Magically exhausted, Wild didn’t take long to take a quick shower and then plop onto a bed and enter the realm of dreams almost sooner than his head hit the pillow.

Wild stood in the middle of a familiar city, leaning against a graffiti-covered wall as he was staring out into the traffic. A constant drone of various car noises did not leave him even at night, not entirely, although now it stood especially pronounced. His stomach was grumbling at him, a reminder he didn’t need nor want, but one he would get anyway because he could not deny reality. He was very aware that he hadn’t had a chance to eat anything decent in a long while.

In a blink, awareness came to him that he was indeed dreaming. The world around him seemingly shifted ever so slightly yet also quite noticeably, becoming immediately and obviously unreal to the point where one may consider themselves a fool for ever thinking it was anything but fake. He raised his imaginary hand-

But there wasn’t a hand. There was a hoof, and he realized he was in his new body. He not-blinked at himself, and the motion almost threw him right out of his dream. However, one thing was undeniable - even his dream self no longer held on to his old body.

Some would be terrified, believing themselves to be losing their identity to changes they weren’t willing to accept. Wild, however, embraced it, glad that everything relating to his old physical self would be gone, banished to past memories, never to reappear in the present. He was not missing his old body, and now that his new physical body held no resemblance to the old one...

With all honesty, it would certainly be a lie to say that he felt like an entirely new person. It would be untrue if he claimed that his past was behind him and no longer influencing him. He was smart enough not to delude himself into thinking that what had happened to him before no longer matter. It did... however, it did not have to rule him.

Perhaps, in a way, this was his reward for tricking Trixie into giving him the Alicorn Amulet. It was, without a doubt, a good thing, and so, perhaps, it... was good for him too.

What he had done resulted in a wish of his to become reality, and he would soon grow in power too, which was another wish he had. All in all, he would consider this an excellent outcome.

The old human world around him faded as he let go of it, letting himself drift into dreamless sleep. A small smile spread on his face in reality, and he snuggled deeper into the pillows.

***

When Wild awoke, the next morning had already come, the sun having risen, now shining brightly into the room because he didn’t pull the curtains closed. He yawned widely, then stretched on his bed, kicking the blanket already bunched up on his side to the floor. He bounced out of the bed, landing on his four hooves without issue. Humming to himself, he went through his morning routine sans the ointment. He once again took note of, in his opinion, much improved appearance. Well-rested, he even looked... younger. Was it how he was supposed to look like in the first place? He couldn’t help but stare. He still could hardly believe something like this had happened at all. Perhaps he should have been more embarrassed for focusing so much on his own appearance, but he couldn’t help the rising joy he felt each time he saw no scars.

Some time later, after he ate some food - it was delivered straight to the dining table - Princess Luna showed up, and he got himself scanned.

“I believe you are mostly fine,” she said, a thoughtful look on her face, “However, there is something... else. I am uncertain of what it is, but I do not think it is harmful, at the very least so far.”

“I feel fine,” Wild shrugged. If he were entirely honest with himself, he felt great, so it would take him a deep dive into his own self to see if there was anything actually off about him.

“I am glad to hear that, but we must be careful,” she warned him, “If there is one thing that is certain about the Alicorn Amulet, then it is the fact that it was not made with benevolence in mind. I believe it is best to work under the assumption that it will cause problems. If it does not, then we will cross that bridge when we come to it.”

Luna paced in front of Wild, and he watched her somewhat warily. He didn’t expect her to hurt him, he knew she wouldn’t hurt him, yet he couldn’t help but feel worried about what she was saying. In truth, he was perhaps blinded by what he was given, and the possible dangers brought up the fact that things never went right in his life for long. He should expect something bad to happen as well.

“Magical corruption can be a slow and insidious killer,” she continued, “It tells you what you want to hear, it gives you what you want to have, and in exchange...” she then shook her head, then turned to him, “Have you written down your thoughts since this happened?”

Wild shook his head, then said, “I do not have my journal. It is back at the orphanage.”

“I see, then I will retrieve it for you as soon as possible,” Luna told him, “It is imperative that you write down your thoughts, as well as compare them to your previous writings. Hopefully, there will be consistency, but if not, then you must become aware of it.”

“I... I did not write down much,” Wild shamefully admitted, “It is... difficult.”

Luna paused in her pacing, took a deep breath with her eyes closed, then slowly let it out.

“Alright,” she said calmly, “I... cannot blame you for this. I myself have not done so. In this case, I believe I am the best judge of whether you have unexpectedly changed, assuming you know no one else who knows as much about you as I do.”

Wild shook his head. In truth, he didn’t even want to think about whether he would ever willingly tell anyone else about his past. It wasn’t even about hurting anymore but about... he didn’t even know. His past mattered, that much he knew, but it was also full of secrets, and if someone knew them, they would never look at him in the same way ever again.

“Very well. Can you tell me, did you notice any sudden changes that you cannot explain or cannot explain well?”

“I feel too good,” he readily replied, “You said it is... Alicorn’s High, but...”

“You believe it may be more,” Luna nodded, “Have you had any other emotional highs yet? Anger, sadness?”

Wild thought for a moment, then shook his head.

“I see. I would suggest you to be mindful of how you feel. Be aware of what is going on inside your head,” Luna told him, “Once you have your journal, write your feelings down in detail. Do not hesitate to put to paper even what you would usually consider inconsequential.”

Wild’s good mood was swiftly disappearing the longer this conversation went on.

“Will... something bad happen?” he couldn’t help but ask.

“Unfortunately, we do not know,” Luna said, “I must be blunt with you - the situation is as unique as it is potentially dangerous. What is happening to you is something I have never encountered before. The combination of this uncertainty as well as the malevolent nature of the artifact is... not reassuring.”

Wild’s good mood was entirely gone by then. He had indeed once again been a fool - he saw the benefits of his situation and yet not anything else, taken as he was by the euphoria of power. After all, power was not something to be handled lightly, and he needed to be especially mindful about that. In truth, he had never had much power in his life, and there was not a day in his life where he felt like he belonged entirely to himself and could call himself strong enough to be independent.

“I am not saying this because I believe something bad will happen to you,” Luna said, breaking him out of his thoughts, “Every day that you live is another day of possibilities of hardship, such is the nature of life. However, to live in fear of what may happen is not what I want you to do, and I do not believe this is the way of life you want to embrace.”

Wild nodded in full agreement.

“I lived in fear for long,” he said, deciding to share his thoughts, “There was... always fear,” he briefly shut his eyes as he gathered his thoughts and processed them to put them into words. Exposing his vulnerability was not something he, instinctively, wanted to do, but Luna already knew much, and she would help him, not harm him, and so he must put his trust in her.

She was there in front of him, waiting patiently for him to speak, never urging him. For that, he was grateful, and soon he was as ready as he could ever be.

“When I was young, I feared my parents would not want me,” he admitted, “I was... not a good child. I was difficult. My parents, they... they loved me, always, but I also always feared they... feared they would stop.

“I had a dream,” he switched, “And I... I know I am in a new world. And now I have a better body,” he looked at himself, “No scars. No... reminders of what happened to my old body. And when I dreamed, I dreamed of my old world, but I dreamed I was in my new body. Before, I had my old body. I... I am ready, I want to live this life. And, and... and I still fear.”

He closed his mouth and sat in silence for a moment.

“I feared my parents would not love me, then I feared... everything,” he said, his words feeling like sludge as he struggled to get them out, “I was alone when my parents died. Without a home. No one cared about me, and then... then I was captured, and I feared... many things. Then I escaped, and I feared returning. And then I... then I died when I had nothing left to fear but living on.”

He went silent once again, preparing to reveal yet another truth about himself.

“I died by killing myself because of fear,” he let it out in one breath, then shut his eyes. Even now, admitting to it felt like a shot through his heart, and he didn't know whether it was the memory of how he did it or a simple metaphorical sensation “After, I feared dying but living again, somewhere else.”

He had talked to Luna about it not long ago, but he felt he needed to say it again, just to hear himself admitting he had those thoughts, that they existed, and that they would stay in his memory forever.

“I know you have said you want to live this life," Luna said, "But are you afraid to do it?"

That was an odd question, but one Wild could understand, perhaps even too easily. However, the answer to it was not easy at all. After all, he had little to be afraid of, objectively speaking. While it was true that this new life, just like his previous life, had its upsides and downsides, there was much more of the former, and he had come back stronger from the latter. He had, without a single doubt, gained more than he had lost, and his life had been improving despite the challenges he had faced and was still facing. He even had the support from the ruler of the nation, something he knew he kept disregarding time and time again because it seemed so weird and unbelievable. If he were back on Earth, it would be as if he was under the care of... whoever was the most powerful person back then. The president of the USA? Whoever was the head of the UN or NATO or EU? His situation, in truth, was honestly absurd.

To add to that, most of his misery in the new world stemmed from his past in the old world. Perhaps his old world did not have magic or mad changelings or evil spirits or malicious amulets, which were, perhaps, objectively more dangerous and scary than anything he had ever experienced, but it was the old world where he grew up and became the person he was, and the memories within him were strong. Now, at least, he was on a more or less the same level as the dangers he faced, and he had support, and he wasn't starving, and he didn't have to resort to sleeping in the woods under a bush only to be soaked by rain and then spend the next few weeks with sniffles and intermittent coughing.

With perfect clarity, he recognized that his situation was now much different than before, and even if he wanted to treat it as before, the truth was that he could not.

He was no longer alone.

Ever since coming to this world, he had never been alone even if it felt like it. He was pretty much constantly surrounded by people who, in one way or another, cared about him. He even already had a ticket to a relationship, which he yet refused to take because he knew he was difficult and would only cause problems for anyone who would want to be in a relationship with him. It still boggled his mind that Artful declared him perfect. Wild knew he was anything but perfect. He even asked Artful what good he saw in Wild, and yet he couldn’t really believe the answer he got.

“Yes,” he finally gave the answer to Luna's question, “Yes,” he repeated, opening his eyes and looking at her, “I like this new life, I really do, but... but I can make things go wrong. I want this life, but... because of who I am, I will mess up. I know I can... have a happy life, because this world is good, because, because things are good, but I... I will mess up. And that is why I... fear.”

“Everyone messes up, Wild,” Luna told him gently, “It is part of living. It is part of growth as a person. Everyone has regrets and everyone will have regrets. No one is perfect. Not me, not my sister, no one,” she emphasized, “Is perfect. You will not be perfect. Chasing for perfection will only bring you ruin. It brought grief to me and to my sister. I implore you, remember that you are a person, and a person is never perfect and cannot be perfect.”

Wild nodded to this despite the weak disagreement he wanted to voice. After all, what use was having a second life if he couldn’t make it perfect, to make it truly count? Unfortunately for him, Luna was making sense, and he could not disagree with her even if he really wanted to.

“Wild,” Luna looked him in the eyes, “Give yourself permission to make mistakes. Allow yourself to mess up. You will not be less of a person for that. You will make mistakes, it is inevitable. Some small, some perhaps big, but you will make them. Do not beat yourself up over making a mistake - learn from it. It will continue to define you only if you refuse to accept it and to rectify it to the best of your ability.

“There are many ponies who make mistakes and refuse to learn from them, refuse to accept that they are fallible. There are deeds that are unforgivable and irredeemable, but you have done no such thing, and I cannot see you doing it. You are a good person, Wild. If you make someone you care about mad at you, it is not the end of the world. If you get into a fight leaving someone bruised, it is not the end of you.”

“But what if I... hurt someone a lot with my power?” he asked, tapping on the Alicorn Amulet, which produced a surprisingly dull sound in response, “I am going to become more powerful, and... and I do not want to hurt those I care about.”

“Have you ever truly wanted to hit your parents?”

“No!” Wild denied, “I was... angry, sometimes, but I would never hit them!”

“Would you do it to your friends?”

“No!”

“Then the amount of magical power you wield makes no difference,” Luna said, “As long as you learn to control it. Accidents happen, and emotions can influence magic, but much of magic is about intent. You may aim your horn, prepare your spell, build up your power, but if you do not intend to hurt the one you are aiming at, you will not hurt them, certainly not deliberately.”

Wild nodded hesitantly, hoping that she was right, hoping that his new power would not be his doom too.

There was little else said afterwards aside from Luna reiterating that he can make mistakes and allow it to happen. Wild needed to think about it, and... perhaps he would write something down in his journal once he got it again. It seemed an insurmountable task, and yet it was a task he needed to complete for the sake of himself and others. What he felt now, he couldn’t be sure, although he asked Luna to bring him the Atlas of Emotions - it had proven to be a very useful book, after all.

With a deep sigh, he lay down on the couch and stared at the ceiling, a single question on his mind.

Why did his life have to be so difficult?

Author's Note

Before posting this chapter here, I realized I kinda fucked up because this chapter had a plot point I had already realized merely three chapters ago. That made me feel dumb, so I had to rewrite a chunk of this one. I should definitely pay more attention to what I have and haven't yet written. And that mistake has been sitting there since the first half of October last year. Makes me feel even dumber.

...Maybe I should really start keeping notes on the stories I write so I don't make another such blunder. Though, I can't guarantee I won't make a similar brainfart again in the future.

I should probably take some time to review chapters between this one and the next... twenty-five as of this moment. That's a lot of chapters.

Though, good news for you, then - I have enough chapters right now to continue posting for a solid half a year once a week. So, if you were still wondering whether you should worry about this story not getting updates anytime soon, you can now be relieved in the knowledge that, unless I am incapacitated or die out of nowhere, you will be treated to a chapter every week for a long time.