Like AJ the foals didn't remember coming back into farmhouse or getting into bed. Stone Mane was confused but Applebloom didn't seem alarmed by this.
AJ was already up and helping Granny down in the kitchen. She had a distant look in her eyes; as if her mind was somewhere else as her body reflexively went through the process of dicing and cubing of potatoes. Applebloom trotted up to her older sister.
"Morning sis! So what do ya think about last night?"
AJ looked down at her little sister with a mixture wonder, confusion, and a hint of dread. "It's. It's a lot ta take in. Sugar cube does stuff like that happen every night ta now?"
Applebloom reared up swept a pile of potato peels with her front hooves into a bucket on floor. These she'd feed them to the pigs later. Still reared up she brushed a few stuck peels on her hooves into the bucket. With that accomplished she looked up at her sister.
"Ya more or less. My sleep has open my mind ta much bigger world." A smile crept across her face. "It's big and amazing. It's very scary at times, but…"
She paused and looked out into dining room where Stone Mane was setting the table. The smile grew larger on her face. "But becuz of it I found something dear ta me." She looked back at her sister. "And that makes it all worth it."
AJ lowered her head and nuzzled her sister's mane. "Ya really love him? Dontcha?"
The filly nodded her head. "Ya I do." She tilted her head up and looked up at her sister. There was a mischievous twinkle in the filly's eyes. "So. What do ya think of the king?"
Applebloom watched her sister's white freckles turn a bit pink all of sudden. "Ah! Well! He's um, uh, quite a fellow! That's fer shur!"
The filly's grin grew larger. "Yeah he is!"
––––––––––––––––––
After breakfast and washing up the morning dishes Applebloom prepared for her trip to Zecora's. Due to Stone Mane's arrival she'd been negligent in her daily routine of stretches, and she knew if didn't try to limber up before heading out she'd regret it. So before she left she headed up to her bedroom to do the routine she'll normally did every morning.
Stone Mane trotted up the stairs. He'd run the food scraps out to the pig pen and after washing his hooves he went looking for Applebloom. They were suppose going to somepony named Zecora who lived in the forest nearby, but that was all her knew. Unable to locate the filly in the kitchen, living room, farmyard, or barn he headed for her bedroom. Her bedroom door was open so he just walked in.
"Hey there Bloom! Are we going to head off to…." He stopped in his track. Applebloom was lying on floor doing. Well, um. As an athlete he was familiar with the concept to doing stretches, but Applebloom was doing some very, very, um interesting stretches. Stretches that he'd never imagined her doing. He just stopped and stared at her silently. For several seconds the filly continued lie on the floor with head bowed and her back leg spread wide in the splits. After a moment the filly lifted her head and address the colt.
"Yeah. This is my last one. I'm ready ta go! Give me a moment ta finish up . Okay?"
The colt robotically nods his head. "Okay. I, um, I will be waiting down in the living room for you." Then he turned around walked out of the room. His head now full of odd thoughts and feelings.
To be continued.