Most Guardians were familiar with the City’s transit system, since it was the best way to traverse the large metroplex without drawing too much of a crowd. While most chose the airborne methods for traveling from place to place, Cyrell preferred the tried and true locomotive. Of course the Trains that ran through the Last City used advanced magnets and polarity to shoot passengers rapidly towards their desired destination, as opposed to the far less advanced coal engine of the Friendship Express.
Even their trains have adorable names.
The Titan thought to himself, lazily watching as the countryside passed by, rolling hills almost appearing to flow like waves of grass and foliage across the quaint valley leading towards Canterlot Mountain. The rhythmic clacking of the train cars provides just enough noise to help keep him grounded in the present. Out of the corner of his eye he sees Twilight, Rainbow and Pinkie chatting about all the recent excitement and their plans when arriving in the Capital. Applejack sat behind Cyrell, her hat turned down to cover her face as she softly snored away, enjoying the brief respite from her labor intensive life on Sweet Apple Acres. Fluttershy sat next to her, happily reading a book with a small smile on her face. Rainbow was beside Cyrell, her eyes darting between his expressionless helm and the world outside the train window. She remained oddly silent next to the Titan, before glancing up to him and asking,
“So what’s it like flying in that ship of yours? Is it exciting? Cause I know I can’t help but get pumped when I’m doing my routines with the other Wonderbolts!” She pumped a foreleg in the air as she finished her question, eagerly looking up to the large human warrior.
Cyrell smirked, she reminded him of Amanda in some ways, what with their love for the sky. While many older guardians remembered Amanda helping with the sparrow races, those who knew her more closely would tell you she would gladly have given up on sparrows all together for the chance to race jump ships.
He chuckled as he thought about one night when she had animatedly discussed that very concept to the whole Ramen shop after he and Cause had returned from one of their unsanctioned missions.
Mourning to the prismatic mare Cyrell responded.
“I do enjoy the feeling of freedom soaring through the air provides” he began, “sometimes it’s even easy to forget how much of the landscape I’m flying above is little more than overgrown ruins…” he titled his head up and towards the sky. He saw large fluffy clouds high above them contrasting with the rich blue sky.
Rainbow joined him, “yeah, I think I get what you mean. Well sorta anyway. It’s like you don’t have anything holding you down and you can do anything!” She said wistfully. Now she definitely reminded you of Amanda.
“You’d get along well with a friend of mine, she also has a love for all things fast and airborne” Cyrell mused, earning Rainbows full attention.
“Oh yeah? Well do t leave me hanging dude, give me the details! Who’s this obviously awesome friend of yours?” She asked, her wings softly readjusting themselves in excitement.
With another mirthful chuckle Cyrell began to tell Rainbow about Amanda Holiday, the Towers own shipwright. He even told her about his own daring maneuvers, like when he used Eris Morn’s ship to board the Dreadnought. Rainbow hung onto every word and the two gladly swapped stories of their time high above in the vast blue sky and beyond.
Sometime later Cyrell reclined back into his seat, he had spent what felt like hours talking with Rainbow about flying and the City’s other various recreational pastimes. The rainbow-maned daredevil eventually went off to find a pillow for her afternoon nap, leaving Cyrell once again to his thoughts and the quiet train car.
All in all, this had felt like any normal train as far as Cyrell was aware, which was oddly bemusing for the Titan who was so far from what he knew to be “normal”. But it was a welcome change, and so he allowed himself, for the first time in what felt like lifetimes, to fall asleep without worry or care.
Cyrell felt the world coalesce around him, blurry I’ll-defined shapes morphing and manifesting around him. He looked around and saw as portions of the ether around him began to take the forms of familiar places from his past. The ethereal architecture of the Dreaming City in one spot and the ruins of the EDZ juxtaposed beside the alien designs of the Cabal, Eliksni and Hive. But it was more than just standard architecture, these were places he knew. Places he had been to and fought in. He saw the Blind Well and the halls of the Hellmouth, the corridors aboard Ghaul’s ship and even the Dreadnought.
Around and around Cyrell twisted and turned as more of his past began to shift in and out of reality around him. It wasn’t until the voices came that he realized just how unnaturally silent it had been. He heard the voices of friends and foes, of random lightless citizens chatter began to softly fill the void around him. They were never loud, almost like whispers, but they were all too familiar.
“You have led a long life, brave warrior. Not unlike my sister and myself” came a new and unfamiliar voice behind him, Cyrell whirled around his fists raised up and ready to strike. Before him was a pony, her dark blue coat allowing her to blend with the shapes easily, despite her wispy mane being so eye catching with bright twinkles that were scattered throughout it. It blew in an unseen breeze, giving it the appearance of the night sky transposed on a calm lake. Her eyes were a brilliant cyan and seemed to hold his own with an authority he had only seen perfected in Zavala and Ikora. This was without a doubt the Alicorn of the Night, Princess Luna.
Cyrell, stoic as ever, swiftly moved to his knee in respect for the Diarch. As he held his head down he heard her softly chuckle at his sudden shift in demeanor.
“There is no need for that my friend, this is an informal visit, not some stuffy court summons” her voice was light and filled with a mix of mirth and curiosity. “I felt it appropriate to introduce myself beforhoof, since I may be indisposed when you arrive at the castle.” She approached him, her wing slowly stretching out as Cyrell rose to his full height and placed his hands behind his back.
“I am Luna, Princess of the Night and Diarch of Equestria, a pleasure to finally meet you Cyrell” she was now right in front of him, her height much greater than even Cadence, with her head coming just below his chest. If this was the younger sister then the oldest may just meet him eye to eye, Cyrell thought to himself before he spoke.
“The pleasure is mine Princess, though I do have to ask, where are we exactly?” He turned his head around d to see that the void had remained in a perpetual state of shifting landscapes and whispers. “It’s like now where I’ve been before, and that’s saying something” he continued.
Luna nodded her head, and with a spark from her horn the world around them began to take on the form of the Tower. But not the one he had last seen… no this was the old tower, from before the Red War! Cyrell took in the sight of the pristine courtyard, it was so familiar and yet so alien after all this time. Luna began to speak again as he drank in the memory of his old home.
“I have seen some of your dreams, and helped to aid in vanquishing a few nightmares since your presence was made known to us” she began, though Cyrell quickly snapped to attention at that. He recalled that the other princesses and mares had mentioned one of the two Diarchs having such abilities. He had not really believed them at first, but now he understood exactly just how literal that claim had been. Sensing his sudden discomfort, Luna swiftly began to explain herself.
She told him of the fears shared by her sister and herself about the unknown visitor from the stars, of the need to discern if he was what he claimed. To ensure he held no secret intentions to harm or upend them and their peaceful society. Cyrell took it all in, ever once saying a word but his mind was buzzing with activity. On the one hand he understood their position, it was one that Humanity took often in regards to the myriad aliens that had begun to flood into Sol. Agents like the Hidden were well known to infiltrate and spy on targets of it wrest for humanity, so it makes sense that a dreamwalker would use her abilities to discern the intent of an unknown.
On the other hand it was a breach of trust, one that made him wary of this new alicorn. Just how far into his past had she gone? What secrets did she learn and more importantly… did she see what even what he could not? Could she see his past that no longer even he could recall? That thought derailed all others, and he suddenly felt the urge to ask for himself. Perhaps he had spent too much time with Ana but he wouldn’t deny wondering what kind of life, and what kind of person, he had been in his first life.
Sensing the large warrior's inner conflict Luna decided to assuage his fears, “I assure you brave one, I looked only into your claims and to discern your heart” she paused, her eyes somehow finding his even behind the blank faceplate of his helm. “I am truly sorry for that, but I hope you can understand we needed to be sure, and I made every effort to keep out of anything too personal”
She recalled a dream she had happened upon early on, not quite a nightmare but also far from pleasant. He had been on his knees, arms hovering over a metal biped that had been severely damaged. It had taken her only a few seconds to realize that this was a memory she had no right to view, not without express permission.
Returning to the present, she approached again, before sitting on her haunches and holding her forlegs to the towering biped. “Miss Pie tells me the best way to say sorry is with a ‘big warm hug’” her face morphing into a smirk as she raised her eyebrows a bit in barely hidden mirth at the stunned man.
Cyrell simply stood there for a few seconds, before slowly sinking to his knee and accepting the strange princesses hug. He briefly wondered if living for hundreds of years simply made one eccentric, and then he recalled some of the Guaridans he knew and simply nodded to himself.
Either that or we are all crazy, he thought. After they broke the hug Luna spent the time divulging what she knew, and asking her own questions. Of his home, his friends, his adv ethers and much more. Cyrell would match each with a question of his own, Learning more and not only Equestria, but of the Lunar Princess and her sisters exploits over a thousand years ago. They stayed like that for sometime before he felt the world around him slowly fade away as he once more returned to the waking world, now with the happiness of having met a new friend.
Cyrell slowly came to consciousness, a dull jabbing beginning to become more and more noticeable as his senses returned from his deep sleep. He lazily turned to see Rainbow, a large grin on her face as she pointed out the train window to the world beyond.
“Check it out big guy! The one and only Canterlot Castle! She exclaimed, her wings fluttering as Cyrell slowly turned his gaze towards where she was gesturing. What he saw seemed to have been pulled straight from one of the ancient story books the cryptarchs gushed over, as he witnessed the grandeur of the Jewel of Equestria: Canterlot Castle.
It’s towers and walls were tall and imposing, a famiglie and almost welcome sight to the Titan as he compared them to the City’s own wall and defense towers. Unlike theirs, Canterlot had large spire-esque towers with large colorful flags adorning the top, each flowing mane tidally in the strong mountain breeze. The stone was an immaculate white, almost marble in appearance, and seemed to reflect light back almost as well as the large Golden domes of the lesser buildings that dotted the large keeps grounds. he saw what looked like a set of academic buildings off to the east, centered around a large observatory. To the west he saw more uniform and strictly placed buildings, no doubt used to house the military and its upper echelons. The military sector was designed with form and function in mindC a contrast to humanities methods even in the modern day, as they combined the same brilliant white stone work with rich gold accents and large golden domes scattered about its areas. From their current angle there was not much else that he could see, but the Castle proper was more than enough to make up for it. It was large and regal, with vaulted arches and intricate statues and other stonework adorning its outer walls and walkways. A set of large rainbow waterfalls framed the central entryway. The solid looking golden doors had what had to be even further ornamentation though he could not make it out even with his helmet systems from this far away.
It was truly a sight to behold and it brought forth a wonder Cyrell hadn't felt since he first was given entry into the Awokens own ethereal home. Soon he would be wandering these ancient halls in order to finally meet the rulers of this land, and with any luck the ponies who would be able to aid him in returning home.