“Your highness? Er. General, that is? Er-” Taking pity on the poor private, Twilight and Luna shared a pair of tired smiles, before Luna - as the ranking officer of the two considering her duty as over-all officer of the New Equestrian Army - waved to get the stallion’s attention.
“Relax, private, please, simply give the report to us. You have news, I assume?” She stated calmly, as the freshly minted private took a deep breath before nodding. Lowering his salute upon the pair’s returning of said salute, he began to give the full report.
“Yes, General Solaris, ma’am. A new regiment has arrived - from Cloudsdale. First thing this morning. We’re getting them some bunks now, but we’re starting to run low on room in the barrack.”
“Go ahead and open the old servants’ quarters attached to the North Side.” Luna nodded, which the private dutifully wrote down for remembrance later. “As for our new regiment, go ahead and get them set up with rifles then- likely they’ll have to draw from our stock of Steedfield or Hall rifles until we begin getting in our new Whinnyworth rifles in.”
“Oh, they brought their own equipment, ma’am. It’s the Cloudsdale Royal Guards Dragoons.”
Luna and Twilight shared a look- the Royal Guards Dragoons were a rather distinct unit, but one that had disbanded muster following the badlands campaign. “Very well, Private. You’ve done fine. Please, lead General Sparkle and I to where these Dragoons are currently at muster.”
“Yes, ma’am. Follow me, they’re currently down in the mess getting warmed up after their flight.”
=#===#=
The cheers and whooping hollers as the two princesses-general entered the mess hall were near deafening- and, Twilight noted belatedly, not actually for she and Luna, who hadn’t yet been noticed. Apparently, some sort of game of who could give the best toast was going on amongst the roughshod troops of the Cloudsdale Dragoons - clearly visible in their light blue shell jackets and white trousers: marking them as a section of the old Wonderbolts Cavalry Division; defunct since the end of the Badlands campaign, and ever since merely a flight show group.
Spitfire Hurricane herself - current Flight Lead of the Wonderbolts and wearing the epaulets of a ranking Colonel these days- raised a glass of what was probably not liquor, up as she began her own toast: “To the scurrilous ass-hats of the Cloudsdale Weather Control, whose horrid directions have turned ass over teakettle, have flipped left to right, and made one think up was down in the midst of the worst Blizzard of Eighteen Sixty One! Hear Hear!”
“HEAR-HEAR!” Came the hearty - and mildly battered, by the looks of things - reply from the assembled in the mess hall, as the pegasi who’d made the frigid and apparently dangerous flight from Cloudsdale, out in Neigh Jersey state cheered and merry-made around the mess hall.
The two alicorns simply shared quiet chuckles, as a hoof rested itself boldly upon Twilight’s and Luna's flanks. “Hey, let’s leave the kids to their cheer while they have it, aye? I assume you’ve got an office around here, Generals.” The Stormbringer herself greeted softly, her aged voice cutting like glass, as Firefly Storm greeted the two Princesses.
“Lady Storm. It is good to see you well. Didst thou accompany these young hooligans to ensure their safe arrival?” Luna began, as the trio quietly quit the mess hall. There was little enough cheer in Canterlot as-is these days; better not to ruin it with the presence of general staff.
“No.” Firefly shook her head, speaking at a regular volume once the group was out in the hall, and headed towards the Staff Offices. “I’ve returned to commission - as a Brigadier, mind. I’m not the spring filly I used to be as a Major General, but I can still lead a division, if you’ll have me. You’re going to need all the ponies you can get, officer or enlisted.”
“I agree.” Luna nodded, as Twilight surveyed Firefly herself; the aging mare had aged, well, rather gracefully, actually. She looked closer to her mid thirties than the sixty-one than Twilight knew her to actually be. “Welcome to the Army of Equestria, Brigadier General Storm. I take it you had more you wanted to speak about than simply announcing your return to duty?”
“Yes’m, your Majesties.” Firefly would nod, as the three entered Twilight’s Office - odd how they kept winding up in Twilight’s Office and not the office that Twilight knew Luna had finally accepted as part of her commission- and took seats around the much more tidy Ashwood desk Twilight owned.
“Alright, I hope it’s good news,” Twilight began, with a tired but wry chuckle. “It’s been nothing but bad news since I got here. Well, bad news and muster reports.”
“Sorry. Whole nation’s gone mad it seems.” Firefly shrugged. “They actually approached me and asked if I wanted to take a Confederate Commission, on account of my being a native Maresissippian. I declined, as you can tell, but I’m certainly not the only officer they’ve approached. No, no good news; though I do have a couple more muster announcements for you.”
“Tartarus, I’ll take ‘em. And thank you for your candor, General Storm.” Twilight grimaced, as she readied a quill and paper to update her organization chart.
“Firefly’s fine, your Highnesses.” The pink-coated mare nodded, bobbing her blue mane about with mild mirth. “As for the muster report; I’m expecting four total regiments of cavalry at roughly five hundred each. Spitfire and the ‘bolts are as you could see, are already here. Silver Star’s on his way; he’s a couple days out still, I asked him to make a detour off his trip from Trotsas to help me out with a favor that he accepted.”
“He’s mustering the Appleoosans?”
“Two regiments’ worth, from Appleoosa and Dodge Junction, who aren’t on board with Trotsas doing the whole secession thing. I dunno who’s leading the second regiment yet, but I’m sure we’ll find out once they finish mustering.”
“True enough.” Luna nodded, interjecting. “You mentioned Sheriff Star was doing you a favor, Lady Firefly?”
“Aye, ma’am.” Firefly nodded. “Neigh Aquileia state’s got the same issues Trotsas did; not everyone’s on board with secession in the officer corps. As such, Mademoiselle De Lys - you know, Ser Fancy Pants’ wife? Well, she got offered a rank commission in the CSA army, took it, and then walked off with a whole-ass battery of three inch ordnance rifles.”
“No,” Twilight snickered, momentarily scandalized at the bold statement.
“Oh, absolutely, your Highness.” Firefly nearly laughed, herself. “Called up one of the Federal Arsenal Reserve Officers via telegraph station about four miles north of Baton Rouge; that’s how they got the message out to me. She’s moving north by railroad, and Silver’s expecting to pick her up in North Coltalina. Made off with a full battery of sixteen of the damned things, though only eight of them are currently prepared for battle; the other eight will need some minor repairs to the caissons and adjustment wheels, but that shouldn’t be an issue. Lieutenant Colonel Falling Star of the Arsenal Reserve is slated to take over the guns, he was a fresh battery sergeant when he served under me in the Badlands and so I know he is of quality.”
“Stupendous work from all involved.” Luna smiled, nodding happily. “That’ll give us at least one good gun battery for your corps, Twilight, and we can likely pull the ten-pounder parrott guns out of storage to make up for a second before we have to rely on field guns and Neighpoleons. Anything else to report?”
“One last thing, yes’m. Your last slated regiment was about a day’s march behind the Wonderbolts, along the Manehattan plank road. Seaward March is the officer in charge.”
“Seaward? We are not familiar with him.” Luna hummed, idly.
“I am. He’s a quality officer, and a stubborn bastard of a regimental commander. Should be a good way to round out your little corps here.”
“For now.” Twilight hummed. “I’m already seeing that we’re going to have to expand the corps out to at least match their proposed sixteen thousand regulars. But I cannot justify that whilst the Confederates raise only a five thousand strong militia.”
“I understand, ma’am.” Firefly nodded, frowning. “But the wall’s going to break soon. I just hope we’re ready for it, when it does.”