Yes indeed. Tungsten Wolfe was a renowned emergency rescue pony known for his bravery and skill in the field. His demeanor outside of the field however…was something else entirely.
The Royal Guard’s shift change began, and Tungsten made his way to the stallion’s showers.
“Ach…what a pain in the flank,” his deep, suave masculine voice muttered aloud as he went under one of the showers to get clean.
True to his namesake, Tungsten had a silver-gray coat with a mane of chiseled white in a short buzzcut with a similar color and shape to his tail as well. His eyes were blue and his cutie mark was a gold shield with blue flames emitting from behind it.
However, the most notable detail of his body was the numerous healed scars and burns that he had acquired over his years of service. Particularly, a vertical scar that traveled down his left eye--which thankfully still worked--as well as various healed burns that gave his body a spotty look with deformed blackened areas.
But that never stopped him.
“Sentry. Cantus. How ya’ll doin’?”
Indeed, Flash Sentry had stepped into the locker room with another guard named Leo Cantus.
“Jeez,” the orange pegasus commented with a chuckle as he flew over to his locker. “You knew it was us before we even got in here, huh? Guess that’s why you’re the ‘Wolfe.’”
Next to Flash Sentry, a large, burly unicorn stallion with an indigo color scheme, blonde mane, and a castle wall for a cutie mark. “He’s right, mate,” Leo spoke in a thick Austailian accent, “I ain’t nevah seen a bloody scoundrel with as many magic holes and fire lit under his bum since me great-grandad. I reckon you’re in top shape you are.”
Tungsten paused in the midst of washing his mane and stared at Leo as if he had three heads with his eyes wide open. “...what in the fresh Tartarus heck you just say?”
Flash opted to translate. “He’s basically saying you’re doing a damn good job, brother. But I’m just glad we’ll all get some time off for the Holidays. You guys are gonna head home to your families I assume?”
“Ken oath--yeah,” Leo replied, then looked at Tungsten. “What about you, lad?”
“Think I might head on down to the Hearth’s Warmin’ Ball,” the firestallion muttered as an option, “Before I head out to stay with my folks that is.”
“Oh yeah, I almost forgot about that!” Flash slapped his forehead with his hoof, “I gotta see if Princess Twilight would be up to going with me. What about you, Leo?”
“I’ve already got someone, gents,” the large stallion’s hooves thundered against the floor as he trotted along to get some items from his locker. “Wolfie boy?”
“Me?” Tungsten gasped as he turned the shower off and stepped away to shake off the excess water, causing his mane and tail to frizz up. “I ain’t really thought about it too much. I mean, I got a few options in mind, but I ain’t exactly jumpin’ at the chance for ‘em, ya feel me?”
“I think you should at least consider it,” Flash suggested, “You could stand to be a bit more sociable. You’re always so wrapped up in your work, Tungsten.”
Once his body was dry, Tungsten grabbed his saddlebag and threw it over his body before trotting out of the locker room. “Listen, boy. There’s a reason why I do what I do.”
Flash decided to pursue him and bid Leo goodbye. “I’ll catch up with you later, Lion.” He then spread his wings and took after Tungsten, “Hey, Tung wait up!”
“Yeah yeah, hope ya have a blast, eh?” Leo replied as he finished gathering up his belongings.
With Tungsten…
Flash had caught up to him and decided to speak more directly. “Alright, man. What’s up? Something on your mind?”
“...Guess you could say that,” Tungsten replied with a roll of his eyes, “You ain’t exactly the first pony that’s mentioned somethin’ about my schedule.”
“Sorry, I’m just worried about you,” Flash landed upon the floor and folded his wings in. “You take all the extra shifts and dangerous jobs to do with escaped monsters. It’s like you’re trying to get yourself killed or something.”
Tungsten scoffed and flicked his tail. “Don’t worry about me, brotha. Like I said, I do what I do for a reason.”
“Okay but what about those burns?” Flash asked, “You know we have magic that could remove those from your body, right?”
Tungsten tilted his head downwards, shielding his eyes from view for a moment. “...Sentry. Each one of these scars and burns tells a story. A story that I refuse to forget.”
“But why?” Flash persisted, perhaps against his own better judgement, but he couldn’t stand seeing a friend overwork himself. “Why cling to the past so much, man?”
Tungsten sighed, knowing full well that Flash’s persistence couldn’t be ignored forever. His expression softened as he shut his eyes and relented. “...brotha. It’s all I got. My home life wasn’t exactly nothin’ special. My folks did they best to keep me protected and sheltered all my young life. No playin’ with other kids, stuck bein’ homeschooled, and constant piano lessons…” He let loose a small shudder from his lips as he recalled his rather uneventful past. “Brrgh…it’s what drove me to enlist in the first place.”
Twas a common staple for many foals who were coddled in their earlier years. As soon as they get the taste of freedom, they wish to do and experience extremes that they previously weren’t allowed to.
“...I get it now,” Flash replied, “You felt so…cramped by your overbearing parents that you wanted to experience some real danger for a change, huh?”
Tungsten couldn’t deny it; Flash had hit the nail on the head. “Somethin’ like that, yeah. I also kinda wanted to prove that the Royal Guard is actually worth something. That we’re more than just ponies who stand around gates all day.”
“...considering your track record,” Flash noted the burns on Tungsten’s body, “I think you’ve proven that plenty. No matter how many times or how bad the fires get, you somehow brave your way through ‘em like some immortal beast.”
“Nah, dawg, I wouldn’t say all that,” Tungsten laughed it off with a smile. “But if you think so, thanks. I appreciate ya. Say, since we got some time to kill, why don’t we do some shopping? Maybe come up with some gift ideas for our folks, yeah?”
“Yup. I’m with you. Just don’t bore me with lectures about historic clock parts again--”
“‘Ey man, clocks are important--”
“Now isn’t the time--get it, cuz--”
Tungsten snickered as they trotted along. “That was good. I’ll give you that one.”