Traveling by dragonfire, Comet surmised, was a less than pleasant experience. She had been caught off guard the first time, but even when she was prepared, the heat and the vertigo was too much for her. When at last the fire deposited her, her legs were splayed out in all directions, her chin pressed against the blessedly cool ground. After everything, she was content to lie there for a good long while and recover herself.
Well, she was, before a spear prodded her in the ribs.
The sound of shouting voices rang in her ears, and the filly opened her eyes to a ring of armed, armored ponies shouting commands and brandishing weapons at her.
"Hooves behind your head, now!" The pony directly in front of her hollered. When she was slow to reply, one of the others prodded her again, kickstarting her senses.
"Poke me with that damned spear one more time," Comet growled, "and I will shove it so far up your ass-"
"If you try anything," one of the guards started, "we will be forced to-"
"I've ripped wings off a dragon's back, you muck brained mule!" The blackened filly rose on unsteady hooves. "I am Comet Shimmer, lancer of the Royal Air Guard, and I will not be kicked about by a prancing foal who’s never seen a battle!"
"On your belly, now-"
"That's quite enough, Captain." A calm voice turned all heads in the room.
Comet looked to see the speaker, and was stunned. Being a resident of Canterlot, she had seen the princess of Equestria before, but always from a distance. To see her not ten yards away was like beholding a work of art. The careful blend of confusion, concern, and alertness, all contained within a regal neutrality, calmed the filly, but at the same time set her heart racing.
Before she even thought to say it, the words left her mouth. "Princess, you're late for your chess game!" The princess looked at her, head cocked to one side. The only sign of her curiosity and confusion was a raised brow on an otherwise passive face. Slowly, Comet came to realize how bizarre she must have seemed.
She had appeared, likely from a ball of fire, in the middle of a chamber, near the princess, so presumably in Canterlot, clutching a dragon egg, blabbering nonsense. And on closer inspection, every pony with whom Celestia had been conversing was a high commander of the Equestrian Royal Military.
Comet Shimmer had teleported into the middle of a war council on the back of dragon fire.
A faint smile appeared on Celestia's face. "Captain, this pony is not a danger. Stand down."
"But, Your Highness-"
"Stand down, Captain," Celestia's voice had lost none of its caring warmth, but the minute drop in her tone quartered no argument. The guards withdrew their spears and backed away from the bewildering filly. "Comet Shimmer, was it?" the chiroptequus nodded. Celestia started towards her. "It looks like you have been through quite an ordeal, my little pony. Let us see about getting you cleaned up."
"Thank you, Your Grace, but there isn't time. I have terrible news... and a, um, a charge." She held up the egg for the princess to see.
Celestia eyed the egg curiously. "I see. Well, bring it with you. We can talk on the way." By custom, Celestia's guards followed the two out of the chamber, but when the high commanders made to follow, the princess waved them off with a wing. Comet scampered behind the solar monarch, the dragon egg cradled on her back between her wings. She noted, with subvocal hostility, that the guards formed a loose but insistent perimeter between her and the princess.
“So, Miss Shimmer,” Celestia hummed, “It seems as though this has been a trying day for you.”
Comet tried to contain her sardonic laughter. She failed immediately. As her voice rang through the hall, she realized how insane she must have seemed, but she could hardly bring herself to care. The alicorn waited for her to finish. “Your Highness, it has been a trying few months. I…”
“I know, little one.” Celestia sighed. “I am afraid that I am, in no small way, to blame for your suffering. The dragons have been more and more aggressive and demanding for years, until finally they demanded something I could not give. So they declared that they would seize it from us.”
“That’s… actually, why I’m here, Your Highness.”
The alicorn arched an eyebrow. “Is that so?” She led them down the steps to a garden. The sun was low on the horizon, setting the western sky ablaze with ribbons of gold and violet. “Guards, you may wait here.” Comet determined that those who worked closely with the princess must be able to pick up on signals that she could not. Not a single guard even twitched in protest, or even glanced threateningly at her as she took her place beside Celestia. “So, how is our mutual friend doing?”
“You know Scholar?”
“Hmm, 'Scholar?' A fitting name, but never one I used for him. But yes, he and I used to debate all manner of topics for many years. He taught me the intricacies of chess, as it would happen, and showed me the metaphor it held for running a kingdom. Very valuable insight, as things have turned out. I was often late for our games, you see. I suppose we still have one scheduled for next week… long ago.”
"But Scholar said he hadn't seen another pony since Earnest Hem, and that was two hundred years ago-" Comet stopped and stared. “Princess… how old are you?”
“Isn’t that a rude question.” The princess smirked. “Old enough for most concerns. And now, I think it would be fair if you answered my question.”
“Oh, yes…” Comet grimaced. “I wish I could say he was well. Up until recently, he had been enslaved by the other dragons, hypnotized to cast massive spells to help their war effort. We helped him escape, but he looked… hurt.”
“I see. You have my thanks for freeing him, then. I imagine your charge is one of his?”
“The last of his,” Comet said. The princess closed her eyes. “Your Highness… Scholar’s work for decades has been to discover the change in the dragons’ behavior, this hunger you’ve experienced. And he found it.”
So Comet explained everything that he had told her: their greatness, the first infestation, the resurgence, the degradation of the dragon flights, and their plan to overrun Equestria.
And she told the princess of the changelings.
The filly felt the air grow colder around her. She felt compressed, as if she was being gripped from all sides at once.“Miss Shimmer,” Celestia started slowly, “I have no clear reason to doubt you. But an accusation of changelings is a grave one, to be sure. Do I have your word that everything you have said is true?”
“I saw the ones Scholar captured with my own eyes, Princess. It’s true.”
The grip vanished. “Then I am afraid this changes a great many things,” the princess continued down the garden path, “but sadly, I do not believe it changes our situation.”
“Your Highness, we can’t beat them in the field. I’ve seen it, I’ve fought them!” Comet raced after the princess. “There are more dragons now than we’ve ever fought before. The changelings have called all of their servants to them… We can’t win.”
“Patience, Miss Shimmer. There is something I must do before we continue.” The alicorn raised her horn to the heavens. A radiant, golden glow engulfed the fluted bone, glowing steadily brighter. At the boundary of earth and sky, the sun sank below the horizon with a final, brilliant flash. In the east, the moon rose serenely, trailing stars across the sky as it settled into its evening path. “There we are.”
The spectacle did little to calm the chiroptequus. “Princess, I-”
“I know, little one.” Celestia sighed as she stared up at the moon. “There is something I would know, before I decide what must next be done… Do you hate me, Comet Shimmer?”
The filly was taken aback by the question. She chewed on her lip slowly. “...Yes. Or I did, at least. I enlisted because I wanted to help. It seemed like the right thing to do, to help defend our home from the threat of invasion. But once I was there, I wondered, many nights, how you could have failed us so badly, that we were sent to this desert from Tartarus to fight and die for you.” The princess visibly winced at her accusations. “And every time somepony died, somepony I cared for… I wondered why you didn’t just fly south and end this war with a wave of your magic. If you can move the heavens, why are we forced to fight for you?” The filly felt that anger, the sleepless nights, the hollow places where her friends once were, returning to her with renewed fury. “How could you let us suffer like this?”
Celestia bowed her head. “Because I am still learning, I’m afraid. No reason that I can give will compensate you for what you have endured, and I am sorry. I am sorry for everypony that has suffered as you have.” Celestia led them to one of the mirror pools, a faint memory from Comet’s past life. “As you say, I have a great deal of power at my disposal. Enough, perhaps, to win battles, or even wars, on my own. But I have used this power recklessly before to great ruination. I have also tried to remain neutral, as is the case now, to the suffering of both parties.
“If I had donned a suit of armor and charged into battle, what do you imagine the outcome would be like? At best, I would have eradicated the majority of the dragon race, including our friend, and doomed their kind to the annals of history. We would win a bloody victory and never learn the cause of the war. At worst, I would have been slain, likely by a changeling or by the endless waves of dragons, shattering the morale of my ponies and spelling the end of our kingdom. Great power does not grant me the ability to solve all problems, little one. if anything, it seems to breed more problems.” She smiled forlornly at Comet’s pensive stare. “As I warned, nothing I can say will ease your pain.”
“I…” Comet sat and tried not to cry. “How can you know what kind of pain we’ve suffered?”
“Because I have suffered worse, I assure you. And that pain is of my own doing.” Celestia gazed up at the moon and whispered an apology, another to add to the millions that made their way skyward. “You are not wrong to hate me, Comet Shimmer. My mistakes, time and time again, are not solely my own to pay the price for. You have suffered for them, your friends have suffered for them, and now many more may yet suffer. But we have a chance to stop this threat before it consumes us all, dragon and pony alike.”
“...How?”
“Have you ever heard of the Elements of Harmony?”
The look of contemptuous disbelief on Comet’s face could have killed a fish. “I’ve read the stories, yes.”
“Hmm, good enough,” Celestia replied amusedly. “But they are hardly foal’s stories, I’m afraid. Many of those tales are, in fact, pivotal events in the shaping of our kingdom.”
“That’s hardly possible.”
“Twenty four hours ago, you did not know that there was a creature that could imitate other living beings. Why is an ancient magical artifact so hard to believe?”
“Because they’re so powerful! If we had the Elements of Harmony, nothing would ever dare attack Equestria. We would have the most powerful weapon in the history of the world.”
Celestia smiled a little, sad smile for the filly. “Indeed we would… Indeed we would. That is the fable that we have carefully crafted, told to travelers, spread to the corners of the world: Equestria is protected by a power none can hope to overcome.” Celestia levitated six globes of water from the pool, orbiting them around each other. In the early evening moonlight, each of them seemed to take on a unique hue. "And for a time, this was true. The Elements of Harmony did protect our lands from many a threat. But there are two misconceptions about the Elements.
"First, we do not possess them anymore." Celestia let the orbs cascade down into the pool. "Another of my mistakes, the Elements were misused, and their power was locked away. The only ones who could bear them lost the right. We have been without their protection for a millenium, but the awe inspiring power they once bore held would be aggressors at bay... Well, until now.
"The second fallacy, a dreadfully common one, is that they are a weapon. They never have been." Celestia smiled at the filly's expression as she took in the monarch's words. "The Elements of Harmony, as their name implies, harmonize. To be properly used, multiple bearers must use them towards a singular purpose: a desire for peace. The Elements draw power from this unity, and use that power to resolve the conflict. It cannot be used to harm, only to resolve."
"But the Elements turned Discord to stone, did they not?" Comet quickly added, "So the story goes."
"That they did. But what would you expect a harmonizing force would do to an entity of pure dissonance?" Comet nodded in apprehension. "It is the Elements that the dragons demanded. I could not, would not give them freely to anyone that bore such malice and greed as they did. Besides," the princess chuckled, "I do not even know where they are now."
"...What!?"
"The Elements were lost a thousand years ago, following their misuse. But since you have revealed the presence of changelings within the dragon ranks, their desires become clear." Celestia sat down on the bank and looked the filly up and down. "Tell me, Comet Shimmer, what do you imagine would happen if a force of harmony were used by a single, malicious heart?"
The filly thought hard on her princess's question. "...If they can still draw on its power, then it would... force harmony on the subject?"
"But one cannot force harmony, now can they? It must be earned, and agreed to."
"But the changelings can already hypnotize their prey." Comet sucked in a breath. "The Elements might expand their hypnotism. They would force every pony into loving them, without question, until they had been sucked dry."
"When used by a vile heart, I believe the Elements become a tool for control, yes." The princess watched herself in the pool. "It has never been tested, of course, but the risk exists. Removal of dissent, of question, of resistance -- in theory, it is harmony, but a harmony under the direction of one party. Subjugation."
"But if the Elements are both lost and inert, then it doesn't really matter what the changelings wanted them for, does it?"
"It does, little one." Celestia stood and motioned for Comet to rise and follow. "They believe we have the Elements, because we have said we do. They have no reason to believe we are not simply hiding them. The changelings will rip Equestria apart, every root and stone, in their hunt. Nothing will be left in their wake."
"So we can’t hope they’ll give up when they can’t find them. We have to stop them," Comet said. Celestia nodded. "But how?"
"Well, first, I sense that you have something magical on you?"
"Oh, right." Comet passed Celestia the pendant. "Scholar said this has the same magical residue left by the changeling's transformation magic. You should, he said, be able to devise the revealment spell to undo it from that."
"Thank you. And while I work on that, you, I think you shall have a bath and something to eat." When reminded of it, Comet realized how exhausted she was. Her legs suddenly faltered, but an alabaster hoof caught her before she fell. "Yes, I think that would be best," the princess said with a smile.
~*~
Though shorter, after all was said and done, Comet Shimmer's coat had returned to its original indigo hue, her mane a deep midnight blue, and she felt refreshed just for having soaked in water for the first time in an age. Her armor, however, was battered and burnt beyond hope, and sat in a forlorn pile in the corner. Celestia's private bath was more akin to a pool, wide and terraced and filled with warm, sudsy water. As soon as her hoof had sunk into the warm, steaming pool, she abandoned all attempt at restraint and dove in, paddling around like a foal. It had taken her a long while to calm down enough to properly wash, but the use of soaps seemed altogether foreign to her after so long without them. Had they had soap on the Adamant? She could not remember.
The thought of her flying home rekindled an image she had not had the chance to process, even when it was happening in front of her: the sight of the Adamant caving in, ablaze and melting from acid, its innards expelled onto the desert floor like a the contents of a torn grocery bag. How many of her crew had died there and then? All of them? The Starfall and the Equinox had gone down too, wrapped in fire and smoke and death. And all her friends in the battle, had they been killed as well? For all she knew, Cyclone Company had been wiped out, and she alone had somehow survived.
The water started to burn her skin. The heat became unbearable, the steam suffocating. Comet thrashed in the water, trying desperately to find the marble floor beneath her. Water splashed up her nose and down her throat. She screamed as the bath threatened to melt her.
Celestia poked her head in at the sounds to find the filly thrashing in the water helplessly. The princess slipped out of her regalia and hurried in. She came up beside the filly, wrapped her in her wings, and guided her back to the edge of the tub. The threat of drowning past, the crying began, and nothing Comet could do could stop it. Celestia kept her smaller guest safely within her grasp, and did her best to calm the shaking pony. Comet beat her hoof against the alicorn's chest, but there was no heart in it, no desire for harm, just a pain that would not be abated.
It was at least an hour before Comet finally calmed down. Celestia rinsed the filly's mane and combed it free of tangles before exiting the tub. "When you're ready, dinner is here. The maids and I will be right outside if you need anything." Comet said nothing, but nodded meekly. With her pain temporarily calmed, she was coming to grips with the fact that she had just cried all over the princess's chest. She took another five minutes or so to soak in the tub and confirm that she was not about to break down, before she grabbed a towel and patted herself dry.
When she arrived at the table, her mouth watered at the sight. Warm loaves of dark bread, crisp salad with fruits and nuts and rich dressings, savory pastas piled with herbs and roasted walnuts, so many dishes lay waiting for her pleasure. And she had some of them all. The filly could not remember the last time she had eaten so well, and she partook as if it were the last meal she were to ever have. With how many times she had come close to never reaching this one, she felt she had earned it.
Celestia ate some of the spread herself, but mostly poked Comet for stories. She knew what the war council told her, she explained to the filly, as well as the details they had deemed “not worth her time,” thanks to a few trustworthy secretaries. Comet’s tale, however, spoke of the consequences of the council’s inaction, their constant blundering and hesitation costing the lives of how many soldiers. Celestia sat in forlorn silence as Comet told her everything, every detail. By the end, neither of them were particularly hungry.
“I don’t even know who to be mad at anymore,” Comet muttered. “I guess we never really stood a chance, not when our enemy was not the dragons, but the race that had beaten them. But… We were alone out there. Fresh supplies and reinforcements were so far apart, we had to assume we weren’t going to get any.”
“The cost of peace, I’m afraid,” Celestia replied. “It is fine to forget how to operate a war when there are no wars to be fought. No living commander has served in wartime, you know. We pride ourselves on our ability to reconcile our differences peacefully, but it is evidently not without a price.”
“No.” Comet set her fork down. “Princess, there are dragons all across the south now. We need to mobilize the forces at Dodge Junction and do… something. I don’t know what, but we can’t sit and wait for them to make their move.”
Celestia maintained her composure, but Comet noticed the jitter in her wings. “...Comet Shimmer, when was the last time you were in contact with somepony outside of your battle group?”
“...Weeks ago. Why?” Celestia did not answer. “...Princess, what’s happened?”
“Little one… Dodge Junction is gone.” Celestia paced to the window and looked out over her city. “The storm you spoke of, there was another. Many, even. They appeared in the middle of the night, under a shadow shroud, much like your experience. They tore through the base’s outer defenses in less than a night, and our forces were routed before sunrise.”
“...But… No, that's -- there were thousands of ponies at the junction. How could they-”
“Hundreds of dragons encased in a furious maelstrom. You’ve seen its capability first hoof, Miss Shimmer. I imagine you would be the only pony in Canterlot that can understand its full power.” Comet tried to stand, but her legs had frozen solid.
“So The Line is broken.”
“Yes.”
“And our forces are scattered.”
“Regrouping to the north, but yes.”
“And the dragons are within Equestria’s borders now.”
“Yes.”
“...So what do we do?”
The princess was silent for a long time as she stared out the window. In her reflection, Comet could see the gears turning in her head, weighing everything she had come to know since the filly’s appearance. At last, she said, “Comet Shimmer. I will not ask you for your forgiveness. But I will ask you for your trust.” She turned to face the filly. “If we are to not only survive, but win, I am going to need your help.”
Comet had to think on that. She excused her silence by chewing on a loaf of bread, but her eyes told Celestia of her doubts. It was not her fault, the filly tried to tell herself; her war council had censored her information, and even they did not know of the true dangers this war had brought to their home. She could not have made a better decision than she had. But still, she was their saint. Ponies praised her wisdom, her beauty, her grace, as often as they did Faust. But Celestia had not saved them, nor had their Mother. She was not all powerful, not omnipotent, just…
“You’re just a pony.” Comet looked up at her princess. “You’re just a tall, long lived pony, and you can make mistakes.” Celestia nodded slowly. Comet chewed her lip and squeezed her eyes shut.
She had lost a god.
But maybe she had found something else.
“What do you have in mind, Princess?”
Celestia’s smile was full of thanks, and something the filly could only describe as motherly affection. But there was a sly grin wrapped in her lips. Her eyes sparkled as she said,
“We are going to surrender.”
~*~
Comet confessed to herself, she found a certain pleasure in watching the high commanders squirm at their princess's decision. The pale complexion they took when the monarch told them of the changeling infestation almost made her smile. They implored her to reconsider, to seek an alternative, but the alicorn was unwavering.
"I have considered the options, good commanders, and all information we have. There is no better course of action." The princess circled her table slowly, deliberately, gauging their reactions. Every one of them was pale faced, many were sweating. One stallion, aged but not old and, to Comet, offensively pudgy, noticed the chiroptequus and turned on her.
"You," he growled, "what have you done to the princess to make her believe this madness? Are you an enemy agent, sent to weaken us!?" He turned to his colleagues. "Chiropteqi have never been trustworthy ponies. Give them a chance, and they'll stab you in the back for nothing. Guards, remove her at-" The general turned around to behold the solar princess standing a hoof step away from him, glaring down upon the belligerent stallion.
"Lancer Shimmer has been more honest with me than any of you have. I have no reason to doubt her. I do, however, have reason to distrust you." The alicorn turned and resumed her pacing around the table. "You seem tired, General. I believe it is time you took a vacation, perhaps for the remainder of the war. We can decide what is to remain of your position afterwards. The guards will see you out." The general was, briefly, too shocked to remember how to breathe. When he did not make for the door on his own, two of the guards grabbed him by the shoulders and escorted him.
"Gentleponies," Celestia continued, "the losses we have suffered in this war are inexcusable. Nopony is to blame more than myself, but I aim to see this to the end. If we are to have any chance of survival, we must meet with the enemy before our soldiers are annihilated. Do you disagree?"
"You speak truth, Princess," a graying mare said, "but we have tried to treat with the dragons, to no avail. And if this information is accurate, then we cannot hope to treat with the changelings now or ever. We would be walking into our own deaths."
"We already are." Comet stepped forward. "There is a zero percent chance of victory against the collected dragon army. It will be larger than any force we have faced since the start of the war, or in recent history for that matter. Our own forces are depleted. We won't win."
"Lancer," one of the two admirals said, "your input is appreciated, but we don't stand to gain anything from turning ourselves over to the mercy of monsters. I know our forces are suffering-"
"Suffering? What do you know of suffering!?" Comet bared her fangs at the admiral. "You, who sit in Canterlot and read reports while you get fat on rich food!? You know what we were eating as we ran from Tartartus? Rice soup and old rolls. So don't talk as if you have any idea-" A large, pearly wing unfurled in front of her, cutting off her tirade. She looked up to find Celestia's stern but worried face gazing back at her.
"Lancer Shimmer is right, I am afraid." The princess nudged the filly to the side. "The reports can only do so much to detail the degradation of our soldiers' conditions. Long deployments drain their supplies, no reinforcements to rotate in forces long periods of little sleep and constant tension. To continue this course is to guarantee our fate.”
"...If that is your decision, Your Highness, then we shall carry it out." The other general bowed her head. "Who shall deliver our surrender to the enemy?"
Celestia sighed through her nose. "I will." The high commanders all rushed to protest, but she silenced them with a hoof. "There is no plan to retreat to, I am afraid. If this is to fail, then not only is victory beyond our grasp, it was never ours to possess. I will bear the fate of our kingdom to whatever end," the princess looked down at the filly, "but I will not be going alone. Captain," she faced the guard nearest her, "assemble the Castle Guard. Every division that we have here, or that can reach the rendezvous point in eight days time, is to make their way there with all haste."
"Ma'am." The captain saluted and left the room in a hurry.
"Admiral," the princess turned to the head of the research division, "are they ready?"
"In an ideal world, we would have more time to perform our final tests, but yes, they are ready to fly."
"In an ideal world, we would have no need for vessels of war." Celestia turned to Comet. "You have done well, Miss Shimmer, coming this far. I have need of you for one more task, but it does not require that you accompany me south. Whether you join me, I shall leave to you." Comet looked at the floor. She was so close to home. She could walk out the door, take to the air, and be back in her own bed before the sun was up.
But she had no memory of what her bed felt like. She had no recollection of her daily routine. She had no idea what her family would think when they saw her.
And she had no notion of what she would say to them, how she could look them in the eye, while her home was still in danger.
"...Your Highness," Comet looked up, "I've made it up to here. I'll be damned if I give up before I’ve seen this war through."
"Then you have my thanks." Celestia looked up to her council. "You have work to do. Get it done. You," she motioned to Comet and a few guards, "come with me. I have need of a few things."
~*~
Comet remembered the awe she held when she had first seen a modern airship. Wherever it was now, the Dauntless had been a work of art, rivaled only by her sister ships.
The vessel that lay peacefully in the airport before her was an alicorn where the other vessels were regular ponies. Twice the length, with a broader deck and more of them, this new ship boasted a massive, multi sectioned balloon adorned in violet and white patterns laced in gold. Two dozen pearly sails flowed from either side. Between the masts, an untold number of portholes for ballistae freckled the lacquered surface. In brilliant gold paint, just as the Adamant had borne, the name "Cumulus" adorned her bow. It was the most majestic piece of maritime construction Comet Shimmer had ever beheld.
And to top it off, she had a twin.
Ocean blue where the Cumulus was a deep violet, the Nimbus was identical in every way. Walking on the pier between the two was like walking between monuments to greatness. Comet stared up at the vessels, admiring the strength and detail put into every inch. A voice in the back of her mind reminded her that the Adamant's beauty had not saved it, but that did not mean it could not be appreciated. Better that somepony did before the end.
The sound of armored hooves closed in behind her, and Comet turned to face the party. What she saw approaching her, she was fairly certain, was a sight nopony alive had seen before today.
Princess Celestia strode down the pier with her usual grace, but clad head to hoof in shining, golden armor. Sweeping like her regalia, the armor plating covered most of her form with overlapping segments that hugged her body. Her helmet was much like Comet's, but more... regal, and unlike the regular pegasus helms, it had a plated hole for her horn to slip through. The mane slit along the back of her helm caused her wafting hair to fan out behind her, giving the appearance of a shimmering, multicolored cloak draped across her back. Comet could only stare as the alicorn approached her.
"I take it you approve," Celestia hummed.
Comet finally remembered to shut her mouth. "I... didn't know you had a suit of armor. It fits you."
"Thank you. I was rather proud of how long I had been able to go without donning it, but this is more than a worthy cause."
"So I take it these ships are yours as well?" Comet gestured to the super cruisers with a wing.
"Not 'mine.' They were meant to be the flagships of the Air Guard, before the fleet was so badly weakened by losses. They're the only vessels not already deployed -- in fact, they're still undergoing final approval, but we lack the time. Shall we?" Celestia turned and a strode up the gangplank onto the Cumulus. The pedestrian entrance to the airship sat alongside a wider ramp for ferrying supplies, and did not deposit them on the top deck, but rather three decks down, near the bridge.
Behind a latticed bay window, the bridge was spread across a wide semi-circle. The captain was standing in the center, overseeing the bridge officers at their various positions from beside a broad, oaken table. Everything about the ship reeked of new. Comet had a sneaking suspicion that the lacquer coating on the support pillars had not fully dried yet.
Everypony turned and saluted as Celestia entered the bridge. "Please," Celestia waved them to ease with a hoof. "Admiral, how are preparations proceeding?"
"Nearly ready, ma'am." Comet recognized the stallion from the war council. "We should be ready to cast off in 15 minutes."
"Very good. I will be up above if you should need me." The admiral saluted, and Celestia made her departure. Completely at a loss as to where she should be, Comet remained hot on her fetlocks.
"Princess, is there something you would like me to do?" Comet offered.
"You are already doing it, my little pony," Celestia smiled. "I want you to be a part of my personal escort, both on the ship and in the air. You've proven yourself reliable, and I know you have experience fighting dragons. Should it come to that, I would have you with me."
"Very well."
Celestia gave a surprised smile. "Normally, a pony would tell me how honored they are to be requested by me personally."
"Permission to speak freely, Your Highness?"
"Of course."
"Don't push your luck," Comet deadpanned. She jumped when Celestia snorted and let out a deep, hearty laugh.
"Ahahaha, forgive me. It is a rare thing that anypony addresses me with less than perfect courtesy. It's rather refreshing, I must say."
"... You are really nothing like what I expected."
"I am what my ponies need me to be." Celestia smiled, and Comet honestly believed her. Something about the way she smiled assured the filly that she had only given the truth. As they walked, ponies would salute their princess as she passed. Celestia must have been on the vessel before, or else was very good at pretending not to be lost, as they made their way to the top deck without ever breaking stride. How anypony could navigate such a large vessel was beyond the filly.
From the port, the ponies could see the first light of the day peeking over the horizon. Celestia's horn glowed a brilliant gold as she tucked the moon into bed and coaxed the sun out of its own. The first true morning light graced the land, painting the earth in soft pinks and yellows.
"Is that hard to do?" Comet said after the princess had finished.
"Not with practice," Celestia mused. The two watched the sky continue to brighten in silence for a while. "You'll want to find your company when we arrive at the rendezvous, won't you?"
"Your highness, I doubt they're still alive at this point." Each word was more vile on Comet's tongue than the last, but she did not doubt them.
"You would be surprised what a determined group of ponies can accomplish." Celestia extended a wing around the smaller filly. "We will look for them, Sergeant Shimmer. If they are there, we'll find them."
"...Thank you- wait, ‘Sergeant?’" Comet stared up at her princess.
"You don't think it appropriate for your hard work, for discovering the undercurrent of this war, and rushing back to reveal it before all is lost?" Celestia smiled. "Besides, as I understand, you will have been reported as Killed In Action by any survivors, which awards two ranks posthumously.”
“I- wait, I’m dead?”
“Officially,” Celestia teased. “I think a great deal more is in order, but this will have to do for now," Celestia pulled out a pin and fixed it to Comet's replacement collar, "Comet Shimmer, Wing Seargant First Class."
"Thank you, ma'am," Comet saluted. A stray thought brought a smile to her lips. When Celestia gave her a curious look, she explained, "Cyclone Company doesn't really... adhere to rank like we were taught to expect. I don't actually know what most of their ranks were, just their names."
Celestia chewed on the idea for a moment. "I can see why you hold them so dearly."
Comet smiled, but she felt her eyes growing moist. "They were like a second family. If I hadn't had them, I don't know what I would have done. I probably wouldn't be here, anyway... I miss them." The ship shuddered as it crept out of the port. Alongside, The Nimbus was departing, only a few yards behind her sister. "No turning back now, then."
"I'm afraid that door closed a long time ago," Celestia said more for herself than for Comet. "Whatever happens, stay close to me. Will you do that?" Comet nodded silently. Clear of the dock, the two ships banked south and unfurled their sails to their full reach. It was an eight day trip to the rendezvous point, and there was no time to lose.