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?"