The King Of Nothing

Once more, pegasus started to show in the distance, and considering they had made plenty of progress, Amon and his friends decided to leave things there and return to his room, with the promise of continuing tomorrow morning.

Dash, in particular, was pissed off that, in the end, she didn't manage to show off her movements and keep her eyes straight forward and a red face.

"Oh, come on, Dash. Are you still sore from what happened?" Cloud Chaser asked with a bit of sorrow in her voice.

"All I wanted was to show Amon how awesome the Wonderbolts were, but no, you had to take all morning with kindergarten moves," Dash complained, keeping her eyes forward.

"Seriously? That is why you are pissed off? not the fact that her second reprimand left you… feeling drafty?" Amon questions, looking at Rainbow's waist where her sweater was now tied up to hide her shame. At some point, while they were jogging, Cloud Chaser told Amon about pointers and maneuvers to glide, which could be a good follow-up from lift-up.

Dash in turn decided to interrupted her once again, and she started talking about wing language and how he should be careful not to stare at other ponies' wings too much, especially mares when they were ruffled. All good and well until she constantly interrupts Cloud Chaser whenever she tried to go back to their training, until she had enough and flies up to kick the storm cloud once more and hit Dash right in her behind for a second time.

Now, seeing precisely what and how Cloud did such impressive feet, Amon was full of questions to ask or would have, if not for Dash having a wardrobe malfunction when the lightning ripped a piece of her fabric, and she had a huge opening showing her panties.

That day, Amon discovers that the daredevil is genuinely a fan of the Wonderbolts, giving her choice of underwear with a plain pair of panties with a huge W in the middle.

"That didn't help either!" Dash angrily bellows, glaring at Amon, "And if you keep staring, you will have to buy me dinner, Amon! Eyes out front!"

"Sorry." Amon looked ahead of him with some heat on his cheeks.

"You know you can always do the show later. Amon can just put on the disguise and see us perform this afternoon at the dome," Cloud Chaser mentions.

"But I won't be on it!" Dash complains. It's my day off, and tomorrow we have the mission, so he won't be able to see my awesomeness."

"Ah, Dash, do you want me to see the Wonderbolts perform or you perform?" Amon asks deadpan.

"Can't we be both?" Dash asks.

"No, but if it really means that much to you, what about this? You do what you have to, and then you can perform tonight before you leave, deal?" Amon offers her.

"Well, I suppose that could work," Dash mumbles and thinks about it momentarily.

"Better take it, Dash. It's not gonna get better than that," Cloud Chaser tells her with an emotionless stare.

"Fine, 6 pm sharp at the royal garden it is, don't be late." Dash tells with finality.

"I will try to remember," Amon says with a roll of his eyes.

Soon, the group reaches the alicorn room and is slightly startled when standing. There was none other than Major Shitake with her usual two guards. Once she saw them approach, she saluted.

"Ms. Dash, Ms. Chaser, Mr. Amon. Good morning to all."

"Ah… hi?" Amon reply.

"Can we help you?" Cloud Chaser asks, slightly surprised to see a royal guard waiting for them.

"Negative; I'm here to report for my and my son's new duties."

"Duties?" Dash repeats.

"Sons?" Amon mentions looking at the two big royal guards behind the major before looking at the major once more.

"That is correct. To pay for my crimes and earn back the trust of the crown, we have been assigned as your platoon for the unforeseen future so I can reevaluate my views on you," she says, maintaining a professional, neutral air as she speaks.

"Celestia…"

"Princess Celestia, please, SIR!" Shiitake corrects him.

"Right HER, decided that the best punishment for basic treason is… demotion?" Amon asks with neutrality.

"Geez, dude, a bit harsh, don't you think?" Dash says in concern, "I mean, yeah, it sounds a bit weird, but she wants to try to make amends."

"Aja, that is cute; if you excuse me, I need to talk, sorry I mean scream some sense on that mare," Amon growls as he storms off; Shiitake and her guards follow close by.

"Stop following me!"

"We can't, sir; that's our order."

"Oh, for the love of… I can't deal with this right now, Cloud Chaser. Do you have an appointment later today?"

"Yeah, I have; I need to prepare for a Wonderbolt show soon; why?"

"Just checking," Amon says calmly before looking at Dash. "Rainbow, I need your help."

"Sure, what can I do?"

"I don't trust her" Amon points at the major "So I need you to stay with me all day until I fix this thing with Celestia."

"PRINCESS Celestia!" Shiitake corrected him again.

"Yeah, this in particular."

"I think you are exaggerating, but fine, can I change pants at the very least?"

"Sure."

"I can help you!" Fluttershy suddenly appears out of nowhere with an eager smile, startling the pegasus, who jumps back.

"Dear Celestia, Fluttershy, where the hay did you just come from?" Cloud Chaser asks once she manages to recover from the scare.

"I just arrived," Fluttershy mentions with a smile. "And I heard you needed someone to stay with you all day, Amon?"

"Yeah, more or less, but don't you have something to do in preparation for tomorrow?"

"Hey, come, you didn't ask me that?" Dash asks in indignation.

"Considering you weren't supposed to be here now, I felt you open your whole day. Am I wrong?" Amon asks with a raised eyebrow.

"...well, not ALL day either, but still."

"Okay, then you can change while Fluttershy accompanies me to see Celestia, Shiitake! don't correct me!"

"Then use the proper title; it's PRINCESS Celestia, and I will keep repeating it until you do."

"Yeah, I would not be able to take this; I'm fixing this; let's go!" Amon declares as he marches away.

"So, see you later, then? Bye." Cloud Chaser waved, slightly startled and confused about how things turned out.

"Don't worry; he is a nice guy; you just need to get to know him." Fluttershy apologizes before going after Amon.

Sometime later at the dining table,

Amon marched inside, focusing on Celestia while she casually drank tea; the guards on the wall got alert until Celestia signaled them to stand down.

"Celestia, we need to talk," Amon mentions with neutrality.

"It Princess…" Shiitake corrected him again until Amon interrupted.

"...SHUT UP!" Been more than fed off, Amon yells at Shiitake, startling even himself with his voice and shaking the room slightly. "…Okay, that is new, but I can think of that later; back to the subject, we need to chat."

"Good morning to you too, Mr. Amon. I hope everything went well in your first lesson," Celestia replied calmly as she took a sip of her drink before she spoke up. "Also, to your request, I completely agree; I need to discuss something with you, Mr. Amon," Celestia says, remaining calm as she puts her teacup down. "But please, by all means, stallions first."

"You put Shiitake to babysit me. I thought I made things clear with your sister when I said I don't want guards acting as my second tails. No offense," Amon says, directing his attention to Celestia's personal guards, who look at him and then at each other in confusion.

"That I did." Celestia nodded and used magic to pull a chair beside her and invite him to sit. "And I have my reasoning as to why I did such a thing to a mare that betrayed the nation that wanted to share with you."

Amon takes her offer and looks at the mare with suspicion. "Okay, I will give you a chance. What reason could you possibly have to give that sort of job to her that I could agree on?"

"I want you to determine her punishment," Celestia replies immediately, quieting the room.

"Like hell, I will… what?" Amon had to pause and double-take what Celestia had just said.

"Can you repeat that, your highness?" AJ asks, and only now did Amon notice how the remaining Mane Six and Starlight were also present at the table, making him feel imperfect from having ignored all of them a second ago and thinking Celestia was the only one in the room.

"Certainly, Applejack, you heard me right; I wish for Amon to determine what kind of punishment should fall on the major after her actions. I know this seems odd, but hearing about the story of Amon and the circumstances behind it made me reevaluate the justice system I have been practicing and find that there may be flaws that I'm yet to grasp and understand fully and could use an outside perspective of things."

Amon looked at her with a deadpan. "You only wanted me to "be a prince" with a taste of authority while learning the importance of mercy and why you do things the way you do, don't you?"

"On the contrary, Amon, I'm fully on board with listening to criticism and finding common ground to find an acceptable solution. Should you wish to try implementing our ways of harmony and forgiveness, it is completely up to you," Celestia replied before looking at the ceiling and fake ignorance. "But I will not deny that it would be one pleasant bonus should that happen."

Amon could only sigh and shake his head in exhaustion. "For pit's sake, how do you do it? How do you make me stop hating you and give you a chance?"

"Lots of understanding, practice, and a bit of charm," Celestia replies with a slight giggle, ending with a wink. "So, I assume you would accept my proposal?"

Amon glared at her momentarily before speaking up, "I have conditions."

"As long as they are not illegal, cruel, or unusual, I will hear them," Celestia replies.

"It will only be temporal."

"We can discuss an exceptional time frame."

"This doesn't mean I accept crowns, titles, or responsibilities."

"Never intended for that to be the case."

"Once we are done, I don't want guards following me around."

"I can't help much there. That is the law, and contrary to what you think, I'm not above it. You don't wish anyone to be there either, am I right?"

"...right," Amon replied begrudgingly. "You mischievous fox."

"I will take that as a compliment. And don't be discouraged. I always welcome some healthy games of mind, dear Amon." Celestia finishes with a small little giggle before her expression takes a darker tune. "And as much as I would like things to end there so we can enjoy our meals in peace, there is another subject I need to discuss with all of you, a subject that is not going to be of your liking, I'm afraid."

"Okay, I'm back. Please tell me I didn't miss much," Dash says as she flies into the room.

"Hi, Dashi, I don't think so," Pinkie replies before looking at Celestia. "But Princess Celestia was about to tell us some bad news."

The princess nods and invites Dash to take a seat before speaking. "This morning, I was informed of alarming news. Mark never reached the prison," she confesses with some sorrow.

"Did he escape?" Twilight asks in concern.

"Worse, somepony got to him first. My best soldiers are on their case on when and how it happens, but at some point, somepony intercepts the chariot where he was on and ends his life without anyone noticing."

They all gasp at the news. "That is… this is just horrible!" AJ was the first to speak.

"I knew he was a meanie, but I didn't want this to happen."

"Not to mention, this raises many questions," Twilight said alarmingly. "For any pony to pull this off, they must know that Mark exposed them, know when he will be transferred, and plan a way to intercept the transport in very little time. How is that even possible?"

"Because they have ways of tracking others and moving undetected," Amon replies with a sigh, making all eyes fall on him. "Think of it? How else could they have followed me all this time without anyone detecting me? Or better yet, intercept a chariot in mid-air? With means to detect your target and a way to move without restraints, all you miss is the opportunity when nobody will see you."

"And inside a chariot with two guards so close was that chance?" AJ tells with a raised eyebrow.

Amon shrugs. "I'm only pointing out my theory based on experience; they may also want to send a message with this."

"Agree, we will need to think this carefully." Twilight nods a couple of times. "But what you are saying is right; if they have those two things, the rest can easily fall into place."

"This brings me to two other subjects I must share with all of you. The first one is fairly obvious and directed at you girls: Do not separate once you leave the castle and investigate the black market. As for the second... you were right about sending a message, Anon. The killer left one on the wall behind the corpse." She finishes with dread.

"...what did they write?" Amon asks with neutrality.

"You have a monster roaming the castle," she replied with a sigh. "It is clear that this enemy is not a fan of your current living arrangement and want them to stop" the princess mentioned, glancing at Amon.

"Or they may be referring to me," Starlight says in a dejected tune. "They want to enact revenge on my past actions after all"

"It doesn't matter either way," Dash said. "It's clear what they mean; they are getting mad, and that is more than fine for me," The pegasus confidently mentioned as she hit her palm.

"The more angry the easy would be to make a mistake. This only reinforces how they will be paid for what they did, and we will not let them get away, right girls?!"

"Yeah," They all cheer in agreement and excitement.

"Just be sure not to underestimate them," Amon reminded them with a glare. "If you really are going to face those monsters, then you better be prepared for everything."

He then glances at Fluttershy and Pinkie and starts to feel a pang of concern before looking at Celestia and sighing.

"Ce… princess, is there no way I can also go? I'm… I'm not sure they may be ready for what they may see."

"I'm sure of it, and you should put more faith in them, Amon. This is not something they haven't seen before."

"Yeah, partner, we got this," AJ says confidently.

"It's not that I don't believe you can," Amon mentions. "It's what you may lose if you march head first into that den of lions."

He then looks at Fluttershy: "Specially you. Your view of the world is pure and innocent. And I don't mean this as an insult; far from it. Just please. I didn't think of this before, but what you may encounter…"

Amon shivers at the idea, remembering the halls full of blood everywhere, before shaking his head and looking around. "...I don't want you to lose that glimmer of your soul, especially if you lost it because of me."

Everyone awws as Fluttershy holds his hand. "Don't worry, Amon. We will be fine, I promise. With Twilight, I'm sure we will be extra careful."

"And with me and AJ, we will make sure to kick the flanks of anyone who messes with us." Dash boosted confidence.

Amon still seems unsure but sighs in defeat and nods. "Just promise me something: if you have to enter ANY dark and moist room in a basement, secret room or the likes and you start to smell blood, DO NOT ENTER," Amon says with finality. "Call the guards or some form of authority instead and I mean it; those psychos are something else. And I would not be surprise they are messy and willing to left corpses behind if they get spooked."

The room remains quiet as some of the mares grow paler. "We will keep that in mind and proceed with extreme caution, yeah," Twilight says with a nervous tone.

"Good." Amon nods and starts grabbing a dozen muffins and putting them in his backpack. "Now, if you excuse me, I have some conditions to make" He pause feeling uncomfortable on his own body at the moment "And a shower to take."

Immediately, Fluttershy stood up in attention only to be sat down by Amon "Alone."

"R-Right, right. I-I thought you meant-" She cleared her throat and looked away. "-Can we see you later?"

"Sure, I mean Dash invite me to see one of those Wonderbolts shows anyways." Amon nodded as he retired; the remaining mane six looked at Fluttershy with curiously.

"what?" The shy pegasus ask in confusion

"What was that just now?" Starlight ask in confusion

"He wanted me to stay on his side for a while." Fluttershy reply right away

"Oh darling I don't think he meant for you to do just that to the shower" Rarity jokes slightly. "I mean, could you imagine?"

"Y-Yeah, that would be crazy." Fluttershy joined the chuckle with some heat on her face, earning a sigh from AJ as she shook her head.

"Oh shoot, I completely forgot I must tell Amon something, one moment." Starlight stood up and chased after Amon; Fluttershy was about to follow suit until AJ stopped her, putting her hand on Fluttershy's shoulder.

"No! Remember. Baby steps."

"Right, sorry."

The rest of the mane six kept looking at Fluttershy with curious looks, minus Pinkie, who was just giggling with a knowing smile.

"Okay, could somepony please tell me what the hay is going on here?" Dash asks in exasperation.