Salvation | Rebirth

Wild didn’t notice he had dozed off until he was gently shaken awake by Artful. He opened his eyes, blearily looking around, noting that he was still on the train, and it was going relatively slowly compared to before.

“Hey,” Artful told him quietly, “Look out the window.”

Wild stretched, raised his head, and finally took a look. It was as if the train was floating in the air or riding the very edge of the world - an expanse of a clear blue sky was in front of him, stretching to the horizon where it met the rising mountains and the ground, which now looked as if you would fall towards it forever, yet never be able to reach it. The fields were autumn shades of yellowed grass with a scattering of leaves of orange and red, and the forests were like one mass, standing tall, and yet from this far away it barely looked tall enough for a matchstick. Narrow, made as if by thin brushstrokes, the roads crossed over the fields and through the forests. Wild could recognize a group of short, stout buildings about halfway to the horizon, perhaps closer, and it was undoubtedly Ponyville.

It was not his first time to be greeted by such a stunning view, but it was only now that he could truly appreciate it in full. Perhaps it was only because he was safe and felt safe, even in the train cart surrounded by strangers. Still, he had someone he loved at his side, and Artful was just as if not more amazed by the view in front of them, and Wild allowed himself to experience that very same amazement. For a time, they watched the scenery as it slowly passed by until the train entered a tunnel, and then there was nothing but stone to see.

“I wish I could paint that view,” Artful said, his voice dreamy, “Would I paint the train interior as well, to show that the view is from the train? Hmm... yeah, I think that’d be great. Then what would I do with the windows? Do I make them transparent or do I add some smudges, specks of dirt?”

Wild nodded along as Artful continued to think aloud about what he would paint. Without a single doubt, whatever he decided to paint would be marvelous. It certainly would to Wild’s eyes, considering that he had little knowledge of art and the fact that he had never been all that interested in it, either in seeing it or making it. Now, however... he wished he had something to remember his parents by, at the very least, though he didn’t think he would want paintings of them. Their faces were still in his mind, but he knew they would fade away in time. Even now, they were slightly blurry, some small details already gone from his memory. Aside from that, he wished he had moments of his new life captured, and he had thought of it before. Perhaps he would indeed end up getting a camera to take photos with. He wondered just how much one would cost him.

“Arriving at Canterlot Central,” an announcement sounded throughout the train, “Right-side platform. Arriving at Canterlot Central, the platform is on the right. End of the line.”

The train emerged from the tunnel and was now slowing down. The city came into view suddenly as the train passed over its edge and then further. The said edge had railings to prevent ponies from simply walking off on accident, and right next to them for a couple of meters there was nothing but flat ground, the grass mowed short. Beyond that point, however, the city truly began, and it began with a park. The railway was separated from it by a fence, which also contained tall poles around every ten meters, which appeared to be glowing blue ever so slightly, and Wild wondered what they did.

Ponies were slowly getting up from their seats and gathering, though neither Wild nor Artful made their moves. Wild didn’t want to squeeze along with others, and he suspected Artful thought about the same thing. They would simply wait until everyone else disembarked.

The view of the park ended when the train rolled into the station, slowly coming to a stop. Wild and Artful stood up from their seats, checked that they still had their things, and went to assemble with the rest of the group. Once everyone were together, they headed out of the train, led by Powder Nose. Once again, the platform was at the same height as the train, so it was no trouble getting off.

“Welcome to Canterlot, everyone!” he declared as they all emerged into the Canterlot Central Train Station.

Wild knew very little about trains, but he suspected CCTS was one of the largest stations, especially considering that it was covered by a huge arched roof with skylights here and there. He was reasonably certain this part of the station could easily fit the entire dorm wing of the Royal Orphanage, perhaps even double that. More than a dozen railways gathered in this station, and more than half of them currently contained trains. Some were stationary and inert, others preparing to depart - smoke was coming out of their chimneys. The said smoke, to Wild’s surprise, didn’t fill the station, but instead was somehow directed upwards and then into one of many ventilation holes in the roof. Wild expected to hear the hum of large fans that made it possible, but it was surprisingly quiet aside from the sounds of train engines and the steady constant murmur of passengers assembled in this hall. Their own platform was closer to the exit and was filled with a number of other ponies, and he could even spot a minotaur and a couple of griffons. The minotaur caught his eye the most, and he looked at them for longer than was likely strictly polite, taking in their very human-like arms and torso, the similarity apparent even under the deep forest-green fur. The minotaur was hauling two large baggage trunks, each of them the size of Lina at the very least, and yet the minotaur easily carried them to one of the other trains.

The platform they were on was clear of any rubbish, without any cracks or potholes or any other visible damage Wild would expect from public transport infrastructure anywhere else. He had seen videos and photos of New York subway, and even the trains themselves were covered in graffiti, on the inside and outside both, though those photos were from the 80s and 90s as far as he remembered. What he was seeing now was positively sterile. However, it was obvious that this was all due to maintenance - he could see a janitor mopping one of the empty platforms, and they were doing so thoroughly, not just swiping a broom around scattering dust and dirt everywhere.

Above every platform was a clock and a timetable facing both incoming and outgoing passengers, easily visible even on the farthest platform. There was a good number of benches as well, enough to allow possibly hundreds of ponies to sit without feeling cramped. Perhaps about a fifth of them was filled now, mostly by ponies. Some were sitting idly and silently, lost in their own thoughts or reading or looking around, though a couple of ponies were napping, using bags they carried as pillows. This made Wild’s heart clench for a moment, reminding him of when he dared to sleep on the benches in a park. He remembered the cold and the wind, he remembered how he struggled to fall asleep and then stay that way, fearing that every sound meant a person coming to kill or hurt him. He remembered the discomfort of the rigid wood, and he remembered the feel of his bony arms as he used them to prop his head. It had grown worse too - the city was steadily replacing the benches with either nothing at all or with uncomfortable benches that could hardly be used if one wanted to lie down.

He blinked, coming back to reality, and shook his head lightly, banishing these thoughts from the forefront of his mind, instead focusing on what Powder Nose had been speaking about. He had already missed part of it, unfortunately.

“-it had resulted in increased trade and more tax profits for Canterlot,” Powder Nose spoke, “However, with time, it was realized that every train going through Canterlot was slow and inefficient, and now it remains mostly as a passenger railway hub because of its central position in Equestria.”

Wild followed the group as they went to the exit from this large hall. A pair of large double doors was open, and they stepped into another hall, which was about as big and would look exactly the same save for the fact that it had continuous even tile floor and was filled with various food stalls and small cafes, as well as tourists shops of various kinds. It was an explosion of color and texture, yet it seemed more organized than a chaotic marketplace. Wild tensed up a little when he spotted Royal Guards patrolling around. He had never had a good experience with policemen, and Royal Guards were just that, wearing different uniforms - armor - but still fulfilling the same role. He probably had little to fear, considering that both princesses seemed to be alright with him, and Princess Luna would definitely not accept any abuse aimed at him from the Royal Guards, but he couldn’t help himself. Despite his worries, none of the guards as much as gave the group a single glance, which made Wild relax somewhat. Wild also reminded himself that he would likely not even be seen as dangerous or annoying or anything else that would attract the guards. Still, he had to be wary, just in case.

“Everything you can buy here is overpriced,” their guide said, “Even just a hundred meters away from the stations, the prices can be at least a third cheaper if not half.”

Wild did not think he was going to buy anything there, but he was glad for the warning. After all, it wasn’t like he had much money, so it would be best for him to keep an eye out for the best deals possible. That had been his way for a long time, and there was no good reason to stray from it now. Perhaps, with his talents, natural and unnatural both, he would eventually be able to earn enough to be positively swimming in money eventually, but that was for the future, not the present.

The group then stopped at some empty benches, and Swingblade excused himself to go to the bathroom, and Lina followed soon afterwards. For a long moment, Wild simply listened to the buzz of the crowds, to the distant arrival and departure announcements that echoed throughout the station, to the sound of trains rolling into and out along the tracks. It was noisy, yet not annoyingly so, and it was still relatively quiet, not pressing down on him. Wild would’ve expected some audio advertisements, yet there was nothing outside of announcements, and even the Merchant Hall - which was apparently what the part of the station they were in was called - didn’t have any gaudy and annoying advertisements like he would have expected to see back on Earth. There were no huge and colorful banners or cheap plastic crap. If anything, it all looked surprisingly organic and fitting.

Wild’s stomach growled, and he licked his lips. He wouldn’t mind to grab a snack, but he was mostly just thirsty. He spotted a water dispenser just a few meters away, and he made his way to it. It was labeled as free, and it had a number of stainless steel bowls on the side, stacked together, with some comfortable handles for those who couldn’t use magic or hands to lift them. Wild read the instructions, and apparently he was supposed to use one clean bowl, then set it aside where dirty bowls went after use, after which they would be thoroughly washed and then reused. As far as he was concerned, it would be better than single-use plastic cups. He put one of the bowls under the faucet and turned the water on. Wild wondered why these were bowls instead of cups - were they easier to use? Maybe they were cheaper to make, and perhaps they were made this way to be unappealing for anyone who’d want to steal one.

Once he filled the bowl enough, he hungrily drank the water. It was chilly and refreshing, but not bitingly cold, and it had no taste than the taste of water. He had also spotted a button that would have dispensed sparkling water, but he was fine with regular one. Carbonated drinks weren’t unappealing, but he had no preference for them.

Not long after he had his drink, the rest of the group lined up to get their own, including Swingblade and Lina when they returned from the bathroom. Wild was honestly amazed by the fact that anyone here could just get free water, and good water at that. Of course, tea, coffee, juices, and other drinks would not be free, but he couldn’t really bring himself to care about it. As far as he was concerned, water was the best drink there was, and he would not give it up for anything. He liked oat milk and others things, of course, but water would forever remain his true favorite. It wasn’t often that he had gone thirsty, but it was often enough that he knew that water was precious, that water was to be treasured and not be taken for granted.

After the group reassembled, they finally walked all the way to the exit and emerged into the city of Canterlot. They were greeted by a large open area with plenty of trees and greenery, though not in its prime anymore, considering that it was autumn. Wild looked around, and he realized it was a park of some kind, possibly a continuation of what he saw starting at the edge of the city. He turned to see the Canterlot Central Train Station, and it loomed over him, thought not nearly as much as even a relatively short skyscraper could. It was simple, decorated tastefully, with a mostly white exterior, including a number of decorative half-columns sticking out of the walls.

The park itself featured a fountain, the central feature of which was six ponies - the Founders of Equestria.

“If you ever want to live in Canterlot,” their guide said, “You would need to wear shoes, as nearly all the streets are stone,” he showed his own hooves, which, now that Wild looked closely, had four shoes that blended in well with the natural color of his hooves, though they were obvious if you looked for them or knew they were there. Wild remembered that horseshoes were hammered into the hooves, at least as far as he knew, and it would definitely not be something he would want to experience. He didn’t even know if ponies could feel pain in their hooves, though horses probably didn’t. He imagined no horse would be happy to have something hammered onto their hooves if they could feel pain.

The guide led them to the fountain, which was surrounded by benches, about a third of which had ponies resting on them, reading or watching foals nearby play.

“From this point, you are on your own,” he declared, sitting down on the bench, “Each of you has a booklet, as I said, and it contains a map. Does everyone know how to navigate a map? Good. Then I will be here if you need any help, any help at all, although the Royal Guards would be just as happy to help. Just be polite to them and don’t act foolish.”

Wild opened his own booklet, having no intention to be foolish in any way. He knew his way around a city, though perhaps not in a way anyone around him now would expect. However, he had some funds, he had a home to go back to, he had friends, and he had a lover.

And so, he wondered where he would go next to spend his much-earned relaxation time.