Riddle Me This

by Silverquill

Rating: everyone
Tags: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Cutie Mark Crusaders, Spike, Adventure, Princess Celestia, Main 6
Length: 5059

When creatures kidnap belongings and ponies from town, Twilight and Fluttershy set out to find them.

Something is going around Ponyville, stealing both possessions and ponies alike. When a friend gets taken, Twilight and Fluttershy set out into the Everfree Forest to rescue her. But will they be able to stop this creature from raiding the town again, and will they be able to handle its challenge?

(Picture vectored by BreadKing)

Published 2012-03-06 18:23:25 UTC
Last updated 2012-02-20 23:14:12 UTC

Riddle Me This

“It’s ravishing! It’s beautiful! It’s… perfect!”

Levitating the gem closer to her, Rarity felt an ecstatic giggle escape her as the jewel reflected her boutique’s lights all over its walls. Her gaze swept the gem as she twisted it around, admiring every angle of its round surface. “Yes, quite perfect. Finding a gem as spherical as this, especially at this size, is nearly impossible.”

And yet, here it was. Rarity brought the jewel closer, eyeing its clear, white surface. She hadn’t been expecting too much from her latest gem hunt with Spike; at the most, she would probably have gotten a decent assortment of common crystals. But when Spike dug for the jackpot and sprung back up with the prize, Rarity hadn’t been able to contain her excitement. This treasure had been just what she needed for her latest design idea, and she’d been sure to reward Spike handsomely from the other gems they‘d found.

“Now then, where to begin…” Rarity asked aloud, rubbing her chin. Before she could begin her grand design, she would have to find the right color to match with the gem. Levitating over a few swatches of color over, Rarity compared them and the jewel side by side. “Red, no. Blue, maybe. Green, absolutely not! Hrrm, the lighting here in just too dim to judge.” Rarity glanced around, looking for a brighter area. An open window over on the wall seemed to beckon to her, the sunny day pouring through it promising much better lighting. Wasting no time, Rarity trotted over to it, holding the gem up to the window to get the sun’s full effect on it.

“Wonderful! Now, where was I?” Rarity mused. Holding up the colors again, she began comparing again. And yet, she just couldn’t seem to make a match. “I must be forgetting something,” she stated. Glancing around the room, her gaze fell upon a palette she must have missed. “Lavender! Of course! This must be it.” Extending her magic to pick up the leftover color, Rarity pulled it over and turned back to the jewel for the final comparison.

That is, she would have, if there was still a gem there. “Wha?” Looking around the boutique again, the unicorn saw no traces of the treasure. Like a switch flipping off inside her mind, she felt her magic’s grasp on her prize fade away. This could only mean one thing: Something had taken her diamond out of range. Confused, Rarity walked up to the window, leaning out and peering around.

Her eyes locked on something glinting in the distance. “How did it get over the-” she began, pausing when her eyes drifted to the figure holding onto her prize. The creature was too far away to make out, but Rarity found herself wondering how it’d taken her jewel and gotten far away that quickly.

“You there!” She called out, leaning out the window as far as she could go. “One does not steal from a lady! Return that at once!”

The creature looked back, barely catching her voice. Just as quickly as it turned, it looked away, charging off in the direction of the Everfree Forest.

Rarity’s eye twitched. “Bring it back, you scoundrel! Have you no shame?!” she called out, groaning in frustration as the creature only moved farther and farther away. Pushing herself away from the window, she closed it behind her, leaving it behind as she made her way out her front door.

Out in Ponyville’s streets, Rarity turned towards where she’d spotted the figure. She could barely make it out on the horizon, the gleam of her stolen possession slowly fading away. Wasting no time, she began running, setting off after the thief. She’d looked forever for a gem like that, and she wasn’t letting an unscrupulous cretin rob her of that.

“Over here! Pass it over here!”

Giving the multi-colored ball a few more bounces with her head for good measure, Scootaloo leapt up and hit it towards her unicorn friend. Sweetie Belle caught it, quickly passing it off to Apple Bloom. The filly caught the ball, letting it fall next to her. “Ya ready, Scoots?” she called out. “Ah’m gonna try my new trick!”

“Ready!” the pegasus replied, bracing herself. Her friend quickly kicked the ball back up into the air, before twisting around and giving it a swift kick to Scootaloo. The pegasus watched as the ball flew high, soaring over her head and towards the forest behind her. “You overshot it!” she called out, already running to go retrieve it.

Zzoom!

A blast of wind struck Scootaloo, almost knocking her off balance as a blue blur caught up to the ball midfall. The blur caught the toy in midair, quickly kicking it back towards the fillies. Scootaloo watched as the ball soared back past her, gently rolling to a stop in front of her friends. She turned to the newcomer, grinning wide. “Rainbow Dash!”

Rainbow Dash landed, stepping forward and ruffling the filly’s mane. “That’s my name, squirt, don’t wear it out.” She looked up, smirking at the other two fillies. “Couldn’t help but notice that trick while I was flying by. Not bad… but how’d ya like to see a better one?”

“Of course!” Scootaloo responded, nodding vigorously. Her friends simply shrugged as they watched Rainbow Dash trot over and pick up the ball in one hoof.

The pegasus winked towards the fillies, raising the ball high. “Watch this.” She knocked the ball high into the air with her hoof, rapidly unfurling her wings and taking off after it. When she reached it, she flew almost parallel with it, allowing the ball to make contact with her back as she starting doing loops around it.

She continued, doing loop after loop while she let the ball do loops of its own. She grinned as she heard the entertained shouts of the fillies below, mixed in with a bit of applause. Rainbow Dash milked the trick for what it was worth, doing loops until she was about to get dizzy Finally, she stopped short, watching as the ball went flying at high speeds towards the forest.

The ball hit the ground hard, bouncing off and landing in a bush right on the edge of the Everfree Forest. “How’d ya like that?” she called down below, placing a hoof to her ear as the fillies praised the performance. “What’s that? You want more? Wait right here!”

She took off, heading towards where the toy crash-landed. Flying fast, she reached it in no time, going in for a landing right next to it. She reached out, grabbing for the ball.

Rainbow Dash flinched back as something shot out of the bush, wrapping itself around the ball. She only had the time to recognize it as some sort of paw before it went back where it came, taking the ball with it. Soon, there was nothing but the rustling of bushes to indicate anything had happened.

She blinked, confusion showing in her eyes. “What the hay?” she breathed, leaning forward to peer into the bushes. “Hey, I was using that! Not cool!” she called out. “C’mon, give it back!” The rustling continued, slowly fading away. “You don’t want me going in there after you!”

The rustling faded away, leaving silence as the only response. Rainbow Dash huffed, unfurling her wings once more as she began making her way into the forest. “You asked for it!”

The forest quickly swallowed her up as she pursued the thief. The three fillies she left behind watched her go, looking confused. “Where’s she off to?” Apple Bloom asked first.

The other two shrugged. “Maybe the ball went farther than we thought?” Sweetie Belle offered.

Scootaloo perked up, grinning fiendishly. “What if we helped her find it? C’mon, think about it. Cutie Mark Crusader Toy Finders!”

Her friends nodded, copying her grin. “Yeah! C’mon, we gotta get ta it before her,” Apple Bloom stated.

The three fillies got up, racing off towards where Rainbow Dash had disappeared. They entered into the forest, letting out a cheerful shout. “Cutie Mark Crusaders, go!”

“Here they come, sis!”

Applejack looked up, watching as their harvest began to fall from the trees. “Ah’m on it,” she called back, balancing the bucket on her back. She maneuvered into position, preparing herself for the incoming fruit. As the first apple landed in the container, she began moving, carefully and quickly positioning herself under all the falling fruit.

She kept at it until the harvest stopped falling. With a grunt, she knelt down and let the container slip back onto the ground. She glanced it over, inspecting the apples that now filled it. “Not a bad haul on this one, Big Mac.”

“Eeyup,” her brother agreed, stepping into view. She let him pass by her as he began nudging the bucket towards the rest of their bounty. Once it was settled in, they counted. So far, they’d gotten six buckets of apples.

“It’s a start,” Applejack commented. “We’re gonna be needin’ some more buckets, though. Mind gatherin’ up a few? Ah’ll take over the buckin’ when ya get back.”

Big Mac nodded, leaving his sister behind as he headed towards the barn. Applejack turned her attention to their harvest, beginning to sort out the bad apples from the good to pass the time. “Good, good, bad, good…”

Rstle.

Applejack stopped sorting and peeked over her shoulder. “Apple Bloom? That you sis? Done playin' with yer friends already?” she asked, turning away from the apples. "We don't got the time ta play hide n' seek, sis,” she scolded. There was no response. “Apple Bloom?”

She was met with silence as she walked away from her task, peeking around a few nearby apple trees. Unable to find any trace of somepony, she shrugged, chalking up the rustling to an unnoticed breeze or, Celestia forbid, another rabbit invasion. “Better not be those varmints again,” Applejack muttered to herself. “Had ta chase them all the way back to Fluttershy last-”

She froze. “Ti-yi-yi-ime,” she stuttered, her jaw dropping as she starting running forward. “The harvest! Where is it?!” Where once six barrels of apples had stood, there was nothing there now. Applejack glanced about, her eyes narrowing on something off in the distance.

Three figures were making a getaway, and they were definitely bigger than bunnies. They each had two bushels of apples on their backs as they ran, heading off towards the Everfree Forest. Applejack snarled, knowing that if they got away, so did a lot of much-needed profit.

Deciding Big Mac would forgive her for running off, she began running, chasing after the escaping creatures. “Yer not gettin’ away that easy,” she called out. “Yer gonna be sorry, ya varmints!”

“Rarity’s going to loooove this!”

Pinkie Pie’s grin widened as she neared her fashionista friend’s house, ready to show Rarity her latest invention. Pinkie remembered how she’d gotten a chance to spend time with the unicorn a few days ago, and how her fun day with her had given her the inspiration for her most brilliant idea yet: Balloon clothes!

Well, sort of. The balloon shoes she’d made had just kept popping beneath her hooves, and that just wouldn’t do. Her second idea had come out much better, though: Balloon capes. By taping balloons to each other and weaving their strings together, she’d made both a colorful accessory and something to help her bounce higher.

Right now, she was getting curious looks from everypony in the streets as she bounced above their heads. If it got attention like that, Rarity would surely enjoy seeing it. Pinkie couldn’t wait any longer, and she smiled even wider as the top of Rarity’s boutique appeared over the buildings around her.

Soon enough, after turning a few corners, Pinkie could see the boutique straight ahead. Almost giddy with excitement, she approached, bouncing all the way. With one last bounce, she rose high into the air, heading straight for the building’s front door.

But she stopped in midair. Suddenly, she was being pulled along against her will. She found herself flying through the air as the balloon strings tied to her body tightened. She squirmed around, trying to catch a glimpse of what was going on.

While it was impossible to see clearly, something seemed to have grabbed onto the balloon strings of her cape with its mouth, dragging Pinkie along with it. This can only mean one thing, Pinkie realized. A new friend!

“Hi there, I’m Pinkie Pie!” she introduced herself, still trying to get a look at what’d grabbed her. “What’s your name? Oo, wait, I should probably be able to see you first. Quick, tell me what you look like! C’mon, you know you want to! Where are we going, anyway? To a party? I love parties! Of course, you might not know that, since we just met… but I do!”

Whatever was taking her away growled, quieting Pinkie down for a minute. “No need to be a grouchy-pants!” she scolded. “C’mon, turn that frown upside down! I mean, if you have a frown. Are you frowning? Don’t worry, Pinkie will take care of that! First, we need more balloons. Then, we need cake. Lots of cake!”

Her captor merely growled again, doing its best to ignore the babbling pony as it dragged her towards the Everfree Forest.

“Is it just me, or does everypony seem on edge today?”

Twilight looked towards Fluttershy, waiting for her companion’s answer. The pegasus glanced around the town square, blinking in realization. “You‘re right.”

“What’s up with that?” a voice piped up. Twilight looked behind her, focusing on the dragon on her back.

“I’m not sure, Spike,” she replied. It was true, everypony had been acting weird since Twilight had first picked up Fluttershy to help with buying some useful herbs. While some ponies seemed completely normal, others looked like nervous wrecks. Twilight perked her ears up, catching snippets of chitchat: Stolen… he’s missing… something took… and so on. “I think I’m going to ask what’s got everypony so riled up.”

“Hi, girls! Bye, girls!”

Twilight flinched back as something charged past her, carrying something in its mouth. Panicked shouts filled the plaza as ponies noticed the beast running by. Twilight’s jaw could only drop as she saw who’d shouted out to her. “Pinkie Pie?”

The pink pony waved to Twilight as she was pulled through the air, talking to something all the way. Twilight shook her head quickly, collecting her thoughts. “Spike, get back to the library and send a letter to Celestia. Let her know something’s kidnapping ponies. Fluttershy, you’re with me,” she ordered as she let Spike drop off her back. “We have to save Pinkie!”

Twilight ran off, stopping in her tracks when she realized she wasn’t being followed. She groaned, walking back and beginning to nudge Fluttershy forward. “Come on, Pinkie‘s in danger!”

“B-but…” Fluttershy stammered, still a little shaken.

“Time’s wasting away,” Twilight said. “It was heading for the Everfree Forest. Let’s go!”

“Pinkie? Pinkie! Where are you?”

Twilight pushed her way through the brush, chasing after the distant sound of Pinkie’s never-ending chatter. Fluttershy followed right behind her, having realized one of their friends was in danger. Twilight would occasionally have to turn and coerce her friend to continue the chase, which slowed them down considerably.

“Come on, Fluttershy,” Twilight muttered. “They’re getting awa-” Twilight paused midsentence. “Did you hear that?”

Fluttershy shook her head quickly. “N-no, I don’t hear a thing.”

“Exactly.” Twilight perked her ears up, listening for the smallest of sounds up ahead. Nothing came back, which could only mean Pinkie had quieted down… and Pinkie never quieted down. “Something’s not right. Let’s go!”

The two ponies quickened their pace, heading towards where they’d last heard their friends voice. Moments later, they burst into a clearing, breathing heavily from the trek. “Where… where are we?” Twilight huffed, taking in their surroundings.

Ahead of them loomed a tall, thick tree, its purple bark and blue leaves contrasting with the rest of the forest around them. Round, blue fruit dangled from its branches, each one decorated with a yellow triangle in their centers. Next to the tree stood a cave, and Twilight could see a hoard of various objects within. And in front of that pile…

“Pinkie!” Twilight said, eyeing the pink pony that was chatting on and on, despite having a vine wrapped around her muzzle. “And… everypony else?” Twilight stared on in confusion as she noticed the rest of her friends, each one seated beside Pinkie in the cave. A few other ponies from around town could be seen lingering about as well, though nopony was outside the cave. The creatures guarding the cave made sure of that.

From what Twilight could see, they looked a lot like maneless lions with wings. Each one appeared to have a dark rim around their eyes, and what appeared to be a headdress adorned both their heads. “What are they?” Twilight wondered aloud.

“Ooo, I think I’ve seen these in my creature guidebook,” Fluttershy whispered. “Each guard is a sphinx, or sphinges for plural. Distantly related to griffons and lions, they’re known to inhabit the sandy region called the Solar Dunes.”

“The Solar Dunes?” Twilight replied. “Then what are they doing here?”

“I’m not sure,” Fluttershy muttered, racking her mind for any useful information. “Their diet consists of the rare ny’loka fruit… I think there’s some on that tree up ahead. They’re intelligent creatures, but with one drawback.”

“What’s that?”

“They can only speak in riddles.”

Twilight turned her attention to their captive friends. “How are we going to free them, though? Hay, why are they taking our friends in the first place?”

Fluttershy absentmindedly swept her foot along the ground. “I don’t know… the book never said anything about that… sorry. It did mention they have a habit of taking certain things, though it’s never mentioned anything about taking ponies before. As for getting them back, well… we’d have to solve their riddles.”

Twilight smirked. “Is that all? Anything else we should know?”

“Well,” Fluttershy began, “The wings aren’t just for show. They can fly fast, as well as quietly. If you solve the riddles, they’re obligated to return what they’ve stolen. And…” A twig snapped behind them. Fluttershy froze, her eyes starting to tremble. “A-and I t-think there’s one right behind us.”

The two ponies shrunk back as a sphinx leapt from the bushes, landing in front of them. The creature prowled closer to them, herding them out into the center of the clearing. Rustling up above drew the pony’s eyes upward as more sphinges appeared, flying down from the branches of the odd tree. Within moments, they were surrounded by the beasts, covering a wide variety of sizes and colors. Twilight gulped. “What are we supposed to do?”

“T-tell the l-leader you’ll a-accept their c-challenge!” Fluttershy whimpered, looking like she wished she could dissapear.

“Their leader?” Twilight wondered aloud. She scanned the crowd around them, eyeing the sphinx that had drawn them out into the clearing. He was a large, larger than the rest, and his red-tinted fur stood out from the rest. “Here goes nothing…”

Twilight stepped forward, trying to look as brave as you can when you’re surrounded by a pack of wild cats. She looked into the leader‘s eyes. “We accept the challenge of the sphinx!”

Instantly, the crowd seemed to loosen up. The creatures got out of attack positions, switching into an attentive stance. The leader himself stood up tall, glaring down at the ponies. The leader alone was probably as tall as two ponies. The tension change and the glares were starting to unnerve Twilight. “What happens now?” she whispered to her companion.

“Well… the number of riddles they can offer range from one to ten. If we answer them all, then we can reclaim everything that was stolen… which in this case, means our friends as well.. If we lose, they, uh… get to keep everything, the raids on the town continue, and they take us hostage as well.”

Twilight’s eyes widened. “That would have been nice to know earlier!”

Fluttershy shrunk down, hiding behind her hair. “S-sorry…”

Twilight sighed, risking a glance at their friends. They’d noticed the commotion outside, and were eagerly watching. Nopony spoke, though Pinkie looked like she really wanted to. “It’s fine, Flutters, let’s get this over wi-”

“The challenge has been accepted,” the leader spoke, speaking in a hoarse tone. He stepped forward into the circle, peeking back to watch his companions close the gap. He focused on the intruders once more, beginning to recite the first challenge.

To set what has been taken free,

for us you solve these riddles three.

We’ll start out with the easiest…

what’s always north, never south, east, or west?

Twilight breathed a sigh of relief. “It’s only three riddles. But something that‘s always north?” Twilight scratched at her mane, deep in thought. “The Northern Regions? A compass? Certain signposts?” Twilight groaned, turning to her friend. “There’s so many possibilities, and I don’t think they would even know what any of them are. Any ideas?”

Fluttershy idly kicked at the ground, averting her gaze. Suddenly, she walked forward, looking upward to catch the leader’s eyes. “Um… please forgive me if I’m wrong, but… would it be tree moss?”

“Tree moss?” Twilight repeated.

“Yes,” Fluttershy confirmed. “It always grows facing north, which helps lost ponies along their way. It’s also…”

“Correct,” the head sphinx interrupted. The leader seemed to eye them with more interest now, sizing up his opponents in wit. The two mares remained silent as he thought for a moment, before he opened his mouth to deliver the second riddle.

For some I’m too fast, for some I’m too slow,
You cannot find me, neither high nor low.
And yet I can be seen on many a face…
Tell me, little pony, what is my place?

“W-what?” Fluttershy stuttered. “It can’t be found, but it can be seen?” The pegasus cupped her head in her hooves. “But… that doesn’t make sense…”

Twilight grimaced. “Too fast or too slow? Maybe… water? Wind? I don’t know…” She huffed, closing her eyes in thought. “Not to be found but seen on a face… an emotion? No… a clock or sundial face? Maybe. But too fast or too slow, hmm…” Twilight’s eyes shot open. “That’s it! Too fast for some, and too slow for others. It can’t be seen, but it can be read on a clock face. It has to be time!”

The two ponies watched the leader’s reaction, his stony face revealing nothing. Finally, he spoke: “Correct.”

“Yes!” Twilight said, realizing she was hopping excitedly a little. She coughed nervously, stopping herself. “Alright then, that means there’s one more to go. What is it?”

The leader growled a little, beginning to recite the final challenge.

The force that guides us through our day,
And yet it resides so far away.
It gives off a powerful heat so nice,
But other times is cold as ice.

The two ponies blinked in confusion. “Hot and cold?” Twilight said.

“Guides us from afar?” Fluttershy muttered.

Twilight glanced around, seeking out any possible hints. Her eyes moved skyward, noticing an opening in the forest up above where usually the trees would block off the outside world. The light from above beamed down on them, and Twilight smiled in realization. “The answer to this final riddle would have to be…”

“The sun.”

Everyone glanced around, checking for where the voice had come from. Twilight heard a flap of wings as she turned her eyes upward once more, spotting a familiar face. Somepony was coming in for a landing, and the circle spread out to make room for the arrival of the white alicorn.

“The sun,” Celestia repeated. “It lets us see throughout the day, and yet will never be close enough to touch. It brings warmth to all it touches, except when its sister takes its place at night.” Celestia turned to Twilight, winking. “Thank you for sending the message, my faithful student.”

“Huh? Message?” Twilight repeated. Suddenly, it hit her. “Spike! So he did send that message after all.”

“Indeed he did,” Celestia agreed. “Now then,” she said, turning to the leader. “Is the answer acceptable?”

The sphinx met her eyes for a minute, glaring fiercely. Then, with a grumble, his head lowered. “Correct.”

A cheer resounded from the cave as the circle of sphinxes broke apart, releasing the three ponies within. The guards at the cave moved aside, letting the prisoners free. Twilight and Fluttershy watched as their friends came up to meet them, bringing along a number of stolen goods along the way.

Twilight wrapped her magic around the vine constricting Pinkie, taking it off. “Wow, you two are crazy-daisy smart!” She immediately said. “He threw those puzzles at you like shoom, and you solved them like pow!”

“What she said,” Rainbow Dash agreed, keeping an eye on the three fillies digging through the hoard within the cave. “Not bad at all. But are they really going to let us leave without a fight?”

“I’ll be the judge of that,” Celestia announced. While the sphinx had split up, wandering off to tend to their own devices, the leader stood where he’d been. The alicorn walked up to him, bowing respectfully. “Greetings, Rahan.”

Everypony leaned in. “You know him?”

“Correct.” Celestia rose, smiling. “I spent time in the Solar Dunes at least a century ago. The sphinges were one of the first species I met there. I befriended Nin, their leader at the time. Nin was Rahan’s grandfather.”

Celestia bent low, starting to pick at the dirt. Twilight walked up, eyeing the patterns she was drawing in the ground. “What’re you doing, Princess?”

“While they can’t speak normally, they have developed a written language.” Celestia stood back up, waiting as Rahan read over her scribblings. “Hieroglyphics. It’s how I came to learn about and befriend them.”

The head sphinx, seemingly satisfied, began scratching out patterns of his own. Celestia read them, smiling. “Ah. So that’s how it is.”

“How what is?” Twilight asked.

“According to this, their supply of food ran out in their homeland. That fruit up there,” Celestia said, pointing towards the object in question, “is only grown in two places. In the oasis of the Solar Dunes, and in the Everfree Forest.”

Twilight nodded slightly, accepting the answer. “But why would they kidnap everypony and their belongings?” she asked, listening to the general approval from her friends.

“Ah, that is something that their species does not like to bring into the light.” Celestia levitated a round rock up from the ground, dangling it in front of the leader’s eyes. Within a second, it was gone, snatched up by Rahan’s paw. “You see, they have an unnatural fixation with round objects, along with a compulsion to steal them. As for taking your friends, I assume they believe it was just a bonus, since your friends wandered into sphinx territory during their search for their possessions.”

Rahan nodded in agreement, grumbling something that sounded apologetic. Twilight raised an eyebrow. “But why’d they come to Ponyville in the first place?”

Celestia and Rahan exchanged a couple more rounds of scribbled notes. “They spotted your town as they flew in to the forest. At first they just wanted to scout it out, until their habit took over.”

While still seeming a bit ticked, everypony nodded, accepting the explanation. Twilight glanced back at the cave, watching as ponies continued searching through the dwindling hoard. “Well, what happens now? What if it just happens again?”

“For now, everypony can go home and rest,” Celestia stated. “After today, you’ve all earned it. As for me,” Celestia said, eyeing the leader, “I’ll remain here and work out an agreement. We’ll send some pegasi to the Sand Dunes and have them begin replanting the fruit. While we wait for it to grow, I’ll make sure we can come to an agreement with the sphinges that will benefit us all during their stay here.”

Celestia turned back to Rahan, once again scribbling in the dirt. Taking the cue, Twilight turned, making sure everypony was rounded up. All her friends looked ready to go, as well as the Cutie Mark Crusaders. “Let’s go home, everypony.”

The group set off, leaving the two leaders behind. They chatted as they went, trying to piece together what had happened. Applejack would be needing some assistance getting her apples moved back home later, but she was sure Celestia could arrange that. Rarity and Rainbow Dash had found what they’d came for, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders were just excited about the adventure. Pinkie Pie bounced to and fro, glad that her balloons hadn’t popped during the ordeal. And Twilight and Fluttershy, bringing up the rear of the group, were just glad to have saved their friends.

“Wait!” somepony called out. Twilight and Fluttershy turned, watching as Rahan and Celestia walked up to them. “Before you go, he has something to say,” Celestia stated.

The sphinx cleared his throat, beginning to recite once more.

While sometimes wrapped, but not in this case,
It’s a pleasure to have in any place.
It’s something that we give to you,
Fit not just for one, but something for two.

“No! No more riddles,” Twilight said. Fluttershy nodded vigorously in agreement. The head sphinx simply chuckled, leaning low and placing something on the ground.

Two fruits rolled around where he’d placed them, the diamonds that decorated them spinning in circles. “A gift,” Celestia answered for them.

The sphinx bowed low, grumbling some more. He rose, turning to follow Celestia back into the clearing. Curious, Twilight picked the fruit up with her magic, holding one in front of her and her pegasus friend. She brought it to her and took a bite, not prepared for the incredible sweetness of the treat. “Whoa.”

It was sweet, but it was good, she had to admit. Swallowing, she trotted off, motioning for Fluttershy to follow. “C’mon, let’s go catch up with the others.”

Fluttershy caught her gift in her mouth, following after her friend. Together, they went off into the forest to reunite with the group on their way back to town.