Episode 15: Luna on The Daily Show

by Daily Show Ponies

Rating: teen
Tags: Comedy, Random, Crossover, Human, Alternate Universe
Length: 18069

Jon Stewart interviews Luna at the end of an episode of 'The Daily Show'

For the time being Jon Stewart is stuck in Equestria after his encounter with the evil Queen Chrysalis. Far from home and his good friend Trixie in the hospital Jon must now find a way to balance both being a good friend and continuing his show.

But with circumstances never being more ideal than right now Jon decides to have a very special episode of the Daily Show, one that takes place in Equestria rather than back home. His guest? Someone equally special of course.

Come and read the interview where Jon interviews a member of the royal family for the very first time.

Please feel free to leave a suggestion for who Jon should interview next.

Thank you to Zeta040 for proofreading this.

Disclaimer: One does not need to read previous interviews to read this though there might be some references to previous guest appearances.
For more Equestrian interviews with Jon Stewart please visit the browse section of all my other stories.

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2013-03-22 20:15:30 UTC

Intro: The aftermath

When it came to making tough decisions, Jon was usually good at making logical choices, but even he had a hard time deciding whether or not he should head back home or stay in Equestria a little bit longer.

It had been only a few hours since Queen Chrysalis attacked him in his own office and, thanks to the help of his friends and the intervention of a mysterious Alicorn, he managed to survive. His wanting to know who that pony was that saved him was almost reason enough for him to stay, but at the same time, he needed to get back home to continue his show and to be with his family whom he had just risked his life to save.

In the end, he stayed in his hospital bed, located in Canterlot castle, a little bit longer at the behest of the pony nurse that was treating him. Even though his injuries had been remedied through healing magic, the attendant that was responsible for monitoring his condition insisted that he stay put. This was alright for Jon, partly because he wanted to know how he managed to survive his encounter with Queen Chrysalis, but also because he wanted to be with another member of his family, Trixie.

For the most part, Jon just found himself sleeping since the incident, but when he was awake, his body ached all over from the injuries to the point where the mere act of standing up turned into an arduous task. It’s for this reason that many wanted him to stay in Equestria.

Trixie on the other hand wasn’t so lucky. She was still hooked up to an unpleasant amount of machines, each of which were helping her stay alive. The only time the two spoke to each other was when they first arrived and she had willed herself conscious for a brief moment. At the present time, Jon was wide awake, but Trixie was still asleep, which was a good thing according to the doctors, but he hated to see her looking so vulnerable.

“You didn’t deserve this,” Jon said out loud.

Usually a doctor would show up every hour to check up on Jon and, on some occasions, scold him for trying to get out of bed, but since he had a good twenty minutes before her next inspection, he tried to see if he could manage standing his ground. He may have been healed, but his body felt like hell.

Slowly, he moved to a sitting position on the edge of his bed which was large yet, at the same time, low to the ground. With a deep breath, he hoisted himself up to a standing position, the cold ground felt uncomfortable on his exposed feet.

Because the medical team at Canterlot castle had no gowns that could even remotely fit him, they opted to leave his boxers on for the time being. This meant that with him now out from under his covers, he was freezing, but that didn’t concern him; he just wanted to be close to his friend. Still determined to move forward with his plan, he grabbed his blanket and draped it around him.

There was a chair just beside Trixie’s bed, but it was on the other side of the room. Their beds were already far apart as it is, so he forced himself to walk all the way around to her side. Every other step he took made him feel like his leg would give out at any moment, so he constantly had one hand against the bed frame to keep himself upright.

His incredibly sore body begged him to lay back down, but just like with the nurse, he ignored it and continued on his path. Eventually, he made it to his chair when his attention was seized by the sound of the door to the room opening and closing.

“Perfect... Just perfect.” Jon thought. He was fully prepared to get an earful from the nurse, but to his relief, it wasn’t a medical personnel coming early to check up on him, but rather another good friend of his. From behind the curtains that surrounded the beds emerged Celestia being escorted by two guards and no one else. She didn’t share Jon’s relieved look.

“Jon.” She began, “I...” Words escaped her as she quietly looked at the ground.

“Oh hey Celestia, it’s just you. For a second there, I thought you were that nurse again.” Jon sighed as he sat down in the chair. Much how one would expect from someone who was recovering from major injuries, he slowly lowered himself on the chair as delicately as possible. “Did you know the doctors here serve Jello as hospital food? You do know what that stuff’s made of, right?”

“Jon, I’m... I’m so sorry all of this happened to you... truly I am.” She finally uttered, “This wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t foolishly brought Chrysalis into your world.”

At present, Jon was in no mood to be playing the blame game. He wanted to tell her not to beat herself up over this, but from the looks of it, she wasn’t even close to feeling better about what had happened.

“I can’t imagine the pain that I’ve caused here,” She went on, “So... if you have anything you want to say to me... please don’t hesitate.”

Celestia braced herself for an onslaught of yelling at her expense. Maybe some profane comments directed solely at her, but to her surprise, Jon only had one thing on his mind at the moment.

“Is she going to be alright?” Jon asked as she gently stroked Trixie’s Mane with his left hand.

A silence fell over the room, lasting for a good ten seconds. She was shocked to see that Jon wasn’t mad at her, or for that matter, that his first question regarding everything that had taken place would be about Trixie rather than his own well being. Even after knowing him this long, Celestia greatly underestimated Jon’s caring nature.

“For now... yes.” She answered, “The doctors say that she’ll most likely make a full recovery...  we’re just keeping her for now to conduct some more tests.”

“And my family?” Jon continued, “Are they safe from Chrysalis.”

“Since the attack... I’m... I’m sorry to say that she has escaped us once again... but we are doing everything in our power to find her... I also used my magic to analyze your world for any hint of magic or creatures from our world being present,” Celestia explained, “And I found nothing... they are safe and I have made sure that no pony... no matter how strong, can get to your world without my permission."

Hearing all this caused Jon to slowly throw his head back in relief. He took a deep breath and expelled it upwards to the sky imitating a volcano. He stayed in this position without moving except for when he slowly moved his arm to the side to delicately grab ahold of Trixie’s hoof.

While the situation seemed to be better than expected, Jon was hesitant to write this off as a job well done. When Chrysalis first invaded his show, his first priority was getting her back to Equestria and out of his own world, and while that did happen, there was also another priority he had established early on... which was making sure that none of his loved ones got hurt.

For a brief moment, it seriously looked as if both he and Trixie would have died at the hooves of Queen Chrysalis. The only reason they both weren’t left for dead was because, at the last second, they were saved by a mysterious Alicorn.

Since Jon’s awakening from his ordeal, he had replayed the events of the last 24 hours in his head over and over again. He thought about what went wrong, what he could have done differently, and what sacrifices needed to be made in the process. All of it would have been for not had that Alicorn not intervened... it was a thought that regularly went through Jon’s head.

“While you were unconscious... I’ve had my finest officers look into the matter of... what happened.” Celestia continued with Jon still staring at the ceiling, “I’ve been briefed constantly on their findings, and I now have a clear understanding of the situation. I’m sure you’re still trying to process all of this, so... if there is there anything else you wish to know... now would be the time to ask before I am called away.”

Slowly Jon lowered his gaze back to her direction.

“Actually, there is one thing... at one point during the attack, Chrysalis had me pinned down, and she almost blew my head off.” Jon said, his description making Celestia wince with pain, “But before she could... I was saved... by an Alicorn that looked a lot like you... except she was dark and she spoke like she had a megaphone stuck in her throat.”

His facetious attitude for what was going on and his humorous slant on the description of his savior caused Celestia to chuckle for a brief second.

“Who... who was that?” He asked.

“That would be Princess Luna.” She answered, “...my dearest sister.”

“You have a sister?” Jon asked.

“Indeed I do... while I was away, she occupied the castle, and well... according to her, she felt like something was wrong so she investigated.” She explained, “And that’s when she found you.”

“She... she saved my life.” Jon acknowledged.

“Yes, that certainly seems to be the case.” Celestia said.

This was definitely a first for Jon. In his life, he’s experienced many things: love, loss, mid-life crisis, but never had he been through a near death experience. He was still trying to make sense of it all.

There were still some issues left to be resolved, but for the time being, Jon was perfectly content with the information provided for him up until then. So much so that he slumped in his chair with a face that looked like it had never experienced sleep.

“Jon... again I am sorry for this.” Celestia reiterated, “If there’s... anything I can do to help... and I mean any--”

The sound of the door opening caused both her and Jon to look off to the side. Emerging from around the corner was the nurse that had been attending to both him and Trixie. She made her way up to Celestia while weaving in and out of the guards that accompanied her.

“Your majesty... you’re wanted down stairs.” She urged while at the same time noticing that Jon was out of his bed. She gave him a disappointed look before she continued to explain herself. “There’s... some issues that need your attention.”

“I see... In that case, I’m afraid we’ll have to pick up on our debriefing at a later date.” She said to Jon as she turned to leave. Before exiting the room, she leaned in to whisper something in the nurse’s ear. “Do go easy on him.”

Both Celestia and her entourage of guards disappeared behind the curtains leaving Jon alone with the nurse who was glaring at him angrily for once again disobeying her orders.

“Soooo...” Jon cooed with an innocent face as the nurse walked up to him, “Has the ship sailed on that sponge-bath I requested?” Unlike college, his brother’s wedding, and that one time he got pulled over by a state trooper on the New Jersey turnpike, this was one situation he couldn’t joke his way out of.

“I thought I told you to stay in bed!” The nurse scolded as she manually hoisted Jon out of his seat, “You’ll have all the time in the world to be up and about once we know for sure that you’re safe.”

Jon tried his best to fight the doctor’s forceful shoving, but in his current state, he was too weak to put up much of a resistance. The only thing keeping Jon even remotely anchored to his present location was his refusal to let go of Trixie. Eventually, the nurse’s pushing and shoving in the opposite direction caused Jon’s hand to slowly lose grip of Trixie’s hoof.

“C’mon doc!” He begged, “I feel fine!”

“I’m sorry? Did you go to Equestrian medical school?” She asked while pushing him back in his own bed, “Didn’t think so! Now stay put or I’ll be forced to relocate you to another room!”

After reluctantly agreeing, Jon slid back under his covers while simultaneously making plans to disobey her once again.

“I realize you seem fine now, but we’re still waiting on some other tests to get back.” She explained. “Not to mention that if you don’t take it easy right now, there is a good chance that you’ll suffer from...”

As the nurse began to lecture Jon on the dangers of not getting enough rest after an ordeal like his, he looked to the side, unable to stop staring at Trixie who was still sleeping and partly connected to the wall. She still appeared to be in a horrible condition, and he hated how he couldn’t help her.

The sound of the nurse’s lecture to him just sounded like white noise with the only thing audible to him being the sound of the machines keeping Trixie alive, working in rhythm with his own heartbeat. If he had his way, he’d walk over to her, hold her tight, and never let go.

The doctor noticed that his attention was no longer on her so, to help, she closed the curtain between the two patients.

“Now then,” She said, “I advise you to stay in bed from here on out... You may be the Princess’ friend, but for now, you’re my patient.” and with that, the nurse left Jon’s field of vision and exited the room with an audible thud of the door closing. Jon barely waited a few seconds before throwing the covers off of him and swinging his legs to a sitting position on the edge of his bed.

Before getting up, however, the sound of the door opening caught his attention.

“Damn.” Jon moaned, but rather than the nurse once again catching him in the act, he heard a very familiar gentle voice.

“Oh... and Jon... one more thing. I realize that all of this wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t offered you my services to begin with.” Celestia explained from behind the curtain, “So... if you want... I’d... I’d understand if, after this, you never want to see us again.”

After that, the room fell silent with no one saying anything. The only sound that followed was the door closing as Celestia left the room leaving Jon alone once more.

You shall not pass

It had been almost an entire length of his show since Celestia left Jon alone in his room after having dropped the major bombshell that was her proposal. Since then, he hadn’t moved from his sitting position on the side of his bed. He was too surprised by the option that was given to him.

“Never want to see us again.”

Jon knew that Celestia felt guilty, maybe even responsible for what happened, but to suggest that he might want to consider severing all ties to Equestria was an extreme he had never considered. What scared Jon was the thought that he’d never get to see his friends in Equestria ever again, but what scared him even more than that was the fact that, for a fraction of a second, he actually considered it.

“No.” Jon murmured, as he stood on his feet. “To hell with that.” There was still some business he needed to take care of here in Equestria before he could even think about going back home, and even then, he sure wasn’t going to stop coming back.

Not unlike a zombie, Jon shuffled his way across the room where his clothes had been neatly folded on a chair in the corner. His next goal was to do some exploring around the castle and he sure as hell wasn’t going to do so half naked.

When he unfurled his shirt, the first thing he noticed was the gaping hole off to the side where Chrysalis had gored him. He paused to stare at it for a moment, unable to tear his eyes away from it. Mostly because of the ring of blood around it, still a shade of bright red, and also becuase, had she aimed a few inches higher, she might’ve gotten him right in the heart.

It was a surreal thought that made him pause for moment before looking over at Trixie who was still sleeping in her bed. The mere idea that they were both alive was nothing short of a miracle, which is why Jon needed to leave his room for a bit.

“I’ll be back, Trixie.” Jon said as he began to get dressed. “I just need to see someone.” After giving his friend a quick peck on the forehead, Jon made his way to the door which was located on the other end of the room, all the while wondering if this soreness would ever wear off or if he’d actually need a cane.

When he rounded the corner of his bed to get to the door, he noticed something he hadn’t previously because of the bedside curtains that surrounded him, blocking his view. Standing there in front of the door to rest of the castle were two royal guards, each brandishing a large spear and matching armor. They were both white and, by the looks of it, in good enough shape to be classified as chiseled stallions.

“Of course.” Jon sighed. “Otherwise, it’d be too easy.”

Although guards in Canterlot castle were trained to look straight ahead in concentration, these two, for some reason, had their sights firmly on Jon as he approached them.

“Hey guys.” He announced. “Listen, I need to run a quick errand so, could you guys let me through?”

“Sorry, sir, but we’re not authorized to let you leave.” One guard claimed.

“Our orders were to make sure that nopony other than royalty or a medical professional is allowed in or out of this room.” The other one added.

“Oh well then we're in luck cause as it just so happens I’m actually the Prince of Manhattan and I have a medical degree from the university of Coney Island.” Jon boasted. Neither guard was even remotely amused.

Jon stood there waiting for a laugh that never came; this was another scenario where he couldn’t joke his way out of.

“Look fellas, I respect what you’re trying to do... really I am.” He insisted. “My old man did some security jobs here and there back in the day, so I know how it works... but come on, can’t you help a guy out? I promise I won’t get into any trouble.”

“It’s not you getting in trouble that we’re worried about.” One guard sneered. “We’re were given strict orders to make sure you stay in bed.”

“Besides... after what happened last time, you’ll forgive if we don’t exactly... trust you.” Nagged the other guard, much to Jon’s bewilderment.

"Last time?" Jon asked. “Have we met?”

“I’m sure you don’t remember us, but the when last we met you were here in Canterlot... you and your wife gave me and my partner here quite the runabout.” Explained one guard. For Jon, most ponies were indistinguishable from each other besides their color pallets. Royal guards in particular were, at least to Jon, a serious case of “Control C/Control V.” But like a properly thrown boomerang, it all came back to him.

“Ooooooh right.” Jon moaned, having now remembered the last time he visited Equestria with his wife on a dinner date. “Flint and Tinder... Hey guys, good to see ya again.”

But they said nothing.

“Okay, I get it, you’re mad at me... but listen... what happened before was stupid.” Jon admitted. “It was wrong for me to do what I did, and for that... I apologize.”

The two once again said nothing. They only stared at him with slanted eyes.

“Look, you don’t understand I need... I just need to go somewhere real quick.” Jon pleaded. “I promise I won’t take long... no one needs to know I left... please... I beg you."

For the first time since their conversation, both Flint and Tinder made a motion in the form of them sharing a glance at each other then back at Jon.

“While we appreciate your apology, I’m afraid official orders are still our number one priority.” Flint said. “We are to let nopony in... or out.”

“Do not think we do this out of pettiness.” Tinder added. “Believe it or not, we only want what’s best for you... which is for you to be here under our supervision.”

On any other day, Jon would have admired their wanting to keep him safe, but in this case, he found their actions to be most infuriating. With a heavy sigh that showed his teeth, Jon took a step back and kneeled down on one knee to match eye levels with his two obstructing friends.

“I... am so fucking sick... of people trying to get me to do things that are ‘for my own good.’” Jon said, his expression as straight faced as the two guards’. “First, that damn nurse wants me to stay in bed. Then, Celestia suggests that I might want to consider staying in my world, and now the pony versions of Laurel and Hardy want me to stay in this room... no ...no way!”

“Mr. Stewart, please.” Flint urged. “You don’t understand, we just--”

“Let me give you a little walkthrough on what it’s been like for me lately... I’ve had to endure many things in my life, but none of it compares to last night.” He continued as he raised his fingers to do a count-off. “In the past 24 hours, I’ve been beaten, skewered, tortured, and trampled over by a creature... a creature who I had to watch as she attacked me in my own studio, threatened my family, assaulted my co-worker, tried to kill my best friend, and came this close ending the life of my best Pony friend who might not even make... so no... You guys are the ones that don’t understand... I have something I need to do... and the first step in doing so is to leave this room.”

Even for patrol officers, who don’t usually see much disorderly conduct, Flint and Tinder have had their fair share of experiences where they were in danger. Between the two of them, nothing even came close to what Jon went through, and because they themselves had no idea how they’d react in a similar situation, they opted to stay quiet as he continued addressing them.

“So... here is what’s going to happen.” Jon added. “I’m going to get up, and walk forward, whereupon you two are going to step to the side and let me pass, and if you don’t, then I’ll force my way through... and before you think you can stop me, just know this... I didn’t even hesitate for a second about going one-on-one with Chrysalis... so I sure as hell wouldn't think twice about you two.”

After saying all that he needed to say, Jon slowly got up on two legs and stared down at the two guardsman in front of him. Never once did their stern expressions waiver or change during Jon’s speech which made Jon do the same to match their level of intensity.

The three of them said nothing afterwards and just continued to glare at each other like opponents in an old spaghetti western. The first to make a move was Jon as he slowly proceed towards the door.

He limped step by step, but nothing changed. Flint and Tinder were steadfast in their refusal to move making Jon suspect that he might have to force his way through like he had promised. It was only till he got a few inches away from them did they finally react to his advances.

Jon was all but certain that they would try to subdue him or, at the very least, use their massive spears to threaten Jon back to bed.  As always, their training made it so it was impossible to tell how they felt by simply looking at their faces, but to his surprise, they both showed their true colors by simultaneously extending their legs to either their left or right and, in one fluent motion, stepped to the side to give Jon a clear path to the door.

This act of understanding on their part surprised Jon in such a way that he momentarily stopped in his tracks. This only lasted a few seconds however since he immediately continued out the door and into an empty hallway.

“Thank you.” Jon whispered before closing the door behind him.

Going up

One thing that Jon always noted about buildings in Equestria is they were very close together and claustrophobic, something he was used to since he lived in New York. He always just assumed it was because ponies were so much smaller than he was, so it just looked compact to him, but as he walked down one of the many hallways of Canterlot castle, he now found himself having to call that into question. The interior he currently occupied was very spacious in terms of height. Unknown to Jon at the time, this design was quite common in state buildings to let Pegasi fly during rush hours.

Luckily enough for him, and despite the maximum amount of space, there wasn’t a soul in sight, so he didn’t have to worry about getting caught. Though that didn’t stop him from looking around constantly to make sure he didn’t get flanked. He thought for sure that, if he was spotted, he’d be sent back to his room, so he didn’t want to take any chances. It was for this reason why he didn’t seek out anyone for help in getting where he wanted to go. He may not have known exactly where he was going, but he wasn’t lost either, strictly speaking. If Canterlot Castle was anything like in the stories he read to his children and were read to him by his mother when he was a kid, the place he was looking for was at the highest point in the castle.

The hallway he currently struggled to maneuver through was brilliantly laid out by keen architectural eyes. The cold, hard ground was made more inviting by a red and golden carpet that seemed to have no end. The walls were bright white with many hoof-painted portraits decorating it’s face which couldn’t be seen at night because a small curtain would cover them. The right side of the walls had none of these pictures or indeed any kind of fixtures or doors, only a liberal amount of windows that, at most times, bathed the area in natural sunlight. Along the walls of the castle, underneath the portraits were many chairs and benches that looked inviting

Jon barely noticed any of these things, nor did he have any use for them. All he did was concentrate on finding his way to his objective location. He powered through each step while his body constantly reminded him of his own fragility.

Eventually, Jon made it towards the end of the hallways into a new section of the castle. Ahead of him was another stretch of hallways almost identical to the one he just left while, to his right, he saw an open area that resembled a ballroom. It was large and round with many statues decorating the borders. From where he stood, he saw that in between each statue was a entrance to another part of a castle, like a track switch on a railroad depot. For all he knew, each door could have lead to any number of locations, from a pantry to an old broom closet, but that’s not what Jon had his eye on the most.

In the very center of this new room was a set of stairs that split into two equal parts, only to meet up again and lead downwards to a lower level of the castle. There were two other intertwining staircases that did the same, but instead went upwards to a higher level.

“Bingo.” Jon muttered under his breath. With only slightly confident steps, he began to walk towards the elegant staircase while taking deep breaths. At the point where he got close enough to where he could see his reflection off its shiny exterior, he heard a pair of voices.

“Shit!” Thought Stewart as he tried to identify where they were coming from. Unfortunately for him, due to the geometry of the room, the voices were being bounced off the walls making it impossible to know exactly where it was coming from. The best he could do under the circumstances was crouch down behind the staircase and hope that whoever was in the room didn’t see him.

Luck decided to give him a break in the form of two unicorns gabbing at one another on the other side of the staircase. They were so distracted with their gossiping that, even if they were on Jon’s side of the room, they probably wouldn't notice him.

“Did you hear about what happened?” The silver haired mare asked. “Chrysalis attacked that Human on TV, and almost killed him!”

“I know!” Declared a light blue and brown stallion. “But I also saw them carrying in a blue unicorn.”

“Oh yeah, I’m not sure who that was, but I hear she was staying with him back in his world.” She commented.

“No way!” He exclaimed

“I’m serious! She looked to be in pretty bad shape when they dragged her in.” She pointed out. “I heard that she might not make it.”

With clenched fists and pursed lips, Jon did everything he could not to say anything and give away his position. It wasn’t until the voices started to become less audible, as they walked down some adjacent hallway, did he make his move again. Flying around the front of the stairs, he began to ascend the stairway, hoping that he was going the right way.

When he looked over the railing towards the bottom levels, he could see some activity, usually just a servant or two doing their jobs. When he climbed higher, he could hear doors opening and more voices from the level he had just left. Almost as if they were just waiting for him to leave before appearing.

The stairway led Jon through a variety of different levels of the castle, and only every once in awhile did he find himself stopping or ducking behind the railing because there was someone in the area. The higher he climbed, the less this seemed to happen which, to Jon, meant he was heading in the right direction. Eventually, he reached as far the the staircase would permit him to, which was an area of the castle that looked vaguely familiar.

His legs were aching from his knees down to the balls of his feet, but he willed himself through the pain and into the new area. One thing that struck him about the new environment was the lack any guards. In fact, he now realized how odd it was that he hadn’t seen any aside from Flint and Tinder. This was because most, if not all, royal guards were out looking for Chrysalis in the statewide pony hunt.

Jon didn’t know this of course, but he was nevertheless grateful for the fact because it meant he could continue uninterrupted. This new location had two short corridors on either side of him and another stretch of hallway just ahead. Jon had no idea which way to go so, to help himself out, he leaned against a nearby wall to take a quick break.

His body was still aching, not just from the long hike up the stairs, but from the entire ordeal he had just went through. Going up against Queen Chrysalis and surviving was a miracle in itself, but he hated feeling so fragile. He never complained about it though, for all the pains and heartaches that he was dealing with, he knew he had it good compared to other people. The image of Trixie laying in her bed with tubes up her nose motivated Jon to hoist himself up and take stock.

“Alright!” Jon said aloud. “Where to go?”

At this point, it was almost a coin toss as to where he should navigate himself next, but when he turned around to get his bearings, he noticed something jutting out from up high. Just above the wall which he had used previously as a support was a sign which had different arrows pointing in different directions. One arrow pointed down and read “Stairway” while another one pointed ahead and read “Main throne room.” This pattern repeated revealing which new direction led to where.

“Oh.” Jon said. “That was... easy.”

He continued to read each plaque until he had the information he needed. Turning to his right, he began to advance as quickly as he could which, given his age and condition, meant that he was walking steadily.

The corridor was long and narrow, but even he could see the giant door at the end which looked to be made of only the finest material. Jon ignored the tasteful artwork that hung from the walls and the suits of armor that decorated the way. All he cared about was getting to that door, which he eventually did.

Jon was now standing in front of the massive entryway, and before knocking or trying to open it, his eyes were drawn to a symbol that was carved into both doors and painted in. When he looked at it, his suspicions that he had found his destination were now confirmed.

“A crescent moon.” Jon sighed. “This has to be the place.”

The dark colored princess

The sense of an overwhelming figure looming over oneself is exactly the feelings Jon would cast over the citizens of Equestria. Most of whom only came up to either his knees or hips, making him a veritable giant among ponies. Even their all important world leader, Celestia, was a few inches shorter than him so, whenever he walked their grounds, he very rarely felt small by comparison.

But as Jon stood in front of the door to Luna’s bedroom, a crushing feeling was taking a hold of him. This wasn’t because of the massive double doors to her chamber were almost twice the size of him (though it helped), but because he knew that on the other end of it was a very powerful Alicorn that was strong enough to go up against Queen Chrysalis and win. The last time he saw her was when she used her magic to save Jon and, for a brief moment, subdue the Changeling Queen. This was why he sought her out, yet at the same time, he felt nervous about addressing her. Even to someone like Jon who knew next to nothing about how magic works, he could tell that this creature was one of immense power.

This meant that, when Jon knocked on her door, he did so very hesitantly, almost as if he didn’t even want to. Realizing that such a weak attempt to get her attention would obviously yield no results, he did it again. Or at least he would have, had he not jumped back at the sound of someone calling out to him.

“THOU MAY ENTER!” A voice on the other side screamed as the door opened. His invitation was so loud, and carried so far, that Jon looked behind him to make sure no one else came rocketing around the corner to investigate. Once it was clear that no one else was on this level, Jon entered the room whereupon it closed behind him like a scene in a horror movie.

The interior of Luna’s room was both spacious, yet at the same time, somewhat cluttered. Maps were strewn all around the ground in neatly organized piles, and large bookshelves were against the far end of the wall with countless volumes of hoofwritten tomes. From one side of the room over, one could see desks and light sources which made it look more like an archive station rather than a bedroom.

The left side of the room was noticeably different. There was a large queen sized bed that had a removable curtain attached to it which could be used to block any light from coming in. It closely resembled a Disney Princess-bed that Jon’s own daughter wanted for her birthday, only this one was actually genuine. Next to the bed was a large and elegant wooden desk, complete with a mirror and hair maintenance accessories. Much like how the right side of the room was covered with maps and literature, this side was littered with cushions like there was an all out pillow-fight the night before.

While one side seemed to be industrial and dedicated to work and the other elegant and for recreational use, the room in its entirety was an oasis for fine art. Sculptures stood in seemingly random locations, paintings were either on the wall or still in the process of being completed, and there was even a glass case with the skeleton of an animal inside. But the most elegant form of artwork was the ceiling which had a painting of a constellation on it with paint that made itself visible no matter time of day it was.

All of these wonderfully preserved artifacts and unique room features were completely lost on Jon, since the room was so dark, he couldn’t even see the his own breath which was caused by the room being unsettlingly cold. There was a window straight ahead that offered a bit of light, but at this hour of the day, not enough to actually help. But most importantly of all, he couldn’t see who he was looking for.

“Hello?” Jon called sheepishly.

“Address thyself!” A voice from afar echoed. Before answering, Jon tried to pinpoint where it was coming from. He could not.

“Uh... J-Jon!” He blurted. “...Jon Stewart.”

The moment he said his own name, a pair of blue eyes revealed themselves from within the darkness. They were glowing so no pupils could be seen, but he could tell that they were looking directly at him.

“Jon Stewart?” The voice asked. The pair of eyes began to move forward and, as it did, the room began to illuminate itself, slowly revealing with it a lone figure.“We were not expecting anypony by that name.”

With the room having now been mysteriously lit up, Jon could see everything, including whoever it was that was addressing him. It was a dark blue Alicorn with a crescent cutie mark. He could now properly identify the levitating creature as the same one that had saved him the night before.

“Luna?” He said.

“Yes. We are Luna.” She said as she grounded herself.

Now having gotten a chance to get a better look at her guest, she gave him an expression like she’d been expecting him all along

“Aaaah yes, we now remember... thou beith the famous human from the other world.” She proclaimed as Jon slowly walked up to her. “Might we ask why thou hath--”

Before she could finish her inquiry, she was shocked to find Jon now having wrapped his arms around her. For a fraction of a second, it almost looked like he was attacking her, but it was soon evident that he was giving her a hug.

“Thank you.” He said. “Thank you... so very much.”

The dark colored princess didn’t respond. Not because she didn’t know what to say, but because she found herself in a situation she was unfamiliar with. The proper etiquette when addressing a member of the royal family was to let them speak first, only speak when spoken to, address them by title not by name, never interrupt them, and most of all, never ever touch them. Jon broke all these rules in a matter of seconds.

Were it anyone else, Luna would have berated them by now for their vulgar actions, but she knew all too well of he had gone through, and doing so would not look good for her, image wise.

“We don’t... uh, ’thank you’ for what?” She asked.

“You... saved us.” Jon sniffled in a hushed tone. “If you hadn’t shown up the way you did Trixie would have... I just... I can’t thank you enough for what you did.”

“Uh... there, there?” Luna said as she calmly used her free hoof to pat him on his back, like a mother trying to her baby to burp. “Tis quite alright... ‘twas nothing really.”

Upon hearing this Jon put his hands on her shoulders and bridged a gap between them to look into her once glowing eyes.

“No... it was not ‘nothing.’” He challenged. “You... you don’t understand... Trixie and I, we... we almost died... You’re a hero.”

Being regarded as a savior was definitely not something Luna was used to.

“We were just doing what anypony else would do.” She said sheepishly. “No praise is necessary.”

“No... you see, that’s not good enough!” Jon said as he walked around her and made his way across the room, in no particular direction. “What you did... it would’ve been so easy for... f-for anyone to not get involved, but what you did... I just... I seriously cannot thank you enough.”

“Does the nurse on duty know that thou is out of bed?” She asked as she watched Jon pace back and forth.

“Huh... oh yeah, yeah, yeah, she’s cool with it.” Jon lied, breaking yet another set of rules. Neither of them knew that the nurse in question was downstairs throwing a fit. “But that’s not important right now... what is... is making sure you are properly thanked... I want the entire world to know of your selfless actions.”

“And... how, pray tell, does thou wish to do such a feat?” Luna asked.

“The... the only way I know how.” Jon answered as she walked over to her window.

From this high up in the castle, Jon had a pretty clear view of Canterlot. But what caught his attention was a large gathering of trees positioned in a semicircle on the edge of a nearby forest. Inside it was a large stadium that Jon recognized as the venue that Octavia performed on when he first met her.

“Tell me, Luna.” Jon said now turning to his Alicorn savior. “Have you ever been on TV?”

Interview: Please welcome to the show Luna!

The Daily Show Interview transcript archive:

Series: Equestrian interviews

Interviewer: Jon Stewart

Guest: Princess Luna

Date: ???

Location: Canterlot Concert Hall

1758 48th Canterlot, EQ 81522

THIS IS THE DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART

The executive producers at Comedy Central were making more money than ever before with Jon’s series of Equestrian Interviews. Subsequently, this meant that they wanted to have more control over the program so they could manipulate when they saw fit. Unfortunately for them, since Jon was the only one allowed to speak with Celestia, their influence over the series was limited to spirited suggestions.

One suggestion was that Jon do an episode in Equestria to appeal to an entirely new market, much in the same way he went to Florida during the presidential race. Jon never did fully like this idea since he never had to perform in front of a pony audience before, something which would be well out of his element.

However, with Jon’s request to head back home denied by the castle doctors, and the fact that he had now performed in front of ponies, when he met with Fancy Pants, he felt that there would never be another golden opportunity like this to have an episode of the show take place in the world of talking animals. Especially since his guest was a Princess.

The biggest problem Jon ran into when setting up this special episode of the Daily Show wasn’t the idea itself, Celestia was all too thrilled to have an episode of her favorite program happen in her own backyard. What Jon had a hard time doing was convincing her to let his employees transverse planes of existences and into Canterlot.

Equestria was filled with a variety of talented young mares and colts, but not a lot of them were terribly proficient in the art of television. Even those who did knew a thing about broadcasting or how to handle stage props didn’t know the intricacies of the Daily Show. Plus, there were no Jews in Equestria, so comedy writers were also out of the question.

It was for all of these excellent reasons that Jon requested that his entire staff and crew be permitted to enter her domain. To his surprise, he was met with some opposition. Celestia didn’t particularly like the idea of that many humans entering her world, not because she had anything against them as a species, but because she, for the most part, only trusted Stewart. She was fine with letting him or his wife come over, but this seemed too excessive to her.

Giving up was not something Jon was comfortable with, so it only took a few complaints about his injuries and forced coughing fits to guilt trip Celestia into agreeing with him. In the end, the two of them (unlike the politicians that Jon routinely made fun of) decided to compromise and put together a staff of both ponies, a core group of Jon’s finest workers, and his own personal assistant. To their surprise, things went by swimmingly.

After the initial shock from the helper ponies and Jon’s staff meeting each other, both parties went straight to work on the set. Leading the charge on this project without a second thought was Jon’s assistant, Selina, who did so as if this was just another day at work.

The Canterlot Concert Hall was mainly used for musical performances, but after a few tweaks in it’s interior design, it soon became an ideal spot for an episode of the Daily Show. Usually getting a stage set up for their show in a new area took days, with something as little as lighting and prop placements taking hours, but with the combined help of ponies and humans, it became almost trivial.

Instead of having to painstakingly measure the right angles, then having to climb up the scaffolding and carefully install the lights, a human technician would just tell a pegasus were to go, whereupon he or she would just fly up there and just do it themselves.

Indeed, instead of having to physically lug around heavy set ornaments and backdrops, a human would instruct a group of unicorns to effortlessly levitate them to their proper locations.

Even Celestia got to help by offering to enchant Jon’s cameras so their signal could reach earth easily and without complications, something which he thought she was joking, but turned out be very much needed. The only one who didn’t have a hand in the development was Luna herself who took to staying in her room looking down on the concert hall like she would at tiny ants, waiting for her signal to join them. Which she would get during the third segment of Jon’s show.

What was once a quiet outdoor theater for classical music now more closely resembled a festival with a seemingly endless stretch of audience consisting of ponies both local and from far away cities. The promise of an episode of the Daily Show taking place in Equestria brought with it a turn out that surprised even Celestia.

A pegasus who was high above the stage had a camera strapped to it’s person and was in charge of getting a good view of the audience as it slowly flew to the stage to get a good shot of Jon on his desk waving and making hand gestures.

The sound of the audience stomping on the ground as the the show went live was both familiar and, at the same time, foreign to Jon. Obviously, he was no stranger to the sound of applause, but with the ponies stomping the ground as opposed to clapping hands, he got the feeling that he was in the middle of a stampede rather than a concert hall.

Jon may have been in a different world, performing in a different environment, for an entirely different species, but never did he feel out of place. Because the second that camera came into the correct viewpoint, he was in the zone.

“Hey, welcome back to our very special edition of the Daily Show! My guest tonight!” He yelled over the crowd. “She is one of the princesses of Canterlot, the sister of Celestia and the ruler of the night sky.”

Youtube Video

“Yeah, that’s not creepy at all.” Jon commented after the video clip of his guest ended. “Please welcome to the Show, Princess Luna!”

While the crowd applauded and cheered, a Unicorn backstage used her horn to activate a searchlight overhead. She shined it skywards at Canterlot Castle, strategically on the bedroom window where Luna was perched like a hawk.

Before descending down to her spot, the guest of the hour stayed crouched and watched as the audience cheered for her come down. She could just barely hear them over the sound of an electric guitar playing over the speakers which was requested by Jon himself.

After some time had passed, Luna began to move. With a stretch of her wings, she lept from atop her balcony and flew down to the stage, first making it seem like she was going to dive bomb right into the middle of the audience, only to pull up mid-flight to make a beeline towards Jon.

Once she landed in the center of the stage, Jon greeted her with a professional hoof shake which caused the crowd to cheer even more. Slowly the sound of the rock music began to fade away in volume which was a sign for the audience to do the same. Eventually, it was quiet enough for Jon to speak which he did only after both he and Luna found their seats.

"Please, please take a seat...uh...Now before we begin let me remind you once more...you already have a microphone attached to you...if you yell now you'll kill us all." Jon joked as he sat down. “So...Thank you so much for, uh... f-for being here today.”

“It is our pleasure, Mr. Stewart.” Luna said, making sure to not use her full Canterlot voice. “Thine crew did a remarkable job with the music hall... we have seen this stadium countless times, but never like this.”

“Ah well, it was easy when you have interns.” Jon joked. “As you can see, I brought a lot of them with me... BUT THIS ISN’T AN INVASION!...I know...I know the last time a foreign group of creatures... came here, it didn’t end... uh, very well SO... just know, we come in peace.”

Luna didn't have a chance to comment on that since the crowd’s laughter came first. So when she saw an opening to speak, she decided to move on to something else.

“Nevertheless... we are still impressed by such a feat... though we must say... that was some very... interesting choice of music thou choseth to use for our entrance.” She added.

“Oh that? That was from... that was the guitar solo from... uh from, from, from one of Ozzy Osbourne’s hit singles.” Jon explained. He paused for a second to let that sink in for a moment before commenting. “It’s from one of his songs called...’Bark at the moon.’”

Even though most, if not all, of the pony audience in attendance had no idea who Ozzy Osbourne was, the intended joke was still obvious enough for them to understand the punchline.

“Ah... we see.” Luna grunted with a look on her face like she should have seen it coming. “The logical connection is now obvious.”

“Yeah we uh... we were trying to decide which song to use... and let me tell ya... we... we had a lot of options.” He joked as he pulled out a list of names from his pile of notes. “We also could have gone with...‘Moonlight in Vermont’ by Willie Nelson... uh...‘Honky Tonk Moon’ by Randy Travis, ’Fly Me to the Moon’ by Frank Sinatra but that would’ve been too obvious... Uh, we also could’ve gone with, “Howlin’ at the Moon” by Hank Williams, “It’s Only a Paper Moon” by Jim Reeves, “Slow Dancing with the Moon” by Dolly Parton, hell yeah... there was also--”

“Yes, yes, yes we understand!” Luna interrupted only to be cut off momentarily by the crowd cheering for more. “...Thou was doing so in jest... please move along.”

“Oh well... I... suppose I could...” Jon murmured as he nervously played with his notes. “...It’s just that I... I uh... I,I,I had another one.”

The audience giggled as Jon looked up at Luna big eyes like an animal begging for food.

“Very well.” She sighed. “Proceed.”

“OK! This one... by far was the best.” Jon insisted as he cleared his throat. “Are you ready... uh ‘‘Throwin’ Horseshoes at the Moon’ by Tom Russell.”

Before commenting, Luna waited patiently for the audience to stop laughing.

“All Joking aside... I am glad you uh, you agreed to be here today.” Jon grinned.

“Tis an honor for us to have the chance to be on thous television program.” She noted. “We especially appreciated thous offering of cream filled chocolate confectioneries and strange ale that thou left at our bedroom door.”

“Oh you mean the gift basket filled with moon pies and ‘Blue moon’ beer?” Jon asked with a smile, which caused the crowd to laugh at Luna once more.

“...Is that what they are referred to as?” She inquired with a sigh, having now understood his intentions.

“Back in.... back in my world yes.” He answered while Luna rolled her eyes. “Hey, just be happy I didn’t pull down my pants and expose my butt in your face.”

This hypothetical scenario was so outrageous that is caused Luna to blush slightly and recoil as a result.

“Wh... Why wouldst thou do such a vulgar action!” Luna yelled. Jon waited for the sharp audio feedback to end before answering.

“Well...I don't know if it’s the same over here,” He explained. “but where I come from, that’s called ‘Mooning.’”

And with that, Luna slapped the front of her face while the audience cheered and stomped the ground as hard as they could. The way things were going, Luna felt like she was talking to her sister during one of her teasing moods rather than Jon himself.

“Thou seems to haveth a strange sense of humor.” She commented.

“You’ll get used to it.” Jon said as he tilted back looking very pleased with himself. “I got a million of these.”

“Thou will excuse us if we don’t see the appeal in such behavior.” She retorted with a flick of her hoof. “We may beith on your program, but this is still our kingdom and as such we demand respect... especially in front of our royal subjects”

Jon understood her wanting to be taken seriously, which is why he decided to move on to his next joke he had lined up from the start. Without saying a word, he pulled out a blank piece of paper and began to scribble some names on it.

“What is thou doing?” Luna asked as she stretched her long neck forward to get a better view.

“Oh this? Oh this is-- I’m just making a list of ponies I’ve interviewed with funny accents” Jon answered as the crowd giggled at the idea, like children in school watching the class clown mess with a substitute teacher. “Now... now unfortunately you are-- you don’t rank higher than Zecora, BUT... you easily top both Applejack and Iron Will.”

Luna would have explained the importance of talking the way she did since it was an honorable, albeit outdated, tradition in the kingdom of Canterlot, however her explanation never saw the light of day with the crowd laughing at her expense.

“Seriously Luna come on! You, you, you need to kick back and relax for goodness sake!” Jon pleaded which got an odd look from his guest. “This is a comedy show not a uh, Shakespeare reenactment... drop the fancy talk and stop being so formal.”

Growing up as a Princess, Luna was always taught to be pristine and orderly, almost bordering on the ostentatious, and then here was Jon who was outright encouraging to her abandon hundreds of years of instinct on her part.

Rather than argue with him, she turned to face the audience like she was trying to consult with them. She was greeted by many of her own subjects cheering at the suggestion and, since Luna didn’t want to disappoint her subjects, she obliged.

“We... I mean I... suppose I can do that.” She mumbled sheepishly.

“There ya go!” Jon roared as he did a quick pump of his fist. “Now that’s what I’m talking about... unfortunately that’s all the time we have left on the show so... goodnight everyone!”

To really bring the joke home, Jon stood and waved to the audience as a confused Luna, who had just finished easing back in her chair, shot up so quickly she almost took flight. She looked behind her at humans and ponies working backstage and noticed that they were laughing. With a sigh, she eased by in her seat and gave Jon a look as he too sat back down.

“But no I’m uh... I’m really glad you decided to... to uh... attend this airing. Because I... okay look.... so... uh, so, so, so just we are clear... I invited you on the show... more or less as a thank you for what you did.” Jon fumbled as he turned to the cameras. “For those of you watching at home... uh this... this nice young lady here saved my life from a dangerous queen who controlles a group of evil creatures called Changelings... Were it not for her... I would not be here today... and I know it all sounds crazy, but... I just can’t thank you enough, Ms. Luna.”

Having previously been subjected to his constant teasing, Luna was surprised to find Jon now speaking in more of a heartfelt tone. The transition was so abrupt, she didn’t even have time to respond.

“So with that in mind and with your permission” Jon continued while Luna nodded her head in bewilderment. “I would like to... that is to officially begin this interview... I, like many others back in my world, know next to nothing about you so... uh p-please.... enlighten us about who you are.”

For a brief moment, Luna didn’t say anything. She just stared at Jon on the off chance that this was just another clever ruse to make her look silly on camera. Soon though, the notion that he was in fact genuine became clear once she saw a look on his face, a look that said he was all too serious. Although the irony now was that she was making herself look foolish by waiting for a punchline that never came so, to help herself out, she finally spoke after clearing her throat.

“Yes, well... as you you seem to already know, I am but one of the princesses of Canterlot.” She disclosed. “Me and my sister are the rulers of the kingdom, and one of our primary duties is to maintain a constant flow of the astronomical seasons.”

“That’s right your sister is-- She is in charge of the sun, right?” Jon ventured.

“Correct Mr. Stewart.” Luna answered. “My dearest sister controls the movements of the sun and is looked upon as the princess of the day, much in the same way I control the moon and, as such, have been appointed as the ruler of the night.”

“Wow... if Celestia ever goes one on one with Superman, he is fucked.” He joked. “So... so, so, so what you’re saying is... that instead of the cosmos working on their own... by the way of gravity and uh... and all that good stuff... you and your sister just... do it yourselves?”

“What you say is the truth.” She responded.

“Aaand some where back in the human world, a furious Neil Degrasse Tyson is tearing apart a science textbook.” Jon said. “But now uh... just setting aside fifth grade science for the, for the time being, I have to ask... what other duties do... do you guys involve yourself with because... what you need to understand... from a human point of view, we have our own queen, over in England, and we don’t expect her to do ANYTHING!”

“The responsibilities of Equestrian Royalty are various and crucial.” She remarked. “My sister does many things, from delegation of treaties with other bodies of government, to handling local problems. I myself do what I can to make sure that each and every pony who walks the roads at night will do so in safety.”

“So, are you guys like the pony versions of ‘Life Alert’? If someone falls down, they call you?” Jon jested. Before Luna could answer Jon already took the moment to speak again. “Now it sounds like... you and your sister have a uh, a good relationship with your subjects.”

“Oh, indeed so.” Luna commented. “Why, as a matter of fact, my dear sister has this program called the ‘open chamber proposal.’”

“Sounds like an invitation I once got to an all-night sex party... uh, right down to the phrase ‘open chamber.’” Jon commented while the crowd laughed and Luna gave him a look like she was asking if she could continue. “Aaaah yeah, but anyways... you were saying.”

“Now then... the ‘open chamber proposal’ is a project that my sister has been using quite recently.” She continued as the crowd still snickered. “It’s a day set aside each week where anypony, regardless of class or background, can address the Princess in the main throne room for any reason, and without the need of an appointment. I myself attend these ceremonies on the off chance that I can help answer some questions and concerns.”

“Wow... that’s actually a really nice gesture from state leaders.” Jon admitted as he nodded his head and sat up in his seat. “It’s refreshing to see people in power do things like... you know, actually our former leaders had a similar program when they were in charge.”

“Is this so?” Luna asked.

“Oh yes, it’s true.” Jon added. “Way back in the day our presidents would allow any and all lawmakers... and community politicians to enter the White House to talk with... uh.... uh, with the president at the time... but this program was only open to fellow politicians.”

“Most interesting to be sure.” Luna nodded her head. “Our program is much different in that everypony from all walks of life are invited.”

“It’s very interesting that... that you see yourself... as someone who handles both large and small problems.” He commented as he leaned forward and made sweeping gestures with his hand. “You’re responsible... literally responsible... uh, for... for, for the constant shifting of astronomical entities yet, at the same time, you try to help the... to help anyone out on a midnight stroll.”

“It's to be expected...It is our philosophy that the concerns of our loyal subjects are to be taken seriously, no matter how small." Luna proclaimed as she held her head high in the air. "The rising of the sun is just as important as helping a local farmer plant the seeds that will use that sunlight.”

“Wow.” Jon said as the sound of the audience pounding the ground with their hooves filled the night air. “I just... it’s good to see-- it’s good to know that there are leaders who truly care about those they govern.”

The audience continued to applaud in agreement which made Luna feel slightly uncomfortable. She appreciated their admiration, but it was something that she wasn’t used to.

“Now... if we can, I’d like to go back for a second to your guys’ roles as... uh I guess gods of the stars.” Jon said as he waved his arm in a circle. “I’d like to know... just how involved you are in this role.”

“I am unsure of what you are asking me.” Luna said.

“Well I mean where... how do you move the moon or... how do you know when and where it’s positions will be.” Jon explained. “You know that kind of thing... I mean like... uh have you ever even been to the moon?”

Jon was unsure why, but upon asking his seemingly innocent question, the entire audience went quiet. Both they and Luna stared at Jon with a face like he’d asked her something wildly inappropriate.

The reaction from everyone who heard what Jon asked was split evenly between humans and ponies. Those in the latter were shocked that he would even ask such a question, while those in the former were confused as to why there was the sudden tension in the air.

“Um... was it something I said?” Jon asked. With a deep sigh, Luna begrudgingly answered

“No it’s... Yes... I... I have been to the moon.” She answered dismissively. Jon was tempting to comment right away, but based on how she answered, he wasn’t sure whether he should offer his congratulations or condolences.

“I feel like I’m missing something here.” He said in a low tone.

“Like I said... I have been on the moon before... but it wasn’t of my own free will.” She recalled. “A long time ago... I was forced to the moon as punishment for my misguided behavior... You see... at one point, I was envious of my sister and her authority... so much so that I foolishly tried to usurp power from my her and, as a result... I was banished to the moon.”

This sudden revelation surprised Jon to no end. Since his first encounter with Luna, he’d seen her as nothing but a hero and a saint... but to know that, at one point, she tried overthrow her own sister had seemed unbelievable.

“I’m... I’m sorry.” Jon said. “I had no idea.”

“Tis alright, Mr. Stewart... I blame not my sister for my own actions... it was something she needed to do.” She continued, followed by a quick sigh. “Besides, the point of an interview is to ask questions, is it not?” Whether or not that was in invitation for Jon to continue, he decided that he couldn’t let an opportunity like this pass.

“Well... I have to ask... what... what was it like on the moon?” He asked cautiously.

“It... it was horrible” Luna answered. “It was an experience I hope to never relive again, nor would I wish such a fate on my greatest enemy.”

Everyone went quiet as Luna recounted her experience during the darkest days of her life.

“Someponies assume that my going to the moon was the real punishment, but they are wrong... what really made it a true nightmarish experience was the loneliness... the curshing isolation of it all.” She explained as she looked up into the night sky “The moon itself wasn’t my prison, but rather, I was the prisoner of my own mind... I was up there for so long that I began to lose touch with reality and, as a result, I... transformed to something... evil.”

“Evil?” He asked. “I’m guessing you don’t mean like... you just returned with a dastardly mustache?” The decision to crack a quick joke to liven up the tension was done very reluctantly by Jon... To his relief, Luna didn’t seem to notice.

“You don’t seem to understand... as I said, I was away for so long that my mind began to deteriorate... The petty jealousy I once felt for my sister festered until it manifested into an intense hatred.” She explained. “Tell Mr. Stewart... have you ever heard of a creature called ‘Nightmare Moon.’”

Jon didn’t answer, but instead, just laid back in his seat and continued to listen to his guest.

“You see, after many years of isolation on that desolate rock, I eventually returned... only by the time I did, I wasn’t reformed as some had hoped, but the opposite... instead, I was a shell of my former self and, for a while, I reigned terror over the land as a dark creature of the night known as ‘Nightmare Moon.’”

Again, Jon found himself hard pressed to believe that, at one point, Luna was anything but a savior. Her description of a power hungry monster did not fit the image he had of her. It was for this reason that Jon tried again squeeze an ounce of levity out of this.

“That’s... I couldn't even... be... begin to imagine what that must have felt like.” He nervously stated. “One could almost say that you’re time on the moon had made you into a Lunatic.”

This time around, his weak attempt of to lighten up the mood was met by Luna glaring at him with somewhat angry eyes. Despite their cultural differences for the subject at hand, she still didn’t appreciate his joking on such a serious subject.

“It baffles us on how thou could speaketh of such things with such disrespect!” She scolded in a calm though strong voice.

“I... I do apologize!” Jon frantically blurted. “I meant nothing by it.”

“HMPH! I suppose I shouldn't expect you of all people to understand.” She added. “How could you possibly... you humans have never been to the moon before.”

Just like before, the reaction of what Luna said was split between the humans and ponies in attendance. The various ponies watching merely waited to see Jon’s response, while the humans chuckled to themselves.

“Actually,” Jon chimed with a grin. “We have.”

Before Luna and those who watched were in a slight melancholic mood but now, much like how Jon intended, the tone of the interview had shifted. In Equestria, only one person had been to the moon and that resulted in a new evil emerging, so to them, going there was synonymous with disaster. Hearing that a human had done the same instantly seized Luna’s attention... She had never heard of someone other than herself having gone through what she did.

“There... there have been humans who... who’ve been... to where I’ve been?” Luna asked as the pony crowd whispered to each other.

“Oh yeah, a bunch of times.” He commented offhandedly. “In fact... I remember when I first saw the moon landing back when I was... uh, let's see I would have been only seven years old... I’ll never forget it... I was watching TV at home and I uh... I was just... I was mesmerized by the image of Neil Armstrong... taking his first step on the moon’s surface... It was incredible.”

“I... I must admit, I thought I was the only one... who ever...” She said pausing to take this all in. “Tell me Mr. Stewart... this Neil of which you speak of... What were his crimes?”

“Beg pardon?” Jon asked.

“This human you speak of with strong arms... what did he do to earn the punishment of being sent to that horrible place.” She explained.

“Uuuuuh Luna... this wasn’t a punishment... he went there of his own free will.” He explained.

“Wha-- I don’t... EXCUSE ME!” She blurted. “Are you telling me, this Neil actually wanted to go to the moon!?”

“Of course he did.” Jon answered in a tone like it was Luna who was spouting nonsense.

“And your people just let him go through with this!?” She added.

“‘Let him? We footed the bill.” He replied. “The entire nation was behind Mr. Armstrong in his mission into space. We funded the entire operation, followed his movements and, when it was time, hoped that he’d make it there safely.”

“...Wha.... I.... wh...what is wrong with you people!” Luna exclaimed. “You sent one of your own to a horrible... loathsome place!”

“Well, with all due respect Luna... We-- that’s not how we saw it... the idea of putting a man on the moon seemed impossible... like something out of a sci fi movie.” He explained. “To us, this was more than just a few hours of walking on a floating rock... It-- to us it represented something so much more. For us it was a turning point in human history... A day where we uh, where we looked at ourselves and said ‘This is only the beginning.’ To us this meant that if we can put a kid from Ohio on something we thought was unreachable then we could do anything.”

“I... never thought about it that way.” Luna confessed. The way Jon described it made Luna feel the same kind of jealously that landed her on the moon in the first place. To hear about how someone else went to the moon like she did, but with drastically different circumstances, made her feel small by comparison.

“I’ll never forget hearing those famous words for the first time... ’That’s one small step for man; one giant leap for mankind.’” He quoted with a hand over his heart. “And then... he still did the impossible and returned back to earth safe and sound... He returned a hero.”

“A...hero, huh.” Luna said as she looked upwards into the sky.

“Yeah; just like you.” Jon said.

“I... I-I’m no hero.” She replied. “When I came back from the moon ponies feared me. I’m just a--”

“Hey... you are to me.” Jon said as he placed a hand over her hoof. “The fact that I’m still alive today is a testament to that.”

“I... thank you.” Luna said, still unfamiliar with such praise.

There was a brief pause followed by Luna’s turn in trying to desperately change the tone around.

“So uh... this Neil Armstrong... uh, how long was he on the moon?” She asked.

“Well let’s see... if I remember correctly, he was up there for less than a day.” Jon answered. “And memory serves, he was actually walking on the moon even less... basically enough time to plant a flag, but not enough to pee his name on the surface... so a few hours I’d say.”

“Oh... that’s it?” She asked causing the audience to laugh.

“What do you mean ‘that’s it!?’ At the time it was the single greatest human accomplishment of man AND fun fact... the day we officially declared that the moon wasn’t made of cheese?’” Jon blurted. “It was an... incr--it was an amazing feat!... How bout you? How long were you up there for, huh?”

“1000 years.” She said, her tone more blunt than a roofing tile.

Jon’s eyes, as well as those of his entire human staff, widened like a light was flashed in their face. Jon’s mouth had fallen open, but he didn’t know what to say which was ideal since no one would be able to hear anything he would’ve said over the noise of the crowd laughing.

“Are you fucking kidding me!?” Jon yelled. “You were up there for 1000 years, I don--... wait... YOU’RE 1000 YEARS OLD!?”

“I’m actually much older, if you must know.” She scoffed. The look on Jon’s face told Luna that he still didn’t quite understand her position. “Oh uh... Alicorns live forever... I was on the moon for only a small portion of my life.”

“Jesus Christ I--Well then... uh... let me just say this.” Jon pointed with his pen as he took a deep breath to calm himself down. “You don’t look a day over 400.”

For the first time during the interview, Luna actually found herself laughing which was a surprise, not just to herself, but by everyone watching.

“Might I ask you a question, Mr. Stewart?” She ventured as the crowd leaned forward in anticipation for what she’d ask.

“Of course.” He answered. “And please, call me Jon.”

“If that is your wish that I will oblige... but tell me, do you know this Neil Armstrong.” She asked. “I would... very much like to meet him.”

“I don’t, I’m afraid.” He answered. “And I’m afraid meeting him is out of the question... He died not too long ago.”

“Oh I see... how tragic.” She said. “How old was he when he passed on?”

“He was... I think 82 years old.” Jon guessed correctly..

“My, so young... during my 82nd year on the moon, I was still crying.” Luna answered. “What a shame... It would have been nice to have talked with another being who has been through what I have.”

“What uh... what would he... I mean, what would you two talk about?” Jon asked. “Because aside from the whole moon thing... eeeeeh, you two are kinda different.”

“I am... unsure.” Luna answered. “It just... would have been nice to share experiences.”

“If you don’t mind me asking...do you even remember much about your time up there?” He asked. “I mean 1000 years is a long time.”

Before answering his question Luna leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes to think.

“I shall be perfectly honest with you Jon... I do not.” She answered. “Once my mind began to dissolve, I lost a lot of memories of what I did... I do remember being incredibly incredibly woeful, and hearing the phrase ‘AEIOU’ over and over again, but when I try to recall more than that I cannot ... it just would have been nice to know if Neil’s time on the surface was anything like mine.”

“Well, I’ve never been to the moon and I can guess that it wasn’t very much fun.” Jon commented. “I hear that place is reeeeally lacking in atmosphere.”

Against their better judgement, the crowd laughed while Luna playfully shook her head and gave Jon a half smile.

“How very clever.” She said.

“Like I said, I have I have a million of them.” He smirked. “Speaking of big numbers...1000 years!... My god that... you must have been so bored!”

“Yes well... it wasn’t meant to be for my pleasure.” Luna said over the laughter of the audience.

“I get that but still... I mean they should have at least given you a magazine, or a Gameboy or somthing to keep you occupied.” He added.

“A what?” She asked.

“A Gameboy.” Jon repeated.

“I do not understand.” She commented. “What is this Game of boys of which you speak of.”

“It’s a videogame?” Jon answered.

“A what?” She repeated, causing the audience to laugh at the pair of old people on stage making small talk

“Okay, let me see here,” Jon said as he threw his head back to try and recap all that he knew about the subject which was extremely limited. “Okay, you guys have movies over here... right?”

“But of course, Jon.” Luna answered.

“Well, videogames are like those... only you get to control what happens.” Jon surmised hoping he would be even remotely close.

“How... intriguing.” Luna said, now slightly mesmerized. “A form of media that is completely interactive. Sounds fascinating... tell me more!”

“Uh, I’m afraid I don’t know much about... I mean I’m uh, I’m sure my assistant can tell you more than I could after the show.” Jon advised, not entirely sure if Selina knew more than he did. “But going back to uh... to, to, to, you for a second... if you are indeed 1000s of years old then you... you my dear, must be very skilled in the art of magic.”

“I am... though I may not be as powerful as my sister, I am indeed an expert in the art of Magic.” She admitted.

“I hate to have... I mean I hate to ask, but would you mind demonstrating some of your magic for us tonight?” Jon asked. “I think the audience at home would love to see... what a Princess can do.”

Like before, Luna turned to the audience to gauge their reaction and, also like before, they encouraged her to proceed at will. Her decision was already made up for her.

“Very well then, Jon!” She said as she extended her wings. “Prepare to witness the power of the Guardian of the night!”

“Actually, I’m going to stop you right there.” Jon interrupted. “On this show, we’ve already seen some magic so, just know if what you’re about to do is any form of: Teleportation, levitation...or power beams, just know we’ve seen it before.”

“Ah... I see.” Luna said as she sat back down. “In that case, I humbly request you give me time to think.”

Luna concentrated on what to show the audience which was difficult with them still chuckling at her. It was only when both they and Jon stopped did she think of an idea to wow them.

“Aha! I got it!” She exclaimed.

“Alright!... So what are ya gonna do?” Jon asked.

“Well... first let me start by saying that, throughout this interview, you’ve asked most of the questions about my life and I still know very little about you.” Luna smirked.

“Oh well... by, uh... by all means feel free to ask me anything you want.” Jon said. “I'm more than willing to answer any question you might have for me.”

“Weeell.” Luna chuckled. “Thanks to my magic... I don’t have to.”

With a shift of her head, Luna pointed her horn directly at Jon’s face. Although she was complying with what Jon requested, he still didn’t like the idea of a long horn being shoved in his face; not after the last time something like that happened.

“W-w-w-what the hell are you doing?” Jon asked, as he backed away slowly in his seat.

“There is no need to be frightened.” She said. “I am simply going to cast a spell on you... It is harmless, I assure you.”

A white light began to develop on the top of her horn. Eventually, it got bigger and bigger, to the point where it was roughly the size of Jon’s head. Once it was finished growing in size, it slowly made it’s way to his face where it enveloped him for a few seconds, then came back to Luna. Soon, the white light was absorbed by her horn and eventually into her her head where it rested in her brain.

“And there we go.” She said.

“Sooooooo...” Jon cooed. “What did you do to me?”

“I simply casted a spell that allowed me to access your mind.” She answered. “Basically... I now have a working knowledge of everything that is Jon Stewart.”

While the crowd began to gossip amongst themselves, Jon was busily touching the side of his head while sporting a look of disbelief.

“No way.” He said. “I don’t believe you.”

“Oh I assure you, what I say is the truth.” She assured him.

“Oh yeah... prove it.” Jon said in a disbelieving tone.

“As you wish.” Luna added with a chuckle as she closed her eyes. “Your real name is Jonathan Stuart Leibowitz, and your parents are Marian née Laskin and Donald Leibowitz. You were born on November 28, 1962 in New York City, New York, of the United States, but you spent most of your childhood in the further off kingdom known as New Jersey.”

Jon was all but ready to call her on her bluff, but everything she was saying was true, as if she was reading off his profile page on Wikipedia. In his time in Equestria, he’d seen different forms of magic, but this was by far the most shocking. And she was only just warming up.

“You graduated in 1984 from The College of William & Mary in Virginia, where you played on the soccer team and initially majored in chemistry before switching to psychology.” She continued. “You later decided to pursue your long love of comedy in nightclubs in the City. Your very first performance came in the form of a standup act in a place within New york called 'The village' at one o’clock in the morning...you were so nervous to be on stage for the first time that you almost--”

“OKAY, OKAY, I GET IT! YOU'RE NOT KIDDING!” Jon yelled almost as if he, himself, was attempting to add the royal canterlot voice to his repertoire of impersonations.

Everyone from the audience, to Luna, and even Jon’s assistant Selina, was laughing at the now blushing comedian. Jon was determined to get revenge.

“So... you now know everything about me, huh?” Jon said with an unimpressed face.

“Correct.” Luna boasted.

“In that case... do you know what happened to me that uh... that uh, one summer when I was thirteen... and uh... my mom caught me in my room doing something when I thought she was out grocery shopping?” Jon asked.

“No... but I can find out if I wanted to.” She bragged as she once again cocked her head back and accessed her memory bank. In time, her face began to scrunch in protest, she immediately regretted her decision. .

“Uh... I... Oh!” She groaned as her face turned red. The look on her face was that of a pony who saw something she shouldn't have. “I... really wish I didn’t see that.”

While some of the audience members were left wondering what she saw, Jon was now laughing so hard Luna could almost smell his breath from across the table.

“Okay now, here... here is... here is, uh, the real question.” Jon said while still trying to regain his composure. “Since you know everything there is to know about me... can you--how would you describe me... or, or, or how bout...you...try to summarize me in a single sentence?”

After convincing herself that his was a legitimate question and not another prank, Luna closed her eyes to search her new found memory. After a while of searching, she returned to the interview with a summary she felt was most accurate.

“You... Jon Stewart.” She said, pausing to get her facts straight. “...You seem... to be obsessed with another human by the name of Bruce Springsteen.”

This revelation was news to absolutely no one who knew Jon on a personal level, and for the second time that night, indirectly or otherwise, Luna had made Jon laugh so loud that he had to place both his elbows on the table to balance himself.

“Okay... now I’m convinced you know everything about me.” Jon said as he cleared his throat which was aching from all the laughing. “But tell me... I’m not the only... I mean... do you... uh, do you ever use this... uh, this memory grabbing spell on anyone else?”

“Not as often as you might suspect.” Luna admitted. “But I do have a similar spell that allows me to access pony’s dreams.”

Jon’s laughing was cut short by this new bit of information. At first he didn’t believe it, but once he realized what Luna was capable of, such a skill didn’t seem so farfetched.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa there Freddy Krueger!” Jon stammered. “You... can go into people’s subconscious... while they sleep?”

“I am the guardian of the night, Jon.” She answered. “Remember how I said I protect those during the night... that applies to both their physical and mental form.”

“Wow... and here I thought Bush illegally reading our emails was the biggest invasion of privacy a leader could do.” Jon joked.

“You make it sound so unpleasant, but I assure you, it is done solely for the benefit of those who need my guidance.” She retorted. “In fact, most of the time, the ponies dream the most wonderful thoughts... while others have some of the most interesting imaginations.”

“Alright but uh... tell me... do some of the other ponies ever have some like... really messed up dreams?” Jon asked as he leaned in and whispered. While, normally, Luna would have refrained from talking about other’s private thoughts, she was too swept in the moment to take that into consideration.

“UGH! Like you wouldn’t believe it!” She grunted. “Some ponies dream of... for lack of a better term, interesting sequences while other’s have overly creative fantasies... I recall this one incident where I entered the Mayor Mare’s thoughts during her REM sleep... let’s just say if she had her way, she’d be more than just Mayor of Ponyville.”

“I... I don’t want to sound like a gossip.” Jon chuckled. “But what other interesting dreams have-- Okay, like how about uh... uh Derpy Hooves... what are her dreams like?”

“Ah yes... the one with... special eyes. She... doesn’t really dream much... it’s mostly just empty space.” She said. Jon laughed wholeheartedly since her recollection sounded spot on. “And when she does dream, it’s either of muffins, her husband, or some odd combination.”

“Who--are there any... any ponies whose dreams you just... totally avoid.” Jon asked. “You know like--”

“Well... in some cases, experience had taught me to skip over every now and again.” Luna answered. “Some ponies have regular recurring dreams that are not worth dwelling over... such as young Rainbow Dash who either dreams about being a Wonderbolt of herself and Applejack in the middle of a--”

“OKAY! Well on that note, I think we’re just about done here!” Jon interrupted. “But before we, I just want to say that... Luna, it was an absolute pleasure to get to know you here today.”

“Likewise, Jon.” She said as Jon grabbed her hoof to give it a shake. “I find you to be a most interesting character.”

“And again... I cannot thank you enough for saving both Trixie and I.” He said. “Were it not for you, that evil creature would have... neither of us would still be alive.”

“And as I said before... I just did what anypony else would do.” She commented.

“Well... I don’t know if that’s 100% true... which is why I’m glad it was you that was there in the castle that day.” Jon continued. “Back in my world there is saying that goes: ‘All it takes for Evil to prevail in this world is for enough good men to do nothing’... I’ve seen so many instances back home, and covered stories where this was true... I’m just glad this world showed me that there are those like you and Trixie... who, despite what they’ve been through, are brave enough to stand up to evil.”

The audience began to cheer for the guest of the evening which, at this point, no longer felt an alien concept to Luna, but something that she would gladly accept.

“Now then... before we go to our last commercial break, I think our audience would like to see just one more... one more princess level magic spell.” Jon announced, which made the crowd roar in agreement. "Whad'ya say?"

This time Luna didn’t need to think of a spell to impress the judges. She already had the perfect incantation in mind for her new human friend and, like before, she needed to use it directly on Jon himself.

“For you Jon... anything.” She said as she once again lowered her horn and pointed it at his face. Again, he wasn’t too thrilled to have her horn pointed at him, but he knew he was safe, so he didn’t make a fuss about it. Although, like with the previous spell, he was somewhat nervous at the prospect of being used as a guinea pig for whatever magic she had in mind. “Now then... Stay still.”

At first, her entire horn began to glow the same color blue as mane. Whatever she was cooking up, it obviously needed a lot of power, but before Jon could ask what she was going to do with such a large amount of magic, it leapt from her horn and straight into Jon’s chest.

“WOW!” He yelled as the magic quickly spread throughout his body. From an outsider’s point of view, Jon was momentarily engulfed in a bright light that made it impossible to see him as anything other than a walking glowing figure, but just as quickly as the magic took hold, it eventually disappeared, leaving a bewildered Jon sitting in his chair.

“That... was... INCREDIBLE!” Jon yelled as a mysterious power flowed through his veins like he had never felt before. “Oh man, Luna I don’t know what you did to me, but I feel GREAT!”

To demonstrate his newfound energy, he quickly stood to stretch his muscles and arched his back as far as he could. All the aches and pains from his encounter with Chrysalis were now a thing of the past as his body felt like he had just awoken from a thirty year nap. Even the restrictions from before his encounter with the Changeling Queen seemed to have suddenly vanished. His eyesight was better, he felt stronger as if his bones were just fortified, and he could swear he had just lost some weight.

“I have never felt... so alive!” Jon said as he rotated his head from side to side to stretch his neck. “So what kind of spell was that like some kind of... rejuvenation spell or what, because I--“

When Jon tilted his head to the side of the audience he noticed that every single one of them was staring at him with mouths agape and a look about them like this was the first time they’ve ever seen a human.

His own staff and crew, who were watching from the sidelines, had a similar shocked expression. Even Selina was so surprised to see Jon that she dropped her clipboard onto the ground.

“What?” Jon said as she slowly raised his hand to his cheek. “Is there something on my face or some--”

The moment the warm feel of his face made contact with his hand, Jon stopped talking and froze in his seat. Something was different about him, only now he could feel it more directionally. His once wrinkled skin now felt smooth and pure like a newborn baby. He could also hardly feel the stubble of his chin from his lack of shaving that day.

The second thing he noticed was the very hand he was still holding up. Like his face, it too was now lacking in any form of blemishes or creases. The old saying “I know it like the back of my own hand” no longer applied to Jon.

“What the... what the hell did you do to me?” Jon asked Luna will still looking at his open palm.

“See for yourself.” She chuckled as she used her magic to produce a large rectangular object in front of him. At first, Jon mistakenly thought she had summoned some kind of portrait or something similar, since it held an image of a young looking human that Jon didn’t recognize. After a few seconds of continued staring however, he finally made the connection. Jon was looking at a mirror... only, instead of seeing what he expected, he now saw himself as he was thirty years ago.

“Oh. My. God.” Jon stammered as he slowly raised his hands to see if the image would follow, slowly running them through his long dark black hair.

“In case you haven’t figured it out yet, the spell I infused within you was an age reversal spell.” She explained while Jon played with his face as if it was made of a kneadable clay. “Congratulations Jon... you are now 20 years old again.”

“I... wha... I just...” Jon struggled to speak. He always liked to joke to his friends that taking over the Daily Show had aged him by 10 years to the point where he didn't recognize himself from back when he did his first episode. This was very much like that but to an extreme degree.

To further test this newfound longevity, Jon began flex his arms and throw a punch or two to see how fast his reflexes were.

“Well I... that is... um.” He stuttered  “Is... is... is this... uh, is this permanent?”

“I’m afraid it’ll only last 24 hours,” Luna answered. “If you want, I can make it so you’ll stay this age.”

“Uh... no, uh... no thanks, I uh... that’s, that’s alright.” Jon fumbled with his worlds. “My uh...my wife would kill me if I ever outlived her.”

While Jon continued to admire himself in the mirror, Luna playfully leaned forward into the mirror and made it disappear, forcing Jon to look at her in the face.

“Aren't you going to ask me something?.” She chuckled.

“I... OH! Oh, you’re right!” Jon fumbled as he grabbed her hoof. “Uh Luna... tha-thanks for... for uh being here today and uh... would... would you mind st--”

“Yes, I’ll stay a little bit longer for the show.” Luna interrupted.

“Okay... uh... thanks.” Jon said, he wasn’t used to being thrown off guard this much by a guest.. “Um... P-princess Luna everyone... we’ll... uh.. we’ll be-- actually NO! I’m... I’m going to try something first!”

Without even so much as an ‘excuse me’, Jon jumped from his chair and ran to one end of the stage where he positioned himself on the very edge without falling over.

“I haven’t done this in years!” He said.

Everyone watched as the now younger and vivacious Jon Stewart sprinted across the stage as fast as he legs could take him. When he reached to about the halfway point, he threw himself forward, only to catch himself by placing his hands on the ground and tossing his feet in the air. The crowd frantically stomped the ground; praising Jon for having done a perfect cartwheel.

“HELL YEAH!” Jon roared, as he pumped his fists in triumph. “PRINCESS LUNA EVERYONE! WE’LL BE RIGHT BACK!”

The pegasus operating the camera high above the crowd had to fly carefully to the side in order to get a good shot of Jon who was excitedly playing to the crowd with hand gestures and smiles. Those watching at home got to see the last scene where Luna snuck up behind to join him in waving to the audience.

The Daily show logo eventually found its way onto the camera right before Jon hugged Luna on the stage and whispered something in her ear. The camera then panned slightly inward to get a good shot of the massive amount of ponies who came to watch the show before the the screen turned to black for the last commercial break.

Here it is your moment of zen

The roar of the crowd could still be heard as Jon and Luna exited the center of the stage and made their way to the makeup room. Rather than joining his guest in having their facial products washed off, Jon ran past his entire staff and crew and out the side of the door, hollering and flailing his arms the entire time, without fear of a sore throat or pulling a muscle.

“He seems happy.” Selina commented as Luna sat in a chair directly in front of a professional makeup artist’s mirror.

“So Ms. Selina, how did I do?” Luna asked as an intern busily wiped the makeup off her face and undid the microphone from her ear.

“You were fantastic, your majesty.” Selina answered as she watched the intern do her job, making sure she did everything right. “I can already tell that this interview will do very well in the ratings.”

“Excellent.” Luna said. “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a bit nervous back there... I’ve never been on television.”

From there, the two said nothing for the remainder of the cleanup session. Luna’s mind was still racing from the emotional high one got after being on TV while Selina concentrated on taking down notes from her clipboard. It wasn’t until the intern was done wiping the last bit of makeup off the royal guest did someone speak again.

“Also... I’m sure you’ve heard this enough already.” Selina finally said. “But... thank you very much for rescuing my boss.”

“No need.” Luna rebutted. “All in a day’s work for a Princess.”

“Understood... but... Jon is a very good friend of mine, so...” Selina cleared her throat. “So, if there is anything I can do for you while I’m here, then please... let me know.”

Even with Selina being a mere assistant compared to Luna’s Godly existence, the thought was much appreciated. Luna was moments away from respectfully declining her offer, when something she had forgotten popped back into her head.

“Actually... there is one thing.” Luna said.

“Name it.” Selina responded.

“Well... during the interview, Jon mentioned something about ‘videogames’” Luna said. “They sounded extraordinary... I would like to know more about these videos that are games.”

As much as Selina wanted to help, she found herself slightly out of her element. Growing up, she had never played video games before, except for a few play sessions with her older brother back in the 80’s. Back when Jon suggested that Luna ask her after the show about them, she secretly hoped that she wouldn't since she hated being put in places that she had no knowledge of. Though, that didn’t stop her from honoring her promise.

“Yes well... of course.” Selina said. “Video games... let’s see...”

As if the answer was somewhere nearby, she began to scan the room for anything that could help her. What she saw were humans and ponies of all shape and color hurrying back and forth doing something productive... that is until she saw a fairly new Daily Show employee sitting on the ground and talking with yellow and green mare.

His unproductive state wasn’t what initially got her attention, but the fact that she recognized him from around the office. Most importantly, she knew him well enough to know that he identified himself as a 'gamer.'

“You there!” She snapped getting instant attention. “Come over here.” Both the intern and the pony he was talking to were scared by Selina glaring at them. Soon, after his pony friend abandoned him, he scrambled to his feet and rushed to her while looking very apologetic.

“I-I-I’m sorry Ms. Jenson!” He blurted as he nervously bowed. “I was just taking a quick break, I swear I wasn’t goofing off! Please don’t write me up!”

“No need to apologize. You’re not in any trouble.” She assured him. “I just wish to have a word with you... Paul right?... You play videogames, correct?”

The question seemed to confuse him to the point where he was unable to speak, or that may have been because both Selina and Luna were staring at him waiting for an answer.

“Oh uh... yes, yes I do.” He finally answered. “B-b-but I don’t play them while I’m working! I swear!”

Selina knew that was a bold faced lie, but for the sake of this exercise let it slide.

“Yes, yes, I know” She said. “But tell me... do you have any with you right now.”

The nervous intern waited to see if this was a some kind of trap or something, something which he couldn't put pass Selina. However, lying to her would prove to be more disastrous, so in the interest of keeping his job, Paul reached into his pocket and pulled out his own personal handheld device which he always kept handy, a Nintendo 3DS.

“S-sure I do.” He trilled as he offered her his previous device. “See?” Reaching out Selena grabbed the rectangular piece of plastic and as she observed it she realized what it was. She had not too long ago bought the same device (Though a different color) for her niece during the holiday season. She knew just enough to take over from here.

“Thank you Paul.” She said. “You may leave.” Without a word, he dashed to the other room where he would relay how he survived an encounter with Selina to his fellow co-workers which, in itself, was a right of passage at the office.

With him now gone, Selina ran her fingers along the center of the the device and opened it the way she would her small makeup kit. The second it opened, cheerful music began to play since Paul was in the middle of a game when he last played with it.

Even with Selina’s serious lack of knowledge for gamer culture, even she could identify the person on the screen.

“Ah! Super Mario... classic.” She said with a faint smile. “My brother used to play this game all the time.”

Turning around she leaned forward and placed the gaming device in front of Luna.

“This, your majesty... is a videogame.” She said.

For Luna, the strange device in front of her with only a few small buttons might as well have been the control board for an airplane for all she knew. Carefully, she picked it up with a combination of her front hooves and her horn and began to examine it.

“How do I... play this.” She asked.

“The object of the game is to... get to the end of the level without dying.” Selina explained, impressed that she remembered that much. “You press this here to move forward.”

The instructions were simple enough for Luna to understand, but the concept was still very new to her. Slowly, she pressed the button that made the presentation of herself moving forward. As it did, she looked like she just commanded the heavens to open for her.

“My goodness!” Luna said. “I’m... I’m making this human move!”

Her progression eventually came to a stop when she ran smack into a foot high wall.

“Selina!” She screamed. “There is an obstruction! What do I do? How do I proceed forward!?”

“Um... you have to jump over it.” Selina answered. This new bit information caused Luna to look at her with shocked eyes.

“I can do that?” Luna said.

“Yes, but you need to be careful because there is an enemy on the other side.” Selina said. “This button here is the jump command... I think.”

Following her instructions, Luna pressed a button that caused the character on screen to leap into the air. Feeling adventurous, Luna decided to combine what she had learned with this new ability and jump while moving forward. When she did this, she not only cleared her first obstacle, but landed on top of the nearby enemy causing him to disappear.

This momentary victory almost caused Luna to drop the 3DS to the ground.

“Amazing.” She said. “Absolutely incredible.”

“Well I’m glad you like it.” Selina said. “When you’re done, please let--”

“Ms. Jenson!” A voice called out, grabbing everyone’s attention but Luna’s. It was the voice of another Daily Show employee who looked to be out of breath. “Ms. Jenson I’m... I’m sorry to interrupt, but we need your help.”

“Whatever it is, it can wait.” Selina said with stern eyes. “As you can see, I am in the middle of a conversation with our esteemed guest.”

“I know and I apologize, but we need your help with Mr. Stewart.” She said. “He was just spotted swimming in some kind of private lake and now royal guards are chasing after him.”

“Damnit.” Selina said as she slowly began to move away. “Your Majesty, I’m sorry, but I have to take this!... If you need further assistance, please let me know!”

With that, she left the area and followed the scared intern outside into the dark. Luna was so immersed in her game that she didn’t even hear a word she said and was now alone to play with her new found toy in privacy. Selina made plans to return as soon as possible since she was convinced that Luna would get bored in no time and call her back for something. Not only did she stay in that same spot for several more hours, but to this day Paul never did get his game back.