The Snow on Her Cheek

Chapter Seventeen

You'll Never Walk Alone

***

"Vinyl, come on!"

"Octy, I'd rather stay here..." the unicorn mumbled, backing down from the front door of the clinic.

Octavia frowned. "Octy? Again? No, don't tell me!" she shouted just as Vinyl's face lit with a broad grin and she opened her mouth, eager to remind why exactly the cellist had the honour to be called 'Octy' today. Naughty naughty naughty~ Vinyl's voice echoed in the grey mare's head and she blinked, wondering if the pianist was some kind of powerful magician, able to transmit her thoughts to other ponies. Oh, wait, it's Vinyl I'm thinking about. She chuckled. Vinyl? A powerful magician? Octavia laughed, covering her mouth with a hoof.

"Thinking of last night, huh?" Vinyl enquired, grinning, and Octavia could swear she saw the fires of laughter in the red eyes, even though they were concealed by goggles. "I have to give you credit, though - you were amazing!" Vinyl winked at her marefriend, who blushed and facehoofed.

"Vinyl, stop distracting me!" Octavia exlaimed in a scolding tone, trying to push her mare towards the door.

"Hey, you weren't so concerned about being disracted last night!" Vinyl retorted, laughing, but obeyed her cellist's order and approached the door, enveloping the knob in magical energy. Come on, Vinyl... It's easy. Just open the door.

Suddenly, she felt her telekinetic grip weakening as a particuar grey hoof was placed on the knob, turning it. Vinyl looked at her marefriend, who wore a warm smile.

Octavia nodded. "Don't worry. I'm here with you."

Vinyl nodded and went through the door. All right, nothing scary here. Just a room... a reception table... some potted plants... Yep, nothing scary! she assured herself as she followed Octavia up to the reception table. To the grey pony's delight, the mare at the table was the same kind yellow pony that she'd met when she first came here.

"Good morning, miss Octavia!" the mare greeted them, smiling warmly. "And this must be..." She checked the paper. "Miss Vinyl Scratch, if I am not mistaken?"

"The one and only!" Vinyl exclaimed, trying to hide her anxiety behind the wall of boasting mockery.

The yellow pony giggled. "I guess you've come to begin your treatment?" she wondered, not emphasising the uneasy word, speaking warmly, but professionately.

The mares nodded, Octavia's expression resolute, Vinyl's nervous. The pianist shifted from hoof to hoof.

"So." The medical pony's face turned serious in an instant as she began to explain the course of the treatment. "To begin with, we will perform a short examination to see how bad your addiction is." She looked at Vinyl, who nodded, fear crawling into her head, making her heart beat faster. "Then, we will cleanse your body of the chemicals. It is an unpleasant process, but it shouldn't take long." Oh, at least it will be over soon, Vinyl thought with some sign of relief. "But to cure the psychological repercussions, we advise you to stay in hospital for a few weeks. It will be the hardest part," she concluded, eyeing the mares, whose faces faded at the mentioning of such a long time no see.

She smiled and giggled. "Of course, we will let you go home for a while in a few days." Seeing the musical ponies' dumbfounded expressions, she explained, "It'll be Hearth's Warming Eve, after all."

"Hearth's Warming Eve?!" Vinyl and Octavia exclaimed in unison.

How could I forget about it? the cellist asked herself, while the pianist thought nearly the same, although with a heavy interlaying of colourful swears. Although... Octavia chuckled. With Vinyl by my side, it's easy to forget practically everything. She cast a loving glance at her marefriend, albeit a short one, not to be noticed by anypony but the white mare. Fortunately, the unicorn managed to return it just as successfully.

"I thought you would like to spend it together," the yellow mare said with a broad smile.

"What are you implying?" Octavia asked, rather sternly. Oh no, she doesn't know... She can't know! Please...

"Well, since you are good friends, from what I gather..." the medical pony replied, not missing a beat.

Vinyl let out a sigh of relief, way too loud to her liking. "Yeah... That's right." She chuckled sheepishly. You are a master of conspiration, Vinyl. A freaking master. A damn expert in the art of conspiration.

While Vinyl mentally degraded herself, Octavia regained her composure. She put on a smile and nodded at the yellow mare.

'Sure, that would be lovely." She squeezed the pianist's hoof, bringing her back to reality. "Now, about Vinyl's treatment..."

"Oh, sure!" the medical pony exlaimed, leaving her place behind the reception table, levitating the papers. "Follow me, please."

With that, the yellow unicorn led the two mares along the wide brighty-lit corridor, warmly-painted doors  with two-digit numbers at its sides. Vinyl noticed, not without relief, that the lighting was far from what she had expected from a hospital. It wasn't blindingly-white, but instead a soothing light yellow, with a hint of green and purple. She considered magic as the primary source of such illumination. Well, maybe it's so smooth 'cause it's not really a hospital, she mused. It's a clinic, after all.

"Here's your very private ward~" the medical pony cooed, opening the door with the number 42 on it.

Vinyl took a peek inside. She saw a simple room, poorly furnished with a single wardrobe and a made bed, red curtains preventing sunshine from disrupting the peaceful atmosphere. Well, I could spend a couple of weeks here... the pianist mused as she eyed the ward, Octavia doing the same.

"I'll leave you two alone," the yellow mare said, and, upon seeing the mare's quizzical (and a little terrified) expressions, quickly added, "To unpack your possessions, I mean."

"Oh, possessions. Right." The cellist chuckled and blamed her marefriend's coat for being white, for shades of reddish pink had already found their way there.

When the medical pony left, both mares let out sighs of relief and giggled, looking at each other.

"All right, let's get down to business," Octavia said, opening her saddlebags. If I put the shades and her mug on the table, and a couple of scarves in the wardrobe...

Meanwhile, Vinyl was having a hard time deciding whether to make fun of her marefriend or not. And, as usual, the former option achieved victory in the battle for dominance.

"Wow, right here?" Vinyl asked in fake astonishment, making Octavia turn round. "You are such a bold mare, suggesting we have se-"

Alas, the pianist didn't manage to finish her tirade, for the grey hoof struck her directly in the jaw. Ouch.

"Ow, I see you're all into S and M, Octy?" Vinyl teased, rubbing her chin thoughtfully.

"Nothing prevents me from hitting you again," Octavia replied in a warning voice. How could she think about... Well, it's not that... I mean, sure, we could... Argh, Vinyl!!

"I'm gonna call the nurse!" Vinyl exclaimed, pointing her hoof at Octavia. "I'll say that this bad pony hit me!"

"Oh, in that case..." Octavia walked past Vinyl, a sly grin on her face. Her tail slapped Vinyl's flank playfully. "..,this will be off your limits for at least a week~" she cooed, moving towards the wardrobe.

Vinyl's face turned a deep shade of red, and she decided it for the best to assist her mare in arranging stuff.

After they had placed everything as Octavia had planned, the two ponies sat on the bed, the soft matress sending a pleasant shiver up their spines.

The moment was perfect, and Vinyl simply couldn't miss it. She leaned in and placed a kiss on the cellist's lips, a breezy one, lest the nurse come and see them, but a delightful one nevertheless.

Octavia's cheeks turned slightly red as they broke the kiss, and she lay her head atop Vinyl's shoulder, though, paying attention to the closed door. Vinyl... I just don't know how I will sleep alone tonight... she thought with a hint of sadness.

I guess that's it, Vinyl mused, taking a look around. Several nights without Tavi by my side... I wonder if I will manage?

"Say, Tavi, why didn't you bring the horn ointment?" the pianist wondered, not changing her position in the slightest.

Octavia sighed. "They do not accept any foreign cures."

"Foreign? I thought it's Equestrian-made?" Vinyl wondered in confusion.

"That's the other meaning of the word, you silly mare." The cellist planted a kiss on her marefriend's forehead. "I swear I'll get you a dictionary for Hearth's Warming Eve."

Vinyl didn't reply. They just sat in silence for some minutes, saying a silent goodbye, neither of them ready to call the yellow medical pony.

"Tavi?"

"Mmhm?" Octavia replied, her eyes blissfully closed.

"I love you."

"I love you too, Vinyl." The cellist smiled.

Vinyl grinned. "So... About that S and M stuff-"

"No."