Swordpony – Shadow Wood

From the journal of Sworn Shield:

“Few ponies remember that in the ancient days, when the deer still held dominion over the earth, all the great forests were connected as one. So vast was this verdant wood that it is said a squirrel could pass from coast to coast on branches and never touch the ground. The trees grew tall and strong under the watchful care of their antlered masters, who shaped great swathes of them into beautiful living cities.
Today, the deer have all but retreated from this world. The forests shrink day by day, hacked and hewn by the ever expanding pony industry, and only a handful remain; shadows of their former selves. Everfree, Whitetail, and Shimmerwood, to name a few. It is whispered that some deer still tend and defend those dwindling groves, but there is one place where even the guardians of the Old Wood fear to tread.
The Shadow Wood, a forest forsaken.
And those who remained in that wild, forgotten place… well. Those who go into dark places, and into shadows, fall…”

_{January 22, 2013}