//------------------------------//
// Level 36.5: Of Alliances and Empires 
// Story: Equestria Was Merely a Setback! 
// by Thunderscourge 
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A/N: Special thanks to the other sans, Kitsuja, and mastermenthe for being the only ones to comment on the last chapter.  Was a bit lonely, but hopefully this chapter will spark some discussion! After all, it's one I've been waiting for...for good reason. The plot and mystery thickens, and I look forward to your thoughts in the comments below!



I feel like this song fits well with the latter part of the chapter given the chapter's title, so for any interested, keep it handy.






"Still pining after your own brother's wife I see. Perhaps it isn't that surprising, this is the anniversary she chose him over you, I do believe."

"Tyrande..."

"Love is not an unlimited resource, like so many others. You put your whole heart into someone who would not return those affections, and now you live even thousands of years later suffering from that mistake."

"We do not choose who we love, Sunstrider. It is as much of a mistake are the circumstances we are born into."

"At least yours chose a foolish man who means well rather than an even greater fool who would go on to become the greatest monster of our age."

"Perhaps we should have swapped loves...Mine chose the gentler of her options, while yours chose the darker."

"If only such a thing were possible...it will take me a lifetime to even think of another..."

"Do you still love her?"

"A part of me always will, for I cannot recover the emotion I have invested in Jaina, but I can choose to use what remains of my heart to love others."

"It is good that you have come to wall yourself off from what may never be. I know the same, but cannot take that advice myself."

"I can only not fall into the despair as you have in love by focusing those small pieces left on my people. Just as I once would have done anything for Jaina, I now will go to any lengths for my people."

"Even after all he has done, I hear she still loves that Human...the Lich King. How nice it must be to forever be loved, even when one does not deserve it. To be loved even after everything one has done, to be loved even in death."

"A feeling we shall never know. Such is our place in life, to suffer quietly while others prosper without having earned it...though, you do have one eternal follower. Someone who would follow you to the end of the Earth."

"A woman who seeks to slay or imprison me for all time does not count."

"Still, to have someone go so far just for your sake must be flattering. To have someone who has bound their own fate to yours for all of eternity...if only the line between love and hate was not so thick."

"..."

"I will leave you to your reminiscence. But remember, if one only looks to the past, they very may forsake their future."





"The Alliance is kind of similar in that it is populated by various races who came together for their mutual survival and prosperity, but whereas the Horde tends to favor more primalistic and aggressive races such as Orcs and Trolls the Alliance favors more crafty and passive races such as the Night Elves and Gnomes. Falling somewhere between the two mindsets are Humans, who I am sure you have plenty of experience with by now if you have been in the Eastern Kingdoms long."

After they had settled in again after the incident concerning Vanessa and Dirge, their innkeeper had resumed his expositional onslaught by going over the other major faction that existed, the Alliance, as per Trixie's questioning. Kael had nodded off and was sleeping in Trixie's lap while she listened in, his desire for knowledge greatly eclipsed by hers since many of these things were coming to him intuitively while quite a lot was actual news to Trixie.

Trixie nodded to Yang's assumption, "We've been to Stormwind. Not as nice as Silvermoon in feel, but adequate I suppose. Still, I am all ears for what you have to think. I find your perspective and knowledge on these matters enjoyable."

Yang took a sip of his tea, which had a small amount of brandy poured into it by him after it was brought by his wife, and responded to his guest in a relaxed voice, "Well, after the last major war Humanity was fractured. The royal lineage Arthas was a part of was vanquished by his own hands, meaning someone else had to take power. Replacing him following the war was Varian Wrynn, whose mixture of martial and state prowess enabled him to take Humanity from the brink of collapse and weld it into one of the two major powers today. It was not in the best of situations after Garithos had his way, with him falling in with Sylvanas and foolishly believing she would uphold her deal with him. His bones should be somewhere around here, since he was slain at what we now call Undercity, in case anyone were incensed enough to want to spit on his grave."

Lavitz grew tense at the mention of the former leader of the Human forces in the region, while Trixie only grimaced as she looked down at the still sleeping Kael. Both men had unresolved grudges against Garithos thanks to his death, so it was almost an injustice that they would be unable to face him down thanks to him already having died.

Yang spoke again after drinking some more tea, "Now, because of one matter or another, Bolvar is missing and the crown doesn't really like people knowing too much about that. His son will become ruler, but is too young at the moment so they have others running the show for him. Of these, perhaps Bolvar Fordragon is the most prominent, with Lady Prestor serving as an important adviser."

This brought Lavitz out of his tense state, with the soldier nodding in agreement, "Bolvar is an honorable man who I think Stormwind is fortunate to have. If not for him, Lord Wrynn's disappearance may have caused the collapse of our infant Kingdom. Bolvar's term of regency over Stormwind has been dutiful, though perhaps lacking in wisdom."

Trixie thought about how, thanks to the disturbed timeline, she had met Wrynn himself rather than Bolvar...but for Kael and Lavitz they thought they had instead met with Bolvar and Anduin briefly, since Chromie had fixed things seemingly and changed the anomaly back to how it 'ought' to be. Muttering to herself, Trixie regretted her misfortune for not having her own memory altered like the others, "Too bad I didn't get to meet him..."

Responding to Lavitz rather than the mumbling Trixie, Yang's face showed that he was unsure about the other man's faith in the current regent of Humanity, "Bolvar might be the cause of Stormwind's current survival, but it's really hard to say just what would happen if one person were or were not someplace at a certain time. Such is the course of history that even if one thing changes, other things may override that thing and render it moot. If he had not stepped up another may have, either more effective or less effective as the case may be."

"What I find interesting is Lady Prestor's part in the whole play. Her influence is great currently, not only directly over Bolvar himself but also by filling in a certain pseudo-motherly role to the young Anduin Wrynn. She also has ties to the nobles of Stormwind who stand opposed to the people of it. After all, the Defias Brotherhood only became a nuisance to Stormwind because they had been slighted by the nobles to begin with. How much money would they have saved I wonder if they had just paid them in the first place instead of having to fight a small war of sorts with determined engineers turned thieves?"

Trixie was partly glad that Vanessa had removed herself from the room, since the mention of the Defias might have pushed her back into a violent mood. The teenager still had a lot of issues to work out before she could even be considered halfway well-adjusted, but at least she was taking a first step of sorts by clinging to a group of people whose morality was higher than her own. She could have left them already, her assumed debt paid by helping them in the Monastery, but she was remaining with them and actually listening (for the most part) to what Trixie said and wanted her to do.

"So, my thoughts are this: what will happen if someone opposed to the people of a nation shapes the future ruler of that nation? Of course my assumption can be wrong, but a rumor has floated that she had something to do with the nobles' betrayal of the Defias Brotherhood. There are always a million rumors at any given time, only some of which will be true, even partially, so even that should be taken with a grain of salt."

The only one in the room personally familiar with the mentioned lady clenched his fist as Yang's words hit his ears. Lavitz did not have any proof that the adviser to the royal family was actually a threat or danger, but the simple idea of it made him feel energized enough to sprint all the way to Stormwind for the safety of his Prince and of the people of Stormwind, "Prestor..."

Having heard her fill on Humans, Trixie decided she was bored and wanted to learn more about something else...something she was tempted to create a game or sport out of after her time in the Stormwind arena, "What about the small people of the Alliance? I punted one in an arena match, so I admittedly do not take them very seriously."

"That must have been a Gnome. They are admittedly small and not the greatest at physical tasks, but they are renowned for their intelligence and resourcefulness, with Gnomes probably possessing the majority of this age's best engineers," Yang grinned wryly at the thought of Trixie punting a gnome in an arena, "On the other hand, Dwarves are more physical and are stubborn to a fault, possessing powerful constitutions and rock solid bodies that make them quite capable in the realms of physical combat and also in mining and processing metal, a fortunate fact relating to or perhaps a result of their habitation of mountains as far as history books seem to remember. They both currently reside at a place to the south of Undercity and North of Stormwind known as Ironforge, which is a fortress buried into the side of a large mountain range."

"We saw one of those too. So many small people..." Trixie nodded, remembering the more stalwart of the two tiny humanoids. Her curiosity sated on them, she didn't question further: they weren't seemingly all that major of a force when compared to say the Undead or Humans, and as she admitted she did not take them seriously given that they were to Humans and Elves what ponies were to actual horses.

Left free to talk as he pleased, the innkeeper spoke of another member species of the Alliance, "In complete contrast to the Gnomes and Dwarves are the Night Elves, who are based on an island to the northwest of the Kalimdor continent, and are both tall and dedicated to nature just as the Dwarves and Gnomes are their crafts. The Night Elves were previously a third party who only dealt with the other races when they posed a threat to the nature they encountered, but they have become more active in conflicts following the events of the third war."

"They're related to us, right?" Trixie asked while pointing to the sleeping Kael and then to herself.

"Yes, and not even in a too-distant manner. Elves live long lives, with some Night Elves spanning back a good ten thousand years, so while your species diverged they still are somewhat similar. In terms of magic, they are most comparable to the Tauren I believe since they both draw their power from nature and are very mystical rather than mechanical or arcane. Whereas a Blood Elf wields pure arcane magic power, a Human or Orc may use common martial power, and Gnomes and Dwarves heavy machinery, the Night Elves commune with nature, particularly animals and even trees to use the powers these other species and beings hold."

"There's a Night Elf named Illidan I think. Isn't he in Outland leading his own army?"

"That is correct. He is the brother of one of their leaders, Malfurion Stormrage. Illidan is an interesting man, one who I believe will have many contrasting books made to tell the tales of his actions and questionable morality. To tell you of all his exploits would take a good fraction of his ten thousand years of existence on Azeroth, so perhaps that can be a subject for another time, outside of whatever generalities you are curious of."

Trixie used a hand to signal there was no need for that, "No, that's fine. Are there any other members of the Alliance?"

"Well, more recently we have been joined by an alien race known as the Draenai...I must say I have not had much contact with them yet, and only know that they are purple or blue like Night Elves while possessing squid-like features on their bodies, at least for the males. Word has it their females, who lack the same tendrils that are comparable to facial hair, are seen by many as the most beautiful in the land."

Kael nodded as if it were just a fact based on his experiences, "Confirmed."

Dirge rose a hand to his chin, "They do look like Succubi, I believe. It would make sense why a species meant to allure others being resembled by another would result in the latter species being considered attractive by many."

Trixie pouted at this revelation that perhaps she was no longer a part of the prettiest species, "I should have woken up as a Dratini then."

Yang chuckled, "The Draenai are comparable to the Blood Elves in terms of their suffering, which makes their opposition to one another noteworthy. They are something like the playthings and victims of the demonic Burning Legion, meaning they are quite familiar with torment, so maybe being one would not be all that enjoyable."

Dirge spoke up next, having a Crusader's knowledge of the demons who spawned the Undead problem on Azeroth, "Fortunately the Burning Crusade was repelled here on Azeroth previously by the combined efforts of the Alliance and Horde. While not wholly defeated, it may be years before it can return in true force, and even then it will be without the aide of one of their most powerful members, Archimonde."

"He's right, but there is another possibility: those loyal to the Burning Crusade here on Azeroth or even Outland can pick up the slack left by its defeat years ago. All it would take is a few in positions of power to corrupt those around them, and have the cycle continue downwards until even normal citizens are demon worshipers and servants," Yang sighed sorrowfully, "I think it is fair to say that such a thing is happening right now in Outland, with the Illidari having lost their way and with the actions of the false Sunstrider."

"I thought you seemed familiar," he winked at the sleeping Kael, "Don't worry though, this retiree happens to be quite forgetful and won't be able to tell anyone who may ask if you've been around."

"What's there to forget?" Lavitz playfully chimed in, feigning ignorance.

Yang imitated the false ignorance of Kael'thas Sunstrider being there with them, speaking through a yawn and stretch of his arms, "I don't know, can't think of anything. How about you?"

If no further interruptions that night had occurred, the man may have turned in for the night there, but instead he heard a knock at the door which he felt obligated to go check on. When he opened it three people walked in, all of them showing signs of having been through the elements and in particular the forest just trudged through by Trixie and her allies.

The first to walk in, a man in grey-green uniform that was quite dissimilar to anything worn by those encountered so far by Trixie on Azeroth, strode right past the innkeeper as he moved to survey the facility, "There are four of us, but our fourth fell behind due to a distraction they encountered-"

It took a moment for the man to then catch the appearance of the innkeeper, which paused the Human man in his tracks, recognition forming in his eyes as he stopped to turn to Yang.

"I did not know you were sent as well, Fleet Admiral."

This was confusing to the peaceful innkeeper, "Sent? By who? I retired after the last war..."

"Interesting..." the newcomer shook his head to dismiss his previous train of thought, "Forget what I have said, for I believe I have misspoken. I have gold to compensate you should you provide housing for my followers and I this night."

Trixie eyed over the three with both curiosity and suspicion, not being too familiar with the man but the two women behind him ringing a bell in her mind she could not exactly explain. One had light purple skin while the other had a yellow tone, and both of them seemed to be exhausted and ready to crash unlike the impassive man in front of them.

Yang closed the door and finished allowing them in, welcoming them into the main room where everyone else downstairs was seated, "You are more than welcome to do so. Fortunately our other guests are doubling up, so we still have plenty of room."

The door opening seemed to stir Kael, who slowly began to awake on top of Trixie's lap as she continued to eye this trio. The man was young, but he spoke in a voice that carrier with it a sense of experience that ran opposite his age. While young, he had a pronounced widow's peak to his auburn hair, and his cheekbones mixed with this gave the appearance of a stereotypical villain to be defeated by a young hero in a story. This put her in a state of unease, especially considering that her own group was being hunted by many others, and the fact that this man was a Human not a part of the Crusade given his looks but within the territory of the Undead and Crusade meant he likely was from elsewhere on some business.

Not about to be subtle about her misgivings, Trixie spoke directly to him as the man had his followers go off to bed upstairs and while smirking at Trixie, "So, Sir Widow Peak, I take it that you're following us too? Since you're a Human, I'm guessing Stormwind sent you?"

The man stood resolutely across the table from where Trixie sat, a seeming pride rising in him as he confirmed that he indeed had found the person he had set out to locate, "You would be incorrect on one count, Princess Lulamoon. I come on behalf of your family, particularly your mother, Queen Luna of Equestria, Asgard, and Jotunheim to locate and secure your person so that when it is possible we may return you to your proper place."

The revelation that he was not just some random pursuer but rather someone from her own homeland shook Trixie while confusing the others, something she quickly set about remedying by sending some of her own followers off.

She had to find out what this man knew, but she did not yet trust him enough to speak in complete isolation.

"Kael, Lavitz, you two stay. Everyone else leave us so we may speak in private."

Karl and Dirge begrudgingly listened and headed to go to bed as well, leaving Trixie with this servant of Princess Luna, the now awake Kael, Lavitz, and the innkeeper, his wife and adopted son having gone to bed as well already.

Trixie felt vulnerable not knowing just who she was speaking to or even much about herself, so she spoke in a guarded voice as she confronted him, "I don't remember you. Why wouldn't Luna send someone I know to find me?"

Still standing before Trixie and Kael, with Lavitz having stood up to be behind him, the Human adopted an apologetic voice that was more of a business inconvenience than personal sorrow, "I am afraid I am unable to divulge too much information about our mission, on behalf of those who asked for our aid, but the reasoning we are those who stand before you is a complex one. You see, I am a foreigner to your land, but after establishing a military dictatorship over one of your provinces I came into contact with Luna Faustdottir who, admiring my martial skills, appointed me as head of her Royal Guard and security."

"And so you went from conqueror to servant so easily?" Trixie inquired, still doubting his sincerity even though he was the only link to her home she presently held.

"No, but I am just a normal man with no inhuman capabilities. When confronted by a being whose magic makes that found where I am from pale in comparison, I had a choice between accepting their grace or being annihilated. I am a rational man, so I stand before you today."

One of the pieces of her recovered memory which she intended to impart on Kael when they were alone concerned worlds outside of her own, so Trixie had a guess as to where he might be from given that he too was a Human like those of Azeroth only with a difference in origin, "So if you are not from Equestria originally, are you from Earth?"

He shook his head no, "I doubt the name Eriadu would mean anything to you, but it is the planet I hail from. More importantly, I was taken from a place you know as Hel and placed in your land as a seeming game of the your Emperor's, or rather King as you may have known him at the time."

"Equestria didn't have a King, but..."

"He only holds the title of Prince in the land of Equestria, but his title in both Asgard and Jotunheim are King, much like Queen Luna's own lesser title in your homeland."

Trixie paused as she thought back...yes, that would make sense if...

"So they got married..."

Further explaining himself, the man continued onward as Trixie contemplated what she was told, "I have some experience in governing large quantities of sentient lifeforms, so my duties have expanded beyond those my title would imply," he bowed to show respect, "At the very least the Queen was gracious enough to grant me my former life's title of 'Grand Moff' as a mere formality."

Trixie shook herself out of her thoughts to look up at the man standing before her, who now had adopted a prideful look like he had earlier.

"As such I will introduce myself as I should: Grand Moff Tarkin, formerly of the Galactic Empire, now of the Lunar Empire."

"...what's a Grand Moth?"