tLoE XIII: Shields Up!

Welcome back everyone! We’re back this week with another installment of the Land of Equestria!
Before we begin, I’d like to note just a few things, primarily that today I submitted the first chapter and Prologue of a story I’m writing, and it should hopefully be up soon! I’d also like to thank everyone in the groups I’ve joined for helping me out with recommendations and comments on my other “Land of Equestria” entries, and I do intend to fix any issues you pointed out in previous installments when I can.
Now, to what you came here for: this week’s “Land of Equestria” will be discussing Equestrian National Security! For those of you who read my entry on the Equestrian military, you’ll remember that I concluded that Equestria’s Armed Forces are really not meant to repel invaders or effectively defend strategic locations, but rather serve as a sort of security force, and (in the case of the wonderbolts) act as a form of entertainment. So, naturally this would mean that Equestria’s National Security should be low, end of story, right? Well, after some digging into the show, it turns out that the Equestrian Empire has far more to defend itself than meets the eye.
Let’s start with something pretty basic: Canterlot’s countermeasures after the Changelings threatened it. While eventually proven ineffective, it was demonstrated that the city could be fully shielded within a very short period of time, by none other than the captain of the guard. Given that Shining Armor claimed he was the only one who could create the barrier, we can infer one of two things: either it was highly convenient that he personally knew how to make the barrier, or he was taught to create it, probably after getting that position. If we were to believe the latter, than it could also be inferred that every major city-state in Equestria has a guard trained to create barrier, but before we go any further, we must note that there is no direct evidence for this theory, so we must stick with the facts for now. And the fact is: Equestria’s Capital (and the Crystal Empire, given that Princess Cadence can also create a barrier around her City State) have the ability to be shielded in the event of a threat against them, meaning that at the very least, two strategic locations can be defended if needed.
But what if they don’t have enough warning, or the shield is incapacitated? Well, then in theory the royal guards would work to defend the city, and the Princesses seem to be allowed to freely enter combat as well. One could note that the city is built upon a mountain and only accessible by train, and that a land army would find it nearly impossible to invade, but against the changelings, they were entirely unprepared. So what are they prepared for, exactly? Would you believe me if I said dragons? In the recent episode “Princess Spike” We got a very interesting tidbit of information: some of Canterlot’s streets are lined with “Dragonsneeze” plants, which cause severe irritation and sneezing in dragons. This topic was actually discussed in a world-building forum a while back (Thanks for the extra info guys!), and pointed out some pros and cons of the installations of those plants. For one, it would disorient and severely hinder any attacks by dragons, and would certainly allow tome to shield the city. But, on the downside, the dragon’s sneezes run the risk of severe collateral damage, and they may fall into buildings or the like. Most likely, if these are in fact practical and not simply decorative, than they may simply serve as a deterrent.
But that’s just Canterlot, and a passive defense to boot! What about systems or organizations actively working to protect the people of Equestria? Well, for this answer, we’ll actually turn to the Hundredth Episode: Slice of Life, in which it is revealed that there is (or at the very least was) an organization run out of Canterlot specifically created to track down and capture dangerous creatures, then either put them or keep them in Tartarus. So, while Equestria may not view other nations as threats, they certainly don’t underestimate the dangers of the powerful creatures that inhabit the land. And given constant phrases in reference to Cerberus such as “Left his post”, and their lack of fear of him personally, it would seem that the ponies either control or at the very least have some form of alliance with Cerberus.
What does this all mean? Some strategic locations are protected, or at least have some kind of passive defenses, a secret organization keeps beasts in check, and if all else fails, military forces can do their best against whatever the threat may be. But is that all? Not quite, for you see, there’s one very big point that we’ve overlooked, and one that has been apparent throughout the series all the way from the beginning. Because Equestria, whenever a crisis comes up warranting concern, it knows it can always call upon its heroes. The Mane six have been called multiple times to deal with new crises. Discord, the Crystal Empire, saving Ponyville…multiple times. But the mane six have not always been there, so it only makes sense that someone had to be there before to take care of some of the responsibilities they inherited. And knowing that, it would make sense if there were other heroes, dealing with other problems throughout Equestria from time to time, because even without the elements of harmony, someone has to do the dirty work in Equestria. But I suppose that’ll have to remain simply a theory for now.

So, what have we learned today? (TL;DR time)
-Recap: Equestria’s military is basically just police and entertainment.
-Some Strategic targets, specifically Canterlot and the Crystal Empire, can be shielded.
-Canterlot seems to be prepared for ground armies and dragons, given the dragonsneeze plants.
-A Secret organization either did or still does protect the Equestrian people from dangerous creatures.
-When in doubt, Equestria likely calls upon Heroes to go take care of situations, instead of squandering already-meager military forces.

Well, that’s all for this week readers! Keep on doing what you do best! Just a fair warning though, I likely will not be able to post next Thursday, as I will be in transit, still moving…But that won’t stop me from making more installments after! I’ll still be checking my page as often as I can, so feel free to drop by, and I’ll see you next time!

I’m Ironsmith, Invent on!