Not What I Wanted

by TheExhaustedBrony

Rating: teen
Tags: Random, Slice of Life, Twilight Sparkle, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Alternate Universe, Original Character, King Sombra
Length: 1008

Black Pearl wasn't too happy being cast as King Sombra...

Every movie needs conflict. This is done by adding an antagonist to the plot. Black Pearl auditioned for a film that had a lot of famous names in it, hoping that he could benefit from their fame and reputation. However, the character he was assigned to star as was far from noteworthy.

Written for the One-shotober challenge!

Published 2013-10-24 03:40:06 UTC
Last updated 2013-10-24 03:40:06 UTC

Not What I Wanted

"Aaaand, cut!" The director shouted, hopping off his chair, "Great job everypony!"

I walked off the set and headed for my trailer. I looked to see the familiar gold star on the door with the name, "Black Pearl, " printed on it. The moment I stepped inside, I took off my helmet and began loosening my costume. For a simple prop, it sure weighed a lot.

"Man, it's about time Cadence got the line right." I carelessly tossed aside my costume and headed for the sink. I find myself complaining about trivial things.

I turned the knob and stuck my hooves in the water, splashing it onto my face, "Damnit Rarity, what the hell is this stuff? It smells like paint and it's damn near impossible to get off of my coat." After five minutes of trying to remove the makeup to no avail, I gave up and flung myself onto the couch on the other end of the trailer. The moment I felt myself sink into the cushions, there was a knock at the door.

"Hello? Black Pearl? Can I come in?"

It was Twilight, "Yea, come on in. It's open."

The door slowly opened and the purple unicorn stepped in, "Hey, how are you feeling?" Twilight asked with a concerned expression.

"I'm fine. Just glad that we finally got that scene done with."

Twilight noticed the pieces of my costume strewn across the floor, "Well, it's just that I've been worried about you ever since I looked over the script. King Sombra only has a few lines throughout the entire movie."

Twilight hit the hammer right on the head. I hate this role. King Sombra is suppossed to be an evil king that caused an entire civilization over one thousand years of despair and agony; yet, I can hardly call him the antagonist. It's like the writer needed a plot device and pushed it under the carpet once the moment had passed.

"I'm sorry if I'm prying or making you uncomfortable." Twilight apologized.

I shook my head, "Well, I guess I have been feeling rather down." I took a deep sigh, "Ever since I was a kid, I wanted to be an actor. More than that, I wanted to be famous. Growing up, I participated in every single theater production I could manage. I knew that the most successful of famous actors started with things like that before hitting it big."

Twilight moved to the couch and sat next to me, "It's a shame to see your talents wasted."

"I'm afraid that I'll never be able to show the world what I can do if this is all I'm allowed to do. I'll never be more than a nobody if this is the only thing I have to my name." I slammed my hoof on the couch.

"Don't be so hard on yourself, Pearl," Twilight put her hoof on my back. I appreciated her kindness and I always knew that she was more modest than the rest of the cast. They all got big roles and it went to their heads.

"It must be nice, to be known by everypony." I found myself staring at the floor, "You and your friends have a close relationship with Princess Celestia. You've got everything you need to become famous," I sighed, "All I've got to my name is a couple of crappy underground productions. No director will care about those. They want an actor that has experience and a reputation. I've got one of them but I'm not going to get that reputation anytime soon."

There was a moment of silence. I finished my thought and Twilight didn't know how to respond to it. The silence was a bit disheartening, but I knew that Twilight was probably thinking of something.

During that time, I recalled the day I walked into the theater to audition for, The Return of The Crystal Empire. I knew that this would be my chance to shine. Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity, Spike the dragon, the princesses, and the prince would be starring in the film as themselves. My reputation would explode through the roof if I got to be in a movie with these ponies.

I walked onto the stage, full of confidence, and introduced myself to the director. I performed a piece by Shakespony. When I finished, I waited for the pony judging me to address me, having learned proper audition etiquette. Without taking his eyes off his clipboard, he waved his hoof and thanked me and I left.

"Well, even if King Sombra isn't a very developed character, he's still important." Twilight used her magic to lift Sombra's headpiece over to her, "Not to say that you're unappreciative, but you should still be happy that you got this role."

"Could you elaborate?" I asked.

"Well, there are a lot of ponies needed for this film. Crystal ponies, Canterlot ponies, Ponyville ponies, and more. How many of those background ponies have lines?"

My eyes widened in surprise. I had never really considered that the everypony that isn't part of the main cast has no lines and the few that do have about the same as I do. Once I take the amount of lines out of the equation, all I've got left to compare it to is the importance of the character. Without King Sombra, there would be no conflict in this movie.

Twilight noticed my sudden realization and smiled, "Now do you see? You should put your all into this. After all, no matter how small the role is, if it wasn't important, it wouldn't have been part of the story in the first place." Twilight got off the couch and headed for the door, placing the helmet on my lap, "You'd best get ready. You're going to explode."

"Heh, I forgot that I get defeated today." I hopped out of my seat and began putting my costume on. I'm going to blow them away with my ability to act in any role.