Dan Vs. The High Commanders

Since an interlude chapter in episode 11, we were introduced to three commanders, the leaders of three armies threatening Equestria. Recently, Dan faced off against one: Gust Grasp, the pirate sky marshal. One down, two to go, so it would seem. But, are there more yet waiting in the wings? Here, we will reveal a little bit more about these military leaders and exactly what they could mean for Dan and company.

First, why military leaders? Well, in the world of Equestria, royalty is something of a gossip subject. New princes and princesses appear all the time; dukes and duchesses, royal nobles get married and become royal rulers themselves and then have children that continue the line. This is true with most species including ponies, zebras, donkeys, the Saddle Arabians and griffons. Representative government is somewhat uncommon in Equestria and most governments are some form of constitutional monarchy. The result is that royal families and royal governments are constantly changing and expanding but there is little difference in the way they govern. The line continues. Essentially, they're seen as celebrities and rulers, each one of them in the spotlight.

Thus, enter the misfits. Characters who are in some way related or connected to the royal family or government but not enough to be included are given high positions in their respective government's army. Sometimes, they receive the position as a token for being related to a person of privilege and other times, they earn the rank and are begrudgingly accepted. In either case, these beings are not usually supported nor supporting of the government they serve but often still carry an amount of national pride. They're just more proud of themselves than the leader they serve. And unlike royalty, their position is unlikely to change, for better or worse. This makes them perfect candidates for Vice Grip to recruit.

Too bad he didn't really convince any of them.

Character Bios: The High Commanders

No. 1
Sky Marshal Gust Grasp
Species: griffon
Force: Air/Air navy/pirates
Allegiance: United Griffon Coalition/himself/Dan's Jerks
Strengths: Raiding, pillaging, piracy
Weaknesses: Small-unit tactics, decoy strategies

By nature, griffons are a species that love treasure. Naturally, it stands to reason the one that would lead them would be the one who got the most treasure and that's definitely true in the case of Sky Marshal Gust Grasp. As the commander of the UGC's First Expeditionary Armada, Gust is the leader of his own advanced pirate fleet that regularly raids and pillages small communities in every country in Equestria, save Equestria the country itself. Originally, he was appointed Sky Marshal of the fleet and air force because of his success at raiding island communities in the Dragon Domain for which he was considered extremely brave despite the fact he was just really greedy.

Being a griffon, Gust knows how to use his people's treasure lust to his advantage, promising them greater prizes for additional effort. His impressive successes mostly have relied on overwhelming firepower or simple sneaking, however. Griffons generally try to avoid combat: they'd rather steal than fight because fighting tends to break things and be expensive. Despite this, Gust Grasp remains the commander of the United Griffon Coalition's most famous air fleet and although they never officially endorse any of his actions, they happily receive a healthy percentage of his haul whenever another "unfortunate skirmish" occurs.

Gust and his armada are strong against armies that are similar size or larger but are weak against small groups of steadfast defenders that cause lots of damage to his fleet.

No. 2
General Zen Zeal
Species: zebra
Force: Ground
Allegiance: Zebra Kingdom, Zebra Royal Family
Strengths: Highly mobile, easily adaptable, very strong and resourceful
Weaknesses: None

Both respected and feared throughout Equestria, Zen Zeal is considered by many to be a living legend. The veteran of hundreds of battles, General Zen Zeal and his zebra army have never lost a single fight, never sustained a single casualty and have never even been driven back. For these reasons, Zen is known as "The Unstoppable General" by every creature who has studied Equestrian history. And for more reasons, he is known as an absolute monster on the battlefield and an invincible warrior by those he has defeated. Those that survived, anyway.

Privately, Zen Zeal is a very cold and angry zebra, harboring extreme rage for those he perceives as misguided or deluded. Despite his name, General Zeal is an atheist who believes that devotion to any ideology is a disgusting and self-destructive practice that should be condemned along with those that perform it. Like Vice Grip, Zen Zeal hates magic and alicorns for their unabashed using of a power they know little about. But, Zeal views Vice Grip as just another deluded pony, one who simply substitutes devotion to science and technology for magic and religion.

General Zen Zeal's zebra forces are all ground-based and identical. Each soldier in his army is a trained zebra armed with only spears, swords and a single wooden shield. However, if one would think him disadvantaged by his simple armament, they would be wrong. Zeal has faced many opponents that were technologically, numerically and geographically superior to his forces and beaten them with ease. As the veteran of one-hundred different wars, all of which he has won(and more than a few of which he started), his reputation as "The Unstoppable General" is well-earned.

Rumors surround this seemingly invincible commander, some of which pertain to his defeat. Although he is seen as an unbeatable opponent now, perhaps this was not always the case?

No. 3
Prince-Admiral Sonar Scope
Species: sea pony
Force: Sea/Ground/Ground-navy
Strengths: Advanced magic, stealth tactics, technologically advanced, powerful
Weaknesses: Attrition, slow recovery, environmental vulnerability

The sea ponies once invaded Equestria in ages. Though their armies toppled Equestria and forced the surface-dwellers to evacuate, Equestria itself came to their defense. The sea ponies were ill-equipped to face a winter that could not be wrapped up when the pegasi retreated and many sea ponies froze in their aquatic suits or ran out of water when lakes and rivers froze over. Their attempt to retreat was a failure and more than forty-thousand sea ponies in full armor froze solid in a massive glacier just before the northern Equestrian coastline. Only their leader escaped.

Centuries have passed and most ponies on the surface have forgotten this tale. Sea ponies are considered creatures of myth, many question if they even still exist. But the kingdom of Canterlantis remains beneath the waves with sea ponies as the undisputed masters of the ocean. For them, the sea is an untamed place and harmony requires total control and pacification of the wild ocean depths and its inhabitants, something the sea ponies have acquired through sheer force. Some of them, however, dream of controlling more and look to the surface as the promise of new conquest.

Prince-Admiral Sonar Scope knows of his ancestors' defeat at the hands of winter's fury. It is a dishonor which has followed him throughout his tenure in Canterlantis' proud navy, despite the fact that he is not just an admiral; he is royalty as well. Thus, he prefers the title of Prince-Admiral to remind him that lineage will not save him if he blunders into the same mistakes as the past. He firmly believes, like most sea ponies, that to not exercise total control over one's environment and populace is to invite anarchy, something he cannot allow. More than anything else, he seeks to invade Equestria again, successfully this time, in order to erase the scar on history that the cold seafloor will not let him forget.

Sonar Scope is an expert at utilizing stealth maneuvers and quick strikes to incapacitate defenders and deprive the enemy of advantages. Like his ancestors, Scope's forces rely heavily on resources including water sources to resupply their armies. Without a steady flow of supplies, they lose most of their technological and magical advantages and are at the mercy of the environment.

No. 4
Defense Minister Vibe Vision
Species: mountain goat
Force: Ranger/Recon/Scout/Saboteur
Strengths: Defense, terrain tactics, setting traps
Weaknesses: Being exposed, flanking

Mountain goats like Vibe Vision are reclusive, preferring to stick to the mountainous regions of north of Saddle Arabia where they make their homes. Most goat cities are built inside and around the peaks of Equestria's tallest mountains, providing them an incredible natural defense and source of raw minerals. Despite this, they are very stubborn and have a tendency to over-mine in places which has caused many problems with their neighbors, both Saddle Arabians and zebras.

Most mountain goats are extremely religious and meditate at the tops of their mountains to receive "visions of the future" which they interpret as absolute. While they do not have a formal army, every goat does rally under Defense Minister Vibe Vision when their territory is threatened. Vibe Vision himself is somewhat of a hermit and prefers trying to trick enemies into traps rather than fighting them directly. He has the dubious distinction of being the commander that fought Zen Zeal the most, though his defeats have been disastrous every time. True to his nature though, Minister Vibe and his goats always had an exit strategy ready and used them to escape what would have otherwise been a massacre.

Vibe Vision is a planner and is usually able to use the environment to his advantage. His forces tend to be better on defense and can be difficult to fight when they have the high ground. When forced from their position, they generally fall back to an area that further puts them in an advantage or places their enemies into a precise and overwhelming trap.

No. 5
War Chief Strong Spirit
Species: buffalo
Force: Ground/Artillery/Special
Allegiance: Buffalo League
Strengths: Strong offensive tactics, firepower, coordination
Weaknesses: Weak defense

The buffalo of Equestria are a hardy, very spiritual and nomadic species. The tribes come together under the leadership of a council of chieftains that dictate foreign policy. Though they are peaceful by nature, they are always prepared for war and War Chief Strong Spirit has dedicated his career to making sure his fellow buffalo are prepared. Not only does Strong Spirit oversee the rigorous training of buffalo, which includes combat, medical and survival training, the War Chief also has instituted the adaptation of new technology into his herd's society.

Since the brief mishap at Appleloosa, Strong Spirit has seen to include new offensive weapons into his army like the trebuchet, catapult and battering ram. Resources for his army are cheap and easy to come across; not only that, each of his buffalo soldiers are trained to be able to build these impressive siege weapons themselves and can manufacture them on any battlefield with the right materials. Also, Strong himself designs and tests new weapons, some of which have incredible effectiveness and can take the enemy by complete surprise.

The Buffalo League are staunch allies to the Equestrians, sharing much of the same territory and food sources with their pony neighbors. Although they are not technologically advanced, their simplicity and sheer strength can make them very dangerous to anyone who dared to mess around on their turf. Their only problem is their lack of defenses as they tend to not fortify their positions and instead rely on constant movement and attack to assault their enemy and keep them on the defensive.

War Chief Strong Spirit is a smart and aggressive commander that knows how to muster his forces into waves to assault the enemy's defenses. His attacks are fast and strong, using artillery and strength to gain the upper hand quickly but can falter if repulsed. If his forces sustain too much damage, they have very few options to defend themselves and often retreat as quickly as they attack.

No. 6
Warden Friction Fortify
Species: donkey
Force: Security/Detention
Allegiance: Donquestrian Nobles/Provisional Government
Strengths: Restraining, crippling and disabling the enemy/suppression and anti-riot
Weakness: Superior technology

Donquestria is a nation of many revolutions. Located south of Equestria, the country is rich in natural resources and abundant in relics of the past and the remnant of ancient civilizations. Unfortunately, the rich cultural and natural treasures are fought over constantly by the native population and crime is rampant in the areas namely called the Badlands. The donkeys are divided with many supporting the government and many others supporting crime bosses and underworld figures that promise wealth and power.

Friction Fortify grew up in this land and has seen many regimes rise and fall. Because of the constant uprisings, the citizens keep a permanent provincial government to maintain a semblance of order in most of the major cities. Despite this, the outlying territories and travel outside of trains is dangerous and many bands of outlaws roam the deserts and rocky terrains that make up Donquestria. Because of the abundance of crime, the Donquestrian police force doubles as the army and specializes in many forms of urban pacification and riot suppression. Warden Fortify is a gruff and no-nonsense commander, similar to his nephew Samule L. Jackson who is quick to respond to any news of a new uprising, which is a common occurrence.

Warden Fort's forces are adept at evaluating and responding to threats, making them quick to attack and defend. They use small-unit tactics and suppression weapons like gas grenades, nets and stun weapons to pacify enemies efficiently. To deploy, they make use of motorized and armored carriages to transport their forces rapidly to any engagement zone. If desperate, they can use captured prisoners and even enemy P.O.Ws to aid them, and even add captured enemies to their own ranks. Their only weakness is their lack of advanced weapons which limits their options against more advanced foes.

No. 7
General Sledge Slammer aka General Slam
Species: unicorn
Force: Guard/Special
Allegiance: Equestria
Strengths: Strong offense and defense, magic, endurance, special
Weakness: Lack of troops

Sledge Slammer was originally the pony who took over as captain of the guard when Shining Armor got married. Since then, he has distinguished himself ever since his attempt at defense during the Changeling breakout and has been promoted several times for his service. Although he did not prevent the temporary takeover by changelings, he did his best to ensure the civilians were safe and that his guards were ready to counterattack when necessary. He is able to martial his forces quickly and respond in whatever way necessary to protect his kingdom, his soldiers and the ponies they serve.

The Royal Guard has served throughout Equestria, from Canterlot to the fringes of the Crystal Empire. During skirmishes with renegade bands of canines, Sledge Slammer earned distinction as a captain who led from the front lines valiantly and demonstrated expert use of tactics to achieve victory. He became known simply as General Slam after a battle in Saddle Arabia in which he defeated a gang of dragons that had occupied a border community while they were on Spring Break.

When Princess Celestia and Princess Luna left with most of the Royal Guards to help Saddle Arabia, General Slam and a few of the elite guards were left behind to keep the castle secure. General Slam has since increased security of Canterlot Castle itself but has chafed under Blueblood's temporary leadership. He is deeply concerned about the status of his fellow guards and the whereabouts of the princesses but has faith that Dan, Twilight and their team will find them soon enough. Until then, he is happy to coordinate with Derpy and Edge Antares of Rogue Squadron to defend Equestria while Dan takes the fight to the enemy.

Royal Guards are brave, powerful, skilled and fierce fighters, not to be underestimated by anyone. Their discipline and training make them some of the best soldiers in Equestria but such dedication means their ranks are reserved for the best of the best. As a result, there are very few royal guard ponies compared to the vast armies other countries maintain. Often, Royal Guard units will cooperate with local law enforcement, border patrol and other elements in order to achieve their objectives. In foreign territory where such cooperation is hard to come across, they are only able to rely on themselves, making their jobs that much more difficult.

General Slam's forces are some of the best in Equestria and can be counted on to take the position and hold the line when necessary. Their magic, training and dedication give them incredible endurance even against the most withering of attacks and they can call in reinforcements when necessary. It may take them time to get there, however and against an overwhelming foe, their defenses may not last long. Still, when it comes to all-around strategies, there's no better army in Equestria than the Royal Guard, especially because Dan is a captain in the guard himself.

Comments

[Razzy]

Huh, interesting. Did I miss it or are there no minotaur forces on the list.

[Barrobroadcaster]

4111718 No minotaurs at this time, sorry