The humans hidden among the ponies

Twilight and the others began to walk and they were all looking at the many plants  and animals and Fluttershy tried to talk to the animals but she got nowhere with them when Twilight  stopped and spoke up.

" This isn't right. Something is wrong." Twilight she said as she looked around to look for trouble..

" Well it is strange that I can't talk to most of the animals here.. In fact it's like they have no real intelligence and are nothing more than beasts here which is silly because there hasn't been such animals like that since the dawn of ponykind " Fluttershy said

" That's because they are beasts Fluttershy; See that animal over there?  It's a  giant rockadillo that's been extinct for nearly a million years and that flower there; It's a sparkling sunset daisy; They been extinct for over 3000 years; This area is a paradise of plants and animals that ponies have never set eyes on or have not seen in ages.. Why there could be things here that are not even in the books. A pony could spend their whole life studying this land but that's not what's bothering me; It was far too easy to get into this place.. So why has nopony ever returned?" Twilight asked

" Now that I think about it; You're right! Something stinks here and where is everypony? You'd at least think they'd build a town here or something." Rainbow Dash said suddenly alert

" Oh dear I hope we... AHHHHIIEIEEE!!! Fluttershy screamed when a net suddenly came out the tall plants to cover her and the rest and even Gilda soon found themselves all tied up and they soon saw their attackers and Fluttershy was the first to react.

" Oh how cute I never seen anything like this before and it's sooo cute!!!" Fluttershy said when she saw what looked like a dirty walking ball of badly matted fur.

" We not cute! We Bushwoolies! You prisoners of master!" the bluish  thing said

" Oh and it can talk too! Oh how wonderful! HEY! What are you!?? OOOFFF! OWIE! Fluttershy  said as the bushwoolies  roughly threw her into a very low cage with lots of little wheels on it and the others soon followed and soon they were all pulling the cart with a little more ease than one might expect out of such small creatures though it was clear they were struggling to pull it.

" Wow they are pretty strong for a bunch of talking and walking furballs.. Hey you furballs! Let us out or you're going to pay Rainbow Dash style! " She said

" We only obey master!. The blue one said

The bushwoolies ignored all the complaints,pleading and even the attempted bribe or two though where Pinkie Pie got those muffins was anybody's guess.

They were soon dragged into what had to be the one the most gaudy and tasteless building they ever saw.

" Whoh and I thought Twilight's castle was a bit of an eyesore before we fixed it up..No offense Twilight! " Rainbow Dash said

" None taken trust me.. I still miss my old home but you got to admit the new one does have it's perks...  But this place sure could use less light if you know what I'm saying here." Twilight said as they were taken though a horrifying hallway filled with all kinds of gaudy and it full of tastelessly colored statues of what looked like cats and the size went from small to down right gigantic..

" Oh my! This place is in serious need of new décor! And all these dreadful statues seem to be the same cat! " Rarity said as she felt sick looking at a very pea green flag with a cat's face on it..

Then a cat about the size of a pony came up to them and except for it's sheer size it almost looked and walked like a normal everyday housecat. The oversized housecat kept walking around a bit as if trying to decide something and then sat in front of the cage..

" Well it looks like you useless furballs managed to get me some new ponies to add to my slave collection but they will need to be properly train like the other ponies and we will start by showing them what their fate will be if they do not behave themselves! Open the pit! The cat said and for some reason none of the ponies were surprised she could talk or at least not for long.

Yes; Catrina! Said the blue bushwoolie

A trap door opened as the bushwoolies tied a ropes to the cage and using pullys they lifted the thing into the air.

" What is that stuff?" Twilight said as she found herself looking at what looked like rotted green jelly but the jelly would look and smell better than this stuff.

" I dunno but it sure does reek badly! " Rainbow Dash

" I'm getting a mighty bad feeling about whatever that stuff is." Apple jack said with a shiver

" I'm not liking whatever that is and if I'm not liking it you know it's bad!" Pinkie Pie

"  Oh dear.. Is that stuff moving around? Fluttershy

" This is hardly the way to treat a proper lady like myself and I certainly don't want anywhere near the stuff! " Rarity

" Silent! This stuff as you call it is perhaps the very last Smooze pit left in existence.. Legend has it that there used to be more pits all around the world and it created many a horror story  and legends about it  but I wouldn't know for sure as I never felt the need to leave my people's land and why should I when I am queen here?.. Of course I did have to get rid what few of my race were left alive but as my people used to say.. The only way to rule is out of fear and if they don't fear you then you must get rid of them... So I did by feeding them to the smooze! " Catrina

The ponies and even Gilda gulped.

" W-what is that stuff and what do you mean you fed your people to it?" Twilight asked even though part of her really,really didn't want to know.

" Oh not much; It's just a carnivorous form of algae-like life form that can eat a whole pony in an hour.... I don't do it unless I have too but sometimes I have to teach them not to escape and as for you miss griffin... Behave or you'll be in there like all the other griffins that came before you as I've learned how difficult your race can be and have fed the Smooze many a griffin if you know what I'm saying here.. Watch what happens to this beast meat.."  Catrina said as she tossed what looked like the hind end of some unlucky animal....

" Don't watch Fluttershy! " Rainbow Dash as she watched the meat dissolve into a bone that Catrina removed and tossed it into a black hole

" Umm I do have animals that like to eat meat you know.. Remember? " Fluttershy said calmly

" Oh yeah.. I forget but don't you just normally feed them fish or worms ? " Rainbow Dash questioned her

' Yes but that don't mean I don't understand it but I will admit it's not easy knowing they have those needs " Fluttershy

" Enough girls.. Now is not the time to be discussing how Fluttershy feeds her animals when she has to feed them meat.. We agree to your terms seeing we have no other choice right now. " Twilight said to them but muttered under her breath about it only being for now...

" An excellent choice!  Seeing how my magic prevents anyone from ever leaving once they are in my domain which is all of Catrinaland!  Pony 132!" Catrina yelled loudly and they soon saw a much older pony with a  very odd shaped raspberry for a cutiemark...

" You called my queen? " he asked in the most scared voice they ever heard..

" See to my new slaves and give them their numbers and put them on smooze cleanup detail  for now! Now be gone all of you! I have better things to do!' Catrina said

She watched them leave and soon was rubbing her paws together with a very greedy look on her face..

" I do believe that the purple one may be a Alicorn... if so I may be able to add her power to the old magics I've been using to keep  anything from leaving this land or finding the truth about this part of the land.. Why I even may be able to expand my power to include all of this land...Maybe even the world.. But the question is are there more like her besides the one that was supposed to have come here a long time ago..  In any case I can't force her to show her hoof... At least not without me using the magical artifacts but maybe a little time here will loosen her tongue.. " The look on Catrina was that of someone up to no good..

Meanwhile the ponies were being led by pony 132 to what looked like an ill kept barn and what they saw there made them blanch in horror...