>Remember "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic"?
>It was a cultural phenomenon, surprisingly. Who knew that such a childish cartoon could receive the love and admiration of thousands of 20 somethings?
>It was a crazy time. I remember having a "brony" phase myself. Those colorful equines brought me so much joy a few years back.
>My favorite pony was always Applejack. I loved her countryisms and hardworking values.
>Sadly, as all fads do, it came and went. The cheerful songs and wholesome plots soon became a distant memory for me.
>However, something as big as MLP once was can never truly stay buried, at least not for everyone.
>I was walking home from my menial job, bagging groceries at the local supermarket. I never was an overachiever, and it puts food on the table.
>About a block away from my house, I noticed one of my distant neighbors was having a yard sale.
>Strangely, I've walked past this house countless times and I've never noticed any signs of life coming from it.
>A frail looking lady, at least in her 70s, was rocking back and forth on a chair on the porch.
>Curiously, I decided to see what was for sale. Maybe I'd find some neat antiques of yesterday, begging to be resold for a markup.
>I asked her if I could comb through the boxes of merchandise she had for display. She of course said yes.
>She was a sweet old thing, offering me a cup of tea and some cookies. I politely declined, since I recently had lunch.
>I began sorting through the various items in the boxes. Lots of useless looking ceramic knick-knacks and old, dusty toys.
>Nothing seemed to be of any value or interest.
>Just as I was about to leave, I noticed a box full of old video tapes.
>My interest was piqued once more, and I began looking.
>Shrek, Road to El Dorado, The Never Ending Story...
>All signs of a grandson who's since started his own adult life.
>Then, at the very bottom, I noticed a peculiar tape.
>It had no case, just a very hastily placed label that just read:
>Applejack
>I recognized the name of the rural orange pony immediately. For memory's sake, I had to take it home.
>I inquired about the price. Two dollars. Score.
>I gave the old lady two wrinkly 1 dollar bills, thanked her, and went on my way.
>I'm surprised at how excited I was to rewatch the pony show. I guess I needed some wholesome joy to spice up the repetition of my day to day life.
>Soon enough, I was at home and ready to dust off my old VHS player.
>I tossed some popcorn in the microwave, grabbed the bag, and planted my ass down to begin watching.
>The episode began as normal. Rainbow Dash and Applejack were playing horseshoes, followed by some playful bickering.
>Fall Weather Friends! I remember loving this one.
>Giggling like a little girl, the intro began to play.
>My Little Pony....My Little Pony...
>Some bronies hated the intro. I always thought it was cute.
>I hummed along to it. I felt silly, but I was enjoying myself.
>Don't you know you're all my very best frieeeends?
>Classic.
>The episode continued playing as normal, Applejack and Rainbow Dash trying to one up each other in various activities.
>I never liked Rainbow Dash's constant bragging, so just like before, I was rooting for Applejack.
>The episode got to its major conflict, the Running of the Leaves.
>Rainbow Dash wasn't allowed to use her wings, and the challenge was a footrace- or should I say, hoofrace, to the end against Applejack.
>The scene changed to Pinkie Pie in a hot air balloon announcing that the race will begin soon.
>I felt stupid at how hyped I was.
>However, at this point, the quality of the VHS began to decline. It was unusually grainy.
>I paid no mind, probably just an old tape.
>The audio quality was going down as well, Pinkie's voice sounded like it was being played through an old radio.
>This kept progressing. At the scene where Twilight Sparkle was talking to the ponies at the starting line, I could barely make out what she was saying.
>The race began. The audio quality was incomprehensible.
>What normally sounded like hooves running across the ground sounded like garbled nonsense. It was almost frightening.
>Applejack and Rainbow Dash were running next to each other, trying to take the lead over the other.
>However, something wasn't right. The scene was looping very poorly, over and over.
>This went on for a few minutes. I was almost ready to take the tape out and continue my day. Must be busted.
>Right as I was about to get up from the couch, something horrified me.
>The incomprehensible noise that was the hoofsteps began to distort even further.
>It almost sounded like...screams?
>I was unsettled, but I continued watching.
>The animation's frame rate was slowing down. It almost looked like a slideshow.
>A reddish filter appeared over the scene. It almost looked like blood splatters.
>The screaming noises became more intense. I could almost make out what looked like the skull of a pony in the background.
>The skull like object became more and more apparent as the loop kept playing. It was covered in what looked like blood.
>The screams were almost deafening. I was about to shit my pants in terror, but I couldn't look away.
>After about 5 minutes of this loop, it cut to Pinkie and Spike in the balloon, playing like normal.
>But that was only for a few seconds.
>Right after Pinkie's joke about fudge, it began to distort once more.
>The stuttering was almost like that of a Youtube Poop.
>Pinkie began convulsing faster.
>The stuttering was so fast that it was giving me a headache.
>Why was I still watching?
>Pinkie's erratic movements then froze and it cut to black.
>Thank god that's over.
>Once again, I moved to remove the tape.
>The moment I got up, as if it was trying to catch me off guard, the black screen flashed into a screencap that I can only describe as "demonic".
>Pinkie's eyes were black voids, with blood dripping down from each socket.
>Spike...his head was on a stake. His eyes and face were covered in tears.
>The horrifying image of Pinkie Pie was looking directly at the screen. Smiling.
>I was shaking. What the fuck did this old lady possess?
>I had to finish it. I couldn't look away.
>Two minutes of Pinkie's horrifying grin passed. It cut back to the loop of Dash and Applejack racing.
>This time, the red filter was way more intense, if you could even call it a filter. It looked like the screen was covered in blood.
>Skulls of ponies littered the racetrack and background. They looked like they were in a perpetual state of terror.
>Applejack's face began distorting. Just like Pinkie, her eyes turned into black holes, and blood was raining from her face.
>Her skin began to peel away, in frightening detail. Her skull was revealed on various parts on her face, and a gruesome smile began to form.
>Still running together, Rainbow Dash's head began to turn to look at her rotting friend. She looked terrified.
>Applejack's face was now facing me, as if it was the world's scariest fourth wall break.
>The smile got even more deranged looking. Whatever was possessing this tape was having fun.
>It cut to black, but only for a split second.
>When the image returned, the screams were eardrum blowing.
>The face of the cheerful, hardworking apple pony was almost completely rotted off.
>Her skull was almost completely exposed. Hyper-realistic blood and brains poured out of her face.
>I couldn't take it anymore, I had to stop.
>Once again, I got up to take the tape out of the player. I was planning on smashing it with a hammer soon after.
>Then, the screaming stopped.
>Somber piano music began playing. It cut to a grainy shot of Applejack's barn, and the camera slowly moved towards the door.
>What came next shook me to my core.
>Rainbow Dash was on the ground, dead. Her wings looked like they had been gnawed off.
>Hanging from the ceiling from a noose was poor Applejack.
>Swaying back and forth in a depressingly realistic manner.
>Words flashed on the screen. "Dead". "Sugarcube." "Why didn't you save her?"
>I popped the tape out and the screen cut to black. I was emotionally scarred from what I just witnessed.
>As I promised to myself, I grabbed a hammer from my toolbox and smashed the tape into pieces.
>I cleaned up the debris and put it in the trash.
>I should have just watched some ponies on the internet instead.
>I spent the rest of the day rewatching non-corrupted pony.
>The pony episodes I watched cheered me up.
>I watched most of season 1, reliving good times.
>Ticket Master, Party of One, all classics. I even watched the actual version of Fall Weather Friends.
>Still holds up.
>I was still emotionally damaged from the horrors from earlier in the day.
>However, I'm a grown man, and tried to put it past me.
>I went to bed and had trouble falling asleep.
>I didn't have good dreams. The tape may be destroyed, but it was still very much alive in my subconscious.
>Horrifying flashes of Applejack hanging on a noose played in my head, over and over.
>I woke up in a cold sweat.
>6am, time for work.
>I got up, made coffee, and threw on my clothes.
>Perhaps the menial tasks of the day would take my mind off of it.
>I grabbed my sack lunch, and walked out the door.
>What I saw next almost made me scream at the top of my lungs.
>A ripe, juicy looking apple was planted right at my doorstep.
>I panicked and threw it as far as I could, right into the street.
>That was 1 week ago. Every morning, I find fresh apples at my doorstep.
>I constantly look over my shoulder in terror.
>The only thing that seems to take my mind off of it at this point is watching more pony.
>However, I make sure to avoid any episodes involving the sweet farmer mare.
>Applejack was my favorite pony, now she's my worst nightmare.