The Monkey and the Jellyfish, The Day at the Beach
MLPFiM
It had always had hard time trying to take a vacation back in the human world. Now that I am in Equestria I could find a day much easier. It was a warm sunny day and Salisbury Beach. A perfect day for an outing and for a baby-sitter, or rather a foal-sitter to do his job. Who's the little scamp I'm foal-sitting?
"Come on!" A white unicorn mare shouted at me as I disembarked the train. The unicorn had a two tone streak mane, a swimsuit covered her cutie mark. She was carrying a cooler in her magic grip. So, this is Salisbury Beach? it's just as beautiful as I was told."
"That's right Gleaming Shield, I guess if Shining Armor was never here you would not have been either." I put the umbrella and other bags down. Who is Gleaming Shield? Gleaming Shield is what would have happened if Shining Armor's Y chrome never lost it's lag. Yes, it's a female version of Shining Armor.
"That's right. I wanted to bring Eros, my husband, for the longest but I never could." Gleaming and I looked out over the black and yellow swirl sand. All the different types of beach patrons, ponies, griffins, donkeys, and minotaurs walking around, playing game, having cookouts, walk along the beach, and shopping at the venders. There were also many different performers entreating for stray bits and a few ponies guard wandering around keeping the peace among the beach goers.
"I'm glad Twilight suggested this, I haven't been at the beach for the longest time." I told her.
We set I set up my area on the beach I looked out at the swirled black and yellow sand that Salisbury was famous for, so I was told. I laid the beach towel out and anchored the umbrella, I watched the beach chairs, and cooler float into place held in place by a magenta aura.
"You almost done, I thought this was suppose to be a day out?"
"I've got to make sure everything is set up." I nodded.
"I suppose you're right, but I've been cooped up in Twily's lab and I need to stretch these legs." She waived her front hoof at me. I'm not quite sure about the exact details but apparently there was some sort of magic pond in the Crystal Palace. While Twilight was studying it Shining Armor fell in and then out popped Gleaming Shield. Apparently she came from a world where all the Mares in this world are Stallions and the Stallions of this world are Mares, does that make sense?
Since then Twilight has been trying to help put things back the way they were. It has been two weeks since Twilight started her research on Gleaming Shield trying to get her back home and bring Shining Armor back home.
"She is trying to get you home. Our situations are not really the same but I understand what you mean, trust me."
"I know, there is a female you back home, I still remember the stories you told when we were being attacked by the Wendgos." She flashed me a smile. "I just hope Shining Armor is getting along with Eros, Dusk and Filius."
"I sure he is." I tried to reassured her, she sighed and lowered her head. It had to be tough being away from her family, sure I knew that part. But I couldn't imagine ending up in a world where everyone's genders were swapped. "I'm sure Twilight will figure some way to get you home. I know she likes having a BSBFF, Big Sister Best Friend Forever, but I am sure she wants her brother back even more." I told her.
"I'm sure you're right." She smiles at me and nods her head. "Well, what should we do first?"
As if our question was answered a beach volley ball smashed into our spot.
"Hay, old timers!" A young stallion yelled at us. "Mind passing that ball back to us."
"Yeah we were a middle of a one on one game," A young mare shout back at us. "Unless you want to make this interesting and join us?" She asked.
I looked over at Gleaming to gage her reaction, she was smiling at me. "How are you at playing volley ball?"
"I've got a good serve and not to bad at the back but I suck up front." I answered her.
"That's what I'm for. Lets show these kids what we can do." Gleaming told me with a smile.
We took to the volleyball field, a serve from a bipedal creature took the young a little by surprise but they recovered quickly enough. It was a fierce battle the to young ponies did have youth on their side but we gave them a run for their bits with my Round House serve and Gleaming's spikes we had them off kilter but in the end the two did best us. In the end we lost and with some laughing we parted ways. I was never good a volley ball, but it was fun playing.
After a game like that we decide that we would enjoy the scenery. We walked along the beach the tides washing our feet and hooves. It was calming from the exercise that we just received from the volleyball game. As we walked along the length of the beach we watched as the waves move in and out just ahead of us a jellyfish came drifting onto the shore.
"Watch out, it's a jellyfish don't want it to sting you." Gleaming stated.
"Don't worry I know how to fix that. I just have to pee on the affected area. Don't want to do that." I said as I waved my hand in defense.
"Nice to know," She nodded. “I just wonder why they keep washing up on the shore?”
I thought for a moment before saying.“There is a story about why jellyfish wash up on sure.”
“It seems like you have as story for everything or almost everything..”
"Well if you must know, it was once believed that the jellyfish was quite different. They say that long ago, in days past jellyfish was a creature with a shell and four, long bony legs. The could move on the land just as easy as a crab could."
"You're serious?" She looked at me skeptically. Then her face shifted into a smirk. "I'm guessing there is a story behind that."
"There is, it's an old Japanese folk tale. It's also why you should pity them as for what happened to them. Would you like to hear it?"
"Maybe later, I'm hungry." Gleaming shrugged and pointed towards the concessions. "I bet you are hungry too."
My stomach growled in response. "That would be a yes. Lets check out the food venders." The sound of sizzling vegetable reached my ears. There were food vendors lining the area where beach and sidewalk met. There were veggie dogs and burgers, corn chowder and something that made me stop in surprise. "A yaki-soba noodle stand?" I asked aloud.
"Yes, it's possible it's very popular on the beaches this time a year." Gleaming Shield shrugged. "You know yaki-soba noodles?"
"Yeah, it was also popular in Japan." Something caught my attention I pointed out little stand that had a griffin working on the grill. I examined the menu written on the slate. There were a set of picnic table next to it. "Well, this is interesting meat." I said a loud.
"Oh, a griffin joint? We can eat here if you want. I'm OK with that. I've eaten with griffin soldiers before, you probably have better table manners then they do."
I gave her a grin. "Well alright then," I glanced at the menu board again.
"Think I'll have the BBQ mutton sandwich." Mutton, ha, wound what that's like. I thought to myself.
"The salad with chrysanthemum and marigolds." She said with a hoof on her chin.
When we had our food, we took a seat at one of the table. It was so good to have some meat again, not like I've had not had it since I've been here but it's been a while still.. We ate in relative silence, with the sound of us enjoying our meals.
"The jelly fish?" Gleaming Shield started.
"The jelly fish?" I restated and wiped off my mouth.
"You said there was a story about the jelly fish, I want to know about that. It sounds interesting." I nodded to her placed down my sandwich and started my tale.
In ancient Japan, the oceans were governed by Rin Jin, the Dragon King of the Sea. He ruled all the sea creatures both great and small, and lived in a palace at the bottom of the ocean so beautiful that no one has ever seen anything like it, even in dreams. The Dragon King was a wise and just ruler and was honored by all his subjects, but One day the Dragon King grew quite ill and no one knew why. After several days the Kings doctors came back with the answer. "The King is lonely the only way he will get better is if we find him a wife."
I stopped my story so that I could take a bite from my sandwich
Gleaming stop eating too was looking at a near by shop. "I miss my husband. I know how that dragon king feels." She went back to her salad as well.
I there was nothing I could say to her to make her feel better. I just continued my story and continued to eat. Yeah I get it speaking with mouth full not good but hey it was lunch.
So the King's ambassadors went out to find the king a wife. The ambassadors searched the oceans for a suitable bride, the search was long and hard. Finally they found one, a lovely young dragoness. Her scales were like the glittering green of the waves and eyes like gleaming white pearls. Before the ambassadors could tell the young dragoness why they were there she simply smiled at them. "I was waiting for you, I am assuming that you are here to take me to the King? Please bring me to him, I am in love with him." So the ambassadors did.
When the King first met the young dragoness he fell in love with her. The wedding ceremony was celebrated with great splendor and every living thing in the oceans rejoiced, from the biggest whale to the tiniest shrimp.
I had stooped to clean myself off and within no time we had we finished eating. When Gleaming Shield started to examine the shops around the food stale.
"Hey would you like to go shopping? You know souvenirs and all that."
"That sounds good, you think that the prices would be a little high for, tourist and all."
"I have no problem with that, besides I promised Ms. Peach Bottom I get her a souvenir."
We crisscrossed in and outs of many different shops. It was difficult to decide what to pick up. The good old stand bys where my friends, mugs, T-shirts, tasteful a set of seaside spell books for Twilight and Nyx case books. I pick up a brooch made from a starfish for Ms. Peach Bottom, I thought it would be a good gift to thank her for all the works she's given me. It was at one shop that she paused on a set of cufflinks they were made from sea shells.
"I think I'll pick these up for Eros, I think they would suit him. Did you know that he liked Seafood?"
I shook my head. "No, but it's not surprising when you think about it, he is part Pegasus and some of Pegasus like eating fish. I hear Rainbow Blitz likes fried cod."
"I think I'll get them for him," She picked them up and paid the cashier. "So what happened after the Dragon King got married to his new bride, you said it was a story about the jellyfish, Right? So what happened?" Gleaming added as she put her the cufflinks away.
"Prepare for a sudden downturn." I told her.
The Dragon King and his bride were very happy together. But it was not to last for just two months together the Queen suddenly fell very ill. The King ordered the best doctors and nurses to look after her, but instead of getting better, the young queen grew daily worse.
One day one of the doctor surprised the King. "I know what the illness is and what will cure the Queen." He stated.
"Tell me what is it!" the King demanded.
"It would be impossible. For you need a liver cut from a live monkey!" The doctor answered. "If we could only get that, Her Majesty would soon recover"
"Well, even though we sea creatures cannot leave the ocean, we MUST get a monkey to cut up somehow!" The King declared.
He called his chief steward for advice, who thought for some time, and declared. "I know! The Jellyfish is ugly to look at, but he has a hard shelled as well as four bony legs that will help him walk on land. There is an island not far from here I'm sure that there will be a monkey there. The Jellyfish can catch one or trick one to come here."
"So what are we going to do next?" Gleam asked, interrupting my story.
I paused. It took me a moment to think what could we do next? That when I saw a set of old, beat up, surfboards. "Now that's what we can do."
Gleaming looked over at me and then at the board. "Are you kidding you can't fit those on the train."
"I don't have do we can just use them and leave them for some lucky foals I mean look at how beat up they are it would make their day." I looked at the price, four bits. "They are super cheap too."
"Do you even know how to surf?" Gleaming asked me.
"My dad did he show me the basics. It could be really fun." I picked up the two pony boards.
"Still it is a good idea. I think you will sure you better then me." She told me.
"Though I don't think we'll be doing anything crazy. At most we'll probably just coast to the shore. Of course you'll fit on the board better then I will, it is pony size."
After I showed her the basics on the land, mostly how to paddle out, stand and balance on the board we finally got out into the ocean water. We paddled out, for me it was like riding a bike but Gleaming need some help seeing as she just started. It was cool and felt good compared to the warm day. The waves caused us to bob up in down in the waters it felt good to be out on the waters. "You don't have to worry about standing up or ridding it you can just lay on the board and coast."
We didn't do anything too big infect Gleaming barely managed to stand on her board. I didn't do anything too spectacular but I was glad that my dad's lessons actually came back to me. But the wave didn't do anything too big and we were mostly coasting letting the wave carry us towards the beach.
"So," Gleaming started. "Your dad, he was a surfer?"
"Yeah, he was a surfer but he gave it up after a mixture of me being born and an accident."
"An accident? Was he hurt bad?"
"Sort of his pride mostly and a big toe on his left foot." I told her.
"How did that happen?"
"You know the term a rock and a hard place? That is how that happened and now he is one too shy. . It's really hard to explain it wasn't explain clearly to me in the first place. He also need to worry about a wife and new kid so fooling around in the sea couldn't help us."
"Is it sort of like how the jellyfish change?"
"The story I can handle." I said firmly before I started telling the tale again.
The jellyfish was summoned and ordered to entice a monkey to the Dragon King's palace. The jellyfish was very worried about the task, the poor jelly fish had no choice but to swim off at once. Luckily, when he reached the island he saw a monkey on big palm tree branch. It was a lucky day just what he was looking for a live monkey.
"How do you do, Mr. Monkey?" The jellyfish called to the monkey, thinking quickly of a plan. "Isn't it a lovely day?" He added politely.
"A very fine day," answered the monkey. "I have never seen you before. What is your name?"
"My name is JellyFish. I have heard so much of you beautiful island that I have come to see it," Answered the jelly fish.
"I am very glad to see you." The monkey said.
"By the bye," the JellyFish said, "have you seen the Palace of the Dragon King of the Sea where I live?"
"I have often heard of it, but I have never seen it!" Answered the monkey.
"Then you must surely come. The beauty of the palace is beyond all description-it is certainly the most lovely place in the world," The JellyFish said. The monkey grew more and more interested as the Jellyfish described the beauty and the grandeur of the Sea King's Palace.
The monkey came down from the tree. "I should love to come with you," he sighed, "But how am I to cross the water? I can't swim."
"There is no difficulty about that. I can carry you on my back," said the Jelly Fish.
The excited monkey leap onto the jellyfish's hard shell and they plunged into the sea. Thus they went along, skimming through the waves until they were about halfway, when the Jelly Fish began to feel more and more sorry for the terrible fate that lay ahead for him.
"I am sorry monkey," He started. "I am so very sorry."
"Sorry for what?" The monkey asked.
"I am bringing you to the Dragon King's palace to help save the Dragon Queen's life."
"That does not sound so bad."
"Well it is because the King needs your liver to do so and they will most likely kill you to get it.
The poor monkey was horrified, and angry at the trick played upon him. But he was clever, so he kept calm and thought of a way to escape.
He had a bright idea. "What a pity Mr. JellyFish, that you did not tell me before we left the island! I have several livers and would happily have given you one but I have let them all hanging on the palm tree."
The Jellyfish was very disappointed, he believed the story.
"Never mind," the monkey said, "Take me back to where you found me and I will fetch a liver."
The pleased Jelly Fish turned back to the Island. No sooner had he reached the shore the monkey scampered off and up a palm tree. "Of course, I won't GIVE you my liver, but come and get it if you can!" The Monkey mocked.
The last wave saw us back to shore, I stopped telling the story for now. We finished trying to surf washed back onto the beach and went back to our spot on the beach to just relaxes for the rest of the time where we're going to be here. I set up my chair and sat down. Gleam lay down on the towel. We rested in the late afternoon sun, it was pretty good just to sit back relaxes and watched the ocean for a while. The waves going in and out in and out, peaceful and calming.
"I think I should finish the story," I looked down at Gleaming Shield. "Don't you agree?"
"Sure, I am pretty sure we know how it will go."
"Yeah but you can't go without finishing a story."
There was nothing the Jellyfish could do but to return back to the Dragon King and confessed his failure. The Dragon King was beside himself with furry. He ordered a terrible punishment, that all his bones were to be drawn out from his body and then he was to be beaten with stinks until his shell broke off and he was left a flattened pulp. When that was done he was going to be banished from the palace.
The jellyfish was humiliated and horrified beyond any words. He cried and begged the Dragon King's pardon but his order was carried out. The descendants of the Jellyfish have all been soft and boneless, just as you see today. That is also why to this day the descendants of the Jellyfish also wash up on the shores.
"That is the unfortunate ending of the story. So," She started. "What happened it was a pretty bleak turn what happened to the Dragon King's wife?"
"She died." I dead pinned him.
"Now I see why you side the jellyfish should be pitied."
"That's right," We saw Celestia's sun starting to set and Luna's moon starting to rise. "Still it's a sad story all around. The jellyfish and the Dragon King."
Gleaming Shield nodded then added. "Well lets go and catch the train back to the Crystal Empire."
I stood the two surf boards up in the sand and pick up our bags and boarded the train to leave Salisbury beach. I watched the sky go dark and the moon to rise. Gleaming was already dozing in her seat but I was wide away. It was still very lovely time. It was a good day I thought to myself. Glad I got a day off today. I heard Gleaming give a snort. Even if it was foal-sitting.
Author's Note
I do not own the right to My Little Pony; Friendship is Magic, it is the property of Hasbro. This story was also inspired by a folktale from Japan, I wanted to share this story with you. This is a prompt from the Gleaming Shield, Twinkle Scout Summer Vacation Prompt.
Eros, Prince Eros = Princess Cadence
Filius = Nyx
Dusk, Dusk Shine = Twilight Sparkles
