Under the dark of the night, its princess glided across the land, heading to one particular place. She wanted to do it for a long time but held it off until she heard about Sirius and what happened at his new school. She needed answers, and she was certain she knew where to find them. It was worth trying, at least.

Soon, Luna landed on the sandy bank of the lake Birthwater. If it was the origin of Sirius, she would be able to find at least something about him.

There was nothing on the banks or anywhere nearby. Any and all marks of his presence were gone. However, there was still something in the air. Weak traces of magic and something else Luna couldn't recognize. The closer to the lake she got, the stronger the feeling became.

She decided to dive into the waters and see if there was anything down on the bottom. She cast two spells that would allow her to easily traverse through underwater: the first spell allowed her to breathe water, and the second increased her vision.

Soon, she entered the water and started swimming through it. The feeling grew closer the closer she was to the bottom of the lake. It also grew stronger when she moved closer to the center of the lake.

She frowned slightly. Was this lake more than it seemed?

Suddenly, the water took a red hue. Luna stopped and looked around. She was sure there were no carnivorous underwater fauna in the lake. However, she could taste something metallic. It was like blood, but something was different.

She noticed that big crimson leaves appeared seemingly out of nowhere. She moved closer to inspect them.

Those plants were unlike anything she had seen before. The structure, the size, nothing was familiar. She touched one of the leaves, and it spurted out a cloud of red. It looked and tasted like blood. However, Luna was sure it wasn't blood.

Maybe there was a deeper story behind the lake and its name. Luna realized — what if the lake itself could give birth? With everything she had found, her suspicions grew. Was the lake alive?

The alicorn of the night could never suspect this lake to be special. It was like many others that were scattered across the world.

She remembered — Celestia told her that the lake is a place where many couples go in hopes of having a foal. Maybe it wasn't a simple tradition. Maybe the lake was like a magnet for couples, having power to grant them with foals.

If so, was it like that from the beginning or was a spell put on it? Luna didn't know.

Suddenly, she noticed something among the leaves, something that didn't belong there. It was something made of polished metal and rubber, two things never seen in nature. She picked it up and looked closer. It was slightly bigger than a hoof and resembled an L shape. However, details couldn't be seen because of the red fog.

She also noticed a small metallic box nearby. She picked it up as well.

Luna teleported herself and the newfound items onto the bank of the lake. She shook the water off of herself, and then inspected the first thing she found closer.

It looked like it was made to be held in hands or claws. The rubber-like grip on the shorter part of L heavily suggested it, being shaped in a very ergonomic way to be held in one claw or hand. Next thing was a rotating cylinder attached to the longer part. Luna also noticed a button. She pressed it, and cylinder easily flipped to the side, revealing its backside. It contained five holes, each of them filled with something made of brass. The cylinder could also be removed, and Luna did it. Without it, she could see a tube that made the most of the longer part of the thing. It wasn't filled with anything and was completely see-through.

She looked at the front of the cylinder. The same holes that the backside had could be seen, and there were conical-shaped things made of another sort of metal in them. Four of them, to be exact.

Luna reassembled the thing. She noticed some sort of metallic protrusion in the back, right above the rubber grip. She pulled it and heard a metallic click.

There was another protrusion underneath the cylinder that moved along with the upper one. It was shaped like a crescent and protected with an arc made of metal. Out of curiosity, she pulled it.

*BLAM!*

Luna dropped the thing, jumping away from it in fear. Thankfully, it was aimed at the lake.

The sound of the shot reverberated and echoed across the lake, scaring the fauna away. Some smoke came out of the slim end, quickly disappearing.

"What sort of thing is this?!" Luna yelled, shaking from shock, her ears folded against the head.

She didn't yet know that thing was a revolver. And not just any revolver...

It belonged to Sirius.

Luna spent the most of that night in her bedchambers, inspecting the revolver. It had some markings of unknown language on it. She found the weapon quite fascinating, especially the way the bullets were designed. Something like that could be used to enhance Equestrian cannons.

Luna felt that the revolver had a connection with Sirius. However, she didn't know it yet. Was it self-defense weapon or did he use it for offense? Out of five bullets, two were used, counting the one Luna shot on accident. Where did the other bullet go? Whom or what did it hit? She didn't know.

She also found out that placing empty shells into the metal box would return as usable ammo. It was quite interesting.

She would need to talk with Sirius about the strange weapon. Maybe he would shed some light onto it. Perhaps she could send him a letter. While it could be potentially dangerous for her to let him near the weapon, she was sure he wouldn't use it against her, at least if she didn't provoke him.

In the morning.

Slowly everyone began to wake up. First of them was Sirius. He rubbed his eyes and yawned, and rolled from one back to another, preparing to stand up. Even after the horrifying nightmare he had had during the night, he still managed to get somewhat decent sleep. He felt more or less alright, at least.

Iclyn woke up as soon as she felt Sirius moving on the bed. She stretched her body, and then greeted Sirius, trying to sound as friendly as possible.

"Good morning, Sirius!" she said. She hoped that he would be at least a bit cheerful.

However, he just nodded, not even turning to her. One side of his muzzle could be seen, however, and there was almost a faded hoof mark on his cheek. Iclyn winced at the display, remembering that he had hurt himself during that night. She would try to talk to him about it when they were alone. She waited for a perfect moment.

Next, the twins woke up. They cheerfully greeted the other two ponies, waking up Coral in the process. After everyone assembled, they headed to the main room to have breakfast.

"So, how's dreams, everypony?" Coral asked after everyone took their places with some energetic snacks.

"I don't really remember. It was... soft?" Wind Rider said with uncertainty.

"I was chasing a cat through some colorful rubber tunnels." Coffee Bean said.

"I was a cat and I was running away from... wait a second..." the twins looked at each-other, and then exclaimed at the same time: "What were you doing in my dreams?"

"I don't remember. Probably something silly." Iclyn said dismissively, chuckling at the twins.

The turn had come to Sirius.

"Fine." he said, trying to sound neutral. However, it came out more as a grumble than anything else. He didn't want anyone to ask him about that.

Iclyn glanced at him. He refused to meet her gaze, instead focusing his attention on the bag of chips. Shame, some anger, and fear was evident in his eyes.

He felt bad. He didn't want to touch Iclyn in any way at all. He never wanted to be so close, and yet he did it uncontrollably. He still felt filthy and sick after that. He enjoyed the warmth Iclyn gave him during the sleep, but he would never admit it. He wanted to punch himself again but didn't risk doing it among others. He would reserve it for later.

Iclyn didn't know what was wrong with him. He didn't do anything bad to her and besides, it was just an accident, a minor one at that. It could be completely disregarded, and yet it was clearly seen Sirius didn't feel well because of it, even to the point of self-harm, which Iclyn failed to understand. Did he fear close contact and intimacy?

As everyone was chatting about everything, Sirius was silent, eating his snacks. He didn't feel like talking at all. He just wanted to hide somewhere, bury himself in soft pillows, surround himself with comfort. His fun was ruined by one single event, and he couldn't get over it.

"Alright, we needa go." one of the twins said. "We promised our mom we'd be back by eleven. It's like, half past eight."

"Me, too." Coral said. "I need to help my parents clean up the house."

"Me, three, actually." Wind Rider said. "I promised my mom to help her in the garden. Better do it sooner."

"Alright, then." Iclyn nodded. "Good luck!"

Soon, Iclyn and Sirius were completely alone. It was time to act.

"Sirius..." the pegasus began slowly. "I want to talk to you."

Sirius turned his head to her and stopped chewing.

"I know what happened during the night." Iclyn said, looking him in the eyes. She saw quickly rising fear, but it was soon replaced by defensive aggression. "I want to say... You didn't do anything wrong. You shouldn't have harmed yourself."

The aggression was gone in an instant, replaced with surprise. Sirius looked at the filly. She couldn't quite tell what he was thinking, though.

"Look..." Iclyn continued. "It was completely alright. Maybe you feel bad about touching me without my permission, but it's fine." she sat on her haunches. Then, she recognized the look he had — it was sadness. It was also longing. Longing for... her warmth. "You can hug me if you want." she outstretched her forelegs. "It is fine." she said softly.

Sirius was stuck in place. He couldn't build up his aggression to make her drop it. He just couldn't. He didn't find it in himself. Better yet, he didn't want to hurt her in any way. She acted like a friend. Like a good friend Sirius had a long time ago. He could see her in the pegasus filly. So inviting, soft, caring...

Then, he heard a voice: "Have no fear."

It was her voice. He hadn't heard it in years, but it was as he remembered it: comforting, soft as silk, and pleasant, like a rain in the night.

Maybe Iclyn could become such a friend. She showed friendship, she cared for him. Otherwise, why would she invite him for a hug?

He stood up slowly. However, some doubts remained. Was he replacing her? Was Iclyn good enough to become his friend? So little time had passed, less than a week. However, she hadn't hurt him even once. She was protective, she was caring, just like her.

He took a few steps towards Iclyn. She waited patiently, a soft and encouraging smile on her face. She indeed cared for him. She saw he needed someone to be there for him, and she was ready. He could become friends with her, all he needed to do was to allow himself to.

Sirius took another few steps, coming face to face with Iclyn. Slowly, he sat down in front of her, looking somewhere between her eyes. Was it alright for him to do? The filly showed that it was indeed.

He hugged her and placed his head on her shoulder, closing his eyes. He felt her forelegs wrapping around him in a warm embrace. He felt the warmth of her body, her heart beating against his. It was welcoming, it felt good. He hadn't hugged anyone for many years, and it felt absolutely amazing to do it again after so long.

A few tears rolled down his cheeks. He didn't want to let go. It was there, the warmth, the one thing that could help him survive. He desperately needed someone to help him, and it seemed he made a few steps towards Iclyn. Maybe she indeed could be his friend. However, he was unsure about it yet.

After a small eternity, he released her from his grasp and sat, looking her in the eyes.

"Feel better?" Iclyn asked, worry in her voice.

"...Yes." a smile touched his lips. "Iclyn... Thank you." he turned away from her, hiding his tears. "We need clean up and go." he stood up. "We... need to... do homework."

"Alright." Iclyn nodded, standing up as well. "Sirius... If you ever need me — you're always welcome."

He nodded, finding it hard to speak as more tears appeared in his eyes.

It was a spark of friendship.

Author's Notes:

Maybe friendship between the two will work out. We just have to wait.

What do you think about it, dear readers?