The next morning, I woke up very early, 5:00 AM to be exact. It wasn't really a mystery, since I had gone to bed very early. I buried myself under the covers and tried to go back to sleep, but couldn't. I was wide awake, and trying to go back to sleep was pointless. I got out of bed and stretched my wings, silently and carelessly relieving myself of a bit of gas. Then, my stomach growled loudly, telling me to feed it. I knew that breakfast wasn't until 8:00, but my stomach was growling loudly and my sweet tooth was killing me. Then, I remembered that I didn't have any dessert the night before, and Mom had it saved for me. Smiling, I walked down to the kitchen.

Soon, I reached the kitchen, smells of cleaners and food filling my nostrils as I did. It was very dark, and I could barely see anything. Luckily, somebody had left the stove light on, and I could see the refrigerator. I walked over to the refrigerator and opened it. The light blinded me at first, making me shield my eyes, but after a few blinks, I could see. There was a plate holding something wrapped in aluminum foil, with my name written on the top in permanent marker. Smiling, I grabbed the plate with my magic and closed the refrigerator back. I set the plate on the table, turned on the light that hung over it, and slowly unwrapped the foil, trying not to make too much noise. I smiled wide as I saw what they had saved for me: a huge piece of triple-layer-chocolate-cheesecake. My mouth watered and my stomach growled loudly as I stared at the delicious cheesecake. I really wanted to eat it whole, but it was pretty big, and I didn't want to risk making myself sick again, so I grabbed a knife from the drawer and cut the piece of cheesecake in half. I put half on another plate and re-wrapped the other half. After putting the wrapped half back in the refrigerator, I took the rest up to my room, sat in bed, and started eating.

While eating, I remembered why I went to bed so early. Today was the day I was going to the Crystal Empire to spend my promised week with Caddie. I smiled as excitement ran over me as I wiped a bit of cream cheese from my lips. I really couldn't wait to go. Like I said, spending time with Caddie always made me happy, and now I was going to spend a full seven days with her, at her own home. Anyway, I had sat in bed, minding my own business for five minutes, before there was a knock at my door, making me wonder who was up at 5:00 in the morning, and suddenly wanted to talk.

"Come in", I said. A golden aura opened the door and Mom walked in, smiling a bit.

"Good morning, Sweetie", she said. I smiled.

"Morning, Mom", I said, "Why are you up so early?"

"Umm... sure", I said, scooting over a bit. Mom got into the bed and sighed. Luckily, the bed was big enough. I snuggled into her underside and sighed. "So Mom, why do you want to lay with me?"

"Because I..." Mom leaned in and whispered the rest of her sentence in my ear. "Wet my bed".

"Oh... well, how?"

"Luna pulled the hoof-in-a-bowl-of-warm-water-trick on me. My sheets are being cleaned, so I decided to lay with you".

"OK. I don't mind. It was an accident". Mom smiled and cuddled me.

"Thank you, Sweetie". She kissed the top of my head, making me smile. I then looked over at the rest of my cheesecake and smiled.

"You want some cheesecake?", I asked her, pointing to the cheesecake. Mom looked at the cheesecake.

"I would love some, but I shouldn't".

"Why not?"

"Because I feel like I'm getting fat, Just look at my flank. It's barely hanging over the bed".

"Mom, you're not fat, you're just big. Aren't you the biggest mare in existence?"

"Well, yes, but..." I placed my hoof over her muzzle before she could finish.

"You're not fat. It may just seem like that, since you're big. And plus, who cares how big you're flank looks? You're a princess, and big is beautiful". Mom pulled me into a tight hug, rubbing my mane with her hoof.

"Thank you, Sweetie", she said, "I feel better now". She grabbed the cheesecake and started eating. I rested my head on her stomach while she ate and snuggled into her coat. Soon, Mom finished her cheesecake and sighed loudly.

"Feel better?", I said.

"Much better", Mom said, nuzzling me again. I looked up and Mom as she wiped the cream cheese from her face with her front leg. "Thank you".

"No problem. So, today's the day I get to go to the Crystal Empire, right?"

"Correct. For one week".

"I can't to see Caddie again. Thank you again for letting me go again".

"You're welcome, Sweetie". She rested her head on top of mine. "Umm... Sweetie?"

"Yes?"

"Do you think my flank is just a bit too big?"

"No, Mom. It looks fine". I rubbed her cutie mark, feeling her soft fur across my hoof. "It's pretty soft too".

"I get that a lot", Mom said, "Thank you".

Seven hours later...

I was sitting at the Canterlot Train Station with Mom, waiting for the train to the Crystal Empire. She had given me a bag of bits, a few quills, and a bottle of ink just in case. I was also carrying my luggage and the other half of my cheesecake for Caddie.

"I'm so excited!", I said, hardly able to stay in on the bench.

"I'm sure you are", Mom said back. "Now, I have to warn you: The Crystal Empire is a very beautiful place, but is very dangerous. A broken or shattered crystal can seriously injure you". I nodded.

"OK. Umm... question. Is everything crystal there?"

"Yes. Everything, even the ponies".

"Wow. I really wanna go now". A loud train whistle rang out and a train arrived. It was made of crystal and was very shiny. The conductor came out of the train.

"All aboard for the Crystal Empire!", he yelled. I looked at Mom and smiled as she smiled back.

"Have a good time, Sweetie", she said, kissing my cheek, "I love you".

"I will", I said, nuzzling her, "I love you too". I got onto the train and picked a car that was empty. I looked out the window and waved at Mom. She waved back and flew away as the train started moving.

Soon, the train had come to a stop. I was napping in a top-bunk, and the train's whistle woke me up. I looked out of the window and saw that I was there. Anxious, I jumped out of the bed, grabbed my stuff, and ran out of the train.

Once I got outside, the first thing I did was look around. Everything was crystal, just like Mom said. The buildings, the ground, even the ponies were crystal. Everything looked good. I placed my stuff on my back and I started walking around the Empire, enjoying many sights. Soon, I had came to the biggest place in the Crystal Empire: The Crystal Palace. Judging by the guards standing near the front door, that was were Caddie lived. Smiling, I walked up to the door, before the guards blocked it.

"State your business!", one of them said.

"I'm here to see Cadence", I said.

"State your name", the other guard said.

"Glitter Sparkle", I said back. The guards unblocked the door.

"She is expecting you. Go ahead". I smiled as I walked into the palace, anxious to see Caddie.

Once I got into the palace, I looked around. Everything was crystal, of course, but a lot more beautiful. The palace was very tall and shiny. Before I could look for Caddie, a crystal mare walked up to me.

"You must be Prince Sparkle", she said, smiling.

"That's me", I said, a little flattered at being called "Prince", "Cadence is expecting me".

"Well, Princess Cadence is attending court right now, and cannot be bothered. Her highness will be with you in about ten minutes, but in the meantime, you may enjoy yourself around the palace. Watch out for broken or shattered crystals".

"OK. Thanks, Miss".

"You're welcome, Prince Sparkle", the mare said, "and please, call me Gingerbread". I nodded. "Would you like me to take your luggage to the Princess' chambers?" I nodded again. Gingerbread used her magic to take my bag and walked away. I smiled as I walked through the palace.

I saw many rooms and sights. Everything was awesome, and many Crystal Ponies were everywhere. Mares, stallions, even guards were all crystal. Soon, I came to the room where Caddie's throne is. I got curious as I stared at the tall throne. Smiling, I walked up the stairs and got to the seat. I sat down, placed my stuff next to me, and looked around. Everything was so much higher. I imagined myself as a true prince and talked to myself. Then one thought lead to another.

"I'm Princess Mi Amore Cadenza", I said, using my best impression of Caddie, "The princess of the Crystal Empire. But please, call me Cadence. I have love magic and love playing with my little cousin Glitter. I never let the power of being a princess go to my head and love and care about my subjects and my family". I heard someone giggle, snapping me out of my impression. Caddie had walked in on me and heard every word.

"Nice impression of me", she said, walking up the stairs and sitting next to me, "So, you made it. Great!"

"I wouldn't miss being with you for a week", I said, hugging her. Caddie smiled and hugged me back.

"Neither would I", she said, nuzzling me. Then, I remembered something.

"I got you something". I grabbed the cheesecake plate and gave it to her. She smiled.

"Aww... you're so sweet!" She kissed my cheek. "I'll eat this later". She placed the plate on a small table next to her throne. "So, remember our chess game yesterday?"

"Yep. I won both games".

"Well, how about a rematch? My way?"

"Bring it on!" I was filled with confidence at that point. Caddie smiled.

"Then follow me". She walked down the stairs and I followed her. Soon, we came to a padlocked room. She typed in a number-code and opened the door. I looked around and saw a large room and a total of thirty-two ponies, standing on a large checkerboard-like floor. Sixteen were wearing silver armor, and the other sixteen were wearing gold armor. I was a little confused. "Ready to play?"

"Are we gonna play along with them?", I asked, pointing to the crowd.

"No", Caddie said, "But we are going to play with them".

"Huh?", I said again. Then, I got what she was trying to say. "You mean, they are the... the game?"

"You got it!. Never played Pony Chess before?"

"N-no. I didn't even know that was even a real game. I don't even think I know how to play".

"Glitter, you just play like you would regular chess. Just give it a try".

"Umm... OK". I took the side of the gold ponies and sat down in the mini-throne, while Caddie took the side of the silver ponies. I could see the whole "game" and Caddie from the height I was sitting.

"Now", Caddie said, looking across from me, "You know how the board is set up, so I can skip that part. However, you must call out the move you want to do. If you want to move a Rook, Knight, or Bishop on either side of the Queen or King, you must say 'left' or 'right' before calling the move. Unlike regular chess, you can win by attacking or trapping the King. Also, if you look at the Pawns, you can see they have numbers on their helmets. You must call out the number of the Pawn before it can move. Understand?" I nodded. The game actually started to sound fun. "Then, lets battle! You first". I looked at the board and smiled.

"Pawn four, up two spaces", I said before the fourth Pawn moved up two squares. Caddie smiled.

"Pawn two, up one space", she said before her second pawn moved up one space. The game kept going for a while.

"Pawn seven, take left Knight", I said. My seventh Pawn moved into the space of her left Knight, and the Knight moved out of the board. Caddie smiled as she looked at her own board.

"Right Bishop, take King", she said. Her bishop came to my side of the board and attacked my King. "Checkmate!"

"Aww...", I said, "Guess I didn't see that".

"I'd say 'rematch', but I can only play one game, because multiple games can wear the subjects out. We'll play again tomorrow. Subjects, you are dismissed".

"Understood, Princess", one of the "pieces" said before they all left the room.

Five hours later...

After having a good dinner with Caddie, her and I walking through the open meadows of the Crystal Empire, the only part of the Empire that wasn't covered in crystal. Green, soft grass was everywhere, and the air smelled fresh.

"This is the best section of the Empire", Caddie said, "It's just like Canterlot".

"I'll say", I said, "It does feel good walking on grass than on crystal". Caddie chuckled.

"Oh, you'll get used to that". Then, I saw what looked like a mountain of rocks.

"Why is there a mountain here?", I asked.

"This is Rocky Mountain", Caddie said, "The miners are in charge of this task. The crystals of the Empire are made out of rocks".

"Wow. Is that why it's so tall?"

"Yes. It's a lot of work transforming rocks into crystals". Then, Caddie smiled wider. "Wanna climb it?"

"Climb it? But we don't have any support or gimbals".

"Why would we need any of that stuff. We could just use the rocks".

"Well... OK". Caddie started climbing the mountain, me following.

Soon, we had reached a high point of the mountain We were about fifty feet in the air.

"We're so high up", I said, looking down.

"I know", Caddie said, "Now, let's go back down. Any higher could be dangerous". We started walking back down, before we both felt the mountain vibrate.

"Why is the mountain vibrating?", I asked.

"I don't know", Caddie said. Then, we both looked up. A huge boulder was rolling down. Both our eyes went big.

"Avalanche!", I yelled out. Both Caddie and I ran down the mountain. But then, Caddie screamed and stopped running. I turned around and saw Caddie's wing under a rock, injuring it and pinning Caddie down.

"My wing!", she screamed, "I can't move! Glitter, help me!" I instantly tried to move the rock crushing Caddie's wing. Sadly, it was too heavy, and it would shred her wing if it did. I grunted loudly in frustration. I was so angry. As the boulder get closer, I got more and more desperate.

"Caddie!", I said, "I'm gonna save you!" Very desperate, I ran towards the boulder.

"Glitter! What are you doing?!"

"Trust me!"

I got to the boulder and pressed my front hooves against it, trying to stop it. Still, I could feel myself sliding back against the rock as the boulder kept moving. I tried to push with all my might, but it was still stronger that me.

"I... can't... do it!", I said, trying very hard. But, images of being in Equestria and my new family invaded my mind. "I... am not... leaving behind... so... many... good... ponies!!!!!!" I felt something and clenched my eyes shut. Soon, I felt something heavy in my hooves. I opened my eyes and saw that I was holding the boulder. I was also flying, which must have been a reflex. I couldn't believe that the boulder that was rolling down the mountain was now in my hooves. The only thing that mattered was saving Caddie. I flew over to her with the boulder and smashed the boulder into the rock pinning her down, instantly smashing both into little pebbles. I landed in front of Caddie and panted loudly, trying to regain my breath.

Once I did, I carried Caddie down the mountain, set her down, and hugged her tight, as she did to me.

"Glitter!", she said, "Thank you! *sniffle* Thank you so much!" Caddie started crying at that point, very thankful to me for saving her life.

"Caddie", I said, cuddling her, "It's OK. You're safe now". We just sat there, cuddling for a while. Then, she got up and used her magic to heal her wing. "OK, let's get back to the Palace". I tried to stand up, but I couldn't. I was too sore from carrying the heavy boulder.

"C...Caddie. Carry me... please?"

"Sure". She levitated me onto her back and started walking back to the Palace. But halfway there, I felt very tired and before I knew it, I was asleep.

~~~~~~~~~~

I woke up a few hours later, feeling something soft all over me and something warm under me. I opened my eyes and saw that I was laying in a bed, with a warm water sack under my back to help the soreness. I sat up and looked around. I was in Caddie's bedchamber, judging by the massive pink walls and my bag in the corner. I rolled over and my face bumped into something else soft. I saw Caddies cutie mark and looked up. Caddie was sitting next to me, eating the cheesecake I had brought for her.

"Caddie?", I said. Caddie looked down at me.

"Oh, you're awake!", Caddie said, instantly laying down next to me and placing her head on top of mine.

"Caddie, I'm sorry".

"What do you have to be sorry about?"

"I shouldn't have agreed to climb that mountain".

"Glitter, it was my idea. You had nothing to do with it. Plus, you saved my life, and you don't know how thankful I am to you. It should be me apologizing to you". Caddie kissed my muzzle, making me smile. I threw my front legs around her neck and hugged her tightly. I felt tears running down my face also. "Glitter, are you OK?"

"I'm just glad we're still together!", I said, wiping my muzzle on her coat.

"So am I", Caddie said. We just laid there for a while. Then, I saw that my mane was flowing, just like Mom's, and so was my tail.

"Why is my... mane flowing?", I said, "It doesn't flow".

"Because you got your cutie mark. Since Auntie Celestia is your mother, your mane flows like her's".

"What?" I moved the blanket and saw something on my flank. It looked like a lightning bolt sticking a rock and breaking it. I couldn't believe it. I had gotten my cutie mark! "Wow! My cutie mark! I finally got it! But... what is it?"

"It means super strength. You got it when you fell asleep".

"Wow! Now I have two great memories from being in the Crystal Empire!"

"Yes you do. I love you, Glitter". Caddie kissed my muzzle again and cuddled me.

"I love you too, Caddie". I kissed her muzzle and cuddled her back.

~~~~~~~~~~

One week later...

I was riding on the train back to Canterlot. It was sad that I had to leave, but it was fun to stay with Caddie for a week, playing Pony Chess, having snacks, and just bonding together.

I sat in the bed and relaxed, waiting for the train to get to Canterlot, when the aroma of donuts attacked my muzzle. Smiling, I got out of the bed and walked out of the door to the car. Donut Joe was outside hall, pushing a cart full of his signature donuts. I grabbed a few bits out of my bag and walked out into the hallway.

"Hey, Joe", I said. Joe looked at me.

"Hello, Prince Sparkle", he said, "What can I do for you?"

"Three chocolate donuts please. With rainbow sprinkles". I gave him the bits and he gave me the a bag of donuts. "Thank you!"

"You're welcome. Have a good ride!"

"I will!" I got back into my car, sat down in the bed, and ate my donuts as the train continued to ride.

Soon, the train came to a stop. Finishing the last bite of donut and licking the chocolate off of my hooves, I got off the train and saw Mom waiting for me at the station. I smiled.

"Hey, Mom", I said, hugging her.

"Hello, Sweetie", Mom said back, "Did you have a good time?"

"I did! And I earned my cutie mark! My special talent is super strength!"

"That's wonderful, Sweetie. You look almost like me with your mane flowing".

"Thanks".

"You're welcome. Now, let's get back to the Castle. I have a surprise for you". We started walking back.

"What is it?", I said. Mom smiled.

"I'll tell you for now: You officially have the name of Prince".

Author's Note

Next Chapter: Welcoming into Royalty/Meeting Twilight Sparkle