Revealing:
“I’m here! I'm not late!” Prism Bolt shouted as he burst through the, thankfully, open window and landed. He skidded to a stop before a group of ponies patiently waiting in the foyer of the small two story cottage. He drew in deep breaths through his nose and mouth as beads of sweat rolled from his face. The animals, that called the space home, retreated to their burrows and nooks from the commotion that was the pegasus colt’s arrival.
Starburst looked up at old cuckoo clock before turning her gaze to her out of breath friend and said.
“Well I’m surprised. You’re not only late but six whole minutes early. And here I thought you wouldn’t show because you were taking some pre-afternoon nap.” His breath still evading capture, Prism Bolt replied through pants.
“I don’t take a pre-afternoon nap short stack. My napping schedule is perfectly timed for maximum sleep. And you’re one to talk with how many times Del tells me you sleep away the afternoon after working on Sweet Apple Acres.”
“UGH! Only you would devote time to plan out being a lazy slob.” Starburst said, her eyes threatening to leave her skull from the force of her rolling them.
Prism Bolt just stuck his tongue out at Starburst and took a seat near the base of the stairs.
“She is right though Prism. Ever since you and Annie got together you’ve really put more effort into things. Glad to see her have such a good effect on you.” Said Golden Delicious.
Prism Bolt smiled. It was true. Ever since he got together with Anthea, Annie to her friends, he had put more effort into not only their relationship but in being more active in general. He made sure to schedule in time to be with her and help out with taking care of the animals at her mother’s cottage. He wasn’t bad with them either, except for these three baby rabbits who he swears must be demons from Tartarus in disguise. She had been great to him, not minding that he was little lazy and in fact most of their dates just involved finding a nice hill out of town and just laying in the soft grass watching the clouds pass.
“Yeah, she is pretty great.”
“Well I’m just glad you’re making the effort keep her happy.” Cotton Candy added. “Whenever she comes over to Sugarcube Corner all she talks about is how much fun you guys have on your dates and how strong and talented you are. Though I remember her telling me she hated the feeling of flying, yet she keeps on telling me that you make her feel like she’s doing barrel rolls and inside out loops. Not sure why.”
“Well Star I can say that Prism Bolt has made me feel the same way when we dated. So I don’t down for a second that Prism can take our little Annie to cloud nine.” Whirlwind said, shooting a sly wink towards the now blushing Prism Bolt. Cotton Candy burst out laughing at the implication that goody two horseshoes Annie and Prism Bolt having intimate relations. Golden Delicious awkwardly scratched his neck with his hoof. Starburst grinned seeing something get under Prism’s skin. Turquoise Blitz just scratched his head, the innuendo flying clear over his head.
“What happens in the cloud bed stays in the cloud bed.” Mumbled Prism Bolt under his breath as the sounds of hoof steps descending the stairs were heard.
At the top of the stairs stood Annie, a large canvas covered in a plain white sheet gripped in the green aura of her magic. She gingerly descended the stairs and stopped next to her coltfriend who wrapped a comforting wing around her barrel. She nuzzled his chest quickly before they walked together to the center of the foyer and depositing the still covered canvas on an easel.
“You ready to show everyone your new master piece?” Prism Bolt said planting a soft kiss on Annie’s head. She looked up and beamed. Even though she couldn’t see shapes or figures, her magic allowed her to see colors and nothing stood out more that red. blue and yellow mane of her beau.
“Yes. I am.” She gave Prism a hug and ran her hoof across his form as he left her side to take a seat on the couch next a still grumpy Starburst. Annie then cleared her throat and addressed the assembly of multicolored blobs that were in her mom’s foyer.
“Thank you guys for all coming to see my new art work! It really means a lot to me that you take in interest in my hobby. Now a lot of my work so far has been very…abstract.” She giggled as she remembered how befuddled her friends were when she painted a group picture that looked more somepony slapped paint on a canvas. She had improved since then and this picture she felt marked a real transition in her pursuit of the arts. “I also want to thank Prism Bolt, my coltfriend. For not only being the best thing I could ask for but also acting as the inspiration for this piece. I hope this picture doesn’t shock any of you but I wanted to really push my limits of artistic ability. Please do not be offended. Without further ado I present my painting.” She said. She then flung the white sheet off the canvas with her magic and revealed her painting to her eager audience.
The foyer was silent as all eyes scanned the unveiled canvas. It was in laid landscape showing a full scene. Like most of her previous artworks this piece was abstract, a collection of blobs and splotches of various colors. Like she stated in her speech the subject was Prism Bolt, though it was obvious based on the inclusion of his tri colored mane and tail. He was obviously reclined and laying in some manner with his head or what can be assumed is his head, resting on the left side of the canvas while it looked like his tail stretched out and off the canvas. The background was bluish-purple that they had since learned was how Annie depicted night time, which bled into the blue in Prism’s coat with white specks depicting stars. Whatever Prism was lying atop appeared to be a warm forest green in color, perhaps a blanket. But what drew the focus of the eye and caused the observers, included the subject himself, confusion was a odd protrusion on Prism’s body. Situated closer to his tail but reaching to roughly a third of the length of his whole body was a thin curved splotch of pitch black. It was obviously the most important part of the picture but for the life of them none of the ponies in the room could determine what it was.
“So what do you guys think?” Annie said shattering the silence. The six ponies quickly looked at each other unsure what to say. None wanted to bring up the elephant in the painting but knew that someone had to speak up. Prism, being the artist’s special somepony, bit the bullet and said.
“It looks, great Annie. I mean I can totally see me in it.”
“Of course you see you in it. It’s a picture of you. And I’m glad you like it. I was so worried you would be embarrassed by it.”
Prism left his seat and wrapped his unicorn marefriend in another wing hug and said.
“I am never embarrassed by you and don’t let something like that get in your head. I love you art and I love you.” Annie smiled and nuzzled his chest as he enveloped her with his wings. The others did their best to take this time to decipher the visual riddle before them.
Just then the door to the cottage flung open as Crystal Clarity, sister of Turquoise Blitz, entered the foyer.
“I do apologize for my tardiness, Annie. I had a jewelry order that I simply had to finish and you can’t really speed up the time it takes molten metal to cool.”
“It’s okay Claire. I only just unveiled my piece a few minutes ago. Go on and take a look.”
Claire did just that. She approached the piece and stood a foot away from it. Her eyes scanned the piece from corner to corner and like the other found her drawn to the peculiar shape at the forefront of the image. She ran her eyes along the length and then stepped back as if to take add her more detailed look into the big picture. She then raised a claw to her face, as if to stifle a giggle or conceal a blush. She then cleared her throat and turned towards Annie, still wrapped up snuggly next to Prism and said.
“Annie. I do find this piece very…interesting. I am correct in saying that this a picture of your Prism Bolt?”
“Yes.”
“And that based on the starry sky background that this is night scene.”
“Yes.”
“And that the forest green colored thing that Prism is lying on is in fact the bedspread that my mother gave you a few years back for your room.”
“Yes again. Are we playing 20 questions Claire?”
“No dear, but I do have one final question. What is the title of this artwork?”
“His pride and joy.”
The room became quite enough to hear a pin drop. Everypony in the room began to puzzle in what Claire’s questions and Annie’s title could reveal about the picture. Then they understood. The black shape in the picture, the intimate bedroom setting and the title were the final clues needed to determine what they were looking at. It was so obviously from the very beginning. Her request of that they not being offended, her fear that Prism would be embarrassed it all made so much sense because the picture was depicting a stallion in his most vulnerable and exposed state.
*Pomf*
The sound preceded the unfurling of Starbursts and Whilwind’s wings, both of them blushing profusely. Cotton Candy began to giggle uncontrollably as Golden Delicious covered his eyes with his hooves and began muttering about how he would have to bleach his brain. Claire did her best to hold her mature and professional mask as she fanned herself feeling the temperature of the room inexplicably rise. Turquoise still couldn't put the puzzle together but declined to ask the others what they had just realized.
Prism’s jaw dropped as he realized what his marefriend had just done. Annie just kept on smiling while she hugged Prism.
"Are you embarrassed now?"
The End