Riddles and Broken Noses
It's no easy feat being a magical pony princess. Twilight Sparkle came to the conclusion a while back. With her newest title, she was suddenly whisked away to places she'd have only read about, never seen.
* * *
“And here we are. This is your stop, Princess,”
Twilight placed a hoof on the cart door as she faced the Saddle Arabian minister. “Please, Minister Palm, just call me Twilight. I really don't mind.”
The mare smiled back. “If that is what you wish, Princess Twilight.”
The alicorn sighed as she turned to step out. “Close enough, I guess... hey, where are we?” she asked, noting the very unfamiliar village in the middle of the desert that they stopped at. “Not being rude, but this isn't the train station.”
“I apologise, Princess Twilight! Were you not told of the guide?”
“Huh, guide? Uh... no,” she replied, “I don't really think so.”
Minister Palm blushed. “My mistake. We were told that you had travelled far to get here, and that you had never visited before. That's why we summoned a guide, to show you all of the fascinating places first-hoof.” She pointed towards the village. “This is where the guide lives. Think of it as payment, for your very presence is a gift to us.”
“That's kind of you, thank you very much!” Twilight exclaimed. “I'd love to know more about this place. A guide sounds like a great idea. Where do I start?”
Minister Palm pointed to one of the cream-coloured houses. “He will be in that house. Once you arrive, he will begin right away.”
Twilight stood on floor of the wagon and hopped out. “I suppose I've already seen one fascinating place. I have to say, I'm really digging it so far.”
Minister Palm smiled. “It has been a pleasure to finally meet you, Princess Twilight. I hope to see you again soon.”
“Goodbye!” Twilight said. She stopped herself midway between closing the wagon door. “...One small thing. I'd hate it if Celestia was worried about where I went. Any chance you could tell her where I am?”
“Of course,” the mare replied, “It will be my top priority to message her.”
“Thank you!”
Seconds after Twilight closed the wagon, it began to move, the horses in front turning it around. By the time she made it to the house, the wagon was riding off into the distance along the sun-beaten path, dust rising from beneath it.
* * *
“Twilight Sparkle, the princess of magic! I never thought I'd see the day... no, never dreamed that I'd be your guide, of all ponies!” said the tour guide from behind his home door.
“You better believe it,” she smirked, “though technically I'm the princess of friendsh-,” she cut off, predicting his reaction. “...Eh, close enough,” she giggled, slanting a hoof.
“Many thanks, princess. You've come for the grand tour?”
“That's what she told me,” Twilight said.
“Of course. Shall we get moving? The first destination is but a few miles from here. Give me a few minutes, and I'll be ready.”
“Sure!” Twilight exclaimed.
Soon after, the horse led both of them on a path through the village. It was certainly unfamiliar; the village was tiny, many times smaller than Ponyville, and a lot quieter to boot.
“Where is everypony?” Twilight asked.
“Most of them work at the oasis, a fair distance from here. It is a wonder that we can plant the crops we do.”
“Oooh. So that's where we're going, to the Striped Oasis at Yelmah?”
Twilight read a bit about Saddle Arabia once she was told about her trip there, feeling that she didn't want to be ignorant. She also read a few passages on the 'Wonders of Saddle Arabia', and treated the new adventure as a test.
The guide laughed. “Oh no, Princess. Yelmah is far, far away. No, today, we'll be going to the Sphinx.”
Twilight stopped. “The... Sphinx? That's... weird. I don't think I've never heard of it. The Sphinx... the Sphinx... Come on Twilight...”
“Uh, Princess?” The guide asked.
“Sphinx... Uhhhh... Yes! Wait, I got it!” Twilight shouted. “The Sphinx... It was part of a book I read, 'Mythology and Magic', chapter twenty, line... six. 'Among the deserts to the south, there are tales of a creature named the Sphinx, a lion-like creature, though the tales are so dated that there is scarce a pony that can decipher... them. Oh,” she ended in disappointment.
“Don't worry, Princess,” the guide chuckled. “Once we reach it, I will tell you all I know about the Sphinx.”
“Wait... If the tales are so dated that we can't decipher them... How come they know it's a lion-like creature? And why do you know about it?”
“Do you know who wrote this book?” the guide asked.
“Uh,” Twilight thought aloud, “J.B.Cloppingworth, a Unicorn historian from Canterlot.”
“There you have it,” the guide stated. “Unicorn. While we let ponies see The Sphinx in all its' grandeur, we seldom tell ponies about it. It's a folk legend that we share among ourselves.”
“Uh, okay. It's a surprise I heard of it at all, I guess.”
The guide smiled. “You are an alicorn, Princess, a part of all equine races combined. You may say you are a pony, but you are part Saddle Arabian, too. How else does Celestia stand so tall?”
Twilight giggled to herself, letting the horse lead on.
* * *
Twilight and the guide walked on for a few miles, the horse saying a few little-known facts about the wonder as they talked. “Yes, the statue is one of the largest in ancient Equestria.”
“Nopony knows precisely when it was made. Records start a thousand years ago that it was 'just there'.”
“Most see it as one of the most finest and beautiful crafts of the ancient world. Even still, the two alicorn sisters have never set a hoof near it.”
Trudging across the desert sands, Twilight perked up at the last comment. “Why's that?”
“It's the strangest thing,” he replied. “Every few decades or so, the ministers offer the princesses a tour. Every time they asked, they have always denied.”
“That's weird. They never told me about it at all.”
The guide nodded. “Your arrival today is quite a miracle of sorts! Not only are you the new princess, but you are the first alicorn to lay eyes on it.”
“So... they denied the chance every time? No reason?” Twilight asked.
“Well, there were reasons given, but... if you may excuse me, the ministers seemed to think they were... eh, excuses.”
Excuses? Why would Celestia and Luna make excuses?
“I'm sorry,” the horse remarked, hanging his head low. “I shouldn't have said that... the sisters were most likely busy after all, it's not my place to question... I'm sorry.”
Twilight shook her head. “No, no, it's fine. Our job is to help you, and if you're not helped, well... it's fine. What strikes me is that they made excuses. Celestia raises the sun each day, sure, but she has time to visit me a whole lot. She spends a lot of her time travelling to places through Equestria, attending festivals'n that. I'm sure she could easily come and see it if she wanted to, same with Luna.”
“So... it's only here that they never visit,” the guide muttered.
“Uh, no, I'm sure that's not it! They probably... don't like Sphinxes?” Making excuses for other ponies wasn't Twilight's strong point. “Look, I'll promise to mention it to them later. See if I can get them to take change their minds. And if all else fails, well,” she smirked, “I'll have seen it. After all, I'm still an alicorn princess, aren't I?”
The guide's eyes widened. “No disrespect meant, Princess Twilight Sparkle! I didn't mean to humble you more so than the sisters at all. We would not be able to learn the true values of friendship without you, the most powerful and rewarding force in all of Equestria.”
“Oh, don't worry about it. I kinda like being humble. Gives me a chance to read my books.”
* * *
“Here it is, Princess Twilight. The Sphinx.”
Twilight stared surprised at the statue far in front of her. She saw it in the distance before, but this... she could tell the guide wasn't lying. The statue stood ten times the size of her, covered in sand, but the form remained in all its' glory.
In effect, the Sphinx was a puzzle that her book described, but only the sight of it could fit the pieces together. The only thing distinguishing the statue from being a lion was the head, its features somewhat flatter than that of the savannah beast. The headdress encircled its sand-stained features, shining gold through the dusty dull grains that inhabited it.
The guide laughed. “You look surprised, princess! Didn't your book have any pictures?”
“Picture-books are for foals... this, this is amazing...” Twilight uttered, her voice faded slightly by the gentle winds. Her mouth, whether she realised it or not, was partially open, gaping momentarily at a wonder that she never knew existed.
The moment ending, she turned eagerly to the guide. “Can we get closer?”
“Of course, Princess. Follow me.”
Twilight could see blurry coloured dots and something that looked like a fire in front of it. “What about them? What... what are those ponies even doing?”
“They are actually bound to the next piece of lore about the Sphinx, th-”
Twilight cut off the guide as she squinted at the ponies while standing atop a dune. “They're... in a circle. A semi-circle actually. Those cassocks too...” Where have I seen them?
“May I continue?” the guide asked.
Her cheeks turned a shade of red. “I'm really sorry. Every now and then I think aloud, I don't even know... please, continue.”
The guide nodded reassuringly, continuing forthwith. “The ponies you see are taking part in a ritual. The Sphinx attracts many horses, and on certain days like these, they meditate around it. This idea started several hundred years ago, when horses first regularly visited the site.”
Twilight pulled a puzzled face, her brow furrowed. “So... what are all the dresses for, and the fire?”
The guide continued. “All those hundreds of years ago, the first who sat to meditate, perhaps as it was a peaceful place, heard something. They hear the same thing to this day; a soft, low humming sound. At first, they were confused as to where it came from. Under further examination, they found that the sound came from none other than the Sphinx.”
“Huh?”
“And so the horses and ponies believed the site to be sacred, and began to make exquisite clothes and jewellery for worship. The fire is simply for warmth on cold nights. Would you... care to join the ritual, and hear the sound firsthoof?”
“Sure! I'd... I'd love to,” she said. I really, really hope this isn't all some sort of trick... like a pony behind-the-scenes.
“Then I shall lead on once more. I sincerely hope that the sound happens today... it doesn't always happen, what we believe to be attributed to a lack of expensive offerings. Let's hope that they made an extra special effort today, hmm?” the guide remarked.
“That's... how they get it to happen?” Twilight asked mournfully, to which the guide, to Twilight's dismay, nodded. She looked away from the tour guide. “I'll give it a chance,” she whispered to herself, “but if I see that pony, they aren't fooling me.”
* * *
The two made their way closer to the ritual around the statue. One of the horses that surrounded the ritual-fire, a mare with a tan coat and grizzled features, walked towards them. “Princess Twilight! You honour us with your presence, I assure you...”
Twilight smiled. “That's very kind of you. I actually came here to join your ritual, if you don't mind. I hope I'm not interrupting.”
“If you'd like to participate, there are plenty of spaces left. I'll show you a spot.”
Twilight looked back to the guide, and noticed that he didn't join her. Mildly disheartened, Twilight continued with the mare, sitting down next to her in the semi-circle.
It was a bizarre scene to her. The others were all laying down a fair distance from the fire, wearing robes with fantastic designs, each of them unique. Every horse's eyes closed aside from Twilight's. While it all looked strange, it seemed to... feel strange, too. Her mind was clearing, her other thoughts drowning out.
The site was almost silent, the only sound coming from the crackling fires beside various golds and jewels displayed in front of the Sphinx. Shortly after them sitting down, there was another sound. The hum.
It was a low voice, almost like a groan. She could hear it all too well and could see that some of the ritual-goers were smiling soon after it started.
Twilight was instantly curious. It sure sounded like it came from the statue, but... was it? Her eyes darted over it, looking for any signs of where it came from. There wasn't anything on the statue that she found as incriminating. The statue appeared surprisingly well made from her viewpoint, but aside from that, there seemed to be no holes to speak through, no speakers either. Natural magic attached to the area, perhaps?
Her mind felt cleared further the more she examined it. Everything else but the Sphinx ebbed away from her. The cassocks became a blur.
It was getting uncomfortable. Not taking her eyes off the Sphinx for a second, she moved her legs, attempting to leave...
She saw something that instantly petrified her. One of the eyes, previously glossed over by stone and sand, opened up. The debris crumbled off, showing the vibrantly orange iris. It was looking directly at her. The hum stopped.
A few seconds passed and some of the horses opened their eyes, looking to one another. Twilight heard a whisper. “That was early.”
“So... we finally meet.”
Twilight couldn't move. The Sphinx's mouth had, more rubble falling down to the sands below. The voice was masculine and loud, old and slow, booming across as heavy as the hum before. A second eye cracked open, focusing on Twilight.
A majority of the semi circle got up, confusedly talking to one another as they backed away from the statue. The rest, a younger majority, stood in bewilderment with their eyes open, focusing on either Twilight or the statue.
“The question is—which one are you?”
She heard the eruption of sound from tonnes of sand filtering to the floor, as well as the rubbing of stone against stone as it bent to the will of a superior force.
There were no other horses around her, even the guide, all of them fleeing. Twilight caught a glimpse of them, noticed faint dark auras around the ponies... magic. The entire statue rose from the ground, standing on four weathered paws. More sand and rubble fell aimlessly to the ground, emerging from the gigantic body like a thin outer shell.
Twilight stared at the chest, still unable to move, as the entity's head was far too high above her. Before long she cast a protective shield over herself, stopping the dust and sand from getting into her eyes and mouth, agape.
“You cannot speak...? Hmm... let me guess...”
The Sphinx slowly lowered himself, causing a small breeze around Twilight's shield. He crouched, his eyes centered on the princess.
“Are you... none of them? How odd.”
“L-let me go!” she shouted, charging her horn. “Let me go, or I won't hesitate to... to fight you!”
The Sphinx huffed, A few seconds later, and whatever held Twilight faded away so she could move again. Regaining her legs, she walked backwards from the beast, thinking he would strike her down with a paw if she tried to fly away.
The Sphinx hinted a smirk. "I bear no threat to you, princess. I am of an old pride, owning naught but ancient bones and aging muscles. You would best me with ease, surely.” He narrowed his eyes. “May you answer my humblest of questions, finally?”
“Twilight,” she said, backing away further. “Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Magic.”
“...Is that all?”
Twilight stopped in her tracks, feeling a safe distance from him. “...And friendship!” she barked. “Why are you faking a statue? Why did you scare those horses away, and not me?”
To Twilight's chagrin, the Sphinx crouched back to her, keeping his head at similar height to hers. “Twilight... Sparkle? You are the sixth alicorn I have heard of; yet you are the first one that I have met.” He sighed. “Alas, I am the first, and last, that you will see... we used to number in thousands, but now I choose to hide,” he said bowing his face. His voice deepened, and with it came an emptiness of heart. “I do not want the same fate of the rest of my kin.”
Twilight faded her horn's glow. “W...what happened?”
