Royal Guard Theories.

[JhonHipster 124]

This could be compared to the warriors of ancient Greece, everyone had a shield with different design, so the royal guards cutie may all have the same layout with a different design.

[TheLordOfWar 0]

They could be trained from birth, conditioned to be similar.

 

Would make sense, the Princesses are bound to have enemies and it would help to have a guard force whose only purpose is to protect them at all costs. Think about it, The perfect soldier. They would only follow your orders, would never question you, completely incapable of rebellion or dissent and Unswerveingly loyal.

 

That way the princesses would be safe from threats both internal and external, problem is that, being conditioned from birth would more than likely remove any individualism from them, ergo, no cutie mark.

 

Just my theory

[Steel Accord 6,660]

I think their cutie-marks are simply obscured to keep uniformity. Coming from a military standpoint, having everypony in uniform brings a sense of wholeness and teamwork. The guards we see are probably just that, guards. Shock troopers trained to protect high value locations and ponies. (Like Canterlot and the Princesses) The Wonderbolts are probably a branch of Special Forces, hence the more streamlined flight suits as opposed to the bulky armor. Then there is the difference between the Unicorn and Pegasus soldiers. Probably different training, possibly even specialized training for their special talents. (An army has got to eat you know?) Uniformity doesn't mean a lack of individuality, merely a particularly disciplined profession with a noble history. Thinking on it, the first Equestrian military was probably organized by Commander Hurricane.

[Eenohay 318]

Even though that wiki might say they are unique, that can't possibly be true. You cant simply being to think a society where everyone does something different. It's impossible. Of course you need several guards, so its very likely that all of them have guard related cuite marks. The are not nescesarily the same cuite mark, not even the same talent, but certanly all of them are guard related, and some must repeat. Applejacks family talents are all apple related, Twilight apparently magic, (not only thinking of her and her brother, but also looking at her parents cutie marks) so it's rather obvious that talents repeat.

 

The guards do look the same, but that's just lazy animation

[Marshmallow 1,137]

Warning: spoiler from episodes 24-25,

Ok it doesn't really spoil anything tbh, but whatever...

 

There are alicorn royal guards.

 

See their wings? They're alicorns alright. I wonder what this could mean...

 

 

 

[Parties like Pinkie 385]

Warning: spoiler from episodes 24-25,

Ok it doesn't really spoil anything tbh, but whatever...

 

There are alicorn royal guards.

 

See their wings? They're alicorns alright. I wonder what this could mean...

 

 

 

 

That the developers got lazy? xD

[Eric Noecker 27]

UH I would direct you to the Apple Family

 

All of them (except applebloom) all have cutie marks related to Apples.

 

So would it be that weird if all the guards had a marks similar to guarding?

[I used to be a stranger 7,994]

They're all the same because it's very difficult to run a non-standardized army.

For efficient orders and operations to be carried out, a rigid command structure and system of equipment and personnel deployment must exist. Or else it may as well be just a bunch of people who simply want to wear body armor and act like Batman.

[Page.Turner 940]

If every pony's cutie mark is supposed to be unique, then that means there can only be ONE pony for every talent out there.

 

But oh my gosh! The Apple Family! All of them (excluding Apple Bloom) have a cutie mark that deals with apples! I think this is also a conspiracy. //sarcasm

 

Seriously, though, there are ALWAYS royal guards and there is always an excess in security when it comes to royalty. Too many guards is never an option. What kind of castle/royal family would it be if they only had ten or twenty ponies protecting them? Despite Princess Celestia and Princess Luna with their mighty powers, even they need protection.

 

Besides, the guards we normally DON'T see are probably guarding things we don't know about in Canterlot Castle. Such as artifacts, dungeons, entrances...

 

In the episode where Twilight is trying to sneak into the library to learn how to time travel, there were guards protecting it.

 

I mean... I don't know. I don't think it's anything but ponies hired to protect the royal grounds. Their cutie marks don't have to deal with being guards at all.

[Tiina Brown 67]

Warning: spoiler from episodes 24-25,

Ok it doesn't really spoil anything tbh, but whatever...

 

There are alicorn royal guards.

 

See their wings? They're alicorns alright. I wonder what this could mean...

 

 

 

 

No, there are no wings!

I don't see any.

[Kathzak 1]

I think It's a mixture. The ones who have a "soldier mark" join the military, and the ones that haven't found it are, let's say, recruited. So, if there's a colt or a filly that hasn't obtained his or her cutie mark when they turn adults, they're recruited on the army to "make use" of them. There would be a special program for blank flanks joining in, so that they can find their talent, but most of the royal guards have distinct marks associated with their job.

 

At least, that's my theory.

[Pony Joe 583]

But, also, the same MLP wiki page on cutie marks states that: "The cutie marks are obtained when ponies discover a unique characteristic that sets themselves apart from others" so does this mean that the Guards actually DO have cutie marks? Wrong! "A unique characteristic" Guards all do the same thing, so no outlying differences there. "sets themselves apart from others" Guards, once again, all do the same thing.

 

Since when do cutie marks have to be directly related to a pony's occupation? I'm willing to bet that the guards all have home lives and hobbies, and the guarding gig is just a way to make money.

 

Looking at it from another direction, maybe their cutie marks are from failed careers. If one's lifelong passion is to be a writer, they'll get a writing-themed cutie mark, but if they're not successful and need to take another occupation (say, guarding) it's not like the cutie mark will suddenly change.

[Whiteshade 1,427]

Oh they had cutie marks all right, but then arrow -> knee. You know the rest.

[AmateurFish07 16]

Theory 1. Royal guards turn out to have no cutie marks at all, They did not succeed in in finding their special talent.

 

Theory 2. They are bred to have no cutie marks (seems a little weird though)

 

Theory 3. Trollestia had Pinkie Pie experiment with the matters of a pony having no cutie marks, none of the experiments have proven to be conclusive so far for an unknown reason, however, cupcakes from ponyville have gotten tastier with pinkie's new 'secret ingredient'.

[Dreadmallon 353]

Royal Guards are clone troopers in pony form.

[equardos? 30]

Theory 1. Royal guards turn out to have no cutie marks at all, They did not succeed in in finding their special talent.

 

Theory 2. They are bred to have no cutie marks (seems a little weird though)

 

Theory 3. Trollestia had Pinkie Pie experiment with the matters of a pony having no cutie marks, none of the experiments have proven to be conclusive so far for an unknown reason, however, cupcakes from ponyville have gotten tastier with pinkie's new 'secret ingredient'.

 

Theory 4. Royal guards are just normal ponies and they do have their cutie marks. Cutie marks do not mean that they have to do that for their living. It might just be a hoppy. And they hide their marks because it might be their weakness. Like, if one of the quards had a candy as cutie mark and the enemy realized this, they could give him candy for passage to the castle or something like that.

[Viridian Daybreak 66]

I wonder what current colts will become royal guards. It's hard for me to imagine them growing up to be one. And, bringing in video games, it's like the Skyrim guards. You don't know WHERE they came from and they just keep coming. There doesn't seem to be enough young boys to become them AND all the normal civilians.

[Archangel 143]

My theory? Celestia isn't a perfect ruler. Far from it, she's not the benevolent figure she poses to be. A tyrant in disguise. The soldiers? With the exception of puppet-heads and figures for the media to focus on (Shining Armor) they are fake, conjured maybe, genetic manipulation, whatever the case may be. The armor hides their cutie marks because they have none. They obey orders without question because it's all the know how to do, they are perfect at not responding to movements and funny motions (Such as RD's attempt to make one laugh or flinch) because they have none.

 

The perfect soldier, a living, programmable machine.

 

EDIT: Or of course, it could be their cutie marks don't match the occupation.

Edited June 7, 2012 by Archangel

[TheBreech 91]

But this is Equestria we're talking about, not Earth!!!

 

I hate to say it like this but that one sentence basically explains everything here. We're probably not gonna find the explanation because I personally doubt there is one. Keep in mind this was intended to be a family show but I don't think the writers would've expected anypony would get overly detailed about why all the guards look alike, it's not something many people would even notice let alone debate over.

 

However I agree with the theory of Cutie marks don't have to be related to your profession. I've been reading the story Fallout: Equestria and one part in it is (for those who don't know fallout, especially fallout 3) there are small societies living in underground Vaults (or in the story Stables) in a post apocalypse setting, and one character left her Vault, her home, becuase her cutie mark was a song bird which meant she was placed in a career of a singer, but she wanted to be a medic to help people by healing them, not just singing sweetly. It goes back to an old debate about human development, Nature vs Nurture. If your were born to be a one thing but raised to or wanted to be another which one takes charge?

[letterone 1,204]

I'd like to think that they are cutie-mark-less ponies, for that makes the show just a bit more dark. And I like dark.

[TheBreech 91]

I'd like to think that they are cutie-mark-less ponies, for that makes the show just a bit more dark. And I like dark.

 

Do you RP? I pitched an idea earlier that might count as dark. It's about a behind the scenes Ghost Protocal type of group that eliminate mob bosses and criminals so the rest of Equestria live the happy peaceful live we see in the show (Chrysilis and the changeling army were an example of what could happen if the group I made up makes a mistake in their job).

http://mlpforums.com/topic/19873-the-shadows-of-the-sun/page__p__442876#entry442876

[letterone 1,204]

Do you RP? I pitched an idea earlier that might count as dark. It's about a behind the scenes Ghost Protocal type of group that eliminate mob bosses and criminals so the rest of Equestria live the happy peaceful live we see in the show (Chrysilis and the changeling army were an example of what could happen if the group I made up makes a mistake in their job).

http://mlpforums.com...876#entry442876

 

I'm not a roleplayer, sorry. Doesn't really interest me to be completely honest. :/

[TheBreech 91]

I'm not a roleplayer, sorry. Doesn't really interest me to be completely honest. :/

 

oh ok then...

Lol, just kidding, Role Playing isn't as interesting for evryone as it is for.

Well have a nice day then

[Steel Accord 6,660]

I wonder what current colts will become royal guards. It's hard for me to imagine them growing up to be one. And, bringing in video games, it's like the Skyrim guards. You don't know WHERE they came from and they just keep coming. There doesn't seem to be enough young boys to become them AND all the normal civilians.

 

We see plenty of colts in costume in "Luna Eclipsed" and that's just a small town. Cities like Fillydelphia and Manehatten are bound to be filled with more than enough colts and fillies. (Also, WAHOO PHILLY!) If you want my take, Equestria goes for quality over quantity. The mares serve in support roles like most military, and the stallions are combat units. They just have a smaller number due to their necessity being rare, but not unheard of.

[Nas 2,874]

I don't know what to say about them being clones (not enough time for me atm to right about that), but as for their cutie marks, who knows about their uniqueness. When something as common and similar as being a member of the royal guard, and if one discovers that it is their special talent/destiny, really, like I said, who knows?

 

I think it's the same situation for other major organized groups of Equesteia, like say the Wonderbotls. As far as we know, at least one of the members (Soarin’) has the same cutie mark has the organization's logo, yet there's some speculation still needed to be cleared up about that. Maybe both groups do have the same cutie marks, because they symbolize that's who they're destined to be, whether it be a Wonderbolt or a member of the Royal Guard.