Fort Scott Kansas, Fall 1844
Fall, 1844. Fort Scott Kansas Territory
The air was crisp and blew with a light breeze unabated over the Kansas prairie, whose grasses bended to the will of the wind. The wind swept towards the top of a bluff where a collection of white wooden buildings stood laid out in a rectangle. These buildings housed the men who had been assigned to police these plains day in and day out. This was the western post known as Fort Scott and the men stationed there were those of the United States Army. In particular they were the men of Companies C and D of the 4th US Infantry and those of Company A, B and G of the 1st US Dragoons. While the infantry was tasked with keeping the fort protected, it was the horse soldiers that patrolled the prairie for days on end, trying to both protect the hundreds of settlers on their way west and establishing good relations with the various native tribes that inhabited the area. These proud men and their mounts were growing tired of the daily routine of frontier life and were beginning to long for a chance to show their true strength and test their manhood in a great adventure worthy of dragoons.
Among the troopers who rode the black colored mounts of Company A was a young 18 year old Iowan with dirt brown flowing hair and a slight fuzz of a mustache, Private Patrick Harris, known to his friends as Patty. The young farm boy had recently joined the army two years ago to escape the boredom of life on the farm and the wrath of his father, who loved whiskey more than his own son. Patrick had thought that the dragoons were the perfect opportunity for adventure as all the tales that he had heard of the west had fascinated him as a child. The idea of galloping across this wild land was a great alternative to his current station. Also he thought that he looked quite handsome in the uniform when he put it on and saw himself in a mirror.
He had proven himself a crack shot during the first weeks of dismounted drill with both the Hall Carbine and the pistol. Sergeant McMann had been quite impressed with his shooting abilities, which was a relief to Patrick as he had learned quite quickly to avoid invoking the tough Irishman's wrath. The moment that he showed that he was capable of a being a truly worthy Dragoon was during the mounted portion of his training where he showed excellent skill as a horseman, at least in the opinion of his commanding officer. In Patrick's mind, it wasn't that he was a good rider, it was that he had a superb mount. As with the tradition of the men of Company A, his mount was a big beautiful black mare with white socks on it's legs. When Patrick had first met the mare, it was almost like fate had a hand in their meeting. He was drawn to the mare and she had taken to him instantly. When Sergeant McMann had told him she was to be his mount, he couldn't have been happier. When asked by his fellow troopers what he was going to name his mare, he decided on the name Caroline, after the mare that his father had owned back on the farm that Patrick had absolutely adored during his childhood.
Caroline had served Patrick faithfully for the past two years of life at Fort Scott, from the expeditions down to the Santa Fe Trail to police against the Texas "freebooters" who had been raiding Mexican caravans, to the many journeys into the territory of the Pawnee Tribe in order to smooth out relations between the natives and the soldiers. All in all, he had seen much of the fabled west and the strange people that made it their home, but now it was starting to become a routine. A routine which dragged on and on for him and indeed many of his fellow troopers who longed for some form of action to break the monotony and present the opportunity for adventure, which many of had signed on to the dragoons for. But so far, that didn't seem to have any likelihood of coming to pass, especially not now in the cool autumn day in 1844.
On that day, the men of Company A and of Company G had just finished drilling in formation on the parade ground for around an hour. For many, there were sore backs and legs when they finally led their horses into the stables for the night. Patrick was looking forward to a good nights rest back at the barracks though he dreaded that tomorrow would just bring with it more drill and boredom. As he lead Caroline gently into her stall, he almost thought he could feel the same frustrations that he was feeling in her as well. Both man and beast yearned for the chance at adventure.
"You and your mare performed well out there today Harris."
Patrick turned around from the stall door to see Sergeant McMann standing behind him. The black and grey bearded Irishman stood there the perfect example of military regulations with his clean uniform and white leather belts and his polished saber and boots and spurs. Having been in the service for nearly fifteen years, the men knew not to question his judgement.
"I can always count on Caroline Sergeant." Patrick smiled as he patted the black mare on the neck affectionately. Caroline gave a nicker in reply.
Sergeant McMann chuckled. "Hope she continues to perform." He said. "We need horses like her in this here army."
"I know she will sergeant." Patrick replied turning to face the NCO. "But to tell you the truth, I think she is growing restless of this place. And quite frankly so am I. We both need some sort of adventure."
McMann smiled and patted Patrick on the shoulder. "In good time boy." He said. "Be patient. Your time will come. Now back to barracks with you. I need you rested for tomorrow."
Later That Night
Patrick had by now retired to the dragoon barracks and was sleeping in the top bunk next to his good friend Billy Kirkwood. The beds were set up in bunkbed fashion with two men sharing a bed on each bunk. Because of this arrangement, Patrick was packed next to Billy sharing a single blanket. After a year or so at the post however, Patrick and the rest of the recruits that had joined with him had grown accustomed to it. So much so that now Patrick was nearly sound asleep in his bunk. It would not be long until daybreak when reveille would be sounded and the men would have to return to the daily routine of fatigue details and guard duty.
However just as Patrick was about to slip into unconsciousness, he began to hear a strange howling noise slowly rise above the snoring of his fellow troopers. Leaning up in his bunk and rubbing his eyes, he looked out the window to see what was going on. He was surprised to see not the usual prairie storm that he had grown used to, but instead saw a rolling green thundercloud fast approaching the post. As it approached, the wind that blew it towards them blew louder and louder and louder.
"Billy!" Patrick shoved his friend slightly to awaken him.
"Huh!? What?" Billy awoke with a start. He looked up and saw that his friend was awake and became annoyed. "Patrick what on earth is...."
"Look!" Patrick pointed out the window. Billy turned and immediately went wide eyed at the sight of the storm clouds. By now, the noise had awoken every other dragoon in the barracks and many had climbed out of their bunks and made their way to the windows to get a better look. Suddenly, the door to the barracks burst open to show Sergeant McMann standing before them.
"HARRIS! KIRKWOOD! LITTLE! BRYANT! GET YER ARSES OVER TO THE STABLES BEFORE THE HORSES GET LOOSE!! NOW! MOVE IT!!"
As soon as his name was called, Patrick leaped from the top of the bunk, snatched his blue and yellow fatigue jacket and threw it on, and ran out the door of the barracks and down the stairs with his friend Billy trailing behind him along with the other two who had been called out. When he reached the outside, his hands immediately flew to his cap to keep the wind from carrying it away. The wind was blowing so hard that it was stinging his eyes making it nearly impossible to see. It was only with the memory of routine that he was able to make his way to the stables at all.
Upon reaching the stables, he and his comrades threw open the doors and shut them at once as to prevent the horses from getting out. After shutting the door, the men looked down the stables and saw that the horses were indeed frightened by the storm. None were still as they all were stomping and pulling at the stalls and making all manner of neighing and frightened whinnies. Patrick immediately ran to the stall that held his beloved Caroline and saw that she was well was frightened out of her wits. He ran up to her and grabbed onto her rope to keep her from hurting herself.
"Shh. Shh. It's okay girl. It's okay." He whispered to the mare as he patted and rubbed her back. His whispers began to calm her down as she stopped fidgeting and turned her head to face him. Outside however, nothing was calming down. The wind seemed to be getting stronger and stronger and now, flashes of lightning began to shine through the windows with great crashes of thunder. The noise was near deafening and was only getting louder until suddenly a single thunderclap louder than the rest crashed outside and sent Patrick to the floor. When he landed on the stall floor, his vision began to turn to black, and just before he fell unconscious, he hear a voice calling his name, only it was a woman's voice.
When his vision returned, Patrick found that he was still lying on the floor of the stall with his back against the wall. For a moment, his vision was a fuzzy cloud until at last it cleared up and he was able to see Caroline standing over him with her head bent down to his face level. As he awoke, Patrick rubbed his head and squinted his eyes as he realized that he had a near splitting headache.
"Oh dear lord. My head." He groaned.
"Oh dear! Are you okay Patrick?" came the woman's voice again.
"Umph. Yeah I'm alright Caroline. Don't worry about......."
Patrick paused when he realized how the voice that had spoken to him had sounded like a woman's. Looking up at his horse he saw something strange. While everything else about the black mare was still the same, her eyes were now slightly larger and were much more human like in appearance. Her face also seemed to be showing the human emotion of concern that was unnerving and comforting to Patrick at the same time.
"Uhh....C-Caroline? Was that you?" Patrick stuttered.
"Yes Patrick." Caroline replied. "Are you okay though?"
Patrick immediately sprang to his feet and scrambled to back out of the stall only to stumble and fall flat on his rear in the hallway. Caroline turned around in the stall and tentatively moved towards her rider with worry on her face.
"Patrick! Oh my gosh! Are you alright!?" She asked.
Patrick shakily pointed his finger at the black mare. "You....yo....y...How are you talking?!?" He exclaimed.
Caroline now looked confused. "What do you mean Patrick?" she said puzzled.
"You're talking!!" The young dragoon shouted. "You're speaking like a person!! How are you doing that!?!?!"
Caroline looked even more confused. "I've always been able to talk. What are you talking about?"
"No you haven't!! You only neighed and nickered every so often not talked!!!!"
"That was me talking Patrick." Caroline replied.
Patrick stood up and tried to wrap his head around the idea that his mount was now talking like a human. As he paced trying to figure it out, Caroline, seeing that her rider was in distress, walked up to him and rubbed her face against his cheek to try to calm him down. At first Patrick flinched at the touch but somehow the feeling calmed him down and he began to relax. He still was confused as to how his horse was now talking though, and there was still more confusion to come.
"Hey Patrick!"
Patrick turned around at the sound of his friend Billy's voice and saw the young red headed dragoon walking towards him leading his own mount, a jet black stallion that he called Coal. Patrick observed that the same changes to Caroline's face and eyes had also apparently happened to Coal as well.
"Oh don't tell me Billy."
Before Billy could answer however, another voice spoke up instead.
"Hey there Patrick." Coal said in a deep southern drawl. "Glad to see that y'all are alright. You alright as well Caroline?"
"I'm fine. Thank you Coal." Caroline smiled in reply. "Though I think that I startled Patrick here."
Patrick could not believe his ears. Not only was his own horse talking, but so was his friends horse. It was then that he had a theory that he wanted to test. He turned around and faced down the hallway of stalls with the other horses.
"Alright!" He shouted. "Sound off if you are alright!"
And with that 78 more voices began to rise up from the other stalls, both male and female. Now it was confirmed. Somehow, someway, whatever had happened last night had caused all of the horses of Fort Scott to now have the ability to talk. Whatever further thought he would've had on the topic was cut short when the doors to the stable were opened behind them. Turning around, he saw Sergeant McMann standing in the doorway in full gear with a serious look on his face.
"Harris. Kirkwood. Get back to the barracks and get your gear. Then get back here and saddle up. The Captain is taking a patrol out."
"What's going on sergeant?" Billy asked.
"Something happened last night and we're gonna go find out what it was." McMann replied. "Just get your gear together and make sure your mounts are ready to go."
"We'll be ready Sergeant. You can count on it." Caroline replied with a smile.
Sergeant McMann paused for a moment to process what had just happened. "Harris. Did your mare just talk?"
"Yes she did sarge. And so can I apparently." Coal responded. At that the old sergeant began blinking his eyes in disbelief.
"Ahh. A-Alright then. Get to it. I'm gonna go saddle up Old Bessie." McMann stuttered out before heading on further into the stables to find his mare, leaving the two dragoons and their own horses to get read for the patrol.
Soon, both Patrick and Billy had put on all of their uniforms and equipment needed for the patrol. Both had on their fatigue jackets of dark blue wool and yellow piping and their riding trousers of sky blue wool with a yellow stripe that they were proud to display. It was this yellow stripe that identified them as dragoons. Atop their heads were their fatigue caps with a brass letter A in the center front to show which company they belonged to. Strapped around their their waists were their white buff leather saber belts on which their sabers hung. Slung on their left sides were their white cloth haversacks that they had stuffed with four days worth of rations. Slung on their right was the white buff leather sling that carried their Hall Carbines. And tucked into their belts were their single shot pistols.
Their horses were also now kitted out in all of the necessary equipment for ride. Their saddles were strapped on over the horse blankets with the bedrolls and coats rolled up on the back. Patrick and Billy now realized that because their horses could now understand them, they only had to give a voice command like 'lets go' to tell them what to do. This had been somewhat awkward at first but they were starting to get the hang of it. As they trotted over to the rest of the company that was forming up on the parade ground, the saw that the rest of their fellow dragoons, who had by now figured out that their horses were now able to speak, were either remaining as silent as the grave unable to wrap their heads around the concept or were striking up conversations with their mounts as they waited for the officers to arrive. The majority of them were doing the latter. Caroline and Coal themselves had started a conversation with the mount of Corporal Jacob Walker named Sam. Patrick, Billy and Corporal Walker only looked at each other and shrugged as they really had no way to explain what was happening.
Soon, Sergeant McMann rode up on his old mare Bessie and rode to the front of the formation where the company flag bearer was located. Patrick chuckled to himself when he began to here the old sergeant apparently get into some sort of argument with his horse.
"Don't you snap at me mister." Came the gravelly voice of Bessie. "I know what I'm doing. I've doing it for years now."
Sergeant McMann groaned. "Heaven above. Yer worse than my ex wife."
"How anyone could tolerate you for even a little while is beyond me." Bessie snapped back.
Patrick and Billy could hardly contain their laughter, much less their horses who had also been listening, and the rest of the dragoons and their mounts. It took a quick glare from McMann to silence them, which they did immediately.
Soon they heard the sound of drums from the bottom of the stairs of the Infantry Barracks where they could see the company from the 4th Infantry forming up. Also coming from that direction they could see two more men on horseback cantering toward the company. As they drew closer the dragoons could see that the riders were the company officers Lieutenant Gordon and Captain Hamill. Both were riding on their own mounts, Lieutenant Gordon's white and gray mare Lucinda and Captain Hamill on his brown and black stallion Horatio. From what Patrick could see, they had also changed along with the rest of the post mounts. Horatio in particular appeared to have a snobbish expression on his face that made Caroline snort with annoyance. She had never gotten along with Horatio to begin with. Soon the two officers had ridden up to the front of the formation and received the salute of Sergeant McMann.
"Company formed and ready sir!"
"Thank you sergeant." Captain Hamill replied in is distinct Pennsylvanian accent. He then turned to the company.
"Gentlemen. As you are now probably well aware, last night we were hit by a rather strong storm. And this morning we found that our horses have now obtained the ability to speak to us. However that is not all that has occurred."
He pointed off towards the north. "If you look to the north, you will see that there is the outline of what appears to be a mountain range. That mountain range was not there before last night. Therefore we shall begin a reconnaissance to see where exactly we are as quite frankly we don't appear to be in Kansas anymore. The infantry shall remain behind to guard the post. We shall commence at once. Stay sharp gentlemen."
Captain Hamill then leaned down to his horse's ear. "Ready Horatio?" He asked.
"Indeed sir." Horatio replied. He then turned around until he was facing the way the other troopers were facing. Captain Hamill then turned back to look at the rest of the company and the with a wave of his hand shouted. "FORWARD MARCH!"
With that the company formed into a column of twos with the officers at the head and they began the march off of the post. As they passed the officers quarters, they saw the many wives and children of the officers and men on the base watching them as they passed. Patrick was able to see Captain Hamill nod to his own wife and son who stood watching with worry. One little three year old girl, the daughter of Lieutenant Gordon, waved and said in the most adorable voice. "Bye bye horsies."
"Aww." Caroline cooed. "She is just the sweetest thing." Patrick only chuckled in agreement as he patted her on the neck as they made their way out of the fort and down the road that lead to the mountains and the unknown.
The dragoons had been riding for over an hour by the time that they reached their first land mark. The problem was that it was one that they again did not recognize. They had reached a stream that was about 5 yards wide. On the other side of the creek the road split with one branch heading off to the west and another heading off to the east. When the company had reached the other side they saw that a wooden signpost stood where the road forked with two signs pointing in each direction. What confused the men even more were the names on the signs. The one to the west said Trottingham 150 miles while the other pointing to the east said Ponyville 12 Miles.
"Ponyville?" Captain Hamill said confused. "That's definitely not on any map of the Kansas Territory that I know of."
"Reckon so." Lieutenant Gordon replied. "So what do we do now?"
Captain Hamill paused for a few moments as he thought it over. "Sergeant McMann!" He called back.
A few seconds later McMann had trotted up. "Yes sir?"
"We shall continue on in the direction of this settlement called 'Ponyville'. Let's hope that there are some good folk there that will lend us some assistance."
"Yes sir." Sergeant McMann saluted and rode back to his place in the column of 60 horsemen. Captain Hamill gave the signal to follow him and the column began to move out, with many of the other horses splashing up onto the shore.
As Patrick and Caroline rode past the sign, Patrick could see Caroline perk up in excitement.
"Ooh! I do hope the people are nice in Ponyville." She said happily. "It would be nice to meet some new people for a change."
"Hey what's wrong with me?" Patrick said playfully.
Caroline looked back with a smile. "Oh you know I always enjoy your company Patrick."
Patrick smiled as they rode on.
It wasn't until about 25 minutes later that the dragoons found their second sign of civilization, or rather heard it. As they reached about halfway to their destination, as they determined from another reading that said they were only three miles away at that point, they heard a low whistle that sounded like a train. A few moments later, the distinct puffs of smoke from an engine's smokestack confirmed that it was indeed a train. About 300 yards to their west across the grassy plains they saw what appeared to be a locomotive pulling a short line of black passenger cars steaming past them and in the direction of this Ponyville.
"It would seem that we are heading in the right direction." Coal said as the troopers watched the train pass.
Not too long after the sighting of the train, the column came within sight of a large forest to the west and a small mountain to the east. To their direct horizon, they could see columns of smoke that indicated chimneys, which therefore indicated houses. The men's spirits rose even higher when they finally crested the horizon and saw that below them at the bottom of a sloping hill was indeed a village. As they approached however, that jubilation turned to confusion and apprehension as they began to see the town's inhabitants and saw that they were not what they expected.
The inhabitants were dressed similarly to American citizens, males frock coats and top hats and females in hoop skirts and bonnets. However they were only human in build but rather were equine in appearance. They were covered in various colors of fur that seemed to span every color of the rainbow. Some of them appeared to have pointed horns on their heads and others had wings on their backs while some had neither.
As the horsemen approached the entrance into the village, they found the inhabitants staring back at them. They appeared to be as confused and apprehensive as the dragoons were. It wasn't until they reached what appeared to be the town square that Captain Hamill called for the column to halt. For a few tense moments, the dragoons and their horses stared at the horse-people and the horse-people stared at the dragoons and their horses. Then Captain Hamill rode up to a crowd that had gathered before them.
"Greetings citizens of Ponyville." He said with authority, so that these horse-people knew that he was the one in charge of this strange group. "I am Captain Henry Hamill of the 1st United States Dragoon Regiment. My men and I mean you no harm. We only wish to possibly speak to whoever may be in charge of your humble town."
For a moment, nothing happened, until one horse-person turned to one dressed in a brown coat vest and black hat and covered in black fur with wings, whispered something into his ear, and much to the amazement of the dragoons, lifted into the air and flew off further into town.
For a while again, not a sound was made as the two sides stared at each other. Patrick, sensing that Caroline was feeling tense, leaned down and rubbed her gently on the neck.
"Don't worry girl. Everything will be alright." He whispered.
"I do hope so." The mare replied. "I had hoped that they would be more friendly."
"Did somepony say that they are looking for a friend?!"
Both Patrick, Caroline, and indeed most of the men and horses in the column, jumped in surprise when a light pink female pony-person with curly pink hair and tail and wearing a dark pink and white polka dotted dress quite literally appeared out of nowhere next to them with arguably the biggest smile they had ever seen.
"Ohmygosh!! You're new here! Which means you guys need friends! And I love making new friends and meeting new ponies! So that means that I need to get started on setting up you guys' 'Welcome to Ponyville Party'! WOOHOO!!"
"Hold on there sugarcube!" Came a new voice. The dragoons saw that standing behind the pink pony-girl now was another one except that this one had orange fur with freckles on her face and blonde hair ties up at the end similarly to her tail. She was dress in a brown skirt with a white shirt, carried a brown leather bag filled with various produce and atop her head was a wide brimmed brown hat. When Patrick had heard her voice, he had thought back to some of the girls he had encountered in Missouri on his travels.
"Don't scare them none Pinkie Pie." The pony-girl continued. "Why don't we wait for Twilight to come and see whats up first?"
"Yeah. Besides, I'm not sure if I like the looks of these things."
The dragoons turned to their left and saw that hovering before them was indeed another pony-girl. This one had sky blue fur, similar to the color of the dragoons' trousers but her hair and tail were shaggy and had streaks of every color in the rainbow. She had wings on her back which were flapping to keep her afloat and she was wearing black trousers with suspenders and a white shirt. Her hands were covered with what appeared to be black leather gauntlets, and her arms were now crossed in a sort of defensive manner. She glared at the dragoons in a way that convinced them that she had no trust in them. She actually now floated a few inches closer to Patrick's face.
"Make one wrong move buddy....."
"Oh come now Rainbow Dash dear." Another voice came from below the flying pony-girl. It came from another pony-girl, this one with pearl white fur and a horn sticking out of her head. Atop her head was some of the most fine curls of purple hair the dragoons had ever seen. She was dress beautifully in a bright blue dress with white ribbons and she had pearl necklaces and earrings adorning her to accent the garment. She carried a darker blue parasol over her head to protect herself from the sun and had a wide brimmed straw hat with a powder blue ribbon around the band and flowing off the back. She was the complete image of elegance and upper class.
"Don't be too hostile to them now." She continued. "Let us wait until Twilight arrives and then we can decide what to do. Besides," She paused looking at the dragoons. "Those outfits look absolutely stunning. Quite dashing if you ask me."
Patrick could feel his face flush red as the lady's compliments sunk in. He tipped his hat in reply. "Thank you kindly ma'am." He said.
"Oh my. Such nice manners." The pony-girl smiled and batted her eyelashes.
"Um. Excuse me?" Came a low whisper.
Patrick looked down and saw that below him was another pony-girl. This one had wings on her back which were yellow like her fur. The hair was flowing pink as was her tail. She wore a light green dress with a white bonnet that nearly covered her face, which she seemed to be hiding behind until she slowly looked up at Patrick. For a moment, neither of them said a word before Patrick finally ended the silence.
"Yes ma'am?" He replied.
"Is um..If I may ask." She said softly. "What kind of animal is your pet?"
Patrick chuckled at the idea of Caroline being simply a pet. "She's a horse ma'am." He answered. "And her name is Caroline. You can speak with her if you'd like."
The pony girl hesitated for a moment before she slowly walked over to where Caroline's head was. "Um. Hi." She whispered.
Caroline smiled. "Hello there. My name is Caroline. What's yours?" She said cheerfully.
At this, the young pony girl's face lit up with a smile. "You can talk?!" She squealed. "Oh um, my name is Fluttershy."
"Pleased to meet you Fluttershy." Caroline replied. "I like your mane."
Fluttershy blushed at this compliment. "Oh thank you. I think you look pretty as well."
"Thank you Miss Fluttershy." Caroline nodded in return.
"Alright now quiet in the ranks." At that moment Sergeant McMann rode up to the group and the men and their horses fell silent. He then turned to the group of pony-girls that had approached the dragoons and tipped his hat. "Good day ladies."
It was at that moment that a commotion came from the crowd as they began to part and make a path to Captain Hamill at the head of the column. When they did, they revealed walking towards the dragoons through the crowd was a purple pony-girl dressed in a bright yellow dress. Her hair was a darker shade of purple with a light pink stripe in it. The horse-girl also had both wings and a horn on her head. Walking next to her, about half her height and wearing pair of brown trousers, a grey vest, white shirt and red cravat and grey mechanics hat, appeared to be some sort of purple and green dragon boy. This surprised Patrick even more as he had only heard about dragons from the stories his mother used to read to him as a child when she could. The two creatures walked up to Captain Hamill, with the purple one bearing a smile while the dragon bore a cautious expression. When they approached, Captain Hamill, Lieutenant Gordon and Sergeant McMann all took off their hats in respect to the lady present.
"Good day to you ma'am." Captain Hamill said kindly. "I am Captain Henry Hamill of the 1st United States Dragoon Regiment. This is Lieutenant William Gordon and Sergeant Arthur McMann. Are you here to show us to the leader of this fine town?"
The purple pony girl giggled in response. "Actually, I believe that you have already met her. My name is Twilight Sparkle. Princess of Friendship and Lady of Ponyville." She then gestured to the dragon boy beside her. "This is my son and faithful assistant Spike. It is a pleasure to meet you gentlecolts."
The officers paused for a moment. They had expected the leader of this village to be a man and had certainly not expected to be greeted by a person of royalty.
"Uhh..." Captain Hamill stuttered, much to the amusement of his horse Horatio, who smirked and then bowed his head in respect. The other two horses present did the same. Their riders, seeing this, blushed with embarrassment at the fact that their horses seemed to know what to do better than they did. They then dipped their heads in respect.
"Apologies your majesty." Captain Hamill spoke. "We had no idea we were in the presence of royalty."
Twilight giggled in response. "Oh that is quite alright." She waved them off. "I don't really like to advertise my position. And you don't have to call me 'your majesty' either." She then looked back at the column of horse soldiers and saw the group of pony-girls that had gathered by them and smiled. "Oh and I see that you have already met my friends." The group moved over to her. "These are my friends. Applejack."
"Howdy y'all."
"Rarity."
"Charmed my dears."
"Rainbow Dash."
"What's up?"
"Fluttershy."
"Um..Hello."
"And Pinkie Pie."
"Welcome to Ponyville you guys!"
Suddenly out of nowhere bursts of confetti sprayed the troopers causing both the dragoons and their mounts to flinch in surprise. To them, the confetti had seemed to come out of the pony-girl's hands but they had not seen any in her hands previously.
Twilight laughed at her pink friends antics. "Yes. Welcome to Ponyville. Though we certainly have never seen anything like you or your pets before. Tell, what did you say you were again?"
"Well ma'am. We are humans. And these fine beasts," He patted Horatio's neck, "are known as horses and they are our mounts. We are soldiers by trade."
"What army did you say you belonged to again?" Twilight asked.
"The United States of America ma'am."
Twilight now looked puzzled. "I don't believe that I have ever even heard of the United States of America." She said. "Is that somewhere across the Celestial Ocean?"
Now it was the dragoons' turn to looked puzzled. "The only Ocean that the United States borders is the Atlantic Ocean ma'am." Lieutenant Gordon now spoke up. He then turned to his superior. "Captain."
"Yes Lieutenant?"
Lieutenant Gordon turned around to look at the rest of the column of dragoons. "I do not believe that we are in Kansas anymore."
Looking around at the pony people standing before him, Captain Hamill simply nodded. "No Lieutenant I don't believe we are."
Stats
Page generated in 0.03 seconds
Total duration
1,043 users online
1,617,998 hits today, 2,054,621 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
this looks like it could be fun ima keep reading
Intriguing idea. Haven't read any of it yet, but I can already tell I'm going to have to keep an eye on this. Good luck!
Hmm... interesting choice in era, wonder why 1844 rather than say during the middle of Bleeding Kansas. I understand why you went the Anthro route, and the tweak in Equestriani technology.
So far you are off of a good start
7640594 Because the Bleeding Kansas era didn't entirely have the same Western exploration feel as the 1840s. Also Fort Scott was not a military post during Bleeding Kansas. Also the dragoons during the 1840s were the only mounted forces in the entire 8000 plus strong US Army.
I really wanted to have characters that were much more engrossed with ideas of the unknown of the west rather than the dark times of Bleeding Kansas. Though that is an interesting period of American History as well and should by all means be looked into.
Also thanks for the critique!
7640721
Plus it would probably make things too dark.
While I am a reenactor I specialize in the 1860s, so this interests me because its set in an era I know little about.
7640734 Cool to have a fellow reenactor on this site!
I do the 1860s as well. I'm a Iowa artilleryman on some weekends and an Illinois infantryman on others.
7640739
There's a few of us here, The Descendant being the more famous one. Captain CP, Assistant Surgeon 173rd New York SVI at your service. Kind of hilarious since I am a Texan.
We have a group actually, The American Civil War , not all reenactors but still quite a few of us.
I like it so far it's a really great idea
7640755 I have frequented the group. I have always thought that there needs to be more stories set in the time period and I think I may come up with one in the future.
7640775 Thank you. Glad you enjoy it!
Love it its so good already!!
7640845 Thanks!!
7640849 no prob
I require more chapters, good sir
MORE CHAPTERS! MORE CHAPTERS!! MORE CHAPTERS!
And I have found another favorite story... I REQUIRE MORE CHAPTERS!....please?
Beautifully written and unique story in the sense that the horses talk as well and Equestria is in the same point in time as the U.S.
I like it!
It looks like a good story so far, but I want more chapters........
if you don't mind, that is
This is my son and faithful assistant and Spike
7746638
Thank you for pointing that out.
So this is the age of the Oregon Trail. Settlers moving West, covered wagons, and death by dysentery plagues the trail. I can't wait to see the soldiers and their families adapt to Equestria and Equestria to them. I can just see Celestia and Luna being interested in some technology being traded for magic.
More please.
This was excellent. I was totally into the story and before I knew it a good half an hour went by just reading chapter one. Well done.
8218283
Thanks man! Glad you are enjoying it!
I agree Toto, I agree.