Band

A band is a small group of pioneers selected to work together as a unit. There are currently twelve bands.

The Bands
Each band is host to several members selected to work together. Typically, these bands have specialties, or were formed with specific missions in mind. However, it should be noted that pioneers are meant to be adaptive, and are expected to perform any kind of mission, though that usually isn't the case.

Band One (The Hallmark's Guardians)
Band one is the oldest and most revered group of pioneers. They are usually assigned only the most important of tasks.

Notable Members

 * Immortal Wing- A pegasus who is unmatched in speed and determination. She has fought side by side with Endless Hurricane in many battles, balancing the commander's strength with her agility. She is most famous for the fact that she never wears any armour, yet comes out of battles unscathed.
 * Eclectic Amore- A unicorn who has studied styles of magic from many sources. A jack of all trades, he has learned more spells than most unicorns know to exist. He was one of Eloquent Form's prized pupils.
 * Stone- An earth pony who towers over most, even without his steel plate armour. It is said he is immune to pain and is never fatigued.

Band Two (The Eyes of the Ring)
An all pegasus troop, band two is one of the more specialized bands. Their specialty is reconnaissance.

Notable Members

 * Beeline- Once the scout-commander of the military, Beeline was selected for her ability to assess danger and her keen foresight.
 * Camo Veer- The scout of scouts, Camo Veer is one of the fastest pegasi in Equestria. He goes to great lengths to camouflage himself when executing reconnaissance missions.

Band Three (Fixer's Gang)
A very unique group, this band only has one pioneer who has the ability to recruit inductees who function as pioneers. This band is the largest and most diverse group.

Notable Members

 * Churney AKA 'Fixer'- An arrogant but dedicated pioneer. He is known for his ability to fix any problem, thus the nickname. Fixer, with his band of inductees, was responsible for averting full-scale war with Bulwark with a scheme so elaborate only he understood its machinations.
 * Nolan- Fixer's right hoof pony, Nolan is a talented artificer. He designed the sigils the pioneers wear. He is not a pioneer, but one of Fixer’s inductees.

Band Four (Equestria's Vanguard)
A military oriented troop, band four specializes in combat and special operations.

Notable Members

 * Honor Bound- A unicorn with an extensive history of service for the unicorn tribe and the Equestrian military. He is known for his brutal and efficient tactics. It is said that he knows a spell that can instantly kill any creature.
 * Ieote of the Chain- A Stonehoof, Ieote swore to protect Honor Bound after he saved him from Glistens slavers.

Band Five (The Shadow Pact)
The only indication that this band even exists is the announcement of its creation. Since then, the ring has made no comment of its actions, nor has any pioneer claimed to be a part of this band.

Band Six (Platinum's Arcani)
A group composed of several skilled unicorn mages. Their specialty is magical phenomena. Most pioneers in this band once served as Regal Platinum's royal magisters.

Notable Members

 * Shining Reverie- A fiercely loyal unicorn, Shining is a skilled magician who specializes in ice conjuration.
 * Flashback- A unicorn who specializes in time magic, Flashback's repertoire of time spells is larger than the next seven time mages combined.
 * Force a' Nature- Force a' Nature specializes in force magic, which includes telekinesis, levitation, and ethereal force.

Band Seven (The Angels of Solaria)
A group dedicated to helping others, band seven specializes in medicine and healing magic.

Notable Members

 * Med-Head- A unicorn skilled in healing magic, Med-Head has created multiple disease curing spells.
 * Rigor Mortis- A rather somber earth pony, Rigor Mortis has the ability to discern causes of death quickly, quickening medical research. He has identified several different kinds of poisons.
 * Tzinaka- A Stormchaser, Tzinaka knows little of medicine, but protects the other pioneers in band seven fiercely.

Band Eight (The Illustrious Eighth)
Band eight concerns itself with the internal matters of Equestria. As a result, these pioneers have quite a reputation within the city. They are known for their ostentatiousness.

Notable Members

 * Arcade- Former guard captain, Arcade is an elderly mare who eats and breaths justice. She is known to make public proclamations about cases she investigates, taunting her targets. She challenges them to a one on one fight, promising to dismiss all charges against them if they win. She has only lost once.
 * Mary Marionette- Quite an oddity, Mary Marionette is an artificer who specialized in creating pony puppets which she manipulates to control the battlefield. Further, she is an earth pony, who uses a primitive focus to allow her to control the puppets.
 * Added Havoc- A figure shrouded in mystery, he or she was a vigilante at first, but her skill and popularity lead to her induction into the Illustrious Eighth. She rarely leaves her targets alive.
 * Minim- An unusual case, Minim has no combat prowess, but was made a pioneer to be an icon. He is a master bard, and though it pains him to be restricted to one city, Minim uses his musical talent to entertain and inform the masses. His is also known to be quite charismatic.
 * Namen of the Ring- This earth pony claims to having dueled demigods and won. He says dragons bow to him, and generals flinch. He says he can crush mountains and part oceans. One thing's known for sure, he is unbeatable in the ring.
 * Hibo Visage- From Glistens, this unicorn is a master illusionist. He creates entire plays of his own power, and puts on great shows for the Equestrian ponies. His flair for the dramatic has made him a sensation with the ponies of Equestria.

Band Nine (The Swifts)
Band nine is composed solely of ponies from the Swift Dog tribe, as a sign of goodwill to Equestria's allies. They are a group with a wide range of skills.

Notable Members

 * Honest Tree- The eldest member of band nine, Honest Tree is a veteran warrior of the Swift Dog tribe. He and his wardog, Chaun, lead the band.
 * Stone Seer- Stone Seer leads an entourage of cockatri, five to be exact. Little stands in her way.
 * Alert Able- With his faithful hawk Eve, Alert Able is able to take control of the battlefield, quickly marking high value targets and disabling them.

Band Ten (The Royal Court)
This band prides itself on its royal heritage, having several blue blooded unicorns and a few earth pony nobles. With their advanced education and superior training, they are a force to be reckoned with.

Notable Members

 * Regal Steel- The brother of Regal Silver, and son of Regal Platinum, Regal Steel is known for his elitism and skill in swordplay. He uses a claymore, usually killing his targets in one motion.
 * Diamond Edge- An up and comer from the Edge family, this upstart has some extreme ideals about class equality and peasant-noble relationships. He fights for equality, and is generally seen as a hero to the poor.
 * Miss May-Marie- Daughter of Celia-Marie, May-Marie is known for her class and etiquette. However, she defies her gender role by being an adept fencer. She's known as the face of the Royal Court.
 * Muck Mincer- From a family known to keep oddly degrading names, Muck Mincer is no less elitist than his band peers. He enjoys wearing exotic trophies from his 'hunts', His price piece is his drinking horn, made from the tusk of the Rett ridden by a Glistener commander.

Band Eleven (The Voice of the Ring)
A more passive group, band eleven specializes in diplomacy.

Notable Members

 * Addled Heart- An earth pony mare who has the ability to calm hot headed leaders and inspire cowardly soldiers.
 * Havva Guided- A unicorn who backs up Addled Heart's methods with magical enchantment. Addled Heart softens up the targets enough so that Havva Guided's spells are more effective.
 * Agnis- An unusual case, Agnis is a compassionate griffon from far away. She admired the values the ring stood for and thus joined the ranks of the pioneers.

Band Twelve (The Far Walkers)
Band twelve is the player character group, made initially to travel to distant lands.

Notable Members
See Characters