Everypony in the Apple family barn was asleep, including Essentia who had just concluded her conversation with the Princess, and all was peaceful. At least, that was until a bloodcurdling scream made itself known from Applejack’s room upstairs. The priestess’ eyes shot open, and Applebloom made an effort to run to her sister’s place of sleep despite the immense dark just before the time of dawn.
“Applejack!” the filly cried out as she ran.
Essentia rubbed her eyes and sat upright, immediately recognizing that the scream from upstairs was spawned by a nightmare. She got out of the couch where she was sleeping and tiredly made her way upstairs, though however slowly.
When Applebloom opened the door, Applejack was hugging her pillow tightly, and she had tears forming in her eyes. Applebloom sighed and trotted over to her elder sister.
“Applejack…did you have another nightmare?”
The mare in question just nodded once, and Essentia arrived only to lean against the doorframe, listening to their conversation intently.
“AJ, this is the third night in a row…”
“Third night in a row?” asked Essentia, who was now slightly more alert than she was previously. “Has Princess Luna not come by to help you with your nightmares, darling?”
“Well…she’s come by all three times to help, but ain’t nothin’ ever got solved.”
Essentia was astonished to hear this. She was under the impression that Luna was always able to dispel nightmares and cure ponies at least from recurring ones. Something was illogical in what Applejack had said.
“What do you mean by that…?”
“Every time she comes by, she zaps the monster, and then it’s all fine until the next night when the same thing happens! It don’t make no sense!”
“Wow…that sure doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.” Essentia made her hooves glow in that moment, indicating that she was accessing her spiritual magic. “Might I try to find a cure? It should not take me too long, darling.”
“Would you please?” asked the earth pony. Essentia smiled warmly.
“Of course.”
Essentia immediately got to work. She removed the pillow and the blanket from Applejack gently, and Essentia laid the earth pony down on her back. The priestess placed her glowing hooves along Applejack’s solar plexus and sternum respectively as she gauged the exact origin of the nightmare ridden pony’s negative energy. Surely enough, the bad energy was stored within the pineal gland of Applejack’s brain, and Essentia released her hooves from the earth pony with a sigh.
“Your third eye is blocked with heavy, slow vibrations that prevent it from working at an optimal level of performance.”
“…which means?”
“Which means you are long overdue for a stress reliever. You need healing of some sort.”
“I thought that’s what Luna did.”
“Not quite, darling. She has the ability to astral project and to connect herself to the dreams of ponies interchangeably with her night alicorn magic. Her only job, therefore, is to guard the dreams of ponies and oust nightmares as they happen. She does not have quite the extent of spiritual healing as a fully trained priest would.”
“So what happens now?”
“What happens now is that I am going to give you Reiki therapy, and you will just relax and enjoy yourself.”
“…do I have a choice?”
“Do you enjoy having the same nightmare every time you fall asleep?”
“No…”
“Then let me help you, darling. Or are you too prideful to let me help you?”
Applejack had a sudden memory of apple bucking season when she had just about killed herself out of exhaustion from having not accepted the help of her friends. She inhaled slowly, and then exhaled composedly before shaking her head and looking up at Essentia.
“No. I ain’t too prideful. Go ahead.”
The priestess got right to work. Essentia started chanting to herself inaudibly, and she placed her hooves back where they were on Applejack’s body. She started on Applejack’s root chakra at the base of her spine, and then moved her hooves up the earth pony’s body as she passed the remaining six chakras. Essentia cleaned the energy by making herself like a waterfall filter, except she ascended against the flow of water instead of descending with it. In this way, Essentia could be sure to not miss any strands of energy as she passed them, and she could then be thorough in her work. The process overall was relaxing for Applejack, and the cowgirl sighed happily long after the process had started.
“Wow, this feels amazing.”
Essentia allowed a smile to appear as she continued chanting, and she then worked to physically massage the body she was healing as she moved her hooves. The priestess continued to regulate the flow of energy through Applejack, and it was another twenty minutes before the process itself could be completed. Afterward, the pegasus removed her hooves from the earth pony before reciting a prayer quietly. She was hoping to bless Applejack in this way and give her only positive vibrations. Applejack waited patiently before Essentia opened her eyes and began to speak again.
“Do you feel better?”
“I sure as heck do!” Applejack sat upright. “I feel relaxed and energized and clean again!”
“Good! Now would you perhaps be willing to talk with me for a moment?”
“Sure.”
“Could you please recount for me the details of your nightmare?”
After a solid half-an-hour of describing the nightmare, Applejack found that she was not mortified by the recollections of it. Normally, having tried to describe the nightmare was too painful for her mentally and emotionally, but there existed no more negative energy that would create another horrible dream like this one. Essentia smiled and held Applejack’s hoof in a motherly fashion.
“Are you alright now, though? Could you try and get some sleep, darling?”
“Well, I can certainly try. Thanks for everything, Essy!”
“Don’t mention it.”
The priestess made her way back downstairs while contemplating what had just transpired.
What if she’s not the only one in need of help in this town? I better stay here for a while.
Essentia yawned and sat back down on the sofa, thinking this over to herself, and she smiled at the prospect of staying here.
Perhaps my journey will not be too distantly travelled. And she fell back asleep.