Parental Spectre

by Applefai

revealed truths and a soul put to rest

Twilight flew over Canterlot, barely managing to land in her sleep deprived state, but she managed to land without any trouble and made her way to the castle. Upon approaching the entrance the guards let her in with no questions and without saying a word while she made her way to Celestia's throne

Twilight entered the throne room and approached her mentor and friend and spoke. "Princess, I have a problem I wish to discuss and after speaking with my friend Applejack, she told me you may be able to help, I also believe Luna may be able to help as well." Twilight said groggily.

"Of course Twilight, anything you want to know you can ask me." Celestia said as she got up from her throne and approached Twilight. "Let us take this to the garden." Celestia said as she levitated a plate covered with a cloche out of the kitchen. "I was just on my way to the garden before you came to be honest." Celestia said with a warm smile.

Twilight and Celestia entered the garden where canopy with a table was waiting. Taking a seat at the canopy Celestia lifts the cloche and reveals that an assortment of cookies and held two teacups and a teapot letting off steam.

Celestia poured a cup of tea and levitated it to Twilight with a small plate of cookies. "I always come here when I need to relax, so Twilight what seems to be troubling you?" Celestia asked.

Twilight before speaking took a sip of the tea smiling at the warm feeling it gave her. "I've had this horrible dream that kept me up since three, I thought you might have some insight for what it means." Twilight told Celestia confiding in her. Twilight took a deep breath before telling her.

Celestia listened to Twilight's story intensely with shocked eyes and a low sigh. After Twilight had finished Celestia stood up and approached Twilight wrapping a wing around her before speaking.

"I may have an idea on what's plaguing you, 'tis true I can't travel into the dream realm, but for this I don't have to. Perhaps you are ready to know something I've been keeping secret from you Twilight."

Twilight leaned in listening intently as her mentor started telling a story from when she was just a foal.

"It was before you were born, but upon a rainy night, I found a dragon on the verge of starvation living in a crude hut outside of the Dragon Lands. He looked at me with saddened and tearful green eyes as if he had given up all hope, I felt sorry for him, so I sat down beside him and shared the lunch I prepared before going out, thinking I'd be out for awhile. He took the half I offered him and wolfed it down as if somepony would take it away from him. I asked him for his name to which he said with weary voice. "Gaius". After learning his name I decided to invited him to the castle to get out of the rain, to which he accepted with a nod." Celestia said as she began the story

Twilight listened with eager anticipation as she hung on every word of the story as her mentor continued after taking a sip of her tea.

"After we arrived at the castle, the guards were on high alert and as soon as they seen Gaius. They pointed their spears at him thinking he was a threat only for him to recoil in fear. I told my guards to stand down as I stood Infront of them shielding Gaius. "This is my guest and I expect you to treat him as such." This... This was the first time, since I used my royal Canterlot voice for a long time not to mention my diplomatic meetings. Upon hearing this, my guards stood down and allowed the purple dragon entry along with apologies to him and myself.

"I offered Gaius a guest room and told him that he is welcome at dinner. I said I'd be preparing spaghetti and asked if he'd like anything special. He just rolled his eyes with sadness and said "Gems, if you have any to spare, but if not it's ok for me." I nodded and left him to get acquainted with his room. I went off to the kitchen and started to prepare the dinner, looking for a few gems for my guest, but none were found. I finished making dinner and went with the plates to Gaius so he could eat." Celestia continued as her voice changed from professional to fondness.

Celestia continued her story recounting the events a little faster after taking a sip of her tea and a little nibble of a cookie.

"We sat there in the guest room and ate, the silence was deafening until he broke the silence by telling me his plans when he was dragon lord, he told me he had been planning to make peace with the ponies and live in harmony, he had been planning on meeting with me, but was usurped before he got the chance as tears filled his eyes and all I could do was sit by him and wrap my wing around him.

"Days turned to weeks and weeks turned into months and Gaius and I started to spend more time together, we would discuss what troubled us and lent each other a shoulder to cry on when we needed it. It wasn't long before we started a relationship."

Twilight hung on every word as she listened with fierce intensity, surprised to hear that her mentor was dating a dragon. "Wow, Celestia, I can't believe you were dating a dragon.'' Celestia just nodded silently as she sipped her tea before speaking again.

"More than dated." Celestia corrected her young student as she was fighting back a tear. "We soon married and had an egg if you could believe it, I don't know how to explain it myself, but one day a dragon tried to take the egg and Gaius fought tooth and nail in order to get it back, when I arrived to help it was too late Gaius laid injured and barely clinging to life, his lat request was that I raise our kid, a request I soon ignored and instead passed the torch." Celestia finished as she wiped away a tear.

Twilight stood there puzzled until she caught on. ''I think I understand, but why did you give the responsibility to somepony else?"

Celestia eyed her student with tears in her eyes before speaking, "because I couldn't make the same mistake again."

''Again?" Twilight asked unsure of what she meant, but was soon answered before she could speak.

"Yes, I was supposed to raise Blueblood when his parents died, but I was so busy and unsure of how to be a caregiver that I left it to the other royals, a decision that made him vain and snobbish, I didn't want to make that mistake again, so I gave him to whoever could hatch his egg, and seeing how he is I'm glad you were the one." Celestia said fighting back tears as she smiled. "So you see I think it's the spirit of Gaius, why don't you go get Spike, we'll go visit Gaius at his grave.

Twilight did as instructed and went to get Spike, when they arrived at Caterlot, Celestia escorted them to her garden where there was a lone statue of a dragon and the name "Gaius" etched in stone, this was a grave marker, but not everypony knows.

As Twilight, Celestia, and Spike stood at the grave silently a transparent figure watched from behind as a tear fell from his face and he departed without a word.