A Princess's Sadness
Prologue Part 1
Daniel's Background
Before I begin with the story, let me introduce myself because every story needs to have an introduction and plus it will leave a lot of unanswered questions if a story didn't have a prologue or an introduction.
My name is Daniel Harrington and I'm from Dallas, TX. Before I came to Equestria, I was a cashier at my local supermarket. I wanted to became a counselor because I was always good at making people feel better and it fills my heart to know that I did a very good deed to the person. However, my parents could not afford to pay for college and I didn't have very good grades in high school. But that didn't stop me from helping other people when they need comfort or somebody to talk to. I still kept that with me and I don't think I'll ever let that talent go, no matter what other people say or do to me.
I lived in an apartment, a very cheap apartment. To my surprise, it was actually pretty nice. There wasn't any problem with the plumbing nor was there a problem with the heat. But the size of the bedrooms were my main complaint. It would have been pretty nice to have more space instead of this. When I would try to go to the bathroom, the sink would be right there and I barely had enough room to sit on the toilet and do my business. When I would wake up in the morning, I would always like I'm in a small containment chamber. Well, I'm sure it wasn't that bad. Still, it was a pretty small bedroom.
During my time in school, I was picked on a lot and nobody didn't care about me. So I figured, what was the point of even breathing? Just when I was about to give up on myself, I was introduced to a girl named Ashley. She was the kindest person I have ever met. We spent a lot of time together and she was the one that kept me going. She was always there for me when I was down. She would sometimes be in a bad mood, but she wouldn't take it out on me because she would tell me why she was in the good mood and I would then see if I can get her in a good mood again. It was the best moments of my life. But about five months later, it would turn my world upside down. One day, Ashley never showed up to school. Some of her friends told me that they didn't know where she was. Concerned, I decided to call Ashley's parents to see what was wrong. Her mom picked it up, which I expected. But the thing that concerned me even more was the way she sounded. She didn't sound good at all.
"Hello?"
"Is this Ashley's mother?" I asked her.
"Yes. Is this Daniel?"
"Yeah. Is there something going on? Why wasn't Ashley in school today?" I asked in concern.
"...Ashley died from a car accident, Daniel." she said sadly.
My heart dropped. I didn't expect this at all.
"WHAT?!?"
"I know this is hard for you Daniel." she began. "I also know it's hard for you to accept."
She was right about that. I was in full denial about the whole thing.
"No. There has to be some sort of mistake. She can't be dead. We've only known each other for five months. There is no way that Ashley can be dead. PLEASE tell me that she isn't dead because I don't know what I would do without her!" I shouted.
"Daniel, she is dead. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't go on with your life. You have so many opportunities for you. So many people around the world. So many years of life to live. You will get through this Daniel and don't let this get in you're way. Ashley wouldn't want you to live in sorrow because of her. It's what she would want you to do." she said comfortingly.
I took all of this in. She was right. Ashley wouldn't want me to live in sorrow over her death. She would have wanted me to move on with my life.
"...Your right. I mean, it still pains me deeply that she's gone, but I have to move on." I said. "Thank you for the piece of advice."
"No. I should be thanking you."
"Me? Thank me for what?" I asked with confusion.
"For being so caring and thoughtful to my daughter. She wouldn't stop talking about you. She said that you are the sweetest, most caring person she has ever met." she began. "Before she met you Daniel, she was depressed and unhappy with her life. But as soon as she met you, she was so happy. Did you ever notice her sadness when you met her Daniel?"
"Yeah. I did actually." I answered.
"And did you notice her getting happier and happier as you two spent more time together?" she asked.
"Yeah." I began. "But I still don't see the point in this."
"My point, Daniel, is that if you can change her life, then you can change other people's life and make them happier than they originally were. Maybe you could make a career out of that." she explained.
"...Wow. I never really thought about that until you mentioned it." I began. "Do you really think I can pull it off?"
"Yes. Like I said, if you can change her life, then you can change other people's life around. You just gotta believe in yourself and push yourself to do so." she explained.
"...This is all happening too fast Mrs. H." I told her.
"That's the whole process of growing up Daniel." she said.
"Yeah. I guess it is." I said.
"Well Daniel, I don't know about you, but I'm getting pretty tired." she began. "We'll talk about this tomorrow."
"Yeah. I was thinking the exact same thing. Try to have yourself a good evening, okay?" I asked.
"I'll try. Good night Daniel."
She then hung up and left me with so many thoughts in my head. What she told me was so influential, I stuck with it for the rest of my life. I grew tired from crying too much and, the next thing I knew, I feel asleep.