Samantha beamed at her mother. "I'm so glad you're back! I've done some reading on traditional mother-daughter relationships and am ready to make up for lost time."
The spirit looked mildly confused, but interested. "We only have so long. Spirit or not, I am dead, and I have to go."
Samantha sent a portion of her papers flying with her magic. "Then we'll skip some. Mother, they want to adopt me, and I wanted to know if you're alright with that."
"Who?"
Samantha gestured around the room. "Silver and Night. You met Night, she's the one that called you and saved you. She's very nice."
She smiled gently. "If I was alive, I would be a little upset. You would be my daughter and none others, but I'm... not. I would rather you have good people in your life, but you won't forget me, right?"
"Of course not!" Samantha held up a book. "I've made up exhaustive notes of our interactions and I'm not ashamed to admit I was entirely wrong in my first impressions of you."
"What did you think?" She settled down, crossing her legs.
"I thought you had me out of some futile wish to prove your love despite the risks." She tilted her head. "Instead my father was the culprit. I still need to talk to him. He should have known giving birth to a unicorn is a trick only a pony can succeed at safely."
The apparition looked mildly uncomfortable, and changed the topic. "What are you doing with yourself, besides being adopted?"
Samantha quickly flipped through one of her notebooks. "Recently, I've become a salesmare with moderate success. I've won the respect of fellow salesponies."
Her mother ran a few fingers through Samantha's mane. She couldn't feel it, but the thought was nice. "I thought you were a scientist?"
"I am!" proudly declared Samantha. "But I have dedicated myself to learning proper socialization, which sales gives the opportunity to do." She directed a quill at the ghost that was her biological mother. "What did you do as a profession?"
"It all feels so distant and unimportant now." Her mother sighed softly. "I just want to know I left something in this world worth having. Are you happy with yourself?"
Samantha quickly bobbed her head. "I am, and I plan to continue to grow, as a person that is. My size is established." She looked down over herself. Yep, she was an adult. Growing much was unlikely. "Oh! I have news!"
"News?"
"Something that should be told to a mother first." She flashed a smile. "I'm expecting a foal."
The ghost started. "Congratulations... but who with? Do you have a boyfriend?"
"Well don't tell, um, mom #2 but my calculated risk went awry."
"I don't understand." She shook her head slowly. "Just tell me you will love them, fiercely and forever, and give them all the affection I would have given you, had I the chance."
"I will," promised Samantha. She noticed her mother was fading and her ears went up. "Wait, we're not done catching up!"
"I have to go." She gently tapped Samantha on the nose. "I'm proud of you."
Samantha was left alone. The last time she had been abandoned by her mother, she was a little foal, and her father was there to insist everything was alright. She was an adult now, and knew her mother would leave, and they were much happier, so why was she crying?
She wiped at the tears, at first just to clear her eyes, then almost angrily. Why was she sad?! "This isn't logical," she complained, but no logic would compel her emotions to play along. She wanted her mother back. She wanted to hug her and know her. She pined for all the things denied her by her very existence. She sank to the floor, sniffling, and could think of no way to escape her suddenly-erected prison.
The door opened, admitting Silver and the foals and some boxes along with them. "Samantha?"
She sat up quickly, which was just as well as she was run into by two eager little foals. She hugged them both and began to cry into their pelts. She clenched them tightly as the emotions raged out of control in her. The foals didn't understand what was wrong, but they hugged their beloved Samantha tight.
Silver set the boxes aside and approached carefully. "What's wrong, Sam?" He received no answer and sank beside the three of them. He looked unsure but slowly reached out and drew them all into his grasp, and they all hugged. There was sadness, but it seemed smaller with all of them there to share it.