The Snow on Her Cheek

Chapter Sixteen

It's Nice to Go Trav'ling

***

"Arriving in Manehattan in five minutes!"

Octavia's eyes shot wide open, the sound penetrating her ears. Not being used to being woken up so abruptly and loudly, she grunted and blinked a few times before she could finally get a grip at what was happening. Five minutes... I need to wake Vinyl...

"Wake up,  sleepy-head~" Octavia murmured into the white pony's ear, leaning over her.

The pianist responded with indistinct mumbling and rolled over. I wonder how the hay did she find space to roll over?! Octavia thought, rather impressed by her marefriend's ability to do anything just for a few minutes of sleep.

"Vinyl~" the cellist cooed, kissing her mare on the neck and nibbling on her ear slightly.

"If you want sex, Tavi, I'm free on Friday," Vinyl mumbled and tried to cover her ears. "Ouch! What was that for?!" she yelped, waking up at once, upon receiving a well-placed blow upside down her head.

"You very well know it." Octavia huffed but, seeing her mare's disgrunted face, softened her expression. "Besides, I needed to wake you up somehow," she explained, stroking Vinyl's mane. The white mare pouted and looked away. I guess that wasn't enough... "I also want you any day, and not just Fridays..." she whispered into Vinyl's ear, which immediately turned red, as well as the rest of her face.

"I'll take that as a 'sorry'," the unicorn said, grinning, back to her cheerful self.

"Manehattan!" a voice echoed from the corridor.

"Vinyl, come!" Octavia exclaimed, grabbing their possessions, while the white mare grabbed the tube with the precious ointment, and trotted towards the door. What would I do without it? Vinyl thought, following her mare, looking at the cure, the cure that could really ease her pain, or, at least, make it slightly more bearable. Or without her... She eyed her marefriend with a grateful look, and a smile found its way to her face. They were together. They were accepted. Things were looking up.

***

The two mares walked down the dark street, whose sombre unwelcomness was only punctuated by the dim light of street lamps. The contrast between the brightly lit city of Chicoltgo and the shadowy comatose sleep of Manehattan was enough to make them silent, each mare thinking about why the world had to be so strange, and so complicated.

Vinyl looked at her cellist, who was looking down, as if she were carefully inspecting her hooves, her face fading away, its corners accentuated by the falling snow, which looked like a thousand of tiny fireflies in the rare light.

"Hey, Tavi, brighten up," she whispered as she brushed her tail against Octavia's rear, moving closer to the grey mare.

The cellist smiled and pecked Vinyl on the cheek. "That's all right, Vinyl." She sighed and averted her gaze. "I was just lost in thought."

"Things are gonna work out, Tavi," Vinyl said with determination in her voice. "It's all gonna work out, I know it."

"I know, Vinyl. I believe." Octavia smiled and hugged her marefriend, bathing in the warmth of her body, which now, it seemed to her, managed to warm up her sould as well.

"Filly-foolers! Filly-foolers!" a loud voice suddenly interrupted their embrace, making the two ponies turn round abruptly.

Behind them, an old brown unicorn was yelling at the top of his lungs, pointing his hoof towards the two musical ponies, his grey mane disheveled, his eyes rolling around.

"Filly-foolers, colt-cuddlers!" he kept on shouting, shaking terribly. "The end is near! The wrath of the Goddesses will end you!"

Vinyl pushed Octavia slightly, diverting her attention from the strange pony. "Come on, Tavi. He's clearly insane. Besides, there's nopony around but him." She followed her own advice and started advancing forward. "Nopony's gonna report us to the police. He's crazy."

The cellist nodded, turning her head and following her mare on their way home. I hope so...

The feeling of welcomeness and acceptance was gone. They were once more in the enemy's territory, the territory, which, for some cruel and ironic reason, was also their home.

The shouting followed them as they trotted side by side, its grave message caught up in the chilly evening wind.

***

"Come on, Tavi, gimme a smile!" Vinyl pleaded, eyeing her marefriend from across the table, having already finished her breakfast. "You haven't slept well?"

Octavia tried to manage a weak smile but it came out so fake that Vinyl's face faded the next instant. "I'm all right, love," she tried to assure her pianist, despite not being sure herself. "I'm just thinking about that pony, the brown one-"

"No." Vinyl cut her off abruptly, waving a hoof before her mare's muzzle. "No, you don't. You don't think about such ludic- ludicr- stupid things," she concluded, content that the grey mare chuckled at her inability to form words that have more than two syllables. I'm not stupid, the unicorn assured herself. Just... not very erudite. "He isn't worth thinking about," she added. "I bet he wasn't even pointing at us; just some random psycho running round and about." She held a short pause and carried on carefully, "I know, Tavi. I've seen many of those... back then. He's insane. Nopony's gonna find out about us." Unless we want it, she added mentally. Wait... Vinyl, since when are you into bucking suicide?!

"Well..." Octavia let out a little chuckle, and a genuine one at it; she was calmed by her mare's words, and, moreover, she had some more important things to consider. "I guess you're right," the cellist admitted.

"Pfft! Of course I'm right, filly!" Vinyl grinned and leaned back, her hooves propping the back of her head like a pillow. "I'm the definition of righteousness!"

"You're missing the point, Vinyl. Righteousness is-" Octavia started to correct her marefriend but then stopped, a sudden thought coming into her head. Hay, she is right. She is righteous. How have I never noticed it? she thought, staring at the beaming pianist, looking at her from a new perspective. She is righteous, even if she doesn't know what it is! "-is what you stand for, love," she finished with a warm smile.

Something's off, isn't it? Vinyl mused at the sudden change in her mare's attitude. Well, anything to make Tavi feel better!

"Now, Vinyl, about other matters..." the cellist began and, upon seeing Vinyl grin and wiggle her brow, facehoofed immediately. "It is not about sex, Vinyl."

"Aaaaw..." Vinyl pouted and made a puppy face.

The grey mare sighed and let out a chuckle. Why can't I resist her? she asked herself, already knowing the answer. "Well, not yet." Octavia winked at the suddenly brightened Vinyl, but still tried to keep a serious face, which was a definite must for the topic she was about to touch upon.

"We need to start your treatment as soon as possible, love," Octavia said softly, taking notice of the painful expression that had struck the unicorn's face. "I know that you don't want to do it, but we have no other choice," she continued with a growing firmness in her voice. "Seeing as it's Sunday, I suggest we go to the clinic tomorrow."

Vinyl frowned and shook her head. "I know... I know you're right, Tavi, but I..." She looked up and met the cellist's gaze, her eyes sad and teary. "I'm so afraid..."

Octavia moved closer to her marefriend and hugged her, stroking her mane in soft, prolonged movements. "Shh, love. I know. I know you're scared. But I will be with you all the time," she promised with a smile. ...And walk headlong into being accused of filly-fooling... her brain inconveniently supplied. "Well, at least all day long." She winked at Vinyl and whispered into her ear, "And who knows? Maybe I can bribe the nurse not to notice my staying overnight?.."

Vinyl's mood skyrocketed at the prospect of some fun time. It actually seems better than I have thought... she mused with a grin. "Why do you always persuade me, Tavi?" she asked with a playful nudge.

Octavia laughed and replied with the same gesture. "Because you love me, that's why."

"Oooh..." Vinyl rubbed her chin, pretending to be lost in thought. "That's why! I thought it was because you have some super-pony powers of something."

"Shush, you." Octavia leaned in and kissed her pianist on the lips, trying to make the best of the moment. She was afraid as well. But she needed to be strong; she needed to support Vinyl. As they broke the kiss, she whispered, "So... What does my favourite pianist want to do today?" She began stroking the unicorn's chest lovingly, a sly grin on her face.

"Hmm... I really don't know what George is up to today..." Vinyl replied, grinning from ear to ear. Ha! Good one, filly! she congratulated herself.

"Har har har," the cellist said, mocking laughter, yet unable to hold a genuine chuckle.

"Yes, I'm awesome, I know that." Vinyl leaned back so that Octavia's head slid onto her chest, and began playing with the cellist's beautiful black mane. But not as awesome as you, Tavi... she thought to herself, though, knowing better than to voice this conclusion.

Octavia murmured something indistinct, lost in the feeling of the wonderful nearness of the most beautiful and caring mare in the world. The two mares half-sat, half-lay in silence by the table, the remnants of their breakfast getting cold. Not that they had a care in the world.

"Hey, Tavi?" Vinyl pecked Octavia on the forehead, partly to bring her back to Equestria, partly because she simply wanted to.

"Mmhm?" the cellist replied, her eyes still closed.

"Promise me..." Vinyl gulped, making Octavia forget about her snooze and open her eyes. "That if I overcome all of this... we'll play a certain song together." She smiled. "Your cello will have been repaired by that time."

Octavia smiled as well, directing a loving glance towards her marefriend. "When you overcome all of this, Vinyl. When we overcome all of this." She buried her muzzle into Vinyl's fur. "With pleasure." She pondered for a moment. "Do you have a particular song in mind?"

"Yep."

"Care to tell?"

"Nope." Vinyl smiled and dragged Octavia closer. "It'll be a surprise."

"All right." The grey mare chuckled and closed her eyes, happy to finally be home; although... she had never left home, to begin with.

Because Manehattan wasn't home.

Chicoltgo wasn't home either.

Home was where Vinyl was.

And while it's nice to go travelling, it's oh so nicer to come home.