When dreams come true -Fifth story- Early presents

Twilight was taking an early stroll to Sweet Apple Acres, she wanted to check up on Jabberwocky and document more about his magic without Rainbow Dash or Spike causing any trouble.

Then she heard a bloodcurdling scream coming from the farm.

She felt her heart skip a beat. Quickly snapping out of it, she ran as fast as possible to the source of the screaming.

She didn't dare think about what was happening; it sounded as if someone was dying!

Louder, louder, louder with each step; the trees were just a blur of green and brown as she made her way through the farm. Her mind raced through every spell she knew that could do something in this situation, even if she didn't know what was happening just yet.

The barn came in sight and the unicorn saw Jabberwock flailing wildly, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Big Macintosh and even little Applebloom were trying to subdue him.

"Leave me!" He screamed and kicked, he was trying to hit himself on his left eye, which already had several cuts and bruises around.

Twilight couldn't make heads or tails of the situation, but gave thanks that he had hooves instead of hands or else he would have succeeded in clawing his eye out.

After another cry of pain the lavender filly used her magic to pin him down… he was surprisingly strong for such a thin pony! The others had to keep holding him or he would try to hit himself again.

"All a lie!" He kept at it, crying and twisting, tossing his head from side to side.

Twilight's eyes opened wide when she saw it, a knife aimed directly at his face. She reached for the handle with magic, knowing it would be useless to attempt to stop the blade.

But then another appeared, and another. If he was that determined it would be hard to stop him… and then she remembered.

"Stop! Don't move!" She yelled at the top of her lungs. Feeling the knives fade from existence under her magic grip, she sighed in relief.

"Please." He whimpered as he was released. "We thought we had made friends, this is too painful; we don't want to see again."

"What happened sugar cube?" At the sound of Applejack's voice, Jabberwock almost hit himself again. Big Macintosh was about to stop him, but he just let his hoof drop.

"I'm hallucinating again, everything was a lie." He went limp, like a rag doll. "It was stupid to think friends that good were real."

"What are you talking about?" Asked Pinkie.

"See those apples? We never left the land of dreams, it was all a lie." He began to sob, the blue tears mixing with his blood.

It was then that the Apples and Twilight noticed... the fruit had been painted in all sorts of colors and patterns.

"Rainbow!" Applejack was hissing through her teeth. "Ah know yah didn't mean ill, but both of ye should'a seen it comin'!"

"We are sorry!" Both pranksters said.

"We didn't know you were here!" Said Pinkie.

Twilight levitated an apple and washed half of it on a nearby barrel of water, so now it was part red, part zebra print. "It was just a prank from Pinkie and Rainbow Dash! See?"

"A… prank?" He could barely open his eye through the swelling that began to set in, but he caught a glimpse of the apple in front of his muzzle. To everypony's surprise, he was smiling. "Yes, that's right… friends play pranks on friends from time to time. Haha, we sure fell for it."

He hugged Dash and Pinkie Pie, paying special attention to that soft, airy mane brushing against him that was just like cotton candy. He held them tight, as if he feared they would fade away if he didn't grasp them close enough, as if he was making sure they were real.

He fell unconscious immediately after letting them go, a goofy grin on his mouth.

His card mask fell off, but since he wasn't using any magic other than the one sustaining his body, his right eye was 'merely' missing entirely.

"Eww." Said Twilight, gently floating his mask back in place and soaking a rag in water for his injuries. "That's it, we have to take him to Canterlot; I'll send a letter to the princess right away."

*****

He woke up to see that he was inside a castle, being held up by a pair of pegasus ponies wearing armor.

"I can walk on my own, thank you." He sprang to his hooves, bowing to the royal guards. "Sorry for the inconvenience."

"Where am I?" He looked around the beautifully decorated hall, full of tapestries and stained glass windows. Images of the sun, the moon and two winged unicorns in any combination laid everywhere. Smooth marble tiles and exquisite rugs remembered him of the palaces back home, only more… welcoming.

"This is Canterlot's castle, princess Celestia said to bring you in if something happened."

He froze up, as if in terror. "Wait a second Miss Twilight… did you say 'Princess Celestia'? As in, the Princess that raises the sun, whose sister is charged with raising the moon? The very royal pony sisters from your stories? They told you to bring me in if I went crazy again?"

"Um… yes? She's my mentor, I'm sure that with her wealth of experience she could help you." She said. Jabberwock seemed even more tense than her for some reason. "Why? Is everything alright?"

"Oh sure, we just found out that- wait, has our arrival been announced yet?" He said.

"I think they are about to." Said Twilight, pointing at a pair of guards that were but seconds away from opening the large doors that lead to the throne room.

'Were' being key operative, since they were impeded by a large brick wall that appeared in front of the door.

"Just give me a minute! I have to deal with something very very important first!" Jabberwock told the guards.

"OK, I need to be presentable, give no indications of how crazy I've been." He said, turning into the Knight again and combing his mane. "Where is my sword?"

"Here." Said Rainbow Dash, passing it along and making Jabberwocky finally notice that the six girls and Spike were keeping him company. "Why so worried?"

"Oh nothing." He laughed as he strapped the scabbard to his back. "Just that like any other mist-blooded the Day is our Father and the Night is our Mother, speaking from a dream point of view, so anyone properly aligned with them are just the same by extension."

He looked himself over; making sure not a single hair was out of line, his eye patch was shining and his armor was properly polished and spotless. "And it turns out I don't have an offering. Do you have any idea of what the aligned to the Sun can do to those aligned to the Mist like us?"

"No? Well, since I'm not my own being yet she could kill me where I stand just by scowling, and I don't think that us going insane over a prank is going to make her smile."

"So I need an offering, a tribute… but the more we think about it, the less I'm sure. I have a lot of swords made of fallen stars, bows adorned with sigils of the moon and things like that, but I doubt they would be a good peace off- oh! I have just the thing!"

He opened another of the White Rabbit's holes, making an object the size of a shoebox that shone with the colors of an aurora fall out of it. "OK, perfect. Miss Rarity, would you help us pick the present for Princess Luna?"

"I-if it's that important for you darling." She answered. Truth be told, she was slightly nervous about the meeting herself, still, even if she would have liked to get her makeup done before departing she was far from being as bad off as Jabberwock was.

Picking a beautiful cape, which appeared to be a piece of night and aurora plucked right out of the sky, he dissipated the wall and apologized to the guards again.

He froze up all the same once the doors opened and he saw both princesses in the flesh; he didn't even hear that he was being called by Twilight over and over.

"Jabberwock you said?" Asked Celestia, prompting him to hide behind the other six ponies.

"Y-yes, your majesty." He replied.

"You have nothing to be afraid of. Come out." She said… her voice was so smooth it sent shivers down his spine.

He hesitated with each step, as if the floor was going to give away and fall off.

Then, Luna spoke. "Come on, why so scared?"

He trotted over to the center of the room, though more to the side of Luna than Celestia's. Then, he took off his sword and placed it on the floor.

"I-I don't have a name to offer, but yet I place m-my blade at your s-service." He bowed so far his forehead was on the floor. "D-during light of day or dark of night, I-I shall be concealing mist, hiding everything from e-enemy sight I-…"

"There is no need for that." Said Celestia, causing him to squeak and curl up as if she had cracked a whip even though she spoke with her usual grace.

"W-well, I-I have a gift, an offering, in that case." Jabberwocky presented the box to Celestia and the cape to Luna. He felt his heart beat so hard it seemed to be about to explode. "A shield of innocence and a mantle of aurora, for you."

Celestia and Luna stood up, causing Jabberwocky to cover his head and look away. "Forgive me!" He squealed. "Please don't hurt me!"

He heard them. Heard their hooves against the stairs. Heard them walk ever-so-closer to where he was.

Then, nothing.

He knew he wasn't dead, not yet at least; his chest hurt and his head throbbed in tune with his heart. He couldn't keep from shaking; he never meant to offend either lady. As he had said, they were not only above in the chain, they were…

"Sorry I lost my head Mother." He whispered. "Forgive us."

"Shh." That was Celestia, apparently. "I understand how difficult this is for you."

"We just wanted to talk with you." And that was Luna. "Everypony has a bad day from time to time."

"R-really?" That just made him feel worse, he heard the tale of Nightmare Moon from Twilight.

"Yes, I'm glad you believe you can find what you seek here in Equestria." Hearing Celestia say that was a shock.

"D-did Miss Rarity… tell you?" He said as Celestia gently lifted his head.

"It was part of the letters I sent." Said Twilight from behind him.

"So… you aren't mad at me Mother?"

Celestia let out a soft chuckle, lifting a weight from his heart. "Oh no, I care deeply about the well-being of all my subjects, and that includes you. There is no need for 'offerings'."

So the party was true, he had truly been welcomed in more than just the little town.

"T-then let me- I have something to say about this." He felt oh so light. "I am of the same opinion as Miss Twilight."

He slightly turned his head to the purple unicorn. "Sorry about reading your mind that way."

"S-so if you don't want an offering, then let me say this." He faced both princesses again, a few tears running on his face. "Happy Mother's day in advance, we hope you like your early presents."