The Everfree Forest has existed within Equestria for as long as anypony can remember. It was once the home of the Palace of the Pony Sisters, which was the seat of power for the realm until the Fall of Luna and the Rebellion of Nightmare Moon. But a darkness has slowly begun to seep from the forest, and Celestia and Luna have taken note. Together with the newly married Cadance and Shining Armor, they choose a young recruit to the Royal Guard to investigate the forest and search for the source of the darkness. He is young and untested, but he has incredible potential...perhaps more than anypony could have imagined.