Chapters Who Wants To Be A Bit-lionaire?
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!
Who Wants To Be A Bit-lionaire?
Twilight stood motionless in the swivelling chair she sat on, her ears upright, striving to hear every audible syllable uttered by the host, to ensure that she did not miss any aspect of these critical questions. Her muscles were tensed, struck in stillness to rest on the sides of the chair, to brace herself for inevitable slew of questions coming her way.
The first question came.
"...which city is said to be the capital city of Equestria? Canterlot, Ponyville, Manehatten or Cloudsdale?”
Wait, what?
Did she hear that right?
Seriously, was this question supposed to be worth a hundred shiny, gold coins?
Surely, there must be some kind of trap?
Twilight paused, her mind firing on all cylinders to dissect the question thoroughly. There was an uneasiness lingering in the back of her brain as she tried to decompose the question into its component, minute aspects. A voice seemed to speak to her from within, yet she could not decipher what it was trying to tell her, as her thoughts were entirely focused on the task at hoof.
A whole minute passed, causing Many Questions to glance down on his timepiece attached to the side of the elegantly designed lectern. The ponies in the audience began to yawn and groan at the long, unnecessary wait as Twilight continued to stare into the grains of wood of the lectern blankly.
Finally, after what seemed to all as an eternity, Twilight summoned her courage to activate her vocal cords to break the unnerving silence that appeared to endure for an excruciatingly long time.
“Canterlot, final answer,” Twilight replied hesitantly, yet somehow, she was unexpectedly able to project a tone of confidence in her voice.
“Erm...I mean, yeah, err, that's correct!” Many Questions fumbled, as he forced his head up from the comfortable surface of the wooden lectern to face Twilight. "You have won one hundred bits!"
A cautious smile emerged from the corner of Twilight's face when she realised she was not the total embarrassment she thought she was during the qualifying round. What would the crowd think of her if she could not even make it past the first question?
As the audience cheered for the Princess of Friendship, the spotlights rotated away from the centre of the theatre, to focus their attention on Many Questions.
"Alright, for two hundred bits, what is the alphabet that comes first in the English language? Is it A, B, Y or Z?”
Twilight rolled her eyes as Many Questions rattled on with the options, as she could not believe how simple the questions in this gameshow were. She began to lean back onto the chair she sat on, allowing her back to be supported by the soft, red cushion behind, as she gained the crucial confidence she needed to breeze through this.
"A, final answer,” Twilight replied after the host ceased his monologue, portraying utmost confidence in her answer.
“Yes, you have won two hundred bits!” the host proclaimed to all with as much as excitement as he could muster in his voice, while the crowd rallied round to support Twilight. He relieved a sigh of relief, since he was more than happy to see his regal contestant cutting to the chase with her answering for such elementary questions.
Unfortunately, this experience gave Twilight other ideas. It was strange to her that the initial questions she faced so far were even easier than the qualifying question presented. More worryingly, it was even more strange to see that the second question asked was easier than the first, even though it was worth a greater number of bits. How was that even possible?
Hmm, was this show trying to play mind games with her?
Or was this show trying to give her a false sense of security?
The spotlights rotated in their fixed positions.
"For three hundred bits, how many legs do members in the arachnid class of animals have? Do these animals have two, four, six or eight legs?"
Alright, maybe the questions were getting more difficult after all.
"Eight, final answer," Twilight spoke after a short pause to reaffirm with her memory of animal classifications.
"Yes, correct!" Many Questions confirmed rapidly to the roaring crowd while repositioning his question cards into the appropriate order.
Twilight could feel her hooves shaking now. It was not due to fear or anxiety, however. It was the zeal inside of her, or rather the excitement whizzing through the blood in her veins. This feeling was unbearably sensational.
The host glanced up.
“Let's take a look at the following question, which is worth five hundred bits. The Mare Statue, also known as the Statue of Friendship, is located on which island? Is it located on Liberty, Friendship, Octave or the Gallopinghost Island?”
Twilight deflected her gaze away from the host, veering her vision slightly to his right, attempting to remember the travel guide book to Equestria she had read when she was just a young filly in her library in Canterlot.
Ah, those travel guide books she bought were not as useless as she had previously thought after all.
“Friendship Island in Manehatten, and that’s my final answer,” Twilight responded decisively, bringing her gaze back to Many Questions swiftly.
“Yes, correct!” Many Questions revealed, revealing his wide, characteristic smile that exposed his brilliantly white teeth to the audience, glinting vibrantly under the intensity of the light. As usual, the audience gave their customary support to the royal contestant in the centre.
“Moving forward, for a thousand bits, what is the sum of the first three digits of the constant that is the ratio between the circumstance of a geometric circle to its diameter? Is the answer three, seven, eight or eleven?”
“The first three digits of the constant pi is three, one and four,” Twilight thought aloud instantly, as she brought her forehoof up to her chin. “So, the answer is eight.”
The confidence displayed by Twilight in the execution of her answer was undeniable to all who were watching. She turned to face the host, meeting his eyes with hers.
Many Questions could see that glint in her eyes, the forward tilt of her body in her chair, even the stillness of her lips, angled slightly inward. Her face spoke of nothing but triumph, to await the favourable she knew would come.
“Correct! You have won a thousand bits – that’s guaranteed prize money!” Many Questions announced gleefully, as he leaned his neck forward slightly towards Twilight, to the audience’s thundering applause. "No matter what happens, you will trot out of here with at least one thousand bits. All your lifelines are intact and you have ten more questions to the million. Indeed, wouldn’t even a thousand bits help in your vast venture into literature?"
At this, the entire crowd suddenly silenced their cheers, plunging the theatre back into silence to eagerly await Twilight's response.
Twilight's pupils widened at the sudden change in the atmosphere of the room, her eyebrows rising to contact her mane.
“Well, yes…of course,” Twilight replied curiously, instinctively crossing her forehooves, as she was considering about what Many Questions was insinuating about her unhealthy love for books, and on whether she should call him out for his snarky act. She frowned slightly, glaring at him more menacingly than she would have pictured in her mind.
This must be some sort of distraction to throw her off, wasn't it?
“Right...erm, ah, let's proceed, shall we?" Many Questions could sense that Twilight was not particularly pleased at his remark and decided to divert the subject immediately, at least before things get out of hoof. "Worth two thousand bits, who is the current captain of the Wonderbolts? Is it Soarin, Wind Rider, Spitfire or High Winds?”
"Spitfire," Twilight uttered out reflexively.
"Are you sure?" Many Questions questioned, raising an eyebrow, hoping to influence Twilight's decision if he could.
"Final answer," Twilight stated flatly, nodding her head subtly.
A moment of fabricated, drawn-out silence enveloped the theatre, before the sound of inhaling air cut through the scene.
“You are right again for two thousand bits!” the host proclaimed, his voice ringing through to the crowd. As the audience rallied to support Twilight, he started frantically scrambling to rearrange the incredibly messy arrangement of flashcards of questions that developed on his lectern with his hooves.
Twilight could not help but smirk. At this rate, she would be flying through the questions with such ease never before witnessed by any avid follower of this programme. Even after paying her debts, she could imagine herself swimming in the unbelievably massive pile of bits in her magnificent castle. She could imagine running her hooves over each and every round of metal to experience their weight and heftiness. Her eyes would be so dazzled by the lustrous, reflective surfaces of her numismatic treasures she would probably need to invest in a pair of sunglasses. Such a sight would probably make Rarity jealous of the elegant display. Oh, the joy she would feel! The happiness! The-
“Princess Twilight, this question is worth four thousand bits," Many Questions continued, the tone in his voice beginning to tend towards a greater level of seriousness as he interrupted Twilight's wishful thinking. "In anatomy, where can the coffin bone be located? Is it found in the chest, neck, back or hoof?”
Argh, could Many Questions give her even some time to fantasise?
Twilight shook her head vigorously to bring her senses back to reality. After a while, Twilight then leaned towards the left of her chair, bringing her forehoof up to support her head as she mulled over the question.
Hmm, didn't she read about basic anatomy in her encyclopaedia?
Yes, that was it!
“The coffin bone is located at the hoof capsule, so the answer is hoof, and that is final,” Twilight, after a few seconds of deep thought, recited word for word from her worn-out encyclopaedia she essentially venerated as a fantastic resource of scientific knowledge when she was a filly.
Many Questions rubbed his forehead with his hooves while staring at Twilight, his face expressionless.
Time clicked by, slowly but surely, until a voice must shatter the gripping ambience.
“You have just won four thousand bits!” the host broadcasted, prompting the surrounding crowd to grow wild with cheers and jubilation, forcing Many Questions to strain his vocal cords to contend with the audience's ruckus.
Twilight beamed at the widespread hurrah emanating from the crowd. She could feel the surrounding enthusiasm and excitement racing into her as she knew that every question she got right was another step closer to the splendid reward she dearly desired. She tried to ease herself, to relax, to concentrate on the situation. However, her muscles were insensitive to her command, choosing instead to vibrate minutely with fervent exhilaration.
"This next question is worth eight thousand bits. Excluding the sun, how many stars are there on the Equestrian standard? Are there thirty-eight, forty, forty-one or forty-two stars?"
Twilight’s heart sank when she heard the question with absolute clarity, as she could feel her momentum being eliminated in an instant when she realised that she could not recall the answer right from her head. As the cheers died down, Twilight frowned in deliberation as she considered the possible answers to this question.
She exhaled deeply, breaking the tense silence that filled the room. She had seen the flag so many times in Canterlot, and even in Ponyville, yet she never bothered to count the many stars that were on that thing. Why did she not pay more attention to this detail prior to this?
“Princess Twilight, may I remind you that you still have all of your lifelines unused. Need I remind you, if you get this question wrong, you lose three thousand bits, and also the opportunity carry on to the million,” Many Questions stated pointedly, relishing the moment to emphasise the huge opportunity cost. “I mean, you can also chicken out...I mean trot away now with the four thousand bits you have at the moment.”
"Chicken out?" Twilight muttered under her breath, notably incensed by the host's snide remarks as her face grew visibly upset. Yet, despite his snarky jab, Twilight's logical mind felt that the advice given was sound, and she definitely needed someone's assistance to solve this problem.
Well, perhaps she needed not just someone, but everyone to give her a helping hoof.
“Alright, can I ask the audience, please?” Twilight inquired, giving into her temptation to use one of her lifelines which she really wanted to save for the final, difficult questions of the quiz show.
“Alright, audience, before you all are the interlinked crystals that have the answers magically etched onto them. Allow me to repeat the question: excluding the sun, how many stars are there on the Equestrian standard? Are there thirty-eight, forty, forty-one or forty-two stars? Lock in your answer via the crystals in the next five seconds, starting from now!”
Twilight glanced around the theatre, her head turning left and right to observe the crowd magically keying in their answers. She was praying that their collective answer aligned with her own, or else her theory would be forced to be thrown right out of the window.
“Well, Twilight, it appears that a slight majority of the audience believes that the answer is forty-one,” Many Questions spoke, after turning his head around to notice the theatre was mostly alit with an orange glow radiating from each individual crystal surrounding them.
“Then I guess I’ll go with forty-one, final answer,” Twilight answered, her eyes locked on the host’s face, eager to hear a favourable reply. She could feel her heart beating at an accelerating rate, as Many Questions dragged his hooves to answer, just to create that infamous suspense that lingered in the air. Her teeth gripped onto each other with anxiety, as Twilight brought herself forward on the chair, to brace for the answer that was to come.
Beads of cold sweat dripped down Twilight's face as slowly as time seemed to pass.
“Forty-one stars…is the right answer! You have won eight thousand bits!” Many Questions announced to the roaring crowd, allowing Twilight to instantly melt back into her chair with much-needed relief. "You have two lifelines remaining and you are only seven questions away to the million."
Twilight could feel the atmosphere of the set seeping into her as she gave out a huge sigh of relief in an attempt to allay her anxiety.
Many Questions could see the drastic change in her state of mind. Her unsteady breathing, the constant shaking of her hooves, and in fact everything about her body language were all tell-tale signs of uneasiness and perturbation.
He could not squander this opportunity.
He needed to deny her any chance to recover from this.
There was no time to lose.
"This next question is worth sixteen thousand bits," the host exclaimed, as he squinted down into the lectern, while the crowd quietened down swiftly. "Which of the following gemstones is the hardest? Is it sapphire, opal, topaz or emerald?"
In her anxiety, Twilight's thinking became blurry as her emotions rushed in and out of her mind sporadically. She was trying to recall the time when Rarity loaned her a book on gemology to skim through to grant her at least some awareness of gemstones. She merely needed to piece those memories together.
It was only that simple if her mind would decide to cooperate with her.
She closed her eyes shut. She concentrated her thoughts, trying to push aside those thoughts of fear that lingered in her mind. She tapped her forehead with her hoof, hoping to pressure it into resolve this.
Fortunately, after a few moments in solemn thought, all became clear.
"I think it's sapphire," Twilight spoke, furling her eyebrows in doing so.
"Positive?" Many Questions asked, trying to ascertain whether Twilight would want to lock in her answer permanently. "You lose seven thousand bits if you are wrong."
"Yes," Twilight agreed. Based on what she could remember, sapphire should be the hardest gemstone listed, except for diamond. Despite this, there remained a small shred of doubt in her when she confirmed her answer to the host before her. She took her eyes away from the view of the host, wishing not to hear the outcome as she attempted to calm her sensitive nerves while relaxing on her seat, to no avail.
Many Questions kept his lips closed for a considerable duration of time, allowing Twilight and the audience to take in the stillness of the scene, to keep them resolutely on tenterhooks.
"You have just won sixteen thousand bits!" the host proclaimed to all, reigniting the crowd's enthusiasm yet again. "You are just one question away from the potential, guaranteed sum of thirty-two thousand bits and you are only six away from the million! Tell me, how are you feeling?"
"Erm, slightly nervous?" Twilight admitted, as she deflated back into the seat, exhaling a lungful of air that was previously trapped within in anticipation. She tried to relieve herself by granting herself a momentary smirk, which materialised on her face in a relatively crooked manner, betraying the true emotions she actually felt in her.
"Oh, that's perfectly normal," Many Questions responded, more amicably than what Twilight would have envisioned in her mind. "But, are you ready to proceed to the question worth thirty-two thousand bits?"
Twilight gave out a large lungful of air before nodding her head slowly.
"Alright, here it comes, for thirty-two thousand bits," the host pulled one of the flashcards to the side in preparation, clearing his throat before carrying on. "Quesadillas are traditionally stuffed with cheese of what-"
Twilight choked on her own saliva sliding down into the back of her throat as she jerked herself back into the seat with distaste at the mere mention of quesadillas. She stuck out her tongue in obvious disgust while she was coughing, squirming at the thought of the excessively cheesy food that she abhorred more than anything else.
"Princess Twilight? Are you okay?"
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!"
Who Wants To Be A Bit-lionaire?
"Hello and welcome back to Who Wants to Be A Bit-lionaire! Many Questions here back again with Princess Twilight here in the hot seat!" the host announced to the audience as they slowly made their way back into their seats in the spectator corner, the surrounding lights dimming in anticipation.
Twilight returned to her seat at the centre of the theatre, shivering constantly for the longest five minutes of her entire life. Her hooves were shaking, even though she tried to push them down onto the side rests of the chair in an attempt to hide her distress from the entire audience. As her eyes were staring in the general, rough direction of the host blankly, her brows seemed to jump out from her face with exhilaration. She simply sat there, watching intently, with every aspect of her facial apparatus staying unwaveringly frozen.
"Five minutes ago, our contestant here has used her last lifeline to call for her friend Rainbow Dash to help her answer the two hundred and fifty thousand bit question. So, the question was this: which of the following four options is not part of the Daring Do series by A.K. Yearling?" Many Questions glanced down to his cue cards to jog his memory on the question answered, but in reality, he actually really wanted to avoid that perturbing glare from his royal contestant. "She followed her friend's advice and went for Daring Do and the Razor of Dreams. And now, the real question now is whether this is the right answer or not. So, princess, how do you feel about your answer?"
"Well, I wish that you could stop teasing me with this needless suspense," Twilight replied, her voice giving away a hint of irritation. "Could you please get on with it?"
"Alright, alright, calm your nerves, princess; I was getting to that," Many Questions reassured. "For two hundred and fifty thousand bits, the answer is-"
"TWILIGHT!"
The heavy double doors of the theatre slammed back into their closed positions, the sound emitted demolishing the relative silence of the theatre.
"Rainbow Dash?" Twilight blurted out, as the sudden noise jolted Twilight's nerves to instinctively turn towards its origin, to spot a pony sporting a multicoloured rainbow mane who was none other than her loyal friend.
Before Many Questions could even begin to blink in surprise at the arrival of Rainbow Dash, she flew down the steps of the theatre to land at Twilight's side, carrying with her a gust of wind that swished through the ranks of the spectating audience.
"Twilight...I'm sorry," Rainbow Dash spoke to the stunned Twilight, pausing only for a short moment to catch her breath to ease the strain off her lungs. "I just realised that I gave you the wrong answer...and you didn't choose Daring Do and the Razor of Dreams, right? Please tell me you didn't!"
Twilight's jaws gave way to enable her tongue to taste the coolness of the air in the theatre as she slumped back into the chair despondently, sinking deeper and deeper into it.
A tense moment of silence ensued as Twilight's mouth could only tremble as she quickly realised the implications of Rainbow Dash's words. Rainbow Dash remained by Twilight's side, the knees of her front legs shaking before collapsing to the carpeted floor simultaneously with a faint thud, forcing her eyes away from gazing into Twilight's lifeless eyes.
"Erm...yes," Many Questions stumbled, appalled at this sudden turn of events. "I'm so sorry...but your answer to the question is wrong. I'm afraid that you will have to leave with thirty-two thousand bits."
The audience gave out a resounding cacophony of disappointment and dismay at this jarring news, as Twilight's eyes turned to sink towards the ground to bring a disheartened Rainbow Dash into view, whose head was bowed down in sheer resignation and remorse.
Twilight opened her mouth to speak, but her conscience stopped that act dead in its tracks. It was all too easy for Twilight to scream out her feelings of negativity at her failure, or rather, perhaps, at Rainbow Dash's failure to help her appropriately. After all, the thought of losing that astronomical sum of money to a singular wrong answer came all too quickly for her mind to register cognitively and logically, prompting her emotions to seize control of her mind and her actions. Yet, when she stared down towards her friend who was evidently feeling the guilt and remorse, she paused for a moment.
Why would Rainbow Dash provide her with the wrong answer intentionally? Twilight felt that, as a genuine friend, Rainbow Dash would definitely not want her to lose the chance to win the million. And judging by how her loyal friend rushed down into the set to apologise in advance for her mistake and the doleful look that she surely must be carrying then and there, Twilight realised how much Rainbow Dash actually cared for her.
Argh, it pained her to almost think of considering that her friendship with Rainbow Dash could be tied to a quantifiable sum. And she almost gave in to that thought to yell at her friend because of this...
How could she possibly recover from this if she allowed her emotions to command her actions in the heat of the moment? How could she possibly get Rainbow Dash back if she destroyed her feelings like that? And as the princess of friendship, how would every single pony in the audience judge of her actions?
Meanwhile, while the din from the crowd faded back into silence, Rainbow Dash remained motionless, her mind refusing to bring her eyes to glance up to look at Twilight. How could she possibly make it up to Twilight after what she had done? How could she conjure almost a hundred thousand bits to repay Twilight to make up for her mistake? How could she explain this to Twilight?
And above all, was their friendship over?
While Twilight remained silent, Rainbow Dash's mind was riddled with troubling thoughts as she knelt in front of Twilight, bracing for a barrage of words her mind would not dare to conceive of. She took a deep breath, sucking up the still air, before expelling it out forcefully to try to calm her nerves down.
However, what happened next was not what Rainbow Dash expected.
Suddenly, Twilight pushed herself out of the comfort of her chair to bring herself closer towards her loyal friend and hugged Rainbow Dash. In spite of how cold Twilight's body was, this unexpected act poured warmth into Rainbow Dash's heart. While Rainbow Dash could feel Twilight's forehooves running through the length of her own rainbow mane, as though Twilight was trying to console her, tears uncontrollably left the confines of her eyes to trickle down onto Twilight's body when she returned the embrace.
Many Questions and the audience watched the proceedings closely, their eyes fixated on the two close friends who were in a deep embrace with each other, as most of their mouths were left wide open to gape at the scene before them. They certainly did not anticipate for this to occur, for everypony believed that Twilight must have been extremely upset at Rainbow Dash for sabotaging her stride towards the million. Yet, they witnessed the alicorn before them trotting forth to console her friend, to assure her that everything was alright and that she should not feel remorse for what she did.
"Why...? How...how are you not...mad at me?" Rainbow Dash asked, halting at several moments in time to stifle her tears that continued to drip down the sides of her cheeks. "I caused you to lose...everything."
Twilight inhaled deeply.
"No, you didn't. I mean, I did lose a hundred thousand bits, yes," Twilight responded softly as she placed her forehoof over her friend's back. "But...I still have you as a friend...a friend that I know I can count on."
As Rainbow Dash heard each and every word uttered from Twilight's mouth with absolute clarity, she leaned forward to bring her head to rest onto Twilight's body, as her tears continued to stream down.
"I could...I could not bring myself to scream at you for what you did," Twilight continued after summoning her courage to do so while patting Rainbow Dash's back. "I didn't want to hurt your feelings more than you have already inflicted on your own. Our friendship should never be measured in bits...it's priceless."
"Thank...thank you...Twilight for forgiving me," Rainbow Dash uttered between sobs, as she released Twilight from her embrace to look at her with her teary eyes. "I-I thought that you never forgive me for what I did. And that was an unintentional mistake, I promise!"
"Rainbow, remember, it's not entirely your fault that I lost that sum of money. I chose to lock in the answer you gave me, not you," Twilight reassured. "Anyways, I will still have my thirty-two thousand bits, which is more than enough to repay my loans."
"Come on everypony, a round of applause for the Princess Twilight's great job on the show today and her extraordinary display of friendship with Rainbow Dash!" Many Questions declared to the audience, hoping to provide the two with affirmative encouragement as he began clapping his two forehooves together for the two. "Princess Twilight leaves with a whopping thirty-two thousand bits!"
As the crowd's massive applause drowned out every bit of silence in the theatre, Twilight pushed Rainbow Dash back into another hug and whispered a word of thanks into her friend's ear, for she knew that she had just learnt a valuable lesson worth more than a hundred thousand bits.
Author's Note
Thank you joining me for my second story, Who Wants To Be A Bit-lionaire ! Cheers for all the support and motivation you all have given me!
