//------------------------------// // Player Piano // Story: Equestria Girls JT: Rainbow Rocks // by MrBiteo //------------------------------// Sometime after Pinkie joined the band, Rarity volunteered to be a part of the band as well. Luckily for her, Rainbow Dash allowed her to join. The catch, however, was that she had to bring her own instrument to practice tomorrow. And so, the next day, the last school bell for the day rang and students poured out of the building. Some headed for sports practice and others headed for band practice, which both Rainbow and the rest of the band were already at as they were in the music room waiting for Rarity to show, who hasn't showed up yet so that they could do rehearsals for the Music Showcase. But where could she be, though? Halfway across campus, Rarity was trying to get an enormous grand piano to the entrance, which she wasn't even close to reaching. She pushed with all her might and strength, but she was only able to get it to move by an inch with each push, which obviously wasn't much considering by the time she did arrive at this rate, band practice would already be over. "Come on, Rarity. Rainbow Dash is trusting you to arrive on time. You simply must get this piano to band practice. And that means making the impossible possible!" Rarity told herself determined to complete her mission as she struggled to push the piano. "Perhaps I should've gone with an ordinary piano." Rarity said regretting getting herself a grand piano. but how could she resist the opportunity? Playing a grand piano with the band would look so magnificent in her eyes. And it would sound so much better than that old upright in the music room Rainbow Dash had recommended to her. "What kind of person doesn't put a piano on wheels?" She then wondered to herself. (Though, maybe she should have wondered what kind of person would take the wheels off the piano before suggesting someone like her to use it.) Rarity leaned her back against the piano, braced her legs and pushed. It wasn't budging. Rarity lost her grasp on the piano and fell right on her bottom on the concrete. "Ooooh. Just look at me. I'm a mess." Rarity said noticing that all the pushing she did was getting her filthy after getting herself back up from the ground and dusted herself off. Her hair was also a bit disheveled in the process of pushing the piano. What was she going to do now? She couldn't just walk inside and get the others to help her move it inside. She would be empty handed and disappoint Rainbow Dash. Still, there was no way she was giving up. No way! As such, she surveyed the campus to see if she would be able to ask anyone who hadn't already gone home yet. "What I need is a bit more muscle." That's when she spotted three students near the entrance. Her classmates called them the Diamond Dogs as they're known to have a very heavy interest in jewelry as they come from a foreign country that's well known for its mining industry. It consisted of three boys; one bulky, but well fit with red hair, one skinnier, but still fit with blue hair and lastly, a very short one who didn't seem like he could lift a small weight. The three were currently digging a hole in the ground as part of their homeland's tendency of mining for gems. "Oh, boyyys!" Rarity called out to the Diamond Dogs, catching their attention as they turned their direction towards her. Rarity quickly ran a brush through her hair and leaned elegantly against the piano, striking an alluring pose for the men. She removed a diamond necklace that she was wearing and held it up in her hand for them to see, "Do you think you could lend me a hand in exchange for...this necklace?" The three grinned with greed in their eyes focused entirely on the necklace Rarity was wearing. It wasn't every day that they were offered something that had diamonds on it. They immediately went over to Rarity, ready to help her with whatever she needed. But they didn't count on having to move a grand piano! So, Rarity assigned them to carry the piano while she arranged herself comfortably on top. After all, it would be a lot easier for her to direct them from there, and she wouldn't get in the way. The three carried the piano (and Rarity) through the entrance and into the school. "I simply cannot thank you enough." Rarity thanked the Diamond Dogs, who were struggling while carrying the piano. Even three strong teenage boys such as them had a hard time maneuvering that enormous piano. But that didn't stop them from collecting their prize, "And while I am a bit repulsed by your musky smell, I can appreciate that you are diamonds in the rough." The boys each gave Rarity a warm smile, being compared to diamonds felt just as good as getting the diamond necklace when they were done. It was at that moment, however, that the trio came to a screeching halt. Several kids were still in the school milling around talking to one another and unintentionally blocking the Diamond Dogs' way. With determination in their faces to get that diamond necklace, the Diamond Dogs then charged straight through the crowd, ramming into several students on the way, to Rarity's concern. Rarity stood up on the piano directing traffic. "Excuse me! Pardon me! Excuse me!" Rarity exclaimed as politely as she could, but no one seemed to be listening as they were all knocked back by the Diamond Dogs. Ever resourceful, Rarity put her fingers in her mouth and whistled as loud as she could. And it was loud! Instantly the kids cleared in either direction for the Diamond Dogs to pass through. "Thank you!" Rarity then said to everyone who heard her whistle. The Diamond Dogs proceeded down the hallway that led to the music room. Meanwhile, in the music room, the rest of the Humane 5 were still waiting on Rarity to show up so that they could get started on their practice. Pinkie Pie had been repeatedly tapping on a single drum while she sat and Rainbow Dash was pacing back and forth. "UGH! Where is Rarity?!" Rainbow Dash responded frustrated by Rarity's tardiness. "That gal probably just wants to make some grand entrance." Applejack speculated on what Rarity will do once she arrived. Just at that moment, the door burst open and the exhausted and sweaty Diamond Dogs pushed the piano into the music room. To Applejack's luck, she was right as at that moment, the doors burst open and the piano was pushed into the music room thanks to the Diamond Dogs, who were now completely exhausted and sweaty from all the lifting and pushing with Rarity still on top. "Ta-da!" Rarity announced ready to play music. "Told ya." Applejack stated to the others. Rarity's grand piano was now placed at the center of the music room. However, it looked like there wouldn't be any room for the piano anywhere around the band when they did play music. "Rarity, couldn't you have chosen a more portable instrument?" Rainbow Dash asked Rarity, who got down from the piano and dusted herself off. "Heavens no. The grand piano is the most refined and elegant of instruments." Rarity answered Rainbow Dash placing her hands on the piano's keys, "With it, I will be able to express my full musicality--" Suddenly, a timer went off, which Pinkie Pie was holding. "Well, our time's up. I guess we'll have to move our practice at the gym." Rainbow Dash said. "Guess you're gonna express your 'full musicality' clear across campus." Applejack told Rarity, much to the latter's dismay. All the frustration of the afternoon came back to Rarity. She couldn't go through moving the piano one more time if it meant she had to sacrifice another piece of her jewelry. "Or, you can play this." Pinkie Pie suggested to Rarity after jumping on top of the piano on Rarity's right and took out/offered her a black keytar. It had the white-and-black keys of a traditional keyboard, but a tuning arm and a strap just like a guitar. Rarity gazed upon it, intrigued, "It's part guitar, part keyboard. It's a guitarkey." "You mean a 'keytar'." Rainbow corrected Pinkie. "Po-tay-to, to-mah-to." Pinkie replied back nonchalantly. With a big, enthusiastic smile on her face, Pinkie handed the keytar to Rarity, who reluctantly took it. Rarity touched one of the keys and it made a powerful and precise sound. "Ooh. Oooh! Oh, my!" Rarity exclaimed, a little surprised and grinned as she began trying out a scale. She wasn't used to playing the keys from this position, but she was a talented player and soon got the hang of it, doing a spin in the process. With one hand, she began finding the melody of a song while the other girls and the Diamond Dogs watched on. The giant sound of the keytar filled the room. Rarity's fingers were hitting every key across the board, her whole body swayed to the music. What was great about the keytar was that while she played, just like Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie, it caused her to pony up after floating up a few feet from the ground. First her ears appeared and then her tail. The keytar helped her finally express her full musicality, which ironically enough, it's color was changed to white as a result of the magic enveloping Rarity. Much like the previous transformations, Rarity's friends were all in awe at her ponying up, as well as her surprisingly great keytar session, which was, at the moment, monitored by the mysterious man in black through the music room's security camera. Rarity then landed back on top of the grand piano, finishing off her solo act with a final flourish while sliding before stopping in front of her friends. "I knew it!" Rainbow Dash said. "Knew what?" Rarity asked Rainbow Dash. "Don't you all see? We all get to have these cool transformations whenever we play our instruments. That's why I let Rarity join the band. I figured that if we still have some of Twilight's magic in us, we could use it for the Showcase." Rainbow explained, "And I want all of you for my band." "Well, if you're gettin' everyone together, I got my own bass that I can play for the band." Applejack told Rainbow Dash. "That's perfect! Bring it with you to practice tomorrow." Rainbow told Applejack. "You bet." Applejack said putting her arm around Rainbow Dash before turning her attention to Rarity, "And it looks like your 'full musicality' does just fine with a keytar. What do you say to keepin' it and move your tail to our next rehearsal space?" "Fine, fine." Rarity playfully agreed. But what was she going to do with the piano now? She realized she needed to return it now that she had found a more appropriate instrument for the band, didn't she? She then got an idea as she turned her attention to the Diamond Dogs and asked them in a seductive tone, "I don't suppose you boys could carry this for a little longer..." She offered her necklace to them once more. The Diamond Dogs each let out a sigh and begrudgingly accepted Rarity's request as they lifted the grand piano again from underneath. The rest of the Humane 5 watched in confusion as Rarity was riding on top of the piano again while the Diamond Dogs carried it to her house. The afternoon had worked out so much better than she thought. And now she had her beloved keytar to play in the band.