Where The Apples Grow

by Vivid_Whisper

Rating: mature
Tags: Adventure, Sex, Human, Main 6, Gore, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Alternate Universe, Granny Smith, Romance, Braeburn, Cutie Mark Crusaders, Big Macintosh
Length: 59278

An abused boy ends up in Sweet Apple Acres.

A young human boy is caught in a storm and finds himself in Sweet Apple Acres. Born with an abusive father, he struggles to understand what it really means to have a family.

Cover art is by my buddy Ren! You're awesome, dude!

FEATURED ON MARCH 7TH! SWEET LUNA, YES! :pinkiehappy:

Published 2017-11-08 15:40:11 UTC
Last updated 2021-04-13 22:11:41 UTC

Chapter 1: Planting the Seed

The heavy rain fell down upon the earth so suddenly. No one saw it coming, not even the animals, for it was unnatural, and evaded all senses they had. Winds flowed through the farm like a raging river, pushing away all in its path, leaving no stone unturned and leaving behind chaos. The dogs had taken shelter in the barn, shivering from the cold.

The farmer, however, sat in his rocking chair in front of a warm fire, a shotgun in his lap and a cloth in one hand. He was shrouded in shadow, as the power had gone out, the only source of light coming from the fire. Even then, light seemed to evade the man's face, as if afraid to touch it and reveal him to the world. He whistled a ghostly tune, that, even though it was Camptown Races, seemed to be stone cold eerie, twisted almost beyond recognition as he wiped away what little grime there was from the weapon.

Outside, a young boy about the age of 15 and with dusty blond hair, tanned skin and pale blue eyes, had been trudging through the muddy cornfield, picking as much corn as he could and putting it in the basket. The moment the basket was full, he turned and started to move, only for his leg to get caught in the mud, causing him to fall with a sickening crack and a thud. He let out a scream that was deafened by the sudden flash of lightning and the roar of thunder.

He stared down at his leg, blood running cold as he saw that it was bent in the wrong direction. He could even see the blood soaking through his jeans, despite the rain that attempted to wash it off. With a whimper, he pulled himself along the ground with his arms, unable to get up due to the searing pain, and under a tall and proud apple tree, which stood mighty and strong against the fierce winds. It was the only thing protecting him from the rain.

"Pa! Help me!" he cried out, but his words were drowned out by the sound of the rain. "Pa! Please, help!" he cried again, but to no avail. The only response he would get was the drumming sound of water hitting the ground. He slammed his fist into the ground, letting out a burst of sobbing. He should have listened, he thought. He should have finished his chores sooner. Maybe then he'd be inside, safe and sound.

His thoughts were suddenly cut off, however, when he felt the ground beneath him rumble for a short moment, the sound of thunder following immediately after. He looked to his left to find a scorch mark on the ground. Lightning had struck so close to him. If he had been in that spot, he'd be dead. He let out a heavy sigh and stared ahead into the distance. It had been a hard year for him, full of bad memories.

He placed a hand on the bark of the apple tree. His mother had planted it there when she was a small girl. It was the only thing he had left of her, and here it was, protecting him from the rain like she would have. He sat there for several minutes, resting against the tree and staring at his broken leg.

It looked pretty bad, bent in the opposite direction of where it was supposed to go. He looked in the direction of the house which was heavily concealed by a heavy fog rolling in. The storm seemed to be getting worse, and he couldn't stand the cold much longer. He had to get inside somehow.

Grabbing onto a low-hanging branch of the tree, he attempted to hoist himself up, only to fall back down after a surge of pain shot through his mangled leg. He let out a scream of both pain and frustration, but the sound barely traveled due to the constant thunder and rain. His eyes welled up with tears.

He couldn't take it anymore. He slammed his fists against the bark, screaming with incoherent language. As if in response, the tree made a crackling noise as it leaned toward him. Lightning had struck the tree multiple times earlier and he hadn't even noticed. Closing his eyes, he braced himself for the falling behemoth.

Meanwhile, in Sweet Apple Acres.

Applejack looked outside at the rain from the front door of her home. "That's funny. We weren't scheduled for a storm today," she said to herself. "Granny! Was rain on the schedule?" she hollered.

Instead of answering back with a shout of her own, Granny Smith dragged herself over to the front door. "Ah don't think so... But I'd hardly call this a storm! Why back in my day, we had rain AND hail AAAAAND we had floodin'!" she bragged.

"I know, Granny, I know," Applejack replied with a smile. They both looked out at the rain in silence before Granny spoke up once more.

"It's peaceful, ain't it? Just listenin' to the sound of it," Granny commented. Applejack nodded in response and listened to all the droplets hitting the earth, which in turn would help the apple trees stay big and strong. The very thought of it made her feel warm and fuzzy inside. Soon, Big Macintosh would join in and listen with them, then Applebloom would come along and listen too.

"It's gettin' pretty windy..." Applebloom muttered.

"Eyup," replied Big Mac, turning around to head back inside. He'd had enough of the cold for now. Applebloom followed her older brother back inside as well, followed by Granny Smith, leaving only Applejack. The rain may not have been expected, but it was nice. It was good for the farm, so it was good for her. She watched for several minutes before turning around to head inside, but something made her stop. A noise... a crackling noise. She'd recognize that sound anywhere. One of the apple trees had fallen...

Author's Note

Keep in mind that this is my first fic and I plan to improve.

Chapter 2: Naming The Seed

Applejack paced by the front door, her mind uneasy and her mane soaking wet. What she had found was unsettling; some creature underneath one of her apple trees, and it was now in the guest bedroom. A familiar friend trotted down from upstairs. It was Twilight, her faithful companion.

"My traumalocation spell showed that his leg is broken," said Twilight, "so I'll need some help getting it back into place. We can still save it."

Applejack nodded and replied with a concerned look on her face, "We'll have to hold him down in case he wakes up, which I reckon he will."

"You don't have to worry about that. I put him into a deep sleep. He shouldn't feel anything," replied Twilight. Both of them trotted up the stairs and into the guest bedroom, where the Apple family was waiting.

"What is it, Twilight?" Applebloom asked curiously.

"He's called a human," replied Twilight, "I encountered many of them during my trip through the mirror in the Crystal Empire. He's not as colorful as most of them though..."

"Y'all ready?" inquired Applejack, placing her hoof on his foot.

"Eyup," replied Big Mac. Twilight's horn glowed with a purple aura and shot a beam into the boy's leg, making it clear and see-through. They could see his bones easily, but Applebloom chose to look away, trying to keep down her lunch. Big Mac and Twilight pushed the leg down and back into place, getting the broken bone to reconnect.

"Hold it still, please," said Twilight. She shot another beam of magic into the leg, making a cast appear as if from nowhere. "I've casted the healing spell and gave him the cast to keep his leg from moving."

"Good job, everypony," said Applejack. She let out a sigh of relief and wrapped a foreleg around Applebloom, comforting her. "It's ok. You can look now."

"I should write a letter to Princess Celestia about this. She'd want to know there's a human here," said Twilight. She trotted downstairs and out of sight. Applejack looked at the human's face. He looked odd to her. He had no muzzle or any fur except for the hair on his head.

"What do y'all think he was doin' out there?" asked Applejack.

"Maybe he was lost?" questioned Applebloom.

"Maybe he was out there lookin' for free apples!" Granny accused.

"Granny, we can't go around pointin' hooves at anypony without evidence," defended Applejack.

"He was under one of our trees. What else could he be doin? I don't suppose he was out there takin' a stroll!" Granny replied.

"Maybe he was tryin' to hide from the storm?" Applebloom also defended.

"Eyup," chimed in Big Mac. Granny looked at all three ponies with a considering glance.

"I guess we can wait to hear his story before accusin' him..." said Granny, a defeated look on her face.

Applejack looked at the human before turning back to her family. "Let's get some sleep. Tomorrow is a new day, and we could all use a rest after this."

The Next Day

A shrill scream echoed throughout the farm, waking up Applejack. She raced up the stairs to the guest bedroom to find Applebloom in one corner, shivering in fear, and the human boy in the other corner on the bed, also shivering in fear.

"What in the hay is goin on here?!" Applejack asked, looking at the human.

"St-Stay away! Please!" the boy cried. Applejack walked in front of Applebloom protectively and looked at the human's eyes. He was afraid, and she could probably understand that. There weren't talking ponies on the other side of the mirror. Twilight had told her that, so Applejack had to tread carefully.

"Simmer down, sugarcube. We're not gonna hurt ya," Applejack spoke softly, "We're just... regular old ponies. We're just like you... just physically different. You can trust me. I promise. Do ya think you can calm down?" The boy stared at Applejack. He had never seen such a sight. It spoke with the same accent as him though. It settled his fears somehow, and he felt that... it was being honest. He gave a slow nod, staring at the orange pony.

"Y-You won't hurt me? Promise?" he asked with wariness.

"Ah promise," replied Applejack.

The boy looked at Applebloom, feeling a bit guilty for scaring her. "I-I'm sorry... I thought y'all was gonna hurt me."

Applebloom looked into his eyes, seeing that he was sincere in his apology. "It's ok. I didn't know you'd be afraid. I'm sorry, too."

"Are ya hungry?" Applejack asked. The boy felt his stomach growl and reluctantly nodded. "Well, let's get you two downstairs and we can get some breakfast. Granny made oatmeal with apple slices on the side."

The boy got up from the bed and immediately fell down after. A sharp pulse of pain shot through his leg which caused him to cry out.

"Careful now! I forgot you had that cast on. C'mon, put your arm around me and I'll help ya downstairs," Applejack offered. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled himself up, letting her guide him. They were soon downstairs after a bit of struggling.

"Applejack, is that you?" asked Granny from inside the kitchen.

"Yes, Granny! I brought our guest!" she replied.

"Oh... Is what all the screaming was about?" questioned Granny, "I thought Big Mac stubbed his hoof on that loose floorboard again."

After everything was set up, Applejack and her guest sat down at the table, bowls of oatmeal in front of them. Applejack took a spoonful of the breakfast into her mouth as the young boy stared. How did she hold a spoon without fingers? He looked back down at his meal and pondered for the bit before taking a spoonful and slipping it into his mouth. It was warm... and it had a smooth texture. It was nothing like he had at home.

Applejack couldn't hold it in any longer. "Do you have a name?"

He stared back and mumbled, "mmyln..."

"What?" questioned Applejack.

"Dylan, ma'am..." he repeated more clearly. Applejack smiled at him. It was a good name.

Author's Note

Don't know if I got worse. I tried to go at a steady pace. I think I could've done better, but I don't know how.

Chapter 3: Letting The Seed Roam

"P-Please don't!" a feminine voice cried. It was familiar to Dylan. His mother had burnt burnt the food again. A slap could clearly be heard from the kitchen.

"I work hard all day long and what do I come home to?!" His father's voice sounded angry. Another slap could be heard.

"I-I'm sorry! I'll get it right next time! Wait! Please do--" his mother's pleas were cut off by the shattering sound of glass hitting a hard surface. Dylan felt cowardly, hiding in his room. The last time he had tried to help his mother he was beaten with the butt of his father's rifle.

"You're not goin' anywhere! Get back up! I said get 'get back up!'" Pa was always so angry. A loud crashing noise echoed, and then silence fell upon the house. After several minutes, footsteps could be heard, getting louder and louder. Pa was walking towards Dylan's room. The door opened and...

Dylan jolted awake, panting heavily. It was only a dream. He had been at Sweet Apple Acres for two weeks now, waiting for his leg to heal. He had told the Apple family about the storm, and how the tree fell on him, but things still didn't add up. How did he end up in the orchard? It was unsettling, and it concerned him. Princess Celestia had responded to Twilight's letter, telling them all that she would speak with some wizard named Starswirl about the situation.

He felt grateful to Applejack for letting him stay until he got better, but... he felt guilty for not be able to do anything for her. He had made up his mind. He was going to work for Applejack until he felt that he had paid her back for her kindness. He turned his head to look out the window. It was still nighttime. He could tell her in the morning.

In the morning

"Are you sure, sugarcube?" Applejack questioned. The entire Apple family was at the table for breakfast, and Dylan felt it was the right moment.

"Yes, ma'am," confirmed Dylan, "I feel bad for troubling you. I wanna help y'all. If'n that's ok..."

"Well, I could use some help with the apple harvest this month. Is yer leg feelin' better?" she asked.

"Yes, ma'am. It feels much better. I haven't felt any pain for the last three days, actually." he stated, "Do you think I can take the cast off yet?"

"Well," Applejack started, "Twilight said it would be around a week and a half until it fully healed. I reckon it's time we take that sucker off!"

"Eyup," chimed in Big Mac.

"And Dylan, you don't have to call me 'ma'am.'" said Applejack.

"Yes, ma-- I mean... um, Applejack." stuttered Dylan. He wasn't used to being casual around folks. It was something taught to him by his mother. He would either call her "mama" or "ma'am" when she was around. The only time he would call her "mama" though was if he was scared at the time. Dylan continued eating his breakfast without another word.

After breakfast, the cast was removed, and Dylan began to walk once more. In fact, he ran around the kitchen table, excited to have his leg healed.

"Yer as healthy as a horse!" Applejack jokingly said.

"I feel healthy!~" Dylan replied. He felt like he could run for miles. "That magic stuff sure does wonders!" He ran outside and saw the orchard for the first time. Everything looked so full of color, and all the trees were healthy and strong. "It's... it's beautiful!" he exclaimed. His home was nothing compared to this place. His eyes welled up with tears as he examined the world around him. "This is... it's just so amazin'!"

Applejack trotted up from behind and smiled. She'd never seen him so happy. "Well, ya ready to get started?"

"Huh?" Dylan was freed of his trance and suddenly remembered, "Oh! Yes, ma-- I mean, Applejack!"

And so Dylan worked. He moved crates, loaded up hay, fixed a broken fence, and even learned how to give the pigs a bath. He ended up getting muddy himself and had to be hosed down before being allowed inside. Granny Smith was cross with him when she saw him covered in mud.

"We may live on a farm, but it don't mean we live in a barn!" she scolded.

After being washed off, he was allowed to come in for lunch, and then it was back to work. He felt like he had a purpose for the first time in his life. He worked as hard as he could, making sure he didn't a single chore unfinished. He even helped Big Mac paint the fence. It was bliss for him, to keep him mind busy and free of his father. It felt wonderful for him to be able to work without fearing a deadline from his pa. When he was with his pa, Dylan had to get everything done by the end of the day, or he would be beaten by his father's rifle. Applejack told Dylan he could take his time as long as it got done.

"Hey, Big Mac?" Dylan started as he helped to slap another coat of white paint on the fence."

"Eyup?" Big Mac answered.

"Thanks... for letting me help you. I really needed this."

Big Mac stopped for a moment before responding with another "Eyup."

"You don't talk much, do you?" Dylan asked.

"Nope," confirmed Big Mac as he dipped his brush into a paint can.

Everything was going right for Dylan. He felt like he belonged there, like it was fate for him to end up in Sweet Apple Acres. Of course, he couldn't tell Big Mac that. Nor could he tell Applejack. It would seem silly. He couldn't just intrude on their lives. He had to leave eventually... But for now, nothing could go wrong.

...Or could it?

Dreamscape

"Such violence," a voice whispered, "Such hatred. I love it..." Set within the land of dreams was a creature of pure darkness. It had nearly escaped in its last attempt. It would not fail this time... not with the new succulent dream that had emerged last night.

Author's Note

I really feel that I rushed this one. I'm so sorry if it looks rushed. I just felt some odd inspiration and wanted to make this as soon as possible. I guess I'm just a little overexcited.

When Two Seeds Meet

The Apple family wagon creaked and groaned as it was pulled along the dirt road. Rows of trees could be seen on both sides of the road, and the skies up above were clear. Big Mac, hauling the wagon, didn't seem to mind the heavy load. The wagon had been carrying large unlabeled crates inside, and Dylan was curious to know what was inside. He wanted to ask, but it wasn't his business, at least that's what he figured.

"Are we going the right way?" Applebloom spoke up, breaking the silence. Dylan wanted to ask the same thing, but it was still, like he thought, none of his business.

Big Mac only replied with an "Eyup" as usual, ending the short conversation, if it was even a conversation at all. Dylan felt very uneasy about going to Apple Con. It would be his first time meeting anypony other than the Apples and Twilight. What if they saw him as a freak? What if they tried to put him in a zoo? Would he be laughed at? Those thoughts kept him awake the night before.

Applejack spotted the look on Dylan's face. It was something she'd seen Applebloom do whenever she was teased. "You'll be fine, Dylan. Chin up, now. We got a little more road left." And she was right. On the left side of the road, some of the trees cleared up, and there was some sort of playground coming up on the side of the road. Next to the playhouse seemed to be a small school building, at least that's what Dylan could understand.

"Just past the school and the train station, and we'll be there soon," Applejack commented.

Dylan, unable to keep his mouth shut any longer, had one thing on his mind now. "Who puts train tracks near a school?" Applejack's eyes widened a bit at this startling question. She had never stopped to think about such a thing.

"Ya know, sugarcube, you're right. It does seem a little dangerous," she agreed. And with that, the conversation was ended. They continued their walk for about thirty minutes or so before the faintest glimpse of a convention could be seen ahead of them. Dylan could see a wooden gate with a welcome banner above it, connected to fences that closed off the area and a crowd of ponies going in and out. This made Dylan nervous.

"Y'all ready for some fun?" Applejack asked the family.

"Eyup," replied Big Mac. Dylan began to slow his walking, staying behind the Apples. This made Granny Smith suspicious.

"Why are you so quick to hide?" she asked.

Dylan just looked down at his feet. "I umm... Well, this is gonna be the first time I see other ponies besides you guys. What if they don't like me? What if they call me a freak?"

"Ain't nopony gonna call ya a freak as long as we're around, sugarcube," Applejack consoled, "Now come on! We gotta get in and set up."

They walked through the crowd of ponies, making Dylan sweat. He could feel all their eyes on him, judging him. He didn't belong there and he knew it. It what was actually minutes felt like hours as they passed through the crowd. When they finally came out of the crowd, Dylan realized he wasn't breathing, and let out a gasp, taking in as much air as he could.

The Apple family all unloaded the crates from the old wagon and opened them up, revealing clear glass bottles of apple cider. Applejack was being particularly fast to unload them. "Hurry up, family! We gotta get this shipment sold before Rainbow Dash finds out we're here! Last time she saw us here she nearly cleaned out the entire stock!"

Dylan didn't understand who Rainbow Dash was, but if she was that bad, he had to hurry. He unloaded the bottles as fast as he could. As soon as he unloaded the last crate, he turned to look at Applejack, nodding, "We got 'em all unloaded!" He sat down on an empty crate and looked at all the brightly colored ponies trotting by. None of them said a word to him when he passed through the crowd. Maybe he was just being dramatic. Maybe none of them really cared what he looked like?

He was just about to walk over to Applejack and help when we noticed... her. Peach colored fur with a bright orange curly mane, and bright blue eyes. She had a brown leaf as her cutie mark. Dylan felt his heart skip a beat. What was this feeling inside of him? Surely he couldn't be having THOSE kind of feelings for a PONY. He shook his head and tried to clear of mind of the emotion.

It worked for a while before he saw that she was headed his way. She eventually reached him and smiled. "Howdy! I heard y'all are sellin' apple cider?"

Dylan felt his stomach do flips as he nervously grabbed a bottle off an empty crate. "Y-Yeah. It's two bits per bottle."

The mare grabbed two bits out of seemingly nowhere and handed them over to Dylan. He took them in his hand and briefly felt her hoof, sending his heart into overdrive. She took the bottle of cider and looked him over a bit. "Are y'all new around here?"

"Yeah?" he responded, unable to think.

"I'm Amber Harvest! Nice ta meetcha!" she eagerly announced.

"I'm D-Dylan... Nice to meet you, too." Dylan couldn't help but stutter. There was something wrong, something horribly wrong. As she walked away, he looked over to Applejack, who gave him an odd look. But, seeing nothing else amiss, she gave him a smile and went back to work.

Dylan watched Amber as she walked away, his heart slowing back down to its regular pace. He never wanted to feel that ever again.

Dreamscape

"I can feel something in the creature's heart... It's too much of a threat to let it be..."

The Seed Sprouts Up

The footsteps grew louder, causing Dylan's heart to speed up. It was all leading up to this moment. The door handle turned and the door slowly opened.

"Get the shovel, boy... I have a job for you."

A scream echoed throughout the farm in the middle of the night, waking everypony up. Applejack was the first to barge into Dylan's room to find him sobbing uncontrollably. His words were incoherant, and his eyes were red from the excess use of tears. Applejack rushed over to the crying boy and held him against her, making soft shushing noises.

Big Mac and Applebloom entered the room to see Dylan clinging to Applejack and crying into her now soaked foreleg. His words were hard to make out, but one word was unmistakeable: "mama." Soon after, more words became clearer... and they were disturbing.

"I buried my mama! I buried my mama! I buried my mama!" Dylan cried over and over, unable to stop.

The Next Morning

The breakfast table was quiet. Applejack chewed slowly on her oat cereal, looking down at her bowl. Applebloom had already gone to school, and Big Mac was out plowing the fields. It was only her and Dylan, together in silence. She thought to herself a dozen times, trying to figure out how she was going to get Dylan to talk to her. He'd been silent since last night. Occasionally, she would open her mouth slightly, but not noticeably in an effort to say something, but no words would come to her.

Dylan was the same way, thinking to himself about how he would explain to Applejack about the words he spoke the night before. He would have to talk to her sooner or later, he thought. He couldn't keep it to himself any longer. The baggage he had on his soul needed to lifted away if he were to continue living with the Apple family. "Applejack..."

Applejack looked up at Dylan, trying to put on her normal face. "Yeah?"

"I... Can we talk? About last night?" Inside, Dylan was hoping she would say no.

"Of course, Sugarcube," She replied.

Dylan stared at his bowl as he spoke. "When I was growin' up, I didn't have the best life... My pa was always very strict, and would hit either me or my mama when we did somethin' he didn't like."

Applejack, now concerned, stared intently at Dylan as he spoke.

"He was always so angry," Dylan continued, "and I couldn't do anything to make him proud or happy. I had always hoped he would notice the work I do, but he would always find mistakes in the way I did things." Dylan's eyes began to well up with tears. He had to force himself to speak. "Then one night... Mama burnt the food again... and Pa hit her too hard... I couldn't see it cuz I was in my room, but I could hear every single noise. He killed her, and he made me... he made me bury her..."

Applejack's eyes also welled up with tears as she heard Dylan's tale. "Dylan... You did nothing wrong for him to hurt you like that."

"But everything I did," Dylan protested meekly, "It was all my fault. I made so many mistakes..."

Applejack jumped down from her chair and trotted over to Dylan. She took his face in her hooves and looked him in the eyes. "Dylan! You've made no mistakes whatsoever while workin' here! If he can't see that, then he ain't even your family! He ain't your pa! We're your family now!"

"Wh-What?" Dylan was confused.

"Ya heard me right! As long as we're kickin, we'll be your family!" Applejack smiled, her eyes filled with pride and determination.

Dylan's mind raced as he tried to piece together what Applejack had just told him. "My family? I dunno what to say..."

Applejack smiled as she patted him on the back. "You don't gotta say anything! In fact, you don't gotta go back to that place! You can stay here with us!"

Dylan's cheeks were wet with tears flowing down from his eyes. For years he had been in hell, and had suffered through countless beatings. Now he had a chance to get away from it all for good. He wrapped his arms around Applejack and buried his face into her neck, sobbing with joy. He was finally home.

The Chaos Realm

"Would you like some more tea, Mr. Tantabus?" Discord asked, holding up a blue teapot. He sat on an old couch in front of a small dining room table, floating in the infinite void that is his realm. The dark shadowy mass growled and made odd buzzing noises, as if angry with the draconequus.

"Well don't get angry with me if he found his place in Equestria," Discord scolded, "I did what you asked of me. How was I supposed to know he'd end up with Applejack?"

The shadow creature hummed a melodic tone that echoed throughout the realm.

"I see," Discord remarked, "But how are you going to get dear old papa into the equation?"

The Tantabus shifted into various shapes and forms, one of them being the silhouette of Dylan's father.

"I like the way you think," Discord complimented. He poured some tea into a small blue teacup, and then shoved the entire cup into his mouth, swallowing it whole. "But you have to promise me you'll come with me to the dance club. I can't go with myself, it's too embarrassing."

Another Discord chimed in, "All I did was spill a drink on you and you can't even let that go?"

The original Discord snapped his fingers, folding the copy up like a piece of paper and stuffing the folded clone into his nonexistent pocket. The Tantabus groaned and growled, annoyed with the being of chaos. It would have its freedom soon enough, and Equestria would be its new playground.

"And for those of you reading this," Discord commented, "I just wanted to let you know that I don't have to be serious when it comes to making deals with a nightmare creature. I'm the spirit of chaos for Celestia's sake!"

Author's Note

I had to introduce Dylan's darkest day sooner or later, so I thought sooner was better.

The Seed's Decision

Dylan kicked as hard as he could at the apple tree, making it shake before dropping its apples into a basket he had laid out. It was harvest season, and Dylan was proud of himself for being able to buck trees like Applejack. Every minute spent kicking at trees was worth it. He wiped the sweat off his brow and picked up the basket full of apples before bringing it back to the farm. It was a good day to work, he thought to himself.

Applejack and Big Mac were working in the west orchard while Dylan and Applebloom took the east orchard. There may have been less apple trees in the east, but at least Dylan got to work on something. Just the chance to be out in the open was enough for him. He loved how the air was so fresh, so clean. Back home his dad's farm was next to a big factory. It would expel smoke into the air and make Dylan feel sick all the time.

Dylan put down his basket full of apples and grabbed an empty one next to the barn before turning back and walking into the east orchard. Something seemed odd to him though... he thought he could hear Applejack's voice. But that was impossible, he thought, she was in the west orchard. He shrugged and began walking deeper into the east orchard. Something, however, was strange. He heard hoofsteps.

He spotted Applebloom from far away. She was on the other side of the east orchard. There was no way he could hear her from here, he thought. His right ear began to itch, causing him to reach up and scratch it. What he felt had stunned him.

He felt fur. Not hair, but fur. He ear even felt like it was shaped differently, like it was... a pony's ear... He ran to the stream nearby the orchard as fast as he could. He had to see it for himself. It couldn't be, could it?! He was normal earlier today! He reached the stream and looked into the water, his eyes widening at the sight. His ears had changed. They were now pony ears!

4 Hours Later

"He's what?!" Applejack's eyes went wide in shock as Celestia had told them the news. The entire Apple family was gathered in the living area with Celestia standing before them.

"Dylan is undergoing a transformation," Celestia explained, "During the years Starswirl was teaching my sister and I, he had a breakthrough in his studies. He taught me how to travel to other realms. Every time we went into another realm, we were either transformed to blend in, or the other realm attempted to merge with ours. I should have told you this at first, but when I found that he hadn't turned right away, I began to think our worlds would soon merge, so I had Starswirl try to find a way back to Dylan's realm. I didn't know Dylan would change slowly over time. I am deeply sorry."

Dylan stared at the floor, thoughts racing through his head as he attempted to piece together what the princess had told them. "I'm turning into... a pony? It's no wonder why I can buck apple trees so easily. I have pony strength..."

"I'm afraid so," Celestia confirmed, "But do not worry. Starswirl will help you return to your realm."

"But," Dylan protested, "I don't want to go back! I have a family here!"

"If you stay here, you will not be able to change back unless you go home," Celestia argued.

"I don't care!" Dylan cried out. "I'd rather be a pony than go back to that hell! He'll kill me!"

"Who will kill you?" Celestia asked. Her face now shifted to a concerned look.

"His pa," Applejack answered for Dylan, "His pa killed his mother, and there's no telling what he might do if Dylan goes back."

The room went quiet. Celestia stared into the boy's eyes and saw fear. He was truly afraid to go back. "Dylan... if you stay here... are you going to be ok with what will happen?"

Dylan reluctantly nodded. He didn't care what would happen to him. He didn't want to go back to the hell he once called home. "The Apples are my family... I'd rather be like them than to be with my pa!"

"So be it, Dylan. I hope you have merry times with your new family. No matter what you were before, you will always be welcomed as one of us!" Celestia smiled and placed a hoof upon Dylan's head, being as motherly and as accepting as possible. She knew he would be happy with his family.

Later at night.

"Dylan! Get yer ass out here!" Dylan's father pounded on the door, trying to open it, but it wouldn't budge. "We don't lock our doors, boy!"

Dylan had propped a chair against his side of the door and was shaking with fear. He couldn't let his pa see him with pony ears. "Please don't come in! I didn't do anything wrong!"

"Goddamit, boy! Let me in or I'll whip ya again!" The pounding became increasingly more violent and harder. The chair was having trouble keeping him out, creaking as the fully adult 230 lbs male slammed against the door.

Dylan cried softly to himself, rocking back and forth in bed and hugging his knees close to his chest. "P-Please! Don't come in!"

The father slammed through the door, shattering the chair into splinters and causing dust to fly everywhere. He regained his balance and took a good look at Dylan. "What are those?"

Dylan felt his ears and sobbed in response.

His pa aimed his shotgun at Dylan and asked him one question. "You know what we do to horses that ain't good no more, now do ya?"

BANG!!!

Author's Note

I was hoping to extend this chapter a little bit, but I couldn't figure out what else to do with it. Tomorrow I will be posting a new chapter AND a new story as well, so be sure to check it out!

The Seed's Struggles

Dylan stared at his left hoof. It wasn't like this last night, he thought. It seemed like the transformation was quickening. The nightmare from last night didn't help him all with any emotional support.

"Are ya gonna be okay?" Applebloom had stayed with him all last night to comfort him. She knew he felt like an outcast. It reminded her of when she felt out of place before her cutie mark appeared. Sure, she was in the Cutie Mark Crusaders, but she still felt a little like an outcast.

"I reckon," he assured, "I'll get by." He placed his right hand on Applebloom's head and patted her before getting up from bed. "C'mon, let's go get some breakfast."

Dylan and Applebloom made their way downstairs and to the breakfast table. There were eggs and some... tulips? Dylan stared at his plate as he sat down. "Um..."

Applejack noticed Dylan's confusion. "Is somethin' wrong, Dylan?"

Dylan looked up at Applejack and stuttered, "N-No, I'm fine. I um... I'm just confused with the flowers."

"Well," Applejack started explaining, "I noticed that we've been having oatmeal and cereal for some time now, and I thought eggs and tulips might be nice for a change."

"Oh." Dylan nodded and poked a fork at the flowers. He wasn't an expert on food groups, but he was pretty sure tulips weren't on a human's diet. He eventually managed to get the flower stems caught in between the prongs on his fork and stared at it before opening his mouth and forcing himself to put the flowers in. A strange flavor surfed across his tongue, and he couldn't help but press his lips together to keep the food in.

Applejack noticed the discomfort on Dylan's face before speaking up. "Are you okay there?"

Dylan, not wanting to be rude, nodded his head in response. He couldn't disrespect Applejack after she had just made him a meal, no matter how odd it tasted. He hesitantly tried to swallow, but his body wouldn't allow it. He gagged a little and almost threw up.

Applejack noticed the gagging. "Dylan, spit it out. Ya don't have to eat it if ya don't want to."

Unable to deny her request, or his body's resistance, he spat out the chewed up tulip onto his plate. "Gah! I'm sorry, Applejack! I'm not used to eating flowers..."

"What are you used to?" Applejack asked. This made Dylan's face turn pale. He couldn't tell her he was used to meat. He knew ponies and horses were herbivores.

"Just... not flowers," he tried to say, "I um... My kind don't eat them. We'll eat eggs though, and oats too, but not flowers..." He dodged a bullet there.

"Why didn't ya say so? I won't force ya," Applejack assured. Dylan felt relieved and finished up the eggs instead.

After breakfast, Dylan was tasked with painting the barn. Its red color had worn off during last week's rainy weather. Big Mac had supplied Dylan with a paint brush and five buckets of red paint before he left for the market, leaving Dylan all alone.

Dylan reached for his paintbrush and tried to pick it up, only to find that his right hand had become a hoof. "Oh no... H-How am I gonna paint the barn now?! I dunno how to use these things!"

He tried to pick up the paintbrush using both his hooves, trying to get a grip on it, but every time he picked it up, he would eventually drop it. It was frustrating. Finally, he had had enough. He dipped both of his hooves into the paint can and started smearing it on the side wall of the barn. It was barely enough. The struggle was real.

Applebloom happened to be passing by when she noticed Dylan trying to hug the barn like it was his only friend in the world. "Dylan? What are ya doin'?"

"I need to paint this, but I can't!" Dylan exclaimed. He was fully covered in red paint from dumping it all over himself so he could cover as much of the wall as possible. "I can't pick up anything with these hooves!"

Applebloom tilted her head, confused. "Maybe yours aren't workin' right?"

"How can hooves even hold things?!" Dylan was almost crying at this point.

Applebloom walked over and picked up the paintbrush with ease. "I dunno. I've been using mine since I was born. Maybe we can ask Applejack?"

"Ya can't use your hooves?" Applejack asked as she bucked an apple tree of its fruit.

"Nu uh! Can ya teach me?" Dylan tried picking up a stray apple, only to fail.

"I guess what you can do is go through what every young foal does. Try again," she answered, bucking another tree. Dylan sighed and went back to where the paint cans were on the side of the barn.

"...Try again? What kinda answer is that?" He asked himself. "Maybe... it's like that magic stuff that Twilight used? Seems like everything here has magic..." Dylan placed his hoof on the paintbrush and took a deep breath. Try again, he thought. He focused and slowly but surely picked up the brush. As he saw it stick to his hoof, he got excited, causing the brush to fall back down. "Gah! I did it! I guess?"

After several minutes of focusing, he would pick up the brush and let go, pick up, let go. It felt easy after a while of doing so. He looked at the four paint cans and got to work.

Later that night

"Great job on the barn today, Dylan!" Applejack commented as Dylan went up the stairs. It had taken him all day to get the barn painted, but it was worth it to learn how to use his hooves. If only he knew in the beginning, he wouldn't have dumped that one can of paint on himself. Ah well, he thought. He flopped onto his back on the bed and rolled onto his side. Life with his new family was great, he thought. He may have to learn some new things, but it was worth it for him.

Author's Note

I think this one feels a bit rushed. I just wanted to get his struggle over with so we could get to some new material.

A Seed's Mistakes

Dylan hummed to himself as he pulled the plow across the field with his newfound strength. He had often wondered what it would be like to have super strength, and now it was reality. Sure, he had grown patches of chestnut brown fur across his body, and sure, his hair had grown much longer than usual, but he wouldn't let that ruin his day.

"Ew! What in Equestria IS that thing?!" a voice cried in horror.

Dylan looked to his right to see a pink pony with beautiful purple hair. She was adorned with jewelery and even had a cutie mark to match, a diamond ring.

"Now, Spoiled, honey, it's probably just a trained ape. Now, come on. We have business to do," another pony spoke, and it was a grayish amber stallion with a black, slicked back mane that looked greasy. Upon his flank was a cutie mark depicting bags of money.

Dylan, not wanting such attention, continued to pull the plow. He knew these kind of people--er... ponies. He could obviously tell from their cutie marks that they looked down on others who weren't wealthy.

As he continued down another row on the field, he could hear the chatter of Applejack and the visitors. He could make out only a few words, like "apple" and "jam." It wasn't his business though. He shouldn't be eavesdropping, he thought.

After a few more minutes of pulling, the same pair of ponies walked back down the path where they originally came from. Dylan decided to take a risky move. He noisely hacked up phlegm and spat to the side in the ponies' direction. Not hitting them, but getting rather close, only a few inches away.

"Eeeeeewwwwww!!! That freak almost got his disgusting dribble on me!" the pink pony complained.

The greasy haired pony bared his teeth a little and walked up to Dylan. "Now you listen here! I don't know what's gotten into you, but I could easily persuade your owner to give you the proper discipline. And if she doesn't, I could just buy you off her hands and discipline you myself!"

"What's goin' on over here?!" Applejack spoke up as she walked up to the couple.

The slick pony didn't seem to be afraid at all, defending his mare. "Your pet here spit in my wife's direction!"

"Who, Dylan? He's no pet! He's family!" Applejack corrected. "You two mosey on outta here. I'll deal with him."

"Alright," the amber pony replied, "He'd better not do it again. At least not when my wife is around."

"What in the hay were you thinkin'?!" Applejack paced back and forth in Dylan's room. She was rather peeved. Not only did Dylan spit in somepony's direction, it was at an important business partner. "What could compel ya to spit in someone's direction like that? That's downright disrespectful!"

Dylan was sitting on his bed, staring down at his feet... or hooves, rather... The transformation was quickening. "I know what his kind do. They just look down on us," he stated.

"Excuse me?" Applejack stared at him. "You don't even know him!"

"I don't need to know him!" Dylan shouted back. All became silent for a moment before he continued speaking. "He's just like Mr. Barlow..."

"Who's Mr. Barlow?" asked Applejack, a little curious, but still angry.

"He's this guy," Dylan explained, "who would come by the farm and try to reason with my pa. He owns this factory that spews smoke everywhere and pollutes the air. He bothered us for six years, tryin' to buy the land and boot us out. One time he spit in my direction, said I was worthless and then he called my mother a cheap whore."

"Dylan." Applejack held his head in her hooves and looked into his eyes. "He was just one pony. That don't give ya the right to spit at others, or the right to judge 'em. Ya don't stoop to his level, either. The pony whose wife you spit at is named Filthy Rich. His family has done honest business with ours for a long time, and he's not as bad as you think he is. I dunno if I can say the same for his wife, Spoiled Rich."

Dylan looked down in shame. He felt awful for disappointing Applejack. "I'm... I'm sorry."

"It's ok," Applejack assured, "But you're still in trouble. First, we're gonna make you apologize to Filthy Rich and his wife, and then I'm gonna work you so hard your bones will feel like jelly."

"I understand," affirmed Dylan. He had learned an important lesson today about judging. It was better not to stoop so low, and to at least get to know the person or pony first.

Author's Note

This was a little shorter than most of my chapters, but I felt this was wrapped up ok. For those of you who want to downvote because of Filthy Rich, don't worry. He will get punishment in a later chapter.

The Sick Seed

Dylan awoke to aches and pains all over his body. "Oh god... I feel horrible... A-Applejack... H-Help," he attempted to yell, but his throat had felt extremely sore, and he could barely let out more than a strained whisper. Today was going to be difficult.

"Ma'am, I don't know how to tell you this, but he's got all the symptoms of equine flu." A light amber pony stood in Dylan's room with Applejack and Applebloom. He held his stethoscope against Dylan's chest, listening to his heartbeat. "This heart is beating faster than any normal pony's heartbeat. In fact, I don't think any heart should beat this fast. What is he?"

"He's a human," chimed Applebloom. She stood at Dylan's bedside and looked at him with a worried look on her face. "Is he gonna be ok, Doctor Horse?"

"I don't know what his species is like biologically," Doctor Horse explained, "so I don't really know if he'll recover. If this disease is new to him, he might be fighting for his life."

"Is there anything we can do?" Applejack placed a hoof on Dylan's head, checking his temperature. It was hot to the touch.

"He'll need plenty of fluids and bed rest," The doctor replied. "I can't give him anything because I don't know how he'll react to pony medicine, so you're going to have to keep an eye on him. I'm sorry, but that's all I can recommend."

"Are you sure, doc? Can't we give him SOMETHING?" Applejack wasn't about to stand by and watch Dylan suffer. He had been through enough in his life.

The doctor looked at Dylan. The boy was unconscious, and his body was burning up. "Well, I'd normally hate to recommend another doctor, but there IS Zecora. Exotic medicines are her thing. She'd probably know the safest and most natural remedy, and for free, too."

"Of course! Zecora!" Applejack said with joy. "Thanks for the advice!"

After the doctor left, Applejack turned to Applebloom. "Think y'all can look after Dylan while I'm gone?"

"Sure thing!" Applebloom proudly responded. The responsibility was hers now to watch Dylan. Applejack placed a hoof on Applebloom's head and ruffled up her hair playfully before leaving.

A knock on the door arose Dylan from his deep slumber. He slowly attempted to get out of bed. Planting his hooves firmly on the floor, he began to walk despite the pain. He looked at Applebloom as she slept in a chair in the corner. She had been watching him, he thought, and must have fallen asleep.

He made his way downstairs before heading to the front door at a slow pace. His entire body ached with each move he made, begging him to get back into bed and rest. He couldn't do that, though. He had already woken up, and someone was at the door. It might even be important.

He turned the handle and opened the door to see a familiar face. It was the greasy haired pony who had called him an ape earlier, Filthy Rich.

It had become an awkward stare, made even more awkward by the fact that Filthy was holding a bouquet of flowers. Neither attempted to speak until Dylan sneezed.

"Bless you," Filthy said automatically, starting the conversation. "Umm... I was walking around in Ponyville when I ran into Applejack. She told me you were sick and I thought I'd come by and make amends by bringing you these flowers. I'm sorry for calling you an ape, and I hope we ca--"

Filthy Rich was immediately cut off by a large sneeze from Dylan. "Hhhhhnnnggghhh...."

"I um... I hope we ca--"

"ACHOO!"

"That we can--"

"ACHOO!!!"

".......Tha--"

"ACHOO!!!!!"

Dylan began to sneeze uncontrollably. It was like his nose had been set to rapid-fire. He quickly deduced that it was the bouquet and backed up before falling onto his butt.

Filthy Rich looked at Dylan, a bit concerned. "Are you oka--"

"ACHOO!"

Applejack eventually returned home with a clear glass bottle of green liquid in her hoof. Trotting into Dylan's room, she spotted Applebloom asleep in a chair while Dylan was resting in his bed. So much for watchin' him, she thought.

She walked up to the bedside and lifted the bottle to Dylan's lips. He opened his eyes and drank hesitantly, not wanting to offend. After he had finished, Applejack took the bottle and exited the room to let him rest.

Author's Note

Sorry for yet another short chapter. I promise the next chapter will be longer this time. If you're still looking for punishment for Filthy Rich, don't worry. It'll come up soon in a later chapter. But for now, he's made up with Dylan, even if it wasn't at the best of times.

The Seed Becomes A Sapling

Dylan squirmed in his bed. He had spent so long going in and out of consciousness, unable to tell how much time had passed. To him, it felt like forever, as if time had been stretched out to infinite lengths. On occasion, he could feel a spoon full of soup slipping into his mouth and a comforting hoof on his forehead, most likely checking his temperature.

After what seemed like forever, he opened his eyes to see Applebloom at his bedside. She stared at him with curiosity, as if he were completely foreign to her.

"Dylan? Are ya feelin' any better?" she asked.

Dylan nodded. "How long was I out?"

"A week," Applebloom replied. "I think you should see yourself..."

"I'm a pony, aren't I?" Dylan asked. He somehow knew. Enough time had passed, so it would have been obvious. He didn't feel bad about it though. In fact, he felt even more cemented into the Apple family because of it, because he was like them now.

Applebloom nodded in response. After helping Dylan up, she helped him take his first steps as a pony. It felt odd to him. He wasn't sure if he'd ever get used to it. Dylan had trouble getting down the stairs, almost falling twice.

On the way out, Dylan saw himself in a mirror on the wall. He truly was a pony, an earth pony to be exact. His coat was a chesnut brown, and his pale blue eyes were bigger. His mane was a dusty blond color, just like his hair when he was human, except it was longer, and seemed to be free-flowing.

When they got outside, Dylan could see Applejack packing crates with glass bottles full of a strange rainbow colored substance. There were hundreds of them, leading Dylan to wonder what had happened while he was unconscious. "Applejack?"

Applejack turned around and smiled when she saw Dylan. "Well, howdy there! Glad to see yer up! How's the new body feelin?"

Dylan smiled back with a look of pride on his face. "I'm doin' great! What are y'all doin' though?"

Applejack looked confused until she realized what Dylan was asking about. "Oh! We're gettin' this zap apple jam packed up for Filthy Rich! We promised him the first hundred jars for his business."

"Oh..." Dylan rubbed the back of his head nervously. "He came by earlier while I was sick. Said he was sorry for callin' me an ape or somethin' like that. I can't really recall..."

"Well," Applejack replied as she turned back to packing her crates, "At least he apologized. He knows that he makes mistake, and he will apologize at times for them when he realizes he's wrong. His wife is a completely different story though."

"Yeah," Applebloom chimed in, "I remember when Spoiled Rich used to pressure Diamond Tiara to be more like her. But now Diamond Tiara is her own pony thanks to me and the rest of the Crusaders!"

This piqued Dylan's interest. "Crusaders?"

"Yeah!" confirmed Applebloom, "I'm in the Cutie Mark Crusaders! We help other ponies with their cutie mark problems!"

"What's a cutie mark?" Dylan was now confused, tilting his head.

Applebloom's pupils grew smaller as her eyes grew wider. "You've never heard of a cutie mark?!"

"Nu uh?" Dylan was now concerned with what may happen next.

"A cutie mark is the most wonderful thing in the whole entire world!" Applebloom explained excitedly. "It only appears when you find your life's calling!"

"Life's callin'?" Dylan felt like he shouldn't have asked, yet he did anyways.

"Yeah! Somethin' you've always liked to do, somethin' yer good at!" Applebloom felt major pride from her knowledge of the subject. It felt good to tell someone about it. She looked Dylan over and noticed something. "Wait... you don't have one!"

Dylan looked back at his flank and nodded. "It's nothin' bad. I think I can live without one."

"Nu uh!" Applebloom began to push Dylan across the ground and onto the nearby dirt path. "No adoptive brother of mine is gonna be called a blank flank! You'll be thankin' me later!"

"Girls! We got ourselves a cutie mark emergency!" Applebloom stood at a table with a large white spreadsheet laying across it. On it were pictures with check boxes next to them, all unmarked.

Next to Applebloom were two fillies. One with a pretty white coat and even prettier purple and pink mane while the other had an orange coat with a purple/pinkish mane.

Dylan looked out the window of the clubhouse. It made him feel excited to be in a treehouse for the first time. He'd always dreamed of being in one since he was little. "This is so cool! I've never been in one of these before!"

The three fillies approached Dylan. The orange one, Scootaloo, looked at Dylan's flank. "So, Dylan! Whaddya wanna do first?"

Dylan turned around to face the trio. "What do I wanna do? What do you mean?"

The white filly, Sweetie Belle, held up a list. "We drew up a list of things you could try in order to get you your cutie mark! We could try dancing, bowling, skateboarding, or anything really!"

"I've never really done any of those before." Dylan looked at Scootaloo with a confused look. How does a pony skateboard?

Sweetie Belle took another look at her list. "We've also got skydiving, bear wrestling, and bull fighting!"

This made Dylan gulp. What were these fillies thinking? "I don't think I'm cut out for those last three... Don't you have anything safer?"

"Swimmer?" Scootaloo suggested.

"Guitarist!" Applebloom chimed.

"Underwear model!" Sweetie Belle shouted. This earned her a look from her two companions.

"What?" Sweetie Belle asked, "It could happen!"

Dylan imagined himself wearing underwear as a pony, and it just didn't seem natural. He shuddered before looking at Sweetie Belle's list. "Anything else? I'm sorry, but... I've tried playing guitar and I was never very good at it, and I'm ok at swimming, but I could never be up there with the big shots."

"We've got plenty more things to try!" Applebloom assured.

"I've got an idea!" Scootaloo said excitedly.

"Are you sure this is safe?" Dylan stood upon the top of the clubhouse, looking down at a small inflatable swimming pool.

"High diving is sure to be your cutie mark!" Scootaloo encouraged. She turned off the water hose that had been filling up the pool. "Besides, you don't even have to be a good swimmer to jump into a pool!"

"What would a high diving cutie mark even look like?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"We're ready when you are, Dylan!" Applebloom called up.

Dylan stared downward at the small swimming pool, his pulse racing. He closed his eyes and jumped, screaming on the way down before splashing into the pool. He poked his head out of the water, confused as to how he was still alive in such a shallow body of water. Fuck physics, he thought.

"Did you get anything?" Scootaloo asked, looking at Dylan's flank.

"Still blank," Sweetie Belle said. She rubbed her chin with her hoof, thinking deeply. "Oh! I got one!"

"Sweetie Belle, darling, you know I'm busy today. I have to finish up these dresses for Sapphire Shores' performance in Bitsburg," a busy pony said.

Dylan and the Crusaders were at a fanciful boutique that screamed "sophisticated." At a table stood a beautiful white pony with dazzling diamonds as a cutie mark and a royal purple mane. She was using a sewing machine on a luminescent cloth. Dylan had never seen fabric glow before.

"But can't you at least loan us some stuff to make dresses with if you don't have the time to teach him?" Scootaloo asked.

"I'd feel absolutely dreadful if someone were to be harmed by my sewing machine," the fanciful pony admitted.

"We could just use ordinary needles," Sweetie Belle pointed out. "That way we can go slow and not get hurt! Please, Rarity?"

"Well, I suppose..." The white pony, who was apparantly named Rarity, trotted over to a fancy blue dresser. She opened up a drawer and pulled out a couple of needles and a few thread spools.

Scootaloo noticed a box in a corner of the boutique. It seemed to hold random fabrics, with no organization whatsoever. "Could we use those, too?"

"Help yourself, Darling. Those are fabrics beyond redemption," Rarity replied. After handing the objects over to Sweetie Belle, she walked out of the boutique with her briefcase, saying, "I have to go now. If you need anything, just send me a letter!"

When Rarity was out of sight, the crusaders sat Dylan down at the table. Dylan dumped out the box's contents, pieces of fabric flooding the table.

"Dylan is obviously a designer!" Sweetie Belle proclaimed.

"I don't even know how to sew," Dylan protested.

"I can help!" Sweetie Belle assured, and soon, he was set to work.

Six Hours Later...

"It's... hideous," Scootaloo commented, and she was right. Rarity wasn't kidding when she said the fabrics were beyond redemption. Dylan had tried to keep a consistent pattern, but no matter how hard he had tried, none of the fabrics could match each other. In fact, they didn't seem to match themselves.

What Dylan had done was create a frankenstein blanket, made up of hideous yellows and browns. "I don't think even a hobo would want this..."

"No cutie mark yet," Applebloom commented, "But ya gave it yer best shot! I think I got an idea though!"

Back at the clubhouse, Dylan and the Crusaders sat in a circle around a mess of glass vials. Applebloom held one of the vials up to Dylan, and he accepted it. It had been filled with a green liquid.

"Twilight taught me how to make different kinds of potions!" Applebloom proudly stated. "This one is supposed to help plants grow!"

Dylan looked at the liquid closely before sniffing it. It smelled like burnt tires to him. "Sounds like you can make potions for pretty much anything."

"Not everything," Applebloom explained. "There isn't one that can make your cutie mark appear, but maybe if you find your calling in potion making, you'll finally get it!"

"I still don't understand how a cutie mark is special..." Dylan commented as he mixed two potions together into one vial.

"It's what tells a pony what their talent is!" Sweetie Belle answered.

"But what if I don't wanna know my talent? What if I'm already happy?" Dylan began mixing more potions into the one vial, causing it to bubble.

"But I don't want ya to be made fun of like we were..." Applebloom looked at Dylan with big ol' puppy eyes.

Dylan smiled and rubbed Applebloom's mane, ruffling it up. "Don't you worry about me. I just need to go at my own pace. And if anyone makes fun of me, I still got you guys."

"Uhh... Dylan?!" Scootaloo cried out, pointing at the bubbling vial. It had been shaking for a while now.

"W-What do I do?!" Dylan asked, now concerned that he may have made some sort of bomb.

"I dunno! Usually when I do something wrong it explodes before I can do anyth--"

KABOOM!!!

Dylan scrubbed down his goop-covered fur as he soaked himself in the bathtub at home. It had been a crazy day for him, and still no cutie mark. As he dried off, he thought back to how Applebloom was so determined to make sure he wasn't picked on. It made him feel welcome to the Apple family.

He walked past Applebloom's room and caught a glimpse of her in bed. She was sleeping peacefully, and Dylan couldn't help but smile. He felt like they were of the same flesh and blood.

Author's Note

Sorry for this one. I didn't really feel very descriptive, and I need to work on that.

The Saplings Meet Again

Dylan and Applejack trotted through Ponyville. Dylan had been hooked up to a wagon full of apples. He had happily volunteered to carry the produce down to the marketplace for her, and he was excited to be off the farm for a while. This was the second time he'd ever gone to Ponyville, with the first being his trip to the boutique.

Other than that one trip, he'd never really gotten to explore the bright and colorful village. He couldn't help but be in awe of all the buildings and the roads. Even thought the buildings were made from stone, they were so full of color.

"Alright, Dylan. Set 'er down here." Applejack had led Dylan over by a water fountain.

He unbuckled himself from the wagon and helped Applejack set up a sign on the wagon advertising apples. "Thanks for lettin' me help ya," Dylan commented as he made sure the sign was straight.

"No problem! It's nice that yer willin' to go out more!" Applejack pulled Dylan close and ruffled up his mane.

Dylan chuckled and swiped away Applejack's hat before putting it upon his own head.

"What in tarnation are you doin?" Applejack asked.

"Wot in tuuuuurrrrrnation you doin?" Dylan copied, giggling to himself.

Applejack smiled and laughed before swiping back her beloved hat. "That's enough now. We gotta get to sellin' these apples."

"Alright!" Dylan responded with excitement.

Hours passed, and many apples were sold. The wagon was just about empty, showing their progress. Just when Dylan was about to ask Applejack if they should go home, he saw a familiar sight that made his heart beat rapidly.

It was the pony from Apple Con about a month back, Amber Harvest, standing by her own wagon just across the street, and she captivated Dylan just like before, with her curly orange mane and her peach-colored fur. Dylan was completely mesmerized by her, even though they were from two different worlds.

"Dylan? You ok there?" Apple waved a hoof in front of Dylan's face, trying to snap him out of his trance.

Dylan blinked and looked at Applejack. "S-Sorry! I don't know what got into me..."

Applejack turned her head in Amber's direction and then looked back at Dylan. Connecting the dots, she simply smiled and led Dylan behind the wagon. "Who's she? Someone ya like?"

Dylan's face turned red from embarrassment. "Wh-Wha?! Nu uh! It's not what it looks like!"

"Dylan, you don't gotta lie to me!" Applejack assured. "I know love when I see it! I've seen Big Mac make the same look at Sugar Belle! You should talk to her!"

Dylan looked at Applejack with a nervous look upon his face. "I c-can't! I don't know anythin' about girls!"

"Well now's the time to learn!" Applejack said as she started pushing Dylan across the street. Dylan's hooves, no matter how hard he tried, just couldn't stop his forward motion towards the one creature that made his heart throb.

Applejack was eventually able to get Dylan to Amber's location. "Howdy there, miss!" Applejack started. "I'm Applejack, and this is my brother, Dylan."

"Dylan?" Amber asked, giving Dylan a once-over glance. "That sure sounds familiar. Have we met?"

Dylan, unable to speak, just stared and made noises. "H-H-H-H-H-H-H... HHHNNNGGHHH..."

Amber couldn't help but giggle at Dylan's predicament. "I guess we haven't. I'm Amber! I'm selling honey my mama got fresh from the beehive! Would ya like some?"

"GRK! Y-Y..." Dylan tried his hardest to get his mouth to form words. "Y-Y-Yes!"

"This one's on me!" Amber insisted as she handed a jar of honey over to Dylan's shaking hooves. "Consider it a present!"

"Th-Th-Thank y-y-you!" Dylan sputtered out. He held the jar close, afraid to drop it.

Amber looked at Dylan with a curious look on her face. "You're really familiar. That stutter is familiar, too. I dunno where I remember it from though."

Applejack wrapped a foreleg around Dylan and nodded at Amber. "It sure was nice meetin' ya, miss! We should get goin'. I wanna make it back before the sun sets!"

"Well, it was nice meetin' y'all!" Amber replied. She giggled once more at Dylan's shaking. "Come back anytime!"

The trip home was peaceful, and dinner had gone by quickly. Dylan laid in his bed, staring up at the ceiling. Many thoughts filled his head. Why did Amber make him feel so nervous? How could he have these feelings toward a pony of all creatures? Was it because he was a pony? Maybe his new pony body was making him feel this way.

A knock on the door startled him. "Come in."

Applejack trotted through the door, a smile on her face. "Dylan, I think we should have a little chat."

"Sure," Dylan replied. "Whatcha wanna talk about?"

"I think it's time we had... the talk," she answered.

"The talk?" Dylan looked at Applejack with confusion.

"Yup! You see, Dylan," she started, wrapping her foreleg around Dylan, "everypony goes through a time in their life where things get confusing. Ya start to have feelings that ya don't quite understand. When a stallion meets a mare, they can sometimes have feelings for each other. When that happens, well... you can get a foal out of the process."

"But... I shouldn't be having these feelings. Not for a pony," said Dylan.

"Dylan, I'm gonna tell ya right now. That's a load of malarky." Applejack ruffled up Dylan's hair playfully. "Love doesn't have to be confined to one species. Why, there's a certain dragon I know who's in love with a pony."

"If you say so..." Dylan looked down at the floor, still a bit unsure.

Applejack just smiled and patted Dylan. "Later on in life, you'll figure it out. I promise ya will. But for now, you shouldn't worry about it."

Dylan leaned against Applejack and they looked out the window at the moon.

Author's Note

I felt like it was time to reintroduce Amber. Later on, she'll appear more often in the story. :ajsmug:

Dreams Of A Sapling

Dylan sat in his old room on his bed, staring at the door in fear of what was about to come through. Footsteps could be heard, getting louder with every step. It became unnaturally loud, as if they were coming from Dylan himself. "P-Please... not again... not again..."

The doorknob slowly turned before the door creaked open to reveal... a beautiful dark blue horse with the night sky as her flowing mane. "Dylan. We have come for thee. You shall not be afraid this night."

"Who are you?" Dylan asked. His eyes were filled with wonder at this majestic creature.

"I am Luna," she responded with a calm, but somehow powerful voice. She closed the door behind her and sat on the bed with Dylan. "I am the protector of dreams, the slayer of nightmares. Your father shall not harm you tonight."

"Am I really dreaming?" Dylan looked at his hooves. "It all seems so real."

"Dreams in ponies are more lucid than in human ones," explained Luna.

"Why didn't you help me in my other nightmares?" Dylan questioned.

Luna looked away in shame. "I could not. Any pony's dreams, I could enter easily and help them, but your human dreams were impenetrable. I needed to wait until you were a full pony. All I could do was watch."

"What do I do now?" asked Dylan. "Do I just wake up now?"

"Nay. It is not morning yet," Luna answered, draping a wing around Dylan. "May I ask you a favor?"

"Yes, Ma'am." Dylan leaned against Luna, feeling safe and calm.

"Could you tell me more about your mother if that is okay? I think it would be more comforting than you think," Luna said with a smile. "Describe her to me."

"Well," Dylan started, "my mama was pretty. She had fair skin and curly blonde hair, and her eyes were as blue as the open sky. She always knew how to make me feel safe..."

A knock on the door startled him from his trance. "Dylan," a feminine voiced called from behind the door. "May I come in?"

Dylan knew that voice. "M-Mama?"

The door opened, and a woman, just as Dylan described, walked in. It was his mother. "Hello, Dylan," she said with a warm smile on her face.

Dylan jumped out of bed and hugged her tight, tears gushing forth from his eyes. "Mama! I missed you so much!"

The hug lasted for what seemed like hours, but nopony could really tell how long it was. In the dream, time seemed nonexistent. Dylan looked back at Luna, tears in his eyes. "Th-Thank you..."

"We did not do this, Dylan, you did. It is your dream," Luna said with a knowing smile.

Dylan looked at his mother. She seemed so real to him. Was it really just a dream?

She pulled him back into another hug, somehow knowing about his uneasiness. "It's ok, sweetie. As long as this dream lasts, I'm real."

"Thanks," Dylan replied, "but... it's not the same." His mother evaporated into thin air, leaving his life once again. He then turned around to face Luna.

Luna looked back at him and smiled softly. "Most motherless ponies would have loved such a dream. You are not satisfied?"

Dylan walked to the bed and sat back down next to her. "It's not that I don't want to see her again. I just don't want it to be an illusion..."

"I know what it's like to lose a loved one," Luna consoled, wrapping a wing around Dylan and letting him lean against her. "Living for a thousand years has allowed me to experience the grief over and over again. Each loss is as painful as the last."

"How do you do it?" Dylan whispered, trying to imagine Luna's pain.

"Well," Luna answered, "some part of me keeps saying I'll see those ponies again somehow. I will eventually pass on like the rest of them, and I'll join them."

"Do you really think there's something after we die?" Dylan began to feel uncomfortable.

"I don't know," Luna replied. "I like to think there is."

There was a long silence, causing Dylan to nuzzle into Luna's wing, trying to find comfort in it all.

After a while, Dylan spoke up. "Do you think I'll see my mama again?"

"Are you determined to see her again?" Luna asked in return. Dylan nodded, and she spoke once more. "Then I believe that you shall see her again."

They spent the rest of the dream sitting together in silence, finding comfort in each other. When the dream neared its end, Luna began to giggle.

"What's so funny?" Dylan asked, curious about Luna's odd behavior.

She looked at him and replied, "Because you are not like most other ponies. You seem to like quiet, simple dreams. It's appealing."

Dylan smiled, and with that, he awoke.

Author's Note

Thought I'd let Luna come into the story for a bit. Sorry if it's a depressing chapter.

The Sapling's Hearth's Warming

Dylan and Applebloom stood by the front door, looking out at the beautiful snow that covered the land and the trees. It was cold, as expected, making Dylan want nothing more than to be in front of the fireplace.

"Looks like winter is here!" Applebloom exclaimed. "You know what that means!"

"What?" Dylan asked.

"Hearth's Warming of course!" Applebloom answered happily.

Dylan looked at Applebloom with a puzzled look on his face. "What's Hearth's Warming?"

Applebloom's jaw dropped. "First you don't know what a cutie mark is, and now this?!" She grabbed Dylan by the foreleg and dragged him upstairs into the attic where dusty old boxes sat. As Dylan sat down, Applebloom rummaged through the boxes until she finally found it. She pulled out a wreath and a smaller box filled with ornaments.

"You mean Christmas?" Dylan asked as he looked over the shiny red and green bulbs.

"Christmas? No! Hearth's Warming!" Applebloom corrected. "It's where ponies get together to celebrate the day the three pony tribes, the pegasi, earth ponies, and unicorns came together and drove away the windigos! What is Christmas, if ya don't mind me askin'?"

"Wow," Dylan said, more confused than ever. "Christmas is different. On Christmas, a jolly man in red clothing named Santa Claus would travel all over the world delivering presents to good boys and girls in a single night. Families would exchange gifts with each other, too."

Applebloom had a wide grin on her face. "We exchange gifts on Hearth's Warming, too!"

Dylan smiled back. He'd never heard of Hearth's Warming until today and yet he was as excited as Applebloom. "What else do y'all do?"

"Well, I dunno about other ponies, but ever since our visit with the Pie family, we've been taking turns visiting each other every Hearth's Warming celebration! It started off a little shaky at first, but it's all ok now!"

"The Pie family?" Dylan questioned.

"Oh! That's right!" realized Applebloom. "You've never met Pinkie and her family yet, have you?"

"Nu uh," said Dylan, shaking his head.

"Uh oh," Applebloom muttered. "You'd better watch out then, cuz when Pinkie meets someone new, things get a little crazy. Don't worry. I'll help ya out, though."

"Umm... thanks?" Dylan looked at the box of decorations. It all looked like Christmas to him. He tried wrapping his head around the idea that this pony civilization had a holiday exactly like Christmas, minus the jolly fat man known as Santa.

Later that week

Dylan trotted through the snow-covered market street, looking at all the stands and the buildings. Ever since he had found out about the foreign holiday, he had wanted to get gifts for his family with his chore money. All the shops had been advertising Hearth's Warming with strings of colorful lights wrapped around fir trees, just like Christmas in Dylan's world.

"Get yer traditional Hearth's Warming bells here!" one seller cried out.

"Hot rolls! Hot rolls! Can't celebrate Hearth's Warming without hot rolls!" another store owner yelled.

"Wreaths! We have wreaths! All shapes and sizes! Hey, kid! You like square reefs? We got 'em!" one of them said toward Dylan.

Dylan ignored the sellers and their advertisements, looking through the glass windows to determine which store had the more interesting items. There had to be something here, he thought. Window after window, he would look, with nothing of interest until one object caught his eye.

He walked into the store of interest, where an old gray pony stood at the counter, combing his mustache with a comb. "Heya there, sport. What can I do for ya this fine winter day?"

Dylan pointed in the direction of the object: Four brown cowboy boots with silver spurs, and they seemed to be Applejack's size.

"Nice choice. Would you like them wrapped?" the old pony asked.

Dylan nodded and looked around the shop as the boots were put into a box and wrapped up in green wrapping paper. On the shelves were antique toys for foals, and one of them got his attention. It was a doll in a pony's likeness, with a red bow in its hair, just like Applebloom. He felt compelled to get it, and so he did.

He trotted over to the counter and placed the doll on the smooth wooden surface. "Could you wrap this up, too?"

"Sure thing!" the old pony replied. He took the doll and placed it into a small box, and then began wrapping it up in blue wrapping paper. "Would you like a bag to carry these in?"

"Yes, please," Dylan responded.

Soon after making his payment, Dylan exited the store, the handle of the bag in his mouth.

"What's that you got there, Dylan? A gift for mama? How thoughtful!"

Dylan shook his head, trying to clear his mind of days gone by, and then resumed trotting. It was rare for him to think of home nowaday. He had grown so used to his new family that he didn't think about the past.

"Hey, Dylan! Fancy meetin' you here!" a familiar voice greeted from behind.

Dylan turned around to see Amber, making him drop both his jaw and the bag. "A-A-Amber! N-Nice to s-s-see you here!"

"Whatcha got there? Oh! Are those gifts for your family? How thoughtful!"

"How thoughtful!"

Dylan cleared his mind again before replying. "Y-Yes, they are! I um... I thought my sisters would like them..."

"That's so sweet of you!" Amber exclaimed. "I'm doin' the same thing for my siblings, too!"

Dylan leaned against an 8ft tall candy cane that had been set up on the side of the road. His legs felt wobbly, and he needed something to hold onto just in case. "Y-You have siblings?"

"Yup! Rockin' Ruby and Thundercog! They're radically different from me, but they're family all the same!" Amber seemed to be getting closer for some reason.

"D-Different? H-How?" asked, Dylan, wary of Amber's approach.

"Oh, Ruby's a musician, and Thundercog is handy with them machine doohickeys," Amber explained. She was soon right in front of Dylan, her face just mere inches from his. "I noticed what you were doin'," she whispered.

"Wh-What was I-I-I doin'?" Dylan asked, starting to sweat.

Amber pointed a hoof upward. Something was hanging from the candy cane that made Dylan's blood run cold.

"You were tryin' to lure me under that mistletoe, weren't ya?" Amber accused. "Well, lucky for you, I'm traditional."

Dylan tried to protest, but was caught off guard as Amber pressed her lips against his. It felt like forever, but in reality, it was only a few seconds. Dylan stared off into empty space, frozen the moment she kissed him.

Amber waved a hoof in front of Dylan's face. "Hello? Dylan? Y'all ok?" There was no answer, which made Amber giggle to herself. "I should probably get goin'. My parents are probably wonderin' why I'm not home yet. I'll see ya later!"

Long after Amber left, Dylan was still frozen, confusing ponies that passed by.

One Week Later

Dylan sat at the table with his hoof under his chin, trying to come up with something that would impress his older brother, Big Macintosh. It was easy to find a gift for Granny, seeing as how she recently complained about needing slippers, but Big Mac was a mystery to Dylan, with those limited responses. He could never quite get Big Mac to say anything more than a yes or no. He also needed to figure out what Big Mac liked without asking him. Asking would give him away.

He had spent a whole week spying on Big Mac, trying to figure out what made him tick. So far though, he could only figure out that Big Mac was a workaholic, and that he did everything very well. There was no tool he didn't have, nothing he needed. It was frustrating and gave Dylan nothing but a headache.

"Hi, Dylan!" Applejack greeted as she entered the room. "I'm home from the market! Whatcha doin?"

"Howdy, Applejack. I'm just trying to figure out what to get Big Mac for Hearth's Warming." Dylan looked outside the window to see Big Mac with a hammer in his mouth, fixing the fences. He seemed to do everything so easily. Dylan couldn't hold objects very easily with his own mouth. Carrying bags was one thing, but using a hammer was something else entirely.

"You should get him the same thing I do every year, Hearth's Warming Cider!" Applejack suggested.

"Cider?" Dylan questioned. "Don't we already make cider?"

"This cider is different!" Applejack stated. "Hearth's Warming Cider is Granny Smith's special recipe. She'll only make it on Hearth's Warming with me and Big Mac."

"What about Applebloom?" asked Dylan.

"She's not quite old enough yet. You see, Hearth's Warming Cider is a one-time thing with a one-time ingredient that's not exactly family friendly." Applejack had a grin on her face as she told Dylan this.

"You don't mean..." Dylan asked.

"That's right! Horseshoe Bay pineapple juice! Too sweet for foals. Poor things can't handle the stuff." Applejack answered.

"Wait... what?" Dylan was even more confused. "What about alcohol?"

"Whoever heard of puttin' medicine in cider, or in any drink for that matter? That's pretty darn silly if ya ask me!" Applejack patted Dylan on the back, laughing.

Dylan was beyond confused now. They don't put alcohol in their drinks?

"So wait... What's this pineapple juice you're talkin' about? Why can't foals drink it?" Dylan wanted to know more about this sweet juice.

"You're never heard of it?" Applejack had a bewildered look on her face. "That's pretty strange."

"Where I come from, people use alcohol in their drinks. Especially my pa... It made him violent," Dylan said quietly toward the end of his sentence.

"That's horrible! Alcohol is medicine here and nothin' else," Applejack wrapped a foreleg around Dylan. "I'll tell ya more about it. See, here in Equestria, we got a special little drink called Horseshoe Bay pineapple juice. It's said to be so sweet, it'll make ya tell the truth! It makes ya too happy to keep secrets!"

"It's a truth serum?" Dylan asked.

"Well, we only sell it in bars and on special holidays like Hearth's Warming." Applejack ruffled up Dylan's hair as she spoke. "Best part is, it don't make ya violent. Just happy! And Big Mac loves the stuff!"

"And I'm allowed to help make it for him?" Dylan asked.

"I think yer old enough to help!" confirmed Applejack. "Maybe if yer good, I'll let ya have a small sip! Just don't tell Granny!"

"Thanks, Applejack." Dylan smiled and hugged his big sister. He was ready to celebrate.

Hearth's Warming Eve

It was 12:30pm. Dylan stood outside in the snow by the farm. He wanted to see the visitors as they arrived. It didn't matter if his hooves were freezing, it was worth it to see more family, even if there was a chance they weren't really related to the Apples. He had begun to wonder what they were like. Were they like the Apple family, hardworking and honest? Dylan could hardly wait.

He was soon joined by Applejack, who was covered up in a red and green striped scarf. "Howdy there, Dylan!" she greeted, smiling cheerfully. "You sure look awfully excited!"

"I am!" Dylan replied. "Are they farmers, too? What do they sell?"

"Um... Are ya sure ya wanna know?" Applejack looked nervous.

"Yeah?" Dylan wanted to know more than ever now.

Before Applejack could say anything, she was interrupted by a piercing voice coming from off in the distance.

"APPLEJAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!"

Before Dylan could see who it was, he felt a strong force push him backwards into the snow. He opened his eyes to see two blue eyes staring back at him. It was a pink pony with a poofy dark pink mane, and she had three balloons as her cutie mark.

"Hi there! You must be Dylan! I'm Pinkie Pie! How are you?! Are you excited?! I'm so excited! I can't believe I'm finally meeting my new cousin! I'm can't wait to throw you a party on your birthday! When is your birthday?! What's your favorite flavor of cupcake?!" her speech accelerated faster and faster as she spoke.

"Pinkie!" Applejack scolded. "C'mon, now! Yer scarin' him!"

"More startled than scared..." Dylan whispered as Pinkie got off of him.

"Sorry! I'm just so excited to meet my new cousin!" Pinkie replied happily. She had more energy than anypony Dylan had ever seen.

Before long, the rest of Pinkie's family had arrived. There was her parents, Igneous Rock Pie and Cloudy Quartz, who seemed very set in their ways, and there was Limestone Pie, Marble Pie and Maud Pie, the three sister of Pinkie Pie. Of all the Pie sisters, Maud Pie was one of the more... interesting.

"So," Dylan started. Both he and Maud were sitting in front of the fireplace inside the Apple family living room. "You have a um... a pet rock."

"Yes," Maud monotoned. "His name is Boulder, and he's my best friend."

"Um... That's great," said Dylan. He was somewhat concerned for Maud's mental health.

"I know what you're thinking. Why does a girl like me have such a fascination with rocks?"

Dylan looked down shamefully, feeling a bit guilty. "Yeah... I don't really understand. I mean... I used to collect strange looking rocks when I was younger, but I've never really talked to them."

"It all started when I was three years old," Maud started...

Four Hours Later

"...And that's how Boulder and I became best friends," Maud finished.

Dylan's face was drenched in tears, and he was sniffling, trying to keep his emotions in. "Th-That was beautiful! I never thought it was anything like that! I'm so sorry I questioned you..."

Maud, with the same blank look on her face, nodded. "It's ok. Most ponies don't know what it was like for me."

"Alright, y'all! Time to hang our Hearth's Warming Dolls!" Applejack announced.

Both the Apples and the Pies gathered around the fireplace, each member holding a doll in their own image. Although the Apples had their dolls made from traditional yarn, the Pies had theirs made from Rocks.

"Hey, Applejack? Why do we have to hang them over the fireplace?" Dylan asked curiously.

"To represent the warmth the three ponies shared on the first Hearth's Warming," replied Applejack, smiling and wrapping a foreleg around Dylan.

They all hung their dolls over the fireplace, and eventually went to bed.

Hearth's Warming

"Dylan! Wake up! It's Hearth's Warming!"

"Dylan! Wake up! It's Christmas!"

Dylan opened his eyes to see an excited Applebloom jumping on his bed, and he could hear voices coming from downstairs. He got out of bed and slumped over to the door tiredly, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"Hurry, Dylan!" urged Applebloom, galloping downstairs.

Dylan trotted downstairs and walked into the living room to see nopony there. That's odd, he thought.

"Dylan, c'mon! What are you doing in here?" Applebloom shouted questioningly as she ran out the door.

"Outside?" Dylan was confused, but still went outside to see everypony gathered around a flagpole.

"Dylan! There ya are!" Applejack said excitedly. "Where ya been? It's time to exchange gifts!"

Dylan joined the others and looked at all the presents collected around the flagpole. He didn't quite understand their tradition of opening gifts around a flagpole, but he didn't want to question.

"Your turn, Applebloom!" Applejack said happily. "Dylan got it for ya!"

Applebloom opened up the present, shreds of the wrapping paper falling to the ground. "Dylan, I love it!"

"Dylan! I love it!"

Dylan shook his head, trying to get the voice out. "I'm glad you like it, sis."

"Applejack's turn!" Applebloom shouted.

Applejack carefully unwrapped the paper and lifted off the lid, smiling. "Dylan, they're perfect!"

It's perfect, Dylan!"

Dylan smiled until Applejack slid an old box over to him. "Pinkie gave us the idea. Open it up!"

"Pinkie?" Dylan asked, opening up the old box. His heart nearly stopped. It was a doll... a porcelain doll in his mother's likeness. In fact, it looked almost EXACTLY like her. She had a serene smile on her face, and she wore a pretty blue dress. "H-How... How did she know what my mother even looked like?"

"I just followed instructions from Luna! She said you might like it!" Pinkie replied.

Tears fell, turning into snowflakes before hitting the ground. "I... I love it... I love you guys so much! Now I can never forget what she looked like..."

Applejack wrapped a foreleg around Dylan and pulled him close into a hug. "We know how it feels. Me, Applebloom, even Big Mac. We wanted to make ya happy."

The rest of Hearth's Warming went well, with Dylan and Maud talking and becoming friends, Big Mac receiving his special drink, and eventually ending with Maud reciting poems about rocks.

They're all about rocks.

Author's Note

I used the pineapple juice from the comics as their source of a good drink. :3 hope you enjoy the reference.

The Sapling's Snow Day

Dylan twisted and turned in his bed. Ever since Hearth's Warming, the voices in his head were becoming more prominent. He would open his eyes to see the doll of his mother on the cabinet by the window, staring back at him, seeming to peer into his very soul. He turned his back to the doll and just looked at the wall. "What's wrong with me..."

"You miss me, don't you?"

"Of course I do," Dylan replied to the disembodied voice. He recognized it so well, for it belonged to his mother.

You know I'll always be with you, don't you?"

"I know... But I miss you so much," said Dylan. "Why couldn't you have taken us away from pa? We could've just gone anywhere!"

"I had always held hope in the chance that your father might change."

"He'll never change! What made you think he would change?!" Dylan wanted to know so badly.

"Because something good came from him."

"What the hell came from him that was so good?!" He shouted at nothing, tears blurring his vision.

It took a few seconds for his mother to answer. "It was you, Dylan..."

Dylan stared at the wall for a bit before turning back to face the doll. "I'm going crazy..."

The Next Morning

The Apple family were all inside, sitting by the fireplace, sheltering from the snowstorm outside. Although Hearth's Warming was over, the harsh winter was not. All the doors were frozen shut, and the snow was so high, it blocked the windows, the glass cracking under the pressure.

"This isn't the first time we've been snowed in," Applejack assured, wrapping both forelegs around Dylan and Applebloom who sat beside her. "Seems like yesterday I was a filly, and ma and pa were shut in here with us. You were the littlest foal I'd ever seen, Applebloom!"

Applebloom smiled. She loved listening to stories about her parents. "What were they like, Applejack?"

"Well," Applejack started, "They were kind and honest, and they were very hardworkin'. There was nopony like 'em!"

"I wish I could've met them," Dylan commented. He nuzzled up into Applejack, trying to keep warm. The fire crackled and popped as it ate away at the wood like a hungry monster, the flames licking all over.

"Good thing I got more wood before the storm," said Applejack. "Looks like y'all will have to sleep down here though. Yer rooms upstairs are freezin'."

Applebloom's mouth turned upwards into a big grin. "It'll be just like a sleepover! Dylan can sleep next to me!"

Dylan rubbed his hooves together, trying to get warm. "That sounds great! We can swap stories!"

"Human stories? That'll be excitin'!" Applejack commented. She was a little curious to hear more about Dylan's world. "And I can tell ya about the legendary Rockhoof and his shovel!"

"Rockhoof?" Dylan asked.

"Yeah! But I'll save ya the story for tonight." Applejack replied. "For now, who wants some hot cider?"

Both Dylan and Applebloom raised their hooves eagerly. Something warm for such a cold day sounded good to them. After receiving their cider, the Apple family talked for hours on end, with one of those hours dedicated to Granny Smith's life, about how she help found Ponyville, and her feud with the Pear family. He wanted to ask more about the parents of his siblings, but it didn't seem like the right time.

Later at night

"And so, Belle kissed the beast, and the beast became a handsome prince! The entire town remembered everything, and all the talking objects became human again! But more importantly, Belle and the prince lived happily ever after. The end!"

Applebloom clapped her hooves in approval. "That was amazin' Dylan!"

Next to Applebloom, Big Mac was shedding tears. "It w-was so beautiful!" This surprised Dylan. He could never get Big Mac to say anything other than a yes or a no before.

Applejack giggled at Big Mac's behavior. "Alright, everyone. Let's get to sleep. I reckon the storm should be over by tomorrow, and then we'll have to shovel some snow in order to get out."

"Awwwwww! I wanted to hear more human stories!" complained Applebloom.

"And you probably will," Applejack comforted. "Just not tonight."

Everypony rolled their sleeping bags out by the fireplace and got nestled in. Dylan set out his glass doll right next to him, making Applebloom curious.

"Whatcha doin with yer doll?" Applebloom asked.

"Well," Dylan replied, "Ever since Hearth's Warming, I've been doing this. It makes me feel like my mama is watching over me."

"Aww... I think that's sweet, Dylan," said Applebloom.

"Um... I don't want to be rude, but..." Dylan paused before deciding to ask the question. "What happened to yer parents?"

Applebloom looked at the snow covering the window. "They got caught in a snowstorm, just like tonight. We never found them..."

"I'm so sorry," Dylan whispered. He felt awful for asking, especially on a stormy night.

"It's not yer fault. Ya couldn't have known," Applebloom assured. "I still like to think they're alive though. I haven't given up yet."

Dylan smiled. Applebloom seemed to be a strong filly, and Dylan admired that.

The Next Morning

Dylan pulled on the snowplow, getting the snow off the dirt path that led to his home. Applejack was right. The storm had passed, and they were shoveling show just like she said. Dylan felt that he could always trust Applejack. She was honest, kind, and you could always trust her when things looked bad.

Several hours passed, with Dylan still plowing snow out of the way, and he was getting tired. He was just about to finish when he heard a voice from behind him.

"Howdy, Dylan!" It was Amber

"H-Hi, Amber!" Dylan greeted. He turned to face her and saw two older ponies behind her. "Oh! H-Hello!"

One of them, a sunflower yellow unicorn with green eyes and with her blonde hair in a bun, smiled and waved a hoof. "Hello, Dylan. I've heard alot about you from my daughter here!"

"D-Daughter?" It took him a moment to realize that these two ponies were Amber's parents. "O-Oh! Nice to meet you!"

"I'm Honey Pop," the yellow unicorn introduced, "and this here is my husband, Blueberry Orchard!" She motioned towards a larger pony with a blue coat of fur, blue eyes and a black mane.

"Nice to m-meet you!" Dylan extended his foreleg out, receiving a big hoofshake from Blueberry Orchard.

"Nice to meetcha, Dylan!" Orchard greeted.

Dylan looked at both parents, confused. "What brings ya here?"

"Well," Honey Pop explained, "We were told that Applejack lets customers pre-order cider before it comes out."

"Oh! Then you'll wanna go directly to the barn! She's inside fixing some tools," Dylan directed.

"Thanks!" replied Honey Pop, and the parents were on their way, but not Amber. She had decided to stay behind.

Dylan noticed this, and it made him nervous. What could she want, he wondered. He tried his best to ignore her, pulling on his snowplow. She trotted alongside him though, and it made him even more nervous until...

"Whatcha doin?" Amber asked, causing Dylan to blush brightly red. He turned to her and smiled nervously.

"J-Just plowin' the snow outta the w-way! That's all!" He replied, and turned back to pulling.

"Don'tcha ever have snow days?" she asked, tilting her head.

"I dunno... Winter doesn't seem like a season for fun," he answered, still pulling.

"Are you serious? You just experienced Hearth's Warming!" she reminded. Dylan thought about it for a moment and nodded.

"I guess yer right," he admitted. "But other than that, what good is a snow day? Ya always gotta clean up the snow, and the crops don't grow during winter."

"But haven't ya seen yer sister Applebloom playin' in the snow?" Amber asked, pointing to a happy little Applebloom who had piled up her section of the snow into several snowponies. Dylan took a moment to look at the work he'd done, and he realized he was already finished.

"I was sorta taught by my pa that snow was good for nothin'..." Dylan realized that his backwards way of thinking was because of his father, who had always put him down no matter what. "Ya know what? Yer right!"

"Of course I'm right! Snow days are meant to be enjoyed! Now whaddya wanna do first?!" Amber asked encouragingly.

"I...I... I'mma grab this here snow I plowed, and I'mma make a snowpony!" Dylan exclaimed.

"That's the spirit!" Amber cried out.

Dylan stared at his abomination. Even with help from Amber with the legs, Dylan's snowpony looked like its head was too big for its body. He was amazed that it even stayed on.

"It's not that bad, right?" He turned to Amber for moral support. She smiled nervously and nodded.

"It's okay for your first try to be a little botched," she reassured. "I'm sure you'll get the next one right!"

"What else do you do on snow days?" Dylan asked. He was suddenly met with a snowball to the face. He wiped the snow off to see Amber galloping away and laughing.

"Oh!" Dylan scooped up some snow with his hoof and compressed it into a ball before aiming and throwing it at Amber. It struck her from behind and she fell face-first into the snow, making Dylan freeze. "Oh no!"

He hurried over to Amber and looked down at her. "A-Are you ok?!"

Without any hesitation, Amber moved at near lightning pace, throwing a flurry of snowballs at Dylan, who went down easily. "Oof!"

"I win!" Amber shouted. She helped Dylan up and led him inside.

"W-We should do that some more!" Dylan commented, making Amber giggle.

"We should, but I should get going. My parents are probably done right about now," she replied.

"Alright. But I'll win next time!" Dylan promised.

After Amber left, Dylan looked outside through the window from inside his room. He felt like he could get used to the idea of having fun on snow days. In fact, it might even be his favorite kind of day now.

Author's Note

Thought I'd get the introduction to Amber's parents out of the way. Sorry if it feels rushed. I wanted to get Dylan's next chapter ready.

The Sapling's Hearts and Hooves

Dylan looked at his heart-shaped pancakes with curiosity as he sat down at the kitchen table. It was the first time Applejack had ever made anything creative with breakfast. Normally, she would serve the food without any special contributions to it, but now here it was, a big heart, with blueberries lined up in a heartshape on the edges of the pancake.

"What's going on, Applejack?" Dylan asked as he poked at one of the berries with his fork.

"I'm just so excited! Today is your first ever Hearts and Hooves Day!"

Another holiday? Dylan was now stumped as to what this holiday might've been all about.

"Hearts and Hooves Day is a day where ponies celebrate love," Applejack explained. "And I know you love a certain somepony!"

Dylan immediately blushed, the color red easily becoming visible through his fur. It was a good thing nopony else was at the table, otherwise, he might have passed out from embarrassment. Applebloom was at school while Big Mac and Granny Smith were at the market getting firewood. Applejack sat down next to Dylan at the table, looking at him with a knowing smile.

"I know yer embarrassed, but ya can't hide yer feelings forever. That's why I've already got your day planned for ya!" Applejack exclaimed, being about as excited as a school filly. Dylan looked at her nervously. He had never told Amber that he liked her.

"Wh-What's going to happen?" Dylan asked, scared out of his wits. Applejack simply smiled.

"Oh my gosh! I love the carnival!" Amber exclaimed. Applejack had bought both Dylan and Amber tickets to the Hearts and Hooves Carnival. Set up just outside of Ponyville, the carnival had plenty of rides and games to choose from. The Tilt-A-Whirl, Ferris Wheel, Waterguns and much more.

Ponies from all over Equestria roamed the carnival grounds, and it was difficult not to get lost in the crowds. Dylan clung closely to Amber as she led him through the sea of ponies. Applejack has

"Step right up! Step right up!" one voice shouted. "Toss a ring and win a prize!"

"Don't forget to try your luck at darts!" another voice called out.

"Popsicles! We got popsicles! All shapes and sizes! Hey, kid! You like square popsicles?" a familiar voice called out.

Eventually, Dylan was led to a stand. Within the stand was a tower of bottles, stacked up in a way so they could fall over easily. Dylan noticed a bright green pony sitting at the counter, waiting to take their bits for the game. Amber, being overly excited, had already paid for both Dylan and herself, prompting the pony to give both of them three balls each.

"Alright, Dylan! You go first!" Amber nudged Dylan in his side, causing him to jump slightly. He picked up the first ball, aimed carefully, and threw with all his might. It missed, flying past the bottles and hitting the wall before falling with a pitiful thud.

"It's ok, Dylan! You got two more tries!" Amber assured, patting Dylan on the back. He grabbed the second ball and aimed a little more to the left, hoping he'd hit it this time, and threw. The ball went past the bottles, ricocheted off the wall, and came right back at Dylan, who immediately ducked, the ball missing him by a hair.

This was it. The moment of truth. One ball left. Dylan picked up the last ball and aimed a little to the right, one eye closed and biting down on his lip. This was it, he thought. He had this. He threw the ball, and everything seemed to go in slow motion. The ball moved toward the bottles, on a sure path to hitting them. At the last second though, it dipped and hit the shelf the bottles were on, causing them to shake slightly.

He couldn't believe his luck. He had thrown too softly. Any harder, and he would've hit them. He lost, and in front of Amber, too. It was absolutely embarrassing to him. Amber patted him on the back, smiling.

"It's ok," she comforted. "Anypony would have trouble with this game!" She picked up her first ball and tossed it. "See? Anyone wo--"

"Winner!" the green pony shouted. Both Dylan and Amber were shocked. Dylan looked up at the toppled bottles. Amber had knocked them down on her first try.

"Teddy bear for the lovely mare!" the green pony congratulated as he handed Amber a stuffed animal, who was still in shock.

Dylan, feeling bad about his loss, turned to leave. But before he could go anywhere, somepony had bumped into him.

"My apologies!" a familiar voice said. Dylan looked up to see a soaked Filthy Rich.

"Filthy Rich? What are you doing here?" Amber asked. "Any why are you all wet?"

"Well, wouldn't ya believe it, I had volunteered to be the fall pony for the dunk tank," Filthy Rich explained. "Of course, no one could hit the target since it was so small, and so I didn't get dunked. At least, not until some random ball came out of nowhere, hit it and dropped me in. I guess I've learned my lesson about volunteering for a rigged game."

Both Dylan and Amber were confused. How could a ball just come out of nowhere? Suddenly, their minds went back to Dylan's second ball throw, where it richocheted off the wall and almost hit him. If he hadn't ducked, the ball wouldn't have dropped Filthy Rich into the water.

Amber grinned and whispered into Dylan's ear. "Looks like you won something after all.~"

"Err, what was that?" Filthy Rich asked.

"Oh, nothing.~" Amber replied.

Author's Note

Sorry for the late Hearts and Hooves chapter. Shortly after the biopsy I got really sick. I'm a little better now though. And looks like Dylan got some unintended revenge on Filthy Rich. :ajsmug:

The Sapling's Winter Wrap Up

Dylan gradually awoke to the smell of food, making him smile. He scrambled out of bed before falling onto the floor with a thud, groaning in slight pain. It was another winter day, another blanket of snow covering the ground outside.

He then remembered what day it was. Today was Winter Wrap Up. Applejack and Applebloom talked about it constantly during the last few days. His job was to help clear the snow so they could plant seeds. It struck him as as bit odd with ponies controlling the seasons and all, but nothing really made sense anymore. He got up and made his bed before heading downstairs to eat.

As Dylan sat down at the kitchen table with the rest of the Apple family, he noticed Applejack with a frying pan, holding the handle in her mouth as she flipped pancakes.

"How do you do that?" Dylan asked, watching in amazement at Applejack's skills. She set down the pan back onto the stove before turning toward Dylan with a smile.

"It's nothin' special," Applejack replied. "I've been able to do it ever since I was a little filly." She turned off the stove and slid the hot pancake onto a huge stack of them. "I could teach ya later this week if ya want," she offered.

"Sure," confirmed Dylan as Applejack put two pancakes on his plate. She placed four on Big Mac's plate, and two on Apple Bloom's plate. Dylan noticed something was missing. No, not something, but someone.

"Where's Granny?" Dylan asked.

"She went out earlier," Applejack answered. "Said she needed to do somethin'." Dylan frowned. It was the eleventh time she had gone out early this month, and with no explanation.

She would always come back with slightly red eyes, as if she'd been crying, and whenever Applejack asked about it, Granny would claim it was her allergies. It wasn't enough to convince Dylan, though. He couldn't help but wonder where she had been going. Today, he was determined to find out.

"I'll be back soon," Dylan announced as he got up from the table. He went out the front door and immediately saw the hoofprints in the snow. Bracing himself for the cold, he trudged his way through the soft ice, doing his best to ignore its stinging chill.

The tracks led him deep into the orchard, so deep that he began to question whether he should turn back before the hoofprints were covered by the falling snow. He had never been in this part of the orchard before. On some of the trees, there were no apples. Instead, there were pears.

He did his best to keep going, his bones becoming chilly as he trotted through unfamiliar territory. Soon though, he caught a glimpse of green in the distance. It was Granny! He picked up the pace and cried out to her, but she didn't seem to hear him. Her back was turned to him, and it looked like she was just sitting there in the cold.

As he eventually reached her, he noticed what she had been looking at. His eyes widened to take in a glorious view. In front of him and Granny were two trees, their bases twisting around each other, their branches curling into the shape of a heart, both apples and pears hanging from them.

What Dylan couldn't help but notice however, was that the twisted beauty had all its leaves, all of them a bright green, while the rest of the orchard had lost theirs to the winter cold, as if the tree were defying everything the winter had to throw at it. A tear rolled down Dylan's cheek as he took in the marvelous sight.

"It's beautiful, ain't it?" Granny commented, breaking the silence. "Their love could withstand anything."

"Whose love?" Dylan asked, his gaze still set on the tree.

"Bright Mac and Pear Butter," Granny answered. "Even though she was from a rival family, he sought after her like bees sought after flowers."

Dylan stayed quiet, staring at the testament of true love. Eventually he spoke. "Do you know what happened? I mean... what really happened? Applebloom said they vanished."

Granny nodded, her eyes staring off into the distance. "They were on their way home after pitching ideas to the mayor of Fillydelphia. They wanted to expand the Apple family's reach by delivering our quality apples to the stores to be sold."

Dylan looked at her curiously as she continued. "When they didn't come back, I went out to look for them and found the apple cart with one of its wheels broken off."

Dylan looked at Granny with a worried look on his face. "Was there any other sign of them?"

"Not even hoofprints. The snowstorm had covered them up. The only thing left was Bright Mac's hat..." Tears flowed down Granny Smiths face, and her accent began to thicken. "Ah should've gone withem..."

Dylan placed a forehoof on Granny's back. "You couldn't have known..." They stood there for what seemed like hours, when in reality, it was only a few minutes. Granny dried her tears, and they turned to head back home.

Later that morning...

"Alright! Is everypony ready for Winter Wrap up?" Twilight Sparkle asked the crowd, which caused them to cheer and holler. Dylan had been given a green vest, which showed that he was on the plant team, and he wore it with pride. After the speech was given, and all the ponies trotted to their designated areas, Dylan followed Applejack and the rest of the family.

"This is so excitin', Dylan! Yer first Winter Wrap Up!" Applebloom exclaimed, bouncing with joy.

As they walked, Dylan looked up to see Rainbow Dash and several other pegasi clearing away the gray clouds. "I still don't understand how ponies can control the seasons. It ain't like that back where I'm from."

"It's always been that way here," Applejack answered. "Without us, the seasons wouldn't change at all, and we'd be stuck in one climate." Dylan looked to his left where he saw a yellow pony with a pink mane. All around her were various kinds of animals, and she seemed to be in tune with nature itself.

"Who's that?" Dylan asked, pointing to the yellow pony.

Applejack smiled as she looked to see her. "That's Fluttershy! She's in charge of the animal team. They help to wake up all the critters from hibernation."

"That's... odd," Dylan whispered, wondering why they'd need to wake up animals in the first place. "Where I'm from, the animals all just wake up on their own."

"That's pretty strange," Applejack commented. "Aren't they ever late for spring?"

"I dunno," Dylan replied. "They just wake up. I'm guessin' it's just instinct."

"Huh..." Applejack looked at the animals a bit more before turned her head back forward to see where she was going. "Sounds like it'd be nice if ours did that. But the last time the animals slept in, they slept through the entire spring season."

This made Dylan feel more curious. Why were the animals in Equestria different from the ones back at home? Soon, the thoughts he had were cleared away when they reached a large area of land covered in snow. Plowing through the snow were several ponys, all lined up side by side.

"So we just grab a plow and push all the snow out of the way?" Dylan trotted over to a snowplow.

"Yup! Giddyup, y'all! Let's get a move on!" Applejack cheered.

Soon, the entire Apple family was plowing the fields, clearing the way for other ponies to plant seeds. Dylan had a little difficulty keeping up, but he kept going, not stopping for a moment.

The singing actually helped, and Dylan seemed to somehow know the words to it, even though he'd never heard it.

"Winter Wrap Up, Winter Wrap up. 'Cause tomorrow spring is here! 'Cause tomorrow spring is here!"

"No easy task to clear the ground.

"Plant our tiny seeds."

"With proper care and sunshine."

"Everyone it feeds."

"Apples Carrots, Celery Stalks,"

"Colorful flowers, too."

"We must work so very hard."

"It's just so much to do!"

With the song being sung, the work seemed to go faster, almost as if by some sort of magic. Soon, their work was done, and there was nothing left to do but to wait for the other teams to finish.

"Ya worked really hard today, Dylan. I'm proud!" Applejack pulled him close and ruffled up his mane. Dylan smiled and tried to pull away, but she was too strong.

"Hey, Applejack, Dylan!" Applebloom cried out. "Check it out! They're giving away free food to everyone who participated!"

"C'mon, Dylan. Let's go get some grub," said Applejack as she let go of him. They ate, and soon Winter Wrap Up was over. They headed home and called it a day.

Someplace unknown...

"Is he awake?"

"Not yet. I'd prefer we keep it that way. But for now, we need to talk about the... Apples."

"You don't honestly think they're a threat now, do you, Sir? We took care of that problem years ago!"

"It's just a feeling I've got... call it my special talent. I've always had a nose for competition."

Author's Note

It's finally spring! I hope you guys have a good SPRIIIIIIIIIIING!~

The Sapling's Enemy

"Dylan... Dylan..." a familiar voice called out to him.

Dylan tossed and turned in his bed, messing up his blanket and forcing the sheets to pop off the corners of the mattress. He perked up his ears as he realized the doll was speaking once more. "M-Mom... Wha..."

"Dylan... I need to tell you something."

"Go away," Dylan mumbled under his pillow. "You're not even real." He didn't want to hear the voice again. Not tonight, not ever again.

"Dylan... Please listen," the doll whispered, its voice growing louder. "You're not safe, sweetie."

"Why do you torture me?" he growled back, trying to cover his ears with the pillow. "Stop reminding me that she's gone!"

"Someone is coming for you," it warned, its voice somehow able to pierce through the pillow's protection.

Curiosity had finally gotten the better of him. Dylan got up from his bed and trotted over to the porcelain doll on the dresser. "Who?" he asked, reaching up and taking the figurine into his hooves. There was no reply. He shook the doll a bit. "Hello?"

The doll refused to answer for the rest of the night...

The next morning...

Dylan trotted through the streets of Ponyville. He had gotten used to the small village, now able to tell where he was without asking for directions. He would often think back to the first day he met the Apples. His leg had been broken, and he had had no idea how to get back home. It wasn't as if he wanted to, though. He was happy here. He nodded to a passerby pony as he made his way down the road. Everypony was so friendly, and they didn't judge his human origin, like the time he went to Apple Con with his family.

"Hello there, Dylan!" a familiar voice greeted from behind him. He turned to see Filthy Rich, taking a stroll with his wife, Spoiled Rich. She looked less than happy to be among the other ponies, her head held high as if she were royalty.

Dylan rubbed the back of his head with a hoof. "Howdy, Mr. Rich," he greeted. He tried not to make eye contact with the unpleasant mare. He did, however, feel more comfortable talking to Filthy Rich. Dylan had a bit more of a stable relationship with the stallion since he came to apologize while Dylan was sick. "How are you doing?"

"I'm doing swell today. I was just taking the missus out for lunch, isn't that right, dear?" Filthy looked to his wife for confirmation.

Spoiled just looked at Dylan and made a face of disgust. "Yes. That's right," she affirmed. She seemed to at the very least 'tolerate' Dylan ever since he explained to Filthy Rich at the carnival that he had become a pony. Filthy must've told her about it.

The wealthy stallion seemed a bit nervous around his wife as he tugged on his tie. "If you'll just pardon us, we'll be on our way," he said before leaning in to whisper to Dylan, "Can't keep the missus standing in one place for too long. I apologize." Dylan nodded, and the couple went on their way.

Before they were completely out of earshot, his ears picked up on Spoiled Rich's voice. "That ape will never be a REAL pony..." Dylan looked back to counter-argue, but they were out of sight.

The way home was filled with both anger and sadness. "I'm a real pony, aren't I?" Dylan muttered to himself. "She don't know what she's talkin' 'bout." His accent became thicker as he became angrier. "I'm just like them! I mean... I look like one, so I am one, right?"

Ever since he had become a pony, he felt like he was truly cemented into the Apple family. But as soon as Spoiled Rich said otherwise, his belief shattered. Something stirred inside of him. Some form of anger he couldn't control.

As he arrived at the farm, he came across a rock. With fury bubbling inside him, he kicked it as hard as he could, sending it flying through a window, shattering the glass. Dylan's rage immediately dissipated and was replaced with worry, guilt and fear.

"Who did this?!" a familiar voice cried. From out of the home came Applejack wearing an angry face. "Darn it! Who did this?" Her eyes scanned the area until they looked over Dylan. "Did you do this?!"

Dylan's eyes welled up with tears as he nodded, fearing punishment. "Ah'm so sorry! I didn't mean to do it! Ah was just so a-a-angry and Ah wasn't thinkin'!" he blurted, accent thickening some more.

Applejack walked over to Dylan and looked down at him, not with a face of anger, but with a look of concern. "Angry? Why are ya angry?"

Dylan looked back up at her, tears rolling down his face. "Spoiled Rich said I'll never be a REAL pony..." He sobbed. "Aren't I a real pony like you?"

"She said what now?" she asked, both confused and a bit angry. "Aw, Dylan! She don't know what she's talkin' about!" She pulled him against her chest and rubbed his back. "Dylan, you are a real pony!"

They sat there for a while until Dylan was dry of tears. He eventually looked up at her and stammered. "I-I'm sorry for breaking the window."

Applejack smiled at him and ran her hoof through his mane. "It's alright. Ya still gonna fix it though."

Later that day

Dylan hammered the last of the nails into the frame for the new window and wiped the sweat from his forehead with a hoof. Taking a step back, he admired his work. While working, he had had plenty of time to think about what Spoiled Rich had said to him, and Dylan had come to the conclusion that he shouldn't care what she thought of him. She didn't know him personally. She never knew what he went through. It was best to just ignore her. Someday she'd see, he thought. Just not today.

As Dylan made his way inside, he noticed two voiced. One was Applejack's, but the other... was unfamiliar.

"I feel that this will make everypony happy," the unfamiliar voice said. It was smooth, and it seemed as if it could talk anypony into pretty much anything.

Dylan slowly trotted over to the living room, and as he walked in, the first pony he noticed was a milky white unicorn. who stood in the center of the room. He possessed long silver hair and golden yellow eyes, and his back and flank were covered by a shiny red cape made from silk. Whoever this pony was, he seemed to be very wealthy, making alarms ring in Dylan's head.

The second pony he noticed, was of course, Applejack, who was sitting on the couch. She greeted Dylan with a wave of her hoof, making the unicorn turn his head to look at Dylan. Their eyes met, and Dylan had a sense of uneasiness inside.

Applejack motioned Dylan over. "Howdy, Dylan! Ya get that window fixed?"

Dylan nodded and looked over to her, breaking eye contact with the stallion. "Y-Yeah. Um... Who is this?" he asked.

"I'm sorry, my dear boy. My name is Quick Stacks," the unicorn introduced. "I'm pretty sure you've heard of me. I mean, most everypony has.~"

Dylan looked the unicorn over and shook his head. "I've never heard of you, sorry."

Quick Stacks seemed a bit disappointed. "Oh? I suppose not everypony has seen my advertising."

"He's the owner of most of Fillydelphia," Applejack chimed in. "Mah parents once did a bit of business with his pa!"

"Ahem. I think you mean this 'almost' did business with my 'pa'" Quick clarified. "I'm simply here to finish what they started."

"Which is?" Dylan asked.

"He wants to bring Sweet Apple Acres apples to Fillydelphia!" Applejack announced, obviously excited.

Dylan looked over to Quick Stacks with suspicion. "Why?"

"Why, for the sake of our parents, and for the sake of good business," Stacks replied. "You see, I pretty much represent the people of Fillydelphia, and I believe that we as good ponies must do our best to give them quality products. Imagine how they'd feel if they had access to fresh apples from Sweet Apple Acres."

Dylan squinted his eyes a bit. "I guess that would be a good thing..."

"I'll even split the profits 20/80, with Sweet Apple Acres being the 80 of course," Quick added.

Now this sounded too good to be true. Dylan didn't know much about business, but he knew that with Quick Stacks receiving such a small amount of the profits, he wouldn't have much to gain. Did Stacks really want to do this out of the kindness of his heart?

Applejack removed herself from the couch and trotted over to Dylan. "Sugarcube, this would be a good thing for us. I know you probably don't trust him now, but Quick Stacks is just trying to do what his pa couldn't finish. My parents worked very hard to get our apples into the city. If they trusted him, then why shouldn't I?"

Dylan looked into Applejack's eyes. She really seemed to want this. He didn't have the right to take this away from her. He sighed to himself and smiled. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be so quick to judge."

"Thatta boy, Dylan!" Applejack patted him on the back and then turned to Quick Stacks. "When do we start?"

"We can start right now!" Quick Stacks answered. He buried his face under his cloak to pull out a clipboard with a contract attached to it. "You just gotta sign here at the bottom," he said through clenched teeth as he held it in his mouth.

Applejack grabbed a pen off the table and into her mouth before going over to Quick Stacks. She then scribbled her name flawlessly on the piece of paper, making Dylan wonder how ponies could be so good at using their mouths like this.

Quick Stacks put the clipboard back under his cloak and smiled a winning smile. "I knew you'd make the right decision, Apples. I'll send my boys over here with a cart and we'll get to loading up some of those delicious apples of yours!"

"Oh boy! This is so excitin'! Meet me outside, Dylan, and we'll get to work!" Applejack said as she left the room.

"I'll be there in just a minute," Dylan called after her. As soon as she left the room, he turned to look at Quick Stacks. "Are you really trying to do the right thing?"

Quick Stacks simply smiled and replied, "My boy, some ponies will do anything out of the goodness of their hearts. I'm just one of those ponies."

Author's Note

I'm sorry this chapter wasn't as long as some might think it would be, but they'll get longer and longer as they go on. The ride's gonna be a bit bumpy as it goes on, and don't worry, Spoiled Rich will get punishment in the next chapter. :ajsmug:

The First Sapling

A crashing noise made Dylan jolt from his bed, scaring him half to death. He turned his head to the left to look out the window to find the sun had just barely poked above the horizon. "What's going on?" he muttered as he heard hammers and power drills outside. Hopping out of bed, he went over to his window and looked outside to see what the ruckus was.

The first thing that caught his eye were carts being pulled by bulky ponies down the road leading to the farm. "What in the..." He squinted his eyes and leaned further out the window, trying to get a better look. Was that... Quick Stacks? He could see the white unicorn shouting at the bulky ponies from the sidelines.

Dylan's concentration was then interrupted as his hoof slipped, making him almost fall out of the window. Luckily, he still had his other three hooves inside. He carefully pulled himself back inside his room and exited the house the RIGHT way: through the door. As he walked out into the sunlight, he had a clearer view of the situation. In front of the barn was a large cart with chopped down apple trees!

Dylan opened his mouth to protest. This wasn't what they were promised! However, before he could speak, he was cut off by a very cranky Granny behind him. "WHAT IN TARNATION IS GOIN' ON HERE?!"

"Granny Smith!" Quick Stacks said as he approached, looking nervous. "I thought you were," he cleared his throat, "no longer with us."

"You! I know who you are!" Granny yelled angrily, shaking her hoof in the air. "Yer that snake in the grass! I knew you were up to no good the minute I first saw you!" Dylan slowly took a few steps back until he was behind Granny Smith.

"Oh, come on now! You've simply misjudged me! It was only a few coincidences!" Stacks said in an attempt to defend himself.

"Granny? You know him?" Dylan asked, confused. What did Granny know that he and Applejack didn't?

"I know him all too well!" she replied. "And I want him off muh farm!"

Quick Stacks grinned. "I'm sorry, Granny, but Applejack signed a contract. I'm just going to take a few trees from your farm. Not too many, and I'm going to sell them in Fillydelphia.

"But the contract said you'd only be taking the apples, not the trees!" Dylan argued. He had read over the contract from earlier. He didn't see too much of it, but that much he did see. It had specifically mentioned bringing apples to Fillydelphia.

"Why, we still ARE taking the apples. The trees are just for good measure. See, if we can grow them in Fillydelphia, then it'll be easier instead of having to come here and back." After he finished speaking, he pulled out the contract from under his cloak. "Ith all right here," he said through clenched teeth.

Granny squinted and looked at the contract closely. Dylan shuffled nervously in the background, worried about what might happen if Quick Stacks had his way. Dylan knew something was wrong, but he let it happen anyway.

Granny smiled and chuckled. "Nice try, Mr. Stacks, but this here contract says the owner of the farm has to sign over the rights. I'M the owner of this here farm, and I want ya off muh land before I get muh broom!"

Quick Stacks' eyes widened as he was caught in his lie. "Why, Granny! Surely we can reach some kind of agreement? Just think of how happy the folks of Fillydelphia would be!"

"I know you care more about the bits than ya do about the commonpony!" she scowled. "Now git! Git! Winona!" She brought a hoof to her mouth and whistled loudly. All of a sudden, on cue, the family dog rushed out of the home and growled at the sleazy unicorn.

Stacks took a few steps back before turning his head and calling to his workers. "You heard her! Let's get out of here!" All the workers looked at each other and simply shrugged. They dumped the trees from the large carts and started their way off the property. Quick Stacks then looked back at Granny and Dylan. "It's a shame, really. We could have been such great partners."

Granny simply snorted and turned away from him. Dylan looked back at Quick Stacks, and was puzzled to see that the unicorn's eyes seemed different. They were green. Weren't they yellow before? Dylan opened his mouth to say something, but he couldn't find the right words. It was as if those eyes were forcing him to keep quiet.

Quick Stacks soon took his leave, and after all the workers had left, Granny looked to Dylan. "Where's Applejack?" she asked, her eyes full of anger.

"Right here, Granny. What was all the commotion?" a sleepy Applejack said as she approached.

"How could you, Applejack?!" Granny asked, a hurt look on her face. Dylan slinked back a bit, frowning. Applejack looked back at Granny all confused.

"What are ya talkin' about?" Applejack asked.

"Ya hurt me," Granny answered. "Ya tried signing over the rights to our apples to some con artist!"

Applejack's eyes widened and she argued back. "I was not signin' over full rights to our apples. Don't you remember who he is, Granny? Both our parents tried doing business together! This was their dream!"

"THEIR dream, not his!" Granny countered. "You may not understand it right now, but Quick Stacks is a rotton apple! I met him when he was just a youngin', and he's no good! I can feel it in muh bones, and muh bones don't lie!"

"Yer bein' paranoid, Granny!" Applejack stepped forward to look Granny Smith in the eyes. "He only wanted to help!"

"He wanted the trees, just like his pa! And you almost let him take them!" Granny looked as furious as a disturbed hornet nest.

"What's a few trees, Granny? It's only so they don't have to come here so often. It's just common sense!"

"Them trees are Apple family trees! They're special and they shouldn't be in the hooves of outsiders!" Granny shouted.

"I just want my parents' dreams to come true!" Applejack's eyes welled up with tears. "Why are you denying them this?"

"They didn't want this!" Granny said. "They knew the trees were special, and they knew something was wrong when they was doin' business with Full Stacks! That's when they disappeared!"

Applejack shook her head. "Not this again... Granny, he didn't do anything! It was a snow storm!"

Dylan, attempting to piece things together, asked, "So... Full Stacks is Quick Stacks' father? And you think they had something to do with the Bright Mac and Pear Butter's disappearance?"

"Ah don't think so," Granny replied. "I KNOW so!"

Applejack facehoofed right then and there. "Granny, we've been over this... It's just not possible."

"I don't understand," Dylan said. "I thought you said they vanished in the snow storm, Granny."

Granny Smith looked at Dylan with sad eyes. "I only told you what is widely believed. Eventually I started believing it myself... but when I saw that scoundral again, my suspicions returned! Quick Stacks and Full Stacks were part of the search party. Quick Stacks was a younger colt back then, but I saw the look in his eyes. They did this after Bright Mac and Pear Butter refused to transport the trees!"

"Granny, it doesn't make sense," Applejack said. "They're just trees. We've even taken one of our trees to Appleloosa."

"That was for another Apple family member," Granny replied. "If it were anyone else, I wouldn't have approved it!"

"I... What's so special about the trees?" Dylan asked.

"Don't get her started," Applejack warned.

"Shush, you!" Granny said to her. "The youngin' wants to know, so I'mma tell 'em!" She looked Dylan in the eyes. "Have ya ever heard the story of the very first apple seed?"

"No, ma'am, I haven't," Dylan replied, now a bit curious.

Applejack shook her head. "I'm headed inside. We can talk about this later, Granny. Just go ahead and tell yer story."

As Applejack left, Granny continued. "Long ago, before even Celestia and Luna were born, when the three pony tribes were still against each other, there was a young earth pony named Apple Seed who wanted nuthin' more than to grow something unique. See, apples didn't exist back then, and Apple Seed was so tired of the other fruits and veggies. He wished on the stars every night to grow something new. Then, one night, his wish came true.

"A mysterious unicorn came up to him and told him, 'I heard you've been looking for something new. I have a special seed made by the strongest of unicorn magic, and only an earth pony such as yourself can plant it. You can even name whatever comes out after you.' The unicorn also told him that only he and his descendants could grow these special trees, and if anyone else tried, they would fail.

"Now, Apple Seed's name had always been a bit odd to many ponies, considerin' apples weren't even around yet. Some say his folks got it from a fever dream. Regardless, Apple Seed quickly agreed, and he planted that sucker in his garden. He waited years, waterin' it every day, makin' sure it was nice and healthy. Why, he even read it stories at night out of the love he had fer it."

"After many years, the tree had grown, and it beared the fruit we all know and love. He started to give away the fruit to other ponies, and he instantly became popular! Apples were soon known far and wide, both in and out of Equestria! He had even gotten himself a mare from all his success and popularity!"

Dylan had looked at Granny in wonderment throughout the entire story, and he had to say, it was pretty captivating. "So... only Apple family members can grow these trees?"

"You bet yer saddle, sonny!" she replied. "Now, I know that seems like it would make apples rare, but there's a lot of us out there, and every so often we come together for a reunion. We all live by a rule: Never give away our trees. They're our pride and joy."

"So... I'm guessing I could never grow one of these trees?" Dylan asked, frowning a bit. "Since I'm not really blood related?"

Granny put a hoof up to her chin and looked to the sky, thinking for a moment. "Ya never know, Dylan. Maybe. We consider ya to be our kin."

Dylan smiled, but behind his facade, he knew it couldn't be true. Nevertheless, he couldn't help but wonder one thing...

"Why does he want these trees so badly? Why not just the apples?"

Meanwhile...

He didn't expect this to happen. All those years of waiting for that old mare to pass on, and he wasn't patient enough. Quick Stacks sat upon his chair at his office desk and pressed the button on his microphone. "Blossom, please send in my advisor."

A mare's voice emitted from the speaker. "Right away, Mr. Stacks."

After a few minutes, a pale gray earth pony stepped in through the large double doors. "Y-Yes, Sir?"

Quick Stacks smiled and motioned to the chair with a hoof. "Sit down, Data Analysis. Please, I insist!"

The earth pony walked over and sat down in the chair at the other end of the desk. "Y-You wanted to see me?"

Quick Stacks opened a drawer in his desk and pulled out a photo of a middle-aged mare in black and white colors. He tossed it onto the desk in front of his advisor. "Can you tell me who this is?"

"G-Granny Smith, Sir," the shaking pony answered.

"You told me she had passed on, didn't you?" Quick Stacks asked, still smiling.

"Y-Yes, Sir!" Data answered, his voice reaching a higher pitch out of fear.

"Then why is it," Quick Stacks queried as his voice became more tense, "that when I went to the Apple barn, THE OLD BROAD WAS STILL STANDING?!"

"It's h-hard to get information, Sir! We've got so many ponies and it's hard to sort fact from fable!" Data tried to justify.

"You bucking worthless earth pony!" Quick Stacks jumped atop his desk and looked down upon Data Analysis. "Do you know how long I've waited?! How long I've planned?! It was perfect! And you bucked it up! You're lucky I'm not throwing your flank out onto the streets!"

"Please, Sir! I'm sorry! Forgive me! It was an error on my end!"

Quick Stacks stared at the earth pony with pure hatred in his eyes. He then shook his head clear of anger and let out a sigh. "Who... whose paycheck do we have to cut? This operation wasted so many bits. We have to pay the ponies who showed up at the barn."

"The one with the largest paycheck is Filthy Rich's family," Data answered quickly, already having calculated the bits.

"It's a shame," Stacks said. "Filthy Rich is a good stallion. I hate that wife of his, though. In fact... cut her check, too. She can live without it for a while. I think I'll use that money for bowling and drinks tonight..."

"Sir? If I may ask... w-why don't we just take the apples? We don't really need the trees, do we?"

Quick Stacks looked to his advisor and hopped off his desk. "I forgot, you're new here. How long has it been? Three weeks?"

"Th-Three months, Sir," Data meekly replied.

"Close enough. Have I told you about the very first apple tree?" Quick Stacks wrapped a foreleg around Data. "It's a story that's been passed down my family for generations..."

Author's Note

How do ya like THEM apples? :ajsmug:

Don't worry, we'll see more suffering from Spoiled Rich in the next chapter.

In the meantime... why do you think he wants those trees? :rainbowhuh:

The Seed's Nightmare Night

Dylan stood in front of the Apple Pear tree, staying silent and basking in its beauty. It had been a while since he'd arrived here in Equestria. He thought back to the days with his mother. They were times he'd always cherish, even if they weren't always pleasant.

Over time, Dylan had noticed the drastic differences between the Apple parents and his parents' stories. His mother and his pa were from two rival families, just like Bright Mac and Pear Butter, but that's where the similarities ended. Soon after they had gotten hitched, his pa had turned more and more abusive over the following months. Sure, it died down a bit while Dylan's mother was pregnant, but after he had been born, his pa had gone back into the regular routine.

Dylan looked at the Apple Pear tree and placed a hoof on the base of it, feeling the twisted wood surface. "I bet you guys never fought," he said to the tree. It stayed silent, obviously. Dylan shook his head. "I'm so crazy, I'm talkin' to dolls and trees."

"Whatcha say, Dylan?" a voice asked from seemingly nowhere, making Dylan jump. He looked behind him to see a concerned Applejack. "Y'all doin' alright?"

"Yeah," Dylan replied. "Just thinkin', that's all." He didn't want to tell Applejack about the events from several nights ago with his doll. It would only make her worry.

Applejack shook her head with a smile. "If you say so. By the way, I've been wantin' to ask ya somethin'."

Dylan raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Do ya blame me? For wanting to make my parents' dreams come true?" Applejack removed her hat and held it to her chest, as if in respect to those long gone.

"I don't rightly know," Dylan answered. He really didn't. He couldn't really understand having dreams unfulfilled. Did his mother have dreams? Dreams of running away and never coming back? "I mean... I guess I don't." He looked at the hat Applejack held. "I don't know if we can trust Quick Stacks, though. He gives me this... vibe."

Silence filled the air. It was unnerving, making both Dylan and Applejack uncomfortable. After what seemed to be a long time, Applejack asked, "Do you think we should take our business elsewhere? There are plenty of other business ponies in Fillydelphia."

Dylan was slightly surprised at Applejack's sudden change in nature. "It feels like it'd take a long time. At least with Quick Stacks, you'd have a better chance, and it'd be faster... Are you sure?"

Applejack looked at the Apple Pear tree and smiled softly. "Well, I talked to Granny alone after she was done tellin' ya her story, and I just can't do anything with a clear conscience when she's still wary. She's never steered us wrong before..." she looked back to Dylan with tear-filled eyes. "I think maybe their dreams can wait a bit. They've waited this long." Her legs shook a little. "I'm guessin' I see somethin' a lil shady with him, too."

Dylan walked over to Applejack and pulled her into a hug, his face buried into her neck. "I'm sorry..."

Applejack patted Dylan's back, tears rolling down her cheek. "It's fine. I've already got others willin' to come over and discuss business with us. Maybe Granny will like them better?"

Dylan nodded into Applejack's chest with a muffled "Maybe..." He pulled away from the warm fur and embraced the cool autumn air. "It's been a while since Winter Wrap Up. Now I'm curious. What's the next event?"

"Well, during the whole Quick Stacks incident, we missed the Summer Sun Celebration, and now it's autumn, so... I reckon that means Nightmare Night is up next."

"Nightmare Night?" Another holiday that Dylan had never heard of before now.

"Oh shoot! I forgot ya never heard of it!" Applejack rubbed the back of her neck. "Well, Nightmare Night is the night where ponies dress up in costumes are go around collecting candy from other ponies!"

"You mean Halloween?" Dylan asked.

"Hallo-what?"

Dylan shook his head. "Nevermind."

One day later...

Morning could have gone a lot better. However, Dylan was in for a rude awakening. He awoke to a repeated thumping on his side. When he opened his eyes, he saw an excited Applebloom jumping on him, shouting, "It's here! It's here! It's here!"

Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, Dylan asked, "What's here?" The poor colt's sides starting to ache badly.

"Muh package!" she answered as he hopped onto the floor. "Ah've been waitin' for it forever!"

"Package?" Dylan climbed out of bed and wobbled a bit on his hooves. He still hadn't gotten used to walking on all fours. "What's in it?"

"C'mon, I'll show ya!" she squealed as she rushed out the door, leaving Dylan confused.

"Applebloom? What's got ya in such a hurry?" Dylan could hear Applejack asking from downstairs. He eventually made his way to the door and walked down the stairs to see Applejack and Applebloom in the living room, gathered around a small cardboard box.

"So what's this?" He asked as he approached. eyeing the cardboard package.

Applebloom opened up the box to reveal a variety of cloth materials. "This is the stuff we're gonna use for our costumes!"

Dylan tilted his head as he scanned the fabrics. "Never really made my own costume before."

"It'll be fun! I'll help ya!" Applebloom exclaimed, rummaging through the box.

Applejack rubbed her chin and peered at Dylan, eyes squinting. "Ya know, I think you'd make a good scarecrow!"

"A scarecrow?" Dylan tried to imagine himself as a one, but he couldn't seem to find himself looking good. He shook his head, waving the thoughts away. "If you say so. I don't mind dressin' up as one."

"Great!" Applebloom said as she pulled out a number of tan and orange fabrics. Some of them looked very worn out, and they reminded Dylan of the scarecrow back on his old home. "We can use these for the shirt and use our scarecrow's hat for ya!"

Dylan thought back to the first time he saw the Apple family's scarecrow. Instead of being in the shape of a human, it was in the shape of a pony. Dylan found it very odd at first, but as time went on, he came to accept it. "Do scarecrows really work?"

"I think it's more for tradition than anything," Applejack answered. Dylan looked to her and tilted his head.

Within a few hours, Dylan was standing in front of the bathroom mirror. He had on a raggedy old shirt that had been sewn together from the bits of cloth, and upon his head was a tattered straw hat from the scarecrow outside. "It's a little snug," he murmered.

"I think you'll manage," Applebloom assured. Dylan just looked at himself in the mirror skeptically.

"I guess I coul--" A knock knock knocking from the front door interrupted him mid sentence. He poked his head out of the bathroom and then looked back at Applebloom, who just gave him a shrug.

"I wasn't really expectin' anypony," Applebloom commented as they reached the door. Dylan opened up the door to come face-to-face with perfection yet again.

"A-Amber!" Dylan said breathlessly.

The peach colored mare's face lit up when she saw Dylan. "Howdy! I haven't seen you in a while!"

"H-Hi, Amber! How are you?" Dylan stammered, rubbing the back of his neck.

Amber put a hoof to her mouth as she held back a giggle. "I'm fine, thank you. What's with the getup? Is that for Nightmare Night?"

"Sure is!" Applebloom said before Dylan could speak. She gently punched Dylan in the shoulder, knocking him back into reality.

"Y-Yeah! For Nightmare Night!" Dylan managed to squeak out. He couldn't help but look at Amber's eyes. They were very mesmerizing to him. He felt he could get lost in them if he wasn't careful. "Wh-What are you going to be?"

Amber looked up at the sky with a hoof to her chin. "Hm... That's a toughie! I guess I'll have to figure that out later." She then shook her head, remembering what she came for. "Is Applejack here? My parents ordered a crate of applesauce."

Dylan nodded. "Y-Yeah!" He turned to call out for Applejack, only to see that she was already approaching.

"Howdy there, Amber!" Applejack greeted. "I take it yer here for the order?"

"Uh huh!" Amber confirmed. "My parents are gonna use it for Nightmare Night!"

"For Nightmare Night?" Dylan put a hoof to his chin. "What could they possibly use it for on Nightmare Night?"

"Dylan, don'tcha know anything?" Applebloom chimed in. "They're usin' it fer the competition!"

Amber nodded. "Yeah! The applesauce slinging competition! It's kinda like water balloons, except you've got spoons and applesauce!"

"Sound messy," Dylan commented. He had never heard of applesauce being used for events like these. Then again, he'd never been to very many events, even in his old world. Most of the time, he'd be working in the fields.

"Messy AND delicious," Applejack said as she ruffled up Dylan's mane. "You should join us!"

"Oh!" Amber smiled wide. "Will you?! Pleeeaaase?" She gave Dylan big puppy dog eyes.

Dylan stepped back a bit and blushed. He just couldn't resist her. "Y-Yeah! I'll definitely join!"

"Ooh! This is gonna be so great!" Amber jumped excitedly. "Yer gonna love it!

Dylan smiled awkwardly. "I can't wait!"

Meanwhile, at the Rich residence...

"WHAT?!"

Filthy Rich had tried calming down his wife, Spoiled Rich, but to no avail. The prissy mare was stomping around the home, complaining about her paycheck. "Two bits?! TWO MEASLY BITS?! That Quick Stacks has gone too far! How am I going to get a costume with TWO BITS?!"

"N-Now, darling," Filthy tried to say, but the mare wasn't having it.

"Don't you 'Now, darling' me! I'm going to go down there and demand my full paycheck!" Spoiled's nose was flaring with anger, and her eyes were full of fire.

Filthy Rich looked at his cowering daughter in the corner and shook his head, making up his mind. "Spoiled Rich! You listen to me this instant! You're scaring our pride and joy, and I won't stand for it! You can use some of my check! Only twenty bits! No more, no less! We're sacrificing for the company! Besides, it's not even that big a deal. We can still get our bits elsewhere after this fiasco is over."

"Excuse me?!" Spoiled looked at her husband as if she'd been slapped. She'd never been spoken to like this before in their many years of marriage. She looked to her daughter and her voice caught in her throat.

"You heard me, Spoiled. Even we have to go through a rough patch every once in a while. We'll get through it." Filthy kept his steel gaze.

"B-but... My costume. I was going to go as Cleocloptra! With a real gold and lapis lazuli necklace!" Spoiled tried to fight back, but her defenses were crumbling.

"You can still dress up as Cleocloptra. It just won't be as extravagant." Filthy Rich smiled. "I promise you'll have an even better costume next year."

Spoiled sighed in defeat, her head drooping. She then raised her head to look at him with puppy dog eyes.

Filthy kept his steely stare. "Nice try, honey."

Nightmare Night

Dylan walked along the cobblestone road with the Apple family, all of them dressed up for Nightmare Night. Dylan was a scarecrow, Applejack was a witch, Applebloom was dressed as a mummy, and Big Mac was apparently Frankenstein, or Frankenpony in this universe. Granny Smith had stayed behind at home to give out candy to young foals who visited.

"Oh boy, ain't this excitin'?" Applejack was leading the group with Big Mac next to her. Dylan walked next to Applebloom, and he was starting to notice how she'd grown up quite a bit since he had met her. Either she had gotten taller, or he'd shrunk. It was probably the latter since his form had changed. He shook his head and removed the thoughts from his mind.

It wasn't long before they reached a majestic structure. It was a crystalline tree house. No, not a treehouse, rather, a tree castle. Dylan had seen it from afar several times, but he had never been this close before. They went up to the large golden double doors at the base of the tree, and Applejack knocked on them. Dylan could hear the knocks echoing from inside.

Seconds passed, and eventually the doors opened slightly, a purple unicorn stepping outside, smiling when she saw Applejack and the others. "Hello Applejack!" she said with enthusiasm.

"Howdy, Twi!" Applejack greeted. "You said you wanted to meet Dylan before we went huntin' fer candy, right?"

"Uh huh!" Twilight nodded and looked at the group. When she spotted Dylan, she tilted her head. "Is this him? He really has changed since I last saw him!"

Applejack placed a hoof on Dylan's shoulder. "When yer done, come meet us at the marketplace." She then lowered her voice to a whisper. "Amber's gonna meet us there."

Dylan's face turned red and he nodded. When the Apples went off in the opposite direction of the castle, Dylan turned to Twilight and smiled nervously. "Wh-What was it ya wanted to see me for, ma'am?"

Twilight stepped to Dylan's side and ushered him in with a large wing. "I wanted to ask you a few questions. Mostly about how you got here."

Twilight led Dylan through a series of massive hallways. It all intimidated him and made him feel very uncomfortable. He'd never been in such a huge place before. It wasn't long before he started to wonder whether the castle was designed to create these feelings on purpose.

Eventually they reached a large door at the end of a hallway. Twilight pushed it open to reveal a room with bookshelves, a fireplace, and two plush chairs with a table in between them. She walked up to one chair and patted it, motioning for Dylan to sit down. He took her offer and climbed into the comfy seat while Twilight sat down in the other.

Dylan nearly jumped out of his skin when two cups of hot cocoa flashed into existence on the table in front of him. "So," Twilight began, "how have you been doing this past year?"

"Um... I've been doing good," Dylan answered, still eyeing the cups warily.

Twilight put a hoof in front of her mouth, trying to hide her smile at his curiosity. "I don't believe you've seen teleportation before, have you?"

"N-Not really, ma'am," Dylan replied, looking up at her. Twilight straightened her face and cleared her throat.

"I remember hearing the story from Applejack quite well, and ever since then, I had been researching as much as I could about travel between worlds."

Dylan swallowed hard. This topic made him a bit uncomfortable. "You're not gonna send me back, are ya?"

Twilight flinched, remembering what Applejack had told her about Dylan's life. "N-No! Not at all!" she stammered. "I was just trying to figure out how you got here. An apple tree doesn't just fall on someone and transport them somewhere."

Dylan breathed a sigh of relief. That was one thing off his mind. "Well, I don't really know, ma'am. It's all I remember. A tree fell on me, and I woke up in the Apple house..."

After a few seconds of silence, Twilight sipped her hot cocoa and set it back down gently on the table with her magic. "Dylan... I didn't want to tell you this, especially on Nightmare Night, but... I found an old book in the Royal Archives detailing 'special ways' to enter other realms."

"What is it?" Dylan asked, his curiosity piqued. He took a slow sip of his cocoa, enjoying the perfect temperature. Not too hot to burn his mouth, but not too cold either.

"Dylan... you might be dead," Twilight said, her voice unsure.

Dylan caught the cocoa in the wrong tube of his throat and coughed uncontrollably, choking on the chocolatey beverage, his eyes wide. "Wh-wha-*cough* What?!"

Twilight floated a towel over to Dylan and dabbed away the hot cocoa from his cocoa. "Sorry! I didn't mean to startle you so suddenly like that!"

After about a minute, Dylan was able to get his breathing under control. He then looked to Twilight and asked once more. "Wh-What do you mean I'm dead?"

Twilight gave a fake smile and tried her best to explain. "Well... when I first saw you, I originally thought you had come from a world I had been to before, but when I checked your vital signs, my traumalocation spell said different."

"What do you mean?" Dylan asked, trying to keep himself under control.

Twilight bit her lip before speaking. "The spell kept insisting that your heart had stopped and that you were already undergoing rigor mortis. It's a good thing I checked your heart with my own ears just to make sure you were still alive."

"Why would it say that?" Dylan questioned. He couldn't believe his own ears.

"Well," Twilight started, "it's a rare phenomenon. Some ponies believe there's something beyond this life, and Clover the Clever was one of them. He believed that when a pony passed on, they would be reborn in another realm."

Dylan paused for a moment and thought to himself. He then looked back at Twilight. "But I wasn't reborn. At least... I don't think so?" He thought some more for a little bit. "But... that tree should've crushed me."

Twilight could see the discomfort on Dylan's face and spoke up. "It's only one of many possibilities. That one just seemed to stand out from all the others."

Silence filled the room for several minutes, with both Dylan and Twilight avoiding eye contact as best they could. Dylan was the first to break that silence. "I think I'm okay with it, to be honest..."

Twilight's ears flattened back. "Was your life really that bad?"

Dylan nodded and took another sip of his cocoa before replying. "Yeah. There were days where I wished I was dead, actually."

"But just earlier you were shocked to hear it," Twilight tried to reason.

"Yeah, I was shocked, but I'm not against it." Dylan stared at the marshmallows floating in his hot cocoa. "I mean, I met the Apples because of it. They're my family now, and I wouldn't want to trade that for anything."

"Oh, um..." Twilight blushed, yet she couldn't figure out why. "Well... I guess I should ask you a few questions before I let you go. I'll make them quick. Is that alright?"

Dylan nodded, and they proceeded to swap questions and answers. Dylan would answer Twilight about his life and the human world and Twilight would answer Dylan's questions about unicorn magic. Overall, it was fairly informative.

Thirty minutes later, and Dylan was standing right outside the castle with Twilight, both of them laughing at jokes.

"And then I said, 'Spike! That's not a gemstone! That's a beetle!'" Twilight finished her joke before the both of them burst into laughter.

"I guess I should go now," Dylan said as he spied the marketplace in the distance.

"Go have fun, Dylan!" Twilight encouraged, and he went on his way.

Soon after arriving, he couldn't help but notice all the strange references to things from his world. In fact, one of the costumes looked just like Scorpian from Mortal Combat. "Huh..."

Suddenly, something mushy splatted against the back of his head, and he whirled around to see Amber in her costume. She had taken on the role of some kind of vampire pony, with fangs and a black cape. "I vant to suck your blooooood!" she shouted, grinning from ear to ear.

"Amber! What did you just..." Dylan felt behind his head and pulled the mush into his vision. It was applesauce.

Another splat to the back of his head. He turned to see Applebloom. She had a spoon in her smiling mouth.

"Oh no..." Dylan ducked as he spotted Applejack to his right, already flinging applesauce in his direction. He narrowly dodged it as it flew overhead. "IT'S A TRAP!"

Dylan started running, with a few stranger ponies flinging applesauce after him. He ducked and jumped over food stands, trying his best not to get splattered by the side dish. After several minutes of running, he had noticed that the flinging had stopped. He looked behind him to see that everypony was just standing there, grinning.

He squinted his eyes, and a thought crept into his mind. His heart racing, he turned back to face a tall, dark blue pony. He realized he'd seen this creature before. He'd seen her in his dreams. Standing in front of him was Luna, who was carrying a large wooden bucket of applesauce. "Y-You're real?" he asked, more to himself than anypony else. Luna smirked and poured the applesauce all over him.

And now, Cooking with Discord

Discord looked at you from behind a counter and grinned. "Hello, everypony! Welcome to Cooking with Discord! I'm your host, Discord!" From out of nowhere, the sound of clapping and cheering echoed through the chaos dimension. As soon as the noise stopped, he resumed. Today I'm going to show you how to make your own story!"

Discord snapped his fingers and a bag appeared next to him. He reached in and pulled out a miniature apple tree, then he set it down on the counter. After, he pulled out a figurine of a human Dylan. "First, we need a protagonist." He placed it beneath the tree. "Then, a plot device to set things into motion!" He inhaled and blew out a small storm cloud. It drifted lazily over the tree, lightning striking the ground next to Dylan.

"For those of you who think I killed him, allow me to tell you my side of the story." Discord pulled a figurine of himself from the bag and placed it on the counter. "I was minding my own business, enjoying this world's natural chaos when I heard a cry for dear old papa." He walked the figurine over to Dylan. "Seeing this boy getting crushed by the tree, I couldn't help but remember the deal I had made with the Tantabus earlier. I was told to find someone with a tragic backstory and bring them over to good old Equestria.

"It was simply a run of good luck on my end. Bad luck for poor old Dylan, though!" Discord feigned sadness as he placed an arm over his face, pretending to weep. He took a cloth from nowhere and blew into it. "Such a sad tale, but I'm getting off track!" He reached under the tree and pulled out a now-pony Dylan. He dropped it into a plastic bowl and reached into the bag again. "Now we need... a motherly figure, a love interest, and an antagonist!" He drew out Applejack, Amber Harvest, and Quick Stacks, dropping them into the bowl with Dylan. "Then we put it into the oven!"

Discord grabbed the bowl and threw it into a floating oven. Hours passed with him walking back and forth, but to you, it seemed like only a few seconds. Suddenly, the oven let out an unholy screech. "Ah! It's done!" He opened the oven and pulled out a bowl of goop. Embarrassment on his face, his snapped his fingers and the bowl of ooze turned into a simple cake. "See? Easy as pie!... I mean cake!"

And that was Cooking with Discord

Author's Note

Hope you enjoyed this chapter. I worked extra hard on this. Prepare for EVEN LONGER CHAPTERS AS THE STORY PROGRESSES! :ajsmug:

The Sapling's Birthday

"P-Please don't!" a feminine voice cried. It was familiar to Dylan. His mother had burnt the food again. A slap could clearly be heard from the kitchen.

"I work hard all day long and what do I come home to?!" His father's voice sounded angry. Another slap could be heard.

"I-I'm sorry! I'll get it right next time! Wait! Please do--" his mother's pleas were cut off by the shattering sound of glass hitting a hard surface. Dylan felt cowardly, hiding in his room. The last time he had tried to help his mother he was beaten with the butt of his father's rifle.

"You're not goin' anywhere! Get back up! I said 'get back up!'" Pa was always so angry. A loud crashing noise echoed, and then silence fell upon the house. After several minutes, footsteps could be heard, getting louder and louder. Pa was walking towards Dylan's room. The door opened and...

"Get the shovel, boy... I have a job for you."

-----------------------------------------------------------

Dylan sat in the truck next to his pa, shivering. The A/C in the vehicle had never worked, but that wasn't why Dylan was shaking. "P-Pa... You killed her."

"Sh-Shut up!" his father cried. "I didn't m-mean to... She led me to sin. She led me to sin!"

"S-Sin?" Dylan asked, worried for the answer.

"My pa always told me she was a sin," he answered, more to himself than to Dylan. "You sinned, boy. You sinned. Sinner. You're gonna burn, David. G-Gonna burn..." Dylan remembered back to when his mother had told him of the family rivalries, but he didn't know much about them. All he knew was that the two families were against each other.

The heavy rain pounded on the truck, threatening to leak through the roof. Dylan felt uneasy and sick, knowing his mother was in the truck bed. His pa had wrapped her up in a blanket and had stowed her back there. "P-Please... we need to call the police," Dylan whispered.

The truck swerved, and the older male cursed under his breath. "Y-You ain't gonna tell anyone, ya hear, boy?!"

Dylan stayed silent, listening to the rumble of both the truck and the rain. They had been driving deeper and deeper into the local forest. Dylan never felt right about the forest in the past, and he certainly didn't feel right about it now. A different kind of chill ran through his body.

After what seemed to be forever, the truck stopped, and they were right in the center of the forest. All around him, Dylan could see nothing but trees. "Get the shovel, boy," his father demanded, and Dylan opened the door, letting the chilly air and rain touch his skin. He then carefully made his way to the truck bed without slipping in the mud. He took one glance at the blanket and immediately closed his eyes, tears welling up in his eyes.

Looking to his pa standing by the truck bed, he cried out, "I can't do it!"

"D-Damn it, boy! I can't do this alone!" the angry father shouted back. He grabbed the blanket and hoisted it over his shoulder. "C'mon! Get to diggin'!" He then proceeded to whisper something to the blanket. Dylan couldn't tell what he was saying to it. Dylan shook his head and drove the shovel head into the ground, starting the long dig.

Two hours passed, and the hole was ready. Dylan's father gently laid the blanket down into the hole, and Dylan sniffled, his tears impossible to see with all the downpour. He let out a sob and fell to his knees. "It was one thing to dig... P-Please don't make me bury her!"

Lightning suddenly struck, and the father's face was briefly revealed. He looked much like an older version of Dylan, with the same sandy blonde hair. "Goddamnit, boy... I won't carry this sin alone!" He grabbed another shovel and started to pour the dirt into the hole bit by bit. "Do it now!" he screamed, and Dylan forced himself to start the long process of burying his own mother. He let out long sobs the entire time, the mournful cries becoming even louder than the drumming rain.

Dylan awoke with tears streaming down his face, his pillow soaked from them. Moonlight shone through his window, just barely illuminating the room. "L-Luna?" Dylan called out softly, shivering from both the cold and fear. "If... if you're out there, could you please help me sleep? I don't want nightmares..." There was no response, and Dylan let out a sigh of disappointment. He shook his head before heaving and sobbing for a solid minute.

The next morning...

Dylan sat quietly at the table, looking at his applesauce and steamed celery stalks. Applejack, sitting across from him, voiced her concern. "Dylan? Are ya doin' alright?"

Dylan looked up from his plate and gave a small fake smile. "Yeah. I'm okay."

Applejack thought for a bit. Dylan seemed upset, but she didn't know why. She hadn't seem someone this upset since Pinkie Pie's birthday incident. Birthday? "Hey, um... Dylan?"

"Hm?" Dylan looked up to Applejack.

"When exactly is your birthday?" Applejack asked.

Dylan put a hoof to his chin. "My birthday?"

Applejack nodded and waited for Dylan's answer.

"I believe it was on the day I came here," he answered, looking to her with a straight face.

"What?!" Applejack shook her head. "That ain't gonna fly here!"

"What do you mean?" Dylan asked, still blank faced.

"You know what I mean! We're gonna celebrate your birthday properly, and today!" she said, walking out of the room. "I'm headed to Sugarcube Corner. I'll be back later!"

Applebloom, who had been sitting next to him, voiced her concern. "Was that day really your birthday? I can't imagine a broken leg on one of mine! That'd be the worst birthday ever!"

"Well, it wasn't that bad," Dylan clarified. "I met you guys."

Applebloom smiled at Dylan's statement. "Yeah, but you didn't have any cake! No presents, either!"

"That sounds nice, I guess," Dylan said, rubbing his chin. "I haven't had a cake for almost two years since my mom... you know..."

"No cake for two years?!" Applebloom stared at him with wide eyes. "No cutie marks, no Hearth's Warming, and you haven't had cake in two years?! You've had an awful life!"

Dylan chuckled nervously and looked to Big Mac, who had been stuffing his face full of oatmeal. Dylan and Big Mac had gained a pretty good relationship in the past year. There wasn't really a lot of talking, but they could still somehow reach understandings.

"Do you have anything to add?" Dylan asked him.

Big Mac looked up to Dylan and swallowed his oatmeal before answering, "Nope." He then proceeded to shove his face back into the bowl.

Dylan's head began to fill with thoughts of his previous birthdays. His mother used to make a cake from scratch for him every year. She had always said it was a family recipe. "I guess I wouldn't mind having some again..."

Applebloom's mouth spread into a grin. "We can make one together!"

Dylan's ears perked up. Him and Applebloom making a cake? He immediately thought back to when they were mixing potions. The sound of an explosion rang in his mind. He shook his head and gave her a fake smile. "Maybe we should let the adults make it?"

"Hm..." Applebloom scratched the back of her head. "Then what can we do together that's special?"

"We could just go outside and spend more time together," Dylan suggested.

"We do that every day, though," Applebloom countered. "Oh! What if we went around inviting everypony?

"I don't really know many ponies," Dylan said, rubbing the back of his neck.

Applebloom's eyes widened. "What if they weren't all ponies?" she asked, smiling as a new idea hatched in her head.

"Excuse me?" Dylan raised a brow in confusion.

"Well, they're kinda like you. Not like humans, but like, fairly new to Ponyville! They pretty much arrived in ponyville about a year before you did! C'mon!" Applebloom grabbed Dylan by the tail and pulled him outside with her, leaving Big Mac alone with his oatmeal.

It wasn't long before they arrived at a majestic looking building. In fact, it looked more like a castle than a building, with its cascading waterfalls and royal purple exterior. The pathway to the building was a bridge, built across a serene pond. Ponies of all colors were walking to and fro across the campus.

"What is all this?" Dylan asked as he and Applebloom walked through the large entrance. The inside was just as colorful as the exterior, with purples and blues adorning the massive hallways.

"It's Twilight's school! It's not an ordinary school, either!" Applebloom answered. "It's a school of friendship!"

Dylan looked onward, seeing all the different ponies talking and laughing with each other. They certainly seemed to be friendly. "A school of friendship seems pretty odd. Why not a regular school?"

"Because not everypony knows how to be friends," Applebloom explained. "Sometimes ponies need a push in the right direction!"

"Um... I'm not here to learn friendship, right?" Dylan questioned, hoping the answer was no. He didn't really like to socialize with many strangers. Even at his old school, he would sit in the back of the class or at the lunch table at the far end of the cafeteria.

"Nope! Like I said earlier, I'm gonna introduce you to some of the students!" Applebloom looked around the corner at the end of the hallway, and her face lit up in excitement. "There they are!" Dylan turned to look and see a rather odd group, and they certainly stuck out amongst the crowd.

At the end of the next hallway were six creatures, each one a different species, all talking with each other. There was a pony, a griffon, a yak, a hippogriff, a changeling, and a dragon.

The griffon, covered in blue feathers, seemed to be leading the conversation. "So I told her she there was no way she could pull it off." His eyes skimmed over his companions before falling on Applebloom. "Hey, it's Applejack's uhhh..."

"Her sister," Applebloom finished for the griffon.

"Right. You're that filly who tried to enroll in the school last year," he added.

"Well, I don't need the school anymore," said Applebloom with a hint of pride.

"Yeah, um... So what's up?" he asked, starting to lose interest.

Applebloom pushed Dylan forward with a nudge of her head. "This is Dylan! He's having his birthday today!"

The hippogriff squealed in excitement. "Ooh! A birthday?! Are you inviting us?! You're inviting us, aren't you?!"

"But we don't really know him," the changeling chimed in. "Are you sure you'd want to invite us? Wouldn't relatives or friends be a better option?"

"Well, I thought it would be pretty cool if the most recent heroes of Equestria were to come." said Applebloom with a grin.

"Yona want cake!" Said the yak, who was apparently named Yona.

"Well, I don't think we have anything better to do," said the orange dragon.

"So, Dylan," The green pony started as he walked up to Dylan, "How old are you gonna be?"

"Um... Sixteen," Dylan answered.

"Cool! By the way, I'm Sandbar," the green pony introduced. He then motioned to each creature. "This is Yona the yak, Gallus the griffon, Silverstream the hippogriff, Ocellus the changeling, and Smolder the dragon."

Dylan gave a smile to the group. "Nice to meet y'all. Um... Would you like to join me for my birthday?"

Sandbar gave a smile back and nodded. "Sure! We won't be around for long though. Later today we all have to go home for the holidays next month."

"Well, now we've got these guys coming. Who else?" Dylan turned to Applebloom.

"Next we gotta invite my friends, and then I'm gonna send out letters to the entire Apple family!" Applebloom exclaimed. Dylan gave her a skeptical look.

"The entire Apple family? Didn't you say they normally only get together on special occassions like reunions?" Dylan shook his head. "I doubt they'd want to join us for a birthday party, especially not for someone who's not related."

"Don't be so silly, Dylan!" Applebloom said, grinning with optimism. "I bet they'll all swing by to celebrate!"

Dylan looked to Sandbar, who gave a shrug.

Dylan laid in his bed, looking up at the bare ceiling. Without anything to decorate his room, it all looked dull and lifeless. He didn't mind, though. He was a simple child, and simplicity was his thing. Of course, it always did make him feel out of place in the world of colorful ponies. He just felt so boring compared to everyone else sometimes. Applebloom was a special individual with so much personality. Dylan smiled at the thought of her enthusiasm.

"Dylan," Applejack called from from the other side of the bedroom door, "Come downstairs. We're ready for you!" Dylan took a deep breath and let it all out as he got up from bed. When Applejack got home, she had brought over the one peppy pink pony who knew absolutely everything there was to know about parties: Pinkie Pie. Dylan had tried to protest, but to no avail. She had already gotten supplies together in a heartbeat.

"I'm coming," Dylan called as he reached for the door handle. When he opened it, a loud, rhythmic thumping could be heard, and lights could be seen flashing at the bottom of the stairs. Dylan slowly made his way down and soon found himself bathed in strobing lights as he entered the living room.

"Happy birthday, Dylan!" everyone shouted over the music. In the living room were the Apples, Twilight, Pinkie, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, the six students from the school, and five more unknown ponies.

"For he's a jolly good pony! For he's a jolly good pony! For he's a jolly good pony! His birthday is today!" Pinkie danced around, playing an accordian, a big smile on her face.

Balloons and streamers decorated the room with their wide variety of colors. In the corner of said room was a table with a massive cake. It just barely fit, threatening to fall off the wooden support. It was a white icing cake, lined with extra pink icing decoration that read "Happy Birthday" on the top. Sitting atop the cake where number-shaped candles, clearly showing a sixteen. Dylan was breathless at the sight.

"Th-Thank you," Dylan barely managed to choke out. His body was shaking slightly from the sight of everything. The Apples had always tried to make his experience in Equestria amazing, and this was no different.

Three of the four unknown ponies approached him, each one holding a wrapped present. The blue pegasus spoke up first as she set her gift down. "So, you're the colt I've heard so much about! Happy birthday! I bet it's an honor, having a real wonderbolt here, especially the famous Rainbow Dash!" Dylan gulped and remembered the convention where Applejack mentioned the blue pegasus. This must've been the one who downed cider like nobody's business.

The white unicorn rolled her eyes and smiled. "You must be Dylan. Applejack told me all about you. My name is Rarity, and I run the Carousel Boutique in Ponyville. Here you go, darling! I didn't know what size you were, so I had Twilight help me out. It has a spell that should make it fit you." She set the gift down in front of Dylan with her magic.

Behind Rarity was another pegasus, this one yellow in color. She set down her present in front of Dylan and spoke softly. So softly, that Dylan had to strain just to hear her over the music. "Happy birthday, Dylan. I hope you like your present. I-I'm Fluttershy, and I hang out with Applejack quite often. She told me a lot about you. I'm s-sorry you had to go through all that."

"It's okay," Dylan replied. "Th-Thank you for the present," he stammered. Fluttershy was just so cute, and Dylan couldn't help but blush.

Granny Smith walked up to Dylan as the three mares went off in Applejack's direction. Next to her was the fourth unknown pony, a light amber yellow earth pony with chartreuse green eyes and a gray mane. She looked just as old as Granny Smith. "Hello, dear," Granny greeted. "I wanted to introduce you to my cousin. This is Goldie Delicious."

The yellow mare extended a hoof to Dylan, who shook it in greeting. "Hello there, dearie. Dylan, she said? I haven't heard a name like that in a long time. Not since..." Shaking her head, she spoke again. "It's very nice to meet you."

Dylan, a little confused, chalked it up to Goldie having a bad memory. So far, all the ponies he had met had very unusual names, at least, that's what he knew. "It's very nice to meet you, Ma'am," he said with a sincere smile.

"Oh my! A colt with manners!" she exclaimed. "You've got a good head on your shoulders, sonny!"

"M-My ma taught me," Dylan mentioned. He looked in the corner of the room to see the student six looking at the cake. The hippogriff was especially excited, clapping her hands together.

"Um... I need to go see some friends, if that's okay," he said, putting on his kindest smile.

Goldie nodded and waved him away. "Go enjoy your birthday, sonnie. You only get so many!" she said with a grin.

Dylan took his leave and went to go join the group of students. "H-Hello!" he said, trying to look cool.

Gallus looked to him and smirked. "Hey. Nice party, I guess."

"Oh! My! Gosh! Look at the size of that cake!" Silverstream exclaimed excitedly. "I've never seen one so big!"

"Yona call dibs on first piece!" the yak shouted.

"It's Dylan's birthday. Let him have the first piece when it's time," Sandbar said to his heavily haired friend.

"Hey, Dylan," Smolder spoke up, "Who's that weird pony standing in the corner over there next to the record player?"

Dylan turned to see a pony who looked almost like him. He had the same sandy blonde mane, but his coat was an even lighter brown than Dylan's. "I dunno," Dylan replied. "I'm guessin' he's another Apple family member."

"The dude's been lookin' at ya funny while you were talkin' to that old mare," Gallus mentioned.

"I'm sure he was just lookin' around," Dylan said, trying to ignore the situation. He wanted to focus more on his birthday. Goldie was right, he would only get so many.

Suddenly, Pinkie blew into a horn, letting out a loud noise before she spoke. "Everypony, it's time to cut the cake!"

"Yona call first di--" the yak noticed the other five students looking at her judgingly. "Y-Yona mean... Yona call second dibs! No lower!"

The rest of the party went off without a hitch. Dylan had received many presents that day, including one from the party pony herself. When he opened it, confetti exploded from it and revealed a snowglobe with a tiny figure of Dylan inside. He was in his human form like before. Dylan thanked her and asked how she knew what he looked like before becoming a pony, but she simply told him "I have my secrets!"

One month later...

Dylan flopped into his temporary bed at the Pie family house. Both he and Applebloom were exhausted from having to push a massive boulder up a large hill. "Bah, humbug," Dylan muttered. "'Tradition,' she says."

"Well, it kinda only started a few years ago, but yeah, we do this every time we visit for Hearth's Warming! Applejack told us to think of it as earning our presents!"

"How did this whole tradition start?" Dylan asked, breathing heavily.

"Trust me, it's best not to ask," she answered.

"Well, at least it's over. You said tomorrow is Hearth's Warming?"

"Uh huh!" Applebloom nodded. "We open presents tomorrow!"

"Well, at least we have that to look forward to." Dylan looked at the snowglobe he had brought with him. Having it seemed to fill him with peace. He would often shake the globe softly and watch the flakes of fake snow float down.

"Hey, Dylan?" Applebloom caught his attention.

"Hm?"

"What's your world like?" she asked.

"Boring," Dylan answered simply. "Just boring. We don't have magic in my world. No potions, no cutie marks, no princesses. And it's not nearly as colorful as this place."

"Sounds awful," she commented. "I don't think I'd ever wanna go there."

"I don't blame ya." Dylan looked at Applebloom, who sat on a bed across from his. "In my world, unicorns and pegasi were only a myth. The only thing we had were basically earth ponies who couldn't talk. They're smart, but not as smart as you guys are."

Applebloom shivered. "Wait, so they're just regular animals?"

"Yeah. We use 'em to ride on," Dylan said without thinking.

"You're not gonna ride on me, are ya?!" Applebloom asked, a wide eyed expression on her face.

"N-No, not at all!" Dylan said, trying to make things better.

"Well, you'd better not! That's humiliating!" Applebloom exclaimed.

Silence filled the room for a few minutes. It wasn't exactly awkward. It was more peaceful than anything. The roof creaked a little from the weight of the snow. It was alright, though. It was sturdy.

"Hey, Dylan? Somethin's been bugging me," Applebloom spoke up, breaking the quiet.

"What?"

"Did you invite that stallion to your birthday?" she asked. "I asked Applejack if she invited him, but she said she didn't know him."

"I thought you invited him," Dylan said, a shiver running up his spine.

"Nu uh... He didn't talk to nopony. All he did was just stand by the record player."

Dylan gulped and shook his head. "Probably some weirdo..."

"Yeah," Applebloom agreed. "Probably...

Author's Note

Have a good Hearth's Warming, everypony! :ajsmug:

Two Saplings

Dylan trudged through the snow, his teeth chattering, body shivering. It was his turn to travel out to the shed in the orchard and grab the firewood. Luckily, it was already cut, and he had been given a cart to put the wood in.

"So how've you been, lately?" Amber asked. She had been visiting Dylan at the time, and, when given the chance, had offered to help him.

"C-C-Cold," he replied.

Amber snickered to herself and noticed an old wooden shed up ahead. "I'm guessing that's it?"

"Yeah." Dylan made his way to the pile of firewood that rested against the side. "This is where we store the extra wood. This winter has been especially cold, and we were running low, so here we are."

Dylan stomped his rear leg, the sudden vibrations launcing a piece of wood into the air. He then kicked the piece midair and into the cart. It was a trick that had taken him many months to perfect. Thankfully, Applejack had been teaching him.

"Wow, you've really got the hang of it!" Amber complimented as she carried a bundle of wood on her back. She didn't seem to be bothered by all the weight.

Dylan blushed at all the strength she exhibited. There was something about her that always gave him butterflies in his stomach. He knew he was in love, but he could never really get around to telling her. He had always been too embarrassed, thinking that maybe she'd just reject him.

Applejack had told him there wasn't any shame in being scared, but she had also said that if he really liked her, he should go for it. If only it were that easy. Every time Dylan wanted to say something remotely like asking for a date, his jaw would clench and his body would feel shaky.

Dylan started to think of ways to fight his fear, ways to get her to go on at least one date with him. Nothing seemed possible at the moment. He just kept imagining her laughing at him. Sure, there was that one kiss during the holidays, but that was under a mistletoe, and that was a traditional thing.

Suddenly, Dylan's thoughts were interrupted by the howling wind and the rumbling ground. He felt the icy chill blowing against him from behind and turned to see a large wave of snow rushing closer and closer.

"An avalanche?! But we're not near any mountains!" Amber shouted over the winds.

Dylan had to think, and fast. He looked to the shed and opened the door. "Get in! Hurry!"

Soon, they were both inside. Dylan kicked the door shut and pushed a few barrels full of heavy branches in front of the doorway with Amber's help. They pressed their bodies up against the barrels with all their might, bracing for impact.

One... Two... Three seconds passed, and then a large thud sounded. Silence filled the room soon after. Dylan couldn't see a thing, the light from the cracks having been blocked by the snow. "Is... Is it over?" he asked, hoping for an answer.

"I think so," she replied, giving Dylan peace of mind. Amber pushed at the door, trying to open it, but it wouldn't budge an inch. "It's stuck!"

"Stuck?!" Dylan's eyes widened and he started to panic. He moved the barrels out of the way and started kicking with all his might, but to no avail. "Nonononono!"

"Dylan?! Dylan, calm down!" Amber wrapped her forelegs around his shoulders, trying to keep him still. Dylan kept kicking, however.

"Lemme out! Lemme out! Not the closet! Not the closet!" Dylan cried, tears streaming down his face. "Pa! Lemme out! I didn't mean to!"

Amber turned Dylan's head so he looked her in the eyes. "Dylan! You're not with you pa! It's me, Amber!"

"Amber?!" Dylan came to a realization, swallowing hard. He had broken down in front of her. "I-I didn't mean that..."

"Dylan... Applejack told me everything," she said to him. "It's okay."

Applejack had told Amber? Even about his mother? When was this? Dylan stared into Amber's eyes, which seemed to still hold some luminescence in the dark. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "You shouldn't have seen that..."

Amber put a hoof to his lips and shushed him. "It's fine... We need to find a way out of here first though. Think you can help me?" Dylan nodded, not daring to say another word for fear of losing all respect, if he hadn't lost it already. "Good," she said. "We need to look for weak spots in the wood."

Dylan shook his head. "That's not possible. Once Big Mac builds something, it lasts for a long time."

"There has to be some kinda weak point," Amber argued. She began to kick along the edges of the door, listening for some kind of creakiness that would indicated structural weakness. Unfortunately, none could be heard. After hours of trying, and of Dylan keeping silent and also helping, there was nothing to be found.

"I told you. Big Mac is an expert when it comes to building things. He's done it all his life." Dylan idly dragged his hoof across the floor. "Hm... Do you think Applejack'll come looking for us?"

"I sure hope so..." Amber sat down and sighed. "I just hope we don't freeze before that happens."

Silence had filled the room for two hours, both Dylan and Amber shivering. Even in the dark, Dylan swore he could see his breath. His eyes had adjusted to the darkness, and he could make out Amber's silhouette. Finally, Dylan broke the silence. "I'm sorry..."

"Sorry?" Amber tilted her head slightly. "What for?"

"For everything. Letting you come with me, freaking out. It wasn't right," Dylan said.

Amber just smiled. "First off, I came on my own free will. Secondly, I don't think any less of you for flipping. I know you've had a rough time. It's understandable."

Dylan blushed. He didn't want Amber to know any of that. Why would Applejack tell her? He was going to confront her when he got home. That is, IF he got home. The whole honesty thing was getting old. He turned to a barrel in the back. "We're going to freeze. Let's try looking for blankets."

As they rummaged through the barrel, they found all manner of items that seemed to be useless for their situation, all until they reached the bottom, where they found one big blanket.

"Just one," Amber stated. "We're gonna have to share."

Dylan suddenly became flustered at the thought. "Um... Y-You should have it. You need it more!"

Amber, expecting this reply, grinned. "Don't be shy, Dylan. It'll be fine. It's not like we're gonna do anything rash."

"R-Rash? I wasn't thinkin' that!" Dylan tried to defend himself. He wasn't exactly sure what he was trying to defend though.

Amber, without warning, tackled Dylan to the ground and quickly wrapped the blanket around both of them. Dylan flailed uselessly, unable to keep her from doing whatever it was she was doing. Before he knew it, he was bundled up tight, his sides pressing against Amber's. This caused him to feel nervous.

"See? That wasn't so bad. Now we're both warm!" She giggled and looked at him in the eyes. "You okay?"

"Um... I..." Dylan couldn't look away. He was captivated by her.

"I'm not gonna just stand by while you freeze to death, ya know," she whispered.

Dylan's breathing slowed. Her voice was literally right in his ear, and it was calming to him. "Th-Thank you..."

"What was that?" she asked, pretending not to have heard him.

"Thank you," he repeated louder.

"That's what I thought you said," she stated. "You know, you feel pretty warm to me. Maybe I should keep this blanket to myself. You don't need it."

"N-No, wait!" Dylan stuttered.

"Oh?" Amber giggled and snuggled into Dylan's side. "I know what you're all about."

"Y-You do?" Dylan was now confused. What was he all about?

"You knew there was only one blanket in that barrel, and you used that to your advantage," she said to him, looking deep into his eyes. "Oh! Let's find a blanket!" she exclaimed, pretending to be Dylan. "Uh oh! Looks like there's only one! We have to share!"

"B-But sharing was y-your idea!" Dylan defended. He became even more nervous, if that was possible.

"Was it, really?" Amber asked him. "Or did you use reverse psychology to get me to say we needed to share?"

Dylan stuttered, not even making words at this point. He was a blubbering mess.

Amber's grin got wider. "I bet I know what you're going to say next," she said softly in his ear.

"Wh-What?" Dylan asked, shaking under the blanket.

She lowered her voice back to a seductive whisper. "If we kiss, our body heat will rise, keeping us both nice and toasty."

Dylan's eyes went wide. He was certain his heart was going to burst from his chest. Amber moved her her face closer to his, and soon their lips pressed against each other, setting off fireworks in Dylan's head. This kiss was different from the Hearth's Warming one, for this kiss had something extra. A wet something.

Amber's tongue slipped past Dylan's lips, and both their muscles collided, dancing together in romantic gesture. It took Dylan a few moments to figure out what was happening, but in the end, he gave in and returned the passionate action. The bout of kissing lasted for well over the course of an hour, Dylan having been lost in pure bliss.

Amber pulled away and looked into his eyes, breathing heavily, her breath fogging up the air. "Did you get the hint yet? I'm pretty sure the mistletoe was a good enough one, but... I had to make sure I got my point across."

Dylan felt stunned. He had missed a hint? Embarrassment suddenly washed over him as he stammered. "I d-didn't know..."

Amber grinned and caressed Dylan's face with her hoof. "You're pretty cute when you're nervous."

Dylan's face turned beet red as he felt her touch his cheek. "I've always thought you were cute, too," he managed to choke out. He slowly reached out his foreleg to touch hooves. The feeling of both their hooves pressing against each other made him feel a fuzzyness inside. "I've been wanting to tell you from the first moment I saw you, but I could never find the words."

"Good thing I made the first move then, huh?" Amber kept her smile and ran her hoof through Dylan's mane.

Dylan opened his mouth to speak, but he was suddenly interrupted when somepony pounded on the door.

"Dylan! Amber! Ya'll in there?!" Applejack shouted. Slowly, but surely, the cracks in the door allowed the sunlight to shine through, the snow having been removed.

Amber gave Dylan an almost sad look as she replied. "We're in here!" She sloughed off the blanket and walked up to the door, opening it and greeting Applejack with a smile. "Thank you so much for saving us!"

Dylan walked up to Applejack and simply looked at her. She had told Amber about everything. What right did she have to share that? "Thank you for rescuing us," Dylan said with a fake smile. Of course, he didn't want to start a fight over it. He'd just talk to her calmly about it later, ask her not to tell any more ponies about it.

"What I don't understand is how y'all got caught in here?" Applejack asked herself, looking around. "This is a flat land."

"I know, it's really weird!" Amber agreed. "Well... I should probably get home now. Listen, thanks for saving us!" She turned to Dylan and gave him a smile. "Meet me in Sugarcube Corner tomorrow, okay?"

Dylan, smiling back with a blush on his face, replied, "Sure! I'll b-be there!"

Applejack looked at Dylan, then to Amber, then back to Dylan, and she couldn't help but grin, feeling a sense of pride. "Is this what I think it is?"

"H-Huh?" Dylan looked to Applejack with a puzzled expression on his face.

"It is! It's your first date!" Applejack exclaimed.

Amber grinned while Dylan blushed. He couldn't help but stammer. "Wh-What? Wait! I..."

Applejack pulled him in close and hugged him tight. "Oh my golly, this is so excitin'! You can go on home, Amber. I need to talk to Dylan alone right now!"

Amber couldn't help but giggle at Dylan's situation. "I guess I'll leave you two alone then," she said with a smile as she walked off, leaving the two alone.

Applejack paced back and forth in Dylan's room, rambling on about Dylan's first date. "I can't believe yer goin' on yer first date! We gotta get ya some flowers, one of them fancy suits from Rarity's place, a manecut, maybe some mints! No, not mints! Apples will do!"

Dylan sat upon his bed, patiently waiting for Applejack to finish speaking. He had never seen her this excited before. Finally, as Applejack finished speaking, Dylan commented, "I think maybe I should just wing it for this."

Applejack turned to him and stared as if she had been slapped in the face. "Dylan! Ya don't get it! This is your FIRST date! It needs to be special! Why, I remember Big Mac's first prom date. He was so nervous! We dressed him up in pa's old tuxedo and he looked very dapper!"

The thought of wearing a suit as a pony seemed odd to Dylan. Did ponies normally wear clothes to special events? It seemed unnecessary. The only time he could think of for a pony to wear clothing was for winter, where the extra layers were actually needed. "I suppose I could look for somethin' fancy. I got some bits saved up."

"No need to spend 'em," Applejack interjected. "Rarity owes me for helping her out on our adventures together."

"And the flowers?" Dylan asked, flopping down on his back and looking up at the ceiling.

"Hm... I'll give you the bits for those. Roseluck sells 'em pretty cheap." Applejack ruffled up Dylan's mane and laughed. "I knew she liked ya!" She walked over to the door and looked back before stepping out. "Y'all better get some sleep. I'll take ya to Rarity's after breakfast."

As Applejack stepped out, Dylan couldn't help but think to himself how the whole ordeal would go. Amber had kissed him. And it was one of those grown-up kisses, too. That meant she obviously liked him, right? Dylan shook his head and smiled, feeling warm and fuzzy inside. Yeah, she did. There was no question about it. Still, he did kinda kick himself over not getting the first hint, and one that was so obvious now that he thought back to it.

There wasn't any use for thinking about it now. Right now, he had to rest. He turned to face the wall and closed his eyes, drifting off to sleep.

The next morning...

Getting the suit and flowers were easy. The only thing Dylan had to pay for were the flowers, and that was with bits from Applejack. The only thing that had been a problem was getting him to Sugarcube Corner. There had been some odd commotion happening on the way there: a crowd gathered around a strange red and yellow cart. It didn't matter though, as Applejack had been able to help him find a way around.

Dylan's suit was similar to a regular old tuxedo. It fit snugly around his chest and forelegs, and was somehow also comfortable at the same time. Rarity really knew how to make something both fashionable and practical. What a time to be alive. Or... dead. He looked up at Applejack and she gave him a reassuring smile.

"It's alright," she encouraged. "You go on and have fun. Don't spend too much, and be home afterwards to tell me all about it."

Dylan swallowed and began his approach to the entrance. Would Amber be there, waiting for him? Or would she ditch him? Maybe he was overthinking things. Why did it feel like it took him forever to reach the door? Finally, when he did reach it, he opened it and walked it, making the bell ring, announcing his presence.

A familiar face looked up from the table at the far end. It was Amber, and she seemed to be happy to see him. "Dylan! Over here!" she waved.

Dylan trotted over, a bouquet of thornless roses in his mouth. His body shook with excitement as he sat down across from her. "Vvffhh godd deese vvrr you," he muffled around the flowers. Amber tilted her head in confusion. Dylan, seeing the look, put down the bouquet in front of her and blushed. "I got these for you."

"Aww, that's sweet!" Amber said with a smile on her face. "You don't have to act so formal though."

"Applejack suggested I act proper, like Big Mac did at prom with his first date," Dylan explained.

Amber looked at the flowers and then to Dylan. "Really, you didn't need to. I mean..." she reached down below the table and pulled out a bouquet of thornless roses, just like Dylan's. "I got you one, too."

Dylan looked at the bouquet before him and blushed, confused. "Um... I dunno what to say." Dylan thought back to the days when his uncle would come over and tell him how to charm girls at school. It was always the guy who would get the flowers, or that's what his uncle had said, so in this instance, it was a bit confusing for Dylan.

Amber nudged the flowers to Dylan and grinned. "Looks like we both had the same idea."

"Yeah..." Dylan thought hard for a moment. This was a mare who liked to make the first move, to ask the stallion out on a date. She even got him flowers! She was strong, independent, and above all: inspiring. She had always made Dylan feel queasy, and he liked it.

"I'm supposin' that weird cart outside got in yer way on the way here?" Amber asked as she looked out the window next to them.

"Yeah. It's strange. There's so many ponies gathered 'round it," Dylan said, still keeping his mind on recent events with Amber.

Suddenly, a certain pink pony came out of nowhere with a tray in her mouth. Upon the tray were two milkshakes, both of them being vanilla. Pinkie quickly placed the tray down and giggled. "Here ya go! On the house!"

This brought Dylan out of his trance. Shaking his head clear of any thoughts, he responded with a "Thank you," and looked at his milkshake. Amber was already sipping upon her straw with a content aura and a smile. Pinkie was always the pony to go to when it came to making the perfect milkshake. It wasn't too hard to suck it up through the straw. It wasn't too soft, either.

Dylan sucked on his straw and he was met with cold bliss, a smile meeting his lips. He enjoyed this time with Amber. Did this mean they were dating now, he wondered? His eyes met Amber's, and they both blushed, faces turning red. Amber seemed to have a smug look, though.

"What is it?" Dylan asked, wondering if he'd done something wrong.

"Oh, nothing," Amber said, continuing her smug stare. "You're just really cute when you're happy."

Dylan wasn't sure if his face could get any redder from blushing. He could feel his ears heating up. She seemed to like teasing him. Something about that just made him like her even more. The fact that she could remain cool under pressure, especially in the shed, was admirable.

"Come one! Come all! We've got plenty of merchandise for everypony!" a voice shouted from outside. Dylan looked out the window to see a rather strange sight. The cart from before had gotten closer, now having been parked right outside of Sugarcube Corner.

"What's going on?" Dylan asked, staring at the cart. It was a rather small box with two handles on it to allow a pony to strap onto it, but other than that, it had no other purpose. There weren't even any openings in it to put things in.

"Let's go see!" Amber hopped off her seat and dragged Dylan by the shirt collar away from his precious milkshake.

The crowd was tightly packed together, making it difficult for Dylan and Amber to get through. It had taken both of them a full minute to reach the front, and they were both taken aback by what they saw.

The cart had somehow been unfolded into a large stand, with a variety of what appeared to be snow globes. Behind the stands were two pale, light grayish olive ponies. They both looked identical to each other, both wearing barber shop style hats, both sporting the same build, the same striped white and blue shirts, and both having the same red and white manes. There was only one difference: one had a mustache while the other didn't.

The one without the mustache had been shouting to the crowd. "Step right up! Step right up! Come get your limited edition snow globes! With real snow! How is it possible, you ask? Why, with magic, of course! Being naturally gifted unicorns, my brother and I stumbled upon a special refrigeration spell that keeps the snowflakes from melting! Keep winter with you all year 'round!"

Dylan looked at one of the globes on the counter, and sure enough, the flakes in the sphere did indeed sparkle like snow, and they were all in their special little patterns. Amber picked up one of the globes and shook it, creating a flurry inside.

"How much is it?!" a mare's voice called out.

"Well, for a fabulous knick knack such as this, we're willing to go the low low price of one hundred bits!" replied the mustached stallion. "You won't get an offer like this anywhere else!" One hundred bits? Dylan looked at his just-as-skeptical marefriend, who was about to call out their bluff when someone else beat her to the punch.

"You frauds are back?!" Applejack shouted as she hopped up onto the stand. "Listen up, everypony! Go on home! These two will trick ya out of every bit ya have! Don't y'all remember the cider incident? Or that healin' tonic trick? Don't let 'em do it again!"

"She's right. I remember," a familiar stallion said as he stepped forward. It was the same sandy blonde maned pony from Dylan's birthday party. He spoke with the same accent as Dylan or Applejack. "They ain't even in disguises this time. You told me that tonic would cure my depression!" He shook his hoof at the two brothers.

The duo tugged on their collars nervously. "Well, Flim," the mustached stallion said. "Time to take our business elsewhere!" In almost a flash, the twins packed up their cart, the stand folding back into the small box from before. "Very nice seeing you, Applejack!" Soon they had run off, leaving a confused crowd.

Applejack walked over to Dylan and Amber, shaking her head. "I'm sorry. Those two aren't normally out here without their disguises ever since the cider incident."

"Cider incident?" Dylan tilted his head in confusion.

Applejack placed a hoof on Dylan's head and ruffled up his mane. "Ain't nuthin to be worried about. I'll tell ya later. Yer just lucky I happened to stick around a bit longer. They would've taken every last bit from ya."

The sandy blonde stallion stepped forward. "Them Flim Flam brothers are nuthin' but a bunch of crooks. Said they could cure me of the blues." He brought a hoof to his chin. "Something's suspicious though. They were caught TOO easily..."

Dylan looked at the stallion and nodded slowly. "Yeah... Um, forgive me for asking," he started, "But who are you? I saw you at my birthday party and never really got to meet you properly."

"Oh, I'm just a friend of the Apple family," he explained. "Had been a long time since I was in Ponyville, and I thought it would be nice to drop by." He looked Dylan in the eyes. "When I found out there was a birthday party, I thought I'd come see who's party it was. But I ain't never seen you around before."

Dylan looked to Amber, who also had a confused look. "I'm sorta new, I guess," Dylan replied. "I'm uh... I'm Applejack's adopted brother."

"Adopted?" The stallion grinned. "Well, congrats. What's your name? I'm Oak. Oak Tree."

"Dylan." Dylan could feed a very familiar aura from Oak, and he wasn't sure if he was uncomfortable with it or not.

"Well, I'll be on my way," Oak said as he turned to leave. "By the way... Keep an eye on yer friend there. Used to have a mare of my own. At least, until the incident..."

"Um... okay?" Dylan was very confused by the strange warning.

Applejack looked at Oak as he walked away. "Strange. I ain't never heard of an Oak Tree visitin' the family. Maybe he's Granny's friend?"

"Yeah, maybe..." Dylan shook his head to clear his thoughts.

After everything was over, Dylan and Amber spent the rest of their day together. They talked on and on about their newfound relationship, and Dylan loved it. Everything she said had made him feel warm inside. It was always a welcome feeling, and when he came home, he shared everything about the date with Applejack like she asked, and she felt pride in him. It had been a near perfect day.

Later that night...

Dylan hid in his room back in the human world, still in his pony form. A pounding on the door indicated that his father was on the other side.

"Open up, boy! I SAID OPEN UP!" His father sounded furious, and it was a fury that just could not be matched by anything else, not even a raging bull. "I'm gonna give ya the count of three!"

Dylan stayed silent, quietly crying on his old bed. He didn't want another bad dream, but it just kept happening. Luna wasn't here to save him. He knew he was in a dream, and that was the worst part. He couldn't control it. He was trapped, and no one could save him.

"One... two... THREE!" The door burst open, and there was Dylan's father, shotgun in hand. Both their eyes met, and the father raised up his gun, pointing it at Dylan. "You fuckin' sinner..."

Author's Note

Looks like I posted a little early! I hope you enjoyed this. I'll be uploading the next chapter soon. Get ready for more mystery! :ajsmug:

A Sapling's Strength

Quick Stacks read through his book with a stressed aura about him. The past few days had been running him ragged, and the only kind of solace he could get was when he was reading. Unfortunately, a knock on his office door disturbed him.

"Sir?" a timid voice spoke from the other side. "The Flim Flam brothers have reported back. It's about the colt."

Stacks gently laid his book down upon the desk in front of him. "Send them in."

The door opened and in walked Flim and Flam. The twins looked at each other nervously as they approached the business pony.

"So," Quick Stacks started. "What's the status on Applejack?"

"Still up and about in Ponyville," Flam answered. "She was just as intrusive as ever."

"And the new one? The colt?" Quick Stacks was very clear that their prime target was Dylan. A new Apple was trouble for his plans. After all, if he was there, he was almost certainly in Granny Smith's will.

"The boy is smitten," Flim answered. "He's got a new little marefriend."

"Oh? A marefriend, you say?" Stacks touched his hooves together.

"Indeedy!" Flam responded. "They were at the Sugarcube Corner!

"It looks like we'll have to keep a closer eye on them." Stacks brought up his book. "Have you read 'Two Lovers Apart?' It's a heartbreaking story about two ponies who were torn apart by a tragedy."

The brothers looked nervous. Flam was the first to speak up. "What are you saying?"

"I want you two to bring the filly here by any means necessary," said Quick Stacks. "We'll use her as a way to get what I want."

"We're not going to hurt her, are we?" Flim asked cautiously.

"Why does that matter to you?" Stacks asked in return. "I've promised you two million bits for your services. Surely, that should be enough incentive to keep you quiet and loyal. Unless... you want me to have my colts escort you into the basement?"

Flam put a hoof in front of Flim's mouth. "N-No, sir! We understand loud and clear!"

Stacks gave a horrible grin, one that sent shivers down the brothers' spines. "Good. Now go. Bring her here, and don't buck up."

Dylan sat down next to Amber on a bench in Ponyville town square. The two had been hanging out more frequently over the next few weeks ever since their first date, and Dylan had become more comfortable talking to her. Everything was looking up for him.

"So, Dylan," Amber began. "Do you like being here in Equestria?"

Dylan's ears perked up at the question. "Of course I like Equestria. It's much better than my world."

"What's so great about boring old Equestria though?" Amber stretched lazily and yawn.

"Well," Dylan began going through a list in his head and speaking. "There's the clean air and water, the vibrant colors, the friendly ponies, the food, the Apple family..."

Amber listened to all the things Dylan was able to list off the top of his head and rolled her eyes with a smile. She eventually interrupted him. "You're telling me you didn't have most of those things in your world? I find that hard to believe."

"Well, my world is boring," said Dylan. "It's very bleak, and the pollution is getting out of control."

"Pollution?" Amber raised a brow. "I think I've heard of that in class before. Ponies used to deal with huge piles of trash, I think..."

Dylan nodded his head in understanding. He had realized during his first few months in Equestria that machinery was scare, and that meant the sky was smog free. "Well, there's trash, yes. But that's not the real problem. I'm talking about pollution of the air."

"There's trash in the air where you live? That sounds silly," Amber replied.

"Not trash. Smog pollution," Dylan corrected. "There's a lot of toxins in the air that's hurting the planet."

"Sounds like y'all messed up bad," said Amber.

"Yeah..." Dylan rubbed the back of his neck. He thought back to when the factories first began spewing smoke. He was about ten years old or so. Ever since then, the air quality had dropped severely. It would even get to the point where he couldn't breathe properly at times. His mother had even commented on it, saying it was like an evil darkness had overtaken the land.

Amber laid her head upon Dylan's shoulder, clearing away any thoughts he was having. "You," she said, "are too focused on the bad things."

Suddenly, a small droplet fell upon Dylan's nose, and then another. The two droplets were soon joined by a flurry of them, turning into rain. Amber grabbed Dylan's hoof and led him into a nearby shop. "I forgot," she said. "It was scheduled to rain today."

"You'd think the pegasi would at least warn ponies first before starting a downpour on them." Dylan remembered the first time he saw a pegasus pushing around the clouds. When asking Applejack about it, she had told him how weather was made and controlled by the pegasi. Dylan was skeptical at first, but after seeing the pegasi pushing around the clouds and kicking them to cause rain, he had eventually came to accept it as fact.

"We should be safe in here," said Amber. "Wait... oh my Celestia!"

"Celestia's here?" Dylan looked around for the regal horse, and, finding nothing, remembered that her name was also an expression. "Oh, yeah..."

Amber grabbed Dylan's mane in her teeth and pulled him to the far end of the shop. After reaching the end, she let go and pointed to the shelves attached to the walls. "Look!"

Dylan looked up at the shelves and saw a bunch of small red boxes lined up in a row. Upon them read the words 'Sky High Pegasi Chocolates'. "They look like regular chocolates to me," he said as he squinted his eyes.

"Regular chocolates?!" Amber reared back with a look of shock. "These are special puffy chocolates made from the clouds! They're normally exclusive only to Cloudsdale! I. MUST. GET. THESE."

"Um... okay?" Dylan grabbed a box and took them over to a bored looking cashier with a gray coat and a brown mane. "How much for these?"

"Fifty bits," he replied, staring off into space.

"Um..." Dylan looked at the box. "Are you sure that's right? These are only chocolates."

"They're imported. Buy 'em or leave," said the cashier, not even looking at Dylan.

Amber walked up to the counter and placed fifty bits upon it. "Hope you choke on 'em."

"I hope I do," the cashier replied boredly, leaving Dylan to question whether this guy was suicidal or not.

"Are you okay?" Dylan asked, a little concerned.

"Hm?" The cashier looked down at Dylan. "Am I okay? Uhh..." He brought a hoof to his chin and pondered. "I could be better. I used to be happier, but... I don't know why I'm like this nowadays. I just feel like I've lost my happiness."

Amber, feeling sympathetic, opened up the box to reveal perfectly spherical orbs of chocolate. She placed one on the counter and smiled. "Here. When I was really little, I would go through strange bouts of depression, but these chocolates would always cheer me up."

The cashier picked up the chocolate and rolled it around in his hoof for a few moments before popping it into his mouth. Chewing, his lips slowly turned upwards into a soft smile. "Thanks," he said. "Look, I'm sorry. I just haven't been feeling too well lately."

"It's no problem," Amber replied, nodding in understanding. "Ponies need to stick together."

"I um... I could give you a discount if you want," he offered.

Amber shook her head. "It's fine. I know how special these are." She gave him a smile and walked out with Dylan. "I hope you get better soon!" she shouted as they left.

"Do a lot of ponies get depression?" Dylan asked as they walked under the edges of the overhanging rooftops, just out of the rain.

"Actually, it only started about twenty years ago." Amber pulled a chocolate sphere out from the box and gave it to Dylan, who popped it into his mouth. She was absolutely right, these chocolates were amazing.

Dylan swallowed his treat before speaking. "Why? Why only twenty years ago?"

"Dunno. The doctors said it was a mystery. Ponies don't usually get depression unless there's a reason." Amber popped another chocolate in her mouth and smiled from the flavor. "My depression went away after a while, but the doctors said it could return one day."

"In my world, depression could last years, or even an entire lifetime." said Dylan. Amber widened her eyes in surprise. "It can even get so bad that it leads to... you know..."

"To what?" Amber asked, in suspense.

"To suicide," said Dylan umcomfortably, eliciting a gasp from Amber.

"That's so awful!" she exclaimed.

"It's just how some things are over there sometimes," said Dylan. "My pa once told me my uncle committed suicide before I was born."

"I'm sorry for your loss," Amber tried to comfort Dylan.

"It's okay. I never knew him in person. I've only heard stories of him from my pa. Like stories of how he tried to steal my mom from my pa before my parents settled down together."

"Sounds like there was a lot of bad blood in the family," Amber commented.

"Yeah." Dylan looked at the ground as they walked. "My grandparents never liked my mother. They never even liked me. They always called us sinners and abominations."

"Sinner? What's a sinner?" Amber asked.

"Someone who does something wrong or against God," Dylan answered.

"God?" Amber raised a brow.

"You probably haven't heard of a god, I forgot..." Dylan had asked Applejack about this once before. Although the concept of gods existed, the need for them was almost nonexistent, especially with alicorns like Celestia and Luna, who could literally move the heavens above.

"I have, but I just don't know what one is," Amber explained.

Dylan shook his head. "It's fine. Where do you wanna go next?"

"I need to use the restroom," stated Amber as she began heading to a nearby arcade.

"Alright. I'll wait for you," said Dylan.

After entering the arcade, Amber made her way into the filly's restroom. Dylan looked around and noticed all the other young ponies playing. Specifically, a brown colt with a lighter shaded striped mane wearing a propeller beanie.

Dylan walked up to the pony and smiled. "What are you playing?"

The young colt looked to Dylan with a grin on his face. "Pac Stallion!"

The puns were real. Dylan snickered a little and the colt gave him a confused look. Dylan shook his head and introduced himself. "I'm Dylan. What's your name?"

"Button Mash!" the colt replied.

As Dylan and Button Mash talked about the videogames in the arcade, a pair of unicorns in hooded robes walked into the arcade and made their way into the filly's restroom. A few minutes later, Amber walked out of the restroom, whistling a happy tune.

"Ready to go?" asked Amber, smiling.

Dylan noticed that Amber's mane seemed to be a bit roughed up. "Is that a new manestyle?"

"Um... yeah," she replied. "Let's go back to your place, okay? I wanna ask Applejack something."

As the left, the janitor of the arcade waltzed into the filly's restroom, whistling her little tune. She was surprised to find two hooded stallions unconcious on the floor, having been beaten and bruised.

"Yikes! What filly did you walk in on?" she asked herself.

Author's Note

Here's a little chapter. Compared to my more recent chapters, it is a bit smaller, but the message I'm trying to portray to you is the same. I've been going through some depression recently, and I feel that ponies can easily get depression, too. So I decided to incorporate that into my fic in this small chapter. This will eventually become a bit of a mystery throughout Dylan's story, and I hope you enjoy the ride as it unfolds.

The Sapling's Roots

"Why do you two look like you've been through Tartarus and back?" asked Quick Stacks as he read his book, hind legs on his desk. Standing in front of him were Flim and Flam, both holding bags of ice over their bruised heads.

Flim was the first to speak up. "I-It's not our fault! We didn't know she could pack such a kick!"

Flam then chimed in. "It was like facing the fury of a minotaur on muscle potions!"

Stacks flipped a page with his magic, eyes focusing on his novel. "I see."

Flam stepped forward and swallowed. "S-So... What do we do now?"

"Well, it's obvious that either you two are quite literally the weakest stallions I have ever seen in my entire life, or you'll need some of my colts to finish the job." Quick stacks pushed the button on his desk and spoke into the microphone. "Please send One Shot to my office."

"Right away, Mr. Stacks. Would you like Mr. Shot to bring his weapon?" the voice on the intercom asked.

"No no. Just have him come unarmed. There's no trouble... yet," Quick Stacks answered. He then leaned back in his chair and looked at the two brothers. "You two are very lucky I haven't called my colts on you. I'm feeling rather generous today, you know. Got a new book, so I'm right as rain."

Flam chuckled nervously. "W-Well, we have quite the collection of books if you're willing to buy."

"Oh?" Stacks raised a brow. "I'm pretty sure I have them already. You'd be surprised by how many I've collected over the years."

"Of course, sir!" Flim tugged on the collar of his shirt.

The elevator entrance to the office opened up, revealing a rather grizzly looking pony with a bulky frame. He looked as if he could take down a minotaur with ease. He had a black hide and a messy white mane, complimented by a pink scar stretching across the top of his muzzle. "You called, boss?" the pony asked.

"One Shot," Stacks greeted, "you know how to capture troublesome ponies, don't you?"

"It's in my job description, yes," replied the muscular stallion. His gaze wandered across the room before settling on the two brothers. "Didn't you two sell me fake healing tonic?"

The brothers' eyes became as big as dinner plates. They chuckled nervously and shook their heads, waving their forehooves dismissively.

"Must have been some other pair of handsome stallions," said Flam in a sad attempt to take the heat off them.

"You owe me eighty bits," he said to the brothers as he walked up to Quick Stacks' desk. "What's the target?"

"There's a rather troublesome filly who I want captured and brought here alive."

"Alive will cost you extra. I don't normally foalsit," bartered One Shot.

"Of course. I'll pay you whatever you need. Money is no object here." Quick gave One Shot a smirk. "Just make sure she's brought here. And make sure nopony sees you do it. We can't have anypony knowing what this business does."

"Can she be damaged goods? Or do you want her in mint condition?" One Shot flashed a pearly white grin.

Stacks flinched at the sight of the hunter's smile. "We need to be professional about this. No rape. If I find that one hair on her tail is out of place, you lose all chances of receiving payment."

The black stallion snorted in disagreement. "Yeah. She'll be mint then."

"Good." Stacks shooed One Shot with a wave of his hoof. "Away with you. Don't forget. Alive and mint. The brothers will show you where she is and what she looks like."

One Shot walked back towards the elevator. As he passed the brothers, he snorted again. "Come on, you mares. Let's go."

Flim and Flam both looked at each other unsurely and followed the stallion into the elevator, leaving Quick Stacks alone with his book. He placed a hoof on the button of his microphone and leaned forward.

"How's our guest?" Quick Stacks asked. Over the speaker, a pony could definitely be heard screaming in the background. The secretary's voice barely covered the screams.

"He's having his fits again. We're going to sedate him," she answered.

"No sedatives," ordered Stacks. "I want to see him."

Dylan laid across the family couch lazily, yawning and stretching himself out to take up as much space as possible. Today was Lazy Day, the one day of the year the Apple family voted to take a break on. Sure, they usually had time before and after work, but this was a day where there wasn't any work at all.

Applejack was outside in the fields, Applebloom was on the floor of the living room, playing with a jigsaw puzzle, Big Mac was who knows where, and Granny was... well...

Meanwhile...

Granny Smith put on her goggles and squinted her eyes as she lined up her shot, Goldie Delicious waiting impatiently behind her. It was all or nothing. Bottom of the ninth, the last touchdown, the final countdown.

"Hurry up, Smith!" shouted Goldie. "We've only got one day, and yer takin' up valuable time!"

"Hold onto yer bonnet!" replied Granny in an equally loud voice. "I've been waiting for the perfect shot, and by Celestia, I'm gonna get it!" Granny took a deep breath, lining up her shot again. She pulled her fore leg back and let go, the arrow flying straight and true.

Bulk Biceps shook in fear as the apple atop his head was pierced by the arrow, flying off and hitting the tree behind him. Granny looked to Goldie with a smirk on her face.

"Pay up! I got the shot!" Granny demanded. Goldie just rolled her eyes and placed fifty bits in Granny's hoof.

Back at the Apple home...

"Do ya really think it's possible to send a rocket to the moon?" Applebloom asked as she continued with her jigsaw puzzle.

"Humans did, so I guess ponies could, too," Dylan answered. After a while of talking, they had eventually reached the topic of other worlds and space. Dylan had explained how humans had used rockets to get to the moon, and Applebloom was pretty interested.

"Do ya think the Crusaders could build a rocket?" she asked hopefully.

Dylan stared at the ceiling as he gave it some thought. "I guess so. I mean, I dunno how rockets work exactly."

"I bet we could do it!" Applebloom exclaimed as she put in the final piece of the puzzle. She then flopped onto the floor. "Ah'm bored," she said in a thicker accent.

Dylan rolled off the couch and laid on the floor, staring at Applebloom. "Me too," he replied.

"Dylaaaaaaaaan," cried Applebloom.

"Whaaaaaaaaaat," cried Dylan.

"Let's go to the Sugarcube Corneeeeeer," she suggested.

"'Kay," said Dylan as he moved onto his hooves, stretching a bit and popping something in his back. "Ow..." He walked out of the living room and to the front door, opening it and letting the cool air meet him. "Hm... I feel like... a vanilla shake?" Dylan said to Applebloom. "What about you?"

"Chocolate!" she answered. As she walked out the door, she noticed something in the distance. "Hey, Dylan? Ain't that the weird pony from your party?" Dylan looked to where Applebloom was looking and saw Oak Tree, talking with Applejack out in the fields. What was he doing here?

"C'mon!" Dylan ran, leaving Applebloom confused before she started after him. He ran up to both Applejack and Oak Tree, but that was where the excitement ended, as they both had grim looks on their faces.

"Dylan, have you seen Amber lately?" asked Applejack, maintaining her cool as best she could.

"Nu uh," replied Dylan. "Not since yesterday. We were going to meet today by the river." Dylan quickly put two and two together and his internal systems tensed up. "Wait... Is something wrong?"

Oak Tree shook his head with a sigh. "I'm sorry to say this, but she never came home last night. Her parents are frantically searching all of Ponyville."

"But... she was just fine last time I saw her! We parted ways after reaching the road to Sweet Apple Acres!" Dylan claimed. He looked to Oak Tree, then to Applejack, then to Applebloom. The stress caused his stomach to tighten, giving him an ache. "We need to find her!"

"Now, calm down, there," said Applejack. "Perhaps she took a wrong turn. The roads can get a bit tricky after dark." She turned to Oak Tree. "Can you go with Dylan and Applebloom and help look for her? She can't have gone too far, right?"

"What will you be doing?" asked Dylan to Applejack.

"I'm gonna gather my friends and we're gonna search high and low. I'm pretty sure Twilight's got some fancy spell to find Amber with."

"Now, hold on there. I ain't no foalsitter," said Oak Tree. "I was only here to deliver the bad news."

"Well, now yer gonna look fer her. I'm not gonna let ya weasel out of this." Applejack gave Oak Tree a stare that gave him chills. He didn't want to be on the wrong side of an applebuckin' mare, especially if that mare was Applejack, the spawn of two fruit buckers like Pear Butter and Bright Mac. Those genes together gave the strength to move mountains.

"Yer as stubborn as yer Granny," Oak replied plain and simply. "She sure raised you right."

"Darn right," Applejack said with pride. "Now git! Take them with ya and start lookin'!" With her orders, Oak Tree sighed and motioned for both Dylan and Applebloom to follow him.

"C'mon," said Oak. "We got a lot of ground to cover."

Twilight's Castle

"Spike, write a letter," said Twilight to her faithful dragon. Spike whipped out a quill and paper and prepared to write. "Dear Princess Celestia, today I lear--"

"Twilight!" Applejack kicked open the door to Twilight's room with brute force and ran in with the rest of the mane six. "Amber's gone missing!"

"Amber?" Twilight scratched her head. "Wait... isn't that Dylan's friend?"

"Marefriend now," Applejack corrected proudly, but her smile vanished immediately after. "But now's not the time for gloatin'. We got a missin' filly!"

"Poor dear's probably cold and hungry," commented Rarity, lips pouting. "I do hope we find her."

"Maybe she's been kidnapped by some rich snooty business pony who has an agenda against a family who's been around for countless generations!" Pinkie suggested, shifting her eyes back and forth with suspicion. She peered at a lamp next to Twilight's bed. "I'm watching you!"

"Pinkie, you shouldn't make up such things," said Fluttershy, looking worried. Twilight hopped off her chair and walked over to Applejack. "I do have a tracking spell I've been studying lately."

"Great! I knew you'd have somethin'!" Applejack patted Twilight on the back, and pretty hard, too, making the princess lose her breath for a second.

"Do you have Dylan with you? What about his parents?" Twilight asked. "I'll need one of them to use the spell on since they're most in contact with her."

"Um..." Applejack smiled nervously. "Her parents expanded their search to the outside of Ponyville, but Dylan's still back on the roads around Sweet Apple Acres."

"Wow, her parents work fast." Twilight furrowed her brow. "Looks like we'll need Dylan, then. Let's head out, girls!"

Meanwhile, on the roads around Sweet Apple Acres...

The first drop of rain splashed onto Dylan's muzzle, signaling the storm the pegasi had planned. "We should hurry," he said to Oak. "We don't have much time."

"Quiet," the old stallion commanded. Applebloom walked out in front of him, looking around.

"I'm sure we'll find her soon!" Applebloom assured. "We just gotta keep looking! Keep positive!"

"Quiet," Oak repeated. Dylan couldn't keep the worried look off his face. He felt the need to find Amber growing with each minute that passed.

"Maybe she's broken a leg or something?" Dylan said, biting his lip. "Maybe she's... in a ditch somewhere? N-No... Can't think like that."

"I said quiet," said Oak. They continued walking for a few minutes in silence before Dylan spoke up again.

"Do you think she's okay?" he asked Oak.

"Goddamn it, boy! Quit it!" Oak turned around to face Dylan. "It ain't gonna change nothin'." Dylan's mind raced for a bit. This pony said God's name in vain. This pony acknowledged God. This pony called him 'boy'.

"Um... y-yeah..." Dylan nodded his head slowly as Oak turned back around and continued walking. Was it possible? Was this pony... couldn't be, right?

Dylan wanted to make sure, though. "You said... God. You believe in God?"

Oak's eyes stared ahead as he tried to cover up what he said. "I meant... Celestia. Yeah, that's it."

"But Celestia isn't a god," said Dylan. "Everypony knows that."

"Shush, boy," Oak commanded. "It ain't gonna do ya no good, probin' into what's not really there."

"Dylan, what are ya gettin' at?" asked Applebloom, obviously concerned.

"But... there is something there," Dylan insisted. "Who are you? Really?"

Oak looked back at Dylan with a somber stare. "You couldn't handle it." As the rain started to pour and as Oak began walking again, Dylan ran out in front of him and stayed put.

"We're not moving an inch until you tell me!" Dylan shouted. He steeled his nerves, preparing for the answer he was afraid of.

"What's your last name?" Oak asked. "Just to be sure..."

"Treese," Dylan answered. "Dylan Treese"

"I had my suspicions." Oak said to himself, rolling his eyes. "Goddamn it... I'm foalsittin' his kid." He looked to Dylan and sighed. "This is gonna be hard, considerin' he's probably told you a bunch of bullshit, but... I'm yer uncle."

Applebloom stared, confused. "What? but Dylan used to be a human."

"Wait..." Dylan blinked several times, eyes darting about before settling on the old stallion. "But... how are you here? If yer my uncle, and I'm from the human world, and yer a pony, and... what?"

"Look, kid, I don't wanna be sittin here in the fuckin' rain. We've already wasted time." Oak began to walk back down opposite side of the road. "We gotta go back."

"Dylan!" a familiar voice called from down the road. Applejack came running up to Dylan, going past Oak. "C'mon. Let's get outta this storm. Twilight's got a spell to help!"

"Applejack!" Dylan shouted. "He's... Oak Tree says he's my uncle!"

"Dylan, what are you talking about?" asked Applejack, feeling his forehead. "Hm... Yer not warm. Are you feelin' ok?"

"Dylan's tellin' the truth!" Applebloom affirmed. Applejack looked back to Oak Tree, who was already more than half of the way back to the farm."

"C'mon," said Applejack. "We'll meet everypony at home. We'll get this straightened out."

Everypony had gathered around the living room, most of whom were there to listen to Oak Tree while Twilight focused on her spell, eyes glowing brightly. Oak Tree sat on the couch, trying to calm himself.

"Fucking hate this stress," he commented. "Okay. Listen up, 'cuz this is a long story."

"Just start from the beginnin'," said Applejack.

"Yeah, yeah..." Oak shook his head. "So... I wasn't always a pony. Was a young boy about Dylan's age. I was named Oak Treese at the time, and I was proud of the name cuz we were well known for our early business years in the sixties. Made a lot of money offa trades. I grew up as a God-fearin' child cuz pa would always get us with the belt if we did a sin.

"Then, one day, me and David, that's Dylan's pa by the way, we was playin' in the forest after doin' our chores, like we did everyday, and I got myself in a bit of trouble. See, I was climbin' a tree with David, and we started roughhousing. We were up awfully high, and... I fell, and I grabbed onto his leg, taking him with me all the way down.

"We didn't survive. By some odd miracle, we ended up in Fillydelphia. That was around maybe... twenty years ago? Thirty? I lost track. Anyway, we had found that we were turned into these strange creatures, no offense, and after we did our fair share of freakin' out, we decided to roam around, figure out how to get back home. We didn't realize we were dead, though.

"Luckily, we were picked up by somepony who was rather friendly, said we could stay at this home for orphaned ponies. I met a lot of new friends there, but David wasn't gettin' any of the love. He'd get into fights with the others because they'd always pick on him, and he'd always been the one to get in trouble for it.

"Then there was this girl who belonged to the owner of the orphanage. She'd been one of my first ever friends, and we'd sneak out of the orphanage after dark together, gettin' into all sorts of mischief. It wasn't long before we got in trouble and I was forbidden by her father from seein' her. Didn't stop us though." Oak smiled at that fact.

"After years went by, David and I were kicked out of the orphanage. Was told we were adults and would need to find our own places to stay, and so there we went. We got several different odd jobs in several different cities, spectacularly failing at each and every one until we ran into a stallion named Full Stacks. He was a business pony, and was getting on in his years.

"He wanted to give us the opportunity to make our own profit. He'd give us some cheap merchandise and would tell us to sell it at twice the price he'd paid for. Luckily, with the training we had gotten from our grandpa before he passed, we were able to make ourselves pretty successful.

"Then his son came along. Quick Stacks was his name, and he wa--"

"Hold up!" Applejack interrupted. "Y'all did business with Full Stacks AND his son?"

"Let me finish, damn it! Didn't Smith teach ya to be patient?! That wasn't what I was sayin'," said Oak, glaring at Applejack. He took a deep breath and continued. "Quick Stacks took over the whole place, said his father had passed, and said he had no real use for us. We thought it was odd, cuz we were makin' him a shit ton of bits.

"After we were kicked back onto the streets, we found that if we scrounged up what we had, we could afford a little shack house out in Ponyville. This is where I met Granny Smith. She offered me a job, and I eagerly accepted. From then on, I was choppin' down the dead trees to make way for newer ones. That was when I took the name of Oak Tree.

"Things were peaceful for a while, and then that girl came back. The one I hung out with in the orphanage. And damn... did she grow up. I was smitten. Unfortunately, so was David. We began to fight for her affection, and I won in the end. At least... for a while. David grew bitterly jealous, and snuck into my home. He thought he was going to rough me up a bit, but little brothers never really learn.

"I gave him a beatdown, and he used that against me. Told her I was the one who attacked him. She quickly left me, and soon got together with him. I was heartbroken, couldn't find a reason to continue livin'. Things got even worse. They got married, and when I saw the kid... I lost it. I put another beatdown on him when he was alone, told him he was dead to me."

"Wait..." Dylan's eyes widened. "I was born a pony?"

"Yeah," Oak answered. "I hated you, you know. You were the spawn of a backstabber, of a deceiver." He looked away from Dylan shamefully. "I still hate you quite a bit. Maybe if I had been able to stay with her... maybe you'd be mine. Don't know how them fancy genetics work..."

"What was her name here?" Dylan asked, wide-eyed.

"Autumn Gold," Oak answered, a tear rolling down his face. Applejack blinked, her eyes widening as she recalled something.

"Wait... Autumn Gold? That's an Apple relative who went missin' years ago!" Applejack exclaimed. Dylan, putting two and two together, began to hyperventilate.

"Wait... I'm... I'm..." Dylan's eyes darted about, looking at Applejack and Applebloom. "I'm an Apple family member?!" Everything clicked into place. Dylan now knew why he was more comfortable here than anywhere else. He had been home all this time and had never even known it.

"Now hold on," said Applejack. "If y'all died coming here, how'd David get back?"

Oak let out a heavy sigh. "Quick Stacks is a clever fella. He eventually found out what we were. Don't know how, don't know why, but he knew, and he knew a way to get back. All we had to do was bring one apple tree."

"And you... you gave one to him?!" Applejack asked furiously. She stomped a hoof on the ground, making the floorboards shake. "After all Granny did for you? She gave you a job when you were down on yer luck!"

"Shut up!" yelled Oak. "I didn't give him the goddamn tree! I faked it!"

"Now how in the world do you fake an apple tree?" Applejack looked at Oak skeptically.

"It wasn't easy. In fact, it should've failed. We were lucky he didn't take a closer look. We took an orange tree, and we painted all the fruit red. From afar, it looked like an ordinary apple tree. Had he gotten closer, I wouldn't be here right now."

"Alright, so what happened next?" asked Applebloom. "C'mon! I wanna hear more!"

"He showed us this mirror," said Oak. "Said it had been in his family for generations. Said he'd done business in the other world usin' it. Made factories all over." Dylan's mind flashed back to the factories that had been built near the farm. They had been polluting the area for years, keeping him from getting a fresh breath of air. That was Quick Stacks' doing?

"Before he could discover it was a regular old orange tree, My brother and I, and Autumn took Dylan with us and we went through, sending us to Philadelphia. Somehow though, we were still ponies. Was difficult to keep out of sight. Took us a few months to get back home to the good old countryside. That was when we found out our parents had moved away from the farm. Was all abandoned, and so we fixed it up.

"It was okay for a while, but after about a few months, our parents visited the place for old pieces of equipment that had been left behind. They saw us, and called us abominations. It was a hellish scene. Took me everything I had to keep my pa from getting to David. It's funny, after all this time, I'd still protect him. Should've let him get put down.

"After the dust had settled, our parents left, said we committed bestiality. They then told us we were all sinners who'd burn in the deepest pits of hell. Called us abominations. Ever since then, David had become even more aggressive, especially towards me. I eventually found out the abuse towards Autumn didn't start in the human world. In fact, it began back in Equestria.

"I tried getting her back with me... It was useless, though. She said there was still good in him. Buncha fuckin' bullshit, I say. I couldn't take it anymore after seein' both of them like this. I decided to end my life. Didn't think I'd be brought back here again. Quick Stacks said it was a one time thing. It seems I'm cursed."

All went silent for minutes. It was a lot to take in for everypony, especially Dylan, who had found out he was an Apple. He felt a mix of emotions. Happiness, sadness, rage. He was happy he was family. Sad for his mother. Angry at his father. He didn't know which emotion to stay on. Everything was so confusing for him.

Applejack, noticing Dylan's face, pulled him into a hug. "It's okay, sugarcube..." Dylan buried his face into her chest fur, wanting to go back to being clueless. Why had he been taken from a world that brought such joy? He could've lived his entire life here, being happy. Why didn't she come to Oak for help when the abuse started? So many questions filled his mind.

Oak got up from the couch and walked over to Dylan. "I said you couldn't handle it, now didn't I?"

"Get outta here!" shouted Applejack. "You've done enough today."

"You should be thanking me for telling y'all this in the first place!" argued Oak. "The boy was stupid! Thinkin' he could just stay here, livin' a life of happiness. No such thing. There's heartbreak in both worlds! With ponies like Quick Stacks and humans like David, there can never be peace!"

Applejack stared intensely at Oak with murder in her eyes.

"How do you think I feel, Dylan?! I have to look at your goddamn face from now on! You're a fucking reminder of him! When you were born, she became cemented to him! Should've died in the damn womb!"

Applejack slowly got up, releasing Dylan from her hold. She walked up to Oak, their faces inches from each other, and looked into his eyes.

"You know what you are?" she asked. "You're nuthin' but a foal. A foal who can't help but take their anger out on others. You're blamin' others for things they can't control, and you make me sick! Get the buck out of here! Don't ya ever come back! 'Cuz if ya do, I'm gonna get the whole Apple family together, and we're gonna show you what happens when you mess with one of us. You'll be drinkin' food through a straw after we're done."

"Yeah! You tell 'em, sis!" Applebloom shouted angrily, pumping her hoof in the air. "Leave my siblings alone!"

The two stared at each other for a long time, neither backing down. Dylan looked on in terror, wondering who'd lose the fight. Finally, Oak slowly backed up to the exit, not taking his eyes off them, and walked out the front door.

Applejack took Dylan back into her forelegs and hugged him tight, with Applebloom joining in.

"Welcome home, Dylan," whispered Applejack.

"I've found it!" Twilight shouted, eyes still glowing. "I knew where Amber is!"

"Wh-Where is she?" Dylan asked worriedly.

"Get packing, because we're going to Fillydelphia!"

The Sapling's Rage

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!

:ajsmug: Love y'all.

A Tree's Regrets

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.

The Origin of the Trees

Dylan slept soundly on the floor of his little clubhouse. He had brought in several blankets, wanting to sleep through the storm. Within the structure, he felt safer than he ever did elsewhere, and he didn’t know why. Perhaps it was because it was made by a pony who was very special to him.

Some innocence from him had partly vanished, as he was more aware of his actions during his recent fight, but Dylan was okay with that. His sense of wonder was still there, and he still loved this world. He loved his family, and he loved Amber. In a sense, he was still his old self.

As he slept, he felt something tug on him, a feeling of dizziness overwhelming him. Opening his eyes, he found himself to be standing, seeing a cold, metal room. There were pegasi around him, but the most notable pegasus was a green-maned one in front of him, holding a blindfold, green eyes looking into Dylan’s.

He heard the strange pegasus say to a mare who was standing in front of a large computer, “Open the dome.”

“We can’t,” she said. “We’re losing connection.”

Before the images faded away, Dylan tried to ask, “Who are you?”

He never got his answer, with his grip on reality coming back, rain still pelting the clubhouse. Dylan was wrapped soundly in his blankets, confused and concerned. What had happened? Was it a mere dream? Then, just as suddenly as he asked himself that, he forgot what his dream was about.

He simply laid back down, falling asleep once more.

Twilight tried everything she could, digging into bits of broken memories. There was something within this crazed pony that had completely shattered his sanity. “Sweet Celestia, this is getting impossible,” she muttered.

“Well? Who is he?” asked Dash.

Twilight shook her head. “I don’t want to think it’s him, but from what I’m seeing, it’s gotta be.”

“So this here is…” Applejack was almost afraid to finish the sentence. “It’s his dad?”

Twilight slowly nodded. “I think so.”

“What do we do with him?” asked Fluttershy.

Twilight sighed. “I think we’ll need to keep him locked up for a bit. We need to do a bit of interrogating, figure out what’s really going on.”

“Well, if that’s your decision, I’m just gonna go back home,” said Applejack. “Don’t need Dylan wonderin’ too much. I gotta at least think of some way to break this to him.”

“Can’t you just, you know, lie to him?” asked Rainbow Dash. “I remember you tellin’ me about this guy, and it doesn’t really look like Dylan’s gonna take it very well.”

Applejack shook her head and replied, “Dash, you know just as well as I do that I can’t lie very well.”

“Then let me do the talking,” said Dash, walking up to Applejack. “Don’t worry. I’ll come up with something believable.”

Rarity, having been quiet the entire time, finally spoke up. “Does anypony have the sneaking suspicion that this isn’t the last we’ll see of that awful business pony?”

Twilight shook her head. “I can’t say for certain where he is now, but if he is still out there, we can take him. I have full confidence in our abilities.”

The others smiled, feeling reassured. Applejack, however, didn’t feel so sure about it. She simply let the subject pass, not wanting to bother her friends. They were already feeling okay about it, so why ruin the mood?

At night, after everypony had left, Twilight stood in front of the struggling stallion, ready to delve deep into his memories on her own. They may have been in pieces, but she needed to figure out why he was here, and how he got here.

“You know, it’s always amusing to see a pony trying to delve into chaos,” said a familiar voice. Twilight turned around, seeing a long, furred, dragon-like being with the head of a pony with two horns on his head, both different, with one being an antler, and the other being a horn of sorts. The rest of his body was made up of different animal parts, the strange creature standing tall and proud.

“Oh, it’s you, Discord,” said Twilight.

“You’re not even going to say hello?” asked Discord, crossing his arms. “I’m offended. Also, I wouldn’t go into that mind if I were you. It’s such a mess.”

“I need to,” said Twilight.

“Not really,” said Discord as he approached her. He held a magnifying glass up to his eye and then said, “You just want to. I know how you are, Twilight.~ You can’t resist a good mystery. Then again, who can? It’s engrained into every curious mind.”

Twilight shook her head, turning away from him. “Ugh… Discord, I don’t have time for games. I need to know what’s going on.”

Discord placed a finger on his chin and asked, “Now, what would you do if I said that wouldn’t be wise? Surely, as my friend, you’d at least take my advice?”

Twilight was a little puzzled. What did he want? “What’s the deal?” she asked, squinting her eyes.

“I’m saying to give it a few days is all,” Discord suggested. “Let him clear his mind. He’s not completely broken.”

“Are you trying to stall me?” asked Twilight. “Wait, you’re not involved in this, are you?”

“Who, meeeeeeee?” feigned Discord. “Why would you ever accuse me of such an act?!”

Twilight stared at him, her gaze unmoving. “Discord,” she growled.

Discord rolled his eyes, then said, “Fiiiiiiine,” he said. “I may or may not have a hand in this, but it’s not entirely my fault… this time.”

“Explain yourself,” demanded Twilight. “I’ve got all night.”

Discord suddenly pulled up a sofa from seemingly nowhere and laid on it. “It all started… when I was born,” he said, the back of his paw to his forehead. Looking at Twilight and seeing her unamused expression, he let out a great big sigh. “Yeesh, this isn’t going to be fun to explain.”

“Well?” asked Twilight.

Discord touched his two index fingers together. “It all started before my first encasement in stone, over a thousand years ago. I was in my old stomping grounds, back before I discovered that Equestria was full of life.”

“That far back?” asked Twilight. “What does that have to do with now?”

“Don’t interrupt me,” scolded Discord, sitting up. “Honestly, I thought you were the Princess of Friendship, not the Princess of Rude.”

Twilight sat down, staring at Discord. “Go ahead,” she said.

“Thank you,” said Discord, a smug smile on his face. “Now, as I was saying, it was over a thousand years ago. I was all alone, wandering as I normally did when, suddenly, I stumbled upon a rift in spacetime. Imagine my surprise when I saw an ancient civilization of two-legged hairless apes.~”

“You mean humans?” corrected Twilight.

“Same difference,” replied Discord. “I ran into someone who went by the name of Dimitris. He was a learning philosopher, and he was definitely questionable about my appearance. He thought he was dreaming.~”

“And you messed with him, didn’t you?” assumed Twilight.

“Oh, goodness, Twilight, I would never!” said Discord, a big grin on his face. “Regardless of whether or not I did, we both came to an interesting conclusion in our conversation. Chaos is everywhere.”

“Excuse me?” asked Twilight.

Discord smiled and said. “The beauty of the human world is that many of their philosophers have agreed to the fact that chaos is the natural state of the universe, unlike ponies and their obsession with harmony.”

“Why would humans accept that?” asked Twilight.

“Twilight, you of all ponies should know better,” scolded Discord. “Although you won’t admit it, the universe is naturally chaotic. There are many forces that aren’t consistent, and they’re all pushing and pulling at each other, helping to shape the universe.”

Twilight was a little skeptical, but nonetheless, she knew that the human world did operate on strange laws, nothing like her own world. They didn’t have the sisters to raise the sun and the moon. Those celestial bodies moved on their own.

“I suppose you may be right,” she conceded.

Discord, pleased, continued. “I became very good friends with this human. And it was only when they were nearing the end of their life that I decided to share a little mercy. I gave them a chance at immortality.”

“You what?!” asked Twilight. “You can just… give somepony immortality?!”

“Oh, please,” said Discord. “What do you take me for, some cheap knockoff? I’m Discord, Spirit of Chaos. If it can cause mayhem, I can do it.~”

Twilight was stumped. “Wait… Immortality causes chaos?” she asked.

“Well, given enough time,” he said. “As I was saying, I gave him immortality, but what I didn’t know was that magic worked differently in the human world. He received his immortality, but at a high price.”

Twilight, intrigued, asked, “And that was…?”

“He needs to swap bodies with a younger being,” said Discord. “I was a little surprised by his eagerness to kill…”

Twilight, eyes wide, was disturbed. “He killed another human?!”

“Indeed, he did,” answered Discord with a nervous chuckle. “Needless to say, he continued to do this without me keeping him in check, as I was frozen in stone by Celestia and Luna.”

“Why tell me this?” asked Twilight.

“Well, it turns out that my presence in the human world may have caused some rifts, ones that allowed humans to cross over here when they died,” replied Discord, rubbing the back of his neck. “Very few made it here without dying, like Dimitris. He eventually gained the body of a pony, I presume, and I think I know where he is now.”

“Where?” asked Twilight.

“Why, it’s Quick Stacks,” said Discord. “I could feel his chaotic magic, magic that I taught him. I’m always watching your adventures, Twilight, and I knew from the moment I saw Quick Stacks that it was Dimitris.”

Twilight was ready to fume. This was all Discord’s fault? “Discord, I’m gonna--!!!”

Discord put a finger to Twilight’s muzzle. “Shh. He’s still nearby,” he hushed.

Twilight raised a brow, but then realized… She looked at the struggling stallion. “You mean…?”

“Ding, ding, ding! We have a winner!” applauded Discord, clapping his hands. “How wonderful!”

“No, not wonderful!” shouted Twilight. “You caused all this trouble?! You ruined Dylan’s life by messing with spacetime!”

“Nuh-uh,” said Discord. “If I hadn’t done what I did, Dylan would never have been born.”

Twilight quietly stared at him in anger. She wanted nothing more than to knock the mischievous spirit upside the head. Lucky for him, she was a little more patient than that. “So he’s in Dylan’s father?”

“Yes, but he hasn’t taken over yet,” said Discord. He knocked on the stallion’s head, creating a conking noise. “It looks like there’s too much rage in that scattered mind of his. All anger, no thought. If you go in there on your own, you could come face to face with Dimitris.”

Twilight looked at the stallion, then at Discord. “Then you’re coming with me,” she stated.

“What, moi?” asked Discord, faking his surprise. “Why would you want me to help when I’ve caused so much trouble already?”

“Because it’s your magic,” said Twilight. “You should know how to defeat him once and for all, right?”

“Well, that depends on what he’s learned while he’s been here in Equestria,” explained Discord. “If you insist, then I’ll tag along, but don’t expect any miracles.”

Twilight slowly nodded. She turned to the stallion, then finally moved her horn forward until it touched his forehead.

Everything went black.

A Tree's Past: Part 1

Twilight drifted through the darkness of the mad pony’s mind, seeing fragments of memories drifting by, all broken and spread out. “This can’t be his mind,” she said. “Everything’s…”

“Gone?” Discord finished for her. “Not entirely. He could be fixed, but that would require magic beyond my own understanding.”

Twilight turned back to face Discord. “Even you can’t fix him? You’re literally a spirit that can alter reality. You drink glass!”

“Twilight, if I can do anything I want, then how come you beat me?” asked Discord. “Even I have my limits. I just run on magic that’s simply too complex for you to understand.”

“Okay, well, what can you do?” asked Twilight, annoyed at this new fact.

Discord couldn’t help but smirk. “I can help you look at what’s what, and my intuition’s telling me that we need to go… there.”

Discord pointed to a floating wisp of moving images, and Twilight hovered herself over to it. “I’ve never gone directly into a memory before,” she said.

“I’ll help,” said Discord, suddenly pushing her into the wisp.

The first thing Twilight noticed was that she was falling, the wind rushing upwards as she sped towards the ground. Panicking, she had almost forgotten she could fly. Flapping her wings, she caught as much of the air as she could, eventually slowing her descent and allowing her to land safely in a city.

Looking around, she could tell that she was in Fillydelphia, and walking past her was a familiar pair of ponies. It was the stallion whose mind she had gone into, and next to him was Oak, both of them walking along the sidewalk.

“So, I’m gonna have to ask you to let me do the talking,” said Oak. “Don’t say a word until he asks you a question, got it?”

“Yeah, got it,” affirmed David. “I gotta admit, I’m a little nervous.”

“Don’t be,” said Oak. “We’ve got this.”

Twilight followed them from behind, stepping around ponies as best she could. This city was crowded, and although it was a memory, it still felt very real, because whenever she’d bump into a pony, they’d grumble or shout an insult.

Discord flashed into existence behind Twilight. “Don’t let David interact with you,” said Discord. “If you do, you could alter his memories and it could do some serious damage.”

“You’ve done this before?” asked Twilight.

“It’s just common sense,” said Discord. “The mind is very fragile, and I’ll admit, I’ve messed up a few times while traveling through the mindscape.”

“So, if he sees me, that’s it?” assumed Twilight. “Alright, I’ll be careful.”

Following the two stallions into a tall building, she saw a pony that she recognized to be Quick Stacks’. However, upon getting a bit closer, she realized that this wasn’t Quick Stacks at all, but an older pony. He did look similar, though. He was the same color of coat and mane, but his figure was frail.

“I’ve been having a bit of trouble with another company trying to sneak up on my business,” said the stallion. “Now, if you really want to rise through the ranks, I suppose I could pull a few strings. I just need a favor…”

Oak and David looked at each other before looking back to the older stallion. “A favor?” queried Oak. “This ain’t what I think it is, is it?”

The older stallion looked Oak straight in the eyes and said, “Now, you listen here. You’re a smart stallion, right? And every smart stallion knows that there’s always gonna be somepony else trying to one-up ya. It’s just survival of the fittest, and if this company falls, well, then I can’t survive, and neither can you two.”

“I’m not comfortable with this,” muttered David.

Oak replied, “Look, can’t we just do something less… fatal? Something to at least keep them from botherin’ ya?”

The older stallion rubbed his chin, a spark in his eyes that indicated an idea forming. “I guess if somepony could, I don’t know, have an accident with a few shipments, that would help me get ahead.”

“That don’t sound too bad,” agreed Oak. “So, just sabotage?”

“As long as those apple shipments aren’t gettin’ to their destinations in time, I’ll have enough time to resupply my own carts,” said the older stallion. “The Apple family’s been stubborn lately. That darn Bright Mac seems to be a bit too willing to listen to ol’ Granny Smith. Got the first shipment just fine, but when Granny found out, she was ornery.”

“Who’s this Apple family?” asked Oak.

“To many, just some other family. To me, a goldmine,” said the old stallion. “Now, no more questions. I’m gonna give you instructions tonight, and you’re gonna follow them to the letter, got it?”

“Got it,” agreed Oak, and as he said that, things began to fade into black around Twilight, the mare, being flung back into the vastness of the mental void.

“Woah!” she shouted, finding herself spinning. She could feel herself twirling in the vastness, but then she was stopped when she bumped into a familiar figure.

“Did you have fun with the first memory?” asked Discord.

Twilight looked behind her to see the wisp of moving images she had just come from. “So, Oak and David were doing dirty work for…”

“Fullstacks, or rather, Quick Stacks, or rather, Dimitris,” confirmed Discord.

Twilight sighed. “Well, that memory’s been looked at, and it seems to be cut off pretty early. I don’t know what happens after.”

“We might not be able to find all of them, but we can still try to piece them together,” said Discord. “His mind is shattered, but it’s not completely broken. It’s more like mine.”

“Excuse me?” asked Twilight.

“Long story short, I’m a mess, and I can appreciate other messes,” explained Discord.

“Where to next…?” Twilight mumbled, looking around until she found another floating wisp. Without Discord’s help, she dove right in, finding herself falling yet again, this time keeping herself upright and catching the air much more efficiently.

Beneath her, she was surprised to find that she was right over Sweet Apple Acres. This… didn’t seem right. How far ahead was she? How many memories had been wiped out? Landing on top of the barn, she could see a pale, yellow-coated stallion with an apple-red mane. He was pulling a cart full of apples out of the orchard.

Applejack had told Twilight about Bright Mac and Pear Butter being Applejack's parents. Twilight could only assume this was Bright Mac from the way they spoke and the way they interacted.

A younger-looking Granny walked over, telling him, “Big Mac’s been havin’ those nightmares again.”

“The haycart crash?” assumed Bright Mac.

Granny nodded. “Said he was tryin’ to find you, but couldn’t. Woke up cryin’.”

“Dagnabbit,” said Bright. “I really wish I could figure out how to keep him from havin’ those kinds o’ dreams. Didn’t you have a remedy for them?”

“I did, but I lost the book for it. Had all the ingredients listed and everythin’,” said Granny, looking a bit down. “Applejack woke up cryin’ too, so I’m wonderin’ if she’s havin’ bad dreams as well.”

“Well, there’s not much we can do except to be there whenever they have those dreams,” said Bright Mac. “From what I remember, there used to be some kinda dream guardian?”

“Yeah, the old tale of the Two Sisters,” said Granny. “I don’t really think she exists if you ask me. It’s an old myth.”

Twilight wanted to get a little closer, but she remembered that Discord had said these ponies could see her, which led her to wonder exactly who’s memories she was in. This couldn’t be David’s. She couldn’t see him at all. Something was wrong.

But, to put away her suspicions, she heard Bright Mac shout, “H-Hey, hey!!! I thought I told you to git!”

Looking over to where the orchard was, she could see David, holding a cloth bag in his teeth. Seeing Bright Mac run after him, he skedaddled, doing everything he could to outrun the big guy. Twilight could see that the area around her was fading more and more the further David ran away. She took it as a hint to follow him, seeing new parts of the area fading into view.

Wherever David was, she had to follow. Otherwise, she wasn’t sure what would happen to her if she was left behind.

She flew overhead, Following David and Bright Mac into Ponyville, where David began darting in between houses, trying to lose Bright Mac. The big guy wasn’t easy to shake, though, his determination keeping him on David’s tail.

This was pretty intense, Twilight thought. How did it get to this?

As David kept running, Twilight noticed a few things out of place. Sugarcube Corner was a little too close to the Town Hall, and it looked like the spaces between the houses were a little… wavy, warped, twisted? It was difficult to describe them.

Twilight could only conclude that David’s memories of Ponyville weren’t exact, that either his mind was too broken or that it’d been too long since he’d last been in there. Now she wasn’t so sure she could fix him. However, she’d try anyway.

Catching up, she saw Bright Mac, running and getting closer to David. It wasn’t long before he caught up to David and tackled him to the ground in an alleyway.

“What do you think yer doin?!” shouted Bright Mac.

“Not my fault! I was just doin’ as told!” said David.

“Doin’ what?” asked Bright.

“Distractin’ you,” said David, a big grin on his face.

Bright Mac’s eyes went wide in astonishment. “What? What’s goin’ on?!”

“Just my brother,” said David. “If we didn’t do it, we’d probably be out on the streets.”

“Do what?” asked Bright Mac. “You still haven’t told me what.”

“Sabatogin’,” answered David. “D-Don’t expect to get yer apples shipped anywhere anytime soo---”

Bright Mac didn’t seem like the type to be rough, but Twilight was surprised when he had suddenly headbutted David. “Darn it,” muttered Bright, picking up David onto his back. He then ran back to Sweet Apple Acres, where Twilight followed.

It turned out that David and Oak weren’t so successful. Granny had already caught Oak, the stallion tied up in a lasso. Standing next to the home with him, Granny looked over to Bright Mac and said, “These colts ain’t too bright.”

“Damn it,” said Oak under his breath.

“Yer in a lot of trouble,” said Bright. “Don’t know why yer sabotaging’ anything ‘round here, but there ain’t no excuses!”

Oak stared Bright in the eyes, the two stallions not moving a mental inch. “I did what I did,” said Oak. “I don’t need no excuse. There is an excuse, but… I ain’t usin’ it.”

“You don’t make a lick of sense,” said Granny. “Don’t matter. We’re puttin’ you two to work for a while until you’ve fully paid for the damage.”

Bright blinked his eyes. “He already--?”

Granny nodded. “He busted the cart’s wheels.”

Bright lightly tossed David off his back, asking, “Who sent ya?”

“I ain’t tellin’,” said Oak, his accent getting a little thicker.

“Then we report ya,” said Bright. “I’m sure Celestia’s court don’t take too kindly to troubled youths like yerself.”

Oak’s expression was one of stressful worry, the stallion gritting his teeth. “...It’s a stallion named Fullstacks,” he said. “He don’t like how you’ve already got a business sellin’ here with Filthy Rich.”

Bright and Granny exchanged glances.

“Now, hold up. Fullstacks approached us last week,” said Bright Mac. “Granny, didn’t you tell ‘em to shove off?”

“I did,” answered Granny. “Shoulda known he was up to no good.”

As Twilight watched all this going down, she suddenly realized… David was unconscious. There was no way he would’ve remembered this. It was then that she felt another presence with her, and it certainly wasn’t Discord.

She didn’t see anypony with her, but there was still that eerie feeling that somepony was watching her. Twilight couldn’t do anything, though. She was stuck in a memory, and wasn’t sure how to leave it.

“They were quite the troublemakers back then,” said a mare’s voice.

Twilight turned around, expecting to see somepony, but nopony was there. “Hello?” she whispered, not wanting the ponies within the memory to hear her. She then caught a glimpse of somepony in the orchard, and although she didn’t want to risk ruining the memory, she needed to know if this was a pony from David’s memory or if it was somepony from the outside.

She walked into the orchard, and was surprised at how far she could go without the memory fading. “Hello?” she greeted, looking around. “Is somepony here?”

Just then, a wisp went right past her, a blurry, white spectre. She had almost cast a spell in surprise, the alicorn still a little jumpy. “Do you think it could ever be the same way it was back then?” the voice asked.

“Who are you?” asked Twilight. “Where are you? What are you talking about?”

An equine figure in white appeared in front of her, featureless and without a mane or tail. Blank, white eyes stared into Twilight’s as the ghostly pony responded, “I’m nopony important. Just somepony who misses the old days.”

Twilight was having trouble comprehending why there was a spirit here, out of all places. “Are you… part of David’s subconscious?” she asked.

The ghost shook her head. “Don’t ask too many questions,” she responded. “I’m just keeping the memory going for you. I’m simply filling in the pieces that David can’t show you.”

“If you’re doing that, then you must be someone who witnessed this event, right?” questioned Twilight.

The ghost nodded. “I was watching from afar, hidden here in the orchard. Oak told me what he had planned to do, and I came here to try to stop him, but when I got here, he had already been caught.”

Twilight looked around. “Where are you? Where’s the other you? The memory you, I mean.”

The ghost smiled. “I can’t tell you. You’d need to figure that out on your own. I shouldn’t even be talking to you.”

“Why?” asked Twilight.

“The passed ones have rules,” the ghost answered. “We’re not supposed to interact with the living. We’re supposed to remain in the Ether. But I’m drawn here. I have an attachment, and I can’t move on.”

“And so you broke a rule to speak with me?” assumed Twilight.

“Yes,” said the ghost. “I can’t break too many, or he will show up.”

“He?” queried Twilight.

“No more questions,” said the ghost. “Just watch the memory. Use what I give you to fix David.”

The ghostly mare vanished, leaving Twilight to watch the rest of the memory on her own. Going back to the scene, she could see Bright Mac and Granny discussing things.

“What do you think? A few months?” questioned Bright Mac. “A year?”

“A year sounds good,” affirmed Granny. “I remember when your grandfather put to work a few troublemakers when they was caught terrorizin’ the animals. He had them work for almost two years.”

“Vandalizin’ is a pretty serious offense,” said Bright. “It could’ve put us outta business fer a while. We work hard out here, and if these two wanna treat our work like it was nuthin’ then I’mma make ‘em do the same work I do.”

“So, it’s settled, then,” said Granny. “A year.”

The memory soon faded away, but Twilight was able to light up her horn in time to embed it into David’s mind so it didn’t fade away completely. As she was spat out into the void, she saw Discord, holding up a fancy pair of binoculars in one hand and a tub of popcorn in the other.

“I’ve gotta say,” said Discord. “You’re digging up some secrets today, aren’t you?”

“Did you see that mare?” asked Twilight.

“Indeed, I did,” replied Discord. “And she seems to have left us more to work with. I saw a few more memories being restored, but… why don’t we, uh, snoop around them to check if there are any inaccuracies?”

Twilight was a little curious. There was a lot she didn’t know here, and going through these newly-recovered memories could help her piece things together. “You might be right,” said Twilight. “It won’t hurt anything.”

Discord grinned. “Oh, goodie, more entertainment! Juicy stuff!”

Twilight approached a floating wisp, then dove in, appearing over a wintery Ponyville. Ponies all over were talking to each other and enjoying each other’s company. There were a few carolers, and there were quite a few merchants as well, selling Hearth’s Warming items. Twilight landed atop one of the buildings, looking down at the streets, eventually spotting David and Oak, shivering in the cold as they stood at a food stand.

“I feel like Bright Mac knew we weren’t gonna sell anythin’ today,” said Oak. “Who’s gonna buy these caramel apples during Hearth’s Warmin’ when we’re seein’ other ponies sellin’ hot chocolate, wreaths, and trees? How do apples relate to Hearth’s Warmin’?”

“We did sell a few,” said David, looking at the money jar. It wasn’t even half full, with only a few bits inside. “M-Maybe more ponies’ll buy ‘em.”

“And maybe I’ll become King of Equestria,” said Oak with sarcasm. “We’ve been here for more than half the day.”

“Yeah, but it’ll be alright,” said David. “At least Granny’s makin’ pie tonight.”

“Don’t even like pie all that much,” muttered Oak.

“I like it,” said David in a timid manner.

Then, a voice rang out. “Hey, Oak!”

David and Oak looked to their left to see a familiar pony. It was Autumn, and she was bundled up in a jacket and a scarf.

“Haven’t seen you in a while,” said Oak. “Been what, a month since we left Fillydelphia?”

“Mhm. Thought I’d pop by to see how you boys were doin’,” said Autumn, smiling. “You alright?”

“Hardly,” said Oak. “Bright Mac put us out here to sell these damned things, but ain’t no one gonna come by to buy these when they’ve got better options.”

Autumn seemed to have a thoughtful expression before she pulled out a few bits from her jacket’s pocket. She placed them on the wooden surface of the stand and declared, “Well, I’ll take one!”

“Aw, Autumn, you don’t gotta do that,” said Oak. “You’ve got a lot of better things to spend those bits on.”

“I don’t mind it one bit! Besides, caramel apples were always one of my favorite treats when I was growin’ up,” said Autumn. “Ain’t nuthin’ better than the sweetness of candy and fruit bein’ combined into one.”

David and Oak looked at each other with unsure expressions then looked back at Autumn with soft smiles.

“Hey, uh… would you like to come back to Sweet Apple Acres with us when we’re done? Maybe Granny won’t mind,” Oak offered. “There’s gonna be, uh, pie there.”

David leered at Oak. “You said you didn’t li--”

Oak shushed David, then smiled nervously at Autumn. “What do you say?” he asked.

Autumn seemed to be indecisive. “I dunno, boys. My daddy’s waitin’ for me to get back home to Fillydelphia by tomorrow.”

“Well, I can get ya back in time,” offered Oak.

“How ya gonna do that?” asked David.

Oak grinned proudly. “Well, while you was still in the orphanage, I was able to make friends with a pegasus who deals in very fancy transportation. He usually charges ponies an arm and a leg.”

“An arm?” questioned Autumn, a puzzled expression on her face.

“Just an old sayin’,” said Oak. “Regardless, I can get him to give you a ride for free, cuz he pretty much owes me a favor for fixin’ his cart.”

“You’d really do that?” asked Autumn.

“Well, hell yes!” replied Oak.

“Well, alright, then!” said Autumn.

Before the memory faded, Twilight could see the expression on David’s face. It seemed to be one of uncertainty, possibly even sadness. She wondered if it was jealousy or not. Oak did seem to be in charge of the conversations.

Looking at David’s memories, Twilight was able to piece together that he was almost like Dylan, usually quiet and often taking the backseat. She then began to worry. What if Dylan were to end up like David one day?

How many times had Twilight met Dylan? She had to admit, she didn’t know much about him or his backstory, only what Applejack had told her. According to Applejack, Dylan wasn’t usually the one to take charge of anything.

In fact, the only time Dylan had taken charge of anything in his life had been during the fight from earlier. And when that had happened, Dylan had gone a little overboard. How had David become as abusive as he was now?

What had happened back then to change him?

Author's Note

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Chapter 4: Encouraging Your Seed To Grow

"Apple buckin'?" Dylan was confused. He'd never heard of such a thing. Both him and Applejack were standing next to an apple tree in the orchard. It was early, and he still had some sleep in his eyes. The sun wasn't even up yet.

"Yup! We here at Sweet Apple Acres pride ourselves on buckin' apple trees and reapin' the rewards!" Applejack proudly declared. She turned away from the apple tree and gave a mighty kick, causing the tree to shake violently before releasing its apples into a basket she had set out under it. "As easy as apple pie!"

Dylan just stared at the now fruitless tree. "And... I'm supposed to be able to do this?"

"It's easy! Ya just gotta practice! Now that you're helpin' out, we gotta get ya prepared for the harvest!" said Applejack. She wrapped a foreleg around Dylan and ruffled up his hair with her hoof. "When I'm done with ya, yer gonna kick with the force of a speedin' train!"

"If you say so..." Dylan said, unsure of his strength. Applejack led him to another tree, expecting him to give it a try. He raised his leg and held his arms to his chest, karate style, like what he'd seen on TV, and kicked with all his might. The tree didn't even budge.

"That's ok, Applejack comforted, "When I was first startin', I couldn't get a single apple. But I practiced over and over until I got it right. I expect you do to the same. I have faith it ya, Dylan. It doesn't have to be right away, and even if ya can't get it before harvest time, ya can always try next time."

"Can't I just pick 'em if I can't kick 'em outta the tree?" Dylan asked.

"Nu uh. Apple Harvest is when we get them at their prime," Applejack explained, "We can't waste too much time. If we take too long, they'll go bad."

"Then I guess I got a lot of kickin' to do..." Dylan said to himself. He began kicking at the tree over and over, starting his practice.

Applejack smiled and picked up her basket already full of apples. "While yer practicin', I'll be takin' the apples I got over to Granny Smith so she can use 'em for tonight's dessert," said Applejack.

Dylan just grunted in response and kept kicking. He kicked, and he kicked, and he kicked, and he kicked, over and over for hours. He didn't want to give up. He owed the Apple family. He couldn't let them down. All that mattered to him was getting better. When he got tired, he rested for several minutes before going back at it. Day and night, he kicked, from the moment he got up to the minute he went to bed.

The first few days were grueling. His legs ached and felt like jelly. He strained just to keep standing up. He would bare the pain and keep kicking, finding what angles were better to kick at. Within the first week, he had gotten the tree to shake slightly. It fueled his determination and made him continue to practice. Applejack would come by and watch at times, cheering him on, and so would Big Mac, occasionally giving him a nod of approval.

His father had always called him worthless, saying he would never be successful. The words would buzz around in his head at times and get him feeling bad about himself, but whenever Applejack saw him looking down, she would give him words of encouragement. It strengthened him, making him feel like he was worth something. He would keep on kicking until...

"Applejack! Applejack! I got it!" Dylan exclaimed as he ran into the home. "I got... hanhh....hahh.... I got my first apple!"

Applejack wrap a foreleg around him and ruffled his hair. "See?" she said, "All ya gotta do is practice!"

Dylan panted, beads of sweat dripping down his face and wetting his white t-shirt. It was the only shirt he had since he arrived. He would wash his clothes behind the barn so no one would see his body with a bucket and a bar of soap that Granny Smith would give him. He would have to wash it again after today.

"I'm so tired... But I gotta keep goin'..." he mumbled, his words slurring a bit, "Harvest is in two weeks..."

"I think," Applejack reassured, "You'll be ready by then. I'm mighty proud of ya!"

Dylan could hear those words echo in his head. No one had ever said they were proud of him. He had constantly sought approval from his father, who never once glanced his way. He felt pride, something he'd never experienced before.

That night, Dylan laid in his bed. Thoughts raced through his head. He felt at home, more at home than he ever did with his father. He kept telling himself that he was only there to pay back the Apples. He felt guilty for intruding on their lives. If he had finished his chores... if he had just gotten inside before the storm started, he wouldn't be burdening them in the first place.

His thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. He got up from his bed and walked over to it. He reluctantly opened the door to see Applebloom. "Howdy, Dylan!"

Dylan smiled. He couldn't be mopey around her cute face. "Howdy, Applebloom! Can I help you?"

"Ah just wanted to tell ya that me and Applejack were talkin' about takin' ya to Apple Con this week with us!" Applebloom excitedly reported. This caused Dylan to tilt his head in confusion.

"Apple Con?" he quizzed.

"Yeah! Farmers from around Equestria go there to sell their wares and have fun tradin' secrets! We don't normally go with anyone but family, but Applejack seems very keen on takin' ya with us!"

"Are y'all sure ya wanna take me with ya? I don't wanna be a burdan..." Dylan admitted.

"You don't gotta be nervous! I reckon since you're helpin' us out, you deserve to go and have some fun with us!" Applebloom replied.

"I guess I'll go, but only if y'all are sure," said Dylan.

"Great! I'll go tell Applejack! I'll see ya tomorrow at breakfast!"

After Applebloom left, Dylan closed the door quietly and turned to look outside. "Apple Con, huh? Sounds... fun, I guess."

Author's Note

Tell me how you feel about this story. I'm looking forward to your thoughts. I felt more flow with this one, and it made me feel good!~<3

Back to our Roots/Return of an Author

David Treese had just had his fifteenth birthday yesterday, but nothing of major importance had happened. He laid back in his creaky bed, looking up at the concrete ceiling. It was always so cold during the winter. Even with his fur, he couldn't keep from shivering. He turned to his brother, who laid in another bed at the opposite side of the room. "Hey, Oakie?"

Oak Treese turned onto his side to face David. "Yeah?"

"...Do you think Ma and Pa miss us?" he asked.

"Maybe," replied the older brother, Oak. "Pa, probably not. I know Ma misses us."

"Think they stopped lookin for us?" asked David.

"I dunno," said Oak. "It's been four years." A thought then came to his mind. "I turn eighteen in two days. They're kicking me out after that."

"They can't just kick you out," said David. "I'll be alone..."

"But you'll have Magic Hat to keep you company," reasoned Oak.

"But she keeps trying to make me her assistant," said David, a worried look on his face. Oak looked up at the ceiling, pondering the situation. If he came back when David was 18, then he could bring him along. But what if David was adopted before then? Oak decided he didn't want to risk it.

"Alright," said Oak. "I'll try to take ya with me, but we'll have to be sneaky. They won't just lemme take ya with me."

"Okay!" said David, grinning. It was decided. Oak would sneak David out with him tonight.

They waited until it was well past midnight before sneaking out of bed. After making sure the hallway was cleared, they made their way to the front door. It had once been a manor, home to a very wealthy unicorn, but nowadays it was an orphanage. What had happened to the un,icorn was a mystery.

Oak attempted to turn the handle, but then swore under his breath as he learned it was locked. "We gotta use a window," he whispered. He then looked down the hallway to find one of the windows had been unlocked. "Alright... through here," he said.

David squirmed through the window, eventually getting through. Oak joined him close behind. Now outside, they only had to run as far away as possible.

And so they did. They didn't even look back.

At least, that's what they tried to do. Instead, a familiar figure jumped out of the window, falling flat on her face.

"Gosh dang it!" she muttered as she rose to her hooves. Her coat was autumn brown, accented by her golden blonde mane. "Y'all get back here! You know you can't take David with you!"

"He'll get adopted if I don't," replied Oak. "You know how quickly the adults try to take him from here. Without me, he'd be snatched up in the blink of an eye."

"Just ask my dad! He'll keep an eye on David!"

David thrashed in his restraints, unable to break free. Memories flowed through his mind as he tried everything he could to escape.

"Twilight, hold him still!" said Applejack.

"I'm trying!" Twilight replied. "The ropes keep getting weaker and it's getting tiresome casting renewal spells."

David continued to bite down on his ropes. He had to find Dylan, had to find Oak.

"Perhaps music soothes the savage beast?" suggested Rarity.

"In case you haven't noticed, we're kinda short on instruments," replied Dash.

"Darling, I used to help Sweetie Belle go to sleep when she was just a tiny foal. I don't need instruments," Rarity pointed out. In an instant, her horn was lit up, and soothing strings began to play from seemingly out of nowhere. David's thrashing grew weaker as the sad tune reminded him of what he'd done.

"Nice thinking, Rarity!" applauded Twilight.

David's mind tried taking him to a better place...

"Thanks for picking me up," said David. He looked out the window of the cart that carried them through the city. It was too big a place to wander alone.

"No problem. I can't believe her dad had agreed to watch you for your remaining years there," said Oak.

"It's you he hates, not me," replied David. "So, where are we going now?"

"Well, uhh... I don't rightly know, actually. I, uhh... got let go today," said Oak.

"Ya got fired?"

Oak sighed and shook his head. "It's only a temporary setback. There's a few openings at Fullstack's building. We're going to be doing a lot of oddjobs... Hopefully we'll be good at one of them. Lord knows I'm no good out here right now."

Dylan woke up on the somewhat comfortable carpet of his new little hangout. Something felt wrong. Something felt VERY wrong. He could hear screaming...

And it was all too familiar.

Dylan ran out into the storm, seeing the mane six carrying a bound pony. "You're back!" he cried.

Applejack suddenly looked worried. "Uh... H-Hey, Dylan! Ah didn't expect ya to be out in this rain!"

"Yeah, I um... I got a gift from Amber," he said, blushing. "And, uh, it's out here..." He pointed to the mini home.

"Uh huh..." Applejack looked to the small little clubhouse.

"Who's...?" Dylan pointed to the struggling stallion.

"Uh... We don't exactly know. Might have an idea who, though..." Applejack put a hoof on Dylan's should. "I think it's best ya stay outta this business fer now..."

"Why? Is it that bad?" Dylan tilted his head in confusion. "Was Quick Stacks dealt with?"

"Kinda," answered Applejack. "I think we all need to put our heads together to solve things."

"Me, too?" asked Dylan, hopeful.

"Ah said no," replied Applejack. "Now, go on."

Dylan turned and went back inside his present, but he still looked out the window at them. Applejack returned to Twilight and eventually went into the barn before coming back out with a piece of rope. She quickly tied the fresh bonds around the struggling stallion, allowing Twilight to stop repairing the older piece of rope. Nearly collapsing, Twilight put a foreleg around Rainbow Dash to keep her held up.

"Wow, Twilight. You look tired," said Pinkie. "Maybe you should sleep when we get to the castle."

"I'll be fine," said Twilight, panting. "I just need a quick breather."

"So, you can time travel," pointed out Rainbow Dash, "but you can't keep old rope from being broken?"

"Okay, first off," Twilight replied, "That was with special circumstances, not by doing it on my own. Second, I have to visualize that rope being put back together every single time, and it's not like I can just renew it. I'm putting together old pieces that are just too weak to hold."

"Well, with this newer rope, you can take a break," said Applejack with a smile. "Now let's get him back to the castle."

And so they did. It took a while for even the Princess of Friendship to explain to passerby guards that this was a dangerous pony who needed to be questioned, but eventually they made it.

Twilight sat on a couch set up in her room, exhausted. "Okay... So, Mr. Angrypants," she started, "let's try getting answers out of you..."

She lit up her horn in an aura of magic and pressed it to the stallion's forehead.

"Please, be careful," said Fluttershy. "We wouldn't want you to get hurt."

"It's no problem, Fluttershy," replied Twilight with confidence. "It's a simple spell to help me get into his mind." She closed her eyes, and then reopened them again, images appearing in her pupils as memories went through her head.

Author's Note

This was a short chapter, but now I'm back into the swings of things. I'll be doing both alternative updates on Redemption is Magic and Where The Apples Grow, as long as a few updates on other fics in between, following a schedule.

Please, forgive me for forgetting my roots, and I hope regular updates will make up for it. :fluttershysad: