Belissima searched Earth barn, but Stone wasn’t there. She trotted along the training field and went to the banquet hall, but there was no sign of him.

Where could he be? Then she smelled a delicious scent wafting from the kitchen.

“Oh no.”

Quietly, she entered the kitchen. Stone was reading the cookbook, and the counter was covered with ingredients.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

He looked up, surprised. “I’m making a recipe.”

“From the magic cookbook. Stone, no pranks during selection week. It’s already too stressful. Jokes are not appropriate right now.”

He flared his nostrils. “What makes you think I’m making a prank recipe? There are nice, helpful ones in here, too.”

“You like to play jokes. All the time. And you told the first-years in Earth barn you wanted to make atchoo pie.” She tapped her hoof angrily.

“I was kidding about that.” He sighed. “I wasn’t planning to pull a prank. Honest. I wish everyone didn’t think I’m nothing but a joker. I’m more than that, you know.”

Belissima didn’t know what to say.

“Do you know what it’s like when everyone thinks all you’re interested in is goofing around? Making jokes? I like to have fun, but that’s not the only thing about me. I thought if I could make this one special recipe I had in mind, the ponies might see me differently. You don’t know how bad I feel sometimes.”

Belissima lowered her voice. “Yes, I do, actually. And I’m sorry. I know exactly what it’s like for everyone to see you only one way. Of course you’re more than just a jokester, Stone.”

Stone looked down and softened his voice. “Thanks, Belissima. That means a lot coming from you. You work so hard in your classes, and you’re so nice to all the ponies in school.”

She was touched that he said nothing about her looks. “You’re very welcome. So tell me, if you’re not making a prank cake, what are you making?”

Stone smiled. “This might sound crazy, but I think I might be able to shoot a rainbow from my horn.”

“What? You’re not teasing me?” she asked.

He shook his head. “I told you, this isn’t a joke. I can shoot sparks, and I think if I combine a few of these recipes, I could make a rainbow. Just for a short time.”

Belissima paused. She didn’t want to discourage him and tell him that would be impossible, especially for a first-year student, but she also didn’t want him to be disappointed when he discovered it was too hard of a spell for him. “Stone, that sounds amazing, but that would require incredibly strong magic.”

He flattened his ears. “You don’t think I could do it?”

“That’s not what I’m saying. Of course you should try. I just want you to be aware of the difficulty in what you’re trying to do. But why now? It’s a busy, fun week. The first-years don’t have classes. Why spend all this time in the kitchen trying to master an extremely difficult recipe?”

Stone tilted his head and thought for a moment. “I’ve got all this extra time on my hands, and I don’t want to get in trouble. So I just thought, wouldn’t it be nice to see a rainbow during the selection ceremony? It would enhance everyone’s magic. It would make the day even more special, don’t you think?” He sounded quite sincere.

“It certainly would. I’d love to see a rainbow. I hope you can make it happen. Can I take a look at the cookbook for a moment?”

“Sure, I’m still mixing up my latest batch. So far, I was able to shoot mist from my horn and then I also made it sound like a trumpet.”

Belissima giggled. “That’s a good start.”

“I’m sure I’ll have a lot of fun with those discoveries someday. I may not be one-hundred-percent prankster, but I do like my jokes!” He grinned, showing all his teeth.

Belissima couldn’t help but laugh. “You know what? We all enjoy your jokes, too, Stone. You’re a lot of fun.”

Stone whinnied and got back to work on his recipe.

She paged through the cookbook and found the recipe she was looking for. A few of the ingredients would be tough to find, but it didn’t seem too hard. “Stone, can you leave the cookbook in the kitchen? I’d like to try something tomorrow.”

“Of course! But you better not pull a prank,” he said, laughing. “I’m kidding, I know you’d never do that.”

Don’t be so sure, she thought.