A Short History Of Shetland
Shetland is a group of islands north of Coatland and West of Nornay. The Picture ponies of Coatland first came to Shetland in the Mesolithic period. These ancient ponies built their homes into the ground and up out of flat stacked rocks, which grass grew on top of the whole structure. Much like hobbit houses from Lord of the Rings. These Ancient ponies were called pictures because they covered their bodies with their cutie mark, and when invading Roaman ponies in Eagleland saw these ponies they named them Pictures, or the Ponies with cutie mark pictures on their bodies. It is thought that when they reached a certain age, and found what their purpose is in life, that their cutie mark extends all over their body, and not just their flank.
The Picture ponies lived in peaceful isolation for many hundreds of years, until one day the Nornegian Fjord viking ponies came from Nornay. These were ponies that were the greatest warriors in the land. They weren't the tallest ponies, but they were the strongest, and the fiercest. Some elite Fjord ponies wore the skins of bears that they killed, and could put themselves in such a trance-like rage, that they could defeat anything that got in their way. They were called the berserkers, or the ponies with bear shirts.
Naturally, The Pict Ponies were fearful of the Fjords, even though they were smaller than the Pictures, they seemed like untamed wild stallions. The Pictures did not doubt that these foreign ponies could defeat them easily, not because the Pictures were poor warriors, they were amazing warriors. The ones that came from mainland Coatland drove out Roaman invaders who were the strongest force in all of the south. They had conquered all before them, but could not overtake the Coatish Picture Ponies.
The Picture Ponies wanted to declare peace between themselves and the new ponies so they got all the barley that they gathered, along with some of their other native food, and they made sure to get plenty of barley spirit, a precursor to Coatch Whisky. They got these items, and brought it to the main Fjord camp, and offered it to them as a peace offering. Fjords, used to ponies cowering in fear of them, were surprised by these brave ponies. Even through the language barrier, the Picture ponies communicated to the Fjords that they didn't want no trubble. To which the Fjords responded that they were not interested in fighting the Picture Ponies, but rather the rich Roamin and Eaglish ponies in Eagleland, and that they were only using this island as a halfway point to regroup with their legion. The Picture Ponies liked the sound of that, they left mainland Coatland because they wanted to get away from the Eaglish, because they're oppressive wanks. The picture ponies communicated to the Fjords that they would help as much as they could if there's peace between the Fjords and the Picture ponies. The Fjords agreed happily. And so it was that they Coatish Picture Ponies, and the Nornaygian Fjord Viking Ponies became Allied. Many years of peaceful harmony existed between the humble Picture ponies, and the Fjords, who would protect them, if need be.
Through the years, some Fjords made homes in Shetland, as opposed to returning home to Nornay with their loot. They learned the language of the Picture ponies, and became translators for the Picture Ponies and the Fjords. They both taught each other their secrets. They began to marry between the two civilizations, and form a new distinctly different people from both the Coatish Picture ponies from mainland Coatland, and The Fjords from Nornay. After a few generations they began to shrink, and as they shrunk, every generation got noticeably stronger, able to carry more than the one before him. They became, the Shetland Pony, rough, tough, strong, and able to handle anything despite their size.
Later, during the renaissance era, both Coatland and Nornay tried to absorb Shetland as a province. The actual Shetlanders had no say in this, as it was mostly a political battle. Eventually Coatland won in having Shetland as a Coatish island. This small step didn't change much on the island, besides force the inhabitants to follow Coatish rule instead of being an independent nation away from Eaglelish. But most of the islanders didn't mind too much, they were fine with the Coatish. After all, most of their ancestors came from Coatland, even though they've changed very much on their separate island from their Highland Pony cousins on the mainland.
It wasn't until Coatland was absorbed by Eagleland in the early 18th century that things started to go downhill for Shetland, and all of Coatland. When the diplomats and members of parliament heard of the strong small ponies that were now under their control, they thought of only one thing to do. Exploit them as much as possible for profit. They marched the Eaglish Army over to Shetland, to quell any rebellions, and forced them to come with them and work for almost nothing in coal mines. The once proud Shetland ponies, were now reduced to being pit pony slaves for the crown. All able bodied ponies that did not go were neutralized by the Eaglish Government.
The now enslaved Shetland ponies knew that they needed to rebel, and get out of the pits that the Eaglish had forced them into. However what they really needed was a leader to show them what to do. A hero who could stand up to injustice, and stare fear in the face. Unfortunately they had run out of leaders. Most of their noble had been imprisoned, or worse. But what they did have was a humble farmer named Wallace Davies.
He was also stolen away from his home, from his family, but subservience to the Eaglish rule was not his style. He knew on that long cramped boat ride that he was going to unite all the Coatish ponies of Shetland and free his people. He stewed over plots to overturn the Eaglish rule in Shetland. He also met some courageous ponies during the slave boat ride over to mainland Coatland. These would turn out to be his main ponies to spread his ideas to the majority of the ponies. Once they hit mainland Coatland, they were chained up and forced to march Eighty Kilometers inland nonstop to the coal mines, with little to no breaks from their Eaglish captors, who rode in carriages drawn by Shetland ponies.
Wallace was no leader of armies, but he was smart, he could fight, and he had the popular touch. He had been telling everypony who was down in the coal mine, huffing and puffing the noxious dust, that there was to be an uprising, and generally getting them riled up. Then an Eaglish pony heard that and came to quell the small rebellion himself with a whip in his mouth. He didn't think anything would come from trying to oppress them further, after all they were but tiny ponies. Nothing for a big Eaglish pony like him. However, it incited the ancient rage of their Viking heritage. They violently injured him, and left him for dead in a ditch. And thus the rebellion had started.
Luckily he had some keys on him so they released as many ponies as they could. They could feel themselves go into a trance-like state, where they couldn't really control themselves, and could only do one thing; Destroy all Eaglish. Luckily Wallace wasn't in a trance and could think clearly. He organized them, and continued to follow the beautiful monster that he released.
Once the Mines had been cleared out, and all the Eaglish defeated, Wallace knew he had to talk to his troops. He gathered them into what was a Eaglish Hall, and gave a speech about what he thought they should do. He knew that what they had done was no small thing, and it wasn't the end of the Eaglish involvement in Shetland. If they went back home, the Eaglish would do more than enslave them again. No, they would have to launch an attack against the bastards who were causing problems for all of Coatland in the first place. But how could they? They were but a couple thousand of wee tiny ponies up against the biggest and most tightly secured government in the whole world. They would need allies; Allies that would rally to their cause. They knew the rest of Coatland hated the Eaglish, so they would go there first. They walked along the River Dee until they reached a small town, and talked to the much larger Highland Ponies. They found out that the Eaglish had outlawed the much enjoyed Coatch Whisky, an icon of Coatland. Wallace told them that it was every stallion's duty as a Coatish to make Coatch Whisky because it's outlawed as a civil disobedience to the Eaglish. The Highland Ponies thoroughly agreed to help fight off the Eaglish, as they had not been treated too well either. They also suggested to get France as another ally against Eagleland, as they have had a very long vendetta against each other.
Over the next few months, our Shetland ponies have gone all over Coatland telling everypony about the rebellion, as well as contacting France to see if they would ally together, which they did. In the following years all the Coatish along with France squeezed in on Eagleland, until finally the Eaglish bastards had enough, and sent for a truce which was accepted by Wallace Davies, but he made sure that it would never happen again, and put many Coatish in charge of the government. Not Wallace Davies though, he had his fill of leading, and went back into obscurity on Shetland where he changed his focus back to farming and raising a family of his own.
Shetland stayed peaceful ever since. Happy End!
...Or is it?
Yes. It is.
...But for how long?
The world may never know.
