A.K. Yearling was quietly sitting down in her chair. Life's been slow without being "Daring Do". The world didn't really need saving anymore with the Elements of Harmony keeping everything in check. Even Ahuizotl was caged up weeks ago. The only thing left for Yearling to do, was write. And even then, it just wasn't as satisfying as doing the real thing. But, then again she was getting too old for this. Her niece was better suited to do the job.
Yearling still strived for the action. But...did her readers strive for it too? Recently her books have been doing poorly. Despite getting five star reviews every time, ponies just weren't interested in Daring Do anymore. They would much rather read "Pony Trotter" or any other book that got turned into a movie. Yearling had denied the request to make a film out of her series many times. Now she wasn't sure if she did the right thing. It was too late now. Yearling sulked in her chair and began to write four words on her typewriter.
Daring Do's Last Crusade
"I can't do it! I can't!" Yearling said as she broke down into tears. "I can't do this! I can't kill Daring Do!" Suddenly, there was a knock on her door. "Who is it?" Yearling said as she wiped the tears off her face.
"Mailmare!" A cheery voice said at the other end of the door. Yearling got up from her chair and went to open the door. When she opened it she found a letter on her doorstep. It was a letter from her publishers. Yearling grabbed the letter and put it on her desk to read.
Dear Miss Yearling,
We are sorry to say that despite great reviews, little to no ponies bought your book. We think you should move on to other series. Ponies just don't feel like reading this series again.
Sincerely
The Representatives of PegaSoar
Yearling didn't know what to do. On the one hand, it was bad for business, on the other, she didn't want to give up her most beloved character. When you're a writer, pleasing your readers is a necessity. Always think of the readers. Write to make it appealing to the readers. Be a slave to the readers. Yearling pounded her typewriter in frustration. She used to do this for fun. Now she's chained up to a wall and she's about to face the guillotine. Right before watching Daring Do face it first. If she wanted to write, she should write. But will anypony seriously care? Will anypony care at all? She then looked at those four magical words on her typewriter: "Daring Do's Last Crusade". Yearling sighed and attempted to put her hoof on the typewriter but she couldn't. Once she set hoof on that story, there was no going back. The publishers were the only ones who were waiting.
A.K. Yearling sat down and looked to her left. There she saw her bookshelf, filled with all her past works. Daring Do and the Masked Thief of Marapore, Daring Do and the Eternal Flower, Daring Do and the Forbidden City of Clouds, Daring Do and the Quest for the Sapphire Stone and soon Daring Do's Last Crusade. Yearling picked one of her books up. She saw on the cover, a mare having the adventure of her life.
"Well," Yearling said to the mare on the cover as she reared up,"it's been fun." But then she looked to the typewriter. "But the fun has to end sometime ya know."
"Why not!" Said a voice.
"Who is it?" Yearling asked frantically.
"You! Of course!" Suddenly Yearling saw a ghostly figure of Daring Do.
"You're just a character that I made. You're not real." Yearling said calmly.
"That may be true. But in that case, why are you trying to kill me?"
"Because the series isn't popular anymore. Ponies don't want to read about you anymore."
"And that's a good reason to just kill me off?"
"I don't know! Ask the readers! They're the ones trying to kill you off!" Yearling yelled. "I can't believe I'm arguing with a fictional character."
"The readers? As long as you have an idea and you wanna share it with the world that's all that matters!"
"I know but I'll go bankrupt! If I spend too much money on you, I might not have any to spend on myself. The readers won't care and they won't buy the books! Simple as that!"
"I dunno! But it sure seems like she would buy the next books." Daring Do said pointing to a cyan mare on the cover of a book.
"Rainbow Dash? Well yeah. But who else?"
"Her friends! She certainly has a lot of them. And one of them's a princess! Just ask them to promote your book!"
"That doesn't guarantee ponies will buy it!"
"That doesn't guarantee ponies won't!" Yearling thought about that for a second. "Take it from a adventurer. It always pays to take risks. It's time you followed your own advice." Daring said as she jumped into the book's cover again.
Yearling sat in her chair for a long time after the "visit" from her character. She looked at the typewriter and back to the books. She looked again to the four words she had wrote: "Daring Do's Last Crusade." She then pressed delete several times and replaced the words that she had wrote. In replacement, she wrote, "The Return of Daring Do."
