The Snow on Her Cheek

Chapter Twenty-One

Let it Snow

***

The early sunlight fell upon Octavia, winking at her and raising her already high spirits as she sat before Vinyl's ward, waiting for the doctor to examine her marefriend before letting her go, at least for the time being. Because it's the day before Hearth's Warming Eve! she sang in her head, smiling. Life was good. Everything was good. Ever since the day she had brought Vinyl back to the clinic (the nurse had said it was common for  ponies to run away from the clinic, the cellist reminisced), the pianist had been ever so obedient, and, for a few days already, had had no urges to do buck. And what was even more wonderful, the withdrawal was gone. Vinyl's doctor said, not without a hint of pride in his voice, that it meant that the first stage was complete: Vinyl no longer was physically addicted to the drug. The only problem that still remained was psychological addiction; but both mares were sure that they would be able to overcome it, together.

Moreover, she had a surprise for Vinyl: she had picked up her cello from Double Bass, and, to her, it seemed even better than new. She had been practicing for a few days already, and was proud to admit that she and her repaired cello had finally been able to cooperate and produce some very smooth jazz. She remembered her mare's wish to play a song together, and was ready for this.

The door swung wide open, and Vinyl appeared on the doorstep, grinning from ear to ear, her eyes radiating cheerfulness even through her goggles. She trotted out of the ward, levitating a large suitcase, followed by a brown pony in a white coat, who was smiling as well.

"Congratulations!" he exclaimed before Vinyl could even open her mouth. "It seems that Vinyl has overcome the addiction, and is ready to leave the clinic!" He checked his light green tie, visibly glad to have made an impression.

Octavia gasped. "You mean-"

"Fully and completely, Tavi! That's why I'm taking all my things back!" Vinyl hugged her mare, trying not to hold her for too long in public - an urge that was terribly difficult to suppress. "Doc says that those psy- psycho- um... what was it, Doc?" she asked, blushing a little. I swear I'm going to take pronunciation classes some day...

"As you know, the physical addiction is gone, and it was the easy part," the doctor began. "As far as psychological repercussions go, Vinyl is in a very good condition, and I see no reason to hold her in hospital for dealing with them." He ran his hoof through his black mane. "All she needs is to attend weekly meetings."

"Meetings?" Octavia asked, confused. Is Vinyl some kind of businesspony now? she wondered, chuckling at such a ridiculous idea.

"Like, My name is Vinyl Scratch, and I'm a junkie," the white unicorn explained, waving a hoof in the air. "Easy." She leaned a little closer to her mare and whispered, "Thanks to you, I no longer am one."

Octavia smiled in content. Everything wasn't just good. It was perfect. If life was a zebra, then they definitely reached the longest, or even endless, white stripe.

The doctor glanced at some kind of device, strangely resembling a screwdriver, which he was holding in his hoof. Probably some medical item, the cellist mused.

"Well, it's time for you to go! Please do remember to check out at the reception table," he reminded the two mares, urging them to go.

But, of course, they didn't need a further invitation: they trotted happily side by side towards the stairs.

The doctor sighed. "They're so happy... Now that job's definitely more rewarding than fighting those Daleks..." He glanced at his sonic screwdriver. "Well, time to save the Universe! Allons-y!" With that, he galloped away, his hoofsteps echoing through the corridor.

***

"Now, if you just sign here and here..." the familiar yellow nurse instructed Vinyl, watching the pianist put her sweeping signature on the paper quickly, her trademark grin never leaving her lips. "That's it! You are free as a bird!" The medical pony giggled. "I wish you two a merry Hearth's Warming Eve! I take it this will be your first Hearth's Warming Eve spent together?" she wondered innocently.

"Yeah!" Vinyl exclaimed, much to Octavia's fear and displeasure. "We sure will have fun!" Her eyes widened behind her goggles. Oh my gosh oh my gosh what  have I just said?! "I mean, as friends, not as a couple!"

Octavia facehoofed with a groan. Great, Vinyl. You couldn't have done better. At least you already have your things with you, to go to prison...

The yellow unicorn giggled again. "Don't worry - your secret is safe with me." She winked at the blushing mares. "Besides, it was rather obvious: you would moan 'Octy, Octy!' almost every night."

Octavia's face flushed, turning the almost impossible shade of red. "She did, didn't she?"

"Totally did," Vinyl mumbled, embarrassed, sending the medical pony into another fit of giggles.

"You know, you two made quite a cute couple," the nurse said with a smile. And here I was, thinking I couldn't get any redder... both musical ponies thought in unison. "Oh, I hope I'm not intruding, but... why 'Octy'?" the yellow mare wondered curiously. "I mean, you usually call your... um..." She lowered her voice. "...marefriend 'Tavi'."

"Aaaand we need to go!" Octavia exclaimed and grabbed Vinyl by the hoof hastily. The pianist laughed and waved her hoof at the yellow pony, who stood and blinked, dumbfounded.

As the two mares left the clinic, they began laughing uncontrollably, falling snow getting onto their tongues, turning into cold, fresh water.

"Wow, that was close!" Vinyl exclaimed, chuckling.

"Yes..." Octavia looked around and, seeing nopony, nuzzled her mare affectionately. I wonder... "Vinyl, is it just me or the ponies has got more... tolerant lately?" she asked as they began trotting towards their home, covered by the falling snow.

"I guess, Tavi. It seems that filly-fooling's not that much of a deal with most ponies anymore..." Vinyl mused aloud and followed her mare, a catchy tune stuck in her head as she walked; a familiar jazzy tune that she began to sing aloud.

"Oh, the weather outside is frightful~

But the fire is so delightful~"

To her delight, Octavia nudged her playfully and took up the melody.

"And since we've no place to go~"

"Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow~" both mares sang in unison, the white blanket covering Manehattan, giving the city the impression of a huge ball filled with snow.

***

"Tavi?"

"Mmhm?" the earth pony replied, rolling over to face her mare, next to whom she had been lying for the past few hours, simply bathing in the feeling of her presence, a feeling that she'd missed so much.

"Hearth's Warming Eve's tomorrow," Vinyl said, stretching her legs. She nuzzled Octavia, glad that there was no longer anything that could prevent her from doing so. "We need to buy presents," she elaborated, climbing atop the mare teasingly; but just as Octavia blushed in expectation of something intimate, the pianist jumped off the sofa, getting to her hooves. Hehe, now I know how to quickly get her going! she concluded mentally, feeling proud inside, the kind of pride fitting for an explorer.

"Who do we need to buy presents for?" Octavia got up and yawned, a feeling of sleepiness not letting her go.

"Aw, aren't you just a silly little pony?" Vinyl stroked her mare's mane lovingly. "For each other, of course!"

"Oh." Octavia blinked. I haven't thought about what I will buy for Vinyl yet... she thought, ashamed. "Say..." Think, Octavia, think! "Why don't we buy them in turn? I mean, not to ruin the surprise!" she explained, waving her hoof in the air dismissingly, not to give away the fact that she actually needed time to consider what exactly she was going to buy.

To her relief, Vinyl bobbed her head energetically. "Sure thing! I'll buy a present for you first, and then you can buy one for me. And when we open them tomorrow, it'll be a big nice surprise!" she exclaimed, throwing her hoof in the air.

Octavia mentally sighed in relief and smiled. "Good. And don't buy any candy floss!" she called out to her mare as the unicorn levitated her saddlebags onto her back.

"Sure thing, mom," Vinyl replied and began her journey towards the streets. If only my mother had ever been at least half as kind as Octavia... she mused, closing the door behind her.

Octavia sighed and sat down on the sofa. Should I have said, "Don't buy any buck?" she thought, looking around the room. Vinyl, I really hope you're over with it...

***

I hope Tavi will like the present... Vinyl thought as her hooves carried her along the snowy street towards a green building that contrasted with the usual grey colour of Manehattan. As she approached it, a certain idea stuck in her mind, she looked at the door. Even though he's blind, his studio is still bright and colourful, she thought and entered the building.

Stepping inside, she immediately spotted the reception table and, without paying much attention to the painfully familiar surroundings, approached it. Behind the counter stood a grey unicorn, his brown mane falling onto his shoulders. He was visibly busy filling in some papers, so, when Vinyl coughed, he didn't look up.

"Mr Coltring is having a session. Come later," he said, waving a hoof, holding a quill in his telekinetic grip.

Ever so conservative... Vinyl mused, eyeing the stallion. Always using quills, when we have pens nowadays... He hasn't changed at all...

"Hi, Stanley," she said, watching the unicorn lift his gaze to meet hers.

The grey stallion gulped and shivered upon seeing the mare. "Vinyl?.." he finally let out quietly, almost in a whisper.

The pianist nodded. "I need to see George," she said firmly, her tone leaving no place for arguing.

The stallion gulped again. "O-of course... He may be busy right now, so-" he began.

"I know better than to interrupt a musician during a recording session," Vinyl interrupted him coldly. "I'll wait in the guestroom."

Stanley nodded. "Of course." He paused for a second. "Mr Coltring has informed me about his meeting you some couple of weeks ago. He said you were free to come here any time..." The stallion looked down, inspecting his hooves. "Vinyl, I'm very sorry for kicking you out, back then..." he said, evoking memories of the past few years, making Vinyl reminisce everything - losing home again, losing her mentor, her guiding star...

"I'll be waiting in the guestroom," she repeated, turning her back on the grey unicorn. "Oh, and Stanley?" she asked, not turning round.

"Yes?"

Being at a convenient distance, Vinyl gathered all her power, all her pain and hatred in her back legs, giving the stallion a powerful buck to the face, sending him flying backwards towards the wall.

"You're forgiven," she concluded, trotting towards the stairs, leaving the grey unicorn, who rubbed his forehead and bleeding nose and chuckled.

"Jazz," he said to himself, smiling. "She has always been an avatar of jazz."

***

Think, think, think! Octavia groaned and rolled over. Thoughts didn't come easy, and neither did ideas. What would Vinyl want? she asked herself for what seemed to her the thousandth time. Her gaze fell upon the wall. Two guitars were propping the wall with their necks - Vinyl's guitars. Octavia chuckled, remembering a certain dialogue with the pianist - a dialogue that now belonged to the past, to their life before Vinyl's treatment.

"Vinyl, why don't you buy decent stands for your guitars?" Octavia asked, pouring her marefriend a cup of tea.

"Tavi, those are shitty Fendmare guitars!" Vinyl replied, taking a sip. "If I had a Coltson - Les Colt, for instance..." She sighed dreamingly. "Hay, I would buy a goddamn golden stand for it!"

Octavia's eyes widened in realisation. She grinned. Coltson Les Colt, you say? The cellist giggled, clapping her hooves. Oh, Vinyl, I know exactly what I'll buy for you!

"Tavi, I'm home!" Vinyl exclaimed, trotting into the room, shaking snow off her coat all about the room. Normally, Octavia would have scolded her marefriend for such behaviour, but right now she couldn't care less.

The grey mare smiled. "Hi, love!" She trotted towards her mare and nuzzled her affectionately. "I was just on my way to buy you a present~" she cooed, placing her saddlebags on her back.

"Yay!" Vinyl exclaimed, throwing her hoof in the air.

All right, the guitar shop shouldn't be too far away, Octavia mused, closing the door behind her. Oh, and... She grinned, remembering a certain conversation. I know another particular item Vinyl will like...

***

Having hidden the present, Vinyl gave up to the most pleasant and relaxing activity she knew: she sat down at the piano and  opened it, running a hoof through the keys. Yes... I missed it so... She began to play, music flowing through her - a feeling that she had missed so much in the clinic. She closed her eyes and gave in to the precious moment. The world around her faded, all emotions gone in a flash, as if the whole foundation of reality had collapsed and the only thing left in the world was the music. Vinyl improvised, the only image before her closed eyelids being a particular grey mare, her warming smile, her shining eyes, the way she raised her brow, the way she walked... and the way she looks tonight. The pianist suddenly realised that she was now improvising withing a particular song, and a very suitable one indeed.

When she ended the last passage on a low note, she sighed and opened her eyes. To her surprise, next to her was standing a grey earth pony, her eyes gazing into her own lovingly. Octavia leaned in and kissed Vinyl, without saying a word, without explaining her motives; just following the blind emotion. And, as both Vinyl and Octavia had learned from experience, blind didn't necessarily mean, unable to notice.

As the grey pony broke the kiss, Vinyl gasped for air, her breath taken away by her marefriend. "Wow." A goofy smile appeared upon the pianist's face. "You're good, Tavi, you know that?"

The cellist smiled and bowed her head. "Thank you," she said, half mockingly, half happy that she still had the fire of passion going on in her heart. She grinned. And I'm more than eager to prove it again... "It was an amazing performance, love," she carried on, her eyes shining with honest appreciation.

"Anything for my favourite audience of one," Vinyl replied, smiling back.

"It also helped me to hide your present." Octavia chuckled, watching Vinyl groan and facehoof.

"I knew I shouldn't have closed my eyes!" she exclaimed, blaming her subconsciousness for such a deep connection with music at such an inconvenient time.

"Well, for being patient and not peeking..." Octavia got up and opened her saddlebag. "I have a present for you..." She paused, putting on a sly grin, her hoof holding the object inside the saddlebag. "A present for both of us... for tonight," the cellist whispered seductively, taking the present out.

Vinyl gasped, her cheeks reddening, her brain immediately reminiscing a certain conversation of theirs, back when she was still in hospital.

"Tavi, say, why don't you buy a hat?" Vinyl asked, gulping, the aftertaste of the medicine burning her tongue.

"Why would I..." Octavia began but, just as the unicorn wiggled her brow, understood everything. "Well..." She smiled, drawing circles with a hoof on Vinyl's bed. "I may consider it as an option..."

As Octavia put the hat on and turned off the light, slowly crawling towards the bed, Vinyl grinned, her white teeth shining in the darkness of the winter evening. Oh. Oh. Oh...