//------------------------------// // Round 2 // Story: Truth or Dare? // by Super Spike //------------------------------// All of the remaining foals had trouble sleeping. Most of them only slept for an hour or two. They couldn't stop thinking about what had happened to Silver Spoon. Eventually, morning came. Rumble opened his eyes and got out of his bed. He walked toward the door, only to find that it was locked. "What the?" he said in panic. "I can't open it! Can somepony let me out?" All of a sudden, he heard a voice hissing behind him. He turned around and saw the words, 'Round 2', carved on his bedroom wall. "Round 2?" Rumble responded in horror. "This doesn't make sense. We made it out! How can this game still be going on?!" "Jump out of your bedroom window..." the voice said. "One minute..." "Ha!" Rumble responded. "I can just fly after falling a few feet." He opened the window and prepare to make the jump when all of a sudden, the voice came back. "Uh-uh-uh!" it responded. "You can't use your wings to save yourself!" "What?!" Rumble shouted. "You can get out of this," the voice said. "Just jump." Rumble looked down and saw that there were bushes below him. He sighed. "One...two...three!" Rumble shouted. He jumped out of the window and landed in the bushes. After a few seconds, Rumble emerged out of the bushes, spat out a few leaves, and freed himself from the bushes. "I got to find my friends," he said to himself as he flew off. * * * * Diamond Tiara and Gold Watch had just finished their breakfast and walked outside. "Where are we going?" Gold Watch asked. "We're going to go visit Silver Spoon," Diamond answered. "We need to keep her company. She needs us." "I really hope that we can change her back," Gold Watch said. "Agreed," Diamond responded. As the twins walked past the gate of their mansion, Diamond and Gold Watch saw something written on their fence. "Tell Sweetie Belle about your crush on Button Mash," Diamond read. "Five minutes." "Wait, what?" Gold Watch responded. "It's true. I do have a crush on him. I never wanted to tell Sweetie Belle because I didn't wanter her to hate me. I'm not dating him and I never plan to do that." "You got to tell her. If you don't, you might end up just like Silver Spoon or some other animal." Diamond sighed. "Okay," she said nervously. The two ran as fast as they could and managed to get there within two minutes. Once they arrived, Gold Watch knocked on the door. Within five seconds, Rarity answered. "Hello, you two," she said. "What brings you both here?" "I need to speak to Sweetie Belle," Diamond answered. "It's very urgent." "I understand," Rarity responded. "Oh, Sweetie Belle! You got friends that need to talk to you." "Coming!" Sweetie Belle called out from upstairs. She quickly ran downstairs and saw her friends as Rarity walked back inside to resume her work. "What's up?" she asked them. "I...have a confession to tell you," Diamond said. "I don't think you're going to like it." "I'm sure that it's not a big deal," Sweetie Belle responded. "Well..." Diamond began. She winced for a second, but Gold Watch nudged her. "I...have a crush on Button Mash! He's just looks so handsome! I'm not dating him and I don't plan to do that! He doesn't know that I have a crush on him! I wouldn't ever have him cheat on you!" Sweetie Belle was left speechless and shocked. But after a few seconds, she calmed down. "It's okay, Diamond Tiara," she said. "A lot of fillies have told me that. Last week, Sunny Daze said the same thing, but she never had an affair with him." "I'm sorry, Sweetie Belle," Diamond responded. "You have nothing to apologize," Sweetie Belle responded. "Thanks for understanding," Diamond said. "We got to go now." "Okay," Sweetie Belle said as she closed the door. The twins resumed walking to Silver's house. As they continued walking, Diamond began to hyperventilate. "Are you okay?" Gold Watch asked. "No," Diamond answered. "I feel ashamed." "But Sweetie Belle said that all was okay." "Still." "We got to go find our friends. If you were just told to tell a truth, then Rumble must have had a turn." "Oh no! What if he transformed too?!" "We got to find everypony and put a stop to this game." "Agreed." * * * * Button Mash was feeling depressed. He couldn't stop thinking about Silver Spoon. Even while he was playing on his Joy Boy, he couldn't put the thought away, so he decided to turn off his video game and lie down on his bed. As he looked up at the ceiling, however, he saw something carved on it. It said, 'Hit your mother in the head with a hammer'. "What?!" Button shouted. "Two minutes..." the voice said. Button saw a hammer on his nightstand. He picked it up and walked out of his room and into the kitchen, where his mother was cooking breakfast. After staring at what was going on for a few seconds, he looked at the hammer and then sighed. "I won't do it," he said to himself. "Button, what are you talking about?" his mother, Cream Heart, asked. "Time's up!" the voice rang out. "What was that sound?" Cream Heart asked. She turned around and saw Button Mash grabbing his chest. He dropped the hammer and fell to the ground. "Button Mash!" Cream Heart called out. "What's wrong?" "The game is still happening," Button groaned as his ears began to reshape into cat ears. "You mean that truth or dare game?" Cream Heart asked. "Yes," Button answered as he began to grow whiskers. "I thought that you were just making up that story," Cream Heart said as she began sobbing. "I'm sorry for not believing you." "It's okay, Mom," Button said as he grew fangs. "I should be the one to apologize. I was dared to hit you in the head with a hammer. I would never do such a thing, so I decided to not do it. I knew that something like this would happen, but I didn't want you to die." Button then felt his nose and muzzle reshape into what a cat would have. "Hang in there, I'm getting help!" Cream Heart cried. Button's hooves reshaped into paws and became padded. Then his legs and back snapped, causing him to scream in agony. Cream Heart picked up her son and held him as he began to shrink. Before long, his beanie fell off of his head. He eventually stopped shrinking once he was the size of a small kitten. "It's okay, Mom," Button said. "You're a great mother and I would never hurt you." He then gasped a few times. "Button Mash!" Cream Heart cried out. "Meow?" Button responded. "No, NO!" Cream Heart screamed. * * * * Diamond and Gold Watch quickly gathered up their friends. They managed to find Rumble, Dinky Hooves, Pipsqueak, and Twist. "Did we get everypony?" Diamond asked. "Not quite," Gold Watch answered. "We haven't found Button Mash yet." "Then let's go," Pipsqueak said. The group dashed to Button's house. Once they arrived, Gold Watch knocked on the door. Within three seconds, Cream Heart, who was still wiping her tears, answered the door. "Hello?" she sobbed. "Hi Cream Heart," Gold Watch said worriedly. "We need to see Button Mash. It's urgent." "Well..." Cream Heart began. "He's...Button, please come here." Within a few seconds, Button walked to the front door. The foals looked at him in shocked when they saw that he was now a kitten. "We're too late," Diamond said in horror. As she stared at the now transformed Button Mash, Dinky heard the voice. "Turn Cream Heart into a cat and Spike into a pony," it said. "Eight minutes." All of a sudden, an amulet appeared on the ground in front of Dinky. She picked it up and placed it on her horn. "I'm sorry, Cream Heart," she said. "But I have to turn you into a cat or I'll turn into one." "Do it!" Cream Heart cried. "I want to be with my son!" "Okay," Dinky said nervously. She powered up her horn and zapped Cream Heart. Within just seconds, Cream Heart's ears reshaped into cat ears. Then she grew whiskers and fangs. Afterwards, her muzzle and nose reshaped into that of a cat's and her nose fused with her mouth. "I'm sorry," Dinky said. "I don't know if you'll ever be able to change back." "That's okay, Dinky," Cream Heart said as her hooves became cat paws. "I would do anything just to be back with my son!" Cream Heart screamed as her back and legs snapped and reshaped into that of a cat's. Afterwards, she started to shrink until she was smaller than the foals, but bigger than her son. "Are you okay?" Dinky asked Cream Heart. "Meow," Cream Heart answered. She then pawed on her hairbands, trying to get them off. Dinky walked up to her and removed them. "I'm sorry," Dinky sobbed. "We got to go," Rumble said. "You're not done yet. You need to change Spike into a pony and you only have five minutes to do that." "Oh, right," Dinky responded. The six remaining foals quickly left Button and Cream Heart, who lay down and allowed Button to climb onto her back. As the left, they saw Button and Cream Heart saying some stuff and then Cream Heart carried Button to the streets now that no one could take care of their house. The foals managed to make it to Twilight's castle in just two minutes. Gold Watch knocked on the door and Twilight answered it almost instantly. "Everything okay?" she asked. "It happened again!" Gold Watch shouted. "Button Mash turned into a kitten too!" "I also have been dared to turn Spike into a pony and I need to do that in three minutes," Dinky said worriedly. "I'm sorry." "I understand," Twilight said. She then sighed. "Spike!" Spike quickly flew to the front door. "What is it?" he asked. "How do I say this?" Twilight answered. "These foals have been playing a game of truth or dare that turned out to have serious consequences. If they didn't do as they were told, they would turn into kittens. Last night, it happened to Silver Spoon. I tried to change her back, but nothing worked. Then Button Mash turned into a kitten. Now Dinky Hooves has been dared to turn you into a pony or she'll suffer the same fate." "But I..." Spike began. "I got my wings three months ago." He sighed. "I understand. Can you turn me into a pegasus?" "Of course, Spike," Dinky answered. She powered up her horn and zapped Spike. Within seconds, his lime dragon ears become purple pony ears. Then his tail became that of a pony's. Afterwards, his quills became a mane, his nose stretched into a muzzle, his teeth dulled out, his eyes changed from slit to round, but remained green, his claws and feet became hooves, and his back and legs snapped and caused Spike to be trapped on all fours. Lastly, his dragon wings changed into feathery pegasus wings. Within one minute, the transformation was complete. Dinky powered her horn down and Spike looked at himself. "Wow, look at what I have become," he said excitedly. "I don't think this is too bad to spend the rest of my life as one." "I'm sorry, Spike," Dinky said. "There's nothing to be sorry about," Spike responded as he flapped his now feathery wings. "There's a lot that I don't have to worry about. I never have to ever leave Ponyville. I don't have to ever be near Garble ever again. Although I will miss being able to breath fire." "Sorry again," Dinky said. "We got to go now." The six remaining foals walked back to Ponyville and decided to stop at Rumble's house to get the article that he found. Once they arrived, Rumble pulled the article out of his desk drawer. While rereading it, he saw something that was too small to read, so he pulled a magnifying glass out to see what was written. The only foal to make it out was Cheerilee. "What?!" Rumble shouted. "Our teacher?!" "I can't believe it," Diamond said. "We got to go find her," Gold Watch said. The foals quickly rushed to Cheerilee's house. Gold Watch knocked on the door and Cheerilee answered almost immediately. "What is it?" Cheerilee asked. "This is urgent," Diamond said. "We went to a haunted house and played truth or dare," Gold Watch said. "At first, it seemed like any normal game, but then the truths became suspicious and the dares became dangerous. While playing, Silver Spoon and Button Mash refused to take their dares and turned into kittens as a result." "Here's an article about it," Rumble said as he handed it over to his teacher. "Wait, that haunted house?!" Cheerilee shouted in horror upon seeing the article. "That's the same one I was in when I played that game with my friends back when I was your age." "We need to know how we can get out of the game," Gold Watch said. "You have to play the whole game," Cheerilee answered. "You have to play five rounds within forty-eight hours or all of you will turn into kittens." "Is there a way to change back?" Diamond asked. "Unfortunately, no," Cheerilee said. "Once you fail, you pony form dies. Your heart stops and then starts again once it becomes a cat's. That's why the transformation is irreversible. You can't revive your pony form. You have to spend the rest of your life as a cat. In fact, your lifespan as a cat will remain equal to that of a pony's." "You mean that if we fail to beat the game, we'll have to live for the next seventy or something years as cats?" Rumble asked. "That's right," Cheerilee answered. "But you can outsmart the game. You can share the dares. I had to punch a window with my hoof five times. I knew that if I did that, I would likely inflict too many cuts and bleed to death, so me and my friends each did it once." "Well then, let's finish this game," Pipsqueak said. "What do you mean finish the game?" Gold Watch responded in worry. "Why can't we just get rid of the haunted house?. "It doesn't work that way," Cheerilee said. "The game will follow you no matter what." "I guess we don't have a choice," Gold Watch sad sadly and then turned to his friends. "Let's go." "Wait, before you go, you must know this," Cheerilee said. "You have to finish the game in the haunted house. In fact, I think it's best to stay in their for the rest of the game anyway. It will save you from having to do anything around Ponyville." Gold Watch sighed. "Thanks for the advice, Miss Cheerilee," Gold Watch said nervously. "You're welcome, Gold Watch," Cheerilee responded worriedly. The six foals walked back to the haunted house. Once they arrived, they walked back into the living room and sat on the sofa. "Okay, now we have to wait," Rumble said. Within just seconds, the voice hissed. "Drink the hard cider..." it said. "Three minutes..." The grandfather clocked then chimed three times. The group then saw an arrow on the wall pointing to the kitchen. They walked in there and saw the hard cider bottle. "What?!" Pipsqueak exclaimed. "I have to drink this whole bottle? But I'm too young! I have to be twenty-one to drink that!" "You have to drink that," Rumble said. "No, we will help him," Gold Watch said. "We all need to take a glass and drink one-sixth of the bottle each." He opened one of the kitchen cabinets and took out six small glasses. He then poured the bottle into each glass. By the time he filled up the last glass, the entire bottle of hard cider was empty. "Okay, on the count of three, we all drink," Gold Watch said as he and his friends picked up their glasses. "One...two...three!" All six foals quickly downed their glasses and then they began gagging. "Bleh!" Rumble responded. "That tasted disgusting! I'm never drinking ever again!" "Agreed," Gold Watch responded. "I'm going to go wash my mouth," Twist said. She walked to the sink, turned it on, poured some water into her mouth, gurgled for a few seconds, and then spat it out. Afterwards, she picked up a clean glass, poured some water in it, turned off the sink, and then drank the water. Once she was done, she put the glass into the sink and then looked at the mirror. She saw a messaged painted on it. It said, 'Eat the dog food in the bowl'. "Two minutes..." the voice hissed as the grandfather clock chimed twice. Twist turned to her friends and saw a dog bowl full of dog food on the table. "Oh no," Twist said. "That's justh nasthy!" Twist took a piece of the dog food and ate it. Afterwards, she began gagging. "Agh!" she responded. "I'm going to throw up!" "You have to do it, Twist," Gold Watch said. "Here, I'll help you." Gold Watch grabbed a glass of water and placed it on the table. Then he grabbed the dog bowl and ate half of it in five bites. Afterwards, he coughed several times. "Gold Watch!" Twist called out. "I'm okay," Gold Watch responded. "I just need to drink some water." Once he drank half of the glass, he quickly stuffed his hooves with the dog food and downed it as quickly as possible. Within five more bites, he finished it off. "Done." He then ran to the sink and threw up. Once he was done, he cleaned up his mouth and then the sink. He then turned to his friends and saw a gramophone, a pink dress with laced hoofies, a pink bow, and a carved message that read, 'Put on the dress and dance to the classical music'. "What?!" Gold Watch shouted. "Not in front of my friends!" "Three minutes..." the voice hissed as the grandfather clock chimed three times. "Come on, Gold Watch," Rumble said. "You already said that you love to crossdress and do girly things." Gold Watch sighed. "Okay, I'll do it," he said. Gold Watch tied the bow onto his head. Then he put the dress on. Finally, he got the hoofies on. As soon as he was finished, Rumble pulled out a camera and took a photo of him. "What--hey!" Gold Watch responded as his cheeks turned red. "What was that for?" "Nothing really," Rumble answered. "I just wanted to cherish that memory. Don't worry, I won't show it to anypony, Goldie Watch." "I mean it!" Gold Watch responded angrily. "I Pinkie Promise," Rumble said. "I just need to find three bears." "Stop it!" Gold Watch shouted. The gramophone then played for a few minutes. While it was playing, Gold Watch danced like a ballerina and his friends looked at him in amazement. Once he was done, his friends clapped. "Thank you, thank you," Gold Watch said. He then looked at his dress. "Now to get this dress off of me." As he was about to get rid of it, the voice rung out. "You must wear the dress for the rest of the game..." it hissed. "Oh come on," Gold Watch said. "That's not fair!" "You have to wear it until you lose or complete the game, whichever comes first," the voice said. Gold Watch sighed. "Fine," he said. "At least that this round is over." "I really want to go home," Dinky said. "I'll keep you safe," Pipsqueak said. "We made it through two rounds and we're both still here." "I have a feeling that the next round is going to be worse," Gold Watch said. "But we all need to stick together no matter what." All of his friends nodded in agreement.