private Rhapsody in Blue

[Inactive01 5,299]

Chemm responded with a light grunt soon after picking up her plate. Eager to see her out of the door as well, Chemm replied quickly and briefly,

 

"Come with me to the front counter. You can pay there." Chemm and Sterling, having gotten up at the same time, then trotted quickly to the reception where Chemm gave the check to Sterling to pay for their visit. It was 20 bits if you added tax, and given the portions of the meals, it was surely a good deal. Why wasn't this restaurant occupied more often...?

 

Sterling then prepared to take out the 20 bits, but then realized... he only had 15 bits... He still needed 5 more... what was he going to do..?! Sterling looked up to Blue Note with a worried look, hoping that Blue Note had at least 5 more bits to pay for their meal... Plus, Chemm was looking impatient...

[lincolnshirepony 527]

Blue Note entirely missed Sterling's attempt to pay for her meal as she dug out ten of her own bits. "Here's the money for my meal," she said, pushing it towards Chemm. She looked at Sterling's 15 bits obliviously. Was he really going to leave Chemm a 25% tip? That was a lot, even for quality service. 

[Inactive01 5,299]

Sterling inwardly sighed in relief as Blue Note gave her pay for her meal. Sterling was hoping Blue Note only had 5 bits to pay, but it looked like she had enough to pay for her own meal... Sterling felt bad about botching his chance to pay at least part of her meal, so he gave out his 11 bits to Chemm, trying to give her as little tip as possible because of how mean she was to them... Sterling then trotted out of the Trottington, excited to have finally left Chemm's evil gaze as she moved on to the next set of customers.

 

"So... it looks like we'll make it back to the Lincoln in time for their musical sing-along! But we can't be late! Let's get going!" Sterling exclaimed happily soon after remembering the sing along that was set to take place in 15 minutes...

[lincolnshirepony 527]

Blue Note had a great time at the sing-a-long. Broadhay stars performed, show tunes were sung, and the holiday was celebrated. The musical community of Manehatten united under the joys of friendship and unity. She enjoyed the togetherness, and even found herself singing along. The afternoon had been truly spectacular. Now, came the part that made her the most nervous...

Edited July 14, 2014 by lincolnshirepony

[Inactive01 5,299]

Sterling too enjoyed the most wondrous of afternoons, having sung along to all the Equestria-famous tunes with the stars. He was even called up as a "volunteer" to help out with the singing of "Why Can't the Equestrians Speak?" when the actor of Professor Neighgins correctly mentioned Sterling's home address merely based on his voice! Sterling was left stunned, but was then told that the other ponies had already known his address when he signed up... Sterling placed a face hoof after hearing those news upon reaching his seat with Blue Note...

 

Other than that, it was an epic afternoon of singing, and now it was time for Sterling to come home... with Blue Note...

 

"You ready to come over to my place for dinner? I hear my parents have a humble turkey dinner ready for the occasion." Sterling asked sweetly to Blue Note as he left Lincoln Center to meet Red Rocket, who was waiting for them to get on going to Sterling's place...

[lincolnshirepony 527]

"Certainly," Blue Note said. She was a little nervous about making a good impression; it was not something that she'd had much practice with. "That sounds lovely." She walked closely next to Sterling, looking around to see who his parents might be. She was not entirely sure what they looked like; she attempted to picture them, but came up short. She would see what they were like soon enough...

[Inactive01 5,299]

Sterling now entered his own apartment, trotting into the rugged elevator once it came down... They used to live better than this, but recent times were really tough, and Sterling was worried that Blue Note would think poorly of him after meeting his parents. Eventually, Sterling arrived at his place, just wondering what exactly his parents were going to do... Already he could hear quarreling among his parents inside his door... This was not a good start to their Hearth's Warming dinner... Sterling knocked on the door loudly, hoping that his parents would hear and at least be happy while Blue Note was around.

 

Once Sterling knocked on the door, there was an immediate silence before Sterling's dad rushed over to the door and opened it.

 

"Why hey there Sterling! Happy Hearth's Warming!" Front Page spoke first before turning to Blue Note and extending his hoof to her.

 

"And you... must be Blue Note! Pleased to make your acquaintance! I'm Sterling's dad, Front Page! My wife's inside getting the finishing touches ready for our dinner!" Front Page continued, hoping that Blue Note didn't notice the quarrel earlier...

[lincolnshirepony 527]

Blue Note looked down when she heard the voices rising from the door. She was no stranger to arguing, and she knew better than to say anything. She decided to study her surroundings intently instead. Thankfully, she was spared an awkward situation when Front Page warming introduced himself. She extended her hoof to shake his. "It's lovely to meet you," she said. She hoped that she would make a good impression these ponies; it would not behoove her to put her hoof in her mouth and offend them.

[Inactive01 5,299]

Front Page continued to give out a warm smile to Blue Note, hoping that Bubble Gum wouldn't be so argumentative this time around... He recalled all the verbal fighting they had between each other, and on Hearth's Warming Eve to boot. His job as journalist was a tough one, where he and his wife had to travel all across Equestria just to cover baseball games for the Manehattan Manekees. He was used to traveling across Equestria, but he was supposed to cover every road game they placed, which wasn't the conventional norm for workers in any newspaper company. Normally, journalists were supposed to shift, but Front Page was given the brunt of the work and very little salary to boot. That left Bubble Gum really angry...

 

But Front Page didn't want to remember all the sad details about his life in the past year. It led him to regret checking up on his boss over that... Right now, he just wanted to enjoy Hearth's Warming and get to see somepony who could possibly be Sterling's special somepony... Blue Note looked very proper and polite, which was among the first traits he wanted in Sterling's marefriend... Front Page completed a brief mental check on that before continuing his discourse with Blue Note by letting her and Sterling in,

 

"Blue Note, Sterling! Come right in! Dinner's almost ready!" Front Page then continued, "So Blue Note, how did you first meet Sterling anyway? He barely said much because he was so excited about inviting you over! The silly stallion!" Sterling heard the last comment Front uttered and shot back lightly,

 

"Dad! You know I was tired after that concert! Shush!" Sterling could then feel a light blush, while Front Page awaited for Blue Note's response.

[lincolnshirepony 527]

Blue Note wondered how serious Front Page's teasing was. Sterling seemed more embarrassed than upset, so she decided it was the peculiar, yet acceptable family brand of teasing. He also mentioned that Sterling had been excited to invite her over, which made her blush too. 

 

Blue Note thought about how to answer his question. "Well, I yelled at pony at a pony that was picking on him, and we commiserated over our similar lack of social standing. Insta-friends!"

 

"We sat next to each other in music theory. That class was really something, right Sterling?" Might as well deflect the small talk to something boring like school.

[Inactive01 5,299]

Front Page chuckled happily when Blue Note mentioned music theory. Sterling had always loved theory, and it seemed that Blue Note was going into music with that type of class. Front Page then replied with a smile,

 

"Oh, so you love music then?! That's great! Sterling's always wanted to show off his piano and violin capabilities to other music students like you!" Sterling gave out an even deeper blush when Front Page continued to speak happily about Sterling while walking in. Sterling wanted to see his parents having a good time, but he didn't want to see himself get embarrassed in the process! Sterling then tried to shoo his dad away from any sort of embarrassing comments to no avail... And then, his mom, Bubble Gum had to come along with this beaming smile... For a family who was in a lot of trouble, Sterling was surprised at how good they were hiding their issues...

 

"Oh Sterling! Why don't you play some carols for us while I get talking with your friend Blue Note?!" Sterling then directed himself to the piano while Bubble Gum turned to Blue Note with as natural a smile as she could give, even if her mind was wandering on financial troubles after Hearth's Warming...

 

"And you must be Blue Note! I heard you met Sterling at music theory class! How goes it?! I hope Sterling's been a good stallion!" Bubble Gum asked as naturally as she could.

[lincolnshirepony 527]

Blue Note was surprised that Sterling's parents were so friendly. She didn't exactly know how a good parent was supposed to act though. Maybe this was the norm. Sterling seemed okay escaping the inquisition by playing some carols.

 

"Sterling is wonderful," Blue Note said with a smile. "I've been having a lovely holiday." This wasn't so bad; they seemed like perfectly nice, normal ponies. Though she knew as well as anypony that appearances were deceiving, but rocking the boat was not on her agenda for the holiday. Pleasant small talk was fine. 

[Inactive01 5,299]

Sterling's parents smiled, albeit with slight hesitation when she mentioned Sterling being wonderful. It was certainly true, but they still had something on their minds... Sterling blushed again when Blue Note mentioned how wonderful Sterling was... It made Sterling even more excited at the thought of being happy for the holidays, because all his dreams about Blue Note and Hearth's Warming were coming true... well, except for the "I love yous" and the kisses. The silence was about to ruin the moment of happiness, and Sterling wanted to do something quickly to raise the mood. So he suddenly jumped in to the conversation and shouted,

 

"Let's all do a sing-along before dinner!" Sterling jumped up and then rushed over to the piano where he would now play the first carol...

[lincolnshirepony 527]

Blue Note felt apprehensive about a sing-a-long. It was one thing to do in a huge crowd of ponies; it was quite another with just three, particularly two ponies she had never met before today. But Sterling was enthusiastic, and already about to start the first carol. It looked like she would just have to suck up her self-consciousness. If she could do it for South Pacific, she could do it here. 

[Inactive01 5,299]

Sterling's parents too decided to join in, although they pushed themselves away from each other slightly before doing so. They still had their arguments against each other, even if it was Hearth's Warming. They all sang happily, while Sterling sat at the piano to play. The sing-along continued for quite some time as Sterling moved from carol after carol for a whole hour... That was when Sterling began to cough, his voice feeling very dry from all that singing... He had never sung this much in his life... His first thought was whether he'd have lost his voice from all that singing...

[lincolnshirepony 527]

Blue Note had been okay singing quietly at first. She could detect some tension in the room, and decided it was not coincidence that the sing-a-long seemed never-ending. Near the end, she was just awkwardly humming. "Sterling," she paused when she realized how raspy her voice sounded. "Could I have some water?" She privately vowed never to partake in a sing-a-long longer than 15 minutes ever again. 

[Inactive01 5,299]

Sterling eventually stopped playing, having realized how raspy Blue Note's voice was...It was about time to end the sing along anyway. His parents were also looking very tense at the moment too, just when Sterling's voice was fading. He tried to give out a "Yes" as his response, but it was very difficult for him to even do that, when he noticed how raspy his voice was... Sterling merely gave a nod in response, trying his best with his hooves to point Blue Note to the water and grab him some water too...

[lincolnshirepony 527]

"Thanks," Blue Note said. She was unsure about the social conventions of getting water, so she decided to follow Sterling when he appeared to be getting it for himself as well. She was unsure of where to stand or what to say or what to do, so she stood by the water, smiling and feeling unbearably thirsty. Being somepony's guest was more of a novelty than she would have liked to admit. 

[Inactive01 5,299]

Sterling trotted to the kitchen to get some water. When he got it, he poured out some water from the red plastic jug for Blue Note to drink as well. Just as he was about to finish pouring out the water, he noticed the cake inside the oven... It was a medium sized chocolate cake that seemed ready to be taken out of the oven... It smelled delightful and Sterling, still holding both cups of water, became mesmerized at the smell... He trotted towards the oven slowly, as if he was almost hypnotized...

[lincolnshirepony 527]

(Happy 1 year RiB anniversary!  )

 

"Is that chocolate cake?" Blue Note asked, quickly standing next to Sterling. He appeared to be entranced by the dessert, and Blue Note could not blame him; the cake smelled heavenly and looked delicious. "There must be some sort of sweetness enchantment over it."

[Inactive01 5,299]

(Hehe! We need to do something special for our young couple! )

 

Sterling continued to smell it like he was in a trance... He couldn't resist the smell of chocolate cake... At least his parents did that much for him despite all their issues... Sterling loved chocolate cake. It was his favourite flavour, and he could never get enough of the smell... 

 

"Yeah... it smells so delicious..." Sterling spoke pleasingly. He then took another deep sniff as if to enjoy every moment of its smell. Back in the distance, Sterling's parents got a little closer to one another, and Front Page nudged Bubble Gum slightly. She turned to him annoyingly, but Front Page was quick to whisper,

 

"Bubble Gum... I think Sterling found who potentially could be a really cute special somepony... Hehe..." Bubble Gum gave out a light smile before she whispered, albeit slightly annoyed,

 

"I can see that dear... But for now, let's rest our voices before we lose them even further from all that singing..." 

[lincolnshirepony 527]

(I agree wholeheartedly. )

 

Blue Note was vaguely aware of Front Page and Bubble Gum whispering in the background. She couldn't quite make out what they were saying, but perhaps that was for the best. Either way, the chocolate cake was demanding her attention. "I can barely remember what good cake even is after suffering in that dining hall all semester." 

[Inactive01 5,299]

Sterling was at the point of salivation after Blue Note mentioned the taste of the cake in comparison with the dining hall... It looked cooked, and everything looked perfect... Sterling felt so happy that he decided to place his hand towards the oven and open it slowly... 

 

However, Sterling forgot to turn off the oven settings when he opened the oven, and slowly moved his hand towards the plate... It was as if he was in a near hypnotic state, having completely forgotten to put on some gloves! Not even Sterling's parents took note as they gave each other more grunts and began to prepare themselves for dinner!

[lincolnshirepony 527]

"Sterling! What are you doing?" Blue Note asked. It looked like he was about to grab a hot cake straight out of the oven. "You're going to burn to yourself." Was there some sort of enchantment over the cake? He was so transfixed by it; Blue Note could not help but wonder. 

 

(

Here's a doodle in honor of today!)

[Inactive01 5,299]

Sterling was just about to extend his hoof into the oven to take the cake when Blue Note suddenly shouted out. Sterling's parents jumped at her shout and quickly rushed to the kitchen as well, wondering what was wrong. Sterling jumped out of the oven, as if some sort of spider jumped at his face and attacked him! Sterling landed back first to the wall before thudding the back of his head as well. Once he did so, Sterling rubbed his back in pain, wondering what exactly happened to him to undergo such pain on his back...

 

Sterling's parents merely shook their heads uttering "Tsk, tsk, tsk" on their faces before they gave out a light giggle. Sterling was often like this when he was younger, and it gave them both good memories of their past... But when Sterling shook his head, their parents lightly grunted at each other before Bubble Gum went up to Sterling to rub on his back to alleviate the pain...