Twilight Gets a Puppy
Season 2
By TDR
Hearth's Whiskers Eve
[ Three weeks after Rainbow Dash's date, one week after finally clearing all the jello out of Golden Oaks Library, Canterlot]
Rahs Sparkle was not a happy Moon Dog as he stared down at the Canterlot theaters main stage. Not only were they not doing The Peanut Cracker at any place he had sent the suggestion to, but he had not even received a letter of acceptance or denial from any of the theaters any where.
After that he found out that his sister and her friends, of all ponies were requested to put on the classic Hearths Warming play about the founding of Equestria. The six of them playing the key parts no less with Spike chosen as the narrator.
Just them.
If not for knowing Miss Broadway personally he would only be in the audience not even having a part in it at all. As it was he was just a additional stage hoof, one who was currently moving one of the lights by paw as the pulley system had messed up.
At least he was part of the show, albeit far from the spot light or even the positions he would want.
Still he could deal with that.
What he couldn't deal with was the complete hack job that this play had turned into.
Twilight had lived with him long enough that she could deliver a fairly good show so long as she continued to ignore the audience and intentionally forget she was preforming for any one. This was helped out by his directing the light to her a little more to keep her from seeing past the stage's end.
No one had told her the Princesses would be present either.
Rarity... well she was probably the best Princess Platinum he had seen. The perfect over the top haughty mare that the role was made for. If only she wouldn't keep posing every time camera flashed.
Fluttershy's issue had been fixed by simply giving her a crystal empowered mic to clip onto her costumes collar so she could be heard, that caused a few issues as well.
Applejack was a mess. Though she was getting better, she started off delivering flat lines as if she was reading them off a bit of paper, but she was slowly putting more emotion into the role in certain places.
With a bit more training she might be pretty good.
Dash was a lost cause, while she wasn't showboating as much as Rarity, she kept forgetting her lines. Luckily a stage hoof had set up off stage with cue cards for her after the first few errors.
Pinkie Pie..... well she was getting the point across that Pudding Head was as mad as three badgers in a sack being put through the laundry, but half her lines were not even scripted and she kept breaking the 4th wall and talking to the audience.
Spike had done fine, but his part was practically nothing so he could neither shine nor crash.
Still for first timers they were doing pretty well, his coaching had brought them this far with just how little time they had.
He wished he could have done more than just this.
“Hey rookie, get ready to move the light stage left. That means over there by the little dragon.” The pegasus who had been sent up to pass on directions ordered.
Rahs fixed him with a look that would have sent better stallions than him scurrying for cover and adjusted the light perfectly without taking his eyes off the stallion at the exact time with no prompting.
“Umm good.. yeah that's pretty good for a newbie.” the stallion stammered.
“I know more than you....”
[Directors booth.]
Franches Montagnesn Cloppala, Fraches. to his wife and friends, The Director, to everyone else, sat in his booth looking over the play.
He hated amateur plays. Loathed watching them,despised every one involved in them. He also never missed the chance to view, or direct one if he could. There was no telling when he might spot a new talent among them. It had been that way with Shirly Drebin and numerous others. He would have had Trixie Lulumoon catapulted to stardom as well, but she seemed uninterested in what he offered preferring to follow more in her family's hoof steps to be a more personal entertainer.
While he could respect her following her own path, he considered it a waste of a possible mega talent. All three of them were fantastic in truth. It was perhaps the most moving play he had ever directed. But as always it brought about it's own issues.
The great gray and black furred yak didn't even bother to look away from the stage as he heard the door open to the booth.
In truth he had expected this meeting some time ago once he heard of one of the actors connections.
“Your sister is causing me a good bit of grief you know.” Franches stated sharply. “I care not about public opinion and wanting to redo this play again with them at the helm. They are barely passable as hacks.”
“We think you may have confused us for some one else.” Princess Luna stated flatly.
“No we have not Princess. Come sit. Let us discuss this issue you have with me.” Franches gestured a hoof to a seat still not looking away from the stage. “ I did not think he had it in him to use connections to pressure me.”
“Rahs has not brought this up to us. Our sister has. “Luna stated moving to take a seat.” We wish to know why thee are going out of thine way to spite Rahs.”
The yak snorted. “ Do you know what makes a good actor, a good thespian Princess?”
“Enlighten us.” Luna ordered.
“Some would say the ability to fool others, to bring a story alive, to memories ones lines perfectly. Bah, those are all results, not reasons.”Franches offered. “Passion ? Love? Desire? Also only bits of it. What makes a true thespian, one who seems born to the stage? Drive. The drive to do what ever it takes , to give oneself fully to the stage and make the crowd FEEL what you are doing, make them see what you want them too, to engage them so fully with your skill that they can neither pull away nor focus on anything else but the part you play, the emotion you wish to convey. Any one can play a part, or 'act' but it takes a true master to be the part, and to make others believe that that was what you really are.”
The yak paused taking a drink from a mug nearby as those on stage declared the same spot in the name of their kingdoms.
“All the worlds the stage Princess, there are stars, there are extras, and there are actors .” Franches continued. “Stars take all the attention, but do little else, extras focus the attention to some one else and are barely noticed themselves. And actors........ actors can do anything.”
“Profound, but it does not answer what we wish to know.”Luna said coldly.
“I have been witness to many stars, and extras in my life Princess. But so very rarely do I find an actor. On this stage, on this very stage, that these …....star hacks before me mangle their lines and look foolish, I have witnessed three actors. THREE! At the same time no less, in a budget play at that. I've gathered one, made him more than he would ever be because he had it , he had the drive, he had the desire and force of will to push himself to greater and greater heights. The name of of Shirly Drebin is on every ones lips who even knows what a stage IS! And that is because he pushed and forced himself to become that. He didn't just think he would succeed he KNEW IT he had the drive to make what he wanted a reality.”
The yak paused with a frown.
“The second was beautiful, she was perfect, but her drive was not towards the stage as others sought. Her drive was towards something else. Towards another goal and as such this stage lost her. I weep for that loss. I have never seen anything like her before and I doubt I will again. With one exception.”
“One?” Luna asked.
“The one you came to me about. He was the third, flawless, invested passionate, he had the desire, the want. But the drive... no. There was always something else pulling him away, distracting him. Certainly he returned time and time again, but the drive to do what he had before, that was not there. His other performances were good, superb in fact, but they never regained the same height because of the lack of his drive. Even now he sits in the roof fiddling with the lights from a desire to be part of it again.” Franches went on. “ But I block him. I use my clout to make sure he only gets bit parts, perhaps a lead roll in a crap play, or as an extra here and there. I don't bother to hide I'm blocking him. I make it known. Let him think I'm doing it to spite him, or for racial reasons, or because of whatever. And every so often, I give him what he wants, just to see. And I catch glimpses, hints of what he could be, but the breaking point is not there. The Drive he should have is just not enough. I make him hate me I make him know that I'm the one stalling him and preventing him from doing what he wants on the stage because I know I can see it again. I know, that there will come a time. There will be a time when he's suffered all he can take, when an opportunity will come to him and he will take it with both claws and bring for the that which he can be if for nothing else than to spite me in an act of vengeance to show the world THAT HE CAN BE THE BEST...... That princess. That is how I know my part in his climb is done. That I have done my part to create the best actor the world has ever and will ever know.”
Luna was silent a time as the Yak caught his breath from the rant.
“We feel that was a complete load of manure thou realizes.” Princess Luna accused.
“Fine he ate my sandwich one time and I'm being petty is that what you wish to hear?” Franches Montagnesn Cloppala snorted. “In either case Princess the play is about over and I have no plans to stay on past that. So would you kindly depart and take your ax with you.”