Salvation | Rebirth

The Equestrian National Swordsmanship Tournament was supposed to take place in the last warm autumn days before the coming snows. Less than five days before it was scheduled to start, it was canceled.

In the north, the Crystal Empire reappeared.

For the first few days, there was nothing but rampant speculation going on. The princesses made an announcement, which was printed and spoken over radio, spreading far and wide.

“Centuries ago, the Crystal Empire was an important ally and partner of Equestria. We stood together and we prospered together. Sombra, a practitioner of Dark Magic, had made his greed and cruelty known, and the peace was disturbed. With his defeat, a curse was discovered - a curse that had made the Crystal Empire disappear,” it was said, “On the day of this announcement, it has returned. Leaderless, lost in time, the Crystal Empire is now vulnerable like never before. Equestria offers its aid, as well as the return of the last daughter of the line that had ruled Crystal Empire for generations. Our oaths are not empty, and so we will fulfill the ancient agreements - Equestria will provide everything it can to help the Crystal Empire recover, survive, and prosper. Should Sombra still live, judgment will find him, and we will strike him down as many times as it is necessary to ensure the safety not only of our own subjects but of those of the Crystal Empire as well.”

Wild avoided saying out loud that he got a bad feeling about this, and he dearly hoped no one would tempt fate with such words or dismissal of possible danger. Personally, he intended to stay away from the Crystal Empire until it was certain that it was safe, and even then he would likely avoid it.

The Crystal Empire, he had learned, was suffering from a lack of food, as well as a general infrastructure collapse following its brief takeover by one they called King Sombra and the short war that it had caused. Wild also learned that Princess Mi Amore Cadenza was apparently in line for the Crystal Empire throne. Whether that was actually true or it was merely a sham to justify Equestria taking the lands of the Crystal Empire, he didn’t know. He liked to think that the princesses would not do that, but they were still rulers of a country, and that required a certain... attitude. After all, he wagered that the Crystal Empire was basically served them on a silver platter, and they would be fools not to capitalize on it.

Even if they didn’t have any bad intentions, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza was raised in Equestria since birth, so she was already under the influence of the princesses, and so it made sense to treat the future Crystal Empire under her rule as a de-facto part of Equestria. At least this simple political stuff was something Wild could easily follow.

However, what Wild couldn’t do was affect what was going on, not that he even knew what he wanted the results of his involvement be. So, he put that whole entire matter aside for when it became relevant.

Artful was of a different mind about the Crystal Empire, however.

“I’d really like to see it,” he told Wild, “Just imagine, architecture and people from over a thousand years ago! I’ve read about the Crystal Empire, but I didn’t think I’ll ever see it, and, you know, now I can! Not yet, obviously, they need to make sure it’s all safe and King Sombra isn’t there to mess things up, but once it’s safe, I want to see it.”

“I... think there will be trouble,” Wild confessed. He did not say he had a bad feeling about it. That would have invited real trouble if he did. Offering just his thoughts, simple speculations, seemed safer.

“But it’ll be safe eventually,” Artful said with some conviction, “And... maybe we could go there on, you know, a date? A, um, series of dates? See the sights, taste the food, and, you know, do other things.”

“Last time we went to a city on a date... things happened,” Wild said somewhat dryly.

“That is, uh, a good point, actually,” Artful said sheepishly, “But I bet this time it will be better.”

Wild didn’t really agree, but he didn’t want to put damper on the mood, so he kept his negative thoughts to himself. He would wait and see. Maybe he was being overly suspicious of things, and he would gladly take that over being right.

As for his friends, Lina was the most excited about the Crystal Empire.

“Born just in time to see the Crystal Empire return, and got all my shit fixed so that I can actually walk there, woo!”

Without a doubt, she added it to her growing list of places to see, and Wild couldn’t blame her one bit.

From somewhere, Precision and Pebbles managed to dig up an old book on the Crystal Empire fashion and were looking through it. This was probably the most traditionally girly thing Wild had ever seen from Precision, but in all fairness, he hadn’t talked to her overly much even in the Martial Arts Club.

“Imagine us as crystal ponies,” Precision told Pebbles, “All nice and shiny.”

“You’d be magnificent, I bet,” Pebbles returned with conviction, making a small blush appear on Precision’s cheeks.

Jade, Wild noticed, offered no thoughts of their own on the matter, and he suspected he knew why - something else was on their mind, something far more personally important. He didn’t pry and neither did anyone else. However, everything became clear a few days past the announcement of the Crystal Empire’s return, when discussions had somewhat died down.

Wild wasn’t blind. Even though he didn’t specifically pry, he could still feel Jade’s building determination. It was as if they were trying to convince themselves to go through with something. This determination was in a fight with fear, and now it appeared determination won.

It was dinner, and nearly everyone was gathered in the cafeteria, including Wild and his group of friends. Jade’s emotions were a buzz of determination and fear once again, but this time there was a spark. Jade ate their food almost mechanically and a bit too quickly, though not quickly enough for anyone but Wild to connect it to the rolling anxiety inside of them. When they were done, the plate they used almost sparkling clean, it appeared they no longer had any excuse to delay what they wanted yet feared to do. Jade stood up, visibly swallowed, and then walked over to the middle of the cafeteria. Their steps were almost wooden, yet there was purpose to them. Wild followed them with his eyes as Jade jumped up on a table where there was empty space. A flash of rising fear was smothered by ever-growing determination.

“Everyone!” they yelled after having quietly cleared their throat. At first slowly, then quickly, silence established as everyone looked at Jade with various emotions. Interest, boredom, annoyance, some anger. Jade almost stuttered to a stop, though it didn’t show much externally. Fear crashed against them, almost burying them underneath, but resolution took over, outshining the fear. Jade took a deep calming breath, then spoke again, “I am tired of fear. I am...” magical fire enveloped them for a moment, and then revealed their changeling form. Gasps sounded from around the cafeteria with murmurs following, some ponies halfway between sitting and standing, and now everyone was paying attention to Jade. Wild was prepared to move in case something bad happened, but he had to turn his thought catching ability way down because the mass of emotions in the cafeteria was a bit too intense. Not enough to cause a headache, but, given time, it would still be very unpleasant. Before anyone could say anything, Jade continued, “I am a changeling, and I want to live my life in peace!”

Wild knew it was the moment for him to speak up, to stand up for what was right. He was against the branding of changelings, and he generally supported changelings in their desire to have a peaceful life, but it was all words and thoughts - and one piece of action where he beat up a bigot - and now he needed to show his support publicly. There were many excuses he could use to avoid doing so, but he knew Jade, even if not well, and it didn’t sit well with him to simply let the crowd potentially destroy Jade. He stood up, moving deliberately, not showing any hesitation. Artful, he noticed, stood up alongside him. Some attention shifted from Jade to the two of them.

Wild did want to remain in relative obscurity, to live a life peacefully, but some things were worth standing up for, especially since he had the power to back it up with.s

“I stand with you,” Wild said, somewhat straining to make his voice loud, but it was clear everyone heard him.

“I stand with you too,” Artful said, an expression of seriousness on his face as he eyed everyone as if daring for anyone to speak or act against Jade.

“Jade is an orphan, they are one of us, pony or not,” Precision stomped as she got up, then repeated, louder, “One of us!”

Slowly at first, but then it rolled like a wave, a thunder of voices rising as the ponies stomped. Even those who held a dislike for changelings had to blend in not to stand out.

“One of us! One of us!” the growing amount of voices chanted.

“ONE OF US!” someone screamed as if it was a battle cry.

“One of us!” Wild yelled, adding his stomping to the noise.

Jade beamed from where they stood, their wings buzzing slightly against their body, and Wild could tell their eyes had grown a bit misty. Whatever reception they had expected, what happened was clearly the best case scenario that they likely hadn’t thought much about.

In time, the chanting faded, and Jade was once again allowed to speak.

“T-thank you, everyone,” they said, their voice somewhat shaky. They cleared their throat, then a chirp-buzzing series of noises came from their mouth. Next to the entrance of the cafeteria, a pony was wreathed in magical fire for a long few seconds before resolving into a changeling. Wild recognized them - they were the same changeling he and Artful rescued in Canterlot.

The changeling eyed everyone uncertainly as they made their way over to Jade.

“They are my sibling!” Jade announced, “I protect them and I will always stand with them!”

Some cheering sounded, and then Jade jumped down from the table, gave a hug to their sibling, the two of them exchanging words in their language. Jade’s relief was apparent, and their sibling had grown less anxious as well. Once the two stopped talking, Jade led them back to where Jade had been sitting before.

“Hey, you did it!” Artful congratulated Jade.

“Yeah, feels good,” Jade chirped, somewhat tiredly, yet also with some joy, “It’s... done.”

“If someone gives trouble, call me,” Wild said, then pulled his mouth into a smile, “I will kick them.”

“Oh, thanks,” Jade smiled shyly, “I hope nothing bad happens, but if it does...”

“You can count on me,” Wild reassured. He knew he could hurt people, and if he found acceptable targets to hurt... that would be all the better.

***

Wild, alongside what looked like everyone in the Royal Orphanage, stood outside under the gray clouds. Chilly winds blew, yet no one seemed to mind, waiting as they were. The weather stilled for a long moment, and small white specks of snow came into view from above. Everyone went silent, and Wild followed one of the snowflakes as it fell through the air, ending up on top of his muzzle. It stayed there for a long moment before thawing, forming a small droplet of water. More snowflakes followed, and everyone cheered. Jade and their sibling, both dressed in relatively thick cloaks, were more subdued, but they still eyed the snow with interest as it descended, quickly blanketing the ground, hiding the brown and red and yellow and dull green behind pure white.

From a few snowflakes it turned into a mild snowfall and then it turned heavy, reducing visibility and muffling the sounds. Ponies cheered, rolling in the thickening layer of snow. Someone was already making a snowpony, though Wild wondered how difficult it would be to do considering that snowmen, for all that they didn’t really look like humans, still held enough resemblance. Ponies weren’t upright and they stood on four legs instead of two, so how was this to be done with snow?

Apparently, the answer was a pony lying down. Wild should have thought of that.

“Snowball fight!” someone yelled, and soon the air filled with the noises of snowballs impacting everyone.

Wild ducked, a snowball aimed at him missing, then he rolled to the side to take cover behind a piece of wall made of wooden logs that he knew no purpose of. With a grin on his face, he used his magical hands to quickly make a number of snowballs. He peeked from behind his cover, targeted a random pony, and threw his snowball. It traveled through the air like a cannonball, impacted the pony on the side, and the pony stumbled and then fell with a startled noise. Then they laughed, got up, and ran away, dodging and weaving and also being hit with other snowballs.

“What’s the plan, captain?” the voice of Artful interrupted him, and Wild turned to see that Artful was hiding now with him, a grin on his face. Wild had an idea.

The idea had proven to be not unique at all, and soon pegasi were dominating the battlefield as they flew up high and dropped snowballs on everyone. The battle, already chaotic before, turned even wilder then, snowballs flying in all directions. Wild was impacted more than a few times, one of them straight in the face when he leaned from behind his cover to take a look.

The snow continued to fall, and Wild’s spirits continued to rise. He laughed as he hit someone square on the face, leaving them blinking snow away, only to let out a squawk when someone dumped snow on him from above.

“Gotcha!” he heard, and turned his eyes upwards. Swingblade was there, grinning widely, then dodged the snowball Wild sent his way, “Missed me!”

Winter had been a bad time for Wild for a long time. Now? He was going to have fun.