private Rhapsody in Blue

[Inactive01 5,298]

Chemm, having decided that a seduction now would be far too early, opted to just take the seat to Erlen's right, preventing Sterling from being able to sit beside Erlen for class. After all, Erlen had been sitting at the edge of the seat. When Chemm arrived, she decided... to try and be warm for once, even if it was completely against her nature...

 

"Hey... hey Erlen." Chemm spoke to Erlen with a stutter. This was so awkward for Chemm... she had always been strict and harsh... but she knew this was the way to go to pry him away from Sterling... so she had to give it a go. Erlen in turn however looked at Chemm weirdly and replied awkwardly as well.

 

"Hey Chemm...?" Erlen couldn't quite believe that Chemm was initiating a conversation with Erlen... what exactly was she doing... Erlen could only wonder...

 

-----

 

Sterling had just entered the main lecture hall for bioethics class... he first noticed Chemm and Erlen sitting together, forcing him to rub his eyes as if he was trying to make himself believe that he wasn't seeing things right. Seeing that Erlen and Chemm were trying to converse, Sterling merely trotted towards the other side of the lecture room, not wanting to be near Chemm by any means necessary...

[lincolnshirepony 527]

Cheesy's singing had a lot to be desired in Ruby's opinion, but at least he seemed capable of improvement. A little while with her, and he was already sounding better! Nothing to write home about, but perhaps he wouldn't make a mockery of the theater program. And somehow he managed to learn all the words. 

 

"Not bad," Ruby said. A little praise could make some good motivation. "You'll be fit to share my spotlight if you keep up the hard work." She noticed Cheesy shrink back at the words "hard work". "That's right; music is hard. Put in the work or get out." 

 

"Can't get rid of me that easily." There was that stupid grin again. 

[Inactive01 5,298]

Erlen and Chemm sat together awkwardly, since Erlen could only wonder why Chemm was trying to get Erlen's attention more often... was it because of something that happened to her during Hearth's Warming? It was a possibility given that she also acted strangely towards him when they went over to eat at The Trottington for Hearth's Warming... Given that Chemm was trying to be nice, Erlen thought that he might as well continue the conversation to see what Chemm was really up to...

 

"So... how... how was the rest of your Hearth's Warming holiday?" Erlen asked awkwardly in order to at least be courteous before bioethics class began... 

 

"It... it was good ok?" Chemm responded with a snap. She didn't want to, but it was her gut instinct, given how much she hated the fact that he was Sterling's friend... Erlen was taken aback by her snappiness and opted not to say another word to her, leaving another moment of awkwardness between the two ponies before the bioethics professor, a young and cheery stallion wearing a classy white shirt, completed his preparations for bioethics and began to teach...

[lincolnshirepony 527]

But, it turned out that it wouldn't take very long for Ruby to be rid of Cheesy. He had class at 11, unfortunately, and part of doing better in school was actually showing up. He couldn't afford to cut or be late, so once 10:50 rolled around, he and Ruby parted to go their own ways. 

 

"Keep practicing; I'll know if you're slacking," Ruby said, narrowing her eyes at him. "We'll meet again before next rehearsal." She didn't ask, and Cheesy didn't protest. He felt like he could finally breathe once she walked away.

 

Not for long, though. He had a class to make!

[Inactive01 5,298]

Sterling looked up at Erlen and Chemm as they seemed to be talking... well, it SEEMED that way... Sterling could tell that it was getting really awkward between them, but he couldn't do much else other than prepare for bioethics class and wonder why Chemm was trying to approach Erlen... perhaps he could ask Erlen after class was finished...

 

----

 

Spectro briskly trotted to his analytical chemistry class, when he frantically collided with an orange mare with freckles and glasses... she looked like Applejack, but instead of having her ponytail, she had a brown bobbed style with her hair. Spectro fell to the ground soon afterwards, and was frantically trying to pick up some of his textbooks that he was carrying before they fell too...

[lincolnshirepony 527]

Cheesy walked up the stairs to the second floor of the music building. Double-checking his schedule, he walked into the classroom. He immediately started walking towards the back, but a pony sitting in the front row caught his attention. Then, it clicked. 

 

He could still have have social and get mares, while still getting good grades! He just needed to pick different ponies to surround himself with. Not every high achiever was Ruby, thank Celestia. There were plenty of ponies that could help him out and still be fun to be around. And he had idea who the first lucky pony might be, even though she might take a little work to win over...

 

Sliding in the front row seat next to her, he gave her his signature smile. "Heya, Blue Note."

[Inactive01 5,298]

Spectro got up, while the mare with the glasses quickly trotted back to him and asked meekly,

 

"Hello... are you alright?" Spectro shook his head before he looked up and saw the mare he had bumped into. He quickly replied sheepishly, not wanting to hurt a mare's heart by being mean...

 

"No, no! It's alright! I'm sorry I didn't see you as I bumped into you!" The mare then nodded before she trotted away to her next class... She seemed nice enough to Spectro, and he felt bad for not being able to reassure her that everything was alright... Spectro then slowly turned away and headed towards his analytical chemistry class, since he was almost late...

[lincolnshirepony 527]

On the first day of class, Blue Note had two priorities. First, get there early. Second, sit in the front row. It usually kept her engaged in the class and out of trouble. Not today, apparently. 

 

"You?" Blue Note asked. "Why are you talking to me?"

 

"Well, I thought..." Cheesy started to say. Blue Note would have none of it, though.

 

"Listen," she cut him off. "I don't know what you're playing at, but whatever it is, forget it. I'm not talking to you."

 

"I just wanted to say I'm sorry," Cheesy said quickly.

 

Blessedly, the professor took the front of the room to start class, leaving Blue Note a good 50 minutes to decide what to do about Cheesy.

[Inactive01 5,298]

The class proceeded as fine for the three ponies inside the bioethics. However, All three of them collectively moaned when they heard that they had to work on a bioethics paper and bring an idea for a paper within a week... What a way to start the semester, all of them though in their respective brains... Even Chemm grumbled to herself, a grumble that Erlen could easily hear... 

 

Once the class was finished, Chemm quickly trotted off, leaving Erlen wondering why exactly Chemm trotted over to him to start a conversation in the first place... That was before Sterling trotted up to him with a curious question...

 

"So Erlen... what was Chemm trying to talk about with you?" All Erlen could do was shrug in reply as the two ponies began to trot away towards their respective breaks. It would be the perfect time for the two ponies to catch up before their next class at 11:00 am: Animal Physiology...

[lincolnshirepony 527]

Cheesy hadn't expected to win Blue Note over so easily. He had been a bit... careless in talking to her before. But now she was exactly the kind of pony he wanted to be around. Good grades and good looks, exactly what he wanted! Her attitude was more or less the exact opposite of his, which intrigued him. How exactly did she get by? Then again, he wasn't exactly getting by with his current personality, so maybe he could learn a thing or two. 

[Inactive01 5,298]

Sterling and Erlen were now trotting to their break after bioethics class proceeded without much fanfare. Erlen continued to shrug when Sterling pressed him about Chemm... Erlen then replied with a sigh,

 

"Oh fine Sterling... you see, I went to the Trottington for Hearth's Warming, and Chemm was acting weird towards me then too... She was getting warmer, but I could tell that she wanted to revert to her snappy self... only Celestia would know why she's acting this way... First that, and now this..." His biggest fear was that Sterling was going to laugh at him just before they arrived at the cafeteria, but Sterling didn't... he too was wondering why Chemm was acting strangely towards Erlen of all ponies...

 

"This is odd Erlen... surely there's an explanation... I would think that Chemm at least wants to spend some time with you after being such a good lab partner..." Even though Sterling wanted to be nice, he couldn't help but nudge at Erlen about Chemm since he was teasing him about Blue Note as well... It left Erlen lightly blushing as the two stallions arrived at the cafeteria for some dining room coffee to wake up to before their next class...

[lincolnshirepony 527]

Cheesy's eyes didn't leave Blue Note. Every time she glanced at the next seat over, he quickly looked away to the front. She didn't want him staring at her, no doubt plotting a way to make her life miserable or something. She shifted uncomfortably; she didn't much like anypony staring at her. Perhaps she could talk to the professor after class, and ask to have him moved. Eyeing the door, she realized that she'd have to book it out of there to escape him. 

[Inactive01 5,298]

Sterling and Erlen were now comfortably sitting on the dining room tables that could fit two. They both had a lot to say about Chemm in general. They looked around to see if Chemm was around by any chance, and they were relieved when the coast was clear. Erlen spoke up again after feeling slightly flustered at what Sterling had just said,

 

"Hey... I could always tell the others about the day you spent with Blue Note..." Erlen chuckled lightly. It was now Sterling's turn to feel flustered... 

 

"How did you know?! That was supposed to be just between me and Blue Note..." Sterling blushed in reply, leaving Erlen to begin his brief explanation.

 

"Well, I was up at the upper levels of the dorm where Blue Note stayed, and I saw you escorting Blue Note out of the dorm for your "day" together. You two are so cute..." Sterling was left to blush even more after Erlen had replied with yet another chuckle. The perfect payback, Erlen thought...

[lincolnshirepony 527]

"All right, class dismissed," the professor said. 

 

Blue Note bolted out of her seat, having packed her stuff up during the last minutes of the lecture. Cheesy wasn't far behind however. 

 

"Wait, Blue No-" he started to say. He had to explain himself!

 

"I have work. Not sorry!" Blue Note said, nearly running out of the door. 

 

"But I've changed!" he said. "Give me a second chance!"

 

Blue Note stopped in the hallway, and looked him over. "I don't believe in second chances."

[Inactive01 5,298]

Spectro went through analytical chemistry class without many hitches, but he couldn't help but wonder about the mare he bumped into accidentally. She looked very sweet and shy... did she love video games like him? Was she also above average in smarts? What major was she taking? Spectro couldn't help but wonder about her throughout the class, given that most of the first class was about the syllabus and what the students were going to learn for the semester. 

 

After class ended, Spectro vowed that he would find the mare he bumped into... but first, he had to get to meeting Erlen and Sterling! He had to get around to teasing Sterling about Blue Note again! He definitely missed doing that! He just hoped that they wouldn't find about his intrigue with the mare he bumped into...

[lincolnshirepony 527]

Cheesy couldn't say a word. She... didn't believe in second chances? That was incomprehensible to him; how in the world did she get through life without them? 

 

He thought of the teacher pulling him aside in primary school, giving him one last chance to do the assignment that he skipped. How his cutie mark appeared after he got the A. All the times he got in trouble, but somehow never managed to screw up badly enough. Cheesy thrived on second chances. 

 

For the first time in his life, he questioned if he really deserved them. After all, why should Blue Note talk to him? He had made fun of her at every opportune moment, and did things with the intention of riling her up. And now he still wanted to use her as a means to end, albeit in a different way. With all this to ponder, he couldn't think of a single thing to say to Blue Note.

 

Luckily for him, she had already walked away.

[Inactive01 5,298]

Sterling and Erlen continued to discuss about Chemm... they were shaking and scratching their heads, wondering why she acted the way she did... She was an enigmatic fellow, and both of them knew that... But they didn't want to delve too much into speculation soon afterwards, so they decided to shift topics about the rest of their Hearth's Warming as they began to sip on their coffees...

 

-----

 

Chemm briskly trotted out of the room after her attempt to befriend Erlen. Her snappy attitude had gotten the best of her again, and she scolded herself for it. She knew it was within her nature to do so, since her experiences at Echo Falls and Rocky made her so... She hardened her heart towards stallions and everypony in general, out of fear of being vulnerable to rejection and sadness... She regretted being awkward towards Erlen, realizing that he would probably think of her as weird now and not want to be lab partners for animal physiology... If only she could be more friendly around him...

[lincolnshirepony 527]

Blue Note had never been so glad to be on salad duty. Fetching lettuce and making sure there were enough tomatoes was a simple enough task, and it didn't require interacting with anypony. Her encounter with Cheesy had left her feeling unsettled, and spending another semester with him would be absolutely dreadful. His apology lent itself to small glimmer of hope; perhaps he was sincere enough to figure that out that nothing would give her greater pleasure than being left alone. 

[Inactive01 5,298]

Everything went by smoothly from that point on, and Chemm had left Erlen alone for Animal Physiology. Meanwhile, Sterling was thinking more about his piano lesson with Dr. Thorrington after the class ended. It would be the first time since the holidays that he had a piano lesson with him, and he was looking forward to perfecting Clopin's Scherzo no. 2 in b flat minor! It was a piece filled with tempest and emotional intensity, just the type of piece he loved! Sterling trotted briskly to the music building, realizing that his lesson was to take place just after his Animal Physiology class!

 

When he arrived at the main piano room with the Steinhay and Sons at the centre, he saw Dr. Thorrington inside... His piano teacher waved at him and warmly greeted him,

 

"Hey Sterling! How was your Hearth's Warming?" Sterling smiled back and replied warmly,

 

"It was good for sure! Just had to go through a South Pacific rehearsal just before the holiday started." Dr. Thorrington chuckled about the musical. He was surprised that Sterling could sing ok at a musical... up to now, he only saw Sterling as a proficient pianist and violinist! 

 

"Oh right! South Pacific! You and that blue pony... What's her name? You two seem good for each other, even in Equestria!" Dr. Thorrington replied with a chuckle. 

 

"Her... name? It's Blue Note." Sterling replied sheepishly. It seemed that Dr. Thorrington too was somewhat  aware of a possible relationship between the two ponies. Why couldn't Sterling escape such a reality when it wasn't real... Nobody knew...

Edited August 12, 2014 by Sterling Crimson

[lincolnshirepony 527]

Blue Note had spent all afternoon at work. Rehearsal and personal practice had taken up her most of her evening. She finally had a moment to breathe when she was back in her room. Unfortunately, she would not be getting any time to herself. Pink Heart had beat her back, and wasn't going anywhere.

 

"Hey Blue Note!" she greeted, looking up from her magazine. "Did you have a good day?"

 

"Kind've," Blue Note said, setting her stuff down. "I had a run in with this jerk in one of my classes."

 

"What'd he do?"

 

"He just sat next to me, and stared all class. He tried to apologize to me or something, but I really doubt it's sincere. He had an ulterior motive, I just know it."

[Inactive01 5,298]

Sterling smiled at Sterling when he mentioned Blue Note's name. He heard of her in the music department and how she was going to be in his piano class this semester. He would definitely be able to have a look at her while he taught the class. But for now, Sterling wanted to be taught, and Dr. Thorrington knew that time was short. It was now time for him to teach Sterling. 

 

The piano lesson went rather smoothly. Dr. Thorrington, as usual, was very picky with Sterling, since he knew that Sterling had much potential to become a concert pianist should his plans with medicine not pan out the way he should. Deep down, he was slightly disappointed that Sterling didn't become a concert musician instead, but he could still see just how fitting it was for him to be involved with medicine, especially given his intelligence and attention to detail. 

 

But with music, it was very hard to catch every detail in Clopin's Scherzo, given its length and grandeur. Sterling was struggling to catch on with all the details, even after all the practice he put into the piece. Dr. Thorrington was pleased with the progress he made, but still... the details needed to be there!

 

"Nope! Try that phrase again! I need to hear the bass!"

"Be softer at the middle section! You need to be more delicate!"

"I need to hear all those notes!"

 

Those were just some of the things Dr. Thorrington would say to Sterling throughout the lesson. After all was said and done, Sterling looked fatigued. When Dr. Thorrington noticed, he chuckled.

 

"That's how you practice Sterling! Now remember everything I've said!" Dr. Thorrington responded with his ever usual booming voice. Sterling chuckled awkwardly before giving him a good bye wave... He couldn't wait to see Blue Note at lunch... they wouldn't talk much given her dining room duties, but just seeing her already made his day...

Edited August 12, 2014 by Sterling Crimson

[lincolnshirepony 527]

"Maybe he's really sorry," Pink Heart said. 

 

"No, no way," Blue Note said. "He's not the type. Ponies don't change, you know."

 

Pink Heart shrugged and went back to her magazine. "So did you see Sterling today?"

 

"Yeah, we had music theory together. And he stopped by to see me during work..."

[Inactive01 5,298]

*Flashback*

 

Sterling trotted away to the dining hall, just before Blue Note left for her dorm after her shift was completed. He was delighted to be able to see her for once outside of class today. Out of that conversation, he hoped to see what Blue Note was up for the rest of Hearth's Warming... Noticing that she worked near the counters, Sterling made sure to be "served" by Blue Note.

 

"Hey Blue Note! I was wondering how the rest of your Hearth's Warming went!" Sterling greeted warmly to Blue Note. He wanted to at least do that before he took his order of the day.

[lincolnshirepony 527]

"The holiday was wonderful," Blue Note said, while refilling the carrots. "I spent the week after doing some composing for fun. Celestia knows I won't have time for that any more." She looked down to make sure all the containers were filled.

 

"So, do you want a salad?" she asked. "We just got a new flavor of dressing, and apparently it's the most exciting thing to hit this dining hall in fifteen years." 

[Inactive01 5,298]

Sterling nodded happily when Blue Note mentioned that they had salads available for their dining hall. 

 

"Well I'd like a cabbage salad if you have any of that. Plus, I'd like that new flavor of dressing! Maybe it will taste great with the salad!" Sterling requested with excitement. He couldn't wait to get some cabbage salad going, especially when served by a love interest he still refused to acknowledge...