The rest of the weekend passed peacefully with Anastasia learning the new language, Sirius strengthening his damaged leg, and Iclyn helping him to cope with his stress by being close to him and providing mental and physical comfort. She even did sparring with him to keep his training productive. As she discovered, he hadn't lost his reaction or anything else regarding the ability to successfully fight. The two practiced blocks, parrying, and riposting — three major things in fencing that were the basis for practically everything else.

As Sirius found out, Iclyn learned to fight reasonably well for her level of experience. She was nowhere near him but she was close to being average. He also noted that Iclyn became more fit as well due to all the training. Her steps were light and yet powerful, her stance was right, and she used both her weapons rather efficiently: a spear to keep the opponent at bay and a sword to deflect the hits that came her way. Overall, the daily trainings the two had were beneficial for both of them.

Anastasia tried to learn magic as well but aside from creating some sparks with her horn, there wasn't anything else done at all. However, Sirius was sure she would be able to learn it soon enough. It came naturally just like moving and using hands. Actually, she could grasp things with her front hooves which was unusual and something Sirius had never used due to his early success in simple magic. Of course, the hooves weren't nearly as elegant or as precise as hands could be but having them was better than having nothing at all. Sirius couldn't quite understand how hooves were able to grab anything but he chalked it up to magic and moved on without overthinking it.

Anastasia was still uncomfortable with being nude but since there were no spare clothes to change into, she had to walk around without anything covering a single part of her body. It made her quite nervous but seeing that neither Sirius nor Iclyn minded it or said anything regarding it, Anastasia figured out that being nude wasn't too bad if everyone did it. She knew she would need to get used to it eventually if she planned or had to stay for longer.

As a new week started, Sirius decided it was time to return to the school and study properly. He couldn't concentrate well enough in the mansion. Any physical activity was better for him than sitting in complete silence and writing. He wasn't a procrastinator by any means but he preferred activity over sitting.

But first, he needed to know how comfortable would Anastasia be with joining him as well. He couldn't keep her in the mansion forever and besides, he had no right to do so. Going out and socializing would be better for her and Sirius knew it.

"Well, Princess Luna told me that she can help me with that." the girl replied. "I guess I can, um, look around the school first and see what it's like. It seems I'm staying here for a long time..."

Sirius' face darkened slightly. He understood that Luna was able to enter Nastya's dreams and talk to her. It seemed the princess wasn't interested in him that much anymore, so he decided to let it unfold. His friend needed help and who was he to tell her not to accept anything from Luna? It was her life and he had no control over it. Whatever memories of him Anastasia had mattered little as well. To her, he was just a simple boy with some anger issues and unsocial behavior. Sirius was sure Luna was smart enough to figure it out on her own.

"...Alright." he nodded. "Kids are much friendlier here than in our school, so it should be fine."

"I sure hope so." Anastasia said. "Um... how are you getting along with them?"

"They've not angered me aside from one incident. Other than that, they are... fine." Sirius explained. "Now, take everything you need and we'll be ready to go."

The girl nodded and proceeded to put on her backpack. It contained a few notebooks and a couple of pencils as well as her smartphone. Of course there wasn't any net to connect to but it still worked and was constantly being charged as long as its owner was nearby. It was quite interesting but there weren't many apps to use. All in all, the smartphone turned into a thin camera with little to no other use. It wasn't a big deal for Anastasia since she rarely used it for anything more than calls or taking pictures.

After everything was set and everyone was ready to go, the three ponies exited the mansion and went to school. Sirius carried his longsword just as he usually did, and his body was free of the wheelchair. He deemed himself able to walk without complications even while the limp in his gait was still noticeable. All in all, he hoped to use the wheelchair cart for target practice and then dump it for recycling or anything else — he couldn't care less about where that device would go.

The weather outside the mansion was slightly cold but not uncomfortably so: the sky was clouded and a soft wind was blowing. The autumn had come fully and a lot of fallen leaves could be seen flying through the streets of Canterlot. A few ponies were working by collecting the leaves and putting them into bags that would later be disposed of. Other than those ponies, everyone else was heading to their schools, universities or jobs. Quite a few ponies greeted Sirius as he went, still remembering the one who saved Equestria from an evil tyrant.

All Sirius was doing in response was politely nodding. He didn't want or need any fame for protection the one he loved. He was sure anyone would do the same in his situation unless they were completely self-centered. Sirius was mostly self-centered but retained his ability to care for a selected few. He also saw the bigger problem. If Equestria was conquered, it would bring chaos and unrest which would result in harm and death, maybe even more horrible things would happen. He had no way of knowing but frankly, he didn't want to know. He liked Equestria for what it was — a peaceful country that hadn't known serious crime for centuries. While some ponies weren't nice, there was nothing even remotely extreme. He would very like it to remain that way.

Soon, the three reached the school and entered it. Anastasia was quite nervous about it since she would meet Equestrian foals for the first time. She was also excited about it, too. She understood that being one of the first humans to ever interact with alien so closely was something to be proud of. She even thought about writing a book about it. Humans wouldn't believe it but something that didn't contain invasion or any kind of warfare would certainly be welcome among many readers.

Usually, aliens were portrayed either as monsters or as very human-like creatures. While ponies of Equestria resembled equines from Earth, they were still different in many ways. Anastasia couldn't imagine how many things she would be able to discover and see for herself, how many different sensations to experience. She knew she needed to return home but she would still like to see what other cultures looked like. Maybe there were more sapient beings than just ponies? It would be fantastical to see!

Anastasia was no writer but she was sure she would be able to express her thoughts and experiences on paper pretty clearly. After all, she was experiencing everything firsthand which would make writing fairly easy. As homesick as she was, she was also excited about the possibilities the transportation to the new world allowed.

However, there wasn't enough material for the book, not yet at least. She intended to listen and learn as well as observe the foreign, alien culture. She thought it would be very interesting.

"The first class is Math." Sirius explained to Anastasia. "Their system is a lot like ours. The only thing that is very different are symbols. You'll learn fairly quickly, trust me."

"I'll try." the girl nodded as she followed him to the classroom. "I'm more nervous about, um, meeting new people."

"It shouldn't be a big issue. Someone like you is easy to make friends with." Sirius smiled slightly. He remembered how she was the first one to approach him, a new kid in school. She was friendly and open to him, too. It was no surprised the two formed a bond fairly quickly.

Before the bell rang, Sirius informed the teacher about Anastasia. He said that she came from his country and she was searching for a school. He decided to show her this one. He also mentioned that she couldn't speak Commonlang at all but he would help her learn it. In the end, the teacher had nothing against having an extra filly in class as long as she didn't disrupt the lesson.

Sirius saw nothing wrong with the condition. He returned to his place and made sure Anastasia had something to sit on. So, she, himself, and Iclyn took their places with him being between the two girls and that was how the lesson began.

There wasn't much time before the bell rang and that was why Anastasia didn't get a chance to interact with ponies. Sirius' classmates showed a lot of interest in the newcomer and glanced at her fairly often. Anastasia was by no means an unsocial person but she felt the blush creeping onto her cheeks.

The lesson went without a hitch. Sirius kept his voice low as he explained the basics of Equestrian mathematics to his friend. She figured it out fairly quickly after a few hints from him and could follow up what was being written on the blackboard.

Sirius spotted someone he hadn't seen before, too. There was a new colt in class. He was a unicorn just like many other Canterlot foals. He had a dark-blue fur and green mane and tail. From Sirius perspective, neither the special mark nor the eyes could be seen. Who was that new pony? It wasn't the most interesting thing to discuss or even notice but Sirius never liked the changes of people present around him especially if they remained for a long time. That was why he was never a social type of person.

As the bell rang, Sirius and Anastasia went to unicorn Magic class while Iclyn went to her own.

"You'll soon be able to learn how to use your horn." Sirius said. "It shouldn't be too hard. Basic telekinesis is what all unicorns can do without any problems."

"Using magic would be very interesting." the girl nodded. "Maybe even fun! I've dreamed about the ability to fly... Can magic do that?"

"Yes, but not as well as wings." Sirius explained. "It's very hard to learn more advanced magic, too."

"Hey!" a voice sounded behind the colt. He turned around to see a familiar face making his way to him. It was Wave Rider. "Sirius, I've not seen you in ages!"

"Hello, Wave." Sirius greeted his acquaintance. He noticed that the new colt was close behind him. In comparison, that colt was bigger than Wave Rider.

"I just wanna introduce you to my brother—"

"I can say my name, thanks." the new colt pushed his brother aside, an act that Sirius didn't like much. "Name's Sweetwater." he extended his front hoof for a bump.

Sirius glanced at Wave Rider and noticed that he was slightly sad by what his brother did. Nevertheless, the former human bumped hooves with him while looking him in the eyes. He saw fake carelessness in those green eyes. He knew it was something to take note of.

"You made national headlines. Congrats." Sweetwater said. "You're tough colt." he glanced at the longsword. "Nice. Alright, time to go to class."

With that being said, he walked past Sirius. On his way, he used his tail to slightly slap Anastasia on her flank. It elicited a yelp from her as she jumped away from the sudden contact.

"You're cute." the colt said to her and then went down the hallway.

Sirius felt his anger growing. If anyone ever hurt Anastasia...

"Sirius, I'm sorry for my brother. He's... insensitive sometimes." Wave Rider explained. "He's new here and, um, he's having a hard time."

"Was he kicked from other schools?" Sirius asked, watching as Sweetwater disappeared around a corner.

"Um... yeah..." Wave nodded.

"I wonder why." Sirius replied sarcastically, and then proceeded into the classroom.

He felt like the new addition to the class wouldn't be his new friend.