Title: Fanletter Author: Anonymous Pastebin link: http://pastebin.com/MM5zR9hX First Edit: Tuesday 31st of July 2012 04:02:05 AM CDT Last Edit: Tuesday 31st of July 2012 04:02:05 AM CDT Rainbow Dash met the final words of the book for the first time.  It really hadn't been easy to neglect what she'd finally read; the authors notes were often something she didn't even skim, despite the fact they were in every single volume. This time, though, it had been one of the last books within the Daring-Do series, having introduced the new love interest stallion.  She'd found it completely drab,   and uncharacteristic to her favorite character.  She felt she needed someone to blame.   But, the neat print at the end of the book did more than catch her eye. “Based on historical fact of one of Equestria's finest collectors of artifacts, treasures, and knowledge.”   She would approach Twilight as soon as she had been able to locate the purple pony within her library. Shoving the closed book up as if an offering, interrupting a carefully written list of recently acquired potion ingredients, and would exclaim. “This was based on a real pony!  A real pony!”  Confused, Twilight would tilt her head.   “Of course it was, Rainbow. Didn't you read that little snippet in the first book?”   Rainbow Dash felt her eyes watering against the concept, unable to hide the growing, almost stupid smile. “You have to know something about this right? Someplace I can go to check out more of the awesome stuff she's done? A museum or something?  There has to be something like that for her!”   Twilight would chuckle.  “Of course, it's not really that hard.  If you just look, there's an address for the author of the book.”  She hovered the book before Rainbow's face, pointing out the tiny print. “And you're talking like she's dead or ancient, Rainbow Dash.” Twilight shrugged. “As far as the last book says, she's middle age, still out adventuring. She's on the move so much the author is one of the few people that consistently communicates with her.”   If Rainbow Dash's jaw could have dropped lower, Twilight expected the expression would've had some sort of new medical terminology filed on self-inflicted fandom injury. Before Twilight could even entertain her usual professional air and offer to help for what the blue pony was so obviously thinking, Rainbow Dash had disappeared with such speed as to displace several shelved books with the concussion of her exit.  Upon later inspection, Twilight found several pieces of parchment missing, along with a single container of ink.   Within her massive, decorated room in Cloudsdale, Rainbow Dash quickly learned the ins and outs of quill writing on plush cloud sheets. Why couldn't I just have a working pen? She'd grump to herself repeatedly.  She'd used them so rarely that the few she'd had dried up.  Stupid feathers. She'd think, carefully  plucking a fresh quill from her own wing.   She poured words of praise onto page after page. Questions to clarify her perception, once answered, and all laced with (what she thought to be) subtle compliments.  She started using the backs of pages, never coming to the conclusion that she was being a bit too active in her thoughts, perhaps even bordering on worship.  She even took penmanship into account, making a distinct attempt to keep her writing uncharacteristically neat.   A few days passed.  She kept doubting the letter had ever gotten there.  But she knew the pegasus ponies that she'd given the letter to. They were ones to trust, and always made their deliveries.  Or so she told herself.   A few weeks passed. The letter had stuck in her thoughts, like a splinter.  No matter how hard she tried to distract herself, she'd picked up a habit of pacing. Impatience became her hobby between weather changes.  She'd started that last book, but barely, and wasn't sure she wanted to finish; it seemed to have a lot of lovey dovey mush between a new character, a pegasus partner “Hurricane.”  She didn't like that part nearly as much as the fervid action, especially since it seemed cliché from the stories her parents had written to her about meeting each other.   After a few months passed, she'd all but given up.  Living idol or not, the time that had gone by had tempered her energy. She couldn't bring herself to read the last book; the final of the series, so far.  She'd put so much excitement into the letter, she later realized, that when she thought back on the words... Well, “fanfilly” kept echoing through her head. She had begun grumbling at herself over it, swings of mood and vigor not having gone unnoticed by herself- let alone her friends.   The only things she'd received were the usual packages from her parents.  Always traveling or otherwise occupied with work.  They were dutiful pegasi, but quite literally, never home.   They'd paid the rent again, with more than enough for Rainbow to have food and spending money. Just like always.   The packages arrived with the usual appeal of missing her terribly, but they knew she was a strong pony and had good friends from the pictures Rainbow had sent them.  They were happy she had such wonderful companions, and expressed a genuine interest in all the things she'd written, or pictures she'd sent. Just like always.   Her mother sent her souveniers from the areas she visited (Yay, wierd rocks.  Yay, beads. Yay, little tree I totally forgot to take care of.). Her father, always thoughtful to detail, gave some history behind them because he knew way too much.  But, it was just like always.   Rainbow preferred things just like they were, anyway. Racing through the skies, organizing clouds, and pranking her way through downtimes.  Her parent's work sounded boring, if busy- she couldn't stand doing that sort of thing, especially without some kind of variance. Her mother was a cartographer, and her father worked alongside her clearing the weather so she could see the ground and map it.  Heck, they even said they liked the pictures and letters more than anything else- phone calls, magic-o-grams, anything.  Even the way they claimed to enjoy hearing from her was plain.   Rainbow did miss them, but not so much as to feel as terrible as she did without that reply from Daring-Do.  She felt as if she “kept up” with them, at least.  As much as she cared to, and as much as they cared to.  Though, she had almost forgotten what they even looked like; her parents had essentially disappeared when she'd been able to take care of herself reliably.  That time had been pretty early in her life.  She had to admit that much to herself- she'd grown up quite fast, and had even made her way through flight school without them around.   So, she mailed another letter out. It described her disappointment over an idol.  How boring things had gotten, especially since she couldn't inspire herself to read further into that final book.  She caught herself saying how awesome those previous adventures had been, a sort of nostalgia.  She scribbled the phrases out with tight black ink to make them unreadable, once she realized what she was writing.   She didn't want to think anything about it, just wanted something fun and exciting again.  So she gave a few fudged reports of awesome new tricks to try, and made a point to try and do them.  After mailing the letter and napping profusely, anyway.  But of course, she couldn't write that down... They were the busy type after all, and likely wouldn't approve of that last part.  But with all the letdowns, the repeated days of waiting that slowly ebbed on her perception of that amazing athletic pony in her endless searches of ancient caverns, that envelope finally arrived.   It was large, manilla, and about the length of her leg. It a panel of hard cardboard inside, so it wouldn't bend.  It came from somewhere bizarre, a return address with a faraway place Rainbow couldn't pronounce, littered with a quilt of stamps on it's corner and marked in strange foreign languages.  Twilight had said the names of those dialects when Rainbow presented the envelope, but they were far too complicated.  Rainbow only wanted to know because it was from someplace she'd never heard of. A fitting place to send a letter from, for someone like Daring-Do.     Being a pegasus, though, mail for Rainbow was serious business-- strange envelopes could hold some very sneaky pranks from fellow pegasi.  But several different languages on a single envelope, not to mention the Twilight confirmed authenticity of the stamps, would make for a very expensive and elaborate prank.   Inside, though.  When she finally peeled it open and lifted the contents, it took some time for the moment to truly sink in. Daring-Do had mailed an autographed picture of herself on her latest, dungeon-crawling, danger-dodging, trapped-treasure tirade.  She was with her partner, “Hurricane,”  a blue tinted stallion with a raining-cloud cutie mark.  When it finally hit Rainbow what it really was,  the force struck with such impact she lost her breath, and sunk to the floor.   Her friends gathered round in the library, having collected to see what kind of strange letter she'd gotten.  Upon seeing the photo, Twilight's speech was entirely of cheerful congratulations. Every one of her friends went into upbeat snippets of praise, and Pinkie Pie- despite having absolutely no idea who Daring-Do was- gave a back-row cheer.   Through it all, Rainbow Dash had weakened visibly, unable to hold the picture upright. Barely able to hold it at all, really.  Her friends went silent when she started to tear up, quickly devolving into sobs while she sniffily stared at it.   “Rainbow Dash, what's wrong?” Twilight asked.  All her friends had gathered around her, a comforting circle to an emotion they'd never seen Rainbow expel so openly.  She traced some of the picture with her hoof, letting out weak laughs between tears.   Attached to the picture with a feeble paper clip, there was a scrap of yellowed map paper.  Tightly scrawled writing upon it, the same as that of the autograph, was a hoofmade message:   To our #1 fan The most beautiful treasure, the one thing we could never have wildly dreamed of finding.   Your Loving Parents,         Rain “Hurricane” Dash, and Daylight “Daring-Do” Dash   PS- don't read so much of that stuff! Your father doesn't want you getting any funny ideas.