Soul Keeper never wished to be so grievously injured ever again. Why? It was not the pain, nor the fatigue, nor the ghastly hospital food. It was the waiting.

The day after Hallow's visit, Soul Keeper's body was pretty much in fighting shape. All of the gashes and cuts had healed over, his neck muscles had soothed and strengthened, the only thing he felt off about was that strange sense of emptiness he'd had since the fight. But, despite his protests to the contrary, the doctors and nurses in the castle infirmary proclaimed that he needed at least two weeks of bed rest.

"Two weeks?!" Soul asked incredulously, his jaw dropping with indignation. In two weeks time, who knows what could happen? There could be a development in the case, one of the princesses could be in danger, Tartarus, what were they thinking?

The doctor pony, a very lovely brown mare with sharp glasses and a sharper intellect, flipped through the notes on her clipboard, scanning them with her amber eyes, running her other hoof through her chocolate colored, curly mane, "It says here, Mr. Keeper, that you were stabbed four times in the back, twice in the side, and suffered severe muscle damage to your neck. Is that correct?"

"Yes," he mumbled, giving her the side eye.

She shook her head and looked at him, "I agree that your healing process seems to be taking place in a dramatically shorter timeframe than most, but you have to understand. Usually when a guard suffers injuries like these, they are retired from duty. Especially when one of the blows hits a kidney, as in your case. I have never, in all my years of work, seen anypony make a recovery from this kind of damage. So believe me, Mr. Keeper, when I tell you that a minimum two week's bed rest, is an insanely short time for you to be bedridden."

Soul's stomach picked the intervening silence to growl loudly. Healing him so quickly had taken a lot of energy, and Soul was starting to become worried. He didn't know how soon he'd be allowed visitors, and he needed Marshmallow to give him a source of proper sustenance.

The doctor pony raised an eyebrow, "I'll get you something to eat, but please, attempt to relax at least. We still don't know exactly what's going on inside of you, why your body is behaving the way it is."

He sighed, and leaned back in the white linen bed, heart monitor beeping softly beside him, "... when do you think I'll be allowed visitors?"

She narrowed her eyes, looking as though she wanted to repeat her "you should be dead" spiel, but luckily she refrained, and sighed, "Perhaps... if you show good improvement, perhaps, within the week. But if anything odd or untoward happens at all, you will receive no visits until I have cleared you to leave this space, understood?"

He nodded politely, and that seemed to placate her. She walked off to get him some gruel. He found himself staring at her bouncing flank as she walked. Though she was thin, her smooth brown haunches still were larger than any one would see in the guard, clearly she didn't get an exorbitant amount of exercise being stuck here all day. Her dark chocolate tail was bound in the modern style, outwards and just a little up, quite a bold move for a doctor to take.

Well... he mused thoughtfully as she left the room, if I can't get visitors, I won't be able to heal myself as effectively... no, no, I couldn't do that to Marshmallow. Even though it's not exactly like she was saving herself for marriage before we... well, all she did was suck me off. We're not exactly engaged, we haven't even talked that much. Why did she even do that, anyway?

Soul shook away the his thoughts and reclined in his bed, staring up at the large, arched windows that lined the walls opposite him, and the tall vaulted ceilings. All in all, as rooms went, it wasn't the worst one to spend several weeks confined in. At least it wasn't tiny, and there weren't many grave cases here, so the room smelled largely of cleaning products and antiseptic.

The doctor returned with a plate of white and brown sludge within minutes, and he took the plate from her gratefully, though he was loathe to put any of the filth into his mouth, "Thank you, doctor. What is your full name, by the way? You never said."

The doctor blinked, "Oh! My apologies, I have... a lot on my mind," Soul could have sworn she glanced at his muscled forelegs as she said that, "I am Dr. Halifax Quintex, a pleasure to meet you."

She held out her hoof for a shake, and Soul grasped it, kissing it gently, "Soul Keeper, and the pleasure is most assuredly mine, Doctor Halifax."

When he looked up he saw her blushing, and she adorably pushed her glasses back up onto her nose as they started to slide down, "Y-yes, well, um, I should be gong now. Lots of patients to tend to..." It was always so funny to Soul how flustered mares became after he showed direct interest in them, despite most previous feelings.

I noticed that with Hallow too, he thought with a slight frown, I wonder what's happening. Can I control it? Or is it just... natural? Soul released the good doctor's hoof, and she quickly slipped away. He watched her flank jiggle again as her hips swayed from side to side, he could almost catch a glimpse of her cutey mark underneath her white lab coat, and he also saw her tail twitch ever so slightly. Almost as if she could feel his eyes appreciating her, she looked around at him to see if he was watching. He waved with a wink and a smile, before closing his eyes and laying back against his pillow.

He heard quick steps approaching, and cracked an eye open to find a hoof pointed into his face, "Now listen here, Private," she said sternly, her face in a cute little pout, "There'll be no funny business in my infirmary, alright? If I find out that you're sneaking around, looking at things or ponies you shouldn't be, you'll be out on your ear the second you can stand, capiche?"

He locked eyes with her, and softly lowered her hoof to his lap, she seemed caught off guard by the tenderness of his touch, "Why, of course, Doctor. I would never do anything that another pony didn't want."

He added extra emphasis to the last word, and the implication was clear. Her tan face lit up red faster than the leaves turning in autumn, and she pulled back, nodding sharply, "Good!"

With that she stalked out without glancing back, he was watching her, though. And her tail's twitching didn't lie.

The next morning started quite a bit differently, and not in a bad way. He was fed again, the same grayish slop unfortunately, before he was greeted by a friendly face.

"Hallow!" He smiled cheerfully to the light blue mare that followed Doctor Halifax into the room, "Wonderful to see you! I thought you said I wouldn't be allowed visitors for at least a week, doctor?"

Halifax glanced between Soul and Hallow, before the unicorn stepped up, "I believe you have me mistaken, Private, my name is Above Board, and I'm here to inspect you for any unhealthy magical residue."

Soul was sure to keep any hint of a smile off of his face, but it was so hard. Mainlander pony names could be straightforward at times, but... Above Board?

"Of course Miss... Board. Care to explain?"

Soul saw the doctor's eyes narrow at how readily he'd accepted Hallow's statement.

Damn, he thought, perhaps I should have played it up for longer. Oh well.

Hallow nodded, Soul noticed she was speaking differently, not that it did anything to hide her dashing looks, "Of course. Doctor Quintex here feels that your healing process is unnaturally, and even dangerously, fast. I am here to scan you and assure her that you are alright, or get you to the Cleaning Bay and scrub any magical toxins you may have out of your system."

The "Cleaning Bay" certainly did not sound like anywhere that Soul would want to go, and he hoped desperately that his... affliction wouldn't show up in their scans, "Um... of course. Go right ahead."

Hallow nodded, and a cold blue light began to shine on the very tip of her horn, making Soul shiver.

What would happen to me if they did find out? Soul's mind worried, unbidden, They would probably send me to this Cleaning Bay place and try to fix me. Could they? Or would it kill me? Or would they kill me? It doesn't seem unlikely, considering I've murdered-

"Hmm," Hallow mumbled, bringing Soul's frantic thoughts to a halt. She turned to the brown earth mare, "Doctor, may I have a word with Private Keeper alone, please?"

Halifax looked strangely... jealous? Yes, her eyes narrowed, not at Soul, but at Hallow, and golden flashes of Greed cracked like lightning from one side of her head to another, "I am his physician, Battlemage. Whatever is said to him, needs to be said in front of me."

Hallow gave her a flat stare, and said nothing. The silence dragged on uncomfortably long, neither mare willing to budge. Soul reckoned that if he didn't say anything, Halifax would eventually lose, best to expedite the process.

"Halifax?" the mare started, looking at him strangely as he called her by her first name, "Please, if it's bad news I... I wouldn't mind some privacy. If it's truly important, I promise to tell you after, okay?" He put as much trembling, putting on a brave face, worry as he had into that sentence. Currently, he had more than enough, the emotion was almost genuine.

The doctor wavered, looking back and forth between Hallow's stern expression, and Soul's pleading one, before sighing and throwing up her hooves, "Fine, but I want a detailed explanation of what's going on when I get back here, Soul," and she stomped away immediately, flicking her mane in an irritated manner.

Huh, he thought, she returned my gesture. He didn't know how to feel about that.

Hallow grinned wide, and thumped him on the back, which made him hiss in pain.

She winced and drew back, "Sorry! I forgot that you were... well, as you are. You definitely look almost well enough to leave."

Soul groaned and laid back, "I know, that's what I've been telling Quintex, but she won't listen."

Hallow nodded, and then raised an eyebrow with a smirk, "So... Halifax, huh? Nice going, rookie."

He waved her off, "We've known each other for less than a day, it's not going anywhere."

Hallow laughed, a rugged but pleasant sound, "Sure, sure, you may not think so, but I know the look of a hungry mare when I see one."

So do I, Soul thought as Hallow covered her own avarice with humor, "Anyway, Hallow, what did you want?"

She looked at him with curiosity, "And that's another thing, how did you know it was me?"

Soul cocked his head, "What do you mean? I still remember you, I didn't take any blows to the head. At least... none that I remember."

Hallow poked at her face, "Soul, I'm wearing a disguise spell, how did you see through it?"

She is? Upon closer inspection, Soul did notice faint lines of magic circling Hallow like a mummy's bandages. It was fantastically hidden, probably designed for use against magic detection spells, it was so faint even Soul had missed it!

"Oh, erm... just the way you were walking," he didn't know why, but he got the feeling that revealing his ability right now, and specifically to this kind of pony, probably wasn't the greatest idea on Equis.

She raised an eyebrow, "Walking?"

He nodded, but felt strangely... lacking. Where had his confidence gone? His cold surety? He'd felt its absence since the battle. His neck still twinged thinking about it. It seemed that dodging that knife had cost much more than it appeared, "Yes, you have a very specific gait," it was weak, but it would do. It wasn't like she would torture him for the information, of that he could be certain. Better to let a useful stallion keep his secrets, than lose him forever.

Hallow nodded slowly, "Okay, I'll bite for now, but I'll want a real answer someday."

Soul nodded, "Someday. Sorry Hallow, since the battle I feel..."

She placed a hoof on his shoulder, like a mentor would their pupil, "Hey, it's okay to be a little shaken up, I get it. Killing ponies, it's never easy, but you did the right thing."

Uh huh, Soul thought sardonically. She really didn't know as much as she pretended, did she?

She let go of him, and shuffled backward awkwardly, as she'd gotten too close. It made Soul smile to see her off-guard like that.

"So, um," she mumbled, "Uh, well. I came to talk to you about the aftermath, actually. You know how I said that the Princesses wished to express their gratitude?"

Soul nodded, wondering what honorific he'd be given. They might even name him Head Private. Hooray.

Hallow grinned, "Well, never let it be said that they don't pay their debts. They thought, from the reports, that you'd been taken out of action permanently, so you've got quite the sizable anonymous reward package waiting for you when you get out. And then when they heard that, not only were you on the mend, but you'd practically demanded to get back out there and finish the job yourself... well, that helped things along even more."

Soul was fairly certain those words had never come out of his muzzle, and Hallow seemed mighty pleased with herself. Still, as the old saying went, don't look for crops on borrowed land, "I thought you said there was no reward?"

She shook her head, "I said there was no award. Awards and rewards are very different things. And it's been handled so that, if those masked ponies do have more members out there, which we're starting to believe is likely based on how the others still won't crack, that it would be near impossible to track."

Well, that was good news. He could use some extra money, but the real sweet part of this was the favor it gained him with both of the Princesses. When promotions rolled around, Soul was fairly certain he'd be advanced to corporal. Hopefully. Probably. He still wasn't entirely sure how that worked yet.

He smiled wide at the blue unicorn ,"Well thanks Hallow! That's very kind of you, I almost feel like... you deserve some kind of reward too! Could you think of anything you want that I could give you?"

Soul decided to test his theory, and shifted himself into a more demure posture on the hospital bed. Sure enough, Hallow's eyes flashed down the sheets that covered him up with alacrity, but not enough to avoid his notice, "Oh... no, nothing at all, Soul. You've earned it, I just... helped get it moving."

Soul nodded, and withdrew, "Well, if you every think of something let me know and... we'll see. So, what did you find out in your scan?"

Hallow blinked, and then remembered what he was talking about, "Oh, that? Your magic reserves are a little low, but that's to be expected from the stress you were put under just two days ago. Honestly, I'm surprised they've recovered even to where they are now. You're a remarkable stallion, Soul Keeper."

"Much like yourself," he responded naturally, feeling a flare of the old self-assuredness wash over him, "Well, I'm glad to know there's nothing wrong with me. The Cleaning Bay did not appeal to me in the slightest, it needs a different name."

Hallow shrugged, "It's named for its purpose, calling it anything else would just confuse ponies. And yes, there's definitely nothing wrong that I could find. Of course, I didn't really give you a full rundown of diagnostics, I just made sure there was nothing malicious. I could do a full sweep if you need."

"Only if you're willing to do a physical," he said with a smirk, which actually caused her to blush a small bit.

"Ha-ha, good one. But highly inappropriate due to our difference in rank, Private. Anyway, if you've got time for jokes, then I have time to be doing more important things," she turned to leave, "Goodbye Soul, it was nice catching up. Oh, and tell doctor Quintex none of this, she doesn't have the clearance for it."

Do I have the clearance for this? Soul briefly wondered, "Goodbye Above Board!" he yelled, chuckling as he saw her flinch. Clearly she had not had influence over the code name she was given.

The doctor marched straight back into the room very soon after, walking to Soul with an expectant look on her face, "Well?"

"Yes, I hope so," he said, looking out the window and saying nothing more.

"Soul Keeper, you promised you would tell me what was said," Halifax was beginning to sound irate, and Soul noticed how cute she looked when she was miffed. Her little nose scrunched up, which pressed her glasses against her faintly freckled face.

"I said I'd tell you if it was anything important," she looked like she had a smart reply for that, but he cut her off, "But, fine. If you must know there were some... anomalies."

Her ears flattened, "I knew it! Nopony heals that fast naturally! That whorse lied to me!" Her eyes went wide, and she clamped a hoof over her mouth, looking incredibly shocked. Then her face turned mortified, "I am so, so sorry! I have no idea what came over me that caused me to make such a... rude and unprofessional comment!" The poor mare actually seemed distraught.

He nodded, "Yeah, it seems unlike you. It's okay, I forgive you Hally, I promise I won't tell anypony."

She quirked her head at the name, but apparently didn't feel in the mood to correct or question him, "Thank you, so much. I can't tell you what a stain it would be on my record if it ever got out that I lost my temper in front of my patient, especially one as injured as you. So, what was wrong?" she asked urgently.

He shrugged, "Nothing major, just that my magic levels were lower than where they should be, with all of the food you're giving me. She said something about my metabolism needing "more from the source"."

The doctor's brow was furrowed, and she put a hoof up to tap on her chin, "From the source? Hmm... I don't know what that could mean."

He sighed, drawing her attention, and looked sheepish, "It's... magical terminology. Well, a euphemism is a better word for it."

This was, frankly, a ludicrous claim that a trained professional should immediately have called him out on. However, there was more to this than getting into a sexy doctor's pants-

I also need the food! he was quick to correct himself.

He also wanted to test a theory. It had started with Marshmallow... no, even before that there had been Cath and Ring. Mares acted strangely around him. A few of the guys around the barracks had pointed it out, but he'd ignored them, thinking they were just jealous. However, Marshmallow, Hallow, and now Doctor Halifax? Three very attractive mares, all of whom should have had copious amounts of experience before he showed up, blushing and glancing away like schoolfillies at him? He may have been somewhat vain, but even he wasn't so narcissistic as to believe it was his charm and good looks. Something else was going on here, probably. He didn't know for sure. And if he could get lai- obtain valuable food while testing his theory, then so what?

Halifax tilted her head, and narrowed her eyes, and Soul waited for the yelling to start, "... Euphemism? For what?"

I... cannot... believe, he took a breath, It's not conclusive, she could just be thinking that it really is a unicorn doctor term she hasn't heard about. They don't get many in here, after all, he remembered.

"Well, uh," he covered up his uncertainty by posing it as embarrassment, "You see... unicorns, when they're born- well, when they're conceived, have no magic. They get it from their mother, even if the mom isn't a unicorn, she still has a magic reserve, right?"

Halifax nodded along, very intent on his words.

"So... that's what "from the source" means," he stopped, waving his hoof in a "you know what I mean?" gesture.

The doctor took a few seconds, but eventually she gasped, and her face roared with crimson.

Soul chuckled at her embarrassment, "I think you understand. I think she was joking, and just telling me I need to get laid. But actually, studies have shown that sex really does help unicorns recover magic at a significantly increased rate."

Quintex, trying to cover her blush, asked, "Really?"

Soul nodded, "Yeah! Nopony has gone so far into why it does, so a common joke amongst us is that we're getting it "from the source"," he had pulled 100% of that information directly from his ass, and if she ever bothered to ask anypony about it, she would immediately find out he was lying. To him, it should have been obvious anyway, but from the look on her face she was totally buying the story.

It's still not absolutely beyond a shadow of a doubt, but something is definitely going on here, he mused as she composed herself.

"Well... I don't, um..." she stuttered, very unlike her, Soul noted, how to raise the tension?

"I'd rather not talk about it right now, if that's okay doc," he said sheepishly, drawing her attention away, "It's... it's probably nothing, i'll be right as rain in a few days, you'll see."

She snorted, haughty smirk regained, "I highly doubt that Soul. Again, I'm surprised you're awake. You should probably still be in shock at this point."

A loud beeping noise sounded elsewhere in the room, and Halifax quickly bid him goodbye. He pretended not to notice as she glanced back at him, thoughtful expression on her face.

"So what is that you're reading," Halifax's clear voice disturbed, Soul's concentration.

He turned to her, slightly sluggish, "Hm?"

The doctor had set up a white chair next to his bed, and was sitting, back legs fetchingly crossed, with a clipboard in hoof, though she didn't seem too intent on taking notes.

He glanced at the title of the book in his hooves. He hadn't actually been reading it. It was strange, whenever he wasn't actively concentrating on something, he just sort of... stopped. Drifted off, like a puppet with its strings cut, unfocused. He could do it for hours, too. And all the while he felt nothing but a vague sense of emptiness, like something was missing inside of him. Or, not missing, but-

"Soul?" Halifax's brow furrowed, he'd been too slow to respond.

He shook his head, "Sorry, I'm... just tired."

Her frown deepened, looking at her board "You slept all night, one of the orderlies had to wake you up for breakfast. Are you feeling any excess fatigue?"

He smiled slightly, "It's sweet that you pay so much attention to me, it's not even that creepy."

She looked at him flatly, "Answer the question, Soul."

So cold, almost hostile. Nowhere near her attitude yesterday. Still calling me by my first name, though, the smile remained plastered to his face, "No, I'm not experiencing any excess fatigue, doctor. Not the physical kind, at least."

She sighed, "Stop playing word games with me, Soul, what are and aren't you feeling, compared to yesterday?"

His eyes narrowed, "... this isn't really about me, is it?"

"What?" she said, almost sounding startled.

Yes, he could See it now... this was a front. Something much deeper was troubling her, something near fundamental.

He shifted in bed, swinging his back legs over the side, which earned him another frown, and covering his more intimate parts with the thin cotton blanket, which earned him a deeper frown and a very slight blush, "So, what's wrong with you compared to yesterday, doctor?"

She opened and closed her mouth, Soul's mind couldn't help but wander a little to better things those tight brown lips could be doing, before sighing and rubbing her forehead, "It's... it's nothing," she seemed confused, and even dissatisfied with that answer.

"No," he drawled, noticing how she no longer looked directly at him, "It's definitely something. Come on, you can tell me. I'll swear, on my word of honor, to hold it a secret until the end of time," he raised one hoof, and put the other over his heart. The blanket covering his crotch slipped just a little, and her eyes darted to it, before snapping away angrily.

Ahhh, he thought, satisfied, So that's what it is.

Now that he knew what to look for, Soul could see the Lust in her, but what surprised him was how deeply it was buried. Usually it ran quite close to the surface, sometimes even in the second layer, if the pony in question was particularly unguarded with their emotions. But Quintex was clearly a mare of restraint, perhaps even chastity. Her Lust was buried deep, struggling to burst forth, hemmed in by force of will.

"R-really, I'm fine. Let's... talk about other things, shall we?" She said, looking uncomfortable.

"Alright, if you're sure," Soul backed off, intentionally sounding concerned, and looking worried. He patted her on the hoof, "But if it's anything I can help with, let me know, okay? It'd be the least I could do for you putting up with me."

She blushed again, and quickly moved her hoof away.

Soul drew back, contemplative. They sat in silence for a few seconds, as Soul tried to piece together her reactions into a clearer picture, "So, Halifax... where are you from?" He said it awkwardly, but she seemed grateful for the escape regardless.

"Oh! I'm actually from Canterlot originally."

"Really?" Soul mused, "I'm from out east, near the Dragon Lands."

"Seriously?" she asked, "What was it like there? How did you... survive? If you don't mind me being frank."

He chuckled, "I don't most ponies here think of the Dragon Lands as a constantly burning pit, akin to Tartarus. And... well, you wouldn't exactly be wrong," this merited a chuckle from Quintex, "but it's not as bad as its made out to be. My family has lived there for generations."

She cocked her head, "The Keepers?"

He nodded, "Yes, for a few hundred years, at least. Handing down the old homestead, rebuilding it after a dragon attack or bandit raid, and carrying on."

A throb let loose in his heart as he remembered the place. His Mother smiling, training with Father...

No, he quelled the emotions as they rose to the surface, don't think about it, keep talking.

"... for certain."

"What was that?" he asked.

"I said that I know I've heard that name recently for certain. I can't remember where though," her lashes fluttered as she tilted her head in remembrance. It was really quite cute, seeing her curious, and not angry, flustered, or worried, "Actually, I think I remember reading about them."

A cold spark ticked in Soul's heart, "Oh... really?"

She nodded, "Yes... Celestia above, your family's ancient!" she said happily, "They must date back all the way to... Night... mare..."

She slowed to a stop as she noticed his increasingly thunderous look, and winced slightly, "Sorry, did I say something?"

He sighed, and rubbed his face, "It's not your fault. It's something I've dealt with my whole life."

"What is?" she wasn't accusatory or rude, just curious.

"It's just that..." Soul tried his best not to sound petulant, "That's all my family's ever remembered for. Yes, a thousand years ago, we supported Nightmare Moon. A few noble families did, we're just the only one that survived..." he left out the part that the only reason they had survived at all was because they scattered to places like the Dragon Lands, and the Night Swamp, like rats fleeing a sinking ship, "Ponies forget the deeds we did before and after, because none of them were ever important enough to the kingdom, I suppose."

He was surprised to find a tender touch on his shoulder, and looked over at Halifax's smooth features, "Well, I know one Keeper that is attracting the kingdom's attention, in a good way," she looked left and right before leaning in and whispering, "I finally did enough snooping to figure out what happened that night. You and those ponies are heroes, Soul. Ponies don't have to talk about it for it to be the truth."

His heart slowly warmed, and he gave a genuine smile, "Thanks, Hally, that means a lot to me."

She smiled back, pulling away, and then frowned a little, "Not sure what I think of that."

He cocked an eyebrow, "The nickname?"

She nodded, "Yeah... the only ponies who've called me Hally have been bullies."

He was surprised, "Who would bully a mare like you? Strong, intelligent, determined, ambitious, those are all fantastic qualities!"

She blushed, "Well, when you grow up in an earth pony family, with earth pony friends... well, look, the "earth pony farmer" stereotype exists for a reason. My childhood was basically spent surrounded by farm talk. Now, my parents didn't work the farms themselves, they pay others to work several tracts of land for them, but still it was all anypony would talk about. So, when their daughter starts going to the Canterlot Library, and flipping through anatomy textbooks..." she trailed off.

"So they weren't very supportive," Soul gently prodded.

She shook her head, "Oh no, my parents were. Oh sure, they were a little disappointed that I didn't want to go into the family business, but I already had three brothers who did. No, it was my "friends" and schoolmates that were the worst," she sounded bitter too, and Soul noticed she wasn't really looking at him anymore.

He patted her hoof, drawing her attention, "Well, hey, you sure showed them, huh? Royal physician ain't half bad."

She looked at him, and then smiled, "No... no I guess it's not," she leaned back into her chair, getting more comfortable, "Most of the time I don't feel like a royal physician, though. Do you know how difficult it is for an immortal princess- pardon, two immortal princesses to get sick?"

He raised an eyebrow, "Very?"

She huffed, "Try once every couple of decades. Apparently I was considered lucky, because I got to treat Princess Luna with a few others after they brought her back to the castle. Turns out a thousand years of being in space prison isn't healthy for the lungs. Go figure," she shook her head, "honestly, I'm sometimes surprised that regular pony medicine even has an effect on those two, they can survive such bizarre scenarios."

I... feel like I'm missing something here, Soul thought suddenly. He was enjoying the conversation, but something was nagging at him. That hole inside of him was pulling, ever so gently, on his mind. He brushed it off, and returned to Halifax.

"... why all houses should be burned."

"What?" Soul said. That had taken a turn, what had he missed?

The doctor actually giggled, and it was super squeaky and adorable too, "Just testing you, I saw your eyes glaze over."

He laughed, "Yeah, sorry about that..."

She grew concerned, "Is everything okay?"

He nodded, "Yeah. I'm just... hungry."

She cocked her head, "Did you not get breakfast, I thought-"

"No, no, not that kind of hungry," he waved her off, "Don't worry about it. Not important. Hopefully I get out of here before it becomes too big of a problem."

She looked at him strangely, and then something began to hum in her lab coat, "Oh, drat," her brow furrowed and nose scrunched with annoyance, "I have to go..." she looked back, apologetically large orange eyes making his heart melt, "I'll be back tomorrow, alright? And... thanks."

She got up and turned to leave, Soul fully prepared to stare at her ass on the way out, when she turned around, as if having made a decision, "Quin."

"What?" he asked.

She blush, and glanced to the floor, "Quin. That's the nickname my real friends know me by."

He smiled, "Well... I hope I see you soon, Quin."

She smiled, and left the room. As soft and jiggly as ever.

The next few days passed in similar course. Soul and Quin chatted, at first, for about half an hour. But soon their conversations grew longer, they laughed more frequently, sat closer together. They talked about their pasts, their dreams, their mistakes, and their hobbies, though Soul struggled with the last one. Each day that passed, Soul could see the Lust grow inside of his new friend, and could feel the hunger mounting inside himself. Mostly, he found out more about her, and he was almost sure she noticed. Whenever they started to talk about him and his past the conversation would shift, but she didn't push him about it.

After the first week, as promised, he was allowed visitors. He almost jumped for joy, until he found out that any and all visitation would be closely supervised, and no funny business was allowed. Of course Lay and Marshmallow same to see him, and Soul noticed Quin's not-so-subtle frown at how familiar Marshmallow was with him.

Upon his request, Soul was moved to a private hospital room for the final week of recuperation, citing excessive light and noise as the cause. He and Quin both knew he just wanted more alone time with her.

The room they moved him to was nice, it had one, golden, stained glass window, tinted so that no matter what time of day it was it looked like sunset. The walls here were a clinical alabaster, rather than the uniform grey of the rest of the palace, but it had wooden floors, which were a sight for sore eyes. His bed was more homey than a clinic's gurney, though it had all the necessary medical accouterments, and he had a single wooden nightstand to sit things on, which usually served as Quin's table when they would talk.

And after a week and a half of slow building, subtle flirtation, and what he was sure was outright mind magic, he made the move.

"Quin, have I told you yet that you're beautiful?" he asked as she sipped from a glass of apple juice. She promptly sprayed it all over his nice clean sheets, and flashed bright red.

"I'm sorry?" she asked incredulously.

He stood his ground, he was just about done playing games, "You're gorgeous, Quin. I wanted to make sure you knew that."

She put down the glass slowly, her hoof shaking a little, "O-oh, thanks, Soul. Ahem."

He cocked his head, why had she grown so stilted, surely she was accustomed to stallions flirting with her, with the way she was built? With her wits, and fantastic marriage benefits?

"Hey," he said, leaning over, making her shrink away, "We're friends right?"

She hesitated, then nodded, "Yes, yes we are friends, Soul."

He straightened up, "Then I demand, as your friend, to know what the deal is," he folded his front hooves with a hmph.

She struggled for words, and looked around for a minute, trying to find a way to escape, before sighing, "Look, Soul, it's... it's not you, you're a great guy,"

His heart immediately sank, those were the words you never wanted to hear, "You're a lesbian."

She looked at him, bewildered, "What?! Buck no, Soul! Celestia almighty, this is hard, um," she bit her lip, and Soul was genuinely left in the dark. If it wasn't her sexuality, then what was it?

"I have a... thing. Against patients," she finally admitted, "I mean I don't... ugh, it isn't professional, in my opinion, to sleep with a patient. There used to be real laws against it, but they got removed after the last Griffon War, I think. So many injured soldiers fell in love with their nurses and doctors, that forbidding their union seemed... callous. But, I hold it in my personal code," she concluded, and then sighed for a long time. It seemed that a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders, and a tear of relief actually came to her eye as she looked at him.

"Okay..." he began slowly, "Why do you consider it unprofessional?" he had an inkling already, but he wanted to hear her reasoning.

She blushed slightly, "Well... it's just... the way I was raised, I guess."

Soul nodded sagely, "As I thought. As good an answer as any," it seemed to put her more at ease that he agreed with her, "But now I have another question. What if you needed to in order to ensure a patient's health, would you do it?"

She cocked an eyebrow and faced him, "We're talking theoretically here, right?"

He shrugged, noncommittal.

She sighed, rubbing her chin, "Well... theoretically, I would say that it'd be worse if a patient died as a direct result of me not taking a distasteful action to save them, than taking the distasteful action and saving them," she sighed, "but we already know that you're not going to die, Soul, so-"

"Weelll," he said. Was he really doing this? Here, now, to her?

She looked at him flatly, "Soul, if this is an excuse to get under my tale, then it won't-"

His hoof clamped down in a vice grip on her mouth, and she looked at him utterly stunned. His eyes were deadly serious as he whispered, "Quin... you're my friend. A real friend. More than that, you're a doctor. Now I need to know. What I'm about to tell you, I've never, ever, told anypony in my life, understand? And it does not leave this room, is that clear?"

She nodded frantically, and he released her muzzle, which she rubbed softly with a hoof, "Sweet Celestia, Soul, that smarts! You could have just asked me to be quiet!"

He shook his head, "I needed something that got your complete and utter attention, that felt like the best way to do it. Now, are you ready?"

She nodded, instinctively leaning in. Soul sighed, and closed his eyes, "I have... a very, very rare medical condition amongst unicorns. My parents told me about it when I was very little. Most unicorns, you see, they regenerate their magic passively, over time, sleep helps. But me... I don't. In fact, mine drains over time. To make up for this, my magical well that I can draw from his leagues deeper than most other unicorns, but it has a price."

He opened his eyes, and sighed with relief. Hers were serious too, thinking. She believed him, and now she was trying to work out the implications, "I've... heard bout unicorns burning out. Running out of magic and... imploding on themselves, is..." she didn't seem to want to go on.

Soul nodded, "I live under the shadow of that threat every day of my life."

She was quiet, for a time, and then asked, "So... you're just waiting for the day you run out of magic?"

He shook his head, "No. I've... figured out ways to restore it. Namely by draining it from somepony else. It's a harmless process, to both parties, but it requires... physical contact."

She blinked, and held out her hoof, "So go ahead."

He smiled morosely, "Well, you see, it's not that simple. You do have magic inside of you, as you correctly assumed. But as an earth pony, you have the least of all three pony races. And you specifically have even less than most, as you don't work with your natural earth pony strength much."

She nodded, "I see. Well, then let's get you a unicorn-"

"Ah, ah, ah! Let me finish. Firstly, I only perform this process with ponies I trust. Implicitly. So no random unicorn doctors. Fortunately, for both of us, there are ways of increasing your magic exponentially, at minimal cost to myself," he took a deep breath, "You're going through an early heat cycle, aren't you?"

Her jaw dropped, and the snapped shut, she broke eye contact and wrapped her tail around her legs, "Is it... that obvious?"

He shook his head, "No, actually, you're doing a great job of covering it up. It took me a while to spot, and believe me, that's saying something."

She seemed mollified, but still confused, he raised a hoof to forestall questions, "I'm going to be clinical about this, okay? The best way to increase your magic so that I don't die, is through carriers of my magical code, akin to DNA. This includes any piece of my body, really, but bodily fluids are the fastest, and most potent, methods. This includes saliva, blood, urine, and semen. As you may have guessed from my earlier line of questioning, semen is by far and away the most effective method of transferring magical amplification from me to you."

She was taking this all very well, remaining stoic the whole time. He appreciated that.

"Over the course of the last week, you've probably heard me talking about constantly being hungry but not "that kind of hungry"?" she nodded, "This is what I was referring to. A hunger for magic."

She sat still for a while, then asked, "And... you do this... every time you need magic?"

He nodded, somber, "I have to "feed" at least once a week, or I become frail. I do what I have to to survive."

She nodded, "I wasn't questioning your methods, if what you've told me is true then I can't fault them. It's just.."

He turned her head to face him, marveling at the smooth softness of her fur, "What is it?"

She put her hood on his, "f I do this... then I want you to come to me from now on."

He blinked, "Pardon?"

She sat straighter, more affirmed, "If I am going to help you with your condition, I will be the only one to help you with it. Understood?"

There were several problems with this that Soul could see immediately, "What if I'm out of town? What if you're sick? What if I... " he cut himself off, he could already see her nodding.

"Okay, okay, that's a little unreasonable. I just... I really like you Soul, and I've never wanted to be in an open relationship. Not even a herd."

He nodded, "Well then, we'll keep this strictly professional. No emotions involved, purely a medical procedure," he knew that's not what she wanted, he also knew that wouldn't last, not with the way this process worked. But for now, the thought of finally relieving her craving for sex, and keeping her conscience clean pushed her over the edge.

"Alright, professional it is."

Bingo.

"So," she said, nervous but determined, resolved to the course of action she had committed to, "How does this... work? I just... um... get you off?"

He smiled devilishly to himself, and said in a deeper tone, "Well first, you get up here," he patted a spot on his bed that he'd cleared, and Quintex eyed it warily. She climbed up, a little reluctant, but she was too far gone now to turn back.

As she did, Soul finally took in the body he'd snuck tantalizing glimpses at for two weeks. Her downy fur looked so soft that it could be mistaken for downy plumage, her hips and legs were plump in all the right ways, lending a much-appreciated weight as they settled like liquid on the bed. Her expression, those deep, warm eyes so uncertain, afraid, but trusting, and darkly thrilled at the same time, biting one lip as was her nervous habit. It was all just so perfect!

Shoving down the urge to lick his lips, Soul settled next to the doctor, his hips pressing into hers in a heavenly manner, they were like pillows unto themselves! He ran a hoof slowly down her spine, making her grunt lightly, trying not to gasp and give the game away too early. A hoof slipped under her shoulder and stroked her chest, pressing down into her smooth stomach, as his other finally took it's chance to squeeze her soft ass.

Great Celestia above, he silently swore, as his hoof sank into one of the most malleable, yet firm pieces of flesh his touch had ever enjoyed. She grunted again, shifting her hips back into him, a small smile of satisfaction tugging at the corners of her mouth as she kept her eyes shut tight.

Soul couldn't stop squeezing and kneading her delectable flanks as he gently pulled off the lab coat she was wearing with his teeth. She shyly, but obediently, raised her arms for him as he lifted, and as soon as it was tossed to the side he began the work he was known for.

A surprised gasp, caught unawares, jumped from Quin as Soul passionately kissed the back of her neck, nipping at it gently. He assumed a more dominant position, both of his hooves going to her gorgeous rear, as he ground his hips against her unbearably soft legs. His efforts were rewarded as she rolled over slightly onto her stomach, moaning in a very small voice, and he pounced, laying atop her. One hoof firmly glued to her ass, the other snacked around to play teasingly with her beasts, which he'd yet to see.

Do the wonders never cease? He thought, as he discovered that her milky brown tits were large indeed, swollen with milk for the foals she would not yet be having. He smirked, knowing they would be incredibly sensitive once the fun got started. For now, he teased them mercilessly. He flicked, tapped, and prodded here and there, eliciting frustrated squeaks at hints of pleasure that were quickly snapped away before they could set in.

"Soul..." Quin moaned in a peeved manner. He noticed that, in her heat, she'd forgotten to take her glasses off. She looked far, far sexier like that than she probably did without them.

Soul gave one last vigorous assault on her nape, rear, and teats, before he gently turned her over in the bed.

Finally, curious, she opened her dazzling amber eyes, chocolate hair frazzled, creamy dark fur beginning to slick with sweat, panting. Beautiful.

"How do you feel about length and girth?" He asked, sitting astride her midriff in such a way that, if he dismissed the enchantment, her breasts would be firmly under his weighty balls.

She blushed, but not much. He could already see her eyes becoming unfocused and cloudy. Hot damn, this mare could control herself well. The times mares he'd known were in heat they had to lock themselves away, before they threw themselves at the nearest stallion with a potent scent. Here she was, underneath one she knew and lusted for, and she was still in control.

If i'm not careful, I might fall in love, Soul thought, heady.

"Um," she said, putting a hoof to her mouth in just the cutest way, "I-I'm actually a bit of a size-queen. But it's okay! I'll be willing to help-"

Soul proudly unveiled the monument, then and there, delighted to show off his stuff to somepony who would properly appreciated it.

She stopped mid sentence as the huge girth smacked down onto her stomach, chest, and almost to her front shoulder, flare almost thicker than a hoof, and the medial ring nowhere to be found.

Her eyes went as wide as saucers, "This... you've been hiding this the whole time!?!" she seemed angry, like he'd been keeping something that rightfully belonged to her.

He smiled, and laid down on top of her, face to face. She tore her eyes away from his dick to pant softly into his mouth. There was no more fear, or reluctance, only excitement, and even... gratitude?

"Think that's magic, Quin?" He said, smiling evilly, "Wait until you found out that I know a spell to stop you from getting pregnant."

She gasped, and looked back at the rod of meat, which had begun to give off slight wisps of steam, heating up as more and more blood pumped through it at an incredible rate, "Y-you mean... I get to have that... inside of me?"

He was most assuredly in love.

A grin, "Not only that, Quin. You get to have this cum inside of you, and feel it filling you up until you can't hold anymore, and it comes splashing back out, stretching you as deep and a wide as you can go."

Her eyes glittered, her smile widened, and her breath grew shorter with every dirty word he whispered to her. Soul's heart soared.

"And now," he said, gently kissing her ear, "I'm going to claim you."

Taking a bet, Soul stood on his back legs, and spun Quintex around like she weighed nothing. To his delight, she whooped and giggled, before going silent as she saw his hoof sized balls dangling over her face, and started to drool. Soul promptly sat on his knees, nestling his sack right into her waiting face, and her response overjoyed him.

Immediately, her warm, wet tongue was all over them. It suckled, licked, and slurped with such an assortment of satisfied gasps for breath and wet smacks that Soul shivered from that alone, knowing that with each breath she would only become more intoxicated by him. He felt himself judder, and a glob of precum slowly pushed it's way out of the end of his dick, splashing down onto Quin's stomach, and being absorbed directly into the skin.

Soul settled back, slowly grinding his scrotum across her face and mouth, she loved every second of it. Soon, the area was so lick that her hooves instinctually flew to the base of the shaft and began rubbing it up and down. It was still a little dry, and the movements were jerky, but Soul gave her a generous pat on the head for trying her best.

"Buck, Soul, Celestia damn, your scent! You smell like... like... like a god, bucking buck! I love it so damn much, the way it feels on my tongue, the way you're sinking into my face... smell like it forever... bucking smother me in it bucking YES...."

She mumbled over and over, and Soul shuddered again, releasing a few more dollops of the milky liquid onto her chest. It was one of the hottest things he'd ever heard, and this from a chaste doctor of all ponies! He needed to sleep with more mares in heat.

Soul noticed as a hoof attempted to snake its way down towards her engorged chocolate colored mounds, which he caught with magic. It made her whimper, and whine, before she said, "Yes, don't let me touch myself, make me beg for it, then fuck me hard, and breed me, Celestia, oh sweet merciful goddess..."

Soul very much appreciated her attitude, and decided it was time to return a little bit of the favor.

A field of stars circled around Quin's swollen teats, right around the very base, and gave a soft squeeze. She immediately cried out, and her legs kicked back and forth, before Soul took another chance and strapped them down with magic, making it appear as though she'd been lashed forcibly to the bed frame. In response, he got a wordless, drawn out groan, and Quin's whole body shuttered and shook, her legs pressing together but being held back by the magical bonds, which dug ever so slightly into the skin.

Soul blinked in shock as a clear liquid spewed from between Quintex's legs, and she gave a quivering moan as her stomach pulsed and contracted. Had she really just cum?

This... this will be a day to remember... Soul thought with a smile so devious it could have curdled milk. The flow of marecum slowed to a dribble leaking down her ass, but her body still trembled, and her head thrashed weakly as she gasped for breath under his thickly scented balls. The entire headboard and pillows were soaked with her essence, and Soul very much planned on giving her a time she would either not be able to remember, or never be able to forget.

"Dick... I need dick..." she moaned weakly, just starting to come around after her first powerful squirt.

"Oh, you'll get it Quin," he lashed her forelegs to the bottom of the bed, which caused her to moan louder, "just... not... yet!" with each word her pulsed the field around her teats, giving them a squeeze that made her squeal each time.

"Celestia, Sooouuuul...." she groaned, turning her head and arching in torment as his magic slowly squeezed up and down, rings of starlight drifting gently across her skin in a manner that bellied the force with which they pressed. Up and down, up and down they went, Soul delighted as Quin was reduced to a nasal whimper, and her legs drew his magical lashings taught as they kicked and squirmed for purchase they could not reach.

"S-S-S-Soul! I-I-I'm... s-someth-thing's h-happening!" She managed to gargle out as she threw her head back and clenched her teeth so hard Soul feared they would shatter. With only a minute or so of slow stimulation, she was ready to burst again, and this time it was more than just her dripping cunt.

Thick whitish liquid pumped itself from her tits, and she screamed in agonizing pleasure as they were milked for all they were worth by his magic. Soul did his best to gather it all, but it sprayed out with a vengeance, spatting hot liquid over the bed, as well as the two lovers. She squirted from her clenching pussy again at the same time, soaking the headboard in a second layer of cum.

Soul felt himself beginning to feel lightheaded at the sights and smells coming from her lower half. Her juices, though clear, smelled like cocoa, and her milk was warm and comforting on his fur, he wondered if he should take a taste, but snapped himself out of it before he went too far.

Have to leave some way to escalate it next time, he thought to himself. He realized with a start that there would be a next time. Somewhere along the way he'd decided that he wasn't done with this mare after today, she was just too good to let slip through his hooves. But that was a thought for later, now was the time for the real fun.

Soul removed himself from Quintex's face, and then froze, expression scrunching in discomfort, before his medial ring popped free of his sheathe with an almost pressurized hiss, matched by Soul's own sigh of lustful relief.

He levitated his captive lover around, rebinding her with her head mere inches from her own exultant spray, and the smell of it seemed to drive her crazy. Her head lolled back, and he saw her legs and ass quiver again without even being touched, not to mention her beautiful, rapidly winking, nethers. They were such a soft pink, delicate, and so perfectly placed it was as if they'd been arranged. Soul leaned in close to inspect them, and was captivated by the glistening bare flesh, the wetness of it, almost shimmering. The way the folds deepened and disappeared... how lucky he was, to explore those rosy depths.

He sniffed, and his eyes fluttered. Such a divine scent! Like dark chocolate melted over ice cream, with the sharp tang of her nearby tailhole as a sobering aftershock. He glanced down, and inspected the tight ring of darker brown muscle, giving way to the same glistening hue. He nipped playfully at her dock with his teeth, just clipping around the base of the tail, much to her sexually frustrated outrage.

"Soouuulll..." she slurred like a drunkard, "Just fucking stick a dick in me, fuck!"

Hmm, her heat certainly has affected her, he liked it for now, Tartarus he loved it for now, but could it become a problem later?

That's for future, not-horny Soul to deal with, he thought with reckless glee, and finally dove in.

He started, with one long lick. From the tail, all the way up the ass crack with its harsh smell and bitter tang, making sure to sanitize it with magic first, right over her quivering slit, it's smooth texture pulling on his tongue, begging him to enter, all the way to her tight, winking clit.

"BuuuUUUUCK! SOUL!" Quin lashed out, but with her legs restrained all she could do was keen a whining pant, and struggle against the bonds in a feverish state of bliss, "Yes! Yes! Yes! YES!"

He flipped her around, stomach flopping to the bed, and climbed on top of her. e could here her breathing grow dangerously rapid, her eyes frantically slashing this way and that, anticipation eating her from the inside as his hooves wrapped solidly and commandingly around her barrel.

She almost wept for joy as his full weight settled on top of her, pressing the restraints into her legs just a bit, luckily the slight pinch only seemed to turn her on more, and she barely seemed conscious as she consumed breaths at a mad pace.

He pressed his stallionhood against the entrance to her quivering cunt, nibbling on her ear lovingly, before giving a hard push.

Even with all of this prep, a mare would never be able to take something as large as Soul was packing, not without consistent, daily training, and there'd be time for that in the weeks to come. Magic would do for now. The small drops of pre that had entered her system earlier had done their work, distorting space around and inside her vagina, letting her stretch farther and wider than physically possible. Even then, it was a rough fit.

Several seconds of strained grunts, and then one, long, hissing, pop. Soul slid in all the way to her cervix, which was just not far enough to get his medial ring in there. No matter, that would come later.

"Huh," Quin said, seeming shocked and... underwhelmed, "I thought it would be more-"

She stopped talking as all of the nerves in her full-to-bursting cunt fired at once, slamming her brain with such an overload of endorphins that she screamed her lungs out of air on the spot. Soul, for his part, was in heaven.

It's so warm ! He'd forgotten what a pussy was like, he'd only gotten a blowjob from Marshmallow, and that didn't nearly compare to Halifax's amazing muff. It squeezed him like it was biting down, chewing the very life out of his dick with a ferocious intensity. Maybe it was just because she was cumming, but the pressure was immense!

He shivered in delight as he felt her warm liquids pulse and splash down his legs, he'd never been with such a prolific squirter before. He was growing to appreciate such a physical display of her enjoyment.

"So," he grunted, shifting his back legs only to find she was clenching so tightly he couldn't even move, "How's that, size queen?"

He didn't think she heard him, she was still letting out a silent scream of ecstasy, her eyes pinpricks in her head, staring into nothing as her mind blanked. He loved that look.

Snarling with effort, he forced himself to move backwards, though it felt like he was ripping himself in half from the force pressing him into her tight, sexy body. With another roar, he rammed himself forward, her ass making a resounding clap as his hips slapped them harder than his hoof would have. Actually...

Later, he told himself, gasping, precum flying out into her in a thick stream, all in good... ngh-time...

He saw Quin's orange eyes flutter, and he pressed himself fully back down onto her, his significantly increased wright a reminder that she couldn't escape if she tried. She shivered as the message came through loud and clear.

"D-D-Did you j-just c-c-cum?" She asked, and Soul tilted his head in confusion.

Oh, the pre, he thought with a hearty chuckle, before whispering harshly, "Quin, I've not even begun to start," he gave a hard thrust, and another loud smack echoed against the room's stone walls. She yelped, and shivered again, a dumb look of absolute contentment washing over her face, and a lazy smile drifting over her usually so reserved features. Maybe she wasn't always like this, but right now, she was a mare in heat. And Soul knew exactly how to treat her.

What ensued was one of the roughest poundings Soul had ever given. Usually he liked to start slow, ramp things up. But he'd started slow enough, and this mare, his mare, wanted more. Vicious jackhammer strokes drowned out her cries of lust and perversion with the sounds of first dry, then sloppily wet thunderous claps. He did not stop, he did not slow down, he did not pause in his unrelenting assault to fuck her absolutely senseless.

He grunted with effort as her (third? fourth?) orgasm crashed through her, and he was forced to cleave through the walls of meat to keep pace. But his mare was hungry, and he was out to not only satisfy, but surpass anything she could ever hope to experience with another.

He heightened this further, but without using magic. He wanted to save that for something special, not the introduction. Well, foreplay notwithstanding, obviously. Soul put his dexterous hooves to work, laying claim to anything he could get a hold of as he finally found a good fucking rhythm that didn't require him to stand on all four hooves. he put pressure on key areas of her back, he groped and gently smacked her ass, harder when he heard her squeals of delight when she had the breath to do so. He massaged her swollen breasts, though never intensely enough to draw out the nurturing fluids they carried as he had earlier.

His precum continuously soaked her already drenched passage with viscous white fluid, almost too much for her walls to absorb. She seemed to especially enjoy when a rope of it coincided with the apex of his thrust, sending it battering through to her womb. He could have used the energy, which quickly multiplied into hundreds of times what her maximum was, driving her further up the wall, to open her up more, allow his strokes to reach deeper, wider, farther. But not yet, he decided.

Let her think this is all, he panted and roared with effort as his hips felt weak from the punishing fucking he gave the brilliant, sexy mare under him, let her think this is the height of her pleasure. I want her adrift on the seas of bliss when I show her what I can really do.

Finally, after so long even he'd stopped paying attention of an unheard of, blistering, cunt destroying pace, Soul felt the tale-tell twitch at the very tip of his dick.

He slammed down onto Quin, hooves reaching, grabbing, stroking every inch of her glorious body they could possibly grasp, "I'm about to cum," he didn't ask, he told, he demanded.

"And you,"

SLAM

"Are going to take,"

SLAM!

"It all!"

His hips connected in a final blow, and Quin screamed her appreciation, in tandem with Soul's own cry of unabashed pleasure. Cascades of ecstasy rolled over him in prismatic waves, shattering and rebuilding his mind. A fire, once burned out, reignited with the heat of a thousand stars. Soul felt an unknowable rush of pure power scream, unbound through his veins. In the intensity of the experience, he blacked out....

And awoke to a promise fulfilled. As he groggily came to, his dick still twitched with ropes upon ropes of cum shooting out, painting her pink corridors white, but so much was still coming out that it had already started leaking out of her malleable pussy and drooled down the curvature of her round ass.

With a huff, he thrust inwards again, spooge gushing out of her rear as he sunk in as deep as he could go, making sure that every crevice was filled with his seed, before finally he slipped his long appendage out of her backside, cleaned himself up, and redid the enchantment. He didn't clean her ass, he knew she'd like it better messy. That and it would fade into her skin anyway, which it slowly did.

He looked over at her lightly snoring face, completely and utterly sated. She was out cold. Soul leaned in, and drank his fill of her unconscious body.

"Soul," Quin said, cuddling up closer, "that was unbelievable."

The laid contentedly in eachother's hooves, covered neatly by the white blanket the clinic provided. Soul had cleaned everything up and dumped it all out of the window into the gardens. No one would either question nor care if they found something strange in the bushes, they'd probably just assume it was an animal.

"Oh really?" he said, only a little smug, "How so?"

"It just... Soul, I've never experienced anything like that. And maybe it was just because I'm in heat, but I feel more relaxed and satisfied than I have in years."

That actually was also his doing. After seeing that her heat still raged, and she'd soon want more, he'd flipped it on its head. Replacing the burning ball of self-perpetuated irrational lust with a cold, almost icy feeling. it would keep her relaxed, focused, and generally brighter than she would be even normally. He wanted her to know that sex with him was a treat before, during, and after, and there were zero replacements.

More than that, Soul himself felt great. He felt... taller, stronger, confident, powerful. Something had been missing the past week and a half, a piece of himself. Now, he'd reclaimed it, and damn did it feel good to be whole again.

"Still though..." she said, shuffling so that he was now the big spoon, "I would have appreciated some warning with some of the stuff you pulled."

And ruin the surprise? he thought, "Like what? I aimed to please."

She laughed lightly, "Oh, believe me Soul, you pleased. I just meant stuff like the... ahem... magical bondage ropes?"

He kissed her neck, making her shiver, "Apparently somepony doesn't remember begging for me to hold them down and buck them like an animal."

He could feel her blush even with her face turned away, though all she did was sink deeper into his warm chest, "Well," she sighed, "Maybe I'm just mad because I lost."

Soul nodded, and said nothing.

She seemed surprised, and glanced back at him, "Not going to ask what I mean?"

Soul shook his head, "I already know. Not only did you reveal many wild and deep things that you keep hidden about yourself, but I bent you around them like copper wire, using every single kink to further my advantage," he leaned in, nibbling her ear and whispering, "and you will never find a stallion capable of the same."

With some, this would be a step too far, but he only further cemented his victory. His possessive tone, his unstated superiority, was a major turn on for her, and she groaned huskily, wriggling in his forelegs, "Soul, if you don't stop, we're going to have to clean this bed again."

He nuzzled her cheek in response, and they drifted off into a comfortable doze together, warm, heady glows filling each of them.

"And you'll come back every week?"

"Yes."

"And you'll continue the medication I'm giving you?"

"Yes."

"And you'll talk to me before seeing any other-"

"Quin?" Soul turned to look at the amber eyes behind the stethoscope.

She looked right back, "Yes, Soul?"

He kissed her, right on the mouth. Her lips were gorgeously soft, they tasted like candy today, and he drank her in all that he could. He pulled away when he was certain she was breathless, and patted her on the cheek, "I'll be fine, Quin. I know what to do."

She stood there stunned for a moment, before pressing her lips into a line and nodding, "Very well. Private Soul Keeper, I officially, and grudgingly, declare you fit for further active duty."

He stood from the bed where he'd received his physical, and gave an overly theatrical bow. Quin snorted, and threw a piece of paper at him, which he allowed to bonk him.

She sighed, and waved to the door, "Go ahead. Your friends have been eagerly waiting outside."

Ah yes, his friends.

I'll have to do something about Marshmallow, he concluded, sadly, she's just too much of a risk, for less of a fit. Hopefully it won't cause me too much trouble.

He gave Halifax one final hug, before leaving his hospitable prison. Finally.

Outside, Lay Decker and Marshmallow Cascade both stood beaming. They both shouted cheers as he exited, and gave him a big group hug, all three of them laughing.

"I'll have to take you drinking tonight!" Lay said happily, "Wash away all those boring hospital days with a little bit of fun, huh?"

Soul laughed, and looked at Marshmallow, who surprisingly seemed... thoughtful, and a little worried.

"Hey Lay?" She said, and he turned, raising an eyebrow, "Could you... give us a second?"

He looked back and forth between the two of them, and a slow smile cracked his face, "Oh, oh, I see what's going on! Well don't have too much fun without me, kids," he chuckled to himself as he moved around a corner, and hopefully out of earshot.

Marshmallow turned to look at Soul, "Um... hey."

"Hey," he said, taking in a breath, "Marshmallow, I've done some thinking," she looked surprised, "I... don't think it's really right for us to be together. You're a wonderful mare, but I don't really know you. I don't know what came over me that day, but what we shared then... I don't think it could last," she still looked shocked, so he hurried, "Please, don't be mad at me. Or, you can be mad at me, but don't stop being my friend. I do think you're great, just that we don't really-"

Soul cut off as she burst into a fit of laughter, and... tears? Was she upset?

"Oh, Soul!" she said, wiping them away, smiling, thank Celestia, "You have no idea how worried I was today to be breaking up with you right out of the hospital."

Soul blinked, "Wait... you mean... you were..."

She nodded, "You're right. I'm pretty loose, but not that loose. I don't know what happened either, pheromones, I guess. But you're right, we don't know each other," she held out her hoof, "Hello, Soul Keeper, my name is Marshmallow Cascade. Want to be my friend?"

Soul slowly smiled, and shook it firmly, "Gladly, Cascade, gladly."

They walked away, and rejoined Lay. Soul told him what happened to prevent any rumors flying around, and Lay seemed pretty disappointed.

"Oh well, at least there's still the ceremony to look forward to."

"Ceremony?" Soul asked.

Marshmallow gasped, "Oh yeah! You didn't know? The ceremony for the medal you were supposed to get for saving that pegasus girl happened while you were in the hospital. But instead of just shipping you the medal, they delayed it, it's two days from now!"

A medal. Huh. Well wasn't that something?

Walking away, arm in arm with two good friends, awash with power, Soul felt better than he had in a long, long time.

Author's Note

Soul Keeper has finally recovered from the grievous wounds he received at the hooves of the shadowy organisation. But who were those masked fiends? What was their ultimate goal? Are they truly gone for good?

Find out, next time.