An intelligent mind is an intricate and mysterious mechanism of survival. Humans, for example, don't have any natural tools of survival like claws or fangs to attack or thick skin or speed to protect themselves from danger. Most animals can easily kill humans due to having superior physical capabilities.

That is why humans had to develop their brains. Otherwise, they would go extinct. Thousands of years later, they built complicated machines that helped them survive even better, making them the lone rulers of the Earth, their homeland.

However, nothing comes without a price. The overdevelopment of mind allowed the conflicts, be they small or big, reasonable or meaningless to spur. Needless violence, hatred, wars, all of them are human inventions. Such inventions have many consequences, including possibilities of psychological disorders, something that is rarely seen in the animal world. Categorization of illnesses, their causes and solutions, all of them were developed by humans. However, one must remember that nature takes a large part in their lives, introducing genetic problems that weed out those unfit for survival. Humans are social, and therefore they need each-other to survive. Such a need opens up a lot of possibilities.

Less intelligent animals don't have to worry about the meaning of life or purpose in the world. Unlike humans, they don't care about success or possessions of luxury. They don't think about being recognized or loved, they live by their instincts which are quite simple in comparison to human minds.

Humans disagree with each-other, wage wars, and do many nasty things just for pleasure, and it's something very rarely seen among other animals. A lot of humans no longer have to survive, they have everything they would ever need to be healthy and create as many just as healthy offsprings as they want.

All humans are different and unique in mind, each having their own experience. No one really knows how their minds work or why they are so intelligent.

Trying to look inside those minds could be problematic and even dangerous.

Sirius was suspended by the chains in the black void. He didn't move, his eyes weren't even open. He breathed lightly and yet shakily, his eyes darting around under the lids. He knew that there would be no difference whether he kept them open or closed.

He could still feel something and even hear very distant voices. All of it was very far back in his mind as all his consciousness was filled with nothing but pain. He had lost everything he valued and even then there was no release.

Was it his personal hell or was he still alive? He thought he couldn't live — he rammed a longsword through his chest. Unless it didn't go through his heart, he would be dead. Did he miss? Did something else happen? Was he immortal?

He knew that the power of the amulet was gone, it wasn't keeping him alive. In his last moments of life, he released it in hope of achieving a quick death. He was sure that the amulet would revive him otherwise.

But what if the curse was true? What if it did something to him? What if he was simply trapped inside the amulet and paying the price for using it?

There were so many questions and yet none could be answered. All Sirius was able to see was a black void. Cold, harsh, silencing and deafening. There was nothing else to it.

He thought that death would be a release for him. A void of warmth and comfort would wrap around him, guiding him to a peaceful eternal sleep. It was his only hope when he committed his first suicide. His wish, his deepest desire. He found his hopes crushed and yet his life took a sudden and unexpected turn for what looked like the better. But in the end, he returned to his hope only to find it thrown aside and abused.

Maybe all of it was just his agonizing brain imagining things as it died? Once he finally died, he was sent to hell. It made some sense to him but he feared it wasn't the case. Maybe it was a punishment for wasting his second chance? It probably was, at least he thought so.

There was a slim chance that he was still alive. If so, why was no one coming to save him? Did anyone truly care about him? He seriously doubted it, finding it hard to believe that anyone needed him. He was a depressing wreck, a broken soul, hateful and aggressive. Why would anyone go to any length to help him?

His relationship with Iclyn was fake. It could never be true. He was an alien, she was a pretty average pegasus filly. There was no way she would ever fall in love with him. He saved her life once but it didn't matter to him. He had never thought that Iclyn would ever love him even for that.

In truth, he had been loving her ever since he confessed about his origins. Was it also a fake love? He wasn't sure about it.

He was no longer sure about anything.

"Why?" he whispered to himself. "Why do I deserve so much hate? I didn't choose to be like this! I didn't choose to be born this way!" he sighed deeply. He knew no one would hear him saying it. "Please, I just want something... nice and good! Is it too much to ask for after all of this?"

The void was silent to his begging. His words were swallowed wholly and nothing remained.

Sirius hung his head. There was no use in crying if no one was going to hear it.

He just wanted to die.

Suddenly, he heard steps coming his way. His ears perked up, his eyes opened and looked into the black abyss. He concentrated on what he was feeling. The first thing that came was the pain: throbbing and acute pain through his whole body. He hissed, suppressing it. Then, he listened closely.

Was someone coming to save him or at least put him out of his misery?

The steps sounded like a barefooted bipedal being was walking on cold, hard stone. The steps were slow and rhythmical, resonating around the void, deafening Sirius. Aside from his rapidly beating heart, those steps were very loud.

"Finally, you understand." a gravely cold voice spoke. It was like Sirius' in many ways and yet it was completely different. "It's time you see the truth."

The too familiar silhouette appeared out of the black. It was the Figure.

"You always knew it would come to this." it spoke, stopping a few meters away from suspended Sirius. Its sunken eyes were glaring at him as a triumphant grin was plastered across its face. "You knew it all along. Wasn't it why you died? No one cared about you. Your parents died, you lost your friends and turned away from the last one. Your love was fake, too. Can you see it now? All of them want you to suffer."

Sirius didn't answer. He couldn't disagree with the figure despite how much he hated it.

"And failing to kill yourself... This is embarrassing." the figure laughed. "You missed your own heart. You can't even end your life properly!"

Sirius looked down, trying to evade the Figure's hateful gaze.

"You are a bother for others, a load. Imagine if Iclyn gives birth to a child from you." the Figure pointed at him. "You doomed your offspring to live a painful and miserable life. To know that their father committed or tried to commit suicide twice... Not to mention that your foal might inherit your issues. Or even more... Schizophrenia, delusions, psychosis, various personality disorders...

"What if Iclyn gives birth to a foal? Would they become like you — rapist and murderer? You are filth of these two worlds. Your mother should've aborted you or drowned you while you were still young.

"This new world... It is tainted by you now. More humans might come in and destroy it. And it is all your fault. All your blame."

The Figure turned around and walked away, leaving Sirius sobbing as he realized something.

He must die.

Anastasia was studying at the school library to get her mind off of Sirius. As much as he was a friend to her, she had her own life and problems and she needed to solve them. She needed to study the language, and with Sirius' attempted suicide her return to Earth would be significantly delayed.

And yet, her mind kept returning to her old friend. He was always troubled but she would never think he would commit suicide even once. He used to be cheerful around her. She knew it was because of his love but she was certain he was having fun with his other friends, too. Surely he couldn't be alone.

She remembered how lonely he was at the school. His classmates were wary of him and he never approached any of them. Anastasia remembered when she first tried talking to him.

"Hey, Stas?" she called for him during the break. The two were sitting at their shared desk. Her future friend was staring at the blackboard, his notebook almost empty and was filled with red notes from the teacher. However, Stanislav didn't care much about it.

"...What?" he asked in a neutral tone, half-turning to her. Anastasia could see the corner of his facial scar — it was slightly pink.

"How's it going?" the girl asked casually.

She remembered Stanislav's dark-green eyes widening slightly as he looked directly at her, trying to hide his surprise but failing.

"...Fine, I guess." he replied after a few moments of thinking and calming down. "What do you want?"

It was time for Anastasia to be surprised. What Stanislav had said wasn't rude but it definitely seemed like that. She decided not to take it seriously and instead approach him in a friendly manner.

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

Stanislav gazed at her for a few moments, thinking. His eyes shifted to her notebook and then returned back to her.

"I wouldn't." he finally responded. "Now, what do you need help with?"

It was the first step towards their friendship and eventually his love. Over the course of two years, they were together, they formed a great bond. From one side, it was friendship. From another, it was love. Unfortunately, in the end, such a bond didn't work out very well and the two separated.

Anastasia was yet to find out what happened to him since.

Princess Luna and Iclyn stood in the hospital room, waiting for something. The alicorn was sitting, her posture relaxed as she drank a glass of apple juice. The pegasus filly was pacing around the room, her eyes darting from one place to another, and very often glanced at Sirius. She was unable to find a place for herself as she impatiently waited.

Iclyn knew she had to do what needed to be done to save Sirius. However, she didn't know what waited ahead. What things could be hidden in his broken mind? Was there a real Sirius inside or was his true personality dead, leaving only sadness and anger? Would he recognize her and if so, did he still care for her? The filly hoped she would be able to pull him out of his broken state and put him back together. He still loved her, right? If so, Iclyn would be able to help him. But if he forsook everything...

She decided not to think about it.

Luna opened her mouth to say something but ultimately decided against it, opting to remain silent. She didn't need to bother Iclyn and she knew she was very annoyed and angry at her. All the princess could do was try to right her wrongs. She realized that entering Sirius' mind when she first met him was a very bad move, one that almost cost her her own life and also his.

Finally, the door to the room opened and another hospital bed was rolled in. It was placed near Sirius' one, and then Luna and Iclyn were left alone.

The pegasus filly walked up to the new bed and lay on top of it.

"I can do this." she encouraged herself. "Princess... Do what must be done."

"Are you certain about it?" Luna asked for final confirmation.

"Yes." Iclyn replied simply and then closed her eyes. She breathed deeply, her wings twitching slightly in her nervousness."

"Good luck, then." the alicorn nodded and lit her horn. Her magic encompassed Iclyn's head, and soon everything faded to a nice shade of blue.

The filly found herself amidst the stars. Cosmic dust flew around her, glistening in the light of many stars and their constellations. Away from her, nebulas were created, filling the beautiful universe with even more light.

Iclyn blinked and looked around. There were many doors lined up in front of her, and one of them was particularly interesting. It was much taller than others and it was wrapped in chains.

"What you see around yourself is the Dreamscape." the voice of Luna spoke from everywhere. "From here, I can enter most dreams and be able to change them. The door you see before yourself leads to the mind of Sirius, and I wasn't able to open it. It is highly possible that you are able to do it. But once you're inside, beware of monsters.

"Monsters are created by troubled minds and can invoke negative feelings in you. You must be extremely careful, too. There is a possibility that whatever injury you might endure in Sirius' mind would be transferred to the real life. If you die there, you will die here."

Iclyn's eyes widened. She had never suspected such a thing. However, there was no going back. She didn't need to and didn't want to go back. She must go through with Luna's plan or else Sirius would die.

"I will try to aid you but I have no idea if it's possible." the alicorn said. "Now, go on."

The pegasus filly nodded and then walked up to the menacingly-looking door. She raised her hoof but hesitated for a few moments, leaving it centimeters away from the wooden surface of the door.

Finally, she pushed the door. For a few moments, it didn't as much as budge. However, she managed to open it, albeit slightly. She immediately slipped in, not wasting her chance.

The door closed behind her, the chains locking it up once again.

Author's Notes:

Do any of you have any theories? I'd love to hear them if you do.