A light gold pegasus was looking through scrolls with her rose-colored eyes, she wiped sweat off of her greyscale rainbow mane as she worked to translate the scroll, her name was A.K. Yearling she was widely known as the author of the Daring Do book series, but in reality she was Daring Do and right now she was working on her next book, she wanted to move back from her adventure style books back to puzzle solving style books, and this scroll was something about a sphinx.
"The giant creature had a head of a pony, the body of a lion, the wings of an eagle, she wore gold to decorate her dark cerise body, her violet and indigo hair was styled like a straight lions mane, and her golden eyes looked at me. I wasn't scared of her I was in awe of this beautiful creature, I told her that I would build anything in her honor, she smiled at me to reveal her sharp teeth, she said she wanted something that reached the sky, and stood the test of time, it seemed that a sphinx always spoke in riddles."
Daring Do translated and she double checked the books she borrowed from the only place that was familiar with both a sphinx and ancient language from southern Equestria, Somnambula, and it wasn't much of a surprise that the language was called Hisan. After she confirmed she translated it correctly she moved on to the next part, "So I built for her a temple much larger and taller than anything else before, she was pleased by the temple and she went inside, she said that she wanted eleven doorways and rooms.
After we built what she asked for she called upon her family each door was given one of her family members to guard, a riddle was asked to anyone who wanted to get deeper into the temple, if they got it right they could pass and if they got it wrong they will be killed. Because the sphinx hated cheaters above all else if the intruder was allowed to live they would write down or tell others the riddle solutions, and they saw that as taking the easy way or simply just cheating your way through the temple."
Daring Do shivered from excitement and horror, it would make sense that the Sphinx wouldn't trust anyone to keep the riddle solutions secret and travelers talked to other travelers especially when they were drunk she knew that for a fact. She kept reading there had to be clues or a hint to where the temple was, "I left them and their temple, but I will always love the beautiful sphinx queen, even when I fade in the sands of time, she will always be in the middle of my heart."
"That's it? Where's the rest of it?" She looked over the scroll, checked the translation twice, and she was confused until she finally realized what the ending sentence was, it was a riddle, "Even when I fade in the sands of time..." She smiled as she brought over a map of southern Equestria, she checked every area in the open desert for a clue when she saw it, a large rock formation in the shape of a heart, "She will always be in the middle of my heart!" She said putting a pin in the middle of the heart formation.
Author's Note
This is just the beginning tell me what you think so far.
Daring Do smiled as she reached Somnambula, she wasn't tired at all taking a train to the nearest station, and simply flew the rest of the way which wasn't that far, she pulled out her map and checked how far she still has to travel to reach her goal. She sighed when she saw she still had long ways to go, she trotted into the library to return the books she borrowed, she put them unto the counter smiling at the librarian. "Hello, I'm here to return these books."
The librarian took the books, "So why did you need books on the ancient language Hisan?"
She held up the scroll, "This scroll was written in Hisan."
"You are on another adventure I see, so what's written on the scroll?"
"It's just about a temple in the middle of some kind of formation." Daring didn't dare to say it was about a sphinx, she didn't want to freak him out and cause a panic attack in the whole town, but that story about Somnambula was pretty cool.
"Well good luck on your adventure." Daring nodded and left, she went to the marketplace to buy supplies, she got some dried food and a canteen of water, she also got some notepads, she paid for everything then left town. She pulled out one notepad and a pencil, now what was she going to call this new book? Well all her books started the same, it was called the Daring Do series for a reason, she already had Daring Do and the riddle of the Sphinx so how about a sequel to it?
She will think of a title later right now she wrote down some key points like the scroll, translating it and the travel as she continued on her path, she pulled out the map looking for any landmarks so she wouldn't get lost, she followed the landmarks until she reached huge rock pillars. They blocked her way, she flew over a pillar and kept on flying until she got a bird's eye view, she smiled when she saw the temple in the center, the pillars that made the heart must be here to keep non-flying creatures out.
Well, this method did work back then, nowadays there are hot air balloons, so if anypony who couldn't fly really wanted to get inside they could just use that, she glided down and spotted a sphinx but it was no bigger than a filly. The sphinx spotted her as well, "Welcome to the temple of the Sphinx's treasure, the kind that is filled with golden pleasure, but to get to it here's what you have to do, you got to solve my riddle and my families too, prove to us you are very smart, just stand in front of me to start."
Daring stood in front of her, "Hello I'm Daring do, who are you?"
"I am Mary as you can see I'm as young as a filly, so please don't be upset if my riddle is too easy."
"I won't mind if you don't mind me taking down some notes for my book, don't worry I already know you don't like cheaters so I won't include the riddles or the solutions in my book."
"This is not my call to make, ask the queen if you get to her, she will decide your fate, and choose what will occur."
Daring nodded, "Fair enough, now let's hear that riddle."
"Tall I am young, short I am old, while with a life I glow, the wind is my foe. What am I?"
"Your right this is too easy of a riddle you're a candle." Mary moved aside as the door opened and she finally made it inside the room only to see darkness. She pulled out her lantern and used a match to light the candle inside making light, was this room made to match the riddle's solution? Right now it was a coincidence but if this happened again then it will be a pattern.
Author's Note
Mary mean's beloved child
by the way here's the next riddle for anyone who wants to solve it:
I am not alive, but I grow
I don't have lungs, but I need air
I don't have a mouth, but water kills me
what am I?
