Kelp Me
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Fear… fear never changes. You can fight against it. You can utilize it to avoid paranormal dangers in the world. You can even let your friends beat it down for you so that you can face the truth and accept a part of yourself that you have been ignoring. But it never really leaves. It always has a gripping hold on every pony’s heart.
---
The sun shines brightly on the land today. Birds are chirping. Grass is growing. Flowers are blooming. Acres of trees are being shaken.
*Wham* *Wham* *Wham*
Another season of apple bucking opens up with the proud owners of Sweet Apple Acres already hard at work. It is a season filled with sweat and tears, but the four ponies here enjoy this kind of life more than anything else. If you offered them a life of luxury and fanciness, each of them would laugh heartily at such an idea. They wouldn’t trade it for Equestria.
Applejack is a fine example of this pride and joy. Just watch her as she delivers a kick with those big, strong legs. The apples gracefully fill that bucket just for her. Why shouldn’t they? She is so straightforward and honest and strong and mature and beautiful - *ahem* - sorry. I don’t know where that came from.
“Hey, Applejack!”
Speaking of things of which I don’t know the origin, Pinkie Pie hops into Applejack’s field of vision from seemingly nowhere. Her bouncing in place is a clear indicator that she’s in a good mood.
“Howdy, Pinkie Pie,” greets Applejack, “What brings you by these parts today?”
“Well,” Pinkie begins, “I was about to take my lunch break when Fluttershy came in and told me that she was coming over to ask me if I wanted to join her for lunch today because Rarity suggested trying out the special at this brand new Japonyse restaurant after their spa session. So then I thought, ‘Wow, I haven’t had Eastern food in forever,’ and I decided to see if Twilight, Dashie and you were available. Then we could all go and we’d have fun trying it out together.”
As with most anything that Pinkie Pie says, it takes a while to comprehend exactly what was said in one breath. Applejack is no exception to this rule. She idly scratches her neck while trying to figure out what her friend is saying.
“I heard ‘lunch’, ‘new restaurant’, and the rest of our friends’ names in that sentence,” Applejack decides to say.
“That’s funny,” remarks Pinkie Pie as her hopping suddenly stops, “I don’t remember saying, ‘and the rest of our friends’ names in that sentence’.”
The gal with the Stetson puts up a hoof to clarify before shaking her head in dismissal of the point. It’s really not worth the time or effort to question Pinkie Pie’s logic. She settles on smiling at her friend and verifying the situation.
“So Rarity’s inviting the whole gang and we’re meeting at this new place?” Applejack reiterates.
“Yes, indeedie!” Pinkie cheers right back up and resumes her bouncing.
Some time ago, the working farmer would have declined an offer that involved leaving her work. After all, it is her job and she is not some pony who slacks off every time the opportunity arises. However, she recently started applying her learned lesson that accepting help is nothing to be ashamed of. Perhaps today is a good day to apply the idea that taking a break will help make working easier later. Besides, she reasons, her stomach is starting to growl.
“Alrighty, then,” she nods, “Let’s skedaddle.”
“Yippee!” cheers Pinkie as she turns around and starts bouncing forward. Applejack trots briskly after her.
---
The restaurant seems simple enough externally. In fact, visitors to Ponyville may confuse the place with one of the other surrounding buildings. Aside from the sign hanging over the front door that reads “Maki Pony”, there is very little to distinguish this one place. Anyway, that’s enough speculation. The story takes place inside.
Seven friends sit around one particular table making idle chit-chat. They keep each other updated with current events and less consequential comments of life. Rainbow Dash is awaiting word on her application for the more advanced Wonderbolt training. Fluttershy is keeping the peace with her favorite manticore. Rarity is finding more gemstones than ever now that the Diamond Dogs leave her alone. Twilight Sparkle is getting ready for her first-time treaty negotiation with a foreign nation. Spike is trying everything he can at home to create the perfect nachos. Pinkie Pie is… well, doing something that keeps her happy.
As for right this moment, they all stop to see the waitress slide the special platter to the center of the table.
“Please enjoy,” she states as she walks the other way.
While the others glance at the food with various degrees of wonder, Applejack’s lips form a small frown. She feels a slight unease at the sight of the… sushi rolls set before her.
“Uh, what’s that stuff wrapped around the rice?” she asks carefully.
“Why it’s a delectable kelp wrap,” insists Rarity.
Applejack gulps, “D-did you say… kelp?”
While Rarity and the others tilt their heads in confusion, Princess Twilight Sparkle snaps her eyes open.
Uh-oh, she thinks, AJ told me before how much she dislikes seaweed. Now that there’s a whole roll of it in front of her…
The truth, however, is much deeper than even Twilight realizes. In just one second, Applejack’s mind repeats an experience from long ago, back when she was a little filly.
---
The cool breeze helps counter the hot sun. The wet sand helps too. For her one day away from work, Applejack is having fun dodging waves and kicking sand. Her baby sister watches and giggles from the safety of her seat. Meanwhile, Ma is trying to teach Pa how to swim. The key word is ‘trying’ as he can’t seem to imitate her example hoof strokes in the least. Yet, they’re still having a good time.
A few extra bubbles in the waves go unnoticed.
Pa’s head is suddenly dipped under the water. Ma waits expectantly for him to pop back up since they are in rather shallow waters. She jumps back when she is startled by the large, green thing curling up out of the water ten feet above her head. Wrapped in a section of the oceanic plant-thing, Pa screams with all the air of one breath. Ma joins in the screaming as another green appendage lifts her upside-down.
Applejack isn’t playing anymore. No, she’s looking with eyes wide at the horrifying sight before her.
“Ma! Pa!” she yells. Instinctively wanting to be at their side, she starts galloping in their direction. However, she pauses when a much larger clump of the seaweed-thing rises out of the water. The green appendages move in a tossing motion. Ma and Pa get hidden from view by the kelp. Their screams can no longer be heard.
For a second, Applejack loses all strength to move a muscle. Pure terror takes hold of her body. She just saw Ma and Pa get… but she doesn’t want to believe it. It’s too horrible.
“Wahhhh!”
A baby’s cry snaps the filly out of her stupor. Applejack’s mind is in primal overdrive. Apple Bloom. Water. Too close to water. Monster. Monster in water.
Her hooves gallop without her. The living seaweed approaches the shoreline. Of all the times for it to high-tide, why is it now? But Applejack can’t hear the water. All she hears is a deep pounding in her head and in her chest.
“Leave my sis alone!” she yells as her legs suddenly move faster than she ever thought possible. In a quick motion, she grabs the baby seat’s handle in her mouth and gallops away just as the kelp-thing’s appendage crashes on the beach sand.
She keeps on running. Despite the tears streaming from her eyes and despite the crying still coming from Apple Bloom, she cannot stop running.
---
Applejack’s voice is barely louder than a whisper. “Leave my sis alone.”
Spike waves a claw in front of her face before he asks, “Applejack, are you feeling okay?”
The kelp-wrapped rice rolls look nothing like a delicacy. All she can see are monsters just waiting to take away ponies, just like they did to Ma and Pa. One of those monsters is beckoning her friend closer to it. Rarity!
“No!” Applejack yells as she tackles the kelp monster and all of its disgusting white guts. Is it not satisfied with just Ma and Pa? Is it now going to try to do the same things for her friends? It won’t if she has anything to say about it!
Her eyes are burning with fury. She stomps the monster into the floor. If it wants to eat her friends, it is going to have to go through Applejack. She lets out a round of heavy breaths before she turns around to look at the other hungry-looking kelp-things. She isn’t going to give them the chance either.
She thinks she is making all the kelp rue the day that they messed with her family. As Celestia is her witness, Applejack is not going to let them remove her friends too. Their soft, white innards spread all over the place. Their skin goes flat and unmoving along the cold, hard ground.
With the danger averted for now, AJ chances a look at her safe friends. Their expressions of shock are understandable. It’s not every day that you get attacked by kelp monsters after all. But, she is too tired and breathing too hard to explain the danger that just passed. Thinking about the closeness of it all just makes her lower her head. Tears obscure any vision.
Slowly, Twilight Sparkle stands up and trots over to where Applejack is. She isn’t entirely sure what just went through her friend’s mind, but she can easily tell that it is bothering. Without a word, she wraps a hoof and a wing around her. Applejack continues crying quietly.
Sometimes there are no words that can make the situation better. Sometimes, all you can do is be there for your friend.