(Prolouge) One Hell of a Trick
#1 of Sparky's Trip to Hell
One Hell of a Trick (Prologue)
Sparkle gave a giddy chuckle while her hips rolled in a slow  jaunt forward and back, her tail weaving behind her to the techno trickling into the room, and her bare feet tapped quietly to the melodious beat of "The Riddle." In short; the wolf was in a good mood.
"Yes, mother, I have a show tomorrow. Yup, it's at the hospital. They called me specifically, since I did such a good job last time. No, I do it for free. No, no no, I've got something entirely new planned out for the poor little gremlins. They won't know what hit 'em! HA! Wait till I get home to show you the tricks I've picked out, it'll blow you away!" She barked happily into the shiny black device buried into the crook of her neck.
"No no no, no REAL magic. Stage craft! No, I don't use REAL magic on the stage. I'm proud of my skill! Just because I'm a witch doesn't mean that...look...mom...I'm not getting into this with you now. I've got a lot to do tonight before tomorrow and-...Yeah...ok...hey shaddap already. O, ok. OK. OK I'M SORRY. Yeesh...I know...I know mom...Look. The bottom line is, I'm proud of what you taught me, ok? Alright...ok...I love you too...alright...drag it out why don'tcha...Bye."
The voice on the other end of the line died with a subtle click and Sparkle collapsed face first into the bed that sat quietly in the corner of her room. She had a show at the children's hospital tomorrow. A magic act that she hoped would put a smile on all of their sick little faces and brighten their spirits for at least another day. She planned to make sure it was a show they wouldn't forget, and regardless what she'd told her mother over the phone, she did plan to slip in a little of her own unique craft.
Spark had been studying magic for as long as she could remember and stage craft longer then that. Magic was in her blood and it would be a shame NOT to liven up her performance with a little bit of extra 'oopmh.' Besides her, who would realize that a few of the tricks she was showing off was actually REAL magic. The kind that mother's warned about and churches burned people for. Being a magician was the perfect cover for being a real witch and Spark flashed a wicked grin as she sat up on the bed and stretched her limbs to their full reach. Tomorrow was going to be a glorious day.
The wolf licked her pretty, pouty lips and shifted her rump from the bed, reaching over towards her hat rack where she tugged her favorite top hat down and turned it over. She needed something sensational for the finale. Something to end the show that would really knock the kids for a loop! Something incredible that no other magician could EVER hope to reproduce and the kids would remember forever until their dying days! In short; she needed something magical.
Spark dipped a slender set of fingers into the dark depths of her top hat and smiled quietly. Her mother always worried about her use of spell craft, but the woman was brought up on myth and legend. Spark had studied books and trained herself to be a rather advanced witch in the arts of magic. Hell, her room was steeped in the stuff, and she could cast at a whim without a second thought. Magic was in her nature, in her blood, and in her life, and there was nothing that would change that.
Still she paused sheepishly, letting her gaze play into the darkness of the upturned hat in her lap. Her magic was steeped in the nature of shadow. Darkness was her element, which meant that all the spells she weaved had some property of shadow to them-however small it may be. Shadow craft was akin to necromancy, demon summoning, and warlocks- all dark arts, things that were shunned in the use of magic for a reason. She bit her lower lip quietly, casting the thoughts of apprehension from her mind with a shudder. She was positive of her skill, and quite sure of her abilities. No easy task, to be sure, but it was something she could, and would do.
Summoning anything using shadow magic was always something shy of safe, but for the few seconds she needed to do so on stage, it wouldn't be a problem. She dipped her fingers deeper into her hat, contemplating what she'd come up with- something to really startled the kids in the audience, and gasped sharply when a firm set of digits wrapped around her own. She lifted her paw from the hat and let out a blood curdling scream when she saw what had attached itself to her paw.
The music stopped...the room grew cold, and Sparkle's eyes widened to the size of saucers. To her horror, the abomination grasping at her fingers spoke.
"Nice room toots...care to have a look at mine?" It asked. Before Spark could hope to answer, the entity she had pulled from her hat gave a strong yank, and tore the wolf from her feet and into the black, swirling darkness of the void in which she'd summoned. The hat toppled to the ground, rolling quietly on its side, before coming to a slow, wobbling halt. That's where it remained until the police found it a few day's later; after the wolf failed to appear at the hospital, failed to return any calls, and failed to come home at all.