//------------------------------//
// Chapter 8 - 2/2 
// Story: Daring-Do and the Griffon's Goblet 
// by Creative Charmer 
//------------------------------//

	Immediately after his arrival to the end of the tunnel, Griison scanned the area around him. He looked around the main tunnel and the mountain entrance, but found no trace of Daring-Do. "Where could that meddlesome little pony have gotten to?" he then looked towards the main tunnel again. "Could she have gone that way?" he pondered this idea. "She could have, but I don't know if she has been through here before," Griison then turned his attention towards the mountain door. "I know she couldn't have gotten out that way, since no pony is strong enough to lift such a dense door all by themselves," he looked back at the tunnel again. "This means she could have only gone through this way," he thought about this circumstance. "She could be stopped by one of my traps—but I wouldn't count on a pony like her being taken down so easily," Griison felt frustrated, and began considering the best course of action to take.
"No matter which path she takes, she'll no doubt end up at the top of the mountain again. My only chance is to try and beat her to the top," he looked over to the secret tunnel. "But that pony's fast. I won't be able to run up the side tunnel as fast as she flies through the trap tunnels," Griison mulled over how he could get to the top faster, getting more and more impatient as each passing moment gave Daring-Do more time to reach the top first. "Urrgh! If only I could fly to the top! I know I would beat her that way!" he clasped his face with his hands, distressed over the whole situation. Griison then ceased his self-anguish. He lifted his head up, looking to be currently in thought. "Fly...? Fly? That's it!!" Griison swiftly ran towards the mountain entrance and grabbed onto the handles at the bottom of the door. "I can't believe I hadn't thought of this sooner," he began to lift the door. "I'll just go outside and fly into the main room through the goblet tunnel! And then she'll be right where I want her..." he said with a devious smile.
Griison continued to lift the door. "That pony thinks she's so clever! Well, she's about to know what it feels like to get outsmarted by a superior being!" Griison had finally completed opening the door. He was finally feeling ready and confident after being shamefully outsmarted by Daring-Do on so many occasions. But this time it was his turn to get the better of Daring, and he would at last retrieve his abducted property, and give the pony the punishment she deserves.
Whoosh! Griison froze when a mustard-colored blur zoomed by him and out the doorway.  He was in such surprise that he was unable to know how to react. The blur stopped at the top of the door, and that's when it was shown to be none other than Daring-Do. Griison looked up at her, still in such a shock that he couldn't make a response. Daring then turned around and kicked the bottom of the door as hard as she could. This in turn made the door slide down and slam shut into place.  "Thanks for the help, Griison!" after this, she flew away from the mountain, feeling victorious. "That should buy me a bit of time while I take this goblet back to the valley ponies and—"
Daring suddenly stopped flying when she heard a loud banging sound coming from behind her. She turned herself around and looked at the source of the noise, which was the mountain door. As she looked onwards, she saw that the door was getting smashed in from the other side, with large dents forming where the door was getting hit. "What in the hay?" Then, with one last smash, the door was forced out the doorway, falling down over the side of the mountain and crashing into the jungle below. After watching that take place, Daring looked back up at the doorway and became aghast.
Standing in the doorway, was a Griison looking more enraged than ever before. His teeth bared and his eyes swelled with fiery anger, Griison looked and saw Daring hovering not too far away from his position. Without hesitation, Griison took off like a lightning bolt and made a straight shot for the flabbergasted pegasus.
"Woah!" Daring hurriedly took off herself, with Griison in hot pursuit. She couldn't believe that Griison busted that door down so quickly. She'd never thought he was this strong. But that was the least of her worries, as Griison was already closing in on her fast: much faster than he had ever flown before. Daring knew she'd never be able to outfly him this time. Another new strategy was needed, but unfortunately, there wasn't much she had at her disposal out in the open sky. She then looked down at the jungle below, which was the only cover around for her to use. Daring swiftly made a dive down towards the jungle right before Griison grabbed her. Without delay, Griison also flew down, following her into the foliage.
While this was going on, the valley ponies were at the Akion riverbank, enjoying their peaceful day. Fern was amongst the ponies that were currently there, chatting with some of her friends.
"So, Fern, how do you think that friend of yours is doing?"
"Daring-Do? I'm sure she's doing just perfectly. After all, she said she was a pony who doesn't give up. I wouldn't be surprised if she was on her way here with the goblet right now," Just then, Daring-Do zoomed by, flying right over the ponies as she flew past the riverbank, making everypony look in her direction as she passed by.
"Wasn't that Daring-Do?"
"I think it was!" Fern responded. "What's she doing flying by so fast?" Her question was soon answered as Griison sped by, still hot on the trail of Daring-Do.
"And was that Griison??"
Fern looked just as shocked as everypony else. "Was...was she fleeing from Griison..?
Everypony was looking confused by what they just saw, and they were all chattering about it, wondering what was going on. Soon, everypony had gathered around Fern to solve this puzzling dilemma.
"What's going on here?"
"Why was she flying away from Griison?"
"Did she get the goblet or not?"
With all this babbling going on, Fern was looking more and more discomfited. Then, the pony standing next to her turned towards her. "It looks like this 'hero' of yours isn't as heroic as she said she was," After hearing those words, Fern, feeling quite dejected, hung her head down, feeling that she had made a big mistake.