Who Wants To Be A Bit-lionaire?

"Err...yes," Twilight spoke, pausing for a short moment as she tried to force down the saliva stuck in her throat to stop herself from coughing. "Of course I'm okay...yes, I'm fine!"

"Alright then," Many Questions craned his neck down to repeat the question introduced, although he could sense that Twilight was trying to hide the fact that she was spooked out by this for some unknown reason. "Quesadillas are traditionally stuffed with cheese of what colour? Is it white, blue, yellow or orange? This question is worth thirty-two thousand bits."

As the host was reading through the options, Twilight was struggling hard to control her true emotions that were being exposed to the entire audience, courtesy of her body language. Her face was strained, almost to the point of agony, with her teeth clattering furiously to emit a rattling sound that echoed throughout the confines of the theatre. She brought her forehoof into the left side of her mouth in an attempt to stop this, but unfortunately, her exceptionally animated teeth continued the clattering on the right side of her mouth. She could feel her teeth shattering into pieces on the inside.

"Erm, Princess Twilight?" Many Questions uttered uncomfortably, as the constant clattering caused him to feel shudders racing through his spine. "Just calm down...you have two life-"

"I HATE QUESADILLAS!" Twilight exclaimed at the top of her voice as her emotions towards quesadillas got to a breaking point, shutting down the host's appeal for calm rapidly. "They are so...CHEESY! They are always filled with that revolting white cheese that leaves that horrible aftertaste at the tip of my tongue!"

Many Questions blinked speechlessly in response to Twilight's unexpected outburst.

The crowd was in shock and having being taken aback by Twilight's eruption of feelings, stood stock-still.

Twilight stared blankly into space, her eyes wide in shock as her mind considered the implications of her rash actions. She bowed her head down in resignation, wishing not to meet the glance of anypony in the audience, or even Many Questions for that matter. How would everypony react to her disliking quesadillas? How would all the ponies in the theatre think of her after this outburst of hers? How would everypony feel when she acted in violation of-

"Is...white your final answer?" Many Questions asked cautiously, as he was trying to break the awkwardness that persisted in the theatre. He shifted his own gaze away inadvertently, wondering whether his interjection would offend his regal contestant. He cleared his throat after downing a glass of lukewarm water, hoping to distract himself away from the centre of attention who sat mere feet away.

"Yes," Twilight timidly replied, her mind refusing to turn and face Many Questions, but rather choosing to face the carpeted floor in anguish. She could not bring herself to see each and every pony around judging her methodically from the comfort of their spectator seats.

"White cheese...is the right answer!" Many Questions exclaimed, though his call failed to instigate a round of applause from the audience immediately, unlike previous rounds. "Princess Twilight has won thirty-two thousand bits, with only five critical questions to the million! And no matter what happens next, you will trot out of here with that guaranteed sum of bits."

As the crowd eventually put their forehooves together to congratulate Twilight's incredible feat, she stood in her seat, unmoving. A flurry of emotions rushed through her heart as she was unsure whether to smile at her great accomplishment or frown at her own impetuous actions.

"Well played, Princess Twilight. But now, the question for sixty-four thousand bits is coming. Are you ready?" Many Questions added, as he brought his forehoof to bring the question card over towards his gaze. "There is no harm trying this question anyways; I mean, even if you get this question wrong, you will still walk away from here with thirty-two thousand bits."

"Yes," Twilight responded with a tone approaching seriousness, as she brought her head up to face the host.

"Alright, here comes the question for sixty-four thousand bits," Many Questions declared, prompting all the spotlights in the theatre to turn towards the centre of attention, plunging the surrounding zones filled with spectators into darkness. "What is the minimum wing-power to drive water up against gravity? Is it one hundred, three hundred, eight hundred or one thousand wing-power?"

Composing herself, Twilight brought her mind into deep thought, closing her eyes thoroughly.

"I think it's eight hundred."

"How do you know that?" Many Questions inquired, hoping to offer any shred of doubt into her reasoning to change her mind. He readjusted the posture he maintained for a good duration of time next to the lectern, trying to stretch his muscles slightly.

"Well, I remember that time when Ponyville's reservoir was used to top up the water supply up in Cloudsdale," Twilight explained casually to the host, opening her eyes to the bright lights and gesturing her forehooves as she talked. "Yes, I believe the answer is eight hundred wing-power. And that's my final answer."

Twilight grinned slightly, not because of her confidence in her answer, but rather it was the fact that she was able to overcome the embarrassing incident that occurred not too long ago. She was not going to let such a trivial matter obstruct her journey to the fabled million.

"Feeling confident?" Many Questions raised his eyebrows and slowly turned to his lectern to allow time to tick by.

Twilight clasped her lips shut and nodded her head slightly.

"It is eight hundred wing-power! You are right for sixty-four thousand bits!" the host revealed to the enchanted audience. "You are amazing! You have only four questions to the million with two lifelines!"

Despite receiving the news of her success with the previous question, Twilight did not react with much excitement or joy. Her face retained that determined look, and her eyes maintained a steely gaze that spoke of nothing but resilience. She remained on her seat with her forehooves supporting her posture snugly.

The ruffling of cards on a wooden surface could be heard from where Twilight was sitting at, prompting her to brace for the next question.

"For a hundred and twenty-five thousand bits," Many Questions noted, before pausing for a few, long moments before asking this critical question. "In geography, what is the term that describes an island that is also within another island? Is it an inclusive, exclusive, recursive or incursive island? If you answer this question correctly, you will be the first on this show to win a hundred and twenty-five thousand bits."

After a moment of deliberation, Twilight breathed in deeply, as she slowly slid back into the confines of her seat. She returned to her state of deep thinking, as she pondered over the question and the corresponding options.

"I think I need a fifty-fifty here," Twilight muttered, as she used her forehooves to drag herself back up onto the seat. "Alright, can I use my lifeline here?"

"Sure, after randomly removing two incorrect answers, you are left with either an exclusive island or an recursive island. One of those options is worth one hundred and twenty-five thousand bits, while the other is only worth thirty-two thousand. Need I remind you, you need not play this question; you can trot away from here sixty-four thousand bits richer."

"Well, I have a slight clue," Twilight spoke carefully. "I think it's recursive, I am not sure whether I should risk it."

"Is that your final answer? Remember, if you are wrong, you will lose thirty-two thousand bits."

Her heart was pounding as she realised how much was at stake in this single question. Thirty-two thousand bits was truly an astronomical sum of money. Losing that gigantic amount just by selecting the wrong option here would definitely cause her to regret her decision.

However, her mind was still enticed by that ridiculous sum, the grand prize of one million bits that was so tantalisingly close. She had a fifty percent chance of getting through if she risked it to win one hundred and twenty-five thousand bits. More importantly, there was also a fifty percent chance she would be able to carry on to the mythical million.

"Yes, final answer," Twilight declared, as she tightly tucked her wings close to her body and closed her eyes to pray and hope for the best.

"Recursive...is the right answer!" Many Questions proclaimed loudly, causing the audience to erupt into massive cheers. "I can't believe it! You have won one hundred and twenty-five thousand bits!"

Twilight smiled widely at her triumph, causing her to expose her bright, white teeth to all to witness. The fact that only three questions remained between her and one million gold coins made her not only elated, but thrilled to carry on. She wanted it all to be over as quickly as possible, so that she would not lose her momentum and even her luck.

"You are now playing for a quarter of a million bits and you still have one crucial lifeline remaining," Many Questions said, emphasising the huge sum of money that is in play. "Are you ready to play?"

"Absolutely," Twilight replied rapidly.

"Alright, here it comes, for a quarter of a million bits. Which of the following is not part of the Daring Do series by A.K. Yearling? Is it Daring Do and the Ring of Destiny, Daring Do and the Riddle of the Pharoah, Daring Do and the Razor of Dreams or Daring Do and the Eternal Flower?"

Twilight frowned, mulling over the question. She was trying to recall the titles by A.K. Yearling in her huge, complete collection of Daring Do books that was dwarfed only by her complete set of books by Seronimo Gilton.

Even after long minutes of contemplation, Twilight had no definitive answer to provide to Many Questions that she could give confidently. However, she felt that "Daring Do and the Riddle of the Pharoah" seemed to be odd one out from the rest, though she did read something about a pharoah in one of A.K. Yearling's books...

She needed help.

"Can I phone a friend?"

"Of course, who would you like to call upon?" Many Questions responded enthusiastically, although he was somewhat startled by the fact that Twilight would need help on a question pertaining to books. A group of unicorn stepped out from the darkness surrounding them to trot towards the lectern.

"Rainbow Dash," Twilight answered, readying herself for the quick conversation that she would be allowed with her friend, who was more than an ardent fan of Daring Do. "She probably knows the answer."

"Okay, our unicorns here are now on task to calibrate this magical crystal to communicate with Rainbow Dash. Once activated, you have thirty seconds to talk to her and confirm your answer," Many Questions instructed, as these unicorns began casting an assortment of spells that interacted with the flickering crystal on the lectern.

After a few seconds of magic, the crystal shined brightly with a radiant lilac hue despite the huge intensity of the lights coming from the spotlights of the set.

"Alright, Twilight, please get ready."

"Hello? Is this Rainbow Dash? I'm Many Questions here from Who wants to be a Bit-lionaire?"

"Erm, hello? Yeah, I am Rainbow Dash. But wait, how are you able to contact me? I'm on some random cloud in the middle of the sky chillaxing near Ponyville..."

"Oh, we have a magic crystal here that transmits your speech from your current geographical position to here and vice versa. Well, it's magic...it's complicated," Many Questions replied, wishing that Rainbow Dash would not force him to explain the spells used in intricate detail to her.

"Alright, fine," Rainbow Dash replied as she was yawning at the details. "So, erm...what do you want from me?"

"Your friend, Princess Twilight Sparkle, is currently on our show here, you see," Many Questions stated, turning his gaze away from the crystal and towards his regal contestant. "She is doing pretty well. She just won one hundred and twenty-five thousand bits and she is now going for a quarter of a million bits. And she needs your help-"

"WHAT!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, her voice evolving to that of astonishment as she immediately snapped out of her dreamy state of mind. "One quarter of a million bits? And wait...why wasn't I invited to watch the show she was taking part in?"

"Yes, two hundred and fifty thousand bits. Alright, soon, she will read the question to you, along with its four possible options. And one of them will be worth a quarter of a million bits. And the next voice you will hear will be Princess Twilight. So, Princess Twilight, you have thirty seconds; good luck."

"Rainbow Dash, which of the following is not part of the Daring Do series by A.K. Yearling? Is it Daring Do and the Ring of Destiny, Daring Do and the Riddle of the Pharoah, Daring Do and the Razor of Dreams or Daring Do and the Eternal Flower?" Twilight read through the question and its options speedily, hoping to maximise the short time interval she was allotted.

"Twilight, why didn't you want me to watch the programme you are on now?" Rainbow Dash's disappointed voice rang out from the crystal. "Am I not your-"

"Rainbow Dash! We don't have time for that; please tell me which option you think is right! Do you need me to repeat the options? Quick!" Twilight hurriedly interjected, as she slapped her forehead forcefully with her hooves. If Rainbow Dash would dare to waste her valuable lifeline at this salient juncture of the gameshow...

"Ermmm, I don't think I have heard of Daring Do and the Razor of Dreams...I think it is supposed to be called Daring Do and the Razor of Destiny," Rainbow Dash noted thoughtfully.

"Are you sure? I thought Daring Do and the Riddle of the Pharoah sounded off," Twilight remarked curiously, as her friend caused her to cast doubt on her original answer.

"Yeah, I think-"

"Sorry, your thirty seconds with Rainbow Dash is up," Many Questions mentioned, as he witnessed the light emanating from the crystal waning into quiescence. "Remember, should you choose the incorrect answer, you will lose almost one hundred thousand bits when you drop back to thirty-two thousand. You don't have to play this question; you can walk away now with the largest amount of winnings a contestant has ever won on this programme."

"I believe in Rainbow Dash," Twilight instinctively announced to the set. "She is probably more of a Daring Do fan than I am. So...Daring Do and the Razor of Dreams, final answer."

"You know, you sound pretty confident in your answer," Many Questions said quietly, as he brought his forehoof to wipe off the sweat off his forehead. "And to trust your friend in a question worth a quarter of a million bits...that's really something."

Twilight stared at the host, unsure of what he was trying to imply.

"I am so sorry to say that the answer to the question valued at two hundred and fifty thousand bits..."

Wait, sorry? Was Many Questions trying to tease her and the audience before them?

Twilight gripped onto her chair tightly with anxiety as she held her breath to prepare herself for the impending result that was to come. She clenched her teeth firmly, as her lips were vibrating ceaselessly and irregularly.

"...will be revealed after a short intermission!"