The King Of Nothing

Soon after managing to distance themselves from their attackers, Amon and Viola are met by a confused and angry Luna who doesn’t waste time demanding answers from both of them, her voice full of concern.

Once the air was clear and both were taken to the royal infirmary to be checked and treated, Luna didn’t waste time giving Amon a speech as she kept pacing back and forth.

"Do you have ANY idea of the scare you gave me? Roaming the street in the middle of the night on the riskiest part of the city while you are being hunted by enemies whose faces are yet to be seen! Why don't you scream at the skies, "Attack me!" While you are at it!?"

Amon flinched as Luna scowled as she recovered and sighed. "I understand you are a grown-up stallion, and you are free to roam the city as you please, but to remain out this late at night in the shadier section of Canterlot on top of that? What did you think would happen? Amon, I felt your magic; you were this close to falling over the edge; is that what you wanted? To give us no choice but to use the elements on you? Do you want to spend a thousand years inside a rock? No, you won't because I have before, and let me tell you, that would be just pure Tartarus!"

"We didn't plan to stay there that late, Luna. We lost track of time. And for what is worth it, I'm sorry for the experience Vivi went through," Amon confessed as a nurse finished placing a couple of bandages on his chest and arms, allowing Amon to put back his shirt.

Luna, meanwhile, remains quiet and crosses her arms in front of Amon for a moment before sighing in disappointment and pinching the bridge of her nose.

"What were you doing so late anyway?" she demanded, letting go of her face as she glared at Amon.

"We were giving some handmade blankets and pillows to the less fortunate. I had the time, so I thought I would try sewing, and Vivi offered to help." Amon answered honestly, causing Luna to pause in surprise at that revelation before sighing in exhaustion.

"You… you were?" Luna asks, not expecting that answer. "Why?"

"You would not get it, but before you decided to give me a room at the castle, the ponies in the street, those with so little. They share with me, Luna. They saved my life more than once," Amon lowers his head and sighs.

"I know it sounds ridiculous and maybe insane, but in a way, I know their feelings, Luna. Of being all alone, cold, and scared in a harsh world. This is not something I normally do, but I thought since my situation is improving and now that I don't feel like I will kill anyone who shows me kindness, I… I am obligated to give something back to the community; they saved my life, Luna. I can't just forget them and start acting like I'm better than them because I'm not. Never was… never will," Amon mumbles the last part, mostly to himself.

Luna remains quiet before sighing and sitting next to Amon. "I know the feeling you are describing," she confesses softly.

"Yeah, right; when have you ever begged for your life? Or fight and struggle to eat a breadcrumb?"

"When have you ever spent a thousand years in the vacuum of space with nothing but your nightmares to keep you company?" Luna fired back, silencing Amon.

"It may not be the same situation, but believe me, Amon, I have to suffer too, and a night does not pass me by where I don't remember where I once was." Luna touched Amon's shoulder, "Nor did I let my mistake determine my future or make me feel like I'm some kind of prisoner that needs to meet some bizarre quota."

"So what? Are you saying that what I did was wrong?"

"It is not about whether it was wrong or not. It is about why you did it in the first place," Luna mentions calmly as Amon stares at her. "Tell me, Amon, why did you go out of the way to make those gifts to the point you forgot your problems? Was it because you wanted to, or did you feel it was your obligation?"

"It IS my obligation, Luna; I had to. After everything they did to me, I just… I need to do it. It's the least I could do."

Luna, for her part, sighs and shakes her head in disappointment. "No, you don't, Amon. And the fact that you don't understand the difference means there is still much for you to learn." Luna stands up and pats his shoulder.

"We could spend all night discussing the issue, but that is not my place or the point. Celestia is more wise in this subject anyway. Let's leave it here; please talk with my sister when ready."

"I'll see if I do," Amon mumbled sarcastically before sighing without saying anything else, not wanting to discuss the subject and remembering how he was still hungry. As they exit the room, Luna adds one little thing.

"Also, the events of tonight made me believe our enemies are far more clever than I anticipated; in two days, you have experienced two attacks, Amon; this is no coincidence, and the fact they keep avoiding me. Concerns me; therefore, I would ask you to remain in the castle for the unforeseen future."

"What?"

"Just humor me, Amon, please. The best-case scenario is when the enemy becomes reckless and falls right into our hands; the worst-case scenario is when you improve your inner control and magic lesson and say goodbye to summoning any of your beasts ever again. Two weeks is all I ask for now; three at most," Luna negotiated.

Amon remained quiet and thought about it before sighing. "Fine, but I don't want a single guard following me around; I draw the line at having a second tail, Luna."

"Amon, that is just standard…" Luna sighs and closes her eyes. "Fine! I will see what I can do. The stars now. If I can give you some space, maybe I can get some privacy myself," Luna mumbles.

"Not a big fan of guards following you around either?" Amon asks with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm like you in that area, Amon. I love my ponies to death, and I'm okay with the attention and feeling of being safe and loved back, but I don't need an escort standing guard while I answer the call of nature," Luna confesses in exasperation.

"Oh boy, I hope you are exaggerating with that," Amon says with a slight clinginess and fear.

"Only partially and only because I put an end to my sister's madness in control and the idea of "safety" Luna sighed in frustration. "I swear to the stars, if I hadn't reeled back Tia the moment I returned, she would have covered the entire castle in bubble wrap the second a servant got a paper cut."

Luna keeps complaining to nobody in particular while Amon stays behind and quiet, allowing her to have her small rant until he hears Pinkie and Fluttershy's voices approaching.

"Amon!"

With an exhausted sigh, Amon rolls his eyes and crosses his arms. "And 3…2…"

The next thing Amon knew, he felt two giant orbs on his face. "Are you okay? Vivi told us you were attacked!"

"I'm fine, Fluttershy, really," Amon replies, prying Fluttershy from his face and then realizing Pinkie was hugging his chest. "If anything, you should go talk with Vivi. She is the one who got the worst of this. Where is she, anyway?"

“Changing clothes and calling a night,” Pinkie answered, letting go of Amon as he put Fluttershy down. “And don’t worry, she is fine. She just got some minor brushes and is still pretty shaken, but other than that, she is okay. Oh, and she asked me to tell you not to dare to blame yourself for what happened.” Pinkie mentions in a stern tone..

"I wasn't about to… It was my fault," Amon confessed, looking away.

"Amon!" Fluttershy scolds him a little.

"Okay, okay, I'll try. Look, I'm sorry I startled all of you. But it's late, and I bet everyone here would like to call it a night, minus the princess, right?"

The mare looks a bit unsure as they exchange glances.

"Well, at least I know I am. It was quite the day. And right now, I only want to sleep. Is it okay if we continue this in the morning? Please?"

They remained quiet until Fluttershy spoke up. "Of course, we understand, Amon; you and Vivi got the scare of your lives. It will mean not letting you breathe and relax before discussing it. We will be right here in the morning to talk."

"Thanks, and sorry for giving you extra work, Luna."

"Please, Amon, if anything, THIS is my usual work. But I appreciate the thought. Please rest well," Luna told him with a smile, and Amon retired to his room, leaving the mares alone in the hallway.

Once he was out of earshot, Luna sighed and looked at the two mares. "I gather you, too, felt as well?" Luna suddenly asks with a grimace.

Both mares nod at the same time. "When those weird black thunders appear, it felt so… cold and scary," Fluttershy confesses, hugging herself.

"In effect, what you two most likely felt was a sample of what could have occurred had Ms. Viola not intervened," Luna confirmed her fears as the princess sighed and looked down in shame. "Amon was inches away from becoming something else, something…"

Luna glared at a mosaic window that showed the image of Nightmare Moon. "...Perverse and malicious."

"A second Nightmare Moon," Pinkie whispered in fear.

"No, Nightmare Moon is exclusively my demon, Pinkie Pie, even if the concept is the same. I could only dread to imagine what kind of demon would rise from within Amon."

"I wouldn't want to see it either," Fluttershy nods.

"Yeah, we need to stop it from happening; no wonder you wanted us to teach Amony how to have friends." Pinkie nods. "This call for a super duper friendship mission, Pinkie style. Don't worry, princess, we will make sure Amony does not feel sad or lonely like you did."

"Pinkie!" Fluttershy scolds her in irritation.

"It's okay, Fluttershy. I understand what she meant and appreciate it. I just hope the rest of my sister's plan works," Luna mentions as she admires the moon in the distance.

The Following Day

Passing the page, Amon enjoys a little bit of peace and quiet as he lies on the grass floor in the royal garden while some small animals surround the stallion in question. Using one arm to support his head, he enjoys the sunny yet cool morning day.

"So here is where you went?" Purple's voice calls Amon's attention, and he lowers his book and raises his head to see the soldier in question upside down approaching him.

"We were waiting for you in the dining room. Why did you skip breakfast?" Purple pauses in surprise. "And how are you not freezing with all that snow on your back?"

Amon, in response, can only shrug. "I still have my jacket, and my wings are virtually a bed of feathers; as for the other question, I wasn't exactly in a hungry mood," Amon replied before returning his attention to the book. "I picked a couple of apples from the garden and decided to find something to read since it seems I'm in castle arrest."

Purple sighs and shakes his head. "That is not what the princess meant with her decision, and you know it, Amon."

"And yet here we are; sorry if I was rude, but I wasn't in a good mood to talk with Celestia, dude."

"Was it? Or did you feel bad that Vivi didn't come to work this morning and thought that Celestia would bring the subject when she asked if you were ok?"

Amon remains quiet and focuses on his book.

"Amon, this is standard procedure; that mare tried to get back to work, but I'm with you. After a scare like that, she would need to rest and collect her thoughts! Do you imagine a relapse?"

"Yeah, exactly!" Amon nodded and stood up, pointing at the guard with his book. "That mare needs to do… whatever she needs to do to relax, not play maid to some dirty freak of nature."

"You were so close," Vivi replied, appearing from behind Purple with a smirk. She wore casual attire: a dark pink dress and gray sweater, with her mane combed in a ponytail.

"That almost was touching if you had just stopped; she needed to relax," Vivi responded with a sigh as she shook her head.

"Vivi?" Amon replied, startled by her arrival.

"Hi, Amon."

"The hell are you doing here?"

"Well, if a certain pony had joined us for breakfast this morning, he would have known that I asked the princess if I could spend the day with you and see how you were doing." She knelt and poked his forehead. "I have the right to get worried too, you know?"

Amon, for his part, could only sigh and shake his head. "I swear these ponies…" He mumbles something to himself as he stands up.

"What was that?" Vivi asked, not entirely understanding what he was saying.

"Nothing, just thinking out loud, and thanks. I'm still feeling guilty but other than that, I'm fine, how about you? How are you doing?"

"Better, now that the scare is gone, I know you are okay; you cared for me, and more importantly, we have a surprise for you!"

"A surprise?" Amon repeats with a raised eyebrow while Vivi takes his hand. "What kind of surprise?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. The details are for those who joined the rest of us for breakfast. Now, it will have to be a surprise, and it will not be here. Now, come on! Princess Celestia is waiting for us at the throne room," Vivi mentions as she pulls Amon's arm, and he follows.

Soon, the group reached the entrance to the throne room.

"Well, this is as far as I can go," Purple mentions before patting Amon back. "Good luck."

"You are not coming?" Amon asks him with a raised eyebrow as Purple shakes his head.

"I'm still on the clock here, dude. Plus, you are under royal castle arrest and asked for no escort; I can't have one without the other. I will see you at sunset when I finish my shift."

Purple waved goodbye as he retired.

"Hey, you don't need to sacrifice your free… see you then," Amon sighed in defeat before replying and waving goodbye. Amon then entered the room with Vivi and was greeted by a long, empty hallway with a giant red carpet in the middle leading to a set of stairs with two waterfalls falling on top of a micro river whose origins seem to be the footsteps of another set of stairs leading to two thrones at the end of the room. Princess Celestia was sitting in the taller one with a symbol of the sun on the tip.

"Ah! Amon, good morning. I see you received my invitation; please come closer," Celestia called for them to get closer with a calm smile. "My sister informed me of what happened last night. It pains me; imagine how scared both you and Vivi must have felt at that moment, and I hope you both make a full mental recovery."

"Thank you, your highness."

"Yeah, thanks. I know it's nobody's fault, but still, I should have paid more attention to the time," Amon says with a sigh once they are in front of the princess.

Celestia, in turn, raised a hand. "A subject for another time, one I would like to discuss in private, Amon." Celestia's face morphs into a more serious one. "Luna also told me the reasoning behind your actions."

"I gather as much and agree. Let's put a pin on that for a later day." Amon sighs and rolls his eyes. "Anyway!"

Amon claps his hand, startling both mares. "You mention something about wanting to tell me something, Celestia?"

"Indeed I have," Celestia nods. "I was planning on letting you acclimate a little more to your new two friends first, but due to the circumstances, and since you will be spending more time in the castle, I thought you could make more friends today?"

"You set me up on another play date?" Amon asked with a raised eyebrow before looking back at the door in slight fear.

"You could see it that way, yes, but don't worry, compared to Pinkie Pie, these two mares are more tame, and you will have her and Fluttershy to help you with introductions," Celestia explained.

"What about their baby shower?" Amon asks with a raised eyebrow.

"That was yesterday, so they have free time and don't need to return to Ponyville until tomorrow, so everything's been taken care of." Celestia then turns to a closed door to the left of the room.

"You can come out now, girls," Celestia calls, and soon the door opens, revealing Fluttershy, Marcus, and Pinkie, the latter not wasting time in prancing toward Amon to give him a hug, all of them wearing similar clothes to what they were wearing when meeting "Amon!" After a firm hug, she let go and looked at him sadly. "Why didn't you come for breakfast earlier? I made you my special waffles," She mentions before summoning a tower of the said waffles with a smiley face made of chocolate chips, whipped cream, and strawberries on the top. It even somehow defies the laws of gravity by having a giant Afro made of whip cream with even more confections poking out and yet remaining stable.

"How did you do… never mind, sorry," Amon apologizes and takes the plate.

"You are learning," Marcus chuckles as he puts his hands behind his head..

"I was feeling a bit bad from yesterday, so I decided to punish myself with no breakfast," Amon explains.

"Why would you do that?!" Fluttershy asks in pity, flying closely toward him. "You didn't do anything wrong."

"I agree, partner; you shouldn't be so hard on yourself, especially since Pinkie and Shy told me you were the hero that night." A new, heavily Southern voice spoke up, and from the entrance, Amon was greeted once more by two new ponies: another earth pony wearing a stetson hat, long dark blue jeans, cowboy boots, and a brown sweater that she somehow decided to crop so it and the white shirt with red dots exposed her stomach, showing her six packs.

"Not to mention breakfast is the most important meal of the day dear, no matter the circumstance, one should never skip it," A unicorn next to the earth pony spoke up in a refined English accent; she had an alabaster fur and deep dark purple long and swirly mane wearing, what Amon could be described as the complete opposite to the cowboy mare, she had a long elegant veil acting as a sort of cape on her back, dark red sweater that reaches her hips and jeans with some sequins on it forming the shape of diamonds as well as high heels giving the impression that she was on her way to a beauty pageant.

"Amon, allow me to introduce you to two more elements of harmony, the element of honesty and proud farmer of sweet apple acres, Applejack."

"Howdy," AJ tilts her head to Amon in response to Celestia's introduction.

"And the element of generosity and expert tailor and fashion designer Rarity," Celestia mentions, pointing at the unicorn who gives him a short bow using her sweater as a dress.

"Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Amon."

"Ah… hi," Amon saluted and took a step back, getting his guard up, much to the confusion of both mares.

"What did I tell you, girls? Amony is a bit shy, but once you get to know him, he is a nice pony," Pinkie mentions, appearing next to Amon and putting her arm over his neck, forcing him to crunch a little.

In response, Amon pinched Pinkie's arm and pulled it away from him so he could stand up again. "Please don't do that."

"So you are the stallion the princesses told us about," AJ whistled as she approached with Rarity close behind. "Have to say, partner, I never thought there would be a day I would meet a stallion taller than Rockhoof, but now I think you may have set a new record."

"Not to mention that divine mane of yours are simply glorious, darling," Rarity praised as she didn't waste time and grabbed Amon's lock of hair. "This beautiful and elegant silver mane was meant to dazzle! Honestly, it is a crime on its own how badly you have threatened your mane, darling; you must allow me to do something about it."

"Ah, thanks?" Amon mentions and slowly pulls Rarity away from his mane. "But I believe I should warn you. This mane has a mind of its own, so you might not want to try, miss," Amon warns her.

"Nonsense! It will be no bother to me at all," Rarity confidently insisted. "It will be a perfect opportunity to get to know each other."

"Don't fight it, Amon; Rarity is the best, and trust me, you would love it," Marcus botched for her. "My fair lady is the master in dazzling and fabulous everything."

"Aw! Darling, stop it!" Rarity blushes as she and Marcus share an Eskimo kiss, surprising Amon as he turns to Pinkie, who seems okay with the show of affection.

"Yes, Amon, we are on the same herd, and no, I'm not reading your mind," Pinkie replied calmly.

"What? But that is exactly what you just…"

"Don't think too hard about it, partner, trust me," AJ interrupts Amon with a shake of her head before looking at the couple.

"Okay, enough, you two. You can be dovey-lovey later, but that is not why we are here." AJ separates the two. And come on, Rarity. We came here to have fun and make some friends, not have a spa day," AJ complains, rolling her eyes.

"Spa days can be fun, darling," Rarity mentions, causing the mares in the room to chuckle.

"I'm sure that it can be a pretty nice experience, but for now, I think you could start with something simpler," Celestia explained before turning to Amon.

"Amon, since you like to keep yourself busy and wish to do something for the community, Rarity and Applejack could help you come up with ideas to do just that without risking your or others' safety."

That grabbed his attention. "I'm listening."

"Well, partner, the princess told us about your past and how you want to do something nice for those ponies that helped you out when you were passing through hardships," AJ comments.

"And Vivi told us you were interested in learning how to sew, or am I wrong, dear?" Rarity questions.

Amon remains quiet for a moment and sighs. "I had some free time, and I needed to pay back their kindness," Amon confessed, much to everyone's confusion.

"Payback?" AJ repeats.

"I understand what you are going for here, dude," Marcus then intervenes. "You are just thankful to those ponies that help you and want to make something nice to them in return, right?"

"...you could say that, yeah." Amon nods once..

"Now, why didn't you tell us?! We would have love to help," Pinkie complains with trembling lips and wide eyes.

"Because it was something I just came up with at the moment. You were busy with your baby shower, and I'm not sure you would like the idea of dumpster diving."

"What?!" Rarity asks in alarm.

"Never mind!" Vivi is quick to calm everyone down. "And you see Amon? This is exactly what the princess wishes to do to help you: find ways to improve yourself and give back to the community without resorting to…that. EVER!" She finished the last part with more force than needed.

"Yeah, partner, usually the apple family recipes are trade secrets, but I can teach you the ropes in the kitchen if you want to produce something to give away."

"And I can teach you all sorts of yummy things so we can enjoy and make them together with all your friends," Pinkie offers.

"As for me, if you are still interested, I would gladly share some tips on how to make some of the best work when it comes to sewing, dear. I'm impressed by what you did with feathers; I wonder what you could achieve with the right materials," Rarity adds.

"Not to mention some self-defense and meditation techniques," Marcus mentions, approaching Amon. "Vivi told us about the attack and how you lose control, big guy; we are worried and want to help you."

He then extended his hand. "Would you give us a chance?" He offered his palm, and Amon saw a secret message written in Marcus's hand.

"I got news; I'll explain when we're alone."

Startled by the message, Amon looks at Marcus in the eyes before nodding and grabbing his hand. "Okay, I will give it a try."

"Excellent, so it's decided then," Celestia cheered and clapped with a bright smile. "I'm so happy you truly wish to make an effort, Amon. I hope this experience helps you see the wonders of friendship."

"Just take it down a notch, Celestia. I'm still defensive on the subject, but it's nice having someone to talk about," Amon mentions before he feels something on his mane that makes in ichi. When he goes to scratch, he stops when he hears a cry and then looks inside his beanie, only to retrieve a small, scared squirrel.

"What in tarnation?" AJ asked in surprise. "Did you have that under your hat all this time, partner?"

"Nah, the little rascal must have climbed up when I was resting in the garden," Amon said as he started to pet the squirrel, who was still slightly startled. You must have confused me with a bush or something, didn't you, little guy?"

The squirrel, in turn, looked at Amon in surprise before relaxing and leaning on his finger as he continued to pet it.

"She is saying that she is sorry, and that was the case." Fluttershy translated as she approached the squirrel. She was fairly impressed with how Amon was able to handle and calm down the scared animal, who seemed to become increasingly relaxed.

"It's okay. Nobody wants to hurt you. Just relax." Amon kept calming down the squirrel until she seemed to fall asleep. The intrigue in Fluttershy's eyes soon turned to surprise as she started to see Amon differently. She began to feel weak on her knees and very hot.

"Just give me a moment, guys; I will put this little girl on a branch so she can enjoy the rest of her day."

"Sounds good. I will go, too. I know where there are some yummy nuts for her," Vivi volunteers before looking at the rest. "Where can we meet you?"

"Well, since we just ate, I was thinking of offering Amon some new clothes, and to do that, I would need some measures." Rarity offers, much to Amon's surprise.

"What?"

"That sounds good. We will see you in his room later. Let's go, Amon," Vivi answers before pushing him out of the room.

"Hey, hey, I never agree to a makeover. I'm very reserved. Vivi! Okay, okay, I'm going." Amon complains all the way until they leave the room.

"Are you okay, partner?" AJ asks Fluttershy, who seems to be lost in thought.

"Wha? I mean, yeah, I'm okay. I need clarification about why a squirrel awoke this early. It was too soon for them to be looking for their nuts," Fluttershy quickly answered as she looked at the ceiling, AJ staring at her with a raised eyebrow.