/mlpol/ - My Little Politics


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What if Equestria Controlled Magic like We Control Guns?
Anonymous
No.244229
244233 244251 244323 244390 244507
"Breaking news this hour: the Equestrian National Parliament is considering passing a new bill to reduce mass death-spell-castings. We now go live to you with more details."

>"Good evening, Equestria. I'm standing here outside of the Equestrian National Parliament, where a crowd of protesters is chanting 'Ban this magic' in support of the bill being proposed."

>"The new legislation would require universal background checks on all ponies who intend to use magic for most of the purposes they consider routine."

<"Magic helped to enslave my younger brother in the recent conflict against King Sombra and I was afraid for my own life and for those of my family. We needed these restrictions yesterday."

>"The new measures would also require all magic users to apply for a Federal Magic ID card with their local police departments. Unicorns would also be required to wear magic-suppressing rings, which would limit the power outputs of their horns, if the legislation passes. Other restrictions include a 10-megajoule maximum mana pool size, a ban on 'bump-fire' enhancers that accelerate the magic flow between the mana pool and horn, and a controversial 'magic-free zone' law, which would effectively disallow the use of magic within a one-kilometer radius of any school."

^"I'm just glad that we can have these sensible regulations now and that we can live our lives more safely."

>"While these restrictions may sound daunting at first, the supporters of this legislation do have a point. In a study conducted over 80 townships, the fewest magic-related deaths per capital occur in those with the most restrictions on magic use, notably the remote village of Our Town, with its strict no-cutie mark policy."

~"I just think that Our Town under Ms. Glimmer's policies is a model for how Equestria should regulate magic use and be governed in general. I've lived there all my life and I have yet to see one pony who lives there die as a result of a magic spell."

>"While this bill is not without its support, there are many opponents to the bill, who claim that this bill would violate the Second Amendment to the Constitution of the Republic of Equestria, which states that it is everypony's right to be able to use magic. Furthermore, they also claim that this bill will only target those of Ponylandish descent -- and they also have a point. The same study suggests that 90% of all magic-related arrests are of ponies who have at least one parent who consistently identifies as being of Ponylandish descent on census forms."

/"They're just taking away our freedom by taking away our ability to protect ourselves against a tyrannical government. After all, magic is how we won the war against Nightmare Moon."

>"Opponents of the legislation argue that greater enforcement of existing legislation and mandatory minimum sentencing for magic-related offenses should be considered instead, but some say that existing restrictions should be rolled back to allow ponies to be able to protect themselves from greater threats."

\\"When Tirek stole all of our magic, we were defenseless and had no way of fighting back. This is the future that these magic control proponents want and I refuse to live in it."

>"The Prime Minister said in a statement this morning that he will consider all sides of the argument, even though he traditionally opposes magic control laws. Parliament has yet to read the bill, but many MP's say that they have made up their minds already. Back to the studio."
Anonymous
No.244233
244236
7.png
>>244229
Nice post. But what about magical artifacts? And with season 8 and 9 confirming you can make amulets that houses magic that unicorns and even alicorns use, what would those be in the analogy?
Anonymous
No.244236
244240
>>244233
They may fall under "bump fire enhancers", but if not, they may be analogous to weapons such as grenades and knives.
Anonymous
No.244240
244244
>>244236
Nice. Is this going to be a one shot post, or are you going to parody more news and happenings in pony terms?
Anonymous
No.244244
244251 244369
>>244240
Well, this is more of a "writing prompt" thread like those on 4chan, so I'm looking more towards how you, the audience, would react to this happening if you were a pony in Equestria. However, this could make for an interesting story on Fimfiction if I decide to expand upon it.
Anonymous
No.244251
244269
>>244244
>>244229
This seems like an interesting idea. i can never find the motivation to write anything though.
Anonymous
No.244269
244321
>>244251
So here is a simple question you could answer. Since Equestria is a monarchy, Celestia and/or Luna would need to assent to the bill in order for it to be signed into law, although if the sisters are retiring, Twilight may also have this authority in the future. Do you think that any of them would assent to this bill?
Anonymous
No.244321
244359
>>244269
The Sisters? Probably not. Twilight. She most likely would.
Anonymous
No.244323
>>244229
It's doubtful they would, the vast majority of Unicorns are shown to be completely incapable of casting higher level magic by virtue of having a horn alone, and often require extensive education and access to library material on it even if they do have the innate magical power to pull it off. This is less like banning firearms, which by the by SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED, and more like banning people from bodybuilding and martial arts because a handful used their physical strengths and knowledge to mug folks on the street.
Anonymous
No.244359
244365 244477
>>244321
Why wouldn't the sisters support it and why would Twilight support it?
Anonymous
No.244365
244468
>>244359
Just a Gut feeling,Since twiggy is a Book Nerd and has Autism.
Anonymous
No.244369
244370 244371 244372 244401 244618
>>244244
>A new bill is passed in front of Celestia by an anxious clerk
>She passes over it with her unassuming gaze, noticing that the ink on the parchment is still wet with signatures from the House of Nobility
>Hm, it must be an important document if it got through to me this quickly.
>Guess it's time to see what this is actually about...
>Celestia's eyes pass across page after page as her expression grows more and more confused before crossing into disappointment and soon fading back into neutrality as she closes the document back up
>She takes in a breath before her mane and tail ignite into orange flames, startling everyone in the room including the humble clerk
>Celestia stands and faces the clerk, uttering a single order to him before walking off somewhere
>"Inform the House of Nobility that they're all fired immediately."
>The next day, it was all over the news
>House of Nobility Dissolved, EEquestrian Constitution found burned in its case!
>One report even featured a quote from Celestia herself...
>"Not once since I was forced to banish my own sister have I ever regretted a decision, that is until now. The sheer stupidity of trying to ban magic use, something that an entire third of our population uses to accomplish their daily jobs, myself included, has made me regret forming the House of Nobility by signing the Equestrian Constitution. From now on, Equestria is no longer a constitutional monarchy, and I'll be sure to inform whomever my successor is of the astounding depths that those in power will sink to to get more."

>Twilight looks up from the clipping before her, her face twisted in disbelief
>"This didn't seriously happen, did it?"
>Celestia speaks up from over her shoulder without hesitation
>"It did, and it still baffles me to this day."
>"But... But didn't they consider how much that would cripple the working ability of the unicorn population?"
>Celestia shakes her head in a definite negatory
>"... I have no words. Did none of them think about the fact that magic is one of the only effective counters to so many different forms of assault?"
>Celestia sighs deeply, closing her eyes in despair before responding
>"They didn't think at all, and I realize that now. Such things are why I've held this seat of power for so long despite hating every minute of it, and why you'll hold this seat too one day. Get used to this now, make it less of a surprise so your disappointment doesn't cripple your ability to lead in the future. That's the only advice I can give you."
>With those final words, Celestia teleports in a stack of similar clippings from various other news sources with similar stories, leaving Twilight to get familiar with them all
>Fin
Anonymous
No.244370
244371 244372
>>244369
Forgot to add that this is my short writefagging, since you mentioned it being a prompt. Hope y'all like it!
Anonymous
No.244371
244372 244618
>>244369
>>244370
10/10 Anon Good Shit.

Moar?
Anonymous
No.244372
244374 244618
>>244369
>>244370
>>244371
I like it. Could you continue from there?

Also, how did you get the colored text?
Anonymous
No.244374
244376
>>244372
Put in front and then do the same at the end but put a / after the letter. you can do orange the same way but instead of p put an o
Anonymous
No.244376
>>244374
*a p with [ ] on each side.
Anonymous
No.244381
>Earth Pony and businessmare Leslie Fair was interviewed on her opinions on legislation that would restrict ability of unicorns to practice magic. The interview is below.
>Miss Fair, what do you think of legislation that would place restrictions on all use of magic?
>I'm absolutely against it, it's not Parliament's right to tell unicorns what to do with their, or pegasi with their wings, or earth ponies with their hooves. Bad unicorns will break the law or find other ways to do evil things and good unicorns will be helpless.
>But then, should there be no restrictions on magic use? Should any unicorn be allowed to use military-grade magic?
>Of course!
>Leslie was later spotted driving a metal-plated carriage into the house of a Parliament member, before flying away in a gyrocopter shouting "Shall not be infringed!"
Anonymous
No.244390
244413
>>244229
>another shitty fetish thread

Anonymous
No.244401
244415
>>244369
>with signatures from the House of Nobility
>Magic restricting bill passed by unicorns
You'll have to do some worldbuilding with this one, cause I don't see it. The nobility, which canonically consists of unicorns, would never support something that would prevent them from exercising what distinguishes them from the lesser ponies.
Anonymous
No.244413
>>244390
No offense, but how is this a fetish if you aren't advocating for the complete disarmament of the public?
Anonymous
No.244415
244430 244483
>>244401
No offense, but what makes you think they have a nobility rather than an elected senate?
Anonymous
No.244430
244464
>>244415
Canon/fanon and the name "House of Nobility" in the post I was responding to, it looks like an obvious parallel to the House of Lords. But an elected upper house with that name would be an interesting twist and something to build on.
Anonymous
No.244464
>>244430
>canon

Which episode?
Anonymous
No.244468
245147
>>244365
But what about that would make her want to approve it? And wouldn't Rarity (or Moondancer if she follows through with her return to Canterlot) have something to say?
Anonymous
No.244477
244493 244572
>>244359
Twilight is strong on book smarts but weak on street smarts/common sense. She's also big on compliance with rules and protocol, and the concept of breaking protocol is foreign to her. She's the sort of person who may fail to put two and two together to realize that criminals may not comply with a gun free zone until somebody points it out to her.

Celestia and Luna have been around since Equestria secured its sovereignty. Magic was probably instrumental in achieving that sovereignty. I expect them to be mature enough to recognize the importance of maintaining personal freedoms instead of trading them away in exchange for a hollow promise of security.
Anonymous
No.244483
244972
>>244415
>Unironic dukes in the court
>Immortal godlike beings who assign their own successors
Equestria isn't democratic.
Anonymous
No.244493
>>244477
But wouldn't that be a reason for her to disapprove it?
Anonymous
No.244507
244536
look closer.jpg
>>244229
SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED!
Anonymous
No.244536
_____________1.jpg
>>244507

Anonymous
No.244572
244575 244579
>>244477
>Celestia and Luna have been around since Equestria secured its sovereignty.

Out of curiosity, how long ago do you think that was? Equestria may be a very young nation that requires a lot of effort to keep stable.
Anonymous
No.244575
244579 244582
>>244572
>Equestria may be a very young nation that requires a lot of effort to keep stable
Not so if only ponies inhabit it.
One Race (ponies), one Equestria, one Celestia.
Anonymous
No.244579
244584
>>244575
>>244572
Equestria is probably around 200 years old.
Anonymous
No.244582
244583
>>244575
Does this go against the "No race mixing" rule?

(And no offense, but why did they choose that name for the rule? It sounds far worse than it actually is.)
Anonymous
No.244583
>>244582
>And no offense, but why did they choose that name for the rule? It sounds far worse than it actually is
By going to the source you may find the answer >>>/qa/
Anonymous
No.244584
244586
>>244579
>Celestia ruling for over 1000 years
Yeah nah, it's only 200, fam.
Anonymous
No.244586
>>244584
I'm thinking that there were four Celestias:

Princess Celestia I, the original alicorn and the first ruler of the Crystal Empire.

Princess Celestia II and I, the leader of the rebellion against her sister, Nightmare Moon, and the subsequent ruler of Equestria, hence the two numbers.

Princess Celestia III and II, the grandmother of the regnant, who guided the Apple family to Ponyville's urban farming community, which expanded Ponyville's urban sprawl.

Princess Celestia IV and III, the regnant.
Anonymous
No.244618
244621 244647 244945
>>244371
>>244372
Alright, since you both insist, I'll give you moar.

>>244369
>Celestia barely has time to get out of the room before Twilight appears behind her again
>"I'm sorry, but I refuse to believe that that's all of it. Nopony can seriously be that stupid, not without malicious intent!"
>Celestia turns to face her student once again, surprised by her sudden tenacity
>"Well, after researching the circumstances more myself, I did find that a few of the nobles had been bribed into supporting the bill and more had been coerced. So it wasn't entirely stupidity that got it that far, but the pony who had first brought it up had no such connections."
>Twilight lowers her gaze to parallel as she takes in the new information
>"Now, I really do recommend you read through those clippings, they'll give you indispensable wisdom for when you hold the throne. As for me, I need to take care of a few more matters before they reach their deadlines and they won't fix themselves."
>Once again, Celestia walks off and leaves Twilight alone
>This time, though, Twilight doesn't pursue her and instead sits back down and begins filtering her way through the hundreds of parchment scraps and newspaper clippings
>The more she reads, the more her faith in the common pony is reduced
>They really wouldn't survive a thousand years without the princesses, would they?
>This and many other thoughts like it pass through Twilight's mind during the familiarization process, each word making her sink lower and lower
>Around the third clipping involving Luna's rebellion being a false flag (the 236th clipping in total, in case you were wondering), One of Twilight's neurons finally decides it's had enough and blows its nucleus out, much to the surprise and envy of its neighbors
>Finally, once the last shred of written diarrhea
is moved from the "read" pile into the "read" pile, the purple unicorn slumps to the ground
>Mentally exhausted, she finds her mind now swimming in the texts she just read
>After floundering about in the intellectual muck for more time than is healthy, Twilight finally comes across a thought that isn't just "They're doomed"
>There's got to be some way to fix this! There has to be at least one thing I can do, one solution to make all this stop being such a problem!
>With a newfound spark of resolution within her, Twilight's mind plunges back into the IQ void, searching for any pattern within the articles that could yield fruit to her cause
>After filtering through it all, she finds that everything had something to do with some kind or other of influential equestrian figure, princesses notwithstanding.
>However, the sun's already gone down long ago and Twilight's spot on the floor has long since stopped being comfortable
>More thinking could happen tomorrow, when she wasn't as tired and had more time to spend at the castle library

>A new dawn rises over Equestria, with Twilight rising as well
>Her brain now a cleared slate, she immediately sets off towards her goal without hesitation or pause, even the gnawing of hunger being but a minor inconvenience
>After all, if one is to save the world tomorrow, they must prepare today
>A few rigorous hours of study later, Twilight finally has a solid idea of what's caused all the issues over the years
>I need to bring this information to Princess Celestia, this could be invaluable information!
>She thinks to herself, hugging tight a folder filled with papers and bound into a loose thesis held together by nothing but a staple and sheer determination
>A few moments later, the throne room door bursts open, to Celestia's surprise
>"Princess, I think you're gonna want to see this!"
>Twilight brandishes the envelope in her magic, exposing it to the world before levitating it over to her mentor
>"Hm? What brought this about?"
>"Like I said last night, I refused to believe that ponies were dumb enough to actually do or think any of that, so I went over to the library and figured out who was behind it all!"
>As Twilight excitedly exclaims this to her confused mentor, Celestia opens up the folder and peers at the cover page of the document
>Equestria's Political Problems Listed in Chronological Order, and Why Griffons are Responsible for Them All
>An Academic Paper by Twilight Sparkle
>"Well, I suppose I didn't need to teach you this after all."
>Now it's Twilight's turn to be surprised
>"Not only did I not have to teach you this, but you seem to have gone above and beyond what I would've taught you, if these first few pages are consistent with the rest."
>"... Wait, you already knew this?"
>"Unfortunately, dealing with Griffonstone's chosen politicians has given me more than enough knowledge on that fact. Bravo on finding this all yourself, though."
>"So then why haven't we done anything about this yet?"
>Celestia flips through the pages of the document before settling on a certain date and giving it back to Twilight
>"Have you noticed that the frequency of these happenings drops off drastically after Griffonstone's collapse?"
>Twilight begins revising her own work to check as Celestia continues on
>"We haven't done anything to stop them because they've already done more than we could've to themselves. All that has to be done now is make sure that they don't come back from that position, and things should remain as they are."
>Relief floods over Twilight as she hears this, before it all gets clawed away by one memory
>"Uh... How bad would it be if, per say, a pair of ponies were sent to Griffonstone by a magic map to help restore the morale of the population and teach them lessons about friendship? Purely hypothetical, of course!"
>The warmth within Celestia's eyes is immediately snuffed by the mere utterance of Twilight's question, and only two words pass her lips as a response
>"They what?"

TBC, if you all think I should. If not, fin!
Anonymous
No.244621
>>244618
fucking formatting, don't mind the part where I pressed enter and turned some green into brown text
Anonymous
No.244647
244876
>>244618
Very nice! I'd like to see more of it, but this also stopped at a decent place. Whatever you choose to do frien I'm a-okay with it.
Anonymous
No.244749
244750 244757
So how does everyone think the "responsible, law-abiding magic users" would react?
Anonymous
No.244750
244757
>>244749
"From my cold, dead hooves!"
Anonymous
No.244757
244773 244851
>>244750
>>244749
According to the turner diaries they would be taken by force.
Anonymous
No.244773
244851 244923
>>244757
>The Turner Diaries
And I care because?
Anonymous
No.244851
>>244757
>>244773
Well, there are Starlight Glimmer and Tirek, who have the power to steal magic, there are those magical artifacts from the S8 finale, and rumor has it that the bewitching bell may have the power to absorb spells and force ponies to use whatever magic they would have used to cast it just for physical exhaustion of the victim, but we will find out soon enough.

Although I don't think they would allow Tirek to steal ponies' magic, Starlight would not be able to steal magic out of good consciousness, and those artifacts, plus the bell, would likely be locked away in a museum following the end of Season 9. Fortunately, however, the ponies in this scenario will not need to have their magic stolen from them (possibly unless they refuse to comply).

The applications of these restrictions, namely the mana pool size limit and magic-suppressing ring use, may also cause financial strain on many for somewhat obvious reasons, so the Equestrian government and taxpayers may have to spend millions or billions of dollars to enforce that and allow it to happen.

But this may raise an issue of whether it is worth this much money to interfere with the basic functionalities of day-to-day life in order to protect the lives of everypony. Some may argue that this drastic change in lifestyle would be necessary and the safety of all Equestrians must be protected at all costs, but I would imagine that others would say that it isn't worth the risk and that they would need to better enforce their existing laws. They may also stand by this quote from Benjamin Franklin.

"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."
Anonymous
No.244876
244880
>>244647
I think I'll leave it at that, I'm not sure how I could continue with it and stay true to the thread's topic at the same time from here. Glad you enjoyed it, though!
Anonymous
No.244880
>>244876
Maybe you could write about how the ponies are reacting to their parliament proposing the legislation and the announcement on the news in the OP.
Anonymous
No.244923
244936
>>244773
It's a good book, I wish people would give it more of a chance.
Anonymous
No.244936
244938
>>244923
Good book or not, that doesn't explain why it would/should pertain to a hypothetical ponified parody of the gun control issue
Anonymous
No.244938
245058
>>244936
Because the people in the book Said "if the gubment comes for muh guns ima fight!" then those people were the first to turn in their guns, when they passed the gun control law. i would expect the psychology would be the same with the unicorns.
Anonymous
No.244945
>>244618
https://www.fimfiction.net/story/444410/luna-never-went-to-the-moon-equestrias-thousand-year-swindle
Anonymous
No.244972
244977
>>244483
But the U.K. still has a nobility, no?
Anonymous
No.244977
244983
>>244972
The Queen also doesn't settle disputes like the princesses have been shown to do.
Anonymous
No.244983
245252
>>244977
So what do you think the roles of judges are?
Anonymous
No.245058
>>244938
But could some of them flee to the Crystal Empire if they don't consider such legislation?
Anonymous
No.245147
>>244468
How would Moondancer and/or Rarity react to this news?
Anonymous
No.245250
247202
What if Tirek ruled Equestria and this was his first act?
Anonymous
No.245252
245281
>>244983
Have we ever seen a single judge in the show?
Anonymous
No.245281
245282
>>245252
I'm not sure, but what happens when someone is to be prosecuted or a dispute arises that needs to be settled in a small-town courthouse?
Anonymous
No.245282
245283
>>245281
Probably an episode that attempts to parody Judge Judy.
Anonymous
No.245283
245284
>>245282
So do you think any judges would rule the magic control legislation as unconstitutional, as it is unconstitutional?
Anonymous
No.245284
245434
>>245283
Depends on how many of their handlers' donors come from Griffonstone.
Anonymous
No.245434
>>245284
Suppose none of them did.
Anonymous
No.245971
246270
Suppose magic was their version of carbon emissions and it allegedly caused a temperature increase wherever it was used, coupled with lasting evidence to prove that magic was causing the planet to warm. What would be done about that?
Anonymous
No.246270
>>245971
Enchant a big structure or flower species to be cold and cool the planet down.

Anonymous
No.247202
>>245250
The population may not support him, then, and he may be swiftly impeached.
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