//------------------------------// // Blood in the Snow // Story: Daughters of Liberty // by SonicSpeedster97 //------------------------------// “Whoa!” That was the first thing yelled as the girls were flung from the time-warp, landing face-first into a low snowbank. They each groaned as they pulled themselves up from the snow, finding themselves on cobblestone streets sheeted in snow, surrounded by old-fashioned structures. “Ugh. Where are we?” Rainbow groaned as she stood, only to do a double-take when she saw her clothes. “And what are we wearing?” They all appeared to be wearing simple young women’s dresses from what seemed like centuries ago, including a straw hat on Applejack’s head and a pair of miniscule, black-rimmed round-lensed spectacles on Twilight’s face. Each of their outfits seemed colored like their original skin colors, but it was still quite jarring. “Hang on, lemme check.” Twilight looked down at the time machine in her hand, now in the form of a small wooden box on a leather strap. Her eyes popped when she saw the date on the display. “This isn’t good.” “What do you mean? What does it say?” asked Sunset. “It says that this is the evening of March 5th, 1770.” Twilight explained in concern. “The date of the Boston Massacre.” Applejack was amazed and held her hat to her chest when she heard that. “First blood shed in the name of American independence.” “You mean Pinkie Pie just catapulted us back in time to the start of the American Revolution?” Rainbow asked in shock. “What were you thinking, Pinkie?” “Sorry, I couldn’t help it. Big red buttons are the mother of all buttons.” Twilight almost said that didn’t make any sense, but then she remembered that with Pinkie Pie, practically nothing made any sense, so she just shrugged and kept it to herself. “Well, plus-side; we’ve got a front-row seat to the birth of a nation.” Sunset shrugged. “Should we go and watch?” “We might wanna stay out of sight, just in case. Don’t want to get too swept up in history.” Twilight assured as she looked around. “But it looks like we’re in the right area. We’re in Boston, and if I’m not mistaken, the customs house should be right… over… there.” Sure enough, there was the large warehouse where everything began. The girls all tried to stay undercover on the street as they saw a British soldier in a red uniform outside the door of the customs house. “Who’s that?” Rainbow asked quietly. “That’s Private Hugh White; he’s what started this entire thing.” Twilight explained. “Maybe a little background would be helpful.” She smiled as she saw something down the road; a paperboy with the evening edition in his hand. Happy to find she had some era-appropriate money on hand, she walked over and bought an issue from him before she returned to the others, showing them the paper. “By this point, the British Parliament has passed several punitive laws against the colonies who didn’t even have a voice there, leading to increased tension between the colonists and the crown.” “You know the old war cry of the beginning of the Revolution; ‘No taxation without representation'? That’s been echoin’ around the colonies for a while by now.” Applejack noted. “Exactly, and it’s gotten so loud by this point, that the British have had to send troops here to try and maintain law and order.” Twilight explained. “They’ve been here for about two years, and relations have only gotten worse.” “Psst. Someone’s coming.” Rarity pointed out. And there indeed was another British soldier walking down the street toward the customs house. “That must be Captain-Lieutenant John Goldfinch.” Twilight pointed out as she saw a boy emerge from the wig-shop next door to the customs house. “And there’s Edward Garrick, the wigmaker’s apprentice who started it all.” “Hey, Gold-birdy!” Garrick yelled. “My master’s still owed 15 pounds from your pocket! Get in here and pay it!” Goldfinch however seemed to ignore the taunting. “Why isn’t he listening?” Rainbow asked. “He’s already squared that debt.” Twilight explained. “But White doesn’t know that.” And indeed he didn’t, as the private looked at the apprentice with a glare in his eye. “Oi, you! Show some respect; that’s a soldier of the crown!” “Ya mean the same crown that’s taxing its own colonies into the ground without even givin’ them a say in the matter?!” Garrick yelled back. “Oh boy, this ain’t gonna be good.” Applejack was right, of course; this confrontation only escalated as White and Garrick started exchanging insults, growing increasingly louder. Then things got worse as Garrick marched over and tauntingly poked White in the chest. “Here it comes…” Twilight cringed in anticipation as White clearly lost patience and swung his musket, bashing Garrick in the face with the stock, making him cry out in pain as he fell into the snow, blood dripping from his cheek. “Ooh!” the other girls cringed as another man came out from the wigmaker’s shop. “What’s goin’ on out here? Edward? Edward, are you alright?” the man said in concern, before glaring at the now clearly frightened Private White. The soldier was quickly engaged in a loud argument with the wigmaker, which drew a larger crowd. “Oh, this ain’t gon’ be good.” Applejack said in worry, and she was right; soon, White was surrounded by other civilians all jeering and yelling at him. Among them was a young man Twilight recognized. “That’s Henry Knox. He’s working as a bookseller now,” she remembered. “Everyone stay back!” White yelled in warning. “My weapon is loaded and I am prepared to fire if necessary.” “Then know this, soldier; if you fire, you must die for it!” Knox yelled in argument. The girls grew nervous and wisely decided to sneak their way to the roof of the custom-house, giving them a good view of the events even though they were hidden from view. Suddenly church bells clanged out around the streets of Boston, drawing people to pour into the streets. The movements of several of them confused Rainbow Dash. “Why are they grabbing buckets?” she asked. “The bell must be a fire alarm.” Sunset theorized. “And who’s that young gentleman?” Rarity pointed to a darker-skinned man in fine clothes. “That’s Crispus Attucks. He’s a free man of African and Native American heritage, considered a hero of his people.” Twilight remembered. “He may not know it, but he’s going to die tonight.” Attucks appeared to be leading the group of now at least fifty people, all surrounding Private White and forcing him onto the steps of the customs house, pelting him with snowballs and daring him to fire his weapon. “Help! Help me!” he cried. Rainbow’s sharp eyes spotted someone moving away from the mob. “Runner, 10 o’clock!” she pointed out. “He must be going to get backup.” Applejack concluded. And sure enough, a few minutes later, seven more soldiers led by an officer arrived, forcing their way through the crowd to form a semicircle on the steps. “Right men, fix bayonets!” the officer ordered as the blades were mounted on their weapons. “No one fires unless I give the order!” “That’s Captain Preston,” Twilight noted. “Keep a close watch on him and his men.” The girls tried but were distracted by the growing mob, now several hundred people with some armed with ropemakers’ clubs, and all continuing to throw snow and ice at the soldiers, even some oyster shells. “Fire! Fire! Fire!” the mob chanted, trying to goad the soldiers into firing. Then a man in smart garb with a cudgel in his hand approached the captain. “Captain Preston! Sir! Sir, I am Richard Palmes; I keep an inn nearby. I’ve come to ask in good faith; are your weapons loaded?” “Yes Mr. Palmes, they most assuredly are.” the captain assured. “But worry not; my men are under strict orders not to fire unless ordered. And anyway, they won’t whilst we’re positioned like this.” Indeed, Preston was positioned right in front of his soldiers. “Smart move. If his troops fire, he’ll be in their sights.” Sunset smirked. Suddenly something flew and struck one of the soldiers under Preston’s command, knocking him to the ground. He rose with a growl and leveled his musket. “Damn you; fire!” He fired his musket into the crowd, only to be swiftly struck in the arm by Mr. Palmes’ cudgel. Then he swung at Preston, narrowly missing the captain’s head and instead hitting his arm. The rest of the soldiers didn’t know the order had come from that soldier and not from Preston, so they fired as well, one after the other in an undisciplined volley. “Cease fire! Cease fire!” Preston ordered in rage, but too late; three people – Crispus Attucks among them – lay dead in the snow. Eight others around the area, including a boy no older than the girls, were grievously wounded and clustered around the steps of the customs house. The rest of the mob surged away, but still gathered in nearby streets as the girls watched on in horror, before an older man in official’s garments arrived with more soldiers. “That’s Acting Governor Hutchinson. He’ll be forced into the local statehouse in a moment.” Twilight noted, and indeed, the people did so, where he stood atop the balcony and looked down at them. “Citizens of Boston, please calm yourselves!” he yelled. “As your acting governor I ask that you please disperse immediately, and I assure you there will be an investigation, and those found will be tried!” The people appeared disgruntled but appeased as they scattered. The girls made the wise decision to slip away from the crowd and hide in an alley nearby. “What happens now?” asked Rainbow. “Well, Captain Preston and eight of his men will be arrested tomorrow and there will be a massive war of propaganda on whether or not this was all intentional,” Twilight remembered. “But for right now, I suggest we make ourselves scarce. Maybe get out of Boston altogether.” “Perhaps tomorrow. All this madness has left me somewhat tired.” Rarity insisted. “Same here. And I wouldn’t mind a quick meal before bed.” Rainbow agreed. “Good idea.” Sunset nodded. “Are there any inns near here?” “What about that Palmes fella? He said he had an inn near here.” Applejack suggested. “Well, we can certainly ask him for a room. If we can find him.” Twilight shrugged. “Spike?” “On it.” Spike shrugged and sniffed the ground, quickly getting a scent of ale and bread; the telltale smell of an innkeeper of this time. “This way.” Quickly, he led the girls away from the site of the massacre and down the street to an area near the harbor, where they came to a small tavern. Sunset stepped forward and rapped on the door, finding it answered by Mr. Palmes himself, who was rather surprised. “Goodness, what are you fine ladies doing out in this cold?” “We’re new to Boston, sir. We weren’t prepared for these conditions.” Sunset knew she wasn’t exactly lying; she was just leaving a few details out. “Please sir, we’re hungry, tired, and cold. Can we come in?” “Yes, of course. Please be my guests; you can warm yourselves by the fire.” He stood aside and allowed the group in, where they shivered near the burning hearth as they were told. Twilight stood and smiled at the innkeeper. “Thank you very much for your hospitality, Mr. Palmes.” The innkeeper seemed surprised. “Hang on; you said you were new to town. How did you know my name?” “We saw you at the customs house,” Rainbow answered. “Ah yes. Damn travesty, that display.” Palmes nodded as he cleaned up the main room. “Well, it would appear you have the advantage of me.” Twilight knew what he meant. “Of course, sir; my apologies.” she nodded. “My name is Tara Spencer. This is my dog Spike, and these are my friends Samantha Stokes, Annie Jaqueline Smith, Veronica Dancer, Rachel Belle, Florence Sheppard, and Patricia Pierce.” The girls all bowed one after another. “A pleasure, ladies.” Mr. Palmes smiled. “How long do you expect to be in Boston?” “Just tonight. We’ll be leaving in the morning.” Twilight assured. “I see. And where do you intend to go? Just out of curiosity.” Mr. Palmes asked. “Philadelphia, maybe.” The girls were confused; they hadn’t really discussed any major plans for where to go after Boston, so why did Twilight want to go to Philadelphia? They swiftly got their answer. “I saw an advertisement recently that there are openings for work at the Pennsylvania Gazette.” “Ah yes, that’s right; Dr. Franklin is hiring.” Mr. Palmes nodded. “Well, if you wish, I can see about arranging a wagon or ship for you tomorrow.” “You’re kind enough offering us a place to stay the night, Mr. Palmes,” Sunset assured. “We can attend to our transportation needs ourselves.” “As you wish.” Mr. Palmes shrugged. “In the meantime, perhaps some dinner before you go to bed?” “Don’t mind if I help myself.” Rainbow smiled as she stood and moved to a table near the hearth to eat. Soon enough, with full bellies, the girls went upstairs to their room, finding it rather small but enough for their purposes as the time machine transitioned them into nightgowns. “So Twilight, I’ve gotta ask; why do you wanna go work for this Franklin guy?” Rainbow asked seriously. “Benjamin Franklin, one of the best renaissance men of this era.” Twilight explained quickly. “Writer, scientist, statesman; he does everything. Including owning a newspaper in Philadelphia, which we’ll need to get jobs at as a cover if we want to watch the events of the Revolution unfold without drawing too much attention.” “That reminds me; the Revolution ain’t gonna really get started for another couple years.” Applejack noted. “A few years? We don’t plan on staying that long, do we?” asked Rarity. “By the time we return to our own time, we’ll be old and gray.” “No, we won’t, Rarity,” Twilight assured. “I installed a special function in the time machine that contains each of us in our own bubble of temporal stasis; time doesn’t affect us when we’re in the past. We could live from right this second till the moment we left our own time and we wouldn’t age a day.” “Okay, that’s remarkably cool.” Sunset was right to be amazed; the only time travel magic she’d ever really heard about was the time-travel loop Princess Twilight mentioned after the Friendship Games, and it only involved a few jumps back and forth between one specific moment and various different future timelines. She laughed; man, the meeting after that was so awkward. “Well, the way I heard it, the next big event in Revolutionary history was the Boston Tea Party, and that ain’t for another three years.” Applejack reminded. “Age-stopping whatever or not, we’re not actually gonna hang out in the colonies for the next three years, are we?” asked Rainbow. “Why not?” Twilight asked seriously. “This is a unique experience; a first-hand experience of a different place and time, meeting great people of history.” “Well, before we go gallivanting off to meet His Majesty the King, I suggest we all try to get some sleep.” Rarity noted. “Good night, all.” With that, she blew out their candlelight and they all fell fast asleep. Soon the next morning, the device had changed their clothes to a set more suited to the winter conditions of Boston and hired a wagon to carry them as they made their way out of town. As they rode toward the outskirts, they saw Captain Preston and his men being led away in chains. “Well, that’s fairly depressing to see,” Sunset remarked. “Believe me, it’s about to get a lot worse from here on out,” Twilight remarked. “Anyway, let’s ride.” Applejack was at the reins of the wagon and with a simple crack, they began rumbling out of Boston. As they rode, Sunset grew worried about something. “There’s just one more thing, Twilight. In pretty much every time travel movie I’ve ever seen, if people stay in the past too long or interfere with past events too much, they risk destroying the future. What’s to say that won’t happen to us?” “Relax SunShim; if that happens, we can just go further back and correct it, right?” asked Rainbow. “I’m afraid that’s not advisable unless you want the entire spacetime continuum destroyed.” Twilight explained briefly. “Anyway, we won’t have to worry too much. We can blend in perfectly well in this time; the device that creates our disguises is solar-powered and as long as we stay out of the spotlight and use our cover names, we’ll be fine.” “That’s what they all say,” Sunset muttered. But she had to admit, it was a great experience being in this time period with her friends. And their time in the Revolution was only just beginning.