Connor was walking down the now empty streets of Canterlot trying to find his way to the library the moon was slowly rising higher and higher as time passed on. The only sound there was to hear were his hooves clopping on the cobble roads with the candle light from the iron lanterns. He came across signs that kept him on the right track, and after a half-hour of wondering he found the library with a few lights still lit.
He walked up the path to the door and tapped it with his hoof.
He stood for a short minute.
“It’s a library you don’t need to knock” A familiar voice came from inside.
The door opened to reveal a White unicorn with double stripped mane of white and lavender; she had sky blue eyes and her cutie mark were sparkles like the ones on Twilight's mark.
“Oh, you must be Twilight s friend” She smiled at him.
“Faith, misses…”
“Sparkler, everypony is in dining room, you came just in time” She turned back inside as he followed.
They walked through pasted the towering book shelves and under stairs, balconies, and walkways to two double doors with opened up to a large living room.
“A home was built into the library for convince of the owner which has always been a past relative of my husband” She explained.
The two walked through the living room that had all sorts of chairs and stands that faced a empty fireplace.
They walked to down to a door to the left were chatter could be heard beyond.
Sparkler opened the door to show a large oak wood table with space for ten that sat on top of a elegantly designed rug.
The mane-six sat in the center most seats facing each other and to the opposite end to the left of the six sat an ocean blue unicorn with neat mane who was talking with Twilight.
“Faith, your back, we thought you went back to the castle by now” Twilight looked at Connor surprised to see him.
“Long night” He looked at the many salad bowls lined down the table.
“What happened to ya’face there” Applejack looked over her shoulder to the gash on his face that started scab over.
“Very long night”
“Well darling you must sit down and tell us what happened” Rarity looked over Pinkie’s Mane.
Connor walked to a chair and took a seat he sighed and looked at the table and recounted every detail from when he left Twilight in the market to the when he took down the bodyguards until Rainbow interrupted.
“Wait you took down Shade’s guards unarmed by yourself?” Rainbow was amazed.
“Yes, so after…” Connor continued to restate the talk he had with Shade both before and after he was subdued but left out what they did.
“So now I need to figure out what is going wrong, and I will speak with Celestia tomorrow”
The night continued with talks about various things and the biggest was how pinkie was kicked out of the bakery.
Connor was sitting in his chair silently listening to all of them but kept his main focus inside his mind thinking about the past couple of days.
He still wondered if everything was real but he gave up fighting it and just decided that the best way to deal with it was ride the river’s flow.
One by one the group became smaller as everpony started to go to bed until it was just him and Twilight moon Twilight’s father.
“Well let’s find you a bed” He inclined as he stood from his seat.
He led him up a flight of stairs and past a few rooms until he opened one of them witch inside Rainbow was snoring away. On the top of what were two beds on top of each other.
Moon bid him a good night and Connor slipped into the bottom bed.
He did not fall asleep imminently but was saying Shades last words.
“Your word means nothing until it’s fulfilled
He said those words seven-times over until he finally fell asleep.
Everything was in a blur the smell of smoke stung the inside of his lungs as he watched animals of all kinds run by him in terror.
He kept walking down the dirt trail that took him to his village but as he got closer everything became very hot and uncomfortable.
He came to the outer walls and fire was crawling on the side of them dancing to the screams of fright and pain beyond them.
Connor walked by all the flaming building and past the villagers calling for his mother who was caught under burning beams and splinters.
He walked around the building through a collapsed wall as he ran to his mother and he tried to pull away the wood ignoring his burning hands.
“MOTHER”
He felt someone pull him away as he flailed his arms trying to break away from the man’s grip to help his mother.
“MOTHER” He cried and kicked as he was pulled away.
“MOTHER”
“FAITH WAKE UP” Rainbow yelled as he snapped awake feeling the sweat on his brow if he had one in his pony form.
“Your yelling and squirming in your sleep, you all right?” She asked.
“I-I’m fine I just…Need to…” Connor sat from his bed and left rainbow in the room alone.
Connor walked down the stairs into the living room witch moon light poured through the windows on either side of the chimney.
He sat into the chair and peered into the empty fire pit.
There was a sudden flash of light and a faint pop as Luna teleported into the room next to him which he ignored.
“I saw…I saw your dream, it-it was dreadful I’m sorry” Luna sat into the chair across from him.
Connor looked away.
“You have no right to peer into my privet thoughts” He grunted.
“I do, I rule the night so I watch over my subject in their dreams and I came across yours” Luna explained.
“You don’t understand what I felt” He looked to her hooves.
“I do, I was in your mind so I felt what you felt and it was unbearable” Her voice dropped.
Connor looked up to her before looking away again.
“My father would all ways sing to me when I was troubled” She looked to him slowly.
Once she finished she looked to Connor who had fell asleep in the Chair.
Luna gave a smile before she returned back to her duties of the night.
============
Connor woke to the sun softly gleaming into the room and he watched as dust floated about in the sun’s bright golden rays. Connor sat up from the chair rolling his neck and looked around the empty sitting room expecting Luna to be there but she must have left for she was gone.
Connor stood from the chair and as soon as his hooves touched the floor a massive wind blew over him and the dust started to stop drifting the gold sun slowly started to turn grey. Connor took a few steps before there was a bright flash behind him. He snapped around but winced at the bright aurora surrounding an orb.
“Well we meet again Connor” Every word it spoke it glowed a little brighter.
“I see that you have followed my word and blended into the Equestrian society I ask do you like the princess’s.” It spoke with its elegance
“Yes they have been very kind” Connor remembered the prophecy it told him in the woods.
“Do you wish to save them?”
“Who save who, do you mean the princess”
“Yes…do you wish to save them?” It asked.
Connor stood in silence; does he wish to save them? They have been so kind to him even when he was a strange creature in their kingdom and greeted him with open arms.
“Yes”
“If you wish to save them you must be willing to do anything, even die if needed” It said.
“For you see the only way to fully vanquish the Vale once and for all a sacrifice must be made in the end” Its voice started to fade as time started to flow once more around him.
Another rush of wind blew over him and it disappeared. The sun’s rays turned to gold and the dust started to swirl around again.
“Oh, there you are I went to wake you but rainbow said you woke up, and said you had a troubling night” Twilight walked in with her mane a little frazzled.
“And I told her I’m fine” Connor said a little annoyed but was thankful for the thought.
“Well all right let’s eat something and we all head to the castle later”
After an hour past the group bid good bye to Twilight’s parents and head down the waking city of Canterlot.
================
“Ah, welcome back what do wish to share with me” Celestia was high on her throne smiling down at the seven.
“Well there is quite a lot in fact Connor can explain it the best” Rainbow stood forward looking to the brown stallion.
Connor sighed and started with when he made up his new name and then the recounted the thief encounter and his journey through the slums before Celestia gave a hard exhale.
“I hoped it would be fixed by now” She muttered.
“What do you mean?” Twilight asked.
“I have sent money to the district mayor to help for a while but it seems all has not been going as well as I hoped” Celestia explained with a mournful tone.
“If you allow me I can look into the problem” Connor volunteered.
“I guess I need the help, yes you can look into the matter later but for now continue” Celestia nodded to Connor.
He moved on two when he fought the guards in the Drunken Dragon and the promise he made to shade once again leaving out the hypnotic sequence.
“So it’s worse than I thought they given up hope in me I understand why, so no diplomats, just a agent which you have volunteered for already, well you will find your clothes in your room were you can remove the amulet , and once you are ready we shall speak privately in my chamber”
Connor was lead by a guard who called himself Midnight sky.
He lead him to his very own room, it was a large circular room with a radius of fifteen feet and it had dome shaped roof, it had a large sun to the left, on the right was a moon, with a white tile floor.
The walls had paintings hanging on them with wooden furniture pressed all around the room, and across from him was a balcony.
“Once you are ready I will take you to the princess” Midnight left him.
Connor took of the amulet to where he took his human form and was nude but found his clothes on the bed that faced the balcony.
Once he finished strapping his wrist band he walked the door and followed Midnight.
After walking through the maze of the Castle the duo came up to two large double doors that had a elegant sun painted over it.
“In here” Midnight opened the door were Celestia was sitting on her balcony.
“Princess, Connor has arrived” Midnight then spun around and left him.
“Come” Celestia beckoned him.
Connor walked on to the balcony next to Celestia.
“I felt something earlier this morning what happened, did Realm confront you again?” She asked as she watched the sun slowly rise in front of her.
“Yes, it spoke that there was a way to save you and your sister but there must be a sacrifice to stop the Vale once and for all.
“Did it say who?” She asked.
“No it said nothing of who it would be”
“Are you thinking of it being you?”
“No but I if it is I will accept my end with open arms” Connor looked up to the goddess.
“If anypony has to die it will be me for this is all happing because of me and I will die for my subjects I will not have you sacrifice yourself”
Connor was silent as they stood together.
“I will not hesitate to save you or your kingdom for you have shown me such happiness and trust and peace I wish for it to last for as long as I can, I don’t want the same destruction that fell on me fall onto you” Connor remembering all he had lost in the past.
“That was a kind statement but…” Celestia stopped as she saw his face which explained everything she needed to know.
The two stood together for a while looking over the land in silence.
“Tomorrow you will look into the situation in the lower district of the city but I warn you I have little power of the mayor’s of the districted, my word is respected but I don’t have command over them, so I dissuade you from doing anything to rash”
“I will” Connor looked back into her room.
“You may retire to your chamber, or explore the castle grounds”
Connor sat up from the balcony’s rim and walked into her room to the door.
“Connor… I thank you for your proposition but I tell you they will come after me and Luna and will they not stop until we are out of the way” Celestia spoke softly.
Connor nodded and returned to the hall where Midnight took him back to his room were he layed in bed thinking over the day.
I will be ready he said to himself.
I will be ready! He yelled in his head.