"Midgar"
Raindrops fall onto this sad excuse for a city as I stare out at the macabre scenery. Dark, ominous gray clouds fill the sky making their presence known by their unnerving rumbling noise. Lightning flashes, illuminating the devastated, dilapidated ruins of what once was the capital of the world.
If they all say that a retreat from mako power is our salvation, I'll have to disagree. Do you really see things looking any better?
The train car I am in shakes violently on the once pristine stainless steel tracks, and I sigh, upset about the disturbance. It reminds me even more of this fallen city.
Midgar is reduced to almost nothing now. I remember when I used to ride this same train every day, and every day I was impressed by the magnitude of this metal city. Now I stare out at the same place. It is mangled and twisted and distorted… and now I am appalled by this once impressive, ethereal place.
Almost everything was irreparable, reduced to a miniscule nothing. Everyone's now pitching in and helping out. Trying to rebuild this godly place, are you? You can try, and try, and try, but it will never be normal again. It will never ever be as amazing and tantalizing as it was before. They say it's a small sacrifice to make for the life of the planet.
Maybe those people never understood, or maybe they just haven't seen Midgar in the way that I have. The numerous mako fountains scattered about always bathed the enormous place in a soft aquamarine light. And I smile, thinking of the past. I'll never forget the excitement I would always feel when I entered downtown Midgar: so many tall buildings keeping their vigil over the immaculate city; The bustling of the cars; the distant, exuberant dance music emanating from a nightclub; the flashing signs. Forever I'll remember the bright, colorful poster for "Loveless," the beautiful artwork on the sign luring you into the theater, beckoning you to watch the wonderful performance. And the performance was absolutely breathtaking. I still remember it like yesterday, the details so vivid and clear, even though I last saw it years ago.
One was never alone in Midgar. It seemed as if the people never slept in the giant city. The streets were always full of bustling beings of all ages. Midgar's bizarre sereneness belied its never-ending vow to never silence. But the poor city's promise was broken. Nighttime never beheld the town, but now everything is black and dull. And instead of its beautiful cacophony, the voices haunt the ruins on the breeze howling through the empty buildings.
I'm looking dismally out at the dull ugliness of this once majestic, magnificent, magical place. Of course it had its slums. And of course it was dirty and polluted, but every city is like that. People have given Midgar such a bad reputation, thinking it's because of the ShinRa, or the mako reactors, or anything else they can blame. Does this city have such a bad reputation that I'm the only one still loyal to its paradise-like qualities? It seems that way, like everybody on the planet emanates great antipathy for the place. But I will always love this city, and I cannot stand to see it fallen.
So why am I still here? That's a good question. You see, I'm not quite sure of the answer. I know I'll never see Midgar again, at least not the Midgar I know of. I think I'm filled with a false sense of hope, some trifle, insignificant feeling in the back of my mind causing nostalgic delusions.
The train violently jerks a second time, roughly pushing me out of my reverie. I face reality once again. The train abruptly stops and its passengers obediently disembark. I follow them blindly, as if in a trance. And I am. When I step out into the pouring rain I don't see the metal shards and warped wreckage. Instead I see Midgar: the old Midgar, the way it used to be before this abomination.
In my eyes and in my heart and soul this mystical city will never die. I guess Midgar is only a dreamworld now, existing in a fantasy where all things are wonderful. But I don't mind, because it always was a dreamworld. And because of this, Midgar may not exist on the planet anymore, but it will live on forever in our dreams.
--Emerald Eyes
04.26.01.