Darker times.
For those wondering how he ended up a gelding.
He'd been dreading this moment for weeks. He kept quiet and tried not to think about what was happening, giving a fickle tug at the chain attached to his halter, obscuring the sounds of the man picking through the bins across the room. Even when he was much younger, he'd been told this would happen. Like much of the unfortunate realities that awaited him as he aged, he'd tried not to think about it. The last few weeks though, as the end of his ninth year approached, it was unavoidable. His light build wasn't wanted. Everyone had said it. He wasn't nearly as stout as most of his fellows, and while he wasn't weak, or frail, he wasn't able to drag the kinds of loads they could, and his fine, featherless legs tended to get stiff in the cold and damp of the tunnels. He was lucky he hadn't been given the axe just for those shortcomings. It was clear that they wanted no more of his kind though. The chains jingled as his head craned around to see the man stepping towards him. The gruff human didn't say anything, and he didn't have to. Ten years of whips and ropes had taught all the ponies to keep their hooves and teeth to themselves. He shuddered, closing his eyes as the man knelt down behind him. He wanted to kick the bastard, and the chuckle from behind him was as infuriating as it was depressing. If he did, he'd lose more than just his family jewels. He actually wanted to be tied down most of the time, so he didn't have to suffer the indignity of forcing himself to submit. A hoof stamped as a hand closed around his scrotum, giving it a commanding tug down. He issued a tone somewhere between pleading, and hatred, but lowered his head, and spread his legs as the pull got harder, the pain making him tense up and choke down a spiteful cry. Between his legs, he could see the little ring fit to the pliers, and spread open. Up it went, around his sore bits. He cringed, and let his head droop down against the chain, motionless as the man rose with a grunt, and clunked across the room to put the tool away. "Back to work." The sting of the rubber choking down, served as a constant reminder of what he'd no longer have when the feeling finally faded away. But, he was alive, and maybe somehow, he'd find a way out of the mines, and to something better.