Smoke Break

A dry corncob - easily obtained. A sturdy reed - available in abundance. A bit of work with knife - not a problem. Obtaining some tobacco? A bit iffier then Applejack might have liked. On the other hoof, setting a bit of a plantation aside for her little side business wasn`t that bad. She had to cut Mac in on the whole thing, of course, but neither Applebloom nor Granny Smith were actually aware of the acre of pipeweed spread evenly along the fence demarcating the Sweet Apple Acres.

Initially, she planned on growing the whole thing as a single field in the furthest part of the farm. Macintosh talked her out of it, though. "The easiest place to hide is in plain sight." - he said back then. Lo and behold, ponies passed by her tobacco every gosh-darn day, and not a single one commented on it. All because it looked like some decorative weed planted along the fence. At times, Applejack considered just how crafty her brother really was - and where did he even learn such subterfuge?

She checked the newly made pipe again, and blew into it lightly, making sure nothing was plugged. The air went through the whole thing easily and she grinned. "Still got it." - orange pony muttered proudly, crushing some leaves to fill it up. Truth to tell, Applejack rarely indulged in smoking, but she made it a point to sample each new batch before she allowed any to be sold. Keeping up the dependable rep.

Applejack checked around habitually, making sure she was alone, and tilted her newly prepared pipe towards the oil lamp, letting the pipe weed within catch on fire. A minute later, the quiet knocking on the barn door let her know her customer had arrived. Just in time, too. She opened the door a little, allowing Twilight to slip in.

"...That smells pretty good... Oh, and hello there, Applejack. I see youve got my order ready?" - inquired unicorn amiably, as she peered at the smoking pipe. Farmer nodded with a grin. "Jus quality assurin`, Twi. Want ta join me?"

Twilights brow quirked. "Dont mind if I do." - she offered then, pulling out her own pipe. Unlike Applejacks use it and toss it corncob pipes, Twilights was a work of art. Cherry wood, silver rings, enamel inlaying, the works. A pipe worth an archmage. Which Twilight admittedly was. Still, there was something inherently comic in seeing such a grandiose pipe used by a pony who otherwise preferred her life plain and straightforward.

"...Yanno, Twi, ahve been meanin to ask. Whyd you take up smokin?" - Applejack inquired lazily five minutes after, both of them sitting on the bale and making smoke rings lazily. Unicorn shrugged. "That.. is a bit of a story, Applejack." - she offered after a moment of thought - "But it all comes back to one thing. Philosophy." She paused, turning to look at her friend intently - "Have you ever considered just what are we doing, Applejack? Toying with fire like that? Every single animal fears the fire. Even dragons are wary of it, despite the fact they can breathe it. But we... we toy with it. We use it for our pleasure."

Her eyes clouded as she looked into distance, musing - "We`re gone beyond animals, Applejack. We learned so much. Built so much. Achieved so much. And this little bit of fire is a testament to that. That what for all intents and purposes is death, and we tame it to take pleasure from it. So anytime I smoke, I think of how far we, the equinity, have gone. How much we achieved. And how much there is still out there to see, to learn, to master. The fire at our hooftips is but a promise that we will not stop, will not shrink back from the future, but embrace it and grow with it."

Applejack chuckled. "Anhere ah thought yall jus` like ta smoke." - she quipped lightheartedly, earning herself a light punch to the shoulder in process. Twilight huffed. "Well... that much is self-evident."