I've been visiting Zecora every day for three weeks. I've been mixing brews with her, starting conversations with her just to hear her voice, and even stayed nights with her, sleeping in the same bed with her and cuddling her. And now, I know that I'm in love with her. I'm very in love with Zecora, but I can't tell her.

Just like most people, I'm having a hard time thinking about how to tell her how I feel about her. I'm afraid that she won't think the same, and won't want to see me again. It's very hard to tell a girl "I love you", especially if you've only known her for three weeks. I know I really want to, but I just can't.

Plus, I don't think Mom would approve of me dating, especially since I'm her little angel, and she might be afraid that I'll forget about her. Also, she might not approve of me dating a zebra instead of a pony. Both of those reasons are why I'm seriously scrambled right now.

~~~~~~~~~~

I was bathing in Twilight's bathtub, trying hard to relax. However, I couldn't, because my current situation was haunting me. Even in the warm water, I felt cold and sick to my stomach.

"Why?", I said to myself, "Why can't I just tell Zecora how I feel? It's not hard, I'm just making it hard. But... what if she doesn't think the same way? What would Mom think? What if-?" I facehoofed, knowing that I was talking to myself, again. I drained the tub, dried off, and went into Twilight's room. I sat down on her bed with my face in my hooves. Twilight was away at a picnic with her friends, and Spike was asleep in his bed, so I was alone. Very bored, I grabbed my journal and a quill and started writing.

Tuesday, June 29

Once again, nothing about being a Prince. Also once again, I'm writing about my trouble I'm facing with Zecora. I don't know if I should tell her or not. Should I even tell Mom that I'm in love with Zecora?

I stopped writing, focusing on that last sentence. Should I tell Mom about my love for Zecora? That was half of the problems I was facing. What if Mom didn't approve of my crush? On the other hoof, what if I just told her and got it off of my chest? My mind decided to do it. I ripped out a page in my journal and wrote a letter to Mom.

Mom,

I want you to be as honest as you can be, please. I... I have a crush on a zebra that lives here, and I'm afraid to tell her that. I'm also afraid to know what you think about this, but can you please tell me what you think? I really need some help with this situation.

Glitter Sparkle

I rolled the letter into a scroll and wrapped it in a red ribbon. Then, I walked over to Spike and rubbed the back of his neck until he yawned, and his fire-breath burned the scroll. I paced the floor several times, waiting for Mom's reply. I didn't think that was a smart move. I began to regret sending that scroll. But, it was too late. It had already flew out the window once Spike's breath burned it. Soon, Spike hiccuped and burped, a scroll forming in his belch. Shaking, I levitated the scroll over to me and opened it.

Dear, Glitter Sparkle,

Come home at once. We need to talk face-to-face.

Princess Celestia

I gasped and dropped the scroll. I knew I was done for. She wanted to talk to me face-to-face, and I was scared. But, I didn't want to disappoint her, so I flew back to Canterlot, still shaking.

Once I got back to the Castle, the guards at the front let me in and closed the door behind me. I gulped hard and shakily walked upstairs to Mom's bedchamber. After a few deep breaths, I knocked on the door.

"Enter", Mom said from the other side. I opened the door, seeing Mom sitting in her mini-sofa. She looked over at me with a normal look. It wasn't a smile or a face of anger, it was just normal. "Come here".

"Y-yes, Mom", I said. I walked over to Mom and tightened up my face just in case she was going to slap me.

"Sit", she said. I did. "Now, I received your letter, and saw what you said. Is all of that really true?" I nodded slowly. "So you're in love with a zebra in Ponyville?" I nodded again.

"I'm sorry Mom!", I said, "Please don't punish me! Please don't turn me back into a human and send me back to Earth!"

"Sweetie, calm down", Mom said, pulling me into a gentle hug, "I'm not going to punish you. I'm actually happy for you". I looked at Mom. She was smiling. she wasn't mad, she was happy.

"Y-you're not mad?", I said.

"Why would I be?", Mom said.

"Because I'm in love with someone who isn't a pony", I said. Mom only chuckled.

"Sweetie, most ponies have love for a different breed so species. It's very normal in Equestria. Heck, I used to have a crush on a griffon, before the changelings aligned with them, so why should I be mad at you for having love for a zebra?"

"I guess you shouldn't".

"Of course not. So, what's her name?"

"Zecora. Her special talent is mixing brews in a cauldron that can cure almost anything".

"That's great, Sweetie. Well, now that you're in love, I can tell you the one thing you don't know about being a Prince".

"What is it?"

"I'm pretty sure you've heard that a Prince can only marry a Princess, but that's a myth, considering the fact that Cadence, Luna, and myself are the only Princesses in existence. Anyway, a Prince can marry whenever it wishes to".

"That's great".

"Also, if a Prince marries a mortal, the bride becomes immortal".

"Even better!"

"But, I cannot help support you with raising money for your family. If I do, I will be taking from the Castle".

"We could just live here, right?"

"Of course you may, only if the bride agrees".

"Is that it?"

"Pretty much. Oh, and..." She leaned in and whispered into my ear. "If you and her decide to... mate... and you need a bit of advice, you may come and talk to me". I nodded. "OK, that's it. You can go back to Ponyville now if you like".

"I will. Thanks Mom".

"You're welcome, Sweetie". She kissed my muzzle. "Oh, and see if you can bring Zecora over her tomorrow. I'd like to see her". I nodded and left the Castle, smiling a bit. That part of the mystery might have been solved, but now came the hard part: telling Zecora herself.

Thirty minutes later...

I didn't want to instantly rush to Zecora's Hut and tell her, so I went back to Ponyville and went to Sugarcube Corner for a snack. It was after-hours, but Twilight had told me that Pinkie Pie let's friends in after-hours, and sure enough, she did. Even so, I bet she would have let me in, since I didn't punish her for shoplifting six years ago. I was sitting at the bar, writing in my journal and peeking at my menu a few times, when Pinkie came up to me, her face covered in what looked like vanilla frosting.

"Hi, Prince Sparkle!", she said.

"Hey, Pinkie", I said, "Looks like you're back there guzzling, huh?"

"No no", Pinkie said, licking the frosting from her face, "Mr. and Mrs. Cake are making a lot of new recipes, and they want me to taste them and see which one is the best for the contest in Canterlot".

"Then they better make something great", I said, "Because the judges this year are critics".

"That'll be easy", Pinkie said.

"Also", I said, "If they're in this year's contest, they'll be facing French griffon Gustave Le Grand, Donut Joe, and Mulia Mild, the mule from Manehattan".

"WHOA!", Pinkie said, "REALLY?!"

"Yes", I said, "And I interviewed each one of them a few days ago, and each one said they were going to make their best creations".

"Do you know what they are?!"

"Yes I do, but I have promised them that I will not expose their choices until the competition. so I cannot tell you".

"Aww... well that won't matter, because Mr. and Mrs. Cake are bringing out the big guns this year!"

"What is that?"

"They're gonna make the rarest cake in all of Equestria: The Marzipan Mascarpone Meringue Madness!"

"The MMMM?! That cake is very hard to even plan. Not even Cakerita Cakey could make it, and she could make a good cake out of newspaper if she wanted to!"

"They already have it planned and built. All they have to do id finish it. Wanna see?"

"Do I?!" Pinkie smiled and lead me into the kitchen. She opened the refrigerator and I saw the MMMM, half-finished. They were making great progress. All it needed was its last layer and the frosting. "Wow! I never thought anypony could make that cake". I reached out to touch it, but Pinkie slapped my hoof away.

"No touchies!", she said, "Mr. and Mrs. Cake don't want anypony to touch it. Sorry for slapping you".

"It's alright", I said, "Didn't really hurt anyway". I walked back into the dining room and sat down at the bar again.

"So", Pinkie said, "Is there anything I can get for you?"

"What's your best ice cream sundae?", I asked, my sweet tooth kicking at my tongue.

"Well, I like all of the sundaes here", Pinkie said, "But I think the best would be the Triple-Fudgie-Brownie-Chocolate-Chip-Cookie-Sundae". My sweet tooth threatened me at that point.

"I'd like one of those, please", I said, "Extra melted marshmallows".

"Okie Dokey Lokie!", Pinkie said.

"How much is that?", I asked.

"On the house!", Pinkie said, "During after-hours, I don't have to charge me friends, so I don't!"

"Wow! Thank you, Pinkie!"

"You're welcome! Be right back!" She dashed off into the kitchen while I kept writing in my journal. Pinkie was unbelievably nice. No shop in Canterlot wouldn't let a customer get something for free, not even a loaf of bread of an apple. But here, I can get a big sundae for free? That's awesome! I was thinking about getting one for Mom, but I figured that maybe I should wait until I was ready to go home first.

Soon, Pinkie came back with two big bowls full of ice cream and the assorted toppings that came with it. My stomach growled loudly as I started at the big bowl chocolate ice cream, brownie bits, melted marshmallows, and chocolate chip cookie bits right in front of me. Pinkie then set a glass in front of me and herself, pouring some liquid into both.

"I hope you like Sarsaparilla", she said, "It gives you some extra sass".

"I do", I said, "It tastes kind of like root beer".

"I know!", Pinkie said, sitting down next to me, "Well, enjoy!" She dove into her own sundae, while I took a bite of mine. Several sweet flavors burst inside of my mouth. It tasted as if I were eating birthday party treats blended together. "What do you think?"

"This is delicious!", I said, "I have never had something that tastes this good!"

"Like I said!", Pinkie said, "Sugarcube Corner is the best bakery in Equestria!" We ate our sundaes, drank our Sarsaparilla and chatted among ourselves.

~~~~~~~~~~

After having my snack and spending time with Pinkie, I knew that it was time. Time to go tell Zecora how I felt about her. I was standing at the entrance of the Everfree Forest, frozen with fear. I didn't want to, but I had to if I wanted to get it off of my chest, so I reluctantly shined my aura and began walking into the forest. Every step I took, I began to get even more scared.

But then, when I tried to take another step, some vines wrapped themselves around my hind leg, keeping me from moving. I tried to yank it out, but they were like rubber bands, extremely ductile. I reached behind me and tried to untangle myself. Then, I heard a loud roar, similar to a lion's, but louder. I froze with fear again, hoping not to see other black cat. But then, I saw something even worse. It was blue, and had white dots in it like stars, and was in the shape of a bear.

"That can't be...", I said, "Ursa Minor!" I tried desperately to get out of the vines, but I couldn't move. The Ursa Minor roared and leaped at me. I clenched my eyes shut, knowing I was through.

But, I felt my hind leg snap forward. I looked back and saw that I was free. I then saw some of the vines in the Ursa Minor's mouth. He wasn't trying to eat me, he freed me.

"Umm...", I said, staring at the Ursa Minor, "Thank you, Ursa Minor". He spit out the vines and sat down, looking sad. I knew the Ursa Minor was dangerous, but he seemed like he needed something, so I decided to talk to him. "What's wrong?" He started growling lightly. I used my magic to translate him.

"I'm trying to get home to my mommy", he said, "But it's scary out here".

"Oh... well... would you like me to walk with you?"

"Yes please", the Ursa Minor said, "Follow me". I did. I don't know why I was helping an Ursa Minor get home, but it felt like the right think to do. Soon, we reached a cave, which must have been his home. "Mommy!" I saw something rise. It looked like the Ursa Minor, but was seriously bigger, and was purple. It was an Ursa Major, and it was hard to even look at it.

"Sweetie!", the Ursa Major said, "Where have you been?!" She looked at me. "Did this pony hurt you?!"

"No, Mommy", Ursa Minor said, "He helped me get here. If he didn't, I couldn't have gotten here". Ursa Major pulled her son into her lap and held him like a baby. She then gave him what looked like a water-tower full of milk and he started suckling from it. I had to admit, that was pretty cute.

"Now, you", Ursa Major said, "Come here". I slowly walked backward, not wanting to get near her. "Don't worry. I won't rip you to shreds". That made me feel a little better and I walked over to her. "I want to thank you for helping my little Ursa get here".

"N-no problem", I said, "Good to do one think before I lose my best friend".

"Lose your best friend?", Ursa Major said, "What do you mean?"

"I'm in love with the zebra that lives in this forest, like you two, but I can't find the courage to tell her that. I don't know why I'm telling you this, because I'm sure you don't even you what I'm talking about.

"Of course I do. Just because I'm a vicious Ursa Major doesn't mean I don't know love. Have a seat and I'll give you some advice". I sat down next to the Ursa Major. "I'm actually a widow. I was married to Orion, who was killed by Little Dipper, who was killed by me. But before her died, we were able to have this cute little bundle of joy".

"Cool".

"Now, whenever you feel like you love someone, you always want to tell them ASAP, because if you don't, it will eat at you very badly. Also, always bring a gift for the one you love also, as not doing so could hurt your chances". I nodded. "Do you have a gift?"

"I don't. Could you help me out?"

"I would love to, but I can't, unless you want to give your zebra friend a deceased rat carcass".

"I think I'll pick some flowers".

"OK. Is there anything else you would like to know?"

"I think that it. Thank you some much, Ursa Major".

"No problem, pony. By the way, you have my respect. Feel free to drop by anytime". I nodded and left the cave.

~~~~~~~~~~

After picking a few flowers for Zecora, I hid them behind me breastplate and slowly approached Zecora's Hut. I had made it, but my fear was very high. Luckily, I was able to ignore it and knocked on her door, starting to shake a bit.

"Enter", Zecora said from the other side. I opened the door, only to have my muzzle assaulted by a very terrible odor. It was strong, but it wasn't strong enough to make me leave. I saw Zecora, mixing another brew, green smoke coming from her, like you would see in a cartoon. She looked over at me. "Please excuse this funk. While I was out, I was sprayed by a skunk".

"It's OK", I said, "I've smelt worse. I guess that's what the brew is for?" Zecora nodded. "OK. Umm... there's something I have to tell you".

"Is it possible for it to wait?", Zecora said, "I must finish this brew before it is too late".

"Well... it's pretty important, and I think you'll want to hear it". The cauldron puffed and Zecora quickly gulped down some of the mixture. Soon, the smell had gone away, and Zecora sighed loudly.

"I feel so much better now", she said, "I wasn't sure how I could stand that smell and how".

"OK... um... can I talk now?"

"You may". I took a deep breath.

"Let's go sit down on the bed. This is very important". Zecora shrugged and sat down on her bed, as did I. To show how important this is, I grabbed her hooves with mine. She looked confused, but I could tell she knew something was up.

"What is this, young pony? Why are you holding on to me?"

"Zecora", I said, speaking loud and bright, "These last few weeks together I've spent with you have been the best weeks of my life. I love being around you, mixing brews with you, talking with you, and simply spending time with you. I don't know what brought my attention to you, but for some reason, I just want to say..." I took a deep breath. "Zecora, I love you". I gave both of her hooves a small kiss. Zecora was looking down at the floor. She looked like she couldn't look me in the eye. "I'm sure you don't want to see me again, so I'll leave". I started to get up, but Zecora pulled me into a tight hug before I could move.

"I... I don't know what to say...", she said, sniffling into my coat, "Just... just please don't run away". Zecora started weeping lightly into my coat, while I was stunned, feeling Zecora's warm hug touching me. Soon, I hugged her back and slowly rubbed her back.

"Zecora...?", I whispered into her ear, "Are you OK?" She was still crying too much to talk. I pushed her back a little and wiped the flowing tears from her eyes. But, staring into those big, blue eyes of her's, very wet with tears. They were so beautiful. I don't know why I thought they were so beautiful. They just were. As I kept staring into her eyes, my brain told me to do something I didn't want to do: kiss her.

"I'm sorry, Zecora", I said.

"What do you mean?", Zecora asked.

I leaned forward and locked my lips with Zecora's. Her eyes went big and she gasped loudly through her nose as I kissed her. I immediately regretted that and quickly pulled away.

"I'm sorry Zecora!", I said, "I didn't mean that! I don't know what came over me! I- mmph!" I was cut off when Zecora locked her lips on mine, starting another kiss between us. But, she went a little further, placing her hooves on the back of my head, not wanting to end it. I wasn't about to give this up, so I let her kiss me until she finally let go.

"Do not feel ashamed because of your little kiss", she said, "Because to me, it was pure bliss". I smiled as I pulled her into another hug.

"I'm really glad it did", I said, "So... does this mean that you love me too?"

"Yes. I really do, and I'm glad you do too". Zecora moved up and sat down in my lap, her stomach touching mine. "But, your bad breath really made me wince. The next time you wish to kiss me, please first use some mints". I blushed, remembering that I forgot to pop a mint into my mouth after I had that ice cream sundae.

"I will. Umm... can we cuddle for a while?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing". We sat there and cuddled each other in silence for a while. It felt great to cuddle Zecora. She felt so warm and snugly. Then, I decided to make her feel a bit better.

"Say, Zecora. You said that you were from Africa, right?"

"Yes, what of it?" I smiled.

"I have a song that you may like. It's African". Zecora smiled.

"Let's hear it". I smiled, closed my eyes, and started to sing.

~~~~~~~~~~

I soon finished my song and ended it by giving Zecora a kiss on her muzzle. Zecora must have thought my song was very beautiful, because she started crying again once I was finished.

"Well?", I said, "What do you think?"

"I highly enjoyed it, Glitter Sparkle", she said, wiping her muzzle on my coat, "What I have just heard was simply beautiful".

"I knew you would like it", I said, "Looks like what I have just sung to you was pretty legit". Zecora chuckled.

"Since you have been around me for so much time", Zecora said, "You seem to know how to rhyme". I blushed, realizing that I just rhymed.

"I guess I really know how to, since I've spent so much time with you". I nuzzled Zecora's cheek. "But, I rather not rhyme, if you don't mind". Zecora nodded.

"I would hate to put an end on this glorious day", she said, "But it seems I must hit the hay". Zecora got into her bed and of course, I did too. We laid there and cuddled together. "I ask of you for a request I hope isn't too steep, but may you sing that song again to help me sleep?"

"Of course I could", I said, singing my song quietly into Zecora's ear. She yawned and started to drift off slowly.

"Goodnight, Glitter", she said, "I love you".

"Goodnight, Zecora, I said, "I love you too". Zecora fell asleep with her face in my coat. Before I started to drift off, a scroll formed in front of me surrounded in a golden aura. I smiled and opened it, reading it quietly to myself.

"Dear Glitter Sparkle, You are cordially invited to the wedding of..." I gasped as I saw the names of the bride and groom.

"Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and Shining Armor?!"

Author's Note

Whoever thinks "The Lion King" is the best classic Disney cartoon movie, good for you! If not, your childhood must have been busted.

Go ahead and comment your favorite classic Disney cartoon movie. CLASSIC! "Frozen", "Wreck-it-Ralph", and "Planes" do not count, as well as any other movie made after 2005.

Next chapter: A Canterlot Wedding.