Steelfire
What is the most important talent in all of Equestria? Many would say weather maintenance, or being very good with magic. Truth is, being able to work a forge is, or at least thats what my father used to say. He also liked to say that the best steel was forged by unicorns, and thats why he was called to Canterlot. I think he was just an idealistic old stallion who wanted to help others, but whether that is true or not I'll never know. It's been, what? Four years? Yeah, four years since he died protecting my sister from changelings. Poor bastards didn't know how hot steel could get. Oh well, they still got my father anyways…
-Steelfire, Forge Master of Driftwheel Village
The heat of the forge. The feel of my coat covered in ash. Just another day in the life of a simple smith. Except it wasn't. The steel I worked was not for anypony in the village. No, this a test, a task given by the captain of the Canterlot Guard, Shining Armor. He wants to see if my work was as good as my fathers, and I spent the last four days working on it, and it was nearly done. Unlike my father, my steel was not just a piece of metal. It was a part of me. I put my entire being into my work, from a simple nail to the train it would be used on. I was dedicated to my forge, and was never going to abandon it like my father did.
"Brother, Silver Lily needs her watering can fixed by tomorrow." I heard the clang of the can on the counter, remembering the sound well from past work. My sister, Goldfire, was my assistant since she could not work the forge. She brought in requests and pieces in need of repair.
"Sister, this blade must be done by tomorrow when the Captain arrives. I'm going to have to pull another all-nighter just to finish on time. Tell Lily that it will be done after he leaves." I continued to work, bringing my hammer down in light, quick hits. My sister gave her usual sigh when she was annoyed. "Fine, but she won't be happy about it. The annual Garden Festival starts in a few days, and she wants to make sure hers is done in time." She walked back outside, hopefully to tell Lily that her watering can won't be done until after Shining's visit.
Working the forge is often hard to do at night. Between the heat of the forge and the chill of the night, it's hard to stay awake. Thankfully, this wasn't my first all-nighter, and I was able to push away my need to sleep. I was going to finish this piece by sunrise and nothing was going to stop me.