"Beep...Beep...Beep." The continuos sound of the heart monitor rang in Pumpkin's ears. The unicorn had her eyes closed and was resting her head on the hospital bed she was sitting next to. She opened her eyes and gazed upon the pony inhabiting the bed. Her beloved brother, Pound Cake, was resting peacefully and seemed to be breathing steadily. At lest, that's what she wished she could see. In reality, Pumpkin saw her brother lying in a hospital bed with various tubes and machines poking out of him. Although he was unconscious, Pumpkin could see that he was in pain and he struggled with every breath. Her bloodshot eyes began to tear up again and she could feel another wave of cries hit her body. Pumpkin didn't want to cry anymore. It didn't help her feel better and it certainly didn't help Pound feel better. Pumpkin sighed as she gazed upon her brother's form. Along with all of the machines and tubes coming out of him, his body was covered in cuts and bruises. He had quite a large gash on his head and even though a bandage was wrapped around it, blood was starting to soak through.
"I'm sorry, Pound." she spoke out loud, knowing he couldn't hear her. "This is all my fault."
Ten Hours Earlier
The twins, Pumpkin and Pound Cake, had been walking down the streets of Ponyville. The two were side by side, but Pound was hovering above the ground. This was a common sight to see, for the two siblings had been inseparable since birth. Sixteen years had passed since Mrs.Cake had given birth to them and they still hated to be without the other. Others ponies speculated that they did everything together, even sleep and shower. Pound and Pumpkin didn't care though. They were happy being with each other and that's all that mattered. The twins were on their way back to Sugarcube Corner from the Ponyville Market. Their parents had sent them to get some ingredients to use for baking. Pound was carrying the groceries, while Pumpkin was content with not having to carry anything.
"Tell me again why I'm carrying all of the bags?"
"We flipped a bit, remember. I won fair and square."
"Oh really? I don't think it works if you call it after it's hit the floor."
"Whatever. I'm doing a far more important job anyways."
"And that is?"
"Supervising." The twins laughed and continued to make their way back home. They were about to turn the corner onto the street that contained their house. All of a sudden they heard multiple screams come from around the bend. Pound dropped the groceries he was carrying and turned towards his sister.
"Stay here, I'm going to see what's wrong."
"I'm coming with you!"
Although it was true the twins did not normally or willfully choose to be apart, Pound made exceptions if he thought his sister's safety would be involved. "No, you're not. I'm going to fly up ahead and see what's happened, while you stay here out of harm's way!"
Pumpkin was surprised by her brother's tone, only hearing it a few times before. She recognized it as his serious protective brother tone and decided to follow his instructions. "Ok, just promise you'll be careful." she said, nuzzling her brother.
"I promise." he said, returning the nuzzle before flying around the corner and out of Pumpkin's view.
Once she was sure he couldn't see her, Pumpkin galloped after her brother. "As if I'll let him go all by himself." Pumpkin wasn't sure what was going on because ponies were rushing by her, trying to get away from whatever was causing the chaos. What she could see, however, was her brother in the sky, only a few feet away. Once the ponies had passed, she could clearly see what was happening. A runaway cart carrying a large amount of wood and nails was barreling down the street at a high speed. Ponies were quickly jumping out of the way of the vehicle. Pumpkin realized that she should probably move as well, but before she could, the cart was almost already about to hit her. She closed her eyes and braced her body for the impact that was sure to come. An object did impact her, but it was not the cart. Pumpkin felt a body slam into her from the side and she was thrown a few feet. She also heard a large crash and a scream, but was unsure of who's it was. After a few moments, Pumpkin opened her eyes and looked back at where she was just a few seconds ago. The cart had crashed and was now just a pile of wood and metal. She could see ponies were frantically surrounding the rubble, but she was unsure why. However, that all changed when she noticed a hoof sticking out of the pile. She immediately began looking around for Pound, but could not find him. She saw ponies pull the victim out of the rubble and instantly recognized him as her brother. Only then did she realize what had happened.
"He...he pushed me out of the way." she said to no pony in particular. Immediately, she was on her hooves and rushing towards here brother. "Pound!"
Pumpkin began to openly weep as she recalled the events. She knew it was her fault that Pound was in the hospital. Pumpkin criticized herself for being so foolish. If she had just stayed put like he told her to, none of this would have happened. Pumpkin continued to weep as her head filled with thoughts about her brother. He had always been their to support her. Celestia knows that she had been hard to deal with at times, but even then, Pound was always by her side. When they were younger, Pumpkin would get scared at night and jump into Pound's bed. He would always hug her close and tell her everything would be okay. When she had first started to bake, she was nervous about not being good at it. However, Pound had been there to calm her down and help her make her first cake. That was the day she had gotten her cutie mark and it was all because of him. Everything he did, he did for her and Pumpkin never did anything to repay him. Now, after he had saved her life by risking his own, she owed him more than ever.
"Why, Pound?" she cried to his unconscious body. "Why did you save me? You shouldn't have. You've already done so much for me. You didn't need to d...d...." Pumpkin could not get herself to say the last word. She couldn't think that way. Pumpkin needed to stay positive. She couldn't even imagine a world without her brother. "Pound? Can you do one more thing for me? I need you to wake up. I need you to wake up and get better. Do it for me. I need you in my life. I need you beside me." Pumpkin suddenly gasped when she felt a hoof touch hers. She looked up and saw Pound staring back at her. "Oh, Pound." she said, about to cry again.
"Shhh, Pumpkin. Please don't cry. I hate it when you cry."
"This is all my fault. I'm so sorr..."
"No, Pumpkin! I chose to save you. I knew the cart was going to hit me, but I did it anyways." Pound gritted his teeth as a wave of pain washed over him. "Look, Pumpkin. I need you to be strong."
"What do you mean?"
"I don't think I'll be there for you much longer, so I need you to be able to carry on by yourself."
"Don't say that!"
"I'm sorry Pumpkin, but I can feel it. I need you to know one thing, okay."
Pumpkin could barely go on, trying to hold back tears. "W...what?"
"I love you." Pound then went limp and the heart monitor flatlined.
"No! No, Pound! Please. You can't go. I need you here, with me. Please don't go." Pumpkin couldn't hold it in anymore. Tears fell freely from her eyes as he cried over Pound's body. She looked up at her brother one last time and smiled. "Oh, Pound. Thank you for everything."
