//------------------------------// // Chapter 2: Shoop-de-Woop! // Story: I am Ruffcoat, I am a shoop! // by Bojack H //------------------------------// Ch 2: Shoop-de-Woop! At least I’m making progress. I thought as I passed yet another equally brown and identical building. I stopped and adjusted my cloak. After I bounded into town with endless enthusiasm, I quickly remembered why the herd didn’t often go into town… I’m not going to admit I’m lost, buuuuut after finding myself in yet another identical alley I’ll admit, I didn’t remember just how large Ponyville was. Oh ya I found this cool cloak that someone had just tossed in out their window into a large bin. Sure it was patched a bunch, and I had to tie it off but hey no one seemed to mind when I took it from the bin. Also I found a sack of turnips, such a delicacy! Ok I’m not that naïve, they probably don’t taste all that good to a pony, but trust I, as a former sheep, even slightly old vegetables taste better than grass. Anyway I’m sure that tailor is the next left! No wait I meant right…. Oh another dead end. Hey look another one of those bins. That last one had a slightly broken belt in it. Anyway that’s not what’s currently occupying my attention. After making a few more course corrections, I found myself in another square, except this one was devoid of the colorful stalls that had filled all the other dozen squares I passed. Instead, they were all full of sharp looking weapons, old looking stuff and mean looking vendors behind them. At the back of the square stood a large building with a mug hanging over the door. To the left of it, stood a forge, with an earth pony blacksmith busy hammering away on an anvil. Ponies in all sorts of garb with various bags and weapons milled about, while some guards stood watch by the entrance. Stuck in the middle of the square, with several ponies standing around, stood a large notice board. Adventurer Notices. A sign on top of the board read, at least I think so, It’s not exactly like the herd had many books, just enough to teach us to read and write, so I’m out of practice. “Wanted: Adventurer to retrieve priceless treasure” One of the posters read. The middle of it was full of terms that I didn’t recognize, but I kept reading on. “… Lost Crown of the 5th Unicornian Dynasty….. Located deep in the Everfree Forest……” there was a map printed on the back, “….. Reward: 50 bits upon delivery….” and some address that I didn’t recognize. “50 BITS!” I exclaimed. One of the more seasoned looking ponies shot me a sideways glance. “That’s a lot of money right?” I asked him sheepishly. “What’re you some kinda moron? That jobs worth at least ten times that amount!” he said sizing me up. “Besides, I think you wandered into the wrong square here sonny, this here is the adventurer’s quarter fer treasure hunters, trappers, and other dangerous lines of work, naow run along back to yer herd.” He said, pointing at me with a forehoof. Oh hell no, he did not just call me a sheep! “Hey you watch who you’re talking to, I am not a sheep you hear!” I said, pushing back against his hoof, “I am Ruffcoat, I am a shoop thank you very much and I don’t need a herd!” I proclaimed, puffing out my chest, “Besides, last I checked, shoops had the same rights as ponies in this kingdom to go where they pleased, so take your hoof and….um.. backoff!” He took a step back, the ponies in the square had gathered during the commotion. He paused, I prepared to counter whatever verbal assault he was going to launch, instead he broke out into laughter. “ah ha ha ha, oh boyo that’s rich commin from a lad like yerself!” he said, falling onto his haunches. “I’ve spared with gryphons, ponies, minotaurs, yaks and even zebras” he choked out between laughs, “but I’ve never been talked back to by a sheep before!” He continued laughing at me for a few more minutes before finally picking himself off the ground and coming back over to me. He tore the poster off the board and shoved it into my hoof. “Lad, if’en you are an adventurer like you think you are, then by all means, take that job there and I can guarantee, nopony here will get in yer way.” Lost for words, I just nodded my head. “Great, well thanks fer the laugh sonny, I haven’t laughed like that since I was a wee colt!” he remarked before ambling off to the tavern. The crowd at this point dispersed seeing that the action was over. The guards, who had apparently taken note of the situation, went back to being statues. I stood there for a few more moments trying to process what had just transpired. Did I just get my first job? I thought as I stared at the paper now held between my hooves. “Hey sheep guy, cm’ere” a voice called out. I looked up, the blacksmith had stopped his work and was motioning for me to his forge. “I see you met Hawk Hood” he said, “a word of advice, don’t try argue’in with him next time, he’s more likely to knock your block off with one of his arrows, you got it?” I nodded, “Good, now anyways, I see you’re goin for that crown job, I checked it out earlier, it’s awfully specific for a job, usually they don’t print a map to the thing you’re supposed to find, but I’m rambling here. Look that thing is supposed to be located in that creepy old castle in the middle of the Everfree, now I know for a fact that that place is filled with all sorts of old suits of armor and weapons and stuff. I’d normally just ask one of the guys heading out on the job, but since the reward is so low, no one is gonna take the job, so if you bring me back some of those old weapons or pieces of armor and I’ll make it worth your effort, you got it?” He stuck out a hoof. Cautiously, I grabbed his hoof and shook it. “You got a deal mr…” “Blackhoof” he said, gesturing to the image of a black shoe with a hammer on it. “Great, now you’d better get mov’en, the Everfree not a place you want get caught in at night.” I gave him a nod then set off, he went back to his forge. Before had even gotten past the board I remembered something I had forgotten to ask. “Hey Blackhoof” I asked, he looked up from his work, “Do you know which way is out of this crazy town?” I swear he thought about chucking his hammer at me but after he offered a short series of directions I set off, wrapped in my patchwork cloak, slightly eaten bag of turnips tied to my belt with a much better plan this time.