The Friendship Test is a fanfic written by Magpiepony, who also wrote An Apple Sleep Experiment, Pinkie Tales, and Princess Trixie Sparkle. Twilight and her friends wake up in a dark room, where Starlight reveals herself, having kidnapped them, forces them to take a series of “tests” about friendship.
Can be read here.
There is also a YouTube reading. done by TheLostNarrator, who stars alongside Magpiepony and several other frequent collaborators.
‘’The Friendship Test’’ contains examples of:
- Apologetic Attacker: Fluttershy tearfully apologizes to Rainbow Dash while striking her with a metal rod.
- The Bad Guy Wins
- Break the Cutie: Pinkie Pie breaks down in tears when Rainbow Dash is killed.
- Cold-Blooded Torture: Starlight forces the Mane Six to do this to each other.
- Dark Fic: Is often considered to be one of the darkest MLP fanfictions.
- Die Laughing: Pinkie Pie while she chokes on Starlight's toxic gas/laughing powder mixture.
- Downer Ending: The Mane Six with the exception of Rarity are all killed.
- Family-Unfriendly Death: The deaths of the Mane Six sans Rarity.
- Applejack is electrocuted and burnt.
- Rainbow Dash is beaten to death with a metal rod.
- Pinkie Pie chokes on toxic gas.
- Twilight Sparkle drowns.
- Fluttershy is fatally poisoned.
- Faux Affably Evil: Starlight puts on a facade of affable charm, only meant to highlight her depravity and insanity.
- Heroic Sacrifice: Subverted with Twilight in the Generosity Test.
- I Will Punish Your Friend for Your Failure: How Applejack dies after Rainbow Dash tries to attack Starlight in an attempt to stop the tests.
- Karma Houdini: Starlight ultimately gets away with her actions.
- Karma Houdini Warranty: It’s implied she’ll soon face the wrath of Discord.
- Kill the Cutie: Applejack, Rainbow, Pinkie, Twilight, and Fluttershy are all brutally killed.
- Prisoner's Dilemma: The Test of Honesty. Rarity and Fluttershy have to choose to either leave their lives up to fate by selecting Chance or potentially kill the other pony by selecting Choice; it also requires them to discuss their choices with each other, leaving the possibility of one of them lying open.
- Sadistic Choice: Multiple.
- The Test of Kindness requires them to either let Starlight brand an equal sign on their flank or brand the pony to their right.
- The Test of Loyalty requires them to either lash Rainbow Dash with a metal rod three times or stab another pony.
- The Test of Generosity requires them to either let them all only have a few seconds of breathable air at best or drown one of their friends.
- The Test of Honesty requires them to either leave their lives up to fate by selecting Chance or potentially kill the other pony by selecting Choice; it also requires them to discuss their choices with each other, leaving the possibility of one of them lying open.
- Shout-Out: The fic takes a lot of inspiration from Truth or Dare and Saw.
- Sole Survivor: Rarity.
