May all your dreams come true...
It is in these deep corners one can find certain things. Snatches of scripts, character outlines. Drawings. Parts of old youtube trailers taken down and never to be shown again. All of these things pertain to a kids show that was created for television but never shown. All of it was compiled by a woman who died a few years ago. Her name was Melanie Ross.
It was this article I found posted by someone who went by the Id Derpy that drew my attention and I do confess I find myself believing in it. First Derpy has posted other articles and information on the show before and is generally viewed as a trustworthy source. And second as I myself have worked for Disney for a very short time. I have heard certain rumors about the ride in question. Though it was long gone before I worked at the parks the rumors still persist to this day.
But in the end I cannot verify or deny this story. I'm posting her journal entry here to let the reader decide. Do with it as you wish.
It was going to be a hot day. The park hasn't opened yet I can already feel beads of sweat rolling down the back of my neck. I was among the crowds of guests waiting to enter the park and the Florida sun was already baking me but no one else seemed to notice or if they did, care.
I could feel myself growing impatient and even a little nervous as I waited. A month ago I had visited the park. I tried to sneak in and see it but I got caught by security. They were nice to me as they escorted me through those mysterious tunnels under the park that everyone talks about as they took me to the office of Disney security. They took my name and Id told me they were letting me go with a warning that if they ever caught me anywhere on Disney World property ever again I would be arrested for trespassing. I was being banned for life from Disney.
Yet here I am again. Two days from now that secret Disney and Hasbro has been doing its best to pretend it doesn't exist will be gone. Two days from now what I came all the way here to see will be demolished to make way for a new ride. From what I heard told it will be some sort of Snow White Roller coaster ride.
Two days from now The My Little Pony ride will be erased from the earth never to be seen again.
In 2009 Hasbro was in full production in a new cartoon series. It was a planned reboot to an old eighties series that didn't do so well when it came out. But they were confident the new one would make up for the failure of the first. After all, name a little girl who doesn't like ponies.
Spearheaded by a man named Simon Kuklachelovek well known in the industry for creating hit cartoon series. Hasbro was so confident in the new series they teamed up with Disney to help create a ride for it.
How it came to be I can't say. The deal was done behind closed door that even I couldn't get into. But there are a few things I have learned. The ride was call "My Little Pony: Adventures through Equestria" estimated cost was around eighty million with each company splitting the bill. The ride itself some sources had said it was around five to seven minutes long with a combination of animatronics, 2D and 3D animation in something that was described as a mild indoor roller coaster.
Upon entering the ride guests were seated into a gold or silver chariot representing the sun and the moon that could hold between ten to fifteen people. The ride itself was like a story. (Disney does like its stories.) As guests are magically transported from Disney World to Equestria by a purple unicorn named Twilight Sparkle.
Twilight escorts the guests through Equestria meeting her friends along the way. However, an evil Alicorn named Nightmare Moon tries to stop Twilight and the guests, promising eternal darkness.
With the help of the guests Twilight prepares to stop her along with her friends to help while a blue unicorn and something called a draconequus named Discord attempt to create chaos and prevent Twilight from stopping Nightmare Moon.
However Twilight Sparkle with the help of some magic gems called the Elements of Harmony they are able to Send Nightmare Moon back.
The ride ends with everyone arriving in Canterlot with Celestia sending the guests back to the Magic Kingdom in Disney World. And that is what the ride supposedly is about.
From what I learned the My Little Pony ride was completed but never opened. It sits there now unused in the Magic Kingdom hidden by a wooden fence and potted bushes hiding it so well that it's easy to miss if you don't know what you're looking for.
Why? What happened? It didn't take me too long as I researched the show to make me realize why Disney would rather take a forty million dollar loss and pretend it doesn't exist. They're scared of it.
Finally. After waiting what felt like hours the park opens with a flair. I wipe the sweat off my forehead while I navigate my way through the crowds. I feel a little nervous as I pass by Disney employees welcoming me into the park.
I have been careful on my return trip. I have cut my hair short and dyed it red. I am also wearing a sunhat and thick red sunglasses. With the thousands of people entering the Magic Kingdom everyday I'm sure I won't be noticed. But still this whole ordeal is playing havoc with me. A feeling every time I see an employee a paranoia seems to overtake me. A feeling that they know who I am and they are waiting for me.
I pick up the pace as I make my way through Main Street USA then cut through Cinderella's castle as I exit the other side entering FantasyLand. The carousel is the first thing that greets me. Playing Old Disney songs while rows of perfect white horses spin around and around in a circle until the end of time. When I was a little girl the carousel was my favorite thing in the world. Now I have to admit it kinda scares me.
I stare at the horses and I wonder what secrets do they know? What are they not telling us? I looking in the eyes of the countless horses as they spin past me. Feeling that if they could talk they would tell me to run.
"You're going to die," came the voice of a young girl as she got onto the carousel.
I froze as those words stabbed me through the heart. Turning around I see a young girl that had to have been around seven or eight wearing a yellow ballerina dress that said "You have friends in Equestria," on it. Attached to it was a pink tutu that matched her long flowing pink hair. Fake plastic yellow wings were attached to the back of it while her arms wrapped around a purple plush unicorn that stared at me with these intense violet eyes.
Slowly the carousel began to spin again as the wooden horses went up and down to some Disney song I couldn't remember the name of.
"I'm sorry I didn't catch what you said," I say to her. "Can you please repeat that?"
"Who is your favorite pony?" the girl asked me. Showing off her perfect white teeth as she smiled, "Mine is Twilight Sparkle."
"Favorite pony from what?"
The girl stared at me for a moment as if she was listening to someone only she could hear before she finally spoke again. "They were right. This really is the happiest place on earth."
I watched her as she skipped away from me. Easily disappearing into the throngs of people moving all around. I tried to catch sight of her but she was gone. Leaving me standing next to the Carousel as It played "When you Wish Upon A Star."
I hate to admit it but that girl shook me up more than I want to admit to myself. Picking up the pace I worked my way to the edge of where FantasyLand bordered with Liberty Square. It is their where I located the ride on my last visit. As I said before the ride has been barricaded by a wooden fence too high to see through, obscured even further with potted bushes, shrubs and some other plants. I didn't know what kind they were except for doing a good job in hiding it.
The ride was excellently camouflaged I have to admit. If you didn't know what you were looking for you would have easily walked right past it. It took me almost the entire day to find it on my last visit. Getting caught when I finally found the gate that would lead me in.
I picked up the pace as I got closer. Once you know what you were looking for. It becomes a lot easier to see as I make a beeline towards it. Carefully I worked my way through the plants. It was easy to find the latch as I gripped the handle and started to open the door.
"Ma'am what are you doing?" came a voice directly behind me, "You're not supposed to be in there."
I found myself freezing and my mind racing as I heard the footsteps of Disney security walking right behind me.
"Ma'am I'm going to have to ask you to step out of the bushes," said the security guard to me.
I have never claimed to be a fast thinker. But today I have to admit if they ever hand out awards for being fast on your feet I would definitely qualify for one as I reached into my purse to pull out my pack of cigarettes. I jammed one into my mouth. Lighting it as I backed out slowly.
"I'm sorry." I said. Giving him my friendliest smile as I blew out a steady stream from my mouth. "I was just looking for a place to smoke. They told me where but I couldn't find it."
Like a true Disney employee I saw him relax as he directed me to the nearest area. Probably figuring me as just some stupid tourist. I pretended to listen to his instructions then waved as I went off. Breathing a sigh of relief as I turned the corner and out of his vision. Stupid girl Melanie. I should have been paying better attention. Don't want to get caught again.
I let some time pass wandering the park until I decide to head back to the spot. Dammit! As I get closer I see him hovering around the area. He seems bored standing there but he is alert as I watch him paying attention to the passerby.
Quickly before he can spot me I duck into one of the many shops in the Magic Kingdom. I walk to the back and surround myself with Mickey and Minnie Mouse dolls where I can keep and eye on him. Sooner or later he will move away and when he does I will find out what is behind the fence.
Dammit! I thought if I waited long enough he would move to another spot. Three hours have passed and still security is guarding the area. It's a different guard than earlier but still I don't want to be seen hanging around or he might get suspicious.
I buy an overpriced Donald Duck keychain as I continued to walk around the shops. Keeping an eye out for any opening I can exploit. My patience is starting to wear thin when I finally see a way to get in. Probably the only one I will ever get.
They do try to tell people about the Florida heat but everyday at least one guest decides to ignore the warnings and not drink enough fluids. It was an elder man this time. I saw him collapse to the ground nearby as the rest of his family just stood over him in shock. To dumbfounded to do anything but stand there like trees. I guess they never believed that anything like this could happen at Disney.
I must admit to being impressed by the man. I watch as he quickly comes over and starts to assist the family. Calling for help while rendering aid. Better for me as I take a deep breath and walk past the group who is too busy dealing with the emergency. Working my way around them I quickly sneak by and bury myself into the bushes as I make my way through to the fence. It doesn't take me long to find the gate again. I grab the handle and find it opening easily as I quietly sneak in.
The door swung open with no sound and no resistance as I entered and close it behind me with a loud snick. Taking me a moment to realize just how quiet it was.
Behind me I could still hear the music, the chaos of thousands of people going from ride to ride. But it all sounded so far away. As if the Magic kingdom had suddenly been moved a few miles.
The continuous scraping of my shoes against the concrete as I walked onward was the only sound I made. I have to admit the My Little Pony ride looked impressive as I could feel the little girl inside of me giggle at it in awe.
The outside was made to look like a giant tree. With an opening at its base for guests to enter. From its many branches I could see colorful figures of ponies watching. Now slightly faded from the years of neglect, staring at me through the leaves or playing around the trunk of the tree near the opening. I have to admit I felt a little creeped out. Their stares too intense. Their smiles too wide. I worked my way through some old rusted barriers that formed lines for the guests who will never see it to enter. In the silence I could hear the hum of engines running in the distance. Was the ride left on?
Flickering lights made to look like candles illuminated the inside as I approached it. Closing my eyes I could hear the whispering of many voices waiting eagerly in line for their chance to ride. The laughter of children seemed to drift from every dark corner that was beyond my vision.
Taking deep breaths as I felt myself growing more and more anxious as I got closer. The little girl from earlier. Her smile stuck in my head made me more afraid than I wanted to admit as I stepped in.
The room was circular made out of plastic constructed to look like wood as if I was inside of a giant tree. Rows up rows of dusty books were glued onto old shelves rotting away and covered in cobwebs. In the center was a large puddle of green water. Probably algae. Rain water must have leaked in from a hole in the roof to form the puddle in the middle of the room. Seeming to have the smell of a forgotten basement I have to say it reminded me more of the Haunted Mansion ride than a cheerful cartoon of singing ponies.
On one side a screen was built into the wall. Warped and scratched with a thin film of grime from the look of it. What was it going to play I couldn't tell you as the thing looked pretty damaged. And still I could hear the voices of thousands of people patiently waiting in line along with their children. Seeming to follow me as I made my way through the room and to the other side which led me down a corridor made of the same plastic wood. Illuminated by those same plastic lights masquerading as candles.
Occasionally I would pass empty monitors attached to the ceiling. A couple had fallen off their posts to shatter on the ground but most were still secured to the ceiling.
I passed another room easily stepping around the tarnished and stained brass rails separating lines of people that would never use it. And still this sensation of being surrounded seemed to follow me as I walked into the third and final room.
The room was bigger than the other two as it divided people into yet more lines. Beyond it was a mural of a forest overlooking a clear blue sky with the silhouette of a castle in the background. In the center was a metal track painted black with a gold chariot sitting their humming quietly from unseen motors running below the rails. Patiently waiting for me to get on.
Each seat had a harness that rose above it. A symbol of the sun was painted on the front of the chariot. On the side was the numbers 101010. For two years it sat here neglected yet the chariot seemed brand new, the seat comfortable. I didn't want to get on it. But there was no going back. I knew I had to see this to its ends.
I continued to feel the unseen eyes watching me, knowing I was going to do It regardless as I stepped downward into the chariot and made my way towards the middle. Once I made myself comfortable. The harness came down over me. Securing me in with a loud click as the ride began to move and a hidden door in front of me opened.
"Here in Equestria our magic can be unpredictable to creatures such as you," said the voice overhead as the chariot rolled onward, "So please keep your hands, feet, and head inside the chariot at all times."
"And please no flash photography during your trip. It can scare all those cute, cuddly animals of the forest and we wouldn't want that now would we?" said another voice before the chariot began to accelerate.
I was surprised by the condition of the ride. Despite having a couple years of neglect it still ran pretty smooth. Some of the animatronics didn't work properly and a few of the screens were damaged. One was completely shattered with shards of glass laying all over the ground. A few of the props had fallen over and everything was caked in a layer of dirt and filth. But the ride ran pretty smooth as the chariot zipped along the rails following the purple unicorn named Twilight Sparkle who continued to take me all over Equestria. Showing off all her friends that live in Ponyville.
It was about the middle of the ride I guess. As Twilight along with her friends, that everything took a very dark turn. Clouds began to fill the screen above me as it got noticeably darker. Lightening began to flash all around me as an ominous laughter was heard growing louder and louder.
"Oh no!" yelled Twilight Sparkle, "Nightmare Moon is back."
A silhouette of something dark drifted behind the cartoon clouds. Something that I was sure didn't belong on the ride. A something that was very much aware of me
My nervousness began to creep back into me as the feeling that something was wrong. My hand gripped the harness and I pulled it to see if I could lift it up but it was locked into place. Panic began to overtake me as I began to fight with it. As a terrible knowing that bad things were beginning to happen.
Another flash of lightning ripped the darkness apart as black ooze began to pour out of the animatronics. The blackness dripped out downwards to the ground tearing up the ponies and exposing their metallic insides as more continued to come out the six ponies as the chariot continued onwards.
"You wanted to know Melanie," said the remains of Twilight as her face sunk into her head. Twisting into a terrible grin before dropping off to the ground, "You wanted to see. You wanted to understand what we are. I hope you enjoy the ride."
The chariot rocketed forward going faster and faster turning sharply downwards as I felt myself being pressed into the seat from the accelerations as the ride plunged into a tunnel.
Downwards I shot. Everything becoming a blur of motion. It was dark but enough light was present somehow for me to barely see.
"He is at the center." said a voice in the darkness sounding like Twilight, "He is the everything. He is the end, The eater. The chaos. He is everything. And he is hungry, always hungry."
"And we are eating, always eating." said another voice.
"Behold the chaos. Hail the eater."
A reddish light ripped the darkness apart and I saw. I didn't want to see but I couldn't stop. A thing beyond the imagination of any sane or rational mind lay their unmoving. Even though I was still away from it the size of the thing was incomprehensible. Seeming to stretch both in height and width as I saw the thing that lay below our planet.
"As big as the world. Maybe even bigger." whispered the voice in my ear as I sat there unable to move. My terror paralyzing me.
Its wormlike body was black without eyes, ears or nose. Only a mouth opened to expose rows upon rows of mountain sized teeth. On the side I saw deformed wings and misshapen limbs too small for such a huge creature to use.
I didn't want to see. I didn't want to stop. As I looked onward I knew its name. from the deepest corner of my soul I knew it. "DISCORD." Certain that's what it called itself as I was certain the sky was blue. It was immense. It was terrifying...And it was dead.
I gagged as I caught the overpowering stench of rot and decay, the creature was decomposing. I stared at things resembling deformed ticks the size of houses crawled over the corpse by the millions. Their abdomens swollen to the point of bursting as they consumed the dead monster worm. As I knew that the sun would burn out before those things would make a dent in the body.
I stared as one of the carrion eaters lost its footing on the carcass. Tumbling downwards it hit the floor and burst spilling black goo to fill a few pools. And still my terror grew as I saw them.
There must have been about ten of them crawling around in the mess on the ground. Crying in pain as they started to evaporate. Their bodies twisting and turning from the exposure to the elements. And all I could think of was. "Oh my god they look like ponies."
And then the true horror hit me. The truth of it all. The knowing of the unknown.
Discord wasn't dead.
"Ding, ding, ding. Give the lady a prize," laughed a voice behind me.
He was but he wasn't dead. Discord was in the between of both places. Living in the dead but still clinging to life. It was growing and it was coming back. And it knew I was here.
The chariot banked sharply speeding onwards towards the it. Faster and faster it went as I saw its mouth grow bigger as I lost all sanity from that point. All I knew I was that I had to get away from it.
My panic took over as I blindly fought against the restraints while approaching the mouth at incredible speeds. As horrible as the thought of me dying right now. I knew it would be nothing as to what was inside of the thing waiting for me. And still the chariot continued on.
"You wanted to know. You wanted to see. Just know you will always have friends to be with you forever now." said the voice mocking my fear, "Isn't it magical?
Its teeth hung overhead as I shot into its mouth. Into the darkness. Then everything snapped inside of me and I did the only thing I could do. I screamed.
I screamed and screamed. My existence was nothing but a scream and still I kept on screaming as the darkness engulfed me.
"Wow thanks to our new friends we were able to defeat Nightmare moon and restore Equestria." said the white alicorn as the chariot passed her by, "Unfortunately we have to send you back now to the Magic Kingdom. But feel free to visit whenever you want. There's always time for friends."
I sat there in stunned silence unable to comprehend anything that just happened. Dumbfounded as I blankly watched rows of dancing ponies celebrating the defeat of Nightmare Moon.
"Farewell new friends I hope to see you again real soon." screamed a pink pony standing on a ledge on top of the exit doors as she brought out a cannon that showered me with degraded confetti.
I felt the ride roll to a complete stop back at where I had gotten on. My body started to shake and convulse as everything ripped through me. For the first time in my life I believed in true evil. For the first time in my life I believed in the devil.
I felt bile rising up inside me and the harness mercifully unhooked giving me the freedom to finally get out. I vomited. I cried. I vomited some more. I had to get out. I had to get away from everything and collect myself.
How I got away I couldn't tell you as everything was a blur. I don't know how I got out from the Magic Kingdom and made it to my car. But once I got there was the first time I felt safe as I started to let it all out.
It took me a while to get myself under control before I turned the key in the ignition and let the A/C cool me off. As I started to put my car into drive I noticed something sticking out on the side of the passenger's seat. As I laid it on my lap I felt the fears starting to return as the realization that I was going to die hit me.
It was a laminated folder covered in Disney characters with the word "Memories" printed on it in bright gold letters and a red border. Opening up was a photograph of myself on the My Little Pony ride. I had thought I rode alone but there was someone on it sitting behind me. A girl wearing a yellow dress with pink hair. Her eyes blacked out. Smiling and waving at the camera.
At the bottom inscribed on the picture was the phrase:
Abandoned by God
