Horses & Blackpowder

by Ashel

Rating: mature
Tags: Suicide / Self Harm, Horror, Starlight Glimmer, Violence, Crossover, Tragedy, Twilight Sparkle, Profanity, Gore, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Death, Human, Original Character
Length: 2231

Napoleonic zombie plague meets Equestria! What could go wrong?

Starlight was practicing a new spell when she accidentally ends up transporting a group of Napoleonic soldiers to Equestria. Shenanigans ensue.

Also, did I mention there was a zombie plague?

Published 2024-05-04 18:10:00 UTC
Last updated 2024-05-15 19:52:53 UTC

Chapter 1

"What's that you're working on?"

The mare, whom was painstakingly analysing a book, jolted upwards. "Oh, Twilight. Uhh, I was just working on this spell". Pushing the book towards the other in the room, she sat back down and invited said other to join her. "It's supposed to allow me to grab something from another universe". As she continued to ponder such a task, she felt an intense glare fall upon her. "Why, exactly, would you want to do that?", asked the confused, and rightly so, alicorn.
"Because I can, of course!", replied the eager mare. A groan was audible as Twilight lifted a hoof up to her face.
"And what if you bring in something dangerous, hmm?", queried the alicorn.
"I'll just put a shield around it" was the reply given. She closed the book and stood up. As the lilac mare walked to the centre of the room, the slightly annoyed one followed behind. "I can't convince you to stop?", the only response being a noise of general agreement.

But this, thought Twilight as she braced herself for some very likely explosions in the near future, is not something she wanted to be agreed on. Standing slightly back and bracing her hooves, she watched in trepidation as the slightly, not-so-slightly insane unicorn charged up the spell. A hum of magic dispersed itself across the room as the trans-dimensional portal began to open. This wasn't your usual portal you see in those new moving pictures, but the real kind of portal that was invisible, owing to the fact that there wasn't just not something there, but an absence in existence itself. The hole in reality grew wider and wider the longer the spell lasted, until eventually, a rather confuddling object materialised itself onto the current reality.

A bubble was quickly erected around the, truly alien, object before Starlight collapsed to the floor. She huffed and puffed from all the exertion before stating "See-- told you I-- could do it". In slight horror, Twilight stared at the object confined within the bubble, mouth agape. "Uh, Starlight. You do know what you pulled over, right?", queried Twilight.
Before she could speak a reply, she too, looked up at the object. Inside the forcefield, a shallow pit of water had formed, naturally being hemispherical. And atop that water was, adorned with two oars, a small rowing boat, which had a crew of creatures neither of them had ever seen before. One of said creatures turned fully towards the two ponies, raised its arm, and opened its mouth. This was going to be, both of them thought, a very long day.

**********************************************************************************************

Corpses scattered across the floor, of civilians and comrades alike. A wall of fencing stood erect at the shore, formed in a semi-circular pattern, protecting a diminished grouping. A boat, with one occupant, paddled towards their location, in a desperate bid to rescue them. Mindless creatures battered and tore at the fencing, some swung with arms, others with axes, all with one goal in mind. As the boat grew closer, more and more desperate creatures began to fall, until none but a handful remained. Quickly climbing aboard the now docked rowing boat, they slashed at any attackers within range. One grew too close, and pulled its unlucky victim towards them, forever sealing their fate.

The hordes of mindless beasts shrunk as the distance between them grew. The crew rested, all being temporarily safe from the omnipresent destruction. As they recuperated, an event none of them could ever have imagined, occurred.

The boat shook as a general feeling of trepidation spread amongst the crew. Several things began to occur in the next few moments, and quite possibly the last few moments, of the crew's lives. A glistening, aquamarine wall began to fade into existence, as a patch in the air began to fade out of existence. Said patch grew and grew and grew until all but naught inside the bubble was left. Soon, the bubble itself disappeared, followed shortly by the closing of the hole. Several onlookers, standing on the deck of a boat, were absolutely perplexed by what they had just witnessed.

**********************************************************************************************

As the boat gently rocked on the contained water, the crew began to regain their wits. A chorus of profanities and queries rang out as the crew looked around at their new surroundings. Looking similarly to the bubble that previously ensnared them, a forcefield shimmered around the rowing boat and its occupants. Beyond it, walls of immaculate crystal stood tall, adorned with speckless windows. One diligent member astutely observed the two other occupants within the room. "Look, there are colourful 'orses!", he said pointing at them. Another member, standing next to him, sharply elbowed him in the ribs. "Don't get any funny ideas, Frenchman. I know what your kind are like". The 'Frenchman' stared intently at him before responding, "What are you talking about, British man? That is Sweden, you bâtard!".

"Shut up, the both of you", an authoritative voice rang out behind them. They both turned round, one muttering a quiet 'Yes, Sir', whereas the other was far more bold. "Eh? W'o put you in charge? You were our prisoners not long ago". The other quickly responded by unsheathing his sabre and resting the tip on the throat of the insubordinate who challenged him. "As of now, I am the only commanding officer present, therefore putting me in charge. Do you wish to challenge that?".

Sweating slightly, the soldier swallowed and mustered, "No... Sir". The newly-declared officer sheathed his sabre and took a step back. "Good. That goes for all of you. As your commanding officer, you will now follow my orders, understood?". All the crew chorused 'Yes, Sir' or variations thereupon, but one. Said soldier, unbeknownst to the others, sat there quietly, face awash with sickliness. "Now, someone tell me what the Hell is going on". He turned and, for the first time, looked upon the 'Colourful horses' standing in front of them, their mouths agape.

Author's Note

Greetings!

As of right now, I could not find any G&B related stories. So I decided to make my own! Don't expect anything too grand (It is me I'm talking about), but I do plan for this to be longer than my last story.

I hope you enjoyed what I have written so far! Or not, that's completely fair too.

Chapter 2

At a gateway, a group of battered and worn soldiers and two horses came walking up. They all stopped just before the closed gate as someone shouted, in their native tongue, "How goes it out there?". One member of the group looked up, arm shielding them from the Sun's rays. "Fair men and women of the town have risen from their resting places in search for flesh". The one guard, who had originally asked, grimaced slightly. Another guard, standing to the left, quickly replied, "So last Tuesday?" All other parties involved suddenly produced a discontented chuckle, most likely out of politeness than any actual sense of humour in the statement. "Fires have raged across the buildings, leaving nothing in their wake", replied the guard, quickly ignoring the previous comment.

"So like last Wednesday?", the same other guard quipped without missing a beat. This time, though, nothing but a dry cough came forth as reward for such a comedic statement. The reporting guard stared apprehensively before replying, "Right. A horde have assembled at the base of the castle, even using basic methods of warfare to advance past our sentries." the guard raised an arm and pointed to where they described, and indeed, an ever-growing crowd has amassed. "So like last Thu-". Slapping him around the head, the now irritated and impatient gate guard stared fixatedly at him before turning back to the other guard.

"Hmm... This is troubling indeed. Go inside and tell the Sergeant the grave news you bare. I am sure he knows how to remedy this". Ordering the quick-mouthed guard, they both raised the gate, and the scouting party made their way in.

**********************************************************************************************

"Starlight?"

"Yes, Twilight?"

"Did you just bring over a group of organisms from another dimension?"

A pregnant pause could (not) be heard as Starlight stood there, head facing away slightly and ears drooping. Eventually she mustered a 'Yes, Twilight', though, not before releasing a long sigh. Twilight gazed at the bubble prison, wondering how exactly to explain the misdeeds of her student to what appeared to be armed forces, if the very sharp bits of metal and very angry expressions were any hint. After some deliberating, she eventually lifted a hoof and commanded, "Starlight, release them from the shield". But before utter chaos could ensue, she quickly amended, "But not before lowering them down first". Starlight looked up at Twilight, the bubble, and back to Twilight, before nodding and slowly lowering the bubble. The moment it touched the ground, she released them from their cage, water flowing in every which way, before eventually forming a thin coating of water throughout the room.

The boat itself, no longer being supported by the water, dropped to the ground. Each person on the boat swayed violently, or in some cases falling over, as it rested on the floor. As a disco-ordinated group, they all stepped off of the boat and turned towards the two most interesting things in the room. "Alright, who are you and what do you want with us?". Stepping forward, the Captain unsheathed his sabre and held it at his side, ready. "Because I can only assume that that was your doing". Starlight moved to step forward, before her mentor intercepted her. She raised a hoof to her chest before speaking, "I profusely apologise on behalf of my student here", waving a hoof towards the embarresed Starlight who chuckled nervously. "But I assure you, we mean no harm. If you wish, we would happily send you back right now". She glanced towards her student, indicating that it was her turn to help in the mess she created. "Uh... Right, right. Only, there is a small problem".

One of the crew members, who was still trying to wrap his head around the concept of inter-dimensional travel, burst out with, "What problem is that?". Starlight, under the gaze of everyone in the room, shrunk back slightly, ears lowering. "Uh. Well. The spell that I used, kinda sorta is a one way thing. I'd have to write another one". A particular soldier, who had a very sheltered upbringing, stepped forward. "A spell? You are witches! You have cursed us, you unholy abominations!". The Captain, who had sheathed his sword, rushed forward and placed his hand on the soldier's chest. "Easy now, soldier. You would not want to insult our only way back, yes?". Said soldier, staring at the 'Witches', turned his head towards the Captain, opened his mouth, closed it again because his argument would be refuted, and mumbled a 'No, Sir', before walking back.

Stopping just in front of them, the Captain briefly raised his hand, before quickly lowering it again. "Since, we... Seem to be stuck here for a while, we may as well introduce ourselves". He pointed a thumb towards himself before pointing to each individual member. "I am Captain Harks, the commanding officer of this group. That is Corporal James, Private Copperfield, Wentworth, Atkinson, Cook and Cooper. And I have no idea who he is. Oh, and there is also some sailor". As he called each out, they either gave a grunt or variations-thereupon, barring two. "Ughh, I am Sergeant Beaumont, for your information British man...Sir".

Twilight, whom looked slightly perplexed, quickly responded with, "Well, my name is Princess Twilight Sparkle, and this is my student Starlight Glimmer". Said pony waved a hoof slightly, with a sheepish grin.
"Uhh... Hey everyp- one. Sorry about accidentally stranding you in another dimension. Y-you understand, right?" Giving a nervous grin, she looked around slightly sweating. All the beings standing before her gave a look of pure disdain. "I should- I should probably go work on that spell now", looking to her mentor, who gave her a quick nod, she quickly dashed out of the room. An awkward silence viciously descended upon the room, and a few coughs quickly rushed to fill the void. Such coughs were particularly discharged from who Twilight vaguely recollected to be Poofer, or some other name. She glanced around at the other occupants of the room before stating, "Well, feel free to ask any questions while you wait. I'm sure this is a very confusing time for you all".

One person, whom Twilight believed might be called Manes, piped up. "Yeah, I have one. What the Hell are you and where are we?". Twilight, confused by the statement, and ever curious about the meaning of 'Hell', attempted to answer the question before being rudely interrupted by one specific dragon, whom informed her of a guest arrival before leaving after an ushering from Twilight. She turned to the stunned and horrified faces of the group before addressing them. "I have some business to attend to, I'll be back shortly".

Author's Note

You may have noticed I have updated the two chapters.

Well, you would be correct. I kept looking back at this and just couldn't help but think something was off. Hopefully, they're (slightly) better now.

A new chapter is coming soon.