MLP: Seeds of the Past
Chapter 27 - Outtakes, Part 2
Author's Note: Hasbro and DHX Media are the rightful owners of "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic" while Stardust Balance and Beck belong to the Warrior of Twilight and FanficFan920. Also, the following chapter after this will be the alternate ending, so-
[Beck] Hey, where's Stardust at?
[Me] He's gone now… busy dealing with stuff in his own story.
[Beck] Huh… **** YEAH, now things can be more peaceful around here!
[Me] …
[Beck] Also, um, I'm liking the bloopers, but the first one with me? That's not the whole thing.
[Me] Well, sorry, but my head's a little fuzzy since somepony knocked me out cold, so forgive me if my memory's not perfect.
[Beck] Another good reason why Stardust is gone… so, why don't I help you tell them what really happened?
[Me] Eh, fine, but I'm also gonna show how this stuff started… technically…
"Uh-huh… yep… don't worry, Tara, she's gonna be fine… I give you my word… thanks… alright, I'll see you in a month… you too… good-bye."
After finishing his conversation with one of the main voice actresses, Chris turned his attention back to the script that was on top of his desk.
Huh, I wonder what's taking him so long to - and, speak of the devil...
"What's this I'm hearing about a new screenwriter?" asked Jack, who approached Chris with an expression of slight irritation.
"Oh, you didn't get the memo?" replied Chris, and the executive producer shook his head, as well as crossing his arms. "Well, you see… once we got done with A Journey's End, I was lost with what our villain was going to be this time, but then this guy contacted me, pitched me an idea that I liked a lot, and so, here we are."
Jack blinked his eyes a few times before he said, "Really, just like that?"
"Yep." said Chris, and before his friend could say anything else, another young gentleman entered the room, with a casual look of happiness on his face.
"Morning, C.J.! Great day for a shoot!" Bryson, the new screenwriter, said, approaching the duo.
"Same to you, Bryson," Chris replied. "Is Beck ready yet?"
"Almost. He's still getting fitted into the cloak," he explained. "I presume this is Mr. Jack Wright?"
"Indeed he is. Jack, meet my new screenwriter, Bryson," said Chris, introducing the two of them to each other, much to Bryson's pleasure.
"The honor is mine, sir. I love what you've written so far in A Journey Beyond Sanity, and let me just say that you've written such an amazing story," Bryson complemented, shaking Jack's hand.
"Er… thank you, but might I ask... how old are you exactly?" Jack asked.
"I recently turned 17," the new screenwriter replied, speaking in a casual tone, and Jack's eyes widened a little bit.
"Isn't that a bit young for this kind of work?"
Before the newcomer could respond, Chris replied, "Hey, Hasbro told me the same thing, and look at where I am now."
Jack rolled his eyes, and shook his head before turning his attention back to Bryson.
"Well, yes, I can admit that, but don't let my youthful demeanor fool you, Jack. I am very serious about my work, and I'm extremely excited to work with you and Chris."
The author of AJBS was about to respond when a studio intern came into the room.
"Sorry, Chris, but where - oh, there you are, Bryson… Beck is requesting your presence. The cloak has been fitted."
"Excellent! Excuse me, gentlemen," said Bryson as he excused himself to check on his character, and once he was gone, Jack glared at his friend in irritation and annoyance.
"Are you kidding me, Chris? 17?! He's still legally a [BEEP]-ing minor! Is this even legal?!"
The director let out a sigh, and replied, "Don't worry, Jack. I ran it by all the studios, so everything is straightened out."
"Then how come I haven't heard about this kid before?"
Chris gave his friend a small shrug, and said, "No idea, I've been sending out memos to everyone. Maybe you're not getting them?"
"Well, is this character of his any good?" Jack asked, accepting that Chris had everything under control… for the moment, at least.
"See for yourself, buddy," Chris said, handing him a copy of the script.
As he flipped through it, Jack's eyes continued to get wider as he went.
"Holy hell, Chris!" Jack said, in slight awe.
A smile appeared on Chris' face as he replied, "I know… good, right? You enjoy that one dark scene when-"
"Enjoy it?" said the young gentleman, still surprised. "How can I enjoy reading about Twilight getting beaten to a pulp, and Spike almost suffering for Beck's vengeance? I certainly hope Stardust doesn't get wind of this, or else he'll probably express an unbridled desire for murder."
Chris nodded his head, and replied, "Noted."
###########
[Beck] And, now here's how my first scene actually went when it was time to shoot it…
############
"I had been away when it happened…" said the middle-aged pony, but before he could tell the princess about what happened in the past, Beck let out a sigh. "Look, Chris, I'm not sure if I can do this."
"Don't worry, Beck," replied the director, walking away from his chair. "Everything will be fine, trust me."
A nervous Beck glanced over at the locked-up Twilight, and said, in a low voice, "Yeah, but… I mean, she's freaking Twilight Sparkle, for god's sake, and I'm supposed to beat the hay out of her once the flashback is over? Whose idea was that in the first place?"
The director took a moment to turn himself around, to face Bryson. "Can you talk to your character please?"
"No problem, boss," Bryson said as he led Beck away from the set.
Then, once they were out of everyone else's earshot, he added, "Look Beck, everything's going to be fine. Twilight will not be hurt in the slightest… I'd imagine I'd be in huge trouble if she was.
"All you have to focus on is your acting. You need to dig deep. I wrote you like this because I saw an opportunity with this franchise to do something different, a new kind of villain than what Rowan, Evil Stardust, or Elixir and Roxnor were. I chose you because I see that kind of potential in you. You just have to unlock it. Think you can do that?"
"Alright, if you're sure… thanks, Bryson," Beck thanked.
"It's no problem, buddy," replied Bryson, who wrapped one of his arms around the base of Beck's neck. "Now let's go and make a great story."
###########
"Me and my best friend were supposed to go to that game together…"
Twilight couldn't help but feel just a little sorry for him, and she was about to say that when Beck suddenly gave her a very dangerous look.
"And it's all because of YOU that won't happen," growled Beck, who then full-on punched the purple alicorn in the face, and making almost everyone else speechless…
… aside from Beck, Twilight, and the trio of humans that were nearby, but there was a reason for this.
Bryson had actually requested (to Jack's slight irritation) that nopony but Beck and Twilight know the true nature of the current scene they were shooting (at least, in the beginning) so the reaction would be more genuine.
"Just like what Chris Pratt did for that one scene in Jurassic World!'
###############
"Twily!" yelled Shining Armor, while Beck was starting to get more upset.
"Because of YOU, I won't get to see my parents again," he punched her again, this time in the chest with his other hoof.
As Twilight began to whimper in pain, Casey pulled even harder on his cage bars, trying to free himself, and he managed to do so.
"Um… that's not in the script," whispered Jack, and Chris started to become concerned.
The bars of Casey's cage split open like cardboard, and the truly enraged stallion lunged at Beck like a bull seeing red.
"[BEEP]!" Beck yelled genuinely when he saw Casey had gotten free, and a few seconds later, the two had ended up racing around the entire soundstage, followed by Twilight, Chris, Jack, and Bryson,who were all urging the younger earth pony to calm down.
#################
"What the [BEEP] was that?!" Casey yelled at the director, enraged. "How in the **** is any of this stuff happening? Stardust told me this show was for kids!"
"Oh, that's a good line," Beck noted, taking out a copy of the script and a pen while Chris talked to the light-orange pony. "We should trademark that."
"We didn't tell any of you... besides Twilight and Beck, of course, because we wanted everyone's first reactions to be genuine," explained Chris.
Casey grumbled in apprehension, and he replied, "Eh, fine... Just don't pull any of this [BEEP] again. I nearly lost it there."
As he walked away, Beck let out a sigh of relief, and said, "Good thing Stardust doesn't come to start filming until tomorrow, right?"
[Set of Canterlot]
He placed the grappling end of the rope, along with the rope spindle, into the dirt, tugging on it to make sure it was stable, and tied himself to the other end of the rope while mentally singing a familiar tune for the situation.
Dun-dun-dun, dun-dun-dun-dun-dun-dun-dun!
"All this for a Mission Impossible reference?" Jack muttered as he watched the tale unfold.
#############
Moments later, the cloaked pony was making his way down the cliff, aiming for one of the castle's many balconies, the night being his protection from detection.
However, what he didn't plan on was the rope starting to give way about halfway down.
Holy [BEEP], thought the cloaked pony as he fell, but unfortunately, the rope was slightly longer than what was needed, causing Beck to faceplant on the balcony below, with everyone on the film crew cringing on the impact.
"Medic," Beck mumbled.
A sly grin appeared on the face of Evil Stardust (or, actually, it was just the regular Stardust in costume),now sitting in Twilight's chair, and he replied, "I'm glad you asked, Beck, 'cause you see…"
(Begin "That's How I'll Get Her" from the Wander Over Yonder episode "My Fair Hatey")
I've done extensive research
On our common enemies.
With the Time Staff in his hooves, Evil Stardust created a memory portal that would be added in during post-production.
"You see, their secret weapon is their little fusion... I'm sorry, this is too ridiculous. Who wrote this garbage song?"
As he and Jack turned their attention over to a sheepish Bryson, Chris said, "Why did you insist on this song being in here?"
"I always like to throw a little musical number into my work. Plus, who doesn't like a great villain song?"
Stardust rolled his eyes, and muttered, "I can probably name a few…"
"Besides, didn't you sing that one time back in Good vs. Evil?"
The costumed pony glared at the newcomer, and he replied, "No, that was Evil Stardust, whose always late to these sort of things, and if I have to-"
"Just sing the song, please," said Chris, with Bryson nodding in agreement.
Stardust sighed in defeat, and muttered, "I'm gonna regret this."
A few feet away, hiding behind some of the movie props was Rainbow Dash (from the AJBS world), with video camera in hoof. "Oh, ho, ho, I am not gonna let him forget abut this either!"
###############
"Great job on the castle setting everypony! That's a wrap for today!" said Chris, as he dismissed everyone in the room.
"Man, am I glad to finally get this stuff o…" Stardust cut himself off after pulling on his make-up induced scar, which produced no such results. "Uh, something's wrong. Why isn't the scar coming off?"
Chris turned to look suspiciously at a makeup intern. "Did you use the industrial glue on Stardust's scar?"
The intern nodded in shame, and Chris placed a hand to his face. "Okay, then… um, Stardust, it looks like you're going to have to deal with that scar for a while….unfortunately we don't have that many shoot days left, so we'll need to do some rewrites."
Stardust was about to complain angrily when suddenly, an idea popped into his head, and he replied, "You've seen the Lion King, right?"
"I'm so excited I get to act with you today!" An excited Twinkle Star said in enthusiasm. "I mean, I know it's not the actual show or anything, but… wow, a movie!"
"I feel just the same as you, honey," Beck said, leaning in close.
Then, his wonderful wife asked, "By the way, who's playing Bright Mac and Buttercup?"
"You didn't hear? Chris managed to get the same couple that played them in that flashback episode," Beck explained.
"Really? I loved that episode! The song was so cute!" Twinkle said, hardly containing herself.
"Oh look, there they are," Beck said, gesturing to the bright yellow stallion and orange maned mare making their way on set. "Wow, this is so - whoa!"
"Well, what are we waiting for, let's go!" Twinkle said, pulling her husband off of his stage chair.
##############
"Did I ever mention that Mr. Gardener over here used to have a crush on Princess Celestia?"
Everyone turned their heads to look over at Twinkle's boyfriend, whose face… wasn't red like it was supposed to be.
"Cut!" Chris yelled. "Beck, you need to be embarrassed."
"Sorry, it's hard to be embarrassed," Beck said. "I'm used to this and I love every second of it.
As the couple nuzzled, Jack forced himself not to roll his eyes, and Chris sighed before looking at his friend. "Any ideas?"
A smirk appeared on the young man's face as he replied, "Yeah, I've got one. Hey Beck, how's your sex life?"
"W-wait, what?" said Beck, who was now blushing, and a wide smile appeared on Chris' face.
"Perfect… and action!"
HONK!
Jack lifted his middle finger up in the air, and slowly began to move his convertible forward while saying, "Some people just don't have enough patience anymore, Sunset… oh, don't you even go there, I have plenty of-"
HONK!
"You honk that damn thing one more time-"
HONK! HONK!
The young man made a frustrated growl, and before getting out of his car, he muttered, "Be right back, love."
A minute later
"Still there, beautiful?" asked Jack, climbing back into the vehicle. "Oh, you do not want me to start telling you those things over the phone, love… huh? No, nothing's wrong… but someone does need a new horn, though."
Beck took one long look at Starlight, and he said, "Before you do anything else, teacher's pet, I have a question… and that's when are you having the wedding?"
His question immediately made the light-purple unicorn confused. "Huh?"
After rolling his eyes, Beck gave her a response. "You know exactly what I mean, Glimmer… the way you two talk to each other, look at each other… hell, eventually, you and her will be just as bad as Lyra and Bon-Bon."
Before Starlight could even say anything, the middle-aged pony added, "If you'd like, I can offer you some advice that could be useful."
"I'm supposed to take advice from a pony who shoots darts into other ponies' flanks," said Starlight, speaking in a dry tone.
Beck rolled his eyes, and replied, "It's not like I was thinking of something else… but my point is that you and I both know that, deep down, you - and speak of the alicorn, look who decided to show up!"
Ignoring the sole prisoner that was in her dungeon, Twilight looked at a now-blushing Starlight, and said, "I can take it from - uh, are you okay?"
The purple unicorn nodded her head, and she replied, "I'm fine, just need to, um… get some air…"
As she watched her friend leave the dungeon, Twilight gave Beck a suspicious look. "What did you say to her?"
"Nothing for you to freak about, princess."
Instead of speaking out loud, Jack whispered his response into Sunset's ear, and as he continued to talk, her face was becoming almost as red as her hair.
"Ow! Rarity, I can't hear what Jack is saying if you keep pushing me like that!"
"Well, excuse me, but I can't help myself for being curious as to what the ring looks like - whoa!"
Suddenly, their intimate moment was interrupted by the arrival of EG Rainbow and EG Rarity, both now lying on the ground after accidentally opening the door.
"Uh… hey, you two, how's it going?" greeted the athletic teenager, trying to sound casual as Jack rolled his eyes, and a red-faced Sunset tried not to laugh. "Did, um, either of you happen to see my soccer ball anywhere up here?"
"Rainbow, you know damn well that your soccer-"
Suddenly, Jack was interrupted by a gasping EG Rarity, who hurried over to Sunset. "My goodness, darling, that ring is divine… now, um, just so we understand each other, you two have not yet-"
"It's a promise ring, Rarity, not the other type of ring," replied a red-faced Sunset. "And obviously no to your other question… Jack's not that type of person."
EG Rainbow let out a chuckle, and she said, "I don't know, you always become as red as an apple… kind of like how you are now… whenever Jack whispers whatever he says into your ear, so-"
Sunset's boyfriend rolled his eyes, and he was about to respond when Rarity took a look at his own promise ring.
"Hmmmm… um, Jack, darling… I don't mean to sound rude, but-"
A frown appeared on Jack's face as he said, "If you insult my ring in any way, Rarity, I promise that I will…"
"Oh, of course not, darling, it looks lovely," ass&ured the white-skinned teenager. "But it is obvious that your, um… money went more towards Sunset's ring rather than your own."
Before Jack could say anything in response, Sunset stepped in between the two of then, and said, "Alright, let's not let this whole thing blow out of proportion… Rainbow, did you find-"
"Huh? Oh, yeah, a long time ago," replied the young athetic, now spinning around the white-and-black object with her finger.