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It's been years since Sunset's disappearance, and months since Omega and company's graduation from Celestia's School. Except for Sunburst, who had dropped out a couple of years prior. Omega mulls this over, sitting with Flask at Moondancer's admittedly lackluster birthday party. The other ponies Moondancer had made friendships with arrive. Omega doesn't, and never will like these mares, since they're unimportant to his plans for the future.

Moondancer perks up at seeing them. "I'm glad you could make it! I was getting a little worried there."

"Oh yes, today would have been such a disaster without them..." Omega thinks sarcastically, remaining stonefaced.

"So, where's Twilight?" Moondancer asks hopefully.

"We saw her on the way here, but she said she's not coming..." One of the three mares Omega never bothers to remember says awkwardly.

Moondancer deflates at this, looking down in confused misery. "But... she's my friend. Why wouldn't she want to celebrate my birthday with me?" Moondancer asks aloud, the question not directed at anybody in particular.

"Don't worry Moondancer, we're still your friends, right?" Flask tries to comfort her, earning a few looks varying from mild disdain to disgust from the other mares.

"Now is SO not the time, can't you see she's sad?" The white and pink one says.

This confuses Flask. "But, I'm trying to help?"

"Honestly, I do NOT understand why Moondancer hangs out with a nerd like you." She retorts.

Meanwhile, Moondancer isn't paying any attention to what's going on around her, going over any possible reason Twilight would just abandon her like that.

Omega scoffs. "I could say the same of you. My only guess as to why Moondancer even socializes with a fake, uppity brat like you is because she needs mare friends. Flask and I are her REAL friends here. The three of us all studied and graduated from the same school, but you single Flask out merely because he wears glasses? Pathetic."

The white and pink mare Omega was addressing shrinks down with each remark, while the other two look between her and Omega.

"Th-that was harsh." The crouching mare eeks out, shaking a bit.

"C-come on Twinkleshine, let's just give Moonie her gifts and go. I... don't think we're wanted here." The yellow coated, blue maned mare says, already levitating the present over to the table.

Omega watches them leave, his stare unwavering.

Moondancer looks up, catching a glimpse of her other friends leaving. "N-no! Wait! Come back!" She calls out.

Omega places a hoof to her wither. "Let them go. If they weren't willing to stay by your side in your time of need, then they weren't your friends at all."

Moondancer looks back to Omega, tears streaking down her face, staining her cream colored coat as they run. She hugs Omega, weeping into his neck. Much to his chagrin, he gently hugs her back.

"And now she's hugging me, and crying into my fur. I'll need to bathe when I get home." Omega thinks.

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After Moondancer called off the party, Omega went straight home. Today is supposed to be the day of the Summer Sun celebration, and Canterlot will be holding a celebration of its own, despite the big event taking place in Ponyville. This is ripe for opportunity, one Omega isn't going to waste.

The catering staff is still in the middle of preparing the food for the evening, putting the finishing touches on the dishes to be served. Omega walks into the kitchen, making his way towards the head chef. Horn ignited, he whispers something into the chef's ears. The task done, he acknowledges and thanks the other chefs in the kitchen on his way out, going so far as to compliment some of their work. Heading back out to the party, all he had to do was wait, mingle, and waste time until the chaos ensues.

"Ah, Omega. Still a bachelor? I'd have expected you to find a lucky young mare by now." One of the older mares remarks as she walks closer to him.

"Well, you know me Ms. Velvet. Studying magic is still one of my priorities." Omega says.

"You sound just like my daughter. Honestly, how could you two be just friends still?" Twilight Velvet continues to push.

The wait staff exits the kitchen, offering various hors d'oeuvres to the guests. Omega planned for this, having studied which hors d'oeuvre his parents always go for above all others, and had the head chef sabotage them in advance. While this means there's going to be some collateral, all that matters is the end result. Upon Business Savvy and Penny Pincher consuming the tainted food, a noticeable foam begins to leak from their muzzles, as they collapse and spasm, along with a few other nobleponies who'd partaken in the deadly dish. Those who hadn't yet eaten theirs, quickly toss them away, most opting to not eat anything for fear of what else may be unsafe.

Omega rushes over to his parents, putting on a convincing display of panicked dismay at his parents' suffering, which doesn't last much longer as they go limp. Unmoving.

The guards hired for the event quickly detain the catering staff, escorting them from the building. A "grieving" Omega is taken back home, the celebration ending in a tragedy. An investigation is conducted that night, and it is discovered the head chef had ground up cherry pits, mixing it into the hors d'oeuvres with the intent of targeting Business Savvy and Penny Pincher. The supposed motive? Their business sells cereals that are a "crime against real cooking" and "a disgrace to ponykind". Thoughts implanted by Omega, unknown to all but himself.

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When Omega first awakens from his nap, he notices something disturbing. The grandfather clock in his room reads 6:21, and it should be morning. But there's no hint of sunlight to be seen at all.

"The sun should have risen by now. Princess Celestia always ensures it rises at 6am, within the minute. To be twenty one minutes late is unheard of!" Omega thinks, turning his attention to the streets below.

Not a lot of ponies are outside, but the few who are are staring up. Omega turns his attention to the moon, noticing the lack of a vague pony head silhouette. For the first time in years, Omega has no idea what this means, or what to do about it.

"There's gotta be something about this somewhere! Wait... The Mare in the Moon... Could she have been real? The Man in the Moon isn't, but... this is a magical land full of talking, tattooed, multicolored ponies. The Mare in the moon must be real. I have to go check on this!"

Omega dashes out of the mansion, bee-lining it for the library. Upon reaching it, he finds that the door is locked. Without time to waste, he uses his magic to grab every mechanism within the lock, opening the door shortly after picking it. Now inside the library, he quickly makes his way to the historical section, eyes quickly scanning the titles of the books. Picking out a few, he begins to skim the pages over. Three books later, and he finally finds what he's looking for.

"The Mare in the Moon. Supposedly, on the day of the thousandth year since her banishment, the stars will... aid in her escape? How in the hell would stars, billions of lightyears apart from one another even come remotely close to the moon, a MUCH smaller and closer celestial body? Unless they cycle to the exact same position every thousand years, or something about their alignment allows her to escape her imprisonment?"

Omega doesn't get to ponder this much longer, as the sun finally rises, skipping the sunrise itself pretty fast, going right to the position it should be, at 6:30.

"If legends like the Mare in the Moon are true... I should pay more attention. There's no telling what else could come back to bite Equestria..."

Author's Note

Ruthless efficiency, and coercing someone else into murdering his adoptive parents? What a bastard.

Also, time to play spot the hidden reference. Figure it out first, and you earn... uh, the knowledge that you were the first one to find it. Above everybody else.