Inactive01

Why do I always get the random ships?! Sunshower Rainbowdrops x Background ponies

Sunshower Rainbowdrops x Derpy Hooves

Dr. Thorrington could see her nodding... she didn't say much for a pony so eager to come really early to class... He then went through the rest of the 30 students in the class list before he introduced himself, "Well, welcome to Piano Class! My name's Dr. Thorrington, and I hope you all had a wonderful Hearth's Warming Holiday, but we've got quite a bit of piano work to do now! So we've got to hop to it!" Dr. Thorrington always had that bellowing tenor voice about him, even if he wasn't a natural singer. After his introductory remark, Dr. Thorrington briefly went through the syllabus before he began the class...

It was almost time for piano class to start, and Dr. Thorrington made sure to be early this time since ponies often tagged him for lacking punctuality every now and then. He couldn't be fully blamed given his busy schedule, but this time, he wanted to be on time for the first piano class... Coming into the classroom with a decently sized baby grand and a few students, he welcomed the class for the first time, and began to take attendance... one of the first names that came up was Blue Note... when he called out her name, he remembered that she was Sterling's friend and potential love interest... Otherwise, he discarded the detail and continued onward with attendance...

It wasn't much of a day to remember for Sterling as he spent the rest of it practicing the piano and not seeing his parents because they were at work all day. It seemed like they were never at home anymore, other than holidays, given how hard they worked and toiled through the newspaper... he felt something suspicious about their hours, but he didn't want to think too much on it since it would cause another family uproar like the one he witnessed on Hearth's Warming.... Nevertheless, Sterling spent much of his time improving the Scherzo as Dr. Thorrington demanded... he knew it wouldn't be great after just one day, but at least it was a start after all the work he put into it... Once Sterling's day was done after piano practicing and dinner, Sterling turned off the lights, Spectro's words continually pounding on Sterling's head... Love... Blue Note... couple... It was lovely, but at the same time, anxiety-inducing... what did Blue Note think of him... what would happen if they got into a relationship... What if they would break away... so many fears did Sterling have as he went off to sleep for the next day...

The rest of Sterling's day went on without much fanfare, as he now had the rest of the day off. Typically, he would have a lab in the afternoon, but since it was first week of classes of a new semester, the labs didn't start until the second week. While he was heading home for the day though, he stumbled onto Spectro, who wanted to make a feast out of what he knew about him and Blue Note: "Hey Sterling! Wait up!" Spectro shouted as he tried his hardest to catch up to Sterling. Sterling stopped and turned to see Spectro running up towards him and waited for him to catch up. "Oh hey Spectro!" Sterling retorted. He was excited to see Spectro, but he wasn't looking forward to his jokes about Blue Note... hopefully he wouldn't make them again... "Hey Sterling! Erlen and I saw you with Blue Note on Hearth's Warming! Looks like you two had a REALLY special day together!" Spectro then began laughing and kissing on the air, leaving Sterling completely unsurprised and giving out a sigh in the process.. "Oh Spectro... wait until you get your hands on a mare... we'll see who's the one laughing... And keep in mind... Blue Note and I are just friends right now..." Sterling replied monotonously, but before he could continue, Spectro gave out another laugh, "Just friends?! Dude, you two are a pair! Admit it! You certainly act like it!" Spectro laughed again before Sterling trotted away with a sigh. For a good friend, Spectro was becoming more and more annoying by the day... and Spectro didn't even notice...

Sterling's mind wavered to fear when he heard the shadow pony giggling at what the pony thought was Steel's empty and hilarious threat. He seemed like a very powerful pony, especially given the clinking sounds that were being made as the pony moved seamlessly around the room. Sterling had no idea when the battle against Pen Umbra would begin, but he did know that he had to be prepared for what may... because this pony clearly was the one who turned all the Elements of Harmony into stone... Sterling wasn't sure how ready he was for the battle at hand, but one thing was certain... they were going to have to fight soon.

Sterling smiled as Blue Note whipped up his cabbage salad. He remembered the days of eating cabbage salad with his parents, when their days were much more carefree and when they had fewer worries about job security and rest. Nowadays, it was hard to even strike up a conversation with his parents because of their financial troubles. His Hearth's Warming with Blue Note invigorated Sterling's hopes of a return to the things that were and an injection of the new into his life. After Blue Note finished his cabbage sandwich, Sterling happily took the cabbage bowl that she made and placed it onto his lunch tray. When asked about eating lunch together the next day, Sterling only had one response: "Sure! Let's! Have a good day!" Sterling spoke happily before he went off to eat his cabbage lunch... It was actually quite delicious for Sterling, almost as good as his parent's cuisine! Blue Note sure was a good chef when it came to cabbage salad...

Sterling nodded happily when Blue Note mentioned that they had salads available for their dining hall. "Well I'd like a cabbage salad if you have any of that. Plus, I'd like that new flavor of dressing! Maybe it will taste great with the salad!" Sterling requested with excitement. He couldn't wait to get some cabbage salad going, especially when served by a love interest he still refused to acknowledge...

*Flashback* Sterling trotted away to the dining hall, just before Blue Note left for her dorm after her shift was completed. He was delighted to be able to see her for once outside of class today. Out of that conversation, he hoped to see what Blue Note was up for the rest of Hearth's Warming... Noticing that she worked near the counters, Sterling made sure to be "served" by Blue Note. "Hey Blue Note! I was wondering how the rest of your Hearth's Warming went!" Sterling greeted warmly to Blue Note. He wanted to at least do that before he took his order of the day.

Being a huge Discord fan

Marine biology? Sadly, I don't know too much about it, but my friend recently got herself involved with marine biology during her summer course stint in Michigan! She said it was a lot of fun! It's unfortunate that the university I attended for undergrad isn't near any large bodies of water, so a marine biology course was out of the question, even if our professor attempted to lobby for one!

You're known to be a very eloquent forum poster

I used to call myself "The Ancaster Brony" because I really am a brony from Ancaster, ON. I also called myself that because I was the only Ancaster brony on the forums! I also called myself "Derpity Derp" when I first joined the forums because Derpy was my favourite background character (and 2nd best pony overall!)

@lincolnshirepony Sterling continued to look around for any signs of the stone... but he suddenly stopped and turned around when he heard a dark, bellowing voice behind them... Sterling poked at Blue Note's body, hoping to grab her attention as well and to turn around to reveal the pony with the mysterious voice with her glow... When Sterling turned around with his horn aglow, his worst fears were imagined... it was the dark pony himself...

Sterling smiled at Sterling when he mentioned Blue Note's name. He heard of her in the music department and how she was going to be in his piano class this semester. He would definitely be able to have a look at her while he taught the class. But for now, Sterling wanted to be taught, and Dr. Thorrington knew that time was short. It was now time for him to teach Sterling. The piano lesson went rather smoothly. Dr. Thorrington, as usual, was very picky with Sterling, since he knew that Sterling had much potential to become a concert pianist should his plans with medicine not pan out the way he should. Deep down, he was slightly disappointed that Sterling didn't become a concert musician instead, but he could still see just how fitting it was for him to be involved with medicine, especially given his intelligence and attention to detail. But with music, it was very hard to catch every detail in Clopin's Scherzo, given its length and grandeur. Sterling was struggling to catch on with all the details, even after all the practice he put into the piece. Dr. Thorrington was pleased with the progress he made, but still... the details needed to be there! "Nope! Try that phrase again! I need to hear the bass!" "Be softer at the middle section! You need to be more delicate!" "I need to hear all those notes!" Those were just some of the things Dr. Thorrington would say to Sterling throughout the lesson. After all was said and done, Sterling looked fatigued. When Dr. Thorrington noticed, he chuckled. "That's how you practice Sterling! Now remember everything I've said!" Dr. Thorrington responded with his ever usual booming voice. Sterling chuckled awkwardly before giving him a good bye wave... He couldn't wait to see Blue Note at lunch... they wouldn't talk much given her dining room duties, but just seeing her already made his day...

No matter how bright Sterling could light his horn, the room seemed darker and darker... the stone, if it was anywhere in the room, was nowhere in sight... Seeing that Blue Note was struggling to keep the light on made him worried as well as the glow from his horn also dimmed... @lincolnshirepony "Blue Note... you seen the stone by any chance? It feels darker and darker even as we keep our horns alight!" Sterling asked Blue Note with an anxious heart. They needed to find the stone soon... or did the shadow pony already come...?

Everything went by smoothly from that point on, and Chemm had left Erlen alone for Animal Physiology. Meanwhile, Sterling was thinking more about his piano lesson with Dr. Thorrington after the class ended. It would be the first time since the holidays that he had a piano lesson with him, and he was looking forward to perfecting Clopin's Scherzo no. 2 in b flat minor! It was a piece filled with tempest and emotional intensity, just the type of piece he loved! Sterling trotted briskly to the music building, realizing that his lesson was to take place just after his Animal Physiology class! When he arrived at the main piano room with the Steinhay and Sons at the centre, he saw Dr. Thorrington inside... His piano teacher waved at him and warmly greeted him, "Hey Sterling! How was your Hearth's Warming?" Sterling smiled back and replied warmly, "It was good for sure! Just had to go through a South Pacific rehearsal just before the holiday started." Dr. Thorrington chuckled about the musical. He was surprised that Sterling could sing ok at a musical... up to now, he only saw Sterling as a proficient pianist and violinist! "Oh right! South Pacific! You and that blue pony... What's her name? You two seem good for each other, even in Equestria!" Dr. Thorrington replied with a chuckle. "Her... name? It's Blue Note." Sterling replied sheepishly. It seemed that Dr. Thorrington too was somewhat aware of a possible relationship between the two ponies. Why couldn't Sterling escape such a reality when it wasn't real... Nobody knew...

Ahhh... me and me Pinkie Pie doll I got from the Toronto Zoo And this is me working on my laptop during my summer job! I'll be doing that more often starting next month as I go off to read lots of papers!

@lincolnshirepony Sterling noticed that he wasn't getting anywhere searching for the stone in the dark. When Blue Note shone a light from her horn, Sterling realized what he had forgotten... that he too could shine his own light with his horn! He had to review that for medical school since some surgeries were needed to be performed without electricity and at night! Sterling stood back towards Blue Note where she created her own light source. Following her lead, Sterling remembered how to create a light with his own horn by letting it form a white glow much like Blue Note's! "When I saw you creating light with your horn, I remembered how to create light with mine own! Thanks!" Sterling thanked Blue Note for helping him remember how to form a light, even if it wasn't Blue Note's primary intention... Now he could look for the stone more efficiently!

Sterling and Erlen continued to discuss about Chemm... they were shaking and scratching their heads, wondering why she acted the way she did... She was an enigmatic fellow, and both of them knew that... But they didn't want to delve too much into speculation soon afterwards, so they decided to shift topics about the rest of their Hearth's Warming as they began to sip on their coffees... ----- Chemm briskly trotted out of the room after her attempt to befriend Erlen. Her snappy attitude had gotten the best of her again, and she scolded herself for it. She knew it was within her nature to do so, since her experiences at Echo Falls and Rocky made her so... She hardened her heart towards stallions and everypony in general, out of fear of being vulnerable to rejection and sadness... She regretted being awkward towards Erlen, realizing that he would probably think of her as weird now and not want to be lab partners for animal physiology... If only she could be more friendly around him...