> Chochin no Uma
>  by Banana Prince
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Kimono
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Twilight and Rarity laid Rainbow Dash down on Twilight's bed.
"How did you ever let that foal dare you to fly through a tree, I'll never know." Rarity huffed, straightening her mane.
"I have to protect my reputation." Rainbow Dash responded, almost sitting up. "Fifteen bits is a lot when your that young. At least now, I can buy you two lunch.
Twilight rolled her eyes and gripped Rainbow Dash's outstretched wing and felt the bones, forcing a yelp from the pegasus.
"Yup. That's broken." Twilight concluded. "You're gonna need those fifteen bits for the clinic. You better start writing your letter to the weather teams now. You're going to see Nurse Redheart."
Rarity put a hoof on Twilight's shoulder.
"Darling," Rarity asked her. "can I talk to you over there?"
Twilight nodded and walked with Rarity to the other side of the bedroom.
"Twilight, sweetie, we can't take Rainbow Dash to Nurse Redheart."
"But why?" Twilight asked. 
"She's been well low on funds lately, you see - Impulsive buying and what not."
"What do you want me to do? Leave Rainbow Dash lying in bed with a broken wing all day? I'm not a doctor.
Rarity briefly looked over her shoulder to see Rainbow Dash leaning out of her bed to reach for a book obliviously.
There's this miracle worker." Rarity continued. "She lives by the edge of the Everfree in a house lit by paper lanterns. You can't miss it. If you do, ask Fluttershy for help. Her name is Kimono."
"Uh, Kimono?"Twilight asked, making sure she understood the unusual name. At that, Rainbow Dash froze and toppled over a book from the nearby shelf.
"Hey! Kimono?" Rainbow Dash asked with a look of appall. "Why does this have to involve her? Don't I need a real doctor?"
"Dashie, sweetie, you know that Kimono is a fully capable healer and you're going to see her."
"Oh, come on, Twilight! You can't be buying this miracle worker stuff."
Twilight turned her head the other way.
"Actually, Rainbow Dash, you can't afford to see Nurse Redheart, but you really need someone to look at this wing. If Rarity's friend can help you, then so be it."
"We're only doing what's best for you." Rarity levitated the book on the floor back to her. "This is for the best."

Twilight left for the edge of the Everfree, (Rarity locking Rainbow Dash in Twilight's bedroom,) with the interest of seeing the work of a miracle healer driving her, guiding her to the house of Kimono which had a porch decorated primarily with paper lanterns. Surrounding the house was a myriad of exotic flora like bamboo and tsubaki flowers. The only place Twilight had ever seen these plants was in flower shops in Ponville. Twilight also noticed that everything was so… quiet and… tranquil. 
Twilight knocked on the door.
"Come in." said a voice light and clean like the chime of a bell.
Twilight couldn't, for the life of her couldn't find the knob or ring of the door. She was looking all around for some sort of trap door. Maybe there was some sort of spell she had to cast.
"You slide it." Kimono said after a long silence.
Twilight finally entered the sparse living room where Kimono, a lavender earth-pony was trimming a small tree on her coffee table with much care.
"Hi." Twilight said. "I'm here because of my friend Rainbow Dash."
Kimono put down her shears.
"She hurt herself didn't she?" Kimono asked. "Broke a bone?"
"Yeah. Her wing actually. How did-"
"I know her well. She was an unforgettable student of mine."
"Rainbow Dash was a student of medicine?"
"Medicine? I instructed Rainbow Dash in karate."
"Really?" Twilight asked. She knew that Rainbow Dash was pro efficient in karate, but wondered where and how she learned.
"Yes. That was a long time ago." Kimono answered. "I really haven't had business as a teacher since then." Kimono sighed. "Ponville hasn't needed my teaching, so I've had to make ends meet by growing rare plants from my family for the local flower shops to."
"Oh, I'm sorry." Twilight said.
"Don't be. It's been very peaceful. Sometimes you really need the quiet to focus and learn…"
“Well then… My other friend, Rarity, she told me your some sort of ‘miracle worker’ and recommended you to fix Dash’s wing. Have you been a nurse before?”
“A doctor? No. A healer? Yes. You see, as I trained, I learned that there is magic in everything – everyone. My power, any power comes from finding and understand that hidden magic, then shaping it, forming a powerful tool. Because of this, I’m one of the few spell-casting earth-ponies. I can help heal Rainbow Dash.”
“Okay. Just follow me. She’s staying at my house.”

Together, Twilight walked through Ponyville alongside Kimono who exchanged many friendly greetings with passerbyes. She noticed, on Kimono’s flank, was two paper lanterns. Strange, Twilight thought.
“So why’s your cutie mark two lanterns?” Twilight asked as they turned at the Hay and Stay.
Kimono chuckled lightly.
“I actually can't remember but, m-y parents had said it’s because I am like a lantern; beautiful, colorful, holding a brightness within…”
“So, when did Rainbow Dash learn from you?”
“It was about two or three years ago, but we’ve known each other longer than that. I’ve been friends with her, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity long before they discovered their places as the advocates of the Elements of Harmony. Rainbow Dash witnessed and became interested in my magic so she begged me to teach her.”
“Rainbow Dash? Beg? Have you even met her?”
“Apparently what I do was… ‘so cool’ to say the least. However she could never make it far as a student. She always asked ‘how’, but never ‘why’. She got so reckless to learn moves, but never proper posture or control or even the values I had to offer. It was all about what was fashionable.”
“Now that sounds like her.”
“Much to my resentment I, eventually, had to tell her that she wouldn’t be able to learn anymore from me. It hurt me knowing that she grew too impatient for my lessons. She took it well, though… Really well. Recently, I found that she’s been giving lessons to foals ‘her way’, so she’s been avoiding me lately.”
"Maybe that's why she's hesitant to see you."
"She's guilty I suppose."
"Well, whatever you have to say to her, you're gonna get to do it because we're here."
Kimono hesitated to look at the big library house.
"You live in a tree?" she asked.
"This is actually a library I bought."
"…I know I isolate myself somewhat, but I really don't remember this. I mean a library in a tree? When did this come out of nowhere?"
"You know what? I never asked when I bought this place. Oh well."
Twilight and Kimono walked into the bedroom where Rainbow Dash laid. For a long minute, Rainbow Dash and Kimono stared at each other - The only sound being a single breeze from the open window from the opened window whistling.
"Rainbow Dash." Twilight said, breaking the ice. "She told me everything."
A single bead of sweat rolled down the pegasus's temple.
"I'm not mad about you wanting to go your own way." Kimono said. "I'm sorry I can't teach you Rainbow Dash. I'm sorry I turned you away, but I can't ask you to change who you are."
Rainbow Dash took a humble sigh.
“Do you know how annoying it was to be able to do so little while, any day, I can catch you doing cool stuff like breaking breaks?”
“I’m sorry, but you shouldn’t feel bad. I’ve heard about the sonic-rainboom. We both followed our souls and while I learned magic, you became the fastest mare ever. You achieved something I know I can never do. I can’t be mad. You found your place and I couldn’t be prouder.”
“Gee… Thanks.”
“By the way, how did your teaching career go?”
“Darling,” Rarity, who had been watching quietly, spoke. “You know our Dashie has only taught a filly and a class only one lesson, right?”
“All flash, no substance?” Kimono asked the Pegasus.
Rainbow Dash chuckled nervously rubbing her head.
“Let’s just get my wing fixed, okay?”
“Okay.” Kimono said.
She spent ample time finding the exact fracture point. She placed her hoof on it, she closed her eyes and took several, long, smooth, steady breaths. Twilight’s eyes lit up in fascination as the hoof on Rainbow Dash’s wing began to ignite with a ghostly blue flame. All the while, Rainbow Dash remained perfectly still. It seemed liked five whole minutes passed before the flame died down, Kimono retracted her hoof and opened her eyes. Rainbow Dash was able to flex her wings without wincing.
“I’ve only accelerated the regeneration process,” Kimono said walking out. “Your wing is still not healed. Stay off of it for two days.”
“Thanks. Hey, wait!” Rainbow Dash said. Kimono stopped at the door. “You hardly ever show yourself in Ponyville. Half of my friends haven’t even seen you. Could you try to come down more often?”
“…Sure.” And with that, Kimono walked out, stopping to wave one last time at Rainbow Dash who hardly ever looked so happy.