Cloudsdale Convention*
Combat is to be non-lethal. Killings, even accidental, of opposing troops/civilians are discouraged and reparations must be made.
Prisoners of war can be exchanged for any sort of concessions and demands.
Military Units Descriptions
Earth Pony Archers - They launch projectiles by bucking the projectile at the intended target at a high velocity. Projectiles are usually in the form of rocks, but other things can be used.
Projectiles can be placed on a stand, thrown into the air by the Earth Pony Archer, thrown into the air by another pony or levitated into the air by a Unicorn Pony, whereupon the Earth Pony Archer bucks the projectile.
It takes years of practice for these ponies to be able to be able to consistently buck moving projectiles, even more so to be able to accurately buck a projectile.
In large military engagements, where formations are used and the number of combatants are numerous, accuracy is far less an issue and Unicorns are often used to levitate projectiles for untrained archers.
Better trained archers are capable of knocking Pegasi out of the skies if they get into range, but, it is an exceptional feat to hit a Pegasi that knows its in the line of sight of archer ponies.
Earth Pony Gate Crashers - These ponies are geared to buck down gates, wooden fortifications or non-fortified buildings. Their wear an attached rubbery armor on their back which covers them from falling projectiles. When hit with a projectile by force, it rubber bands the projectile back up into the air.
Any pony could do the same job, the gear just makes it safer.
Earth Pony Infantry - Bread and butter of any Equestrian land force. Trained to do everything, which generally leaves most of them poorly trained in everything but combat unless given the time to properly train them, which is often not the case.
Earth Pony Line Infantry - These ponies are trained and disciplined to hold formation against all odds. These ponies will hold formation When defending against a charge, they typically rear up and buck the oncoming enemy to devestating effect.
Earth Pony Shock Troopers - These ponies are fitted with frontal shields, designed to take the force of a buck, while charging full speed into that buck. More often then not, the shield breaks upon such trauma. These ponies are intended to break into enemy formations and take the brunt of the intitial engagement.
Earth Pony Chargers - These ponies are the fastest of the Equestrian land troops and they can turn on a bit while at full charge. Typically used to outmanuever the enemy and hit them from the sides or back.
Unicorn Archers - They are capable of levitating and launch multiple projectiles accurately, but with less power behind each projectile, compared to Earth Pony Archers.
Being able to launch multiple projectiles, they can pepper the skies and bring down Pegasi ponies with luck.
Unicorn Siege Ponies - A group of Unicorns working together as one unit, they are capable of levitating giant rocks and flinging them at fortifications, crushing them. They can also levitate large trees and other objects and use them as battering rams. This is tiring work and these ponies must take a rest after each rock flung, nor can they keep up battering the gates for long periods of time.
Unicorn Shock Troopers - These Unicorns can plow into enemy formations by levitating and throwing enemy ponies into each other, effective at punching holes into the enemy formation.
Though, vulnerable to enemy archer fire unless they focus their attention on deflecting incoming projectiles instead of the enemy before them.
Pegasi Bombers - These Pegasi generally drop rocks and other objects atop of enemy formations. They move slower and will have a hard time fighting off others in arial combat if they do not drop their payload.
They are also capable of carrying a single land pony for transport to otherwise hard to reach places. When attacking land ponies, they can single-handedly lift and drop enemy ponies, though it can be dangerous if the pony they grab decides that they are both going down.
Pegasi Fighters - These Pegasi are the bread and butter of any Equestrian air force. Trained to fight in the air and the ground. They are generally used to escort bomber or transport ponies, but can also be used to hit targets of opportunity. Beware the Pegasi on a cloudy day.
There are of course, on many occassions smaller scale battles and skirmishes that go on...
Bucking: Hit in the face/head with both hooves of a buck will typically knock out any but the toughest ponies out there. It would daze/confuse the unlucky pony if they managed to stay conscious after such a blow.
Getting hit in the face/head with one hoof of a buck will typically daze/confuse the unlucky pony and knock out those of weaker constitution.
It is very hard to buck a pony in hoof to hoof combat unless you can catch them unawares.
Conventional Pony Armor: Ponies normally do not wear any armor, but when they do wear armor, the armor tends to be light and malleable due to the nature of pony warfare. Most military engagements are hoof to hoof or with blunt objects and heavy, non-malleable armor like plate, when hit by hoof tend to cave in, causing more damage then it would have if the pony had no armor at all.
Conventional Pony Weaponry: Ponies tend not to use weaponry, other then modified horseshoes attached to their hooves.
Conventional Pony Technology: Manipulation of gems to augment and/or guide magickal energies for various purposes. Typically used to project maps and run simulations of movement and weather... its potential left untapped.
It is a dawn of a new age in pony warfare, when ponies circumvent the Cloudsdale Convention Treaty by underhanded and abhorrent means.
*Ponies are naturally... 'good', for lack of a better term. Equestrian war has generally stayed the same because when it comes to war, they really arn't looking to screw each other. Mutual good-will and respect.
The ponies that make wars happen are the detatched nobility, holding fiefdoms and what-not. Generally an uncreative and stuck-up bunch with power and pony disposition is naturally not in line with fighting.
Deaths generates 'bad-boy' points, especially when no reparations are made.
Time period? Who knows, I can spin one for any. Even with the Mane 6 time period...