"How come we always get two birthday parties?" asked Pound Cake.

Pinkie Pie's face blanched. "Well, silly, it's because there's two of you! So we have one for Pound and one for Pumpkin!" she answered, grinning a plastic smile.

"No it isn't," said Pumpkin Cake. "We both get the song with Daddy and we both get the song with Mommy."

"Yeah, and Mommy even makes us two cakes," said Pound. "One cake for each of us. So it's like we [i]both[/i] get two parties."

"Well, you guys are super-special, so you get a party with each one of your parents. That's a good thing, isn't it? Double the parties is double the fun!" Pinkie put on her party hat and resumed setting the tables in Sugarcube Corner. "A fun party here with Daddy at Sugarcube Corner, and a fun party at Mommy's house tonight."

"No! It [i]isn't[/i] good. We want a party with Mommy and Daddy [i]together[/i]," said Pumpkin. "We get to see you at both of them, but everypony else there is different."

"Yeah! We talked to Zipporwhill. She doesn't get a party with her Mommy and another one with her Daddy. They have the same party together," said Pound.

Pumpkin frowned and crossed her forelegs. "Other kids don't do this! And they don't have two Hearth's Warmings neither."

Pinkie Pie sighed and sat down, turning to face the foals. "Have you talked to Daddy about this?" she asked.

Pumpkin nodded. "He said it's gotta be this way and it's Mommy's decision. But Mommy just says she doesn't have a choice."

"He said that, huh?" said Pinkie. She briefly gritted her teeth.

"Pinkie," said Pound, his voice suddenly soft, "did we do something bad?"

Pinkie's eyes watered. "What? No! No, no. Kids, you... this has nothing to do with either of you."

"But it's OUR birthdays!" said Pumpkin, her little muzzle wrinkled up.

Pinkie Pie reached over and pulled Pumpkin and Pound close to her. "Pound, Pumpkin, listen to me. This is super important, okay?" she said. "Neither one of you are responsible for how Mommy and Daddy act."

"Then who is?" asked Pumpkin Cake.

"Yeah. Is it Daddy or Mommy? And how come?" added Pound Cake.

"It's... both Daddy and Mommy, in part. You see, sometimes ponies fall in love, but it isn't for forever," said Pinkie, grimacing. "Nopony can control how they feel in their heart. If the love goes away, it can be hard to do things together. But it isn't because of you. If anything, you two made Mommy and Daddy hold onto love even longer than they would have without you."

"But people who get married are s'poseda be happily ever after!" said Pumpkin cake. Pound nodded in agreement.

"Well, that's in books. In the real world things are... complicated," said Pinkie, idly petting Pumpkin's mane. "Sometimes they're too complicated for Mommies and Daddies to work out."

"Do you think it's Mommy and Daddy's fault the same?"

Pinkie Pie bit the tip of her tongue until it bled and sucked on it for a moment. "It doesn't matter what I think," she said, then paused before speaking again. "But Daddy's family never really liked Mommy, so now that they're not married they don't get along very well."

"How come they don't like Mommy? Mommy's great!" said Pound.

"Adults are weird, Pound. They don't always know the right thing to do, and they don't always understand friendship."

"Oh! You and your friends could fix their friendship problem!" said Pumpkin.

"Yeah!" said Pound, his eyes lighting up. "You can fix any friendship problem!"

Pinkie closed her eyes. "I'm sorry, kids. Auntie Pinkie's tried really, really hard already. This is as good as it's going to get."

"Oh," said Pound and Pumpkin, in unison. They both stared down at the floor.

"Hay, cheer up," said Pinkie, hugging them both. "It's your birthday! You're supposed to be happy."

"What's there to be happy about," mumbled Pound.

"Well... you know something your parents don't," said Pinkie.

"What's that?" asked Pumpkin.

Pinkie smiled. "You know what it's like to have two birthdays. And maybe when you get older and you have your own kids, you can make sure they only get one."

Pound giggled as Pinkie scruffed him on the head.

"Okay. But will you come to [i]our[/i] kids' birthday parties too?" asked Pumpkin.

"I wouldn't miss it for anything," said Pinkie Pie. "Cross my heart and hope to fly."

"Stick a cupcake in my eye," said the foals, smiling.