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Hello Everyone, It's been a while but I'm back to tell you more about the Guards of the Harmony Empire and what they are. Today I'm going to explain the second of the The Four Pillars, The Dusk Guard.

The Dusk Guard are the Harmony Empires equivalent to the Royal Guard of Equestria. Dusk Guardsmen acts as the police and protection force of the Kingdom and when the Empire goes to war the Guard acts as the kingdoms primary military might. The Dusk Guard are trained to handle multiple situations ranging from fighting dragons to facing entire armies, in short they are able to handle any day to day situations as well as some special case emergencies. This doesn't mean that they can fight alicorns or other extremely powerful opponents however, at best they can only buy time till the stronger and more skilled groups such as the Knights of Dawn or Imperial Guard arrive on scene to handle the situation.
The Dusk Guard has the heavies armor out of all the Guards as it is made from pure steel, while this makes it very durable it lowers the mobility and speed of the Guard. To off set this many on the suits are enchanted for increased speed and assist the wearer in it's movement.
The Dusk Guard gets it's recruits from civilians who sign up to serve and protect and despite their versatility and capabilities they are considered the weakest in terms of power and training.

The Dusk Guard has a rank system set in place for those who serve and is as Follows:

1. Private - Early recruits who have just joined
2. Private 2 - One step up from Private though they have almost the exact same privileges and authority
3. Private First Class - Most of the Dusk guard is this class. They have basic authority and are seen as fully trained.
4. Corporal - This is the first official rank that is earned and when special privileges begin to be handed out. A Corporal has command over a single squad often consisting of Private 2 or Private First Class.
5. Sargent - A Sargent has access more men and has a higher clearance than a Corporal. They are given further training and are normally capable of running small team operations, they can command a maximum of twelve squads.
6. Commander - Commanders are given further training and often command large forces in battle, They are skilled individuals that have shown great potential and promise. It is at this point they are eligible to be selected as a candidate to join the Knights of Dawn.
7. Captain - Captains are selected by the Captain of Dusk Guard to act as his personal agents in the field. To even qualify as a Captain one must have displayed all if the following character traits: Integrity, Honor, Loyalty, Respect, Compassion, and an ability to question orders given.
   Any Captain can be selected to join the Knights of Dawn as at this point the person has more than earned their promotion to the next level of guard.
8. Specialist - Specialists are given there rank due to them having a unique skill set or have shown capability fitting of them operating with special authority. Once promoted they are reassigned to Spec Force A.K.A. Special Forces Division. After reassignment they are assigned to a squad and given proper armor and equipment. Specialists are given operations and mission briefings directly from the Captain of Dusk Guard.
9. Captain of Dusk Guard - The Captain of the Dusk Guard is the leader of the entire Dusk Guard and serve directly under the Empress. The Captain of the Dusk guard is selected from the Captain Ranks and often is the most capable soldier available, to have this position one doesn't necessarily need to be the best fighter but rather the most competence and intelligent.

The current Captain of Dusk Guard is Ebony Moon. Ebony Moon is a Pegasus stallion, who's in his late thirties, He has spent over nineteen years serving in the Dusk Guard and even refused becoming a Knights of Dawn as he believes that he can do more in the Dusk Guard than as a Knight. He is a capable warrior and a masterful tactician able to plan things hours in advance and change his tactics on the fly. Few are able to keep up with his battle strategies and even fewer are able to match him however don't mistake his skills and capabilities for someone who can't be defeated. While Ebony Moon is skilled and often comes prepared for many occasions there has been countless times that he has been defeated or forced to retreat. Despite these failings he always does what is best for his troops and will not sacrifice them like canon fodder.