//------------------------------// // The Six Interpretations (Edited by BS) // Story: The Humble Prince // by Lighting Ace //------------------------------// "Look out!" Rainbow Dash yelled before swooping down and hoisting Pinkie into the air, away from the manic ax-welding pony who didn't waste time attacking them when he saw the group. "What in the hay is wrong with that pony? He is probably at least a hundred years old, wounded, and even blind! How can he move that fast?" Dash asked, perplexed by the lightning fast reflexes the pony had as he continued to growl and thrash at them while swinging his ax like a crazy stallion. "Don't know. I'm more focused on not having my head chopped off!" AJ exclaimed as she used her lasso to try and take the ax away from him. Though, the pony revealed a long metallic tube held in his other hoof that held a horn inside of it, making both her and Pinkie gasp when they saw it. "Is that…" Pinkie barely muttered out before a shock wave of magic burst forth, almost blasting the two mares away. However, they were saved with the timely intervention of the guards who pulled them out of the way, leaving nothing but destroyed tombs where they were seconds before. "That pony has a severed horn inside that weapon!" AJ yelled in shock, "Twilight, be careful!" The princess in question raised a shield in time to prevent another attack from the weapon before the nightmare jumped backward and zigzagged to avoid another attack from Rainbow Dash, before lashing out, forcing Rainbow back as he returned pressing his advantage and swinging his ax wildly. Garra saw an opportunity and took it, tackling him into the ground, before jumping back. "We are only tiring ourselves out. We need a plan." Twilight called out to her group. "Agreed, miss Twilight! My sister, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and I will keep him busy. You try to find an escape route." Daga told her before joining her sister and deploying two daggers from her armored horseshoes and started attacking. Her blades scored several small slashes on his body before quickly disengaging, flying away before he could retaliate. Simultaneously, her sister used two hidden swords mounted on the base of her wings to do the same, leaving a trail of ice behind each attack. When the nightmare wound up to lash out with his weapon, Daga threw a small weighted dart at his wrist trailing behind it was a thin metallic string that led back to her horseshoe. Once it connected, she unleashed an electric discharge which stunned the enemy. "What the hay? are those new kinds of weapons?" AJ asked them both, impressed by what they just did. "Standard royal guard weaponry…with some small arcane enhancements granted to us by scoring top ranks in our psychology and physical tests." Garra answered before narrowly dodging away when the nightmare jumped and almost split her head in half with the ax. The blade buried itself into the ground before it was torn free, flinging a cloud of dust up and into Garra's eyes, blinding her and leaving her vulnerable to the follow-up strike from the steel-capped butt of the weapon. AJ tried once again to disarm their opponent and take the horn cylinder away. Still, the nightmare grabbed her lasso and spun, pulling the unprepared mare off her hooves, AJ found herself airborne for a moment before being slammed into her friends, sending them crashing against the tree. "Ok, is it me, or is he getting faster?" Dash asked, her worry edging into her tone as they recovered from the last attack, scrambling to their hooves before he could attack again. "…Ah, what's that smell" The nightmare started to talk as he stalked towards them. "Is it fear? The core of any nightmare, it's calling for me…begging to be born!" He started to laugh maniacally as his attacks became more and more unpredictable. "Twilight! Tell me you found a way out!" AJ yelled out in near panic for how little control they had in the fight as her friends desperately tried to find any way to escape but could only see more of that dense fog that kept pushing them back. "Don't worry, partner! We can take it from here" To everyone surprise, AJ's voice replied to her question as a blast of magic streaked out from within the fog and hit the monster square in the forehead, stunning it and making him take a stagger back before snarling and turning to face the fog as a humanoid version of Applejack and Rainbow Dash stepped out of the misty shroud, Applejack held a smoking revolver in one hand and a music box on the other. She still wore her hat. However, there was a silver star woven into the hatband. Complementing her hat was a long brown poncho, blue jeans, and two holsters for her weapons. On the other hand, her companion looked more like a robot with steel skin, turbines built into the edge of her wings, and a blue uniform. Her head was protected by a red helmet covering her eyes and showing some of her rainbow mane. "Hey, Gascoigne! Does this sound familiar?" the Anthropomorphic Applejack taunted before starting to play the music box, forcing the nightmare to stop and hold his head in pain. This distraction gave enough time for Anthro-Rainbow to rush at him at maximum speed, sending Gascoigne flying with one punch that seemed to catch fire just before it sent the monster into the air, before chasing the turbines in her wings whining to life. She blurred up in pursuit and continued her assault, tossing Gascoigne around like a rag doll faster than the eye could track, finally ending her rush with a devastating kick to his face that rammed him right into the tree. "BOOM! Goes the dynamite, go Rainbow, go Rainbow, you just got burned, old-timer!" Anthro-Dash continued to celebrate even after she had returned to the ground until her companion smacked her on the back of the head. "Can you gloat after we rescue everyone?" Anthro-AJ scowled at her with a glare, "Buzz-kill," Anthro-Rainbow mumbled before her arm opened up and turned into a cannon and blasted the nightmare with a beam of fiery energy, giving Antro Applejack time to grab her counterparts' hoof. "That will not stop him for long, come with us!" "Ah…Eh…wha…what is happening?" Dash tried to process what was happening before looking to Twilight for an answer, yet she had a similar reaction to Anthro-Applejack. "There's no time, sugar cube! We'll explain on the way! Or would you prefer taking your chances with him?" the Cowgirl yells at the group, pointing behind her as the monster's silhouette howled and thrashed around as light started to leak from him like he was about to explode. "Point taken," Garra nodded and, along with her sister, helped to drag everyone out as Cowgirl Applejack, and Robo Dash rushed them towards the fog. The latter running ahead and using her speed once more, dispelling a chunk of the mist in one punch, opening a path for the group to escape before it could reform, leaving the monster behind just before he exploded into a beast-like creature, dispelling the fire all around him. At the same time with the royal sisters. "It's no use. More just keep coming!" Celestia shouted to Luna as she blasts yet another werewolf away from the group. Soon after they started their fight, the royal sisters managed to take advantage of the situation by continuously blasting the antlered beast away from them, as Rarity did her best to restrain it using her clothes against the werewolf. At the same time, Fluttershy kept searching for the connection point they were looking for. Everything seemed fine, and they start to gain some confidence when the creature began to crack like it was made of crystal. Still, their victory was short-lived once more copies of the same creature burst from the frescoes and halted the groups advance through with sheer numbers until, inevitably, a tipping point was reached and they were forced back. With their backs literally against the wall, Luna had just completed erecting a powerful force field. At the same time, Celestia tried her best to keep them at bay. "I don't get it, none of our nightmares were this bad before, not even the Tantabus was this strong" Rarity looked at Luna with concern, "Why are these nightmares different?" "Because my nephew's mind is that of a human, and unlike ponies, his dreams work differently from ours. and with Nightmare Moon feeding them with my magic, it would be logical that they would be far stronger." Luna glared at the monsters through her barrier before looking around "This is a lost cause, Tia! We need to retreat and think of something else while we still can." "I second the motion!" Everyone look at Fluttershy confused when they hear her voice in the distance despite that she was right next to them, she only shook her head before, from the front door, thousands of giant arrows streaked forth, perforating a sizable portion of the nightmare creatures, making them turn their attention to the entrance where an enormous gray wolf was holding a sword stood next to a humanoid Artorias, Ornstein, and Smough. The four then rushed inside and engaged the beasts immediately. "The Terror Knights?" Luna questioned out loud in confusion by their sudden arrival. "Hurry! While they covered us," Fluttershy's voice was heard again, but when they looked back, the group saw a bipedal version of her clad in green armor and blue clothes underneath it. "Fl…Fluttershy? But…how? if you are…?" Rarity asked, confused by what was happening, looking back and forth between the knight and her friend. The wolf's cries alerted them, and to their horror, they saw how never-ending the waves of monsters truly were. They were slowly overrunning the knights, who were only holding on due to the second volley of arrows that came from the distance. "There's no time; just trust me!" Anthro-Fluttershy yelled at them in worry before pulling a rope to hold everyone together. Then she extended her fist towards the knights and wolf, who turned into mist that blew straight back to four rings on her fingers. She then opened her hand and extended it to the ground where a lamp sprung up from it like a plant. It suddenly lit up with white light. Soon all of them vanished into the light before any one of the creatures could slam its claws into them. Twilight's group continued following their new allies sometime later, stepping into a narrow and deserted cobblestone alleyway. Rainbow finally had enough and flew in front of them. "Ok, I think we waited long enough, time for some questions, who are…?" Cowgirl-AJ covered her mouth and pushed her against the wall before pressing herself against it as well. Robo Dash shushed the rest of the group and followed suit, gesturing them to do the same. Pinkie nodded eagerly and compiled while everyone else followed suit in time for them to hear what sounded like two beasts fighting in a life or death struggle as the earth shook as the conflict continued. Several minutes passed until the ground stopped moving and they heard faint horse steps fading into the distance until the group couldn't hear anything else. Stepping outside everyone's face turned green at the sight before them, giant claw marks and signs of the struggle could be seen everywhere, scorch marks and still burning fires were spread out in all directions as well as gaping holes, making the whole area look like the aftermath of a fire. In the middle of the plaza, most disturbing of all, lay a massive charred corpse twitching in the street. From what could be seen, that wasn't buried beneath the destroyed houses. It had six-arms, with a spheric, half-eaten head that was riddled with holes that continued down its chest. "Sorry for the rough treatment partner, but we ain't exactly out of the woods yet. So to speak." Cowgirl Applejack apologized before advancing again "Everyone keep your eyes peeled, something worse than those nightmares is on the hunt around here," She whispered harshly, instantly bringing the twins to full alert. The pair calmly moved to guard the rear, and lightly pushed the group into a single column. "Just hold your questions, a tiny bit longer, ok rookie? Trust me. The rider is something you do not want to face. He preys on those things, for pity's sake." Robo Dash pointed at the corpse, "If that doesn't give you an idea on how dangerous he is, I don't know what will." "What could it be capable of killing something this big?" Twilight asked fearfully though also slightly intrigued by the nature of something so big. "Hmm, it's clear that he used some kind of piercing weapon. The holes are too clean and straight to have been left by a stinger or a horn. A lance, perhaps? No, they are too big, maybe a ram with a pointy end? But to leave so many holes at once, he would have to move an incredible speed, which is highly unlikely considering the size it must have. It almost contradicts itself, and then this fire? Did the rider cause it? Or was it the creature? The pattern follows some of the trails back to its victim, but these other scorch marks… they almost look like explosions." She speculated. "Don't try to overthink it, ok? We mean it, the rider is quite possibly the most dangerous thing around here, even the pest that started this mess avoids him." Robo Dash warned her as they turned the corner and began to cross a covered stone bridge where they stopped halfway through, and then Cowgirl AJ knocked on one of the walls in a specific pattern. The final tap opened a hidden door that led to another path. The door swung silently closed once the group was inside. The path led a short way to another set of doors. "Welp, we're here." Cowgirl Applejack opened the last set of double doors made of marble so the group could walk inside what appeared to be an abandoned church claimed by nature without pews, instead, having rows of pillars along each side of the room were covered by a layer of flowers, as well as chunks of the marble floor. A long pointy door frame in the far wall leading to a dense garden and, in the back, two sets of spiral stairs with another set of doors at the top lead deeper into the building. "Don't worry about any attacks, sugar cube. No nightmares can reach this place." "And what is this place, exactly?" Dash hovered in place as she looked around. "Gwynevere's Dream," Luna answered, and the group soon found the princesses and the rest of their friends coming from the garden accompanied by a bipedal Fluttershy. "Hello everypony, although the circumstances are less than ideal, it still nice to see you all in good health." "Princesses, Rarity, Fluttershy," Twilight smiled and rushed towards them alongside her friends to join in a big group hug, elated to be reunited once more. "How did you get here? Did you create those versions of ourselves?" Twilight looked at Luna in interest, who merely shook her head in response, "Just like you. These dreams came to us in our time of need." Luna turned to regard the counterparts that were greeting each other. "Although my magic did play a part in their creation, I can't take credit for them." "What do you mean, your highness?" Applejack wondered, ending the hug. "Who are those mares?" Garra looks at them still wary and on alert. "And why do they have a bipedal shape?" Her sister followed suit, scanning the place and the princesses if they were facing another trick." "Stand down and be at peace, private." Luna was quick in attempting to calm them down. "Although your suspicion isn't without merit, Nightmare would not gain a single thing from saving you right after tossing you into a trap in which she was expecting you to perish." She pointed out-earning their attention. The twins looked at one another, still unsure, and then turn to Applejack for help who looked back at them. "She is not lying sugar cube and raises a good point, why save us when she wants us gone? If she wanted to toy with our minds, she could have simply left a path to escape that crazy stallion back there." They thought about her words carefully for a while before nodding and relaxing their posture. "That still leaves us with who are those ponies." Garra looks back at them. "And if none of you made them, or this place, then who did?" Daga look around the building in confusion. "For whom they are, you could say that they are mental representations. Twisted, and bizarre images of my nephew's loved ones. In here it is normal to have many ideas for the same pony, each representing an exaggerated version of the qualities they see in them. Although these are different from what I have come to learn about." "Wait, so that is why my clone looks like a robot?" Dash pointed at her copy perplexed, as the princess nodded. "As for who created this sanctuary and the interpretations that defend it, well…that is more complicated to explain." Celestia looked up to gather her thoughts, not sure how to explain what they discovered. "Perhaps I could be of assistance your highness" The voice of Twilight got everyone's attention, and when they looked up towards the sound, they saw her and the rest of her friends walking downstairs to meet them. They were also bipedal, with Rarity wearing a diamond tiara, a pastel white and purple formal dress complete with voluminous sleeves and purple lipstick. A thin light purple scarf was draped over her shoulders with her cutie mark embroidered on its edge, elegantly walking and waving to the crowd like she was making a grand entrance to a ball. "Welcome to our humble abode darlings. It's so wonderful to see that you could all make it in good health." "Well, I say, Blueblood seems to understand me." Rarity kept looking at her copy, feeling flattered by the prince's interpretation of her. "And I have to say that the dress simply looks divine! I must ask him if he, by chance, has some skill in fashion." Next to Rarity counterpart was Twilight, wearing a long green robe on top of a long black dress with a turtleneck, a witch hat, some small glasses, and a necklace on the top of her turtleneck. "Maybe a visual aid will work better than just words." Witch-Twilight suggested while continuing their descent from the staircase. "Besides, it will probably be best if we clear everything up before explaining the plan." "Ah…Why does Blueblood think of me as a witch?" Twilight raised an eyebrow in confusion "I mean, I dressed as one once for Nightmare Night, but I never told him about that." Ahead of both of them was Pinkie Pie, who was sliding down the stairs' railing without a care in the world. She looked like some sort of DJ, with only one headphone on her right ear, dreadlocks instead of her ordinarily wobbly hair and tail, gathered together in a bun, making an odd ponytail, robotic blue legs, with rollerblades for shoes, a pink workout shirt without sleeves and what looked like some sort of sonic cannon in one hand. "Hi me!" DJ-Pinkie waved at her copy, who replied with eagerness, "Would you like to have a dance party?" "Would I?" Pinkie was about to take her up on that offer when Cowgirl-Applejack lifted her up, holding her sides, like a doll. "Sorry, partner, can't afford to get sidetracked, and you need to see this" She carries Pinkie to the middle of the room as they both awww in disappointment. "Bizarre interpretations indeed your highness," Garra commented. They followed Witch-Twilight, who marched towards the middle of the room while extending both hands, to levitate a big chunk of the foliage and debris from the floor, revealing an engraved circle beneath it. "And you haven't seen the half of it yet," Luna replied in a worried tone. "I suggest you prepare yourself, what you will see next might surprise you" She warned the original group before her horn and hands glowed purple as she took control of the flora. They all began to move their roots before moving towards the circle and started to spin around and upwards until they wove a hollow pillar of flora with stairs leading to the roof. "Twilight and I can explain things from here, the rest of you go to the meeting room and wait for us, we will be there soon enough" Knight-Fluttershy started to issue orders confusing the group as Cowgirl-AJ let go of Pinkie Pie, and they all left for the second floor. "Ta-ta darlings! See you soon." Formal-Rarity waves at them before leaving, her friends not saying anything else, and Pinkie just jumps around the walls to ascend rather than using the stairs. "Ok, that was weird," Dash whispered to Applejack while she only nodded. "This way, please," Witch-Twilight pointed at the stairs as she and Knight Fluttershy entered and started their ascent. The rest of the group carefully followed behind. Once they reached the top, the ponies found themselves in a vast library whose walls were so distant that they couldn't be seen, all around were shelves filled with books, all the shelves, and the surrounding furniture appeared to be reclaimed by nature. The image alone was enough to make Twilight squeak in delight while her friends just gasped in shock. "I know, right!? This place looks incredible, I mean, I'm not so sure what to think about the grass everywhere, but the books seem nice, and the air feels dry and clean... maybe it copies the properties of a dry forest, giving the place an air of fantasy, not to mention…" Celestia stopped her rambling with a giggle by putting her hoof on top of Twilight's back. "I believe they were referring to that Twilight," She clarified with a smile, pointing to her right. Following her hoof, Twilight soon gasped as well. Her jaw hit the ground when she saw a giant bed in the distance, but more importantly, how on top of the bed was a giant anthropomorphic Nightmare Moon soundly asleep. Curled up with a tiny red moon in her hands that was cracked like an egg revealing a purple mist inside, she was wearing a clean, simple, and long blue dress—a golden tiara on her forehead resting underneath her horn. A delicate semi-transparent blue cloth ran down her well kept and extended wings and long black sleeves. Her mane and tail were unusually long and straight, only occasionally moved in a nonexistent breeze. Some children's pictures depicting her and Blueblood were spread all over the headboard on her bed, and into some in a bookshelf beside it. "Everypony, meet our creator and the architect of this safe haven for dreams and memories alike. Blueblood's interpretation of Nightmare Moon made entirely from the portion of Luna's magic that he took from the moon." Witch-Twilight then turned to them with a knowing smile "She's the key to solving all of our problems in one swift move."