My name is Steel Otaku. I live in Canterlot with my parents, I graduated from Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns at the age of 19, and I’m also...an alicorn. I don’t know how or why I was born an alicorn, but I enjoy it. I’ve been blessed with the gift of both magic AND flight. Normally, alicorns are born naturally form other alicorns or rarely from unicorns and pegasi; and in some cases, unicorns are granted alicorn status by the princess herself. In my case, it was just a rare occurrence. My mother is a unicorn and my father is a pegasus.
I didn’t always enjoy my gift. I’ve been teased, bullied and abused for being different. Alicorns are hallowed for being so rare and they’re mostly tied to being a princess. I remember that some of the other colts would call me a “princess wannabe” or “Mary Sue”. Sometimes they would accuse me of making my wings using magic to try to impress them. That rumor led to others looking at me with disgust, calling me phony and a disgrace to the Princess.
The torment followed me from Magic Kindergarten to the princess’ private school. I was so distraught my grades were slipping from lack of focus. I was nearly expelled from both failing grades and disorderly conduct towards my oppressors. Only the support of my friends and teachers kept me from losing my mind. The day I graduated, the pain and torment was long forgotten. I was free from what seemed to be an eternity of imprisonment. It’s best to forget it…
Since then, I’ve been studying up on subjects magic and non-magical that captured my interest. I’ve yet to get a job or go to college, but I feel as though I’m not ready to commit myself to such institutions just yet. However, I do feel as though my life is missing something. I feel like my life is at a standstill. No job, no relationship, no purpose, no progress. What do I want to do?
Life just dragged on like that until I was visited by the Royal Guard. They told me that the princess wanted to see me. Apparently, she’s been keeping an eye on me since I was born, me being an alicorn, she saw me as a special addition to her kingdom, and has been guiding me all my life. She noticed that I wasn’t really happy here and suggested that I visit a small town just south west of Canterlot called Ponyville. She said I could make a fresh start there and gave the accommodations for the trip and return trip if I decided not to stay. I took her offer, said goodbye to my parents and left for Ponyville. Maybe this is just what I needed. Only time will tell…
I soon arrived in Ponyville on a private chariot. Luckily the guards dropped me off at the train station instead of the middle of town as not to attract attention. I thanked them for the ride and bid them farewell as I watched them fly back towards Canterlot. I looked around town, it’s not as crowded and noisy as Canterlot with the bustling streets and all the quiet conversations going on at once becoming quite audible. I walked around shyly and awkwardly, trying not attract attention and hoping they didn’t notice my wings. Celestia only knows how’d they treat me.
I kept my wings folded tight as I wandered the town, not knowing where to go or what to do, feeling alone and frightened of the uncertainty of my fate. In my worried daze, I failed to notice that I was about to crash into some oncoming pony. We collided and fell over as a wicker basket full of apples they were carrying fell to the ground and the apples rolled everywhere.
“Oh, my gosh! I am SO sorry! I wasn’t paying attention! That was TOTALLY my fault! Are you alright, ma’am?” I apologized profusely and expressed concern for her well being. I helped her to her hooves and picked up all the apples.
“Oh, that’s alright, sugar cube. Accidents happen, right?” she replied in a sweet southern accent.
She was a cute orange mare with green eyes and blonde hair. Her mane and tail were tied off at the ends with red ribbons. Her eyes were complemented by the cute little white freckles on her cheeks. The most noticeable thing was her signature cowboy hat adorning her head quite nicely.
She inspected me closely as I nervously tried not look away. My eyes felt like they were trying to escape from their sockets as I tried not to show shyness or fear.
“Are you alright, sugar cube? You don’t look so good,” she asked concerned about my well being as I did for her. I quickly snapped out of my daze and replied hesitantly.
“Y-yeah! I was just… uh…” I trailed off. I was both shy and nervous, unable to form coherent sentences.
“What the hell are you doing!? Stop being such a pussy! You’re a stallion! start acting like one!” I scolded myself. I felt like so pathetic being unable to simply talk to a mare. She smiled and chuckled as she wrapped her foreleg around my shoulder.
“Don’t be shy, I’m not gonna hurt ya!” I tried not roll my eyes at the comment.
“Of course she’s not! I’m not some scared little foal looking for his mommy! Although, given my current predicament, it wouldn’t be too farfetched to say that I was.” I took a deep breath and just manned up.
“I’m sorry, ma’am. I’m just a bit out of place, I’m kinda new here.” I explained.
“Well, shucks!” she replied. “I kinda figured you were. I’m Applejack! My family runs Sweet Apple Acres. And you are?” I swallowed my shyness and introduced myself too.
“I’m Steel Otaku, but you can call me Steel.” A big smile adorned her face as she shook my hoof hard and quickly.
“Well, howdy-doo, Mister Steel! Welcome to Ponyville! I think you’ll find here that we love making new friends!”
I chuckled and blushed at the sudden friendly welcome. “Nice to meet you, Applejack. I just arrived here from Canterlot.” I replied.
“Canterlot, eh? You should go see Twilight at the library. She’s from Canterlot too, I’m sure you two have a lot to talk about.” she suggested.
"That name she name she mentioned...Twilight. Surely she doesn’t Twilight Sparkle. PRINCESS Twilight Sparkle!? She lives HERE?"
I only know what I’ve heard about her. She’s a child prodigy grifted in magic and she’s the Princess’ apprentice. She and her friends saved Equestria several times. Her recent coronation was truly her crowning achievement.
I broke from my train of thought and turned my attention back to Applejack. “Well, nice meeting you, Miss Applejack. I’d better go look around town for a place to stay.” She smiled and held up the basket of apples she had been carrying.
“Here, take some. It’s the least I can do for helpin’ me. She dumped some of the apples into my saddlebag. I smiled and thanked her. Those apples would would keep me fed for about a week. We said goodbye and went about our business. I trotted down the road feeling more relaxed.
"Maybe the Princess was right to send me here. If Applejack was that friendly, maybe it’s safe to say that everypony is that friendly."
I started thinking of where to go next. I needed a place to stay, so I should look for a hotel or something. As I continued down the road, I noticed a happy pink mare bouncing up and down coming my way. She had a big smile on her face, even bigger than the one Applejack wore. Her mane and tail were really poofy, looking a lot like cotton candy.
“Excuse me, Miss! Can you help me?” I tried to get her attention.
She looked at me and then that smile faded. I started to worry as her mood shifted.
“Can you point me to the nearest hotel?”
She pointed down the way she came while it looked like she was trying not laugh or something. What exactly is she hiding? I thanked her and simply walked away.
That strange pony lingered on my mind as I made my way to the hotel. As I trotted down the road, I noticed a pretty peculiar shop. It was an elegant building, the style of it similar to that of a shop in Canterlot. Out of all the shops in town, this is the one that stands out, besides the sweet shop where I ran into that pink mare.
“What in the world would a place like this be doing in a small, quiet town?” I asked myself. The curiosity was getting the better of me as I approached the shop. “I guess a look inside wouldn’t hurt.”
As I opened the door, the bell atop the door rang, possibly signaling my presence here. “Just a second, darling! I’ll be right with you!” an elegant and regal voice called out from upstairs. I took a look around the shop as I was waiting for the owner to come out. The interior was as fancy as the exterior. The shop was covered in posh decor and a pleasant fragrance filled the air. Whoever owns the place obviously has very refined tastes. I could swear I was in Canterlot right now if I didn’t see Ponyville out the window.
After a few minutes, the owner came down to greet me. She was white unicorn with azure eyes and a beautifully styled purple mane and tail. I don’t know why, but for some reason I think she looks like a marshmallow. She’s certainly more classy than most of the ponies here, as I can tell from both her taste in decor and that sophisticated air about her. She carried herself with grace and poise as she approached me.
“Welcome to Carousel Boutique! What can I help you with tod-” she welcomed me, but trailed off as she gasped and inspected me.
“What’s wrong, ma’am?” I asked, feeling confused.
“What’s wrong?” she repeated. “Nothing’s wrong, you just look fabulous, darling!” Her eyes lit up in excitement as she made circles around me, examining me from every angle.
“That lovely coat, that stylish mane, and that slim, but slightly toned physique...It’s all so wonderful!”
She gasped again as she noticed my wings. “You’re an alicorn, too! This is such an honor serving such a handsome stallion like you AND an alicorn at that!”
I tried to calm her down. “Please, m’am! Calm down! I’m nothing to be excited about. I’m not royalty or anything.”
She shrugged it off and continued. “Oh, pish-posh! Royalty or no, an alicorn is somepony important and to be treated as such! Please, try these on! You can have any of these, free of charge!”
I couldn’t tell if she was really generous or just starstruck. “It’s fine, I just moved here from Canterlot. I need to get a place to stay before I shop for things like clothes.” I tried to talk my way out of it, but it only made her more excited.
“A handsome alicorn, new in town AND from Canterlot? My, my, you’re quite special indeed!” After some time, and after trying on several outfits, I managed to have a normal conversation and we got to know each other better.
“Sorry for my behavior earlier, dear. I was just so excited to find somepony like you.”
I smiled and reassured her. “It’s fine, I’m Steel Otaku, by the way.” I introduced myself.
She smiled and did the same. “Pleasure make your acquaintance, Mr. Steel. I am Rarity, or Miss Rarity, if you prefer.”
I chuckled at the formal address. “Just call me Steel, no need for formalities. Applejack greeted me the same way.”
“Oh, You’ve met Applejack?” she asked. “She’s a good friend of mine. Speaking of friends, you should meet Twilight. She’s an alicorn and from Canterlot, too. You’ll have much to discuss, I’m sure.”
There was that name again...Twilight. She said that she was both an alicorn and from Canterlot. It HAD to be her! There was no doubt that it was the very same mare I’ve heard so much about! I returned my thoughts to the task at hand.
“It was nice meeting you, Rarity. I’d better head to the hotel and get a room.”
She smiled at me and handed me a bag of clothes. It was the outfits she had me try on. “Keep those, darling. Consider them a welcome gift.”
I smiled back and thanked her before getting back to the road.
Now carrying my supplies, the apples and the clothes, I continued looking for the hotel. I looked everywhere, but no such place to be found.
“What the hay was with that pink mare? She pointed me down this way and I haven’t seen any trace of a hotel! Is this her idea of a joke!?” I ranted to myself.
I trotted down the road, feeling frustrated at the lack of direction when a sudden gust of wind blew from behind me. It was so strong and fast that I nearly dropped the bag that Rarity gave me.
“Hey, you!” I heard a voice shouting. It was the source of the wind that blew past me: A lightning fast cyan pegasus with a rainbow colored mane and tail. She approached me as I stood there in shock. I knew who she was all too well…
I remember some time ago that I took a trip to Cloudsdale, where I watched the Best Young Flyer competition. The Wonderbolts had an accident and were plummeting to the ground when this awesome mare bolted into action and saved them AND graced the sky with an amazing sonic rainboom! The mare in front of me was the very same. The one and only Rainbow Dash! I stood there, just staring at her in awe.
She gave me a confused look. “Uh, buddy? Are you okay?”
I snapped out of it and defaulted into my “fanboy mode". “I can’t believe I’m standing in front of the famous Rainbow Dash! I saw you in the Best Young Flyer competition, and you BLEW my mind!”
She chuckled as I inflated her ego. “What can I say? I AM pretty awesome, arent I? Always nice to meet a fan.”
I just remembered that she called for me. “I’m Steel Otaku, by the way. Was there something you needed from me, Ms. Dash?” I asked, feeling embarrassed for using formal greetings like AJ and Rarity before me.
“Nice to meet you, Steel. I didn’t notice until now, but you’re new here, right?” she asked.
“Yeah, I am. I just moved here from Canterlot.”
She looked at me with a familiar face that the others had when I mentioned that. “You too, huh? Guess you and Twilight have that in common.”
Ignoring the name dropping again, I went back to my “fanboy mode". “If it’s not too much, I’d like to fly with you sometime.”
Her look shifted to confused as she looked at me. “Fly? You? How can you fly without-” she trailed off. She must of thought I was a unicorn because she hadn’t noticed my wings. “You’re an alicorn!? That’s awesome! Wait until Twilight meets you! The four of us can fly together!”
I smiled in excitement as the idol invited me to fly with her. Just then, her last statement sounded off. “The four of us?” I asked. “There’s us and Twilight, but who’s the fourth?”
“Fluttershy, of course!” she chimed. “You haven’t met her yet, have you?”
I shook my head. “I’ve met Applejack and Rarity, and I ran into a strange pink pony.”
She looked at me interested from the last statement. “Was she a happy mare with a fluffy cotton candy mane?”
I nodded.
“That’s Pinkie Pie. That’s why I stopped you. I’m looking for her. have you seen her?”
“Yeah, I ran into by the sweet shop. Sugar Cube Corner, I think it’s called?” I replied, pointing back the way I came.
“Thanks, man! Fluttershy’s is just further down the road near the forest. You should stop by and say hi. I gotta go catch Pinkie! Later!” she left me with those words before bolting off into the sky.
I guessed since there’s no sign of a hotel, I’ll go see Fluttershy then.
I followed the road to the edge of the forest until I arrived at a cottage.
“This must be the place.” I said out loud.
I knocked on the door, but no response. I knocked again, but still no answer.
“Maybe she’s not home,” I thought out loud.
I looked around the house and saw that there were tons of animals in her backyard. There were so many that it looked like an animal shelter. I stood there in awe at the sight that I failed to notice the tugging on my tail. I turned around to see a cute little red fox.
“Aw, aren’t you just the cutest little thing!” I said.
The fox started sniffing me, his cold, wet nose tickling me. His nose led him to my saddle bag as he tried to poke his head in there for my food.
“H-hey! Cut it out!” I said with a chuckle.
“Oh, my! Mr. Fox, please stop bothering this nice stallion!” a soft voice called out.
I turned to see an ADORABLE yellow mare with a light pink mane and tail. Just staring into her eyes filled me with an urge to hug her tight.
“I’m so sorry, was he bothering you?” she asked me with a cute face.
I smiled and shook my head. “No, this cute little guy was just being nosy,” I replied, petting the fox’s head. “You must be Fluttershy. I’m Steel Otaku. Nice to meet you.” I introduced myself.
She looked away and mumbled “Nice to meet you. I’m sorry about Mr. Fox.”
Her shyness was just too cute! I looked at her and brought her head up to meet our eyes. “No need to be shy, cutie!” I said with a smile.
She blushed and giggled at the compliment. “Um, pardon me, but are you, um, an..alicorn?” she asked hesitantly.
I simply nodded with a smile. “Let me guess, I should meet Twilight?” I asked.
Her eyes shot open in surprise. “H-how did you know I was going to say that?” she asked.
“Your other friends told me the same thing,” I replied.
After getting to know each other better, she showed me around the yard and all the animals. Afterwards, I asked about the hotel. She said that there isn’t one since Ponyville isn’t really a tourist attraction, and most ponies just live here. With that in mind, I only had one place to go. Everypony I’ve met has mentioned Twilight. It was about time I met her myself…
After heading back the way I came, I eventually arrived at the library. I was nervous. What would she be like? I’ve heard SO much about this mare. I took a deep breath and knocked on the door. The door swung open to reveal a baby dragon. I wasn’t expecting this. He was a cute little dragon with purple scales and emerald green spines. He looked at me with a curious expression.
“Can I help you?” he asked.
Before I could answer, I heard a voice call out.
“Who is it, Spike!?”
He looked back at me and replied “I think it’s the new guy you told me about!”
“Oh! Just a sec! I’ll be right down!”
The door opened further to reveal the mare I’ve been hearing about all day. The only other alicorn in town, Princess Twilight Sparkle.
“Oh, hello! You must be Steel. I’m Twilight Sparkle. My friends told me all about you.” she greeted me.
I didn’t know what to say. At a loss for words, I just kneeled before her.
She giggled. “You don’t have to do that. I may be a princess now, but I’m still the same old Twilight around here.”
I sighed in relief. “It’s an honor to meet you, Twilight. I’ve heard SO much about you, even before your coronation.” She smiled at me.
“Thanks, please come in. We can get better acquainted over lunch."
I entered the library and followed her into a dark room. “Why is it so dark in here?” I asked.
She shrugged. “That’s strange, I don’t remember turning off the lights. Spike?”
The little dragon shook his head. “Hang on, I’ll get ‘em,” he replied as he flipped the light switch.
As the room lit up, I realized we weren’t alone. The room was filled with ponies and upon turning on the lights, they all shouted “SURPRISE!” The three of us yelled out in surprise as we were caught off guard. The pink pony from earlier hopped towards us. Twilight had an annoyed look on her face.
“Pinkie! I didn’t say to plan the party here! You were supposed to have it at Sugar Cube Corner!” she scolded her.
Pinkie just smiled. “Yeah, but that’s just what you’d expect! Nopony would ever expect a party here! That makes the surprise even more surprising!” she chirped as she hopped excitedly.
She looked at me and took a deep breath.
“Hi, I’m Pinkie Pie! I’m sorry I didn’t introduce myself earlier, but when I saw you, I knew you were new in town; and I knew you were new because I’ve never seen you before! I know everypony in Ponyville and plan parties for them accordingly! I especially love throwing parties for new ponies like you! So, were you surprised!? were you!? Huh!?”
I blinked rapidly trying to process all that. “Yeah, I was. I’m-”
I was about to introduce myself when she cut me off. “I know! You’re name’s Steel Otaku! What a funny name! Otaku! I love funny sounding words! O-ta-ku! Hahahaha! Hey, can I call you Steely? It’s easier and cuter to say!”
Once again, I blinked trying to process it. “Sure. Let’s just...um..party.” I replied, feeling a bit lightheaded.
The party went on for an hour or two. We danced, played games and enjoyed the cake Pinkie made. When the party was over, Twilight and I had some peace and quiet. We took the time to discuss research topics and our childhoods in Canterlot.
“Well, I have to say, Steel,” she said. “The princess must think you’re special for sending you here. We have a lot in common.”
I chuckled in agreement. Just then something I had forgotten had resurfaced.
“I still need a place to stay, and from what I’ve heard, there’s no hotel.
Twilight nodded. “True, but you could stay with me.” she suggested.
I was flattered. “No, I couldn’t. I don’t want to be a bother,” I said, trying to be humble.
She smiled. “No bother at all, I insist that you stay. We have much to discuss and you have all the books you can read! Didn’t you say you were studying combat spells? I have lots of books on the subject!”
I chuckled and nodded “Sounds good. Where do I sleep?”
“Upstairs, I made a bed for you in advance.”
I smiled at her and thanked her for letting me stay. Soon we went upstairs getting ready for bed. I still had to unpack. Twilight was kind enough to give me some space for my stuff. I emptied my saddlebag and laid out the contents in an organized fashion. After organizing my belongings I began going through the clothes that Rarity gave me. I remembered trying on everything in the bag...except one thing. There was a strange hat in the bag. It was wizard hat made of purple silk and covered in a beautiful star pattern.
“Huh? I don’t remember Rarity giving me this. What’s this doing in my bag?” I thought.
I set it aside and went to bed. I didn’t sleep for about an hour. I just stared at the hat sitting across from me on the nightstand.
“Where did this hat come from?”
To be continued...