The Snow on Her Cheek

Chapter Twenty-Eight

The Best is Yet to Come

***

Octavia took a bite of her sandwich, chewing it thoroughly, concentrating on the process. Throughout the week that had passed since her mother's death, she had learned to pay attention to every action that she took: every step, every breath, every word she said. It helped her to keep her mind off any unwanted memories. Sure, maybe it sounded crazy, but this complete mental obsession made it easier for her to go on.

To make matters worse, she'd become totally lost in reality. War was raging across the country, but she couldn't care less: she paid no attention to the news, locked behind her wall. Her father would read the newspaper every morning in silence and pass it to Tom, who would do the same. Neither Vinyl nor she cared for the news; neither asked, so neither of the stallions told them anything. Something terrible was probably happening to Equestria, Octavia mused as she took a sip of tea, warm liquid giving her slight invigoration, enough to start the day. She was a little amused at how disinterested she was in the world around her; but not amused enough to actually give it a damn.

The grey mare blinked at such a thought. Since when am I swearing like this? she mused, casting a glance at Vinyl, who had already dug into her cereal (Duh, cereal... Octavia frowned), trying not to make much noise. Of course. Vinyl. A small smile appeared on Octavia's face as she reminded herself of how much time she'd spent with her mare over the week, making up for her past mistakes, talking to her, cuddling and whispering sweet nonsense into her ear, making music (The cellist was really glad for her habit of taking her cello with her all the time, as well as Vinyl taking her new guitar, "That awesome baby" with her to Chicoltgo), and, well, making music... in the other sense.

Octavia blushed and pressed her cheek against Vinyl's. Being used to such intimacy, the pianist only mumbled something indistinct and carried on with her meal. Tavi's really been...  Octy-ish lately, the unicorn mused as she stuffed her stomach with the delicious treat. Not that I mind, actually... It's good she's getting better, Vinyl concluded, swallowing the cereal and nuzzling her cellist, who purred in delight.

It was good to be together, they both thought in unison. Alone, they were nothing. But together, they were everything - they meant the whole world to each other, and even more than the whole world.

"Interesting," a masculine voice interrupted their loving exchange of affection, making the two mares turn towards the source of the sound. Alexandro put down the paper on the table and moved it towards Tom, who'd already extended his hoof to grab it. However, Vinyl quickly grabbed the newspaper with her telekinesis and looked through the front page.

Octavia looked at her mare in concern as she saw a dark expression appear on Vinyl's face as the white unicorn put the newspaper down. "Vinyl, what's..." she began carefully, not sure if she really wanted to hear the answer.

"Manehattan's taken by the Griffins," Alexandro replied in her stead, a weary expression on his face suddenly reminding Octavia that her father was indeed old and worn out, tired of his hectic life; and, of course, Sofia's death added some streaks of silver to his already grey mane.

Octavia gasped and closed her mouth with a hoof in shock. Vinyl embraced her, stroking her back gently, despite being quite taken aback herself.

"What... what happened to our house then? And the bar where you work, love?" the cellist wondered aloud, receiving no answer. But none was needed: everypony in the dining room knew very well that it meant only one thing: their house was no more, and so was the bar, and everything else; the whole city of Manehattan was just one shadow of the past to them, to add to the growing collection. With the Griffins roaming about the city, their home was off their limits.

A few moments of silent contemplation had passed, interrupted only by Vinyl turning the pages in a desperate attempt to occupy her mind with something, anything at all, not connected to the war. War, war, war, sports, war, war... huh? The pianist's ears perked up and she let out a surprised yelp.

"What's the matter, love?" Octavia asked in concern, eyeing the white mare, whose expression was indeed surprised but... in a good way?.. What could possibly be good about the news? she wondered with a glimpse of hope in her eyes.

Vinyl passed the paper to her mare, still somewhat astonished by the news. It can't be true... It's just too good to be true, especially now...

FILLY-FOOLING BAN ABROGATED, Octavia read the title, her tail twitching slightly as she proceeded. Yesterday, Her Royal Highness Princess Celestia made the infamous ban on single-sex relationships, or, as they used to be referred to, "colt-cuddling" and "filly-fooling", a part of our rich history. Due to the amount of pressure coming from the younger generation, Her Royal Highness has decided it for the better to annul the laws concerning single-sex relationships. Moreover, a social experiment has taken place in Coltifornia: in this state, which is well-known for its rich number of gay ponies, single-sex marriage has become legal. The first single-sex couple have already married, and experts say that this motion will soon be taken up by other ponies as the experiment will gradually expand across the whole of Equestria. This motion has been a logical repercussion of the countless protests-

The cellist stopped reading, her eyes widening. Her mind was occupied by the only though. Filly-fooling. Legal. Single-sex marriage. Legal. This news had struck like a thunderbolt of light in the void of darkness, showing the two musical ponies that maybe, just maybe, there was some justice in the world after all.

"Vinyl?.." the grey mare whispered, a wide smile finding its way to her face, a genuine smile of happiness, a feeling that she experienced for the first time in many days. "Does that mean?.."

"Yes, Tavi," the pianist replied with a warm smile of her own, snuggling closer to her cellist. "We don't have to hide any more."

At that time, the two stallions had finished with the article themselves, and were now exchanging understanding glances. Alecandro spoke first, placing a hoof on his daughter's shoulder.

"Octavia, I am very glad that your relationship is not illegal any more," he began, his tone soft and caring. "But you must understand that, although you will be accepted in the society officially, you might not always be accepted de facto. Some ponies are still very conservative and will cling to their morals for a long time," he warned the young mares, his heart melting slightly as he praised Celestia for listening to his prayers and giving his daughter and her marefriend the chance to live their lives freely, untouched by the everpresent hoof of law.

"We do realise that, Father," Octavia replied, a happy tear crawling down her cheek. "But it's so great..." Vinyl nodded, silently supporting her mare's words. "It's so nice to finally be able to express our feelings freely, without being suppressed... I just don't understand why our ruler would do such a great favour to us... to us all," she said firmly, meaning not only Vinyl and her, but all gay couples across Equestria, which, today, sighed in relief and exchanged happy smiles with their partners.

"War," Tom said blandly, putting the paper on the table. "Equestria needs soldiers, and most soldiers are pegasi. Pegasi are much more open-minded than we are; in fact, most Cloudsdayle pegasi are bisexual, which, up to this moment, had put them against the law and thus prevented them from serving in the army," the stallion explained emotionlessly. "Now this problem is fixed. The government gains new soldiers, the pegasi gain the freedom of marrying whomever they like, for Cloudsdayle's technically a part of Coltifornia."

Octavia frowned upon hearing her brother's simple, yet elaborate, explanation. "You just had to ruin it, didn't you?" she asked sternly, glaring daggers at Tom, who simply shrugged, stood up, bowing slightly to Alexandro, and left the room.

Silence reigned over the room for a few moments as the two mares processed the information they had just received. They exchanged glanced, and no words were needed.

"So..." Vinyl began carefully. "Since we can't return to Manehattan, and we're both in need of job..."

Octavia looked at her father, who chuckled and shook his head. "I get it," he said with a smile. "I think I may have a free flat in Los Pegasus, Coltifornia..."

He didn't finish his phrase, for both Vinyl and Octavia jumped at him, enveloping him in a bone-shattering hug.

"Thank you, Father," Octavia whispered, nuzzling the stallion - a show of affection that she would usually hide.

"Thank you, Alexandro!" Vinyl exclaimed. "You don't understand how much that means for us!"

"Oh, but I do." Alexandro chuckled and stood up, freeing himself from the embrace. "I'll leave you two to gather your possessions while I make some necessary arrangements." With that, he winked and left the dining room, leaving the mares alone.

As the door closed behind him, Vinyl dragged Octavia into a passionate kiss, which the cellist gladly returned. They couldn't remember when they'd shared such a fervent kiss last, but it didn't matter now. What did matter was the fact that more would follow, now uninterrupted by anything, or anypony. They were free in expressing their feelings, and that was all they needed now.

"Things are looking up, Tavi," Vinyl whispered softly as they broke the kiss, stroking Octavia's gorgeous black mane, while the grey mare nodded happily. The sun peeked into the room, embracing the two lovers, warming them up, making them put their problems and struggles into the deep nooks of their mind and concentrate on the present. And the present looked bright, as did the future.

"Things are looking up."