I couldn't believe my ears. Was she saying what I think she was saying? Was I finally a true royal?

"Earned the name?", I said, "You mean...?"

"Yes", Mom said, "You are now a Prince, and I am going to introduce you publicly in front of Canterlot". I couldn't say anything else. I was so happy. I just kept walking to the Castle, trying very hard not to yell.

Once we got back to the Castle, Mom looked at me and smiled.

"I take it that you're ready, correct?", she said. I nodded happily. "Well first, you'll need to get dressed. Your new attire is in your chambers".

Nothing more needed to be said. I quickly dashed upstairs to my bedchamber. I walked in, closed the door, and looked on my bed. There was a golden crown, and a silver breastplate. I smiled as I put the attire on. The breastplate was chafing me a little, but I knew it was something I'd get used to. I looked in the mirror and saw myself in my new outfit.

"I look like... like royalty!", I said to myself, "I look good! Oh, the introduction! Better get down there!" I ran downstairs, trying not to stumble and damage my attire. Mom was waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs.

"Well, look at my little Prince", she said, flattering me heavily as a deep blush formed on my face, "It seems like just yesterday I was holding you in my hooves. Now here you are, a Prince. I'm very proud of you".

"Aww, thanks Mom", I said, feeling so very confident.

"Now, follow me", Mom said, walking away. I followed her to the Castle's balcony. Strangely, Auntie Luna was sitting out there also, looking very tired.

"Hey, Auntie Luna", I said, hugging her, "You're awake".

"Greetings, Nephew", Auntie Luna said, "I'm awake for now, so I can see you're crowning, then I'm going back to sleep. It's 11:00 in the morning and I have to get up in seven hours".

"OK", I said. Then, I noticed that her tail was very short, as if if had been cut off. "Umm... Auntie Luna?"

"Yes?"

"What happened to your tail?"

"Tia shaved it off".

"Oh... She got you back from the hoof-in-a-bowl-of-warm-water-trick".

"Yep".

"Looks like you're even now". I chuckled and looked over the balcony and saw every pony of Canterlot down there. I smiled as I looked down at my new subjects. I was ready! I sat down next to Auntie Luna as Mom came out and the ponies below us all quieted down.

"Mares and Gentlecolts", Mom said, "We are gathered here for the crowning of your new beloved royal and my son, Glitter Sparkle. He has earned his cutie mark, gotten along with a friend, and saved my niece from an avalanche. For that, Luna and myself are welcoming him into royalty. Prince Sparkle, please step forward". I looked at Auntie Luna, who smiled and moved me forward a bit. Why was I shaking at that point? Was it excitement, or was it stage fright? For whatever reason, I still walked up to the balcony and looked down at the ponies, who all started whispering to one another. I don't know if they were being positive or negative, but I tried to pay attention to Mom instead. "What do you have to say about your new title?" I looked up at Mom with a look of confusion and she lowered her head and whispered into my ear. "Say what you think about being a Prince". Stage fright was starting to take affect, as I shakily walked up to the balcony. Mom could see that I was having a hard time, so she started rubbing my shoulder with her hoof. I took a deep breath and spoke.

"Ponies of Canterlot", I said loudly, "I am very honored to accept the title of Prince. I've been waiting for this moment for ten years, and it's finally here. I am happy to finally look down at my subjects and be able to say that I'm a royal. I want to say thank you to Mom, Auntie Luna, and Cousin Caddie for letting me into the royal family. Also, I want to say thank you to Shining Armor, my best friend, for being my friend". My voice started to break, as tears of joy started to run down my face. Not tears of stage fright, but joy. "A-and, I wanna say that I love you all, my subjects. I hope you all will accept me as a Prince and I will do what I can to make you happy. Th-thank you all!" The ponies all started cheering and clapping loudly. Joy swept over me as Mom pulled me into a hug and I cried tears of joy into her coat.

"You did good, Sweetie", she whispered into my ear, "Welcome to royalty". She then let go of me and stood as the ponies settled down. "Citizens of Canterlot, your new Prince!" The ponies all started cheering again as I looked over the balcony again. In the front I could see Shining Armor, who winked at me. I winked back and Mom walked me back into the Castle, Auntie Luna following us.

~~~~~~~~~~

Later that night...

Auntie Luna went back to sleep, while Mom and I were having dinner. I was still wearing my Prince attire, which I never wanted to take off again, if it wasn't too uncomfortable to sleep in. I ate my salad and talked with Mom about being a royal.

"Mom?", I said, "Can I ask you something?"

"Go ahead, Sweetie", Mom said.

"Do I get any guards of my own?"

"Yes. I have notified the Unicorn Royal Guards that they are under your authority now, instead of mine or Luna's. Also, you will get maids of your own also".

"Maids?"

"Yes. They will clean up after you and will also be under your authority".

"Wow!"

"Now, listen up because this is the most important part of being a royal", Mom said. I looked at her, completely focused. "Now, you would think being a royal would mean having power, getting your way all the time, and not having to do anything, but that's not it at all. Being a royal means work, and plentiful amounts of it. You will receive fan letters that you must reply to, attend your courts, and watch over your subjects. Also, a royal is not permitted to leave their Castle unless it has two or more of its guards with it. Meaning if you want to leave the Castle, you must take two guards with you". I nodded. "OK, you will start your first court tomorrow at 3:00 and will end at 9:00. It may seem long, but you will get used to it. Every court lasts six hours unless is cut short by the number of cases or you cannot attend. My court is from 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM, yours will be from 3:00 PM to 9:00 PM, and Luna's is from 10:00 PM to 4:00 AM".

"So, what if the plaintiff or the defendant tries to hurt me if I rule in favor of the other?"

"They will not. Two of your guards will be on either side of you while you do your job".

"OK. Now, do I have the authority to sentence to dungeon or death?"

"Yes, but only if they have done very wrong. If they have committed murder, abuse, or attempts to harm you, you may sentence them to death. If they have committed theft, robbery, counterfeit, drug dealing or smuggling, or provides you with false information, you may sentence them to dungeon for an amount of time. Also, abuse and murder can also sentence to life in the dungeon, before death. Understood?" I nodded. "OK, one more thing, once a month, you are required to visit a city in Equestria to give a positive speech. You may choose any city as long as it's in Equestria. You are absolutely prohibited from going to the Changeling Kingdom, as they despise Equestrian royalty. The Griffon Kingdom and any other city is OK". I nodded.

"Anything else?"

"Yes. As you know, meals are served at specific times, but if you would like a snack, you are allowed to get a maximum of three snacks a day, as long as they are not reserved for anypony. Anytime that you have no court or have no letters to reply to is your free time, when you can do anything you want".

"Can I have any friends over?"

"Yes. As long as you know them and they are friendly. If they try to harm you, Luna, or I, I will have to sentence them to punishment".

"OK. Is that it?"

"That's it. Now you know everything and are ready to be a Prince!"

"Alright!" Soon, one of my new guards came in. carrying a bag of something in his magic.

"Excuse, Prince Sparkle", he said to me, "I have over two hundred fan letters for you".

"Alright", I said, taking the bag with my magic. I finished my salad and walked up to my room to answer them.

~~~~~~~~~~

Answering the letters was tiring at first, but after about twenty-five, it was a lot easier. I even got a few checks holding over thirty bits, which was so nice of them. After the 150th letter, I felt hungry. I put down my quill and went down to the kitchen for a snack.

On the way to the kitchen, I saw Mom, standing by the front door, letting in a random filly. I walked over to the two and saw that the filly was a Unicorn, and was lavender, with a pink stripe running down the middle of her mane and tail. On her back was a little baby dragon that looked like it had just been hatched.

"Sweetie", Mom said, "You're just in time. This is Twilight Sparkle".

"Hi!", Twilight said to me, smiling.

"Hey", I said back.

"She's going to be living with us for a while", Mom said, "I have made her my personal student for the time in being".

"Cool", I said, then turned to Twilight. "I'm Glitter Sparkle".

"Hey!", Twilight said, "You're friends with my brother!"

"Shining Armor?"

"Yeah! He's my B.B.B.F.F."

"Come again?"

"Big-brother-best-friend-forever!"

"Oh... OK. So, who's the dragon?"

"This is Spike. I just hatched him from an egg".

"He doesn't bite, does he?"

"Nope. He's friendly". Twilight let Spike off of her back and onto the floor. The baby dragon walked over to me and hugged my front leg, sighing loudly. "Aww! He likes you!" Smiling, I reached down and pet the scales on his back, making him smile.

"OK, Twilight", Mom said, "Come with me. I have a few books for you to read".

"OK!" Twilight grabbed Spike lightly with her teeth and walked away with Mom, while I resumed on getting my snack.

First day of court...

I sat in the "Judge" seat, quivering lightly. Today was my first day of court, and I was ready, but frightened. Even with the two Unicorn Guards on each side of me, I was still afraid something was going to happen. The good thing was that there was a big bowl of small chocolate candies that looked like M&Ms next to me, which helped me calm down.

"Let's start with the first case", one of the guards said, "Julie Heartstrings versus Ryan Heartstrings". Two mint-green ponies, a mare and a stallion walked into the court. The mare walked into the "Plaintiff" cell, and the stallion walked into the "Defendant" cell. I cleared my throat and looked at the paper given to me.

"Mrs. Heartstrings", I said, "You're claiming that your husband, Ryan, is abusing you and your daughter, Lyra Heartstrings, correct?"

"Yes, your honor", Mrs. Heartstrings said. I then looked at Mr. Heartstrings.

"Is this true, Mr. Heartstrings?", I said.

"No!", Mr. Heartstrings said, "I've never laid a hoof on her or Lyra!"

"Yes you did!", Mrs. Heartstrings yelled to her husband.

"Silence!", I said. Both Mr. and Mrs. Heartstrings quieted down. That felt really good. I continued with the case. "Now, Mrs. Heartstrings, do you have any proof?"

"Yes, your honor", Mrs. Heartstrings said, pulling out a folder. One of the guards took it and gave it to me. I turned on the projector and opened the folder, seeing several pictures of bloody wounds.

"Explain these, Mrs. Heartstrings", I said.

"Those are wounds given to me and Lyra by him", she said.

"I see", I said, closing the folder, "Mr. Heartstrings, do you have anything to say about this?"

"Those picture are fakes!", he said, "She's lying!" I slumped down in my seat. This was going to be hard.

"Is Lyra here right now?", I asked.

"Yes", Mrs. Heartstrings said.

"Send her in". The doors opened and out walked a much smaller mint-green pony walked in, limping a bit. "Are you Lyra Heartstrings?"

"Yes, Prince Sparkle", Lyra said.

"Tell me, has your father recently hurt you?"

"Y-yes", Lyra said again. I could tell she was having a hard time, but I had to move on.

"Is there anything you need to tell me or show me?", I asked the filly. She shakily nodded and turned her flank toward me, raising her tail and showing me a huge bruise that looked like it was close to infection. Seeing that, there was no question who was telling the truth. Still, I couldn't sentence punishment at that point, because I still had to talk to the jury. "How did this happen?"

"D-dad hit me with a pole on my flank", Lyra said.

"Why did he do this?"

"Because I had my friend Bon-Bon over and we were being to loud. He hit me in front of my friend and sent her home".

"I see". I turned to Mrs. Heartstrings. "So, you're asking for a divorce and supervision rights over Lyra, correct?"

"Yes, your honor", Mrs. Heartstrings said. I walked over to the jury, talked for a while, and went back to my seat.

"Now, I have spoken to the jury, and I have decided to rule in favor of Julie Heartstrings. She is granted full custody and supervision rights over Lyra and a complete divorce. Ryan Heartstrings, for committing foal and mare abuse, you are sentenced to six months in dungeon". Mr. Heartstrings sighed loudly.

"Understood, your honor", Mr. Heartstrings said.

"Guards", I said, "Escort him to the dungeon". The guards took the stallion to the dungeon. "Case closed". I banged the gavel and Ms. Heartstrings hugged her daughter and left. I put a hoofful of the candies in my mouth as the case closed. This could be easy.

~~~~~~~~~~

After my court, I walked up to my bedchamber and sighed. It went fine. I got to my bedchamber to finish my paperwork and saw Mom tucking Twilight and Spike in my bed. She looked over at me.

"I hope you don't mind if Twilight takes a short nap in your bed", she said, "She's a little exhausted from reading and since you were in court, I allowed her to sleep here".

"I don't mind", I said, "I'm just in here to finish answering my letters".

"OK, Sweetie. Just don't disturb Twilight". Mom walked downstairs while I walked over to my desk. On the way there, I looked over at Twilight, who was sleeping peacefully in the bed with a smile on her face. I smiled as I answered the letters. The next day, I was planning on getting to know Twilight better. Maybe I could get another friend.

One year and two months later...

Saturday, December 9

Once again, I'm writing in my journal that I bought to keep track of my record as Prince. But, all I've been filling it with is complaints. Complaints that I am really having problems with. I don't know what's going on with Mom, but she isn't paying much attention to me. It's like all I am is an extra royal in the castle. Does she even know that I'm her son anymore? But, I think I know why. Twilight. She's been hanging around her more that she has me. And I don't mean just for student matters, but other matters. Like, I would eat dinner alone, and then two minutes after I was done, she would eat dinner with Twilight. Plus, Mom let's Twilight sleep in my bed, which means I have to sleep on the floor, and if I ask if I can sleep with her, she says she's too tired. I would sleep with Twilight, but she's a kicker, and I really don't need to wake up at 7:00 in the morning with her hooves or flank in my face. It's like Twilight is her daughter, and I'm just chopped liver.

*sigh* Well, today's my birthday. Hopefully, Mom can do something special for me. She wouldn't forget my birthday... would she?

I sighed and put my quill down. I really didn't have anything else to write. Plus, I had to go to court in ten minutes, so I got my crown and breastplate and put them on. I walked down to the courtroom and waited for Mom to finish her last case. Once she was finished, she walked out of the courtroom. Before she walked past me, I stopped her.

"Hey, Mom!", I said. Mom looked at me.

"Yes?", she said.

"Do you know what today is?"

"Saturday?"

"Well, yes, but it also a special day".

"Sweetie, Hearth's Warming is in two weeks".

"I know. Not that".

"Then what is today? I have to go teach Twilight and you're stalling me", Mom said, sounding annoyed. I couldn't believe it. She forgot my birthday! I hung my head with sadness, anger, and disappointment.

"Never mind", I said, turning around, "You forgot, just like I knew you would".

"Forgot what, Sweetie?"

"Just... just go teach Twilight. I have to go to court. And I'll bet she'll be in my bed when I'm done". I walked into the courtroom and sat down in the seat, still not believing that my own mother forgot my birthday. I just sighed and focused on the court and the bowl of gummies next to me.

"Let's start with the first case", one of my guards said, "City of Canterlot vs. Pinkamena Diane Pie". The doors opened and an all-pink filly with a large, poofy mane and tail walked into the room and stood in the "Defendant" cell. I picked up the paper and cleared my throat.

"Ms. Pinkamena", I said, "You've come before me because you were shoplifting, correct?"

"Mm... hmm...", the pink filly said.

"Can you tell me why?"

"Because... I was trying to plan a party on the rock farm, but I needed to get some supplies, so I took some party stuff".

"Well, the quantity you took isn't 'some'. You swiped three pounds of streamers, 400 balloons, two boxes of cake mix, and seven rolls of wrapping paper. All together, you stole 900 bits worth of party planning items".

"Well... I... I really wanted to plan a party. I saw a beautiful rainbow and I wanted to throw a party for my family. I had to get so much stuff because I had to get stuff for my mom, Cloudy Quartz, my dad, Igneous Rock, and my sisters, Maud Pie and Limestone Pie".

"Well, thanks for introducing your family to me, but shoplifting is a very serious crime in Canterlot, Ms. Pie, and I can't let this go unpunished. Had you taken twenty bits worth or less, I could have". The filly started weeping lightly into her hooves.

"Please don't send me into the dungeon. Please!"

"Ms. Pie, calm down. I can't send you to the dungeon, because you're too young, but if you don't pay for what you stole, I'm gonna have to send your parents into the dungeon". The filly started crying harder, and I knew that this was hard for her. Still, I was in the same mood she was in, so I decided to cut her some slack. "OK, I'll tell you what, I'll let you go, but you'll need to promise me that you won't shoplift anymore". The sad filly looked up at me.

"I-I promise", she said.

"OK. But, if you shoplift again, I'll have to punish you. Case closed", I said, banging the gavel. The filly quickly ran off and I prepared for the next case.

~~~~~~~~~~

Soon, I finished court and went up to my bedchamber. Sure enough, Mom was tucking Twilight in my bed again, this time reading her a story. At that point, I was seriously ticked off. I walked in, grabbed my paperwork, and walked into the dining room to complete them, without stopping to talk. I furiously scratched my quill on the papers, angry and sad at the same time. This was unbelievable. First, she acts like I'm not important, then she allows a filly that I barely know sleep in my bed, and now she forgets my birthday and doesn't even try to figure out what day it is?

Soon, I felt tears run down my face. They weren't tears of sadness, they were tears of fury. I threw my quill across the room and cried into my hooves loudly, not even caring who was watching.

"What is wrong with thou?", I heard someone call in the royal 'we'. I turned around and saw Auntie Luna, who was up two hours early.

"H-hey, Auntie Luna", I said.

"We were woken when we heard weeping", she said, "Why is this?"

"Because Mom forgot my birthday!", I said.

"Really? We awakened early for thou day of birth, to celebrate".

"Well, you could just go back to bed, because I don't have a birthday. I turn eleven today and Mom is more concerned about Twilight than me".

"Well... um... OK". Auntie Luna went back to bed and I sat there with my face in my hooves, until I heard someone else come in.

"Sweetie?", Mom said, "Are you OK?"

"I don't know", I said, not even looking at her, "Is Twilight OK?"

"She's in my chambers studying. You've been sitting there for two hours".

"Well, you're finally concerned about me now".

"What are you talking about, Sweetie?"

"Still calling me 'Sweetie', huh? Well, did you know that 'Sweetie's' birthday is today, and you didn't remember it?"

"Well... I've been so busy with Twilight, and I've been so exhausted".

"Really? Too exhausted to spend time with your own son? Too busy to get your son a little something for his birthday? I bet you don't even know what I'm turning today".

"Ten?"

"Eleven! I'm turning eleven! See?!"

"Sweetie, calm down".

"No! You don't care!"

"Yes I do. I've just been busy". I looked at Mom with a dead-serious look.

"Do you care about Twilight more than me?"

"Sweetie, why would I have to answer that?"

"Do you... care... about Twilight... more than me?"

"Sweetie, I have to go work with Twilight".

"Do. You. Care. More. About. Her. Than. Me?!"

"Glitter, I-"

"Do you?!"

"Fine! Yes! Yes I do!" My heart completely shattered after what she said.

"Wh... what?!" Mom sighed.

"Yes. I care more about her because she needs proper care under my supervision. I have to watch over Twilight more than I have to watch over you". I started sniffling as tears ran down both sides of my face. You have no idea how heartbroken I was. Mom tried to hug me, but I pushed her away. I ripped off my breastplate and took off my crown, threw them on the floor, and ran up to my bedchamber. "Sweetie! Wait!"

"Leave me alone!", I yelled to her, "Just leave me alone!" I closed and locked my door and cried loudly into my pillow. I knew it, she didn't care about me. She cared me about the stupid filly more than me. She's only known that filly for a year, and she's known me for eleven years, and she cares more about her than me? I couldn't believe it. I knew that accepting that pony's offer had a catch. I knew that she would take me in and forget about me. I-

"Prince Sparkle?", a voice called from the outside. Whoever it was, they used my title.

"*sigh* Come in", I said, using my magic to unlock the door. The door opened and out came the filly that took my mother, Twilight. I turned away from her as she sat on my bed. "What do you want?"

"Prince Sparkle, why are you crying?"

"Because my own mother cares more about a filly she has known for a year more than her own son! You stole my mother!"

"Prince, I didn't steal her. Look, she asked me if I wanted to be her student, and my mom and dad said yes. I didn't get to choose. They answered for me. Yes, Princess Celestia cares more about me, but she still loves you".

"How would you know? All you care about is your stupid books and your worthless magic!"

"Because she brags about you to me. She always tells me good things about you".

"I'm not buying it! She doesn't love me! She loves you!"

"Yesterday, she told me that you were the strongest colt that she knew. She told me that you looked like her with your mane and tail flowing. She said that you were the most important pony in her life besides Princess Luna. She said that adopting you was the best thing she ever did, and she learned how to control the Sun in less than a minute".

"B-but... she..."

"She also said that if anything were to happen to you, she wouldn't know what to do with herself. She said that she wishes that you were a part of her so that she could never lose you. The only thing that she keeps as a treasure is you. She really, really, REALLY loves you". I started sniffling lightly. "I know the truth hurts, but it's true. She loves you". Twilight had just told me everything. Mom does love me, and I just yelled at her.

"T-Twilight", I said, "You mean it?"

"Yes. Every time she tells me a story about you, I feel like you're the best Prince ever. You're my idol!" I really couldn't help myself. I threw my front legs around the filly and she nuzzled me.

"Twilight, I'm sorry!"

"That's OK".

Then, I remembered something else. I let go of the filly and ran across the room to Mom's bedchamber. I opened the door and ran in, not even bothering to knock. Mom was on her bed, with her head hung low with guilt. I hugged her tight and I cried into her coat. "Mom, I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

"Sweetie, it's OK", Mom said, "You just got a little upset. I understand". Mom kissed my cheek. "I love you".

"I love you too!"

"Now, there's something I wanna tell you that you've wanted to hear". I looked up and saw Mom levitating a large present and two slices of chocolate cake over to me. "Happy birthday, Sweetie". I smiled and took one of the slices of cake and the present. Mom and I ate our cake and I looked over at the present.

"Can I open this yet?", I asked Mom.

"Go ahead, Sweetie", Mom said, "It's your's after all". I opened my present. It was a game console called "XBUCK ONE" with a game called "Pac-Mane". I smiled as I looked at my new gift. "Like it?"

"I love it! Thank you!"

"You're welcome, Sweetie. And next time I forget your birthday, just let me know, OK?" I nodded and hugged Mom again.

"So, how'd yo get this in less than an hour?"

"It used to be Luna's, but she gave it to me because she moved on from XBUCK series to PonyStation series. Little did she know that those don't have fans on them, and her console burned out within two years. I don't really use this, so I'm giving it to you". I smiled again and buried my face in her coat.

"Thank you", I said, my voice a little muffled from being buried in Mom's coat.

"Um... Excuse me?", Twilight said, who had just now entered the chamber, "Am I interrupting anything?"

"No, Twilight", I said, "You can come in. In fact, why don't you come in my bedchamber and play my XBUCK ONE with me?" Twilight looked at Mom.

"May I?", she said.

"You may", Mom said, "Your studies are complete for tonight". I smiled and Twilight and I went into my bedchamber.

~~~~~~~~~~

After hours of playing my new game, Twilight had fallen asleep in my bed with Spike laying on top of her, so I turned off the game and picked up my journal.

Saturday, December 9

Well... I found out the truth about why Mom spent more time around Twilight, because she had to watch over her studies. Plus, she never forgot about me, and she did get me a good birthday gift. Plus, I made a new friend today, and she lives with me. I feel so much better after knowing the truth.

Also, I-

"Sweetie?", Mom said, making me stop writing.

"Yes, Mom?", I said.

"I apologize if I'm interrupting anything", she said, smiling, "I was just wondering if you would like to sleep with me. You seem like you could use a good night sleep". I smiled as I put my journal down.

"Sure", I said. Mom smiled and I followed her to her bedchamber. We got into the bed and she tucked herself and I in.

"Goodnight, my little angel", Mom said, cuddling me. A small blush formed on my face from the compliment as I buried my face in Mom's coat.

"Goodnight, Mom", I said, slowly drifting off to sleep.

Author's Note

I do not wish to start any fights between Team Xbox and Team PlayStation. I just needed to add a little something extra.("Psst... Go Team Xbox!")

Sorry for the delay. Had no WiFi.

Next chapter: Going to Ponyville