Iclyn was completely infuriated — her classmates decided to leave her and Sirius in that room for the whole night. When she thought they would let them out, they threw in some sleeping bags, food and water, and, unsurprisingly, a pair of magical pills. The filly blushed hard when she found the latter and threw it into the nearby trash bin.

"What were those?" Sirius asked with interest.

"Ugh..." Iclyn muttered. "This is a last-longer-pills for stallions... Where did they get those anyway?"

Sirius was quite annoyed at the behavior of his classmates. He didn't have anything against a good prank or two, but for him what they did was stepping over the line. Especially after they decided to lock the two in one room. Thankfully, there was a bathroom behind a nearby door, one that wasn't locked. So, surviving the night wouldn't be as hard as the two expected.

While the room Sirius and Iclyn were in had beds, sleeping bags added to the comfort. Actually, the bags were too big and could probably fit two Sirius-sized ponies inside with some space left. The former human didn't know whether it was sexually suggestive in nature, considering how the classmates saw him and his roommate.

"Ugh, I can't seem to find a zipper..." Iclyn said. "Can you give some light?" Sirius complied, making his horn glow. It was enough for her to be able to find the zipper. She turned to thank him for the light. "Thanks, Si— OH FUCK!" she jumped away from him.

Sirius immediately jumped to the side while turning around. Surprisingly, there was no one and nothing dangerous. He turned back to Iclyn.

"What is wrong?" he asked, confused.

"Oh my gosh... My heart is beating so hard right now..." Iclyn said, breathing heavily. "The light from your horn makes you look really scary. Like, empty eye-sockets, and a creepy smile. Jeez, I didn't know you had such sunken cheeks... You look creepy, dude."

Sirius walked into the bathroom and looked at himself in the mirror. Indeed, the horn cast a very peculiar shadow that made him look like a nightmarish version of himself. His deeply seated eyes were hidden in shadow, and his sunken cheeks created an eerie, fearsome smile that was too wide to be natural.

He was no longer surprised why it scared Iclyn. It didn't scare him, though — he had seen much worse things both in his dreams and reality. It just didn't do anything to him.

So, he decided to take a shower while he was at it. He did it quickly enough and soon came out of the bathroom.

"Alright, my turn." Iclyn said, passing Sirius and into the bathroom. A few clicks were heard before a frustrated groan came out. "These little... They took out this light, too." her head appeared in the doorway. "Sirius, mind helping me out? I kinda need light, I see literally nothing."

Sirius nodded, and then followed her into the bathroom. Finally, with a decent enough illumination, Iclyn was able to get into the bathtub and start showering. Accidentally, she flashed her privates at Sirius, who quickly looked away. He didn't want it at all. He knew that ponies were nude most of the time, and he himself was a pony, but that accident was more than he wanted to see.

"Hey, where did the light go?" Iclyn asked, turning her head to Sirius. "Don't be shy I don't really mind you being here. Like, you're just helping, nothing more." a blush appeared on her cheeks. "Ugh, why am I blushing? It's nothing sexual, I swear! I mean, you've probably seen my stuff, but hey, we're all nude anyway. I... Uh, sorry, I guess I rambled again. I really need to sleep to get my head right..." she sighed.

Sirius agreed silently. Sleeping would be the best thing for them to do. And not in the sexual meaning, too.

He didn't exactly fear close contact, at least not with females, even not with mares. He didn't care, really. However, the intimacy, sex, anything related to that was off limits, completely and utterly bashed into the deepest area of his mind. He would never do it.

Sirius pushed away those thoughts. He didn't want to remember the events that caused it.

After Iclyn finished showering, the former human took off the longsword, hid it under the mattress, and then slipped into his sleeping bag. It was soft and comfortable inside, he could even completely hide there if he wanted.

However, there was one thing that was missing.

It was Iclyn hugging him. She would make his night complete, and he didn't want to sleep without her. He feared nightmares would appear again. He realized he couldn't do without Iclyn close to him.

It was a moment of shame and frustration. Sirius never wanted to depend on anyone, but he found out that there was one pony he had to rely on. He wouldn't admit he was glad that it was like that, but deep inside he knew it was right. He was past the point of no return. He would either have to accept his need or face the nightmares.

Sirius decided to choose the first option. Iclyn already helped him a lot, and developing the relationship with her would be good for the former human. He desperately needed her, he couldn't resist it. He knew he needed her to be in his life. Who else could take that place? All people that he trusted were either dead or unreachable, and he wasn't sure he would last on its own for long. His depression was strong, and he needed a cure.

"Iclyn..." Sirius called slowly, making up his mind. Deep inside, he was just a shy boy who deeply feared closeness and relationships. But he could see no reason not to trust Iclyn. He needed her.

"Mmh?" she replied, rolling around on her bed to face him.

"I... I know that you slept, um, with me during nights." he said.

Iclyn's blood froze. What was he going to do? Was he angry? Was he acceptive?

"I... I am fine with it. I knew you did it." he continued, alleviating the fear Iclyn felt. "Can... can you, um, lie with me... please?" he almost begged. He needed that warmth to live. He didn't want to survive, he wanted to live.

"Mmh-hm." Iclyn nodded, got out of her sleeping bag and walked to Sirius' bed. He unzipped the bag and let her in. They were face to face, eye to eye.

"Iclyn... I..." Sirius gulped. He wanted to say something, to thank her for all she did. "Thank you for all you do. I... You don't know how, um... How happy I am to, to have you... here." he said, hugging her softly as if he was afraid too much force would break her. "Iclyn, I... I..." he desperately wanted to tell her about his problems. At least one of them. "I don't have a-anypony... just you." he found tears in his eyes. "I... I'm alone, and..." he sniffed. "D-do you want to be... my friend? Please?" and now, he was begging. His desperation grew as painful memories of betrayal resurfaced. "I... I was betrayed, and I... I want someone... Just someone to be with me. I... Iclyn, I..." he found it hard to speak as tears streamed down his face. He was letting out his bottled up emotions. He needed a release, and he felt Iclyn could maybe understand him. The floodgates were creaking under the pressure of his suppressed emotions.

"Sirius..." the pegasus filly said, stroking his back with her wing. "I will be your friend. Everypony... everyone deserves to have friends, including you. I can see that you're hurt. I'm sorry bad things happened to you, but I will try to help you."

"Yes, I need help!" Sirius said slightly louder, desperation and pain clear in his voice. "But... I don't... I'm no sure." he sniffed. "You are great friend, you never made me doubt you, but I fear. Y-you won't betray me, will you? P-please, don't betray me.... I... I, I've not had friends for years, and... I like you." he confessed. "But it was so short... I don't know you much, but I... I feel I should trust you." he pressed his head against her chest as he curled up in a ball of anxiety and chronic depression. "You are friend I always wanted. Y-you truly help, and... I... You... I just..." he sighed shakily. "Don't tell anyone, please? Don't... betray me." he feared this betrayal more than anything. He already let her hear many things he wouldn't normally say. He showed his sensitive side to her, one thing he couldn't show to just anyone.

"I won't betray you, I swear." Iclyn replied, tightening her embrace, making Sirius feel accepted. "Sirius... Oh, Sirius, I didn't know you were so... damaged. What was done to you?"

"Life..." he said. "Life there, my life before here... Before Equestria. I..." he gulped and then sniffed. "I almost died. I just... I just didn't want to live." he looked at her. Iclyn's eyes were wide, her ears folded against her skull, her maw slightly agape in shock. "This place... it gives hope. You... give hope. Ponies... are nice to me. They make me hope. Few not, but most are. Jokes... harmless jokes, mostly. I don't like some, but they not harm." he completely lost the ability to build coherent sentences. "I... I like ponies."

"Sirius, are you not a pony?" Iclyn asked in confusion.

"I wasn't before I am here." Sirius replied. "I had life... Not life, survival... Just before here, I survived. Not lived, just... crawled." he couldn't stop himself. He was going to reveal the big truth about himself. He wanted her to hear it and either accept him or reject him. He hoped it would be the former. Otherwise, he would have no reason to live, not even to survive. He wouldn't admit it, but she was his everything, the only person he held on to for dear life. "Iclyn, I... I'm from, um... another... world. Just, I'm not mad, it true! I... I would show if I could, trust me, please! It was... just swimming in, in a swamp." he sighed shakily. "I wanted so much more, but I got... torture." tears rolled down his face as his whole body shook and shivered as if he was cold. "I... I killed myself. But I not died — I got here." he was afraid to look up at Iclyn. What if she didn't trust him? He already wanted to run and hide, put a bullet through his head to end it all. Fear and anxiety engulfed him — the filly would never believe him. He didn't think she would.

"I... I don't know what to say." Iclyn said, shock and surprise on her face as some tears appeared in her eyes. She couldn't believe what she was hearing, but she had to accept that it was truth. Sirius couldn't lie to her, she saw it in his begging purple eyes. There was a spark of hope in them, great sadness and pain, and yet some joy. "But I believe you, and I will help you. I won't tell anyone. Sirius... Thank you for trusting me." she hugged him closer. "Let it all out. Cry, it is alright... You went through bad stuff. Whatever world you came from did bad things to you, but you will never have to experience them again. I will help you. Now, sleep. You need it."

"T-thanks..." Sirius said shakily and nervously. "I... I will try to trust you more. You deserve trust, Iclyn." he made a small smile and looked up at her. "Thank you for, for listening to me. No one else would do it for me... No one did before." he sighed, this time less shakily as he calmed down. "You ponies are nice. I don't want to go anywhere else. I want to live with you. Just... please, let me! I will be good, I promise!" new tears appeared on his face as he quickly lost the control again. "I love this world, I don't want to go!"

"No one will make you go." Iclyn assured him. "Sleep now, Sirius. New morning is coming. Enjoy your new life. You won't have to suffer anymore. Whenever you are ready, I will listen to you. Any and all your problems. Don't hide them, just talk to me. I will help you, Sirius, I promise."

"Please... Hold this promise." Sirius said. "Otherwise... I will die. I have nothing... You ponies are why I live. You give life to me. Don't let me go, please..."

"Ssh, sleep." Iclyn caressed him softly. "I will help you... Sleep..."

The two soon fell asleep in each-others' embraces. Sirius finally allowed himself to let someone know of his true origins. It was an impulsive decision, one he thought he would maybe regret later, but he couldn't hold it anymore.

He died once and was reborn. He was falling into nothingness, he was being eaten alive by himself. His doubts, fears, his hesitation nearly cost him his life.

It was a long road, but he had started. He just hoped it would lead somewhere, and not to his death. He was sick of it, he was sick of constant sadness and desire to die, he couldn't stand loneliness anymore. He wanted to live. He wanted to enjoy living. He wanted to have friends.

The talk was a great step for Sirius. He didn't know why he suddenly exploded in feelings, but there was no going back. His heart was telling him to trust Iclyn, and he did. He let her see what was inside him: pain, suffering, and misery.

He just hoped she would help him mend his deep wounds.

Author's Notes:

It might've been quick, but it was Sirius' impulsive decision. Accidentally, he broke the dam, and the flood of emotions overcame him. He was desperate for kindness and friendship, he couldn't hold it anymore.

Maybe he would finally live. It depends on how well his self-imposed treatment will go.