So what happens to small-time villians? Is there a pony jail?

[Never2muchpinkie 208]

From what we've seen there are only three categories of morality: good ponies who have their character flaws, jerks who look down on others, and super-villians.

 

There doesn't reallty appear to be any other types, so we don't get to see minor villiany. Looking at episodes which seem to show small-scale villiany like the ones with the Flim-Flam brothers, Lightning Dust, Gila, Trixie, and probably more the worst that happens is that that they either lose what they were going for, and/or have to leave town.  

 

So, what...it's either Tarturus/the moon/sealed in stone or you get off scot-free?

 

I'm finishing up a fanfic in which Diamond Tiara is kidnapped for a ransom. The plot is foiled, and now I have no idea what to do with the criminal.  Super-jail Tarturus seems a little extreme, but we've seen no regular jail or hints at one. There are no police type ponies unless you count Celestia's royal guard.

I suppose I could just make a jail since, hey, it's my fanfic, but this is bugging me.

[Discordian 6,013]

The thing is that to be thrown in jail you need to have broken a law. None of the characters (except Flim and Flam) really broke any laws. They're just huge assholes.

 

Plus Equestria doesn't seem to have a police force or military expansive or strong enough to be able to catch every villain that appears so if they escape in the night then there's nothing that can be done about them.

[FractalMoon 378]

The thing is that to be thrown in jail you need to have broken a law. None of the characters (except Flim and Flam) really broke any laws. They're just huge assholes.

 

Plus Equestria doesn't seem to have a police force or military expansive or strong enough to be able to catch every villain that appears so if they escape in the night then there's nothing that can be done about them.

This is splitting hairs, but what law did Flim and Flam break? I would get if you mentioned something like Lightning Dust and reckless endangerment, or Gilda and harassment/bullying, but Flim and Flam didn't break any laws at all.

Edited July 15, 2014 by FM-Valkyrie

[Banul 3,831]

Maybe they get exiled. I know Trixie wasn't official exiled, but in both episodes she left ponyville and didn't get any other kind of punishment. The Flim Flam brothers too.

[Discordian 6,013]

This is splitting hairs, but what law did Flim and Flam break? I would get if you mentioned something like Lightning Dust and reckless endangerment, or Gilda and harassment/bullying, but Flim and Flam didn't break any laws at all.

False advertisement and attempting to sell a placebo product under the guise of a miracle cure.

[M'aiq the Liar 5,804]

This is splitting hairs, but what law did Flim and Flam break? I would get if you mentioned something like Lightning Dust and reckless endangerment, or Gilda and harassment/bullying, but Flim and Flam didn't break any laws at all.

Well fraud if you count their miracle tonic episode. They didn't break any laws in their debute episode, but you could make a case to get them on some false advertisement/fraud for their snake oil.

 

And as for most of them, like any minor cartoon villian, they just fade into the background, never to be seen or heard from again. Unless they have a massive fanbase, in which case they may have a small redemption episode and show up in the "gather the forces of good" montage during the giant fight.

[Discordian 6,013]

I don't actually think placebos are illegal but I'm almost certain false advertisement is.

Edited July 15, 2014 by Discordian

[Flutter's lover <3 8,204]

IIRC, Canterlot has a dungeon of some sort....as does the Crystal Empire. So I imagine that's where they keep other villains.

 

Or they become reformed by Fluttershy, and walk free.

[Hovershy 3,812]

They banish you and throw you in a dungeon in the place you were banished to 

 

Edited July 16, 2014 by Hovershy

[Snow Frostflame 3,567]

The thing is that to be thrown in jail you need to have broken a law. None of the characters (except Flim and Flam) really broke any laws. They're just huge assholes.

 

Plus Equestria doesn't seem to have a police force or military expansive or strong enough to be able to catch every villain that appears so if they escape in the night then there's nothing that can be done about them.

Equestria's Military is the guards they have guards stationed in every city they don't seem to do much but I'm pretty sure they do what you would expect them to do and I don't mean crack arrow in the knee jokes I'm pretty sure they are able to catch, stop, and contain criminals

 

Equestria also has the Wonder Bolt's which are basically Air Force Pilots but they are only called in when the problem escalates beyond the Guards power   

[Phosphorous 135]

I'm pretty sure at the end of Leap of Faith, the Flim Flam brothers were forced to repay everypony plus a hefty fine.

[Celli 4,332]

They probably have some sort of pony jail/prison.

[pony.colin 156]

The sister thread to this one: http://mlpforums.com/topic/104450-police-in-equestria/

 

- The most crudest jail we could think is possibly Canterlot royal dungeon - but who really gets thrown in there?  low petty crime criminals ? or upper white collar criminals?

 

- begs the question - if we have jails, surely we have centralized organized police forces in Equestria? that answer is vaguely maybe yes? at best when referring to the other thread.

[Ari Brooks 32]

The thing is that to be thrown in jail you need to have broken a law. None of the characters (except Flim and Flam) really broke any laws. They're just huge assholes.

 

And I thought Gilda stole an apple. Although I wouldn't throw her into a dungeon for that.

[Discordian 6,013]

And I thought Gilda stole an apple. Although I wouldn't throw her into a dungeon for that.

I had actually forgotten about that but it does reinforce the notion that even if there is a police force that it's not nearly expansive enough to stop such things from happening.

[Ziggy + Angel + Rain 11,298]

Just let him go because, frankly, no one likes Diamond Tiara.  And I assume he got an earful from her when she was his captive.  I've never felt so much sympathy for a kidnapper in my life.

 

Or have something comical happen that results in the kidnapper landing in some mud (with pigs-a-bathing) or being forced to listen to Spike's rendition of the Cloudsdale Anthem at length.

 

Or just make a jail, like you said. xD

[LZRD WZRD 1,929]

Nope, all crimes get you sent to Tartarus! Don't pay for your food? Forgot to pay your taxes? Stole a balloon? Put an ice cream cone in your back pocket? Bam! Sentenced to eternity in Tartarus

Edited July 17, 2014 by LZRD WZRD

[Carbon Maestro 1,003]

The thing is that to be thrown in jail you need to have broken a law. None of the characters (except Flim and Flam) really broke any laws.

Technically...

Twilight used public property (ie Watertower) as a milk bottle to an Ursa minor...

Rarity was kidnapped and faced attempted slavery...

Spike destroyed a bit of property when he transformed with greed...

It seems like a few common sense laws might have been broken by the others.

 

I think of Equestria as a bleeding liberal paradise, with a benevolent monarch. All the ponies are too nice to have a police force.

[Fractured 2,683]

He knows the fate of everyone who pisses the sun goddess... becoming yet another statue in Celestia's collection.
Seriously, though, he'd  probably land community service doing some really unpleasant work. Worked for Sunset Shimmer, and she's an attempted murderer/treasonist.

[Invincible 2,090]

I don't think there's an actual jail for ponies like that... maybe they get locked up in a dungeon? Obviously they have (or at least had) dungeons in Equestria, otherwise Twilight wouldn't know what a dungeon is. Furthermore... maybe they can be banished from Equestria.. Does exile sound like a fitting punishment for kidnappers, for example?

[Fractured 2,683]

I don't think there's an actual jail for ponies like that... maybe they get locked up in a dungeon? Obviously they have (or at least had) dungeons in Equestria, otherwise Twilight wouldn't know what a dungeon is. Furthermore... maybe they can be banished from Equestria.. Does exile sound like a fitting punishment for kidnappers, for example?

Depends on what we're assuming Equestria is. Based on the show, any kidnappers would be incompetent morons, with the victim never being in any real danger. He/they wouldn't get banished, he/they would be too dumb to.

[Discordian 6,013]

Technically...

Twilight used public property (ie Watertower) as a milk bottle to an Ursa minor...

Rarity was kidnapped and faced attempted slavery...

Spike destroyed a bit of property when he transformed with greed...

It seems like a few common sense laws might have been broken by the others.

 

I think of Equestria as a bleeding liberal paradise, with a benevolent monarch. All the ponies are too nice to have a police force.

Well I was speaking of the characters the OP mentioned but yeah, I see that too.

[pony.colin 156]

Technically...

Twilight used public property (ie Watertower) as a milk bottle to an Ursa minor...

Rarity was kidnapped and faced attempted slavery...

Spike destroyed a bit of property when he transformed with greed...

It seems like a few common sense laws might have been broken by the others.

 

I think of Equestria as a bleeding liberal paradise, with a benevolent monarch. All the ponies are too nice to have a police force.

 

To quote somepony else:

 

 

That noise was the screams of the Ponyville insurance agencies going bankrupt.

 

Welp, time to go searching for liberal paradise Equestria

[Bella_Faus 35]

I think they got locked up in a dungeon! 

[Pastel 7,627]

I'm sure nothing happens to them, they're not as dangerous as the villains like Chrysalis or Tirek...