To: Rainbow Dash; My Biggest Fan
Dear Rainbow Dash:
As you may already know, the enclosed book in this package is my way of saying 'thank you' for all your help. I hope you enjoy it. I mean, after all, you and your friends helped make it happen.
But, that's not why I'm writing this letter. See, I'm betting that you have a few questions after our whole adventure. Are all of my exploits actually real? Is every legend I come across an actual part of Equestrian history? Is the world really more fanciful than I ever imagined?
Well, yes and no. What I'm about to tell you is a bit of a secret, so do me a huge favor and don't go spreading it around. You can tell your friends if you want, but nopony else, got it? Good.
So, here's the thing: Almost all of my adventures are real.
There's stuff that you know is real, of course. Good ole Ahui, the Sapphire Stone, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. All of that actually happened in real life. Adventurer's honor. But here's a little trick to my books: If the stories don't directly tie into my dealings with Ahiuzotl, there's a good chance that I made it up.
Why, you ask? Well, it's like this. When I first tried to publish my research into school textbooks, nopony believed that I was telling the truth because stuff like the Sapphire Stone and the Griffon's Goblet were considered to be nothing but myths. Keep in mind, I was already known at the Royal Canterlot University for being an eccentric professor who had a worse attendance record than my students (because of all my adventures), so ponies tended to take what I said with a grain of salt. Yeah, never mind that the Sapphire Stone is sitting in the University Museum right now; I'm just a kooky flake who should've been fired long ago. You can't trust anything I say.
Sorry, I'm rambling. This kind of thing gets under my skin every time I think about it. But I didn't let that stop me. I snuck my research into an adventure novel so that it would get out in the open. Yeah, it was false advertising, but that's the only way the publisher would even look at it. And, much to my surprise, it was a big hit.
So, I decided to do that with every adventure I went on. Eventually, it wasn't so much about the research as it was telling stories that other ponies enjoyed. And hey, my adventures were always fun; I might as well share them. Although, I still kinda hold on to the hope that some scholar will pick this up and see the miraculous discoveries I had made for what they actually were.
But then, things got complicated. After my book Daring Do and the Riddle of the Pharaoh's Toothbrush, Ahui decided to lay low for a bit. He, kinda made the Sphinx Pharaoh angry, and trust me, you never want to do that. So, with him not making a move for the Rings of Scorcherro or any other treasures, I had nothing to write. It didn't help that my publisher kept getting letters saying that ponies couldn't wait for the next installment. Ugh, some ponies are really impatient, y'know what I mean? Of course you do; you're one of them.
Ah, I kid. You know that we're cool, Rainbow Dash.
Anyway, I felt that I had to do something to fill the void. So, I decided to make up some stories based on some common myths and legends that I knew weren't real. The lost city of Shetlandis; the Scarab King; the treasure of Das Reingold. Those all came from my noodle. Some of the characters were real (like Yours Truly), but the events weren't. And I gotta tell you; I discovered that I had more creativity than I thought I did.
Speaking of Das Reingold, my encounter with you and your friends wasn't the first time we met. At least, it's not the first time you had an adventure with me. Yeah, you know what I'm talking about, right? When your little protégé Scootaloo switched places with me because of some pretentious changeling who made no sense. Boy, what a wacky ride that was. The critics couldn't make heads nor tails of that one. All they knew was that it was pretty awesome.
The reason I bring this up is because I want to clarify a few things. First of all, that Daring Do that you saved from being erased from existence was me, but at the same time it wasn't. Daring Do and the Treasure of Das Reingold was supposed to be a fictional story, so the "fictional" Daring Do is the one who switched places with your friend Scootaloo. But for all intents and purposes, there's really not much of a difference between us, so it might as well have been me.
The second thing I want to clear up is my behavior when you first met me for real. You know how I said that I work alone because I can't be sure who to trust? Well, I wasn't telling you the whole truth there, and you probably could've guessed that. Of course there are ponies I trust. There are ponies that I would call my closest friends, too. But here's the thing. My adventures are dangerous. You know this; I know this; everypony who reads my stuff knows this. I don't want other ponies getting hurt because of me. That's why when I do have a partner, their safety is my top priority. At the very least, it's up there with keeping myself alive. I would've told you that myself if you hadn't put me in such a bad mood.
Lastly, I want to tell you about Tailspin. Yeah, you know her. The hyperactive klutz who really hit it off with Scootaloo? Well, she's an actual pony in my class, and she really does look up to me. She's, actually one of the few ponies who believes that the majority of my adventures are real. She's always begging me to take her on one, but I never have. I kept telling myself that she's got her whole life ahead of her, and that she shouldn't be risking her neck going on adventures with me. Finally, I decided that if she can't go on an adventure with me for real, she can at least go on an adventure in my books. Thus, Daring Do and the Treasure of Das Reingold was created. Let me tell you; Tailspin really started rethinking her life after reading what she and Scootaloo went through.
I won't go into spoiler territory, but I will tell you to look out for Tailspin in my next book. After you and your friends showed me how helpful partners can be, I think I'll let her tag along for some extra credit. I'm finally gonna make her dreams come true for real, Rainbow Dash. And I have you to thank for that.
So, thanks again for everything you've done, and I hope you continue to follow my exploits; both real and imaginary. Because there's a lot more of Equestria left unexplored, and you know what I always say:
Another day, another dungeon.
Best regards,
Daring Do
PS: Tell Scootaloo I said hi.
Author's Note
Yeah, sorry this wasn't the epic adventure you all were hoping for, but I can't have a story about Daring Do meeting her maker when she actually is her maker. So, this'll have to suffice. That being said, the episode was quite awesome.
I might explore inter-literary travel with somepony else, but that'll have to wait for another time.
