private Rhapsody in Blue

[Inactive01 5,299]

Sterling saw the look of desperation and sadness in her eyes. He felt it just as much as her. The mountain of homework and testing to do was immense. And this was only first year. Sterling couldn't help but imagine all the work he had to deal with in his future years... and his internships. They would certainly pull him to the brink! Sterling gave out a deep sigh after thinking about his future. What was the point of all this work anyway? He wasn't sure whether ponies would care enough about him to actually give him a lending hand. He wasn't sure whether he'd still be in Manehattan after completing his studies. Most importantly, he had to be the best in everything to get a spot for residency. 

 

All these feelings welled up in him as he placed his head onto the music theory pile that lay before him. If only he could just absorb the information without even trying... Just by lying his head on top of the music theory notes... 

[lincolnshirepony 527]

"Does this seem hopeless to you?" Blue Note asked. "We're going to be doing this for hours. And knowing Adagio, he could give us an exam completely unrelated to any of this." Blue Note let out a breath. She realized that her hooves were shaking. "I can't tell if it's the coffee or anxiety," she quipped. 

 

Blue Note knew that she just had to buckle down and complete her work, but she worried that it was too much. There wasn't anything that she could bear to let slide, and there were few things she could afford to. She had to work, end of story. Academic success would open doors for her, not to mention her scholarship had a strict GPA requirement. South Pacific technically had nothing to do with anything important to her goals; it was a matter of pride, one of her weaknesses.

[Inactive01 5,299]

Sterling put his head back up towards Blue Note when she asked about the hopelessness of their work. 

 

"If it wasn't hopeless, then I wouldn't be placing my head down on my work like this..." Sterling gave out a deep sigh. He didn't want to add to the hopelessness, but he too had his own issues. His parents weren't being as comforting as they used to be, he had a huge mountain of homework and exams left to worry about. And to top it off, he still had South Pacific to worry about. He just liked musicals, but he never would have guessed that he would be starring in the show... And he definitely never guessed how much work it would take to be Emile in South Pacific... All this, while he had to maintain a high GPA to get a chance at residency...

 

"Well, even with all this work..." Sterling sighed before continuing, "We still have to get all this work done somehow. I guess we can start by doing our own works first before we get to the music theory?" Sterling questioned afterwards. He felt that getting to their own homework, like his lab, would be really important before getting to the music theory material. Sterling then took out his lab notebook, beginning to write up an outline of his biochemistry report...

[lincolnshirepony 527]

Blue Note looked down at the music theory packet. "I think I need to start this now, otherwise I might never finish it." There was still plenty of studying to contend with, but music theory was her biggest worry at the moment. She started scribbling down answers as she slowly worked through them. "I guess I should have expected this; I didn't think college would be a walk in the park, but I didn't know it could be this miserable."

Edited May 10, 2014 by lincolnshirepony

[Inactive01 5,299]

Sterling kept working away at his lab work, hoping to get as much of it done as possible. That was all while Blue Note was beginning to go through her music theory. He didn't want to disturb her right now, so he kept quiet and continued to write away at his outline with his data close by and on the table. He was so busy with his work, that he didn't even notice Blue Note retorting at the misery of university life in general. He just kept writing away at the outline and hoped to begin typing his report on the typewriter that very night...

 

------

Rocky walked away from the coffee emporium with a sad face. He knew that relationships were strange things, but he never expected to have little time at all to be with Chemm. It just made him all the more suspicious that Chemm was out with other ponies. After all, she was popular... but she liked muscular guys like him! He loved working out to have a healthy body, and he loved sports! Wasn't that supposed to be the formula for nice mares?! He took out a sigh. Chemm was a lot stranger a mare than he ever expected... if only there was a way to know for sure if she was cheating on him...

Edited May 10, 2014 by Sterling Crimson

[lincolnshirepony 527]

Blue Note set her feelings aside and began slowly working through the assignment. She became absorbed in the work she was doing and found herself immersed in the material. Music Theory wasn't easy, but she was starting to get a handle on it. Minutes flew by as she continued working across from Sterling. She hadn't realized how much later it had become as she checked the clock to start a new page. 

 

"Wow, I think I'm going to need a second coffee if I want to keep this up. Do you want anything, Sterling?"

[Inactive01 5,299]

Sterling was absorbed in his lab work. He continued to write his outline, answering all the questions that were asked of him. He only took a brief moment to look up to Blue Note after she asked about Sterling. Giving off a weak smile, he replied,

 

"Oh sure. You can get me an espresso if you don't mind." Sterling then got back to his lab work... He just wanted to to get this last bit about the conclusion done before he took his short break...

[lincolnshirepony 527]

Blue Note nodded. She moved lethargically to the counter to place their order. The barista had to call her name three times before she realized that her coffees were ready. 

 

She went back to their table and plopped the two coffees down. "I've never been this tired in my life. At least I've gotten something accomplished, though it looks like I still have a ways to go. How are you holding up?"

[Inactive01 5,299]

Sterling looked up after he had finally finished the outline for his lab report. He gave a nod and a weak smile to Blue Note before replying,

 

"I just finished the outline to my lab report. Good progress indeed compared to what I'd get done at home." Sterling then noticed that Blue Note had placed two coffees on the table. Sterling extended his hoof towards the coffees, but while doing so, he accidentally bumped it on Blue Note's hoof. He blushed lightly after noticing this, and quickly moved the coffee towards him, hoping that Blue Note didn't notice.

[lincolnshirepony 527]

"Yeah, I'd never get anything done in my dorm room," she said. Sterling accidentally touched her hoof while reaching for his coffee. Blue Note quickly looked down a moment, feeling her cheeks grow warm. Her mind briefly flickered to the possibility of Sterling not moving his hoof away, but he dismissed the thought. She couldn't afford to have a crush on him; she would not screw this relationship up.

 

She pushed forward with normal conversation. "You want to take a little break? I need to give the caffeine some time to work its magic."

[Inactive01 5,299]

(Wanna chat on Gmail?)

 

Sterling placed his hoof back down with his coffee, excited that he was done his lab report outline. Now all he had to do was type up the report later tonight and then focus on his final exams. He then heard Blue Note ask him whether he wanted to break. Break... the term was certainly very welcoming, especially at this stage of his work.

 

"Since I'm done my lab outline, I'd be happy to have a break or two at this stage! We'll need it if we want to study music theory!" Sterling replied, giving a playful shiver at the class. Music theory was inherently easy for him, but Professor Adagio... he made everything difficult. Dr. Thorrington was sympathetic of Sterling during their piano lessons, and he helped with some of the theory, but with Adagio, things were still difficult...

[lincolnshirepony 527]

"Oh Celestia, don't remind me. That class will be the death of me. I really hope I never have to take Adagio again, though I have a feeling that I haven't seen the last of him." Blue Note shook her head. "I guess I'll find out when we register for classes." The thought of being done with her current set of classes comforted her, though she had her doubts that new classes would be any better. "Speaking of which, do you want to try to get into the same section of Theory II?"

[Inactive01 5,299]

Sterling chuckled at Blue Note's reaction to Professor Adagio. She's always cute when she does that, Sterling thought... but he quickly pushed the thought away, seeing that he didn't want to worry about her feelings at the busiest time of year. 

 

"Oh sure we can get into Theory II together. But it'll be my last music course to take in my time here because I have to focus my courses on medicine." Sterling replied. After saying that last sentence, he couldn't help but sigh. What if he never saw Blue Note again after that class? How would they remain friends... She was his best friend at present, and it would be hard to meet up after completing Theory II... He then drank his coffee in an attempt to hide his sigh away...

[lincolnshirepony 527]

"Aw, that's too bad," Blue Note said. Sterling seemed downcast at the thought of stopping music classes. "I'm sure you'll love those medicine class though. And if not, It's not too late to switch to a music major; though the Celestia knows why anypony would want to study that." Being a music major was proving a great challenge; there was a lot to balance. Sometimes she wondered if it was worth it, but when it came down to it, there was nothing she would rather be doing. She imagined Sterling felt the same way about his difficult science classes for med school. 

[Inactive01 5,299]

Sterling giggled when Blue Note mentioned the idea of switching to a music major. That he considered for some time, but he also recalled that his cutie mark reflected his love of medicine too. It was telling him to balance music and medicine together, perhaps allowing him to be involved with musical therapy. Who knows? He surely didn't. 

 

"Yes I'd love those medicine classes. Eventually though, I'll be in internships where I get to shadow a doctor at a clinic or a hospital and be involved with their work to a certain capacity. It's a great way for me to gain residency after I graduate from here!" Sterling gave out a gleeful smile at the thought of residency. Once he got it, he could complete that and then start his very own clinic and get his life going, or he could finally be hired at a job in the hospital! The possibilities were endless once he got the residency! 

 

But he had to get the grades... and that was what drove him to continue onward with his work, despite the difficulties that lay... plus, he didn't have to face them alone...

[lincolnshirepony 527]

Seeing Sterling's smile as he talked about his future plans took Blue Note out of the present, where exams were looming and stress was at an all time high. Instead, she could see a bigger picture. She had gained so much musical experience already; who could tell how much better she would be by the time she graduated? One day, she could be composing major works for orchestra or band or clarinet ensemble or anything she wanted. This semester was a stepping stone to that point. 

 

"That's so exciting! Much more exciting than what we're doing now, but I suppose it's important to know." She wasn't exactly happy that she had to struggle through music theory, but it was getting her one step closer to her dream. 

[Inactive01 5,299]

With that note in mind, Sterling placed himself back into a better mood as he drank the rest of his coffee. He loved the coffees at Manehattan's coffee emporium. They simply made the best coffees in all the land, and Sterling couldn't resist its taste. Really though, it wasn't the coffee that cheered him. It was Blue Note and Sterling's inner determination... 

 

"Well Blue Note, would you like to get started on music theory in that note then?" Sterling spoke more giddily, excited at not only knowing the material for the final, but to also get to study with his best friend in Blue Note...

[lincolnshirepony 527]

Blue Note took a large gulp of her coffee before answering him. "Let's do this," she said, feeling in slightly better spirits. "I'd love to get an A on this final." She was on the brink of an A in the class, by some divine miracle. She wanted her first semester's grades to be strong, because school wasn't getting any easier from here. 

 

"So where should we start from?" she asked, flipping through the study guide. "I've finished the first five pages so far."

[Inactive01 5,299]

"I haven't been able to start much, but I already know most of the basic material. I guess I'm in the same page as you in that regard." Sterling replied warmly. He was happy that he somehow felt a renewed sense of confidence in himself now. It always seemed to come after being with Blue Note. Surely they should meet more often, even if they didn't share classes. Sterling put his lab materials away and then took out his music theory review sheet... So much to learn in so little time, but as the motivators often say it, "BRING IT ON."

[lincolnshirepony 527]

The night went by quickly, as the renewal in their spirits helped push them through the difficulties of studying. Eventually, it got to be so late, they decided to call it quits. Blue Note had a sense of accomplishment at the end of the evening. Together, they had been able to cover a lot. Adagio might make his course stupidly challenging, but she and Sterling were a force to be reckoned with. 

 

Throughout the week, Blue Note studied with Sterling when she could. Both of their lives were hectic, with classes and finals and rehearsals and everything else under the sun. But the busyness seemed to make the time go by quickly. Before Blue Note even knew it, it was Thursday evening and she found herself walking to the auditorium, decked out in concert attire. It was her first collegiate performance, and she was determined to excel, despite being incredibly nervous. Ponies milled all around her, setting their instruments once she entered the auditorium. She did the same, and took her seat for dress rehearsal. As she warmed-up, her mind wandered to all the important ponies in the audience tonight. There was no telling how many musical ponies would show up. Composers, conductors, musicians from Manehatten and who knew where else would be listening. 

 

Sterling would also be there. She had at least one supporter in the audience, which was some kind of record for her. She hoped he would like the program; his opinion was very valuable to her. More importantly, she hoped he would like her playing. He was always supportive, and that thought gave her great comfort as her director started the band in warm-ups. She was ready.

[Inactive01 5,299]

It was a frantic week. Sterling got all his lab work and finally managed to crunch out some studying for his biology and music theory courses. He was amazed at all the progress he made his work, despite the fact he had two concerts to get ready for, one which he was going to watch tonight... He walked into the auditorium, surprised that the turnout was large. He could see around 100 ponies in the auditorium, a new record for a music concert. He'd normally see fewer from the testimonies he overheard from the rest of the orchestra. 

 

Sterling wanted to get a first hoof view of Blue Note, the only pony he knew among the players. He frantically sat the front row of the auditorium, not even caring if the first few rows were empty. He saw the curtain finally lift just as he sat down... This was it. The first of hopefully many concerts that Sterling was going watch featuring Blue Note... and it was about to begin. Hopefully Blue Note had a solo to perform, because he wanted to see her clarinet playing shine... He smiled gleefully at the thought as he finally got a first glimpse of Blue Note.

[lincolnshirepony 527]

Blue Note's anxiety was growing as the moment when the curtain would be pulled back grew closer. She was comforted in the fact that she probably wouldn't be very visible to the audience. Her black dress was standard concert attire, and it certainly wouldn't attract any extra attention towards her. Her anxious thoughts were quickly pushed away when it became time for the band to tune. The conductor began to start the piece and the curtain went up...

 

[Inactive01 5,299]

The performers were finally ready to perform... Sterling couldn't contain his excitement anymore... He clapped happily when the players were just about the lift. The other members of the audience looked at him angrily, leaving Sterling to realize that it wasn't the right time to clap... He didn't normally make these mistakes, but seeing Blue Note getting ready to play the clarinet made him very excited. And the fact she looked so nice on her black concert dress... it looked like it glittered to him, despite it being a standard dress.

 

When the Wind Ensemble began to play, Sterling stood there, his eyes fixated particularly on Blue Note and how impressive she looked as she played the fast-tongued notes. She looked so amazing to him... the piece itself was amazing, but with Sterling, it felt like she was the one who kept the whole piece together. He'd never heard of the piece, but the piece sounded like a great way to open the concert...

 

Before he knew it, the first piece had ended as fast as it started. Sterling happily clapped with his hooves as a sign of appreciated, excited at the next piece they were going to play...

[lincolnshirepony 527]

Blue Note was satisfied with her performance on the first piece. The applause from the audience washed over the ensemble, and she realized that she had never heard so many people applaud one of her performances. A smile forced its way onto her lips in the interim between the two pieces. The applause died down, and Blue Note switched her sheet music to the next piece. 

 

[Inactive01 5,299]

(Wanna chat on Gmail?)

Sterling listened to the next piece with excitement. After the roaring overture, he couldn't wait for more, giving off a gleeful smile after the applause died down. The next piece sounded like he was inside a frozen ice palace... He imagined himself in Hoofs Andersen's story, "the Ice Queen". He didn't recall too much about the story, but he knew that it involved a large ice palace! He watched carefully at the performers, imagining glistening ice crystals that formed ever so neatly to form the palace's peaks. He imagined a world of cold and wind as he trudged along the snow... 

 

The piece had ended as soon as it began, and he could hear the orchestra coming to a resounding end. Once they finished playing, Sterling gave out another loud and long clap to express his appreciation. He liked the piece and he loved being inside that ice palace... What else would Blue Note and her orchestra bring to the audience? Only they knew... only they knew...