//------------------------------//
// Chapter 1 
// Story: Pounded 
// by RainbowDashian 
//------------------------------//

	"I remember it like it was yesterday," I say, the psychologist looking at me with a questioning eye. "Coincidentally, if you traveled ten years into the past, this would have, in fact, occurred yesterday."
"Tell me what happened, Mr. Cake," The shrink says.
"Okay, sure," I respond. "I'll try."



"It was the greatest day of my life. Despite the fact that I had been fourteen and without a cutie mark, I had just recieved a scholarship from Canterlot's Royal School For The Culinary Arts."



"Prestigious." The psychologist mutters, scribbling something down in his notebook. Realizing that I'm silent, he says, "Please continue, don't mind me. I'm just taking notes. It's easier to diagnose that way, in the long run."



"Along with the scholarship, I'd just discovered a new way to make cupcakes that took up much less sugar and only a bit more flour; the recipe would have saved us a lot of bits. And, to top it all off, I had been asked out by the mare of my dreams, Crystal Diane Sparkie. She was the adopted daughter of Twilight Sparkle and Pinkie Pie. Due to the fact that Pinkie had been my babysitter, I had grown up around Crystal.
"I had been rushing home to tell my parents to good news when I passed our bakery. Sugarcube Corner was surrounded by a throng of ponies, most of them reporters. I asked somepony what was going on, but he gave me a shove and said, 'Get away, kid!' When I'd flown above the crowd for a better look, I'd spotted my sister, scared and alone in the large mass of ponies.
"When she was born, Pumpkin Cake was deprived of oxygen for an extremely long amount of time.She survived, but she suffered brain damage. It wasn't apparent until she was about two. Around that time, Pumpkin was beginning to talk and walk much more. Pinkie Pie was the first to notice Pumpkin's slow response time and trouble speaking whilst babysitting the two of us. Three days later, the test results had come in, and we received the bad news.
"Anyway, back to what I was saying. Pumpkin was crumpled into a ball, whimpering. When I asked her what was wrong, she'd responded, 'Mommy and Daddy are hurt.' Shocked, I had hoisted Pumpkin onto my back and flown above the crowd.
"I 'd spotted the ambulance near the entrance to the shop and dive-bombed toward it. Being that two hooves were holding Pumpkin, I couldn't exactly land right. So, I cushioned my little sister's fall. When I stood up, I realized I'd landed in front of Twilight. 'What's going on, Pound?' She had asked.
"'I don't know.' I'd answered, passing Pumpkin to the lavender mare. 'But I intend to find out. Take Pumpkin.'
"I galloped to the ambulance. 'I'm sorry, you can't be over here.' One of the doctors had said. 'The Cakes are in critical condition.'
"I was taken aback. I had said, 'I'm their son!'
"The doctor responded by saying, 'A likely story. This is the worst hospital-worthy attack in years; I've already gotten that excuse a bunch of times. Now go join the other reporters.' Suddenly remembering my scholarship, I whipped it out of my saddle bag and showed the name on it to the doctor. 'Oh, I'm sorry.' He had said. 'I didn't know. Go on in.'
"I'd climbed into the back of the ambulance to find two severely wounded ponies and no doctors. 'Mom!' I said. 'What happened, why aren't the doctors in here helping you two?' She placed her hoof on mine.
'The bakery was robbed, and we were attacked.' She said. 'The doctor's can't help, son. We're too far gone, there's nothing they can do. Listen, Pound Cake. Take care of your sister, do you understand?' I had nodded, feeling tears streaming down my face. 'Thank you.' My mother had replied. 'Goodbye, Pound.' Both she and my father flat lined at the same time."



"So, your parents died in front of you?" The shrink asks.
"Yes." I say. I can feel the tears drying on my face, the tears that always accumulate there whenever I think about the death of my parents.
"Would you like to try telling me the -" He pauses, trying to find the correct phrasing. "Most recent tragedy?" He asks.
"I can try." I say.



"My store had become more prosperous after I'd moved it to Canterlot. I'd built a garden out back for growing the wheat and hops. There was a small section of the garden - about a quarter square acre - that Pumpkin would always play in. But that day, she - she -"



Tears are streaming down my face. "I'm sorry," I sob, burying my face in my hooves. "I can't do it."
He walks over and places a hoof on my shoulder. "It's okay," He says. "Do you want to try again tomorrow?"
"Yeah," I say, wiping tears away. "Tomorrow. Tomorrow sounds nice."
"Okay, then, I'll see you tomorrow, same time. Deal?" He holds out a hoof.
I shake his hoof. "It's a deal. Tomorrow." I stand up and slowly trot towards the door.
"Get some rest, okay?" The shrink says.
"You got it," I reply, and exit the room. Once out, a sigh of relief escapes my lungs and I trot down the stairs and out of the building, into the bustling streets of Canterlot. I weave my way through the prodigiously pompous ponies towards my shop, ignoring the "Humphs" of disapproval.
I enter the shop and pause, like I do every day, to say hi to my mom, dad, and, more recently, sister. I go upstairs into my room and crawl into bed. Once there, I can't sleep. I'm afraid. Afraid of what will happen if I tell the shrink what happened to Pumpkin... I'm afraid he won't understand; afraid he'll blame me.
Just like everypony else in this town did.