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// This is NOT the End... 
// Story: Pumpkin's Struggle (Part 3): Love is a Lie 
// by AngelShy24 
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	A lot had happened in just one day; Ruby Rose made the worse mistake in her life, she almost got Acer and herself killed by Pumpkin who was in the worse murderous rage she has ever been in since forever, and Ruby desperately apologized and busted her mother, Envy Rose. Now Envy was finally arrested after explaining her reasoning and revealing a dark secret of Pumpkin Cake housing… a curse.
Evening was continuing to linger on and everyone who was at the Town Hall did their best to not blab out about the newfound secret… for Pumpkin’s sake. Pinkie Pie and the Cakes were back at sugar cube corner closing up shop. However, Pumpkin was outside, sulking and contemplating on what they discovered about her. They let her have time alone because they knew how much this was taking a toll on her. But if that wasn’t enough, the very evil entity within Pumpkin suddenly came into her consciousness once again, circling around her sulking body to have some verbal fun.
“Aw, what’s the matter; feeling down in the dumps? Soaking up your sorrows? Troubling over your tribulations? Moping from your newfound misery?”
“Go… away…” Pumpkin replied in a lowly pissed manner.
“Yeah, that’s it! Express your anger; delve deep down into your despair. After all, there’s no reason for you to stay calm anymore, now is there?”
Pumpkin just buried her face deeper in her hooves trying not to give in to her demon’s taunting words.
“Just… who are you? Why… why do you enjoy my pain… so much?”
“Hello,” it said sarcastically, “don’t you remember that mare’s words; I’m a curse! What, did you think I was somepony whom you could become friends with?”
It then got right up to her baring its evil grin, “I exist… to make you suffer and endanger every pony around you. Being trapped in a host’s body like yours is a negative, but I can still mess with your mind and alternate your emotions; not to mention enjoying your immense power.”
Pumpkin just felt terrible at that point; she didn’t even move or made any gesture when responding, “Just… just leave; I don’t feel like putting up with your crap tonight.”
“I’m afraid that’s impossible,” it replied while whispering close in her ear, “Until the very day you die… you’re stuck with me… forever.” 
Pumpkin suddenly jumped up with slightly red eyes and frustrated tears flowing from them.
“I SAID LEAVE ME ALONE!!!”
“Hey, um… Pumpkin,” said a voice behind her, “who are you talking to?”
Pumpkin realized that the spirit of her curse had disappeared; and as she turned around, her eyes changed back when she saw her two main friends.
“M-Minty… Acer?”
“Everything alright?” Acer asked.
Pumpkin just slumped down on her flank sweating and shaking her head, “No… everything is… not alright.”
Minty placed her hoof on Pumpkin’s shoulder as she passed by her, “Well… I’m just going to… leave you 2 lovebirds here to hang out and exchange words; later, Pumpkin.” 
Pumpkin didn’t even smile as she watches her friend walk to the doorway to her home. Acer soon approached closer to her and then asked…
“Mind if I sit with you?”

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Pound and Pinkie were inside the house helping Mr. and Mrs. Cake to close up shop when Minty walked in. The first one in her sights was Pound who didn’t seem to notice her right away. She smiled and called out to him.
“Hiya, Pound!”
Pound became startled and almost dropped the random items he was carrying upon hearing Minty’s voice.
“W-whoa! Minty, um… hi. Um… d-do you need anything? We are closed but… I’m sure my parents wouldn’t mind.”
Minty just chuckled and shook her head, “No thanks, I’m good.”
“S-so… what do you need?”
“Nothing much; I was just thinking over things and… I just came over here to ask you if you want… to hang out together tomorrow?”
Pound froze for a moment looking at her, but then he just thought that she was offering to hang out with her and others. 
“Um, sure…” he replied, “and who else?”
“Oh, no pony else,” Minty said a bit nervously, “Just you and me… hanging out; you know, just to hang out.”
Pound couldn’t believe his ears; was Minty asking him to hang out with just her… like a date? Pound’s cheeks blushed a bright red color and he was suddenly breathing a bit heavy; but he soon just brushed it off and tried to respond normally.
“S-s-s-s-sure, okay. W-we can… h-hang out… t-together.”
“Great,” said Minty cheerfully, “I’m glad you agreed.”
Pound’s tail was wagging back and forth a bit and he could feel a new release of relief coming up in his body.
“Um… could you excuse me for a second?” he asked.
He suddenly went upstairs and into his room. But despite that, Minty could still hear his reaction.
“YES! Thank you, Celestia; thank you! Yes, yes, yes!”
As he continued to cheer upstairs, Minty was laughing to herself. She looked at Pinkie and winked at her; and Pinkie smiled as she winked back.

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Meanwhile… outside, Acer was sitting with Pumpkin who was lamenting over the truth of her condition. He knew that what she was going through was even worse than they all thought. If only Envy was brave enough to tell the Cake family sooner.
“So… how are you handling things?” Acer asked.
“Solemly okay I guess,” Pumpkin sadly replied, “However, I just can’t get over the fact that all this time I thought I had some kind of special emotional disorder; but now I find out that it’s nothing but a curse!”
“Yeah… it is a bit shocking, isn’t it?”
“A-Acer,” said Pumpkin looking over at him worryingly, “you do still like me, right?”
“What kind of silly question is that?” Acer replied, “I don’t care what’s inside of you, it won’t change who you truly are inside.”
“I know, I know; but… you heard Envy, there’s nothing we can do about this curse. And as bad as I got today, it’s only going to get worse; and I don’t want to hurt you again.”
Pumpkin looked over at Acer’s bandaged wings and couldn’t contain her tears as she allowed them to flow out freely; she truly felt like there was no light at the end of her life tunnel.
“Well,” said Acer, “when I first heard about your condition, I said that I would do my best and all that I could to help you; and I meant it. But now that I know about this curse, I’m just going to try even harder. No matter what happens, I won’t leave you, Minty won’t leave you, and Miss Cheerliee won’t leave you, and even… Ruby… I think that even she won’t leave you now either; I don’t know, but don’t think that there’s no hope for you. There is a way to stop this; I know it.”
Pumpkin just fell on her belly and was sobbing in her hooves again; she didn’t know whether to be desperately sad or overly happy.
“Why are you going so far to help me; no matter how meaningless my situation may seem?!”
Acer came down to her and gave her a little kiss on her cheek that caused her to blush a bit and she perked her head up and looked up at him with tears still leaking out from her eyes.
“Because I would be a monster myself otherwise; I mean I’m not perfect, but no pony else is. You are still you, and no curse will change that.”
Acer suddenly felt like he was being too cheesy in cheering Pumpkin up, but he was just saying what was coming to him. Suddenly, Acer felt Pumpkin wrap her hooves around him and hugged him real tight. At this point she didn’t care if staying calm was still a danger for her; she was just happy that Acer still liked her by the same amount as he did before.
“Do you guys really think that there’s a way to stop this curse,” she asked, “you know without sacrificing myself?”
Acer just chuckled and hugged Pumpkin back, “We know there is, Pumpkin; don’t let this curse keep you down. Now what do you say we go into your house and help your family clean up?”
Pumpkin wiped away her tears and nodded, “Sure thing. Thank you so much, Acer. I do feel a little bit better.”
“That’s good to hear,” Acer replied, “I think you’ve expressed enough anger for today, so you should be okay for now if you stay calm.”
They both started to laugh a little as they approached the entrance door to SugarCube Corner; then suddenly, Pumpkin stopped in her tracks as something came to her.
“You know Acer, despite how devastated I’ve been feeling ever since we left Town Hall, I couldn’t help but wonder; did Envy really tell the Mayor her message about this curse and the Mayor just forgot about it?”
“I don’t know. I have met your town’s Mayor a few times already besides today, but she doesn’t seem like the kind to just forget or ignore such a urgent request. Maybe she got hit by some kind of forgetting spell.”
Both Acer and Pumpkin looked at each other questionably… and then they both said, “Nah.”
It was rather a silly thought to the both of them; a forgetting spell somehow hitting the Mayor right after Envy telling her the message… highly unlikely. But unknown to Acer and Pumpkin, they were being… watched. A mysterious, dark shadow of some kind of pony was hiding amongst the darkness of night. It watched as the cursed little filly was being politely led into her house by her coltfriend. Truth be told, he was watching her actions the whole time she was outside sobbing in her sorrows, but the feelings of this mysterious pony towards Pumpkin’s lamenting seemed rather… uplifting.
A dark glint glimmered in its eyes as it retreated from its hidden spot and snuck away in the dark of night.