Sirius, Iclyn, Anastasia, and Wave Rider disembarked the carriage in front of the mansion. The former human looked around, deeply inhaling the chilly autumn air. He enjoyed the sensation, closing his eyes for a few seconds. He never knew he would enjoy something as simple as that.

Clouds covered the sun, providing a nice shade for those down below, the rustle of leaves sounded across the land as they swirled through the air, carried by a soft and cool wind. One of the leaves, a small red one, landed on Sirius' muzzle but he seemingly didn't notice it. He blinked slowly, taking another deep breath as he looked around, the wind blowing off the leaf from his muzzle and carrying it away.

It was his true home, somewhere he was welcome, somewhere he wanted to live, somewhere he belonged. Iclyn opened his eyes — there were people who cared about him, maybe even more than he would ever realize. Indeed, he wanted to live once again, he must at the very least repay Iclyn for what she did for him out of the kindness and compassion that she had. She didn't leave him in the most difficult situation of his life, she fought for him. He might never fully understand it all but he knew that he should stay, he shouldn't throw everything away like he tried to do all those days ago when he fought Luna. Sirius realized that care could not be faked, and the nightly princess didn't do anything to him. She just wanted to help him, but she didn't control anything.

A blanket of fallen leaves covered the ground, a mare by the name of Flora piling them together using a rake. She hadn't seen the group yet, peacefully humming a song as she worked, moving the rake with care and precision, knowing her work well.

"You don't have to remove the leaves." Sirius said as he entered the area along with his friends, his voice quiet and somewhat emotionless. "They look beautiful as is."

"Oh! Good day, Sirius!" Flora exclaimed, startled a little as she turned towards the group. "I'm, I'm glad to see you again."

"You may go rest." he replied, a smile making its way on his face. While the mare was not too familiar to him, he knew that even she cared for him in her own way. "I will take care of things."

"As you wish." the mare nodded and trotted away, happily humming a different, more upbeat song.

Sirius, not wasting any time, used magic to scatter the leaves around, making them cover the ground evenly once again. They swirled like large snowflakes, settling down soon after touching the ground. The former human sat down on the leaves and looked at his friends.

"Nastya, Wind, leave me and Iclyn alone for a while." he asked softly, avoiding looking at them.

"Alright, no problem." Wave Rider nodded in understanding and soon he and Anastasia disappeared inside the mansion.

Sirius and Iclyn were alone yet again, but they were no longer divided. Finally, they were able to look at each other without fear but with love. Without a word, Iclyn sat down next to her lover, leaning on him. Pain shot through his heart when he looked at her chest that was covered in bandages. Unbeknownst to him, his horn started glowing in a soft, bluish glow, encompassing Iclyn without her noticing it. However, she did feel something — deep warmth washing over her, making her feel at ease.

Sirius' horn glowed brighter as he picked up different leaves, his magic fusing them together into a tiara. His usual emotionless mask fell, replaced with concentration and care, something he rarely displayed. Soon, the tiara was assembled. Orange leaves for the comfortable edge that would touch Iclyn's head, yellow leaves as the basis, and red leaves for the decorations, like rubies. The pegasus smiled as the tiara softly landed on top of her head. Sirius carefully adjusted it so it looked perfect on her, and he was content with the end result. The colors of the tiara contrasted well with Iclyn's own colors,

"I'm sorry for putting you through all of this." he said, nuzzling her affectionately. "Love isn't supposed to be endured. It's supposed to be cherished." he let out a long sigh. "I... I failed to give you what you really need."

"Love is also supporting each other." Iclyn countered. "Don't blame yourself. Both of us are alive, we can figure things out."

"I, um, I suppose..." Sirius stuttered, not sure of what to say. "I just... I don't know." he sighed again. "I... I want to stay here for a b-bit longer, okay?"

"Don't worry." the pegasus nuzzled him. "Let's stay, breathe some fresh air."

***

Meanwhile, Anastasia and Wave Rider were in the kitchen, preparing dinner for all of them. The colt was cutting up some cucumber while the girl rummaged through the fridge in search of something more.

"Well... I can say that these few days were the craziest in my life." Wave Rider said, putting down the knife. "Changelings, all that weird stuff happening... I think I'll have some nightmares from that."

"It's over, yes?" Anastasia said.

"Yeah... Still feels weird." the colt shrugged. "I, uh... I don't really know what to think of it all anymore. I guess..." he paused and then sighed. "Welp, I don't know."

"It will be fine." the girl assured him, finally getting some lettuce and garlic.

"I'm sure it will, it's just... Hard to digest." Wave looked through the window and saw Sirius and Iclyn outside, just sitting on the ground and talking, smiles on both their faces. "They look... happy."

Anastasia wanted to say something but couldn't find the words needed to express it. Deciding not to embarrass herself with her lack of knowledge of the language, she kept silent and continued preparing dinner.

The dinner was spent in a more or less comfortable silence as the four dined, all sitting at the table together, the fireplace crackling in the background, warming them all up as the weather outside became colder and colder, recently started rain tapping on the windows, creating a gentle sound as drops of water rolled down the panes of glass. The wind blew but didn't reach those inside the house. The ponies basked in the warmth, enjoying each-other's company just as well as they enjoyed the meal.

Sirius and Iclyn sat at the head of the table, close together. They both look tired but they were content with the situation, smiles very apparent on their faces. Throughout the meal, they would share a nuzzle here and there, happy to finally see each other. Sirius was especially happy, his purple eyes looking warmly at the ponies surrounding him. It felt almost like... a family. Someone he could trust and be around with.

But trust... he already found it hard to trust Iclyn even though she had yet to push him away. She had seen things that he otherwise would most likely hide forever, and yet she accepted him. How did it happen? How could it happen? He didn't know and couldn't understand. He had done bad things in his life, wasn't he supposed to be punished for them? He had made many mistakes, wasn't he supposed to answer for them?

He could find the right answer. Was he even searching at the right place? Maybe the answer didn't lie within him but within someone else?

So many questions and yet no answers. He didn't even know where or even how to search for them. He wished to know the truth, he wanted to know how things were, but he already knew many things that he shouldn't have learned in the first place, things that damaged his mind.

"Something on your mind?" Iclyn asked him quietly, noticing how deep in thought Sirius was.

"Yes, but..." his eyes turned from her to Anastasia and Wave Rider. "We'll talk alone, alright?"

"No problem." the pegasus filly nodded, and then the two returned to eating.

Many things were on Iclyn's mind as well. She had already found out quite a few things about Sirius she would never expect to see, and she wondered whether there was more. What was hidden inside him? What other dark things happened to him that left him so scarred both on the outside and the inside? If there was more, she needed to fix it, to bring peace to the one she loved. He had done more for her than he would ever understand. Her love for him was strong, unshakeable, burning like a bright fire to protect those around it and dispel that darkness surrounding it.

Sirius was someone she would cherish for a long time even if it meant enduring things she otherwise wouldn't have to. But she saw it, she saw the light inside him being drowned by darkness. The former human fought it with what he could and tried to be a good person, which was proven by his actions when he protected Iclyn from something she didn't want to think about. He saved her and others while almost giving his own life for the cause, not stopping until the threat was neutralized.

Iclyn believed he deserved the title of Hero of Equestria, he deserved the respect ponies gave him after his great achievement of defeating the changeling queen. By doing so, he prevented something very terrible from happening.

After the dinner was finished, Sirius and Iclyn went upstairs to rest, feeling tiredness in their bodies. The former human, with his strength restored after a hearty meal, supported his loved one, helping her move to the second floor. Before going to bed, however, the two entered the bathroom, Iclyn asking Sirius to remove her bandages. Carefully and tenderly, he unbandaged her, revealing a pink scar underneath, which surprised both him and the pegasus.

"It still hurts a bit." Iclyn admitted. "But... it's not that bad."

Without saying a word, Sirius nuzzled her, being careful not to touch the scar as if it could open into a horrible wound once again. Then, he guided her to the showers where he helped her clean herself. He was gentle, using his magic to rub Iclyn's body softly and carefully.

After everything was done, the two dried themselves and went to the bedroom. Sirius closed the curtains, darkening the room. The two lay on the bed, resting by being close to each other, sharing warmth. Soon, they fell into peaceful slumber.

At least Iclyn did.

Sirius appeared in a dimly-lit hallway, its gray brick walls old and worn out, chunks of washed-out paint lying on the floor. At the end of the hall, a simple wooden door stood. The former human looked around, not understanding where he was or what was happening. Warily, he stepped forward, chunks crunching under his hooves. Having no weapons to defend himself with, he could only rely on his physical strength and magic. His horn glowed, dispelling some of the darkness, pushing it away. His heart was beating loudly inside his chest, he felt like it would jump out. He tried to suppress his breath but he felt like it was way too loud, no matter how hard he tried to breathe quietly. The silence of the surroundings put pressure on him, his ears swiveling around as they tried to catch any sound.

With great hesitation, he stepped closer to the door, and he felt fear. What was behind the door? Was it locked or just closed? Was someone waiting for him there?

He took another careful step forward, his eyes staring at the door unblinkingly, expecting something to happen even though he didn't know what it might be.

Suddenly, the door began to open slowly, its hinges creaking loudly. Sirius stopped in his tracks, his eyes widening in fear. He knew he wouldn't like whatever was behind the door, slowly revealing itself to him.

The door fell to the ground, unhinged, a loud thud echoed across the hallway, almost deafening Sirius as his ears pressed against the skull and he instinctively shut his eyes. He reopened them a moment later, and he caught his breath.

In the doorway, the Figure stood, its hateful eyes looking at the former human with burning rage. Its hands were empty, however.

"You can't escape yourself." it spoke lowly, apparent and sharp aggression in its voice. "You are a monster."

"He is not." a voice sounded from behind Sirius, a very familiar one. He turned around and saw Luna standing there, her eyes glaring at the Figure.

"If you only knew what he had done." the Figure retorted, stepping forward but stopping before it could make the second step. "Maybe I can enlighten you? Iclyn knows it... she knows what he had done."

"I murdered before I was here." Sirius confessed in one breath. "I... murdered." he let out a shaky sigh, not looking at the princess.

She was silent for a few moments, her eyes staring at the former human in shock.

"You see now." the Figure spoke again. "He is a monster."

Images flashed before Luna. The car, the crash, a boy limping towards the second car, stab, blood. Each image burned into her mind as if they were her own memories, her own experiences, and her own emotions. She didn't know what to think but she felt what Sirius felt: confusion, anger, fear, and regret. That mix was more than enough to confuse Luna as well. She couldn't understand what Sirius truly felt about the situation he was in at such a young age.

"You see." the Figure repeated, a grin spreading across its face.

Moments passed in silence as the princess turned from the nightmarish creature to Sirius over and over again, trying to make sense of things that were happening and how she would need to deal with it.

"I have seen things..." she began, looking at the Figure. "Terrible things. Sirius is not a monster, merely confused and lost. He didn't know whom to turn to. I can see it... his father died suddenly and he could do nothing about it but to avenge his death." she inhaled deeply. "It is care. There is nothing wrong with it. If someone harmed my own family, I would make sure they would not get away with it, even if it meant ending them for good."

The Figure glared at her but stayed silent.

"Do you r-really think that?" Sirius turned to the princess, his voice quiet and full of uncertainty.

"Yes, I do." Luna nodded, looking into his eyes.

The vision disappeared. The hall, the Figure, everything but Sirius himself faded away into nothingness. The princess felt something within him... relief?

"So... you understand me?" he asked, hope in his eyes.

"I do." Luna nodded once again. "Don't blame yourself for it. A terrible thing happened to you, and you didn't know what else to do in that situation. I know what it is." she looked at him with sadness, realizing that the things that happened to him left a deep mark on him. "Trauma. No one knows how to respond to it. You are suffering from it, but the suffering can be ended, and it is not death that is the solution." she inhaled deeply. "I know you and I started off on a wrong hoof, but... Maybe we can fix it?" she paused for a second. "Will you allow me to help you?"

Silence followed as Sirius stared at her in disbelief. As senses came back to him, he tried to figure out what to say. What would be the right thing to do for him? He didn't know.

"I... I need to talk with Iclyn about, um, this." he finally replied, letting out a deep sigh.

"I understand." Luna smiled at him. "Take your time. Sleep well, Sirius."

Author's Notes:

I hope that Luna accepting what Sirius has done doesn't look rushed or wrong. I believe that the princess had her own share of things she wish to forget, things that she had done wrong in her life.

Besides, who wouldn't avenge the unfortunate death of those they deeply cared about, especially if it's a loving family member?