“State your business.” A guard demanded of a stranger at the gates of Princess Celestia’s palace, in the middle of the night no less.
“For the last time. I have no memory.” A young blue pegasus colt insisted. “All I know is that I was pretty much dumped into the middle of life in this city and for some reason I’m convinced I’m a hedgehog. I mean really! All I want is to see the pony who a guy I met said was in charge of this wacko place!”
The colt’s green eyes burned into the guard, and he sensed that this stranger could really do some damage if he wanted to. He worriedly let him pass, secretly using a telepathy spell to send a warning to the princess.
The blue pegasus entered a dark hall, at the end being an throne occupied by Princess Celestia herself. The colt found it sort of strange that this pony had both wings and a horn, as the only ones he had seen so far had had one or the other or neither. But he pushed that thought aside and addressed her.
“Hi, are you like the ruler her or something?” he asked.
“Yes, my pegasus friend. My guard told me about you. Sit.” She ordered.
The nameless colt stared at her blankly. “Wait, but if he didn’t talk to you then how did–”
He was cut off as Celestia sent a powerful magic bolt point blank at him. He nimbly dodged it and it dissipated before it could do any real damage.
“I said sit.” She growled.
The pegasus fell on his hindquarters.
“Now.” Celestia said, her voice silky and calm. “You claim to have no memory. How did your amnesia come to be?”
“Am-what-now?”
“No memory.”
“Well, heh, I don’t know. No memory and all.”
“Do you have a name?”
“Currently, no. But as soon as– wait, hang on.” He tapped the side of his head. “S-s-s-s-s-s-s…” he repeated that consonant several times before lowering his head despondently. “Never mind. It slipped.”
Celestia raised an eyebrow at this, but kept her royal composure. The pegasus noted her attitude change from controlled anger to guarded curiosity and relaxed his muscles, which had tensed when the princess had fired her bolt.
“Well. I have a good student and I trust she will be able to help you with your… memory problem.” She said those two words like if she substituted them in any way they were liable to blow up the cosmos.
“Wait, she?” was all the colt was able to get out before a flustered purple unicorn burst into the hall, pausing only a little to bow respectfully.
“Hello princess. I got your message and I came right away!” the unicorn said at an unrealistic rapid fire pace.
“Yes, I can see that.” Celestia said dryly, noting the unicorn’s messed up hair and ruffled coat.
“Again, how in the heck do you manage to talk to each other without a phone or face to face!” the blue pegasus interrupted.
The unicorn looked at him oddly. “What’s a phone? And who are you?” she demanded.
“You know, I have absolutely no idea what a phone is. The word just came to me.” The colt said. He felt sort of embarrassed at the way the unicorn was looking at him, especially since he had determined that she was a girl. He felt his wings flare up without him telling them to, and a burning sensation on his cheeks.
“I think I would be better suited to answer the second question, Twilight Sparkle.” The princess said, both saving the colt from the awkward moment and providing a name to fit with the face.
“This young stallion has no memory and needs help. I trust you will be able to?”
“So, like a test?”
“In a sense.”
“Then yes!”
The pegasus slowly followed the conversation and realized he would be staying with the unicorn until further notice.
“Well with this new development, ya gotta be able to call me something besides ‘that guy’. I need a name.” He said.
Twilight looked at him like she had to put all her thought in naming him.
“Hmm, how about Cobalt? Cobalt Spikes.” She suggested.
The newly called Cobalt Spikes grinned. “Cobalt… yeah! I like it! I mean it’s no stranger a name than any other.”
“Then that is settled.” Celestia determined. “You both are dismissed.”
The pair left the hall, Twilight bowing once more and Cobalt just looking over his shoulder and flashing a ‘too cool’ grin. When they were gone, Celestia looked away, wondering what this new arrival would mean for the sake of Equestria.
As soon as they were wandering the city, Cobalt turned to her.
“Does your teacher always try to kill amnesiacs?” he demanded.
“She tried to kill you?!” Twilight sounded horrified, her eyes going huge.
“Yeah, but I dodged her shot and she backed off when I did what she told me to.”
Twilight visibly relaxed. “Oh, then she knew you could take care of yourself and was just exerting her authority.”
Cobalt exhaled and tried to clear his mind, which wasn’t hard when all he could remember was the last hour or two. “Fine. So where do you live, anyway?”
“Right here.” Twilight nodded to a gigantic elaborate building that seemed to be crafted out of opaque glass.
Cobalt gaped and stared up at it. “Whoa, so this whole thing is yours?”
Twilight laughed. “No, I just pay rent for a small loft in the upper levels. The rest belongs to the public of Canterlot. It’s a library.”
“So freaking cool.” Cobalt breathed.
“Come on in, I’ll take you for a tour.” Twilight announced, desperate to get back to her research, but keeping her guest in mind.
“All right then.” Cobalt said absently, still in awe of the building.
ONE LONG BORING TOUR LATER
“And this is my room.” Twilight finished, gesturing to a small room with single bed and a cat basket type thing with a purple baby dragon napping in it. Cobalt should’ve been surprised about that, but given his life so far, it didn’t really make that much of an impression on him.
“There’s not really a couch or anything,” she continued, looking at the ground. “But–”
Cobalt flopped down on the ground beside the bed. “Don’t worry. I feel like I’m used to sleeping wherever or not at all.” This was originally meant to make Twilight feel better, but the more he thought about it, it was true. He did feel that he should be fine like that.
Twilight smiled. “Well, if you’re sure about that, then I’ll be studying downstairs. Sleep as long as you want and Spike will help you find me.”
Cobalt yawned and for the first time realized how tired he actually was. “Yep. I’ll do that.” He murmured, closing his eyes and immediately falling to sleep.
Little did he know that his world was about to be rocked beyond his comprehension.