The Citizenship Question · 4:30pm Sep 11th, 2017
This is something that has been bothering me for a few years now. The Diamond Dogs that kidnapped Rarity -- are they Equestrians? Does Equestria have a concept of citizenship as we think of it? How does one become a citizen? If it is by being born there, then is every sapient born within Equestria's borders a citizen thereby? Should the Diamond Dogs have been reported to the authorities? Is slavery illegal in Equestria? Should they be charged with kidnapping? (Or "unlawful confinement", which, I believe, is the legal term. IANAL.) Are any changelings born in Equestria Equestrians? (Why did I capitalize Diamond Dogs but not changelings?) Are the Diamond Dogs being denied the basic governmental support otherwise granted to surface-dwelling citizens? Are they, in fact, Equestria's under(heh)-class?
I remember some talking sheep in an early episode that AJ and Winona herded into a pen and shut up. That, combined with Chancellor Neighsay's attitude toward non-ponies later on, make me tend to believe that ponies are* the only true subjects/citizens of Equestria, and other species rank somewhere below them.
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* Or were. The scenes in Canterlot after years of Twilight's rule seem to indicate that the kingdom has become much more egalitarian.
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Yeah, I think that they might not have the concept of "citizenship" as we know it at all.