World Building 14 · 5:07am Jul 9th, 2014
Special Note: The Equestrian Guard
Sometimes, just a force of Legionnaires is not enough. Sometimes, a force is needed to hold the line until the Legions can arrive.
For those times, the Equestrian National Guard, or as it's normally called the Equestrian Guard, steps forward to hold the line.
The Equestrian Guard was formed after the failure of the Western Rangers' campaign against the Black Templars. The Guard is a separate branch of the military from the Legions, being controlled and directed mainly by Equestria's parliament rather than Celestia herself (she is still supreme commander when the time calls for Equestria to fully mobilize for war). Unlike the Legions, the Guard recruits from all over Equestria, although regiments are often grouped according to the region from which the recruits hail from. The Guard maintains a standing force of close to one million ponies, and plans for protracted warfare have arrangements for nearly three times that many. Standard service for a Guardspony averages two years, after which they are placed into reserve status for eight to ten years before being discharged. Training for a Guardspony is less harsh than that of a Legionnaire, but is still stricter than most other militaries.
When called into active service, the Guard favors larger units, in order to compensate for inferior equipment and armor (Equipping one million ponies with Legion-grade equipment would most likely bankrupt Equestria). After the invention of gunpowder, the Guard shifted to mass pike and shot units, providing a general balance of ranged and melee. However, this has led to a slightly harsh reality: The mass ranks of the Guard are often there to be chewed up by whatever force the enemy amasses, in the hope that the next rank will be less mangled in time to carry the day. Most generals try to mitigate losses, but in some campaigns companies have reported losing close to sixty percent casualties.
Despite the losses the Guard is very adept at returning the favor: Massed ranks can produce a withering amount of firepower and steel, and the advent of cannons has made assaulting a Guard position a deadly task if not approached with proper tactics (Iron Stallions enjoy battling Guard positions, as it gives them something to test their siegecraft). In one recorded incident in southern Zebrica, the 597th Regiment (undermanned due to a transportation mishap), managed to completely annihilate a Traitor force that outnumbered them nearly three to one, not counting cultists, through the use of well placed artillery and tenacity. By the time Commander Windstriker of the Wonderbolts arrived to relieve the 597th, the entire valley was "a mass of holes and craters, with little bits of armor and metal remaining to remind us that yes, there had been Traitors there".
During times of war, the Guard's regiments are controlled by a Lord or Lady General, a commissioned officer who has spent most of their life in Equestria's service. The general may not fight directly, but if the time calls they can be as tough and skilled as a Legion Commander (or even more powerful, in the case of Lady General Cadence, Regent of the Crystal Empire, who defeated a Sentries of Fillydelphia warband with trickery and ambush and is one of the few ponies to have ever wounded Grogar the Necromancer).
The Guard is well liked by all of the Legions, not because they acts as the metaphorical wall between the Legions and the enemy, but because the stallions and mares of the Guard are ready and willing to march into the jaws of the enemy and fight, a level of bravery that even the most snobbish of Legionnaires cannot help but admire. While the Legions are mostly independent, they will often work in tandem with the Guard, their superior equipment well suited for delivering a killing blow against an enemy already worn down by the guard. Without the anvil of the Guard, the hammer that is the Equestrian Legions would fail to cause any damage, and many a campaign would have been lost.
Well, for those of you asking "Is there an Imperial Guard equivalent?" here's your answer. I'll admit, I don't play IG and haven't read up on a lot of the books that make the Guard what they are, so if you feel that this is lacking in something please let me know.
And I'm not calling them the "Astra Militarum". I know it sounds all Latin-y and stuff, but I started playing in early 6th edition when they were still the Imperial Guard. If they were going for that, why wasn't the last Space Marine codex called "Codex: Adeptus Astartes"? Then we'd really have a Codex Astartes
Hmm, considering the attachments that can arrive with an IG equivalent, did you view anything here with much the same? In psykers, or even the assassins? The other, is where some of what makes some of the IG having its meanness, the tanks and machines? I understand the tech level, but wouldnt they have some of their own toys modeled after the one artillery based legion? or side graded in places that would aid them in holding the line? Ballista's, grapeshot cannons, mangonels, and the like?
2268523 I imagine the role of psykers being filled by unicorns. Assassins, though... Will have to check back on that.
And I will definitely mention something about bigger guns.
2268532 Well, you could recruit ogryns as diamond dogs or buffalo technically? What about the zebra as the assassins? You have a kindness that the solar ruler could have easily used. Yes, it might be a bit generic, but that mysticism, and connected nature to the world might be a way of how they've kept strong.
As for the ogryns, they are dumb, giant brutes, and only two real races have the size and strength to really do that, diamond dogs, and buffalo. Kept happy with gems and their own packs, and the chance to add to their prestige and power. As you mentioned before, the majority of the packs are broken and disorganised. Could this be why? Celestia holds the biggest one under her sway to aid her ponies?
The other, might be to look the sea, and kelpies/sea ponies. They have shape shifting magics of some degree, honed, they could be infiltrators and stealths of the highest degree.
Even Cadence is a badass in this setting. Nice.
Are any canon characters in the Guard or the reserves?
2268995 I was thinking of a certain Tactical Genius when I wrote about Cadence
As for canon characters being in the Guard... well, it relies on a bit of headcanon, but I'd like to think that Big Mac did a stint in the Guard a little while before Twilight arrived in Ponyville
First, I'm gonna second the vote for more warmachines. The massed ranks of infantry are only part of the Guard, the big, clanky, shooty tanks are another important part.
The other thing I'd note this version of the Guard seems to be missing is the variety. Being drawn from many different worlds in the Imperium, IG regiments tend to be vastly different in their fighting styles. You've got the jungle fighters of Catachan, the perfectly drilled Iron Guard, the fanatical Death Korps of Krieg, the high-flying Elysians, the Ork-hunting Steel Legion, and so on. Here, it sounds like the EG is a pretty homogeneous force, which I don't think is as interesting.
Oh yeah, Commisars too. Can't forget them. Then again, I can see how working them in is fairly hard given that this is obviously lighter and fluffier then 40k.
I do really like Cadance as a Creed expy. Good call on that one.
2270141 I'll try my best to diversify in a follow up blog post. Sadly, Equestria's tech level hasn't reached mechanized warfare yet, so Leman Russ and Titan equivalents will have to wait.
And Equestria is not Grimdark enough for Commissars, sadly
2270307
Waits with baited breath for ideas on titans.
Icewind would make an excellent titan, a dreadnaught or an imperial knight, I think.