Hazel took a deep breath, staring at herself in the reflection of the crystal floor. She pushed open the kitchen door and walked into the empty room, the only light coming from the candle-lit chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. Pound Cake stood on the opposite side of the room, holding a list in one hoof and counting the supplies with the other.

"Uncle Pound Cake," Hazel called out.

The cream pegasus turned and smiled when he saw his niece. He trotted over and hugged her. "Hey kiddo, what're you doing here?"

"I was just thinking...and," she took a deep breath. "How do you know if you love someone?"

The question caught him off guard, but he thought for a moment before pulling some dough from the fridge. "Do you see this dough? How it's soft and squishy?" He held it out for her to press on the soft dough. She looked up at him, confused. He put the dough back in the fridge and pulled out another batch of dough, but one that had been kneaded.

"Well, hearts are like bread dough. The longer they're played with, the harder they become." He held out the dough for her to press with effort without the dough bending. "If you truly love someone, you want them to have a soft heart, but if it only hurts either of you, then sometimes you have to harden your hearts."

"Can a soft heart love the same as a hard heart?" Hazel asked as he put the dough away.

He smiled and responded. "Of course, sugar cube. Just that sometimes it takes them longer to open up. The harder the heart, the harder it is to open them up. But, given time and patience, any heart can open up." Hazel sat thoughtfully for a moment.

"How hard do you think my father's heart is?" she asked.

Pound Cake's expression quickly shifted as he avoided her gaze, trying to figure out how to respond to such a sensitive question. He knew that his sister was touchy when it came to talking about her ex, but she'd told him enough to know that it was a mess.

"Err, it's a bit more complicated than that, sugar." He admitted. "Can we talk about this later, when you're older?"

This hit a nerve as she frowned. "I'm tired of everyone telling me to grow up!" she blurted out. "I just want someone to tell me why we had to leave my father!" She shouted louder as tears filled her eyes.

"I'm sorry, sugar. There's just too much to explain that you," he paused and sighed. "You just wouldn't understand."

"The only thing I don't understand is why we had to leave?" Hazel argued. "Why couldn't we just stay at home? Why couldn't we just stay together as a happy family?!"

"BECAUSE YOU WEREN'T HAPPY!" Pound Cake snapped, shouting at her. Hazel's ears drooped as she jumped back. She stared up at him in fear, tears running down her cheeks. He took a deep breath and looked at her, grief-stricken. "You're mother wasn't happy because he never came home. He was never there for either of you." Hazel could tell that her uncle felt angry when talking about her father. Now, she was beginning to understand why. "He was the only reason she'd stayed in Ponyville. So, when he was no longer around, she decided to leave and be with her family, because family doesn't abandon each other. Especially not when they need you the most. He left her and he left you and now-"

He was cut off when Hazel leapt forward and threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I… I didn't know." She whispered.

Pound Cake wrapped his wings around his niece protectively. "No, I'm sorry that you had to go through that, no matter how young you are, no one should have to go through that."

She looked up at him and managed a smile. He wiped away a falling tear from her cheek and kissed her forehead. "Lucky for you, your mom has a pretty great family ready to step up in his place. And this time, we're not leaving you."