Dark Ages
The gray cloak floated gently out of her closet, followed swiftly by her apartment key from her nightstand. Had Sparkle thought of it, she would have set something else in motion. Alas, the mind of a distracted mare is not perfect, and is as prone to not thinking of an idea as the best of us. Had she thought of it, she would have been saved - at a bare minimum - months of trouble. At best, there might have been a few more ponies alive at the end of it, though she wouldn't ever be able to know for sure.
As the lock clicked shut on the now empty apartment, the only sound that could be heard was the ding of a typewriter resetting itself to the next line.
“Any reason as to why the big guy wants to see me?” Sparkle inquired of the two hired grunts sitting opposite her in the darkened interior of a carriage. Said carriage had the widows blocked and had been navigating lower Canterlot far longer than could be reasonably expected to get between any two points. From this, she probably figured that they didn’t want her to know exactly where she was going.
The two walls of hired muscle said nothing, giving no acknowledgement that her inquiry had even been heard. She tried again with a different question. “Is this about the money I owe him? I just sent him the most recent payment on my debts.”
There was still no response from the two stallions, although the heavily pierced one broke his distant gaze and looked her in the eye, and then looked away again. The silence was only broken by the rattle of the carriage’s wheels on the pavement. “Anything? Or are you two just going to keep staring out into space?”
For another twenty minutes, they continued riding through the streets. The carriage suddenly came to an abrupt stop, and before she knew it, a blindfold was being placed around her eyes by the studded unicorn.
As expected, a click sounded just above her head, accompanying a new weight on her horn and the distinct lack of magic flowing through it. Sparkle could already feel the headache building from the suppression ring’s effects.
The sound of the door opening graced Sparkle’s ears, as did a trickle of light from through the blindfold’s fabric. “Exit to your left,” the pegasus ordered.
She hopped out, her grey robes fluttering slightly as she did so. Had anypony been paying close attention, they would have noticed that the flow of her shadow, cast from the light of exterior lamps, didn’t match that of her robes, for precisely one of the reasons she wore the robes in the first place.
“Follow,” the pegasus ordered, marching in front of her as he spoke. His hoof falls struck harder than necessary, supplying the audio cues Sparkle needed to follow and not wander in circles.
They had gotten inside the building and had made a few turns, heading deeper into the structure. They passed other ponies as they went, and she could hear them shying away and hear their whispered comments. She ignored them; it was the same things over and over again, the same words everypony seemed to whisper when they thought she couldn’t hear them. She was led round a corner and stopped. A door pony approached from behind her.
The blindfold finally came off, and a door out of sight closed behind her. She found herself in an ornate office, obnoxiously decorated to show off just how rich the owner of this room was. The dozen or so portraits of the same plump pegasus pony similarly gave Sparkle the impression of his intolerable vanity.
The desk itself, cut from a rich wood and stained past Sparkle’s ability to identify the type, contained all the usual items you would expect on a desk, but crafted from materials that would drive a pony like Sparkle bankrupt if she tried to buy them herself.
The unusual feature of the desk was a bottle of wine sitting in a bucket of ice and two, not one, wine glasses. Was he expecting somepony else?
“Please, Ms. Sparkle, take a seat,” the pegasus behind the desk said, gesturing to the seat on her side of the furniture piece. She blinked, having not immediately recognised that there was another pony in the room. Deciding that she was more tired than she thought, Sparkle complied and sat. The seat was comfier than the chair she had at home.
The pegasus behind the desk was clearly the same stallion as in the paintings, plus about five decades in age. Despite his advanced age, his eyes held a predatory lust uncommon in ponies and nearly unheard of in the elderly. To the less observant, he might seem grandfatherly, but Sparkle knew better.
“Mr. Card Gambit? Why have you called me here?”
He chuckled to himself, though the smile on his face didn’t seem to quite reach his eyes. “Would you care for some wine? It’s a Griffonian vintage nearly as old as I am.”
“No, thank you. I find alcohol to be a bit troublesome,” Sparkle declined. Technically, she wasn’t even of age to drink yet. Shiny would have her flank if he found out.
“I insist.”
He poured her a glass and offered it to her. She took it in hoof and, because this was the leader of Canterlot’s major crime syndicate, lifted it to her lips. The alcoholic beverage touched her lips and the vapors tickled her nose, but none entered her mouth. “Delicious,” she said. The drink never went towards her lips for the rest of the night.
“I was curious,” Mr. Gambit stated. “Some years ago, I came across a book. It was an interesting little book, and recently, it made me think of you. At first, I read it as a hobby, a simple pleasure. The ideas within it grew on me, though. They grew quite quickly, taking root in my mind.”
“What book?” the bibliophile asked.
“I don’t know,” the crime lord replied honestly. “It had no title, and was bound in the strangest black material. I’ve never seen anything like it in Equestria.”
There was a moment of silence, before Sparkle realized he was waiting for her to speak up. “And what was the book about?”
“Death.” He took a sip. “It was on the magic of death. As a pegasus, I found myself missing much of the context the book spoke of, but it got me thinking.” He took another sip, then sighed. Seemingly changing the subject, he said, “Sparkle, I have a job for you.”
“I’m not terribly interested in anything you might want from me.”
“Oh,” he said, smirking, “I think you are.” He pushed a sheet of paper towards her.
She took one look at it and then looked back at him. “Let me repeat myself. I am terribly interested in whatever you might want from me, and am sitting on the edge of my seat with anticipation.” A number with that many zeros threw up some red flags in her mind, but then again, that was a lot of zeros on that bit amount.
“Good. As for your debts to me, they are as good as gone if you do this for me, and the bits you earn will be squeaky clean.”
“What can I do for you, then?”
The pegasus nodded. “I am old and dying, and this organization has no heir to the throne. I had kept it that way so no overenthusiastic heir of mine attempts to take before it is time. Yet, I find myself unable to pick a suitable candidate.”
“Fertility magic is not my specialty,” Sparkle commented.
Mr. Gambit cracked up. “Hoho, no my dear, you misunderstand. Sons and daughters I have aplenty. But I don’t want just any heir, I want to be my own heir. I want to be young again. I want to be fit and strong! I want to live! And there isn’t a single soul I would trust to run this company when I depart.”
Sparkle frowned. “To turn back the hands of time permanently is a nightmarishly difficult task. The body can be fixed and repaired only so much before time erodes it faster than it can be repaired, and what has already been lost to time cannot be restored. Replaced to a point, yes, but not restored.”
“I am aware. Again, that is not what I ask of you,” the pegasus stated. “No, I want to start over with a new body, and to be able to continue on without end.”
Sparkle’s frown deepened into a grim scowl. “‘A vessel of clay and stone can hold a soul without end, though it is fraught with peril,’” she quoted from one of her books. “But-”
“A body of flesh and blood can house a soul with ease. I know.” Card Gambit looked towards her intently.
“If you know that, then you must also know the cost of what you ask, and the cost of immortality. I doubt you are willing to pay that price,” Sparkle answered.
Her breath caught. She thought back to what she had just said. You, not we, you. When had she decided that? Was she really swayed by that much money? Was that the value of a pony in her mind?
“I have done my homework, Ms. Sparkle. I know exactly the cost, I know exactly what the ritual would entail, and I have a pony willing to pay the cost for me.”
Sparkle gulped. Guilt flooded her veins. She could be rich... She could have the pull needed to get Shiny that promotion she had cost him. Thorn could get the gems he wanted and she wouldn’t have to starve herself when money got tight; Shiny could eat well and keep up his strength. She could fund her research seriously, or she could hire sompony to apprentice her for her certification for an actual job. Hell, she could get her teaching and thaumaturgy certificates and pursue her childhood dream of being a full-time magic instructor. It was a step towards the freedom she so craved.
And all it would cost her was the murder of an innocent. A price she was somehow seriously considering.
She stood. “I-I-I need to go... I need time to think...”
“Take your time,” Gambit said in his sickly-sweet, almost-grandfatherly voice. “I’ll give you a week to make up your mind.”
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Well, I can tell this is not going to end well for anyone, at least not for Gambit and certainly not for Sparkle. Until the next chapter I bid thee farewell.
My guess is that Celestia is going to found out and then... I don't know
No, that's not a copy and paste error. You left out the F in for there at the start of the sentence.
I like this fic, although I wish for more bits with twilight and sparkle.
~Crystalline Electrostatic~
How exactly does one find a volunteer to be murdered? One with a young, healthy body?
Okay, I didn't think I would be that kinda accurate in the previous few chapters... Whupsie...
Right. Right, how to figure on the ways this can go wrong. The biggest one here, is getting paid here without being killed. The second, not breaking the probationary rules set by celestia in regards to getting caught, which are high and darn well likely, especially with her having trained the core of hunters too.
Well, she smartly didn't drink, poison or compliances there in for the drink for one possible. Especially so as he didn't drink. That he is willing to go that far to continue on. Odds are, he intends some manner of duplicity, its a given, outside a rare soul that is doing this in a corrupt regime. And this isn't one by any stretch of the tongue.
It's got to be the soul in question to make things complicated, either nobility, or someone very personal under leverage that this is the only way to clear it. Forced, and willing can technically be the same thing, if you get the right debts involved.
But everything so far, im missing something too in this little problem. Beyond the fact of celestia could likely have prevented this with a better retainer to keep her about. Ah well, time to see!
Do it, do it, do it, do it!
DO IT, FUCKING DO IT...
Or don't...
I predict that Twilight or her parents are going to convince Sparkle not to do it, but the mob boss will kidnap Shining or something and force her to do it, and then just to see her squirm he'll kill Shining anyway. Really, she shouldn't even be considering a deal with this guy. If you catch the attention of scum like that, your only two options are to run far enough that they'll never find you, or kill them. Anything else is pretty much suicide.
5552485 Threaten their family and promise them that you'll leave them alone afterwards.
5553163 my question. Why did she let said scum live in the first place? I get that he has to have some manner of protection, but this is frickin' sparkle here. Somehow I can't see somepony who made NIGHTMARE MOON hesitate having a problem with a single gangster. or even an entire mob for that matter.
btw stop saying he's gonna kill her or someone close to her. the reason he's offering so much cash is becouse he needs her. it's that simple. after this new body starts getting old what then? if she doesn't have a replacement then he's just going to die anyways.
So, reading the updated chapters, I must ask.. Is Celestia trying to make a new Sombra?
5553862
Her track record for keeping natural-darks in the "light" is...
media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lrj2k3tne91r0ojhto1_500.gif
5553876
You'd think she'd notice the trend for those close to her to go insane, turn evil or(in due time) be replaced by a shapeshifting parasite with terrible acting abilities.
The Wedding should be double plus fun.
5553902
I'm taking inspiration on that from Foal Necromancer, a now possibly dead story...
Fuck, I punned.
Anyway, some elements will be similar, and some elements will be different.
Personally, I'm looking forwards to the crystal empire arc. Poor Sparkle won't know what hit her.
5553952
Given that Cadence is in charge of the Crystal Empire, would the laws regarding Sparkle be more.. lenient? Especially given that her brother is Caddie's man-candy.
5553963
More like:
Come back in a few hours when I publish the next chapter for a clue as to why it's mine over yours.
And it's not so much that Cadance wouldn't let Sparkle in, but Equestrian law (and parlament, which I have yet to introduce) keeping her in.
This is awesome.
Seriously. Awesome.
I love Sparkle, I love Thorn and I definitely love that I wish to punch Celestia in the face. (I usually feel guilty on the last part)
The characters are good, the humor is on the right dosage and, seriously. I don't remember seeing small chapters so rich before.
Please, keep 'em coming!
You could always take someone on death row. Unless Equestria doesn't have a death row. Or how about that griffin that killed abunch of pon- oh that's right, suddenly moral conscious Sparkle.
Nitpick set aside, I like this development.
Edit: Just read the plot change. I retract the seriousness behind my point. Funny how one small change can considerably drop the overall mood.
5559114 It's apparently supposed to be an INNOCENT living thing.
Read this late last night and had some trouble getting to sleep:
1. I wonder at the concern Sparkle gives for an innocent life here, given that in the last chapter we learned that an homeless foal died, presumably of starvation, in the alley behind her house.
2. If Card Gambit dies without a clear heir, and 4-5 of his generals go to war over his syndicate, how many innocent people will die then.
3. If Sparkle can turn people into mind controlled zombies; why does Card Gambit trust her to take his mind out of his body, reshape it and put it into another body unscathed; knowing some personality change would be understandable given this procedure? What stops her from taking over?
4. Is this really within Sparkle's ability range, and what would happen if she tried the ritual and ended up killing Card Gambit and his 'volunteer'.
5. Expecting Luna to show up and do something interesting.
5699800
1.)It's equally plausible that the filly died of illness or exposure, and that Sparkle never even knew she was there until she rose as a zombie.
2.)That's a rather weak justification for murder. Even assuming that Card Gambit doesn't just pick another heir, mafia infighting tends to be out of the public view, and shouldn't involve anyone who isn't already a criminal.
3.)He's going to die soon anyway. It's not like he has much to lose. And the obscene amount of money he's offering should dampen any ambition Sparkle might otherwise have.
They passed other ponies as they went, and she could hear them shying away, hear their whispered comments
She was lead round a corner and stopped
1. Hearing.
2. Led.
5842188 no, 'hear' is correct. there's an implied 'and' anfter the comma. like, "i will eat this pizza, eat it until i'm full!" it's just 'elegant repitition.'
Why is this such a hard thing to do when it comes to most fantasy stories? Making someone young again is actually super easy compared to some of the magic stuff seen in MLP. Hell, scientists in real life have almost cracked the code on true anti-aging.
Wondering what she overlooked... Then again, just like she was distracted, I'm terribly tired, so I believe it is time for me to swan off to bed. Good day. Or, if it is later than that, good afternoon, good evening, and/or good night.
And this is why her Celestia is stupid. YOU ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO PUT NATURAL DARK MAGE TO A PLACE WHERE SHE CAN BE TEMPTED.
Seriously. She rules the country and yet decides to keep a wild card in poverty. What.
5911598 true but we dont know how much time in tell it were's off and age repaid and he is talking bout being able stay young forever and never were's off something very hard even for magic light or dark
See, this is exactly what I was talking about earlier. Because Celestia has forced Twilight into a life of poverty, to the point that she's even starving herself to save bits (which is probably one of the reasons she's so skinny), Twilight is considering performing an atrocity just so she and her family can stop scraping by.
I hope it's addressed later why Celestia is punishing Twilight's existence so harshly, or this story is going to lose a few notches of respect from this reader.
6234317 this is how I think of it: a woman gives birth to a child and dies in the process. The father despises the child for killing his wife even if they could not control it. Maybe not the best comparison but it serves it's purpose.
Blood, dark magic, death, intimidation, necromancy... meh.
Murdering an innocent? That's freakin' serious.
That is not sarcasm. This is a line even the darkest of us do not wish to cross.
6249667 at lest those of us that have not fallen into the abyss.
6249909 You never know. There have been accounts of cold blooded killers, like hired guns, killing rapists and pedophiles in prison, because they thought they were sick and twisted.
You know, I can't say I dislike this story, per se. It's conceptually interesting and the writing as such is certainly not bad. I absolutely do dislike the characters, though. One is an idiot, the other is a cruel idiot and both are smug assholes that I really want to punch more than I want to read about them. That's a bit of a bad bottom line for a story that I've only gotten a quarter through so far.
I'm gonna be honest, im invested in this story now. As such I give you your 1500'th like.
Usually I would be sarcastic (in a nice way) and say your welcome. Instead, Thank You writer for providing many people with a story so awesome! 
And how does she know that this poor soul is innocent, exactly? She doesn't even know who they are!
Pardon me here, I just finished reading the chapter The Red Platoon and the Black Mage [History Overwritten], and in browsing the comments I noticed a mention of a retcon of Sparkle's parents' ghosts and their part in the story. I've only started reading this recently and thus have seen little mention of her parents aside from the first chapter, presumably due to the retcon. However, I recalled a passage in the chapter above referring to such a ghost, and it is still present:
Emphasis mine, of course. To ask simply, should this be retconned as well?
7143313
Good catch!
She does have morals! That's nice to see.
In my head, I'm already predicting that the pony "willing to give up their body" has actually been coerced into it, and Sparkle has to choose between their life and the bits.
5989188 But being stupid is what Celestia does best.
7225387
Uh... long live the Lunar Republic?...
5552485 a horribly deprssed.
8012917 oh... well... that got dark...
Mmm. Keeping her dark mages impoverished is a truly abysmal mistake on Celestia's part. Sparkle wouldn't even consider this if she had money to put food on the table and live in a decent neighborhood.