The Equestrian Remnant

Located over Old Equestria, the Equestrian Remnant is a series of islands composed of various races. Ponies are prevalent but hardly the only citizens of this fine nation, and with the return of Princess Luna there may be great things in its future!

History
Before the return of Princess Luna, the responsibility of raising the sun and moon fell to the noble houses of the Equestrian Remnant. These five houses were Blueblood, Doo, Flithoof, and Toity, and Pants. Originally, there were six houses, but the line of Platinum was wiped out in a mass assassination in 96 A.D. These five would have their most powerful Unicorn members meet to raise the sun during the day and the moon at night. These five houses were the Great Houses of the Equestrian Remnant. They, as well as the Houses Minor, made up the House of Lords for Equestria.

The House of Lords and House of Commons, which was made up of elected representatives, were the ruling force behind the Remnant. The Regent was the head of state, standing in for the Goddesses. The Regent's title was changed to Prime Minister once Luna returned. The current Prime Minister is Prince Vladamir Blueblood XXIV.

Government
Branches: The Equestrian Remnant Government has three main branches.

The House of Lords was the first part of the government to be created. It was originally composed of six Houses Major, and seven Houses Minor. Each House was a family of Nobles, who made up the House of Lords. Today, it is composed of five Houses Major, and seven Houses Minor. Each house can have up to four representatives in the House of Lords. The House of Lords itself creates the laws, and originally voted on their passing and enforced them.

In 11 A.D., certain members of the House of Lords realized that there was too much potential for trouble in the future if all the power remained with them. They created the House of Commons and the Regent’s Office. The House of Lords still created laws, but now they had to be passed in the House of Commons before they became permanent laws for the Remnant.

The House of Commons was made up of what its name implies. Commoners. No noble could hold office there. The House of Commons were responsible for several things. First, any laws created by the Lords had to be approved by the Commons. Second, they were responsible for bringing to the House of Lords certain matters that needed to be settled. Anypony could become a member of the House of Commons if they were elected. Several Gryphons, three Zebras, two Changelings, and one Naga hold office.

The Regent’s Office, which has been renamed the Prime Minister’s Office now that Princess Luna has returned, is responsible for enforcing the laws, declaring war, and managing the government itself. The Prime Minister also acts as oversight to the Houses, who in return, oversee him.

The Prime Minister is elected once every five years. He must have at one time been a member of the House of Lords, and must be elected by a majority from the general population. A member of the House of Commons may run for Prime Minister, but only with the approval of the House of Lords.

The Prime Minister has the power to create a law and force the House of Lords to vote on it. The law, if passed, then goes to the House of Commons to be voted upon once more. The Prime Minister also has the 13th vote in the House of Lords, if the other twelve are divided. He also has several ways to affect both Houses in legal matters if he has the support of the other house. However, this is a dangerous method.

The Prime Minister must have the support of both the House of Lords and the House of Commons. If a majority in either House finds the Prime Minister to be in error, they can make a movement known in Remnant Politics as a “Puddinhead Strike.” The Puddinhead Strike is a dangerous political move, which causes a few peculiar laws to come into effect.

First, the House of Lords and House of Commons convene together, in what is known as the Great House. Each member of the House of Commons has one vote in the Great house, while each member of the House of Lords has three votes. Every member is forced to vote in the Great House. Abstination is not allowed.

The Great House can only vote on one thing. The removal of a Prime Minister. Each member casts their votes, yes or no, but there is far more to this vote than just the Prime Minister’s position. Every vote requires the signature of the politician who votes.

If the vote comes up yes to remove the Prime Minister, he is immediately removed, and the House of Lords elects a new Prime Minister from within their ranks. This Prime Minister can only serve for one year, and then a new election is cast amongst the general population. However, if the vote comes up nay, every politician who voted yes is required to abdicate their position. Even a member of the House of Lords.

Only three times has a Puddinhead Strike been attempted. The first was by Chancellor Puddinhead VI herself, who was the first leader in the house of commons. When Princess Platinum, the first Prime Minister, was assassinated along with all of her known family, another Regent was elected. This Regent abused her power terribly. Puddinhead came up with the idea and told all the members of the House of Commons about it. She then took it to the House of Lords, in secret. Within one hour, the law had been created and ratified. The Great House convened, and the Prime Minister was removed.

Parties: The political system in the Remnant is made up of five parties, divided by two main ideas: Government form, and personal freedom. The five parties are as follows:

Conservatives: Originally founded by Commander Hurricane Flithoof, direct descendant of the Equestrain Founder Commander Hurricane, the Conservative party is dedicated to the protection of the Remnant. Their original stance was to not allow any races besides ponies into the Remnant, and to keep the nation isolated. They believed heavily in a strong military force, and a rigidly controlled country. Today, the party, like all of them, has changed. Now, they are mainly isolationist, believing that the Remnant should stay out of the affairs of other nations. They desire a stronger military, but just to protect themselves. They do not understand other nations, and they do not want to. If it was up to them, all the Remnant's borders would be closed, and all non ponies would be banned from the country. They are often accused of racism, and they often are quite racist. The are ideologically opposed to the Liberals. The current leader of the Conservatives is Prince Rigid Flithoof. The Conservative party is opposed to Prime Minister Blueblood’s Moderate Government.

Liberals: Following the hoofsteps of their founder, Witty Cookie, the Liberal party fought for many years for equality amongst all nations and races. They heavily supported passing laws allowing other races to immigrate to the Remnant. Until the year 312, all members of the Liberal party forswore titles, until control of the party found its way into the hooves of Lilly Toity. She forced an ideological shift onto her party. She took upon herself the title of Princess, saying the the people needed a voice, and that if she did not become it, then no one would. She then became a political ‘crusader’ who sought the decrease of the military and an increase in peace agreements with other nations. Today, there are two schools of thought in the Liberal party. The first is Cookian Liberalism. It focuses on the personal freedom of all citizens and a strong government to protect them. The second is Toitian Liberalism. It focuses on political activism, taking power from the military forces, and making peace with other nations. Toitian Liberalism is far more common, but most of its followers do not understand the necessity of the military, and are often called ‘ivory tower intellectuals.’ They are ideologically opposed to the conservatives. The current leader of the Liberals is Prince Hoity Toity. The Liberal Party is supportive of Prime Minister Blueblood’s Moderate Government.

Loyalists: Founded by Captain Pansy Do, the Loyalist Party desires a return to the original government of Equestria. Pansy originally pushed for a return to Diarchy, with the two most powerful unicorns being elected as supreme leaders. Backed and protected by a powerful guard of pegasi, of course. But when the other parties disagreed, the Loyalists changed their approach. The Loyalists are dedicated first and foremost to the protection of the citizens. This is one of the quirks of the political system, as their antithesis, the Progressives, do the same thing. They believe that following the laws originally appointed by the two princesses would be the best way to do this. They push for laws that follow in the Princess’ hoofsteps. Today’s Loyalists are exactly the same as the original party. They are ecstatic that one of the Princesses has returned, although they would prefer it if she took a more active hand in governing the Remnant. They are ideologically opposed to the Progressives. The current leader of the Loyalists is Captain Daring Do. The Loyalist Party is supportive of Prime Minister Blueblood’s Moderate Government.

Progressives: The brain child of Princess Moonbeam Platinum, the Progressives were the first political party created in the Remnant. Dedicated to the ideal that ponies posses the ability to govern themselves and that a changing world required a changing government, the party dedicated itself to forming new laws to help their citizens. Like the Loyalists, their first priority are the ponies they govern. However, things changed after the Black Day of 15 A.D. On that day, three insane assassins infiltrated New Canterlot, killing Regent Moonbeam Platinum and all of her family, save one baby filly, who was stolen. For years the Progressives refused to elect a new leader, instead seeking the lost child. But they never found her. With a heavy heart, Lady Elegant Pants assumed control of the party. But before she did, she bound her party and all her descendants to a blood oath. If a descendant of Princess Platinum was ever found, he or she would resume control of the party. Several generations passed, and most of the Progressives forgot this ancient oath. The aim of the party wavered, and they quickly veered off course. from then up until this day, the Progressives have become best known for passing new laws for the sake of passing new laws. “Self absorbed windbags” is the term used on the streets. They are ideologically opposed to the Loyalists. The current leader of the progressives is Prince Fancy Pants. The Progressive Party is opposed to Prime Minister Blueblood’s Moderate Government.

Moderates: The final party, formed by Prince Arturious Blueblood the First, was created to balance the four other parties. The moderates themselves are an enigmatic bunch, covering the spectrum from Loyalist Liberals who want a strong military, to Progressive Conservatives who don’t feel comfortable being labelled racist windbags. Moderates look at each law on it’s own merits, and not as to how they apply to the party’s goals. The members are encouraged to vote their own conscience, instead of what the leader wants. Because of this, the Moderate party is the largest, but also most fractured, party. More than half of the Regents and Prime Ministers elected have been Moderates. They are ideologically opposed to no parties. The current leader of the Moderates is Prime Minister Blueblood. The Moderate Party is supportive of Prime Minister Blueblood’s Moderate Government.

Military
The Remnant military is much smaller and more delicate than those of the other major powers. This is because their professional forces are volunteer only, and drafting is not only frowned upon but also only possible with an official declaration of war. Add to that the Remnant's emphasis on the preservation of life, and you end up with a military force which not only cannot afford to take many casualties, but is not willing to.

As the only nation to hold any large amount of unicorns, the Remnant has more advanced magic than any other nation in Trinity, and this shows in their military. Communication stones and telepacks allow their forces to communicate with extreme ease, and the Remnant takes advantage of this by splitting its military into many small units which execute intricate plans in tandem. It is often said that it's difficult to take a Remnant force by surprise; make a single mistake and the whole military will know of it within the minute.

The Remnant is known for its adaptability, initiative, specialization, and refusal to accept high losses. When facing a situation which does not favour them, the Remnant will retreat their main force, leaving behind only scouts to keep them informed, and reorganize it to better face their opponent. Teleportation, wings, and earth pony physicality makes it hard to catch the Remnant when they don't want to be caught; their unicorn infiltration teams especially are known for simply vanishing as soon as they are found, only to return later to wreak more havoc. Remnant forces are extremely specialized; they have a unit for every job, and that unit excels at that job. As such, it is difficult to face them in any situation where they know what you have, as they will have units that excel at taking it out. If they don't know what they're up against, their forces will be widely varied to account for many possibilities. With their magic to help them, it is almost impossible to sneak up on them with something they are not prepared for, and even then they can usually slip away with ease.

Especially effective are the Remnant's unicorn artillery and infiltration teams. The artillery teams are capable of casting bombardment spells to terrifying effect with nearly no warning, due to the relative silence and speed of an arcane explosive over a physical one, and the infiltration teams can teleport behind enemy lines, sabotage equipment, and teleport out virtually undetected.

One of the Remnant's key weaknesses is its emphasis on preservation of life. Most Remnant commanders will not carry out a plan likely to succeed if the casualties are too high, which sometimes leads to them getting into difficult situations.

The Remnant's land forces are a melee-based military; their soldiers are trained to close into striking range and then eliminate enemies with wingblades, hooves, and levitated sharp things. Their guns are relatively primitive and designed as support weapons more than anything else; they lack the combination of rate of fire, accuracy, and stopping power required to be used as a main battle rifle, although they are usually good at specific tasks. Their flechette gun for example is absolutely devastating at close range, and the Mk. 1 can take out priority targets with pinpoint accuracy. However, they cannot win a ranged engagement. They know this, and if stuck in one they will retreat.

Remnant airships currently dominate the skies, largely due to their near-monopoly on advanced magic. Not only do they have more powerful arcane shields than any other nation, but there is no other nation with arcane weaponry advanced enough to easily overcome them. This has resulted in Remnant shields being almost impenetrable by any other nation. As such, boarding action is necessary to take any alerted Remnant ship out with effective speed. Unfortunately, this brings the attackers into melee range, where Remnant marines are the most effective.

They lack advanced mechanical weaponry, making it difficult for them to defeat foes with heavy armour. Unfortunately for their foes, physical armour always take some type of damage when you hit it with something, and generally breaks up and exposes weaknesses before the enemy can defeat the Remnant ship's shields. It is because of this that the Remnant has such power in the air.

Trivia

 * A Puddinhead Strike has been executed successfully one other time in history, and it has failed once.
 * One member of the House of Commons ran for Prime Minister once, in 506 A.D.