But also, like… the letter M.

@FliegerFaustToP47
You were talking about Sphinxes having something akin to “SCP-055”…but I can’t remember a dang thing about that SCP other than the name.

Eh, probably wasn’t important.

Personally, I think the only thing that’s confusing about Sphinxy are her riddles.

Also, by “confusing” I meant “mistaking”, “mixing up”, that kind of thing. But Sphinxy can definitely make some real brain-ticklers at times…

I like the idea that Sphinxes are like some sort of SCPs that have memetic properties and confuse everyone in their vicinity
It reminds me heavily of SCP-055, who nobody remembers other that it isn’t round… I think… uh… what I was talking about?

@Ciaran
Like this? https://youtu.be/6HiXYx6RgVI

@Clever Clovers
Is ok. I personally believe Sphinxes have self-generating confusion fields around them. So confusion is the natural response.

@Ciaran
Why does Trixie have her eyes on me?

…wait, shoot, she meant Sphinxy was being “clever”, not me. Sorry, that’s something I always get confused with.

Hmmmm Pizza Sphinx, that sound like a good answer.

@Background Pony #FB7F
Pretty much. The problem is, is the more you intend to ask of her, the more you have to ante up. So if you wanted her to be a friend for life, you might have to risk being her servant for life if you lose :P

Wait hold on wait wait.
Let’s say that Sphinx gives me a riddle, and I win that riddle like something Myoozik would do with the lots of Ms or an reply that shows I’m interested

Technically speaking I could ask the Sphinx to be friends and she wouldn’t be able to say no?

Or if I answer the riddle and ask for a hug, she’s legally obliged to give me a hug? >.>’

The Pizza mare doesn’t get paid enough for situations like this.

@Background Pony #57CD
Not when the monster is big enough to just grab you and use you as a toy for a few hours. Like what happened to Sailor Breeze, and Celestia and Luna, when they decided to just attack instead of answering her riddle :P

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@WaynePonePone
Maybe she’s like Link. “Here let me take these iron boots off and put them in my pocket so I’ll float” :P

@Badumsquish
Well, I don’t see her weapons, and I hope she gets at least like half the treasure.

My advice is to treat every riddle like Alexander treated the Gordian Knot. These problems go away pretty quickly if you just pull out your sword and start hacking.

@FliegerFaustToP47
@WaynePonePone
The big difference, is delivery ponies in Equestria are highly sought-after. They’re basically adventurers straight out of an RPG or game of D&D, so a lot of ponies aren’t willing or able to do it. The only reason they’re paid minimum wage is it’s basically the only way companies delivering food across the wilds and badlands can make even. They can make money on the side during deliveries, from random encounters, finding treasure, and occasionally defeating some ancient evils though :P

@Pony4Koma
No tip for Falling Comet XD

Sphinx: You ponies never let me have any fun! crying sounds

@Badumsquish
To be fair, random small talk isn’t really what a delivery pony needs. Again, she has more deliveries to make. She has no time for that.

I might be overthinking this but… To be fair that doesn’t seem intentional at all. She just doesn’t understand Sphinx customs of asking riddles just as Sphinx doesn’t understand pony customs of actually saying “Hi, how are you?”.

Also I have to agree with Wayne. I mean you of course don’t have to be a jerk, politeness is the key to tips anyways, but I mean… a friend of mine from another country (That’s doing way better than mine so go figure) tells me how these delivery guys, especially the ones with big backpacks, are often ‘camping’ for any kind of delivery they have to do, and when they get to do it, they can’t even get the full tip because I think the company takes more than 50% of it. And I’m not sure personally how they work but I think the payment for the food doesn’t go to them either

That’s not mentioning the whole ‘Company decides how much you get paid’ and that customers can get really annoying (We know how humans overall can be, they’ll meet a lot of Karens xd), and of course the usual danger of having a motorcycle around, if someone wants it they’re probably don’t value your life higher than getting that bike and you end up dead (I often get to hear delivery guys being murdered or assaulted badly in the news of my country)

And of course, as far as I’m told; you can’t get sick, you can’t take vacations, you have a dependency relationship with the company because if you stop doing it you don’t get the small amount of money to pay for your own stuff, and according to these delivery guys the money is not enough to live with, and they have to be fast to make as much money as they can for the day. So in this case I’d just assume the pony immediately imagined that the Sphinx would be one of those ‘difficult customers’.

Also to be fair, she’d have no way to know that’s insulting for her (Except by perhaps being told by the staff, but would they really go out of their way to explain the cultures of varying species to a delivery guy?) I mean, as an example, some things you’ve said through the years would’ve been considered insulting and either get reciprocated by irritation, insults or physical confrontation where I live (Tho we’re hotheads here and get angry at anything, so I give you that xd, I just want to point out that everyone might do things that they don’t know it’s insulting for others, especially if they’re from different cultures, like if I made the V finger sign in UK).

I… Might be overthinking this, sorry if I was mean…. and sorry for taking so seriously an image… it’s just… considering the circumstances of where I live and what happens with others that leave from here to other countries… idk… I feel I had to say this.

This post can get deleted if it’s breaking the rules, no worries. I think I wasn’t feeling too good today… Starts to vanish a la Endgame and most if not all I say it’s from either these same delivery guys talking, denouncing rights abuse, or from friends that actually use the service and of course talk to the delivery guys.

Also update your description box, it’s savagely out of date

@Badumsquish
Nah, too tacky

@Eragor14
Which is why ponies are so “woah that’s really extreme” when a sphinx says “I’ll kill you if you get this riddle wrong”. For the record, that hasn’t happened since ancient times. And even then, it was one sphinx! It was just Sarah! XD

@Mr.Myoozik
I dunno, fill it with traps, kidnap a princess, and wait for a plumber to save her? :P

@WaynePonePone
Life is what you make of it though. Jut because you get screwed by your boss doesn’t mean you can be rude to random people. Garbage Truck Theory, and all that :P

@Badumsquish
It doesn’t matter. She gets paid minimum wage. She isn’t even paid enough to care. Just get the pizza and let her leave.

@Smithers
Clever. Very, very clever. Perhaps, even, too clever…suspicious Trixie has her eye on you.

Just in case anyone does need closure on this in the future, your last hint is that cryptic crossword Sphinx loves an extra layer of indirection at all times.

My answer is: the letter T. It occurs twice in as many weeks: forTnighT, once in a hundred years: cenTury, but never in a thousand: millennium!

@Badumsquish
A large empty castle? What am I supposed to do with that?

Okay, that line is definitely extreme. Do you really not like SG that much? I get that she isn’t for everyone, but I personally really like her. So saying you would ‘rather die than watch an episode’ with Starlight is definitely extreme, even if it was meant to be hyperbole.

You be you. I will always love the lylac unicorn.

@MUNK1R3NCH
@Eragor14
@OtherPonyName
@koschyy
@FliegerFaustToP47
@Smithers
She gave a fairly simple riddle, at least by sphinx standards, because every interaction involves a riddle for them. It’s rude not to do it in their culture. There’s really not anything at stake here if Comet gets it right or wrong; it’s all just theatrics. A sphinx saying you’ll die if you get a casual riddle wrong is hyperbole for them, like us saying we’d rather die than watch an episode with Starlight Glimmer in it. They just take for granted that many don’t realize the massive monster isn’t just playing around when she says “I’ll yaying kill you if you get this wrong” :P

@FliegerFaustToP47
@Setsugekka
@WaynePonePone
@Background Pony #C5C3
@FirePony
This riddle is basically the sphinx equivalent to saying “how are you today” or making polite small-talk. It’s why she asked permission to ask how Derpy made such a delivery instead of asking a riddle, since not asking a riddle is rude in their culture :P

And therein lies the problem. By sphinx standards she politely greeted someone, and that person rudely blew her off. Comet will be lucky to get a tip at all unless she can salvage her rude reply, or if Sphinxy understands that ponies have a whole different etiquette system than she does XD

@Background Pony #09B1
Lots of feesh. Also a little salami :P

@FirePony
@Dirty Bit
Delivery ponies in Equestria are essentially RPG protagonists. They deal with monsters more often than ponies, are experienced travelers and dungeon crawlers, and commonly are highly talented fighters or mages who carry high-level and rare gear. Even if Sphinxy actually did attempt to trap her, attack her, or not pay, and Comet would effectively just roll her eyes and be like

There’s a reason why Derpy Hooves thought absolutely nothing of not getting any credit for saving Twilight’s life, or joining the attack on Tirek. She’s been all over the globe and traveled to other dimensions to deliver letters. She’s seen things most ponies can’t imagine. Fought ancient evils. There’s outright folk songs about “the gray mare who looks here and there”; for her, heroics are Tuesday :P

Though, getting paid minimum wage isn’t as much an issue for them as you may think. Remember they also get gold drops from enemies and dungeon loot :P

@ObliviaTheChangeling
@MUNK1R3NCH
That’s how you get a good tip from a sphinx. Answer their riddle, and ask one back :P

@Mr.Myoozik
@Dirty Bit
Answering her riddle like that would probably get you your own castle as a tip XD

@Eragor14
:P

@Theknd
Never speak to a sphinx, then XD