Dare! (Or Truth)

by Autumn Jade


Round III

"I don't want to play this game anymore..." Pinkie pouted as she pulled her legs against her chest and wrapping her arms around her legs.

"We're almost done Pinkie. This is the last round, and since you were last you can ask first," Sunset said encouragingly. The girls were all sitting on the floor in a small circle; with the exception of Rainbow, who was laying on the couch with her leg propped up with pillows.

"Alright...uhm... Sunset...truth or dare?"

Sunset sighed, "Dare," she replied, picking up a card and reading it,"'Play a game of Russian Roulette. Seven slots, five shots, one bullet.'"

"There are five shots so we can all do one," Twilight said, the other's nodding in agreement.

"But where's our gun-" Sunset started but stopped when a gun and bullet was at her side,"-Nevermind..." She sighed and picked up the gun and bullet. Slipping the bullet in one of the slots and closing it, she spun the reel,"I'll go first. If you think the bullet is in yours, shoot it away from us. The others nodded as the amber woman took a deep breath before pressing the gun to her temple. Without much hesitation, she pulled the trigger, only for a click to be heard. Sighing in relief, she passed the gun to Pinkie, who was on her right. Pinkie stared at the gun for a moment before putting the barrel to her head.

"Don't shoot if you're unsure Pinkie," Rainbow warned.

"I know..." Pinkie held her breath as she pulled the trigger.

Click.

Pinkie passed the gun to Rarity. Who put the gun to her head and pulled the trigger.

Click.

Nobody was sure if she wanted her turn to have the bullet, or if she just wanted to get her turn over with. Either way, Pinkie was quick to take the gun away and pass it to Rainbow, "So...the bullet with either is in mine...Twi's...or what would have been AJ or Shy's turn...that's one in four..."

"If you're unsure shoot away from us...that's how the game works," Twilight explained, adjusting her glasses as she laid her head on Sunset's shoulder.

Rainbow pointed the gun at her head but at the last minute turned it toward the kitchen and shot.

Click.

Rainbow sighed and handed Twilight the gun, "The game is trying to eliminate everyone but one...the bullet has to be in mine..." Twilight said. She aimed the gun at the kitchen, just like Rainbow and tried to pull the trigger, but it wouldn't budge, "I can't...shoot it..." Twilight gasped after a moment, "The game...it won't let me...the bullet's in mine," Sunset's eyes widened as tears ran down Twilight's face and she placed the gun to her head.

"Twilight no!" Sunset yelled.

"I don't have a choice..."

Sunset went to grab the gun, but Rarity beat her to it. Snatching the gun Rarity backed up away from her friends, "You all...have someone...you deserve to live and be happy...I lost my true love...and now I'm going to see her again," Rarity said before aiming the gun at her head.

"Rarity no!!!" The girls yelled, but it was too late. Before they could get to her, Rarity had pulled the trigger.

The echoes of the gunshot ran through the apartment as Rarity's lifeless body fell to the floor. Tears ran down everyone's faces, especially Twilight's, "She...she gave her life for me..." She whispered, touched at the sentiment, but heartbroken at its cost.

"Something tells me...she was gonna do that anyway...even if she won..." Pinkie said as she wiped her eyes, her voice hoarse.

"Let's... Let's finish...then we'll...we'll reunite her with Applejack... I'll see to it myself she and AJ are buried next to each other," Sunset said, her voice trembling with sadness, "Truth or dare, Rainbow?"

"Dare..." Rainbow was handed a card,'"Drink,'" Rainbow looked up at the shot glass on the table that held a small amount of liquid, "What is it, Twi?" Rainbow asked.

After examining it, Twilight sighed, "It's cyanide. There's not much, but more than enough to kill you. Here's what we do. We spilt it four ways, drink it, then throw it up, just like with the blood Friday night," Sunset nodded and walked into the kitchen and brought back three more shot glasses, and let Twilight divide it up, and pass the cups to each of them. There was barely even a sip in each glass, "Okay ready...?" Twilight asked, looking at everyone, who nodded, "Okay...go!" The girls quickly chugged the poison, letting it start down their throats before they all rushed to the bathroom or kitchen and threw up the contents they had just consumed. Well, except for Rainbow who couldn't get up in time and puked on the floor.


After cleaning up their messes, they returned to their small circle in the living room, "Okay...Pinkie...truth or dare?" Rainbow asked.

"Dare!" Pinkie exclaimed, happy this was her final challenge as she picked up a card and read it,"'Pick one,' Huh?" Pinkie turned to the table, where three small pills sat on a plate, and a glass of water stood beside it.

"If I had to bet, one of those has poison in it," Twilight guessed, and a few seconds later, everyone's phones lit up.

One is poisoned. The rest are Ibeprophen.

Pinkie gulped, "I'm on my own aren't I?"

"Unfortunately..." Sunset responded, biting her lip.

"But they all look exactly the same!" Rainbow yelled.

"It's a game of chance, Rainbow..." Twilight said, "I might be able to figure out which one is clean...but what if I'm wrong?"

"Well, as you said, it's a game of chance. I have a one in three chance of coming out alive at this point. If you could increase those chances even a little. I'm willing to trust you," Pinkie said, a small smile on her face. Twilight didn't have to say anything to see the fear in her friend's eyes.

"Okay...go...go to Rainbow...be with her...in case it's the last time..." Twilight whispered, holding back tears. Pinkie nodded and walked to her girlfriend and pulled her into her arms, before kissing her gently. The two had tears running down their faces as they embraced each other.

Meanwhile, Twilight took a deep breath as she looked over each of the small, circular pills. She smelled each of them, testing if she could find any trace of poison, but found none. She checked the numbers on the pills to see if one was different, but they weren't. They were just three, circular, white pills; all exactly the same.

After a final hug and kiss, Pinkie looked to Twilight, "Well...?"

Twilight only shook her head, "I can't tell any difference... I'm sorry...just...go with your gut...that's all I can tell you..." Twilight said sadly as she stood up and backed up next to Sunset. Pinkie gulped before standing, but before she could advance, Rainbow grabbed her hand.

"I love you..." Rainbow whispered.

"I love you too..." Pinkie replied, she bent down and kissed Rainbow one last time before walking to the table.

Before her was a glass of water and three pills. Taking a deep breath, she took the pill from the middle and popped it in her mouth, using the water provided and drinking enough to swallow the pill. After a moment of nothing happening. They all smiled, "I think I'm okay...?" Pinkie asked, then her phone lit up. After checking her message she gasped, and teared up, however, before she could say a word, she collapsed, "I love...you...Dashie..." She managed before she closed her eyes; Pinkie Pie was gone.

"No!" Rainbow screamed, throwing herself off the couch and on top of Pinkie, despite her broken leg screaming at her to stop, but she didn't care. She couldn't let her girlfriend die. She couldn't, "Pinkie please...!" Rainbow cried as tears ran down her face. She checked for a pulse, but there wasn't one. Twilight, eyes full of tears, picked up Pinkie's phone and read the message silently. She gasped, "Wha...What's it s-say, T...Twi?"

"All the pills were clean. It was the water that was poisoned."

Rainbow growled in anger, "You didn't think to check that Twilight?!"

"I didn't think to! It said the pills!"

"Technically, it said one was poisened. We just didn't pay enough attention..." Sunset added quietly, tears running down her face.

"That was just wrong...is the game even allowed to do that...?" Rainbow asked.

"I...well...we can't do anything now..." Twilight sighed.

"Yes, we can, Twilight! Don't say that! We can...we can pump her stomach! If the water is what was poisoned and we get it out then...then we can save her!" Rainbow yelled desperately.

"That's...that's a valid point! Come on let's get her to the hospital!" The lavender woman exclaimed with a hopeful smile.


Twilight, Sunset, and Rainbow stood outside of Pinkie's room, watching her go from her stomach be pumped to CPR. She was still flatlining, and every moment of that cursed straight beep hurt them, especially Rainbow, "Real quick...Twilight, truth or dare? You're the last one," Sunset whispered.

"Truth," Twilight replied, and Sunset pulled a card from her jacket and handed it to her,"'Tell who you love most,'" The sentence made Rainbow and Sunset look at Twilight in surprise, "What? It's hard not to love the person I gave my virginity too..."

"Well...you aren't..." Sunset stiffened and nearly choked on her words.

"Of course not. I love you more than anything, Sunset Shimmer, but I also love Rainbow Dash too, just not as much as ai do you."

Sunset waited for their phones to light up, to be told that Twilight was lying, but it never did. She smiled at Twilight and pulled her into a kiss, "I love you too..."

Suddenly, a loud gasp and coughing was heard, causing everyone to look toward Pinkie, who was in a sitting position, "What ...did....win?" She stuttered, looking around, breathing hard.

"Pinkie Pie!!!" The three exclaimed as they rushed forward and fell into a group hug.

"How...?" Pinkie asked, smiling, as she pressed her cheek against Rainbow's.

"Since the water was what was poisoned, we figured to bring you here, and that pumping your stomach would help. Well, Rainbow did. Guess you could say she saved your life," Twilight explained as she and Sunset pulled away.

"Oh, Dashie! I thought I'd lost you!" She exclaimed, wrapping her arms around her lover's neck.

"I thought I'd lost you!" Rainbow replied, taking Pinkie's hand in her own and pressing it to her chest.

"What about Rarity and the girls...?"

Their faces fell at Pinkie's question, "Right...let's... Make sure you're okay first...then worry about them..."

"Wait! What about Twilight's last turn?"

"Don't worry Pinkie...she used her truth and is finished. The game is over," Rainbow said with a sigh of relief.

"Ooh! What was her truth?"

"Nothing!!!" The three said together, making the hospitalized woman arch an eyebrow in confusion, then she shrugged.

"Okie dokie lokie!"


The next week was hard on the four young women. A huge funeral was held for their three deceased friends.

As promised, Sunset made sure Rarity and Applejack were buried next to each other. Fluttershy was placed by Rarity, keeping them all together, their spirits of friendship spreading a sort of positive aura over the area.

The four girls visited their friends every week with new bouquets of flowers for each of them. They shared stories and did their best to make it feel like they were still alive and with them physically, not just mentally.

They told the three about Rainbow's amazingly fast healing of her leg, the engagement of Pinkie and Rainbow that took place four months after the game. Seven months after that, Sunset proposed to Twilight, and the four had a double wedding a year later, bringing them all even closer together.

They never spoke of the game again, their only reminders of it being their weekly visitation to their friends' graves, where tears were shed, but memories were made as well. In a way, they were all still together, and nothing could ever separate them.