European-Equestrian Relations: A History
By Professor of Theology and History, Professor Waddle of the Canterlot University
(1999)
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“What is this filled with so many wonders? Casting its spell that I am now under…” Speedy Delivery hummed to herself as she soared across the sky, looking between the rolling waves of the ocean to one side and the rise of mountains to the other side.
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‘It really is so wonderous here. None of the other pegasi at New Nimbus ever described the world below the clouds ever so beautifully.’ She thought to herself, trying not to remember the memories of the other pegasi her age ridiculing her or the older pegasi looking at her with such scorn for her curiosity about the world below. Instead she focused back to the cart hitched to her flank, it wasn’t very large just the size of her, but what it contained had the value and importance of a wagon ten times the size of her cart.
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“Soon. Soon everything will be all better.” She spoke to the wind, and then prayed to Celestia, her wings flapping faster as she dived into an air current, using its momentum to clear the distance over several leagues as her destination came into sight.
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“Los Pegasus!” she sighed with joy, but no sooner had she uttered her words she sucked them back down her throat with a sharp intake of breath as her heart seized in her chest and her wings nearly froze in midair from pure terror.
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Los Pegasus was on fire, but that was not all. The large bay that Los Pegasus sat upon for the first time in human history contained three ships: three Spanish Galleons to be precise. The turquoise and yellow, filly, pegasus would not know that the arrival of modern mankind had come upon Equestria.
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“E-everyone…” Speedy Delivery croaked, sailing on her wings down closer to Los Pegasus where she could see that fires consumed a third of Los Pegasus, down below she could see a group of Pegasus ponies grouped together into two groups: one living and the other dead. She also saw dozens of other man-shaped figures on the ground, but before she could get any closer something small and fast whizzed past her. Followed by another and another, as bullets and crossbow bolts soon filled the air, snipers had climbed on top of the houses in Los Pegasus that were not on fire and were attacking her. She felt the shock of pain as a crossbow bolt sank into her right hind leg, but the pain soon paled in comparison as several of the flying projectiles impacted her cart-one of the straps holding it to her snapping and sending its contents into midair as it tilted to one side.
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For a moment the sound of the wind, the scream of projectiles, the water hitting the coastal shore, and even the burning of Los Pegasus were all blocked out as she focused on the vials of medicine falling…and falling…Speedy Delivery reached out for them, but everything became a blur.
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On November 12, 1542 of the human year span the Spanish explorer and conquistador Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo arrived at Los Pegasus and became the first European humans to make contact with ponies. Los Pegasus was founded by outcast, pegasus ponies from the main pegasi population center at the time (New Nimbus) and had attracted the settlement of a few earth and unicorn ponies as well. The community thrived on trade with the local natives who through a series of deals had become friendly to the local pony population. A month prior the village had been hit by a plague of the cutie pox that was working the young ponies without their real cutie marks into death by exhaustion. Speedy Delivery volunteered to travel to Canterlot and retrieve medicine for a cure to the cutie pox.
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The Spanish had arrived in Los Pegasus surprised at the presence of houses and strange looking equines. Their attitude turned to fear as one of the unicorns used a translation spell for each group to understand each other. It then turned to greed as the Spanish attempted to enslave the ponies, the majority of the population were caught, a few were killed and the struggle and a few more made their escape to friendly human native tribes. Speedy Delivery somehow managed to fly back to Canterlot in half the time it had taken her the first time to make the trip and bring news to Celestia about the presence of the Spanish.
Celestia’s response was swift and crushing.
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The sun over Los Pegasus grew brighter and brighter, the Spanish camped in Los Pegasus had for the last day since the return of Speedy Delivery searched the lake for the ponies that had fled but the human natives had not given up their friends. Without warning though a magical vortex appeared in the center of Los Pegasus, the energy throwing many of the Spanish soldiers and sailors to the ground as from within the vortex Celestia appeared. Casting a flash of blinding light she was soon followed by the Royal Guard, earth, pegasus, and unicorn ponies clad in golden armor flying at the murderers of ponies. Earth ponies smashed them to the ground as pegasi flew like missiles knocking down or slicing through the Spanish, as unicorns either raised protective barriers or sent blasts of magical energy that seared flesh and melted iron.
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The battle for Los Pegasus was swift and crushing, ending when Celestia herself used a spell that burnt the Spanish ships to a flaming crisp….