Wild couldn’t help but stare at his reflection in the mirror. He had already finished everything he needed to do in the bathroom, but he simply couldn’t get over how he now looked, namely how clean his body looked. The the absence of any scars seemed to make him look younger and certainly less... damaged. More innocent, perhaps.

He was continuously amazed at no longer having a scarred ear. It was entirely whole again, which was simply... he didn’t even have word to describe how good he felt about it. Then there were - had been - various nicks here and there that were - once again, had been - usually hidden pretty well by his fur and couldn’t be found unless he specifically looked for them. Now, no matter how much he searched, no matter how thoroughly he inspected every square millimeter of his skin, there was not a single tiny blemish of a scar. This had changed his look greatly, and now there was not a hint that he was anything other than a regular pony. His coloration may be not the most colorful - blue, then almost black dark-blue, and white, as well as his gray eyes - but he no longer looked like he didn’t fit. If he stood in line among other stallions, no one would have been able to single him out without knowing him.

Then his eyes shifted to what remained of the Alicorn Amulet. It felt slightly warm against his skin, pulsating steadily yet, if Wild paid attention, weaker and weaker every hour even if it was still going, as far as he could tell, reasonably strong. Previously, it had looked imperiously on Trixie, an accessory fit for someone who displayed as much power as she did. Now, it looked like an tired old trinket, dulled with age and disuse, damaged because of less than ideal storage conditions. In truth, it was rather ugly and did not fit with Wild’s body at all. While he was advised against taking it off, it wouldn’t be too long before he would be able to remove it, or so he hoped. However, ‘suffering’ through wearing an artifact on his chest was hardly a high price to pay for the amount of power that he would, in time, receive.

When he flushed the toilet, the button for it felt like nothing, as if there was no mechanism to which it connected. Wild, thankfully, managed not to break it by pushing too hard, but it was a near thing, at least as far as he could tell. If his power would only grow from then on, he perfectly understood the need to get used to it and also to control it. He would not want to hurt himself on accident, and he didn’t exactly have much desire to break things either.

He was fed, and only when he was presented with food he realized just how hungry he was. In truth, at first he thought the food brought to him was too much, but he wolfed it down without an issue, almost ravenously consuming it, even going as far as thoroughly licking the plates. Of course, he had never not licked his plates - no matter how 'rude' his parents told him it was - but now he licked them extra thoroughly, making them look as if they came straight from being washed.

“Processing all that energy you are getting requires your own body to spend energy first,” Princess Luna told him when he asked about his hunger, “Usually, it would be unnoticeable for unicorns as they grow more powerful as they age and exercise their magic, but you will have to eat quite a lot more than usual because your magical growth is so rapid.”

Wild didn’t care if thinking so much about power could perhaps be seen as problematic. The things Trixie could do, if he could do them as well... it would provide him with endless ways to defend himself and those he cared about. If he had had that power when the Changeling Invasion happened, he imagined he would have been able to drive them all back with ease, though a part of him knew that, likely, he would overextend himself had he been confident in his power. However, he still imagined, wanted to imagine that he would not have been hurt, that he would not have been forced to spend more time than he would ever want to spend recovering, and... so many things would have been different. If he had all that power, there would not be nearly as many things to worry about, and his future would have been assured there and then.

Power was everything. Princess Luna had it, Princess Celestia had it too. It was because of power that they stayed in control for so long, and it was because of that power that they had managed to make Equestria into what it had become. It was their power that, for centuries, had prevented nations from trying to invade and conquer Equestria with its vast amounts of natural resources and the possibility of gaining quite a lot of slave workforce. Some had, of course, tried in the distant past, but all had been defeated without a single exception. Wild tried to think of any country that remained unchanged for over a thousand years, featuring the same rulers, and yet he could not find one.

Wild did not know whether he would ever need as much power as either of the two Equestrian rulers, but he believed it would not hurt. He couldn’t say he would want to be an alicorn like them - flight, while a fine mode of transportation when he was outside his body and wasn’t forced to follow the laws of physics, wasn’t what he wanted to experience in the flesh. He couldn’t say he was afraid of the heights more than the average person, but he would rather stay on the ground if he could help it.

Power, power, power... power is might. He wanted it, needed it. He hadn’t thought much of it before, forced as he was to accept the reality of not being very strong, but now that the possibility of having much more of it arose... he started thinking. He did not need political power or an army at his beck and call, he simply wanted other to know that he had enough power to not go down easily if he was ever attacked. He wanted others to know that he would fight back, and that the possibility of his own victory wasn’t just a dream beyond his grasp. He had been beaten down before, brought to the lowest point and made to march onward, and now... perhaps once his new power was in his full control, he would never again experience that low.

Perhaps approaching Trixie like he did was a foolish decision. It was up to chance, and he did what he really shouldn’t have - he gambled. This time, thankfully, he won, and he won it big. And now, he realized...

He did not want to give anyone the possibility of taking what he wanted from him. This included this very world and the peace he had found and was now reaching towards. He would fight to keep it all, and now... now, his struggle could not be ignored and brushed aside. He would no longer be just a tiny speck of sand on an endless beach. Others would not be able to ignore him as he fought against them, as he resisted their efforts to make him submit.

With the last look at the Alicorn Amulet that had given him more than he ever expected, he finally exited the bathroom. He nodded to Princess Luna who was waiting for him outside.

“Very well,” she said, “Then let us depart. I imagine you are eager to see better accommodations.”

Wild nodded, then said, “I do not like hospitals.”

“I understand,” Luna nodded to him as the two now walked side by side.

Past the door out of Wild’s temporary room, they entered the hallway. Currently there was no one there but a pair of guards, both unicorns, with steel plate armor covering them from head to hooves, hiding any defining characteristics. Even the joints weren't just chain mail, but proper interlocking plates that not only offered excellent protection but did not hamper movement in any way. The armor was also covered with inscriptions, and Wild could feel the heat-like feeling coming off from them. He figured out this heat-like feeling was the power of the enchantments or something similar. Ever since waking up wearing the Amulet, he started feeling it, and he knew it was magic. It was everywhere around him, strong and complex, and that was about as much as he could tell. He was still getting used to this feeling - it was distracting.

“Wild?”

Case in point. He shook his head, diverted his attention from the guards, and followed Luna. The guards, once the two were past them, moved from their positions to follow. Despite the heavy-looking armor, one many would call cumbersome, they made not a sound, moving fluidly, as if the armor was not there. It would perhaps feel a lot weirder if Wild couldn’t somewhat ‘see’ them with his sense of magic.

The Magic Damage Ward of the Royal Canterlot Hospital had a separate exit from the rest of the complex for the purposes of something related to magic that Wild did not understand, considering it was something deeply theoretical, and he didn’t even know most words that were part of the explanation he received. Whatever the reason for a separate exit was, now there was a carriage waiting for him with two more guards, this time pegasi in similar and certainly no less extensively enchanted armor as their unicorn brethren. There was a shimmering sort of force field around their wings, which Wild imagined protected them from harm without the addition of more physical armor. The best way to describe the carriage in terms of magic was scorching and complex to the point of a massive headache. Wild decided not to focus on it, getting into the carriage when prompted. Luna followed him right in.

It surprised him at first that Luna was so close to him. When he asked about it, the answer was... something.

“Alicorns cannot die,” she said, “I would lay my life down to help you, and I would do so again after I am... back among the living, so to say. It would be beyond painful, but this price is worth it.”

“For me?” Wild blurted out without thinking.

“Without a single doubt,” Luna nodded seriously, and Wild swallowed at her proclamation. He didn’t believe it - didn’t want to believe that he is worth all that pain - but Luna continued, “You are worth that pain," Wild almost shuddered, then checked his mind to see if he was leaking his thoughts. To his relief, he wasn't, so Luna simply guessed. It didn't change much, but there was some relief to be had still, "A pony that I can save from dying by dying in their stead is a pony that would live. For alicorns, death is but an unpleasant moment. For other ponies, it is a finality.”

Except not for Wild, but Wild wasn’t quite a pony in the first place. He decided to not voice that thought aloud... at first. However, curiosity got the better of him.

“What about me? Am I... not able to die?” he asked quietly.

“That, I do not know, I am afraid,” Luna shook her head, “Finding out that alicorns could not die was not... a purposeful pushing of boundaries. I imagine it was much the same for you.”

Wild nodded slowly. In truth, the only purposeful thing about it was his desire to die, not to see if he could but with the expectation that he would.

“Some consider immortality a gift,” Luna said, “Some, a curse. Both have their validity.”

“If I am immortal, I don’t know if it’s a gift,” Wild confessed.

“It certainly often does not feel like it,” Luna nodded, “I... believe I do not have the best perspective on it personally. You would better ask my sister about it. While I was imprisoned, she lived through generations and met more ponies than one can in a single ordinary lifetime.”

“I do not want to be trapped,” Wild said. The confinement to the moon for a thousand years... he couldn’t even imagine that.

“I understand.”

Wild did not doubt for a second that she did. If anyone knew about being trapped, she was the one. His own imprisonment, while feeling like it had lasted longer than a lifetime, would be just a blink in her eyes. At least he escaped by his own power, even relying on a lot of luck as he did in order to get free - Luna had to wait, unable to do anything at all.

Wild stared out of the window, the conversation turning to silence. He was not looking at the truly breathtaking view that was open to him, however. He paid no attention to the houses that stood for hundreds of years or to the amazing scenery of forests, fields, rivers, and villages far below the city. Instead, it turned inwards.

Perhaps it was some form of destiny for Luna and Wild to meet and to grow as close as they had. Wild didn’t know whether she had ever been enslaved in any way, and he would rather not ask, but she had once been imprisoned, like him. This connection between them seemed unimportant, but to Wild it meant that, on some level, she understood him. On some level, she was like him. And she had grown strong and powerful, denying those who would wish to see her down and begging and crying and sobbing. There was strength within her, and this was the strength Wild believed he needed, the strength he wanted. Despite what she had gone through, she had not given up.

One day, perhaps it was possible he would be as powerful as she was now, and this possibility was now open thanks to the Alicorn Amulet. Would he feel powerful then? Would he dedicate his own life to helping others? Would he become a part of the Royal Orphanage, for example, to support those who needed help?

Wild did not yet know whether he aged at all. Of course, his fur grew and shed, his mane and tail grew in length, and supposedly his hooves and teeth grew as well, but so little time had passed. Not enough time to judge whether he would grow or whether he was even more like an alicorn, like Princess Luna. Would he retain eternal youth like she had? Was he immortal like she was?

There were so many questions, and there were so many answers and solutions to find. Wild suspected it was his brain working oddly after this incident - all he wanted to get that day was a massage, after all, and then... well, he couldn’t say he had a plan for the rest of the day, but it was certainly completely unrelated to any musings he was now having.

The carriage was moving slowly, taking a long way around. As it made a curve, Wild remembered what he had asked of Luna.

“Was... was anything found in the Everfree Forest?” he asked her.

“So far, nothing unusual,” she replied, “Of course, the entire forest is unusual in itself, so it would take time to find anything within it that is even more unusual than the rest. Do you know anything we should be looking out for?”

“When I was... reborn, it was a cave with a lake,” he said, frowning as he recalled those memories that seemed very distant now, “There was... a red plant? Many of them?” he sighed in frustration. If only his memory of that place was clearer.

“We will keep an eye out,” Luna nodded.

“Be very careful,” Wild told her seriously, “That place...”

“It is a connection between our world and the world of humans, yes.”

“It can’t be widened. Should not be. Must not be,” he closed his eyes, “I told you that I died. And after death, I was brought here,” he went silent for a long moment, and Luna waited patiently for him to continue, “I did not die by... others. I died because I... because I... because I killed myself.”

The silence was ringing in his ears as he waited for... what? Judgment? Condemnation? He was waiting for words that would hurt.

Time seemed to stretch, and he dared not look at her, fearing... anything, everything. Perhaps she had already known when he told her of what happened to him, or perhaps she had thought differently - he had no way of knowing.

That was, perhaps, not exactly true, however. He had a way to know - he only needed to use his power to delve into her mind. However, the mere thought of it repulsed him, and he shoved it away to the dark depths of his mind where every other unpleasantness lay.

“Wild, may I hug you?”

Without opening his eyes, not daring to speak, he nodded. Soon enough, the warmth of Luna’s body was pressed against him, and he let out a choked sob as he leaned into it.

“I am so sorry it happened to you,” she told him quietly, “You should not have gone through that.”

A part of him wanted to deny those words, to insist that he deserved that and more. However, he could no longer find it in himself to agree with that thought. He was a person, and he could not be blamed for the actions of others, and he... suffered needlessly. There was no purpose to it, it was not some divine ruling that deemed him unworthy and made to punish him.

Things simply... happened. Many bad things happened to him, and he was not to blame.

“I wanted to die so much,” he said in a harsh whisper, words pouring out almost unprompted, “Everything... hurt. I wanted it to be over," he sighed harshly, "When I shot my heart, I wanted it to kill me. It did, but I... lived on. I did not want to live on. I... wanted to die more, but I was afraid. I was afraid I would be born again somewhere else. So I stayed,” he paused as he blinked his eyes rapidly, trying to get rid of the tears. This confession felt so painful, and yet... it was good, “Now... I do not want to die. Because this world is better. I can see... living.”

“Wild, if you ever have those feelings again, if you ever feel like the only way for things to stop hurting is to die, please tell me first,” Luna asked of him, “Tell someone. We can and we will help you. There are many ponies who would help you and who would want to help you. Not just me, not just your friends, but many ponies you do not yet know. They may not know you either, but they would want to help you regardless. And they would do it for no reward, no praise, and perhaps you would not even need to ever see them at all. They would do it because they have the capacity to care.”

Wild nodded, feeling his cheek brush against the side of Luna’s neck. He would... keep it all in mind. He doubted complete and total strangers would care about whether he lived or died, but maybe he was wrong about that. Hopefully, he would never have to find out... hopefully. And relying on his friends? He doubted they would stay by his side if he burdened them with... everything that was him. They didn’t know what it was to feel like he had felt, and he hoped they never would. He imagined they would shy away from someone who went through as much as he had, and rightfully so.

Hopefully, he would never have to find out. He would soon have all the power he would ever need to ensure his own safety, and this same power would grant him a way to live without worries. Or, at least, so he hoped.

Finally, he separated from Princess Luna, still enjoying the lingering warmth she left on him. He had... he had come to enjoy hugs, he realized. This sort of touch was... welcome. He would, maybe, possibly, practice it more, and practice it with others. Ponies were affectionate with each other, and maybe it would soon be time for him to join in, even enjoy doing the same.

His body no longer felt dirtied by his past, and now... perhaps it would feel good to touch and be touched.

Whatever it would be, first he needed to deal with the growth of his power. Soon, the Canterlot Castle would be his temporary home, and he would see if Princess Luna would be willing to teach him something. He was very much looking forward to teleportation. Perhaps, with his new power, he would be able to easily go across large distances.

He could honestly say he loved it when unfortunate accidents ended up benefiting him.

Author's Note

Some worrying thoughts Wild has about power, as well as some feels. Finally, Wild tells someone of the exact reason he is now in Equestria, and he got acceptance.

Luna did suspect that Wild had killed himself, and now she has confirmation.