Deep within the Everfree forest, there exists a kingdom made from nature itself. The kingdom was populated by the deer of the forest that worked to maintain the forest and it’s inhabitants. For centuries, the deer were happy residing within the confines of the forest, their unique magic allowing them to create homes from the trees themselves and sustained themselves with the natural fruits and vegetation the forest offered freely.

However, it was not meant to last. One year, a year when the moon refused to fall. The beasts of the Everfree were called to action by an angry pony princess from a neighboring kingdom and the deer were unable to break the beasts from the princess' control. The forest was sent into chaos and fear gripped the hearts of the forest’s citizens. Eventually the princess was stopped and banished from the land. The princess' older sister met with the King of the Deer, King Elm, in an attempt to apologize for the actions of her sister. But despite her attempts, the king couldn’t accept her apologies. He was scared, just like his fellow kin. If one young princess could cause such havoc, what could an older, stronger one do?

King Elm took his people and sealed them away from everything and anything that existed outside of the Everfree. From then on, the deer of the Everfree stayed within the depths of the forest, believing that the pony’s that resided beyond its borders would only bring chaos to their forest and their way of life. So it was, for centuries, the kingdom in the forest was kept sealed away from the rest of Equestria.
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A lone female fawn sprinted through the forest of the Everfree. She jumped and bounded around trees and over bushes in a mad attempt to flee a yet unseen pursuer. Eventually she arrived at a clearing in the forest and began scanning the nearby bushes and tree line while she caught her breath.

“Lost him”, the fawn assured herself. Confident she had long outran her pursuer, she layed on her stomach to recover from her run. Unfortunately for her, she was unaware of the tall foreboding figure that had stealthily snuck up behind her and startled her with a simple but effective, “Boo!”

The fawn nearly propelled herself skyward, as the fright caused her legs to spring her to a standing position. Turning around, she was surprised to see a buck standing just behind her with a wide smile across his muzzle. The buck was easily two feet taller than the fawn, not including the added height given by his antlers. The buck was a light chestnut brown with a white patch across his barrel. His eyes were a piercing emerald green that matched the fawn’s and the tuff of his tail was a matching chestnut brown on top with white adorning the underside.

The buck looked to the younger deer and giggled. “Well done, Azalea. You are getting faster, but you can’t just run in a straight line. It’s too predictable”, The buck informed the fawn in a comforting tone and a warm smile.
Azalea was still surprised by her brother’s almost magical reappearance, but after a moment to catch up she was able to respond, “I-how? How’d you get ahead of me?”

The buck pointed to the tree line. “I used the canopy” he stated matter-o-factly. “If you can find a downed tree or rock you can get into the canopy and you can move a lot more freely. It can be a bit tricky but it allows for so much more free movement.”

The younger sibling gave a crestfallen frown as she mentally chided herself for not considering the obvious. The older sibling was quick to catch on and worked to reassure his little sister of her successes, “Hey, hey. You still managed to put some distance between us during the race. You’re getting better. You just need to be aware of what’s around you. Just remember to focus on evasion and once you’re past that it’s all about speed, which you have in spades. You’ll do fine.”

The fawn looked up to her brother with hopeful eyes, “Y-you think so, Thorn?”

Thorn put a hoof around his sister and pulled her into a light hug, “Guarantee it.”

Azalea’s frown turned into a smile before she declared, “Well, I’ll keep training and become the best runner for the competition.”

Thorn smiled, happy that his sisters determination hadn’t faltered. “I know you will, little sister. If you can keep spotting short cuts like that, I know you’ll be one of the best.” The buck then got a clever smile on his face as he knew the best way to reward his sister’s progress, “So, how about we head back to the willow and have a celebratory treat?”

The fawn’s eye grew wide with anticipation, partially knowing what her brother was about to propose. “You don’t mean-?” She asked with excitement in her voice.

Thorn nodded, “Yep, two juicy Everfree Mangos. Mother found some a few days ago and they should be just ripe enough to be perfectly sweet.”

Azalea was practically bouncing on air as she raced around her older brother in excitement, shouting, “Yay!” as she went. Thorn merely allowed himself the pleasure of knowing he had made it little sister happy. He started to make his way back into the forest and towards his home when Azalea called to him, “Thorn, wait!”

The buck stopped near the treeline and turned to his sister, giving her a quizzical look.

“Can you show me how to get into the canopy?”

Thorn smiled, “Of course.” With that the two took off into the forest and back home.

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Meanwhile in a secluded cave, a shadow danced along the walls. It laughed as it plotted it’s return. “I failed Mistress before...Not this time! Won’t fail...won’t fail! Sun will fall! Moon will rise! MISTRESS WILL LOVE ME!!!” The shadow wailed in a distorted laugh. With a twist of its dark form, the shadow shot off into the Everfree intent on finding a victim to do their bidding.

Author's Notes:

Cover art coming soon. In the mean time welcome to the story. I'm still getting used to writing in third person but I'm working on it. Please leave suggestions, comments, and criticism below. See you in Chapter 2