A Land Lost

The Everfree forest. Once yet another peaceful part of the wonderful land of Equestria, flora and fauna as far as the eye could see. Yet nowadays it is home to some of the darkest and most dangerous creatures known to pony kind. From great hulking beasts that could rend a pony in two with a swipe of it's claws, to patches of devious flora whose pollen causes mischief to those who come in contact. What could have happened to make such a wonderful place into a gateway to Tartarus? To know this, we must look far into the past.

The land of Equestria. Home to a race of peaceful equine like creatures, divided into three races. The pegasi, winged ponies that soared through the sky, using inate magic within themselves to manipulate the weather. Unicorns, ponies whose bodies were more in tune with the natural magic of the world, freely able to manipulate it through the horns on their head. And finally the Earth ponies. These ponies are the standard form when most people think of a pony. No horn or wings, yet they are born with an enhanced strength, allowing them to work the lands and grow the many crops that feed the hungry cities throughout the land. Ruling over these three races are two royal sisters. Mighty alicorns, large horses that have both wings and horns, allowing them access to greater magicks, as they hold the strength to raise the sun and moon themselves.

Though a fact lost to time, was that in ancient days, even the earth ponies themselves wielded a great magick. The ability to manipulate the plants they grew As easily as pegasi move clouds and unicorns cast spells. These druid ponies, as they were known,  were able to make even the smallest sapling rise into a mighty oak with the stomp of their hooves, channeling the magic within the land of Equestria itself to speed the growth of the plant. But alas, the skills of the druid were not all for the good of the land. There was a small group of druids,discontent with their status quo. With the Unicorns living in their grand manors, and the Pegasi gracefully ruling over the clouds and skies, whie the earth ponies had to live in mud and squalor, constantly providing food for the other races. These druids began twisting the very gentle and nurturing nature of earth magic itself, draining the energy from the plants and twisting them into dark shells of their former beauty in order to increase their already existing natural strength and longevity.

For several years, the rogue druids extended their reach of cruelty across the land, manipulating the very ground and plants themselves into supressing the unircorns and pegasi. However, this cruel reign did not last long. Eventually word reached the royal sisters, the two alicorns going to the leaders of the coven, hoping for a means of peaceful negotiations. The large venus fly traps set in wait however, showed that there would be no such chance. The sisters, using their magic, burned the very earth around the druids' stronghold, preventing them from every being able to grow any plant life there. In the future, this land would actually become one of Equestria's most prominent rock farms, but that is a story for another time (and author maybe)

Upon discovering their land was now barren, the coven attempted to fight back through their sheer enhanced strength, but against the might of an alicorn, they were doomed to fall. At the end of it all, the two sisters came to a solemn decision. To prevent the misdeeds of the coven from ever happening again, they combined their abilities, joining their strength together through the Elemen's of Harmony, and sealed away the druidic powers of all remaining earth ponies, making them into the gentle nurturing skills we see today. However, all that was done by the coven could not be completely erased. A large expanse of forest, twisted and ruined to the world, creatures and plants of all kinds running rampant, was left unpurified. Through a final act by the coven, they cast their curse upon the forest, preventing it from ever being changed back. A last act of defiance if you will.

Now some of you may be wondering, if the forest was twisted and altered, how did the ancient palace of the royal sisters end up there. In order to ensure the safety of their subjects, Celestia and Luna set up their castle within the core of the forest, directly above the central ley line of the curse, sealing it and preventing the dark magic of the forest from spreading out across Equestria. For many years, the sisters ruled out of their castle, the forest tamed to a degree. But sadly, time goes on. The events of Nightmare Moon's attempted Coup d'état happened, resulting in the remaining sisterleaving her castle behind, moving the capitol and palace to the central mountain fortress that is now Canterlot. For over a thousand years, the everfree forest remained bound, it's plants and wildlife restricted to its borders. But alas, the ravages of time affect all. With the former castle now in ruins, the seals binding the ancient curse have started to unravel. What awaits the land is nothing short of catastrophe. But with it, another seal slowly unravels, returning to the world a magic once thought lost to the ages.