Royal Guards of Equestria

The Royal Guards of Equestria, also previously known as the E.U.P. (Earth, Unicorn, Pegasi) Guard or the Protective Pony Platoons, are the protectors of, , and , and later Queen , as well as Equestria at large.

Predecessors
Prior to the formal establishment of the Equestrian Royal Guard, earlier rulers were seen to maintain forces of guardsponies, with Commander Hurricane and Sable Spirit both maintaining forces of and  guards, respectively. Other forerunners to the royal guard may have included the Cloudsdale Royal Legion and the Mighty Helm, military forces that defended various populations in Equestria. A number of guards patrolled Canterlot Castle around the time that the Pony of Shadows abducted and.

Formation
Following the Celestia/Luna rift, in which Princess Luna-then Nightmare Moon-was banished to the moon, Princess Celestia formally established the royal guard. On the anniversary of the first Celestial year of peace, General Firefly selected an elite ground of fliers from the ranks of the E.U.P., dubbing them the Wonderbolts. The royal guard were in operation by the time Nightmare Moon began invading the dreams of ponies after turning the enslaved Nyx into the Nightmare Forces.

Divisions
Many of the known pony tribes are represented among the royal guard. By the time of Luster Dawn's time as a student at the School for Gifted Unicorns, at least one non-pony, the Griffon Gallus, was also seen to be a member of the guard.

Unicorns
Golden-armored unicorn guards are capable of using their magic to defend against enemies.

Some unicorn guards wear black or dark grayish-blue armor, and were first seen guarding the Canterlot Archives. After Flash Magnus became a drill sergeant for the guard, these guards-including some mares specified as serving under Princess Luna -were more commonly seen.

Pegasi
Golden-armored Pegasi guards are notable for using their flight abilities as part of their duties, often serving to pull Pegasus chariots to transport princesses or other dignitaries from place to place.

Bat Ponies
A number of Bat Ponies serve as Princess Luna's guards-also known as the Lunar Guard -though they have also been seen in the company of Princess Celestia.

In an alternate timeline, several Bat Ponies served as Nightmare Moon's royal guards.

Crystal Ponies
Crystal Pony guards, also known as the Crystal Guard, have defended the Crystal Empire for an unknown period of time, dating back at least as far as King Sombra's childhood. Members include Crystal Pegasi, Crystal Earth Ponies, and Crystal Unicorns.