(01)Synopsis of Infantry Tactics
Synopsis of Evolving Infantry Tactics for the Equestrian Armed Forces
By Lt. Tower Shield
Before I begin my summation, I feel that I must elaborate on the breadth of my own career. I do this not out of pride or egoism, but to establish my credentials in giving this analysis. I’m a career Guardspony with over a decade’s worth of experience across Equestria. I’ve served as a guard in several embassies, and I’ve had the rare privilege of seeing some of the most talented weapon masters of any race you could name. I am also well versed in current and past forms of warfare for every race on our world.
At the time of writing it has been over three months since military aid was first offered to and accepted by the humans against our mutual enemies, and the fighting is unlike anything I have ever experienced. The humans (and now us) fight an enemy that can strike nearly anywhere around the world with little or no warning, and they do so with a callous brutality that scars the soul. The humans’ form of warfare is agile and lightning fast as a necessity to counter them. If we are to survive, we will need to take their lessons to heart. Below I will list the most major lessons that the Equestrian Volunteers have learned during their time on Earth, as well as my recommendations for assimilating them into our armed services as a whole.
1: Armor
Based on the reports by Twilight Sparkle and the information given by the humans after official contact, it was determined that the primary means of attack by the invaders was a heat-based projectile called ‘plasma’. An area struck by a plasma bolt feels like it is heated to temperatures above dragonfire in less than a second which is catastrophic to unarmored beings and it’s enough to sear my coat from a near miss. Current Guard armor is designed to defend against conventional types of damage (crushing, slashing, and piercing) and is completely ineffectual against plasma fire.
Once this information was confirmed by Captain Steel first hand, the princesses saw fit to have the entire Volunteer division outfitted in suits forged from dragon scales and enhanced with as many heat shielding spells as could be managed in the field. The armor isn’t as comprehensive in its protection against conventional damage as it lacks the hardened plate necessary for such protection. This deficiency is more than made up for with heat resistance and reduced weight. I’ll go into the benefits of the reduced weight in a later section.
The humans have also provided their own contribution to the Volunteer armor packages. After the first deployments, their chief engineer created a series of supplemental armor pieces that could be affixed around the pony and over the dragonscale suits to provide further protection. I can personally attest to the quality of the human forged armor as it stopped a blow that would have pierced or at least crushed the regular Guard armor I wore during my years of service. I do not know how the human armor smiths were able to craft such sturdy and lightweight plates, but I am thankful for their contributions.
If we can somehow recreate their smithing processes then I am quite certain the current style of armor will be obsolete within a year.
2: Headwear
Prior to our involvement with the humans, Sky Bolt had created a special interface for the Crystal Armor Suits used by the Dusk Guard to enhance their senses. An enchanted visor allows the wearer to see in low light or no light conditions as well as marking allies and enemies. It worked splendidly for Sky Bolt’s compatriots, but were largely ignored by the larger Guard organizations.
The humans we’ve worked with, however, used similar devices in every encounter I’ve taken part in and with an added perk: Their visors and helmets allow them to speak to each other somehow, such that they are able to share information instantly, and from distant locations. A week after her first deployment, Sky Bolt was able to modify and upgrade all the helmets of the Volunteers to share that same functionality. Staunch traditionalists might not understand the significance of such a development, especially when compared to other things the humans will no doubt share in the coming days, but I feel I must fully explain the potential impact of this development.
It’s been centuries since the last major deployment of the Guard but they still train in the traditional battlefield communication methods of horns and magical lights if a unicorn is available. Gryphon organizations have complex flag signals to relay messages to and from the front. Rumor also has it that the Minotaurs created a way to send their voice to distant places, but as with all things they are not keen on sharing their inventions. Best case scenario: It can take several minutes for a squad officer’s report to reach a field commander and several more minutes for orders to be relayed. All along the way signals can be mixed up and disaster might strike.
In contrast, the humans are able to use their helmets to speak to each other on the battlefield as though they were standing next to each other, and their squad officers can relay messages up the command structure or to other squads in the immediate area instantly. Such communication need not even be verbal, as I survived an ambush set by our enemies when one squad sighted and marked enemies with their helmets which warned of their approach. The value of such communication cannot be overstated, given the nature of our enemy.
3: Reorganization
Due to the previous two points, a near total reorganization from the ground up will need to be done to best take advantage of these developments. The impromptu squad level changes that were implemented while on Earth will provide a good base for us to build upon.
(Artist depiction of Heater Shield in heavy armor created in cooperation with XCOM, which is capable of withstanding significant punishment. The visor built into the helmet communicates seamlessly with other headwear and with the humans as well.)
3a. Earth Ponies
The majority of Earth Pony training for the Guard is centered around several key traits: Strength, stability and stamina. They are taught to overpower their enemies with heavy hoof strikes while learning to rely on their armor to deflect incoming blows, and because of this the emphasis on balance and momentum is especially crucial. In large scale battles, they are trained to form phalanxes to hold an enemy ground force in place to allow supporting ponies to handle them. It has been hundreds of years since we’ve felt the need for a large scale deployment and I strongly suspect that there will never be such a deployment again.
The humans employed such formations with their infantry hundreds of years ago, but now that form of warfare is completely extinct. With the development and prevalence of ranged weaponry on their world, melee combat as a primary means of engagement is unheard of except in dire circumstances. Combining that with their communicators allows a smaller squad of humans to cover and defend a wider area. Defense on the individual level places far more emphasis on evading an enemy’s attack or avoiding their line of sight to prevent an attack from being launched at them entirely. To compare, the current army-scale Earth Pony detachment is much like a turtle to weather enemy attacks. Human infantry detachments are more like a swarm of hornets that relies on speed and precision and just as much attack as defense.
The training emphasis for the volunteers assisting the humans has thus shifted to other key traits. Stability remains a strong point but speed and agility are far more important. The aliens’ emphasis on ranged weaponry demands that any Earth Pony in combat needs to be both fast and alert to evade an incoming attack as well as advance to striking range. Once they are in range the aliens often face two choices: Stay and defend themselves in close quarters or break cover and flee. One of the younger volunteers (Heater Shield, no relation) performed this maneuver several times in quick succession while coordinating with human forces to uproot an alien force with almost no friendly casualties; though he was tragically slain near the battle’s conclusion. The surviving Earth Ponies took his example to heart and have taken to tailoring a patch in the likeness of Heater's cutie mark (a golden shield) for their uniforms to mark themselves as veterans.
The humans I have spoken to have also expressed some rather smug satisfaction upon seeing this in action though that does require a little bit of explanation. As mentioned previously the vast majority of their warfare is done at long range and melee is only used as a last resort. As such, when the aliens field monsters that are not only capable of getting into close range but also able to inflict terrible bloodshed, the humans struggled to find a countermeasure. The first is the specialists in their Mente Materia division, who are capable of dispatching the aliens with their magic though the effort is very tiring for them. The second is [REDACTED], but those are in short supply and only appear on the battlefield in dire situations.
Now, with Equestrian intervention, they are capable of turning the tides and using the aliens tactics against them. The humans have taken to calling us ‘Flankers’, and it’s a label most of my fellow Earth Ponies wear proudly.
I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge that Earth Ponies who fill this role face an extreme amount of danger. Even the most agile of ponies faces a significant chance of getting hit by enemy fire, and the dragonscale armor with the human 'carapace' enhancements only goes so far to mitigate the damage. In the new squad-based formations, an Earth Pony will volunteer to take the 'Flanker' role while others will provide covering fire with plasma pistols (provided by the humans, though crossbows with sufficient modifications could also apply) and act as a melee deterrent.
It is also worth noting that the Earth Pony contingent of the volunteers had almost no access to their magical talents due to the condition of the magical field on Earth, beyond their natural gifts of speed and strength, so those abilities were not factored into this evaluation.
(Artist depiction of Firecracker and two TK blades. Lighter armor allows for greater mobility and the goggles provide the same information interface that the helmets while not interfering with spellcasting)
3b. Unicorns
Unicorns have always filled a crucial role in the Guard by fulfilling many roles both offensive and defensive, and this hasn't changed much over the past few centuries. Current unicorn training usually revolves around a 'jack of all trades' training style where they are trained in basic offensive and defensive spells as well as healing to fill most of the roles that might be needed in their given units. This theoretically allows unicorns to go where they're needed and fill any of the roles they were trained for. Even Shining Armor (who is better known for his shield spells) is trained in the basics of other spell schools so he can step in if needed.
Human magical training emphasizes the opposite for two reasons. One, they lack a teacher that is capable of breaking down the basic concepts and formulae needed to understand and try new spells. It is true that Twilight Sparkle taught some of the first humans about magic but by her own admission they simply covered the absolute basics of spellcasting before she was returned home. Because of this, when a human develops magical talent, he or she is often encouraged to train extensively with that ability. If it is similar to an ability that another soldier possesses, they are tutored to increase their effectiveness.
The second is more guesswork and conjecture based on my own observations in the field combined with several discussions I’ve had with Shining Armor and some other unicorns. When outside their armor the humans almost always wear devices to block their connection to the power of the Field much like the horn locks we use on criminals who refuse to repent. In addition the magic they are able to cast without their armor is dramatically weaker than when they are in the field of combat.
My colleagues and I have come to the conclusion that the humans lack the ability to control their magic as easily as we do, which is perfectly understandable given that they are just learning how to use it again. They wear their magic suppressors to prevent wild magic while not practicing or in combat, though this doesn’t explain how their magic gains power and precision while they wear their armor, but I’m getting off topic.
After analyzing the tactics of the humans, the emphasis began to shift to unicorns with highly specialized talents. Much like the Rangers in Equestria, unicorns were given the freedom to pursue more intensive training in the magic they were best at. Telekinetic practice with TK blades is required for self defense at the minimum, but we are now seeing a significant increase in the individual effectiveness of each Unicorn in their chosen role that justifies this shift in training.
Shining Armor has become an absolute master in shield techniques to the point where he has begun to experiment with the basic traits of the shields themselves to either slow incoming projectiles, dissipate plasma fire as opposed to blocking it, or reflect incoming fire back at its source instead of simply blocking the damage. Nova Beam of the Dusk Guard continues to practice the basics of defensive and healing spells, but with his added practice with offensive magic, he has made his most destructive beam spells far more precise and efficient. With the aid of a Pegasus spotter he’s also now capable of indirect fire over obstacles to targets he himself cannot see. Dawn Triage, formerly from the Rangers and now part of the Dusk Guard, is an excellent example of this training method already in practice, as the Rangers encouraged such specialization in their healers. After saving so many lives in the field, one of the humans went so far as to call Dawn a 'thaumaturgist', which roughly translates to 'miracle worker' in one of the human languages.' She’s still terrifying with those ropes, though.
This specialization shouldn’t be applied to the entirety of the Arcanists in the Guard, however. The majority of the rank and file should still continue their comprehensive training for all schools but specialists should be chosen to fill specific roles where appropriate.
It is also worth mentioning that it is now required that unicorns become proficient in mental shielding spells, as we became aware of the horrifying abilities the aliens have. While rare, some have encountered aliens capable of mind magic that has been illegal in Equestria for as long as Equestria has existed. They abuse their gifts to subvert the free will or simply shatter the minds of their victims. The aliens do this without restraint or concern for their safety or their victims, and while the humans are making amazing strides to try and develop a countermeasure to it, it often falls to the Unicorn to deal the killing blow against the alien that’s using such atrocities.
(Artist depiction of Headwind. The light armor provides enough defense to survive at least one shot without impeding mobility and the visor display provides the same information as the other headgear without interfering with the pegasus's vision.)
3c. Pegasi
It should be first noted that Pegasi weather control magic was just as stunted as Earth Pony magic on the human world, and the following tactics were developed accordingly. This was probably for the best in the long run, though. Interestingly enough, one of the few rules that humans impose on their chosen forms of warfare is that manipulation of the weather is strictly forbidden, but I digress.
Pegasi in the traditional role of the Guard fulfill the roles of air superiority, recon and fast attack, as well as weather manipulation for both defense and offense. Aside from the loss of weather control, the Volunteers fulfill a similar role when deployed alongside the humans and by extension their future will likely change the least in the Guard.
Prior to our joining the war, the humans sorely lacked an infantry-level air superiority option, as they often had to make do with their not inconsiderable airships plus ground fire to swat the alien fliers out of the air. They also required the air ships to provide overwatch on the area of operations by acting as an 'eye in the sky' to keep the humans informed of enemy movements. If these airships are destroyed, such as in the Dusk Guard's first deployment, the ground team loses a significant advantage of both overwatch and deterrence from enemy infantry-level fliers.
Introduction of Pegasi into the squad structure takes some of the pressure off these air ships by filling one or both roles. As these airships are used not only for the previously mentioned roles but also acts as a potential quick exit for ground forces if necessary, their preservation is considered a top priority.
[The next section is hastily penciled into the margins]
The Wonderbolt’s defense of Cloudsdale has provided us with a solution to a problem I always feared would crush us. The humans possess airships capable of both terrifying speed and destruction which they use to counter the alien airships when and where they appear. As we have absolutely nothing comparable to rely on, I was struggling to come up with a solution should the worst case scenario occur. While the princesses did an unparalleled job in their defense of innocent lives, I fear we may not be able to rely on them to deal with a large number of these attackers, especially if they hit several places at once.
At this time, I’ve spoken with Shining Armor and a draft is going to be issued to all Pegasi weather teams in Equestria to be trained in precision lightning strikes on alien ships. We cannot surrender the skies to the invaders, as human records show just how badly defenders on the ground fare when the attackers have air superiority. Every ship we destroy costs the aliens and saves ponies lives on the ground.
I just hope it will be enough.
