Beginnings of a Young Scholar

Chapters

Prologue
Chrono Herd Disfunction
How to (Not) Make Carrot Soup
Guards and the Goddess
A Night to Remember
Seeds of Wrath

Prologue

Author's Note

This is the story of my OC as he came to be. This story, as stated in description, starts roughly twenty years before the opening episode of Season 1, thus there will be none of the mane six seen, with the possible execption of a cameo of Twilight as a filly. Enjoy the read!

Prologue

You know, it takes some getting used to, being so understanding that is. I learned to be understanding at a very young age, but that did not mean I had mastered the art. Nay, it took me literally losing everything time and time again to learn what it means to be truly understanding. It does take a lot of effort at first to pull off, but eventually, it becomes so automatic that not only do you become something of a pushover, but you also tend to lose yourself at times as well. That is, unless you also have a strong sense of self.

I am not going to say I am perfect—saying that would be a bold-faced and easily discernible lie—but at least I can say I am not closed-minded on many subjects and like to understand another's position before judging them. In some circumstances, it is unbelievably difficult to be as forgiving though. These ponies that cause me to be so unforgiving are ponies I can understand but choose to be corrupt, and I have even less patience for those that choose to be purposefully deceitful.

—From the desk of Omniscient Chronicle, Head Royal Scholar of the Divine Thrones of Equestria

His name was Omniscient Chronicle to the few that knew him from birth. Everypony else knew him as merely Omnicron, the son of the famous unicorn surgeon Chronoheart. He was a unicorn pony himself with a plain, brown coat and messy, dark sepia mane and tail, while still a blank-flank at the age of fourteen. He was also just as well known in the medical community for not only his eighty-eight percent success rate—the only pony that had beaten him was his own father with a near flawless ninety percent success rate—but the fact he did not have a cutie mark and was a prodigy in the field medical science, but his true passion lay in small number of inventions for aiding recovery of the patients as well as the evermore inciting field of alchemy.

He had even invented a couple of mechanizations to make operations easier for non-unicorn and even non-ponies alike. He was the first to rediscover the art of consciously controlling the art of transmutation through a pony's hooves—albet completely by accident at first when trying to save a friend's pet—allowing non-pegasi to use their hooves as a defibrillator.

All of this by the age of fourteen, and this made his mother—a pegasus pony named Feather Flight—and father very proud. His sister Bellatrix—also a unicorn—was also relatively well known for being the first foal to complete the magical aptitude exam for the illusionist arts at the age of seven.

The family as a whole was known as the Chrono herd and was surprisingly low on the unicorn pony genetic prominence scale. Usually, the higher up a herd was on the nobility scale, the more powerful that herd was with the top usually being the descendants of the old unicorn royal family such as Princess Platinum or, more recently, Prince Blueblood. However, on a genetic aspect, the Chrono herd were a series of commoners for as far back as anypony had been able to document, but they were also often shown to be dangerously prideful of their talents to the point of vanity.

That never stopped Omnicron or the rest of his family from making their mark in their hometown of Hoofington and beyond. In olden times, his family were part of the Hoofington Guard of the Royal Equestrian Army. Being such, they lived in a guard tower that was outmoded as the city continued to grow, which became their inherited place of residence instead. They had been well respected in the community, and the Army as a whole, until a traitor among them sold out Hoofington's defenses during the Grif-Equine Conflict. The entire city—save the tower—had been burnt to the ground with only a hoof-full of the Chrono herd still alive. The traitor herself dying by having a burning timber fall on her.

Since then, no member of the Chrono herd was to be allowed to enter any of Equestria's defense forces—as decreed by Her Divine Majesty Princess Celestia. It would have been any official capacity at all if not for Her Divine Majesty Princess Luna's intervention in the matter. The sisters had always been at ends over the family—mostly over one of the earliest prominent members—but this had given the Solar Goddess the excuse she needed to put a stopper on the potentially dangerous family. Sixty years later when the Lunar Goddess revolted as Nightmare Moon, the Chrono herd happily aided her as a show of appreciation of their debt to her.

When the rebellion was over and the Nightmare was banished to the moon, Princess Celestia stripped the family of ever holding a government office again as punishment, and they could gain no titles—no matter what noble herd the Chronos married into—that was until Omnicron came along. He was the exception, and he intrigued the Solar Goddess in his potential. She could not take him as a protégé as it would be against her own decree and there were still bitter feelings over his families wrongdoings in the past, but she could do something to aid him and his promise.

It was this letter that changed a young Omnicron's life forever:

38th of Spring, 980 LSE
Dear Omniscient Chronicle of Hoofington,

I invite you to join me in a personal meeting during the dinner of the third day of the week after next. You may bring two guests, be that family or friends, and I shall be expecting you at 17:30 on the mark. This request is entirely optional, and you need not attend or even reply to this correspondence. However, I believe you will be thoroughly joyed if you do attend.

This is a casual meeting. So, no proper attire is required and remember to simply be yourself. I will not discuss the details of the meeting any further, but be sure to present the enclosed slip of paper to the guards at the entrance of Canterlot Castle upon arrival.

I do hope you decide to attend, and I will be forthcoming in saying this will be a life changing experience for you.

Sincerely,
Princess Celestia

P.S. Happy birthday, my little pony!

Chrono Herd Disfunction

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

How to (Not) Make Carrot Soup

Chapter 2

How to (Not) Make Carrot Soup

~46th of Spring, 980 LSE – Hoofington, Equestria

The next two weeks flew by in a flash and before Omni even knew it. Everyday of anticipation started to make him more and more anxious. However, not all had been going as planned as Feather Flight had caught the feather flu as had half of Hoofington's pegasus population. This put a major derailment on their plans, and Omni could not take Bella with him if there was not an adult present. Minors had to be at least eight years of age before they could travel unaccompanied by a suitable chaperone.

"I can't believe this is happening!" whined Omniscient Chronicle uncharacteristically as he stared at his coffee in the hospital break room. "Bella was looking so forward to going this Bitsday too …"

"Trouble with the trip, lad?" asked one of his co-workers with an odd accent as he sat across from him at the small break table. The stallion looked tired, and obviously had not gotten much sleep with the constant call-ins from the feather flu epidemic.

"Liver, you have no idea how disappointed my sister will be that she can't go with me," the colt said with a shake of his head. "I wish I was a year older; I'd be able to be her chaperone."

"Yeah, sounds like Herdsday troubles alright," said the older earth pony as he drank his entire mug of coffee in one go. "They say it's supposed to be such a happy day for families to get together and share time with one another, yet the only ponies that ever seem to enjoy it are singles that've cut ties with their families."

Omnicron could not help but chuckle. "You know, my family never usually seems to have that problem. We usually go to the park or something."

Liver snorted. "Yeah, right. You, Feather, and your sister maybe. I never saw Chrono leave the hospital 'til closing hours." He inhaled his doughnut before continuing, "How's your mum doing anyhow? I heard she just got a light case of it."

Omnicron sighed. "She's recovering quickly, but she's still on bed rest." Then, he got an idea. "Hey, how about you come with me? We're friends right, and you can get the wife something nice while we're in Canterlot."

The stallion shook his head. "I've already used all me vacation time this year, lad. If it wasn't for that, I'd be happy to come along and see how me hometown's doing."

Omni raised a brow. "Double bummer for you. You can't even take Hearth's Warming off then, huh?"

The stallion shook his head. "Nope, I have to be on call even for that. It bucking sucks being older, lad. Enjoy your youth while you've still got it."

The unicorn colt nodded. "I wouldn't know. My old man has a thermo up his arse too far to let me take any time off besides what's granted to me by days of the week."

The older doctor got up and sighed. "Well, duty calls. You better get clocked-out and gone before they rope you into something. I know they love to do that."

Omnicron stood, straightening his white medical coat, and nodded as he followed the other doctor out of the break room. "Doing that now. Good luck!"

"Tsh! As if! Probably just a broken leg or something," scoffed Doctor Liver Well trying to lighten the mood as he trotted off. "Luck on the trip, lad! Say 'ello to me folks for me!"

"Will do!" called out Omni as he started his way, report on his latest patient in his telekinetic grasp, to his father's office—who was technically his superior. However, upon arrival, he didn't find his patriarch there, so he left the report in the 'to look through' pile and left to punch out.

After checking out of the hospital for the day and officially starting his two-week vacation, Omnicron headed out the main doors to see a very familiar unicorn waiting for him.

"I expected you to finish that report sooner, Omniscient. Was Liver Well yakking your head off again?"

Omnicron raised an eyebrow suspiciously, wondering why his father was out of his medical coat and had his glasses on for once. "You could say that, but honestly, I was just puzzled on how Topaz Heart was reacting to the new joint medication we were giving him. It's acting oddly like an aphrodisiac."

Chronoheart gave a quirked brow of his own. "That IS odd. I'll have to look into that when we get back."

The colt came to a sudden halt. "Pardon? Did you just say 'WE'?"

Chrono looked a bit disheartened as he nodded his head. "Yes, my son. I did. Look, I know I've been a terrible father to both you and Bellatrix. I guess I was so caught up in my own world that I never really even thought that you might want anything different."

Omnicron frowned. "What's with the sudden change of heart then, Father?"

The older unicorn looked away from Omni as if stricken by the words. "Today is the day my own father died a score ago. He was the only pony I could never save, and he died when I was seventeen—away in med school. I think that's why I've been pushing you so hard, and I lost sight of who you really were."

The brown colt raised a brow. "And Bella?"

Chrono pushed his glass up with his telekinesis. "I'm not going to lie; she was an error. We never expected to have a second foal—especially this late—but I'll never regret having her come into the family. I've already arranged it with Chairpony Stable Mind to have me on call on the second half of Herdsdays and all Friendays for now on. I'll also allow you to go back to school if you wish."

Omnicron was shocked. He had never seen his father so glum and serious about a family matter before. He's actually being sincere with me! He realized suddenly. "Does that mean Bella can come with us?!"

His father shook his head sadly. "You know leaving your mother alone with feather flu is a serious no go. She's still bedridden and can slip back at anytime. I would ask some of the others to watch her, but with the epidemic and all … Well, I don't think I need to continue. Bellatrix won't be going to school either so she can watch Feather better. I taught her what to look for and the emergency notification spell earlier this morning actually." He genuinely smiled. "She excelled at it, unsurprisingly. You may just have a rival yet."

Omnicron rolled his eyes with a smirk. "Oh! Celestia forbid a sibling rivalry!"

Chrono laughed, and they both continued to their tower-home.

Thankfully, the trek back was uneventful, and they made good time getting back and found Bella attempting to cut up a carrot by holding the knife in her mouth as they entered the kitchen.

"Now, I know I said you did very well mastering that spell and memorizing the symptoms of progressive feather flu earlier this morning, Bellatrix, but you shouldn't be messing around with knives without supervision yet," scolded Chronoheart as he carefully used his telekinesis to take the chef's knife away from the filly. "Don't make me take back what I said already."

Bella looked glumly at the floor. "I just wanted to get some of Mama's carrot soup ready for everypony so we could share a meal together before you and Omni leave, Dad."

Chrono sighed and set the knife aside as he raised his daughter's head with a hoof. "Look at me. I know you want to be a big filly, but let your brother cut the carrots. I'll get the water going, and you can add the spices. How about that?"

"Okay! I can do that! Mama showed me!" chirped the filly with glee with a small hop.

Omni had the thought of taking the knife and spinning it around a few times around his hoof to show off his dexterity, but figured better of it when his father gave him the 'don't you dare' look. So, he merely went about nodding with an 'innocent' smile and using the knife properly with his magic to start cutting up the carrots instead.

About half an hour later, the soup was done. Or, at least, it was SUPPOSED to be soup. It looked more like pumpkin pie filling to Omni. "I think this is why Mom never lets us do any of the cooking, Father."

Chrono nodded. "Yes, um, let's just make some nice daisy sandwiches instead."

"How about we halve some potatoes and pour the carrot stuff over them and bake it!" suggested Bella as she started toward the pantry.

Omni looked to Chrono. "Do you think that would work?"

His father looked at the ruined soup skeptically. "I suppose, but I don't know how to even turn on an oven, let alone use it." He looked up at his son. "Do you?"

The younger shook his head. "Mom always told me to stay away from it. Said something about burning the whole neighborhood down or something."

"Now how could …" The stallion shook his head. "Never mind. I'm going to go ask our neighbors for help and invite them for dinner as well. I know you would probably like to see Cheerilee again. Keep an eye on your mother and sister while I'm gone."

Omnicron just froze as his father left the kitchen. Wait … When did Father figure out Cheerilee and I were friends? When did he ever find the time, rather? Did Mom tell him? He face hoofed. I hope he doesn't think it's THAT type of relationship …

"Um … Brother? Can you help me here? I can't lift the sack of potatoes," whined Bella miserably from under a rather large sack of potatoes, interrupting his rather uncomfortable train of thought.

Omni could not help but laugh as he lifted the potatoes off his little sister. "Bella, you should know better than to try to lift things bigger than you!"

"I just opened the pantry, and they fell on me!" snapped back Bella indignantly with an adorably angry glare.

The older brother huffed with a smirk as held in his laughter. Bellatrix really could be such a klutz at times, but he supposed that came with being so young too. Still, that adorable glare was almost too much.

After a few moments, Omni instructed Bella how to properly hold a knife with her magic—keeping his own on standby just in case—and the two halved about a half a dozen potatoes while waiting for their father to return.

His little sister actually was pretty good with telekinesis as long as the object she was holding did not exceed her body weight, and for being seven-years-old, that was amazing. If she got the proper teaching, she could very well outstrip him in magical prowess one day. He could not say the same for the intelligence department, but she was still above average in her ability to read, write, and comprehend Equestrian Common, though she was lagging a bit behind in both Modern Pegasi and Unicornian.

Omnicron himself was fluent in all three of the modern versions of the Tribal Languages as well as Common—as was standard—but he knew only a dash here and there of ancient Unicornian. His Minotauren was passable, but only barely, and he could only read Griffonic. Zebrican, Saddle Arabian, and Neighponese were completely beyond him though. How could one read hieroglyphs, squiggles, and characters with eight different meanings after all?

There was actually little conversation as the siblings waited, but the wait didn't last much longer as Cheerilee cantered into the kitchen saying, "Hi, everypony! How you doing, Omni?"

The brown colt smiled at seeing his purple earth pony friend. Omni was a bit relieved she was not wearing that odd git-up, aside from her odd zigzag mane and tail style, she normally wore though. While he tended to where a white dress shirt and his medical coat at times when he was being absent minded, she would wear a quirky combination of a checkered neckerchief, mulberry leg warmers on her hind legs, some various bracelets on her right foreleg, and some odd hair accessories.

"Why, hello, Cheerilee! You're not wearing your usual? That's a shock," he teased. Cheerilee and him often made jokes at each other's expense, but it was always in good fun. Besides, it was hard to find another pony to talk to when you were essentially a foal prodigy. You had to take good friends where you could get them.

She smiled deviously, showing her braces as she did so, with her green eyes showing a mischievous sheen in them. "And you're being absent minded again I see. Even your father was out of his medical outfit today. You're slacking on me, Omnicron."

He looked down to see he was still in his dress shirt and medical coat. "Well, at least I can say I'm an evil professor or something instead of a hooligan, now can't I?"

They both started to laugh while Chronoheart and Cheerilee's father Hopdiddy walked into the room talking about the latest stock prices in the Orange Corporation of Manehattan. Hopdiddy was an earth pony like his daughter and worked as a comedian, as his cutie mark being a single large laughing smiley face that was rolling its eyes suggested. His coat was a vivid bright blue, and his mane and tail were a vivid orange and electric green in color. Omnicron thought he was going to have a seizure every time he looked at the brightly colored pony, but the guy had an infectious air about him that always made a room's mood brighten.

The earth pony stallion gave Omni a slight punch in the shoulder as he broke off conversation with Chrono. "Sup, kid? Don't see ya much these days. I heard ya got quite the chance of a lifetime! An actual chance to privately meet with the Princess herself? I gotta say you're a lucky colt!"

Looking straight into Hopdiddy's striking red eyes always did make Omni a little nervous. He diverted his gaze some as he said, "Sorry, the epidemic and getting ready for the meeting with the Princess has been keeping me insanely busy. How've you been, and where's Mulberry?"

His friend's father laughed. "Don't sweat it, kid. I know you're kept busy; I was just giving ya a hard time." He gave Omni a reassuring smile. "The wife's upstairs checking on your mum."

He nodded gratefully, but then, he noticed Cheerilee was looking at the … carrot stuff.

"What? What is it? Pie filling?"

"It's carrot soup!" cried out Bella indignantly before all eyes turned to her, making her shrink in embarrassment. "Uh, it was supposed to be …"

Cheerilee gave Omnicron an amused look. "Omnicron, don't tell me you actually tried to cook. You know you're not supposed to be within thirty feet of an oven."

He blushed in embarrassment and diverted his eyes to his father. "Well, it was kind of a team effort …"

"Yes, we … uh … cooked the carrots for too long, so we were going to put them over the potatoes and stick them in the oven, but …"

Hop raised a brow. "But?"

Now, it was Chrono's turn to be red with embarrassment. "Well, none of us know how to turn it on. We were kind of … hoping you and your family could help, and we would all get a chance to socialize some."

There was dead silence for a few moments before a sound came from the doorway. "We'd be happy to help! What are friends for?"

All eyes in the room turned to an earth pony mare as she walked into the kitchen. If Cheerilee was a bit darker, one could almost swear that they were looking at an adult version the same pony with bun-styled mane and tail rather than the current fad, and a cutie mark that was a mulberry with a couple leaves in the background. The awkwardness broke immediately.

"You know I'm going to be teasing you about this for the rest of your life," whispered Cheerilee as she scooted next to Omnicron whilst Bella and the adults started getting the dinner ready together.

"Hey, at least it isn't like that time you got that thing stuck—"

Cheerilee blushed furiously as she whispered harshly, "Hey, I thought we'd never speak of that again!"

Omni looked at her with raised brow and his 'I win' smirk. "Truce then?"

Cheerilee rolled her eyes and giggled. "Blackmail, huh? Whatever happened to patient confidentiality?"

His smirked widened into a mischievous smile as he rolled his eyes. "Doesn't count for off-the-job work, toots. Sorry."

She punched him in the shoulder playfully.

"Ow! Hey!"

"Sneak!" Cheerilee stuck her tongue out at him, and they both laughed before joining into the cooking fun with the rest of them.

In the end, the dinner and subsequent game night was a big success, and even Feather Flight was allowed downstairs to enjoy the festivities despite her condition. There was even an impromptu talent contest which surprisingly Bellatrix won by using her magic to mimic all their voices and just her observation skills to mimic their mannerisms. To this effect, all the ponies present were dumbstruck at the seven-year-old filly's ability to use such complex illusion magic with such finesse.

"Well, gotta hoof it to ya Chrono, your filly there has a future in showponyship!" blurted out Hopdiddy with a stamp of applause. "To the Great and Powerful Trixie, everypony!"

All the ponies in the room gave a roar, "TO THE GREAT AND POWERFUL TRIXIE!!!"

The little filly turned so red in the face, Omni thought she was going to die of embarrassment, but he was happy for his little sister's achievement tonight. Tonight would the best night of young Omni's life, and in two days, he would have the life changing moments of it.

Author's Note

Well, here's chapter two as promised. A bit of a mood lightener, this one. I hope you all enjoy it and give me feedback on whether it is good, or need work. Thanks for reading!

Also, to the Great and Powerful Trixie!

Guards and the Goddess

Chapter III

Guards and the Goddess

~48th of Spring, 980 LSE – Canterlot, Equestria

The young Omnicron was overwhelmed by the sights of the miraculous marble and granite structures of the Old Imperial District as he and his father neared the majestic Canterlot Castle. To ivory towers with their gold leaf and Macintosh Hills slate, to the prestigious mansions of the old unicorn nobility, to the flawless pavement bricks, it all put him in a state of awe that most of them were built over a thousand years ago by the unicorn tribe of the Classical Era, yet still looked so … NEW. It was as if time did not touch the ancient structures and weathering ignored them over the millennia.

"I keep forgetting you've never been here before, Omniscient. I realize most of your training was through me, but you've been to Manehattan plenty of times. Is the capital really that impressive to you?" His father chuckled as he trotted alongside. "Actually, you HAVE been here before. You had to go to the academy to take your exam for your medical license."

Omnicron shook his head. "The academic district is NOTHING like this, Father. I've only ever seen the Imperial District from a distance. Most of those buildings are made of Ellettsfoal limestone, and Manehattan is mostly brick. This is something out of a foal's tale!"

Chrono shook his head in amusement. "It's a shame Cheerilee couldn't come with us; you two'd be having a gas."

"Yeah, I know. She would have loved teaching her little cousins about this; she'll make a great teacher one of these days," agreed Omni as they came to the daunting gates of Canterlot Castle with two identical-looking red uniformed Royal Guards stationed on either side—the only thing telling the two apart being their herd crests strapped to their front in purples, pinks on a white backdrop.

"State your business," declared the left unicorn guard with a stylized solar eclipse as his crest as Omni and Chrono came to a halt at the gates.

Omnicron froze-up for a moment as his mind blanked out. He was unused to being commanded to do anything outside of work—let alone by a Royal Guard. He felt like he had done something wrong, and that was not a pleasant feeling.

His father nudged his son's shoulder. "It's alright, Omniscient. Show the kind guard your invitation."

The prompt shook the colt out of his nervous lock-up. He glared at his father, seemingly annoyed with the kid talk, but he was really angry with himself for his freeze-up. He quickly recovered though and pulled the slip of paper out of his sage green saddle bag.

"I have a meeting with Her Majesty, Princess Celestia for a private dinner at seventeen thirty hours."

The guard took the slip of paper and read over it commenting, "It says here that two guests were allowed to be invited. Are we expecting another?" He turned toward Chronoheart for an answer.

Omnicron shook his head as he spoke up, "No, we won't be, good sir." He gestured to his father. "This is my father, Doctor Chronoheart of Hoofington."

The other red uniformed white stallion—who had a stylized shield with a large eight-point star as his crest—smiled at the mentioning of Chrono. "I know who you two are. You treated my daughter's shattered leg after her training accident. If it weren't for you two she would never even be able to walk on it again, let alone live a normal life. I'll go ahead and see you in." He looked to his fellow guard. "Staff Sergeant, I'm going to take these two to their meeting with Her Majesty. I'll send Second Lieutenant Star Strike to take over for me."

The staff sergeant's eyes hardened as he nodded once. "I understand, sir."

The lieutenant turned to Omni and Chrono with a smile, saying, "If you gentlecolts would follow me, I'll personally escort you to the waiting room, since you're a bit early. You may call me Brilliant Shield, if you'd like."

Omnicron gave a respectful nod of his head as he already had unspokenly declared himself the head of the party. "Very well, Brilliant Shield. Thank you."

Chronoheart gave his own respectful nod as he followed alongside his son commenting, "With pleasure. I'm actually surprised they have one of the Sparkle herd on gate duty; you ponies are usually on inner sanctum duty. How is Glimmering Aegis's health at any rate?"

"Mr. Chrono, you and your son Omnicron here, did amazing work. She's prancing around and going about her training in the magi-bio-hazard squad as if nothing happened. I doubt she'll ever see any duty outside of the squad, but I couldn't be more thankful to you two," Brilliant Shield replied as he started off from the main path to one of the side entrances.

Omnicron felt a bit of pride at this as they traveled through the marvelous courtyard of the castle. It was actually one of his custom transmutation spells that had saved the nerves in the daughter's leg, and afterward, it was one of his only three patented inventions, magitech leg braces, that helped her keep full mobility of her leg without the need for further surgeries later or a knee replacement.

"I really can't take credit for much beyond resetting the bones, and a slight mending spell. It was actually Omniscient's work with his alchemy and magitech that gave Gleaming Aegis her life back, Brilliant Shield," admitted his father humbly to Omni's shock.

Brilliant motioned for them to stop for a moment so he could pass his assignment temporarily to another guard that had a star emblazoned onto a downward facing sword for his crest.

That must be Second Lieutenant Star Strike, observed the brown colt as he made a quick analysis of the guard. Despite the glamour illusion that made all these ponies—both male and female—look the same, something about the second lieutenant rubbed Omni's fur the wrong way, and he had met enough ponies in his life to know this stallion was nothing but trouble.

After a slightly heated discussion, the second lieutenant slowly made his way to the gate while Brilliant came back with an apologetic expression. "You must excuse him. He's not used to late afternoon duty anymore and had to pull a double guard duty yesterday." He gave the retreating fellow guard a withering glance.

Omnicron scoffed, but held his tongue. He pulled enough of those hours at the hospital, and he doubted guard duty was any more stressful than being a surgeon in the city known for having the highest crime rate in Equestria.

His father shared a look with him filled with silent agreement before the trio continued in comfortable silence, stopping again as they reached their destination. Opening the door, Brilliant turned to Omnicron and Chronoheart saying, "In all sincerity, I'm glad the Chrono herd is gaining some well-deserved recognition, despite the hard times your ancestors caused."

Chrono smiled sadly. "I was hoping to redeem this herd one of these days." He nudged his son in the shoulder. "But I think Omni here will be the one to do it." This made Omnicron blush in embarrassment, but he kept himself in check.

The uniformed stallion smiled sagely. "I think you're right Mr. Chrono." Brilliant's eyes turned to Omnicron as he smiled widely. "Young stallion, keep doing your herd proud." With one final respectful nod, Brilliant addressed both of them, "May Her Majesty's eternal sun guide you. I must return to my post."

Both of them nodded in appreciation as they entered the waiting room, and the first lieutenant closed the door behind them. The room itself was much more impressive than the surprisingly utilitarian side passage. The walls were still a white marble like the rest of the palace, but there were tapestries lining the room of the major achievements of the individual families and herds of the pony tribes old and new lining the walls.

This was obviously set up by Princess Celestia to convey a message, but it wasn't until Omni spotted the Chrono herd crest above a burning city with unicorn ponies surrounding it even as depictions of griffons attacked them that Omnicron felt he knew it had something to do with his herd's history. However, there was one twisted looking pony in the shadow of a pony standing above the city, head held high.

Chronoheart trotted up next to his son with a grim expression on his muzzle and his ears laid back in displeasure. "What a smack in the muzzle. It seems the Princess still wants to remind us of what happened over a millennium ago."

"I suppose I do, Doctor Chronological Heartbeat of the Chrono herd," said a majestic, airy, but stern voice from behind them.

Omni and Chrono turned to see the Princess of the Sun standing not more than a few lengths away with a neutral expression on her regal visage. Both of them bowed instantly.

"Your Majesty! Please forgive my harsh words," said the senior Chrono herd member as he kept his eyes on the floor.

Though Omni could barely see it, he was sure he saw Celestia's tail flick in dismissal … or possibly amusement. He could not tell which without looking up though.

"You may rise, my little ponies. I did say this was a casual meeting after all, so you may call me Celestia."

Both of the unicorns stood to see that a gentle smile had replaced the neutral expression of her arrival. It seemed to lessen to a sadder expression though as she too shifted her gaze up to the tapestry. "However, that depiction also shows your herd's last stand to save the citizens of an obviously doomed city after all the others had fled the field. Your herd's bravery saved thousands of ponies that day, despite what the noble ponies of the age thought."

"Then, why ban us from the military back then? If we were saviors, why were we punished, Prin … I mean, Celestia?" asked Omnicron—his voice holding no bitterness or anger, but only confused curiosity.

Celestia shook her head as her ears folded back slightly. "The nobles of the age needed a whipping pony for their troops' failure." All eyes shifted to the pony at the center of the burning city's depiction. "Unfortunately, the Chrono Herd Betrayer, Ashen Time was her name, made the Chrono herd the perfect target, and I'm sure you're aware that without Hoofington your herd held no power to fight back with, and my sister and I had not had time to properly cement an overarching government yet."

"So why back them?" demanded Chronoheart as he turned to Celestia with a hint of underlying bitterness. "Why let them turn us into such if we were the final defenders?"

The ethereal wind that ever-presently shifted the goddess's mane and tail seemed to pause momentarily as she looked down upon the floor. "It was a mistake to do so. I should have never allowed it to be done, but I did not realize my error until the Chrono herd sided with Nightmare Moon." She glared at Chrono as she stood back up to her full height. "Then, I had no choice but to damn your herd, Chronoheart. You had all betrayed Equestria for your own ambitions and pride, and I could not let that stand. I had to make your herd an example … just as I was forced to do with my sister."

Chronoheart seemed saddened by that, but there was more fire and bitterness in his eyes as he stared at the monarch.

Omnicron nodded at the reasoning. "I always figured it was something of that nature. Nothing is infallible after all, and the Lunar Rebellion was a prime example of such. Meaning no disrespect, but both you and Princess Luna were at fault for it. I've read the Minotauren scripts about it. My only wonder is why you have kept the punishment up for so long. There are very few of us now, and we are all upstanding citizens—more so than most actually."

Chrono was surprised at his sons outspokenness about the matter, but Celestia's smile only widened.

"Well done, my little pony. Not many think to even see me as anything less than perfect. I was right in inviting you," said Celestia as she turned and beckoned them to follow. "Come, it is nearly seventeen thirty, and we must make to our private dinner. We shall resume the discussion then."

Omnicron relaxed visibly with a small nod and a smile, but he noticed his father was still scowling. He knew that his father never thought very highly of Celestia, and he could only hope that his patriarch would not cause trouble.

The private dining hall itself was quite the sight to see—much like the rest of the castle—but the lacquered, gold-leafed mahogany table seemed more than a bit excessive for a PRIVATE dining hall for a CASUAL dinner. To Omnicron, Princess Celestia had not seemed like one of those excessive types, but again, it could be to send a message or to get under their skin. The latter seemed more likely in colt's opinion, but he could tell his father was silently stewing under his calm facade.

The table itself was set with three small appetizer salads along with the accompanying forks that unicorns often used for eating them and to compliment them were a series of toppings, a bowl of fruit, and three glasses of water.

"I wished I could have brought in a table more … appropriate for the situation, but our young Prince Blueblood seemed to think it was alright to use the former table as a telekinetic practice object," said the monarch coolly as she turned to them. Omnicron noticed one of the maids wincing off to the side. She must have been here during the incident. "We almost had to use the West Wing's private hall, but we were able to maneuver one of the smaller ballroom tables in here for the occasion."

This made Chronoheart's ears perk up some. "Why couldn't we have used the West Wing's table? Is there a problem with it as well?"

"I don't think the Night Guards would have liked it if we took their table from them. The private dining halls are also used by our respective private guards." Celestia paused for a moment before continuing, "I'm sure you're aware the West Wing was my sister's portion after all, and while I could indeed use it however I wish during her exile, I think it would be a significant slight upon her. I'm sure you would agree being a part of one of the core families that made up her supporting factions."

Chrono opened his mouth, but quickly shut it again. The sun monarch was, of course, correct, and there was little he could say in the argument to begin with. To Omnicron, this momentary silence of his father was the perfect opportunity to change the subject to something more comfortable whilst they seated themselves around the table—his father making sure to sit between his son and the Princess.

"Celestia, if I may, um," started the colt a bit nervously. "While I am quite honored to be here, I happen to wonder why you sent for me. Surely I am not so special as to garner such attention." He fidgeted on his maroon velvet sitting cushion quite excessively. He knew he was supposed to keep this casual, but he did not know how else to act around authority figures or those of higher status than him.

Celestia, turning her attention towards him now, smiled in a way that reminded Omnicron of how his grandmother used to smile at him. It was a bittersweet experience. "My little pony, I believe you are indeed worthy of such attention. Not many have done so much in their lifetime as you have—the last being the late Star Swirl—but before I continue, would you prefer me to call you Omniscient Chronicle or Omnicron?"

Omni felt some of the nervousness ebb from him at the asking of his preference in naming, but he was surprised to be compared to his distant ancestor. Taking a few bites from his salad, he felt a small smile grace his muzzle before he said, "I prefer Omnicron, thank you. Am I really that well known?"

"I would hope so," scoffed his father immediately as he added his toppings to his salad. "Between being my son and your own achievements it's a wonder you don't have fillies all over you."

"F-Father! I told you I'm not even thinking about that stuff yet! Why are you trying to embarrass me in front of the Princess?!" stammered the youngest member of the table with a bright red blush starting to grace his features.

Celestia raised a hoof to hide her widening smile as she put some fruit on her own salad, but Omni quickly noticed that meek display as well. So, she lowered her hoof, letting herself chuckle lightly. "Omnicron, this is a CASUAL event, and I admire your thoughtfulness about how serious relationships are. Besides, despite your father's teasing, he is quite correct. You do have quite the attention of the tabloids as of late with your latest leg-brace patent. You should be very proud of yourself." Then, she let the smile fall some as she gently asked, "How many of your peers do you know though?"

Taking another bite of his appetizer salad, Omnicron actually had to think about that before answering, "Well … There's my co-workers and family, of course—"

"Omnicron, that's not what I'm asking," Celestia gently cut him off swallowing her bite of salad. "How many fillies and colts do you know that you can call friends?"

"Well … there's my neighbor Cheerilee, but—"

"Celestia, what are you asking, exactly? Maybe I can answer better?" offered Chrono as he shifted slightly forward to put more of himself between the Princess and his son's line of sight. While the tone in his voice was fairly neutral, there was a noticeable edge to it.

The Solar Goddess sighed as she set her fork down. "Doctor, I appreciate you wishing to help your son, but you must let him answer this question. Surely you know not every facet of his life like he does?"

Chrono was about to retort, but Omni put a hoof on his father's shoulder and eased him back so he could see the Princess better. "I see you noticed how … uncomfortable I am in casual conversation, Princess. I'm sorry, but I must switch to formalities for a moment," said the youth with the practiced ease of his profession as a mask of neutrality overcame his features. "I despise having to say, but I have no other friends my age aside from Cheerilee per se. I would call several of my co-workers—such as Liver Well or Herb Spinner—my friends, however. I seem to just have trouble connecting with others my age."

Celestia smiled warmly. "I must say, if this is you being 'formal' you may have more in common with a particular pony than you think. If I might be so bold, how often do you spend time with your friends?" She gave Chrono a slightly smaller smile. "The latter question can extend to you too, Doctor, if you feel so inclined."

"It is not of anypony's concern, but my own, thank you," announced the middle age stallion with a huff.

Omni even raised a brow at this. "She was only asking a question, Father." He turned his eyes back to Celestia and attempted to be informal again. "Celestia, I …" His ears flattened some as he realized that the latest Herdsday get-together with Cheerilee's family was the first time in nearly a year that he had actually spent time with any of his friends outside of lunch breaks. "I-I can only say rarely."

This truth seemed to hit Chronoheart particularly hard, and he seemed ashamed as he rose and excused himself, "I shall meet you back in Hoofington, Omniscient. Have a pleasant time, but I need to sort things out for myself."

"But—"

Chrono shook his head and gave a respectful nod toward Celestia, "I am sorry, but I must depart, Your Majesty." There was a hollow resentment still clear in voice, but it had none of the fire from before. "I'll show myself out."

Celestia stood and gave a respectful nod in turn. "If you need counsel on anything, just ask, Doctor, and I shall give you an ear."

Chrono's dower look became a grimace as he nodded with a huff and a dismissive wave of his tail before leaving out the door they had come through.

"Wait! Father!" called out Omni as he got up to turn to run after his father only for Chrono to use his magic to shut the door in his son's face, knocking him back. Omni rubbed his muzzle as he stood back up trying to understand what had just happened. He expected his father to snap at Celestia or something, but to just get up and leave with such a crushed look? That possibility never crossed the colt's mind. "Father …"

A wing gently folded around him, and the brown colt looked up to see the monarch's countenance soften to a motherly one from a hard expression as she looked from the door to him. "Don't worry, Omnicron. I'm sure you're father will come around. He wasn't always like this, you know. Your father and I used to be friends in fact, but around the time your sister was born, something changed."

Omni tried to think back to around the time his sister was born, but his own emotions would not let him think that clearly. His eyes were already starting to fog. "Why would he just leave me? I-I don't get it."

Celestia smiled down at the distressed brown colt reassuringly and gave a squeeze with her wing. "Your father has a lot on his mind, my little pony. He's not abandoning you, but he needs some time to himself."

"I guess …" relented Omnicron, not wanting to sound whiny. He looked back up to her. "So, uh, should we go back to the table now?"

The alicorn's smile widened some, her pink eyes showing some admiration for the youth's resilience. "Only if you wish, Omnicron."

Omnicron blinked away the tears that threatened to overcome him earlier as his resolve hardened. "I would like to very much, Celestia. Thank you."

Going back to the table, Omnicron noticed something though. His father had left his salad uneaten too. What could possibly going through Father's mind? Why is he being hostile toward Celestia when she was being nothing but accommodating to us. Courtesy goes both ways after all, doesn't it?

"A bit for your thoughts?" asked Celestia with that motherly smile still present on her countenance.

"Fifty bits." Omnicron smirked as he took the last bit of salad. He had always liked that joke, and it raised his spirits some to use the familiar gag.

The monarch blinked a few times before chuckling. "I'm sorry. I had no idea your thoughts were so valuable, my little pony. Would you like that in currency or a royal bank note?"

The unicorn choked on his mouthful of salad slightly as his face reddened in embarrassment. He was used to other ponies like his mother, Cheerilee, or Liver answering him like that, but to think the Princess would? It surprised him. "I … eh …"

Celestia chuckled again. "Your good at heart, Omnicron, and you have a bright mind. It's very refreshing to talk to a pony that doesn't treat me as a goddess, just another pony."

"I, eh, you're welcome?" said Omnicron, unsure of how to answer the compliments and notations on his behavior. However, unlike the majority of the Chrono herd before him, he had a tendency of clamming up when complimented on something other than his inventions or discoveries. "I have been told by a few ponies I'm wise beyond my years, but I really can't see it. All I really try to do is try to understand ponies before I start making opinions about them. Is that so hard?"

Celestia nodded. "You'd be surprised how difficult that really is for most ponies. You have a rare gift with such patience and wanting to understand. I bet your patients love you."

Omnicron beamed, taking full credit this time. "I've never had one of my patients be angry with me, and I always do what I can to make the operations affordable for them. I've even secretly paid for a few of them myself."

Celestia seemed rather surprised by that at first, only to have that smile return. "Your parents must be very proud of you. I know your father is, despite not showing it."

Omnicron nodded as the main entree and side dishes came in. The entree was a vegetable stew with apple chunks thrown in, whilst the sides were baked beets, mashed potatoes with early sweet peas mixed in, and a fruit cocktail. All this was served with rolls of course, but the choice of cinnamon butter or salted butter surprised Omni somewhat. He had always thought of cinnamon butter as a dessert item.

It was about then, Celestia seemed to have an idea and turned to one of the servants. They were civil servants, of course, paid by the crown to do their work, but the title was still there. "Downy Wing, would you fetch Prince Blueblood? I believe there is a pony he would like to meet."

"'Course, Your Majesty," said the elderly servant pony as she finished clearing away the appetizer salads. "Anything particular I should message him 'bout?"

"Just as long as he doesn't come in with his pirate gear on and a wooden sword, I believe the summons is enough."

The servant smiled. "T'aint be a problem then. He got his escapades out of him early in the morn, I suspect. Haven't seen him wear those all day."

Omnicron's ears perked up at this. She's bringing in another member of the royalty? Why would she want to do that? And pirate gear? Seriously?

As if reading his mind, Celestia turned to him saying, "Prince Blueblood is a descendent of the old ruling herd of the united unicorn tribes. He's quite the character, but he can't seem to get away from the fillies chasing him." She chuckled slightly. "He seems to think himself as quite the dashing pirate, though I think he originally did it to try to get the fillies to leave him alone."

Omni raised a brow at that. "Funny. All I seem to have to do is scowl and look through ponies to make them leave me alone."

Celestia raised a brow in turn. "I'm surprised you admit that so easily. You'll never make any friends like that you know."

Omnicron huffed and smiled. "I only do it to the ones that want something out of me. If they really wish to talk to me, then I have no problem with them."

"I daresay how can you tell the difference?" asked a huffy voice behind Omni that sounded roughly his age, but distinctly Canterlotian royalty, making the brown colt jump slightly.

Celestia gained a mischievous smirk as she saw a slightly thicker built white unicorn colt with light blue eyes and loose, light amber mane and tail walk into the room from a servant door behind Omnicron. "Been playing spy again, little prince?"

The young prince rolled his eyes. "Auntie, please. How could I not? You have one of the most renowned eggheads in all of Equestria in here." He eyed the similarly aged colt for a moment before commenting, "He's a lot younger than I expected."

Omnicron raised a brow at this. "With all due respect, Your Majesty, 'egghead' does me little justice. 'Mad surgeon with a degree in philosophy' would be better."

Blueblood was taken aback by the rebuttal, but soon enough, he started to laugh followed by Omnicron and even Celestia.

"I like you, commoner. You call yourself Omnicron, right?" wheezed the young prince as he took the seat next to Celestia on the opposite side of Omnicron. It was about this time, the brown colt realized this was indeed the prince spoken of just a few minutes ago.

He nodded in turn with a warm smile. "Yeah. You're Prince Blueblood right?"

The white unicorn colt smiled in turn as he served by the servants as well. "Indeed. I think after a witticism like that though, you've deserved to call me just Blueblood. I usually don't get to meet many good humored ponies around here …"

Celestia smiled as she watched the two colts banter on as they ate. After the departure of his father, Omnicron seemed to had loosened up in his demeanor quite quickly. Her first impression of the colt was dead on, and the fact that he was getting along so well with her 'nephew' was joy to see for her. The brown colt's personality had certainly impressed her as did his wit.

It was around the end of dessert—and several slices of double chocolate cake later—when she finally decided to bring out her true intentions for bringing him here. "Excuse me, Omnicron?"

"… that was when …" Omni stopped mid-sentence at the, by now, unusual address. "Oh, yes, Celestia?"

This drew Prince Bloodblood's attention as well. "What is it, Auntie?"

Celestia took full advantage of the undivided attention and continued in a serious tone, "It is time I told you why I brought you here."

Omnicron nodded in understanding, but kept quiet waiting for her to continue.

"A week before your birthday, my attendance department at my School of Gifted Unicorns got a request from a particular pegasus named Feather Flight to enroll her son into the school. Needless to say, her son was far more then eligible to take the test for entering the school with his own freelance achievements already known. However, because of current restrictions put on his herd in centuries past, he would not be able to enter because doing so would give him a guaranteed title as a royal researcher upon graduation."

Celestia paused for a moment to let the information settle in before she continued further.

"Auntie!" cried out the young prince indignantly in Omnicron's defense. "I can personally vouch for Omnicron here that he is more than eligible for the school and any restrictions upon him should be lifted immediately!"

Celestia's countenance remained neutral as she ignored the outburst and continued, "That is why I brought you here, Doctor Omniscient Chronicle of the Chrono herd. This has been a test to see whether those century-old restrictions should indeed apply to you."

Omnicron looked ready to bolt at this point, but he remained rooted to the spot and eventually croaked out, "And?"

Celestia's neutral facade broke as she smiled widely at the young colt. "You passed with flying colors, Omnicron. In fact, not only am I lifting the restrictions on you, but the entirety of the Chrono herd as well. The time has been well overdue. Congratulations, my little pony!"

The dumbstruck expression on the brown colt's face lasted for several moments before he simply fainted face first into his half-eaten slice of cappuccino and chocolate cake. The last words he heard were, "… Auntie, I think you broke him …"

Author's Note

Enter my take on a young Prince Blueblood. Hate or love as you wish, but expect a lot of him! Also, Celestia and Chronoheart, could there be a connection? Wait till the next installment for more! Please review and rate, thank you all!

A Night to Remember

Chapter IV

A Night to Remember

~48th of Spring, 980 LSE – Canterlot Castle (Night)

Omnicron awoke with a start as he gasped. He sat up whilst his panic filled eyes moved to and fro in the dark room he found himself in. He was still reeling from the Tatarean nightmare that he experienced, and the unfamiliar room made him nearly panic and scream in terror. If it were not for the reassuring and familiar banners of the stylized depictions of Sigel and Mona, he probably would have.

Knowing he was safe, he started to look for some way to illuminate the darkness, suddenly wishing he had his sister's talent for illusion magic so he could cast a light spell. He had never been very successful with those. However, upon falling out of the bed, the door to his room opened to reveal a Royal Guard, dressed in his customary red uniform, looking at him in concern.

"I heard a loud noise. Is everything alright in there, Doctor Chronicle?"

Omnicron quickly untangled himself from his highly embarrassing pose he found himself in as he answered, "I-I'm fine, sir. I was just trying to find some light. I'm still a bit dazed from a dream I just woke from. P-please call me Omnicron."

The guard nodded and used his magic to ignite the solar diamonds in the room, filling the room with the light of day. "Is there anything else you require, Omnicron?"

"Um … is there anyway I could get some late-night reading material? I don't think I can sleep after an awful nightmare like that one."

The guard smiled gently. "I believe Ms. Estrella is still awake; it is only twenty-one hundred hours after all, and she doesn't usually close the Archives until twenty-two thirty hours."

"That would be awesome! I am all too grateful to you!" Omnicron grinned a bit wider than he would have liked, but he was going to check out a book from THE Royal Canterlot Archives.

"Right this way then."

He almost bounced in enthusiasm as the guard, who was chuckling slightly, led him toward one of the few places in Equestria he ever dreamed of going. So far, it was certainly turning out to be a night to remember.

Though the passages were long and winding, Omnicron actually found they were easier to navigate than the bland white, sterile walls of the Hoofington Hospital. It was easy for him to tag specific landmarks in the aged building, but he could see how a pony could easily get lost.

Navigation: something else working at a hospital helps with. Who would've thought? he mused to himself with a mirthful huff and a smirk. I guess even the grimmest of jobs can give you experience in places you never expect.

"We're here," announced the guard as he halted in front of a pair of solid, yet welcoming, wooden double doors. The single guard beside the door nodded to both Omnicron and his escort in welcome before opening the doors.

As they entered the library the first thing the colt noticed was that all the floors had a red carpet going down the center of each aisle to muffle the sound of hoof-falls and keep the silent air of the academic sanctuary. The second and most obvious thing of course was the sheer number of books,scrolls and other miscellaneous media.

"Oh my, seems as though we have a visitor, and he seems to be the young Doctor Chronicle that I've heard so much about," said a pleasant voice to their left, making the colt nearly jump out of his skin in surprise.

"Oops! I didn't mean to give you a fright. I am Estrella, the head archivist here in the Archives." The voice tittered as he looked left and up to the left to find a golden unicorn mare coming down one of mobile staircases that lined the library shelves.

Omni noticed that her sky blue mane was in disarray, and she seemed to have very dark circles under her eyes. "I-It's a pleasure meeting you. I prefer being called Omnicron though, if you don't mind. Being called Doctor Chronicle makes me feel like I'm old," he said while trying to keep himself from blushing, but only appearing as if he had eaten something really sour instead.

The guard turned suddenly for the door, which the colt suspected was to keep him from seeing him nearly cracking up, saying, "I'll be waiting just outside once you decide to return, Omnicron. Ms. Estrella will be able to guide you better from here."

Hearing a titter coming from the librarian, the young surgeon turned to her with an unamused stare. "What, may I ask, is so funny?"

"You'll have to excuse me, but Private Dark Ring has a bit of a crush on me, which makes him a bit less professional than usual. Your expressions made him nearly crack up though, and he was making the funniest face when he was turning around."

Omnicron just grinned and gave a small bow of his head. "Pleasure to brighten your night, Ms. Estrella." He knew he was being more than a bit a ham at this point, but he did not care. This mare was pretty, and the librarian. He figured if he was going to embarrass himself, he might as well have fun too.

The golden mare fell sideways off the staircase as she completely lost it. Omnicron barely reacted in time to catch her with his telekinesis. "Egad! Are you alright, Ms. Estrella?! You nearly got yourself badly—"

"Mom! Are you alright?!" yelled a voice as an orange and turquoise blur flew to Estrella's side. The sudden appearance of the pegasus filly surprised him so badly that he nearly dropped the librarian in the process.

"I'm fine Firefly! I'm fine! This kind colt kept me from falling!" answered her mother as she held her filly in a tight hug while suspended by Omni's light yellow magic.

The colt rolled his eyes a little, trying to hide his strain and embarrassment, as he gently set Estrella onto solid ground. "Er, yeah." He noticed the filly named Firefly could not have been much older than his own sister, but had strong enough wings to hover easily already. While not uncommon, a pegasus born away from Cloudsdale or one of the other cloud cities rarely started flying until they were around his age. He was impressed.

"My name is Omnicron. Yours is Firefly I take it?"

The orange filly's widened as she looked over Omnicron. "You're that colt surgeon; I've read about you." She tilted her head with an anxious look on her face. "Is somepony sick?"

Omni slowly shook his head. "No, I'm here at request of the Princess. She invited me to a private dinner yesterday."

The filly's eyes grew as wide as dinner plates. "You must be REALLY important to get invited by the Princess. I heard rumors
she's been looking for a prote … prota … uh …" She shook her head in frustration. "Personal student. She's been looking for a personal student. Did she offer that to you?"

Omnicron's ears folded back as he took an uncomfortable step away from the ever encroaching filly. "Actually, uh …"

"Now, now, Firefly, it's not nice to pry into other ponies' business," scolded Estrella lightly as she pulled her filly close to her with her telekinesis—much to the young surgeon's relief. Then, she looked to Omni with a kind smile. "Now then, can I help you search for something, Omnicron?"

"Uh … yes, actually. I was wondering if you had any of the Alchemical Circle Studies of Dusk Star the Quicksilver volumes," answered Omni with a bit of a nervous twinge.

The librarian quirked an eyebrow as she grinned knowingly. "That is LIGHT late night reading? My I see why Her Majesty is interested in you."

Omni blushed with embarrassment again. "W-Well, um …" He shook his head vigorously. "Not really, but I am really interested in alchemy, but we don't have much on it in Hoofington."

Estrella's smirk grew wider as she was about to speak again, but she was interrupted again before she got the chance.

"You don't have your cutie mark?!" exclaimed Firefly disbelievingly as she flew over to Omni's side and hovered in place making Omni blush even harder with a discomforted sidestep. "How does everypony not know that, and how is a pony as successful as you not have a cutie mark yet?!"

"Firefly Dreams! Apologize right now!" harshly chastised the librarian as she quickly pulled the filly to her side. "You know better than to ask those types of questions."

Omni tried to raise a dismissive hoof. "Hey … It's alri—"

A teary eyed Firefly turned solemnly to the colt with a devastated expression on her face. "I-I'm sorry, Mr. Omnicron. I know how much those questions hurt … Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?"

The large teary eyes made Omni feel awful for putting the filly in that situation and was about to answer when another made their presence known.

"Who's the miserable pony that made my favorite archivist-in-training cry?"

Omnicron looked up to see Prince Blueblood walking out of the shadows like a ghost. "Blueblood?! I-I di—"

The white colt gave a startled expression. "Omnicron! Well! I can say I'm certainly surprised, but really, what—"

"It's my fault, Your Highness!" cried out Firefly making both of the colts jump from the sudden loudness and drawing attention to her. "I asked some bad questions, and I feel really bad about it! Please don't punish him for it!"

The Prince put a comforting hoof on the filly's shoulder. "Hey now, Fire, that was the farthest thing from my mind. Now, I know you're excited there's a guest in the castle, but I would like to spend some time with Omnicron here before he departs." He removed his hoof. "Besides, there's supposed to be a storm scheduled for tomorrow, and if you want to get your moonlight reading done tonight, you better get it done now before your bedtime."

"Really! I hope the weather ponies haven't started yet!" yelped the orange filly with a start as she flew off—already having forgotten the entire scene from just a few moments before.

Omni relaxed as Blueblood put a good natured foreleg around his withers. "Well, that was quite the turnaround, huh?"

"I'm used to it," Omni said with an amused chuckle. "I have a little sister at home who's much the same way."

"Quite intriguing. I had no idea you had a sister," admitted the Prince.

Omni nodded. "Her name is Bellatrix. You're pretty good with foals; know that?"

Estrella gave a chuckle. "Don't let him fool you, he has to keep his to keep his cousin in-line all the time, despite himself." Then, she hoofed over a book to Omni. "Here's the book you requested, Omnicron. Be sure to drop it off before you leave; I don't let just anypony borrow something from here, you know."

"I much appreciate it, Estrella. Say goodbye to Firefly Dreams for me," said Omnicron as he balanced the book on his back and turned to Blueblood. "Were you serious about me keeping you company?"

Blueblood openly laughed at Omni's sudden question. "Omnicron, you're a fine fellow! I have no reason to lie about that!" He shot Omni a smirk. "Besides, your the first guy in a while I feel that I think of that isn't either a hypocrite or a complete straitlace. You have no idea how RESTRICTIVE being high nobility can be."

Omnicron smirked. He could recognize a prankster when he saw one, maybe Cheerilee had rubbed off on him more than he realized. Rolling his eyes, he said, "I usually don't partake in such activities myself, Prince, but I have to ask who your intended victim is for tonight."

"All in good time, my friend. For now, lets dismiss your escort. I have no doubt Dark Ring would enjoy the night off for a change; last time he took some time to himself was nearly a year ago."

Omnicron shook his head. "I can't say I'm much different in that. This is the first real vacation I've had since starting my job as a surgeon."

Blueblood gave Omnicron an appraising look. "Truly? Yet you don't have your mark? Are you sure you're meant to be a surgeon? No offense intended."

The brown colt looked at the book on his back as his expression soured. "That's why I wanted to check out this book. I'm actually interested in alchemy, but my father wanted me to follow him in his hoofsteps and more or less made me become a surgeon."

The Prince gave him a sympathetic glance. "Well, to your credit, you do make a fine surgeon. However, if you are happier with other pursuits, I suggest you take them." He got a distant look in his eyes wandered upward.

Omnicron could tell the young prince wanted to say more, but the moment soon passed as a neutral expression fell on his countenance. Not wanting to pry, Omni chose to stay quiet and merely follow the alabaster pony as they reached the doorway back to the hall.

Omnicron looked at the Prince in shock as they neared their intended target's room. There was so much adrenaline in his system he was literally shaking, and he was beginning to fear this would turn out VERY badly for the both of them.

"Are you MAD?!" he finally got the nerve to whisper harshly to the Prince. "Do you know how badly this could go?! Any idea at all?!'

Blueblood just glanced back with a smirk. "Look, you don't have to assist me, but I think you'll find this absolutely hilarious once we actually pull it off. It IS harmless after all."

The brown colt's ears turned back. "I'm not sure how ever convinced me this was a good idea to start with, but I might as well see it through. I keep my promises … no matter how ridiculous they seem to get …" A grim expression crossed his features. "I just thought, how're we going to get past the guards? Surely they won't let us simply waltz in there at this hour, will they?"

Blueblood grinned. "The guard is about to change. The next two are in on it, so we should be good to go."

Omni blinked. "You could be one dangerous pony."

The Prince smirked. "Only to my targets."

The young surgeon rolled his eyes whilst chuckling, but decided to keep quiet since they were starting to get within earshot. Their presence had already been noted, Omnicron was sure of that much, but him and the young prince were hardly threat material.

About two minutes pass and, just as Blueblood had said, the guards changed. Without any warning, Blueblood immediately changed directions toward the door of their target, causing Omni to slightly stumble to avoid bumping into the larger colt.

Once they approached the guards and the Prince shared a mischievous look before they let the young duo into the dark chamber. Only for both of them to stop in their tracks, eyes wide and Blueblood going as pale as a sheet.

"Oh … BUCK!"

Omni's reaction to the figure in front of them was much different. He stood completely still, as if made of stone. The figure in front of them was dark and shadowy, standing at least as tall as Celestia herself. The glowing slitted aquamarine eyes and silver battle regalia were what tipped off the identity of the figure though. Standing before them was Nightmare Moon.

Before another word could be uttered, the doors slammed behind them, sealing them in as the shadows encircled them, causing Blueblood to turn to Omni. "Omni! Any ideas? Because I have no idea how to face the Nightmare. Your bloodline is connected, right? Do you know any of her weaknesses?"

The reaction surprised the brown colt as he merely raised a brow. He had expected the Prince to fall to pieces, but obviously this was not the case. While it was true he was not in on the Prince's plan, He could tell this was not the Nightmare. The teeth were flat. This is PERFECT! he thought with a malicious grin as he closed his eyes.

"Omnicron …?"

"Who said I would help you? Who said I wouldn't join MY Princess?" he said as his coat turned black and he reopened his eyes to reveal a silver-blue glow from his irises.

"Hmmm … Quite the display my new apprentice~" said the shadowy form of Nightmare Moon as she stood beside him with an amused, yet cruel expression. "I'm surprised you remember the Chrono Herd Pact."

"Y-You TRAITOR! I thought you were my FRIEND! I-I'll never forgive you!" yelled Prince Blueblood as he fired up his horn with tears in his eyes. "Where is my aunt, you monsters?!"

The Nightmare merely smirked. "Right in front of you, my little pony." Then, the lights turned on to reveal Princess Celestia standing there in her sleeping robe.

"WHAT?!" squaked the Prince in shock before looking at Omni. "You were in on this the entire time?!"

This caused Omnicron's frown to deepen. "No, I just … noticed it was an illusion and … played along? I—" He closed his eyes and ran, letting the ink that he had soaked his fur with fall away. His eyes stung as he kept running. All he could think about was getting away, and even as the now distant yells of the two royals echoed down the halls, he kept running. Unfortunately, he didn't notice the floor level window and he burst through it and into the open night air.

Opening his eyes when he felt the stinging pain of glass cutting him, Omnicron noticed he was in free-fall and did the only thing he could think of: he screamed in terror. He now had tears to match his inner turmoil, but there was nothing he could do. He knew no self-levitation or flight spells, and he was certainly no pegasus. He was going to die as a smudge on the ground—all because he betrayed his new friend because he thought it was funny.

Then, he felt something suddenly jerk on his shoulders has a pony hooked there fetlocks around them and pulled upward.

"You're heavy, Mr. Omnicron!"squeaked a familiar voice from behind him.

Shocked, Omni glanced behind him to see the filly from the archives trying with all her might to save him. Unfortunately, she was failing.

"L-Let go!" Omni said panicked. "You're going to get yourself killed! I'm not worth it!"

"Everypony's worth it!" she squeaked as she tried even harder, but without effect.

Omniscient had to think fast. What could he do to help? He had no runes ready, or any enchanted items. He wasn't powerful enough to cast a telekinesis spell on her that would help lighten the load.

Then, he noticed it, her satchel. He quickly pulled it to him and drew a weight reduction glyph on the leather cover as fast as he could with his still ink covered hoof and touched his horn to hit, praying to Celestia it would work.

The effect was immediate as they started flying up into the air instead of falling at speeds that he doubted an adult pegasus could even achieve. He head swam from the G-forces and his stomach churned, leaving him only barely able to keep the glyph going.

In a flash of golden light, the Princess appeared next to them, wings spread. She wrapped her hooves around the two young ponies and started back down as the colt stopped the flow of energy to the glyph.

"Princess Celestia! Thank you!" cheered the filly next to him with glee, earning a warm smile from the monarch.

"I'm just glad you both are safe, my little ponies."

While he kept his face neutral, Omnicron huffed internally in foalish anger. The last pony he wanted saving him was Princess Celestia right now, but here she was, being as kind as ever. It was a difficult thing for him to swallow after the prank gone wrong, and the guilt was only making it worse.

"That was a fall to remember alright," he said absently in agreement.

As they touched down near one of the entrances, Omnicron noticed Estrella, two of the Night Guard, and the Prince waiting for them. Estrella looked fraught with worry for her daughter, and the Prince seemed to be just as worried. That made the colt feel even worse than he had before, and he was sure now he had no business being in Canterlot anymore. He wanted nothing more than to go home.

Firefly Dreams immediately ran to her mother with an expression of excitement as Celestia let her grip on the two loosen.

"Mom! Mom! It was amazing! I saw Mr. Omnicron falling and saved him! I saved somepony, Mom! Then, the Princess saved us! It was so awesome!"

The worry almost seemed to disappear from the mother's features. "You certainly did, and I'm very proud of you," she said with tears of relief in her eyes, nuzzling her filly. Then, her features turned stern as she brought herself to her full height. "However, it is well past your bedtime, young filly, and if you ever worry me like that again, you will face the consequences. Understood?"

The filly's expression fell as she fell beside her mother. "Yes, Mom …"

Omni's ears dropped as he saw the display. He wanted to do nothing more than run again, but he knew that would fair no better than the last time.

"Omnicron, are you alright?! Why you have cuts all over you!" fretted Prince Blueblood right beside him, making him jump and look at the Prince in surprise. He had not even realized the colt had approached him. "A-And you're bleeding!" he continued with his exasperation becoming even more evident.

"I'm fine!" snarled Omnicron as his emotions started peak again. "Their minor wounds, and unless you want to get your hooves dirty, I suggest you don't touch me!"

Blueblood winced, as if actually hit, and his ears turned back while he just hung his head. "T-That was uncalled for …"

"Indeed that was," agreed Celestia admonishingly, which made Omni flinch. "He is only concerned about your well-being, Omniscient. That is what a friend does. You had no reason to yell at him, and if anything, it is me to blame if you wish to."

Omnicron blinked. "I-I could never!"

"It is my fault regardless," said the Sun Goddess with a pained expression. "I did not consider the possibility of such a reaction, and I should have. You two have my apologies."

All the ponies present just stared at her in shock for a moment, before Celestia turned to the Night Guards. "Would you please guide the young doctor to the infirmary? While not serious, I still rather not have his cuts get infected."

She then turned back to Omnicron with a sad smile. "I am sorry for tonight, Omnicron. Please, feel free to talk to me if you wish." He eyes turned to the Prince. "Nephew, I believe it is past your curfew as well."

That was the last Omni cared to listen to as he followed the guards into the castle. His inner thoughts still in much turmoil. It was a night he would remember for the rest of his days, but it was not over yet.

Author's Note

Here is another chapter for y'all! I hope you enjoy and see you next week! Please remember to review!

Also, the rewrite of FitSCS is going smoothly, so rest assured, I'll be back on track with that soon.

Seeds of Wrath

Chapter V

Seeds of Wrath

~49th of Spring, 980 LSE – Canterlot Castle (Before Dawn)

"TRAITOR! … you monsters … I'll never forgive you! …"

Those words still stung more than Omnicron would have liked.

Even several hours after the fact, he still felt a slight pain in his chest from the cruel prank he had played along with Princess Celestia on the young prince—there was also the multiple cuts and bruises from the window to act as a reminder. He never realized how hard the Prince would take the seeming betrayal of one of his friends, but the expression and the events afterward in the brown colt's memory would forever plague his dreams. Any joy he should have gotten from his impromptu playing along with the prank was not to be found.

Sitting on the guest room's balcony, he felt absolutely miserable, and the Princess had long since given up any attempts of consoling him. Her presence, for now, just angered him, and a part of him wanted nothing more than to be in Hoofington and tell his father that he had been right about the Solar Goddess all along. However, he knew it had not been of malicious intent, and she had even apologized to the two colts.

Omnicron knew that he was only really avoiding the real problem though. In truth, it EXCITED him that he got to even pretend he was betraying all of Equestria to join the Nightmare. That part of him sickened him to no end, but he could not deny that feeling had been very real. The role just felt too natural.

Was this the reason Celestia had been so hesitant to give the Chrono herd free reign? he wondered idly as he sank even lower in despair.

Then, he felt something shift next to him, and he remembered what he had originally been doing. He had started on his reading of Dusk Star the Quicksilver's alchemy studies hours ago, yet he found he could not even focus enough to even comprehend the individual words, let alone the tome itself.

He slammed his hoof into the marble surface, producing a sharp clap. "I'm such an idiot! Why do I have to always overdo things?! Now, I've even lost the first friend I've made in five years!"

"Whoever said I wasn't your friend?"

The sudden voice made Omnicron jump and spin around, horn lit, ready to defend himself if need be. However, upon seeing the alabaster unicorn, he immediately relaxed and returned to slouching as he fell back on his haunches. "Oh … it's you …"

Blueblood gave Omni a concerned look. "My friend, I think you're mistaken." He shook his head. "You and my aunt's performance was just so believable that I thought it was reality. I—"

"The scary part of it is …" interrupted Omnicron as if he had no choice. "… I-I enjoyed it!" He let his legs fold up underneath him and hid his face behind his forehooves. "The thought of betraying everypony for the Nightmare excited me! I-I'm such a fool to think I should ever learn higher magics!"

"Now, there will be none of that!" snapped Blueblood. "It's quite clear to me you DID NOT enjoy the act of betrayal, merely the act itself."

"But—"

The Prince ran right over Omnicron's interjection with with a hoof pointed at the brown colt—his expression hardened. "Look how much it upset you that you've become over just THINKING you could betray Equestria! Tell me, if you were sure you wanted to betray Equestria, would you be crying over it in fear of what you were thinking?"

"I-I …" stammered Omni as he began to think it over again whilst Blueblood waited patiently. Time seemed to crawl, and Omnicron's unease only grew as the dreadful silence pursued. Seconds seemed like minutes and minutes turned into an eternity, making Omni doubt how well he even knew himself. He even began to doubt how much of was actually him and how much was what his father shaped him to be.

The Prince seemed to notice his unease as he began to look more and more concerned. It was becoming obvious that the brown colts state of mind was starting to fall into a downward spiral of panic by the hyperventilation and fearful, distressed countenance.

Finally, Blueblood raised a hoof to place on Omni's shoulder as a sign of comfort. "Don't …"

"I … I don't know …" said Omni suddenly—voice wavering in self doubt. "I'm not even sure who I am honestly." He looked the alabaster unicorn in the eye. "How do I know I am who I think I am?"

The Prince swallowed hard as he drew his hoof back to himself. "I can't answer that for you … I-I'm sorry, Omnicron. You're starting to unsettle me, but I-I'm sure Auntie Celestia could help. Do you want me to go get her? I'm sure she wants to speak to you too."

"No!" yelled Omnicron in a vicious tone, making Blueblood take a step back, but immediately recoiled, as if struck. "No … I-I just want to be alone …"

Prince Blueblood sighed heavily as he began to find his hooves very interesting. "Fine … If … if you need anything, please, Omni, let me know." He pulled a piece of paper out from under his mane and set it in front of the prodigy. "This is a map I drew for you, so you can get to my chambers if you decide you wish to talk."

"Altheras ma (my appreciations)," murmured back Omnicron in Modern Unicornian, which was the standard response when you were given something by a member of the unicorn nobility or royalty.

"A deas vurma, yeru (I return sentiment, equal fellow)," answered the Prince with a smile before slipping out the door with a click as the door shut behind him.

Omnicron blinked in surprise. 'Yeru' was a term rarely used by unicorn nobility and even less likely in royalty unless they were talking to another royal they highly respected and was of equal stature to. A royal using it to address a commoner, or even a noble, was unheard of. The gesture almost made him smile until he looked up at the full disc of Mona in the night sky.

Still mentally numbed by his near psychological meltdown earlier, he only stared at the moon—or rather the infamous Mare in the Moon, the mark of the bygone Nightmare. His neutral expression soon fell into a scowl as he went back over the events of the prank again in the mind.

His recollection was interrupted by a loud bang that emanated from his room. Whipping around to look behind him, he saw his door had been bashed down by a large navy blue stallion wearing what seemed to be jet black armor. Instinctively, Omnicron jumped left as he noticed the stallion charge at him with a sword in his mouth that seemed to have glowing aquamarine runes running along the blade.

Omnicron's eyes narrowed as he recognized the runes from a similar sword from the Lunar Rebellion in the Hoofington Museum. Hostile anti-magic runes?! Those were outlawed centuries ago! What is going on here?!

"You're faster than I expected, Doctor Chronicle. However, I must give you a traitor's death," grumbled the pegasus assassin around the hilt as he glared at Omnicron, readying for another attack. "Pity really, your abilities would have so in handy for the new regime."

"New regime? What in Tartarus are you talking about?" Omnicron now definitely wished he had some alchemy runes etched on his hooves or something for self defense, because while direct magic attacks or defenses could be deflected or destroyed by his sword, and likely his armor, outside forces could still effect him. Hopefully, he could stall until he could think of something else.

The stallion snorted. "I'll tell you a secret … Our Queen is coming back soon, and we want to make sure we have everything ready for her, but you have just been excluded from that little plan." With that said, he rushed the young surgeon again.

Omnicron looked behind him to find he had nothing but sky behind him with his tail against the stone railing of the balcony. He was cornered, but that did not mean he could not escape. The idea had hatched only seconds before, and even if could not incapacitate the assassin, he COULD knock him back.

Before he could even do anything though, a blur of white came through the door way and slammed into the assassin, making him drop his sword and slam into the wall with a loud clang from the armor.

"Omni, run!" yelled Blueblood as he started to charge up his horn, only to find it had no effect on the pegasus. "What?!"

Omnicron tried to yell something, but an object clipped his head making him cry out in pain and fall to his side as he held his horn in blinding pain.

Then, he heard a scuffle and a pony choking on their own blood, one the sounds he hated most in the world, and he could only hope it was his assassin that was hit. However, fate is a cruel mistress, and as Omni cracked his eyes to see Blueblood laying not far away on his side struggling to breath.

The young surgeon could not believe what he was seeing. He WOULD not believe it, and he would not let a pony die on his watch. He had never had a pony die on him in the operating room, and was not about to let a pony die now. Shifting so he could examine the Prince more closely, he estimated he had probably thirty seconds to start work on his new found friend for him to make a full recovery anytime soon. Otherwise, he would start to drown in his own blood.

"Well, another piece of current aristocracy in the trash bin. Good riddance I say. This colt annoyed me," said the pegasus as he turned an eyes to Omnicron.

However, the assassin had made one mistake: he did not finish the surgeon off immediately, and now he would face Omniscient Chronicle's wrath. Omni's anger kept swelling, knowing that it was this filth that stood between him and his friend, and something sparked … then snapped.

A rush of energy greater than anything he could imagine overcame him, and everything at once made sense to him as a perfect smoldering calm overcame him. He could see how the runes of the sword worked and intuitively understood them as if they were simply another set of words on a page. He felt the enchantments in the armor as well, but a quick zap of blue energy from his horn destroyed all enchantments the armor had held in a moment.

He noticed the assassins features were fixed in fear now. "What?! What are you?!"

Omnicron smirked. "I'm your judge. I am wrath unleashed."

Without saying another word, Omnicron ripped the sword out of the offender's mouth and the armor off the pegasus, not bothering to be gentle, leaving several lacerations and a few broken ribs whilst holding him rigidly in his electric blue telekinetic grasp. He was not done though, he stopped the movement of air around the pegasus's mouth with a series of runes projected from his mind, effectively making him unable to utter a single sound.

"Let's see how you like being branded, shall we?" the colt asked coldly as he ripped the anti-magic runes' power off the sword and branded the runes on each of his would-be assassin's wings and hooves, eliminating his ability to fly, manipulate weather, or even cloud-walk. The stallion attempted to scream with all his might, but only the sound of heavy breathing and whines through his nose was heard.

Then, he knocked the assassin unconscious with a sleep spell before turning to his friend. Blueblood was still struggling to breathe, and that was a good sign in Omni's eyes considering he had just been run through the throat. His legs were moving as well showing the spinal cord had not been severed, which was great news.

After putting an anesthesia spell on the unicorn, he used an inverse of the frequency on the runes to cancel the enchantment before using a flesh knitting spell on the open wound to seal the clean cut thoroughly while he used his telekinesis to pull the blood out of the alabaster unicorn's lungs through his mouth, hence letting Prince Blueblood breathe without obstruction.

After a quick diagnostic spell, Omni found nothing else wrong, and all his energy rushed out of him at once, like a burnt out candle. It was then he realized what he had just done. He looked at the pegasus in horror as the still smoking brands were glowing an electric blue. He had just taken one of the most precious things away from a pony without killing them. He had taken a pony's ability to use magic.

"No … No … I'm … I-I … Oh, Celestia … What did I do?"

"Looks like you saved yourself and the Prince, Doctor. I also think you just made one of the most impressive citizen arrests I've ever seen." said a voice behind him.

Omnicron quickly turned to see Second Lieutenant Star Strike standing in the doorway along with three other unicorn guards and five more earth pony guards. He looked back to the pegasus murmuring, "But … I-I never meant to go that far. I'm not even sure that what I've done is reversible, and I even broke my oath never to use my talents for harm."

"What did you do?" asked the lieutenant with a raised though his voice sounded wary.

"I-I took away his magic! I'm a monster!" cried the brown colt as he let his legs fall out under him with a look of numb shock.

Star Strike and the other guards look at each other uncertainly. After a moment, a silent consensus had been reached, and the second lieutenant sat next to the traumatized colt saying, "Omniscient, what you did tonight was a very brave thing, and just because you sealed his magic … somehow … doesn't make you a monster. You did it to protect yourself and your friend … our prince. I know you'll not be punished for it, and what you did is probably an equal judgment on this assassin's crimes. I will speak to Her Majesty about it when she awakes."

Omnicron looked at the stallion with wide eyes. "B-But having your magic taken away is worse than death!"

Star Strike snorted. "Trust me, treason does not merely end in death, and with that compounded with what he did here, you taking away his magic will be a mercy if that's the only punishment he gets."

As the corners of his vision began to be eaten away by exhaustion—physically, mentally, and magically—he tried to understand what the armored stallion had just told him, but his thoughts were muddled, as were his senses. "I … I don't understand?" The term came out more as a question to himself, rather than to the lieutenant. However, he did not hear the response as his world faded into nothingness, not even feeling his head hit the floor.