//------------------------------//
// 18~A Father's Arms 
// Story: The Shadow's Edge 
// by Centurion Pike-Wall 
//------------------------------//

Shining turned and headed out the door, not even noticing his friends stepping aside to let him pass. He also barely comprehended the voices that followed him as he left; both those directed at him and those that weren't. He just moved towards the stairs and went down them as fast as he could. 

He finally came to a stop on the first floor, panting despite not really exerting himself that much. He briefly contemplated that this must've been what Twily experienced when she had her panic attacks, before quickly abandoning the thought. It wasn't helpful, and only made him feel more guilty than he already was. 

He looked around the entrance, contemplating what to do next. He could go out the front door; head back into the city and try to find someplace to sit down and just think. No, that could only result in him getting lost. Besides, it wasn't like the outside was quiet. 

"You gave your sister quite a scare, you know?", a voice said. Shining whirled around, watching his... Father, walk down the stairs. "Don't worry. She's getting your friends some tea."

"I...", Shining said. 

He came to a stop at the bottom of the stairs, sighing. "Your friend Ciaran told me your... dilemma. Come on; I know a place we can sit and talk."

The Umbrum went over to the other door in the lobby, gesturing for Shining to follow him. Left with little option, Shining followed him. 

The door led to a small enclosed area, surrounded by buildings on all sides. Criss-crossing lines of robe hung between them, half-frozen blankets and jackets covering them. Most of the interior of this courtyard was covered with snow or wooden dumpsters. The exception was a large pine, planted right in the middle, which created a ring of uncovered soil around it. That soil was filled with small, almost crystal-like flowers and green stemmed plants. 

His father sat down on a bench beneath the pine, tapping a hoof next to him. As Shining sat down, the Umbrum produced a small bottle, taking a swig from it. "Your name is Shining Armor, yeah?"

"Right...", Shining said. "What's, uh, what's yours?" 

"Tenebrae", he said. "Humble fisher, at your service."

The two stallions sat there, not saying anything. They sat for at least ten minutes, the only noise that graced them being the faint wind that filtered over the top of the roofs. 

Finally, Tenebrae broke that silence. "So... How do you like your family?"

"What?", Shining asked, bewildered. 

Tenebrae took another swig from that small bottle, before putting the cork back on it and slipping it into his jacket pocket. "The other stallion-Shroud, right?" After getting a confirming nod, he continued, "Anyway, he mentioned you had a sister. I assume that means you had parents as well. How well did they raise you? Do you like them?"

"Of course", Shining said without hesitation, before wincing. "I mean-"

"No, I get it", Tenebrae said. "Family is... Family is everything up here. You can't survive without support, and... Well, I'm just glad you had someone."

"Right", Shining said. "But... What does that make you and Blackout?"

"Family", Tenebrae said simply. "I couldn't replace them even if I wanted to... I'm just happy you're alive. Spirits be praised!"

Shining let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding. However, as his tension turned to mist in the cold air, a new thought occurred to him. "What... What happened? I mean, how did the guard find me?"

"The Guard?", Tenebrae asked, cutting off Shining with a knock on the bench. "Ah, yes. How did it come to where you could be found. Right."

"Yeah", Shining said. 

Tenebrae sighed, before leaning forward and placing his head in his hooves. "Your mother was from another Clan. We met when my father and I were taking a batch of fish to her Keep. Anyway, we were visiting them when you and your sister were born. We stayed there a few months longer, before heading back here."

"On the way", he said, his voice growing somewhat hollow. "We were attacked by a Great Wyrm."

"A what?", Shining asked. 

Tenebrae held up both hooves, holding them apart and making a sound like wood snapping. "Great beasts. The biggest creature this far north. There aren't many, and most are even further north. But... Sometimes they come south in search of prey. Like this."

"We were separated when it attacked", Tenebrae said. "We... It took us a month to find your mother's remains. I thought it a miracle that we did. We didn't find you... I thought you... I didn't know. And that scared me."

"But here you are", he said, placing a hoof on Shining's shoulder. "A grown stallion. You're successful, you have a wife, a family who I'm guessing love you-"

"Yes", Shining said. "Of course they love me."

"Like I said, I am glad you had a family", Tenebrae said. "Why don't you tell me about them?"

"Really?", Shining asked, earning a silent and attentive nod. "Well, I suppose my sister is as good a place as any to start..."