Sand, rocks, and dunes were all that Marcus could see for miles on end. This wouldn’t have been an alarming fact for the young man, if he had lived anywhere remotely close to a desert. But, as far as he knew, there wasn’t a single desert in Virginia, just mountains and forests.
He was fairly tall, thin young man with short brown hair and beige skin. He wore a black t-shirt, white shorts, and tennis shoes. Just five minutes ago, he had been tiredly shuffling around his apartment making sure he had everything he needed for his classes that day. Needless to say, finding himself falling through a hole that suddenly appeared in the floor and face planting on the hot desert sand definitely woke him up.
He got up on his knees as he spat sand out of his mouth. As he looked around, panic began to set in. “What the hell happened!?” he wondered out loud as he looked around. “How did I get here? Where even is here?” He then cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled out, “Hey, is anybody out there?” only to be met with silence. Of course, there isn’t anybody out here. He thought as he began to look around again. Alright Marcus, calm down. Panicking is going to do you more harm than good right now. Now, let’s see if I can find anything out here. Eventually, he noticed a rock formation out in the distance. Maybe I can find some shelter over there until the sun goes down, then I can start looking for someone out here. Hopefully the walk over there won’t be too bad.
It turned out that the walk over to the rocks was borderline unbearable. His footwear was ill suited for the desert, he had taken his shirt off about an hour into his journey, and he was beginning to feel a sunburn forming. However, after a couple of hours, he finally made it to the rock formation and, much to his relief, there was a cave on the side of it. Oh, good, maybe I can rest in here until dark. He hurried into the cave and sat down inside of it. “Thank god, it’s nice and cool in here.” He said out loud as relief began to take over. As he sat in the cave, he looked further in and noticed that there was a light. Huh, I didn’t see that as I entered. Maybe there’s somebody here. He cupped his hands around his mouth as he yelled, “Hello, is anybody here? I need to some help!” No answer. Maybe, no one’s here, but where would they be if they’re not here? He looked around the desert for a while before shrugging his shoulders and thinking, I guess there’s no harm in going further into the cave. Maybe there’s somebody’s still here and didn’t hear me.
So, Marcus cautiously began to walk further into the cave to see what was inside. After about a couple minutes of walking, he finally reached the source of the light and his eyes widened in amazement at what he saw. Lining the sides of the wall were a number of torches to light up the space. Littered on the floor was very large piles of gold, jewels, and other treasures. Holy shit, why the hell is all of this in here? He wondered as he looked around until he noticed something on the left side of the space that all but answered the question for him.
It was a very large bed that seemed large enough to hold three elephants comfortably that was occupied by only one creature. On each corner of the bed was a post that held a white curtain that prevented Marcus from getting a clear view of what was resting on the bed. However, the torchlight was more than enough to let Marcus know that whatever was sleeping in the bed was very large. Marcus could only stare at it with fear, the only thing keeping him from outright screaming was that it was breathing deeply. Good, it’s still asleep, whatever it is. I need to get out of here before it decides to wake up. He thought as he began to sneak towards the exit, until he noticed something else he didn’t notice before. Two different sized pools of water. That’s when he realized how thirsty he was.
Shit. He cursed to himself as he looked over at the sleeping creature again. Okay, if I can get over there without waking it up, then maybe I can get away with some water. Worst case scenario, I accidently wake this thing up and it kills me for invading into its territory. At least I won’t be dying of thirst. So, carefully, he snuck around the piles of treasure, trying not to accidently kick any of it in fear that the sudden noise would wake the creature up. After about five minutes, he managed to reach the closer and largest of the two pools. Alright, I made it. He thought as he began to kneel down and cupped his hands to begin drinking, but stopped when he finally realized something. The creature’s deep breathing had grown quiet. He sighed as he looked at the bed and said, “It’s awake, isn’t it?”
A deep, feminine giggle coming from bed caught his attention. “Why yes, she is.” The creature said as it began to stand up. “But then, it’s hard to get some sleep when someone decides to yell into your cave.” Then a large, maroon paw appeared from the other side of the curtain and opened up to reveal what was “sleeping” on the bed. It appeared to be a sphinx, only instead of having the features of a human woman, she had equine features. She was easily twice the size of an elephant. Her fur and wings maroon with a gray underbelly and tail fluff. The jewelry, headdress, and makeup she wore were reminiscent of something a pharaoh would wear. “Now this is interesting.” She said as she approached Marcus, a sly smile plastered on her face. “I have received many trespassers over the years, but never have I seen one quite as unique as you. So, tell me, who and what are you?”
Marcus gulped before nervously replying, “My name is Marcus and I’m a human. And I wa-”
“A human you say.” She interrupted with a raised eyebrow. “Why, I’ve never seen a human before. Very interesting.” Her sly smile increasing as she spoke.
“Um, yeah, as I was saying,” he nervously continued, taking note of her large teeth. “I just got lost in the desert and thought that this cave would make a good shelter. That’s when I saw a light inside and tried to see if I could find anything or anyone to help me. I didn’t know that this cave belonged to a…well…”
“A beautiful and powerful sphinx.” She arrogantly offered as her wing flared out.
“Um, yes.” He fearfully replied. “Please, all I was planning on taking was some of your water.” He pleaded, pointing towards the pool. “So, why don’t you let me go and I’ll just go along my way. I promise not to tell anybody that you’re here”
“Hmm, I afraid that there is something that I should inform you about all that.” She began to say. “First off, that’s my bathing water. My drinking water is the smaller pool.” She informed, making Marcus somewhat glad that stopped him from drinking from it. “Second, I’m afraid I can’t let you go. After all, I can’t guarantee that you’ll tell somepony about me and there are certain ponies out there that I’d rather not find me. Besides, I can’t let something so rare slip away from my paws.”
He gulped as he got on his knees and begged. “Please, just let me go. I didn’t mean to disturb you, but please let me go. I promise that I won’t bother you again.”
The sphinx smirked down at him, amused by his groveling. After a few moments of silence, she said, “Very well, let’s determine your fate with a game.”
“Oh, thank you!” He said happily. Then he realized what she just said as he cautiously asked, “Um, what type of game?”
“Why, a game of riddles, of course.” She said with a wide smile. “We each have one chance to answer a riddle correctly. First one to get an answer wrong loses. If you win, you may leave unharmed. But if I win, then I may do with you as I wish.” She said wickedly.
Marcus felt relieved, but nervous at the same time. Great, I don’t’ even know any decent riddles, and she’s probably got an almost encyclopedic knowledge of them. But, at least she’s giving me a chance to escape and won’t straight up kill me if I win, if she keeps her word. He then looked up at her with a determined look and said, “Alright, I accept your challenge.”
“Good,” The sphinx replied, “then I’ll allow you to go first.”
“Okay,” he said as he began to think of one. Let’s see, she said she was a sphinx, but she doesn’t have the features of a human and she admitted that she’s never seen a human before. He smirked victoriously when he thought of his riddle. Oh, lady, you have no idea how much irony you’re about to be hit with. “Okay, sphinx,” he said in a taunting tone, causing the sphinx to raise an eyebrow. “This creature walks on four legs in the morning. Two legs in the afternoon. And three legs in the evening. What is it?” He stared up at her with a victorious grin, waiting for her to fumble with the riddle.
“Man,” the sphinx answered without hesitation, “who crawls on four limbs when he is an infant, two legs when he is an adult, and walks with the assistance of a cane when he is an old man.”
Marcus just stared at the sphinx, his victorious smirk having long since turned to a look of disbelief. Eventually, he replied with a fairly high pitched, “How?! You said that you’ve never seen a human before.”
“You’re right, I did say that, but that doesn’t mean that I’ve never heard or knew of your kind before.” She replied, her smile unwavering. Before Marcus could retort, the sphinx wickedly said, “Now, I believe it’s my turn.” She circled around him as she said, “This old one runs forever, but never moves at all. He has no lungs nor throat, but still a mighty roar it calls. What is it?”
Marcus paced around as he thought. Okay, she said it has no lungs and throat, so it can’t be an animal, and she said in runs forever so it can’t be a plant. So, it has to be an inanimate object of some kind. But, the only inanimate object that actually runs at all by itself is a river, but it can’t “roar” unless- His eyes widened in realization as he looked up at her and answered, “It’s a waterfall.”
The sphinx scoffed in frustration before replying, “That is correct, human. It’s your turn now.”
“R-right.” Marcus answered, trying to hide is nervousness. Damn, I was really betting on her failing that first riddle. C’mon Marcus, think of something. “The more there is, the less you see. What is it?” He asked without really thinking. No, you idiot, she’s going to answer that in a matter of seconds.
Sure enough, the sphinx smiled before confidently answering, “Hah, too easy. It’s darkness.”
Damnit, I knew that she’d get it right. He thought. But, then again, she doesn’t necessarily know that. He then made a sympathetic look as he could and said, “I’m sorry, miss, that’s the incorrect answer. I’m afraid you-“
Before he could finish speaking, the sphinx slammed a paw right next to him, causing him to stumble back a little bit. She then jabbed her snout at him with enough force to knock him onto the ground. He looked up to see a very angry sphinx glaring down at him, causing him to cower where he sat. “Listen, human,” she growled. "Did I lie to you when you guessed my riddle correctly?” He shook his head. “Good, so tell me. Did I answer you’re riddle correctly or did I not?”
Marcus gulped before saying, “Y-you got it right. I’m sorry, it won’t happen again.”
“See that it doesn’t,” she growled as he stood up. “Because if you lie again, I’ll find myself having an early lunch. Am I understood?”
“Y-yes, ma’am.” He answered.
“Good, now I believe it’s my turn.” She said as she sat down. “An old pony wanted to leave all of his money to one of his three sons, but he didn’t know which one to give it to. He gave each of them a few coins and told them to buy something that would be able to fill their entire living room. The first son bought some straw, but there wasn’t enough to fill the room. The second son bought some sticks, but there still wasn’t enough. The third son bought two things and they were enough to fill the room, so he inherited his father’s fortune. What were the two things he bought?”
As Marcus stood back up, he tried to think about the riddle. So, straw and sticks aren’t able to fill the room. What do those two items have in common. …Damn, what two solid objects can fill an entire room. Wait, does that mean that the thing that can fill the room isn’t a solid object. So, what non-solid things can fill a room. Water? Gas? Light?...Wait, light! That has to be it. Which means that there are only two items that he could have bought to fill the room with light. “A candle and a match.” He answered, causing the sphinx to frown. “He bought a candle and a match to light it with, and the light of the candle was enough to fill the room.”
“…Correct.” The sphinx reluctantly answered through gritted teeth. “It’s your turn now.”
“What belongs to you, but others use it more?” He asked, deciding that throwing an easy riddle out to keep her from getting angrier would be the best course of action, for now.
“Your name.” She answered confidently.
“Correct.”
She scoffed before mockingly saying, “You must be getting desperate if you’re just throwing simple riddles around. Maybe you should just give up now.” Marcus just stared up at her with determination and fear. She scoffed before saying, “An adamant, but foolish endeavor. Very well, we’ll continue this game.” She sat down as she said, “A king has no sons, no daughters, and no wife. For this reason, he must decide who will take the throne after he dies. To do this, he decides that he will give all of the children in the kingdom a single seed. He told them that the child who grows the largest, most beautiful plant will earn his throne, as the plant represented the kingdom. At the end of the contest, all of the children came to the palace with a pot carrying their enormous and beautiful plants in hand. But, after looking at all of the children’s pots, the king decided to pick a little girl with an empty pot as the next queen. So, why did he choose this little girl over all of the other children with their beautiful plants?” She asked with a wicked grin that just screamed, ‘I have you now!’
Marcus paced around and messaged a temple as he thought about the riddle. Okay, so he picked a girl with an empty pot over children who had actual plants with them. But why though?! Maybe her plant was so big that it couldn’t fit in the pot. Okay, so why didn’t she just lead him to it? Wait, what if it’s not something involving the plants? Maybe she had a smoking hot mom and the king wanted her instead of her daughter…No, Marcus, think more like an actual good fictional king, not like King Henry VIII. C’mon, why did he pick a girl without a plant when he said the biggest, most beautiful plant would win.
“You’re running out of time.” The sphinx taunted. Her smile widened as she slowly got into a pouncing position.
Oh, you bitch! He angrily thought before frantically coming up with the answer. Wait, he gave it to the children as a seed, not as a plant. So, it has to be something involving that. But, the only way that the seed couldn’t grow into a plant would be if she didn’t take care of it. Unless- His eyes widened as he almost quietly said, “The seeds were fake.” He turned to find a surprised sphinx gaping at him. “The seeds he gave out where fake and she was the only one who didn’t lie to the king about being unable to grow a plant.”
The sphinx looked like she was about to roar in rage, until her frown turned to a smirk as she said, “Tssk, I thought that one would have gotten you. I’m almost starting to like you…almost. Now, go ahead, ask your next riddle, as pathetic as it’s going to be.”
Marcus frowned nervously up at her as he thought. She’s right, I can’t think of a riddle that’s going to cause her to hesitate. And her riddles have been progressively harder for me to solve. That means that it’s very likely for me to get the next riddle wrong. C’mon, dude, think! …Gah, this is impossible. How did Bilbo Baggins get passed this?! His eyes then widened in realization. Of course, that’s it! It’s a question that she can’t possibly get right. But I can’t just ask it, I gotta bait her first. So, with a plan in mind, he turned his back on the sphinx as he said, “Let’s see here…how did that riddle go again?”
The sphinx chuckled before she tauntingly asked, “What’s the matter? Are you having trouble trying to figure out another pitiful riddle?”
Wait for it. “Oh, no this is actually a pretty hard riddle. I’m just trying to remember how it goes.” He said, still not looking at her.
She scoffed and said, “Please, there’s no riddle you can’t ask that I can’t answer. So, stop wasting my time and ask your pathetic question, human.”
Got her. He smirked before turning around and confidently asking, “Okay, so answer me this. What’s in my pocket?”
The sphinx’s eyes went wide with shock before exclaiming, “W-what?! That’s not a riddle! Ask another.”
“Sorry, but I seem to recall you saying, ‘ask your pathetic question, human.’” He explained, mimicking her voice. “I did ask you a question. Therefore, you have to answer it.”
“You tricked me! I take back what I said about you earlier.” She said through gritted teeth. She then formed a grin as she said, “I actually have grown to like you, you clever little human.”
“Thanks, I guess,” Marcus replied, “but I’m afraid that you still have to answer. And remember, you only have one guess.” He said with an evil smirk that put all of the sphinx’s previous ones to shame. Go on, just answer something. I guarantee that you’ll get it wrong.
“A wallet, a set of keys, and an expired coupon.” The sphinx answered with no hesitation.
There was silence between the two. The sphinx was looking down at Marcus with a smug grin, waiting for his response. Marcus was still looking up at the sphinx with the same look he had earlier, because every single gear in his head had decided to stop working. Then, one tiny gear began to turn just so he could think of one word. How?! More gears started to turn as he began to process what she just answered. How is that even possible?! How?! …No, forget it, you know damn well she’s not going to explain a damn thing. However, she is wrong about one thing.
“You were right about the wallet and the keys,” he said before pulling the coupon out of his pocket, “but I’m afraid that you were wrong about the coupon. For you see, this coupon expires in…okay, I want to put on record that I didn’t lie. I actually thought that this coupon was still valid.”
“I’ll let it by.” She said dismissively before smiling at him, “because now it’s my turn. So, tell me, what. . .” she dragged out, causing Marcus’s anticipation and fear to skyrocket. “. . .is in my pocket?”
Marcus just stared up at the sphinx. Then he chuckled. Then he laughed. “You’re joking, right?!” He happily exclaimed. “The answer’s nothing, because you don’t have any pockets!”
“Oh, I wouldn’t be too sure about that.” The sphinx said as she reached a paw towards her hips, while sporting a wicked smile that put Marcus’s to shame.
Marcus’s confident smile dropped when he realized what she was doing. No, you idiot! Why would she ask what was in her pocket if she didn’t have any?1 “Wait, I want to change my answer!” He pleaded out.
“Too late!” The sphinx gleefully exclaimed as she pulled her paw away from her “pocket” and presented Marcus with the item she pulled from it. The item was a book with the back of it facing Marcus.
No. He reluctantly took the book. No. He turned the book around so that he could see the cover. It read, ‘Book of Riddles: In and Out of Equestria’. No,no,no! He opened the first page and read the first riddle.
What walks on four legs in the morning.
Two legs in the afternoon.
And three legs in the evening.
Ans: Man, because infants crawl on all four limbs, adults walk on two legs, and the elderly often use a cane to help them walk.
“You bitch!” Marcus exclaimed as he closed the book.
“Hey, I’m not even remotely related to a dog.” She yelled angrily. She took a couple of deep breaths before she smiled again and said, “No matter, I have won our game. Which means that I can do whatever I want with you. Now then,” She started to say to herself as she began to circle around Marcus, “what to do with you. Oh, there are so many decisions to make.” She licked her lips as she studies him, causing him to feel much more nervous about his situation. She then stopped, looking like she had finally realized something. “Oh, of course, why didn’t I think of this sooner?!” She then looked over at him with half lidded eyes. “I know exactly what to do with you.” She said in an almost teasing tone, causing Marcus to gulp.
“Oh, yes!” The sphinx happily moaned out as she stretched her paws out. “Oh, that’s the spot. Oh, please don’t stop!”
“So, has this itch really been bothering you?” An uncomfortable Marcus asked while scratching the small of her back, who was lying on her side on her massive bed.
“You have no idea.” She moaned out. “I didn’t have any way of dealing with that spot until you showed up.”
“Yeah, you’re welcome.” He sarcastically said as he looked around the torch-lit cave. She’s done rather well for herself. She’s got piles of gold and food all over the place. Although, I would imagine that all of this is probably stolen. He then noticed two different pools of water, one noticeably larger than the other. Realizing that he was thirsty, he turned to the sphinx and said, “Hey, miss- “A loud growl from the sphinx reminded him of what she had told him when they first came in. “I mean, master, may I have some water?”
She sighed before lifting a paw and waving him off. “Go ahead, drink. You’ve done what I’ve asked of you. Just remember that the larger pool is for bathing.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know.” He said in a sarcastic tone, causing her to growl again. “I mean, thank you master.” He quickly walked to the smaller pool and began to drink out of it. So, I’m a sphinx’s servant who has to answer her every beck and call. I can think of worse fates Like being her lunch or being her own personal “toy.” He shivered at that last thought.
“Human,” he heard the sphinx call, “are you done drinking?”
Marcus took one last gulp of water before answering, “Yes, master.”
“Good.” She replied. She then turned over to her other side so that she could face him and asked, “Can you come over here for a moment?”
“Sure.” He said as he walked over to her. When he was on the edge of the bed, he asked, “What is it?”
“I’m going to take a nap again.” She simply replied before yawning.
“Okay,” Marcus said, feeling confused. “I don’t see what that has to do about me.” It was at that moment that she suddenly she reached her paws out to him and began to drag him to her. “Woah, okay then!” He yelled out as was embraced by the sphinx. She rolled over until she was on her back and lightly hugged Marcus. Then, her eyes closed as she drifted off to sleep.
As she lightly snored, Marcus shifted around until he was more comfortable in her grasp. I would be complaining about being her own personal teddy bear right now, but she’s actually really warm and soft. Maybe taking a nap wouldn’t be such a bad idea. As he laid there, he thought to himself. You know, if I had known that this was going to be what this sphinx had in mind for me. I probably would have just failed that first riddle on purpose. “But still,” he wondered out loud, “how did she manage to answer my last question?”
“Easy, I guessed.” The sphinx suddenly answered.
“Ah, makes sense.” He said as he began to drift off to sleep. Then, he suddenly woke up as he yelled out, “Wait, what?!”