//------------------------------//
// A Letter To The Princess 
// Story: I, Scrappy 
// by SkelePone 
//------------------------------//


To: Princess Celestia
Canterlot Castle, Canterlot
North Equestria

From: Daring Do
Helios Ruins, Amarezon Basin
South Equestria


Dear Princess Celestia,

It was unlike anything I have ever seen before.

Before me, a deep hole is being dug, an ancient crumbling ruin directly in its sandy center. I am at the Amarezon Rain Forest Basin, as you've asked for me to be. A beautiful lush jungle, if I must say so, Princess. I can't wait to give my wings a stretch in the jungle's vast open forests, its roaring rivers. But of course, I have fulfilled your request of exploring the Helios Temple Ruins. And what I have found there is amazing!

A sunstone. One of the few naturally glowing diamonds in Equestria. A whopper, too. I bet this sunstone breaks the current record of the largest yet discovered. It was a pain to retrieve, too. So many bucking traps around that thing that I was lucky I didn't lose my head and all four of my legs nabbing it.

There was a beautiful mosaic on one of the walls. It depicted Helios, the first Alicorn, raising the Sun. I figured you would want it preserved. These thugs you sent to dig up the Temple wanted to knock it down. Made me want to knock them down. I told them to just chisel off the wall, and carry it carefully into the storage unit. We'll be shipping to you shortly, Princess.

The last thing I want to tell you about is by far the strangest. I know you have heard tell of Automatons, correct? The ancient machines of times long forgotten? I found one. The most pony-looking one I've seen to date. I'll be sure to send you a sketch of it. But the thing that stuck out about Automaton isn't it's looks. It's the sounds it makes. It ticks, like a clock. Of course, we knew Automatons were clockworks built by unknown ponies, but they have never ticked. None of them work. They're made out of metals that are easily corroded and rusted. There's no way any other Automaton could work.

But Princess! This one is so well-preserved, it's still ticking! We're sure it can still work, and imagine what we can learn from it when we get it in operation! It'll take a genius, but I've heard stories about Princess Twilight Sparkle, and I think maybe she could figure out a way to get the Automaton working.

Well, I guess I'll leave you with that! I'm sending this letter with the first shipment. So expect the mosaic, the sunstone, and the metal pony.

Sincerely,

Daring Do


P.S. Here's the sketch of the Automaton for you: