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// Chapter 4: "Coco's Bazaar Trades and Goods." 
// Story: Daring Do Adventures: Daring Do And The Griffin's Goblet 
// by XombieSlayr 
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Chapter 4: “Coco’s Bazaar Trades and Goods.”

The two split up. Storm Talon going to secure safe passage to Zebrica, while Daring went to see the ever eccentric sales pony, Coco Pie. 
Coco was a green earth pony, with a fluffy mane and a cupcake for a cutie mark. She was a traveling sales pony,and a collector of strange items. She had wandered marketplaces and back alleys, all over the world. Whenever Daring needed something strange and she needed it quick, she usually went to see Coco. 

As always, she was set up in the locale bazaar,making sure it lived up to its name. Coco scratched her fluffy mint mane as she thought. “So your telling me I can get two manticore stingers if I reverse the polarity of-" She was talking to another one of her bewildered customers,when Daring Do approached her stand. 

"Um,Coco?” she asked. Coco looked over to Daring and smiled sweetly. “Oh Hi Daring! Gimme one sec.” She said turning back to her customer,a light yellow pegasus,who was also scratching their head,trying to make sense of Coco’s lack of sense. Daring watched as Coco and her customer argued for a second, then they both smiled,shook hooves and the customer dropped two large dried up manticore stingers onto Coco’s counter. Coco smiled then handed him a large figurine of what looked like a rodeo clown riding a fish over the moon. If there was one thing that Coco specialized in, it was the odd stuff.

Daring watched the customer collect their trade,then trot off. Daring was confused. “Um…What was that?” She asked watching the customer fly off. Coco collected the stingers then put them in a crate behind her.

She turned back to daring and smiled. “Oh, that’s just a little something I traded a ninja sword for a few weeks back.” She answered causally. Daring smiled back. “Oh, you mean like a katana?” She asked,having thoroughly studied ancient sword craft when she was in China,looking for the Jaded Dragon of the Scorpion Emperor, a few months back.

Coco shook her head. "Nope. I mean a sword shaped like a ninja.” She said with a smile. She took this opportunity to begin unloading a box of what Daring saw was small wooden monkey totems,each one carved with a silly face on them. 

Daring was once again confused. “Um…never mind. I need some supplies. The usual.” Daring said as Coco finished unpacking the monkey totems. “Grappling hooks,insect repellent,water all that stuff. Plus some extra clothes and a couple first aid kits.” Daring said with a smile.

Coco smiled back and gave a wink. "Planning on getting hurt?” coco asked slyly. Daring returned the look. “No,but I just might hurt someone else.” She implied.

Coco was surprised. “Ooh! Well aren’t you miss grumpy-pants today!” she exclaimed. She put her head on her hooves as she leaned forward.”Whats up?” she asked,curiously. 

Daring shrugged,and pulled a fake smile. “Its nothing. Just get my stuff.” She asked,trying her best to be friendly and hide her intentions. But Coco was nearly impossible to hide anything from. She gave a sly grin as she leaned over her counter,until she was inches from Daring’s face. “Its certainly not nothing!” she said smiling. She receded to her counter. “if it was nothing then it wouldn’t be something. And its obviously something, not nothing. So what’s something?” Coco implied, using her trademark Coco logic which could confuse even the most educated pony. 

Daring was at a lost for words. Not even her with her degrees,and years of experience,could deduce just what in Equestria Coco had just said. “I-I…Hyuh?” Was all she managed to say.

But Coco Fluttered her magenta colored eyes and smiled sweetly. “Come on! Tell ol’ Coco Pie about it.” She asked eagerly. 

Daring wasn’t beaten that easily. "I told you,its nothing!” She implied,collecting herself once again. Daring eyed Coco,her eyes piercing into hers. “Now please get my supplies,so I can go back to doing,Nothing!” She answered, putting emphasis on nothing. Coco blinked, then returned to her cheerful and sweet demeanor. “Alright. If you say so!” she said sweetly. She hopped to the back of her stand and gathered Daring’s supplies into a large box. 

She returned a few minutes later with a box full of everything Daring had asked for, plus a few extra items thrown in. “Okay! all wrapped up and ready to go!” She said joyously. 

Daring smiled and loaded the box onto her back. “Thanks Coco.” She said smiling. Coco smiled back. 

“Your welcome. Good luck finding your father!” Coco called as Daring turned to leave.

The remark was so jarring,that Daring almost didn’t notice it. “Yeah, you too…wait. What did you just say?” Daring turned back to Coco,eyes wide.

Coco just tilted her head to the side and smiled in a cute manner. She rolled her eyes. “Nothing.” She said implying she had definitely said something.

This wasn’t the first time, Daring had been left speechless by Coco Pie’s mysterious knowledge of current events, even if she logically shouldn’t know about them. It was as if she could read minds,or had some strange psychic ability. But Daring knew shed never get a straight answer from Coco, so she just ignored it. “Um…right. Well,I'll see you later then.” Daring said,still suspicious. She turned and began to walk off. 

“Probably not until the next story!” Coco called to Daring,who once again turned around with a dumbfound look on her face. She opened her mouth to say something,but thought better of it and hurried off. 

Meanwhile Coco, turned to look at no one in particular and winked. Coco really was an odd one, wasn’t she?