Has the Everfree Forest gotten boring?

[ggg-2 3,553]

Equestria daily brought this up today: 

The Everfree Forest is an eldritch patch of woods just outside of Ponyville. A place where the pony world's laws of physics and biology are out to lunch. It's inhabited by all manner of dangerous monsters and full of magic plants. Only the brave or the foolish dare enter this place...

 

...in the first two seasons. 

 

By season seven, it's just a forest with a few threatening animals and some magical artifacts in it. 

 

How and why did the Everfree go from the most feared place in Equestria to a boring old forest? Are there any story possibilities for this place in future seasons? 

[Prospekt 11,025]

It's strange. There's no clear reason for the lack of gloom and monsters in the Everfree Forest. I suppose the writers just began to ignore in order to keep from recycling storylines about dangerous treks into the forest, and so the only truly creepy area we have seen in the forest is the lifeless Castle of the Two Sisters. But even that place hasn't been explored in a while.

I liked the Everfree Forest of the early seasons. It served as an imposing foil to the friendly atmosphere of Ponyville, rather than just the woods on the edge of town where Zecora built her little home. Now it's flat-out boring.

[CypherHoof 26,483]

Not convinced that is true. The sections of the Everfree that are close to Ponyville and somewhere between there and Zecora's cottage are *relatively* safe. The cockatrice was last seen fleeing from Fluttershy, and the plantlife is avoidable given zecora's knowledge of the flora there (even if she clearly has a gap or two there as shown by the swamp fever infection) given plants don't move around much.

The timberwolves and of course the lumber bears are a significant threat, but we mostly see the forest though the eyes of the mane 6, and the mane 6 are massively OP. It is probably just as well that those two species can self-reassemble, given the likely result of encountering the mane 6 is uninvited disassembly.....

As for other ponies of course, not so much.  Now that Zecora is more accepted by the ponyville ponies, they can lean on her for advice (and after all, what is scarier than the unknown?) but I would still not recommend your average earth pony go for a stroll in there (though that said, Apple Bloom doesn't seem to have a problem with visiting Zecora. She didn't seem to have much issue with taking pies though the fire swamps either, so there is that too)

[Singe 2,111]

Season 4 was the shift when dealing with the Everfree Forest. It's where the Elements of Harmony were moved by the end of the Season and Princess Twilight Sparkle - Part 1 and Part 2 showed Discord had a hand in planting some bad seeds. Both of those are gone now so the forest may have reverted to lesser of a threat.

[Celli 4,341]

2 minutes ago, Singe said:

Season 4 was the shift when dealing with the Everfree Forest. It's where the Elements of Harmony were moved by the end of the Season and Princess Twilight Sparkle - Part 1 and Part 2 showed Discord had a hand in planting some bad seeds. Both of those are gone now so the forest may have reverted to lesser of a threat.

I was just gonna say, I agree with this theory 100%

[Jeric 46,869]

It still is shown to be somewhat foreboding in Season 7 during It Isn't The Mane Thing About You, though it was played for humor. As far as dangerous, I recall Zecora almost turning into a tree because of one of the natural defense mechanisms of the local flora. It's still not a fun place to frolic. 

[Le Trotteur Sauvage 13,053]

I don't know, really I have no idea but I share the same feeling ! Everfree forest was somthing BIG back in the days and now... it seems like everypony is walking in it like some kind of "fake spooky" place you can find on funfair

[Will Guide 21,365]

2 hours ago, Singe said:

Season 4 was the shift when dealing with the Everfree Forest. It's where the Elements of Harmony were moved by the end of the Season and Princess Twilight Sparkle - Part 1 and Part 2 showed Discord had a hand in planting some bad seeds. Both of those are gone now so the forest may have reverted to lesser of a threat.

This is the best answer that describes why that is.

And for those who claimed that the Royal Castle in the forest should have become Twilight's Castle. It's secluded and AWAY from Ponyville. Why would Twilight want to live away from her friends?

[Untitled Goose Q 5,138]

I would suggest that a lot of nastiness of the Everfree Forest was expectation- you've been told it's very dangerous, no-one knows anyone who's been in there... but it's really not as bad as that, though still dangerous, and so by now the mane 6 are used to it, it seems much less threatening 

[Yellow Diamond 7,575]

On top of what has already mentioned, it is worth adding that the scale of threats has increased since the first two seasons. Once the Mane Six defeated Tirek at the end of Season 4, most dangers from earlier seasons have become relatively mundane. Sure, a pack of Timberwolves could menace Fluttershy if she were traveling on her own through the Everfree -- but even that scenario feels less hazardous now than it did in Season 1.

[Goat-kun 2,530]

As expected form EQD, they don't understand what Lovecraftian means. Why even bother after trying to deconstruct the concept of villains in order to justify a shitty narrative. Go write another fluff piece about how you get a stiff one from wanton reformations.

 

Dunwich Horror is not scary simply because of what it does and how it looks but because of what it is and what it implies. Invisibility is its least notable trait. Alas, let's dive deeper into the mystery of writhing horror. Are you ready, meat?

 

Darkwood does Lovecraftian horror of the woods best, and the story that can guide one onto this twisted path is The Colour Out of Space. The woods themselves harbor a corruption that seeps into the flesh, the mind, the trees, the very soil. All paths lead deeper into the woods.

 

Everfree could do it if it was given a mind of its own. A labyrinth of shifting trails and perpetual twilight, ever-changing and always hungry, it tempts little ponies into its embrace with promises of sweet berries and pretty flowers. Lost, frightened, desperate, they slowly give up and become a part of the woods. Of course, these would only be tales constructed to prevent foals from venturing into the wilderness. Everfree has no such power. Not currently ... But what if something was to stir among the ancient roots, awoken by the rumblings of battle and hooves that so carelessly trot about in its domain?  What if the tales are true after all? Such change would come gradually. It would creep inside the lush creek gorges, it would worm its way through the rich soil; not even ToH would notice its encroaching presence. It would not be able to recognize such eldritch power until it too would succumb. Then the plants, the animals, even the ponies, all living under Everfree's shadow would start showing signs of corruption. The Everfree would be free once more, and it would hunger.

 

Of course, this is only one way to go about a Lovecraftian Everfree but I trust that the point has been conveyed.

 

Then our brave writer goes on about creatures while failing that it's all about Everfree as their sylvan refuge. What makes it different from a FIM version of a natural park? What power resists ponyfication even when the center of all things Harmony lies within its very heart? If you want to make Everfree great again then awaken its green mana then add some black and let the feverish delirium begin.

 

But Goat-kun, this is OP! Nah, just use magic bullshit to make The Castle into new ToH cause of course, then erect a crystal wall and make somepony named Yoke Snow guard it while serving as a convenient love interest to Twilight Sparkle. Brace yourselves, nature is coming!

[sweetolebob18 728]

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I agree with what Singe  said. In Princess Twilight (S4), they returned the Elements to the Tree of Harmony.  This strengthened the Tree relative to the Forest. Plus, traffic to Zecora's hut has weeded out the worst dangers. It can still be plenty dangerous to the unwary, though, as Zecora found out.

[ZethaPonderer 2,200]

The Everfree Forest isn’t even scary IMO. If by scary you mean boring and incredibly tedious to traverse through unlike every other place in Equestria, then YES. Basically, my kinda place .

[heavens-champion 1,905]

I dunno. But I can't remember the last time it was mentioned by name.