The Simple Act Of Pipe Smoking
"Daddy, are we going out to smoke tonight?" Fluttershy quieried.
"No, I've had the sniffles all day and just don't feel like I'd enjoy it tonight" Sun-Loch replied to his daughter. Fluttershy visibly drooped, she enjoyed their time together on the porch letting the stress of the day seemingly float away with the product of tobacco smoking
Sun-Loch took a few seconds to clear his thoughts, therein making space to consider his daughter's recent forwardness and pursuit of responsibility. "Why don't you go ahead and have a smoke yourself?" Fluttershy's eyes opened a bit wider, then peering up at Sun-Loch as if he had grown two unicorn horns.
"Well, umm, I prefer to smoke with you, dad, if that's alright..." Fluttershy thought for a moment. Realizing she's just been handed an opportunity to prove herself even in this small way she accepted. "Okay, I think I'll try. Yes, I will have a smoke, and I'm sorry you're not feeling well enough to join me and hope you feel better soon, dad!"
Sun-Loch smiled and his hoof brushed the mane on his daughter's head; "Thank you, and enjoy your pipe. Oh, do tell your mother you're going out, I'm sure she'll want to check on you" Fluttershy gave a confident nod and with lightened hooves trotted to the kitchen to find Posey.
Posey was planning menus and household needs for the upcoming weeks as Fluttershy strode in. Of course she had heard the conversation, and her heart was warm with pride; pegasi were proud and independant beings which traits began to show more prominently in her daughter almost daily. Acting non-chalant she kept her quill moving on the parchment as Fluttershy came to a stop. "Yes?"
Without a stammer or quivver Fluttershy began. "Dad said it's okay for me to smoke my pipe without him tonight, but I should tell you first. Is it okay with you, if I smoke alone?"
Posey put her quill down and turned toward her daughter "He thinks you're ready for that, and so do I however.... remember you're playing with fire, literally! I will be out to check on you after I finish a few things here. Be careful!" Giving Fluttershy a nod and a smile she turned before she blushed with joy.
"Thank you mom! I will!"
Fluttershy stepped out onto the porch and over to the pipe rack as she had done many times before, then hesitated realizing her father wasn't there. This threw her pacing off a bit; she had always been the first to fill her pipe, but now it felt different. Fluttershy sighed, trying to restart her ritual she reached up and lifted her given pipe from it's place next to Sun-Loch's other pipes. She looked at the wooden construct; an average sized pipe for adults with a slight bend in the stem. The length was just short enough for her to handle in her young hooves and reach her mouth. Placing the bit in her mouth she clenched it with her teeth taking a few drags to make sure it was clean and dry, as she busied her hooves opening one of the tobacco jars. The aromatic scent of the unburned tobacco was enticing, Fluttershy took a few pinches out and placed them on the table next to the rack. She replaced the jar and manipulated the tobacco cuttings until they laid loosely, ready to fill her pipe. Fluttershy took her pipe in hoof and loosely filled the bowl with the other, tamping with a smooth pestle-like stone occasionaly until the bowl was evenly packed. Fluttershy placed the pipe back in her mouth and took a few more drags from her unlit pipe, testing that she had not packed it too tight. Satisfied, she took the tamper, plus two matches and strode to "her spot".
Fluttershy plopped her flank beside the stairs where she had an open view of the fields and forest growing golden with the sunset. Just next to her was an old planter partially filled with sand; Fluttershy placed the tamper and one of the matches therein. She looked over to where Sun-Loch would have been sitting then silently sighed. She lifted her front hooves, one holding her pipe while the other reached over and struck the match on the planter. She let the fizzing match fully catch and become a smooth fire before bringing it close over the top of the bowl, then gently pulled on the stem drawing the flame to the tobacco. Several gentle puffs followed as she watched the tobacco curl and ignite in several places. Like stars, twinkling embers glowed and faded with her pulls. Whispy smoke fled her mouth as she puffed, then both smoke and glow faded as the match was pulled away. Fluttershy learned to expect this "first lighting", seldom would a pipe fully light the first try. Her father bought matches long enough to last into the second light, and she had a spare if needed.
Fluttershy clenched the pipe in her teeth while she used the tamper to restore the darkened and curled tobacco to a smooth charred surface. The match in her other hoof had several seconds of life left; placing the tamper down she steadied her pipe and brought the match to her pipe again and pulled the fire down. Moving the match in lazy circles over the toasted leaf it quickly caught fire, a glowing orange sister to the falling sun. Fluttershy puffed, blowing dense and full clouds of smoke from her fully-lit pipe; she used a puff to extinguish the match before dropping it into the planter.
She concerned herself with the pipe's state for several minutes until she was certain it was well-lit, then settled back to watch the world around her. Taking full, measured drags Fluttershy breathed through her nostrils and paused; she pulled in a mouthful of smoke, opened the back of her throat and raised her tongue as she exhaled through her nose. The aromatic tobacco smoke passed around her pallet and up into her sinuses and out her nares; she felt a shock and dizziness as it overwhelmed her senses for a few seconds. Her next inhale drew the remaining smoke in her airway into her lungs, giving her another jolt. The neighbors who taught her this called it a "rush" and Fluttershy could describe it in no better way....
Many times she had come out on the porch when her father's friends and neighbors dropped by on occasion to talk and joke and smoke and pass a jug of freshly-made "hooch". She didn't like drinking so much and let the jugs pass her by, but any time a new tobacco was offered she would happily sample a bowlful. From the conversations she heard that a young pony learning to smoke wasn't unusual however she was one of the few that took to it heart. Fluttershy remembered the advice and help generously offered from her elders...
"Hold the match like this, young lady..."
"Take smaller puffs until it gets going...."
"Don't be afraid to use the tamper...."
"Don't burn your tongue!"...
"That's how you smoke all the tobacco, girl. You're doing good!"..
There was always something new to experiment with and try under the watchful eyes of her father and his guests. She received a lot of encouragement and felt a kinship during those times. Fluttershy also found out during one such informal get-together her father had begun smoking as a young colt, just as she has. She never realized the simple act of pipe smoking could be so "friendly".
Fluttershy heard hooves approach the door behind her; her mother pushed open the door then stepped through, stopping to let her eyes adjust to the sunset. Posey saw her daughter's head turn towards her as both smiled.
"Hi mom!" Fluttershy took a pull from her pipe and popped a small smoke-ring in Posey's direction as a bit of showing-off.
Posey giggled then proceeded to Fluttershy's side, "How are you doing? Everything going okay?" she asked as she sat down.
"I'm doing just fine! I mean, well, if dad was here I'd be doing even better...."
Posey smiled again, "I'm sure he'd like that too, and I know what you mean. You know, you're taking a big step asking to smoke by yourself and I'm proud of you for doing it." Fluttershy let out a comfortable sigh as she blushed a little under her fur.
Posey held her hoof out to Fluttershy "Can I have a few puffs?"
Fluttershy pulled the pipe from her lips and hesitated "Mom, did you ever smoke?"
"No, not really. I've had a few drags off your father's pipe back when we were dating but it never suited me."
Fluttershy rubbed the bit of her pipe to remove any spittle she may have left then slowly lifted it into her mother's hoof. Posey took the pipe, sniffed the bit (out of habit) then placed it in her mouth. She took a few small puffs, a quizzical look on her face as if trying to remember how to smoke. She took a longer puff then quickly removed the pipe as she awkwardly blew out the smoke followed by a "ahem..." clearing her throat. The bitterness of the tobacco caught her by surprise, a small detail she had forgotten. A quick swallow and she put the pipe back in her mouth as she noticed Fluttershy's concerned stare. "I'm alright, just getting used to it again dear" Posey said around the bit in her mouth. To show Fluttershy she's game Posey took a few normal puffs before exhaling and smiling. "Mmm, nice tobacco. Where did your father get it?"
Fluttershy responded "It's something a friend of dad's brought over, I liked it so much she gave me a jar-full. I guess it's mine.."
Posey nodded, relaxed and calmly smoked the mixture for about a minute before handing the pipe back to Fluttershy, "Thank you, that's enough for me".
Fluttershy tamped and restored the pipe to her mouth, puffing the fire back to her liking. "Mom, why don't you smoke?"
Posey replied matter of factly "Because I'm a pegasus. I've needed to talk to you about your smoking for a while, Fluttershy"
Posey spoke with a serious tone; "You see, we pegasi live in the clouds, except the few who've chosen to live down here. Smoking affects our ability to breathe up there, in the sky. You'll have to put away your pipe a few months before you go to flying school, you'll need time to get your breath back or you might not be able to complete your classes."
Fluttershy stared at the horizon, wordlessly thinking as if faced with a fork in her young life's path; "Maybe I'll just not go to flying school. I can be an earth pony, like dad."
"No, you can't, you can't," Posey said in a stern tone. "We're pegasi, our place is in the sky. We don't have the strength of earth ponies, that is we can't outrun or out-fight things that can hurt or kill us down here. We're not unicorns who can use forces and illusion or travel without moving to escape our foes. We fly, Fluttershy. The sky is our home and it's also how we stay alive. It's our refuge, our defense. Flying school isn't about being the fastest or strongest or doing tricks in the air, it's about survival."
Fluttershy knew her mother spoke the truth, as much as she'd learned about her father's earth-pony ways her body's aches and strains after a day of helping told her she'd never be one. "I... I understand, mom," she said in a solemn tone. She had been holding her pipe which by now was close to going out, taking it in her mouth she pulled smoke until it regained some life.
"It's alright, dear. You can smoke for now, but I'll remind you when the time comes. And after flight school if you still want to smoke it's your choice."
Fluttershy nodded "Okay," then felt her mother's forelegs wrap around her gently in a loving hug. "I love you, mom"
Posey held her daughter close "I love you too," embracing Fluttershy through many frog-croaks and cicada chirps, and taking in the scent from her daughter's pipe. "Well, I better go see how your father's getting along," a quick kiss on the head as she unclenched Fluttershy and got to her hooves, turned slowly and walked back into the house. "Be careful, make sure your pipe is out before you come in."
"I will mom!"
Not long after her mom had left Fluttershy tasted the tell-tale signs her pipe was about done, it's tobacco nearly spent. She placed the pipe on the planter as she went to the pipe stand to retrieve a few fuzzy reeds. Returning, Fluttershy emptied the almost-out pipe's contents in the planter; her mother used the ashes to help the roses near the house grow. The glowing embers at the bottom of the planter quickly consumed themselves and died while she watched. Feeling that the threat of a fire breaking out had passed, she began cleaning her pipe, the pestle-like tamper scraped out the stuck flecks of burned tobacco from the bowl, the fuzzy reeds she fed through the pipe's passages to absorb moisture. A few minute's maintenance ensured a better smoke next time, as she learned the hard way once.
The darkened trees on the darkened mountains were indistinguisable from the mountains themselves; neighbors had gone indoors, their house's windows illuminated by firelight through the frames. Night time was nigh. Fluttershy made her way back indoors, pipe and tobacco secured in their places. She passed through the kitchen and into the main living space to find her mother snuggled into her father's chest.
"Fluttershy," he spoke with a smile "we've decided that any time you want to smoke you may do so, as long as you get my permission or your mother's first. Do you understand?"
Fluttershy nodded "I do! I love you both so much!" Fluttershy hopped up and joined the cuddle on the couch. Supper was ready, it could wait a few minutes.
