Devil of a Time
Most ponies wanted to see inside Canterlot Castle, to see its majestic beauty. Of those who had been inside, most ponies would say that it lived up to its reputation, and then some. Most ponies also saw it as the symbol of the Equestrian way, the palace of the harmonious and virtuous.
Sparkle saw the same things as everypony else, but it wasn't the same feeling. It was her warden’s house, and that sucked all the fun and beauty out of it. The castle was gaudy, excessive, and wasteful in her eyes, as were those who lived and worked in it.
Except the guards; they could be quite fun. She knew exactly which buttons to push to make them... entertain her. At her command, magic welled up from her core and flooded her skin. In unicorns, this was the equivalent of the pegasus mating dance or the earth pony tail wag; it was a way of advertising the potency of their inner magics. Generally, it attracted those with with the inverse core spin - up-to-down, male-to-female - and killed the libido of the same. But if a pony had in-spin like Sparkle, their magic pulled on others’ magic fields, which translated to ‘let me eat you’ instead of ‘let me rut you silly.’
Sparkle giggled when she saw one of the two guards she was observing step back and tense up. The other just looked confused. She made a mental note of what the latter’s soul looked like to her eyes. To the former, she said, “Looks like somepony remembers me.”
“Yes, ma’am,” the guard, the one on the left, replied.
Sparkle stood from the bench where those waiting for the Princess’s court could sit. She trotted over. “Tell me,” she leaned in close enough to feel the breath of the more nervous guard on her cheek, “what was the first lesson I taught you?”
He stepped back. She stepped forwards. He took two steps back. She stepped forward once more. He stepped back and drew his spear, aiming it at her throat. “Don’t touch me.”
Sparkle stepped back. “Close enough.” She spun around and trotted back to her seat. “You guards are so fun to mess with after I’ve gotten a chance to play with you.” She spun around again, looking at the guards in front of the royal courtroom door. “I don’t have friends. A brother, a sister, and a son, yes, but not friends. I never get the chance, you see. Ponies don’t like me; I’m sure you two can guess why. I thought I would be happy with just my books, but I guess I’m the kind of pony that wants what she can’t have.” She trotted up close to the guards again. “And I’m bored. That’s why I like playing with my dolls.” She giggled, doing her best to make it sound perfectly innocent. “But sometimes, I break them. Did I break you?”
The door opened. “Twilight Sparkle for debriefing, 2:30 pm appointment,” called the court herald. “You may enter.”
The mare walked out and the door closed. Noticing that there was nopony near enough to hear, and that nopony was looking their way, the newer guard whispered to the other, “what the buck was that?!”
“May Celestia have mercy on your soul,” the senior guard replied, “for she won’t.”
“Sir, you’re freaking me out.”
The senior guard spoke nothing else, and silently died a little bit on the inside.
“I’m very disappointed in you, my little pony. You know why you must stay in Canterlot,” Celestia scolded.
“Yeah, preservation of the peace, monitoring my whereabouts, existing law and precedent, blah, blah, blah. Can we just skip to the end of this song and dance already? I’m sure that you’re just dying to know who that other mare was, not that I feel like telling” Sparkle quipped, annoyed.
“You will watch your tone with me, Sparkle. I will not tolerate disrespect, especially since this is your future we are deciding.” the Princess said. While the tone was as level and calm as ever, her voice demanded attention and respect, so much so that it was practically physically impossible not to comply.
Sparkle bowed her head. “I understand. I apologize, Your Highness. I let my mouth speak my mind against my better judgement.”
“That you did. Now,” Celestia said, “there is the matter of those laws you cited at me. While it bothers me that you appeared to have memorized the law simply to see what you could get away with, you are correct. Technically.” She shook her head in disappointment. “Your entire case depended on a zoning stipulation and a license, which, as I recall, I issued to a young filly on the good faith that she would not abuse it. Has my faith in you been misplaced?”
Sparkle didn’t answer the question, not right away at least. “I assure you that I will not abuse your trust.”
“See to it that you do not. As for the matter of you leaving Canterlot without my permission, I have no choice to issue you a 500 bit fine, though I will give you two months to pay it instead of the usual one. I am aware of the conditions in which you live, and I am not above small mercies.”
“Thank you, Your Highness,” Sparkle accepted, genuinely thankful of the extra time; it meant fewer days of eating nothing but instant noodles to let Shiny get the few Canterlot-priced veggies. However, punishment was still punishment, and the thought left a bitter taste in the annoyed unicorn’s mouth.
Her tone significantly lighter now, the Princess said, “Now that that’s out of the way, let me tell you something. When I heard that you of all ponies ran off to Ponyville, yesterday of all days, my heart missed a beat.”
“Princess?”
“Long ago, most ponies shunned the night, and Luna with it. When Nightmare Moon first appeared within Luna, she amassed a small group of similarly-shunned ponies, ponies very much like you. They made no overt moves for nearly a year, and Nightmare Moon spent that time masquerading as if she were still Luna at heart. And when they finally attacked... forgive me. That tale is a bit grim.
“When I heard that you had left, I very nearly panicked, thinking that she had somehow been recruiting dangerous individuals from her prison. I’m sure you can imagine my relief when you turned out to still be on my side.”
Sparkle nodded in understanding. “I’m sure. Princess Celestia, I know you don’t really trust me,” - Celestia’s flinch was too small for Sparkle to notice - “but I really do have the best intentions at heart. As long as I live in Equestria, I’ll do my best to protect the harmony of its ponies.” The subtle implication went unmissed by Celestia.
“We heard she was in here,” a new, young, and loud voice sounded from outside the courtroom. The twin doors slammed open, revealing the slightly enlarged form of Princess Luna, whose stature now compared to that of a young teenager rather than a small filly. “AH! THERE THOU ART! WE ARE PRINCESS LUNA, GUARDIAN OF THE NIGHT! WE WISH TO MAKE THINE ACQUAINTANCE, FAIR MAIDEN!”
As soon as she finished rubbing her ringing ears, Sparkle muttered, “That’s new.” Louder now, she spoke, “Greetings, Princess Luna. I am Sparkle, bearer of no honorable titles. I am very empathetic to you, and would love to make your acquaintance.”
“WE NEED NO SYMPATHY FROM YOU! I AM NOT SOME POOR, PITIFUL PONY WHO-”
“Empathy, not Sympathy,” Sparkle couldn’t resist correcting. She had a good guess at what was coming next.
“DO NOT INTERRUPT US! AND WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY EMPATHY?” Luna asked, her expression more confused than her angry-sounding, overly-loud tone would suggest.
Sparkle bowed her head, more to hide the smirk than to show any respect to the Equestrian leadership, for which she held very little. As soon as she had wiped the emotion away, she said, “Just that I have a poor reputation, a horribly under-appreciated talent that has many benefits that can’t be used unless ponies learn to see the light in it, and a dash of jealousy towards your sister’s student who took something I could and should have had, Your Majesty. Do you understand the feeling?”
Sparkle stood up straight and nodded once. “Well, I suppose I’ve overstayed my welcome; I really should be heading home now.” Turning to leave without waiting for Celestia to dismiss her, Sparkle trotted off. “You’re welcome to come and visit me at my humble home, Princess Luna. I’d love to discuss your book over tea. Just ask any guard where Ms. Sparkle lives. I’m sure they’ll point you in the right direction, and then run in the other.”
The door to the courtroom burst open just before the mare attempted to open it herself. In stormed the griffin ambassador, Redclaw. “I am tired of waiting, Princess Celestia. I must speak to you now on urgent matters.” So engrossed in his words was he that the bird rammed right into Sparkle without seeing her, knocking her over.
It was Sparkle who recovered first, and who, much unlike her double, hatched a plan on her hooves. “Oh dear. I am so sorry, sir. I should have been looking where I was going.”
“Hmph. It is no problem, pony,” the ambassador replied.
Sparkle blinked. “You have a little something on your beak, right there.” She gestured generally towards his face. “Here, I’ll get it.”
The dark aura bubbled around her horn and grasped the beak of the griffin rooster in front of her. The guards had their spears drawn in a flash, but her horn aura faded almost as fast. “There.” She blinked owlishly at the readied guards. “What? It was just a special cleaning spell I made. Pony blood is so hard to clean some times. Well, see you later!”
“Sparkle, a moment, then you may leave,” Princess Celestia stated.
“Yes, Princess?”
“I know and see more than you seem to believe I do about you. And while your concern is touching, you are walking on thin ice.” Celestia nodded, dismissing Sparkle.
Before any could react, she flattened into her shadow on the floor and sped out of the room. Silence reigned for a few awkward seconds. “Sparkle was not injured, was she.” It was a statement, not a question, whispered from Luna to her sister.
“Luna, be a dear and fetch me that special thing from my room, would you? I need to have a chat with Redclaw here.”
“Tia?”
Similarly lowering her voice to a barely audible whisper, Celestia spoke, “One does not doubt the words of a necromancer on matters of death, dear Lulu. Especially not one of Ms. Sparkle’s caliber. I’d trust her far more than I’d ever show on this, despite her dangerous nature.”
“I see.” The two sisters ceased their private conversation and returned their attention to Redclaw. “PARDON US, KIND GRIFFIN. I BID THEE FAREWELL.”
“Come,” Celestia said to the ambassador. “Let us walk and talk.”
Sparkle had calmed the restless spirits of the slain herself; she knew what he had done. Redclaw would die a shameful, horrible death for his crimes, regardless of what justice the Equestrian system would bring. This she would ensure.
When she taught her mandated defense class at CSGU, her first lesson was to never let the dark touch you. For in the moment she had him in her magical grasp, one of her specters had slid from her shadow to his, unnoticed by all. Through it, she could see his mind and his senses, and she could strike vengeance.
She hummed a merry tune as she trotted home. Would it be suicide? An accident? Murder by a fellow griffin? Would she assassinate his character first, or simply expose his crimes? The fallen souls cried for vengeance, and she would deliver.
Sparkle was a reaper of souls, a bringer of death.
She couldn’t be light like her sister.
She couldn’t be kind.
She couldn’t be fair.
She couldn’t be just.
But she would damn well save these ponies even if it killed her. Because she was part of Twilight Sparkle, and she was a good filly.
She hoped.
The trial was open-and-shut. The evidence had doomed him right from the start. The Griffin Empire had not helped him, for fear of starting a needless war between the two nations. He had been left at the mercy of the Equestrian Justice system.
Redclaw stepped into the cell that he knew intellectually would be his prison for the rest of his life. Sitting down on the only bed in the cell, which took up a majority of the floor space, he looked down on his talons. In his mind, the once proud instruments of death remained untrimmed and dripping with pony blood, as they should have been. His wings weren’t clipped, his mind said, and he wasn’t shackled to the wall.
Redclaw whistled, the hedonistic old bird already looking for something to entertain himself with. He kept whistling even as the staccato of horse shoes on tile joined in.
“Why does the caged bird sing?” a voice from outside asked. Redclaw didn’t respond. “Why... does the... caged bird sing?”
There was something strange about the rhythm of the voice. Its tone was odd too, now that Redclaw thought about it.
“Why. Does. The. Caged. Bird. Sing?” This time Redclaw turned. He was against the back wall of his cell a heartbeat later, for the guard before him had no eyes and sockets that freely dripped blood.
“Why. Does. The. Caged. Bird. Sing?”
He felt numb all over, weakness spreading through his body like icewater in his veins.
“Why. Does. The. Caged. Bird. Sing?”
He tried to scream, but his mouth wouldn’t work, producing little more than a warbled gasp.
“Why. Does. The. Caged. Bird. Sing?”
He was getting dizzy. The world was spinning. He collapsed to his knees.
“Why. Does. The. Caged. Bird. Sing?”
The world blurred.
“Why. Does. The. Caged. Bird. Sing?”
He was so confused. What was going on?
“Why. Does. The. Caged. Bird....”
The world went black.
He would live, but only just. Doctors would swear up and down that it was a simple stroke. Princess Celestia suspected otherwise, but held her opinions close to her chest.
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Chills. Love this story.
Such a lovely macabre! And redclaw meets his little fitting end.
Correction that jumped out at me:
wasting
5532455
Fixed. Thanks.
Well at least I understand what was going on with the whole two Twilight's now. Parallel timelines are so much fun to mess around with, aren't they?
5532903
They were eight when they decided on the split name.
I just finished reading this and was terrified for a moment that you had marked it complete. This has so much overwhelming potential, I can't wait to see what you do with it!
Will Sparkle befriend Luna or become her student?
Sparkle attending the Gala would be a laugh riot!
What will Discord's reaction to her be and vis versa?
Will she meet Cadence or has she already?
What happens to Sparkle when Twilight becomes an Alicorn? Does she too? Princess of Death?
Please continue this and update as soon as you can. I can't wait for this to continue.
5532948
The editor is me. Obviously, me is not doing my job, so I must fire me.
Light/dark magic is not a good/evil dichotomy, but a restoration/corruption one.
5533143
Both Twilight and Sparkle already know Cadance. Cadance and Shiny are dating at this point.
Read previous comments for hints.
Nice story so far, I like the setting, but I think Sparkle could use a bit more of polish, she seems too overpowered right now.
5533624
Twilight is equally powerful because of their connection. Also, remember the Dread Necroptica? Sparkle has some of those books already, and those are a wealth of knowledge. She's also has been tutored by Twilight on everything Celestia taught Twilight. There are more details that I haven't released yet that will explain how she got to be the way she is. For instance, why does she wear that cloak? It's not for nothing.
Basically, I'm saying that she's earned every last scrap of knowledge through hard work, and every bit of raw power through training and exploiting the link to Twilight.
A side note, every pony is getting +5 magical ability (and +2 competency). Stronger earth ponies, faster pegasi, more powerful unicorns, etc. if you didn't catch it, Rarity shared magic with Trixie to cast a stronger shield, something Rarity has never done in canon.
...Alright, that ending right there was damn unnerving as all hell. Bra-vo good sir, you have my attention and my fave!
5533735
...you didn't actually address Savannah's criticism :-\
Also, will the antagonists have a corresponding power surge? Because the true danger of a Mary Sue is not its power*, but the fact that everything goes the character's way even when it doesn't make sense.
That goes double if everybody hates and fears the main character for reasons the reader finds trivial.
BTW, I like this story, but you have to admit: you're on a Reaaaaaly slippery slope.
*for example, batman is a MASSIVE Mary Sue, but people still read and watch his stories
'Twas is an archaic contraction of 'it was.' 'Tis misused here. Thou hast used thee where thou shouldst have used thou, and thine use of art after we is simply incorrect.
Thou hast dropped use of the royal 'we' by mistake.
*eyetwitch* Sparkle it was not injured it was she. WRONG!
Delete those 't bits that make the sentence read as if Luna has brain damage!
This is a good story with decent effort. Make good use of your time and read this for a basic primer on writing Early Modern English/Equish.
>her angry-sounding, overly loud tone
*overly-loud
der b 2 spaces between 'loud' and 'tone'
>Why... does the... cage bird sing?
*caged
>Doctors would swear up-and down
Please explain your hyphen usage here
Main question is: how many other necromancers are there like Twilight?
I take it she's rare, though not completely alone, and I'd expect if there were only 2-3 necromancers in the city, they would band together for mutual support.
Didn't really get much feeling for the redclaw thing as I didn't know the details. The implication seems to be random serial killer that happens to be a diplomat, but I'd have liked to know how many, who and why he killed for me to feel satisfaction in his death.
5533185
I seem to remember the show showing Cadance foalsitting Twilight from before Twilight got her cutie-mark / killed everyone. Is that cannon here?
Uh-oh.
I belive you meant Apologize here.
5838902
Fixed.
ba ba ba bird bird bird bird is the word
Congratulations... You understand the power of words, and how, sometimes, it is the short, simple sentences that mean the most. Well done. Reading this story eagerly. Been on my 'tracking' list for forever, put off by the dark and gore tags, but this is far better than what I thought it was going to be. Looking forward to catching up with everyone else, and then reading updates as they occur. Thank you for sharing this story with us.
Ahh I'm having so much fun with this story! Thank you!
I DONT KNOW
...
BUT I DO KNOW NOW 80 DEAD BABY JOKES FROM SOME WEBSITE!
envy, not jealousy.
I'm a little confused by how horrible Celestia is making Sparkle's life financially. Like only paying her minimum wage for teaching or keeping her brother from getting a better paying position or even fining her when she barely has the money to support herself as it is.
Seems like if you are afraid of someone turning to evil, you wouldn't want to give them reasons to. A hard life makes a hard pony, and a hard pony is more likely to act cruelly towards others.
Also disappointing by the utter lack of curiosity Celestia showed towards the existence of Twilight and the other time-line. All Sparkle had to say was she didn't feel like talking about it and Celestia dropped the subject like it was no big deal.
Something about this darker and bloodier version of Twilight Sparkle I absolutely love.
This fact frightens me.
Okay, I am just having a blast reading this. I love intellectual challenges, and this is easily the best one ever. If simply because it's me reading an awesome story that forces me to think.
It's odd. She didn't seem too bad in the first few chapters, or even when meating pinkie and nightmare moon and then like I editor after she got way worse... Odd.
7338193
She took vengeance on a serial pony murderer. How is that odd? It fits her character to a tee.
Fuck
You
i know sparkle is dangerous but she'd be easier to reign in if, maybe, you didn't pay her minimum wage for a job she rarley gets to work and trap her in Canterlot, where she can barley afford to live, inevitability forcing her into starvation and poverty.
10664594
Fear can make fools of us all
5 Chapters in and, I like this. It's beautifully written, flows well and is absolutely hilarious. I am so sad I never stumbled upon this till now.