With a deep sigh of relief, Wild put down his pen, shook his magical hands despite not feeling any tiredness in them, and slumped in his seat, taking a few moments just to himself. Finally, after hours of concentrated effort, the letter was done. Every single point of needlessly complex rules of letter composition was followed precisely, and his writing was as perfect as it could get. He carefully folded the letter, using a ruler to ensure the fold was exactly where it needed to be. Finally, it was put in an envelope, which Wild properly signed.

It was done.

The letter was finally complete.

The letter was ready to be sent.

He took very little time getting his letter to a post box. With it out of his hands, it was also out of his mind, no longer weighing him down. He felt accomplished... and yet there was more in front of him, more waiting for him. His mind immediately went to the topic he did not wish to touch, the topic he had avoided for so long, and it was... sex. Sex education if he were to be precise, but this distinction hardly mattered when he was not ready to approach this topic in any way at all.

Life, as usual, was not waiting for him to be ready for anything, and so it was up to him to brace for it. Intellectually, he knew he could admit to his discomfort, to reveal that this was not what he wanted, but it would amount to admitting to weakness. Others did not have such problems, others were not broken like he was, and it was on him to reassemble the pieces, to glue them together, to make himself whole. It was the only way to survive and, perhaps, to live.

Fortunately for him, no single issue demanded the entirety of his time anymore. He didn’t have to choose between getting food and working on whatever it was that he needed - he could do both. With great pleasure, he picked some delicious options at the cafeteria, silently marveling in continuing to have a choice in what he ate, what amounts he ate, when and where he ate. It wasn’t like he had forgotten this safety, but he was grateful that he had it now nevertheless. After all, safety could always be taken away, and he would never again take it for granted.

He sat down and dug in, savoring each bite, chewing thoroughly and thoughtfully, picking out all the various flavors. Ponies continued to surprise them with the sheer variety of food they had, which was a thing he had continued to note. However, at the back of his mind, he was all too aware that this was not normal. Perhaps this part of his past was better not revealed at all. The hunger, the thirst, the lack of any safety... it was all past him now. He very much hoped he would not need the experience of having gone through it ever again.

Wild... needed to be prepared. Just in case. His letter might not work, and all his efforts might still go down in a pathetic whimper. The comforts of his current life depended on everything going right, and if he knew anything about how life worked, something would go wrong at the worst moment. Of course, a single event was never enough - it always turned into a series of indeterminate - or even indefinite - length. His family died because of them, he died because of them. His new life was already harmed by the Changeling Invasion, which was followed by Luna finding out more about him than he was ready to reveal, and then the Nightmare caught him, showing him the truth of souls. Knowing what he did now... there was no rest for him. He would have to march on, to outlast the infinity, to rise back up again and again and again, time after time, because there was no choice.

He was distracted from his moody thoughts by Artful entering the cafeteria, prompting him to remember that he wanted to teach Artful some ways to defend himself if any anti-changeling ponies wanted to throw more than words at him. However, what did Wild know about useful self-defense? His skill with swords could perhaps be translated into other things, and it was certainly effective to hit someone with a stick. However, Artful was a pegasus, not a unicorn, so he couldn’t use any tricks Wild had up his metaphorical sleeve. However, Royal Orphanage Martial Arts Club wasn’t concerned only with swordsmanship, Wild was certainly aware that unarmed - or weaponless, Wild thought that was a more accurate term for ponies - martial arts were offered as well. Wild had to admit - he was useless without a weapon, and he needed to remedy it.

Once Artful sat down next to him, Wild signed his proposal for the two of them to attend the lessons. Wild wanted to speak about it, but it would have likely led to awkward wording or slow speech, so he decided to sign instead. One day, he hoped, he would be able to speak freely, but each day he used sign language was a day other people got used to it more and thus would be weirded out by him actually speaking. It was a dilemma he didn’t know when or how he would address.

“Martial arts? Why?” Artful asked.

Wild replied that it was for self-defense, then explained that Artful was not taking a popular position by siding with the changelings, and so he might need to defend himself somehow.

“I... yeah, I see what you mean,” he frowned, “But, like... I’m not very strong. Not like you are,” his face flushed, “I mean, y-you train regularly and all, you’ve muscles and, uh, stuff. I don’t really do anything more than, like, just walking around.”

Wild signed that he began training when he wasn’t much better off. It was even true - he was a thin kid at first, then a fat kid, and it took him quite a bit of time until he took training seriously. Of course, one didn’t even need to be especially strong to know how to do certain tricks, and Wild was about to advise Artful to know how to effectively kick someone in the crotch when he realized that, with ponies walking on all fours, doing it wasn’t even possible unless the attack came from behind or if the target was standing on the rear legs. Without mentioning it, Wild signed that it took a few years to get to where he was now, but people who just start doing training progress fast as long as they’re consistent.

“I guess I can try that,” Artful nodded, although he sounded doubtful.

Wild told him not to worry, saying that he would do well as long as he put effort into it. He added that Artful would feel tired and sore, but it would be worth it. Wild was certainly not going to hide the difficulty of training - in his experience, it was best to approach it head-on otherwise only disappointment would await going forward. Wild thus assured Artful that he would support him in this, knowing it was best to have someone to be backing up. He remembered how he made an... acquaintance, perhaps - not really a friend, considering that they never really shared anything personal or were all that close, but they had some sort of silent understanding, very often sparring together. Wild wondered where he was now - he had not seen him in a very long time.

“Alright, so we’re going together?”

Wild nodded.

“Um, you sure I won’t be, you know, weighing you down? I bet you’ll be much better at it than me, so, uh, yeah.”

Wild shook his head, gesturing that it was fine, that he, truthfully, didn’t know much more about true self-defense.

“But don’t you know a lot about swords?”

Wild explained that this skill was only useful if he carried a sword with him everywhere. Silently, he could admit that the prospect of cutting someone up was not appealing to him, and he doubted Artful would feel great about using an actual sharp sword on anyone. Thinking of maiming or killing someone was one many people certainly had, jokingly or not, but Wild, having experienced it firsthand... he was very aware of what it did to a person. Something inside him had permanently changed after his first kill, and it was irreversible. He didn’t know exactly what the change was - was it something that made it easier to think of doing more of it or was it something else? Regardless, he did not wish for Artful to experience it.

Wild decided to admit that using a sword meant seriously injuring someone, and it was best to avoid it.

“Y-yeah, that makes sense,” Artful winced, “I didn’t think about it.”

Wild didn’t think about that either before he stabbed a man to death - and not exactly in self-defense - but he kept this thought to himself. Next, he signed that it was best to avoid a fight if possible.

A younger version of Wild would scoff at the very idea, thinking that a fight that is started is a fight that needed to be ended on his terms alone, that he had to come out victorious. And, in truth, he still thought that way on some way, but he was far more aware of how to survive even if it meant losing things like his dignity. Getting injured or killed was not worth it.

Unless, of course, it was all served a greater revenge. For that, he was ready to die - and he did. Perhaps... he did end it on his terms. He died with satisfaction even if gnawing emptiness was right behind him, and everything he had known died with him. Or it would, had he died in truth.

Wild finally noticed that he drifted off and came back to reality, signing that it was best to not get in a fight if possible. A choice had to be made if a fight was even worth it.

“Alright,” Artful said slowly, giving Wild an odd look which almost made him shift in place. Thankfully, then Artful, in a more amused tone, said, “I’ll definitely try not to get in trouble.”

***

The time for the Martial Arts Club had come, and Wild arrived together with Artful. Since the weather was nice outside, that was where the lessons were taking place. The air was pleasantly cool, and there was a light breeze brushing past them every few minutes. They were greeted by an older-looking earth pony stallion by the name of Tae, and introductions were made.

“My name comes from a difficult to pronounce far-away martial art,” he chuckled, “And it’s a lot easier to say Tae than its complete name. So, what’s the goal you two young ones have?”

Wild signed that he was there for self-defense. If Tae was surprised by the sign language use, he didn’t show it, and Wild was grateful for it. So far, sign language had not produced much of a reaction from anyone, and perhaps Wild would one day stop fearing that someone would bombard him with questions about it.

“Y-yeah, I’m for self-defense too,” Artful said with a somewhat nervous nod.

“Alright, then let’s...” the trainer looked around before spotting a pony, “Stand over here with Jade, I’ll be with you shortly.”

“Jade?” Artful’s ears perked up, “I know them.”

“That’s good!” Tae smiled, “It’s always easier with a friend, isn’t it?”

If Wild was correct, this Jade was the same person as the changeling named Jade, but they certainly did not look like a changeling this time, the only similarity being the coloration. Artful and Wild made their way over to them.

“Oh, hi!” they greeted Artful with mild cheerfulness even as they gave a nervous glance at Wild, who did his best to appear non-threatening, “Um, what are you doing here?”

“Wild said it’d be good to learn self-defense because, you know.”

“Yeah, I’m here for the same,” Jade nodded seriously in understanding, “I, uh, can’t really do much yet.”

“I can’t do anything at all,” Artful admitted with an encouraging smile, “But we’ll manage, right?”

“Yeah...”

For a short time, the three waited for the trainer to be done with other participants before he approached them.

“Alright, so you three want to know how to defend yourselves,” Tae began, “Jade knows this, but I am going to ask you two - what do you think self-defense means?”

Wild was the first to answer - he signed that self-defense meant the ability to not be helpless when someone attacked him, meaning that he would be able to strike back and win.

“Alright,” Tae nodded, “What about you, Artful?”

“I, um, think it’s the same? If someone attacks me, then I will know how to fight back.”

“Both of you are, of course, right,” Tae said, “However, knowing self-defense techniques is only a part of self-defense. The most important part is knowing when to use self-defense and when not to. A fight can always result in injuries, sometimes serious ones, and sometimes... even in death,” he looked at all three seriously, “The best fight is one that is avoided. No self-defense techniques will help you when you’re dead. So, the first thing I will teach you is how not to fight.”

Wild expected this, and Artful looked relieved.

“See that pine over there with a white stripe on it?” Tae gestured, and the two nodded, “First, we’ll do a bit of a game of tag, me against you one on one. Jade, you’re included too - let’s see how far you’ve come in running away since we started, right? So, the rules are simple: if you reach the tree before I catch you, you are safe. There are no other rules. Wild, I’d like to see you do it first. Artful, would you count down from three?”

Wild stood facing Tae, his behind to the tree he needed to reach.

“This is the starting point,” Tae explained, “Essentially, we are having a confrontation, and your goal is to escape. Artful, if you please?”

Wild measured Tae with his eyes, taking in how thin the older stallion was yet there was no excess fat. From what Wild had been able to observe so far, he moved without any apparent difficulty, and there was a sort of grace to his gait that spoke of knowing exactly where he was and where his limbs were at any given moment - a mark of a skillful martial artist.

“Go!” Artful finally said, and Wild immediately dashed to the side, his magical hand appearing and throwing some dirt in Tae’s eyes while a couple more hands pushed into the backs of Tae’s front knees, making him collapse right on his face.

Wild quickly galloped over to the marked tree and touched it before looking back. Tae wasn’t even a quarter of the way to him, his eyes red and blinking furiously, a spot of dirt on the front of his muzzle.

“Very effective,” Tae praised, “Creative, too,” he spat on the ground, “You definitely know how to run away, don’t you?” he spat again, “And this, you three is how you do it. Wild here,” Tae spat again, then shook his head, “He used his magical advantage to give himself more time to escape than he otherwise would have. Dirt in my face made sure I would have to take some time to get it out, and it sure is not easy without magic. Then making me fall on top of that added even more time before I was ready to chase him. By then, he was long gone.”

“Wow,” Artful commented, “You’ve done great, Wild!”

Wild lightly shook his head - it was pretty much nothing. When he was all by himself, he made it a habit to carry a bit of dirt in one of the pockets as well as a knife in another. Fortunately, he would certainly not need to stab Tae.

“Alright, but we need to try again,” Tae said, “Imagine there is nothing you can use to throw in my face. Perhaps you can’t even use magic for one reason or another - perhaps exhaustion, sickness, or some odd pain in your horn.”

Wild nodded, and the two faced off again as Artful counted down.

“Go!”

Wild immediately dashed to the side again, then bolted as fast as his body could carry him. Wind brushed past him, almost roaring in his ears as he galloped full-tilt to the marked tree, not looking back once. When he reached it, he turned around and saw that Tae, surprisingly, wasn’t very far behind, but still far enough that Wild would have been able to escape for longer.

“Good, good,” Tae said, “Even without any tricks at all, you are very fast and agile. That’s a very good basis, although it could still use some improvement. I’ve seen you train with swords, and that takes more endurance rather than raw speed. It is indeed a very different thing to gallop at full speed compared to enduring your opponent in a match of skill.”

Wild nodded, accepting the praise as well as the criticism. As far as he was concerned, however, he did well enough. This didn’t mean he wouldn’t seek to improve, but it was good to know that he would be able to escape if needed. This reminded him that it would be good to learn teleportation - he would have been at that tree in an instant if he knew how to teleport. That was something to look up later.

“Alright, Artful, you’re next,” Tae blinked rapidly a few more times, then chuckled, “I think I can take another faceful of dirt now. Jade, count down for us, please.”

The two stood against each other, and Artful was tense as he waited for the countdown. Wild simply watched, considering what would happen silently.

“Go!”

Artful dashed to the side - not as gracefully as Wild, but it was passable. Tae lunged at him, missing him just by a little bit as Artful unfurled his wings and flew upwards faster than Tae was able to react to. Not long after, Artful reached the tree and then went back.

“Pegasi have a really good tool for escaping - their wings,” Tae nodded approvingly, “Never forget about that. Earth ponies like myself, without any weapons, can’t do anything about it. Unicorns would be harder but not impossible to escape this way unless they’re very skilled in the use of magic to capture people. Escaping from another pegasus depends entirely on how fast they are in comparison.”

Artful smiled at the praise.

“However, let’s imagine a scenario - pegasi wings are rather delicate, and let’s say yours were injured and you can’t fly at all. Let’s try it again, then, shall we?”

Once more, Artful stood against Tae as Jade counted down.

“Go!”

Artful did a dash again, but within seconds he was caught and lying on the ground. In comparison to him, Tae was lightning-fast, and Artful didn’t even get a chance to become out of breath. If anything, he looked surprised.

“Oh wow,” he said, breathing out, “That, uh, was fast.”

“Yep,” Tae nodded, “You’ll have to train your legs, young stallion. Jade, now it’s your turn. Artful, if you would, count down for us again.”

Jade appeared nervous in their eyes but ready in their body as they faced Tae.

“Go!”

Jade spun on their front legs, kicking up dirt in Tae’s face with their rear legs, and then they bolted. Tae recovered from the sudden dirt attack quickly and dashed after them, slowly closing the distance - slowly enough that Jade managed to get to the tree just over a second before Tae did as well.

“You’ve done well,” Tae commented, “The first time, you couldn’t run away at all. Good job.”

“T-thanks,” Jade murmured quietly, face slightly flushed from the praise.

“Alright, now you all see what would happen in a controlled situation where you know when and where you will be attacked,” Tae said to them all, “We will have to work with it until all of you can reliably escape. First, you will need to learn how to move fast, to gain speed quickly from zero, and for that, I found the best way to train is through HIIT, as in High Intensity Interval Training. Let me show you what I mean by it...”

For the next small eternity, all three of them did the same thing. They jogged lightly for some time, then all-out sprinted for a short duration, then jogged again, and then repeated it over and over until they reached their limit. The first to give up and collapse was Artful, breathing heavily and drenched in sweat. The second was Jade, not looking too much better. Lastly, Wild stopped, breathing heavily, completely covered in sweat and feeling sticky everywhere, but still standing on his legs.

“Each and every one of you must know your limit, even if you don’t overcome it in the future,” Tae spoke when they were all resting, “Of course, we will work on moving that limit further and further. For now, however, you will rest - even you, Wild. You all need to give your bodies time to recover, and it would take the longest for the untrained like you, Artful. Tomorrow, you will feel very sore and, if you are unlucky, barely able to move. But it will pass, and you will be stronger for it.”

Artful, still out of breath, merely nodded. Wild winced in sympathy - he still remembered the soreness he experienced after he trained hard for the first time, and it was not pleasant.

However, he knew that there was no gain without at least some pain, and pain from training was always better than pain from having failed in the real world.

Author's Note

Martial arts can be helpful in self-defense, but you really do need to know when to swallow your pride and simply run away instead of imagining yourself beating more than once person at a time, and even then it may not go how you want it to go.

I recently watched a video about martial artists going against a person with a knife, and let me tell you... the person with a knife wins most of the time. Of course, if you are cornered, there's nothing you can do except fight, but if you have an option to run, buy should you take it.

Also, all those anti-knife martial arts are bogus. Don't try to be a badass, it's better to learn to run and sprint than put any effort into that.

The best defense is to never be under attack, after all.