Sirius was writhing in pain, trying to get out of his chains. His eyes were wide and filled with tears, his mouth was open in a wordless scream. He struggled and struggled, but all was futile. He did not give up and continued to squirm, trying to break out, destroy the bounds holding him in place.

But one cannot break out of themselves.

"Do you see now?" a ghastly voice spoke to him. "Luna uses her to get to you. You knew it would happen."

An image of Iclyn sitting on the grass was right in front of the former human, taunting him. The pegasus was completely oblivious to his presence, making it even more excruciating. He wanted to reach her but he couldn't no matter how hard he struggled. He wanted her to go away and never return. His mind was no place for her.

"She still hopes to control you." the Figure said, clinching and unclenching its pale fists. "I have my limitations, but it wouldn't be an issue to kill Iclyn before other... things get to her."

"No!" Sirius replied quickly. "D-don't hurt her!"

"You still believe she's innocent?" the nightmarish being asked in a menacing tone. "If she were on your side, she would have never agreed to going inside your mind. She knows how sensitive you are about your past memories and experiences. At least... You thought she knew." it paused, letting Sirius understand and comprehend the words. "She follows Luna's orders now. She's a pegasus, and pegasi can't get inside others' minds without outside help. I thought it was clear to you.

"And if I don't kill her, she will find out everything." the Figure paused again, letting the words sink in. "If she survives your mind and the creatures it spawned, of course. And once she sees who you truly are... A quick death would be too much to ask. You will be killed agonizingly slowly, your limbs will be torn out, your eyes gouged out... Should I continue or do you understand, do you see the picture of your possible future?"

Sirius nodded in defeat.

"Good." the Figure nodded in return. "You will suffer and everyone will be glad when you're dead and gone. No, they will be relieved and even happy." it inhaled deeply. "You shouldn't have appeared here."

"As if it was my choice." the former human said quietly as he looked down.

"You always wanted a better life." the Figure replied. "Don't you deny it, don't lie to me. I know everything you know." it took a step closer to Sirius. "More than you realize, in fact."

"What do you know?" Sirius asked, dreading the answer. He knew he wouldn't like it no matter what it would be.

"I know how broken you are, how many pieces of you exist." the nightmarish being replied. "Even your mind isn't whole. Through year, it created something... unusual, disturbing, disgusting. You have no place among ponies. They have purpose, destiny, they are happy and they do what they want. Do you see poverty? Do you see wars or violence?

"Ponies are better than you or humanity as a whole." the Figure grinned. "You do not belong here. A filthy being like yourself would be better off lying in a ditch, rotting away into nothing. You are dirt."

"...I am." Sirius sighed, the tension leaving his body as he let the chains keep him in the air. He could not resist them, he couldn't fight them.

"At least you understand." the Figure nodded, satisfied with Sirius' answer. "So... Will you let it continue? It's not too late to get rid of Iclyn."

"Leave her be." the former human replied.

"Your choice. You will regret it. You always regret your choices." the nightmarish being chuckled. "However, I'm certain she will die before getting to us here. And then... she will become a part of you. Neither of us believe in heaven or hell, but for Iclyn... She's gotten herself right into the burning, rotten depths."

The pegasus awaited patiently as she gazed into the skies. Something wasn't right with them, she noticed. Instead of grayish clouds or blue of the sky, everything had a purplish tint, which was almost unnoticeable to normal eye.

A flash of light appeared suddenly, and a few seconds later thunder rolled from the distance. The rain was becoming harder quickly.

"Hey, Ice-leen!" Stanislav shouted from his house's porch. "Um, there's a rain, and my parents are okay with you! Come in!"

Iclyn stood up and trotted to the house. As soon as she entered it, Stanislav closed the door behind her and locked it. The rain was soon tapping on the windows as harsh wind blew it almost completely parallel to the ground.

She immediately noticed two people standing in the hall, both of them were much taller than Stanislav and towered above the pegasus, making her feel very small. Both of their faces were unclear, Iclyn couldn't focus on them as if they were in a fog, the man's face much more thant woman's. As for the boy, he was standing between the two humans, a look of caution on his young face.

"Um, hello." Iclyn said warily. "I'm Iclyn."

"I'm Andrey, glad to meet you." one of the adults spoke with a thick accent Iclyn couldn't recognize. The man walked up to the pegasus, extending his hand. Iclyn awkwardly placed her hoof on his palm, and he squeezed it lightly, his dark-brown eyes looking at the pegasus calmly.

"Oh dear, you could've drenched out there." a woman behind Andrey said, moving closer to Iclyn. "I'm Nadezhda, pleased to meet you."

Iclyn frowned slightly as she tried once again to see their faces. However, the only clear face was Stanislav's. To her, the two parents seemed to take an alien too lightly. From the boy's words, she concluded that talking pegasi didn't exist in his world.

"You're definitely... Unusual." Andrey commented as he looked over her equine features. "But we welcome you. Stas told us you're searching for someone, correct?"

"Yes, I do." Iclyn nodded, her mind starting to work on how to present her goal to Stanislav's parents. For all she knew, they might get angry at her once she did it.

"How about we talk after we have dinner?" the man suggested. "I'm pretty sure both Stas and you are hungry."

The pegasus didn't know whether she should agree or not. Neither Andrey nor Nadezhda were real, they were just the memories Sirius had. However, they could interact with Iclyn, which she deemed unusual. She had no idea how it could ever work.

She must hurry to save Sirius, to bring him back. She must find his current self, his real self. Memories make a man, but a single memory can't represent him wholly. She was seeing his early childhood, way before he had become what he was. What did all of this even mean?

The family and Iclyn were eating together. Stanislav had changed his clothes, opting for a black T-shirt and sweatpants of the same coloration. His arms exposed, his skinny form could be seen, which left Iclyn wondering how he could live like that. He almost looked like a skeleton.

She also noticed that he ate meat. While it was true that some ponies enjoyed fish from time to time, it could be seen that humans needed it. Stanislav's canines could be seen clearly as they tore meat into small parts which were then chewed up by him.

"So, whom are you searching for?" Andrey asked her after the melas were finished and everyone was just sitting at the table.

"...I'm looking for Sirius." Iclyn replied after a small pause.

Almost immediately, frowns touched Stanislav's parents' faces. The boy had already retreated to him room after the dinner was over.

"He's not here." Nadezhda spoke, her voice quiet and sorrowful. "You will have to go much, much farther to find him."

"But... you're all a part of his mind, right?" the pegasus asked cautiously, her body tense.

"Does it make us less real?" the woman asked, tilting her head slightly. "We are all here inside him. We are all many parts of him. And yet, we... exist on our own. We have our limitations, but we are here."

"Where should I go?" Iclyn asked, her body relaxing ever so slightly.

"Forward." came a simple answer. "But... maybe you can help our son first? Stas has been having a lot of nightmares recently. Maybe you can help him."

"I don't know..." the pegasus shifted in place, her ears slightly down. Nightmares? She wasn't Luna, how would she be able to solve them? However, she could at least do something. "I'll try."

"He's in his room. Be careful and... good luck." Andrey finished, and Iclyn could hear notes of Sirius' own voice in his father's.

Iclyn nodded, and then went upstairs, remembering that Stanislav had gone there after dinner. She sighed quietly, hoping everything would be alright.

"So... Iclyn will remain here for a long time?"

"Maybe even a year, yes." Luna nodded. There were two ponies in the room where Sirius and Iclyn were, and they were Iclyn's parents. "So far, she's doing good."

"She loves him a lot if she agreed to go this far."

"The bond between the two is very strong." the princess explained. "Sirius was searching for comfort, love, and care. He saved Iclyn's life during the invasion and drove the changelings away by defeating a strong foe — their queen. He almost gave his life for hers." she turned to Sirius. His expression hadn't changed but he was sweating. "He loves her greatly, not just anyone would give their lives. As for Iclyn, I believe she cares for him just as much. From what I know, I suspect she knows what's under his expressionless mask. A kind and caring person that just needs some love."

Silence fell on all the ponies in the room. For a few moments, no one said anything,

"But... What if she dies?" one of Iclyn's parents asked.

"Then I'll have to put Sirius down, I'm afraid." Luna replied in a grim tone. "But... something tells me it won't happen."

Iclyn entered Stanislav's room as soon as he allowed her to. His room was rather bland, featuring only some furniture and empty walls of bluish coloration. There was nothing to point out but a strange piece of equipment the pegasus assumed to be a sort of TV.

As for the boy, he was sitting on his bed. He blinked tiredly, a frown on his face. He rubbed his legs together and let out a yawn.

"Every time I fall asleep, things come out of the forest." he explained. "They... They want to eat me. They're scary."

"Don't worry, I will protect you." Iclyn assured him, but then added silently: "I wish I could've done it before..."

"O-okay." Stanislav nodded. "I, uh... I didn't expect it. You're nice, Ice-leen. Thank you."

"No problem." the pegasus smiled at him lightly. "Just sleep."

The boy nodded and lay down. He closed his eyes, his breath became calm. Soon, everything around Iclyn turned into a blur, and then into darkness. Suddenly, a forest jumped into her vision.

She blinked a couple of times before she understood what was happening. The trees around her were dry, just a few fragile yellow leaves left on them. Their trunks were crooked as if someone bent them and kept them that way for a long time. The yellow grass crunched under her hooves as she turned around. She looked up and saw a gray cloudy sky.

A distant scream was heard.

"Stas?" Iclyn called, worry in her voice. She couldn't quite tell where the scream came from.

"Please, help!" she heard. And yet, she couldn't figure out the source of the voice.

"I'm coming!" she shouted, hoping to get a reply. She frantically turned around, hoping to see a path or at least something.

"Where are you? P-please!" the boy continued to cry as Iclyn tried to figure out where the voice was coming from.

"I'm looking for you!" she yelled again. She needed to know where Stanislav was.

"W-why did you leave me?"

That question struck her. She had never left Stanislav. She had never left Sirius... had she? She always tried to help him no matter what. She loved him dearly and it pained her to see him in his near-death state. What could she do to save him?

Iclyn took off and flew up into the skies and looked around. Stanislav must be somewhere nearby. The pegasus was sure she'd be able to see him soon. And then, she would help him no matter what stood in her way.

She mustn't let Sirius die.

Sirius was hanging by the chains, sobbing quietly. His eyes were closed but a steady stream of tears was present. His whole body shook as he desperately tried to contain his tears.

He felt shame. Men don't cry, they stand up and fight. And yet, he couldn't. He fought all his life, but he could do so no more.

"She will find out everything..." he chanted, his lips barely moving, his breath labored. "She will..."

"And it is all your fault." the Figure spoke. It was standing below him, its eyes burning with hatred and disgust. "And now, you're nothing more than a rotting pile of flesh and bones."

"What do I do?" Sirius asked.

"There is a way..." the Figure flew up, coming eye to eye with the former human. "You will..." it raised a hand and pointed it and Sirius' head. "Sleep." it touched the forehead, instantly making Sirius go limp and silent. "You can never do anything right, but I can."

The Figure returned to the ground, a revolver appearing in its hand. The nightmarish creature gripped it tightly, its pointing finger playing with the trigger while its thumb rubbed against the hammer.

The Figure looked back at Sirius and snorted.

"It's time to do what you would be too afraid of doing."