"What do you mean, 'Figure it out for ourselves?" Orbit asked. "You aren't coming?"
"No," Rose looked at her talons sadly. "I should return home, before Solar begins to wonder where I am. It was wonderful to spend time with you, though," she smiled in turn at everyone, especially Orbit.
Rose entwined her tail with the MoonWing one last time and flew away into the night. Celestial sighed.
"How about we see the StarWings next?" Streak piped up. "I was trying to suggest that earlier, but all you guys were speaking over me."
"Good idea!" Pisces beamed. "King Orion is great; I've lived under his rule my entire life, I'm sure he'll be great to meet in person."
"Then it's settled," Celestial spread her wings. "We're going to the Kingdom of Stars!"
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The Kingdom of Stars, as it turned out, was very far away.
Celestial was exhausted, panting, and tumbling into the sea.
"No!" Tectonic grabbed her by the shoulders, hauling her onto his back. He grunted at the effort, and she quickly leapt off him.
"What was that?" she yelped. "I'm fine!"
"Sorry," Tectonic muttered. Celestial instantly felt bad. Because the truth was, she did need that. But she was a warrior, and warriors didn't show pain.
"Almost there," she said, diving toward a rocky outcropping that must've been the cliff on the edge of the Moon Kingdom.
They practically crashed, panting, into the Moon Kingdom's soil.
"We're closer to the Moon Kingdom than the Kingdom of Stars," Twilight pointed out. "Shouldn't we meet Diamond?"
"Nah," Orbit said. "She's overrated. I say we meet Orion." she shook out her wings. "But maybe... maybe we should rest first," she yawned, lying down. Twilight agreed, and soon everyone was lying beneath the stars. Celestial stayed up and counted them. Only about 2,000. But she knew there were so many more stars out there. And each star was a sun. And each sun had planets orbiting around it. And each planet has moons. And every life form on each planet and each moon probably looked up and counted the stars, too. Celestial fell asleep knowing that she was not alone. And it felt good. For once.
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DOCTOR!" Celestial must've fallen asleep at some point, because woke up with a scream, her heart pounding, but she couldn't even remember what the dream was about. She sighed and looked around at her friends. Still asleep, thank the moons. She lay back down, and watched as the sun rose peacefully over the landscape.
What have we gotten ourselves into? she realized for the first time. Trying to meet all the Leaders of the tribes, but why? Why does the war have to end, and why do we have to be the ones to stop it? And why am I even still alive..? she looked over at Pisces, Twilight, Tectonic, Streak. These dragons, who weren't even from her tribe, had saved her life.
And she sat, thinking about it, until they woke up.