//------------------------------// // Episode 8 [Twlight Sparkle]: The idea // Story: The Daily Show presents: Equestrian Interviews // by Daily Show Ponies //------------------------------// As the sun rose over the skyline of Manhattan the sound of Jon's alarm turning on awoke him from his deep sleep. "...for it is written in the book of 2nd Samuel: 'His way is perfect; the word of the Lord proves true; he is a shield for all those who--'" Jon slammed on snooze button ending the pastor's sermon. Instead of an old fashion alarm clock Jon's morning wakeup call was provided by a radio set to a Catholic broadcast station, because (as he would tell anyone who asked) nothing wakes you up in the morning like an old man yelling at you that you're going to hell. Jon was on the fourth day of his week long vacation. Comedy Central had given him another break since he first started "Equestrian Interviews," only now he was using the time away from the office to spend time with his family. But as his little vacation was quickly coming to a close he started to realize that he needed a new guest for the return show...and since it would be the first show since the break he wanted that guest to be special. To be Equestrian. Jon slowly made his way down the stairs to the living room, each step bringing with it a creaking sound as if the house was trying to communicate with him. He eventually found his way to the kitchen where his children we're already eating and his wife, Tracey McShane, had just finished putting the final touches on his breakfast. Scrambled eggs, toast, and waffles. "Hey kids," He said to the children at the table who didn't say anything back as their mouths were full. He followed the smell of food and quickly made his way to Tracey, giving her a hug from behind. "Mmmm looks good!" Jon said, noticing that his breakfast was slightly different than his kid's. "Oh what, I don't get any bacon?" "Not after your last trip to the doctor," she said, waving a spatula in his face. "Lower your cholesterol and then we'll talk, mister. Also you just get egg whites." The two kids present snickered in the corner at the sight of their father being scolded. "Daddies in trouble!" One of them gleefully said as Jon took his plate of food. After a quick peck on cheek he joined his kids Nathan and Maggie who were almost finished with their breakfast. Jon began to feast on the meal laid out in front of him but not even his wife's good cooking could take his mind off of work. It was still somewhat early to be thinking about his next guest appearance but for Jon it was hard not to as he usually had some ideas floating around in his head. One of which was to invite a member of "The Elements of Harmony" on the program again. The last time he did was so with Applejack and as he recalled the ratings that time around were some of the highest. But that was just one idea out of many. But even before all the Jon still wanted to do his homework on who each individual pony was instead of his usual routine of blindly picking a guest and hoping they'll turn out to be good. Jon continued to ponder what his next move would be but it didn't last long as his train of thought was derailed by the sounds of his own daughter trying to get his attention. "Daddy, daddy, daddy?" Maggie said. "Can I ask you a question?" Jon always found it amusing that his daughter always warned him of an impending question with another question. "Sure thing, sweety," He said leaning sideways to whisper in her direction. "Only if you give me some of your bacon." She happily obliged and Jon quickly hid the succulent strip of meat under his eggs before Tracey noticed. "Alright, go ahead." Jon said, leaning over once more. "Oh and don't tell mommy." "OK!...Daddy, when's our next vacation?" She said looking up at him with her big eyes. Jon took a quick second to think about it. "Probably sometime this winter." He replied. "Why do you ask?" Maggie sat up in her chair as if to make sure Jon could hear her. "Cause me and Nathan want to go to the pony place like you do!" She exclaimed. Jon and his wife shot each other a quick look of worry; this was actually something they had discussed before. Although they both made sure their kids would never saw the show (even before "Equestrian Interviews") word of mystical pastel colored creatures still managed to reach their ears where it was amplified by their imaginations. Both parents had agreed that the world known as Equestria was too dangerous for their children. Not only that but their ruler Princess Celestia had made it clear that Jon was the only one allowed there. Trying to avoid the question Jon took Maggie's fork, scooped up some eggs and placed it in her mouth in an attempt to keep her quite. This proved largely fruitless as she simply just tagged in her adjacent brother. "Yeah daddy!" Nathan yelled. "We want to see the horsies!" Jon himself now took a bite of his eggs, not because he was trying to avoid talking but because he was starving. "Why do you want to see a bunch of old horses anyway"" Jon said, wondering if Celestia could hear him. "Trust me your not missing much...wouldn't much rather go to Hawaii again?" Both kids shook their head. "But I heard that some of them are magic!" Nathan exclaimed. "Yeah magic!" Maggie said, backing up her brother. "We want to see magic and horsies!" Jon knew that the two of them wouldn't let this go easy so he tried to his best to compromise. "How bout this," Jon bartered. "How bout we go to Vegas again, see a magic show then go to a petting zoo that has ponies? That'd be the same right?" Both children once again shook their heads in disagreement. "Well trust me kids," He said putting on his best poker face. "As someone who's been to their place before take my word for it when I say it's not that impressive." Jon knew that if their kids even saw the tiniest glimpse of Equestria they would never want to leave. "But Daaaaad!" Nathan protested, "Mommy won’t let us watch your show so we never get to see the talking horsies!" "That's right!" Maggie added, "We'll never get to really see them unless we go to the pony place." Jon was about to respond but before he could something clicked in his head. Suddenly he had an idea and all at once he knew exactly what he had to do next. He needed to make a phone call. "Uh, listen sweety," He said in haste. "I'm sorry but I'm afraid you two can't go there but I'll set something up so you'll get to meet one. Deal?" "Deal!" Maggie and Nathan said in unison. At the time Jon was just saying the first thing he could think of to get them to stop their questions, had had no idea his hollow proposal would one day come true. Tracey shot a look at her husband who was already making his way to her side. The two had a quick conversation just out of earshot of their kids. Something Maggie had said gave birth to an idea in Jon's brain but first he had to clear it with his wife who was momentary stunned by his proposal. But eventually she agreed. After getting the green light Jon gave her a kiss, picked up his plate of food and made his way back up the stairs to his study, but not after his wife snatched his lone bacon strip off his plate. Jon placed his half eaten breakfast on his desk and began to dial the number of his royal friend, the idea still fresh in his mind. "Hello Jon," Celestia said. "How are you enjoying your vacation?" "It's alright," Jon answered as he sat down behind his desk. "How are you enjoying ruling over an entire nation with an iron hoof?" "It's alright," Celestia answered trying her best to match Jon's tone. "What can I do for you today?" "Well I still have a few days left till I get back to work," he said. "And I plan on using those days to learn as much as I can about your world and those who inhabit it. You know that way in the future I'll be more prepared during interviews and--" "And you'll have a better idea of who you'll want on your show." Celestia interjected. "Exactly!" Jon responded. "And that's where you come in." "Yes of course," she said. "What new information would you like for me to impart on you this time?" "You know, as much as I love our little one-on-ones that's not how I plan on researching your world this time around." Jon said, scooping a fork full of eggs in his mouth. "Is that so?" Celestia asked. "Well then what did you have in mind?" "Well...this is what I'm proposing. I'm not due to go back on the air for a few more days, right?" Jon said, swallowing the last of his breakfast. "Well with your permission I would like to spend the rest of those days in Equestria. Sort of like a...mini-vacation." "Most interesting; not that I'm against this idea what why do you want to stay here all of a sudden?" she responded. "Up until now you seemed perfectly content with learning about our world through me and only visiting only when you needed to speak with somepony." "Well like I said before, I want to use the time I have left to learn more about your world," he responded. "I just feel that the best way to do so is to immerse myself in your culture. By doing that I think I'll have a better understanding and appreciation for your people." Celestia found herself once again impressed by Jon's respectful nature; her admiration for him was well founded. "My, my, my Jon," she said. "It sounds as though you speak from experience." Celestia was right; this idea was not entirety foreign to him. Not too long ago Jon had the honor of going to Afghanistan to entertain the troops. Hearing about their struggles over the news was one thing but to see it up close gave him an even greater respect for what they were doing...it was a trip that changed his life and how he viewed the world. "You could say that." Jon responded. "There is still so much about Equestria that I do not understand and if I'm going to continue interviewing its people then I feel it's only proper that I meet them half way." "Well said Jon," Celestia said with pride. "I'll make it happen! When will you like to join us?" "Tomorrow morning if possible." Jon said. "I want to spend the rest of the day packing. Also if you set me up in a hotel can you make sure it has a mini-bar?" He made sure to make his request with a thick layer of sarcasm so she knew he was joking. "I"ll see what I can do; don't worry I'll take care of everything." She said, pausing slightly before speaking again. "We'll have to do it early so we can get you through customs as quickly as possible." Jon was about to take a bit out of his piece of toast but stopped dead in his tracks. "C-customs?" Jon pondered out loud. "Oh my yes Jon," Celestia responded. "We'll have to process you to make sure you're safe to enter our world." "But I-- But I never had to go through customs before." Jon argued, the sounds of unease present in his voice. "That was different because you were only staying for very short period of time," Celestia continued. "But since you'll be wanting to stay for a longer duration we'll have to make sure you're not dangerous. That means body scans, cavity searches, and you'll have to get an Equestrian passport." "O-oh well if that's what it takes to get in then I'll be...happy to cooperate." Jon said, hoping that unicorns weren't the ones who conducted the cavity searches. There was a dainty laugh on the other end of the phone before Celestia spoke again. "Oh Jon I was only jesting," she said. "Don't worry about a thing I'll make sure you are properly accommodated...though it's nice to know how far you're willing to go" Jon laughed along with Celestia, wondering if his fallacious attitude was rubbing off on her. Later that night Jon slept in his bed next to his wife, his prepared luggage standing by to the door ready to go. As he snored the night away he dreamt of what was to come completely unaware of the magic that was already starting to take place.