The King Of Nothing

Long after sunset, the group returned to the castle to say goodbye to Purple and Amon, promising to return in the morning.

Amon decided to keep his word and finally share a bit of himself with the rest. He explained that he has a weakness for sweet things, has developed some understanding of wildlife and camping tricks thanks to his time on the street, and even finds some joy in distracting himself with training on days he particularly feels lonely.

Overall, things were going well, and Amon even found out how the mares also came to Canterlot to help a friend's mother organize a baby shower that she wanted to make with a petting zoo on it. And why was Marcus coincidentally here, too? It turns out that he was making a material run for his latest invention and was staying in some luxurious hotel.

Amon found it weird that he would need to reserve a room and spend more than a day buying material for his creation, but according to Pinkie, that was a common thing for Marcus, and she had done the same before, so Amon decided to leave things there.

Things went well, and everyone went their separate way until a familiar and annoying voice called out to Amon, like a mosquito that would not leave him alone.

"Pray, Celestia, is this what I think it is?" Clink's voice alerts the group as they see the stallion in question and an elderly mare exiting the castle's main door. Their eyes land on Amon immediately. The teenager is wearing a luxurious white sweater, pants, and sunglasses. His right hand seems to be bandaged, and he has some golden chains on his shirt.

The mare next to him had his mother wearing a noisy, long red sweater with a pink boa around her neck, high heels, and what seemed to be a long, fluffy light red dress underneath her shirt, as well as oversized ugly sunglasses. She appeared chubby, and like her son, she seemed to enjoy showing off and being the center of attention.

"Is the royal guard finally putting that freak behind bars? See, mommy? I told you, I told you Princess Celestia would hear us out. There would be no way she would let that menace keep roaming free on the streets," Clink asks excitedly.

Amon could only growl in frustration and lower his head.

Why god? Why!? Am I paying for something? Is this some sort of divine punishment?

"So you are the brute that hurt my sweet, innocent angel then," The mare spoke up, approaching Amon, trying to be intimidating, yet the side difference made it impossible for her to look other than a toddler throwing a hissy fit at her parents.

"I was wondering what smelly, dirty hole you crawled into after you hurt my sweet colt and damaged my property. Hope you have enjoyed your time of freedom because this is just the beginning, you brute."

Cheetah pokes Amon's chest repeatedly. "You just made a mighty enemy here, mister. I will ensure you pay for everything you broke in my house. And don't think you can gain any pity because you don't have any money. Oh no, you are going to pay one way or another."

Cheetah starts to circle their chest of Amon, making him shiver and hold back a gag, reflecting as she continues her attempt at intimidation. Something that, so far, only one thing seems to be working on starting to get a reaction from Amon, even if it was just plain disgust and nausea.

"This body of yours can be useful. I can think of a way or two you can pay your debt in services but don't think that would be the end of it, scumbag; it would take a miracle before you would ever see the light of day."

She then looks at the guard. "Feel free to skip one or two of his next two or tree meals when you throw him into the dungeon, officer; that surely would soften him up for what would come next."

Purple can only sigh and roll his eyes at the comment before responding in annoyance and slight sarcasm "Thanks for your opinion, Ms. Cheetah, but…" The guard starts before feeling a hand over his right shoulder.

"...my sentence was already decided, and. So there is no need or require any more of your ideas Ma’am, the princesses already close the case" Amon interrupted Purple and stepped forward with a neutral expression, much to the surprise of the guard who turned his attention to Amon in surprise and confusion.

"And frankly, the guards already have their hands full with real threats to the city, so it will be appreciated if you keep your whining to yourself, Ma'am."

"How dare you talk back, you huge… excuse of… a… stallion?"

Amon leans his body forward, causing both Cheetah and Clink to retreat in surprise and slight fear as the light from the moon cast a shadow of Amon over the two ponies in front of him, slowly covering their bodies. Amon's glare made the two gulp and trembled under his gaze.

"What are you talking about, Amon?" Purple asks, blinking a couple of times. "You didn't…"

"...have yet to use my right of appeal, officer? I appreciate the reminder, but like I told you," Amon interrupts Purple again. "I will not use it, and frankly, what would be the point? The crown would have to go in circles for something minuscule and pointless, ultimately wasting time and resources when they could be using their time to investigate something more dire, like tax evaders."

Cheetah visibly flinched at that comment, and the guard started to look at her suspiciously, making her sweat.

"Well…" The mare pretended to cough and look away. "As you were officer, I would not take more of your time, as for you." Cheetah went back to glaring at Amon. "Trespass on my property and hurt my sweet angel again, and I… I… I would not respond to any action I may take in self-defense… in my bedroom… where all my jewels are… and I tend to leave the front window open," she warned him.

Once more, Amon flinches as his face turns green for a moment, a sentiment that Purple is currently sharing as they fight the urge to vomit.

Oh, sweet merciful god, is that old hag inviting me to rob her? Or is she implying some sick roleplay… AHGH! No! NO! I will not even going to think about it; I don’t need the nightmares. Is she a cheetah or a cougar?

Taking his expression as an opportunity, Clink smirked and tried to intimidate Amon, misunderstanding what her mother was doing.

"And neither would I," Clink adds with a confident smirk that only confuses the two stallions. "I heard you end up needing medical attention for a week after I was done with you, freak. I'm ready for round two anytime."

Clink raises his fist and pretends to be about to punch Amon, yet the stallion remains stoic as he keeps looking at Clink. Who keeps smirking, "Yeah, that's right. I bet you are frozen in fear right now, as you should. You overgrow freak of… hey!"

Having had enough, Purple grabbed Clink mid-swing and started to inspect the bandages on it. "Interesting, your hand is covered in bandages, a method used for cuts, burns, or both. Yet in my report, plus being a key eyewitness, I'm more than sure that your injuries were a minor bone fracture in two fingers and knuckles, which would require a cast and should be healed by this point."

Purple let go of his hand. "So I assume this is either a new and different injury, or you have a more pressing matter to attend to if your hand hasn't healed yet. Otherwise, this could get you in serious problems, young man."

"Really?" Clink asked in surprise as he tried to retrieve his hand, yet Purple wasn't done with it, glaring at the noble teenager.

"Oh yes, it is. You see, falsification of injuries and false accusations ARE serious crimes that could mean time in jail, Mr. Clink, and you wouldn't want us to resort to that, right?"

"Ah… y-yeah, you're right, officer. Ah, well, ah… I hope you rot!" Clink insults Amon again before he and his mother walk away as fast as they can in an attempt to save face.

Amon looked at them before sighing and then looking at Purple. "You didn't need to intervene. I can fight my own battles."

"Oh, really?" Purple asks in slight annoyance. "Then please tell me why you lied and let them believe I was arresting you. Because from what I just saw, you were declaring yourself guilty for something that didn't happen and you didn't do."

"And yet, is what those assholes wanted to hear. So that was exactly what I gave them while making sure they would hate every second of it. As I force-fed them the news most unpleasantly and painfully imaginable."

"Excuse me?" Purple asks, confused at his reasoning.

"Look, Purple, you are a respected and noble guard, so you would never understand what it is like to be viewed as inferior by the wealthy, even if I explain my reasoning. But if I know something about my past experiences, it is that against those kinds of pe… ponies, there are two ways to shut them up. You demonstrate that you have more power than them, which I would never be able to do. Or give them what they keep whining about but do so in a way that they hate, fear, and/or would never forget."

Amon starts counting the options. "Eh, could have easily spent the rest of the night hearing their whining, or worse, leave them more than ready to unload all of their crap in the royal court for the princesses to hear, or choose the alternative and let them believe a white lie to stop them in their tracks. Forgive me for choosing the option that allows everyone a chance to sleep and put this idiotic subject behind us."

"You know this is just a temporary solution, right? Ponies like them will keep coming and be even worse if they know they can get away with it."

"That's the thing; they will not come back. It looks like I say you don't get it, nor would you ever be able to understand it. But trust me. I neat this issue on the butt for good."

"That as it may be, this could easily snowball into nasty rumors and lies about you, Amon. It could make things harder down the line," Purple warns Amon as they resume their march toward the castle.

On his part, the stallion doesn't seem to bother and only shrugs. "It will happen no matter what, and it is a noble Purple; I would be surprised by any rumor they started, which managed to last more than two weeks, AND it is actually real. Just let it go," Amon replied.

The guard didn’t seem convinced but held his tongue as they entered the castle as two guards closed the royal gates behind the two.

At that moment, in Princess Luna's room, the princess was reading a report given to her by one of her guards before signing and closing her eyes, putting down the paper she was holding. "And you are sure about these numbers?" Luna asks, looking back at Bliss, who is wearing her royal guard uniform and holding her helmet under one arm.

"We ran the math three times, your highness, and all gave the same result," Bliss replied with a stoic expression. "The source of today's attack came from within the maze in Canterlot General Park, and the time matches when Amon was the only pony present there."

"Just as your report shows, and yet it doesn't make any sense," Luna mentions, standing up and putting the paper on the desk before her as she walks to her balcony. "There have been multiple incidents before where Amon wasn't even near the affected zones. Why is it now showing me this?"

“Your Highness, permission to speak freely?” Bliss asks, maintaining her stoic expression as Luna looks at the pegasus with slight confusion over her shoulder.

"Granted."

"In none of those cases there were reports of monsters appearing. And so far, that was the only other instance where that was the case. Amon was present."

"Are you suggesting Amon is responsible for the attacks?"

Bliss only shakes her head. "I'm only saying it is a coincidence, but should the same conditions repeat? Then we will be facing a pattern, your highness."

Luna remained quiet in thought before sighing and nodding once. "It hurts me to admit it, but you are right, private Bliss."

"What are your orders, princess?"

"For now, just stay put and keep observing. You have given me plenty to think about, and I need to have a private conversation with Amon tonight. There is a hypothesis I would like to discuss with him."

"As you command, ma'am. I will bring him to you." Bliss gave her a short reverence before putting on her helmet and exiting the room, leaving the princess alone with her thoughts.

Was I viewing this problem from the wrong angle all along? Could it be possible that Amon is plagued not by an external foe but rather by an inner demon?

Luna asks herself questions as she looks at a picture frame on her desk showing her posing next to a bunch of colts and fillies during nightmare night. Luna shows her alter ego, the statue of Nightmare Moon, behind the group and is now getting the princess's attention.

Amon told us how he had ascended not too long ago and had done everything in his power to contain his new latent abilities, something I saw firsthand, such as how he doesn’t seem to understand even his magic. Could he be going through the same or even worse ordeal I once went through?

Luna picks the photo and exited her balcony to see her full moon.

Should that be the case, I dread to imagine what kind of creature poor Amon is unconsciously forming inside him.

Luna shakes her head to clear her thoughts and steel her resolve as she stares at the moon.

I must make sure the clues align, and I must know if he really is creating these monsters by accident. If so, I must do everything in my power to help Amon stop this madness and save him from walking the same path I once traversed. Equestria doesn't need nor deserve a successor to Nightmare Moon.

Moments later, as Luna had requested, Bliss was able to bring Amon to her quarters as he looked at her slightly annoyed. Still wearing the clothes from the morning. Amon didn’t seem particularly thrilled to see her, something understandable considering the unexpected request.

"As you requested, your highness, I brought you…"

"Let's skip the chitchat and just tell me what you want," Amon interrupts Bliss, to her annoyance and surprise. Amon marches right into Luna without giving her any proper greeting, while the princess remains stoic.

"After the day exploring the city at the suggestion of your sister, may I add, I'm tired and would like to call it a night, Luna; I know you are usually awake during this time, but still. This better be big. If it couldn't wait for a sunset or another time, we both would be more awake."

For her part, Luna remained quiet and held up a hand before Bliss could say anything. "Thank you, private Bliss; you are dismissed, and do not concern yourself; Mr. Amon is in his right to be angry by this unexpected summon."

She snapped her fingers and conjured two cups of coffee for her and Amon. "A peace offer, and to answer your question, this is news you might want to hear immediately. It involves the monster's attacks this morning and an alternative to repel them. With any luck, permanently."

Amon, now more awake, kept staring at her before turning his attention to the floating mug and nodding. "Okay, you got my attention," He nodded and picked up the mug before heading to a nearby couch, "And since you offered the drinks, I will be an asshole if I don't return the favor; sorry if this is all I can offer."

Amon pulls out a zip-plug bag full of cookies from his picnic the day before, picking one of the treats before leaving the bag on the coffee table. It slightly confused both mares, who blinked before Luna addressed Bliss.

"You… can go back to your duties private."

"As you wish, your highness," Bliss, still slightly confused, can only salute and leave the two alone as Luna walks toward the chair opposite the couch and picks a cookie. "Thanks for the treat, Mr. Amon, but I must ask, did you always keep a bag of cookies in your pockets?"

"Recently? Yes. Before? If cookies were replaced with any food that could be stored, the answer would still be yes. I call it squirrelin, a common practice on the streets."

"Ah, I see. It's similar to how squirrels save nuts before winter," Luna nods before picking up her mug. She looks at Amon's bag, which he puts down between his legs in a possessive manner, making her sigh in sorrow.

"Yet another topic that will need discussion at a later time. For now, there is another subject I would like to discuss with you." Luna mentioned putting down the mug after taking a sip of her coffee.

"Agree." Amon also put his mug down and crossed his arm. "You said you found a way to repel the shadow monsters stalking me?"

Luna nods twice. "Indeed, I believe I found something that could assist you in erasing that problem and its potential source. But to be sure, I must answer a couple of questions first, Amon."

"Well, might as well, since you summon me." Amon shrugged and sighed before taking a gulp of his mug and looking at the princess. "Fire away, Luna."

"Thank you." Luna then summons a folder, which she grabs with one hand before opening and showing Amon the report she inspected in Las Pegasus. She also shows Amon, a creature that resembles a whale with eagle-giant wings and is seemingly made of shadow and neon lights.

"Do you recognize this creature, Amon?"

"How can I forget it? The bastard tried to fall over me in an attempt to crush me and ended up destroying an entire city block," Amon recalled with anger at the picture. "First and I hope last time, I had to resort to using a building as a spike."

"Yeah, I would like to know the story behind that. I am still trying to understand how that happened or if it is even possible." Luna pretended to cough before showing the next picture.

"And do you recall this event?" She shows him a strange, moving black cloud that seems to destroy a house as ponies run away. Once more, Amon nods.

"Yeah, I recall that horde of lotus. Thank god I could improvise a bug zapper before those things left Trottiham. I dread to imagine what could have done to Equestria crops."

"I'm sure that knowing the tale, all the farmers in our kingdom would give you their thanks, Amon. And what about this last one?"

Luna shows Amon a third picture, which shows tall humanoid figures that seem to be attacking royal guards and slamming them against the ground or walls as they march throughout the street.

"The walker parade in Manehattan. Yeah, I recall that event," Amon sighed and looked at the picture with sorrow. "I wasn't as fast then, and many ponies got injured."

Luna notices his expression and interlaces her fingers together. "None of these attacks were your fault, Amon; I need you to remember now and after what I must ask you."

Luna mentions this with closed eyes, earning Amon's interest. She opens her eyes and looks at the stallion stoically: "Do you recall what you were doing before these attacks happened? I'm not saying you caused them!" She stops him before he can voice his anger, knowing a response is coming.

"I'm asking because each action is linked to their arrival and if my theory is correct. We can stop them for good right here, right now."

"You… you think so?" Amon asks in surprise, and some hope mixes in his voice.

"I can't guarantee anything until I hear your argument, so please, Amon. Tell me, do you recall what circumstances you were in during each and every attack?"

Amon sighed and looked at each picture before trying to remember what was happening to him before dealing with those monsters.

"Because of the attack, which has been a while, I may remember wrong."

"That's okay; just try to be as detailed as possible," Luna encourages him as she summons a notebook ready to take his statement. With a nod, Amon looks back at the picture once more before pointing at locus attack one.

"This one, I had a pretty crappy experience. Trottiham may not be Canterlot, but ponies there were more than a little elitist. Even the lower class didn't want to give me the time of day, and I think there was a food festival or something similar, so I thought they could spare some breadcrumbs or leftovers for me, but it was the opposite."

Amon needs to close his eyes and hold his stomach. "I remember how starving I was feeling that day. I had dealt with Mother Nature and nutjobs and crossed a forest just to go there, so I was more than tired, hungry, and injured. Yet finding anything to eat was near impossible."

"So you were famished back then?" Luna asks, feeling pity for Amon, who only nods.

"It might be there when I learn about squirrelin. I made a mental note to do everything I could to save up every piece of food I could. When those locusts attacked, I was waking up from another blackout from hunger. It… it also wasn't one of my proudest moments," Amon admitted with some guilt as he looked down.

"Why?"

"I was desperate and starving; those insects were more interested in eating everything else that WASN'T food; there was this farmer competition, or maybe a pie, cake, or whatever. The point was that so much food was on the ground, stomped, muddy, and ruined. But food nonetheless. I needed to eat something, and that mountain of food… they would be thrown away, regardless, so I…"

Luna reaches out and grabs one of Amon's hands. "It doesn't make you less for having to eat from the floor, Amon. As you say, it was a desperate moment, and you decided to help even if those ponies turned their back on you. If anyone dares say you broke the law or mock you for that, I promise you, they will have to answer to me next," Luna mentions with a neutral expression, her eyes shining briefly in anger as she lets go of Amon's hand.

The stallion, in response, only sighs and nods. "Thanks, but don't bother; like I say, it happened a long time ago. So there will not be any point there." He then pointed at the picture of the whale. "Anyway, moving on, I don't remember all that well, but I think this was when I was left to face a pretty nasty storm in the street of Las Pegasus with nothing but my clothes on. I haven't found my bag yet."

"I see." Luna nods and writes everything down. "By chance, were you mistreated at that particular moment?"

"...yeah," Amon admitted after a pause, "I heard a rumor that Las Pegasus refugees were particularly famous among my social circle, with warm beds, spacious showers, and job opportunities. You name it. I had my reserves, but I decided to give it a try. Turns out those rumors were just a trap."

"How so?" Luna asks, invested in the story as she drinks more coffee.

"They offer those things… but there were conditions, it turns out. Some big shots there wanted cheap manual labor, so they offered ponies like me a chance to turn their life around with jobs, food, and shelter. In reality, they only want employees that can perform manual labor for an insultingly low salary, no security, and barely any regulations or employee rights."

"Amon this… that is horrible and highly illegal. Who? Who runs such a horrible business and work environment?" Luna demands, starting to get increasingly angry at what she is hearing. "They need to answer for this."

Amon shakes his head. "Don't bother, chances are. The bastards know how to cover their tracks and act as "faceless managers." However, that is not the point. You see, they only hired ponies for three months, probably to save face and keep themselves under the radar from the law and, well, most likely you, once that time is over…"

"They fired you?" Luna asks in surprise as Amon nods.

"Like all the rest, just one hour to pack your stuff and leave, or you would be forcefully removed, and if you don't have something to put your bits or lost them, well, I suppose it's them now. What are you going to do? Sue them? With what money and with what argument? They had an iron-tight contract, so it was a losing battle from start to finish, and that stormy night, I was just thrown into the street after only 15 days. Turns out my size was too much for even their sketchy workplace."

Amon sighed and drank more of his coffee. "By the time I was trying to sleep under a cartbox and ignore the rain and the cold, that strange whale appeared ready to crush me and everything around me."

Luna remains quiet and turns to the last picture. "I'm so sorry, Amon. I didn't mean to open old wounds."

"It's okay if it means I don't have to worry about those monsters. I don't mind much."

"Thank you for understanding. I think I understand what is happening, but just to be sure, do you recall the events leading to this attack?" She points at the last picture.

Amon stares at the photo briefly before taking a deep breath and looking down in sorrow. "That… that one brings back mixed feelings. And like I say, I couldn't deal with the issue as soon as the rest because when it started, I was in a jail cell inside one of the city police stations."

"Why were you arrested?" Luna asked with curiosity.

"Bad timing, you could say," Amon shrugs, "I just dealt with a drug addict trying to cut me with a knife as he try to take away my bag, probably to get more drugs or thinking I have some myself. He kept yelling on and on about me handing over some pills. Some officers saw us but crossed their arms and placed bets as if we were some show for them."

Amon clenched his fist in anger. "I was furious that day and was a bit scared, so I defended myself and punched my attacker, and because he was so messed up and brittle, well. He fell in one hit with teeth and blood everywhere."

Amon has to pause and take some air before continuing, "I suppose that was enough to view me as a treat, so next thing I knew, I was restraint by magic rings all over my body and repeatedly hit with batons as the guards read my right, as pointless as that may sound. Once they got tired, they brought me in and put me in a hole, calling me a crackhead and scum and other slurs before leaving. I didn't want to prove their point, so I held my tongue and try to get some sleep in that cell before thinking what to do next."

Luna remained quiet and crossed her fingers while closing her eyes, clenching her hands together as she held back more anger until she managed to continue. After a sigh, she opened her eyes and looked at Amon.

"According to the report, you managed to escape that night among the chaos, but for some reason, there was no arrest order. I have an idea why that is now. To fill the report, they would have to declare the motive, and it would not take more than five minutes to determine you are not a drug addict."

"I gather as much, and my escape seems to be the only thing real on that pile of lies," Amon mentions in irritation. "That night, I woke up with screams in the commissary and started to fear for my life. I took my chances, and luckily, the hinges on the door were rusty enough and easy to break after a couple of tackles."

Amon finished his mug and put it down before looking at the ceiling. "After that, those things were just attacking the officers and tossing them around like rag dolls before turning their attention to me. Easily one of the hardest, considering they were some gaseous form, meaning I couldn't hit them, but they could hit me. So, changing tactics, I lured them out of the city and kept running until they were banished."

Amon pauses and looks at the princess. "Does that answer your question? Did you figure out something I didn't?"

"In effect," Luna nods and takes a simple zip of her mug before putting the cup away. She starts counting each event: "Because of hunger, for violations of your pony rights, and unjustly profiling and arresting you. All the events share one thing in common. But before I tell you what it is, please remember that you are not responsible, nor am I placing the blame for these attacks on you. As far as I see, you are indeed a victim there," Luna explains, thinking carefully in her following words.

"But I'm afraid that you also cause them, Amon."

"Excuse me?" Amon asks with anger at her claims.

"Please don't misunderstand, I promise you. I'm not accusing you of anything. Far from all I want is to help you make sense of your current predicament."

Amon remains quiet before crossing his arms and giving Luna the benefit of the doubt. "I'm listening."

"It will be far easier with a visual aid," Luna began and stood up. Tell me, Amon, do you recall my warning this morning? The one regarding your magic and its danger if not appropriately controlled?" Luna mentioned while shining her horn and raising her glowing hand.

"Yeah, I recall that, and again, I'm sorry for the hole in the table." Amon apologizes. "I didn't do it on purpose."

"And that is exactly the point I wish to make," Luna replied before staring at her glowing hand. "Please pay attention to my hand, Amon; look closely as I teach you a sad truth behind our gift."

Luna closes her eyes before opening again, and they turn green and red with a purple miasma coming from their edges. Immediately after, the light blue glow from Luna's magic becomes a very dark blue, and the room starts to get colder.

A sensation oddly familiar to Amon as he looks around before looking at Luna, too.

"As I told you earlier, as an alicorn, our emotions are linked to our magic far more closely than a normal unicorn, young Amon. Control is more than a suggestion; it is a need we can't ignore. Without it, we risk losing ourselves in our magic as we lose control, and without control, the results can be unpredictable and can only end in disaster."

The glow soon turned into a black fog that started to spiral out of control before imploring, rushing a cold wind around the two and making Amon shield his eyes for a moment before looking at Luna, who now seemed to be changed into a more intimidating darker self, making the room so cold Amon felt like he was in the middle of the north pole before returning to normal bringing back the heat on the room, as she lowers her hand and looks at him. "Do you understand what I'm trying to get with this?"

"I get that you want me to control my magic. But I'm still not seeing how it is linked to those monsters."

"It has to do because those are not external monsters, Amon. They are the manifestation of your magic going rampage and acting on the emotion behind their creation," Luna explains.

"What?" Amon looked at her and then at the pictures, perplexed at her claims.

"Just think about it. The locus is attacking the farmers that deny you anything to eat. The whale is attacking a city that denies you shelter at the worst time possible, even the reason why faceless ponies target guards as mere toys. Do you need me to compare their treatment toward you?" Luna listens in pity as Amon keeps staring at the pictures.

"My god… I'm making them? So that means that attack early…" Amon whispers to himself, feeling guilty and disgusted when looking at the pictures with new eyes.

"I will not ask if that is what you fear, Amon. But if there is anything, you would like to tell me. I will be more than happy to listen."

"What else is needed to say? I cause this disaster," Amon replied.

"Not directly, of course, but rather, these disasters seem to be caused by your magic unchecked and ignored, obeying an unconscious command you refuse to express. I wasn't sure, but even the events leading to our meetings, Amon," Luna sat next to the stallion. "Think about it. The monsters appear soon after shallow ponies attack you. I can't see any other explanation, but I would still listen if you have any other theory."

"No," Amon shakes his head before holding it with one hand. "You're right, princess, it makes so much sense. All this time, I thought I was running away from the devil when the devil was me all alone. God, I'm an accidental monster on top of everything else."

"No, you aren't!" Luna surprises Amon by grabbing his face with both hands. "Now you listen to me and listen carefully. You made a mistake; you were entrusted with power beyond your understanding or any pony to guide you to control it. None of these events was your fault, not completely, at least. I'm sure somepony was and is still controlling your strings. The whispers, the nightmares, and the mind manipulations? Those are still real, and I know those are not your doing."

"But the shadow monsters still come from me, Luna. I still have some blame here," Amon mentions, still feeling guilty, as Luna sighs and lets go of his head.

"Please don't fall for their trap, Amon; this guilt you're feeling? Self-pity and calling yourself a monster is what they want to achieve, and I'm sure you don't want that, am I right?"

Luna smiles and extends her hand. "Take it from someone who has already walked that road. You don't want what lies at the end of the tunnel. Please take my hand and allow me to take you out of that hell and destroy those demons in your head for good."

Amon looks at her, unsure, but takes her hand regardless. "Can it be done? No more attacks or shadow creatures?"

"It can and would be as easy or as hard as you make it, Amon. All you need to do is learn how to control your magic, and someone can show you the ropes. I imagine you were born as an earth pony and, therefore, never wilded magic, correct?"

Amon nods once.

"I gather as much, so you need someone who can act as a guide and help you express your emotions more healthily," Luna reassures him with a big smile.

"I suppose; I mean, it would be nice knowing how to cast an expeliarmus," Amon mentions with a little smile as he stares at his hand.

"A what now?" Luna questions.

"Nothing, just something I heard once. So, getting back on the subject, I imagine you have someone in mind to teach me all of those things?" Amon asks with some intrigue before Luna helps him stand up.

"If by someone you mean me? Then yes, now come with me, Amon. There is plenty to discuss before we start your lessons." Luna guides him toward a bookshelf, taking out various books. Amon looks at her in confusion and slight curiosity about whatever plan she has in mind.

At the same time, hidden on a dark cloud, a figure covered in a long yellow winter jacket observes the interaction between Luna and Amon with the help of a telescope before getting as far away from the castle as possible before any guard can spot the intruder.

Once they reach a safe distance from the castle, the individual takes out a phone and calls in a male voice: "Sir, we might have an issue."