//------------------------------//
// Episode 14 [Queen Chrysalis]: Unexpected visitor  
// Story: The Daily Show presents:  Equestrian Interviews 
// by Daily Show Ponies 
//------------------------------//

	For a brief moment, Jon thought his day had made a turn for the better when Trixie agreed to send him to work. This way he got to save time, money, and got to brag to his superiors that the arrived to work that morning by way of a magic spell.

Unfortunately for Jon, he was teleported right in the middle of a locked broom closet and it took nearly a half hour before an intern found him, whereupon he made a very predictable "coming out of the closet" joke. Things weren't going very well.

His day continued to be a cavalcade of woe when he learned of the new staff and crew he'd be working with. Since they had come back from their winter break hiatus, and some nearby universities were entering in a new semester, the studio had hired a new gaggle of interns. All of whom needed Jon to either sign off on something (usually a contract that proved they were working for free in order to gain college credits) or need a tour of the office.

From there Jon couldn't even reach his office before having to give a speech to some new staff hands. Not to mention older staff members complained that while they were away, some of the equipment went missing, probably a result of their studio getting an upgrade in some departments, but it was still just as annoying.

Jon was always willing to lend a helping hand to struggling intellectuals in the area, but in a lot of cases they were as lost as an inbred goat and about just as reliable. Though that didn't stop him from grabbing an older on-hand intern from last year, filling him in on what was going on, then leaving him to escort the new interns around the building. Some might've called that the blind leading the blind, but Jon called it a willful distribution of power.

With the rest of his staff clamoring to get things in order for tonight's show, Jon fled to the safety and pseudo-serenity of his office. Walking across the threshold of his personal sanctuary was like walking into another world. Whereas the main studio was loud and hot with everyone running around, his office was vacant and had a constant stream of cold air fluctuating all around him.

With a sigh of relief, he sat down in his lumpy chair, leaning back to stare at the ceiling. At this time in the day the light from a window was bouncing off one of the awards that adorned his wall and onto his face, so he shifted in his seat to avoid it. The ceiling fan just above him was swirling at a medium pace and he followed one of the blades with his eyes as it spun around and around.

After some reflection on his part, he was glad that he didn't make today an Equestria interview. He still wasn't feeling well and things were so chaotic at the moment that he wasn't sure he could do it any justice. Instead, for today, he was going to interview some author he’d never heard of who’d written a book that he'd never heard of, but only just read last night.

As he continued to look upwards, he began to feel dizzy at the sight of the spinning fan, so to remedy this, he leaned forward and, placing his elbows on his desk, began to rub his temples. In hindsight, he regretted not asking Trixie if she knew a spell that could cure his illness, even if it wasn't that bad.

Jon still had some papers he needed to fill out on his desk, but he tempted fate by seeing how long he could put off actually doing them. He looked at the stacks of stationary and found a better use for them. He piled them up into a little makeshift pillow and laid his head on it. He was perfectly content with just staying like that, but before he could even begin to enjoy it, there was a knock on his door.

It was an intern asking for further assistance on his hours by arrangement. Like a groundhog, Jon popped his head out of his office to help her. After he was done, another intern came from seemingly out of nowhere and asked for assistance regarding the same matter. This continued... over and over again. Person after person popping up from their desks like ducks on a targeting range whenever they saw Jon.

Jon was practically forced to leave the safety of his office and head back out into the pool of employers. He kept promising himself that right after he helped this intern he'd return to his desk, but several hours passed, and to his dismay, he was actually now officially working. He went from department to department either showing some new guy the ropes or coordinating with an older staff member on what needed to be done. He did manage to get to return to his office once or twice, but as soon as he did he was called out again.

Finally, after awhile everything was running smoothly, or at least smoothly enough for him to get back to his office. Looking to the clock, he could now see it was midafternoon. With a grunt of pain, he dragged himself to his office door, across the room to his desk, approached his uncomfortable chair and threw himself down upon it. His pillow of papers was still looking up and him; each of which needed his signature. Without even a second thought he laid his head upon it.

He could almost feel himself slipping away when an ominous and horrible sound pierced the air. Someone was knocking on his door again.

"Go awaaaay," Jon moaned from his seat. "No one here but us mice." Whoever it was on the other side knocked again, but this time she called out.

"It's me," a female said from behind the door. Even with Jon being away from the office for so long, he could still recognize that voice anywhere.

"Come in," he said, his voice muffled by his papers. Stepping into his office was his longtime assistant, Selina Jenson, who in contrast to Jon, looked as professional as she could with her long hair in a proper bun and her black pants suit neatly pressed. She had her clipboard with her, which had countless notes scribbled all over it.

"You have a phone call," she said, getting straight to the point.

"Tell em I'm not here," Jon said, making a motion with his hand for her to go away. "If they ask, just say I'm stuck in traffic or I'm dead."

"I...think you'll want to take this one," Selina said, sounding somewhat concerned. Using whatever energy he had left, Jon turned his head to the side to get a look at her; still refusing to actually get up.

"Who is it?" he asked, determined to not take it no matter who it was.

"It's...her royal Highness," she answered. Immediately, Jon sat straight up with a look of shock on his face. At this hour, there was a slew of regulars who called him, each with their own personal agenda, but this was entirely different. Except for only one instance a few months back, this had never happened before so naturally Selina had Jon's attention.

"Wait!" Jon said, sitting up. He paused to collect his thoughts while a piece of paper that was hanging to the side of his face fell down to his feet. "Princess Celestia?"

"That's who she said she was," Selina answered.

"Princess Celestia is calling...me?" Jon ventured further. When he got a nod as a reply, a sudden smile appeared on his face. "G-great! Patch her through!"

As soon as Selina left to her office to make the transfer happen, Jon sat up in his chair and began to manually brush his hair back and organize his desk as if she was about to appear in person. Once he was satisfied with his cosmetic changes, he eagerly awaited for his desk phone to receive the person that was currently on hold.

A few seconds later his phone began to ring, which was still a surprise despite the fact that he had been expecting it. Without a second’s hesitation, he quickly grabbed the phone as if doing so was a life or death moment. Almost immediately, Jon could feel a sense of unfamiliarity like he had gone to his favorite restaurant, but it had been recently renovated and nothing looked the same.

For one, this time he was the one who answered first, instead of it being the other way around. That and usually he would communicate with her at home where he was more comfortable as opposed to right in the middle of work. Even the call itself sounded different. Usually, it was silent with nothing but the princess' voice being heard, only now, Jon could hear a commotion in the background. Perhaps she was having a busy day too.

But all at once, all these new sensations were blown away once he heard the unmistakable soothing tone of his good friend and business partner.

"Hello, Mr. Stewart," Celestia said. "My it has been awhile, hasn't it?"

"Celestia! You have no idea how nice it is to hear from you," Jon said, standing up to sit atop his desk. How the hell are ya!? You must be pretty bored over there if you're the one calling me."

"Yes, yes. I realize I've never called you before, but I assure you I do so with only the best intentions in mind," she said in a calm, yet passionate voice. "I wouldn't dream of wasting your time."

"Celestia, my friend, there is absolutely no need to apologize! I always welcome the chance to talk to my favorite other worldly god," Jon said with a laugh. "Also, what do you mean 'never called me before'...remember the time you called to get Mayor Mare on my show?"

"Oh yes of course!" she said in an apologetic tone while Jon sifted in on desk. "It's...been a long day."

"I know exactly how you feel!" Jon said, making a noise like he'd been doing some heavy lifting. "Which is why I'm glad to hear from you...it's always good to hear from a friend to break the mundanity of it all."

"We all have those days," Celestia said with a chuckle. "Even myself if you can believe that...and for the record, I only asked for Mayor Mare to appear on your show because I thought she'd be an excellent pony to interview."

"Well, you weren't wrong, that's for sure!" Jon said with a laugh. "If I remember correctly, her appearance had a rather large amount of viewers...mostly poly majors I'd wager."

"Well I'm sure she appreciated the attention it earned her," Celestia responded. "Matter of fact, shortly afterwards she won her bid for re-election."

"No kidding!?" Jon said. "Did she mention me in her acceptance speech?"

"Well...I'm afraid I'm not sure," Celestia responded tenderly. "But since we're on the topic...that's kinda why I've called you today."

"You called me to discuss Mayor Mare?" Jon said quizzically.

"No, not exactly...I'm actually calling you because I know a pony who would just be perfect for your show," she said. "She's more than willing to appear for tonight's episode and I can guarantee she'd bring with her a huge increase in viewers!"

Her proposal took Jon by surprise. For one thing, Celestia was well aware that he detested other people giving their input on who he should have on his show: a pet peeve long before they had ever met.

"You...want me to interview a certain pony?" Jon asked, just to make sure he understood her.

"Yes, this is correct, Mr. Stewart," Celestia assured him. "If you did this for me I'd consider it a personal favor...and like I said, I guarantee that the rating for your show will rise beyond your wildest dreams if you accept my offer."

Admittedly, the prospect of having an interview with a pony so popular that his viewership increased, did sound appealing, not only to Jon, but for those that Jon worked for as well. Whenever it was that time of the year where different networks were competing with each other over for viewers, Jon's producers urged him to interview a pony and to make sure said pony had a big name.

The last time Comedy Central killed in the ratings was when Jon interviewed Rainbow Dash, which had raised the network’s ratings to the highest that week. But with the holiday season long gone, Jon didn't need that boost just yet. He had already started the New Year with an Equestrian Interview in the form of Fancy Pants, so for now he was fine; he liked to stagger out these kinds of events further apart when he could.

"Well Celestia...as much as I'm...deeply flattered by your concern for my well-being, I'm afraid I'm going to have to decline your offer. I don't really need an Equestrian interview at the moment, nor am feeling up for the task," he said. Getting up now, he walked over to the other end of his office and peered through his window and his many employees scrambling around like chickens with their heads cut off. "Plus, I don't think my staff is well prepared either. We have a lot of new interns starting today and things are hectic...but again, I am very thankful for your input but right now is just not a good time."

There was a silence on the other end of the line, though Jon could still tell that the line was open, because he could hear a rustling in the background.

"Celestia?" Jon said. He paused, and still no one answered, but the commotion continued in the back. "Are you still there?" It took a few seconds, but eventually someone was back on the phone.

"Yes I'm still here," the familiar soothing voice said. "And you’re absolutely certain you don't need my help?" The way she phrased her question made Jon feel somewhat guilty, like he was talking to his Jewish grandmother. Be nevertheless, he was steadfast in his refusal.

"Yeah I'm sure but, don't think I don't appreciate what you're trying to do," he answered, making sure to sounds as respectful as possible. "I promise I'll take your suggestion under advisement for next time...now I hate to sound rude, but I am on a tight schedule right now so unless there's anything else I'd—"

"Actually there is," Celestia interrupted. "You said you had some new interns coming in today right?"

"Yes. I did," Jon answered.

"Well as it just so happens I think I can help you with that as well," she continued. "You see...there is this unicorn down in Ponyville who would just love to visit you. Her name is Lyra Heartstrings, I don't if you've ever met her but—"

"I actually have," Jon interjected. "Not too long ago when I vacationed in Ponyville we uh...met." Jon sat back down, rubbing his stomach; he could still remember the pain of her spirited introduction.

"Well that's good to hear. She's actually a huge fan of yours and I know she would just love to visit," Celestia continued.

"With all due respect, Celestia...how does this help me with my intern dilemma?" he asked, now starting to feel a bit uncomfortable. He took one look out his window from where he was sitting to see a new trainee drop a huge stack of papers. "Because right now...the way I see, adding a talking pony to the equation would just cause more chaos."

"Hear me out...you have new humans working under you at the moment correct?" Celestia said. "Well wouldn't it be in their best interest to see a pony now and get some experience since they'll have to at some point." Jon took a moment to think about this, rocking back and forth while massaging his forehead.

"That's...actually not such a bad idea," he said.

"Exactly! I'd imagine it'd be easier for them since, like you said, this wouldn't be an actual interview," she added.

"And you’re sure this is okay with Lyra?" Jon asked. "I mean, being called to another world just for show and tell?"

"Oh of course it is!" she assured him. "She's actually very interested in Human mythology so this is just as much a benefit for you as it is for her."

"And she'll understand that this is just a visit, right?" he asked. "...No interview?"

"No interview," she repeated back. Jon leaned back in his seat and began to stroke his chin. He weighed the pros and cons of this proposal and came to a conclusion.

"Alright, I'm in," Jon said as he motioned for Selina to head to the dressing room. "Teleport her to our usual spot and I'll make sure to bring her up to speed."

"Excellent!" Celestia said. "I'm glad we could work this out...you won't regret it." Before Jon could say his goodbyes, Celestia ended the call, leaving only a dial tone to fill the void. Feeling slightly odd about this, Jon placed the phone back down and gave a nonchalant shrug. He got up and began to clean up his desk so it'd look more presentable for his upcoming guest.

For the next ten or so minutes, Jon sat at his station and filled out some papers and signed off on some hours by arrangement contracts while he waited for his guest to arrive. The only sound was that of his employees and colleagues scrambling around outside. A collection of people talking, papers shuffling, and computers keyboards clattering.

It was a sound Jon knew all too well, which is why his attention was immediately grabbed when all of it came to a stop. Jon looked up to peak outside the window of his office. He caught a glimpse of young men and women frozen in time as they all stared, their heads slowly turning in the same direction. It was a look he'd seen before...the same look he himself would get from ponies back in Equestria.

Now the only sound that could be heard was footsteps that became easier to hear as time passed. Soon, the door to his office opened and in came his faithful assistant, followed by a mint green unicorn with white-streaked hair. It was indeed the same pony who accidentally attacked Jon the last time he was in Ponyville, on vacation.

"Girls, it's about time! I'm just kidding, welcome, welcome," Jon said with a nervous smile. Getting up, he made his way to the door. "Please, make yourself at home...gimme one second."

Before continuing, Jon poked his head outside to shoo away his staff, calling out for them to get back to work. He closed the blinds to his office as to not distract them for the time being, since they'd get their chance soon enough to interact with Lyra.

Once he was satisfied that they had some privacy, he moved to the front of his desk with which to lean his back on.

"Alright! Lyra, so good to see you again!" he said. Leaning forward, he offered her his hand, but she didn't shake it. Instead she began to walk around the room, looking in different directions. "So uh yeah...uh it’s been awhile, Miss…uh miss…I’m sorry but I’m afraid I’ve already forgotten your last name.”

Jon purposely forgot because he wanted to encourage her to speak but Lyra didn't, as she was too busy examining the small room. Instead, it was his assistant who answered his question.

“Heartstrings,” she said

“Ah that’s right, Heartstrings,” Jon said. “How have you been? How are things back home?”

Again Jon asked his question and again Lyra didn't speak. In response to this, Jon looked over to Selina, who looked back and gave him a shrug. She was just as confused as he was.

"Right...so anyway I'm sure Celestia had already told you this but you are here today as a sort of a...uh practice run, I guess you could say, for my employees." He continued. "At some point we'll have you go around, maybe introduce yourself, and my interns will learn what it will be like to attend to the needs of an Equestrian citizen. If we have time, and with your permission, I'd also like to have the makeup girl to teach some student's how to manage a pony's mane."

When Lyra still didn't respond Jon just chalked it up to her being nervous, though even for someone like Jon, who'd only known her very briefly, that seemed very uncharacteristic of her.

"So...do you have any questions for me?" Jon asked to try and get her to come out of whatever shell she was behind.

"So this really is the human world?" Lyra said. Her sudden question startled both Jon and Selina slightly.

"Um...yes, yes it is," he answered.

"And you're really Jon Stewart?" she continued.

"Well, that's what it says on the inside of my underwear," Jon joked to ease the tension in the room. No one laughed. "So...are you clear with what will happen today?"

"Yeah, you want to prance me about like some kind of show pony for all you humans to stare at." She responded in a cold low tone. "Am I right?" The way she said it made Jon feel defensive about what he actually wanted which came out in the tone of his voice.

"O-o-oh no! No, no, not at all!" Jon assured her. He began to wonder if Celestia ever consulted her about this. "I simply want the chance for my staff and crew to get acquainted with ponies from your world! If you're uncomfortable with all this this I'll understand if you want to go back home."

"Oh no...I understand what's going on here," Lyra said with a smile.

"Oh....ok good," Jon said with a sigh of relief. "So...any other questions."

"Just one," Lyra said. "When can I expect to go on stage?"

"Oh you want to see what the stage looks like?" Jon asked.

"No," Lyra said. "I mean when can I expect to go on TV...as the pony you are to interview."

"Oh no, Lyra this visit isn't for an appearance," he challenged. "I said you're here only for observation...you're free to walk around and such but you're not going on live TV." Lyra stopped scoping out Jon's office and slowly turned around to look at him with narrowed eyes.

"Oh I know what you said. But now I'm saying that you are going to have me on your show." She spoke in a rough tone, like she'd been arguing this for hours.

"Well I'm sorry Lyra, but that's not going to happen," Jon said in a stern voice to try and match hers.

"Well then," Lyra said with an evil grin. "I guess I'll just have to make you then." For a fraction of a second, Jon could swear her eyes lit up, but he quickly dismissed it and continued his scolding.

"You know what, Lyra, I don't have to do anything for you!” Jon said in an angry tone that very few people ever heard. "I only agreed to let you come here as a favor to Celestia but if this is how you're going to act then I'm afraid I'm going to ask to you leave!"

"Sit down, human," Lyra said dangerously. Ignoring her, Jon motioned to Selina, who was still in the room.

"Selina, could you please escort Ms. Heartstrings back to the dressing room while I call Celestia to pick to pick her up?" Jon said, prompting Selina to move towards Lyra. Selina bent over and was about to place a hand on her shoulder when she stopped midway like she was frozen in ice.

Before Jon could pick up the phone, he noticed this and waited until she did something, but she never did.

"Selina, what are you doing?" he asked. "Would you please escort our...friend out of here?" Slowly Jon noticed that his assistant was shaking, as if she were cold. Most notably, her hand, which looked like it was trying, and failing to move.

"Selina?" Jon asked in a worried tone. "What's the matter with you?" Slowly her mouth began to move.

"Jon," she said like she struggling to breathe. "I...can't....move."

Before Jon could react, Lyra swung her head to the side, causing Jon's assistant to go flying through the air, where she bounced off a wall, knocking over a few awards in the process. She thudded to the floor and rolled onto her face, unconscious.

"Selina!" Jon yelled.

"Sit down, human." Lyra repeated herself. Ignoring her yet again, Jon ran across the room the see if Selina was okay. But before he could get even remotely close, he stopped in the tracks. He could feel a coldness running through him as if someone was injected ice water into his veins; he couldn't move, though he tried desperately to. Using all his strength, he tried to advance forward but he couldn't move an inch.

"I said...Sit. Down!" Lyra yelled. With a quick pulse of magic, Jon was now being hurdled across the room himself. Unlike Selina, however, he landed awkwardly back in his seat. He tried getting up but some unknown force pinned him down.

Quickly and without warning, Lyra had teleported onto his desk and was now looking him straight in the eyes, smiling a most evil smile.

"Now then," Lyra said. "About you not wanting me on your show...let's see if we can't change that."

Her eyes began to glow a shade of green, and had Jon possessed a mirror, he would have seen that his eyes were now glowing the same color. Slowly, his vision began to distort. He felt as if a thin layer of slime was being drenched on him and sensation of sleep, and yet at the same time there was a tingling sensation within his head.

He tried fighting it, and to his relief his vision came back to normal only, now Lyra was staring at him, looking very cross.

"Damn," she said. "Still not strong enough for that."

"Lyra," Jon said, feeling exhausted. "Why are you doing this?"

"Lyra?" she asked. Looking into Jon's eyes, she could now see herself. "Oh that's right, I'm still in character...allow me to slip into something more...comfortable."

Before Jon's eyes, Lyra's body began to change and contort, slowly morphing in both color and shape. Her faced warped and began to retake shape and her body grew and extra features began to spring forth like it was made of molding clay. Jon watched in horror as the tiny mint colored Unicorn transferred into a large black creatures complete with a jagged horn and wings that looked like that of an insect.

Whatever this new creature was, it had large fangs, bright green eyes, a long slender body mostly covered by her cerulean green hair and most notably of all, holes, holes that covered her entire body. With her transformation complete, she looked back and the cowering human in front of her and gave him a smile to show off her teeth.

"What...what the hell are you?" Jon said, wide-eyed, his body no longer spellbound.

"My name is Queen Chrysalis," the creature said with a smile. Slowly she lowered her head and pointed her jagged horn at Jon's face. "And from here on out, you're going to do exactly what I say, or else."