(Commission)- Ponies all around Equestria go missing. It's up to June and the Mane Six to bring them back.
Commission for: Jaime Tames Bolaños (Facebook)
Concept Credit: Me OC Credit: Jaime Tames Bolaños
June is an Earth Pony with a rather unusual ability to see the smallest details. A natural perfectionist, she spends most of her day making sure everything looks perfect.
One day, when invited to a party, the Mane Six and June discover that ponies of Equestria have gone missing. Timeline, a mysterious Unicorn gives them a task- verify the existence of the missing ponies and bring them back. June, with her sharp memory and ability to see and remember the smallest things, must give her best to find the keys to the existences of the ponies. Existence is only verified by what one does in this world, and what one is remembered for.
When somepony is forgotten, they might as well... vanish.
It was another normal day in Ponyville. Rainbow Dash had gotten up early to clear the skies, allowing Celestia’s sun to shine down brightly onto the small, peaceful town below. A certain Earth Pony hummed to herself as she meticulously tended to the flowers around her home. Her coat was a pale yellow, her bushy orange mane and tail twisted with locks of a lighter orange. Her sharp green eyes glittered as she worked with enthusiasm.
“There, that looks perfect!” she stood back to admire her work. The colorful arrangement of flowers were perfectly arranged, at least in her mind.
“Morning, Junebug.” a purple Alicorn trotted up the path, smiling.
“Princess Sparkle!” Junebug started to bow, stopping as Twilight waved her hoof. “Morning, to you, too, Twilight.” Junebug dropped the formalities at the Princess’s encouragement.
“Beautiful as always.” Twilight nodded at the flowers. “How long did this take you?”
“You know me, I’m a perfectionist. I started arranging these things as soon as the sun rose.”
Twilight laughed. “Of course you did. Anyway, Pinkie wanted me to help hand out these.” she went into her saddlebags, with a rather modest Royal Crest on it, enough to show her authority, but not showing off. “Here.” she passed across a bright pink card, decorated with streamers and confetti.
You’re Invited!
Pinkie Pie’s Super-Fantabulous-Party-Bash! Games, cookies, cupcakes, drinks, and more! Sugarcube Corner, 31st of May (Today! Yes, as in today, today!) 12 PM to Midnight
Hope to see you there! ~Pinkie
“I’ll definitely be there.” June said happily, feeling excitement deep in her. She was not as crazy as a party pony as Pinkie, but she was more obsessed with parties than most other ponies. And plus, who could turn down a party hosted by Pinkie? ------
“Glad you could make it!” Pinkie slapped a party hat on June. “Oh, lookie, you’re a Unicorn now!” she gasped, touching her own hat. “Hey, so am I!”
“Hello to you, too, Pinkie.” June giggled, adjusting her hat. “I wouldn’t miss this for the world.” June noticed something was off. “Hey, where is everypony else?” June looked around, but the room, although heavy in decorations, only held Pinkie and June.
“I don’t know. Maybe they got lost?” Pinkie suggested, although her voice now had a tone of worry in it.
“I don’t think that anypony in Ponyville would get lost on the way here.” June took a seat, glancing at the clock. 1:00 PM.
“Oh, hi Dash!” Pinkie bounced happily as the rainbow and cyan Pegasus glided in.
“Hey, Pinkie.” Rainbow looked around. “Um… great party? And I thought I was late.”
One by one, the rest of the Mane 6 came in, but still, nopony else had arrived.
“I don’t get it.” Twilight muttered. “I know I handed out the invitations. The streets were empty, but I thought that was just because they were at Pinkie’s Party.”
“Well… a party with seven is still a party, right?” Pinkie regained her usual giddiness, bouncing to her hooves.
“Yes. Seven.” a shadow, unknowingly to them, was watching from the window, as they started up the party.
----
It was almost midnight when they had settled down. “Really happy you girls could make it.” Pinkie smiled a little as they were cleaning up.
“Still, though. Where did everypony go?” Twilight was still wondering, as she deflated the balloons with her magic. “I’m really starting to worry. Maybe I should send a letter to Princess Celestia.”
“Where did little Spike go, darling?” Rarity asked, her horn glowing as she folded an origami box for the trash.
“I asked him to watch over the library.” Twilight answered. “Hey, June, what’s wrong?”
The Earth Pony was staring at the door, where a gray Unicorn stood. He had blazing green eyes, and a dark gray mane and tail. A brown cloak covered most of his body, including his cutie mark. “Evening, ladies.” his voice was deep, yet silky smooth. “I suppose you want to know where everypony went.”
“Who the hay are you?” Rainbow Dash asked aggressively, starting to fly towards the stranger.
“Easy there, partner.” Applejack stepped in front of Rainbow. “I’m sure we’re all wondering that.”
Fluttershy had chosen to hide behind one of the counters, peering over slightly.
“My name? You can call me Timeline.” the Unicorn answered. “Please relax. I’m just here to help.” He trotted forward. “Tell me, what do you think happens when a pony is forgotten?”
“What do you mean by that?” June asked, raising an eyebrow at the newcomer.
“Exactly as it sounds. Where do ponies go when they’re forgotten?”
“They don’t go anywhere.” Twilight stepped up. “It sounds like you’re implying they go to some faraway place. That’s just illogical.”
“Correct, Princess Sparkle.” he gave them a mysterious smile. “They don’t go to some faraway place. They… simply vanish.”
June laughed. “Don’t be ridiculous. That’s not possible. Ponies don’t just vanish into thin air.”
“How do you know? How would anypony know if a forgotten pony vanished or not?” he countered, staring at her with his oddly clear eyes.
“So what you’re saying is that our existence is only verified by others.” Twilight frowned a little.
“Now you’re getting it. Think, Princess Sparkle. Can you name some ponies that aren’t here?”
“Of course I can!” Twilight gave a confident smirk, but it soon faded. “N-no way… I can’t.”
June shook her head. “But I can. Carrot Top, Golden Harvest, Roseluck…” she continued to rattle off the names of her neighbors and friends.
Timeline looked a little surprised, then smiled. “Good. Then you are the only one who can bring the missing ponies back. I saw it in you. You pay attention to the details of everything. You don’t forget a thing. That is why you are still able to recall them.”
“Me?” June took a step back. “I have to bring… everypony back?”
“Was I unclear?” Timeline took a seat on a nearby chair. “Yes, June. You must bring them back. As for the Spirits of the Elements... they must have some sort of protection around them, allowing their existence to continue.”
“Hold up, partner.” Applejack stepped forward. “They weren’t just our neighbors, they were our friends! There’s no way we would just forget them!”
“Of course not.” he replied. The entire time, he had not blinked. At this point, it was getting creepy. “But what if something made you forget them?”
“A-are my animal friends okay?” Fluttershy finally spoke up in a tiny whisper.
“It would appear so.” Timeline answered, looking over at her, causing her to hide once more. “You do not need to worry about them.”
“We have to bring our friends back!” Pinkie bounced over to him. “Without them, I can’t throw enough parties!”
“This has got to be some awful nightmare.” Rarity muttered to herself. “No ponies means no clients…”
“Then allow me to tell you where to start.” Timeline followed Pinkie’s bouncing with his eyes. “Town Hall is in the center of Ponyville. You’ll find what you need there.”
“How do you know all this?” Twilight demanded, stepping over to him. “You want us to just listen to some random Unicorn that came from nowhere? How do we know what you’re telling us is true?”
“Believe me, or don’t.” he shrugged, getting up again. “It’s not my place to make you do these things. I simply make you aware of it, and what to do to fix it. You want to bring back a pony? Verify their existence. Everypony has something to represent them. Their key in this world. You’ll understand soon enough.”
Without a further word, he walked out the door and vanished into the night.
------
“Well… here we are.” Twilight looked up at the tall building. “Town Hall. I can’t believe that I don’t even remember any names.”
“Mayor Mare would probably be the one who would have a key in this place.” June opened the doors to an eerily empty entrance hall.
“These names… they sound familiar, but I just can’t think of why.” Twilight shook her head, closing her eyes. “We better act quickly. I don’t know if this is a Ponyville-centered event. I sent a letter to Princess Celestia, I really hope that she replies.”
The group of mares cantered through the darkened building, eventually stopping at the mane office. The nametag usually on the door was gone. June cautiously pushed the door open, the old wood creaking in complaint as she did so. The room was dimly illuminated by the moon, an empty chair but packed desk and shelves glowing softly in the moonlight. Twilight’s horn lit up with an Illuminate spell, allowing the group to see more around them.
“There’s got to be something.” June sifted through the desk’s contents. “What would be most significant to Mayor Mare?”
The other ponies searched the shelves, not entirely sure what they were even looking for. “Come on, girls, just grab anything that looks important.” Twilight encouraged, trying to dissipate the uneasy feeling in the air. It didn’t help much.
June’s sharp eyes roamed the desk and drawer, looking for something, anything. Her hoof stopped as she reached a certain item in the drawer, pulling it out. It was the Mayor’s bow tie. “Of course! This must be it! The Mayor received this as a gift after she won the election- it was from Princess Celestia herself! Woven from Skyworm silk!”
“Well done.” a familiar voice made them jump. They turned to see Timeline standing in the doorway,watching June. “But I’m afraid not everypony will be that easy.” his piercing gaze made June feel a bit uncomfortable. “I think the Mayor will be wanting that back.” he nodded at the chair, the group turning to look.
The elderly Earth Pony was there, stirring slightly as she woke up from what seemed like sleep. “W-what happened?” she mumbled, looking around in confusion. By the time they had looked back at Timeline, he was gone once more.
“Long story.” June passed over the bow tie. “Come on, we should walk and talk.”
“Good to have you back, Mayor.” Twilight sighed in relief. “We’ll explain everything on the way.”
“And that pretty much sums it up.” Twilight finished, to a stunned-looking Mayor.
“Well then…” she said weakly, adjusting her glasses. “Where are we headed again?”
“Zecora’s home.” June answered, turning to look over at them. “She should have good knowledge on strange things. She always seems to understand these weird kinds of spells. I’m sure if we bring her back, we can get a lot of things done.”
“We’ll have to find her key, though.” Twilight said as the group entered the darkened forest, her horn lighting the way. “Remember? Timeline said not all would be as easy.”
“Stay together, everypony.” Mayor Mare said, her normal commanding personality surfacing. She looked around nervously. “If one of us were to get separated…”
“Oh, relax.” Rainbow rolled her eyes. “We’ve been in here dozens of times.”
“It… It still creeps me out sometimes.” Fluttershy answered softly, almost screaming as a bug dropped down in front of her.
“Eek! A bug!” Rarity jumped away from it. “That’s what I hate about this place! It could use a good cleaning!”
“Focus on the task, girls.” Twilight reminded them. “We’ve got to get to Zecora’s.”
The group moved in silence through the dark, damp forest, eventually reaching the odd little hut fashioned from a dead tree. “If it wasn’t creepy already, it is now.” Rarity muttered, pushing the door open with a hoof. The interior was still lit with various glowing objects as the ponies walked inside.
“See anything that stands out?” Twilight asked, looking over at June.
The Earth Pony took some time to scan the area, her sharp eyes roving over every item in there. She eventually pointed at the Poison Joke.
“The Poison Joke? That darn plant?” Applejack frowned. “Why that?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” Twilight answered. “This is what defined her. When she cured us, she was accepted by everypony. This is how she made her friends. Timeline said not everypony would be easy, but this-” She tried to pick it up with her magic, but the blue flowers crackled with some sort of black lightning, dissipating her magic. “Wh-what?”
“Didn’t I say?” Timeline was in the doorway again, watching them with his mysterious eyes. “Not everypony is so easy. This one in particular has a lock on her key.”
“How does that even make sense?” Twilight asked desperately.
Timeline ignored her question. “You found her primary key. But you must find a secondary key to break the lock on the primary key. Some ponies, depending on how they are, could have many more locks. You must find all the locks and keys for the one you are trying to save.”
“But we can’t possibly find them all!” Twilight looked back at him.
“Never said you could.” he answered, shrugging.
“So- so what are you saying? We just forget some ponies?” June asked. “Just pretend they never existed?”
“Technically, that’s how it is now, but I know what you’re asking.” Timeline answered. “But… no. There are other ponies with the Seeker ability. That’s what you have, June. You are a Seeker. Find other Seekers, and spread over the land, to rescue those who were lost.”
“So it’s not just us then?” Twilight asked with a note of hope. “There are others out there?”
“Of course.” Timeline answered with a small smile. “You just have to find them. Good luck.” He ignored the additional questions they shouted after him as he turned and vanished into the darkness of the Everfree Forest.
“Then we should split up.” Twilight looked at the assembled group. “Two to three a group?”
“That sounds like a plan, sugarcube.” Applejack agreed.
“All right. I’ll stay with June and the Mayor. Applejack, could you go with Rarity? Rainbow, mind teaming up with Fluttershy? You two can cover the skies. We’ll meet up at sunset at Town Hall.”
The mares mumbled in assent, breaking off into their respective groups.
“What could the secondary key be?” June asked, trying to think. She looked around the hut but nothing else stood out to her.
“Then it has to do with when before she came here.” Twilight answered. “But nopony knows anything about her past. Nopony really even asked.”
“Didn’t little Applebloom come over here on a regular basis?” the Mayor spoke up. “I’m sure Zecora’s shared stories with her.”
Twilight thought for a while, then nodded. “Yeah. That would make sense. We should probably find Applebloom first, then. Too bad we can’t ask Applejack to look for Applebloom’s key. She’s not a Seeker.”
“Then let’s head to Sweet Apple Acres.” June headed to the door. “Come on, no time to waste.”
* * *
“So this is Applebloom’s room, if I remember right.” Twilight looked around. “See anything, June?”
“No.” she answered simply, after taking her time to search, opening the cabinets and looking under every crevice. “I don’t think it’s in this room.”
“Well, it’s going to take a while to search the entire farm.” Twilight sighed. “I was HOPING it would be her bow or something but…” she gestured to the massive pile of bows in the closet. “That’s not exactly helping.”
“Agreed.” June stepped out of the room. The Mayor closed the door behind them.
“What now?” the Mayor asked. “We can’t just sweep the entire farm.”
“I don’t know.” June answered with a sigh. “Give me some time to think.”
The group moved down the stairs, walking through the groves while they thought. At least half an hour passed before June kicked a tree in frustration. “I’ve got NOTHING!” she snapped bitterly, wincing as a few apples hit her on the head. She looked up and saw an old ribbon tied to an upper branch. It looked like one Applebloom would wear, just worn down from the weather. Her eyes lit up. “I’ve got it! Applejack was talking to me about this one time when I was working on the farm! Applebloom loved to climb trees. This must be the very first tree Applebloom climbed! Applejack was saying how Applebloom made her way up the tree, and tied her hair bow on it to mark her accomplishment!”
Twilight smiled. “I was there when that happened. Applebloom bragged for days on end how she even beat Granny Smith’s record!” She took the ribbon down with her magic, passing it to June. “Is that it?”
Her question was answered by a loud ‘Hey!’. They turned around to see the little filly staring at them. “What’s the big idea, untying my ribbon like that?”