Giving Chaos

by Dirty Bit

Chapter 13

Rainbow Dash was getting bored with her challenge already, having to put up with memorizing easy patterns before entering them in herself. She had already repeated this process more than ten times without any mistakes so far. A part of her felt that her challenge was rigged or that there was a hidden booby trap in the room, but she felt that she should at least acknowledge her current objective knowing the severity of her situation "This is so lame. When do I win this thing? What would happen if I lose?" She asked herself while she continued her repetitive actions.

Another pattern had come up, and it had been easily memorized and solved once again. Through her boredom, she began to wonder if the entire challenge had been a ruse to stall for time. Sure, she had lost her wings, but she was beginning to lose focus over the triviality of what she was going through.

One more pattern had came up with an extra color, and Rainbow Dash lazily began to enter it in through her pad. However, a slip up was made through her indolence when she entered the wrong color in the middle of her pattern after carelessly pressing the green pad with her foreleg instead of the yellow. There was a slight shake on her pad before she felt herself quickly fall dow a few feet with her pad, yelping in surprise. She saw that she was brought down to view a haunting pattern of changing colors below her.

"Oh-ho~...So the mighty Rainbow Dash thought this would be an easy task? Perhaps you'd prefer something more advanced, wouldn't you?"

Rainbow Dash was nearly through off by the constantly changing colors beneath the pad she stood on and quickly darted her head up to look at the glass pad "What happened here? Is this what happens if I lose?"

"Well, pretty much. You see, there's a three-strike rule with this challenge, and you just used up one of them. Now you must earn your space back on the surface by focusing on each pattern given to you. With time, your effort will be rewarded. By the way, be sure not to look down, my dear~..."

The cyan pegasus cursed herself when she reflexively done so, the sound of Discord's laughing flooding her ears while she stared down at the rapidly changing colors of red, yellow, green, and blue; the sight almost began to play with her mind. She frantically shook her head before looking back up at the glass, her eyes narrowing as she awaited the next pattern shown, which happened to be the one she had failed earlier. As she stared at the oncoming colors, she broke into a small sweat over noting the hidden edge in her challenge 'This was just a small slip-up...I gotta get the lead out...'
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Fluttershy stood in confusion over two things that had happened in the span of two seconds; the first moment, she was startled when the pad she stood on ascended a few feet, while in the next moment, the glass wall in front of her had the words 'Please wait...' in pure white while no other patterns were active.

She remained silent with the knowledge that this was indeed part of the challenge, but a part of her had felt troubled as the events in front of her had unfolded so abruptly just to leave her in a temporary hold. While she enjoyed being quiet with the rest of her surroundings, she couldn't shake the feeling that something sinister was happening. She looked up at the ceiling and cautiously voiced herself "Um...Is there something going on that I should know about, Discord?" She asked in her usual demeanor.

"It's right in front of you, isn't it? Just be patient; the challenge isn't over..."

Fluttershy stared up for a moment before focusing her attention back on the glass screen and waiting until the hold came to an end. Much to her reward, the words disappeared before another long pattern had emerged. Luckily for her, it was the same one that she had memorized with an extra move prior to the last one entered. She re-entered it with ease, donning a small smile for her success 'Maybe this isn't so bad...I could try and win this challenge and actually catch up with my friends; wherever they are...'

She waited for the next pattern, but was instantly flustered when it had come up twice as fast than it normally would "Wh-What? What's going on?" She whimpered after the pattern had concluded.
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Rainbow Dash heaved a sigh after she re-entered the second pattern from her earlier mistake and looked up to see no pattern showing yet "Huh? What's going on? Is this some kind of trick-" A beep interrupted her, and the cyan pegasus looked up to see the red dot flash momentarily before going out. The yellow dot followed shortly after a brief pause, followed by the green. Her pattern was coming slower than how she had entered it, as if the game were taunting her.

She dared not show any sign of weakness, nor curiosity towards the madness-inducing sight below her; Rainbow Dash kept a keen eye on her pattern, no matter how slow it had moved thus far. She knew her new strategy for beating the challenge: Go as fast as possible and make sure Discord would let her go once she had bested him at his own game.

When the pattern had finished, Rainbow Dash grinned fiercely "Alright, Discord...Let's do this!" Without another word, she quickly inputted her pattern according to her memory, making sure not to slip up or make a mistake. After she entered her pattern, a sign that read 'Please wait...' came up on the glass wall, causing her to narrow her eyes "Seriously? I know this challenge is weird and all, but Rainbow Dash doesn't-WHOA!" The pad below her had quickly lifted back up to its regular level, causing the cyan pegasus to look around before grinning to herself "Awesome!"
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Applejack was sweating profusely as she tried tapping deeper into her knowledge of square dancing in order to counter the lifeless armor clad in front of her that continued to execute flawless freestyle moves "Dagnabbit, what'll it take t' get through this stupid challenge?" She groaned in frustration as she concluded her latest dance combo.

The armored ponnequin trotted in place rapidly before strutting forward and stopping in front of Applejack to rear onto its hindlegs and perform a series of hoof kicks with its forelegs; it looked as if it were trying to cause pain to the farmpony's face, but both forelegs only stopped one centimeter towards, followed by quickly stepping back to its spot and pointing both forelegs at Applejack in boastful and defiant silence.

Applejack steamed from her nostrils, having a mind to buck her opponent senseless instead of partaking in a dance contest. With a sigh, she performed another square dancing routine, running out of plausible combinations to use. After she finished, the farmpony was met with the armored ponnequin walking forward, only it was moving backwards, making her jaw drop "What in the-that's cheatin'!" She shouted as she pointed an accusing hoof "Ah ain't never seen anypony do a move like that before!"

Sadly, her complaints fell on deaf ears when the armor clad did three quick spins on his hindlegs followed by performing what appeared to be a pelvic thrust, pointing one foreleg at Applejack while placing one behind his head, causing her to glare daggers. When it finished with a fexing pose, Applejack hesitated and thought to herself on what dance to use 'Consarnit, Ah don't know what t' do next...It's gonna take a miracle t' beat this darn thing...'

As if somepony answered her prayers, Applejack heard a door open behind her, and she saw what appeared to be a swaying and stumbling clad in a weird suit entering the arena, its face covered behind a helmet. It accidentally shut the door as it unconsciously moved forward near Applejack, and began to inadvertently dance with random finesse, performing a perfect wave motion with its forelegs as it stood up on its hindlegs, then fell forward to perform a slinking dance while moving backwards before standing back on its hindlegs and staying frozen in position.

The armored ponnequin flinched in surprise, not expecting this turn of events and quickly retaliated with a gesture similar to a bucking bronco, followed by flopping onto its back and crouching into a ball as it spun around; it then ended with a laying pose.

Applejack stared at her opponent, then the new challenger next to her as she continued to sway as if it had too much salt. The moving suit began to perform cartwheels from left to right with relative ease before stopping on its head and spinning rapidly, then leaning back onto its hindlegs. Applejack was surprised, and turned to her opponent to see how it would counter the move.

The lifeless armor clad only stood until it began to shake profusely, then it exploded, the fragments of its armor scattering across the arena. Applejack shielded herself from the pieces that came her way with a foreleg before examining the damage done by the new challenger. She noticed the door behind her open again and stared before examining the suit next to her "Alright, Ah dunno what this is, but it's time t' find out who ya really are." The farmpony said as she reached for the suit's helmet and pulling it off, revealing a familiar pink pony who appeared to be nauseated.

Applejack widened her eyes "Pinkie?" She then beamed "Well ain't ya a sight fer sore eyes? Y'all really saved my flank back there! Ah never would've thought I'd last in that dance-off til ya came in and sa-" She was silenced when a torrent of questionable liquid sprayed onto her face. Applejack was frozen in place while Pinkie groaned to herself.

Pinkie rubbed her mouth before she shook her head frantically and took a deep breath "Wow...I really needed that." She looked in front of her to see Applejack, who was silent "Oh hey, Applejack! Did you win your challenge?"

Applejack remained still "...Eeyup..." She replied in a dull tone "Why don't we get cleaned up before we find our friends?"

Pinkie nodded "I couldn't agree more." She tilted her head at Applejack and winced "Wow, your challenge must've been pretty messy back there." The pink pony was oblivious to her friend's motive to possibly strangle her after she was finished cleaning herself.
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Rarity's pupils trembled at the sight in front of her; standing in the way of what could have been her own demise was the last pony she ever expected to defend her in her time of need. She drew out a shaky hoof near the bleeding stallion "B-Blueblood, I-..."

Lust merely scoffed as she stared at Blueblood "Typical...Playing hero in times of great chaos." She smirked "You really are as foolish as I've thought..." Lust taunted as she lifted Blueblood while her horn was stuck in his left shoulder, and jerked her head to the left as she tossed him aside.

Blueblood grunted as he rolled a couple of times, then landed on his back as he cried out in pain. He brought a foreleg to his front wound and covered it, clenching his teeth as he stared at the blood staining his hoof. Normally, he would complain over such a thing happening to him, but his mind was reeling with thoughts of Rarity's safety.

Rarity watched Blueblood writhe in pain and turned back to face Lust "I can't believe it would come to this..."

Lust held a dark grin after Rarity's comment "Don't despair, my dear Rarity...this little thing has only just begun, after all." She readied her horn "If you think what Blueblood endured was bad, just wait until you've experienced that and more yourself."

Rarity could not comprehend the fact that she was staring death in the face again after Blueblood had sacrificed himself for her brief safety. She felt herself gain a burst of adrenaline when she was faced with incentive for her survival. Rarity quickly got on her hooves and bolted away from Lust when her horn shot at her, the lascivious mare's Ultimate Spear piercing the wall from where she once sat.

After dodging the attack, the fashionista dashed towards Blueblood's side, looking down at him as his wound continued to bleed out from under his hoof. Tears began to stream from her eyes "Blueblood...I never thought you would do this for me."

Blueblood grunted, but looked up "I couldn't just let you expire like that...I-I'm aware of my past misdeeds towards you now, and your bitterness was proof of that as we walked into this challenge. If I do not make it out of here alive, all I ask is that..." During his brief pause, new tears formed in his eyes as well "I ask that you would forgive me for what I've put you through and give my regards to the others, namely my aunts." He clenched his eyes shut with a grunt and tried to cancel out his pain by breathing deeply.

Rarity's lip quivered "Blueblood..." She whispered. Her sadness was interrupted by a condescending laugh.

Lust retracted her horn and began to saunter up towards the two unicorns with a dark smile "Touching. I've dealt with a scenario similar to this one, only your precious knight doesn't have a prayer now..." Her eyes narrowed "I think I've had my fun with you both after witnessing your display of emotions."

Rarity found Lust's words to be unbearable. Was she really like this before the alabaster unicorn had met her? She clenched her eyes shut and gritted her teeth as her tears fell down on Blueblood's chest. A low growl was heard as Rarity's horn began to glow, and she let out a cry of desperation as she began to shoot magic beams at Lust, each one piercing her skin as she staggered and regenerated.

Lust only smiled at Rarity's last resort while she took each blow; this was her encounter with Riza Hawkeye all over again.

As Rarity exhausted most of her magic reserve, she fell to her knees as she began to sob "How can this happen? This is all too maddening..." She muttered to herself as she looked down at the ground.

Lust chuckled at Rarity's despair as she resumed her advance, red static dancing all over her body "What else would you expect in a world of chaos? If you're not fond of it, I can gladly put you and your ignorant friend out of your misery..." Her ears perked up when she heard a door fly open, looking back to see who would dare interrupt her.

Wrath and Shining Armor leered at the lascivious mare and what she had done to her victims "It would seem I was correct in finding the number where two ponies are forced to endure the same challenge." He uttered in a grave tone.

Lust stared before smiling "Perceptive as always, Wrath. Father made no mistake in making you the Ultimate Eye." She said mockingly.

Wrath narrowed his eyes to slits, his wings flaring "He has no place in this situation. This is between us now."

Lust gave a small frown "Honestly, Wrath, would you raise arms against one of your own?"

Wrath snorted "It wouldn't be the first time I've done such a thing..." He looked back at Shining Armor "Go tend to Rarity and Prince Blueblood; I'll handle this fight myself."

Shining Armor nodded curtly "Be careful, Wrath..." He said before he made a gallop towards Rarity and Blueblood.

Lust shifted her glance towards the approaching stallion and went to use her Ultimate Spear on him, only to grunt in pain when she felt her left side getting slashed deeply by Wrath. As her wound regenerated, she sneered at the furious pony "You really are serious...Perhaps I should get rid of that petulant eye of yours."

Wrath matched her glare with his own, and it intensified as he faced her "By all means, try..." He hissed before he bolted at her with his wings flared.

Lust shot out her Ultimate Spear, to which Wrath was able to dodge from the right. He quickly shot up into the air when she swung her sharp horn at him horizontally and continued his advance, gliding left as his right wing slashed across Lust's face, eliciting a snarl as she quickly jerked her head to have her horn swipe at him.

Wrath landed and ducked down as the horn swung over him, then dove in to turn around and land a hard buck onto her chest, launching her at a wall as her back collided harshly with it. Lust recovered and shook herself before she galloped at Wrath with her horn extending again.

Meanwhile, Shining Armor was examining Blueblood's injuries and clenched his teeth "Dammit, he's been hit hard." He murmured as he turned to Rarity "Don't worry, I've learned some useful medical skills during my time as a knight." He said reassuringly closed his eyes and lit up his horn. As Blueblood laid down, his wound began to close up, although it was clear on his face that he was still in pain. He looked down at Blueblood taking deep breaths as he kept his wound covered "That should do it for now..."

He was surprised when Rarity locked him in an embrace "Thank you so much, Shining Armor. You're a real hero." She said as she dampened his neck with her tears.

Blueblood opened his eyes at Shining Armor and gave a weak smile "I could say the same. Thank you very much..."

Shining Armor didn't expect to hear words of gratitude from one such as Blueblood, but he smiled and nodded back "No problem..." After a brief pause, he looked upon the battling ponies with a serious frown "But we're not out of the woods yet."

Rarity and Blueblood looked at the battling ponies as well, anxious as to who would emerge the victor. Knowing their combined ferocity and experience, this battle could possibly take a while.
_____

Discord laughed to himself in amusement at the look of exhaustion and panic etched on Spike's face, his head sweating bullets as he stared at the pedestal with six unlit bulbs with the Element of Laughter sitting atop of it "This is delicious! I know that these games are shorter than this, but you're really making this more enjoyable than it should be!" He shed a tear from his laughter "Tell you what I'm gonna do, since you're being such a good sport for me." Discord snapped a talon as a light appeared on the bottom of the pedestal "One light on the house." He grinned deviously "Try not to lose it, now..." He mocked.

Spike tried to keep calm by taking deep breaths and maintaining a cool atmosphere. But from dealing with question after question in the form of a hard riddle, he was close to giving up hope as anxiety and despair continued to plagued his mind.

Discord observed Spike's expression and smirked playfully "What's the matter, Spike ol' chum? Feeling a little grey, are we?" He chuckled before he fished out another pamphlet and read it casually "Why don't we move onto the next question for our sole competitor?"

Before he could read his pamphlet aloud, the building's door quickly flew open and slammed against the wall, revealing a grinning Greed and an angry Twilight. The avaricious strode inside as his toothy grin widened.

"Room for two more?"