“And if you'll just sign here, Miss Pie, everything will be done and finalized.”

Pinkie Pie nodded, determined, before bobbing the pen clutched between her lips over to the line the case worker had pointed at, scrawling a fast but bubbly signature across the line. She pulled her head back and let the pen drop to the table, sighing with relief and wiping a leg across her forehead while the gray mare before her levitated the small stack of papers over to a filing cabinet, flicking a few pages here and there.

“It will take a few days to get all of these correctly sorted with all of the branches, ma'am,” the Foal Services case worker explained as she returned to Pinkie Pie. “But as of now, you are now officially the legal guardian of Pound Cake and Pumpkin Cake.”

Pinkie Pie couldn't help it. She burst out into a huge smile. She leaped out of her seat, grabbing the other mare in a tight hug and spinning them around the room.

“Oh thankyouthankyouTHANKYOU!” she practically sang, dislodging herself from the stunned mare and continuing to spin out of the room and down the hall, giggling all the way.

“Celestia help those children,” the mare chuckled softly to herself before continuing about her job.

Meanwhile, Pinkie Pie twirled into the waiting room, where Pound and Pumpkin were playing in a small penned-off area with a young employee, another gray mare. Sure the twins were a little too old to be confined to a play pen, but Pinkie Pie couldn't take them into the case room with her, and the mare had assured her that they would be fine under her care. It was kind of her job, after all, to watch the foals of the company's clients.

The twins lit up when they saw Pinkie enter the room. Giggling, they dropped their blocks and rushed over to her. Pound flittering his wings excitedly while Pumpkin's horn sparkled happily.

“Auntie Pinkie!” both of them exclaimed, plowing into the pink mare and tackling her over. They laughed as the nuzzled her happily, an affection which she returned.

She really did love those kids.

“Hey guys, did ya miss me?!” she asked. They both jumped away from her, hopping up and down.

“Yeah!” they replied back, full of excitement. Pinkie let herself smile. The past two weeks had been a paperwork nightmare. She didn't get to smile all that often, but now...

She broke out into a huge grin at the foals.

Her foals.

“Were you two good for Miss Amber?” she questioned. They smiled wide and nodded. Behind them, Amber stood up, smirking softly.

“They were little angels, so sweet. I take it everything is taken care of, Miss Pinkie?”

Pinkie beamed and nodded as she ruffled Pumpkin's mane. The unicorn giggled from the attention.

“Yeppers peppers, Amber-eppers! Everything's all okie-lokie-dokie now!”

Amber nodded, giving Pinkie Pie an approving look as the two foals laughed while playing with each other, Pound chasing Pumpkin around Pinkie's legs. Pinkie herself was chuckling as she spun around in a circle, trying to keep up.

“Well, I wish you the best of luck,” Amber told Pinkie Pie. She stopped to look at the gray mare, giving her the widest grin she could muster.

“Thanks so much! And thanks again for looking after the foals, usually that's my job!”

Pinkie paused, bringing a hoof to her lips as she gave thought. Pound and Pumpkin stopped running around and looked up at Pinkie before mimicking her, putting ahoof up to their own thinking faces.

At last, Pinkie gasped enthusiastically, picking up both of the foals and hugging them tightly.

“I guess it really is my job now, huh?” she asked the two, rubbing her nose against Pumpkin's. “That's right, it's my job isn't it?”

Pumpkin shrieked happily as she was nuzzled by Pinkie Pie.

Amber giggled softly before waving good-bye to the happy family as they trotted out of the building, each foal holding onto one of Pinkie's front legs and riding along with her strides.

The rain had stopped outside. The sun was shining. It was a good day.

“So, what do you guys want to go do today?” she asked her foals as she looked down at them. “No work, just play! Okay?”

The foals cheered before disembarking off of Pinkie's legs, darting along the street. Pinkie chased after them, making sure they didn't hurt themselves but letting them have their fun.

After a while, they made it to the park. It was a little busy, maybe ten other colts and fillies running around on the grass. The two twins rushed over to an empty teeter-totter and jumped on, going at it.

Pinkie Pie let out a sigh as she smiled, seeing the twins playing. They'd been so sad since they'd heard the news, it was refreshing to see them having fun like normal foals.

A couple of other foals approached the twins, giggling and jumping up and down. Pinkie Pie couldn't hear what was being said between the four, but from the twins' reactions, they were having a great time. Only moments later, one of them tapped Pound before he and the two fillies scattered away, leaving Pound 'it'.

The sun had gone far in it's descent by the time the foals were far too exhausted to continue playing. It had been a good day.

“You're really fast!” exclaimed the tiny white earth pony, jumping as he spoke to emphasize his point.

“Thanks!” Pound beamed, puffing his chest out proudly. Pumpkin pushed him from the side, knocking him over. The three foals laughed, Pound fuming before he relented, chuckling along too as he pushed himself up. He then pushed Pumpkin over.

“Flyt! Violet!”

The two other foals looked over to see their parents waving them over.

“Come on, let's go home!”

The white earth pony and his sister, a purple unicorn, groaned.

“Awww, do we haaave to?” Flyt yelled back.

His mother laughed in mock annoyance. “Yes!” she responded.

Violet groaned. “Fiiine.” She then turned to Pound and Pumpkin.

“Parents are so annoying, aren't they?”

Pound gulped hard while Pumpkin shivered involuntarily, feeling herself blush slightly.

Pumpkin gave the other mare a genuinely confused look. “Why'd you say that? I mean, they care about you, right?”

Flyt laughed. “Yeah, but they have so many rules! I wish we didn't have them sometimes, then we could play for as long as we want!”

Pound shook his head as he felt his face going red. His heart was beating fast.

How could they say they didn't want their parents?! Pound missed his mommy and daddy a lot, he'd never want them gone if he could have them back...

“Well, bye!” the two foals shouted before rushing over towards their parents, leaving the twins alone.

A soft breeze ruffled the grass around them, stirring up a few loose leaves.

“Pound,” Pumpkin said quietly, “you never wanted mommy and daddy to go, did you?”

Pound shook his head violently. “Of cowse not!” he exclaimed. “Did you?”

Pumpkin shook her head as well. “No, never.”

The sky darkened as the sun fell lower in the sky. Celestia would lower the sun completely soon, leaving the night to Luna's moon.

“Then why'd they go, if we didn't want them to?” Pumpkin whimpered.

Pound fell back onto his flank, tears growing in his eyes. “I don't know... I miss mommy...”

Pumpkin sniffled as she nodded. “So do I...”

She closed her eyes, sniffling hard. She missed being held by mommy when she was upset, having daddy run a hoof through her mane and tell her everything would be alright...

Suddenly, she felt a hoof very lightly pull her in for a deep hug. Her eyes opened wide to see Pinkie Pie holding her close, hugging her and Pound tight.

Pinkie Pie smiled sadly as she held her foals tight to her. She'd heard the little conversation they'd had with the other foals, and could only imagine what they were feeling right then. It couldn't have been easy to lose the ones you loved the most, especially at so young. But...

She squeezed them tighter, vowing never to let go.

“I love you guys,” she whispered to the two, nuzzling them softly.

Pound and Pumpkin slowly felt themselves relax. Mommy and daddy were gone, and they knew they weren't coming back...

But they still had auntie Pinkie, right?

The twins grasped Pinkie Pie tightly, hugging her back.

Yeah, auntie Pinkie was great! She was super funny, threw the best parties, and always knew how to make them feel better. Plus, she gave great hugs!

Pinkie Pie smiled as she felt the twins growing tired against her. They'd worn themselves out from playing for so long. It was time to head home.

“Come on,” she said to them. “Let's go back home.”

Pound yawned as Pumpkin nodded. Pinkie picked up Pound and set him on her back as she took Pumpkin's hoof in her own, and then started heading back to their home.

At home, they did everything they were told to do for getting ready for bed. They brushed their teeth, made sure their room was clean, and said their nighttime prayers. Pinkie Pie politely joined in.

“... and Misses and Mister Cake? If you hear me, your foals miss you. A lot. But I promise you I'll take lots of good care of them, Pinkie promise! Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.”

She bowed her head before rising, smiling softly. She watched as the foals climbed into bed. Pinkie trotted over to Pumpkin and kissed her on the forehead. The little unicorn giggled before nuzzling Pinkie and rolling onto her side, quickly drifting off the sleep.

She trotted over to Pound and kissed him on his forehead as well. He was struggling to stay awake, but as soon as Pinkie's lips touched his forehead, he couldn't keep it up.

“Night, mommy...” he whispered as he slowly trailed off into a slumber.

Pinkie froze.

“Mommy?” she whispered. She shook her head as she trotted out of the room, turning off the bedroom light.

“Nonono, I couldn't be a mommy-” she told herself, but paused as a glimmer caught her eye. She trotted over to a small picture table.

He'd caught the reflection of one of the lights in a family picture of the Cakes. Carrot was holding a delighted Pumpkin while Cup cradled Pound, who was asleep. Pinkie herself was suspended in mid-air between the two, having jumped at just the right moment to be in the picture.

She smiled as she looked at the family. Some of it was missing, and would never be back...

Mommy, huh...

Pinkie could have swore Cup winked at her in the picture. She sighed before smiling softly, putting the picture back down.

“I... think I could do something like that...” she said with a gleam in her eye. “But if that's the case, I'll have to ready my party cannon!”

She darted off towards her room, passing by a picture of her holding both of the twins. They were all so happy in the picture, just like a perfect family already.

Outside, it started to rain.