Author's Note

I'm finally back. I've been dealing with personal and health-related stuff, but I think I'm ready to return to writing. Enjoy.

Chapter 11: Consequences

Wild lay in his bed, pain being his only companion. His body ached, his mind was rife with dark thoughts swirling like leaves in the storm. Perhaps he got a few hours of restless sleep, perhaps he was awake the entire time, he didn't know. Regardless, he felt just as tired when he stirred and opened his eyes at noon. He suppressed a groan of pain, feeling like his body was one all-encompassing bruise. He knew nothing was broken and nothing was sprained, yet it hurt more than he thought it would.

He rolled around on his bed, refusing to get up. He still longed for the rest he knew he wouldn't get anytime soon, but most of all, he dreaded seeing Luna again. He had shown her his weakness, she had seen more than she should have, and it was all his fault. How could he deal with it now? Undoubtedly, there would be questions, there would be suspicion, and he would be in the very center of it. He didn't expect it to be simply let go. These thoughts bothered him for hours as he went through them time and time again, his fear growing each time this circle started anew.

However, he needed to continue - there was nothing to be done now other than to accept what happened and move on. No matter how he felt, the world wasn't waiting for him to catch up. So, he dragged himself out of bed, stumbled his way to the bathroom, and plopped into the tub. He turned the water on and adjusted the temperature to be cold, yet still tolerable enough. With his mind empty, he sat there under the shower for a long while. He felt the cold water cascade over his body, he felt his thick mane clinging to his head and neck, and he felt relief. No matter how temporary it was, he felt better. Finally, he stood up, turned off the water, and grabbed a towel to dry himself off.

He got out of the tub and looked at himself through the mirror. His posture was slumped, his eyes were tired, and he could see small wounds under his fur - no doubt he got them when he mindlessly, foolishly jumped out of a window. Thankfully, they had closed some time ago and would, in time, heal and leave not a trace. But for now, they would act as a reminder of his fears and of his idiocy. He knew he should've controlled himself, it was all nothing but a nightmare. He knew what it was - sleep paralysis. It was nothing more than his mind being weird, nothing more than his imagination going wild. He knew he wasn't alright, he knew there was much wrong with him, and he knew he should have expected it.

The former human sighed heavily and turned away from the mirror. He showed weakness, and now he was paying for it. He lost control and had hurt himself and allowed this hurt to be seen. And now, he dreaded to think what Luna would do to him. He remembered her promise, yet he couldn't help but doubt it. His show of weakness would only lead to people exploiting him for their own ends. That was always what happened to different people throughout history. If you are seen doing something that portrays you as weak, you are either crushed or used, no alternative.

With fear on his weary mind, he exited the bathroom and stood in front of the door to the hall. He debated whether he should go out or stay and hide. He shook his head - of course he needed to go out. He must not show further weakness if he could help it, and hiding from others would confirm just how powerless he was. However, he wasn't powerless, he wasn't weak. A slip of judgement was just that, a slip. He could fix it.

He opened the door and, as casually as he could, exited his dorm. He looked around and considered all the foals in the hall - none of them paid him any mind. He sighed internally in relief - what happened at night remained unknown to them. When they looked at him, they quickly averted their gaze, knowing who he was. None approached him, none talked to him, just as he would want it. Some would call it isolating, but Wild didn't care - he was more than fine with things going this way. He had to admit it might have felt a little lonely, but nothing beyond that. He was better off this way anyway.

He made his way downstairs, then through the hallways and into the cafeteria. He spotted Luna immediately and did his best to avoid looking at her afterwards. She was sitting with her back to the entrance, enjoying her food. However, the young unicorn had to note Celestia was absent. It likely meant Luna would be his language teacher for this day, at the very least. And he dreaded it - he expected her to ask questions, to pry into who he was and why he was having those nightmares. After all, he knew dreams were the expression of his inner self, of his subconsciousness, an amalgamation of his experiences, hopes, and fears, all mixed together and then placed before him, all for him to see. And in this magical land, dreams could reveal even more, or so he thought. Thus, he reasoned it would be for the best never to reveal what he dreamed of, be it pleasant, neutral, or a nightmare. Not that it would help much - he remembered how Luna banished the form his sleep paralysis summoned. He couldn't ignore this - it meant she had some degree of control over others' dreams. He feared to think of what it implied.

Wild picked up the tray of food and made his way to the corner of the room, his usual sitting place. He felt Luna glancing and then holding her gaze on him, but he pretended not to notice. He sat down and slowly ate his food, not feeling the appetite. About halfway through his meal, he saw Luna stand up and head his way. He tensed up, his heart skipped a beat. Her every step echoed inside his head as he waited, anxious, yet forced himself to remain visibly calm - not a hint of an expression showed on his face.

"Hello, Wild," she greeted him in a gentle voice as she sat down far enough from him to give the space he needed, "Do you want to talk about what happened yesterday night?"

Wild recognized the words even without Luna making images, and he shook his head, perhaps a bit too forcefully. This gentle voice couldn't fool him, he thought. He must be on his guard all the time, especially when a princess approached him. Royalty was something he would like to see purged from the world. Perhaps Celestia was kind to him, perhaps Luna was the same, but he knew there had to be more to it, he refused to accept that it was all there was to it. And now, he knew she was digging for information, and the goal was clear - to blackmail him, to hurt him if he ever acted against her.

"Very well," she accepted, surprising him, his eyebrows rising a bit. However, internally, he was far more confused - was this truly all? Was she willing to just let it go? He didn't have the time to think more of it when she continued, "My sister - Celestia - is away at Canterlot for the week, and she told me you've been learning our language from her."

He nodded slowly, keeping his eyes on her. Once again, he knew enough of the words to understand her. However, he wasn't quite sure where some of this understanding came from. He had a weird feeling about it.

"If you're up for it, I'll teach you during this week," Luna offered, her voice remaining gentle. After a moment of thought, Wild nodded once more despite the suspicions he had, "Alright, then I'll meet you in the usual room once you're ready."

Wild nodded one more time, and Luna stood up, a brief look of what he thought was disappointment on her face. The former human knew what it meant - she certainly wanted to know more about him. He wasn't going to let her - she knew enough as is to make his life worse. He wasn't about to add to it if he could help it. He would emerge victorious in the battle of mind, he wouldn't let her manipulate him into giving her the rope for his hanging.

He finished his food, carried the tray and the empty plates away, and then made his way out of the cafeteria, feeling pleasantly full. It wasn't much to lift his mood, but it gave him energy to proceed with the day. He knew he needed it.

"Over here."

He swiftly turned around and stared at where he thought the voice came from. However, there was no one. He could still hear the noise from the cafeteria in the background, but this voice was clear. So clear, in fact, that he expected to see whom it belonged to right behind him. Yet there was no one. He heard a faint laughter travel through the hall, directionless. He shuddered - was he going insane now? His face morphed into an ugly and angry expression - he wouldn't allow this. He couldn't, he mustn't. He was not losing his mind. Despite all that had happened - and he felt an almost physical pain in his chest - his mind remained clear, it had to. If he was to survive, he needed to think logically, he needed to be reasonable, and he needed to be in control of himself. No matter what the world threw at him, he must prevail.

He made a few deep breaths to calm himself down, his face smoothed into a neutral, emotionless expression he wore like a mask. There was no reason for him to panic. Perhaps someone was playing a prank on him - he knew invisibility existed. However, he didn't notice any faint outline or shimmer to show someone hiding. Maybe they were better at it? It was a reasonable explanation.

He shook his head - there was little use thinking of such things.

Despite his anxiety and fear, Luna refrained from asking Wild any questions about that night. Instead, it proceeded as usual with him learning the language. He continued to be silent, yet he now knew how to use gestures to communicate with others. As simplistic as his knowledge was, it would help him, especially now that he could formulate questions. Luna and he had a productive lesson that spanned straight to the sunset, at which point the two separated, and Wild went for a jog around the orphanage despite the soreness he still felt in his body.

Luna followed him with her eyes until he disappeared from her view. Wild was indeed an interesting person, she thought now that she talked to him personally and in-depth. Well, as deep as it could be, considering his unwillingness to talk about himself. She carefully avoided reminding him of the night before, sensing it would upset or anger him. It was best she kept it to herself until - or if - he talked with her about it. She didn't think it would be anytime soon, however - Wild was clearly on his guard, not letting others anywhere close to him. In her presence, there was tension in his body and around his eyes, at atmosphere of uncertainty, wariness, and a silent warning - the princess was to keep her nose out of his business or she would regret it. For the time-being, she was willing to let it go, to allow him to come to her or someone else on his own.

Luna remembered how he reacted when someone touched him - the expression on his face communicated anger and fear both. She dreaded to think why such a little thing elicited a reaction this strong from him. She could see the struggle for control inside him - he reined in his reaction that time, and today he looked way too calm for what happened during the night. She knew he wore a mask that hid what he truly thought. She wished she could help him, could guide him to betterment, yet he revealed nothing about himself save for his supposed origins.

However, what he revealed was... problematic. Of course, memory wasn't entirely reliable, especially for someone who was supposedly a Feral for most of his life, but it didn't explain how he missed the Summer Palace. No one living in the Everfree would be able to avoid coming to it, let alone seeing its towers and spires. Wild claimed he never saw the palace, which raised certain questions. He was also far too intelligent for someone living a feral life since birth - he quickly picked up on reading, sign language, and spoken language. He learned, and he learned well. Ferals, from what Luna knew and saw herself, needed years to pick up on all the knowledge, especially on social clues. However, Wild had no such issues - he seemed a complete natural, someone who lived in a civilization all his life. It simply didn't make sense. There was another strange thing - his inability to speak. From a brief medical scan performed on him when he was found, nothing out of place was found. He was perhaps a bit on the thin side, had scars, but he was more or less perfectly healthy. There was not a physical reason for his muteness and neither was it a magical curse. Luna felt the answer to this question would shed light on who Wild truly was.

Luna looked out the window, following the young unicorn with her gaze. He jogged around the orphanage, paying little attention to others around him just like others paid no mind to him. His expression was neutral despite the sweat gleaming on his body. He had gained some muscle since arriving at the orphanage, building on his decent basis, which made sense - if he lived in Everfree all his life, he was bound to be lean, strong, and fast. He moved with a grace of a seasoned fighter, not a movement wasted. His show the day before during the martial arts training demonstrated how natural he was at fighting or, illogical as it currently was, how well-trained he was. But if he was trained, who helped him? There were no records whatsoever about him anywhere in Equestria. The princesses requested information from other countries, but of those who replied, nothing was revealed. Either Wild hid very well or he somehow simply appeared in Equestria out of nowhere. Which made much more sense than it should have.

Luna decided to follow this line of thinking, a deep crease between her brows. If, for a moment, she considered that Wild simply appeared in this world out of nowhere, it made sense. He knew nothing of local culture, didn't know the language, had no documented origin. However, he was also knowledgeable in some general areas like combat and survival. She knew he could easily operate a crossbow, wield a scimitar-like weapon - the likes of which she had never seen before despite her experience. If he was indeed from some other world, as impossible as it sounded, having proficiency in an unknown weapon made sense.

Her mind drifted to the night of his nightmare. Sleep paralysis was uncommon, but she knew it well enough. Constructs made by the scared mind of the paralyzed were known to her, but there was a problem. This construct Wild's mind summoned had too many details for it to simply be made up on the spot. No, that creature was far clearer than it should have been, and it spoke in an unknown language. If she didn't know better, she would think it was a real creature, but it was nothing more than an imagined one. Wild had shown how scared it made him - there was terror in his eyes, a desire to escape and hide. Was this creature from his memory?

Luna's frown deepened. The pieces of the puzzle fit together if it was true Wild was from another world. But if that was the case, why had he not revealed it yet? And why was he a pony? Perhaps the former could be answered with him being cautious and secretive, but what about the latter? The alicorn could perhaps approach him about it, but she suspected it would do her no good just yet. She had to keep these thoughts in mind and bide her time. She needed to build trust between herself and the young stallion, to show him it would be alright to confide in her, to make him see she was on his side, willing to help.

She sighed deeply - undoubtedly, it would take a long time.