A/N: Disclaimer: This chapter contains Gore. And while I love Pinkie Pie this chapter is dark.

Pinkie Pie knew this fog was trouble when she stepped in. The only problem was her ability to warp reality was blocked here. As if the script was being interfered with a thousand different ones. Each one making less and less sense. So forgoing that she decided that the best thing for her to do was to go forward. A lot of ponies didn’t get her powers, thinking that magic could only be done by unicorns, but the truth of the matter is that magic ran through all the ponies in Equestria. All she did was hack reality by what humans called chaos magic. Her ability to shift and manipulate her paradigms as well as extending her earth pony magic. She could manipulate the world around her through using belief as a tool.

It took her ages to fine tune the ability, and until Twilight’s spell mishap had made it hard to talk to other ponies in ways they could understand because she had let herself become to disconnected from normal mores and thinking systems. But due to that mishap she learned to better control not just her ability to alter her personal reality, but was able to use it in a much more controlled fashion. While being able to talk to ponies without making their brains explode twice.

But this damned fog was confusing. Her abilities felt as if they were diluted here to the point that she didn’t know if she’d be able to call upon them if she needed too, and this left her feeling strangely empty. As if she had lost a limb, or use of one of her five senses. Although if Twilight was here she’d tell her that there were actually over 21 senses* that ponies have, and that limiting the senses to only five was scientifically inaccurate. Though to Pinkie Pie still felt as she had lost something physically important. This only increased her unease at the thought of moving forward but if it would help Twilight Sparkle than she’d do it, not because of guilt but because she felt that she owed Twilight a debt of gratitude. Living with the memories of what her life could have been like and the physical changes that came with it was something that she was overjoyed to have experienced.

As she was lost in thought she didn’t see her surroundings change to the rock farm she had left all those years ago. When she noticed it she felt her body grow pale as memories she had repressed long ago came to the surface. No not here, not now. I know Twilight said that it would be a test, but I can’t be here. She thought as panic threatened to over whelm her.

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“Bite that bit nice and tight,
and make sure to set your body right.

If you stop to catch your breathe,
I’ll beat your body close to death.

And if you complain your body’s sore.
I’ll throw you in the Hole once more.”

This was the Pie family marching cadence that she had to recite mentally as she carried the large boulder on a make shift stretcher. It was a test that was needed to pass in case a particularly large stone needed to be moved, an injured pony or creature needed to be moved, or in most cases the transport of heavy objects.

Due to how important it was, she and every rock farmer needed to master it. Making sure the body was positioned just right to allow the maximum amount of force to be exerted to move something. While at the same time making sure not to injure the mover. But this was no ordinary test. This was to make Pinkie, and any first timer fear stopping. By having a particularly hard to move boulder on the stretcher as it was too be moved from one side of the field to the next. It was a guarantee that the pony, in this case Pinkie would fail. And in doing so would be beaten and, or thrown into the Hole.

Pinkie moved the boulder ten paces before she had to stop to catch her breathe. Her body tired from the exertion. She had barely spit out the bit when her father smacked her with a rod wrapped lightly in rags. This prevented the body from being cut up while still allowing maximum pain from the blows.

“Pick up the bit!” He said around the rod as he whipped her with each word spoken.

He kept repeating that as he whipped her and she struggled to pick up the bit to stop the pain. As she picked it up and started walking again. She felt that the blows had severely sapped her strength. She made it four paces this time before she spat out the bit.

“No Pa! I can’t go any further! I’m tired and hurt. Can’t I please take a break?” She asked before the first blow could land on her.

“Either pick up that bit and continue. Or I throw you in the Hole. Take your pick but you have too the count of three to choose.” He said sternly as he looked down on his daughter.

She tried to continue but her body refused to budge. When he got to one and she still hadn’t moved the boulder he picked her up with his mouth by the nape of the neck and carried a worn out Pinkie Pie to the Hole before dropping her in.

The Hole was a square pit ten feet deep in the ground that led to a box room big enough to fit Big Mac and still have enough room for him to lay down in. The worst part of it was that it was pitch dark. Had two lids that opened and closed from outside the box, and gave total sensory deprivation. In the spartan exitance of a rock farmer there was almost no punishment worse than this. Once thrown in a pony learned not to repeat what got them sent there in the first place. As for food, when food was given. It was always a gruel made from garbage that wasn’t fit to put in a compost heap, but still was at one time considered food.

After a week in the Hole. She worked harder on her objective working with a smaller, but still heavy boulder. Even through the beatings the few times she stopped she didn’t complain. Even after she was finished. After all nothing was worse than that punishment.

**************

Pinkie Pie shivered from that memory. As she continued walking through the rock farm. She spotted the pit that lead to that horrible place not to far off. She wondered inside her body carrying her against her minds wishes to the secret library under the basement. To the Pie Family Harvest Archives. The PFHA. The most secret and horrible of rooms, and one that she wished that she never knew about.

************************

She had passed her rock moving tests, the stretcher training, and had completed learning how to do the basic parts of being a rock farmer. Now she was of the rightful age of six where she learned about he families Earth Pony magic, and how to grow special gems. Part of that training meant that she had to come down to the PFHA and learn from her ancestors.

Each section dating back to the forming of Equestria before the Royal Sister’s reign, during Discord’s reign up to recent times. It was a massive catacomb with sections in chronological order, listed by the family member responsible for the harvest. Each scroll had the Cutie Mark, or in the case of non-ponies, the hide of each entity harvested. Attached to that was the gem or gems created, and on the back of each scroll etched in magically enchanted quartz was what was done. How it was done, and other things for research. These meticulous notes allowed those that followed to know how to mimic those results so that it could be fine tuned to a science.

“Now Pinkamena, as you have learned by now gems are minerals that are arranged in a specific set with heat and pressure gives rise to a wide variety of outcomes. Now this happens naturally, but with us rock farmers we don’t simply let these things come to pass. No! We shape the world around us in more physical ways than those lazy pegasi or frivolous unicorns. We are ponies of the earth and in return the earth favors our kind above all others. Even the Princess in her infinite wisdom and grace has Earth Pony magic in her, it’s what allows her to be so strong and majestic after all.

Now as you’ll learn from your ancestors. Everything has minerals inside them. From chemicals to trace metals and the like. This ontop of the emotions of the harvestee determines what gems you’ll get. You’ll also learn that sometimes feeding those you’ll harvest will allow you to further control what you can get from them. I expect you too learn for next year you’ll be helping prepair for your first harvest.” Her Father told her.

The fog shifted as the memory fast forwarded a year. As this time shifted Pinkie Pie saw in fast forward how sick she was to learn how each type of magical and mundane gem imaginable was formed through living sacrifices. As well as the secret to ever rock farmers secret prosperity festival.

She remembered how she learned that before coming to Equestria, Earth Ponies hated the other races for diminishing their quality of life, and how they learned they accidentally learned that from a dead body gems could be grown quickly through Earth Pony’s magical connection to the earth. This led to Rock Farmer families murdering the other races and using their bodies to build wealth that they gained from selling those gems back to their victims’ races. Although it was assumed that all they did was move rocks all day by non-rock farmers.

The Pie Family though was the best at this practice. Since they had the foresight to not just kill and harvest. But to record what they did so that their descendants could prosper as they did. Taking the killing to an art form that graced the family ever since.

As those whirlwind of memories passed she was standing by her father in the farthest reaches of her families farm. She stood by her father as he stood by the alter. As with everything on the farm it was a simple thing, a solid slab of granite that was as high as a table, but was shaped so that it could be moved if needed with ease. Hog tied ontop of the alter was a young, pegasus mare. Her coat was a buttercup yellow, with a purple mane and tale. With piercing purple eyes. On her flank was a Cutie Mark of a golden feather overlapping a heart.

Her father took a series of ropes and made sure that she was secured before cutting off her Cutie Mark with a surgeon’s precision. Looking at Pinkie he saw her face green from the nausea that seeing the blood and hearing the victim’s screams. Gagging the Pegasi he lectured Pinkie Pie.

“You shan’t be so quick to sicken child. This is all needed if we are to stay prosperous as a family. She is giving her life for the betterment of others. It is a most noble sacrifice. Now pay attention or you’ll spend a month in the Hole.”

“Sorry Pa. It’s just, do we really need to kill others when the earth provides for us just fine?” She asked while swaying on her feet. It took every ounce of control to not throw up and run away screaming at what she was witnessing.

“Silly filly. It’s tradition. These other races, and even over these last few centuries our own race. Have wasted their lives in frivolous pursuits. Wasting their lives and dying without giving anything of worth to others. This way they give back to the world. They make something beautiful so that world can benefit from their wasteful existence. So I’ll say it once again. Pay attention.”

With that out of the way he took a bag that was filled with shards of purified silica infused with Earth Pony magic. He then slit open her stomach and implanted the silica into her. The gems attached to her body causing her scream more loudly through the gag. Placing both of his front hooves over the body her focused his magic drawing in the various chemicals and trace minerals into the silica shards. Forcing them to reform and shape into the variety of gemstones that her body could produce. The screaming reached a feverous pitch, and by this time Pinkamena was entranced in pure horror.

The skin looked like waves on the ocean as the silica shards grew from seeds to gem formations and grew out of the body. By the time the first shard popped out the Pegasus dropped unconscious from shock. After all was said and done the body had formed Lapis Lazuli and rare Rose Quartz with gold threads.

He saw her ragged breathing as her father ripped out the gems from her body. Before skinning her alive which forced her awake. Her voice was now to raw to scream but had descended into mewl of pain. “Remember child. Waste not, want not. Use every part of a harvestee to benefit the earth as a sign of respect for their sacrifice.”

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Pinkie Pie threw up in the replication of the PFHA from that memory. She had left before she had to harvest a pony, but her father had started her on animals from the Everfree Forest. Saying that it would desensitize her to bigger things later. But she could never get used to it. Even though it was the responsibility of the eldest child or the Stallion of the family to do this as was their tradition. With the others doing their part on gathering those to be harvested, growing gems gathered, and dealing with the left overs.

As the fog shifted her coat was a dull grey from the horrors that she faced. As the settled she found herself tied to the alter all her friends that she had made standing around her with the Element Bearers standing the closest. Celestia and Luna flew down from the sky and stood beside her.

“You are to be sacrificed for the good of the world. But before you go you must know. That I will show you a memory spell to show how ponies truly think about you.” She placed her horn upon Pinkie’s forehead and released the spell.

Pinkie was shown how most of her friends only liked her for her parties and distractions. For what she gave them, but never really cared for her on a personal level. As for the Element Bearers. Her closest of friends. She felt how her crazy, unpredictable manner confused them. Making it impossible for her to be taken seriously. How her poor communication skills had caused a numerous amount of problems. Them saying “Pinkie Pie being Pinkie Pie”, or “Pinkie you’re so random”, and the like.

They never knew how much it hurt that they wouldn’t take her seriously. Or that they gave the equivalent of backhanded compliments to her. Her mane and tail deflated as she was subjected to every memory of all the times she annoyed them, or they blew her off from her her antics.

As the memory spell ended she felt a growing fear as she was cut into. Just as death took her the fog yet again shifted. She was alone in a desolate wasteland. There were no friends, no plant life, nothing. As she wandered the land with memories of all the times she annoyed people she knew that those things that this place brought to the surface she told herself that just like when she escaped the farm she would escape this place. It was with this sudden strength of will that she had when she left from the horrors of her past, the fog dissipated around her.

When she left she saw Apple Jack standing next to her. Apple Jack’s dull grey coat and apprehensive stance worried Pinkie, but she needed to confess to the crimes of her family. And to make up for all the times she annoyed all those she cared about. All the times she almost lost all those she cared about do to her inability to connect with others.

If I tell them what happened about my past they would hate me forever. But I need to talk to them. I love them, all of them. But if they found out that I lied to them, even by omission I would surely loose them. I can't loose them.

After her conversation with Apple Jack she was so happy that her friend cared about her that she’d walk alongside Pinkie Pie. That she for a short period of time thought things would be better. Especially since she had a friend beside her to help her carry the burden of whatever they’d face next.

Author's Notes:

* Warning: Scientific Content:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senses

Not only do ponies have the 5 basic senses.

But also have many other senses that both humans have and depending on pony type. Types of senses that humans don't have.