Sirius appeared in an empty and dull hall. Walls, ceiling, floor, everything was made of simple gray stone. He looked around but found nothing of interest. He looked on the floor and saw a very peculiar item lying underneath him — his longsword. He immediately picked it up without a word. He must always be able to defend himself against anything and anyone.

He heard something scraping against the floor behind him. He turned around swiftly and raised his sword. What he saw surprised and shocked him.

Before him, Anastasia stood in her human form, her eyes tearful and red, and she clutched his old sword in her slightly bloodied hands. She looked bruised and beaten up as if someone continuously used her as a punching bag. Her clothes were torn in multiple places, too.

"Nastya?" Sirius managed to only whisper slightly.

"Why did you drag me into this?" she asked him quietly, her voice full of sadness. "Didn't you have enough?"

"I, I haven't done it." the former human said defensively. "Just... this world, Equestria, it's better than what both of us had. I didn't even k-know if you would ever appear here."

"You have always used me just to sate your desires." Anastasia continued, ignoring his words. "I have lost everything because of you. People were afraid to make friends with me because of you. And now? I don't even have a significant other. Why? Because of you."

Sirius took a step back and tried to say something but his mouth just opened and closed. She was right — it was all his fault.

"A violent, isolated weirdo... It was a mistake befriending you." the girl said while stepping forward. "Not to mention all those sick fantasies you imagined about raping me. You are even worse than those you deem unworthy to be in 'your' Equestria."

"I am disgusting! But... but I would never harm you!" Sirius said while stepping further back. Her words stung his heart. However, they were true. He often imagined having sex with her or forcing her to be with him. He imagined the two being alone on an island, locked in a room, locked in a house. It would force her to do whatever he wanted, and it included sex. None of his fantasies ever came to reality, especially since he realized they were sick and disgusting.

He remembered how he punched himself in the face before grabbing a knife and cutting his right arm deeply. He twisted the knife and screamed in pain as it tore his skin and flesh. It left a deep scar with jagged edges.

He did it once his love wasn't returned. He realized how much of a monster he would be to Anastasia if the two ever were together. Another event later in his life solidified his self-hatred.

"You already harmed me in more ways than you can count." Anastasia told him, her voice sounding defeated and yet angry. "You never keep your words, Stanislav. You said sorry so many times and yet you never cease to violate me. You ripped me from my family and friends! All of them are better than you and now I'm stuck with you. You will use me. I am defenseless and confused. I have nothing, you have everything. You will make me do anything so that your perverse urges could be satisfied."

"Nastya, I... No, I won't! I always wanted to say sorry but I felt the words would never be enough!" Sirius pleaded, tears streaming down his eyes. "I'm sorry for everything! Please, I truly am!"

"You never are." Anastasia raised the sword and swung it and him. He dodged backwards and almost fell. "It's time you pay for everything you've done."

"P-please! I... I am a bad person, but I can change!" Sirius cried out in spiritual pain. "I want to be better! I don't want to be a monster, but... No, it's my own fault! I, I should've never been born... I have disappointed you, my friends my family... I became a monster."

"You were always one." the girl swung the sword again, but this time Sirius blocked the hit. He didn't want to fight back.

"I..." he tried to argue but... there was nothing to argue about. He was a monster. He stalked her, he killed others, he injured many. He was nothing more than a hateful beast in the cage of his own making. Those who enter were devoured and deflowered, their defiled corpses thrown aside and left to rot.

He dropped the sword. He wasn't going to fight her. He must get what he deserved — pain.

"Do anything." he said quietly as he hung his head in shame. "I deserve it. I just wish..." he sighed. "I just wish I was different. I wish I could change, I wish I wasn't... disgusting. But... It's too late now."

He awaited the hit. He accepted that he deserved to be killed or tortured. He was always a monster.

The hit never came. After a few moments, he raised his head. Anastasia was standing still, her eyes focused on him. Those hazel eyes of hers were filled with sadness and... compassion.

"I'm sorry." Sirius repeated. "You should've kept me away from yourself. I—"

The girl put a finger on his lips, silencing him.

"Whatever you have to say, say it to the real me." she said, and then Sirius woke up.

He was still on the train to Canterlot. It almost arrived but it was still a few minutes before it. At his side, Anastasia sat as she gazed out of the window.

Sirius sighed quietly. Again, his decisions proved to be bad. He was certain he had already alienated her a lot. He didn't even try to understand her position, he didn't sympathize her at all. Where was his love for her, where was the care? She had helped him get through life, she was there for him when he needed her, and even after he hurt her she kept coming back to show compassion. However, one day it all ended. She was sick of him. She didn't want to see him any longer, and he? He didn't blame her in the slightest. His own misdeeds and wrongdoings caused it to happen in the first place.

He knew she would never love him. However, he hoped she would be a friend, just as she herself once wanted. Maybe it would work, maybe not. All in all, Anastasia had her own life. She could do whatever she pleased and Sirius couldn't tell her otherwise.

Soon, the train arrived at Canterlot. Anastasia turned to Sirius to wake him up but he was already awake. So, the two disembarked the train and went to the mansion.

"This city is beautiful." Anastasia commented as they walked through the streets of Equestrian capital. "Colorful, too!"

"It is." Sirius nodded. He could admit that the city was nice. The streets were always clear of rubbish and no one ever threw it on the ground anyway. All in all, the city was indeed beautiful. "I live in this city now. I... enjoy it." he added. He wasn't sure if he enjoyed living at all but he did like the place, at the very least.

"Where have you been all those years? Were you traveling between worlds?" the girl asked with interest.

"No." Sirius shook his head. "There were... other things to do. I didn't even know there was another world this easy to find."

"How did you find it?"

Sirius' face darkened. He didn't know if he should lie or tell the truth. He didn't want her to feel bad about him, he didn't deserve her kindness and compassion, not after what he did to her.

"I... I will tell you once we're at my place." he said after some consideration. She would certainly hate him afterwards but he believed he deserved it.

The two spent the rest of their journey to Sirius' mansion in silence. He was focused on the road and ponies around him while Anastasia was interested in practically everything. It was all new to her, after all. She was fascinated by the city so much that the depressing thoughts of never being able to return home disappeared for some time.

Sirius didn't know if there was a way back to the Earth. He would let Anastasia return if she found the exit but he wanted her to stay. Many bad things could happen to her back on Earth. With him, she would be safe. Maybe. Unless he did anything to her which he hoped he wouldn't.

Soon, they finally reached the mansion. Sirius opened the gate and the two walked inside the territory.

"Whoa, you live here?" Anastasia asked, surprised to see him living in such a spacious place.

"It was a... reward for what I did." Sirius explained. "It doesn't compensate for my leg, however." he added with a hint of sadness and anger. Before Anastasia could ask anything, the gardener appeared.

"Good day, Sirius!" Flora greeted him. "My, are you starting a herd? This filly with you looks lovely!"

"No. It's my friend from aboard." Sirius explained. "We... don't have that relationship. She can't talk Commonlang yet and I'm going to teach her."

"Oh, alright. Do you two need anything?"

"No, thanks." he shook his head. "I will sort everything out."

"Alright, then. Have a good day!" the elderly mare said and returned to tending to her plants. The new red plant she discovered was still in a bad condition and she needed to fix it.

"Um... Who was she?" Anastasia asked.

"She's a gardener." Sirius replied while leading her into the mansion. "She lives nearby and tends to plants around the place. She's... nice. I can see you two getting along well."

They walked into the mansion. After the doors closed behind them, Sirius stopped. He desperately needed to get something off his chest, no matter what consequences it might bring.

"Nastya... I have to tell you something." he turned to the girl. "I am sorry for many bad things I've done to you. I..."

He proceeded to explain just how much he had hurt her in the past and why he couldn't see it. He told her about stalking her, monitoring her, and he openly admitted to being obsessed with her. He stuttered often, his eyes were averted from her face — he feared her reaction. Nevertheless, he didn't stop until he told her everything.

"...I would understand if you don't want to deal with me anymore." Sirius finished, a few tears rolling down his cheeks. He knew it was all his fault but it didn't make the sadness go away. "I just wanted you to know what I've previously done. I'm sorry."

Anastasia was struck by his honesty. Not many people could openly admit their misdeeds and ask for forgiveness. She already suspected him being obsessed with her but she never knew to which extent. After she found out... Nothing changed. She wasn't going to love him but she didn't want to abandon him either. He had redeemed himself to her by being honest about his feelings towards her. But it didn't mean she felt less weird after this. All in all, she might become comfortable around him if the two stayed friends and nothing more.

"I... I see." she said. "St— Sirius, I accept your apologies. We'll not be lovers but we can be friends. Maybe..." she trailed off.

Truthfully, she didn't know what to do about it. It was just weird and... surreal in a way. She had gone from human to equine, saw her long-gone friend. It made her feel dizzy.

"I... I think I need to rest." Anastasia said after a sigh.

"No problem, there's a comfortable sofa here." Sirius nodded and then led her to the living room. He fumbled with the sofa and discovered that it could be unfolded to become a bed. "Here it is. If you want to bathe, there's a bathroom upstairs. Call me if you need anything."

Without a word spoken, Anastasia got into the bed and turned away from Sirius. She just needed some rest before she would be able to do anything. She also didn't want to talk with him any longer, at least at that moment.

Meanwhile, Sirius decided to check on Iclyn. He knew he needed to tell her about the new pony in the mansion. He sighed wearily — the day was a mess. All he wanted to do was sleeping and resting. He felt very tired after everything that had happened in the past few hours.

So, he limped upstairs and entered the bedroom. Iclyn was reading a book on the bed. She lowered it as soon as he entered the room.

"Hi." she greeted Sirius. "You've been away for long. What happened?"

"I discovered that I'm not the only alien." Sirius explained slightly nervously. "I... met someone from my own world, someone I know. She is now downstairs. Living room, on sofa, resting. She can't speak Commonlang at all and she's tired. She's a nice person, and... She is the one I talked to you about."

"The one you loved?" Iclyn asked with interest.

"...Yes. Though, I don't love her anymore." the former human explained. "Her name is Anastasia. I, um, I guess you may call her Nastya for short. Just... make her feel welcome." he looked down. "I did some bad things to her in the past and I want to make amends."

"Don't worry, Sirius." the pegasus stood up from the bed and walked up to Sirius. "Now, I see you need some rest. There's... something in your eyes that tells me you really need it." she pecked him on the cheek, making his eyes go wide and a barely noticeable blush appear on his face. "Relax. I'll do my own stuff and then I will probably join you."

"...Alright." Sirius nodded after regaining his senses. "I need to take the shower first. I'll return in a minute."

He was indeed very tired. The appearance of Anastasia in his new life stirred up some bad memories he didn't want to be reminded of. But it helped him realize that there was a way to make things right. He just needed to make himself better, to become a nicer person, to try to understand others.

He remembered his time with Anastasia back when both were still humans. She was kind and supportive, and the two would often play and study together even when no one else wanted to even talk with Stas. In fact, she was his best and almost only friend. Later, the affection from the little boy grew, and from a simple friend, Anastasia developed into a love interest. Unfortunately, his love was unrequited and it made them grow distant. It fueled his depression that was going on ever since he had to move to another school. It all led to mistakes he did later, mistakes he deeply regretted.

He realized and intended to fix them in the best way he could. He had never properly thanked Anastasia for everything that she's done for him out of kindness and compassion. He finally understood that she needed to be treated better. He had hurt her a lot in the past and even recently. He would work hard on making amends. He got the chance to fix some of his past and he didn't want to waste it.

However, he couldn't get it out of his mind that her appearance couldn't be a simple coincidence.

Author's Notes:

While still being very misanthropic, Sirius can realize his wrongdoings and learn from his mistakes. He's not a good person but he's not completely bad or evil either. I've read about a lot of peope with mental issues, and some of them were serial killers or other extremely antisocial kinds of people that share some traits with the protagonist.

Their psychological issues that drove them towards comitting crimes came from either bad parenting (most issues) or incidents that happened during the childhood, including teen years. It could be anything from physical to psychological torture, including simple bullying, extreme bullying with rape and torture. It is a piece of information to think about.

While no issues justify murders of innocents or worse crimes, Sirius has never murdered any innocents or committed rape or torture on random people. In fact, he had never raped anyone at all and he despises such an act. Though, he had still fantasized about it without realizing it was bad. Thankfully, he managed to understand it in time.

In the end, he wants to always be able to defend himself but he also wants someone to do nice things to. A soul-mate, that is. Someone who'd be able to understand him and support him.

What do you think about his future relationship with both Iclyn and Anastasia? They are important to his recovery and possibly having a more or less normal life.