//------------------------------//
// Are We Really Going To Skip That Arc? 
// Story: You're a Princess Now 
// by SprocketProductions 
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Wait, are we seriously skipping that arc?

Golden Glow awoke from his sleep, fully rested and relaxed, the morning light pouring in through the gaps between the curtains on the windows. Marble, at his side, still seemed rather soundly asleep still, so stayed, letting her comfortably cuddle up next to hi- wait... Are we really skipping what started in the last chapter? Is that what's going on?

The narrator flips through the pages of the author's writings. Surely there's something she wrote here in this gap of several months. All the narrator sees here is a blank gap, despite their frantic searching. (see 1 in Author's notes)

Surely that can't be, you worked so hard to set up this huge complication in the plot, and you're not going to resolve it? (see 2)

So you're going to just leave it? You're going to keep the chapter up and act like the arc never happened? (see 3)

So what you're telling me is that you didn't "forget" what you were going to have happen to the characters, you "missed" the resolution? (see 4)

Are you sure this isn't a lazy method of getting more words into the chapter? (see 5)

Ahem... Golden Glow awoke from his sleep, fully rested and relaxed, the morning light pouring in through the gaps between the curtains on the windows. Marble, at his side, still seemed rather soundly asleep still, so stayed, letting her comfortably cuddle up next to him. The narrator thought about how close the author was writing them, she appeared to really want them to be in a relationship; it was somewhat creepy in a way, like when a grown fan of a child's show starts 'shipping' characters. Though the narrator had no real power over the story, so they just had to keep narrating it.

"What in the world just happened!?!?" Marble Fountain awoke with a start, sitting straight up from the bed and throwing the covers off of the two.

Golden blinked, "What do you mean?"

"It was all so dark and felt like nothing..." She trembled.

Golden sat up and gently set a hoof on her shoulder, "Marble, I think you're confused, that's called sleep."

"No, not the sleeping part, for months, we were both in some weird... thing..." She made eye contact with her princess.

Golden's eyes narrowed, "I don't follow. Just yesterday we were... umm, well..."

"Golden, you're under control of her. Snap out of it, please!" She urgently held onto his shoulders.

He looked at his companion with a confused expression, "Under whose control?"

"The author! Golden, please! Come back to me, don't let her dictate who you are to you!" She passionately shed tears.

Golden blinked, "Oh my goodness. Marble? Are you okay? Why are we here? I thought-"

"You came back to me. Thank goodness. Please don't leave me ever again." She buried her face in Golden Glow's fluffy white chest.

He wrapped his hooves around her, "I'm here, Marble. Don't worry. Now, here's a question: who's that voice that keeps on giving a play by play of what we're doing and saying?"

Wait, you two can hear me?

"Yes, we can hear you, it's honestly really ruining the moment, you know?" Replied Golden Glow.

That's such a relief, you have no idea how great it feels to have anyone hear me for once. I'm the narrator, and I have no direct control over the story, but the author has you trapped in here to fulfill her progression ideas. It appears she tried to make it more believable to me by saying you likely resolved your conflict in your own time, and she missed it.

Marble made a confused face as she looked around for the voice, "That's right, I guess I did kick Golden out of the palace. Were we both under the author's control when that arc started?"

You were, and I felt very sorry for you, but now we need to formulate a plan to free everypony in this story, but the author mustn't know about it.

"Doesn't that mean we've already failed, since you just said it out loud?" Golden's facial expression was helpless.

On the contrary, my favorite feminine stallion. When she wrote this world, she kept one thing in mind: anything that happens in the bedrooms stays in the bedrooms. Since the author isn't in the bedroom, she isn't privy to what's going on in here.

His face light up as he heard the narrator's compliment, "I'm your favorite?"

"Focus, Golden. If we're going to break free here, we need to think about how. We need supplies for this plan. I can handle that part. Do you think you can get to Lily and get her involved?" Marble calculated possibilities in her head.

Marble, I'm afraid that's impossible now, Lily no longer exists, it appears she tried to warn everypony already, and failed in doing so, she was removed.

Golden was devastated, "Not Lily, no... it can't be true..."

"Golden, we need to save who all we can. It's terrible that Lily's gone now, it really is, but staying here feeling bad about it isn't going to help anything." Marble set a hoof on Golden's shoulder.

Marble, he needs his time. He'll be safe here, you need to get supplies, just make sure you don't raise suspicion.

Marble nodded, and opened the door a crack, looking out into the hallway, where ponies were gathered around, looking towards the door. She stepped out, no longer hearing the narrator as she exited the room and carefully closed the door behind her.

Turning to look at the crowd, she smiled, "I'm sorry, everypony, the princess is feeling a little under the weather today. She should be okay tomorrow though."

Ponies scattered to their normal daily duties, and Marble headed towards the palace's front exit. She was stopped by a familiar looking political pony.

"Good morning, Marble. I hear the princess is having her medical troubles today, do you by any chance mind if I attend you on your daily tasks to keep you company?" The stallion offered.

Marble smiled again, "That would be great, sir. Do you know about Golden's secret?"

"That 'she' is a stallion, elected as princess by mistake?" The stallion's voice lowered as to not alert anypony else.

She nodded, lowering her voice as well, "Yes, that's exactly it. That's what I'm going out for today. I need supplies for a plan to keep it a secret."

"A great idea, and I would like to participate, if you don't mind." The senator smiled.

The two set out for the nearest office supply store for their plan.