Strangely obsessed with tubs of jelly
Author's Note
Well, I was lazy and didn't do my own cover art. It's off Google images!
A normal day
As you may know, there are a variety of ponies in Ponyville, each with their own talents and unique abilities, although there was one stallion that stood out from all the rest. Nothing was different about him appearance wise. He was just like any other pony on the outside. But his talent was something…unusual, to say the least.
As a colt, Jelly Jar had been placid and gentle, if a little quiet. He lived in Manehatten with his family. He barely ever spoke up in class, and was equally as quiet at home. One day, his parents took him to pick berries and together, they concocted a jar of jelly. Upon tasting the food for the first time, home-made and freshly produced, the foal’s life turned around. His obsession with jelly started off small. He’d collect spare jars from wherever he could, and fill them with his own recipes. Soon, he became known for his jelly in school, and wasn’t the most popular of the ponies because of that. That didn't daunt Jelly Jar though, oh no.
As he grew up, into a stronger and more resourceful pony, he began to combine flavors, begging fruit off of neighbors as often as possible. The stallion would toil late into the night, working on jelly in the basement, whilst his parents snored away peacefully in bed, unaware of their son’s activity. It was one late night that as Jelly reached around to get some tools, he noticed the cutie-mark on his flank, and he began to dance in joy. But all good things have to come to an end. Soon, Mr and Mrs Jar noticed the sticky residue on Jelly Jar’s hooves, and the bags of sleepless nights under his eyes. It wasn’t long before they discovered the small station he had provided himself.
On an uneasy morning, they decided to confront him. Underneath the table, Jelly’s parents held each other’s hooves for comfort, and explained their concern for their son’s obsession. After hearing what they had to say, Jelly went into a rage, packed up as much cooking equipment as he could, and left the house in an inconsolable anger, deciding that if his parents couldn't accept him, then he had to leave to seek his fortune.
He traveled through a few places in Equestria, stopping now and then to sell his wares to make some quick bits. It was going to be difficult to settle in a new place. Then, eventually, he ended up arriving at Ponyville. The place was tranquil, yet cheerful. It seemed the perfect place to live in solitude and happiness.
It was hard to scrape up the money, just as Jelly Jar had expected, but eventually he managed to save enough cash to purchase his own cottage. Life was beautiful from there on. He was left alone to do whatever he pleased without his parent’s watchful eyes. It was just the sort of life he had hoped for.
A stallion was waking up to the day with a sort of happiness that no other pony could match. Beams of sunlight bathed the room in a honey-colored glaze. Jelly Jar yawned in content as his alarm clock began ringing, which he quickly stopped with his hoof. He turned in bed to face the jar next to him, named Caroline, its shiny red lid making a dent in the pillow. “Morning,” Jelly Jar murmured to it, planting a kiss on the glass that he had polished so painstakingly the night before. He admired the delicious looking jelly hungrily, but resisted. This problem would usually occur, especially in the morning. Yet each time, somehow he would pull back from it, shaking his head in irritation at himself.
Ever since Jelly Jar had fallen in love with that particular pot of jelly Caroline, he’d done everything he could to keep her preserved. Gone to every doctor (though it was never long before he’d get kicked out) and seen just about every unicorn in Ponyville to cast a spell over her, to keep her as fruity as the day she was when she had been created. He wasn’t about to ruin that in a sudden moment of greed.
Jelly picked Caroline up between his teeth, carried her downstairs and placed her on the chair opposite him, which had a stack of books balanced on it precariously, so he could make ‘eye-contact’ with the jar. After making a breakfast of buttered toast (with no jelly, for obvious reasons) he got ready for work. Jelly Jar had been sure of his profession as soon as he had set hoof into Ponyville. He’d make jelly, of course, and sell it to hungry ponies, as much as he despised selling off his jelly. They felt like his children, after all.
There were many ponies that were willing to give berries to him, as they knew that the result would be a profit of bits and a free jar of jelly. After all, it was the best in Equestria, wasn’t it? It took a while to get the stock ready, but eventually he had all he needed, and the stallion set of with a saddle-bag full of jelly jars that clinked when he moved. Slowly, so as not to crack any of the jars, Jelly Jar made his way into town, preparing the stall he had crafted with his own two hooves. The logo of his brand was actually his cutie-mark, an orange and white jelly jar.
Business was flowing smoothly. Derpy Hooves, a mare that often dropped by, paused over the collection of fruity delights and inhaled deeply, giving a lazy smile. She nodded towards a pot far in the back, beginning to count out the required bits. Jelly Jar steadied it in his hooves and gave it over, sad to see the little guy go. It was a new flavor too, blueberry and black currant. No doubt, Derpy was about to enjoy it with a muffin.
Several hours later, Jelly trailed back home with a near-empty saddle-bag at his side. He clenched its straps in-between his teeth, removed it from around his neck and dropped it on the ground. The stallion’s legs ached from standing around doing virtually nothing, more than one would expect. He gave a gaping yawn and found his Favorited jelly jar tilted against the bed with a book spread in front of her. Jelly Jar smiled fondly, watching her with warm eyes. “How about we eat dinner and watch a movie, dear?” he proposed, a faint accent still lingering about his sentence. He still hadn't quite shrugged off the after effects of Manehatten. Jelly got supper ready, in the same way that he always had, night after night. The days worked like clockwork for him now that he lived in Ponyville. No more worrying, no more stress, just acceptance from all the other ponies.
After his meal, Jelly flung himself onto the couch and grabbed his favorite jar, snuggling down with her into a fort of plump cushions. He grinned a little and turned the romance movie in the T.V. on, settling down to concentrate on it. When it came to the worst parts of the movie, Jelly Jar began to stroke Caroline’s lid comfortingly, to make sure she wasn’t upset by it. He knew these sorts of things could really eat her up, but she just wouldn't admit it.
Once the movie had finally ended, Jelly Jar let out a dull, drowsy yawn. He could feel his eyelids become as heavy as rocks, or so it seemed. He chided Caroline to get up and carried her up the stairs, his footsteps heavy and gradual. Slowly, the stallion cocooned himself inside his blankets, shifting around impatiently to find the correct place. “Good night,” Jelly Jar whispered to Caroline as his world darkened and drifted away.
Jelly Jar woke up to a blank, harshly bright room. He shielded his eyes, wincing in the furious glare. The sleep began to unclog from his brain, and the jelly-obsessed pony began realizing what was levitating serenely in front of him. “What…?” he gasped in disbelief, eyes widening to the size of two large pies. Jelly thought about pie for a second and was momentarily distracted.
“Stop thinking about pie! Focus!” the ginormous jelly jar hollered, sounding peeved.
"Sorry,” he muttered sheepishly. “Wait, how did you know what I was thinking?!”
“I am the God of Jelly. Jelly Jar, you must fulfill your destiny as the Lord of Jelly! Go forth and ensure the safety of jelly kind!” With those final words echoing in Jelly’s head, the scenery around him was drowned in a sea of black.
Jelly Jar woke with a start, beads of sweat glistening on his back and rolling down his skin. His brain throbbed with the memories of the dream. A honey-colored fan of sunlight crept across the room, the same clockwork way it had the morning before, and the same joy was lit up deep within the stallion’s heart, except this time, he knew that there was a lot more in store.
