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Chapter 4: The Princess of Friendship
        I could see a giant crystal castle a little ways away from I currently stood. April and I made it to the northernmost end of Ponyville. I stood still looking at the amazing castle that stood proudly in front of us. I couldn't find any words could describe it in general, besides "awesome."
        "That's where the princess lives?" I marveled, though knowing what the answer would be.
        "Yep, that's her castle," April confirmed, "Amazing, isn't it?"
        "Without a doubt," I exclaimed before feeling a slight shiver up my spine afterwards, "It kind of makes me feel nervous about meeting this princess of yours."
        "Oh, you don't need to be nervous," she assured, "Twilight can be a great friend once you get to know her. C'mon, let's go meet her."
        We continued to trot towards the humongous castle. We then stopped ten feet in front of the door when we suddenly heard a voice nearing us from the other direction.
        "Hey, incoming!" the voice called out.
        I suddenly stood on alert as I turned to the direction of the mysterious voice. "Who said that?" I hollered.
        April turned the other way to see who was following us to the castle. No one was seen on the road we took to get here. However, I saw that April wasn't looking at the road; she was looking up into the sky. I glanced up into the sky to see a pony flying toward us. The approaching pony was orange with a pair of wings, a brown, semi-spiky mane, and a brown tail. The pony continued to descend from the sky until he was ten feet over our heads and flapped his wings slower before touching down onto the ground below him.
        When he hit the ground, he spoke, "Good day, April. I'm kind of surprised to see you here. What brings you to Princess Twilight's castle?"
        "Hey, Jigsaw," April replied with a smile, "I'm here to give Twilight what I found out about on my research on bullying. How about you?"
        "Just returning some books I borrowed from her," he replied, "A responsible reader must know when to turn his books in on time."
        He glanced over to me as if I got his attention. "Who's this pony?" he asked, "He doesn't look like anypony I've met in Ponyville."
        "Oh, this is Red," April answered, "He's new to Equestria and wants to know more about friendship and our kingdom."
        "I guess that explains why he doesn't have a cutie mark on his flank," he pointed out.
        April didn't like his somewhat rude response; neither did I. "Well, Jigsaw," she began with a stern voice, "not everypony's the same. Besides, he kind of has a small memory loss."
        "Oh, that's bad," he exclaimed, "I had no idea. Sorry if I sounded a little rude."
        "Oh, that's all right, I guess," I responded, "I’ll get used to it."
        "Well," he begins, "let me start over. My name's Jigsaw, Jigsaw Flyer. I'm from Cloudsdale. And you name was...?"
        I introduced myself to him, "I'm Red Hoofsketch. It's nice to meet you, Jigsaw."
        "Likewise, Red," he replied.
        He looked down at his watch to notice the current time. "Oh, I should hurry along," he stated, "I got to get back to my friends in time for flight practice."
        "Then let's go in there together to meet her," April suggested.
        "Okay," Jigsaw and I said simultaneously.
        The three of us walk to the castle doors and requested access to go in. Once we were given permission, we walked in and through the halls inside to meet the princess.

        The doors to the throne room opened as April, Jigsaw, and I slowly walked into the room. Six thrones perfectly circled the center of the room. Streamers and balloons were hung everywhere on the walls and ceiling. It was like a party was going to be held in the throne room. In the center, a purple mare sat looking through several books and letters that lay beside her.
        The purple mare was very different from the other ponies I've seen: not only did she have a horn on her forehead like April's and mine but also a pair of elegant-looking wings. Her violet eyes were absorbed into the books and letters she examined. She seemed very calm while she was reading.
        April softly cleared her throat and spoke, "Twilight, it's great to see you again."
        The princess paused the moment she heard April's voice. "April," she exclaimed, "I haven't seen you in a while. It's great to see you, too."
        Both ponies slowly came up to each other. April bowed before the young princess before she responded with a friendly hug. I just stood next to them, letting them have their moment as old friends. That's what I thought of them, at least.
        Getting to the main point, April gently broke up the hug and pulled out a few rolled-up letters in her saddle bag. "I brought you my findings that you were asking me about."
        "Excellent," Twilight exclaimed with a smile, "I'll be glad to read them as soon as I'm done with the rest of my letters. I've been getting a lot of them lately."
        Before April could respond, Jigsaw politely interrupted, "Excuse me, Princess Twilight, where would you like me to put the books I borrowed from you?"
        The princess kindly answered, "You can put them in the library. It's in the third door on your right."
        "Much obliged, princess," Jigsaw said with a bow. Then, he walked off to the library without saying another word.
        As April handed the letters to Twilight, she noticed I was standing behind April, looking a bit nervous to speak. "Who might you be, sir?" she asked.
        April stepped back from her line of sight and gently nudged me in order to encourage me to talk to her. I knew I had to speak up, yet I still didn't know what to say. She does seem understanding, however, and I was told she knows a lot about friendship; I shouldn't be this nervous.
        “My name… my name is Red Hoofsketch,” I said as I lowered my head bowing to her--hesitantly.
        “No need to bow,” the princess assured me, “I’m fine with the introduction.”
        Feeling somewhat relieved, I returned to my usual upward stand and then continued, “Um… April told me much about you, Princess Twilight. You seemed like a great pony to meet, so I… thought I’d come and meet you… in pony.”
        “Well, I have been hearing a lot of things about me lately,” she replied, “You wouldn’t be the last to know about me.”
        Before I could say anything else to the kind, young princess, April approached me and sat down as she explained why I came along. “You see, Twilight, Red here is new to Ponyville, and I met him just today before coming here. He doesn’t seem to recall where he is from or how he came to our town, so he was wondering if you might help him regain some of his lost memory.”
        “Oh my, that certainly isn’t good.” Twilight’s face had quite a worrying expression. She likely hadn’t heard of anypony losing their memory of their past. “Well, I do know a memory spell that may do the trick.”
        “A memory spell?” I repeated, “Is that… like a spell that lets you see your memories and regain those lost in one’s mind?”
        Both April and Twilight seemed surprised of my deduction. “Why, yes, that’s pretty much exactly how it works,” Twilight responded.
        “How did you know about that, Red?” April asked.
        Honestly, I just answered that out of sheer luck and deep thinking. In other words, “Uh, I was just guessing,” I answered.
        The princess then walked closer to me, inhaled a fair amount of air, and then exhaled a deep sigh. “Okay,” she began, “now don’t move. You’ll need to relax in order for the spell to reach full effect.”
        I slowly inhaled a deep amount of air before letting it back out of my body in a sigh of concentration. “Okay, I’m ready,” I confirmed.
        At that moment, the princess closed her eyes and began to concentrate her energy into her magic horn. It soon glowed with a magnificent purple light as she drew closer to my forehead. As her horn finally made contact on mine, the bright glow suddenly expanded, blinding my eyes in the process. I then felt a tingle shiver through my mind, as if she was searching it for my lost memory. All I could see, though, was a white, blank background and could hear the humming sound of magic.
  The light soon faded as I slowly regained my vision. Was it over, I thought. I looked up to the princess’s violet eyes; her face seemed mixed with confusion and uncertainty.
  “What happened?” I asked, “Did it work?”
  She seemed a little hesitant to respond. “Actually…, I don’t know if it did. Something seems to be blocking the spell from your memories, like some kind of magical barrier.”
  April seemed astonished by this alarming news. “You mean somepony, or something, is blocking his memories?” she asked.
  “Possibly,” Twilight answered, “but with the memory spell still in effect, it’s likely that it will fix itself in time.”
  I guess my answers won’t be solved right away. I was almost certain her aid would work, almost certain. Hopefully in time, if she turns out correct, my memories may return little by little, but for now I guess I’ll just have to wait. “I see,” I finally replied, “Well, thank you for your help anyway, Princess Twilight.”
  “You can just call me Twilight.” Her tone returned to its friendly attitude. “I was happy to help you out, even if slightly.”
I then turned my focus on the six thrones in the room. Each of them looked identical except for the markings engraved on each one. They almost seemed like cutie marks. “Excuse me--uh--Twilight,” I began, looking back at April for a few seconds before continuing, “not that’s really my business to know, but who else uses this throne room? I noticed there are six thrones in this room, and one of those has your cutie mark.” The one I pointed to then did have her cutie mark on it, a purple star with smaller, white stars surrounding it.
  “All of my best friends come in here sometimes,” she answered. “Since my friends and I represent the Elements of Harmony....”
  “The Elements of Harmony?” I repeated. My curiosity suddenly increased to the point where my brain began to ache once again. “What are those?”
  To answer the question, April suddenly stepped toward my side and explained, “The Elements of Harmony are what help bring peace to Equestria and all of its citizens. Each one is represented by six special ponies that spread the magic of friendship across the land using the elements to guide them.”
  Slowly, gears began to click in my head as I began to fit the pieces together. “That means you and your friends, Twilight, are the ones who represent the Elements of Harmony. That’s why their are six thrones in this room,” I concluded.
  Confirming my theory, she nodded and said, “Exactly, though it can be a difficult task at times….”
  Just then a voice called from across the throne room. “Twilight, Twilight!” The three of us turned toward the direction of the voice to see a young, purple creature standing near the door which April and I had entered through, running towards us with a rolled-up letter in his hand. He had green scales running from his head down the spine to the end of his tail. He seemed anxious to speak to the princess.
  “Who’s that?” I asked.
  “That’s Spike,” Twilight answered, “He’s my pet dragon and my assistant.”
  Spike had approached Twilight’s side before handing her the letter he grasped in his hand. “It’s from Princess Celestia,” Spike explained, “It seems important.”
  “Thank you, Spike,” Twilight answered, “I’m pretty sure she’s just checking on how my progress is going.” As she rolled out the letter and began to read it, however, her face changed once again to an alarming expression. “April,” she said, turning her head towards April, “it’s a message for you! She wants you to meet her at Canterlot Castle right away. She says it’s important.“
  April and I were shocked to hear the news. I wondered what she would be called to this Princess Celestia for. It sounded urgent for her to go and meet with her.
  “Then I’ll take the next train to Canterlot,” April declared.
  “And,” Twilight added, “She wants your new friend to come as well.”
  I didn’t know how things could get any more confusing. She wants me to come along? Why? Does she know something about me? Was there a problem that concerns me as much as April? I guess if those questions were to be answered I’d have to go to Canterlot as well. “Okay, I’ll go, too,” I declared.
  “You better hurry,” Twilight warned us, “The train leaves for Canterlot in half an hour.”
  With that in mind, we nodded in an understanding and then dashed out the door from the throne room. With just a little amount of time, we couldn’t stop for anypony. We didn’t even notice Jigsaw as we zipped by him towards the door.
  “Hey, where are you two going in such a hurry?” he shouted. Neither one of us responded, but he came to a conclusion that something was up. “Hey guys, wait for me! I’m coming!” He quickly sprinted to a dash in order to catch up to us. There didn’t seem any doubt he would need an explanation later on.

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Chapter 4: The Princess of Friendship
        I could see a giant crystal castle a little ways away from I currently stood. April and I made it to the northernmost end of Ponyville. I stood still looking at the amazing castle that stood proudly in front of us. I couldn't find any words could describe it in general, besides "awesome."
        "That's where the princess lives?" I marveled, though knowing what the answer would be.
        "Yep, that's her castle," April confirmed, "Amazing, isn't it?"
        "Without a doubt," I exclaimed before feeling a slight shiver up my spine afterwards, "It kind of makes me feel nervous about meeting this princess of yours."
        "Oh, you don't need to be nervous," she assured, "Twilight can be a great friend once you get to know her. C'mon, let's go meet her."
        We continued to trot towards the humongous castle. We then stopped ten feet in front of the door when we suddenly heard a voice nearing us from the other direction.
        "Hey, incoming!" the voice called out.
        I suddenly stood on alert as I turned to the direction of the mysterious voice. "Who said that?" I hollered.
        April turned the other way to see who was following us to the castle. No one was seen on the road we took to get here. However, I saw that April wasn't looking at the road; she was looking up into the sky. I glanced up into the sky to see a pony flying toward us. The approaching pony was orange with a pair of wings, a brown, semi-spiky mane, and a brown tail. The pony continued to descend from the sky until he was ten feet over our heads and flapped his wings slower before touching down onto the ground below him.
        When he hit the ground, he spoke, "Good day, April. I'm kind of surprised to see you here. What brings you to Princess Twilight's castle?"
        "Hey, Jigsaw," April replied with a smile, "I'm here to give Twilight what I found out about on my research on bullying. How about you?"
        "Just returning some books I borrowed from her," he replied, "A responsible reader must know when to turn his books in on time."
        He glanced over to me as if I got his attention. "Who's this pony?" he asked, "He doesn't look like anypony I've met in Ponyville."
        "Oh, this is Red," April answered, "He's new to Equestria and wants to know more about friendship and our kingdom."
        "I guess that explains why he doesn't have a cutie mark on his flank," he pointed out.
        April didn't like his somewhat rude response; neither did I. "Well, Jigsaw," she began with a stern voice, "not everypony's the same. Besides, he kind of has a small memory loss."
        "Oh, that's bad," he exclaimed, "I had no idea. Sorry if I sounded a little rude."
        "Oh, that's all right, I guess," I responded, "I’ll get used to it."
        "Well," he begins, "let me start over. My name's Jigsaw, Jigsaw Flyer. I'm from Cloudsdale. And you name was...?"
        I introduced myself to him, "I'm Red Hoofsketch. It's nice to meet you, Jigsaw."
        "Likewise, Red," he replied.
        He looked down at his watch to notice the current time. "Oh, I should hurry along," he stated, "I got to get back to my friends in time for flight practice."
        "Then let's go in there together to meet her," April suggested.
        "Okay," Jigsaw and I said simultaneously.
        The three of us walk to the castle doors and requested access to go in. Once we were given permission, we walked in and through the halls inside to meet the princess.

        The doors to the throne room opened as April, Jigsaw, and I slowly walked into the room. Six thrones perfectly circled the center of the room. Streamers and balloons were hung everywhere on the walls and ceiling. It was like a party was going to be held in the throne room. In the center, a purple mare sat looking through several books and letters that lay beside her.
        The purple mare was very different from the other ponies I've seen: not only did she have a horn on her forehead like April's and mine but also a pair of elegant-looking wings. Her violet eyes were absorbed into the books and letters she examined. She seemed very calm while she was reading.
        April softly cleared her throat and spoke, "Twilight, it's great to see you again."
        The princess paused the moment she heard April's voice. "April," she exclaimed, "I haven't seen you in a while. It's great to see you, too."
        Both ponies slowly came up to each other. April bowed before the young princess before she responded with a friendly hug. I just stood next to them, letting them have their moment as old friends. That's what I thought of them, at least.
        Getting to the main point, April gently broke up the hug and pulled out a few rolled-up letters in her saddle bag. "I brought you my findings that you were asking me about."
        "Excellent," Twilight exclaimed with a smile, "I'll be glad to read them as soon as I'm done with the rest of my letters. I've been getting a lot of them lately."
        Before April could respond, Jigsaw politely interrupted, "Excuse me, Princess Twilight, where would you like me to put the books I borrowed from you?"
        The princess kindly answered, "You can put them in the library. It's in the third door on your right."
        "Much obliged, princess," Jigsaw said with a bow. Then, he walked off to the library without saying another word.
        As April handed the letters to Twilight, she noticed I was standing behind April, looking a bit nervous to speak. "Who might you be, sir?" she asked.
        April stepped back from her line of sight and gently nudged me in order to encourage me to talk to her. I knew I had to speak up, yet I still didn't know what to say. She does seem understanding, however, and I was told she knows a lot about friendship; I shouldn't be this nervous.
        “My name… my name is Red Hoofsketch,” I said as I lowered my head bowing to her--hesitantly.
        “No need to bow,” the princess assured me, “I’m fine with the introduction.”
        Feeling somewhat relieved, I returned to my usual upward stand and then continued, “Um… April told me much about you, Princess Twilight. You seemed like a great pony to meet, so I… thought I’d come and meet you… in pony.”
        “Well, I have been hearing a lot of things about me lately,” she replied, “You wouldn’t be the last to know about me.”
        Before I could say anything else to the kind, young princess, April approached me and sat down as she explained why I came along. “You see, Twilight, Red here is new to Ponyville, and I met him just today before coming here. He doesn’t seem to recall where he is from or how he came to our town, so he was wondering if you might help him regain some of his lost memory.”
        “Oh my, that certainly isn’t good.” Twilight’s face had quite a worrying expression. She likely hadn’t heard of anypony losing their memory of their past. “Well, I do know a memory spell that may do the trick.”
        “A memory spell?” I repeated, “Is that… like a spell that lets you see your memories and regain those lost in one’s mind?”
        Both April and Twilight seemed surprised of my deduction. “Why, yes, that’s pretty much exactly how it works,” Twilight responded.
        “How did you know about that, Red?” April asked.
        Honestly, I just answered that out of sheer luck and deep thinking. In other words, “Uh, I was just guessing,” I answered.
        The princess then walked closer to me, inhaled a fair amount of air, and then exhaled a deep sigh. “Okay,” she began, “now don’t move. You’ll need to relax in order for the spell to reach full effect.”
        I slowly inhaled a deep amount of air before letting it back out of my body in a sigh of concentration. “Okay, I’m ready,” I confirmed.
        At that moment, the princess closed her eyes and began to concentrate her energy into her magic horn. It soon glowed with a magnificent purple light as she drew closer to my forehead. As her horn finally made contact on mine, the bright glow suddenly expanded, blinding my eyes in the process. I then felt a tingle shiver through my mind, as if she was searching it for my lost memory. All I could see, though, was a white, blank background and could hear the humming sound of magic.
  The light soon faded as I slowly regained my vision. Was it over, I thought. I looked up to the princess’s violet eyes; her face seemed mixed with confusion and uncertainty.
  “What happened?” I asked, “Did it work?”
  She seemed a little hesitant to respond. “Actually…, I don’t know if it did. Something seems to be blocking the spell from your memories, like some kind of magical barrier.”
  April seemed astonished by this alarming news. “You mean somepony, or something, is blocking his memories?” she asked.
  “Possibly,” Twilight answered, “but with the memory spell still in effect, it’s likely that it will fix itself in time.”
  I guess my answers won’t be solved right away. I was almost certain her aid would work, almost certain. Hopefully in time, if she turns out correct, my memories may return little by little, but for now I guess I’ll just have to wait. “I see,” I finally replied, “Well, thank you for your help anyway, Princess Twilight.”
  “You can just call me Twilight.” Her tone returned to its friendly attitude. “I was happy to help you out, even if slightly.”
I then turned my focus on the six thrones in the room. Each of them looked identical except for the markings engraved on each one. They almost seemed like cutie marks. “Excuse me--uh--Twilight,” I began, looking back at April for a few seconds before continuing, “not that’s really my business to know, but who else uses this throne room? I noticed there are six thrones in this room, and one of those has your cutie mark.” The one I pointed to then did have her cutie mark on it, a purple star with smaller, white stars surrounding it.
  “All of my best friends come in here sometimes,” she answered. “Since my friends and I represent the Elements of Harmony....”
  “The Elements of Harmony?” I repeated. My curiosity suddenly increased to the point where my brain began to ache once again. “What are those?”
  To answer the question, April suddenly stepped toward my side and explained, “The Elements of Harmony are what help bring peace to Equestria and all of its citizens. Each one is represented by six special ponies that spread the magic of friendship across the land using the elements to guide them.”
  Slowly, gears began to click in my head as I began to fit the pieces together. “That means you and your friends, Twilight, are the ones who represent the Elements of Harmony. That’s why their are six thrones in this room,” I concluded.
  Confirming my theory, she nodded and said, “Exactly, though it can be a difficult task at times….”
  Just then a voice called from across the throne room. “Twilight, Twilight!” The three of us turned toward the direction of the voice to see a young, purple creature standing near the door which April and I had entered through, running towards us with a rolled-up letter in his hand. He had green scales running from his head down the spine to the end of his tail. He seemed anxious to speak to the princess.
  “Who’s that?” I asked.
  “That’s Spike,” Twilight answered, “He’s my pet dragon and my assistant.”
  Spike had approached Twilight’s side before handing her the letter he grasped in his hand. “It’s from Princess Celestia,” Spike explained, “It seems important.”
  “Thank you, Spike,” Twilight answered, “I’m pretty sure she’s just checking on how my progress is going.” As she rolled out the letter and began to read it, however, her face changed once again to an alarming expression. “April,” she said, turning her head towards April, “it’s a message for you! She wants you to meet her at Canterlot Castle right away. She says it’s important.“
  April and I were shocked to hear the news. I wondered what she would be called to this Princess Celestia for. It sounded urgent for her to go and meet with her.
  “Then I’ll take the next train to Canterlot,” April declared.
  “And,” Twilight added, “She wants your new friend to come as well.”
  I didn’t know how things could get any more confusing. She wants me to come along? Why? Does she know something about me? Was there a problem that concerns me as much as April? I guess if those questions were to be answered I’d have to go to Canterlot as well. “Okay, I’ll go, too,” I declared.
  “You better hurry,” Twilight warned us, “The train leaves for Canterlot in half an hour.”
  With that in mind, we nodded in an understanding and then dashed out the door from the throne room. With just a little amount of time, we couldn’t stop for anypony. We didn’t even notice Jigsaw as we zipped by him towards the door.
  “Hey, where are you two going in such a hurry?” he shouted. Neither one of us responded, but he came to a conclusion that something was up. “Hey guys, wait for me! I’m coming!” He quickly sprinted to a dash in order to catch up to us. There didn’t seem any doubt he would need an explanation later on.