Somnambula felt the cold stone under her hooves as she walked down the stairs. Under the flickering light of her lantern, she carefully watched her every step.
Once she made it to the end of the stairs, she stepped into a large chamber. The walls were filled with ancient signs and hieroglyphs, numerous statues of ancient deities and great pharaohs of the past standing proudly across the hall.
Somnambula walked straight forward, not sparing even a glance at the towering statues around her.
At the end of the great hall, she stopped in front of the wall, a silhouette of a great door drawn on its surface.
Behind that wall was the tomb of the ancient pegasi pharaohs who had ruled this land. Nopony had been on the other side of that wall since it was built centuries ago, but Somnambula could easily imagine the sarcophagi inside, each placed in its own small chamber with hieroglyphs that told the story of each long-dead pharaoh in turn.
She sat down and placed her lantern next to her. Then, she touched the drawing of the door with her hoof, looking carefully at the orderly lines of names running down its length.
The Element of Hope moved her hoof across the wall until she found the name she was looking for.
“Hello, Hisan,” Somnambula said with a gentle smile.
There was no answer, only darkness surrounding the small circle of light her lantern created.
“According to history, you became the greatest pharaoh the kingdom had ever known,” Somnambula continued, her words echoing in the dusty air, “you ruled with wisdom and kindness, ushering a new era of prosperity for all.”
She smirked and shook her head.
“So, I think your doubts about yourself were misplaced, as I told you…. well, it has been only a year or two for me, but more than thousand for you,” she finished with a sigh and closed her eyes.
After a moment, she opened them again and glanced at the names below Hisan’s.
There were three names after it, Hisan’s son, grandson and great-grandson respectively.
Curiously, it looked like there was a fourth name at the very bottom of the list, but it was scratched out completely, making it hopeless to tell who the last pharaoh of the kingdom was.
It was a mystery, one to which Somnambula had no answer. The reason why the kingdom had collapsed and the great royal palace utterly destroyed was lost to time. These days, not many ponies even cared.
Why would they? It was ancient history after all.
Somnambula sighed again. Here, alone in the darkness, she allowed herself the luxury of no longer smiling.
She had returned to her home, only to find that it didn’t exist. It had taken the last few months for the fact to sink in.
Her statue was still there, even if even that wasn’t actually the original statue. Ponies had lived for countless generations around it in the shadow of this pyramid.
The buildings were different, the palace of Hisan’s family was just rubble. All her friends and family were long gone, not even their graves remained.
Ponies who lived here now were friendly and kind, but they weren’t the same villagers Somnambula had known. They revered her and tried to lavish her with gifts at every opportunity.
To them, she wasn’t Somnambula the pony, but a legend, a mythical savior of the land.
Briefly, she wondered were all her friends experiencing the same thing when they returned to their respective homes.
Somnambula knew that none of these thoughts were particularly constructive. The passage of time was natural, and she had made her choice out of her own free will, just like all of them.
There was no reason to grief, everything had ended well. Pony of Shadows was no more and Stygian had returned to them. She still had her friends and the world they had returned to was in capable hooves, more prosperous and grand than it had ever been.
Yet, she still had this sense of melancholy that refused to dislodge itself from her heart.
“Lady Somnambula!” A voice shouted from the base of the stairs on the other side of the hall.
Somnambula turned around and saw one of the villagers standing there with a torch.
“What is it?” she asked as she rose to stand.
“A trade caravan was attacked on its way here! They say it was a huge monster!” the villager said while giving wary looks at the great hall and the imposing statues dominating it.
Somnambula frowned and picked her lantern from the floor before flying across the hall and following the villager up the stairs.
As they ascended, she gave a quick glance to the dark hall behind them.
“Until we see again, Hisan.”
It turned out that the caravan was actually only the ponies who had pulled it. All their carts were seized by their attacker.
“It was as big as a dragon!” the former owner of the caravan said and shook his head, looking just as ragged and worn after hours of running as the rest of them.
“The thing just came from the sky and blocked the road, telling us that if we want to pass with our goods, we must answer a riddle,” the stallion continued, “can you imagine? A damn riddle! It was straight out from that old fairytale you ponies always tell us when we pass by.”
The villagers around the village square squirmed, most turning to look at Somnambula.
“What happened?” she asked from the stallion.
“Well, we didn’t know the answer, it was different from the one in the story,” the caravan owner shrugged, “so it took all our goods and told us that it will be staying for a while and doing the same for anypony who tries to enter the kingdom or leave it.”
Somnambula blinked and stared at the stallion who saw her widened eyes and nodded.
“I don’t even know what it meant by entering or leaving or whatever, this is all Equestria,” the caravan owner said and scratched the side of his head.
“So, it’s true, after all,” one of the villagers said.
“What is true?” Somnambula said and turned towards the old stallion in his ragged robes.
“It’s the Sphinx, as I’m sure you have realized already, Lady Somnambula,” the old stallion said as he moved his hoof across his beard, “but, I remember my father telling me about how this happened before when he was just a colt. I never believed him.”
“What has happened before?” Somnambula said with a frown.
“Sphinx returned and robbed caravans for some months before disappearing again,” the old stallion said with a shook of his head, “he also said that his grandfather told him the same story when he was a colt.”
“Well, it didn’t have three heads or a snake at the end of its tail like in that story of yours, but it sure looked like Sphinx otherwise, alright,” the caravan owner said with a weary sigh.
Somnambula stared at the ground, uncertain what to think about all of this.
Could it really be? After thousand years? Either way, she knew she had to do something.
She couldn’t wait for a word of this to pass all the way to Princess Celestia or Twilight, it would be days if not weeks before anypony else who could hope to help her would be able to come.
She had defeated this old foe once before, she could do it again.
Without saying a word, she rose to the air and started flying towards the direction the caravan had come from, cheers from the villagers following her.
But, Somnambula didn’t share their laughter and instead looked forward with a grim stare.
Somnambula followed the ancient, rugged road for an hour before she saw it, the sight making her almost stumble and fall before she managed to stop herself.
The broken carts with their bags and chests torn open and scattered across the ground on the side of the road.
And, the huge, feline form covered in amaranth colored fur curled up into a massive ball in a ridiculous imitation of any common cat, only the top of the golden headpiece visible from behind the massive walls of muscle, feathery wings as tall as trees folded on its sides.
Somnambula hovered there in the air for a moment, unable to move.
Then, she breathed air out of her lungs and tapped her cheek with her hoof before shaking her head and flying forward.
She landed in front of the massive beast.
“We meet again,” she said and waited.
One of the huge ears twitched.
Then, Sphinx rose.
The massive body rose up to stand with a grace that nothing of that size should possess, the pair of large wings unfolding and the long tail as thick as a pony’s hoof whipping in the air.
It there ever was any doubt, it disappeared when Somnambula saw the face now towering above her.
Sphinx looked down with a wicked, toothy grin and leaned forward to look at the pony in front of it.
Then, it blinked when it saw Somnambula’s face and the wide smile disappeared.
“You?” it said and tilted its head while looking at her, “finally decided to come out yourself? I was starting to feel insulted.”
Now it was Somnambula’s turn to blink.
“What are you talking about?” she asked with her brows bumped together in a scowl.
Sphinx snorted and chuckled.
“This is the ninth time I am here. In the first few times they told me that you had disappeared and after that, they somehow knew even less and pretended like they didn’t even know I was real to add an insult to injury,” Sphinx said and shook its head disapprovingly.
Somnambula stood there for a long moment before moving her hoof to cover her face, giving out a deep, deep sigh.
“The reason you have come here once a century or so and robbed the ponies traveling on this road is because you waited for me to come out and stop you again?” she slowly said from behind her hoof without opening her eyes.
Sphinx nodded.
“You should really tell that pharaoh of yours to start repairing this road one of these days, it looks more ragged every time,” it said and yawned, “The border sign stones are almost gone too, I have more than once almost entered the kingdom by accident because of that.”
Somnambula simply stood there.
Then, her shoulders started shaking.
Sphinx blinked and looked down at her, snapping its head back when it was met by a wild burst of laughter.
Somnambula laughed from the bottom of her heart, falling on her knees as her whole body trembled.
Sphinx frowned.
“What is so funny, little pony?” it asked, wrinkling its nose.
Somnambula’s laughter slowly faded to chuckling and finally, she rose up to stand to look at Sphinx.
“We ponies don’t live centuries like you do. For us, it has been countless generations since you kidnapped Hisan. The kingdom you remember is naught but rubble and you are a distant memory only remembered in stories for fillies,” she said with a shake of her head.
Sphinx growled and leaned forward again.
“Then, how are you here?” The giant golden eyes narrowed as they looked at Somnambula, “I'm sure that it is you, and not anybody else.”
“It is me, my old foe,” Somnambula said with a smile, “I was trapped away, in a place outside of time. All your efforts were naught and the ponies you met told you the truth as they knew it.”
Sphinx thought this and shrugged its massive shoulders.
“You are here now, that makes my long wait far from pointless,” it said with a grin.
Somnambula looked behind her, seeing the remains of an ancient stone pillar half buried in the sand next to the road.
“You never came to the kingdom itself? You would have easily realized the truth if you had,” she said as she turned back to look at Sphinx.
“I gave my word to leave the kingdom forever,” Sphinx said matter-of-factly, clearly thinking that nothing more needed to be said about the matter.
Somnambula scratched the side of her head and looked at up at Sphinx.
“Even after thousand years, the fact that I bested your trials still grieves you?” she said with a raised eyebrow.
Sphinx growled at the words, but its shoulders sagged and it sat down in a move that shook the earth.
“I never forget anything,” it said and leaned on its paw as it looked down at Somnambula, “losing to a small, weak pony is humiliating. I want a rematch.”
Somnambula shook her head at the mind that could hold a grudge for a thousand years with such a single-minded determination.
“And if I refuse, you will threaten ponies again until I do?” she asked.
“If that is what I need to do, yes,” Sphinx said with a smirk.
Somnambula thought about this all.
She had always wondered why Sphinx bothered with these games in the first place. It was a beast of great strength and magic, it could have conquered the old kingdom in a day.
Considering the current circumstances, she decided not to ask that from Sphinx.
Instead, Somnambula smiled when an idea slowly formed in her mind. A way to maybe render Sphinx harmless for good.
“I accept,” she said and raised her hoof before Sphinx could speak, “however, I propose that we do things a bit differently this time.”
Sphinx tilted its head.
“If you truly want to prove once and for all that I’m no match for you, we should exchange our roles,” Somnambula said, “solve the hardest riddle I can devise and you win.”
It was silent for a moment.
“And what will be conditions for the winner and the loser?” Sphinx finally said as it scratched its chin in a thoughtful manner.
“If I win, you must fulfill one task I give to you,” Somnambula said with a smirk, “if you win, you no longer have to follow your promise from our last meeting and my fate is yours to decide,” she finished in a sober tone.
“And if I decide that you will make a tasty snack?” Sphinx said with a toothy grin as it licked its lips.
Somnambula’s body stiffened at the remark, but she didn’t falter.
“You have honored your word, and so shall I,” she said.
Sphinx leaned forward and stared at the Element of Hope’s unflinching stare for a moment before letting out a chuckle and rising to stand.
“Then, say your riddle, little pony,” it said.
Somnambula closed her eyes and took a deep breath before opening them again.
“More precious than gold, yet it cannot be bought. It can never be sold, only earned. If it is broken, it can still be mended. At birth it can’t start nor by death is it ended,” she said and looked at Sphinx.
She hoped that the beast knew as little about Equestria and ponies as she thought it did.
Sphinx stayed silent, the wicked grin replaced by a thoughtful frown.
After a moment, it started walking in a circle around Somnambula, each step shaking the ground.
The Element of Hope stayed silent, careful not to give anything away with her expression.
Sphinx walked to the scattered goods of the caravan, looking more annoyed by the minute.
“Is it something that only ponies have?” it asked while crushing a wooden chest in its fist and looking at the jewelry and fine silks inside before giving out an annoyed growl and throwing them over its shoulder.
Somnambula thought for a moment and shook her head.
“No, even if I believe that it is most easily found in Equestria than most other places,” she said with a teasing smile.
Sphinx grunted and kept walking while staring at the ground.
Somnambula stood still and kept waiting.
Even if it felt like hours, she didn't know how much time had passed when finally Sphinx roared and slammed it’s paws on the ground, cracking the earth.
When the dust settled, Sphinx gritted its teeth and smashed a nearby cart from the caravan into splinters before taking another and throwing it away, the wooden thing crashing to the ground in the far distance.
Then, it turned around and stormed to Somnambula, pushing its face so close that the Element of Hope could feel its breath on her face.
“The answer?” the beast spat out.
Somnambula smiled.
“Friendship,” she simply said.
Sphinx’s eyes widened as it stared at Somnambula.
Then, the muscles in its face tightened and it roared so hard that the force of its voice slammed Somnambula to the ground.
When she rose up from the ground and tried to stop her ears from ringing, she saw just how angry she had made the beast.
Sphinx rolled on the ground like a wounded animal, screaming and howling at the sky, crushing everything it moved over from trees to bushes, destroying everything it reached like an angry child.
Somnambula gave a deep sigh and waited again.
Finally, Sphinx stopped, laying on its back as it looked at the Element of Hope.
“Let me guess, you want me to leave this Equestria of yours? Or become your servant?” it said, not even bothering to turn around to look at her properly.
Somnambula shook her head and walked to Sphinx.
“No,” she said and gave the upside-down face of her old enemy a gentle smile, “I want you to become my friend,” she said and winked at Sphinx.
Sphinx blinked and then blinked again.
“I have no idea how to do that,” it said with its eyes avoiding contact with Somnambula’s,“ I have never befriended a mortal before.”
The Element of Hope smiled and gave Sphinx a friendly tap with her hoof.
“Don’t worry, Equestria even has a school for it, but since I doubt you would fit into a classroom with other students, I’m willing to be your personal teacher on the matter. If you are to be my friend, I must also be yours,” she said with a chuckle.
Sphinx looked at Somnambula before sighing again and turning around on its stomach.
“So, what now?” it said with a flicker of emotion on its face that looked so alien on its features that she almost missed it completely.
“First, we will collect all goods of the caravan left intact by your anger and return them to their owners,” Somnambula said and waved her hoof at the scattered debris around them, “then, we shall see where the road will take us.”
Sphinx gave Somnambula a displeased look and rose up.
It stared at the wide, innocent smile the Element of Hope gave to it, and started to gather the scattered objects and goods with a weary sigh.
Author's Note
