Gusty and Ember

by Tobyc

Chapter 3: Reading List

Chapter 3: Reading List

Trixie stared at Ember in silence as her anger slowly returned to the surface. Finally, she spoke up. “I do not believe this. You bring me here wanting to apologise for exploiting my foalhood behaviour for a book, then turn around and ask me to go along with you exploiting the lowest point of my life for another book?”

Ember rubbed her forehead again. “That’s… not exactly how I’d put it,” she muttered. “Like I said, I don’t want to take this project any further without your complete involvement. My goal here is to do Sparkler right on your terms, and if you want her to stay gone, she stays gone.”

Trixie wasn’t sure how to respond to that. Ember stood up and walked over to the desk in the corner. She picked up a stapled document and turned to Trixie. “If it helps you trust me on this, I managed to secure this agreement from my bosses at Polo House.” She walked back to her chair and handed the pages to Trixie. “You can go over it in detail yourself later, but the gist of it is that unless you give your consent, both Princess Sparkler and the Alicorn Amulet will be permanently off-limits to the entire Daring Do writing staff, myself included.”

Trixie managed to calm herself down as she realised the power Ember had arranged for her. “And if I do want somepony other than you to write Daring Do and the Alicorn Amulet?“ she asked, her tone still a little icy.

Ember smiled. “I’d recommend Steeplechase Moffat – he did a good job with the Colt Leader in Daring Do and the Universal Cracks. Or Lanie, if you’re willing to wait for a few months.”

Trixie’s jaw dropped at how well Ember was taking her implied rejection. Ember continued, “It’s all there in the agreement. You have Checker to thank for that last clause – it seems she wasn’t any happier about me using you for Sparkler than you were.”

This was all it took – Trixie, who in the last half hour had come to realise how much her sister cared and how much she’d hurt her in her largely self-imposed exile, was now unable to hold back the tears. “Could… could you get in touch with her for me?” she asked, her voice shaking. “I don’t think I’m ready to go home, but I do want her to know I’m surviving.”

“Of course I can,” answered Ember. “But what I tell her will depend on how long you’re planning to stay in Fillydelphia.”

Trixie smiled, trying to wipe away the tears. “Long enough to meet J.T.H, at least. And… I do want to hear your story outline. I assume it’s not so shameless as to involve Sparkler getting hold of the Amulet and using it to force Daring out of Canterlot?”

Ember laughed, and answered, “Not quite. She has other goals. Getting back from the spirit world and finding a new body, for starters.”

Confused, Trixie asked, “This universe has ghosts now?”

Ember hesitated. “You really haven’t read much of this series, have you?”

Trixie shook her head. “Just the one you gave me, though I did skim through a guide book I found in a Manehattan library. I think it predates most of the Expanded Universe. And I’ve seen one or two of the movies, though I was a little… distracted.”

Ember nodded, deciding not to ask. “Right… I think maybe I should give you a reading list before I tell you any more.” She got out of her chair and walked over to the bookshelf, where she started picking books out and dropping them on the coffee table.

As the pile grew higher, Trixie spoke up, “Seriously, are all of these going to be relevant? I didn’t want to stay in Fillydelphia for another three months.”

Ember laughed and replied. “Just be glad you’ve already been introduced to Daring and Ahuizotl – Sapphire Stone has way too much padding for my tastes.”

As Ember moved on to the second row of the bookshelf, Trixie looked over the pile. The first seven were by the series creator, AK Yearling: Daring Do and the Platinum Crown, Daring Do and the Griffon’s Goblet, Daring Do and the Wooden Mask, Daring Do and the Alicorn’s Shadow, Daring Do and the Temple of Nightmare Moon, Daring Do and the Legacy of Nightmare Moon and Daring Do and the Staff of Star Swirl the Bearded.

As Ember returned to her chair, Trixie looked over the second pile - six books, one of which was incredibly thick - and her eyes widened: Gusty’s name was on the cover of Daring Do and the Ruby of the Blank Village.

Ember saw what Trixie was looking at and said, “Gusty was planning on writing a sequel to that one – she was on a research trip when she died, mapping part of the forest.”

Trixie looked up. “Did the medical examiner ever find out the cause of death? The obituary I found for her was vague on that point.”

Ember shook her head. “Not for certain. Which, for Lanie and me at least, is even worse than if she had been found in pieces. We’ll never know whether or not we could have saved her had we not been tied up in contract negotiations with Polo House that week.”

Trixie nodded sympathetically. Ember continued, “A few months after the funeral, Grant brought me, Lanie and a few others in on a big collaborative project.” Trixie glanced over the books on the table and held up Daring Do and the Tinker’s Seal, which had six authors credited on the cover, including Ember, Thunderlane and Grant Mareson. Ember nodded. “That’s the one. He said he wanted to bring together some of the plot threads still hanging from the New Adventures into one big adventure. Because that worked so well for him with Church of the Blue Sun.” She rolled her eyes at that, before realising that Trixie had no way of getting the reference. “Never mind. Anyway, part of his story involved the Blank Village, and he persuaded Lanie to write that subplot using the notes that Gusty had left behind.”

“He didn’t think it might be just a little too soon?” asked Trixie, finding herself starting to dislike this Grant Mareson.

“Most of us did, especially considering where it happened,” answered Ember. ”Medley and Waterfire backed out in disgust at that point. But Grant convinced the rest of us that it would be following Gusty’s dying wish. And I guess I can’t disagree with that. The book was still pretty draining for us though, Lanie especially.”

Trixie decided to change the subject. “So you’re sure that these…” she counted. “Thirteen books are going to be relevant to the Princess Sparkler story?”

Ember sheepishly shook her head. “Admittedly I may have gone overboard a bit. Some of them are just introducing characters who’ll be important later, and most of them won’t involve the Colt of the Smooze. But I honestly think they will help set the scene for you better than just reading Amber of the Smooze and some of its successors would.”

Trixie nodded. “Okay. I’m willing to give it a try. But if I’m staying here for a couple of months, there’s something I want your help with.” Ember gestured for her to go on. “I want to keep performing, to keep building up B.G. Lulamoon’s reputation in a way that will distance her from the attitude the Great and Powerful Trixie ha– oh dear Celestia, I’m talking in the third pony again, aren’t I?” she muttered breathlessly and facehoofed.

Ember laughed. “Don’t worry, I know what you’re getting at. And I can tell you right now that there’s a dinner theatre a few blocks up the street that would be ideal. If you’d like to join me for dinner tonight, I can help you scope it out, and I’d even be willing to fund a booking if it meets your needs. Consider it your first royalties payment.”

Trixie smiled and held out her hoof, which Ember bumped. “It’s a date.”

***

The dinner had been delicious, possibly the best meal Trixie had had in years. And while the entertainment - a decidedly amateurish attempt at 12 Angry Mares - had been poor, the venue was undoubtedly up to her standards. Before they left, Ember had arranged an appointment between the manager and the two of them for the following morning.

As they trotted down Ember’s street, Trixie’s horn lighting their way when necessary, Trixie spotted a chariot parked outside the house that hadn’t been there earlier. Specifically, a sky carriage.

“Does this mean Thunderlane is back?” asked Trixie.

Ember frowned. “Possibly, but he didn’t take a carriage with him when he left, and the only reason he’d need one coming back…” She galloped across the street and up to the front door. Trixie followed, catching up by the time the door opened. Trixie gasped upon seeing that the grey, silver-maned Pegasus stallion holding the door was… not her idol, though there was a definite family resemblance.

“Ms Roundup,” he said, holding out his hoof. Ember shook it.

“T.L. It’s been a while. I take it my housemate is back?”

He nodded. “With company.” He led them inside.

As Trixie stepped through the door, she looked into the kitchen. Two pegasi were sitting at the table, coffee mugs in their hooves. One was a turquoise mare with a green mane, somewhat muscular and a few years older than Ember. The other: J. Thunderlane. Hurricane. Jr.

Trixie managed to control herself, though, giving Thunderlane time to get up and hug Ember. “Okay Emmy, before you say anything, Medley will be staying with her sister, and T.L. will be heading back to Cloudsdale tonight. The girls have just gone to set up in the spare room.”

Ember pulled back from him. “The girls?!”

Thunderlane only now seemed to notice Trixie in the hallway. “Gusty’s cousin? When did you find her?”

Before she could answer, a voice called from down the hall, accompanied by hoofsteps as the speaker approached them. “J, do you know who these bags belo- What are you doing here?!”

Shocked, Trixie turned to see… a vaguely familiar mint-green unicorn with a harp cutie mark, scowling in her direction.

Comments

[Cheshire]

These are good! Keep 'em coming dude.

[Tobyc]

2111480

Believe it or not, I had not seen the edited version of this comment when I went to edit the Daring Do Trivia page on this exact subject a couple of hours ago. For that reason, I'd like to advise against editing comments more than a few minutes old in future.

I'm still unsure how I plan to work in that Gabby Gums article or just what it contained, though given the sudden presence of two Ponyville residents, it shouldn't be too difficult.

[SpacePaladin]

I'd like to suggest that you also credit the Story of the Blanks people and the Friendship is Witchcraft people, since they also served as major inspirations for these EU works.

[Tobyc]

2118308

Thanks for pointing that out, though I'm not actually too familiar with Friendship is WItchcraft, so I'm not sure how explicitly the story has referenced it yet. Will check it out shortly. I'm also not sure how much detail I plan to go into with the story of Ruby of the Blank VIllage, though it's undoubtedly going to be cause for drama, so I'll make mention of it now.

Also, I'm mildly disappointed that you're bringing up this subject yet you haven't noticed a shared name with Trixie's Gettin' Back On Her Hooves.

[SpacePaladin]

You mean Checker?

I was wondering if she married into the Monarch family.

[Tobyc]

2118534
I haven't ruled it out, though given that she's explicitly not the sociopath that her namesake was, I can really only take that reference so far.

And after looking over the YMMV/FriendshipIsWitchcraft page, yeah, I gotta acknowledge that one.

[SpacePaladin]

The way I've been working the Friendship Is Witchcraft stuff is by playing it really seriously.

The humour is the juxtaposition. It's like watching Christopher Lee giving his all, playing Cats from Zero Wing, aka the All Your Base Are Belong To Us guy, without changing the dialog.

[SpacePaladin]

2118646

Part of me wishes that she did. If only because I could make jokes about how her husband is a butterfly-obsessed supervillain.