#mylittlepony - #"To Arms, To Arms!" Anything and everything about the Equestrian Guard:

"To Arms, To Arms!" Anything and everything about the Equestrian Guard:

So, the Guard. Or Royal Guard. Equestria military. They don't get much positive screen time, but despite that they've always held a strong place in my heart: Those stalwart souls who - unbound by destiny and unaided by any great magical superweapons - hold the line day and night against the common threats to the common ponies: The monster, the bandit, and the invader.

This is a collected headcanon dump about all things Guard related: How they are organized, how they fight, how they are recruited, and more. While some of it is based on hints or tips from the show, much of the rest is nothing but my attempt to build a coherent idea for Equestria's military. Given that this is a bit of a wall'o'text, I've tried to conveniently section and title things for your easy reading.

With that said, let's dig into things:

Branches:

The EUP Guard, often simply referred to as "the Guard", is Equestria's rank-and-file military. They watch the borders, man outposts and garrisons of major cities, protect against monster incursions or bandits, and - in time of war - would provide the bulk of Equestria's armed forces. EUP Guard ponies are placed into largely tribally-uniform formations; while ponies entering the service try to be placed in areas relating to their talent, it's by no means a given - someone has to fill out the grunts!

Although their tactics are radically different, there isn't much of a distinguishment between air corps and land-bound forces; they're both considered part of the same force. Pegasi tend to be more treated as a mix of artillery (with their storm-making abilities) and light (harassing) cavalry.

The Royal Guard - also sometimes referred to as the Solar Guard - are very technically Celestia's personal House Guard. They are drawn from the highest-performing ranks of the EUP guard and charged with the protection of critically-important persons, locations, and held in reserve as a professional force in major battles. This tends to result in an abundance of ponies with defense- or military-related Talents ending up there, but it is by no means a strict limitation.

Unlike the EUP Guard, the Royal Guard are trained to fight in mixed-tribe small units - with a particular focus on taking advantage of different tribes' abilities in unison to quickly overwhelm foes before a response can be mounted. Though they wear golden armor when on-duty around VIPs, don't be fooled - they are a very potent force in combat! Celestia rarely exerts unilateral authority over them any longer, but they do still maintain a somewhat more ritualistic culture - swearing oaths to Celestia alone, and with Royal Guards' families being considered 'under their protection' as well.

Often thought of as the Royal Guard's 'dark side', the Night Guard are Luna's House Guard. Riven in half during Nightmare's rebellion, their loyal fragment depleted by ostracism, desertion, and even lynchings, they have long been a small force. After the banishment, those surviving loyalists quietly approached Celestia and offered to swear additional oaths to Equestria itself - being effectively integrated into the Royal Guard command structure. Since Luna's return, she has seen fit to continue this agreement - attaching a portion of her Night Guard to the Royal Guard while expanding their ranks once again.

Like the Royal Guard, they tend to train in mixed-tribe units and are highly ritualistic. Unlike their day-walking counterparts, however, the Night Guard further specialize in stealth, subterfuge, and ambush. A persistent rumor says that only Bat Ponies - "Thestrals" - are allowed to join; while a very large portion of the Bat Pony population serves, the guard itself has all tribes of pony in it.

Equestria doesn't really have much of a Navy; their political ambitions have rarely stretched overseas and pegasi-driven storms were as lethal a weapon as any ship. As a result, only a small cadre of proudly-crewed sailing ships exists. However, an enterprising naval officer recognized early that airships would become militarily valuable and managed to arrange for them to be the sole domain of the Navy. This remains something of a sore point for the EUP Guard, who consider 'over-land' matters their domain.

Lastly, in emergencies various Militias would form the lowest-tier branch: Little more than townsponies with basic training and whatever weapons can be found, they protect towns where the EUP Guard cannot permanently garrison or whose garrisons have been withdrawn to more critical areas. Police are considered de-facto militia "officers" during catastrophes, but in time of war they'd mostly be formed of those ponies unfit for frontline service. These serve to form support units and patrol rear areas while true Guards have been called away to the front line.

Recruitment:

Most recruitment in peacetime is done by volunteer. Serving in the military is generally seen as a respectable choice, but not necessarily a final result for somepony's path in life. Some ponies do choose to serve their entire lives, though, even if not called by their particular talent - driven by a distinct sense of cameraderie and purpose of task found in the guard.

Pegasi tend to have a stronger military tradition than the other tribes, and disproportionately serve in the EUP Guard even if just for a short period of time. Not doing so is unusual, and in some circles seen as disgraceful. This also comes with a darker side: Equestria's rare attempted military coup has more often than not had a pegasus at its head. Earth ponies and unicorns form the balance of the rest in about equal numbers, with Earth Ponies somewhat more likely to serve for long periods of time.

During wartime, conscription would be in effect - Equestria simply doesn't have the population to avoid this. Any pony who is not physically unfit or has no other pressing need for their Mark Talents or skills could find themselves part of the EUP Guard.

Organization:

Given that Equestria is still an enormously spread-out nation - with tens of thouands, if not hundreds of thousands or millions of small hamlets and towns spread around - guarding them all can be a tricky process. Instead of garrisoning every single one, the Guard tends to garrison somewhat larger towns as "regional hubs" and then carry out regular patrols of travel routes, nearby villages, and other important sites. Ponyville, for instance, would be much too small for a permanent garrison - but would see weekly or bi-weekly checkins from a Canterlot-based regiment.

This doesn't protect against all threats, of course, and the sad truth is that many small towns and settlements are left with nothing more than their local militias to hold off. Towns in particularly dangerous regions or with particular value might be assigned permanent garrisons regardless of their size; typically a smaller detachment still beholden to a local major city would be granted. Another concept occasionally trialed is to encourage retired guard members to move to such regions and grant their experience to the local militias.

Equipment:

Armor:

Among the EUP Guard, armor is fairly standardized and issued to recruits by formation quartermasters. However, Equestria's limited industrial base means that armor is rarely replaced in full; it is entirely possible for a new recruit to be issued armor that has seen decades or even centuries of use and repair.

• Front-line infantry is largely composed of Earth Pony infantry leveraging their tribe's renowned strength. They are accordingly outfitted with thick-fronted plate armor covering the chest, back, neck, and forelegs with protection capable of resisting hostile thrusts and projectiles. Flanks and hindlegs, however, are only granted lighter plates or mail to protect them. This can be considered equivalent to the real-world munition armor.

• Pegasi air-fighters generally make do with a lighter, flexible segmented plate offering better all-around protection to the main body while still retaining maneuverability and flexibility. Limbs, however, are completely unprotected. This reflects the fact that center-of-mass shots from ranged weapons or hits that injure the critical flight muscles are a great threat, but a glancing blow to the legs will not immediately kill a soldier. Helmets are also often open-faced, to preserve awareness in the complex dance of aerial combat.

• Unicorn warmages sit somewhere in between. After arrow volleys, the best way to attack a warmage is to try and contact their horn with something while they are casting - inducing catastrophic backlash. As a result, warmages tend to do with the same lighter plate-and-mail mixed armor most second-line soldiers (archers, engineers, etc) do... but their helmets occasionally outfit protective shields in front of or around the horn (fully enclosing the horn being too disruptive).

Surprisingly, the Royal Guard makes use of a somewhat lighter armor, often leaving the legs unprotected similarly to pegasi. This reflects their role as a fast-acting, flexible fighting force where agility, speed, and mutual support are viewed as more critical than sheer protectiveness. However, their armor is also almost always of higher grade than what the rank-and-file gets. Unlike the EUP guard, Royal Guard armorers will have blacksmiths adjust armor for their wearers where possible.

Special mention for militia, who again often make do with whatever they can scrounge up. This may mean cast-off, obsolete, or cheaply-made armor; more often, however, they simply make do with thickly-padded coats - sometimes with metal strips or plates sewn onto them.

Melee weapons:

• Pole weapons of various types remain the dominant melee weapon for ponies. Spears, pikes, halberds, poleaxes - all are evident in abundance. The simplicity of training, protective reach, and effectiveness when used in dense formations makes them popular across many divisions.

  • Ground forces tend to prefer longer and well-pointed weapons such as pikes or bills with long, straight edges - effective for forming a bristling wall that can deter even well-armored foes.
  • Pegasi air divisions, however, are consistently issued halberds and poleaxes - whose flanges and spikes make them effective for thrusting or slashing at a vulnerable foe amid complex air combat.

• While agile flyers with blades affixed to their shoes are a near-legendary concept - particularly associated with Luna's Night Guard - the fact is that so-called "hoofblades" are in fact an exceedingly finicky and dangerous weapon for their wielders (their affiliation with the Night Guard may be on account of that division's famous pickiness in recruiting). Users must learn how to raise and lower the blades to prevent scraping and dulling, to account for the unusual weight on their limbs, and not to overextend themselves. The main advantage is in fact that few know how to defend against them!

• On the other hand, armored shoes are a regular element of both ground and air units. A reinforced 'slipper' into which the hoof fits, they are both thick enough to absorb kicks and often feature a pointed flange some 0.5-1cm long - effectively acting as a hammer-point to pierce thinner armor or crack bones. The Princess' 'slippers' are a direct reference to these, and a symbol of the Princess' command of the armies of Equestria.

• What ponies call a sword resembles almost nothing we would recognize. Intended for use by unicorns in close combat, they are generally double-ended slim blades ranging from 25cm to 1m. A dulled section suitable for mouth-gripping (not in combat!) can sometimes be found in the middle. In combat, this is used to dart and thrust at vulnerable spots like the eyes and underbody. The degree of fine control needed amid the chaos of combat makes them a last-ditch weapon for all but the most skilled.

• Wingblades are ceremonial, or occasionally used for displays of skill.

Ranged weapons:

• By far the most common is the crossbow. With the addition of a re-cocking lever called the "goat's foot", an earth pony or pegasus can quickly re-cock a crossbow, aim it, and fire using a hoof trigger. While still slower than an optimized conventional bow, it is vastly easier to train for and can effectively be used in midair - making it the ideal weapon for armies.

• Bow and arrow do exist as well; in some versions the bow is mounted on a peg inserted into the ground or a fortifications; in others, both bow and arrow are snapped in to hooks on an archer's shoes. While popular for martial displays and shows of skill, they still require further training to easily use - unless firing from fortifications, where they are exceedingly common.

• Slings and other such simple weapons are also fairly common, though rarely used by main-line forces.

• Firearms, although existing, are relatively primitive: They may use a match- or flint-lock ignition, or an expensive alchemical primer. Though deadly and accurate, the long reload time and sensitivity of gunpowder to varying conditions (let alone magical attack) makes them a niche weapon rarely used. The Royal Guard keep a small cache.

• Special mention must be made to Pegasi ranged weapons, which are everything from "rocks" to specially crafted darts dispensed in number from altitude. Though their accuracy leaves something to be desired, lethality against massed formations or open-topped fortifications is assured.

• Lastly, of course, we must mention magic. Aside from auxiliary and support duties, unicorn warmages are lethal long-range fighters. Whether hurling bolts of raw magic or casting spells to transmute, shield, disguise, heat or chill, etc... they are a force to be reckoned with. Warmages may also be augmented by foci devices - enchanted arrangements of gems intended to boost a caster's power... albeit with some fierce drawbacks.

Field artillery:

• Ballista, catapults, and other tension-derived siege weapons are fairly common. Often attended to by mechanically-inclined earth ponies or unicorns, sometimes even the odd pegasus, they form the bulk of both field and siege artillery in Euqestrian ranks. Usage against large creatures (e.g., dragons or hydra) are common. The relatively simple nature of the machines is offset by the potential for firing magically-treated ammunition.

• Cannon are relatively rare, mostly used in defensive fortifications where powder can be stored safely. The noise and thunder are offset by Equestrian powder-making still being relatively primitive - resulting in a lack of firing range. Vulnerability of powder to both fire and water means they are considered largely inferior to...

• Larger version of the foci devices mentioned above - sometimes referred to as focal lenses - are used as a kind of magical field artillery: Much like their smaller cousins, they are frameworks around the operator containing pre-enchanted gems designed to boost their casters' abilities. However, damage to the foci or the caster's horn can cause vicious, lethal backlash.

• Wooden mantlets - lightweight, sometimes wheeled field fortifications for protection against arrows - are commonly seen when on campaign. Not only are they excellent protection against both airborne and ground-launched projectiles, but they can easily be restored via plant materials grown by earth ponies.

Superweapons:

• Ponies can and do make use of primitive chemical warfare - using smoke pots to flush out foes, for instance, or incendiaries. Herbal brews of potions might also be considered to fall under this category.

• Biological warfare is something ponies are aware of, but do not typically use... though one might argue that pegasus weather warfare constitutes a form of this: Storms can be used to drive freezing rain on an opponent or deny them easy access to water, keep them up at night or bog them down in mud and muck that spreads disease.

• Elder Alicorns. Enough said. Seeing one on the field is scary.

Last words:

There's a lot more I haven't discussed yet - where do they have their keeps? What kinds of unit sizes are present? - but this post is already growing huge and I don't want to delay it too long.

Questions? Comments? Feedback? I'd love to hear what you all think, or any ideas of your own!

Submitted October 10, 2019 at 10:31AM by Logarithmicon
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