The two ponies walked the steady path toward Sweet Apple Acres, the warmth of the sun caught by the wind and swiftly drifting over them. Forest smiled as he thought of the gardening he could finally begin at the tree house, now that the weather was suitable. Twilight shook herself, the sudden warmth surprising her body. She had been in the cold for only a few days, but her body had adapted to it. Now that it was warmer, her body had to make a sudden turn around.
“We’re almost there, be ready” said Forest, his stare narrowing and his face becoming a stern serious look once more. Twilight kept her pace, but her mind began racing like a hamster in its wheel. What was he expecting to find at Sweet Apple Acres? What could be so dangerous that it would make even this strange pony stern? She decided it best not to ask, and simply followed his orders, preparing herself for what was to come.
They came up to an archway hung over a pathway, leading toward the barn. In front of the barn was Applejack, who had not noticed her visitors as she stared out into the desecrate field of dead apple trees. She sighed, looking down to the ground, a small tear escaping her deep emerald eyes. As Twilight and Forest walked slowly toward her, Twilight accidently stepped on a stray twig on the path, a loud crack ringing out and alerting Applejack of their presence.
She jolted up, looking deeply into Twilight’s eyes, the sorrow in her heart evident in the heavy expression on her face. She tweaked a smile, and looked over at the stranger. Twilight watched as the two stared into each other’s eyes. As Applejack continued to stare, she too found she was lost in the gold irises of his eyes, unable to stop staring until he broke it himself by walking toward her. She shook her head, recovering from the daze, and stood up on all fours.
“Who is this Twilight?” asked Applejack, giving Forest a confused look as he walked past her and into the orchard. Twilight began following him, beckoning for Applejack to do the same. As Applejack trotted up to her, Twilight began explaining all the events that had happened before, keeping note of the things that Forest had done. “And now he is here to fix the orchard!” she finished as they entered the clearing, a little too loudly.
Forest turned to them, evidently having heard Twilight’s outburst. However, he pretended that he had not heard it, seeing the excited looks on their faces. He put his front left hoof forward, striking the ground hard, causing pulses to resonate outward like ripples in the sea. The ground rumbled under their feet as the pulses stretched out to the edges of the orchard. Once the rumbling stopped, Forest lifted his front hoof, and slammed it back down.
This time, the pulses were extremely intense, the energy inside them visible above the ground as large white circles, expanding and spreading outward. The rumbling was louder now, and the two mares lay on the ground thinking that an earthquake had begun. “This is how he fixes dead orchards?! By toppling all the trees with an earthquake?!” Applejack shouted over the noise. Twilight shrugged, just as confused, staring at the strange pony that didn’t seem to react at all.
The rumbling finally subsided, allowing the two mares to finally stand up. Applejack’s face lit up as she looked around the clearing. The trees in the clearing were now bright green, and the apples a delicious red. She was speechless, cantering around the clearing to look over all the trees. Somehow, the earthquake caused all the trees to revive themselves. She turned to Forest, staring at him for some time before leaping over and hugging him.
“Thank you so much kind sir! Ah don’t know how ah could ever repay you!” she shouted, her eyes pouring tears of joy from their sockets. Forest simply smiled, patting her on the back with his hoof. “You don’t need to thank me. How else could I get suitable apples to eat?” he replied, comforting her before breaking up the hug. Applejack smiled, looking over at Twilight and nodding. The two mares smiled at each other and began heading back to the barn.
Suddenly, Twilight stopped walking. “Mr Forest? Would you like to come and meet everypony with us? I’m sure they’d love to get to know the…” she said, interrupted by a sudden gust of cold wind. She flew back, along with Applejack and Forest, the cold wind striking against their coats. Forest jumped onto his hooves, looking around for the source of the sudden burst of cold. He didn’t need to look far however, as the answer was right in front of him.
Standing in the centre of the clearing was a tall being, a two-legged creature from the looks of it. It had green skin, and its hair was made of thick green vines that weaved all over her body. She looked down at the three ponies, her face mixed with anger and disgust. “How dare you! You have undone everything!” she screeched, her voice just as cold as the gust of wind that had hit them just before. Applejack stood back a bit, letting Twilight in front of her.
Forest, however, stood firm, a determined look on his face as he stepped forward. “What are you, vile creature?” he asked her, his tone precise and strict. She smiled, her wooden teeth spread evenly in a devilish grin. “I am a dryad, and I have taken control of Nature in this land! I shall bring pain upon these ponies, who think themselves commanders over weather! Ha!” she continued to screech, Applejack continuing to cower behind Twilight, who was just as frightened.
“You shall not torment these ponies any longer, dryad!” Forest shouted, his voice echoing across the clearing. The dryad was taken aback, and looked deeply into Forest’s eyes, her face becoming paler as she began to see what she was up against. “You, you are a dryad as well! But your soul is in the pitiful body of a pony” she wailed, her voice giving away her fear. Forest looked down at the ground, finally realising what he was. Finally finding the missing piece of the puzzle.
He looked up, looking into the creature’s eyes, now realising his most powerful ability; command. His golden irises began glowing as he stared intently into the dryad’s. She began wailing and screeching, filling the air with vile noises that could wake the dead. She began shrivelling down, shrinking slowly but surely. Soon, all that was left of her was a pile of leaves, and a sudden gust of warm wind blew them away, into the trees. The being responsible for all the hardships the ponies had faced was now gone. And now, Forest could return home, with new friends, new hopes, and a couple seeds to put in his garden.
The End