Whore For the Sacred

For the next several hours, Harmonic escorted his wife, examining paintings and giving his own interpretations of what he believed to be their messages. Atmospheric joined in soon thereafter. She had a knack for picking up on things quickly, and Harmonic knew it. Eventually, they stumbled across the artist responsible: a tall, lean earth pony by the name of Jordan. His coat was a light shade of windham cream. He wore dark brown clothes and a gray beret.

"Enjoying the view?" He asked jovially.

"My wife and I find your work fascinating," Harmonic replied, "We've been debating the meaning behind it for some time now."

"Some of them were just things that came to mind. Others felt like they had a deeper message behind them, but even I couldn't quite figure out what it was."

"The mind is a complex thing. It's often tricky to navigate. Sometimes things that seem logical are really emotional."

"You seem to understand it rather well."

"I've had a lot of time to reflect on the matter."

"I'm curious; have you painted anything?"

"I'm more of a pen and paper man, myself."

"Perhaps you'd be keen on letting me see your work sometime. Here's my card."

Jordan handed Harmonic a card with his contact information. Harmonic graciously accepted.

Outside, Harmonic thoroughly inspected the card.

"Are you gonna invite him?" Atmospheric inquired.

"I'll consider it. I don't think he'll be too impressed though if I'm being honest."

"There's no harm in trying."

"True."

"Have faith in yourself the way you have faith in me. Everything will work itself out. You trust me, right?"

"Of course I do. You're my good luck charm, after all."

Harmonic pecked his angelic bride on the lips. She smiled, not realizing the depth of her husband's words. It was a depth she would come to learn soon enough.

Harmonic led Atmospheric to one of the higher-end restaurants in town.

"I made reservations. Figured if we were gonna do this, we should pull out all the stops."

"Sneaky."

"What can I say? I'm a master of deception."

"Lead the way, good sir."

"Of course, fair lady."

Harmonic took a bow and caressed his wife's hoof, gently guiding her inside.

The couple were seated near the center of the building. It felt like a scene straight out of a movie. Just like the university, Atmospheric took in every sense. She felt like she was on top of the world.

"I have something for you." Harmonic stated. He presented her with two flowers he'd plucked on the way to the eatery, "I know you love lilies, but I also wanted to pick something more personal."

"What is it?"

"A white chrysanthemum. It represents devotion."

Atmospheric covered her mouth. Her eyes welled with tears.

"You've probably been wondering the same thing I have for a while: what you're going to do when I'm gone, but to tell you the truth, I'm not worried."

Atmospheric dried her eyes.

"How come?"

"You're directly connected to the universe and everything within it. Regardless of what happens to my body, you'll always be able to find me, and our children..."

Harmonic's expression transformed into something beyond description. It crossed somewhere between the realms of logic and emotion.

"Even if they're not immortal, it stands to reason they'll live much longer lives than the average pony. That's what makes the most sense to me, at least from a genetic perspective with your immunity and all. No matter where we go, we'll always find each other. Of that, I have no doubt."

Atmospheric said nothing. She simply stared, bewildered by the amount of thought Harmonic had put into their future. It was something she'd expected deep down, but hearing it felt like a tidal wave swallowing her whole.

"My only wish is that my presence makes you stronger. When my time's finally up, I want to leave this world knowing you can hold your own against Lucifer, Michael, and Azazel. I can see the potential inside you. I just hope you can, too. This, what we share...This is what I want you to remember..."

Finally, Atmospheric broke her self-imposed silence.

"I understand...I will...Always..."

The walk home was unsurprisingly somber. Atmospheric rested her head on her husband's shoulder. Neither of them said a word the rest of the day. They showered together before settling in for a movie. Harmonic held his wife close the entire time...

"I'm sorry." he apologized.

"Don't be. I understand."

"There's never a good time to bring up something like that, but it was something we had to talk about sooner or later."

"I know. Dad and Lucifer warned me a long time ago. Right now, I just want to think about how we'll raise our children."

"Same here."

"Do you think it'll be a boy or a girl?"

"Considering the ratio of fillies to colts, I vote girl."

"We should start thinking of names."

"We'll make a list tomorrow."

"Yeah..."

"...Hey..."

"Hm?"

"I love you..."

"I love you, too..."

Harmonic left a trail of kisses down Atmospheric's neck, easing her into an intimate exchange. She responded by wrapping her forelegs around him, inhaling and exhaling at a controlled pace.

"You should wear your mane back more often," she informed him, "It looks sexy."

"If you wish it, so shall it be."

Harmonic aligned himself with his beloved's outer folds. He carefully pushed forward, enveloping his arousal in her warm embrace. It was clear his attraction to her hadn't waned one whit since the day they were married. In fact, the opposite had come to fruition. As his love for her grew, so too did their physical chemistry. The love they made that night was sweeter than the most delectable of honeys, more tender than the highest quality filet mignon. It was truly a night neither of them would ever forget...