private Rhapsody in Blue

[Inactive01 5,299]

 

OOC: http://mlpforums.com/topic/66846-rhapsody-in-blue-romancesol-roleplay/

 

@lincolnshirepony

It was another day in the ole city of Manehattan. The outlines were being filled into the high rising, imposing skyscrapers. The voices of ponies screaming and hollering "EXTRA! EXTRA" could just be heard from the streets below. Last but not least, a loud snore... A loud snore? Where could it be from?! This is the city that never sleeps! Get up whoever is snoring!

 

It was little ole Sterling. He had been accepted to University of Manehattan's medical school department, but was sleeping in on the first day of classes... It wasn't normal of Sterling to do this, but he did have a long night working on his final day of his summer job at Manehattan's hospital. Nonetheless, a loud ring from his alarm clock! Sterling got up with a jump and a gasp! "Oh quit it will you! I know I've got to get up for university!" shouted Sterling as he smashed his hoof on the alarm clock and stopped its ringing.

 

Sterling looked at the time. 8:30am! "Oh my goodness! I'm almost late for my first class at Manehattan! I'd better get going!" He rushed through his normal routine of showering, brushing, and eating and ran out of his rented apartment as fast as he could! He had to storm through all sorts of ponies but fortunately, Manehattan University was just a few blocks away... 

Edited July 19, 2013 by Sterling Crimson

[lincolnshirepony 527]

Blue Note was feeling a little exhausted. She was tired from travelling and meeting her roommate. She had taken the late night train from Canterlot to Manehatten, arriving very early the previous day to move into her dorm. It seemed nice enough at first, until her roommate actually showed up. Pink Heart had not been the kind of pony she was hoping to share living space with for the next semester. Somehow she had come equipped with a set of established friends, and was more than willingly to offer their room up as a place to chat. It must have been at least 2 AM when they decided to leave. 

 

Blue Note was beginning to regret signing up for an early morning class, but she needed to take this class first semester to be on track with her Composition major. She would simply have to deal with her tiredness. She rolled out of bed bright and early, and set to work on her mane. She wanted something really sophisticated for her first day. Settling on a curly look, Blue Note put on her glasses and headed out to her first class. 

 

She couldn't help but feel optimistic today. It was an odd way for her to feel, but she also felt freer than ever. Nopony was telling her she wasn't good enough or doing something stupid, and she was finally away from Canterlot! She could study with Equestria renowned faculty, and meet ponies with ambitions just like her. Today was the start of her new, wonderful life! 

[Inactive01 5,299]

Sterling was looking redder than ever as he panted as hard as he could with his saddle bag on top of his back. He had just finished running through 3 blocks to get to Manehattan University on time; he was what ponies considered to be a commuter. He didn't have enough funds to get into residence, so he stayed with his parents. They were gone off to a journalist excursion in Los Pegasus detailing the road trip the Manehattan Yankees began against the Los Pegasus Angels and wouldn't be back for 2 weeks.

 

Sterling looked around at the university. It was larger than life to him. The entire building was filled with white with Equestria's flag hovering proudly at the rooftop's peak. He could see many windows that peered into the professors' offices. What struck him in particular were the many stallions and mares trotting around Manehattan to their classes. It placed him back to reality from the green grass and the resonant buildings that left him hoping that he wouldn't get the same negative treatment he felt all his life. He ran towards the main campus and walked towards what was called 125G for his first class... Music Theory I, MUS-121 it said on his schedule. At 9:00am. 

[lincolnshirepony 527]

Blue Note was excited about her first music theory class. She had studied it a little in Canterlot, but her classmates were less than enthusiastic about the subject, while she absolutely loved it. Perhaps it went along with being a composer. She could hardly contain her excitement as she approached the music building. There were ponies walking all around, carrying different instruments and going to different places. They were all serious musicians, just like her. No more apathetic ponies forced into music by their parents, and no more ponies who were just there for social hour. She felt confident in her ability to fit in. 

 

She checked her schedule, and made sure she was approaching the right room. It looked like she had come to the right place. Taking a deep breathe, she entered the classroom. 

[Inactive01 5,299]

Sterling walked through the colourful tiles that welcomed him into the musical pod at the room. When he walked in, he noticed most of the seats were already filled. Except one. The one beside a blue mare. She looked nice enough. He just hoped the rumours wouldn't start swirling that was all. He was a stallion who had to live with rumour after rumour about him, and it felt terrible. It was the last thing he wanted to endure on his first day at university. While all the other ponies were chattering with their peers, Sterling quietly took his seat beside the blue mare. He ignored all the other ponies and recalled that he was here to just breeze through music theory 1 because it was reputed to be so easy. 

[lincolnshirepony 527]

Professor Adagio was unhappy. He was unhappy at the start of every fall term for one specific reason: one hundred level music theory. Ponies that have never seriously studied music before were forced upon him as a part of a very basic requirement for nearly every field of music study at the University of Manehatten. He had studied to get his PhD in music theory at the Phillydelphia School of Music, and certainly had better things to do than teach basic music theory to ungrateful first years. But of course the dean didn't see it that way, so he was stuck teaching theory to ponies too uneducated and apathetic to understand his brilliance. The only option to preserve his sanity was to make the course material as difficult as possible in order to weed out the truly unworthy. 

 

"All right class, I am about to pass out the syllabus. You'll want to read it very carefully, because I won't accept your excuses when you forget about the paper due in November. Now, this will most likely go over your heads, but your key to success in this class is paying attention to me and what I say. If you are able to understand me, then we should have no problems." 

 

Blue Note was surprised at the professor's condescending tone. He was nothing like the friendly professors she had met during auditions and orientation. Of course, there may be a good reason why they kept him away from prospective students. She glanced at the stallion sitting next to her. Was he seeing this too, or was it all in her head? Still, better to keep an open mind... 

Edited July 17, 2013 by lincolnshirepony

[Inactive01 5,299]

Sterling noticed Professor Adagio's angry and unwilling tone. He made it seem like his students were so inferior... he didn't like it one bit. Nonetheless, he heard of another professor named Dr. Thorrington and another part time teacher named Mr. Hayfield. He heard how awesome they were as teachers both in learning and in friendship. He hoped to get them someday for his clases, especially piano, since Dr. Thorrington was a reputed master. When he passed out the syllabus, he was wondering why the class was going through 12 tone concepts and complex voicing; after all, he was told that came after Music Theory I.

 

Luckily, Sterling heard of all that already so it wasn't too unfamiliar to him.  He sat through the class hearing his condescending voice. The farther the class went on, the more he wanted it to end. He sped through all the basics in a single class and was already going to start on basic voice leading the next class, a speed only true musicians could master...

[lincolnshirepony 527]

Blue Note looked down at the syllabus. She was surprised at how much material Professor Adagio was going to cover. It looked like she would have a lot of studying to do for this class, but that was okay. She hadn't expected this to be easy. However, she had to admit the speed at which he was zipping through the class was a little disheartening. If she wasn't already familiar with these concepts, it would be nearly impossible to follow. Still, she kept zipping along in her note taking. Professor Adagio didn't seem to believe in leaving anything on the board for any reasonable length of time, continuing to erase and write more notes. 

 

Professor Adagio also didn't believe in answering questions. When an enthusiastic mare in the back raised her hoof to ask something about the syllabus, he just went straight ahead. "I don't answer questions during lectures, because I don't have time to correct all your silly misconceptions. I will only take them if there is time at the end. Otherwise, visit me during office hours." 

 

Blue Note had never experienced so little of a desire to ask questions. Class mercifully ended, and left her wondering how wonderful the University of Manehatten would really be.

[Inactive01 5,299]

Sterling was so relieved that the first class was over. Professor Adagio was nowhere near as kind as the advertisements suggested about the University of Manehattan. He just zoomed through all the material like it was clockwork. He didn't give any homework thankfully, but he couldn't help but feel that some practice on his own was merited as he composed his first choral pieces after school. After that was done, Sterling had to run over to the medical school department which, fortunately, was right beside the music area. He walked over to his next class which was cell biology with a certain Dr. Miang. He met him at one of the campus visits. He had a... weird sense of humour. That was what many students would say. It was to be held at Room 215. Sterling then walked over to his class, hoping that he could find a friend to chat with who shared his interests...

[lincolnshirepony 527]

Blue Note had a little time until her next class. She decided to wait in music building's lounge. It was a nice little area with big windows and comfy seating. To keep herself busy, she started copying the important dates in her music theory syllabus into her planner. "He's giving a quiz already?" she thought as she penciled a quiz for Wednesday. At least the material was basic. The farther into the year she wrote, the more she dreaded music theory.

 

Other ponies were also congregating the lounge. They all appeared to know each other. As far as Blue Note could tell, she was the only first year. After writing out her semester of music theory, she opened her music theory textbook and began to read it. She wanted to get a good start. The ponies continued to talk around her, and her concentration began to drift. She looked up from her book, slightly annoyed. Did they have to be so loud? They were completely oblivious to her annoyance though. She sighed and decided to practice clarinet in the practice rooms until it was time to go to her biology class.

 

Blue Note would rather have taken another music class, but the University of Manehatten had core requirements for every student, regardless of major. Biology had been the best option to take with her schedule, so Intro to Biology she took. She just hoped this wouldn't be the science equivalent of Music Theory I. At least she was good at music, science had always proved a little more difficult for her. 

Edited July 18, 2013 by lincolnshirepony

[Inactive01 5,299]

(OOC: Hey Lincoln. Just a warning in advance. I'll be studying MCAT for the next 2 hours so my posting will have to cease (for the most part) for the next 2 hours. I'll definitely be back by 9:30pm EST though).

 

His first biology class... did not look that great. All the students in the class were so rowdy compared to the settings advertised in the pamphlets and videos he saw in Manehattan High. He was hoping for a change but the students couldn't care less about the class, leaving him wondering why exactly they were taking it. It was still 5 minutes before class, but the students were talking all about social stuff. Things like the Fall Dance and the LAUNCH event were being blared at full speed, making it hard for Sterling to keep up. He took a seat at one of the few empty desks off to the side, hoping that class would just start already.

 

He then saw a light brown stallion walk into the room. He had an insect cutie mark with a dissecting scissor overlapping it. He also had a well developed grey mustache on him which left Sterling quite... intrigued to say the least. As he entered, all the ponies quieted down, much to Sterling's delight. Afterwards, the teacher started to pass out the syllabuses to the class as class began...  

[lincolnshirepony 527]

Blue Note had felt a little exhausted after biology. The professor had been nicer, and the class seemed easier, but her lack of sleep was starting to get to her. This wasn't how she pictured her first day going. She was feeling a little less confident as she trudged back to her dorm room. Ponies all around her were talking and laughing in groups. Where were the other new freshman? 

 

"Maybe I'm looking in the wrong places. Surely I'll make friends in band..." Blue Note couldn't give up so soon. Nopony could make a solid group of friends in a day. She was probably just getting a little nervous about her new environment; everything would be fine in a few weeks. Making doing her biology reading would take her mind off of things. 

[Inactive01 5,299]

Dr. Van Hey was nice enough. He spent half the class rummaging through the syllabus and the rest of it jumping into their first topic that dealt with methods of analyzing cells for the medical field. It was a surprisingly uneventful class as most of the students paid good attention to the professor, even if some of them were doodling and passing notes to each other. After the lecture was done, the students left as quickly at they could to their next class. At this point, which was 10:00AM, Sterling had an empty slot for carousing around the university and looking through the many lab rooms that were available for U of M's students. While he looked around, he noticed a bulletin board filled with announcements. One in particular stood out. It said in bright bred font on a green piece of paper, not the best combination, "All new students are invited to our welcome party so that everypony gets to know each other! It will take place tonight, so sign up on the dotted line to book your spot!" Sterling eagerly signed his name on the sheet, hoping to meet some nice students for a change who shared his interests as he then walked away...

Edited July 18, 2013 by Sterling Crimson

[lincolnshirepony 527]

Blue Note was surprised to be greeted enthusiastically by her roommate. "Blue! Did you hear?" Pink Heart squealed. 

 

"It's Blue Note," she said, feeling annoyed. 

 

"Right, anyway, there's a party for all incoming freshman! Ahh, I'm so excited! Think of all the ponies we could meet." Blue Note thought Pink Heart's fascination with this party was a little over the top. "Maybe she has a point, though." Pink Heart seemed to have lots of friends, despite not being here any longer than Blue Note. Clearly she knew something about socializing. If all the new freshman were there, surely there was somepony she could bond with. 

 

 "Anyway, I was wondering you would do my mane. You're so good at it!" Pink Heart seemed to be a master of flattery. 

 

"Okay," Blue Note said, feeling a little uncertain still. "I'll go, and I think I know the style that would be perfect for you..." She decided to make the most of it. It was just a party. 

[Inactive01 5,299]

Sterling continued to wander around the halls, unknowingly approaching the music area once again. There he somehow stumbled into the piano practice rooms... Each of the rooms had a small baby grand piano on top of a light coloured wooden floor. Sterling checked his watch, noticing that he still had 2 hours before his next class. His plan was thus to play on the piano for an hour before he ate lunch at around 11:30 am before his next class at noon: Anatomy and Physiology: An Intro. He walked into one of the large practice rooms, amazed particularly at the antique Steinhay and Sons that was the centerpiece of the pianos in the room. Sterling approached the piano, sat down on the antique yet cozy brown bench, and began to play...

 

It was a warm up piece for him, but he sure loved to sing, even if his voice wasn't the greatest. He was a huge fan of Frank Sineightra, so he decided to start his practice with the classic "I've Got You Under my Skin".

 

[lincolnshirepony 527]

Blue Note had decided to practice before Biology class earlier that day. She wanted to play her clarinet, and get ready for her first rehearsal and later her first lesson. She went deeper into the music building until she found the practice rooms. They seemed empty, but she heard a pony playing on a piano and singing. "Is that Frank Sineightra?" As she got closer and heard the music more clearly, she realized that it was. She decided to keep listening; it was a good song. And she did have to admit that she was a bit curious about the other music students' abilities. Getting into the UoM music school wasn't any easy task. 

[Inactive01 5,299]

After Sterling's warm up, he proceeded to all his classical music repertoire he had learned before the start of a life in medical school. It was a long hour, but Sterling felt very satisfied to have played in such a wonderfully cooperative piano. It followed all of his wishes of a clear, yet pretty tone as he played. After finishing his practice, Sterling left to the cafeteria to grab a quick lunch before his next class of Anatomy and Physiology. Hopefully that class would be just as swimming as his cell biology...

[lincolnshirepony 527]

Blue Note's mind was wandering back to the practice rooms. She had eventually practiced her own music, but not before listening to some rather impressive piano repertoire. Curiosity was tugging at her; who was the pony playing the piano? Eventually she would have to find out. But whoever they were, they probably were not in her piano technique class. 

 

The ponies around her were all decent at playing the piano, some better and some worse than her, but none of them could handle pieces quite that difficult. Blue Note still enjoyed the class well enough. The instructor was better than her teacher back in Canterlot, at least at teaching, and it seemed like she could learn a lot from him. She wanted to become proficient at piano so she could play her pieces. There were spells she could learn to make a piano sound like any type of ensemble or instrument, which would benefit her greatly. So she needed to become good at the instrument. 

[Inactive01 5,299]

Much to Sterling's happiness, none of the ponies bothered him at all during his first day. That in itself was a great start to his Manehattan career. Anatomy and Physiology also zoomed by without much hassle. The professor was also Dr. Van Hey, since he was one of the heads of the faculty for biology and medical school. He started well with the material and Sterling was happy to have taken notes from him in hopes of learning more about his pony body, even if Dr. Van Hey had some... rather corny jokes along the way. After that class was done, Sterling walked out delighted that his last class was done for today. Normally, he would have a 3 hour session for cell biology, but that didn't start until next week; he had to first undergo lab safety training the next day.

 

Now that all his classes were done today, Sterling decided to head back to his apartment to refresh and recharge for the party tonight. He took a nice shower at his place and also enjoyed a small snack afterwards. He then went on his family's upright piano and performed some of the music theory Professor Adagio gave his class... 

[lincolnshirepony 527]

Blue Note was back at her dorm, wondering why in the world she had volunteered to do Pink Heart's mane. "So anyway, there's this really cute stallion I met in English class and..." She couldn't understand why her roommate felt the need to share every detail of her day. At least Blue Note had styling to focus on. 

 

"So did you meet anypony interesting today?" Pink Heart asked, with rather overt implications in Blue Note's opinion.

 

"Not really." Blue Note said, walking to bathroom to get some mainspray.  

 

"Really? No stallions catch your eye?" Pink Heart seemed to have trouble believing this. "Talk about colt-crazy." 

 

"Not really. I've barely had a chance to meet anypony." Blue Note wouldn't mind finding a nice stallion to date, but she wasn't holding her breath. It would be hard to find somepony that she could really trust. 

 

"Well, this party will fix that! Just think of all the cute stallions." Pink Heart started giggling, and Blue Note had to refrain from rolling her eyes. "You never know, the love of your life could be there just waiting for you." 

 

"That seems a little optimistic," Blue Note said, as she used the manespray. Things may be getting better for her, but this wasn't a fairytale. The alicorn prince wasn't going to be waiting to marry her at the ball. "There, that should hold now." 

 

"OhmygoshIloveit!" Pink Heart said, giving Blue Note a hug. Blue Note awkwardly hugged her back, not used to such casual displays of affection. "Anyway, there's nothing wrong with being hopeful. I'm always hopeful that I'll meet Mr. Right." 

 

"Right," Blue Note said, unconvinced. "I guess we'll just have to see what happens."

Edited July 18, 2013 by lincolnshirepony

[Inactive01 5,299]

Sterling was quickly finished with his music theory; after all, his parents made him take music theory exams from an independent music conservatory, the biggest in the world and aced them in the process. After that was done, he decided to spend some time daydreaming on the family couch. It was crimson in colour and was very comfy; the seat's fluffs and sheer size just made it all the comfier. He wondered what could be as he thought about beginning his undergraduate medical life. He knew things would get very hectic for him in the upcoming years; after all, his program was 6 years in length. First 3 was all theory, and the next 3 would be all internships and social programs about medical school.

 

Even within that inevitable fact, Sterling was indeed... a hopeless romantic. He was much more pessimistic about his chances now, but it was never against him to dream. A mare who cared for him and loved him for who he was. A mare who could also compliment his strengths and comforted him through his weaknesses. A mare who also looked pretty and dashing. A mare who loved music too, or at the very least, was shy. He could imagine all the giggling and the nuzzling he'd enjoy with the mare of his dreams... Now whether it would come from this university, he wasn't sure. He was still pessimistic, but with the party coming up, it wasn't entirely out of the question... 

[lincolnshirepony 527]

Blue Note was trying to make herself feel confident. Pink Heart had gone off to meet with her herd of friends, so she was left alone in the door to prepare herself. She redid her own mane, improving upon the curly look she had tried earlier that day. Her mind was on what Pink Heart had told her. It seemed like a foolish fantasy, but Pink Heart was perfectly happy with it. "Well, I can find happiness without deluding myself," Blue Note thought as she applied mascara. 

 

"Perfect." Blue Note looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her mane had a curly flair, and her makeup had the right amount of subtly. She felt pretty. "If only pretty was enough..." In her earliest years, her mother had made sure she was the prettiest filly in what seemed like all of Canterlot. She hadn't been, but her mother knew exactly how to make her feel like it. Now it was Blue Note who continued on the tradition of making herself feel pretty. Pretty had never gotten her anywhere particularly spectacular, but at least she always looked her best. 

 

Blue Note left her dorm and started walking to the party. Plenty of pretty ponies passed her by. It was unnerving. Fortunately, Pink Heart had given some parting advice. "Just talk to somepony! You'll be fine." She could talk to somepony; it wasn't that hard.

[Inactive01 5,299]

The party time drew near. Sterling combed his mane, making sure he looked as proper and as prim as he could be; after all, that's what his parents taught him. 'There! Just perfect!' thought a content Sterling as he continued to adapt to his new tuxedo. He was hoping it was dashing enough for at least one mare to notice without poking fun at him. He wasn't the sort to be hanging out at parties, but considering how he was considered an anti-social by his peers in high school because he never attended parties, he thought attending this one as a first would be a good experience. He checked his watch. "6:30pm. Perfect. The party starts in half and hour and I'll be there in time. Apparently it's to be at Manehattan University's main gym room." spoke Sterling to himself as he walked out of his apartment confidently and approached the party at Manehattan University... 

[lincolnshirepony 527]

Blue Note walked into gym and felt all her confidence quickly evaporate. Loud pop music was blaring, leaving her to wonder how ponies were supposed to hear each other speak. She didn't care much for most pop anyway. It felt uninspired and generic to her. Why anypony would want to compose something so dull, she would never know. 

 

There were ponies talking in groups all over the gym. Blue Note noticed her legs starting to shake. "Hey Blue!" Pink Heart called from across the room. She was standing a large circle of ponies. Blue Note shook her head, and walked over to her. "Great party, right! Oh, I looove this song!" 

 

"Yeah," Blue Note said, but Pink Heart was already talking to some stallion next to her. She decided that perhaps she should just blend in with the group for now. Somepony would come along for her to talk to; she would just wait for them. 

 

Waiting proved to be more difficult than she anticipated. Even when she could make out what the ponies around her were saying, she found herself bored by it. It was all so trivial, and she couldn't think of a thing to add. Small talk had never been one of her strong points. She was about to give up and look for somepony else to talk to, when Pink Heart grabbed her. 

 

"Blue Note, look!" she attempted to whisper. "She as well have just said it. How anypony could have heard is beyond me." Pink Heart seemed to want her to look at a rather attractive group of stallions. 

[Inactive01 5,299]

Sterling was at the party. His first thoughts were the loud noises that blared from the speakers at Manehattan's gym. Sterling closed his eyes and covered his ears in vain in an attempt to block out the lights and noises. He was forced to give up, realizing that such an action proved futile. He then decided to look through the gym for a possible friend, even if deep down, he was already beginning to realize what a terrible idea it was. He saw all sorts of cliques as many ponies gathered round to discuss life and enjoy life the way they wanted. He noticed a lonesome blue mare, but he didn't make much of it as he continued to wander around looking for a potential friend; after all, he was terrible with mares, so they were the last ponies he wanted to chat with...