Rainbow Dash's New Medicine
Rainbow Dash’s New ‘Medicine’
It was a beautiful day in the town of Ponyville and everyone was out and about taking care of their shopping in the town square. Vendors from as far away as Manehattan and Las Pegasus had traveled to Ponyville to expand their business horizons and attract a few new consumers. Of course, local businesses were allowed to participate as well, and all of the usual suspects were there: the Apple Family, the Cakes, even the Cutiemark Crusaders had opened a booth for the Rainbow Dash fan club they had started.
But away from all of the fancy new products and gimmicks, there was one pony that was different from the rest of the pack. Zecora had begun selling herbs and homemade remedies to Twilight Sparkle and her friends and had since attracted a larger number of clientele; so, with Twlight’s recommendation, Zecora felt that it would be appropriate to open up a stand in town for that day.
“Hey, Zecora,” Rainbow Dash greeted the zebra as she made her way to the booth.
“Why, hello, Rainbow Dash. Are you feeling well? You are in a bit of pain, I can tell,” Zecora responded.
Zecora had noticed that Rainbow Dash was limping with her left front hoof wrapped in a cast and bandages. “I could be better and I could be worse. I landed on my hoof the wrong way and twisted it. It hurts so much,” the sky-blue Pegasus complained.
“Perhaps I have something that can help you… Let me see what I can do.”
The zebra began pouring over her stock of potions and cures to see if she could find something to help her friend. After searching for a while, Zecora gripped a jar with her teeth and set it on the counter. “This berry and herb rub should do just the trick. Be careful, however, it’s a little thick.”
“I tried this stuff before, Zecora,” Rainbow Dash replied,” it helped but the pain came back sooner than I thought.”
Undiscouraged, Zecora went straight to work finding another medicine that might alleviate her dear friend’s pain. Jar after jar and bottle after bottle, the zebra was unable to find an antidote that suited Rainbow’s needs. Just as Zecora began to lose hope, she discovered something she had thought was long-gone. While rummaging through the last of her supply of natural pharmaceuticals, she pulled out a clear jar that was filled to the top with a most strange-looking herb. The plant was a dark green color with little red hair protruding from various openings in the leafy exterior, endowed with glimmering trichromes that sat like crystals embedded in forest-like cave.
Zecora brought the jar to the front and set it before Rainbow Dash. The Pegasus examined the jar and its contents before asking,” What’s this? Doesn’t look like any plant I’ve seen before. It has hair and it’s sparkly and… Well… just weird.”
“This is a plant that I harvested some time back. It is a plant known only as Sa-binnac,” the zebra responded.
“Well, how do I use it? Do make tea from it or rub it on my hoof or what?”
“To relieve the pain, you must burn and inhale. This is a cure that cannot possibly fail,” Zecora preached.
Rainbow paused for the moment and then peered into the clear container before her.” If you really think it’ll help… I guess I could give it a shot,” Rainbow Dash conceded.
“Excellent choice, and might I just say, you shall not regret your purchase this day.”
That being said, Zecora opened the jar and pulled out two large lumps of the sticky, green plant, placed them on a piece of cloth, wrapped them up and handed the package to Rainbow Dash. “How much will it be,” the pony inquired.
“Two bit for two buds sounds about right. Smoke this, my dear, and sleep well tonight,” Zecora replied sweetly.
The two friends then bid each other goodbye and Rainbow was off. Clutching her medicine with her teeth she sped through the air trying to get home as quickly as possible so that she might relieve herself of the pain that had been plaguing her for the past few days. It was then that she realized that she had no way of smoking the herb because she hadn’t a pipe of any kind. It was then that she decided to make a stop by the Apple Family’s farm.
Rainbow Dash remembered seeing Granny Smith once or twice with a corn-cob pipe and wondered if they had anymore or if she could make one. She needed to hurry, though, for the pain in her hoof was beginning to become unbearable.
Rainbow arrived at the home of the Apples and was ecstatic to see that Granny Smith was sitting in her rocking chair on the front porch. “Hey, Granny Smith,” she greeted the elderly pony.
“What, what”, Granny Smith exclaimed,” What’s the big idea wakin’- Oh, hello Rainbow Dash! Is there somethin’ yer looking fer?”
“Actually, yes there is something I need. You wouldn’t happen to still have that pipe, would ya,” Rainbow asked.
“Sure, I’ve still got it… But I can’t possibly think of a reason why you would need such a thing,” Granny Smith spoke with a little intrigue and suspicion.
“Well, it’s for this new medicine that I bought from Zecora today. It’s a plant that you’re supposed to burn and inhale its smoke. She told me that it was supposed to help with the pain.”
“Hmmm,” the Apple pony pondered. “Don’t sound like no medicine I ever heard of befer. But I suppose if it’ll help, I’m sure I can let you borrow one of my pappy’s old pipes. Just be sure to bring it back.”
“Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you, Granny Smith,” Rainbow rejoiced.
Granny Smith disappeared into the house and returned a few moments later with an old corn-cob pipe. The bowl was burnt and the mouthpiece was scarred with the bite marks of ponies past. Rainbow examined the paraphernalia with the same scrutinizing eye that she had used to examine her medicine.
“Don’t worry, girl. It’s clean as a whistle,” Granny Smith rambled.
“Thanks again, Granny.” Rainbow Dash said her goodbyes and sped away once more towards her clouded sanctuary.
It wasn’t until late in the afternoon that Rainbow Dash returned home with her medicine and pipe. Her hoof was now throbbing with pain. She took her medicine and examined it once again. The smell of the plant was pungent and pleasant at the same time. The thick aroma invaded her nostrils and instantly reminded her of a whole plethora of citrus fruits with just a little bit of pine. At first she was weary as to try it, but the agonizing feeling in her hoof said otherwise. Being as careful as possible she began to break up the bud on the copy of the latest Daring Do book with her one healthy hoof and its sprained partner. After sometime, she had the bowl of the pipe packed full and was ready to feel the relief that was promised.
She struck a match and drew in the flame to the sticky, smelly plant and took a long, deep toke. The taste was unlike anything she had experienced before, yet it had a distinct and familiar citrus flavor to it. Soon after inhaling, Rainbow began to cough mercilessly and almost fell off of her cloud. Her throat was burning and her eyes were watering, but she desperately needed alleviation of her suffering. Cautious of the power of this plant, the pony lightly puffed on the next hit and inhaled a modest amount. She then put the pipe down, reclined, and waited for her medicine to begin its work.
“I’m not sure if it’s working or not,” Rainbow quietly whispered to herself, “Maybe I should hit it a couple more times.” So, without hesitation, Rainbow Dash picked up the pipe again, struck another match and inhaled deeply, filling her lungs with the sweet and acrid smoke once again. She exhaled and drew from the pipe one last time, cashing the bowl. It was then she began to feel . . . strange.
Rainbow Dash reclined once more into her cloud to let the medicine take its true effect. Her eyes became heavy, so she let her eyelids droop a bit. She then found the uncontrollable need to smile and giggle at absolutely nothing at all, finding the most trivial things happening on the ground below her somehow amusing. The birds twittering, the wind blowing, and the laughter of little fillies and colts became a symphony, an ode if you will, to the joy of life that had surrounded her heavenly abode. There was another thing, too; her pain was virtually nonexistent and had become a mere memory of the past.
“Whoa . . .” Rainbow whispered to herself, “I’ve never felt like . . . this . . . before . . .”
It was clear that she was beginning to let herself become lost in thought, never before realizing this kind of pleasure before. She became overwhelmed with emotion and a single tear slid its way down her cerulean coat. The world seemed so small and miraculous to her, yet almost impossible to understand. She never fully understood or appreciated the simple things in life until this moment, when a simple plant gave her such an incredible awareness of the true natures of love and truth and beauty. The meaning of life had revealed itself like a holy sacrament to a prophet. Rainbow Dash now understood that the meaning of existence as she knew it was living and experiencing all of the wonderful and eternal beauties and eccentricities in nature and life, something she had long-taken for granted.
As these thoughts raced through her mind, the Pegasus once again whispered, “Not anymore,” and shot off flying towards a new and brighter future.
Author's Note
Short story. I might go somewhere with it, but for the most part this was just a little bit of stoner fun that i had thought about for a while. Enjoy it, hate it, eat it, I don't give a fuck.
-Chris (Aka Gerry)
