The Princess of the Night watches, wide eyed, as the machine slowly whirs down, having fulfilled it's dark purpose. The egg is nearly as large as her now, completely black, and four curved spikes protrude from its top in the effigy of a crown. A cold blue light glows within, and shadows dance behind the thin surface.

There is a hiss of pressure, and a sharp snapping sound. Another rings out, and another, and another, before cracks show on the egg's surface, leaking the blue gas like moonlit cloud.

"Yes!" The Princess whispers, "Reveal yourself!"

Several large shards of black egg explode outwards, and the Princess if forced to erect a shield to defend herself from the shrapnel, blinding her for a moment. When the smoke clears, and the shield disintegrates, she sees it. A small creature, only a little larger than the average foal, with beautiful black plates running all over it's dragon like body, all the way down to it's split tail. a single white star races over the young form of the newly born being, one of it's three black heads slowly lifts, and chirrups weakly.

For a moment, the Princess is overcome with joy, and tears form in her eyes, before her mouth drops with horror. Suddenly, she realizes that the fledgling lifeform's magic is quickly fading, and has far too little regenerative capacity to keep up with the demand of its mind and body. The creature squawks weakly with pain and alarm, before falling limp, still shrouded by half of its egg.

Immediately the Princess leaps to its side, placing her hooves upon its back, and forcing her magic in to sustain it. But something is still wrong, its body perceives the foreign magic as a threat, and repulses it. The Princess begins to panic, frantically thinking of a way to save the creature with only minutes to spare.

Finally, she decides to do something risky. Taking a piece of the creature's magic forcefully, she multiplies it inside her own body at a rate that surprises even her, before feeding the newly created energy back into the creature. She waits with bated breath... and smiles as the creature's heartbeat becomes stable, and its breathing becomes deep and steady.

"Oh, my child," she whispers, worried, "What have I done?"

The morning started very early for Soul. As the newest member, he was designated to shower and dress first, at nearly the crack of dawn. Most regiments woke up well before down, but most of them had more than twenty-four ponies as their lot. The showers were located at the back of the long barracks that E-5 shared, it was even unisex, which pleased him.

The showers were no different to the rest of the castle in design, made from shades of grey and white blocks of stone, they were about thirty feet long with twenty-five stalls and the left and right hoof sides, leaving enough room for a few sinks and mirrors at the very far end. The stalls were made from much cheaper stuff than the walls, something called "cinderblock", and were terribly cramped. Still, he hadn't really expected luxury when he joined the Guard.

He didn't even need to shower anyway, a quick spell disintegrated the dirt, sweat, and general grime that covered his coat, face, and hooves, another made him smell pleasantly of fresh linen.

He walked down to the mirrors to observe himself, and used it to straighten out his coat, making it flawlessly smooth, rebraiding and styling his mane, and magically polishing his hooves to a mirror shine. His pink eyes shone a little with pride in his appearance, especially after he quickly teleported all of his armor onto himself, every strap, strand, and plate just right.

He walked confidently from the bathroom, silencing the pair of loud metal shoes he wore that he'd received late last night, apparently each one of these did have to be made especially, but they were easy to slip on and tighten down, and it made him feel slightly better about his weaponry. If there was one thing he could count on himself to know how to use, it was good old fashioned metal hooves.

Soul walked past the dozen rows of empty green bunks back to his, treading lightly past his snoring comrades and straightening out his bunk, making it picture perfect. And all this before the next newest, a stallion he'd met yesterday named Pocket Rocket, woke up for his turn. Unfortunately, this left Soul with nothing to do for quite a while but think.

Yeah, maybe I should be still doing some of this stuff by hoof. I won't always have this much magic, and it was then that Soul mentally slapped himself, Idiot! Of course, you should use as little magic as possible!

When he wasn't berating himself for forgetfulness, his stomach was dropping with dread. Lay had gotten so angry yesterday that he blacked himself out drinking before he could tell Soul about Sledge Duty, and none of the others had ever gotten it, they'd just heard stories. Ponies coming back with broken limbs, heavy bags under their eyes, shakes and fatigue, it was said to be reserved for the worst of guards, those who were too hotheaded and needed to learn a lesson before being let back out to keep the peace.

If that was true, then Soul just didn't understand why he'd been given it in general, let alone more than anyone had ever heard of. He thought about taking it up with Larus, but on his first day?

No, I cant cause trouble, that'll only validate him, Soul brooded, stroking his chin, There's really only one option. Do so well at this that no one questions my ability to follow orders again.

As Soul reaffirmed himself, the others were beginning to stir, little devices ringing and screaming at them as they groggily hauled themselves from their beds. Most were too tired to say anything to him, but after about half an hour as they were filtering out of the bathroom, they looked at him with shock and surprise. He made sure to greet everypony with a friendly tone, despite his dark mood.

Lay did not wake up when his little clock yelled at him, and nopony seemed to be inclined to help him, most of them were still shuffling around like zombies, attaching pieces of armor and donning the cloth padding underneath with the speed of a slug herd. So Soul decided to help him.

Walking over to Lay's bunk, he felt a hoof grab him, and he looked over to see a very frumpy and frazzle-haired Marshmallow shaking her head.

"Let him get up on is own time, Soul, it's better for everybody."

Soul just smiled, "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

She looked at him for a few seconds before shrugging, "Alright, do what you want. S'your funeral."

Soul walked to Lay's bedside and placed a hoof on the stallions head. It was easy enough to see the inside muddled by mild Poison, Pain, and Confusion. A greenish brown slurry of molasses-like consistency. In all honesty it was a little disgusting, and, though Soul's stomach rumbled, he refused to eat that.

With a quick yank, and a hot step away from the bed, the brown mixture poured from Lay's mouth faster than vomit ever could, and remained suspended in the air by a ball of starfield energy.

"Bluuurghhh...aaaaAGH!" Lay groaned in pain, and then shot bolt upright, all traces of headache and hangover having been ripped from his body. He looked around, clearly very confused as to why he was both awake and alert, as Soul teleported the vile mixture somewhere over the Everfree.

"Lay, glad to see that you're up!" He said cheerfully, thumping the stallion on the shoulder.

Lay whipped his head back and forth, before his eyes settled on Soul, "What is this black, sorcerous witchcraft?"

Soul laughed heartily, "It's an old soldier's trick for getting over a bad night very quickly. Unicorns are useful for more than fireballs and advanced math, you know."

Lay looked like he was trying to decide whether or not he liked what had just happened, before slowly smiling, his eyes alight with the possible applications of this discovery, "Yeah... I guess they are!"

Soul felt a chill go down his spine, and his smile twisted into a grimace. He didn't even need to turn his head to feel Deavy's eyes digging into him.

"Whoa there Soul," Lay said, drawing the unicorn's attention, "What was with that look?" he sounded concerned.

Soul cocked his head and smiled again, "What look?"

Lay eyed him with a little apprehension, before shaking his head, "You certainly are a mystery, you know that? One minute, I think I've got you pegged, and the next you give a look that could have come straight off the face of Nightmare Moon. Yer eyes narrowed, and your smile... well, it died faster than a sheep in the Dragon Lands!"

Soul laughed it off, "Whatever man, when's breakfast anyway? I'm getting pretty hungry."

Lay didn't look like he wanted to drop that subject, but he relented, "Real soon, in fact you could head down to the Eating Hall right now if you want, you'd be a little early though."

"No, I'll be alright waiting here a bit," Soul said. The last thing he wanted was more time alone.

Once everypony had showered and struggled mightily with equipping all of their gear, often with the help of a friend, they all sauntered out of the barracks to go grab lunch.

"Okay, so what exactly is Sledge Duty? You never got to that part before you drank two bottles of Rocket's smuggled whiskey and then started rambling about politics," Soul asked Lay as they left the room.

"Wait, I started talking politics?" Lay asked, sounding worried.

"Uh... yeah?" Soul answered uncertainly.

"What did I say? About who?" Lay asked.

"I don't know, man, you just went off on how the system's bottom heavy, and you want to get paid more, and you want more off days, is that really important right now?"

Lay sighed in relief, "You've got no idea man, you slip up and insult a superior, they will hear about it, one way or another."

"And, you were worried that you'd mouthed off about Larus because he gave me a week of double Sledge Duty," Soul concluded.

Lay nodded, "Exactly. But I didn't. So it's fine."

The Eating Hall wasn't too far from E-5. Well it really shouldn't be there was more than one, each one serviced the closest barracks. They shared this one with the guards from E-1 through E-4 as well, but due to E-5's diminutive size, they always got there first.

It was quite a large room, the sheer size of the Royal Palace never ceased to amaze Soul. It was about three stories tall, with high arched windows on one side, almost like a cathedral. It was about a hundred feet long, and only a little less wide, forming a missive rectangle that was packed to the brim with tables and benches. Strange for such a large space to be so empty, the only ones there were E-5 and the kitchen staff who had just finished preparing breakfast, which the guards eagerly piled in to. They had waffles, blueberry muffins, hay bacon, copious amounts of fresh griphon syrup, the works.

Soul felt slightly... uneasy as he went last in the line, and filled his plate with all sorts of goodies that he used to love. He walked over to where the others were sitting, near the left hoof side of the room, and placed himself down next to lay, who was bantering with one of the other stallions. Rocket had pulled out a deck of playing cards, and began attempting to scam the others out of their money. Soul was just focused on his food.

Maybe... maybe this time, it'll be different, Soul picked up a fork, and scooped a mouthful of hot, gooey pancake covered with butter and syrup into his mouth.

Ashes. That's all he could taste. There was a faint sense of something, more of a memory, but it echoed an emptiness inside of him. This wasn't the food he needed. This wasn't the food that would satisfy him.

"You okay Soul?" He looked up and saw Marshmallow looking at him with concern. He gave her his best fake smile.

"Yeah, I'm fine," He made sure the smile reached his eyes, and to show just enough teeth, but not too many. Oftentimes that's what gets you caught. Luckily she bought it, and turned away with her own plate, giving Soul a glimpse of what he really wanted.

Her flank bounced lightly in the golden rays of the sun, plump, warm, inviting. Soul's mouth began to water as he thought of what she might taste like. He picture enrapturing her, squeezing every part of her into his inescapable embrace, sinking his fangs deep into her neck as she cried with joy-

NO! Stop it! Soul shook himself out of his trance, and his stomach rumbled with disapproval.

You shut up, you'll eat what I give you! Soul looked around to make sure nopony noticed him having an argument with his stomach, before making himself consume everything on his plate. And he did it, and he felt ever so slightly less hungry, but it was such a shadow of a difference that he wondered if it really even mattered.

Soul glanced at the sun and saw its position in the sky. Sighing, he stood up from the table, "Hey Lay? Which direction is Sedge Duty? I think I know the way, I remember something about where it was from yesterday, but I just want to be sure."

Lay pointed toward the west end of the castle, "Down that way, about half a mile outside the West Gate. Take care Soul, don't get yourself hurt."

Soul nodded in thanks, and then went to Sledge Duty.

Soul stood over a vast crater that had been dug out of Canterlot Mountain, next to a small wooden shed that served as the "headquarters" of the operation. In the pit, hundreds of ponies went up and down the brutally steep slope, laden heavily with massive bags of either valuable minerals, or chaff. It was mostly chaff.

Soul stepped up to the door of the office and knocked, standing back a little as he heard a, "Just a minute!"

The door opened to reveal a cramped, dirty space, seen over by an overweight orange unicorn, "Oh! Hello there, what's your name?"

Soul stuck out his hoof, which the other stallion shook, "I'm Soul Keeper, Private, 5-E, sent here for Sledge Duty. Although I don't see many sledges."

The fat stallion laughed. His mane was an interesting shade of white, perhaps with just a tinge of yellow, "Don't see any sledges eh? Look down. What do you see?"

Soul did as he was told, "My hooves."

He felt a crack on his head, and slowly looked back up to see the unicorn holding a ruler in his magical grasp, which was the color of orange sherbert, "No, you dolt, it's you! You're the sledge! Your body! Your corporeal form, if you will!"

"Right," Soul muttered as the orange unicorn turned back around to look at some papers on his desk.

"So, Soul, Soul, Soul, ah! Says here that you should report to Sargent Fellow. Right down there," the stallion pointed down to the very bottom of the pit, "at the bottom, in case you were wondering."

Soul nodded, "Is there anything else?"

"Well of course there is! You can't be a sledge without a harness!"

Can't you? Soul wondered as the stallion pulled out what looked to be a saddlebag with large metal hooks attached to it.

"Put this on!" He ordered, and Soul magically fitted it onto his back.

"Oh, so you can use telekinesis! Impressive," The orange unicorn muttered, "Now off with you, get to work!"

Soul didn't respond, and began to trudge his way down the hill. He knew immediately this was going to be Tartarus on Equis.

The slope was so steep that he couldn't even enjoy going down it, he had to watch his step very carefully, doubly so because the ground was mostly made of gravel, which made it much easier to slip and fall. And if somepony fell, chances were they'd fall all the way down. It was also fiendishly hot, and Soul wasn't even at the bottom yet, but the stones here would be in direct sunlight all day every day, making them almost boiling temperature.

Soul felt a sudden shift in his balance, and he was able to See which sections of rock were loose chips, and which places were solid Stone. This helped him keep his balance much easier, and he was able to scramble down the slope quickly, even as he passed others that had started down before him.

Finally, he reached the bottom, dust and sand swirled in the large, flat space, being dug out continuously by what looked to be... convicts? They all wore similar uniforms, but not guard's armor. Oh Celestia the armor, that was going to be absolute buggery in this heat after a while. Hopefully they had at least a few water breaks or something, even though water didn't taste like much anymore.

At the bottom, Soul saw a large grey earth pony standing resolutely behind the miners, watching them with hard green eyes. He was the only one in full armor, so Soul walked up to him.

"Excuse me, sir?" Soul said. He had to shout a little, as the heavy ringing of picks drifted back and forth like cracks of thunder across the pit.

The stallion turned around to look at him, and Soul saluted, "Private Soul Keeper, reporting for duty!"

The stallion nodded to him, "I'm Sargent Fellow, I'll be your superior while you're here in the Pit. Your job, Private, is to carry rocks from that pile," the corporal pointed to a gigantic pile of rocks with sizes ranging from boulders to grains of sand, "and carry it up to there," he gestured to the top of the chasm, on the opposite end of where Soul had come from.

"Of course, sir!" Soul saluted again.

The Sargent raised an eyebrow, "Not going to ask why, Private?"

"Sir, if that information was important, you would have told me!" Soul answered.

The Sargent smiled, and Soul could almost make out a small chuckle, "You'll do alright here Private. You'll find the bags to carry the rocks in over there, don't worry, they're enchanted to bear the load so they won't rip on you. Take as many as you can handle, we're short staffed down here enough as it is, so it's up to you and the others to pick up the slack, now move it!"

"Sir, yes sir!" Soul called out, and walked over to the mountain of rubble. Next to it was, in fact, a much smaller pile of brown sacks, which Soul lifted onto the hooks on his makeshift saddle. He looked around the rock pile, and saw five or six other guards, all of them were earth ponies except for one highly bedraggled pegasus, and all of them had to load the rocks into their bags by hoof. Some, he saw, were being bold, and loading three bags at once, carrying the third in their teeth, but it seemed to throw them off balance as they ascended the slope.

Nodding to himself, Soul measured the space in his bag by opening it as wide as it would go with his magic, and then lifted an amount equal of rocks into both of them, carving a nice little chunk out of the pile, and filling his bags to the brim without overflowing. He turned his head, and began making his way up the slope. It was a few minutes later when he realized something.

I... can't even feel the weight! It was true, what should have been several hundred pounds of stone felt as light as air to him, and he was ascending very quickly due to his ability to locate hoofholds incredibly fast. He was almost at the top already.

If I keep this up, they're sure to let me out of here! He thought with glee, and redoubled his efforts.

He made the climb up and down in ten minutes. Almost a new record, and the best time by far if pegassi were disqualified. On his third trip, he changed the game, and picked up two bags in his mouth, one on each side of his head, and balanced them perfectly. He still maintained his ten minute time, the rocks still felt like nearly nothing. On his sixth trip up and down, he decided that since the majority of the trip was uphill, he could try something else. That time he made the run with six full bags of rocks, two of them were tied off around his throat, pinned to his back by their weight.

He kept up that pace for three hours, before a break was finally called. All of the guards stumbled up to the lip of the Pit, where water was being hoofed out in buckets. Soul's legs were burning, and he'd worked up some good sweat, but he still felt like he could go for a few more hours. Which was good, because the morning shift lasted eight.

While they were all drinking, Soul noticed that he was getting quite a few dirty looks from the other guards, and many of them muttered under their breath while casting glances his way.

Whatever, let them talk. By tomorrow, they'll be over their jealousy.

After his first shift was up, Soul couldn't lie. He was very tired. He'd had to stop carrying the other two bags after the sixth hour, it was just too much strain on his legs. He expected to be very sore tomorrow, but he felt good. Even with the worst that the higher-ups could throw at him on his first day, he could cope.

And so it was around four in the afternoon, with tired limbs, but a full heart, that Soul trudged up the slope that final time to dinner. He'd already missed lunch.

This time, when Soul arrived in the Dining Hall, it was much more of what he expected. The place was alive and raucous with ponies of all shapes and sizes, luckily Soul saw his squad immediately, sitting where they had this morning. It looked like they'd already started to dig in to their meals.

Soul made his way over to them, flashing smiles and greetings all around as he went. He hoped he didn't smell too bad, he should have vacuumed himself off before coming back.

"Hey, look who it is everypony!" Lay called out, before standing and shaking Soul's hoof, "So, how was your first shift of Sledge Duty?"

Soul smiled as he took a seat next to Lay, a few of the others actually scooting down to make room for him.

He nodded in thanks to them, before turning back to Lay, "Well, all in all not too bad. The unicorn at the top's a bit of a prick, didn't even give me his name, just treated me like an infant and sent me down."

Lay chuckled into his water, and then noticed Soul looking down at his food. It looked delicious. Salad and grasses and flowers of all kinds, with a few carrots strewn into the mix for garnish. But Lay misunderstood Soul's longing look, he just thought he wanted food.

"Hey, the line's over there. You'd better hurry, we only get a thirty minute dinner break, and you missed the first ten."

Soul looked over at the dinner line and saw that it was still packed around the room with ponies waiting for food, if he queued now, he'd never make it. Not like getting food did him any good anyway.

"No, I'll... I'll be alright. But, hey, uh, If you wouldn't mind, could you maybe snag me some tomorrow on your plate, cause the line's looking pretty intense," Soul asked.

Lay nodded, "Oh, yeah, sure. You sure you don't want anything?"

Soul shook his head, "Nah I'm... I'm fine, it'll be alright."

Lay nodded slowly, "Alright, well, if you're sure. But don't starve yourself, now! You got a long week ahead of you."

Soul laughed along with him, Oh, Lay, he thought, You have no idea.

The night shift went much the same as the day. Another eight hours of grueling, limb-sapping work. But Soul powered through, same as the day shift, except he got tired quicker this time, his muscles groaned and complained the whole way. However, when he returned to the barracks at half-past midnight, he did so with a confident, albeit tired, smile on his face.

This time, he took a nice long shower, just to feel the cleanliness of the water scrubbing all of the dirt and dust out of his blue coat, even taking the time to brush himself off. He then collapsed gratefully into his bed, where he slept like a stone.

Five hours later, the alarm clocks rang, and the process started again. By the end of the second day, Soul only felt a little more tired than he had the previous. On the third, he was nearly exhausted, and could only carry four bags the whole time. Fourth day was a little better, and the fifth a little better than that. Every day, Lay got him extra food so that Soul could "eat" with the rest of them. And every Day, Soul collapsed in the bed at one to get up at six.

It wasn't all bad, though. As an unintended side-effect, Soul was now incredibly buff. He'd had some muscle before, but a sixteen hour workout lifting two to three times your weight in new and creative ways toned a pony like no other method. Now his muscles were hard and lean, he had almost no fat remaining on his body. His face, which had once been almost cute, was now sharp and defined. He'd overheard several of the mares in the Dining Hall where they though their voices would be drowned out discussing him favorably. However, even this wasn't the blessing it seemed.

With each passing day, the beast inside him grew more and more insistent, and Soul knew he was up against a dying clock. All that muscle, he'd paid for with magic. All the meals he was missing was magic, all the sleep he wasn't getting was magic, gone. An so it was with the turn of each sun that his eyes grew narrower, and his gaze drifted ever more out of line. At first it was reserved simply for Marshmallow, she was the closest, the easiest target. Then it spread wider, thinking wild thoughts about the mares who giggled and whispered at his passing in the halls and in the streets. Then it turned dark.

On the sixth day, in the shower room, Soul had been sluggish in waking up, and so, for a brief moment, he'd been in the showers alone with Rocket. Now Soul didn't have anything against stallions that chose their own side of the fence, he'd just never really considered it himself. But the way that white coat glistened with fresh water... the confusion in those blue eyes... the amount of raw magic flowing like rivers of gold through those veins...

It'd taken Rocket calling him out on staring at him to snap Soul out of it. That evening and night he got made fun of, he'd expected that, but it didn't stop him from noticing something he wished he hadn't. Marshmallow looking slightly worried. That's when he knew he had her around his hoof already, which was both the first and last thing he wanted.

He managed to stave off other outbursts, the next day, though. He reflected on that, his mind a muddle, as he drifted like a phantom towards his bed.

Something tapped him on the shoulder, "Soul? Hey, Soul, buddy, you in there?"

Soul shook his head to clear it, and turned to find Lay smiling, Marshmallow next to him.

"What is it, Lay?" Soul asked, the words dripped from his mouth like molasses, he was so tired.

Lay held up a folder, and raised an eyebrow, "Remember this? You have to turn in your folder at the end of the week, you get a new schedule!"

Soul didn't understand for a moment, his brain felt like it had short circuited, "Wait... wait you mean..."

Lay nodded, broad grin plastered over his brown face, "That I do, buddy, you're done!"

"It's over Soul!" Marshmallow cheered.

Soul stood there for a moment. Just stood. And then he smiled, his heart fluttered a bit, and for the first time in what felt like an eternity, he laughed with joy.

Without delay, they galloped straight down to Corporal Larus' office, and Lay wouldn't shut his trap the whole way there.

"Just think about it, Soul! Regular sleep, free time, not Sledge Duty!"

"I know Lay, I know!" Soul laughed at his friend, "Believe me, I've been thinking about it!"

"Oh, have you?" Marshmallow asked between breaths, "And what were you planning on doing?"

Hopefully, you! The dark side of him chuckled, "Oh, you know... this and that. I guess I haven't thought about it really, but oh well, I'll wing it!"

Finally the trio reached Larus' office, and Soul himself hammered on the door.

"Come in!" Came the voice from inside.

Soul turned to his two friends, and gave them both a big old hug, he noticed one seemed to be enjoying it more than the other.

"Alright, alright, Soul, I know what you're like," Lay said teasingly, "You'll get what you want from my body and never speak to me again!"

"Stop it Lay, he was distracted is all!" Cascade said, slapping him lightly with a hoof as they walked away.

Soul waved goodbye to them, and walked into the room. Funny how much like a time capsule it seemed to be, nothing had changed at all. Not a scrap of paper was moved, not a filing cabinet out of place since one week ago when he'd stood here.

Larus looked up from the paper he was scribbling on, and, seeing the folder in Soul's hoof, gestured him over.

Smiling, Soul handed Larus the envelope, and waited patiently as Larus leafed through it, and then hoofed it back to him. Larus then wrote some things down on his paper. And kept writing. And writing.

"Um, sir?" Soul asked after about five minutes.

Larus looked up, "Yes, Private?"

"I, uh, I need a schedule," Soul said awkwardly.

Larus gesture to the folder in Soul's hooves, "You have it."

Soul smiled a little, "Oh, no sir, this is last... week's..."

In that moment, everything seemed to stop. The room, Soul's breathing, time itself could have been frozen and nopony would have noticed. It could have been that same day a week ago when he'd been handed this folder, when he was full and ready for anything. But it wasn't that day. Soul could tell it by the pain in his legs, by the hunger in his bones, by the taste of blood as he bit down on his tongue with rage.

"You may go, Private, you are dismissed," Larus said, before returning to his paper.

"... yes, sir..." Soul was in a daze as he walked out of that office. A haze had descended on him, he felt... not himself, almost as if he was drifting away.

He didn't answer his friends' questions when he returned to the barracks. Didn't hear Lay's howl of rage as he read the folder, the same folder, again. Didn't see Marshmallow's look of concern. He didn't even know if he was asleep or awake, until the alarm bells rang, and in a haze, Soul stood.

By the end of the second week... things were grim. Soul had stopped going to dinner, and stopped talking to anyone at night. He got up in the morning, worked for sixteen and a half straight hours, and went to bed. It earned him a nickname though. The ponies down in the pit, not the guards, none of them besides him ever stayed longer than a single shift, but the ponies doing public service, they called him the Mule. He would have thought it appropriate, if he was thinking. But he was on a... low-power state, running at minimum capacity. He would realize later that he was closer to dying on the final day of that week than he would be for a while. Because even as his body automated as much as possible, his mind was focused on one thing.

I will not feed off of ponies.

This thought, so he believed, kept him a pony, rather than the monster. But it was on the seventh day of the second week, when everything changed.

Soul was climbing the slope of the Pit, which, thanks in part to his efforts, was a bit deeper than it had been two weeks ago. He knew all of the paths to the top by now, and traveled the fastest one up and down every time, no variation. All that gave him time to do was suffer with the blistering, biting hunger than reached down to the very marrow of his bones. It felt like they were dried up, cracking apart inside of him with every step. His head pounded with pain, and at the same time felt swollen out of proportion. His vision, and his Sight, were blurred and grey, going black every few steps. Every breath he drew in felt like shards of glass piercing his throat, and every rock and pebble underhoof seemed to stab at him like a dagger. It was all he could do two keep moving, and not feed.

And then a sound pierced the veil. A crack, and a scream.

Soul's legs stopped moving, and it took him a few seconds before his head turned too. On the slope, maybe fifty feet away from him, a pegassus had collapsed. It looked like his wings had given out as he tried to fly up to the top, and he'd hit the ground bad, snapping a back leg, twisting it around at a sickening angle. Now, he held on to a loose rock, screaming both in pain, and for aid. But nopony was there except for Soul, the others were already at the top, drinking water, and the pony's cries were muffled by the ringing of the prisoner's picks.

I... I...

Move on. Keep going. Finish shift.

No, I... I need to help.

What? Help? Help with what, I'm weaker than he is!

Have to... have to try...

I'm not doing that, that's a stupid ide-

"GRRRAAAAHH! MOVE DAMMIT!" Soul gurgled out, the first time he'd spoken in a week. His voice was rough, his throat burned, discouraging him even as he said it. His legs shook like trees in a hurricane, and it felt as though he bore mountains on his back as one hoof slid resolutely towards the fallen pegassus.

Oh, the bags, Soul thought detatchedly, and he shrugged off his heavy weights, letting the two he held with a death's grip in his mouth crash onto the hillside with a shooting pain that brought tears to his eyes. Burden thus lifted, Soul scrambled awkwardly across the rock face over to the white stallion. As he approached, he realized that it was actually a mare, one of the first he'd seen out here, and hidden away under the armor, but the feminine lines of her face, even screaming in pain, were unmistakable.

Perhaps... when this is over... I can feed, Soul thought, truly feeling for the first time the hunger that he had been passively shoving away these past weeks, perhaps this time... I can control it.

With much more difficulty than it should have been for him, Soul hoisted the light-framed pegassus off out of the dirt, despite her screams as she struck him and wailed in pain. He knew that she wasn't in her right mind, but still felt a touch of resentment as an iron-shod hoof crashed into his eye.

I'm going to... feel that... in the morning, Soul thought as he began to arduously slog up the slope, this one mare suddenly feeling ten times heavier than the tons of rocks he'd carried up this same route. Eventually she passed out from the pain, and Soul thanked his lucky stars for that.

Is that... it then? All it takes for me to give up is... hunger? He thought bitterly, hoof crunching froward on the gravel.

But if I don't feed, I'm going to die, he thought, and as wretched as my existence is, I don't want to die!

So instead of resisting... what if I... worked with it? Everything he'd read about talents that came from cutie marks all said that resisting them or trying to stop them was a bad idea. He'd ignored the warnings before, but now, with the faint smell of burnt toast in his nostrils as he crossed the lip of the Pit, he wasn't so sure...

His vision blurred for the final time, but he was sure he'd made it to the top.

I did it... I saved her... now I need... food... Soul collapsed just as he reached the edge of the Pit, with shouts and and alarm ringing in his ears.

Beep.... Beep.... Beep...

"Ughhh," Soul clenched his eyes shut tighter against the blasted morning sun, and gasped in pain as his right eye twinged. Hopefully his mother wouldn't wake him up just yet, he felt so very tired...

"... Soul?"

Was that her? It almost sounded like it... but the pitch was off... did they have a new servant?

" ... on, Soul!"

Ugh, so loud, couldn't they see he needed... needed...

Food.

Soul's eyes snapped open, and he let out a a wheezing gasp, followed by a long, rasping cough. Something felt... very strange to him.

"He's alive! He's alive!" A voice he recognized shouted from his right. Marshmallow?

Soul realized why he felt strange, he wasn't hungry. Well, not as hungry, he was still starving for magic, but somehow he'd taken a little in since the pit. Had he fed on somepony? He didn't think so.

"That was never in doubt, Private Cascade. But we are glad to see you awake, Private Keeper," That voice was new to him. It took a lot of effort, but he eventually twisted his neck to face the voices, and opened his eyes. Well, eye, his right one stubbornly refused to move.

He saw, and felt, that he was lying on a quite comfortable white linen bed, in a pristine marble room with high vaulted windows, much like the lunch room. This one bustled with a quiet energy, the sounds of different beeping machines, of shuffling hooves, and furious note-taking. Soul appeared to be in some sort of curtained-off section made out of mint green cloths strung up between white piping. It seemed hasty, but well put together. Beside him was a white nightstand and a monitor connected to several wires on his chest, beeping rhythmically. Marshmallow Cascade was, indeed, bouncing happily next to his bed, her yellow fur shimmering in the sunlight, as well as what looked like Sargent Fellow from the Pit.

Soul immediately attempted a salute, but the Sargent prevented him, "No, soldier, I should be saluting you. You did a great thing today, even as exhausted as you were, saving the life of that young mare."

Soul smiled, "Just doing my job, sir," his voice was raspy and dry, and a look of concern came over the Sargent's face.

"Yes, speaking of that. Your friend here tells me that you've been in the pit for two weeks straight, and stopped eating all this week. Is that true?"

Uh oh, Soul got a sinking feeling that told him he might be in trouble, "Yes sir, it is. But if I could explain, I had double shifts, and the walk to the E Dining Hall from the Pit is so long that I would have been late if I hadn't."

The Sargent blinked and then shook his head violently, "Celestia, boy, I'm not reprimanding you for not eating your vegetables! I want to know who your commanding officer is."

Soul tried to speak, but had to cough for a bit first to clear some of the dust from his lungs, "Corporal," cough , "Larus, sir. 5-E."

The Sargent looked pensive, "5-E... isn't that the advanced unit?"

Soul nodded, and the Sargent turned away.

"Dammit, we can't have our best fighters in this condition!" he turned back to Soul, "Don't worry, son, I'll have a word with your commanding officer, and no need to be worried about being seen as a tattletale, either, word of what you did and what was done to you will get around," he scratched his head under his helmet for a moment before shaking it, "Well, I'm sorry to leave you like this, but I have to get back. I left Tallow in my place, and Celestia knows if he's keeping those convicts in line. Get yourself rested up and in fighting shape. And know that you've done the Guard proud."

He exited though one of the mint curtains, leaving only Soul and Marshmallow together.

I'm not getting a better chance than this, he thought, a little nervous. He'd never tried to feed from anypony, it just always took him over. But now, rather than fighting it, he was going to try and keep it from killing.

Currently the yellow mare was acting a little bashful, head turned to the side and looking at the white tile floor, rubbing a leg absentmindedly with a hoof. Soul noticed that she wasn't wearing her armor, and this time allowed himself to drink her in. Her coat was the color lemon buttercream, and just as smooth, polished to a sparkling shine. It flowed and dipped over her adorable face, down her petite, but still strong shoulders, and her wide hips back to her swishing tail. Her orange curls danced with their own mirth in the sunlight, playfully framing her slight blush. Her brown eyes were warm enough to be melted chocolate, shining with pride, joy, and a little bit of hope. She was... beautiful.

"Hey, Mallow?"

She seemed shocked that he called her by a nickname, and looked up, "Yes?"

He nodded over to his bed, "Come here, quit standing ten feet away like a stranger!"

She blushed and moved up, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"So what was your part in all of this?" Soul asked, watching as she draped her long tail near his hoof over the edge of the bed. He began to play with it, as though he wasn't really thinking about it, while she explained.

"Well, um, I was off-duty today. One of my rare break days, and I heard that one of 5-E had gotten hurt down in the Pit, bad, and I... oh, I just knew it was you!" she sounded upset, pained. Soul gently stroked her back, almost shivering at the soft feeling of her fur, like a downy blanket, "A-and then I... well, I ran to help as soon as I could! When I got there, you were still laying there next to that pegassus you saved," she sounded almost... jealous. Soul moved his right hoof to her upper back, and lightly massaged the area, as his left hoof began brushing from the base of her tail to its end, "After that, I helped carry your to the infirmary, here, and while you were unconscious, the Sargent asked me a few questions," Soul sat up in such a way as not to disturb any of the bed where she was siting, and positioned himself directly behind her, beginning to stroke her mane, playing with its curls, while continuing the slow massage to loosen her up, "He mostly just asked me about your schedule, he remembered seeing you a weird number of times in the Pit, and I let him have a piece of my mind! I told him all about how you'd been worked to death for weeks, not eating, not talking, never even looking my way when I flashed my tail-" she gasped, as if just realizing what she was saying, then slowly turning her head and seeing that Soul was pressed directly against her back, his hooves wrapped in a comforting hug around her barrel.

"Thanks Mallow," he whispered, eyes twinkling with a smile.

"U-uh..." she stammered, "You should be laying down, you're hurt!"

Soul maintained eye contact as he let her slowly push him back down onto the bed, holding her hoof and the small of her back so that she reclined forwards on top of him, her back hooves hanging off the edge of the bed. Their faces were inches apart, her eyes were wide, and her breath shallow.

Soul looked right into her deep brown eyes and said, "I've always noticed you, even when you thought I was gone, you were the one thing I still saw."

His first kiss was soft, testing the waters, a brush across the surface of the lake. Even so, her lips were delicious, softer than a pillow, full, tasting slightly of some sugary treat. For a moment he was worried he'd moved too fast, but then she didn't pull away, so he took control.

Gently sliding his hoof up her foreleg, he pressed just a little harder into the kiss, feeling out the silky rise of her lips with his, and pressing slightly with his hoof on the back of her head. Finally she melted into it with him, wrapping her hooves a much as she could around his shoulders, but he was quite a bit larger than her.

Soul pressed fully into Marshmallow's supple body, delighted at her responsive and submissive tendencies. Rather than attempt to take command, she gladly molded her form to fit his curvature, and rubbed every spot of his body that she touched just right. Soul's other hoof moved just a little farther south, and tweaked the base of her tale, which caused her to let off an adorable squeal.

Finally, Soul relinquished her lips from the kiss, but still held her tight in his grip, "Celestia above," he said with a panting smile, "I've wanted to do that since the day I met you."

Marshmallow also smiled brightly, eyes clouded slightly with a lusty glaze, "I've been waiting for you to take the first step for a while. I don't know what it is about you, Soul, but I could tell that you're not like the other stallions. I could tell you've always wanted... more."

A darker side of Soul laughed internally, Oh, I want more all right, just not the kind that you're expecting.

Already inside of her, Soul could see the seeds of his efforts blossoming. A fresh new wave of magic was beginning to bubble in her center, and the more she consumed of him, the more he could absorb from her.

Soul pressed her into another kiss, which she eagerly returned as they rustled and tumbled on the bed sheets, Soul coming out on top, and pressing his advantage by forcing his body harder into hers. He felt tempted to dismiss the spell concealing his more intimate parts... but decided against it. They were in a public place, and he had barely gotten to know this mare, what if she was a squealer? A test run was in order, but that didn't mean it had to be an unsatisfactory experience.

Though Marshmallow hardly noticed, more of Soul's saliva began to worm its way into her mouth absorbing immediately into her lips, gums, and throat, she didn't even have to swallow it. Soul tousled her orange curls and held her mane tightly with his right hoof, while his left darted down to see what he was working with. He delighted in finding that she was already becoming wet, not quickly, but it was happening. He decided to speed the process along.

"Hey!" Marshmallow whispered as he broke the kiss.

"Mallow?" he asked softly, looking right in her eyes, "Can you stay quiet?"

She nodded surreptitiously, but was quite pleased when he went back to making out roughly with her. She was much more surprised with what happened next.

Soul cast a very small and emotional reader spell that let him know what she was feeling across her body without him having to look around for it specifically, very useful for situations that required very precise control like this one. He then traced a very light magical tongue across her lower lips, which caused her eyes to shoot open, and her mouth twist into a smile under his. The magical field felt like a buzzing sensation, like your leg falling asleep, but gentler, and more focused. He hovered it around the outside over her pussy, keeping her mouth busy with his tongue, while his hooves slowly messaged her back and flank.

When he finally felt confident that he had her dimensions correct, he cranked things up a notch. The vibrating starfield completely enveloped her outer lips, causing her to involuntarily gasp and moan, before she stopped herself with a hoof. Soul moved the kiss from her mouth, which was now busy, to behind her ear, licking and biting it gently, especially near the edges, and he could tell she was really doing all she could to not make a sound.

The vibrations began to gently push inside of her tight pussy, spreading apart the walls just a little bit, about half an inch, Soul wanted to know how deep she went.

Marshmallow's soft moans gradually got higher and higher in pitch as the vibrating sensation deep inside of her sent constant sparks and cracks of lust through her body, and she had to clamp both hooves over her mouth as her lover pleasured her in an entirely new way. She finally lost it as the buzzing tendril hit her cervix. She'd been building slowly for a while, and she could tell she was close by how hard her legs clutched at the beautiful stallion above her, but then it touched one of her deepest recesses and she gave out a long groan as her first low-level orgasm rolled over her like a wave of rumbling thunder.

Soul drew back from his lavishing licks and kiss, and whispered, "I thought you said you could be quiet?" in a teasing manner.

She looked up at him with a little bit of annoyance, before she gasped, and her eyes squeezed shut tight. What was happening in her pussy... she couldn't even really describe it. The vibrations felt like they had moved into the walls themselves, and the experience was so intense that she started to pant for breath as her core tightened harder, and harder, and harder, before releasing the built up pressure, and causing her to flop back on the bed, gasping in relief as the buzzing returned to normal.

"That... that was incredible..." she crooned, looking at him with lustful eyes, "but I feel so guilty, I haven't done anything for you yet!" She giggled at his smirk, and then realized a fact that she had missed, "Um... where is little Soul , anyway?"

Soul smiled, "Hiding, but he'd love to come out and play. But, you have to be quiet!"

She giggled, "Well, if you want me quiet, then maybe I need something in my mouth to stop me talking!"

Soul chuckled as softly as he could, and then dismissed the spell on "little Soul".

Marshmallow's eyes went wide as she came face to face with the steaming head of the shaft. Literally steaming, it was so hot that the air around it steamed slightly. The shaft was solid black, and stretched all the way from below her ribs to her face without showing the medial ring. The flare on this thing was a beast, and she knew she'd over-exaggerated her capabilities by promising to get any of this in her mouth. But sweet Celestia, that color, that texture, that smell! It was almost divine!

Soul shifted his hips forward a bit, he was now sitting with one back leg either side of Marshmallow's silky soft stomach, his balls resting comfortably under her ribs as his shaft twitched and grew, demanding entrance to that warm, wet gate.

Marshmallow giggled, "Is this all for me? My goodness, maybe I'm the one who should have wanted more!"

Soul loved it as her brown eyes looked right at him as her soft pink tongue began to swirl around his sensitive head, and Soul had to hold himself back from groaning in relief as he felt his first sexual stimulation in weeks. Marshmallow soon got to work with her delicate yellow hooves, gently rubbing the thick black shaft as her head bobbed up and down, coating as much as she could comfortably reach with her spit to lube up the organ.

Soul realized that in his enjoyment of the slow tingling sensations, and the low drags of pleasure coming from her wonderful hoof-job, that he'd nearly forgotten about her treatment. A situation which he quickly remedied.

Marshmallow gasped quietly as she felt the low buzzing inside of her begin to expand. From its comfortable half inch, to three quarters, to one and a half, bigger and bigger and bigger it got, and suddenly she felt like the race was on to see who would cum first. Judging from the almost turgid state of Soul's massive cock, she didn't think it would take too much to win, as long as he played fair. It was when she delivered a particularly loving lick across the tip that her tongue came into contact with something that tasted like fulfillment itself. She drew her head back in bewilderment, smacking her lips and swishing whatever it was around her mouth. There was no denying it, it tasted exactly like melting chocolate chip cookies with cold milk while sitting next the a crackling fire on Hearth's Warming Eve, just as she was about to drift off to sleep. It was so beautiful it almost made her cry, and when she looked back at the head of Sou'ls twitching shaft she saw a thick milky white glob of precum, as big as a hacky sack, oozing out of the head. Immediately, she slurped it up, and shivered as the magical taste warmed her entire body immediately, and she knew she was hooked. The magical stimulation, the best tasting cum on Equis, maybe even the biggest dick on Equis... she was going to have a hard time breaking up with this one.

Soul watched happily as Marshmallow eagerly began to gulp down his pre like a common whorse, and was especially delighted as he saw the buildup of his magic inside of her increase rapidly, it was approaching the tipping point now where she'd have more of him inside her than she had herself. This happened often with earth ponies, more so than for pegassi and unicorns, as they used their magic the least. He had to be careful not to overbalance her, or she'd start to become more... in tune with his ideas.

Soul smiled as Marshmallow finally realized that he tasted wonderful, and enjoyed watching the self-professedly hard to get mare unable to help herself and she licked up glob after glob, her flat pink tongue making cute little noises as it flicked off the tip of his dick. He ran his hooves luxuriously through her fur, using the cantact to suck away the excess magic being generated, and feeling a weight he had not known was there being lifted slowly from his shoulders.

"Ohhh... Celestia, yes..." he moaned aloud, and heard Marshmallow giggle.

Yessss.... if it's like this... I can control the burn, and keep her safe, while feeding myself.

It was Soul's turn to shut himself up as Marshmallow did an incredible job of pleasing him without being able to fully blow him. Long licks, copious amounts of kissing, the hoof job, it was all fantastic, and soon Soul felt himself approaching his limit. So he stepped up his game.

Marshmallow had been on a low buzz for a while now, flush with the feeling of constant, heady endorphins rushing back and forth between her ears, when she felt the buzz grow again in size, and now it was getting to be about the size of a real stallion cock. And then it began to move. Marshmallow gasped, and quickly planted her lips straight down onto the monster dick she was sucking to keep from screaming as her hips were slammed back and forth suddenly by the intensifying vibrations of a stallion rutting her from above. She could easily imagine that she was in a threesome right now, her cunt finally getting its well-earned attention as she brought the larger stallion who'd claimed dominance to climax. She could feel it getting close, but it was a race she knew she was going to loose.

Within seconds, Soul felt the reverberating moans travel up his shaft as Marshmallow came hard, her second orgasm today. And he didn't stop either, just kept the magic dick a rollin', he felt fantastic. A beautiful mare under him, and full up on magic. All it took was one last look at Marshmallow's bug brown eyes crossed and fluttering as she came down from her pounding to finally set him off.

"Mally, It's coming, try not to spill too much!" he whispered urgently. It didn't really matter, he could clean the sheets easily, he just wanted to fill up as much as possible, and the more cum she swallowed, the more he'd have.

It appeared that she was still too far gone, as Soul felt the final, fatal twitch, just as his medial ring slipped out of the sheath, it looked like a pulse traveled the length of his cock. With the force of a garden hose, a thick, opaque rope of cum blasted out of Soul's dick, hitting Marshmallow straight in her lolling mouth. At first, he could tell she was about to get mad, until the taste hit her, and she tried to lick up as much as possible. Soul didn't see anymore after that, he screwed his eyes shut tight as his balls clenched hard, and it felt like lightning was flying out of him as his dick twitched and jerked, covering his lover in semen.

After it was over, they were both left panting, and Marshmallow looking slightly full. Soul dismissed the spell in her pussy, which caused her to gasp and sigh, and covered his shaft back up, laying down behind her to cuddle up together. As they lay silent, he drained away the last of what he'd grown inside of her, and it seemed that the process had worn her down quite quickly, as she was making adorable little snoring noises within minutes. He stayed with her until she woke up again, and they left the infirmary together, blushing and holding hooves.

Soul knocked on the oak wood door to Larus' room. He'd gotten back to the dorm, and prepared to sleep, he and "Mally" as he'd dubbed her, giving each other sideways glances across the room, when he'd realized he needed to turn in his schedule. So here he stood, knowing it was probably futile.

He could hear quiet voices from inside, though he could not make up the words. He didn't much care for Larus' affairs at the moment, however, so he knocked on the door with a twinge of satisfaction as the voices ceased.

"One moment, please."

Soul blinked in shock. That sounded like... like...

The door opened, and Soul's heart stopped for a few beats as he laid eyes on the most beautiful pony he'd ever seen. Her coat and wings were as white as the snow-capped peak of Canterlot, her eyes were the shade of a field of lavender as the sun crested the hills in the east, and her mane... dear sweet... well, her, her main was a bucking rainbow!

Soul stood stock still and speechless, face to face with Celestia, Protector of Equestria, Princess of the Sun, sister to the Princess of the Night.

She gave him a warm smile that cut straight to his bones, the light and kindness radiating off of it like a beacon, "You must be Soul Keeper."

He nodded, and then groveled, dropping to all four knees, "M-my Lady, Your Highness! I-I, um-"

His stammering was cut off by a light, tinkling laugh, "There's no need for all that,"

And then Princess Celestia actually touched him, and Soul could have sworn he was seeing stars as she lifted him up from the ground.

He stared into her magenta eyes, unconsciously raising his right hoof into a salute as she spoke.

"I was just having a word with your superior, but I wish to speak with you as well."

Actually, I'm a little busy, I'm afraid we'll have to reschedule, the un-stupefied part of him snarked, "Y-yes! Of course, Princess, anything! Anytime, anywhere!"

She steeped out of the office, and closed the door behind her, "Then how about here and now?"

There was a very, very small part of Soul that felt incredibly uneasy about this situation, but most of him was flabbergasted beyond refusal, "Of, course, Your Highness. What is it you wish to speak with me about?"

How did her mane billow like that? The air in this hall was as stale as the lunchroom's ginger snaps! But it did seem to lighten just with the Princess' mere presence.

She smiled again, gracefully brushing back her mane with a hoof, "Your act of bravery and sacrifice today has not gone unnoticed, young one. In one week, you will be presented with a medal for your good deeds. And under such adverse circumstances...." she looked upset slightly as she said those last words, "You make all the Guard proud to have you, Soul Keeper. And I hope to see you go far in its service."

And with that... she just walked away. He stood there, jaw agape, for some time, before shouting after her, "Um... thank you, Princess! I'll do my best!"

All she did was turn her head and smile, before disappearing around a corner. Soul needed more time than he had to process what had just happened. What it could mean, how it could affect him, what she may have seen in him, all these questions swirled around and around, until a deeper resolve clamped down on them.

Now is not the time to loose your cool. We must face Larus a united front, or he will use his no doubt quite livid anger to throw us off our game, Soul straightened up, and shoved all thoughts of his future aside, focusing on what he was about to do. He walked solidly into Larus' office, and was surprised to find the stallion flustered.

Strands of Larus' blonde mane hung limp over his face, his grey eyes seemed far away as he stared at his desk, even his wings seemed to be pulled back in a white shroud around his body, as if shielding himself.

"Sir?" Soul said with respectful coldness, "I've come to deliver my schedule for next week."

Larus didn't move for a while, and the he looked up at Soul. Maintaining unblinking eye contact, the harsh stallion reached under his desk, took out a bottle of what looked like brandy, and took a large swig, before replacing it.

"Yes," Larus straightened himself up, and in seconds went back to being the sharp, dangerous man Soul knew, "I expect you are."

Soul plopped the folder he was carrying onto Larus' desk, and the stallion didn't even look at it before handing Soul his new one.

Not a word was exchanged, and Soul turned to leave the office.

"I suppose it was foolish of me," Larus whispered as Soul was leaving, more than likely unaware that Soul could hear him perfectly fine, "To try and fight back in my own, small way. But no. It seems he was right. It will always be futile."

Soul left without saying anything, to go back to his friends and more, while Larus slowly drank and brooded.

Author's Note

Soul has escaped the clutches of the dreaded Pit, and earned the respect of his fellows. He has also found a new lover in Marshmallow Cascade, though their relationship is forbidden. But what will the future hold for Soul? How will he deal with the rigors to come? And why was Celestia herself there to speak on his behalf? Find out, next time.