There they stood, in front of the tall skyscraper building. Quick Stacks was inside on the top floor. All they had to do was enter and arrest him. Applejack took in the sight, but just barely. She had felt intimidated by the structure somehow. There was something about it that made the surrounding area darker than the rest of the city.

"Applejack? Are you okay?" asked Twilight, looking worried as she rested a hoof on Applejack's shoulder.

"Uh, yeah," Applejack replied. "Stomach is actin' up. It's probably just somethin' I ate earlier."

"Are you nervous?" asked Rainbow Dash with a smug look. "We can totally take this guy. He'll probably get all scared the moment we burst through his door!"

"I guess so," said Applejack, still staring at the building. She looked at Twilight, who was smiling with a determination in her eyes as she walked up to the glass double doors of the building. They all followed closely.

"You girls ready?" she asked. They all nodded and she burst open the doors with her magic before rushing in. The secretary at the desk, an earth pony with pink coat and white mane, blinked in surprise.

"I'm sorry, but Mr. Stacks isn't seeing anyone," she stated. Twilight just gave a smug grin.

"Mr. Stacks is under arrest by order of Princess Celestia and I have the scroll with her signature to prove it," countered Twilight, feeling proud of the justice system. The secretary, Blossom, looked to the microphone on her desk with increasing nervousness, sweat rolling down her face.

"I'll just let him know he has some visitors," she said as she slowly reached for the mic. Twilight wasn't having it, however, and yanked away the microphone in her magic.

"It'll be a surprise," said Twilight as she disassembled the device with ease using her magic. "Girls, let's go. I see the elevator over there," she instructed as she walked toward it.

As the gang left, Blossom looked at the broken mic in horror. It was at that moment that she remembered what the next course of action was. She looked under her desk, and, lo and behold, there it was: a red button, installed to alert Quick Stacks of intruders.

The time had come. Quick Stacks had been prepared for this inevitability. He just didn't think it would be so soon. "Of all ponies, it had to be a princess? The worst I had expected was Applejack." He stared at the monitor on his desk, the camera feed showing Twilight and her friends standing in the elevator as it ascended to the top.

This wasn't part of the plan. Now he had to improvise. He grabbed a book from the shelf behind his desk and opened it up to a page displaying a tree. "I really do hope it doesn't have to come to this."

The elevator door slid open just as he finished speaking, and out came Twilight and her friends. Applejack nearly shuddered when she saw the white unicorn stallion. Twilight spread out her wings in an authoritative manner as she approached, her horn glowing.

"Quick Stacks, you are being charged for your crimes against Equestria's citizens. Do not resist," she commanded. Stacks let out a chuckle and sat down in his chair.

"Miss Sparkle," he greeted. "I don't think I'm going anywhere."

"And what makes you so sure of that?" she asked, raising a brow.

"Because we're going to talk things out," he replied with a smug look.

"I'm not going to negotiate with a criminal. Especially one being charged with foalnapping," she said, her tone becoming agitated.

"I'm not the criminal here. You have no physical evidence against me," stated Stacks. "In fact, it's you who's the criminal here, charging into my building, abusing your authority. I have the right mind to see Princess Celestia about this."

"Don't think you can get off that easily. We have three foalnappers who identify you as their leader," Twilight argued, sure that she had won.

"Criminal ponies? Why in Tartarus would anypony take the word of no-good scum? Who would believe in such obvious lies?" Stacks stared Twilight in the face, showing no chance of backing down. "Unless you can find physical evidence that isn't a worthless member of society, I think we're done here."

Applejack squinted her eyes in suspicion as she spoke to Twilight. "Is this true?"

"Unfortunately, yes," Twilight whispered back, no longer proud of the justice system. "Ponies used to be more careless with their evidence, and would take the word of ponies left and right without any actual evidence. It was back before Celestia and Luna were even princesses. When they stepped in, they put up different rules that we still use today."

"But that's ridiculous!" said Rarity. "Surely, there must be some way you could detain him until evidence is found."

"But that would ruin her image," Quick Stacks pointed out. "Arresting the owner of a multi-million bit company would cause a ruckus among all the other business owners. Imagine the princess rounding up the successful and ruining their lives. And to think, all because you don't have evidence."

"Twilight," Applejack placed a hoof on Twilight's shoulder. "Isn't there anything we can do?"

Quick Stacks, thinking he had won, grinned. Twilight had a decision to make.

"Approach slowly," she said to him, making him blink in disbelief.

Stacks gave a nervous smile and coughed. "U-Uhh... Excuse me? This is a violation of my rights. Think of your image. Think of all the backlash from other business owners. Stores would shut down in protest, citizens would riot because they can't buy food!"

Twilight shook her head, clearing her mind of the possible consequences. "My duties as a princess are important, Quick Stacks, but my duties as a friend come first. Besides, Princess Celestia can calm anypony down." The rest of the group smiled with pride. Quick Stacks slammed his hooves into the ground as he hopped out of his chair.

"This is insanity!" Stacks cried. "What kind of princess are you?! I'll see to it that you're stripped of your title!"

"I'm the Princess of Friendship," she replied. She then took a step forward and lit up her horn, wrapping a bubble of magic around Quick Stack. He wasn't about to let her catch him that easily though.

"Dispello." The bubble almost immediately shattered, leaving Quick Stacks on the floor. He stood back up and brushed off the dust from his forelegs. Twilight looked on in shock as she heard him mutter more strange words. "Manifestus Patentibus."

The space in front of Quick Stacks distorted toward a single point, ripping apart and creating a black void. Screams emanated from the empty space, and they sounded like they were from pure agony.

"What kind of magic is this?!" Twilight asked, still trying to process the events. "You're not even using your horn!"

"Well, it's certainly no artifact," he answered. "What may be simple words in one world can be powerful in another. I just wish it didn't have to come to this, because now that I've said one of these words, I'll have to shed this form.

"What are you even talking about?!" Twilight asked as she charged up her horn. "Just give up, already!" She released a high energy blast at the void to close it, but as it touched the inky darkness, it faded away. "What?! Quick Stacks, what even is this thing?!"

"You may stop referring to me as Quick Stacks now. Quick Stacks was just a common unicorn I had possessed, as was his father," he explained. "Just fools who were after money while I was after something much greater." He looked at Applejack and smiled, his lips cracking apart, dust falling to the floor.

"Then... what are you?" Twilight asked as she stepped closer. "Why go after Amber? Why couldn't you do it yourself if you could do all this magic?"

"With unicorn magic, I am useless. With this power, however, I could easily do whatever I want, but at a great cost. This body is no longer sustainable and will soon crumble to dust. I'll have to find another. Luckily, I have a kind donor."

"You're taking another body? Who?" Twilight asked, now cautious that he may try to take one of her friends. Quick Stacks laughed as his mane fell out, revealing bare skin atop his head.

"You think I want any of your friends? Of course not! I already have someone who'll play into my plans perfectly!" Quick Stacks gave a final smile, a single tooth falling out, before walking into the void. As he entered, the screams of pain grew louder, the noise reaching the edge of the city and spooking many of the citizens.

The void finally shrank until it was completely gone, a scorch mark left on the floor in its place. Twilight and the gang just stared for a few seconds before one of them spoke up.

"Uh... Did we just lose?" asked Rainbow Dash. "Because judging from past experience, I'm pretty sure that was a loss."

Twilight lit up her horn and cast a beam of magic over the spot where Quick Stacks had been. "No, we didn't. I can still track him. I just need to find a trace... I feel it!"

"Where is he?" asked Fluttershy.

"If this was anything like my favorite novels, he'd probably be hiding in some dusty underground basement," commented Rarity.

"Actually, you're not very far off," said Twilight. "My magic tells me he's still in the building, but... he's on the very bottom floor."

"What are waiting for? Let's get down there!" shouted Applejack as she ran into the open elevator. "C'mon, everypony!"

As they rode down the elevator, the sound of screaming could be heard, and it only got louder as they went down. Fluttershy shivered at the haunting noise.

"I don't like the sound of that," she said. "Whoever it is, they sound like they're angry and in pain."

"I'm guessing it's this new host he was talking about," Twilight said. "We'll need to save them if we want to stop Quick Stacks, or... whoever he is."

As they reached the bottom, the door slid to reveal a small basement room, and in the center was a chair, a brown earth pony with sandy blonde hair tied to it. He screamed at Twilight and her friends as soon as they caught his gaze. His blue eyes had a burning hatred in them, one that couldn't be contained.

"That looks like Dylan!" exclaimed Applejack. "But... he doesn't. He's too old to be Dylan. And he's definitely not Oak Tree." Twilight walked over to the struggling pony and looked him in the eyes.

"It's like he's not even in there. Can you understand me?" Twilight asked him, hoping for an answer. The pony spat in her face and tried to bite at her, gnashing his teeth like a mindless beast.

"I don't think he's in there anymore," she said with a disappointed look. She then scanned the room, looking about for Quick Stacks, who was nowhere to be found. She lit up her horn once more to get a feel for his location, but he was gone.

"Twilight?" Applejack walked up to the stallion who was biting at the air. "I think I know who this is... He looks just like Dylan, even more than Oak Tree does. This has to be him!"

Twilight attempted to sense Quick Stack's strange energy, but no trace of it came up. It was as if he had vanished from the world completely. She then looked to the snarling pony beast. Would Quick Stacks have possessed the pony's body, she would've felt it.

"I don't know, AJ," replied Twilight. "Unless he can tell us himself, I'm afraid we won't have an answer." She encased the wild pony and the chair in a bubble of magic and floated him into the air. "Let's get out of here, girls. If Quick Stacks isn't here, maybe he turned to dust on the way."

Dylan laid down on the floor of his new fort, the wooden floor having been covered in a semi-comfortable carpet. "How'd you make this?" he asked, looking at the ceiling, which had a small skylight.

"Like I said earlier, my dad and I made it. Took us a long time, but it was worth it. Happy late birthday," she said, smiling as she laid down next to him. She grunted in discomfort and looked at him with curiosity. "How are you able to handle this floor? Not exactly the best spot to lay down on."

"I used to sleep in the living room at one time back in my world," he explained. "Usually when it was summer. My air conditioner never really worked."

"You ever wonder why our worlds are so similar?" asked Amber. Dylan squinted his eyes, confused.

"Wait... Similar?" he asked. "This world is full of magic. Ain't nothin' similar."

"Oh, hush," she said, putting a hoof to his lips. "We literally speak the same language and we have similar machines."

Dylan looked into her eyes, as if he were searching for the answers in them. Finding none, he just nodded slowly. He then looked back up to the skylight, noticing the clouds being put into place by pegasi. He had almost forgotten there was going to be a storm today.

"I guess we do have similar worlds," he said as he idly rubbed one hoof on top of the other. "Should we move the fort?" The fort had been cleverly built with multiple wheels, allowing it to be moved anywhere. However, it required at least two ponies, or at least Big Mac, to move it. Currently, the fort was out in front of the family home.

"Nah. It can handle rain," she pointed out. "It's very sturdy, too, so it should be able to handle strong winds."

"You wanna go inside the house?" Dylan asked, looking at the skylight as its glass panes collected raindrops. Amber shook her head and rested a hoof on Dylan's.

"I've gotten too used to the floor," she giggled. Dylan smiled and giggled along with her. The two ponies stared upwards, holding each other's hoof and enjoying the silence. For the majority of the day, Dylan's mind was on Quick Stacks. Within him, an anger bubbled as he thought about how the sleazy unicorn ordered Amber's foalnapping.

Amber noticed something flickering in Dylan's eyes and spoke up. "Are you okay?" Just like that, all of Dylan's rage had gone down, the flicker in his eyes fading out from sight.

"Yeah," he said, trying to forget it all. "Sorry."

"What was that?" she asked. "I could've sworn I saw something."

"Saw something?" Dylan looked at her. "Like what?" Amber thought it over for a bit and just smiled.

"Nothing," she said. "It's just my imagination." She stood up and walked over to the door, turning the handle. However, when she did, the door flung open, letting wind and rain flow in.

Dylan almost swore in panic and attempted to close the door. He struggled against the wind as he pushed the door back into place. As he did this, Amber thought to herself. She thought back to the fight between One Shot and everypony else. Dylan's rage had made him so much stronger, and it made her fearful. Ponies weren't capable of this. Would the rage one day overtake him and make him hurt everypony?

Amber walked up to Dylan and placed her hooves on both his shoulders. She looked deep into his eyes to find the lingering rage, but alas, it wasn't there. If she could somehow remove it and throw it into a trash can somewhere, she'd do it in a heartbeat. Dylan raised his brows in concern.

"Are you okay?" he asked. Amber just held back a tear and nodded. He was so oblivious. She loved that about him, but it would definitely lead to his end one day. She was sure of it. Why she had that certain feeling, she couldn't quite figure out. It was like if you saw an apple falling and you knew it would hit the ground, simply because that was how things naturally worked.

Dylan just let it slip by and nuzzled his cheek into hers. He had always felt comfort in Amber's presence. She reminded him of somepony. He knew she did, but he couldn't figure out who she reminded him of. Who was it? He searched his brain for clues, but he just couldn't figure it out.

Suddenly, the door swung open again, but it wasn't the wind. Walking inside, soaked to the bone, was Oak Tree. "Fuckin' bird horses... They don't warn nopony." He closed the door behind him and saw Dylan and Amber in their little embrace. "Ffffffffffffff-- Look, I'll just leave," he said.

Amber just blinked and stammered. "N-Nononono! It's okay!" She released Dylan and stepped forward to greet Oak. "H-Haven't see you in a while. What brings you here?"

Oak shook the water out of his forelegs, making a small portion of the floor wet. "Just... need to talk to Dylan," he said. Amber remembered what Dylan had told her on the way back home, about how Oak Tree was his long lost uncle, and how Dylan was really a pony, just like her. Didn't really matter to her, though. She'd still love him the same, whether he was human or pony.

She leered at Oak with suspicion. This pony was related to Dylan, yet from what Dylan had said, Oak was hateful towards him. Why would he want to talk to him? She stayed quiet and watched as Dylan was approached.

As Oak stood in front of Dylan, he noticed something, and that something nearly made him flinch. A familiar aura was about the young colt. Oak looked back at Amber and realized something horrifying, something that happened with both his brother and his pa. If it continued, history would repeat itself.

"Ya got that fire in yer eyes, boy," said Oak as he turned to face Dylan. "I can see it. Can feel it, even."

"What are you talking about?" asked Dylan, clueless. Oak furrowed his brow in response.

"You know what I'm talkin' about, boy. The anger. I know you've shown it. Who was it? Was it her?" he pointed to Amber, who widened her eyes.

"Hold on," she protested. "He hasn't had any anger towards me. Who are you to suddenly accuse him?"

"Shut up. Don't defend him," Oak shouted back. "If he's anything like his father, then he's bound to become a ticking time bomb, just like my pa. I missed the chance to fix his dad, but goddamit I'm not going to miss this one!" He then turned back to Dylan and looked him in the eyes. "Who was it?!"

"S-Some pony named One Shot!" stammered Dylan. "He was hurting Amber, so... I beat him..." This made Oak just stare at him. Was Dylan lying? Was it really to protect someone? Be that as it may, it would still happen again.

"Is that true?" he asked Amber without looking at her.

Amber, furious at this point, walked up to Oak, turned, and kicked him into the wall with such force that it nearly knocked him unconscious. He saw stars swirl around his vision. "Yes, it's true," she answered after doing so. "Now, if you'll stop the interrogation, I'd like to ask you a few questions of my own."

Oak shakily rose to his hooves and stared at her with anger. "N-Now you listen here, missy. He's a danger to you. He may have protected you, but what if his anger gets worse? Who's to say he won't turn on you next?"

Amber huffed and kicked Oak back into the wall. "Oh, shut it," she said as she did this. "You're not going to just come in here and throw a little fit. I don't need you to start causing drama. Now, are you done?"

Oak started to speak. "You can't treat me li--" Amber raised a hind leg, ready to kick. This shut Oak up quickly. Amber grinned at his reaction and turned to look at a startled Dylan. Dylan made a mental note to never forget an anniversary.

"Now apologize," Amber demanded. Oak squinted his eyes and stood up, shaking his head.

"No. My actions are completely justifiable," he argued. "If I don't fix it now, it'll happen again later. I'm doin' y'all a favor!"

"That's not the way you fix things," countered Amber. "My mama told me that if you want something done right, it must be done in a civil manner, and what you did was not civil at all. In fact, it just makes ya look like an idiot, just spoutin' all this nonsense, causin' unnecessary drama."

Oak just continued to stare. He then took a deep breath and held it for a few seconds before releasing. "Yer a scary filly, I'll give ya that." This made Amber smirk in response.

"I try," she said. "Now, are ya gonna apologize?"

"One hurdle at a time," answered Oak. He sighed and then remembered what he was actually there for. "I needed to ask Dylan a few things..." He carefully made his way over, staying out of Amber's kick reach.

As he approached, he looked into Dylan's eyes to see that the spark had gone. Was he wrong about him? Shaking his head, he asked the question, "What happened to her? I need to know..."

Dylan stayed quiet, not wanting to relive the moment again. Oak fought back his tears.

"D-Damnit, boy," he choked out. "Please tell me what happened to her. Was it quick?"

"I don't know," Dylan whispered, tears streaming down his face. "I didn't see..."

"Did she ever mention me at any time in your life?" asked Oak, hope in his eyes.

"Only once," Dylan replied. "She said she wished I could meet you."

Oak went silent for a bit. Amber kept her eyes on him and blinked as soon as he started choking up.

"Fuckin' hell..." Oak wiped wet sadness from his eyes. "Was she even happy?"

Dylan sat down on his rear and tried drying his eyes from the first question. Amber placed a hoof on Oak's shoulder. "Enough. He doesn't need to answer any more questions."

Oak, finally listening to reason, nodded and stood up. "I loved her, you know," he said to Amber. "She was everythin' to me..."

"Why do you hate on Dylan if he's her foal?" asked Amber.

"Because he's the seed of that... that fuckin' traitor!" answered Oak furiously. "He's even got the anger!"

"But half of Dylan came from her, too," reasoned Amber. "Even if you think you're justified in hating one half, you aren't justified in hating her side as well. This is her legacy, not your brother's. Dylan has done nothing wrong."

At first, there was silence. Then, Oak buried his face in his hooves and let out a mournful cry.

"I can't be here anymore," he muttered as he ran out the door, leaving Dylan and Amber alone once again.

Oak wandered the roads leading away from Sweet Apple Acres, the rain beating down on him. He could feel every individual raindrop punishing him for being so blind with rage. He was the one with the problem, he realized, not Dylan.

Reaching the limits of the village, he smiled as he saw his favorite bar, "The Happy Seapony". He opened the door and walked in, letting the soothing jazz music calm his nerves.

"Oak? Haven't seen you in a couple of days," said the bartender.

"I've been busy with a few orders. Trees don't chop themselves down, ya know," Oak replied, lying.

The bartender, recognizing the lie, played along. "Well, some trees can be pretty stubborn. I wouldn't be surprised if you've even argued with them. Best thing to do is to apologize, and then maybe they'll fall down."

Oak sat down in his usual chair and sighed. "Just gimme that pineapple juice," he said. Back at home, he would've made his own moonshine, but here in Equestria it was rare to get the ingredients he needed. Once in a while he'd be able to find all the ingredients and make a batch, but most days he'd just drink the pineapple juice. It was a special kind, one that made ponies feel happy, at least temporarily.

"You know, you're the only customer I have who has had depression for this long," said the bartender.

"Shut it, Juice Mixer," snapped Oak, making Mixer chuckle.

"Only one with anger like this, too. It's okay to be angry at times, though," said Juice Mixer as he poured some juice into a glass cup. "Here you are."

"It's just so much heartache. You remember my brother, right?" asked Oak.

"Sure do," answered Mixer as he cleaned a glass. "Had the illest temper I had ever seen. Hard to believe he took your mare."

"She was her own mare," Oak said. "It was my fault she left."

"You'll see her again one day. The ether is a big place," assured Mixer.

"Yeah..."

Author's Note

Been going through a lot of depression lately. Have also had some regrets recently, too. I've made mistakes I wish I could take back. Oak is another character based off my negative aspects: regret.