Equestria's Beacon of Friendship

by Paradise Oasis

Two's a com-pony, four's a crowd!- Part one

It was one of those rare crystal clear nights on Horseshoe bay, one with no fog or mist filling the sky. The friendship beacon's light was therefore kept burning low this night, and Seascape had taken the night off to go into town with her beloved Sugar Grape. It was a perfect evening for gazing up at the stars, however, and her very own brother enjoyed doing just that. She had left the teenage pink colt with the blue and yellow mane to keep the beacon lit that night, and he was currently standing upon the tower's circular catwalk, gazing up ast the glittering orbs in the sky above him.

"The stars, I can't believe how beautiful they are. Like a royal robe with a thousand glittering diamonds sewn into it." He thought to himself, gazing upwards towards the heavens. "Princess Luna must have worked extra hard on tonight's beautiful sky, for I believe it shines all the brighter on this warm and crystal clear night."

Ever since he was little, Stardash has always been something of a dreamer. His head in the clouds by day, the colt's gaze would be turned skyward at night. His parents dismissed him as a dreamer early on, and other little fillies and colts who should have been his friends simply made fun of him and trotted away. Only Seascape paid any attention to him, and had been his only friend growing up. The two had grown up reading novels and discussing poetry together, and both of them felt they were outsiders in Equestrian society.

"I wonder if those stars Luna shapes look back down upon us, and wonder what those strange shapes on the ground are." The stallion contemplated. "I wonder if one of them contemplates all of us, the way we contemplate the stars above."

As he gazed out into the endless sky in thought, three teenage fillies approached the door to the lighthouse far below.

....

"Are you sure this is the right place, Apple Bloom?" Sweetie Bell asked nervously, as she knocked on the door with her hoof. "I don't wanna bother somepony who doesn't need our help."

"Yep, this is the place Seascape said we'd find her brother." Apple Bloom replied, looking out at horseshoe bay from the platform at the lighthouse's entrance they stood upon. "Y'all aren't gettin cold hooves, are ya, Sweetie?"

"Yeah, this colt is supposed to be a total dweeb, he just reads books and poetry like some kinda egghead." Scootaloo added, sticking out her tongue at the thought. "How could anypony have a special talent as lame as that?"

"Then we gotta help him discover what his special talent is!" Sweetie Bell declared enthusiastically, as the three gave each other a high hoof. "Cutie Mark crusaders help the hopeless dreamer is a go!"

The three teenage fillies heard the sound of hooves approaching from the inside, then the door swung open. Apple Bloom stepped forward, to greet their latest client.

"Howdy, y'all! We're the cutie mark crusaders, and we're here to- uh, duh duh duh duh duhhhhhhhhhhhh...."

Applebloom stood there dumbfounded, as did the other two teen fillies. That long mane and tail, those strong and tight muscles, those big blue eyes.... common sense dropped out of the trio's brains, as teenage female hormones took over. The three fillies's eyes all morphed into hearts, as they gazed upon and drooled over what they saw as finely chiseled colt perfection.

"Hello, ladies, it's really nice to meet all of you..." He started to greet them politely, before a puzzled look crossed his face. "Ummmm... why are all three of your faces turning so red? Are you girls feeling well?"

"Ummm, errr.... hello, mister Stardash!" Applebloom smiled, reaching out and shaking his hoof. "Mah name's Apple Bloom, and these filles here are mah friends, Sweetie Bell and Scootaloo. We're the Cutie Mark Crusaders, and we're here to help y'all discover who you are!"

"Really nice to meet you!" Sweetie giggled as the teen colt kissed her hoof. "I've never met a boy who's such a gentlecolt!"

"Charmed, my dear." He replied, looking over towards the more rough and tumble Pegasus teen. "And your tomboy friend here?"

"Name's Scootlaoo, and I'm the awesomest filly in all of Equestria!" Scoots declared, pushing the other two out of the way. "And I'd be more than happy to personally help you find out who you are!"

"Aren't we all trying to find out who we are, going along on life's road like shooting stars in the sky?" Stardash waxed poetically. "But yes, I am in need of some help around here, cleaning up the lighthouse for my sister. So if you three lovely ladies would care to lend me a hoof, I would be eternally grateful."

He walked back into the lighthouse, leaving the door open for them to follow. Apple Bloom turned back to her friends, a wide smile on her face.

"Girls, why don't y'all head back to Baltimare, and pick up some souvenirs for our friends and family back in Ponyville?" Apple Bloom told the others. "I'll stay here, and personally give Stardash a hoof."

"No no, you two should really head back. I'll be the filly to help him clean up the lighthouse." Sweetie Replied, shooing the other two off with a hoof. "I'm sure you've got more important things to do in town."

"Maybe you gals should get going, and leave helping the colt to the coolest pony here, instead." Scoots insisted, shoving the other two off the lighthouse porch with her wing. "This place takes a Pegasus's touch to get the job done!"

"No y'all don't! I'm staying here with Stardash1"

"No Way! You got that cute unicorn colt in Manehatten all to yourself! I want a piece of the flank this time!"

"Stardash could never want you two losers help! I'm the one who should stay here with him!"

"It'll be me!"

"No, me!"

"Why you-!"

The three teenagers exploded, leaping into a three way fight, and creating a dust cloud as the trio bit, stomped, and kicked at each other. The three normally good friends began to act like children, fighting over a cut colt like a pack of diamond dogs fighting over a ruby.

...

"Good grief, this place really did need cleaning!" Stardash declared, wiping down the lighthouse's windows from the circular staircase going up the tower. "But there's no way I can get to the glass outside of these windows!"

"No problem, Stardash! Watch this!" Scootaloo buzzed up and around the outside of the lighthouse, wiping down each window as she zipped along. "Pretty cool how I can get so many at once huh?"

"Wow, that is pretty amazing." The colt replied, a puzzled look on his face. "But Apple Bloom told me you couldn't fly, and you zipped along on your scooter everywhere?"

"Naww, that was just when I was a little filly. I was kinda a late flier." Scoots said with a laugh, fling in the window. "I'm nowhere near as good as my big sister, Rainbow Dash, but I can do some neat tricks. Just watch!"

The filly began zipping up, down, in, out, and all over the tower. Stardash was impressed, until she knocked right into him on one of her dives, and sent him flying clean off the spiral metal staircase.

"Whooaaah!" The colt cried out, as he tumbled downward. "Somepony help me!"

"Don't worry star, I'm coming!" Scootaloo yelled, diving after him. But the teenage Pegasus struck her head on the star rail going down, and fell to the lighthouse floor with a *thud*.

"Ohhh, my head..." Scoots moaned.

The earth pony was just about to hit ground, when a magical aura field caught him from out of nowhere before he landed on the cold stone floor. "Oof!"

"Stardash, are you okay?" Sweet Bell asked in concern, her horn glowing as she came trotting out of the kitchen. "I almost didn't notice you there, good thing I caught you in time, huh?"

"Thank you, Miss Bell, you certainly saved my hide." Stardash sniffed at the air. "Say, what is that odd smell coming out of the kitchen?"

"Oh, I thought I'd make everpony a late supper, while you three were busy working." She trotted back into the kitchen. "Why don't you come in and have a taste?"

The colt followed Sweetie Bell into the next room. only to find the oven and surrounding area a total disaster. Bubbling piles of a gooey black substance, filled every bowl and plate set at the table. A foul burnt stench filled the entire kitchen, making Stardash's eyes water.

"Whoa, this is certainly an... interesting meal you've made here." He walked over to the table, and looked at a glass of black goo. "Is this chocolate milk?"

"Nope, those are pancakes!" Sweetie Bell replied, a great big grin on her face. "Don't they look yummy?"

"Well, it's... certainly different." Stardash replied, trying not to gag from the smell. "You certainly can cook some interesting dishes."

"Yep, my mom taught me. She and my dad think I'm the world's greatest cook!" Sweetie replied proudly. "I probably would've gotten a cutie mark in fancy cooking, if it hadn't been for my group mark with the other Crusaders."

"You, a good cook? HA!" Scootaloo remarked, finally pulling herself up off the floor, and trotting into the kitchen. "You burn toast most of the time, and you've never made a dish in your whole life that wasn't classified as lethal!"

"Oh yeah? Well, you can't even turn on an oven without setting your wings on fire!" Sweetie snapped back. "So why don't you keep your opinions to yourself!"

As the two teenagers continued to argue, Stardash merely rolled his eyes, and trotted back up the stairs to the Friendship Beacon's tower. There, he found Apple Bloom polishing the lighthouse's lens with a rag and bucket of water.

"Oh, hi Stardash. how's y'all's cleaning going downstairs?" The filly asked, dipping the rag into the bucket with her hoof. "It sounds like Sweetie and Scoots are at it again, huh?"

"Yeah, those two keep trying to show each other up." The colt replied with a sigh. "I wish they'd just concentrate on the task at hoof instead of arguing all the time."

"Yeeah, they're like to little babies when they start to argue." Apple Bloom shook her mane in disgust. "But I've been really hard at work up here cleaning. Why don't you have a look at the lenses, and see how well I did?"

"Wow, these really do look clean, I've never seen them this spotless before!" Stardash exclaimed, examining the glass carefully. "The view of your work from here is absolutely flawless!"

"Oh yeah, it's absolutely flawless!" Apple Bloom agreed, staring at the colt's flank that was sticking up in the air as he bent down to inspect the lower part of the lens. "A really, really fine piece of work!"

"I really appreciate you girls coming here to help me, you've helped make the work go faster." Stardash smiled at her, starting back down the stairs. "Why don't the three of you stay for supper. I'll make something I think you'll all enjoy."

"Oh, that's really nice of y'all, Stardash!" Apple Bloom replied, a false smile plastered across her face.

After he had moved out of earshot, the teenage filly's eyes narrowed, and she rubbed her front hooves together. "And it'll be even better once I find a way to get those other two silly fillies to leave, so I can have that cute little hunk of flank all to myself..."

Comments

[Vanilla Mocha]

Oh Apple Bloom! XD

[FleetlordAvatar]

Oh dear, this wont end well.

[La Vallett1]

Oh crap!