Twilight’s eyes swivelled around to observe the unnerving scene before her.

Seated around the centre of the theatre, Twilight and five other contestants waited impatiently for the host to step onto the set to begin the gameshow. Twilight stood disconcertingly still on the chair that forced her to stare into the glaring, bright lights of the centre in the deafening silence of the room. She was fearful to glance towards the other competing contestants; she did not want to stress herself even more than she already was.

In front of her stood the scene she could not forget. An ergonomic chair was placed strategically in the iridescent lights projected by a powerful spotlight. This was accompanied by an ornate, mahogany lectern that surely held the questions that she would soon face.

“Why did I sign up for this?” Twilight thought to herself, as beads of sweat trickled down the sides of her brow, despite the cool air circulating from the exterior of the building. Deep down, in the very depths of her heart, she knew that she had no choice but to participate in this gameshow to repay those debts that she owed, incurred from renovating her castle’s interior.

She sighed, wishing that the castle gifted upon her would have an interior as majestic as the exterior. The huge, spacious interior was simply begging to be filled with her appropriate embellishments, especially the library. She could not bear the sight of the copiously empty bookshelves that surrounded her when she stepped into the castle’s library.

Of course, emptying the local bookstores of their stock had its corresponding consequences.

“Welcome to all; I am Many Questions,” the host stepped into the centre of the theatre under the glare of the spotlights above, addressing the massive crowd who were seated quietly behind Twilight’s circular row of chairs. “Your host for today’s show on ‘Who Wants to be a Bit-lionaire!’ Now, let’s find today’s contestant in our qualifying round for the chance to win the grand sum of one million bits!”

Twilight squinted to get a good look of the host conducting the quiz show. Under the radiance of light, Many Questions portrayed an air of control and superiority over the entire proceedings of the gameshow. He was a stallion with height, with a set of multicoloured question marks as his cutie mark.

“So today, we have six contestants, who will be answering the qualifying question I will ask shortly,” Many Questions declared to the crowd, a wide grin remaining resolutely on his face, as he announced the rules of the gameshow. “Using the magically imbued, interlinked crystals in front of them, they will enter their answer to the question. The options are inscribed onto the multicoloured crystals instantaneously on my cue, and the contestants are to answer by physically contacting the crystal with the answer they deem is right. The crystals track the accuracy of the answer and also the speed in which the answer is given. Ultimately, the qualifying contestant will be the one who gives the correct answer in the shortest time.”

With that, Many Questions stepped forth to the lectern in the middle, prompting Twilight’s teeth to clench in anticipation, creating a devilish, unshaven look to her usual, nonchalant demeanour. Her mane seemed unkept, reflecting the state of mind she was currently in.

“Without further ado, let’s begin!” the host exclaimed to all, his eyes glancing down onto the flashcards placed on the lectern, as the crowd stared down intently to watch the scene. “In Equestrian architecture, what is the name of the top course of a pillar that reinforces an arch? Is the answer keystone, impost, crown or springer?”

Without a moment of hesitation, Twilight, using her forehoof, punched the yellow crystal hurriedly, causing it to light up and glow with a dim intensity.

After a few split seconds after she confidently locked in her answer, Twilight smiled, her eyes sparkling with joy as she knew that she would make it into the main round for her chance to earn those quick bits and repay those loans, until they landed smack onto the word inscribed on the flashing yellow crystal.

“Time’s up!” Many Questions announced to the contestants.

“No!” Twilight screamed at herself within, as she discovered that she hit the wrong crystal indicating the answer that was not accurate in her overthinking mind. Worse, she only found out when it was too late to ratify the mistake. She knew that the supporting blocks at the top of those arches used in famous buildings in Canterlot were called keystones, yet she smashed the crystal that has "impost" inscribed on its yellow surface. She threw her forehoof onto her forehead, smacking her head harder than she had originally intended, as her face started to flare up in rage at her own stupidity.

“And the fastest pony to get the answer correct is…Princess Twilight Sparkle! Come on up here!”

“WHAT?” Twilight’s face turned from sheer disappointment to maniacal disbelief as she awkwardly shifted herself out of her cushioned seat to trot towards the lustrous centre of the theatre to position herself onto the famous hot seat.

As Twilight sat, there was something within her, within her heart that felt that she did not deserve her placing in the main round of the show.

“Wait, erm...sorry, Many Questions, but isn’t the answer to the qualifying question keystone?” Twilight inquired, as she frowned at the stallion. “I mean, isn’t the top part of the arch called a keystone?”

“Hahaha, don’t be ridiculous!” Many Questions replied to the alicorn before him after letting out a burst of laughter. “Yes, the keystone is the piece at the top of the arch, but the question was asking for the top piece of the pillar supporting the arch. Well, if you wrongly entered the correct option, then I guess your qualification into the main round is destined to happen!”

Twilight shifted her position on the ergonomic chair nervously, as she chuckled apprehensively at her silliness. She could not help but wonder what the observing audience around her would think of her fluke, as she gazed around the crowd surrounding her. Before her stood hundreds of spirits, their eyes staring down into her soul.

“So, Princess Twilight, what brings you to our show?” Many Questions asked casually, as he turned to face the alicorn princess to address her. “I hear you have been clearing the stock of basically every bookstore here in Ponyville!”

“Erm, yes,” Twilight responded anxiously after a moment of contemplation as she wondered how she could portray her reckless, spendthrift book buying spree to the audience around her. “Well…those books were not without a price!”

“Ah, I see,” Many Questions replied instinctively. “Firstly, let me thank you; this is, after all, the first time royalty has decided to partake in our humble gameshow, and it is certainly an honour to have you on our show.”

Twilight smiled, though her facial expression was more strained and misshapen than natural.

“Well, you know the rules, you know the lifelines: ask a friend, fifty-fifty and ask the audience,” Many Questions continued after a short pause for air. “So, let’s play for one million bits!”

Twilight swallowed the saliva that was stuck in her throat, as she anticipated the barrage of quick-fire questions that would soon rain down for the first few questions of the main round.

“Now, for one hundred bits..."

Author's Note

I hope you enjoy this chapter! Don't worry, the questions will be varied to include the MLP universe and also general knowledge!