Salvation | Rebirth

Steady Hooves finished her lecture to the ponies of the Royal Orphanage. A small smile was on her face as she watched discussions continue as ponies made their way out of the hall. Some were animated and full of passion, others were quieter yet no less lively, it was a joy to see. She gathered her lecture material and, with a hum of a song under her breath, walked out of the hall herself.

She remembered this exact hall - it wasn’t infrequent for her to participate in a game of tag, and this specific hall was the best for gaining speed. It was relatively wide, even tall enough for her to fly if she wished, and it was long enough for her to gallop. While she was not that young and extremely energetic filly anymore, the memory brought a smile to her face anyway. Around the corner, further down a couple of halls, were the workshops that she frequented once she grew up. Woodworking, metalworking, carpentry, plumbing, she had tried it all once upon a time. However, the simplicity of a job well done wasn’t quite enough for her, and neither did it give her a talent mark. At the time, it puzzled her, but as she grew up, it became clear why.

Having a job was, without a doubt, not an easy thing. Some had it better than others, and the effort one could put into a job varied from sometimes too little to many times too much. That was not all, however, and that was what she dealt with. Her job was, perhaps, on the more difficult end of the scale and would oftentimes take her many hours, weeks, and months to do, and yet this was where she thrived, what she had chosen to do, and it was where her talent mark led her. It was, without a doubt, a job more stressful than most yet far more rewarding than anything else she tried her hooves on. From making sure young ponies got their desired jobs where they were happy to putting rich snobs in place when they wanted to get a much larger slice of the pie than they were owed, Steady Hooves enjoyed every moment of it.

As she walked through the halls of the Royal Orphanage, a rare yet often inevitable thought cropped up in her head. For yet one more time, she wondered who her biological parents were. Were they a young couple not ready for having a foal but, for one reason or another, too fearful to get an abortion? Or were they a couple who found out that taking care of a foal is more than a full-time job? There were many questions she could ask, but she had made peace with not knowing. She held no resentment towards her biological parents, wherever they were now. She was simply thankful for the opportunity to realize herself as she was.

Steady Hooves had held plenty of jobs over her life, and she dedicated time and effort to each and every single one of them to do the best she could. Every characteristic from every workplace she had ever been to described her as a dedicated, disciplined, and reliable worker. That, however, did not mean she was a pushover who would be there to lick the hooves of bosses or business owners. If needed, she could raise hell - and she had, on more than one occasion. Seeing their faces scrunched in distaste as they were forced to accept that others would not simply lie down and take it was quite something.

Aside from those little problems, she knew the ins and outs of how to get a job, how to work a job, and how to make sure everything surrounding the job went as it should if not better. Safety and health regulations needed to be followed, pay needed to be both fair and paid on time without exception. The most important, however, was the well-being of workers. If they were stressed, the cause of it needed to be found and dealt with.

However, today she was not acting as an inspector nor was she investigating any sort of impropriety within a company. Today, she was there to help ponies take their first steps towards finding and keeping a job where they would feel fulfilled and be happy.

The key to it was finding a perfect match between a pony’s talent and work that others needed to be done. Usually, it was easy - talent marks were generally not very ambiguous, and most talent marks corresponded well to the jobs available. There were always plenty of carpenters, cooks, masons, janitors, artists of various kinds, and so on and so forth.

Steady Hooves knew the history of talent marks better than most. While she had no idea how and why they were what they were, she knew what they did. Most ponies got their talent marks a couple years before reaching adulthood at fourteen. All ponies, without a single known exception, got a talent mark before hitting their third decade of life. At least, that was the case now. During stressful times of war or famine or extreme poverty, ponies could go without reaching their talents for far longer. Thankfully, Equestria had not seen any of it for centuries, and so the timeline of getting talent marks had remained steady for just as long, and any deviation was a cause for concern.

Wild, the person she was personally meeting with today, was unique, just like other ponies who asked her for help. As she waited for him in her office, she considered the implications of him reaching out to her directly. It was relatively uncommon to see a pony who didn’t know how to proceed with their life when it came to finding a job, and so she needed to pay close attention. She had long since discovered a pattern - foals with difficult childhoods were almost always late bloomers and had trouble finding their talent. She had read the file on Wild, and it was... something. It didn’t make much sense, but from what she managed to understand, he had only recently been given the opportunity to have a regular life. It would make sense to put him in the ‘difficult childhood’ category, at least until she knew more.

A knock sounded from her door. Wild entered, and she finally had the opportunity to take a good look at him. He was lean and muscular, which would help him if he did any sort of physically intensive job, although most of such jobs were done by earth ponies who were naturally stronger. When it came to Wild, he was perhaps average or slightly below average in physical build if he were an earth pony, but he was up there when it came to unicorn physiques. Unicorns, as a rule, didn’t do much physical activity beyond the necessary. Heavy lifting and such were done using magic instead which, crudely put, was a muscle on its own, and the only one unicorns usually exercised.

Wild’s talent was, at a glance, ambiguous and vague, and, from what Steady Hooves learned, he had only very recently discovered it. His age, while officially not identified, was thirteen at the very least and fifteen at most. That would put him as a mid-late bloomer when it came to his talent. This, combined with a talent that was not easy to find a job for, made the situation difficult.

“Alright, so let’s start off with this - there are always plenty of jobs available,” she told him just like she told many others. It was a good place to begin for ponies with a rare talent, to assure them that they would not be left jobless, “And many of them can be taught as well. There is rarely a perfect number of talented ponies available for every job, after all. However, I would like to ask first - what does your talent mark stand for?”

Steady Hooves got a weird feeling while looking at it. A perfect circle of black was not something she had ever encountered before. That wasn’t to say she had never encountered geometric shapes - architects, designers, mathematicians, and others could have them, it wasn’t uncommon. This one, however... there was something about it. The combination of shape and color, as well as the feeling she got from it, it painted an odd picture that she couldn’t even begin to figure out. She hadn’t had anything like this ever happen before. Talent marks were usually quite clear and simple and never felt like anything to her. She decided to keep this observation to herself as not to spook Wild. He was already anxious enough about getting a job, there was no need to call his talent weird.

Wild gestured that he would rather not talk about it. Steady Hooves knew that, in past times, one who had difficulty with speech would also have a very difficult time finding any kind of job. Thankfully, that was no longer the case, even if the job pool would be somewhat smaller.

“May I ask why?”

Wild visibly hesitated before shaking his head. Steady Hooves frowned slightly. A pony rejecting their talent mark was not exactly unheard of, but it was extremely rare. In her lifetime, she had only seen it exactly once. All such cases, from what she knew, stemmed from parents disapproving of their foal’s talent and pushing them to somehow get a different talent mark, which was completely and utterly impossible. The foal, attempting to please their parents’ stupidity, would try anyway and fail. This was not Steady Hooves’ area of expertise, however - a therapist was needed instead.

However, every talent had worth, every talent had a purpose, and every single pony had their talent for a good reason.

“There is nothing shameful or wrong with the talent that you have,” she settled on saying first, “Whatever it is, it is a part of you, and it stems from you.”

Wild just shook his head, then added that he did not think his talent was wrong. He, with hesitation, stated that he simply didn’t want others to know what he could do.

“Are you afraid someone will judge you for your talent?”

Wild was thoughtful for a short while, then settled on signing that he thought ponies would avoid him and think of him badly because of his talent.

“Over the years, plenty of ponies faced ridicule because of their talents, but that was never on them. That was on the ponies who made fun of them. Every talent has a place in Equestria, without exception.”

Wild was, once again, thoughtful. Steady Hooves sometimes wished she was better at reading body language or even had an ability to read thoughts. It was rumored that some ponies could skim the minds of others and see what they thought in the moment, although Steady Hooves herself never really believed it. It was, without a doubt, probable, considering that true limits of magic were yet unknown, but whether it was actually possible wasn’t clear. Steady Hooves’ job would certainly be far easier if she could ascertain whether ponies she talked to were honest or not.

Steady Hooves had seen plenty of various talents throughout her life as well as just as many ponies. More usual talents like carpentry gave ponies who had them little trouble finding their place in life, but there were also somewhat less usual jobs of various natures that left ponies... uncertain. Some got talent marks in historical but otherwise not very popular forms of art, which could make earning money difficult; others had a specific talent in a niche of a niche of a profession. There were, of course, also sexual talents, which, depending on a person, could cause issues. Steady Hooves knew her history decently well, and there were times when ponies were, in her opinion, not getting laid enough while doing too much judging others for doing it in different ways. Such attitudes were rare nowadays yet not non-existent. However, she didn’t think Wild’s talent was of that nature.

Wild finally gathered his thoughts and started gesturing. He explained that his talent is very rare and would not land him a job. He stated it with absolute certainty, signing that he could not see anyone having a job for him except in very rare circumstances. He added that showing his talent, especially in public, would likely scare ponies and make him an outcast. Lastly, he stated that he would like to have a normal job where he would not have to use his talent.

“Alright,” Steady Hooves nodded, “If that is what you want, then I will help you,” she brought forward a list of jobs in the area around Ponyville. A lot of it was work helping on the farms, which paid for physical labor, “Here, you will be competing with earth ponies, who are, on average, stronger than you and have more endurance than you. Some anti-unicorn sentiment is also present, plenty of earth ponies treat magic as a lazy shortcut unicorns have that allows them to not do physical work. Ponyville is pretty rural and doesn’t accept strangers easily. Although you, as a pony from the Royal Orphanage, would be more welcome.”

Wild asked if those jobs had any requirements. Steady Hooves could feel that it wasn’t the job he would specifically like, but one he would be willing to tolerate. It was not exactly the best attitude, but if his talent didn’t allow him to find an easy job, this sort of attitude wasn’t surprising.

“No, you just have to show up,” Steady Hooves said, then explained the pay and the hours, as well as bringing up what he could get for that amount of money. It wasn’t anything particularly impressive, but the pay was definitely not bad for this kind of job, “Want to see other options?”

Wild nodded, and Steady Hooves continued. In Ponyville, there wasn’t much work to be found for someone who didn’t live there - it was a close-knit community that helped each other in times of need. For some real job opportunities, Wild would need to look towards other, bigger settlements, especially cities. As he was not an earth pony, farm work in rural settlements would not be very attractive to him and neither would he be as good as an average earth pony at it. Earth ponies, after all, knew how to instinctively use magic to make better, healthier crops, as well as grow them at a rate unachievable for the other pony tribes.

The closest city to Ponyville and the Royal Orphanage was Canterlot. It was a prestigious city, an expensive city, so jobs, on average, paid a noticeably bigger amount than in most places. Simple janitorial jobs that requires no education and no work experience were aplenty and, while they would not pay for a house or an apartment in Canterlot itself, neither for rent nor for buying, they would certainly pay enough to rent a modest apartment or house in Ponyville while leaving enough for groceries and activities not related to the job or basic survival. Of course, this kind of work would require a commute by train, which would be paid for as it is counted as part of the job.

Wild listened with rapt attention as Steady Hooves listed the jobs available and what they entailed. He found his fear and anxiety slowly dissipating as he realized his situation wasn’t nearly as hopeless as he thought. He even had options, which seemed baffling. He had next to no education in anything that mattered, he had no job experience whatsoever, and yet there were multiple offers that would, back in the USA, have people flocking to them.

Despite his inadequacies, he would still be able to find a job without much difficulty. The prospect of moving away from the Royal Orphanage seemed daunting, almost impossible, but at least he had a guarantee that he wouldn’t be starving out on the streets.

In truth, he was willing to do nearly anything for money as long as it paid. Being a janitor wouldn’t be bad - he could clean things, and his sense of disgust had dulled over the time he spent homeless, so he wouldn’t fret over having to clean up something nasty. Stocking shelves in a market, moving goods on a cart, cutting grass, walking dogs - the latter somewhat surprising him, but some ponies did have pets - and a lot of other things required no work experience and no education beyond that which was taught at the workplace itself.

“I still recommend you go to school and then possibly college or university if you want to get much higher-paying jobs in the future,” Steady Hooves told him, “There is also the option of apprenticeships where you would be taught at the workplace. Smithing, plumbing, carpentry, metalworking, and more have it available. You would have to compete with ponies who have their talent marks, so keep in mind that you won’t be the most skilled or fastest or most productive worker. Do not let it cause resentment in you, do not grow angry at ponies who are naturally better at their jobs.”

Wild nodded in understanding. He was perfectly aware that he was certainly far from the best at just about anything. Sometimes it stung, sometimes he wanted to ask ‘why?’, sometimes frustration rose within him, but he understood and did his best to accept this fact.

“And lastly, there are always small short-term jobs available everywhere, you just have to find a local notice board for them,” Steady Hooves said, “It could be something like moving the furniture, it’s all similar easy one-time jobs. Do you have any questions about any of this?”

Wild signed, asking what he would get if he went to school and what his options were after that.

“The school will teach you the basics of nearly everything. Mathematics, history, geography, magic theory, art, and so on. It would also give you an opportunity to start learning an additional language. While ponies have had a single language since around the time of Unification, other nations are in different situations. Tauria speaks various languages, the most common one being Minoglossa. Zebrican Nations have a variety of languages as well that share some similarities but usually aren’t interchangeable. Griffon Kingdoms speak languages of the Greif family and are similar enough that you can make do with just one of them almost everywhere.”

Wild wondered what it would be like to visit all those different countries, to see what they had to offer, how people lived there... He had, as a child, wondered the same, yet had never been outside the USA. He wasn’t yet sure if he would do it, but the idea of traveling the world seemed nice.

“Once you graduate school, which, at your level, would take about five years, maybe even less, you can get an apprenticeship for a job you want, and you’d be more likely to be picked for jobs with higher pay since your diploma will show that you are a diligent and disciplined student. Or you can go to college, which can either be a direct continuation of school, as in you get wider knowledge in many topics, or you will specialize in an area you choose. Universities are usually reserved for people who want to study something as complex as engineering, magical theory and spell development, biology, chemistry, and so on.”

Wild nodded. If he were entirely honest with himself, he didn’t see himself going to a university. Certainly not now, possibly not ever. The only thing that truly grabbed his attention was magical theory and spell development, which definitely sounded interesting. Although, he expected it would be far less exciting than it appeared to him. Though, he would definitely like to learn how to teleport on purpose - it would be a very useful ability, without a doubt.

In the end, Wild gestured that he would think about it all.

“Alright. I’ll leave this to you,” Steady Hooves gave him a booklet, “It explains how enrollment for school, college, and university work, then it goes into how to apply for various kinds of jobs and what rights and responsibilities you have as a worker.”

Wild took the booklet, thanked the mare, and left. As he closed the door behind him and walked away, he realized just how relieved he felt, how light his mind became after hearing that he would have somewhere to go, something to do. He would not be homeless again, and he would be able to find a job, and he would be able to afford his own things, and...

He kept his mind on the present - he needed to put effort into things first before reaping the rewards. He knew it wouldn’t be easy, but he was ready for it, and he was willing to do it.

Perhaps the life he wanted to live wasn’t out of his reach after all.