discorded gilda, the weak link

"Tough exterior wins no love"

What's up, lamo? The name's Gilda. Why I'm a jerk? Well, if you spent your entire cubhoob being mocked for being who you are, and the only ones that weren't harsh to you was your adoptive parents that took you in once your parents was murdered, the girl that stood up to you just as some of them kept taunting you for who you are, and a possible successor to Celestia once her time has come(though, I forgotten how she looked like until later.), you'll be just as bitter too.

Eventually, we split ways, and finding a ways to make ends meet, I decided to worked for the Ocean company. Not the best way to make a living, but it's indeed a hay load of fun.

The group decided we all deserved a day off, which is fine by me. While me and rainbow dash do keep in contact (I never really had the heart to tell her what I did for a living), we never seen each other since she got dropped out of flight school. However, by then, I learned that as long as you stand up for yourself, the dogs won't eat you alive.

It was sunset by the time I reached her place, a few mintues before her.  She than returned... with a black eye?!?!?!

...Oh, just face paint. Guess the best at pranks can get pranked themselves. She was how happy she was to see me after all these years, wanting to meet her other... friends? Why would she need anyone else? Most ponies are all the same. They think they all so high and mighty because of their magical puberty inducing tramp stamps, and they so cute looking.

And then she arrives. I felt this feeling from the moment I looked at her that's bad news. I tried my best to get off her tail without dashie seeing my darker side, so I decided to do some racing to try my best to stop tailing us, and ruined our moment back together.

But she always keep coming back. As a last effort, I try to used the old "show your moves" trick to distract, telling the little pink brat to buzz off. She never disturb us since then.

We chilled out together, got some sea salt ice cream, and hang out, just like good times. Eventually, she have errands to run, so I decided to have some fun. I played around a bit with an old pony, took a free sample (no really, on the side I was on, it said free samples), but somehow I can't my mind of that little pink brat.

It didn't helped that somepony bumped into me. I was so blind with rage that I couldn't caught a good look of what the pony looked like, but she sounded a bit like the little pink stalking brat. I left the town with these lamos, rainbow dash must be done by now.

We hanged as usual, when we both were handed an invitation to a party made for me, with everyone in the town invited. I just knew the brat had it out for me, so I better not let my guard down for a second.  Dash left early to help set up, I just prepared myself for the worst.

When dash was out of earshot, I told that little pink brat I was on to her, while she acted completely oblivious to the whole thing. I just remained calm, making sure no pony will get the last laugh ever again.

However, eventually each trick gets more and more humiliating, and I eventually snapped, blurting out everything that came at the mind at the moment....

Only for them to come bite me down hard. Especially from Dash. Heartbroken, I stormed off, but not before giving out some parting words to Dashie.

My teammates told I lost my best, and only, friend that day. However, I knew one way or another we will be back together again. She always has. Besides, I still have my teammates.

Until then, I looked over her window every night, out of sight, making sure she's okay.
-------------------

"And that's my story, miss," I told my therapist. She looked a bit off from most ponies living around here, but I can't place what it is.

"Quite an interesting tale," she calmly said. "However, I really doubt anyone will like a bitter foul like you."

"Yeah right."

I heard tales that sometimes therapists are secretly feeding off your negative emotions to keep their youth. But either way, I don't believe what most ponies say to begin with, since they all spew out hogwash.

"Oh, your confidence and fate in friends are your weakness," the therapist told me.

"Your blindly siding with ponies that think highly of their species just because of their magical tattoos is yours."

She gave a simple eye twitch, than calmed herself.

"If you really don't believe what I say, looked in this mirror."

She passed me a simple weird looking mirror, that looked a bit like me.

"... Are you calling me a hypocrite?"

"Oh, heavens no. This mirror has the ability to shows images past, present, and future. It has never been wrong before. Go on, asked it any question."

I looked silently at the mirror questioningly. Than, eventually, I finally asked it a question.

"What happened after I left the party."

The mirror glowed, showing me a my answer.

"No way. It was Pinkie Pie, she set up this party to trip me up, to make a fool of me."

"Me? I threw this party to improve your attitude. I thought a good party might turn that frown upside down."

"And you sure didn't need any help making a fool of yourself. You know, this is not how I thought my old friend would treat my new friends. If being cool is all you care about, maybe you should go find some new cool friends someplace else."

"Yeah? Well you, you, you are such a, a flip-flop: cool one minute and lame the next. When you decide not to be lame anymore, gimme a call."

"Not cool."

"Wow, talk about a party pooper."

"Yeah, but it's all worth it, just to get rid of that thorn of my side since foul hood."

A-a-a-a thron?!??!

"And all we had to do is set up her fall together so she finally stop sending me that spam."

S-s-spam?

"I really doubt that she even has a heart. So, why bother show her compassion."

The mirror stopped showing me those images. I dropped the mirror. The tears just won't stopped coming. I don't care anymore, my only true friend, the reason I am still alive today, hated me from the start.

"Now deary, it's not entirely your fault. People don't like when people are tough and ruthless. Sometimes, letting people walked all you is the true way to have anybody love you at all."

And you know what... she's right.

The main reason I was mocked by them in the first place. My species was used to be known for eating them up alive. Trying to keep the tough girl act had never worked for me, even it was only meant to stop the hurt away. It just made everything worse.

I will never have my say again. It's better to be a stepping stone. I'll obey everyone else. I won't object, no matter how I want to. Being walked on will be better than the path I once was.
-----------------------------------

Gilda walked out the place, after the two female ponies were waiting for their adoptive daughter to show up. She seemed depressed, and grey.

"Honey, why are you grey?"

"Huh? Oh, I didn't really noticed it. Say, if you want, you can paint me any color of the ... rainbow."

Tears came out of her eyes. The feminine looking mare hugged her.

"No, it's alright. You're fine. Now, let's go home."

"Okay."

The three walked off.

"I told you we should had went with anger management," the tougher, male looking mare whispered to the other.

The therapist waved silently goodbye.

"Yes, be a good little stepping stone..."

She slowly revealed herself to be Discord. He poofed up a box. Discord opened it, revealing the six elements of harmony.

"Well, that was a good practice through-"

the elements of harmony vanished with a snap of his fingers.

"-Now on the major deal."