Silverwings sat down at the piano on the small stage in the restaurant, placing a hoof on the keys to strike an 'E' chord. She had been playing piano since she was young, and frequented this small Canterlot cafe to hone her skills or put on a show for its patrons. Tonight, they were in for a treat. "Check, check," she spoke into the mic. "Um, good evening everypony. How about some music?"
As usual, there was no response. Silverwings simply brushed this off, beginning the riff to a song she recently learned. The riff was a jazzy one, with a rock style undertone. A bit of pedal to make it reverb, and it was near perfection. She leaned into the microphone, beginning to sing in time with her chords.
The song she played, "Excitable Colt," wasn't one of her most popular ones, but it sure was catchy. She kept playing as a small crowd of ponies began to gather at the base of the stage, stomping their hooves with the upbeat rhythm. Silverwings' songs often times told a story, unlike the pop nonsense these days. Sure, she was more renowned by others for her flying skills and not her musical talent, but she knew that her songs actually held meaning. Take this one for example. A young and psycho colt does terrible things throughout the song, but everypony simply ignores the red flags. This instance happens too much in life, Silverwings thought as she sang. Her voice was smooth, capable of lulling one's self to sleep if singing the correct song.
She struck the final chord, and the small gathering applauded. Next piece. She was silent for a few moments, eventually deciding on a piece to play. This one began with a melancholic 'A' chord, adapted from guitar to piano. She learned most of her covers by ear, experimenting while holed up in her room in her Canterlot home. Of course, she gave credit to those who originally wrote them; it was technically fraud not to.
The crowd grew as she played on, and when she finished the song, she took a glance at them. She adjusted her glasses and blinked. "Uh, wow, I didn't expect it to be this busy tonight." She paused for a drink of water before facing the crowd again, and striking another chord. This time it was sequenced riffing, playing out the riff to the song When Johnny Strikes Up The Band. This one was a favorite, for it was happy and carefree. Silverwings preferred rock over other genres, for it was various and could be fast or slow, rough or smooth. Of course, she was a solo act; 'flying solo' as she put it, without any guitar or percussion on stage. Occasionally she played her harmonica, but it was piano most of the time.
After finishing five more songs, she thanked her growing audience and gave a shy smile. "Any requests?"
A familiar Pegasus stallion in the front spoke up. "Hey, Silver, how about You May Be Right?"
Silverwings immediately recognized this Pegasus as her foalhood friend Rocket, a scientist for the Royal Guard. She motioned with a wing for him to join her on stage, and floated a mic suspended in her teal aura over to him. Rocket took the microphone in his wing and nodded. Silverwings played the first riff, putting a little extra flair into it and even standing up off the piano bench for this energetic piece.
Rocket began to sing slowly before launching into the rest of the first verse. When he reached the first chorus, he winked at his piano-playing companion. Silver harmonized with her friend, their voices mixing perfectly and sailing through the restaurant as ponies danced in front of the stage. In the second verse, Rocket and Silver traded lines, sometimes harmonizing and sometimes just letting the other sing their heart out. After their second harmonizing chorus, Silverwings launched into a rocking piano solo, sliding her hooves up and down the keys.
"You may be wrong, yet for all I care you may be right!"
At the end of the song, Rocket was leaning on the piano and Silver grinning widely. Applause from just about every patron in the restaurant echoed off the walls of the building, and the two ponies on stage exchanged a glance and a wink before the alicorn looked down at her watch. "Oh," she said, "It's eleven already."
Several ponies were cheering for an encore.
"One more?" Rocket suggested.
Silverwings nodded. "Piano Mare," she replied. She picked up her harmonica in her aura and levitated it in front of her muzzle. She then began the piano riff to this song, which soon changed to a waltz-sounding pattern of chords as her harmonica joined in, playing a sad-sounding melody. She began to sing, and Rocket joined in for the second half of the first verse. They again performed their perfect harmony for the bridge before Silverwings sang the chorus solo.
When the first part was finished, she motioned to the crowd, who sang out the rest of the verse. The sound was like a beautiful symphony to Silverwings' ears; she liked it when crowds sang along. This one was her song, the song of a piano player like herself. Too bad there wasn't a song about flying and piano playing, but for now this one would do fine. She glanced at her singing audience, who stood with wings or hooves around shoulders, swaying with the rhythm. Beautiful!
Rocket and Silverwings harmonized for the final verse, and let the crowd finish the song's final chorus. Silverwings finished the song with a final riff from the piano and a few notes from the harmonica, putting an end to a good night's worth of piano playing. "Thank you everypony!" she exclaimed as she and Rocket took a bow. "Goodnight, we'll see you around the block!"
It was then that Silver noticed the bits in the jar at the front of the stage. "Uh, thanks everyone!" She and Rocket made their way off stage and out of the restaurant, laughing and joking about their impromptu performance.
Author's Note
For reference, 'Excitable Colt' is a spoof of Warren Zevon's song Excitable Boy, and I think you know what Piano Mare is supposed to be
Any feedback is welcome.