//------------------------------// // Wilderness // Story: Solar Eclipse: The Messenger // by The Lunar Samurai //------------------------------// A speck of dust drifted through the amorphous cloud gradually collecting droplets of water on its defect-ridden surface. Slowly it became obedient to gravity and began to plummet with millions of others toward the ground. For its minute long lifespan the droplet broke up and reformed as it raced downward. The wave of rain struck the ground, adding to the already saturated soil. The drop landed on a body of a mare, half submerged in the river that cut through the gorge. Her dark red mane was matted with dirt, sand and soaked with water. Deep cuts were scattered across her body. The blood that seeped from them had stained the water that surrounded her a shade of red. Shiloh slowly awoke as the pain roused her from her unconsciousness. She tried to pick herself up, but her legs refused to support her weight, causing her to topple back to the ground. Painfully she began to drag herself onto the relatively dry sand that posed as a sort of beach to the river. She inhaled sharply as pain shot through her body as the sand buried itself in her wounds. Behind her a trail of blood was forming. Again she tried to rise to her hooves, this time bracing herself against a rock. She rested on her hooves for several minutes as she mentally quelled the pain in her body. Slowly her mind pieced the events that had happened what seemed like days before. The caboose being locked, the raging storm, the engine toppling into the gray, her body slamming into the water. The floodgates of her memory spilled out the horrific scene, but her emotions did not react. It had been completely alien to her to see such a travesty and the only thing she felt was astonishment that it had occurred at all. She looked back at the trail of blood that led to the puddle she had just exited. The rushing river, carrying some globules of oil from the wreckage of the train, occasionally spilled into the stagnant water, stirring the amorphous blood into vortices of red. The mangled heap of metal formed a partial dam, causing the water to spill over it’s top. Shiloh looked at the wreckage. Some of the boards had been dislodged from the windows, allowing water to liberally pour into the metal frame. A powerful chill ran down her body as the lifeless corpse of a mare spun in an eddy that had formed behind the train. That was meant to be me. She thought as she stared at the ghastly figure in the water. A sense of anger rose in her as she realized the recklessness of the pegasi. The cowards killed everypony on the train instead of confronting me. Her emotions began to well up inside of her causing conflict within. She was alive, yet every pony that was on the train had perished because of her. You can’t beat yourself up like this. Shiloh told herself, as she knew serious repercussions of guilt would follow if she took the blame for their deaths. I need to focus on something else. She thought as she tried to ignore the scene of death before her. A yellow saddlebag, stained with blood, laid a stone’s throw away from Shiloh. She painfully limped over to it and lifted it onto her back. She let out a cry as the weight forced her to the ground. Rolling to her side she let the bag fall off of her back and onto the sand beside her. The flap fell open to reveal the few things she had kept in her possession. Still lying on the ground she used her magic to lift them from the bag and suspend them in the air. A dozen items floated around her head as she decided what was truly necessary, and what was expendable. Minutes later the only items she had deemed vital were a compass, a map, a rope, the poison vial, a canteen, and the package. Shiloh moved the other items over the river. She paused a moment to be sure of her next action. She let go of the items and let them fall into the violent current of the river. The splashes they made could barely be heard over the roar of the rain that continued to drench the saturated ground. Struggling again to stand she rose to her hooves and placed the much lighter saddlebag on her back. She carefully limped across the beach as she tried to maintain her balance in the unstable sand. Making her way onto the rocks underneath a large tree Shiloh steadied herself and withdrew the map from her saddlebag. The paper was soaked and the ink was starting to run. She traced the track from Appleloosa to Baltimare with her hoof. I couldn’t be in ghastly gorge. She thought as her hoof stopped over the trestle that ran across the gorge. She followed the line to the next bridge just northeast of Ponyville. That must be where I am. She thought as her gaze drifted back to the river. But how can I know for sure. She pondered as she noticed the other bridge on the map that lay just outside of Baltimare. She scratched the back of her head with her hoof as she tried to figure out how to discern where she was. If it was near Ponyville, I would be able to see Canterlot, but I can’t see anything through these clouds. She thought as she removed the saddlebag from her back and placed it on the ground. The soft grass invited her to lay down and rest while she pondered her predicament. She noticed the compass lying in the bag and placed it beside the map. She watched as the red needle slowly drifted north. Slowly an idea came to her mind. Which way is the river flowing? She thought as she limped back out into the deluge with the compass floating beside her. Placing the compass on the ground she adjusted it until it pointed north and eyeballed the river’s direction. South, it’s flowing south. She thought to herself as she quickly returned to the map. The river that flowed underneath the bridge near Ponyville flowed southeast, while the one near Baltimare flowed due south. Shiloh smiled with confidence as she pointed to the Baltimare. That’s where I am. Her smile slowly faded as she realized where she needed to be. Ghastly gorge lay on the other side of the massive forest, but what scared her more was what forest it was. The Everfree forest was known for its self-sustaining flora and unpredictable weather patterns. Even more dangerous was the wildlife that roamed in the shadows. Manticores, cockatrices, even Hydras were known to live in the untamable wilderness. Shiloh swallowed her saliva as she looked toward the imposing forest. Maybe I should start tomorrow. She thought as she began to bargain with her fate. Once the skies clear up I can make sure that I can’t see Canterlot. She lowered her head onto her forelegs as she placed the map and compass back into her saddlebag. I will begin my journey tomorrow. She thought as she drifted off to sleep. --- The happy chirps of birds filled the air and replaced the deafening roar of the rain the night before. Shiloh opened her eyes and stretched her aching muscles. The sunlight shone through the gaps in the tree’s leaves and cast dancing shafts of light onto the ground. The grass glistened with water droplets that had been lucky enough to fall through the tree’s dense leaves. The world seemed cheerful and Shiloh smiled along with it, but that smile froze as she turned her attention to the river. The body of the train still lay crumpled in the water beside the pylon that supported the trestle that stretched over the river. Shiloh looked to the horizon to try and discern the royal city of Canterlot. Only clouds drifted beyond the treetops and signified that she was indeed at the bridge near Baltimare. She placed her saddlebag on her back and tightened the strap. This is it I suppose. She told herself as she looked at the imposing line of trees that stood as sentries to the forest. Closing her eyes Shiloh took in a deep breath and tried to suppress the small flame of fear that had ignited inside of her. Clenching her jaw Shiloh quickly cantered toward the wall of trees. Her heart began to race as she neared them. Her trot turned into a gallop as she braced herself for the world that was an about face to her reality. After taking one last look at the wreckage as she galloped to the forest she leapt between the trees and landed with a thud onto the ground. Immediately she curled herself up in a ball as she skittishly surveyed the forest. I hope the stories aren’t true. She thought to herself as she lay shaking on the ground. The noises of the forest made her mind begin to bring back the images of the foul beasts that prowled the forest. The air was stagnant as the trees blocked its movement among its dense wooden pillars. A slight breeze blew through the forest, causing a small branch to graze her back. Shiloh let out a scream and jumped to her hooves. Nervously laughing off the twig, Shiloh again found herself naturally lying down to avoid detection. Several trees had long jagged scratch marks along their trunks. A set of yellow eyes flickered beneath one of the fallen trunks. Shiloh shook in fear until she realized it was simply the product of two lightning bugs. The forest was as dark as night, as most of the light was blocked by the dense canopy of the forest. What little light that did seep through was lost among the piles of leaves, branches, and shrubs that littered the ground. Occasionally a figure would scurry around the trees, and each time it did so it made Shiloh’s heart skip a beat. Minutes passed before Shiloh was able to calm her drumming heart. Slowly her fear dissipated and turned into curiosity and wonder. All the stories of the Everfree forest she had heard in her childhood were nothing more than simple fairy tales and legends. Her confidence grew as she trotted deeper into the forest. As she traveled through the wilderness every snap of a twig would make her hair stand on end. Slowly, however, she became comfortable with the random sounds of the forest as they proved to be nothing more than little animals that were as afraid of her as she was of them. The white clouds drifted peacefully across the sky with no pegasus in sight. It was a completely alien world to her, but it was not threatening as she had assumed it would be. Why has everypony always been so afraid of this place? She thought as she wandered through the trees. It’s strange, but what is wrong with strange? All strange is, is something different, not something bad. Shiloh continued to ponder as she trotted through the forest. What’s this?  Shiloh thought as she walked into a clearing. She placed her saddlebag onto the soft grass and walked to the crystal clear pool of water that lay in the center of the opening. She withdrew the canteen from the saddlebag and dipped it into the water. Ripples raced from the canteen and quickly ruined the water’s mirror like surface. Once the bottle was full she lifted it from the water and secured the cap. She then used her hoof to hold her hair behind her head as she leaned into the pool to take a drink. The cool water was a refreshing relief to her parched throat. After she had quenched her thirst Shiloh looked toward the appetizing grass that lay unscathed around her. Happily she began to pluck clumps of blades and begin to eat as she withdrew the map from her saddlebag and laid it out before her on the ground. She placed the compass beside it and stared intently at her only way of knowing where she was. A clearing was nowhere to be found on the map. For all I know I could be right next to Ghastly Gorge and I wouldn’t even know it. She thought to herself as she tried to find some sort of landmark on the page. Why didn’t I just walk alongside the river? She asked herself as her frustration began to grow. She struck the ground with her hoof as she realized how foolish she had been. The only thing she could do now was to attempt to make her way through the forest to a river. From there she could get her bearings. She lifted the compass to her face and adjusted it as the red needle steadied itself. She turned until it pointed her east, the direction she believed to be the most promising, and set off into the forest once again. The sun was hovering above the forest, making it uncomfortably humid for Shiloh. She took off her saddlebag and carried it with her magic to try and relieve herself of the heat. Sweat drenched her body as she continued to trot through the dense underbrush that grew around the trees. Sparingly she sipped her water as she tried to make it last as long as she could. With no way of knowing when the next fresh water source would come along, she had to be careful not to be wasteful. For hours she trotted, feeling as if she was making little to no progress as impassable barriers of briars and thick plants became commonplace. Several times a rogue root from a nearby tree would catch her hoof and send her toppling to the ground. Every time she picked herself up from one of the falls she felt her mind becoming weaker and weaker. As the heat of the day faded into the coolness of night a new challenge arose. Now not only were the plants seemingly against her, but she could sense that the predators were watching her every move. Using her magic, Shiloh lit the forest around her as she attempted to see the creatures that lurked just outside of the rosy aura that emanated from her horn. A large stick floated beside her, a weapon that she would use in the event of an attack. The security the branch gave her was minimal, but it made her feel like she had a defense. Fear pushed her eastward, as she dared not allow herself to sleep, and thus become defenseless. “Just try me.” She whispered to her invisible assailants. The words gave her a feeling of control, even though her mind told her otherwise. Restlessly she traveled into the unknown that stretched out before her, completely alert, yet slowly becoming sluggish in her movements. Finally she could no longer fight the siren’s call of sleep that sounded so sweet to her ears. She reached an area where a small cave had formed from the root system of a fallen tree. Shiloh ducked into the hole and curled up on the dirt floor. Sleep came fast to Shiloh as she laid her head down on the ground to rest. She closed her eyes and almost immediately began to dream. --- A low growl awoke Shiloh from her sleep. She looked out of the alcove of dirt and root to see flecks of sunlight dancing on the trees outside. She took in a deep breath, but the refreshing air she was expecting was putrid. Gagging and coughing, Shiloh placed her hoof on the wooden hoofhold and took a moment to wake up. As her mind slowly began to awaken she realized that the root was moving. She looked at her hoof, which rested on the piece of wood, and what she saw made the blood drain from her face. The root was the snout of a small timber wolf. Her mind told her to panic, but the only thing she could do was stand there in fear of what might happen next. Seconds passed as Shiloh waited for the inevitable that never came. Slowly she realized the creature was in a deep sleep. She carefully removed her hoof from the snout of the wolf and silently backed out of the shelter. Picking up her saddlebag and stick she exited the shelter and let out a deep breath. She had not realized that she had not been breathing, and the feeling of air back in her lungs was relieving. I need to be more careful; maybe those stories hold some credit after all. She thought to herself as placed the saddlebag on her back and continued to trot through the forest eastward. Her close encounter with the timber wolf continued to dominate her thoughts as she trotted onward, but soon they were taken over by a necessity, water. Her canteen was almost empty, and she was severely thirsty. Her spry canter, fueled by the adrenaline of the encounter slowly evolved into a sluggish trot as she realized how thirsty she really was. As she grew more and more weary she began to stumble along. Again the roots seized the opportunity and pulled her to the ground as she haphazardly tripped over them. She landed in a soft bed of damp moss. Her initial thankfulness for the moss was for its cushioning of her fall, but she soon realized, from the dampness that cooled her head, that she could harvest it’s water. She bit off a chunk and sucked on it in her mouth, but gagged as she tasted the bitter dirt. She tried again to suck the water out of the moss, but with similar consequences. Letting her anger get the better of her, Shiloh slammed her hoof into the soft bed of moss. A pool of water formed around her hoof as it sank into the ground. Once more she grabbed a lump of the moss, but this time pressed it in between her hooves. Several drops of water fell from between her hooves. Shiloh smiled as she repeated the process over the open lid of the canteen. The gratifying sound of water filling the container urged her to repeat the process with successively larger clumps of the fleshy plant. Within minutes the water had reached the rim of the canteen. Shiloh brought the container to her mouth and began to drink the liquid. Immediately she spat it out. Its dirty bitter taste had come as a surprise to Shiloh, but she knew that she had to drink. Again she lifted the bottle to her mouth and forced the revolting water down her throat. However disgusting it was it came as a relief to her parched mouth, and soon she found herself ignoring the flavor altogether. Shiloh withdrew her compass and confirmed that she was still moving eastward through the forest. Shiloh started on her journey once again with a confidence that came from her newfound ability that had weaned her from the infrequent pools of water. A sense of freedom from perfect water gave her a sense of pride in her as she realized that the forest could no longer kill her with attrition. She began to canter quickly toward the unknown, no longer unsure of how she might survive, only unsure of how she would thrive.