It took effort, every time she went. A trip to the gym was a commitment, and one that was far too easy to break. Cadance forced herself to go. Put in the effort to get into gym clothes, get into the car and drive to the gym, actually exercise when she was even there- and then, to top it all off, make the effort to care for herself once she was home and exhausted from all the effort she’d already given. It wasn’t fun in the least, but it was necessary. She liked how she looked, at least for now. She wanted to keep it that way, especially since time would begin to force her own body to betray her.

Her pace upon the treadmill had been consistent, at the very least. True, she knew her face was covered in sweat and her breaths came in miserable puffs, but she had been running for a few miles now; just a little more and she would be done for the day- a break her body was eagerly awaiting!

It felt as though it was an eternity of waiting, but the end came soon enough, and a gasping, sopping wet Cadance staggered off the treadmill, feeling the sweat run down her neck and soak her clothes. She needed to walk it off, find her breath again. Her face was burning hot and she knew she was likely flush from the exertion. As she continued to walk about, she knew it would be some time before she was able to recover.

Still, it was a good workout, she told herself. A smile, though wearied from her efforts, formed upon her lovely face. I think I will have a bit of that ice cream in the freezer. The healthy stuff, not the Pity Party jug. I earned it today.

“Excuse me, Gorgeous, but I couldn’t help but notice you standing there.” Cadance had allowed herself to become absorbed in her thoughts and her attempts at cooling down, not noticing that someone had come up beside her.

“Huh?” Her voice remained faint. Her eyes turned from that strange listlessness of empty thought and focused; a young man, likely in his early twenties, was standing before her. Thick, dark hair adorned his crown and clashed well with his blue eyes; bulky arms were offset by clearly undeveloped legs, the entire look perfectly completed with high-end activewear. Cadance’s first thought was to laugh.

“The name’s Hayden,” he said again, his voice held deliberately low. He smiled at her, but she felt it was a look more akin to that of a predator about to devour a meal. “Just was resting after a workout with the weights when I saw that amazing ass of yours walking by.”

Now she really wanted to laugh. “Huh.”

“Yeah, been doing a lot of deadlifts and bench lately,” he added, attempting to flex in a casual manner. “Benched 275 today, felt like nothing. I’ll probably have to put it up to 350 tomorrow, just to get anything out of it.”

“Huh.”

Did he falter in the face of her disinterest? Perhaps for a moment, but only the briefest of one; his smile grew and he let his eyes go up and down her body, clearly taking his time.

Cadance felt her frustration begin to rise. She was tired, she was soaked in sweat, and wanted to go home. She wanted this guy to get to the point so she could reject him and leave- and with he content to take his time, she would have to hurry things along.

“Was there something you wanted?” she asked, firmly but not impolitely.

“Yeah, yeah there was,” the man finally said, his eyes settling on Cadance’s voluptuous chest (now she really longed to slap him). “I was looking at going to the smoothie bar across the street after I’m done doing some more presses. Maybe you’d want to watch me pump iron and then let me take you out?”

The struggle to contain the mocking laughter within her was akin to the Somme. “Sorry, but I’m- kinda tired from cardio. You know how it is, long day and everything.” She gave a polite smile and tried to walk away.

“Well if it’s cardio you’re wanting, maybe I can help you with that.” He stepped out in front of her, that slavering look now upon his face in power.

Cadance now felt more repulsed than anything else. “Uh… no. I’m quite good.”

His overconfident expression fell into maelstrom the moment her words registered, and his smile turned into a vicious scowl. She could still feel his eyes burning into her as she walked away, and wasn’t all that surprised when he called out, “And how long you gonna be able to keep that attitude up, you frigid, old bitch?”

The thought of politeness had, for the most part, been tossed aside. Cadance laughed loudly enough for others nearby to hear, and she knew more than one pair of eyes was watching her as she turned back around. “And you think that’s going to change my mind? You called my ass gorgeous less than two minutes ago, now I’m old and frigid. Grow up, little boy.”

Her anger didn’t leave her for a moment, not when she walked out the door, not when she slid into her car, or even when she began to drive away. The nerve to call me old, she thought to herself. Only thirty. I’m not anywhere close to old.

Cadance looked around the hallway as she rather aimlessly walked through the mass of teenagers, feeling age creep upon her more heavily than it ever had before. Had she been this fresh-faced and girlish at this age? They hardly looked old enough to be toddlers in her eyes- surely she had not appeared so young herself? With the stiffness in her body, born by her run from the day prior, she certainly could feel the age gap. It was all she could do to not sigh.

“”Scuse me, Ms. Cadance!”
“Sorry, Ms. Cadance!”

“Holy hell- sorry, Ms. Cadance!”

The usual flurry of movement that so surrounded the place, and more than one young boy ‘accidentally’ running into her as she walked through. Usually little more than a nuisance, the number of ‘slips’ and ‘mistakes’ she encountered today were infuriating. Normally, she enjoyed taking time to talk to the students, relax and get to know who she had been charged with looking after; today she glowered, lost in her own thoughts.

“Cadance? Oh, I’m sorry!” A tiny voice that nearly squeaked in dismay awoke her from her gloomy mood and Cadance stumbled back, a presence having walked straight into her. Standing there before her in a flustered mess was Twilight, her hair a frizzled mess and she carrying a bag in her hands.

“Twilight!” The one friendly face Cadance knew wouldn’t be reduced to such impoliteness. “It’s fine, you didn’t hurt me at all.”

“I didn’t mean to run into you, I promise! It was just an accident, and-”

“Twilight, I said it was alright,” Cadance said gently, shushing the young girl. “I’m not mad. You’re fine, I’m fine, it’s OK!”

“Oh! Oh, umm… yes. Sorry.” Twilight still wouldn’t look her in the eye. Cadance felt a small bout of concern rise within her as she saw the extreme hesitancy, almost as if Twilight wanted to simply melt through the floor.

“Twilight?”

“Yes, Cada- I mean, Ms. Cadance?”

She smiled. “I’m always Cadance to you, Twilight. But it looks like something’s on your mind right now. Is something wrong?”

“Huh? Oh, I was just- just gonna eat outside. Since, y’know, the weather’s nice- and all…”

“Twilight, it’s in the 90’s right now. Won’t you get hot?”

“Oh. Well, maybe. I guess.” Her eyes darted back to the nearby cafeteria, a flicker of fear flashing in her gaze.

“How about you come relax with me in my office, Twilight?” Cadance said, her darkened mood beginning to lift. “I could use the company, if I’m being honest.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want to be a bother-”

“You’d never be a bother. Come on!”

Twilight’s anxiousness didn’t abate completely, but there was a noticeable spring in her step now as she walked closely behind Cadance to a comfortably furnished office, her eyes growing large as she looked around.

“You don’t need to be nervous about anything. Come on, sit wherever you want!” Cadance said warmly, slowly unwinding into the seat beside her desk. “You look hungry, don’t worry about politeness.”

Twilight didn’t need to be told twice, and dug into her bag lunch with fervor, eating away in silence for a time. Her mood began to lift as the nourishment of a healthy meal came into her, and the fearfulness within her dissipated.

“So, how’s school been going?” Cadance asked of her. “Something tells me you’ve probably been doing fine in your classes so far.”

Twilight smiled, albeit embarrassed. “I’ve been doing alright,” she said.

“You’re the top of every class you’re in, aren’t you?”

Twilight’s face became even redder. “All except Home Ed- I decided to get that one done early.”

“What, you can’t bake or sew very well?” Cadance laughed. “I hated that one, too. I never was very good at it.”

“But I thought you did great in all your classes! Shiny told me you had made your own prom dress when he took you!”

“Oh, that was ages ago- and really, my Mom helped me with most of it.” Cadance flashed a smile at the young girl. “Your brother tended to embellish a few things about me Twilight. He doesn’t always tell the whole truth. But enough about me- how’s it been so far? Been making any new friends? New boyfriend, girlfriend?”

Twilight’s attitude changed in a heartbeat. Enough for her to say everything.

“Been having trouble, huh?”

“I think I talk too much,” Twilight said in a small voice. “I just want to help people get the right answer, but I keep going about it all the wrong ways. I’ll try to correct someone’s answer and they just get mad! And then call me a bunch of names!” Twilight’s voice shook and she looked as though she were going to cry. “I don’t mean to be a know-it-all. I just want to be nice.”

“High school is a weird part of life,” Cadance said gently. “Everyone’s trying to figure out who they are and what they’re going to do next. No one’s going to do it perfectly, Twilight. So don’t worry! Tomorrow they won’t even remember what you said. Just keep trying to be kind, that’s the best thing you can do.”

Twilight gave a weak smile that offered gratitude but no belief, and she turned back to her lunch, shoulders hunched and still giving the appearance of one dispirited. The problem had been voiced, but no progress had been made.

Cadance, however, could see it clear as day, and her heart was moved by the sight of such a beautiful girl so unhappy. “Tell you what, Twilight,” she said, “If you want, I could help teach you. Like a sort of life coach, I guess. Help you figure out social cues and situations, how to communicate better. How does that sound?”

“You’d do that, really?” Twilight’s eyes shone as she looked on the older woman as though she were an angel.

“Yes, of course! You’re too beautiful to be mopey,” Cadance added. “Come by- let’s see, how about tomorrow after school is out? We’ll start working and see how things go. Just let things come and go from there, how does that sound?”

Twilight gave her a fierce hug of delight, her presence a soothing comfort to Cadance. “Thank you so much, Cadance! I won’t let you down, I’ll study hard!”

“No studying here, pretty girl. We’ll just start simply: by trying.”

Cadance found herself laughing to herself as she watched the young girl eagerly wolf down her food before darting off, too excited by the prospect of new lessons to let her mood be dampened now. She’d always had a love of learning, and it seemed to bring out the best in her; an eagerness for a challenge, a happiness that didn’t come from anywhere else. It was infectious, and Cadance found herself turning to her own meal with unusual fervor. At the moment, she felt young.

Author's Note

No smut this time. Like I said, will take my time. Better to make it worthwhile, anyway.
Keep reading, if you want.