"Careful, get that stone blocks in place, now!" The construction stallion somewhere above her called out, to the other pony operating the crane. "If we don't get each one just right, this whole thing could collapse on us!"
It was an incredible sight for the mare, watching all of these ponies work so hard on the structure rising above her. Fitting every brick and support beam into place, making the great tower rise higher and higher into the sky. This would be a monument for the ages, the little blue unicorn with a blonde mane and red flame cutie mark, and it would have a very grande event to inaugurate it's opening.
"Hey, Firecracker Burst, could I see you over here for a minute?" The blue unicorn mare with the flower cutie mark called out to her. "I need to go over the plans for the celebrations next week with you again."
"Coming, Gardenia." Firecracker replied with a sigh, trotting over from the main construction site to their small planning tent on the side. "What is it you want to talk about this time?"
Gardenia Glow was the planning pony who was organizing the opening festival for the Friendship Beacon, the new lighthouse for the eastern equestrian seaboard that Baltimare was paying a massive amount of tax bits to construct. Her friend had carefully organized every aspect of this day-and-night long gala event, from the parade and flower flower floats in the morning, to the vendors and carnival midway in the afternoon. No aspect of this once in a lifetime event was being left to chance, especially not Firework's roman candle display that would top off the evening.
"Now Flare, are you sure you want to launch your fireworks from out in the water?" The other mare asked, looking over the plans for the event carefully. "I do really think putting them on the shore would illuminate the lighthouse more; you know, show it off a bit more for those Baltimare business big-wigs who are shelling out for this whole shindig!"
"I told you Gardenia, the fireworks display will look better out on the open water." Firecracker grumbled, stamping her hoof on the ground in annoyance. "The tower will be illuminated just fine. And besides Princess Celestia will be ceremonially lighting the beacon at daybreak tomorrow, they'll have plenty of time to see their lighthouse illuminated from here till doomsday."
"But Flare, think about the presentation!" Gardenia Glow whined. "Lots of ponies will be out in the water viewing the display by boat! Think of how it'll look to their eyes with the firecrackers going off right on top of them."
"Sorry Glow, but my mind's made up." Firecracker replied insistently. "My fireworks displays are my art, they bare the way I express myself through lights and sounds. I don't want anyone messing with my work, not even you."
"Ugh, you are as stubborn as my husband, Firecracker! Always having to have your way!" Gardenia sighed in defeat. "Very well, you can shoot off your fireworks from the water."
"Your stallion can't be any more bull-headed than mine, Gardenia." Flare replied with a laugh. "But thank you for understanding."
Their little meeting over, Firecracker stepped out of the planning tent, and looked over the construction site once more. All around her, ponies were putting up stalls and vendor displays, working to set up things for the opening festival that was a mere week away. At the same time, construction ponies hurried to finish the lighthouse, which had fallen behind schedule due to a Pegasus mismanagement error with the rainfall recently.
"Good grief, those stallions are going to be cutting it really close to finish the friendship beacon in time." Firecracker commented, as Gardenia Glow trotted up beside her. "I hope they can all pull it off."
"They'll pull through, Flare. Working together, they can all get the job done." Gardenia smiled. "It's their special talents, working together in harmony to accomplish far more than they could separately. It's what sets us ponies apart from the herd."
Walking out among the groups of equines hard at work, Firecracker realized her friend was right. The ponies in each team were doing their own little special tasks that they were good at, increasing the speed and quality of the work. They accomplished far more as a whole than they could as individuals, coordinating the traits and abilities that made each of them unique into a well-oiled machine that made any task go faster.
Firecracker thought back over her own life, how she had been fascinated by bright lights and loud noises as a filly, and how that led into her fascination with fireworks and explosives. Most other fillies and colts thought she was a freak and a weirdo growing up, avoiding her because of her obsession with working with and refining explosive powders and chemicals. It was really lonely for the young mare who was always working in a chemistry lab, and using her magic to ignite rockets and blow herself up all the time. And despite how rewarding her work was, she wished she had somepony to talk to sometimes.
Then along came Gardenia Glow.
The overly chatty, bossy unicorn was just as disliked as Firecracker was, always being overly fussy on details, and trying to organize any group of ponies doing even the smallest activity. But these two lonely mares found a kindred spirit in each other, Flare willing to put up with Gardenia's bossiness and controlling nature, and Glow willing to tolerate Flare's pyromaniac, explosive nature. The two started working together, organizing festivals and gala's along with their 'explosive' finales, moving up and ahead in the world in a way they never could have individually. They accomplished more as partners than they did alone.
As a result, the two friends were inseparable. They went camping together, went shopping and hung out together. Each was there at the others birthday party with the biggest present, and each served as the maid of honor at the others wedding. There was no other mare Flare would count on to watch her foals whenever something came up, and Gardenia would have no other pony house sit for her when she and her family had to go on a trip. It could be said there were no greater friends in all of Baltimare.
"It's the real magic of friendship, isn't it? The working together, the being part of something greater, while still being your own unique self." Firecracker declared proudly. "That's what this monument is celebrating, that's what the flame of this lighthouse will represent."
"It's something that worth building a monument to, my friend." Gardenia replied, smiling back at her friend. "It's the greatest give that we ponies can posses."
The very next week, Firecracker Flare's beautiful fireworks lit up the night sky, exploding in colorful flashes of red, blue, and green. Everypony in the gathered crowds looked up at the magnificent display in awe, each enjoying the bright explosions with their nearest and dearest friends. And out in a small fireproof boat upon the calm and serene waters of the horseshoe bay, Firecracker used her magic to ignite and send up rocket after rocket, making the sky erupt into a beautiful tapestry of sound and color.
"You were right, Flare." Gardenia said in the boat beside her, watching the rockets shoot skyward. "It's far more beautiful out here on the water."
"Thank you, my friend." Firecracker Flare replied with a smile. "I'm always happy when I can light up a pony's life!"