Pinkie skipped happily down the street after saying her goodbyes to her friends and making sure she had all of Sunset’s homework. Arriving at Sugar Cube Corner a hour after leaving school, she headed inside the building, waving a pleasant hello to Mr. Cake.

Mr. Cake was just bringing more doughnuts out for the display case when he looked up and saw Pinkie entering the building. He smiled warmly to Pinkie, saying as she walked around the counter, setting her backpack down behind the cash register, “Sunset is in the back, helping us get ready for a big order, Pinkie.”

Looking up after taking out Sunset's homework, Pinkie smiled back, “How is Sunny doing, Mr. Cake?”

“She’s doing well.” Mr. Cake looked at the papers in Pinkie's hand. “I take it that's Sunset's homework.”

“Yep, sure is.” Pinkie grinned widely. “All six assignments.” She headed for the stairs leading up to Sunset’s room. “I’m gonna go put her homework in her room, then I’ll clock in and help you out.”

“Alright,” Mr. Cake called after her as she headed upstairs. “Be sure to leave her homework on her bed. And don’t snoop around her room. Sunset wouldn't like that.”

Pinkie bounced away, completely ignoring Mr. Cake's warning as she headed for the stairs leading to Sunsets bedroom. Getting there a few moments later, she opened the door, went inside, and looked around. To her right was Sunset's bed. Next to it was a end table with Sunset's journal on it and a vase filled with flowers that gave the room a pleasant smell.

Entering the small but quaint room, Pinkie saw Sunset's phone hooked up to a computer to her left. Setting Sunset's homework down on the end table next to her bed, she was about to leave the room when she heard, “Download complete.” Looking at the computer, Pinkie pulled out the chair in front of it and sat down. Wiggling the mouse a few times, the monitor came to life, showing what was last used on the computer. Pinkie giggled to herself when she saw Rainbow's picture in the background.

“Aww, Sunny, you really do have Rainbow on the brains,” she muttered to herself while clicking on an icon that read "Downloaded Photos". She brought up a file containing all the photos that Sunset had taken while at the sleepover at Rarity's. Looking through the photos, she laughed when she saw a few with herself in them. “Sunny, come on, now. My hair's not that puffy.” Pinkie smiled and shook her head, muttering to herself as she got up to leave. Her eyes caught another icon, this one was labeled ‘Journal’. Sitting back down, she clicked on it, bringing up Sunset's journal.

“Dear Diary,” Pinkie read, “I can’t believe that Rainbow actually slept with me. I mean, nothing happened, but she still slept in the same bed with me. They're all so nice to me, always trying to make me comfortable, even when I'm hiding so much from them. I know I need to come clean about my past, but I'm scared to do so. They’ll hate me if I tell them the truth about what I--” Pinkie couldn’t bring herself to read any more of Sunset's journal after she scrolled down further. Getting up and wiping away a few tears that threatened to fall, she headed downstairs and soon found Sunset coming out of the back of the cafe.

Rushing up to her friend, she wrapped her arms around Sunset, saying to her as she hugged her tightly, “It's gonna be alright, Sunny. We won’t freak out. We all love you.”

Sunset ended the warm but rather unexpected embrace from her friend, saying as she looked at Pinkie with a look of confusion on her face, “What brought that on Pinkie? I mean, I appreciate the hug, but why'd you do it?”

“I just wanted you to know that no matter what you're going though, we'll always love you and care about you.” Pinkie wiped away the last of her tears. “I hope you know that, Sunny.”

“I do, Pinke. I'm still a bit conf--” Sunset's eyes went wide when she suddenly realized why Pinkie had hugged her. “You...You read my journal, didn’t you, Pinkie? Please tell me you didn’t actually read my journal, Pinkie.”

Looking down and taking a step back from her friend, Pinkie swallowed hard, something Sunset picked up on. Her hair slightly deflated, Pinkie closed her eyes, bowing her head as she said, “Yes, I read your journal. I didn’t mean to, and I am very, very sorry that I did it, Sunny.” Looking back up with tears threatening to run down her cheeks again, she continued “A-Are you mad at me?”

“No, I'm not really mad. I am a bit annoyed that you didn’t ask me for permission to read my journal, though.”

Sunset took Pinkie by her hands, leading her over to a nearby table. Looking at her friend, she reached out and wiped away the tears that had threatened to slip past Pinkie's eyes. Gesturing to the bench that was behind the table, she said gently to Pinkie, “Sit down. I’ll get us a couple of hot cocoas and we can talk.”

Sunset left Pinkie at the table and headed into the back to retrieve the cocoas. Mr. Cake and Mrs. Cake were just coming back into the cafe, passing Sunset on the way in, each offering her a gentle smile as she walked by them. Stopping before she got through the door, Sunset said to both, “Can Pinkie and I have a few moments alone. I want to talk to her about something.” Mr. Cake looked over, seeing where Pinkie was and how upset she looked. He nodded his reply. Sunset smiled back warmly and continued to head into the back of the cafe.

Pinkie got up from the table she was sitting at and walked over to Mr. Cake at the cash register. She said, “Mr. Cake, when are you gonna ask Sunny about being adopted? I really want to throw her a party for it.”

Sunset, who was coming out of the back with a tray of hot cocoa and doughnuts, froze when she heard what Pinkie said. She decided to stay back a bit and listen in.

Unaware of Sunset's presence, Mr. Cake replied, “Soon, Pinkie. We also need to ask her about how she feels about being a big sister, too.”

“Big sister?” Pinkie asked with a confused look on her face. “But Sunny doesn’t have any fam--” Pinkie stopped when she realized what Mr. Cake was talking about. “You really mean that you're going to have both Sunny and a baby?” Pinkie was practically jumping up and down with excitement.

Unable to hold herself back anymore, Sunset walked out into the open, saying softly, “You want to adopt me?”

Mr. Cake’s eyes went wide when he heard Sunset's voice from behind him. Turning around he almost stammered on his words to her. “H-how long have you been there, Sunset?”

“Long enough to hear everything.” Sunset set down the tray. Letting out a soft sigh, she turned to face Mr. Cake, who looked back at her with worried eyes. “Here's my answer,” Sunset said. Stepping forward, she immediately wrapped her arms around him warmly. Laying her head onto his shoulder, she continued, “Yes, I want to be your daughter. Please, for the love of all of Equestria, say that we can fill out the paperwork tonight!”

Mr. Cake immediately returned the warm hug, saying as he stroked Sunset's hair through his fingers, “Yes, Sunset, I have all the papers. All you need to do is sign them. Then, we can go to the courthouse, and you should be able to become our daughter.” Ending the warm embrace as Mrs. Cake came downstairs with her arms full of towels, he continued “Even if they say ‘no’, no matter what, I want you to know that you will always be our daughter to us, Sunset. We love you very much. Now, how about you have your chat with Pinkie and enjoy your cocoa. I’ll be by in a little while to check your homework and to help you pack.”

“Pack?" Sunset replied, “I-I don’t understand.”

“Sunset, dear,” Mrs. Cake said behind her, causing Sunset to turn around, “you don’t really think we would let our daughter live alone in this dreary cafe for the rest of her life, do you?”

“Well, actually, yes, I did kinda think I would be staying here, seeing as how I have nowhere else to go other than to the streets again.”

Mrs. Cake dropped the towels she was holding, rushed over, and hugged Sunset warmly around her waist, pinning Sunset's arms to her sides.

“No daughter of mine is ever going to live like that. I won’t allow it.”

Sunset coughed out, “Too tight. You're squeezing me too tightly.”

“What? Oh, Sunset, I'm sorry about that.” Mrs. Cake let go of Sunset and backed away. “But I meant what I said. You are not and absolutely will not be going back to those streets again.”

“Then where am I gonna go if not here? I have nowhere else to go other than this place,” Sunset protested. “I am really very grateful that you both want me as your daughter, but I'm beginning to feel like you didn’t think this through.”

“Well, you can stop thinking like that right now, young lady,” Mr. Cake said with a smile, “because we have thought this through. We'll be your parents, so you're coming home with us, and neither I nor my wife--I mean, your mother--will take 'no' for an answer.”

Sunset, when she heard that Mrs. Cake was now referred to as her mother, couldn’t contain her joy any longer. She pulled both of them into a warm hug, saying as they both held her tightly in their arms, not wanting to let go of her, “I can actually call you both 'Mom' and 'Dad' now, and I'm going to be a big sister.” Happy tears slipped past her eyes, down her cheeks, and onto Mrs. Cakes head as the woman laid her head onto Sunset's shoulder. “I don’t believe this. I really do have a family.”

“You will always have a family with us, Sunset, dear. Now dry your tears and go have your chat with Pinkie,” Mrs. Cake said, ending the warm embrace. “Go on, dear. Enjoy your night with her. Actually, you both should take tonight off to enjoy the happy news together.

“Alright...Mom,” Sunset replied with a slight chuckle. “We'll take the rest of the night off.”

Pinkie and Sunset both headed over to a nearby table, leaving the Cakes to look upon Sunset not as their guest but as their soon-to-be daughter. The two girls talked for nearly two hours while Mr. and Mrs. Cake silently left the cafe, headed home and entered, what would soon become Sunset's new bedroom.

Looking around, the cakes both smiled warmly to each other as they each added the finishing touches to the bedroom. Mrs. Cake opened up a pair of drapes done in Sunset's favorite color--sky blue--with Pegasus wing prints on them, while Mr. Cake hooked up a new computer. Dusting himself off, he smiled to his wife, and they both left the room and headed back to the cafe.

They each entered through the back and soon found both girls still at the table, only this time, Sunset had her homework in front of her, while Pinkie was reading to her from her history book. When the Cakes saw this, they both grinned, and Mrs. Cake said, “I can’t wait to see Sunset do that for her little brother or sister.”

Next Chapter: Heart to Heart (Edited by Icecreammac) Estimated time remaining: 18 Hours, 44 Minutes