Jan
21st
2020
Ponies Using Other Ponies As Cavalry? · 11:56am Jan 21st, 2020
Cavalry, as in a pony on the back of another pony. Both are clad in heavy plate armor. The pony on the back of the other pony is smaller, and his hooves don't touch the ground. The pony on the back is wielding a lance or some other melee weapon. Or sometimes a bow, so it can act as a mobile horse archer unit. As a horse archer, it may wear lighter armor or no armor so it can move fast.
Would the ponies be better off as separate units? Or would ponies using other ponies as cavalry be an effective military unit? Despite how silly is may look.
As cavalry? Not.
But as chariot? Earth pony pull while unicorn shoot. That is more believable.
On the one hand, it sounds silly and would look silly. On the other hand, a good cavalry is worth several good infantry, so it would probably work out decently.
5189588
Iron chariots are infamously overpowered. Granted, the context of that infamy is a time period that shouldn't have enough refined iron to make a chariot out of, but still.
Also, switch those earth ponies for pegasi. Air superiority in a time of spears makes iron chariots in a time of bronze look fair.
Is the "smaller" pony straddling the saddle? (gah! no matter how I try I can't avoid going to the gutter!)
If so, that may not work.
Maybe a platform of sorts for the "rider" to stand on. The rider can be outfitted for mid to long-range while the lower pony is set up for ramming.
But, at the same time, there are other great beasts in and around Equestria. Why not use one them?
A pony riding a dragon would be badass...
5189599
Well, I think that chariot will hinders pegasi's mobility. Pegasi would be more useful for aerial support to ground chariots.
5189622
Earth Pony pulled chariots with some other pony riding inside would be an incredible asset on the Equestrian battlefield. A second earth pony manning some form of long melee weapon and/or ranged weapon such as crossbow? Wonderful. Those would probably be the most commonly deployed, and would be what the world comes to imagine when one mentions 'cavalry'. Additionally, select unicorns could become the riders- a kind of highly mobile, inherently well-protected battlemage. You probably wouldn't see whole squads of these- one or two would be scattered among each cavalry brigade, not unlike today's Squad Machinegunners.
The one thing that would be a tremendously poor idea with these would be pegasi. As mentioned, air superiority is probably more than half the battle, and every pegasus doing something not related to acquiring or maintaining that is wasted. Even after the airspace is secured, it is unlikely that pegasus would ride as passengers in anything- they would be pulling aerial chariots, depositing special units, doing forward observation in areas that might have anti-scrying wards, perhaps even loading a unicorn in the back and operating in a CAS role.
I can see where this could be used to great comedic effect.
Would you mind terribly if I used this idea.
5189978
Sure. Go ahead.
5190058
Thank you. I'll do what I can to make you proud.
Now if only I could finish a story without deciding it's complete rubbish and starting over.
5190058
I think the calvary should be horse drawn carriages
Four earth ponies for sure could pull two to three ponie at a pretty crazy pace