The Sparkle Essays

by food food food

On the History and Geography of the Everfree Forest (To be Edited)

On the History and Geography of the Everfree Forest

A Short Essay by Twilight Sparkle

In the land of Equestria, a nation of peace and harmony, there is a place where evil still lurks. Where Timberwolves howl into the night and Manticores roam wild. Where Ursas lurk in dark caves and the remnants of Old Equestria lie abandoned, like ghosts among the trees.

The Everfree Forest is wild, untamed, and dangerous. It is a place shrouded in myth and mystery where the tales of monsters and malice are all too real. The night is dark and full of terrors, though the days offer neither refuge nor relief. It is often said that the Everfree itself is alive and filled with malice, and that anypony that wanders into the depths of the forest will fall victim to its inescapable embrace. For anypony that goes into the Everfree never comes out.

This is a falsehood of course. A colorful lie meant to warn young foals. It is true that the Everfree is a largely uncharted area of wilderness, exhibiting unusual topographical, atmographical, and magical characteristics, though many of the legends that surround the forest are entirely false. While fantastical creatures such as hydras and cockatrices may be native to the forest, claims of necromancers, sea ponies, and sentient trees are unsubstantiated old mare’s tales.

As for the origin of the Everfree Forest, much of that lies beneath myth and superstition as well. Was it the wrath of the Draconequine lords of chaos? Did Tartarus itself rend the ground asunder and unleash its horde? Did the Windigos of the sky somehow sow the land with darkness? Or was it always there, the eternal dark heart of Equestria?

From what historians know today, it was none of these things. A thousand years ago before the Equestrian Reneighssance and before the Second Reconstruction, the land now swallowed up by the forest was then known as the Everfree Plains. Stretching from the Unicorn Mountains to the Rambling Rock Ridge and the Macintosh Hills, the Everfree Plains made up the heart of Old Equestria. And though a millennium has passed since its demise, recent discoveries now give insight into the creation of what we now know as the Everfree Forest.

The Everfree Plains were first settled by the Equestrian Alliance of Rightful Tribal Holdings (EARTH), led by Chancellor Puddinghead at the end of the Pre-Classical Era. Puddinghead began the years-long exodus known as the Great Migration after the food stored by the Earth Pony farms in the North began to run out. In the face of the Northern Winter, the Earth Pony Tribes were the first to embark upon the Migration, with an estimated 300,000 to 400,000 ponies in the first wave alone.

After Chancellor Puddinghead’s secretary, Smart Cookie took over the navigation of the Earth Pony tribes, the bulk of EARTH’s settlers crossed the Unicorn Range and spread out to form smaller encampments all over the land they called Equestria. 230,000 ponies made up the initial settlement of Dirtville, which was later renamed Everfree.

Everfree was a lively city of farmers and merchants that thrived off of the fertile Everfree Plains. When the Pegasi and Unicorns first came to Equestria, the citizens of Everfree were content to trade with them, though they still harbored harsh feelings from the forced trade they endured in the North. Thus, it was not unforeseen that when the Northern Winter overtook Equestria, Chancellor Puddinghead denied all trade with Pegasopolis and Unicornia, instead storing the food for later use.

When the First Congress of Canterlot was called, the climate became too cold for the citizens of Everfree. Many of them branched out and formed the cities of Baltimare and Fillydelphia, which became integral city-states upon the founding of the Equestrian Union. After Hearth’s Warming and the retreat of the Windigos and the Northern Winter, Everfree thrived as the largest city in the Equestrian Union. Further waves of refugees from the North bolstered the city’s population to half a million, most of them Earth Ponies.

Everfree’s motto was, “Semper Liberi, Semper Prosperum,” “Ever Free, Ever Prosperous.” And these words held true until Discord began his Reign of Chaos. It is said that in an attempt to stop Discord from taking Everfree, Earth Ponies instead chose to set their fields alight, known as the Razing of the Everfree Plains. This event is now immortalized in stained glass in the Canterlot Royal Palace Grand Hall, with Discord shown dangling ponies over the inferno.

Though there is no evidence showing that Discord was behind the Razing of the Everfree, the city was nearly destroyed in the fire and with it all opposition to Discord’s rule. With Everfree left abandoned, Discord focused instead on the other cities of Equestria, unaware or unconcerned with the remnants of the Equestrian Military that regrouped among the ruins.

Though the exact details remain uncertain, two Alicorns, Celestia and Luna, appeared in Everfree one day and called the Last Congress of Everfree, uniting the forces of Princess Platinum, Commander Hurricane, and Chancellor Puddinghead for an assault on Discord’s fortress atop Mt. Horn. The Battle of Mt. Horn resulted in Celestia and Luna using the newly discovered Elements of Harmony to encase Discord in stone, ending the Reign of Chaos.

With the demise of Discord, Celestia and Luna were named Princesses of the Royal Principality of Equestria, with the reconstructed city of Everfree being named its capital. The First Reconstruction restored Everfree to its former glory and resulted in the building of the Palace of the Royal Pony Sisters, the ruins of which are now located in the heart of the Everfree Forest.

Though Equestria was united into a single nation, the division among its people was never wider. Celestia’s decision to maintain the Unicorn Nobility was extremely unpopular in Everfree. Shortly after the disappearance of the Crystal Empire, Princess Luna underwent a dramatic transformation creating the persona of ‘Nightmare Moon’. Nightmare Moon consolidated her power in Everfree in the months before Nightmare Night, and by the time she launched her coup, Everfree had turned against Celestia entirely.

When Nightmare Night began, Nightmare Moon refused to allow Celestia to raise the Sun. When a crowd gathered in the courtyard of the Palace, Nightmare Moon declared the formation of the New Lunar Republic, a nation ruled not by the ‘Canterlot Elite,’ but solely by their immortal leader, Nightmare Moon.

With the people of the city against her, Princess Celestia was forced to retreat to Canterlot along with those still loyal to her. Chancellor Puddinghead, Smart Cookie, and a thousand other ponies made the midnight ride to Mt. Horn, while Nightmare Moon used her dream walking abilities to terrorize the rest of Equestria.

Everfree then became the capital of the New Lunar Republic, from which Nightmare Moon staged attacks on cities still loyal to Celestia. Nightmare Moon used her ability to enter the dreams of ponies to indoctrinate the populace of Everfree, forming a loyal army of 60,000 soldiers. Though this force was repelled at the Battle of Canterlot, it managed to sack the city of Manehatten a month later.

Two months into the War of Long Night, Nightmare Moon began using dark magic to create additions to her army. She enslaved the Manticores of the Badlands and created Parasprites to devour the supplies of Celestia’s armies. Nightmare Moon released Hydras from Tartarus and enlisted the help of mercenary Dragons, Changelings, and Hounds. Her magic even enchanted the trees of the forest to create the first Timberwolves. After two months her army numbered at least 100,000 strong, though she had lost Cloudsdale only a week before. With her full force assembled, she marched on Canterlot, meeting her sister’s forces on the Everfree Plains.

Celestia’s ‘Solar Army’ was slightly larger than those of the NLR. With the aide of the Griffon Empire to the East and the Buffalo Clans to the West, Celestia’s forces were able to attack the front of Nightmare Moon’s army as the Buffalo and Griffons struck from the flanks. Even with the numerical advantage, however, casualties were expected to number in tens of thousands.

Faced with this, Celestia herself led the attack, defeating dragons and hydras singlehandedly as she fought her way to the Palace where Nightmare Moon resided. In the halls of the Palace, Nightmare Moon and Princess Celestia fought with ancient Alicorn magic, rending the very fabric of Equestria asunder. With the Battle of the Everfree Plains underway and the lives of hundreds of thousands hanging in the balance, Princess Celestia called upon the Elements of Harmony to banish Nightmare Moon, even knowing that her sister, Luna, will suffer the same fate. Nightmare Moon was defeated and her armies surrendered, though Everfree itself lay in ruins.

With the end of the War of Long Night, the city of Everfree, as well as the land around it, lay empty. Its inhabitants scattered to other cities, leaving the wild beasts of Nightmare Moon’s army to reside within the forgotten streets and buildings. During the Second Reconstruction, Everfree was left to the forest that quickly grew around it. The Everfree Forest was born, swallowing the remnants of Old Equestria in darkness.

Few ponies dare enter this forest. Even after a thousand years, the area once home to the greatest city in Equestria can now only be described as an anomaly. Whether it was the Alicorn magic used in the Battle of the Everfree Plains or the strange powers released by the Elements of Harmony, the Everfree Forest defies the laws of physics and magic that govern the rest of Equestria. Weather patterns are erratic and unpredictable while the animals roam wild; many of them being feral.

Of the mapped portions of the forest, several locations have been described that lend credence to the destruction caused by the clash of Nightmare Moon and Princess Celestia. The Ghastly Gorge is a formation partially extending into the forest that is not seen on maps predating the War of Long Night. Local legend tells that Nightmare Moon attempted to use dark magic to wipe out Celestia, though Celestia dodged the attack, the spell caused the land itself to tear open. Though this is merely a myth, it offers explanation to the strange aspects of the Gorge, namely the bizarre Quarray Eels that inhabit its walls.

Also located alongside the forest is Froggy Bottom Bogg, so named for the massive amounts of amphibians that inhabit the swamplands there. Though it is not as wild as the rest of the Everfree, the Bogg is known to have strange creatures lurking through the murky water. Caution is a pony’s best asset among the Everfree.

As for the rest of the forest, little is known. Expeditions into the Everfree are dangerous and the features mapped by one scouting party often do not match those of another. Fear of the unknown keeps most ponies well away from the forest. As for what is known, the Everfree is a place to avoid, for the night is dark and full of terrors and the dawn brings no peace.

Author's Note:

Sorry this one took so long. I wanted to expand on the details introduced by the earlier essays in order to develop an actual timeline in which most of the events take place. I try to stick to the official Hasbro map and the source material in order to make it seem more in line with the show, but if there are any criticisms, I would gladly welcome them.
-Edit 7/14/2013 Title Change, nothing else

Comments

[FanOfMostEverything]

Fantastic stuff here, from the history of the region to the sisters' different tactics during the War of Long Night. Only one problem: Look carefully at "Equestrian Alliance of Tribal Holdings." There's no R between the first letters of "Alliance" and "Tribal," so the acronym doesn't actually work. Consider adding "Rightful" or another adjective that starts with R. Just a nitpick, I know, but that sort of thing bugs me.

Oh, and one other thing:

Oh, give me a home
Where the manticores roam
And the animals can't be controlled.
Where plants can play pranks
And you're up to your flanks
In danger during every stroll.
Home, home in the woods
Where for ponies there is nothing good.
But for monsters, you see,
They are all ever free
And they live as nature says they should.

[food food food]

2800304
Oh, you are right.
Thank you for being my sorta Beta-Reader, FanOfMostEverything.
Like the poem too.

[MehWasAlreadyTaken]

Figured out that this story is pretty old. Meh, will still leave my thoughts.