The Snow on Her Cheek

Chapter Five

Cheek to Cheek

***

"Listen, Tavi, it's all right. If you've failed thirty times in a row, that doesn't mean-"

A well-placed kick coming from a grey hoof finished Vinyl's tirade, still not succeeding in wiping off that grin from her muzzle.

"Good, Tavi! Now place that anger into your music!" the pianist cheered, however, taking a few precautionary steps back, lest Octavia kick her again. How does she manage to make her kicks so sexy? the white mare wondered, while Octavia took her bow once more with a sigh. Damn it, Vinyl, you're totally not into... are you?

Fortunately, before the unicorn's mind could roam into the deepest corners of her subconsciousness, Octavia began to practice again. Her left hoof was desperately trying to break the strict rhythm of the piece, and a drop of sweat formed upon her brow. Come on... Swing! she ordered her hoof. It twitched and played a few uneven notes, evoking an applause from Vinyl.

"That's the way, filly!" She clapped her hooves, cheering her marefriend happily. That's my Tavi!

Octavia smiled weakly and wanted to say something about how much she  liked Vinyl, and how thankful she was for the lesson, and hey I'm playing jazz now! Two notes, but hey it's jazz!!, but something resembling a dark blanket appeared before her eyes, and she collapsed onto the floor.

Seeing her marefriend falling, Vinyl immediately rushed to her side, forgetting about her magic and telekinesis and everything else, only the image of the falling grey pony existing in the world. Fortunately, she was fast, and speed meant everything: while she couldn't catch the mare with her hooves, she managed to fall under her, softening the fall. Ouch. Unfortunately, that also meant hardening the fall for herself. This is  for Tavi... she thought, grinding her teeth as the lifeless lump on her spine began to stir.

Coming round, Octavia opened her eyes and blinked a few times. She could see the ceiling... She could feel something warm beneath her... She could hear grunts and swearing... Oh my Celestia... Vinyl! The cellist rolled over, falling on the floor from her pianist's (My pianist! *Giggle*) back, releasing Vinyl from her weight.

"Vinyl, are you all right?" she immediately enquired in a worried tone.

The white mare groaned and rubbed her back. "Yes, Tavi. Are you all right? You were just standing there, and then you fainted, and then-"

Octavia immediately silenced the unicorn with a kiss, partly to express her gratitude, partly just because she wanted to. It felt so amazing, being able to kiss a mare she liked, any time, any place... Not any place, Octavia. Not any place... she added mentaly, reminding herself of the law.

"I'm fine, Vinyl," she said, finally breaking the kiss, seeing her marefriend blush from the unexpected show of affection.

"Yeah... That's great." Vinyl grinned. "But you seriously need to lose some weight." She chuckled, shaking her head.

"Vinyl, the only reason why I am not shoving my bow down your throat is the fact that you saved me." Octavia pondered for a moment. "And because I love you." She kissed the already embarrassed mare below the horn.

"Love you too, Tavi," Vinyl replied, placing a smooch on the grey mare's cheek. It all felt so natural, just to lie next to each other, kissing the mare she liked... loved. Both ponies immediately realised that they have just subconsciously expressed their true feelings to each other. And it still felt natural, as if such a course was obvious.

"My cello!" Octavia screamed, breaking the silence. Her precious instrument lay on the floor, broken in two parts from the fall, its strings severed, its neck lying solemly in the distance. She got up, shaking a little and approached the pile of wood that used to be her cello. My cello... She felt a tear crawl down her cheek, rolling down, lost in her fur.

"Hey, Tavi..." Vinyl reached her, stroking her mane with a hoof gently. "That's all right, we'll buy you a new one..."

"A new one?!" Octavia shouted, facing her marefriend but, upon seeing her frightened look, calmed down. I must look like a total mess now... "No, Vinyl, you don't understand." She shook her head sadly. "It's a one-of-a-kind instrument, commissioned by a master who is no longer among the living." She paused, reminiscing the maestro that had crafted the instrument.

"Well, you can always try a new instrument! You know, I have an electric guitar..." Vinyl began.

"Vinyl! This is a serious matter!" Octavia exclaimed irritatedly. "I need my cello repaired! And nopony in this town possesses a skill to do that..." Her gaze fell to the ground, as is she were saying her last farewell to her long-life companion.

To her surprise, the pianist just smirked and levitated her goggles from the table, putting them on. Huh?

"Filly, if you don't know anypony who can do it, that don't mean nopony can do it!" she exclaimed triumphantly.

"Doesn't," the cellist corrected her automatically, not fully understanding her marefriend yet.

"Hey,Tavi, last night you weren't so concerned about grammar," Vinyl retorted with a grin.

"VINYL!"Octavia's face immediately flushed as she remember how exactly she wasn't concerned about grammar... or anything else, for that matter - the previous night.

The white mare laughed, clapping her front hooves. Totally got her, Vinyl! If she could give herself a high-five, she would have done it now; but such a feat would certainly lead to falling down.

"All right, all right! So, I know a guy who can fix your cello," she said, her mood brightening as she saw a glimpse of hope on her cellist's face. "He plays a double bass at the bar I play each night," she explained, slightly backing down as the grey mare threw herself onto her, locking her in a tight embrace.

"Tavi... Can't... Breathe..." she managed to say, feeling oxygen leaving her body gradually.

Oh. Octavia let go of her marefriend, smiling sheepishly. "Sorry." She pondered for a moment. "So, can we take it to him tonight?" she wondered, unable to hold her concern.

"Totally," Vinyl replied, receiving a more gentle hug this time. I could get used to it... "But right now, let's get down to business." Seeing Octavia blush, she facehoofed. "Moving my things, I mean. Damn it, filly! You're a perv!" She smiled, watching Octavia's blush grow even deeper. As if I haven't thought about it too...

"I am not!" the cellist retorted, stomping her hoof against the floor. "I thought about the same thing! Let's go move your possessions." Octavia quickly trotted towards the door to hide her embarrassment, feeling Vinyl's eyes on her flank. "And save the flank-staring for the evening~" she added in a sing-song voice and smiled.

Dammit, filly! How can I when you're so hot?! Vinyl sighed and followed her marefriend outside.

***

"I wonder how all of these boxes managed to fit in your flat?" Octavia wondered with a grunt as she placed a large box on the floor of her flat, stretching her aching limbs. Home sweet home... she thought, closing the door. She just couldn't be angry at Vinyl for making her carry half of her possessions; she was too happy due to the fact that the word home had just gained a new meaning - their home, the place where they would live together from now on.

"Hey, I told you it was more of a den!" Vinyl replied, closing the door behind her with a hoof, holding a few boxes, as well as two guitars, in her telekinetic grip. "I'm still sad we couldn't take my piano."

"Mine is just as good," Octavia retorted, trotting towards her marefriend, grabbing one of the guitars with her hoof.

"Tavi, no! You can't touch things that are being-" A small box fell onto the floor and opened, revealing its contents. "-levitated," Vinyl finished. Oh crap...

"What's that?.." Octavia lifted a syringe from the floor, inspecting it cautiously. A few litlle bottles and tubes filled with some strange liquid were lying nearby.

Vinyl's pupils widened behind her goggles as she thought, for a second, what would have happened if those were to break... She wasn't to get another for a week...

"Medicine," the pianist replied nonchalantly, waving a hoof and putting the items back into the box. "You know, for that one genetic disease which-name-I-can't-pronounce." She grinned and placed the box in the corner of the room, tossing her other things away.

"Oh my!" Octavia's eyes widened in fear. "A disease? Vinyl, dear, you-"

"Don't worry, it doesn't pass on through sex," the pianist smirked. You're a genius, filly! she congratulated herself mentally.

"Vinyl, I'm being serious!" Octavia blushed. "What if..." What if it's... fatal?..

"Reminds me!" Vinyl shouted, not letting the grey mare carry on. "Need to take my meds now!" With that, she grabbed the little box and ran into the bathroom, locking herself in.

Speculating about her marefriend's behaviour, Octavia concluded that she just liked her privacy. Besides, it wasn't a pleasant sight to see somepony injecting themselves... A few darker thoughts made their way into the cellist's head, but she banished them to the Moon immediately. She couldn't let them get over her. She had to trust her marefriend... because she was the only pony that Octavia could trust. She eyed her cello, or, to be more precise, what was left of her cello. She sighed. Time was crawling so slowly; it was mere early evening, and she wanted it to be night already, not only to have her instrument repaired, but to lie down in bed with the mare she loved, with the mare who loved her...

...With the mare who had just rushed out of the bathroom, putting the box on the table, vigour and energy streaming through her body. Vinyl leapt at Octavia and hugged her, grinning.

"I love you, Tavi, you know that?" she murmured into the cellist's ear, nibbling her on the neck.

"Vinyl, I love you too," Octavia stammered, taking aback by the sudden approach. "But why are you so energetic all of a sudden? What's got into you?" Oh my, I could definitely get used to such fervour...

Vinyl giggled, brushing her nose against Octavia, taking in the sweet scent of her mareriend. Hmm... I've never noticed how wonderful she smells before... Alrighty, time to drop the bass, Vinyl! "If I were you, I'd worry about what's going to get into you..." She grinned and specified, "tonight."

Octavia's face flushed with embarrassment. While she was a little surprised (and not just a little), she was also terribly excited about... ahem... what was going to get into her. Did I really think that right now?

"So, how about we dance?" Vinyl jumped towards one of her boxes, fervently seaching for something. Now where did I put this?! A-ha! She took out a vinyl record, smiling. "Here it is, filly! The very best of dancy-shmancy jazz!" The white mare placed the record onto the gramophone, grinning from ear to ear, and extended her hoof. "M'lady?"

Octavia giggled and approached her pianist, taking a classical dancing stance. What's up with her being so vigorous and jumpy? Is it... the effect of the medicine?

"Uh-uh." Vinyl grabbed Octavia by the waist, thus making them stand in a dancing stance that Octavia normally would occupy while dancing to her jazz records. The grey pony smiled. While she could play only a few notes of jazz yet, she was going to dance jazz, and, what's more important, with the mare she loved.

Vinyl put the needle on the record with her telekinesis and music began to fill the room. From the very first notes, Vinyl made sure to be the leading one. She began with rolling Octavia back and forth, eliciting a smirk from the grey mare, who suddenly began feeling more and more confident. They shifted next to each other for a few seconds, and then began marching throughout the room in a swinging-tango manner. Suddenly, just as the saxophonist hit an especially powerful note, Vinyl lifted Octavia in the air, holding her in a firm, yet gentle magical grip. The feeling of complete freedom, even from the rules of gravity, was so intense that the cellist just let her subconsciousness decide what to do from now on. And it seemed that her subconsciousness liked action, for she turned around in the air, grabbing the pianist by the neck with her back legs, her whole body jerking back, her mane almost touching the floor. Vinyl gasped, almost losing control, and placed the mare back on the floor. She immediately regained her courage and grabbed Octavia by the waist again, giving her an appreciative kiss on the neck.

The two mares danced their bawdy jazz thoughout the evening, young and free, without a care in the world.