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Chapter 5: The Forgotten Amulets of Friendship
  A whistle blew loudly with the sound of wheels bumping against the rails as the train rolled by tall hills and fields filled of bountiful crops. The mountains seemed to be creeping closer and closer to us, showing the majestic kingdom that sat on the side of one. It seemed like about an hour ago that April, Jigsaw and I had departed from the Ponyville train station heading eastbound for Canterlot. As much as I would want to enjoy the ride, my mind was still occupied with questions lingering in my mind like crawling insects inside a hollow tree. Whenever I thought I knew so much about this special place, more and more astounding facts left my mind wondering what other discoveries were left for me to learn. Quite a lot, I thought to myself.
  Jigsaw suddenly popped his head out of the window where I positioned mine. “Look, there it is!” he shouted as he pointed to the mountains. The castle-like building April had shown me earlier was now only a fair distance away from the train. “Canterlot castle at two o’clock. According to my calculations, we should be there in... ten minutes and twenty-four seconds.” I never knew him to be a nerd, declaring something like that.
  I didn’t pay much attention to him my mind was still wrapped up in a mess of questions. Who is this Princess Celestia? I tought. Why does she want to meet me? Does she know about who I am? Maybe she can help me regain my past memories. Knowing she was the kingdom’s ruler, it seemed likely she would.
  “Hey Red,” Jigsaw exclaimed. “Earth to Red….”
  Once again my mind snapped back into reality as I realized he was talking to me. “Huh? Oh, sorry Jigsaw,” I apologized. “What did you say?”
  “I said, ‘Is it really true that you can’t recall your memory?’” he asked.
  I nodded in response.
  “Gee, that is worrying…,” he said, sound a little sympathetic for me, “not to mention sparks my curiosity.”
  “Well, don’t worry Red.” April took a seat right next to me and joined the conversation. “We’ll help you find other ways to get your memories back. If anypony can help us, Princess Celestia can.”
  I felt a little bit encouraged by her determination to help me, which I should be thankful for. “Thanks April,” I replied with a slight smile, “but I’m still a little nervous meeting this Princess Celestia. She seems hopeful and all, but she also seems royal. I don’t wanna make a bad impression on her greatness.”
  “Nonsense!” Jigsaw protested. “She’s the most generous, reasonable, kind-hearted pony in almost all of Equestria. Plus, she is greatly spoken of in many ancient legends.”
  “Then that must mean she’s old, too.” I concluded.
  I think I should’ve kept my mouth shut, for they both look at me with a somewhat stern expression. I lowered my head in shame; at least I didn’t say that in front of the princess herself.
  “Well,” Jigsaw continued, “she sounds ‘old,’ but there’s more to her than meets the eye. I learned that from observation and evaluation.”
  “Canterlot Sation! Canterlot Sation!” the conductor suddenly shouted. “All ponies departing at Canterlot Station, we’ll be arriving in eight minutes.” He then moved on to the next car to spread the news to the ponies occupying it.
  Jigsaw glanced down at his watch. “Adding the estimated time we took talking, that makes my hypothesis correct.”
  I groaned, “Oh brother.”
----------
  The doors to the enormous throne room opened as two guards in shining golden armor lead us in to greet the majestic princess. It wasn’t until we were about a hundred feet the guards turned around and slowly retreated to the heavy doors and then closed them. Taking a big gulp of fear, I walked between Jigsaw and April as we continued to make our way to the throne, occupied by the majesty herself.
  My eyes suddenly lit up in awe and amazement when I first took a good look at the princess. She looked much younger than I had pictured her in my mind. Her long, multi-colored mane waved around swiftly and mysteriously, along with her tail. Her sparkling, violet eyes reminded me of those of the young princess in Ponyville. I’m starting to agree with April that this princess indeed resembled a goddess in extraordinary ways.
  The sun goddess slowly marched down from her throne and approached us as we drew closer. I had some thoughts about retreating for the door out of fear, but I knew that would be strongly impolite to her. April was the first to bow to her, followed by Jigsaw and then me--though hesitantly. Then, I saw something unexpected: she wrapped her front hooves around the princess who, in response, placed one hoof around the young mare’s head. It seemed to me those two had some type of friendly relationship. As friends, maybe.
  The princess then broke the warm greeting and said, “I am very grateful that you came as soon as you could.”
  “I knew I had to, but I still don’t know why. Why did you want to speak with me, Celestia?” April asked. She seemed puzzled on the initial importance of this meeting.
  “I knew you would certainly wish to know the answer, my student,” Celestia implied as she moved towards a window. It showed six ponies using some kind a magic to conquer a horrible monster. “For the last few days, I have had a vision of a certain doom may well threaten the lives of Equestria. A creature has plans to get revenge on the kingdom. What his motives are, even I am unsure. However, I had a feeling the time has come to investigate these matters and put a stop to it. That is why I called upon you.”
  Before I had a clue on what the hay she said, Jigsaw interrupted, “With all due respect, Princess Celestia, why did you call on us? Why not ask Princess Twilight for help?”
  “Her destiny lies somewhere else for the time being,” Celestia answered, turning back to face us, “and what this new foe is searching for to complete his task is something just as important.”
  “But who is he, and what is he looking for,” I asked. I knew the three of us demanded an explanation; I think she knows as well.
  She motioned us to follow her as she walked to the large, throne room doors. We followed her down the hall until we turned to the third door, entering a surprisingly large library. Its bookshelves were fully completed with thousands, maybe millions, of books, both new and seemingly ancient. On a round desk sat a particular book opened to a certain page showing an illustration of two ponies embodied in a star. They wore rather unique necklaces around their necks, as if these were somehow important.
  She turned to April as we approached the book and asked, “My student, do you recall the history of the Elements of Harmony?”
  “Of course I do,” April answered, “the Elements of Harmony came from the Tree of Harmony as a means of protection against those who threaten the balance of peace in Equestria.”
  “The Elements are represented by six ponies and make up the magic of friendship,” I added.
  “And each element includes laughter, loyalty, kindness, honesty, generosity, and magic. Twilight and her friends represent them respectfully,” April concluded.
  “Indeed, you are both correct,” she remarked with a smile, eyeing me as if she was impressed on my given point. Her face then returned to a stern expression. “However, few have ever known that another source of magic had existed before the Elements of Harmony.”
  “You mean, trinkets similar to the Elements?” Jigsaw suggested.
  “I would hardly call them ‘trinkets,’ Jigsaw.” Celestia pointed to the book. “This book was given to us by a researcher in Marapore. It explains the many unsolved mysteries of Equestrian history.”
    She then pointed to the page the book laid open to. “According to this, a long time ago, there were three apprentices who studied magic under supervision of Star-Swirl the Bearded. Their studies led them to aid their teacher in his project: to create magical relics that will help the ponies of Equestria in a time of dire need. Their efforts to aid him resulted in the creation of the Amulets of Forgotten Friendship.”
    “The Amulets of Forgotten Friendship?” April and I repeated.
    “Correct,” Celestia confirmed, “However, one of the apprentices thought it would be best to use it to end all suffering and bring order to Equestria. Fortunately, Star-Swirl the Bearded told him they would only be used to protect the land when the time was right. Furious, the apprentice stole one of the amulets and vanished. The other two held onto their amulets, hoping to keep them out of his hooves. Days later, their friend returned, but he was driven mad and was attempting to control all ponies by force. He underwent a transformation and became a dark stallion known as Shadow Sneak.”
    It felt like excitement filled my lungs and mind. My jaw dropped at this point as we all gasped. “Wait,” I interrupted, “What about the other two apprentices? Did they even try to stop them?”
    “Indeed they did,” Celestia answered, “Star-Swirl sent them to confront their corrupted partner, taking the remaining two amulets in case of certain fate. They tried to reason with him, but he refused and fought violently against them. As a last resort, they had no choice but to use their amulets to imprison Shadow so he would not threaten anypony again. However, before Shadow was banished to his imprisoned state, he cast a final spell on the amulets and the heroes, vanishing them from existence. No pony ever saw them again.”
    “And this is all true?” I said, clearly blown away from the story.
    “I’m sure it is very true,” she replied, “Just last night, my sister, Princess Luna, felt a disturbance in the shadows. Someone attempted to break into the vault which previously held the Elements of Harmony, but they soon fled by the time Luna and I made it to the vault. I suspect that someone was looking for the Elements until we found a note.” She handed us a small, ancient slip of paper. On it in terrifying, poorly-done writing were the following words:
    IM COMING FOUR MY PRISE! EQUESTRIA WIL PAY! THE SHADO SHAL RISE AGAN!
    “He must’ve thought the amulets were in the vault,” Jigsaw suggested.
    April still seemed puzzled. “But where are they now? You said that no pony has seen them for centuries.”
    Celestia turned back to the book and turned the page. “It was believed that Star-Swirl left clues to finding them before he passed on. He left the clues in a hidden labyrinth past White Tail Forest.” She turned back to face us, pointing her hoof to me and April. “You two must go and retrieve the amulets before Shadow has a chance to use them for his own purposes.”
    “You want… us to go on this quest,” April repeated. She seemed a bit excited being offered such a mission.
    I, on the other hand, had my doubts. Something so important, so great, didn’t seem to be our destiny, let alone mine. “But why us?” I asked. “It makes no sense. I don’t even know anything about magic or this world. Even if I did, how would I know if this is our task to complete? How would I know if this is our destiny?”
    Celestia must’ve known I had many questions racing through my mind. She came a few inches closer and spoke in an assuring voice, “I realize that your past memories have become lost, but rest assured in time they will return and aid you on your path. I know somehow this will help you find just who you are in this world. For now, you must find your answers from within. Your friends will help guide you as well.”
    Jigsaw and April gathered around me as if they supported the princess’s wise words. They both nodded, telling me they would stick by my side to help me any way they can. I felt more confident in taking the task and doing what seems right.
    “Okay, we’ll try to find them and keep them out of the wrong hooves,” I declared.
    At that very moment, a sinister chuckle filled the quiet atmosphere. Our heads turned every which way in alarm wondering where who would be mocking us in the room. Then, a stern voice spoke through the silence, “Fools, you think you can stop me from retrieving my prize? My plan has only begun to overshadow you all.” Suddenly, a dark blue stallion trotted out of the shadows of a nearby bookshelf. He wore a smile that would easily scare a young filly in a nightmare. Celestia didn’t like what we were seeing in front of us as she took a defensive stance.
  He was the stallion who was after the ancient relics--Shadow Sneak!

Description
body div#devskin0 hr { }

Chapter 5: The Forgotten Amulets of Friendship
  A whistle blew loudly with the sound of wheels bumping against the rails as the train rolled by tall hills and fields filled of bountiful crops. The mountains seemed to be creeping closer and closer to us, showing the majestic kingdom that sat on the side of one. It seemed like about an hour ago that April, Jigsaw and I had departed from the Ponyville train station heading eastbound for Canterlot. As much as I would want to enjoy the ride, my mind was still occupied with questions lingering in my mind like crawling insects inside a hollow tree. Whenever I thought I knew so much about this special place, more and more astounding facts left my mind wondering what other discoveries were left for me to learn. Quite a lot, I thought to myself.
  Jigsaw suddenly popped his head out of the window where I positioned mine. “Look, there it is!” he shouted as he pointed to the mountains. The castle-like building April had shown me earlier was now only a fair distance away from the train. “Canterlot castle at two o’clock. According to my calculations, we should be there in... ten minutes and twenty-four seconds.” I never knew him to be a nerd, declaring something like that.
  I didn’t pay much attention to him my mind was still wrapped up in a mess of questions. Who is this Princess Celestia? I tought. Why does she want to meet me? Does she know about who I am? Maybe she can help me regain my past memories. Knowing she was the kingdom’s ruler, it seemed likely she would.
  “Hey Red,” Jigsaw exclaimed. “Earth to Red….”
  Once again my mind snapped back into reality as I realized he was talking to me. “Huh? Oh, sorry Jigsaw,” I apologized. “What did you say?”
  “I said, ‘Is it really true that you can’t recall your memory?’” he asked.
  I nodded in response.
  “Gee, that is worrying…,” he said, sound a little sympathetic for me, “not to mention sparks my curiosity.”
  “Well, don’t worry Red.” April took a seat right next to me and joined the conversation. “We’ll help you find other ways to get your memories back. If anypony can help us, Princess Celestia can.”
  I felt a little bit encouraged by her determination to help me, which I should be thankful for. “Thanks April,” I replied with a slight smile, “but I’m still a little nervous meeting this Princess Celestia. She seems hopeful and all, but she also seems royal. I don’t wanna make a bad impression on her greatness.”
  “Nonsense!” Jigsaw protested. “She’s the most generous, reasonable, kind-hearted pony in almost all of Equestria. Plus, she is greatly spoken of in many ancient legends.”
  “Then that must mean she’s old, too.” I concluded.
  I think I should’ve kept my mouth shut, for they both look at me with a somewhat stern expression. I lowered my head in shame; at least I didn’t say that in front of the princess herself.
  “Well,” Jigsaw continued, “she sounds ‘old,’ but there’s more to her than meets the eye. I learned that from observation and evaluation.”
  “Canterlot Sation! Canterlot Sation!” the conductor suddenly shouted. “All ponies departing at Canterlot Station, we’ll be arriving in eight minutes.” He then moved on to the next car to spread the news to the ponies occupying it.
  Jigsaw glanced down at his watch. “Adding the estimated time we took talking, that makes my hypothesis correct.”
  I groaned, “Oh brother.”
----------
  The doors to the enormous throne room opened as two guards in shining golden armor lead us in to greet the majestic princess. It wasn’t until we were about a hundred feet the guards turned around and slowly retreated to the heavy doors and then closed them. Taking a big gulp of fear, I walked between Jigsaw and April as we continued to make our way to the throne, occupied by the majesty herself.
  My eyes suddenly lit up in awe and amazement when I first took a good look at the princess. She looked much younger than I had pictured her in my mind. Her long, multi-colored mane waved around swiftly and mysteriously, along with her tail. Her sparkling, violet eyes reminded me of those of the young princess in Ponyville. I’m starting to agree with April that this princess indeed resembled a goddess in extraordinary ways.
  The sun goddess slowly marched down from her throne and approached us as we drew closer. I had some thoughts about retreating for the door out of fear, but I knew that would be strongly impolite to her. April was the first to bow to her, followed by Jigsaw and then me--though hesitantly. Then, I saw something unexpected: she wrapped her front hooves around the princess who, in response, placed one hoof around the young mare’s head. It seemed to me those two had some type of friendly relationship. As friends, maybe.
  The princess then broke the warm greeting and said, “I am very grateful that you came as soon as you could.”
  “I knew I had to, but I still don’t know why. Why did you want to speak with me, Celestia?” April asked. She seemed puzzled on the initial importance of this meeting.
  “I knew you would certainly wish to know the answer, my student,” Celestia implied as she moved towards a window. It showed six ponies using some kind a magic to conquer a horrible monster. “For the last few days, I have had a vision of a certain doom may well threaten the lives of Equestria. A creature has plans to get revenge on the kingdom. What his motives are, even I am unsure. However, I had a feeling the time has come to investigate these matters and put a stop to it. That is why I called upon you.”
  Before I had a clue on what the hay she said, Jigsaw interrupted, “With all due respect, Princess Celestia, why did you call on us? Why not ask Princess Twilight for help?”
  “Her destiny lies somewhere else for the time being,” Celestia answered, turning back to face us, “and what this new foe is searching for to complete his task is something just as important.”
  “But who is he, and what is he looking for,” I asked. I knew the three of us demanded an explanation; I think she knows as well.
  She motioned us to follow her as she walked to the large, throne room doors. We followed her down the hall until we turned to the third door, entering a surprisingly large library. Its bookshelves were fully completed with thousands, maybe millions, of books, both new and seemingly ancient. On a round desk sat a particular book opened to a certain page showing an illustration of two ponies embodied in a star. They wore rather unique necklaces around their necks, as if these were somehow important.
  She turned to April as we approached the book and asked, “My student, do you recall the history of the Elements of Harmony?”
  “Of course I do,” April answered, “the Elements of Harmony came from the Tree of Harmony as a means of protection against those who threaten the balance of peace in Equestria.”
  “The Elements are represented by six ponies and make up the magic of friendship,” I added.
  “And each element includes laughter, loyalty, kindness, honesty, generosity, and magic. Twilight and her friends represent them respectfully,” April concluded.
  “Indeed, you are both correct,” she remarked with a smile, eyeing me as if she was impressed on my given point. Her face then returned to a stern expression. “However, few have ever known that another source of magic had existed before the Elements of Harmony.”
  “You mean, trinkets similar to the Elements?” Jigsaw suggested.
  “I would hardly call them ‘trinkets,’ Jigsaw.” Celestia pointed to the book. “This book was given to us by a researcher in Marapore. It explains the many unsolved mysteries of Equestrian history.”
    She then pointed to the page the book laid open to. “According to this, a long time ago, there were three apprentices who studied magic under supervision of Star-Swirl the Bearded. Their studies led them to aid their teacher in his project: to create magical relics that will help the ponies of Equestria in a time of dire need. Their efforts to aid him resulted in the creation of the Amulets of Forgotten Friendship.”
    “The Amulets of Forgotten Friendship?” April and I repeated.
    “Correct,” Celestia confirmed, “However, one of the apprentices thought it would be best to use it to end all suffering and bring order to Equestria. Fortunately, Star-Swirl the Bearded told him they would only be used to protect the land when the time was right. Furious, the apprentice stole one of the amulets and vanished. The other two held onto their amulets, hoping to keep them out of his hooves. Days later, their friend returned, but he was driven mad and was attempting to control all ponies by force. He underwent a transformation and became a dark stallion known as Shadow Sneak.”
    It felt like excitement filled my lungs and mind. My jaw dropped at this point as we all gasped. “Wait,” I interrupted, “What about the other two apprentices? Did they even try to stop them?”
    “Indeed they did,” Celestia answered, “Star-Swirl sent them to confront their corrupted partner, taking the remaining two amulets in case of certain fate. They tried to reason with him, but he refused and fought violently against them. As a last resort, they had no choice but to use their amulets to imprison Shadow so he would not threaten anypony again. However, before Shadow was banished to his imprisoned state, he cast a final spell on the amulets and the heroes, vanishing them from existence. No pony ever saw them again.”
    “And this is all true?” I said, clearly blown away from the story.
    “I’m sure it is very true,” she replied, “Just last night, my sister, Princess Luna, felt a disturbance in the shadows. Someone attempted to break into the vault which previously held the Elements of Harmony, but they soon fled by the time Luna and I made it to the vault. I suspect that someone was looking for the Elements until we found a note.” She handed us a small, ancient slip of paper. On it in terrifying, poorly-done writing were the following words:
    IM COMING FOUR MY PRISE! EQUESTRIA WIL PAY! THE SHADO SHAL RISE AGAN!
    “He must’ve thought the amulets were in the vault,” Jigsaw suggested.
    April still seemed puzzled. “But where are they now? You said that no pony has seen them for centuries.”
    Celestia turned back to the book and turned the page. “It was believed that Star-Swirl left clues to finding them before he passed on. He left the clues in a hidden labyrinth past White Tail Forest.” She turned back to face us, pointing her hoof to me and April. “You two must go and retrieve the amulets before Shadow has a chance to use them for his own purposes.”
    “You want… us to go on this quest,” April repeated. She seemed a bit excited being offered such a mission.
    I, on the other hand, had my doubts. Something so important, so great, didn’t seem to be our destiny, let alone mine. “But why us?” I asked. “It makes no sense. I don’t even know anything about magic or this world. Even if I did, how would I know if this is our task to complete? How would I know if this is our destiny?”
    Celestia must’ve known I had many questions racing through my mind. She came a few inches closer and spoke in an assuring voice, “I realize that your past memories have become lost, but rest assured in time they will return and aid you on your path. I know somehow this will help you find just who you are in this world. For now, you must find your answers from within. Your friends will help guide you as well.”
    Jigsaw and April gathered around me as if they supported the princess’s wise words. They both nodded, telling me they would stick by my side to help me any way they can. I felt more confident in taking the task and doing what seems right.
    “Okay, we’ll try to find them and keep them out of the wrong hooves,” I declared.
    At that very moment, a sinister chuckle filled the quiet atmosphere. Our heads turned every which way in alarm wondering where who would be mocking us in the room. Then, a stern voice spoke through the silence, “Fools, you think you can stop me from retrieving my prize? My plan has only begun to overshadow you all.” Suddenly, a dark blue stallion trotted out of the shadows of a nearby bookshelf. He wore a smile that would easily scare a young filly in a nightmare. Celestia didn’t like what we were seeing in front of us as she took a defensive stance.
  He was the stallion who was after the ancient relics--Shadow Sneak!