//------------------------------// // Hopes in a Star // Story: Diamond Dice // by Write Holiday //------------------------------// "Twilight?" Rainbow Dash walks into the castle, slowly opening the door. It is just after one, and this gives the castle an eerie feeling. As she continues to walk to the main room, she finds Twilight's door. She stands for a minute thinking. Why should Twilight be the only one allowed to use the dice? Why can't she, Rainbow Dash, the fastest in all of Equestria, choose fate for once. "No, quite thinking and go ask." She tries her best to muster up the resilience of throwing the dice, but to no avail. Can it really be that dangerous? She looks at the room one more time, and gives in. She walks to the main room and finds the board. She picks the dice up, and stares at them. So this is what kills, what births, what gives, what takes, what killed Tank, five simple dice. She shutters at the thought of having this much power. Just holding the dice gives her surges of feeling invincible. She looks one last time, and tosses the dice. Only, not at the board, she wants to see what happens if they land on the floor. The dice finish spinning and land, 11. The dice just sit there, not doing anything. Disappointed, Rainbow walks over to place them on the chess board. Suddenly, the dice begin to glow a bright red. "Rainbow, no!" "What?" It was too late. She slowly began to sink into the floor as it began to melt around her. "Twilight, what's happening?" All Twilight could do was watch. "Twilight!" Rainbow began to disappear. She struggled to keep her wings above the opening void, flapping the violently, but could not get off the ground. Slowly, the void began to close itself. Rainbow's wings were aching, they hurt, they were tired, she was tired. She gave up trying to fight, and closed her wings. The void closed itself back up, and all that was left was a cyan feather and the five dice. Twilight stood there, speechless. She just watched one of her best friends get swallowed by five demon dice, and she didn't do anything. Why? Why didn't she run, grabbing her hoof, pulling her free? Why didn't she at least say something before Rainbow was swallowed whole by the castle? Had she really changed that much since Celestia's death? "Princess Sparkle!" She knew the voice. It was Princess Luna. "Princess Luna, where have you been?" Twilight was mad, and she refused to blame herself. "Why didn't you help Rainbow?! She most likley just died before my eyes and you did nothing! Why didn't you help?!" "You did nothing as well Ms. Sparkle." Twilight couldn't speak. She knew this, but she didn't want to accept it. She pushed everything out of her mind except for blaming Luna. "And, and neither did you! You wanted it to happen, you wanted to see her die, didn't you? Didn't you?! Well no more, I forbid anyone to do something like this!" Twilight walked over to a piece of paper and wrote something down. Luna left the castle, and Twilight continued to write. She wrote for the rest of the night, Equestria would be changed again the next day. ... "Fluttershy? Is everything ok in there?" Rarity asks through the door. "Is everything alright?" Applejack asks, just being awoken. "I don't know, Fluttershy is awake but isn't opening the door." "That's easy." Applejack tries the knob, and backs up. In a flash, she bucks down the door, kicking it at the door knob. "Flutter-" Rarity and Appplejack's mouths drop. In the room, the shyest most peaceful mare in all of Equestria, is walking back and forth, writing names on the wall and Xing certain ones out. On the bed is Rainbow Dash's name, Xed out in red. She snaps her head towards them, her eyes blood shot and her body shaking. "Fluttershy? Ya' feeling, normal?" Applejack asks. Fluttershy just stares, barley moving. "You should see-" "No!" Fluttershy interrupts. "You don't understand, none of you do. None of you can, it's the end. The end is nearing, it's those dice. Those diamond dice that stare at me in my dreams, in my nightmares, in front of my eyes. They kill, they live, they love, they hate, they die, they are us. We are at the mercy of terror itself, and we just go on. None of the citizens know about this, only me, only us." Rarity and Applejack look at eachother, then are pushed to the side by Pinkie Pie. "Fluttershy you were right. She went mad last night, the other is missing, we must find them." "But Pinkie, without her we can't do anything." "But what you said in the lost forest of queens, we can do it. Use their powers against them." "Do you really think it would work?" "Only if Rarity and Applejack put their hopes into this." Pinkie holds out a box in the shape of a nine sided star. Rarity looks at Applejack, "Um, Applejack darling, did you follow any of that?" "Not at all. But do what she says, I know what this is." Rarity looks at it, not knowing what to do. "But, wha-" "It's a hope star, put your hopes into it and we'll take it from there." Pinkie says. Rarity stares at it, and puts all of her hopes into this star. All of them. ... "Done!" Twilight studies the paper she finished, looking it over again and again. She smiles and copies the paper with a spell she recently learned. She sends multiple messengers to fly across Equestria, letting the paper fall into their homes. "This'll show Luna." "You have doomed them all." Luna walks up behind her, frowning. "I watch their dreams, nightmares, hopes, wishes, and last night they were all scared. All thanks to you, they are now lost." "Lost? This will help us as a society to flourish, to expand. These new rules will bring order and justice to all who deserve it, and punishment to those who need it. We shall begin a new era in Equestrian history, a peaceful one." Luna stands, staring at Twilight. "What? Words escaping you? Just like your sist-" "Twilight!" She turns around, and falls to the ground, looking up. "C-Ce-Celestia? B-but how?" "I put you in charge of Equestria because I trusted you to do the right thing with it, to put it in a position where we become powerful, become happy. All you have done is put it in danger, you are not fit for the title of Princess." Twilight is speechless. Celestia is telling her that she is not fit to be a leader. Normally, she would be devastated, but now, she is furious. "Like you were any better." "Excuse me? Twilight I-" "Don't give me that, you're here dead because you were too nice, too giving. You are either loved or hated, and it's better to be hated, that means the people fear you. Fear drives rule, it perfects imperfection. This piece of paper, that is half way across Equestria now, is going make us the most powerful in the world." Twilight lowers her head and shoots a purple stream at Celestia. Celestia starts moving, and tries to struggle, but vanishes before any progress is made. "Twilight!" She looks behind her and there in the doorway is her five friends. Fluttershy stands foward. "We are here to end your rule!"