"Are you alright, Sirius?" Luna asked the former human. She was in the living room along with him and Iclyn, the latter at his side, the couple sitting on a sofa while the princess took a seat in the armchair.

"Yes, I am." he nodded confidently. "I just... remembered what I put you through."

"I understand." Luna nodded as well. "I hold no ill will against you, Sirius. We started off on a wrong path and it was as much of my fault as it was yours. I hope I will be able to prove that your trust in me will not be wasted. Now, are you perfectly comfortable with sharing your thoughts with me, your memories and emotions?"

"...I am comfortable." Sirius replied after a moment of hesitation. "I must do it not only for myself but for Iclyn." he nuzzled his loved one. "And I will be honest."

"It's good that you agree to be honest, Sirius." the alicorn praised him as she smiled at him. "It shows how much you care about the one you love." she glanced at Iclyn and then returned to Sirius. "I will be honest with you as well. With both of you. Your relationship is in danger." she paused for a moment and then turned to the pegasus. "Iclyn, you have great emotional endurance. You were able to not only take negativity without damage to yourself but also give positivity in return. However, any endurance has an end, and if things continue like they were, it will wear you out. I've seen relationships fall apart because of dark things." she paused again, looking away for a moment, a tinge of sadness in her eyes. Quickly, she returned her attention to the ponies in front of herself. "So, the best way to deal with the past is to relive it, go through it again, but this time with those you trust. You will get outside perspective, and it will help you understand how to work it all out. We will continue from where you two paused. Can you tell me about it, Sirius?"

"Well... I, um, don't know." he replied with uncertainty. "I... I don't understand. It's just all... fuzzy and blurry. I remember shapes, voices, other, um, noises and visions, but..." he sighed. "I don't remember much aside from, uh, the last few things before I, um, returned."

"I know." Iclyn spoke. "Sirius, it was the start of your new school."

"Oh, right..." he nodded. "So, um... there was this girl..."

The gears in his mind turned as the image of young Anastasia appeared in front of his eyes.

"Stay with us, Sirius." the voice of Luna broke into his mind, returning him to the waking world. "Don't let memories consume you."

"But... he was just talking." Iclyn said with worry, not understanding what was happening.

"He was inside his mind, Iclyn. His memories, they are trying to take control of him." the alicorn explained. "It's called the Remembrance Effect. Someone becomes so obsessed with their past experiences, they relive them again and again, detaching themselves from the world. This is what happened to Sirius." she looked him in the eyes. "We shouldn't let it happen again. Sirius, hold Iclyn close. She will be a reminder that you are here, in the present."

"Alright..." the former human said. He adjusted his position on the sofa, his front leg pulling Iclyn closer. She didn't resist and put her wing over him, giving him comfort. "Can I continue?"

"You may continue." Luna nodded. "When you feel it's too much, just stop. I will also interrupt you if things are needed to be explained or if you can't stop yourself. Will it be alright?"

Sirius nodded silently and then dived deep into his memories again. This time, a part of his consciousness remained in Equestria, stayed with ponies. That part knew how much Iclyn cared about him and how Luna wanted to help him escape his nightmare and live a much better life.

The first day of his new school had just finished. After the final lesson of the day, he collected his belongings and exited the classroom, preparing to go home. Alone, he strolled down the hallway, his steps as quiet as possible.

"Hey, Stas!" he heard a voice behind him. It was an unfamiliar one, and so he became tense. "New guy, huh?"

Stanislav turned around and faced three students from his class, all of them were boys. He immediately noticed a bruise on the face of one of them. He suspected it wouldn't go well.

"You know, there are bad guys around the school." the one in the middle told him. "They would beat you up without a reason, those assholes. So, here's what I suggest." he extended one of his hands towards Stanislav. "You give us, say, two dollars a day, and we'll protect ya from stuff. If you don't have money, you can do things for us. Small things, don't worry. So, deal?"

Stanislav knew it wasn't going to be good. He knew where it was going, and it would result in nothing but pain for him. However, he couldn't agree to their terms. Memories of his first murder appeared inside his head. Screeching of metal, the smell of blood, hands covered in it and last breaths of his first victim.

"We are with you, Sirius." Luna's voice appeared, reminding him where he was. "The past is the past."

The former human understood it. He was no longer there, past already happened. It was like viewing a video on a camera, nothing more. Things happened but they weren't happening at the moment. Instead, Sirius had Iclyn and Luna, both of whom cared about him, especially the former. His past made him as he was but Sirius had to realize that it wasn't shaping him again. It had no power now. However, he had power over it. He had control.

Stanislav knew he had to say something. He remembered what his father taught him — never allow people to control you. Fight for yourself. Stand up for yourself. That was how a strong man should act, he knew it.

"No." the boy replied, turning his back on the three guys and walking away. His body was tense, he forced himself to look forward. While the hallway was noisy, his own footsteps seemed to sound much louder than the rest, making him stand out. No one looked at him, no one showed interest in him, but he thought otherwise.

"I wouldn't be so sure." one of the guys told him in a tone Stanislav couldn't quite understand. "We'll give you a few days to think, mate."

Without looking back, the boy disappeared around the corner. He let out a silent sigh of relief, knowing that he was in control of the situation. For now, at least. He knew he needed to control his emotions lest something bad would happen. As he walked downstairs, he heard quick steps from behind. He turned around and saw Anastasia rushing to him.

"You alright?" she asked him with worry.

"Mh-hm." he nodded. "Why?"

"You'll have a lot of trouble if you don't make the deal." the girl told him.

He could also bring trouble, more than Anastasia could realize. The scar on his face reminded him of it well and he could see it that the girl was interested in it, her eyes glancing at it from time to time.

"Don't care." he replied, dismissing her. "Those three—"

Suddenly, Sirius gasped, pushing his memories away. He let out a grunt and tears started rolling down his face as he looked at the floor. He sighed shakily, getting back the control over his mind.

"Is everything alright?" Iclyn asked him with worry.

"Those three... they..." Sirius tried to form words as he pushed the memories away. Gray concrete walls, the cold, and something else... But before he could feel it, he suppressed the memory. "They would do many... bad things." he sighed again, his eyes looking up at worried Iclyn. "To me... and others." he could help it but let out a sob.

"Shh, you are here." Iclyn hugged him. Luna just watched the two, a smile appearing on her face. Sirius' recovery would be very successful with such a loving filly by his side. "They can't hurt you."

"I k-know." he replied, his voice trembling. "They can't."

Luna's smile faltered as she noticed a sudden change in his tone when he said the last two words. Something about it was very out of place but she couldn't figure out what it was. She didn't expect Sirius to open up so much already, even if it was just a small part of his life.

"Sirius, may I ask you about the girl you met?" she asked him politely.

"Y-yes, sure." Sirius replied, letting go of Iclyn. He blinked a few times, making his tears disappear. "She... well..."

A different memory appeared inside his head. A few days later after he first saw Anastasia, the two were walking down a street together. The girl was on her way to take dancing lessons while Stanislav decided to join her until she was at the needed place. After all, it coincidentally happened to be his way back home.

"So, why did you move here?" Anastasia asked him with interest.

"...My mum did." he replied with uncertainty. He didn't know if he wanted to talk about it. "I, um... we had to." he averted his eyes.

"Oh... okay." the girl decided not to press further. "Anyway, do you like it here?"

"I don't know." Sirius shrugged. He hadn't been outside his house or even room much. He spent most of his days playing on his new computer, sometimes browsing the internet, watching funny videos or pictures.

"What's a computer?" Luna asked with interest, breaking his line of thought.

"Well, uh..." Sirius tried to come up with a reasonable explanation. "Um... it's like a, uh... storage... room with... stuff. Toys, books, other, um, things. But... more interesting."

"I don't think I get it." Iclyn said.

"Hard to explain." the former human replied. "You just... need to see it. But, uh... my computer had access to Internet, which is, uh... A giant... bunch of information." he paused, thinking. "A library, I guess. And it had everything. Sometimes, more than there should be..." he shivered, remembering things that he found on the Internet. He knew he went too deep, and what he saw was something he wished to never see again. Thankfully, it seemed like he wouldn't have to contact humans again, which was a huge relief for him.

"So, one can share information on this Internet and everyone who is connected to it will be able to see it?" Luna asked with interest.

"Y-yes, but it's also used for, uh... sending letters, but you don't have to wait. It's, um, instantaneous." Sirius explained.

"It would be very useful for many ponies as well." the princess said. "But you mentioned a... darker side, am I right?"

"There are things... many bad things on the Internet." Sirius exhaled shakily. "Everyone shows who they really are. And... issues are laughed at, um... people get bullied, sometimes to... death." he paused to catch a breath. "And it goes deeper and deeper..."

"You don't have to talk more about it." Luna stopped him. "I understand it. But... has your friend Anastasia seen it?"

"...I don't know." the former human replied after some thinking. "Probably not... She doesn't know half the things I've seen."

"Alright. Let's pause the session for a while." the princess said softly. "I believe we all need a small break."

Meanwhile, Anastasia and Wind Rider were at school, studying in the library. Sitting at the same table, the two were learning the language together. For the most part, it was the girl who learned it while the colt helped her and corrected her when she was wrong.

After some time, they decided to pause for a bit and just talk about things.

"Seems everything's returning to normal, huh?" Wind Rider asked as he took a comfortable position on one of the sofas.

"I think so, yeah." Anastasia nodded, relaxing as well. "It feel... nice."

"Feels, Nastya." the colt corrected her only to receive a raspberry. "Hey! I thought you were mature!"

"I am, but I want fun!" the girl giggled. "It just... um..." she stuttered. "Feels a bit... weird. With things happening, you know?" she sighed. "And I miss my home."

"I think you told me Princess Luna is searching for a way back." Wind Rider noted. "Nothing yet?"

"Nothing." Anastasia looked at the floor, her ears drooped. "Also... Sirius saw bad things. We lived in same town. I could see it but didn't." she looked at the colt. "I'm scared to return."

"I, um... I don't really know what to say about it." he replied. "I'm not sure it's the right thing to say but... you can just stay here." he flinched. "Sorry, that came off bad."

"No, it's fine." the girl assured him. "Maybe... maybe I stay. I don't know."

"I'm sure the princess will figure something out for you, Nastya." Wind Rider said. "But while you're here... I'd say we can go and have some fun together!"

"What fun?" Anastasia asked him with curiosity.

"There's a pool nearby, wanna go for a swim?" the colt asked, a grin appearing on his face.

"But... I can't swim."

"Don't worry, I'll teach ya." Wind Rider stood up. "C'mon, let's go!"