Evergreen

>You are the Lady of Love so that must mean you are Me Amore Cadenza
>Your hubby calls you Candy Rump in the bedroom though that’s really not relevant right now brain.
>The news rags might have said you were stealing from the cradle when you started dating him when he was 45 and you 62 but they can suck it.
>You’re the princess of love and you know damn well what you’re doing.
>Right now you have taken your family on a vacation/trip to Manehatten to see some medical experts to make sure your baby colt Evergreen is alright.
>When you had first adopted your 23 year old son you had some sneaking suspicions about his previous life.
>His sunken eyes, dull color of his skin and eyes, and his hair wasn’t very vibrant.
>Everything pointed to magical suppression/deficiency.
>The doctors had also agreed when you had voiced your concerns and you and Shining had watched him closely.
>Luckily his skin seemed to have grown a much more healthy shade, his hair more vibrant, and his green eyes grew to be a brilliant emerald green over the course of the two years being a part of your loving family.
>It still makes you angry wondering what cruel creatures had taken away his magic like that.
>The problem now is that it’s now gone from vibrant to a mild glow and you’re not sure if that’s healthy or not.
>While you did adopt a mythical colt into your family you’re going to make sure he’s ok and not just brush this off as mythical whimsy from a fathers fable.
>Luckily your wonderful colt has picked up a good deal of ponish.
>Forming the words still seems hard for him but he’s getting better. He can understand a good deal of what you say though.
>This made it very easy to explain to him why you were “asking” and not forcing him to come.
>Have to be careful about how you get things across to your foals, especially at this age when they begin to start very formative years in their lives.
>There was no complaint at all from him, in fact he seemed happy to come.





>Most around his age would at least put up some mild annoyance at being told to go to the doctor.
>It still bothers you how he acts so mature at his age, you have a million questions to ask but you’re still afraid of bringing up bad memories.
>Best to give him the environment that he feels safe enough to come to you if, and hopefully, when he wants to talk about it.
>But here you are at the specialist waiting with Evergreen sitting on the examination table waiting for the magical pediatrician to return after running some tests.
>You put your hoof on Evergreen’s knee and smile up at him and tell him everything’s probably fine.
>He puts his hand on your hoof and smiles back at you.
>He looked like you was going to try saying something but your ear flicks as you hear the door open and the doctor coming back in.
“Doc what’s the news on my colt?”
>She gives a smile that seems overly excited.
>Glad it’s not a frown but still it’s a little odd seeing a doctor this excited.
>”You wouldn’t believe it but he’s actually absorbing magic!”
“Come again?”
>”Like a sponge, ambient magic that’s just bouncing around is pulled into his body. There’s nothing like it on the records.”
>You take a look back at your GLOWING colt.
“That’s safe right? Like he isn’t going to get sick or explode or something from an excess of magic right?”
>”Oh of course, he’ll probably just get to a point where he naturally lets off the excess amount when his body hits it’s limit. Like with unicorns with their magical static discharge, earth ponies with excessive energy for exercise, or pegasi with their downy fur growth.”
“Alright but we don’t know what the discharge for a human is and in all those cases none of the ponies glow before they discharge.”






>”I know isn’t it exciting. I’m pretty sure this incident itself is going to make it into a medical journal. But to address your concerns we should probably teach him to do minor cantrips to see if we can bleed off some of the excess magic since we’re not sure what will happen. We could test that later if you’re willing and we’ve made a better environment to ensure his safety.”
“I’ll think about it.”
>You begin turning toward Evergreen.
“Did you hear that Greeny we’re going to teach you ma…..”
>He’s gone.
>HE’S GONE!!!



>You’re Anonymous and for the past two years you’ve been living with “Mama” and “Daddy”.
>You’ve come to the conclusion that they think of you as part of the family.
>In what capacity you’re not sure but you can’t complain if it means being able to play with “Flurry”.
>Getting a handle of this language is really hard, and pronouncing it even harder but you’re getting there.
>You were sitting at a doctor’s appointment for what you’re pretty sure is your glowing skin when the strangest feeling came over you.
>You had been listening intently to “Mama” and the doctor.
>Something about you think a sponge and magic when all the words had started to fade away.
>You felt light. Not lightheaded or anything like that but light like there was a bounce in your step and that you needed to go somewhere.
>You’re sure “Mama” wouldn’t mind.
>You’d be right back after all.
>You quietly slipped out the door and let your feet guide you.






>AHHHHHHHHHH
“AHHHHHHHHH”
>HOW DID YOU LOSE HIM HE’S MASSIVE!?
>HOW DOES HE MOVE SO QUIETLY!?
>You buck open a door startling a nurse and a patient in the room
“HAVE YOU SEEN EVERGREEN!!!!”
>The patient looked practically terrified while the nurse just looked confused.
>”Who?”
>They obviously haven’t seen him so you slam the door and run towards the next.
>”Princess please calm down, I’m sure he’s fine. Let’s just go to the receptionist and we’ll use the PA system.”
>Of course the receptionist. He’d have to have seen him if he left the building.
>A hard sprint towards the front of the office and you’ve reached the front desk with the doctor following after you wheezing with the exertion.
“Have you seen my Evergreen?”
>The stallion doesn’t even look up.
>”Big, tall, and practically glowing. Hard to miss.”
>WAS THAT BUCKING SASS
>Your magic reaches past the counter and pulls the stallion bodily over the desk forcing him to look you in the eyes.
“YOU THINK YOU’RE CUTE! I’M LOOKING FOR MY SON AND I WILL NOT BE SASSED! DID YOU SEE HIM LEAVE!”
>The stallion begins to whimper.
>”Ya, I saw him. A real pep in his trot. Even did a little spin after pushing open the doors and walked out.”
>Oh no he’s alone in MANEHATTEN!
>You drop your magic as and sprint for the doors as the receptionist falls to the floor.
>Smashing through the doors you start scanning the crowd.
>He couldn’t have gotten far, and he’s taller than all the ponies around here so it should be easy to spot him right.
>…..
>You don’t see him anywhere.
>Alright Cadence calm down.
>Losing your head won’t help anything.
>Think. What things does your Greeny like.
>As you’re thinking you notice something about two blocks or so away.
>It seems like ponies are all gathering for something.
>WHAT IF SOMETHINGS HAPPENED TO GREENY
>You take flight toward the crowd while the doctor does her best to keep up.





>From above you see the crowd entering a pub but you can’t see into it from up here.
>As you came down to land at the edge of the crowd you hear music unlike any you had heard before.
>Looking through the glass of the pub you felt pulled as if you should following the music.
>Then you saw Evergreen standing on top of a table singing in the middle of a coordinated dance of mares and stallions.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVKsWT1OdAE
>A throng of partying ponies and your little Evergreen was alone dancing and singing in the middle of it all.
>The doctor had caught up, taken a look with her ears perking up and started to walk towards the pub.
>You stick out your wing catching the mare before she could walk away and then grab her muzzle with your hooves.
“Pull yourself together doc, I need you tell me what’s going on and if my son’s alright.”
>She blinks at you a few time and then shudders.
>”Wow, that felt interesting. I never thought I could feel music like that.”
“Focus, what’s happening to my son?”
>She turns taking a look at the scene before the both of you, this time not getting sucked into the spectacle.
>”Well if I had to make an educated guess, this is the magical discharge for humans. Look around do you see anypony playing instruments, and who’s singing the chorus. And I can speak from experience that drunk sailor mares never dance this well. Also the language clearly isn’t ponish.”
“Alright but how do we stop it?”
>”Probably safer to just let it run its course.”
“I am not going to let my colt just dance and sing around a seedy pub full of drunk sailor mares.”
>”Well the closer you get the stronger that magic is going to get soooo not sure how we’re going to get him out of there.”
>Alright so the father fables about humans don’t seem to be complete lies.
>Singing seems to actually be a thing.




>First it was the exotic and dangerous foods, then his love for archery and now this pretty much legendary amount of whimsy. You really hope there aren’t any more surprises.
>To deal with this you are going to need your love and expert on whimsy.
>Charging your horn you activate the emergence teleport you and Shining had prepared.
>You see a confused Shining flop onto the ground with Flurry on his back.
>You feel bad interrupting the relaxing massage that you had set up for Shining since he had been worried sick about Evergreen.
>You had told him that you’d take care of everything but here you are needing help.
“Shiny help, Greeny is in there singing and dancing and I can’t get him out.”
>He took a look in the pub, hoofed Flurry to you and then began dancing toward the pub.
>What followed over the next half hour was watching Shiny dance with the crowd until he was close enough to begin dancing with Evergreen and slowly guide him out by dancing with him.
>The walk back to the doctor’s office he never stopped singing and dancing but his focus started to turn making Flurry laugh as well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K4TIQXCmPQ
>All in all you’re happy your colt is safe and healthy




>You are the one and only Lady of Love
>So obviously you’re Princess Cadence of the Crystal Empire
>Thanks for staying formal brain.
>It really helps when taking care of all the petitioners.
>The love of your life is visiting Twily so it’s just you, Evergreen, and Flurry in the castle.
>Currently they are lounging together on a long couch you had pulled close to your throne.
>It was only a picture book but Greeny was making little illusions as if the animals were spilling out of the page.
>Flurry absolutely loved the shining animals.
>Evergreen had really picked up on illusion magic much faster than other forms of magic.
>He’s been actually doing really well with his magic lessons but illusion is by far his best subject.
>One thing you’ve noticed though is that he’s always humming while he does magic.
>He seems to be avoiding outright songs though.
>He was concerned when he came down from his magical discharge in Manehatten.
>The doctor has assured him what little she had experienced felt great and that the ponies were all fine.
>After that he definitely seemed hesitant to sing around others.
>You know he still does when he’s in the shower.
>Walking by his and Flurry’s room before bed and hearing the faint song and seeing the guards tapping their hooves
>You’re glad he’s happy and healthy but if he keeps growing you’re going to have to order another specially made bed for him.
>After Manehatten you had decided to read up a bit on human legends.
>”As tall as trees.” Went one of the legends.
>You certainly hope not, you’ll find a way to make room for him inside but you really hope he doesn’t get that big.
>Other legends were not as nice.
>Stories of signing to mares and drawing them away into glades to never been seen again or turning others into trees.
>One story even claimed a human cursed an entire bloodline to be the clumsiest ponies in existence.
>Like your big Greeny would ever do something like that.








>A good colt that walks around letting Flurry ride on his shoulders never do anything close to that.
>Getting another bed would be a bridge to build on another day.
>Now it’s time for your last meeting.
>More of a greeting really.
>You were going to be greeting the Queen and King of the northern gryphon kingdom along with their little chick.
>All you see before you though is a single gryphon.
“It’s great to see you King Zeen but I was under the impression that your family was coming to visit.”
>A low bow and then back to standing to full height.
>”We are Princess Cadence, I put my little chick to bed since we got here late but unfortunately my wife will be here tomorrow. There was some trouble on the road that needed her attention.”
“I hope it was nothing too serious.”
>”Not at all, just a delay.”
>You realized that he had kept glancing towards your colt.
“Is something the matter King Zeen?”
>He looked a little flustered at your direct questioning.
>”Well we have heard of your new colt and I was hoping that I could have a lock of his hair.”
>Wow that’s…..
>”Creepy….Much.”
>Turning you see that Evergreen had been listening the whole time.
>And ya, that pretty much sums up how you felt about an adult asking for a lock of your 23 year olds hair.
“Well I think my colt just said that he isn’t comfortable with giving you any of his hair. You must be tired from you long journey so I bid you good night and I look forward to seeing all of your family for breakfast before you continue your vacation into Equestia.”
>He leaves and you turn to face Evergreen.
“I’m sorry Greeny, I’ve meet him many times before and I promise he’s normally not this weird.”
>Evergreen just shrugs and picks up Flurry.
>”Dinner?”
“Yes dinner and then off to bed. We need to wake up early to give the gryphons a tour of the Empire.”
>With that the three of you leave the throne room.





>You are King Zeen and maybe you should have gotten some sleep before you asked for some of Princess Cadence’s adoptive son’s hair.
>Maybe then you would have properly explained that your little chick had been getting really into alchemy and was super excited to see if human hair had magical properties.
>Then she continued on about legends of humans and other things until she fell asleep in the sky chariot.
>And now you’ve ruined your little chick’s chance at happiness.
>You know what, you’re not going to let that happen.
>You’ll just slip in and take a little bit while he’s asleep.
>It’s not like it’ll hurt him any.
>It’s just some hair.
>Just hang on the ceilings and avoid the guards ez peazy.

*****************************

>Alright so this took a little longer than you thought it would.
>Mostly because you didn’t know where the room was.
>But here you are hanging from the ceiling watching the patrols go by.
>You’re going to rub this in your wife’s face.
>You can be cool too.
>After the next one you’ll have 5 minutes to drop down, get in the room, get some hair, and get out before the next group.
>And they’ve just passed so time to make your chick happy.
>You quietly open the door and see a massive shape in the dark next to a crib.
>Wow he’s a lot bigger when he isn’t sprawled on a couch.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifQ3JRS4gqc

>Over the crib you see little green glowing deer that have trees for antlers slowly prancing around as quiet music is playing mixed with soft humming.
>You hear a tiny yawn and the deer slowly fade out as his head turns and he faces the open door with one of his soft claws over his lips in a shushing motion.





>With the last of the deer light fading all you can see now are glowing green eyes in the dark.
>The eyes shift from content, to confusion, then mischievous. Like a cat seeing a mouse.
>Oh right he’s awake and you shouldn’t be here…with scissors in your claws.
>The eyes move even higher in the room.
>He was crouching…that’s concerning.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRAyGccQob4
>You swear you can hear and smell waves.
>And you’re swaying, you weren’t tired when you got here.
>Why are you so tired?
>The song continues as the eyes creep closer in the dark.
>The song is quiet as if it was meant only for you.
>Not like the humming when the deer were dancing.
>An undercurrent of something wrong runs throughout the whole song.
>Why are there other voices and instruments?
>You don’t want to go to sleep.
>You should be running, the guard could come back and the human is awake.
>Why can’t you look away from those eyes?
>The eyes are above you now and begin to slowly lean down towards you.
>It’s so dark.
>His soft claw reaches out of the dark toward you.
[In all my dreams I]







>You are Anon and you are tired.
>The books were right.
>Using magic is similar to physical exercise.
>And you’ve been doing magic all day.
>Apparently it’s like working any other muscle.
>The more work you put into it the stronger you can get over time.
>You had wanted the last thing you did before bed to be some light illusions to help Flurry go to bed.
>But then that little weirdo from earlier opened your bedroom door.
>With scissors.
>You hadn’t been singing around others because you weren’t sure how much of what happened in Manehatten was free will on the part of the ponies or if you had just been mind controlling them.
>Singing felt really good but you would rather not show up in another newspaper.
>But this little creep just volunteered as a test subject.
>The words just flowed from you.
>You were pretty sure you didn’t know this song before this.
>As you finish the song you push his swaying body back and he slowly roles back onto the floor asleep.
>Well that’s over.
>You let out a long yawn as you close the door.
>You’re sure the guards will sort all this out.
>Now time for bed you’re absolutely beat.



>You are the big lady of the castle.
>That means you are big mamma Cadence.
>And you got to wake up to a nice little headache of a situation.
>Last night your guard had found King Zeen passed out in front of your little one’s bedroom door.
>With a pair of scissors.
>After asking for a lock of his hair.
>The guards had tried to wake him but he was out cold till morning.
>So now you’ve got him and his wife in here along with Evergreen lying on the couch next to your throne.
>You had him here for fact checking.
>You had already got Evergreen’s story but they didn’t know that.
>You cradled the still sleepy Flurry as it was still early and she wasn’t quite awake yet.
>Looking down from your throne you see a nervous king and a bemused queen.
>He continued staring at the ground sometimes glancing up at you.
>Their little chick was probably still asleep.
“So maybe you could explain why we found you asleep in front of my little one’s room…..with a pair of scissors?”
>The queen looked toward her husband and then shook him with her wing.
>”Well honey we’re waiting.”
>That smile spoke volumes of the years of teasing that this was going to be used for.
>A miffed look from the king towards his wife before he drew himself to up and took a deep breath.
>Before he could try to explain himself a loud gasp interrupts him and everybody sees the little chick sprinting from a side passage towards Evergreen.
>”MAMA, PAPA, SEE SEE I TOLD YOU THERE WAS A HUMAN! COUSIN MEL SAID THAT THE NEWSPAPERS WERE FULL OF IT BUT HA. EAT IT.”
>You see Zeen put his face in his claws.
>”Oh please not this early in the morning.”





>The chick has reached the couch that Evergreen was sitting on.
>Evergreen sat up as the chick reached him.
>”HI MY NAMES BARDA AND IT’S SO GREAT TO MEET YOU. I’VE READ SO MUCH ON HUMANS. YOU’RE REALLY TALL BUT NOT AS TALL AS A TREE. DO YOU HAVE YOUR OWN FOREST? DO YOU LURE OTHERS INTO YOUR FOREST GLADE TO NEVER BE SEEN AGAIN? OH NICE HAIR. I BET IT’S MAGIC. THE BOOKS SAY IT’S MAGIC! WANT TO GO MAKE POTIONS, I LOVE MAKING POTIONS. COME ON LETS GO MAKE POTIONS!”
>She sits there smiling at Evergreen.
>He just chuckles and pats here head.
>”Sure, come.”
>He gets up walking towards the Alchemy lab as Barda continues her deluge of questions.
>Should be fine, the royal alchemist is there so she can supervise.
“So your little chick likes alchemy?”


******************

>The tour of the Crystal Empire was great and the breakfast as well.
>Looking over you saw your wife smiling at you on the other side of the sky chariot.
>”You’re lucky ponies are so forgiving my love and that Cadence’s “little” Evergreen didn’t curse you.”
>You’re never going to hear the end of it from her.
“Oh please, you can’t believe all the fables you hear darling. So he can put others to sleep, my father does that to you all the time.”
>From the corner of your eye you see your little one chugging a potion from her bag.
“Sweetie what was that you just drank?”
>”Pa it was so fun brewing potions while you and Ma were hanging out with Cadence. Did you know that human hair has a boosting effect with potions? Crystal Vial, that’s the royal alchemist pa, tested it and said it so it must be true. So we got to brewing and Evergreen suggested an easy potion to start with.”
“Is that what you just drank Barda?”
>She gets up and starts running in place.
>”YUP PAPA, WE MADE POTIONS OF VIGOR. IT WAS REALLY EASY AND FUN AND HE SAID THAT YOU NEED OBSERVERS AND BOTH OF YOU CAN OBSERVE WHILE I DRINK THE POTION AND WE MADE FIVE MORE OF THE POTIONS AND”




>She keeps getting louder while her speech keeps getting faster.
>You faceclaw while your wife starts laughing.
>”You sure you don’t believe in human curses love?”


********
>You are the stallion of the Castle.
>Ex Captain of the Canterlot guard
>The famous shield of Canterlot and lord of the O&O table.
>You are Shining Armor and your mane is perfect for your little sister’s visit.
>For the first year you and Cadence had kept Evergreen a secret as you had expected some form of abuse.
>He had come into your family pale, sunken eyed, and his mane so dull.
>Under you and your wife’s care he had gained color and a smile.
>Then he had his magical discharge episode and then his magical lessons had started.
>The way he reacted it was like he had never even considered that he could perform magic.
>At this point you’re wondering if he was deprived of magic his entire life, and that thought disgusts you.
>What sick creature would do such a thing to someone so young.
>Giving him a period to settle was a great idea for that first year.
>After that first year though you wanted to make sure that he got to make as many friends as he wanted.
>The schedules had never properly synced up for Twilight to meet him until today.
>You know that she was excited to meet the newest member of your family but you had a very pressing question for her.
>One that she might know but the doctors shouldn’t.
>The extended effects of subjecting a creature to magical deprivation.
>It’s an absolutely disgusting topic but you need to know.
>You’re currently waiting at the train station with your candy rump of a wife.
>You could look at that rump all day.
>A great distraction from such a topic.
>You had left little Flurry and Evergreen in the palace garden playing.
>It was said in the past that the gardens here were the envy of many castles.
>And they were right, exotic flowers and an ancient maintained hedge maze are only a few things you enjoy about it.
>Evergreen goes there to practice his magic or read every so often.
>You hadn’t the heart to stop their playing.
>For all that’s probably happened to him he still has so much love.






>It’s evident that he loves Flurry with how much he plays with her.
>And the fact that you’ve snuck into the room only to see Evergreen singing lullabies to Flurry only solidifies that.
>He’s also showing healthy signs of interaction for his age, namely he’s been pranking some of the butlers in the castle.
>Nothing serious, just manes that won’t unfrizzle for days or making their tea taste like swamp water from what you have gathered.
>Probably heard them gossiping as castle staff are want to do.
>Granted it’s not like you could prove that it was him doing it, but you’re pretty sure it’s no coincidence that the worst rumor mongers are getting it the worst.
>Maybe they’ll learn to choose where they gossip with more care.
>Oh good the train is here.
>A screeching halt as always with this train.
>Still wouldn’t trade it for any other on account of the sick front cart.
>Alright time to brace yourself in three, two, one.
>On cue a fast purple mass flew out of the train barrling into you with a strong bear hug.
>”BBBFF it’s so good to see you! It’s so great to see you and Cadence.”
>Oh Twilight never change.
“Twily it’s always great to see you.”
>She nuzzles into your neck and then let’s go.
>”Don’t think I would forget to hug my best sister!”
>And another big hug for Cadence this time.
>”Oh I’ve loved what you’ve wrote about our newest addition to the family, a little guard in the making eh. And I heard the funniest story from Queen Valarie of the northern gryphons that he played a great little trick on them. She was laughing the whole time, though the King didn’t look so pleased. I got a look at that potion too. Pretty potent stuff there, maybe he could be a great alchemist as well.”






>You knew this was coming she was incredibly excited and it would only be a matter of time before the litany of questions was coming. Going to ask yours and get it out of the way first. End the unpleasant subject early so that the rest of the evening could be fun.
“Twilight before you get to your questions I have one of my own.”
>Twilight turns to you all smiles
>You hate to change that even for a moment, but you need to know.
>You know she’s dealt first hand with forbidden knowledge.
“What happens to creatures that have had their magic taken away?”
>Her smile fades.
>”Well, a depressive mood, a diminishing of physical abilities, dulling of coat, eyes, and mane.”
“That’s short term loss, Twilight. A great deal of Equestria including you and I experienced this. What about long term deprivation?”
>She takes a long, deep breath as you Cadence and Twi begin a walk to the castle.
>”This information comes from the restricted section of the royal library of the castle.  I trust you won’t go telling anypony this as its secret and frankly disgusting. These experiments were conducted preunification and even then their peers thought them cruel.  Animals had their source s of magic removed and then observed.  Magic is tied to life, all resulted in death due to accelerated aging. Some lived longer than others, size seemed to be a factor as well as intelligence but that only prolonged the inevitable. Please tell me this topic doesn’t involve Evergreen.”
>You’re heart aches.
“Not anymore Twi, but when he first came to us half frozen from the frozen tundra he was bereft of magic. He had so little magic that the doctors thought he wouldn’t survive.”
>You’re tearing up a little as your wife nuzzles your side to comfort you.
>”He’s gotten better Twi but we were afraid of lasting effects. Did they test any for those?”
>Twilight sighs





>”No, the tests were discontinued due to justified social pressures. But you said that he absorbs ambient magic right?”
“Ya.”
>”Then I have a feeling he’s going to have a very long life, and with our family a happy one as well.”



>You are Pearl Pike and you along with your “older” sister Pearl Pommel (middle names must be observed obviously) by five minutes are both watching the royal youngens.
>”Hey Pike you hear what happened to Fancy Fasteners?”
“Na, what another prank?”
>”Yup, mane changed to neon red.”
“How ghastly, what’s so bad about red hair?”
>”It’s his least favorite color.”
“How tragic.”
>”Hey looks like the dynamic duo are going to enter the maze.”
“Yup”
>”Reckon we should follow them”
“The treachery of hedge mazes is well documented we really should follow them” you say sarcastically
>”Come on”
>The both of you start to rush into the hedge maze after the two.
>Oh looks like the big un has noticed the two of you following him.
>You hear humming and a smile begins to form on your lips.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5niOf54X_iM
>He wants a chase, you’ll give em a chase.
>You and your sis are both on his metaphorical tail as he cuts left, right, left.
>He and Flurry are laughing while they’re speeding through the maze.
>Soon enough you have lost track of the twists and turns that you’ve both taken.
>You were so focused on keeping up with those long legs that you’ve only now noticed flowers are growing out of the sides of the hedge maze as well as some strange bulbs you’ve never seen before.
>Then you see the face of your charge change to confusion as he turns his head as if he was hearing something.
>He begins his pace again as you swear you can hear another song.
>You begin following him at a breakneck pace and are soon out of the maze.
>Looking back at the maze you can see that it has grown over and the previously open top is covered by the hedges.




>Something seems wrong.
>You look around.
>Where’s your sis?



>You are the prettiest purple pony princess.
>Twilight Sparkle is in the castle and she’s here to teach her new nephew some magic.
>He deserves a proper magic education and the best aunt ever will make sure that happens.
>You’ve brought books and diagrams that are certain to show him some real educational things.
>Shiny has been telling you all about him and he’s really getting into magic and pranking others as well.
>Well allegedly pranking.
>Maybe you should see about getting Pinkie or Rainbow Dash up here.
>Get some pranking tips from the pros.
>”Oh and get this Twily, he’s been fiddling with arrows for the past couple of days and I bet he’s trying to enchant them.”
>Jackpot the topic of your lesson with your little nephew.
>ENCHANTING!!!
>Oh hey a sprinting guard with a concerned expression.
>Great excitement just follows you doesn’t it?
>Another bit of excitement to get in the way of quality time with your family.
>”Shimmering Sentry report.” Your brother commands slipping into guard captain mode.
>She takes a breath to steady herself from her sprint.
>”An odd situation has occurred in the gardens sir. One of the guards has gone missing in the hedge maze sir.”
“Well that is odd lets go check it out.”
>Please don’t let it be like the last time you went into a hedge maze.
>If it’s another Discord incident I swear to Harmony.
>You as well as everyone else break into a gallop to the gardens and are there in no time.
>Thank goodness this isn’t Canterlot, galloping up stairs is absolutely exhausting.
>”Private Pike report!” This time it’s Cadence is demanding information.
>You swear they have telepathy as they just seem to take turns perfectly between commanding positions without missing a beat.





>”Ma’am, me and Private Pommel both followed after the little ones when they entered the maze and Evergreen began singing when we were following him. It became a bit of a chase until we heard another song and promptly left the maze. When we made it out she was nowhere to be seen. I’ve tried going back into the maze but after some twists and turns I always end up back at the beginning.”
>Looking over you finally see you newest “little” nephew holding Flurry and staring into the maze.
>The letter really didn’t do justice to how tall he is.
>You trot on over to him to make your introduction.
“Hi, my name is Twilight Sparkle and I’m your Best Aunt Forever. It’s wonderful to meet you.”
>You give your biggest smile to him while you see Flurry trying to reach out to you from his arms.
>He shakes his head and then looks away from the maze noticing you and Flurry trying to get out of his arms.
>”Come….Again?”
“I’m your aunt Twilight, it’s wonderful to meet you.”
>You say this while sitting down and opening up your forelegs for a hug.
>He lets Flurry go and she barrels into your side giving you a hug.
>Your other foreleg is left open and you look up at him inviting him to join.
>After a few seconds he leans down for an awkward hug.
>Expected, you’ve only just meet but you want to be as open as you can.
>After a couple of seconds he stands back up and goes back to looking at the maze.
>You turn back to Cadence and Shining.
“So Cadence want me to go in there, see what’s going on magically?”
>”Ya that might be a good idea, just don’t go too far in, we don’t know what’s going EVERGREEN COME BACK!”
>Wheeling around you see Evergreen sprinting into the maze at full tilt and immediately rush after him.
>How did you not hear him running? You still can’t even hear him with him right in front of you.
>You’re having a hard time keeping pace, so you decide to boost yourself a bit with a bit of mana.





>You can hear a couple different sets of hooves behind you as you turn a corner hot on Evergreen’s tail.
>It’s a bit of a straight away and you catch movement in the hedges in front of Evergreen.
>That must be what he’s chasing after.
>You start to charge a spell but the movement turns the corner at the end of the straightaway.
>You’re right behind him as he turns the corner.
>Which means you trip on and add to the pile of flailing pony and human that is sprawled on the ground.
>Your just about to right yourself when two more ponies smash into you.
>For a couple of moments all there all are one in a groaning mess on the floor.
>Slowly you Cadence, Evergreen, Pike, and Pommel untangle yourselves.
>”POMMEL BY HARMONY WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?!” you hear Pike yell.
>Standing up you get a good look at Pommel.
>Her mane and tail are a mess, she’s lost her helmet and spear, and looks like she needs a good shower.
>Pommel lunges forward and covers her sister’s mouth and starts whispering.
>”That tends to happen when you’ve been lost in a maze for a…week I guess. Anyways keep your voices down we’re not alone. I almost got whatever it is in the bush with my spear though.”
>You decide to keep your voice down.
“A week? What have you been eating?”
>”Well every so often I’d find berries in the hedges and those glowing bulbs have a bunch of water in em.”
>Just as you are about to ask another question you feel something grab you and pin you to the ground.
>Looking around you see a number of vines had shot out of the hedges ensnaring everyone.
>Out of the corner of your eye you see a tall figure of what appears to be a thin living tree striding purposefully towards Evergreen.
>Bright shining blue eyes locked on him.
>Evergreen can’t even see her coming toward him with his hair in his face.
“You leave him alone!”
>The figure continues right past you not even stopping to acknowledge you.






>??????:[I finally caught you, you little miscreant. Think you’re funny leaving that little savage here as a prank?]
>It reaches your nephew and begins to lean toward him.
>You’d try to shoot a magical bolt at it but with the way you’re pinned your aim would be terrible.
>??????:[Alright let’s see who was stupid enough to try this shit with me? That you Zacarias? Changing your hair around isn’t going trick me you know.]
>It reaches down brushing Evergreen’s hair out of his face.
>The posture instantly changes.
>??????:[I have no idea who you are?]
>Evergreen:[Same]
>??????:[You don’t know who you are?]
>Evergreen:[No I mean that I don’t know you.]
>You see the bark creature squinting at Evergreen.
>??????:[How old are you?]
>Evergreen:[23]
>You see the figure deflate and the bark peeled off revealing a slender human female.
>She sits down against the hedge and the vines retreat from Evergreen.
>He gets up and sits opposite of her.
>??????:[Pretty mean prank you pulled you know. Stranding an armed pony in my place. You know the pony tried to stab me right? That’s on you.]
>Evergreen:[Sorry, if it makes you feel any better I didn’t mean to do it.]
>?????:[Right, ok who are your parents?]
>Evergreen:[Parents?]
>?????:[Ya, the ones who spawned you? I didn’t think I was this much off the vine if I didn’t hear about someone having a kid.]
>Evergreen:[Don’t have any.]
>She gives him an incredulous look.
>?????:[What do you mean you don’t have any?]
>Evergreen:[I’m an orphan.]
>?????:[Right, and I’m the oldest human in the green. Fine just tell me your name.]
>Evergreen:[Anon]
>????:[What kind of name in Anon? Is that short for something?]
>Evergreen starts to look embarrassed.
>Evergreen:[It’s Anonymous.]
>She blinks a couple of times
>?????:[Who the Tartarus names their child Anonymous?]



>Evergreen:[It’s not my fault that there was an error in the paperwork and the workers at the orphanage didn’t care enough to change it.]
>?????:[Alright fine Anonymous, my name is Aina.]
>You saw air quotes.
>Aina:[You’re throwing a lot at me and I really need this to be gone.]
>You see her gesturing at everyone still tied up.
>Aina:[I’ve been getting ready for a party and I can’t have a bunch of ponies running around. It was already annoying enough looking after the other one for the past week.]
>Evergreen:[That’s fine, only reason I’m here is to get them out.]
>You heard babbling and galloping.
>”Flurry filly come back to daddy we need to leave.”
>Around the corner flies Flurry and Shining who comes to a quick stop.
>Aina:[By the Green, aren’t you the cutest thing.]
>The woman deftly and gingerly plucked little Flurry out of the air and spun her around while making faces at her.
>Aina:[Who’s the cutest thing ever? You are, yes you are.]
>You see you brother looking confused as he looks between you and the others tied up, the woman playing with Flurry, and Evergreen casually sitting against the side of the maze.
>You hear Evergreen clearing his throat.
>Evergreen:[Maybe you should untie everybody, you’re starting to freak “daddy” out.]
>She looks around confused.
>Aina:[What are you talking about? I don’t see him.]
>Evergreen points at Shining and the woman bursts out laughing.
>Aina:[Good one kid, this whole set up was great for that joke I gotta give you that.]
>Evergreen looks confused
>Evergreen:[That’s his name though, why’s that funny.]
>The look from the woman is one of disbelief and stupefaction.
>Aina:[Oh Green your’re serious.]
>The woman snaps her fingers and the vines slide off everypony.
>She then walks over to Evergreen and leans against the hedge next to him.
>Aina:[You do know you’re calling him daddy right?]
>Evergreen goes red.
>Evergreen:[What?]
>A mischievous look comes to her face
>Aina:[You know I honestly have to say that this is the funniest thing I’ve seen in awhile, but I still need you to leave.]






>A quick glace over at your best sis in law and then she does a double take.
>Aina:[Oh shit is that the candy ass line.]
>Aina:”Hey candy ass!”
>Cadence looks around and then point at herself questioningly.
>Aina:”Great to see you again you’re welcome to come by anytime but I’d like you to leave. Like now, I’ve got a party in an hour and I gotta make sure everything’s perfect.”
“Maybe we could stay for awhile?”
>So much research, please say yes.
>”No offence but I think having all of you around would throw the whole thing off, and not appropriate for the little ones. Now out with you.”
>Pearl pike looks at her
>”How?”
>She gives a groan.
>”Anon how did you get here?”
>”Singing I think?”
>”So how do you leave?”
>Evergreen looks annoyed at her tone
>”Singing?”
>”Correct now get on, you can stop by some other time.”
>Evergreen looks a bit annoyed but starts singing and walking down the maze.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FkiHtTO-mk
>Everpony starts to awkwardly follow but you linger for a bit.
“Can I visit too?”
>She gave a second of thought and then smiles.
>”Sure why not, if you sing well enough I’m sure you’ll find your way. If you do I’ll even invite you to swinger Saturdays.”
>Wow, is she screwing with you or is she being serious?
“Umm, I’m not married.”
>”Really, why hasn’t a stallion snatched a fine little thing like you up? No time for your life story you’d best catch up with Anon.”
>Something seems off but you can’t quite put your hoof on it.
>Wait.
“Why do you keep calling him Anon?”
>That same smile from earlier has never left her face.
>”That’s his name sweetie, or the closest that your language comes to it.”
>”Now get.”
>You catch up with the group and leave the maze.
>The song from before had you feeling calm and relaxed.
>You could get used to this.
“Hey Shiny is it always so much fun with Evergreen?”
>Anon leans over and pokes your horn before Shiny can answer.
>”Yes Twi-light.”
>The lesson plans are looking like great fun for you and your new nephew.