Tempest Shadow took her seat at the table under the purple awning, keeping to herself. The unicorn mare glanced around at the other ponies around the outdoor cafe before returning her gaze to the Canterlot roads. She held little indication of her emotions. Yet inwardly she was slightly impatient. Xenon was scheduled to meet her at Cinnamon Chai's Tea and Cake shop that afternoon. Tempest Shadow was used to having her wishes carried out by others. It was a new experience for her to learn to wait on someone else.
Think about what Twilight Sparkle taught you, Tempest thought to herself. She told me that a good friend doesn't assume the worst about other ponies, especially her friends. That's something I'm still learning. I shouldn't assume that Xenon is keeping me waiting on purpose. Even though he is now seven minutes late.
Tempest relaxed when she noticed the pony with the black and gold mane and muted sandy coat trotting up to the entrance. Xenon had promised his arrival, sure enough. It must be out of his control if he didn't show up on time, Tempest reasoned, remembering what Twilight had told her about friendship. Xenon didn't seem like the kind of stallion who would stand up a mare he liked. He didn't seem to be one to misuse another pony's trust either.
"Hello, Tempest Shadow," the inconspicuous earth pony greeted the unicorn in a nervous, but friendly manner. He gave a disarming smile and set a rose down on the table. "I hope you aren't angry with me for being late."
Tempest Shadow shook her head. "No, that's all right. I already know what I want to order first, but I was waiting on you to arrive. And it's not one of the more expensive items, either. Not that it matters, since we're splitting the bill this time."
The smile spread across Xenon's face. "Ah, so no chocolate cherry cake with buttercream frosting for you?"
"You know I don't order that," Tempest replied. "Actually, I haven't visited this cafe much. This is my second time here. Cinnamon Chai's Tea and Cake shop is more along the lines of...Rarity's taste," the orchid unicorn said, searching for the right words. "I have never really fit in with the majority of Canterlot unicorn society who frequents these fancy places. I mean, Rarity is a good friend, but I'm not very interested in the same things that she is."
"That's okay," the stallion replied. "You and Rarity have experienced different things, from what I know about her and you. And two ponies can still be friends, even if they share different interests. I mean, Vinyl Scratch and I have different tastes in music, but we are both interested in the same basic things, and I help her out when she plays music at an event. The key is to focus on similarities between friends. And don't be too hard on yourself," Xenon added. "You are still learning more about the nuances of friendships, and so am I."
Tempest nodded. She looked up, and noticed another unicorn mare approaching her way. She recognized this unicorn as Cinnamon Chai, the owner of the cafe. "I want to order the cinnamon rolls with the raspberry tea," Tempest told her. Her voice was resolute, while apparent she was making an attempt to remain as polite as possible.
"And I'll have two slices of the blackberry cake," Xenon added with his order.
"I will have one of my unicorns get those orders for you," Cinnamon Chai replied with a pleasant tone to her voice. "It's good to see new ponies enjoying the cafe. Do you want to buy any of my cakes, or are you here today for the outdoor cafe only?"
"Right now, only what we ordered," Xenon said. "But we may be planning on buying more later." After Cinnamon Chai left, Xenon turned back to Tempest Shadow. "I've visited this cafe a few times," he said. "I've ordered those cinnamon rolls before, too. They are the best in the city of Canterlot!"
"You know I don't just take some pony's word for it," Tempest said, a smile flashing across her face. "I will need to try one of those rolls and see for myself!"
Xenon nodded. "I don't have trouble finding my way to this location," the stallion said. "The reason I was late today was because I had a last-minute responsibility to take care of. You see, I have a foal, Amber Charm, and I raise her by myself. I have to arrange for a foalsitter to watch over her whenever I'm gone for an hour or more. The foalsitter I normally have canceled at the last minute, so I arranged for another mare to watch her for a while."
Tempest glanced back at Xenon. She did not appear startled or overly surprised by this new information. She simply asked calmly, "But you're so young to be raising a foal, especially by yourself. You're not much older than a foalsitter yourself."
The young stallion nodded. "Yes, it's...it's not the most ideal situation, I know. She was my ex marefriend's foal, and I currently have sole custody of her. I try to make sure Amber Charm knows a lot of other foals her own age that she can visit and play with."
"Well, that's understandable," Tempest Shadow replied. "Thanks for letting me know that, that will help me to be less impatient in the future. I don't know much about raising foals myself, but Twilight's sister in law was a foal sitter before she began her royal duties. Maybe she knows other foal sitters who could watch your filly while you're spending time with me, or helping Vinyl Scratch at a gig." Tempest recalled what her friend Twilight Sparkle had told her. For this stallion, she would be willing to share whatever would be helpful. She could trust this stallion, just like she had learned to trust her friend Twilight.
"Okay, I could talk to Princess Twilight then," said Xenon. He was somewhat surprised that Tempest hadn't shown much of a reaction to the news of him having a foal out of a failed relationship, but he kept it to himself. "This was my idea to go here today," he said. "I wanted the two of us to go to Cinnamon Chai's cafe, I mean."
"I've been here only once," Tempest said.
Another pony set two trays on Xenon and Tempest's table and strode back inside the shop and cafe. Tempest Shadow sampled one of the cinnamon rolls to test whether the recipe was really as good as Xenon had said. She took a bite and nodded without changing her expression. "Well, Grubber would likely tell me these are the best rolls he ever tasted, but that hedgehog says that about just about everything."
"And how do you like them, Tempest?" the stallion asked, with a slightly bemused grin. "You ordered them, after all. And I am more interested in your opinion on them than Grubber's."
"Then my opinion is that I like them," the unicorn replied. "Maybe we need to visit this cafe more often."
"It's good to change things up once in a while - why not eat at a place you haven't visited as much?" Xenon reasoned. He was pleased that his idea had gone over well with Tempest Shadow.
Tempest Shadow gave a passing glance at the other ponies at the cafe, the majority of them unicorns. "I like it here, Xenon," she said. "I'm not sure if Canterlot is the right place for me to live, though. To be honest, I'm not sure if I really fit in with the other unicorns in Canterlot now, with my broken horn and magic. Not to mention the things I did and said to everypony when I was serving the Storm King."
"Are you sure that's not entirely in your head, Tempest? Of all the places I have taken you, you seem to be accepted by the other unicorns here. Many of them, like Princess Twilight, are willing to be your friend. For what it's worth, I'm quite a bit more out of place here than you are here at these fancy places."
The unicorn mare looked back at the friendly stallion. How could she explain that the fact that Xenon was a quiet, unassuming earth pony - well, a quiet pony who enjoyed playing music loudly with a DJ - was one of the reasons she felt secure and comfortable around him? She trusted the company of pegasi and earth ponies more easily. While she knew it wasn't exactly right, she did understand why she felt that way. Over half of her own horn was gone, broken off since she had been a filly. Tempest Shadow wasn't sure whether or not another unicorn would think less of her for lacking a horn.
She remembered the fillies who were her former friends - who had given her reason to declare friendship as worthless. But her mind also went back to her experiences with Twilight Sparkle, the alicorn princess who was nothing like the fillies she had known when she was young. One year ago, the princess had convinced Tempest Shadow of something she would have never considered before. Maybe I could actually give this "friendship" business a chance after all. , Tempest recalled her thoughts.
Xenon may not have possessed powerful magic of his own, but Tempest Shadow had learned some things from her experience with the Storm King. Physical or magical power wasn't all she had originally imagined it to be. She was reconsidering her previously held views all the time.
Xenon and Tempest Shadow paid for their orders at Cinnamon's Chai and Tea Shop, splitting the bill as they had agreed to do. Let's not be done yet. I still want to talk with this stallion some more, Tempest thought. Xenon glanced over at the unicorn as he rose up from his seat. A friendly smile spread across the stallion's face. "Want to do something else? We could visit another place in Canterlot today," he said. "I'm up for wherever you want to go."
Tempest began a steady walk down the road outside the outdoor cafe. Xenon went along with her, glancing briefly at a company of unicorns who had stopped outside Cinnamon Chai's shop. Tempest turned to the stallion in her company. "Xenon, would you like to walk with me to the overlook? You know, the location where you have the best view of the waterfalls?" she asked him. "It's very scenic, but there usually aren't many ponies there."
"Okay, I would like that," the earth pony nodded. The young stallion looked happy with her suggestion. "I've seen the overlooks before, but never with anyone special. It would be great to go with you."
Tempest Shadow acknowledged his reply. "I'm glad you like my idea. We've visited some different shops and locations in Canterlot for our first few times together. Personally I think it's good for a couple of ponies to get away from the busyness of the city to a quieter place."
"And I agree on that," said Xenon. The two ponies walked alongside each other as they headed in the direction of the waterfall overlook. Tempest Shadow's internal monologue resumed. Why can't I have the confidence that Xenon seems to have for me? The stallion is nice, and innocent enough. For experiencing a failed relationship so soon, he seems to be able to trust far more easily than I can. Xenon seems open about everything, almost as if he doesn't understand his own boundaries. Why would he tell me about the foal he had with Caramel so soon? At an outdoor table at a popular cafe, no less! Tempest was not wary of her new friend, but she knew that either he - or Tempest herself - would address those unanswered questions soon enough. She glanced over at the earth pony, who was enjoying looking around at the residents of Canterlot as they went about on their daily routines.
The falls they were looking for were not far away. The city of Canterlot had multiple waterfalls in and near it. A typical pony could reach it from downtown in less than a quarter of an hour - going at a slow canter. Tempest Shadow looked out at the view of the rushing water. This overlook had a wide viewing platform fenced off with a barrier, to minimize the danger of a pony falling off into the water. So far, she and Xenon were the only two ponies there.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Xenon commented, tossing his head up and down. "This viewpoint has to be one of the most scenic locations in Canterlot." The roar of the rapids was not too loud for them both to talk and be able to hear each other speak.
"Indeed it is," Tempest replied, gazing at the sight. "You told me that this is the first time you have visited these falls before, but this is your first time with anypony special. Have you wanted to go before?"
"Well, I once had the idea to ask Vinyl Scratch to go with me," Xenon replied. "But I ended up not asking her."
"I'm not sure that Vinyl Scratch is that trustworthy of a friend," Tempest cautioned. "I know that I have a harder time trusting others than most ponies, but I got a bad feeling when I talked with her at the night of the dance."
"What do you mean, Tempest?" Xenon asked. "Vinyl Scratch is my friend, and she appreciates me helping her out. With my skills, I help make her shows better, and she's said so herself. She doesn't judge me when I tell her about Caramel Blaze, or vent to her about that whole thing."
"But she had no problem telling an unfamiliar pony - one she had only seen once before - details about her friend's recent failed relationship. I may be still learning about the nuances of friendship, but that behavior doesn't line up with what Twilight Sparkle told me about being a good friend. You don't just freely share that kind of information about your friend with others. Especially with a pony that you have just met."
Xenon looked back at Tempest. "I'm not that well known in Canterlot - I mostly just show up at Vinyl Scratch's parties. You know I don't exactly stand out in a crowd or garner that much attention. In many ways, that is a good thing in royal cities. I don't think any pony would want to start gossiping about me."
"I'm not saying that she is spreading gossip about you," Tempest Shadow clarified. "I just think she needs to be more careful; perhaps she didn't realize her words were potentially harmful. Maybe she takes your help for granted and doesn't realize that you see her as one of your best friends."
"Maybe you're right," Xenon said. "I doubt that Vinyl takes my assistance for granted, though."
True, thought Tempest. "And for me, I have a harder time than most in trusting other ponies. But there's a difference between a mare telling you that she is your friend and showing mutual trust and respect for each other. It's not right, but I certainly know what it is like. In my case, the other unicorn fillies thought less of me for my broken horn and had no problem telling me so."
"That was a terrible thing for those fillies to say about you," Xenon acknowledged. "When Caramel and...is it okay with you if I talk about her for a second?" the stallion asked, looking hesitant.
"Yes, it's fine with me," Tempest said. "If you and Caramel had a secret, won't tell anypony if you don't want me to."
"Okay," Xenon said. "That's not what I was going to say. But I didn't think you would be the type of pony to be spreading secrets anyways."
The orchid unicorn nodded her head. "But if you want to keep it to yourself, you don't want to talk about it with me or Vinyl Scratch or anypony else."
"Well...when Caramel talked to me, shortly before we broke up, she told me that I didn't trust her enough. She said I didn't value her opinion and she deserved better. I didn't know what I was doing wrong. I wanted to make her happy and went out of my way to make her feel so. Caramel wanted to have a foal more than anything else in the world. I disagreed with the idea for a long time. I told her I wasn't ready for that responsibility yet and she wasn't either. Then..." Xenon paused for a moment. "On a few occasions, she would storm off upset and disappear for a while."
"I'm guessing she made you feel bad, out of guilt?" Tempest asked. She understood what was going on here.
Xenon nodded. "She did, but I don't think she realized she was doing that."
"In a relationship, your opinions and feelings are important too. I didn't realize that fully until I looked back on the time I served the Storm King," Tempest said. "Even if you don't realize you're hurting someone in a relationship, it could have the same effect as what the Storm King did to me - just using someone for your own gain."
"I suspected she was unaware of the level of commitment that is required for a long term relationship, and also raising a foal," said Xenon. "She didn't take it very well when I told her that. I told her exactly how I felt - I didn't raise my voice or hurt her, but I didn't use much tact with my words, because I was frustrated. That only made our rift worse."
Twilight also said that any relationship needs mutual respect, it can't be one sided. Friends shouldn't try to manipulate the other's emotions. I was loyal to the Storm King, but he wasn't a friend to me at all, or interested in restoring my horn. The Storm King only wanted to use me in order to accomplish his own goals. Whatever relationship we had was completely one sided - in his favor."
