Sensation - Bonus Story! And... · 11:36pm Aug 17th, 2018
Evening, folks!
Horses! They come in wood now!
As promised, I wanted to share something with you about Sensation.
I'm never a huge fan of exclusives, since they, well, exclude people, but I wanted to do something a little special for the people that ordered a book during it's print run. Rather than include something only they saw, I wanted to treat it as an early peek.
(To that end: if you bought a book and haven't looked inside the back flap of the dust jacket, you might want to do that about now. 
)
It meant a lot to me that so many people supported the project, but I know that not everyone can afford a big, thick book like that, so I wanted to share it with you all, too. Without further ado, here's a small side story I wrote called "Keeping In Touch."
(NOTE: Spoilers for Sensation ahead!)
Keeping In Touch
"Hlwech…" It sounds halfway between a grumbling octogenarian and a deflating bear. It can't be pleasant to listen to, but dammit, it's satisfying. Almost as satisfying as the pile of freshly-signed books on the desk in front of me, here in this Canterlot hotel room.
Soarin' snickers from the bed behind me. I turn my head and see him look up from his book.
"Whaaaat? Giving up already?"
I stretch out my sore fetlock and swivel the chair around slowly. "Done, actually." I rub my eyes and draw a deep, noisy breath, then let it out with one loud whoosh.
"Heh. Not quite, buddy." He closes his book with a loud thud. "You didn't forget, did you?" With a smirk and a raised eyebrow, he holds up his copy of Sensation. It catches the light from the window, and I feel my chest tighten with joy. I still get a little thrill whenever I take the time to look at one of them and remember that they're real.
I smile. "Is that why you've been hanging around all morning?" I stretch my back and hear it pop. "Or maybe you just couldn't wait to read it again."
Soarin' shrugs. "Eh, reading stuff over again's good practice. Soul thinks so, at least." He stands on the bed, and I can't help but notice his legs. They look better. Still not right, but better, and he hasn't even taken his braces out of his duffel bag. With a flap of his wings, he floats my way. "Applebutt's meeting is probably done by now. Wanna grab lunch? Our treat for coming all the way out here."
"Heh. The printer's here in town, Soarin'. I'm just happy our schedules overlapped. But…" I nod. "Yeah. I'd be honored to."
"Cool. But first…" He lands, slams the book on the desk in front of me, and flicks a hoof. "You gotta earn it."
I chuckle and pick up the purple marker. "My pleasure." I open the book to the dedication page and pause.
Soarin' lightly smacks the back of my head with a wing. "Ha! Finally out of words?"
I tap the page with the capped end of the marker. "Just need to figure out what to say."
"You know, you can just give us the standard 'To my biggest fans' or whatever. You don't need to take too much time on it." He looks at the piles of books around the desk and the floor, and his voice softens. "Did you ever expect all this?"
"Not in a million years," I sigh as I set the marker down. My voice mellows. "None of it, really. Frankly, I'm humbled that anypony would want to read something I wrote. Not only that, but they went so far as to support this whole printing idea, and that…" I laugh softly. "I don't know. I guess maybe I really am out of words."
"Bullshit." Soarin' grimaces.
"Okay, fine," I say with a wave of my hoof. "I could probably go on forever about how much I appreciate the support. I want them all to know how much I care, not just in the abstract, but about every single one of them that wants to hold this thing that I created. I want them to know how immeasurably much it means to me, almost to the point of tears." I pick up my marker and bop Soarin' in the nose with the cap. "And that's why I take my time on all of these messages."
Soarin' laughs. "I bet they get it."
"Yeah, and I think I've decided on something for you guys." I uncap my marker and write:
To my dear friends, Soarin' & Braeburn,
Thank you for sharing your story and letting me tell it. It's been a hell of a ride,
and I can't wait to see what's next.
VividSoarin' peeks over my shoulder as I blow on the ink and then carefully close the book. "Nice," he says simply. I give the book back to him, and he asks, "Speaking of what's next, when are you gonna visit us out in Appleloosa?"
"Oh, I don't know." I scratch at my chin. "I've got a few projects that really need my attention first."
"Pfft. C'mooooon, just commit to it."
I laugh. "Well, how about sometime around August, then? Maybe just a short trip."
"There we go. I'm holding you to that, you know." He turns, book in hoof, towards his bag. "I'm gonna pack up. Applebutt should be here any–"
We hear a knock at the door, and Soarin's face lights up, just like it always does.
Hm... You know, looking at the calendar, it appears to be August, so I guess I'll just leave this here.
Chapter one goes up next Friday. See you then!
Vivid
this is cool, go job bro.
I knew this was coming and I still want to scream! I am absolutely ready for this!
But it's Friday...
I'm so sad... I've been lied to...
Excellent. I'm looking forward to it.
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I can't wait for you all to read it! I hope you like it.
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I'm confused. Did I do something wrong?
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No your fine
Yes! I had hoped that when I found that short story in my copy of Sensation, that it was hinting at a sequel! But I couldn't be sure. I think I'll try to follow along as chapters are released for this one. Looking forward to it!
Also, those are the laser cut wood pieces by Earth-Pony Creations, right? I've got a bunch of them and they're really nice.
I may have missed the actual announcement, and instead got clued into finding the bonus chapter in the end of the book. It was a lovely little surprise, of both an expected continuation of events, but also of very personal nature, and likely the most prominent example of Vivid overlapping with his writer and creator.
The actual news though has me most excited ^^ I can't wait.
Am I interpreting this correctly in that the next story is going to be from Braeburn's perspective? Or may I be reading too much into this description and the last chapter of Sensation itself?
Omg I've been waiting since I got my book for this :D
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I'm looking forward to sharing it with you. ^^
And yes! This is my first time getting their wood cuts, and I love them.
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I can't wait for you to read it.
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I'm so happy that it's finally time to share it. As for the content, you'll have to read to find out.
That's the biggest upward emotional jump I've had in a while. I needed that!
I'm so excited, can't wait to get reading!