Canterlot Castle was a magnificent structure. It rose high above the rest of the pristine marble city with its formidable walls. The parapets had sharp crenelations which ran alongside the curtain walls and the allure was patrolled by a squad of at least five guards every few minutes. The gatehouse was manned by guard stallions twice Mute's size dressed in heavy armor and with all manners of weaponry in their hooves. Spears, glaives, pikes, maces, and crossbows were just some of the weapons he spotted. The unicorns were the ones with longsword attached to their sides and one particular large stallion had a great sword which he rested a hoof on. They were the guardians of the castle gate, and they vetted anyone that dared approach the castle. Not that many ponies seemed afraid of them. On the contrary, the locals seemed at ease with the well-armed stallions around to defend them.

They had not bothered to vet Mute. They had simply looked him over, been handed a letter from the lieutenant which had ordered Mute to meet with the princess, and then let him through. Private Holy Vow had to stay outside the walls, as did the rest of his squad. Only the lieutenant followed Mute through the gate and into the bailey, and well inside he immediately handed Mute over to two unicorn mares dressed in black and orange outfits with glaives at the ready. He did not say farewell or even acknowledge Mute's existence. It seemed like the older stallion simply did not like the changeling, and Mute could understand him. Ponyville had caught on fire due to Zarathon's magic, but there had been no other way to purge the greater shade.

Mute remembered for a second how he had once stood in a jungle before a very similar creature, one that had him in an iron grip and refused to let go. He had screamed, screamed so much his voice died down into rusty coughs. The fear that had gripped him still made his legs stiff, his throat dry up, and his ears press so hard against his head that they hurt.

"Follow us."

One of the mares broke Mute out of his memories and he nodded at her. He had no quarrel with the ponies and wished not to anger them. Or well, he did have a grudge at that pair of twins which had fooled him out of his first coins. They had said a bath in a tub of... mayonnaise they'd called it. Mayonnaise which was blessed by a Blezabin—a demon that had ascended to goodness and become a pony—which was supposed to cure his wounds.

It had left him smelling like a particularly foul sandwich and Zarathon had chewed him out for his foolishness.

Mute once again shook his head to break out of his memories and he followed the two mares through the bailey. They eventually reached a small staircase and followed it upwards until they reached an elevated section of the castle that overlooked the city. A nice garden opened up before them filled with trees, flowers, and stone statues that dotted the landscape. But they quickly left that section of the castle and entered through a pair of large doors into an empty ballroom. They walked past maids which cleaned the large open space and walked through several smaller corridors and larger halls.

Mute felt dizzy with the sharp turns and multiple rooms they simply walked past or through to get to their destination. It seemed like the two mares took the quickest path they knew, yet the walk took several minutes.

Mute could only admire the wealth which was on display along the way. Old urns and vases created centuries before were simply placed on wooden tables in the halls with equally beautiful flowers in them. Huge tapestries hung from the walls which depicted a golden sun and a crescent silver moon. And sometimes a third banner was seen which depicted a heart made from blue crystal. Yet it was the glass cabinets that made Mute truly see the wealth that the sun goddess held. Golden necklaces, enchanted weapons, and works of art were preserved through the ages so that their beauty would never be lost. Mute had seen a fair share of wealth on the western and eastern coast, not to mention the hidden treasures of the Hive's Central Spire, but never something akin to this.

One of the mares noticed that he had stopped to gaze at the cabinets and she slammed her polearm into the floor to get his attention. Mute jumped and hurried after her. She just gave him a frown and continued to lead him on until they finally reached their destination, a pair of pristine white doors that bore the emblem of the goddess' golden sun.

"Princess Celestia waits inside, and so does Princess Luna. They expect a detailed report of what occurred in Ponyville and they expect full compliance. The princesses take the security of Equestria very seriously, but doubly so does the security of the Canterlot and Everfree region. You will answer their questions, you will address them as 'your highness' or 'your majesty' at all times and you will not try to harm them or deceive them in any way. Failure to adhere to these guidelines and rules will result in severe punishment, such as prison time. Do you understand?" one of the mares said and positioned herself next to the door.

Mute opened his mouth and pointed to his tongue. He then mimicked writing on a piece of parchment.

The other mare steeled her gaze at him. "She wasn't addressing you."

Mute felt Zarathon flare to life in his shirt pocket and he took out the pebble. He held up his Lord for the two mares and he felt Zarathon's flames twist and turn, more so in contemplation than fear. Zarathon did not fear this meeting, at least not enough for Mute to feel it. But there was unease and a sense of uncertainty in the pebble.

"It is good we ordered that chocolate cake, my friend. It will surely aid our chances of not being banished to the moon," Zarathon said with a nervous chuckle.

Mute blinked. That was an option? Suddenly the pristine white doors felt very very large and very very cold.

"Zarathon of house Holtam, have you understood what is expected of you during this meeting?" the mare sneered.

Zarathon huffed and his fire flicked in annoyance. "Of course I do. This is not the first time I meet with rulers or important players in the great game. I have made deals with Discord and withstood the great Tirek, persuaded the demoness Yursa from invading the south, and spoken with the golden dragon of the west. I understand what awaits inside, or I am not a Lord."

The mare huffed right back. "That's the thing, 'honored' Zarathon, you are Lord of this land no longer."

The white doors swung open and Mute walked inside. What awaited them made him want to shrink and crawl along the floor. Two alicorns sat by a round table with a multitude of old tomes, letters, and parchments spread out across from it. There was also a smaller cart on wheels next to the table with a chocolate cake on it. A single piece had been cut out and eaten, the rest had been left.

"See, I told you she'd like it. She will be more receptive now," Zarathon whispered to him.

The sun goddess, tall as Chrysalis, watched them with a frown as they entered. Her multicolored mane flowed in the same ethereal wind as Zarathon's fire and her eyes seemed ablaze with magical power. The smaller darker alicorn watched them with badly hidden contempt. There were dark rings under her eyes and she angrily sipped on a cup with a black liquid inside. It seemed her already foul mood was not improved by their arrival.

"Zarathon," the sun goddess said it so matter-of-factly, not like when a greeting was dispensed. It was a statement, Mute realized, an assertion that Zarathon was indeed in the same room as the two alicorns.

The moon mistress said nothing. She eyed Mute with curiosity for a second before her eyes landed on the pebble with a hateful glare.

Mute gave them a grunt in greeting. He could do no more, and it took all his willpower to not squeak in fear. These creatures could kill him if they wanted to, and their glares certainly made it seem like they considered it.

"I apologize for my compatriot's lacking ability to express proper manners and salutations. I am afraid he lost the ability to speak due to a grievous injury and can only communicate through writing. If you want him to properly communicate with you procure ink, quill, and some paper. Actually do procure these items, my friend would like to be able to communicate again," Zarathon said.

The moon mistress shot up out of her seat and slammed her hooves onto the table. Mute jumped as he realized her hooves and lower legs were clad in adamantine armor, adamantine armor which surface was covered in glowing runes. Then she spoke, and her voice boomed through the room as if she had amplified it with magic. Mute placed one hoof behind the other and pressed his ears against his head.

"You dare make demands of us!? We should shatter what remains of you and scatter you across the winds you low-feeding, conniving—"

"Luna."

The moon mistress shot a glance at the larger alicorn. One of Celestia's white hooves was raised in an attempt to calm the younger princess. She nodded at the black throne on which Luna had previously been seated upon and with a mutter she slowly sat back down.

Then the sun goddess turned her gaze upon Mute, or rather the burning pebble in his hoof. "You are supposed to be dead."

It was a simple statement, yet it filled Mute with such indignant rage. Who were they to decide who lived or died? Zarathon had done nothing but help him and others ever since that night in the jungle, and they dared say he was supposed to be dead? Mute bared his fang at the two alicorns and hissed.

"Calm yourself, Mute. She is merely confused. As far as they know I lost in most graceful of combat and was destroyed by their elements and the traitor. Can you imagine it? Me, an honorable lord of cinder, dying to two immortals that had not even lived through their first century? The humiliation I'd suffered in the golden fields would have been soul-crushing. The pleb— I mean my subjects would have been in their full right to banish my name of the record if I had died in such combat. And my family as well. And those strange scribes in that weirdly shaped tower. But the matter of the fact is, I survived your petty attempt at my life, and I now would like my rightful lands returned to me."

The moon mistress ground her teeth as she listened to Zarathon speak. She leaned over the table and glared. "Those lands have not been yours in over a thousand years."

"Correct, which is why they must be returned immediately! Have you seen the state of the royal forest? There are shades that run around and corrupt the subjects with impunity! The commonfolk are in charge of the land, the wards have not been renewed for at least four centuries, the labor force has been disbanded, and do not get me started on the state of the local militia—"

The sun goddess slammed a singular golden clad hoof onto the table. "Enough. We called you here because of the recent events in Ponyville. This shade that attacked was able to corrupt an element bearer and it posed a great enough threat that it could have resulted in the loss of the entire town. You will explain what you did to summon them here, and how they may be defeated."

Mute had so many questions. Who was the traitor Zarathon had spoken of who had helped the goddesses defeat him? What wards, in particular, was Zarathon referring to? The ones around the grand palace still held. Why did the sun goddess assume that Zarathon had been the one to summon the shades? Did they not know what Zarathon's main purpose was? Had they forgotten the holy flame so easily? Mute could just stand there and swallow thickly as the giants continued their game.

"With all due respect, Celestia, Luna, I am a lord of cinder. I am the rightful owner and inheritor of the lands surrounding Ponyville and all of the Everfree. My position as lord of the area was not chosen at random and I was meant to destroy shades. The fact that they only attack now and not before my arrival only speaks of my skill in eradicating their kind. Such a blow I must have dealt them that they hid for over a thousand years. I am quite proud of that if I may say so myself," Zarathon said with a satisfied tone.

Luna shook her head. "Lord Crazst sealed away the shades after your defeat. I would say he did a much better job at keeping the peace in the Everfree than you ever did. That seal seemed to have held until you returned. And why would you not unseal them, as it would give us a reason not to destroy you."

Zarathon's flame shifted in a strange manner. Mute could feel waves of confusion roll off the pebble. Zarathon spoke with some hesitation. "How was such a seal constructed? It should not have been possible. I fought them for decades and no manner of spell or ward could permanently lock them away."

Luna smirked at that. "It seems your rival was a better spellcaster than you."

"No. No that is what is strange, he was not..." Zarathon mumbled in bewilderment.

The sun goddess was once again the one to bring back the conversation to the topic at hand. "We can not contact lord Crazst, no one has seen any of your kind since your destruction. So you will tell us how to defeat these shades and we may consider sparing you and only put you in a locked strongbox for the rest of the century."

Mute took a step back. He would not let these creatures hurt his friend, goddesses or not. He shook his head and drew a rune in the air. Fire followed his movements until a burning rune hung there in the middle of the air. It depicted a symbol that looked a bit like a shield with an 's' inside it.

"Mute, there is no need. They do not plan to kill us, we are still useful to them. Furthermore, I must request that you give back my land! It is far too important to let this matter be handled by beings not connected to the holy flame or the darkness. Mute and I can eradicate the shades and keep Ponyville safe, and other settlements of course. All I request is to be given back my titles and lands. I must immediately begin reforms, cultural and economic ones. I also need to reform the labor force."

Celestia gave the pebble a deadly glare. "You will never enslave another creature as long as I breathe."

Luna snarled at the mention of slavery and her eyes glowed with magic. "You dare state such things in front of us!?"

Zarathon muttered. "Slavery allowed the poor to earn a roof over their head, money in their pocket, and a greater social standing than a beggar or pauper. A slave of a well-off lord slept on a fine bed, could care for the lord's children, and be allowed freedoms that many others could only dream about. All he had to give up was his will a few hours a day. It was a contract, willingly signed by both parties."

"You call such an arrangement willing!? A creature being so poor they had no choice but to sell their free will to some arrogant lord that thinks himself a god!?" Luna shouted and threw herself at Zarathon and Mute.

Yet before she could reach them and swipe at them with her hooves she was grabbed by the sun goddess' magic and dragged back to her seat. Mute could feel his legs shaking in fear and he took in a deep breath to calm himself. Celestia just glared at Zarathon and shook her head. "This is why we deposed you."

"You helped a traitorous snake gain a title he had not earned and you undid years of progress to a previously prosperous kingdom. Do not be a hypocrite and claim I am the evil one here when your armies razed my factories and villages to the ground, killed all who fought for me without thought, and dismantled my House with brute force. You may invoke my 'crimes' to justify your war, but I can very easily invoke yours to prove you were no better," Zarathon sneered.

"You were a tyrant who enslaved a large portion of your people and who expanded your borders time and time again at the cost of your neighbors. Do you want to say we are the aggressors? You threatened our ponies, and so we acted before it was too late!" the moon mistress shouted so loudly that the room shook.

"Resources were needed to expand my economy and let my people grow. Furthermore, those resources were spent containing the threat of the shades. I do not believe you that Crazst was able to seal them away. My efforts must have kept them at bay, not the wards of that charlatan. I will ask that you reinstate me as a lord a final time, and after that, I am no longer asking."

Mute nodded defiantly at the two alicorns. Zarathon needed the authority to continue the fight against the shades.

Celestia finally seemed to notice Mute. Her eyes glanced over the changeling and then looked back to the pebble. "Did you enslave this one, too?"

Zarathon made a gaff, clearly offended by her words. "Mute is a very cherished companion! He is my friend and fellow lord! He is the one that cast the spell which saved your precious ponies, so if anything he deserves your respect! I expected some change since our last meeting but this is ridiculous. At least be a decent monarch and reward those that have served your people!"

Celestia frowned and looked over Mute. "Is what he says true? Were you the one to banish the shade and save our ponies from its control?"

Mute nodded. It was kind of true, after all, he had written down the runes and channeled Zarathon's magic through himself. Even if it was Zarathon that cast the actual spell.

The sun goddess leaned back into her chair in contemplation. "You said that your fire is the only thing that can destroy them. Is this true?"

Zarathon's fire flickered. "I have never lied about my magic or its purpose. I can not destroy them on my own I am afraid, not in this... reduced form. I need Mute's help to incinerate them."

Celestia hummed and Luna looked at her with a quirked brow. The moon mistress eyes suddenly widened. "No... You can not be serious, sister! He must be locked away or destroyed! He is far too dangerous to be allowed out there!"

"He is an asset against an enemy which we know scarcely little about. He has fought them before and it seems his companion cares for the lives of our subjects. Do not worry sister, I will not grant him a noble title or land, but I shall give his friend a role in the defense of Ponyville and greater Equestria. Mute, you are to watch Zarathon's actions and you are to be assigned to the guard barracks in Ponyville. You will have the rank of private with the special designation of shade hunter. You will report to us every week and you will use Zarathon's power to destroy the shades wherever they show up. The lives of our subjects takes paramount to all other things. Furthermore, as we can not ascertain the true threat that Zarathon poses to Equestria you will be given a warden. The instructions and orders from this warden should be regarded as my own. Should either of you fail to adhere to these rules and expectations you both shall be locked away in the castle dungeon, is that clear?"

Zarathon muttered about extortion and perversion of justice. Mute just took a deep breath and nodded. What other choice did he have? Especially when it was already his purpose to kill shades.

"Besides the warden, you will be watched by my very own student, both of you. She wants to know more about Zarathon's magic, and since she learned about changelings she wants to learn more about Mute. And let me make something very clear," Celestia leaned in close from over the table with a glare, "if either of you hurt her, I'll kill you both."

Zarathon huffed. "As you wish, 'your majesty'."

Mute could only swallow thickly and slowly nod at the alicorn of the sun.

Somewhere deep in the Everfree, way beyond civilization and settlements, there was a hole in the ground surrounded by ruined watchtowers and stone walls. It was not easy to spot from the air, and if one walked through the woods one could fall into it. Yet it was distinct in comparison to other sinkholes or artificial ditches. It seemed never-ending. It was so dark that light seemed to be drawn to it. Yet there was a clear hint of something inside. Maybe stars? No, the specks of light were not distant stars, they were eyes. Eyes that watched the world above, eyes that waited for nightfall before they could hunt and move their stiff limbs. At the very depths of the hole, if there was an end to such a place, there was a solid black mass with one large red eye which stared up at the sky. It twisted and turned in a revolting manner, and if one looked closely it looked like the eye expressed mirth or amusement.

"So Li'tagnofh failed in capturing the ember. I should have expected such, he was weak, foolish, and acted without thought. It was not expected to be a success, yet such failure is an affront to our kind."

The voice was dark, bitter, and filled with spite. The smaller black masses twisted and bent at the beast's words. They seemed to shy away with fear at the venomous words spoken by the eye, but they quickly returned to stare upwards as it soon sank back into its mirth.

"I wonder what he thinks... If he understands what has happened. Has he even seen the western mountains? Has he discovered what was done? No. No, if he had he'd already been here, or truly dead. We can not reveal our cards too early. No, we wait, as we have done for centuries. Let no other try to claim the ember, only feed on the weak and lie in wait for now. The time is almost upon us. We can soon be free once again. I hope you remember me well, Zarathon, for I remember you, and I am hungry," the eye hissed.

The dark shapes in the endless hole shrieked in triumph and rolled around the eye like a storm. And the eye laughed, and it laughed, and it laughed as its spawn poured out from the hole and into the woods.

Thank you for reading yet another chapter of 'A changeling named Mute'! I hope that you enjoy the story so far and that my worldbuilding is interesting. The comedy aspect does suffer a bit to make room for the more serious aspects of this story but do not worry not everything will be doom and gloom. I hope you have a good day!