Love is a difficult thing. From a scientific point of view, it is easy — a simple desire to mate and reproduce. However, animals don't have a wide range of feelings like sapient beings. Humans, for example, can go to great length to obtain the desirable mate, sometimes breaking many lines and performing very dangerous things they otherwise wouldn't.

There are many types of love. Soft and gentle, fiery and passionate, shy and slow, needy and desperate. The type of love a person possesses is defined by how that person thinks, and it in turn is defined by how they were raised, what past they had. Some people don't even care about love much until it comes to them naturally. Or doesn't come, depending on whether they want love or not.

Love is all about support and acceptance, something all being crave regardless of what they think. They might not even realize it until they already experience it. And they like it, both physical and mental aspects of it. It is natural to like being accepted, for all known sapient beings are social and as such can't survive alone for one reason or another.

For some, it's harder to find love and experience it.

Iclyn had been resting since she and Stanislav returned from the forest. The boy was exhausted, walking like a zombie, shambling through the house. He took a quick shower and immediately went to his room, barely muttering a word to his mother and not even eating dinner. Before going to bed, he disassembled and reassembled the pistol for a few times. He also took care of the axe, sharpening it manually until it looked like new. Satisfied with the results, the boy put the two objects away and finally undressed to bed.

He covered himself from feet to neck, burying his head into the pillow. He rolled around for a few minutes before settling in a more or less comfortable position.

Iclyn decided to use the time to rest and think about what had happened. She clearly saw that Stanislav's mental health was already declining. He didn't want to burden his mother with his problems and he was also confused and scared. The murder he committed left a deep scar inside his young soul, making him think about how right or wrong it was. Having no one to ask about it, having no direction, the question was always in the back of his mind, reminding him that he did the unthinkable.

The pegasus still didn't know what to think of it. One one side, he did right by punishing the one who killed a member of his family and didn't even seem to regret it. On the other, it was still murder. Stanislav also protected his family from things that the man could do to them if he was still alive. All in all, the situation was very difficult.

Iclyn closed her eyes and sighed deeply. She opened them and blinked again, only to be surprised as the sun shone through the window, a light drizzle going on outside the house.

"Stas, it's school today!" Nadezhda called from outside Stanislav's room.

The boy groaned, blinking groggily as he sat up on his bed. He rubbed his eyes and then finally got up. He didn't look much better than the previous day, dark circles around his eyes. He got up from the bed and stretched. He didn't bother to put anything aside from a pair of sweatpants. Scratching his head, he exited the room and went to his mother.

"You don't look well." his mother commented on his appearance.

"I'm alright." Stanislav waved his hand weakly. "Some bad sleep, but I'll be fine."

Nadezhda looked at him with worry as his slouched figure sat at the table and started eating. She sighed silently, wishing that Andrey with still with them. She didn't know what to do next and how the boy would grow up without a father. The family had money, but it can't return the dead from the grave.

Stanislav made sure he ate everything even though he didn't want to. He stood up from the table and grabbed the backpack his mother prepared for him. Once he properly dressed up, he waited for Nadezhda to do the same.

Iclyn watched them, her ears down. No matter how both of them tried to look normal and to do the usual things, there was an apparent emptiness, lack of something they both needed. They tried to live a normal life but they no longer could do it, even if they hid the truth.

Anastasia was lying on the sofa, half-asleep. Her eyes were closed but she was still awake. Her breath was slow and calm, her body still, a thin blanket covering her form and yet letting her hind legs be seen.

Her ears twitched as they picked up a sound of hooves against the wood. The ears perked up as Anastasia lifted her head up. She turned it towards the entrance and saw that a familiar pony was coming.

"Um, you're asleep? S-sorry, I'll come later." he spoke, turning around to leave.

"No... I'm not sleeping." Anastasia replied, getting up and letting the blanket slide off of her and fall onto the floor.

"Oh... alright." the pony replied awkwardly, returning to the room. "I've just thought, um... You looked lonely at school, and, uh, I just wanted to... provide you... some company."

"Thanks, Wind." the girl replied, a tired smile appearing on her face, and then she yawned. "I... wouldn't mind company."

"Okay..." the colt said, walking further into the room. "You know... Your Commonlang improved."

"Yeah..." Anastasia replied quietly. A few moments of awkward silence followed.

"So, um..." Wind Rider shifted in place. "How's Sirius?"

The girl was quiet for some time, her ears drooping. She thought for a moment — should she tell the truth? Wind Rider was a nice colt but did he need to know? He wasn't too close to Sirius even though the latter helped him tremendously. With his abusive brother gone, Wind Rider gained much more confidence and was interacting with others more. It was all thanks to Sirius, and Anastasia knew that the colt considered him a friend.

However, ponies hadn't heard about suicide for many years. It was history. They knew it used to happen a long time ago but Equestria had improved hugely since then, leaving many crimes and tragedies a part of distant history.

Anastasia needed to get it out of her system. She needed someone to talk to. The only one who was willing to listen to her was Luna, but she was a princess and had more matters to attend to than personal problems of an alien girl. Besides, there was a big difference between the two on many levels, making it almost impossible to relate to the alicorn.

"Wind... It's not simple." Anastasia began reluctantly. "I... I, um... There's more to me and Sirius. Uh, we are... aliens."

"Uh, what?" the colt blinked in confusion. "That's a joke, right?" he let out a small and nervous laugh. However, the tone of Anastasia's voice told him otherwise. "I mean, uh..."

"We are." the girl said. "We come from other world. That world... isn't nice sometimes." she tried her best to explain. "Uh, do you believe me?"

"I... guess." Wind Rider scratched the back of his head. "I mean, it makes some sense... Strange names, unknown language, and... You know, your, uh, magical aura is shaped like a..." he paused for a second, his eyes looking slightly to the left. "A hand. Yeah, like what minotaurs have." he nodded, looking at Anastasia. "Sirius' aura is a hand, too. Anyone else has just... a cloud of sorts, you know? So yeah... I guess it makes sense that you two are from another world." he shrugged nervously. "Alright, so your world isn't nice..."

"Yeah." Anastasia nodded. "Sirius was bulled when he was more young. And... he got in fights often." she paused for a second. "What I'm going to say is, uh... dark. That is... like history of Equestria. Before sisters, that is."

"A-alright." Wind Rider nodded slowly. "So, uh, your world is pretty bad... No offense."

"None took." the girl replied. "So... Sirius was, uh, not very... mindly... ment... um..."

"Mentally?" the colt suggested.

"Yes. He wasn't mentally healthy." Anastasia continued explaining. "Even though he was nice to me... He, uh, went through bad things. I don't even know what happened to him during last two years." she paused. "And... it was too much. He, um... he did suicide."

"...W-what?" Wind Rider couldn't believe his ears as his eyes widened in shock. "He... killed himself? Oh my fucking..." he blushed. "Sorry, uh... It's just... How? Why?"

"I don't know and I wish I did." Anastasia replied. "So, um... After he did it, he appeared here. In Equestria. He found Iclyn, and, um, adap... adj... Uh... got used to all of this. But he found something that turned over his mind, made him very angry. He thought that all he got was, um, fake. And so... he decided to fight Luna."

"...This is insane." the colt commented. "Fight Princess Luna? What, is he crazy?" he flinched when he saw Anastasia's look. "I'm sorry... But why would he do that?"

"He and her didn't start very good. At all." the girl explained. "And, um... They fought. Dueled. He almost defeated her but Iclyn came in and, uh, stopped it. Oh, he also wore... an artifact that, uh, makes you insane but gives much power. It made him..." she knew it was all in his mind, and not the artifact. She knew Sirius wanted to die, and she knew that the artifact gave him strength and a push. He always had it in himself. "It made him hurt himself. A lot. And, uh, he's now recovering but he's in coma. No one knows when he is awake."

"I... I don't even know what to say." Wind Rider gulped. "That is, uh... He wasn't too talkative, yeah, but I didn't think about anything even close to what you've just said. Well, I did think that there's something a bit wrong with him but, um, I didn't expect this." he paused for a few moments. "But he had done good things to us. Got rid of bullies, protected me... He's a nice colt." he tried his best to explain. "And... It makes me feel... I don't even know how to explain. A feeling of... emptiness of sorts. Like, he helped me, but he almost died. And, um, maybe if I tried to be his friend more, he wouldn't do what he did. That is, go after the princess."

"He doesn't trust many." Anastasia replied. "He never had many friends. Aside from me, I don't even know... I don't remember." she shamefully admitted. "And aside from Iclyn, he never had anyone. I don't know what, uh, details happened between him and princess, but I know he was furious. Now I just wish him to find peace." she sighed. "And... don't tell anyone, alright?"

"I wasn't going to." Wind Rider shook his head. "It's a bit too personal. Though, why not make a party once he's back? He needs more friends. He has done good to us, it's time for us to repay him."

"I think you're right." Anastasia nodded. "But... No one knows when he wakes up. Iclyn is, um... trying to get him. That's why she's away."

"I figured that out, yeah..." the colt paused for a moment. "Well, I guess I can only wish good luck. And... Why not we two do something together? You're feeling down, and I'm here for you. If you don't mind, that is."

"No, I don't." the girl replied. "Let's... watch TV. I've not done that in while."

Iclyn watched as Stanislav entered his new school all by himself. He passed the students, not looking at any of them, trying to blend in and be invisible while in the public view. He successfully made it to the class just as the bell rang. Everyone else was already there.

"Good morning!" the teacher greeted Stanislav as he entered. "You are the new student, I presume?" the boy nodded to the question. "Alright, then. Please, introduce yourself to the class."

Stanislav turned to face the other students, Iclyn following his gaze. Most of them had blurry faces, no details could be made out. However, a few people were more in focus, and especially one of the girls. The pegasus found her somewhat familiar: hazel eyes, dark-brown hair, it all was telling her of something.

"I'm Stanislav Zima." the boy said clearly and yet quietly. His eyes were focused on the shelves at the opposite end of the class. Iclyn could sense his discomfort and stress, she could feel his anxiety, but all was hidden under an impenetrable mask of neutrality and barely noticeable tiredness. Iclyn noticed that the girl looked at him with what looked like interest. "I'm from another city. Call me Stas for short."

After his short introduction, he silently observed his new classmates, his eyes looking at one face and then the other as if he was studying them. He was already making guesses about people in front of him, analyzing how they looked at him. Most didn't care too much and just gave in to the herd mentality, wanting to know what they didn't need to know. Some were judging him, some looked at him with challenge and aggression, and few looked at him with interest. Not much different from his previous school, and so he wasn't too interested in any of them.

"Well, Stanislav," the teacher said, finally breaking the silence. "You may take a free seat."

The boy nodded and headed towards the desk where the girl was sitting. The desk was in front of the blackboard, being the first one in the second line. He took a seat next to her left and unpacked his belongings. He pulled out just a few items he needed and put them onto the desk: a notebook, a pencil, a pen, a ruler, and an eraser. He didn't say anything to the classmate he shared the desk with, not even a greeting. He shifted his eyes on the teacher as she began writing on the blackboard.

Iclyn noticed that Stanislav, while being interested in the subject, didn't write as much as others did, preferring to look at the writings and memorize them, as well as understand them by making logical conclusions in his mind, connecting all the dots.

The teacher turned around to explain something and immediately noticed that the new student hadn't written a thing.

"Is there a problem, Stanislav?" she asked him warily.

"No, there isn't." the boy shook his head, not understanding the issue. He came to study and he was studying. He wasn't disturbing class either. He was the most silent one, Iclyn noticed.

Everyone looked at him, interested in the reason why the teacher told him that. He felt uncomfortable and irritated under so many eyes but he didn't let it show, forcing his emotions down under the mask.

"Well, then why aren't you writing?" the teacher inquired, a small frown on her face. She adjusted her glasses, which the boy noticed and took as a sign of annoyance.

"I'm listening." Stanislav replied calmly. "Trying to understand."

"Understanding comes with learning, and to learn something you must have it first." she replied. "Be so kind and write everything down, boy."

"Why?" he asked, his anger rising. Why was he being called put while doing exactly what he was supposed to do — study? He was giving no trouble, he just learned differently. What made the teacher so stubborn to make him write instead of try to understand?

"If I check later and not see a single word, you'll get a bad mark." the teacher turned back to the blackboard. "So, students, here we..."

Stanislav clenched and unclenched his fists, controlling his anger. He knew that his outbursts created nothing but trouble for everyone. Iclyn was looking at him with worry, hoping that he would be able to stay calm.

Thankfully, he did. Even though he ended up having a bad mark, he remained calm and went through the lesson without a problem. Iclyn noticed that a girl sitting by his side turned to him when the break started. He stared at the blackboard, having nothing else to do. His hands were working on their own, stacking pencils he pulled out of the backpack once the bell rang.

"Hey, Stas?" the girl called for him, startling him. He stopped moving, his hand a millimeter from placing another pencil.

"...What?" he asked in a neutral tone, half-turning to her and putting the pencil down. Girl's eyes glanced at his facial scar which was still fresh, and then returned to his face.

"How's it going?" she asked in a friendly tone.

Stanislav's dark-green eyes widened as he looked directly at her. What did she need? Why did she care? Did she truly care or was it a simple greeting? May e she wanted something from him?

"...Fine, I guess." he replied after a he calmed down a little, keeping his emotions in check. "What do you need?"

Iclyn flinched, feeling like the question was harsher than needed. However, she understood Stanislav's situation — he was startled and doubtful, she could feel it.

"Um, would you mind helping me with an assignment, please?" the girl asked him nicely.

The boy stared at her for a few good seconds. Would he mind? He had no problem helping her but why would she ask him of all students in class? But if she was so friendly, maybe it would be good for him to establish a kind of connection with her.

"I wouldn't." he finally responded. "Um, what is your name?"

"Anastasia." the girl replied. "You can call me Nastya for short if you want."

"Alright... So, what do you need my help with?"

Iclyn understood that it was her. The girl he later fell in love with, the pegasus assumed. It looked like they started out as friends, just like herself and Sirius. She wondered if the events that led to him loving Anastasia were the same.

They probably weren't since Iclyn was sure nothing like the changeling invasion happened in his life, but she had never expected many things about his life. Maybe there was a similar event, she just had to find out by herself.

Author's Notes:

You have probably noticed that a part of his chapter was retelling of Anastasia's memories from Sirius' perspective. There are some different details. What do you think they mean?