scuddy grunted. "Yeah, but it still isn't good enough. If this was a real gryphon, they'd be dead in a second."

"As if you started out any different." Came a voice next to Scuddy.

Scuddy growled. "Shut it, Ritter."

The pegasus mare in question; is Omeritta 'Ritter' Lightwing. Her cold and controlled demeanor makes her a perfect soldier, being able to block out her emotional sides at all times. However, she is highly intelligent and an excellent planner, which made her climb the ranks quickly. Emera took her under her wing, and they have been attached like glue ever since.

"You know, I heard that on your first day among the trainees, you tumbled into your fellow soldiers, causing a domino effect," Ritter smirked, and Scuddy glared at her.

"That's a load of shit," Scuddy grunted.

"Oh, yeah? Why are you so defensive, then?" Ritter asked.

"Team, remember why we're here. We're supposed to overlook the trainees." Said the fourth and final pony in the small squad.

Feather Wind, the most dedicated soldier in the elite force. Normally, Lieutenant Argon Holt has command over their squad, but when he isn't around, Feather Wind would take over. She is without a doubt the best fighter in the team, which has her ranked as the second-best fighter in the entire force. However, since starting her career as a soldier, her single goal has been to reach the top. To beat the one pony who beats her on every mark.

Commander Rell.

As a member of the WMF's elite team, each of the ponies in this particular squad was considered some of the best fighters in all of the military. Each of them was strong, quick-thinking, and determined. Together, they made an excellent team and had proven their worth in the last two years they'd worked together.

"They aren't bad, but they still need to work on their coordination," Emera commented. "We should start doing group exercises instead of individual training. That will help them improve."

Feather shook her head. "We don't have time. What happened in the capital yesterday was nothing less than an absolute catastrophe. We need to whip these ponies into shape as fast as we can, even if some of them are left in the dust in the process."

As they spoke, they saw Lieutenant Holt walking into the training field, followed by the element of loyalty, Rainbow Dash herself. Rainbow Dash had dark bags under her eyes, but she seemed deadly serious as she marched in pace with the Lieutenant. They walked right up to the group of ponies.

"Good morning, Sir," Emera said as the lieutenant approached.

The lieutenant nodded, and he gave the others a nod. "Good morning."

Rainbow Dash had a look of dedication plastered on her face, hiding her fatigued expression underneath. It was only yesterday that she lost a close friend, and the thought still sent a wave of sorrow through her. However she saluted the group in front of her.

"I see you've gotten the rookies working. That's good." Lieutenant Holt said. "I've got one more for you."

The squad looked over at the cyan pegasus, and Ritter raised a brow. "Sir?"

"This is Rainbow Dash. She'll be training with your rookies and learning to fight like a soldier." The lieutenant said.

"Sir, you know we don't train civilians," Feather said.

"Normally, no, but this is a different situation. You see, normally we would have to get letters of recommendations from top officers from either the Wonderbolts of the Royal Guards, but the thing is, we all know Rainbow Dash is widely known as the fastest flyer our country has ever seen. And, I'm sure if we asked the Wonderbolt officers, they would write her up for approval anyway." The lieutenant explained.

Yesterday, after a long talk with Rainbow Dash, she expressed great interest in joining the WMF's ranks after she heard what they were all about. Argon didn't like that this recruitment was solely based on her lust for revenge or justice, but he saw an opportunity. He enjoyed the idea of letting her prove her worth as a soldier, especially since she had been one of the saviors of their country more than once before.

Especially, he couldn't say no to her after the look she gave him when he asked if she was sure about it.

"So, you think you can help us whip this recruit into shape?" Argon asked.

Scuddy smirked. "Oh, yeah. This should be fun. Welcome to the fun, Miss Dash."

Rainbow saluted sharply. "Thank you, sir!"

Scuddy chuckled, but Ritter and Emera rolled their eyes at him.

"You should start right away. As I said, we don't have any time to waste." The lieutenant said. He wouldn't expect the newest trainees to be ready for actual combat within the month, but they had to do their best. Normally, training a soldier took almost up to a year before they could be ready for an actual mission.

"Of course." Emera nodded. "Dash, you will be paired up with the rookies on the field."

Rainbow nodded and Emera spent the next few minutes teaching her how their armor worked. How to apply the wing blades, how to operate the hoof cannons, and how to use the enhanced boots. Rainbow spent a great deal of time flexing her wings to get the blades to extent, but even that was a challenge. Her wings were strong, so was her will, but this was completely new to her.

Never the less, she joined the ranks of the trainees. They didn't seem to mind a new recruit joining them out of the blue, in fact they seemed motivated by her presence. None of them were amazing with the equipment yet, and very few of them had figured out the trick with the speed boots.

Hoof cannon practice would take place completely separate from their flying training in the beginning. It was only later that they would pair up both excersises to increase difficulty and accuracy.

Then, all the ponies present noticed Commander Rell stepping into the field, followed closely by the former princess Celestia and the current ruler, Princess Twilight Sparkle.

Everyone around stopped what they were doing and saluted to the trio. Rainbow Dash included, although Twilight didn't like that she looked ready for battle, all geared up in armor. She had not been informed of her friend's decision to join the soldiers.

"At ease." Commander Rell said loudly.

They walked up to the elite squad overseeing the trainees. "No beating around the bush, team. We have a mission. One of the monsters was spotted in the forest near Oakwood, going berserk. Reports say it's a giant manticore. I'm dispatching my best soldiers to go out there and get an analysis on it, preferably to take the beast down. We don't know if we can harm it with our gear yet."

Feather Wind nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Not you, Wind. You will stay here and train the rookies. We need you to be the one overseeing them." The commander said.

"...Yes, sir," Feather said, her expression dropping slightly.

"Emera, Ritter, and Argon. I'm sending you three and a large selection of fighters to deal with this thing." He said.

"Understood, sir." Emera nodded.

"Commander?" Asked Twilight.

"Yes?" Rell turned to her.

Twilight looked at her friend, who stood in full gear. "Why is Rainbow Dash here?"

Lieutenant Argon stepped in. "Your majesty, she expressed a desire to join our ranks, so I gave her the chance to prove her worth as a soldier."

"What?" Twilight asked in shock. She ran up to her friend who stood stiff as a board in a line of other trainees. "Rainbow Dash, what are you doing?"

Rainbow dropped her pose, and looked at her friend. "Don't worry, Twi," Rainbow said. "I'm going to be okay. I'm not gonna get hurt."

"This isn't a game, Rainbow Dash. These creatures are dangerous." Twilight said. "You should know that just as well as I do."

"Exactly, and that's why I have to. I want to make sure nopony else has to feel the way I feel right now." Rainbow said.

"Rainbow..." Twilight whispered.

"Your Majesty, Miss Dash is very determined to see this through. I trust her." Lieutenant Argon said behind her.

Twilight lowered her head in defeat. It made sense to her that Rainbow Dash would try to fight, she never stands down in the face of loyalty. She, of course knew she had the power as a princess to tell Rainbow Dash to stand down and stop this, but as her friend, she couldn't take this opportunity away from her.

"Twilight?" Celestia asked as she walked up to them.

"It's fine. She's in good hooves." Twilight said with her head down. She felt Rainbow's hoof on her shoulders, and she gave her a quick hug before going back into her position.

Commander Rell adressed his squad, continuing without the princess and Celestia. "Lippe, you're coming with me. You and I are going somewhere else while everyone intercepts this monster."

"Sir?" Scuddy asked.

Rell continued, looking at Emera, Ritter, and Argon again. "Additionally, you three will be taking with you someone else. A dragon."

"A dragon?" Emera asked in surprise.

"Yes, he is here in the headquarters. He will be joining your squad on this mission." Commander Rell said.

"Who is he?" Ritter asked.

"That's what me and Lippe are going to go find out," Rell said.

Argon stepped up. "What do you mean, Commander?"

Rell stepped in close to the soldiers and lowered his voice so only they could hear. "To be very honest, I do not trust this dragon. He appeared out of nowhere when everything went to Tartarus in the capital, and nobody knew where he came from. He says he was in the area, but I'm not so sure. So, me and Lippe are going to the Gryphon Kingdom to find out if this guy is a puppet mastered by the gryphons."

"Is this about the documents you briefed us on a few weeks ago, about the hostages?" Emera asked.

"Yes, and I've already informed the princesses. We're going to go to our contact in the kingdom and get some answers. After that, we will be confronting this dragon, Torgand, and get some real answers." Rell said.

"When will you be leaving, sir?" Ritter asked.

"Right away, as soon as possible," Rell said, and stepped away from them. "I leave this mission in your hooves, team."

"Yes, sir." They all responded and saluted.

"Very good," Rell said. "Now go."

All over the place, ponies went in separate directions. Emera, Ritter, and Argon went to the barracks to brief a large platoon of soldiers on the upcoming mission while the commander and Scuddy prepared for their mission to the Gryphon Kingdom. The creature was on the move and near a settlement, so they would need to act fast.

The training of the recruits continued as normal. It would last most of the day, without any rest. Feather Wind knew how much was at stake, and while she wanted to fight, she knew the commander had trusted her to train them due to her rank in terms of combat. She wasted no time whipping everyone around, including a fatigued Rainbow Dash.

Twilight and Celestia had gone back to Rell's office to talk about current events. Luna joined them after a short time, informing them that she and the rest of Twilight's friends had been allowed to stay at a guest house near the east side of the facility. They had all been given a medical check, though mostly for their mental health. Now that they were safe, reality had been eating away at their psyche quite significantly.

Discord had arrived shortly after Luna. Word had not reached him of what had happened until he had snapped into existance outside of Canterlot Castle, as he had been occupied in his dimension at the time of the attack. He had been called to the WMF's headquarters by the princesses and when he found out what had happened to Pinkie Pie, he was shocked to his core. He couldn't believe it, and he didn't want to. It was too hard to accept.

The manticore they were tracking had killed a close friend of Twilight's, and he owed it to her to help. However, he was told to not interact with the creatures if he could avoid it, due to them being as powerful as they were. They didn't want a repeat of what happened to him during Tirek's rampage, or worse. When asked about it, Discord could discern where the creatures were currently located, due to his ability to sense anything magical to an incredible margin.

"Really? Where are they?!" Twilight asked once she heard him explain this.

"I can sense their energy from here, and they are moving. How do you think I know where to teleport myself every time I'm looking for a specific pony?" Discord asked.

"You're really that accurate?" Twilight asked.

"As you know, I am the spirit of chaos. My senses are more sensitive than ponies and their magic." Discord said. "Right now, I can sense this manticore thing moving around in the forest northeast of the capital."

Twilight gaped at him. "And what about the other two creatures?"

Discord frowned as he squinted his eyes to focus. "There is one creature moving around underground, although I can't be sure where. Things that are underground are pretty hard to get a read on, even when I really try to..." He trailed off while scratching his goatee.

"I am certain this is the large serpent that attacked the capital yesterday. I would say it's quite far away from us right now. As for the third one..." Discord frowned. "I can't get a grasp on what it is. There seems to be a large collection of the energy it gives off around the Everfree Forest, but it's so spread out I don't know what to make of it."

"Are you saying there's more than one creature in the forest?" Twilight asked. On the field outside, a large platoon of soldiers were now taking off north.

"No, no. I think it's only one creature, but it's spread out. As if it's everywhere in the forest and nowhere at the same time." Discord said.

"Well, what could it be?" Celestia asked. "None of the ponies that witnessed this saw the last creature that well."

"I have no idea," Discord said. "But I have a feeling we will find out soon enough."

Tremors of Fate

"Thank you. For everything."

Twilight Sparkle had just accepted her new role as ruler of Equestria. A big title for a very small pony, but one that would be of great importance.

It was a title that she was determined to fill.

She looked teary-eyed at her predecessors as she thanked them for all they had done for her over the years. Everything they had shown her and taught her.

Twilight's friends were all standing behind her, the ponies that had helped her through thick and thin, the ponies that had helped her realize what friendship was all about, and the very same ponies that had fought beside her when the evil of the world would come to bring about another catastrophic event.

After a week of planning and coming to terms with a significant life change, it was a relief to have a moment to reflect on everything that had happened. Not only in the past years but in recent events as well. Twilight felt like the retirement of the two alicorns who had been in power for over a thousand years symbolized the passing of their title and acted as a final farewell between them.

Feeling overcome with the finality of it all, Twilight jumped into Celestia's hooves and hugged her tightly, and her friends joined them shortly after.

The day of the celebration was over sooner than she would have liked, and Twilight had to see her friends off at the train station much sooner than she wanted to. It was as if they were already on a different path, and she still hadn't fully adjusted to that fact. Before she knew it, she and Spike were introduced to their new rooms at the palace.

In the following weeks, after Twilight and Spike had gotten to know their surroundings a bit more, she had to start the process of legitimizing her new title as princess of the country. Nopony had replaced the rulers for thousands of years, so a lot of documents needed to be updated to the modern age. Celestia, Luna, and other government officials would assist with that.

Twilight was told she had to wait a few months before all of that would be dealt with so she could start signing papers. So, until then, she would spend her time adjusting to calling Canterlot Castle her new home. Spike and Twilight had been placed in Celestia's old chambers. Some changes had to be added to the interior decor around the palace to suit the new theme. Having Celestia's colors and characteristics everywhere didn't feel right to her; she needed to make it her own.

It was hard having to say goodbye to her friends, but it wasn't goodbye forever. They knew it would be this way and were all prepared for it. Twilight was ready to lead as a good and kind princess, and the others stood behind her to help her reach her goal.

It helped her more than they could ever know.

The elements of harmony had decided to create a monthly gathering called 'The Counsel of Friendship,' aptly named by Pinkie. The first meeting happened during Twilight's first week of ruling after the crowning ceremony, and it was mostly spent laughing about how silly the ceremony had been.

Without having officially been given the title of princess yet, despite the coronation, Twilight couldn't hold day court, nor would she be able to host any important events anywhere in the country. Those were the most ordinary duties for the princesses, and it would be a big part of her life from now on. At least, she had Spike by her side, which helped her keep her mind in check.

Twilight's friends in Ponyville promised to meet whenever they could outside of her duties and their monthly counsel, but other than that, Twilight wouldn't see them as much as she would have liked. She would mostly read through previous court cases that Celestia and Luna had been through and get tutors for etiquette and whatnot. Things that were needed for diplomacy, addressing subjects properly, and everything in between. There was not a guidebook on how to be a monarch, sadly. There were only guidelines, and most of those came from Celestia and Luna.

Twilight had her own ideas about how to address her own subjects. Still, even Celestia had told her to avoid getting too familiar with the elites, as they would likely try to take advantage of Twilight for their own benefit, especially now that she was ruling alone.

Twilight had a faint idea of what she was heading into. She had read the princess' diaries several times over, and she was getting lessons from them directly, lately. They both had come by personally several times in the first few weeks to see how Twilight was adjusting, which was a big help to her. Just seeing the two gave her a sense of familiarity that she sorely needee.

The previous princesses had undergone a few changes just weeks after they resigned. They still had magic, but they gave Twilight a large amount of what magic they possessed in order for her to lower and raise the moon every day.

In summary, it was a huge responsibility. Never the less, she remained faithfully determined to make her mentor proud.

During the third week of Twilight's rule, she, Celestia, and Luna were all chatting outside in the castle courtyard, making their way towards the main gates of the castle grounds.

"Oh yeah, the girls should be arriving soon, and we plan to go to get some baked goods for the picnic later. Did you two want to join us?" Twilight asked as she walked.

The two sisters looked at each other amusedly, and Celestia spoke up. "Oh? Skipping duties, are we?"

"Nope! I did everything in a hurry today just so I could do something nice for a change." She grinned, her tired eyes evident as she gestured for them to follow. "Come on, they're probably just arriving at the cas-"

Before she could complete her sentence, a massive explosion made them cover their ears on instinct from how violent it was. It was accompanied by a shockwave not even a second later.

There was screaming heard from around them. The public outside the castle gates could be heard making a ruckus as the ground shook. Silence fell moments later.

"What in Equestria just happened?!" Luna exclaimed as she removed her hooves from her ears.

"Take cover!" Was the last thing Twilight heard before she was teleported to a different part of the courtyard. Something slammed down forcefully in the courtyard moments after, making the ground tremble once more.

Celestia and Luna stood with her still, in their new location. Celestia had teleported them both to safety.

Confused and disoriented, Twilight turned around and looked behind her to where she heard whatever it was that had slammed into the ground. She gaped at what she saw.

There was a dark, horrific creature of some sort. It looked like a massive, black serpent, covered in a flowing, jet black liquid that seemed to have a mind of its own as it moved around like rippling water over the scales of the snake. It was absolutely gigantic, a little longer than the courtyard in length, and at least five ponies thick.

"What..?" Twilight whispered when she saw some legs and armor sticking out at odd angles from underneath the serpent further up ahead. Blood was pooling underneath.

She saw at least three ponies that had met their fate under this creature.

Guards were scattered and without orders. It was absolute chaos. As the large snake creature slowly uncoiled itself, the three mares could hear guards running to them from every direction.

There was no time to react; whoever this new enemy was, it was attacking. It had killed.

As the serpent rose, it hissed in a way that sounded more like a growl. When it opened its slitted eyes, it got a good look around, apparently looking at the many ponies outside the castle fleeing to safety. It opened it's large mouth and revealed fangs which looked like they would be larger than an entire pony, and It looked like it wanted to give chase to the fleeing citizens.

However, the alicorns had other ideas.

Unspoken words were said between Twilight, Celestia, and Luna as they all channeled powerful magic into their horns to send a large amount of energy directly into the head of the snake. It was thrown back by the amount of power, but whipped it's head back only seconds later, and directed it's gaze to them instead.

It didn't do nearly as much damage to it as they intended.

That was full power... Twilight thought, a feeling of immense dread washing over her.

Moments passed slowly as Twilight saw her friends, the Elements of Harmony, enter the courtyard. A large assortment of guards were tailing them. As soon as she saw then, the feeling of dread increased. No! Get out of here, get to safety!

The serpent started to slither its way around to face the three alicorns more directly, and while it did, it dragged around the dead ponies under it and left some of them behind as they were squeezed out from its weight. Seeing the corpse of a pony being ruined in such a way made Twilight sick to her stomach.

She had not felt hate towards something like this before. She had not experienced death before.

The giant tail suddenly slashed at them, sending all three of them flying. Twilight was quick, and managed to conjure up a shield in time, though.

However, the force behind the tail was immense, and it felt like her body broke just from the amount of force it did to her barrier. She clutched her horn in pain as the hit the ground further away.

"Twilight!" Luna cried as she stood up.

She felt faint from the attack, but was able to see what was going on ahead of her. The serpent was now surrounded by guards, which were all trying to disable it with their own attacks. Attacks which did slightly more than tossing a piece of pebble on it would do. It hissed at them angrily as it whipped its tail around.

Twilight looked at Celestia standing next to her as Luna helped her get up, and she was absolutely pissed.

"This thing is strong. Our blast barely did anything," Celestia warned.

"We have to distract it before it has a chance to gain any leverage," Luna added, at which both Celestia and Twilight nodded.

"Luna, get it's attention. Do whatever you must, just prevent it from attacking anypony else." Celestia instructed. Luna nodded, and vanished in a flash of magic.

Luna appeared above the serpent and started zapping it with light blows of magic. The serpent gave the intended reaction, and started whipping it's neck toward her. Meanwhile, on the ground, guards made futile attempts at attacking the snake. The didn't get too close, seeing as how the princess got knocked away so easily. And seeing how some guards had already been crushed by its thrashing around.

The Elements of Harmony approached Twilight and Celestia, and Rainbow called out to them. "Twilight! What's happening?!"

The serpent screeched at Luna and whipped its enormous tail at her with surprising speed, which caused her to conjure up a shield to protect herself. Twilight was shocked to see how fast this huge thing could move around. What followed was Luna being sent flying from the force of the tail connecting with her shield.

She gaped at the creature. "I... I don't know! Thing thing just came out of nowhere!"

The other Elements of Harmony watched in horror as Luna vanished beyond the wall of the courtyard and could be heard connecting with the ground further away.

Having already made quick work of the distraction, the monster turned its attention towards the ponies trying to surround it somehow. Desperately, guards and other military units who were nearby had mobilized around the serpent, preparing for a counter-offensive.

In the short time since this had begun, a realization began to dawn on Twilight. We're outmatched.

"Girls! We need to-" Twilight shakily instructed to her friends, just as the serpent, without warning, lunged forward to snap its large maw at Twilight and her friends. She teleported herself and everypony near her away from there as fast as she could.

Once they reappeared, she saw the snake had crashed it's head into the cobbled ground, trying to rip it's large fangs out.

"Wait, where's Pinkie?!" yelled Applejack, looking around frantically.

Panic surged into the hearts of everypony as it became clear that Pinkie had not been part of the teleportation spell.

She was outside of my reach... Twilight thought panicked.

"Pinkie! Hold on!" Twilight shouted as she took off into the air to get a better view. It's not over yet... please.

Twilight begged silently as she flew above the serpent to see what was going on, and she could see Pinkie Pie running away from the monster, but she had nowhere to run to.

The monster finally ripped itself free, and took note of the fleeing pink pony as she successfully trapped herself between the snake ans the castle walls. Twilight could see the panic as Pinkie uselessly tried to climb the wall.

The serpent had her surrounded. Both ends of the snake prevented her from leaving her imprisonment.

"Twilight!"

Rainbow Dash, another one of Twilight's nearest friends, had joined her in the air above the monster. They both flew to get Pinkie Pie before the serpent could get to her. "Dash, you get Pinkie! I'll lead it away from her!"

Rainbow suddenly lunged into Twilight, knocking the breath out of the princess. Twilight could see the face of the serpent snap its jaw shut where she had been only moments ago.

I only looked away for one second...

Impossibly fast, the snake twisted its neck around and gave chase to them both. Twilight did the only thing she could think of, and teleported them both to safety.

They reappeared with the other girls once more, out of harms way for the moment. Twilight felt exhausted from the amount of magic she had to use in such short succession. However, one issue still remained.

"Twilight... Pinkie Pie..." Rainbow mutteres as she watched in frozen horror at the scene unfolding in front of them.

Guards that had been trying to grab the snake's attention had perished at the tail whipping around wildly, others were still firing off magic at it, to absolutely no effect. Luna was nowhere to be seen, Celestia was teleporting ponies away from the area, Rainbow Dash was frozen in fear, and Pinkie...

The serpent's attack was sudden and left no time to prepare. Twilight watched in horror as its large head struck the ground where Pinkie Pie was, out of sight. Rainbow was visibly shaken as it happened, pointing at the snake's head, now hidden from view.

It lifted its head, now with something in its mouth. A pony's upper body hung limp from the mouth of the snake.

A pink pony by the name of Pinkie Pie.

Twilight didn't think; she blasted the snake at its throat, and head, some shots missing entirely and flying into the skies. Her vision was bubbling over as she desperately tried to stop this thing from...

The snake barely felt the blows even as Celestia and the guards joined in with their magical barrage. It felt like hours passed by as they tried to disable the unaffected monster before-

CRUNCH

Amidst the sounds of magic, a disturbing noise echoed. The sound of a pony's body breaking, followed by a swallow. Time stood still, and Twilight's senses heightened, capturing every detail of the heart-wrenching moment she would never forget; the moment she lost her dear friend forever.

She could see particles of dust dance before her as memories with her friend flashed before her eyes once she realized what had just happened. That moment in the courtyard felt like it lasted for an entire lifetime.

The moment ended when the world was blinded by a burst of fire from above, which enveloped the beast in a sea of flames.

Author's Note

Thanks for checking out this story, hope you'll stick around for it.

Skyhold

After making one last screech from the pain, the serpent threw its head to the ground and disappeared from sight. When it had vanished, the waterfall of flames from above ceased.

The air where the snake had been only moments ago was wavering and warping due to the heat that had been there just moments earlier. In the place of where the monster had been, there was now a large hole in the ground.

Celestias authoritive voice rang out across the courtyard. "Guards! Secure the pit!"

Twilight didn't care much to notice the guards flocking towards the hole in the ground. Her mind weighed too heavy to register anything. Having her entire world shattered, she was too occupied replaying what had just happened in her mind over and over again to give much thought to anything else.

She didn't know how to begin processing what she had just experienced. The entire ordeal couldn't have lasted more than a few minutes from start to finish.

She could hear sniffing and hitching from her side. She suddenly remembered that Rainbow Dash had been with her, and she looked over with an empty gaze at her, only to see her staring blankly ahead.

She was crying.

Her raspy, shaky voice attempted to speak with Twilight without looking at her. "Did... Pinkie just...?"

Twilight blinked rapidly, hearing those words, which caused the build-up of moisture in her eyes to start streaming down her cheeks. She didn't answer, she only looked at her without knowing what to do or say. Her surroundings were blurred, and sound came and went as if something was clogging up her hearing from time to time.

She looked behind her, and saw the other girls processing as well. Fluttershy was sobbing on the ground with Applejack holding her. Applejack's eyes were glazed over with moisture, but she had an empty stare into nothingness, same as Twilight did.

Rarity just gaped while looking at the crater further away from them. She looked as if she was about to fall over at any second.

Not knowing what to say, Twilight simply turned her eyes back to the commotion happening over at the pit. Quite a lot of guards had gathered there, and they were creating magical shields around the hole.

As if that could stop it. Twilight thought dismissively through her haze.

More guards had arrived, likely recruits from the barracks that had either been asleep or off duty when it had happened. While most were stationed by the hole, some had started flying upwards.

Twilight realized a shadow had fallen over Canterlot, and moments later, she saw it.

Her eyes followed the soldiers upward, and when she saw what they were flying toward, her breath got caught. She swallowed whatever had been gathering in her throat and returned to her sense for a moment to try and understand what she was seeing.

Far above Canterlot castle, floating on a ripped up chunk of earth, was a castle. A broken castle. Debris from the castle itself floated around it as if orbiting it without gravity. As Twilight started wondering what in Equestria this could be, she was all of a sudden brought back to reality.

Pinkie...

Tears fell again, and she looked back over to where Celestia was. She was speaking to the guards, and some figure she didn't recognize, taking full control of the situation. Another reminder to Twilight that she didn't have what it took. Another excuse for her to tell Celestia she made the wrong choise making her princess.

How could this happen?

Guards were standing over the pit, looking down into it and seeming ready to fight off whatever might emerge from it. Others were trying to rescue wounded ponies from rubble. There weren't many wounded to rescue. Most of the injured ponies from the fight turned out to be fatalities. Some bodies could barely be recovered due to being completely crushed by the serpent.

All these thoughts made Twilight come to a simple question. What happened? What drove the monster away? Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard Rainbow Dash again. Her voice sounded hoarse.

"This isn't happening." Her voice cracked, and she slumped to the ground, no longer able to keep her legs from collapsing. "She's gone. Just like that. We couldn't... we couldn't save her."

Applejack walked over to Rainbow and examined the pit with Twilight by her side. Some ponies ran by them with stretchers, carrying the wounded to safety. "What in tarnation was that?" She whispered to nopony in particular. "What was that thing? Where did it come from?"

Twilight felt a chill go up her spine as she once again became aware of the large shadow being cast upon them. She tilted her head up once more and saw the castle, just hanging there. It was the strangest and most surreal thing she had ever laid her eyes on. It seemed so out of place. She felt like the entire world had flipped on its side and had suddenly decided that her reality wasn't the right one anymore.

Twilight heard her name being called from somewhere and she shook her head to try and get rid of the disorientation.
Her ears twitched and she could pick up Celestia calling her name from where she was standing. She started walking after what felt like hours of standing still.

Neither Rainbow nor Applejack stopped her. Twilight didn't look back as she left them to go see Celestia, she didn't know if she had the ability to dwell with these feelings for too long if she was going to do her duty.

As she approached, she noticed an expression on Celestia's face she had never seen before. Fear? Dread? Anger? A mixture, to be sure.

She, dozens of guards, and an adult dragon were all looking her way as she approached them. Everything else around her faded, and the only thing she could focus on was Celestia. She had to find something to focus on, to distract herself. Focus on something else, she thought.

"Twilight," Celestia called once she was close enough. "Are you hurt?"

"N-no," she managed to say. She didn't say much more, she had nothing else to say about it.

"Good." Celestia replied darkly, and the alicorn of the sun looked at the dragon next to her. "Twilight, this is Torgand. He is the one who vanquished the beast just moments ago. We were just discussing how lucky we all were that he was nearby when this attack happened."

Twilight looked at the dragon. He was tall, taller than Celestia was. He was coal black, and had large wings on his back. As he was being introduced, he looked to the ground. He did not meet Twilight's eyes, in fact, it seemed like he was berating himself. His clawed fist clenched.

Twilight could tell that there was something different about Torgand, but she couldn't quite figure out just what it was. What she did notice, was that Celestia constantly kept him within eyesight. She was watching him, closely. The other guards were on edge by his presence as well. Why?

"Well... Thank you, Torgand," Twilight said weakly as she nodded to the dragon. He didn't reply, he merely nodded weakly as he kept his gaze on the ground in front of him. Celestia's eyes narrowed as she watched him.

Celestia was about to say something, but Torgand beat her to it. "I'm... I-I'm sorry I couldn't save your friend."

Twilight winced at the mention of it. It was too fresh.

Celestia spoke up once more. "Please, there was nothing more you could have done. If you had not shown up when you did, none of us would be here now. We were very clearly outmatched." She said grimly, as she tilted her head up to look at the floating castle.

"Yeah," Torgand muttered. He looked quite uncomfortable where he was standing. However, his eyes landed on Celestia. "Please, let me help you find it. I can fight."

Celestia narrowed her eyes, surprised by his cooperation. What is this dragon up to? She thought to herself.

"We must first asses the damages and figure out where to go from here, starting with this castle." She said as her eyes met said castle. Her pupils shrunk when she was ponies falling from the skies.

Pegasi guards were falling out of the sky and clutching their heads in pain. Those who were on the ground that could, helped in any way to save them from hitting the ground. Even Torgand flew up to save a pair of guards. Thankfully, nopony met their fate thanks to collective effort. However, the guards were in excruciating pain.

"Make it stop! Please make it stop!" was the most common plea among their cries. Grounded pegasi flew up to catch their distressed companions and prevent them from hitting the ground. Even after putting them back down on the ground, the affected guards still clutched their heads and whimpered, unable to function properly.

"What's happening, Sargeant?!" one of the guards asked frantically as she walked up to her sargeant. The sergeant in question clutched his head in pain and looked as if he wanted to smash his head into the ground to stop whatever was happening to him, but he slowly calmed down.

"I... The closer we got to the castle... everything started to hurt..." He whimpered after a third round of questioning.

"What's going on here?" Came a powerful male voice from behind Twilight, and she saw a grey pegasus stallion landing next to Celestia. Celestia perked up at the sight of him.

"Oh, Lieutenant! I'm so relieved to see you here." She said as he saluted her.

"Pri- er, Miss Celestia, what happened here?" Said the stout stallion, gesturing to the horrific scene around them. There were dead ponies in a pool of their own blood, being recovered by guards. Crying could also be heard from outside the ground, where guards had been sent to assure civilians that the immediate danger was over. Calming a panic like this would not be an easy feat.

Celestia had taken control of the situation, given her many years of service in moments of crisis. She had been put to the test before, where she was forced to remain calm despite being exposed to horrific events. She knew that this was a first for Twilight, but she was hoping she would stay strong during such a time.

Several other military units came in from the north, and landed on the ground to assist the guard ponies with treating the wounded and guarding the pit.

Celestia took a deep breath. "A massive serpent attacked us out of nowhere, and we were forced to defend ourselves. What you see around you is the result." She paused for a few seconds, adding more meaning to her words. "We were powerless to stop it. Our magic did nothing to it, if anything, it seemed to absorb any attack we delivered."

The stallion blinked as he heard the rundown, but nodded.

"I... see. And that?" He asked, nodding toward the hole where the black dragon stood surrounded by guards. They weren't very clearly standing there to secure him, but they were cautious of him. The dragon looked into the abyss before him, looking as if he was moments away from giving chase.

Celestia looked at the dragon, Torgand, and then back to the stallion. "To be very frank with you, we don't know anything about him. He showed up out of nowhere, at the same time as all of this happened. In addition, I have received reports that the snake was not the only thing that came flying from that." She said, pointing upwards, gesturing to the floating castle.

After Torgand had appeared, several guards made reports from outside the castle, mentioning seeing other creatures falling from the castle above. There had been many eye-witnesses to defend this, but not many were able to identify much of what the beasts looked like. Unlike the snake, which landed right below the castle, these creatures fell down the mountain the castle stood upon.

Currently, they were nowhere to be seen.

Celestia spent some time briefing about what took place in the slaughter. The stallion shook his head sadly and sighed. "To think, we lost an Element of Harmony..."

The stallion frowned and cleared his throat as more military units landed on the grounds, all dressed in green camo. "Well then, from the sounds of it, we might have to involve the W.M.F.s in this hunt, ma'am."

Celestia sighed and looked over to Twilight. "Yes... I have yet to relieve my duties as your general to the new princess. There might be some complications."

The lieutenant nodded. "I understand. It would be wise to assign her as quickly as possible. She technically already has command over us, ma'am. I trust she knows about our division?"

She closed her eyes and sighed. "No. I didn't think things would escalate so quickly, so I had not yet introduced her to it. It seems now, though, that things have changed."

Celestia looked over to Twilight, and she felt relief to see that she was at least occupying herself with something. Celestia knew that right now, Twilight was hurting.

Twilight was now occupying herself to treat wounded ponies with her magic. There were medics on the scene, but her magic was unchallenged, so she stepped in to take over. In total, there were about seven wounded guards in critical condition, and ten were dead. Bodies that had been retrieved had been covered up, hidden from view.

Princess Luna was found in a residential house near the castle, she had passed out from the force of crashing through the wall, but she was mostly unharmed. She came limping into the courtyard after a few minutes had passed, opting not to fly at the moment. Celestia was relieved to see her unharmed.

Moans of pain were frequent through the courtyard. It was a complete mess. Yet, Twilight needed to fight the stabbing pain that was tearing up inside her chest to stop thinking about her friend, just for the moment. She was the ruler now, and whether she liked it or not, she needed to keep a level head and lead the country through times like this.

The remaining Elements of Harmony ahad surrounded Rainbow Dash in a group hug of tears and cries, but Rainbow suddenly ripped herself away from the embrace of her friends and shakily took off towards the hole in the ground. Twilight had done all she could with the wounded and took notice of the commotion.

She flew over quickly to intervene. "Rainbow... what are you doing?" She asked as she landed in front of her, preventing Rainbow from walking any further.

The cyan pony gave her a wicked look, her pupils were dilated. "I'm going after it. I'm going to destroy that thing!"

Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy had walked up behind her was tryint to calm her down. Twilight was about to respond, but the newly arrived stallion walked up to them. "You should all stay back. We're handling the situation." He said firmly.

"That monster ate Pinkie! That's not something that can just be 'taken care of!'" Rainbow screamed, and Twilight noticed her hooves shaking.

"Dashie, I understand you're upset. We're all upset, but-" said a teary-eyed Fluttershy, trying to calm her down. However, Rainbow cut her off.

"Look, I'm not going to sit around while that thing roams around and kills ponies!" She said and ripped herself out of Fluttershy's grasp and spread her wings to prepare flying into the abyss. Twilight started to panic, she didn't want Rainbow to do anything rash. She enveloped Rainbow's hooves in her pink aura, locking her to the ground.

Rainbow yelped in frustration. "Hey! What are you doing?! Let me go!"

Twilight looked at her sadly. "I can't. Not after losing Pinkie like this. I can't risk losing you too. Please, don't."

"But that thing ate her, Twi. It ate her!" Rainbow pleaded as her face scrunched up in anger. She put emphasis on something Twilight wanted to bury into her mind, and tears started streaming down Rainbow's face. "She's gone... that thing killed her!"

A silence fell over the courtyard for a few moments. Nopony knew what to say.

A few moments later, the stallion cleared his throat. "Your Majesty. Miss Celestia and I would like for you to accompany us to a safe location, at least until we can track down the location of the creatures and assess the situation better. Your friends will be joining us."

Twilight realized that it made sense, however, one thing made her think twice. "Wait, creatures? There was just one."

He shook his head. "I wish that were true. Unfortunately, there have been reports of two more roaming around."

She felt a large weight drop into her stomach. Three?! Only one of them seemed to be enough ti take down the country!

Twilight looked between Celestia and the stallion with a worried look. "Okay... but, where are we going? Are we abandoning Canterlot?"

Celestia walked up to them, and joined in the conversation. "No, Twilight. We are not abandoning everyone. The safety of the princess of Equestria is of vital importance, and we will not take any chances. Don't worry, we will be coming back."

Twilight's head sunk low. Celestia's words were covering up what was really happening. The ponies of Canterlot and the rest of Equestria would be in danger, and there was nothing they could.

Celestia gave her a very stern, but sad look. She had never seen her student like this. She looked empty. Like she was barely hanging on. "We will explain everything on the way."

"We're leaving?" Rainbow asked and shook her head. "No. I'm not leaving this place until that thing is dealt with!"

The military stallion walkes up to her and put a gentle hoof on her shoulder. "I know how you're feeling, but the best course of action for you right now is to come with us. We will do everything we can to get justice, but for now, please collect yourself."

Rainbow Dash looked like she was about to protest again, but the steely look he gave her made her shrink in defeat. She felt tears building up again. "F-fine."

Twilight finally let go of her hooves, and Rainbow moved her hooves to shake off the weird feeling. "Just... give me a moment."

Twilight nodded, and Rainbow walked away from them. She walked around the pit to get over to the other side, where Pinkie had been in her final moments. Twilight and her friends hugged as they watched Rainbow sit down to cry by herself some distance away.

During the next fifteen minutes, a lot of things happened. From all directions, pegasi carriages flew in, loading ponies and sending them off in different directions. There were mostly guards that were being sent off, but some maids and civilians were being escorted as well.

A large carriage carried by four pegasi landed nearby Twilight and her friends. Celestia stepped into the carriage, followed by the lieutenant shortly after. Luna was healthy enough to walk on her own and she carefully hopped inside with her sister.

In the minutes that had passed, Celestia filled her sister in on everything as well.

"I see... This is a big deal, sister." Luna said somberly, and she looked at the floating castle above them from inside the carriage. "I'm not even sure how we can begin to address this to our subjects."

"Me neither," Celestia sighed. "The first thing we need to settle ia locating this creature that attacked us and find a way to take it down. More importantly, we need to figure out what in Equestria is going on with that floating castle. If getting up there reveals whoever is behind all of this, we need to get up there as soon as possible. However, it seems our enemy has a contingency for that." Celestia said, referring to the guards being cursed on the way up to the castle.

Celestia looked out the other window as she watched a pair of carriages leaving Canterlot, heading north. "As we speak, it's being worked on. Starswirl, Sunburst and Starlight Glimmer have all been summoned to investigate this matter together. They are among our brightest minds, and I trust they will find a solution."

Luna looked up at the castle through the window of the carriage, now illuminated by an orange hue as the sun had started to lower toward the horizon. "And what of this Torgand? What is known about him?"

"I... don't know. He seems genuine and helpful to us, but I have no idea what could have brought him here, and at such a time. He has been acting very suspicious about all the answers he's given us. My gut is telling me there is some sort of connection between all of this. He is... different."

"Different how?" Luna asked.

Celestia pondered on it for a bit before shaking her head. "I will explain later." Celestia said, and she looked at the door to the carriage, watching as Twilight and her friends boarded.

Twilight felt like she had been hit by a train. There were so many thoughts in her head, and none of them were pleasant. She wanted to know what was happening. Where were they going? Who was this dragon that showed up out of nowhere? What is with the castle in the sky? What about Pinkie? Would they even have time to mourn her?

Celestia and Luna gave Twilight an attempt at an encouraging smile. "We're taking you all somewhere safe. It won't be permanent, but until we can figure out what our next move is, it's the best option."

Twilight didn't respond. She sat down and looked out one of the windows, watching as the newly arrived dragon was directed inside one of the carriages.

She felt Celestia unfurl one of her wings and wrapped it around Twilight. Without realizing it, she felt a comforting exhale leave her. She looked up at Celestia, and her mentor used her other wing to wipe gently under Twilight's eyes.

Rainbow Dash was staring blankly outside as the carriage started to take off, leaving the horrible scenery behind. Her eyes were unfocused, and her breathing was heavy. Her cheeks were matted with tears, she was taking the loss of her friend harder than most. She was staring at the hole where the serpent had vanished into as they began their journey away from Canterlot and she bit her teeth together, hard.

Applejack sat next to Rainbow, and removed her hat after a deep exhale. "I can't believe she's gone." She whispered, and Rarity placed a hoof on her shoulder from behind.

"There wasn't anything we could have done."

"I know, but..." Applejack shook her head in frustration and covered her face with her stetson.

There wasn't much to be said between anypony. They were all deeply enveloped in their own thoughts about everything that had transpired, none of them being very good thoughts.

They ascended quite a bit until they passed a layer of clouds. Twilight had a small conversation with Celestia and Luna, informing her about Torgand, the castle and what was to be done about finding the roaming monsters. After nearly an hour, they heard one of the guards pulling the carriage call for them.

"We will be arriving shortly!"

Driven out of their thoughts, the girls on board directed their attention outside and saw a sea of clouds. Clouds that were starting to look more like buildings.

"Where are we?" asked Fluttershy, as the carriage moved in for landing.

"You'll see," Celestia said.

The carriage turned after they landed, and they were met with a fabulous sight. The sky had turned a reddish hue as it illuminated not only a fortress in the clouds, but barracks and training grounds.

"What is this place?" asked Fluttershy as she marveled at the size of the fort. She seemed to be the only one who wanted to speak out loud.

"This is Skyhold." Celestia said as she walked past them, heading out of the carriage as the doors were opened by the guards. Luna followed her, and they were greeted by soldiers that were lines up, ready to serve.

Celestia and Luna turned to Twilight. "Come, Princess." Celestia requested.

Twilight stepped off the carriage with her friends and followed Celestia. Frowing and looking around, she recalled being told about this foretress. "Princess, you told me about this place a while ago, but you never explained to me what it's here for."

Celestia gave her a somber look. "I have not. I hoped I wouldn't need to. However, with our relations with the Gryphons being as unstable as a house of cards and not to mention the tragedy that just unfolded at Canterlot, we cannot postpone this any longer. In the next few days, possibly weeks, you need to get much more familiar with this place."

Twilight's looked around her to try and register everything here. Soldiers, leaders, previous rulers and a large fort big enough to hold an army. It was a lot to take in.

She knew this was one of the duties she would have to bear. Unsure whether it was determination to avenge her friend or if it was her desire to lead with dignity, she nodded.

"Thank you."

"Sister," said Luna as she watched another carriage land nearby. "I will go speak with our new arrival."

Celestia saw what she was referring to, and nodded. At that, Luna went off to greet the new arrivals.

Many more guards arrived in carriages of their own, along with Torgand the dragon. He had agreed to come along without question, which delighted Celestia. She didn't know what to make of him. She wanted him nearby because he might know something they dont, and because he is an extraordinary fighter, able to destroy these monsters.

Could all dragons harm the beast as much as he could? She thought while observing him being eacorted into a building nearby.

After some deliberation, it was assessed that the creature was immune against magical attacks, yet weak to fire. Otherwise, it would not flee the way it did.

Trying to make sense of everything, she looked back to Twilight. "Right now, there are several things we need to sort out. I want you to say goodbye to your friends for the moment, and then come with me. They will be here at the headquarters until further notice, so don't worry."

Twilight looked around at her friends. The looks they gave her were filled with concern and sadness. She could tell that they didn't want to be separated, not after something like this. Not after losing a friend. Celestia knew this as well.

Twilight went up to them, wrapping her hooves around each of them, and pulled them into a close hug. "I'll see you all soon. We'll make it through this." She reassured them.

Most of the girls gave her a weak smile. Rainbow didn't. She was distant and quiet.

After some encouraging words her way from her friends, Twilight pulled away and walked off with Celestia. However, Rainbow Dash was not far behind. "I'm coming with you."

Twilight turned around to see that she had followed her as they started walking. "Rainbow..." Twilight started.

"No. I want to help." Rainbow said and looked at the two. She had an enraged expression on her face, laced with several other emotions. "I want to fight. Anything I can do, I'll do it."

The lieutenant from earlier walked up to Rainbow Dash. "Miss Dash, is it? I am Lieutenant Argon Holt. Would you please come with me, and we can talk about this in a more private setting?"

"What's there to talk about?" Rainbow said, giving him a challenging look.

Argon resisted. "There is a lot to talk about. Please, follow me?"

She looked between him and Twilight a few times before reluctantly giving in. Rainbow was brash and unpredictable, but she respected surperior officers. She glanced at Twilight as she started following this stallion into the main gates.

Twilight could see she was angry, and she felt exactly what she felt. Watching her friend in this state was heartbreaking.

Twilight and Celestia watched her leave before Twilight looked over to her mentor. "So... what now?"