Burning Passion

by MrAquino

Rating: everyone
Tags: Other, Romance, Drama, Comedy, Princess Celestia, Slice of Life, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 4144

Torch has a small reunion after his retirement as Dragonlord. Unfortunately, this small reunion isn't so small. Afterall, underneath his tough exterior, Celestia knows he's still the softie he was when she was just a filly.

Unbeknownst to her subjects, the reason why Celestia wears her crown and jewelry isn't just for fashion or to show her power, but it's actually to sustain her near unlimited power. And by that, she grows into a giant in a few seconds. It hasn't been done, until now, when a letter from an old friend is sent to her.

Unbeknownst to his subjects, the now retired Dragonlord Torch has a history with Celestia, and the royal family of Canterlot. And, one he doesn't bring up, is his past, for personal reasons, of course.

Published 2017-06-27 12:50:06 UTC
Last updated 2017-08-08 16:53:02 UTC

Chapter 1

It was another seemingly normal day for Celestia, who sat upon her throne, sipping tea and waiting for another one of her appointmented visits to start. Most would assume the princess was bored doing this, and in many ways, they are correct, it’s just that Celestia doesn't show her boredom as easily as others. Sure, there was always the plausible attack from some deity that she and her sister defeated a thousand years ago that seeks revenge, or the fact that there was going to be some sort of celebration somewhere is enough to keep her on her frogs, but today wasn’t one of those days. Rather, these were the type of days that just want to make her walk around ‘naked’, and perhaps do something rather childish instead of being trapped in the castle. All she really wanted to do was act like a foal once more, but it seemed rather impossible to do that… emphasis on the rather part, since there were small bits that can happen. Such as this.

It was almost unexpected, to be honest. She was lucky to be in the gardens, tending to her batch of buttercups when a scroll appeared in front of her. While a scroll from Spike wasn’t strange, a bit unexpected and coincidental at times, but this wasn’t like any of Spike’s scrolls. And by that, the scroll was about twice the size of her entire self, which landed right on her, not injuring her, but making her a bit dazed. It wasn’t heavy, so pushing it off was pretty easy. The scroll itself, despite it’s size, looked a bit dirty, almost new and hastily made, all except for the golden horseshoe seal & red ribbon, which looked to be the size of a normal scroll’s.

“... Huh… who’d send this?” She asked herself, using her magic to take the seal off. It rolled open, showing the message. The handwriting, for a lack of better words, was terrible. Sure, fillies had horrible handwriting, but this made their handwriting look like that of Starswirl’s. But, she was rather patient to read it.

Dear Princess Celestia.

I… don’t really know how to say this, but it’s been awhile since we’ve seen each other… too long, to be exact. Ever since my retirement as Dragonlord, I’ve been trying to find something to do that doesn’t involve me yelling, or combat. It was quite foolish of me to forget about you, Princess. Please, when you’re available, write me back with a time and place where we can meet once again.

Sincerely,

Torch.

P.S. Sorry for my handwriting. When you’re leading a kingdom of dragons, handwriting isn’t really a skill you need to keep them in track.

Celestia stared blankly at the piece of paper.

“... Huh… Torch… never thought I’d see him again.” She then thought to herself about their past.

Little Celestia had snuck out of her parent’s castle and made a run for the Everfree forest during the nighttime. Being the only child, it was fitting that her parents would be overprotective, but she wanted to see it all! Her pink mane & tail breezed gently as she sprinted through the woods, excited to see what new things she’ll see. Much to her excitement, she ran through without a scratch and came across a lake. The lake itself shined with the moonlight’s glow, making the place even more lit than she was told. If she was able to, she could imagine flying up to the moon and give it a tag before flying back down, possible with the moon chasing back at her. Unfortunately, her wings were rather weak at the time, barely getting her a few inches off of the floor, much to her own disappointment.

However, she stopped as she heard some sniffling. It sounded pretty young, near baby-like, something she didn’t want to listen to very long. She listened to the sound and headed to the general direction, trying to find whoever was crying and how she could help them. The sound came from a cave, one that was huge compared to her size. An easy light spell was needed for her to walk through, something she found pretty easy to do, but treaded carefully, unaware as to what was around. The crying soon became louder and closer, though Celestia hoped it wasn’t a trap, as she bones laying around the cave. A gasp came out of her as she was in the presence of a dragon’s nest; boulders were placed in a circle, and in it all was tons of hay, branches, and other plants. However, in it was a baby dragon, one that was half the size of Celestia.

The baby dragon was a dark blue all over with some darker spots on it’s back, wings with blood red fins, some small red scaled that popped out from the back, and two horns that came out of the side of it’s head, coming down then curved up. He looked rather chubby, and not that threatening, despite being a dragon. It turned to her and looked rather frightened, taking a few stack back away from her.

“W-wait!” Celestia spoke, holding her hooves out. “It’s ok, I’m not here to hurt you.” The small dragon only whimpered, weakly clawing at her. Celestia was able to avoid the clawings, and allowed the dragon to take it’s steps back. However, she saw that the baby dragon’s underbelly was covered in claw and bite marks, all looking like they’re from dragons just a tad bit bigger than him. “Oh… oh my…” ‘This little guy’s been through a lot. He must not trust me… unless…’ She then remembered how dragons loved gems of any kind. She trotted away, finding some gems nearby (they were easier to find nowadays). The filly alicorn approached to the baby dragon, seeing it take a few steps back, but eyed the gems.

“Yep. That’s it. I got some yummy gems here.” She acted like she took a bit before setting it on the floor. Celestia took a few steps back, letting the dragon approach to the single gem. It took a few steps before chowing it down. She smiled, seeing it was enjoying it’s treat before laying down another one. He noticed it and pounced onto it, taking and gorging it down. Soon, Celestia left a trail, to which the dragon followed, practically swallowing each gem that was on the floor. Out of the cave, Celestia made a pile of gems and stood by the side. Her follower saw the pile and let out an excited squeal, jumping into the pile and eating to his heart’s content. Celestia only giggled at the sight, reaching out and patting his head. The touch made the dragon stop and turn to Celestia. He let out a small whimper, unsure as to what she was doing.

“There, there, it’s alright, you’re safe now. Noone’s gonna hurt you.” It looked up to her, looking a bit more comfortable, but still unsure about her. “Hm… I think my parents won’t mind having you around, but you’ll need a name… hmm… how about… Torch?” He tilted his head to the side in confusion.

“...Towch?” The dragon spoke in a little boy’s voice.

“Oh! You can speak? Well, Torch, my name’s Celestia! And I can tell that we’re gonna be the bestest of friends!”

Torch walked side to side in his cave, anxiously awaiting some answer. He did mean to write a letter to Celestia, especially during his time as Dragonlord, but he wasn’t even sure if it was good.

“Oh, why did I send it?” He asked to himself, sweating rather heavily. “I knew my handwriting was awful! I shouldn’t have burnt that piece of paper! Oh, you’re so stupid, Torch!... What if she forgot about me! It’s been over many years! … Oh, get it together, Torch! You were the mightiest Dragonlord to ever live! Nothing can scare you! Not even-” A letter popped into frame. He screamed like a little girl. Were any dragons around for a couple of miles, the tale of Torch the Girl would be passed from generation to generation, and ruin Ember’s reputation as Dragonlord.

Dear Torch,

I am quite surprised that you sent me a letter after all of these years. I’m actually excited to see you once again! We should meet each other in the old castle tomorrow, right in the Everfree forest. Please, come as you want, we have a lot to catch up.

Sincerely,

Celestia.

P.S. Thank you for being modest about your handwriting. Guess those fights don’t give you enough time to write down as much, eh?

Torch stared blankly at the small scroll. His left eye twitched.

“T-tommorow?”

Author's Note

Hello and welcome to my first legit shipfic! It was mostly based off of the cover as you saw, which we'll get to in the next chapter, actually. And yes, there's gonna be some bits thrown giving the two history, as a way to make this feel more authentic. I hope you enjoy this, since this is gonna be a more shorter, chapter driven fic I'm making.

Chapter 2

Torch waited anxiously at Celestia’s old, abandoned castle the fallowing day, a good hour before the sun even rose. He only thought about what to say when he meet her.

“Uh… Hi Celestia, been a while?... No, no, too casual… So, how’s the family?... Why did I bring that up?... You’re looking quite young for her age!... Now that’s as smooth as first flight.” He looked to the sky, seeing the sun rise. He nervously swallowed, realizing she was going to arrive any second now. “Oh please, please cancel on me and say you have something else that’s important. Please let there be some monster that needs you to stop it! Oh please let there-” He paused as soon as he saw Celestia land onto the broken roof of the castle. The size difference between the two were very noticeable; he was the size of a mountain to her, and she was like the size of a beetle to him. The two had a stare down.

“... Aren’t you going to say anything?” Celestia asked with a smirk, casually leaning on the broken roof.

“Uh… you’re early.” He simply spoke.

“Yeah.”

“... And alone.”

“Yeah.”

“... And much smaller than I remember.”

“I can say that you’ve gotten quite big since we’ve meet. And you put on quite the pounds.”

“I-I’m not fat! It’s muscles! I’ve been working out!”

“Sure…”

“Uh… h-how long is this gonna last? Shouldn’t you be… you know… be back soon?”

“Oh, don’t worry about that, we have all day to ourselves.”

‘I was afraid of that.’ “W-well… doesn’t it feel… odd, for being this small? Surely, you’re not so easy around me like this.”

“Eh, not really, I’ve dealt with bigger. But if you’re not comfortable, then perhaps I can change myself for you.”

“Uh… w-what do you mean?”

“Simple.” Celestia’s horn glowed as she took her boots off, necklace, and her crown, setting them on the side. In a matter of a few seconds, Celestia began to glow, with her horn glowing it’s yellow, taking in the sun’s energy in. Torch took a few steps back, as Celestia was no longer small, but was actually large enough for the two to literally be face to face with each other. She stretched her wings, cracking a few bones, and letting out a long yawn. “Ahh… that’s the stuff. I’ve almost forgot how it was like being my true self and not a public figure. Wouldn’t you agree?” Torch blinked. He fell to his back, unconscious. Celestia blinked at the sight. “.... Oh, silly Torch, forgetting about about my true nature.”

“And this is the garden.” Celestia spoke, giving her new friend the tour of her castle. It took a while for her parents to calm down and let them realize that Torch, besides his bit rugged looks, was friendly, and scared. Torch followed Celestia all over the castle, practically repeating whatever she said.

“Gawden.” He spoke, looking down and sniffing at the flowers. The dragon took a sniff at some roses, but his nose tingled. A funny feeling came to his nose. “A-A-AHCOO!!!” He let out a sneeze that shot out some flames, instantly burning the flowers down.

“Gesundheit.” Celestia quickly used her wings to die the flames down. “Well, I hope Jasper doesn’t get too angry at this. Hm… think we should play a-”

“TIA!!! LUNCHTIME!!!” Her mother yelled.

“Oh! Lunchtime! I hope we’re having cake!” Celestia trotted ahead, followed by Torch. When they approached to the dining room, Celestia stopped as she saw her mother on the floor, groaning loudly. “M-mommy?” She took a few steps to her mother. Torch followed, standing very close to the two. Then her father entered. He gasped at the sight.

“What did you do!?” He demanded, his voice booming, practically making the room shake.

“N-Nothing! Mommy was like this!”

“Not you! Him! What did that dragon do!?” Torch let out a small whimper and backed away.

“Nothing! Torch was-”

“GET OUT!!! OUT!!!” His horn glowed violently with sparks of electricity. Torch stood, frozen in fear, unsure as what to do. Celestia’s father fired a blast, missing Torch’s front left foot by a few inches. It was enough for the dragon to run away with his tail in between his legs.

“No! Wait! Torch! Come back!” Celestia ran after the escaping dragon.

“Ugh… my head.” Torch groaned, waking up with his vision becoming blurred. All he could see was the silhouette of somepony. “Oh… a weak, small pony is here?”

“Oh, I’m quite the opposite.” Celestia’s voice spoke. Torch’s eyes shot wide open and in focus. Celestia was looking down at him, and over his fallen body. “Quite surprised seeing me at this height? Was it so surprising that you fainted?” She playfully teased.

“I-I did not faint! I was just sleeping.”

“Was the dream about me?”

“Uh… n-no! It was my victories in combat! The thrill of the fight! The-”

“The cute wittle birdies that would nestwe on your head when you were asweep?”

“... I’m not like my old self, Celestia. I’ve changed.”

“I know, you have changed quite a bit, but I know you’re still that little softie I meet all those years ago.” She got off of him and sat right besides him. Torch got up and dusted himself off, trying to not look like a fool and still be ferocious, in case anyone was watching.

“Believe me, I remember how we meet. Does your sister still hate dragons?”

“No, not really. She’s cautious, something I can’t blame her on, and has become friends with Spike.”

“Spike… the little runt that participated in the Gauntlet of fire?”

“Well, that ‘little runt’,” She quoted with the tip of her feathers. “Helped made your daughter the Dragonlord, am I right?” Torch sighed.

“Yes, he did, and I couldn’t be more proud for that.”

“Because he was a bit like you?”

“Pfft! No! Because my daughter can rule the land under own power, which I’m sure will be like mine.”

“And so dragons don’t try to invade Equestria?”

“Yes, yes, also that… Faust only knows what would happen if some of the others would’ve won.”

“I think it’s best if we leave that to our own imaginations.” She stood right up and continued her stretchings. “You know, it’s been a long time since we’ve done this.”

“Speaking to each other? Of course.”

“Not just that. I mean as in a race!”

“A race?”

“Yep. A race between the two of us. Around the world!”

“... I don’t know about that…” Celestia leaned against the side of a mountain, causing an avalanche that, luckily, didn't harm any seen creatures below.

“What’s the matter? Gain too much weight since then? Feeling rather slow? … Chicken?” Torch went wide eyed, then glared at her.

“Nobody calls me chicken.” Celestia smirked and flared her wings.

“Then prove it!” Torch flared his wings.

“Oh, I will! If I win, then you’re the chicken!”

“Fair enough, and if I win, then you’re gonna have to do something for me.” Torch had a curious look on his face.

“... What is it?”

“Oh, it’s a surprise, but that’s when you lose, something I know is going to happen.”

“Like Tartarus! See you in the finish line, princess of chickens.”

“We will see. On your marks. Three…”

“Two…”

“One…”

“GO!!!” They spoke in unison, flaring their wings and flying to the sky! The strength of their wingpower was enough to blow many of the trees away and make a new field. Both the Dragon and the Alicorn were neck to neck in their race as they flew north. However, they flew over the town of Ponyville, and though it was quick, practically everypony in town saw the two giants flying together, side by side. Twilight herself saw it and had a gaping, open mouth with her mind broken on what she saw. Starlight stood next to her, looking more confused.

"Was that Celestia and Torch we just saw?" She simply just asked. "How... is she naturally a giant? Is it a spell? What do you thin it was... Twilight?" She waved her hoof in front of the princess of friendship.

"She... she was naked..." Twilight only stuttered. Starlight just blinked, then rolled her eyes.

"Everypony's naked, Twilight. You and I are a part of it."

Chapter 3

“Torch? Torch!?” Young Celestia spoke, walking down the nearly empty hallways of the castle. Her only clue was a trail of claw marks and some fallen with broken objects. The trail lead to the garden, where she saw Torch attempting to scale one of the walls, leaving many claw marks on the wall. “Torch! What are you doing!?”

“Towch bad! Towch bad!” Torch repeated himself, still attempting to climb out. “Towch weave! Towch don’t want huwt!” Celestia slowly reached over and tapped Torch on his shoulder. The dragon turned and whimpered, backing himself into a corner.

“Oh, Torch, it’s okay, your friend Tia is here.” She slowly walked to him. “I’m sorry for that. Daddy’s very protective of us, and he has to be.” Celestia sat next to him, “It’s not your fault, it was something else. If you’d like, I can sleep with you here tonight.”

“... Towch… like that.” He began to calm down.

Celestia and Torch were neck-to-neck in their race! It had been a while since either of them actually raced, with Torch only flying to find himself some food, and Celestia as a way to show off her grace. Their race was easier said than done: a race around the world. But, not only were they at the halfway point, but it took them only about 10 minutes to do so.

“What’s the matter, Torch?” Celestia teased “Hungry? ‘Cause you’re gonna eat my dust!”

“HA!!! Your tears will make me full!” Torch replied.

To everything below, they only saw what was a giant dragon and Celestia flying next to each right over them, and before anyone could contemplate what just happened, a huge gust of wind would blow them away, which, while it tossed them around, wasn’t anything too violent. The oceans themselves were a bit parted, making huge waves that surfers on the beaches loved, though the Seaponies found it irritating, to say the least. But, as soon as they saw Celestia’s old castle, the two booked it. Both Dragon and Pony were determined to win this challenge, with both flying so fast, trees were ripped from the roots and followed after them! However, Torch felt something that more or less told him to not be flying around so much, or so fast: A cramp on his wings. Only a whimper came as he fell and rolled to floor, just miles from the finish line, where Celestia landed on.

“WHOO!!! That was fun!” Celestia cheered, turning to see Torch on the floor. “... Oh dear.” She walked to Troch, seeing him wince with his wings making slight movements. “Did the big dwagon get a cwamp in his wings?” Torch let out a low growl.

“Rubbing salt on open wounds now?”

“It’s my only time for doing it. Besides, it seems I won.”

“... Ugh, what is it that you want?”

“Oh, it’s easy, my large friend,” She lowered her head and picked up Torch a bit, having him sit on his hind legs. “If there’s one thing my subjects lack, it’s fingers, and more specifically, claws.” She turned to Torch’s hands. “Claws that are the perfect mix between being sharp and blunt, without being too narrow or too wide.” Torch gave a curious look.

“... Wait… so you want me to-?” His answer came to Celestia turning to have her back towards him, then sitting on her hind legs.

“Give me one of your world famous scratches.”

“... Huh… kinda thought it would be more embarrassing.” He lifted his left hand and began to scratch behind Celestia’s left ear. The princess was entranced by his touch, tilting her head to the left and moaning away.

“Oof! That’s the spot.” Torch blushed a little bit as he continued giving Celestia his famous claw scratches. Truth be told, if he had won, he would probably ask for a kiss, but this was pretty close.

Young Torch gave Celestia one of his ear scratches to her. It had been a few months, but Torch was getting used to his life in the castle, learning how to speak normal, and getting to know the staff, though he mostly stuck to Celestia’s side, with the only times being his time using the bathroom and sleeping away. The incident that happened was revealed that Celstia’s mom was pregnant with another daughter, something Celestia was nervous-cited for. While the news came, Celestia’s father still looked down at Torch, keeping a close eye on him, leaving the dragon to be really nervous and quiet whenever he entered a room, usually to check on Celestia and/or getting something from the room they were in.

“So, what do you think my sister’s going to be like?” Celestia asked, rolling over and letting Torch rub her tummy.

“I… don’t know.” He answered, unsure.

“I bet she’s going to be just as fun as me! We’ll be able to have tea parties, share cake, and maybe fight some dragons!”

“... Dragons?”

“Bad Dragons, not good dragons. You’re safe with us.” Torch let out a sigh of relief. A bunch of guards ran past the two, not for their usual training, but in a rush. “What’s going on?” Celestia got up and followed the guards, to which Torch followed. They heard Celestia’s mom scream loudly, which made them both jump.

“It’s your mom!”

“MOMMY!!!” The two ran ahead, running under and past the guards, entering Celstia’s parents’ room, seeing Celestia’s father standing next to his wife, who breathed heavily, though she still screamed.

“Come on, honey!” He spoke encouragingly “Push! Push!” She screamed again, which was followed by a crying baby. A nurse walked into the room with some cloth and warm water, taking the baby and wrapping it around the baby, which cried a bit.

“It’s a girl!” The nurse announced. “A healthy girl!”

“I figured that.” Celestia’s father replied. “Let me see her.”

“Yes, your majesty.” The nurse gently handed him Celstia’s newborn sister, who shared it with his wife.

“Oh, honey,” Celestia’s mom breathed heavily. “She’s beautiful!”

“Indeed.” Celestia hopped onto the bed and looked at her sister, followed by Torch. They saw that the sister was blue with a lighter blue mane sticking out. Another thing sticking out, literally, was a horn, meaning it also could learn magic. “What shall we name her?”

“... Luna. Princess Luna.”

“Luna.” Celestia repeated. “I like that name.” Luna’s eyes opened, seeing the world for the first time. She saw her parents, her sister, and Torch. The sight of Torch made her cry. Celestia;s father turned to Torch.

“Get OUT!!!” He yelled.

“But dad-!” Celestia spoke.

“OUT!!! OUT!!!” Torch whimpered and ran out of the room, cowering as some of the guard scolded him. He turned to see Celestia looking back with concern, but how happy the rest of the family was. The Dragon only sat down and thought if Luna was going to be fine with a dragon.

Author's Note

Kinda going by the Season 5 finale in the Nightmare Moon timeline, when alternate Rarity says that she doesn't associate herself with dragons. While that can be just herself, I think Luna/Nightmare Moon is a bit speciesist towards dragons