Arva, half earthpony and half Pegasus, took up residence in the Everfree forest in her late teens to protect the village of Brave from the monsters within. She knows the woods better than anypony she knows, and eagerly helps lost ponies find safety. When the mailmare she'd been assigned to protect disappears, however, an influx of travelers forces her to assist more and more people. Lacking communication with the more civilized nation of Equestria, the village elders send her to Ponyville to sort the situation out.