private Rhapsody in Blue

[Inactive01 5,299]

Sterling went over to the washroom and got out again, having taken his refreshments. He was now headed back towards the orchestra when he was suddenly greeted with a wave from a green stallion. It was Erlen!

 

"Hey Sterling! Great job with the orchestra so far! I loved the first piece! It was a great way to start the concert!" Erlen shouted before he began to walk towards his seat for the intermission.

 

"Thanks Erlen! I'm glad you enjoyed the concert so far! I hope you enjoy the rest too!" Sterling waved and shouted in reply, happy that Erlen came to his concert. He made a mental note to talk to Erlen as well as Blue Note after the concert. After all, Erlen came to his concert as a favour for Sterling to help the orchestra spread the word.

 

After the wave, Sterling made his way back to his orchestra seat. He took his violin up from the chair he placed it and took his seat. He and the rest of the orchestra were now ready for the second half of the concert. It was finally time for all the Christmas pieces to shine. Dr. Thorrington took out his baton, and signaled the orchestra to begin the second half of the concert...

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-gtCePPtaI

[lincolnshirepony 527]

Blue Note thought she caught a glimpse of Sterling walking to the stage. She couldn't be sure if it was him though; there were so many ponies blocking her view. The intermission ended quickly anyway. Blue Note was excited to hear the next piece. Colst was one of her favorite composers. She thought that the orchestra did him justice, as she sat back and took the music in.

[Inactive01 5,299]

After the Christmas piece ended, Sterling gave out a deep breath of joy. He loved Colst and his hymns. He was excited to continue onward with more pieces, this time from Haykovsky's "Nutcracker Suite". It was the classic "Waltz of the Flowers", and other dances from his famous piece. Thorrington put up his baton once again after hearing appaluses of appreciation, signalling the orchestra to play more Christmas pieces...

 

[lincolnshirepony 527]

Blue Note smiled before she could stop herself when she recognized the next piece being played. A memory from her fillyhood floated up to her consciousness as the orchestra played "Waltz of the Flowers". She remembered ecstasy at her dad coming home and telling her he had a special Christmas surprise. After some begging, he showed her the three tickets to the Canterlot ballet that weekend. She remembered sitting in back, her dad to her left and an empty seat to her right. The orchestra enchanted her, making her forget unpleasant realities and opening up a whole new world to her.

 

In the present, the piece was over. Blue Note started clapping along with the rest of the audience. A tear trickled down, but she quickly wiped it away. Now wasn't the time to think about Christmases long past. 

[Inactive01 5,299]

(That childhood moment... it gives me tears... *sniffs*)

 

Sterling loved the Waltz of the Flowers. I twas one of his favourite pieces by Haykovsky. He remembered his parents dancing to the waltz on Hearth's Warming Eve, and Sterling opening his first present: a mini microscope that he could use to take microscopic samples like grass and to note what he could see... It was one of the most memorable Hearth's Warming he ever had, for it inspired him to be involved with biology and medicine. 

 

But his imagination quickly came to an end when the Nutcracker Suite medley came to an end. He could hear the ponies clapping for them, and the conductor showing the orchestra for all to cheer. Now Dr. Thorrington introduced the last piece: A medley of Hearth's Warming tunes and one last song soon afterwards. Sterling loved this part of the concert. He knew every carol and tune that was being played, and he especially loved the last song. Now was the time for the orchestra to shine one last time before Hearth's Warming...

 

 

[lincolnshirepony 527]

Blue Note remembered playing A Hearth's Warming Eve Festival back in the Canterlot Youth Orchestra. It always got her into that holiday spirit, and brought back more recent nostalgia. The memory from before still made her slightly uncomfortable, so she listened with intense concentration. She tried to pick out all of the first violin parts, which got her thinking about Sterling. She wondered what he did for Hearth's Warming Eve, as the last carol was played.

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Eventually, the concert came to a resounding end after everyone in the audience sang along, including Erlen, who sang at the top of his voice. He wasn't the best of singers, but he couldn't help it. He enjoyed every moment of the concert, from start to finish. He got up from his seat and clapped with all his might with the rest of the audience. After the clapping subsided, Erlen quickly got up and rushed out towards the orchestra, hoping to find Sterling...

 

----

 

Sterling had just finished playing the last piece. He was exhausted, and his stand partner took note. She nudged Sterling, telling him he played passionately and wonderfully. Sterling gave a light blush before he thanked her meekly. He then got up from his seat with his violin, and headed towards the backstage to put his instrument away. Now, he had to go looking for Blue Note...

[lincolnshirepony 527]

Blue Note remained in her seat as the ponies filed out. She assumed Sterling would not be quite ready yet. After the stage was clear and she noticed members of the orchestra around, she got up and started looking for Sterling. She wanted to congratulate him on his superb performance and hopefully talk to him for awhile. 

[Inactive01 5,299]

Sterling eventually packed up his violin, but he first had to go through a short celebration with the orchestra on a wonderful performance. Sterling felt tense throughout the proceedings, having the desire to speak to Blue Note before she left for the night. It was a weekend night, and he wanted to see her before he left... So after the toasts were given, Sterling rushed out quickly with his instrument back into the auditorium, hoping to find Blue Note...

 

But first... a shout from the green stallion again...

 

"Sterling! Wait up! Where are you going?!" Sterling had to look for Blue Note. He didn't want to be talking to Erlen right now, as much as he wanted to be polite... but Erlen eventually caught up as the crowds were too dense to pass...

 

"Sterling, were you avoiding me?!" Erlen joked with Sterling.

"Oh No! I... I was just looking for... her..." Sterling stuttered in response. He didn't really want Erlen to poke at him about Blue Note, but at this point, it seemed inevitable...

"Oh Sterling... You mean her? Ohh... Hehehe..." Erlen chuckled teasingly towards Sterling before continuing, "I'll let you have your timey with her... but I just wanted to say you played really well, and that I thoroughly enjoyed your concert! Now go get em!"

"Oh... Thanks Erlen..." Sterling blushed before he trotted away, continuing his search for Blue Note. Erlen could only chuckle again before he trotted away from the auditorium. 

"Oh Sterling... you really are in love..." Erlen chuckled to himself again, trotting back towards his dorm...

[lincolnshirepony 527]

Blue Note finally spotted Sterling. He appeared to be talking to one of his friends. She wove through the ponies standing around. "Sterling!" she called out. She hoped that he would hear her. There were so many ponies to get around, she couldn't quite reach him...

[Inactive01 5,299]

Just as Sterling was about to walk away from Erlen, he heard a distinctive voice among the crowd. It wasn't the loudest of voices, but he could make it out... it was Blue Note! Sterling turned back towards the direction of Blue Note's voice and navigated his way towards her. He had to get talking with Blue Note once more before exams, and this was his chance... The only problem was... could he find her among the hundreds of ponies still walking out of the auditorium?

[lincolnshirepony 527]

Sterling turned in her direction, but he was not quite looking at her. "Over here!" she called out. She made her way closer to him slowly, saying "excuse me" and skillfully weaving around ponies the whole way. Unfortunately, she could do nothing about ponies who did not take the same care. A pony bumped right into her, which would have only been a minor annoyance normally. 

 

"Pay more attention," the pony said. Blue Note wanted to groan when she realized who had run into her. 

 

"I'm not the one that needs to get a clue." Blue Note wanted to talk to Sterling, not deal with whatever vendetta Ruby Diamond had against her. 

 

"Always so snappy," she said. Blue Note hated the way she always stuck her nose up in the air. It looked ridiculous. She wanted to go back to finding Sterling, but realized that she had lost sight of him. 

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Sterling trotted towards the voice, but Blue Note was still nowhere to be found. Eventually, he bumped onto a certain pony he'd rather not see again...

 

"YOU! Oh... Sterling. You played well. BUT STOP BUMPING INTO ME YOU TWAT." Chemm shouted angrily at Sterling before she stormed off. She too was at the concert, but she was far into the back. She needed some time to relax, and some time away from Rocky as well. Their arguments continued to build, and both parties agreed that they needed some time away to settle down. Chemm honestly enjoyed the orchestra, but she was never without criticism... She noted the lack of intonation from the seconds, the lack of expression from the cellists at some of their solos, and even criticized the solo pianist for a lack of technique!

 

Nevertheless, she just noted the compliment that she gave to Sterling and quickly shook it off. A brief moment of weakness she couldn't possibly tolerate. Even if Sterling played very well on the violin... She then trotted away from the crowd, quickly brushing her hooves on the area where she made contact with Sterling...

 

---------------

 

Meanwhile, Sterling was devastated to not have found Blue Note among the crowds yet. Although it was beginning to disperse, Sterling was still nowhere near Blue Note... Where could she be? Sterling pondered on this as he continued to search... and search...

[lincolnshirepony 527]

"Well, I'd be less snappy if you acted like you had actual manners," Blue Note said. 

 

"You're talking to me about manners?" Ruby giggled. "Why, that's the funniest thing that's happened to me this entire day!" 

 

"Laugh all you want, but just know that that's the reason ponies don't like you," Blue Note said, unable to resist. 

 

"Hm, who is the unpopular one again?" she said in the same tone of voice. Blue Note would have loved to put her in her place, but she trotted away with those words. Instead, Blue Note was left standing there, trying to cope with her frustration.

[Inactive01 5,299]

Sterling got away from Chemm, a welcome change. She was out of sight, and now Sterling could focus on his search for Blue Note. The crowd continued to disperse, the ponies' silhouettes gradually turning into empty seats. As the crowd continued to make their way out of the auditorium, Sterling had just enough of a peek at Blue Note's puffy mane to see her. Sterling now moved closer and closer towards Blue Note, not realizing that she was among the company of a less than polite mare who wanted to cause some trouble...

[lincolnshirepony 527]

After Ruby walked away, Blue Note felt the sting of her words. It's true that she was not particularly popular at the University of Manehatten, but that was not her fault. She just had trouble finding good company. Like she wanted to be liked by these halfwits who constantly put her down! This was not what she wanted to be thinking about so close to finals week...

[Inactive01 5,299]

Sterling had finally waded through the entire crowd, and he could finally make out Blue Note's outline. She was finally there in plain sight. What a struggle it was for Sterling to finally find Blue Note. He gave a gentle poke to Blue Note once he arrived at the scene and after Ruby had walked away. He then brought out his violin case for showing to Blue Note.

 

"Blue Note... I finally found you." Sterling breathed a sigh of relief, having finally found Blue Note after the crowd had finally gone away. 

[lincolnshirepony 527]

Blue Note thought about her time at the University of Manehatten. She thought about what her peers said to her and what she said to them. She was left wondering exactly what she did to earn their disdain. She would have mused further, but Sterling's voice removed her from her thoughts. She did have at least one friend. 

 

"I thought I'd never find you in the sea of ponies," Blue Note said. There was no pony she'd rather see right now. 

[Inactive01 5,299]

When Sterling finally found Blue Note, he was overcome with a sudden urge for a hug... Suddenly shuffling his hooves, what Blue Note said felt like an invitation for a hug... Sterling couldn't stop this urge... he was so happy to have finally found her... it may have been only a quarter of an hour, but it felt like an eternity... Sterling trotted cautiously towards Blue Note before wrapping his front hooves around Blue Note. It really did feel like an eternity in the auditorium, and after a lot of bumping around strangers and... less than savoury ponies, he finally found her, and he was relieved. He was worried that Blue Note would simply leave after the concert finished. He wasn't surprised if such was the case, given the amount of homework and studying they had to do. But she was still here... waiting... and looking... for Sterling. It was a long search, but they finally found each other.

[lincolnshirepony 527]

Blue Note wasn't expecting a hug, but she realized it was exactly what she needed. She put her hooves around Sterling, and felt her eyes water. "This is some crowd. You guys deserved it though." Her voice was shaky, but she felt herself calming down. The broken pieces inside of her came back together while Sterling was holding her. 

[Inactive01 5,299]

(So much daww )

 

Sterling hugged Blue Note more tightly, slowly feeling his way into the hug. He could feel Blue Note's tears drop onto his back, and that made him want to hug Blue Note for even longer... As his hug progressed, he then decided to give a whisper to Blue Note...

 

"Blue Note... thanks for coming... you being here means a lot to me... I heard that we've had our largest crowd here in a long while... I don't know how we've got such a large crowd here, but you were my VIP..." Sterling didn't care to think about the cheesiness of his statement... all he cared about was him finally finding Blue Note..

[lincolnshirepony 527]

(The adorbs just keep on coming!)

 

"Thank you," Blue Note said. "There's no pony I'd rather come to see." For a moment, she wondered if this was all too much. If this was going to explode in her face and their friendship would be ruined and she would be back to square one and all alone again. But at this moment, they just felt right, and Blue Note finally let go. Her apprehensions and doubts remained firmly anchored to her, but her denial fell apart. She had feelings for Sterling, and she knew it. 

[Inactive01 5,299]

Sterling let Blue Note go after she began to pull away. Perhaps the hug was becoming too fanciful and intimate for their liking... after all, they were just friends... or were they something more? He recalled the teasing he got from Erlen and Spectro, about how cute Blue Note looked and the possibility of them being together for... the long haul... Just thinking about his friends left him flustered... he liked Blue Note, and she was most certainly a wonderful friend... they even had intimate moments together... and she cared about him... but did that all add up to a relationship, or just fluff?

 

Sterling stood by Blue Note awkwardly before he finally asked,

"So Blue Note...what was your favourite part of the concert...?"

[lincolnshirepony 527]

Blue Note couldn't speak for a moment after they let go of each other. Sterling's question broke through the storm brewing in her mind. She regained her composure and replied, "I enjoyed the Colst piece. He's one of my favorite composers. Waltz of the Flowers was lovely too." There was a note of wistfulness in her voice. "Though it was phenomenal throughout. I enjoyed it thoroughly!" 

[Inactive01 5,299]

Sterling chuckled when Blue Note's spirit seemed so lifted... that was the entire point of the concert, he believed. He gave out a more confident smile when Blue Note mentioned how much she enjoyed Waltz of the Flowers. He could have danced to the piece all night if he wanted to... That's why it was called a waltz after all. Sterling in response hummed to the melody a little bit, hoping that Blue Note would quickly notice the melody... 

 

At this point, the auditorium became so empty that it was just the two of them now... It was pure bliss being alone together, and he wished it stayed that way as he continued to hum the melody to the flowers waltz...