Once everyone took a moment to gather themselves after the surprise that was Applejack stretching her body like rubber, something happened that, in hindsight, shouldn’t have surprised anyone.
“That was so cool!”
Applejack jumped at the sudden near squeal from behind her. She turned, and saw Applebloom looking at her with stars in her eyes. “Er… huh?” she asked, having trouble recovering.
“The way you stretched! And, and then when you shot your hoof at the wolf like a crossbow bolt! And then, and then that thing where you moved so fast it looked like you had hundreds of limbs!” Applebloom was clearly amazed.
“Applejack?”
Applejack looked over and saw Twilight staring at her intently. She frowned, trying to figure out why. Suddenly, a few of Luffy’s memories flashed through her mind, mostly focused on the stoic and determined Zoro. Applejack stumbled backwards, a hoof holding her head as a headache came on. “Oooh…” she moaned, suddenly dizzy. “Wha…?” she tried to speak, swallowed, and then tried again. “What happened?”
“Another Hero Soul?” Twilight murmured to herself.
Applejack fought past the rising nausea she could feel and tried to focus. “Hero Soul?” Oh, right. That thing where Twilight, and Fluttershy she guessed, had the memories of someone else. Memories and abilities.
Is that what happened?
Zecora stepped up, her eyes focused on Applejack. “Have you overtextended yourself?” she asked, then paused, silently realizing her accidental pun.
“No. Ahm fine. Just…” Applejack swallowed her nausea again. “No, Ah… don’t feel too good,” she groaned again.
“She can’t already be going through rejection… can she?” Twilight continued to mutter to herself.
Fluttershy, the ever compassionate and caring mare that she was, noticed something everyone seemed to have momentarily forgotten. Behind the obviously not well Applejack was her sister, Applebloom. Applebloom, despite her clear awe for her sister at the moment, was still cradling her hoof. She approached.
Applebloom noticed her, and tried to hide behind her sister.
“Are you okay?” Fluttershy asked.
Applejack, realizing who Fluttershy was talking to, spun around to face her sister. She promptly fell on her face as the nausea stole her legs out from under her. “Oh stars…” she murmured with wide eyes, right before she promptly hurled on the grass.
Fluttershy, realizing what was about to happen, grabbed Applebloom and flew off the ground just in time to avoid them both getting vomited on.
Zecora reached into a pouch connected to a belt she wore and pulled out an herb. She held it in front of Applejack. “Chew,” she instructed. “Don’t swallow, just chew.”
Applejack opened her mouth and took the herb. “Minty,” she muttered after a moment.
“Mint?” Twilight asked Zecora.
The zebra nodded. “It should hopefully ease her stomach. I wish I could help more, but I am unsure what caused her sickness to begin with.”
“Ahm fine,” Applejack said around her full mouth.
“You are not,” Zecora said firmly. “Fine ponies do not vomit.”
“She’s got you there, AJ,” Rainbow Dash said, smirking.
Fluttershy, while everyone was preoccupied with Applejack, tended to the hoof of Applebloom. “Does it hurt?” she asked, pointing at the hoof.
Applebloom nodded. “I think I sprained it when I fell earlier. I was running from the wolves.”
“Yeah, that’s definitely sprained,” Twilight said as she walked up. Her eyes were glowing a light purple, almost blue, color as she looked at Applebloom’s hoof. “Not horribly, but I strongly suggest keeping off of it for at least a week.”
“She’s fine?” Applejack asked.
Twilight glanced at Applebloom, who had, surprisingly, turned to Zecora and began conversing with her about plants and their uses, before looking at Applejack and answering. “Physically, it’s just a moderately sprained hoof. That will heal relatively quickly on its own, faster with medical or magical aid.” Twilight glanced at Applebloom again. “Mentally… Well, I worry she may need therapy after this. Her life was just threatened after all.”
Applejack looked at the filly, who had taken to talking animatedly about herbs with the zebra. “She seems fine to me. Are you sure?” she asked.
“She’s currently riding the high of her adrenaline and the excitement of seeing her sister being so cool. Eventually that energy will fade. Eventually, she’ll realize how close she came to dying. Whether that will adversely affect her or not… well, I’m not a psychologist. Everything short of the paperwork to be a geneticist and geologist, but not a psychologist.”
After a moment, Applejack nodded. “I’ll make sure she goes,” she swore.
“You doubt me?” Twilight asked, not unkindly.
Applejack shook her head. “No, nothing like that,” she promised. “I just… how can you trust a pony that tells you how you’re supposed to think?” she asked. “It just seems like a bunch of hogwash to me.”
“Psychology isn’t about telling ponies how to think, Applejack,” Twilight said. “It’s about discovering how the mind works, and helping to heal the minds of ponies who have had psychotic breaks, or are victims of PTSD. It’s also there to help ponies recover from traumatic experiences, like Applebloom.” She placed a hoof on Applejack’s shoulder. “Do you trust me, Applejack?”
Applejack nodded without hesitation. “I don’t understand a lot of the things you talk about, or do… but I trust you,” she said with conviction.
“Let me take Applebloom to see Luna tomorrow. In fact, you should come with us. I need to speak to the Princesses about the fact that all of my friends are awakening Hero Souls. Two is a coincidence. Three? Something’s going on.”
Applejack nodded after a moment. “Alright. I’ll leave the farm in Big Mac’s hands tomorrow, and excuse Applebloom from her homework.”
Twilight smirked. “You mean hooves, right?” she asked.
Applejack blinked, then realized her slip. She groaned. “Oh man, this is going to be hard, isn’t it?” she asked.
“It’ll pass eventually,” Twilight reassured her friend.
“How is your stomach?”
Twilight and Applejack looked at Zecora, who had stepped forward and spoke. Applejack looked down at her stomach. “I feel… fine?” she asked in mild surprise. She smacked her lips and grimaced. “Gonna gargle some mouthwash though. That did not leave a pleasant taste in mah mouth.”
Zecora nodded with a smile. “That is good to hear.” She motioned towards Applebloom. “I have given young Applebloom a poultice made from magical herbs for her hoof. It should ease the pain and swelling, as well as boost her body’s healing factor slightly. I have given her instructions on how to produce more are well, so she may change it when necessary.”
Applejack noticed the green leaf-like wrapping around Applebloom’s hoof. She then looked at Zecora. “Thank you,” she said sincerely, before sighing. “To think… all this time I had thought you were…” she hesitated.
Zecora smirked. “Indeed, I have heard the whispers when disguised within the town. Many believe I am the cause of the timberwolf attack that stole your parents. However, I understand the day was traumatic to you. Truly, that your anger towards me gave you the focus you needed to recover was enough for me to let it be. I was happy knowing you survived and thrived…” She sighed here. “Even if your parents did not. I truly am sorry for failing to protect them,” she said.
Applejack surprised herself and Zecora by pulling the zebra into a hug. “I’m sorry too, for putting the town against you,” she said. “I don’t care what anypony says, you fought to protect the Apples twice now. As far as ahm concerned, you’re an Apple, and a friend. You will always be welcome on the farm.”
Zecora smiled after a moment and returned the hug. “Thank you,” she said.