Salvation | Rebirth

The sun rose, filling the cabin with warm light. Ponies, one by one, began to stir in their shared bed, emerging from their dreams back to reality. The fire had long since gone out, yet the cabin managed to retain enough warmth that the ponies were not waking up to chilly air. Out of the six of them, Swingblade was the first one to roll off the bed to stand up on his four hooves and then swiftly make his way towards the exit. A gust of fresh morning air entered the cabin as he walked out, prompting others to rise from the bed as well. Naturally, not long after, there was a queue of groggy ponies in front of the outhouse.

With some minor grumbling and groaning, everyone had taken their turns relieving themselves, and then it was finally time to pack up. Excitement grew in the air as the hour of their departure to Canterlot approached. However, first, they needed to get some breakfast.

“I’m not gonna eat much,” Lina said, “Gotta leave space for that Canterlot cuisine, y’know.”

Wild, too, wondered what Canterlot food places served. He had gotten used to the diverse and delicious offerings of the Royal Orphanage, and he was somewhat excited to try something that would possibly be new. He hadn’t gone to a restaurant in... forever. He was perhaps six or seven the last time he went anywhere like that. He didn’t remember that day, but he was fairly certain the food was Chinese-related. He was vaguely aware that other countries outside Equestria existed, so he wouldn’t exactly mind seeing and tasting what they had, at least as long as no animal products were inside. He knew he would not be able to stomach them anymore, literally and figuratively. Possibly the worst dish he had ever heard of was maggot-infested cheese, and he certainly wanted none of that.

Once everyone was ready, the group made their way back to the Royal Orphanage main building. In the dorms, they left their things and, those who could, grabbed their money. Wild took what he thought was a nice enough sum, although there was still plenty-enough left after Princess Celestia's payout. He put the money away in a simple purse, which was just a small bag attached to a belt that went around the lower part of one's neck. Surprisingly comfortable. Artful and Precision both got their own purses as well.

“Oh yeah, right,” Lina said once everyone reassembled, then dashed to her dorm, returning soon after with her own purse, “Yep, let’s go!”

The group was rather early in the cafeteria, and each grabbed enough to snack on in order to sate themselves for the time-being. In a relatively short while, they would be off to Canterlot, where they would spend their entire day. First, they would go to Ponyville Railway Station, from which they would reach Canterlot by train. Naturally, they would use the railway to get back as well, taking one of the last daytime trains to do so. For an entire day, they would be mostly left to their own devices in Canterlot, which produced much excitement within the group.

Wild didn’t know whether he was excited or anxious about the trip. On one side, he was going with his friends and with someone he loved, so it definitely wouldn’t be too bad. On the other, it was Canterlot, the capital of Equestria, and overall a place that he hadn’t gotten a good first impression of. He knew he wasn’t being fair to the city, considering that he had yet to actually properly visit it, and that the city was obviously not to blame for anything that had happened to him, but he couldn’t help it. This would also be his first time stepping into a real city since before he was reborn. He knew Equestrian cities were quite different compared to what he was used to, but he still expected similarities to show, and he feared what those similarities would bring from the depths of his mind.

He didn’t have much time to focus on his worries, however. Not long after everyone was finished with their breakfast and idly chatting, they were approached by a unicorn stallion.

“Good morning, I am Powder Nose, and I’m going to be your guide to Canterlot today,” he spoke with a smile, “Everyone’s ready? Then let’s go!”

Wild thought his name fit him quite well - there was a smattering of white freckles on his darker gray fur, concentrated around his muzzle. His mane was black, his eyes were a nice shade of green, and he had a mark of some kind of cake on his flank. He also wore a pair of bags, one on each side of him. From what Wild could tell, he couldn’t have been much older than even Wild himself, chronologically or physically.

Wild followed him at around the tail end of the group, not willing to be up in front in case the stallion would, for one reason or another, focus on him or ask him questions. Not that being in the back would help much with it, considering that he stood out due to his height, and his long horn added to it as well. He was not at all inconspicuous. Artful lightly bumped against him, and Wild felt reassurance coming from him, which made him relax slightly. He reminded himself that it would just be a simple trip. While things could go wrong - and he, on a certain level, expected them to - things could also go right, and he certainly hoped for that outcome.

Once they were outside the Royal Orphanage, their guide addressed them again.

“So, as planned, I am going to accompany you to Canterlot, and once there, you’ll be free to discover the city by yourselves,” he explained, his horn alight, opening one of his sidepacks and pulling out six smaller bags, “Each bag contains your allowance for the day as well as a booklet guide to Canterlot. If you have any questions, feel free to ask them whenever.”

Wild accepted the bag, which went around his neck and hung in front of his chest just like his purse. He looked inside, spotted what was promised, and then closed the bag. It would also have enough space for some small purchases, though he imagined he would easily be able to purchase some temporary bags to go on his side or something similar if he did want to buy something big enough that it wouldn’t fit as is. He wondered whether bags could be enchanted to be larger on the inside - that would be extremely useful.

While others asked various questions of the guide, Wild refrained from doing so. He would be fine as is, and he wanted to explore the city on his own terms, see where his legs would take him. Perhaps he would even... see if there was a gift he could get for Artful. Did stallions accept flowers in Equestria? Wild had no idea, but he had a desire to be... romantic, perhaps. If Artful got him flowers, it would be... nice, he thought. Would a pony be supposed to eat the offered flowers, considering that ponies do regularly eat flowers? Or would Wild need to get something else as a gift? Perhaps something art-related, but he knew precisely nothing, or perhaps very little at best, about art, so he could definitely easily flounder and make a mistake and thus embarrass himself somehow or, worse, hurt Artful’s feelings, and...

Wild sighed silently. Perhaps this day would go wrong, and it would be a miracle if it only went wrong because Wild did something relatively harmless but still stupid. Now he really wished he had looked up things about romance the very moment he thought about agreeing to try having a relationship with anyone.

“Wild, um,” Artful spoke up, and Wild turned to him, “I, ah, saved up a bit of money, doing some commissions and all, and, um, I was wondering... May I treat you a bit?”

Wild blinked at the proposition. Was it what he thought it was?

“Well, I thought maybe they two of us together would go, um... you know, maybe do something, or buy something, stuff like that,” Artful answered the unvoiced question, “My treat. To, you know... celebrate a bit, maybe? That we’re now in a relationship, I mean.”

Wild found a blush creeping up on his face. While he was thinking about a gift to give to Artful, Artful was already there with a gift of his own.

“I... would like that,” Wild answered honestly, “I do not know what... to do in return.”

“Oh, well, your company is enough,” Artful assured him with a shy smile, “And, I guess we’ll see.”

Wild nodded to that, feeling the metaphorical butterflies in his stomach. The last time someone did something nice for him was... In truth, it wasn’t that long ago - Artful had, after all, painted him more than once, and that was nice by itself. However, he had painted all his friends, it seemed, and now he wanted to do something nice for Wild specifically. Wild was... flattered probably didn’t sufficiently describe it. He still struggled to see what Artful even saw inside of him in the first place.

“Okay,” Wild ended up saying, “I... don’t know what I want. I guess... we will see?”

“Alright,” Artful said, then gave him a nuzzle, which Wild readily accepted since no one was paying them any serious amount of attention.

Now Wild gained his excitement for the trip, thinking of what he would want to get from Artful. Obviously something that wasn’t too expensive because he wouldn’t want to burden Artful with that. Besides, it would be awkward. And it would, of course, be something Artful would be happy to do too. Wild did want to, perhaps, get a sword, a real sword, but those were expensive, and it was clear Artful wasn’t much into swordsmanship.

There were so many thoughts Wild could have about it, all of them mixing together, fighting for the space in his mind, but he decided to put off the final decision for later. After all, he had no idea what Canterlot offered. Maybe they would be able to get some private restaurant experience together, and that would be worth it. There were also things Wild had yet to try, as a human and as a pony both, so perhaps it was a chance to do that.

Lost in his thoughts, he barely noticed when the group finally reached the Ponyville Railway Station. It was on the edge of Ponyville, and they actually ended up going around it, never quite seeing Ponyville proper. Powder Nose went to get the tickets, returning with them soon, giving each of them a pair.

“First is the ticket to Canterlot, then from Canterlot back here,” he said, “Mind the time so that you don’t miss it. But even if you do miss it, I will be staying in Canterlot until I see everyone boarding a train back, so I will eventually find you. I do recommend not being late, though.”

Wild put his tickets in the pouch and then the group settled down to wait. They were slightly early, and the clock hanging above the station showed it was another five minutes before the train would arrive. Wild spotted an underground passageway connecting the platform they were standing on to another one across the tracks from them. They didn’t have to get there, thankfully, though Wild did wonder how the underground passageway looked like, if it had any graffiti or litter. As far as he could see, everything was neat and clean, so he doubted it.

“Announcing arrival of train number thirty-seven,” a voice spoke from the speakers, echoing around the platform, “Platform number one. Train number thirty-seven, platform number one.”

Soon enough, the train could be heard and felt as it slowed down before the station. Wild was immediately reminded of one of those old steam trains - which it certainly was, cloud of smoke rising from the chimney or whatever it was called on the train. Surprisingly, it stopped without any noticeable screech of the brakes or anything of that sort, and conductors popped out of the carts, opening the doors manually. A small number of ponies exited the train, and soon enough it was time for the group to embark. The platform was high off the ground, level with the train floor, so getting on the train was easy.

The train stood still long enough for everyone’s tickets to get checked. Then the conductor pulled on a lever, and a green circle on a stick popped out of the side of the door.

“Train number thirty-seven departing from platform number one,” the announcer said soon after, and the conductors closed the doors. The train smoothly went into motion.

Wild had never been on a train before, and he looked around in curiosity as the group went to find a spot. The train cart was rather wide, with two lines of wide benches to the side of the walkway, and each bench could fit four ponies sitting or two lying down. All benches faced the same way, and at their backs had a divider that separated them from the benches behind them. It was indeed a divider since ponies didn’t sit like humans did, so it was just flat with no curvature or tilt that would support a humanoid back. The cart the group was in had only a couple of ponies inside, so there was plenty of space. Wild took one in the back, Artful following him. With enough space available, Wild decided to lie down and, despite the public setting, snuggle close to Artful. While others were quietly chatting between themselves, Wild was content to let comfortable silence hang between him and Artful as he turned his head to look at the outside through the window. The trees passed by, and the train surprisingly quietly chugged along the tracks. It was also quite warm inside the train, not at all like the outside chill. Wild had an idea.

He moved a bit closer to the window, then breathed warm air on it, letting it fog up a little. Without much thought, he drew a smiley face. Then he just let it remain there until the foggy surface cleared, and he was left with a clear view of the trees passing by. Soon enough, it was fields instead, and a number of farmers appeared to be gathering the last of the harvest.

This experience was entirely unlike riding in a car. For once, Wild did not feel nauseous at all, and the interior was in no way cramped either. He could possibly even fall asleep without much issue inside the train. Considering how fast they moved, it was a complete and utter surprise.

For a moment, Wild wished he had a smartphone or just a music player and a pair of headphones so that he could, perhaps, listen to some music while imagining fantasy scenarios in his head. However, none of that was available to him now. Not that he was complaining much - in fact, he was certainly enjoying the peace. He remembered his father liked to listen to the radio, but Wild never really liked it, it was all just unnecessary, distracting, somewhat nauseous noise. The car was also not the best, so it smelled, and it didn’t ride smooth at all.

“I like this,” he confessed aloud if quietly, Artful the only one to hear him.

“Yeah, it is nice,” the pegasus nodded, “I actually traveled by train... a few times. I had a pen pal a couple years ago, and I visited him a few times.”

“Who is he?” Wild asked.

“His name’s Ruby Frost, and I met him in the orphanage,” Artful said, “He was a beginner artist then, likes to draw orchards. He came to the orphanage not long after me, so we kinda bonded. He was adopted quickly, though - he found some nice family among Apples. Then we just... kinda drifted apart, different interests and all that. I think he got a talent in something apple-related eventually, which is no surprise,” he chuckled, “Bet you wouldn’t know he’s adopted by Apples if you ever stumbled upon their family reunion.”

“Apples?”

"The family, yeah,” Artful nodded, and Wild nodded in turn, remembering, “Everyone who’s making apples is related to them in one way or another. I think they have the highest adoption rate.”

“That is nice,” Wild said thoughtfully. He wondered what would happen if they adopted him, though he had zero knowledge about apples aside from the fact that they came in different colors, could be soft, and there was also that zap apple - which he had likely missed by now.

“Oh yeah, they’re really nice,” Artful said, “Each time I visited Ruby Frost, I went away with a belly full of apple stuff.”

“Did you... like him?” Wild asked, although a part of him didn’t want to, and yet a part of him was rather interested in the answer.

“Romantically and sexually? No, I didn’t,” Artful shook his head, “I was on puberty blockers at the time, so I didn’t really have any attraction to anyone at all, I guess.”

“Puberty blockers?”

“Oh, it’s just some pills I had to take for a while to delay puberty,” Artful said, “Had to do that until I could get the needed hormones and stuff for my transition.”

“Oh,” Wild nodded thoughtfully, “I... didn’t know that existed.”

Artful was thoughtful for a moment, then nodded.

“I can tell you more about my transition, if you like,” Artful offered.

“...no, it is alright,” Wild said, “I do not want to... bring up bad memories. You told me about things before, and... they were not good, so...”

“I don’t mind talking about my transition,” Artful assured him, “It was my dream coming true, after all. It was a bit of a process, but...” he smiled, “Now I can look at myself and see a stallion, look in the mirror and see a stallion, and everyone sees that I’m a stallion. So yeah, that’s good, you know? Just... it’s good to be myself.”

Wild, once again, nodded. He hesitated for a moment, then lowered his voice.

“There is something... about me. That I can maybe tell you,” he confessed, his heart rate spiking as the words left his mouth, “Not now, but... soon. Maybe. I don’t know. I... I want to tell you, but... there is fear.”

“You don’t have to tell me,” Artful told him, looking him in the eyes, “I didn’t tell you about myself hoping to exchange it for something of you.”

“I know,” Wild nodded, “I still... want to tell. But first I... need to talk to my... therapist about it. Because it is... big.”

“...Alright,” Artful nodded, “If that’s what you want, I will definitely hear you out.”

“...You may think of me different when I tell you,” Wild said with some hesitation.

“Can’t promise I won’t,” Artful admitted honestly, and Wild was very glad he didn’t try to deflect or deny, because Wild certainly knew it was big, “But I’m not going to condemn you for it, whatever it may be.”

Wild couldn’t say he believed that, but he only offered a nod in return, the two of them falling into silence again. Wild was already cursing himself for this, for even considering this, and yet... perhaps, it would be right. Maybe it would turn out well. However, he would certainly speak with Luna first, possibly with Doctor Fay as well, see what they thought about it. After all, if he rushed into it and everything went wrong... he honestly didn’t know what he would do.

For now, however, he fully intended to enjoy his trip to Canterlot, so he focused on that.