Ditzy Doo walked along her mail route, near the end of her shift. The sun was setting and it was hot and she had been outside all day. Her wings were tired, and her feet were aching. So focused on going home was she, that she almost didn't notice the pegasus sitting on the edge of the bridge. She hesitated. She didn't like lingering here, it gave her the willies, but the filly didn't look so good. Her orange body and purple mane were becoming bleached, and her head hung down as if it were almost too heavy for her neck. She almost didn't recognize her until she called out.
"Kid?"
The pegasus looked up, gasping in surprise as if awoken from a deep trance. Then her eyes narrowed in suspicion.
"Ditzy?"
"You mind if I sit? It's... been a long day, and I'm beat. You look beat too. Let's both be beat together, shall we?"
"Yeah, sure, whatever," the pegasus said through gritted teeth. "Name's Scootaloo."
The gray mare sat down next to Scootaloo. It felt odd, intentionally staying in this spot. Like she was somewhere she didnt belong. But the filly needed a companion more than Ditzy needed to avoid this bridge.
"Wait a second, aren't you a Cutie Mark Crusader? Where are your friends?"
"We have our own lives too! Or, at least, they do." She said the last sentence under her breath.
"What was that?" Ditzy had heard; her eyes might not work well but her ears were fine.
"I said, at least they do." She spoke through gritted teeth again.
"You're not really mad, are you? I saw you slouching just a few minutes ago."
"Leave me alone! Of course I'm mad!" Her voice squeaked. "These dinky little things won't even let me hover!" She buzzed her small wings like a hummingbird, then let them droop at her sides. "I wish I was an earth pony. I wanted to get them removed but Rainbow Dash said I'd regret it. I regret having two useless limbs stuck to me, though. All they do is get in the way. I'm a fraud." She blinked back tears. "Why am I telling you all this? Good day." She stood up, and Ditzy instinctively pushed her rump back down so that she was seated again. Scootaloo glared at her. No more beating around the bush. Ditzy remained seated, but was poised to take action again if the filly tried to jump.
"I don't mean to be rude, but if you're thinking what I think you're thinking, you'll hurt a lot of ponies. Rainbow Dash cares about you a lot. What would she think if she found you washed up on the shore? What about your friends? I haven't seen your parents around, but if you have any I'm sure they'd be all torn up too."
"None of them really care about me. They pity me. A pegasus who can't fly. I'm no use to anyone."
"Hey, watch who you're talking to! I can barely fly myself on account of my wonky eyes!" She sounded stern, but her face showed a playful smile, which quickly faded. A lump formed in her throat. "I was going to do the same thing you did. Everypony made fun of me. Called me retarded. I thought nopony wanted me around. I was about your age, probably younger. I hadn't gotten my cutie mark yet and thought I never would. I... I actually did jump." She shuddered. "I sank to the bottom and my wet feathers weighed me down. It was dark down there, and so cold it was like ice splinters in your skin. Drowning isn't as peaceful as it might seem. My lungs hurt so much. Then I realized that the reason my lungs hurt was because I wanted to live. Some part of me was fighting against the black. I thought it was just a small voice, but at that moment it grew too loud to ignore. I saw the glimmer of bubbles and followed them to the surface. I crawled onto shore. I was never so happy to see bubbles in my entire life. And when I could finally look around I saw several ponies gathered around me, including the same ponies that had made fun of me the day before. They were very worried and kept asking if I was okay. They thought it was an accident, and I didn't have the heart to tell them the truth. The onlookers helped me get to a hospital. On that day I learned that every pony, no matter how odd, has value. And that's what my cutie mark means. I've never told anypony this before, but I thought maybe it would help you rethink."
Ditzy had been staring fixedly at the water up to that point. When she finally dared to look up, tears were streaming down Scootaloo's face and her small frame shook with sobs. Ditzy hesitantly wrapped a front leg around the filly, and she found herself nearly suffocated by a supernaturally tight hug. Panic seized her for several seconds, then it was as if a weight was lifted off her shoulders, even though she was weighed down by Scootaloo. The filly's colors returned to their original vibrancy.
"It's okay," she said. "I'm sorry you had those thoughts, and I'm sorry you didn't feel that you could tell anypony. Please, do me a favor and spend some time with your friends. They really do care about you."