In the morning, Celestia and Luna were in a cabinet together as the alicorn of the night provided the short tale of her strange encounter during the night.

"I didn't get much of a good look at it, I'm afraid," she said in conclusion, "It definitely was a black cloud with two red eyes, but that is all that I can remember. It didn't take the shape of a pony or any other being that I know of. I also didn't feel any hostility from the spirit. However, its eyes... I only had a brief look into them before the spirit simply disappeared, and..." she took a sip of tea Celestia provided, "I'm not sure what to think. What I felt was... a hurricane of emotions, something I can't describe without looking into those eyes again," she sighed deeply, then slowly said, "Could it be one of the souls left behind after..."

"Definitely not," Celestia shook her head maybe just a bit too forcefully, not even letting Luna finish, "I've made sure all the souls passed away peacefully. There was not a single one left behind. This one is... from somewhere else, I feel."

"Could be," Luna nodded, taking another sip, "This also reminds me of... and I don't want to assume, but..."

"Do you think it's someone like Sombra?" Celestia spoke in a quiet tone.

"An umbrum, yes," the alicorn of the night nodded, a deep frown on her face, "However, I don't think that's the case here. The Crystal Empire is quite far away, even an umbrum wouldn't make its way here easily. And if it did, then why? It doesn't make sense..."

Both mares sat in silence for a while, deeply thinking about the predicament.

Wild awoke early in the morning, not too long after the sunrise. For a long moment, he lay in his bed, staring at the ceiling blankly, the events of the night still clear in his memory. He wondered why that was - he usually didn't remember his dreams. Or was it not a dream at all?

Perhaps it didn't matter, at least not yet. He stood up from the bed and went through his usual morning routine. It was quite simple and made him feel good about himself. It was a routine that assured him he had a better life now, a life that seemed like it was worth living. Despite what he had experienced in his previous life, he was more and more drawn towards living the new one. It was not the fear of appearing in a yet another world if he tried to kill himself again, it was now a genuine interest in what the second world had to offer. Despite everything he had felt, he had to admit the new life held much promise, and he could see it clearly just one week into it.

He walked out of his dorm, descended to the first floor, and proceeded to the cafeteria, just like he did all the previous days. Foals glanced at him as he passed, whispering between themselves, but he couldn't care less - as long as they didn't approach him, he would be fine. He didn't care much about them and didn't see why they would care about him. He didn't expect nor did he seek to make friends here - he didn't see how he could relate to other foals, especially the younger ones. They hadn't experienced life, they hadn't experienced hardships that he had. Not that he wished they did - he was glad they didn't, and he hoped it would stay this way.

Wild made his way to the cafeteria, walked in, and froze at the entrance. At one of the adult tables, Celestia was sitting, and next to her was another alicorn, the very same one he had seen in what he thought was his dream. He stared at her for a moment before regaining his mind and continuing into the cafeteria and to the counter, doing his best not to glance at the alicorn too often. On the counter, a tray of food was waiting for him, just as it was supposed to be. He used his magic to grab it and then made his way to one of the corner tables where he sat down alone, the entirety of cafeteria open before his eyes.

This day, breakfast had a couple fruit, a bowl of oatmeal sprinkled with chia seeds, a small plate of an arrangement of nuts, and a glass of oat milk. A healthy and delicious start of the day, as far as Wild was concerned. He was also glad there had never been any animal products - he was morally repulsed by them even when he was a human. He knew what went into them, he knew how much suffering they caused, and he chose to not support it anymore. However, before he appeared in Equestria, he never bothered to learn proper nutrition, so instead he punished himself with hunger. He convinced himself he deserved it, and so he slowly wasted away until he put an end to it by killing himself.

He sighed and focused on his food, trying to will his negative thoughts away. What was before didn't matter - he no longer contributed to such suffering, he was no longer part of that world. He was no longer a part of humanity, and he was glad about it. Even if his bad deeds were neither forgiven nor forgotten, he did better now, and it had to matter somewhat. He was now eating healthily and eating well, knowing no one needlessly died for his meals or, as far as he knew, for anything else this pony society made. It was a very welcome change, one he could only praise ponies for. To him, this one thing had already proven ponies to be better than humans.

As he ate, he couldn't help but glance in the direction of the second alicorn. He hadn't seen her before yesterday, and he wondered who she was and whether she knew the thing she saw yesterday night was him. If she knew, she didn't show it - there was not a glance in his direction from her for quite some time. However, it changed when Celestia mentioned him by his name - something he couldn't ignore.

"Poor colt," Luna said to her sister, "Out there alone, growing up in that accursed forest... Undoubtedly it left its mark on him, and I'm not only talking about his scars. However, it also made him stronger, didn't it?"

"A poor compensation for a lifetime in that place," Celestia sighed, furrowing her brows, "The forest also made him... apprehensive of others. He hasn't yet tried to make any friends, he can't even speak. I'm not even sure whether he can't or he won't..."

The alicorn of the night glanced at Wild and noticed him staring at her. His expression and his eyes were both unreadable, and he didn't look away from Luna. He finished his glass of oat milk, all the while looking at her.

"His magic is certainly interesting," Luna commented, noting the hand-like appearance of Wild's aura that surrounded the glass, "And his eyes are... unsettling," she turned back to Celestia, "I've never seen anyone like him. And you say he has never tried to harm anyone?"

"Despite his... uniqueness, he has never done that indeed," the alicorn of the day nodded, "So far, he has only kept to himself. I think he expressed some interest in the martial arts club, as well as crossbows, but that is it. As long as no one comes too close to him, he is content to just stay out of everyone's way."

"Martial arts, you say? Interesting..." Luna scratched her chin with her magic, "Tell me, how well does he understand speech?"

"Simple sentences, nothing more so far," Celestia replied, "After all, it has been only a week. However, he's made quite a lot of progress, more than an average pony would be able to. He seems to be very intelligent for a Feral, certainly at least as intelligent as an average pony his age. What are you thinking about?"

"Have you tried to communicate with him using pictures?" the alicorn of the night wondered, "Maybe he would be willing to answer some questions that way."

"I've... not thought of that," Celestia admitted with a degree of shame in her voice, "Well then, let us try. It looks like Wild is finished with his meal, maybe he wouldn't mind us talking to him."

The two alicorns walked up to Wild who was watching them cautiously from his place. He stood up as they approached him, and the two stopped at a respectable distance.

"I am Luna," the alicorn of the night gestured at herself, to which Wild nodded slowly, wondering what would come next. Did she know it was him that night? Then she summoned a picture portraying herself, Celestia, and Wild talking. Then she made it disappear and inclined her head, question in her eyes. The young unicorn realized what was going on and slowly nodded, then gestured to the exit and raised a brow. Luna smiled at him and turned to Celestia, "See? I knew it would work!"

"Let's go, then," the alicorn of the day said, and the three exited the cafeteria, heading to a more private location. The foals around the cafeteria whispered between themselves, following them with their eyes.

Wild didn't show it, but he was afraid of what the alicorns wanted to talk to him about. He knew - or at least he believed - they didn't intend him harm, but what would they do to him if he told them the entire truth about himself? Would they throw him back to the strange wolves made of wood, would they put him in prison, or would they simply kill him just in case? He knew he was not a good person - he had done enough to deserve a place in hell if it existed. Even if he hadn't done the things he did, he was still a human, and that meant he was dangerous, unfit to live in a peaceful society. He could justify his actions, he could bring up many reasons why what he did was right, but in the end he was nothing but a violent human. Even now, he desired violence, no matter how tame and controlled it would be.

His expression twitched, but thankfully the alicorns didn't notice it. He knew he wouldn't be able to hide the truth forever, he knew he would have to face consequences for his past. He knew it and he hated it with deep passion, wishing he could be someone else, someone other than himself. Yet, he couldn't help but admit that he did feel good about what he had done in his past life. He didn't regret it, he would never be able to regret it. If it came to this, he would do the same thing all over again. However, it didn't absolve him of his responsibility to be better, and he failed, and he knew he would fail again. Yet, there was a chance he could become someone better now that he wasn't a human in body.

The princesses and the young stallion picked a room and sat down. Luna first showed an image of Wild without scars, smaller, obviously younger, and in the Everfree Forest. The image then split - on one half, he was with two other ponies, adults, a mare and a stallion. In the other, he was all by himself, small and defenseless as he was.

Wild almost sighed to himself in relief - the alicorns had no idea who he actually was. They believed he grew up in that strange forest, and they wondered whether he had his parents by his side or someone abandoned him there all alone. They didn't even come close to the truth. The young stallion decided to shrug and shake his head, making the alicorns exchange worried glances. However, they chose to accept it - after all, he would likely be unable to remember his youth, be it because of how young he was or because he didn't want to remember it.

However, it did raise a question - he understood pony body language to a degree. How had he learned it? Or was he replicating a familiar body language of some other being he had seen in the Everfree during his time there?

Next picture was young Wild reading books in a castle inside the Everfree, and Luna looked at him questioningly. He shook his head - he believed it would be the right answer to give. However, it led to both alicorns looking surprised. Was that castle famous or noticeable? Wild wondered whether he would know that place if he lived in that forest all his life.

Another picture was Wild looking at monkeys, then the picture shifted to his horn surrounded by a magical aura, and then at him forming hands with his magic. The young unicorn inclined his head in confusion, wondering what Luna meant. She repeated the sequence, now focusing on the hands of the monkeys. Then it finally came to him - perhaps she thought his magical aura being shaped and acting like hands was because he saw monkeys do things with their own hands. He decided to nod, knowing it was a simpler and still believable explanation, much more convenient than trying to explain the truth.

Celestia and Luna looked at each other - at least one mystery about the colt was unveiled, even if the rest remained obscured. It never crossed their mind that he was or could even be lying about it.

Luna showed him the last picture she had in mind - it depicted Wild how he looked now and an undefined pony fighting using swords. Then the alicorn looked at him with a question in her eyes. Before he could even think much, he nodded - he desired nothing more than to train again, to get into the routine of making himself stronger, faster, and more precise. The swordsmanship club he frequented - if not spent almost all of his free time at - when he was a human was a welcome refuge from the world around him. The feeling of a weapon in his hand, the rush of adrenaline with each strike, the feeling of satisfaction upon hitting his opponent or pain upon being hit himself, he needed them all.

However, a question arose in his mind - once the alicorns saw how skilled he was, wouldn't it make them suspicious of him? He mentally shook his head - it didn't matter as long as he got to be in the fight again, fighting without any consequences other than bruises. He needed to feel it, he needed to be in it again.

The alicorns seemed to be surprised by his eager answer, but nevertheless thought of obliging it. It was no harm teaching him the art of combat as long as it was done under competent supervision.

"When's the next time the martial arts club gathers again?" Luna asked her sister.

"In around half an hour if I'm not mistaken," Celestia replied, "I'll go ahead and talk to Swift Strike to explain Wild, he would certainly need some help teaching him. Meanwhile, can you try to make Wild understand how it's going to go?"

Half an hour later, the martial arts club was gathered in their usual place, and Luna was observing them. Despite how late into the day she had stayed already, there wasn't any sleep in her eyes - on the contrary, she was quite excited to see how Wild would train. She quite enjoyed combat herself, and introducing someone else to it, someone who was as excited about it as she was, felt good.

"So, Wild," Swift Strike, a unicorn stallion in his late forties yet obviously still quite athletic, said, "First, you'll need to choose your weapon. We have enchanted crystals that will make the weapon whatever you want it to be - within realistic limitations. This weapon works only for training and won't ever be capable of hurting anyone."

Luna translated it into pictures for the young unicorn, who nodded in response. This explained how ponies trained without any protective equipment. He already knew what kind of weapon he would pick. He hadn't seen one here before, so he wondered how it would be received. Did such a weapon exist in the entire world? Its idea was certainly not hard to come by even randomly, but still.

Swift Strike gave Wild a simple white crystal and instructed him to pour magic into it while thinking of a weapon. Luna translated it, and then the young stallion produced a weapon that made both the trainer and the alicorn surprised - it was a sabre of a design that obviously suited a user who had hands. It had a curved blade, a crossguard with a knuckle guard, and a short handle capped with steel at the end. Wild was satisfied with how his favorite weapon - a Polish sabre - came out.

"An... unusual choice, but we can make it work," Swift Strike said slowly, "I've some experience with Saddle Arabian scimitars, this one seems close enough."

Meanwhile, Wild weighed the sabre in his magic. It seemed to have the perfect balance, the perfect length, and the perfect weight overall for what he wanted from a sabre that suited his style. He was quite eager to try it out in practice. He certainly needed to know where his skills were now after months of lack of practice.

Wild thumped his chest with his hoof, gestured at Swift Strike, and then pointed the sabre at him in a clearly challenging matter.

"Do you... want to duel?" the older stallion replied, uncertain. After Luna translated his question, Wild nodded, to which Swift Strike said, "Very well, but don't feel bad when it ends swiftly."

The trainer had quite a few young hot-headed stallions come to him wanting to show off, and he was always glad to put them in their place or, on the rare occasion when they didn't make fools of themselves, offer both praise and criticism. He was fairly certain, from what he knew, Wild wouldn't last a second, but something told him it wouldn't be the case. He couldn't read the eyes of the young unicorn, but there was something interesting to them.

The surrounding students made room for the two, forming a circle roughly seven meters in diameter - just enough for a duel. Some students were smirking, knowing full well what happened to most challengers. Others were simply interested, reserving their expectations. Luna herself was practically glowing with excitement - she expected things to go down in ways no one expected.

Wild raised his sabre in a salute, and so did Swift Strike - the older stallion decided to go with a relatively short sword, an arming sword as far as human classification went. If he went with a sword-shield combo, he would probably give Wild no chance at all, and he did intend to see how well he did.

Swift Strike expected the fight to be over quickly - Wild's stance was quite off, he exposed more of his side than he needed to. His sabre was in the high position, the tip aiming backwards - it was an obvious tell of a top-down slash. The older stallion meanwhile had a more conservative stance, facing his opponent straight without exposing anything unnecessarily. His sword was tilted towards Wild in a middle stance, making it the most versatile in both defense and attack.

Wild was ready, his grip on the sabre tight, yet not more than necessary. The shape of the handle allowed him to grasp it in his preferred way - a grip where his middle finger was more forward than the ring finger, and his index finger even more forward than the middle one. It allowed him to tilt the sabre slightly forward, making an obtuse angle between the straighter part of the blade and his imaginary forearm. Of course, he didn't even have arms anymore, but the techniques he knew required a point of reference, even if it wasn't real anymore. His second arm would then be on his side or relaxed, which he imagined it was, but in reality he simply willed the second hand away.

Swift Strike lunged forward suddenly, hoping to end the fight quickly with a simple and direct thrust. Wild brought his sabre down in a slightly diagonal motion instead of the perfect vertical one, knocking Swift's sword down and to the side before it could reach him. Then the young unicorn followed it up with a diagonal down-left to up-right cut, hoping for a clear slash of the stallion's chest. The old stallion jumped back, his sword lightly colliding with the sabre to redirect it just enough that the edge of the latter wouldn't even touch his fur.

Wild continued his attack, pressing forward with another wide yet quick slash. Swift Strike attempted to parry it and go in for a second thrust, but Wild deflected it by slapping the sword aside. The older stallion was impressed - his opponent was swift in his attacks despite being somewhat awkward in hoof movements. He would certainly have to work for his victory.

The fight continued for a slow minute as Wild pressed on aggressively with slashes while Swift Strike did his best to deflect or parry them, but the speed and the ferocity of Wild didn't let any of Swift's attacks through. If the fight continued for long enough, it would turn in favor of the one with better endurance, which would more likely than not be Wild. While Swift Strike was well-trained for his age and still relatively youthful, his older body came with certain limitations younger bodies didn't have.

Wild, meanwhile, felt the older stallion's defense, and learned. Swift Strike was quick, and he attempted to go back on the offensive against Wild. However, the young unicorn knew precisely how many people did that, and he always countered without breaking his attacks. A deflect to the side, then immediate slash. Dipping the blade under his opponent's, a dodge to the side, thrust. Although he missed, he quickly made a swooping motion to distract his opponent and allow himself to retract the sabre in order to bring down yet another attack.

It was perfect - among the beats of his heart and his quick breath, the burn growing in his muscles, and the feeling of sweat running down his body, he was truly alive. In the middle of a fight, in the thickest of the strikes, among the sparks that flew from the swords as they collided, he was himself to the fullest. There was nothing but fighting, he only needed to give in to it. And he did, embracing the adrenaline and the burn inside him so that he could strike even just one more time.

Swift Strike was struggling, now maintaining a purely defensive position, not knowing when an opening would present itself. Despite Wild's constant aggression, the young stallion didn't neglect his defenses and, to the surprise of the trainer, managed to combine them with his attacks. A deflection grew into a slash, a block into a thrust. There was not a single moment Wild was forced to defend without advancing even by a little bit. He fought with the speed and ferocity Swift Strike didn't expect from the reportedly untrained unicorn.

The fight ended suddenly for everyone involved. Swift Strike went for another thrust, but Wild expected it and went down, making his entire body collapse in a controllable manner below the line of the thrust. All the while, he propelled his sabre forward for his own thrust. The blade went past his opponent's sword and connected with the center of Swift Strike's chest.

The older stallion looked surprised as he lowered his sword and stepped back. Wild gathered his hooves underneath him and then stood up, lowering his blade as well.

The students and the princess were silent, surprised by the outcome as much as the trainer was.

"You have given me a run for my money, I have to admit that," Swift Strike said, breathing loudly, his heart still beating fast, "Congratulations on your victory, young stallion."

Wild slightly bowed in response - it was a respectful thing to do at the end of a duel. He was winded as well, but not as much as Swift Strike appeared to be.

"Your technique with the blade is quite good," the trainer continued, "You are quick and precise, you react very well. However, your technique is also rigid, not as creative as it should be. Your stance and hoof work could certainly use some improvement. But overall? You're quite good. You're very good."

Internally, Swift Strike had to admit he underestimated his opponent and thus wasn't mentally ready for such an assault. He was caught by surprise and never allowed to recover. He noted that for himself - he certainly had more to learn from this experience.

Luna translated what the trainer said as best she could to Wild, who nodded in turn, his expression as neutral as it was during the duel. However, on the inside, he was excited - he felt this duel on a deep emotional level. He didn't know if anyone noticed, but he was shaking and shivering with the energy it gave him, he was positively ecstatic to his very core. A part of him told him it wasn't good, it told him he shouldn't feel this way about fighting anyone, seriously or not. However, he didn't care - he felt good about this, and he couldn't deny one thing - it was what he wanted.

"Alright, everyone, you know what to do," the trainer spoke loudly, "The exciting part is over, sorry."

Unbeknownst to everyone, Celestia was watching the entire thing unfold from one of the mansion's windows. A deep frown was present on her face, her eyes on Wild. How could he fight so well with a scimitar, a traditional weapon of Saddle Arabians, when he came from the Everfree? And his techniques were quite clearly minotaurian in origin. Such an unusual combination for any pony, but much more so for someone who came from the Everfree and hadn't had any track record of existence, let alone travels to foreign countries. It didn't take much to put two and two together and figure out that something didn't make much if any sense at all.

Wild undeniably had some sort of training, considering that he had no talent mark, and neither did one appear on his flank during or after the duel. If it wasn't magical talent, then it had to be extensive training of at least a few years. However, there wasn't a single being providing that training in the Everfree. There was wildlife with jaws and claws, but never someone who could fight with artificial, forged weapons.

Once more, she was unsure of what to think of the mysterious young stallion.

Author's Note

Scimitar and sabre are similar but not quite the same, and sabres of the style Wild used became popular during the early Modern Period. Equestrian, meanwhile, is somewhere in the middle to late of the Medieval period when it comes to military technology. Equestrian military tactics employ spears for the most part while scimitars and sabres are, in our world, the weapon of the cavalry. Obviously there's no real dedicated cavalry here.