Hearts and Hooves Day was drawing near, and the fillies and foals of Mrs. Cheerilee's class were busy making their boxes for their cards.
"Now remember, kids," the teacher said, "so no pony feels left out, you must make a card for every pony in the class. At Friday's Hearts and Hooves Day Party, you can either put your cards in their respective boxes or give them personally."
"This is fun!" Raspberry exclaimed as she messily glued paper hearts to her pink box. "Hearts and Hooves Day just might be my favorite holiday!"
Blueberry smirked. "I thought that was Hearth's Warming."
"Well, Hearts and Hooves Day is my favorite holiday this month!"
In the back of the room, Gemstone was carefully pasting plastic jewels to her lilac box. She placed a green one on the front, but then frowned and put it down. She tried a pink one, but it did not quite look right. After testing several other colors, she groaned and turned to her best friend.
"Prism, do you have any red...?"
She trailed off when she saw the pegasus' box. The lid had six thick stripes drawn vertically across, each a different color of the rainbow, just like Prism's mane. On the long sides were three perfectly drawn hearts each and on the short sides, one each. A rainbow ribbon connected all the hearts together.
"Prism, that's gorgeous!" Gemstone complimented.
"Yeah," Prism said indifferently. "Too bad Mrs. Cheerilee didn't have a marker in indigo. I don't care what they say! Indigo's a color of the rainbow!"
The green pegasus colt with red hair that was sitting in front of her turned around to look at her box.
"Gee, Penguin," he smirked. "I didn't think you liked that mushy stuff."
Prism narrowed her eyes at the colt. "For your information, Kicks, I like Hearts and Hooves Day not because of the lovey-dovey stuff, but it's fun to make things for all my friends."
"What friends?"
Gemstone coughed. "Me, friends. And don't forget the Tri-Pies. Now, I may not be the best at math, but I believe that's four more friends than you have."
"Hey! I have friends!"
"Name 'em," Prism dared.
"There's Pin Cushion!"
"Uh huh," Gemstone nodded. "And?"
Kicks opened his mouth to speak, but it just remained open as his eyes wandered in thought.
"Shut up!" he finally said, turning back to his work.
His box was just a mess of glue and paper. His hearts looked more like circles, or lop-sided triangles.
"I can't believe I have to make a card for that guy," Prism grumbled to her friend.
"What's his problem, anyway?" Gemstone whispered.
"Heck if I know! He's been picking on me since kindergarten!"
"You don't have to make the card that nice. You could just give him one that says 'Happy Hearts and Hooves Day' and leave it at that. Which reminds me. Could you come to my house after school and help me with my cards? I mean I can make them all right, but the writing..."
"Hey, no problem, though you should really ask Raspberry for help. She writes the best Hearts and Hooves Day cards! She always puts a little poem in them."
Gemstone sighed. "No, that's okay. If I wanted a poem in my cards, it would be my own. I can't have some pony be my ghost writer, especially one of my best friends! I just need some pony to help me write 'Happy Hearts and Hooves Day, Love, Gemstone.'"
"I get it. Sure, I'll come by and lend you a hoof."
"Oh! But you can't write my card for you! That would ruin the surprise!"
"Then I won't. Ask your mom or something. I'll help with the rest."
The unicorn filly grinned. "Thanks, Prism. You're a real friend."
When the Tri-Pies heard Gemstone and Prism were going to work on their Hearts and Hooves cards, they asked to come too and they all decided to meet at the Cutie Mark Crusader clubhouse. Every pony brought their art supplies and got to crafting. Gemstone tried to cut a heart out of construction paper, but as she did, it kept getting smaller and smaller. She looked at Prism and saw that she had already cut three perfect hearts.
"How did you do that?" the unicorn pleaded.
The pegasus saw her friend's jagged hearts and shook her head with a smile. "It helps to fold the paper in half first. Here, I'll show you."
While Prism showed Gemstone how to make a heart, Cherry was writing in one of her cards.
"Raspberry," she called. "What rhymes with orange?"
The magenta filly rolled her eyes. "Nothing."
"Nothing! Of course! Why didn't I think of that? Thanks, Rasp!" She was about to write it down when she paused. "Hey, wait a minute!"
Prism handed a piece of red paper to Gemstone. "Now you try."
The unicorn gulped as she folded the paper in half and drew half a heart on it. Then she cut along the curved line and opened the paper.
"Hey!" she cried, holding up the heart. "I did it! Wow, Prism! I never knew you were so good at arts and crafts!"
Prism blushed. "Aw, it's nothing. When I was little, I was often bored, so Aunt Scootaloo got me some arts and crafts kits to pass the time."
The unicorn hung her head. "I wish I was as good as you."
"Gem, it's just a hobby. You're good at a lot of things, like..." Prism tapped her chin. "Um...uh..."
Gemstone crossed her forelegs. "Well?"
"You're good at...being the best friend ever!"
The unicorn grunted. "Thanks."
"And...being pretty! Seriously, I wish I can be as pretty as you!"
That made Gemstone feel a little better, but she could not believe her friend was saying this.
"Oh, but you're pretty too, Prism. Your mane is absolutely to die for! Uh...I'm not saying you should dye it. It's colorful already!"
Prism rolled her eyes. "Sure, that's why I have a lot of boyfriends."
"We're only nine, Prism, and my mother says girls get prettier as they get older. Well, until they reach forty or something. I don't know why she says that. Mother looks great! Anyway, in a few years, you'll have no trouble finding a special some pony."
The pegasus stuck out her tongue. "I told you. I only like Hearts and Hooves Day because of the artsy stuff. I don't dig all that mushy gushy love nonsense."
"What?!" Raspberry shrieked.
"Here we go," Blueberry mumbled, putting her hoof to her forehead.
The magenta filly stood up. "Love is not nonsense! It's the most powerful magic in the world! Even more powerful than friendship and fairy godmothers! Did you not see what happened during the changeling battle this summer?! Love can conquer anything!"
"Okay, okay!" Prism exclaimed. "I'm not saying love is stupid. It's just not for me." She raised her eyebrow at Blueberry. "Uh, Blue. I think you can take your head out of your hooves right now."
"Yes, but..." the blue filly bit her lip, as she tried to yank her hooves away from her forehead. "I forgot I had super glue on them." She whined. "A little help?"
On Friday morning, the foals squealed in delight as they opened their boxes. Prism gasped when she saw a little beaded bracelet with a pink and red pattern.
"What...?" she started to say.
"Surprise!" Gemstone exclaimed. "I made it myself! I made a couple for the Tri-Pies too! Do you like it?"
Prism slid the bracelet onto her hoof and then hugged her best friend. She felt so proud of her. This was the first time Gemstone had given her something she had made all by herself!
As Prism looked through her box, she came across three cards that blew confetti in her face as soon as she opened them. She did not need to read them to know who they were from. Raspberry had written a poem, as usual:
Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
Rainbows have all the colors
And you do too!
The pegasus could not help but laugh. Raspberry must have been very tired from all the writing to have written a simple poem like this. She loved it anyway. She then found a card which was just a folded piece of red construction paper. The message inside read: Happy Hearts and Hooves Day, Penguin. Kicks. P.S. You stink.
She looked wearily at the colt in front of her.
"The feeling's mutual, Kicks," she said.
That should have been the last card, as that was every pony in her class, but there was one more at the bottom of the box. The heart was enormous. It was a miracle it did not get crumpled in the box. It had all the colors of the rainbow drawn across in horizontal stripes, much like her box, and was bordered with silver glitter.
She turned it over and read the message, her eyes widening with every word.
"Ooh!" Gemstone said. "That one's pretty! Who's it from?"
"It..." Prism stammered, "doesn't say."
From up front, the Tri-Pies gasped and zoomed to the back of the room.
"You have a secret admirer?!" Raspberry exclaimed. "That's so sweet!"
"What does it say?!" Cherry begged. "What does it say?!"
Prism hugged the rainbow heart to her chest, hiding the message.
"No, you don't want to hear it," she insisted. "It's...it's gushy. It's embarrassing."
"We won't laugh," Blueberry promised. "I'll read it if you don't want to."
The pegasus hesitated and glanced down at her special card. Then she sighed in defeat and handed it to the blue filly.
"Wow!" Blueberry exclaimed the minute she saw the message.
"What?" Gemstone inquired.
"It's a poem! In really fancy mouth-writing!"
"But what does it say?" Cherry asked.
Blueberry cleared her throat and read the poem:
"Your hair is really awesome
I like how it's the color rainbow
When I see it blow in the wind
I swear that it can glow
"You're awesome like a helicopter
Soaring through the sky
It always spins in circles
And yet it still can fly
"You're awesome like a bumble bee
It's stinger sharp and profound
It's wings are smaller than it's body
Yet it can still get off the ground
"You're awesome like a penguin
They can't fly at all, but swim like a pro
The point is I think you're awesome
Just thought that you should know."
Raspberry snatched the card out of her sister's hoof and her eyes scanned the poem.
"The rhythm's off, he used the incorrect spelling of 'it's,' I don't see how a bumble bee's stinger can be profound, his similes almost make no sense and the whole thing is, well, cheesy."
The magenta filly then sighed and hugged the card to her chest. "It's so romantic!"
"This is wonderful!" Gemstone exclaimed.
"How is it wonderful?" Prism asked, raising an eyebrow.
"You have a secret admirer! See? You are a catch!"
The pegasus grabbed her card and tucked it under her box. "It's not a secret admirer. Some pony was just trying to be nice."
"Making you a beautiful card and writing you a cheesy, yet thoughtful poem is more than nice!" Gemstone insisted. "This colt obviously likes you!"
"How do you know it's a colt?" Cherry inquired.
They all stared at the red filly.
"What? It happens."
"This foal could be your special some pony!" Raspberry squealed. "We have to find out who he is!"
"Or she!" Cherry chimed.
"Ooh!" Blueberry said, bringing out a magnifying glass and a black bag. "Now's the time to use my Nancy Horseshoe Detective Kit!"
"Guys!" Prism shouted. "I don't want to know who this so-called secret admirer is!"
They all gasped.
"WHAT?!"
"How could you not want to know?" Gemstone inquired.
"Yeah!" Raspberry exclaimed. "This colt...
"Or filly!" Cherry interjected.
"Whatever! This foal likes you! If you find out who he..."
"Or she!"
"If you find out who they are, you could have a very special some pony! And you'll fall in love and have the best Hearts and Hooves Day ever and then you'll get married and have foals..."
"Whoa, whoa!" Prism cried. "All the guy did was make me a card. It's no big deal."
Raspberry gasped. "NO BIG DEAL?! This could be your one true love! If you don't find him, you'll lose him forever!"
"Or her!" Cherry said.
"Not interested," the pegasus declared.
"No pony says you have to marry the colt," said Gemstone. "You should find out who he is so you can at least thank him."
"Or her!" Cherry said, getting impatient.
Prism looked at her friends and then at the rainbow heart. "It is a nice card..."
"Please?" Blueberry begged. "I want to put my Nancy Horseshoe Detective Kit to the test!"
The pegasus sighed. "Okay, but...don't do anything crazy until recess."
"Yay! Oh, I'm going to have to borrow your cards!"
Before Prism could say anything, Blueberry snatched the box filled with cards and raced to her desk. The pegasus filly groaned.
"I'm going to regret this, aren't I?"
When it was time for the students to go outside for recess, the Cutie Mark Crusaders gathered on the merry-go-round.
"Okay," Blueberry said, showing her friends Prism's Hearts and Hooves Day cards. "I dusted them all for hoof prints, but there are so many on all of them, I can't tell which is which! I also analyzed the writing on the card, and couldn't find a match on the others. Whoever sent you this was smart. All students' cards and gifts are accounted for, so he must have made you another card to throw you off."
"So you don't know who sent it?" Gemstone inquired.
"Nope, but I'm sure we can narrow it down with a little something Auntie Twilight calls deduction. There are seven colts in our class, and one of them sent it."
"I'm telling you!" Cherry exclaimed. "It could've been a filly!"
"But which one?" Raspberry asked.
The triplets and Gemstone glanced around the playground, while Prism just rolled her eyes.
"We can rule out Fox Trot," Blueberry declared.
She pointed to an earth colt with blond hair and a pink coat, pushing a purple filly on the swing.
"Yeah," Raspberry nodded. "He and Sweet Stuff have been going steady since the second grade, and Sweet Stuff is the real jealous type."
"What about Crest?" Gemstone asked, pointing to a white unicorn with a blue mane. "He's cute! And he has a dazzling smile!"
"Nah," Prism said, shaking her head. "His idea of a Hearts and Hooves Day gift is a mini-tube of toothpaste."
She held up said tube for emphasis.
"You could be right," Blueberry agreed. "Why not Gruffle?"
"He hates girls, remember?" Prism groaned. "He told me so himself he doesn't want anything to do with them. He thinks they have cooties."
"What about Kicks?" Raspberry suggested.
"You're kidding, right? That guy hates me!"
She looked to where the pegasus colt was standing. He was laughing with his unicorn friend, Pin Cushion, who was a brown colt with a sharp horn.
"And we can forget his little minion," Prism grumbled.
"That leaves two colts," Blueberry declared. "Dunkin and Jelly Legs."
They glanced over at the colt with golden fur and a chestnut mane shooting hoops on the basketball court. A light blue colt with a purple mane was shivering nearby.
"Ooh!" Gemstone uttered as she gazed at the athletic colt. "What a hunk!"
"Dunkin is the best athlete in the class," Raspberry said, "but he's also sweet and sensitive. I hear he also reads poetry."
"And Jelly Legs is so shy and quiet," said Blueberry. "He sounds like the kind of colt who would anonymously send a love letter."
"Really?" Prism cringed as she studied both colts. "I don't know, guys. I'm not sure they're my type."
"Come on!" Gemstone insisted. "Dunkin would be perfect for you! He's an athlete, you're an athlete...well, he's, uh, better, but that's good, right?"
"That's just it! I don't want to date a colt who's better than me at sports!"
"What about Jelly Legs?" Raspberry asked. "He may be shy, but every pony knows shy ponies are really nice!"
"But if he's too afraid to even talk to me, would it even go anywhere?"
"Just ask them!" Gemstone urged. "Go over and ask them if they sent the card!"
Prism groaned and leapt off the merry-go-round. "Forget it! I think I'd rather not know who this secret admirer is!"
She yelped as Raspberry grabbed her by the hoof.
"Come on!" the magenta pony insisted as she began dragging her friend toward the basketball court. "Let's ask them!"
"No!" Prism protested, trying to yank her hoof free. "Stop it, guys! You're going to embarrass me!"
"Yo, Dunkin!" Blueberry called.
The colt stopped himself from releasing his ball and turned to the fillies coming towards him.
"Hey, girls," he greeted with a friendly smile. "Hey, Gem. What's up?"
Gemstone was confused that he was particularly addressing her, but she politely answered.
"Oh, nothing much."
"Prism has something to ask you," Raspberry said, finally letting go of her friend.
"I do not!" Prism shouted. "Can we just forget the whole thing?"
"Oh, she's just being her usual grumpy self," Gemstone said, "but she has a great personality!"
"Huh?" Dunkin said, scratching his head. "But didn't you come here to..."
"We'll cut to the chase," Blueberry said. "Where were you between the hours of seven and thirteen last night?"
"What?"
"Just kidding! Though seriously, what were you doing last night?"
The colt blinked. "Sleeping?"
"Aha!"
"Blueberry, where exactly are you going with this?" Gemstone inquired.
"And before that, did you make a Hearts and Hooves Day card and write a love poem for Prism?"
"What?!" Dunkin laughed. "Don't be silly! No offense, Prism. You're cool and all, but I'm no good with hoof-made stuff. I buy all my cards."
"See?" Prism grumbled. "What did I tell ya?"
Blueberry tapped her chin. "Then your secret admirer is..." She darted her eyes at the light blue colt. "Jelly Legs!"
The colt shivered in fear.
"Confess!" Blueberry demanded, poking the colt in the chest. "You sent that card to Prism! Confess!"
"Hey, what are you doing?" Dunkin said, dropping his ball to rush to Jelly Legs' side. "You're scaring the kid!"
"He's not my secret admirer, you guys!" Prism declared.
"Exactly!" Cherry chimed. "Because your secret admirer must've been a filly! And I know how to get 'em to confess!"
The red filly brought out a megaphone and skittered up the flagpole. Prism gasped in panic.
"Oh no! Please, Cherry! Don't!"
"HEY, EVERY PONY!" Cherry shouted through her megaphone.
The fillies and colts stopped playing and looked up at the red filly in confusion.
"WILL PRISM'S SECRET ADMIRER PLEASE STEP FORTH? DON'T BE SHY! EVEN IF YOU'RE A FILLY! WE WON'T JUDGE YOU!"
"Cherry, shut up!" Prism growled through her teeth.
"Ooh!" Pin Cushion taunted. "Prism's got a boyfriend!"
"Or girlfriend!" Kicks laughed. "As the case may be!"
A few other fillies and colts joined in their laughter while Prism blushed redder than her so-called friend. She was saved by Mrs. Cheerilee.
"Cherry!" she hollered. "Come down from there!"
Cherry grinned in embarrassment and slid down the pole.
"What did I say about climbing up the flagpole?" the teacher demanded.
The filly sighed. "It's not safe."
"Good. Now don't do it again."
After Cheerilee was out of hearing, Cherry turned to her pegasus friend.
"Sorry about that, Prism, but hey, maybe your coltfriend or fillyfriend will speak up!"
"Would you guys just drop it?!" Prism screamed. "I don't care who my secret admirer is! I don't care if I never know who likes me! Maybe I like it being a secret! Ever thought of that?! So stop making idiots of yourselves, and more importantly, me, and forget all about that stupid card! Okay?!"
Her friends remained silent as Prism stormed over to the merry-go-round and picked up her Hearts and Hooves Day box before going inside.
When school was out, Gemstone chased after her pegasus friend.
"Prism, wait!" she called.
Prism turned to her in bitterness. "What?"
The unicorn hung her head. "I'm sorry we pushed you into finding your secret admirer. We...we just wanted you to be happy on Hearts and Hooves Day."
The pegasus smiled. "Thanks, but...I'm okay with not knowing who my secret admirer is."
"Why?"
"Well, what if he turns out to be a jerk? Or I don't like him very much? Or what if it was all a joke? I think it's best to keep it a mystery. Knowing that there's some pony out there who likes me enough to give me a card is all I really need."
"Oh, I see."
"You want to go to Sugar Cube Corner?"
"Oh, um..." Gemstone bit her lip. "I sort of have plans."
"What plans?"
"Well...after you stormed off, Dunkin asked if I wanted to get a milkshake with him. Apparently, he had asked me in his Hearts and Hooves Day card and wondered why he hadn't gotten an answer." She giggled. "He forgot I was dyslexic."
Prism stifled a laugh.
"You don't mind, do you?" Gemstone asked.
"No," her friend said. "Go have fun. He's a nice kid."
"And cute," the unicorn said with a blush. "And he thinks I'm pretty."
"Then what are you standing around here for? Go!"
Gemstone nodded and raced to catch up with Dunkin. Prism then decided not to go to Sugar Cube Corner, as she did not want to feel like she was intruding on her friend's date. She knew the Tri-Pies were unavailable for the rest of the afternoon, as they were helping their mother set up for her annual Hearts and Hooves Day party. Thunder Dash was out with his special some pony, Apple Blossom, and even Lightning had a date. Scootaloo was rehearsing with the band for Pinkie Pie's party, which meant Prism was on her own for the next few hours.
She chose to take a walk in the park to stretch her legs, maybe even get some flying practice in. She set her Hearts and Hooves Day box on the bench and was about to leave it to practice her flying when she had a second thought. She opened the box and took out the paper rainbow heart. As she read the poem for the fifth time, she let out a sigh.
"I guess I'll never know."
"Hey, Penguin!"
Prism groaned as she looked up to see her least favorite colt in the world walking towards her.
"What you got there?" the green pegasus asked. "Is that the mushy gushy card from your fillyfriend?"
"Leave me alone, Kicks," Prism grumbled. "I'm not in the mood." She glanced around the park. "Where's the nearest trash can?"
"Over there. Why?"
"I need to throw something away."
Prism then took the card in her mouth and trudged over to the garbage can.
"Hey," Kicks called. "What're you doing?"
"I'm throwing this away," Prism said through her teeth. "This thing has caused me nothing but trouble!"
"Isn't that a bit extreme?" the colt said, chasing after her.
"You're right. Maybe I should tear it up first and forget about this stupid secret admirer!"
"No! Don't! I worked so hard on that!"
Prism stopped in her tracks. Her mouth fell open, allowing the card to float to the ground. She turned her head slowly towards the red-headed colt, her eyes wide in disbelief.
"What did you say?"
The colt's mouth was open, but no words came out. His face was turning from green to red. Prism glanced between him and the card.
"Oh no," she said. "There is no way you wrote this!"
"I didn't!" Kicks insisted, but then mumbled under his breath. "I got my sister to write it so you wouldn't recognize my writing."
She glared at him. "What was this? Some sort of joke?!"
"No! I swear! It wasn't a joke!"
"Then why? Why did you send this to me?"
"Because I..." He stopped and looked at his hoof as it made circles in the ground. The rest he said under his breath: "Think you're awesome. And...pretty."
Prism blinked in confusion. "But...but you hate me. You pick on me all the time. You call me Penguin!"
"Didn't you read the dumb thing? Penguins are awesome! They're flightless birds, but they're still cool!"
"Then why do you make fun of me all the time?"
"Because I..." he blushed again, "like you."
Prism was still confused. "Why?"
He looked up so his brown eyes could meet her green ones. "You remember when we first met?"
Prism thought back to the first day of kindergarten. The class was sitting in a circle and the teacher had asked every pony to turn to the foal next to them and introduce themselves. That was when Prism first laid eyes on the green pegasus colt with red hair and brown eyes.
"I'm Prism," she had said, holding out her hoof.
The colt had said nothing, only stared at her. After a while, he spoke:
"Your mane is weird."
Prism groaned as she shook her head back to the present.
"Yeah, I remember. You splashed me with paint later that day."
Kicks shrugged. "I wanted to see how your mane would look if it was all purple."
"Then you threw a rock at me at recess."
"I was trying to get your attention. It was just a pebble."
Her eyes narrowed. "You laughed at the fact that I didn't have my cutie mark yet!"
"I laughed because I expected a filly as awesome as you to already know her talent."
Prism shook her head. "I don't believe this. If you've liked me all this time, why didn't you tell me before?"
"Well," Kicks gulped, "you kind of hated me."
"Gee, I wonder why."
"And...we have so much fun fighting."
Prism blinked again and then thought back on all the fights she and Kicks had been in. She remembered that first day of kindergarten when he had splashed that purple paint on her. She had gotten him back with some blue. After that, things got messy, but she could not help but giggle at the memory, because Kicks had looked so ridiculous in all that paint!
Some fights had been rougher, where one of them would end up with a bruised knee or a black eye. She had once knocked one of his teeth out. As she looked back on this, she realized that instead of wailing in pain, he had grinned, showing the new hole in his mouth. He had looked so stupid.
"I guess it was kind of fun," she said with a shrug. "Remember when you slid that toad in my lunchbox?"
Kicks snickered. "Yeah! Weird, 'cuz you were the only filly who wasn't running scared!"
"I think Pin Cushion was pretty scared too!"
They both laughed so hard that they toppled onto the ground next to each other. When they turned their heads, their noses touched. Their laughter died and they both blushed.
"I, uh..." Kicks said, sitting up, "guess I got a little carried away with all the teasing. You...you know I only teased you about the card so you wouldn't suspect it was me? That's why I made it anonymous in the first place. If you knew it was from me, you probably wouldn't like it, and I didn't want to look like a fool and..."
She put her hoof to his lips. "Chill. It was a nice card. The poem's a little cheesy, I'll admit, but...sweet."
"Thanks, but...did you really think I was a filly? 'Cuz if you like fillies, I completely understand and I really don't have a problem with..."
"I don't like fillies. Not in that way, at least."
"Oh, good."
Kicks grinned and looked down at his hooves. "Uh...I was wondering...since it is Hearts and Hooves Day and all, and...maybe...you could...um...that is...would you...be my...special some pony?"
Prism was speechless. She would have never expected the colt who had ridiculed her for years to ask her this. She was not sure how to respond. She loved the card he had made for her and with the red tint in his cheeks, he looked sort of cute.
Her heart, however, was not with her head.
"Kicks," she said with a sigh. "You're a...okay guy and all, but..."
His smile faded. "But?"
"I...I'm only nine years old. I'm not really into romance yet. I'm definitely not ready to have a coltfriend. Besides, I...don't really feel that way about you. Not yet, anyway."
Kicks hung his head in disappointment. "Oh. I get it, I guess."
They sat there in awkward silence. Prism kept glancing at the colt, feeling guilty for what she had said.
"Can I...?" he stammered, locking eyes with her again. "Can I...at least...kiss you?"
Prism's eyes widened and her stomach tied itself into a knot.
"W-what?"
"Just once?" Kicks asked with a nervous grin. "I...I promise I won't tell any pony and...as soon as it's done, we'll go back to hating each other! Okay?"
Prism was at a loss for words once again. She had never kissed a colt before, nor had she ever imagined it, especially not with Kicks. She wanted to say no, as this was a colt she had despised all her life. Then she looked at those pleading brown eyes.
Well, no pony said she had to marry the boy.
"What the heck?" she shrugged. "It is Hearts and Hooves Day."
"Really?" Kicks said excitedly.
"Just don't make a big deal out of it."
Kicks did not hesitate to close his eyes and pucker his lips. Prism cringed a little before glancing around to see if any pony was watching. Then she shut her eyes and leaned forward.
The kiss lasted for only a few seconds, and Prism could not believe what she felt. Her heart was not beating wildly, and her eyes were not turning into hearts like in the cartoons, but for a fleeing moment, she felt...fluttery.
When the two of them pulled away and opened their eyes, Kicks was smiling like an idiot, while Prism was trying to process what had just happened. Had she really just kissed the colt she hated more than dresses?
She finally looked him in the eye. "This never happened, okay? If you tell any pony about this, my big brother and sister will pulverize you!"
The colt's grin widened. "No problem."
Prism got up to gather her things and was about to leave when she turned back to the colt sitting in the grass.
"I still hate you," she said.
"Yeah," Kicks nodded, still smiling. "Me too."
The Party Palace was decorated in hearts and Cupid ponies in diapers shooting arrows. The refreshments were just as mushy, with heart-shaped cookies and sandwiches. Even the punchbowl was heart-shaped. Prism would not have expected anything less.
"Too bad we never found out who your secret admirer was," Blueberry said with a sigh. "He could've been your date to this party."
"Or she!" Cherry chimed.
"Now you've lost your love forever," Raspberry said, shaking her head.
Prism shrugged. "I don't think I'm ready for love yet, let alone dating."
"Gemstone seems to be having a good time with Dunkin," Blueberry declared.
They all looked at their unicorn friend doing a little dance with the golden colt.
"You think it'll last?" Prism questioned.
"Only if it's true love!" Raspberry sighed dreamily. "That lasts forever!"
When the song was over, the four fillies watched as Gemstone whispered something to Dunkin. He looked disappointed, but he nodded in understanding. The unicorn then left the dance floor to join her friends.
"What happened with Dunkin?" Prism inquired.
"He's a nice colt," Gemstone said, "but I explained to him how I'm not allowed to have a boyfriend yet. Daddy's a little strict with colts."
"Who says he has to know?" Raspberry said with a sly grin. "You could be like Romeo and Juliet!"
The five of them laughed. Their mirth died down however when two certain colts laughed along with them.
"Hey, Penguin!" Pin Cushion taunted. "Where's your girlfriend?"
"Dude!" Kicks said, punching his minion in the side. "Lay off!"
Prism's eyes widened in surprise. Kicks then met her eyes and smirked.
"You know no filly would be interested in her. She's not pretty enough for girls!"
The two laughed as they trotted off. Gemstone's face grew hot with fury.
"Ooh!" she grunted. "What is that colt's problem?"
Prism did not take her eyes off Kicks, who turned back to look at her. He smiled and winked. Prism could not help but grin.
"You okay, Prism?" Raspberry asked.
"Huh?" the pegasus filly uttered.
"You're blushing," Gemstone noted. "You never blush!"
"Don't be silly!" Prism insisted. "I'm just hot! That's all!"
She had to get away from her friends, so she went over to the punchbowl. In doing so, she spotted Kicks across the room and found his gaze once again. The event that took place a few hours ago came flooding back and Prism could feel her cheeks turning red.
After a long while, Kicks stuck his tongue out at her, which made Prism chuckle. She was glad to know that things between them had not changed entirely. They would go on picking at each other for Celestia knows how long, but no matter how many times he called her out, no matter how many times she threw a hoof at him, the memory of that one kiss they shared would linger.
And so goes the old saying: you only hurt the ones you love.