The Forgotten Family

Rarity woke to a headache. Normally she would have attributed it to the stress of the past few days, or maybe to the fact that she was sleeping in an unfamiliar place, but this was not the case. She knew where her headache came from the moment she woke. It was from her brother and Twilight's brother.

"Sibling outing!" they yelled simultaneously as they threw open the doors of Twilight and Rarity's room. Twilight flew to the ceiling in shock, and Rarity rolled out of bed onto the crystal floors. Shining Armor and Mythic stood in the doorway laughing loudly. Rarity groaned from the floor. She had only had her brother back for one day and he was already acting like the big brother stereotype.

"I suppose you think that's funny?" Rarity asked from the floor. The stallions only laughed louder. She giggled despite herself as Twilight glided to the floor.

Twilight raised an eyebrow at her brother. "What?" Shining Armor asked. "That was funny."

"You've never done anything like that before." Twilight smiled. "I think Mythic has a bit of an influence on you."

Mythic laughed. "Good influence or bad?" he asked.

"I believe that's up for debate." Rarity said as she stood. "How did you two even meet?" she asked realizing Shining Armor had never mentioned Mythic before.

"The Royal Guard Academy." Mythic answered. "We were room-mates and we even got assigned our own team, just the two of us." Mythic smiled as he briefly reflected on his memories of the academy.

"Yeah, he made quite the impression on me the day we met." Shining laughed. "Mythic really took some getting used to, but I could never ask for a better friend." he said as he draped a foreleg over Mythic's massive back.

Rarity giggled as she looked at them. They looked more like a two brothers than two battle hardened warriors. "So you were a guard?" she asked Mythic.

Mythic pawed the ground nervously as Shining Armor chuckled lightly. "No," Shining said. "not just any guard. He was the head of Luna's night guard." Rarity's jaw dropped. "Yeah, he quit after the first couple of months though... What did you say?" He asked Mythic. "Something about, thought she was playing favorites?"

Mythic shook his head. "Ponies were spreading rumors that she only picked me because I was her only friend. That wasn't true but still I was tired of hearing them say that... so I quit."

"Yeah, that was it. The night after you guys used the elements on her Princess Celestia wanted to setup a new night guard for her, and he was the best, but he was only her captain for a year before he quit." Shining explained. "After that he pulled his disappearing act and I was the only pony he'd visit."

Twilight rolled her eyes. "The way you guys are so calm, I could almost believe we aren't heading out to fight a cult today." she said.

"Lighten up princess," Mythic said. "This used to be a regular thing for me and Shining Armor."

Twilight looked to Shining Armor who smiled. "Yeah, another day... another Anti-Celestia cult." he said. Rarity tried to imagine the two fun-loving stallions as fighters capable of fighting cults regularly.

"Our first assignment as a two-man team was to destroy a cult similar to Mythlisombratic." Mythic explained. "Now important stuff," he jumped to a new topic. "We are leaving in two hours, Twilight we would like you to carry the food and provisions, Shining and I will carry the tents and bedding... I assume we only need three." He said with a sly wink to his sister, who blushed furiously. He laughed before continuing. "We have to walk to Darktown from here so pack light."

"Wait," Rarity began. "What am I carrying?" she didn't want her brother and her marefriend to do all the work, she wanted to be useful.

Mythic smiled at her. "You'll probably slow us down enough training, we can't risk having you carry anything too."

Rarity's jaw dropped. "And what, exactly, am I going to be training for?" she asked. Mythic pulled a gem off of a nearby table and handed it to her. "Oh... Enchantment?" she asked.

Mythic nodded. "If you can at-least get the basics down, you'll be absolutely invaluable." he explained. "Trust me, I heard your conversation on the train, I know you want to be more useful."

Rarity nodded. "I'll try to learn and walk."

An incredibly refined yawn escaped from the hallway. Princess Cadence entered the room looking like she had just woke up. "You guys are up early." she said.

"Why don't we all go get some breakfast?" Mythic said as he led the way out of the room. Does he know where he's going? Rarity wondered.

"Other way, Mythic." Cadence called as she led the way (in the right direction). Apparently not.

The group walked down the hallways toward the dining rooms silently. It was much earlier in the morning than what Rarity was used to and now that the initial shock of her strange wake-up call was passed she was feeling very tired. "So," she began in an attempt to socialize with her brother. "why do they call it Darktown?"

Mythic slowed his long-legged gait to walk on Rarity's side, opposite of Twilight. "Because it's far to the north, and almost always snowing there, so it's really dark."  He smirked. "So how long have you been dating the princess?"

Rarity blushed and tried not to mumble her response. "A few days..."

Mythic laughed loudly. "And you're already sleeping together? Good on you." he said.

Twilight blushed and stammered while Rarity replied. "It's not like that, Mythic!" Which only cause Mythic to laugh even more loudly.

"I didn't think so." he said with a devilish grin. "You two should get your minds out of the gutter."

An awkward silence reined over Rarity and Twilight over breakfast. Mythic and Shining Armor took the time to reminisce over old academy stories while they ate. Cadence left shorty after she ate stating that without Shining she had even more duties to tend to, Shining apologized and told her goodbye.

After the meal Mythic brought out three saddle bags of supplies and they headed out. "So," Rarity said as they left the boarders of the Crystal Empire. "are there no trains in Darktown?'

"Nah, it isn't a very big town so they don't get a lot of visitors. Perfect town for our first target to stay in." Mythic said.

"So, when you say target... you don't mean... are we going to kill somepony?" Rarity asked nervously.

Mythic laughed. "No, we just want to get some information from him."

Shining looked hurt. "We don't kill unless it's absolutely necessary." Shining said.

"Sorry, I wasn't trying to imply-" Rarity was cut off.

"It's alright, I understand. If we do run into anything like that, I just wanted you to know... we'll try to avoid it." Shining Armor said.

"If we have to resort to that... I understand." Rarity said. A ruby flew in front of her face wrapped in a green telekinetic field.

"Time to train, little sis." Mythic said. Rarity glared at the back of her big brother's head. Who did he think he was, telling her what to do?

Nevertheless she began examining the ruby with her own magic. She tried to picture the enchantment and realized that she had no idea of where to start. "What should I do?" she asked.

Twilight floated a book to the mare on her side. "Maybe you should study it a bit before you just jump right in." she said.

Rarity nodded as she opened the book reading it aloud. "Enchantment Basics of the Arcane, chapter one: the basics.... Thank you, Twilight." Rarity said. "I believe this is more my level."

Mythic smiled at Twilight, "So, how long have you two known each other?" he asked as Rarity studied the book.

"Several years now. Why?" Twilight asked.

Mythic just shrugged. "Just trying to make conversation... I ought to get to know my sister's marefriend."

"Well, I honestly think you should get to know her a bit too..." Twilight said.

Mythic sighed sadly. "Yes, well I remember her..."

Rarity looked up from her book and noticed the looks of sadness on both Twilight and Mythic's faces. She then closed the book.

"Well, Mythic... Tell us a bit about yourself." Rarity said. "After all I don't really know anything about my brother, and I believe that is more important than learning enchantments, besides I can always read before we go to sleep at night."

Mythic positively beamed. "That's true, you can just read when we make camp." He cleared his throat. "Well you know my name, my special talent, and my best friend," as he spoke he walked to Rarity's side, opposite to Twilight. "Let's see, I suppose I should start at the beginning. When I was attacked by some cultists in Ponyville, who demanded I become the next Sombra, I realized I wasn't safe... you were living with me at the time, so I told our parents I was moving and taking you with me then I told Octavia. After we went to the city, Las Pegasus, we stayed in a hotel for our first night... that's when we were attacked."

Mythic grew quiet for a few minutes after that, but eventually he spoke again. "The building blew up with me in it, but I survived, woke up in the woods a few days later... just tough like that. Then I went to the Las Pegasus hospital to try to find you and that little green filly. Our parents were there... they told me I killed you.... I-I-I..." Mythic choked back a sob. "I ran away... I didn't even stay to see if that little filly was okay..."

Tears ran down Rarity's face as she realized her brother was beginning to cry, silently. She stretched out her hoof to try to place it on his back in a soothing manner, but found she could not reach it.

Mythic smiled when he saw what his little sister was attempting and leaned down for her. "Thank you." he said. When Rarity simply nodded he continued talking. " After that I spent a few years in the guard academy.... and well you know the rest."

"That doesn't tell me very much." Rarity said.

Mythic shrugged again. "Not much to tell, sorry... What about you? What have you been up to these past few years?"

Rarity smiled. "Well, I opened a shop where I make dresses." Mythic began snickering. "What?"

"You actually became a dress maker?" Mythic asked. When Rarity nodded Mythic began laughing openly.

"Be nice, Mythic." Shining Armor called back to him. "She's your little sister."

"She's a dress maker!" Mythic laughed louder.

Shining Armor and Twilight exchanged looks and then rolled their eyes. Rarity huffed in a most dignified manner before re-opening her book on enchantment.

"This is going to be a long trip." she said.