The King Of Nothing

After a delightful stroll through the festively adorned hallway, Amon and Viola arrive at the grand entrance to the main dining room. The double doors, like the entire castle, are decorated with vibrant red and green streamers, and two meticulously placed advent wreaths, each bearing a symbol of the sun or moon in a striking blue and orange, grace the center of the doors.

The two royal soldiers standing guard don't waste time. They open the door for them, and the aroma of freshly baked confections and other meals exits the room. It assaults their senses and awakens Amon's
appetite as they march inside.

The first thing that caught Amon's eye was the long and elegant dining table covered by a tablecloth, which showed the same festive decoration on its edges as the rest of the castle. Said table was filled with confections and desserts, like cakes, eggs, cereals, sandwiches of all types, fruits, muffins, and jugs filled with milk, coffee, chocolate, and orange juice. All of that was ready to be served in 3 empty plates at the end of the table, giving Amon a potent reminder of his hunger in the form of a strong and loud growl from his stomach that was starting to resemble the growl of a wild beast.

"Oh my, somepony woke up hungry," Celestia replied sarcastically. The two found the princess in question at the end of the table with an empty plate, smirking at Amon. Unlike their first meeting, the princess seemed to be wearing a dark yellow turtleneck long-sleeve shirt made of wool that suited her figure nicely and her usual royal regalia.

"My liege." Viola closed her eyes and raised the side of her dress, giving Celestia the proper respect. "As you requested, I brought our guest of honor."

"I can see Vivi, and I thank you for that. You are dismissed."

Celestia nods and waves at her as Viola nods and opens her eyes." Enjoy your meal, and don't hesitate to call if you require anything else. Also, your sister asked me to pass a message. She apologies for the delay, and she will arrive very soon."

And with that, Vivi left the room as Amon looked at her in surprise at the sudden revelation before turning his attention to Celestia. "Your sister is coming? Celestia, I told you the more ponies interact with me…"

"...The greater the chances of their lives being in danger," Celestia nodded. "Yes, I recall you mentioning that in detail. That is why she insisted on meeting you, Amon. Being closely familiar with dreadful and corrosive magic has given Luna a special insight into the illness that afflicts and is following you. So, although it is touching how you worry for mine and my sister's well-being, I must remind you that neither of us is a delicate porcelain doll," She explains with a calm and collected smile before extending a hand to one of the empty plates.

"So, for now, while we await the arrival of my sister, would you join me for breakfast? I know how hungry you are," she reminded him with a smirk, irritating Amon. He considered walking away, but the smell and another growl from his stomach were enough to change his mind and sit next to Celestia.

"For the record, I'm not accepting your invitation. I'm just going to get myself some breakfast, and you do. Nothing else," Amon grumpily replies as Celestia smiles in contentment, seeing him serve himself a significant portion of bread, eggs, and other assortments. Yet rather than hugging all the food, he keeps "accidentally" placing the plates with more of their confections within arm's reach of Celestia.

-Oh, Amon, you are as subtle as a rock to the face with that tough guy act. Adorable, but I do hope it will banish soon, when we find the way to cure your curse-

Celestia thought as she served herself a cup of tea, "If that's how you wish to view it, then I have no issue with that. Say, Amon, I was curious. Did you enjoy that small gift I left in your room?" Celestia asked with a smirk while noticing some frosting on Amon's chest, which he quickly covered. He looked away with a blush.

"Stop doing that!" Amon complained as Celestia merely chuckled at his antics.

Deciding to ignore her comments, Amon grumbles and starts to serve himself, filling his plate with as much food as possible and then proceed to hide some bread bums and anything dry that could fit in the pockets of his robe and pants when he believe nobody was looking. They both enjoy their breakfast in silence until Princess Luna enters through the main door with a contained yawn and eyes closed.

She was wearing what looked to be a puffy, thick blue robe with stars and constellations embedded on the fabric, mimicking her mane, just like Celestia, her hair and tail wave on an invisible, eternal wind, displaying the fabric of the night on it, and just like her sister, her mere presence was enough to change the atmosphere of the room, with the difference been that while Celestia projected a warm and serene aura, Luna, in contrast, seem to evoke a sense of a chill and quiet night for one to get lost in their thoughts as they admire the moon and stars.

"Good morning, Luna; how was your night?"

Before answering, Luna glanced at Amon critically, zipping from her coffee and addressing her sister's question. "As uneventful as one could expect, due to recent events, sister, speaking off."

Luna looks back at Amon again, returning to her critical glare, while Amon remains stoic, never breaking eye contact with her as he starts to hide bread in his backpack. "You must be the stallion my sister has told me about. It's nice to finally make your acquaintance."

"Thanks. I would love to say the pleasure is mutual, but if Celestia told me about me, you understand why that is false. You can still walk away if you wish," Amon replies as Luna nods.

"Ah yes, I'm well informed of this curse and how it seems to be operating, a cruel enchantment indeed. I'm more than familiar with a subject that I would understand why I can't stay idly by and let an innocent soul be tormented by said affliction."

Amon could only sigh and shake his head in disappointment. "You are just like Celestia."

"Why thank you?" Luna smiles and sits opposite him next to Celestia to serve herself.

"It wasn't a compliment," Amon clarified, making Luna and Celestia pause as he stared at him stoically.

"You both are stubborn and set on helping others whenever they wish for it or not."

"If it means the safety of not only you but also our subjects, then we have no shame in admitting it," Luna replied calmly and resumed serving herself.

With a sigh, Amon let it go and resumed his breakfast. "So, I imagine you wanted to see me?" Raising his head, Amon looked at both sisters.

"Indeed, there is plenty to discuss, but before addressing the biggest issue, there is one little thing I would like to ask you first," Luna mentions, looking at Amon with a curious glance.

"Yes, I got some frost smear on my chest. I didn't have a napkin and cleaned my palm in a rush. I will clean it up soon," Amon responded immediately as he started to take various pieces of bread and place them inside his backpack.

"That is not what I was going to ask, but it answers why you have that spot on your chest, no… Mr. Amon. I wanted to know, aren't you feeling a bit cold now?"

"Cold?" Amon repeats and looks back at Luna, who keeps staring at him with confusion and curiosity. He notices that both sisters are wrapped in far warmer clothes than he is. "What do you mean? If anything, I should be asking if you are not hot with those turtleneck shirts," Amon fires back.

Both sisters look at him deadpan before looking at the window outside, where it is currently snowing, before looking back at Amon. "I believe my sister does have a point, Mr. Amon. A robe and sweatpants hardly seem enough to warm yourself during this time of the year. I have proper clothing, and even I'm feeling chilly," Celestia mentions.

"Really?" Amon looked at her in surprise, "but you two are…" He stopped, realizing he was pointing as the two sisters raised their eyebrows.

"Yes?" The princesses ask at the same time.

"...the incarnation of the day and night, how can the manifestation of them get cold or hot?"

His comment earns a groan from both sisters. "Mr. Amon, what kind of embellished stories have you heard about us?" Celestia asks, bringing her palm to her face.

"Contrary to what some of our subjects believe, we are not goddesses nor ascending converts you into one, yes we are ageless, and we have extraordinary powers that many confused as divine but at the end of the day, we are still just two mares not too different than the pillars of harmony, the Wonderbolts or many other examples of ponies that have reach the top of an specific field, so yes Mr. Amon, my sister and I CAN be affected by extreme weather, just like any other pony would," Luna rants with some irritation in her voice.

Once she finished her speech, Amon only nodded a couple of times and replied with a simple yes.

"Understood, thanks for clarifying that." He thanked her and tried to resume eating until Luna cleared her throat.

"Still waiting for my answer."

"Fine, if you need to know, I'm not cold."

"Thanks, then follow up question, how?" Luna fired back, and Amon only shrugged.

"You may have a very long life under your belt, princess, but you didn't spend years fending for yourself against the elements and without proper clothes," Amon replied with a shrug. "Not to mention how getting cold is kind of hard when you are covered in fuuuuuuuuu…." Amon stops, holding on to the last word as the princesses raise an eyebrow and look at him in suspicion and confusion. "....fantastic, bedsheets!" Amon finally finishes his sentence quickly.

"Yeah! You try living out of the street for years, switch to cotton and wool, and tell me if you still feel cold. Bottom line I have build a tolerance for the elements during all my time on the streets."

"Amon, I know for a fact you were trying to get away from a blizzard before coming here," Celestia points out with a raised eyebrow.

"A) that was an extreme case, and B) I say tolerance, not immunity," He argues back almost immediately. "Yes, horrible weather like that is a nightmare. Compare them to what you have now, and this is barely a chill breeze for me."

The princesses stare at him unimpressively before ultimately sighing and shrugging, accepting his response: "Fair enough. In that case, we can move on to more pressing matters, mainly how we will tackle the issue of your curse." Luna mentions serving herself more coffee before pointing at him with said mug.

"Yes, finally, the moment I've been waiting to hear what you have to say. Especially how you seem convinced that whatever is happening to me is not a curse."

"That is because it's not," Luna quickly responded, gaining his attention. "Allow me to elaborate, Mr. Amon. Ever since my sister told me your story, I have been indulging in some research and trying to piece together any pattern to your affliction according to your experience going from one city to the next."

"Right, the mushroom lady profiling, I imagine." Amon rolled his eyes with a huff, remembering that particular mare.

"...in part correct, plus I'm trying to figure out where exactly was the hamlet where the worst part occurred, but for some reason, I have been unsuccessful, but that is another subject. The point I want to make here is that the only thing consistent in your curse is how inconsistent your behavior is."

"What?" Amon looks at the princess with a raised eyebrow.

"I had my suspicious too, but Luna just confirmed it," Celestia chips in.

"Amon, for your story, the report, and the nature of what is happening, I can be sure it can't be a curse now."

Celestia then starts to list her reasoning behind that idea: "A curse doesn't talk or have a message, so that is a big clue right there; a curse also behaves like a virus or a stream; it follows a pattern, and it never changes on it own, it always a straight line without exception unless something or someone changes its course, yet in one city the weather changed first, in another the songs are the only thing that happens, heck even here in Canterlot nothing happen until months after the conditions supposedly were meet, do you see our point? Whatever is happening is aleatory and erratic; not even Discord could make a curse this inconsistent; at this point, it stops being a curse and becomes just malicious casting."

"Wait, you are saying that someone is responsible for my crappy life? Rather than a curse, what is happening is that someone wants to ensure I remain at rock bottom?" Amon asks them incredulously.

Both royals nod. "It is the only explanation. How and why are still a mystery, but the clues are certainly there, whoever is after you. Wishes to keep your life the way it was."

"And more importantly, it means you can finally rest more easily knowing you are not the cause of all that misery surrounding you, so what we must do now is…" Celestia smiled calmly and nodded with her eyes closed until she, alongside Luna, was startled when Amon hit the table hard.

Some electric spark with black coloring started to emerge from his fist as he closed his eyes.

"All those lives are gone, the hell I went through, the countless nightmares and guilt that kept me awake at night. It was all because of some ASSHOLE MESSING WITH MY LIFE?!"

"Amon, please calm down. We understand how you are feeling, but you need to remember that as an alicorn, your emotions can negatively affect your surroundings if you are not careful," Luna warns him as she points at his hand.

Amon looked down and saw a strange black orb starting to form in his fist. It startled him as he lifted it from the table, leaving a perfect half-spheric dent on the furniture as he held his hand.

Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, Amon calms himself.

"Are you okay?" Celestia asks Amon as he nods and opens his eyes, seeing his hand back to normal.

"Yeah, I'm fine now. Sorry about that. So you were saying?" Amon spun his wrist, inviting them to resume the subject.

"Understood as we were saying, in light of all the evidence we have gathered, we hypothesize that a malicious individual capable of wielding magic has been following your steps since you partook in this nomadic lifestyle. Most likely from a safe distance and maybe even by astral projecting his form to avoid detection," Luna resumed her explanation.

"The later theory could even explain why the supposed curse managed to speak to you at one point, Amon. They wanted you to feel despair and misery; they wanted to ensure that you would remain isolated from society and make society reject you."

While the two sisters kept talking, Amon had to close his eyes and clench his fist as he breathed through his nose to remain calm. His mind at the moment was a raging storm of emotions. He was hearing the sister say all of that. It made him want to yell profanities, demand names, and unleash his anger on the asshole that made his life a living hell. All of that culminates in an old memory that snaps him out of his anger as he recalls the feeling of blood dripping from his hands as he stood in front of a corpse that was beaten to a pulp and became unrecognizable.

All his anger immediately turns into guilt, and while the memory manages to calm him down, it also starts to fill his mind with dread and fear as an idea of who he may be after he pops up in his head.

"...Amon?" The concerned voice of Celestia snaps him back to reality as Amon opens his eyes to see both royals looking at him in concern. "Did you hear us?"

"Sorry, I need a moment there. What were you saying?"

"We were saying that to test our theory and, with any luck, lure your attacker; we believe it would be wise to surround you with carefully selected ponies to interact and improve your life."

"You want me to make friends?" Amon asks them incredulously, raising an eyebrow at how ridiculous that idea sounds.

Celestia smiles and nods. "In a sense, you could call it that, and I know what you are about to say, and yes, they will be aware of how approaching you would put a target on them; that is why we are gonna choose them."

"This, in turn, would give us an idea of how to proceed. Your stalker would back away, knowing they could not continue their tricks or change tactics. Either way, with this plan, I can track them down and put an end to their torture." Luna reasoned with determination and a clenched fist.

"This is starting to sound like you are setting me on a playdate," Amon mentions with some irritation. "It's nice, though, and I get your reasoning, but who in their right mind would want to hang on with someone they know who would cause them to have nightmares or attract monsters?"

Right on cue, Amon hears confetti being fired behind him coming from the central doorway, followed by giggling and what sounds like party music.

"Ah, right on time, it seems." Celestia smiles and nods as the sound gets louder as they approach. "To answer your question, you have already met two ponies, Amon, with Ms. Viola and Mr. Purple, who agree to this project and are fully trained to deal with this situation."

"Besides them, we also requested the help of two mares that are experts on dealing with monsters, friendship, and illogical situations," Luna continued as Amon started to tense up as the music and giggles kept increasing as he stood up and took a step back away from the doors.

"Mr. Amon, allow me to introduce you to…"

Suddenly, the two doors burst open, and from it, a pink mare with a blue puffy sweater, a dark pink scarf with lots of fiddly bits on it, and dark blue jeans with figurines on their legs, slid into the room, throwing confetti everywhere. Her mane was puffy and had plenty of volume, and Amon swore he saw more confetti blasting out of it as if her name was coughing.

"Pinkie Pie, ponyville party planner resident extraordinary, bearer of the element of laughter, and expert on friendship subjects.

"It's a new friend party time!" Pinkie exclaimed in excitement while looking at Amon as he slowly backed away.

"And, of course, Fluttershy," Luna continued, and Amon looked at the door again. The pink mare had distracted him from the other mare that had walked in, more calmly and almost nervously, as if she wasn't sure if she should be or not be there. She seemed to be a yellow pegasus with a long pink mane, a green sweater, and a long light green dress underneath it, waving nervously at Amon.

"H-hi, Mister," Fluttershy calls as Pinkie doesn't waste time and gets too close to Amon.

"Oh wow, you are so big! And you have a huge mane! Hi! My name is Pinkamena Diane Pie, but all my friends call me Pinkie! Do you want to be friends? Well, of course you do! That is what the princess calls for me, so we can all be friends and have lots of fun and…"

Amon covers her mouth and lifts her with one hand, trying to distance her from him as she keeps asking him rapid-fire questions, not bother one bit with how he was easily suspending her in the air with his hands, before looking at Celestia.

"Celestia tells me this is some joke. You don't want me to make friends with her, do you?" Amon is alarmed as Pinkie doesn't stop talking, even with her mouth covered.

"I'm certainly not, and please, Amon, release her. That is no way to treat your friends. Just calm down, and I will explain everything." Celestia tries to reason with him as Amon looks at her suspiciously before looking at Pinkie Pie.

Grabbing her head with his other hand, he slowly let go of her mouth. "...andwecanhaveadventures…" He closes her mouth again and then releases her. "...thenwecaneatlotsofcandy…" Amon repeats the process, gets a slightly curious cover, and quickly lets go of her mouth before covering it again.

“And… be… the… best… of… friends!”

"Enough Amon! Pinkie Pie is not a toy; let her go properly," Luna demanded, getting irritated at how Amon was treating Pinkie.

"Tell me how I can make her stop first," Amon asks the group, seeing how she doesn't see signs of stopping anytime soon.

"You can't," They all reply with a stoic expression. "Sorry, Amon, but the only way to stop Pinkie is to let her finish her speech," Celestia explains with a tired sigh.

Looking at them in horror and then at Pinkie, Amon looks up as he tries to think of something, groaning when he gets an idea he doesn't particularly like.

"God damn, don’t make me…is really no other choice…? Fine! I’ll do something, but she better not get funny ideas," Amon exclaimed.

Celestia sighed in relief, thinking he would let go of Pinkie, only to gasp alongside everyone present when, instead of releasing her, Amon blindsided Pinkie with a full-on kiss on the lips as he dipped her.

Pinkie's body went stiff, and her mane and tail seemingly popped like balloons before deflating. For the whole 10 seconds, the kiss lasted as her right hoof shot up backward.

By the time Amon was finished, he had let go of a stunning Pinkie who had a thousand-mile stare at nothing, her lips puckering as she was speechless, and Amon cleaned his mouth. "I can't fucking believe it, that actually worked," With a sigh, Amon returned to the chair, ignoring all the shock stares coming his way as he looked at Celestia.

"So, care to explain this plan you have in mind, Celestia?"

"Can you first explain why you just kissed Pinkie Pie?!" Celestia counters, still surprised by his sudden action.

For his part, Amon only sighed and shrugged. "I wanted her to stop so I could hear this crazy plan of yours, so that is what I did."

"And you thought the only way to do that was to kiss her?" Luna mentions with some irritation as Amon sighs.

"Look, I'm not proud about it. I panicked and did the first thing that came to mind. For what is worth it, I'm sorry, Pinkamena. You can slap me or kick me in the groin if it helps," Amon offered, and that seemed to snap Pinkie out of her trance.

"What?" Pinkie looked at him in confusion.

"We are not gonna hurt you," Fluttershy answers for Pinkie as she glares at Amon. "And you are right to be sorry; what you did was very rude, Amon. Could you not do it again? Pinkie already has a coltfriend."

"Who? I-I mean y-yeah, YEAH!" She exclaimed, nodding a couple of times.

"I do have a coltfriend, my special cupcake muffin that I love very much!... whose name I can't remember right now for some reason. B-But I still love him and would never betray!" Pinkie quickly added.

Amon nods before looking back at the princesses. "There, problem solved. Now, what exactly is your plan? Why are you risking civilian life like this, Celestia?" Amon confronts the princess with a raised eyebrow.

Still shaken by what happened, Celestia needed a moment before shaking her head and deciding to move on with the subject. "Well, in the hopes that your actions didn't alter the plan, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy are no mere civilians, Amon. These two are well-known heroes of Equestria that have fought and won against strong foes over the years."

"Fluttershy has even befriended the manifestation of chaos and is familiar with unpleasant dreams," Luna chips in, "While Pinkie Pie, well, you already meet her. Their qualities made them perfect to combat anyone trying to mess with them through their dreams, and the elements would shield them from any form of mind control."

"Yeah, we will know if anyone is trying to make us think you are mean right away, and we will ignore it," Pinkie says with a big smile.

"Essentially, we will be forcing whoever wishes to harm you to change tactics with periodic visits, during which you all will enjoy the day and have fun," Celestia explained. “Pinkie and Fluttershy would just be the first of many others to come meet you”

"Your plan is for me just to have playdates, then?" Amon questions with sarcasm, looking at the princesses as they nod.

"Think about it. They want you to suffer, don't they? Seeing you happy will destroy their goal, and they would have to try something else, and since they can' attack emotionally or mentally, they will only have one last resort," Luna mentions. "When the shadow monsters attack, I would only need one of them to track its origin and find the ones responsible."

"And you would not have to hide anymore; you would be free," Fluttershy tells them.

Amon remains quiet at that and only closes his eyes for a moment before looking at the two mares. "You realized this would make you into bait, right?"

"Don't worry, silly. We are prepared." Pinkie dismisses his concern, and they both show him a pair of golden necklaces. "And like the princess told you, we have dealt with worse before. And nothing would stop me from throwing a Pinkie Pie party, not even you!" Pinkie proclaims as she points ahead of her.

Amon stared at her with concern before approaching Fluttershy. "Why is your friend pointing at a wall?"

"Just don't overthink about it; that is Pinkie, been Pinkie," Fluttershy answered with a knowing smile and a chuckle.

"So! Are you ready to have a fantastic, awesome day!?" Pinkie asks, getting close to Amon once more. "I have a list of the most fun places we can visit," she proclaims, showing him the list.

"Wait, you mean right now?" Amon asks in a panic.

"Sure! Why not? No time like the present," Pinkie says, grabbing Amon's wrist and dragging him alone.

"Hey, wait! Wait, I haven't even said yes yet; at least let me change! I'm in a robe, for pit's sake!" Amon complains as the 3 leave the room, the princesses waving at them goodbye.

Once alone, the sisters look at one another. "Do you think this plan would work, Luna?" Celestia finally shows some concern about Luna's idea.

"Absolutely. This kind of problem requires the expertise of mares that have experience dealing with this kind of problem before. Besides, if this foe wishes to harm the concept of friendship, who better to stop them than the champions of such? Trust me, sister? No matter what they try, I would be ready to stop it."

"But why this way? Why make the introductions gradually? It wouldn't be faster to send him to Ponyville or introduce him to all six simultaneously?"

"We must think strategically here, sister; this way, we keep everyone as safe as possible while taunting these aggressors. No matter what they try next, they will have to expose themselves one way or another, and when they do. We will be ready."

Celestia nods and sighs, looking at the door. "I hope you are the right sister. As confident as I am with the elements, I can't shake this strange feeling that we are dealing with something unlike anything else we have faced."