Twilight called Flash after the group separated, window shopping to pass the time. She knew it would be difficult to convince him of the situation, but it was worth a try.
"Hey, hon." she spoke.
"Morning, love."
"How've you been?"
"Fine. Took a bit of adjusting, but Nova and I managed to settle into a routine."
"Remember the night we conceived him?"
"Yeah. I wasn't sure I was ready to be a father, but...You believed in me, and for me, that was enough..."
"Guess which one of us was right?"
"Yeah, yeah. Rub it in, why don't ya."
"We'll be out of here in a couple more days. I already know where our next stop's gonna be."
"Where?"
"The town we went to college."
"Feeling nostalgic?"
"Yeah."
"I get it. Those were good times."
"The last time I saw him, Spike told me he thought we wanted him gone so we could bone."
"I wanted to, but obviously we didn't know each other that well back then."
"If you wanted some, all you had to do was ask. Might've seemed a bit fast, but remember, I was a frustrated university student."
"Well, I wasn't exactly confident around women either."
"Fair enough."
"Is Spike there?"
"Not right now. That's actually the other reason I called. Little bro's finally gettin' a taste of the opposite sex."
"You mean he's-"
"Yep. Found himself a nice girl he has a lot in common with. Looks like you were worried for nothin'."
"But...How!?"
"I could tell you, but you gotta promise you'll keep an open mind."
"I promise."
"Do you believe in ghosts?"
"Not especially, but when I was under Shining, I heard stories about other units coming across strange things on patrol. The one that stuck with me caused a combat vet to break down in tears."
"Those stories? They're more than likely true."
"I already see where this is going. I'm assuming you have proof."
"I will soon."
Before the conversation could continue, Spike approached his sister by the frozen meat aisle. He seemed calmer than before - more euphoric. His shirt was still untucked on one side.
"Speak of the devil. Spike, tell my husband about your little spectrophilic romp."
"Flash is on?" the dragon asked, snapping back to reality.
Twilight nodded, handing the receiver to her brother.
"Hey, man." he greeted.
"Little birdie told me you finally got some action: and with a ghost, no less."
"You don't believe it, do you?"
"It's a hard sell, not gonna lie."
"Would you believe me if I told you her name?"
"May as well."
"Maple Glaze. She was born March 3rd, 1979. She died on April 14th of 2000 at the age of 21. She's been haunting the town ever since."
"It's interesting, but that's easy to check online."
"I'll try something more personal, then. She actually likes being dead."
"Now THAT one threw me for a loop."
"Her presence is a big reason people come to this town. She stayed all this time because it was all she knew."
"Is she there now?"
"She stayed in the room. She didn't wanna scare the townsfolk, ya know?"
"The real question is, how did you get her in bed so fast?"
"If you compared our experiences over the last few years, you'd think we were twins."
"Now I get it. Everything fell into place at the right time."
"I think I'm in love, man - way deeper than I ever was with Rarity."
"Cling to that for all it's worth. Ain't got much in this world. What we do, we gotta treasure."
"For real."
"I think I may have a spell to give her a physical form for a while," Twilight interjected, "If it works, I'll send a photo."
"Okay, hon," Flashed accepted, "I'll see you soon."
"I love you."
"I love you, too."
"Give Nova kisses from mommy."
"I will."
Twilight ended the call, knowing full-well what her brother was about to say.
"Twilight, I..."
"Shhh. Don't say anything. I already know. She wants to come with us."
"But-"
"The look on your face told me. You're both ready to move beyond your comfort zones."
"I reiterate: scary."
"Shall we be off? I have a sneaking suspicion you wanna suck face with your new girlfriend, anyway."
"Tact was never your strong suit."
Spike woke Maple with a gentle kiss. From Twilight's view, it was like something out of a fairy tale. Despite the claims romance was dead, she would've begged to differ.
"Hey..." Maple spoke sweetly through a smile.
"Didn't think it was possible to wear out a ghost."
"Maybe you're just that good."
"Don't big me up too much. I might actually start to feel good about myself."
"That's the goal."
"Hey, Maple," Twilight asked, "There's a spell I'd like to try. Would you mind acting as my guinea pig?"
Maple cleared her eyes, wiping the sand away with her hoof.
"Sure. Just give me a minute to wake up."
"No rush."
Twilight ignited her horn. She gave the others the rundown on how the spell worked.
"Revitalizing tissue and fabric particles is tricky, but not impossible. It'll only last a day though before they begin to break down again."
"How many times can you use it?" Spike questioned.
"Enough." the Alicorn assured.
"I'm ready." Maple voiced.
Twilight nodded. After a few moments, a well of cellular mass sprang from below the spirit, enshrouding her as her body reformed piece by piece. When the veil cleared, she opened her eyes...
"I am...Alive..."
Spike fell to his knees, an expression of divine witness etched upon his features. Tears not of sorrow, but joy spilled to the floor he knelt upon. In the town of Hollow Falls, within the inn's walls, a memory seared itself into the darkness - one he would cherish for the remainder of his years...