Som-Mama

by Shadowmane PX-41

Rating: everyone
Tags: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Comedy, Adventure, Sphinx, Somnambula, Slice of Life
Length: 39922

Somnambula was expecting to save the prince from a Sphinx. Instead, she winds up with a whole new predicament...

Somnambula went off to defeat the Sphinx, in the hopes that she would save the prince.

As it would turn out, she might need saving instead...

This starts out as a comedy, but then transforms into an adventure. It would be slice of life, but the pyramids in Southern Equestria could be on the very edge of the region itself.

Art by the ever talented DoubleWBrothers.

Published 2018-05-08 22:40:07 UTC
Last updated 2019-04-14 21:42:15 UTC

Pyramid of Peril?

Somnambula soared nimbly on the winds of Southern Equestria, letting nothing get in her way as she hurried on to the pyramid in the distance. She knew that the prince of the kingdom was in danger, and that who or whatever was holding him inside had to face her. But luckily for Somnambula, hope was on her side, and she was ready to face any and all danger that stood in her way.

After a long flight, she eventually arrived at the pyramid, eyeing it up from top to bottom, summit to foundation, trying to find a way inside. From a simple frisk of the building, she couldn't find a straightforward way inside. The door itself had also been shut off, and there didn't seem to be a mechanism that could open it anywhere.

"Prince?" Somnambula called as she approached the door. "Do not worry! I have come to free you from the confines of this pyramid and return you home."

No response.

"Alright then." Somnambula took a deep breath and started to look around, to see if there would be something around that could open the door. "What riddle must I solve and how must I solve it to open this tomb?" She asked herself, even though there was no pony around for miles. And the last time she checked, ponies weren't able to speak through walls.

"Maybe it lies in these statues?" Somnambula asked, tilting her head towards two statues that stared at each other right next to the pyramid. "Perhaps if I examine them, the answer will become clear."

Just as Somnambula stepped forward, she ended up stepping on a concealed pressure plate that had a coat of sand on top of it. Her hoof sunk a few inches into the ground before it all shook around her. Turning towards the pyramid, she watched as a large passageway opened up before her eyes.

"Hmm. They really should make these places harder to break into. That is the fifth pressure plate pyramid I've opened up this month..." Somnambula groaned and rolled her eyes before trotting forward, putting a confident smile back on her face.

"Prince?" Somnambula walked through the entrance to the pyramid, watching as a pony came right out the other side. "Don't lose hope. It is I, Somnambula, and I came to your rescue!"

"Good!" A voice boomed from inside of the pyramid. It sounded regal and manly, though it was far from pleased with anything to even muster up any form of gratitude.

A simple pony with blue skin, brown hair, and a golden laurel with a snake on it stomped out of the temple, with a bright teal headpiece that stuck straight up and a similarly coloured robe around his body. His cutie mark was concealed. From the look on his face, he had suffered a terrible punishment; far worse than anything Somnambula could ever have imagined.

"Now it's your turn!" He passed Somnambula, barely even raising his eyes to look at her.

"My turn? Huh?" Somnambula lifted a hoof and turned to the dishevelled prince "What about the sphinx?"

The prince stopped in his path, yet still failed to turn back to face his supposed 'saviour'. "She's been grounded for drinking the queen's milk bath. Somepony has to watch over her and I'm glad it isn't me!" And with those words, he continued to storm off back home, leaving a thunderstruck Somnambula behind at the opened pyramid.

"I don't even..." Somnambula was scrambling to try and put it all together as the prince vanished off into the desert, wanting to get as far away from the place as possible. "Wha...?!"

But before she could get anything else out of the pony, he was long gone, and she was still trying to make sense of any of the situation. It seemed like her quest had all been for naught more than an earful of complaints from a pony who had either been through Tartarus or had waited so long and got tired of waiting.

"Well, I didn't come all this way just to be yelled at." Somnambula grumbled as she looked back at the open door. "At the very least, I can see if there is any treasure inside. Maybe an offering for the pharaoh when I return. His words of approval would be all I need to get that ungrateful pony out of my mind."

As Somnambula walked into the temple, the air around her began to grow more and more pungent. A certain smell that she couldn't make out began to fill her nose. A combination of dung, rubber, and some faint traces of powder as well. Well, whatever it was, she had no clue what it could have been. She had smelt no incense like it before.

"So far, no booby traps." Somnambula nodded as she squinted in the darkness, watching as a set of wooden torches flickered to life from afar, illuminating a pathway for her to follow. "Just what kind of pyramid is this, anyway? And what did that pony mean about a queen or a milk bath? Something isn't right."

Somnambula delved deeper and deeper into the pyramid, still on guard for traps or danger of any sort. Though, instead of being scared of the place, she was more anxious over how safe the whole place was. Every time she had been expecting something to activate and take her by surprise, it just never came. It was enough to drive her crazy.

"No traps, no danger, and no sign of any treasure anywhere..." Somnambula spoke to a silent hall, accompanied only by the sounds of her own hoofsteps. "This is no ordinary pyramid. And if it is, then it's arguably the most mundane one I've ever seen. Just one good find in here will do now. Just one. Please..."

As it to answer Somnambula's calls, a faint noise could be heard, echoing on the wall. It sounded young and giggly, almost like a baby's voice as it was playing with its' toys. Her ears pricked up almost immediately when she heard the noise as it bounced off of the walls and all around her.

"Huh? A foal?" Somnambula asked herself, cantering towards the noise. "What would a foal be doing all the way down in a pyramid like this? And more importantly, why is there a foal this deep in a pyramid in the first place?!" Her canter transformed into a speedy charge as she dashed towards the noise. "This deep down into the pyramid, there's bound to be booby traps all over the place! I need to get that baby out before it gets hurt!"

The noise grew louder and louder, and Somnambula tried her hardest to keep up the pace. Even though it felt like her lungs were beginning to ignite from all the running and the room seemed to stretch on forever, she finally arrived at the room at the end of the path, and the noise finally cleared up.

The room that Somnambula found herself in was not like any other she had encountered thus far. Although it kept the dark and ancient theming on the walls and floor, there was a bright glimmer of light twinkling down from the ceiling. Which, when she looked up at, revealed it to be an open hole with the sky above being faintly visible to her. It was still broad daylight, much to her relief. But that wasn't what had caught her off-guard. Instead, the entire room itself was littered with toys that were much too big for any regular baby pony. They were at least the size of a school-age filly or colt, with a ball, some plushies, some building blocks, and a pacifier attached to the end of an ankh being a few items she could see immediately.

"Is this... a giant nursery?" Somnambula walked forward, looking at all the enlargened toys around her. "If this is the heart of the pyramid, either it's very well-disguised, or a massive, massive trap that was waiting for me all this time. Either way, I had better take what's valuable and get out as soon as I can. No point in me staying here for longer than necessary."

Once Somnambula took another step and ended up stepping on one of the plushies, the loud squeak that it made rang out through the room, and attracted the attention of a large furry ball in the corner of the room, who unfurled and revealed itself as a large cat-like creature with purple fur, indigo hair, orange eyes, and a golden necklace and tiara atop its' head.

"What the..." Somnambula watched the creature come to life and start charging towards her. She herself reared backwards and got ready to run, when the creature skidded on its' heels and stopped inches away from her, wagging its' tail as it flashed a toothy grin down at her.

"Hi!" The creature grinned down at her. "I'm Fwynxie! Moar Widdles?"

"Oh. Hi, little one." Somnambula started to sweat as she stared up at Fwynxie, giving her a small wave as she looked into her eyes. "It is I, Somnambula. And..." It was a challenge for her to make a greeting at this point. What she had thought was a giant, terrifying sphinx that was holding the prince hostage, was actually much smaller than she had expected. And despite the giant size of it, it didn't look harmless in the slightest. At least, not at the moment.

"Som-nam..." Fwynxie had her own challenge, as she tried to pronounce the name of the pony standing before her. She had never seen a pony with a name like that, and ended up scratching her own chin with a paw as she tried to get it right. "Som-nam... Som-nam..." In the end, she drew together how similar the sound was, put on a bigger smile, and exclaimed, "Som-Mama! Mama!"

Somnambula herself felt her eyes widen. Now it all started to make sense for her. "Oh no..." She mumbled on the spot as Fwynxie advanced on her. When the pony before her mentioned that there was someone for her to take care of, this must have been what he meant by that. What have I gotten myself into?!

Before she could even think about turning away, Fwynxie reached over and pulled the pony into a powerful hug, squeezing her so tenderly that her eyes began to pop out of her head. "I lub you, Som-Mama!" She squealed, lifting her back paws off of the ground as she cooed softly.

"Must... not... lose... hope..." Somnambula choked on her own words and struggled to get them out as the sphinx continued to caress her softly. "Have to... find... treasure and... leave!" She fell to the ground, writhing on the floor as air re-entered her lungs. To many other ponies, she would've looked powerless and drained, but to Fwynxie, it all looked like she was putting on a show.

"Hehe. Som-Mama funny!" Fwynxie chuckled at the antics of Somnambula as she started to breathe again. "Pwomise you'll stay fowever?"

"Stay?" Somnambula looked up at her giant tormentor, still unable to grasp the reality or truth of the situation. "No, no, no no. I think there's been some kind of mistake. I was just here to free somepony from this place. Then that pony turned out to be ungrateful and now I'm just trying to see what kind of treasure there is here."

"Tweasure?" Fwynxie's eyes lit up as she darted her eyes around the room. "I has tweasure? Where?"

She doesn't know? Then this place really is just one big nursery, and this whole trip was for nothing! Somnambula shook the thought off and turned towards the door. "Nngh. That prince is going to be hearing from me when I report back to the pharaoh..."

"Uh, Som-Mama? Whewe yoo going?" Fwynxie asked, crawling along with Somnambula.

"I'm going home," said Somnambula. "It's been very nice to see you, Fwynxie, but this whole journey was all for naught. And if it's alright with you, I'll depart now."

"Uh, yoo no leave." Fwynxie lifted a brow at the escaping pony.

"And what's stopping me?" Somnambula asked, then got her answer straight away as the door in front of her began to close. "No!" She bolted for it, but it shut before she could even reach the wall, and smashed head-first into stone, bouncing backwards into Fwynxie's arms again.

"No, weawwy. Yoo no leave." Fwynxie petted Somnambula, nearly dislodging her headdress in the process.

"Little one, I'm sorry. But with all due respect, I have a family of my own. I have my own mama and dada, and I cannot just abandon them for a pointless trip like this one." She opened her wings and tried to fly out through the roof, but couldn't even get her hooves off of the ground. No matter how hard she buzzed and beat her wings, she didn't get any higher, and was still firmly rooted on the ground. "Wh-what?!" Somnambula's entire body grew cold, and she trembled on the spot. The way out was sealed off, and the only other way was out of her reach. And the final nail in her coffin, she could no longer use her wings to escape. "What's going on here?"

Fwynxie just giggled. "Magic!" She pointed around. "No fwying allowed!"

"No... flying?!" Somnambula's pupils became smaller than the grains of sand that she had flew over to get to the pyramid. "Then... that means—"

"Yay! Som-Mama gonna stay" —Fwynxie hugged her even more so— "fowever!"

"Dear Celestia above, what have I got myself into?" Somnambula despaired as she once more found herself ensnared in the sphinx's enrapturing hugs and cuddles.

Author's Note

Well, this is gonna be interesting. I've never really made a full, feature-length story out of just a simple comic before. But yeah, once again, I do have to thank DoubleWBrothers over on DeviantArt for making the artwork, and the comic that it stems from.

I also do have to point out that, right now, I never really understood the appeal of the Sphinx when Daring Done first came out. I just passed it off as a regular thing, and then all of a sudden, there was a whole cult following for this giant, one-scene only monster that was never shown again. And while I agree that the design is cool, I just didn't think that it was as massively-loved as a member of the Main Six or a few background ponies in the day. And instead, I still just thought of it as a regular old sphinx with no dialogue involved.

But I will say that, I am looking forward to writing more of this story and furthering the captive relationship with Fwynxie and Somnambula. And I hope that you guys all enjoyed it as well. Be sure to stick around for more chapters when they release (provided that I ever get off my lazy butt and actually make more chapters. But I'll get there, definitely) and I'll see you all soon.

Meet Fwynxie

Somnambula had been hugged by Fwynxie for at least five minutes now. At least, that’s what she had assumed. She barely had any time to think about it, what with her lungs being turned into one giant sandwich as the baby sphinx’s clawless paws continued to hold her tight. Of all the ways she could have gone out, this was by far the last she had been expecting. Death by hugging.

Well, I did want some trouble today. Just, not like this. Somnambula felt her entire head bobble as Fwynxie started to play with her cheeks, feeling the chokehold she was in begin to loosen up slightly. Even as she started to breathe again, she couldn’t avoid becoming a plaything for Fwynxie. I just pray that somepony else knows that I’ve gone missing. Then, they’ll definitely come to free me. That’ll be the one solace I take from this experience.

“Som-Mama? Do you wanna pway?” Fwynxie asked, finally letting go of her little pony parent. “Pwaying is fun!”

“Little one, I think there’s been a major misunderstanding here...” Somnambula wriggled out of Fwynxie’s hold at last and stood upright once again. “I’m not your mama. I’m not even half your size. Where’s your real mama?”

“Here!” Fwynxie booped Somnambula’s noice and giggled more. “Som-Mama is mama!”

“No, I mean, where’s your real mama?” Somnabula walked around the giant nursery, trying to find a much larger sphinx. “If we can just talk to her, then I can be on my way. And as much as you seem to like me, Fwynxie, I’m just not really feeling up to this kind of thing right now...”

“Weal mama?” Fwynxie tilted her head, cooing softly. “What’s dat?”

Great stars above... Does she really have no mother of her own? Somnambula asked herself mentally as Fwynxie tried to think about what a real mama was. If that’s the case, then she’ll never let me go. And judging her size, I don’t think she’ll have any trouble dealing with ponies who want to save me from her either.

“Som-Mama? Wha’ sa weal mama?” Fwynxie asked, shuffling closer to her with wide eyes.

“You really don’t have a real mama of your own, do you?” Somnambula asked, putting a single hoof on the baby sphinx’s face. “You’re all alone here, stuck with all these toys and games.”

“Nuh-uh! Now I have Som-Mama!” She threw her paws up. “We gunna have so much fun!”

“But I don’t want to be here. I have my own mama and dada as well!” Somnambula groaned, beginning to lose the hope she cherished so dearly. “I can’t just leave them all behind!”

“Dey come here! Den Som-Mama no worry!” Fwynxie cuddled Somnambula once more, nuzzling her giant head against her tiny one. “If Som-Mama happy, me happy too!”

“But, if you didn’t have a mama before, then how did you even survive this long?” It was now Somnambula’s turn to rild her head. “If you’re just a baby, how did you eat food or drink your fill?”

“Da queen!” Fwynxie pointed to another door at the back of the room, going even deeper into the pyramid. “She not mama, but she give me food. She makes yummy baths.”

“Yes, I could gather.” Somnambula nodded. “Aren’t you grounded for drinking her milk bath, little one?”

“Mmhmm. But dat just mean I gedda pway more!” Fwynxie wiggled her tail around and looked ready to pounce on something. She saw a ball in the corner of the room and ran over to it. “Som-Mama! Ball!” And she hurled the big ball towards Somnambula.

“Oh cru—“ Before Somnambula could finish, the ball smashed against her and bowled her over, taking her along for a short ride until it stopped at a large plushie frog, which squeaked as Somnambula popped up from the top of the ball and toppled onto it in a daze.

“I lub ball, Som-Mama!” Fwynxie jumped over and picked up the ball, playing with it as a cat would a ball of yarn. She rolled it around, bounced it, and even laid on her back and kicked it up with her four paws. “Yoo lub ball too?”

“Did somepony get the driver of that cart?” Somnambula’s head was still spinning, both from her being flattened by the ball and from the vertigo when she was stuck to it.

Fwynxie was just off in her own little world as Somnambula finally began to get her bearing again. It seemed like the ball held her full attention now. The way that she idly played it while cooing and babbling to herself was almost mesmerizing, as if the toy had some magical properties that made anyone who played with powerless to do anthing else. That was what she believed, but it was soon shattered when Fwynxie gave the ball to her, playing with her pony body so that it looked like she could hold, push, and play with the ball too.

“Yoo try, Som-Mama!” Fwynxie smiled as she did all the work for Somnambula, treating her like a ragdoll pushing the ball.

“This is hardly trying, and moreso me being another one of your playthings, Fwynxie...” Somnambula didn’t even bother to move away. She was completely pinned down against the rubber ball.

Time passed, and Fwynxie eventually laid still in the middle of the room, curled up with her tail covering her butt. Somnambula had finally been given a break from being played with. Now that she had some time to collect herself, the least she could do was learn some more about the place and her captor, seeing as how it was apparent she wouldn’t be leaving now.

“So, Fwynxie?” She walked up to the soothed sphinx. “Just how old are you?”

“Queen says I nearly one.” Fwynxie groggily turned towards Somnambula, lifting her left paw gently. “She say I tawk too.”

“One year old? Well I must say, you look... healthy?” Somnambula had no clue how big baby sphinxes usually were, so she just decided to wing it.

“Mmm.” Fwynxie grinned. “Me onwy odda sphinx here.”

“I see,” said Somnambula. “But, when does this queen of yours summon you?”

“Only wen I hungry or thirsty.” Fwynxie arched her body up and patted at her belly. “I not need it now.”

“But what do you do without a parent to look after you?” Somnambula asked, walking closer to the docile Fwynxie. “Don’t you ever get lonely when you’re not with the queen?”

“Nuh-uh.” She shook her head. “Queen magic!”

“Yes, I get that your queen would be magic. Most adult sphinxes usually are.” Somnambula lifted a brow. “What magic does your queen have? Apart from the obvious flying magic, that is?”

“Weww...” Fwynxie brought her paw back to her chin again. “Queen magic... make me tawk, stop oddas from fwying, and make me no lonely!” She squealed.

“Does it also make you think I’m your mama?” She wanted clarification on that, at least.

“Nuh-uh! Yoo my mama because yoo named Som-Mama!” She hugged her for the umpteenth time that day, but it was more like her paws dragging her closer to her belly, rather than her being strangled this time. “Som-Mama? Pwease nevew go. I nevew had weaw mama before.”

“I don’t really have a choice in the matter now, do I?” Somnambula asked, frisking the room again. “The only way into this place is sealed off, there’s no way I can fly out of the roof, and unless there is another hidden passage around here, the only other way out seems to be from your queen, and she might not even have another exit for me to use.”

“No wowwy, Som-Mama. I lots of fun!” Fwynxie brushed Somnambula with her nose. “I awso like widdles. Yoo like widdles?”

“Well, I can take them or leave them, but I knew you love them before you even said it. It’s a common thing for sphinxes to love in Southern Equestria.” Somnambula put a hoof on Fwynxie’s nose. “Mind games to both challenge the guesser and to assert both their intelligence and that of the sphinx itself.”

“And me love games!” Fwynxie’s tail began to wag once more. “Yoo wead me widdle?”

Well, I’ve got nothing better to do trapped in here, and I doubt there is anypony coming to my rescue, so I think I could spare a few puzzles with Fwynxie. She clambered out of her hug. “If it will make you happy, little one.”

“Yay!” She clapped her paws together eagerly. “Me weady, Som-Mama!”

“Alright.” Somnambula had to dig deep into her mind to fetch a riddle to please the sphinx. She did have to admit, this was something she hadn’t seen every day. Normally, it would be the other way around for her and the other ponies in this part of Equestria, but here she was, telling a baby sphinx a riddle. “I am solid, tough, and can be used in more than one way. Both for sheltering ponies, and brightening up their day. What am I?”

“Umm...” Fwynxie sat up, letting the riddle sink in. “Can yoo wepeat dat, Som-Mama?”

“I am solid, tough, and can be used in more than one way. Both for sheltering ponies, and brightening up their day. What am I?” Somnambula obliged, and watched as Fwynxie’s paws once more came up to her chin. “If you want, I can give you a clue.”

“Nuh-uh. No cwoo. Me can do it.” Fwynxie shook her head. Even though she was young, she didn’t want to just have the answer spoonfed to her. Eventually, she came up with an answer. “Is it... bwick?”

Y-yes.” Somnambula nearly stepped backwards at Fwynxie’s answer. “Yes. Ponies outside use bricks to build things for other ponies, but you use the building blocks over there—“ she pointed to a set of them, all with special writing inscribed on each side “—to play, making you happy and therefore, brightening up your day.”

“Yay! Me did it!” Fwynxie clapped to herself some more. “Again, mama! Me wan notha widdle!” She leaned down close to Somnambula, almost looking more like a dog than anything.

“Another? Well, it’s certainly not out of the ordinary...” Of all the things Somnambula could have said to any babies she would meet in her life, she was telling riddles to an infant sphinx, who—even more of a shock to the system for her, was getting them right without any help. “Okay. This one is a little bit more challenging. Tell me if you don’t know the answer and I’ll feel free to reveal it.”

“No cwoo. Me smawty-sphinx!” She crossed her paws and pouted.

“Alright. Now, listen closely.” Somnambula once again dug deep for another one. “I am always a part of you, and never disappear. Under the sun or more close lights, more of me will appear. What am I?”

“Mowe of yoo will appear?” Fwynxie entered her thinking stance once again. She was liking this riddle game with Somnambula so far, but she still had to concentrate on finding the answer. “Wead it again, pwease?”

“I am always a part of you, and never disappear. Under the su—“

“Shadow!” Fwynxie interrupted. “Me know dat one.”

“Oh, really? How do you know this answer, little one?” Somnambula approached her.

“Da queen tewws me all da time! Dat, and the one wid da statues too.” She chuckled with a closed mouth. “I lub statue tickling. Dat was part of da cwoo for dat one.”

“Statue tickling?” Somnambula knew this was not her average sphinx. “I don’t even think I’d want to know what it’s like. But in any sense, you’re right. Shadows never leave your side, and more of them show up when you approach a light.” She walked over to a high torch at the end of the room, getting closer and closer to the flame; which elongated her shadow and split it in multiple differet ways. “See?”

“Yep!” Fwynxie came over as well. “Me have shadow too! Hi, shadow!” She waved to hers and tried to play with it, rolling around in it and trying to pat it down. “It never wanna come out and pway wike me, though.”

Somnambula watched as Fwynxie chased her own shadow and tried to play tag with it, often running around the room in circles trying to avoid being tagged back, even though the shadow was technically stuck to her and was tagging her the whole time. It was an endless cycle of her touching her phantom-like other self, running away only to find out it was stuck to her the whole time, and repeating the process all over again, just with laughter over it.

“Tag! Yoo it, Som-Mama!” Fwynxie pushed Somnambula to the ground, as opposed to a gentle tap.

“Tag?” Somnambula groaned, her body aching from the pain. “But how am I supposed to catch you, Fwynxie? You’re giant!”

“Not if yoo wun weally fast, Som-Mama!” She ran off around the room. “Catch me! Catch me!”

Is this what the prince had to go through while he was kidnapped? Playtime with Fwynxie here? Somnambula watched the giddy sphinx dart around the room innocently. Well, it sure beats being trapped in a snake pit or wandering into a spike labyrinth. But still, I must escape whenever the opportuniy presents itself. Before Fwynxie actually does convince me to stay with her forever... Even in her train of thought, Somnambula still chased after her “playmate” and they both ran around the room, though Somnambula was just left behind while her target just sped on ahead.

“Pwaytime with Som-Mama the best!” Fwynxie cheered as she watched Somnambula chase after. “We having super-duper fun! No wanna ever stop!”

Though the words drilled into Somnambula’s head, she still went on after Fwynxie, trying her hardest to cheer her up or wear her down for a nap. Babies all needed their naps, so as soon as Fwynxie had one of her own, she could use it as a means of escaping. Maybe this plan would work out after all...

The concept of time had completely evaporated from Somnambula’s brain as she started to limp across the room. Fwynxie herself was still bounding and darting around while she looked like she had run a gruelling outdoor assault course that had no end. Almost an hour of running and she had not even come close to catching Fwynxie, her hoof hadn’t even touched her fur since the riddle session they had.

“How is this fair?” Somnambula asked, breathing heavily as her entire body deluged itself in sweat. “I cannot chase down a child like this; especially not in this state...” She looked to her wings, pitifully useless now thanks to the queen’s magic. “If only I could still fly, then it would be easy to catch her. But now, resorting to just my hooves, this is the true definition of a struggle.”

“Yoo give up, Som-Mama?” Fwynxie asked, as she slowly came up to her. “If yoo want, me can awways—“

“Tag!” Somnambula had played her cards very well, and her boop caused Fwynxie to stumble onto her butt. She knew she couldn’t chase down the sphinx, so she waited for it to come to her instead. Feeling relieved as the baby sat down she finally collapsed to the floor, sprawling her arms and legs out to the side.

“Som-Mama? Why yoo sweepy?” Fwynxie asked, gently nudging the fainted Somnambula. “It’s not naptime yet.”

“Maybe not for you, but I am physically exhausted.” She could feel her lungs intake air with each word. “Aren’t you tired as well?”

“Nuh-uh! Me still wanna pway!” She pulled Somnambula back onto her feet. “Yoo it again! Now yoo gotta catch me again!” And with not another word, she dashed off, repeating the whole cycle again.

I take it back. I think I prefer snake pits and spike mazes to this... Somnambula groaned and blacked out, feeling the whole world vanish before her eyes.

Author's Note

And here we are! Chapter 2 of Som-Mama. Didn’t have to wait long now, did we?

Well, when a big story like this is widely received, I can’t just let it sit and simmer down now, can I? I have to keep stoking the fires and keep you all coming back for more.

Plus, I do love writing cute things; especially baby characters who can talk.

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and your day, and I’ll see you all again for the next chapter.

Nightfall

When Somnabmula finally came to and looked around, the place had grown much colder and darker than usual. All the lights had been turned out and Fwynxie was nowhere to be found. The sun above had been replaced with a bright, silver moon, which was twinkling elegantly like a pearl in the sky above. Had she not been trapped in this room with an over-energetic baby sphinx who loved to play, it would have been a wonderful sight for her.

“How long was I asleep?” Somnambula asked, feeling her muscles regain their strength. “And for that matter, how much time has passed since I arrived?” When she looked up at the singular hole in the ceiling, she had her answer. “The moon?”

In the corner of the room, Fwynxie was fast asleep, cuddling with a blanket as the ankh with a pacifier at its’ end bobbed gently in her mouth. The once bouncy titan of a baby had been reduced to a sleeping ball of fur. A very cute ball of fur, at that.

“It looks like even Fwynxie has her limits...” Somnambula tiptoed up to her, making sure not to echo her hoofsteps on the walls around her. “I just pray she doesn’t wake up and find me.”

“Mama...” Fwynxie cooed beneath the pacifier ankh. “Me no wanna go ta widdle school today. Me like your widdles more.”

“Even in her dreams, she still talks of riddles.” Somnambula watched as Fwynxie rolled over and flopped onto her back, mumbling gibberish as she went back to suckling on the pacifier. “When I get back home, I had better write a papyrus on the development of these things. The ponies back home could learn a thing or two from Fwynxie here.”

Just as Somnambula started to walk away, Fwynxie, still slumbering, reached forward, grabbed Somnambula by the flanks, and pulled her in, cuddling her like she was her own little teddy bear. Moaning softly as she brought her in for yet another death-hug, Fwynxie drifted more and more into sleep, as evident by her pacifier suckling getting slower and slower.

“Som-Mama...” She whispered, her tail curling gently as she slept. “No weave. Ever. Me no let yoo weave. Me hug yoo fowever and ever.”

Somnambula tried to escape again, but no matter how much she squirmed and writhed in Fwynxie’s grip, she couldn’t loosen herself up one bit. “Well. This makes it even harder.”

As Somnambula looked around for a way she could escape from the crushing hold of her infant imprisoner, her eyes began to adjust to the darkness, and she could see some brief glimpses and shadows of objects in the room. Though, the colours were still faded and diminished in the darkness most of the time.

Eventually, Somnambula got an idea. She knew she couldn’t use her wings to escape, but at the same time, she knew they were just what she needed to get out of Fwynxie’s hold. Ever so gently, she unfurled her wings, slipped them through the cracks of the sphinx’s paws, and began to tickle her nose with them.

Fwynxie’s nose twitched and scrunched as Somnambula tickled at it. She began to jiggle slightly as she had a light chuckle, which then turned into quiet little giggles, allowing Somnambula to break out as she loosened her grip on her.

"Kids will be kids." Somnambula smirked to herself as she watched Fwynxie calm down and snuggle into her blanket once again. "Now, to find my way out of here. I must admit, I was not expecting this for a deathtrap, but I've been in worse situations." And she walked away.

"Hmm. If the door's not going to open and I can't fly my way out, then there must be another secret passageway out of this wretched place. But where in the world would one of those be in a child-friendly room such as this?" Once she had time to assess her surroundings and not touch any of the loose toys that had been strewn about, Somnambula eventually looked at the walls, which had more sigils and characters on them. "Oh, of course. The wall writing. In the past few pyramids I raided, they always held a clue on how to escape, or where the real treasure would be. Let's just hope that tonight, it's the former."

Time ticked on and on, and the moon shifted its' way across the night sky, until it finally vanished from the open roof of the pyramid. Somnambula was still scouring the walls trying to find an answer, stifling as many yawns as she could whilst fighting off her increasingly stronger sense of drowsiness. She couldn't lose hope here; not in a place like this. Just one way out was all that she needed.

"Come on! What did I ever do to deserve this?!" Somnambula growled quietly, trying not to disturb Fwynxie. "I am Somnambula! Why has my hope forsaken me in such an accursed place?!"

Just when it looked like it was all over for her, she noticed the moonlight shimmering down on one particular piece of hieroglyphics. Once her eyes caught a glimpse of it, she ran over to find out what it was trying to tell her.

"What is this? A riddle of some sort?" Somnambula asked, leaning in to get a better view of the archaic symbols and their pattern. "It would not surprise me, seeing as how sphinxes love them." She rolled her eyes and looked at each individual rune and picture, then said to herself, "When the Sun shines high in the sky above, your wings become quashed and repelled. Should the moon instead shine in its' place, then unicorn magic is felled. Neither way can escape this place, unless blessed by the sphinx who hexed it. Though climbing through this labyrinthian construct is also a viable exit..."

She tried to disprove the riddle by using her wings to fly up to the ceiling, only to find that the roof of the place closed itself up with a green aura. That very same glow around the bricks conjured a pair of small spectral tethers, that was connected to Somnambula's wings. Groaning to herself, she descended back to the ground, where the magical ropes vanished.

"Well, at least I can fly again." Somnambula sighed, knowing that was the one solace she could take from that night. "But still, how do I escape this place? The riddle mentioned a maze, but where would one find such a thing here?" She started idly patting on the wall around it. "Maybe another switch to throw?"

Once Somnambula found and pushed a small button on the wall, a moderately sized piece of the temple began to open up before her eyes. It was only big enough to fit one pony in at a time, but that was all that she needed. Not wanting to spend another second in the room, she climbed up through the passage.

"Sorry, Fwynxie, but I cannot care for you forever." Somnambula looked back one last time at the baby sphinx. "My family are worried sick now that I have been stuck in your prison. Once I clear things up, I might consider coming back to play with you some more. But at the moment, I cannot throw my own responsibilities away to attend to foalsit someone like you; as much as you are an orphan." Moments later, she climbed off, feeling a small tear drop from her eye. She wiped it away as she continued her ascent.

"Som-Mama..." Fwynxie mumbled again. "No weave. Queen no let yoo weave. Magic no let anypony weave..."

Somnambula clambered higher and higher, making good time as she wanted to beat the moon to her house. Now was one of the most arduous tasks of the journey so far. She had not slept for hours, and at a late hour like this, she was on the cusp of collapsing and sleeping in the safety of the tunnels. But she forged on, trying her hardest to stay awake. Even in secret escape routes, there usually would be a small catch or stinger to it that would take her by surprise; considering her track record with pyramids.

There were more and more symbols on the walls as Somnambula went on her way, including a few branching paths. Most of which, she ignored, and continued to climb upwards, most likely towards the roof of the pyramid, where she could easily slide down the sides and run away back to civilization easily. What she didn't realise, however, was that there were some crystals on the wall by the marks, which all began to glow as she passed them.

"Som-Mama? Where yoo going?" Fwynxie's voice echoed through the room.

"Fwynxie?!" Somnambula gasped, looking around for the massive baby sphinx, only to find naught but the crystals. She let out a sigh of relief. "Wake up, Somnambula. You are just hearing things. Being tired will do that to you."

"Som-Mama no weave." Fwynxie said again, her voice echoing off of the crystals. "Me no wanna lose Som-Mama..."

As Somnambula was about to move on, she saw a bright flash of sapphire light, and she found herself in a massive rotunda of corridors, with each and every passageway looking exactly the same, with crystals at each and every entrance. The ceiling was still low down, so she couldn't stand upright just yet. For now, she could still only crawl and drag herself across, a feat that was already draining in and of itself; given how much she was used to flying or walking around.

"Fwynxie? What did you do?!" Somnambula called. "Where am I?!"

No response came.

"Fwynxie! Answer me! I demand it as your Som-Mama!" She called out again, only to be greeted with another wave of silence. Not even the crystals that had the sphinx's voice replied to her. "Whatever sorcery this is, I plan to beat it and return home. Nothing can stop me. I just need to hope that I'm going the right way.

So, Somnambula sat in the middle of the room, took off her headdress, and laid it out by her belly, to point out the door straight ahead. She then looked around the other ways out methodically, checking for any irregularities or differences, only to find that they were completely identical, right down to the same amount of dust and spider-webs in them.

"Is this another one of her games?" Somnambula asked herself, looking straight ahead once again, "Where it's all just a pointless illusion designed to throw me off and lead me back to the girl no matter what I choose? Because if that's the case, then all I need to do is go forward and that will lead me to salvation." Taking matters into her own hands, she slipped the headdress back on her head and pressed on, shuffling down the pathway in front of her. "Nice try, Fwynxie, but I am wise to the tricks of many a Southern Equestria creature."

Somnambula went down the path, the rotunda seeming like a thing of the past as she left it behind. Believing that she got the right one, she picked up the pace to make sure that more magic couldn't interfere with her escape, her hooves and knees collecting a lot of scrapes and rocks along the way. It was agony for her as they scratched and grazed against her, but all she could do was grit her teeth and try to avoid the sensation for as long as she could.

Eventually, Somnambula came to a little hatch at the end of the path that was accompanied by a bright shade of light. That must have been the way out for her. A smile finally returned to her face which grew wider as she picked up the pace and used her wings to speed herself up. Sure, she couldn't fly with them until she was out, but it helped her feel less heavy and therefore, able to move much faster in a cramped environment like this one.

Somnambula finally burst through the wall of light and felt the entire world disappear before her. Then, once her eyes readjusted, she found herself back in Fwynxie's room, only this time, it was like she was looking at a bird's eye view of the room, with all the same toys and everything.

"Wait, WHAT?!" Somnambula's eyes bulged so much that they nearly popped out of her sockets. "Why am I back here? I solved the riddle! I passed through the maze! I shouldn't be here any longer!" As she went on her tirade, she felt gravity return to her, and she let out a long scream as she tumbled to the ground like a stone being dropped from the roof.

"Som-Mama!" Fwynxie looked up and smiled as she watched Somnambula tumble towards her. She leapt up and acted as a large cushion for the wing-locked Somnambula, landing on all of her paws as she laid back down and helped her get off. "Me saved yoo!" She giggled.

"I don't know whether I should say thank you for saving my life or curse you and your species for making it seem even more hopeless for me to escape this place..." Somnambula deadpanned as she climbed off of the body of the creature. "But regardless, it looks like you're getting your wish after all. There really is no way out unless somepony else from the outside world comes to collect me. And even then, they wind up getting trapped here in my stead."

"Magic fun!" Fwynxie threw her arms up. "Yoo wike magic, Som-Mama?"

"Well, I suppose, but in the right context, I do." Somnambula could only nod, once more finding herself a puppet to this mighty behemoth of a baby and its' interest in fun. "As much as I would show you some magic, I am unfortunately a pegasus, and not a unicorn." She flashed her wings at Fwynxie just to prove it.

"Pega..." She couldn't pronounce this word either, and again ended up scratching her chin to try and make some sense out of it.

"Never mind. It's a very—" she finally caved in and let out a massive yawn "—common thing for ponies to say." Somnambula waved a hoof in front of her mouth. "Now, I guess I should be getting back to sleep."

"Sleep? But it daytime!" Fwynxie lifted Somnambula up and pointed her to the sun in the skies. "And daytime means pwaytime!"

"Wait, it's DAYTIME?!" Somnambula's face contorted as she lurched backwards in Fwynnxie's hold. She pulled out her wings and tried to fly again, only to find that they had been sealed off for the day again. "But I didn't even sleep last night!"

"Som-Mama? Is someting wrong?" Fwynxie asked, pulling the pony towards her and gently patting her head. "Yoo wook kinda funny."

Somnambula didn't even respond, and just started to bobble her head back and forth, feeling her eyelids become increasingly heavy with each passing second.

"Yoo can't go to sweep just yet. It's time to pway!" Fwynxie brought her mouth to Somnambula's belly and blew a raspberry into it, sending vibrations across her whole body. "Wake up, Som-Mama! It's pwaytime!"

"By the stars above, end my suffering..." Somnambula pulled her eyes open just barely before she released them and they fell shut again. Only momentarily, though, as Fwynie kept on raspberry-ing her tummy and making it impossible for her to sleep.

Another Day, Another Play

Somnambula tried her hardest to sleep, but she couldn’t even rest for a second with Fwynxie continuously messing around and playing with her body. Any thoughts of slumber she had completely evaporated into thin air as she finally groaned and accepted her fate.

“May my kin welcome me with a bountiful feast...” Somnambula groaned and rubbed her eyes as she finally walked forward to Fwynxie.

“What yoo wanna pway, Som-Mama?” Fwynxie’s tail swished back and forth again.

"How about a game outside?" Somnambula knew that it wasn't going to work, but even so, knowing things didn't essentially mean they were going to happen. "It's such a nice day outside, and the sands are generally nice today."

"But I grounded." Fwynxie hung her head. "Me no go outside. Queen no wet me. Or else, me get spankies..." She rubbed her butt cheeks to emphasize the point.

"Of course." Somnambula rolled her eyes. "Well, there goes that plan."

"But me okay. We just pway here! Together!" Somnambula bounced over to some building blocks. "Wook, Som-Mama! Me make a tower!" And she began to pick up the blocks and stack them on top of each other, giggling as she did so.

"Well, at the very least, she is as cute as a real foal..." Somnambula smiled, but tried her best not to. She was trapped by the thing and now she was beginning to love its' antics. "Why am I acting this way? I should be thinking on how to get out of here!"

Fwynxie cooed and babbled as she put block after block on top of each other. The letters and pictures were so jumbled that they made no coherent sense, but that wasn't what she was focused on at the moment. All she cared about was playing, and having fun with each second of it.

"Yoo wike blocks, Som-Mama?" Fwynxie asked, showing a block to her. "They super fun! Wook! Something on every part!" She squealed, showing off the pictures and letters.

"I'm fine, Fwynxie. Those things would please babies, but I am a full-grown mare." She stated as she walked up to the block.

"Yoo smaww, Som-Mama." Fwynxie picked her up with the tail. "Yoo sure yoo not baby too?"

"Trust me. I'm sure." She lowered her brows. "Nothing you say or do could—" Before she could finish, Fwynxie put the large pacifier into her mouth using her free claw.

"Baby!" Fwnyxie squealed. "Som-Mama cuter now!"

Somnambula tried to spit out the pacifier, but Fwynxie made sure that it stuck in by pushing her paw against her little muzzle. Giggling, she cuddled her little pony once again, while building the tower in the background.

So this is it then... Somnambula couldn't do anything more than suckle on the pacifier. Here I am. Somnambula, saviour of Southern Equestria, being babysat by a baby sphinx. This would be a hilarious joke if I enjoyed this. And yet, at the same time, now I'm beginning to have doubts about this Fwynxie girl. She turned her head to see the sphinx idly playing and mumbling to herself. Is it really that bad to leave her? And if that's the case, then can she and her queen still provide for me?

If this is my fate, she's trying her hardest to seem like it's not that awful. Maybe I've been taking this the wrong way all this time... Somnambula still suckled, not because she didn't want to stop, but because of Fwynxie's gentle smile which she could barely see. What if I took care of her instead of trying to escape her? It's a life-changing decision, but one I'll have to live with for now. After all, when the deserts give you sand, make hourglasses out of them.

"Som-Mama?" Fwynxie finally pulled Somnambula back to her chest. "Wook! My tower finished!"

Somnambula looked down at, quite frankly, what was one of the most unimpressive building block towers she had ever seen. With only eight blocks high. But she was more taken by the size of the blocks than the number she had stacked up. And for that, she couldn't help but smile at it.

"It good tower! Just wike queen used ta make for me when I was super-duper itty-bitty!" She put Somnambula down at the first block. "She used to make them weally, WEALLY high!" She raised her left paw up to the tallest block. "Dey awmost touched da woof!"

"The roof?" Somnambula looked up and envisioned more and more blocks being added to the tower. "That's pretty impressive, little one."

"Thank yoo, Som-Mama!" Fwynxie gave her a big smile. "Now, me wanna build higher! Just... one thing."

"What's that?" Somnambula asked.

"Uh... no more bwocks." She pointed around the room, and sure enough, there was no more building blocks. "How we build wid no more bwocks?"

"Maybe we could..." Somnambula looked around, but no matter how much she searched, there were no more blocks for her and Fwynxie to stack. "Nope. I don't see anymore blocks anywhere. Sorry, Fwynxie."

"Dat okay. We can still make something weally big!" She beamed from ear to ear and began to run away. "Ooh! We can use dis!" She picked up the ball and a stuffed animal.

"Those?" Somnambula tilted her head and watched as Fwynxie came running back and put the objects on top of the block tower, making it collapse with little effort.

"Oopsie! Guess we stawt all oder again!" Fwynxie chuckled and started to pick the blocks back up, rearranging them back into the one tower she had made earlier. "Yay for bwocks!"

Why do I love her? And why is she so content with starting all over again? Somnambula asked herself mentally as she watched Fwynxie build the tower again, then try to use the other items she had gathered, only to knock it down again. I mean, I know she's a baby sphinx, but she loves riddles. Why does she love knocking that tower over when she's just trying to build it up again? Wouldn't it make more sense to just play with some other toys?

"Me love pwaytime, Som-Mama..." Fwynxie scrunched her face up and hugged herself. "Pwaytime is fun. Fun is good."

Oh. That's right. She's still got the feel of a kid deep down inside... Somnambula couldn't help but pat Fwynxie as she continued to play with the blocks. Fwynxie... You're such a sweet kid deep down.

Later, when time had passed, a large hatch opened at the back of the room. Somnambula had never noticed that exit before and was quick to trot over to it, with Fwynxie charging straight through it, tail wagging all the way like a dog.

"Yay! Food!" Fwynxie cheered as she went into the next room. "Follow me, Som-Mama!"

"I was doing that anyway." Somnambula rolled her eyes as she walked through the passageway and followed Fwynxie into the next room.

The next room was something that widely contrasted that of the nursery behind them. A wide room with a large empty pool in the middle of it. There were torches all around the room, with more hieroglyphs carved into the walls. At the end of the room, a massive altar stood before them, with a throne right the middle of it. With gems carved into the walls in such a unique and intricate pattern, it was like something out of a fairytale for both Somnambula and for Fwynxie.

Sitting in the middle of the room was another sphinx. This one was much bigger than the one before it and was draped in much more clothes. A gold, amber, and topaz breastplate was draped around her chest, she wore sharp crystal greaves on her paws, and her crown was much bigger than that of Fwynxie's; not to mention, more decorated too.

"Hi, Queen!" Fwynxie smiled and prowled up to the giant sphinx, sitting softly before her. "Wook! Som-Mama here too!"

"Som-Mama?" The new sphinx looked down and saw the pony approach her and Fwynxie. "What are you doing here? And why did Fwynxie not report you to me sooner?"

"So. You are the queen?" Somnambula looked up towards the hulking beast that stood before her.

"Do not change the subject!" The queen bellowed, unfurling her massive wings. "Why are you here? And why is my Fwynxie so infatuated with you?!"

"Stop, queen!" Fwynxie ran up the queen's body and into her arms. "Som-Mama did nothing wong. She super-fun instead."

"Fun?" The big sphinx stared down at Somnambula. "You are aware that this is technically trespassing on others' property, correct?"

"Yes, and I meant nobody in here any harm. I just came to free a prince from Fwynxie's hold." Somnambula pushed her front hooves together. "But, from the looks of things, he was able to get out just fine, and now I find myself trapped in here with no way to escape."

"Of course. Such is the way of the Sphinx's Pyramid." The queen folded her front paws. "Those who enter are doomed to remain, unless somepony else comes to their aid. That pony who wanted to leave because my girl was driving him mad?" She petted Fwynxie, making her purr and roll on the queen's laps like a pet cat. "He got his wish after all, now that you're here."

"But at my expense." Somnambula sighed, looking up at the sphinx and her guardian. "Please, mighty one. Just one exit and I'll take it."

"No. You entered this domain, so now you shall suffer your fate. The fate of being my little Fwynxie's pet for all of time!" She jabbed a paw at Somnambula, making her jump backwards and almost fall into the pool. "That is, until somepony else decides to bust you out and take her place, that is."

"Nuh-uh! Nopony ever take Som-Mama away. She da best!" Fwynxie pouted and shook her head.

"I thought as much..." Somnambula muttered to herself as she stepped back up to the sphinx. "Well, is there any chance that you can provide me with something to eat as well?" Her belly rumbled loudly, and it echoed throughout the room. "I've spent almost an entire day without food, and it's driving me insane!"

"Of course. Never let it be said that we sphinxes are not generous to our 'guests'." The queen's crown lit up, and a small beam poured out of it and hit the ground by Somnambula's feet. Once it stopped, a small platter of fruits appeared before her. "Eat. Nourish yourself, little one. You'll NEED IT."

Somnambula, not wanting to go another minute without starving, tore into the food like a ravenous wolf. She even bit through the rind of the watermelons and slurped up the juices voraciously. As the liquid poured down her throat and face, she let out a moan of content, finally sating the hunger that she had been burdened with since she arrived at the pyramid.

"These are so good!" Somnambula's eyes began to sparkle. "How do you do it?"

"Well, when you're a high and mighty sphinx queen, you tend to do a lot more than just spout off some silly riddles." The queen chuckled and looked down at Fwynxie. "Speaking of which, I think it's time you ate your fill too, little one." She tickled Fwynxie's navel with her paws, which made the baby laugh and flail her back legs more.

While Somnambula ate away at her food, Fwynxie watched as a large bottle of milk appeared before her, with an amber nipple popping out of the top. She took the milk and began to suckle away, with a reward of sweet, warm, succulent milk for her efforts. She tenderly reached up for the queen as she drank the milk more and more, the world seeming to fade away from her as her whole throat filled with the white, creamy drink. Much like an actual baby, she was finally rendered completely motionless, save for her mouth.

Once the queen had seen Fwynxie finish the bottle, she pulled it out of her mouth and gave her a hug, which she was happy to return. "I lub you, queen. And I lub yoo too, Som-Mama!" She reached out for both of them.

"Such a lovely pair." The queen smiled and laid Fwynxie down with Somnambula. "Now, I wish that somepony else never comes and rescues you." She gave the pony a sadistic grin, which then melted down into a tender smile. "But let's not scare you. After all, what good are you to my little Fwynxie-winxie if you can't at least smile and be happy about it?"

"Yeah! Som-Mama no sad! Onwy happy!" Fwynxie gave Somnambula another death-hug, squeezing the air out of her lungs for the umpteenth time.

"Fwynxie... Please stop..." Somnambula struggled for breath again. "You're crushing me!"

"Oh!" She opened her paws up, hung her head, and widened her eyes. "Me sowwy, Som-Mama..."

"It's quite alright." Somnambula brushed herself down, when in reality, it wasn't fine in the slightest. That had just cemented the fact that there was no escape for her, and that she was bound to Fwynxie until someone else came to her aid. "Everything is just fine. Nothing to worry about. I'm yours, Fwynxie." She lowered her head and stared down at her hooves, accepting her fate.

"Yay! We together fowever!" Fwynxie bounded up and down on the spot. "Me and Som-Mama! We pway together! And she never weave!"

"Yes, my little Fwynxie." She leaned down and looked Somnambula in the eyes. "She's yours to keep..."

Somnambula just nodded at the queen and walked away, with Fwynxie following close behind her. That was her last chance at trying to break out, and it had just gone up in flames. Now, she really did have to rely on somepony to save her, as the prince did when she first embarked on this journey. It wasn't what she had hoped for, but it was the bed that had been made. Now, she just had to lie in it; no matter how adorable it was.

Once they both made it back into the room, the hatch closed up, and Fwynxie galloped off over towards the ball. She rolled and caught it, bouncing it up and down before aiming it at Somnambula.

"Catch! Som-Mama!" Fwynxie called as she tossed the ball towards her.

This time, Somnambula was determined not to get flattened, so she reached her front hooves out and tried to catch the ball, but it was still flying with enough velocity and weight to knock her backwards. Once the spherical weapon smashed against her, she flew into the wall and fell like a feather dropping from a great height.

"No, Som-Mama. Yoo supposed to catch it." Fwynxie took the ball and rolled it back as Somnambula got back onto her feet again. "Twy again!" And she threw the ball again.

"Oh, sweet mother of..." Somnambula again tried to catch, but was still repelled by the massive, rubber death-ball. She hit the wall again, but this time, she was sandwiched by the ball, and heard a ringing in her ears as she tumbled to the ground again.

"Yoo not good at this, are yoo?" Fwynxie asked, walking up to Somnambula. "It okay. Me just roll ball instead! Surely, yoo catch it then!" She went back into position, readied the ball, and then pushed it forward gently, rolling it towards Somnambula. "Catch it now!"

When Somnambula saw the ball approach her this time, she didn't even bother to get up. She just lifted a hoof and acted as a stopper for the ball, which landed gently in the palm of her hoof. "Caught it."

"Yay!" Fwynxie cheered and jumped up and down, before taking the ball back from Somnambula. "Now try it again! Faster!"

Somnambula tried stopping it again, but it ended up just rolling on top of her body and back off as it hit the wall and rebounded. "Caught it..." She mumbled.

Hide-and-Seek

If it was any other day, Somnambula would be fine about playing with children. But today, she knew that Fwynxie was going to put her through the wringer. If it wasn’t for her massive size and overplayful nature, it was how committed she was to keeping her trapped in the pyramid.

“Som-Mama? Fwynxie watched as Somnambula struggled to get back onto her feet. “Why yoo wike dat?”

“I don’t know... maybe it’s the fact that I keep on being flattened by that infernal lump of rubber in your paws.” She finally popped back out of the ground, wobbling on her hooves as she tried to reclaim her balance.

“Well, yoo tiny, Som-Mama.” Fwynxie patted Somnambula gently back into the ground. “Me big sphinxy.”

“If we must play a game, can we play one that isn’t so... dangerous?” She asked, tilting her head to the side as she looked around at the oversized toys.

“What yoo mean, Som-Mama?” Fwynxie lifted a brow. “Toys no dangewous. They fun!”

"To you, maybe. But a little pony such as myself finds these to be more destructive than fun..." Somnambula rubbed her back and groaned, wincing at all the times the ball had run her over and crushed her from head to toe. "I never thought I would ever say that about toys for foals, but here I am."

"Well, what yoo wanna pway, Som-Mama?" Fwynxie asked, leaning down towards her. "Me no want yoo to feew bad. Mama no feew bad."

"A bit too late to say that after all I've been through..." Somnambula grumbled to herself, rolling her eyes at the giant infant. "Why don't we just play a game that doesn't involve any of these objects?"

"Wike tag?" Fwynxie's eyes lit up.

Somnambula's eyes shrunk down to pinpricks before she lunged a hoof towards the sphinx like a large, rounded spear. "NO! No. Not after the last time I played that game. My lungs were about to ignite."

"Weww, why don't yoo choose the game, Som-Mama?" Fwynxie smiled and nuzzled her tenderly. "Me no picky. Any fun is good."

"Me choose the game?" Somnambula parroted, taking another look around the room. "Well, how about hide and seek? That's a fun game, and there's no need to worry about throwing the toys around and causing a mess." Her smile returned. "Do you like hide and seek, Fwynxie?"

She nodded vigorously. "Me lub hide and seek!" She squealed and threw her paws out to the side. If it wasn't for the notion of the game, she would be charging up another one of her death-hugs. "And me know just where to pway it!"

"Uh, I don't like to burst your bubble, little one, but we're kinda stuck here." She batted a hoof to the door she had come in from, mildly paranoid that the gap between the slabs had disappeared with how little she had been able to plan her escape. "Unless you know how to break down walls, I don't think there's anywhere we can play the game except here."

"Nuh-uh. Baby sphinxes hab magic too!" Her tail began to swish back and forth as the sides of Fwynxie's tiara glowed dimly. "Not as stwong as big, queen magic, but still good. Perfect for pwaying hide-and-seek!"

"You have magic, little one?" Somnambula asked, looking up at the crown.

"Mmhmm! Wook! me show yoo!" Fwynxie closed her eyes and clamped her front paws together, focusing long and hard on the magic she wanted to conjure up. As she concentrated more and more, the lights on her tiara got brighter, until finally, there were two golden orbs at each of the ends, which coiled light pink entrails of lightning between each other and the tip of the headpiece.

Somnambula just began to step backwards as Fwynxie's magic got stronger and stronger, creating a big ball of tesla right above her head. Fearing the worst, she began to run away, only to slam face-first into the wall of the pyramid and stumble backwards towards the baby sphinx, who burst the orb above her head, filling the room in a brilliant and regal cascade of light.

She tried to fight against it, but with Fwynxie's laughter in the background and all of the physical damage she had taken throughout her stay, she eventually crumbled and let the light envelop her.

When Somnambula finally came too, she was in a room unlike any she had ever seen before in her life. It was a maze, but she was used to those at this point. Instead, this maze's walls were entirely made of padding and a soft, squishy inflatable substance. Bright colours and arrows lined the place, with no indication on which arrow led where or if there was any way out at all.

Fwynxie giggled and sat down in the middle of the room. "Now we can pway hide-and-seek!" She giggled, her tail still brushing the ground beneath her. "Special woom. Onwy me and queen can wet tings weave."

"So, it's basically the same as your room back in the pyramid, only a lot more colourful..." Somnambula started to look around, trying to get her bearings. "Can I at least fly in this labyrinth?" She unfurled her wings to try, but was met with the same result as when she was back in the nursery room. "No, I can't. At least there aren't any huge toys in here."

"Oh, there no toys, but we stiww have fun. Dis place booby-trapped!" Fwynxie blurted out,

"Booby-trapped?!" Somnambula lurched backwards and toppled onto her back. "Fwynxie? Why did you take us to a maze full of dangerous traps? Isn't this a bit risky?"

"Nope! These booby-traps are aww Fwynxie-fwiendly! Dey no hurt yoo. Instead, they make you giggle and cheer!" She clapped on the spot. "You'll lub dem, Som-Mama!"

"Maybe if I were a few years younger, I would, but are you sure that this is really a good idea?" Somnambula finally rolled back onto her front and stood back up again. "I mean, if this really is a maze, then who's to say that we'll ever find each other? Or if you can get us back to the room we were in?"

"Silly Som-Mama! Me sphinx! Magic no wast forever." She sandwiched Somnambula with both of her paws and rubbed her cheeks softly. "We go back to my woom soon. Until then, we can pway hide-and-seek aww we want!"

"Whoopee..." Somnambula deadpanned as Fwynxie's smiled shone down on her. It was all the same for her, but just in a different room. That was all. "So, who should seek first? You or me?"

"Yoo first, Som-Mama." Fwynxie nodded and pointed to her. "Yoo new, and mama, so yoo start."

"Well, thank you for that, Fwynxie, but I'm really—"

"Close your eyes and count! Me gonna hide!" Fwynxie turned around and forcibly lifted Somnambula's hooves to her eyes using her tail. Then, she darted off down the path and deep into the depths of the candy-coated maze.

"Just what in the stars have I gotten myself into this time?" Somnambula asked, though this was the first time that she had questioned it out loud, given that all the other times, she had tried not to upset Fwynxie with her lack of commitment to the games or activities in her room. "Well, nothing that I can do about it now except to try and find her, I suppose."

Somnambula was about to step forward, when she felt her legs turn stiff. She tried to move them, but she wouldn't budge no matter how hard she tried.

"Count, Som-Mama!" Fwynxie's voice echoed. "Yoo no allowed to move until yoo count!"

Muttering to herself, Somnambula obliged, and covered her eyes with her hooves as she counted upwards from one to ten. Once she was finished, she was able to move her legs again. Dashing forward, she set out on her quest to find Fwynxie in the twisted construct of bouncy walls and floor. At the very least, she didn't need to worry about triggering any traps and suffering more and more for it. She knew that there would be no such thing in a place like this.

"Where is Fwynxie?" Somnambula asked as she came to the first crossroad in the maze. The arrows were all brightly-coloured and very cartoon-like, giving the illusion that this would be something entertaining for children. She tried to read the signs, but couldn't make out where any of them led, and so darted off down the middle path. "Surely, she can't be that hard to find. She's too easily distracted..."

As Somnambula charged down one of the corridors, she ended up stepping on a pressure plate beneath her feet, though she barely even noticed it given how it blended in with the rest of the environment. Only when the "trap" was actually sprung did she take notice. And it was less of a trap, and more of a spell materializing around her sides, with mystical fingers that tickled her under her hooves. Sent into a fit of laughter, Somnambula ended up tripping forward and rolling ahead, her headdress tumbling off of her head during the fall.

As she finally got back onto her feet and stopped laughing, the spell dissipated and vanished into thin air, leaving nothing more than its' victim still slightly chuckling and sighing as she tried to recompose herself.

"Was that one of Fwynxie's traps?" Somnambula asked as she picked her headdress up and slipped it back over her mane. "Because if that's the case, my worries are null and void. Finding her should be one of the least aggravating things on the list..." Taking a deep breath and steeling herself for any future traps, Somnambula began to walk off, leaving the pressed switch behind her as she turned down another passageway.

Giggling to herself, Fwynxie pounced down another path, stepping on all of the pressure-plates that she could find and watching the chaos unfurl before her eyes. Food was hurled, the ground made ocean-like waves, the floor became more and more bouncy, and the walls even stretched in a manner of different ways. For her, it was all just one big game and special effect show, and she was loving every second of it. She even stopped moving at times just to admire all of the madness happening around her.

"Whee!" Fwynxie cheered and ran through all of the traps, narrowly missing all of the lobbed foodstuffs and magical energies, which shot past her body and blew her fur all around the place as she made it to the other end. Skidding to a halt, she watched as all of the effects came to an end and the hallway returned to normal. Then, using a slightly less powerful spell, she reset all of the traps in that area.

"Som-Mama gonna be super-surprised if she comes dis way." Fwynxie snickered to herself and sneaked off down another path. "She's gonna have so much fun..."

As Somnambula ran to the path Fwynxie had just travelled, she just had to take one look around at the mess that had been made. With all the smashed fruit and melting butter, she could only assume that Fwynxie had been down that path. A small grin came onto her face as she knew that she was making some progress on her little "game." Stepping forward, she triggered another panel on the ground, but again, didn't notice with how malleable the floor was beneath her.

"Little one? Where are you?" She asked, as the trap primed itself and aimed towards her. She got no verbal response, and instead felt a watermelon collide and disintegrate to pieces against her head, followed by shots of more and more foodstuffs. "Oh dear..." Her eyes shrunk down to little dots as she was bombarded with food, almost buried within an edible mountain.

Fwynxie's laughter echoed in the distance, and Somnambula scrambled out of the food and pricked up her ears. She got back onto the ground, but slipped and slid all over the place with the food stuck to her hooves. Slimy juices kept her from having any traction as she slid over another trap and activated it, stretching the walls and crushing her with them.

"This is not a game anymore..." Somnambula sighed as she padded walls finally let her go. Muttering to herself and slapping her face, she finally darted forward, not caring about any of the traps in her way. More and more of them were set off, but she didn't even wait for them to fully activate and just barreled forward. "Where are you, Fwynxie?"

"Me hiding!" Fwynxie called out, her voice bouncing off of the walls. "Yoo never gonna find me!"

"We'll see about that, little one." Somnambula ran ahead once more, leaving the carnage of the traps behind her as she tried to follow Fwynxie's voice. "But I'm only doing this for your benefit. I would never be seen doing this in the real world."

"This is da weal world, silly!" Fwynxie chuckled again. "Just a widdle something me made."

"Real or not real, I know that you're here somewhere, Fwynxie." Somnambula was determined; though that was really second nature for her, given all of the trouble she had faced in her life. "And before the sun sets on this day, I will find you and we will go back to your room together!"

Little did Somnambula know that she activated yet another of the maze's many traps as she charged forward, and the ground below her feet became so bouncy that she launched and somersaulted with so much torque that she flew into the wall and bounced backwards, ricocheting off of all corners of the room like an over-sized pinball machine. It seemed like there was no end to the pandemonium until she ended up landing straight on her face back on the button she had pushed, sliding forward a few inches before coming to a gentle halt in the middle of the passage.

"Isn't this super-duper fun, Som-Mama?" Fwynxie asked, her position still masked by the echo of the room. "Yoo sound wike you're having lots of fun!"

"Please... almighty gods above... be merciful on my soul." Somnambula moaned and inched forward as she got back onto her feet. "Fwynxie, I swear, I will NEVER enjoy this madness you've put upon me!" Stomping her hoof down, she activated yet another one of the traps in the maze, sending a giant, rubber-coated boxing glove towards her, which smashed her into the wall and launched her straight at the one on the other side, where she slid down and fell onto her back. "There is no pyramid in Equestria that is worse than this. I wish there were treasure deep inside of it, like all the rest..."

He Comes...

In the ferociously roaring sands outside of the pyramid, a lone pony with a cloak stepped forward towards the statues, gazed up at each and every one of them, and shrugged as he pressed forward. He saw the entrance to the pyramid stayed open, despite the long-past departure of the prince and made his way inside, shrugging off the violent sandstorm he had walked out of.

Inside the structure, he pulled down his hood and looked around, trying to make out the characters and hieroglyphs on the walls. Muttering to himself and chanting an incantation, he ignited the torches around the room and made them glow brighter, dispelling more and more of the darkness around him.

“This pyramid should have been cordoned off years ago.” He spat to the ground and stomped forward, revealing his cutie mark. It showed a pair of crossed scimitars with a ball of sand above them. “Now, ponies will come and seek treasure, only to be trapped by infernal beasts known as sphinxes. Southern Equestria has been plagued by these demons for long enough, and without proper action, they will be cursed by them for years to come...”

As he pressed on, deeper and deeper into the heart of the pyramid, he read more and more marks on the wall, reciting the story in his own tongue.

“So long as the sands of time have stood, so too has this great holding cell. But this is not a cell for the mighty demons of riddles, but rather for the prey they seek,” he read aloud. “Sphinxes of ancient times, use this temple as a prison, where no pony who enters is allowed salvation; except if someone else takes their place.” He broke away from the writing and spat to the ground, groaning in disgust. “Horrid things they are. They should never have messed with our kind!”

Travelling further and further through the corridors of the cursed prison of a temple, the pony uncloaked himself more and more, revealing a golden-coated pony with an amber mane and sharp, lightning-bolt tail. His face was chiselled, and tattoos ran down his front hooves, with spiral patterns reaching from tip to shoulder.

“But maybe... with the right words, we can turn the sphinxes to our side.” Grinning to himself, he pulled out an orb from his cloak, rubbing it with his hooves. “It is unrefined, but it should be enough to incapacitate a sphinx and bring it to my pharaoh. Then, the rest is his to decide.”

I will never forgive the beasts myself, not after the accursed trial they cast before my kind in the past; trapping us in a subjugated life for their own personal benefit...

The streets of the pony's village ran rampant with fear, as sphinxes flew overhead and barred off the exits to the village. Their wings beat down on the town, forcing ponies back away from the edges. Not even the pegasi could escape, as the sphinxes chanted a powerful incantation that trapped the village in a golden dome, with hieroglyphics floating and drifting all around the edges.

"Foolish ponies!" A male sphinx boomed out, unfurling its' wings to blot out the sun. "You will answer to us now. Anyone trying to leave will be subjected to our special methods of punishment!"

"Howling Dune! What are we supposed to do?" A mare ran alongside him as they both tried to escape from the sphinxes.

"We get to the tunnels. Surely, there will be a way for us to escape through there..." Howling nodded and ran towards the bridge, jumping off the side to land into a river. "Come, Topaz Eye. We must depart with haste!"

Both of the ponies swam through the river, looking up as the sphinxes swooped over the domed town and started to swoop ponies up into their massive claws. Screams rang out and the ponies flailed their limbs frantically as they begged and pleaded for help.

"Wretched beasts... Why are they doing this to us?" Howling grunted to himself as he shuddered and came to a circular hole in the wall. "Hurry to the sewers, my precious..."

"There is no point in trying to resist, ponies of this village!" The sphinx boomed out, channeling magic through the crown on its' head. "Submit to us immediately, or face the consequences!"

Howling Dune and Topaz Eye delved deeper and deeper into the tunnels, trying their best to hide away from the winged beasts. The smell of the water was pungent and acrid, and they began to feel their heads get heavy as the stench permeated their snouts and traveled up their nostrils.

"Isn't there any way to beat a sphinx, Howling?" Topaz asked, sweat trickling down her brow as her thin dress drifted across the water. "Surely, we can't just leave our town behind for them?"

"As much as I would like to stop this invasion, it's out of my hands. A sphinx's magic is not like that of a pony's magic." Howling huffed and hung his head, viciously swiping the water away. "Gods above! Why did it have to be us?!" Looking back at his wife, his brows raised back up and his breathing normalized. "Sorry. But as far as I am aware, there is no pony here strong enough to fight these demons; let alone me."

"Then... we really have to escape?" Topaz's eyes glinted. "After all the time that we spent in this town, we're going to abandon it?"

"Not abandon it, my wife. We're going to get some help." He went forward, towards the end of the tunnel and saw a small speck of light in the distance. "If we can get out of this place, we can go to the pharaoh himself. Surely, he can mobilize a group of ponies who can fight, and save us from this blight."

"Alright, Howling." Topaz followed after him, but knew that they had a long journey ahead of them. Even if they could get to the pharaoh and requisition his help, the sphinxes might have destroyed their home in the time it would take them.

Eventually, after slogging through knee-high waters and a stench that would incapacitate even the strong-willed ponies, both Howling and Topaz made their way out of the tunnels, and popped out onto the edge of the river, right outside the dome the sphinxes had encased their town in.

"Come, Topaz." Howling darted forward, with Topaz close behind him. Together, they left nothing but hoof tracks behind them as they ran down the road as fast as they could. They didn't even look back once to notice the sphinxes roosting on top of the houses and other buildings in their village.

Unfortunately for them, another sphinx watched them both escape from the top of the ravine around them. Unfurling its' wings, the giant monster soared through the air and swooped down on the fleeing ponies, blowing around the sand in its' wake as it rushed over the ponies' heads.

"No!" Howling groaned and ducked his head down as the sphinx shot over him, somersaulted backwards, and landed before them, blocking their path with a slope of sand and its' tremendous wings. "Out of our way, beast! Let us pass!"

"There is no escape from us, little ones." The sphinx growled and stood over their bodies, tail poised and ready to strike as the creature gave both ponies a malicious glare. "No pony is safe from us, unless you are cunning enough to answer the riddle I pose for you."

"Riddle?" Topaz Eye slid behind Howling Dune, quivering as the sphinx towered over them both. "What kind of riddle?"

"The one where, if you answer incorrectly, your entire village goes underground for the rest of time." The sphinx's eyes glinted with a green glow as the magic on its' crown fluctuated. "All you need do is answer correctly and I shall let you go. Fat chance of that happening, though."

"Pose your riddle already, monster. We have no time to waste with you or your kind." Howling gruffly blew smoke out of his nose.

"I am physical, yet have no hands, feet, legs, or any solid form. I can be as small and flimsy, or as big and powerful as possible. What am I?" The sphinx nodded, its' crown shooting a bolt out at the dome, sealing it with a lock. "Now, I needn't remind you of the consequences for a wrong answer. Just take your time."

"Physical, but no limbs or solid form? What could that be?" Howling Dune muttered to himself as he paced back and forward, looking at his wife and the town they both cherished. "Could it be... No, that's impossible. What about... actually, forget about that."

"Why do you sphinxes hate our kind?" Topaz asked, while Howling still pondered the answer to the riddle. "What did we ever do to deserve your wrath?"

"I am the one who poses the questions, little one. If you have any complaints, then please turn towards the desert behind you and yell them into the air!" The sphinx howled, slamming its' paw down in front of Topaz. "Now, have you thought of an answer yet?"

"There is only one answer that I can think of. Though, I am unsure whether or not there are others that are also acceptable." Howling hung his head and said, "It is the wind. Wind is a physical object, yet it has no body. And it can be condensed into small pockets or be as large as the land itself."

"That is your answer?" The sphinx tilted its' head.

"Yes." Howling nodded.

"Looks like you're..." The sphinx turned towards the village and watched as it began to lower into the ground below, sand swallowing up the roads and buildings. "WRONG!"

"What?!" Howling snapped his head back towards the city, seeing as it retreated into the sands. "No! You set us up! There was more than one valid answer, but you chose to deny ours for your own sake!"

"Hey. You played my game by my rules, and as such, your city fell for it." The sphinx chuckled and batted Howling and Topaz away. "But I'm not entirely an evil thing. You can run off and tell your pharaoh about your home." It grinned. "Or whatever's left of it!"

"Wretched heathen!" Howling charged up his horn and tried to shoot magical blasts at the sphinx, only for a green veil to protect it from his assault. The beast cackled and took off again, while he was still shooting at it. "Get back here! Undo this hex right now! YOU WILL NOT GET AWAY WITH THIS!"

"Truly, I will never be able to forgive that race for what they did that day." Howling muttered as he ran towards the innermost sanctum of the temple, getting closer and closer towards Fwynxie's room and Somnambula's prison. "But, perhaps once I bring back a specimen for the pharaoh, his friends will be able to study it better, so that we can be prepared for future battles with the monstrous things.

Looking into the pocket of the cloak around his body, Howling pulled out a parchment and unfurled it, revealing magical runes that pulsated with feint energy as he brushed his hoof across it. Mumbling an incantation to himself, he felt the runes' power spring to life and coil around his hoof, before it spiralled up to his horn and disappeared in through the tip.

"There. Hopefullly, my power will be strong enough to take this beast and deliver it back to the ponies of the capital." Howling nodded to himself and slid the scroll back into his pockets before pressing on. "And if it is not, then I have many more tricks planned to snatch this monster and bring it in for research."

At long last, Howling arrived at the large door that led into Fwynxie's room. Scanning it from top to bottom, he put his hoof on it and started to feel around for a secret button that would allow him entrance into the room; and to his prize.

"If there truly is a pony stuck in there, I can only imagine the horrific suffering that it must be feeling right now..." Howling said to himself.

Somnambula ran through the maze, her blood pumping as she dodged under another one of Fwynxie's fun-filled booby traps. Sliding on her knees and rolling under the mechanisms, she made it to the end of another one of the maze corridors completely unharmed, tracking Fwynxie by her voice.

"I'm gonna get you, Fwynxie!" Somnambula called, her voice much more chipper than before as a smile began to creep on to her face.

"Nuh-uh! Me good at dis game!" Fwynxie called back, only giving herself away as Somnambula turned another corner.

"I must admit, I was not fond of these games, but now I've begun to see them from another angle." Somnambula panted, jumping over another button in the ground and avoiding springing the traps. "In reality, they are both entertainment for you and exercise for me. Now, I feel much more prepared to take on the deserts of Southern Equestria; and whatever other monsters might lurk within it."

"Yay! Som-Mama happy!" Fwynxie cheered, finally revealing herself as Somnambula came to the next corner in the maze.

And that was the moment she had been waiting for. Charging forward, Somnambula bolted towards the massive Fwynxie and pounced into her belly, feeling the fur and bouncy blubber collide with her as Fwynxie gave her another hug.

"Yoo found me!" Fwynxie cheered as the magic on her tiny tiara shimmered and glowed, enveloping them both in a magical veil that took them out of the maze and back into the nursery.

"I never thought I would say this, but that was actually... fun!" Somnambula's smile grew as wide as possible as she looked up at her titanic toddler. "For real. No jokes."

"Gwad yoo lkied it, Som-Mama!" Fwynxie nuzzled her. "Wanna pway again? Or do yoo wanna pway with something else now?"

"I suppose I wouldn't mind another game." Somnambula finally climbed off of Fwynxie's body and back onto the solid stone ground. "I feel much fitter now than I ever did working for the pharaoh and his family."

"Really now? Then perhaps, you would like to see the pharaoh again and tell him that."

Both Somnambula and Fwynxie turned to see Howling Dune standing at the entrance, throwing off his cloak and scattering it over the toys behind him. The sand marks on his face barely visible if not for the torch. While Fwynxie's eyes widened at the newcomer, Somnambula raised a brow. Both of them had not been expecting guests.

Author's Note

So. About this new villain guy, I wanted to try and spice things up a little, y'know, just to make sure that every chapter's not all repetitive and predictable Fwynxie and Somnambula play/torture time. If this comes as too much of a shock to you, I'm sorry. I just wanted to try and branch out a little, while still making this an enjoyable read for all.

And if you like this new guy and wanna see more, then that's good, and I'm sure that I can provide that for you. But, until then, I hope you've enjoyed this chapter, and I'll be seeing you all soon.

Something More

“Who are you?” Somnambula asked, stepping forward towards Howling Dune. Unfurling her wings, she tried to hide Fwynxie from his sight as she looked into his ferocious eyes. “And for what purpose have you come, other than to be trapped here?”

“On the contrary, I’m here to turn the tables, so to speak.” Howling stepped past Somnambula and looked up at Fwynxie. As she got bigger the closer he got to her, his horn’s light grew brighter with each second.

“Ooh... Pretty!” Fwynxie immediately pulled Howling into a hug, squeezing the air out of his lungs and causing his horn magic to disperse. He now thrashed for breath as she held him close, cooing softly.

“Get... off me!” Howling groaned as he tried to pull up another spell, only for Fwynxie to carry him away.

“Don’t mind her, good sir. She’s just... playful around new ponies.” Somnambula could only watch as Howling was treat just like she was when she had arrived; a ragdoll, helpless in Fwynxie’s massive paws.

“Me Fwynxie!” She brought him up to her face. “Will yoo be my dada? Som-Mama so lonewy in here...”

“I don’t want to be this mare’s associate; nor your father.” Howling teleported out of Fwynxie’s hold. “In fact, I am here to take you away. You will never see her or this place ever again.”

“That... sounds a bit extreme.” Somnambula’s confidence in her rescuer had been shaken. She stepped forward, watching as Howling stretched his legs apart and pulled a rune out of his pocket. Who is this? And why does he want to harm Fwynxie? I was just starting to get attatched to the poor thing as well...

“Me like magic!” Fwynxie chuckled and started to cast a spell of her own, lighting up the tiara on her head. “Yoo wike magic too?”

“Fwynxie, don’t—“

Before Somnambula could finish, Howling cast a bolt at the tiara, in an attempt to knock it off of Fwynxie’s head. All it ended up doing was disappearing as a little green bubble appeared around it. Fwynxie then let off her own spell, which showered Howling in a rain of plushie frogs.

“Gah! Get them off of me!” Howling burst out of the plushie frog pile as fast as he could, casting a bright beam of magic at it. The plie of plushies blew up, spreading fluff and fur everywhere. “Those things spread diseases, you know...”

Fwynxie looked at all the charred ashes of the toys she had spawned. Seeing all the pieces strewn about, entrails everywhere, sent a shock down her stomach. Balling up, her lips began to quiver, until at last, she started to cry, wailing as loud as she could.

“Hold your tongue!” Howling shot a spell at Fwynxie’s mouth, conjuring a steel mouthpiece on it that muffled her voice and drowned it out entirely. “And don’t even think about removing it, heathen. Pony magic might not be as strong as sphinx magic, but it can still hold its’ own in one way or another.”

“Hey! You have no right to do that!” Somnambula ran into Howling, her wings pulling him away from Fwynxie in one swift yank. “She is my burden to bear, not yours!”

“You think you care for this animal?” Howling turned back to face Somnambula, his eyes still alight with flames. “Sphinxes are not worthy to co-exist with us! They destroy villages, enslave the weak and feeble ponies I used to protect, and they are always twisting their sick riddles with multiple answers, yet leave the only answers you give as invalid!”

“They are still just like us; their own kind, with their own way of life.” Somnambula pushed him away. “And if you want to stomp them out, that is something I cannot condone. Even if you might be the only pony to come to this place and release me...” her wings beat open, and she took up a charging stance. “I choose to stay!”

“Stay?” Howling cocked a brow. “Why do you wish to stay? The whole world will miss you if you do.”

“It is not like I have a choice.” Somnambula looked to the doors, watching as they began to close. “If a pony chooses to venture here, they are captured, and made to protect the Queen’s daughter, Fwynxie.” She hung her head as they began to seal themselves again. “And I can’t fly out through the top, either; for multiple reasons. First, the hole is too small for someone like me to fit through. Second, this place has a magical enchantment on it that seals pegasus flight by day, and unicorn magic like yours by night.”

“Then I had best wrap this up quickly.” Howling grunted and stamped the ground as violently as he could, pulling the parchment out from his cloak and unfurling it before Somnambula and Fwynxie’s eyes.

“Oh no, you don’t!” Somnambula leapt forward and charged into Howling, knocking him onto the ground and scattering his scroll across the ball behind Fwynxie. “Leave her alone! She’s just a baby, for pharaoh’s sake!”

“Even a baby sphinx can be deadly if not handled properly.” Howling flipped back up onto four legs and levitated the scroll back to his side. “That is why I must deliver it to him, that way, we can handle the beasts better!”

“Through slavery and torment? That sounds barbaric to me!” Somnambula dived forward and used her wings to sweep Howling off of his legs. Rolling forward, she grabbed him by the tail and tossed him away from Fwynxie, before trying to rip off the mouthpiece. “Don’t worry, sweetie... Som-Mama’s here.” She wiped away the tears flowing from Fwynxie’s eyes.

“You are one strong pony, miss. But even with all that bravery and courage, it means nothing if you cannot protect this creature.” He stood up, creaked his neck to make a cracking noise, and scowled. “Now, let me do my work, and I shall free you, and save the ponies of Southern Equestria in the process!”

“Saving and enslaving are two different things, you know. I won’t allow the other.” She held out her wings as a shield while she tried to yank the piece off. It was heavy in her hooves, and she had to plant her feet firmly on the ground in order to get it out. “Especially when Fwynxie looks up to me as her mother!”

“No matter how deep her imprint on you is, I need to exact vengeance for my village. The sphinxes that came and buried it... I shall take from them too!” Casting another spell, Howling hit Somnambula on the back and lifted her into the air, swinging her around like a ball on a chain, he launched her into the closed passageway leading to the Queen’s chambers. “First she goes, then they all go!”

Howling stomped the ground and opened the parchment, reciting the text inside. Archaic scriptures and an otherworldly language rolled out of his lips as magic began to coil around his body. On the ground, a large character within a blue circle appeared, before moving from his feet across the room towards the downed body of Fwynxie.

“Fwynxie!” The queen called, and the passage to her chambers opened. On the other side of the wall, the larger sphinx looked out and witnessed Fwynxie about to be enveloped by a magical seal. “What is going on?!”

“Your majesty!” Somnambula called to the queen sphinx as she barged into the room and squeezed throuh the hole in the wall. “Fwynxie is being taken by this brute!”

“Not on my watch, she isn’t!” The queen dashed forward with her crown radiating pure light. She hit Fwynxie, repelling the seal and making it retreat towards the caster. “You! What business do you have with stealing my precious?!” She roared, her clawed paw smashing the ground violently. “Explain yourself. NOW!”

“So... there is a bigger sphinx...” Howling’s eyes widened as he gazed up at the real guardian of Fwynxie. “Perfect. Now, we will have both an infant and a parent to work with. The pharaoh will be most pleased indeed.”

“You won’t deliver my hatchling to your twisted pharaoh!” The queen howled and opened her wings, magic pouring out of each feather. “She is mine and Somnambula’s to care for. Anyone trying to steal her away from us deserves punishment!”

“To stop a Sphinx, all you need do is take off the crown.” Howling mumbled to himself as he took out another scroll. “And there’s only one spell in all of the desert that can do that...”

Howling teleported into the air behind the queen, landed on top of her head, and thrust a hoof onto her crown. “Vile magic, begone!”

The crown on the queen’s head burst into an explosion of purple colour, with hieroglyphics spewing out of it. Once it died down, it turned into sand and fell all around her head, with some grains landing by her feet. She was about to bat him away when he teleported back to the rune on the ground and cast his original spell again, which grew the circle to consume both Fwynxie and the queen.

“No!” Somnambula got back onto her feet and charged into Howling, only for her to be knocked away as he swiftly grabbed the ball and hooked it into her face, knocking her off course so that she flew straight into the building block pile to his side.

“Now then...” Howling watched the circle finally finish moving and shimmer, as a mythical cylinder grew around both the queen and Fwynxie, almost like a test tube of sorts. “My prize. And, more so, my country’s prize.”

The queen snarled and tried to run into him again, only for her to crash into the wall and flop to the ground, limbs landing all around her. Hissing, she tried to punch and attack the barrier, only for her strikes to reflect off and hastily return to her side.

“Do not bother. This forcefield cannot be penetrated once invoked, unless a pony casts a stronger magic on it.” How,ing stepped forward, his face still flat and still as could be, despite his victory. “And, with another spell, I can move this prism and its’ inhabitants to any other location I choose. Though, the results tend to take a toll on my body in the process.”

“Fwynxie! Get up!” Somnambula cried, her eyes on the verge of shedding tears as she desperately reached out for her. “Use your own magic!”

But Fwynxie was still in a foetal position, still wailing and sobbing as the mouthpiece stayed on her mouth. She was only a baby, and had never seen something of this magnitude before. Much like the queen and Somnambula, she was rendered motionless and helpless as her captor took out yet another spell from his cloak’s pockets.

“By the divine will of the aligning stars, I move this cage to a desired location. Answer my prayers and deliver unto me my wish.” Howling clapped his front hooves together and sat down, creating an orb of ethereal white and aquamarine energy before tossing it into the air. “Take these sphinxes to the pharaoh of Southern Equestria, to the dungeons far below!”

Shortly after he finished talking, a column of divine light poured down from the sky. The intensity caused the bricks and mortar holding the pyramid room up to crumble and fall all around the room. Large stone chunks smashed against the roof of the runic forcefield, but none of them made a dent. They did, however, fall onto some of Fwynxie’s toys, battering, denting, and crushing them beyond repair.

“No! No, no, no, no, no!” Somnambula found the strength in her wings again as the spell holding her back was lifted. “This is not happening! I will not allow it to happen!” Flapping her wings, she sped into Howling, smashing him against the magic of his own creation. “Release them! Now!”

“Stubborn to the very end...” Howling cast one more spell on Somnambula, knocking her back into the door that had once closed on her. “If you have any common sense, you will return home. It is where you belong, after all. You’re welcome, by the way.” With one last quick flash, Howling Dune vanished, and the pillar’s light grew even more intense before it bathed the whole ruins in a massive explosion.

When the dust settled and Somnambula’s eyes readjusted, there was nothing more than silence. No winds in her ears, no more rubble from the aftershock of the spells, no remnants of the room she was once in, nothing. All that was left was her, the open world around her, and the skies above.

“Curses...” Somnambula bit her lip and got back to her feet. “Curses!” She yelled skyward, throwing her hooves out. “She was just a child! SHE WAS JUST A CHILD!”

All she got in response was her own echoes as tears began to stream from her eyes. She had failed to protect Fwynxie, lost both her and the queen to Howling Dune, and had failed a heroic deed for once in her life. Everything about hope inside of her had been challenged, and even though she was still a stern believer in it, she began to question whether or not it was powerful enough to overcome all adversity.

“That Howling Dune... he’s such a monster. Blindsided by revenge, he cares not for anything else unless his goal is achieved.” Somnambula clenched her teeth and blew steam out of her nose. “And now he goes as far to steal and experiment on a baby sphinx and a more mature one. I have seen some evil ponies in my time, but by far, he is one of the worst of all.”

If you have any common sense, you will return home. It is where you belong, after all. His words echoed in her mind as she opened her eyes again. “Home...” Opening her wings again, Somnambula rocketed out of the destroyed roof of the pyramid and turned towards the entrance. “There’s still time!”

Darting high into the air and leaning backwards, Somnambula performed a loop and shot herself forward, using the added momentum to boost herself across the desert. From there, she flew straight on, winds rushing against her face and the air growing colder as nightfall approached, but neither of those would dissuade her from her new mission.

“Fwynxie... Your majesty...” Somnambula lowered her brows as she made her way home. “Som-Mama’s coming.”

Som-Mama's Home...

Somnambula finally saw a village appear in the distance and zipped forward, not letting the winds or the sandstorm ahead faze her. Gliding over the buildings, she saw a palace at the end of it, surrounded by a moat with crocodiles in it. With twin obelisks pointing to the skies like massive spikes bursting out of the ground and large braziers lit brightly around them, it was none other than the pharaoh's temple. And, likely, where Fwynxie and the queen had been taken by Howling.

"What horrific acts is that stallion doing to the two of them?" Somnambula asked herself as she approached the temple, making sure not to fly too low and disrupt the ponies in the village. "Well, whatever it is, I'm sure that I can talk to the pharaoh about his acts and see if we can resolve this like diplomats. There is no way the pharaoh would allow such barbaric trafficking and experimenting in his Southern Equestria..."

As Somnambula came to the temple walls, she watched the guards patrolling. Armored from the neck down and carrying spears in one hoof while shields sat daintly on their arms, they were nothing but the best that the country had to offer. Some had horns, others had wings, but she knew that they were all a force to be reckoned with.

She landed by the entrance to the temple courtyard and walked up to the guards, who both bowed and nodded before her before stepping aside. Winking at both of the guards and patting them on the back with her wings, she made the walk across the courtyard, past the four square fountains before walking up the stairs to the chambers of the temple.

"Thank the gods that the guards still appreciate me after all I did for the country..." Somnambula muttered to herself as she went inside the building. "Now, I just hope that Howling hasn't wormed his way into the pharaoh's mind and agreed with him on experimenting on Fwynxie and the queen. I won't ever let a child like that be hurt; especially when they've imprinted on me!"

Somnambula passed by many rooms and chambers on her way to the pharaoh's throne. All of them lined with carpet and decorated with trinkets of all shapes and sizes on each wall, ceiling, and corner. There were sometimes ponies talking to others, and some rooms were empty, but they were all the same; and none of them got her any closer to her baby and her queen.

Eventually, Somnambula came to a larger door with a gold frame and hieroglyphs on the panels. Two handles stretched across the doors and ran parallel to each other. Though it looked heavy and hard to open, there was a small crack in the middle. Pressing her eyes to it, Somnambula listened to the conversation inside.

"With all due respect, Howling, there really is no need for all of this," the regal voice of the pharaoh spoke as he paced back and forth in his chambers. "Sphinxes really need not bother us after we both agreed not to invade each others' lands."

"Tell that to the sphinxes that did invade mine. After the agreement was made, no doubt!" Howling grumbled and stomped his hoof on the ground. "My pharaoh, as much as I appreciate your decision, this is a personal issue for me. How can we just let powerful beasts roam free when we don't even know what they're capable of? We need to study them and make sure that we know everything about them, just in case that they try to break the deal and start pillaging our homes again."

"Howling, I cannot ever undo the damage those creatures did for you and Topaz Eye." The pharaoh put a hoof on Howling's shoulders. "And at the same time, I can never show anything but sadness and pity for you and your wife. Still, we provided you with a home here, along with all of the finest fruits and delicacies we can offer."

"Which I am still grateful for, but that doesn't change the subject matter. Sphinxes. Need. To. Be. Understood. If not, they could plan an attack and wipe our country off of the map without us being able to do a thing about it!" Howling's hair drooped as it absorbed sweat. "Plus, I delivered two to you. Myself, I might add. No mere medjay or party of ponies could accomplish such a task. A baby and a grown-up too. That way, we can examine the differences in power, physical attributes, and so much more.

"Even if you think me a barbarian and a monster for this, surely, nobody would want to pass up this opportunity. And if you do shut this operation down, some other ponies will come across and agree with me." Howling turned his back and began to walk out. "Better to accept before someone else scoops up the idea and does more... horrific things to them. It's your choice, my pharaoh. Either you agree and we safely work on them before letting them go, or we give them to somepony else, who decides to go a bit... further with their experiments."

"Wait, Howling!" The pharaoh jabbed a hoof to reach out for him. "Maybe I... will accept your offer. But I will need time before I can agree completely. I will also need your word that you will be humane when dealing with those sphinxes. Hypocrisy is reserved a place in Tartarus, after all."

"Trust me, my pharaoh. I will do no more than analyze their magic and bodies. Nothing extreme like dissection." Howling Dune knelt down and bowed before the pharaoh before making his way to the door. "You are a very wise pony for agreeing to this. I can guarantee you Southern Equestria will benefit from this research."

Somnambula quickly flew up to the ceiling and pressed her body against the roof as Howling Dune stepped out of the building and walked off. Once he left, she silently dropped back on the ground and closed her wings up, rubbing sweat off of her head.

"I'll deal with him later. For now, I must find the sphinxes." Somnambula went into the pharaoh's chambers and shut the doors behind her. "Before Howling finds me..."

"Somnambula. Where were you?" The pharaoh asked once the doors closed up. "After you went off to save the prince, you didn't come back for the rest of the night!" He quickly ran up to her and pulled her into a hug. "It's good to have you back anyway."

Somnambula just let out a sheepish chuckle and rubbed the back of her neck as the pharaoh embraced her. She wasn't that much of a hugger around the royals, but she did like hugs nonetheless; preferably when they weren't crushing her lungs into pancakes. Still, she blushed at his hug and smiled once he finished.

"Sorry I'm late. I ran into some... traps when I made it to the temple." Somnambula idly tapped her front hooves together, trying not to sound too obvious as she tried to conceal the fact that she fell in love with a baby sphinx. "They even cut off my power of flight, so it was an extra-tough challenge to make it back out."

"I see. But what matters is that you're back. Safe and sound. And so is our prince." The pharaoh's warm smile landed in her heart as he patted her on the chest. "And just in time too. I need your help to guide me through a rather difficult decision."

"Howling wants to study the sphinxes, but he's not exactly the kind of person I would trust with such a task." Somnambula shook her head as she looked down at the ground. "Knowing his spite and rage, he's probably going to archive Fwynxie and the queen's knowledge, fill a book, then dispose of the two of them before going on to do the rest to every other sphinx in his path."

"He does have some home issues. That much is true," said the pharaoh as he turned back to the throne and took a seat. "But still, sphinxes are a danger to our lands. Even with the peace accord we made with them, they are still very powerful. Not many ponies can answer their riddles, for they always try to throw them off with a multiple-answer riddle every now and again, yet only accept a very specific answer..."

"Whatever happens to them, I need to see Fwynxie and the queen. Before Howling gets any ideas on what to do with them." Somnambula's eyes glinted as the light from the flames hit them. "Do you know where he put them when he delivered them to you?"

"Yes. Beneath the temple, in an underground vault capable of containing even the strongest of beasts. Both magically and physically." The pharaoh tapped the ground with the palm of his hoof. "You'll need to go downstairs in order to find it. It should have a sigil like this." And he grabbed a piece of papyrus and showed off a picture of chains wrapping around a minotaur in a circle format. "Just tap it, and the vault should open. Knowing him, the sphinxes will have been chained up to prevent moving, and sealed with a magical dampening spell that should curb their powers, but not diminish them."

"Thank you ever so much, my pharaoh. I shall go there immediately." Somnambula smiled and started to walk off.

"Before you do, Somnambula, I must ask you to show even some of the slightest bit of mercy towards Howling if you do find him and he freaks out about them being set free..." The pharaoh trotted over and brushed her back as she touched the door again. "Howling lost his home to sphinxes, with one of those specific-answer riddles. Naturally, he was furious. Especially since the answer he gave was also valid, but the sphinxes refused to accept it. And if you must battle him... just please don't think of him as a barbarian. He does mean well, after all."

"Hmm..." Somnambula let the thought run through her mind over and over again as she thought back to when Howling battled Fwynxie and the queen. The tears of Fwynxie also echoed in her mind as an image of his ferocious glare burned into her. But as she added the new story the pharaoh gave to her, she couldn't help but feel confliction in her soul. His acts were deplorable, but he was fighting because they had taken from him and he was simply returning the favor. But would it really be considered good if he was committing the wrong act for the right reasons? "I will see. No promises, though. Prepare the dungeon for him if we cannot reason with him."

"I understand." The pharaoh nodded. "Be careful down there, Somnambula."

Somnambula just gave a nod as she ran out of the room and dashed down the halls towards the underground vault. Now that she knew where Fwynxie and the queen was, the next task was to figure out a way to free them without being seen, and before Howling executed his plans.

As Somnambula ran down the stairs, the light around her began to grow thin. If not for the few torches burning at the walls on these lower floors, the whole place would have been enveloped in darkness. There were a few piles of sand sitting at the walls, but nothing too major. Spider webs and crumbled stone could also be seen, giving the illusion that the place was more haunted than it had been made out to be.

"Fwynxie... Queen... I'm almost there." Somnambula ran to the end of the short hall and saw the sigil at last. Jumping up, she gave it a hoofbump and pushed it into the door. It rotated and glowed, sending magical veins across the stone, before sinking into the ground and disappearing from sight. "I just pray that I'm not too late."

The vault was much more expansive than she thought. With how wide apart the walls were and how tall the ceiling was, the place almost looked like an abandoned coliseum more than a prison. The ground was slightly curved at the edges of the circular room, and the only light source was a red crystal that shone down and emanated a similarly-coloured spotlight down on Fwynxie and the queen, who were both cuddling each other while chains adorned their neck, legs, and wings.

"Fwynxie! Queen!" Somnambula flew into the room and landed by the two incapacitated sphinxes. "Thank the stars you're alright!"

"If by, alright, I've been stripped of my magic, and Fwynxie's been crying non-stop since we arrived, yeah, I'd say that it's been just peachy." The queen groaned and slammed the ground with her paw. "Not to mention my crown, which is the only source of my power, is gone. Blast that accursed pony for locking us up down here!"

"I'm going to free you from this place, but getting out is the next question..." She looked back at the door and watched as it closed up behind her. "I can easily push the sigil and leave, but you two won't be able to squeeze through that hole in the wall. We'll need to find another way out for you two."

"I've already checked the whole room, Somnambula. The only way out is if we find a secret passage. And judging from how this room's built, I don't think there is one." The queen lifted her head from the ground and promptly lowered it again. "But... I guess this is also a blessing in disguise. This place dampens magic, so that pony can't use his magical papers to get us out either."

"Som-Mama. Now we twapped..." Fwynxie sobbed and pulled Somnambula in close, her body still flat on the ground. "But at least, we twapped with yoo." Her smile came back, even though her tears still flowed.

"Trust me, my little Fwynxie." Somnambula put a hoof on Fwynxie's muzzle and rubbed her belly with the other. "I will free you from this place. And when I do, I'll set you free, so you can go live with the rest of the sphinxes."

As she finished talking, the door to the room began to open again, and Somnambula dived behind the body of the queen. Poking her head out from the side, she watched as Howling Dune walked into the room, grinning as he looked up at the sphinxes.

"So. You've no doubt seen what this vault can do, accursed ones." He spoke, much calmer and more confident in his voice, rather than venomous and hate-filled. "Those chains have been galvanized to hold many a beast. From Set, Apophis, and many more before them. They cannot be broken. Under any circumstances."

"We figured." The queen deadpanned as she glared into his eyes. "What more do you want with us, pony? You've already broken my magic and trapped us here. What do you want after you've learned about us?"

"I want my home back. The very same one your kind swindled away from me with a devious, underhanded riddle with many right answers." Howling growled and gritted his teeth, scraping his hooves across the floor. "A riddle should accept ALL the correct answers; not just think only one is the answer and make the other ones invalid when they really are not."

"You a meanie." Fwynxie whimpered as she looked at him. "Leave us awone, or Som-Mama will hurt yoo."

"You're so attached to that pony you ensnared, child." Howling walked up to Fwynxie and booped her nose. "Just let her go. She is free. Free to live her life like every other pony on this planet. Why, I bet that, by now, she's forgotten all about you and your friend over here." He patted the queen's nose left, quickly pulling back his hoof as she tried to bite it.

"We will be leaving this room, monster. One way or another." The queen clawed up sand around her. "And either you'll let us free, or we'll break out."

"The second one is impossible, sphinxes." Howling shook his head. "No matter what underhanded tactics you use, the only real way to escape this place is through the door behind me. And as you can see—" He lifted his hoof to the closing door. "It only opens to a pony's touch. You're never leaving this place." And he walked back to the door, opened it, and glanced back. "Not without paying the price for taking my home away from me!" He snarled before running out.

As soon as the door closed, Somnambula jumped out from behind the queen's back.

"He speaks lies. There will be a way for us to leave." Somnambula looked up at the crystal. "Though it weakens you, this vault will still let you use magic. But only the most basic of spells there is. Nothing major like taking me to a hide-and-seek maze or anything like that."

"We'll find a way." Somnambula smiled and rubbed the queen's cheek, before doing the same to Fwynxie's. "You still have magic, little one. And you might also have a spell that will free you and the queen."

"Huh?" Fwynxie opened her eyes.

"I was once read a bedtime story when I was a foal, about a graceful sphinx who wasn't a riddle-obsessed one like all the rest. About how she could use magic to shrink and grow whenever she wanted to deal with an evil sorceror who had enslaved the ponies of a faraway village." Somnambula looked into Fwynxie's eyes. "The spell was based off of a real-life spell that a pony once saw with his own eyes. He said that every sphinx; even baby ones could do it if they concentrated hard enough."

"But... the cwystal." Fwynxie pointed up to the magic dampener. "No mowe magic. Plus, me baby."

"It's a simple spell, Fwynxie. But first, I'll need to get something to carry you and the queen out." Somnambula's grin stayed as she nuzzled into her neck. "I'll be back by nightfall at the very latest." Somnambula turned back to the door and pushed it open. "Be safe for me until then."

"Okay, Som-Mama..." Fwynxie waved her off, but didn't show as much energy in her voice as usual.

"Come back quickly now. That Howling Dune could come back and take us away any minute." The queen added, lifting one of her paws.

Somnambula gave a nod and ran back out, flying as fast as she could. In the process, her wing gusts blew out the candles, blanketing the whole place in a thick, shadowy veil of pitch-black darkness.

The Plan

Somnambula flew out of the temple and towards the town, thinking of Fwynxie and the queen trapped in the vault. If this plan of hers was going to work, she was going to need to move fast. IF she dawdled or slacked off for any second, the two sphinxes she cared for more than any other would be shipped off to the scientists and studied on, all for Howling's sick and twisted wishes of learning the sphinxes' weakness. She could already hear Fwynxie's cries as she let the thought of a baby being experimented on, and her blood ran cold as she snapped back to reality.

"My baby... My sweet, sweet baby Fwynxie... I won't let them lay a hoof on you," she whispered to herself as she nearly flew head-on into a cart on her travels.

"Watch where you're going!" The cart driver yelled.

"Apologies!" Somnambula called back before raising her altitude. "Now, where did I last remember that market being?"

Somnambula swept the city from top to bottom, until at last, she found the marketplace. There were many tents and stalls open that day, with all sorts of wares from produce, to children's toys, and even the odd incense burner. But those weren't what she was looking for. All she needed for her plan to work was one of the most simple objects she could find.

Coming in for a landing, Somnambula skidded against the ground barely with her hooves and walked the rest of the way towards a stand selling wicker baskets. Some of them had colours and patterns on them, while others were barren and lifeless. All of them shared the same purpose, though; carrying things.

"Hello, miss." Somnambula approached the desk and curled her wings up. "I would like to purchase a basket. There are some things that I need carrying."

"Ah. A busy day out in the fields, is it?" The mare at the stand asked, before picking off a plain basket from the shelves. Sliding it across the counter, it reached Somnambula's muzzle. "For that, I will accept no more than five bits."

"Five bits? That's awfully generous for something of this caliber; even if it is just an ordinary, everyday basket..." Somnambula knew that she had no money on her, but she did know where she could get some. "I'll be right back, miss. Just make sure that my order isn't hoofed off to somepony else."

"Then you had better hurry back quickly, miss." The mare waved Somnambula off as she took to the skies again. "The harvest is in mere hours, and the farmers of this town will want to reap what they've sewn."

"I'll keep that in mind." She winked back at the mare and blasted forward, leaving a slipstream behind her. Gah! Money, my mortal enemy. The one time where I need it to rescue someone I care about and I fail to have any bits on me... Mother always said to come prepared; even for the most unexpected circumstances... Why in the blazes did I not listen to her this time?

Somnambula quickly arrived at a small house on the edge of the town. Detached from the rest and with its' own farm of crops and vegetables, all kept watered and nourished thanks to a bamboo contraption. There was a small balcony on the back of the house with bead curtains leading to the house's interior. Somnambula flew inside through the doorless frame at the back.

"Ah, the smell of jasmine and rosemary. It never gets old, regardless of the situation." Somnambula let a smile pop onto her face as she strolled around the room. A single bed sat at the end of the room, with a golden frame and feathers in place of the covers. There were fragrance urns all over, spewing the aforementioned smells she enjoyed. Small, clean cracks formed in the walls and acted as her windows into the outside world, aside from the small staircase built into the ground and the entryway she flew in through. "I hope that this domicile of mine stays intact for a long time."

Even though Fwynxie and the queen were on the clock, Somnambula smiled as she drank in the atmosphere of her room. Ever since she was a little filly, she had been born and raised in this room, and even as she changed and grew, she never once had to leave the room behind. To her, it would be the cornerstone of her house; the finishing touch; the sunlight shining onto the fertile field that was her life.

"Now then, If my memory's correct, my money would be right over... here." She reached under the pillow on her bed and pulled out a simple drawstring pouch with purple, green, red, and golden fabric in a wave pattern. "I must have a lot of luck on my side as well as hope." She slipped the pouch underneath her headdress, where it sank into her mane.

Shooting out of her house with the money in her hair, Somnambula performed a sharp U-turn to swoop up and soar in the opposite direction. Rolling back level with her stomach pointed to the ground, she started to make her way back to the village, making sure not to fly too fast and let the money tumble out of her grasp. Now she had what she needed, all that was left was to purchase the basket and free Somnambula and the queen.

As she flew back to the market, she witnessed a group of ponies talking to Howling Dune at the edge of the city's walls. All of which had robed around their bodies and were all stallions with differing facial hair. Stopping in her tracks by holding her wings out, she curved back and ducked behind a nearby building.

"Mr Dune, what can you offer us with these sphinxes of yours aside from research?" One of the ponies asked, lifting a brow at Howling. "Surely, there is more that can be done with these creatures, so what more do you have planned?"

"There is one thing that I want back from those brutes. The one thing that they were callous enough to take through deceitful means." Howling tightened his hoof and could feel the veins tightening as he punched the ground with it. "My home. They enslaved it and then destroyed it after I was wrapped up in one of their twisted little riddles. So, after we finish studying the sphinxes I have locked up in the vault, we will mobilize the army, capture more, and force them to give back what they took."

"Fighting the sphinx species all at once is a deathwish, and one that could lead to drastic losses if not done properly, Howling Dune." A grey stallion with a five o'clock shadow stepped up and looked him in the eyes. "For your sake, your research had better be reliable if you execute this little plan of yours."

"Which is why I plan to learn EVERYTHING about that baby and the queen she obeys so much." Even though his associates were giving him menacing looks and getting up to his face, Howling stood his ground firmly with his own hoof stomp. "How they eat and drink, where they come from, how they tap into their magic, and most important of all: their weaknesses."

"Sphinxes have weaknesses?" A third stallion tilted his head.

"Yes. Though it might not be the only one they have. All that I need is time and support, to further experiment and study these beasts." Howling nodded. "Then, by the time my work is done and everypony in Southern Equestria knows how to combat a sphinx, the world will be a much more peaceful place for all of us."

"No it won't. It will only lead to a new era of subjugation and horror. One that I won't allow as long as I live and breathe..." Somnambula shook her head and grimaced as she watched the negotiations continue. "Before you even start, I will take Fwynxie and the queen home. They'll be off with their own kind and you'll NEVER be allowed to touch them again."

"When do you plan to start?" The first stallion leaned in.

"Right this moment, actually." He smiled and turned his back. "I want to be armed and ready for this little plan of mine to work. So, are you willing to support me? To aide in my cause and bring peace back to our home?"

"If you can deliver us your research on sphinxes in full, and if it proves to be reliable, then we will support you and your endeavours, Howling Dune." The last stallion turned away and walked out. "Until then, we'll be watching you closely."

"Trust me, you won't be disappointed." He grinned back as he watched the other ponies walk out of the city and into the vast desert beyond. "For Southern Equestria." He brought his front hooves up and across his chest in a hasty slamming motion, saluting the others as they left.

Once Somnambula watched Howling and his associates leave, she immediately burst out of the roof and took off at full speed towards the market. Now that the clock had started to tick on her little plan, she needed all the time she could get. If she was even the slightest bit late, her little Fwynxie and the queen would be long gone.

She was flying so fast that she had to throw her wings out and tumble backwards, only for her to lose control of her flight and land face-first into the ground, sliding past ponies on her descent. Dazed, she saw stars swirling around above her head as she tried to stand back up, only for her legs to turn into jelly and collapse beneath her.

"Miss?" Somnambula asked as she crawled forward, combing sand into her face as she hobbled towards the stallkeeper. "I has... money. Just enough for the basket." She clutched onto the edge of the stand and pulled herself up. "Is the basket still available?"

"Oh, hello again, miss." The mare behind the counter helped Somnambula back up before hoofing her the basket. "You were quick. Nopony else came since you left, so that basket is ready and waiting for you."

"Thank the stars. Oh, and you too, miss." Somnambula pulled the pouch out from her headdress and opened it up, pouring five bits down onto it. "I trust this is enough?"

"Yes. Just enough." The mare took the bits, slipped them into her own bag, and pushed the basket to Somnambula. "I hope that it helps you out today. Especially with the harvest being upon us."

"Yes. Yes it will. Very much so." Somnambula bit the rope holding the basket together and slid her hoof through it. Once it was firmly attached to her, she turned towards the temple, ran off, and took to the skies yet again. "You have a nice day now!"

"W-wait! You're going the wrong way! The farms are on the other side of..." It was hopeless. Somnambula had already gone away. "The city."

Somnambula charged into the temple and rocketed down the hallways, barely having time to evade the ponies in her way. Most of them yelled at her for not paying attention to where she was going, but most of the time, she didn't pay them any attention. For it was now or never, and if her plan didn't work, Fwynxie and the queen would belong to Howling, and the rest of the species would soon follow.

"Som-Mama's coming, Fwynxie..." She whispered to herself as she finally came to the corridor where the vault was, only to find that the room was still coated in pitch-black darkness. She cursed herself for being so fast that she blew out the only means of lighting her way to the sphinxes she was trying to save. "Now what am I going to do?" She asked, stumbling forward through the shadows to try and find at least one of the unlit torches.

"Now, who blew out these torches?"

Somnambula heard the voice and immediately slipped back to one of the corners in the hall, pressing her back to it and concealing herself from sight. She heard unicorn magic charging up then being released, as small orange flares drifted to the candles and lit them all up at once, immediately coating the corridor in a warm amber flame. Once she heard his footsteps drift away, she came out of hiding and walked towards the vault door, pressing her hoof on the sigil.

"I'm here!" Somnambula ran into the room and up to Fwynxie and the queen's side. "Did you get lonely without me, little one?" And she scratched Fwynxie's belly, making her giggle giddily.

"Yay, Som-Mama!" Fwynxie chuckled, even as she was held down by the metal restraints.

"You have a plan to break us out, then?" The queen asked, lifting a brow as she jerked her head up from her sleeping posture.

"Yes, but it'll require a bit of Fwynxie's magic in order to pull it off." Somnambula looked up at the crystal above the sphinxes' heads again, the eerie and blood-red light bathing them and the room. "Even with that magic-dampening gemstome above us, magic can still be used. Let us just hope Fwynxie is strong enough to pull off the spell we need; even with the hindrance."

"What can I do, Som-Mama?" Fwynxie asked, tilting her head towards Somnambula. "Me just baby sphinxy. Me no have queen magic wike her."

"Sphinx shrink magic isn't that hard, really. All it takes is a bit of concentration. Every age of sphinx can do it, even babies like yourself, Fwynxie." Somnambula smiled and booped Fwynxie on the nose, chuckling along with her. "Just think about how you want to shrink, take the queen's paw, and just focus."

"Um... Okay?" Fwynxie lightly touched the paw of the queen, scrunched up her muzzle, and began to focus, groaning as she tried to conjure up magic from the deepest pits of her body. That, in turn, caused the crystal to glow brighter and hum as she did so.

"Come on, Fwynxie... You can do this." Somnambula watched as Fwynxie struggled and strained herself, fighting as hard as she could to outdo the crystal's might. Every last bit of her hope was beginning to show as she smiled and closed her eyes too, thinking of the happy moment that would come when they escaped together. "And don't strain yourself too much."

Even with Somnambula's words of taking it easy, Fwynxie still struggled to pull magic out from her innermost recesses. She tightened all of the muscles in her body and began to sweat as she tried to gather up magic. It was a long and hard battle, but she finally managed to get her crown glowing as her whole body was enveloped in a bright green aura that transmitted onto the queen she was holding onto. Thinking about shrinking, both she and the queen began to decrease in size, not small enough that they could fit into the basket, but small enough so they could slip out of the shackles that held them in place.

"Yes!" The queen smiled and paw-pumped as she slid her limbs out of the chains, which fell to the ground and echoed all around the vault. "That's our little girl..." She hugged Somnambula and gently tousled her hair, making sure not to brush the tiara off.

"Now you can crush that crystal and break the magic dampening powers it has on this place." Somnambula pointed to the crystal, which still glowed and shimmered even after Fwynxie had stopped channeling her magic. "And you'd better do it fast. Howling will be here any second now."

"Don't need to tell me twice." The queen spread her wings and charged at the crystal, ramming against it with her legs. It took a few hits, and she had to be careful not to prick herself on any of the spikes jutting out of the sides, but after a few strikes, it began to crack. "Come on, body. Even if you're smaller, you can still fight!" With one last, triumphant charge, she barreled into the fractured geode and smashed it into shards, which trickled down around her and Fwynxie.

As the light began to disappear from the room, Fwynxie's tiara began to glow, giving some small light to the dark and bleak cell. Giggling and squealing like a little schoolgirl, she started to shoot off more spells, all of which lit up the room even more.

"Calm down, Fwynxie." Somnambula smiled and petted her back. "Now that you have your powers back, you should be able to shrink you and the queen down without so much hassle and concentration. Go on."

"Okay, Som-Mama!" Fwynxie beamed and cast the shrinking spell again, tapping on the queen as she did so. Together, they both began to shrink down further and further, until they reached Somnambula's height. But that wasn't enough for them or the plan, as Fwynxie made them even smaller, much to the point where they were even smaller than her own hooves. "Now me teeny-tiny!"

"Yes. Yes you are. And just the right size for my basket here." Somnambula smiled again and picked both of the microscopic sphinxes up with her forehooves, making sure not to drop them as she opened the basket up and slipped them both inside of it. "Now, all we need to do is get out of here as fast as we can, before Howling comes back and finds out that you've escaped."

"You lead the way, Somnambula. Once you get us somewhere safe, we'll turn back to normal. Then, that Howling Dune will never be able to perform one of those sick and twisted experiments on us." The queen laid down at the bottom of the basket, curling up with Fwynxie.

"Alright. Just make sure you tell me if I'm making it uncomfortable for you, alright?" Somnambula gave them one last grin before she closed the basket up and walked out of the vault as the door began to close again. Now she had what she needed, and all that was left was to escape the palace before Howling Dune caught wind of her jailbreak.

Into the Storm

Somnambula and her two Sphinxes had a long fly, but in the end, they finally saw a large hole in the desert ahead, with lots of different sphinxes all gathered around in it. Many of them were grown up, but there were little areas where little ones were playing with each other, building sandcastles and drawing things in the sand. There were a bunch of caves in the walls around them, with more sphinxes coming in and out of them. Supposedly, those lead to the hatcheries where more babies were born.

"There." Somnambula smiled as came in for a landing, skidding gently on the sand as she curled her wings up. "The Shimmering Sands. And from the looks of it, the sphinxes look very happy here, don't they?"

Fwynxie popped out of the basket again and watched the sphinxes cavorting together in the canyon. The big and small ones all with smiles on their faces as they cavorted around. Climbing out of the basket and sitting on the top, one word came out of her mouth: "Home."

"Yes. We're home." Somnambula gave Fwynxie a pat on the head as she lifted her and the queen out of the basket. "Now, you can be free. Cast that size-changing spell again, and the both of you will be able to do whatever you want. No-one will be able to lay a hoof on you."

"Well, I can't thank you enough, Somnambula." The queen leapt onto the sands with Somnambula by her side. "I never thought I would ever have met a pony quite like you in all my years," she said as the both of them grew back to size. "It's funny. Long before any of this, I would've just thought ponies as prey, doomed to spend an eternity in my chambers looking after my little Fwynxie here. But no. You turned out to be different. You were compassionate, caring, and accepting of the fate that lay before you. There was no need for any of that, yet you still did it; not for my benefit, but for hers." She tousled Fwynxie's head. "This could be the start of a whole new bond between sphinxes and ponies, Somnambula."

"I just hope that the bond can be maintained, even after all of this comes to pass." Somnambula walked forward and laid a hoof on the queen's paw, and another on Fwynxie's. "Even if there are some rotten apples within the bunch, both for ponies and sphinxes in the future, we still need to remember that not all of them are bad. And, when we really look deep down and past the differences, we can benefit each other much more than we realize."

"Let us just hope that Howling can be stopped, before he breaks that alliance." Somnambula turned and looked out into the distance. "He'll most likely be coming for you two, and when he comes and sees all these sphinxes, greed will most likely wash over him. And when that happens, Set may not want to associate himself with him."

"Howling Dune is finished, Somnambula." The queen walked up to Somnambula's side and patted her back gently and slowly, making sure not to knock her over with her massive paws. "Even if he were to attack the sphinxes here, we would all quash him underneath the weight of our own magic. If anything, what he thinks is a trap for us would really be a trap for him."

"Don't underestimate ponies. They are smart, cunning, and know how to adapt to crises."

A sphinx the size of the queen approached Somnambula and Fwynxie. He petted Fwynxie on her head, making her chuckle lightly before walking up to the tiny-looking pony. He looked very similar to the other sphinxes in the area, but his crown stretched out to the side and was adorned with gems from all seven colours in the rainbow, with ruby at the ends and amethyst at the center of the crown.

"It is quite rare to see a pony visit the Shimmering Sands, let alone one who brings two of our kind back to safety." He put a paw on his chest and unfurled his wings. "State your name, miss."

"My name is Somnambula, and I am responsible for delivering Fwynxie to you. Their pyramid was assaulted by a pony named Howling Dune, and it was razed to the ground as he tried to take them away." She looked towards her two sphinxes and watched them go off to speak with the others. "He has some form of archaic rune magic that allowed him to pull of the dirty deed. I freed them from his barbaric prison and just escaped as he tried to hunt me down."

"Hmm. It would seem that not all ponies in Equestria are happy with the agreement we signed with them." The male sphinx laid himself down in front of her. "Tell me, miss. What motive does this Howling Dune have for this cruelty and subjugation for the sphinx race?"

"A group of sphinxes attacked his village and presented him with a riddle with multiple right answers, yet the one he answered, though being acceptable, was one that they deemed incorrect."

"A dark riddle. A very cruel tactic that we since abolished when agreeing to leave the ponies in peace." The male sphinx shuddered. "Dark riddles are against our laws, and any sphinx that gives a pony one is stripped of all its' powers the next day and transformed into a pony forever. Which of the three forms they take is also randomized, but one way or another, it becomes their form until the end of time."

"You can do that?"

"No, it is something that all sphinxes share, deep within their magical genomes. Even I, if I posed a dark riddle, would be burdened with pony life for all eternity." He said, standing back up again. "My name is Enigma, and I lead the sphinxes here in Shimmering Sands. Refugees, families, and more."

"So, you manage the sphinxes here?" She asked, tilting her head to the side.

"Yes, but in recent years, many of our kind has established their own homes in pyramids and at temples, while some even find comfort in moving around all across the desert." He nodded, turning towards the ones in his stead. The first thing he saw was Fwynxie greeting the other younger sphinxes and playing along with them. "It's really rather sad that this Howling Dune is hunting us all down because of a heinous act by a bunch of former sphinxes posing a dark riddle. But still, some form of justice remains, in the fact that they no longer have any place in our society.

"But the other justice; his village, lies in tatters. And that's why he is hunting them down and studying them, so he can spread their weaknesses to the other ponies of the world, so that they know how to properly combat them." Somnambula felt numb as she walked towards Enigma, letting the screams of all of Howling Dune's home ring in her ears. She pictured mares, stallions, and their kids fleeing, with barrels and stands being knocked over, trampled, and destroyed beyond repair in the confusion. "Which justice is the right one when it leads someone to commit bad acts like this?"

"Not the one that we enacted, that is for sure." Enigma sighed and drooped his ears and tail as he clawed the sand. "If only Howling had known of what happened to his aggressors after the siege on his home; then, everything would have been much different, and we wouldn't have had such a hassle."

"It's alright. You couldn't have known about him." Somnambula patted Enigma's chest gently, brushing his hair lightly. "If you know nothing, then you can do nothing. All that we can do now is face the future; no matter what might be in store for us."

"Still, I just hope that Fwynxie comes out of it unscathed." Somnambula turned to Fwynxie, watching her smile and laugh with the other little ones. She was running around with a yellow ball with hieroglyphics and scarab beetles on it, kicking it around and trying to stop the others from taking it off of her. "Such a sweet little angel, and he tried to experiment on her. I couldn't abide by any of his acts."

"Especially since baby sphinx magic is a lot more erratic and unpredictable. If Fwynxie wanted to, she could do so much more with her magic, but because of how young and inexperienced she is, she can only really scratch the surface." The queen walked back up to Somnambula and curled her tail around her body. "If Howling had done his sick and twisted work on her, she would have been a real maelstrom of magic right now."

"Hmm..." Somnambula remembered when Howling attacked the temple, specifically, when he destroyed Fwynxie's toys and caused her to cry. The magic she exerted was playing out in her mind, and she felt her blood turn cold when she thought about such a force being unleashed again. "We'd better get her inside, and fast. If Howling does come for this place, then he'll go for her first."

"How do you know?" Enigma cocked a brow.

"Howling Dune seems like the kind of pony that would want to know every little bit about the sphinxes he plans to 'play with'. If he discovers that Fwynxie's magic is more powerful when she is upset, it could cause him to write down a way to protect against or even nullify the magic she displays. And if that's the case, then ponies could easily subdue little ones like her."

"Not that most other ponies would want to stop a baby sphinx, mind you, but it still would be worth noting if a group of poachers want to try and steal them." The queen scratched her chin with her own paws. "But still, why did it have to be Fwynxie who got caught up in all of this madness?"

"Clearly, there's something special about this little one. That, and the fact that she imprinted on me and called me her mother instead of the queen." Somnambula walked towards Fwynxie. "But still, my plan still stands. We shouldn't take our chances out here. We must lead everyone inside and try to barricade it all off, so that Howling thinks that you've all been moved."

"Moved?" Enigma tilted his head. "What do you mean by that?"

"He won't stop trying to find the sphinxes, but if we can at least trick him into believing that the Shimmering Sands is deserted, then he will leave it alone. And then, when he does, you all shouldn't have to worry about him coming back." Somnambula began to pace back and forth, not fazed by the sand shifting beneath her feet. "I know that it sounds weird to take commands from a pony like me, but trust me, o wise Enigma. This is for the best, trust me. And once it's over, you can all come out and live freely again."

"That's quite alright, Somnambula, but this Howling Dune doesn't seem like the kind of pony to want to abandon a search because his prizes are hiding. I think that we should still face him head on and overwhelm his magic with that of our own." Enigma gently brushed her aside and flew to the edge of the perimeter. "He is but one pony against a horde of us sphinxes. There is no way his magic will be able to withstand all of ours."

"Even so... Howling Dune was able to raze an entire pyramid and handle both a grown and baby sphinx in his assault on Fwynxie and her queen's domicile." Somnambula gulped as she joined Enigma on the edge. "If a pony like him can destroy a whole pyramid just as a side effect of teleporting things to wherever he wishes is some powerful magic; even if it's just characters on paper.

"No matter how strong the runes are, I still have faith that we will be able to stand against him." He turned to the rest of the species. "Everyone! Take the children and hide them away. Then, come to our side and prepare for battle with a pony named Howling Dune! He still believes that sphinxes and ponies are not allied, and he will be trying to kidnap some of us for his horrific research!" And with his words alone, the sphinxes began to scramble and take the children towards the caves.

In the chaos, Somnambula watched Fwynxie get herded into the cave last. She looked her in the eyes and watched a frown form on her face as the sphinxes' crowns began to glow and close the cave walls up. As the massive slabs of stone began to press together, Fwynxie could only whimper and begin to shed a tear towards Somnambula, who did the same once the walls sealed off, and the children were out of everyone's sight.

"I know that you have good intentions, Somnambula, but from the description of the events, I can already tell that this pony will stop at nothing to try and take us all out." Enigma sighed and lifted her head up. "I don't like it as much as you do, what with the peace accords made between our kinds. But if it is to uphold the future of our two kinds, then we shall do it."

"The thing is, is this really the fate he should face? To be razed by an army of titanic magic-wielding sphinxes?" Somnambula asked, as the other sphinxes started to form a barricade around Shimmering Sands, their wings unfurled and their crowns seething with magical energy. "Or is there a way that we can fix this without having to go to such lengths?"

"If there is another way, then it had better present itself fast." The queen took up arms with the rest of her brethren, standing alongside Enigma. "He's on the verge of arriving, and we're about to show him just what happens when you mess with our kind."

"From one city's felling, a crisis emerged. Even if he has no army to command, no monstrous darker half, and nothing like the sort I have seen before, this Howling Dune needs to be stopped, before he is beyond salvation." Somnambula hung her head, shook it, then stood between Enigma and the queen. "May the gods above give me the strength to see this through. And let me believe that there is still hope for him yet..."

Author's Note

Sorry if this new chapter took a while, but when you have to go to a Center Parcs, have a birthday, and do lots of other things like going to see the Incredibles 2, a lot can happen. Not to mention, I finally got rid of my old laptop for my brand new PC, so that was another contributor to this chapter's delay.

But even so, we're back, and we're ready to continue with this story. Personally, I don't know where else to go after this battle with Howling, so I think we're coming close to the end in all honesty, unless you guys have any ideas on how to continue it. I'm always open to suggestions, after all.

Either way, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'll be seeing you all again soon.

Riddles, Runes, and Razing

Howling Dune finally laid his eyes on Shimmering Sands, and the sphinxes that were forming a meat shield around it. Lowering his brows, he tried to find the children, but ended up seeing nothing but grown-ups. Regardless of the fact that there were no children for him to take advantage of, he still cracked his hooves together and pulled out parchments and papyrus from his cloak.

"Finally, after all this time, I will get my revenge on those who dared to raze my home..." He growled, marching forward, the sands around him beginning to pick up around him. "Not a single soul on this planet will stop me. Not them, not that pony, and surely not the child that imprinted on her."

Somnambula was the first to lay eyes on Howling, and the sand accompanying him to the site. The way that the winds violently thrashed about, spreading the sands around him, instilled a new feeling within her that she seldom felt; remorselessness. She could tell from his face, and from the dunes he commanded, that there would be no reasoning with him.

"Here he comes." Enigma lowered his brows as he watched the malevolent unicorn approach. "Everyone. Charge your magic and point it at him. Let him know what happens when you capture, torture, and harm our kin..."

"I had hoped that it wouldn't have come to this, but after all that he's done, and how devoted he is to this fleeting cause, I can only see defeat and pain in his eyes." Somnambula also walked forward, to meet this evil pony in battle. "Not even Set would want to see him in the afterlife, and his dark and twisted ambitions to take revenge have driven him down a dark path that not many walk without redemption. It goes against everything I believe in to say this, but I have no hope left for him..."

"Sphinxes! Do you remember me?!" Howling roared, smashing the sand violently, sending a huge wall of it towards the giant beasts, causing them to shield their faces with their wings. "You ravaged my home, tore my friends and family apart, and left me with nothing. All because of some insipid riddle and bias against my kind!" He boomed. "And now, your reckoning has come at last. For the crimes of invading Scarabia; my home. And tormenting Topaz Eye; my wife. I sentence you to the same fate as I. To be left with nothing more than your bodies!"

"Scarabia. Yes, I remember now." Enigma unfurled his wings again. "Those rapscallion sphinxes that ran off for some 'fun and games' as they called it instilled a dark riddle upon you and your wife. We've since dealt with those beasts by sentencing them to life as ponies. But even that, I fear won't stop you from trying to hurt us."

"So, you've managed to cull the ones that hurt my home. That, I can respect." He glared at the rest of the sphinxes. "However. That doesn't mean that it'll guarantee that the others are any different. When will the next dark riddle happen? The one where I have so many answers, but none of them are right because the sphinxes want to vent some hidden hate for the pony race?"

"Stop it!" Somnambula ran straight into Howling's face and pinned him to the ground. "Your bullies have been punished, and sentenced for their crimes! You have received justice for your home! Why can you not accept that and stand down?!"

"Why can't YOU accept the fact that sphinxes are a curse?" Casting a spell on Somnambula, he sealed her in a diamond cube and kicked her behind the line of sphinxes. "You ally yourselves with beasts far beyond your control, with powers equivalent to that of a god! Do you not remember the past? When they would hound us relentlessly for everything? When they would easily trump us and leave us high and dry, in every front?!"

"Let go of this madness, young one!" Enigma bellowed, casting a magical bolt at his heart. Electricity crackled all throughout the beacon of light as it radiated across his body. "You are taking this too far, and your mental state is deteriorating at the seams."

"Nngh..." Howling gritted his teeth and pushed the sand away as he shot Enigma a death glare. He was not about to fall here; especially after all that he had suffered through. "Are you sure that you can speak for every sphinx that there will be no more transgressions? No more betrayals? No more... renegades?!"

"I cannot promise such things, but I can live with the fact that the ones who destroyed your city and harmed those ponies have been dealt with. With that simple fact, that should be enough for you to stand down and cease this fallacy of crushing the trust between our kind." Enigma walked towards Howling, the bolt of light form his crown growing with each step. "And even if you choose to keep fighting, our overall magical strength will wear you to your limits or—at the very most—erase you from the world as a whole."

"Tell me, Mr. Sphinx. Do you know what it is like to lose everything that you held dear? To see your world torn down in front of your very eyes because of a shattered accord between two races?" Howling spat, craning his neck up at the titanic beast before him. "Because if you don't, then you and I have nothing more to discuss; and we can begin this battle."

"Even with my probing magic worming its' way into your body. Even with the perpetrators caught and punished, you still wish to fight us?" Enigma asked, his gaze unwavering as he brought his muzzle to Howling's. "Has Set claimed your body, Howling Dune?"

"Set? What a curious little inkling forming in your mind, sphinxes." Howling just lowered his gaze, let a shadow coat his eyes, and let out a sinister laugh. The parchments he carried spontaneously combusted, as black flames engulfed them and turned them into mist before travelling up his nose. "Set would not bother wasting his time on a mere mortal such as I. However—" He craned his head back up, showed sharpened teeth, and brightly glowing purple eyes "—He would have LOVED to see this!"

Somnambula was freed from the diamond block by the other sphinxes and snapped herself back around to view Howling and Enigma. Howling levitated off the ground, magic coiling around his body as his voice became double-toned. Casting bolts of black lightning down at Enigma, who repelled them with a shield spell from his crown, the sands around him were ripped up, creating massive plumes at his side.

"What in the world has gotten into him?" Somnambula asked, shakily standing back on her feet as the empowered Howling whipped up a ferocious sandstorm behind his back and threw it into the faces of the sphinx people, shrouding himself with it.

"This is not good..." Enigma grunted as he flew back to Somnambula's side. "His hate attracted Set, and now he's possessed his body. This is what happens when you hold a grudge for too long; especially around magical beings like us."

"Nergo an ykon gsmek rhoz!" Howling called out, before casting a wave of rapid-fire lightning bolts down at the sphinxes. Some of them were hit and let out audible screams and groans as they were tossed like ragdolls to the ground. "Krahith tataih alkoh!"

"What foul tongue is he speaking in?" Enigma asked, before ramming into Howling and pinning his body to the ground with one paw.

"The language of ancient Southern Equestria. Long before the time when ponies spoke like we do now." Somnambula walked up to Enigma's side and watched Howling squirm, before shooting a purple bolt to the skies. "Set's dark magic is burrowing deep into his body, and soon, he'll be much too far gone to bring back."

"This is the day when I finally end the sphinx race for subjugating my kind!" Howling growled, his double-toned voice echoing across the desert. "For all the torment, struggles, and battles that we have had against their kind, I will finally be the one to bring that quarrel to an end!" Another flurry of spells were unleashed on the sphinxes, a cavalcade of lights and colours smashed down on them, spreading them out across the crater-like ground.

"I only saw Set's magic once, but even then, he was in a weakened state..." Somnambula looked up in horror at the possessed pony before her as he flew towards a downed sphinx and fired a blast at its' chest, causing it to turn into particles of dust that hung in the air. "Only the warmth of a pure can exorcise him from a mortal. But with how much I have disdain for the pony beneath, am I really what can free him?"

Howling just said nothing more and turned another sphinx into idle particles, as storm clouds above them began to gather. The one blue and peaceful skies had turned grey, and hurled rain and purple lightning down upon the Shimmering Sands, erratic and hard to track for Enigma, Somnambula, and for the rest of the survivors.

"These sphinxes should never have been allowed to exist with their powers. They provoked my vessel's wrath, and now that wrath has blossomed MAGNIFICENTLY!" Howling announced, black and purple tendrils shooting out from his horn and coiling around his body, adding muscle mass to his hooves and causing veins to appear on his face and neck. His horn became dark purple at the tip and his mane elongated and flowed viciously in the winds. "This Howling Dune, long has he waited for a chance when the sphinxes would be destroyed. Unfortunately for him, his rage blinded him, and opened his heart to evil; MY evil."

"One that won't stay around for long if we have anything to say about it..." Enigma still stood strong, despite the sandstorm slashing his face and flying into his eyes. "One way or another, we'll free Howling from your body, evil one. And then, whatever happens next is his choice alone."

"How can you be so adamant in a time of crisis?" Somnambula spoke over the crack of another bolt of purple lightning. "Set! The god of evil resides in the body of a pony who hates sphinxes! His power has been magnified to a degree that I can't even understand!"

"Yes, but at the same time, Set is not entirely without weakness. That body he controls can still be hurt and knocked around, can't it?" Enigma asked, using his tail to clear his eyes. "If we can at least cripple the body, it should keep him from performing some more... drastic spells."

"And leave Howling beaten up in the process when he's finally brought back from Set's grip? As much as I want to slap some sense back into him, not even he deserves this fate when he is already suffering from an elongated grudge and dark magic flooding his body..." Somnambula shed a small tear as he watched Howling grow more and more veins on the rest of his body as his teeth began to sharpen. "If anything, he deserves only my pity and nothing more."

"Let this be a lesson to all of those who dare to provoke my home!" Howling Dune stomped into the ground, causing Shimmering Sands to sink deeper into the earth, taking the sphinxes, Somnambula, and Enigma with him. They all fell into a large cave, with tall stalactites and stalagmites bursting out of the ground and ceiling, and a small stream of water which rippled constantly in the storm. "I shall be the end of the sphinx race! So that we may finally know an era of peace and prosperity!"

"Through fear and terror? Through subjugation and extinction? Whatever future you dream of is a nightmare for the rest of us!" Somnambula opened her wings and flew to Howling's face, violently pressing her muzzle against his. "Whether you have the might of one god or all of them, I still won't stand down and let you walk over us like this, Set! Now. Leave his body, or you force my hoof!"

"Ha! A mortal challenging a deity such as I?" Set let out a hearty chuckle, which would be enough to make anyone's hairs stand on end if they heard it. He grinned again, his eyes piercing into hers. "What can a simple, magic-less Pegasus do against me; a god among ponies?"

"It matters not what power you wield, Set. So long as those who stand against your twisted ways have hope in their hearts, then there's nothing that they can't do." Somnambula lowered her brows and pushed further into his head, nudging him backwards ever so slightly. "Though I dislike the pony you hold, I will still save him from your wicked web of deceit. If it will save him, Equestria, and the sphinxes, then I will do whatever's necessary. Especially for my child..." Somnambula looked to the sealed cave, imagining Fwynxie and the idea of playing with her again. "My sweet, sweet little Fwynxie. Though we might not be related by bloodline, she sees me as a mother, and it would break her heart to see her lose that mother..."

"Then come and face me, pegasus mother. Show your devotion to this child sphinx of yours, and see if it will satiate my hunger when I crush her along with the rest of the race!" Set barked; more magic pouring out of his horn as he fired a huge bolt of it towards her. "Doamah alzel, taal alina!"

And without warning, a black tornado enveloped both Somnambula and Howling. Not a single trace of them was left as darkness filled the world around them and sealed themselves off from the rest of the world. Both of their eyes were still locked on each other, though. Even as the purple and black energy coiled and swirled around them, they were more focused on their target, and to prove that they were stronger, in spite of the other's beliefs.

On the outside, Enigma and the other sphinxes watched, paws tightly clutched on their chests as they witnessed the maelstrom of magical energy tear the ground up beneath it, ripping sand and stone up from the ground. Even now, the spiral was spitting storms out. Unpredictable cracks ripped through the air and brushed past the heads of many sphinxes, who had to back up and hide deeper within the sanctum they had fallen into so as to avoid being turned to powder in the air.

"Please, miss. Don't put yourself too deep into this madness." Enigma could only watch as the tornado thrashed and squirmed around in the center of the sanctum, sucking more and more sand into it. "Set is a god. And a powerful one at that..."

"Som-Mama..."

The sphinxes turned to see Fwynxie pulling her head up from a rock behind the stream, her eyes fixated on the black tornado that stood before her. Even as a baby, she was still cuddling and holding herself as she stared in awe of the phenomenon before her eyes.

"Fwynxie?" The queen's jaw dropped as she saw Fwynxie poke out of hiding, and immediately darted over to her side, wrapping her up in her wings. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in the cave above with the others?"

"But... this is da cave." Fwynxie moaned, pointing to the other child sphinxes that were hidden by the deepest edges of the underground cavern. "We all fell down..."

"Tell us, miss? What's going on?" Another child sphinx lifted its' paw as it turned towards the storm, narrowly evading another of its' bolts of lightning. "Has the end of days come, as was prophesized?"

"No. That day has yet to come. But what is happening now is that a mad pony with hate for us all is being controlled by a dark and malicious entity." The queen had to hid behind one of the pillars of rock as the winds picked up. "And from the looks of it, things are looking close to said apocalypse..."

"Som-Mama in there?" Fwynxie pointed to the black tornado, her blood beginning to freeze as the sounds of her screams filled her head. "She in twouble..."

"Yes, but there's not much that we can do about it, Fwynxie..." Another sphinx, with a young boy's voice, came to her side. "Whatever that poor pegasus is fighting is going to be the toughest challenge she's ever faced. Uh... provided she hasn't fought an evil god like Set before." He blushed and rubbed the back of his head.

"Set?" Fwynxie reached forward for the storm, her lips trembling as the crackling noise of plasma filled the air filled her ears. As it continued to fire off wave after wave of lightning bolts, almost looking like something out of a movie with how unstable it was becoming, all that Fwynxie could do was watch. Her haunches, plastered to the ground as she witnessed the phenomenon causing even more damage to the ground beneath it, while at the same time emitting a deafening howl that would send shivers up anyone's spine.

"Som-Mama..." Fwynxie clutched her paw tight in her hand and gave her a small salute. "Make that meanie go away."

Set-ting the Stage For the End

Nothingness surrounded Somnambula and Set. Both of them adrift in a void of darkness, looking each other deep in the eyes, their breathing deepening with each passing second. Her wings fluttered steadily, while his horn crackled with power. Both of them just sat and waited, for one to make a move that the other would exploit or counter.

"You do realise that, no matter what you do to me or my vessel, that I will remain, correct?" Set asked, looking deep into Somnambula's eyes. "I am a god; and one who can transcend more than just a simple puppet like Howling Dune."

"It matters not whether or not you are a god, nor does it matter what my own resolve is." Somnambula put a hoof to her heart. "All that I know is that you are a boil on this world, and one that I should pop before it grows out of control."

"Brave words from a mere mortal; especially a pegasus like you in these weather conditions." Set's eyes glowed, and another stroke of lightning hammered down the air between them, amplifying the winds within. "The odds play against you, and you still desire to fight me?"

"No. I don't intend to fight you." Somnambula flapped her wings harder and harder to keep with the ferocious storm surrounding her. "I intend to exile you from this pony's body, and finally bring him to his senses."

"I grow weary of this joke. Try entertaining me with something ELSE!" Set coiled black energy through Howling's horn and let a powerful spell fire out of it, piercing a hole through the void which quickly sealed back up again. More and more laser-like shots were fired, making more and more punctures in the black tornado.

Within the chaos of the storm, Somnambula found it hard to keep control of her flying while evading the shots that rang out at her. At times, where she was trying to keep up with the storm's winds, she found some of the spells grazing against her wing feathers, leaving singed marks behind. And the times when she managed to dodge them, she ended up losing control and began to spiral around on the edge of the tornado, almost at speeds too fast for the eye to keep track of.

What am I to do? Somnambula asked herself as she tried to regain control of the situation with another hasty set of wingbeats. I cannot fight back, but at the same time, I can't let him continue to terrorise the sphinxes like this...

"Is this your hope? The thing you remain so adamant and steadfast on safeguarding? A mockery, if I ever saw it with my own eyes." Set shook his head as he watched Somnambula finally regain a speed where she could fly against the winds. "I should show mercy upon you, but then that would be a disservice to my namesake. After all, evil has no mercy to spare; for all its' thoughts are on its' own desires."

"I never needed mercy from a tyrant anyway. Keep your pity for yourself, Set." Somnambula couldn't fight the winds anymore and instead dove down towards the bottom of the storm, forces battering her from all sides as she drilled herself further and further towards it. "All I need is a little bit of hope, and you're through."

"Really now? Well, let's just see what that hope of yours really can do, little one. After all, if I don't destroy you, then this storm will." He grinned and looked down upon Somnambula as she continued to fight on against the ferocious winds and dark magic that surrounded her.

"Not if hope has a helping hand on her side!"

Somnambula continued to fly downward, and as she did so, a speck of light began to form at the bottom of the hurricane of dark energy. It was small to begin with, but the closer and closer she got to it, the brighter it glowed until finally in enveloped her entire body. Blinded by its' radiance, Somnambula flew through the light and back out into the cavern; where the rest of the sphinxes awaited. And when her eyes readjusted, what she saw was a sight unlike any other.

All of the sphinxes, male, female, and even the children were casting their own magic, which spat out of their own little crowns and tiaras. All coalescing and coating the tornado Set commanded and coating it in a bright veil of colours and light. Everyone except Fwynxie and the Queen pitched on. The queen because her crown had already been splintered and fractured, and Fwynxie because she was still huddled next to her as they watched the rest of their kind battle back the darkness.

"Enigma! What are you doing?" Somnambula asked, looking up at him as his undivided attention remained focused on the tornado. "Set is the God of Evil! He'll just turn his attention on all of you!"

"Given how much you risked to protect us from Howling Dune and his ways, I think it's only fair that we protect you from Set in return. A favour repaid in full." Enigma slammed his front paw on the ground, channelling stronger magic through his crown.

"Yeah. And you don't have magic of your own, so he would have defeated you long before you would have had the chance to lay a hoof on him," said a female sphinx. "Trust me, pony, it's ALWAYS good to have friends in high places."

"Especially if those friends are sphinxes like us," said another one.

"It matters not how many allies you bring to your side, little pony. In the end, you are all the same: Livestock! One that we gods can dispose of with merely a wave of our arms!" The tornado erupted, spreading magic all around the place and breaking the sphinxes' spells. "Livestock in any form is still expendable. And I intend to expend the lot of you before the moon rises."

Set regained his composure and creaked his neck, casting a gaze upon all of the sphinxes that caused their confidence and bravery to dissipate instantly, as they now cowered before him as he let another spell fester at the tip of his horn. Aiming it at Somnambula, a thick and powerful pillar of purple and black energy shot out like a torrent towards Somnambula, hitting the ground as she flew back up in time. From there, the battle resumed, and without a tornado to hold her back, the pegasus found herself able to outrun him and his magic at every corner, performing slick moves and swoops around the stalactites and stalagmites around her.

"Stop moving! You cannot defeat a god!" Set howled, smashing Howling's feet against the sand floor, causing spikes made of sand to erupt out from underneath Somnambula and reach the ceiling of the cavern. She had little time to react against it, and felt the sharp, sandy edges strike her in the chest, knocking her stable pattern off and causing her to tumble into a wall. "This act of fleeing is cowardice, and proof that your conviction is not enough to save you."

"No. It simply shows that I refuse to give in to the will of evil. Fleeing is not cowardice if you use it with purpose." Somnambula clutched her chest and pulled her head out of the rock wall to stare back at Set. "Howling Dune may have provoked your arrival, but the second you leave his body, he'll give up this pointless charade of studying sphinxes so he can fight back against them!"

"Or maybe he'll keep on going, even despite the fact that he had me controlling him. For it was not his own evil that influenced me, but rather the evil that was committed by the sphinxes that so doomed his land and people." Set hovered quietly in the air, pushing Howling's hooves together. "Maybe you need to think and re-evaluate everything that happened, instead of make up false accusations on ponies who have a reason to fight back."

"No matter what you choose to believe, Set, I fail to see how Howling is on the side of good after everything he did to Fwynxie and the Queen. The acts of aggression, destroying their home, stripping the elder of her power, and leaving them to rot in a cage like that." She gritted her teeth and threw her wings outward. "How can that be considered GOOD?!"

"Again you are wrong! You are looking at an innocent pony who has no darkness within his heart, yet you choose to continue chastising his actions and paint him as a dark-hearted soul; when in reality, he is simply trying to find some way to find a sense of balance, and close off that chapter." Set landed on the ground before her. "But because of all the resistance you have been giving him, you have only added to that fire, and now it is tainted with malice and lack of remorse. So in a sense, you have made him evil, Somnambula."

"I... What?" Somnambula choked on her own words as Set took more and more steps closer and closer to her.

"Look at this pony! He lost everything to a group of rogue, lawless sphinxes, who despite having been sentenced for their actions against him, still scarred him, and left him with a darkened scar on his heart." Set moved Howling's face closer to Somnambula. "And how do you choose to treat him for his loss? Deny him the chance to prepare for another attack, so that he won't be able to save more ponies whenever the time that more evil sphinxes try and take the homes from many more families? How can what you have been doing be considered good?

"Not once have you taken the time to feel sorry for his loss, the ponies that were taken from him in his time of need, the barbaric ritual he went through when confronted by those sphinxes. Instead, you've been fighting back against his desires at every turn and denying him the chance to receive any sense of closure for what transpired on that fateful day." He looked around the cavern, his eyes focused now on the sphinxes that still hid themselves behind the scenery. "His wife, Topaz Eye was taken from him, and now you intend to mark him as the bad guy and paint all the sphinxes as good, no matter what kind of history they might have or which paths they took. You say that sphinxes are without flaw, and yet you don't even choose to feel bad for a pony who lost his world because of sphinxes."

"I—" Somnambula tried to speak, but a hoof wave from Set's puppet stopped him.

"But that's the truth, Somnambula of Southern Equestria. Plain and simple, for every single soul in this room to see." He pulled her head up and locked eyes with her again. "No dark magic, no grudge against sphinxes, nothing like that or any of the sort. You're no hero. And neither are the sphinxes that you surround yourself with. You don't deserve to be their guardian after all of the stuff that you've been doing to a pony trying to grieve." He cast an eye towards Fwynxie and the Queen. "And you certainly don't deserve to become the mother of an infantile one that you stumbled across in that pyramid."

"Fwynxie..." Somnambula looked towards her as well, seeing tears beginning to form in her eyes as she reached out for her.

"The truth is irrefutable. Opinions do not matter when weighed against fact. The real villain of the story is you. For stopping Howling Dune for properly mourning his losses and giving the ponies of the world a chance to prevent these disasters from happening." Set's voice became very smooth and deep. "Just give up here and now. It's easier than fighting this own pointless battle of yours."

Somnambula looked around at everything for a moment, letting the words that Set had said hang heavy on her heart. She wanted to say something in response, but the more that she thought about it, the more and more guilty she felt for everything that happened since the sphinxes attacked Howling's home. Looking at Enigma, Fwynxie, and then to the sky, Somnambula felt her hooves begin to tremble.

Maybe he's right. It would be easier to just surrender here and let Howling Dune write his book. Somnambula brought her gaze back to Howling's body, thinking back on everything he had done. What's the point in stopping someone who's trying to properly put the past behind him if it only brings them more sadness, resentment, and anguish? I'm merely breaking what's already broken. And like he said, I'm just adding to the fire within his heart. His evil intentions spawned from my actions. I'm to blame for all of these recent events. The destruction of their home, the queen losing their power, them both being trapped in the cage, and now this. Her vision became blurry as she looked down at her hooves, feeling the strength within her fade. Why did Set not choose to take me for what I did? And why do the sphinxes still believe in me? Don't they see the acts I've committed? A callous pegasus, forbidding Howling Dune from making his book and moving on.

The sun in the sky vanished over the horizon, sinking deeper down through the sands as the cave slowly became blanketed in shadows. The only light left was from the aura that Set was radiating, and even then, it was one only a black-hearted being could have created.

And Fwynxie... I let her down most of all. A baby, I should have protected her more, and done my best to treat her with love rather than apprehension. And now, she's been roped into all of this. And all of it's on my head. Another sin to add to the pile, I suppose. A small tear hung from her own eye and fell to the ground as she looked back at Fwynxie one last time. I'm not only a bad pony, but a bad mother at the same time. But then again, she was my greatest adventure of all, the greatest, and potentially last tale that I would ever tell. One that would forever live; most likely in infamy...

As Somnambula closed her wings up, Fwynxie just watched on as she lowered her head and bowed before Set. Letting out an inaudible whimper, a small speck of light from her crown flew over from her and into Somnambula's chest. It took a few moments, but the speck quickly erupted into a brilliant cascade of light that filled the entire cavern up with a single blast and never dimmed once.

"What?! What kind of sorcery is this?!" Set asked, backing away from Somnambula's magical surge. "You are a PEGASUS! Pegasi have NO MAGIC! No runes, no unicorn horns, no Earth Pony strength, NOTHING!"

"This isn't magic, Set. This is hope." Somnambula proudly unfurled her wings, which glistened a bright shade of platinum that trickled rainbow lights before his eyes. "I know that what I did was wrong, and that Howling deserves to write that book for all I did to him, but at the same time, I know that I cannot continue to let YOU inhabit his body. Howling Dune needs to forge his own path; not let a malefic god decide for him! He does not want to exact revenge on the sphinxes. You only see it as an entrance for you to cause destruction and misery. And I will NOT let that happen. Under ANY circumstance!"

"Hope. Cannot. Defeat. EVIL!" Set roared loudly, and let loose a massive wave of darkness towards Somnambula. And she in return, flapped her wings once, sending a similarly-sized wave of light out towards him. Both power smashed against each other and ended up in a power struggle, with both types of energy colliding and pushing vigorously against each other; with neither side giving an inch.

"Yes. It. CAN!" Somnambula boomed out loudly. "Even though I might have committed some heinous actions towards Howling despite his loss, I still have hope that I can free him from the chains that bind him, so that he can make his own destiny with his own hooves. "And that alone is just the conviction I need that will end your reign over him, Set."

"You lie! Even if you fight back, we are equally matched. There is not a single thing that you can do that can stop this clash." Set snarled and let more magic pour out of his horn. "And, in case you have forgotten, I am a GOD of EVIL!" His magic intensified and began to push Somnambula's wave back towards her.

"Even gods need to lose sometimes." Enigma stepped out of the background once again and channelled more magic out from his crown, adding it to Somnambula's. "Come on, everyone! Supply Somnambula with your wills, and let Set know that he is not welcome here in the Shimmering Sands!"

Slowly, the sphinxes all came back out and let magic fester in their crowns and tiaras. One by one, they added their own magical flows to Somnambula's titanic wave of light. Slowly but surely, they all began to push his darkness back towards him. Even the Queen, who was without a crown, stood by Somnambula's side. Soon, everyone was helping them all out. All, except Fwynxie.

"Mama..." Fwynxie watched as the light show before her got brighter and brighter, more and more radiant with each passing second.

"Come on, Fwynxie. We need you to beat him. You're the only one left." Somnambula reached out a paw towards Fwynxie as the others continued to push back Set's dark power. "Without you, Som-Mama will be gone forever."

"I no wanna wose my Som-Mama..." She looked down at her own paws.

"Then come and help us. Just use your magic along with all of ours." Somnambula gave her a smile. "You can do it, my child."

Fwynxie's eyes lit up and a smile crossed her face as Somnambula reached out for her. Feeling a spring in her step, she bounced over to her side and began to cast her own magic from her tiny crown. With hers being added to the stream, the light was finally strong enough to break through Set's spell, splintering the dark beam and coating his vessel, Howling Dune, in a massive ray of heavenly light.

"N-no! I just received this vessel! I will NOT lose him..." Set struggled and thrashed around as he felt himself being ripped from Howling Dune's body. Despite his attempts to hold on, his true form, a slender dog with a massive, hairless tail that broke off into two sections at the end of it, and jewelry around his neck, wrists, and ankles appeared, and drifted further and further away from Howling's body. He let out one massive scream as he faded away into the light, which blasted out into the sky above, leaving nothing more than a constellation of himself behind as his cry faded away.

When the light began to fade away, everyone looked around. The Shimmering Sands had returned to normal. The hole that the sphinxes had cast to keep their children in had been restored, and the massive hole was non non-existent. Everything that had happened to the place when Howling had arrived had been restored to its' former state.

Somnambula returned to normal and carried Howling Dune's motionless body in her hooves. She laid him down gently on the sands, illuminated by the stars above. She gave a look up at the sphinxes, still letting the words that had been said echo over and over in her head.

"Everyone. Give him some time to rest. And when he wakes..." She turned her back. "He decides our fate. But one thing is for sure. We are not perfect. We are all flawed. And are we really to be trusted? Even after the accords were all signed and everything was all said and done?" She glanced back over her shoulder towards the crowd. "No matter what choice he takes, Howling Dune is not a bad pony. He was simply forced by what we all did to him. So if he decides to learn us for weaknesses and strategies on defeating us, then we should let him. Only then will he finally be able to mourn the loss of his world and move on with a clearer conscious." Somnambula gave herself a sigh as she looked back down at the sand by her feet again. "This must be done. To ensure proper peace between us all. I've made up my mind. Let's just hope that he does the same..."

Author's Note

Sorry for the late upload, but I had to think long and hard for the ending to the Set story and which way to take it. With a lot of pressure piling up on me, I needed to make sure that I did something that would make it seem that even though what Howling did was wrong, he wasn't without fault either. And plus, what's the fun of having a generic villain who just says "I want to conquer the world" or "I want revenge against you and your kind for what you did to me."

And considering that I just came hot off of the heels of Destiny 2's Forsaken expansion, with an ending that really shook me to my core, I knew what I had in mind for the conclusion to this saga. I hope that you all liked it as much as I did when writing it, and I'll be seeing you soon for the epilogue chapter.

Torn and Rebuilt

When he finally felt the strength to wake back up, Howling Dune found himself surrounded by both Somnambula and the sphinxes. All of them just looked down at him with looks of concern as he finally climbed back to his feet and brushed some sand off of his fur. He felt a mild stinging sensation in his head, and his breathing was notably more heavy than usual. Some audible grunts and groans escaped his mouth before he finally mustered up the ability to speak.

"What... what happened?" He asked, rubbing his head with a hoof. "Did I have some tainted water?"

"No, Howling. You were simply possessed by Set; the God of Evil." Somnambula placed her hoof on his chest and looked him in the eyes with a smile. "Thanks to me and these brave creatures, we were able to expunge him from you, before he did something rash."

"Set? But that can't be possible. For someone to truly be drawn to him, they need to be completely devoid of hope or redemption." His legs began to tingle ever so slightly, and his hooves became numb at the sound. "And usually, when Set has a victim, he never lets them go free that easy."

"Howling Dune of Southern Equestria. I know how powerful your passion is for studying the sphinxes. And I know full well that I cannot stop you. Doing so would be disrespectful to your home, your family, and to everyone that you lost when they all fell." Somnambula hung her head and stepped aside. "So, do it. Do what you need to do. Study them to your heart's content."

"Wait... Why do you cave in to my demands now? You were pretty adamant on your views before about stopping me." Howling cocked a brow at Somnambula, then to the sphinxes. "What is the catch here? What is your game?"

"No tricks, Howling Dune. I was wrong, and I should have understood that from the start. There is no right or wrong in this world; only different paths, leading to different places." Somnambula took off her headdress and laid it down on her back. "What I saw as justice was perceived as evil to you, and I cannot ever accept that. I cannot choose a decision if it paints me as a villain for other ponies."

"I..." Howling Dune couldn't even muster up a single word in response to that. Everything that he and she had been doing, two different parallels to each other, were now coming to see eye-to-eye with each other. After letting it sink in, he eventually sighed and kneeled before her. "I have not seen such an act of chivalry like that in a long time. To know what you were doing benefited nobody, and only served to make you out as a monster. That kind of thinking process is something the pharaohs themselves would treasure greatly, Somnambula." He couldn't help but smile. "In fact, I would think you as a Medjay with judgement like that."

"A... Medjay?" Somnambula stumbled backwards and nearly lost her balance entirely. But Fwynxie was there to catch her when it looked like she was beginning to topple.

"Wha's a Medj... Meja..." The little sphinx tripped around her own words and lifted a brow at Somnambula.

"A Medjay," she said. "A guardian of the desert. Loyal to the pharaoh, but also to the people themselves. A Medjay is always willing to accept help, within the bounds of justice, that is."

"Like a prince?" Her eyes lit up again.

"Not exactly. A prince still remains loyal to their lineage and family, whereas a Medjay's only real master is that of the law and that of their own will." Somnambula tousled Fwynxie's hair. "A Medjay has no bounds, no restrictions, and is the embodiment of everything to do with solving problems and combating scoundrels." One look at the little sphinx's eyes knew that she wouldn't be able to understand it, so she took a breath and said, "I'm a superhero, basically."

Fwynxie's eyes beamed as she let the image of Somnambula in a makeshift spandex uniform fly in her mind. Charging over to her side, she tackled her to the ground and constricted her into a tight, bear-like hug.

"She's become really attached to you, hasn't she?" The queen gave Somnambula a smirk. "A part of me wants to let you keep her."

"For all of my pent up anger, my spite towards your kind, all that I can say is that I am sorry." Howling Dune bowed before the Sphinx kind, head nearly touching the sand. "I invoked Set's power, letting my own emotions run rampant. There is a great deal that I must do for you if I am ever to be truly forgiven for my actions..."

"Well, your apology's a good start, Howling Dune." Somnambula pulled him back onto his feet with her own hoof. "From here, as long as you pledge yourself to these magnificent creatures, earn their trust back, and earn their favour, then I am sure that they will treat you with the same level of respect."

"And, in turn, you will get your wish of wanting to study us, just in less... extreme measures." Enigma gave him a nod. "After all, there is always a better way to go about reasoning with creatures like ourselves."

"I... I understand that, o mighty one. Please forgive me for my sins." Howling looked up from his pose.

"All is forgiven. The ones who encroached your home have been fittingly punished for their actions and we will do all that we can to help you out, be it recreating your world, imparting you with Sphinxian knowledge, whatever else will alleviate you of your sorrows."

"At the same time, we must thank you, Somnambula of Equestria." The Queen turned to face her, wings unfurled. "I was not expecting much out of you, yet you stood your ground for a species alien to your own. Loyalty in tandem with hope. Such a thing is not seen in ponykind these days."

"My will, my resolve is to thank, not myself. I simply believe that there is no such thing as an impossibility, always finding opportunity whenever it arises," Somnambula replied. "That is how I was able to outlast Set, purely on the basis of hope overcoming all odds."

"In any case, I feel that we should give you some form of reward for your actions," said Enigma. "Name the prize you seek, Somnambula of Equestria."

"All that I seek is that the balance of peace between pony and sphinx be kept; in much greater force than usual." Somnambula kneeled as well, her head almost grazing that of the sand she stood upon. "If another one of these Sphinxes are to stray from the natural order, shred the peace between us once more, I hope that you do what must be done to retain the unity between us; not let the scorned, the hurt seek out a path of vengeance for one miscreant within a noble race."

"I understand. We will do all that we can to keep our kind in closer control. The last thing we would want is Set moulding the desires of another soul scarred by our actions to seek vengeance upon us." Enigma nodded at Somnambula. "Let us hope that your kind will treat us with equal respect in the coming future."

"Just as you will promise, I shall take the steps necessary to safeguarding ponies from walking down a path of unbridled and unnecessary hatred." Somnambula stood back up properly. "I will inform the pharaoh about this. He will spread the word out to all of the ponies within this region. And, if needs be, I will take up the role of a Medjay to enforce our peace with your sphinxes, Enigma." She then turned towards Howling Dune. "And, if ponies or sphinxes do get hurt, I will apply the swiftest justice possible to ensure that the heartache does not last long."

"Very well. I look forward to seeing you again someday, Somnambula. As I would for meeting any of your kind who follows the same morals." Enigma smiled as warm as the sun, petting Somnambula's head with his oversized paws. "We will do our best to uphold your wish."

"That is all I ask." Somnambula looked over now to Fwynxie and the Queen. Slowly, she trotted up towards the two of them, a sense of guilt in her heart. "After all of this, I feel bad for just leaving the two of you. I don't want to leave such a big hole in your hearts."

"Then why choose to leave?" The Queen asked, tail coiling itself around Somnambula. "You can stay here with us. With all of us. We will provide you with as much sustenance as you could ever hope for."

"Som-Mama leaving?" Fwynxie's ears began to droop. "But, I no wanna wet you leave!"

"It pains me to do this as much as it does you, but I have my own life back home. I can't just abandon everything I have to be with you, no matter how cute you are, my little one..." Somnambula came over and tenderly rubbed Fwynxie's belly.

Fwynxie did giggle at the motion of her belly being rubbed, but that smile quickly melted away when Somnambula let out a sigh. She had rooted Somnambula to her memory too much to want to let her go, even if she was a pony over a sphinx.

"I can only really say that I'm sorry it had to come to this, that your home was destroyed, that you ended up in this sort of scenario, and now I leave a massive void in your hearts." Somnambula swallowed, a sizeably bigger lump forming as she did so. "Even I was moved by the idea of having to care for my own child; especially one not of equine flesh and blood. Sadly, the reality of the situation is that I am a pony, and you are a sphinx. Not to mention, I'm tiny in comparison to you, child."

"But smaller means more fun, wight?" Fwynxie cocked a brow. "My woom was so small because I was big. But it was big to you," Fwynxie replied.

"I know that, but that also brings me to the issue of... well, being crushed by my own child." Somnambula placed a hoof by her mouth, as if trying to make sure that no-one else heard her explain the situation. "With your size, you'd flatten me with a paw and little thought."

"Yeah. Fwynxie wasn't exactly the smallest sphinx to grace this world..." The Queen sucked on one of her lips, hissing as she compared her own child to that of her other mother. "Still, if you must leave, I can understand that. It would be unfair of us to steal you away from your own home, just as Howling stole us from ours."

"But I wanna keep Som-Mama fowever!" Fwynxie whined to the Queen, a small tear beginning to form in her eyes. "She so cuddly and happy! I no wanna make her sad by leaving!"

"It's a very considerate thought, little one. But sadly, this is the fate that we were assigned..." Somnambula's heart sank. "As much as I wish that we could stay together forever, it would take away everything from me. It would strip me of all that I know."

"Basically, Fwynxie, think of your mama as your favourite toy. She's a treat to be enjoyed for as long as time demands it, but when the time comes to part, it must be done..." The Queen cuddled Fwynxie close. "She'll come back to you one day or another, but for now, it is time to let her go."

"Let her... go?" Fwynxie snuffled, looking out at Somnambula one last time. "But I no wanna!" She cried into the Queen's fur, dampening it with her enlarged, moist tear.

Somnambula and the Queen just watched as Fwynxie cried. Her sorrow being displayed in the purest physical form possible. As her wails shifted in pitch, the two of them couldn't bear to hold on anymore, letting their own tears fall. First from the Queen, and then from Somnambula. It was undeniable. The heartache of loss was contagious for all involved. As the Queen went in to hug her child, Somnambula couldn't help herself and threw herself at Fwynxie, arms wrapped around her body and wings.

"You're young, little one, so it's okay to cry." Somnambula's voice had dwindled to a little whimper as well. "In time, you'll come to cope with loss. Far better than I or your Queen..."

"Som-Mama... Why yoo cwying?" Fwynxie asked, her eyes still wet, but no longer spilling their contents. "Yoo no happy to go home?"

"I... I am. I'm just sad that you're sad that I'm going." Somnambula wiped her eyes, her tone still shivering from the heartfelt moment. "But you. You have to stay strong." She reached for her mane and took off her headdress, letting the rest of her mane flow out into the baking sunlight. "Here. You can have this. A little token to remember me by."

"Som-Mama..." Fwynxie's eyes widened at the white headdress being hoofed over to her paws.

"Keep it close. Just like the toys you entertain yourself with. The proof of an inseparable bond between pony and sphinx. The proof of a reminder that I'll always find my way back to you, my little Fwynxie." Somnambula's frown turned into a grin from ear to ear. "You are a strong, powerful, magnificent creature. There is nothing that you cannot overcome. And I hope that, when we do meet again, you grow up to be even more wonderful."

Fwynxie stared at the headdress, blinked a few times, then held it close to her chest. A warm and fuzzy feeling enveloped her, as she thought back on all of the memories that she shared with Somnambula. All the games, mishaps, struggles they had been through, all emanating from one single piece of silk with a crescent moon around the apex.

"So... Yoo weally have to go, Som-Mama?" Fwynxie asked one last time, in the hopes that she would get some kind of leverage with her little caretaker.

"Yes. It's been a magical time with you, but I do have to leave now." Somnambula turned her back to Fwynxie and the Queen. "But don't worry. I just know that we will see each other, come Tartarus or high water." She walked towards Howling Dune, holding a hoof out to him. "Well, then. Shall we? There are people back home who are waiting for us."

"Yes. Let's go." Howling took Somnambula's hoof and walked out into the vast array of desert sands.

"Bye-bye, Som-Mama!" Fwynxie waved her paw vigorously in the air as Somnambula walked away from the Shimmering Sands, with the rest of the sphinxes taking notice and joining in with the send-off. She didn't look back, but Fwynxie and the other Sphinxes could tell that it made her feel that little bit better on the inside.

Days later, Somnambula found herself standing at the edge of the sands, the winds whipping around her face all the while. She watched her little child grow up with her Queen and the rest of her friends, playing games and telling each other riddles. For every action, every interaction, and every moment that Fwynxie smiled, it lightened her soul. Even if she couldn't do it by her side, she was still keeping a very close eye on her little wonder of a child.

"Oh, my little scarab. I know that it seemed like a day or two, but I want you to know that I'm always in your heart, forever." Somnambula focused on the little tuft of hair on Fwynxie's head where her headdress had wound up. "One of these days, I will come back to you. I will make your life full of joy and wonder once again..."

Just then, from behind her point of view, a newcomer approached her. Clad in what looked like a wizard's outfit complete with bells, and a long and lustrous white beard, he said, "I don't suppose you would happen to know where a Ms. Somnambula is now, would be?"

Epilogue

1000 Years Later... Give or take one or two.

A city stood quiet. Alone if not for the ponies that wandered the streets. Some were selling their wares, other carrying loads off to work, some escorting their children to schools, and others being tourists who came to experience the wonders of Southern Equestria. All unassuming, unaware that they were about to have disaster befall upon them.

The skies darkened, a figure cutting off their sunlight with wings unfurled and silhouette on full display. The body of a sphinx descended onto the town, her paws gigantic, teeth sharp, tail long, and wings splayed out like a pair of war-fans. A devious grin crossed her face as she let out a small hiss, causing the civilians to run in a panic, the bedlam knocking everything over.

"Hello, fillies and colts!" Fwynxie bellowed, her voice much more mature than it had been since her youth. She gave a small hiss as her magic flowed out of her body, pulling a large batch of food of all shapes, sizes, and colours into her mouth. "Don't mind me, just coming over for a little snack!" She gnashed the fruits of her labour, spraying the juices and residue all over. Feeling somewhat accomplished, it was then she noticed a peculiar taste had filled her tastebuds. "Ah... Ahhh... Aaaahhhh! That's SPICY!"

Fazed from the flaming feeling in her mouth, she ran through the town trying to find the nearest source of water she could find, her oversized body sending everything around her flying with little resistance whatsoever. Even some of the more sturdy stuff like stalls, carts, houses, they too were destroyed in the ongoing pandemonium. Naturally, the ponies couldn't handle the situation, so decided to hide, leap out of the way, or just flee the scene entirely.

Fwynxie's little run eventually took her to the nearby lake. She stuck her head into it and drank, not even taking notice of the crocodiles that inhabited the waters as well. Though, given her size, it was gonna be highly unlikely that they would bite at her. If anything, their eyes bulged and they ran as well, knowing full well that this new creature was far beyond them in terms of raw power.

"Ah... That's much better." Fwynxie wiped her mouth once enough of the water had been consumed. "Y'know, I never will understand why ponies like spicy food. It's not very good for your system, let me tell you that."

"FWYNXIE!"

She knew that voice all too well. It had been what seemed like ages, but her waiting had finally come to pass. Somnambula, not looking a day over her old self, returned with a seething expression on her face. All of the memories flooded back at the sight of her face, and whatever Fwynxie had came for was completely forgotten.

"Som...Somnambula?" She asked, just wanting to clarify.

"Yes, Fwynxie, it is me." Somnambula deadpanned, rolling her eyes. "Now, do you mind telling me what in the name of—"

"Mama! It's been so long!" Fwynxie had pulled Somnambula into a hug. This time, her titanic size smothered her into the fur, completely burying her. "Oh, I've got so much stuff to tell you! About my new friends, the new house I've got, all the adventures I went on since I grew up, oh, you've just gotta hear it.

Somnambula just let out muffled screaming, her hooves viciously pounding on Fwynxie's furry chest. Her actions got a response, as Fwynxie let go of her, allowing her to escape the chokehold. She flopped to the ground, breathing heavily for air, even choking mildly.

"A thousand years have passed, and I see you're just as rambunctious as ever," said Somnambula as soon as her little fit to retrieve air came to pass. "Still, I think someone needs a time-out, little missy. And I think you know exactly the reason why." She jabbed a hoof out to the town, directly at all of the damage that Fwynxie had caused.

"Time-out? For getting something to eat?" Fwynxie blew a raspberry, idly batting her paw downward. "C'mon, mama. I'm much older now. I wanna try some of their stuff for once, rather than make it myself with magic. Ever heard of this thing called a takeout meal?"

"That wasn't a request." Somnambula snarled. "You're in trouble. Now, own up to your actions and accept the consequences..."

"But—"

"I SAID YOU'RE GETTING A TIME OUT, FWYNXIE!" Somnambula roared so loud that it would have put the Canterlot Royal Voice to shame. It caused Fwynxie to lurch backwards, which then followed with her hanging her head.

"Oh... I'm sorry, mama." She caved into Somnambula, hunching her body downwards and retracting her wings.

"Yes. I should think you are. Now come on, I'm taking you back home." Somnambula flapped her wings and pulled Fwynxie with her out of the town. "Sheesh. I just get back from a thousand-year limbo and this is what I come home to? I swear, kids these days have no sense of..." She mumbled to herself as she carried her child out of the city, away from all of the chaos that she had brought.

Author's Note

Welp. That's all, folks. I hope that you enjoyed this story as much as I did writing it. Always a pleasure entertaining you, the crowd of people. If you did enjoy this story, then please feel free to drop a cheeky follow, maybe even comment as well. Always good to know that there are people who give feedback for my works; even if it's some of the tiniest little things like typos and phrasing.

In any case, I'm glad that you have all stayed with me for this magical little ride and I look forward to seeing all of you in the future for another one of my stories whenever that may be.

See ya!

The Roar of the Desert

As Somnambula and her tiny sphinxes made their way out of the vault and back into the palace, they thought that they were in the clear. But as soon as they heart footsteps and saw a faint lock of hair belonging to that of Howling Dune, she quickly spread her wings and darted into the closest room she could find, closing the door and pressing her back against the corner.

"I can't take any chances. None at all..." She looked down at the sphinxes, who poked their heads out of the basket. "If Howling catches us on our way out, it's curtains for us all. He'll certainly find a way to deal with me while he tries to reclaim you."

"Meanie..." Fwynxie whimpered, looking out through a small crack in the door to see Howling walk by. "Meanie magic scawy..."

"And mine's out of the picture." The queen patted her crown-less head, shuddering as she shriveled back into the basket. "Guess we're gonna have to play this safe."

Unfortunately for all of them, Howling Dune's ears pricked up upon hearing their whispers, and he trotted towards the door. Opening it up, he craned his neck through the frame and searched every corner of it, even poking his head into the corner Somnambula had been cowering behind, only to see that she wasn't there. Lifting a brow, he shrugged before turning back and leaving the room, shutting the door behind him.

Somnambula flitted her wings silently, dropping herself from the roof of the room and landing delicately on the tiles beneath her. She heard Howling's footsteps fade away before letting out a sigh and walking out of the room, darting as fast as she could through the corridors.

"That was way too close." The queen muttered, clinging on to the wicker on the inside of the basket as Somnambula rushed towards the closest exit. "Now we need to get out of her fast, before he finds the vault and knows we've broken out."

"Yes. And we can't waste anymore time with anypony else, no matter who they are." Somnambula looked back at the sphinxes, closing the lid of the basket up. "Howling Dune doesn't seem like the kind of pony who would be slow in hunting down his prey."

Right as Somnambula went past the pharaoh's chamber, he stepped out and watched her fly towards him. He could see the immediate panic in her eyes as she opened her wings up to break and tried not to smash into him head-on, with little avail as they both collided and tumbled to the ground in a heap. Needless to say, the guards around both of them saw the accident and immediately charged in on Somnambula, pointing their lances at her.

"Stand down!" The pharaoh barked, stomping his hoof on the ground. "She crashed into me by accident. No harm was done." He glared at his soldiers, watching as they raised their weapons and held them to their sides. "Apologies for that, Somnambula. But what, may I ask is the rush for, other than to save those sphinxes you care about?"

"If Howling Dune sees that the vault is empty, he'll immediately try and hunt me down. And knowing how deeply he cares for his home and the damage that the other sphinxes did to it, I can't imagine our meeting being pleasant." Somnambula stood back up and crossed her back legs, letting a gulp run down her throat. "In fact, I highly suspect he would use magic to pacify me, then immediately reclaim and recapture Fwynxie and the queen."

"Technically, I'm a queen in the maternal sense. No actual sense of hierarchy here, Somnambula." The queen popped out of the basket and sat on the top of it. "Sphinx queens are nothing like monarch queens."

"Howling Dune's acts are callous, but he said that he would do nothing harmful to you or your little friends." The pharaoh walked over and watched Fwynxie climb out. He even gave her a little pat, causing her to purr and coo as his hoof brushed her fur. "If he were to try and attack you to retake the two of them, that would immediately paint a bad image for him; and I would have a cause to immediately crack down on his trafficking act."

"Then... should I just let him try and see me?" Somnambula tilted her head. "That doesn't really sound like the best advice, my pharaoh."

"I'm not saying that you should let yourself get seen by Howling, just that you wouldn't be in any real danger if you were." He came to Somnambula's side and patted her on the back as well, a warm smile striking her in the heart. "Trust me, Somnambula. If Howling does get hostile with you, we will exact a strong punishment on him. You have nothing to fear in this palace; my palace."

"Pharaoh..." Somnambula's eyes widened as the pharaoh, still smiling, walked back to his throne room door. "You would really do such a debt for me? A simple commoner?"

"Somnambula. You saved my prince from the sphinxes in that pyramid. The least I can do is repay the favor." He gave her one last smile before he started to walk backward to the throne. "One good turn deserves another, and it's only fair that I repay my debt to you for such a valiant and heroic act."

"Thank you... my pharaoh." Somnambula's mouth quivered before a smile grew on it. Both Fwynxie and the queen smiled as well before they climbed back into the basket and watched the door close. "Now, we'd best be on our way, you two. The outside world awaits, and I'm sure that the rest of your kind would love to see you."

"If we escape, take us to the Shimmering Sands. That is where the sphinxes usually gather on a daily basis when they're not guarding their treasures or terrorising ponies who come to them." The queen pointed to the exit. "

"I not been dere, but the queen told me wots and wots of sphinxies wike me go there," Fwynxie added. "Babies come fwom there too, so I'll get ta meet wots of new fwiends!" She clapped her tiny paws together. "Yoo wike fwiends, Som-Mama?"

"I do, Fwynxie. I do very much." Somnambula gave Fwynxie a kiss before walking off. "Friends can do a lot of good for you. They'll always stand by your side, help you out in dire situations, and never leave you behind. Much like I am to you and the queen. A friend."

"A friend? After all we put you through?" The queen asked, lifting a brow. "You were trapped in our pyramid, forced to look after dear little Fwynxie here, and went through all this trouble to save us from a mad pony. How can you think of us as friends?"

"I don't know myself. It's pretty weird, but after all that time I spent, I began to think more and more on the situation. And, since Fwynxie is just a baby, it wouldn't have been right of me to leave. She would have been heartbroken; especially since she imprinted on me as her mother." She pulled Fwynxie out and gave her a small hug, prompting her to return the favor. "Even if I can't stay forever, I'll at least be sure to come back every now and again to check up on you, little one. That's what a Som-Mama does, after all."

"Som-Mama!" Fwynxie beamed and rubbed her cheek against Somnambula's.

Somnambula's heart melted even more as Fwynxie cuddled against her body. Even with time playing against her and the insurance of the pharaoh behind her, she still loved seeing her little one happy. And if they were to part ways once they made it to Shimmering Sands, she knew deep down that it wouldn't be the last time they met each other; or played with each other. Once the hugging and cuddling finished, they all made their way towards the outside world.

"There! I can see it!" Somnambula smiled as she saw the light bursting into the foyer of the temple. Fluttering towards it, she saw the courtyard, the skies, and some of the pharaoh's servants working in the garden, watering the flowers and making sure that the water was clean and flowing. "We've made it! Now all we need to do is go to Shimmering Sands and you're free!"

As soon as Somnambula made it to the staircase and the pillars at the entrance of the door, she saw Howling Dune step out from behind one of the pillars and block her path. Her ecstasy and joy turned into dismay as her face dropped and her run quickly died down to a trot.

"Going somewhere with my sphinxes?" He asked, folding his front hooves.

"Howling!" Somnambula slipped the basket behind her back as she stared down Howling Dune, seeing his forehead coated with sweat and crooked lines. "Can't you leave them alone?! Fwynxie is a baby sphinx, for the gods' sake! How could you torture such an innocent creature like her?"

"Torture is not the word I would use. What part of study do you fail to understand?" He asked, stepping forward. "I do not wish to hurt them. I said it to the pharaoh and I said it to you. They are simply my research. I will release them once I am done with them, then go for the ones who destroyed my home."

"Trafficking into straight-up assault and kidnapping. Is that how far you've sunk, Howling Dune?" Somnambula's frown was quickly accompanied by lowered brows, as the muscles in her hooves began to tighten. "Can you not just salvage yourself for once and accept defeat? It is not that hard to do."

"I won't EVER let go what happened to my home. And as far as I'm concerned, dealing with the sphinxes is the ONLY way I will ever find closure in my life." His horn crackled and flared to life. "And as long as sphinxes have a chance to be studied, I will take that chance and learn my enemies. Then, when I discover every in and out of them, I will finally be able to pay those brutes back for cheating me, and for robbing me of everything!"

"It's not anyone else's fault that the sphinxes destroyed your home. You cannot take your anger out on the wrong people like this!" Somnambula shook her head, unfurling her wings. "You think that by harming an infant; a BABY of all things, will bring you some sort of respite and relief? Such an act is deplorable, and Set himself would think you worse than him if you decide to go through with this. And as long as I live and breathe, my Fwynxie is NEVER falling into your hooves!"

"Then I'll just have to take her, then." Scowling, he fired a bolt of magic at Somnambula, who immediately took to the skies and swooped out above the courtyard. He shot more and more blasts at her, while she tried to evade them while
keeping the basket safe on her back.

"If you want her so badly, then I'm afraid that I can't stay here anymore. You've changed after so many years of being bitter, Howling Dune. And it's a visage I cannot stand to look at." She turned her back to him and shot off towards the Shimmering Sands, not even bothering to look back as more bolts grazed against her fur. "Don't worry, little one. He can't catch me with his hooves alone."

"Som-Mama..." Fwynxie whimpered and felt her blood turn cold as she grabbed onto the wicker. "Me scawed. Meanie gonna chase us..."

"If he does, then I'll make sure that it's not easy for him." Somnambula looked back at the blood-curdled Fwynxie and wanted to pet her, but another shot from Howling as he teleported onto the roofs nearby. Diving into the streets, she coiled herself past the carts and other bystanders as he lobbed another series of spells down upon her.

In the chaos, Howling Dune kept on leaping from building to building, and teleporting when Somnambula got out of reach for him. He fired beam spells, orb spells, and tried spawning objects out of thin air to try and stop Somnambula, but each and every one either missed her or she flew past it. Growling to himself, he ripped parchments out of his bag and lit them up with his magic, using them to amplify his spells and make them bigger and faster. Each one tore into the city and caused civilians to flee in a panic, dropping their goods and harvest foods around them as they took cover.

"Come back here, Somnambula! I'm doing this for the greater good of my home! Our home! Southern Equestria as a whole!" He roared and cast a new spell on the ground, causing huge plumes of sand to erupt from the ground, forming columns as he tried to block off her escape. "How can you possibly want sphinxes to co-exist after you KNOW how cruel and under-hooved they are?!"

"The queen and Fwynxie are exceptions, Howling. And I hardly think that you can judge the whole species after what one group did to one little village." Somnambula groaned as she flew above the columns and took to the skies. "I can't say anything else than I'm sorry for your losses, but this is not a good way to rid yourself of the shame and guilt. And I don't want your cruel ways to be inflicted on such sweet creatures like my little one."

"Then you've made your decision. As have I." Howling flew up to Somnambula, his whole body coated in magic as he held his hooves out to the side. "We shall see whose ideals are stronger, then. Yours to safeguard the sphinxes, or mine to destroy them."

"You can fly?!" Somnambula's mouth fell once more from her skull as she watched Howling cast off more spells at her. "How?! Unicorns can't fly like that, can they?"

"It takes a sheer amount of concentration and devotion to maintain the flying spell, Somnambula. Even more so to be able to cast more spells while flying." He said, then promptly launched a web spell at her. If not for the sudden dive she made, she would have been ensnared, so he launched even more her way. "Though, I will admit, the papyrus I carry makes it slightly easier."

"Boosters or not, it still can't stop me." Somnambula flapped her wings even faster and picked up the pace, forcing Howling to arch his body like a spear as he chased after her through the skies. "And it won't stop me from delivering my little one and the queen to the other sphinxes in Shimmering Sands, where they'll be free from your evil."

"So that's your little master plan. You plan to reunite these beasts with the rest of their kind. And in return, you lead me straight to the others." Howling conjured circles which shot lasers out of them. The blasts tried striking Somnambula's wings, but she swirled and looped over and under them. Unbeknownst to her, she leads me right to the heart of the beasts. And now, I have the chance to rid them all from our world at once...

The chase continued for a fair amount until they came to a large group of thick clouds. Somnambula took the chance to hide in the clouds, while Howling Dune just stopped and let her fly off, hanging back as he now knew her course. Instead of keeping up the chase, he instead flew towards Shimmering Sands himself, leaving no trace of himself behind.

Somnambula flew for a few moments and waited until she knew Howling stopped chasing after her. Once the coast was clear, she slowed down and sank through the cloudy veil and looked out at the vast desert beneath her. She flew down to the sands, hoping that he had decided to give up on her and tried to stay as close to the ground as possible, while making sure not to brush the surface and come into contact with any of the creatures or rocks on it.

"Did we lose him?" The queen asked as she looked back towards the skies above.

"Me hope we did..." Fwynxie was still shaking from head to toe as she popped out of the basket and looked at Somnambula's face, locked deep in focus. "Meanie stiww scawy..." She flopped over the queen and hugged into her skin.

"Yes, Fwynxie. We lost him. And you know what that means, don't you?" A smila finally re-emerged on Somnambula's face now that the pressure on them was off. "You two are going home, to be with the rest of your kind. And Howling's plans to subjugate the sphinxes has crumbled to dust."

"Yay! Som-Mama saved the day!" Fwynxie cheered and threw her paws into the air giddily. "I lub you, Som-Mama!"

"And I love you too, Fwynxie. Now, let's get you both home, shall we?" She smiled back at the tiny sphinxes and closed the basket up again. "I'm sure that all the other sphinxes would love to see you both safe and sound. The other babies especially would love seeing you, Fwynxie." And without another word, she flew into the horizon, making haste for Shimmering Sands; a sanctuary that was about to turn into a trap.