Canterlot Outskirts Fifteen years ago
His parents had just been arrested, his little sister ran away after a fight between them; Shining didn't know what to do.
After her sister ran from their fight, Shining futilely chased after her but that fight would be the last time he saw his sister even to this day. By the time he returned home, a group of guards were taking his parents away. When he recovered from the shock and assumed it was safe he went in to his home and took some of his parents books and research notes and papers, put them on a small wagon he owned and took off.
Now he was in the outskirts of the great city he found a small cave opening in the mountain which he used as a hiding space so he would have a place to sleep until tomorrow.
After having a few hours of sleep he peeked out and saw that the clock-tower indicated that it had been a full twelve hours since the fight with his sister. Jut twenty-four hours ago he was having breakfast with his family and they were all laughing and smiling, now that seemed forever ago.
He was hungry but wasn't sure how to get something. "Maybe I should have taken some bits as well." He decided to take a look at his parents work and discovered a secret abut history; the legend of Nightmare Moon, the prophecy of the elder sister and a prediction by Starswirl.
Eventually he found some notes that spoke of a group called the 'Solar Soldiers.' It even had a map with the location of a base in the same isle where Trotingham was and a secret password. It may not have been much but it was something.
During the rest of the clock-cicle he packed up his stuff and went to the train station. His stomach was growling and he noticed that the next train to Baltimare included a free meal for all passengers. One to Manehattan would have been closer to his needs, but he was hungry and it was still heading east.
Once the train arrived he sneaked in to the caboose and waited until the conductor had made his rounds across the train asking for tickets and he seated himself in one of the velvet chairs. After about an hour arrived a group of ponies with trolleys and started handing out lunch. Once he was don he continued going through the notes he got at home until dinner arrived. When the train arrived at hour zero he snuck out just to make sure he didn't get in trouble.He then looked for a safe hiding place and drifted off to sleep.
At the sixth hour he headed to Horseshoe Bay in hope that he found a ship headed for Trotingham with no luck as the only ships for the isle departed from Manehattan and only one every four months from Baltimare but not for the public. He knew he couldn't just stay on the streets for months, he needed a way to say in good condition until he could reach the island. His only current option was to explore the city.
Eventually he came across an orphanage in which he registered with the simple lie that he ran away from home and when tried to go back his home wasn't there. He then was assigned a room got three meals a clock-cicle and helped the pony in charge, who everypony simply called Mama, so he could get an allowance. And so three months passed and when the next ship was to leave he packed everything he would need while hiding on the ship and once he reached destination. However, that very night Mama called Shining and told him and told him that they would be receiving a filly from Canterlot that had recently lost her parents and was being sent here so she could get away from the memory; Mama referred to the filly as Sparkle.
Sparkle. Could it be? Nothing indicated otherwise. But if he stayed he would undoubtedly miss the boat and if it wasn't his sister and just a coincidence it would have all been for nothing. However he knew that even if there was a small chance that it was her, as a big brother, he would never forgive himself if he left her alone.
The next clock-cicle, Shining was waiting at the front of the orphanage so he could receive the newcomer and giver the tour as well as assigning her a room. At the ninth hour a pair of royal guards appeared in a small carriage. "Young stallion, we would like to see the pony in charge. We came here to deliver a filly."
"I know, I help her as an assistant so she asked me to receive her." Said Shining.
Both guards had already been informed that all they needed to do was deliver the young one and then they would return so they took the luggage and put it at the front door and once that was done they opened the door of the carriage to let the passenger down. That was when Shining first took a look at the filly and while she wasn't her sister she definitely resembled her. She had pink fur with a silver mane with one lavender streak styled the same way as her sister's. "Hi, my name is Twinkle Sparkle."
So it wasn't his sister but he had taken a choice and it would have been best to allow himself to stay incase it was. "Hello there, my name is Shining Armor. Come with me, I'll show you around."
Shining took her luggage and placed it inside and afterwards they went around the orphanage as he explained the rules, Twinkle smiled when she saw the playground but for her the highlight of the tour was the library even it was small, only a room big. To Shining it became apparent during the tour that this filly had more in common with his sister than just looks. Eventually they reached the end of the tour. "So, this will be your room. They put us in rooms as we arrive and since I was the new kid before you, we'll be neighbors, so feel free to come over for anything you need."
As the month went on the small filly started getting attached to shining. She had been spending time with him and when Shining suggested she make some friends she replied that she had never had a friend before and didn't know how. One clock-cicle she asked Shining for a favor: "Could you please teach me magic?"
"You want ME to teach you magic? Wouldn't it be better to ask your teacher to teach you instead?"
Twinkle then started to avoid Shining's eyes. "Well my teacher only does theory and doesn't allow us to perform spells because it could be dangerous but since I've seen you use magic to help others here in the orphanage I thought that maybe you could teach me."
She began doing those same puppy eyes Twilight used with his dad and he understood why he could never say no. "Alright I'll teach you."
The next month passed by with Shining teaching Twinkle all he could about magic and nearing the end of the month she got her cutie mark; five purple stars forming a pentagon with another one in the middle. Mama organized the first cuteceañera the orphanage had had in years since most of the ponies that arrived already had their marks. At that that party Mama approached Shining and told him something he hoped it did not come to pass. "You know Twinkle really sees you as her big brother of sorts." He knew he would leave next month but since Twinkle saw him as somepony special to her it just seemed that leaving her alone would simply be cruel.
Then came the clock-cicle before the one he would leave and unfortunately for him Twinkle burst in while he was packing causing the small filly's eyes to tear up. "Shining, are you leaving?"
He couldn't lie to her so he decided to tell her the truth. "Yes Twinkle, I'm leaving."
She then gave a weak smile that could not hide her sadness. "I guess that means you got adopted, right?"
"No Twinkle I didn't." Not looking her in the eyes for a second.
Her fake smile disappeared and her face showed true sadness. "Then why are you leaving?"
He knew that could never look her in eyes. "Because I have to."
Twinkle clinged on to Shining and started to cry. "Please tell me Shining, I have to know. You're like my big brother."
These words stabbed at Shining filling him with guilt and so he decided to tell her the truth, the entire truth. When he finished his story Twinkle insisted on coming with him but he refused because he knew she would not be able to manage on a cargo ship but there was no way that he could convince her to stay if he was leaving. So the next clock-cicle they both sneaked out before anypony was awake. "Listen Twinkle, since you're tagging along we can't go on the ship so we'll have to take the long road so well walk to Manehattan. Of course well first have to go to Fillydelphia and that should take us a year. I brought some bits so we can buy provisions for the first few days but after that we're going to have to tough it out like true campers."
And so their journey began.