War comes to Equestria, and a deluge of gunpowder and death follows behind it.
The Equestrian Civil War has been brewing for nearly twenty years at this point, just below Equestria's surface. Anger and resentment from Southern Equestria; hatred and spite against what they view as an over-reliance, over-abundance, and the heavy hoof of Equestria's Alicorn ruling elite is about to crack the nation in half. Into this coming deluge of gunpowder and the maelstrom of blood and death surely to follow behind it is thrust Twilight Sparkle, second in command of Equestria's armies- behind Princess Luna herself.
Only one thing is certain, as her country, her people, and her friends, head towards disaster; Nothing will ever be the same again.
It’s honestly been a fair bit of time since I’ve posted anything to Fimfiction - almost three years! Three years of not posting anything, be it a blog, a story, a chapter, or what-have-you has been disappointingly easy for myself, considering I’ve simply let a lot of big goings-on in my life take over and stop me from writing.
No more, though. No, I’m committed to putting this story out on a semi daily basis, not only to get myself back into writing, but because this story is something I’ve wanted to write for a while - not just since I picked up Grand Tactician, which I’m currently sitting on roughly 300 hours for, as of starting this story, but also the older game Ultimate General, Civil War (of which I have a disgustingly large amount of hours in) for many the same reasons. Due to the nature of this story, it will likely not be peer edited - though if anyone wants to go back through posted chapters and let me know of anything my own re-read missed as I post these chapters, I would appreciate it.
A bit of forewarning, as we go into this story however! I have assembled an incredibly large cast of characters - over two hundred ponies, both show canon (and from generation four and six!) and from the massive character list of the Hearts of Iron IV mod, Equestria at War- as well as a few characters kindly borrowed from some near and dear friends of mine. This is mostly out of necessity from the companion piece to this story, my newly started USA/Union campaign in Grand Tactician. I go on to say this and give this warning, because Grand Tactician is about as grognardy (re: ridiculously in-depth) as similar games for different time periods, such as the infamous Gary Grigsby’s War in the East/West series. This includes feuding officers who dislike each other and deliberately ignore, disobey, or delay orders, as well as more concerningly for some people, officer casualties.
Any officer in Grand Tactician, from a lowly Captain up to the commanding general of an army, can get wounded, and die. I don’t expect every officer to end up dead - neither the game nor I are as stab happy as George R. R. Martin - but I give forewarning that your favorite horse may end up dead during the course of this story and campaign. I obviously will be doing my level best to avoid that, but such is the reality of war. Every chapter of the story (including this one, which includes the campaign set-up and a link to credits for any and all artwork I modded into the game!) will have a link to an associated blog post, where I will post chapter relevant game updates and give my thoughts on how the campaign’s going.
It’s going to be an uphill battle to win this everyone, so I hope you enjoy the ride. Please keep any comments, discussions, and the like civil, within Fimfiction.net’s terms of service, and most importantly, kind to each other.
We talked the matter over and could have settled the war in thirty minutes had it been left to us.
==+==
It was official. For the first time in over a thousand years; for the first time since the heavens themselves warred against each other and the sun fought the moon to a heavily paid stand-still, war was on the horizon in Equestria.
As she sat here, in Canterlot, sitting in some hole in the wall bar, Twilight Sparkle - Princess Twilight Sparkle, not that it mattered - held her head in her hooves, and wondered, just how exactly this had all come about. Her stiff liquor sat untouched upon the bar, as the few present patrons did their best to ignore the literal alicorn in the room, and the bartender himself simply did as any good bartender did - and kept the booze flowing.
Rank tabs rested upon the bar in front of Twilight. At one point, the mare had held commission as a Captain within the Royal Guard. That, however, had been years and years ago. Back when she was still studying directly under Her Majesty Princess Celestia. Back before her and the girls’ reformation of one of her own near and dear friends, Princess Luna, and back before, well, everything, really.
And now the stars and bar of a Major General sat before Twilight, upon the bar. In times of peace, the Royal Guard of Equestria rarely if ever used such a lofty rank - in fact, the only ranking officer whom Twilight could even think of that held it prior to the current events but after the War of the Heavens was probably Firefly herself - who was currently enjoying her post-badlands retirement with gusto, supposedly.
Secession, apparently. Hatred for being ruled over by two princesses from time immemorial. The war on the horizon was fueled by secession. Really, it was rebellion with intent of usurping the throne, if one asked Twilight Sparkle - but the only one asking these days was Princess Luna herself. Celestia, upon hearing the news of so many secessionists in the South who intended to take up arms and fight their fellow pony, had walled herself up in Canterlot Castle. According to Luna, she wept, nightly, and slept little.
So here Twilight sat, with the stars and bar. Her new command. The Army of Equestria - newly to be raised, beginning with the smattering of Royal Guard Regiments from across Equestria’s loyal states. Her new command, with Princess Luna to be in charge of the entirety of Equestria’s fielded armed forces as a ranking Major General herself. With a sigh, and a grimace, Twilight slammed back the lukewarm whisky she’d ordered, paid her bar tab, and left, taking the damnable rank insignias with her. She’d have to have them sewn onto her uniform, but unfortunately the guards’ seamstresses were out for the weekend, and her dear friend Rarity was still in Ponyville.
And secretly, Twilight hoped she’d be able to stay in Ponyville.
As the newly minted Corps Commander made her way through the frosty streets of late February Canterlot, tucking her Griffish Blue winter jacket about her to ward off the wind chill, Twilight looked about the city she’d been born and grew up in. It was colder these days; not just due to the waning winter, but the general mood of the ponies around here.
There were whispers here and there, Twilight knew. Whispers of, “Why not just let them leave?” and, “Are they really so wrong after all?” But she knew better. Twilight knew that, if the secessionists left peacefully now, that would simply mean another war a few years down the line- and who knew what could or would happen, then. It was bad enough that fifteen states of Equestria had already chosen to secede from the Equestrian Diarchy, what was to say that more wouldn’t go with them?
Maybe it was selfish; a foals’ errand, at the end of the day. But Luna had nearly begged Twilight to take back her commission and help to lead Equestria against the coming storm of barely restrained insurrection. How could Twilight say no? Besides the personal request, Equestria was Twilight’s home. She had a duty, one she had sworn to, years and years ago, to uphold. And so, Twilight Sparkle would go to the surely coming war.
=#===#=
The Canterlot Royal Guard barracks - normally a pleasant, if loud, place to trot into or call home - was quiet today, as the newly minted Major General stepped into the room, her newly sewn rank tabs resting squarely on either shoulder of her stiff and not quite broken in yet officer’s uniform.
“Atten-shun! Good Morning, General!” Came the bark and snappy salute of the Canterlot Guard’s most recent Captain, her long, lanky hoof snapped squarely to the side of her face with the precision of a well-drilled regular.
“At-ease. Good Morning, Captain…?” Twilight began, unfamiliar with the current leadership of the Royal Guard; really she hadn’t paid her hometown’s defenders since her brother’s quit of the Guard to take over as Royal Consort of the Crystal Empire- something she should take strides to change, and quick. She was supposed to lead these ponies, after all.
“Belldandy, Your Highness. Annette Belldandy.” She replied, hoof lowering as she and the assembled troop within the Canterlot Barracks’ command room returned to their previous relaxed state - albeit with an attentive edge; high brass meant trouble, any staff officer worth their salt knew, and recent events were no different.
An Aquileian transplant then, based on the South Griffonian name and melodic, Prench tune to the mare’s voice Twilight surmised, with a nod to the mare in question’s direction. “Well met, Captain Belldandy. Effective immediately, you’re being breveted to Colonel, and being placed in the overall command of all Canterlot Guards in Canterlot. Reservists are being recalled, and the mustered force is being returned to wartime numbers of seven-fifty. Do you have enough rifles and uniforms to outfit your Regiment?”
Belldandy blinked for a moment processing that, then returned to the reality around her quickly enough to give a sensibly timed nod to Twilight. “Yes, your highness-er, General, ma’am. I’ve enough Maresissippi pattern rifles in my arsenal to outfit probably three thousand ponies, though I’ve only probably half that in good condition uniforms. Ammunition we purchase when needed from Canterlot Gunworks, so I will have to put in an official army purchase order if we’re returning to war footing, Your Maj-ma’am.”
The mare seemed to have a good head on her shoulders, as Twilight gave a sharp nod to the lanky, pale lavender unicorn. “Go ahead and submit it by the end of the day, I’ll sign off on it as soon as I see it. I take it you’ve not seen the news yet, Colonel?”
“Some of it, General.” Belldandy frowned. “I saw that Trotsas voted three to one for secession, and Manesourri is divided over the issue- bloodily so.”
“That’s definitely true.” Twilight grunted, frowning, as she began to leave the room to establish her own office- Belldandy had a regiment to wrangle after all, and keeping her from that would be improper. “Recent development last night, though. Fort Summer has been blockaded by force of arms and naval ships. No barrage has been made yet.”
“Small comfort, ma’am.” Annette added, as Twilight paused momentarily on the threshold of the door. “It’ll be war if they fire upon the fort.”
“Yes.” Twilight Sparkle agreed, weariness seeping into her voice. “Yes, it will.”
“Well, your ma-Generalship, they’re supposedly calling up a militia. So far the Southern Jungles and South Coltalina have drummed up near five thousand between the two states.” Belldandy stated over the morning coffee within the officer’s mess. A case of unlit Puerto Caballo brand cigars rested on one end of the table nearby extra utensils, spices, and the like, as the Guard’s mess cooks continued preparing the morning’s breakfast. Fresh eggs, hay bacon, hash browns, and a fine smattering of fruits such as oranges, lemons, and of course, apples.
The troops would of course get the same meal, considering that they were still in barracks, though this would likely dissolve into field rations - for both enlistees and officers alike, to be fair - once they were called out of Canterlot and onto the march.
Speaking of March, the month had finally moved over from February into March itself - not that the weather had improved any, yet. Drilling was still essentially impossible, as the weather pegasi were still busy sending down the final winter snowfalls of the year’s start, before the spring rains began in full. At least in Spring, they could drill, rain or no rain. Twilight supposed she could call for a drill in the snow, but that was a surefire way to upset everyone involved - herself included. Snow was too cold, too wet, too everything, for a proper drill. So, drills would wait.
“Yeah.” Twilight began finally, after taking a sip of coffee, frowning, and dipping a sugarcube into the offending drink before proceeding to stir it gamely. “Yeah, that doesn’t surprise me. They need infantry support if they plan on shelling Fort Summer, and while their guns complement was good enough to work with their navy and get the place blockaded, they were never going to fully cut it off without infantry. I give it a week before they fully cut it off.”
“I think I agree, ma’am. Fort Pickens down in the South Jungles actually saw off their blockaders with warning shots, apparently. Came in with the morning news.” Belldandy hummed, sipping at a glass of water and nodding to the folded newspaper beside her, as Twilight nodded in mild concern.
“Good to hear, but I’m not sure how long that can hold up. We have no easy way of resupplying either fort, but Pickens is even farther away than Summer.” Twilight added, with a frown, as Annette nodded in agreement.
Whatever she’d been about to say however, was interrupted, as a familiar pony to Twilight - and likely the guard as well - stuck her head into the mess hall. Catching Twilight and Annette’s eyes, she made her way through the mess, occasionally greeting the odd Royal Guard trooper who gave her a good morning between her moving towards the officer table.
“Raven Inkwell.” Twilight began, warmly, offering Celestia’s overly put-upon aide-de-camp a seat and some coffee. With a nod, the earth pony mare took the seat, declining the coffee, as she gave Twilight and Annette warm smiles in return.
“Twilight, Captain Belldandy. Good morning, you two. How’s the regiment settling in? Everything good? I know the guard has been operating at quarter strength, so if you need any supply requests, you can send them my way.”
“I appreciate it, Raven, but we should be okay for now.” Twilight started, after checking with Annette momentarily. “We’re short on proper uniforms still, but we’ve got enough vittles and rifles for everypony- and I’ve okayed Colonel Belldandy’s request for more ammunition from Canterlot Gunworks.”
“That’s good to hear. I come bearing further news, however.” She smiled softly, as she produced a small clipboard, placing it upon the table with the pair. “Firstly, a gift from Her Majesty, Celestia Solaris, long may she reign.” Raven would begin, speaking formally and properly towards her liege’s station. “Purchased directly from Whinnyapolis Manufacturing, import rights for the guard to purchase Whinneyfield Rifle muskets, musketoons, and I think more of interest to you, Whinnyworth Rifles - designed and built by Messers Whinneyfield and Whinnyworth themselves. Accordingly, Her Majesty has given to Messers Whinney and Whinny fourteen million bits from the Royal Treasury, so as to fund a purchase order of ten thousand Whinnyworth Rifles; to go towards the expected expansion of the New Army of Equestria.”
“I- wow, that’s, that is-”
“Furthermore,” Raven would continue, cutting Twilight off and giving the new General a soft smile. “I am to serve, for the duration of the war, as your personal aide-de-camp, with Chancellor Neighsay temporarily taking over my duties as Her Majesty’s aide, in addition to his job as Equestria’s Inspector General. I’m here to help with paperwork, help disseminate orders, and help you keep everything neat and orderly, your highness.”
“I… Thank you, Raven. I’m happy to have the help, even if Celestia will likely miss your presence in the Royal Court.”
“Oh, I think she’ll do fine, Twilight. She’s found some new resolve, I believe. She came into the throne room today with a… not quite a fervor; that’d have been troubling, but with a determination about her. Equestria will see this through, one way or another.”
=#===#=
Princess Luna Solaris arrived from the Castle later in the day, entering Twilight’s office with barely a knock as Twilight and Raven were busy getting all the old and new paperwork sorted properly. Both mares nearly scrambled to greet the Princess properly, but the Mare of the Night simply giggled tiredly, before waving the two back to their work and closing the door behind her.
“Well met, Twilight Sparkle; Raven Inkwell. How are you two doing this morn’?” She began, levitating over the empty chair from Twilight’s desk, and propping it up in a corner near the door - Luna had long since learned that coming between either Unicorn or Earth Pony and paperwork was a terrible idea, and was doing her level best to not get in the two mares’ way as they worked.
“We’re doing well, Luna, thank you.” Twilight began, greeting her friend warmly. “We’re essentially in the middle of taking stock of what we currently have, what we expect to need, and who we can acquire or purchase it from. A lot of what we’re currently missing is fresh uniforms, but both Baltimare and Manehattan have good seamstress unions- and Baltimare even has a clothing factory we’re likely going to make use of. Past that… We’re going to need lots of rifles, we foresee.”
“Yea? How dost thou figure such a thing?” Luna began, temporarily slipping back into her more archaic forms of speech. She still worked regularly with elocution teachers to bring her phrasing and verbage up to more modern verbal norms, but occasionally she slipped. Not that anypony really minded; it was just one more thing that made Luna, well, Luna.
“Latest news as of today, the Seventh.” Raven began, as Twilight searched the currently chaotic and paper-covered desk, before snagging the offending newspaper, and offering it to Luna with her magic. “J.D. Neighvis- of these so-called ‘Confederate States of Equestria’- has signed an act to allow for a regular army of up to Sixteen thousand - and a formable militia of one hundred thousand.”
“What? An army of a hundred thousand?” Luna recoiled, shaking her head. “Then we shall have to expand the Army of Equestria to match. Even if the majority of that are volunteers. We shall simply have to do the same. And hope that we can at least match their force.”
“That’s assumin’, yer majesty,” a familiar voice would call, as she opened the office door, smiling widely at the assembled ponies, “That we don’t jus’ beat ‘em straight to th’ punch as-is.”
“Applejack!”
=#===#=
“Honestly Applejack, I can’t believe you’re actually here. Are the girls okay? How about Spike? The Friendship school?” Twilight pressed, having acquired a few extra chairs at Applejack’s recommendation from a neighboring, currently empty office. Supposedly two more Staff officers were right behind AJ, meaning her office was about to get cramped.
“Ah, shucks, Twilight. They’re still all there, ‘sides the crusaders. You remember they’d gone and got themselves enlisted after that whole Badlands War fiasco, ah’m pretty sure they’re jus’ busy mustering regiments right about now.” Applejack shrugged, removing her ever present stetson, and resting it gently on her lap as she settled into her seat. “In any case, ah’ve been elected to lead Ponyville’s volunteer militia. We ain’t exactly Royal guard material, but Granny and Mayor Mare got to talking, and with Ponyville’s proximity to Virginia, we all figured it’d be better to muster a fighting force before the trouble starts, and we get stuck up there alone.”
“Reasonable of you, Lady Apple.” Luna began with a nod, frowning shortly after. “Unfortunately so, considering the suspected loyalties of the Virgin state.” Virginia after all - so named after Celestia’s elegant reign- was anything but loyal these days. “How many ponies hast - have you mustered under your command?”
“Well, we’ve got about two hundred from Ponyville, another three hundred from Bales, another two hundred from Shire, and fifty from Green River, yer highness. Seven hundred an’ fifty total.”
“Enough for a regiment. Do you have armaments?” Raven inquired as Applejack shook her head.
“No ma’arm. A few of us brought scatterguns an’ fowlin’ pieces from home, but for the most part we need some equipment.”
“I’ll make sure to set you up with some rifles. Uniforms will have to wait - we’ve already slated the extras we have on hoof for the Manehattan Royal Guard, but we’ve got Maresissippi rifles to spare. They’re good, rifled guns, and accurate out to near five hundred yards due to the 1:66 rifling on the barrel. The sword bayonet is quite nice, too.”
“Ah, shucks. The rifles are fine enough. My militia folks don’t need no fancy pants uniforms if you don’t have ‘em available. Winter gear will be nice, but I reckon we’ll have that for the end of the year.”
“As you say.” Luna nodded agreeably, before opening the office door once more, hearing the knock upon it. “I believe our last two guests have arrived.”
With a blink, the two mares standing outside would gaze into the cramped office, before the light blue earth pony in Guard Dress uniform would snort, and shake her head. “I will stand outside, thank you.” She would reply curtly, gesturing for Derpy Hooves, of all ponies, to enter the room.
Derpy - or Ditzy, depending on whom you asked - would enter the room with aplomb, removing her older Royal Guard helmet in respect to the assembled officers. An eyepatch covered her right eye - not because she needed it to cover a wound, per se, but likely to cover the pegasus mare’s well known wall eyed gaze. “Your highnesses; Miss Inkwell, Miss Apple. Good morning. I apologize for my tardiness, I had to make some arrangements before I arrived.”
“Quite alright, Lady Doo.” Luna would nod, before shooting a grin over to Twilight Sparkle. “Twilight, might I introduce you to a pair of mares who served quite distinctly with my sister during the Badlands Campaign? The standoffish one outside,” Luna would begin with a curt smile, as the earth pony in question gave the princess a severe frown, “would be Lady Alesia Snezhnaya, heir to the throne of St. Petershoof. And of course, you know Lady Ditzy Doo quite well. Lady Snezhnaya is to command the Equestrian Old Guard - a volunteer regiment raised from veterans of the Badlands Campaign I’m told, and Lady Doo is to take command of the entirety of your first division, as Brigadier General.”
“I see.” Twilight would nod, first at Luna, and then at the two mares. She knew Ditzy well enough, and Alesia, she could get to know better - later, after her regiment was integrated into Twilight’s Corps. “Well, welcome to Canterlot. Come in, get comfortable, and let’s discuss the coming month. We’ve got a lot to cover, these days.”
“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.”
“The time for compromise has now passed, and the South is determined to maintain her position, and make all who oppose her smell Southern powder and feel Southern steel.”
=#===#=
The rest of the army officers of Twilight’s Corps had shown up as expected, filtering in over the coming days as the end of March bled into April- and with it, the Spring Thaw. Braeburn arrived first after Silver Star and Fleur De Lys’ hike through Confederate territory; much less dangerous, but also not hauling liberated three inch cannons with them. Stylus Pen - a Baltimare resident and reservist - arrived a few days after to prep and run the Corps’ eight gun Parrott Rifle battery. Soarin’ of Wonderbolts fame himself arrived last, having taken some time to finish the Cloudsdale Muster; now, technically, there were two regiments under what used to be the Wonderbolt Division - though Soarin’ mustered his force under the Cloudsdale Royal Guard. Something that could be addressed later, most likely.
Unfortunately, the issue could not be pressed at the moment. Down in Savannah, the vice president of the Confederate States of Equestria had delivered a rallying national address - Steel Vein, the stallion in question, had effectively lambasted Celestia’s government in front of several different news reporters and to a cheering crowd, before going on to set frames and groundwork for how the new Confederate States were going to work, politically - as well as confirming his President’s comments about raising a full army of troops to oppose Canterlot.
Twilight sighed, as she gazed over the April report, given first to Luna, then by Luna to her, as she needed to be made aware of it: the Confederates were being true to their word. A force of nearly ten thousand was mustering already, and more volunteers were on their way.
In return, Celestia had left the Royal Quarters to address the nation. She’d had her time to grieve, as Raven had mentioned when she’d arrived to become Twilight’s aide, and now had begun to push past what she likely viewed as a great failure. She had gone out before the newsponies, before the questioning crowds, and proclaimed the Equestrian Regular Army Act.
Twilight had… mixed feelings upon the matter. On the one hoof, she was quite happy to see an officially raised military force; one supposed to be nearly nine thousand troops strong itself, spread out amongst four infantry brigades - not regiments - , one cavalry brigade, and two fully staffed gun batteries. The fledgeling Equestrian New Model Army needed to pony power, and desperately. On the other hoof, raising the army had definitely cut from the Volunteer Army’s capability of training up new soldiers - after all, many of the regulars drummed up from under the act had once been militia officers and training sergeants themselves. Now that their examples were gone, the volunteers simply had to make do with what they had.
On a third hoof, having a strong, regularized army force was something extremely useful and something that supposedly, the confederates did not have yet. Sure, they had declared that they were to raise a sixteen thousand regular strong army, but until that actually materialized, and they fought something other than the expected Confederate Militias, it was piss in the wind.
And then finally and on a fourth hoof, the regulars’ muster came with more good news anyways: The Sharps Rifle company, under the head of a Coltifornian stallion currently named Sharps himself (apparently short for Sharp Shot, or Sharps Shot, no one was actually clear on that), had given production licensing for their namesake rifle design and a purchase on behalf of the military had already been given the okay by Princess Luna, after a short discussion on whether the Princessdom had the coinage for it with her sister. Older rifles, such as Maresissippis, and Hawken rifles, were also being looked at for return to manufacture as they were retrieved from arsenals, but the debate was still on-going, for now.
Raven barged into the office, breaking Twilight’s train of thought, and flopped a fresh newspaper onto the Major General’s desk without preamble, before cutting Twilight’s line of thoughts again before the mare could even read the newspaper.
“They’re shooting at Fort Summer.”
=#===#=
Fort Summer fell early the next morning, as the beleaguered but thankfully unharmed garrison surrendered after nearly eighteen hours of shelling from roughly sixty Confederate guns and probably ten or fifteen times that in cannon shells fired.
With a heavy heart, Celestia officially declared the Princessdom of Equestria in a state of war with the Confederate States of Equestria. Peace had shattered, and the time for talk had abruptly ended.
Luna and Twilight began the movement of the Army of Equestria South; the Regulars were still mustering, but two further corps in the east and two in the west had raised on three month billets to help secure the Equestrian borders - even if the western two corps; the Department of the West and the Department of Baltimare; were more single brigades that corps.
===#===
The War of Southern Rebellion, as many had begun to call it already, did not open its first shots in the East. No, those began in the West, in Maresourri, as the woefully under-equipped and numerically weaker force of the Western Department - under Provisional Brigadier General Macintosh Apple, left the town of St. Louis, armed with a motley assortment of old flintlock rifles, a few rifled-muskets, and whatever fowling pieces could be scrimmaged up between the fourteen-hundred strong ponies.
Wincing to himself within his ramshackle officers’ tent as a confederate gun battery, perhaps currently the only gun battery in Maresourri, opened fire upon his defensive holes around Rolla depot - and yes, they were holes, not real and effective trench lines - Macintosh returned to the shoddy hoof-drawn map he’d been hastily provided, mopping his brow from sweat with a neckerchief. Applebloom had sketched it herself last evening when the Confederate artillery showed up to reinforce the Maresourri State Guard - as Sterling Price was calling his hopped up gang of rebels and bandits - and she’d taken a few peppers of cannon shrapnel as a result.
She was out there still, leading the defense, as Mac swore to himself in his too small, too ramshackle, too frustrating command tent, wearing a circle in the ground with his hooves. But, he’d needed to wait.
His patience was finally rewarded a few hours into the siege, as Crown Prince of the Crystal Empire, Shining Armor, stumbled into the smallish tent just after midnight, a frigid cup of coffee grasped in his magic. “Sorry my ponies are late. We had to rail all the way from the Crystal City, then Baltimare.”
“Ah, eyup.” Mac nodded, humming. “Ah reckon your folks are already out there diggin’ holes to keep pace wit’ mine?” The quiet stallion questioned, twitching an ear to listen for more cannon fire.
“For now. Their dander’s up, though.” Shining grunted, wryly. “They weren’t fans of the railroad trip.”
“Reckon not.” Macintosh muttered, frowning. “First light. We outnumber ‘em, now, iff’n you brought your whole brigade.”
“I did. First light?”
“Ayep. First light, we pitch out from the line, take the fight right to ‘em, yer highness.”
“Captain Armor’s fine. I’m serving in military capacity.” Shining shot back with a frown, as Applebloom slid quietly into the now cramped command tent. She’d gotten a fair bit quieter now that the shooting had started. Macintosh suspected she’d been part of it. He didn’t press her.
“Colonel at least then, iff’n yer in charge of a brigade. They done made me a Brigadier.” Macintosh groused, as he and Shining Armor shared a look of weariness. “Anyhow. Applebloom. You’n Shining’s Brigade are going to break the rebels' siege tomorrow at first light; ‘fore they finish their mess and campfires. We can’t afford to wait for them to bring up reinforcements.”
“That’ll mean chagrin’ a battery of field guns, Mac. Even if it is only four of ‘em.” Applebloom hummed in thought. “Ah can take a platoon, a couple hours ‘fore dawn, start creeping up. That way we can break their picket line and rush their guns ‘fore the two brigades come on line.”
“Shining, you think you can hassle moving two brigades at once?”
“Yeah. I can.”
“Do it, Applebloom. And be careful. Ah don’t wanna be writing anything back to Applejack. Or Faust forbid, Granny.”
“Ah will, Mac. We’ll spike them guns for ya. Just be ready to capitalize.”
===#===
Siege and siege breaking aside, the Army of Equestria and the Confederate Army of the Potomac River first met in battle not in April, but in May.
Rolla Depot was quit by the Maressouri Guard with scant losses of maybe twenty or so due to an onset fog confusing the Western Army’s desperate attack, but it’d been chaotic enough to cause the Guard to withdraw in confusion, which meant that Equestria, through bold plan or foolhardy one, held onto Maressouri another month.
In the intervening time, more regiments came on - line with the Army of Equestria, all reporting to Luna, as the Army of Equestria grew from one Corps, to Four, including the Regulars Corps, under muster of Major General Lightning Charm - the aging bat pony veteran herself marching them south via the Neigh York Turnpike towards the front. They weren’t expected for over three days, though.
The same day, Luna ordered a probing attack into Virginia, as a means to distract the rapidly growing confederate army while Twilight’s own corps was sent to see off a Confederate corps that had bypassed the Royal Navy to land in Mareyland state. With Twilight Distracted, one Corps still stuck in Canterlot under Trixie Lulamoon forming up, and Lightning Charm marching south to regroup with Luna, that left the probe up to an Untested Lunar Guard officer - one of Luna’s own household knights, a young and recently promoted Brigadier General named Tempest Wind - apparently of Ravenholm, over in Fillisee, even though they’d chosen to throw their lot in with the Confederates.
Four hours after entering Virginia, and after vaguely securing Haypers Ferry Depot, General Wind received reports from her scouts that a sizable Confederate Force, even with her own size but equipped like regulars, was marching up from Virginia Military Institute.
===#===
Tempest scowled, as she re-read the scouting report, dropping it frustratedly on the field desk in front of her as she held a leathery wing to her forehead. “And is this accurate? Are we absolutely sure?” She inquired, her voice thick with the hefty Ravenholmer accent that marked her as a Fillyseean, its rich twang marking her as a Southron herself.
Cloud Jet, her second Division commander and a pegasus mare, nodded firmly, her muzzle set in a firm scowl. “Pharynx Vesali verified it himself after my scouts did, sending out his own once Harpers Depot was secure, ma’am. It’s a good sized force, about four and a half thousand, five, maybe six cannons. They’re regulars, too. Virginia Institute Cadets, most likely.”
“Dammit. And me here with the militia. We have more guns, not that anypony knows how to aim a cannon. Okay. Well, how about evacuating the depot and crossing back over the river?”
“Could, ma’am.” Pharynx Vesali - brother to the current King of the Changelings, and commander of Tempest’s First Division, nodded, scowling. “But we’ll have to hold them off regardless. We won’t finish the evacuation of arms before then.”
“And doing so would mean we lose a hoofhold across the Potomac River.” Tempest finished, re-surveying the map again. She sighed, and shook her head. “Whinnychester’s shit ground for fighting, and I’m loathe to fight in the town itself; too much risk to the depot itself, not to mention the Harpers Ferry Bridge. What’s this town south of Whinnychester?”
“That’d be Strasburg, General. Pretty firm ground there, around Bushong hill. Nice view of this valley, up the Cedar Grove Road.”
“How far is the march from here?”
“Couple hours south of Whinnychester, ma’am.”
“...Can we beat them there?”
“Sure as a spit-can, ma’am.” Cloud Jet verified. It’s twice that at least from Virginia Institute. Leave’s our flank wide open, though, if the Shenandoah army crosses near Whinnychester.”
“I know. But if we just sit here and wait for them to approach, ain’t no guarantee they won’t bring up the Shenandoan’s either. No, we’ll push south. Meet them here, at Bushong Hill, and pray to Faust that there’s a corps behind me in a few hours. Pharynx?”
“Yes’m, General?”
“Send a telegraph back to Her Majesty Luna. Message as follows:” She paused, awaiting his nod as the reformed changeling retrieved a pad and pencil to scribe her note. “Have taken Whinnychester and surrounding good ground, stop. Situation not currently tenable without reinforcement, stop. Requesting a Corps to cover my left, stop. General Wind.”
“I’ll have it sent out at once, General.”
“Good stallion. Jet, deploy a skirmish line ahead of our main force, sweep for any irregulars, and get me that damned hill. We’ve got a scrap to cause, folks, let’s hop to it.”
===#===
The march south to Strasburg took most of the day, as Jet’s skirmishers ensured the army would not be harassed on their way to Bushong hill. Tempest’s troops made camp in the early hours of 24th May around the base of Bushong hill, not bothering yet to build fortifications, as pickets surveyed the land, and scouts were sent far abreast of the main line to ensure they hadn’t been bypassed or surrounded.
Mid morning came, and after a cold breakfast, Winds’ Department of the Ponysyvania took Bushong hill with little fanfare, digging their antiquated six pounder field guns into whatever ground they could manage.
About midday, the Confederates arrived.
“Ma’am, I’ve got flags, marching up the pike!” called one of her skirmish line sergeants, as the mare retrieved a set of field glasses. Holding them in one of her wings, the bat pony swore, gritting her fangs as she watched the brigades and flags march up towards Strasburg itself.
“I see them sergeant, thank you. That’s at least one full size brigade, two regiments, and the battery. Damn. Alright, make sure we’re dug in low, folks. Hold here and make them come to us.”
===#===
The artillery duel began in earnest about fifteen minutes later, as the Confederate twelve pounder Neighpoleons blasted away at Bushong Hill. With the height improving the aging six pounder’s anemic range, Tempest’s gun battery could at least fire back, but without any real training, accuracy was low, and her hopes were… not great.
The Confederates began to advance a skirmish line about four in the evening, as her infantry took up their rifles for the first time since their muster. Her militia was at least uniformly armed with Hall rifles, Steedfield Rifle-Muskets, and a few older Hawken rifles - though that was little comfort, as the Confederates, with their stolen Manefield 53 and Steedfield 55 rifles answered back the rifle fire with the discipline of a regular army.
A far cry from Tempest’s shoddy militia.
For nearly half an hour, shots were traded back and forth across the slope, as the Confederates attempted once, then again, to march up the hill, only to be frantically repulsed by untrained, panicky fire from both rifle and cannon.
Cheerilee, her Battery Commander and a schoolmarm from Ponyville, was doing as well as she could, but already one of their guns had been knocked over with a shattered caisson, its crew likely dead, dying, or moved to the rear for treatment.
“Ammo’s starting to run low, General.” Jet grumbled, smoking a thin cigarillo, as the pair of officers - Thranx was still taking stock of his losses - stood in the defilade of the hill, just in case the rebels started firing cannons again. “I figure we could hold off one, maybe two more charges like that, before we’re down to knives and bayonets.”
“No, if it comes to that, they don’t have cavalry with them. We’ll withdraw once we’ve exhausted our ammo.”
“They’ll chase us.” Jet pointed out, sensibly.
“They will.” Tempest hummed, scowling. “Guess we’ll have to hope someone’s waiting for us at the river.”
“I’ll make you one better General!” Pharynx cheered, as he flittered over on his insectoid wings, a musket held in the crook of his forehooves. “Look behind you.”
With a blink, both the Thestral and the pegasus turned about, following Pharynx’s gaze. Galloping up the road behind the hill, in the direction they’d come previously, were the pennant-bedecked lances and glistening sabers of a Cavalry Brigade, designating them as the “1st Eq. Cavalry”.
Reinforcements were here.
===#===
Lightning Charm surveyed the hill from behind her rimless glasses, taking a moment to remove and polish them, before addressing the Bat Pony wearing the armor of Luna’s Royal Guard. “Not a bad bit of soldering, General. Could have been bad if I hadn’t forced a march all the way here, but the ground’s good, and the objective’s good to go with it.”
“That was my thoughts, Major General Charm.” Tempest nodded in deference, watching with a neutral frown as her small corps began to dig further in along Bushong Hill, setting up more permanent positions, with their camps in the defilade behind the hill itself. “Good place to hold the turnpike, until I can make a push for the Military institute, iff’n you can hold my left flank.”
“Hold it, General? We’ll do more than hold it. We’ll keep pushing inwards until we reach Richmond, and kick JD Neighvis out on his flanks.”
“Hnf. Wish it was that easy. I lost four hundred, and this was just a skirmish.” Wind groused, scowling, and shaking her head.
“Sure, but I count double that in Confederate dead - not to mention those cannons, once we fix up their carriages. It was a skirmish, sure, General, but it was a good one.”
“A good one, ma’am?” Tempest scoffed, wearily. “I’ve never heard of a good killing, or a bad lack of one. And it’s only going to get worse from here.”
The end of May and the beginning of June saw more success for the Army of Equestria, if only just. With Luna taking the initiative and sending her armies south, into Virginia, it was only a matter of time before the Confederates began to shoot back, attempting to drive the Army of Equestria back across the Potomac.
Two such attempts would be made before Summer: once near Alexandria, and once near Harpers Ferry.
=#===#=
Luna swept the morning dew off of her campaign hat with an idle flick, as she trotted into the farmhouse that her command staff had borrowed for their field office. The mare running the farm these days wasn’t much a fan of the Army of Equestria’s presence in her home - and she made clear in no uncertain terms that she had a daughter and a husband taking up arms against Equestria - but the General Staff simply ignored the veiled insults, paid her for the usage of her home, and went about their duties.
“Talk to us, fillies and gentlecolts. We need an update on Lieutenant Colonel Narrative’s reports from earlier in the morning.”
“Trixie believes,” the light blue unicorn began, adjusting her stage performer’s hat idly, its lavender color a stark contrast with her dark blue overcoat. “Unfortunately, Lieutenant Colonel Narrative’s report is accurate. We outnumber them, certainly- by about seven thousand. But both Trixie’s and Sparkles’ Corps, your majesty, have about as much training as a boot.”
“Dost thyn suggest we retreat in the face of the enemy, Major General Lulamoon?” Luna’s retort came back, sharply, as Lulamoon simply shook her head.
“No, your majesty. But Trixie does not know if Trixie can hold a similar force of regulars. Trixie will definitely need Twilight Sparkles’ Corps, but even then Trixie is not sure.”
“You’ll have my army, Trixie.” Twilight nodded, with a frown, as the trio surveyed the map. “We’re sure they’re the confederate regulars?”
“Primarily, yes.” Trixie nodded, continuing. “They’re backed by another thousand state militia from Coltalina, but those have similar training to our ponies. Our army likely has better equipment. Trixie does not believe the Confederates are yet aware of our purchases from Sharps Rifles or Whinney and Whinny.”
“Equipment will not carry the day, though I agree, it’ll definitely help.” Twilight grumbled with a frown, as she and Trixie shared a look of concern.
“Regardless, we shall make our stand here.” Luna began, shaking her head. “We believe this creek, Bull Run Creek, will make our defensive line. If the Confederates mean to attack us across it, then we shall break them upon it.”
“Trixie has been to Bull Run Creek, your highness.” The mare interrupted, shaking her head. “It’s indefensible.” Twilight blinked at the callous rebuttal, looking over at the showmare - but the Neigh Orleaner had a fairly serious look on her face. “There’s dozens of potential crossing points. No, your majesty, Trixie thinks it’d be stupid to try and hold the river - and a trap.”
“A bold claim, but we can respect the concern and potential merit. What would you do instead, Miss Lulamoon?”
Trixie tapped a hoof gently on the map; a sparsely wooded hill, north of the Bull Run, nearby a large black line running parallel the river. “This hill, here. Trixie doesn’t think it has a name. But, it overlooks the railway. Trixie knows the railway stops here, at the river, true. But the railroad picks right back up on the back side of this hill. And a new line is being built by our own work teams. Trixie thinks they want the railway up to Alexandria. With Trixie and Twilight both here, that leaves Canterlot wide open and maybe… four hours trip up the line.”
Luna and Twilight shared a wary look, as Trixie continued to evaluate the map. The showmare was likely right.
And that meant that holding off this Confederate attack was even more important than originally realized. More so than just keeping a hoofhold in Virginia, Luna, Twilight, and Trixie had to make sure they kept Canterlot - and the ponies within - safe.
“We’ve got to get the troops ready. We’ve got a couple hours of morning, if your cavalry is right, Trixie. Luna?”
“We shall begin preparations here. Go. See to your corps. Both of you. And we shall see each other again either here or in Canterlot.”
=#===#=
The rebels hit the field by four in the afternoon, as the state militia marched with their rifles and small cannon battery up the Sudley Springs Road. There must have been some miscommunication between them and the main force, Twilight guessed, as she watched from her position as they simply advanced across the Bull Run, directly into the Equestrian Right Flank. Light Narrative and his scant 250 cavalry, erring on the side of caution in the face of a thousand troops with rifles and cannons, made the smart decision to withdraw from their enemy, allowing them to march closer to the unfinished section of railroad and into Trixies’ waiting infantry; it was definitely better for Trixie’s small scouting detachment to avoid direct battle, rather than waste away the one good advantage they had over the rebels in terms of intelligence gathering.
They still took some casualties as they withdrew in good order, Twilight noted with a wince, but it looked like Narrative’s folks gave as good as they got before the withdrawal was sounded. Peering through her field glasses, Twilight watched, as Trixie’s right flank shifted along the railroad berm. Refusing their flank, Lulamoon’s infantry shifted to meet the Confederate militia, using their overwhelming numbers and larger artillery support to begin pushing the rebels back through the town.
The gunsmoke made visibility at range poor, as Twilight lowered her field glasses. “General Doo, how far out is the main Confederate line?”
“Firefly reports they’re still marching up Maneassas Sudley Road, ma’am. It’ll be dark before they hit the town. We think something delayed them marching up from Richmane.”
“Small miracles.” Twilight groused, shaking her head. “Okay. We’ll take advantage of it while we can. Trixie’s already pushing the Militia back into the city. Send a runner to Lulamoon with my compliments- quick as you can- ask her if it’s practical for us to move our guns down to Red Hill Farm, use that big hill around the farm to pitch our gun batteries down the Sudley Road. Do you follow?”
“Yes ma’am. Your compliments, guns at Red Hill.”
“Yes, yes, that’s good. Send that, and ask if she can spare anything for our left. I need something to anchor the left flank besides Storm’s cavalry. Go, send it.”
“Yes’m, your compliments ma’am!” Ditzy barked, as she herself flew off in the direction of Trixie’s own position along her battle line, flying low to avoid scattered gunfire.
“Wait, Ditzy, I- Dammit, I meant to have her send a runner, not herself. Shit.” Twilight swore, shaking her head. “Nothing for it, she’s already gone.” The mare griped, returning her field glasses to her eyes with her magic. “You need to do better than that, Twilight. You have to do better than that.”
=#===#=
The main force, as forewarned, did not arrive up the Sudley Road in time to assist any with the first day’s skirmish, instead making camp between Grigsby’s Farm and Poplar Ford- and out of direct cannon range from the hill itself.
Trixie’s reply had come late in the evening - it’d taken Ditzy a long time to reach Trixie, who threatened to follow the state militia all the way back to Coltalina - but the reply was a welcome one. Thus, De Lys and her two batteries, Battery Star and Battery Pen, joined Trixie’s three batteries under one of the Pie Sisters - Twilight wasn’t sure which one, aside from “not Pinkie” - up on Red Hill.
The Federal line was worryingly thin along the road, as most of Trixie’s and Twilight’s line took up newer positions immediately around Red Hill, with seemingly only Twilight herself at the head of two infantry brigades under Prince - turned Brigadier General - Blueblood. Behind them, stood Canterlot. Or, at least, the road that led to Canterlot lay beyond them.
“I hope you know what you’re doing, Princess.” Blueblood muttered, a Whinnyworth rifle of his own cradled in the crook of one foreleg. Say what you would about the pompous unicorn, but Blueblood was not one to shy from a fight; he never had been, even when he and Twilight had come to heady arguments in their days at the Royal Guard Academy.
“I don’t.” Twilight readily admitted, with a frown. “It’s Trixie’s plan. I was in favor of drawing up around Red Hill Farm and making that our standpoint, but she wasn’t wrong when she said they could just walk right past us, then.”
“No, though they would be stupid to do so.” Blueblood hummed. “In any case, you think Trixie has a working plan, then?”
“I do.” Twilight nodded, accepting an offered Sharps Rifle from Raven, who also provided the alicorn an ammunition pouch full of cartridges. “You and I will hold here, on the road. From there, we’ll draw them into your two brigades, and hold them here, as Wane’s Division sweeps in from the creekbed to our left, and presses them back towards Red Hill - and the main force of the line.”
“...Let’s hope it works, then.” Blueblood grunts, shaking his head. “...Twilight, please, make sure you’re not with the main rifle line.”
“You’re going to be.”
“I’m not a General of a Corps. I’m a divisional commander.” The Prince frowned. “Plus, I’m needed. These are Canterloters, and Manehattanites. They need a good figure to keep them rallied.”
“I will be here, Blueblood, same as you.” Twilight rejected, with a frown. “We’re counting on the rebels seeing the alicorn and getting mad enough to want to come at us without thinking it through very hard.”
“Hnh. Very well, Twilight, just, keep your head down. A bullet will still kill you, same as anypony else.”
“If I am, then you as well.” Twilight nodded in reply, as the two took up position with the rest of the line - Raven having begun falling back to Luna’s position.
“We’ll see.”
=#===#=
The rebels came at their small line as expected, sending up a brigade of cavalry first, armed with carbines. Though not sizable in number, the small cavalry force put up a good fight, as Whinnyworth and Sharps rifles echoed in return to Merril Carbines, as the Cavalry stalled out in the face of Blueblood’s fifteen hundred ponies. Eventually, the two-hundred odd cavalry broke and ran for the rear, after just a couple volleys from the Equestrian line.
Even just two hundred cavalry had done damage to Blueblood’s small division, having matched Blueblood’s fifteen hundred ponies kill for kill - over a hundred of the Confederate’s cavalry lay in various states of injury or death on the Sudley Road; and just as many of Blueblood’s ponies were being pulled behind the main gun line for the same reason.
That was the least of Twilight’s and Blueblood’s worries however, as the rest of the Confederate force marched on them in earnest. Apparently some of them had moved left towards Red Hill, as only five brigades of infantry stood in front of them - still five thousand against their fifteen hundred.
The rifles cracked back and forth along Blueblood’s thin line, as they used a shallow dip in the hill to crouch behind, sending shot after shot into the advancing confederates. The gunfire, it felt to Twilight, was thick enough to cut with a knife, as ponies to her left and right were cut down, either dead or injured. Flicking the breech of her borrowed rifle open, Twilight slid another paper cartridge into the hefty rifle, raising it to her eye level, raising up with a few of the fellows around her, and loosing off a shot - before ducking back into the relative safety of the shallow trench they were taking cover in.
Rifle fire began to pour in from off to her left, and for half a second, Twilight was afraid they’d been flanked; that Dusk Wane’s division had been seen off or bypassed by the Confederates. Luckily so, the case was rather the opposite, as Wane’s Division of infantry - a full five brigades - had crossed the creek and were in the middle of firing into the Confederates’ flanks. With a cheer, Blueblood’s line - and her, carried with them - stood up as well whilst the rebels turned to face Wane’s line of battle. Between the seven brigades, the confederates were seen off after a bloody but short scrap, falling away in short order and leaving their casualties on the field.
It took nearly another hour for the right flank to quiet down, as the last few cannon shells resounded out into the setting sun - and Storm’s cavalry swept a wide flank to pursue the last few rebel units from the field, not returning until late in the evening. But, thankfully, it still quieted down.
=#===#=
“Today was a mess.” Twilight groaned, as she eased herself into a chair within the command’s farmhouse. An army surgeon tended to her left forehoof, which had been taken cleanly through by a steedfield’s minie ball. She was expected to keep it, though the surgeon was careful to warn her not to put weight on it for a few weeks, to make sure it didn’t get infected. A good pair of boots - maybe cavalry or artillery boots - would be required. “We nearly lost that left flank.”
“You are okay, Twilight Sparkle?” Luna began, with some concern, as Trixie nursed a head wound with a sopping bandage herself - it wasn’t a worry, just a bleeding wound according to the surgeon - that she’d acquired whilst holding off the other half of the rebel army around Red Hill Farm.
“Okay enough.” Twilight sighed, lighting a cigar with a frown. “We nearly lost that flank.” She repeated, taking a puff on the thin Puerto Caballo brand. Smoking was a dirty habit to some folks - and she’d done well to not smoke in front of the girls - but she was a soldier before an element of harmony. If she wanted to smoke, she’d smoke, dammit.
“It’s true.” Trixie added, quietly. “Casualties were bad. Nineteen hundred or so of theirs. About twelve hundred of ours.”
“And we outnumbered them twofold.” Luna agreed, solemnly. “I’d say t’was unacceptable losses but we have to accept them. We kept the road to Canterlot closed by doing so.”
“It’s true.” Twilight sighed, tapping some ash into an offered ashtray, and shooting Raven a thankful glance. “Blueblood should be fine. Just a stray bit of a spent round cut across his shoulder. So, no officers will need to be replaced. I’m mildly concerned they’ll attack us again, but if they do… Supplies are good. We took a good amount off the rebel supply train they abandoned - along with a full battery’s worth of good three inch ordnance rifles - so we can take another attack or two if they do assault us again.”
“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.” Trixie nodded, “But Trixie agrees with Twilight’s assessment, Your Majesty. We can hold off another attack if we must. Trixie is more concerned with the Harpers Ferry area. We have not heard back from Charms’ Regulars, or Winds’ Corps.”
“A valid concern.” Luna paused, frowning down at the map in front of the trio, as cigar smoke filled the room. “And one we must rectify. Soon.”
=#===#=
“Dammit I told Berry to warn me if the rebels were trying to bypass Winds’ shitty excuse for an army corps!” Lightning Charm barked, a scowl lining her muzzle as she shoved down a shot of whisky from her liquor flask. “What happened?”
“Ma’am,” The Sergeant replied, gamely, after she returned his salute and he returned to parade rest. “I’m the first scout back from Berry’s Cavalry, they’re doing their best to mirror the rebel movement. They’ve not crossed the river, but they are likely to take the Ferry Arsenal. Colonel Berry thought it prudent to try and delay that.”
“Against a goddamn corps of twelve thousand? Hell no. But that’s not your fault, Sergeant. Go back to Cherry- Colonel Berry, and tell her to bust her ass back down to my Corps. Adjutant Rose, draft me a letter to General Wind. Tell her I’m marching up to Harpers Arsenal and I’ll likely need her volunteers’ support if the Confederates decide to stand and fight.”
“Yes, General.” Wilted Rose nodded. “I’ll phrase it diplomatically.”
“Thank you, Wilted. Go, Sergeant, you’re dismissed, go find your wayward commander and get her to link up with me. We’ll be moving north in a couple hours once I break camp, so have her meet me on the plank road between here and the Ferry.”
“Yes, General. Right away.”
=#===#=
Lightning Charm scowled at the Confederates arrayed up along the hill overlooking Whinnychester, Virginia. It galled her that the confederate ponies were up there, along the riverline. Even that green as the grass castle guard Tempest saw that this was shit ground. And now she had to fight over it. Brash and bold creatures, Charm admitted to herself, standing between her corps and their line of supply.
Her own guns were in the process of rolling up to prepare for bombardment, and Charm doubted the rebels - who seemed to be fielding Neighpoleon guns - were aware that her thirty pounder parrott siege rifles far out-ranged their own batteries. The infantry were prepared and waiting for bombardment to commence, and Berry’s wayward cavalry was waiting tensely on the left flank to capitalize.
Unlike the volunteers, who had done good enough under Her Majesty Luna’s exacting instruction to avoid a rout even despite their deficiencies as soldiers, Charm’s Regulars could not only take the fight to the enemy, but break them in doing so. And they would, too.
“Rose,” Lightning Charm began, lowering her field glasses. “Once the guns are wheeled up, they are free to engage the rebel line of battle. Begin with counter battery fire, and then support the infantry as they move.”
“Yes, General.”
“Brigadier General Clear Water, take your Division and pull them in a sweep up to the right, setting Shimmer’s full-strength brigade as your back stop. Use the cornfields to creep up the line during bombardment, then engage from the split rail. Once you engage, that will be the cavalry’s warning to begin wrapping the confederate right, opposite you.”
“Understood, General Charm.”
“Good. Once the cavalry wraps the right, advance up the Martinsburg Pike, and rout the enemy from the field. Tartarus, this wasn’t even worth alerting General Wind over, let’s mop these miscreants up before the militia arrives and gets any ideas. Move to it, everyone.”
=#===#=
The assault went off mostly as ordered, Charm noted, as she watched her force move forwards from their staging area, the large guns of her two gun batteries keeping the rebels busy, and her cavalry sweeping off to the left flank to get set up on the rebel right. The cannons weren’t having all the effect she’d wanted; though they had done well seeing off the rebel guns, as poor shots as they were. Her infantry were lagging behind; the slope had been rougher than expected, but they were marching anyway, and would be up into the corn and firing on the rebels soon.
Cavalry was prepared and waiting - Cherry was going to be a problem, Lightning Charm could tell with disdain; she wasn’t bad at following orders - but she was terrible at interpreting them and when they were supposed to be followed exactly, and when she should use her own initiative. Poor taste for a cavalry officer.
The infantry began their assault as Charm focused in on it with her field glasses, watching as her regulars put up accurate and withering fire across the confederate’s hastily raised battlements. They fired three volleys, then a fourth, as Cherry’s cavalry saw off the Confederate right flank with accurate carbine fire.
Lightning scowled however, as Cherry’s cavalry charged into the middle of the last two standing rebel brigades, steel cavalry sabers flashing as bayonets and gunfire intermixed with the charging regular infantry.
“Damn her, damn that officer.” Charm growled angrily, stowing her field glasses. “Let’s move up there then, for tartarus sake. Shooting will be over by the time I get there, and Faust dammit if Berry didn’t die with half her cavalry up there, I’ve half a mind to shoot her myself.”
=#===#=
Cherry hadn’t died with her unit, though not for lack of trying apparently, as she sat in the middle of a platoons’ worth of corpses, staring mutely at the churned bodies atop the hill. It was grisly, and it looked like they’d taken a canister or case shell from one of the cannons present at the battle. Her uniform was shredded, and she had cuts here and there, but otherwise she was fine - physically, anyhow.
“Colonel Berry. Retire with your unit - or whatever is left of it - to the rear. Consider yourself relieved.” Charm began, surveying the rest of the units around her. The rebels were retreating in loose, shattered order, and her own troops were getting the wounded and dead rounded up for care and burial. Belatedly, Charm watched, as Tempest’s Corps arrived - seven hours from her request, as she’d expected - at the bottom of the hill.
Late and useless, as usual. “I, General, Charm, I-”
“You are relieved, Colonel Cherry Berry. To the rear. Dismissed.”
The storm raged, and roared around the ponies of the Army of Equestria. Massive raindrops splattered troop and tent alike, as the shower twisted the previously soft dirt into the sucking depths of mud. The June rains had arrived with the onset of Summer, and the Army’s advance had suitably stalled out. Luna, Twilight, and Trixie remained bottled up around Alexandria: still unable to move towards Fredericksburg due to the flooded river. The reports from the Western Army of Equestria were sparse, but similar; static and unmoving.
Tempest Wind sighed wearily, as she weathered the storm, waiting for her forwardmost scouts to return with their report. Unlike Charm, who had cavalry ponies on hoof to help find the enemy, Winds’ Corps did without. She’d at least been able to ditch her six pounder field guns, as old and worthless as the things were. Instead, her two batteries- Cheerilee’s and Cruise’s - were lugging around captured Confederate twelve pounder Neighpoleon guns. Still a far cry from the Regular Corps’ Thirty Pounder guns, but better than nothing. Much better than nothing, in fact.
“General!” a scout finally called, snapping off a salute - which Wind returned - the both of them sopping wet and futilely using their winter overcoats as rain cover. “General, we have the report!” The scout called, over the heavy storm, as the wind cut at both of them; the Summer heat had set in as well, leaving the rainstorm at a balmy and sweat-inducing 89 degrees fahrenheit.
“Go on, then!” Tempest nodded, fighting to be heard over the storm front, and nodding to the Corporal before her.
“Ma’am it’s pretty bad, and I don’t mean the weather! We didn’t find anything, but Charm’s cavalry found Rebels crossing the river and headed our way!”
“Towards Staunton?!”
“Yes, General! Charm’s getting the same report right now, I figure! Cavalry passed me en-masse on the way here!”
“Alright, go find Vesali, have him rouse the infantry and the rest of command! Be ready in case we’ve got to pull back, and let’s get packed for movement! Any idea how many rebels!?”
“Couldn’t tell, ma’am! A lot!”
“Shit.”
===#===
Tempest drug herself into the large command tent that Charm had erected, shaking off her overcoat as she mopped the water and sweat from her forehead with her forage cap - and as Lightning Charm herself gave the bat pony a flat look. “It took you long enough, Brigadier General.”
“Apologies, Major General Charm.” Tempest nodded, taking the rebuke in stride. “Hard moving out there, the storm’s getting worse, not better.”
“I know.” Charm nodded, frowning - not at Tempest, but at the storm raging outside. “My scouts,” She began without preamble, “Don’t know what’s in front of us for sure; the weather’s too poor for that. But we know it’s at least as big a force as ours. If not larger.”
“So we have guesswork at best, then.” Tempest scowled, shaking her head. “Shit. Any chance we can pull back to the Ferry?”
“Not in this weather, Brigadier.” Charm frowned, lips turning downwards into a hearty sneer. “Planning on leaving so soon, General Wind?”
“Spare me the theatrics, Major General. No, I’m not planning on quitting the field, I’m trying to think of the realities.” Tempest retorted, glaring daggers at Charm. It was clear and evident between the two that they highly disliked each other; Charm viewed her and her Corps as untrained hooligans, and she viewed Charm and her regulars as snobbish pricks. There was no love lost between the two. But, they had bigger issues for the moment. “Let’s focus. Do you have a plan? If we’re not going to retreat, the closest town is Staunton. They’re already across the river, so holding them at the riverline isn't going to happen.”
“How familiar are you with the ground around here? My corps just finished marching up; aside from my scouts that found the enemy, I don’t know a lot of what’s happening down here yet.” Charm admitted, accepting the cessation of their feud for the moment.
“Familiar enough, I’ve been here for about a week.” Wind nodded.
“Then you’re the commanding officer.” Charm bit out, clearly unhappy with the decision. “I’m trusting you with the Regulars, Wind, do not fuck this up.” She prodded, jabbing Wind’s chest with a wingtip.
“Only way I’m leaving this muddy hole is on a stretcher, Charm. See to your folks, we’re going to draw up around Mount Comfort.”
“Mount Comfort?”
“There’s a Faustian church ‘round there, and it’ll be more solid ground than Bald Mountain. Walked up there yesterday when the rain started,” Tempest began, shaking her head. “Bald Mountain’s all mud, and too slick to climb. We’d have to leave all our supplies down at the bottom, and I shouldn’t have to explain why that’s a bad idea.”
“True, and it keeps the fighting away from the townsfolk. Mount Comfort it is. I’ll have my corps moved within the hour.”
“Can you do thirty? Faster we can get there the faster we can lay the guns.”
“We’ll see. This is one of the worst storms I’ve seen for a while.” Charm nodded, frowning. “I’ll make the attempt.”
“That works.” Tempest sighed, with a shrug. “Nothin’ else for it, let’s go see if the flank collapses today.”
===#===
The deluge only got worse as the Confederates drew closer to the Equestrian line. It took most of the day, as the Equestrians continued to dig into the muck and mud around Mount Comfort, and the night was a miserable one, as the storm continued to rain terribly upon the battered federal troops.
Around ten in the morning, the rainstorm gave way to a full-fledged thunderstorm, grounding any fliers and sending the troopers ducking for cover with swears and curses against the wild weather. Normally, weatherponies would deal with the obstinate storm, but most of said weatherponies were drafted at the present moment.
One would have to be mad to fight in such conditions; but there were the rebels, marching gamely up the road despite the hellish conditions. And, one could argue, here were the federals, prepared to keep them at bay.
The regulars opened fire first from behind some temporary battlements, as their percussion cap rifles echoed out, barely audible over the rainstorm. Several guns fouled, as their wet powder failed to launch their bullets, but enough shots were leaving barrels to attract the Confederates’ attention.
Regulars clashed with regulars, as the Confederate regular army made contact with the Federal main army along the battlement wall. Shots blasted back and forth across the mountainside, as the two armies engaged each other at a spitting distance.
Thunder echoed as the lightning flashed, and Tempest shifted the Federal flank to assist the embattled regulars. Cannons - as little use as they were in such frantic and close-in fighting - sounded out, some of the only audible noise resounding against the maelstrom they found themselves in.
The confederates continued forwards, directly into the federal line, as bayonets were fixed and the shooting match became a brawl, aided by cavalry on both ends of the hill. Sword and pistol met rifle and bayonet, as the federal line frantically shoved the rebels back down the hill, and sent them slipping and sliding through the muck, further down the road.
Her forces cheered wearily, before the Brigadier General rallied them, flashing her saber across the front - illuminated by a distant strike of lightning - “Here they come again, lads! Let’s send ‘em packin’ back to Richmond!”
Again, the rebels struck into the federal line, as rifle shot met rifle shot along the top of Mount Pleasant. Once, then twice, then a third time, the rebels attempted to shove their way not just up the hill to the line’s front, but to the sides as well, and each time, they were shakily repulsed by the mixed army of regulars and militia, who bloodily forced the Confederates back down the hill.
It wasn’t until near midnight until the rebels finally stopped throwing themselves at the beleaguered federal line, as ammunition finally ran out - and with it, morale. The storm continued late into the morning, and it wasn’t until near dawn that the Equestrians even realized that the rebels had finally quit the field, as only the bodies and broken wagons of the Confederate artillery train remained present, at the base of Mount Pleasant.
The Army of Equestria had carried the day. The flank near Harpers Ferry and Whinnychester remained solidly under federal control, and stories of the mare who’d been named after the Tempest she fought through began to circulate the tents.
And, perhaps, just maybe, a step in the right direction had been made to soothe the spite between the volunteers and the regulars. If one squinted, and looked in at an angle.
Brigadier General Wind just hoped that she was worth the Major General’s stars that Charm had hoofed over to her, instructing that Her Majesty had seen fit to promote the Brigadier for her Valiant defense of the Equestrian Flank. The egg-sucking scowl that Charm wore throughout the entire announcement made the promotion all the more tolerable, in Wind’s estimation.
Coltago was still fairly mild when it came to weather in June, considering its distance to the Northern end of Equestria. Granted at this time of year, mild meant “not eighty degrees out”, but Moondancer took the small victories where she could. Her newly sewn uniform was still missing the Major General’s rank tabs that she’d been commissioned to, but that was a small issue, same as many of the issues that plagued her new Army Corps at present.
Rifles were still slowly filtering into her slowly mustering force, and her aide de camp - some Lieutenant she hadn’t memorized the name of yet - had recorded that the Corps wouldn’t finish mustering for roughly a month, give or take a week. She’d need all the rifles she could get, too; her Corps was looking to muster with around 17,000 and some odd ponies, formed into four divisions; two infantry divisions, an artillery train, and a cavalry division.
Tents were trouble, though the city of Coltago was kind enough to sequester as many of her growing army within the city’s Town Hall and the constabulary as they could. It was workable - for now - but she really needed the tents, especially with how often it was raining these days. They were supposedly en-route, Moondancer had been told four or five times now, but en-route from where, nopony could seem to tell her.
Regardless of her supply situation though, she had work to do. Her Officers’ Cadre was starting to arrive today, and her four divisional commanders would need briefing and a level of standard to begin training their troops - all volunteers - up to snuff. It seemed like most of this new model Equestrian Army was volunteers to her, and Moondancer wasn’t very sure how she felt about that.
Three of the four ponies that had arrived in Coltago to compose her general staff, and Moondancer readily recognized them. Anja Snow of Ravenholm, Filip Redglad - originally of Griffonstone, but of Neigh York these days - and Octavia Melody of Ponyville; all three were graduates of the Canterlot Military Institute, and moreso, peers from Moondancer’s own graduating class of officers.
Her gaze stopped however, on her fourth divisional officer.
There were only five alicorns in all of Equestria. Twilight and Luna were managing Eastern Virginia’s frontage, Celestia was running the country, Cadence was managing her Crystal City in the far North.
And Flurry Heart Di Cadenza Mi Amore, Second in Line for the Crystal Throne, first natural-born Alicorn Foal since time immemorial, was sitting in front of Moondancer, wearing a slap-dashed attempt at an officer’s uniform - though idly and distantly, Moondancer noted she was missing both a forage cap and overcoat.
Moondancer paused, having to stop and look again at the bubblegum pink alicorn standing before her, before shooting a look over at the trio of regular officers.
Redglad, very helpful, shrugged and lit himself a cigarillo. Snow just gave Moondancer a lopsided grin, and Octavia at least had the decency to cough and look away awkwardly.
Moondancer sighed inwardly, and nodded to her three schoolmates, before looking Flurry Heart up and down. “Your highness, Lady Flurry Heart; might I ask why you’re here? In Coltago, that is. Ma’am.”
Flurry simply blinked, visibly confused at the older mare’s inquiry. “Oh, well, I’m to be your aide de camp, General Morning.” The barely an adult-more of a filly really- replied, snapping off a lackadaisical salute, as Melody poorly stifled a giggle. Moondancer, momentarily off-put by the alicorn mare, shot Octavia a glare, which did nothing but prompt the earth pony mare to stifle more giggles, as Moondancer returned her attention to the awkwardly smiling filly.
“That’s not necessary, your highness. I already have an aide de camp. The Lieutenant is very helpful, and I don’t really need another camp officer.” Moondancer curtly stated, as the filly began to wilt. Oh bother, she’d upset the mini-princess.
“What? That doesn’t make any sense. Auntie Tia specifically said that you were still missing an officer.” Flurry Heart mumbled, as a sinking feeling settled into Moondancer’s gut. She couldn’t be serious… could she?”
“And you arrived with these three miscreants?”
“Yes, General.” The bubblegum pink mare perked up momentarily, smiling towards the trio - and still maintaining her salute. With an eye roll, Moondancer returned the salute, prompting the young mare to drop her own. “Same train car, even.”
“Brilliant. Celestia’s drafting children now, we might as well give up the war already.” Moondancer groused, as Flurry Heart spluttered in embarrassment and agitation. “How old are you even, kid?”
“I’m twenty! Plenty old enough! And Auntie Tia didn’t draft me, I volunteered!”
“You volunteered? I’m surprised your mother hasn’t keeled over from a heart attack yet. Or your father for that matter, though I suppose he’s been busy out west. Look. You’re supposed to be an officer, are you even trained yet?”
“I am, actually.” Flurry nodded, scowling at the more caustic Moondancer. “I just finished out around the middle of my class at West Point, two months ago.”
“Two- Are you shitting me, two months ago?” Moondancer recoiled, not believing her ears. “And Celestia assigned you to me? Kid, I need a Divisional Officer, not a fresh Second Lieutenant.”
“Well I’m what’s here, ma’am.” The Mare grimaced. “I have official orders and everything. I was expecting to be an aide, not leading a division.” Flurry retorted, walking the line between being snarky and being respectful.
“Well… You have orders?” A nod. “Official orders?” Flurry nodded, again. Moondancer held out a hoof, and immediately Flurry passed them along, as the newly minted Major General quickly scanned the document. “Remit listed officer - regimental command - Son of a bitch.” She shoved the offending document at the scandalized alicorn, who took it back in her grasp as Moondancer slapped her own forehoof with a kepi. “Well, welcome to the fucking Army of Coltago. I hope you’re a quick study, Brigadier General BreveretFlurry Heart; you’re leading the First Division of this army. Your first brigades arrive in three days. We’ll - shit - we’ll figure something out for bivouac today.”
“I - oh. I, wh-”
“I’ll bring you up to speed tonight with everyone else… You better prepare yourself though, Brigadier General Heart. I’m about to throw you in over your head and it’s sink or swim once the brigades start showing up. What the fuck, a twenty year old Brigadier, Faust fucking help us. I didn’t realize the war was going that badly already.”
Major General Charm shook her head, as she watched through her field glasses at the Rebels crossing the riverline near Staunton again. The thunderstorm had let up for long enough to allow the ground to solidify, and so Lightning Charm rightly assumed the Confederates were likely to try something again.
Doubly so, Charm assumed, now that Tempest’s Corps had completely marched down to Virginia Military Institute and was likely too far away from her own corps to provide support. A pity, but from her own estimation, Charm was looking at a force roughly the same size as her own. For once, her Corps might even outnumber the Rebels - which would be only the second time an Equestrian Army Corps had enjoyed such a boon since the damnable war had begun.
“Alright, we roughly outnumber the enemy force to the tune of around seven-fifty and a few extra cannon in comparison.” Charm began, as her officers stood around her command tent’s map table. They’d drawn up around Applemattox Court House for the day, with the rebels expected to arrive sometime around eleven in the morning - roughly five hours away. “They’re going to be arriving in two split forces - their Army of the Potomac, and their Army of the Fillisee. The army of the Fillisee is going to be two hours behind according to Colonel Spring Rain’s cavalry scouts.” Charm paused, as Colonels Starry Night and Night Light, both of whom had served alongside her in the Badlands War, and whom she could rely on as excellent Brigade Commanders in battle.
Officers that she would be relying on soon as her Brigade Commanders in such a battle, she reminded herself idly. “We have the better troops, we have the numbers, and we have the good ground. So we will deploy aggressively and forward, taking the fight to the rebels before they can group up and take the fight to us. Brigadier General Clear Water?”
“Yes, General Charm, ma’am?”
“Take Starry and Night Light’s Brigades, and push down to West Inge Farmhouse here, south of the Plain Run Branch Creek. Spring Rain, take your cavalry with them, and provide support. I want you to use the Farm as a hard point as the rebels waltz up the road, and push them back as is practical. On the right, near Prince Blueblood Courthouse Road to the East, I want Sunset Shimmer and Cloud Skipper’s two brigades to hold Le Grande hill against the Filliseean army coming up the road. They’ll have a larger force than you, but you’re better equipped and likely to be able to force them back whilst you have ammunition. Artillery will deploy around the Trent and Sears farms, in support of both wings of the line. Any questions?”
“No? Then you are dismissed. Prepare your troops.”
=//[]\\=
Colonel Starry Night lit herself a cigarillo as she surveyed her troops, who had taken up defensive lines dug into the split rail fence around West Inge Farmhouse. Night Light’s Brigade sat further back down the road itself and by the intersection, where his troops could draw the enemy brigades into Starry’s line of fire once they began marching up the dirt road towards the Court House.
The rebels were undoubtedly marching up the road towards them with their smaller force - hence the smaller force she’d been nudged into with Night Light to counter them, whilst Sunset Shimmer and Cloud Skipper took the larger force east to check the main Confederate advance.
“Here they come, Colonel, ma’arm.” One of her Sergeants muttered, readying his Sharps Rifle between his hooves as the Confederates finally came into view marching gamely up the road.
“Hold fast, everypony.” Starry cautioned, gesturing for the brigade to stay low with her officer’s saber. “Remember, we want them to pass us in favor of Night Light’s folks. Hooves off the triggers, and keep quiet.”
The rebels, thankfully, did end up bypassing Starry’s line - there really wasn’t too much worry of them not doing so; Starry’s troops were quiet, behind a thick fence, and set fairly far back from the road the Confederates were using. Thus, they easily fell into the trap the two brigades had laid for them.
Night Light’s own Sharps rifles began to crack out with fire as the Confederates hooped and hollered, pushing themselves into a frenzy as return musket fire echoed towards Light’s brigade. With a nod, Starry flashed her officer’s saber, and addressed her ponies: “Up guns, and at'em!”
With a hearty cheer, her troops stood up and clambered over the split-rail fence they’d been covering behind, unfurling their battle flag and letting it fly freely as they double-quicked up the road and to the side of the advancing rebels. Readying a volley from their quick-firing Sharps rifles, Starry’s troops shot out an accurate and withering volley, before slapping open breeches and cartridge boxes to keep up the bloody fire. Off to Starry and Night Light’s right, Spring Rain’s cavalry was holding off another brigade all on their own, and though outnumbered about two-to-one, were gamely giving their foe as good as they got.
The rebels quickly broke, suffering heavily from the repeated and witheringly accurate fire put out by Starry and Night Light’s troops, and the two brigades allowed them to withdraw - instead rushing over to help Spring Rain’s cavalry see off the other rebel brigade.
=//[]\\=
Over on the right, Sunset Shimmer’s own large Brigade had drawn up atop the Le Grande hill with Skipper’s infantry in support to her north and a bit further down the hill. The rebels were marching straight up the Courthouse road towards them, and Sunset’s Whinnyworth armed troops were well prepared to receive the rebels if they were of the incorrect assumption that they could take Le Grande Hill and overturn the Equestrian left. Major General Charm herself stood somewhere behind Colonel Shimmer with the rest of her staff, watching cautiously from behind the crest of the hill as the rebels strayed into the longer range of her whinnyworths.
“Sharpshooters, fire at your leisure.” Sunset began, deploying her skirmishers forwards. “Infantry, hold for four hundred yards, bottom of the hill.” The unicorn mare continued, watching the proceeding Confederates as her skirmish line and Skipper’s infantry began to fire on the rebels in concert with each other.
The Confederates continued forwards under enemy fire however, and once they hit the base of the hill, Sunset’s main line of infantry began to put down withering volley after withering volley at the confederates. Whilst her troops’ rifles were slower to load and shoot than other rifles or muskets, their accuracy and range more than made up for the increased loading time as rebel after rebel fell dead or injured.
Night fell a touch early, around seven thirty or so, and the rebels withdrew along with it, not interested in continuing the fighting.
Our men fought bravely, but the enemy repulsed me. Many valuable lives were lost. Our God was my shield.
===#===
The rain of earlier June had given way to the warmth and windiness of late July, as Flurry Heart and her company commanders began to drill their troops. The Army of Coltago was getting close to being ready to march if the quartermasters’ reports were any indication, but there was still, as Major General Moondancer constantly reminded her staff officers in their daily meetings, plenty of drilling and practice to get in before they marched south.
Somewhere out there, her Aunt Twilight was fighting on the front line, making a name for herself alongside the other storied greats of the Union Army; of Lightning Charm, whose age had not tempered her ferocity in the slightest; of Tempest Wind, who was slowly gaining a reputation as a darling of the gutter press, taking several interviews and polarizing thoughts around her in one way or another - though her effectiveness in the fighting kept such bipartisan thoughts reasonably positive. Trixie Lulamoon and Princess Luna were out there too; Princess Luna ran the entirety of the Union Army at present, outside of the small Western Theatre, and General Lulamoon was busy keeping Aunt Twilight’s flank safe and secure. And then of course her Father, Shining Armor, was off in the West, supporting Macintosh Apple, who’d taken the nominal head of the theater himself. Reports from the West were sparse, and slow - and it seemed like very little was currently happening over there - which was fine with Flurry. Better for her Father to be as safe as he could be, with a war going on.
Shaking herself out of her reverie, Brevetted Brigadier General Flurry Heart continued signing off on her latest requisition forms - marching shoes today - as her division practiced with their rifles, shooting at targets ranging roughly four hundred yards away. They were getting to be better shots the longer they sat in camp, and their marching and battle-movement was passable. Another month or so, and they’d likely be ready for a fight.
It wasn’t like there was any lack of fight ready for them, in any case. With the Army of Equestria’s initial three month billets ending and half of the Union Army headed back home, the Confederates had attempted to push twice into central Virginia, in an attempt to cut Tempest Wind’s Corps off from their depots up at Harpers’ Ferry. General Lightning Charm, stationed with her Regulars at Staunton, refused this not only once, but twice within the span of twenty days, fighting off reportedly two separate corps’ worth of Confederate Forces with ease, using excellent positioning and fortified locations to hold Staunton and its nearby riverine shipping lane, the James and Kanawha Canal.
No, there was plenty of fight waiting for Flurry and her Division once Moondancer’s Corps was ready to march south. Privately it worried Flurry Heart. She’d never fought in a war before, and like Moondancer was quick to remind her, she was barely out of officer school herself. But, she’d been given command of a division, and so command of a division she would take. Her fellow Division commanders, all of whom had actual practical training, were good help and easy to lean on whilst learning - Brigadier General Octavia especially, as she and Flurry bonded over their appreciation of more classical music, such as Bethooven, and Bach.
An aide knocked on the door of the room she’d claimed from the Coltago town hall as her command office, and with a simple reply, she ushered the stallion in. It was one of her company Lieutenants, who provided a quick, crisp salute that she quickly returned. “What have you got for me, Lieutenant?”
“Newspaper for you ma’am, as requested.” The Lieutenant replied, hoofing over the paper. The Coltago Tribune was a reliable enough news source, and one Flurry Heart made use of often, at Moondancer’s recommendation; it was better for an officer to be as informed as possible, she posited, about as much as possible.
“My thanks, Lieutenant. Anything else of note to report today?”
“Not particularly, General, ma’am. No new injuries from drills or sickness, and nothing sent our way from General Moondancer.”
“Very good, thank you. You’re dismissed.” Flurry would nod politely, returning the Lieutenant’s salute before he stepped out of the room.
With a quiet hum, Flurry regarded the newspaper idly, then blinked, doing a double-take and snatching the paper off of her desk with her magic to read it more clearly.
Celestia to Invoke Enrollment Act
“The Equestrian Throne has as of the 15th of this month passed an enrollment - or draft - act, to provide fresh ponypower to the growing Union Army. The Act is the first genuine National Conscription law placed into effect since the War in the Heavens, over one thousand years ago. The law is to require the enrollment of all able-bodied mares and stallions that are Equestrian citizens between the ages of 20 to 45, unless exempted by the act, which provides provisions for factory laborers, farm-owners, and ordained ministers of the gospel, as well as other exemptions laid out in the act itself. The Provost Marshal General’s office has been recreated under the leadership of Marshal General Wind Chill to oversee the deployment of the Enrollment act. Continued on Page 4.”
Flurry Heart reviewed the headline once, then again, before laying it down with a frown. Aunt Celestia must be terribly worried about the enlistment slump, Flurry supposed, if she was ordering a full-fledged draft. This was likely to cause trouble, but with the Confederates maintaining the same large numbers as before the draft slump… Well, the act might be necessary. The war wasn’t likely to end any time soon, Flurry knew, and the battles being fought were consuming soldiers at a wildly larger rate than even the Badlands Campaign had - even though most of the battles currently being fought rated little more than a skirmish or minor battle.
There was trouble brewing if the Union Army couldn’t get its numbers back up, of that, Flurry Heart was sure - and honestly scared.
The locomotive whistle sounded out amidst the onset of Fall windchill, as the steam engine began to lumber its way out of Coltago proper. Troops from within the train’s long carriages waved and cheered out at the citizenry along both sides of the large city’s stationhouse, as Moondancer and her cadre sequestered themselves within the officer’s carriage.
The engine lurched to life along with its train, as a second whistle joined the first, signaling the engine’s departure from its station. The army of the Coltago was on the move finally, with orders passed down from Luna’s Command to the Telegraph office early into last evening.
Moondancer’s commands were simple; march down through Western Virginia. Find any and all Rebel forces. Fight and kill them. Luna had no compunctions about being direct with her commands - something Moondancer quite appreciated in a commanding officer. The Princess turned Major General was fast to the point, and from all reports, busy keeping the Rebels on the tips of their hooves. It would take a good portion of the month for Moondancer’s Corps to make their way far enough south to happen upon any Confederate forces; she’d have to march through Wheeling, and then down towards the Shenandoah Valley - and she was still deciding whether it’d be more feasible to march down the West or East of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
That could wait for now, though. Wheeling first. Then, the front.
=#===#=
Lightning Charm swore heavily and rapidly as she ducked herself down into the ditch on the North side of the Canal - itself a piss-poor excuse for a river, but wide enough to make fording it not a casual endeavor. Rocking herself momentarily from side to side and stress-tapping the Remneighton Model 51 holstered on her side, the aging General’s ears flicked back and forth with frustration as the Rebel Artillery dueled with her own. The rebel infantry was still moving forwards towards the canal, as their skirmishers and her own traded rifle fire, and for the second time the General cursed her stupidity in sending Wind’s Corps north to protect the flank while they rebuilt their numbers.
With three month enlistments ending a few weeks ago, most of the Army of Equestria had been gutted, outside of her own Corps, Moondancer’s new Corps that was supposedly marching down Western Virginia, and the re-enlistees that made up the rest of the AoE. And of course, the Confederates had waited until the entire Army of Equestria was busy re-filling their ranks to make a dedicated attack along the current lines of the war.
In front of her, as her scouts had informed her with some accuracy, was at least two Rebel Corps - Hampton’s Division, freshly reformed from their mauling earlier in the year and marching under what was guessed to be in excess of eight thousand ponies - and whatever leftovers were still fighting-capable from the Army of the Fillisee.
So only somewhere between twelve and sixteen thousand rebel troops, no pressure.
“General you should probably pull back a bit!” Barked Colonel Shimmer, as the younger officer stalked her way over to her older superior, standing tall and firm with her black-hats of the so-called Iron Brigade. The entire three-thousand pony brigade, mustered out of her home state of Coltnetticut, was armed with a mixture of majority Whinnyworth rifles, as well as a few Sharps and Maresissippi rifles they’d picked up as casualties filtered in and out of the brigade over the course of their previous battles.
“Hell with that, I just got here!” Charm shouted back in reply, as Shimmer snorted, settling in next to her officer without a care in the world, as if they weren’t currently being shot at by a rapidly growing Confederate line. “I figure we’ve got near fourteen thousand Rebs in front of us, think you can hold the riverline!?” Charm shouted in continuation, as another volley rattled out from the Iron Brigade, and cannon shot splashed into the canal.
“So long as we’ve got shot and powder, we’ll hold all the damned live-long day, General!” Sunset replied, after a moment’s consideration. “They’re coming harder against our right flank, where Skipper and Night are at, they’re more at risk than my position is, ma’am!”
“Noted! I want you to listen for my bugle calls! If you hear a short, three note burst - like a Tah-Tah-Tah!- you are to refuse the line, understand!? You are to shorten the line shifting to your right, as Light collapses in on your left, and we pull back from the river to force them to cross after us!”
“I understand ma’am! Three notes, we refuse the line!”
“Good mare! Now kill me some rebels!”
=#===#=
As the day wore on, rifle shot after rifle shot was expended with haste, as the rebels attempted several times to cross Charm’s line at the river. All times attempted, the confederates were driven off under withering fire, but with ammunition beginning to run low and nighttime beginning to fall, Charm’s troops, as skilled and professional as they were, were beginning to flag.
Skipper on the right snapped first, as his troops ran low - then completely out - of ammunition, though he still carried an orderly and slow withdrawal covered by Wood’s two artillery batteries, sending off a runner to Charm before doing anything. As a result, the bugle call was sounded, and the line was refused, as Charm’s entire corps shifted to meet the rebels attempting to push their flank. Night Light’s Brigade was rushed from the left, instead of collapsing into Sunset’s flank, and sent to the far right at the triple-time, and hurriedly patched up the hole left by Skipper’s retreating brigade just in time to repulse a concerted rebel push across the river.
By nightfall however, the rebels had crossed the Canal on the flank, despite Charms’ refusal of the line, and so she had to plan accordingly. Ammunition was brought up overnight, and troops were shifted under cover of darkness - as the rebels who had yet to quit the field no doubt did the same - to better protect the now endangered artillery batteries.
When morning came the rebels, who as Charm had expected stacked a majority of their remaining troops along the Union’s right, were surprised. They’d been expecting something to be done of course to cover Skipper’s retreat, and Charm wasn’t stupid enough to believe they hadn’t expected that, but they also likely hadn’t expected Juniper Wood to roll both his batteries of thirty pounders up to the main infantry line. Wood had ordered his two battery commanders to pack doubled up canister loads, and as the rebels crested the canal-line, coming face to face with a line of not only fresh infantry in the form of Sunset’s redeployed and re-supplied Iron Brigade, but also heavy artillery at close range.
The resultant canister barrages tore through the rebels attempting to push out from the canal-line, and Sunset’s own Brigade stood their ground with their high quality rifles, keeping the rebels from simply charging out to kill or capture the cannons; it was a slaughter, despite the vastly larger rebel numbers, and before midday, the rebels were falling back in disrepair, leaving hundreds of prisoners and wounded, mangled bodies scattered around the canal. It’d been one of Charm’s costlier wins, as her casualty reports were nearing closer to a thousand - a full seventh of her corps - but in the face of such overwhelming enemy odds, she’d take what she could get. Hopefully Wind or Heart would move in her direction soon, or there’d be trouble if the confederates came again.
But for today, the Regulars held their ground, and by Faust was anyone else going to move them from it.
Hey guys, I didn't want to make this a blog post because I know not all my readers check the blog.
THIS STORY IS NOT DEAD.
It has been on a temporary hiatus that should end sometime this week, however, due to a glaring issue with my story writing - Grand Tactician released a large update (Whiskey and Lemons) that uh, kind of broke my game save.
So between college, work, and my free time, I've tried fixing the game save, including rolling back to an old version of the game, but it's just not happening.
So instead, I've been taking notes across some other Campaigns I've started on the new version of the game, and the rest of North and South will follow similarly (but not exactly) to that model.
The show will go on, folks, all this means is that I'll not be keeping up with the blogs anymore, which is saddening, but them's the breaks.
Expect a new chapter out sometime this week, and I'll be continuing forwards alongside my written outline going forwards.
Staunton was once more under siege from a numerically superior Rebel Force, as Generals Charm and Wind wearily looked over their war-map of the region, as well as the attached cavalry scouting reports that Spring Rain had submitted. Outnumbered over two to one, with a combined force of fourteen thousand against a large rebel combined force of forty-one or so thousand, the Royal Army's Right flank was not looking particularly stable or tenable.
And yet,
"If we can hold on for at least the day, there's supposedly reinforcement marching from up North, from towards Coltago." Charm began quietly, folding away her spectacles to give her weary eyes a rest, as the tent's lamp began to burn low in the misty pre-dawn. The aging general gave her forehead a rub with a Hoof, trying to will the headache away.
"That's a big if," Wind began, equally worn down, as she rolled a cigar idly between her teeth. "Do we know how far to the North, other than, 'sometime tomorrow', at all?"
"No." Charm began, shaking her head. "Just guesswork. At best, if they force a March and there's a train waiting for them at Grafton or Wheeling, and then the line's totally clear, they could be here late this evening. At worst, it could be a couple days. By which point, of course, we'll have been swept up from Staunton and probably back over the Potomac."
"Mhn. Well," Wind drawled, deigning to light her cigar with a match. "We can probably hold for the day, at least. It'll take Johnny Reb a few hours to bring their Brigades on-line I figure, and March up the canal."
"True." Charm nodded, snout creasing slightly at the cigar smoke, but otherwise not commenting on her fellow general's habits. "Then they'll have to actually cross the canal under fire. We've got Crescent Moon's Corps in front of us based on the flags, he'll want to take time to draw up his whole Corps before he decides to come and push us off the canal."
"All respect Gen'ral;" Wind retorted softly, her Fillyseean twang giving a thick weight to her words, "he won't need his whole Corps. He figures that out, he'll just send whatever half shows up first and make us move, like at the cadet school last week."
"You're not wrong, Wind." Charm nodded, after giving the warning fair consideration. "But I think we can use that, too. If Moon just throws whatever he feels like at us instead of forming on-line, well, we should be able to hold them off so long as the ammo is good. And Moon's particularly slow to put all his folks on-line."
"Beats runnin' back up to th' Ferry with our tails tucked." The younger general groused, puffing away on her cigar gamely. "We'll hold the day, and figure it out from there?"
Lightning nodded, tapping a hoof idly against the map as she replaced her spectacles. "We'll hold for the day, and figure out our situation from there."
=#===#=
As was quickly becoming traditional, cannonade opened up the temo of the latest battle for Staunton. Rebel cannons - a hodgepodge of Parrot Guns, Ordnance Rifles, and older Neighpoleon Guns - rang out from hilltops opposing the canal, over at the Rutledge Hills. The Southern guns blared, as Cheerilee's two twelve pounder field gun batteries and Wood's two thirty pounder Parrots responded in kind, sending shells roaring across the canal, whilst infantry on both sides laid low in place, trying not to be intersected by wayward shells or shrapnel.
The first Confederate Brigades began probing the Royalist line as the artillery began to peter out, about twenty minutes after their beginning - likely due to munitions concerns. The infantry marched directly up to the canal - at which point the Royalists stood and began peppering the advancing Rebels with their mixture of Whinnyworthe, Maresissippis, and Sharps rifles from the regulars, and Steedfield rifles from Tempest's finally reasonably armed veteran militia.
The Confederates stood firm in the face of the Royal troops' firepower and started returning rifle fire themselves, as minie balls began to fly back and forth like angry hornets, smoke clouds expelling out of the ends of rifles and filling the sky with the acrid smell of black powder and the coppery scent of fresh blood, as musket balls found targets and bodies began to drop.
The rebel infantry began their first withdrawal a few minutes later, not broken but clearly uninterested in sitting around and taking obscene levels of casualties as the Royalists used their hastily dug barricades to good effect of cover.
=//[]\\=
Major Cloud Jet, standing next to Colonel Shimmer of the Regular Corps, mopped a hoofkerchief across her brow, already feeling the heat of the exceedingly warm Virginia day.
"Think they'll come again soon?" She questioned, gazing over to her regularly uniformed counterpart, who shrugged and lit up a small, wooden tobacco pipe.
"Don't rightly figure they'll just leave." Sunset hummed, after a moment's consideration. "We've probably just gotten their dander up now. They'll be back in short order, question's really whether or not they've got friends yet or if they're still forming lines."
"Well, whatever they decide to do, We've got the ammunition for it." Major Jet hummed, nodding down their line as small boxes of paper cartridges were doled out to the resting troops.
"For now, sure." Sunset nodded. "But I'd still be sparing as you can. Fifty odd cartridges plus whatever reserve we can scrounge up isn't going to last all day."
"No. They won't." Cloud agreed, rubbing her hoofkerchief across her face once more.
Damned heat.
=//[]\\=
The rebels came back about an hour or so later, with another fresh Division of troops in the vanguard, followed by whatever division had initially skirmished at the canal. Colonel Starry Night's section of the line was being pushed upon next, as her Sharps Rifles let out a withering rate of fire at the advancing Rebels. For their part, the Rebels made it up to the creek, and then made use of a shallow divot on their end of the canal - probably a wagon or cart track with a squat stone guiding fence - to crouch and lay prone, as they slowly but more safely returned fire.
Starry swore beneath her breath and waved over her runner, who dipped and ducked their way across the firing line and over to the Colonel's position. "Colonel Night, ma'am!" He reported, sliding down next to the unicorn mare.
"Corporal!" Starry began with a bark, as rifle shots whizzed overhead of the two. "Send my compliments back to General Charm! Advise, I need the artillery Guns to dislodge these entrenched Rebels to my front, along that wagon track dip on the South Bank!"
"Understood, ma'am! Compliments to the General, need the guns to dislodge our forward rebels!" The corporal repeated with a nod.
"Good stallion. Go." And with a snappy salute, he was off, headed back behind the line and towards Charm's Command line.
=[<I>]=
Fireball Blast's thirty pounder guns hissed hot steam from their menacing black maps, shortly before a worm was rammed down the barrel and tugged free, yanking blazing embers along with it. A wet sponge followed the worm, leaving the massive parrot gun hissing again but properly doused and ready to load.
Major Blast watched her crews with a practiced eye, as one of Spring Rain's cavalry fliers flittered over, the Sergeant snapping off a quick salute to the unicorn major. "General Charm's compliments, Major! General wants your guns adjusted to fire south of the canal and into the wagon track in front of Colonel Night's position, if practical!"
Blast returned the salute, waiting until after the second battery's guns sounded out a roll of round shot at the rebel infantry to give her reply. "I'll see what I can make happen, Sergeant. Advise General Charm it won't be easy shooting, I won't know its efficacy until I have shells flying."
"I shall advise the General. At your leave, Major?"
"As you were Sergeant." Fireball nodded, sharply returning his salute before turning to address her gun crews.
“All guns, all guns!” She barked, drawing their attention as she began to speak to the colts and fillies running her large bore guns. “Adjust ranging out to…” She trailed off with a pause, gazing out at the field through a pair of field glasses. “Adjust ranging, eight hundred and twenty yards! Give me a ranging shot of round with fuse at… let’s start with seventeen seconds if you would!”
=//[]\\=
Starry swore again, as the first shot from whatever red-leg’s batter was assigned to her line landed far ahead of the rebels to her front, sailing off over their low-slung heads as the two infantry formations continued to trade rifle fire. The second shot, a couple moments later, landed perilously short - actually splashing into the canal, and sending filthy water all over the damned place.
Her troops kept up their rifle fire regardless, albeit at a slightly slower rate than their Sharps rifles could manage so as to conserve their munitions as the rebels - still dug in for the time being on their divot - shot back in return. The unicorn officer grimaced as a third shell - hopefully just ranging shots - smashed directly through her ramparts - and really hopefully not causing a glut of casualties - and shook her head disparagingly. “If I survive this shit I’m going back to my farm and staying there.”
A few moments later though, Starry considered eating her words - and her hat - as a fourth shot finally - and wonderfully - smashed directly through the low stone fence covering the divot, careening into the confederate forces that had been taking cover behind it.
“Oh. Shit.”
=//[]\\=
“There, there’s my fucking fuse length.” Fireball hissed, beneath her breath as she exhaled a breath she hadn’t known she was holding. Dropping her field glasses to hang around her neck, she spun and gave snappy orders to her gun crews. “Give me a full spread of case, keep that twelve second timer and maintain elevation and ranging! We’ve got the bastards now!” The Major belted out, taking a moment to drink a swig of water from her canteen.
“Fire until I can’t see the bastards anymore!”
=//[]\\=
“Damn, look at that over there.” Sunset whistled, having freshly lit her pipe again with more tobacco, and gesturing for Major Jet to follow her pointed hoof. The two had moved over to the center of their position to discuss ammunition concerns when Blast’s battery finally found it’s mark, and began to liberally spray the wagon divot with the molten steel of angry case shot as the munitions shrapnelled outwards and into the currently prone and easily targeted rebels.
The Colonel and the Major watched as the Rebels decided not to subject themselves to the withering barrage for much longer, and stood up, quitting the field and retreating from the divot.
After watching the retreat for a moment as the Unicorn of the pair puffed away on her pipe, Cloud Jet retrieved her pocket watch, checking the time in reference to the slowly setting sun. “Mm. ‘bout four in the afternoon. They could bring up another attack if they wanted, they’ve still got a couple hours before dusk.”
“Don’t think they will, Major?” Shimmer prodded idly, giving the pegasus mare a side eye as she watched the rebels withdraw under withering fire from Starry’s rifles and Blast’s cannonades.
“They could, but honestly? I think they’ll just mass up for a big attack first thing in the morning. We kicked their teeth in today, and they’ll be sore about that until first light I reckon.”
“Unfortunately Major,” Sunset frowned from around her pipe, watching intently as the last few rebels left the field, “I feel that you are correct.”
===#===
Flurry Heart blinked repeatedly as she crunched her teeth on a few unground coffee beans, whilst her division marched along ahead of her. She herself was surrounded by her staff officers, who all looked equally exhausted as she felt, and likely were. It was getting late in the evening - near to nine at night - but the Army of Coltago showed no signs of stopping. Moondancer’s orders had been clear to all her divisional commanders: The Royal right flank was being threatened by a comparatively large rebel army, and the Army of the Coltago’s first field duty would be to relieve the flank.
The troops were weary, and fall-outs were definitely happening. Thankfully, her hospital wagons were following close behind, as the army kept up its blistering pace despite grumbling and exhaustion from the troops. If the right flank collapsed at Staunton, the entire Shenandoah River Valley would be opened up to rebel maneuver, and Luna’s Army of Equestria could then be dislodged.
So on into the night Flurry Heart and her division marched. They were slated to stop marching at around three in the morning, take a few hours’ rest on the roadside - no time for camps or bivouac - and then they’d be on the march again at seven, so that Staunton could hopefully be relieved by at least midday.
Hopefully they could hold on for that long.
=#===#=
“Can’t sleep?”
Twilight Sparkle shook her head, staring out at the railway line leading southwards out of Alexandria. There was a whole Confederate Corps down there, somewhere, keeping her and Trixie’s troops from moving off to reinforce Charm’s crumbling flank.
The young princess gave an exhausted gaze over at Luna, as the elder alicorn sat down next to the younger. “Nor can you, apparently.” Twilight nodded, offering a cup of long cold coffee to the Princess of the night. Luna shook her head in negative, leaving Twilight to retain her cup. She took a shallow sip of the bitter brew.
“Nay, we are a nocturnal sort on the regular, though this war has already begun changing such habits. Which is… more the pity, we believe.”
“Mnh.”
“Thou- You are troubled, Twilight.”
It wasn’t a question.
“More than I should be, probably. I wasn’t expecting the rebels to hit our right with such a large force, considering what we have in front of us, out there somewhere.”
“Mnh.” Luna nodded, solemnly. “It’s a valid fear though, Twilight. Behind us lay our homes. Our ponies. Our families. We must stand and defend them, even if it costs us deeply to do so. But we can only do our best.”
“And if our best isn’t enough, Luna? What then? What do we do after that?”
“Then we do what we can, Twilight. And we keep doing what we can, until we cannot.” Luna sighed, wearily removing her campaign hat to run a hoof across her face. Her light blue mane fluttered in its invisible and ethereal breeze, as she rested the campaign hat down in her lap.
“But how? How are you so… so calm? I’m- I’ll be honest with you I’m not sleeping because I’m afraid, I-”
“We know, Twilight Sparkle. Luna raised her hoof to halt the stressed lavender alicorn. “We are the Princess of the Night - as well as of Dreams. We are… doing what we can to soothe such aspects of our subjects’ nights. It is an uphill battle these days, I am afraid. You do not have to explain yourself to me, my friend.”
“I… I’m sorry, Luna. I don’t know what just came over me, I-”
“Be not sorry, Twilight my dear friend. We all do what we can do. No more, and no less. For some, that is different than for their peers. You have done things for me and my sister that I could never hope to match. Let me comfort you in turn. You have nothing to apologize to me for.”
“...Thank you.”
“Anytime.” Luna nodded, following Twilight’s gaze out past the railroad tracks headed South. She kept her campaign hat in her lap, clearly intending not to move herself for some time either. “You should rest, Twilight. The war will still be on when the Sun touches the sky.”
=//[]\\=
The morning dew brought with it massed rifle fire, as Rebel infantry closed the distance once more to the Royal line. Sunset’s Walker revolver cracked angrily, levitated aloft in her magic as the massed confederate forces moved across the divot, across the canal, and directly up to the ramparts that she and her brigade were still currently holding with a firm grasp.
Bullets flew to and fro on her left and right as Royal and Rebel alike fell - dead or wounded - aside and in front of her. Her hoofgun barked once, twice, thrice in as many seconds, as she emptied the rest of her six cylinders into the rebels to her front before ducking back below the ramparts her troops were using to protect themselves. To her side, Major Jet’s brigade - really by an extension the entire Royal line of battle - was in similar straits, as the massed rebel force battered away at them with reckless abandon and sheer weight of numbers.
Breaking open her revolver’s cylinder to reload, Sunset took a calming breath that did little to actually calm her jittery hooves, and began the lengthy process of actually reloading her cap and ball revolver, whilst her troops kept up their steady rate of fire despite increasing casualties.
Clamping her revolver closed once more after several agonizingly long seconds, Sunset rose back up to her hooves alongside her troops and began dumping her freshly loaded bullets downrange once more at the slowly advancing rebels. Despite the withering fire being put out by the Royalist infantry with their impressive Whinnyworth and Sharps rifles, they were still being dogpiled upon by the confederate forces, and the line was beginning to strain.
It was only a matter of time before that strain turned into a snap.
=//[]\\=
Starry Night hissed as a rifle bullet nicked her shoulder, jabbing a hoof down to the graze and coming back bloody. She’d attend to that during a lull, but right now, as she had her saber wedged in the dirt and a Sharps rifle cradled in her hooves, she had more pressing and immediate concerns.
The rebels had brought the entirety of their force on-line finally, which spelled bad times ahead in the immediate term for the Royalists, as ammunition was expended and casualties were beginning to mount. So far they were holding their positions, but her Sharps rifles were quickly proving to be a bit of a double edged sword; they were fast-firing rifles and accurate ones to boot which, while her troops were maintaining good speed and good accuracy, also meant they were rapidly running out of ammunition - and it was still only about ten in the morning.
Starry Night mopped the sweat off her brow with a hoof, as the Rebels finally called off their assault with a pair of choppy bugle calls to re-organize themselves back into something assembling cohesion. She then took a scrap of loose fabric out of a pocket to tie around her grazed shoulder, tying it off with a stick as it began to soak red with blood, though not at a rate which would be cause for concern.
The Unicorn sat down against the shooting parapet, looking around at her worn brigade. “Okay… Okay. Post sentries for when they decide to sally at us again. Everypony else, gather rifles and ammo, and get the wounded back down to the surgeons’ tents. Take a few minutes and get some rest. They’ll be here again shortly, folks.”
Faust, was she tired all of a sudden.
Concerned suddenly, Starry double-checked herself for injuries and winced as she placed a hoof to her upper thigh, scowling as it came back slick with red blood.
“And someone help me with a Faust-damned bandage, I appear to have been shot.”
=#===#=
General Charm rubbed a forehoof across her muzzle in frustration, before nodding over at the newly present Corporal. “Report.”
“We’ve held off another assault ma’am, but it’s not looking to be doable for much longer. Colonel Night’s reporting she’s been injured, but the surgeon gave her a look-over and declared her fit to return to her troops. Colonel Shimmer additionally reports that the right flank is drastically low on shot, and Starry herself reported about three shots left to a soldier, more or less.”
“Suppose it’s time to prepare the withdrawal then.” Tempest sighed wearily, and clearly unhappy with the idea. General Charm didn’t call the Filliseean on the grousing - she was feeling much the same way after all.
Rifle fire in the distance shook the two out of their despairing thoughts however, as Lightning Charm frowned, folding away her spectacles. “Already? Dammit they’ll force a rout at this point if they keep pushing us like this.”
“Bit far off for our folks.” Tempest noted with a hum, giving Charm a pause, before continuing, her ears twitching to the sounds of rifle fire. “Sounds like that’s off over the hill.”
“Over the hill?”
“Hm? Oh, yes’m. Sounds like it’s off on the far side of Rutledge Hills, not the canal.”
“Wind, that’s fairly deep into the Rebel Flank.”
“Well yes, I am aware, General Charm. That was sort of my point, actually.”
“So I am corrected.” Charm nodded neutrally, as the two officers followed by the reporting Corporal left the tent to try and observe the new skirmish.
Smoke and shot-cloud flew, rising from the rear of the Rutledge Hills, as the two mares shared a confused look. Moondancer’s Army was still supposedly a fair way out at the last report given around six in the morning.
“Just what in the hell is going on over there?”
===#===
Flurry Heart swore beneath her breath, gasping for air as fire - hot fire - shot through her lungs, bullets crashing off and finally shattering her pale pink shield and knocking the youthful Division Officer off her hooves.
This would turn out to save her life in the short term, as heated shrapnel soared overhead, spearing several troops of her division as the alicorn watched with a slack jaw from her position on the hard ground. Things had started out well enough, as her troops - recently rested from their excruciating overnight march - finally reached the Staunton battlefield ahead of schedule, and were ready to help the Royal defenders give a whipping to the rest of the Rebel Army.
Of course, about that time Flurry’s Division finished cresting Rutledge Hill, and the young Alicorn came face to face with the Confederate Artillery Train - currently sighted down and towards the canal. With a fast quarter turn of their guns as her own troops continued forwards into the maw of the rebel cannons, Fluffy froze in the face of such massed guns, and only lived as her Division’s front rank was shredded by doubled loads of canister due to a Confederate Brigade being held in reserve knocking her over onto the ground by breaking her shield with gunfire.
Rolling back onto her hooves, having shaken herself free of her momentary stupor, Flurry nearly barked at her bugler to call for a retreat, and get themselves the hell out of this killing field. She bit her tongue though, seeing the pennant battle-flags of General Melody's Division waving at the base of the hill, and instead called out to her troops. "Hell with it, return fire at those damned cannons!" She cried, snapping up her service pistol into her magic's grasp and beginning to return fire at the Confederates that had ambushed them. Her position wasn't great, but if she could just keep her troops together for long enough that Melody's division could reinforce her - and if Melody was here then Snow was shortly behind her and Redglad would be just behind Snow, with the gun train.
They might have a chance here.
Flurry Heart grit her teeth and dug in her hooves where she was, letting her shield flare back to life weakly as her troops gave out jaunts and jeers at the rebels to their front, rifles clattering out their shots like an angrily rattlling drum. The alicorn mare dug herself in like a stubborn tick and refused to move herself or her Command, even as the Rebel infantry around the hill began to shift in reaction, even as Melody's Division swept up and around Rutledge Hill and onto her flank, even as Snow came up on her other side and then parallel to Flurry's Division, and the Confederates were shoved, forcibly, down the hill - leaving their cannon train behind them.
Then, Flurry finally let herself sink back to the ground, let her battered shield flicker and die, let her weary eyes close but for a moment, blinking and shaking herself as she felt hooves reaching for her.
"Shit 'm up. I'm okay." Flurry mumbled, as she shook herself back to wakefulness, leg flinching in pain as she stepped wrongly upon it. "I'm okay."
"Just checkin', General. You took a quick dive there." One of her Colonels nodded, dusting her off. "Further orders for us, ma'am?"
"Let me up, let me see what's going on." Flurry began, as her Colonels pointed her in the direction where Melody's Division and Snow's Division were continuing up and over the hill and into the Confederate rear-line.
"Okay." Flurry nodded, then looked out at her wounded division. Her troops still had their wits about them from the looks of things, but they were disorganized, and looked a bit lost. All fixable issues. "Okay. Get the ponies rallied and back on-line, we'll wedge in behind General Melody's Division and act as her reserve. Make sure we're formed up and cohesive before you move out. Understood?" Met by nods, she gave her own sharp nod. "Go."
=#===#=
"Well, the timing was all messed up, and General Heart's lucky she only ran face first into Johnny Reb's cannons rather than their rifle lines, but I suppose it's worked out for the best." Moondancer snorted, spitting a wad of chewing tobacco onto the ground outside Charm and Wind's command tent. She and her Command Staff had made their way along the backside of Staunton to re-group with Charm and Wind's beleaguered staff, as her army marched up the Rebel Flank and began splitting the Confederate Army in twine.
"Can't fault her for taking the fight to the enemy." Charm began, chuckling dryly.
"Sure I can, ma'am. I gave her strict orders not to out-run the rest of the column, and if Melody's Division hadn't double-time marched to keep up, she'd have been fighting half the damned rebel army by herself. She's a damned nuisance." Moondancer snorted, derisively. "But she has turned the Rebel Flank, and I will thus forgive her initiative as it's turned out for the better. She'll have to learn, and learn fast, that there's time to be creative in interpreting orders, and times when she shouldn't. She got lucky today, she made it work. But you can't count on luck to win a fight, and most definitely not a damned war."
Wind shrugged, as she continued to accept casualty tallies from the three generals' division and brigade officers. "Luck's nice. Luck helps. But you're right, it ain't everything." She hums idly, scribbling away at a small pad of paper. "But I'll definitely take a Lucky officer over an un-lucky one."
"Hear hear." Charm chuckled dryly, before shaking her head. "How are the casualties looking, General Wind?"
"Rough, General Charm. No two ways about that. It's still preliminary, but I'm wagerin' about a thousand on our end just dead outright. Probably four times that in wounded. Bout three hundred or more missing or deserted."
"Nnh. And the Rebels?"
"Dunno. Eight thousand easy, and still counting. Took their whole artillery train, too, thanks to that Brigadier of Moondancer's." Tempest would grin, nodding in the scowling unicorn's direction. "Largest damned battle of this war so far, and we came out on top - just about."
"Small mercies, General." Charm nodded, polishing her glasses once more. "Small mercies, and hard fighting."
