//------------------------------// // A Wand in Starlight: 13 // Story: Twilight Buys a Wand // by Kentavritsa //------------------------------// . Stepping through the mirror had been easy. Of course, I had gotten the letter of acceptance; from the school for Wizardry and Witchcraft, at the same time Twilight and her other friends had. I had just chosen to acquire my wand at a later date; employing a little trick, sidestepping the time. I had found the time-skipping a convenient way to get around, even after I had learned how horrible consequences it could carry. Pinkie Pie had told me, of the man tending this store; just like the good friend she is, when she is in the mood.  Since I had learned of the danger of not trusting her; I had opted to go the day after, leaving me with an extra day to prepare for the acquisition of my wand.  The wand is after all a very important part of the classes I had been offered to partake in. As I am arriving at Ollivander's Wand shop, the store is empty; except for the one man I had been looking for, Ollivander himself. The man is currently standing at the back of the shop, behind the counter. He does look a bit bored, on the account of the shop being empty; now since the rush had just ended, the day the school is opening. I notice him smiling at me, as I had effectively killed the after-rush boredom for him. “Greetings!” I exclaim, as I am stepping up to the counter, behind which Mr. Ollivander stands. “Greetings, Miss; how may I help you, your first wand?” he responds. “Yes, I would like a wand..” I respond; “and it would be my first; I need one for my studies at Hog Wart's school for Wizardry and Witchcraft!” I continue. “You can't be a proper Witch, without your wand!” he chuckles. Of course, I had done my research; I will be needing the wand for my education at Hog Wart's, but the question is: what kind of wand would be mine? “Witch, yes..” I snicker; I had done my research on what I have before me, I'm not the kind of Mare who steps into the room without preparing for what I have before me. But, of course I had done my research; how uncharacteristic of me, if I had not done it properly. ”Wizard is their word for Stallion here..” I ponder; ”while Witch is their word for Mare?” I continue. (There is no Pony without magic, so I don't need to consider these implications in this instance; but I will have to learn, to deal with the concept of people incapable of magic soon enough.) Funny people, these magicals. “While it may be a bit late, for you to acquire your first wand now; but I am sure, I can find you one that should go just right with your personal magic...” he suggests, still with a smile playing on his lips. “I was hoping you could help me with this” I respond; “this is after all the best place for me to acquire my first wand!” I elaborate. “Since I don't have anything better to do, I can put all my time into your wand..” he explains; “it isn't, as if I had anything better to do with my time; since the rush is over for this year!” he concludes. “Can you make a custom wand, or do you only sell off the shelf ones?” I inquire, hoping he would enjoy the challenge. “I create the wands you can see in my shop, when I have nothing better to do..” he explains; “but, if you need a special wand; I can always produce one on the spot, if I have the materials you require!” he points out, with a proud grin on his face. With that, I produce a twenty-one inch long Zap-Apple twig and a Phoenix primary feather. He eagerly accepts the proffered wand regents, examining them cautiously before me. “You have a Phoenix feather to spare, for your wand?” he inquires; “as rare as they may be; but I have worked with these, before!” he puts forth. “Rare, but powerful; I did get my hands on one, I hope could make me the wand I desire!” I respond; “I just hope, she will not clash with the wood..” I offer. “Powerful, indeed; Phoenix is one of the more powerful cores, you can have in your wand!” he explains; “What tree is the wood? I have never seen the likes of it before!” he inquires. “Zap-Apple..” I respond; “the tree is native to the Everfree forest!” I explain. “Zap-Apple?” he inquires; “Never have I heard of it, in my entire life...” he points out. “I guess that makes sense; the tree requires Wild and Chaos magic, in order to grow..” I suggest; “at least, that is what I was told!” I clarify. “Both Wild and Chaos magic?” he inquires; inclining his head as he is looking critically at me, his eyebrows raised. ”That is what I have been told, but I gather this is not something you commonly find around here?” I inquire. ”I made it my career, my life's work; crafting the wands for the Wizards and Witches of magical Britain, but I did never need to involve myself with the deeper mysteries of Magic as such..” he explains; “however, I am just the next in line in a long line of wand-crafting Ollivanders!” he concludes. ”Then you have met the Wizards and Witches in person?” I inquire, cooly observing the man before me with a warm snicker to my voice. ”Curious man, I have before me; this eccentric wizard, developer and crafter of wands..” I ponder, permitting a smile slip over my lips for the briefest of moments; before it slips away, as if it had never been there in the first place. (He never knew, I did not have a need for wand crafting before; and it isn't as if I am about to explain it to him, either.) I may not need the Gallions, from the sale of the wood required for crafting wands; but maybe I could still enjoy offering him a few samples, for him to experiment with in his spare time. He seems to have plenty of free time, as the rush before the school starts has just past. The Equestrian gems had secured me a small fortune in Gallions; as I traded them in for the local currency at the Goblins' bank before I had walked over to Ollivander's wand shop. ”Seems we have vast resources, highly sought after, by the Humans on this side of the gate!” I ponder. Naturally, I could not help but pick up a few things about gems, as I spent time with Maud by their family farm. I had not considered the wood worth taking with me; as I thought the gems should be more than enough, to cover my stay at the school I had intended to attend for the education I am now buying supplies for. Of course I had only brought enough wood for the one wand, I had never expected to need more. Why should I, on the account of the durability of the wood of choice I had selected for myself. If what I had been told is true, the Zap-Apple should hold up to most anything it could be made to endure. Going by my understanding, the Phoenix feather should not abandon me any time soon. Regardless of what I may be putting my wand through. As I had over the intended regients to Ollivander, he is examining them both visually and magically with a spell suited for the task; before he is preparing to craft my wand, out of what I had put before him. Of course, there is always the off chance the wand will not work for me. In which case, I will just have to buy an off-the-shelf wand in the end. As he walks out to his workshop, a memory of a poster on his window comes to mind. “Pure blood/Unicorn, Pink and Pegasus wands proudly depicted on his wizard poster. Curious names, but why were wands even named in the first place? What made these wands so special? I have no idea, and I am not sure I even want to ask him. ”At least, none of the wands bear a name like Dragon Slayer or something to the effect!” I ponder; “How barbaric that would have been!!” I consider, shuddering at the implications. (Ponies do not kill, even if she could take away almost everything that made the other who they were.) I hear a few scattered noises, from the production of my wand. Sensations, tugging at my horn; even in this form, as a Human. There is the tingling and fizzing, as he is working his craft on my behalf. I give him the time he needs, no point in being impatient here. The noises, lights and sensations soon ebbs out, just before he is finishing up his work. Just one more moment, and he is stepping out of his workshop behind the counter; once more approaching me, the wand safely kept in a standard wand box in a muted brownish beige hue. ”Okay, let's see if your wand accepts you!” he suggests, as he is placing the box before me on the counter and slowly lifts the top off. ”Okay?!” I respond, as I extract the wand from the box. The room briefly grows bright, as I am touching the wand. A moment later, a flock of measuring tapes flow out from where they had been hiding for later use; measuring my right and left arm, making me feel as if I had been at Rarity's boutique for a suit. ”While it may be a bit late, for the measurement to help me pick a wand for you; but maybe I could tempt you, with a wand holster?” he inquires. ”Since I still do have a few Gallions left to spare, I could as well invest in the comfort and convenience!” I respond with a snicker. ”Would you prefer to have a right, or left arm holster?” he inquires. ”If it isn't too much trouble, while we have the time; could I have both, and for two wands each?” I inquire. ”It's not as if I had anything better to do, and you are already late for the first class if you intended to start this year!” he offers. ”Could you make them out of Chromantula silk?” I inquire, hoping this would be as comfortable as I had been led to expect. (Rarity had been kind enough, to explain how comforting the Chromantualy silk pouch she had received at Gringot's bank at the time she had opened her account the day before. Of course she could not stop gushing about it at the time.) ”I could, if you are more comfortable with the Silk option?” he offers; “Of course, she is from the same place as Twilight and her friends!” he realises, even if he should have known it. ”I have a few Gallions spare on the comfort..” I offer; “I was told, the sensation of this particular Silk is an experience not to miss out on!” I then explain. ”The wand holster is so much more intimate than the pouch you got from the Gremlins at Gringot's bank..” he chuckles; “I can see how you would enjoy it!” he just continues. ”Just a moment!” he excuses himself, as he gathers up the measurements and steps out to the workshop. Just a few minutes later, he comes back with the finished holsters for me; “here, try these on!” he offers. ”This, is a day I am happy not to forget!!” he ponders, while helping me with the holsters. ”Rare, are the occasions one can take the time to go over the entire process without worrying about time!” he mumbles, quietly under his breath. ”< Accio Wand Wood >” I cast, under the impression we have the time for going over the process of a second wand alone. Two seventeen and a half inch wand woods heed the call, flying up to land at the counter between us. One Aspen and one Cherry wood. ”Oh...” he exclaims, taken aback by the appearance of the two wand woods. I am placing both my hands on the counter, as I initiate the transfiguration. In the process: both my tail and my horn appears in their respective places. ”You want me to craft you a backup wand for you?” he inquires, with a curious glint in his eyes. ”Yes, please!” I respond, as I am reaching in under my robe and extract the required tail hairs of both colours. While the wand wood is floating over to the counter, I am extracting the tail hairs and braid them together; first the purple and then the cyan. Since I have two wands for him to make, I end up with a total of four braids. ”Curious..” he mumbles; “did you know that it was tradition, for the buyer to bring the wand core to me back in the day?” he muses. While he may not expect me to respond, directly; “Yes!” I respond; “But then you chose to forgo this practice, in the hopes of providing better wands, didn't you?” I inquire, curious to see his response. ”So many studious girls this year!” he ponders, raising an eyebrow at my response. ”I guess, this will be a very interesting year at Hog Wart's!” he then suggests. ”I have it on good authority, it will...” I declare. ”If the poster on my door is anything to go by!” he muses, chuckling to himself. ”Yes, I expect as much!” I push forth; “If the Unicorn wand was crafted for Twilight, it is promising to be an explosively interesting year for all!” I then offer with a snicker. ”You know of her..” he merely proposes, almost as if it had been obvious. But then, he does know his wands and his crafting. What had I been expecting from him. I watch him, as he performs his magic, of crafting my wands out of the provided materials; even if he still does own the wand woods for both of these wands, until I have paid him for his services. While he had slipped out to his workshop, behind a closed door. Yet, I can still feel the sense of his magic, as he works his craft. ”Now, I am curious to see, just what she could do with either of these wands; based on the cores and woods alone!” he ponders. ”Don't go up against a competent Witch with Cherry in hand!” he reminds himself, as he is completing the work of crafting my wands. He stands still, quietly chuckling to himself as he is finishing the last touches to the two wands he had just crafted for me. Taking a moment, to gather himself; before he opens the door and slips out of the workshop. ”< Accio Cherry Wand >” I cast, just a moment after he had exited the workshop; only for the aforementioned wand to slip out of his grip, before it floats over to me. “Just how much experience with casting magic does she have?” he ponders, stumbling in pure surprise and shock over the realization. (While he does have decades of experience in crafting and selling wands, but this girl just refuses to confine herself within the expected norm. There are reasons why Hog Wart's only accepts students at age eleven.) Just as I grasp the Cherry Wand, cherry blossoms start to rain down through the air in the room in which I am standing. Exceptionally large, bright pink cherry blossoms of stunning beauty. The moment is lent the charming beauty of the Neighponian in the process, for as long as the scene lasts. However, this moment only lasts for the briefest of moments; maybe a minute, or a few at the very most. There is a gasp, as Ollivander realises what is happening. He slowly walks over to the counter, facing me with awe. ”If I had not known better; I would have claimed, you had to be of Japanese ascent!” he now breathes. Of course, the cherry blossoms had already vanished, by the time he had arrived before me. ”That was a beautiful demonstration, you just showed me..” he responds; “the Cherry is meant for you, Starlight; which indicates, you are a Witch of great power..” he then adds, leering. With that, he is presenting me with the second wand I had been waiting for. The Aspen wand for charms and dueling. ”If this wand accepts you, I expect it to be serving you well in Charms!” he explains. I accept the proffered wand in my right hand, holding it in a gentle grip before I perform the flourish befitting a witch. No cherry blossoms and no light-show. No rainbows. At least, there is no bout of sputtering sparks either. A moment later, I can feel the room heating up as I see the room growing brighter for a moment. The fabric of the robe I am wearing billows in the air for as long as the effect is holding before it slowly wears off. ”That is still a powerful demonstration of your wand accepting you!” he exclaims, clapping his hands. ”Each wand gives me a different reaction...” I offer. ”That is usually a good sign...” he explains; “These are very different wands, so you should be expecting them to react differently!” he then adds. I place my Aspen wand onto the counter; before I pick up the Phoenix wand and cast a spell counting the Gallions required for the wands and holsters, I had asked for. There is a momentary glow on the tip of the wand, before a stream of coins flow from the purse in my right pocket over to the counter. I can see him counting the proffered payment. Since I had paid, he helps me putting the holsters on and take on the comfortable fit expected. While he is helping me with the second holster, I am slipping the Phoenix and Aspen wands into the holster on my right arm. Finally, with the holster on my left arm, I am slipping the Cherry wand into place before I am ready to continue. The deal concluded, so I can go on my merry way and permit him to go back to what he was doing before. ”I am sure, he is inspired to work on a selection of wands now!” I ponder, as I am stepping back and my form gradually turns back to fully Human once more. For a moment, he seems to be inclined to follow me, but then he is clearly changing his mind. Little does he know, the depth of what I could do; but I do not let on, even if he knows my wands. I am turning around, walking towards the door out of his shop; only for a bright light enveloping me as I am teleporting over to Hog Wart's and slip one day back to appear at the end of the line for the sorting ceremony, waiting for the hat to sort me into my new house. . ”She just disappeared..” he mumbles. ”If Twilight could, why shouldn't Starlight be able to?” he ponders; “Even if this did feel like an entirely different spell!” he then adds. ”With Starlight out of my shop, I can spare a moment to see the poster..” he ponders, as he is walking through the shop. Opening the door, just to step out and turn to face the poster Diane had placed onto the window. ”The Unicorn Wand, the Pink Wand, the Pegasus Wand..” he read, as he is standing before the poster at last; "a Thestral Wand!” he continues; “Okay.. that is a bit on the spooky side. Miss Fluttershy!” he concludes. He clearly recalls the Willow wood wand he had crafted for her, how could he possibly forget, even if he had not realised it contains Thestral hairs. He doesn't even keep these hairs on stock. He uses Dragon heart-string, Phoenix feather and Unicorn tail-hairs exclusively. While he knows others still use other materials like the Thestral hairs, he had chosen to ignore this option in order to optimize his product. He produces powerful, reliable wands for his customers. ”Wait!!” he exclaims; “There is a new wand on the poster..” he realises as he is looking at the wand glowing at the poster; “Neiponian Cherry” the name of Starlight's wand reads. ”Now, that is a curious, yet ominous name for a wand if I had ever seen one!” he mumbles, as he is scrutinizing the poster and the wands depicting critically. ”I should better go in!” he breathes, after reading the latest entry on his poster on the window of his small shop. With that, his is opening the door and steps right in and continues to walk over the floor towards the counter behind which he could hide. Once behind the counter, he momentarily stops; feeling more secure, he feels inspiration coming on and he continues towards his workshop. While he had seen the poster, the first day it had been plastered onto the window of his shop; but he had never expected it beforehand, not to mention the Wands depicted and named on the poster in question. Wizard posters was nothing new to him, but this was something else. Magic on a level, he had never been prepared to face. Once he had stepped into his workshop, he stops to close the door behind himself. Closing the door, trapping the inspiration in the room with him. He dares not let it slip, now as he finally had trapped it. Permitting the inspiration guide his hand, picking the wood and the core. Casting the required spells onto the wand, before slipping it into its box before stacking it away in order to continue his work. Frantic hours of crafting wands passing in a blur as he keeps up the effort. . As I had left Ollivander's Wand Shop, I find myself outside the great hall. Everyone had just stepped in, so I can walk in more or less unnoticed. Though I know they will be noticing me shortly. While I am wearing the clothes stipulated in the letter of acceptance, I can walk into the room without anyone looking up. How convenient. But then, I am expected to be here, right now. A stool is brought up and an old hat placed on top of it. The hat sings a song with a delightful voice and joy, just as is tradition. Even if I had not been privy to this. Once the hat is done singing, the new students are sorted one by one in alphabetical order. ”Glimmer, Starlight!” I hear the professor pronounce for everyone to hear. I step forwards, taking my place before the hat. ”They had managed to catch me, unaware..” I ponder; “Impressive!” I conclude. The hat is lifted up from the stool upon which it had been resting as I am approaching; I sit down and the hat is placed upon my head. The hat incidentally covers my eyes and the room is dark. Once the brim of the hat is touching my hair, I start hearing a voice talking my head. The voice is going over events leading up to where I am, recounting reasons for where to place me. “Your cunning and studiousness are evenly split on their own..” the hat gushes; “but you would gain more from Raven Claw than either of the other houses could possibly offer you..” it continues in overt and obvious excitement over it's latest find; “and Hog Wart's simply can not afford placing you with Slytherin, in the Dungeon, either!!” it concludes with finality. ”Ravenclaw!” the hat exclaims, excitedly; after just a moment of deliberation, as it had decided where I would fit in. The children at the table of Ravenclaw is sheering, clapping their hands; excited over another girl, counted to their numbers. After all, one more girl is one smart girl who could grant the house points in the house cup. Maybe some of them had feared, I would have gone to Gryffindor; or god forbid, the Slytherin house. I just take the next free seat with no fan fair. Why bother? I can make my point in class, showing them just what I could do. But alas, I'm here to learn everything this school has to offer. --- --- ---