//------------------------------// // Epilogue // Story: Song of Silver // by GrassAndClouds2 //------------------------------// The rest of the party was a blur. Silver Spoon found herself mixing into the crowd. She tracked down Sweetie Belle and managed some complimentary words ('Pretty good for a blank flank' among them) which seemed to cheer her. I'll beat you soon, Silver Spoon vowed. Even if beating you right this minute isn't as important as I thought, I'll still be the best someday. But for now... for now I'll just acknowledge your music. Silvers can have rivals, after all. Diamond Tiara seemed to have left the party, and Silver Spoon expected that her father was displeased at her antics. That left Silver Spoon without her usual friend, though, and she'd been so preoccupied during the past two days that she had utterly forgotten to make any other plans for things to do during the party. As such, as the party began to wind down, she found herself sitting at a table in the back and sipping a cup of punch. Snips and Snails were at the table too, but they weren't paying attention to her. "...Snails! That was horrible advice! Putting a slug in her mane didn't make her like me!" "Well, I'd like somepony who did that to me! How was I supposed to know Apple Bloom doesn't like slugs?" "Fillies are weird like that! But I thought you knew what you were talking about! Now Apple Bloom told her sister, and I've gotta hide from Applejack -- oh no!" The two ran off as Applejack stepped to the back to deposit another small present in the big pile, leaving Silver Spoon alone. The gray-coated foal sighed to herself. What now? She supposed she could just get back to her regular life, but something was tugging at her. It wasn't just the way the ponies in the audience had reacted to Sweetie Belle's performance -- that wasn't enough to explain this. But Silver Spoon couldn't deny her own enjoyment of the music, and maybe a small wish that she too could do something like that. Maybe... maybe if I worked at it like I work at school or my other hobbies, I could do something like that someday. Not just surpass Sweetie Belle. What if I could make really good music? Wouldn't that be something? Something worthy of the Silver family? If I could play music like that better than all others, make them swoon like Sweetie Belle did... that would be really fun. "Hey!" Tootsie Flute hurried over to the seat next to Silver Spoon. "Enjoying the party?" "Yes," said Silver Spoon, surprised to admit it. "Good! I'm glad you came!" "Why?" Silver Spoon asked the question before she realized it. "I mean, uh... why me? We don't really talk." Tootsie Flute shrugged. "I dunno... luck, I guess." She giggled and pointed at her flank. "I just have a feeling that it's a really good thing for us to be friends... that we're going to have a lot of great adventures and do a ton of awesome things! Isn't that a good enough reason?" Before Silver Spoon could answer, Bebop took another seat at the table. "Awesome party!" she said. "Totally neat!" "I'm glad you liked it!" Tootsie Flute paused. "Er... sorry about your music not being used, though. I wish they'd let it play longer." Bebop shrugged. "I'll keep trying. I finally convinced Vinyl to give me lessons. I'm gonna be a great rock star someday." She laughed. "My drums will sound ALL OVER THE WORLD!" You already sound all over the world, thought Silver Spoon. Ponies in Prance can hear you. Tootsie Flute smiled. "Yeah, Lyra's going to be teaching me too! I'll be a great bard!" She laughed. "I'll be great too!" "Sounds perfect!" Tootsie Flute turned to Silver Spoon. "Hey, aren't you taking lessons too?" Nopony will teach me. Except Bluenote, I'd guess, but she's not... dedicated enough to being the best right away... Silver Spoon realized that her father had indicated that wasn't as important as she had thought. ...no. I'll learn what I can from her. I'll learn to produce those kind of emotions... being the best will come naturally, when I'm great enough. But I can learn from her. "Well?" asked Bebop. "I will be taking lessons with Bluenote," said Silver Spoon at last. "In what?" Silver Spoon thought. There was one instrument that stuck out in her mind, one that she had loved, one that had given her so much enjoyment even when she had just been playing with a toy underneath it. "The piano." "Can earth ponies play the piano?" wondered Tootsie Flute. "This one can," said Silver Spoon. Yes. I will play the piano. I will work hard, and surpass my rivals, and someday, I will play amazing music that can bring crowds to tears -- or I am not a Silver, she vowed. "We should make a band!" said Bebop. "Drums, flute, and piano -- that's perfect!" "Yeah!" said Tootsie Flute. "Uh." Silver Spoon looked at the flaky, happy-go-lucky unicorn, and the loud, crass pegasus. "Um." "That'd be so much FUN!" continued Bebop. "We could do gigs, and compose, and become real famous! And then we could all become the best at once!" Silver Spoon had an image of herself putting a hoof to her head in the middle of a practice session. She could just imagine the sheer number of stupid things the other foals would say, and so she opened her mouth to say 'no.' But something stopped her. I had so much fun today. And I do want to learn music now, music for real. And... "Alright," she said at last. And she felt wonderful. *** The first practice session of Untitled (they couldn't agree on a name yet) took place one week later. Silver Spoon bit her lip as she worked on the scales. Her hooves were covered in the stupid tapered gloves that would allow her to press one of the thin keys at a time. A.. A sharp... B... B sharp... wait, no, stupid piano. They forgot the B sharp on this one... "Silver Spoon!" called Betty. "Your friends are here!" "Send them in, please!" Bebop came in with her drums, and Tootsie a few moments later with her flute. "Ready for some awesome action?" asked Bebop. "Ready to ROCK?" "...I don't think you can rock with scales," said Silver Spoon. "We can try!" chirped Tootsie Flute. "Let's go!" It was more noise than music, but it was fun. And -- as Silver Spoon worked to hit the right notes -- she couldn't keep a smile from her face. I am Silver Spoon. I am the best foal in Ponyville -- or I soon will be. And this is my song.