Princess Celestia woke up to an intruder alert from one of the protective spells placed on the Canterlot Royal Castle, and she immediately knew where the intruder was. They moved smoothly, unnoticed by staff or guards, passing through closed and magically locked doors as if they weren’t there. As an alicorn, she had the power to deal with their type, and she mentally noted to review security arrangements afterwards. That they had managed to get as far into the castle as they had without raising an alarm before Celestia was notified by specialized spells was unacceptable. After the breach Queen Chrysalis had caused, Princess Celestia was not going to take any chance of anything similar happening ever again.

The source of the alert stood now in front of her, a dark smoke-like pony-like shape with shining red holes for eyes and a face devoid of any expression. Sickly red cracks spread out from where a heart would be in a regular pony to all over their entire body. She couldn’t see whether the spirit was hostile or not, couldn’t judge what they were thinking based on facial expressions. The only reaction to Celestia’s appearance that she could see was a slight widening of their not-eyes.

She could already imagine it, could almost see them flying straight at her, attempting a possession, attempting to make her submit. However, what they didn’t know was the fact that Celestia was now ready. She knew how to deal with spirits, and she would not be taken by surprise in her own home. She suspected the reason behind this spirit’s appearance was her sister - this gallery was close to Luna’s chambers, and it would not be surprising if some dark spirits wanted her for one reason or another.

However, no attack came. If anything, the spirit was just standing there, their form wavering in unseen wind, almost following the waver in Celestia’ mane and tail. She wondered if the spirit was readying themselves or waiting for just the right moment to strike, gathering their strength. If the reason for their waver was the same as why she had it, they had to be powerful.

“I mean no harm,” they suddenly spoke - but it was not speech but a mental impression of words. This psychic voice felt like one belonging to a pony yet... not quite. Psychic voices did not exactly have accents, but if they had, there was certainly something foreign to this spirit’s tone. Before Celestia could dwell on it any longer, the spirit continued, “I want to see Princess Luna. I have a message for her.”

Celestia could hear it now - there was an uncertainty to the words, a slowness that spoke of the spirit carefully picking them as if they did not use words often. Which would be right for a spirit - their ways of communication could certainly be... esoteric, and putting them to words was putting a limit on them that spirits did not know how to use properly.

“You have trespassed for the sake of delivering a message?” Celestia raised a brow, “A letter would suffice.”

There was a pause as the spirit shifted slightly. It was a surprisingly pony-like movement that resembled... uncertainty?

“The message is urgent,” the spirit insisted, “Sending a letter would be too long.”

“This does not explain trespassing,” Celestia said.

“I...” the spirit shifted again, “I did not know what else to do.”

“Let us speak plainly - I do not trust you,” Celestia said, “Can you prove you want to send a message to my sister and nothing else?”

“...I do not know how,” the spirit replied. Celestia was becoming unnerved by their lack of expression, especially as their unwavering not-eyes seemed to peer into her soul, “How can I prove I am honest?”

“You can tell the message to me and I will pass it on,” Celestia said, “After escorting you off the Canterlot Royal Castle grounds.”

“The message is... personal,” the spirit answered, but Celestia knew it wasn’t the full truth straight away, “She... she knows me.”

“My sister hasn’t mentioned a spirit to me,” Celestia noted. To that, the spirit was silent for a while.

“You can ask her. Describe how I look to her, she will tell you she knows who I am,” the spirit replied, and... was there desperation in their tone? That couldn’t be right.

“I cannot leave you here by yourself,” Celestia shook her head, “And I will not bring my sister where you can reach her. Surely you understand it?”

There was a pause the length of a few seconds, and then the spirit took off, passing through a window. Celestia took a single instance to take the suddenness in before her horn lit up and she disappeared from the gallery and reappeared on the roof above, startling a couple of guards. She ignored their question, her eyes tracking the dark spot of smoke as the spirit moved quickly to escape. She made mental calculations as a spell gathered at the tip of her horn, then aimed it and let it out. A bolt of golden light traveled across the air and, with unerring accuracy, hit the spirit. A glass ball materialized, encompassing the entirety of the spirit, sucking it in until it was trapped there.

Celestia knew that it wouldn’t hold a determined spirit for long, but it would have to be enough until she carried to a much stronger place where she would be free to find out why exactly this spirit had taken an interest in her sister. She would not fail to protect her, not again.

“Continue as you were, guards,” she addressed the still confused guards near her then flew down to the ground to capture the glass ball. As usual, her short flight was less graceful than it could perhaps be. She knew over a thousand years had passed, yet she would continue to blame it on her being a unicorn before she became an alicorn. Perhaps one day she would learn how to fly properly and gracefully. One day, but today she had something far more important to deal with.

***

He could not be he could not be he could not be trapped again not again please-

He swirled and churned within the transparent prison he found himself in, helpless as Princess Celestia carried him in in her magical grasp.

Not helpless, must not be helpless, never helpless again-

He could not pass through, but something that could not be simply walked through could be destroyed. He paused for a moment, gathering his strength, then focused his best on striking the glass. The sound of the hit resonated around him, but he had no ears to be hurt by how loud it was, although he was disoriented for a moment as he jolted when Celestia turned to see what was going on. She cursed under her breath and hurried her steps.

Come on come on come on break out now-

He hit the glass again and again and again and again and again, the force of his blows making it rattle yet there was not a crack, not a dent, nothing to show for all his efforts.

Whatever he said, Celestia would not believe him, and he was so foolish to get caught like this. He should have sent a letter - the ghost would have waited, it wasn’t like he hadn’t been waiting for some time already. He was stupid, why did he have to be so stupid?

He struck, more flailing than anything, but he knew something would have to give, and he didn’t have muscles that got tired or skin that got bruised or bones that cracked and broke, and so he hit the glass again and again with as much force as he could muster, confined as he was to the glass orb.

Was there a tiny crack or was that his imagination? Inspecting it closer would be useless - he needed to act. Celestia was already somewhere Wild didn’t know, and the longer he spent in that orb the sooner he would be somewhere... he didn’t want to think about.

Celestia went down and down, deeper into the castle and beneath the windowed halls, and he knew with perfect clarity where he was led.

Not the basement not the basement not the basement please no-

His frantic hits grew in intensity and strength, and there was now an undeniable crack, slowly fracturing further and growing in size. He could get out if only he hit harder and hit more.

The only way to escape anything was to fight, that much was clear. He didn’t want to fight Celestia, but he didn’t exactly want to see what she had in store for him, believing him to be... what, evil? He didn’t know what she thought about him, but it was clear she didn’t trust him, and nothing he could say would change that. The only option was to escape and hope she would not dig deeper, would not try to track him down, would not-

It was all for later. The glass was cracking under his force, he was almost-

The glass shattered and he was free. Princess Celestia was already aiming her horn at her, and it was glowing. Unthinking, Wild directed barely focused pure force at her, making her stumble and the spell on her horn fizzle out. Wild flew away-

Only to hit the brick of the hallway which resonated inside him as if he was inside a giant bell that had just been rung. This momentary disorientation cost him, and another glass orb became his prison. He did not give up, could not give up, and he hit it again and again and again, knowing that nothing good would wait for him if he didn’t escape.

The glass would have probably cracked soon but he was suddenly thrown, and then there was a lot more space around him. He reoriented himself in the space and looked around - he was now in a much bigger orb that floated in the middle of stone-bricked room, which was lit by electric-like white lights. If he squinted - or simply looked closer now that he couldn’t squint - he could make out faint inscriptions in whatever transparent material comprised this orb.

He. Was. Trapped.

Again.

He knew begging to be let out wouldn’t work.

Helpless again.

Magic was a useful tool, but now it was time for him to learn that it wasn’t just his tool to use. There was not a single chance he could do anything about a centuries-old powerful magic user like Princess Celestia.

All he could do was float there and stare at her, awaiting her judgement, preparing for what she would do to him now.

He was at her complete mercy. Assuming she had any.

She had to have mercy. Princess Luna had empathy to spare for him, and her sister was known for being kind, and she had been kind to him when they first met, from what he remembered. However, he looked like a pony then - now, he was pure spirit, and he had trespassed.

And it was all because he decided to be kind to a ghost. It appeared life always found a way to punish him regardless of what he did or tried to do.

“Alright,” Celestia spoke, “Let’s see if you can answer some question, truthfully this time.”

It wasn’t as if he had a choice now. He had been honest, but she simply didn’t trust him.

“I will begin with being honest as well - I know what you spirits do. You are entirely selfish, focused on what you want, no matter who suffers,” Celestia said, “My sister has suffered enough.”

Was she talking about the Nightmare? Wild almost chuckled humorlessly - he knew exactly what Celestia meant. And... now that he thought of it, Princess Celestia didn’t know what happened to him. Luna had kept her word, had kept his circumstances secret.

He couldn’t help but feel some... he couldn't form thoughts properly at the moment, but he did feel some kind of warmth towards her. If he got out of this situation, he would never doubt her promises ever again. If she didn’t tell her own sister anything that he asked her not to tell anyone, then she truly meant it when she made a promise.

That counted. A lot. Unfortunately, it wasn't going to help him now.

“Now, for the questions,” Celestia looked at him, her eyes cold, “Who are you?”

Who was he indeed? There was only one question to it.

“I do not know,” he replied honestly.

Celestia blinked, then her horn lit up. Wild wished he could flinch and close his eyes - wrong answer wrong answer pain awaited-

But no pain came. He didn’t feel anything at all, in fact. There was simply no change.

“Alright... what is your true name?” she asked next.

What did she mean by true name? Was it how he was called? Was his true name the one he was given as a human? Was it the name he was given as a pony? He had thought of himself as Wild for a somewhat long time, but he didn’t exactly have any true name because, well... it was all true, in a way? His human name used to be true - and still perhaps was, it wasn’t like he was a different person.

In the end, it was uncertain.

“I do not know,” he replied once again. Celestia furrowed her brows but didn’t say anything.

“Very well, why are you in the Royal Canterlot Castle?”

This question, at least, was easy.

“I have a message for Princess Luna,” he replied. He had already said it, and he knew it wouldn’t be more believable the more he said it, but it was true.

“What is the message?”

“There is... a thing she can help with,” Wild replied, “And it is... it should be done quickly.”

“What is that thing you believe she can help you with?”

“Not me,” Wild shook his head, “There is a ghost. He wants to see the sun and his parents again. He is trapped, and he needs help.”

Celestia looked at him with an expression of confusion. Wild would openly swear that he was telling the truth, but what use was that when he wasn’t going to be believed anyway? And why hadn’t Celestia questioned his trustworthiness again? Why was she looking at him like that?

“Why do you want to tell my sister that? Why not someone else?”

“Because I can trust her,” Wild readily replied, “Who else could I turn to with this?”

“There is the Ghostbusters guild,” Celestia replied, “Their job is to help ghosts pass on.”

“I did not know that,” Wild replied, imagining himself furrowing his brows. He was, unsurprisingly, an idiot - he should have looked things up before rushing to a princess. Of course there was a solution that didn’t require intervention of a nation ruler. He should have known, he should have thought, but he didn’t.

“Why do you trust Luna?”

“Because she helps me,” Wild said, hoping Princess Celestia would not dig deeper, “She gave me... kindness. Understanding,” then, hoping that perhaps it would convince Princess Celestia to let him go, he said, “She is the only one I can trust to help me.”

“...by what name does she call you?” Celestia asked slowly.

Wild did not want to say it because then Celestia would have the answer, would know who and what he was. Princess Luna accepted him for who he was, and he knew others would not be so generous.

“I answered your questions,” he said instead of answering her, “What more do you want from me? When will you LET ME GO?”

He hurled himself at the wall of the orb, only bouncing harmlessly back even as he screamed and bashed against it again and again.

It was a flurry of effort after, but there was not a single scratch, nothing to show for any of it even as he lost count for the amount of times he hit the glass or whatever it was. He just wanted to go home, to fall asleep, to wake up and not remember it like a bad dream.

He didn’t know if Princess Celestia was still there but he didn’t care. He was but a blur of black and red as he bounced around, trying to find a possible weak spot because he wanted to escape, to go away. He would not show up at the castle again, he would stick to himself, he would stop experimenting with being a spirit, he would-

“Wild!”

Wild stopped then, recognizing the familiar voice. He looked her way, and there she was - Princess Luna. Worry was clear on her face, and her horn was alight. The orb around him melted, flowing into oddly-shaped channels in the floor, and he was free again finally thankfully-

“Wild, I am so sorry,” Luna rushed over to him and... hugged him. He felt it, he felt her warmth, he felt the, the safety, and... if he had eyes still, he would have cried. However, he had nothing now, so he could only share the relief he felt at Luna’s presence.

He took a single moment to imagine her rescuing him from before, from when he had no power, from when he was bound to the whims of his tormentors. She would have busted down the door, would slaughter them just like they deserved, and he would have been free, all before the most terrible things happened, all before they could truly break him.

“Wild?” Luna called him, and he looked into her eyes. He could gaze into them forever, into their warmth and... a kind of love, perhaps. She cared about him, and he, he... he didn’t know how to respond to that, wishing it was easier. And then she spoke again, “You are spreading your thoughts.”

Wild grasped them then, forcing them to retreat to the depths of his mind.

“I am happy to know you are glad to see me,” she smiled at him, but then the corners of her mouth turned down, “I am truly sorry for what my sister did. She is extremely wary of spirits now, and I wish she woke me up before approaching you.”

“Did you tell her who I am?” he asked warily, hoping that she had not just broken-

“No,” she denied, “I only confirmed that I know you. Come on, I will lead you out of this place. And... my sister will apologize to you. If you are ready to receive her apologies.”

“...I do not need apologies,” Wild shook his head, feeling tired in a way that felt physical yet wasn't, “I want to... go home.”

“Of course,” Luna nodded immediately, “Alright, let’s see you off then. Would you like me to fly with you?”

“Do you not have things to do here?” Wild asked her.

“This is more important right now,” she assured him, a flash of emotion passing in her at his words too fast for him to catch let alone decipher. In her eyes, however, he could perhaps see... sadness?

“And I wanted to tell you about-”

“My sister told me about it,” she gently cut him off, “I will make sure that the ghost receives the help they need, but right now you need me. So, my offer still stands.”

“...I would like you to fly with me,” Wild admitted shyly.

“Then I will do that,” Luna nodded, “Come on now, let us go.”

Wild was looking forward to forgetting himself in whatever remained of his sleep. The ghost, Princess Celestia, the way in which he was imprisoned, it would all simply wait.

Author's Note

I am so sorry, I completely lost track of time. I thought it was Sunday, but was actually Monday, and now it's early hours of Tuesday when I finally noticed the day of the week. That's why this chapter is so many hours late.

I have no idea how this happened.