Elections
- Story by Ted Anderson, Art by Agnes Garbowski
Ponyville gathers as Mayor Mare commemorates a new playground for the school, but during her speech, an unexpected earthquake causes the playground to collapse. As Mayor Mare attempts to explain what just happened, Filthy Rich steps forward and suggests that Ponyville needs a change in leadership, and quickly throws his hat into the ring as a new mayoral candidate.
Back at Twilight's castle, the Mane 6, along with Starlight Glimmer, discuss how this will be Ponyville's first election as far as they know, as no one has bothered to run against Mayor Mare before. Already, the group is divided who they will vote for. Twilight decides to volunteer to help out Mayor Mare's campaign, finding that while she herself is the center of calm, her campaign staff is running ragged. Meanwhile Rarity tries to see if she can help out Filthy Rich, but his entire organization appears to be running smoothly.
They decide to hold a debate just before the election, along with three other ponies that have entered to run, Time Turner, Cheerilee, and Lyra. Through the debate, Mayor Mare promises to keep up her style from the past, while Filthy Rich offers various promises that many of the town get behind. On the day of the election, Filthy Rich wins, and proceeds to give his victory speech. However, mid-speech, another earthquake causes the collapse of another house in town, leaving him speechless.
Filthy starts up his new programs but the citizens of Ponyville quickly realize that he has overpromised from his election candidacy, forcing him to raise taxes to cover the new projects and using the cheapest materials possible, making the new projects fall apart all too soon, coupled with the seemingly uncontrolled earthquakes. Twilight and her friends realize they need to convince Mayor Mare to come by if anything to advise Filthy on governing, but she insists she's retired now.
That night, Filthy holds a town meeting to try to calm the town's fears, but he becomes overwhelmed with complains. Suddenly Mayor Mare shows up and tells Filthy that a good politician doesn't make as many promises as he did, but instead knows how to manage with what they have.
Suddenly, another earthquake appears but the source of the quake reveals itself - a tatzlwurm that has been causing all the damage of late. Mayor Mare quickly organizes the ponies to lure the tatzlwurm towards a construction site where she detonates a large mass of dynamite that permanently scares it away. With the crisis averted, Filthy begs Mayor to take back her position, and the other ponies in town are relieved to have their old Mayor back.
Tropes appearing in this issue:
- An Aesop:
- A politician is meant to do what is best for their community, not just throw around promises.
- Also there are good reasons why it is difficult, if not impossible, to make everyone happy since there are more than one factors in administering the government.
- Anti-Villain:
- Filthy. His efforts are genuine, but he still causes Ponyville's problems to go up to eleven.
- The Tatzlwurm as well. It's just following its instincts, but they're unfortunately leading it to cause damage to Ponyville.
- Ascended Meme: Lyra promises to put more benches in the town, referencing Lyra's odd means of sitting on benches in the brony fandom.
- Continuity Nod:
- One on the Sara Richard's cover which has Pipsqueak holding a sign saying "Vote 4 Me". A reference to him running for class president in Crusaders of the Lost Mark.
- Starlight Glimmer makes her IDW debut in this comic. Spike even makes an off-handed comment about her "Equals Town" never having any elections, eliciting a Death Glare from Starlight.
- Tadwell, Mayor Mare's assistant from the AJ/Mayor Friends Forever comic, reappears.
- Likewise the first appearance of Spoiled Rich in the comics.
- Cool, but Inefficient: Ponyville's residents, Rainbow Dash in particular, are drawn in by Filthy's promise to build a hoofball stadium. Then they realize construction would come at a major price with the noise level making for an unpleasant experience. The latter applies for Fluttershy in particular since they're building it so close to her home.
- Didn't Think This Through: Filthy Rich's political inexperience comes back to bite him when it comes clear that he made so many promises he couldn't keep as mayor.
- Foreshadowing: Look at Diamond Tiara's expression when her father announces that he will run for mayor. It's as if she knows this isn't going to end well.
- Fridge Logic: In-Universe, Starlight is confused about what to call Mayor Mare now that she's no longer the mayor.
- Idiot Ball: The whole plot gets moving just because some of the ponies were unsatisfied with Mayor Mare's answer in why the playground area was suddenly wrecked by an earthquake. Despite Mayor Mare stating she had ponies looking into it and not being able to find the cause of it, even apologizing for what happened. Plus the fact the disaster was an earthquake, as Mayor Mare stated it just that some things happen without warning and the best they can do is try to prepare for next time. Ironically enough once Filthy Rich is instated as the new Mayor, another earthquake soon hits and destroys one of the houses.
- Leaning on the Fourth Wall: One of the complaints leveled at Filthy Rich is "more screentime for background characters!"
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: The pony leading the debate, as well as Sara Richard's variant cover, includes a ponified version of either Wolf Blitzer or Anderson Cooper, both of whom are political reporters for news networks. (The cutie mark is of a silver fox or wolf, both fitting of either newscaster.)
- No OSHA Compliance: The playground built under Filthy Rich's leadership easily breaks apart. It's revealed that he saved money by hiring a cheap construction company.
- Once Done, Never Forgotten: Spike brings up Starlight's tyranny when she asks about Ponyville not having elections.
- Parental Neglect: Diamond Tiara is bummed that her dad is too busy being the mayor to spend any time with her.
- Produce Pelting: The residents of Ponyville bombard Filthy Rich with fruit at his first town meeting in response to his failed policies.
- Punny Name: One of the volunteers in the Mayor's campaign is named Nervous Nellie, who is, to no surprise, nervous.
- Ripped from the Headlines: This issue came out shortly before the 2016 Presidential Election in the US. This hits closer to home considering that Filthy Rich, a wealthy businesspony, is a very loose Expy of Donald Trump.
- Shout-Out:
- Time Turner (the Doctor Who Expy, says that everyone told him to run (for mayor), so he ran; this plays off the catchphrase "Run you clever boy" used in various stories in the revived series.
- Some of the complaints thrown at Filthy Rich are borrowed from The Simpsons episode "Marge Vs The Monorail".
- Tatzlwurms work on Tremors rules - they are lured in by vibrations through the ground.
- Spit Take: Rarity upon finding that her new tax bill had just been tripled.
- Tempting Fate: Once Fility Rich is instated as Mayor he promises that there won't be anymore earthquakes, and not soon after a earthquake suddenly hits and destroys one of the houses.
- Uncle Penny Bags: Deconstructed Trope for Filthy Rich, his well-meaning attempt to fulfill his promises to his voters did come back to bite him in the back when he had to raise taxes and implement cost-cutting measures to maintain the costs of his expensive projects to appease everyone but ended with everyone's laments.
- When You Coming Home, Dad?: Diamond Tiara gets to this point while her father is busy running Ponyville.
