Third Episode

True Hearts Day

Cupid rallies the kids to celebrate a long-lost holiday called True Hearts Day as Ashlynn and Hunter's relationship is revealed to the world.

## Characters

2. Male narrator
3. Ashlynn Ella
4. Hunter Huntsman
5. Cerise Hood
6. Cedar Wood
7. Apple White
8. Duchess Swan
9. Three billy goats gruff
10. Ravenette Queen
11. Dexterson Charming
12. C.A. Cupid
13. Lizzie Hearts
14. Evil step-librarians
15. Milton Grimm
16. Briar Beauty
17. Blondie Lockes
18. Madeline Hatter
19. Hopper Croakington II
20. Daring Charming
21. Kitty Cheshire
22. Sparrow Hood
23. Son of the Hero of Haarlem
24. Troll girl
25. Barista
26. Delivery goose
27. Lilly-Bo Peep
28. Humphrey Dumpty
29. White Queen
30. Poppy O'Hair
31. Melody Piper
32. Baba Yaga
33. Gingerbreadman
34. Pied Piper
35. Merry Men

Summary

## Summary

It is spring in the world of Ever After and love blossoms along, undaunted by the reality that the population's romantic potential has already been laid out within their destinies for them. Even C.A. Cupid, daughter of Eros, is bound by the rules of Ever After. But being from another world, these rules do nothing to stop her from pining after Dexter Charming. He does not feel the same, but appreciates her friendship. It is because of this that he entrusts her with a book he found in the forbidden section of the library called *The History of True Hearts Day*. Cupid is overjoyed and immediately heads to Headmaster Grimm's office to convince him to return the holiday to its glory of years ago. Headmaster Grimm, however, refuses to do so, calling the holiday dangerous because it doesn't fit with the pro-destiny philosophies of the school. Though he fails to take the book from Cupid, he forbids her to talk about it with anyone. Intimidated but not easily shaken from her goal, Cupid meets up with Briar and tells her all about True Hearts Day through charades. She easily convinces the resident party girl to help her organize a secret True Hearts Day dance.

Down in the Enchanted Forest, Duchess enlists Sparrow to help her obtain evidence of Ashlynn's and Hunter's secret romance. They find Ashylnn and Hunter on a romantic date and Duchess, after taking pictures, threatens to expose their secret and take Ashlynn's place in the royal rankings as well as her Happily Ever After. The threat ruins Ashlynn's and Hunter's date, prompting Ashlynn to return to The Glass Slipper to think the situation over. Apple pays the store a visit and notices Ashlynn's distress, but Ashlynn declines to share her problem with Apple, who is widely known for her pro-destiny mindset.

Back at Ever After High, Cupid holds her radio show to help others with their love problems. Dexter calls in to gain advice on how to confess his love to Raven Queen. Despite precautions, Cupid recognizes the caller as Dexter. Heartbroken but dutiful, she tells him to put his feelings down on parchment. Thanking Cupid, Dexter quickly goes to write Raven a love poem. Once finished, he leaves the poem at Raven's locker for her to find. He hides nearby and watches as his crush finds the gift, but things go differently than he anticipated. Because he signed the poem as "D. Charming", Raven incorrectly interprets it to be from Daring Charming, leaving Dexter's heart worse off than before.

Ashlynn and Hunter ask Cedar Wood, the only trustworthy person who knows about their relationship, to meet them in a café because they need help now that Duchess is on the verge of exposing them. Cedar advises them to reveal their relationship before Duchess can, which they agree is the best course of action.

At Ever After High, C.A. Cupid receives a shipment of party supplies. Headmaster Grimm becomes suspicious and asks her what the party supplies are for. Cupid stutters, but Briar and Hopper rush to the rescue and tell the headmaster that they are using them for a play. The explanation satisfies him until a shipment of heart-shaped cakes arrives. Thinking fast, Cupid tells the headmaster that they're for a scene where Briar throws cakes at Hopper. Briar demonstrates to sell the story, which convinces Headmaster Grimm of their sincerity. In another hallway, Duchess finds Blondie Lockes resistant to reporting on Ashlynn and Hunter, because she doesn't want to harm her friends. Duchess tries to change her mind, but Hunter and Ashlynn choose that moment to make their relationship public themselves. Duchess is angry that she's been thwarted, which amuses the couple until Apple walks up to them and expresses her disapproval. As it turns out, the entire school has strong opinions about the couple; the Rebels wholeheartedly support them and the Royals are skeptical at best.

All in all, Ashlynn is overwhelmed and tries to make sense of everything. After Princessology, she tries to talk with Apple. Though past her initial distress, Apple still can't agree with Ashylnn's choice, in part because Ashlynn did not trust Apple to know about the relationship before the public reveal. Still thinking, Ashlynn goes for a walk in the Village of Book End, where she encounters Duchess. Duchess gloats over Ashlynn's self-destruction, having realized that it is irrelevant to her plans who brought the relationship to light. Noticing that her enemy is happy about the situation and her friends are everything but, Ashlynn concludes that she and Hunter have made a mistake. As such, she takes him aside in the castleteria to break up for their own and everyone else's sakes. Unable to cope, she leaves Hunter standing alone and heartbroken

Early that evening, the students of Ever After High sneak out of their rooms to attend the True Hearts Day dance. That is, everyone but Duchess and her friend Sparrow, who have not been told where the dance is because of the odds that Duchess would tell on the party-goers rather than join them. Sparrow is resentful towards Duchess because she is the reason he is not invited, and therefore, he refuses to help her find the location of the party. Duchess doesn't press the matter, because she spots Cedar, whose curse will force her to reveal where the dance is held. Once she has the information, she rushes to Headmaster Grimm's office and plucks him out of an important broadcast. He is angry about this until he hears of the secret True Hearts Day dance and orders Duchess to lead him to the party.

At the True Hearts Day dance, the ever-popular Melody Piper DJs and everyone is having a wonderful time. Raven takes the opportunity to thank Daring for the love poem she found at her locker. However, Daring denies knowledge of any poem and Raven realizes that "D. Charming" is actually Dexter Charming. Dexter, meanwhile, is watching the conversation from afar in the belief that he lost Raven to his better brother. C.A. Cupid joins his table, noticing his sad face and needing only a moment to follow his gaze and figure out his problem. Rather than flirt with him, as she had intended, she sits down next to him as a friend. She advises Dexter to stop comparing himself to Daring, because his qualities as an individual do not depend on Daring's qualities. Grateful for the support, Dexter lays his hand on hers. Just then, Raven chooses to talk with Dexter, delighted at the prospect of him as her secret admirer over Daring, but as she sees Dexter and Cupid sitting close, she sorrowfully assumes she is too late and retreats.

Later that evening, Cupid calls for a break in the music and dancing to tell the story of True Hearts Day, which hasn't been told in years and isn't likely to be commonly known. Historically, True Hearts Day is the day that everyone in Ever After goes to pick a blossom from the Heart Tree, a special tree that survives even the harshest of winters, and then gives that blossom to the person dearest to them. To return to this tradition, Cupid has arranged for a group of fairies to pick the blossoms this year and distribute them among the students, so that they too can share their heart with someone special. Moved by the story, Ashlynn grabs the crowd's attention from Cupid to declare her love for Hunter and give him her heart blossom, which he joyfully accepts. All present cheer for them, except Apple, who walks over to them. Ashlynn apologizes for her choices, but Apple unexpectedly gives Ashlynn her heart blossom. She explains that even though she disagrees with Ashlynn's choices, she will always be her friend. With any conflict out of the way, the music is soon back on and the dance floor is filled. Dexter prepares to give Raven his blossom, but Madeline pulls her away and Lizzie steals the blossom. Cerise asks Cupid where Cedar is, since she hasn't seen her around yet. Cupid reveals, as Cedar walks in, that she was their decoy, having been told a wrong location specifically so Duchess would not find them. A note was left in Cedar's room so she'd be able to make her way to the correct location eventually.

Over in the Enchanted Forest, Duchess and Headmaster Grimm arrive at the location Cedar said the dance was to be held. With music coming from within the building, all seems to go according to plan for Duchess. Headmaster Grimm kicks the door open to catch the students red-handed, but they find only Sparrow practicing with his Merry Men. Headmaster Grimm gives Duchess detention for having lied to him, which Sparrow concurs she deserves.