The Snow on Her Cheek

Chapter Twenty-Two

White Christmas

***

"Rise and shine, Tavi! It's Hearth's Warming Eve!"

Octavia woke up from the feeling of somepony jumping on her chest, and that somepony was no doubt Vinyl. She groaned and tried to roll over, but the weight of her marefriend upon her prevented her from doing so. She opened her eyes and saw the white mare grinning from ear to ear, her radiant red eyes uncovered by goggles, shining with foalish happiness.

"What time is it?" the cellist mumbled, having no desire to wake up yet.

"Seven in the morning, time to wake up and open up our presents!" Vinyl cheered, jumping off the bed and continuing her show of happiness all about the room. "Because it's Hearth's Warming Eve, because it's Hearth's Warming Eve, because it's Hearth's Warming-"

"I get the idea," Octavia interrupted her, getting up, her dishevelled mane falling onto her shoulders clumsily. She began trotting towards the bathroom to make her hair and brush her teeth - the usual routine, when she was stopped by a white hoof.

"Wait wait wait, Tavi!" Vinyl exclaimed, shaking her head. "Don't tell me you were going to avoid your duties as a marefriend!" she added scoldingly.

"What?" Octavia blinked, her sleepy brain slowly coming back to reality. "I thought we had se-" Seeing her mare raise a brow in surprise, she realised the implications. "Oh, you mean the presents!"

Vinyl nodded in agreement, chuckling, while the cellist blushed in embarrassment. Dear Celestia, why do I always make a fool of myself?

"Vinyl, you truly act like a foal!" she exclaimed, no longer able to be displeased with Vinyl for waking her up so early. Well, it is Hearth's Warming Eve, after all... she mused, turning round, all hopes of getting a decent morning make-up lost in the white, blue-maned abyss.

"Well, you didn't say that last night..." Vinyl wiggled her eyebrow, receiving an immediate smack to the back of her head. Ouch. Well, it was totally worth it, she thought, rubbing her head as the grey mare trotted towards the wardrobe.

"Close your eyes, love," she called out, placing her hoof on the knob. "And no peeking!" she added softly, smiling at the white pianist. She was really content, as if the whole world around her ceased to exist, and the only thing that was truly real was her mare - her only key to bliss and ultimate salvation. And she really hoped Vinyl would love the present - it seemed as if her whole life revolved around this moment now.

"Aww..." Vinyl pouted, but obeyed, closing her eyes and turning round, lest she want to take just a little peek; or, as she told herself, lest her eyes want to take a little peek. Sure, those ever-so-disobedient eyes...

"You can open your eyes now," Octavia's voice reached her, and Vinyl didn't hesitate to jump around in expectation. Her mouth fell agape as she saw the earth pony holding a black guitar case, golden letters reading, Coltson on top of it. It can't be... she thought and whispered aloud, "Tavi... Can it be?.."

With a smile, the cellist opened the case, revealing an ebony electric guitar, its shape oh so familiar to the white pianist. "I hear you've always wanted this particular model so-" Octavia began but was immediately silenced by Vinyl's lips pressing into hers, the pianist enveloping her in a bone-shattering hug.

As Vinyl broke the kiss, letting her mare go and regain her breath, or at least a part of it, her eyes immediately fixed on the guitar, which lay in case, alluring, urging her to take it and play right now. "Thank you, thank you so much, Tavi!" the pianist exclaimed, undisputable honesty and gratitude in her voice, and grabbed the instrument in her magical grip. "It's a perfect guitar," she whispered in awe.

Octavia smiled and let out a sigh of relief. Whew! Congratulations, Tavi, you managed not to fail your marefriend! she mentally congratulated herself, feeling warm inside upon watching her mare's eyes shine with excitement. "Well, I'm glad you liked it," she said, planting a small kiss on Vinyl's cheek.

"Like it?!" Vinyl grinned, shaking her head. "I love it! You're the best marefriend ever, Tavi!" she exclaimed, trotting into the corner of the room. "And not just because of the present and sex, you know?" The pianist stopped to plug the guitar into her Mareshall amp, eager to try it out. "But I must admit, you're a real sex beast!" Vinyl chuckled as the cellist's face turned a crimson shade of red.

Before Octavia could say anything to protest - not that she really wanted to - Vinyl turned up the volume, tuning the guitar perfectly with her telekinesis. She played a few pentatonic scales, just to warm up. It's perfect... she thought, so grateful to her mare for such a generous and all-around amazing present. The rough, crunchy sound of her Les Colt differed so much from all the guitars she'd played previously. It was ready for any genre; it was dying to play rough passages and half-neck bends, tasty slides and hard riffs.

Vinyl closed her eyes and began to play. She started off with a tasty passage that thickened gradually as she added more notes to it and drove into the rhythm. She felt as if she were standing on a stage, with the audience gasping at her amazing performance; her band supporting her music, but never taking the lead, letting her bathe in the spotlight. But right now, she reminded herself, she was playing for her favourite audience - the audience of one: Octavia.

As the song proceeded to a more energetic sequence, Vinyl's hoof began shredding, almost turning the old pick into dust. I should pick a few 3.0 ones, she mused. After all, Les Colt demanded a better tool than those 1.5 picks of hers. Sequence after sequence, she was building up the tension, teasing the ear, which would have expected a release - a release that never came but instead turned into another passage.

Finally, she hit the last chord, letting it ring before turning the amp off with a kick of her hoof - a gesture that she didn't use very often, but which, nevertheless, was really suitable at the moment. She looked at her marefriend, whose eyes were wide, her mouth agape.

Octavia tried to say something, but words refused to leave her awestruck lips. Wow. I've never thought Vinyl could play like this... Finally, she brought herself to speak. "Wow, Vinyl." She bobbed her head in appreciation. "I didn't know you were so good with the guitar. I've always thought piano was you calling in life."

Vinyl chuckled and shook her head. "Music is my calling in life, not just the piano." She tapped her flank. "I haven't told you how I got my cutie mark, have I?"

Octavia shook her head, prepared to hear the story.

"So," Vinyl began, putting the guitar in the case with love and care. "As you know, my foalhood was rather tough. So I used every opportunity to slip away from home, and get to the guitar shop." She closed her eyes, lost in memories. "While other foals would spend hours in the candy shop, I would gaze at the guitars, and practically drool." Vinyl chuckled. "I used to help the owner from time to time, so he allowed me to play some of the guitars when there were no customers. Needless to say, I sucked at first. But as time passed," she continued, "I was getting better, Until one day, the owner let me try out a new guitar he'd got - the Les Colt." The pianist opened her eyes and smiled. "From the first chord, I knew it was the perfect instrument. I played for minutes; then I played for hours, until my hooves got sore. And, well..." She tapped her cutie mark again. "When I finished, I got this baby." Her smile faded a little. "Too bad my parents were too drunk to even notice it."

Octavia nodded in understanding. She looked around the room, trying to find a subject to distract her mare from depressing memories. But she didn't need to - in a moment, Vinyl's face lit up once more.

"Hey, Tavi, now it's your turn to close your eyes," she said, concentrating her magic on a particular box that she had stored under the bed. The cellist nodded and closed her eyes, wondering what kind of present her marefriend had prepared for her. Though... she mused, smiling. Vinyl needn't have prepared a present for me. She's the only present I'll ever need.

"You can open your eyes, Tavi!"

The cellist obeyed her mare's command and saw a very ordinary brown envelope that Vinyl was holding in front of her in her telekinetic grip. Octavia blinked in confusion. "Is it... a record?" she wondered, eyeing the object quizzically. There was no cover, nor were there any signs of who composed the music or what the name of the record was.

"Just look inside," Vinyl replied with a grin. Oh, I so hope she'll like it... the pianist thought nervously, trying not to give away her anxiety.

Octavia opened the envelope, taking a vinyl record out of it carefully. However, there was more to it than that: a piece of paper, which the cellist took in her hooves and began to read, the letters strangely resembling Vinyl's hoof-writing.

Dear Octavia,

Vinyl has informed that she wanted to make a very special Hearth's Warming Eve present for you, and I decided to lend a helping hoof. On this record you will find a single that we have composed together on the spot, using Vinyl's lyrics, the day before Hearth's Warming Eve. It is a special song, dedicated to you and only you, and it shall never be put on either my or Vinyl's recordings (if she shall ever make any).

The last few words were written rather shakily, Octavia noticed: it was a sign that either Vinyl's hoof had been shaking from laughter or from hesitation; and she was pretty convinced it was Vinyl's hoof-writing after all.

Happy Hearth's Warming Eve. I wish the two of you good luck with your relationship, and may jazz always flow through you.

Yours,

Old God~

"George asked me to write down his best wishes and what-not," Vinyl explained as Octavia put down the paper, putting it on the table to cherish it as a prized possession. "You can play it, you know?" she said nonchalantly, but beside the facade of idleness shone concern and worry. Oh my gosh, I hope I didn't mess it up...

Octavia nodded, smiling, and placed the vinyl record onto the gramophone, carefully handling the needle, and pressed the button. Music began pouring out of the device, a smooth jazz tune filled with moderate piano passages. Suddenly, the cellist's eyes widened as beautiful vocals supported the piano tune, sung in perfect pitch. Is this... Vinyl? Octavia thought, taken aback by the performance. Vinyl's voice carried all the deepness and love, but at the same time it was sung easily, without any tension, as if jazz vocals were a piece of cake for the white pianist. Vinyl was singing to her - and only to her. Each word was full of passion and sincere adoration - Vinyl was speaking to her, telling the story of their love.

Octavia looked into her lover's eyes passionately. "It's beautiful," she whispered, loud enough for the unicorn to hear, but not too loud - she didn't want to disrupt the perfect melody.

"Thank you, Vinyl," she said as the song ended, nuzzling her pianist. "It's the most wonderful present ever."

Vinyl blushed a little and scratched the back of her head. "Well, thanks, Tavi. I was trying." She chuckled sheepishly. Phew... I'm so glad Tavi liked it... she thought as the cellist turned off the gramophone.

"And it is perfect," Octavia repeated, putting the record back into the envelope. She came closer to Vinyl and kissed her on the lips. "Now that we've exchanged the gifts, I think we have something special planned..." she whispered into the unicorn's ear.

"Well, I dunno..." Vinyl said teasingly. I swear... She's a real sex machine! "I'm pretty tired after last night..."

"Vinyl!" Octavia exclaimed, blushing a little. "Can you put your mind off sex for a minute?" She trotted towards her cello, which was standing in the corner, waiting to be taken, and tapped it with a hoof. "I mean, you wanted us to play a certain song together as soon as you get out of hospital, remember?"

Vinyl nodded, the pieces of the puzzle falling into a single picture in her mind.

"Well, I guess today's the perfect day for it." Octavia smiled, tuning her instrument.

"Here we go, then!" Vinyl exclaimed cheerfully, moving towards the piano and sat down at it, running her hoof through the keys. "You ready?" she asked her marefriend, turning her head.

"Born ready," Octavia replied in a determined tone, grinning. Well, I can pick up a thing or two from Vinyl, after all... "So, where's the sheet music?' she wondered, looking about the room.

"There is no sheet music, Tavi," Vinyl replied indulgently. "Just listen to the tune, keep up with the modulation and follow my lead," she carried on, playing a few chords. "I know you're familiar with the latter concept." She winked. Hehe, follow my lead. You're a genius, Vinyl, you know that? she praised herself.

"Vinyl!" Octavia exclaimed, blushing, but before she could retort, Vinyl began to play. Contrary to her usual style, the pianist pressed her hooves gently, each note reverberating across the room. The tune was by no means jazz - Octavia noticed it from the first few notes - but still very pleasant. Although the grey pony could just stay there and listen to her mare playing for hours, she quickly regained her thoughts, remembering that she was to accompany the piano. All right... It seems to be C major, 3/4... she mused as her hoof slid across the strings, waiting for a suitable moment.

Finally, Octavia joined in, her eyes closing automatically, as she put her bow to the strings, producing long, stately notes, which weren't exactly patrons of classical music, but were by no means jazzy. The song progressed, and the cellist soon drove into it, improvising, just as the pianist did so as well. They exchanged passages as if their instruments were involved in some kind of conversation. The musical dialogue resembled the ponies' mutual feelings towards each other - they were one, their lives entwined, forever, their hearts beating in unison.

They played, rays of sun falling onto them, tiny rays that managed to escape the curtain of the dark clouds above. They knew that the evening would be perfect: they would spend it together, on the sofa, sharing their warmth with each other - and maybe some silly jokes or anecdotes. The moon would rise and bathe them in its glorious light. And they would lean close to each other and say the sacred words:

"Happy Hearth's Warming Eve, honey. I love you."