//------------------------------// // Portrait Through Words // Story: Picturesque // by LEPShot //------------------------------// Picturesque -(o)--(o)--(o)--(o)--(o)--(o)--(o)--()--(o)--(o)--(o)--(o)--(o)--(o)--(o)- Warmth, permeating and omnipresent, touching every inch of skin. Relaxing. A haze. Exhaustion covering her mind. Weights on her eyelids. Clouds. Fluffy, solid and lush. Pulling down, into themselves. Sheets, clean, slightly tangled, underneath her body. A pillow. Solid, hot, under her neck. Another, across her foreleg, wrapped tightly against her withers. Security. Two bellies pressed together. Heat is shared. Fur rubs and sparks with every breath. Comfort is found in the embrace. Supreme softness is felt on every part of her body. Thoughts are bogged by sleep. A dozen things run through her mind. Her mind is still. The world is red. An amethyst eye opens. Soft light fills it. The eye shuts again. The sun, shining in the morning. It flows into their space, casting shadows behind her. A pulse against her chest. Steady, rhythmic, powerful. It matches her own. A purple hoof above the caged beat. Under feathers, against skin. More warmth. White fur against her nose. A deep inhale. Millions of scents, all breathtaking. Sandalwood. The ocean. Grass. Freesia. A tired smile. Bliss. A rush of air against an alabaster coat. A feathered wing moves. Slowly, peacefully. The Unicorn’s ribs and flank are covered. The pillows move. They clutch her as lightly as the clouds caress her. A head moves. A lavender cheek brushes a white neck. Slow. Tender. Loving. Soft words fill the air. Vibrations run through the white chest. A musical voice. Melodic. Comforting. Familiar. A greeting. Welcoming. Warm. Tranquil. A happy sigh. A response. Light, cracked with sleep. A chortle. The white legs move again, pulling her closer. Feathers encircle her. Their bellies are snug against one another. The pulse grows more pronounced. It’s steady as ever. Unchanging. Alive. Minutes. Hours. Days. Weeks. Months. Years. No time passes. All time passes. Nothing exists but light, clouds, and two mares. Nothing else ever has. Nothing ever will. She pulls her head back. Slowly. The white legs allow it to move. Reluctantly. Her cheek slides against a groomed coat. Heat seeps into her skin. Her eyes open. They see magenta ones. Love is present in the soft color. No lust. No anger. No worry. Love. Eternity comes and goes. Movement is seen for the first time in decades. Or maybe seconds? The sky is above the white mare’s horn. Blue of the air. Indigo of the west. Purple of the clouds. Green of the treetops. No wind is felt. None is needed. The sky moves in waves. Lavender fur is caressed by alabaster. A bare white hoof brushes tangled hair. Strands are tucked behind an ear. Amethyst eyes close. A soft, tired sigh. A small body sinks further into the clouds. White lips find a lilac forehead. The tired mare smiles again. The lips linger. The lips retreat. Regretfully. A horned head nuzzles white fur. Three words are voiced. Softly. Peacefully. A pause. An Alicorn is filled with euphoria. The commitment is returned. Lovingly. A smile is felt against a white chest. The lavender mare sleeps again. Serenity is on her features. Emotion shoots through a powerful heart. Affection. Adoration. Magenta eyes rove the sleeping face. Every detail, every flawless feature, every flawed aspect, committed to memory. Intense heat is at her back. Her charge’s presence is known. The guardian touches the mare’s back, her wings, her neck. The heat is nice. Soothing. Part of her. The light is everlasting. A white foreleg moves. It wraps around the Unicorn’s head. A light pull brings it to her white chest. The mare does not wake. A white nose finds itself in tangled, dark hair. A deep inhale. Raspberries. Bluebell. The musk of old books. Magenta eyes close. White lips smile. A deep exhale. Ecstasy. A content sigh. Hair is pushed by the light air. The warm body is pressed between her hooves and wing. The smaller mare sleeps peacefully. Her chest rises and falls every few seconds. The darker fur is more coarse than hers. It’s more real. Light pours through white eyelids. The world is red and warm. The world does not exist. In this moment, Suspended in time, only the light is here, on her back. Only the clouds are here, supporting the embracing bodies. Only the mares are here, resting with one another. Together, in Paradise. Forever. ______________________________________________________________________________ Eternity must end. All things end. The Alicorn squeezes her eyes tightly at the thought. She would not allow this moment to end. She couldn’t. White forelegs feel a warm body. Her belly feels another’s coat. She senses two hearts beating. Hers, and her love’s. A hoof touches her cheek. Not a white hoof, but lavender. Magenta eyes open. Two sleepy, violet ones peer back. Peace is seen there. No anxiety. No cares. A white hoof holds the purple leg. The touch is cooling. Radiant. The Alicorn’s back is the same. Fear stabs through an ageless heart. Their world is gone. Light is gone. Clouds are gone. But the other mare is still here. Her presence is a balm for pain and doubt. The bed draws her old body into the sheets. A white leg holds purple withers again. A large wing becomes a blanket. A happy smile illuminates the room again. The lavender hoof moves. Disappointment is felt. A foreleg trails down her neck. Heat trails in its wake. Across her shoulder. It tucks itself under the white wing. Disappointment is forgotten. Violet eyes watch hers. The scent of two ponies mingle. The sheets below them become lighter, fluffier. Pillows and comforters become air. Fear is now but a memory. Two noses move forward. White fur meets violet. A slender horn brushes a short one. Two pairs of eyes are unwavering. Their moment is gone. Their moment will last forever.