In Want for a Wand

by Leila Drake

Level 4 - Arcus and the Blood Elves

Twilight Sparkle went shopping. She and Jonathan were currently walking the same way they had taken the night before, only in reverse.

"I'm worried about Orgrimmar", said Twilight suddenly. "Tak's letter didn't tell if the siege was still going on. I sure hope not..."

Jonathan hummed. "Maybe we can ask someone. But we should be careful. We shouldn't give away too much. Somebody might conclude that we're outsiders." He frowned. "Better to listen carefully. Maybe it won't be necessary to ask directly." He abruptly lowered his voice as they passed another Forsaken. Jonathan nodded greetings, the other one nodded back, his gaze momentarily resting on Twilight.

"Last time I was in Orgrimmar, things weren't looking so bright for anyone who wasn't an orc. The trolls had it especially rough. Forsaken were mainly ignored... until Warchief Hellscream started talking bullshit, saying he wanted to restore the 'true Horde', whatever that meant. He really pissed off our Queen. After his inspection, she came back in a mood so bad that half of Undercity stayed out of her way for a week. And i also noticed a shitload of guards and patrols in O.G."

"Yes, I remember those", said Twilight. "Tak always insisted on keeping a low profile even though he is a member of the Horde. That seemed pretty odd to me. Wasn't the idea of the new Horde to unite different peoples?"

"One should think so", grumbled Jonathan. "All right", he added, "I say we go to the Magic Quarter first. I can ask Zane for a second opinion. You know, where to get the best kind of wood for my wand. Maybe we're in luck and he's even got some in stock. Also, there's a book dealer."

Twilight's eyes lit up. "That sounds good to me", she beamed.

They entered the outer ring again, then turned right and followed the edge of the canal. The hall was slightly brighter than at night; a dull light fell through the grids that covered the rectangular holes in the ceiling. It didn't help much; the torches and lanterns still provided most of the light.

Twilight had expected more Forsaken to walk the streets in the day but there seemed to be no difference at all. When she asked Jonathan, he just shrugged.

"The dead don't sleep, they only rest", he explained. "Why should we, I mean they, care about day- or nighttime? It's not like we are going anywhere anytime soon. Nobody gives a damn about the sun down here."

They approached one of the alcoves on the right. It seemed to be a shop for staves and wands. The products were lined up in shelves, leaned against the wall and presented on the table that separated the vendor's space from the aisle. Twilight curiously eyed the exhibits. Most of the wands were made of wood, some barely more than a stick, others ornate and gilded with intricate carvings. Almost every wand had a crystal tip. Twilight was surprised that such simple sticks could be used as a magical focus. However, she suspected that they were affordable for a reason.

Jonathan started a conversation with the vendor, the man he called Zane, and they discussed possibilities for a new wand.

Twilight listened to them at first, especially when Zane told Jonathan that for his purposes a wand from the Silverpine would be best and that Zane was out of those. When they talked about the gem, using terms even the well-read Twilight wasn't familiar with, her thoughts drifted away from the conversation.

She had noticed by now that the Forsaken were much more than just a bunch of dead people, pale and ragged. Ponies in Equestria were more or less similar in height and build - with a few exceptions, the alicorn Princesses for instance. The other species of Azeroth looked different to humans in more than one aspect. Big orcs, wiry, blue trolls, the huge tauren... But she would not have thought that just humans could look so different from one another.

Here, the humans were big or small, bony or fat. Since they were dead, most did not manage to stand quite upright anymore, hunching into an unhealthy looking stance. The ghouls looked worst; they had lost most of their skin and tried to keep themselves together with bandages, much like Priest used to do. The Forsaken had different skin tones, ranging from veiny blue over green to grey. Some had lost limbs, others had no face. Those without eyes moved around with ease, probably relying on their other senses. Those with eyes unnerved Twilight with their yellow glowing stare. They wore their hair in many different fashions, often deliberately wild or in spikes or very long and shaggy. The hair had different tones, too, much like the manes of ponies, though not quite as colorful. The women often preferred to wear dresses or suits of armor, the men were in armor or robes like Zane's (in his case a blue one); a few wore ragged pants instead. Twilight could see their knees through the holes. And bones, lots of bones. Exposed bones, roughly hidden bones, raspy voices if they still had any, and faces without expression. A veil of melancholy lingered in the air, pressing down on her. Twilight suppressed a sigh. This place needed some severe Pinkie Pie treatment, that much was certain.

Meanwhile, Jonathan and Zane had come to an agreement. They shook hands, Jonathan nodded at Zane and he and Twilight went on to the next alcove.

"So, the Plaguelands", said Jonathan.

"I'm sorry, I was thinking and didn't really follow", admitted Twilight.

"That's where we are going after the Silverpine Forest."

"Oh dear... 'Plaguelands' sounds like trouble."

"Maybe not", mused Jonathan. "Remember, they are partially Forsaken territory." He smirked. "As long as we stick to the roads we should be fine."

Twilight nodded, then her gaze fell on the books. There was a bookshop just like Jonathan had promised! She squeed with delight.

"You know", said Jonathan, "how about I go to the priests and pick you up when I'm done?"

"Sounds good", she said quickly and before Jonathan could say anything else she had opened the next book ("The Old Gods and the Ordering of Azeroth") and started reading, getting an amused grin from the book dealer, a balding Forsaken who was wearing a relatively intact combination of a red shirt and dark pants.

•°

Jonathan threaded through the small crowd that had gathered in the War Quarter. There were cheers and the sounds of fighting: the clanging of metal on metal, muffled thuds as bodies collided. Jonathan could not see much over the heads of the crowd. He frowned, knowing that the training of Forsaken included a lot of entertainment for the audience. New warriors usually tested their skills on unfortunate captives, mostly living humans but also creatures that had been raised from the dead for this very purpose.

A sting in his palms made him realize that he was clenching his fists. Jonathan was surprised that it suddenly bothered him that much. Was it because he sympathized with the living?

But there was nothing he could do, not on his own. So he went on, heading for the big structure in the back of the cavernous hall.

If Twilight had seen it, she probably would have compared it to the setting of a Daring Do adventure. The canal branched out into the quarter, taking up most of the floor except for an island of stone. Two stone paths led to the island and the building on it, a conical house, its sides adorned with four giant spikes. There were neither handrails nor walls, you had to be careful not to fall into the green goo. More green water flowed down along the building's side and into the canal branch. Jonathan had always wondered about the purpose of that strange arrangement but eventually given up on his contemplations. It looked badass, that was probably the reason. He stepped onto one of the bridges.

As expected, Father Lazarus was there, leaning against the side of the building. His arms crossed, he frowned at Jonathan.

"Where the hell have you been?", the elder priest asked unceremoniously, his bariton unusually sonorous for a Forsaken.

Jonathan shrugged awkwardly. "Northrend, Orgrimmar, Northrend again...", he said casually.

"So I've heard. Tell me, why show up now that all the trouble's over? You could have helped in the siege, you know." Lazarus raised an eyebrow. The folds of his robe shifted as he moved away from the wall.

"I don't actually know how it ended", admitted Jonathan despite the advice he had given Twilight just a few minutes ago. For some reason he could never lie to the elder.

Lazarus coughed. Jonathan reognized that as a chuckle. "Welcome back. You do know that Vol'Jin is the new Warchief, though?"

Jonathan's shoulders sagged forward. "Oh, thank the Light." He smiled weakly. "Wait, what happened to Garrosh, then?", he asked, throwing the remains of his caution out the window.

Lazarus gestured for Jonathan to follow him to the dusty edge of the temple island. They sat down there, their legs dangling above the canal water. Lazarus did not care about getting his robes dirty once in a while, one of the things that made Jonathan like the man.

"Escaped. That cur made for the hills, with the help of a bronze dragon of all things, and is now planning an invasion with the orc tribes from old times. He's gone completely bananas. I mean, going to Draenor on purpose?" Lazarus whistled, imitating a cuckoo's call.

Jonathan grinned inwardly at the elder's choice of words. The Light values all life, he had once said. Even the greatest assholes and, in special cases, the cursed. Father Lazarus's priest training was unique, to put it mildly.

Wait a minute. 'Orc tribes from old times'?

"He enchanted the Dark Portal?", asked Jonathan, his eyes widened. "You're messing with me!"

"Nope", said Lazarus. "He travelled into the past and is now gathering an army. He's calling it the 'Iron Horde'. Thrall, Archmage Khadgar and others followed him, trying to stop him. The portal's been destroyed in the process. We haven't heard anything from Outland ever since."

Jonathan snorted. "So Hellscream is the same megalomaniac as before..."

"Basically, yes."

"I missed the Undercity", admitted Jonathan. "I remember last time I was here, the abominations were still in Northrend. The orcish replacement guards didn't really lighten up the mood."

Lazarus leaned back, using his outstretched arms for support. His shoulders creaked in protest. He ignored it.

"Jonathan, why are you here? I'd like to think you just wanted to pay a visit to your old teacher but that wouldn't be like you."

Jonathan heaved a sigh. "Right. That. Look, I -" he shifted his weight uncomfortably. Should he mention Twilight and Arcus? "I'm just passing through", he said. "Getting supplies and stuff. For a quest to get a wand. And since I was here anyway, I thought 'why not?'"

"Zane's wands not good enough for you?"

"Of course they're good. But I need a special combination for the wand I have in mind. Gotta go to Silverpine and the Plaguelands to get the mats."

"I see", hummed Lazarus, still in a thoughtful voice. His mouth split into a grin. "Spells turned out to be more difficult now that you're alive, huh?"

Fuck. Jonathan stiffened.

"Come on, how stupid do you think I am?" Lazarus cackled cheerfully.

•°

Arcus Tangens stood in front of a large red crystal. It was completely round, an orb held by the intricate golden sculptures of three human females with unusually long ears. He had discovered the orb immediately after hiding behind the archway. It was actually really hard to overlook. The globe or whatever it was, hovering in the magical grip of the strange ladies, was centered in the court and felt completely out of place, clean and mysterious looking. It glistened in a beautiful golden light and hummed in a tone that sounded almost like a song.

To touch or not to touch...

What was it for anyway? Arcus had never really understood magic. When he had attended the obligatory magic classes that all ponies had to endure, no matter what kind of pony they were, he had usually spent the time drawing little sketches and maps of imaginary lands into his notebook. As far as he was concerned, earth pony magic was easiest to understand. Unicorns could keep their fancy levitation, transformation, summoning and shit, pegasi their weather shtick! There was nothing like good ol' earth pony strength. The teacher had insisted that there was more to it, that earth ponies had a unique connection to the earth, the magical energy in it and whatnot but Arcus had been working on a nice compass rose at the time.

Now he deeply regretted he had not payed more attention. Maybe then he would have been able to take a guess what this floaty orb thing was meant to do. This way or another, he needed to distract himself from the pain. His legs were shaking from the shock of the wound in his back.

"Only one way to find out", he said aloud and reached for the crystal with his hoof.

•°

"Relax, boy. I'm not gonna tell anyone." Father Lazarus shook his head. "But seriously, are you out of your mind? Coming here of all places? You could have gone to Brill or Tarren's Mill. Hell, probably even an Alliance outpost! I doubt they would have noticed you used to be dead. You are looking like a normal human except for the white hair."

Jonathan hung his head. "I dunno", he admitted, heat rushing to his ears. "No one noticed before you. I... I don't know why I came here. Not really."

"I think I do. Though I'm not gonna tell you", smirked Lazarus. "That's something you need to find out on your own. Tell me when you got the answer, eh?"

Jonathan simply nodded, unable to look Lazarus in the eye.

"Well", said the elder, standing up with some effort, "I'm not gonna keep you from your quest. But you should really get a guide. Things changed a lot in the Silverpine, not to mention the Plaguelands."

"Uh, okay", said Jonathan and got up as well. Then he added, "Thank you."

Lazarus, who already walked off to the temple, waved it off. "Get your ass out of here, boy. Would hate it if you died for good. Too few good priests in these lands. Light be with you."

"And also with you", replied Jonathan automatically, still trying to make heads or tails of what had just happened.

•°

Arcus was not feeling well. He was lying on a stone pavement and everything was spinning around. His left hind leg was probably sprained, his back cold and strangely numb. There was a severe headache coming up and something sticky in his coat, on the right side. He held his head, trying to focus again. "Ow...", he hissed through gritted teeth.

At least the air was not cold anymore. A warm breeze caressed his coat.

So it really had been a transportation orb or whatever.

Finally, the pain in his forehead faded away and he opened his eyes. This was a marketplace. And it was definitely not in Tirisfal.

Arcus scrambled to his hooves, looking around. Thank goodness he was still wearing his armor and saddlebags. He stood on a place paved with red stone, surrounded by beautiful cream white buildings which reminded him of Canterlot. Their roofs were dark crimson, their balconies had golden balusters. Trees with green and bright golden leaves seamed the plaza.

"Where am I?", he wondered aloud.

"Are you all right?", asked a soft female voice.

"I - I think so", said Arcus.

"Welcome to Silvermoon. I am Sarithra", said the woman. She was wearing heavy red armor, a headband to keep her long blonde hair out of her face, and two maces on her back. Her skin looked as healthy as Jonathan's, maybe not as pale though. Was she human? Or some other species? Judging by her eyes which were glowing in a green magical light, probably the latter.

Sarithra smiled at Arcus, so he smiled back at her. "Arcus Tangens. Nice to meet you."

"Oh, Beldis, he's adorable!", whispered the woman, tugging at her companion's arm.

He, a man with ears as long as hers, dark blue hair and similar red armor, tried to suppress a grin. "If you say so, Mylady", he replied, obviously amused by his friend's antics.

Arcus raised an eyebrow. "Silvermoon?"

"You used the Orb of Translocation, unaware of where it would lead?" Beldis couldn't believe it.

"Uh... I was in Undercity a moment ago. Then I touched it and now I'm here - wherever this Silvermoon is." Arcus looked up at the two. "I was curious." He grinned sheepishly. "But I'd rather go back if you don't mind."

Sarithra crouched down, looking at Arcus's back and the stained floor under his hooves. "You are bleeding", she observed.

Arcus winced and nodded. "I had a bad encounter with a hungry Forsaken. He had a hard time accepting I wasn't for eating. Agh, buck it sideways..." he hissed as pain shot through his back once again.

The woman nodded at Belvis who immediately turned on the spot and jogged towards a grand white building. "You need to recieve first aid", stated Sarithra firmly. "Those abominations often poison their blades."

"Why are you... shaking?", asked Arcus. He felt strangely weightless. "And he wasn't an abomination, those guard... the pipe..."

"Easy", said Sarithra, catching the pony as he fainted.

•°

Jonathan almost walked past the bookstore, racking his brain to think of a possible guide to the Silverpine.

But I know the way!, he thought. When Twilight turned her head, he realized he had spoken out loud.

"Hello!" said Twilight, beaming at him.

He smiled back at her. Twilight was completely in her element. At least a dozen books were lying on the table and judging by the amount of parchment stacked next to them she had been busy taking notes.

"This is incredible!", she squeed, slightly out of breath. "There are so many books here that the library in Dalaran didn't have! So much history! I have learned more about the Forsaken today than in two months! Oh, hehe, sorry...", she added quickly when she saw the slightly sour frown on Jonathan's face.

He sighed. "I guess", he admitted after a moment. "So you had fun?"

She nodded vigorously. "Thanks to Mr Bloch, I could have a peek into the most crucial books about recent developments. And he told me a lot about last year, too."

"Now, little pony, I need to get some order back into mah store", rasped Mr Bloch. "Come on, Joe, help me with that."

His assistant walked over and started returning the books to their respective places on the shelves.

"Can I buy this one?", asked Twilight, levitating a book towards Mr Bloch.

He said, "No."

Her eager smile fell.

"I'll give it to you", Mr Bloch continued.

"Oh, thank you! But why?"

"Meeting you was worth a single paper book for me." The Book dealer winked at Twilight. "Now, can I help you with anything else?" He looked at Jonathan, ignoring Twilight's antics as she was performing a little dance of joy, hugging the book.

Jonathan grinned, his heart warming up as he saw how happy Twilight was. "Actually, yes", he said.

•°

When Arcus came to, he was not in the marketplace anymore. He was lying on a soft oval bed, covered by a weightless dark blue blanket. A dark pink ceiling was above him, with golden ornaments. Blue floating crystals gave away a dim light. He was immensely grateful for that - his head was still spinning and bright light probably would not have helped.

He cleared his dry throat. "Hello?"

"He's awake", said somebody. Was it Beldis? No, he sounded different.

A female voice Arcus didn't recognize said, "Very well. I will inform Sarithra." The voice was coming closer.

Arcus raised his head to look around but a slim hand touched the blanket, holding him down.

"You need to rest", said the woman. She was of the same kind as Sarithra but her hair was brown and wavy. She wore a elegant yet practical purple dress. "I will be back in a moment." The woman smiled at Arcus, then left the circular room.

There was another standing at the bed. He must be the one that had spoken first. "How are you feeling, little horse?"

Arcus frowned. "My back is itching. But it's not hurting anymore. What did you do? Where am I?"

The man, who had short red hair, grinned. "You are in Wayfarer's Rest. It's a tavern. We would have taken you to the hospital but it could have been too dangerous to move you too much. I have never seen anything like you. My name is Alestus", he added. "I am a healer."

Arcus sighed. "Thanks for taking care of me. But I don't think the wound is that bad. I was able to walk and stand for a while after I got hurt. And I'm not a horse, I'm a pony."

"It is not bad because we treated it", corrected Alestus. "You lost a lot of blood. It is half a miracle you were able to get there without passing out right away. There was a nasty stain on the Bazaar pavement where you arrived." He chuckled. "But you will feel better soon."

"Pardon me asking, but you are not humans, are you?"

Alestus's expression stiffened, then he relaxed. Did Arcus insult him?

"No. I am of the Sin'dorei." Getting a clueless look form Arcus, he translated it, "A Blood Elf."

Arcus's eyes widened. "Oh! Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude. I had no idea there were so many tribes. So far, I've only known orcs, Forsaken and humans. I've heard there's trolls and minotaurs - er, Tauren, too." He grinned, slighty embarrassed.

"It seems that you are mainly familiar with the Horde", commented Alestus, frowning at the pony.

"I suppose. My friend is a member of the Horde so that's not really a surprise, I guess."

"Is he now? What is his name?"

"Um", said Arcus, hesitating. He had expected to get asked some questions about where he came from but why did Alestus want to know about his friends? Maybe to make sure that he was not a threat. Should he tell him? If he said that Jonathan was alive there could be trouble. As far as he understood it, living humans were enemies of the Horde. But he could simply leave out that fact and pretend the human was still an undead. He said himself that he still was a Forsaken...

"Jonathan Baker", he said finally. "He's a Forsaken priest. We are currently staying in Undercity. Well, that is until I touched that Translocation Orb thing..."

Alestus nodded. "I see. Have you always looked like this?", asked the elf.

"Of course!" Now Arcus was irritated. "My mom and dad are both earth ponies if that's what you mean." He raised his eyebrows. "I'm just not from around here."

"I meant no offense. Thank you for answering my questions."

"Sure..." Arcus frowned.

The elf stood up. "There is someone else who wants to talk to you. I think I can hear him coming upstairs. Do you want a glass of water?"

"Yes, please." Arcus nodded.

"A word of warning, little pony: If your 'friend' is indeed Forsaken you should be most careful. They cannot be trusted."

He turned around and left the room before Arcus could comment on that.

"Seriously... who the hay does he think he is?", the pony muttered under his breath. "Jon is one of the most trustworthy people I know." Right at the top, along with Spirit Rez, AJ and Rainbow Dash. He heard some whispers from the stairs, then footsteps towards him.

To Arcus's surprise, the new visitor was Beldis, still in his red armor. Which reminded him...

Arcus frantically looked around, then relaxed when he saw that his armor had been cleaned and neatly stored in an open chest next to his bed. He sighed and greeted Beldis.

The elf nodded at him and sat down on the next bed, putting down a tray with a glass of water on the small table close to Arcus's bed. He folded his hands, a strange gesture to Arcus, and looked at the pony without saying anything.

Arcus shifted around in the bed and took a sip from the glass as the silence stretched out. "Um", he finally said, "so when does the doctor say I'm ready to leave?"

"Let me explain the situation to you", said Beldis. "Your wound has been healed and you will only need a few hours until it's safe to walk again. Quite convenient that horse anatomy is not unknown to us, is it not? However..."

"Yes?"

Beldis frowned. "However, the magic within you is."

Arcus grinned, waving the remark off. "Ah, that must be the translation spell", he explained. "It was cast on me yesterday."

The elf shook his head. "No, we discovered the spell rather quickly. It is rare but we know of it. What I am talking about is something else."

"Maybe it's the anti-smell-spell then. You know", Arcus smirked, "because of the Forsaken."

The corner of Beldis's mouth went up but he said, "No. Though I have to admit that the spell is ingenius. You must know quite an experienced mage. The magic I am talking about is rooted in your own body. You must have been born with it, there is no other way to explain it. It is flowing through your veins, woven into your muscles, binding your bones together. And judging by what Alestus said and what I can detect with my ability, you recently used that magic to cast a spell, focusing it", he pointed at the blanket where Arcus's hooves were, "here."

"Impossible! Earth ponies can't cast spells!", protested Arcus.

"Are you absolutely certain? Did you not use your legs or maybe even your voice during the fight that left you injured? Pray tell, how did you, a - forgive me - fairly small creature that is barely going up to my chest, defeat an armed Forsaken?"

Arcus could not find an answer to that. He looked up to the elf, saying half-heartedly, "I guess I was lucky."

Beldis shook his head. "You fought well, horse, that is what happened." Suddenly, the elf smiled. "You would make a fine warrior."

"I'm a pony", corrected Arcus once again. What Beldis said surprised him. He had worn the armor as a precaution only. If he had expected a fight, he would have asked somepony to accompany him outside Undercity. Maybe he would not even have accepted the offer to go to Azeroth in the first place. In a group, he was able to handle a single timberwolf or the like but that was about it. And yet he had managed to incapacitate a humanoid twice his size! Beldis was right: It was weird. "I don't know how it happened", he said.

"You are lucky that we were the ones to find you", said Beldis and grinned. "I talked to my superior and she agreed that I make you an offer."

"Okay. I'm listening."

Beldis frowned at Arcus who immediatly tensed up again. "I will teach you some basic fighting rules and moves - in exchange for your secrecy. You must not tell your friends that you were here.

"The Orb is supposed to be inactive at the moment. It probably only brought you here because your species is not covered by the spell that blocks the connection."

Arcus pondered that, crossing his forelegs. It seemed logical to him that Beldis wanted to protect the city. He did not see Arcus as a threat, that much was obvious. Sarithra had called him 'adorable'. Plus, he got rescued from bleeding to death. Keeping the connection a secret would not harm his friends: It meant that he would not see Silvermoon again anyway. All in all it was a good deal.

"Okay, I accept", he said.

Beldis sat up, satisfied. "Excellent." He wrung his hands, thinking. Beldis eyed Arcus, then seemed to come to a decision.

"You are still bound to stay here for a few more hours. I could teach you some rules first. Do you think you can already concentrate enough for that?"

Arcus nodded. "Yeah, I'm feeling pretty good. Whatever you did seems to have worked. Thank you for all of this. It's very kind." Arcus could not help but feel a bit giddy. He was about to get fighting lessions!

"Let's do this!", said Arcus. He sat up carefully and assumed a position that let him rest on his haunches. Beldis raised a brow, confused for a moment, then it seemed to dawn on him that sitting like this was comfortable for the pony.

"All right. Rules, rules... I need to adapt them to your anatomy, of course, but the principles will inevitably remain the same. Now, a warrior who wishes to protect his friends needs to bear a few important things in mind, some even in the heat of battle", said Beldis without further introduction.

"One is your armor. You already have one that is adapted to your build, that is very good. But make sure to keep it repaired and well cared for. Your hooves make a good weapon but you might want to consider using short blades."

"I've seen blades like that before", commented Arcus. "Though I never consciously thought about them. Some of the Night Guards use them..."

Beldis tilted his head. "What other weapons do your guards use?"

Arcus shrugged. "Spears sometimes, or wingblades - but I don't have wings - or spells - but I don't have a horn. I think my hooves are the most logical option for now."

Beldis nodded. "I see. Very well. Another thing is to keep the goal in mind: You want to keep yourself and your group alive. You only harm your opponent to make sure of that. As a horse" - "Pony." - "forgiveness, as a pony you can run fast. An ability which you can use to charge the opponent and force him to fight where you want. Another weapon you have is your voice. You can use it to coordinate attacks and to distract..."