The Forgotten Family

Flames washed over Rarity in an endless inferno. She felt small and lost, she was confused and all she wanted was to go home. The screaming of the ponies attacking the building she had been staying in had quieted, apparently having found what they were looking for. Rarity could not remember why they had attacked or why she had not run when she had a chance.

She crawled low to the floor trying her best to avoid both the flames and the attention of the ponies patrolling looking for witnesses. She could not even remember what building she was in or what the walls and floors looked like before they were covered in flames. She could not remember who she had come here with, but she hoped desperately that they were alright and they would find her soon. She finally made it to the window on the far side of the room and quietly tried to push it open.

"Hey, little girl! What do you think you're doing?", a voice called out from under a nearby couch. Rarity turned to the couch to see a filly shivering. She had a green mane and tail and a dark turquoise coat. "We are on the top floor.", the filly said.

"That's okay.", Rarity said. She was not actually saying the words. It felt more like she was remembering what to say. "My big brother will be here any second and he shall show these ruffians what for.", she said proudly, careful not to speak too loudly.

Just then, the door to the room they were in was thrown open and the biggest unicorn she had ever seen ran in. She couldn't make out any details, such as his face or his colors, but she immediately knew this was her brother. "Rarity!", the faceless stallion called, unable to see her in the smoke.

"I'm over here!", she responded. He immediately turned to the sound of the voice as the doorway he had just come through was swarmed by large ponies with masks. They were all unicorns which would have spelled trouble for an ordinary pony but she knew her brother could handle them.

Her brother, (whose name she so desperately wanted to remember), turned to the doorway and laughed loudly. "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven. Seven of you", he said and then laughed even louder. "You should have brought more men.", he said, his voice cold like steel. The unicorns who had been preparing to attack him took a step back.

The filly that had been hiding slid over to Rarity. "Can he really beat all of them?", she asked shaking but to her credit not crying.

Rarity giggled quietly and turned to the filly. "Yes, my big brother can do anything.", she said.

All seven unicorns fired a beam simultaneously at her brother and he deflected them with a shield. The beams shot off the green magic and bounced at the floor in front of him. Suddenly, the floor supporting the other unicorns gave way and they fell into the fires below.

"Way to go, big brother!", Rarity called to him.

He ran across the room to the two fillies and started checking for injuries. Rarity remembered feeling so safe right at that moment, thinking that despite the fire and flames, and the bad men in the building, if her brother was there she was safe. All of that shattered when the floor behind her brother caved in and the roof starting buckling under its own weight.

Her brother looked up and immediately knew what to do.

" Rarity, your big brother loves you.", he said, giving her a hug. He was choking back tears.

"I love you too big brother.", she said happily, unaware of what was happening. Suddenly she heard a click as the nearby window opened and she felt a strong hoof push her out it. She screamed as she fell, but not because she was falling. She screamed because as she saw the hoof push out the other filly, the top floor of the tall building they had been in exploded, her brother lost amid the flame and wreckage.

Rarity awoke screaming, feeling feminine hooves trying to calm her. "Rarity, please calm down! It was just a dream!", her friend twilight yelled over her screaming. After a moment, Rarity was able to collect herself and she noticed where she was.

She was in her bed, the blankets lost in the floor, and she was being cradled by the hooves of Twilight as she tried to calm her. She was shivering and covered in a cold sweat that only comes from the worst of nightmares. She was struggling to gain control of her breathing, but it was getting better.

"Rarity...", Twilight said from beside her. She looked dreadful, like she had been crying recently and her wings were ruffled like they had been hit. She then realized Twilight's wings had been hit by her.

"Twilight, I'm so sorry.", Rarity began. "I don't know what's wrong with me today.", she looked into the eyes of the other mare and felt like her heart was breaking. Twilight was still very concerned. Rarity wrapped her forehooves around Twilight's neck and held her close. For several minutes the two mares just lay there in each other's comforting embrace.

Rarity looked out the window and realized Princess Luna had risen the moon. She had slept all day. Regaining a bit of her composure she asked, "Twilight, have you stayed with me this entire time?"

Twilight blushed as she replied, "Well not the whole time. I hope you don't mind but I made myself a sandwich and took a small nap in your guest room. I also teleported home just long enough to tell Spike to watch the library." She seemed to tighten her grip on the white unicorn slightly. "I didn't know what you were going through, but I thought if it was bad enough to make you cry like that and then pass out you would probably want a friend nearby when you woke up. I heard you screaming and I ran in to see if I could help."

"You did help Twilight, I don't know what I would have done if you had not been here when I woke up.", she smiled at twilight and nuzzled her cheek. " You are a good friend.", she seemed to whisper.

They laid there in companionable silence for several more minutes, just content to enjoy each other's embrace.

"So," Twilight finally spoke. "What happened?"

Rarity sighed and suppressed the urge to start crying again. "I just received some terrible news is all, and I took it pretty hard. No need to concern yourself Twilight.", she said, trying to reassure her friend. Twilight started to tear up.

"Please", she began. "Please let me help you, Rarity."

Rarity did not know why her friend seemed so upset, but she knew that Twilight felt the need to help just as badly as Rarity needed help.

"Fine, I'll tell you. How about a cup of tea first?", Rarity asked.

Twilight released the unicorn she had been holding and Rarity immediately wished she had not. Twilight stood and walked to the door where she turned her head to Rarity. "That would be great.", she said smiling again. "But why don't you let me fix it?"

"Nonsense dear, I shall do it. Just because one is upset does not mean she can be a bad host.", Rarity smiled back at her as she too got to her hooves and walked to her kitchen.

Soon after, both mares sat at Rarity's kitchen table, fresh tea before them. Rarity had told Twilight everything her parents had told her and even about the dream she had. They sat there quietly sipping their tea, both trying to find the right words to make everything okay, and both failing.

"Rarity, I think it's best we talk to your parents.", Twilight finally said.

Rarity scoffed. "They lied to me dear, I don't think I want to see them again anytime soon.", she said, trying not to get agitated at her friend that had just spent the entire day trying to help her.

"I know that, but we need to know more if we want to find your brother.", Twilight said.

"Find my brother?", Rarity was shocked that Twilight would even suggest it. "Dear, if the dream I had was a memory, then I am sure my brother is dead. Besides, my parents looked for years. What makes you think that even if he were alive we could succeed where they failed?", she asked, in what she hoped was not a condescending tone.

"Rarity, even if that is what happened, if your parents thought he was alive there must be some hope he is.", Twilight looked on the verge of tears. "I know what it feels like to think you've lost your brother forever. That's why you shouldn't give up hope.", Rarity remembered the royal wedding. She remembered how Twilight cried after her brother had yelled at her, how she wanted to run to the crying mare but her pride got the better of her. Maybe it was not quite the same thing, but still, during those moments she knew Twilight honestly believed she would never see her brother again. In fact the pain must have been worse, for she could, at the very least, remember her brother.

Rarity sighed, knowing what she needed to say. "Alright, Twilight, we will go see my parents on two conditions."

Twilight's face immediately brightened. "Anything, name it.", she said, obviously very enthusiastic to help.

Rarity smiled at her excitement. "First, I want you to go with me. I believe that if I see them alone it... may not end well." Upon seeing her friend nod, she continued. "Also, if it isn't too much trouble, do you think you could... stay with me tonight? I really don't want to be alone." She was nervous. She knew that for a while at least she could not be alone, and she could think of nopony better than Twilight to stay with her.

Her stomach unknotted as she saw Twilight smile. "Of course, Rarity.", she said. "Just let me run home, grab a few things and make sure Spike gets to bed."

Rarity nodded and watched her friend disappear in a magical pop. She knew that Twilight was a good friend. She also knew about her past with her brother, Shining Armor. Even so, Rarity couldn't help but feel as if Twilight seemed even more eager to help than she normally would. She also wondered about her own emotions today.

Rarity was never one to turn down friendly affection, but she could not remember ever feeling as needy as she did today. Sure, she needed somepony there, but the affection she had required from Twilight seemed borderline crazy. Friends don't cuddle with friends in bed, nor do they feel such a huge loss when one friend leaves. Maybe she should talk to Twilight about it at some point. Perhaps she had read a book that explained how she was feeling.

Who are you kidding?, Rarity said a voice in her head. You have bookshelves full of books that explain exactly what you are feeling. She looked over at the bookshelf in her kitchen full of romance novels and decided to think about something else, which ended up being pretty good timing because at that moment she felt a surge of magical energy in the room.

With a familiar crackle, Twilight Sparkle once again appeared in Rarity's kitchen. "Sorry it took me so long.", she said as she carried her saddle bags into the main room.

"Did it?", Rarity asked looking at the clock. Twilight had been gone for an hour. "Don't worry about it dear, I was so caught up in my thoughts I hardly noticed.", She smiled reassuringly at Twilight as they walked into her main room.

"I can imagine.", Twilight said looking slightly glum.

"Don't worry about it dear, why don't we do something fun?", she asked. She then gasped loudly. "Makeovers!", she singsonged loudly.

Twilight smiled. "Alright.", she said.

A few hours later, both mares were sitting on Rarity's couch, laughing and joking, their manes in curlers. "So", Twilight said. "What do you wanna do next?"

"I don't suppose you brought any books?", Rarity asked, hoping for further diversion from the day's events.

Twilight smiled as she wrapped her magic around her saddlebags. "Of course.", she said. Rarity smiled at her as she levitated a book over to her.

It was a typical romance novel, which did not surprise Rarity. After all, her bookshelves were full of them, and all of them had been read cover to cover numerous times. What did surprise her, however, was she had not read the one twilight loaned her. "The Princess and The Magician.", she read the title aloud.

"It's my favorite.", Twilight said quietly.

"Well", Rarity said, trying to ease her friend's obvious discomfort. "If someone as book savvy as you can call it your favorite, then I'm sure I will enjoy it. Thank you." Her words seemed to ease the mind of the lavender alicorn, and Rarity saw Twilight visibly relax.

"I hope you do and, you're welcome, Rarity.", Twilight said, seeming to blush slightly. Rarity knew how uncomfortable it could be to suggest romance novels to other ponies, so she believed she understood Twilight's discomfort.

Rarity opened the book and was immediately absorbed by the story, the protagonist being a mare unicorn who was trying to win the heart of a lovely princess unicorn from a foreign nation. The princess's father was against it and tried to separate them constantly. Rarity was so engrossed in the story she didn't even notice how late in the night it had gotten.

Rarity looked to the couch Twilight had taken, and found her sleeping soundly. She looked so peaceful, she didn't snore, and she didn't drool in her sleep. Rarity thought she looked absolutely adorable, and then chided herself for the rogue thought. Friends don't think of each other that way she told herself. Still she could not help but smile at her friend as she levitated a blanket to the sleeping alicorn.

Twilight then yawned, stretched, and rolled onto her back, still asleep. It took every ounce of Rarity's self-control not to squeal with delight at the display. Her weariness from the day's events finally catching up to her, Rarity placed her book on the table and levitated herself a blanket.

Rarity was four years old. She was standing in a circle of light before her mother, and a stallion standing in the shadows, her brother. "Don't you remember his name?", her mother asked her. She shook her head. She couldn't even remember his face, let alone his name.

"No.", she answered. She wanted to remember, she just... couldn't. She looked to her brother hoping that he would step from the shadows, that he would introduce himself, but he did not.

"Remember.", her mother said.

"Remember.", her brother said.

"Remember?", she echoed.

"Remember.", they said in unison. She wanted to remember. She wanted to know her brother's name, to know his face. All she had to do was-

"Remember!", she screamed when she awoke. She noticed her face and pillow were soaked. She had started crying in her sleep.

"Rarity!", Twilight called as she ran to the couch Rarity slept on. Rarity's blanket was on the floor; she had been tossing and turning. Tears were still streaming down her face.

"Remember.", Rarity whispered. Twilight looked concerned but unsure of what to do next. She sat on the couch next to Rarity, close but not quite touching her, and upon noticing the blanket was missing, draped her wing over her.

The gesture was not unappreciated, and Rarity relaxed under the wing. It was much lighter than she thought, but just as warm as she had imagined. Not that I imagined anything like that she thought to herself. "What do you need to remember?", Twilight's voice broke her from her reverie.

"His name.", she said. "My brother's name." Twilight scooted closer, tightening her wing's grip on Rarity. She looked at her then and Rarity looked back. She saw a beautiful face full of love and a large-eyed gaze full of concern. Something clicked.

Rarity didn't know if it was the magic within her or a memory, but she remembered.

"Mythic.", Rarity said. She laughed slightly. "His name is Mythic. My brother's name is Mythic!"

Twilight smiled at her and nuzzled her neck. Rarity did not know if it was the comfortable position she was in, or finally relaxing after her most recent nightmare, but she felt herself being lulled to sleep. The last thing she heard before she succumbed to a night of dreamless sleep was the voice of Twilight.

"We will find Mythic."