Chapter 11
Risky Play
Spike gazed at Discord in surprise before it turned into a glare "What's your game now, Discord?"
Discord laughed "My boy, you're looking at it! You're about to partake in the latest and greatest game show ever to grace Equestria? The title you ask? Let me answer that question with a question." He turned to a shadowed part of the game room with a shady grin "Are we certain that Spike can even grab the element in time to go and help his friends?" He snapped his talons, and ceiling lights had lifted the darkness to show several copies of Discord in different outfits sitting on the bleachers with eager expressions. They lifted their arms in the air and shouted in unison
"Not! A! Chance!"
Spike groaned "Oh great, so you're gonna pick on me through a game show?" He asked unpleasantly.
Discord appeared next to Spike and draped an arm over his shoulders "Come now, Spike. You should be happy! Nopony has ever had the honor of partaking in this wonderful show. Why, I haven't even explained the rules yet." He said with a devious smirk.
Spike turned to Discord with slight anxiety "The rules?"
Discord glided away from Spike and nodded "That's right." He snapped his talons and a deck of pamphlets rested in his lion paw "The game revolves around a trivial pursuit of sorts; You're going to answer a slew of questions and get them right if you want your precious element in your claws. The goal is to get six of them correct in a row." He directed a claw towards the element sitting on a tall pedestal, which had six vertical dots appear; One by one, they lit up starting from the bottom "Once that happens, the element is yours." Two chimes of a bell were heard as all six dots were lit up.
Spike felt a building confidence from viewing the glowing pedestal, only to have it crushed as Discord's expression became neutral "But if you're to get one wrong during your streak..." There was a buzzer as the lights went out starting from the top "You'll have to work your way back up whether you like it or not. Simple as that."
The purple dragon raised an eyebrow "What happens if I lose?"
Discord shook his head "Don't be silly, Spike, there are no losers." Spike sighed in relief "I'll just keep asking you several questions until you'll feel like an impeccable failure!" Discord blurted out as he broke into a raucous laughter. After he let enough out of his system, the draconequus cleared his throat professionally and shuffled his deck of pamphlets "So without further ado, let's get this game started, shall we?" He brought up the first one and silently read through it before he beamed "Ah~! The first category is fun for the whole family: Cooking!" Discord read over the question "I'm a vessel without hinges, lock or lid. Buried inside me, a golden treasure is hid...What am I?"
Spike perked up in confusion "Huh? What does that have to do with cooking!?"
Discord smirked "The only hint I'm giving you is that it's a particular food. I've figured that since you've been living with the most brilliant unicorn mind, that you wouldn't mind dealing with a cryptic metaphor or two."
"You mean a riddle? "Spike deadpanned
Discord shrugged nonchalantly "Potato, potata. Now hurry up with an answer. Did I mention that you have only sixty seconds to answer each question presented to you?"
Spike looked outraged "No!"
Discord blinked before he stroked his goatee "So I haven't...Well then, consider this a freebie; a head start, if you will." He snapped his talons, and a clock being held in the jaws of a floating Discord head was ticking away, troubling Spike before he could think of an answer.
Spike gritted his teeth as he tried to come up with a good answer 'Okay, think...A vessel without hinges...so this food's like a breakable ship or something. A golden treasure buried inside...' As the clock began to tick away at its last five seconds, Spike's eyes shot open in realization "An egg! The answer is egg!" He shouted at last minute. There was a moment of silence before a ding sound was heard as the first light at the bottom of the pedestal was shown.
Discord gave an impressed hum "And here I thought you were stupid..." He said as he shuffled through his pamphlets.
Spike leered at Discord "Gee, thanks..." He remarked sarcastically.
Discord nodded as he pulled up and read another pamphlet "No problem, child." He frowned deeply after he finished reading "Oh great, this next category's a bore: Royalty."
Spike smirked "Oh, this one's in the bag!" He said confidently, remembering the time he spent with Twilight in Canterlot.
Discord read the contents aloud "The most common way people know me is through my affiliation with royalty. I am also used to receive the most needed of amenities. With all of the new technology, I can make your mouth right, although painfully, and if you hit me you will see stars." He tittered "Figuratively, of course...What am I?" After Discord ended his question, the timer started back up again.
While the timer ticked away, Spike was disoriented by the pamphlet's contents "ANOTHER riddle?" He groaned as he poked at his head while deep in thought "Okay, royalty...C'mon, think..." Spike poked harder in an effort to block out the unnerving sound of the timer. However, no matter how hard he tried, it continued to grate at his mind and filling it with tension.
Feeling that he was at his wits end, he gritted his teeth and growled in frustration "Oh, what is it!?" He said as he smacked his temple with more force than he intended, sending him into a small daze. For the moment, he thought he had seen stars dancing around him, and he shook his head "Wait a minute...I saw stars when I hit my head, and another word for head is..." He perked up and pointed a claw "Crown!" Spike was rewarded with another ding sound as a second light was seen on the pedestal.
Discord gave Spike an unamused frown "That one was too easy, even for you."
Spike arched an eyebrow "Try walking a mile in my shoes, why doncha?"
Discord rolled his eyes "Don't exactly plan on it, little guy." He drew another pamphlet and read it "Aaaah, nature..." He said as he cleared his throat "Name this particular thing commonly seen in nature: While voiceless, it cries, and while wingless, it flutters. While toothless, it bites, and while mouthless, it mutters." He said as he peered at Spike expectantly as the timer began to count down.
Spike tapped a claw to his chin as he looked up in thought "Hmm...wingless, flutters..." He thought over what he would usually see in nature until he came up with an answer "Is it a bush?" There was a pause, and instead of a ding, a buzzer was heard, causing Spike to dart his head towards the pedestal with widened eyes, fear gripping at his heart as he watched the two lights go out.
"You know, they usually say that 'Third time's the charm'..." Discord smiled maliciously at Spike "Looks like you've disproven that saying with your answer." He chuckled before extending his head towards Spike with his eyes closed smugly "By the way, the answer is wind. Before you ask how it's possible to see wind, pay attention to tornadoes." He said with defiant laughter as he drew his head back and shuffled his pamphlets. Discord picked up and read another, a playful look in his eyes after viewing the contents "Oh-ho~, now this one's a doozy: Physics." He grinned widely at the troubled dragon standing at the booth "Looks like you've got a long way to go..." He uttered in a darkly amused tone before turning to the audience with a vigorous expression "Well, folks, this game has only just begun! But can our little dragon go for broke and get the gold?" He leaned towards the audience with his paw cupped by his ear for an answer.
"Not! A! Chance!"
_____
Lust eyed the two pieces of prey in front of her with a predatory glance, licking her lips in anticipation "So who will approach me first? Or will I have to take you both on?"
Rarity and Blueblood backed up near the door behind them, which slammed shut when they got close. Rarity gasped while Blueblood scrapped at it frantically "Let us out at once!" The ignorant prince yelled in fear.
"No can do, Little Boy Blue. This is your's and Rarity's challenge after all..."
Rarity eyed Lust cautiously as she slowly approached them "What have you done to Lust, Discord? Is this similar to what was done with Wrath?"
"Well, yes and no. You see, I merely intensified the inner mechanisms of Lust's mind. I focused more on her bloodlust to avoid the chances of a raunchy moment between the three of you, but I cannot make any promises on its success. But I can guarantee you'll overcome this challenge as long as you both - dare I say it - work together?"
Rarity gritted her teeth 'That's just like that Discord! Always placing me and my friends in the worst of situations!'
Blueblood cringed feebly after he had finished trying to open the door and eyed Lust in terror "We're to be disemboweled if we don't act quickly? But what can we do?"
Rarity felt the tension rise until she looked at the shadowed portion of the room behind Lust "Perhaps we can use this room to our advantage."
Blueblood turned to Rarity in shock "We?" He asked, not expecting Rarity to acknowledge him as a partner.
Rarity deadpanned "Yes, we. As much as I despise you, we're still in this together." She turned to Blueblood with a serious gaze as she whispered "Now listen carefully, Blueblood. On my mark, we're going to separate and make for the darkened area behind Lust. I have a plan."
Blueblood hissed urgently "But how can you possibly be able to use that void to your advantage?"
Rarity narrowed her eyes "Just listen to me for once!" She hissed back before noticing Lust closing in as her horn began to glow "Okay, ready...now!" Rarity quickly moved to the right side and galloped away from Lust. Blueblood followed along and made for the left, galloping himself, only to be instantly stopped by a llong and sharp horn stabbing into the wall next to him.
He skidded to a halt with widened eyes and he followed the horn to see that it belonged to Lust, who retracted it as he smiled at Blueblood "And where do you think you're going? Don't think I'm finished with you after your pathetic attempts at courting me back then..." She sauntered over towards him "Perhaps its about time I give you something for your efforts..."
Rarity was about to enter the darkened portion of the room until she noticed Blueblood being cornered, cursing under her breath as she watched. She then took a firm position as she lit up her horn 'I'm very sorry for this, Lust...'
Lust looked down at the cowering prince in front of her with a dark grin "What's this? Lacking charisma? Normally you would be so forward about our encounters..." She said as she readied her horn, only to feel a large blast on her back and sending her forward towards Blueblood, who leaped out of the way and distanced himself from her.
Blueblood turned to see Rarity, who was preparing for another shot "Focus, Blueblood! We still have time!"
Lust recovered from her blow as a scorch mark was seen on her back, some of her mane even burnt from the blast. Her body was coated in red static as her wounds began to heal, turning around to face Rarity with a scowl that turned into a playful smirk "Now this is a surprise. You actually care for him, don't you?"
Rarity tried to maintain a firm gaze as her horn glowed "Lust, we both know the answer to that question, but that doesn't matter now!"
"It doesn't?" Blueblood whimpered pitifully.
The fasionist took a step forward "Think about what you're doing! How would the rest of your family react to your current behavior?"
Lust laughed as she watched Rarity with a condescending gaze "We both know the answer to that question, but that doesn't matter now..." She said mockingly as she galloped towards Rarity with her own horn glowing. The two unicorn mares clashed their horns, though Rarity was caught off-guard by Lust's strength. She tried to hold her own against the lascivious mare, only to be pushed back a few feet before Lust quickly spun around and bucked her at a wall.
Rarity felt the air escape her lungs as her back made impact against the wall, then bounced off of it, landing on her hooves harshly 'Those homunculi are very strong indeed...' She looked ahead to see Lust's horn soaring near her, and yelped before jumping to the left as it pierced into the wall. Using it as an opportunity for attack, Rarity galloped towards Lust before she could retract her horn in time and landed a swift hindleg kick onto her chest, sending her back along with her horn. Before Lust could recover, Rarity quickly launched another magic beam into her chest, scorching it along with her dress, which appeared to regenerate along with her body after being coated by red static.
Blueblood watched in terror as he rose to his legs "Rarity! I'm coming!"
Rarity quickly turned to Blueblood "No, you're going! Over to the dark side immediately!"
Blueblood thought he was being brushed off at first until he remembered Rarity's plan "Of course!" He said to himself as he galloped towards the shadowed area. Rarity followed suit after distancing herself from Lust.
Lust snarled for a moment until she saw both Rarity and Blueblood immerse themselves in the darkness, unseen by her eyes. She stared before smirking "Well-played. Using the very darkness I walked out of to your advantage. Very well then..." She said as she nonchalantly trotted towards the shadow "I'll play along for now. After all, I've already been doing so thus far in this little conflict, haven't I?"
Her answer came in the form of a blue magic beam that shot out of the shadows. Lust moved her head to the right as the blast grazed her cheek and collided with the door behind her, leaving a scorch mark. Her cheek regenerated from the small wound inflicted as she watched the darkness carefully "Maybe I don't give you two enough credit...But do you honestly believe that the darkness will aid you for so long?" Another beam flew and hit Lust directly in her left eye, the force rearing her head back as she showed no reaction. She brought her head back to face the darkness, and the area around her eye was singed until it was restored to normal via her regeneration "Now you're just getting cocky..." She said dryly as she turned her head to the left of the room and extended her horn.
In the shadowed portion of the room, Rarity and Blueblood were in the middle, unable to see what Lust was planning on the other side. Blueblood turned to Rarity and whispered "Are you alright?"
Rarity stared firmly ahead "If you're referring to my little scuffle with Lust, I'll be fine. I just so happen to have been through worse before this." She whispered back.
Blueblood stared at Rarity, wanting to ask about her answer to caring about him, but his ears perked up when he heard a whooshing sound, and he noticed an oncoming force approaching Rarity from the right "Get down!" He shouted as he tackled Rarity and sent both him and her to the ground. What seemed like a slicing wind had severed some of Blueblood's golden locks as they narrowly avoided the lethal swipe.
Rarity noticed both the swipe and the hair that was cut off before looking up at Blueblood "Y-You saved me..." She whispered incredulously.
Blueblood frowned before donning a thin smile "Well, we are in this together, are we not?" He asked hopefully.
Rarity stared before she nodded "Yes, that's right. Can you get off of me now, please?"
Blueblood flinched when he realized he was smothering Rarity and scrambled to his feet "So what now? Apparently she's taking measures of her own, and we cannot anticipate when she'll strike next forever."
Rarity squinted her eyes as she looked ahead in the darkness "Au contraire, Blueblood. I was careless at first, but now we can perform better than expected. I'll be the eyes whilst you be the firepower." She turned to Blueblood "I'm counting on you, you know."
Blueblood stared before he nodded "Of course, milady..." He said as he turned to look ahead, lighting up his horn.
Rarity kept her eyes peeled, looking around in the darkness, and she felt a light breeze left of her before piping up "Blueblood, move left and strike!"
A sharp indigo horn extended into the darkness as Blueblood followed Rarity's directions, narrowly missing Lust's horn as he fired a magic beam out at her. A connecting sound and a grunt was rewarded as the horn retracted.
Rarity smirked "Now you know that I distinguish proper attention to detail even in the dark."
She got no response, but she felt another breeze, this time in front of her as she gasped and moved away in time for the horn to pass her, although it had grazed her cheek as she barely dodged "Blueblood, now!"
Blueblood wordlessly complied and quickly shot another beam that had connected as the horn retracted once more. The ignorant prince smiled cheerfully as he felt a boost in morale over Rarity's plan. He looked over and noticed how she was bleeding, instantly filling him with concern "Oh dear, Rarity you're-"
"I'll be fine!" Rarity hissed "Just focus on the plan." She said as she kept her eyes open.
Blueblood nodded "Right..." He said as he waited for Lust's next move. However, instead of a horn shooting into the darkness, Blueblood was covered by an indigo aura and lifted two feet into the air "H-Huh!?" He was then launched towards Rarity, who widened her eyes before she was forcefully sidechecked by Blueblood.
When they both laid in a stunned heap, they were both lifted in the same colored aura before they were pulled out of the darkness and in front of Lust, who smiled down at them "I'll admit, your plan was good, only you've forgotten one flaw." She leaned down as her smile widened "I'm a unicorn as well..." Her horn lit up and she prepared to fire a magic beam at them.
Rarity acted quickly and got up, facing away from Lust as she kicked her and caused her to stumble and fire the beam upward into one of the ceiling's lights, further darkening the room. She then went to kick again, only to be swooped off of her feet in another magic hold and flung towards the left wall. Before she could recover, a horn shot out and she remained still when she noticed it was aimed for her wounded cheek, grazing the area under it.
While Rarity was fazed by Lust's tactic, the lascivious mare trotted towards her while her horn retracted, her smile not leaving her face as she breached Rarity's space and pinned her to the wall. Rarity stared with an angered glance while Lust taunted her with her smile, only to lean in and lick the blood from Rarity's cheek before facing her again "You're indeed an excellent fighter, Rarity." Lust commended genuinely despite her murderous vibe "I can see how far you've gotten in your previous battles..."
Rarity grunted at the force Lust was placing on her as she was immobilized "Even a lady like myself must be ready to take up arms if need be..." She briefly flashed a sympathetic glance towards Lust "Have you no idea what you're doing?"
Lust's eyes narrowed "That depends...How long do you wish to keep this going? I have all the time in the world..." She uttered in a calm but bloodthirsty tone.
Rarity now realized that trying to talk some sense into Lust was not worth it. She mustered some strength and used her hindlegs to kick the lascivious mare away a few feet, although she was still winded from both colliding with the wall and being forced against it.
Lust huffed "I suppose your answer's final then? Understood." She readied her horn "It was nice knowing you, Rarity..." She said as her horn shot out towards the fashionista, who clenched her eyes shut.
A skewering sound was heard, followed by a scream that didn't belong to Rarity or Lust. Rarity opened her eyes and inspected herself before noticing a mass in front of her that was leaking blood from behind his shoulder, gasping in shock.
Blueblood stood with tear-ridden eyes as Lust's horn penetrated his left shoulder as he stood on his hindlegs, his forelegs stretched out. He gritted his teeth and grunted in pain "I-" He said, trying to form coherent words in the midst of his pain "I won't let you harm Miss Rarity!" He shouted while enduring his pain.
End of Chapter 11