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Pound and Pumpkin Tales 2

by Never2muchpinkie

Chapter 2: 2-1: A friend in need

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Pound was in a giddy mood as he arrived at school. He quickly said goodbye to Pumpkin as he headed for his pegasus classes.

When they went outside for practice Pound said loudly, “Hey, everyone! I have an important announcement to make.”

“What’s that?” asked Ms. Nimble.

Pound unfurled his wings, flapping hard and rising up, going in a circle around the area. “I can finally fly!” he said, beaming.

“Way to go, Pound!”

Drill Bit chuckled. “Well, it’s about time, you dork! I thought I was gonna have grandkids before you got there.”

“Sorry, you’re not that lucky,” he responded with a giggle. He landed on the ground. “Race me!”

Drill Bit rolled his eyes, then shook his head. “Getting kinda ahead of yourself there, aren’t you? Do you actually think you can beat me?”

Pound shook his head, giving a hearty, “Nope! I know you’re gonna wipe the floor with me without even trying.”

Drill stared at him blankly. “Okay, well, if you understand that then what’s the point of the challenge?”

“For the experience!” he replied, giving Drill a smug look. “Sure, right now you’re way better than me, but I work hard when I’m motivated. Each time we race I’m gonna get a little better, make you work a little harder, until one day I’ll blast you out of the school.”

At first Drill frowned, but then his grin slowly expanded. “Really? Is that how you see things going?” He shrugged. “I guess every kid needs to have a dream, even if it’s an impossible one.”

“Enjoy your time in the winner’s circle while it lasts. One day you won’t even be on my level.”

Even though, skill-wise, Pound was far below him, Drill still felt that thrill that comes from the thought of being pushed to the limit and still coming out on top. Pound acknowledged his own weakness, and showed a desire to make up for it. He had come far from the self-pitying, talentless loser he used to be. Perhaps Pound was starting to get a thirst for competition after all, and that made him interesting.

“Well, boys,” Drill said to his friends. “If Pound wants a race we’ll give him a race.”

They lined up in a row, Drill Bit pointing out several landmarks to use to mark their trail. “Three laps around. And we’ll even give you a handicap to keep it fair. You only need to do two laps.”

Pound thought about protesting, but he knew he’d probably lose regardless of their generosity.

The race began, and Pound took off, the other five leaving him in the dust easily. He pushed himself, but he barely managed to finish his first lap before the others had finished their three.

Drill Bit came up to him. “Well, that went about as expected. For your first race you could have done worse.” Drill gave him a pat on the head. “Keep practicing, newbie.”

Though others might see it as being condescending Pound didn’t take it that way. Drill was teasing him like he did with his friends. In his own way Drill was showing him respect. Through the rest of class and his recess he kept practicing his flying, trying to get used to his new freedom.

When they got home they did their homework as usual, but when they went to do their own thing their parents sat them down again.

“What’s up, Mom and Dad?” asked Pound.

“Do you remember what we said about new responsibilities yesterday?” said Cup.

The twins instantly sat up straighter, their attention focused.

Carrot chuckled. Their eyes were practically sparkling. “Now, this is something your mother and I have been discussing a lot. We’re not sure if you’re ready yet, but we have decided to give you a chance.”

They both nodded a few times, moving forward in their seats.

Cup left the room for a moment, returning with something in her hoof. Sitting down she pulled the white things apart, letting them unfurl, revealing two small aprons. “How would you two like to help out in the shop?”

Both of them practically leapt out of their chairs. “Really?” said Pumpkin.

“You mean it?” asked Pound.

Cup nodded. “I figure once a week we’ll allow you to assist us.”

Their eyes were bright with joy.

“However!” she continued sternly. “There are some rules you have to follow. You break any of these rules, and you’re done. That’s it. No second chances. Am I understood?”

They nodded. “Rule number one is that you don’t touch the cash register. No giving money. No taking money. We don’t want to be losing money because you miscounted or someone ripped you off.”

“Rule number two,” said Carrot, “No touching the oven. The oven is, obviously, very hot, and we don’t want to risk you getting burned.” Carrot let out a quiet groan. “Although…” He stopped, clearly not wanting to say the next bit.

He sighed. “Unlike the rest of us Pumpkin is a unicorn, and thus she doesn’t have to be concerned with burning herself because she can take the product out with her magic. Even so, we would still prefer it if you let us handle the hot things. Even if you can’t get burnt we don’t want you to burn anything else because you set the tray down in a bad spot.”

“And rule three is the simplest but most important of all,” said Cup. “Listen to us! We’ve been in this business since before you were born. If we tell you only three spoonful’s of sugar then only put in three spoonful’s. If you’re going to help out we need to keep our products at the same level of tastiness and edibility.

“And if you’re on the floor then put the products where we tell you to put them. We have some general rules about what gets displayed where. If you have an idea about doing something differently then feel free to bring it up, but we might tell you no.

“I think it’s also prudent to bring up that this is completely optional. With school, pets, and practicing your talents you already have plenty of responsibility on your plate. You won’t be forced to help out, nor denied any privileges if you choose not to do so.”

“Why wouldn’t we want to help out?” asked Pumpkin. “That sounds awesome!”

“Yeah! Yeah!” Pound added right after. “We’re the Cake family, and now we can work together as one every day.”

“Well, it’s good to see you’re enthusiastic,” said Cup, “but I think once a week is more than enough. You’re growing up, but you’re still children. Enjoy this time of being young while you still have the chance to.”

“We weren’t sure what your response would be,” said Carrot. “We asked today to give you a few days to think about it. Me and your mother agreed that if you said yes your work day would be on Fridays.”

That made both of them frown. “Why’s that?” Pound whined.

“Because that’s the last day of the school week.”

“And?” said Pumpkin, crossing her hooves.

“And I don’t want any excuses.”

“Excuses for what?”

“Like saying you’re too tired to go to school because you worked the day before,” said Cup. “Or that you couldn’t do your homework because you were too busy working. Or maybe you’ll stay up later than you should because you feel you didn’t get enough fun time during the day so you want to catch up on it, which ties in with the first excuse.

“We’re not saying you would do that, but we don’t want to take the risk of interfering with your school life by asking you to work.”

Pound let out a huff, crossing his hooves too. “Well, that’s messed up. Getting us all excited and then telling us we can’t have it for a few days.”

“Mmm.” Carrot felt they had a point. “How about this? You can stay up an hour later tonight as long as you spend it in a quiet activity.”

The twins still had sour faces, only looking slightly mollified.

“Oh, no!” Cup said dramatically. “We seem to be overstocked on chocolate ice cream, hot fudge, whipped cream, and brownies. Who could we possibly get to help us get rid of some of these things on such short notice?”

It only took a few seconds before their angry expressions faded and they started salivating. They almost never got ice cream as an after-school snack. That was usually reserved for dessert. They could forget their anger for a bribe that good.

“Okay,” said Pound. “I forgive you.”

Pumpkin nodded. “Me too.”

The pair eagerly waited as their mother warmed up a brownie for them before scooping ice cream and whipped cream on top of it, and then pouring some hot fudge over it. They were practically drooling as she brought their bowls over.

Grabbing some spoons the two eagerly dug in, all annoyance forgotten. The warmth of the brownie contrasted with the cold of the ice cream made for a delicious combination. If wasn’t long before their bowls were empty, and they both patted their stomachs, feeling very satisfied.

Over the next few days Pound still spent most of his free time practicing.

When it was finally Friday afternoon the twins eagerly trotted home with Pinkie.

Their eyes were sparkling as they could finally put on their aprons.

Even though they were Cakes neither of them knew much about baking, so they spent their first work day in the back, watching how the treats were made. It was odd to see how a few ingredients mixed together that started as a goopy mess could turn solid and delicious.

Under their father’s supervision Pound made a batch of cookies, while Pumpkin made some cupcakes and frosted them. For the most part Carrot just observed them after giving them their instructions, feeling like he should let them make some mistakes along the way.

Usually once a batch of product was done it was taken out to the floor and put in one of the display cases. However, the food they made was kept in the kitchen.

Their father explained that he wanted to be sure their food was up to their usual quality before they started putting it out for customers.

At first they were disappointed, but that faded pretty quickly when they were told they could keep their own work, and that was fine with them. They grabbed a few glasses of milk, the two of them sharing their own snacks with each other.

Pound ate one of Pumpkin’s cupcakes, finding it to be a little heavy on the icing, but otherwise pretty good. Pumpkin felt the same about Pound’s cookies. They were warm and tasty, but he had added too many chocolate chips.

Even with the slightly off taste the both of them didn’t complain, because free dessert was fine in their books.

After their dad’s latest batch came out of the oven they went out onto the floor to put them in the display case.

Here they were left to their own devices, Carrot figuring that if they went searching for where the items went on their own it would stick in their memories more than if they were just told where to put them.

The two hours passed by pretty quickly. Before they knew it the shop was closing down. Pound went around to wipe down the tables, while Pumpkin did the same for the display cases.

Once everything was cleaned up the two of them beamed at each other, hoofbumping.

“That was fun,” said Pound.

“I think so too.” They turned to their parents. “How did we do?”

Carrot and Cup walked over to their children, holding them close. “For your first time you did a pretty good job with everything,” said Carrot.

“I agree,” said Cup. “You were great.”

Both of them smiled as they held their parents back.

Things fell into a fairly normal pattern for the next month. Pound practiced his flying as often as he could, and every Friday they helped out in the shop for a few hours. Every so often they would invite a friend over.

One afternoon Pound and Pumpkin were in their room, playing a board game together, when their attention was drawn by vibrating noises on both sides of the room.

“Ooh!” said Pound as he looked toward the noise, seeing a glow coming from his saddlebag. “It’s a message from one of our friends.”

The pair hopped up, going to their bags and pulling out their magic journals. Opening the book they went to the proper page, reading the words.

Their excitement turned to frowns as they set their books down.

“You know what this means, Pound?” asked Pumpkin.

“Yep,” he responded.

The two headed downstairs. “Auntie Pinkie!” the two said in unison.

“What’s up?” she responded, looking up from filling a display case.

“We need to see Twilight as soon as possible,” said Pumpkin.

“One of our friends is in trouble,” said Pound.

Pinkie turned to Cup at the register. “Well, Mrs. Cake?”

Cup playfully rolled her eyes at her children’s expressions. “You don’t have to give me the puppy-dog eyes. If there’s a friendship problem to solve then by all means go get it solved.”

The two of them ran up to her and hugged her. “Thanks, Mom! I love you!” they both said.

Cup rubbed their heads. “I love you too. Now hurry up and help your friend.”

“We will!” They ran for the exit. “Come on, Auntie Pinkie!”

Pinkie trotted after them.

Ten minutes later they arrived at Twilight’s castle, both of them slamming on the door until it opened.

“Gee whiz, you guys,” said Twilight. “There’s no need to try and knock my door down.”

“Yes, there is!” said Pound strongly. “Flurry is in big trouble.”

Twilight’s exasperation immediately turned to concern, her heart starting to race. “What happened?” she asked, her head moving forward toward them.

“Flurry wrote us a note in the magic journal that she’s still having trouble making friends in the Crystal Empire.”

Twilight let out a breath, relieved she could dial back her concern from physical danger to a major inconvenience. “I’m sorry to hear that, but what would you like me to do?”

“We’re getting to that,” said Pumpkin. “Flurry thinks if she can just make one real friend back home that they can help convince some of the others that it’s safe to be friends with her.”

Twilight nodded. “Mmm-hmm. Makes sense.”

“There’s one pony that she really thinks she can win over, but that filly is having a hard time with the whole ‘more than just a princess’ thing. Since we’re friends with her, Flurry thinks that we can help convince her that Flurry is just a pony like anyone else.”

Twilight sucked on her cheek. “Flurry is my niece, and I know that Shining and Cadance both trust me with Flurry’s well-being, so it wouldn’t be much of an issue to teleport her over here for a day.

“However, I’m not sure how the filly’s parents are going to react to me asking to take their daughter halfway across the continent just for a playdate.”

Pound rubbed his head awkwardly, forcing a smile. “They’ll say yes, of course, because a request from one princess, let alone two, is going to terrify them into accepting it no matter what they think about it.”

Twilight let out a deep sigh. “I wish I could say I disagree, but you’re probably right. If Princess Flurry Heart wants to bring her friend to Ponyville for a day at the request of Princess Twilight, that’s probably the exact reason they’ll allow it to happen.”

Pumpkin let out a groan. “I’m sorry you have to go through this.”

Twilight could see both of them looked bad. “Look, you guys, it’s just something that I have to deal with. I already feel awkward enough about it myself. You don’t have to feel awkward on my behalf.”

“But it’s not fair!” said Pound. “So many ponies don’t know how amazing you really are.”

“That’s true, but there are enough ponies that know who I really am, like you two.” She put her hooves out, and the two ran up to her and hugged her. “I love you two!” she said warmly.

“We love you too, Twilight!” they responded.

Releasing them she asked, “I do have to ask why you made it seem so dramatic, though. I thought Flurry was ill, or got into an accident or something. I’m glad to know she isn’t in danger.”

“But she is in danger!” said Pumpkin. “Flurry sounded really discouraged in her letter. She's been trying really hard, and after all the pain she was in we don’t want to see her give up again."

“That’s right!” Pound said strongly. “I still remember what you told me about Moondancer. I don’t want to see her give up on friendship.”

“And we still remember how sad you were at the party about Flurry’s problems. We don’t want to see you crying anymore.”

Twilight’s eyes grew shiny. “I’m afraid it’s too late for that,” she said in a croaky voice. She pulled them to her again. “Thank you both so much for caring so strongly for my niece. She’s lucky to have friends like you.”

“Anytime, Twilight!” said Pound with a big grin. “It’s our jobs to help spread joy and friendship like you and Auntie Pinkie.”

“So we’re gonna do all we can!” Pumpkin said strongly.

Pinkie beamed. They had come so far since last year.

Returning home they waited for their mother to finish with a customer.

“Mom, Mom!” said Pound.

“How did it go?” Cup responded.

“It didn’t go anywhere yet.”

“Can we bring Flurry Heart over tomorrow?” asked Pumpkin.

“I guess so.

“Are you going to fill me in on the problem?”

They nodded, explaining the situation.

“So Flurry is still having trouble finding a keeper, huh?”

“Yeah,” said Pound. “She thinks that her friend will be more comfortable around her if she’s hanging out with other normal ponies, instead of just an alicorn. I figure we’ll grab all our other friends and make her feel really welcome.”

“Mmm…”

She took care of another customer before getting back to them. “I would advise against that plan.”

“Why?” asked Pumpkin. “It seems like a good idea to us.”

“The reason you went to your room to deal with Flurry was because you felt there would be less pressure than if she was in the party area. If your goal is to show Flurry interacting with others like a regular pony then having the two of you there is enough to accomplish that.

“You throw in too many ponies, and it’s only going to increase the likelihood she’ll put on an act or wind up feeling ostracized from the group.

“The whole goal is to help Flurry become better friends with this filly, not for her to learn to interact with a group. You don’t want to wind up driving a bigger wedge between them because you’re overwhelming her with meeting so many new ponies at once."

The twins got thoughtful looks on their faces. “I guess you’re right,” said Pumpkin.

“Well, our mom is pretty smart,” said Pound. “She married Dad and let Auntie Pinkie live here.”

Cup blushed slightly at the praise. “And then I had you, who are working hard to spread friendship.”

“Oh, yeah!” He pumped his hoof. “Future heroes of Equestria right here.”

"I believe it. You do what you have to do to help Flurry, and I'll support you one hundred percent."

"You know it!" said Pumpkin, the two of them putting their hooves around each other.

Author's Notes:

This chapter is a little all over the place. I do have planned ideas focusing on Pound's flight progress and something going wrong when they're helping out in the store, but for now I'm just introducing the concepts to focus on Flurry.

Next Chapter: 2-2: Sharing of hearts Estimated time remaining: 25 Hours, 39 Minutes
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