Conquest of the Horde

Finally, things seemed to be returning to normal. Maybe except for the fact her mate was still haunted by that unknown spirit, but Celestia trusted Kapre's strength to get through this, and she prayed that the Light would assist him against it. It hadn't been long since she had been freed from the curse that was afflicting her mind with memory loss and depression, but now she was adapting to working normally again.

Celes couldn't help but feel this normality was something temporary. Maybe a bad stroke of luck would change it again, and soon she'd find herself cursed again, or something would happen to Kapre. She shuddered, not wanting to imagine. She hated herself for her cowardice. Celes knew she'd have the courage to face anything, in land or in the air, but not spirits. Ghosts and spirits had always scared her more than anything. Maybe the idea of fighting something she couldn't touch was just too abnormal to her, or maybe it was something related to her past. She let her mind wander through memories, until a small metallic hand touched hers.

"Master... Master... The preparations are complete...". The robotic voice said and Celes looked down at the small creature, Jeeves, as it was called popularly. She had renamed it Davis, in contrast to the second one, Dove, who was its "sister" (at least Celes had added a wig on her, which made it look like a female). Davis had became her own personal secretary and second pilot, while Dove assisted Kapre with the children. The mechagnome (or so she thought it was one) was gradually learning about flying. Not that it'd ever effectively pilot anything, it didn't have the reflexes or the coordination for it, but Davis was definitely of great help to keep data of flight information. He would be an essential piece on this next test.

The Messiah, officially called XDF-03, was developed as a side project, together with the Nightmare. Enigma Tech had assisted with its production, and so had a certain Ethereal friend (at some cost). It was a risky bet. The airplane was completely different from whatever Enigma had manufactured before, starting from the propulsion systems and ending at the airframe itself. Of course, everything was still experimental, but someone had to test it. Celes had to test it. How could she ask one of her workers to risk its life flying one of her inventions? If someone had to do it, it was her. She only hoped she wouldn't lose her life in the process.

Image used for reference. The Messiah looks "rougher" and has a different paintjob.

Celes ran a hand through her hair, staring at the airplane in front of her. She wasn't even sure if she should call it an airplane anymore. It far exceeded the capacities of the most common airplanes found around and the propulsion was completely different, using something similar to Goblin rockets, but way safer and fuel-saving, rather than propellers and piston-engines. Still, it was dangerous. It was a prototype and she wasn't sure if something similar had ever been tried before. Still, how would feel to fly it up in the sky? How far would she go? How free would she be from the bounds placed by forces like gravity? The thought made her anxious and she couldn't help but grin.

"Let's do it, Davis...".

There was nothing left more to wait or to prepare to. Most of the instruments had been checked and after a basic test of the engines, rudders and fins, the airplane seemed to be working fine, so far. Just to make sure, Celes had spent about fifteen minutes with the engines on, without taking off just yet. The new engines were dangerous in that sense. She knew that if their temperature went too high, not only the pieces could deform and melt, but there was also a risk of explosion. No one liked explosions... Still, each individual part of the aircraft had been through several tests before, using different airframes. Most tests had success, and the ones that didn't had been revised and worked at again. One thing was for granted, those engines made a lot of noise. She could see the workers close to the hangars with their hands pressed against their ears. The engines sounded much quieter to her, since she was inside the airplane.

Davis, the mechagnome, was sitting on a small seat that had been adapted behind Celes, with a second panel of instruments in front of him. "Master, I would recommend starting the tests now. There were no changes in the last ten minutes.". From her seat, Celes nodded and turned on the remaining equipment. She took a deep breath and placed one hand on the control stick, the other reaching for the switch controlling the engine power. The airplane began to accelerate and gain speed. It wasn't much different from the propeller airplanes he flew before, or so she thought for a few instants. At this point, she glanced down at the speed meter. It had reached the take off speed of her other plane, Aegis, which was already fast enough in its own accord. However, it kept accelerating at an impressive rate, making the whole airframe rattle as it ran the airstrip. Celes pulled down the stick and soon the airplane took flight.

Celes couldn't help but whistle. She pulled the stick further, making the nose of the airplane face the clouds. Impressively, it kept gaining altitude and speed, the latter at a lesser rate thanks to gravity. Still, this climb rate alone was enough to surpass any of her past airplanes. The airframe still shook, though slowly the airplane was adapting to the high speed. Counting the minutes, Celes held the control while glancing at the altitude meter. She couldn't help but whistle. She didn't need to look at the meter to tell how high she was flying. At some point, the structure started shaking again and the aircraft started losing speed. Even inside the sealed cockpit, she could feel the temperature decreasing. She lowered the stick, aligning the airplane's nose with the horizon.

She blinked for a couple of moments, flying at a regular speed without touching the controls. Celestia was absolutely mesmerized at the sight. For a moment, she glanced down at the fuel gauge, hoping it wasn't anywhere near empty. She had expected to see something new but the sky was now something beyond words to her.

"Davis... Are you there...?". She murmured in question, her eyes never leaving the view in front of her.

"Yes, Master. All readings are normal, though we are at the limit of our altitude. I will inform you about our oxygen reserves as well, once our tanks reach half-full.", Replied the small humanoid.

"No, not that... Look. Can you see this...?".

The mechagnome climbed on his seat to get a better look outside. As it wasn't much a sight to him as it was to Celes, Davis just shifted its eyes, as if blinking. "Recorded. And yes. I'm unsure of the altitude we have reached. According to our books, there's no mention of others that have done so.".

Celes nodded weakly, unable to blink. "I see... I can tell why... Who would want to ever leave this place...?". She murmured. Still impressed by the sight, Celes extended a hand to touch the bulletproof glass of the cockpit. She wished she could jump off and just float around. For a moment, she closed her eyes and imagined herself doing that. She stayed a few moments like that before opening her eyes and shaking her head, smiling. "Alright... Altitude test is complete. This is as high as we can fly... Well, next, let's see how fast we can go...".

As soon as she spoke those words, Celes gripped on the stick with both hands. She smirked and made the airplane roll and bank to the right, losing altitude in a continuous spin. "Haha, amazing! It's amazing, Davis! Keep check of the instruments, I will try accelerating now.".

With the airplane still in free fall, nose pointed down, Celes accelerated and made the nose turn up just a little, diving the airplane in a diagonal trajectory. Assisted by gravity and impulsed by the propulsion of the engines, the Messiah started picking up speed. The structure shook painfully as the speed increased and Celes found the airplane harder to control. Still, she kept going, wanting to see the limit of the airplane.

"M-Ma'am! If I may suggest, we are flying past the safe limits for speed. The engines are overheating. I'm getting a oil leak on the right wing.". Davis informed.

Celes looked to the right and saw the thin trail of black smoke coming from the airplane's wing. She grinned wider and kept accelerating, feeling her sight darken gradually, her body pressed against the seat. The airplane shook as if it was ready to break at any moment. Fearing the worst, Celes pulled down the acceleration and reversed the thrust, forcing the already punished engines to slow down the airplane. Still, she was very fast and it wasn't slowing down just enough.

For a moment, Celes thought she would crash, seeing an icy mountain approaching. With a loud groan, she managed to force the stick down and to a side. The Messiah pulled up with a roll to the left, just feet away from crashing at the mountain, but at least it dodged it. A light white smoke leaked from both engines. Celes panted heavily, removing her oxygen mask to look back at Davis. The mechagnome was doing its best to keep the signatures in check.

"Ma'am, if we don't return to base now, we risk compromising the structure, engines and we might explode... I strongly recommend that we return now.".

Fearing for the safety of the airplane, she nodded. The airstrip wasn't far, maybe only a dozen minutes of flight, from what she could see. So far, that test had been successful. She had been impudent with the last try but it had been very much worthy it. Celes smiled, relaxing against the seat. She could feel the shocks that hit the aircraft earlier in her own body. In that short moment, it was as if she had become one with the machine. The roar of engines, he wings cutting through wind, it was all sensed in her body, or so she thought.

"Alright, we're returning... Keep me informed of the damage and leave the land crew on stand-by. We're checking everything as soon as we land...".

Sometimes, in some occasions, a pilot had to face choices. Sometimes, those choices had heavy consequences in their lives. Sometimes they could mean the difference between life and death, between doing the difference or not. What did it mean to make the difference? Was it being the best? No, that was not it. Was it saving lives? Was it feeling like it had all been worthy? Maybe.

Celes was lying down on one of the airplane's wings, not minding the clanking noises behind her as the mechagnome replaced the small pieces that composed the engine's fans. A good number of them was charred, while others had literally melted or been broken. The speed test of the aircraft had resulted on this. It wasn't unexpected. It was a new technology, and no one could have taken every aspect of it in consideration. It was a stroke of luck that Celes hadn't flew that much, or that she had the mechagnome to keep the airplane integrity in check during flight. Otherwise, the engines would have just blown up and Light knows what might have happened to her once it did.

"It is done, master. I have replaced the fans and we may try with the stronger material... Maybe this time it won't melt. I will ask the engineers to take it to the tunnel for a try, if you don't mind.". The gnome's voice reached her ears. Celes blinked, then nodded, moving away from the wing to let the workers do their job. True, she had developed most of the new technology, based on what she had seen from gnomes and dwarves, improving with one or two tricks she had up her sleeve. Even so, she doubted she'd ever be able to do it all by herself. The team at Enigma Tech sure should be proud of their work of art, as the credit hardly belonged only to Celes.

She smiled. She wished she could have shared that view with them. To show them what their hard work had accomplished. She walked out of the hangar, not seeming to mind the cold wind. Celes was used to it. It had been too many years she visited and stayed at Ironforge. Besides, the cold climate was rather comfortable, in her opinion. Her hooves barely made a sound against the snow, the woman walking through the airstrip and finding a place to sit under a tree. There, she closed her eyes and recalled the image.

The skies...

No, those weren't only skies. There was something else there. Or so she thought. Back there, she felt that one stretch up, and she'd leave the boundaries of this world. No more walls, or ground, or gravity. Nothing stopping her from being free, from flying anywhere she wanted. No more wars, just her, and the wind. A low chuckle escaped from her throat and she lowered her hand on the snow, her eyes still closed. That had been a wonderful flight. Even if it was a test, and a dangerous one, it was worthy it. All for that single image. It had all been worthy it. No word she said would ever truly describe how beautiful that sight had been. Those blue skies, the clouds seeming to be a floor under her airplane, the blue darkness above her head, with stars.

Celes opened her eyes and checked on a few notes she grabbed from her pocket. So far, from what Enigma had gathered, that was the highest cataloged flight ever done. She had flew past forty thousand feet, just barely, as that was where she had met the flight limit. Still, it was almost four times as high as almost all airplanes could fly, at least the conventional ones, from all she knew. Maybe someone else had done what she did. Maybe someone else had seen that sky. She didn't know. Still, she felt that if she didn't know of anyone else, it was because they kept it a secret. She couldn't blame them. She too would keep it a secret if she thought she could claim those skies for herself.

Overall, the airplane had a superb performance, though that had a high cost. The test flight alone had broken both engines to a nasty state. Pieces from both of them would have to be replaced, or manufactured with different materials. She and Enigma Tech had to improve it. It wasn't safe. Not yet. If she wanted to see those skies more frequently, she had to make sure nothing would be damaged or defective.

Celes brought a hand to her mouth, letting out a soft cough. A frown formed at her forehead, the blue, thick liquid dripping from her fingers, a bitter taste at her mouth. She wiped her hand at the snow and saw the liquid smear the whiteness with a dark blue tint. That was blood. She shouldn't have overdone it, in that test flight. As she suspected, her "Messiah" was impressive, but it was risky. One step out of the way had almost cost her life, and now she was coughing blood. She sighed, standing up. Time to see the doctor and to get some rest.

There was still much to be done.

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