[UPDATE] More cutting room floor scenage... · 10:28pm Feb 12th, 2020
So I realized part of what was keeping me from being able to do the next chapter of Empire was I was attempting to intersperse two different types of narrative. There were two scenes in the chapter which just didn't fit right, and one is just too good to cut entirely, so it'll be moved to the following chapter and be the foundation of that chapter's narrative (and shaping most of the plot for that chapter, too). This one, though, would only have fit in Chapter 5, so it's getting cut entirely. So that said, once again from the cutting room floor, a scene:
Princess Celestia pondered the tea in her teacup, trying to pin down the feeling of melancholy that was invading her thoughts of late. It honestly didn’t take much thinking on it. After all, when Sunset had returned...I didn’t even get a chance to see her… thought the daytime princess.
Some arguing that could be heard from several stories down to the courtyard below her balcony briefly brought her mind back to the very troubles she was escaping to her personal quarters to avoid. The delegation from Maretonia was accusing Neightaly of interfering in trade routes to Equestria. Saddle Arabia had gotten involved, since they believed they owned all the trade routes in the region. Given that Saddle Arabia viewed Equestria as a “special trade partner” by virtue of a rumor that Celestia had enjoyed a brief romance with a Saddle Arabian prince some centuries ago, they tended to assume that Equestria would favor them no matter what.
Celestia sighed as her memory chose to trip over another emotional land mine. Ziyadah had been a merchant, not a prince, and he’d carried the torch for her to his grave, never marrying to produce heirs. There was no genealogical connection there for the royal family to exploit, and in fairness very few even tried, but it was a political football that had to be minded.
So caught up in her reflections, she didn’t realize at first that there was a buzzing in her room. Not the organic buzz of an insect, but a constant, rhythmic buzz. It had been long enough since she had heard that particular buzzing that she had, at first, not realized what it could be. Then, she had to bite her lip hard enough to reassure herself that she wasn’t dreaming it. Finally, she looked over to the bookshelf that she had last placed the journal...and it was glowing!
Tea set and table scattered across the carpeted floor as Celestia lunged for the shelf, in her haste she forgot herself and grabbed the book with her wings and her magic. She paused, took a calming breath, then opened the book with her magic to the new entry and read. Her eyes unconsciously widening and lips moving as she read.
Moments later, she called out, “RAVEN! GET TWILIGHT SPARKLE TO THE PALACE NOW!” She noted that the windows rattled slightly as her voice echoed in the courtyard and realized she had used the Royal Canterlot Voice on accident. At the moment, though, she didn’t care.
Both Raven and her sister charged into the room, the smaller unicorn pony permitting the other alicorn to take the floor first. “Sister! Prithee, what ails thee? Mayhap yonder Twilight needst…” Raven cleared her throat, but said nothing. Luna blinked, nodded silently at the seneschal, then continued. “Twilight probably heard that from Ponyville. What happened to cause such an alarm?”
While even Raven might have missed it, Luna could tell her sister was near to bursting with tears of anguish. The taller mare didn’t trust herself to speak, she just turned the book to show Luna and Raven the new entry.
Fifteen minutes later, the fastest chariot team in the Guard scrambled out of the chariot bay headed for the Golden Oaks Library.
This just makes me yurn for more
Love this story
This bit threw me off at first... until I realized that she did technically return at the beginning of the fist movie, for however long it took her to steal the Element of Magic.
I'm looking forward to seeing some of what's going on on the Equestrian side as well