It was the day. Wild recovered as much as he possibly could under supervision in the hospital wing, but prolonged stay was no longer necessary. His headaches were now few and far between, his mind was clear, and his ability to perceive thoughts of others was under control. However, before he was to be let go, Luna approached him with an important question, one he didn't quite see coming even though he should have expected it eventually.

"When we have taken you in, there was only a basic magical scan performed on you to determine if you needed immediate help or if you had any chronic conditions that needed continuous treatment or if you had any contagious diseases that would endanger others," she told him, "However, it was not as comprehensive as a full health check-up is. I believe you are know knowledgeable enough in our language to understand medical procedures and consent to them, so it is time I ask you this - would you like to go through a full health checkup? You have a right to refuse it."

Wild's first thought was to refuse - he didn't want anyone poking around his body. However, a different thought stopped him from doing just that. He knew he had never been a perfect picture of health, although now he was pretty close to it as far as he was aware. He didn't think there were any physical pains that bothered him - not after the event he titled inside his head as his rebirth. All the aches were gone along with his old body, and the new one... he felt deep inside, almost falling into a thoughtful meditation there and then.

Meditation taught him to be thoughtful of himself, of his own body in a way he hadn't been before. He felt the depths of his very physical form, from the end of his tail to the tip of his horn. He was aware of how each of his muscles moved, aware of how his chest moved when he breathed, aware of the feeling of magic inside him.

And now... he honestly couldn't tell if there was anything wrong with him. His scarred ear itched a bit - a phantom feeling, nothing more, and it didn't happen very often anymore. There were other scars, few of which he could feel at all. The stab wound, he would never forget it, aware of how his skin was incorrect there, not as elastic as it should be. Then there was... the brand. He tried not to think about it, wishing he could erase it from his body and mind. Before he could dwell on it further, there were his nipples - or the lack thereof. Another painful memory, another reminder, and another scar he wanted neither physically nor mentally.

To allow others to see it all? To know it, to ask him question about those scars? That, he couldn't allow. And yet, there was a possibility, one that he only needed to ask about to find out. He steeled himself, then opened his mouth. His throat was gripped with anxiety as if choking him, preventing him from asking the question.

A voice inside him told him Luna would want to know all about it... wouldn't she? Besides, even if she didn’t, she wasn't a doctor he would need to approach about it. That meant he would have to talk to someone else, someone he didn't know at all. Uncomfortable questions would be raised and who knew what else.

A part of him struggled, wanting to know. Another part of him was squeezing his mouth shut, refusing to voice it, fearing his voice might give away the source...

He surrendered to them, signing instead. It was less personal, somehow. Even as he feared, he did it, moving through the sentence without any errant twitch, making sure nothing gave away the anxiety he felt even as he knew that simply not speaking was enough of a sign to show it anyway.

Can I get rid of my scars?

He felt relief and also felt dread now that the question was asked. He resolutely refused to let it show on his face. Now, whatever came next was out of his hands, and there was a sense of ease to it. He hadn't been able to allow others to take care of him for a long time, after all.

"Of course," Luna nodded, and he briefly studied her face, hoping, wishing she didn't recognize his fears, didn't sense his anxiety as he kept it tightly leashed to his own mind, hidden behind the shield that was his own will and strength. It had been days since he had a thought slip out of his mind and to Luna, and he intended to never break the streak. And now, whatever Luna thought, it was hidden from him as well. Perhaps she didn't see his own emotions, perhaps she didn't let it show that she did - he had no way to know. Before he could think about it more, she continued, "I don't believe much if anything can be done about your ear, but anything else that you may have can be healed without much issue. I don't know the specifics of the treatment, however, so you will have to talk to a different doctor."

So, there was a chance - no, not even a chance, a certainty. He didn't have to bear his every scar, he could remove them. He knew some people liked scars, saying that they were marks of experience, something to remember, something to be proud of. His scars, to him, were nothing to be proud of. They were experiences he had rather never had, though some were more acceptable than the rest. He knew he survived, the scars were the evidence of that fact, and that was enough for him - he didn't need those scars as another reminder, one that would not fade with time.

"Anything else you would like to know?" Luna prompted, pulling him from his thoughts.

Still unable - but now also unwilling - to speak, he signed his next question.

"The doctors will measure your height and weight, perform a blood analysis, measure your blood pressure and heart rate, respiration rate, temperature..." Luna continued on, explaining each step, and Wild nodded along - it wasn't all that different compared to what he had undergone as a child. There was a relief in knowing that he wouldn't be going into it completely blind should he choose to.

The last time he had an check-up was an annual check-up - though, it couldn't really be called that, considering it was the second and the last full check-up he had in his life. He was still a long way from being an adult then. Once he grew up - and lost his family - he hadn't had the money to afford anything but the bare essentials. Certainly not any sort of treatment for his anxiety or anything else.

Not that his family was all that much better off when they were whole. To this day, he remembered his parents' dismay at the fact that the healthcare in the US was unexpectedly different compared to their previous home of USSR - they needed to pay tremendous sums in the US for what they could freely get in the USSR. When his father was... hurt, it nearly bankrupted them, and it was one of the first steps in their realization that they were sold a lie when they were told of the American Dream.

Fortunately, he was no longer in the US, and he had been provided with far more than anyone in the US could ever have. Had he been forced to pay for his own food, for his own bed, for his own education... he would not have lasted long, he knew. Perhaps he would be rotting in jail by now if not worse. He wouldn't know the language, he would likely be malnourished, and he knew is mental state would have deteriorated further had he not had the stability of having food, water, and shelter. He was self-aware enough of that, at the very least. He had once been homeless and with no one to turn to, and he didn't long to repeat the experience.

"I know that you have issues with other people touching you," Luna said, her voice soft yet not overbearing in tone. Despite it all, Wild felt himself stiffen, preparing for an interrogation even if the reasonable part of him knew it wouldn't come, "However, it is possible for you to undergo the check-up without anyone ever touching you directly. There will be scans, and magic will touch you, go through you. It is a tingly sort of sensation. Will you be comfortable with it?"

Magical touch wasn't like... human touch. It was not a hand on his body, it was not the... other thing. Drawing a clear line between ponies touching him and humans touching him helped him become more used to the former. Ponies didn't look like humans, didn't sound like humans, didn't do things like humans, and so making this separation was relatively easy.

Magical touch... He could weather it, he thought, so he nodded.

"Alright. So, do you agree to undergo the medical examination?"

Wild could stomach it. Wild could handle it. The reward would be getting rid of scars, and perhaps he would improve his own body, which was a nice thing to think about. Maybe it would prevent any future lengthy stays in the hospital wing. Besides, he knew annual check-ups were important. His parents told him so, doing the best they could to keep him healthy, using their limited experience to check whatever they could. From what he knew, his father could have easily applied to a medical college or university or a school and would have passed - had he the money to pay for it and the health to go through with it.

Wild nodded. He could do this.

"Alright," Luna smiled encouragingly at him, "Now, the Royal Orphanage doesn't have doctors on-site aside from emergency care, myself, and a few others who need to be here to help others on a long-term basis. Two days from now, a contingent of various medical specialists will arrive and will remain here for a week or more, depending on how long it takes for everyone to go through the check-up. I am making the schedule now, when would you like to go through and is there anyone you'd like to be with you?"

Two days - it made a memory emerge in his mind. He remembered his promise to give Luna his decision on... all that was himself. To reveal who he was, to allow her to help him. Even now, he wasn't completely sure of his answer. She had been helpful and she hadn't asked any questions so far. He could trust her. He did trust her. She had proven to him that she cared about him. It was enough for him to agree to undergoing therapy, to tell her of his past, the full truth of it. He wanted to become better, but there was a fear - what would she do if she knew? He killed. He admitted to it. That it hadn't been addressed yet was a miracle in itself.

She was now before him, and he could tell her that he... well, perhaps he wasn't ready, but he was willing, and that was what counted... wasn't it?

But... these two days, they gave him more time.

You are a coward, a part of him whispered.

She mustn't know, another said, She knows too much, let her forget it. Let her care for you make her blind to your faults. Perhaps it is her courtesy to you after what you suffered. Take it.

Remain in silence like a coward, the first part hissed, A coward you are, a coward you will remain. Afraid of yourself, afraid of others.

Wild shook it off. After the conclusion of the check-up, he would tell her his decision. That was an unbreakable promise. He would've told her if not for the Invasion-

You would not have. You are a coward.

It is for the best.

He shook those voices off again. He would tell her in two days. He had to.

And finally, he answered Luna's latest question - he asked her to place him the soonest he could go through the check-up, and he didn't want anyone to be at the same time as him.

"Alright," she nodded, "Very well, now I will scan you, and you can finally go back to your friends, your dorm, and your activities."

He still didn't know if he had friends, but it wasn't something he wanted to think about that day, so he simply nodded. The scan indeed felt a bit tingly, but otherwise it wasn't uncomfortable at all. If everything was going to be like that during the check-up as well, then he wasn't going to have any problems with it. Or, at least, he wasn't going to break down there and then, and that was good enough for him.

"One last thing, Wild," Luna said, and Wild felt himself tensing up at the tone of her voice. It was still gentle, but there is something about it that set him on edge, "There was something you admitted to me during the Invasion."

Wild's heart skipped a beat. A part of him always knew she wouldn't forget that, and now it felt triumphant because it was right. A different part of him was struck with horror.

He should have never said what he did. He should have never admitted. And yet, all of those protestations meant nothing - the truth was uncovered, revealed to the light of day. It was out of his hands, and he had felt this terrified of it only once before in his life. The day when, for a long and painful while, everything was ripped out of his hands, removed from his control.

"I am not going to pass judgement on it until I know more," Luna continued, each her word in near-painful clarity. He expected a threat to come. He could almost hear her next words as she warned him that, should he hurt anyone under her watch, he would die a painful, terrible death.

Alicorns were powerful, he knew, even if he didn't quite believe it when he read of it. But now, now he knew she could squash him without effort. She could grab the pitcher of water nearby, smash it to pieces, and then drive those pieces through his eyes and into his skull. She could use her magic, tearing him limb by limb, all before prying his rib cage apart and ripping his still-beating heart out.

"Wild," she said, her voice soft, and he felt and saw the blurriness at the edge of his tunneled vision clear. He was now aware of his fast-beating heart, of the trembling in his limbs, of the sweat of his body, and of his hard breathing, "I will not hurt you, that much I can promise," and he believed her, which stopped him from spiraling further down. Instead, he listened, "But you must understand I can't ignore what you said. It is my duty to investigate such claims."

He wanted to run, yet he remained in place as if rooted to his spot. What would he tell her? What could he tell her? Would she even believe him? Would she always look at him with suspicion in her eyes, expecting him to do more, to kill again? But, perhaps... she would listen. Maybe she would understand. She cared about him, didn't she? And she could have asked earlier, when he wasn't exactly in his own mind to make up a lie.

"Because..." he squeezed the word out of himself before the grip of anxiety tightened on his throat again. As those unseen claws choked him, he fought against them - this was something he had to say in his own words. There was no other way. He said he killed, and he would now say why. He struggled, one word formed in his mind after the other, and then he finally spoke them, quietly, barely even a whisper, but he spoke them, "Because they hurt me," he lifted his gaze and looked Luna in the eyes, surrendering himself to her judgement, "Because they hurt me a lot."

He didn't know how to put it in proper words - and neither did he want to. What he said had to be enough. For now, at least. Surely she could understand, surely she could hear what he put in those words.

And, in truth, it was they who pushed him to kill himself. His life was not great before, but it was hell during, and it barely improved afterwards. His worst days of life had irrevocably, irreparably changed him. A part of him was violently torn away, the last of his innocence destroyed. He was no longer who he had once been and could never go back. There was nothing to come back to, anyway, nothing to even live for. As he plotted his revenge, nightmares haunted him almost each night, and he deteriorated before his very eyes into a shell of who he had once been. By then, his life was only driven by his need, his desire for revenge - he couldn't allow himself to die until he had dealt back the pain they inflicted on him.

They deserved everything he had done to them, no matter how wrong he felt about it in the end. And it wasn't the killing of them he felt wrong about, no - he could not be shaken from his conviction that they deserved death. Monsters like them had no right to exist, not after what they did to him and others. Wild bloodied his hands for a good cause, as far as he was concerned, but not all of that blood was from their death - there was also their suffering before they were allowed to die, too.

This was not something he could reveal. Even as he felt shame that he didn't tell Luna the full truth, the entirety of how he killed them, he couldn't. Killing them was, perhaps, not unforgivable. Enjoying it as he did was.

He didn't realize he had closed his eyes, didn't realize tears were rolling down his face, his body shaking in anticipation of Luna's judgement.

"Wild," she said softly, yet he shuddered anyway as if violently struck, "Please, look at me."

Wild gritted his teeth and forced himself to open his eyes. He blinked his tears away, feeling the sting of crying in his eyes, and yet now he looked into Luna's eyes. Eyes were a window to the soul, he knew - he wondered what Luna saw in his. He refused to look away even as shame tore everything inside of him.

"I believe it is time that I am honest with you," she said, and he blinked in confusion, "I have been able to deduce a couple things about you, and I think it would be best if you heard about it now. First, I would like to say that you can rely on me. I am here to help you, and I can only ask you to allow me to help you."

And then she told him everything she had learned about him. She told him about her suspicions and how they proved to be correct, telling him she knew he was from a different world. Before he could fully process this, she continued, telling him of the scars she spotted on him, and what meaning she managed to get from them.

"That round scar... is it what I strongly suspect it is?" she asked him.

Wild stared ahead, unblinking, processing the fact that she knew. She knew who he was, even if it was not in full. How could he have allowed himself to slip so badly? How did he miss everything so badly she could put it all together and find the truth?

You were a fool to think you could hide it forever, a part of him told him.

Does this not prove Luna's trustworthiness? another said.

Wild's heart was gripped tight, uncertainty and anxiety filling him. How could it all have gone so wrong? All of it was now out of his hands... again. Luna stood between him and the door, preventing his escape. She held all the cards, knew more about him than he was ready to tell her about.

She was in control, not him.

Trust her, a small part of him advised him.

Run, the other, bigger one, told him, ordered him, and it didn't sound quite like him.

Very distantly, he was aware his breathing was picking up in intensity, and his horn was now sparkling.

"Wild?" Luna asked him, worriedly.

He wanted to be anywhere but here.

The glow intensified.

He wasn't ready.

You are a coward.

He wasn’t ready. He couldn't face it, not now. He needed to escape.

Magic surged from within him, and he disappeared in a bright flash of light, teleportation sucking him away elsewhere.

The backlash of untrained teleportation rushed outwards like wind, making Luna stumble and the furniture shift. The glass rattled in the window, and the door creaked dangerously. In just a moment, the chaotic energy settled down and everything stilled.

Luna blinked, then swore loudly and without restraint, "Fuck!"

She messed up, she messed up, she messed up-

There was no time to panic, no time to waste on anything other than trying to fix it. Wherever he was gone, she needed to find him as soon as possible before it all spiraled out of control, before her mistake snowballed into something else.

Luna cursed at herself for her own stupidity - she could've approached it differently, and her honesty only served to backfire. She was adamant about him knowing the truth before, but now she thought she was too hasty, too sudden. Wild had grown used to her, but this was more than anything else she had ever said to him. Her approach was like a cannon blast straight to his face, and it turned out to be the wrong way to go.

She hoped she hadn't done something irreparable.

Author's Note

Something suspicious is brewing with Wild, and Luna messes things up enough to set it off.

I am quite excited for the next chapters. Is anyone willing to guess who or what has been meddling with Wild and Luna? I've left some hints before, I hope they're enough to piece it together before it is revealed.

I suppose it's the perfect time to remind you that there are more chapters available on Boosty, up to and including Chapter 40 at the time I post this chapter, with Chapter 41 coming up this day as well.