//------------------------------// // An Honest Harvest // Story: Pinkamena's Final Act // by MasterFrasca //------------------------------// After recovering for the sight of the severed wing, I looked around some more. I wanted to run out of there as quickly as I could and never look back. But no matter how much my mind protested, my gaze stayed fixated on that operation table. I could only imagine what horrors occurred there. Staring at the wing, I thought of the week ago that Fluttershy went missing. I had heard it from Rainbow Dash that had seemed to just vanish one day. "Not even Angel knew where she went," Rainbow said after telling me of Fluttershy's odd disappearance. "It's as if she just up and left one night! I heard that Applejack and her family were sending out search parties outside of Ponyville. But why would a girl like her just leave without any reason?" So this must have been her fate, but where was the rest of her if all that remained was her wing? My curiosity overcame my horror and disgust, and I looked around the now-lit room more. Behind the operation table was some sort of giant wheel with four latches attached to it big enough to put a hoof in. The thing had countless cuts in it as if someone had jammed a knife repeatedly into the wood. Also it, like everything else in the room, was covered with streaks of dried blood. The last thing I noticed was an all too familiar Stetson lying at the base of the wheel. Although I didn't think it possible, I added another bit of my stomach to the growing pile at the bottom of the stairs... ****** "Ugg," I grunted, feeling like somepony had bucked me right in the back of the head. I groggily opened my eyes that felt ten pounds heaver than normal, and was blinded by a spotlight pointed directly at my face. "What in the hay? Wha's goin' on?" Looking around, I saw that I was strapped to some sort of large wooden circle, each hoof being held down by an inescapable metal latch. I was confused as to how I had gotten here, wherever here was, and a very worried as to why I was here. I tugged a little at the straps, but none of them would budge. Even with my tough legs, I couldn't seem to break loose of my bindings. My hat fell off while I was trying to loosen the grip of these metal jaws holding me in place, but that seemed to be the least of my problems as of right now. As I was fruitlessly tugging at the straps some more, I started to hear a voice, no two voices, arguing about something. "Hey!" I called out trying to get their attention, "Help me out ova' here! I dun' stuck as a needle on a cactus!" They seemed to ignore me, so I tried shouting as loud as I could. "HEY!" I screamed. The voices stopped for a split second before going back to their bickering. I knew they had heard me, but they were ignoring me. I perked up my ears trying to listen in on what was so important that they would outright ignore me. "But she was my friend!" the one voice sobbed. It was very high pitched, and I recognized it instantly. "Pinkie?" I mumbled to myself before the other voice cut back in. This one was lower and angrier but still sounded vaguely familiar. "Oh come now," the second, somehow demonic-sounding voice started, "You didn't enjoy it? You love cupcakes!" "Those weren't cupcakes, you monster!" Pinkie practically screamed at the other voice. "That was cannibalism you fucking monster!" In all my life,I have never once heard pinkie use even slightly dirty language. I had no idea she even knew a single swear word, much less ever use one. I started to panic, though, because this pony, whoever she was, was willing to kill and eat others. "Pinkie!" I shouted into the darkness. "Come on over here! I'll help you out sugar-cube!" The voices stopped and slowly the familiar pink pony came into view, but something wasn't right with her hair. It was straight, but I didn't have time to talk about her new hairstyle. "A'right, help me out'a this here contraption, will ya Pinkie?" I asked still struggling at the bindings fruitlessly. "Sorry, but Pinkie isn't here right now," said the lower demonic voice, coming out of Pinkie's mouth. "What in the hay?!" I shouted scared for my life at this point. "Nope," the demonic-voiced Pinkie continued. "Only ponies here are you and me. Just Applejack and Pinkamena Diane Pie." Pinkie was talking, but she had called herself Pinkamena. "Oh you set yourself for a game already!" the pink pony continued with a giddy tone before I could ask why she called herself Pinkamena. "Uh...w-what game is that hon?" I asked, my mind reeling at all the things that were wrong with this situation. "Why, the wheel game, you silly filly," she started picking up my hat and placing it on her head. While she was messing around with the position of my hat, I asked, "What exactly is that, sugar cube?" "You can keep this," Pinkie said, ignoring my question while throwing the hat beneath my hooves. "We've got a game to begin!" she joyously said, grabbing the wheel I was on and yanking it into a quick spin. "So Applejack," she said next to me as I spun around, my stomach flipping over itself, "what do you think the chances of getting you in the head on the first shot?" "What in the buck do you mean by that?!" I shouted, barely containing my stomach contents from being released onto the floor. The last thing I saw was the gleam of a knife as it caught the light perfectly, only inches from my face.