The Equestrian Inferno

The layout of this circle reminded me of the capital of Atlantis, only instead of a dazzling palace in the center, there was Mell's hole. This circle consisted of 10 sub circles arranged in concentric rings. Separating each sub circle was what appeared to be murky water. "Hydras live in the separating barriers" explained Galaxy, "You remember what those are right?" I nodded. Passing through the diameter of the circle all the way to the center was a path. When it was on land, it was of simple dried dirt. When crossing the moats between the sections, it consisted of an iron bridge. It was on this path that we now were on as we stood at the edge of the eighth circle. Around us was a multitude of ponies running frantically around the circle. On the head of each pony sat a soot black changeling with a long slender tail which it used to whip the pony it rode on. Galaxy and I trod along the path, which the inhabitants of the circle apparently could not touch. "Call out to one of them" said Galaxy.

"Hey, you, come here" I shouted at the next pony to come whizzing by. He was a teenage pegasus with a brown mane and cream colored fur. Upon hearing my voice, the changeling on his head ceased whipping him and he galloped over to us. "What's your name?" I asked him. "My names Pound Cake" he replied, "I was a janitor at Sugar Cube Corner."

I stared at him intently. "Well then" I laughed, "The last time I saw you, you were just a little filly. Time flies doesn't it?"

"Yep, it sure does" he replied.

"So, what brings somepony like you down here to this circle?" I asked.

"Well, you see, my dad wanted a new oven for our kitchen and to raise the money, we had to sell my sister Pumpkin Cake into servitude" he said.

"Wow that's terrible" I said, "but why are you here if it's your dad who sold her?"

"Because I didn't do anything about it" replied the young colt, "Celestia thinks being a bystander is nearly as bad as committing a foul act yourself. Pinkie was the only one to object and she got fired for it. I've had to take up both their jobs in the meantime."

"Oh, gee" I said, "I'm pretty sure letting Pinkie Pie loose in the world just like that isn't a good idea."

"No, it really wasn't" he said, "but anyhow, it looks like my time with you is up. If I stay still too long, I get a really painful cramp and I want to avoid that. See you."

And with that, the changeling on his head gave him a good whip on the back and he was off.

Galaxy and I continued walking forward along the path as I observed the inhabitants of the circle. Many had bloody lines crisscrossing their bodies. Unlike the inhabitants of the previous circle however, at least they were recognizable despite the blood.

Galaxy stopped and pointed her hoof toward the distance. "See that colt over there?" she asked.

She appeared to be pointing at a certain pony with light blue fur and a dark blue mane. "Yeah" I replied hesitantly.

"That's Soarin" she said matter of factly.

"Huh" I said, "What's he doing here?"

"He sexually harassed the female cadets at the Wonderbolts Academy" said Galaxy, "It took him so long to be found out, fired, and tried because Spitfire was in on it and didn't care. You'll see her later though."

Galaxy and I had now reached the iron bridge leading to the next region of the circle. Two guards stood on either side of it, their spears making an x over the entrance. When they saw us, they retracted their spears and allowed us to continue forward. Despite being made of iron, the bridge was still wobbly and shook with the turmoil of the monsters swimming below the surface of the water. Despite the water's murkiness, I could still see large shadows moving beneath it.

As we approached the other side, another foul odor met our noses. At first, I thought it came from the hydras but soon realized it was coming from the direction of our destination. I made my breathing shallow to avoid throwing up.

When we left the bridge and returned to the dirt path once more, I saw that this section consisted of a number of ponies wallowing around in horse manure. My eyes glazed over and my vision became fuzzy with the nauseating power of the odor so that I could barely see clearly. Still, I forced myself to look around lest I myself commit the same sin and end up here someday. Suddenly, a familiar looking pony caught my eye and for a few moments, I stared at it trying to figure out who she was.

The pony seemed to notice my gaze somehow and turned to me. As she did so, I saw that she was a pegasus. "Why are you staring at me?" she shouted at me, obviously self-conscious about her situation, "am I not just as deranged in my state as anypony else around here."

Then, it struck me. "Is you name Flutterbye?" I asked her. I wasn't sure because she was covered with manure but her voice seemed to give it away.

"Yeah" she replied, "what about it?"

"Nothing much" I called back, "Heinz made a series of MLP products as part of a marketing scheme this past week and mixed you up with Fluttershy."

"Huh?" she said scrunching her snout in confusion, "Who's Heinz?"

"Oh, right. Never mind about that" I said, "What are you doing here?"

"Oh you know how I was. Always flattering ponies and creatures with my charming looks and personality to get presents. Figures I would be punished someday. I just never imagined it would be like this." As she finished speaking, her voice took on a tone of sadness as she slowly turned and walked away.

"Ummmm, let's get out of here" said Galaxy, who seemed to be getting sick herself from the smell. I was happy to oblige as she trotted and I jogged to the next bridge.