Daring-Do and the Griffon's Goblet

by Sebbaa

Chapter 6

Daring-Do and the Griffon's Goblet

By Sebbaa

Chapter 6

The moon had shrunken since they had last seen the Patriot's airship, but it still provided enough light to make out the blimp's bloated form, anchored at the bottom of the ravine.

The two ponies stopped at the edge of a steep cliff and surveyed their adversary's camp. Below them, in the shadow of the ship and even further around it, stood dozens of white tents. From some of them still came light. Only a few figures could be seen in the camp, sitting around two fires.

Daring made out more lights several paces away from the camp. Oil lamps stood between stacks of tools, material, and piles of debris. They illuminated the entrance to a tunnel that was dug into the side of the cliff. But what was right next to the tunnel caught the adventuress' interest: A rectangular shape, barely visible against the rest of the bright stone that made up the canyon's wall.

“Look there, at the cliff where they are digging! That must be the portal!” she whispered excitedly, then immediately jumped in the air and spread her wings.

This time her companion was expecting her impulsive behavior and grabbed her tail in his teeth before she could fly down the cliff. “Not so fast!” he hissed as loud as he dared to and dragged his winged friend back to the ground. When the adventuress had her four hooves back on earth and had turned to listen to him, Bulwark spit out her hair and looked at her crossly.

“We can't jump in without a plan. It will only get us captured!” the young stallion explained sternly. “This time we do it my way!” he said and tapped on his chest with a hoof.

Daring gave a sigh but nodded. “Okay captain, you've got a plan?” she asked, folding her wings back reluctantly.

“Actually I do!” the fighting pony replied. “This is what we'll do!”

.oOo.

Daring-Do descended to the bottom of the canyon, gliding on silent wings. She carried the earth pony in her hooves, who eyed the quickly approaching ground calmly, already planning his way after the landing. They landed several dozen paces away from the patriot's camp. The mare dropped Bulwark just above the ground and sat down beside him with a few quiet flaps. The two adventures' hooves barely made a sound when they hit the stone; they had wrapped them in soft cloth to muffle their noise.

They quickly took cover behind a boulder and glanced around it towards the campsite. When they were sure that nopony had noticed their arrival, they set off towards the dig site.

Keeping their bellies close to the ground, crawling from cover to cover, they soon made it to a stack of wooden crates at the edge of the dig and hid behind it. Daring removed her helmet and slowly raised her head over their cover. Two ponies, carrying red saddlebags with wires protruding from them, were walking towards the tunnel's entrance, chatting without a care in the world as they went by. The mare raised a hoof, signaling Bulwark to stand by.

The two workers went into the tunnel that was being dug a few steps away from the portal. When they had vanished from view Daring dropped her hoof, and both she and the fighting pony quickly moved out of their cover. They crept towards the far side of the dig like shadows moving in a flickering light.

The two made it out of the crates and onto an empty space right before their goal, where they came to a slow halt.

“So this is it?” asked Bulwark, his eyes wandering about the ancient portal. It towered ever higher before him, so he had to crane his neck to make out the top of it. The gate was marked by an almost polished, rectangular space in the wall. All along its edges magic runes had been carved into the rock. Yet there were no slits, no gaps, no hinges, nothing that would hint at the presence of an actual door.

“I think so,” answered Daring, walking up to the portal. She put her hoof against the imposing stone wall and brushed it over its smooth surface in wonder. Her eyes gazed over the runes framing the portal, and she wrinkled her brow. “I wonder how it opens,” she finally muttered under her breath.

Meanwhile Bulwark turned around on the spot anxiously, looking in every direction. “The gates will open at our touch and will; that's what the Huscarls said!” he mentioned without looking back at the mare. “I only hope it's not too loud,” he remarked. “It was far too easy to get here; I don't like it!” he exclaimed, as he turned back to the door and walked beside Daring.

The mare looked at him with concern on her face. She knew the colt was right, but they were too close to the goblet to turn back now. “Maybe the patriots just didn't expect us to show up at all,” she offered with an unsure smile.

“Maybe,” the young stallion replied. He took a deep breath, shifting uncomfortably on his hooves. “No use turning back now. You'll do the honor!” he said and gestured towards the wall with a knock of his head.

The adventuress nodded and turned her attention back to the portal. She leaned closer, pressing her hoof harder against the stone, and stared at it intently. “Open!” she said firmly.

The portal obeyed.

A shudder passed through the stone, starting at Daring's hoof. It rippled along the portal's surface like waves on a pond hit by a stone. The tremors were barely audible, but the two ponies could feel the vibrations passing under their hooves. When they had passed, the rock beneath the mare's hoof began to retract from it like an organic mass and formed a circular hole. When it stopped growing, it was just big enough for a pony to pass through while standing upright.

Both the pegasus and earth pony stared at the entrance in wonder. It was Daring who recovered first. “Well, that was unexpected!” she remarked. “Strangest stone I have ever seen.” The mare gave a shrug with her wings and started to walk into the now open vault. Bulwark quickly shook himself from his stupor, glanced once more at the portal, shook his head and followed the adventuress.

Once he stepped through the portal, it closed behind him. He didn’t even have time to turn around and look at it in horror, before it shut close. The two ponies were left standing in pitch black darkness. “Ah, just great!” he cursed. “Wait a second, let me light a torch.” The young stallion began rummaging through his saddlebags.

But before he could even get his flint out, two blue flames burst to life in braziers before them, drowning the chamber in their eerie light. In a cascade, several pairs of two flames lit up behind the first, lining the way to the far side of the chamber on either side.

“Oh, that’s convenient!” Bulwark remarked and stopped searching in his bags. Daring gave him a knowing smile and started walking down the room. The colt trotted after her and fell in step at her side.

“Why is this place so big anyway? Just to store one cup?” the young stallion wondered, his eyes wandering along the high walls of the chamber.

Daring thought about this for a moment before she answered. “There could be several reasons. Maybe this place was a temple or the tomb of a mighty king before the griffons made it the goblet's vault. Or maybe it has to be this big to contain Discord's power and hide it from him.” She shrugged. “Or maybe griffons are just plain megalomaniac.”

After they had walked a few more minutes in silence, still looking around themselves in wonder, they had almost reached the base of a stairway, that rose at the far side of the room. Suddenly an explosion thundered from the left side of the chamber, hurling rocks and debris in every direction. The two ponies threw themselves flat to the ground and covered their heads in their hooves as stones rained down all around them. A big dust cloud rose from the explosion, quickly swallowing the whole room. The adventurers' eyes teared up immediately and they struggled to breath, coughing violently. They pressed their fetlocks over their snouts, trying to filter the air through the fur on them in vain.

After torturous moments, the dust finally settled, and they stumbled to their hooves. The two ponies shook the dust off themselves. Daring blinked and spat, trying to get the dirt out of her system.

They had not yet fully recovered when the first Patriot stuck his head through the newly blasted entrance at the side of the chamber close to the portal. It was Loaded Dice. He looked around the chamber, rejoicing the moment of his triumph, until he spotted the forms of the two adventurers. “You again!” he cursed, and jumped into the chamber with a snarl. In his wake followed several other Patriots. They streamed into the chamber and took stance behind the unicorn.

Daring briefly counted their opponent's numbers, but stopped at twelve and ground her teeth. The fighting pony at her side spat on the ground, trying to get the taste of limestone and sulfur from his tongue. “That explains why the camp was so empty,” he remarked dryly.

“Never mind that, run!” exclaimed Daring, and she dashed for the far side of the room. The colt hastily gathered a rock from the ground and put it within easy reach in his saddlebags, before he jumped into gallop, and followed the mare's lead.

“Get them! Don't let them reach the goblet first!” Dice shouted from behind them, immediately followed by the trampling of dozens of hooves and the flapping of many wings.

The two adventurers went up the stairs in a wild dash; their foremost pursuers were already hot on their hells. The steps were wide and still lined with fires on both sides; they finally led to a high pathway. The two fleeing ponies could only make out contours of a still unlit room behind it. Only when they dashed through the door did magic torches, that were set into the walls, come to life with the now familiar blue flames.

They had come into a tall but narrow corridor; only two ponies would be able to stand in it side by side. After only a few more paces the adventurers reached a junction and came to an abrupt, sliding halt. Frantically the two ponies looked down either passage, but they only saw bends and more paths crossing. It was impossible to tell where the corridors were going.

“This place is a maze!” Bulwark exclaimed, brushing his mane back in a nervous motion.

“Good, maybe we can shake them off in it. Keep close!” Daring told him and jumped into gallop once more. She followed the right path, only to immediately take the next bend to the left. The earth pony dashed after her, struggling to keep up; it was all he could do not to crash into a wall, while following her unpredictable movements.

“Where are they? Where have they gone?” came a shout only seconds later, echoing through the corridors, coming seemingly from every direction.

“Swarm out! We have to find them!” The order came in the angry voice of Loaded Dice. Daring had to smile; she could almost picture the white unicorn, now red-faced and foaming with rage.

Somepony pulled her tail, distracting her from her thoughts. “Slow down!” her companion said from behind, his words muffled by her tail in his teeth.

The mare slowed down to a trot. Bulwark relinquished her tail and pulled even with her. The two had lost the wrapping on their hooves during their initial dash, and their steps now echoed through the corridors loudly. “We should save our strength. We'll need it when we run into our pursuers. With everypony running wild in this labyrinth, it's bound to happen,” he explained, keeping his voice down so it wouldn’t travel though the entire labyrinth. The adventuress nodded and rounded the next corner with a somber expression on her face. The fighting pony, on the other hoof, couldn’t help but smile at the prospect of upcoming conflict.

He didn't have to wait for long. After they had passed a few more intersections they almost ran headfirst into one of the pursuing groups after rounding a corner.

The two earth ponies and the pegasus flying overhead were shocked for the break of a second to actually find the ones they were searching for. This hesitation was all Bulwark needed.

The fighting pony bolted at them and leaped into a long jump, heading straight for one of the earth ponies. The red stallion had just enough time to duck his head before the fighting pony landed on his back and used him as a steppingstone for his next jump. The colt propelled himself from the pony’s back with such force that it sent his opponent sprawling on the ground. Bulwark's jump took him in a high arch towards the wall. When he was level with the flying pegasus, he rebounded off the wall, tackled the baffled flier by his flank, and smashed him into the other side of the corridor.

Both ponies fell towards the floor. The pegasus hit the stallion Bulwark had used as a trampoline, and both of them collapsed into an entangled heap. The fighting pony himself rolled while still in the air and hit the other earth pony with his steel shod forehooves, using him to break his fall. The impact hammered the red stallion to the ground and knocked him out cold.

The whole struggle only lasted seconds; Daring could only watch wide eyed how the colt was the only pony rising in the end. He brushed his mane back, and looked down at his beaten foes, grinning widely. She only managed an awkward simper when her companion turned back to her and beckoned her to continue onwards.

“Come on!” he exclaimed excitedly. “Maybe we run into some more!” He laughed and jumped into a mad gallop.

The adventuress chased after him and took flight. A feeling of foreboding made her stomach turn. “Wait up, Bulwark!” she yelled after him, pumping her wings to catch up with the wrought up fighting pony.

She passed some more beaten up ponies. Two who had dared to stand in the young stallion's way lay sprawled on the ground, groaning in pain, while another just cowered at the side of the corridor, shivering in fear and hiding his face under his hooves. Daring gladly registered that her companion still had enough self-control to pull his strokes and spare the ones who didn't dare to fight him.

When she finally caught up with Bulwark, he was leaning against a wall, breathing heavily. But when her heard her approaching wing strokes and turned back, she saw he was grinning like a madpony nonetheless. Daring quickly landed beside him and put a hoof on his shoulder. “Easy there hotshot! You are running a battle fever!” she explained, taking his face in her hoof and forcing him to look her into the eyes. The colt's eyes wandered around restlessly, his pupils were wide, and his fur stood on end. Only when she started to brush his wet, sticky mane from his face did he actually take note of her presence, and his gaze focused on the mare.

“What? Daring?” he gasped between rattling breaths.

“Relax, mate, I've got you. Just take a deep breath and calm down!”

The colt nodded and slowly found his composure again. When the adventuress was sure he would not run off again, she patted him on the shoulder and let go of him. “You were running a battle fever,” she explained again. “High on adrenaline. You would have burned through your energy and collapsed in no time if I hadn't found you.”

Bulwark nodded again. “Thanks,” he replied deadpan. “I don't know what came over me. I just acted, didn't think at all. Everything was in a haze!” he explained. “Nopony could stand before me. I felt so powerful!” He swallowed hard. “That's actually quite frightening when I think about it. Thanks again for pulling me out.”

Daring gave him a warm smile and patted his shoulder again. “You're welcome. That's what stupid friends are for.”

The young stallion returned her smile weakly. “Right. Whatever would I do without you?” He gestured with his hoof further along the corridor. “We have to go on, or they will surround us here. You take the lead!”

Daring nodded firmly and started them on their way again, leading in a slow trot. Bulwark followed in her wake; his eyes were still wide, and he shuddered when his thoughts went back to his loss of control.

.oOo.

The echoes of clopping hooves and flapping wings haunted the two adventurers on their way through the labyrinth, and they tensed up every time a shadow flickered behind a corner. When they finally made it to a bigger chamber, where four corridors met, they breathed out sighs of relieve.

In the middle of the chamber rose a small pedestal, surrounded by four big braziers, which went ablaze in blue flame as soon as Daring entered the room. But what made her and her companion stop dead in their tracks and stare in wonder was the item on the pedestal. Before them, shining silver in the flame's light, was a chalice with a red gemstone, cut in the form a lightning bolt, adorning its foot.

“Wait, that's it? This is the Griffon's Goblet?” Bulwark exclaimed in bewilderment.

“What did you expect?”

“Well, after all these stupid trails? Inside this humongous vault? I was expecting something. . . bigger.”

Daring chuckled at the young stallion's remark. “Oh Bulwark, it's not always the size that matters!” Her response was enough to make the colt blush and stifle any further comment. The mare giggled at his bashful sight and started to trot towards the pedestal with a gleeful stride, her wings extended in eager anticipation. Her companion only followed her a few steps into the room, but he didn't enter the circle of the four fires, preferring to leave this moment to her alone.

The mare wore a wide, triumphant grin on her face as she approached the chalice. When she reached the pedestal, she stopped and took a moment to look at the cup in wide eyed wonder from every angle. Then she grabbed it in her mouth unceremoniously and took it from its pedestal.

“Hold it right there!” a shout interrupted her, and the cacophony of dozens of ponies approaching announced the arrival of unwelcome guests. Loaded Dice had finally caught up with them. He and his minions arrived from every direction; earth ponies took stance at the entrance of the four corridors, while pegasi floated above their heads. Every possible escape route was blocked in an instant. Daring briefly noted that a royal blue unicorn was standing just behind Dice. Something about the way he stared at her and the goblet made her skin crawl, and her wings spread to take flight involuntarily. His sinister smile didn't help to ease her feeling of dread either.

While Bulwark slowly backed towards the mare, his eyes darting over their pursuers, the mare dropped the goblet into her helmet nonchalantly and set it back onto her head. “Loaded Dice!” she greeted her old rival, giving him a mocking grin. “As usual, you are too late!”

By now the fighting pony was right next to her, facing the ponies at her back. “On three, I'll create an opening, and we run for it!” he hissed between clenched teeth, not taking his eyes off the possible attackers. Daring tapped him with her wing, hoping that the gesture would be more inconspicuous than nodding her head.

“Stop playing the fool, Dice, and get me the Goblet!” the stallion behind Loaded Dice ordered impatiently, his gaze never leaving Daring and the artifact hidden under her helmet. The trickster snorted and took a step toward the mare. At once Bulwark wheeled around and put himself between him and her, his eyes shooting daggers at the two unicorns, prompting the blue one to shrink away involuntarily.

“Don't worry Mister President!” Loaded Dice reassured his superior with a cocky grin. “I got this!” And with that his horn lit up, and the aura of his magic surrounded the defiant earth pony, lifting him from the ground.

“Oh please!” groaned Bulwark, rolling his eyes. “As if that'll work twice!” With one fluid motion he drew the rock he had put into his saddlebags earlier and threw it into the air before him. When it came down again, he kicked it hard with his front hoof, and it shot towards the spell caster in a blur. Dice only looked at his opponent in wonder and didn't even duck. The stone hit his horn; with a sickening crack, the magic-working appendage broke, and the unicorn was thrown back onto the ground. He gave a startled 'oomph'; then he lay still, and his eyes rolled back into his head. The President winced at his fellow spellcaster’s fate.

“Three!” Bulwark shouted just as he was released from Dice's telekinesis. Ge landed on his hooves and immediately bolted towards the corridor, that was now only blocked by one unicorn. The stallion did not offer any resistance; he threw himself to the ground, shielding his horn with his hooves as the fighting pony dashed towards him. Bulwark passed him without a second glance, and Daring followed close, the wind made by her flyby ruffling the President's mane.

Only when he was sure that the danger had passed did the unicorn get back to his hooves. He stared at the escaping adventurers, and his face quickly contorted with anger. “Go get them! Don't let them escape!” he shouted to his minions in red faced rage. The addressed ponies stumbled over their own hooves, trying to follow their leader’s orders as fast as possible. They swarmed into the corridor, Daring and Bulwark had vanished into, in frantic pursuit.

The president took a disappointed glance at the unconscious Dice lying on the floor, snorted angrily, and then started to walk after his minions. “And where is that useless mercenary when I need him?” he mumbled between clenched teeth, leaving the broken unicorn behind.

The two adventurers trotted through the labyrinth at a steady pace. Since they had left the central chamber, they had not run into any more Patriots, and Daring was navigating their way by instinct.

“That was pretty impressive how quickly you dealt with Dice!” she exclaimed and gave him an approving nod.

“I think I overdid it,” admitted the fighting pony, letting his ears sink.

“Nah. That ass had it coming, and maybe growing back his horn will give him time to think!” the mare replied, waving her companion's concerns off with her wing.

They took a right turn at another crossing, and a triumphant smile spread on Daring's face. The maze's exit was at the end of the corridor ahead. The two ponies made a final push, but when they came through the doorway to the entrance chamber, they almost fell over their own hooves as they came to staggering halt on the steps.

In the middle of the hall lay a lone griffon. When he heard them enter the chamber, he opened his single remaining eye, stood up, and lazily stretched his muscular limbs. “I was wondering when you two would finally show up!” he exclaimed. The mercenary began walking towards them with predatory grace, his black-tipped wings spread and his tail swaying from side to side.

The two adventurers bared their teeth and braced themselves for attack. “On my signal, we rush him and head for the door,” Daring whispered to her companion. He gave her the slightest nod and pawed the ground with his hoof.

“Now, why don't you just give me the goblet, and nopony has to get hurt?” the griffon offered haughtily as he walked closer to his prey. When he got no reaction whatsoever from the two ponies, he raised an eyebrow but didn't stop his advance.

“Now!” the adventuress shouted, when the predator had reached the base of the stairs, and jumped into a steep dive. Her companion sprang into gallop and charged at the griffon, his head lowered like a battering ram.

The cyclops didn't even flinch. He ducked under the mare's dive effortlessly and lashed out at her wing with his claw, ripping out several of her feathers. Daring yelped in surprise; she lost control of her flight, spiraled through the air and crashed ungracefully to the ground headfirst.

Bulwark was close behind the adventuress when she made her attack. He screamed at the griffon in anger and threw himself at him with blinding speed. But the griffon swatted him to the side with the back of his claw like a fly and sent him tumbling across the floor.

With his two foes on the ground, the predator walked idly towards the pegasus. Daring was just gathering herself up; she glanced worriedly at her damaged wing, wincing as she flexed it. When she noticed the approaching griffon the adventuress quickly wheeled around, braced herself for combat and snarled at him threateningly.

“I won't ask you a third time. Give me the Goblet!” he demanded, grinding one of his claws across the ground menacingly.

Suddenly the predator wheeled around and slashed out at Bulwark, who had flung himself at him, as silently as he could. The colt ducked under the swing, got inside the griffon's reach and assailed him with lightning-fast strikes from his front hooves. The mercenary backed away from the earth pony's onslaught, ducking, averting and blocking the incoming blows with experienced ease.

With an angry shout Daring joined in the fray; she jumped on the griffon and started pummeling his back with all four of her hooves, balancing herself with wild flapping wings.

The half-lion roared in anger, and rose on his hind legs. He thrashed his hulking body around, flapping his mighty wings. The adventuress was thrown off him and managed to land on her hooves. But before she could muster another attack the predator had grabbed Bulwark around his neck and threw him at the nearest wall like a rag doll. The fighting pony hit the rock with bone-shattering force, and the air was driven from his lungs; he couldn’t even give a startled moan when his body hit the ground.

Daring gasped, and reached out towards her companion with her hoof when she saw him writhing on the floor and not rising. A large shadow fell on her, reminding the adventuress of her own predicament. She swallowed a lump in her throat and started to back away.

Bulwark took a labored breath, and with it came a wave of pain, that rolled through his body. He groaned and clenched his teeth. The earth pony tried to stand up, but found that his body only shot more pain to his brain and would not follow his will. With great effort he finally managed to lift his head and started searching the room for Daring.

In his blurred vision he saw that the griffon had grabbed the mare by one of her wings with his claw and had lifted her up to his face. She was still struggling, trying to wring herself from his grip, and she managed to land a punch in the predator's face. The griffon shrieked in anger and started to shake her violently. The pegasus was thrown around like a puppet, the whole weight of her body yanking at her trapped wing. Finally the feathered appendage gave away under the abuse.

Even over the ringing in his ears Bulwark could hear a bone in her wing snap, and a subsequent cry of pain. It was more than he could bear, and something inside the young stallion broke.

Only when the pegasus' struggles ceased and she hung limply in his claw, groaning in agony, did the griffon release her from his grasp. Daring fell to the ground and collapsed on her side. She curled into a ball, cradling her broken wing against her flank with a hoof, and sobbed between clenched teeth.

The pony's assailant lumbered over her, staring her down with a snarl on his face, his claw raised threateningly. “Now give me the Goblet!” he demanded. But before either of the two could say any more, an earsplitting, feral roar echoed through the chamber.

“What the. . . “ the Griffon wondered, as he looked up from his prey. But before he could finish a pine green streak crashed into his flank, and the two went down in a rolling heap.

Daring looked up in wonder, and her heart leaped, when she saw it was Bulwark, she had thought injured and on the ground, who had come to her aid. The young stallion had come out of the tumble on top and was standing on the griffon's chest. He looked over his shoulder towards Daring, and her eyes widened in shock. The fighting pony's face was a contorted mask of hate, and his eyes were glowing in white hot rage. “Run!” he bellowed, spitting bloody foam from his mouth.

The mercenary underneath him attacked while Bulwark was distracted; his talons tore into the earth pony's shoulder and hooked into his flesh. The young stallion roared and tried to kick at the griffon's leg, but he was lifted and then flung towards the chamber's wall once more before his strike could connect.

Daring fought down the pain in her wing, clenched her teeth and stumbled to her hooves. She shot an anguished glance towards her companion, then made for the chamber's door, her broken wing hanging limply at her side.

Meanwhile the griffon rolled over, jumped to his feet and quickly turned towards the wall at which he had flung the colt. He was still too slow. Bulwark had rolled in the air like a cat and hit the wall high above the griffon hooves first. In a mad dive he flung himself at his opponent once more. His outstretched forehooves hit the predator straight in the shoulder, and the pony's steel horseshoes shattered the base of his left wing with a sickening crunch. The griffon shrieked in pain, and both fighters went down again in a kicking and clawing mass.

The mercenary struggled frantically to keep the striking hooves from his body, but no matter how many he averted or blocked, two more found their mark, and he suffered blow after blow. Bulwark was holding nothing back for his own defense anymore. Every counter the predator managed to land ripped bloody wounds in the fighting pony's coat, but he didn't react to them at all. The young stallion was just kicking and biting at his enemy in a frenzy, foaming and screaming like a madpony.

Just at this moment the other Patriots arrived in the chamber. They stopped dead on the top steps and stared at the two fighters tearing each other apart. A field of telekinesis parted their ranks, and an angry-looking President made his way to the front, only to stumble to a halt and stare open-mouthed when he saw what the holdup was about. To add to his terror, he spotted the pegasus mare with the goblet under her helmet vanishing through the stone portal. The passage sealed shut behind her.

Finally, in a desperate attempt to stop his enemy's movement, the griffon grasped the earth pony in a bear-hug, lifting him off the ground. Bulwark trashed but could not break the iron-like grip that was crushing his front legs against his body. Breathing heavily, the griffon tightened the grasp in a frantic effort to break his opponent's back. Already the first cracks could be heard from the earth pony's tortured joints, when Bulwark leaned his head back and bashed it against his opponent's face with all of his might.

The griffon’s beak tore a bleeding gash into the pony's forehead right above his left eye, but the force of the blow made the appendage crack and sent the half eagle staggering backwards. He stumbled over his own paws and fell heavily on his back, the impact driving his breath away. Before he could recover the fighting pony was upon him, pummeling him in a hail of steel, howling in mindless rage. The predator managed to shield his face with crossed forelegs, but his resistance only managed to further enrage his opponent. Bulwark reared on his hindlegs and stomped onto the griffon's crossed limbs with bone-shattering force, breaking his opponent's last defense.

Still he did not stop; again and again his hooves came down on the predator’s head and he tore into his opponent's throat with his teeth, ripping out feathers, ripping out flesh. Only after the griffon had stopped to move whatsoever did the berserking pony rise from his defeated enemy.

He slowly turned towards the other Patriots at the top of the stairs and started walking towards them. His breaths were coming in rattling gasps, and red foam dripped from his mouth. He was swaying from side to side and bleeding from several wounds, but still the ponies shrunk away from the young stallion in fear.

The President could have sworn the madpony was staring directly at him, all his rage directed at his very person. He involuntarily took several steps back, stumbled over the stairs and fell on his hindquarters as the fighting pony approached the group. Then Bulwark's steps slowed and he came to a halt. The young stallion groaned, huffing in rage and tried to take one more step, but his legs gave away. He stumbled to the ground and lay still.

It took the Patriots and their leader a few seconds to realize that the danger had passed. When the President did, he quickly stood up and composed himself before any of his minions would see his embarrassing slip. His gaze wandered from the unmoving colt towards the far side of the chamber, where the mare had vanished through the door, and he grimaced in anger. “She got away,” he cursed under his breath and started walking down the steps. Already his mind was racing, frantically grasping for ideas how he could get his hooves on the grail still.

When the President walked past the bleeding body of Bulwark, he stopped and looked at him for a moment. He inched closer and held his ear over the colt's nuzzle. And there it was: the ace up his sleeve he needed to win the grail. Faintly but steadily the colt's chest was still rising and falling in shallow breaths. The unicorn turned to address his henchponies. “Get this pony in the camp and patch him up!” he snapped, prompting them to spring into action. A smile crept on his face as he walked towards their own entrance, they had blown into the vault. “I have an idea!”

Special thanks to Halcyon for his editing. He did an amazingly throughout job on this chapter!
And thanks to skrav for proofreading. Thanks to his efforts my punctuation should now be a least 20% better.

Comments

[Sebbaa]

While doing the final edit, I decided to split this chapter into two after all. Just like I did with the previous two, but much sooner. I wish I had done that weeks ago, before I started revising one monstrous chapter. I don't know how other authors handle weekly 20k+ word chapters.

Sorry for the long wait. The final chapter should take much less time.

[Cross_wolfv1]

Sall good, I have enjoyed the story so far.

[Pashoo]

aaaaaa I'm so excited! The next chapter can never come soon enough!
You're doing good work!