She thought of herself as patient. And she was, really, if you watched for long enough. But that consistent patience of Cadance was now being put to the test, and her frustration rose the more the conversation continued.

“Twilight, I understand being nervous. But don’t you think you’re letting it weigh you down a bit too much?” she asked, hoping her voice sounded friendly.

“I know, I know!” Twilight’s voice was constricted by both frustration and terror, she hunched over as the paralysis of the decision continued to frustrate her. “It’s stupid and doesn’t get me anywhere, but I can’t help it. What if I screw up or say something awful?”

“Then you move on, because that’s all you can do, Twilight. What’s the worst that could happen?”

“They could get really angry because I say something really, really awful and then they hate me and get me kicked out of school and then where do I go from there because-”

“Twilight, Twilight! Relax, you’re certainly not helping yourself calm down right now. Breathe, in and out, just like I’ve shown you before,” Cadance advised. “Come on now, try it with me. Breathe in…”

Twilight, shivering and anxious as she was, forced herself to focus on Cadance’s words and follow them to the letter, taking a long, slow breath that spanned seconds.

“That’s it. Now… breathe out…” Cadance’s words were soft and warm to the ear, filled with her affection. She felt a small bout of happiness when Twilight continued to follow through. “Now, let’s do it at least one more time. Make it have a real effect, alright?” Cadance went along with her, her smile still shining in her eyes as she kept her gaze on the younger girl in the hopes that her own tranquil attitude would somehow flow into her as well. “There… feel better?”

“Yeah. Just a bit.” Twilight’s eyes were still unnecessarily wide, but she certainly had calmed down a great deal. At the very least, she would listen to reason in this state.

“Well, it’s a start. So why are you letting yourself get all worked up like that, Twilight?” Cadance looked upon her in sympathy. “Is it just that daunting to you?”

Twilight sunk into her chair. “Yeah. I mean, they’re all so pretty, and popular, and likeable, and I’m just…”

“Not?” Cadance’s tone was sharp. “That wasn’t what you were going to say, was it?”

Twilight struggled to meet her gaze, but the despair was evident to anyone even a mile away.

“Don’t talk to yourself like that, what good does it do you? You don’t let anyone talk like that to others, why would you even talk in such a way to yourself? Do you think you’re worthy of being called bad things?”

“Well… maybe? No? I don’t know.”

Cadance stood up and beckoned Twilight to do the same, a fierce glow coming into her normally peaceful eyes. “I want you to do something with me, alright? Now, turn around and look in that mirror. Can you do that?”

“Of course,” Twilight said, turning to the door and facing the full-length mirror Cadance had resting upon it. “Why do you have this here?”

“Mostly just to make sure I’m in good order before I leave,” Cadance said. “Push the wrinkles out, you know- that sort of thing. But every once in a while, I like to stand here and just let my confidence grow. Remind myself that all the negative things people say about me are even true- not a word. Now come on, stand next to me, OK?”

“I’m not sure…”

“What for? What’s to be nervous about standing in front of a mirror?” she asked pleasantly.

“Well…” Twilight’s face turned a deep red now. “It’s because I’m standing next to- well, you.”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re just so beautiful, Cadance!” Twilight said. “I mean, just look at you! So tall and graceful and beautiful, such a perfect figure, too. And your hair- your eyes! Everything about you is perfect, everyone must-” Twilight broke off, somehow becoming an even darker shade of red than before. “You’re just so much better than I am.”

Cadance was absolutely taken aback. Not a hint of sarcasm or envy in her words at all, just pure as could be. Yet it was at the cost of her own self-esteem, and that was something she couldn’t truly stand. As much as she wanted to let the compliment soak in, she needed to add one of her own.

“Well, who says I’m better than you?” Cadance replied, bringing Twilight close. “Why can’t you say such a thing about yourself?”

“But I’m not-”

“Oh, hush. I won’t hear another word,” Cadance teased. “Look at yourself in the mirror, alright? Say something about yourself that’s good. That’s true.”

Twilight looked ready to wilt, staring at her disconsolate reflection and struggling to find a single thing to say. It was a pitiable despair born by a complete lack of confidence. Cadance’s heart twisted in sympathy for her.

“Let me show you how it’s done, then,” she said gently, leaning down and talking directly into Twilight’s ear. “I see a beautiful young girl. Slender, and graceful in form, with hair like the flames of a candle; soft, gentle, and warm to the eye. Her eyes shine like stars, and a smile that somehow shines even brighter. All of that just the surface, with a wonderful mind and a heart of gold, because all she wants to be is kind to others in any way she can.” Cadance’s smile glowed as she stood back up, allowing Twilight a moment to revel in the thought of it.

Twilight’s eyes glistened as she looked upon herself, demure and small against her reflection. But as Cadance allowed the moment to continue, she saw the young girl stand up a little straighter and find a small smile amidst the tears. “Cadance, I- I don’t know what to say…”

“You could just believe it, you know. Even if only for a little bit at a time.”

Twilight flung her arms around the older woman in a tight embrace, so unwilling to let go. Cadance felt a rush of affection and let the moment continue, glad to simply be there for her. It was quite some time before they broke apart, Twilight looking upon Cadance with eyes that shone in gratitude.

“You’ll need to get going, soon enough,” Cadance said. “How do you feel right now?”

“Good! Really, I feel good,” Twilight hiccupped.

Cadance smiled. “Hold on to that confidence! Keep to it, and let it go into tomorrow. And remember: you’ll be fine, no matter what! And if they want to be your friend, even better. They’ll have gained the best one they’ll ever get.”

Cadance’s heart glowed as she walked Twilight, rejuvenated and whole once more, walk out the door with a true smile upon her face. As she came to the threshold, she paused and turned to say, “Thank you so much, Cadance. For the pep talk, and- well, everything else.”

“Whenever you need it, Twilight, I’ll be there. Promise.” One last smile and she was gone. Cadance smiled softly. She’ll be fine. Who wouldn’t love her?

Sophomore Year

Cadance had wondered if this conversation would ever take place. Really, it had to take place at some point. She had been Twilight’s mentor for over a year now, surely someone would have noticed.
She just hadn’t expected the response to be so negative.

“Ms. Cinch, I understand your concerns,” she said in an effort to force herself to remain calm. “But I’m a family friend, and this is someone to whom I was a mentor to before. Is there really any harm in trying to help a student succeed in life?”

The older woman’s expression soured and she stared at Cadance over her trademark glasses; the look was not a kind one. “It is not a matter of what harm can be done to the student, Ms. Cadance,” she said, “but instead what irreparable damage that would be done to this school’s reputation.”

“How would being a mentor to a student cause irreparable damage?” She was more than confused already.

“If such a thing becomes public knowledge, then your actions threaten Ms. Sparkle’s future. All her grades and success to this point will become moot simply because your efforts to help her along will become suspect,” Ms. Cinch replied. “You will delegitimize everything she had done, and the student body as a whole will be considered corrupt.”

“Ms. Cinch, don’t you think this is a bit of a stretch?” Cadance asked.

“Oh really? A stretch, is it? Well think of it this way,” Ms. Cinch said, her voice venomous. “One student sees your efforts to help Ms. Sparkle and the student complains that she is receiving extra assistance. The student’s family complain that another student is being given an unfair advantage. More students grow in complaints, and other efforts given by teacher illicitly come to light. The more the search spreads, the worse the problem becomes until it becomes an epidemic. This school’s reputation is my reputation, Ms. Cadance- it will not falter while I am here.”

“Ms. Sparkle is just wanting help to develop her social skills. Things that aren’t taught in a classroom, surely that isn’t a danger to her academic skills-”

“Ms. Cadance, this has already been decided-”

Cadance threw caution to the wind and decided to play her cards. “Ms. Cinch, please- her parents are looking to divorce. Her brother’s in the military now and she’s going to be the one having to bear the brunt of it- alone. Please, I just want to be there for her and help her get through this-”

“Enough!” Abacus Cinch rose from her seat and took a dominant approach, leaning over the desk in a clear attempt to intimidate. “Ms. Cadance, are you sure that this is not a self-serving ideal on your end to ensure your favorite student continues to succeed? You think I don’t know that you’ve been looking for a school to call your own?”

“That’s not it at all-”

“Ms. Sparkle will endure her trials without any of this school’s aid, just as every other student has done, as they always have done,” she said with a fierce finality. “If she cannot stand under the pressure, then it is for the good of this school’s reputation that she falls. Now, you will set aside this self-serving relationship you feign to cherish and continue on with the level of professional distance I expect you, and all my staff, to continue to uphold. Not once has there been hint of teacher-led academic fraud or illicit relationships in my school, and I shall not have my Dean of Students be the first to break that streak. You are dismissed.”

It was impossible to argue against, though Cadance felt hot tears boiling in her eyes. There were plenty of things she wanted to scream so everyone could hear, but the small bit of reason that had not been wiped away by the emotional heat remained to plead for caution. If she left now, the overall life for students at the school would decline; Cinch would see to that. She had to endure it, even if holding back the diatribe was nigh unbearable.

An hour later and she wondered if she could possibly feel any worse.

“Cadance, I’m so sorry, I-”

“No. It is not your fault, at all,” she said softly to a crushed Twilight. Cadance’s gaze kept flickering to the ends of the corridors, making sure no one was looking in. “Other people complained, and now it has to stop. I’m so sorry I can’t be there, I truly am. Are you going to be OK?”

Twilight looked around for any shred of comfort she could find, her eyes scanning the school’s cold halls and finding nothing. “I- Cadance, I don’t know,” she managed through a choked throat. “I hate going home, it’s just- it’s either like a funeral or a warzone, and I hate being anywhere around it. What am I gonna do?”

“Keep strong. You’ll be OK, I promise you will,” she said. “I believe you’ll be alright. But just try. Have friends to rely on, and you’ll be OK.”

“But I only just started hanging out with them, I can’t just dump on them! That’s what you said-”

“I know, and you can’t,” Cadance cut through, “but if you’re having a day and you need someone to be kind to you, you’ll just have to ask them for a hand. It’s all you can do now. You’ll have to trust that it’ll be OK.” Cadance knew which girls that Twilight spoke of, and had little faith for them to be anything more than self-centered. But maybe, just maybe, they’d prove her wrong on this. It was all she could do.

Twilight remained glum, but gave a nod and tried to regain her composure. “OK. Well… I better go. Thank you for everything, Cadance.”

“You’ve got this,” Cadance told her, her words as much for Twilight as they were for herself. She didn’t know why she felt so ready to cry.

Junior Year

Cadance had felt goodbyes in her heart before. The bittersweet tones of pleasant memories intermingled with present grief cascading through one’s soul like the gentle flows of a river. But she had never felt one tear at her in such a way as this one- perhaps because of her direct involvement in ensuring it succeeded.

Cadance continued to type away, adding the final necessary addendums to the form before finally being satisfied it was at last complete and clicking print. The light stack of papers felt terribly heavy in her hand as she handed them to the young, spectacled girl sitting across the desk from her who took them in a trembling hand, the excitement in her gaze tempered by a shared grief.

“All done,” Cadance said softly. “Principal Celestia will let me know if there’s any problems with the paperwork I forwarded to her, so you don’t need to worry about getting anything corrected. Just hold on to that transcript for safe keeping, just in case anything gets lost in the muck.”

“Thank you so much, Cadance,” Twilight said. “I know it must have been a hassle, doing all this for me.”

“Not at all. You’re hardly the first student to transfer from here before. Besides, I’m… happy for you. I really am.”

Twilight’s face fell and her countenance threatened to break. “Cadance, I- I’m really gonna miss you. I know it’s been forever since we really got to spend time together, but you were my favorite person here.”

“I’ll miss you too, pretty girl,” Cadance said, immediately coming over to take the young woman in her arms, and the two girls wept happy tears. “You’ll have a great time at your new school. Principal Celestia was wonderful to me in college, and your new friends seem great. You’ve got a whole new life ahead of you now.”

“It’ll only be missing you,” Twilight said. “Can- can we meet up again sometime over the summer? Like old times, just the two of us?”

“Of course we can. Doubt old grumpy in the principal’s office can stop me from mentoring a student at another school, anyway,” Cadance replied. “You just- be smart, and take care of yourself. You’ve got my number if you need anything.”

“I’ll tell you everything I can,” Twilight said, taking her mentor in a tight hug and giving a smile that truly glowed. “Thanks for everything, Cadance.”

Cadance smiled through her tears and gave one last wave, watching the young girl practically skip her way down the halls and out of sight. She had rarely seen Twilight so happy before in her life, and it somehow made her more beautiful than ever before. But still, that small sting at the end of it…

Oh. Oh NO.

Cadance struggled through the rest of the day, her confused, unhappy, bewildered mind keeping her ill at ease. The moment she could depart she did, heading home and trying to distract herself. But still the unease continued until she could stand it no longer and she headed for a cocktail bar downtown, looking for an easy mark. A man in his mid-20’s was simple enough, and a few hours later he was deep within her. It was pleasant enough: stable, comfortable, secure, safe…

But she wasn't satisfied with safe any longer.

Author's Note

Comfortable yet?

Keep reading, if you want.