A Taste of his Own Medicine- Part One

If there's one thing I cannot stand, it's a bully. Ponies of that young and happy time of foalhood, who instead of enjoying this fleeting time of their innocence, choose to torment their peers to make themselves feel better. These cowardly colts and mares often use fear and intimidation to impose their will on their fellow foals. Or they will be cunning, and prey upon another foal's personal anxieties, tearing them down with hurtful words and mean insults, all to make themselves feel better about themselves. Both types of bullies are just as bad, and both equally spell bad news for the targets of their spiteful attacks.

I run across the victims of these soulless monsters every night in my little sojourns, quivering and whimpering in their beds, as demonic exaggerations of thier daytime tormentors stalk after them in their dreams. Larger than life and twice as frightening, I drive these foul images away with happy visions of sunshine and flowers and rainbows. But it often isn't enough, and the poor little innocents often wake up crying in the middle of the night. Too many times have I witnessed the merciless beating of a little colt by the other ponies in the colt's locker room, just because he was different, and far too often have I witnessed a dream where a poor little filly  who is made fun of by her so-called friends, all because she was a few pounds overweight.

It is a terrible thing to watch, to be sure. But I feel all the more helpless, because as a Dream Beauty, I am forbidden to interfere. It's horrible to only be able to comfort these poor defenseless  ponies that no one else can hear weep. I'm not even able to tell the parents or send word to the Pony city-state where the foal lives when I awaken- any information I learn in a Dream I can't keep when I l depart. A Dream Beauty retains only vague impressions of what happened, unless the event in said dream affects them directly. Still, I recall how utterly powerless as I watched countless baby ponies sob their better tears from the rough treatment at the hooves of their torturers during the daytime. My only consolation is the fact I can give them a small sense of relief and comfort in their nightly reposes.

But their was one little filly who I do remember- one who still haunts my memories to this very day. Her name was Katie- an adorable little yellow filly whom had been adopted by the ratfolk after her parent's deaths in Munsterville. The Ratlings had taken her in and raised her since she was an infant, thus explaining her odd, un-ponylike name. I first encountered her when I was passing over Munsterville one night in the dream dimension, and I noticed an odd little dream flame flickering in one of the dark houses below me. Knowing I could only see such a thing from a sleeping pony, I glided my ghostly dream-form down onto the rooftop.

"Would you like another glass of Tea, Mister Sprinkles?" The little filly asked her furry friend sitting next to her, as I entered her colorful little dream. "Oh look, we have a visitor!"

The adorable little filly was sitting at a table of stuffed animals, accompanied by a fuzzy pink cat as her only living companion. I was surprised to find a  slumbering little filly all by herself in a non-pony town, and it was hard to contain ethier my concern, or my curiosity.

"Hello there, little one. "I greeted her politely. "What are you doing way out here, and all by yourself?"

"My friends and I are having a tea party." The little filly in the party hat replied. "Ohhh, you're a pony, too! Would you like some tea?"

And that's how I met my new dream friend, and came to alleviate a little filly's loneliness. There were no other children of her kind in town, and her little kitty Mr. Sprinkles was her only companion. Craving the companionship of a friend like herself, a nightly tea party with an imaginary 'dream friend' was enough to raise little Katie's spirits. The three of us had many merry games as the months passed, playing pin the tail on the pony, bobbing for apples, and showing her how to bake cookies. It was kind of fun, almost like having the little sister here in the Dream World, that I never had in real life. I wish I could have done more for her in the waking world, but again my hooves were tied. Still, I enjoyed the time the two of us had together, until the day a new colt moved into town, and everything changed.

One night, I came to the little tea party, only to find the little filly crying into her empty tea cup, with Mister Sprinkles purring and trying to comfort his master. Concerned, I trotted up to the weeping pony, and put a hoof on her shoulder.

"Katie, what on earth are you crying?" I asked, shocked at her sorrowful disposition. "Did something happen? Are you all right?"

"Oh Twilight! It was so terrible!" The little filly cried, turning around to hug me. "I met this new pony, and he was so mean to me!"

I soon discovered the colt in question- a little white Pegasus named Graffiti, whose father had come to Munsterville as the new ambassador for Ponyland. Shy at first, Katie reached out to the little juvanille delinquent hoping to make a waking world pony friend. But the little monster only proceeded to start making fun of her, and tormenting her and her little friend.

"Hey, you big bully!" Katie cried, pleading with the arrogant colt. "Put Mister Sprinkles down, right now!"

"Mrow!" The terrified cat yowled, as the little monster threw him up and down in the air.

"A girl as ugly as you doesn't deserve a kitty!" He laughed, as Mr. Sprinkles reached down and scratched the vulgar little brute who was tormenting him. "Ahh, take your stupid cat!"

Katie managed to get her cat back, butt was a minor victory. Graffiti continued to push her head into the mud, make fun of Katie every chance he got. Se tried to avoid him every day after school, but there seemed to be no escape for the poor little filly. I watched over the next few weeks, as my friend seemed to grow more and more diminished every time I saw her, her happiness seemed decrease more and more with each of my visits, and she became more disinterested in our usual games and parties.

"Graffiti says it's a good thing I was raised by rats, Twilight!" The little filly told me once, tears in her bloodshot eyes. "He told me I was as ugly and filthy as a rat, and other ponies would think I was disgusting!"

"Don't listen to that little bully, Katie!" I told her, gently nuzzling the filly. "You're as beautiful as any other little filly I've ever met!"

She smiled sadly at that, but I could tell his stinging words were still getting to her. If she lived in a pony community, this would be dealt with right away. But ratling culture believes children should be self-sufficient, so this tragic little filly had no way to escape her torment.

Then, everything finally came crashing down on me. One night I alighted the usual spot of our dream meeting,  Looking around, I noticed the bight and colorful landscape seemed a little bit duller, and a cold wind blew across a dreamscape that was usually always warm.  But I saw no trace of my little friend anywhere, and suddenly I grew worried.

"Katie, are you here?" I called out, looking amongst the trees, hoping beyond hope that she was playing some kind of game. But I could find no trace of my dear little dream sister. "Katie?"

Over by the table, I saw all of the teacups were overturned and abandoned, and the lone figure of Mister Sprinkles say at his chair , meowing sadly at an empty seat with a pink party hat sitting where a little smiling pony had once sat.

And it was then I knew. I understood what that cruel monster's bulling had finally driven the desperate little filly to. And how, having no one else in the waking world to help or comfort her, the terrible action she had taken. Now, she had placed herself beyond the reach of his mean words and deeds, forever.

"Katie..." I whimpered tearfully, slowly sinking to the ground, as my hooves gave out from under me. "Oh no..."

"T-tornado, honey? C-can we stop here? I'll tell you the rest of the story tomorrow. Right now, I-I think I've got something in my eye..."