//------------------------------//
// Prologue to Book One- Stereoheart 
// Story: Stereoheart 
// by FimFan14 
//------------------------------//

Authors Note:

Finally, my story is back!

Stereoheart floated aimlessly around in the warmth of the void, and reveled in the euphoria inherently produced within the musical space. It was a place of pure happiness, of joy so intense it would be near tangible if not for his clouded mind, a symptom that was seemingly a by-product of said emotions. He turned over, in a lazy circle, in order to completely turn onto his stomach. He suddenly found himself falling at an alarming speed, throwing open his eyelids and mouth in order to scream, before bursting through an invisible barrier, and out of his infinite void of warmth and happiness. 

Bursting out of his blissful state, he found himself sitting in a room. The previously noted mental cloudiness failed to leave him, taking over his vision, and thus leaving him only to vaguely perceive a small figure, much smaller than him. The figure was still recognized as a pony, most likely a foal. Details were far beyond his grasp, and therefore barely enabling him to perceive a single detail that would otherwise cause in him great alarm, if only he had the capacity to comprehend them at that time.
He inwardly cursed at the blackened fog that was beginning to overtake his peripheral vision, and leaned forward with the intention of rising from his sitting position, only to find his head rushing towards the ground at a speed that caused great disconcertion. His whole body quickly followed suit, and was thrown through the floor. 

He sat up, on what was logically the underside of the floor, but seemed to be at the same time the topside, hosting a room of its own. His head spinning, Stereoheart looked up, to find that he was in what was indeed a very tall chamber. Coupling that with the previous event of what had just transpired made him want to vomit.

He heard a voice, one that was comforting but nonetheless commanding and regal. The figure to which it belonged was shrouded, but definitely clad in the darkest of colors, despite its comforting presence.

“Ahhh,” it began, in an ostensibly curious, yet unsurprised voice, “It is faint, barely a whisper. But there is yet a small part of it left in you. Fear not young one, in due time, the truth shall be free.”

***
Stereoheart pryed his eyes open to the persistent shaking of his younger sibling, Frisky.
‘Thank goddess, it was only a dream!’ He thought to himself, pleased with the closure gained by his brother’s repetitive attempts at attention.
“Stereo!” was heard, his brother speaking in a stage whisper, that being the indication that it was probably midnight, and the curtains weren’t simply just blocking the sun.
“Stereo!”
“Frisky, what is it?” Stereo replied in the same raised whisper as was used by his younger brother.
“I just had a weird dream,” he began, “and it really scared me.”
Stereo gave a long-suffering sigh. That is, before looking into Friskys eyes and seeing true fear reflected back to his own. It was an instantly recognizable sight, being seen by Stereo much too often, their particular family situation being accountable. They got food, a bed, water, basic education and shelter. But that wasn’t all they got. They got cruelty, neglect, they got hit, and yelled at, although the latter two thankfully less frequently. Seeing that fear in Friskys eyes nearly every single day turned Stereo into his protector. Nothing hurt him more than seeing his brother in pain, or picked on. Nothing created such a raw surge of emotion as that. And that is why he felt compelled to throw away his annoyance, and listen to what his brother had to say.
"Okay, Frisky," he said tiredly. "You wanna talk about it?"

"Well," he began, "It started out really nice and happy, and I was in a place where anything that I wanted was made. Then I fell, and I saw somepony in front of me, and he was bigger than me. Then a spooky mare said some weird stuff, and I woke up."

Stereo noticed his awareness rise as he began to see startling similarities to his own dream, minus a few minor details. The large portion of the dream that was the same, however, caused him to become more than a little unnerved.

"Dreams can't hurt you," Stereo began hesitantly, deciding it best to withhold his realization in order to calm down his younger sibling. "And besides, if they could, I wouldn't let them. You know that."

"I know," Frisky replied, "But it really freaked me out. I don't know if I can sleep again!"

"I have an idea," Stereo said comfortingly. "You focus on the happy part of the dream, the place where you could make whatever you wanted."

"Okay, I'll try."

Frisky did try, as was shown by the comical grunts that he would let out every few minutes. Eventually, however, his mind relented, allowing him to slip into a deep and, thankfully, dreamless sleep, into which Stereo soon followed.