• Published 26th Oct 2011
  • 10,399 Views, 121 Comments

Point of No Return - Wild_Heart



The mane cast must content with eternal night and each other's selfishness to save Equestria.

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First Sin - Prologue

The full moon shone down onto a forest, illuminating patches of a path underneath the leaves. That the trees here were not totally dead yet was a testament to their durability, though their longevity would come to an end soon, without the sunlight they desperately required. The road was one never traveled these days, and seldom so even in the days before the coup. It wasn't considered a major road, so it had no spells to light or warm it. Despite the frigid temperature, this made it perfect for the messenger that galloped at full speed down the road. At least, it was until he'd been sighted by some of the queen's rangers, a patrol he was sure would not be out in these forsaken parts of Equestria.

The unicorn's dark red coat was coated with dust kicked up from the path as he tried desperately to find a place to hide. He didn't need to escape. He just needed to find a safe place to send a message. A hissing sound sailed past his ears as an arrow barely missed the fleeing messenger, striking the ground far ahead. He lowered his head instinctively in response, trying to make himself a smaller target. He willed himself to not panic, and especially to not look back at his pursuers. The rangers were some of the most skilled soldiers the queen had, and their skill in archery was near legendary even only after 6 years of service. It never crossed Swift Word's mind how they could possibly have not hit him yet. He was too caught up in his flight from their ranks. The rust-red unicorn didn't even consider using the trees for cover, the path was all he knew of this area. Escaping from the rangers only to fall to the forest's freezing air and maze of evergreen didn't appeal to him.

Swift's eyes darted left and right as his chest heaved. He couldn't keep this pace forever, and even though they hadn't managed to catch up, he knew that would not last. Another arrow sliced through the air just over his back, and grazed through his mane, and the unicorn now didn't care whether or not he got lost amongst those trees. He leaped to the side at the first opening in the tree-line, and into the forest proper. Swift's hoof caught on a root, and he tumbled head over legs, skidding to a stop just under a fallen log propped up on a rock. Dizzy, and lungs burning, the unicorn panted as he tried to recover his bearings. He didn't have time to stop. The messenger held no illusions about the rangers' ability to find him in the forest before long. The sudden break would only buy him seconds. He prayed that would be enough.

He turned his head from left to right, looking for shelter, and breathed out a sigh of relief when he saw an old logging camp, complete with a saw-mill, within a stone's throw. He could hide there, and if he could evade their attention long enough, he might actually be able to deliver his message in person. On all fours again in an instant, Swift pulled back, tensing his muscles, and launched himself for it. A shout rang out, and the unicorn found his hindquarters jerk to their right, feeling just the slightest of pinches in his left haunch. He didn't let that stop him. He ran his fastest, and Swift took pride in that at his fastest, most pegasi couldn't keep pace with him without great effort. He darted behind a pile of lumber, wincing at the loud thunks of arrows burying themselves into the wood. Now that he knew they could not see where he went, he darted again, this time for the mill.

He burst through the entrance of the dilapidated building, and pressed himself to the wooden wall to the left of the doorway. It was cool and soft with rot, and he shivered for a moment, the cold finally getting to him. It was only then that he felt the horrible, stabbing pain. Swift slowly lowered his eyes to his side, biting back a scream, and paled at what he saw. That pinching sensation was an arrow piercing his left-rear flank, and the adrenaline had kept him from fully registering it. He grit his teeth, trying his hardest to ignore the pain. He heard hooves outside, and he feared the slightest sound would give him away. His side felt so strangely warm, and it took only a few seconds to realize it was coated with blood. The arrow had probably hit a major artery. His heart fell as he realized that the wound from the arrow would likely kill him even if his pursuers did not, and he lowered his chin to his chest, a tear falling from his right eye. He slowly, gingerly reached his muzzle into a saddlebag. He would get this message through, no matter what. It was too important to lose.

His teeth gripped the letter, the unicorn not daring to use his magic yet. The glow would give him away, and it was too soon. Once the letter was free, Swift soon realized it was far too dark to read the letter, he cursed himself silently, unable to stop a low hiss at the pain shifting had caused him. I think... I think I can remember what it said, he thought to himself, taking a slow, deep breath. It shook and wavered as Swift brought it in, the bleeding already taking its toll on him. Focus. Focus, Swift, you can't fail now. A sending spell will do it. 25 words. Sum it up in 25 words. Only now did he allow his horn to glow, and he heard a shout from outside. Someone had noticed already. He hurried his thoughts and sent the spell, opening his eyes and sighing in relief. His breath cut short, however, as he saw the pony in front of him.

The ranger was another unicorn, with a tan coat and green mane. He had an arrow readied with his magic, strung on a bow made from his magic. Swift knew who it was. Fletcher, one of Queen Nyx's lieutenants, one of her most trusted servants. The leader of the Rangers. If he was here, then that meant that the letter was truly very important. Fletcher glared down at the messenger, and Swift couldn't help but smirk, even in his impending death. "Y-You're too late," he spoke through clenched teeth, giddy from blood loss. "I already sent it. Now the rebellion knows."

The second unicorn smiled, causing Swift's own expression to fall. The arrow was loosed, and buried into Swift's chest. He was dead before he hit the ground. "Good." Fletcher's horn glowed as he pulled the letter away from the fallen unicorn. Two of his rangers flanked him, and he grinned. "Thanks, stallions. You did great tonight."

One of them, a grey pegasus, gave him a lop-sided smile. "Thank you, sir. But what was the point of that, anyway?" He looked to the letter Fletcher's magic held curiously. "I'm wondering what that thing says. And why waste another arrow on him? He was going to bleed out anyway."

"What, and just let him suffer? He was in pain, gimme a break." The unicorn chuckled and shrugged, opening the envelope and holding up the letter in the beige glow. "See for yourself. It's not exactly secret anymore to us. Just don't go telling anypony outside of the rangers." He and the third ranger, another pegasus, laughed as the grey equine read the letter.

'An order from H.R.M., Queen Nyx: A battle-group 100 strong are to surround the village of Halter's Way, which has been chosen for its distance from both Ponyville and Canterlot, and take it into custody. Every Stallion, Mare, and foal are to be held for 2 weeks under martial law, then escorted back to Ponyville and be declared resistance members, then executed, unless the fugitive Applejack and all of her personnel surrender to the mercy and justice of Queen Nyx.'

---

Dark, damp, gloomy. They were fair words to describe the main headquarters of the rebellion against Queen Nyx. The rock was lit only by candles, and for the most part, that did very little to brighten the halls. In fact, they honestly added to the pervasive sense of doom among those ponies that lived here in this place. It was the only light they had to go off of, though, deep underground. Natural caverns were dotted all over the world, but this was no natural cavern. It wasn't even old. It had only been around a few years, and no one outside it knew of its existence. This was necessary to avoid attention, but it wasn't foolproof. Eventually, someone else would find it. Applejack was worried someone already had.

But that was in the back of her mind right now. Right now, her attention was on candles. Rather, the lack of them. They used the bare minimum they could, which was why so many felt morale was low at the moment. No, it couldn't be the stranglehold of endless night over Equestria, or the fact that, at any moment, they could be attacked by the endless armies of their 'ruler'. No, the big problem was lighting. The former co-owner of Sweet Apple Acres had to admit morale was important, but this was simply petty, she felt. After all, of all the reasons they currently could have low morale, she highly doubted that more candles would solve anything.

She welcomed the knock on her door with a sigh of relief, tossing the complaint to the side. It landed in clutter, which was impossible to avoid on her desk. "C'mon in." She smiled to the blue earth pony that came in holding a piece of paper in his teeth, but that smile faded when she saw the grim look on his face. "Whatsa matter?"

The stallion placed the paper in front of her. "I think you should read this, Commander Apple," He stated shortly, and waited. The orange pony looked down at it, frowning. It wasn't long, just a short, 25 word communique. So it did not take her long for her to bow her head, wincing. "How should we proceed, Commander?" Applejack took a few moments to respond, prompting a, "Commander?" from the male.

When she finally spoke, it was slowly and quietly. "Ah need ya to git Magister Silver in here right now. Don't you let him tell you to come back later, this is important." She rubbed her eyes, fighting off the fatigue that was settling in faster due to the shock of what she just read. The stallion immediately turned to leave, but stopped when Applejack added, "Oh, and git Trixie too. Tell her we need that spell she devised. She won't like it, but Ah think you can handle one mad mare, cain't ya River?" The blue pony paled a bit, but nodded and ran off, leaving Applejack to stew. She read the message again, and again, but it didn't change like she'd hoped. Guess they musta got Swift. And he was the best courier we had, too. She bowed her head, tapping off her hat and holding it to her chest. We won't forget ya, Swift. Ya did everythin' ya could even in the end. But this... She raised her head, looking to the letter one more time. This is goin' way too far, even after everythin' else you've done, Nightmare Moon. She spoke the next part out loud, as if in defiance, "Ah ain't gonna bow to you, ya hear me? Ah ain't gonna let you do this!"

She slammed a hoof down on the desk, and glared up at the ceiling, as though that would somehow deliver her hatred up to the "ruler" of Equestria. Applejack winced as an entire stack of papers fell to the floor, and she had begrudgingly got up to put it all back in place when the door burst open, and in came Trixie, formerly The Great And Powerful, now just Trixie. "APPLEJACK! You are NOT doing this to Trixie! You will not DARE!" The earth pony winced and slowly turned around to face the grey-blue unicorn.

"Trixie... "

She was cut off almost immediately by Trixie all but yelling, "No! Trixie will not calm down! Trixie simply cannot BELIEVE you have the gall to have this spell used! Trixie is ready! She just needs more practice! Just a little more ti-"

It was her turn to be cut off, by a fore-hoof stuffed into her muzzle. "Trixie, we ain't got more time. Read this." The farm-mare pulled the resisting unicorn over to her desk, and had to all but force her to look at the letter. Knowing she would never over-power the earth pony (and not wanting to face the indignity of trying), the show-mare glared down at the communique. After a few seconds, her expression changed from rage to horror.

"She... She wouldn't! Applejack, this must be a joke, a horrible joke in terrible taste!" Trixie's head turned to face Applejack's, her gaze pleading with the Element of Honesty's for affirmation. Applejack just slowly shook her head.

"Ah need your help, Trixie. Ah know this ain't fair to ya, and Ah'm sorry," She hugged Trixie tight with her forelegs, continuing, "but we're outta time. We need Twilight and Dash, and we need 'em now." Trixie didn't pull away, but she didn't return the hug. She turned her gaze down, but it was still angry.

"I am ready. Where is-" The sound of a throat being cleared made both of them jump, blushing. In the doorway was a light grey unicorn with a similarly colored mane.

"I hope I am not interrupting anything, Commander?"

Applejack scrunched up her face a bit, looking to the upper right corners of her eyes. "Nope, nothin' at all!" Trixie couldn't help but snicker, and the farm-mare grumbled, poking her in the side. "Nevermind that. We got a spell, and we need it cast tonight. Trixie will give you the details... "

---

"Ms.Trixie, this spell you are asking for-It's so very complex! So little margin for error! Are you sure about this?" Applejack sighed. She had been resting her eyes, chin laid on her desk, as Trixie had described the spell. She knew she should have been paying attention, but to the farm-mare, nothing they were saying made any sense.

"I will be assisting you with the spell. It is meant to be cast in ritual form, so our resident zebra ritualists should all be present as well."

"I'm concerned about what may happen if even a single mistake is made! The effects could be-"

"We ain't got a choice here, Silver," Applejack interrupted. "Trixie's fancy mathematics all pointed to this as the only thang that's gonna work. The only thang." Trixie's smug smirk at being backed up by their commander turned down into a concerned frown as Applejack repeated what she said, sounding more like she was trying to convince herself than Silver. "The only thang... " Trixie coughed to the side as Applejack's head slumped to the desk. She knew the earth pony was about to cry. The show-mare would NOT be letting that happen in front of the resistance leader's stallions or mares.

"Silver, please get together everything we will need, as my notes specify." She practically shoved a book into the other unicorn's chest with her magic, making him oof, a flat look on his muzzle.

"Yes ma'am." He left after a curt nod, and Trixie leaped to Applejack's side, rubbing at her shoulders.

The farm-mare started to sob into her desk, and Trixie could only try to hold her, biting her lip. She was never any good at cheering up anyone. "Come now, Applejack. You should have a nap. I have to prepare for this spell." She walked out, leaving the earth pony to cry. Trixie wasn't heartless. She felt guilty. She knew she should at least try to cheer up her lover, but she was still angry. Trixie still had her pride, after all, even if it wasn't as all-encompassing as it used to be.

Applejack didn't expect the show-mare to comfort her, anyway. She felt like she had authorized something horrible. This wouldn't be fair to Twilight or Dash, and she knew she had no business asking favors of mares she never met. Even if those mares were her friends in this world. She just hoped they would forgive her. She wasn't sure she could forgive herself. She decided to take Trixie's advice and nap, rather than get lost in her thoughts. Her slumber wasn't exactly restful.

---

Applejack watched as the ritual magic unfolded. It was mostly overseen by zebras, who were suffering just as much as any pony had under the tyranny of Nightmare Moon. Trixie had figured that, since this kind of magic was more their forte, they should be the ones to perform it. The unicorns were there mostly to provide magical backing beyond what the magical diagrams on the floor of the chamber alone could have provided. Finally, there were also a few officers of her resistance movement there to observe the ritual in it's casting, as this was a momentous event. They were, of course, to remain strictly silent and still if they wanted to be there.

Trixie watched the proceedings with some distaste, now and then sending the orange earth pony a baleful glare. It wasn't just the tastelessness of what was happening, it was also that it was rendering her largest part in this resistance moot and void. She would be useless, in her mind. Applejack avoided looking at her. Honestly, she had enough to feel guilty about, and the light blue unicorn would be dealt with later. Despite her misgivings, however, as soon as one of the unicorns supporting the ritual faltered, she jumped in to replace him immediately. Applejack smiled proudly. Trixie had grown a lot over the past 3 years. She only wished the show-mare could keep a lid on her temper better.

The result of the ritual began to take shape before their eyes, those attending holding their breath in anticipation. A shimmering in the air, similar to a heat mirage, rose up from the diagrams, and began to split apart. The effect was not unlike fabric being ripped from being tugged too hard, and the blue portal that appeared showed a purple unicorn standing in a crowd in the middle of a Ponyville street, keeping an eye out. It seemed like she sensed something was wrong, and Applejack felt a twang of guilt.

---

An hour earlier, and in another world, bells rung through the air, shattering a silence that many foals dreaded. It was met with a cheer, a joyous uproar as many a young one raced for the doors of their school, and into the warm afternoon sunlight. Celestia's light graced them all, but they hardly noticed. After all, all they cared about for the moment was FREEDOM. Mothers and fathers waited for their children, most with smiles, though there were always the parents of a foal who'd gotten themselves into mischief. One particular mare was truly the most important this morning, though she wouldn't know it.

At least not quite yet.

One of the fillies exiting the building was a small, black coated alicorn with a purple mane and tail. Her wings were hidden under a specially tailored vest, though at this point it was unnecessary. Everyone present knew who she was, and some were rather unhappy with her continued existence. Perhaps rightfully so. But they held their tongues, either out of fear, or respect for the judgement of the sisters that ruled Equestria.

Waiting for this particular foal, that mare called out her name. "Nyx!" It wasn't really necessary. The moment she'd stepped from the schoolhouse, Nyx had bolted towards her mother, in full gallop. She was tripped up by her own traitorous hooves right in front of Twilight, but a warm magic glow surrounded her and lifted her to the unicorn's back. "Hey now, I'm not going anywhere," Twilight laughed, nuzzling the young foal, before she turned to take her home.

"I know, momma. I was just happy to see you!" Every day, the same greeting, and every day, truly meant.

As they started off, though, Twilight spied a glint in the sunlight and looked down to it, seeing a small purple hairpin on the ground. Double-checking her foal's state, the unicorn laughed softly at the messy, fallen hair. "Wait a second, little filly. Your hairpin fell out." Twilight's horn glowed as she lifted the metal sprig from the ground. Nyx fidgeted impatiently as her adopted mother gently pulled the foal's purple mane back, and slipped the pin back in place. "I found your headband, so you won't have to wear this anymore once we get back."

"Do I have to wear it noooow?" The black alicorn pouted, not liking the feeling of her mane being pinched down like this. She brushed her hooves over her hair, but didn't touch the pin.

"Sure do. If Rarity saw your mane like that, you wouldn't get any homework done today!" Before her daughter could grumble about the homework, she added, "Instead, you'd be cooped up in her boutique while she fixed it. Sitting there. For hours."

"On second thought, momma, I like this hairpin."

---

On the way home, Twilight passed by a stall selling slushies, and Nyx bounced a bit on her back. Even as she winced, Twilight couldn't help but chuckle at the pleas issuing from her young charge. "Momma! Can I pleeeeease have a slushie? Pleeeease? I've been gooood!"

The lavender unicorn rolled her eyes at the obvious error in grammar, though she smiled good-naturedly. "I don't know, how good a filly could a foal be if she says can instead of may?" Nyx opened her mouth to protest such unjust logic, though she could only pout, clearly defeated before this argument had even began.

"May I have a slushie, momma?"

"Alright, alright." Nyx quickly hopped down from her momma's back, and examined the menu, scanning it quickly for any flavors she found particularly new, and therefore more interesting than the others. Though Twilight trusted the inhabitants of Ponyville to not do anything rash to the filly, her violet eyes scanned the crowds, brows furrowed. Something felt off.

"Blue raspberry sounds good. May I have some of that?" The little filly's teal eyes shone as she made her request, the colt manning the stall leaning behind the stall to prepare the treat, Nyx fidgeting impatiently, full of her normal nervous energy. When she cast a look over her shoulder, her mother's uneasiness made her frown. "What's wrong, momma?"

Twilight jumped a little at the small voice, and put on as genuine a smile as she could. After all, perhaps she was just being silly. Nothing was wrong. She couldn't see any danger. "Oh, don't worry about it. Momma was just looking around." Nyx was not so easily convinced, and she turned completely, looking up at her mother with some amount of worry. Twilight laughed at her expression. She couldn't help it -- it was so serious -- and a look like that on any filly, even Nyx, simply didn't match up. "Seriously! It's alright. Hey, look, your slushie is ready."

The foal happily spun around to receive her treat, and just as the colt reached it down to her, he started, dropping the large paper cup. A split in the air had appeared, and many ponies in the crowd gasped in horror. The filly spun around to see it, and those teal eyes widened, seeing Twilight disappear into it. She'd been sucked in as though by a whirlwind. The small, black filly stared for a moment, frozen in shock as the portal closed up, and was gone with no trace of it's former presence. Nyx's first instinct, was, of course, to panic.

"M - Momma?" Her bottom lip began to quiver, her head jerking left, then right to find her mother. The alicorn didn't want to believe her mother could not simply be found in the throngs of stunned ponies filling the street. She forgot her slushie entirely, darting into the crowd before the salespony could stop her. "Momma?!" Her eyes watered, blurring her vision. Her body trembled, as she ran to one spot, then another, weaving around and through the afternoon crowd with no real rhyme or reason. Soon, she was crying. "MOMMA?! MOOOOOMMA?!"

---

"WHERE ARE THEY?!" Applejack was beside herself with panic and rage. The earth pony ran right up to one of the zebras, seeming all the world as though she was going to start kicking any moment. "Where's Twilight!? Where's Rainbow Dash!?" The poor, singled out pony held up his fore-hooves, shaking his head.

"I do not know, commander! The spell - It worked as we intended! The unicorn and pegasus should be in our world!" Applejack glared holes into him, her teeth gritted as she struggled with herself to remain calm enough to not resort to violence. Trixie -- to her credit -- came to the ritualist's rescue, dragging the infuriated mare away with her magic to a safe distance from the zebra.

"She's supposed to be right HERE," the statement being punctuated with a stamped hoof, the resistance leader not to be deterred from the topic, even as she was pulled back. She continued, her hooves actually digging into the solid rock floor, a testament to her strength that caused the object of her frustration to gulp nervously. "So where IS she?!"

"I-It is possible that the spell has placed them in the exact spot they were located in the other world, as we did not add a teleportation effect. The spell was already too speci-" He didn't get to finish. The earth pony broke free from Trixie's holding spell and planted a fore-hoof right into the zebra's face. The others backed away, biting their lips. They'd never seen the commander like this. It was honestly terrifying, for their usually fair and friendly leader to lose her cool and simply sock one of her underlings, who at the moment was lying on the floor, a tooth knocked loose.

"WHAT THE HAY WERE YA THINKIN', CUTTIN' CORNERS WITH THIS?! DON'T YA KNOW WHAT THIS MEANS, YA FOAL?!" Trixie looked to one of the other unicorns and quickly nodded towards their leader, the unicorns all working together to grab and pin the orange pony with their magic.

"Applejack! Calm DOWN. This is NOT helping in any sense of the word! You're the one being a foal here, you imbecile!" Trixie didn't mean for her rebuke to be so biting. It just came out. However, it actually seemed to do the trick. Applejack shuddered, and stared up at the ceiling.

"Celestia help us all. She's in the worst place she could be in. She's in PONYVILLE." A hush fell over those gathered, as the implications of this began to really fall into place, the shock of what they saw wearing off. Silence ruled, the only noise the slight dripping of water in a nearby room.

"She's in the lap of the enemy."