Horatio Hornblower, Captain of the HMS Lydia, is forced to pull into the safety of a mysterious island after taking heavy damage from a French ship. The island in question? A little land called Equestria.
Initially suspicious of the ponies, Hornblower finally consents to work with them to get his ship in fighting condition once again. As a sort of trust-building exercise, Princess Celestia has sent over some help; the bearers of the Elements of Harmony. They see it as an adventure; Hornblower sees it as a test of his sanity.
Chapters (17)
5 chapters in so far. this is an interesting read. i'm loving this weird mix up. tbh, when searching for hornblower i fully expected to find nothing, i am glad i was wrong.
i have read quite a lot of Hornblower (and watched the films/ TV series) and i have to say that you're doing a good job representing him and Bush.
sadly, tis 3 in the morning so i will have to continue reading later, but i look forward to the next chapters.
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Thank you so much! I hope you keep enjoying it!
I'm also relieved to hear that I'm getting Bush's voice right; I've written quite a lot of Hornblower fic, but never from his perspective.
And it's always wonderful to meet a fellow Hornblower fan!
Just another day for the CMC.
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Pretty much. There was just a bit more collateral damage this time.
Thanks for reading!
This story is a lot of fun, and it manages to capture the spirit of both the Hornblower books and FIM!
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Aw, thank you! I really wanted to get all the voices right, and have the seriousness balanced out by the sweetness of the ponies.
I'm so glad people are enjoying this story!
Well my favorite book is now a cross over. I can die happy.
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I'm so glad to find fellow Pony fans who are also Hornblower fans! I was expecting to be the only one!
Which book was your favorite? I admit to a soft spot for Hornblower and the Atropos, since treasure hunting Horatio amuses me immensely.
I just need to address this. Hornblower only took one bath in the entire series... and he hated it. The bath was on land in his home not in a ship. Royal navy ships didn't have baths. Hornblower used the deck pump and took showers. He happened to enjoy the showers.
I just really needed to say that.
I liked Commodore Hornblower
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Hey, fair enough, and it's understandable that you'd point this out! I did take some creative liberty there, but I'm pretty sure there were places to shower other than just standing around naked on the deck (like Hornblower did on a surprisingly regular basis). Besides, I went with the time honored tradition in fiction of "The Captain's private bath"; sometimes it's nice to fall back on tropes.
From a story-telling perspective, though, my excuse is that Hornblower didn't want to bathe on deck with all the ponies around and possibly either embarrass himself, or cause an international incident by scandalizing Celestia's spies (at least, that's how he'd see it). Also, it was an excuse to sneak Derpy in there.
Hmm, now you've got me curious. Off to research bathing habits on Napoleonic war ships...
a fun and interesting read. well done !
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Thank you so much for reading! I'm glad this weird crossover turned out so well!
As "Why not let the Ponies help?" I'd point out that the Ponies would likely expect to be paid and IMO are unlikely to take an IOU. It's a better reason than "because"
As to "When is this in the Hornblower books?" It's the start of book 5 Beat to Quarters. They were sailing up the Pacific coast of South America under orders to avoid contact with the shore as much as possible. The Lydia is a 32 gun (IIRC) frigate.
I'd recommend changing the battle damage to storm damage from the Straits. IIRC they fought a Spanish ship, the Cacafuego (I might be misremembering, it has been 20+ years). At this point in his career, Hornblower is married and has only his wages. Thus, he is pretty strapped for cash.
I'm sure Shining Armor can tell the difference between military and merchant vessels. If nothing else, crew size and the Marines would be a dead giveaway.
For stores they'd ask for at least water and firewood. If more was offered, ship's biscuit, salt, booze, and tobacco (IDK if they've got tobacco). Doubt if they've got salted meat but can probably provide lime juice & barrels
The Ponies know Diamond Dogs (almost certainly carnivorous). Griffons, Dragons and maybe Minotaurs are probably omnivores.
So, it likely won't ruin relations with Ponies, but may well put a strain on them.
At this time (about 1800-1805 IIRC) the guns were muzzle loaded with lit fuses (slow match) used to touch off the powder charge.
The standard was 3 shots in 5 minutes was considered good. The problem was that they were only allowed a very limited number of practice shots a month. They had to pay for the rest themselves and Hornblower was short of money.
Mark my words. This will not end well.
As to my favorite, probably Commodore Hornblower followed by Hornblower and the Hotspur. (IIRC. The one where he takes a trip on a canal boat)
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Wow! Thank you so much for all your responses! There were some facts in there that I wasn't aware of, but are definitely good to know for future stories. Just goes to show that My Little Pony is, in fact, educational.
(And while it's been a while since I've read the books myself, I think the one with a canal boat is Hornblower and the Atropos. That one was my favorite, so I remember certain story beats more readily.)