VI: Envy

~BlackRoseRaven

Ardent Desire slowly opened his eyes, then he groaned quietly as he sat up... and shivered. He trembled as he looked back and forth, and any hope that what he so clearly, horribly remembered had been a nightmare quickly faded away with both the biting cold and the fact that all around him, all he could see was ice, and snow, and looming black fangs of stone.

"You're awake." said a soft voice, and Ardent Desire yelled and scurried backwards in shock, looking up... before his mouth fell open and his eyes widened in disbelief. A beautiful Pegasus mare was approaching him, seeming almost to glow with how immaculate she was. She had wings as white as snow but a coat of gorgeous gold, while her mane and tail both shimmered and swayed like pure ivory energy. Just from looking at her, he felt soothed, he felt all his pain wash away, he felt... such incredible longing and desire and servitude...

But slowly, his eyes dared to rove up from her gorgeous body to her eyes, and his enthrallment with her stuttered as he saw they were a glowing, pale yellow, with thick slits for pupils. She smiled at him, and Ardent Desire swallowed thickly as he looked back and forth, whispering: "You're not an angel... and this... this is..."

"Welcome to Helheim. You're fortunate, though... Lord Cupidus has told me to take care of you. To accelerate your evolution into a demon." said the mare, and Ardent Desire trembled a bit as he looked back and forth before the creature continued softly: "If it's all the same to you, I would appreciate it if we could move forwards, and you spare me the crying, the screaming, the denials, and attempts to bargain your way out of Helheim. That is far beyond my power, and you have doubtlessly earned your place here yourself. We have to get on the carriage."

Ardent Desire shivered a little, and then he looked up and whispered: "Why... why didn't Cupidus save me, though? I... why did Radiant Beacon... no, no, no, these... these can't be real memories, this can't be real, I-"

The angelic Pegasus smiled before her eyes flashed, and then Ardent Desire screamed and grabbed at his features as a blast of psychic agony ripped through his mind, before the mare said gently: "Follow me quietly, and don't open your mouth until we reach the carriage, and the pain will end."

Ardent Desire writhed in the snow, howling and convulsing as it felt like eager blades twisted viciously through his mind, and then he finally managed to half-fling himself forwards. The pain ended, and he breathed rapidly in and out before looking weakly up and staring at the sight of the mare striding calmly away.

Not knowing what else to do, he forced himself to his hooves, trembling violently as he hurried after her and looked back and forth. Tears froze on his cheeks almost instantly, but his body felt numb: he knew it was cold, but apparently he couldn't process just how cold it actually was. He began to open his mouth... and the demon in front of him simply glanced over her shoulder, and Ardent Desire fell to the ground, screaming and grabbing at his skull again, as her soft voice echoed in both his ears and mind: "The first lesson all damned souls learn is obedience. We teach this through pain and fear."

Ardent howled in misery, blood beginning to run from his eyes and ears as his mind writhed and twisted like a rabid animal inside his skull. It felt like hours before the pain finally ended, and he dropped flat to the ground on his stomach, a weak sob hitching out of his throat before he looked pleadingly, brokenly up, and the demon simply smiled at him before she said gently: "Don't speak, and follow me."

The stallion nodded weakly, rasping for air before he forced himself to his hooves, looking brokenly towards the sky... and above, he saw a ceiling of darkness and stone, a solid roof that stretched to the horizon. He whimpered weakly, then forced himself onwards, shivering as they strode through the wasteland and he pleaded silently to Cupidus for help.

After a few minutes, they came to the edge of a cliff, and Ardent Desire stared as they stepped up onto a strange, natural stone platform. Sitting in midair, hooked by what looked like metal claws to a rusting, suspended railing, was a massive black carriage of some kind. It was empty and lonely, and in this world that was otherwise without landmarks, it was as ominous and striking as a curse totem to the unicorn, before the demon instructed gently: "Get inside, and then we may speak."

Ardent Desire looked at the demon for a moment, and when she rose her head just slightly, he rushed forwards through the open, gaping doors into the metallic car. The demon smiled at this, then followed him inside, and the doors screamed shut behind her as the carriage rumbled.

There was only silence between them, as Ardent looked slowly back and forth: shattered windows and emptiness and rusty walls greeted him in return, before he looked up... and winced a little as electricity sparked over the railing above, visible through a gaping hole in the ceiling. The lightning seemed to snatch at him, sparked and danced over the rooftop like it was alive before the carriage rumbled, and then slowly began to move forwards, propelled by a magic that Ardent Desire didn't understand... and right now, couldn't even bring himself to care about, as he asked desperately: "What's going on?"

"You are here in Helheim to serve Lord Cupidus, as your contract stated. You will serve him until he is satisfied that you have paid him back for the services he has rendered you." the demon answered gently, and then she smiled again. "You should feel fortunate that he has taken enough of an interest in you to accelerate your transformation into one of us."

"I'm... I'm going to become a demon?" Ardent Desire felt a strange tremor run through him: he still believed in his mother's stories, he knew that becoming a demon would make him strong... and yet somehow... "Why... I mean, is it..."

"You will serve Cupidus much more effectively as a demon than as a mortal prisoner of Helheim, as you are now. Do not fear, there will be many advantages to being a demon, whatever you may become..." The angelic mare gave him an appraising look, then added: "I am to guardian and train you, and I will be in charge of ensuring both your survival, and that your evolution goes as smoothly as possible, Ardent Desire. We will enjoy many things together."

"Enjoy... things? Like... what, sex? How do I become a demon?" Ardent Desire gave a half-hysterical laugh, shivering once as he stared at her disbelievingly.

The demon smiled softly, her animal eyes studying him as she answered in a gentle voice: "You have fallen to Helheim for your lusts, your cowardice, and your weakness, more than crimes against others... but do not fear. We have an account of the many ways you've hurt others in blind pursuit of pleasure as well, and we shall ensure you suffer your just rewards for those actions, too. But... we will also amplify your nature, and we will share not only pain with you, but pleasure. Many pleasures. I'm sure we will enjoy our time together."

Ardent Desire shivered a little, opening his mouth before he winced and looked up as darkness surrounded them, as they passed into a tunnel. He gazed towards the ceiling as lightning sparked along the rail, casting flashes of light through the hole in the roof into the carriage, and then he turned his eyes back to the demon, opening his mouth... except what he had meant to say died in his throat.

In each and every flash of light that illuminated her, he saw not a beautiful angel, but a hideous, decaying monstrosity, covered in peeling, burnt skin that revealed rotting purple flesh beneath. Cruel, yellowed teeth were bare in greenish gums, left naked by the lack of skin over her stretched and distorted face, and her mane and tail had vanished completely as skeletal, leathery wings twitched at her sides. Only her eyes remained the same: abysmal, awful, animal, and studying him with cold fascination.

Then they were out of the tunnel, and the carriage was filled with the pale light that shone down from an unseen source around them, and Ardent Desire staggered hurriedly to the other side of the car as he stared at her with terror. Yet once more, she looked beautiful and radiant and gorgeous... but the thought of what was beneath this illusion made his stomach turn, scarred his mind, even as she said softly: "Lord Cupidus has many plans for you, Ardent Desire... but I want you to know that I have nothing personal against you. You and I are very similar... both flies, caught in the spider's web. What other choice do we have but to play our roles?"

"Please... please, can't... isn't there any way out? What did I do... why... why is he doing this to me... I thought that... I believed in him..." Ardent Desire whispered, trembling violently, and then he stared weakly as the demon slowly strode forwards and leaned down over him.

Up close, he could smell her: beauty cloaked her true form, but it couldn't hide the putrid reek of rot and infection. She smiled at him even as he retched, then flinched and bit back a scream when her hoof touched his face almost tenderly, pushing himself back against the wall, eyes rolling in his head as she whispered: "You're still mortal, and naïve. But soon... everything will become unimportant, Ardent Desire. When you start to become like us, after we mold you into a new shape... by forcing you to experience punishment, and to suffer, and we drown you in your own sins. Then all of this... will cease to be so important. You'll understand what you must do to survive, and even begin to take pleasure in the game of finding other victims to take your place on the torture racks. It's not so bad, mortal. It's the closest thing we have to redemption."

"No! I won't become like you... I won't! I believe in what my mother told me!" Ardent Desire shouted desperately, but the demon only smiled down at him, unfettered, her hoof still against his features.

"Believe in your fairy tales, but all of us are destined to become incarnations of the disease and weakness that brought us down to Helheim in the first place. Why fight our primal nature? Let it consume you. But struggle if you want... I'll still do my job either way, and make sure you become a demon. If anything, fighting it so hard, torturing yourself so much, will further accelerate the process." The mare paused, then she stood back and said kindly: "I haven't given you my name. You may refer to me as Mistress Jaundice."

Ardent Desire looked up at her silently, and Jaundice smiled down at him lovingly, reaching out to touch his face again... and then he whimpered as they passed into another tunnel, and again the flashes of light from the electricity sparking over the railing above revealed her true form, the stallion rasping for breath as she said softly: "Yes. You and I... are going to be very happy together."

Ardent Desire fully expected Cupidus to come and save him, to tell him there had been some mistake, to at least... see him, and for things to be explained to him. He remembered agreeing to work for Cupidus, what had sounded like... simple jobs, maybe even easy jobs. He had expected desk work, and that he would be protected from the darker corners of Helheim, where he knew those who did evil in life were sent to be punished, by what he had thought were demons who were essentially good.

He didn't expect to be tortured each and every day, while Jaundice watched over him like a hawk. He didn't expect that he'd be forced to drink the blood and ichors of other demons, or the agony of being 'quickly' transformed into a demon himself. And he didn't expect that 'quickly' would be a relative term, where it meant years instead of centuries. Years of living metaphorical hell in literal Hell, where all the suffering, torment, violation, and rituals that were usually spaced out over centuries of misery were packed into day after day after day...

He didn't expect that for an entire decade, he'd live in a filthy hut with three other servants, who seemed to hate him unconditionally. Who were animal and vicious, who did... unspeakable things to him as he cried and screamed for mercy until he learned to fight back, until the day came when he pinned one of them down, snarling, raising a hoof... and then he saw the demon grinning up at him, eagerness and not fear in his eyes, and Ardent Desire realized what he was on the road to becoming. He was becoming like them.

For ten years, he was mutilated in body and spirit, until the day finally came when Jaundice brought him not to the dungeons where he was used to being tortured, but a massive, sprawling mansion amidst the icy cliffs of northern Helheim. It was beautiful: the sprawling acres of yard inside the enormous, heavily-guarded stone walls looked picturesque and gorgeous, the snow smooth and flat, ice sculptures lining paths of magical stone that exuded a warmth that was enough to melt the snow and heat the bodies of those who strode along them.

The interior was even more splendorous, but Ardent barely paid any attention to the world around him until they reached an enormous hall lined with desks and demons working hurriedly, counting money, assembling accounting books, signing contracts and arguing with each other. And at the very end of the hall was a massive, U-shaped desk that stood halfway to the ceiling, with a black platinum throne behind it inset with a crest at the very top that had become all too familiar to Ardent Desire over his years here: the crest of Cupidus.

The devil himself sat in the throne, surveying them calmly: his claws rested on his desk, which had several pots of red ink, scrolls neatly placed in a little rack, and accounting books held in place by two crystalline skulls that served as bookends. His orange eyes looked calmly down at Ardent Desire as the stallion dragged himself forwards, looking up with a snarl as he shivered once, and then cursed in pain when his charred mane burst into flames for a moment before they whiffed out.

Ardent Desire's body twisted back and forth as he fought down his emotions and felt the parts of him that had already been transformed writhe in agony and fury. The unicorn had grown larger, and his cutie mark had faded completely away. His coat was darker, but the colors shifted now and then, so gradually that it was almost unnoticeable. He was burning hot to the touch, and his body ached with it: he always felt feverish and weak, and worst of all was when his mane or tail would simply light up with fire, like dry kindling touched by a spark. But worse than his body changing was that his mind was changing... he could feel himself becoming more like the demons around him.

Finally he forced himself to look up, and he asked the only question that he could think of: "Why?"

Cupidus looked back down at him calmly, tapping one claw slowly against the desk before the Greed devil answered quietly: "Because this is what you agreed to, Ardent Desire. You agreed to repay me for the services I rendered you... and I gave you enough resources to live many lifetimes of bliss. You may have ultimately destroyed yourself-"

"Don't lie to me, Cupidus! You betrayed me!" Ardent Desire shouted furiously, his eyes flashing, baring his teeth before he snarled as his mane and tail burst into flames, but he ignored the pain as he leaned up and howled: "I've heard the stories! I've put up with the mockery! This was all nothing but a game to you!"

"Game? No, I do not play games, and I never once lied to you, Ardent Desire. My kind cannot tell lies, and you made the contract with me of your own free will and gave your own terms." Cupidus replied calmly, not disturbed in the slightest by the rage of the stallion. "Perhaps I glossed some facts over, but none of the costs were ever hidden. It was your own lack of due diligence that is to blame for your current situation... if anything, you should be thankful. You all-but-worshiped demons, did you not? And now I am making you one."

"For your own benefit! I'm not stupid, Cupidus, not naïve enough anymore to think that you're doing this out of generosity." Ardent Desire retorted, and then he trembled and grabbed at his head with one hoof as the fires died out from his mane and tail, cursing under his breath. "You left me in that hole for ten years without a word to me-"

"Your role is now that of servant to me, not the other way around, Ardent Desire. And I have been receiving regular reports on your welfare." Cupidus replied dismissively, and the devil calmly pulled one of his account books free, opening it and paging through it slowly. "Your value has increased less than projected over the last decade overall, but there is still promise... your material value has begun to climb faster, and within several years I estimate that you will make up the distance, or perhaps even surpass current projections."

"What are you talking about?" Ardent Desire shouted, and Cupidus closed his book before the stallion snarled, his horn glowing and eyes blazing as he began to step forwards... but then he fell to the ground, hissing through his grit teeth, as he felt the all-too-familiar sensation of Jaundice's psychic claws ripping into his mind.

The half-demon stallion forced himself to relax, trembling on the ground but not screaming, and he felt the psionic pressure slowly lift as Cupidus looked down at him. The devil's orange eyes seemed thoughtful at most before he sat back in his throne, tapping his claws against the arm of the chair in silent meditation.

Jaundice looked up worriedly as Ardent Desire forced himself slowly to his hooves, and then Cupidus said softly: "I am willing to negotiate with you, Ardent Desire. All you have to do is stop fighting what you long to become anyway, and I'll put you to work today as my servant, to begin repaying your debt."

"I'm not an idiot. There's no way I'm going to make a deal with you Cupidus, just like I know that I'm never going to escape being your slave... because to you demons, time is meaningless and all that, right?" Ardent Desire snarled up at the golden-masked devil. "I won't let you break me, and... and I'll never become a demon like you! I still believe in my mother's words!"

"Illuminia died, and demons like Magister died out a long time ago." Cupidus responded in a colder voice, and Ardent Desire frowned at this name before the Greed devil sat up and waved a hand calmly. "Jaundice, take Ardent Desire out to his torture session. Make it twice as long as usual, and afterwards, treat him to a drink."

"You won't break me." Ardent Desire whispered, but Cupidus only calmly returned to his papers. The stallion snarled, but then he quickly spun away and stormed down the aisle without looking back the moment he felt Jaundice's eyes lock on him.

The demoness followed beside him, but the two were silent until they emerged from the manse... and then Ardent Desire threw his head back and simply screamed at the stone sky above. Jaundice only studied him quietly until the stallion finally slumped and panted hard, and then the demoness said softly: "You should just give in. You will become powerful. Look at how strong you are already..."

"I'm not like you. I'm not vanity and envy, and I don't want power. I feel these sick urges, these needs, these... hungers..." Ardent Desire shivered and clenched his jaw, then he looked over at her and shouted angrily: "I won't become scum like you!"

Jaundice only smiled at him sympathetically, and Ardent flushed after a moment, dropping his head forwards as he whispered: "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it."

"I know. It's because you are fighting your nature so hard, Ardent Desire... your emotions are becoming confused, your pain is never-ending, because you deny who and what you are." Jaundice said gently, and then she studied him for a few moments before smiling at him in her strange, tender way. "I do not think of you as an enemy... does that help?"

"That's strange, Jaundice. For the last decade you've put me through utter agony every single day. You've done horrific things to me, physically, mentally, emotionally. You've locked me in cells with succubi, humiliated me in public, watched as I was... as other demons..." He bit his lip, shivering violently, unable to speak of it. "And you... tried to make me... take my urges out on weaker souls. Weaker prisoners... do you know what I've learned about demons? They're not evil, no... they're disgusting, perverted animals. And I won't become like that."

"You said that you still believe your mother's words, though, and I heard truth in your voice. You're losing your ability to lie, like most of us do." Jaundice replied curiously, and Ardent Desire closed his eyes... then nodded faintly once. For a few moments, the envy demon looked across at him before she leaned slowly in and whispered in his ear: "Then maybe your goal to not become a demon is wrong, Ardent Desire... maybe your goal should be to become a demon like your mother knew."

Ardent Desire looked up sharply at her, trembling, as Jaundice leaned back, but he didn't even have to ask the question as she smiled at him. "Yes, I expect that I will be rewarded by Cupidus when you finally become a demon. But I thought I'd said this often enough for it to be clear, Ardent Desire... we are both flies, trapped in the web of a spider. Seeing Cupidus fail would bring me more pleasure than seeing Cupidus succeed.

"Of course, I would turn on you, if I thought I saw your success. It is in my nature." Jaundice continued conversationally, as if they were talking about the weather. "But until that point of no return I may be compelled to assist you... if you agree to make me feel beautiful, Ardent Desire... and to help me earn some of what I deserve."

"Envy demons." Ardent Desire muttered, and then he grimaced and shook his head slowly before looking up silently. "If you want Cupidus to fail so much, Jaundice, because you hate everything that's more important than you... why don't you try and challenge your nature? Because I'm sure the reason Cupidus assigned you to me isn't just because of how miserable you make me... because he depends on what a pathetic slave you are to your weakest drives."

Ardent Desire turned to begin striding across the snowy lawn, and Jaundice's glammer vanished from around her body, revealing her true, hideous form as she snarled and leaned forwards, eyes blazing. Immediately, the stallion was driven to the ground as telekinesis crushed him and savage mental claws ripped voraciously at his mind, but he only gasped before clenching his teeth, refusing to scream. He didn't cry out even as the pressure increased, even as he grabbed automatically at his head and felt bones creaking and threatening to break, felt blood bursting from his ears and nose and eyes as he convulsed violently beneath her psychic barrage...

And then, as suddenly as it came, it was over, and Ardent Desire gasped for air as he glared over his shoulder at the Envy demon. But once more, she was cloaked in her illusion of beauty... except unlike the smile that usually masked her face, she was frowning at him curiously.

"You didn't cry out." she said softly, and Ardent Desire shivered as he slowly forced himself to his hooves, looking across at her silently. "Ten years ago, and my gentlest mental touch could reduce you to broken tears. And you have not changed much since then... you have always been easily broken, the easiest of all the many serfs and slaves and prisoners I have tortured. You are still a coward, and weak... so why did you not cry out?"

"Because..." Ardent Desire shook his head slowly, then he looked up and said firmly: "Because... I can be what I want to be. I'm weak but... if I keep trying my best, one day maybe I'll be strong, like the demons my mother told me stories about, who... who fought their primal instincts and won, who made their sins, their powers... into good. No, I'll do better than that... I'll... I'll laugh, and I'll smile, and I'll make people happy, happy for real! I'll make my weakness into strength, and I'll use my power to give to others, and... I will become a demon, but not like you, or Cupidus. I'll... I'll never forget who I truly am, no matter what you do to me. No matter what I even do to myself."

There was silence for a few moments, and Jaundice shifted uneasily... before Ardent Desire cursed when his mane and tail burst into flames, wincing over his shoulder. And then he cried out and arched his back as the fires roared higher, twisting and roaring backwards before settling slowly and swaying silently in the air, the stallion trembling and breathing hard as he leaned forwards and shivered once, then shook his head out slowly.

He could feel the flames roiling and writhing in place of his mane, but slowly, the pain was fading and the fire began to feel... almost natural. It was hard to phrase, as he let his head hang forwards, his eyes closed.

Then he winced when a hoof gently touched his features, looking awkwardly up as Jaundice looked down at him before the demon said softly: "Let's see how true your words are, Ardent Desire. When you become a demon and take a new name for yourself... you may find you sing a different song."

But Ardent Desire only forced a faint smile in return, straightening slowly and shaking his head out before he turned to follow when the envy demon strode past, promising himself silently that this time, he wouldn't betray everything his mother had taught him.

After seventeen years spent in Helheim, Ardent Desire strode for the second time into the grand hall of the manse owned by Cupidus. Except this was no longer the Ardent Desire who had once been: it was an enormous and proud demon with a mane and tail of brightly-glowing flames, the runes over his horn seeming to pulse and the coat that covered his powerful body constantly shifting between reds, oranges, and yellows. He looked like he was made of fire and magma, and his red eyes glowed with resolve and power.

Jaundice followed behind him with a proud smile on her features, head proudly raised as they approached the desk at the end of the aisle of scribbling demons, and Cupidus slowly looked up from his throne. His orange eyes seemed pleased behind his mask as he leaned forwards, murmuring quietly: "It seems you've had a change of heart since our last conversation, Ardent Desire."

"That is no longer my name... I am Burning Desire." announced the stallion, and then he gave a wide grin as his eyes glowed, raising his head high. "And I suppose I've come to understand myself better, that's all."

"Yes, I suppose you have." Cupidus looked thoughtfully down at the demonic stallion, seemed to hesitate... and then the Greed devil sat back and pulled one of his account books free, scanning it over before he made a few notes. Burning Desire shifted impatiently, but the Greed demon paid him no heed before he signed something in red ink and said calmly: "Very well. Everything is in order, and your potential worth has exceeded my expectations. Jaundice, I will have you reassigned, and tomorrow, Burning Desire, you will begin work in the archives. Mildred will bring you to your new quarters, and I will assign another demon to take over your training."

"I... that's it?" Burning Desire said finally, and Cupidus simply nodded and closed the book as Jaundice bowed her head and turned around, striding away... but tossing a single, almost-longing look over her shoulder as a minotaur strode past her. "Wait, who's Mildred?"

Something grabbed Burning Desire by the back of the neck and hauled him into the air, and the stallion yelped before he was hefted to head level with a ten foot, bull-headed behemoth. Burning Desire quailed a bit on instinct at the sight of the muzzle and mask locked tightly over the minotaur's features, and then he winced as he slowly drew his eyes down the rubber-like, blackened skin of the goliath, noting the torture implements, chains, and plates of metal fused all over the creature's body. "Oh. Uh. Hello there."

Cupidus didn't bother with either a goodbye or even a verbal order, simply flicking his wrist, and Mildred calmly threw Burning Desire over one shoulder before carrying him easily away, the demonic stallion wincing and muttering to himself: "Well, that went smoother than planned, at least..."

Truthfully, Burning Desire hadn't known what to expect from this meeting: his entire plan had consisted of swaggering in, pretending to have completely given in to his demonic nature and convincing Cupidus that he was a loyal pawn. Instead, Cupidus had given him a cursory glance and then apparently been satisfied enough to send him on his way via the large, scary monster he was currently being carried by.

Burning Desire made a face as he crossed his forelegs moodily, figuring it was pointless to try and struggle at all in Mildred's grip. Besides, it gave him time to think about things, as his eyes roved back and forth and took in the luxury and beauty of the mansion, feeling the faintest hint of envy for the wealth and splendor that Cupidus lived in.

But he quickly forced these emotions down, reminding himself of everything he had learned about the Greed devil after more than seventeen years in Helheim. Cupidus was apparently a major player in Helheim, who held influence over vast territories and had his claws in almost every business deal across the icy abyss. He was a broker, a banker, and an investor, with a knack for always finding the right business opportunity to pour his wealth into.

He had also learned that years ago, Cupidus had been involved in a dispute with a powerful demon named Magister... a name that Burning had only heard the devil mention once before, and he thought even then it had been a rare slip of the devil's tongue. Magister had been a Pride demon who had refused to do business with Cupidus, and made a point of always choosing other Greed entities to help manage his assets. This had apparently caused Cupidus considerable frustration and even started to bite into his bottom line... until the day Magister had vanished, that was, and Cupidus had seized Magister's assets through bribery, blackmail, and abusing Hell's legal system.

It still struck Burning as funny that Helheim actually had its own court system for solving both criminal and civil disputes. And the courts here were probably more fair and less corrupt than the ones on the mortal plane, as a matter of fact... but like any system, it had its flaws, too, and there were always loopholes to be exploited, and people to be twisted. Both things Cupidus was clearly skilled at doing.

Burning Desire didn't know the whole truth yet behind what had happened: since he had spent ninety percent of his time being tortured or abused or reshaped, it made it hard to pursue leads or do research. But as his transformation into a demon had neared completion, Jaundice had allowed him a little more freedom, and Burning Desire had been able to do research in the ruins of what he supposed had once been some kind of school near the set of hovels where he and a bevy of Cupidus' other prisoners and servants lived.

In life, Burning had never been much for magic, but that was partly because what he had always insisted on studying was demonic magic. But as a mortal, he'd never been able to fully replicate the effects of any spells, and after making his deal, well... he'd fallen out of practice thanks to all the physical delights that had come to occupy his time and attention. But now that he was a demon, the magic came to him naturally, and he was learning to use his clear affinity with fire for more and more complex work as well. And one particular trick he'd picked up was scrying though flames, letting him peek at events going on around Helheim... although he couldn't take full credit for it. Jaundice had actually helped him quite a bit, even if they had always kept each other at leg's length and neither considered the other more than an uneasy ally.

One thing he'd learned only yesterday, while randomly scanning the territories he knew Cupidus owned for any important-looking demons. He had accidentally come across two of the Greed devil's lieutenants having a nervous conversation about a demon named Churlin, who was apparently another Greed demon and a loathed enemy of Cupidus. He had also heard them mention 'the Duke,' which he had learned by now was code for Magister: apparently Cupidus had hated this Pride demon so much that even now speaking his name was a punishable offense.

Before Burning could contemplate any further, he was brought back to reality by Mildred kicking open a door before the minotaur simply flung him into the room beyond. The fiery stallion yelped as he bounced across the floor on his back until he crashed into the foot of the bed, and then he glared out at the minotaur, shouting: "Well thanks for the warning!"

Mildred only looked at him darkly, the minotaur rumbling behind the steel muzzle before it turned and strode away, and Burning Desire muttered under his breath before he looked up in surprise when a voice said kindly: "Oh, don't worry about Milly. Poor brainwashed oaf doesn't even know where he is anymore, like all the other minotaurs Cupidus lured in years ago."

Slowly, Burning Desire looked up to see a cerulean earth pony smiling over the frame of the bed, with his head across his forelegs and a cheerful look in his gemstone green eyes. Long, flowing blue locks spilled around features that could only be described as pretty, although when he smiled, it revealed teeth like needles. "Hey, handsome. I'm Polly."

"Like... Polly want a cracker?" Burning Desire asked before he could stop himself, looking lamely up at the stallion... at least, he was about ninety percent sure it was a stallion.

Polly looked less-than-thrilled at this, rolling his eyes before replying in a wry voice: "No, more like Polly-morph."

The stallion smiled as electricity sparked over his body... and a moment later, a monstrous, blue-scaled drake was leaning over the bed, roaring loudly in Burning Desire's face and making the stallion yelp and skitter towards the doorway. But a moment later, Polly was back in stallion shape, laughing loudly as he stood up on the bed and grinning brightly across at the fiery male as he declared cheerfully: "Oh, you are a cutie after all, aren't you?"

"So what precisely is a Lust demon doing in my bed?" Burning Desire asked grouchily as he straightened, and then he winced when Polly leapt forwards as electricity crackled over the earth pony's body before it burst apart into a swarm of bluebirds that shot forwards and swarmed past the fiery unicorn, then suddenly reunited into the shape of an earth pony again that happily pushed Burning Desire back into the room.

"Cupidus just assigned me to you, as a matter of fact... I'm supposed to keep an eye on you, train you, get you acquainted with how things work around here." Polly replied happily, then he grinned before winking, electricity sparking over his body... before Burning Desire's eyes widened slowly as he realized that Polly had just transformed into a mare. "Is this better?"

"Uh. I. Uh." Burning Desire continued to stare, then he shook his head hurriedly before asking quickly again: "What's a Lust demon doing here? Are you a slave like me?"

Polly sulked at this, then the now-she tossed her mane and sighed loudly, replying moodily: "I wouldn't call me a slave unless you've got some rope to tie me down with, babe. Let's just say that I owe Cupidus a favor or two.

"But hey, sometimes I get lucky!" Polly grinned widely, then slid forwards and sniffed delicately at Burning Desire, who winced a little before the now-mare licked her lips slowly. "Ooh, you're going to grow up big and strong... I see why Cupidus wants me to train you. You've got a lot of hunger, all that bottled up longing, helping fuel your nature... you're Passion."

"Are you male or female? Because I'm not sure how attracted I'm supposed to be to you right now." Burning Desire said finally, and Polly rolled her eyes even as she laughed and shook her head.

"Maybe I'm both." Polly said roguishly, earning another awkward half-wince, half-leer from Burning Desire before the Lust demon clicked her tongue quietly and smiled softly. "To be honest... I don't know anymore. You must understand a little by now, even if you're young... the constant craving, the need to get attention, to be touched, to be loved in the physical sense. It's been like that for me for centuries, and believe me, the needs just get worse and worse over time. I've done awful things to get what I need, and honey, I'll do more awful things in the future... but a little bird whispered to me that you... you want to be different."

Burning Desire flinched in surprise, biting his lip, and then Polly leaned in and smiled softly, saying gently: "Don't think Cupidus doesn't know what you're up to. But that don't matter, sweetie, it shouldn't stop you from tryin'. Just remember, he has eyes and ears everywhere... but you... you understand me, while even after all the years I've spent working for him, Cupidus thinks he can still get through to me with wealth and influence. You scratch my itch, Burning Desire... I'll help you. Because you're a big handsome stud, and on top of that, oh, sweetie, there's nothing sexier than a stallion determined to change his fate."

The fiery stallion shifted awkwardly... and then he looked slowly up, asking hesitantly: "How can I trust you?"

Polly only smiled at this, however, closing her eyes and shrugging before she replied gently: "Because sweetie, what can Cupidus offer me that you can't top? And I do mean... top."

Polly licked her lips slowly, and Burning Desire cleared his throat a few times before Polly chuckled, then closed her eyes... and in a flash of electricity, there was once more a pretty stallion standing across from him instead of a pretty mare. Slowly, Polly's eyes half-opened, his gaze sultry and his smile coy before he said softly: "Let's get down to business now, sweetie. I got a schedule to keep... handsome as you are, there are a few other servants I'm in charge of keeping in line, too."

Burning Desire nodded, feeling a little relieved as the pretty stallion became more professional. The fiery stallion studied him closely all the same as he talked, knowing by now how fond many demons became of hiding their true feelings: it was like even if many of them felt they were nothing but slaves to their primal drives, on some instinctive level they were ashamed of themselves, too. They still tried to follow social order, still shaped their responses based on who they were talking to, often hid the worst of their habits unless they had lost their minds to madness or become drones slaving solely under the will of a more-powerful demon.

Polly did the same: for all his teasing at first, he was lucid and brisk in explaining Burning's duties, and even when he had been coy it had been in a way that had been... playful and sensual, but not... sexual. It had been a game, like he had made a game of his own desires and needs, and vented it by acting the way he did without giving in.

Burning was admittedly not pleased with the position he was given: he would no longer be tortured, but he would still be considered a slave. His room was very beautiful, but that was a reflection not on Cupidus' generosity, but his greed and his desire to show of his wealth and power: besides which, the bed was almost a solid slab of metal and the 'furnishings' were all decorative statues. What glittered was certainly gold, but none of it had any real purpose. And he probably would only have an hour or two of alone time here every day.

His duties almost made him wish he was still being tortured: since he could read and write and had picked up the basics of demonic runes from Jaundice, he would be in charge of sorting contracts, watching over old accounts, and keeping everyone in the Accounting Hall supplied with ink. Cupidus was extremely strict about the last, and there was one firm rule that Burning Desire was never to forget: the accountants and bankers and lawyers and legal aides all got black ink, but Cupidus always used carmine red.

Burning Desire couldn't help but ask why, and Polly had looked back and forth, then flicked his head at the doors, and they had slammed firmly shut. Then the pretty stallion had leaned in close, whispering into Burning Desire's ear: "Because traditionally, all important documents are signed in blood. But Cupidus doesn't have any blood. So he overcompensates."

The fiery stallion stared at Polly, not believing him, but the pretty stallion nodded quickly a few times, saying seriously: "It's one of the two subjects that Cupidus is oh-so-very sensitive about. I've seen him order demons killed just for mentioning it! The other... well, I'm sure you know all about the Duke by now, honey."

Burning Desire nodded hesitantly, feeling a few questions rising to mind... but before he could ask anything, Polly smiled and looked up, saying firmly: "Now let's talk about something else, and jump right on into teaching while I have a few minutes left to spare."

The fiery stallion's questions faded away as he nodded in return, smiling a little, feeling like he could trust the Lust demon in spite of his apprehension. And as days passed, his anxieties faded and trust and fondness of the eccentric demon grew, even if Polly could sometimes be insistent about getting his – or her, in some cases – 'itches scratched,' as the Lust demon phrased it.

Burning Desire also began to memorize the layout of the mansion, and he learned about the demons and other creatures that inhabited it. Mildred, for example, was a bodyguard of Cupidus, and had been lured into Helheim and servitude by one of the Greed demon's lackeys. He had no real mind of his own, he was just a large, burly set of fists and muscles that did whatever Cupidus ordered.

The fiery stallion also learned that Cupidus was neither forgiving nor lenient: during Burning Desire's first day of work, he had gotten lost on the way to the Accounting Hall from the Archives, and shown up late. Without hesitation, Cupidus had calmly ordered Mildred to 'chastise,' and a moment later the fiery stallion had most of his ribs broken from a single kick.

When he'd screwed up again by letting an accountant's ink run dry, Mildred had been ordered to 'punish:' Burning Desire vaguely remembered a large fist hitting him before he'd woken up in some kind of steel crate, but he was distracted from trying to figure out what had happened when the box had been electrified, and he'd realized a little late that the sides and ceiling were all spiked as he'd thrown himself around inside the cramped prison in agony and terror and panic.

After more than an hour, he'd been dragged out of the punishment box by Mildred and thrown in front of Cupidus, who told him in that awful, calm way of his that next time, he would receive more than a warning. And Burning Desire, flayed and still twitching from electricity and with half-melted hooves, direly did not want to discover what Cupidus thought of as actual punishment if that was just a 'warning.'

Thankfully, as a demon, Burning Desire healed fast and recovered from his ordeal within a day: unfortunately, as a demon who longed constantly for affection, excitement, and simply more, sitting in the dusty archives was hell, and spending hours mixing ink, replenishing ink, pouring ink, and checking ink levels was not much better. In fact, it was probably worse.

His only escape was his time with Polly... and the few other friendly servants and demons Polly introduced him to. Burning Desire found himself beginning to mimic Polly's behavior after a few weeks with the cheery Lust demon as well, acting more extroverted and flirtatious and even simply silly, and he found that... it actually did help keep his urges in check, like venting steam out of a covered cauldron.

But what hurt him all the same was his powerlessness: Cupidus was in control of the situation, and Burning Desire knew there was nothing he could do. The Greed devil always had an escort, always had bodyguards around, and never seemed to make a mistake or misstep. As a matter of fact, it was almost like he had forgotten about Burning Desire completely and moved on to some new subject, although Burning knew that the devil kept a strict record of each and every thing that he did. It drove him utterly insane to think that maybe, in spite of everything he was doing, he might end up trapped here for all eternity... demonic stock-boy to a glorified number-cruncher and his bean-counters.

Days became weeks, weeks became months... soon, months became years. And it was strange, as at first Burning Desire found it both incredible and terrifying that so many years had passed since he'd fallen to Helheim... and then a year to him became nothing more than another measurement of time, and it was more bittersweet than it was scary. What was scary was how fast things seemed to go... how used he had gotten to the routine of work, work, work, train, with the occasional fling or punishment thrown in to spice up the monotony.

He wondered some days what had happened to Morning Glory, and hoped she was... somewhere better. He'd tried to search for her through his scrying techniques, but he'd never seen her, and he hoped that was a good sign. He still loved her, probably more than he knew he should... just like he still cared about his father, even Radiant Beacon. It hadn't been her fault, after all...

But he didn't know anything about what was going on in the mortal world. Information about what the demons called Midgard was hard to acquire... the demon lords and nobles liked to keep that to themselves unless they were sending servants out on a job. Burning Desire thought it was probably because so many new demons and prisoners missed their mortal lives... the suspense of not knowing if your family was alive, if anyone remembered your name, if your city, country, world even still existed... it was awful.

This was the subject on Burning Desire's mind as he grumbled under his breath, using a hammer to smash rubies into tiny pieces. The glittering red rubble was then fed into the ugly machine sitting a short distance down the table: a long metal tube full of grinding teeth that would reduce the rubble to almost-invisible dust. This dust was then poured back out of the tube and added to the mixture of crushed flower petals and berry juice, then all swirled together with a smelly substance that was used to give it the right consistency.

Making the stupid red ink for Cupidus was one of his most frustrating jobs, because he had to hurriedly do it in between all his other work, and Cupidus had the barrel of red ink checked every single day. If the barrel ever dropped below a certain level, Burning Desire was severely punished. And he was not really in the mood to have the lower parts of his legs cut off again today, then forced to experience the oh-so-wonderful sensation of those severed body parts being reattached.

Burning Desire shivered and shook his head, and then he swung the hammer down... and yelled in frustration as he smashed his own hoof, cursing and raising it quickly. He growled at the deep impression the spiked hammer had left, and the red blood dripping slowly down his foreleg...

The demon frowned as something whispered in memory... and then his eyes slowly widened before he turned to look at the mixture. And before he could convince himself this was a horrible idea, he hurriedly stuck his hoof over the glass and let his blood spill into the mixture.

An hour later, Burning Desire brought a new jar of red ink to Cupidus, who ignored him as always. The demon felt nervous as he carefully used telekinesis to switch the mostly-empty jar with the new one while the devil checked numbers in his accounting book, and then he began to turn away... and winced, shrinking his head between his shoulders, when the Greed devil said quietly: "Wait."

Burning Desire looked lamely over his shoulder as Cupidus leaned forwards, orange eyes studying him intently... and then the stallion watched in what felt like slow motion as the Greed devil dipped his quill into the ink, gave a practiced swirl of the instrument as it withdrew, and then touched it to the notebook in front of him. And then everything resumed its normal rhythm, and Cupidus said quietly: "I have an important meeting tomorrow. Finish your duties for today, and then find Polarity and help him and the others set up the meeting room. It must be perfect."

Burning Desire nodded awkwardly, beginning to turn away... and then he halted with a wince when Cupidus spoke his name again. This time, there was something sharp in the tone, something almost accusatory, and Burning Desire looked nervously over his shoulder again as Cupidus picked up the ink well, turning it slowly back and forth as his orange eyes studied it.

Then the devil gave a sound of contempt and slammed the inkwell down, returning his sharp gaze to Burning Desire as the stallion wilted. "This is five inches in height, not five and a half. Do not make this mistake again... you are only saved by the grace that I cannot risk your productivity being hindered by punishment today."

"Touchy, touchy." Burning muttered before he could stop himself, and when Cupidus glared at him, the stallion spun and bolted out of the Accounting Hall, and he didn't stop running until he reached the supplies storeroom. But the moment the door slammed behind him, Burning Desire fell back against the wooden frame, and couldn't stop himself from laughing in stupid amazement.

Maybe he had just found a way to get out of here after all. It would require patience and time and effort... but... if he was lucky and careful, he might just be able to strike back at Cupidus for everything the bastard had done to him