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.