"As the very embodiment of life itself they roamed the earth, one with the land, life wildly sprouting and flourishing everywhere they tread. Rumors with long lost origins tell their essence still inhabits the forests of Everfree."
- Starswirl the Bearded, Notes on the Everfree
Nopony in the scientific community knows exactly when the Everfree Forest appeared.
Legend has it that the Forest was formed over a thousand years ago, when Nightmare Moon was banished.
But in truth, the Everfree may have existed long before then. Long before Equestria's founding and the coming of the Windigos. Long before the first Hearth's Warming. Long before ponies even knew of the land that they would call home. Back in those days of yore, the Deer Tribes and the Dragons reigned over the wilderness. And yet, there was another presence in that forest. A presence that many believe has existed ever since the beginning of time itself.
The Dryad is a nature spirit that resides in the plants it tends to and in the wilderness it protects. They stalk the woods in the night and spend the days sunning themselves in clearings. Life for the Dryad was simple: stop the Deer and Timberwolves from their skirmishing, prevent the forest fires that occur regularly with Dragon-keeping, help the Forest with its every need. It seemed a lot of work, but for the dryads, this was but everyday life in a forest lush with life. But when the ponies came, all was different.
Trees were no longer homes, they were resources. The ancient plants were now timber to be used to build ugly, boxy houses. Clearings grew bigger; the unstoppable Forest was now restricted to where the ponies found it convenient. The Deer retreated into the Heart of the Forest. The Dragons left for the distant mountains. The Timberwolf packs were decimated, facing extinction. And as for the guardians, the Dryads, they seemingly vanished altogether.
Ponies rarely caught sight of the gaunt figures, and when they did, they fabricated stories about the spirits of the Everfree. The boogeymare, the Slendermane, all based off these once innocent and peaceful creatures. Creatures who wanted nothing more than to preserve what they had been entrusted with for eons and to help the ponies see the errors in their ways. That never happened. And all the Dryads felt was weakness.
ROOTS