As the morning came, Sirius and Iclyn awoke to the new day. Groggily, the former human rubbed the sand out of his eyes and stood up, stretching his limbs and releasing a soft but deep sigh. He jumped in place a few times, getting his blood flowing as the veil of sleep lifted, his eyes brightening to meet the new day. Iclyn, on the other hand, had only begun to wake up, rolling on the bed and yawning.

"How did you sleep, Sirius?" she asked him, stretching, still on the bed.

"Very well, thanks to you." Sirius smiled, planting a kiss on Iclyn's cheek. A blush appeared on his cheeks as he stuttered out: "You... you know... You're the best."

"Awww, thank you!" Iclyn returned the kiss. "I'm glad you slept well. So, remember what day it is?"

"We're going to meet your parents?" he replied with slight uncertainty, the sleepiness making it a little hard to remember the previous day.

"Yep! Though, we'll do it in the evening." the pegasus said, finally getting up. "After all, we have an appointment with Luna. For now, let's go downstairs and eat something." she picked up a glass of water and downed it in one go. "Ah... I'm a bit hungry."

Sirius nodded, and soon the two were in the kitchen, preparing food. The former human was cutting up some vegetables while Iclyn was searching for the appropriate plates, humming something to herself. Without much thought, Sirius joined it, humming the same tune he didn't even consciously acknowledge, one of his hind legs tapping lightly against the floor. His ears perked up as a smile appeared on his face, the knife in his magical grasp moving energetically.

In around ten minutes, the meals for the two were almost ready. Sirius was cooking a piece of meat in a frying pan, the oil boiling, helping the meat to not stick to the pan itself.

"Would you mind giving me a piece once you're done?" Iclyn asked, putting the plates with salad on the table. "I'm kinda interested in what you're cooking right there."

"No problem." Sirius nodded, not turning away from cooking. He flipped the meat, letting the other side cook thoroughly. He licked his lips, deeply inhaling the smell of the frying chicken breast. From red, it was already turning to white, and he was sure it would be done very soon.

True to his thoughts, just three minutes later, it was done. The meat was soft and yet had a texture and was thoroughly cooked. Most of it went to Sirius while he shared a small piece with his loved one.

"This... isn't bad," Iclyn commented as she chewed the meat. "I ate fish before, and... this meat is different but it's still meat." she swallowed. "Pretty tasty, actually."

Sirius nodded silently as he chewed, his canines biting deeply into the meat and then tearing it from the rest.

"Those teeth of yours are certainly better at it than mine." the pegasus said, and then dug her muzzle deep into her bowl of salad.

For a few long minutes, the two were silently eating their meals, enjoying it and enjoy each other's presence. Sirius was often glancing at Iclyn, happy to see her enjoying what he made, and it made him enjoy his own meal much more.

Soon after the two were done eating, someone knocked on the door. Knowing well who the visitor was, Sirius distantly opened the door by using his magic and let none other but Princess Luna in. Her nostrils flared slightly as the smell of the recent meal reached her, and a smile appeared on her face.

"Hello, Sirius and Iclyn." she greeted them. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

"It's fine, we're pretty much done," Sirius replied, putting his dish in the sink and turning on hot water. "I, well..." he paused, collecting his thoughts. "I have much to tell, I suppose." he glanced at Iclyn. "I shared something I've not shared before. And..." he sighed deeply, staying calm. "I think I need... to tell you that as well."

"This is a large improvement, Sirius." Luna nodded. "How about we take it to the living room?"

"Yes... that'd be good." the former human nodded, and soon the three ponies were taking comfortable seats in the living room. Iclyn was once again at Sirius' side, one of her wings over his back. For a few moments, everything was silent. Luna waited patiently, understanding that whatever he had to say had to be very important, as well as very hard to say.

Once Sirius collected his thoughts and memories, he told Luna what he had told Iclyn. What he had seen, what was done to him, what was done to that girl he had never known, and how he dealt with it all afterwards.

On that night, he was bound to a chair, duct tape wrapped all around him. All of his body ached like never before, blood dripping from his crotch where the most of the pain was concentrated. He was quietly moaning in pain, fighting the urge to yell and scream. He shifted on the chair, trying to free himself. He let out a gasp as sharp pain shot through his body once again but he didn't give up, he couldn't. Tears of suffering streamed down his beaten up face that looked more like raw meat than anything else, but he struggled on.

Finally, a heavenly sound reached his ears, numbing the pain — his arm was free, the duct tape was ripped off. Despite the pain it caused to his skin, Stanislav ferociously ripped off the rest of the duct tape, not caring about anything at all but getting out of that wretched place.

Soon, he was lying on the floor, breathing heavily, waves of pain washing over him. He stood up carefully, stifling a gasp each time his things rubbed against his damaged privates. He was completely nude, having no defense, no protection, and no weapons, only himself.

In a few seconds, he was on his feet, one of his hands propping him against the grey concrete wall of the place. In the corner of the same room he was in, lay something he didn't want to look at. The smell of blood and rot was in the air, emanating from that very corner. Having nothing to puke, Stanislav just gagged as he went, still holding onto the wall. The room didn't have any windows, only the holes in the ceiling and walls let the sunlight in, barely illuminating the room. However, the room still had an exit, a door. Thankfully for Stanislav, it was made of wood and had no lock. With a surprising amount of effort, he managed to open it and walk into another hall, this one having windows that led to the outside. Unfortunately, they were too small and too high for him to even hope to go through. He had only one way to go.

Anger and hatred boiled in his veins, propelling him forward, giving him the strength to struggle on. He had to survive, he couldn't give up and surrender himself to those that wronged him. He had to punish those responsible for all this. Otherwise, he would be just as bad as they were. He could not let them hurt more than they had already hurt. They hurt him, the now dead girl, and possibly many more victims. Stanislav knew that hundreds if not thousands of people went missing every year, and those were only the reported cases. Who knew how many other people were abducted, tortured, raped, and then mercilessly murdered? It was a horrible mystery Stanislav wasn't sure he wanted to uncover. However, at the very least, he could do something to make the numbers less, to make it stop at least in his own town.

He remembered the day he was abducted. He was walking down the street from his school, hoping to get to his empty house as soon as possible. It had been two years since he and Anastasia begun to separate, and by that time, he was completely alone. One day, when he was just fifteen, he came back home only to see his mother dead, lying on the floor, her hand reaching for the phone as her other hand held onto her chest, a grimace of pain stuck on her face forever. Without her, Stanislav had no one else to rely on, no one else to care for. And so, barely anyone missed him when he was gone. Attacked from behind, he was subdued, tied up, and thrown into a van. After what seemed an eternity of driving, he was zapped and brought into an abandoned building not too far away from the town he lived in. He remembered the place — sinister rumors went around about it. Some said it was the favorite place of Satanists, others said that homeless people occupied it, even ghost stories were connected to that place, but the truth was much, much more terrifying than anything people thought.

It was a place for torture, rape, humiliation. It was a place for recording those horrid actions and streaming them over the internet, letting hundreds if not thousands of people watch it, and not only watch it, but enjoy it as well. Stanislav would never forget the time he had to spend in that place.

Fortunately, he was escaping. Stumbling, he crawled out of his grave, struggling, holding on to his dear life, knowing that if not him, then who would stop it? And finally, he saw someone. He remembered the guy — he was one of them. He was the cameraman, making sure that the best shots were made. Adrenaline pumping in Stanislav's vein, he pounced on the guy, making him drop his camera and shatter it against the gray concrete floor. Choking him with one hand, Stanislav used his other to gouge his eyes out, making the cameraman scream on top of his lungs, breaking the weak hold that was on his neck. A brick was lying nearby, and Stanislav picked it up. He stood up, looking at the guy on the floor crying, just like the victims, just like those he filmed. With great satisfaction, Stanislav crushed the brick against the guy's groin, making him fall unconscious from the shock as his pelvis broke with a loud crack. Not stopping there, Stanislav smashed the same brick against the guy's skull, again and again, turning it into a bloody mush of bone and brain, spraying blood and bone parts all over the place. The body of the cameraman was twitching in agony, dying.

Breathing heavily, Stanislav stood up, covered in the blood of the guy. With a roar, he threw the brick at the chest of the cameraman, breaking the bones. Stanislav's pupils were tiny, and yet a wide, twisted grin was present on his blood-covered face — he unleashed his wrath, he punished. His heart was pounding, the sound resonating in his head, making him want more. He reveled in the violence he brought upon the criminal, satisfied with his brutal death. It was right, he deserved it if not more.

However, the job was far from being done. Others needed to be punished, others needed to taste their own blood. Stanislav had much work to do, and he had no idea where the rest could be hiding. He knew them, he knew them well — they were his classmates, those that always bullied others. Stanislav didn't suspect that they were much worse than that. But now that he found it out, he would track them down, and he would kill them without regret and with great satisfaction. While he couldn't save the previous victims, he could make sure that no more would be made.

Finally, Sirius sighed deeply, finishing his tale. A few tears rolled down his cheeks and dropped on the floor, but Iclyn was quick to hug him and comfort him.

Luna was staring at Sirius in shock, not knowing what to do or say. What he had just told her was truly horrible, something that the princess herself had never even heard of or encountered. Knowing that the numbers of the victims could be even higher and it was a worldwide problem made her even more uneasy. It no longer surprised her why Sirius decided not to stay in his world but rather be done with it completely and without return.

"Sirius..." she began, finally regaining some amount of calm. "May... May I offer you a friendly hug of comfort?"

"...Yes." Sirius replied after a moment of hesitation, and Luna was quick to press him against her chest and hug him tightly. At first, it was slightly uncomfortable for the former human, but he gave in and hugged back, realizing that he needed it. The memories brought him much pain and Luna was just trying to alleviate it. The memories would stay with Sirius forever, but they were the past, not the present, and definitely not the future.

"You are brave, Sirius," Luna said in his ear. "I doubt many people would see to it that the criminals you encountered be punished. You are even more brave for opening up to Iclyn and me about what happened." finally, the two broke the hug. "Tell me... And forgive me if this question is too much, but... have you and Iclyn been intimate?"

"Yes," he admitted without hesitation.

"I... I have no words to describe how strong you are, Sirius." Luna looked at him with wide eyes. "After what you had been through... I am honestly very surprised you even let anyone that close to you." a smile appeared on her face. "Love is truly a medicine, isn't it?"

"Yes... yes it is." Sirius smiled as well, and then pulled Iclyn close and kissed her lovingly.

"I think that you are doing well. Even without my help, you managed to get very far in your recovery." Luna praised him. "If I may ask, what is your next course of action?"

"I... I was going to meet Iclyn's parents this evening," he replied with some uncertainty.

"Then go on, Sirius. You don't need to tell them everything, just show them how much you love Iclyn." Luna put a hoof on his shoulder. "I believe you two are an excellent couple. I am no expert on love, but I do recognize a strong connection when I see it. Iclyn had already given you what you desire, she had begun to help you just by loving you." the princess smiled wider. "This is one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen, Sirius, and I lived for a very long time."

"T-thanks..." Sirius blushed, unsure of how to respond. "I... I do feel happy. I just need to figure out the future, and... that's probably all."

"It is true, but I have some bad news for you." Luna's smile diminished. "The... figure I saw inside you. Tall, pale, piercing purple eyes... It is no longer just inside you. It feasts on your fears and pain. It grows stronger and stronger, and one day... it may come to life and bring pain not only upon you but more ponies. One day, you will have to confront it or else you would never defeat your nightmare."

A ringing silence fell upon the three as Sirius took in what had just been said. After a few long moments, he nodded.

"I will do anything to protect those I care about," he said, looking Luna in the eyes. "No matter the cost to myself."

"It is truly noble." the princess nodded. "But for now, rest, have fun with your loved one, explore the love. I will search for a way to help you deal with the nightmare, and once it is done, you will not fight alone." she stood up. "I bid you farewell and wish you luck on meeting Iclyn's parents. I believe you will leave a very positive impression, Sirius."

Author's Note

Our world is certainly not a very good place. I hope that one day, such crimes will no longer happen. Heck, I hope that one day, all violent crimes will stop completely. I doubt it will ever come, but hope is not reasonable, it's just that, hope. I doubt it will happen in my lifetime, at least.

Honestly speaking, I would do what Stanislav did if I were in his place, even though I really, really hope to never be in his place.