Return Snippet I: RD.1.1 · 2:49am March 4th
This is the opening scene of an unfinished and scrapped chapter, which picks up pretty much exactly where I left off over a year ago. I decided to toss this chapter in favor of a time skip, but see no reason to let the scene go completely to waste.
Lapis reread the words on the slip of gold foil, hoping that he’d misread them. Unfortunately, the words Grand Galloping Gala - Admit One remained engraved into the metallic ticket, and so Lapis was forced to gingerly set it down, dump Bon Bon’s scorched breakfast in the trash can, and begin making a new omelet as he grabbed Luna’s book.
Didst thou read it yet? Luna had already written.
Yep, Lapis replied. Hey, Your Highness? What-
He stopped himself before he could write the word ‘the,’ not wanting to explain the language that would follow it. -exactly is going on here?
‘Twas not our own doing, but our sister’s, Luna wrote. She arranged this event centuries ago, she tells us, as an excuse to work her way down her list of contacts in person. She tells us that thou ought to have had ‘enough time to think’ by then. Upon what subject, she is yet refusing to share with us.
Lapis groaned. “Great, a public audience with the Princess, with the Elements of Harmony in the building. Thanks, Your Highness.”
She wants to admit me to the Royal Academy, Lapis wrote to Luna, as he flipped Bon Bon’s omelet and reached for the cheese. She also wants to assign me a tutor before I get anywhere near admissions, though. She’s doing neither until I’ve said it’s alright.
Luna's reply was immediate. Dost she, indeed? Hm. Lapis, we must ask of thee a favor.
Lapis rolled the scroll back up, tucking it and the ticket into his saddlebags. What kind are we talking, here?
If our sister attempts to assign us as thy tutor on the eve of the Gala, Luna wrote, we mean to look her in her face, and say to her the following: ‘Remember Dewy Starglow.’ Might we ask that you say the same, as we say it? We hope it might leave a lasting impression upon her tendencies to scheming.
…Sure, why not, Lapis wrote. Do I want to know who Dewy Starglow is?
Nay, thou dost not. At any rate, knowing our sister, we feel obligated to warn thee that all manner of undesirable characters shall be in attendance at the evening’s gathering.
Lapis cocked his head. “Huh.” You aren’t talking about criminals or anything, right?
Nay, ‘tis far worse, Luna wrote. The manners of these are far more mercurial, and more punishing, than any efficient and self-respecting syndicate would tolerate. A single mistake of dress or decorum will result in thy total exclusion from their ranks for the evening, and the wrong word could spell troubles lasting a lifetime.
Lapis read the description over, then snorted, sliding Bon Bon’s omelet onto a plate as he wrote. You aren’t talking about the upper-class ponies, are you?
We are indeed. They are of the worst sort, not only brokers and politicians, but nepotists as well. ‘Twould be a testament to thy valor to approach unprepared, but we must still recommend acquiring a guidebook to etiquette. Only a fool would risk making a needless enemy, and legislative apprentices make for fearsome rivals indeed.
Note taken, Lapis replied. I gotta go, but I’ll look for a book of manners in the meantime. My local library isn’t exactly an easy option, though, so if you have any alternative sources, a recommendation would be fantastic.
He closed the book - then, as an afterthought, he picked up the ticket and slid it between the book’s pages, depositing it atop his workbench. He scarfed down his own omelet, then grabbed Lyra’s and Bon Bon’s before hurrying out the door.
The sight of the notice board stopped Lapis in his tracks. Half of his board was plastered with requests, overlapping each other like papery scales. And, of those notices, every single one had been written by the pony with the messy hoofwriting. Lapis gaped for a few seconds, then approached the board and started looking over a few of the notices up front. Roofwork. Every single one. Who’s writing these?!
Lapis groaned, then turned and started trotting back toward Sweet Apple Acres. Later. Breakfast now, mystery pony later.
A part of me wants Luna to be Lapiz's teacher.
HE LIVES!!!!
This is a nice snippet.
Thank you for the preview. Cannot wait for the full chapter. Wonder if agent Sweetie Drops know about that pony in question?
Welcome back, and what a nice snippet!
5770766
Couldn’t have said it better myself
Interesting. I am curious how you plan on inserting a time skip, given the previous chapter ended on the ticket cliffhanger. Luna is a gem here as always.
This would have been funny. Thrilled to have you back and looking forward to when you finish the next chapter.
Oh boy, I am so excited!
You’re okay!!
I’m very happy for that. 
I wonder if it’s RD posting the roof work
Oh my, the Gala would have been a nightmare.
Welcome back! :D you have been missed
If this is something that had to be pruned, I imagine what remains will be very satisfying to read.
Seeing news of a future update is so exciting!
Thanks for posting this little what-might-have-been teaser.
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The Gala can still happen, he got the ticket at the end of the last chapter. Some things are probably going in a different direction now is all.