Mlp Infection

2023Fan art trend / alternate universe / creepypastasemi-active

Also known as: MLP Infection AU · Pestraobia · MLP Zombie AU

MLP Infection is a 2023 collaborative horror fan-art trend depicting My Little Pony characters afflicted with fictional diseases, parasites, and zombie-like infections across alternate universes.

MLP Infection is a fan-driven horror trend within the My Little Pony community where artists create alternate universe (AU) scenarios depicting ponies afflicted by fictional diseases, parasites, and zombie-like infections. The trend kicked off on TikTok in December 2023 when Russian-speaking creator @osushat introduced an AU centered on a flesh-eating disease called Pestraobia, and it quickly snowballed as dozens of other artists built their own infection universes with unique lore, art styles, and rules2. Drawing from older MLP creepypasta traditions like Rainbow Factory and blending them with zombie apocalypse storytelling, MLP Infection became one of the biggest collaborative horror art movements in the brony fandom's recent history1.

TL;DR

MLP Infection is a fan-driven horror trend within the My Little Pony community where artists create alternate universe (AU) scenarios depicting ponies afflicted by fictional diseases, parasites, and zombie-like infections.

Overview

MLP Infection refers to a wave of fan-created alternate universes that reimagine the colorful world of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic as a setting for body horror, disease outbreaks, and survival stories. Each AU follows its own rules about how the infection works, what the "zombies" look like, and which characters survive or fall. The art typically shows familiar MLP characters in decaying, mutated, or fused states, shared through TikTok photo slideshows with lore captions explaining the disease mechanics2.

What sets MLP Infection apart from standard creepypasta is the sheer collaborative energy behind it. Rather than one canonical story, the trend spawned dozens of independent AUs, each with a unique pathogen, patient zero, and set of stakes. Some are grim with no cure in sight. Others hint at redemption1. The contrast between the show's bright, friendship-centered aesthetic and the grotesque body horror of the infection art is the core appeal.

On December 13, 2023, TikToker @osushat posted a photo slideshow describing a "flesh and mind eating disease" called Pestraobia infecting ponies in an alternate version of Equestria2. The slideshow identified Starlight Glimmer as patient zero, referred to as the "initiator." Over its first month, the post pulled in roughly 540,500 plays and 42,400 likes2.

@osushat, a Russian-speaking creator, expanded the Pestraobia lore across multiple follow-up slideshows in December 2023. A second slideshow posted on December 14 added new details about the infection's spread and received approximately 477,900 plays and 40,300 likes within a month2.

The trend built on a long tradition of MLP horror content. Earlier creepypasta stories like Rainbow Factory, which depicted Rainbow Dash using ponies to manufacture rainbows in a gory industrial process, and My Little Amnesia, a crossover with the horror game Amnesia: The Dark Descent, had already proven that the fandom had an appetite for dark reinterpretations of the show1.

Origin & Background

Platform
TikTok
Key People
@osushat, @bunnyizcute, Auggy Dailey, Claudia Liu / Crackle Wink, Kaleb Stevens / ghxstispunk, fhroggy
Date
2023
Year
2023

On December 13, 2023, TikToker @osushat posted a photo slideshow describing a "flesh and mind eating disease" called Pestraobia infecting ponies in an alternate version of Equestria. The slideshow identified Starlight Glimmer as patient zero, referred to as the "initiator." Over its first month, the post pulled in roughly 540,500 plays and 42,400 likes.

@osushat, a Russian-speaking creator, expanded the Pestraobia lore across multiple follow-up slideshows in December 2023. A second slideshow posted on December 14 added new details about the infection's spread and received approximately 477,900 plays and 40,300 likes within a month.

The trend built on a long tradition of MLP horror content. Earlier creepypasta stories like Rainbow Factory, which depicted Rainbow Dash using ponies to manufacture rainbows in a gory industrial process, and My Little Amnesia, a crossover with the horror game Amnesia: The Dark Descent, had already proven that the fandom had an appetite for dark reinterpretations of the show.

How It Spread

The first major spinoff AU arrived on December 26, 2023, when TikToker @bunnyizcute posted a slideshow outlining the Smile Virus, a different take on the infection concept. That post earned roughly 576,900 likes in its first month, and other creators quickly added to the Smile Virus lore with their own slideshows and videos.

By early January 2024, the trend had exploded across TikTok. On January 3, @aerofie posted a gameplay-style representation of Fluttershy encountering an infected pony, pulling in around 609,400 plays and 51,900 likes in three weeks. Ten days later, @etc.etcetera dropped an original animation that became the trend's biggest single piece of content, racking up over 3.4 million plays and 409,600 likes in just 12 days.

Fan art slideshows kept the momentum going. On January 18, @gojosdirtysocks posted infection art that crossed over with the MordeTwi meme, earning over 2.5 million plays and 566,800 likes in a single week.

YouTube picked up the trend in late January 2024. Creator frommi posted a 29-minute explainer video on January 19 that broke down the various MLP Infection AUs, getting over 18,000 views in six days. Two days later, Ryuji Saeki uploaded an analog horror video introducing yet another AU called Swamp Fever, which hit roughly 29,700 views in four days.

The trend also spread to DeviantArt and Tumblr during this period, with artists sharing their own infection AUs on both platforms. On DeviantArt, creator fhroggy launched Apple Rot, an AU where infection spreads through products tainted with blighted apples and through bites from infected ponies.

How to Use This Meme

MLP Infection isn't a single template but a creative framework. To participate:

1

Design your AU's disease. Give it a name, a method of transmission, and visual symptoms. Popular approaches include parasitic fungi, magical corruption, or tainted food.

2

Pick a patient zero. Choose which MLP character first contracts the infection and explain how it happens.

3

Draw infected versions of characters. The art typically shows decay, mutation, extra limbs, plant growth, or fused bodies. The more disturbing the contrast with the character's normal appearance, the better.

4

Build lore through slideshows. Most creators share their AUs as TikTok photo slideshows with text overlays explaining the infection's rules, timeline, and character fates.

5

Expand with comics or animation. More ambitious creators produce multi-page comics or short animations showing key story moments.

Cultural Impact

MLP Infection tapped into two overlapping fandoms: the brony community and the broader internet horror scene. The trend drew direct inspiration from mainstream zombie properties like The Walking Dead, The Last of Us, and World War Z, applying their survival horror logic to Equestria's candy-colored world.

Several creators used the trend to process real-world experiences. Auggy Dailey, creator of The Everfree Infection AU, started his project while quarantining with COVID-19. "There's been several nods to how Covid affected the U.S. within the story and a lot of it is just me processing the experience," Dailey told Trill Mag. His AU's infection originates from a bug disease that Fluttershy accidentally introduces while trying to make medicine, and it spirals when Discord's attempt to help backfires.

The trend also demonstrated TikTok's power as a storytelling platform. The slideshow format, originally designed for simple photo sharing, became a vehicle for serialized horror narratives with deep worldbuilding. Creators released new lore installments like episodes of a show, with audiences following multiple AUs at once.

Fun Facts

Auggy Dailey cited his favorite piece from The Everfree Infection as a comic featuring Zecora and Pinkie Pie having tea, which let him experiment with comic paneling by weaving branches and hidden insects into the panel borders.

In Harmony Syndrome, the flowers that bloom on dead amalgams are called "Last Hope Lillies," and Sunset Shimmer believes they hold the key to a cure.

The Apple Rot AU's outbreak starts because Applejack steps away for a glass of water before sorting through a bushel containing a single blighted apple, and Granny Smith and Big Mac unknowingly press it into cider.

@gojosdirtysocks' MLP Infection art crossed over with the MordeTwi meme (shipping Mordecai from Regular Show with Twilight Sparkle), hitting over 2.5 million plays.

The trend's roots trace back to older MLP horror works like "The Cough," which Auggy Dailey specifically cited as an inspiration for his AU.

Derivatives & Variations

Pestraobia

— The original AU by @osushat featuring a flesh and mind eating disease with Starlight Glimmer as patient zero[2].

Smile Virus

— Created by @bunnyizcute on December 26, 2023, this AU introduced a different infection mechanic and quickly developed its own community of contributors[2].

The Everfree Infection

— Auggy Dailey's AU where a bug-borne disease spreads after Fluttershy mistakes infected twigs for medicine ingredients. Features serialized comics with environmental storytelling[1].

Harmony Syndrome

— Created by Claudia Liu (Crackle Wink), this AU follows Sunset Shimmer's notes on an infection that causes ponies to become cannibalistic and fuse into amalgams. The disease was accidentally created by Twilight Sparkle trying to grant her mortal friends immortality[1].

My Little Virus

— Kaleb Stevens (ghxstispunk) created the Decay Virus AU, featuring art drawn across both show-accurate and original dark settings[1].

Apple Rot

— By DeviantArt creator fhroggy, this AU spreads through tainted apple cider from Sweet Apple Acres. Detailed character profiles show how each pony is affected on "Night One" of the outbreak[3].

Swamp Fever

— An analog horror take on the MLP Infection trend, introduced by YouTuber Ryuji Saeki on January 21, 2024[2].

Fallen Stars Infection

— Another independent AU seen on social media, adding to the growing ecosystem of infection universes[1].

Frequently Asked Questions

Mlp Infection

2023Fan art trend / alternate universe / creepypastasemi-active

Also known as: MLP Infection AU · Pestraobia · MLP Zombie AU

MLP Infection is a 2023 collaborative horror fan-art trend depicting My Little Pony characters afflicted with fictional diseases, parasites, and zombie-like infections across alternate universes.

MLP Infection is a fan-driven horror trend within the My Little Pony community where artists create alternate universe (AU) scenarios depicting ponies afflicted by fictional diseases, parasites, and zombie-like infections. The trend kicked off on TikTok in December 2023 when Russian-speaking creator @osushat introduced an AU centered on a flesh-eating disease called Pestraobia, and it quickly snowballed as dozens of other artists built their own infection universes with unique lore, art styles, and rules. Drawing from older MLP creepypasta traditions like Rainbow Factory and blending them with zombie apocalypse storytelling, MLP Infection became one of the biggest collaborative horror art movements in the brony fandom's recent history.

TL;DR

MLP Infection is a fan-driven horror trend within the My Little Pony community where artists create alternate universe (AU) scenarios depicting ponies afflicted by fictional diseases, parasites, and zombie-like infections.

Overview

MLP Infection refers to a wave of fan-created alternate universes that reimagine the colorful world of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic as a setting for body horror, disease outbreaks, and survival stories. Each AU follows its own rules about how the infection works, what the "zombies" look like, and which characters survive or fall. The art typically shows familiar MLP characters in decaying, mutated, or fused states, shared through TikTok photo slideshows with lore captions explaining the disease mechanics.

What sets MLP Infection apart from standard creepypasta is the sheer collaborative energy behind it. Rather than one canonical story, the trend spawned dozens of independent AUs, each with a unique pathogen, patient zero, and set of stakes. Some are grim with no cure in sight. Others hint at redemption. The contrast between the show's bright, friendship-centered aesthetic and the grotesque body horror of the infection art is the core appeal.

On December 13, 2023, TikToker @osushat posted a photo slideshow describing a "flesh and mind eating disease" called Pestraobia infecting ponies in an alternate version of Equestria. The slideshow identified Starlight Glimmer as patient zero, referred to as the "initiator." Over its first month, the post pulled in roughly 540,500 plays and 42,400 likes.

@osushat, a Russian-speaking creator, expanded the Pestraobia lore across multiple follow-up slideshows in December 2023. A second slideshow posted on December 14 added new details about the infection's spread and received approximately 477,900 plays and 40,300 likes within a month.

The trend built on a long tradition of MLP horror content. Earlier creepypasta stories like Rainbow Factory, which depicted Rainbow Dash using ponies to manufacture rainbows in a gory industrial process, and My Little Amnesia, a crossover with the horror game Amnesia: The Dark Descent, had already proven that the fandom had an appetite for dark reinterpretations of the show.

Origin & Background

Platform
TikTok
Key People
@osushat, @bunnyizcute, Auggy Dailey, Claudia Liu / Crackle Wink, Kaleb Stevens / ghxstispunk, fhroggy
Date
2023
Year
2023

On December 13, 2023, TikToker @osushat posted a photo slideshow describing a "flesh and mind eating disease" called Pestraobia infecting ponies in an alternate version of Equestria. The slideshow identified Starlight Glimmer as patient zero, referred to as the "initiator." Over its first month, the post pulled in roughly 540,500 plays and 42,400 likes.

@osushat, a Russian-speaking creator, expanded the Pestraobia lore across multiple follow-up slideshows in December 2023. A second slideshow posted on December 14 added new details about the infection's spread and received approximately 477,900 plays and 40,300 likes within a month.

The trend built on a long tradition of MLP horror content. Earlier creepypasta stories like Rainbow Factory, which depicted Rainbow Dash using ponies to manufacture rainbows in a gory industrial process, and My Little Amnesia, a crossover with the horror game Amnesia: The Dark Descent, had already proven that the fandom had an appetite for dark reinterpretations of the show.

How It Spread

The first major spinoff AU arrived on December 26, 2023, when TikToker @bunnyizcute posted a slideshow outlining the Smile Virus, a different take on the infection concept. That post earned roughly 576,900 likes in its first month, and other creators quickly added to the Smile Virus lore with their own slideshows and videos.

By early January 2024, the trend had exploded across TikTok. On January 3, @aerofie posted a gameplay-style representation of Fluttershy encountering an infected pony, pulling in around 609,400 plays and 51,900 likes in three weeks. Ten days later, @etc.etcetera dropped an original animation that became the trend's biggest single piece of content, racking up over 3.4 million plays and 409,600 likes in just 12 days.

Fan art slideshows kept the momentum going. On January 18, @gojosdirtysocks posted infection art that crossed over with the MordeTwi meme, earning over 2.5 million plays and 566,800 likes in a single week.

YouTube picked up the trend in late January 2024. Creator frommi posted a 29-minute explainer video on January 19 that broke down the various MLP Infection AUs, getting over 18,000 views in six days. Two days later, Ryuji Saeki uploaded an analog horror video introducing yet another AU called Swamp Fever, which hit roughly 29,700 views in four days.

The trend also spread to DeviantArt and Tumblr during this period, with artists sharing their own infection AUs on both platforms. On DeviantArt, creator fhroggy launched Apple Rot, an AU where infection spreads through products tainted with blighted apples and through bites from infected ponies.

How to Use This Meme

MLP Infection isn't a single template but a creative framework. To participate:

1

Design your AU's disease. Give it a name, a method of transmission, and visual symptoms. Popular approaches include parasitic fungi, magical corruption, or tainted food.

2

Pick a patient zero. Choose which MLP character first contracts the infection and explain how it happens.

3

Draw infected versions of characters. The art typically shows decay, mutation, extra limbs, plant growth, or fused bodies. The more disturbing the contrast with the character's normal appearance, the better.

4

Build lore through slideshows. Most creators share their AUs as TikTok photo slideshows with text overlays explaining the infection's rules, timeline, and character fates.

5

Expand with comics or animation. More ambitious creators produce multi-page comics or short animations showing key story moments.

Cultural Impact

MLP Infection tapped into two overlapping fandoms: the brony community and the broader internet horror scene. The trend drew direct inspiration from mainstream zombie properties like The Walking Dead, The Last of Us, and World War Z, applying their survival horror logic to Equestria's candy-colored world.

Several creators used the trend to process real-world experiences. Auggy Dailey, creator of The Everfree Infection AU, started his project while quarantining with COVID-19. "There's been several nods to how Covid affected the U.S. within the story and a lot of it is just me processing the experience," Dailey told Trill Mag. His AU's infection originates from a bug disease that Fluttershy accidentally introduces while trying to make medicine, and it spirals when Discord's attempt to help backfires.

The trend also demonstrated TikTok's power as a storytelling platform. The slideshow format, originally designed for simple photo sharing, became a vehicle for serialized horror narratives with deep worldbuilding. Creators released new lore installments like episodes of a show, with audiences following multiple AUs at once.

Fun Facts

Auggy Dailey cited his favorite piece from The Everfree Infection as a comic featuring Zecora and Pinkie Pie having tea, which let him experiment with comic paneling by weaving branches and hidden insects into the panel borders.

In Harmony Syndrome, the flowers that bloom on dead amalgams are called "Last Hope Lillies," and Sunset Shimmer believes they hold the key to a cure.

The Apple Rot AU's outbreak starts because Applejack steps away for a glass of water before sorting through a bushel containing a single blighted apple, and Granny Smith and Big Mac unknowingly press it into cider.

@gojosdirtysocks' MLP Infection art crossed over with the MordeTwi meme (shipping Mordecai from Regular Show with Twilight Sparkle), hitting over 2.5 million plays.

The trend's roots trace back to older MLP horror works like "The Cough," which Auggy Dailey specifically cited as an inspiration for his AU.

Derivatives & Variations

Pestraobia

— The original AU by @osushat featuring a flesh and mind eating disease with Starlight Glimmer as patient zero[2].

Smile Virus

— Created by @bunnyizcute on December 26, 2023, this AU introduced a different infection mechanic and quickly developed its own community of contributors[2].

The Everfree Infection

— Auggy Dailey's AU where a bug-borne disease spreads after Fluttershy mistakes infected twigs for medicine ingredients. Features serialized comics with environmental storytelling[1].

Harmony Syndrome

— Created by Claudia Liu (Crackle Wink), this AU follows Sunset Shimmer's notes on an infection that causes ponies to become cannibalistic and fuse into amalgams. The disease was accidentally created by Twilight Sparkle trying to grant her mortal friends immortality[1].

My Little Virus

— Kaleb Stevens (ghxstispunk) created the Decay Virus AU, featuring art drawn across both show-accurate and original dark settings[1].

Apple Rot

— By DeviantArt creator fhroggy, this AU spreads through tainted apple cider from Sweet Apple Acres. Detailed character profiles show how each pony is affected on "Night One" of the outbreak[3].

Swamp Fever

— An analog horror take on the MLP Infection trend, introduced by YouTuber Ryuji Saeki on January 21, 2024[2].

Fallen Stars Infection

— Another independent AU seen on social media, adding to the growing ecosystem of infection universes[1].

Frequently Asked Questions