" Let's see, this makes it...the fifth arrest in the last couple of months, Ashen my dude you are on a role," the grey unicorn thought as he paced back and forth within the small jail cell of Manehattan's police department. He eventually gave up on his feeble attempt to pass the time and decided to stare at his reflection from the broken mirror above the dirty sink.
" I wonder how long I'm in hear this time, probably a day or two. Honestly, Equestria's ideology on peace and friendship is off the charts. They'll most likely give me another lecture, a slap on the hoof, and let me go as usual." Ashen then lied on his back on the stone hard bed and tried to get a short nap in. That was until the loud sound of his cell door opening destroyed the peaceful silence. Standing at the entryway of the cell was a yellow earth pony wearing the standard police uniform and wore black sunglasses hiding his eyes.
" Rise and shine sleeping beauty, you're coming with me," said the cop. Ashen sat up straight on the bed and looked at the officer with amusement.
" Chief Clyde, long time no see, how's the wife and foals doing?"
Clyde chuckled and responded with, " Oh they're doing just fine, thanks for asking. Now I didn't come here for small talk, so get up and follow. Ashen was confused at first as this wasn't how things normally went down during his time behind bars. Soon, however, confusion was replaced with interest.
" Am I out already? This has got to be a new record."
"No, you're not off the hook just yet pal, you have a special visit with Princess Celestia herself. There's a carriage waiting for you outside. " That statement alone sent Ashen's mind racing with thought, and he couldn't help but ask for more information.
" What does she want with me?"
Clyde shrugged and said, " That's classified information, I'm just as confused as you, just come on and let's get this over with." Ashen complied and followed Clyde out of the police station. Upon leaving the building, Ashen stared in awe at the beautiful golden carriage, drawn by two powerful looking pegasi in golden armor.
" Oooh, fancy," Ashen said.
" Yeah, and it better stay fancy, I don't want to get a letter saying that you destroyed royal property. Do you have any idea how much paperwork that would take," Clyde asked in a slightly angered tone?
" Don't worry Chief, I'm just your average law abiding citizen, don't you trust me," Ashen asked in obvious jokingly way?
Clyde let out a stressful sigh and said, " Just...don't do anything stupid." Ashen rolled his eyes and nodded, then climbed into the carriage. Before taking off, Ashen poked his head out of the window called out to Clyde.
" One last thing Chief, why do you always wear your glasses whenever I see you, even inside?"
Clyde gave a sly smirk and said, " Classified information." And with that, the carriage bolted into the air, which slammed Ashen hard against the soft cushioned seats.
Ashen gazed in amazement at the world around him from the air. Having been confined in the busy and crowded streets of Manehattan, he only knew about the outside world through newspapers and tourists. To see the vast landscapes and towering mountains was like a dream he didn't want to wake up from. Then came Caterlot, and it looked just like what he had always heard. Large, colorful buildings the retain the old, yet cool medieval look. What was most impressive though was the royal towers that hang off of the cliffs, and below that, the sapphire blue waterfalls that seemingly flow endlessly. Truly a sight to be seen.
The carriage landed on a stone clearing close to the Princess's throne, but it was still visible to the naked eye of the locals. Several Royal guards stood near the landing site, most likely waiting for Ashen's arrival. Exiting from the carriage, Ashen made several 360s in order to inspect every detail of the construction he was standing on. He then came face to face with what seemed to be the commander of the group of guards.
" Boy, this place is guarded to the teeth, talk about paranoia am I right," Ashen said. The stern look on the commander and the complete silence of the atmosphere made Ashen realize the awkwardness of the situation.
" Our duty of the Royal guard is to provide safety for the Princess and her city. We will not allow any...low lives to cause any harm to either," said the Commander. Ashen quickly caught on that the Commander was calling him the low life. This didn't put him on edge or anything, because many people in Manehattan called him by similar names. In fact, if he had a bit for every time someone made fun of him, he'd have enough money to not have to steal from anyone.
" Understandable," Ashen said in his normal carefree voice. Ashen could tell this annoyed the Commander, probably because he wanted him to get mad by his " insult", but if there's one thing Ashen learned that was important, it was to never let words get to you.
" Alright, we've been standing here long enough, I'm ready to see the Princess."
The Commander grunted and said, " Very well, follow me." While walking with the guards, Ashen could notice many of the citizens of the city staring back at him with disgust. He wagered that it was for the fact that he wasn't as clean cut, or as snotty as the rest of them. Whatever it was, he just ignored them and continued on his way.
The inside of the castle looked even grander than the rest of the city. With large chandeliers covered in diamonds, beautiful velvet carpets that run along long hallways, and the captivating stained glass windows depicting major events in history. The Commander stopped in the middle of one of the halls and opened one of the doors, revealing a ridiculously huge bathroom, complete with a shower, a toilet, a sink, etc.
At first, Ashen didn't understand what was going on, but soon a thought emerged.
" Am I supposed to meet the Princess in here? I mean I know I'm a criminal, but even I have standards when meeting royalty." Ashen jokingly said.
" Don't be such a smartass kid," The Commander barked. " You are to look presentable when speaking with Princess Celestia, not covered in dirt and muck." Ashen looked at himself and did notice a fair amount of dirt on his body.
" Alright, I'll clean up in order to not "ruin" the purity of your precious Princess. Though, come on, a little filth won't hurt anyone."
Ashen took his sweet time getting all "dolled up" for the occasion. With a long, warm shower, perfectly combing his fiery mane and tail, and of course, brushing teeth. He was determined to look like royalty so he can meet royalty. At the end of it though, he just looked like your everyday pony who got ready for the day.
The two giant doors to the throne room opened slowly and intensely. The room was larger than anything else in the castle, a long red carpet the reached the throne and more stained glass windows. Ashen made his way down the crimson rug, where he could clearly see the figure sitting before him. A tall, beautiful, white alicorn, with gorgeous purple eyes, and a warm, gentle smile, and a recognizable sun cutie mark. It was enough to keep Ashen's anxiety at bay. Almost out of instinct, Ashen kneeled before the ruler of Equestria with no hesitation or restraint.
" Please, stand," Celestia said with her soft voice. Ashen did as told and then stared directly into the Princess's eyes. Celestia pulled out a scroll and unrolled it. A short silence past before she spoke again.
" Your name is Ashen Blaze, notorious for several crimes over a very short span of time. Crimes include, mugging, shoplifting, vandalizing, destruction of public property, and bar fights. The most recent crime being beating up a group of stallions to the point of hospital treatment. Is all of this correct?"
" Yes, your majesty," Ashen responded.
Celestia continued. " Well, it seems to me that despite how times you are arrested, you seem insistent on getting yourself into trouble over and over again. Would you care to explain why."
Ashen shrugged and said, " I honestly don't know, it's been an answer I've been trying to figure out myself. Mabey it's the thrill, you know, get the blood pumping. Maybe it's trying to be some kind of a badass. Or maybe it's because jail is as close to living in an actual home as I'll ever get." It was the last part which caused Celestia to raise an eyebrow in curiosity.
" A home? Do you not have a place to live?"
" If I had a roof over my head, and three meals a day regularly, we probably wouldn't be talking to each other right now." Celestia took a moment of silence to think about the current situation. She then perked up and began to speak again in excitement.
" Well this is why you're here Ashen, this recent felony you've committed would have you serve several years in prison. However, I'm offering an alternative. Go to a small town known as Ponyville, where you can learn to become a respectable member of society, make some friends even, what do you say?"
" Ponyville? Isn't that where Princess Twilight Sparkle lives," Ashen asked?
" Yes, and she too was sent to there when I felt as though she needed to expand her horizon. Now I'm giving you the same opportunity to bring your life back on track."
" Why are you doing this for me," Ashen asked in suspicion.
Celestia looked at him with a puzzled look. " What do you mean?"
" Why have you suddenly taken the interest in some low life felon. Why is my well being now a concern to you?"
Celestia sighed and said, " As Princess of Equestria, it is my job to ensure the well being of everypony. You caught my interest once word of your continuous crime spree reached me. The smartest thing for me to do is to simply send you off to incarceration, but I don't want to do that. A young stallion like you shouldn't be confined to a small room, away from this wonderful world, it's just not fair. All I want is to give you a fresh start."
" And so the only alternative is obviously prison correct?"
" Yes, that is what I would have to do in order to bring peace back to Manehattan if you refuse of course." With no other choice to make, it seemed pretty obvious to Ashen what he would pick.
" A fresh start huh," Ashen thought. " Fine, I'll go to Ponyville."
Author's Note
So many of you who have followed me for so long are probably wonder why I keep making new origin stories with different character names. Well, many of those stories were experimental, and now I want to change up the story and try out new ways to add to the fanfics. I hope though that this is the last time I do this, and continue the series from now to the future. I hope you guys enjoy this new adventure I made.
