Shiloh’s horn glowed a deep crimson as she lifted the saddlebag from the floor and placed it on her back. Small particles of dust floated through the air of the old apartment, catching the light as they drifted by the window. The wallpaper was stained and peeling from the corners of the wall, evident of the years of use it had endured. Dents and scratches were littered across the warping wooden floors. The apartment had become a home for Shiloh ever since she had moved to Manehattan, but nothing could replace Colt Cliffs in her heart. The only thing she had to remember the small mountain village by was a lone picture that hung on the wall. Shiloh lifted the image from the wall to reveal the dark outline of grime the frame had left. She blew off the dust that had collected on the glass over years of reverent isolation. The faded picture depicted a middle aged red mare with a genuine aura of kindness about her. Shiloh smiled as she remembered how her mother had always reminisced over a better life in the past. She put the only connection to her past into her bag and walked to the door. She hesitated as she reached her hoof to the handle. The realization suddenly hit her that she was opening the door to a completely new life, one of deception, death, and hopefully a better future.
She took a deep breath and twisted the handle. The cool night air surged into her mane as she stepped out onto the concrete steps of the apartment. A chill raced up her spine, not from the air, but from her mind’s comprehension that this would be the last time she was again embarking on a life or death journey. The smell of rain filled the air as a light drizzle of rain lingered from the raging storm that had drenched the city over the past several hours. The street was lined with Manehattan residents as they cheered for the parade of soldiers that stretched for miles in either direction. The setting sun bathed the geometrically perfect lines of stallions in a warm hue, bellying the atrocities they perform in battle. Ponies showered the troops with confetti and flowers from the windows of their apartments as they marched through the street. Each soldier was an identical copy of the next, following in step to the beat of the drums that echoed off of the buildings
The street was filled with the shouts and applause from the ponies as pride for their nation welled up inside of them, however, Shiloh was silent. She knew the atrocities the Solar Empire had committed, and how its oppressive regime had taken hold of every facet of Equestria and turned it into a living nightmare. Shiloh shuddered as a victorious cheer rose from the crowd as another battalion passed by. The Empire was propagandizing the citizens right before her eyes. The entire scene, as majestic as it was, left a bitter taste in her mouth, and a firm resolve to continue her journey.
Shiloh stepped into the deafening crowd and gently pushed her way through the ponies. The dense crowd was constantly changing as they eagerly tried to get close to their beloved nation’s military. Slowly she began to make progress through them, while simultaneously attempting to avoid the detection of the guards that were stationed throughout the crowd. She knew that if they found what was in her saddlebag, the cause, and her life, could be very well lost.
Shiloh watched from the corner of her eye as one of the guards gave her a suspicious glance. Immediately she blended in with the crowd, cheering and hollering at the soldiers. The guard continued to stare. I need to copy the crowd. She thought to herself. She eagerly pushed her way through the mob, following its dynamic nature. The guard looked down to a small foal that was tapping on his leg, forgetting about Shiloh in the process.
The darkness of night lingered over the city as the last few rays radiated from the sun. A group of pegasi flew by to light the candle fired street lamps to ensure the parade could continue unhindered. Shiloh took one last survey of the guards to make sure the coast was clear. After she had assured herself it was, she darted into the dark byway behind her. Sticking to the shadows Shiloh furtively made her way around the corner and held her breath. The only hoofsteps she could hear was the cyclic beat of the marching soldiers. She had not been followed.
A small cloud emanated from her mouth as she let out a sigh of relief. The alleyway was damp from the rain and lichens had grown on the brick walls. Several flights of fire exit stairs extended to the roofs of the dilapidated buildings. The sky above her was dark, and water continued to spill from the clouds above. Shiloh began to search the ground for the iron disk that covered the entrance to the sewers. The alleyway was too dark for her to see, forcing her to use her horn to dimly light the ground around her. Immediately she spotted the cover and lifted it with her magic. She silently placed the disk onto the ground and peered into the darkness. The musty smell that emanated from the storm sewer made her gag. She held her breath and stuck her head into the hole. The red light lit up the small opening, revealing the iron rungs that served as a ladder, and the small stream of runoff that ran below. She exhaled and pulled her head out of the opening.
“What do you mean you saw somepony go back here? I can’t see anything in this darkness.” Said a stallion’s voice from around the bend. Shiloh snapped her head in the direction of the noise.
“I’m telling you, a white pony ran back here. ” said another voice. Shiloh’s time was running out. She carefully began to climb into the hole. Once her head had cleared the street she lifted the iron plate from the ground and placed it over the opening. Shiloh listened as the guard’s hoofsteps traveled through the ground.
“You are wasting my time.” Said the first guard as the hoofsteps came to a stop. “You were probably just seeing things again.”
“I know what I saw.” The other said indignantly. “Somepony is back here.”
“I know, its me.”
“Very funny, I’m going to try and find them.”
“Five bits says you won’t.” said the guard in a condescending tone. The hoofsteps neared as the guard continued his search. A clank emanated from the iron disk that was just inches above Shiloh’s head.
“Maybe they went into the sewer?” he asked as he tried to peer through the grid.
“You seriously think that somepony is so desperate that they would run into that putrid thing? Nopony wants to hide that bad.”
The guard sighed. “Maybe you are right. Let’s get back to the parade, I’m eager to see the new guys.” The hoofsteps faded as the guards trotted out of the alleyway. Shaking from the adrenaline rush, Shiloh made her way down the shaft and into the sewer. As she placed her hooves onto the concrete pipe the water began to pool around her hooves. The temperature in the channel was much colder than the city, making Shiloh shiver. Using her horn, Shiloh illuminated the walls of the sewer.
The sides of the pipe were covered in a thin layer of slime. Small piles of filth and refuse clung to the eroded brick. Water trickled into the conduit from adjoining drains. The overpowering odor of the pipe smelled sour and wretched. Shiloh gagged as nausea from the channel’s scent slowly manifested itself in her gut.
After the wave of queasiness had passed, she began to make her way through the dark channel. The small trickle of water had begun to numb her hooves, causing pain to shoot up her leg at every step. The only noise that could be heard above the noise of the water that echoed off of the concrete channel was the hoofsteps of armies marching above her. A grated drain allowed the light to spill into the conduit in a series of bars. She paused for a brief moment to peer up and watch the hooves of soldiers marching in tune to the same drum.
She walked for hours through the disgusting channel. Her hooves ached from the pain, exacerbated by the cold water. I need to get to the main channel. She kept telling herself after each step. Eventually the conduit emptied its creek emptied into the river of the primary waterway. A small river had formed at the bottom of the rectangular channel as the rainwater was still snaking its way to the ocean. Shiloh stepped onto the metal catwalk and paused. Sitting herself onto the relatively dry walkway she massaged the feeling back into her hooves. She looked around the tunnel. Torches lined the concrete walls. Those that had not been snuffed out provided a dim light that barely lit the catwalk. Several other conduits were still emptying rainwater into the channel, except for one.
The pipe with no function shall serve for our own needs. Shiloh repeated in her mind the words Mach had told her. The conduit had been sealed off by debris that had accumulated over the years of construction that had taken place. She pulled herself into the rugged pipe. It was barely bigger than she was, forcing her to inch her way forward on her stomach. The rough stone cut into her coat as she struggled to drag herself across the dry bricks. She followed the pipe to a brown package and a note that was stashed in a small alcove in the brick.
The envelope was wrinkled and the wax seal was mashed, but not broken. ‘Messenger’ was written in black ink on its front. She lifted the note and carefully opened the envelope. The hastily hoof written scrawl was barely legible in the dim light. Shiloh used her horn to illuminate the page.
Dear Shy, this is the last time I will be able to help you in your quest, I have been compromised. As I write this I can hear the search party’s shouts in the tunnels. You must continue on your quest to deliver the message. If you can, it will make the world a better place. I must go now, every word I write is another second ticking away. Equestria needs you. Signed Mach
He’s gone. She thought to herself as she reverently folded the page and slipped it back into the envelope. I can’t believe he’s really gone. She blinked the tears out of her eyes and looked at the brown package. She quickly unwrapped it to reveal a large tank of compressed air and Scuba gear.
She lifted the items and carefully backed her way out of the pipe. Several minutes and abrasions later, Shiloh reached the opening to the main channel and lowered herself onto the walkway. She checked the abrasions she had received. A few were bleeding, but not profusely, the rest were just raw. She placed the cumbersome tank on the edge of the catwalk and checked the gauge. That’s enough air for about an hour of dive time. She thought to herself as she placed the tank on the ground beside her. I’m going to have to swim fast if I want to avoid detection. She activated the valve on the mouthpiece and checked the airflow. A surge of stale air entered her mouth as she took a breath from the tank’s reserve. Everything seems to be in working condition. She thought to herself as she closed the valve on the tank.
She stood up and looked over the railing to the rushing water a dozen feet below her. The river of water flowed through the channel and into three openings blocked by massive iron bars. The center outlet’s grating had been cut through, revealing a hole just big enough for a pony to get through. Shiloh lifted a small tuft of moss that was growing on the metal catwalk. Floating it down to the river she let it fall in the center. It caught the current and flowed out of the middle drain. She opened the valve and strapped the tank onto her back. She lifted the regulator to her mouth and held it in with her teeth. Well this is it, I suppose. She thought as she stepped onto the cold iron railing. Shiloh let gravity do its work as she let herself topple into the water.
As she fell toward the water she twisted herself to make the tank connect first. The frigid water shocked her system. It engulfed her as the current pulled her under. She resurfaced and paddled to the middle opening. As she neared it she dove underneath the water. She straightened her body to rocket out of the opening. A she passed the gate, she felt weightless. The river of water spilled into the ocean in a massive waterfall.
As the salt water hit her body she felt the wounds she had begin to burn. The cuts and bruises she had received acted as vectors of pain all over her body. The frigid ocean water stunned her. She gasped for air as she tried to recover from the shock that had overcome her body. Paddling furiously, she swam against the surfs that were constantly assaulting her as she struggled to make her way into the ocean. Gradually she overcame the waves and began to swim into the desolate expanse of night. Once free of the current she dove underneath the water to avoid detection.
The constant paddling against the water slowly made her legs begin to ache. The sun, having set long ago, no longer illuminated the vast ocean. Instead it took on a dark form that met the slightly brighter sky in the distance. Stars had begun to wake from their daily rest and peek out of the dim veil of the night. The new moon lingered as a circle of nothingness in the sky, and lent no light to illuminate the desolate watery expanse. Minutes turned to hours as Shiloh paddled away from the city and into the darkness.
Shiloh glanced back at the gauge on her tank. The needle was in the red and slowly dropping to zero. Shiloh continued to breathe the last few precious breaths left in the canister. She inhaled once more only to take nothing into her lungs. Calmly she spat out the mouthpiece and rose to the surface of the ocean. Her head breached the water and she allowed herself to inhale once more. The salty smell of the ocean invaded her lungs. She quickly unstrapped her gear and let it float away from her as she turned to look at the city. Manehattan was only a faint skyline dotted with yellow light that disappeared and reappeared as Shiloh bobbed in the frigid waves. The night was crisp and the salt still burned the wounds that dotted her body. Distant rolls of thunder echoed off of the water from the large storm clouds that billowed in the distance.
Where is that boat? She asked herself as she tried to catch a fleeting glance of the ocean each time a wave crested beneath her. The only light was from the thunderstorm that flickered with lightning on the horizon. A distant glimmer caught her attention. It was a small twinkle of light just hovering over the surface of the water. That must be the NightStalker. She thought as the light, a searchlight, trained itself on her. She waved her forelegs over her head. The boat quickly skirted through the amorphous ocean. What seemed like an eternity later, the boat slowed to a stop beside her. The searchlight shone in her face and forced her to squint as she paddled to the edge of the ship. She lifted her hoof into the air and felt a strong pull as a stallion lifted her from the ocean.
Shiloh collapsed onto the deck, exhausted from her struggles against the water that was dripping from her body. A pool began to form beneath her as she tried to control her She looked up at the stallion. “Thank you.”
“What in the name of Celestia were you doing swimming in the middle of the ocean in the middle of the night.” Asked the stallion as he draped a blanket over her back.
“I was…” her voice trailed off as she realized what his curiosity implied.
“You were what?” he asked as he knelt down on the deck.
“I was just taking a swim off of the shore and got swept out into the ocean by the current.” She said as she chewed the inside of her lip. Why isn’t he asking for the letter, or telling me where Luna is. She thought as her gaze drifted over the deck of the ship. Two glossy words were written on top of the cabin of the ship, ‘Dawnbreaker’. Shiloh’s heart skipped a beat. The Dawnbreaker was a light reconnaissance boat that had been employed, along with many other ships, by the Solar Empire to patrol the coast of Manhattan at night.
“That must have been quite the current if it drug you all the way out here.” The stallion said as he rubbed his chin with his hoof. “Why aren’t you at the convention?”
“Well… I, um…” stammered Shiloh as she tried to fabricate a plausible story for her lack of attendance.
“You do realize it is a federal crime to play hooky from the Convention right?” asked the stallion. “What’s in the bag?” he asked as he pointed to Shiloh’s waterlogged saddlebag.
“You don’t need to worry yourself about that.” she said as she began to slowly back away. Her hoof trapped the corner of the blanket to the ground and pulled it off of her body. The letter from Mach dropped to the deck from her saddlebag.
“What’s this?” The stallion asked as he reached for the letter.
Shiloh pinned the letter to the deck with her hoof. “It’s just a letter from an old friend of mine.” She said as she lifted it from the deck. “That’s all.”
The guard lifted his hoof to his cupcake revolver that was holstered on his side. “Let me see the letter.”
Shiloh glanced around nervously as she tried to devise a way to escape the guard.
“As a stand-in for the Solar Empire, I order you to give me the letter.” Said the stallion as he drew the revolver.
Shiloh was frozen in fear as she watched the matte barrel of the revolver flicker in the light of the searchlight. Her hoof slipped off of the edge of the deck as she reached the side of the ship. Jump. Said her instincts as the click of the hammer echoed in her mind.
“This is your last chance. Give me the note, or I will be required to use lethal force.” The stallion said as he pointed the revolver at Shiloh.
“No.” Shiloh said as she stepped backwards. Without a chance for the stallion to react she had fallen off of the boat and into the frigid water. She heard a loud gunshot followed by a whiz beside her ear. The stallion had missed his shot. She hit the water without ample time to take in a breath. She could hear the angry shouts of the stallions as they waited for her to resurface. Her heart began to race as her breath slowly ran out. Frantically she tried to keep herself under, but her lungs screamed for air. She tried to stick her nose out of the water and inhale, but only succeeded in taking in a nose full of water. Involuntarily she shot out of the water and began to cough violently as she attempted to rid her lungs of the repulsive ocean water.
“There!” shouted the stallion as Shiloh resurfaced. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as she watched the stallion pull the trigger to his weapon. A blinding flash of light emanated from the barrel as the round accelerated toward her. Her head snapped back as the round hit her face. Pain coursed through her body as she fell limp. Her vision began to fade as she drifted from the boat and into the waves.
She could hear the shouts of the stallions on the Dawnbreaker as they tried to find the mare among the serf. A loud crash startled Shiloh from her semi unconsciousness. The sound of crunching wood and bending steel came from the direction of the boat. A large cruise ship had slammed head on into the small recon vessel and had crushed its fragile hull. She looked toward the Dawnbreaker just in time to see the ocean water swallow the mangled boat. The cruise ship had been painted black to conceal itself against the night.
Once the Dawn Breaker had been fully submersed the ship lit up the water with several searchlights in attempts to find anypony among the wreckage. The light reflected off of the water and allowed Shiloh to read the title ‘NightStalker’ on its bow. Shiloh felt her forelegs instinctively waving in the air as the beams of light swept across the swelling ocean. It took only seconds for one to train itself on Shiloh. The NightStalker immediately began to move toward her. It traveled rather quickly for its large size as it smashed through the waves.
“Full stop!” she heard a voice from the ship yell. As the ship neared Shiloh it expertly glided to a stop. A commotion resounded from the deck as they prepared to pull her from the water. She watched as a stallion leapt off of the deck and dove into the water. Moments later he resurfaced and began to paddle furiously toward her, holding a rope in his mouth. He reached Shiloh and tied it around her torso. Using long arcing strokes he paddled back and held his hoofs above his head to signal the all clear.
Shiloh felt the rope tighten as she was lifted from the water. She watched, half dazed, as the stallion who had brought her the rope, paddle to his own.
As she reached the top two stallions leaned over the side and grabbed her forelegs. They pulled her onto the deck and quickly began to come to her aid. They loosened the knot from her torso and draped a heavy blanket on her back. She laid her head down onto the deck and rolled onto her side. The blood from her wound began to pool around her and mix with the ocean water. As she closed her eyes, she noticed a purple leg step in the pool of blood. The world faded to nothing as Shiloh’s mind drifted from reality and into a coma.