The Everfree Forest sang with birdsong, chattering, and a thunderous crashing through the underbrush. Rarity's hooves dug furrows into the earth as she juked around trees and vaulted over bushes. She broke the treeline and leaped over the brook beside her friend's cottage, too distraught to care when the sticky olive river mud splashed over her fetlocks. Down the path she ran: past her boutique with its door knocked free from its top hinge and the crowd that had gathered there; through the marketplace and the milling masses of startled shoppers calling for apples; on she ran until the library came into sight. A burst of speed and a burst of telekinesis brought her face to face with Twilight Sparkle in the doorway.
Twilight squeaked as she jumped back from the door and held a huge woodbound tome before her like a shield. “Watch out!”
Rarity caught herself on the doorframe and held her chest, but she had enough energy to spear her friend with an icy stare. She glanced around the room. “Where is Rainbow Dash?” she said quietly.
She looked toward the basement. “She stayed up with me all night, so I told her to take a nap while I–”
“Good.” Rarity spun on her hooves. “Come with me!”
Rarity's anxiety was enough to make Twilight drop her book to the floor – though she couldn't suppress a wince at the crack of wood on wood – and follow her into the sunlight.
Twilight chased her friend across the square and through the marketplace. “What's going on?” she asked. “Have the Princesses arrived?” Rarity didn't answer. Soon the town hall came into view, but judging by their angle, they were going to run right past it. “Aren't we meeting them at the town hall?”
Rarity growled low in her throat. “Don't try to play innocent with me!” she panted.
Twilight heard nothing over the sounds of her own exertion. “Aren't we meeting the Princesses?” She put on an extra burst of speed to try and catch her friend's attention. “Rarity, please! Why are we–”
“You know why!”
“That's it!” Twilight stumbled to a halt halfway across the town square. “I'm not going anywhere until you tell me exactly what you want from me.”
Rarity dug her hooves into the dirt; the pebbles within scratched her hooves unheeded as she killed her momentum. She turned back to Twilight Sparkle with bared teeth and a dangerous glint in her eye. A blue light pulled her friend toward her by her bangs. “Run, Celestia damn you,” Rarity snarled, “or I will tie that rope around your neck and drag you behind me!”
Together the unicorns ran, leaving behind them a trail of ponies with a new respect for Rarity's temper.
It didn't take Twilight long to realize their destination. As the pair sped past Fluttershy's cabin her hesitation fell away, replaced with the worry-fueled adrenaline rush that had become so familiar to her. “Applejack?” she asked. “What happened?”
“You tell me,” Rarity wheezed.
Twilight bit back a few choice words. “If you think I did this, then why would you ask for my help in saving her?”
“Because we need you,” she spat sourly. “Your magical ability is much greater than mine. I'll take even a slim chance over none at all.”
“Is it bad?”
Rarity's thighs and shoulders burned from the exertion and the wind of their passage made her blink away tears. She gritted her teeth and kept pushing.
Twilight wasn't so durable. “Wait,” she panted. “Hold on, I can't...”
“You can and... and you will!” She stumbled over a root but managed to keep her balance. “I don't care what you feel for her anymore. If she ever meant anything to you, you–”
There was no saving herself this time. Her hoof slid on the moss beneath her and she tumbled heavily onto her chest. Only Twilight's quick reflexes kept her from trampling the fallen unicorn.
Twilight yelped as she hurdled the poor mare. She skidded to a stop and lit her horn. “I've got you!”
Rarity's eyes widened as she felt bands of magic like iron close around her barrel and lift her from the earth. “No!” she yelped. Cornflower blue magic burst forth from her horn in a dome that pushed Twilight's magic away. She landed unsteadily on her own four hooves. “Don't touch me.”
“I was only trying to help!” Twilight groused.
“I don't want you to help me!” She limped into gear. “Help Applejack!”
Twilight gulped for air, let out a groan of agony, and chased after her.
Rarity zigged and zagged through the forest, trusting instinct to point her in the right direction. “We're almost there,” she called.
“Rarity!” breathed the wind.
Twilight spun to her right. “There!” she cried. She disappeared in a cloud of vapor and reformed halfway to the horizon. “Come on, Rarity!”
“We're over here!”
Another burst brought Twilight to the foot of a young maple tree, and what she saw there was such a shock she forgot to breathe.
Applejack beamed at her from her place within her self-made prison. “Twi! You made it!” she crowed. Her unsettling eyes shone with joy.
Twilight approached with care, shock evident on her features. Applejack was buried from neck to ankle among the layers of rope. Only her right forehoof poked out from the mass, and even that had no fewer than four different lines tightened around it. She recognized the rope itself; she could make out black fibers mixed in among the strands of hemp and jute. It would take ages to tear those pliable plastic fibers apart with her magic. Applejack's breathing was shallow and labored and her hat was nowhere to be found. Most startling of all, her eyes were neither somber violet nor their natural green, but instead streaked through with both.
“Look, Twi,” Applejack beamed. “I don't think even I could get me out of this one!”
After a moment Rarity appeared at her side. She lowered her head and gulped for air. “You see... what it's come to,” she said firmly. Twilight took a shuddering breath and nodded. “Now fix this!” Rarity barked. “If you ever cared for Applejack, you'll get her out of this mess.”
Twilight's horn flared to life. “I will,” she promised. The plant fibers nearest Applejack's head began to split.
Satisfied, Rarity plodded to Fluttershy's side. “Any... Any trouble?” she asked.
“A few older timber wolves tried to get to her,” the pegasus whimpered, though the words were difficult to make out around the knot in her teeth.
“However did you get out of that one?” Rarity breathed. “The Stare?”
“N-no, I...” Fluttershy blushed. “I promised to make them supper for a week.”
Rarity couldn't hold back a high-pitched giggle. “Oh my stars,” she muttered. “Am I the only sane pony here?”
Meanwhile Twilight was focused on splitting the plastic fibers wound throughout the rope. She gritted her teeth as she fought with one such strand, but it stretched and flexed stubbornly in her grip without giving.
“So what do you think, Twi?” Applejack asked casually. Her voice was rough from overuse. “Did a darn good job, didn't I?”
“Oh, Applejack...” Twilight's eyes began to water as she ran the touch of her aura across and under length after length of rope.
Applejack's grin took on a self-impressed slant. “Took every bit of my know-how but I finally tied it so even I can't get myself out, just like you wanted,” she beamed.
“I didn't want this,” Twilight sobbed.
“And look!” she continued. “If you mess with the tension, like fraying the rope or playing with them knots like Fluttershy's been doing, then my weight shifts a bit. The more my weight shifts, the tighter this noose 'round my neck gets!”
Fluttershy yelped and jerked her hooves away in horror.
“Tell you what, it's getting mighty hard for me to breathe!” AJ finished with a laugh.
Twilight gaped at her. “Applejack! How could you do this to yourself?” she cried.
“Give me enough rope and a few weights and I can do just about anything,” she said proudly. “I might be nothing but a simple farmer, but I know my science too!”
“But who knows what could have found you if we hadn't.” Twilight's magic flowed between the lines to find Applejack's neck and, as she'd said, a noose tight enough to leave a mark. “You're lucky the girls found you when they did.”
To Twilight's surprise Applejack lowered her eyes at the thought of rescue. “Look, Twi, I'm sorry about that. I thought Fluttershy would listen to me when I told her not to follow me out here.”
“But AJ, you could have died!”
“Aww, ain't no thing, Twilight,” her friend said tenderly. “I'd do anything for you. You know that.”
“Then tell me...” Twilight carefully slid a line free; a hefty chunk of stone fell to the earth, one end of the rope looped tightly around it. “What happens if I untie this end and try to pull it back through, little by little?”
“Huh,” AJ said thoughtfully. “I don't rightly know.”
“Is it going to hurt you?”
“Probably,” she admitted. “I wound things up so any little tug on it might tighten the line elsewhere. Might pinch the veins in my neck shut, for all I know.”
Twilight looked to the other mares for support. One couldn't watch; the other stared back as if waiting for her to make a mistake. “You said you'd do anything for me, right?”
“That's right, anything!” Applejack agreed with an emphatic nod.
Twilight's brow furrowed. “Well, I want you to help me get you out!”
“Why bother? Hay, you can just kill me now, if you want.”
The rope jerked in her grasp. “Applejack!” she yelped.
Her friend looked down at Twilight from her nest of rope with eyes damp with emotion.
“No!” she said firmly. “I will save you, I promise!”
The only warning the three mares had was a soft choking. AJ smiled at them through her tears as her cheeks grew redder and redder.
“No,” Twilight whispered. She dropped the line and backed away from her handiwork. “No, no, no, no...”
Applejack blinked, sending a droplet cascading over her freckles. “Love you," she mouthed.
A concussive blast knocked Twilight from her hooves. She rolled to a stop a good ten yards away.
Rarity took her place before Applejack, blue eyes and bluer light blazing. Her magic held the rope fast in three places as she followed the twists of the noose. "I will get you for this, Twilight Sparkle," she hissed, teary-eyed and snarling.
"No..." She struggled to stand, but her vision swam and her inner ear couldn't decide which way was up. "Applejack."
"Hgnk..." The farmer ignored her would-be savior; she only had eyes for one pony.
The rope began to loosen inch by creeping inch.
Twi burst into tears as she lost her balance and drove her knee into the dirt. "Applejack!" she wailed.
"Kgk."
"There!" Rarity yells triumphantly. Suddenly the end jerked free, writhed like a tawny snake in her grasp, and crawled backward along itself until the noose began to unravel.
Soon Applejack fell to the earth, her left foreleg still leashed to the tree. She coughed as the air burned her throat. "Gimmit!" Applejack whined as she futilely stretched toward her rope. Her hoof wavered as the world spun around her. She was buried in Fluttershy's mane as the pegasus rushed to cradle her in her hooves.
The rope leaped away toward Twilight, and in no time at all the unicorn was hogtied, blinded and dropped heavily to the ground.
“It was an accident!” she wept, shifting her head on the grass in an attempt to see through the layers of rope. “I swear on my mother's life!”
“As if a pony like you could care about her mother,” Rarity needled her.
“Princess Celestia's, then!”
“You like to think you know everything, don't you, Twilight. Well, do you know what we call a pony like you?” She lowered her head until it was level with Twilight's. “Psychopath,” she hissed. “You are dangerous and not to be trusted.”
“It wasn't me! Rainbow and I were locked in your guest room all night!”
“That's what I had thought as well,” Rarity remarked, “...at first.”
Twilight's muzzle lifted out of the grass. “Then why?”
Instead of answering directly, Rarity turned to Fluttershy. “When did you see Applejack enter the forest?”
A teary teal eye peeked out from between the strands of Fluttershy's mane. “Shortly after dawn.”
“While I was locked in your guest room!”
Rarity ignored her. “Tell me again what Rainbow Dash said to you.”
Fluttershy twitched her wings. “She said, um...”
“Well?” Rarity said impatiently.
She finishd in a whisper. “She said the window was big enough for two ponies to fit through,”
“And how would Rainbow have found that out, Twilight?” Rarity nagged. “Perhaps by climbing through it with you?”
Twilight felt the blood drain from her cheeks. “We never left the Boutique!”
“Then what kept you up all night?”
“I was reading, and we talked,” Twilight whimpered. “That's all we did.”
“I'm sorry, Twilight,” Fluttershy mumbled. “I didn't want to believe it, but I just can't fight it anymore!”
“Don't feel sorry for her, Fluttershy,” Rarity muttered. “Psychopaths are chronic liars and utterly without remorse. Of course it sounds like the truth. She's been practicing for the better part of two decades.”
“Why would I hurt AJ?” Twilight shrilled. “Why would I do it so extravagantly? This isn't like me at all!”
The rope swirled around her muzzle and tugged it shut. It was tight enough to pinch her nostrils.
“No more talking,” Rarity spat. “No struggling, either. If I even catch a glimpse of your aura I won't hesitate to smack you over the head with this rock until it stops, understand?” She hefted the other end of Applejack's rope and the weight held therein.
Twilight pulled in shallow breath after shallow breath, but she could feel herself getting lightheaded. She grunted anxiously through her bonds. It was a waste of oxygen.
“I said, do you understand me?”
She was hyperventilating, she couldn't breathe...
She set her horn alight.
“You... Augh! Fine!” Rarity shrieked. “Have it your way!”
Looser she pulled it, looser...
Rarity pulled it tighter, so tight.
There was no fighting it. The world went dark. The magic faded.
Twilight's hoof twitched as the lavender glow disappated. “Good,” Rarity said faintly. She could hear the blood pumping through her veins; it was strong enough that she wondered if she might burst at the seams like an overstuffed dress form. “Good. Now, don't do that again, or I'll...” She glanced to the rope floating to her left, and the rock swinging slowly at its end. Rarity swung the rock into a tree near the villain's limp form. The unnaturally loud crunch of stone digging into bark made her flinch. “Next time, I'll do it.”
“Twilight...”
Rarity's neck twisted around so quickly she had to endure a moment of vertigo. Applejack was unconscious and Fluttershy was creeping toward Twilight's prone form. "Stay back, Fluttershy," she barked, turning back to the sorceress. “It's not safe.”
“But it looks like she's sleeping.”
Rarity blinked away the fury clouding her vision and stared down at her friend... no, her nemesis. Twilight Sparkle's chest was twitching erratically.
“So she is,” she said. A minor adjustment to the ropes made Twilight gasp.
Fluttershy squeaked at the sudden noise. “W-we should take them back to town now, before she wakes up,” she said nervously.
Twilight's chest found its rhythm.
“Shouldn't we?”
Blue light enveloped the rope around her mouth and freed it from its bonds.
“Do you think we can carry them to my cottage by ourselves?”
Rarity watched her breathe with a distant look on her face.
“Rarity?”
Well, I had to rush like mad and ignore my friends for a few hours but I managed to finish it on time! What better way to celebrate the end of the first arc than with an over-the-top climax? Don't worry, it's over the top for a reason.
I rewrote this entire chapter at a friend's house on a word processor with no spellchecker, so I hope it's as coherent as I intended it to be. I also tried to modify my style a little with your advice in mind. Let me know if you spot any mistakes, plot holes, or any other problems!
Thanks for sticking with me so far, everypony. I couldn't have done it without you.
4123355
Ha! I love it. That would make for some hilarious borderline clop.
Though I dislike this Rarity vehemently, I need her alive for the moment.
God rarity you are such a psycho.
This story is getting scarier every single chapter... can't wait till the next one.
not bad as a story. though ultimately one cannot ignore that twilight havign sociopathic tendencies would probably have made it impossible to even bond with the elements of harmony to begin with.
that and all it would take is celestia getting involved, just seeing twilight for it to end. celestia has shown she can easily break mindcontrol magic. the want it need it spell for example, a flash of her horn and they were freed.
4125192 Oh please tell me she dies a horrible death in later chapters. She's is such a b**** in this fic.
The POV change there at the end was a little confusing at first, but I got it eventually.
It is impossible for me to put into words what level of unsettling darkness this story has descended into... not to mention how much I enjoy it...
Screw everyone who hates Rarity for her behavior in this fic. If I were in her place and saw everything she did, I would probably react the same way.
Also, I see Applejack decided to take a certain set of lyrics to heart...
4125192 Need her alive for the moment... so she's gonna die at some point, huh? Interesting.
I quite liked this chapter because there was an intense amount of insanity. The action didn't really end at any point until the end of the chapter. You did goof up a little when Twilight and Rarity came upon Applejack. How Fluttershy got tied up is missing and the fact that she was tied up at all is also missing until you mentioned that the others had trouble hearing her because of the knot. That or she was trying to pull apart the incredible rope work that AJ had managed.
The ending is also a little confusing. Who is speaking to Rarity after the rope was removed from Twilight's mouth by Rarity's magic? There's also the constant problem of, what in the name of Luna has Rarity so convinced that it is Twilight? There are no facts pointing to Twilight being the villain. For all they know, Trixie got her hooves on something like the Alicorn Amulet and is behind this whole thing. Or Nightmare Moon is somehow back and is taking her revenge on Twilight and her friends. Rarity is so suspicious just because of the crazy eye color on the altered ponies and because they all are admitting that they did whatever they were doing for the sake of Twilight? Great fucking friend material, right there...
This also keeps my theory from the previous chapter fresh. Twilight had managed to do something once all of them were inside the library. Or something akin to that. Whatever is going on, I'm looking forward to it. But no rush. Don't ignore your social life just to please your fans. It will be okay. Good luck!
4125277
4125341
Next time, on Twilight Sparkle: Psychopath...
What have you done to mistress?
4125226
Situation notwithstanding, who in Equestria is truly sane?
4125277
Thanks, Rivian! Well, the wait might be a little bit longer for the next one. Now that I'm done with the first arc my friends are trying to convince me to take a day off. Between this story and my day job, I haven't had any free time since 1 March and apparently it's taking a toll on my psyche. How's that for scary? We'll see.
4125341
Thanks for the vote of confidence, lordofmyth!
I can! I have a theory.
Quite. Well, according to Pinkie's letter, she just hasn't been able to reach them.
4125352
We'll have to wait and see.
4125358
Yeah, sorry. I do that a lot. I tend to write from the viewpoint of whomever has the most to say or think, or whomever has the most interesting POV at the time. Otherwise, what's the point?
4125361
Aww! Thanks, Dark Avenger. Everypony has their moments, eh? It's just not Rarity's day, haha.
Lyrics? What would those be?
4125389
I can't say anything down here! I guess I can't blame you for taking that as canon, but I swear it's just an idle thought.
That one! I probably could have been more specific when pointing out that Fluttershy stayed to keep an eye on AJ and try to get her out while Rarity fetched Twi.
Fluttershy. I didn't bother to specify because she's the only one who's still awake.
As for the rest of your post, I'll address those concerns and more in the next few chapters. Thanks for your support, Mariangela!
4125479
And Twilight's evil twin is a ghost with amnesia, because soap opera logic!
4125499
Does the term "autoerotic asphyxiation" say anything to you?
Some have suggested that's what that song is about...
4125499 no free time? well you deserve a break take your time. By the way will there be more twilight and dash interactions since there is a romance tag?
4125499
Indeed. Though maybe adding another line between the POV's might help.
my only problem is that is seemed to just jump right into the fast moving pace, i felt like i was trying to catch up to what i was reading and what i understood
I can see why Rarity is acting this way but i still want Twilight to be innocent, if for no other reason than i would love to read her reaction if she found out that she was innocent and to see how she would even try to apologize to Twilight.
this story has me on the end of my seat, what is going on. what will happen next I am crying to find out please update soon and mage thanks for the alsome storys
4125519
I have no idea what song you're referring to here, but now I'm curious.
4125554
We have all of arc two to find out!
4125614
I'll keep that in mind for next chapter. Thanks for the advice!
4125620
It's meant to be read as a whole. I always reread the previous chapter before I write the next to decide what the tone should be. That's why this one was so intense compared to the last few.
4125648
Does anypony like Rarity? Nah.
4125839
Thanks for the kind words! Give me a couple of days and I'll see what I can do.
4126087
Not a problem. You might even add in some little artwork centered in the line if you wanna get really fancy.
You could put a boat! Or an, um... Whatever tickles your fancy.
Whelp, somebody owes me ten bits.
I sure hope this treaty's worth your student and the Elements, Celestia, because at the rate this communication's going, it's going to live up to its TV Tropes title very soon.
Rarity's slide off the deep end continues. Let's run through this logically. Twilight escapes out a second story window, somehow locates Applejack, mindrapes her, Twilight's only advocate for innocence, to commit suicide, and then returns to her second story room. Can't wait to see how Dash reacts to all this.
Grimdark times call for grimdark measures. The next time you see Dash, Twilight, tell her to go get the princesses now. Fuck the guard. Fuck the UN. Fuck Pinkie's idiocy. Do a sonic rainboom right into the castle if you have to. Just get. the. princesses.
Why do I get the feeling one of the twists the story's going to have is the moment Rarity's about to kill Twilight, she glances at a mirror and gasps in horror at her violet eyes?
Rarity Felony
CuntCount:1 count of foalnapping
1 count of false imprisonment
1 count of assault and battery (with malice)
1 count of aggravated assault
1 count of attempted murder (by strangulation)
At first I had hoped this story didn't have a fanfic justice system, now I hope it does, just so I can see Rarity get summarily executed for all this shit.
I think it's Rarity who is the psychopath and is just making it seem like it is Twilight.
4126087
I sneaked it into a link in the original comment I made on the latest chapter, but never mind. It's just me being pretentious again...
4126087
Dark Avenger linked to a song in 4125361
It works very well read together as a whole. I can keep track of multiple stories at once, so it usually doesn't bother me. Aren't I thpecial?
4126545
It's pretty debatable which mental disorder Rarity could be said to have in this story, but it's pretty clear that Twilight is sane (besides the very much justified panic attacks), and Rarity is fucking shithive maggots. Jesus christ that bitch is crazy. Borderline, psychopath, histrionic, narcissistic, whatever, just lock her up and get her the fuck away from this situation.
4125361
Remind me to never know you, especially if a situation like this ever becomes possible in the future. Even given the severity of all of these events, Rarity's been reacting the absolute worst; she's become erratic, violent, hysterical, paranoid, obsessive, sleep-deprived, and, possibly worst of all, put herself and Twilight apart in separate moral classes. Rarity is acting as if it's a complete certainty that Twilight is the culprit, with all the irrationality that entails (Twilight would have to be about the stupidest psychopath that was to induce this scenario, unless she still has a way to brainwash ponies while in captivity under close-ish watch. This is what Rarity is counting on, but there is absolutely nothing to suggest that that is the case (besides Twilight being locked up, but that's begging the question), as the effect is very powerful magic, and all sorts of weird fucking magical interactions blah blah blah), and as such has already segregated Twilight into the 'Other,' while keeping the rest of her 'friends' in her ingroup. This dehumanizes Twilight, and it doesn't help that Rarity is given apparent justification via outdated armchair psychology in the form of the pony DSM. Then we get into Rarity's obsession with her self-assumed role of 'peacekeeper' Essentially, Rarity's acting as the warden, guards, and jail in her very own individual Stanford Prison experiment.
Blah blah blah, fuck you, Rarity is completely
I don't even know what she is completely. All I know is that if you would actually act like Rarity in a situation like this, you're a pretty awful fucking person. If you mean that you can't blame her for being overcome by her emotions and completely compromised in terms of investigation, then sure, fine. Just keep her the fuck away from me.
4126277
Pretty sure you missed something, but I'm not counting. It was probably a crime for Rarity to have brushed her hair that morning.
4125341
I'll have to disagree with you on your second paragraph there. Want It Need It and this brainwashing effect are very different. WINI is to make an object desirable to anyone; this effect seems to be giving the caster control over everything that one subject believes and wants, as well as some weird-ass trippy shit with eye color and purple oil.
4125499
I now consider Twilight as a more plausible suspect. By how much, I don't know; I'm not a computer.
4127251
Hey, what's with all the ad hominems, already? I don't remember me doing tha--
Oh, wait...
Then again, I only realized after posting that comment that I was attacking none other but the author with that comment, since it was one of their remarks (right here: 4125192) that set me off. For some reason I thought the whole time it was someone else saying that...
As for "what kind of a person I am" with regards to what I said I might do, there are two things to consider:
1) We still don't know every detail of this story. Rarity's reaction is probably based on more than just "the very first thing that popped into her mind when this whole thing began, turning her into a total bitch." What if there's something in her own background, or something she had learned and hadn't shared with the rest of the group yet -- perhaps out of fear that Twilight might openly harm her if she is indeed the culprit -- and it is desperation that drives her to be so aggressive? And what if she is being manipulated herself? What if someone took the seed of doubt in her (which wasn't restricted to just her, by the way), and amplified it in order to make her react this way?
2) Even if none of the above is true, then just think about what they've had to see so far: one of their best friends has had her mind rearranged by somepony, a pony she stubbornly claims to be Twilight Sparkle. This is soon followed by Spike (the one who could allow them to contact the princesses quickly), then Applejack (the one who probably could have coaxed the truth out of Twilight due to her element). Putting aside the implications of these events, just the sheer emotional impact they would have seems to be more than enough to make the rest of Twilight's friends "lose their cool," to say the least. In other words, Rarity just had to watch three of her best friends fall victim to whatever madness may be at work, and all the evidence (that we see) points toward Twilight. She is angry, desperate, and afraid. Does her reaction really deserve hatred right from the start?
The reason I ask that is because, oddly enough, no one ever did the same to Twilight during the wedding episode. Sure, there was plenty of very blatant evidence that "Cadence" was actually an impostor (the green glow of her magic, for example), but if they were to remove that, then it instantly turns into Twilight basing all of her accusations on her own anger at Cadence not acting the way she expected her to. If we are to accept claims here that Twilight is innocent based on whatever reasons, then the same logic could have been applied to "Cadence" right before she revealed herself: her disagreeable attitude was only the result of stress, and Twilight was jumping to conclusions too quickly.
All that said, I don't hate Rarity for how she behaves here because I don't think her reaction was selfish, ignorant, malicious, or whatever. It does make me curious about the rest of the story, since now I really want to know just what the hell is going on. And when I said "I would probably react the same way," I meant that the conditions of the situation presented here are anything but ideal for thinking clearly, therefore it is natural to respond this way. Besides, are her accusations really that "ridiculous"? The one scenario Twilight has refused to consider so far is that she might indeed be a psychopath (and perhaps might not be aware of it). Everyone here says Rarity has zero trust in her friend, but how come Twilight has never decided to let her friends do a checkup on her?
4126087
Does anypony like Rarity? Nah.
At least i do not like her in this story, i can see why she would suspect Twilight an bit but good God is she annoying in this story, she goes way too far(example, strangling Twilight and then acting suprised that Twilight would try to use magic to escape from being strangled... it does not matter if one is guilty or innocent, of course anyone would try to escape from being strangled) to the point that she seems more of an psychopath and an crazy pony than Twilight, it has come to the point that if Twilight happens to be innocent i see no possible way of her wanting to continue being friends with Rarity after this, so yeah, i hate this Rarity so much in this story that i want Twilight to be innocent just to shut her up.
4127251 both change the perspective and thought process of the victim.
even still, there is one sure fire ay ot breaking brainwashing. memory and emotion inoculation. not even discord's magic can withstand an equine mind being reminded how it is supposed to function.
that and the true self, which took freaking god fruit to mess with.
4126087 ah ok, thanks
Augh! So many comments! What happened while I was asleep?
4126118
I plan to make some changes in that regard with the second arc. The first was written with each chapter intended to be its own scene in a one-shot; that's why each flowed continuously without stopping for changes of setting or viewpoint. However, it outgrew that system very quickly. Because of this, the second will be structured rather differently, with more direct scene changes and more drastic breaks in the flow. I'll be going back to my standard break:
whenever the change in setting or viewpoint is drastic enough to warrant one. I hope that helps!
4126277
Rarity Felony Count:
1 count of
foalnappingstrongly suggesting that a willing suspect stay under her eye1 count of
false imprisonmenthosting Equestria's most uncomfortable sleepover1 count of
assault and battery (with malice)self-defense, which also applies in many justice systems to the defense of others1 count of
aggravated assaultnot having the brass to cave Twi's head in with a rock, or possibly subduing the assailant if you're thinking of the binding itself1 count of
attempted murder (by strangulation)um... unnecessary roughness? Reckless endangerment? Attempted involuntary manslaughter? If there's a name for it, I don't know it.Justice and morality are neither black nor white.
4126545
That's one of the two most popular theories at the moment, and it's a good one. Many readers have been wondering why Rarity has been hounding Twi. Who can blame them?
4127215
Ah, I see it now! Sorry, it's hard to tell the difference in font color when my backlight's turned off... and my speakers are dead so I can't listen to it. I haven't heard that one in particular but you can't go wrong with Swans.
4127251
Once again my smile grew wider and wider with every line I read of your comment. I'm glad I've managed to stir up such strong feelings within you... Let's see how they fare with the next arc.
4127325
Oh, the snide remark about Rarity? Nah, that was just me being mean. I'm just as fed up with her as the rest of you!
A good point. If it's that much of a point of contention, why don't you all think about what we do know about Rarity in series canon, fill in the blanks with the little details from this story, and then tell me why you think she's flying off the handle.
Thank you. This and the rest of your comment was so thoughtful and so empathetic that I myself am starting to regain my appreciation for her, haha. The first sentence of my response to you might not apply any longer.
4127334
Here's something most of you didn't pick up on. Maybe I failed as an author; I'd believe it, having written it sleep-deprived and distracted. Then again, maybe it's just too far out of left field compared to your opinions on her.
Read the end of the chapter. Rarity is on edge. She's panicking. She thinks she just watched one of her best friends try to kill another. She had just struck Twilight Sparkle - the personal student of the Princess, a celebrated hero, and the best of friends to her for a year and a half - in the side of the head hard enough to knock her from her hooves and disorient her. Despite everything, though - despite everything she believes Twilight had done, despite even the threat of a cornered madpony with magic prowess she could barely imagine - Rarity can't wield the rock against her.
When all was said and done she was as much in shock as any of you. She stopped when she saw Twilight fighting to live. She loosened the rope. What does this mean to you? What does it mean to me?
Rarity didn't know she was hurting Twilight.
So tell me. Is she truly a bad pony?
4127879
That's like trying to substitute condensed milk for regular while making fudge. Sure, you can make it out of both, but the recipes are going to be entirely different and the results will not be the same. If you try a simple solution like swapping one for the other then the results will be disastrous. I can tell you that one from experience!
I'm sure the Princesses could help if they find out what causes these alterations, but as I said earlier, the mind of a pony is a complicated system. Mess with the wrong parts of it and you could render a pony a vegetable or a bloodthirsty maniac.
Besides, this isn't a children's cartoon. This is a dark fanverse where half of Canterlot probably has PTSD or trust issues or wet the bed at night for a week after the wedding, where the parasprite swarm could have been enough to ruin livelihoods and force some citizens of Ponyville to uproot and find greener pastures. There are no easy one-step solutions in real life and you will find none here.
Eurgh, I think it's time for happy thoughts. Sweet Celestia, fudge sounds delicious right now! I'd kill for some fudge. I'd kill Rarity and Twi for some fudge.
Thank you for your comments, lordofmyth. A thoughtful debate is the best way to process and reevaluate any facts and opinions you hold on a subject, and our little chats have helped me solidify my thoughts on the matter. I don't think I would have written something this good if I hadn't had you to butt heads with!
4127885
No problem! I hope it wasn't jarring enough to ruin your suspension of disbelief.
Wow... So many posts. I never imagined I'd write something that inspired this much discussion. Your interest is all that kept me going during this entire process, and for that I can't thank you enough.
Well, it's halfway done now, isn't it? We've reached the top of the hill and it's time to start sliding toward the finish. I'll be around later. For now, I've got another act to write. I'll see you then, everypony!
4128105 with a story like this, people dont care if you need sleep, just as long as you update we wont eat you alive
4128116
Hey, let's show some restraint! Nopony's allowed to cannibalize me until my funeral.
4128105
Sounds like a plan.
Now it really deserves the "Dark" tag. Great work. Just keep it this way, and everypony will be happy.
Maybe except Rarity.
4128119 alright, so would you like to be marinated or seasoned?
I love how Rarity is calling Twilight the psychopath...
Sociopath is a much better fit if she's the one who did it.
4128105 i think the ponies already ahve a system for protecting their minds from being damaged by tampering.
twilight talks about the true self, if briefly, in mmc. from the sounds of it it is the core ofa pony, perhaps theri soul, and that something capable of altering that is next to impossible. not even someone as powerful as discord can tamper with it. it is changing a pony at its core to tamper with it. if discord could not do it then no being can. short of the fruit of a damn god tree.
with what tiwlight did, it seems she found a work around. all she did was telepathically communicate her memories of her friends into them. it gave them the strength of will to break out of their brainwashing. so it was less a spell and more themselves interstingly enough.
considering it was discord, and she was still a unicorn back then, it shows that some magicks simply have major weaknesses. ways to work around how they work and find weakness to exploit.
4128214
Thanks, Specimen. I hope you like the next arc as much as the first!
4128290
That depends on how I die and how many are coming to the funeral. We have to make sure there are enough helpings to go around, after all.
Those of you currently going or , please read 'Stranger in a Strange Land' by Robert A. Heinlein.
4128294
The terms are typically interchangeable within the profession, but I think of psychopaths as the more aggressive ones and sociopaths as the more passive.
In any case, we don't know who's behind this one yet so I'll leave you to your speculation.
4128396
I don't think it's anything like a soul or any other metaphysical 'body part', so to speak. Instead I see it as their outlook, their purpose in life, their destiny... The larger, grander parts of their personality that make them who they are. Besides, friendship was the solution to their problems in 'Magical Mystery Cure'. I don't think that'll work this time, since if it did, the girls would have cured Rainbow halfway through the second or third chapter!
It's true that all spells are capable of being unraveled, but there's no telling what kind of spell this is or from where it originated and therefore no way to find out this one's weakness without days or even weeks of trial and error, a process that is too great a risk to consider. You'll just have to wait and see what's going on.
Well, we're entering the second half of the story. You'll find out what's really going on soon enough!
4128539 i actually havent read that story, i was thinking of a book or tv series i used to watch where this zombie gets asked by someone to "eat me" in which he replies "Do you want to be seasoned or marinated"
4128539 it seems to me it was refering to something metaphysical to begin with. something far, far deeper than what even discord could have touched. he did change their outlooks did he not? broke their dark sides out.
the core of the individual it would seem. it has to be something very deep an ingrained if discord's magic could not truly change them. he is one of the most powerful beings in the series after all. he changed their minds to act against the elements, as these character had their minds changed to, for some reason, worship tiwlight basically.
....... actually while twilight helping was what drove them, it was putting them into scenarios close to their talents and cutie marks that reversed the spell. in a sense reminding ther 'true selves' who they really were.
4128119 That can be arranged if I wake up tomorrow without a new chapter posted!
Oh and
"*Gasp!* Its got Rarity?!"
4128105
Pretty much, yes.
Let's set aside the clues that point to her as the culprit for the moment.
Her first sin is prejudice: Twilight is guilty until proven innocent.
Her second sin is hubris: if Twilight Sparkle was truly a threat then she would have no way to contain her; still, she chose to take matters in her own hands, sending the most unreliable party to warn higher powers.
Her third sin is laziness: locking a criminal with you to keep an eye on her only works if you actually get to the locking part. Leaving a window open and unwarded is a blatant oversight.
Her fourth sin is projection: Applejack was hurt while Twilight was in Rarity's custody. If Twilight was the culprit then it was Rarity's negligence and hubris that allowed her to strike again; Rarity knows this and thakes all of her failures out on Twilight, almost killing her.
So yes, even in the most favorable light, Rarity looks like a pretty despicable individual.
4128105
(NOTE: some of my observations here may have been made by others already, but I did not wish to read through all the other comments)
I re-read some of the earlier chapters to try and fill in a few of those "blanks" you mentioned. Not much luck so far...
Well, except that I remembered that one time when Twilight Sparkle did cast a spell to alter someone's behavior...
Okay, okay... something(s), not someone's... but it still means she is lying when she speaks and acts as if she's never seen anything like it...
Honestly, I find it less and less comprehensible why everyone is calling Rarity the "bitch" in this story. Aside from all those hints that suggest Twilight is deeply involved in this -- the ones that so many people here seem to have ignored -- Miss Sparkle, in all of her wisdom, is doing everything but putting every effort into proving her innocence. Just to name a few examples: if she were really suspecting a setup, then why didn't she insist on keeping them all together? Why allow for periods of time when her and at least one of her friends cannot be accounted for?
Of course, I do have a few other suspects as well...
4127325
Very good points so far, but I believe that Rarity doesn't really have any separate knowledge, and that what Rarity read in the last chapter was simply a diagnosis for psychopathy. It would make a lot of sense if Rarity were being manipulated though, magically or otherwise.
I very much doubt that. If Twilight knew more than she was letting on, she would probably be the culprit, and I don't see how Applejack being honest, or detecting honesty, or whatever fanon powers she has could actually coax truth out of a psychopizzle.
Checkup? What do you mean by that? It's not as if any of them have the training to do a psychological evaluation. What really needs to be going on is an investigation, and one far better than what's going on now. What's going on now is what I would call a fiasco. They need a magical expert, someone other than Rarity or Twilight. By all rights, they should have all slept in shifts in the same room with Twilight, Dash, and Spike tied up, having sent several couriers to Canterlot to contact the Princesses. Rarity should not have been involved in the investigation whatsoever, and she's clearly not fit to hold Twilight, Dash, and Spike from messing with the surrounding events. Honestly, at this point, I'm wondering why the others haven't responded to Rarity in a reasonable or even hostile manner, in order to talk her down from this crazy bullshit. Then again, the only non-brainwashed one besides Rarity is Fluttershy...
4128752
Gosh, you did much better than I could have! I didn't even notice that Rarity should be blaming herself for Applejack!
4127334
It seems that whatever the outcome, this event has forever hobbled the Elements of Harmony...
Thuthpicious, huh?
4128105
I assume you have multiple plot twists brewing, at least some of which will shake both my faith in Twilight and my resolve against Rarity. Note, however, that you've already done some of both in the comments alone. While I may be passionate, I'm determined to be as right as possible.
I mean, unless it involves Backgroundjack.
4129083
This comment: 4128996
Also, while Rarity may be somewhat overzealous, calling her activity "crazy bullshit" is equally crossing the line. I would much rather say she can see something (or knows something) the others don't, but her fear/anger/possible manipulation? keeps messing with her attitude, and thus prevents her from being able to convince them.
Or maybe not. We'll just have to see...
4128596
Ah, that explains why I didn't get it. At the risk of sounding like a hipster, zombies have been going downhill since before Dawn of the Dead and comedy just isn't as funny these days. Then again, my favorite comedian is Buster Keaton so maybe I'm the odd one!
4128607
All valid points, but that's simply not how I saw it and so that's not how I built this fanverse. I wish there was something else I could say on the matter.
In any case, it still sounds as though you're operating under the assumption that all mind-control magic is equal. I've already agreed that every kind of magic has its own weakness, but that doesn't mean it's going to be the same kind of weakness as Discord's, Star Swirl's, or Twilight's spells that the Mane Six have already encountered. They and the Princesses don't even know what kind of magic this is yet so they can't make any educated guesses; I doubt they're going to trust the word of the one pony who could, Twilight Sparkle, after the events of chapter eight.
4128671
I'll put it off just for you. Well hay, I've been slacking a little bit since today was supposed to be my day off. I figured I'd take a break between arcs. Makes sense, right? I just can't stay away for long. Well, it might be posted tomorrow and it might be the day after. Anything after that, feel free to maim, murder, and cannibalize to your heart's content!
4128752
That's quite a cynical viewpoint. I love it. However, I do have a problem with one thing you wrote...
Unreliable? It's Pinkamena Diane Serious Frickin' Pie! She tries her hardest to help out however she can. Hay, she's probably the most dependable non-orange pony around, in her own way, even if she is a bit weird.
4128835
Yep, we've hit the halfway point and soon I'll finally start answering these pesky questions. Get ready for act two, because the real action (and other things) is about to start!
4128996
The mind of an insect - especially one built as simply as a parasprite, which (given its ability to reproduce asexually) is quite simple indeed - is nothing compared to the complexities of the mind of a pony. Aside from that, I agree! Sometimes it feels as though half of the readers are convinced it's Rarity and the other half hope it's Twi just so Rarity can get her just desserts!
4129083 4129152
I'm going to assume he meant either allowing Rarity to delve her as they did to Rainbow, or a psych eval. First, Rarity admitted earlier that she doesn't have much talent for delving; second, nopony there is a psychologist and there wouldn't be much point in an already-biased pony testing her.
As for the rest, I'm just going to sit here and watch. You two are fantastic.
Oh, and Razzle...
cs305601.vk.me/v305601012/9ef2/AjArBTprRx8.jpg
4128539
I believe it's Discord, to be honest.
Either that, or maybe this whole story is taking place in Twilight's head.
Now THAT would be interesting.
4129270
I'll tell you the same thing I told LuigiLuc:
As for your other theory... well, I can't say.
4129152
Her behavior still means that she should be recused. Her actions are inexcusable, her screw-ups leave no room for leniency. She should clearly take a short walk on a shorter pier.
I still don't get what you mean by checkup. Also, in the comment you indicated, I would say that Twilight was kind of incapacitated when most of the decisions were being made, especially as to sleeping arrangements and investigation protocol. Not to mention that Rarity would be kind of contrarian (to say the least) to anything that Twilight would have proposed.
Interesting point about Cadance's love spell, though. Although one has to wonder about the morality of even her using it...
4129230
i3.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/269/125/7e0.png
4129230 the movie is an oldish one, im not sure cause i watch it at my gf house sooo yeah
4129331
That's brilliant! You win this one, Razzle.
4129283
Other theory...
Maybe this is the depiction of Twilight's planning process!
Or. Maybe it's the depiction of Twilight being brainwashed...
4129370
Aw, shucks. We're all winners here.
4129230
That picture is brilliant!
Though this one is still my favorite:
imageleech.net/data/media/1/MLP_rebuttal.jpg
4129331
How the hell did Rarity screw up? So far, there hasn't been anything for any of them to do in order to be able to screw it up, with the exception of Twilight of course, who is doing a terrible job at proving her innocence...
By "checkup," I meant Twilight relinquishing any form of resistance and cooperating with her friends in every way (visiting a doctor, perhaps a psychiatrist, etc.), thus proving her own confidence in them, which for some reason you don't ever seem to want to question. If she is truly innocent and has any sense, she should have done this long ago to disprove any of the accusations that she might be the culprit. Instead, she is fighting tooth and nail (tooth and hoof? ) against any such attempt. Yes, I understand that the idea is a little extreme, but given the circumstances...
Also:
imageleech.net/data/media/1/MLP_rebuttal.jpg