I trailed after Gilda with my head low, eyes cast to the ground directly in front of me.
What good are you?
The words burned at me. I'd known in the back of my mind for a while, but only just now had it been so blatantly thrown in my face by another. I could write and manipulate fine tools like no earth-pony or pegasus, but unicorn magic outclassed my fingers by a mile. Ponies were stronger and faster than me, and I'm sure some were far smarter. I couldn't fly, I was only a passable cook, and my only outstanding skill was with computers Equestria didn't have. I had nothing that made me useful or outstanding.
Not for the first time, I became aware of just how incredibly stupid I'd been to make that jump. This was not my world. I had no place here.
I was not welcome.
I sighed for what must've been the tenth time in the last ten minutes. I needed to forget about it. Once I was in Canterlot, I could think of what to do next. A mirthless smile wormed its way onto my face as a grim thought entered my mind. At least I'll be able to find a nice cliff to jump off of.
-----
Pinkie Pie laid wrapped up in her blanket, fading in and out of half-asleep daydreams. She had gotten tired of moping and beating herself up hours ago, now content to sit and feel nothing. Her eyes rolled lazily towards the ceiling when a flash of light filled her room, remaining silent and motionless.
"Hel~lo, my dear!" A jovial, masculine voice shouted. Pinkie rolled over in her bed, staring at the intruder with a half-lidded, annoyed look.
"What do you want, Discord?" Her voice, usually so upbeat and manic, had taken a striking monotone. Discord, instead of simply continuing with no care to the mood of the room (as he often did) actually recoiled.
"Want? So I can only pop in when I want something?" Discord placed his mismatched forelegs on his serpentine hips, an admonishing glare staring down at the moping pony. "Maybe I just wanted to have a little chat with my good friend Pinkie Pie. That is what a good friend does, right?" Pinkie Pie watched with a dispassionate glare before rolling back over, pulling her blanket over her head.
"But I'm not a good friend." She muttered. "I never introduced somepony to Ponyville, and he wound up getting hurt really, really bad." The pink pony curled herself into a tight ball on the mattress, her muzzle under her hooves. "Nopony knew him and everypony was super scared of him and Rainbow Dash hurt him and it was all my fault!"
Discord tapped his chin, raising an eyebrow in thought. "...Yeah, that was pretty terrible of you." Pinkie flinched under the blanket. "All it would've taken is one certain party-pony to cheer him up and show him around town, and none of it would've happened. I heard he even attempted suicide! Dear me, that's absolutely unheard of in Equestria!"
Pinkie shoved her ears against her skull with her forehooves. "Stop..."
Discord, as per usual, ignored the plea and pressed on. "I'd go so far as to say he hasn't smiled once in all his time here." He shook his head, tsking in disappointment.
Pinkie leapt out of the bed, glaring daggers at the draconequus. "What would you know about making ponies happy?" She strode forward, pressing her forehead against Discord's. "Do you think I don't KNOW I hurt somepony? I feel awful! You don't need to rub it in like a mean...mean...MEANY-FACE!"
Discord chuckled and patted Pinkie's lifeless hair condescendingly. "Rub it in? My dear, I'm congratulating you!" The pink mare pulled back, a hint of confusion mixed with the animosity in her gaze. Discord grinned and continued, "even when I ruled all of Equestria, I never managed to make a pony kill themselves. You truly have a gift for misery, Pinkie Pie." Another pat on the head, and Discord stuck a blue ribbon to Pinkie's snout.
Pinkie snapped at the eagle-claw as it pulled away, barely missing. Discord chuckled, turning towards the door to leave. Glaring at his back, Pinkie almost shouted, "Why are you doing this? Are you gonna try to take over again?"
Discord turned with a confused expression. "Moi? Plan a coup? My dear, you must have me confused for another devilishly handsome draconequus. You see, I'm reformed." With a theatrical bow, Discord disappeared.
Pinkie growled, stomping her hooves on the ground. Leaping onto the bed, she burrowed under the blanket with a surly grimace stuck on her face.
-----
I sighed, my pace gradually quickening as life returned to my legs. My arm was regaining some mobility, though it was still impossibly sore. Pain has been a daily reality, so I didn't let it get to me. Just one foot in front of the other. Don't think about anything else. The feline tail wagging just at the edge of my vision was the only thing keeping me going.
Step. Step. Step. My mind slowly drifted from the monotony to other matters. My hands were shaking and my body felt weak, and the incessant grumbling of my stomach was grating on my nerves. A part of me kicked myself for not taking the offered food earlier...But if I wanted even a slight chance at being accepted at Canterlot, I couldn't be a pudgy slob.
Not that I thought I was overweight, but Gilda's was the only opinion I had. Things here are clearly different, I'd accepted that years ago. But I'd never guessed that my weight would be the reason for the locals' distaste for me.
"Bwa-ha-HAAA! Get away, you vile creature! I will NOT have a boorish, lanky dog in my boutique!"
The memory brought me pause. Even three years later, the memories of my first days in Equestria were sharp and complete, as the worst memories often are. But how could I be described as 'lanky' on my first days at what I thought was a (reasonably) healthy weight, and chubby the better half of a hundred pounds lighter?
And why did she call me a dog, anyway?
I shook the thoughts from my head. Trying to understand these ponies was pointless, trying to get them to understand me even moreso. It didn't matter why they did what they did, just that I try to avoid setting someone off.
"How much longer?"
Gilda turned one perpetually-annoyed eye towards me. "Three days, at this pace. We'd be there in one, if someone could fly.
I didn't respond.