private Rhapsody in Blue

[Inactive01 5,299]

Sterling trotted over to the dining room after finishing his piano practice at the university's practice rooms. He couldn't wait to talk to Blue Note for their first chat since that lovely Hearth's Warming... he had so much he wanted to discuss with her, and he was so excited to see Blue Note sitting alone at one of the dining tables that he rushed over to Blue Note and jumped onto the lone seat beside Blue Note. He then gave out a gleeful smile before he asked,

 

"Hey Blue Note! How have things been since Hearth's Warming?!" 

[lincolnshirepony 527]

"This semester will be the death of me!" Blue Note announced. "Can you believe Adagio? I really hope I can get somepony else for Theory III." She shook her head. "Anyway, tell me about your classes. I hope that you've had more luck than me. I have a class with Cheesy. Of all ponies!" 

[Inactive01 5,299]

Sterling's eyes perched upwards when she mentioned Cheesy. It seemed like she was having a hard time with him again. However, it seemed like she wanted to focus on Sterling first, so he took her cue and replied with a happy grin on his face,

 

"My classes have been ok for the most part! Nothing much has really happened, but I did see Chemm trying to approach Erlen yesterday... you know, the waitress we encountered at The Trottington? I was surprised because I thought she had a coltfriend... What do you make of it? I know Chemm and Erlen are lab partners, but they looked so awkward when they tried to talk. It's not typical of Chemm to initiate with anypony, given how arrogant she can be..." Sterling ended with an inquisitive look and a scoff. Chemm was a mean pony, and he could never see himself or Erlen liking a pony like her...

 

----

 

Erlen had enjoyed a good inorganic chemistry class with Spectro. There wasn't really much to it other than taking notes about the basics of atoms and atomic orbitals. They all sounded very interesting to Erlen, and was just going to talk about it to Spectro before he stumbled upon an orange mare with glasses and a straight yellow mane... Seeing that Spectro was preoccupied with a mare for the first time, all Erlen could do was sigh with a down-trodden look before trotting back to his dorm to eat his lunch... Looked like another one of his friends had a marefriend... and it looked like Erlen was going to be lonely again...

Edited August 16, 2014 by Sterling Crimson

[lincolnshirepony 527]

"Oh, the rude one?" Blue Note asked. She didn't know much about Chemm, but Blue Note was quite confident in her character judgments, even when she only had a few instances of behavior.

 

"She's probably trying to make fun of him or something. You know those mean types, they'll take any angle they can get. I'd keep a close eye on her." It seemed that both of them might have less than pleasant ponies to deal with this time around.  

[Inactive01 5,299]

Sterling nodded back at Blue Note. At this point, Blue Note was probably right, even though all it really looked like was just awkward glances from the ponies. 

 

"I'll definitely keep an eye on Chemm. I never really liked Chemm... she's always so mad at me... and I have no idea why..." Sterling looked back at Blue Note with a pondering mind. She was certainly a mean pony, but Sterling always believed that there were reasons for their actions that he had no idea about... Sterling then took out his packet of cabbage salad he made for himself and began to munch on it... He munched on it more slowly, learning from Blue Note how to eat more politely in front of other ponies... He had the urge to eat faster since he was really hungry, but he told himself that he was in no rush, which certainly helped.

[lincolnshirepony 527]

"I don't why anypony does anything. I don't get why Cheesy sat next to me in the front row, of all places, and then tried to talk to me. He even apologized. Like he would actually change." Blue Note was still baffled by this bizarre behavior. "I wish there was a mind reading spell I could perform. That would make life so much easier."

[Inactive01 5,299]

Sterling looked at Blue Note with a confused look. She had mentioned earlier that Cheesy was following her, but that wasn't the twist... It was his apology and his desire to change for the better that really surprised him. Perhaps Cheesy was really sincere with his willingness to change and become a proper gentecolt and friend towards Blue Note. Perhaps it was that Cheesy was faking his apology and trying to deceive Blue Note into another trap... One thing he knew though... trusting somepony required a risk and a vulnerable heart... and it did not seem that Blue Note had such a heart at the moment...

 

"I wish I knew what other ponies were thinking too.. but at the same time... maybe it's best that some thoughts are kept a mystery to us..." Sterling scratched his head before he continued... "Cheesy's actions are certainly strange, but at the same time, there must be a reason for it... Be careful Blue Note, but if he's sincere, I guess give him a chance..." Sterling didn't like Cheesy, but maybe he turned a new leaf... only time would tell he opined...

[lincolnshirepony 527]

"Ha, like he deserves a chance," Blue Note said. "He had a chance, and he completely and utterly blew it." She could still vividly remember that night at the party. He made his character very clear to her then. 

 

"On a lighter subject, one of my classes is roping me into ponysitting for a month. I have to teach an elementary school student how to play a piano piece for my final exam. I'd rather take an exam Adagio wrote."

[Inactive01 5,299]

Sterling chuckled lightly when Blue Note mentioned that she would have to ponysit a student for a month. After hearing that it was linked with piano lessons, Sterling realized that it probably was Dr. Thorrington's doing,

 

"You're taking the class with Dr. Thorrington right? He's really passionate about teaching, and I'm not surprised to hear that he gave such a project for his students! It's going to be tough, but it's not like you have to teach them a really hard piece in a month! Plus, you only have to have piano lessons once a week to check on progress, and since your student's from elementary school, they probably only have the capacity for a half hour lesson each time." Sterling explained to Blue Note, having learned from his own experiences when being taught. 

[lincolnshirepony 527]

"I guess. But what if they don't practice? What if they hate me? I'm not really good with younger ponies either." Blue Note looked down. "Well, at least I have Stick Clicks as a 'study buddy'." She used air quotes for emphasis. "He tried to start talking to me in the middle of class. Thorrington called him out on it, and he just apologized. He's a bit strange." 

[Inactive01 5,299]

Sterling could see that Blue Note had her own concerns to deal with when it came to the piano teaching itself. Sterling calmly reminded her,

 

"Yes there's a lot to consider when you're dealing with younger ponies because they lack discipline. But at the same time, if you can find some way to grow the foal's love for playing the piano, it will do wonders for their practicing." With regards to Stick Clicks, Sterling chuckled awkwardly before continuing... "Stick Clicks... he's a strange one for sure! But he seems nice enough... I guess..." Sterling then noticed that he was stuttering... his mind began to wander as to whether Blue Note's "study buddy" could transfer into something deeper... with his mind leaning towards that direction, Sterling quickly shooed them away in his mind so that he could concentrate again on Blue Note.

[lincolnshirepony 527]

"Yeah, he's definitely not mean or anything. Just overly friendly." Blue Note made a face. She couldn't quite understand how he was so eager to get know her. She could be as self-absorbed as Ruby or as mean as Cheesy. How did he open himself up like that? 

 

"Well, I think we've got quite the semester ahead of us. Ready for round 2 with Adagio tomorrow? Only a semester minus a class to go!"

[Inactive01 5,299]

Sterling chuckled again when Blue Note made a funny face that mimicked Stick Clicks. He certainly was even more eccentric than even he was, and that said something! Sterling then replied again, this time to Blue Note's question about Adagio,

 

"I guess you could say that! Adagio will certainly not be thinking of cutting more ponies off, given that almost all of them already left after Theory I! Still, we've got to be on guard!" Sterling chuckled again before he continued munching on his favourite salad.

[lincolnshirepony 527]

"Always," Blue Note said, laughing with him. "So, looking forward to South Pacific rehearsal? I really need to brush up on singing. I slacked so much over break. You know, I warmed up more to concept of being in a musical, but I think I'll stick with clarinet after this." Singing just wasn't her forte.

[Inactive01 5,299]

Sterling had completely forgotten about the South Pacific rehearsal the past few days. He had practiced through the holidays, but he spent most of his time just relaxing with his piano and doing some medical research. Back to the conversation however, Sterling jumped slightly at the thought of another rehearsal the first week back from holiday. It was ok given the fact his labs didn't start until next week, but it was still a surprise to him...

 

"I think I'll stick with the violin after this as well... Singing's got my voice raspy whenever I finish practicing! I honestly can't wait until this is over... Singing is so hard..." Sterling sighed lightly afterwards. it wasn't a tired sigh, but he couldn't wait to finish this musical production...

[lincolnshirepony 527]

"I hate singing," Blue Note said. "Why did we even agreed to do this? I should have left it to the theater majors..." But not the composition majors, or at least, one particular composition major. She certainly couldn't regret getting to Ruby. But perhaps she could regret the hours of her life poured into learning how to sing and act that could have been spent on something more important to her. This musical had been running her ragged. 

[Inactive01 5,299]

When Blue Note asked why they were doing this in the first place, Sterling just recalled what had happened on the day they were singing to each other just for fun,

 

"Apparently the director had enough belief in us that we were good singers to hand-pick us. At first, I thought it was really exciting to go through this musical as Emile, but the more time goes, the more I realize it's hard to be involved with a show of this magnitude. Singing's a hard thing to do, but I realize that I've been letting off a lot of energy doing it, and that it's helped me sleep better at night. It sounds really strange, but even though it was tough, it's been... relieving." Sterling liked singing, but it was a lot of hard work he realized. At least it wouldn't be long before it  was over... Still, he liked Sweetie Belle and Applebloom... They were the most memorable of the cast, especially after what happened on their last rehearsal before Hearth's Warming... Sure it was annoying at the time, but looking back at it, he thought it was pretty cute...

[lincolnshirepony 527]

"I'm glad you're getting something good out of this. If anything, it's helping keep me up at night. I think about how much I have yet to do and I can't fall asleep. I'm almost thinking that one-upping Ruby wasn't worth the stress. I guess it's been a good experience, but I don't think I'll do it again." Blue Note sighed. She'd thought she had a tough time keeping track of life in Canterlot. "Either way, I guess it'll turn out all right. If Cheesy bothers to learn his lines..."

[Inactive01 5,299]

Sterling chuckled again when Blue Note mentioned Cheesy and his lines. He remembered the director grilling on him for not completely memorizing his lines and how he wanted him to get practicing on his lines and his voice. Sterling then replied, pretending to stutter like Cheesy did and making some funny faces in the process in hopes of making Blue Note laugh some more...

[lincolnshirepony 527]

"Oh, Celestia, that's uncanny," Blue Note said, giggling. "I still don't know why he's in the musical though. He doesn't care, and I don't think his stupid friends would approve. He must have been forced into it like us." She shook her head. What if he tried to talk to her at rehearsal too? She'd definitely be glad when this was all over and she never had to see him again.

[Inactive01 5,299]

Sterling continued laughing when as he completed his Cheesy impression. He then looked around to make sure that Cheesy wasn't around before he took on a more neutral face. He then pondered about Cheesy's progress, realizing that he still didn't give up on the musical yet...

 

"You know, I'm surprised Cheesy's still in the musical! Why hasn't he quit or been kicked out yet? The director must have a lot of faith in him... either that, or he sees something we don't..." 

[lincolnshirepony 527]

"Well, I get the impression that the director really believes in him. I guess that makes it hard for him to get kicked out or quit." Blue Note shrugged. "Whatever his problem, hopefully he leaves us alone." 

 

She paused for a minute. Talking about Cheesy was just depressing. But so was talking about classes. In fact, Blue Note was having trouble finding the positives in her life at the moment...

[Inactive01 5,299]

Sterling noticed the pause and wondered whether they had roamed into a bad subject to end their conversation so abruptly. Sterling then tried hard to think of another topic that they could discuss so that he could lift Blue Note's spirits... 

 

"So Blue Note... how... how was the rest of your Hearth's Warming holiday?" Sterling asked awkwardly, having feared that he said something that put Blue Note in an awkward position...

[lincolnshirepony 527]

"Oh, I mostly just stayed up late at night composing music. I even tried writing a musical number," she said incredulously. "South Pacific must be getting to me. I also got some reading done. I missed reading for fun during the semester." She wrinkled her a nose a bit. "I also worked the main dining hall for the students still stuck here. I wish I didn't have to work... Or that I at least worked somewhere cool."

[Inactive01 5,299]

Sterling gave out a pleasantly surprised look to Blue Note when she mentioned that she tried to compose a musical number. Musicals were supposed to be cheery, and Blue Note was only cheery when she encountered a happy and joyful situation... which didn't happen very frequently. Her disinterest towards the South Pacific production led Sterling to wonder about her seemingly significant change in attitude. Sterling's response reflected his excitement for Blue Note regardless,

 

"Ooh! Can I hear the musical number? What's the premise?" Sterling's wide grin underlined his excitement to hear whatever Blue Note had prepared through the Hearth's Warming holiday...