I didn't notice anything was wrong at first. Granted, neither did anybody else. Cherry Crash was the first. One day, she went to school, living her normal life, or at least, that was what it seemed like, and the next, she was just gone. She didn't show up for school and none of the teachers asked about her when doing attendance. Sure, it was odd, but that was all the thought I really gave it. I just thought, Hm, that's odd, and then shrugged and forgot all about it. We, or I, just thought, she moved away or was sick.

Sandalwood was next. His disappearance struck me a little more. Mostly because I knew him a bit more than I did Cherry. I asked about him, but everyone would just shrug and ask who I was talking about. I thought it was odd, but, let's face it, I was so busy with school and such that I completely forgot.

It wasn't until Wallflower Blush went missing that I really started noticing things weren't right. I had been making an effort to talk to her more, and we actually started to get really close. We'd make an effort to meet up every Thursday after school. Neither of us ever missed it. Even after the whole Memory Stone ordeal, she didn't have very many friends. So, I tried to make sure she felt as included as I could.

So when she missed our Thursday meet-up, I grew a bit concerned. Mostly because she didn't text me that she was going to miss it or anything. I sat in the cafe we met up at for two hours, but soon, it was clear she was going to be a no-show. The weirdest part about it was the waiter. It was a small cafe and we went every Thursday at the same time, so, we got the same waiter. It was obvious they liked each other, but they were both too shy to say anything.

However, that day, when the waiter came to take my order, he didn't ask about her. Not once. And when I asked him to help me keep an eye out for Wallflower, he just tilted his head and asked me who I was talking about. I just thought he was being a jerk guy, but he didn't seem like the type. But, still, something in the back of my mind told me something wasn't right.

When I didn't see her the next day at school, I asked Trixie if she'd heard from Wallflower, but again, Trixie had no idea who I was talking about. Sure, Trixie was a little… absent-minded at times, but she and Wallflower frequently hung out. She wouldn't just…forget her. Later that day, I went to Wallflower's house, but when I asked her parents about her, they were dumbfounded.

A week later, Trixie vanished. Same deal. Nobody even remembered she existed. It was one thing for nobody to remember Wallflower, but Trixie? She wasn't exactly what you'd call subtle. In fact, if you looked up antonyms for the word subtle, her name would be there. Even when I looked in the yearbook, her name and photo were gone. It was like she was completely erased from this world.

After that, it felt like kids were disappearing left and right. Snips. Snails. Octavia. DJ Pon-3. Diamond Tiara. Derpy.

…Flash…

I tried talking to my friends about it, but since they didn't exactly remember, it was hard to get their help. I mean, how could you find somebody if you don't know anything about them? We tried, of course. We studied, and we journaled Princess Twilight. Though, she didn't respond. Probably on a Friendship Quest.

Lyra. Bon Bon. Micro. Norman. Heath Burns…

I barely knew these kids, but when they disappeared, their absence was deafening. I didn't understand how nobody even remembered them, let alone they disappeared. It didn't make sense.

Photo Finish. Teddy. Whiz Kid. Zephyr Breeze. Bulk Biceps…

There was no rhyme or reason. No pattern. Nothing. It was random, completely unpredictable. They didn't even go missing at the same time. One day they'd be at school, the next they were gone. I'd see them in one class, but they were gone the next. I'd see them in the cafeteria but not after school. It wasn't even every day. Sometimes it was every other day. Sometimes it was once a week.

Twilight, or Sci-Twi, as I liked to call her, and I went to Crystal Prep Academy to see if they were experiencing the same thing. Of course, they wouldn't know it. Twilight knew the names of students from CPA better, but, of course, if they disappeared, she wouldn't know them. I asked Dean Cadence about the students I did know the names of, but they were all still there. Granted that was very little, but still.

Bright Idea. Captain Planet. Scootaloo. Scott Green. Big Mac…

Then Lemon Zest went missing. I knew then CPA was undergoing the same thing. I began to think I was going crazy. Maybe this was all in my head. Maybe this was a dream. Why did I remember, and nobody else did? This felt like the Time Loop and Memory Stone combined all over again. It was driving me mad.

Scribble Dee. Silver Spoon. Golden Hazel. Indigo Watch. Sweet Leaves. Indigo Zap…

Then Fluttershy went missing. That one nearly broke me. Nobody remembered she even existed. No memories, no photos, nothing. After everything we've been through together, not a single soul remembered her. Except for me. It was then that even my friends started disappearing one by one. It reminded me that even they weren't infallible. That I can disappear.

Valhallen. Rarity. Applebloom. Sour Sweet. Curly Winds. Sugarcoat…

Our school population dropped dramatically. We went from eight hundred students to two hundred. And then it was one hundred. And then fifty. And everybody just acted like nothing happened. But…I knew. I knew what happened. And I'd never let myself forget.

Paisley. Brawly Beats. Sweetie Bell. Pinkie Pie. Ringo. Tennis Match. Sunny Flare…

Every time one of them went missing, I wrote down their names. The names of them didn't disappear if they were written after they vanished. But I was no closer to figuring out what the hell was going on. Six months later and I was still at square one. Not even a journal entry from Twilight Sparkle.

Cloudy Kicks. Sci-Twi. Blueberry Cake. Crimson Napalm. Sophisticata. Applejack…

Rainbow Dash was the last of us to vanish. After that, I was the only student at Canterlot High and CPA. Both schools faded as though they never existed. I was alone. Utterly and uselessly alone with no options left. Well, except for one…

Author's Note

NEW STORY! Thought I'd go with a mystery this time. This story is inspired by the song Faded by Alan Walker. Sunset has always been my fav character, then Misty came along and then she wasn't.

Also: Secrets of the North update. It's not on hiatus, but the next chapter might take a little longer to come out. You know when you're so excited about one scene in the story that you practically base your story around that whole scene, but then once you get there, you have no idea how you're going to write the damn thing. Yeah, that's where I'm at in my life…*cricket cricket*…fun times

But it's coming. Promise. So, hope you enjoy this one in the meantime.

Hakuna Matata!