Canto I

Canto I

I found myself in the Everfree Forest at the midpoint of my life
The correct path lost, I pushed through the trees
To remember how I came brings only fog

Off the true path. But when I came to stop
Below a hill marked one end of the valley
That had pierced my heart with terror, I looked up

The tree line began to thin out ahead slowly,
but surely the terror I felt began to ease at the sight
The road to everyone, whatever our journey

I looked back at the forest I had escaped, my thoughts
Relieved to finally escape such a horrid place
I rested to regain my strength from this nightmare

And suddenly-a cockatrice jumped out from brush
Blocking my path ahead, she stayed before my face
Quick of foot I threw myself down the steep valley

Back into the Everfree Forest I ran
More than once she made me turn about
Down, forward, back, the sun finally rising

This early morning finally smiled upon me
The time of day and season, the fowl
discontinued its chase for reasons unaware

My heart filled with hope that the beast-
But not so much the next sight wasn't fearful:
A manticore roared, head high as he ran

I lost myself in gloom and weeps, crying out
for anypony to come to my aid.
The manticore only responded with roars of hunger

I continued to run through the forest, now far from
any sun in sight. I jumped through a bush to evade
the manticore's menacing chase

While I was ruining myself hiding in the bush,
Somepony appeared-one who seemed nearly to fade
As though from long silence. I cried to his pony shape

"Hello? I'm lost and could really use some help!"
"That is true indeed Twilight Sparkle," the shape replied.
"How do you know my name?" I pulled myself from the brush.

"As half of the all seeing royal family,
as keeper of the moon,
as a princess to all of Equestria,

I should know well at least Twilight Sparkle,"
the shape giggled at the small joke.
Of all ponies to meet in this accursed place, Luna?

But you-why are you here in such misery?
Why is she here in the depths of the Everfree Forest?
Should she not be in Canterlot with her daily duties?

"Luna," I finally responded, "is that really you Luna?"
I rushed over to embrace her, tears streaming
"Thank goodness you are here!"

After a few seconds of comfort Luna asked,
"Perhaps a different path would be best
For you to find a way out of this feral place?"

"But the manticore princess," my voice trailed off
into a whisper. "This beast," she said, "The cause
of you struggle, lets no one pass Her way.

Her nature is to kill and nothing more. I don't
believe even I could appease such a vicious creature.
Only the Hyrda comes to give this creature a painful death.

And at that moment, we will have an even larger issue,"
Luna spoke with a stern voice that sent a shiver
down my spine. "So what do we do Princess?"

Luna took a step away from me and pointed west
"You'd best follow me, I will be your guide
Away from here and through an eternal place"

I stared in confusion at the Princess of the Night
An eternal place? What could she possibly mean?
"I SPEAK OF PONY HELL DEAR TWILIGHT SPARKLE

TO HEAR THE CRIES OF DESPAIR, AND TO BEHOLD
ANCIENT TORMENTED SPIRITS AS THEY LAMENT
IN CHORUS THE SECOND DEATH THEY MUST ABIDE!"

The Princess's Royal Canterlot voice rung through the air
Though it was not Luna's intensity that scared me
Surely she must be joking!

"I assure you Twilight, I will protect you to the
best of my abilities," She said returning to her normal
voice; again, her protection was not the pressing matter on my mind.

"Luna you cannot be serious! There is no such thing as-"
"Very well, if you feel the manticore is an easier feat,"
Luna looked down with a smile, irritating me.

I exercised the thought and despised my conclusion
again and again. "Fine," I said, "We will take this
"Pony Hell" as long as it is safe."

"Oh I assure you, for those alive in the waking world
Pony Hell is no more than a casual stroll," Luna giggled again
"For those already dead is another story."

Then she set out, and I followed where she lead.

Canto II

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Canto II

Day was departing, and the darkening air
Called all earth's creatures to their evening quiet
While I alone was preparing as though for war

What could this "Pony Hell" possibly look like?
Why has Luna never spoke of it before?
My questions were my only distraction

I finally gained the nerve to ask Luna,
"What should I expect in this Pony Hell?
Should I be aware of anything vital?"

Luna stopped in front of me to ponder
"Let me take your measure Twilight, I
need to access your ability for the journey ahead"

I stood still as Luna brought her horn
to my chest. It burned at first, but soon
turned into a gentle warmth.

"Cowardice grips your spirit-which can twist
A pony away from the noblest enterprise
As a trick of vision startles a shying beast."

I looked at my guide in confusion. Luna blushed
at her vocabulary and spoke again,
"You are afraid, are you not?"

I nodded. "Very well then, to ease your
burden of fear, I will disclose why I am here.
Celestia came to my quarters early this morning

with a request full of tears and worry."
My ears rose to the sound of my Teacher's name
"She began in a sobbing voice, 'Oh blessed sister

you must help Twilight Sparkle! She has found
herself deep in the Everfree Forest all alone!"
I watched as Luna played a convincing Celestia

"You must lead her back to Canterlot! I will surely
lose her if she stays there any longer!" Luna put her
hooves in her face and wept. Very convincing.

I rose my hoof to question Luna, "If that is the case
why is Celestia not here to help me?" Luna pulled
herself from her hooves before replying.

"Because I am the only true gate keeper to Pony Hell.
I assure you, if it was possible, she would be right here
beside me," Luna looked up into sky.

I felt a new found courage in my heart from this display
Celestia truly watches over all of her little ponies.
Like one set free: "She cares so much for me

Your performance has raised my spirits
Princess Luna. Now I feel eager to go with you,
and leave my fear in the past.

From now on, we can fight against anything!
Please lead the way Princess."
So I spoke, and when she moved I followed after

And entered on that deep and savage road.

Canto III

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Canto III

THROUGH ME YOU ENTER INTO THE CITY OF WOES,
THROUGH ME YOU ENTER INTO ETERNAL PAIN,
THROUGH ME YOU ENTER THE POPULATION OF LOSS,

JUSTICE MOVED MY HIGH MAKER, IN POWER DIVINE,
WISDOM SUPREME, LOVE PRIMAL. NO THINGS WERE
BEFORE ME NOT ETERNAL; ETERNAL I REMAIN.

ABANDON ALL HOPE, YE WHO ENTER HERE.
These words I saw inscribed in some dark color
Over a portal. "Princess," I asked, "what does

it mean? You must be able to understand."
Luna spoke in a very monotone voice,
"All fear must be left here, and cowardice die."

The same shiver as before went down my spine.
"I guess that makes sense," I said. Luna noticed my
nervousness and wrapped one of her wings around me.

"We have arrived where I have told you: here
You will behold the wretched souls who've lost
The good of intellect." Then, with good cheer

Trusting to my guide, I followed her
under the safety of her wing. It smelled
of rain and was very warm. I nearly felt myself

falling into slumber when I awoke to the sounds
of sighs, groans, and laments from every direction.
Within the few seconds I had closed my eyes inside

Luna's wing, we were well inside a spiral slope
leading deeper into a black abyss. I began to weep,
Strange languages, horrible screams, words imbued

With rage, or despair, cries as of troubled sleep
rang through the walls. And I, my head in a swirl
of terror cried, "Princess, what is this I hear?

What pony makes such a wretched sound?"
Luna: "This is the sorrowful state of souls unsure,
Whose lives earned neither honor nor bad fame.

Who, neither rebellious to the herd, nor faithful to it.
Chose neither side, but kept themselves apart-
Both Pony Heaven and Hell reject them, lest the wicked of heart."

I needed to shout to ask Luna my next question,
"Do they have to yell so loud about it?!"
Luna chuckled at my question. "I will make my answer brief:

They have no hope of death, but a blind life
so hopeless, they envy any other fate.
To all memory of them, the world is deaf."

I scowled at Luna, giving another complicated
answer to an easy question. Luna did not acknowledge
the scowl and instead: "Let us not speak of them, look and pass on."

I looked outside of the safety of Luna's wing
to even catch a glimpse of the source of the screams
Though nothing caught my eye. The spiral continued

Only showing walls of some sort of red stone. I opened
My mouth to ask Luna where exactly they were,
but my answer came all too quickly.

Around fifty yards ahead of my guide was the base
of the spiral slope leading to a dirt floor covered
in the corpses of ponies of all shapes and sizes.

Each one moaning, screaming, crying, or a combination
until their breath escaped them, by which they inhaled
again and restarted the process.

By wasps and flies, blood trickling down each face,
Mingling with tears for harvest underfoot
By writhing maggots. When I turned my eyes,

Farther along the dirt floor, I could make out
more corpses across a shore of a great river.
Each corpse slowly trying to pull themselves towards it.

I shrunk in fear deeper into Luna's wing as
we came closer to the edge of the dirt floor.
Luna let out a sigh as she removed her wing from me.

I shrieked in pure terror and tried to
place myself back in between Luna and her wing
only to meet failure after failure.

"Remove your fear child, they will not hurt you
They want to cross the river, nothing more."
Luna placed her hoof on the dirt floor and raised

the other for me to take. I hesitantly took her hoof
shaking furiously. Somehow I gathered the strength
to ask, "Why do they move towards the river?"

I stared at the corpses slowly clawing forward on the ground
while Luna responded, "You will learn soon
enough, when we have pause at Acheron's shore."

Luna continued her walk while I stood close beside her.
A small path clear of damned ponies worked its way to
the shore with relative ease.

Then, at the river an old pony in a boat:
white mane and grey coat, shouted towards us,
"Woe to you, wicked souls! Give up the thought

Of...Oh hello Princess Luna! Fancy seeing you here!"
The old pony smiled and waved as he pulled
his ferry to shore. "What brings you here?"

"I AM ESCORTING A LIVING SOUL ACROSS ACHERON!"
Luna spoke in her royal Canterlot voice. Unfazed,
the old pony: "Living souls stand clear of this ferry.

By another port, and another boat. You will be
brought to shore by another way." Luna shouted again,
"CHARON, do not rage: I will it therefore it is!"

I had not noticed before, but the eyes Charon squinted
at Luna at that moment contained a deep fire I have never
seen before. A swirl of red flame lay in his pupils.

His gaze finally met mine and I let out a small yelp.
He sighed in defeat, "If it is willed, come aboard."
Still scowling at Luna he turned to his oar and motioned

Both me and Luna onto the boat. I took my place
on the port and sat quietly as Charon quickly moved his oar
back and forth through the water.

Luna spoke to me from her side of the small boat,
"Twilight here are joined the souls who die
from every country, all of them eager to find

Their way across the water-for the goal
Of Divine Justice spurs them so, their fear
Is transmuted into desire. Souls who are good

Never pass this way; therefore, if you hear
Charon complaining at your presence, consider
What that means." Charon scoffed at her last words

The oar still in his mouth. The banter between the
two calmed me and I let a sigh of relief out. The water slowly
splashed across the sides of the boat with a peaceful hypnotic sound-

Then the earth of that grim shore began to shake: so violently,
I broke into a sweat. A wind burst up from the tear-soaked
ground to erupt red lights and batter

My senses-and so I fell, as though seized by sleep.

Canto IV

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Canto IV

Breaking the deep sleep that filled my head
A heavy clap of thunder startled me up
As though by force; with rested eyes I stood

Squinting through clouds of must
I threw myself back from the lip
of a deep chasm of infinite black

Into the canyon, I could see nothing below.
Luna rested her hoof on my shoulder,
"Now we descend into the sightless zone,"

Luna wore a pale face now: "I will go
Ahead, you second." I gathered the courage to ask,
"How can I continue if even you,

Who has pushed me through such dread,
Look so pale with fear?" And she: "It is the pain
People here suffer that paints my face this color

Of pity, which you mistake for fear. Now hurry,
This journey is far from over." She entered the
the abyss's first engirdling circle, and down

I followed quickly after, not wanting to doddle
in such a place. We heard no laments, or screams
Only sighs that trembled the timeless air.

Of all sorts of ponies: colt, mare, filly and
stallion alike, they emanated from the shadows.
"Do you not wonder what spirits are these?"

Luna looked behind her shoulder to pass
a glance towards me. "What sin could cause
such an apathetic eternity?" I replied as if by command.

"I will tell you: they did not sin. These souls lived
before the time of Equestria and its blessing.
Through this, no individual is truly at fault.

Merely lost, afflicted only in this way:
Without hope, they live in longing." I regretted
opening my mouth. If Luna could speak in a normal

tongue for a few minutes, it would satisfy my patience
For her need of the dramatic. We continued our journey as she
continued speaking in rhymes and riddles,

passing through a woods-not of trees,
but a wood of thronging spirits; it was not before long
that we came across a fire that shined

overcoming the bleak darkness. From afar
I sensed them to be honorable folk. "Who
are these ponies," I asked Luna,

"To command a fire in such a place?"
And her: "Their honored names still resound
in your life above, have earned grace here..."

Meanwhile a voice afar: "Luna? Luna how long
has it been?" A shadow of a hoof raised
in the air from the circle of fire.

"Far too long" Luna carried a warm smile
as we walked forward. My jaw agape,
I stared dumbfounded at these ponies in the light.

"Among these giants: She is Firefly, their leader of sorts
There is Suprise, the first party pony. The last two follow-
Posey, and Sparkler filling their own respective roles."

Each name shared to me only brought fog
The true shock indeed, was the physical shape
of each of these "ponies"

Snouts longer than any normal standard and eyes unlike
any I have seen before. The white one spoke,
"You come here too little Luna, far too little."

"I regret each passing day I don't join you," Luna
replied. Warm smiles around, the gaze of each pony
focused upon my trembling form.

A familiar yellow pony with pink mane broke the
stillness, "Is she going to be alright Princess?"
"Merely shocked at your forms my little pony, she has not

graced such a prestigious group of your like before."
My Princess took her seat near the fire, tapping a hoof
next to her, "Regain your composure mortal and take a seat"

Shivering in fear I couldn't place, I walked towards Luna
with the same strange eyes glaring at me. "To begin,
Honor these ponies well, for they stand on the highest

of towers casting a shadow upon all of Equestria."
I nodded. "Each one of them played a vital part in the
world you call home, because they planted the seeds

that would soon become the herd." My curiosity
got the better of me: "I remember you speaking of
this "herd" before Princess. What is this community?"

Smiles went across the fire pit. Luna chuckled to herself
and gave the pink Pegasus a nod. She spoke, "we came together
to bring love and tolerance to the world.

The magic of friendship is a powerful weapon, and we
harnessed it to do good for all pony kind." The white pony
spoke again, "To help those in need of laughter!"

"To help those in need of kindness."
"To help those in need of charity."
"To help those in need a friend."

The nostalgia both brought me to tears and laughter.
These ponies truly were good willed as I guessed.
Luna rose from her seat, OF HIGHEST SONG WHO

LIKE AN EAGLE SOARS HIGH ABOVE THE OTHERS
The royal canterlot voice shaking the trees down to their roots.
I found my breath in this dark abyss, and it complimented new

friends. Among themselves, they turned and greeted me;
I made me one among them-talking for what seemed
like hours. Amid such store of wisdom, we walked.

We spoke of matters of magic and friendship,
who is in the herd and what it represents.
At a length of time, a castle blocked our path,

Encircled seven times by a barrier
of lofty walls, and defended round by
Pegasi in dark black armor;

A reflection of Celestia's yet without color.
I passed through seven gateways with the ponies.
We came to a fresh green meadow, where we met

A group of ponies. With grave, deliberate gazes
And manners of great authority, they spoke
Sparingly and in gentle, courtly voices.

We drew aside to a place where we could look
From a spacious well-lit height and view them all.
On that enameled green Luna spoke pointing to each

Bowtie, Glory, Ember, 4-Speed, Cuddles, and Bubbles.
Sundance, Sweet Stuff, Magic Star, Gingerbread.
I saw so many I cannot tally the list;

Cotton Candy stood near Cupcake and Knight Shade.
On one side Lickety-Split, while the other
a baby of the same mane and coat.

A mare named Truly conversed with Buttons
near a fountain. Lofty and Locket looked up towards
us and trialed a wave.

A unicorn named Gusty tried to calm ponies named
Starflower and Powder arguing in a plaza.
Dangerous magic flowed throughout the air.

That which pulls my story is not a telling of names,
To continue the list is to be too little.
For the multitude of names could fill my journey.

The company of six divided and dwindled
To two; my wise guide lead me from that quiet
Another way-again I see air tremble,

And come to a part that has no light inside it.

Canto V

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Canto V

So I descended from first to second circle-
Which required a smaller pace and greater pain,
Which spurred more lamentation. Pinos the dreadful

Snarls at the gate. Almost towering Luna herself the pony
stood tall with a thick black mane and grey coat holding
no pupils to speak of. His cutie mark imitating

The gate behind him. Luna began, "This
is where all ill-begotten souls come down.
They come before him and confess all;

For every spirit its proper place in Hell.
A crowd of ponies always waiting, One
learns their judgment and are cast down."

Just as Luna finished her monologue, Pinos'
hoof hammered down on the stone floor
"YOU," he began, "who have come to sorrow's hospice,

Think well." Pinos stepped away from his current soul
to look at me with a furrowed brow.
"Beware how you come in and whom you trust,

Don't be deceived because the gate is wide
young pony." Luna met Pinos with her own
stomp of her hooves, shaking the same.

"Must you too scold this way?
Her destined path is not for you to impede;
My will be done Pinos."

With a grunt Pinos slowly made his way
back to his work, but not before passing me
a worried glance. I shivered.

The gate opened releasing a crescendo of agony;
Now I am where the noise of lamentation finds
its source. Comes at me in blasts of sorrow, I am where

All light is mute, with a bellowing storm of wind and ash.
Turbulent in a storm of warring winds,
A hurricane stood stories tall in perpetual motion.

Tossing all forms of pony, the wind tore at their flesh.
Twists of air torment them. If not above,
the ruined land only brought scars of tears, groaning, and laments.

Ash and sand slowly scratching away at helpless souls
crying out in anguish for some form of relief.
Their cries went unheard under the bellow of the storm.

I saw a couple uttering cries-wind tossed,
and scarred by the storm. "Princess," I cried,
"Who are these ponies, that suffer such pain?"

"These ponies defiled themselves to the pleasure
of the flesh," she began, "Those who have no convictions
towards their desire live here in unrest."

Pity overwhelmed me. Half-lost in its coils,
"Princess Luna," I asked, "is it possible to speak
to these poor ponies?" And she:

"When they drift closer-voice your request.
In the name of their love, that leads them, they will respond."
Soon the weather battered a red pony with a teal mane

towards us. I called out against the wind,
"Please...um sir! Can you explain
what could reason such a terrible fate?"

Luna spread her wings far and sheltered the quivering red
pony and myself from the wind. His form rose with pain
in his face. Bruises and cuts deep in his coat.

He gave shallow breaths, and finally a cough before
opening, "Must I relive my tale again Princess?"
He sighed seeing Luna's nod and began to weep.

"We suffer from this wind for many reasons;
whether it be a primal or selfish desire, we are
cast here for our disregard of restraint."

Each sentence ended with another hiccup.
The sensations in my chest could only prove
how weak and helpless I was to this pony.

"Love," he began, "which in gentle hearts is quickly born,
can torment a soul in more than one way.
Innocent at first, we join the herd with good intent.

We embrace friendship and the teachings it provides.
Yet soon enough for those such as myself, we indulge.
We enjoy too much. We turn love into lust."

A smile crept across the red ponies face as he wept.
I stood speechless listening to his monologue.
"That innocent manner you held yourself,

becomes consumed! With joy so strong you see it cleave;
the lust gets only stronger! His voice grew loud now in full grin,
The escape we long for did not reveal itself during OUR lives!"

"AND SO, WE LIVE HERE IN A NEW ETERNAL SHAME AHAHA!"
In hysteria the red pony galloped outside of the
safety of Luna's wings. Swept back into the

wind, the scream of the red pony echoed in my mind.
I wept under Luna, unblinking. My pity
Overwhelmed me and I felt myself go slack:

Swooning as in death, I fell like a dying body.

The Divine Comedy: Twilight's Inferno

by Mint Tea

Canto I

Canto II

Canto III

Canto IV

Canto V