Pound My Pumpkin

1. Change

Pound paced slowly back and forth inside the front room of Sugarcube Corner, just behind the counter. Since the store was still closed today, he didn't expect to be interrupted any time soon. While his talk with Spike had left him calmer, his worries were not completely alleviated.

"Okay," he said under his breath. "Pumpkin is being taken care of by Aunt Pinkie and Princess Twilight, so she should be alright. She'll probably talk with one or the other about this..." He thought for a time. "Princess Twilight knows how to keep secrets, and Aunt Pinkie wouldn't do anything to risk bad things happening to us, so as long as Pumpkin asked them to, they won't talk about it. So at least it should still be a secret, and we can figure things out when she gets back..." He sighed. "I don't know what I want to have happen..."

The bell rang, and he turned. "I'm sorry, we're-" He gulped. "Pumpkin?"

Pumpkin stepped into the store. "Big Brother," she said quietly, smiling at him. She ran forward and crossed necks with him, embracing him.

He spread his wing across her shoulders, returning the embrace, too emotionally distraught to think about what was happening. "Pumpkin...I..."

She put her hoof to his mouth. "Shh..." she whispered. "We'll talk later." His stomach suddenly growled, and she giggled. "After I feed you." She walked happily to the kitchen, her tail swishing back and forth as she moved.

Pound blinked as he felt his body react, trying to wrap his mind around all this. She was...okay with it? She didn't mind that he...wanted her? Did...did she want him back? Everything was still too much, the emotional turmoil of the day still tumbling through his mind, like trying to think through a fog. Rather than trying to make sense of it, he headed to the dining room and sat down at the table, waiting for his sister to bring him food, letting his mind drift in the hopes his thoughts would calm.

After a time, his thoughts no more calm then before, Pumpkin came in with a tray of food for him. "Here Big Brother," she said happily, leaning forward to place the tray on the table before him, casually brushing his extended wing in the process.

He shivered as the pleasurable sensation raced through him. He glanced down at the food, a delicious looking apple strudel...slightly burnt. Confused, he looked from the burnt portion to his sister. "Are you feeling okay, Pumpkin?"

Pumpkin blinked at the burn, then giggled. "I tried to cook with my hooves like Mom and Dad do." Putting a hoof over one eye, she stuck her tongue out briefly. "Guess I messed up."

Pound blushed at how cute she was when she did that. "It's okay. It's still edible." Diving in, he began to devour the pastry. He lifted his head, swallowing a large mouthful. "Still good, too." He noticed Pumpkin staring at him. "What?" he asked, confused.

Pumpkin smiled at him. "You've got a little something," she said quietly, "right..." Leaning forward, she licked a flake of pastry off his cheek. "...here."

Pound blushed brightly as he felt more than his wings getting stiff. Pumpkin giggled. To cover his confusion, he continued to devour his dinner.

After he finished, Pumpkin took the tray back to the kitchen. As a thought crossed his mind, he called after her, "Aren't you hungry?"

She giggled. "I already ate," she replied happily.

He sat back as she went into the kitchen, trying desperately to wrap his mind once more around what was happening...but he found a large point of his being didn't want to. Whatever this was, it was happening...and he wanted to let it happen. Wherever things went tonight, they would go. Why fight it? Why try to understand?

A long time ago, when he'd first started to notice Pumpkin as more than his sister, he had managed to talk to the Crystal Queen, Mi Amore Cadenza, while she was visiting her sister-in-law, Princess Twilight. He had asked her what caused ponies to fall in love, as that was her dominion.

Cadance, as she preferred to be called, had laughed. "Even I can't explain that," she had replied with a smile. "I can't tell you what will cause one pony to fall for another, which ponies will make a good couple, why one love might last forever when another will just burn itself out. I can only tell when it has happened. Love has no explanation, and trying to understand will only give you a migraine."

At the time, he hadn't known why he asked the question, or what he should think of the answer. Even now, he didn't completely understand it. He wondered if, perhaps, he had asked the wrong alicorn. Maybe he should have written to Princess Luna to ask her if she could explain what was happening to him. But then, he had been praying to her every moonrise, which may be part of the problem.

Remembering his prayers, he wondered, could this be the answer? Could his dark wish be being granted? He knew how much this would change things, but perhaps that was okay...especially if it could bring them both joy.

"Big Brother?"

Pound jumped, spinning to face Pumpkin. "Buh-wha?"

She smiled at him. "You were staring off into empty space for a while. Are you okay?"

He smiled reassuringly. "Yeah, sis, just...thinking."

She giggled. "Don't think too much," she said, lightly bopping her hoof on his head. "You might hurt yourself."

"Hey!" He glared at her, but she only giggled and raced up the stairs. He immediately took off in pursuit.

They raced around the house for quite some time, a game they hadn't enjoyed for so long. Pound laughed as he heard Pumpkin giggling as she ran. She was so happy, a pure joy that seemed to bring her to life. As she raced into their room, he leaped after her, tackling her onto the bed.

She smiled up at him as she was pinned beneath him. "Pound," she breathed happily.

He could only smile, leaning in towards her. In the joy of the moment, he could only stare into her green eyes.

She lifted her head towards him, her eyes closing.

Something inside his mind, deep within the fog, began to burn. A thought, a memory. Staring down at the mare beneath him, Pound spoke. "Pumpkin, are you alright?"

She stared up at him. "Pound?" she asked questioningly.

The flame in his mind flared brightly, consuming the fog and clearing his vision. He seized the mare beneath him and pinned her against the wall, his left foreleg across her throat.

She struggled. "Big Brother, it hurts!" she cried piteously, blinking her blue eyes at him.

Leaning in, he snarled into her face, "Where's my sister?"