“And there is no other way?”

“Please don’t tell me you still think me untrustworthy, Lieutenant! I saved that citizen on my own accord! There is no other way to purge the darkness from a living thing than with the flame of the eternal Ember. I swear upon the First-Fire and my ancestors that this is the truth. Furthermore, Mute can verify my words! Only I can save your ponies from shades.”

Adamantine gave the pebble a skeptical look. “And is Mute not your follower? A docile and loyal servant that would do anything you’d ask of him?”

Zarathon’s flames turned a crimson red. “He is not a servant. Never again will he be a servant for as long as I live.”

The Lieutenant had asked Mute and Zarathon to meet with him in his office after they had taken the survivor to the Ponyville hospital. The night had been waning as they walked to the barracks yet the darkness still clung to the streets and houses in Ponyville. There were many scaffoldings attached to homes and shops to allow workers access to their roofs. The fires had been put out quickly but the damage was still noticeable. The many wooden walkways around the buildings gave the impression that the town was only half built. As they all reached the barracks Radiant Sword asked the guards to wait in the office area while he took Mute and Zarathon to his office. The Lieutenant's office door was next to the blackboard and it bore his title and name in golden letters.

They had entered the office with quite some tension hanging in the air, especially since Adamantine joined them. The Lieutenant, being the gruff unicorn he was, demanded a detailed explanation of Zarathon’s means to ‘purge’ a shade from a pony’s body. Mute, after some hushed words from Zarathon, had placed the pebble on the Lieutenant’s desk and seated himself next to it, lazily eyeing the others.

The changeling could feel the annoyance that rolled off the Lieutenant and Duchess as Zarathon once more informed them that only the Ember could separate a host and a shade. Zarathon did so again, and again, and again. It reached a point where the conversation had repeated so many times that Mute had grown quite bored, and as such he tinkered with a newton’s cradle on the Lieutenant's desk. The ‘tick’ from when the metal balls hit one another was akin to a clock and the longer it ticked the more it seemed that Adamantine grew angry and Radiant tired.

“It is completely unacceptable that only you can—”

“No matter how many times I have to say it the answer will always be the same! I and my compatriot are the only ones that can save your ponies should they be possessed. Furthermore, it is not an easy thing to do even if it may look simple to a pony! There is a chance that a possessed creature will die as the shade is purged! It requires precision and a lot of learning to separate a shade from its host. So it would not matter if I taught you the entire Quiran tongue and every ward they conceived, you’d still be unable to purge shades, Duchess! You are untrained. For heaven's sake, you are not even a Lady of Cinder!” Zarathon shouted.

Adamantine growled. “Then make me one! I can master your Quiran arcane far faster than the changeling!”

Mute let an amused snort at her words, drawing a spiteful look from the mare. However, the changeling ignored her as the ticking of the newton’s cradle was far more interesting.

Zarathon on the other hand sighed in frustration. “I have said this before and I will only repeat it once: There can only be two Lords of Cinder. If I were to grant you the title I would have to forsake Mute, cutting his connection to the Ember, and I refuse to do so. Mute knows the wards and equations and he is dedicated to my cause. Mute is also reliable in combat and he is not sworn to serve Celestia. You are none of these things. Nor are you my friend.”

The Duchess grumbled before she pointed her hoof at the burning pebble. “For all we know you could be lying about who can use your magic! You could be lying about this Cinder business too! How are we supposed to know you are not just using this to gain leverage against the princesses!?”

“I am going to use this for leverage! I would be a fool if I let such an opportunity go to waste. But that does not make it any less true, you sun-loving!—”

“Enough!”

Mute jumped from his seat at the sudden interjection from Radiant Sword and he let out a disappointed huff as the older unicorn grabbed the newton’s cradle and dragged it away.

“As much as I don't like it, I think we have no other choice but to believe Zarathon’s words. We have seen nothing that would indicate there is another way to purge shades. I say that we write to the princesses that Zarathon is vital to our operations regarding the shades. We should also implore that they establish a specific branch of the army for the capture and safe-keeping of shade-possessed ponies. These possessed ponies can later be brought to Zarathon and saved,” the Lieutenant said.

Adamantine sighed but eventually caved. “Fine. I shall inform her of our conversation.“

“And in return for my and my friend’s continued cooperation as your ‘shade hunters’, I have a request. It must not be brought about today or tomorrow, but it is one I’d like to see happen soon. Mute has proven himself reliable when it comes to protecting your ponies and he has done so not with a wage or rewards but under threat of imprisonment, deportation, and even death. As such I would like for the Princess to apologize for her treatment of him by ennobling him and giving him land,” Zarathon said smugly.

Mute gave him a surprised look and he pulled out his notebook. He quickly wrote down ‘What about you?’ and showed it to the pebble.

“Later. You come first.”

Lieutenant Sword eyed the pebble with deep skepticism. The look he gave Zarathon would have been amusing if not for the frown on his face. "You believe the Princess would just give you a title?"

Zarathon chuckled. "Yes, I do."

Adamantine looked at Mute and Zarathon with a scowl. “Not happening. The Princess hasn’t made someone a noble in over a hundred years. Some families in Canterlot and Manehattan still hold a claim to their inherited titles such as mine, but that’s it! This is not something the princesses would grant you! And you would not get any land! The princesses know better than to let you rule over anything! The fact they have not torn down your 'Grand Palace' is more mercy than you two deserve!”

“How about a compromise then? If my friend can not be given land to rule then perhaps a place at the Canterlot court will suffice. Such an arrangement would be very beneficial for me and my friend," Zarathon said in amusement.

"You say I can not be a Lord of Cinder because I serve Princess Celestia, but you would be fine with him serving her?" the mare said with an annoyed frown and pointed to Mute.

Mute ignored her remarks, his focus squarely on the newton's cradle.

"Unlike you, Mute would not bend to her every word and tell her every secret I have. Additionally, your loyalty to the Princess is only one of the many issues I have with you, 'Duchess'. And if what you say is true, that Celestia would not grant Mute this courtesy (which would make her a fool), then you could send every possessed pony in Equestria my way and I would not save them. I'd let you watch as they are consumed by the shade, as they sire children made from flesh and shadow that serve the darkness unquestionably. I'll laugh as your cities are besieged by your possessed populace and wonder how such a prosperous and powerful race could have been so foolish.”

"Do not say such brash things, Zarathon! I will not have you toy with Eqsutrian lives for the sake of a title!" Radiant Sword said.

Adamantine slammed her hoof down into the table next to the pebble and she glared at him with a hateful hiss. “You dare threaten the lives of the innocents?”

Mute stood up, his every muscle tense and his stance rigid. He looked ready to pounce the mare and there was a dangerous glint in his eyes.

“Try me, child. I know how the Game is played and so do the Sun Goddess and Moon Mistress. The board might have a different coat of paint, and the pieces might have new shapes, but I know how to play nonetheless,” Zarathon said with a huff.

“I should shatter you right now!” Adamantine yelled and reared her head back, her horn ablaze with white light.

“Come then! Let me show you how I defeated Luna in the battle of the Prairies!” Zarathon yelled and his flames erupted like a bonfire around him.

Mute crouched down and let out a loud hiss, baring his fangs at the mare. The cracks in the changeling’s horn glowed and he held back tears as the pain flared, but he was too angry to not try! He’d show her what it meant to cross a Lord of Cinder!—

“THAT IS ENOUGH! All of you will calm down, right now! Lady Will, leave before there is a fight! Zarathon you will stop insulting the Princess! Mute you sit down or I will make you!” Radiant Sword yelled and got up from his chair.

The three looked stunned at the unicorn stallion's words, or at least Mute and Adamantine did. Zarathon's flames lessened in their intensity until they were their ordinary size. There was silence for a second before Adamantine growled at his words. “I am a Duchess of Canterlot! I am a protector of the princesses themselves! You do not get to order me around!”

“You are not in command here, I am! Leave before there is a fight! Tell the princesses of Zarathon's demands and let them deal with this instead!" Radiant huffed.

Adamantine's face twisted in rage before she let out a shuddering breath and stormed out of the office. The Lieutenant sat back down behind his desk and sighed in frustration. Mute gripped his horn with a pained groan and stumbled. He felt close to throwing up. Zarathon sighed and let his flames wash over Mute’s horn, soothing the pain. Mute nodded his head in thanks and sat back down beside the desk. While the fire did help he still looked at Zarathon pitifully.

“Still no improvement?”

Mute shook his head and eyed the Lieutenant. The stallion's rage seeped into the very air and smelled like burnt flesh, much to Mute's dissatisfaction. He opened his mouth and red whisps streamed from Radiant's chest into Mute's mouth. The changeling chewed it down as the Lieutenant watched in awe before the changeling suddenly gagged and hurried to a window. He puked out red goo onto the grass outside and desperately tried to get air into his lungs.

“You could have done that the entire time? Why did you not do that to the Duchess' anger?” the Lieutenant asked with a frown.

Mute returned to the desk with an unfocused stare and stumbled. He sat down and shook his head to clear away the fog Radaint’s anger had caused. Once his mind cleared the changeling wrote in his notebook once more. ‘I wanted her to be angry. It would give me an excuse to punch her.’

The Lieutenant snorted. “Fair enough.”

Mute put down his notebook and sat down in his chair once more. He gave Zarathon a curious glance and mimicked himself wearing a crown and then did a confused shrug.

Zarathon’s flames flickered in amusement. “Celestia will never ennoble me, even if I told her that the price of not doing so would be the death of any became possessed. But you… You are not me. You do not have my past or my grievances with ponykind. Nor have you battled with or injured the Sun Goddess. So if my price is for you to become a noble, then she might agree to it.”

Mute looked away and pondered on his friend’s words. Did he want to be ennobled by the Sun Goddess? Just being near her terrified him… He’d write down more words in the book. ‘I know naught how to rule.’

“You will learn, you must. A title gained through fortune requires more cunning and valor to keep than one gained by one’s virtue. Especially since you’d rely on the goddess’ grace to keep your title,” Zarathin mused. “And this act of mine is not just a kindness, it is an obligation I place upon you. You are a Lord of Cinder, yet by your admission, you know not how to rule. See this as your chance to learn.”

Mute gave the pebble a nod and looked out the window in the direction of the Ponyville library. He seemed to ponder on something, looking far more thoughtful than normally.

"They will agree to ennoble you, don't you worry about that," Zarathon said.

Lieutenant Sword on the other hand eyed the two of them with an uncertain frown. He especially looked disgusted at Zarathon's words regarding his demands. “It is a very cruel thing to do, Zarathon. You are the only one that can save those possessed, yet you're willing to withhold this unless Mute is granted some title? Do you think the Princess will agree to all of this? I may not know exactly what happened in the past but I can assure you they will not be happy with these demands. It's extortion. The chance that they'll grant Mute a noble title is slim at best. Not to mention that you're threatening my ponies. I won't let you keep away aid from them.”

Zarathon chuckled. “Aye, it is cruel. But it is necessary cruelty for the sake of the realm. You will not have to worry about your ponies going without aid, the princesses will agree. They can not afford to destroy me. Also, I choose to view this not as a gain through illicit means. This is a reward for my friend's valor! I think you'll find it easier to stomach if you think of it as such."

The unicorn stallion rubbed his forehead and mumbled in response.

Mute eyed Zarathon and pondered on his words. He wasn’t certain he deserved a reward for doing the right thing—the hive expected you to do the right thing—but he would not refuse it. Zarathon wanted this for him, that was clear. Though Mute couldn’t help but wonder why the pebble didn’t just ask the Princess to return the Everfree instead. Surely that would not be impossible to do? It was not like the forest was inhabited or used for anything. There were no ponies that used it for lumber or cut it down to make room for more fields.

Lieutenant Sword glanced back and forth between Mute and Zarathon. “If you're willing to go this far today... Just what did you do in the past, Zarathon?”

“What I must,” was the pebble’s only answer.

Radiant Sword looked unsatisfied with the cryptic answer but he gave the two of them a nod. “Very well, keep your secrets. It matters not as long as you keep my ponies safe, and you will keep them safe, title or not. Now, I must write some reports and see how the defenses worked during the night. You’re dismissed.”

Mute picked up Zarathon and they walked out of the office. They were met by the stare of all the guards. Arcane Song looked at them warily, fear and confusion rolled off her. Iron Hoof just looked angry, though Mute could feel that the large stallion was more confused than rageful. Thorne looked as placid as Mute, sitting by her desk and writing on some document. Holy Vow however walked up to him and Zarathon.

“What exactly happened in there just now? The Duchess looked real angry…” the pegasus said.

Iron Hoof let out a snort. “Angry? She looked ready to tear down the office! What in tarnation did you say to her!?”

Zarathon's flames flickered in amusement. “I shall not reveal anything. Mute can tell you later if he so pleases, but right now I believe we all need rest. It has been a long night, no?”

“I guess… I am tired after running around the forest,” Holy mumbled and stretched.

“Splendid! Then let us rest and we can speak of unpleasantries another time!”

Mute yawned and walked past Holy Vow towards the door leading out of the offices and onto the cold dirt road outside. It was the early hours of the morning so the sky was lit by a faint golden light, but it was still not light enough to cast away all shadows and darkness. Mute did note that Ponyvlle looked particularly beautiful as it was basked in the first light of the morning.

“Do you like this town, Mute?” Zarathon asked.

The changeling pondered on that question before he shrugged. He pulled out his notebook and wrote down a few words. ‘I don’t know it or the ponies well enough to say if I like it or not. But it is beautiful. And that one pink pony did give me a vial of pure love. So... I believe the town is worth protecting.’

“Yes, you are right. We have an obligation to this land. And you're correct, she did indeed gift you a vial! We must thank her later and ask her how she came across it. But now you must rest, and I must plan. We will find a way to regain my lost power yet.”

Mute nodded. ‘We must.’

So the pair headed for the Everfree, to their Grand Palace, for a well-deserved rest.

A shorter chapter today. I realized I needed to have some things addressed after the events in the forest and start to set up Mute and Zarathon's long-term goal here. I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter!