The King Of Nothing

"I can't believe I fell for that again. I don't know what that mare keeps doing to me, but she did it again!" Amon virtually bellows in irritation as he storms back to his room with Vivi close behind.

"The princess didn't do anything else but extend the offer, Amon. You were the one who accepted it." The servant replied with a smile before raising an eyebrow and crossing her arms. "Although I'm surprised by your choice of a teacher. I mean, Rainbow Dash was right there, practically begging you for the spot."

"Exactly. That mare was way too intense for my taste, and I barely knew her. Plus, she’s part of the army, and I didn't sign up to be enlisted," Amon replied.

"The army? Sir, the Wonderbolts are not… and she isn't… okay, you were spot on; it may be intense, but still, you could have let her down a little more gently, not to mention who you ended up choosing…"

"...What about it?" Amon glances at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Not much. It's just surprising you even knew that name."

Amon only shrugged at the comment, "I overheard it here and there, no biggie. There’s no problem with that one, right?"

"Not at all, sir, and your reasoning seems sound. That was an excellent choice, but I wouldn't be surprised if Rainbow Dash still wants to be present. Most likely with a forced smile and a determined effort to consider her teaching you at least one lesson."

"I wish her luck,” Amon groaned.

“Good, as for the other lessons..." Vivi starts until she hears Amon groan even louder.

"Yes, I know; everyone convinced me to let Starlight teach me history or something; quit rubbing it in."

"Starting tomorrow, your schedule will be hectic, but don't worry. I'm sure you’ll love it. From what I’ve heard, there’s nothing better than casting your first spell," Vivi says before giving him a short bow.

"For the time being, sir, get some rest, and please remember that Princess Luna would like to speak with you in the evening, so I will come around 10 p.m. to fetch you."

Amon nods and waves farewell to Vivi as the servant leaves him alone with his thoughts. Amon took a moment to breathe before walking to the balcony and admiring the night sky.

"So I’m learning to fly. I wonder how that would work for someone who has freaking vertigo."

Amon ponders with some degree of anxiety and curiosity, feeling his wings twitching slightly at the thought. He keeps simulating scenarios in his mind, mostly positive ones, as he starts to imagine, with intrigue, what the sensation would feel like.

Later that night, a knock on Luna's door alerts the night princess, who is too preoccupied with staring at her night sky to turn back and glance over her shoulder.

"Princess Luna," one of her guards calls from the other side of the room. "I brought you, sir Amon, as requested."

"Thank you, let him pass. And please inform the other guards that we are not to be disturbed unless an emergency occurs," Luna commands. Soon enough, the double doors of her room open, followed by the stallion in question being escorted by one of the lunar guards. The guard salutes before turning around and closing the door behind them, leaving the two alicorns alone.

"Please, Amon, take a seat. I’ll be with you in a moment," Luna says to him, pointing to one of her couches before returning to her work inspecting the stars.

For a moment, Amon considers her offer and is about to sit when he notices how Luna's hand seems to glow as she moves it in the air, pretending to touch and move imaginary dots.

His curiosity got the better of him, and he approached Luna slowly, trying to understand what she was doing. He pressed his body against one of the sides of the balcony’s frame and tried to hide his body underneath the semi-translucent curtains.

"Did my work pique your interest?" Luna replied without looking, making Amon stiff before becoming irritated by Luna's smirk.

"If you wish to look, just ask young Amon.

Amon steps outside and sighs, being caught red-handed, "Can I watch?"

“Oh my goodness, Amon, how daring and unexpected. Not to mention that the mare usually asks for the opportunity to check out the male body. I suppose I’ll have to make an exception this time. Go ahead, but try not to make a mess.”

“Check out? What the hell are you…? NO! Your work, your work! That’s what I meant!” Amon exclaims with a bright red face, “For crying out loud, Luna, I can’t believe you were even thinking I would ever ask for that.”

“What if you had asked that? What would you have done if I had agreed?” Luna asked with a smirk as she wagged her tail a little for emphasis.

Amon flinched for a moment before being able to reply, “Shut up!”

Damn you, stupid sexy princess! Amon thinks about this as he tries his hardest to maintain control and not let his mind wander into dirty images of the princess in front of him.

Luna only chuckles in response and nods in approval, having had her fun, before looking ahead and resuming what she was doing. "So what are you doing exactly?" Amon asks.

"A little bit of star cleaning; look at the sky," Luna replied calmly, pointing ahead with her head.

Following her instructions, Amon looked at the starry night, only to be shocked when the stars were literally moving at the command of the princess's skillful hand.

"With the stars in constant motion, it is natural for my constellations to fade and become obscured beneath a shower of wandering stars, so on nights like this, when there are few tasks to attend to, I take it upon myself to organize my starry sky and ensure that my constellations remain clear and easy to read to those looking at them for directions."

With her work done, Luna cancels her magic and turns to face Amon, who returns her gaze once the stars stop moving to reveal a much clearer starry night with more visible constellations.

"I find it relaxing; it's a spring cleaning deal. I can teach you about my constellations once we finish your magic lessons."

Amon, for his part, was stunned by what he had just seen before sighing in defeat and shaking his head. "You can command and dictate objects billions, maybe trillions, of light-years away with a mere twitch of your finger, even if most, if not all of their lights have already gone out; maybe you ensure their lights never fade. Sure, why not? So far, that’s the least insane thing this world has to offer."

Amon's words were full of sarcasm as he returned to the room. Luna looked at him with surprise, sympathy, and slight curiosity, but Amon seemed to have ignored her proposal.

"So Vivi said you wanted to see me. I guess you wanted to start my magic lessons as soon as possible?" Amon asks as he returns to the room and relaxes on the couch Luna had offered.

"You could say that; I was told that you wish to escape your problems and dive headfirst into a humanized version of Equestria to seek a sense of normality," Luna responds neutrally as she sits on a sofa in front of Amon and crosses her legs.

"Was it that easy for you to abandon your goal of helping those who had previously helped you?" Luna asked, keeping her eyes closed as if she were scolding a foal and not an alien alicorn.

"Funny you’re bringing it up when it was you who pushed me to drop that idea, Luna," Amon replies with a glare of his own.

"Do not put words in my mouth, Amon; we both know that is not what I said that night. I meant that this was not a question of right or wrong, but of why. Your actions show that all your decisions were made for the wrong reasons."

"Again, with this? When are you going to make up your mind already?!"

"When you begin to listen. It appears you failed to inform my sister of your situation. It's a shame." Luna sighed and finally opened her eyes to look at him with pity and sorrow. "Amon, please answer me this honestly. Do you hate us?"

"What kind of question is that? Of course not, I don't hate you, Luna."

"I wasn't talking about myself, nor my sister, nor any other friends you have made while living in the palace. I meant US," Luna repeated, placing her hand on her chest. "Do. You. Hate. Us?"

It took Amon a while to figure out what she was saying, and the question made him clench his fist and feel the urge to barf, leaving him with no choice but to turn his head away. "Luna, please, don't. Could you not ask me that? That wound, it… it's still fresh."

"Fresh? Or has it simply reopened again?" Luna asks him cryptically again, and Amon responds with silence, filling the room with tension until Luna breaks it with a sigh: "Fair enough; apologies if I stepped out of line there. Just let me add one last comment before starting our lessons."

Amon looked at her with curiosity. "Before embarking on your next journey, you should look within yourself for the answer, and accept it no matter the result. You may come to regret your decision otherwise." Luna finished staring melancholically at the desk in front of her.

Amon could feel a familiar sensation of sorrow and experience, something he had come to learn over the years. Before moving on to the next subject, he understood where all that advice was coming from.

"Anyway, as to the reason you are here, I was informed that your latent magic recently became dormant, isn't that right?"

"...yeah, well, honestly, I wouldn't mind if it stayed like this, but I'm sure you could give me a list as to why that's a bad thing."

"In alphabetical order, if necessary," Luna finishes. "But rather than wasting time in discussions and arguments, let's look at this as an opportunity." Luna summons a fog with a wave of her hand, which conjures three simple yet heavy volumes on the table between the two.

"The path for you to connect with your alicorn magic," Luna says, pointing to a book on the right with a finger, this one showing a symbol of an alicorn on its dark blue hardcover.

"Dipping into the foundation of magic as a blueprint for potentially something more," Luna says, pointing to the middle book, the thinnest of the three, which has three stars on the cover and an object hovering, making a circle around those stars. The book is light gray, a clear sign that it is intended for children.

"And maybe, just maybe, a dormant desire waiting to grow," Luna says with a smirk, pointing to the last book, a red one that, unlike the others, had no cover and only a title that Amon couldn't read.

"Call it a hunch, but I see the spirit of a wizard in you, Amon, someone who may fall in love with the concept of magic and the infinite possibilities that it can provide if given the opportunity."

Okay, the fact that she had the same speech as Celestia is scary now.

"So, Amon, aren't you the least bit interested in magic? Don't you want to know more about this incredible gift that has fallen into your lap?"

"I’d be lying if I said it didn't cross my mind, but after seeing what magic is capable of, if perverse and twisted. I’ve come to wonder if the risks are worth it," Amon sighed.

"Magic, like anything else, is only a tool, Amon; it is not a curse that erodes the mind, nor a beast that cannot be controlled—it is simply a tool for you to use. If only you tried, you'd see that too." Luna extended a hand to Amon.

"Please let me show you the other side of magic, the side where most of my ponies live, and why many fall in love with mastering it."

Amon simply stood silent and thought about it before grabbing her hand. "Okay, at the very least, so all of you stop pestering me into trying it."

"Thank you." Luna nods and shakes her head. "In that case, may I request permission to scan your mana pool? I promise you won’t feel a thing, and it will only last a second."

"Fine, go ahead," Amon says, shrugging.

With his consent, Luna's hand glowed once more, and Amon could feel the warmth radiating from it. The warmth spread to his wrist and then arm, and he realized he was floating in a void. He could only see a giant, bright blue sphere in front of him, encircled by a black miasma. He was brought back to reality, breaking the handshake as Luna gasped and stared at Amon in horror.

"Wha? What just happened? What did we see?"

"Just as I had feared, an enchanted mental block, all of your fear, rage, and resentment. Think of it like an obstruction in a river; that is why one must be careful of their negative emotions; hold onto them long enough, and they can potentially harden, and, well… you saw the result."

"So my rage became a weird miasma fog… thing, and it's blocking my magic, which is why I can't use it?"

"It's worse than that; the miasma is merely the first symptom of something far worse," Luna explains, shaking her head as she becomes pale and worried.

"What?"

"Remember how I told you that magic is a tool? Consider it a spring that you are compressing to its limits before it releases all at once," she demonstrates by making a fist and then opening her hand.

"Do I need to explain what this 'expansion' implies?"

Amon remains quiet and gulps as he slowly shakes his head. "Okay, you convinced me, so let's start the lesson. Teach me the abracadabra or expelliarmus thing now."

"Calm down, Amon, you are not making sense right now, and it's okay; it can be reversed," Luna puts her hands on Amon's shoulders before thinking about something and gazing around the room. "But we might want to move our lessons somewhere less… fragile."

She goes to her closet and looks for something before pulling out two cloaks. "Yours may be a little short, but they’ll work." She tosses one of the clocks at Amon before putting on hers. "Follow me and pick up those books; we’re going on a little trip."

Luna exclaims with some degree of excitement in her voice.

"What about your guards?" Amon asks, putting on his cloak and picking up the reading material.

"They’ll be none the wiser," Luna said with a smirk as she put her hand against the door, which turned completely black and became engulfed in shadows before she walked inside. "Now, let's go."

So, besides controlling stars and travelling through shadows, can't she also cut and chop?

Amon mulls it over as he follows Luna through the portal.