MonsterPony_Sphinx

A long time ago, after the fall of Nightmare Moon, a great and terrible Sphinx terrorized the desert lands of Southern Equestria. Every season around harvest time, the Sphinx would arrive in the ancient kingdom of Anugypt to collect a massive portion of the ponies' gathered crops, demanding them as "tribute" and "protection". Those that refused to give up their hard-earned crops--or did not grow a sufficient amount for collection--were scooped up by the massive Sphinx and devoured, to make an example of them for the rest of the kingdom. While many ponies lived in despair and fear for their lives, one pegasus--the wise and noble Somnambula--used what little she had in food and wealth to spread hope and compassion throughout her village. The actions of Somnambula did not go unnoticed--Hisan, the son of the Pharaoh, was so moved by Somnambula's compassion, that he decreed that nopony in his kingdom would ever go hungry again! The next time the Sphinx came to plunder their crops, he would confront her himself! The harvest for the next season came, and Prince Hisan went to confront the mighty Sphinx, who was enraged that she came to her usual meeting site to find no harvest prepared for her collection. Prince Hisan bravely told the Sphinx that the ponies of Anugypt would no longer be giving her their harvest, as he would be ending her reign there and then! With a fiery roar, the Sphinx lashed out with her full fury, as Hisan and his soldiers rushed forward to engage her! They fought with every last ounce of their strength against this powerful beast, but ultimately, the Sphinx turned the battle into a massacre, crushing Hisan's best soldiers beneath her gigantic paws and body, ripping them open with her claws that could match even the sharpest blade, tearing them apart with her jagged teeth that could rival even the most deadly of spears, and even swallowing the remaining guards whole, letting Hisan watch as the last of his troops slid down the ravenous monster's throat... Covered in the blood of Hisan's slaughtered troops, the gigantic Sphinx chose to save the rebellious prince for a better prize, and carried him to her resting place in a nearby temple. The Sphinx then paid the Pharaoh a visit, dropping the bloodied and broken armor and weapons of the slaughtered troops before his throne, and telling him that his son would meet the same fate if the people did not work twice as hard to gather double the amount of tribute by next harvest, or if the Pharaoh did not offer to take his place. The Sphinx then made a third proposal, saying she would return Hisan unharmed if the Pharaoh would send a representative to engage in a challenge of her choosing--to answer a single riddle. If they could guess the answer correctly, Hisan would be returned, and the Sphinx would be forced to leave the kingdom. If they guessed wrong... they would become the Sphinx's next meal... The Pharaoh desperately tried to find any brave soul willing to attempt to rescue his son, but after the earlier massacre, no one would dare volunteer to go against a beast of such raw power and sadistic fury--no one except the noble Somnambula, who flew to the Sphinx's temple and demanded to hear her riddle...

"I shine brightest in the dark! I am there, but cannot be seen! To have me costs you nothing! To be without me... costs you everything!"

Somnambula thought back to all the hardships she and her fellow ponies had been forced to endure under this monster, how even in the bleakest of times, when it looked as though they were all going to die of thirst in the hot summer sun, or freeze in the coldest of winters, they had always managed to pull through and never give up... From those experiences, she knew the answer instantly...

"Hope!"

The rage of the Sphinx shook the entire temple... She had no intention of releasing Hisan or Anugypt from her grasp over a simple guess, and she was going to make Somnambula suffer dearly to prove it... But just as she was about to tear Somnambula to pieces, the wise pegasus offered to let the Sphinx put her through another challenge. If Somnambula won, the Sphinx would have to leave Anugypt and Equestria forever. But, if Somnambula lost, the Sphinx would get to keep Hisan and Anugypt under her oppressive grasp for all time! The Sphinx cast a powerful spell over the temple, which would make the wings of any pegasus instantly feel numb upon entering. She then conjured up a blindfold over Somnambula's eyes, and told her that her challenge was to walk across the bridge to Hisan without sight, or the ability to fly. One false step, and she would be dropped into the pit of boiling acidic slime below! Using Hisan's voice to guide her, Somnambula took a single leap of faith onto the bridge, then slowly and carefully moved the rest of the way across until she reached Hisan on the other side. Defeated for a second time, the Sphinx flew away from the temple in anger, never to be seen again...

...until now...

Now, over a millennia later, the Sphinx has returned to Equestria... and she's hungry for revenge! Standing at over 30 feet in height and just as sadistic and bloodthirsty as ever, the Sphinx now seeks to track down the descendants of Somnambula, the pony who humiliated her so long ago... But, with all these delicious-looking ponies around, she's certainly not opposed to stopping for a quick bite, or feeling the pop of a poor little mare beneath her paws... However, if a pegasus bears any of the features of Somnambula--peach fur, sapphire mane, indigo eyes--or has been pointed out to the Sphinx as a descendant of Somnambula, then they can expect to become the primary target of her vengeful wrath!

It has come to the Sphinx's attention that her old enemy Somnambula still lives, even after a thousand years! How or why does not matter to the Sphinx, as now she shall find great joy in carrying out her vengeance personally! Somnambula, if you happen to be reading this, beware--revenge comes for you on swift and deadly wings, and that precious desert town that bears your legacy may soon be in her crosshairs...