Flash had lost track of just how long they'd been out here, but in the Guard one never complained about how long was required for a task. Or at least, that's what they always told themselves. But even he, steadfast a stallion as he was, was starting to question just how long he could keep this quest going. Rumours and myths surrounding the Alicorn Amulet and its whereabouts had been aplenty, but for every lead he and his comrades had found, they'd come across one dead end or another. Now, after having scoured far and wide, they were on their last chance. One last whisper, gleaned in dark markets on the very fringes of Equestrian society. Stories of a far-off ruin where a trinket of great power lay hidden. It was all he had left, and so he and all who had deigned to follow him were heading there now, walking over craggy ground and withered plants, beyond the point where any living soul had been seen for hours. Glancing over his shoulder, Flash at least had gratitude for those who had joined him on this. Rockhoof, famed for his strength and storytelling. Tempest Shadow, the lightning unicorn who had once brought all of Canterlot to its knees. And behind them were many others of the Guard, unicorn, pegasi and earth pony alike, though many were feeling the effort of their long journey now. "I promise you all, if this lead proves false, I will call an end to our quest."

Though many took on a brief look of relief at his declaration, several of the younger, and thus more eager, members of his entourage spoke aloud in response. "Sir! For the good of Equestria we will follow you however long it takes!"

Flash smiled to this, appreciative of the enthusiasm at least some of his followers had for this task. By contrast, Tempest rolled her eyes to the younger ones' remarks. "Some ponies really don't know a lost cause when they see one, do they?"

"Ha! No cause is lost so long as there is but one fool left to fight it!" Rockhoof bellowed happily.

Flash looked to him with an arched eyebrow. "That...probably sounded more encouraging in your head, friend." When Rockhoof tuned to look to him, it seemed as though he was going to maybe try for some other kind of motivation. Alas, he was prevented, as Tempest, who had been just a few steps ahead of them now, came to a stop, prompting Flash to look to her. He saw her eyes narrow, and so turned again to what she was looking at. When he did, his expression became one of disbelief, for in the hazy mist ahead, something could be seen. A structure, like some kind of long-crumbled pyramid. How old it was or who had built it, he could not say. But one thing he knew for certain. "I think...this is it." He looked back, to his escort. "Keep watch, Guard! We have no idea what we'll find here!"

All saluted to him, save for Tempest and Rockhoof of course, and soon enough the three leaders of the party were making their way closer to the ancient building, with the others not far behind. Tempest's horn crackled, no doubt showing her anticipation of some upcoming fight. Rockhoof, for his part, seemed disappointed that this place lacked any kind of grandeur, which was understandable, given how long it had been since anycreature had likely called this place home. As for Flash, his attention was focused purely on the centre of the place as they entered, which appeared to be an old courtyard, albeit with a mix of colosseum stands around them for good measure. After looking the place over, he looked to Tempest, who shook her head at him. "Sorry, Lieutenant...but there's nothing here."

After taking a deep breath, Flash sighed, nodding slowly. "Well...I guess that's it then." He looked up at the ruin around him. "I suppose...the only thing I'll be delivering to the King is bad news."

"Oh? A king's champion, are you?"

All eyes turned, and found, to their shock, that there was a new arrival among them. There, standing at the far end of the courtyard, as though she had appeared out of thin air, was a beast of deep maroon, who towered over all of them. Her general shape was feline, and though many did not recognise her, Rockhoof most assuredly did, raising his famed shovel and pointing it straight at her. "You?! What foul trickery is this?!"

Chuckling, the beast stepped forward, watching with amusement as all of the Guard began to take up defensive formations at her approach. "No trickery, old one. Your eyes do not deceive you. I am indeed who you suspect I am."

Flash looked to his companion. "Rockhoof? Who is she?"

His fellow stallion narrowed his eyes. "This, lad...is the Sphinx!"

Flash's eyes widened, and his head snapped back to the newcomer. "As in...the ancient foe of Somnambula?!"

"The very same!" Rockhoof confirmed.

Tempest's horn ignited again. "No need to worry. All of us against her? This'll be over in a heartbeat!"

But the Sphinx raised a paw towards them. "Peace, warriors of Equestria! I am not your enemy this day!"

Flash looked to her warily. "No? Then what are you this day?"

The Sphinx bowed her head slightly. "I am the final barrier between you and that which you seek."

It took a moment, but Flash put two and two together. "You...you're the guardian of the Alicorn Amulet?"

"I am."

Rockhoof laughed, but it was one of incredulity rather than amusement. "She lies! She is an enemy of ponykind! Why would anypony entrust such an artefact to one of our most infamous adversaries?!"

The Sphinx looked away, to the ruins around them. "Rockhoof speaks true. For many a year I tormented mare and stallion alike. Such games were my greatest joy. But after my defeat at the hooves of Somnambula, I wandered far from pony lands, with naught but my thoughts of my own actions." She looked back to them. "In time, I recognised my deeds for the heinousness that they were, and sought to never again harm your people. To this end was I eventually sought out to be the keeper of the Amulet. My last great task in this life, to ensure that such power would never fall into the hooves of the unworthy and malevolent." Slowly, her gaze focused upon Tempest. "And besides, is it truly so inconceivable that one who has done wrong would commit themselves to making up for it?"

There was an awkward silence after that, and Flash was quick to notice Tempest not wanting to look at the guardian. Respecting her position on this matter, Flash instead turned again to the behemoth, stepping beyond the defensive line of his comrades, much to their shared concern. "If what you say is true...then know that we do not seek the Amulet for personal gain, but for the benefit of our fellow ponies. The benefit of Equestria itself!"

The Sphinx nodded. "Yes...a King resurrected. A golden age to usher in. Lofty dreams indeed. And perhaps you shall succeed, should you obtain your goal."

Flash sighed. "Then...what must I do?"

Taking a few steps closer, the Sphinx looked the stallion over, then smiled. "Answer me...these riddles three."

Tempest, upon hearing that, groaned in frustration. "Ugh! Really?! A pop quiz?! To get one of the most powerful artefacts in pony history?!"

The Sphinx looked up to her. "It was deemed necessary that the Amulet should only be given to those who are possessed of wisdom. The wisdom to take great power but only to use it for the best of causes. Never for oneself. Righteousness has brought you here, but let us see if you also bear this quality." She again looked to Flash. "Well, little stallion? Shall you partake of this challenge?"

After a while of thinking it over, Flash looked her right in the eye. "I have come all this way. I have no intention of walking away when there is even a chance we can do this." He took a deep breath. "I accept."

The Sphinx nodded. "Very good." Then, she started walking around him, with the others watching her closely as she did so. After a while, she stood in front of him again before finally speaking. "There is a house. A pony enters it blind, yet comes out seeing. What is this house?"

There was utter silence as Flash considered this first riddle. His first instinct was to say it was a hospital of some kind. Somewhere injuries and illnesses could be treated. But his gut told told him that it was unlikely to be anything straightforward like that, especially since blindness wasn't exactly known for being curable. Then, an idea popped into his head, and in spite of the seriousness of the situation, he smiled. "...A school."

The Sphinx smirked. "Are you certain?"

Flash nodded. "We go into schools blind. Ignorant. But we come out seeing. Understanding. A school is my answer."

A pause, but then the Sphinx's smile grew. "You...are correct."

There was a cheer from behind as his followers called out with delight over his success. But Flash looked back to them. "Not yet, friends. We're not out of the woods here."

Silence fell again as the Guards respected their commander's wishes, and Flash looked again to the Sphinx as she began to speak her second riddle. "What goes on four legs in the morning, on two legs at noon, and on three legs in the evening?"

Whatever confidence Flash might have felt at his prior victory was snatched away from him after hearing that. He had absolutely no idea what the Sphinx was asking him here, and a dread crept into his heart as he considered the possibility of failure. In this silence he wondered to himself how much easier things would be if Princess Twilight was here. That mare knew riddles and quizzes like nopony's business. And it was on that thought that something came to him. Something that he remembered hearing about regarding that very mare. Something that had happened to her, and who she had met, just around the time he and she had first bumped into one another so many years ago. It was a gamble, he knew, but at this point it was his only option. "...Humans?"

The Sphinx took on a serious look, squinting at him. "Meaning?"

Flash looked up to her again. "A human crawls on all fours when it is born, in the morning of their life. When they are full-grown, at noon, they walks on two. As for the evening, they walk on three legs because they use a cane to help them."

All waited with held breath to see what the Sphinx would say, and after almost a solid minute of quiet, the beast smiled. "In this...you are again correct."

All breathed a sigh of relief, even though there was still trepidation about what the final riddle would be. Tempest, for her part, leaned over to Rockhoof and whispered to him. "What in the name of Equestria is a human?" A question that Rockhoof could only shrug at.

As for Flash, he awaited his final test, which the Sphinx was all too willing to give him. "And now...the last riddle." She gave him as moment to take a breath before delivering her challenge. "This thing all things devours. Birds, beasts, trees, flowers. Gnaws iron, bites steel, grinds hard stones to meal. Slays kings, ruins towns, and beats mountains down." She leaned down, until her face and his were but mere inches away. "What. Am. I?"

Much like with the others, uncertainty gripped Flash with this riddle. And though he did not look to them, he could hear his fellows muttering to themselves in their own desperate attempt to figure it out. The stallion wracked his mind for any conceivable answer to such a question. Thinking on stories he'd heard in his youth of creatures that could lay waste to villages. Or perhaps some powerful magic with great destructive ability. Nothing felt right to him. In his ponderings, he glanced to the side, taking in the sight of the ruins they were in, and thought, for a moment, just what this place might have been like in its heyday, way back in the distant past. And that was what it came to him. The answer. Something he mentally kicked himself for not guessing earlier. With a confidence he'd not felt before in his dealings with his opponent, he gave his final answer. "You...are time."

All held their breath, and the Sphinx stared into her challenger's eyes, perhaps to see even the tiniest flicker of uncertainty of fear. She found none, and the moment she realised that she drew to her full height, her seriousness giving way to genuine gladness. "Congratulations, Flash Sentry...you have passed."

And thus the cheers rang out. Guards hugged one another, Rockhoof jumped for joy and even Tempest looked on to her leader with pride over what he'd done. As for Flash, relief didn't even begin to describe how he was feeling right now, and after taking a moment to just recover from all of this, he looked up to the much larger being. "Out of curiosity...what would you have done if I'd failed?"

She chuckled. "Oh, I'd have just had to find a new hiding spot for the Amulet. And speaking of which..." Reaching down with her paw, she opened it, revealing to Flash the tiny object he'd travelled so far to get. An artefact of black and red, whose very appearance unnerved Flash to no end. It was a token of dark magic, that much was certain, but he knew that obtaining it would lead to a greater good, and so, with humility to his host, he nodded to her as she finished her words. "Be well, Flash Sentry. Pray you fare better with this than the last pony who bore it."

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