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// Amethyst's Interview 
// Story: Re-Election in Ponyville:  Defending Her Turf 
// by StormLuna 
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Morning Preparations

Saturday had arrived, the day that Sunny Flames was set to do her interviews.  In her home, Amethyst again had the town's spending records along with other papers outlining plans that she hoped to fulfill out and ready.  She was also setting up a screen so she could project records of not only proving the debt had been paid off but also other town expenses.  

When Sea Swirl headed into the living room and saw Amethyst setting up a screen, she was curious about what was going on.  She asked, "Amethyst, what is that for?"

Amethyst replied, "I am setting this up so I can project everything I need to for the cameras.  After all, I am certain that ponies will want proof that the debt has been paid off and I do have other things going on, things I want to share with the public, things that will hopefully aid me in getting more votes." 

One thing Sea Swirl noticed was that unlike it was four years ago, Amethyst was not frantically brushing her mane and tail nor was she excited about Sunny coming.  She asked, "Amethyst, why aren't you nervous or excited?  Last time you were so excited to have Sunny Flames coming here."  

Amethyst replied, "I've been there and done that.  Also, I need to be composed.  Nopony is going to trust a candidate without any composure." 

Sea Swirl was impressed by the completely different attitude her friend had compared to the last time.  Another thing she noticed that the whole living room was cleaner than normal.  She commented, "Amethyst, this place looks spotless!  I haven't seen it this clean since the last time Sunny came to interview you." 

Amethyst replied, "Well I certainly don't want all of Equestria seeing the stains on the table or a slightly dirty carpet.  That may cause ponies, especially the ponies here, to think that I'm a complete slob and lose votes." 

Sea Swirl sighed, "I see."  She then headed towards the door and continued, "Well I am heading out so you can finish up here.  Good luck with your interview." 

Amethyst said, "Thanks." 

After Sea Swirl left Amethyst continued to make sure everything was in order.  Once she had all the paperwork she needed in a neatly stacked pile, she decided to fix herself some lunch.  While she was not overly hungry, she figured that she would do better if she had a full stomach.  As she sat there eating, she began running everything through her mind, everything she wanted to share in the interview and thinking about any unexpected questions she may be asked. 





Sunny's Arrival in Ponyville

It was early in the afternoon when Sunny Flames and the ENC crew arrived in Ponyville.  As she stepped off the train, Sunny could hardly believe her eyes.  There were more houses being built on the newer side of town, she saw what appeared to be a hotel being built right in the vicinity of the train station and something that really shocked her.  She saw what appeared to be a tower of some sort going up.  What surprised her the most was that unicorns were welding metal together to get it built.  Even though Amethyst's policies were pushing the town forward, even she didn't expect to see a structure made of something other than wood going up. 

As she headed towards Amethyst's house, she noticed something different about the unicorn's house.  She noticed that it did not have a straw roof like it did four years ago, she saw that it had a normal roof on it with shingles.  It wasn't just Amethyst's house that was like that, more and more of the structures in the older end of town had scrapped straw roofs in favor of the designs that are used in larger communities.

When she finally reached Amethyst's house, she hoped that she would be more pleasant than she was on the phone.   When she knocked it took a minute until Amethyst answered.  She was thirty minutes early so when Amethyst saw that it was her, she was a bit surprised and a bit irritated, "Ms. Flames, I thought you said you wouldn't be here until 1500?"

Sunny replied, "Well we got into town early so I thought I would come over and we could get this taken care of." 

Amethyst motioned for Sunny to go in and when she got to the front room she was not surprised.  She saw that Amethyst had a screen set up so she could project anything she needed to onto it.  While the camera crew was getting set up Sunny was curious about all the development going on, especially the metal structure going up.  She approached Amethyst and asked, "What is up with all the development, especially that metal structure going up?"

Amethyst replied, "More results of a strong economy, more businesses moving in, nothing overly special." 

Sunny noticed that the camera crew had everything set up and asked, "Shall we do this?"

Amethyst replied, "Let's do this." 





Amethyst's Interview

Once the camera crew was ready and the two mares had got sat down, Sunny motioned for the cameras to start rolling.  She began, "Hello Equestria my name is Sunny Flames.  Like it is every summer when there are mayoral elections, I like to travel across the country and interview the candidates.  Today I am in the home of Amethyst Star, mayor of Ponyville."  The cameras then shifted to where both of them were shown sitting across from one another.  Sunny continued, "Amethyst, four years ago you made quite a few promises when you were elected.  Would you say that you have lived up to those promises?"

Amethyst replied, "Yes, I would say that I have."  She then grabbed the first set of paperwork she wanted the nation to show and used her magic to project them onto the screen.  The cameras shifted to the screen and Amethyst continued, "During the first debate I stated that we were just a couple of months away from paying off our debt to The Royal Bank of Equestria."  She pointed her hoof towards the current year's payments.  She continued, "And here you see what I had projected back in March, back when we had two months more of payments."  She then pointed her hoof towards April and May and continued, "And here you see the final two payments and it was in May that Ponyville finally became debt free." 

Sunny commented, "I know you are showing these records but do you have any more documents to prove to the skeptics that these debts are indeed paid off?"

Amethyst grabbed the next document, projected it and replied, "Actually I do.  Here is the cancelled promissory notes stating that we have repaid our debts in full and that we are truly debt free." 

Sunny replied, "I am certain that the locals here will be thrilled to know that their community is no longer in debt."  She paused for a moment before continuing, "I also know that some ponies may be questioning the sales tax you imposed in the second year of your term.  Do you have any documentation to show that the tax is generating a sufficient amount of revenue?"

Amethyst grabbed the next set of documents and projected them for the cameras.  She replied, "I do."  She first showed the documentation of the first twelve months.  She began, "As you can see, during the first twelve months it did not generate as much as I was hoping for."  She moved onto the next page and continued, "But once my business friendly policies caused more businesses to move in here and our tourism levels increased significantly, the revenue it generated exceeded my expectations."  She then pointed to December on the list and emphasized, "And the revenue generated during Hearth's Warming was spectacular.  Not only did we have increased hoof traffic in the stores but many tourists shopped here because of the lower prices and that December really aided us in getting things paid off."  She then showed the current year's documents and finished, "And you can see that tax revenue is high this year as well, especially once construction began on the new housing and the new hotel." 

The cameras shifted back onto Sunny and Amethyst.  Sunny asked, "About the new hotel.  Is this a public project or is this a private company coming in." 

Amethyst replied, "It is private.  UniSleep Inns and Suites applied for a business license here and naturally it was granted.  I'm not sure exactly when it will be completed but they are projecting early October so barring any kind of setback, it should be open in time for Hearth's Warming Eve." 

Sunny asked, "From what I understand, the attendance at the outdoor pageant has steadily gone up with each passing year.  Is that why UniSleep is coming in?"

Amethyst replied, "Yes, that along with the increased tourism overall." 

Sunny then became curious about the local workforce, "Amethyst, once the hotel opens, will it be locals working it or will ponies be moving in from out of town?"

Amethyst replied, "Most of the ponies in this town that are of working age are employed so for the most part it will be their own workers that will be relocating here." 

Sunny knew what kind of ponies operated that hotel chain and knew that most of their employees were unicorns but didn't want to directly bring it up.  She asked, "So how do you think this will alter the demographic here in Ponyville?"

Amethyst knew that she couldn't break into a smile that it would likely give her more supporters so with a neutral look on her face she replied, "It will likely bring in more unicorns." 

Sunny knew that with the increasing population that there would be more foals moving there and became curious about the local school.  She asked, "Amethyst, with the surge in population, what is the town doing as far as a school?  I am pretty sure that the local school is likely no longer sufficient." 

Amethyst replied, "A couple of years ago we received a grant from Princess Celestia to expand the current one significantly but I don't constantly want to be begging her for money so I am thinking of another way to do it, a way that will have to be approved by the voters."

Sunny asked, "Is that going to be an additional cent tax or something else?"

Amethyst replied, "Actually, I'm thinking of something that will generate more growth."  She got a slight smile on her face as she continued, "I plan on putting a referendum on the ballot regarding small stakes gambling." 

The very fact that a mayor of any community outside of Las Pegasus would even suggest such a thing shocked Sunny.  She gasped, "Seriously, you'd allow casino gambling?"

Amethyst replied, "Yes.  I have already been in touch with UniSleep and they said that if the referendum passes, that they would add a casino to the hotel that would be ready to open come next summer." 

Sunny knew that her time was limited since she planned on showing the Iron Will interview during the same episode so she finished, "And what about that metal structure I saw going up.  It looks like it is going to be a tower of some sort?"

Amethyst proudly stated, "That is going to be another tourist attraction.  It is going to be the Ponyville Sky Needle.  Near the top it will have a restaurant that will allow diners to be able to see for miles and on the top of it, a needle that will light up at night." 

Sunny asked, "So is this from public funding or private funding?"

Amethyst replied, "It is from private funding.  The funding is coming primarily from wealthy donors of the Ponyville Department of Tourism and Economic Development.  I say mostly because UniSleep Inns and Suites has contributed some and even I have donated some to assist with it." 

Sunny gave her a smile, "Wow, you really know how to handle this private funding thing.  Even big cities like Manehattan have had to increase taxes for structures like that." 

Amethyst returned the smile, "Well I think things like this are best done using private funds." 

Sunny looked up at the clock and finished, "Well this is all the time we have for today."  She turned to Amethyst and continued, "Well thank you for inviting me into your home so you can share some of your plans with not just the public, but all of Ponyville." 

Amethyst replied, "The pleasure was all mine." 

Sunny finished, "And coming up next will be the interview with Mayor Amethyst's opponent, Iron Will." 





Post-Interview Discussions

The cameras went black and she gave Amethyst a huge smile, "Wow, you're really planning on pushing this town forward aren't you?"  

Amethyst replied, "Yes.  I am hoping to make Ponyville a top tourist destination and depending on the success of the Sky Needle, I'm thinking of having an arch constructed as well, a way to say 'Ponyville is the way to prosperity.'" 

Again Sunny looked at the clock and figured that she had best get going.  She got up and said, "Well I had best get going.  I want to get your opponent's interview taken care of." 

As she was headed towards the exit Amethyst asked, "So when will this be aired?"

Sunny replied, "Next Tuesday once I get back to Manehattan and am able to get it taped." 

Amethyst followed her to the door and finished, "That's good to know.  You have a good day and good luck with the interview with Iron Will." 

Sunny nodded and she along with her news crew headed out the door.  After she left, Amethyst returned to the front room and felt like she was transparent enough that it would not only sway any undecided voters, but also some of those who voted for Iron Will in the primary.