//------------------------------// // Chapter 3 - 2/3 // Story: Daring-Do and the Griffon's Goblet // by Creative Charmer //------------------------------// Daring-Do looked around at all the ponies below her. "Why are they all pointing at me and talking like that?" she asked Fern in puzzled way. "Well, they've never seen you before, so they must be wondering what you're doing with me.” “Then I’d better hurry and introduce myself!” Daring said as she tipped her hat. She and Fern then flew down and landed on the ground, with all of the other ponies gathering around them. Everypony was talking at the same time, so Daring and Fern couldn’t get in a word themselves. "Everypony! Please be quiet!" Fern suddenly shouted, making everypony stop talking. "Thank you," she then turned towards Daring-Do, and turned her head towards the crowd of ponies. "I'd like to introduce you all to Daring-Do. She has come to out land so she can seize Griison's goblet!" Everypony was struck with awe at hearing this. "Really??" "She is??" "I don't believe it!" The ponies all started chattering again, all amazed and ecstatic because of Daring's mission. "They sure do talk a lot, huh?" Daring said to Fern. "Well, we don't normally get visitors around here, so that already excited them. And because of what you want to do, that just made them more excited than ever!" "I guess I can understand that," Daring looked back at the chattering ponies. "But can you make them stop talking again so I can get in a word myself?" "Oh sure, sure," Fern shouted for the ponies to stop talking and listen to what Daring-Do had to say. She then stepped aside so as to give Daring everypony's full attention. "Thank you, Fern," Daring turned her head towards the crowd. "Now then, everypony, I know how much you care about my mission, but before I go to take the goblet, I want to know more about the mountain," she pointed at Griifious Mountain, and then she looked back at the crowd. "And I want to know more about Griison. I want to know what he’s like, and if I should consider him a real danger.” “Oh, he’s a real danger, all right,” Daring looked to see an earth pony stallion who just stepped out of the crowd of ponies. “Griison is a very protective guy, and he’s very serious about keeping his grandfather’s goblet safe. He'll chase away anypony who comes even near the base of the mountain." "He's really scary..." A pegasus mare said, cowering. "You certainly make him sound tough," Daring-Do responded. "Tough is what he's made of," a pegasus stallion added. "That's why he built up new additions to the mountain so his goblet would be even more protected," he said as he pointed at the mountain. "And he did it all by himself because he didn't trust anyone else to build the additions for him!" “He certainly does care for that goblet,” Daring-Do replied. She then started to ponder these new thoughts. She thought back to what she said to Inquirer about taking an artifact that still belonged to someone. After hearing how much Griison cared for the goblet, Daring felt even worse about having to take it. She started wondering if she should still go through with it. "Is everything okay, miss Daring-Do?" one of the stallion earth ponies asked. "Oh...yeah, everything's fine," Daring got her mind back together. "It's just...even though I told you I came here to take Griison's goblet, part of me doesn't want to." "Why not??" asked a surprised pegasus mare, with the rest of the ponies feeling surprised as well. "You see, explorers like me take artifacts from lost civilizations so that we may learn from them and share them with the rest of the world. But the goblet doesn't belong to a lost civilization; it belongs to someone who is still alive. And if I take the goblet, then I'll feel like a real thief for hurting someone by stealing something so precious to them.." Daring turned her head and closed her eyes, feeling a bit distraught. The other ponies looked sad, and they sympathized with Daring's feelings. But, one pegasus stallion walked up to Daring-Do. "Look, Daring," Daring turned her head and looked at him. "I'm very sorry that you feel this way, and I'm sure we all understand how you feel," he said as he motioned his hoof towards the other ponies. "But you must take the goblet from Griison. It's not as bad as you think, because Griison isn't some innocent creature; he's a mean, cruel griffon, and it would be better for everypony if he was gone." "But how would me taking the goblet get rid of Griison?" "Because the goblet is Griison's sole reason for being here, and nothing else." "What do you mean?" Daring asked, looking a bit confused. "Well, Daring," Fern suddenly interjected. "Griison truly does care about his grandfather's goblet, but some time ago we learned that Griison cares only about the goblet, and not the mountain." "Really?" Daring asked, surprised. "Yes, she nodded her head. "I mentioned it earlier, after you and I first met, that you might be our way of getting rid of Griison." "Oh, yes, I believe I remember that," Daring said as she thought back to that moment. "Anyways, go on." "Well, a few months ago I overheard Griison when he was getting water at the river. He—" "Wait a minute," Daring interrupted. "He was getting a drink at the river? Was he using the goblet to do it?" "Oh, no he wasn't. You see, Griison protects the goblet, but he doesn't use it. He doesn't want to soil it by drinking from it." "Oh, I see now. Sorry to interrupt you," Daring then sat down to prepare listening once more. "Okay then," Fern then started telling her tale once more...