Azeroth's Skies

by TerrabreakerX


Sign There

What had started as a few droplets of rain turned into a steady stream over Rainbow as she made her way through the city. She was regretting rushing out without a coat, having left too quickly to grab one.

It took her barely five minutes, alternating between a hard jog and a sprint, to navigate her way through the trade district and across the canals into the cathedral district. She had a single destination in mind, and it loomed into view as she passed through the arch, lit up clearly against the black night sky.

She needed somewhere she could think.

She hurried inside the cathedral, her exposed arms protesting at the sudden change in temperature as a rush of warm air swept over her. The fires were, as usual, kept lit throughout the night, illuminating the darkest corners of the holy building all around the clock.

The attendant priest made no move to stop her as she hurried left into the paladin enclave – no doubt recognising her from her previous sessions meditating or sparring.

She paused where the inner corridor split into three passages, one to the sparring rooms, one to a quiet chamber intended for contemplation, and the last leading to the accommodation where many of the young trainees slept.

She had no business in the latter and in her haste had left her weapon behind, so found her choice made for her. She took the middle path.

The room was larger than those normally used for the same purpose. The trainees were generally expected to think upon the virtues of the light in the solitude of their own rooms, but this one existed for those without cells in which they could meditate.

She held her hands out to the fire, shivering a little as her body temperature began to pick back up.

She stood and thought for a while, basking in the heat.

It’s just so unfair…

Some time passed, enough time for her clothes to be well on their way to drying, when a loud, familiar voice suddenly rocked her out of her reverie. “Miss Rainbow Dash!”

“Lord Shadowbreaker!" She whirled around. "I’m sorry, sir, I didn’t think you would be up. I didn't want to cause a disturbance.”

The paladin was imposing even when bereft of his armour, dressed in a simple casual shirt and breeches.

And… slippers.

Dress sense aside, though, little had changed about him compared to when she had last seen him several weeks before.

“It isn’t a problem.” he shrugged. “I had an early night, and I find that my contemplation is most productive when I am awake to greet the sunrise. I assume you returned to Stormwind yesterday – did you have a safe journey?”

It couldn’t be morning already, could it? Though of course without a clock in the room she wasn’t able to tell how long she had stood there for, but it hadn’t felt that long…

“Yes – thanks for letting me keep the new hammer. My old weapon was good, but this new one just feels… even better.”

“Of course.” He thought for a moment, then commented, “It’s quite unusual to see you up this late, and in here of all places.”

She shrugged, a little reluctant to be drawn into talking about what was troubling her. “Yeah… I’ve just got some thinking to do.”

“At three in the morning? It must be important, then. I don’t suppose it would have something to do with conscription, would it?”

She whirled around, shocked that he had hit the nail on the head with so little help. “Y-you know already?”

He shook his head, a small smile playing on his lips that on a less kind man would have seemed more like a smirk. “A lucky guess. I have seen several of my trainees called up over the past few weeks. It does not surprise me that you are among that group.”

“I’ve never heard of anything like it,” she said. “The people are okay with it?”

He nodded. “Under Lady Prestor there would have been riots in the street. King Wrynn does not inspire the same resentment – indeed, most are simply happy to have him back. But conscription will always be a controversial policy, especially among the faint of heart.”

Rainbow clenched her fists, more than a little insulted. “I’m not scared!” she exclaimed, then clapped her hands to her mouth. Nothing he had said had been directed at her, but her reaction had given her feelings away, though once again her outburst didn’t seem to surprise him.

“I think perhaps you are,” he replied evenly. “Not of battle, mind – I would not accuse you of that after your adventures in the Deadmines. But you are scared of something else.”

The look in his eyes dared her to disagree, and she found that she couldn’t. He had a way of cutting down to the heart of any given matter and getting to the truth at hand – probably because he was used to teaching.

Grimacing, she said, “It’s just – how can something like this be fair or good if it’s forced on us like this? When we have a good chance of dying, or worse? And – I – just...”

Shadowbreaker took note of her distress, and how she wasn’t finding it easy to communicate all of her frustration. “I don’t mean to antagonise you,” he said, adopting a gentler tone. “Sometimes, though, we must recognise that we do not know everything about every given situation. And we must accept that sacrifices sometimes have to be made, as, in this case, with a certain amount of freedoms. But don’t think that you do not have a choice – you almost always do, and certainly do, in this case. If you truly think the cause for which you are being conscripted is not a good one, then you should make the choice to oppose it, the consequences be damned… but I would seek to change your mind on that.

“Humility is certainly a lesson that all paladins should learn as early as possible, though that is not to say that I think that you are overly proud. But certainty – even the most nobly held certainty - has been linked to the conflict with the scourge since they first emerged, at a terrible cost to all the races of this land.

“Allow me to explain a little history, which will hopefully allow you to understand.” He crouched into a meditative stance by the fire and motioned for her to join her. The motion of kneeling down, sinking into a relaxed position, immediately made her feel more at ease.

“I don’t know,” she said somewhat doubtfully. “I’ve never been good at learning like this.”

The elder paladin smiled. “Nevertheless, we will try. Arthas Menethil was the crown prince of Lordaeron, the bastion of human power in the north of the Eastern Kingdoms.

“He was also a paladin, renowned for his bravery, his prowess on the field of battle, and the strength of his connection to the light. The entire kingdom had such high hopes for his reign, as did those in the other human realms, including here in Stormwind.”

“A plague came to Lordaeron, a terrible sickness that raised those it claimed as mindless zombies. Arthas was amongst those who fought to contain the contagion and root out the source, coming to the major city of Stratholme when a sabotaged shipment of grain infected much of the populace. Too certain of himself, and desperate to protect the realm, he would not be dissuaded from burning the city to the ground, killing thousands of innocents in the process.

“Still convinced of his righteousness, the prince followed the source of the contagion to the frozen north, seeking to end it forever. Many of his own men’s lives were thrown away in his crusade, until he somehow came upon a terrible weapon – Frostmourne. The blade changed Arthas – he was a paladin no longer, but a death knight - a servant of the blade’s master, the Lich King.

“His first act upon returning to Lordaeron was to plunge Frostmourne through his father’s – the king’s – heart. Overnight, Lordaeron became a kingdom of the undead, and the third war began in earnest.”

Hearing of such betrayal – both familial and of those he had sworn to rule and protect - struck her harder than Shadowbreaker could have realised. She was the element of loyalty, after all, and she couldn’t imagine what could have led the prince down that path. It reminded her of Princess Luna’s banishment – though at least that story had had a happier ending, a thousand years on.

“What happened next?” she asked. She could tell he was abridging details for her benefit, but it was still keeping her hooked, in spite of her previous words. It was almost like a Daring Do novel, only so much more tragic.

“Arthas returned to the north and no more was heard of him for several years. The Scourge – the organised undead – continued their attacks under the leadership of his lieutenants. Only recently did the prince re-emerge, and we found out the truth. He has become the Lich King, and now leads a terrible force of darkness that will swallow up the world unless it is stopped.”

He fell silent. Rainbow knew from her previous lessons in the cathedral that he was expecting her to think over his words herself, and come to her own conclusion. He wouldn’t spell out the lesson for her.

She closed her eyes and concentrated hard.

True to what she had expected, much of what Shadowbreaker had said went over her head; but she’d heard enough to clear away her doubts. The prince – the Lich King – had done terrible things – things that made him much like the evils they had fought in Equestria.

No. Even worse. In Equestria the villains had wanted to rule or destroy, to be sure, but only one of them had betrayed their loved ones in the process.

And she had repented, and the sisters were now together again. And she hadn't killed hundreds of thousands of people. That story had a happy ending. The way Shadowbreaker told his tale – and she had no reason to doubt his word – the Lich King relished in the destruction and suffering he caused. The scale wasn't the same.

Thoughts were rushing through her mind now, almost unnaturally so.

Rainbow knew she had strength, in Azeroth. Not the same kind of strength she had possessed back home, with her wings, her racing skills, her sonic rainboom, but a power nonetheless. A connection to the light. Not enough to make up for what she was missing, but still something good. Something pure.

They had all used their strengths to fight evil back home. They’d all had their doubts at times – their own demons to overcome.
In that respect, how was this conflict any different from their battles in Equestria?

They had an evil to punish. People to protect. Lives to save.

And that was how this expedition differed from the one that had doomed Arthas. Because he had lost sight of the last two, focusing dangerously on revenge over protection or helping people, until he had at last fallen. He had forgotten what it meant to be a paladin.

And at last it was clear to Rainbow. She knew what she had to do.

Not because she didn't have a choice. Choosing to defy the conscription wouldn’t help anyone, least of all herself or her friends. But embracing it…

Rainbow leapt to her feet. “I get it now! I know what I have to do!”

Shadowbreaker looked up and smiled again. “You do?”

“Yes! I need to get ready!” She sprinted out of the room. A few moments passed before she popped her head back round the entrance.

“Thanks so much for your help! Bye!”

Satisfied that she was now gone for good, the paladin lord reached up and sprinkled a little incense into the brazier on the mantle, then settled back into a contemplative sitting position.

“Good luck, my young friend,” he whispered. “Until next we meet.”


Twilight awoke to light gently penetrating her eyelids, the sun having slowly edged into position to shine through a gap in the blinds. She slowly opened her eyes all the way, blinking quickly to clear the brief flash, and took in the room. Both of the sleeping bags in the room – where Rarity and Applejack had been sleeping – were empty.

It’s just me… what time is it?

She looked up at the clock on the wall. Ten o’clock. It was the latest she’d laid in since moving in with the Trias family.

She got up, stretching out the aches of the evening, and began to make her way downstairs, stopping only to pick up her contract. There was no need to get changed – the shop was closed for the day with all members of the family out on business.

She was quickly able to confirm that she wasn’t alone in the house – Applejack was waiting patiently by the oven, baking some kind of apple confectionery, while Fluttershy sat at the end of the table, quietly munching on some cereal.

“Morning, Twilight!” Applejack greeted her cheerfully. Fluttershy’s eyes darted up briefly from her bowl, then dropped back down.

“Morning, Applejack, morning Fluttershy. Have you seen Rainbow this morning?”

Fluttershy continued to stare into her cereal, while Applejack looked sympathetic. “Sorry, Twi. She came back real late last night. Dunno when she’ll be up. And Pinkie and Rarity had some stuff they had to take care of – said they’d be back by lunch.”

“I see.” The mage eased herself down onto the end seat on the table two down from Fluttershy. She rolled and straightened out her contract in front of her, then flipped to the very last page

BY COMPLETING THIS CONTRACT IN FULL I, TWILIGHT SPARKLE, AGREE TO ABIDE AND BE BOUND BY ITS CLAUSES, CONDITIONS AND REQUIREMENTS.

PLEASE SIGN ON THE DOTTED LINE BELOW.





………………………………………………..



She paused, her quill hovering over the line. She’d made her decision already the night before… no, she’d made it on the walk back after her meeting with the king.

Her unease at the unfairness of the situation had quickly given way to resignation. Where else would they be able to go, probably as fugitives from the crown? What would they do, out of the city in a still unfamiliar world?

And when would another such opportunity to put themselves out there arise? The king wouldn’t even acknowledge them further if they fled from their duty, however tenuous their link to it was... save for perhaps having them hunted down. But if they could survive the conflict and come out the other side…

“All done,” she murmured, lifting the quill away and staring at the drying ink.

“Mmm, speakin’ of.” Applejack spoke up, waving her own papers at the mage. “Ye’ll be needing these I’m guessin’.”

“Oh!” The need to press her friends for their documentation – or address the consequences if they refused – had certainly been playing on the mage’s mind the night before. To have Applejack offer hers so freely came as a mighty relief, but she hesitated in taking them nonetheless. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah. I ain’t too happy ‘bout us all not really having a choice, but… not gonna lie, I really did enjoy bein’ out in the mountains. Think I wouldn’t mind gettin’ out there a bit. See more of the world.”

And see the world they would – Northrend was a vast continent from what she had read, a mixture of frozen tundra and snow-flooded mountains. They could be assured of quite a journey to cross it, much more than the mere few days between Stormwind and the Deadmines - unless they were ordered to hold a position close to their arrival site, which Twilight didn’t think was very likely. The brief explanation she had been given by Major Mattingly seemed to indicate that her platoon would eventually catch up with and support the frontline units, and the small amount of news that they had received suggested that the campaign had already been making great strides.

Twilight quickly checked the last page of Applejack’s contract and found that everything had been filled out correctly. She looked up to thank her again… and found Fluttershy’s contract also right in front of her.

Um, I’ve completed it all too.” she explained, briefly catching Twilight’s eye before looking away.

“…oh!” Twilight exclaimed. She hadn’t expected convincing Fluttershy to be easy, but Rainbow had been her biggest concern, the one that she had been most worried about after the night before. It was another weight off her consciousness to have three of the six papers straight away, so much so that this time she was almost too eager to take them. Composing herself, she asked again, “Are you sure?”

Fluttershy nodded slowly, and was no more forthcoming about her reasoning than that. Twilight opened her mouth to ask something else, but the pink-haired woman beat her to it. “See you tonight, girls,” she said as she stood up, still looking off to one side. She hefted a long bag across her back and exited the room, heading out into the streets through the front of the shop.

“Def’nitely need to keep an eye on her, Twi.” Applejack commented, watching her go.

“I know.” Twilight agreed. “Do you think she’s really okay with this? I thought she would be the most reluctant…”

“I dunno what she’s thinking.” her friend shook her head. “Aside from that she’s still mournin’. Maybe she thinks this’ll help... and maybe it will. Put her so far out of her comfort zone she discovers somethin’ new. Might at least be better for her than being cooped up here, or on that range she’s at all day. Either way… We just gotta be there for her all the way.”

“Yeah… Twilight sighed.

She still found herself regretting Wilder’s death, tied inextricably to that last, mad hour in the Deadmines. They all still carried a sense of loss, of separation from their families and friends back home. But they weren’t dead. And Fluttershy had seen Wilder perish. Twilight could only try to imagine how much deeper her sensitive friend was feeling it.

Whatever she needs, we’ll be here for her. Always.

Applejack turned the oven off, opened it up and carefully removed the pie. The aroma hit Twilight almost immediately; mouth-watering, as ever. She had no doubt that it would taste as good as it smelled.

“So what’s your plan with Rainbow?”

“To be honest, I don’t really have one.” the mage admitted. “I tried coming up with some ideas. I just hope she’s calmed down and is a bit more receptive today. If not, well… we have til four o’clock.”

“Must be a first, you not havin’ a plan…”

“Oh, don’t you start as well!” But she could tell from the mirth in her friend’s voice that she wasn’t serious. A bit of banter was a sign of a good group dynamic, as far as she was concerned, as long as it didn’t go too far. “The first step has to be finding her, though. I mean, it’s not like she’s just going to come crashing through the—”

CRASH

“—door.”

Rainbow Dash burst through the door as if on cue. Her clothes and hair looked rather dishevelled and there were dark bags under her eyes. She looked almost deranged.

“R-Rainbow?”

“TWILIGHT!” she cried. “Please tell me I’m not too late!”

“Too late? Too late for what?” Twilight asked, utterly confused.

“TO GIVE YOU MY SIGNED PAPERS!” she hollered. “I’VE BEEN ALL OVER TOWN GETTING THINGS READY TO GO, BUT I JUST REALISED I NEVER ACTUALLY CAME BACK TO GIVE YOU THEM! I’M SORRY!”

Volume control went out the window whenever Rainbow was tired.

Or drunk. Though not the latter in this case; she wasn’t staggering and there was no smell of alcohol hanging around her. She was just exhausted, plain and simple.

“Oh!” Suddenly Twilight understood. “This is a little unexpected Rainbow – are you sure? What changed your mind?”

Rainbow took a deep breath. “Well, I went back to the cathedral, I talked to Lord Grayson. He told me about the Lich King, and he got me thinking about a lot of things, about what we used to go through back home… and I’m really sorry about yesterday. I shouldn’t have reacted like I did. Stormwind may not be my home, we may not have much of a choice, but the people here don’t deserve a fate like what they’ll get if the Lich King wins. They should be able to live without being scared of things like the undead.

“I can definitely get behind kind of thing, and if that’s what Stormwind stands for I can be loyal to it too. I want to help. I want to make a difference.”

She held out the sheath of papers, a determined smile plastered across her lips. “Take ‘em, please. I’m with you all the way.”

“Oh, Rainbow!” Twilight took the papers, then pulled her friend into a tight hug. Just like that, the rift she had feared between them had been healed, and she couldn't have been happier. With everything and everyone else she had to worry about, she hadn't wanted to agonize over a conflict with a friend too. “And I’m sorry too. I should have tried to explain things better, and I hate how short notice this was.

“But we’ll get through it, all of us together. I promise.”

Rainbow didn’t reply, and as Twilight went to move away, she realised that the paladin was leaning on her for support. She had in fact fallen asleep on her feet, and her dead weight was too much for the mage to hold up for long.

“Uh… ack… Rainbow…!”

“Guess she never came back to sleep after all.” Applejack chuckled, approaching them, carefully plucking Rainbow off of Twilight and slinging the paladin’s arm around her shoulder in preparation for carrying her upstairs. “Don’tcha worry, Twi, I’ll see she gets some rest in her before tonight. You go find Pinkie’n’Rarity.”

“Thanks, I’ll leave her to you.” Twilight raced up the stairs to get ready to go out, feeling much better than she had barely ten minutes before.

Four down…


“Remind me why we’ve never done this before?”

“Well, you said you wanted to do something different this morning! If we’d done this before then we couldn’t have done it as our different thing today!”

“I don’t entirely follow, darling, but I must say that this has to be one of your best ideas yet. Pass me another balloon, will you?”

“Okie-dokie!”

“I really hope they will enjoy this. The matron was saying that the poor dears haven’t had anything remotely resembling good cheer in weeks. Some of them are new to the orphanage, too. Such terrible circumstances.”

“I’m sure they will; it’ll be the best surprise ever!”

“…I don’t think I’m too keen on the clown, however. He is a little… creepy.”

“Oh, that’s just Brother Sarno! He helped me bake all the cakes.”

“Well, if he is partially responsible for such a gastronomical masterpiece, then I suppose I can overlook the garishness of his clothes. It isn’t his fault that he’s dressed as a clown, after all.”

“Quick, grab a streamer or two. We’ve got a few more minutes until they’re due in.”

….

…..

“So, are you signing?”

“I believe so, yes. In fact, I will do so right now, with you as my witness. Here, let me check my bag... where’s my quill? Ah! Here we are. Done.”

“You read it all last night too?”

“Indeed. I suppose we truly do not have a choice, and I do not suspect Twilight will go against the King’s word on this. I mean, with the invasion, conscription was rather inevitable… not that I would know.”

“…yeah.”

“…oh. I’m terribly sorry, Pinkie. I didn’t mean to remind you of the business at the docks.”

“Hey, it’s okay. It is what it is. Me and Twilight both got through, didn’t we? We helped a lot of people who wouldn’t have been okay otherwise. And that’s why I’ve gotta go north with Twilight as well. Anything I can do to help…”

“That’s right. Keep your chin up!”

“Always – you know me!”

“All right then, everything’s in place. Turn off the lights, if you please! Thank you.”

….

…..

“I wonder what everyone else will get up to today.”

“Well, Twilight and Fluttershy were still asleep when we left…”

“They haven’t had a lay-in in a while.”

“…and Applejack’s baking with those apples she bought in Ironforge, of course…

“I’ll bet she missed that while she was away. Ooh, I hope she’s making a pie!”

“…And I cannot comment on Rainbow - I did not see her come back last night.”

“Me neither. She wasn’t in bed when I got up. Hope she’ll be okay after last night.”

“I suppose this is our last free day for a while. We should all spend it how we want to.”

“I don’t think I can imagine spending it any other way. The only way it could possibly be better is if we had more ice cream cakes on the table – oh, no, wait, we got them! Silly me.”

“How are they staying chilled, anyway?”

“I asked Twilight last night if she could enchant the cabinet with a frost spell. It’ll keep them nicely cool for up to a day!”

“Very resourceful, darling. I do miss my own magic, you know, but these hands are quite convenient also.”

“Yeah. I was never this good at tying balloons back home!”

….

…..

“I think they’re coming. Take a quick peek out the window…”

“Yep. They’re here.”

“All right. When they open the door…”

….

…..

“SURPRISE!”


Pinkie and Rarity met up with Twilight after she spent an hour wandering the streets. She'd figured that they wouldn't be out for too long, and with several hours until the nominal deadline there didn't seem much need to panic. As it happened, she'd run into them as they were coming out of the cathedral district.

They had their papers signed and ready for her. Neither said much about their reasons for signing, but were happy for Twilight to take them everything once she had ensured it was all in order, then headed off together back to the house.

With all six documents in hand she proceeded on to the Darkshire Regiment recruiting barracks in the Old Town, which Major Mattingly had pointed out to her on the city map she was now consulting. It was well hidden in and amongst the cobbled streets and old rustic houses, but she found it – a recently renovated hall flanked on either side by four strong birches - eventually.

The desk sergeant on duty inside was surprisingly sympathetic to their situation. Twilight had been expecting to receive at best a neutral reception, as the soldiers had surely been processing hundreds of similar conscription forms in the past few weeks.

Instead, she had ended up chatting to him for a good hour as he cheerfully processed everything – talking about life in the regiment and the Stormwind Army as he saw it. He then gave her the instructions she required for the morning, including the time they would all need to be there, very early as it was. It was only after she left that it occurred to her that he must have had access to their files, and so must have been able to see whatever was recorded on them about their time in Westfall.

She returned all the books she had borrowed from the library, stored any of her own copies in a neat pile in the Trias’s spare room, and then spent the rest of the afternoon saying goodbye to her friends in the Mage District.

That night they all enjoyed a good meal that evening, cooked by Elaine Trias. She insisted on giving them the night off from cooking, given that they had been helping her on a rota every day since they had returned from Westfall.

Afterwards it was time to pack. They were only able to take a few possessions each in their bags, which was really only a difficult prospect for Rarity. The others had little in the way of personal items on Azeroth anyway, but it was hard for the fashionista to leave behind all that she had been working on, her designs, the clothes she already owned and what she had been tinkering with in her spare time. She ultimately settled for a small sketchbook and a few pencils which fitted neatly with everything else – a wash kit, light underclothing and other odds and bobs. Almost everything else would be given to them by the Army.

Their weapons stayed out of their bags, slung across their backs or sheathed appropriately elsewhere. Applejack and Rarity had stuck with what they had been using since before the Deadmines. Rainbow had her replacement hammer, fresh from Ironforge, and Fluttershy had the new bow she had been practising with for a while, having long since discarded her crossbow back at Sentinel Hill.

Pinkie had been given a small, lightweight mace blessed by one of the senior priests in the cathedral. She was quite enamoured with it, and spent the evening twirling it like a baton until Rainbow took it off her and hid it temporarily so that they could all get some sleep without holy magic and confetti bursting out from it at seemingly random intervals.

Twilight had a tall battlestaff to carry; oak reinforced with metal, tipped with a tigerseye in a thorium setting. It would help focus her powers, enabling her to cast stronger spells with greater control and with less fatigue. It was a gift from her friends at the tower, from Suzanne, Lisan and Janey, and from Emmy Malin, who, having suspected that Twilight would be in need of a magic weapon at some point or another, had left her contribution with the others before setting off. It had been a touching gesture, and she appreciated it a great deal, though the weight of the weapon would take a little getting used to.

They sat around talking for the rest of the evening, whiling away the hours with reminiscing once the Trias’s were out of the house, and it ended on a fairly positive note compared to the day before. Even Fluttershy found reason enough to break into a now-rare smile. They all went to bed fairly early, hoping for a good night’s sleep.

They had a lot of work to do come the dawn.