The Everfree Forests holds many secrets, one such secret is a sacred grotto, the home of the wood nymphs. Equestrian wood nymphs are exceptionally rare, thought to be mere myth and the things of fairy tales. These nymphs act on Gia’s behalf; they ensured the forest was healthy and strong, using their magic to keep as much outside influence out of their forest.
The nymphs act in secret, whenever somepony enters their forest that pony has captured their attention. They watch from the shadows, judging the trespasser as they move the tree’s branches in a way to scare off the pony. If they insist, they send forth a monster to give chase. The forest is their territory, none are welcome, and few are tolerated, with one exception.
Years ago a zebra entered their lands; her magic seemed to sway with the forest’s magic as to not disturb the natural ebb and flow of energy. The nymphs watched curiously, it was a pony but did not behave like a pony. Not knowing what to do, they flitted about as they had always done and tried to scare her off. Instead the zebra would chuckle, the tone soothing to the plants and the trees.
They watched as she gathered the various herbs and berries, the same kinds they often ate themselves, and mixed them together in a strange concoction and set a few bowls in the lower branches before moving on. Several nymphs remained behind as the others followed her, curious on what she placed in the trees.
The sweet smell was enticing, and it wasn’t long before it was sampled by one of the nymphs. It fluttered its wings in excitement and chittered to the others before slurping more from the bowl. Others soon followed its example and fell victim to the sweet taste. That night in the sacred grotto they spoke of the newcomer and allowed others to taste of the offering.
Most of them agreed, if the newcomer would provide such offerings daily then she would be allowed to stay. Their leader, King, and several others were against the idea. No outsiders were allowed to live in the woods, and they would take it upon themselves to remove the outsider.
For three days the zebra left more offerings in the forest, yet the nymphs were forbidden to partake in them by word of King. King and the others behind him watched the outsider to find any weakness to exploit, but none was found. The sky overhead grew darker by the minute; a rain was going to arrive. King and the others returned to the grotto, unaware they were being followed from a distance.
That night they discussed further action, perhaps sending several of the wildlife to deal with her. Lightning flashed overhead, drawing several wary glances towards the dark sky, one even flashed nearby with a deafening boom. The nymphs huddled together in their small shelters as the rain fell hard, but something wasn’t right, the trees were in pain when they should have been filled with joy.
The grotto grew lighter as though the midday sun was filtering through the branches, but the light flickered and wavered angrily. As they went to investigate, screams of panic filled the air. Wildfire wasn’t uncommon for the forest, it happened nearly every summer, but never had the fire been so close to their home. They used their earthly magic to adjust the flow of the rain to focus on the fire, but it was already so hot the rain evaporated before it could douse the flames.
A voice cut through the cries of panic, telling them to move the trees, bushes, and grasses away from the flame’s tongue. Having received no other word they followed the voice’s words and commanded the trees to move from their planted soil. There was much protest, but the trees and bushes abandoned their own homes with hope of being spared the pain of fire.
A cloaked figure rushed forward, digging hooves into the upheaved soil and throwing it on the flames. King saw this, the stranger working to protect not only their home, but the forest as well. In that moment something changed in King, a mutual respect for the stranger. He ordered his children to assist; they moved the great roots of the trees to quickly bury the flames. The few trees that were already engulfed were mourned, as they waited for the rain to put them out through the night.
After the fire, King spoke to the newcomer at length, even going so far as to reward her with a tree shelter for her efforts with the fire, and as apology for thinking so poorly of her. She took it in stride and prepared a feast for him and his people, and from that day they mutually worked together with the forest.
Then one day another newcomer arrived in their grotto. For any creature to know the location of their grotto was at times unheard of, but there are very few exceptions. Namely if someone had visited in the past, the forest would allow them to visit it again, for the memory of the forest is even longer than the memory of the nymphs. As a species of Fey, the wood nymphs of the forest lived on average about two hundred years, while other species, especially sub-planar ones, could be considered timeless. King sat across from one such being today.
“You have to listen to me, there is darkness coming to this land and you must take caution against it!” The creature squeaked in the language of Fey.
King regarded the visitor skeptically, he still disliked outsiders but Zecora had made him open up a little, and the fact that this being knew the location of the grotto and the forest recognized it allowed him to sit and listen to what it had come to say, but he still doubted it’s words.
King shook his head, “If something is to come that will affect the forest, we would know immediately.”
“It’s not just your forest, the barriers of the world are weakening, something is coming that will destroy everything. I have already confirmed with the other ancients that what I feel is true. Even now messengers are being sent to the alicorns and other leaders around the world. I only hope that the mortals will heed the warnings, and I hope you all do as well.” It said.
King hummed in thought, thinking back to his time with Zecora. “I do not heed strangers, yet you are familiar with these lands. Tell me of last you were here and a bit about yourself as well. I will listen, and then I shall make my ruling.”
“Well it’s better than nothing, fine. I am the breezie Tatl, one of the few born of the energy of the planes. As a planar being I can travel between many worlds and take various forms. Here, a breezie. Each world has its own species of fey that I can imitate. I have seen and experienced much, even spoken to gods themselves.
“When last I visited this forest, it was merely the size of a large farm, and well before the birth of the alicorns sisters. I would travel the world with the breezies, floating effortlessly on the winds across the great planes. We settled down in the small wood one night and I met those that came before you. River, Birch, and Leaf would dance and play with us the most, it was a fun time. After that we continued on our way. I myself would often visit other worlds seeking adventure and fun, making friends across the realms.
“It was on one world, however, with a fey I called brother encountered a being that later got hold of a powerful artifact containing the evil of an elder god. I teamed up with someone chosen by the goddess of time herself to defeat the evil.
“It was during this time that I learned I could be so much more than a spirit flittering about for fun. I became a cleric, a vessel for one of the gods to fight against evil in my own right. It hasn’t been long since I have been a cleric, only about… eighty equestrian years? Give or take, but I’ve been working hard; there is a lot of stuff out there that simply wants to destroy existence.” She said.
King nodded, “And how do you propose we prepare for this disaster?”
“First I would like to bless the grotto to protect it from evil, and I would like the forest itself to be ready to combat hostiles, more than it currently is. I’ll also place wards around the forest to help protect it as well.”
“I see… and if this event does not come to pass?” King asked.
“Then we got lucky, but as it stands now, within another month or two things will begin to slip into this world.”
“What kind of things?”
“Things that are incomprehensible to any but the gods themselves.”
King sighed, “Do what you must, should these events be true then doing nothing will doom these lands.”
“Thank you. It will take a week or two to complete the wards.” She said with a bow and fluttered out of the hole in the tree which served as King’s residence in the grotto.
She hovered effortlessly in the center of the sacred place, taking in approximate measurements. She focused, her body glowing like a bright ball as she flitted about in a quick pattern. The streaks of light hung in the air like a sigil and pulsed with power. A barrier of a soft gold radiated outward in a spherical shape to encompass the entire grotto before fading.
“There, the primary barrier is set, it will keep evil at bay, but everything else is free to cross.” Where the barrier came into contact with anything a thin gold line appears, and as Tatl departed she too glowed golden for a brief moment.
Two weeks have passed, and the forest has become overrun with plague. The larger and older trees were able to resist it much longer than the younger saplings, but it still spread faster than wildfire. Several nymphs were unfortunate enough to come into contact with the substance. They could only scream in pain as it spread along their body before melting them into a puddle.
Tatl hovered in the center of the grotto, feeding as much power as she could into her barrier. Whatever the plague was, it could not penetrate the barrier, but it would eventually. The nymphs could only look on solemnly, their magic useless against the corruption. King gathered his most trusted brothers and sisters and had them gather the seedling pods, the birth chambers of nymphs filled with the next generation.
“The way above is still clear; I trust you all with our future. Fly high, fly fast, find the one the animals call Caretaker. She may fear our woods, but her soul is full of kindness. Go to her, and do not return for us.” They nodded solemnly and prepared to take flight as King addressed the others. “The rest of you should flee to the Caretaker as well if you can. I will remain here, as it is my duty to watch over the forest as king. If you wish to remain by my side, we will die an honorable death. May one day this forest be cleansed and our children return home once more.”
He turned to Tatl, “Make sure they get to safety.”
She shook her head, “No! I can keep the barrier up yet! It’s too soon to give up!”
“I would ensure the safety of as many of my children as I can before I see you succumb to fatigue and perish with us all.”
Tatl looked between King and the others that were ready to go, to the line that stood behind king ready to face death with honor. She could feel her strength draining, perhaps she could last another day, maybe less, but in the end King was right. The corruption grows stronger over time, and before long she would be too weak to guide the young to safety.
She nodded, “Farewell, King, we will remember your sacrifice for eternity.” The glow of the barrier changed, forming a cylinder to above the canopy, pushing the corrupted branches aside until it reached the open air.
“Alright, it’s time to go everyone.” The nymphs carrying the pods and the young flew out above as high as they could. Tatl took one look back at the others who remained. “Goodbye, King.”
She too flew after the others, leaving enough energy in the barrier to last a few more minutes. King and the others looked on with courage as the barrier faded, witnessing their home for thousands of years fall to the plague. Only in their final moment when the pain was too much did they cry out, thankfully none were nearby to hear.
Tatl flew far above the trees with the other nymphs, they feared the open air for predators but they feared the blacked trees far below even more. They flew swiftly and with purpose, a small swarm against the endless sky, all silent but the flittering of their wings as they headed to the home of the Caretaker. They could only hope that they had the strength for the journey.