In the Southern Storm: A Soldier's Perspective (Facing Southern Thunder)

by The Prancing Red Pony


Chapter 1: Invasion of the North

June 4th Richmond, Virginia: Well this is my first entry I guess. I got this little pocket journal for a penny at a goods store right near the camp. I figure I will write in this here little book because it would be nice to look back on this once this is all said in done. I'm camped right outside Richmond, Virginia the capital of our great nation the Confederate States of Equestria. It has been 2 months since I left my home in Georgia and joined up with the 53rd. It feels just like yesterday I kissed my wife for the last time before I headed out on this grand adventure. It saddens me greatly but I'm fighting for my nation and my rights. Well, General Lee said we was to be heading up north soon. Apparently Jeff Davis wants us to expand our land and get more resources for our nation. I don't know nothing about it just those facts. I wonder what will find? It truly does scare me because what if I don't make it back to see my wife, my home, my country ever again. I fear death every minute of every day even when I'm not in a fire fight or some other scrap. Dinner was coffee, salted pork, hardtack, and this corn gruel. I miss Momma's hush puppies, peach cobbler, and Sis's iced tea. Well its lights out so this is my first entry in my new journal.

June 7th Somewhere in the desert: Well we most certainly headed North but dang gum it, desert's are in the south not the north. We passed through a couple forests and then we started on a very long dusty road through this gone forsaken desert that whips us with sand and the sun is relentless that's the way it has been for the past 2 days. Breakfast was this crusty hardtack that tasted like it had been rotting in someone's shoe for the past two years. I tried dunking it in my coffee and it still tasted like a brick. I'm already sick of this damn war and of home. I don't know how long we have marched it must have been miles upon miles because I could see nothing in any direction. My canteen always fills empty as I take long swigs to stay hydrated and not pass out in this god forsaken heat. I do long for home I really do. We managed to find a small oasis where the whole army is now camped. Each regiment would go forward and fill their canteens full of fresh water. While I'm writing they are still filling their canteens and the moon is practically in the center of the sky. You have no idea what fresh spring water tastes like against your lips until you have been out in 100 degree sun carrying 40 pounds of gear in a wool uniform. A lot of the soldier's started hallucinating me being one of them. I remember seeing my home off in the distance and as I was just about to run my sergeant hit me squarely on the head, gave me a shot of whiskey from his flask, and kept me marching. General Lee himself addressed the Army this evening. He didn't know what lay ahead of us the further we went north. I have never heard Lee sounding that frightened. I always saw him as a gentleman with a very strategic mind and was always caring about his soldiers. If the General is scared I'm completely shaking in my boots. But, something tells me we will all be throughly shocked when we get further North. Dinner was hardtack again, with salted bacon, terrible coffee, and fresh spring water that ran out to quickly in my canteen. It's time for lights out.

June 14th Appleloosa, Equestria: Well we have finally made it far up north and we have found something that truly frightened us all. While marching in that god forsaken desert we crossed a river that seemed to refresh us all with vigor and courage. We kept marching many miles across the desert landscape before we saw tall snow capped mountains and the edges of a forest in which the desert path led into. We were extremely happy including General Lee who almost kissed his aid de camp. We marched down this forest path before we were stopped by our divisional commander. Apparently a scout found something ahead that would require the use of a division and that was us. While the rest of the army waited idle Lee, Longstreet, McLaws, scouts, and the division headed further up the road until we turned into the thicket of the brush. We soon arrived at a clearing and what amazed us was a town right out there in the open. McClaws gave the brigade I was in the order to form battle lines and to attack the town. Jefferson Davis in his letter to Lee said that we had to take everything by force without consideration for the loss of life. Nobody dared protest since we had been marching for days on end and we were willing to take anything by force.

Colonel Semmes' led us forward to confront these so called beings and almost everybody in the ranks fell on their backs in fright at what they saw. These multi colored beings were ponies that had bright and extravagant manes, weird colored hair, large eyes, and some had a horn on their head while others had wings and some had nothing at all and they could TALK I will repeat that THEY COULD TALK. We were scared beyond belief but we did as we were told we attacked. I remember shooting this little black colored stallion who had this expression on his face that I won't soon forget. Some of the so called pegasus's flew up in the air only to be gunned down by artillery shell or musket fire. Some of these unicorns used their magic to try and stop us. There was this one unicorn with a bright blue mane who managed to turn a couple of guns on some guys in the 10th Georgia and she kept yelling "I am the great and powerful Trixie" over and over at the top of her lungs until our ears bled. I ran towards her with my bayoneted rifle and just as she was turning to face me I rammed it through her chest. Her ear piercing screech is still ringing in my ears. She slumped on to the ground dead as a doornail. As I pulled my bayonet slowly out of her chest resting my foot on her stomach I pulled out on the tip of my bayonet her heart. I nearly threw up at such an atrocity I had just made but I had to keep going for my country. Soon we thought we had won the city but, then we saw great amounts of black dots in the sky coming towards the city. As the dots started to take better shape we realized they were pegasus's with armor. The cannons started to erupt but the pegasus's were undeterred as they headed straight into the ranks of the brigade.

They landed with a thunderous crash as savage hand to hand fighting broke out. A pegasus with a green mane had me pinned down with my bayoneted rifle acting as a dueling tool between us. He said "Celestia will bring you all to your knees and banish you from this sacred land" he snorted. I was genuinely frightened of a talking pony and this other being called Celestia she sounded like a real monster she did. But, just as the pegasus seemed to get the upper hand he looked to his left and saw more brigades arriving into town which allowed me to strike. I took the rifle and stabbed him through the head with the bayonet. The pegasus let out an ear piercing scream as mighty as he was. I pulled the cold steel from his head and got bits of brain and tons of blood. As more and more of the pegasus were killed by the fresh brigades they began to retreat back into the sky and soon they departed out of sight. We let out enthusiastic cheers we had won the town and to the victor go the spoils. There were some ponies that had surrendered and were taking to the Generals later that evening for questioning under very heavy armed guard. We sacked the whole town it was delightful. There were some many delicious things to eat and drink. I don't think I ever had a more extravagant dinner of toast with this stuff called zap apple jam, warm apple cider, cool fresh water, delicious coffee, ham, scrambled eggs, pastries, flapjacks, ripe fruit, and good tobacco. I slept well that night. Is this what all this place called Equestria had to offer well than it seems we have a full frontal invasion to conduct.