The Land of Equestria: Part 2 · 10:10am Mar 6th, 2015
After reading over last week's blog post, I decided I needed to focus on a more interesting facet of Equestria this week, and maybe something more thought provoking. So, to avoid beating around the bush, This week, we shall focus on the Equestrian Military!
Initially I thought this would just be something simple and straightforward, but it actually ended up raising a few interesting points...as you'll see later.
We begin with the first ever mention of Equestria's Military: The EUP guard (that's Earth Unicorn Pegasus Guard), established After the initial banishment of Luna (Source: The Episode "Testing Testing 123" ). Now, The EUP was set up with the sole purpose of Protecting Celestia; Pretty straightforward. Then, after a year of peace, they put on a celebration, with an aerial display by an elite squadron of pegasi so awe inspiring, that they were later renamed the Wonderbolts by their commanding officer: General Firefly. Now, Fast forward about a thousand years. The Wonderbolts are not much more than a Stunt team, seen performing shows and demonstrations much like the US Air Force's Thunderbirds, or the Navy's Blue Angels, both of which are military, but neither of which are meant for real combat. Their academy has been shown to operate very similarly to a boot camp, so it's obvious the military-style remains, and to their credit, They apparently can be called in to defend land, as shown when Spike went on a greed-induced Rampage. Even in that case, though, they were pretty ineffective, boasting no weapons or armor of any kind, and in the end getting bested by the dragon. So, what does that mean? One of the oldest defense corps in Equestria reduced to a stunt team, which when called to defend...can't do too much. Does this mean Equestria has little need for their services? Perhaps they are nothing more than a memento of an age past?
No conclusions yet, there's still a pretty obvious group that needs to be addressed: the Royal Guard. The Royal Guard is actually organized like a military: complete with armed soldiers, Defensive formations/patrols, and Armor. The most extensive look at the Guard comes from the time leading up to, and during, the Changeling invasion. There, we saw huge groups of these soldiers, all guarding the capital city, and when the changelings arrived...they really couldn't keep up. Again, not very effective. Looking over the guard in other instances, They've been seen doing simple patrols that any security official could do (guarding the Royal library), leading the Monarch's chariots, and Acting as bodyguards for Royalty. All-in-all, not exactly something to compose an army. The Royal guard appears to be nothing more than an extensive security force, military in organization perhaps, but not in function.
So, a Big Security Force and a stunt team. That's what we've seen for Equestria's military? Well, that certainly points to a nation that does not feel threatened by much of anything...and based on how caught off guard (pun not intended) they were with the changeling invasion, I'd say that's evidence that they rarely, if ever, have hostile dealings with other nations. All-in-all, Their "military" is more for show than anything else. If a real threat rears it's head, they'd be little more than cannon fodder, or a distraction, But if things remain calm and peaceful...they do a Good job at maintaining the peace.
So! skipping to the end? You're just in time for the Recap!
-Equestria's Military started when Luna was banished
-The Wonderbolts are Mainly for show, not Air power
-The Royal Guard are basically Up-Armored Security.
-Equestria Feels it doesn't need a strong military, No threat, no need for a deterrent.
Well, that's all for this week! Keep on doing what you do best!
I'm Ironsmith, Invent on!
You know, I'm glad you linked to your blogs in the Worldbuilding Alliance. Of the two that I've seen so far, you've got a well reasoned, easy to understand way of doing essays. You've earned yourself a follower.
Though, I think you'd get more views if you copy/pasted these blogs into the forums. The public forums are where people would come to know you and your blog is where they'd come to binge read your stuff without needing to hunt around the forums.
Hmmm... I think the current purpose of the guard is mostly to keep the civilians in order. Keeping ponies from hurting themselves in a blind panic if a threat arrives. I mean, the guard act so much like mall cops. They're paid to look intimidating (or reassuring, depending on weather you're a do-gooder or a baddie), and possibly to keep an enemy occupied until Celestia's true taskforce arrives--the main 6-- but the guard are seriously not prepared for a fight.
Take a look at Shining Armor's personality-- is he a tough, old grizzle bastard with no empathy and no humor? No, he's kinda like a 20-something year old surfer dude who'd somehow risen through the ranks without loosing any of his boyish charm. His most memorable spell is a shield spell (A Canterlot Wedding). It's his civilian sister who's the badass battle mage. This is the guy whose captain of the royal guard.
I think you're right that the guard are not meant for explicit combat.
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Glad you like them, and thank you for the follow! I'll have to look into posting them in the forums whenever I complete them, thanks for the tip!
I'd say that a good military good be strummed up in a heartbeat, though. Pegasus in general are fast fliers, Earth ponies are strong as hell, and some of the top unicorns can do some serious magic nasties.
But yes, their standing army is rather poor show.