Pumpkin Cake trotted happily down the road to Sugarcube Corner, waving to everypony she saw. Normally she wouldn't be this energetic but today was a very special day. It was her 16th birthday and alll morning her parents had been talking about a very special suprise. Her brother had been told to spend the day at a friends so he couldn't ruin the suprise and Pumpkin had gone for a swim to cool off.
As Sugarcube Corner came into view Pumpkin began to gallop, laughing as the wind whipped her curly orange mane around her face, not stopping until she reached the door. She took a deep breath before pulling a comb out of her saddle bag. She ran it quickly through her mane and ajusted her signature blue bow that she always wore attached to her ponytail. And then slowly she opened the door.
She was met with silence. Scattered all over the floor was wrapping paper and labers that all said 'Pound Cake'. Tears filled Pumpkin's eyes as she scanned the ropm, desperately looking for a sign that could tell her that she hadn't been forgotten. A sign that could heal her breaking heart.
Out of the corner of her eye she spotted a note. Hanging her head she turned around and picked it up. She let the tears run down her face as she read it.
Pumpkin,
We've taken your brother to the Wonderbolts derby in Canterlot to celebrate his birthday.
Make your self some soup or something.
We'll be back at around 8.
Sobbing softly Pumpkin ran up the stairs and collapsed as soon as she got to her half of the room that she and Pound Cake shared. Her half was noticeably smaller eith just enough room for a bed,a shelf and a toy box. Pound Cake's half was covered in skateboards, cooking books, rollerblades, half opened presents and photographs.
Her parents had ignored her for as long as she could remember, favoring her brother because he was better than her in every way. He could cook, he was great at sports, he was popular. Pumpkin on the other hoof, was rubbish at nearly everything. People choose Sweetie Belles cakes over hers, she missed every ball thrown at her, she only had one friend, a small mint green filly called Sweet Pea.
For years she'd put up with being ignored whenever she said something and only being given things like toothpicks for her birthday, but today she'd had enough. She leapt to her hooves, emptying her saddle bag of her school things and filling half of it with blankets, clothes and the few books she owned. She then crept into the kitchen and filled the other half with all the food she could find and set off on her journey.