The Equestrian Inferno

I awoke to the sound of rain, mixed with one of the most putrid smells I had ever experienced within my lifetime. As I came to, I noticed I was wet. Pushing my hands to the ground to prop myself up, I noticed they sank into the mud a little. As I rose, I realized that there was something very wrong with this place. Wiping my dirty hands on my jeans, I turned and found Galaxy behind me. "You seem entertained easily" she said. "I've never seen anyone laugh so hard. You really hurt her feelings you know."

"Huh?" I mumbled, still drowsy. Slowly, it all started coming back to me; Galaxy, the ride on the naga, the labyrinth, Rarity, and finally me passing out." The thought of my most recent memories might have caused me to crack up once again, however as I was regaining my senses, the stench of my surroundings had a greater and greater affect upon me. I lifted my arm to my face to shield my nose from the horrible odor only to put it down when I realized my sleeve smelled even worse. What was going on?

"Galaxy, where in Celestia's name have you taken me now?" I choked out, attempting to breathe through my mouth.

"We're in the third circle right now. This is the home of the gluttons; the ponies who were slaves to their appetites."

Suddenly, I heard a growl behind us. Turning, I saw a large Diamond Dog charging toward us, kicking up mud as we ran. Beside me, Galaxy's horn began to glow a bright shade of hot pink. Before us, a chunk of the ground likewise began to grow and levitate. Furrowing her brow in concentration, she hurled the chunk of mud into the dogs mouth. As the dog chewed, the mud continued to glow, transforming into a stickier glue-like substance. Moments later, the dog's mouth had been glued shut. Whimpering and scared, it turned and ran off into the distance.

Looking around, I saw another multitude of ponies sprawled out and scattered upon the ground. All had their heads in the ground and were greedily swallowing large mouthfuls of dirt. As Galaxy continued to explain, we walked among them.

"The ground here is made from stale and moldy sponge cake. A rain of sour chocolate milk falls eternally. Those who dwell here are compelled to eat away at the mixture of the ground and rain as punishment for their attitude during life."

It was a disgusting sight, and although I had not notice earlier, the rain was indeed brown. So far, none of the ponies had given heed to us as we passed. With their eyes and ears smeared and filled with the awful sludge of the stale sponge cake soaked in sour chocolate milk, they were oblivious to our presence. Finally, after some time, we approached a pony who acknowledged us. Lifting her head from the ground and turning toward us, she spoke.

"Well hello there. It's nice to see a living soul for once. Do you recognize me?"

Slightly taken aback by the question, I examined here carefully to see if I did. Nothing specific about here reminded me of anypony I knew. Finally, I admitted I did not.

"It's me, Applejack" she replied. "A large portion of the Apple family dwells here because of our dietary habits in life."

I was saddened when I heard her words, but admittedly kind of saw it coming. Upon examining her again, I began to see the similarities between the pony before me and the smiling and cheerful pony she had been when alive.

"Look, sir. You have to listen to me. Your people have forgotten the earth pony way. The same link with nature that we earth ponies have also exists within humans. It's just weaker, however it can be developed. Unfortunately, in the vast majority of humans, it has become dormant. Your people are out of harmony with Mother Nature. She has been patient with you, her children long enough now. You have harmed her creatures and destroyed her body with your pointless wars. She has had enough. Do your people, in their arrogance, really think they can control her? Oh how easy it would be for her to pop one of the many supervolcanoes she has laying around just for that purpose. Or, maybe a deadly unstoppable plague this time around. I don't know, however if you guys don't settle yourselves and act mature, it will be the end of you."

Horrified, I realized how true her words were. "Applejack, are there any humans left on earth in which the link with nature is still active? Is there anyone I can learn the earth pony way from?" I asked her.

"Oh, a few shamans maybe. But a lot of them are on reservations and only use their abilities for the betterment of their tribe. I can understand their distrust of outsiders. Maybe a few members of OBOD and AODA as well. Other than that, not really."

"But, there do appear to be some politicians interested in protecting the environment. What about them."

"Yes, what about them indeed. Well…, let's just say a lot of them will end up even lower than I am upon death. They don't know what they're doing, and a lot of them only say things like that to increase their public image. When you return to earth, reveal all that I have told you. Start a movement with a genuine aim at restoring the balance between man and nature. Celestia willing, and why on earth shouldn't she, you will succeed."

With that, Applejack slumped her head forward and once again began gnawing at the dirt. As I prepared to ask more, Galaxy stopped me. "Speak no more to her for she is finished. We must get going now. Surely, you don't want to spend a minute longer in this place do you?"

As she said this, she turned rightward and began trotting. While Applejack was speaking, my mind had been distracted from the horrid conditions around me. Now, the stench once more filled my nostrils as I jogged behind my guide, desperate to leave this place.