Playtime
So the princess wanted me to make friends. I admit that I had never considered such a matter beyond possibly as a means to create alliances. As my mother had told me, everyone needs allies in order to gather power to oneself, and increase one’s influence. Her being friendly with Lady Protector Shadow Kicker had opened up all sorts of political avenues that she was quick to exploit when she could, and as a result she was one of the three most powerful ponies in Equestria. Or had been back in the past, in my present, when I had been in the past. The equine tongue was very poor at dealing with incidents of time travel.
Of course, these four fillies were not politically powerful as far as I knew, beyond one or two of them taking lessons in magic from a princess who lived in a tree. Perhaps their families were building some sort of favor with the princess by having her teach their youngest members? Having Her Highness take an interest in their children could provide many benefits to future favors. Though that still did not explain the tree.
I confess that I still felt some curiosity from such a strange thing. Is it a sort of rite of passage for princesses to live in trees for some time? It was possible she merely did not wish to be caught up in the politics of Canterlot, and desired a quiet life in the countryside. She would not be the first royal pony to do so, and would help explain why she lived in a tree that also served as a public library—or at least the part where she lived in a tree. I still did not completely understand why a princess would also run a public library. Mayhaps she merely found it a pleasing place to live, such as the great magus Mossy Banks and his horrifying, dirty bog?
The less said about that bog the better.
With some trepidation I left the library tree with the four other fillies who were chattering among themselves with some excitement. In truth I was unsure of what to expect. Her Highness’ desire for me to make friends had been an unusual request. In truth, I had hoped she might teach me a bit of modern magic or other practical things. She did seem to enjoy teaching others, and there was likely much I could learn from her, but instead she had assigned me to play with other children for reasons. Most adults appreciated when a child wanted to be studious and learn instead of taking part in frivolous play. Though whether Princess Twilight had some strange design in place, sincerely wished for me to pay for some reason, or was simply queer in her ways I knew not.
“So Middy, what would you like to play?” Apple Bloom asked as we walked along. “We could play some tag, hoofball, go to the school playground to slide and swing, or if ya know how to swim we could go to the local swimming hole.”
I frowned as I rejected the idea of swimming in a dirty pond filled with mud, fish, plants, insects, and a great many other things I did not wish to cover myself with. “Not swimming.”
“How about we play some ball then?” Scootaloo recommended. “Plenty of great games we could play with a ball.”
“How about we have a tea party?” Sweetie interjected. “That would be a lot of fun too.”
I had often enjoyed private tea parties back home, and like the idea. But when I opened my mouth to agree to the idea of a tea party, Scootaloo stuck out her tongue as she groaned. “Ugh, no way. That’s boring. It’s a nice day outside. Let’s not waste it. I say we kick a ball around.”
Dinky’s head bobbed up and down as she smiled widely. “Yeah! Let's play outside! Don’t you wanna play outside too, Midnight?”
I frowned. “No.”
Dinky gasped. “What?! You don’t?”
Scootaloo’s brow furrowed as she stared at me. “Come on, there’s gotta be something you enjoy doing outside. What do you normally play when you’re outside?”
“I do not.” I pressed my lips together as I thought of an addendum. “Though I enjoy snowball fights.”
“We can’t really do snowball fights in the summer,” Sweetie pointed out. “How about we play ball like Scootaloo wants, and then head inside?” She rubbed her chin. “Or we could show her the clubhouse.”
Apple Bloom smiled. “That’s a great idea! So let's get a ball, and have some fun.”
“I am not sure I wish to—“ I squawked as Apple Bloom grabbed me by the leg and started dragging me along for their fun and games. I could tell already this was going to be a difficult day.
“Come on, Middy, you’ve played ball before, right?”
I looked over to Sweetie Belle who was exerting a little effort to keep a bright red rubber ball levitated in her magic. I studied the ball for a few moments before shaking my head.
“I have not. As I said: I prefer snowballs. Is this a similar principle? Are we attempting to participate in a dodging exercise for the sake of increasing our agility and stamina?”
“No no, that’s dodgeball, and we can totally play that later!” Scootaloo replied, buzzing her underdeveloped wings in excitement.
“All you gotta do is throw the ball to a pony around you!” Dinky replied, taking the ball from Sweetie Belle and tossing it into the air. I watched it fly toward me, but its momentum decreased as it went, and it landed at my hooves after a single, small bounce. I frowned and tilted my head.
“And that is all?”
“Well you gotta bounce it back to another pony, silly,” Apple Bloom said. “It’s really awesome when you bounce it from pony ta pony and it doesn’t hit the ground!” Apple Bloom ran over to me. “Like this!”
Apple Bloom threw the ball in the air before headbutting it to Scootaloo, who bounced it off of her head in the direction of Sweetie Belle. Sweetie giggled and bounced it to Dinky, who bounced it off of her head toward Apple Bloom.
“Alright Middy, here it comes!” Apple Bloom cried. She headbutted the ball, sending it flying straight toward me. My head moved to intercept the ball as they had, only for the ball to hit me right in the eye and my vision to flash in pain. Next thing I knew I was lying on the ground. An undesirable start to things l, would venture. The pain supported that hypothesis.
The other fillies were standing over me with with a range of concerned expressions on their faces. “Geeze, how hard did you hit her, Apple Bloom?” Sweetie asked with a note of accusation in her tone.
Apple Bloomed blinked and took a step back. “Ah didn’t mean to! She was supposed to use the top of her head to pass the ball, not her face.”
I groaned and pressed a hoof to my stinging eye. “Ah, is that they key to it?”
“You dropped her like a sack of potatoes.” Scootaloo pointed down at me. “Not the best way to introduce her to passing a ball.”
“Ugh!” Sweetie ran a hoof down her face. “This is just like the time we tried to earn our coaching cutie marks.”
“Don’t remind me,” Scootaloo said with a moan. “Ms. Cheerilee still looks at us weird whenever we go near the sports equipment because of that.”
“Are you okay?!” Dinky looked me over for injuries. “You got hit right in the face.”
Mine eyes narrowed. “I am aware. That just happened and my face hurts aplenty still.”
“Meh, you look fine,” Scootaloo said. “Walk it off, as Rainbow would say.”
I frowned up at her. “How do you walk off an injury? I do not believe pain works that way.”
Scootaloo huffed. “I didn’t mean it, um... Sweetie, what’s the word I wanna use? You know, like seriously, but not that.”
Sweetie scowled at her friend. “Do I look like a dictionary to you?”
“What? You know all those big words. You know what I’m trying to get at, right?”
Sweetie rolled her eyes and lifted the ball in her magic. “Come on, let’s try it again.” She turned to me and smiled. “Are you ready for it this time?”
I took a stance and stared at the ball. If Mother were here she would no doubt chide me for my poor reflexes. T’was merely a game, and a game of some skill at that. I nodded to her. The ball would not get the better of me this time. Sweetie nodded back, served the ball, then promptly bounced it off of her head in my direction.
Time seemed to slow as I focused on the bright rubber ball. I would not let it get the better of me this time. I readied my head to intercept it, allowing the game to continue in a way that wouldst warrant my involvement.
Instead it bounced off of my face underneath my other eye.
“Confound this game!” I growled as the other fillies flinched. “I shall not be defeated by such a simple game!”
I lit my horn and picked up the ball in my magic. Unfortunately, due to my cholor I put too much effort into the motion, sending the ball flying into the air at great speeds. The five of us looked up to see it, but I had sent it beyond the clouds.
“That is... not optimal,” I said with some embarrassment. I looked away from the no doubt judgemental stares of the other four fillies. “Mayhaps we can... ask Princess Twilight if she has possession of another?”
“Uh, I don’t know,” Scootaloo said. “Maybe we should play something else.”
“But we can’t just let the ball go!” Dinky replied. “It’s Apple Bloom’s ball that she brought from home!”
“Yeah, but it’ll turn up,” Apple Bloom said. “I mean... you just sent it right into the air, right? Straight up, it looks like. Maybe it’ll come right back down.”
“Mayhaps,” I allowed. “If not, I am certain that Princess Twilight will have suggestions for discerning its location.”
“Wait, why are you calling her ‘Princess’ Twilight?” Sweetie Belle asked with a frown. “She’s your cousin, right?”
“Hey yeah, that’s right,” Apple Bloom said. “She don’t even like us callin’ her Princess, and we ain’t even related to her. You’re her family, right?”
“Well...” I bit my lip and scraped my hoof on the ground. “It is something... my mother places a great deal of importance on formality, so she requires me to use proper titles when referring to royalty.”
Scootaloo frowned and tilted her head. “Really? That’s kind of weird. I would have thought--”
It was then that I was struck on the top of my head by the ball we had previously been discussing, and stars once again flashed over my vision. Apple Bloom was the first to react as it went in her direction, and she batted the ball in the direction of Sweetie Belle, who caught the ball in her magic. She smiled widely at me as she placed the ball at her hooves.
“Hey, you did it, Middy!” she said happily. “See? It’s just like that!”
“Um, I don’t know if I’d count that, Sweetie Belle,” Scootaloo replied. “I think--”
“Nope, she got it, just like Ah always knew she would!” Apple Bloom said as she shoved her hoof into Scootaloo’s mouth. “Yer gettin’ it, Middy!”
“Now we can play for realsies!” Dinky agreed, taking the ball from Sweetie Belle. “Ready to try it again, Middy?”
I eyed the ball suspiciously, for I was starting to suspect that it had foul intentions towards me. “That depends. Does this game always hurt so much?”
“Nah, you just have to know how to do it right.” Scootaloo gestured for Dinky to toss the ball her way. “Do like we do. Besides, third time’s a charm.”
“This is our fourth attempt.”
“Details. Now here we go.” Scootaloo bounced the ball off her head to Apple Bloom once again. “Careful of your horn. You don’t want to pop the ball with it.” Her eyes briefly flicked in Sweetie’s direction.
Sweetie stomped a hoof. “That happened once! Once!”
I instinctively flinched as the ball streamed towards me, but instead of knocking me over like before, it bounced off the top of my head with minimal pain and flew into the air at an arc. Dinky scrambled and she missed the ball before it hit the ground, but then quickly recovered to send the ball to Sweetie.
“There you go!” Dinky called out. “Just like that.”
Scootaloo nodded as she prepared to send the ball back to me. “Now try and bounce it right at one of us this time. Like we showed you.”
A most strange feeling come over me. My heart started racing and I started smiling, feeling eagerness in my limbs as I waited for my turn with the ball, instead of the profound dread I had but moments ago. Scootaloo shot the ball in my direction and I managed to knock it back up in the air towards Sweetie. While the ball still hit the ground again, nopony seemed particularly bothered by this fact, but instead kept the game going as the ball was passed around without any real plan or pattern to it all. Instead there seemed to be an unspoken agreement that everypony should get a turn to pass the ball every so often, even if Apple Bloom and Scootaloo seemed to get the ball the most times. Still, I found myself ... enjoying the activity. I knew it t’was nothing but a silly children’s game of no consequence, but I was having fun nonetheless. ‘Twas a most curious feeling, and ‘twas one I wished to keep experiencing.
I lost track of time until an unfamiliar voice cried out, bringing the game to a sudden halt. “Hey blank flanks!”
Apple Bloom flinched right as she was bouncing the ball and it spiraled off in an erratic direction. I tilted my head at the fillies gathered around me. All of them seemed to be trying very hard not to look in a specific direction, and their ears were flattened against their heads. None seemed eager to restart the game, to my surprise. Curious what had caused this sudden change in their demeanor, I turned to see who had called out to us.
A pair of fillies approached us, each wearing a smile with a malevolent edge to them. The lead filly had a pink coat, and wore a silver tiara on top of her head. A sign of status perhaps? Or at least one of wealth. Her companion possessed a grey coat, and wore a pearl necklace and a pair of glasses. Whoever they were, they had interrupted our game, which irritated me.
“And who are they?” I asked the others.
“Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon,” Apple Bloom growled out.
“We go to school with them,” Scootaloo said through clenched teeth. “Unfortunately.”
“And who are you?” The one I guessed was Diamond Tiara examined me with a haughty glower that would not have been amiss on many a noble in Canterlot.
I frowned back at her. “I am Midnight Sparkle.”
Sweetie forced a smile onto her face. “She’s Twilight’s cousin. She’s visiting from Vanhoover.”
Diamond Tiara snorted dismissively. “I bet. Though I can’t understand why anypony would want to hang out with a bunch of loser blank flanks like you.”
I tilted my head. “What does them being blank flanks have to do with us consorting with one another?”
Silver Spoon rounded around Dinky with a nasty smile, and Dinky wilted away from her. “Because they’re a bunch of crybaby losers.”
My head tilted further. “They do not appear to be crying, and they are certainly not foals. If anything, they appear to be of like age to you.”
Diamond Tiara’s nose wrinkled as she stared at me. “Yeah, well, they’re still losers because they don’t got their cutie marks.”
Scootaloo sighed and picked up the ball. “Come on, let’s just go. We don’t have to listen to this.”
I held up a hoof to forestall my companions. “Neigh, I wish to hear their poor logic and correct them. I believe them to be misinformed.”
“No we’re not,” Silver Spoon insisted. “We know exactly what we’re talking about. Besides, you talk weird. Like, you talk like you belong in one of those old plays my parents take me too.”
Diamond Tiara sneered. “Yeah, figures the only friend the Cutie Mark Crusaders could make was a little weirdo like you. ”
Mine patience was fast fraying with these two, for now I knew that these two were mere malcontent, only deserving my contempt. “I can assure you, where I am from everypony speaks like this, and I would ask that you not insult my friends.”
Apple Bloom pulled on my shoulder. “Let’s just go, Middy. There ain’t no point talkin’ with those two.”
Diamond Tiara grinned evilly as she and her cohort circled us. “That’s right, better run away to cry. That’s what crybabies do, after all.”
Something my mother had impressed upon me with her lessons was how bullies were to be dealt with. One should never show weakness to bullies, for that would only encourage them to torment us.
“I think you should watch thy—your tongue.” Mine eyes narrowed. “Otherwise I will take offense.”
“Oooh, you’ll be offended,” Diamond Tiara mocked, and then giggled. “I’m so scared.”
Dinky hunched her shoulders and whispered to me. “Middy, we should go. We don’t wanna get in trouble.”
I ignored her, for these bullies needed to be put in their place. I stared Diamond Tiara in the eyes, and did my best to copy mine mother when she wished to intimidate another. “If thou dost not know what fear is then I can show it to thee.”
Silver Spoon scoffed at my threat. “Hey, you can’t talk to her like that.”
“Quiet sycophant, thy words do not matter here. Let thy master speak for thee and be silent.”
“Hey!” Diamond Tiara shoved me, sending me stumbling back several steps. “Don’t talk about my friend like that!”
Like a good sycophant, Silver Spoon took her place by her master’s side. “Yeah! And I’m not a sycoph-anthy. Or whatever dumb word you used. I bet you just made it up anyways.”
I did my best to regain my footing as I faced them, my choler rising by the second. “I did not, and if thou art not a sycophant then thou hast done a fine job of fooling me.”
“I said shut up!” Diamond Tiara stomped up to me so that we were face to face. “You’re just some weirdo who talks funny and hangs out with a bunch of blank flank losers. You don’t get to talk like that to us.”
“I assure thee, I am more than capable.” I squared my jaw as I addressed her. “And I am warning thee once, apologize and take back thy foul words, or there shall be consequences.”
Diamond Tiara snorted derisively. “Yeah? And what’re you gonna do if I don’t apologize?”
“You have insulted the honor of myself and my friends. Should you continue, I shall demand satisfaction!”
Diamond Tiara instantly burst out into rambunctious laughter that I did not care for. “Oh puh-leeze. What on Earth could you do to me, loser?”
As she finished her petty insult, she tapped me on the tip of my horn. T’was a most foolish move.
* * * *
“Holy Celestia, Midnight, what did you do?!”
I frowned and tilted my head. “I merely faced her on the field of honor. Her insults, no matter how petty they may have been, could not have been merely ignored. Surely you as a princess have had to fight to keep your honor?”
“No! I mean, not like that!” Princess Twilight sighed and pinched the bridge of her muzzle. “For Celestia’s sake, Midnight, she’s been curled up in a ball for the last hour whimpering about clowns!”
I nodded. “I cast a spell upon her that showed her the most terrifying thing she could imagine.”
Apple Bloom and the rest of the Crusaders shared a confused look.
“Diamond Tiara is scared of... clowns?” Apple Bloom said.
“Who’da thought?” Scootaloo replied.
Sweetie rubbed her chin. “We might have to use that in the future.”
Princess Twilight groaned and pressed her hooves to her face. “Why did you even learn a spell like that?!”
“To inflict mine enemies greatest fears upon them.”
She mumbled something under her breath about ‘stupid questions.’ “I mean why did you do that to her?”
“I assume that you have studied the writings of my mother in great detail,” I continued. “Surely you agree that to keep one’s status and not appear weak, one must use every advantage against those who would seek to weaken you through any means. Had I let that foul filly continue with her slander, t’would reflect most poorly on me.”
I felt that I needed to diffuse some of the tension that had no doubt built up in Princess Twilight, so I gave her my best smile. “All will be well.”
“I don’t know about that,” Twilight said, flinching back as she averted my gaze. “Anyways, you’re going to need to apologize to Diamond Tiara for casting that spell on her... Once she’s recovered.”
I scowled. “I will be doing no such thing. She wounded my honor, and I will not apologize for smiting her during a duel.”
“Midnight...” Princess Twilight sighed and ran a hoof through her mane. “Ponies don’t really duel over honor anymore. Especially not kids. What you did to her was really mean.”
“I don’t know, I thought it was pretty rad,” Scootaloo said. “Plus Diamond Tiara deserved it. Like, a lot.”
Apple Bloom nodded in agreement. “She was being mean to us, and Middy did warn her to stop.”
Princess Twilight slashed a hoof through the air. “That’s besides the point. Attacking another pony with a spell isn’t something you just do.”
I tilted my head, not understanding what she was talking about. “But should I not defend my friends from a bully who is harassing them?”
Her wings wilted as she groaned once again. “If somepony is picking on you then you should have come to me. I could have talked with Diamond’s dad and sorted everything out.”
“Aaah, now I understand.” I nodded firmly. “You wished to duel with her father over his scion’s misbehavior. That makes sense. A parent should be responsible for the sins of their child.”
“What?! No!” Princess Twilight took a deep breath.
“Then you seek weregild?”
Princess Twilight vigorously shook her head. “No, not that either!”
“Ah, so you would punish him outright, as should be your right as a princess,” I said. “Mayhaps he will learn to put a stop to his daughter’s misdeeds if he were thrown into a dungeon for a time, or given a fine to endanger him with poverty.”
“No!” Princess Twilight rubbed her brow. “I meant we would talk it out to make this stop, like reasonable adults.”
“Ah...” No convinced by this proposal, I turned to my new companions. “Have you not tried this before?”
Sweetie hunched her shoulders and did not meet my gaze. “I told my mom that they were being mean to me, and she went to talk to Diamond Tiara’s mom. Afterwards she said just to ignore Diamond.”
Apple Bloom nodded in agreement. “Yeah, I did the same with my big sis and brother. They talked to both of Diamond’s parents, and she stopped bothering us for a while. But then she got right back to bullying us later. Eventually Applejack and Big Mac told me to just ignore her too.”
I scowled at this news and turned my attention back to Princess Twilight. “I think my method is better. Unless she is particularly foolish, I doubt Diamond Tiara will so readily cross me again.”
“And thanks to you attacking her I’m going to have to explain to Mr. Rich what happened to his daughter.” Princess Twilight teeth showed in something that was not a smile. “And he isn’t going to be happy about this.”
“And why should you care?” I looked to my compatriots. “Who is this Mr. Rich that we should be concerned?”
“He’s the richest pony in Ponyville,” Apple Bloom told me. “He’s like, really important.”
Several facts came together for me. “So that is what this is about.” I nodded to myself. “This Mr. Rich is a pony of wealth and influence, and thus cannot be easily crossed. No doubt this is why his daughter is a spoiled scion who is allowed to be a terror to the other children of the town. I have seen this be the case with the scion of many a noble house. ‘Tis not so different from what I have seen in Canterlot.”
“No, it’s nothing like that.” Princess Twilight let out a huff. “Duels of honor just aren’t something we do anymore.”
“Then how do you resolve matters of honor?” I asked. “Or any other argument of consequence?”
Princess Twilight flashed a smile that was brittle at the edges. “We talk things out, and if need be, go to court to have a trial to decide things.”
“I see.” I crossed my arms over my chest as I contemplated the full implications of this. I could well imagine the whole of Equestria being overrun by lawyers running to and fro as ponies sued one another over every little matter that disrupted their lives. All while everypony was drowned under a sea of legal papers that they ill-understood. Many times I had seen my mother or Her Highness be forced to preside over the most trivial of matters in court. Such as when two farmers disagreed with great energy and vehemence over who truly owned a pig. If every dispute ‘tween ponies had to be resolved in such a manner...
“What dark times are these that ponies cannot defend their honor, but instead must depend on lawyers to fight for them?”
Twilight let out a long sigh and rubbed her eyes. “Girls, would you mind leaving the two of us alone? I think I’ve got a lot of explaining to do with Midnight.”
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Well Diamond Tiara did ask for it. I hope this will not go to far because Filthy does need to teach his daughter some manners and how to act in public. Then again his wife needs those same lessons as well.
When words fail, only violence is left. Twilight was just faced with the evidence and truth that no amount of talking to Diamond Tiara's parents has ever solved anything. Bullying can also have lasting, traumatic consequences on children that affect their development without them or anyone even noticing. That they're just doing nothing to stop this means these girls are being damaged over and over while the adults just scoff and write it off.
I feel like Twilight should know this, but this went on canonically for a long time with no one really giving two shits. Ergo I feel morally speaking, Midnight was in the right. The more you let bullies push you around the more they go to you for someone to push around. If talking won't solve it, then you put them facedown in the dirt. That is how life works, regardless of manmade laws.
Sorry Twi, given the evidence, I'm with Midnight on this one.
If it makes Midnight feel better, I am assured that lawyers are a much deeper, longer-lasting pain.
9436545
You know you love my attention little mare =P
I really like this. Both time periods have things to teach each other.
So.....she's Ghost Rider now??
Oh, here we go.... Twilight: "I'm big you're small; I'm right, you're wrong," blah, blah, blah... I hope Midnight actually trumps Twilight in this one. God, I hate adults and this is one of the reasons I do.
9436383
And it wasn't like Midnight hauled off and popped her with a hoof or two. She responded to recurrent psychological abuse and attempted emotional torture with a psychological blow. Poetic justice, really.
The fact that ponies now know of DT's crippling fear of clowns--not to mention the Crusaders' friendship with Troubleshoes!--is just a bonus effect.
I have to agree with the rest of the commenters that it's better to take action, but I'm pretty sure jumping straight to severe psychological trauma is not the best way to do it. And the less said about duels the better.
9436383
It’s hard to deny that she got results.
To be fair she had kept it to a duel of words until DT made the mistake of laying a hoof on her horn.
An Earth Pony putting a hoof on a unicorn's horn? Oh yeah, that'd get a reaction in her day... plus it could be viewed as poor form in a duel to start the fight without any proper setup... I'm kind of sad it wasn't just a swarm of ravens chasing her off. Oh well, there's always next time.
9436680 I honestly hope it doesn't go like that ... but you never know....
Yup, she's a Sparkle, alright.
As for the outcome... I hate to say it, but Midnight does have a point. The offered solutions have been shown to be ineffectual, and thus something else needs to be done. Persisting with the current strategy is the very definition of insanity.
Just, y'know, don't immediately opt for phantasmal horrors. Tear her down psychologically. Ask how her much-vaunted mark actually contributes to her life, which seems to consist solely of wandering around looking for unemblazoned classmates to mock. Speculate on how her amazing tiara-wearing skills will serve her in the future, when her peers all have actual, meaningful talents. Guess how long until her sycophant seeks out greener pastures.
Do it right and you'll get her to throw the first punch, putting you in the right!
This is why I love Midnight. What a brilliant little pony.
That was interesting. Nice to see in the mind of Midnight regarding the whole thing.
9445892
Nah, don't worry. (I'm Christian anyway, but I wouldn't mind it even if you gave examples from other religious stories, either.)
Anyway, that's precisely why there is a difference between dishonesty and lying. Dishonesty covers truth-telling with the intention to mislead.
Holy perspective shift, Batman.
Yeah, I think Midnight was in the right here. I agree with Twilight that talking things out is always better than violence, but the thing is, ending a conflict with words depends on both sides actually reaching an agreement, which is something that comes easier to rational adults, but not so easily to children. Kids don't negotiate with their bullies. They get adults to negotiate for them and force an end to things. But forced peace only lasts if the enforcers have the strength to maintain it. If the adults are negligent, the bullying will just continue. And if the system fails like that, what other recourse does the victim have?
It is always interesting to see the continual debate on dealing with bullies. While obviously not a great idea to reinforce the concept of violence as a problem solver it is amazingly difficult to debate its effectiveness to someone that age.
9436802
Midnight comes from a story called "The Lunar Rebellion". You should check it out, it's really good. There are even stories about her life as an adult.
Snowball fights are Very Serious Business for Midnight.
A thought just occurred to me ... for Twilight to be descended from Midnight, Midnight must either adopt or take a lover ... now just picture Middy, macabre, socially awkward, (and let's be honest) just plain odd, Middy trying to be romantic ....