The Snow on Her Cheek

Chapter Two

Move

***

Vinyl closed her eyes, relaxed and calm, taking her time before the precious moment. She took a deep breath and a smile instantly appeared on her face. Even with her eyes closed, she could see the bar around her. She could feel the tingling of mugs and glasses; she could hear the sound of ponies' light-hearted chatter; she could sense the excitement that was swiftly building inside the visitors. This was the moment that she lived for. That was her ultimate goal in life. That was her perfect destiny - to come here, to this little jazz bar on the outskirts, not just to play the piano, but to trasmit the feeling of freedom and happiness to all the ponies who could hear her.

She pressed her hooves against the keys, feeling pleasant warmth inside as the talk went quiet, and the sound of the chord floated in the air. She lazily let her right hoof play a few notes, just to drive into it. Her smile turned into a wide grin as she began to play. Sultry block chords succeeded the bold semitonic passages, and bawdy harmony flew throughout the room.

Vinyl was happy. She was truly, sincerely happy. She was playing for herself, and she was playing for everypony. She was playing the most wonderful, rebellious, modern music there was. She was playing jazz. Her life seemed to be perfect. Everything was perfect: she was where she wanted to be, did what she wanted to do, surrounded by ponies with whom she wanted to be. Only... She winced mentally. Only there wasn't a special somepony by her side. A very special mare...

Stupid laws, Vinyl thought. Sure, she was always the one to break them, but, in this case, she had to hide her true identity. She had to hide her true nature. She had to hide herself.

Only here, in the bar, she could finally feel at home.

She opened her eyes, the song coming to an unexpected crescendo - not because somepony else had mentioned it in some sheet music or shit (the white unicorn giggled mentally at the pun), but because she wanted to.

She always did what she wanted to. When her family couldn't embrace her homosexuality, she did what she wanted to do and moved out. Sure, life used to be hard back then, with little money and almost no friends, but she's managed to get by. She'd managed to make friends. She's managed to earn a living. When nopony accepted her for the music she played, thinking it to be low, dirty and pathetic, she found a place where she would be appreciated; where she would be loved.

"Excuse me?"

Vinyl snapped out of her thoughts, turning her head towards the source of the sound, which, to her surprise, was a very good-looking grey mare with a gorgeous black mane falling onto her smooth shoulders. A treble clef cutie mark was resting atop her curvy flank and-

Aaaaand stopping right there, Vinyl! the white unicorn mentally scolded herself. You don't want to do time for fillyfooling again, do you? Besides, if she came to the club, that doesn't mean she's into mares... she thought not without a hint of disappointment.

"Hey there," Vinyl replied with a grin, waving a hoof. "How can old Vinyl Scratch help you?"

"You don't look old," the grey earth pony retorted. "In fact, you look quite... young," she added with a small blush. Mind your phrasing, Octavia. It's a delinquent act to show up at a jazz club as it is; you don't want to have problems due to your... preferences, she said to herself, extending a hoof in a greeting gesture.

Vinyl shook her hoof energetically, making the grey cellist blink in surprise. "Thanks, um... what's your name?"

"Octavia." The grey mare smiled, making Vinyl feel a hint of warmness inside. She is cute when she smiles like that... the pianist mused, not showing her inner monologue, hidden behind the mask of her purple goggles.

"I must say that your performance was very passionate, in addition to being immensely beautiful," Octavia began, trying to choose her wording carefully, feeling an unreasonable attraction towards the pianist building inside her, a feeling that needed to be buried as soon as possible. "I... I've never been to a jazz performance before..." She stammered, blushing, but, upon seeing the white mare's encouraging smile, let out a chuckle of her own. "But this is totally... um... cool?" she finished unsurely. "That's the right term, isn't it?"

Vinyl laughed light-heartedly, and that sound was the sweetest music to Octavia's ears at the moment. "Filly, you sound like one of those fancy high-class ponies." She looked at the embarrassed grey mare and patted her on the shoulder, which, in fact, made Octavia blush even harder. "But you're right, that's the word."

"In fact, I..." Come on, Octavia, spill out the whole truth! You wanted change, right? So make the change! she encouraged herself, and took a deep breath. "I am one of those... fancy ponies... but I don't like it at all." Surprised at her own openness, the cellist carried on, "I've been playing classical music for as long as I can remember... but I want my life to change." She let a small smile onto her face. "I want to play jazz, Vinyl Scratch."

"Just Vinyl." Damn it, she's so hot... "So..." the white mare rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "That's great, Octavia. You just came up to say that?" she wondered, hoping mentally that there was something more to it, some more reasons - or just a single one - for the grey mare to stay with her.

"No." Octavia pondered for a moment, inspecting her hoof, her heart beauting faster at the thought of what she was going  to say. Was she really...? "I would like to ask you to teach me... how to play jazz." The grey mare gulped. Did she really just say that out loud? She, Octavia Philarmonica, asking a jazz pianist to tutor her... in the ways of jazz? If anypony were to know... "Of course, I'll pay!" she added quickly, knowing very well the cold-blooded calculation of most Manehattan ponies. Money meant everything for them.

"Pfft, Filly!" Vinyl waved her hoof dismissingly. "I don't need your money." She grinned. "What I ask of ponies is friendship, 'cause, you know, money comes and goes, and friendship always stays."

Octavia was mesmerised by the way this simple mare expressed her thoughts; her phrasing was by no means refined, but what she said was not only true, but beautiful. She simply nodded, still not sure of the answer.

"Of course I'll help you, Octavia!" the pianist exclaimed and stood up, hugging the grey mare, whose face fluhed completely, matching the colour of her pink  bow tie.

"I... am... honoured," Octavia let out, trying to break free, or, to be honest, pretending to be trying to break free; if she were to decide, she would have stayed in the white unicorn's embrace for hours.

"So, we're friends?" Vinyl extended her hoof, grinning.

She acts so naturally... I could learn a lot from her, not only about music... Octavia mused but stopped her trail of thought as soon as it came to more... private things that she could learn from this good-looking mare.

"Friends." Octavia smiled gently and shook Vinyl's hoof. Her first friend. Her first real friend. She'd thought that it was pointless to seek friendship in Manehattan. But, after all, in this underground bar on the outskirts, far from the eye of society, simple, friendly relations still existed.

"So, Tavi, let's go have your first lesson!" Vinyl threw a hoof in the air, trying to look cool, and, Octavia noticed, truly looking cool.

"Tavi?" The grey mare blinked in lack of understanding.

"Well, we're friends now, so I thought it was a nice nickname," Vinyl blushed as she explained. A goddamn good job, Vinyl. You are a perfect example of straightforwardness. What if she thinks I'm a fillyfooler? Which I totally am, of course, but-

"It's very cute. I like it," Octavia said with a blush, interrupting Vinyl's stream of consciousness. Amazing, Octavia. Your subtlety never ceases to astonish. What if she thinks I like it because I like her? Which I, to be honest, do, but-

"Great!" Vinyl cheered and trotted towards the exit, throwing a confused look at the grey mare. "You coming?"

"What do you mean?" Octavia wondered, not comprehending what was going on. "We haven't scheduled the practice session yet, and-"

"Oh come on, filly!" Vinyl laughed and shook her head. "The night's still young, and what's better time for jazz than the night?" she asked rhetorically, even poetically, Octavia thought. "What instrument do you play? I have a piano at my place, and a couple of guitars."

"I play the cello," Octavia said, following the white mare outside. "I also have a piano, so... if you want..." She gulped, fresh air granting some courage to her. "We could practice at my place." Please say yes, please say yes... the cellist prayed desperately, unsure about why this white unicorn had struck her heartstrings so fast, and so hard.

"Sure, why not?" Vinyl tried to shrug nonchalantly, but it was a failed attempt: her heart fluttered at the very thought of being with this mare, not to mention at her place, at night... Not gonna happen, Vinyl. Not. Gonna. Happen. That's gonna be just a lesson. Just. A. Lesson. Despite her thoughts, she smiled. "Let's go. Lead."

"Oh, I love to lead!" Octavia blurted out and started trotting towards her flat. She suddenly realised what possible implications her remark might have had. "I mean, play the lead part. In an orchestra, I mean." She blushed in embarrassment, looking at the white mare, who now turned slightly pink as well.

"Yeah... Music..." Vinyl smiled sheepishly, thankful to her goggles, which concealed her widened eyes.

The two ponies trotted side by side, and, despite the cold weather, felt strangely warm. And the best thing? Not a single dark thought this night, Octavia mused. The future seemed strangely, inconceivably bright.