Cities are the pinnacle of pony society. The fact that a settlement of ponies could band together and create such a sophisticated network of roads, buildings and businesses, certainly said something about their intelligence and willpower.

Dylan had been riding in a taxi carriage for about an hour now, and he couldn't hold still. He was too worried for Amber. Both Applejack and Twilight sat on either side of Dylan. Twilight's eyes continued to glow that mystical lavender light, just as it had been for the past hour. She had been continously telling the taxi pony which way to go throughout the entire ride.

"Okay, now down this road," she instructed, pointing to the west. "And then we'll take another turn to the right." The cab driver simply rolled his eyes in annoyance and did as he was told. He'd never had this problem back in Manehattan.

"Are you sure that spell of yers is workin'?" asked Applejack. "We've been going on for quite a while now."

"I'm positive!" assured Twilight. "My magic has never let me down before."

"Except for that time when you turned Fluttershy into a bat," said Rainbow Dash, who had been flying beside them for the whole trip.

"Or put a Want-it-need-it spell on your childhood doll and made all of Ponyville fight over it!" exclaimed Pinkie, who was riding in a separate carriage next to them.

"Or the time you couldn't use your magic during our trip to Tartarus," chimed in Fluttershy, who had been sitting next to Pinkie.

"Okay, I get it," said Twilight with a deadpan expression. "Left," she instructed the taxi pony after they took a right. Dylan looked around, noticing somepony missing.

"Where's Rarity?" he asked. Both Applejack and Twilight grinned.

"She went to the spa here in the city," answered Twilight. Dylan gave her a confused look.

"The spa? At a time like this?" he questioned.

"Don't let her deceive you," said Applejack. "When she's at the spa, she can collect gossip like nothin' else. In case Twilight's spell don't work, Rarity will probably have a lead."

"I still don't think my magic will fail me this time," stated Twilight. "With how much time Dylan's been spending with her lately, I'm pretty sure I have a lock on her... or her cousin, or her siblings, or uncle... but most likely her!"

Before Dylan could question the accuracy of Twilight's spell, the cart stopped suddenly, making him lurch forward. Shaking his head of dizziness, he looked around to see that they had stopped at a large building. From the looks of it, it seemed to be a warehouse that was at least two stories high.

"Y'all think she's in there?" asked Applejack as she hopped out of the cart. Twilight put a hoof to her chin.

"My spell tells me she's here," she said, eyes still glowing. Dylan slowly approached the door and tried to open it, but it wouldn't budge.

"It's locked," he said to them. "Is there another way insi--"

Applejack waltzed past Dylan and turned around, rear facing the door. She took a deep breath and let out a kick, knocking the door off its hinges, making it land inside the building.

"Now it's unlocked," she said with a smirk. Pinkie hopped inside cheerfully, with Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash trailing behind her.

"I hope we don't get lost in here. It's really dark," said Fluttershy. She was right. Dylan walked into pitch darkness as he entered. There weren't even any windows to let the sunlight in. Applejack bumped into Dylan as Twilight entered just behind her.

"Oh! Sorry, Dylan. Didn't seeya there," said Applejack. "Hey, Twilight? Don't you have a spell that could light our way?"

"I do," replied Twilight proudly. She closed her eyes and focused her magic, sparks coming out of her horn and melding together into a ball of light. The sphere floated into the air and dispersed, lighting up everything as if it there was no roof to keep out the sun. "The spell lasts for thirty minutes before I have to cast another. Let's hurry."

They all spread out in different directions, Dylan with Applejack, Twilight with Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy with Pinkie Pie. Dylan stayed close to Applejack while his eyes scanned down the rows of shelves. Each shelf was almost the size of the building itself, with boxes upon boxes of merchandise.

"How are we going to find her?" asked Dylan. "This place is massive." Applejack smiled and patted Dylan on the head.

"We'll find her," promised Applejack. "Just gotta go down each row, no matter how long it takes."

Two hours later...

After walking down row after row after row of shelves, getting lost in the darkness several times after the spell wore off, and reaching dead ends, they finally came across a door at the end of the warehouse. Dylan heard a scuffle behind him and turned to see the rest of the gang with him, Twilight's glowing eyes leading them.

"She's in here!" she exclaimed. Dylan and Applejack both gave a deadpan stare and turned back to the door. Dylan turned the doorknob and opened it. Not locked this time. Looking in inside, they saw a staircase leading down into the darkness.

"Spooky," said Dylan, unsure of himself.

"Don't forget to giggle at the ghosties!" said Pinkie as she skipped past him and down the stairs, giggling all the way. After vanishing into the darkness, her voice rang again. "Ooooooh! Girls! Come see this!"

After making their way down the creaky stairs, they reached a dimly lit room filled with boxes and cinder blocks. The room seemed to be able to fit at least a hundred ponies. In the middle of said room was a chair, and tied to that chair was a gagged Amber with a rag in her mouth, struggling to get free of the thick rope. Dylan shouted and ran toward her, despite the cries of Applejack and the rest of the girls.

Just as Dylan reached Amber, his vision went black, something crashing into his side. The crack of bone could be heard before he went unconcious. The girls gasped as a black stallion had run into Dylan, plowing him into the concrete wall.

Applejack ran at the stallion with murder in her eyes. He turned around and looked at her with a sadistic grin. He enjoyed inflicting pain. It had always been like this since he had been a foal. His eyes were the color of blood, it seemed, and it matched the blood that slowly poured from Dylan's mouth.

"Come at me!" he shouted, baring his teeth in a smile. "You're not the first, and you definitely won't be the last!" He rushed at Applejack, the two closing in on each other. As they met, Applejack turned at the last second and released a powerful kick, one that was stopped by the stallion's own head.

"It's gonna take a lot more than your kicks to break One Shot," he said with a chuckle. "I headbutt cinder blocks every single day, and I always break through in one shot!" He rushed forward, headbutting Applejack and knocking her out.

Before she hit the ground, she was caught in a magical bubble cast by Twilight Sparkle. Twilight lowered her gently and then turned her attention to One Shot. She charged up her horn and fired a concussive blast, pushing him back slightly.

He snorted in laughter and ran towards his attacker. "My first alicorn, huh?! Maybe you're tighter than other ponies!"

"Ew!" shouted Twilight as she levitated a nearby pile of cinder blocks. Meanwhile, Pinkie had an idea, and so she ran off into another pile. Twilight threw her current ammo at One Shot, literally punching him over and over with each cinder block, one at a time, all over.

The stallion let out grunts as he was pummeled by his own toys. "Feisty..." He swung his head at one of the cinder blocks, pounding it into chunks. He then swung his head again, and again, and again, getting rid of the distractions. "I like 'em feisty! I hope you struggle!"

"EW EW EW!" Twilight's eyes lit up as she lifted a pallet of cinder blocks, pallet included, and slammed them on top of One Shot, burying him underneath. All fell silent except Twilight's heavy breathing. She walked over to the pile of debris and grinned at her victory.

However, she grinned too soon. The pile exploded as One Shot broke free, a stray cinder block hitting Twilight square in the face, knocking her out. She laid on her side, badly bruised, nose bleeding. Rainbow Dash, seeing this, zoomed at her opponent.

She spun around One Shot, making him a bit dizzy, but that wasn't her intended effect. No, what had happened was much more potent. As she kept flying in circles around him, a swirling torrent of wind manifested itself, lifted him and the cinder blocks into the air, tossing them about inside.

One Shot was flung into the cinder blocks repeatedly, unable to swing his head at them. Something had to be done. He spotted the blue pegasus and calculated his next move. He pulled in his rear legs before giving a kick, flinging a cinder block out of the tornado and into Rainbow Dash, knocking her out of the sky.

Dash hit the ground, her right wing crunching against the floor and making her scream in pain. "N-Not again!" she cried as she got up weakly. By this time, the tornado had dissipated, and One Shot had walked up to her.

"I'll be breaking more than just that wing," he said as he lowered his head and dragged his front hoof on the ground, getting ready to charge. He blew out a puff of hot air and rushed at Dash, yelling.

Rainbow Dash quickly looked around and noticed a pile of boxes and cinder blocks behind her. I hope Pinkie's doing what I think she's doing! she thought as she jumped out of the way at the last second.

After crashing into the pile of boxes and cinder blocks, One Shot rose to his hooves and noticed a gleam of something metallic and blue underneath. He looked on in even more confusion as the metal object rose out, revealing it to be a cannon of sorts.

"I hope you don't mind! I didn't bring confetti and I had to improvise somehow!" said Pinkie from behind her weapon. She tugged hard on the string, and out fired a bundle of cinder blocks point blank into One Shot, making him fly across the room and into the wall.

After clearing the flying birdies circling around his field of vision, he let out an angry snort. "I'm done with this shit!" he yelled. He rushed at Pinkie, screaming like a maniac. Pinkie pulled on the string of her cannon, letting out another blast of cinder blocks, but One Shot quickly dodged to the side and closed in.

He jumped over the cannon and landed right on top of her with a crackling of bone. He relished the moment as he kicked at her stomach over and over. He laughed maniacally again and stopped before spitting on her.

"Now this is a party!" he exclaimed. "Who's left?!" He scanned the room until his eyes landed on a shivering yellow pegasus. Fluttershy was the only one left. He walked slowly across the room, his grin spreading ever wider across his face, his eyes molesting her, and his mind thinking of some new torture for her.

Fluttershy shook in fear as he reached her. She raised her hooves in front of her face, and he laughed.

"I bet you're the squealer of the grou--" One Shot felt something grab ahold of his rear leg. He turned his head, seeing a weakened Dylan lying on his stomach, forelegs wrapped around One Shot's rear leg.

"N-No... Stop hurting them!" Dylan cried, tears streaming down his face. One Shot let out a snicker and kicked Dylan's face, but still the young colt held on. "L-Leave them alone!"

"What the fuck?" One Shot laughed. "You're seriously trying to act like a hero? Especially at the last minute? This isn't some comic book!" He turned his attention to the struggling Amber in her chair and his eyes widened as he thought up something twisted.

He walked across the room, dragging Dylan, who was still clinging on. One Shot then grabbed Amber's face between both of his front hooves, squishing her cheeks. He licked his lips and leaned in to her ear.

"I'm going to show you what a real stallion can do," he whispered. "I can do way more than he ever could..." Amber pulled away with her unnatural strength, breaking her face free of his hooves. She then lunged her head forward, headbutting the stallion and making him cry out in pain.

One Shot grabbed Amber's chair and overturned it, Amber's head hitting the concrete floor. Surprisingly, she only obtained a bruise. He then picked it back up and shook it violently, laughing gleefully.

"I fucking love feisty little fillies!" he chortled. "Especially this one! I don't care what Quick Stacks says! I don't think this one will ever break on me!" He grabbed onto Amber's rope and tugged on it, pulling it tighter and restricting Amber's breathing.

Amber tried her best to take a breath, but the rope was too tight, keeping her lungs from expanding. One Shot laughed through clenched teeth as he pulled even tighter, the rope cutting into Amber. She tried to scream, but couldn't. There was no air to expel. She began to panic as her face turned purple.

Dylan, seeing all this happened, felt something stirring in his heart, and it was burning, burning brighter than every other emotion he had ever felt before. A dark energy had taken ahold of him, and even though his mind tried to fight it, it was quickly overcome by a great evil, one that had tortured Dylan nearly his entire life.

It was the same energy that had killed his mother...

CHOMP

"FUCKING TARTARUS?!" One Shot screamed in pain as he felt something dig deep into his hind leg. He turned around, seeing the little brat chewing on it. He grinned with sadism in his eyes and kicked Dylan in the face, but Dylan climbed onto One Shot, ignoring the pain of his broken ribs and bloodied face.

"H-Hey! Get off!" One Shot demanded, but Dylan's eyes were filled with an evil energy, locking onto its prey. He wasn't going to stop. Dylan bit down hard on One Shot's ear and pulled. One Shot let out a scream as he felt his ear being torn. He could feel his flesh separating as his attacker ripped the ear clean off.

Dylan let out a bone-chilling scream and kicked the back of One Shot's head with his front hooves, creating shockwaves of agony. One Shot screamed as he felt his skull begin to crack. Thinking quickly, he flipped onto his back, crushing Dylan underneath.

"You're dead, brat! I'll kill you!" One Shot cried out. But then, a suprise startled him as he felt the younger colt rise up. Dylan placed his front hooves underneath One Shot and lifted, standing on his two rear legs like the human he used to be.

Dylan charged on his two rear legs at the wall and slammed One Shot into the concrete, creating a loud CRACK! He then dropped One Shot, the adult stallion slumping to the ground weakly.

"Y-Yer gonna pay, boy," whispered Dylan, his cold gaze on One Shot. Dylan lowered himself onto all fours, steadying himself before raising up again and stomping back down onto One Shot's sides. Dylan did this over and over, delivering punishment, much like his pa had done to him.

One Shot wasn't crying in pain, however. He was laughing, laughing the entire time as he felt each cracking blow to his ribs. Dylan eventually noticed the laughter and stopped, looking at him with an unamused expression.

"You're something twisted," One Shot whispered. He took a pained breath before speaking a bit louder. "Quick Stacks said there were others like me here. I didn't believe him at first, but..." He looked Dylan in the eyes. "Now I know it. You're too angry to be a pony."

"But I am a pony," replied Dylan, squinting his eyes. One Shot just chuckled and shook his head.

"If you were, you're not one anymore," he said. "You're like me. You're a human." One Shot coughed and spat out a glob of bloody saliva. "I've been here for thirty years, and I have never seen a pony with such murderous intent."

"Not a pony. Not a human, either," said Dylan. "You're an abomination, a sinner. The deepest depths of Hell await you when I'm done. I'll make sure your end is slow and painful. Satan shouldn't be the only one who gets to give punishment."

"Dylan...?"

Dylan turned around and stumbled a bit as he saw Applejack. She had a confused, yet worried look on her face.

"This isn't like you," she said, looking between him and One Shot. "This isn't like you at all."

"B-But... he was hurting everypony!" Dylan yelled, trying not to shed tears. "He's a sinner!"

"Dylan, stop it, right now!" commanded Applejack. "I don't care what he is! He's a pony, just like us! Yer takin' the fight too far!"

Anger and shame swam through Dylan's mind, conflicting with each other. He wanted One Shot to pay, but here was Applejack, who was berating him for it. He looked at the broken stallion, One Shot, and closed his eyes tight.

"B-But... He..." Dylan tried to find the right words to make it all go away, to make it all better, but he was stuck in a difficult situation. "A-Applejack... Please make it stop..."

"Dylan, only you can make this stop," she replied. "You just need to let go. It's not worth it." She walked forward. "Now, c'mon... Just step away from him."

Dylan's anger slowly seeped out of his body as he focused on Applejack. He took a deep breath and exhaled before walking over to her, head hung in shame. He buried his face into her chest and let out a sob.

"I-I'm sorry!" he cried, his apology muffled by the fur. "Please don't hate me!" Applejack stroked his mane and shushed him.

"I ain't never gonna hate ya, Dylan," she whispered. "It's all gonna be okay." Fluttershy walked over, carrying a weakened Rainbow Dash on her back.

"It's a good thing nopony got... you know... They're all just knocked out," said Fluttershy. Rainbow rolled her eyes and groaned.

"I definitely had him. I just wasn't trying," said Rainbow Dash, trying to excuse herself. Applejack turned her head to the tied up Amber and motioned for Fluttershy to help. Fluttershy nodded and walked over to help her out.

Dylan pulled away from Applejack's chest and stared at One Shot, who had been beaten and bloodied. Dylan approached him and sat down, eyes bloodshot.

"You said you didn't care what Quick Stacks said. What does he want with Amber?" he asked.

One Shot breathed in roughly before speaking. "He just wanted me to deliver her to him. I don't know what he wants. Don't know why he's wasting his time with a little filly when there are bigger fish to fry."

"What does Quick Stacks know about humans?" he asked.

One Shot took another agonizing breath and spoke again. "He's been alive longer than any of us, and he knows terrible things."

"Like what?" Dylan asked, staring intently.

"He knows how to join them together, the two worlds," One Shot rasped. "Said he could do it at any time. But that's not what he wants."

"Well, out with it! What does he want?!" Dylan yelled.

"He wants to stay alive," the black stallion confessed. "Said he needs some kind of fruit to do it. It has to be picked right from the tree by him alone."

"Wait... if that's true, then why didn't he just sneak in and pick it from there?" Dylan asked, puzzled.

"I don't have all the answers." One Shot rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Look, just get the fuck out of here before the others arrive. I'm sick of looking at your face. It's too damn innocent."

"Yer not goin' anywhere," said Applejack as she approached. "Yer goin' to prison."

"Please... I could get out in less than an hour with my strength," he bragged. His bragging was cut short, however, as a recently awakened Twilight Sparkle walked over and focused her horn, encasing One Shot in a magic bubble.

"It's not going to be just any old prison," corrected Twilight. "You're going to Celestia's dungeon, where nopony has ever escaped. You'll be watched by our most powerful unicorns."

Dylan walked over to Amber, who had just been removing the last of the rope from herself thanks to Fluttershy. Amber took one look at Dylan and flinched away before regaining her composure.

"So um... This is awkward," she said. She seemed to be rather put off by Dylan's recent episode, but she smiled regardless. "Thank you, Dylan. I don't know what I would've done without your help."

"Amber, are you... are you mad at me?" Dylan asked, afraid of the answer.

"Not mad," replied Amber. "I am a bit... scared, I guess?" She put a hoof to her mouth, as if regretting her words. "What I mean is... I've never seen anypony do that." She hesitated a bit before placing a hoof on Dylan's shoulder. "We'll work through it."

Dylan's heart ached at her words. She was afraid of him, and it made him feel unsure of their relationship. He held back his tears as he placed his hoof on Amber's, looking for comfort.

"Hey, don't you cry on me," she said with a grin. "You were just acting all big and tough a few minutes ago." She looked into his eyes and, seeing his unease, pulled him in, wrapping her forelegs around him and hugging him. "You dumb goofball."

Applejack, watching the scene from afar, smiled. Ponies like Amber only came around once in a lifetime. Applejack then turned to look at One Shot. More and more humans were appearing in Equestria, and it bothered her greatly.

"Twilight?" Applejack spoke up. "Can't you use your princess authority to get us into Quick Stacks' building?"

"In a situation like this?" Twilight replied. "I most certainly can. We have enough evidence right here." She pointed to One Shot proudly.

"We'll do anything! Just let go!" a familiar voice commanded.

"We can make it worth your while!" a second familiar voice yelled.

Applejack looked to the entrance and her eyes widened in disbelief as she saw Rarity, holding two smartly dressed unicorns in her magic.

"The Flim Flam Brothers?!" Applejack walked over with a pissed off look. "What are you two doin' here?!"

"I found them snooping around the outside after I came back from the spa," answered Rarity. "A little birdy told me these two were seen carrying a lumpy, moving bag into this warehouse."

"Yer workin' with Quick Stacks?!" Applejack asked, her eyes aflame with anger.

"N-Now, Applejack! It's strictly business!" Flam said nervously. "Surely you can understand?"

"What I understand is that you two are no-good rotten apple cores!" she replied. "Twilight, can we put these two behind bars as well?"

"Maybe," replied Twilight. "But that's if Rarity can find that witness again."

"No problem, darling!" said Rarity. "We have a little get-together planned for this weekend."

"Well, keep 'em held until then," said Applejack. Meanwhile, Dylan and Amber were talking with each other, checking each other for wounds.

"Will you be okay?" asked Dylan as he gently rubbed at Amber's bruise.

"It's fine," said Amber with a smile. "He may have broken cinder blocks daily, but I've actually broken worse things with this noggin. He's actually lucky I wasn't going full force."

"Really?" asked Dylan, wide-eyed. Amber nodded and checked Dylan's sides. She pressed in a little, eliciting a cry from him.

"Definitely broken," she said. "How are you even walking? We need to get you to a doctor before we do anything else."

"But Quick Stacks needs to pay!" said Dylan. They were on the verge of catching Quick Stacks for crimes. Dylan didn't want to waste any time.

"Nope. The adults can handle this," Amber replied. "We're not strong enough. You were really lucky to survive. If you hadn't received that adrenaline when you did, you'd be dead."

Dylan groaned a bit in frustration. He didn't want to admit it, but she was right. He wasn't in any condition to go after Quick Stacks. Sure, Rainbow Dash's wing may have been broken, but the rest of them were only conked out. They would recover sooner.

Amber looked into Dylan's eyes, seeing his irritation. She could understand it, as she'd been foalnapped by some random stranger and couldn't do anything about it. She smiled at Dylan and kissed him briefly.

"He'll pay. Don't worry," she said in assurance. "It's okay to sit by. We can both relax." She rubbed his cheek and noticed something different about him. He had grown a bit. Since when, she didn't know, but he had become slightly taller than her, though it was barely noticeable.

Dylan let out a sigh in defeat and nodded. "Let's go home."

Amber's smile grew wider and she almost jumped from the excitement, but kept her cool. "Good. You have a surprise waiting for you back in Ponyville. Consider it a really late birthday present."

"What?" Dylan tilted his head. "Birthday present? Is that why you weren't at my party?"

Amber giggled. "Yeah! I was helping out my dad with it. He can be pretty useful with a hammer, but if I didn't help him sometimes, he'd nail something to himself. Don't tell him I said that."

Dylan rubbed his chin and then realized he shouldn't even be able to stand. The pain suddenly hit him and he collapsed to the floor. Amber caught him in her hooves and held him up. "Let's get you home..."

Author's Note

Looks like Dylan has a new thing to deal with in his life. Will he break the cycle of anger? What's going on with Quick Stacks? All of this and more will come up in future chapters!

Love y'all.