Daughter of the Woods

by Robolestia

Welcome to the Jungle

Applejack looked up, alarmed at the new voice in the air.

"Who’s there?" she demanded. "Show y’self!"

[Whoa, calm down,] the voice said. There was a rustling of foliage above, and Applejack and Twilight looked up to see a rather alien creature descending from a vine that he clung to with one hoof lazily.

Judging by his voice and build, he was a stallion. Beyond that, though, the dryad descending from on high was largely alien. He didn’t seem to have a coat, his skin entirely comprised of sturdy, rough, dark brown bark not unlike a tree; the bark formed plates that shifted and overlapped, with the occasional gap that revealed an underlayer of smoother-looking grain in a similar colour. Where a pony would have a tail, he had something approaching that, only made out of rather uniform long grass.

His head sported a jaunty mane in the same style as his tail, and his face was also covered in bark that culminated in a pair of small, sturdy horns on his brow. And recessed in the eye sockets, two faintly glowing eyes, filled with intelligence and, as the dryad got closer, cheerful amusement.

[Well,] the dryad said, getting off the vine and giving it a tug. With a second rustle of leaves, the vine retreated back into the canopy. [I would ask if you remember me, but I believe the last time I saw you, you were barely the tiniest seed. How you have bloomed, absolutely spectacular.]

"Do you have any idea what he’s saying?" Twilight asked, ears flat. "I can’t understand him."

"I can," Applejack said, surprised. "He’s speaking Equestrian."

[Actually,] the dryad said, [ I'm speaking Dryadese. You just understand our native language thanks to your heritage.]

"What’d he say?" Twilight asked.

"Apparently I speak Dryadese because I’m a dryad," Applejack said.

Twilight hummed. "Racial language? That’s neat. Well, don’t worry about me, I’ll just... tag along."

[So,] the dryad said, bowing his head slightly. [I should introduce myself. Zapp Everfree, brother to the dearly departed Lady Ivy Everfree. Your uncle, and present Lord of the Everfree Forest.]

"Y- you’re my uncle?" Applejack asked.

[Mhmm,] Zapp said. [And it does give me great joy to see my only niece alive and well after all this time. We had thought you lost forever, you know.]

"Ah, well," Applejack looked down at her hooves. "I didn’t rightly know I was lost until a few hours ago. Still can’t believe all this."

Zapp nodded. [Forgive me, but I must demonstrate how poor an uncle I am – what is your name?]

"Oh," Applejack said, surprised. "I’m Applejack. Just Applejack." Applejack gestured at Twilight. "And this is Princess Twilight Sparkle of Equestria. She’s a princess."

[A princess?] Zapp asked, surprised. [My, you do keep lofty company. My niece, Princess’ Consort...]

Applejack blushed violently. "What? No! No, we’re just friends!"

[Of course, that’s what they all say,] Zapp said, grinning slyly and nudging Applejack in the shoulder, before looking down at Applejack’s side. [I don’t wish to insult your intelligence, but were you aware there is a large hole in you? Or is that the style in the Equestrian society these days?]

"No, it’s... a hole." Applejack frowned. "I don’t really know what I’m gonna do with it."

[Well, we should fix that, hmm?] Zapp beckoned to Twilight. [Come, let us find somewhere more out of the way.]

As Zapp beckoned, the foliage to the side of the path parted of its own accord, and formed a rough but definite path further into the woods. Twilight looked at Applejack, who nodded reassuringly, and led the way into the newly formed path, leaving Zapp, who held out a foreleg to Twilight chivalrously, inviting her to follow.

Twilight did so, and Zapp brought up the rear, following the two mares off the path, leaving the foliage to reseal behind them.

* * *

Applejack stepped into a clearing. She could have sworn there was nothing but trees for hundreds of metres in front of her a moment ago, but suddenly, she was standing in a sunny glade, big enough to fit all of the Sweet Apple Acres’ farmhouse and barn into – if it wasn’t already occupied by a massive tree that sprawled across the ground and reached up far into the sky. Applejack craned her neck as she looked up at the top, which looked like it might be just touching the clouds, and wondered why and how it had stayed secret for so long.

[Pure magic,] Zapp’s voice said, as the dryad joined his niece, with Twilight at his side. [That’s our yggdrasil root.]

Applejack blinked. "That? That’s a root?"

[Yep,] Zapp said, [Every dryad forest has a root from the great world tree. As long as it lives, the forest is blessed by Gaia, hidden from mortal eyes, and is sure to prosper, and so on, so forth.]

"So very important, then?" Applejack asked.

[Exceptionally,] Zapp said. [It also serves as a nice, uniform home for dryads. You’ve seen one root, you’ve seen them all, in a sense. A comfort when travelling abroad. Come, this way.]

Zapp lead the two mares towards the base of the root, where a sizable double door was embedded in the wood, intricate carvings adorning them. As Zapp drew near, the doors quivered, and swung open of their own accord, revealing an organic, curved interior to the root, lit by glowing nodules in the wood, like lamps. Twilight looked at the doors and felt like they were watching her back.

"Applejack."

"Hm?"

"These doors don’t have door handles."

[What’s the problem?] Zapp asked brightly.

"Oh, just wonderin’," Applejack said, indicating the doors that were now closing of their own accord, "Th’ doors don’t seem to have no door handles."

[Don’t need them,] Zapp answered. [The doors open and close on their own, and they know who should and shouldn’t be going through them. And at the end of the day, they’re part of the Root, so if they’re closed...]

"We aren’t going anywhere," Applejack finished. "I getcha."

[Don’t sweat it,] Zapp said. [The doors are pretty good, not a lot of reasons to stop people going in and out. Last time they had to lock up was maybe a few decades back, while the timberwolves got ready to scare off a drunk that wandered in.]

"Applejack?" Twilight asked, and the apple farmer blinked as she realized she’d have to break it down.

"Uh, they’re smart doors," Applejack said.

"Oh, alright," Twilight said, accepting the explanation. "Hmm. I should see if I can get a couple for the library, maybe..."

The trio continued on, Zapp clearly leading a somewhat scenic route past relics of interest that had Applejack translating abridged snippets of dryad history to Twilight almost constantly; mostly in the form of wood carvings and sections of tree trunk that literally depicted the relevant scene in the rings.

"Where are we goin'?" Applejack asked Zapp, as she finished relaying the cliff-notes edition of some war long since passed.

[To see the resident court mage of the Everfree,] Zapp said. "It's plain to see that you've not channelled a bit of energy in your life, and you've no bark on you. Which means, as much as I'd love to teach you how to channel your power, I'm not actually sure if you could. You need an expert.]

"And the court mage is... down?"

[She prefers a more... grounded environment to work in,] Zapp said. [Which is unusual, since most dryad mages prefer a more sunlit environment; but our mage isn't like most mages. Here we go.]

The trio came to a halt at a sturdy wood door, which waited a moment before opening with a creak of flexing wood, revealing an unlit chamber with a single, dim light source in the middle, the sound of chanting coming from a huddled silhouette against it.

Zapp bowed, gesturing inwards. [I shall leave you two to the gentle ministrations of Sessalisk,] Zapp said. [It's not every day a long lost niece returns to you, I need to get on the horn to the other forests, get the word out.]

"Sure," Applejack said, nodding, and walked into the darkened chamber, Twilight following suit hesitantly. The door creaked shut behind them, and the light from outside was cut off, plunging the chamber back into almost complete darkness.

[Who approachesss?] a feminine voice hissed, as the huddled shape rose up, and kept on rising, standing tall on an elongated body that had Applejack and Twilight gawking in a mixture of amazement and horror.

"A- Applejack," Applejack said, taking her hat off. "Applejack Apple, Zapp Everfree's niece, or somethin'."

There was a "sss" noise from the tall, shadowed creature as she studied Applejack, which rose in pitch as she seemed to come to a realization; all of a sudden, nodules began to glow on the ceiling of the chamber, revealing a vast room; the walls were lined with shelves and filled with countless tomes with titles indecipherable both metaphorically and literally. The middle of the hardwood floor sported a thick, spiral-pattern rug which was home to a cauldron, the source of the light from before, and the unconcealed form of the thing that had hailed them.

She stood easy five or six foot tall on her tail, which was that of a snake; this lasted up until roughly her midsection, where her body became a more familiar equine shape, her forehooves bent and ready, covered in spiralling, corkscrewing tribal runes that covered her forelegs like sleeves, and stretched across her torso. Her face was less equine, too, her snout more snake-esque in shape, and distinct snake eyes.

"She's a snake," Twilight mumbled, fighting a strong 'flight' reflex. "Why'd she have to be a snake?"

The snake-creature regarded the half-blinded Applejack and Twilight critically, and a smile formed on her face, revealing long fangs in her mouth. "Equesstriansss!" she said in what sounded like awkward Equestrian, with a thick accent and a sibilant hiss, a slender forked tongue flicking out excitedly as she sank low to the ground and slithered quickly over to the pair. "How are you?"

"We're... very well, thank you?" Applejack responded, a little adrift.

"My name a Sssesssalissk," the creature self-introduced in rough Equestrian. "My Equesstria name iss Coconut Lily, I am big fan of Equesstria life, I love the... the... how you say... Princessess. I bow to the Princesss Celesstia every day."

Twilight rubbed her eyes and looked around – now that her eyes were adjusting to the new light, she could see a multitude of posters dotted about the chamber on naked bits of wall; mostly promotional posters for tourism in various parts of Equestria, and several enshrined portrait posters of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna.

"Pleased to meetcha," Applejack said, putting her hat back on and tugging the brim. "Like I said, I'm Applejack, and this is Twilight Sparkle."

[You ssspeak the tongue?] Sessalisk asked, dropping back into a still sibilant, but vastly more fluent speech – Applejack guessed she was actually speaking Dryadese now.

"I understand it," Applejack said. "I did say I was Zapp's niece." Applejack pondered. "Lady Ivy Everfree's daughter, I think? Twilight doesn't, though."

[Lady Ivy?] Sessalisk sat back in surprise, regarding Applejack critically. [Yesss, I sssee it now. You have her eyesss, and...] Sessalisk tilted her head sideways. [I sssuppose that if Lady Ivy were barklesss, sshe might look ssomething like you...]

"Thanks?"

[And yet...] Sessalisk straightened her head again. [You look like an Equesstrian... could it be true, then? That she...]

"Um," Twilight put a hoof up. "I don't want to be rude, but... we were getting along pretty well in Equestrian for a moment there, and then..."

"Ah, yes," Sessalisk said, her fluency taking a hit as she turned to look at Twilight. "I am guesssing we should be ssspeaking... how you say, the common language. Forgiving me of poor ssspeech," Sessalisk apologized. "I am not to be getting much chance for practice. Is problem."

"No problem," Twilight said. "You speak it pretty well for... well."

"Pretty well for Naga living under Yigdrasssil root, yess?" Sessalisk laughed. "But thiss iss not being sssocial visssit, I think."

"That's about right," Applejack said, pointing to the hole in her side. "I'm sportin' this lil' fashion statement here, and Uncle Zapp said somethin' about channellin' energy."

[Of course,] Sesalisk said, defaulting to Dryadese on reflex, then switching back to Equestrian. "I help with that. Come, sssit."

"Is this energy channelling... universal?" Twilight asked. "Or is a dryad-only thing?"

"Dryad energy channelling isss... how you say, unique, to dryad race," Sessalisk explained, waving a hoof gently as Applejack had a seat next to the cauldron. "Energy come not from within, but from the earth. And earth insside dryad, you sssee?"

Twilight nodded. "I see." She eyed the books, tomes and scrolls lining the walls. "Mind if I look at the library, then?"

"Isss free country like glorious Equesstria," Sessalisk invited, gesturing. "But all bookss written in dryad language."

Twilight nodded, and plucked a book off at random; as the spine tilted to face Applejack, she found the symbols shift and blur into what looked like plain Equestrian. It was just a problem that the book seemed to be titled "Maintenance and Repair of Woldwardens: Volume III", so it'd be gibberish to Applejack anyway.

[Look thiss way, Lady Applejack,] Sessalisk said, speaking fully in Dryadese now and getting the orange pony's attention. [Channelling iss a fundamental ssskill; without it, you cannot hope to gain any power, authority or ressspect.]

"Will it heal this hole in m' side?" Applejack asked.

[As well ass other thingss,] Sessalisk said. [Lean forward, I ssshall divine the nature of your power.]

Applejack did so, and Sessalisk leaned forward, placing a cold, scaly hoof on Applejack's forehead, closing her own eyes as she did so. She hummed to herself, breathing deeply, and lifted the hoof away after a moment of concentration.

[You have never once channelled your power,] Sessalisk assessed. [Many dryad channel at leasst once before reaching maturity, even if only by accident.]

"Well, some ponies are just late bloomers," Applejack said dismissively.

[Thiss iss true,] Sessalisk said. [But for dryad, it meanss your first channel will be sssomething of a release; I can help you control it, but it will still be a wild releasse of energy as your body getss used to it.]

"So, basically, I could explode if I channel for the first time?"

[Only if I were not helping you,] Sessalisk said. [It is probably good that you have not channelled in that ssense, Equesstria would not be used to exploding poniesss.]

"I dunno," Applejack said, looking at Twilight. "Some of us exploded when we first used proper magic."

"Why are you looking at me?" Twilight asked.

"One of us turned her parents into pot plants."

"We don't talk about that!"

[I ssee,] Sessalisk said, still talking Dryadese. [So Equesstriansss have channelling jitterss, too. I didn't know thiss, thank you.]

"You're welcome," Applejack said. "So, to channel, what do I do?"

[Normally, we approach the first channelling ssslower than thiss,] Sessalisk said. [But you are Lady Ivy'ss ssap and bark – the time to prove your inheritance will sssurely come ssswiftly, so you musst sswiftly masster at leasst a token demonsstration of power.]

"How hard can it be?" Applejack asked.

[Firsst, you musst empty your mind,] Sessalisk said. [In time, you will be able to channel your power without thinking. But novicess ussually find it eassier to concentrate.]

"And then?"

[And then, will the power to risse up from within,] Sessalisk continued, gesturing with a hoof. [It iss different for all dryad, ssome visualize manifest energy, otherss visualize fire, a growing tree...]

Applejack closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and held it as she tried drawing imaginary lightning out of her diaphragm, gut tensing.

[Do not force it,] Sessalisk said. [Yiggdrassil's gift is to be coaxed out, not pulled out like a turnip. Vissualize it... perhapsss, flowing out of a jug and into a mould,] Sessalisk said. [The mould iss how you want to usse it, and the energy flowss like your Equestrian cider.]

Applejack stopped straining, and tried again; this time she tried the pouring imagery, imagining an apple-shaped mould for the heck of it, and frowned slightly when nothing happened.

[You have not cassted before,] Sessalisk said, noting the frustration. [This iss natural, it takess a few channellingss for the energy to flow ass it should. Just visualize and-]

Applejack gasped as she felt something shift inside of her, and her cheeks flushed. She opened her eyes, and Sessalisk was smiling knowingly.

[It feelss ass if someone hass turned a tap inside you, no?]

"A mite uncomfortable," Applejack said.

[Keep channelling, but brace yoursself,] Sessalisk said. [The flow will rapidly intenssify. I will be right here with you.]

"You mean this isn't the-" Applejack stopped mid-sentence as the warm trickling sensation turned into a rushing warmth, as if a tap had been opened all the way up.

And it spread through her, warming her body like sunlight would a leaf; all around her, the world began to glow in response, and she saw veins of energy flowing through the yigdrasil around her and beyond, lines tracing through the dark; they cris-crossed all over Sessalisk in artificial-looking ruinic shapes, and Applejack noted that the ley-lines seemed brighter around Twilight, as if paying attention to her out of curiosity.

She felt the warmth centre itself on her midsection, and she spared a glance at her side; the hole was rapidly closing in and filling up with a strange, tingling sensation, layers of fresh wood-flesh covered by fresh skin that practically rippled as it was covered in turn with orange coat, as if she'd never been skewered. And elsewhere in her body, she felt aches from the early morning's work fade, and her teeth shift ever so slightly as they straightened a touch.

And then she felt the energy bottom out; the tap kept on pouring ever harder, and yet it had nowhere to go. She wanted to say something, but she felt like if she opened her mouth, the energy would spill out, along with everything inside her. She closed her eyes, and began to feel the burn, pushing and straining at everything she was, the energy just looking for a way out, a purpose.

[I'm right here,] Sessalisk reminded. [It's okay, let it all go. Ssshare your burden with me, Lady Applejack.]

Applejack let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding, and the energy flowed with it, into the hooves touching her shoulders and into Sessalisk; the naga siphoned energy like a straw sucked up thickshake, but after a moment, the pain was back, and Sessalisk seemed like she, too, was having trouble dealing with the energy, her tattoos glowing with electric blue power that they struggled to contain.

"Too much!" Applejack grunted, pitching forward and hugging herself tightly, panting in pain, her hat falling off her head as she rocked.

Sessalisk gasped in pain, and her hooves left Applejack's shoulders, the naga wringing them as she grimaced, her tattoos leaving luminescent contrails of energy as she did. She looked around frantically, and spotted a box on a shelf, dusty with disuse; flinging out a hoof and shouting a command in something similar to Dryadese, the box was yanked towards her at high velocity, and Sessalisk caught it, opening it up.

On the inside, there was a lump of dark stone; where all around them there were ley lines, veins of energy, there was a growing area around the stone that quickly went dark. Sessalisk could feel her own power ebbing as she held the stone, the electric blue tattoos fading back to a more normal black, and she touched it to Applejack's arm with determination.

Applejack's pain did not visibly lessen, although the stone began to grow warm. Sessalisk's eyes went wide as she ballparked the power Applejack was producing; truly, she was Ivy's daughter.

And then there was another shout of pain, followed by a thump and the scuttling of hooves; Sessalisk looked behind her to see Twilight on her side on the ground, kicking herself in circles in a vain attempt to dislodge what seemed to be a vicious headache, judging by the two hooves violently clamped on her temples and horn. Twilight finally turned to face Sessalisk and saw what she was holding – Twilight tried to open her mouth to say something, and immediately vomited.

And then Applejack started screaming, too, and Sessalisk watched in amazement as the mare underwent a dramatic transformation; all over her orange coat, it was starting to tent up with pressure from underneath, and shards of bark began to force their way through; there was no blood, the skin just seemingly splitting indefinitely to accommodate the growing bark, which proceeded to cover Applejack all over, spreading like wildfire as the mare cried out in agony. Her tail and mane took on an earthy tone as vegetation began to spread through it, and in no time at all her "hair" had become something not unlike tussock grass. It spread to her face, and covered her eyes rapidly, forming "eyelids" of bark, which split open to reveal recessed, lambent orbs of green light the same color as her eyes. The bark converged on her forehead, and with a cracking of wood, two horns forced their way out of her brow, forming two-pointed, forked horns.

And then Applejack stopped screaming, looking as if she was seeing for the first time, taking cautious breaths as she seemed to calm down; as quickly as it had manifested, the bark began to crumble, falling off Applejack to reveal intact coat underneath, and into evaporating dust on the ground, tussock falling out in clumps as a natural tail and mane returned to their home.

Sessalisk nodded, and put the rock back in the case, closing it. As soon as she did, the agonized moaning coming from Twilight dropped away, and the mare lay there for a moment, tentatively letting her head go and sitting up, looking around.

"Is every late-bloomer's first channeling always so rough?" Applejack asked, panting. "And what the heck just happened to me?"

[It is not alwayss sso rough,] Sessalisk said. [None have channelled sso late in life as you have, nor have they delayed channelling with ssuch innate power. It could easily have been worsse.]

"What did the rock do?" Applejack asked, staying down for a moment. "It felt like an ice cube."

"Orichalcum," Twilight groaned, sitting upright properly once more and wiping her mouth with the back of her hoof.

"Ori-what-now?" Applejack asked.

"Orichalcum," Twilight repeated, more slowly. "Anti-magic ore. Acts as a sink for any form of mana energy. Like your..." Twilight gestured with a hoof at Applejack. "Your dryad channelling."

"Are you alright?" Applejack asked, realizing that Twilight wasn't exactly in top form all of a sudden.

"No, I am not alright," Twilight said. "I just got exposed to the biggest bucking lump of orichalcum I've ever seen. Felt like my brain was on fire and somepony was cutting through it with a rusty hacksaw." Twilight hunched over, breathing deep, and when Applejack sat up to ask, Twilight interrupted her with a waved hoof. "Sorry, I'll be fine. Just... give me a moment."

"Apologiess," Sessalisk said in Equestrian, bowing. "I had to do ssomething, I forgot that one of uss wass of unicorn."

"You still didn't answer my other question," Applejack said, standing upright again and stretching. "What happened at the end there? Was that what I thought it was?"

"I've never sseen it before," Sessalisk admitted in Equestrian again, shrugging. "My guess... your dryad nature iss buried under the Equestrian ssshell, along with your power. If you channel more, it will probably return more eassily, and for longer."

"So the more I channel my dryad magic, the more dryad I become?"

"Essssentially," Sessalisk said.

Applejack looked at her leg, and frowned. She flinched as the prickly sensation of bark flowed through her leg, and grimaced as she watched bark overtake it, forming the wood-plated leg of a dryad attached to her normally equine shoulder. She gave it a flex, tapping it on the ground, before relaxing, and watching her regular coat return.

[Interessting,] Sessalisk said, observing carefully. [You have inherited Lady Ivy'ss talent, it is certain. Few can channel sso precissely sso ssoon. None ass quick ass you.]

"You really admired Lady Ivy, didn't you?" Applejack asked.

"It is true," Sessalisk said, before switching back to Equestrian for Twilight's beneft. "Lady Ivy wass remarkable in every way. Sshe was sstrong, wisse, and kind. She take me in, train me and give me power to channel," Sessalisk said, indicating the spiralling tattoos through her coat. "I wass honored to be her court mage when she pick me, and honoured just now to be here for her daughter's first channel." Sessalisk bowed her head. "It was tragedy that sshe wass killed by Equestrians." Sessalisk shrugged. "Sstill, there must be ssome decent Equesstrianss worth ssaving out there, like Twilight and the oness that raissed you."

"Wait, what?" Twilight's horn glowed as she got up finally, and with an erratic spark, the vomit and mess of a moment before vanished, cleaned by still-shaky magic. "Killed by Equestrians?"

"Yes," Sessalisk said. "I know Equesstrianss are so mortal, more mortal than naga, so I sshall elaborate. Almosst sseventy yearss ago, there wass widespread debate between dryad communess regarding Equesstria and whether we sshould bother to sshow ourselvess to them again – not since our alliance with Hurricane and lossess to Platinum have we interacted with ponykind."

Sessalisk closed her eyes as she recalled fond memories of the past. "Lady Ivy Everfree, blesss her ssoul, believed in the good that Equesstria had to offer, and wass on her way to make treaty with the poniess living jusst beyond the foresst." Sessalisk paused. "Her brother, Zapp Everfree, go after her, fearing that the poniess would be cruel and attack her on ssight with fire and lightning, ass they did to their ancestorss before." Sessalisk shook her head. "But he was too late. By the time he find her, apparently sshe had been attacked by a ssscouting party of poniess with axess, and burned." Sessalisk nodded a head at Applejack. "They musst have thought your sseed to be food or ssome ssuch."

"What... What a load of hogwash," Applejack hissed. "I have never- Ponyville ponies never attacked Lady Ivy! There was never a scouting party!" Applejack stamped a hoof. "Granny Smith was the one who found Ivy, and she'd already been attacked by somethin' that tore off her leg! She was dyin', and she gave Granny Smith my... my seed."

"That's what sshe claimss," Sessalisk said. "Would sshe tell you the truth? Perhaps sshe killed your mother?"

"She was only a little filly of ten at the time!" Applejack exclaimed. "Would Lady Ivy be laid low by a hungry little filly?"

"I- no, sshe wouldn't," Sessalisk admitted. "No. Sso... why would Zapp Everfree..."

"Zapp was next in line when Ivy passed on, right?" Twilight asked, interjecting. "If so, then..."

"You sayin' my uncle killed my mother jus' so he could be 'Lord Everfree'?" Applejack asked hotly.

"You've known him for all of half an hour, now!" Twilght said hotly. "You remember what Granny Smith said – Ivy had been savaged by something! What somethings serve dryads? Timberwolves! What if the trees were Zapp's way of trying to make Granny Smith go away?"

"This is crazy," Applejack said, shaking her head. "This can't be it, who would... his sister! What sort of pony would kill his sister for somethin' like that?"

"Not a pony, dear Applejack," a cold voice said. "A dryad lord tired of waiting for what was rightly his."

Author's Note:

Handwavium, the chapter. I'm sorry.

Comments

[Woolytop]

*imagines Zapp literally using a horn to communicate with other dryads*
Well this escalated quickly.

[Sea_Swirl]

Wow so Awesome! So... if AJ is like... the daughter of the Queen... doesn't that give her the right to take back the throne? geez I hope her uncle isn't going to try to hurt her!

[Inthretis]

So... Hamlet, but with tree ponies. And suddenly Applejack's predicament became embroiled in Dryad politics half an hour after figuring out she was a plant. Hooray!

[Pen Expers]

I haven't seen this premise before. You have my attention.

[BoundlessImagination]

5234600

Applejack is a tree.
Applejack is a tree!

Applejack is a treeeeeeee.

[Maran]

Granny Smith is more of a mother to Applejack than anyone, since she took care of her seed and shrub for all those years.

AJ seems to be taking all of this fairly well. But she is AJ.

And I'd totally believe Granny before I believed these strange forest creatures. Looks like AJ's life could be in danger if she's next in line for the throne.

[ThatOneHybridFusion]

[Pure magic,] Zapp’s voice said, as the dryad joined his niece, with Twilight at his side. [That’s our yggdrasil root.]

Applejack blinked. "That? That’s a root?"

[Yep,] Zapp said, [Every dryad forest has a root from the great world tree. As long as it lives, the forest is blessed by Gaia, hidden from mortal eyes, and is sure to prosper, and so on, so forth.]

I honestly love it when I get a drop of Norse mythology with my ponies.