Well, we've come to the end of the Killer Rarity trilogy and I have to say, I'm as depressed as you all are. I've been working on these stories for almost a year and to have it end at all... well, I feel like a piece of me has just died (no pun intended)
Now, I know that some of you know this but for the rest of you I'm going to say it. I'm not done writing this universe. I'm going to be releasing a compilation of short stories that involve the ponies around the series who we didn't get to see much from such as the rest of the Mane Six, Spike, Scootaloo, the Ponyville ponies, as well as a lot of family members of Rarity's victims. I hope you like it all as much as I do!
The other thing for that is that it's going to be open to anybody. You have a story that you think can come out of it? You really want to write how Spike would view this? Well, then write it and I'll publish it! There are going to be some quality prerequisites, but if you want to write for the Killer Rarityverse then please do and I'll publish it in the upcoming anthology titled 'Ripples' (tentatively titled, that is. If you can think of a better one I'm all ears).
So yeah, the main storyline for the Killer Rarityverse is over unless I really think of a good story for Comet. I have also had somebody suggest that I make a fic about The Canterlot Killer mentioned in the original so that might be something I look into.
Anyway, that's where this universe is headed. Thank you all so much for reading, commenting, and giving constructive criticism! You guys are all the best!
This reminds me...
I'd better start working on my story set in this universe...
I'll do it tomorrow.
2489326 No, Sweetie was the filly that Rarity killed in Chapter 19 of the original. Rarity didn't kill Starswirl the Bearded, nor did she kill Shadow Kicker, Gale Kicker, or Applejack's parents. Sure Rarity's victims are there (is Rarity, though? I'll never tell ) but this is paradise, plain and simple.
2489373 1. The longer term effects will probably be delved into in the side-stories.
2. Why wouldn't they? The story specifically said that the two fillies didn't really get what they were saying and how hurtful it was. They did it because DT told them to and, well, she was their big influence, not something that they had much control over. They weren't evil. DT wasn't evil either. If she was then Blossom would have died in that basement. She was bitter and sad, but not flat out evil.
Sorry you really disliked the ending, I guess.
I can't wait to start reading the side stories. I know Sweetie Belle is angry at the princesses, but is she also still angry at Apple Seed? Anyway I loved this trilogy. You made me cry, again, but I still loved it.
Thy princess is sad thy scrolls are finished. We look forward to thine new scrolls however.
Thou art an extremely good writer.
2489549 How so?
Canterlot Killer=Jack the Ripper?
I love these stories so much, and I'm sad to see that it's ended.
I'm also sorry for doubting you, BronyWriter. I should've thought more about Blossom's thoughts and feelings before commenting about what I picked from the surface. The feels hit me right where they should.
Can't wait for more of the upcoming stories from you, by the way. I should follow, and I must follow.
You deserve a hug, and more.
2489591 Something like that, yes.
I think I will explode if you make the Canterlot Killer one. I might even explode twice!
2489339 Is Rarity in Paradise? Maybe.
Don't get too excited, this is just conjecture. Earlier in the series (I think it was in Public Life), Rarity's ghost appeared, saying that "I never deserved Paradise". This leads me to believe, on a personal level at least, that Rarity indeed made it to Paradise. However, this is only conjecture due to the fact that Rarity's appearances have been complicated by the events of Broken Blossom, in which they seem to shift between Rarity as she was in life and the masquerade of Blossom's inner killer. Even here, it isn't made clear whether the positive apparition of Rarity was actually her ghost or another product of Blossom's troubled mind. In conclusion, I'm really not sure if Rarity made it to Paradise, but I personally think she did. Rarity in "Secret Life" was a deeply troubled individual, who wound up being just as much a victim of the whole situation as her targets were.
tl;dr I think she made it, but there's no way to be sure except if the reveal comes from the author himself.
It took four shots to get me geared up to read the end of this...
S'cuze me, whilst I cry in the corner.
2489795
Which is depressing, because she wasn't a Victim, she was a heartless, ruthless killer who didn't just cleanly kill others, she went out of her way to absolutely TORTURE THEM! In absolutely, positively horrible ways while laughing or being annoyed at their pleading.
I honestly cannot figure out why people would think she was a Victim..
Thank you for such an awesome series. You're one of my favorite authors ever.
2489908
You mean if terrible things happen to you then it's not okay to become a murderer? [/sarcasm]
Free will is a bitch. Especially since neuroscience and mental illnesses can make the going especially tricky going with respect to free will. Genetics and upbringing can determine many things, certain environments can even trigger certain genetic expressions. This TED talk is particularly interesting, considering the story we're reading.
People are realizing that maybe human behavior straddles some strange fence between Free Will and Nature/Nurture Determinism. Perhaps depending on where you fall on this spectrum determines whether you think of Rarity as much a Victim as a Monster.
I'm a bit harsher a person. If Free Will is paramount then she is a monster who deserves death. If Determinism is paramount, then she could be looked as nothing more than a rabid animal or a mistreated dog (after all, if circumstance determines behavior then it's hard to ascribe moral or ethical agency to someone who becomes a killer). Sure the savage dog may bite and it may be because his owner abused him....but we still put down the dog. You may feel sympathy for the dog (and there is nothing wrong with this! Being dealt a bad hand merits empathy and sympathy), but the end result is the same. The killer is put down.
Maybe when science and medicine gets farther along we can heal people with these problems definitively. I certainly hope so.
2489975
Maybe if she was more lashing out, rather then actively hunting them down, putting them in horrific situations, forcing them to bathe their brother in acid, and willfully planning things out all with a smile on a face at the enjoyment it brought her.
There's a certain degree of things, there has to be a degree of free will within it, one ends up making their choice otherwise all actions could be analyzed down to its base study to figure out the most prudent oath
Determinism is not the end all of be all, otherwise by that logic all those abused will eventually rise up as murderers and abusers. Something that most of those within such community does NOT want them to be labeled as, especially those that have never fallen to that path to be labeled with such a large brush.
Not to mention as hard as it is to feel, I feel that there has to be a punishment. I cannot honestly say that once one takes a life, they should go free. This is my own personal beliefs mind you, but it would be a bitter pill to swallow should a mass murderer go free because of a Freudian past. That would be disrespectful to all those killed, and to those who are related to the victims.
2490006
Keep in mind, I do actually agree with you more. I'm not in the "Rarity as Victim" camp. Merely trying to explain why some people may have that interpretation.
I think Rarity is rightfully executed, and I think it's a shame Twilight didn't turn her in sooner. Both for Sweetie's sake as well as for the others she may potentially murder (yeah Elements of Harmony may have cured her letting Twilight dodge that ball at the time) but certainly also for justice for the people Rarity also tortured and killed.
But relationships always make things so complicated. I, of course, want to think I would do the right thing. We really don't know our mettle until such situations arise, however
2490076
True enough I suppose, maybe I'll just never see into that other camp.
I mean I've seen a few deriding Diamond Tiara as the True Evil and Rarity as misguided, so I haven't been sure what I've been trying to understand.
Still planning on writing a killer Fluttershy fiction?
Might I suggest maybe a short story or two expanding on blossom, diamond tiara, fire ruby, and golden necklace after they met in pony heaven? I think that would be a amazing story (unfortunately I cannot write at all if I could I would write it [with permission of course])
2490107
Diamond Tiara is interesting in that Silver Spoon's accusation of her bears grains of truth. Golden Necklace (or Fire Ruby, of course) didn't deserve to die for her cruelty, but Diamond Tiara did reap a terrible consequence for her needless cruelty. Helping and encouraging your daughter to bully another child is being a dick of epic proportions. And her daughter gets killed because Tiara encouraged her to be cruel. Did Tiara 'deserve' that kind of punishment? No. Even being an a**hole of such magnitude doesn't merit that kind of retribution (moreso because Golden Necklace herself doesn't deserve death as a punishment for her behaviour, atrocious though it is. She was raised to believe it was acceptable.).
However, life is not fair. And Diamond Tiara did reap the fruits whose seeds she sowed. Rightly or wrongly, if she had behaved better it would have turned out better for everyone. Her cruelty is rightly what Silver Spoon lashes out at as a cause, because it is a cause. It doesn't justify Blossom's reaction per se. But if Golden Necklace can be forgiven for acting cruelly because of DT's lessons, then Blossom can be forgiven for lashing out in fear and anger. Because they were both children, and measured, experienced judgement is not available to them. Impulse control is not a noted trait of young children.
We don't know why Diamond Tiara is a how she is, and if she and Golden Necklace weren't both dead it would be interesting to explore the fallout. Silver Spoon would be the next best target for delving into why DT was the way she was. Either way, bullying doesn't really rank up there with torture and murder.
No, you're the best
2489339
Oh, I assumed the pony that looked like Starswirl was actually Trixie.
OK. First off, I really did enjoy this series. The psychological aspects were intriguing and the character interactions were stellar. Like everyone has been saying, it kept hitting me right in the feels; so good job on some excellent writing.
Sadly though, I cannot say that I am a fan of this ending. After all she had been through, after all that she could have accomplished, Blossom basically decided to do state assisted suicide; and suicide is a big turn off for me. I know that she did it to spare her family the pain of seeing her wasting away in prison and to protect the other ponies around her; but if she had really wanted to make amends for what she had done , then she should have tried to live through it and be forced to confront it. I mean, she lived with the guilt of everything for the past ten years(Golden Necklace, Fire Ruby, and Sweetie Belle) but once she killed Diamond Tiara she suddenly goes off the deep end and can't keep it together anymore? I know she was terrified about enjoying it at first, but she regretted it almost instantly and she even was able keep herself from killing Silver Spoon. So while she might have been a danger to some ponies, everyone might be a danger to someone and I believe that she should have tried harder to make amends and fight against it. It would have been hard and definitely unpleasant, but like the Great Pirate Westley once said "Life is pain, Highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something."
Anyways: good story, great writing, but a letdown of an ending to me. I am looking forward to the side stories though, the character interactions were always my favorite parts, and the fallout of these events is on the scale of Armageddon. And if you are not sold on the idea of Ripples for a title, how about Echoes? For something like the 'echoes of those who were lost?' Just a thought.
2489908 I hope you're not implying that she consciously chose to be insane. I don't claim to know every detail of her madness, but it's clear that, by the end of the original story, she was no longer in control of her actions. It's like being a drug addict, except there is no such thing as rehab; only death (or life in prison, but that's pretty much the same thing, only it lasts longer and can be retracted if they arrested the wrong person). She knew it was wrong, but it was impossible to control. All she had, and all she could think about was the twisted, sadistic joy of her next kill.
Imagine yourself in this situation. Imagine if all you ever wanted was to kill and torture. Imagine if you were the one addicted to the rush of wielding power over life and death. It would end up as kill or be killed, and who wouldn't pick kill when it felt so good.
Blossom was able to counteract this "rush" through her regret and empathy, but Rarity was a sociopath, possessing no sympathy for anyone not directly connected to her. If there's one thing I know about sociopaths, it's that you don't choose to have no emotion; you're either born that way or you're made that way. In Rarity's case, it seemed like a bit of both.
I am not denying that what Rarity did was wrong. She was a dangerous criminal, and she was punished accordingly. However, no-one, I repeat, no-one, deserves the eternal suffering of hell (or, in this case, Tartarus) for the misfortune of being born the way they are.
2490076 I agree with you. Like I said before, Rarity was a serial killer and had to be punished. I'm not trying to get her off the hook, I'm simply saying that some people don't quite comprehend the impact of her mental issues on her free will. In the original story, Rarity would occasionally engage in a kind of psychological battle with her inner killer, sometimes even snapping her out of a killing spree, like her murders at Scootaloo's house. However, no matter how hard she tried to show mercy, she would always lose the battle and revert to her murderous ways. It was almost as if it was programmed into her from birth; Rarity was born to kill, and almost nothing could have stopped her.
And here, we come to Twilight's dilemma over whether or not to turn Rarity in. Now, I can sort of understand what Twilight is going through; I'd do a lot to protect my friends or family, but I'm still not sure if she was justified in going that far. Still, she did try to cure Rarity with the Elements, but after that didn't work, Rarity really should have been turned in, as it could have saved many lives.
Again, in case of tl;dr, Yes Rarity was a criminal and deserved justice, no I don't think she deserves eternal damnation, yes Twilight probably should have turned Rarity in sooner.
2490162 Also, you'd be surprised what simple, petty teasing can do.
Well done, I thought her inevitable death would be sadder, but instead it was much more liberating then anything else. It would suck to be Sweetie Belle or Silver, but Blossom and all the ponies that were killed have finally found peace in death. I think if you hadn't added that epilogue the story wouldn't have been as good. Just re-enforcing the fact that she did indeed find peace through her self-sacrifice to be rid of Rarity made the entire series much more fulfilling.
a fitting end to the trilogy.
Now that the story is finished, a like is yours.
2490411
I'm not saying bullying can't have terrible consequences. I'd just be hard pressed to say that someone deserves death for being a bully. Or that they deserve seeing their child killed because they encouraged bullying.
It's terrible, but I don't think it's quite "Death Penalty" terrible. There might be a line that would need to be crossed in bullying that would merit harsh reprisals, I'm just not quite sure where one would put that line.
2489856 Are you giving us that music because you think it fits, or are you saying that this is a Mass Effect 3 type ending?
2490403 Would confronting it have been better? Maybe it would have, but you also have to remember that Blossom's experiences with psychologists have been pretty negative. Dr. Mind in particular betrayed her as far as she's concerned. Basically DT's death affects her more just because of how brutal it was. She didn't just kill her like she did to GN and FR, she tortured her, both physically and psychologically and she liked doing it. That's what sets her off and it's that side that physically manifested itself as Rarity.
Plus, you also have to keep in mind just how little control she would have had if she kept going. Her mind was telling her to kill her sister, that scared her because she was worried that she might actually do it. She was worried that she'd kill somepony if left alive long enough. She wanted to cut it off while she still had any control at all, something she was rapidly losing. I'm sure that if Blossom thought in any way that being alive would help anybody (ignoring the fact that the law said that she needed to be executed anyway) then she would have asked for it. As it was, she knew that every day she was alive, her grasp was leaving her.
2490111 Yep! I need to lay a little groundwork in my mind first but it's still coming!
2489901 Well do keep in mind that it was more euthanasia followed by protection. Blossom knew that the longer she was alive, the more likely it would be that the other side took over completely and no psychologist -not that she had positive experiences with them and the situations around them anyway - could help her. It was either be free now, or wait to kill and if she kills somepony, then they'll probably just leave her in solitary confinement for the rest of her life if trying to help her means putting your life at risk.
I just have to say thank you. Very few stories have gotten me to think about life in a different way...not just fanfictions, but ALL stories in general. While I don't necessarily agree with the ending, it's the bitter-sweetness of it all that I like the best. If I end up wanting to write a story for your universe, I would definitely try.
2490526 Honestly, the bully isn't the only variable here. It also depends on the emotional state and sensitivity of the victim of the bullying. If a victim is, for want of a better term, emotionally unstable or overly sensitive, what would normally be a minuscule effect could be amplified dramatically. after all, the amount of force you need to push someone over the edge depends not only on yourself, but also on how able the victim is to fight back, and how close they already are to the proverbial cliff.
Now, I'm not saying that bullies deserve to die. Far from it. And no-one at all deserves to see their child die. But the bullying had to stop somehow. Personally, I put the "bullying must stop" line right on top of the "bullying starts" line. It is not on. Full stop. No matter how petty it seems, it all adds up and can deal serious psychological damage. Like you said, though, the "bully dies" line is IMPOSSIBLE to place. Really, since no authority figure in this day and age would punish bullying with death, whether or not the bully ends up dead depends on how much damage they did to the victim, and just how far that victim would go to remove the bully from the equation...
Blossom's case, as usual, is unique, with all three of her kills being fueled by a potent mix of fear, adrenaline and a troubled mind, rather than being planned and premeditated vengeance like some of Rarity's kills. Honestly, it's impossible, for me at least, to see things from the kind of black and white perspective that would provide an answer to the question of where the line goes. There are just too many variables to consider to make a general answer. So let's take this case by case.
Golden Necklace and Fire Ruby- No. these two didn't deserve to die. Their deaths were the result of a scared filly doing the only thing she could think of to protect herself.
Diamond Tiara- This one is a lot harder to place. Her selfish actions resulted in the deaths of the above two fillies, and she is essentially the bane of Sweetie Belle and Blossom's lives. It's difficult to explain; I don't think she deserved to die, but she had no-one to blame but herself. As was said in a previous comment (I forget whose it was), she reaped the fate she sowed for herself when she attacked Sweetie Belle and Blossom and then tried to kill Blossom.
tl;dr, I don't think GN and FR deserved to die, but DT's attempts on Blossom's life make her a lot more complicated.
The ending was much better than I thought it would be. It broke my heart, but to see Blossom so happy, finally... I think I can walk away from this with a similar sense of relaxation.
On another note, I have a few ideas for Comet's story {following either the tragedies of the other three stories, or a happier storyline} if you're interested in hearing them.
2490585 In my own personal opinion, yes it would have. Either with or without psychological help, although by this point the Princesses would have demanded it, she understood her actions and truly wanted to make amends. My problem with this is that while her control had slipped on occasion, she had always managed to stop before anything truly horrific happened. Except with DT of course, but that was an extreme situation in which anyone could potentially snap.
And yes, she could have killed Comet but she told Rarity to shove it instead and swore that she never would. As long as someone has some semblance of control it is their duty to keep fighting, again my own personal opinion.
Just for clarity, I myself may not be the most...mentally healthy individual. While I do not have any hallucinations urging me to kill, I do have small whispers in my head that plant ideas which are not, let's just say, beneficial to society. It is the way we deal with things like these which help define our character, and I just feel that Blossom choose the easy way out instead of continuing to fight. She had my respect for always trying and usually succeeding in keeping her personal demon at bay, but she lost it when she decided to just give up.
Now I am not writing this to try and continue an argument with you. This was your story and you are free to close it out however you wish regardless of what the rest of us say. This is just me clarifying why I said what I said. I did not lose any respect for you or your story, just for Blossom's character at the very end and for purely personal reasons. Do not let what I or others say keep you from believing in your own narrative.
Whew, okay, how do I begin an adequate review for such an amazing series? I actually first found SLOR while browsing TV Tropes, it metioned something about a serial killer story that focuses more on the emotion than on the gore, and since I had been looking for something like this I immeadiately jumped in. And I dont regret any of it. I'm split on whether or not Broken Blossom is better than SLOR, their both equal in emotional impact (for me atleast). I would have to say that PLOSB is probably the least strongest of the trilogy, but that doesn't mean it wasn't still good.
My opinion on this story in particular is that it wasn't just amazing in FiMFiction terms, but it was amazing in fanfiction terms itself. Rarely do I come across fanfictions that can evoke such emotion out of me. I sympathized with every character and really was on the edge of my seat at times. Typo's aside, your writing and storytelling is amazing. I didn't quite agree with comments telling you to hurry up to the ending, I believe a story should have as much craftmanship as possible to achieve the desired affect, even if it means waiting and taking the time to do so. I can happily say this story did not seemed rushed at all, and seems like true effort was put into it. The trilogy as a whole seems complete to me. With the destruction at the beggining, the shockwaves it has later, and the redemption at the end.
A happy ending is actually what I was least expecting, I was expecting something bleak or bittersweet. It could have ended without the epilougue and I would have been satisfied with it either way. I also guess this pretty much sonfirms Rarity went to tartarus since Blossom would have surley seen her in paradise.
To tell you the truth I originally was writing something like this but my laziness got in the way and I was only able to make the early chapters and I eventually quit. I pretty much figure now that I could never write something of this proportion. I was also going to suggest a possible story on the canterlot killer but it appears somebody else already got to it. I guess the only question I have is which story are you most satisfied with?
On a final note, thank you for writing such great stories, you really lightened up my spring break. And with that, you got me as one of your followers. I look forward to your anthology and I doubt I will forget this in a while.
And so the journey end, I must say that as sad as this trilogy is at times I have enjoyed it every step of the way. Good job sir good job indeed
2490411
Considering that I never spoke of blossom (Who actually has shown to have some rather active insane tendencies compared to rarities own story, and honestly I still have no clue what to think of the constantly speaking psychopathic side) who is a whole different can of worms, so I haven't spoken of her.
It just feels...Off you know, to have someone who enjoyed killing as a rush. I mean I know addictive things can cause problems, but there's a difference between someone who has an addictive issue with food, drugs, and gambling with someone who actually enjoys murdering people in horrific ways and actively enjoys taunting and playing with them just to make them horrifically suffer. I always felt the concept of Purgatory or the concept of redeeming one's sins before such a thing was better, because allowing them to gain access to Paradise is despite being a horrific monster..I'll be honest, clashes horribly with my beliefs.
2488351 I'll keep that in mind. Until I've killed everybody.
2493247
I kinda wanted to see Comet in a story, but oh well!
2493366 It'll happen.
2493369
AAAAAW YEAH!!!!!!!
I'd write a really long comment commending you on this trilogy. But i'm all out of them right now, so i'm just gonna go ahead and say what everyone is. I absolutely loved this, from start to finish and I really wished Blossom would have met Rarity, but then again, Rarity wouldn't be in Paradise
OR
There could have been some sort of transition from the real world to the spiritual one where Blossom would have been given the choice to see her Aunt? *shrug*
2490538
Because the music needs to be in a good ending like this one?
I actually REALLY like the name ripples and I absolutely think you should use it. It's always been my impression that the main theme of the killer Rarity series is the wide reaching effects of violence. How one bad event can ruin someone's entire life, how one person's actions can destroy an entire community, and how that community can disrupt the equilibrium of an entire nation, all the way up to its highest leaders. How one pebble dropped on a placid lake will send out ripples across the entire surface of water.
I actually started bawling my eyes out (which doesn't happen often) But may I ask, when Diamond Tiara said theres nothing to forgive, what did she mean?
your better for bringing these stories to us !!!