Jelly Jar eventually came to his senses. What was going on?! A bead of sweat trailed down his forehead and plopped onto the ground. The sound of the impact resounded throughout the limitless white space he was resting in. For a minute, Jelly Jar was convinced that he had been abducted and whisked away to some sort of mystery location, but a pinch to his foreleg made that theory crumble away.
The stallion woke up, panting and damp, tangled within his bed sheets. He turned his head to face the accusing glare of Caroline. “I’m sorry sweetie. I know I didn't take you to see the musical last night, but I had a stomach bug.” Jelly Jar sighed and trotted downstairs, his knees weak, and a sour taste in his mouth. Jelly Jar winced at the sight of the food stuffs laid around his kitchen. Even the thought of consuming an edible was enough the make his stomach moan in protest.
The odd dreams had been occurring even more frequently. They were either over fast or dragged on for an immeasurable amount of time. Jelly Jar filled the sink and dunked his face into the water. He resurfaced a few seconds later, feeling slightly livelier.
Carefully, silently, the stallion checked on his beloved and found her sound asleep. Fondly, Jelly Jar smiled. It would be best to talk a stroll around when most other ponies were asleep. There was but a glimmer of orange light creeping across the shadowy grounds of Ponyville.
In the early morn, it was still quite frosty. Jelly Jar shivered gently and looked to the sky. The stars and the moon were fading from sight. It was certainly beautiful, and this scenic view of Ponyville put him at ease.
Jelly Jar had no clue where he was going, just blindly following his hooves. Before he knew it, he was deep in the under-growth of Everfree Forest. Jelly Jar took in his surroundings, still in a state of shock. His eyes widened massively; yet somehow, it wasn’t as scary as he’d anticipated. In fact, as Jelly tip-toed around, the whole place was almost inviting.
The cool shade, rustling greenery and the sound of faint birdsong was relaxing. Jelly Jar’s tense muscles reverted back to their natural state. Eventually, after humming to himself for a while, Jelly Jar discovered a weary little hut. It was strangely appealing, and he was knocking at the door in a flash.
“Who is that, please state your name,” came a rich, heavily accented voice. “I’m sorry; I don’t wish to be a pain.”
“It’s Jelly Jar,” Jelly answered, leaning uncertainly to the side.
“Jelly Jar! You may come in; to keep you out would be a sin.”
“Do I…know you?” Jelly Jar asked, pushing open the door and poking his head around the corner cautiously.
“No, you don’t, for you were but a colt, so that forgetfulness is not your fault.”
“What do you mean?” Jelly Jar inquired, approaching Zecora confidently.
“You were special I was told, I came to see your tale unfold. Your parents spoke of happenings and all sorts of signs and unnatural things. And Jelly Jar, it came to light, the signs shimmered through in dreams of white: you are destined to be the savior, of jellies in all kinds of flavors!” At the last sentence, Zecora threw her hooves in the air whilst Jelly stared at her in rapture, tears forming in his eyes.
“That was beautiful,” he whispered, the emotion choking him.
“Heh hem.” Zecora coughed and set her hooves back onto the floor. She smiled I gratitude at Jelly Jar. “Now, Jelly Jar, pursue your fate, don’t settle for good; you can become great. Your destiny lies in the heart of Everfree, but this task is much too dangerous for me.” Zecora began nudging Jelly out of the door with her snout.
“Hey!” he protested, flailing his limbs. He was uncomfortable in this position.
“Be on your way, sacred child, now out of my house and into the wild.” Zecora continued pushing him out until Jelly Jar was alone in the forest. He frowned and stomped his hoof. This wasn’t fair. He was a grown stallion!
Nevertheless, Jelly Jar trotted deeper into the forest, feeling an aura that was drawing him forward, down and down, into the undergrowth. Things became darker, creepier and it made his spine tingle with fear.
A searing white light began to emanate from the distance, a pulsating glow that was eerie yet strangely alluring. Jelly Jar stepped closer to it boldly, his mane frizzing with each new wave of energy.
Gradually, the light enveloped him completely and Jelly found himself drifting into the air, binds of white encasing him and making a holy power course through his blood. He began to choke on his own screams, but cut himself short as a comforting, yet disturbingly loud voice soothed him.
Shhh… the voice whispered. It was deep, attractive and manly. Shut the hell up, you sound like a bansheeee…
“Sorry about that,” Jelly muttered submissively. He hung his head in shame.
Suddenly, a jar came into view, shining brilliantly, and full of the most gorgeous jelly that Jelly Jar had ever seen. It shimmered in rainbow colours, sparks jumping off the glass pot.
It merged with Jelly’s chest, giving him a power he never though he’d have. He felt too much like a lowly mortal to deal with this kind of immense energy. A few tears slid down his cheeks.
Stop crying you wimp.
“Hey! I’m not a wimp! This is just an incredibly emotional moment for me!” Jelly Jar corrected the voice indignantly.
Oh…sorry man.
Jelly Jar thumped to the floor rather abruptly, smashing his face on the ground.
“Ow! Hey! You could’ve been a little gentler!” he complained, rubbing his head tenderly.
Uh…I wasn’t concentrating. My bad, man.
“What is this…man you speak of? I’m a stallion.”
The jelly god facehoofed silently, out of Jelly Jar’s sight. The stallion felt woozy. He stared at his hooves, still in a daze- and cried out in shock. They were both multi-coloured in every shade you could comprehend. Even the ones you can’t see.
“What’s up with me?” he asked the disembodied voice, his words uncertain and shaky.
You have become one with the Holy Jelly. Kinda like the Holy Grail. Oh man, did you see that Monty Python movie with the-
“Shut up and tell me more about this prophecy or whatever!” Jelly snapped, frowning in agitation.
Oh, right. Sorry bro. Yeah, so, you’ve become one with the Holy Jelly. You are now responsible for jelly kind. You need to protect the jellies, to make sure that they don’t get killed by hungry ponies. I have great hopes for you.
Jelly Jar’s eyes shone like two fresh berries. “Well, you can count on me!” he promised, rearing up in the air and flipping his fore-hooves.
Cool, bro. I’ll check up on you later, m’kay? The voice announced, and then it was quiet. Jelly Jar paused, to see if the voice was still there, then charged off, head held high and hope filling his heart. Plus he had a stream of rainbows following him wherever he went.