//------------------------------//
// Prologue 
// Story: Soulbound: The Saga of Shining Armor 
// by DegeTheMighty 
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	Equestria's past is full of examples of how catastrophes bring its ponies together. In a time of crisis and uncertainty, great minds can solve the greatest problems. It is their strife and hardships that drive them to not only endure, but succeed. To thrive in the chaos, and prove that they were more than a temporary mark in the annals of history. The Elements of Harmony are Equestria's message to the world, their symbol of all they deem righteous and pure in this otherwise harsh and violent world. They are Equestria's most potent weapon against chaos and destruction. 

They were not, however, the only weapon.

In the nation's infancy, even before the rule of Celestia, the country was infested with disasters. Everyone was convinced the land was cursed, and they were destined to fail. Were it not for the helping hoof of an empire to the north, Equestria may have been destroyed long ago. With this empire's ideals and philosophies came an age of intellectual enlightenment for the young nation. The Equestrians rose up to face their challengers instead of cowering away, and proved that ingenuity, and not just brute force, can win multiple wars.  

When Celestia and Luna rose to power, these conflicts only escalated. With the new power of the Elements, came new adversaries. There was a time when Equestria thought they had found the ultimate defense against any kind of aggressor. However, the Elements soon proved inefficient to deal with these problems frequently. They weren't created to be used constantly, and the sisters started to pay the price for it. They knew that they couldn't keep doing this forever. They needed something more.

It was here that new research into other means of defense began. New types of magic, searching for lost artifacts, anything that could help them become untouchable. Their breakthroughs were limited, but some proved most valuable. This is when the great scientist of their time, Starswirl the Bearded, had made such a discovery.

A sort of sub-species of unicorns, that have been in hiding throughout Equestria and beyond. The embodiment of unity and loyalty that make up this fine nation, Starswirl commented. These special unicorns were connected with others through a magical and mental link, primarily with only one partner. These two ponies could then share their thoughts, senses, and emotions with one another, and know where the other was at all times. Any pony could connect with one that had the inherited trait, but those special unicorns could barely survive without the link. Their magic was incredibly weakened without the bond established, and yet no negative effects were noted to binding oneself to one of these ponies, despite a certain lack of privacy.

Starswirl had come to regard these unicorns as 'Soulbound,' and they would prove to be invaluable in the years to come...

*	*	*

It wasn't her fault, but the day Twilight Sparkle was born was one of the worst days of her brother's life. The poor colt didn't know what would happen if she was to exist. He insisted his parents have a child, in fact. The colt grew tired of the boredom that came with being an only child, and wanted  someone for him to play with, someone to protect. Luckily, the colt managed to convince his parents to have another child, and his excitement grew as much as his mother's belly did. Many months of impatient waiting past, and Shining was beginning to wonder if she would ever come out. The colt was elated when he heard that his mother may deliver Twilight that night, and was ready to burst with joy at the concept of spending the night over at his uncle's home.

The bed he was suppose to sleep in that night was still empty, even that early in the morning. The eager colt continued to pace across the room. While his eyes grew tired, his legs still carried him about his room. He had been told before that he was probably more anxious about Twilight's birth than his father, which he never quite understood. He just wanted to be a sibling, a big brother, a...

...His train of thoughts halted. A terrible pain thrashed about his skull as the sensation collided with his mind. New thoughts, alien thoughts, invaded his consciousness. A feeling of cold, and fear, overtook him. An overwhelming sense that he was taken from somewhere nice and warm, and now left in a world of painful lights and confusing noise. 

Twilight had been born, and they were both screaming.

The migraine was threatening to split his skull in two. He writhed upon the floor, clenching his head between his hooves. These thoughts kept coming, and he couldn't shake this emotion of being taken from home. All he wanted was the warmth of his mother's embrace. Nothing he had ever read mentioned an experience like this. These foreign emotions, the splitting headache, there was no way these were the symptoms of new found brotherhood. In no way was this normal, he decided, but what could he do? This alien presence had an almost parasitic tenacity. Even as the new consciousness relaxed somewhat, he could not. He just wanted it gone.

The sound of the door slamming open hit Shining like a thunderclap.

“Shining what in the hells...?” His uncle started, before seeing him seizing on the floor. “What's wrong? Talk to me!”

“I...so many...too many...thoughts...” He managed to say. Shining's uncle grew more confused by the second, his nephew's mumbling almost incoherent. “...They came outta nowhere...” He finally muttered through clenched teeth.

This was all his uncle needed to piece together exactly what was going on. Quickly uttering a curse to his birthing sister, he lifted Shining's head as his horn lit up. A quick whisk of magic and the poor colt finally fell asleep, his mental strife becoming a dull pain. His uncle could only imagine what might come of this new revelation, and what might happen to the two siblings in the future. He turned to the young pony sleeping next to him, hoping he now has a temporary peace. Shining's dreams that night were so exotic, they would haunt him for the rest of his days.

The next morning came too early.

“Shining, wake up. Hey, come on, we got to go meet your sister.” His uncle chimed. Shining groaned as the headache returned, but with considerably less force. I hope this goes away soon, he mused. As he finished the thought, a strange sense of confusion came to him, as if not understanding what he meant. He shook it off.

“What happened?” He asked his uncle, still perplexed. Standing took a little more effort than it should have for the colt. Those thoughts, or rather the source of them, was still poking at his conscious. 

“Well...” His uncle hesitated, “Your sister was born! So come on, let's go see her!”

Those words were all Shining needed as a wake-up call. Despite his confused and pained disposition, he followed his uncle. He tried desperately to understand what was happening to him, but nothing he had read nor heard of came even close to what he was suffering. Whatever the cause, Shining was still looking forward to this morning.

The two of them reached the hospital in no time. As his uncle talked to the nurse, Shining could feel this consciousness grow stronger, but without the pain. He also got a sense of excitement from the other “mind.” Before the nurse could lead them to their destination, Shining was already in front of the door, the most anxious he has ever been in his life.

“Wow Shining, how did you know this was the room?” His uncle asked, already having a vague idea what the answer was.

“I...just know...” He answered, as he pushed the door open. An incredibly disturbing sense of déjà vu overtook him. His eyes fell upon the small purple foal now in his mothers hooves. The young filly looked towards the door, and instantly locked eyes with him. Something was so abnormally strange about this experience, he couldn't properly describe it. Like looking into a living mirror, he concluded. The young gave a slightly perplexed look at her brother, but Shining could feel it. He could feel her confusion and curiosity in his own mind. He was too focused to notice his uncle whispering something to his father. Shining's headache had disappeared, now replaced with a warm contentedness. He moved next his mother, who only smiled as Shining brought his face closer to Twilight's. 

You can hear me, can't you? I'm your brother, Shining Armor.