Finally, the time had come, and everyone had assembled together: Precision, Swingblade, Pebbles, Lina, Artful, and, of course, Wild. Six in total, it was about as large a group as Wild thought himself able to handle, and five was the most people he had ever been together with and had a decent amount of ties to. Whether those ties were strong enough, he wasn’t completely certain of. Pebbles was the partner of Precision, and Wild had never talked to her before their introduction not all that long ago, and Lina was a mostly unknown pony he didn’t mind being around with since his days mentally recovering from the Changeling Invasion. But then, Swingblade and Precision were not all that close to him either, still remaining mostly in the people-he-regularly-saw category because they were in the same Martial Arts Club as he was. Truly, the only person that had any actually meaningful close ties to him was Artful. In fact, he had the closest ties with Wild, closer than anyone before him.

Wild shook his head lightly, knowing none of those thoughts were exactly useful, and all of them only acted as a justification or, more accurately, an excuse for him to call it all off. In truth, if he really thought about it, he could easily count Swingblade and Precision and Lina as his friends, even if he still struggled to see what friendship even meant. From what he now understood, friendships weren’t always close enough to be called a family, but it was still... odd.

Wild knew he could mentally beat himself up pretty much endlessly, but did he want to do it? No. This day, he would push those thoughts away and focus on the present.

Everyone had their bags packed even though they would still be on the Royal Orphanage grounds. Snacks, games, sleeping bags, it was all ready. Wild felt somewhat awkward, considering that he didn’t bring anything himself aside from some food he got from cafeteria, which the cooks packed for him without issue despite how odd he thought his request was. Or, perhaps, it was not odd at all, considering that no one asked him any questions, looked at him oddly, or even thought that he was weird. That was when he realized he was beating himself up over nothing again.

It was something to think about. Not then, however, but later.

Still, he wished he could contribute more, but board games or tabletop games weren’t something he was into much, and he hadn’t had much of a chance to get into them since coming to the Royal Orphanage. Perhaps he would try more of them now, because he was feeling better, and he wanted to do more, but plenty of uncertainty still remained.

When it came to sleeping arrangements, sleeping bags weren’t entirely necessary, considering that it was unlikely to get very cold even at night, but they could easily be turned into regular comforters, which would be their purpose when, eventually, everyone would sleep together in a pile. Wild was a bit anxious about it, hoping that he would be able to fall asleep with so many people in the room together, and also hoping he wouldn’t have some sort of a nightmare. He hadn’t really had them in some time, which he thought would make the next time he had one especially unpleasant.

He expected the sleepover to end up a bit awkward for him. He had read about sleepovers, watched some cartoons featuring them, and heard about them from people around him, but it was all in his previous life. Sleepovers are supposedly a part of a teenager’s first life experiences, he knew. However, before the impromptu sleepover with Artful and Jade, he had never done that. He had never had someone come over and neither had he come to anyone. He had never before felt comfortable with inviting anyone, and he had no one close enough to him that they would want to invite him. Another part of a normal life he had missed because he was not normal, never had been, never would be-

He chased those thoughts away as he led the way to the cabin where everyone would be staying for the night. He focused on the clear skies, so impossibly blue it seemed unreal for a moment. He breathed in, breathed out, the rhythm of it calming his thoughts, turning them to a different direction. When was the last time he simply looked up at the sky? Had he even bothered to look at the stars, see how different they were compared to what he could see from Earth? Had he counted the clouds, watched their shapes? Simple pleasures of life, how many of them had he completely forgotten about, hadn’t indulged in since forever?

Chilly wind blew, a herald of the cold to come, and the remaining leaves rustled on the trees, some detaching and floating along the invisible currents. Wild didn’t remember if he had already missed the Running of the Leaves... and was it even called that? He couldn’t even remember that little fact.

He was glad he stopped to think about it, to rest right there, to be present in the here and now, in the very moment he was experiencing. The ground was dry, and the fallen leaves crunched under his hooves and the hooves of others. The forest was ahead of them, the tops of the trees swaying in the wind ever so slightly.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Artful spoke, to the noises of approval from others.

It appeared it wasn’t Wild alone who took it all in, which he knew to expect yet forgot. After all, others were also people and had their own personalities. In the past, sometimes others did not seem real, for their stay in Wild’s life was brief or they only took one role he could clearly define. They did not feel like people... or, perhaps, he did not feel like he was treated as a person. It was something to... cover, perhaps, when he was in therapy again. For now, it would hopefully be enough that everyone had personalities, especially ponies around him right now.

Wild distantly remembered the forecast. Well, it was not a forecast, of course - it was a schedule. It still seemed so ridiculously weird that ponies could control the weather, and they had done so for centuries, since before Equestria was even a country. There was very little unpredictability, very little variation from year to year. It was a sort of stability Wild had never expected to see in his life. Of course, the entire planet had yet to be tamed, and no one truly knew how much still lay undiscovered, and all those things, including areas ponies did not control, brought their own weather, which influenced the weather that ponies did control, and so adjustments had to be made, especially if one wanted to avoid certain disasters.

The point was, there would be no rain until someday after the next day, so it would be sunny and cloudless for both their sleepover as well as their visit to Canterlot. Wild could certainly not complain about that. In his previous life, if he could know the weather schedule, perhaps he would have had an easier time...

Wild shook those thoughts away. He wanted to be, needed to be, in the here and now, not in the past. As he walked - the group walked in pairs, one behind the other - he stepped closer to Artful, the brief touch of their bodies a balm on his mind, a pleasant reminder of current reality.

“Everything alright?” Artful asked, and Wild wondered what it was that made him so observant. Wild was reasonably certain no one else noticed anything off about Wild.

“I am... seeing things around,” he said slowly, “I mean, I am... appreciating... everything around us.”

Wild hoped that someday he would learn to speak faster, without hesitation, and the words he needed to speak would not have such a hard time formulating inside his brain and then traveling to his mouth so he could finally speak them and give them his voice. However, he was aware that now, surrounded by so many people, it was a miracle he was verbal at all.

“I like autumn too,” Artful said, “There are so many colors. Like in spring, but the colors are all different.”

Wild nodded to that. He was not an artist in any way whatsoever, but he could see the beauty of it all. Question was, did he like other seasons? As a kid, he certainly did, or at least he had thoughts about them, but those memories were now distant, difficult to recall, and no longer recent and relevant.

“Hey, everyone, look!” Lina said loudly, and everyone stopped for a moment to see what she was talking about. In her magical grasp, she was holding a perfect and symmetrical red leaf, which was nice and even, as well as almost flat, “Neat, huh?”

“That’s a leaf,” Swingblade said.

“A beautiful leaf,” Artful nodded.

Neither Precision nor Pebbles seemed all that interested in it either, though they made the appropriate noises. As far as Wild was concerned, the leaf was beautiful.

“Dunno about any of you, but I’m gonna keep it,” Lina declared before carefully placing it in her bag.

“You’re going to make a leaf collection?” Artful asked, interested.

“...You know, why the hell not?” Lina replied, “Something nice and pretty to look at. Oh, and maybe I’ll write some things down, like experiences connected to that thing! Like our sleepover, yeah? I think that’s a great idea.”

Wild nodded to that - it was a decent idea. Then a new idea of his own struck him - what if he started collecting things to remember too? Or perhaps make photographs of things. He had forgotten enough about his past life, and none of those memories would return, and now... now, he wanted to remember things, to have something that would help spring the memories forward. Of course, he had Artful’s beautiful, amazing paintings that were so life-like, but they were still just a representation of reality through Artful’s eyes using his skills, not a moment of time perfectly - or, well, as perfectly as a camera allowed - captured exactly as it was.

Wild desperately wished he had a camera. The very first thing he would take a picture of would be... He wasn’t actually sure. Perhaps his dorm? A place of his own, as temporary as it was, but it still marked his beginning. Or, if that was the point of the first picture, he would capture the entrance to the Royal Orphanage, as well as the main building. That would definitely be the moment his life started turning for the better. Then... perhaps of Princess Luna - someone who had grown to care about him, who helped him first despite how difficult he was being. Maybe of the Martial Arts Club, of which he had been a part of, although he knew he would likely leave them in time. Maybe he would take a few photos of Ponyville, of places that would remind him of his first ever pony swordsmanship tournament, and then of when he tricked Trixie Lulamoon and got the Alicorn Amulet, which had then fed him power he now possessed, power that held a promise of a better and easier life. He wished he had photos of when he first came to the Royal Orphanage, and then a bit later, and then shortly before his scars were gone, and then after they were gone, and...

There were so many moments, big and small, that he now wished to capture, to have with him, to make sure they would remain despite whatever faults his memory had. Perhaps then he would see progress in his life, see that things were becoming better, and...

As the group continued on their way, Wild silently sighed to himself. He had skipped so much, missed so much, was still missing so much... However, at least he was now aware, and his friends were helping him discover that, help him recognize new ways he could use to live his life.

He had been anxious and fearful of the sleepover, but now he felt quite a lot better about it. Perhaps it was all he needed to remind himself that things could be different and nicer if he only put in a small amount of effort.

Not too long after that thought finalized, the cabin came within view. It seemed unchanged from the last time Wild saw it, aside from some more needles and leaves covering the roof and the surrounding area compared to before.

“Oooh, this is nice!” Lina commented, “Wild, how’d you find this place?”

“I... did not find it,” Wild said, “Artful showed it to me.”

Precision and Pebbles exchanged knowing glances, and Wild caught a thought from them - they believed this cabin was used by Wild and Artful for... certain activities, actions that brought a blush to Wild’s face. The two young mares weren’t right, but the image of him and Artful all alone in their own place, it held a certain appeal.

Wild knew not to make such long-term plans like moving in together after the Royal Orphanage, but he couldn’t help but wonder if their relationship would progress that way eventually.

“Cool,” Lina said, breaking him out of his thoughts, “Mmm yeah, bet this is the kissy place.”

“Let’s hope it’s all clean, then,” Precision joked, and Wild could definitely feel the heat in his face then. At least he knew how to clean up after... activities. He couldn’t just go on with his day feeling all sweaty and... sticky.

Soon enough, the group finally entered the cabin, and Wild saw that everything was more or less as before, though he was fairly certain some things were moved around ever so slightly. It wasn’t surprising, of course - the cabin was not a spot reserved only for Wild and those he knew, after all.

Inside of the cabin, it was slightly colder than the outside, so they would definitely need to light the fire in the fireplace some time before going to sleep so that it would be comfortable. Wild went right away to stack some wood in the fireplace since it was mostly empty, as well as to remove old ashes and put them in a bucket that was already half-full with them.

“This is cozy,” Lina commented as she jumped on top of the large bed. It appeared everyone would fit just fine on it, assuming no one sprawled too much.

“Cuddle pile!” Pebbles exclaimed, diving on the bed, Precision following immediately. Swingblade went after them, then Artful, and finally, after some hesitation, Wild.

Wild took some deep breaths, knowing there was nothing bad going on, willing himself to accept it. He was the last one to get into the pile, so he could easily get out if he wished to, and he was also next to Artful, which made things easier.

“Oh damn, feels so good!” Lina said, “Y’all have no idea just how good it feels to do this shit again!”

It appeared Lina was perfectly willing to nuzzle just about anyone, pressing close for physical comfort. But then, it was clear no one minded this sort of contact. Wild received some physical affection from Lina without much fuss, and it was... not bad. He relaxed minutely, feeling safer than before, which he knew was probably not rational - he wasn’t unsafe before - but he could hardly do anything about that sort of thing.

“This is nice,” Swingblade commented somewhat quietly from where he found himself in the cuddle pile, which was around the middle. He was hugged from the back by Pebbles, who was, in turn, hugged by Precision.

Wild, tentatively, reached out to Artful. Meeting no resistance and hearing no denial, he wrapped around him and pressed him close, minding the wings so they wouldn’t get in his mouth or eyes. It felt warm, which sent pleasant shivers down Wild’s spine. And so everyone lay there in the pile for a while.

“So, Wild,” Precision spoke up after some minutes, “Since you organized all this, what do you want to do?”

Wild stuttered internally at being put on the spot like this. While it was true that he called for this, he had done very little to actually organize this. And now, after being asked, it seemed as if every single idea that had ever existed in his mind slipped right out of his brain without a trace.

“What about tag?” Lina spoke up, and he was grateful she did, because he could just nod in agreement, then hum in addition since, at the moment, not everyone could reliably see the nod.

“I think that’s gonna be fun,” Swingblade piped up.

“No flying though, that’s cheating!” Lina said.

Soon enough, everyone was getting up and exiting the cabin because, naturally, tag couldn’t be done inside, there was simply not enough space.

“Wild, you’re it! Count to ten, then chase us!” Lina said giddily, then ran away. Wild’s mouth twitched in a smile, and then he started counting aloud. Everyone scattered in all directions, though Wild’s eyes tracked them without much of an issue. Ponies were colorful and bright, after all, they could hardly actually hide, and certainly not there.

Once Wild finished counting, he rushed off after the closest target - Precision. She hid behind a tree, but her tail was poking out. When she heard him closing in, she shrieked playfully and dashed off. She was fast, jumping over roots and fallen logs with ease, but Wild was not any slower. He was fast as an arrow, and he could see he was closing in, until he was close enough he could jump, and so he did. If he swiped with his front hoof, he’d catch her, but he opted for using magic so that he wouldn’t stumble and then fall over.

Wordlessly, after seeing Precision registered the touch, he dashed off in a mad rush, a grin on his face. He moved fast, possibly faster than he ever did, circling back around the cabin. At some point, Precision broke off to search for some easier prey.

Laughter, mad giggles, shrieking, yelling, all sorts of joyful sounds rung from the area around the cabin as one pony chased the other, tagged, and the chase was on again. Wild ran, weaving and dodging, got tagged, then tagged others, rinse and repeat. Minutes passed as seconds, and he lost track of time amidst all the fun.

This time, his target was Swingblade, who was very fast. Wild galloped after him, breathing hard, feeling his heart thump against his chest, and he loved the chase. Swingblade weaved around the trees, using his wings to steer himself, proving himself to be just enough more agile than Wild that Wild could not easily catch up to him.

However, Wild was persistent, and soon Swingblade was within tackling distance, and Wild jumped.

Swingblade was bowled over, and so he rolled on the ground. Wild was quick to recover, jumping to his four hooves, and rushing to Swingblade. The pegasus stopped rolling, now on his back, breathing heavily. Wild stood over him, victorious, and grinned. For a long moment, the two were still, resting from their chase. It was then when Wild realized he had chased him away from the cabin deeper into the woods. He looked around, and he could just barely see the cabin far behind the trees. He looked back at Swingblade, and realized his face was flushed. Wild looked further down his body and realized exactly why.

Wild turned away and stepped back, and Swingblade rolled to the side and then got up.

“S-sorry, I got... excited,” Swingblade said breathlessly. A beat of silence passed before he spoke again once he was on his four hooves, “I, ah, may... like stallions, a bit,” he shifted in place, “Maybe a little more than a bit. Uh, yeah. And you are... handsome.”

“...I am in a relationship,” Wild said, hoping Swingblade would get that, if he was coming on to Wild, it was not... wanted.

“Yeah, I know,” Swingblade said, a note of disappointment in his voice, “Well, I will find someone... eventually. A-anyway, let’s get back, we’re... a bit far.”

Wild nodded, unwilling to contribute more to the awkward conversation. However, learning that Swingblade also liked stallions was... something. And that chasing Swingblade got him all excited was also something. To be entirely honest, Wild thought he would have been better off not knowing that last bit.

Once they returned to the cabin, the two saw the rest of the group all lying on a blanket they placed on the ground, resting.

“Well damn, Wild, you really chased him!” Precision said, “Swing, how was that? Wish one of the mares chased you like this, huh?”

“Y-yeah,” Swingblade blushed again, “Anyway, uh, Wild caught me.”

“No surprise there,” Precision said, “So anyway, we’re all tired, I think we gotta rest for a while.”

“And eat something!” Pebbles piped up, which followed with a tired ‘yeah’ from Lina and a nod from Artful. Wild found himself nodding as well, focusing on the promise of food over that little awkward moment with Swingblade.

After getting food, Wild sat down next to Artful and unwrapped it. He packed a simple if big grilled sandwich, containing sliced cucumber, a bit of lettuce, some onion, and a few slices of fried potatoes. He decided to tear it in half to share with Artful, and Artful gave him a small plate with fried carrot and nuts. Some more sharing was done, and Wild ended up with some delicious fried zucchini cubes that crunched on the outside but were nice and soft on the inside, some spiced hay, and one whole roasted potato.

As everyone ate in content and companionable silence, Wild thought things had been going well enough so far. If Swingblade accidentally flashing his privates and admitting to liking stallions was the only unusual thing about this, he’d gladly take it over anything more serious.

This was a good day, and Wild fully intended to enjoy it.

Author's Note

On the topic of sleepovers, my parents just didn't allow it. That definitely soured my childhood a bit, along with other seemingly small things that simply built up to make my childhood worse than it could be. Oh well, I have to deal with the hand I was given, and so I will.

Swingblade's background sexuality journey somewhat mirrors my own. For the longest time, I was sure I was straight. I also tended to talk a lot about women as if that would prove it that I'm straight. Well, I am not. I am very much not. Fortunately for Swingblade, there's no incel 'movement' over in Equestria, so he wasn't sucked into blaming women for not falling for him or blaming various minorities for, say, 'invading' his tabletop games or whatever, however briefly that phase happened with me. A facepalm-worthy moment of my life, that's for sure.