Equestrian Royal Guard

*"Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria, there were two regal sisters who ruled together and created harmony for all the land..."*

The Equestrian Royal Guard is **CENSORED AS OF NOW**.

## The Royal Sisters

...To do this, the eldest used her unicorn powers to raise the sun at dawn. The younger brought out the moon to begin the night. Thus, the two sisters maintained balance for their kingdom and their subjects: all the different types of ponies.

But as time went on, the younger sister became resentful. The ponies relished and played in the day her elder sister brought forth, but shunned and slept through her beautiful night. One fateful day, the younger unicorn refused to lower the moon to make way for the dawn. The elder sister tried to reason with her, but the bitterness in the young one's heart had transformed her into a wicked mare of darkness: Nightmare Moon. She vowed that she would shroud the land in eternal night.

Reluctantly, the elder sister harnessed the most powerful magic known to ponydom: The Elements of Harmony! Using the magic of The Elements of Harmony, she defeated her younger sister and banished her permanently in the moon. The elder sister took on responsibility for both sun and moon, and harmony has been maintained in Equestria for generations since.

Yet, a thousand years later, the stars themselves aided in Nightmare Moon's escape. On the eve of the Summer Sun Celebration, Nightmare Moon wrested control of the throne from her sister, declaring the night would never end. Fortunately, she was foiled by the efforts of six brave ponies, who undertook a dangerous journey through the Everfree Forest, retrieving the Elements of Harmony from their resting place in the ruins of the old Lunar Castle and using them to plant the seed of remorse in Nightmare Moon, transforming her back to Princess Luna and allowing the sun to rise once more.

## This Strange World

Meanwhile, in another world entirely, a scientist was on the verge of breakthrough. This scientist was a human; a strange, bipedal creature with hands like a dragon and a cunning, scheming mind. This scientist, on the orders of his twisted masters, had stolen a device from another nation; a strange machine, shaped like a tuning fork, which could create ripples between dimensions. They were used as a means of hiding in this world, to cloak humans and their machines in a haze of stars and nebula to keep them from sight, but the scientist was convinced it could have a greater purpose. Having adjusted the device and applied the darkest of technologies to its function, he flipped the switch and flooded it with power.

As he had calculated, the device bore a portal from his land to another, one his masters could claim for themselves. Eagerly, he stepped through the portal with a flag to take the land in the name of humanity, and stepped directly into Princess Celestia's court in Canterlot.

## The Cauterization Bureau

'*“People speak sometimes about the 'bestial' cruelty of man, but that is terribly unjust and offensive to beasts, no animal could ever be so cruel as a man, so artfully, so artistically cruel."*

- Fyodor Dostoyevsky
After the initial panic on both sides settled, the human explained his situation. A member of one of many warring factions from his home on Earth, he was attempting to use his portal device to find a world that his superiors could exploit the resources of. Upon discovering that precious gemstones and metals existed in such abundance in Equestria that they could be found just feet below the surface, he became greedy and ill-tempered. Celestia, in her wisdom, deduced that he was attempting to flee back to his world to tell his masters, who would undoubtedly launch an invasion. Regrettably, she used her powers to strike him dead.

Soon after, she gave a speech regarding the events to her court. Clearly, it was only a matter of time before more "humans" figured out how to breach the void between their worlds and discover the wonders of Equestria for themselves. When that happened, they would do what they had done to their own world, plunging it into war and environmental devastation. From what Celestia had heard and seen, there was no good in humans, just greed, anger, and ignorance. They even held horses and ponies as slaves, having bred them to the point of non-sentient beasts! There was but one choice; Equestria had to strike first and destroy the human menace. In the process, they could claim the world of Earth, and its wonders of technology, for themselves, and Celestia and Luna could cement their power over another set of heavenly bodies.

Thus, the Grand Expedition Force was assembled, to defeat the human armies and claim Earth territory for themselves. It would not be an easy mission, for though Equestria has powerful magic arts far beyond human comprehension, the humans are violent and warlike, well versed in the ways of combat. Furthermore, the land of Earth was untamed and dangerous, with creatures running wild, the weather untamed and the seasons changing on their own thanks to a dangerously off-centre axis. It would take all the courage and cooperation the ponies can muster to succeed in this mission...

## Force Composition

### Buildings

* **Royal Bastion**: From this splendid white castle, the forces of Equestria marshal. Trains Workhorses, places foundations, and can be garrisoned.
* **Focusing Crystal**: These structures act as anchors to Equestria, helping to pull some of the natural magic from the other dimension over to fuel the Equestrian war machine.
* **Stables**: The various Equestrian calvary are billeted here until needed on the front.
* **Bit Mint**: The Bit Mint converts the local ore to bits, to fund the war effort. With luck, the new lands and wealth from the colonies will help to avoid inflation back home...
* **Apple Farm**: Farms like this one keep Equestria function. From here, new powers based on the abilities and specialities of Earth Ponies can be researched and deployed.
* **Cloud Base**: Cloud Bases grant access to airborne units, weather-based powers, and other such abilities.
* **Library Tree**: It's a symbolic tradition to build libraries into trees, or at least structures that resemble them. From here, research into new and powerful magic can be undertaken.
* **Workshop**: These simple workshops allow access to the various heavy chariots and carts that provide the Royal Guard with their heavy ordnance.
* **Coral Reef**: The elusive, aquatic sea-ponies gather around reefs, such as this artificial one. From here, various aquatic units can be recruited.
* **Sugarcube Corner**: The hangout of the current wielders of the Elements of Harmony, Sugarcube Corner also heals anypony who comes near with its sweet treats.

### Defenses

* **Castle Wall**: The gleaming white Castle Walls are sturdy and tall, and their turrets keep away unwanted enemies with hails of crossbow bolts.
* **Castle Gate**: These heavy gates help to secure Equestrian bases.
* **Lunar Observatory**: The Lunar Observatory acts as a base of operations for Princess Luna on Earth, as studies the motions of the moon here. The Lunar Observatory allows Luna to be deployed in a manner similar to a superweapon.
* **Solar Observatory**: Designed to study the motions and dynamics of the sun in this strange world (Did you know that the *sun* is in the centre in this universe? Madness!), it also houses Princess Celestia in this realm. The Solar Observatory allows Celestia to be deployed in a manner similar to a superweapon.

### Cavalry

* **Bunny Scout**: When it comes to scouting out enemy forces, bunnies are the go-to species. They are intelligent enough to relay what they saw with frantic gestures, fast enough to dart in and out out trouble, and small enough to go unnoticed. Stealthed when not sprinting.
* **Warhorse**: Professional Earth Pony soldiers, Warhorses rely on their bulk, strength, and heavy armour to run down enemy units. The larger the group, the most powerful their charge; a very large group can crush vehicles in their wake! Machine-gun battle saddles let them suppress enemies before charging.
* **Pegasus Air Cavalry**Deadly and fast warriors with potent weather control powers, Pegasi provide good base forces for air combat. In addition to attacking other air units, they can form storm clouds to bombard positions with lightning; the more pegasi are involved, the more lightning!
* **Unicorn Battle Mage**: Powerful in the arts of combat, Unicorn Battle Mages may be fragile and slower compared to their Earth Pony allies, but their magic telekinesis can be put to good use destroying tanks. Multiple unicorns can collaberate to crush them like soda cans! In addition, they can teleport rapidly to reposition themselves for the attack, even taking small numbers of nearby allies with them!

### Commandos

* **Pinkie Pie**: The Element of Laughter, Pinkie Pie is a pretty cool filly. She throws parties and isn't afraid of anything. Enemies that get too close are stunned by the contact sugar high, enough to give anypony type 2 diabetes. Not only that, but her allies are immune to all negative status effects. She can also throw parties for enemies, enough to get them over to her side!
* **Fluttershy**: Though she might occasionally be scared of her own shadow, Fluttershy, the Element of Kindness, has a way with animals unmatched by any other. As a result, she is followed everwhere by a swarm of creatures that can protect her and her friends while dealing with threats. She can also root enemies in place with her stare, which both stuns enemies and induces negative cover.
* **Rarity**: The Element of Generosity, Rarity's primary role is in funding your war effort. Left to her own devices, she can find and collect massive amounts of gems for you, keeping you in the black and paying your upkeep. When battle is joined, she provides a heavy defensive bonus for all nearby units.
* **Rainbow Dash**: This faction just got 20% cooler in 10 seconds flat. Rainbow Dash, the Element of Loyalty, is all about speed and agression. As she flies everywhere she goes at extreme speeds, Rainbow Dash can catch and destroy any air vehicle. Though it has a long charge time, she can also unleash the devistating Sonic Rainboom, an explosive attack of unmatched power.
* **Applejack**: The Element of Honesty, Applejack can see through any illusions or tricks the enemy tries to use, then send them flying with a devistating kick. If they try to flee, she can rope them with her lasso, making it easy for her to control the flow of a battle.
* **Twilight Sparkle**: Known as the Element of Magic, Twilight is one of the most powerful mages in Equestrian history. Her powers are similar to that of other unicorns, but orders of magnitude more powerful. She can teleport herself and all her allies instantly and repeatedly, crush buildings flat, pull aircraft from the sky, and throw tanks around like toys.

### Royalty

* **Princess Luna]**:Deployed by the Lunar Observatory once charged, Princess Luna is the more defensively-oriented of the two royal sisters. She can disable large numbers of enemies, and any of her subjects close to her are protected from damage. As an alicorn, she can take to the skies.
* **Princess Celestia**:Though Princess Celestia controls the sun entirely in Equestria, here she is just beginning to learn how to manipulate solar forces. Still, this gives her unmatched offensive power, as she can call on the rays of the sun itself to strike down enemies. Like her sister, she is capable of flying as well as walking.

### Earth Division

* **Royal Hussar**:Light skirmishers and scouts from the highlands, Hussars have a carbine harness and considerable speed to their advantage. The harness can also mount a short blade for hit-and-run attacks.
* **Steel Ranger**:Clad in magically powered armour equipped with automatic grenade launchers and rockets, Steel Rangers are intended to eventually be the front-line infantry of Equestria, though they are currently rather rare.
* **Zebra Auxiliary**:Experts of Fallen Caeser style and clad in magical stealth cloaks, Zebra are stealthed at all times and can kill with a blow of a hoof or the poison of the blue joke. They have mostly integrated into Equestrian society, though they are still distrustful of Princess Luna and terrified of the Star Spawn.
* **Buffalo Brave**:Buffalo combine massive size and considerable momentum with relatively stealthy tactics, allowing them to suddenly ambush enemies, stomp on them, and then disappear as quickly as they appeared. Alone, they are barely a threat. In large groups, they can destroy anything providing they hit first.
* **Diamond Dog**:Easily bribed into royal service, Diamond Dogs can tunnel right into an enemy base with ease, and leave tunnel nodes behind other forces can travel through. Large and powerful fighters, they have taken some of their gem payment as magical energy weapons. Loud noises drive them crazy, though.
* **Scout Chariot**:Though the idea of a horse-drawn vehicle might seem very strange, it is second nature to the inhabitants of Equestria. As the crew in the back are not moving, they are free to operate the machine's crossbow.
* **Manticore**:The manticore has the body of a lion, a scorpion's tail, and a pair of wings. This gives it impressive offensive power, enough to tear open a tank like a tin can. The wings, though incapable of extended flight, allow the manticore to leap long distances to close with foes.
* **Hydra**:Hydras are terrifying, multi-headed beasts from the Everfree Forest, protected by regenerative magic unrivalled in any other creature. Though its health is low for such a late-game unit, it regenerates damage so quickly that it can be difficult to kill it.

### Sea Division

* **Sea Pony**:The reclusive, secretive aquatic relatives of the various land ponies, sea ponies are well adapted to life in the water. They spend most of their time under the waves, and can use sonic-based attacks in a fashion similar to dolphins.
* **Kraken**:Massive underwater monsters that are fortunately easy to manipulate with magic, Kraken can drag a ship to below, crush submarines, or obscure scanners with blasts of ink.
* **Mare-o-War**:Huge, magically propelled ships with cloud sails, the magical energy turrets and ramming spike of the Mare-o-War combine with a powerful magical shield to make for an excellent battleship.
* **Sea Serpent**:As well as being the undisputed masters of the moustache arts, Sea Serpents are, of course, huge and deadly aquatic creatures of massive strength and considerable dexterity, allowing them to pull ships under the waves.

### Magical Division

* **Technician Pony**:Skilled unicorns who can capture structures, disable mines and vehicles, and set up magical detection nets.
* **Unicorn Spy**:Lyra's elite espionage unit, Unicorn Spies use disguise spells to bypass enemy positions, either to sabotage their efforts or gather intelligence. Because of limitations on the disguise magic, they can only maintain the illusion for as long as they can stand upright, which even with extensive training isn't very long.
* **Golem**: Massive animated constructs held together with magical spells, Golems are sustained by ambient magic. As long as they stick close to magical units, they heal at a rapid rate and gain ever more powerful fire attacks.
* **Transmorpher**: Specialists in transforming magic, Transmorphers turn small every day objects into clones of enemy or friendly units, or turn enemy units into small everyday objects!
* **Star Spawn**: Related to the terrifying Ursa, Star Spawn are a seemingly endless horde of terrifying spectral animals. Nearly immune to damage, they swarm over enemy positions in an endless wave. Their mere presence terrifies both friendly and enemies units, and Zebra units will attack them on sight.
* **Ursa Minor**: Basically the largest creature the ponies could herd through a portal, Ursa Minor are practically invincible, terrifying to all units, and can knock battle tanks around like toys. Zebra units near to them tend to die of fright though...

### Protocol Units

* **Human Auxiliary**: Some idealistic humans have turned against their societies and welcomed their pastel overlords. Infiltrating before the battle, they burst out from hiding when this protocol is used. They can repair structures using their dexterous hands, or pick up weapons off slain enemies and employ them against enemies. They can also abandon their weapons and stow their uniforms to hide among civilians.
* **Child of the Night**: Celestia banishes you to the moon. And may even throw you in prison on the moon. It's not all bad. There is a post office there. You can write home if you want.
* **Swarm of Bees**: Oh, they're in my eyes! My eyes! Aaaaaaaaah! Equestrian bees combine being hard to hit, stinging and swarming behaviours, and a sick sense of humour; They can point out targets by forming an arrow.