Magenta was ecstatic, despite her "Hidden Horrors", that she now called them, underneath her clothes. Evident by hear bouncing along the hard tile floors of the hospital alongside other foals instead of walking as she, Nurse Goldhoof, and the Matron moved down the hall of the Foal's Unit, heading for the elevator. "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh!!" She cheered. "My little sister needs a party!! A big party with lots of cake, candy, cake, and more cake!" She stopped at the elevator and turned to Goldhoof, pointing at her. "But not too much cake, she gets excited easily."
Goldhoof chuckled and nodded. "Of course, dear." The elevator dinged open and Magenta bounced inside, followed by the two nurses and matron. As they descended, Magenta kept excitedly talking about her plans.
"Okay! I decided that there will be no sugar for Bright!" Magenta declared with a firm hoof. "She's already way too active. Ooohhh, I can't wait to see the surprised look on her face. Her birthday's coming up and she's getting a party!!"
Bright Snow nervously rubbed her left hoof with her right as she stared at Magenta's mouth in disbelief from the open doorway of her and Magenta's bedroom. After Bright got home from school and noticed Magenta's way too happy grin directed to her from Magenta's bed, she already knew what she knew. So Bright simply stated, "I don't want a party. I see you got your bandages off! That's awesome! Do you know what your cutie mark looks like?!"
Magenta's grin immediately flipped into a horrified expression. And has been frozen like that for five minutes now. Bright was beginning to think Magenta may have to go back to the hospital. "NO PARTY?!!" Bright yelped and fell off of her bed onto the carpeted floor. Looks like the hospital admission wasn't needed.
She groaned and sat up, rubbing her head and glaring at Magenta with her "intimidating" face that involved squinted eyes, buzzing wings, and puffy cheeks. Ignoring it, Magenta walked down her stairs and trotted eagerly towards Bright to help her up. Then stared into her eyes and asked sadly, "Why don't you want a party?"
Bright lost her angry look and replaced it with a despondent one. Then sighed and slowly walked towards her desk with her head down, explaining all the while. "Mommy and daddy always threw me a party. I don't actually have many friends because everypony thought I talked too much and didn't like me." She jumped on her chair and laid her chin down on her desk, sighing in dismay. "So only mommy and daddy threw me parties. Just us three and nopony else. I don't want anypony else but mommy and daddy throwing me parties."
"Awww, but Bright—"
"No, Magenta," Bright interrupted. She shed a small tear and grabbed a crayon to start coloring in her coloring book. "I don't want a party."
Magenta sighed and tightened her lips. Then huffed and walked towards the door. "Fine! No party!" She yelled. Then walked out and slammed the door back, startling Bright enough that she jumped in her chair and dropped her crayon.
She whipped her head around to the closed door and sighed. It looks like she and Magenta are in the middle of a disagreement. Bright didn't understand why Magenta was upset, it was her birthday after all. It didn't make any sense. Bright rolled her eyes and picked up her crayon, determined to continue. Well, actually start. But it was like all the motivation just drained out of her. She hated seeing her sister mad like that. Let alone her best friend. She had to go see and talk to her. Right now.
Bright spat the crayon out and jumped out of her chair, determinedly trotting towards the door. She had an older sister to speak to.
***
"Hey, Magenta!" Magenta looked up from her spot on the swings straight into Lightning Dust's eyes, filled with excitement that were the complete opposite of her own. She was flanked by her other friends, all with faces of wonder. "I see you got your bandages off! Awesome!"
Bluebell adjusted her glasses and nodded vigorously. "Yeah! How are you feeling?"
Magenta blinked at them, took in a deep breath, and yelled, "Ugggghhh!!!"
"Oh no! Are you in pain?" Yellow Diamond asked in alarm.
"Noooo!" Magenta responded. Then flopped back in her swing. "I'm upset!"
The four fillies took in a deep breath and sighed. Magenta was fine. Silver Swirl huffed and said, "Oh. At least you're okay."
Magenta raised a hoof and said, "Bright's Birthday is coming up. Her ninth."
Bluebell immediately perked up. She gasped and yelled, "Birthday?! Nine?! Party!!"
"She doesn't want one." It's like Bluebell's brain shattered. She lowered her hooves from the air and stared at Magenta in confusion, who sat back up to explain. And for an explanation. "Bright didn't have a lot of friends. So her parents threw a party with just the three of them. I already knew that Bright wouldn't want a party this year. But the reason I want to throw one for her is because of that. I know she lost her parents, but I want to show her that I'm her family too. And that I love and care for her. Like her real sister."
"Awww," Lighning Dust fawned. The other four fillies turned to her with knowing smirks and Lightning quickly backpedaled. "Uhh, I mean, that's cool. Cool sister-ing."
Magenta playfully rolled her eyes and sighed. Then grew sad again and said, "I can't really help Bright if she doesn't want me to. I don't know what to do."
"You could always just give her a present," Silver Swirl suggested. She trotted around Magenta and got on a swing beside her. Then added, "She didn't say anything about presents, right?"
"No...she didn't," Magenta slowly confirmed. "I could always get her a bunch of coloring books. Maybe a radio. I know she likes to dance."
"Make a song for her," Lightning suggested. She swooped down and hovered in front of Magenta. "I heard you sing pretty good. Enough that it makes Bright dance when she hears you in the shower. Betcha' didn't know that, huh?"
Magenta sighed and deadpanned, "You listen to my 'Shower Song Specials', huh?"
"What? Pffft, no. I-I uhhh... I just see Bright dancing, that's all."
"Uh huh."
"Just make her a song, jeez." Lightning Dust floated back into the air and flew around the playground.
"I might make her one," Magenta relented. She sighed and bounced off the swing. "Thanks guys."
"No problem!" Lightning called from above.
"Magenta! Magenta!" They looked towards the building at the squeaky small voice. Bright bounded through and rapidly walked towards the swing set. Once she reached it, she bounced on her sister's back and hugged her around her neck. "Please don't be mad at me! I'm sorry if I made you mad, just stop being mad okay?"
Magenta chuckled and patted one of the snow white hooves under her chin. "I'm not mad at you, Bright," she responded, appeasing Bright Snow's fears. "I was just a little....what's the word when you're super stressed?" Bluebell leaned in and whispered in her ear. "Ah, right. I was just a little frustrated. I had a whole party planned out and everything."
"Oh." Bright looked at the rest of her friends awkwardly. She spotted Lightning doing flips and such in the air. It made Bright wonder if she ever crashed into the building. She looked back down at Magenta and asked, "You could still throw one if you want."
"No," Magenta immediately shot down. "If you don't want a party, I'm not going to force one on you." Bright hopped off her back and allowed Magenta her space. As well as to turn around and ruffle her mane. "But you're at least getting a present. No sister of mine is getting a birthday presentless."
Bluebell raised a hoof and stated, "That's very improper grammar."
"Yeah, whatever. The point is, expect a present on your birthday. You're getting one."
While the girls were talking and playing in the backyard, Kind Goldhoof was walking up the grand stairs in the Foyer with Platinum Diamonds, speaking of rather more important matters than a Birthday party she was already prepared for. After she met her in the lobby, Platinum Diamonds called Kind Goldhoof to the office, saying that she had exciting news for her.
They walked across the red carpet towards the pair of wooden doors at the end of a hall, decorated with large pictures. "Today is just a day of good news," Platinum Diamonds commented. She pushed the door open and let Goldhoof inside first. She walked into the lavish environment of archived goods, or artifacts behind glass, a really long desk with book cases lining the walls. Goldhoof silently wondered if this mare even read this much. It'd be really interesting if she did.
Goldhoof nodded and sat down on one of the three pillows in front of the desk, watching as the director strode around for her chair. "Yes," Goldhoof agreed. "Magenta gets her stitches removed, Bright has a birthday coming up, and something else."
"Yes." The director responded casually. She opened a drawer behind her desk and shifted through it. "Let's see," she muttered. Then pulled out a Vanilla folder labeled Magenta Streak. Then another one labeled Bright Snow. "Maybe a day or two ago, I got a letter...approving your adoption for Magenta and Bright Snow."
"Yes!" Goldhoof cheered.
"Right. However, there is one thing. I'm required to tell you this and you have to sign a form." Goldhoof stopped dancing and sat back down, focused entirely on the mare in front of her who had donned on a pair of glasses, eyes on a form on her desk. "Bright Snow is permanently in your care. But since Magenta Streak only has Dissociative Amnesia and Dissociative Fugue, there is a chance that she may remember her past. Including name, hometown, and birth parents. Even relatives. In the event that this should happen within a two year time, the entire event will be placed under investigation with even more focus on the hometown. If there is any sign of neglect or abuse from her previous caretakers, Magenta will be permanently kept in your care. If it all just turned out to be an accident, like Magenta falling into a Water Channel Filter, which is entirely improbable—"
"Oh no, yeah. Yeah, that's definitely out of the cards," Goldhoof agreed. "Nopony would ever survive that."
"—then Magenta will once again be back in their custody," Platinum finished. "But once the two years are up and Magenta still does not recover her memories, she is officially, and permanently, under your care."
Goldhoof took a deep breath and nodded. The Director had told her the risks of actually adopting a foal with medical issues. Specifically Magenta's. But she was determined to give her a home. So Goldhoof nodded and said, "I understand."
The mood in there seemed to change when the director smiled. "Alright. Well let's get these forms signed, shall we?" She opened Bright's folder and slid a sheet across to Kind. Then slid over a pen next to it. She pointed at the sheet and explained it. "This here says that you understand Bright's needs as a filly and foal, and that you are willing to provide those needs. Sign, print, and date please."
Kind Goldhoof picked up the pen in her mouth and wrote down her signatures. Outside, she seemed calm and happy. But inside, she was screaming and cheering in exhilaration. Goldhoof lifted the pen before the paper was put to the side and flipped over. Then another took its place. "This is saying that you agree to have Bright off the premises of the Orphanage after the month of January, next year." She repeated the action once more. Director Diamonds flipped that paper over and slid over one final sheet. "And this here says you agree to become the foster mother of Bright Snow legally. Sign and date, then we'll move on to Magenta."
Goldhoof lifted her pen and quickly signed, eager to get this over with. After the folder was closed, they moved on to Magenta. She signed the same type of documents, including an additional that stated Goldhoof had heard and understood what Director Diamonds told her earlier. Once that was out of the way, Director Diamonds slid over the final sheet. Smiling, the director playfully whispered, "You already know what this is."
Goldhoof giggled like a highschool filly and looked at the paper. Thoughts raced through her mind. Would Magenta want this? How would she react? What would the future bring for herself, Bright, and Magenta? Would she...would she even be a great mother? Kind Goldhoof took in a deep breath, placed her pen on the paper, and signed her name. Finishing it off with the date.
Once done, Director Diamonds placed Magenta's files back in her folder and shut it. Then offered Goldhoof a happy grin. "Congratulations, Ms. Goldhoof. They're all yours."