"I... can't."
Lyra stared at Scootaloo. The filly wasn't making any sense. She had always seemed to be the adventurous sort, was a member of the Adventurer's Guild, and had just been invited onto an adventure. Why would any such young pony pass up the chance? Lyra eyed the bandage on Scootaloo's knee.
"If you're not well enough to take on a contract today, I'm happy to wait until you're all rested up and ready to go!" She reached out and patted Scootaloo on the head. "We can always do one tomorrow, or even the next day!"
Scootaloo ducked out from underneath Lyra's hoof and backed up a few steps.
"You don't understand," she said. "I can't do any contracts with you. If Rainb–" she stopped herself mid-sentence and quickly changed course. "Um, if anypony finds out I'm a member of the guild..."
Lyra smiled and held up a hoof. "Okay, I get it. You're not the only one who doesn't want anypony knowing you're partnered with the Flim Flam brothers." She tapped her horn. "It's fine. I can get you out of town unnoticed."
Scootaloo blinked up at Lyra. "What's wrong with the Flim Flam brothers?" Lyra raised an eyebrow and Bon Bon looked ready to chip in, but Scootaloo shook her head. "Nevermind. Look, even if you can somehow make it so that nopony knows where we're going, it's still no use." She sighed and hung her head. "I've never completed a contract! I've been stuck on trying to complete this one contract for days now, but no matter how hard I try, I just can't do it!"
Lyra and Bon Bon looked at each other, and Scootaloo cringed.
"Oh, right," she mumbled, pawing the floor with a hoof. "You weren't supposed to know about that."
Bon Bon looked ready to speak, but she was again interrupted as a customer walked into the shop. She hurried forward to deal with the customer as Lyra led Scootaloo into another room.
Once they were out of the shop area, Lyra waited for Scootaloo to look her in the eye.
"So the Flim Flam brothers let you take on a contract without my knowledge?"
Scootaloo looked back at the floor again. "Yes," she mumbled. A moment later she was looking back at Lyra intently. "But it's not their fault! I'm... I just..." She closed her eyes a moment and seemed to compose herself. "They said I could practice so I could get better and, you know, it would be better for the guild." She looked back up at Lyra. "But I still can't do it. I don't have the right gear and I... I'm not sure if I even want to try anymore."
Lyra regarded Scootaloo. Here was a young pony who was trying desperately to find out where she fit in the world. It was this realization that confirmed a hunch Lyra had.
Pinkie Pie had mentioned that nopony knew who the members of the Adventurer's Guild were. She had also said to look for a 'diamond in the rough.' Lyra had found that in Diamond Tiara, a filly who, while sometimes a bit bratty, was having a rough time dealing with her father's partnership with Trixie. Pinkie had somehow predicted who to look for, and Lyra knew that Pinkie's predictions weren't something to be ignored.
She had also mentioned that one of the members could be 'somepony trying to discover who she is.' That fit Scootaloo perfectly, as not only was she always running around with her two best friends trying to earn a cutie mark, she was also trying to find a way to fit into the Adventurer's Guild. Two of Pinkie's predictions were spot-on.
That meant that Lyra just had to find somepony's sister, somepony's brother, and somepony to look up to. Unfortunately, there were a lot of brothers and sisters in Ponyville, and there were plenty of ponies to look up to. One of the princesses, perhaps? Regardless, it was going to take time to figure it out, and she had a perfectly good adventurer right here in front of her.
If only she could help Scootaloo to realize that and start believing in herself.
"So you need some gear, huh?" Lyra asked. Scootaloo's ears perked up, but she didn't answer. Lyra continued. "I might be able to help you out with that. I can't really afford to give you any gear, as the shop needs to earn a lot this week just to stay afloat. What I can do is loan you some equipment." She had Scootaloo's full attention now, and she spoke quickly. "You can take it with you on our adventure, use it, and pay for it later once you've earned some bits from the contracts. Remember, guild members get discounts, too. If you feel the need to upgrade, you can just borrow something better and repeat the cycle. What do you say?"
Sometimes, all it takes is one small victory to get one's self out of a slump. For when one is hit with hardship after hardship, what might seem to others as insignificant can often times be the spark that leads to a figurative explosion of good fortune.
And so, when Scootaloo looked down momentarily, hesitant about what may or may not be to come, then lifted her head and offered a hoof to Lyra, a spark was suddenly brought to life with the utterance of a single word:
"Deal."
..o0o..
Of course, not every spark is quick to ignite.
"Oww..." Scootaloo groaned. She lifted her face from the ground and spit out some dust before looking back at Lyra and Bon Bon. "Couldn't you put that shield around me? It'd be a– ow! –lot easier!"
Lyra raised her eyebrows with concern and shrugged. "I'm sorry. My magical talent is better when focused on small, precise movements. Trying to maintain a magical shield in motion is just outside of my capabilities."
Lyra had already considered trying to assist their newest adventurer, but decided against it. Scootaloo needed to find out her worth for herself. It would do nothing for her confidence if Lyra were to complete the contract for her.
Scootaloo stood up and brushed herself off. She was wearing what might pass for armor that had been patched together from various items Lyra had in her shop. It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing. It did have one benefit in particular:
"At least I'm not bleeding this time," Scootaloo murmured. She looked back at Lyra and Bon Bon who both urged her on. She sighed and walked back towards the bear cub. The cub was sitting underneath a tree, playing with the missing picnic basket. It growled a warning as Scootaloo drew near.
Scootaloo frowned. She looked over to the large mother bear resting nearby. The mother bear was watching her. It had never interfered with Scootaloo, as she was likely not seen to be a threat, and actually seemed to enjoy watching Scootaloo's struggle as if it were amusing.
Scootaloo walked within a few paces of the cub and stared at it.
"I'm not going to fight you," she said sternly. "I just want you to give me that picnic basket. It's not yours!"
She was rewarded with a paw to the flank. She yelped, but stood her ground. It didn't actually hurt all that much anymore; it was just annoying. The bear cub, used to seeing Scootaloo get knocked onto her face, blinked.
"I'm not moving. I... I'm not giving up, so if you're going to hit me, just hit me and get it over with!"
The cub swiped at Scootaloo again, but this time it was slow and uncertain. It looked over to its mother, but the mother bear gave no response. The cub lifted a paw again and gave a short growl, but this time the paw only swiped lightly at the air in front of Scootaloo. As if realizing that it had lost its dominance over the filly, the cub finally let out a cry and ran to its mother. The mother bear nuzzled her cub gently, but did not coddle it. It would need to come to terms with its defeat on its own.
Scootaloo watched the cub retreat, then realized that the picnic basket was sitting right in front of her, completely unguarded. She arched her neck towards the basket, hesitating long enough to ensure that the mother bear wouldn't suddenly attack, then picked it up in her mouth and galloped away from the tree and back to Lyra and Bon Bon.
"You did it!" Lyra exclaimed. She began hopping in place. "You completed the contract!"
Scootaloo blinked and set the basket down, and Lyra could almost see it in Scootaloo's eyes as comprehension slowly sunk in.
"I guess it didn't hurt as much as before, thanks to this armor," Scootaloo said. She lifted a hoof, admiring the lack of injuries. "That cub's little claws just couldn't get through the material, and then it just kind of gave up and..." She stopped talking and looked up at Lyra with her big purple eyes. "I... I did it! I completed a contract!"
Lyra was almost dragged to the ground as Scootaloo leaped up and wrapped her little hooves around her neck.
"I completed a contract!" Scootaloo repeated. She buried her face in Lyra's mane.
Lyra looked at Bon Bon, who nodded approvingly.
The spark had just been ignited.
And our Louie is born... Hmm... Now we wait before she becomes a rough-em-tough-em adventurer. And Tiara would be shocked.
6288113 If you find anyone willing to give it a go, send them my way.
That said, I prefer to hear what people think about what's inside the cover, as opposed to just judging the cover itself. Personally, I find Lyra's face cute and mildly appropriate.
6288203 Alrighty, then. Here's a picture of Maud as a batpony for no particular reason.
vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/poohadventures/images/0/04/Maud_Pie_bat_pony.png/revision/latest?cb=20140829041806
Just to make certain my mental picture is accurate; is Scootaloo wearing an assortment of pots and pans and whatever the Equestrian equivalent of a cricket pad is along with an old bee-keeper's veil?
6288203
It's a shame you feel that way; I believe the cover-art serves this story quite nicely.
And the story's worth a read as well
6288476 I've intentionally left out a detailed description. I liked the image of Scoots wearing all kinds of weird junk, particularly actual items from Recettear, but I also think a patchwork bit of armor similar to leather would work well, too. As such, I left it vague.
6288482 I like the current image, but I'm with you. If I knew someone who could get me a nicely drawn cover without having to shell over a few hundred dollars to get it, I'd prefer something with the main characters flanked by the side characters standing in front of Lyra's shop.
6288049
It's surprising, but before the guy with the fists and MEGA heath, Louie was actually the best adventurer that was on the entire roaster... except maybe spear girl, haven't got to her yet. Louie is like, the second, maybe third best in my opinion.
And as for Scootaloo casting the role... urg, I don't know, Rainbow was a kind of a cool thing to become an adventurer because it fit her daredevil spirit and gave her something to do between saving Equestria, but now I find it, still kinda interesting, but kind of limiting that this story is working off pre-existing characters to replace the ones in Recettear, I mean, if that's what your going for author then I won't complain, but I like it better when a universe is EXPANDED upon instead of connected.
Think about it, Scootaloo as an adventurer? Considering what she would likely have to fight in the future, can we really stretch out imaginations to the point a flightless filly pegasus can kill off a giant rat? Or a expert thief? Or a giant freaking eyeball with wings and LASER EYE BEAMS!
Sorry, just wish there was more original characters here.
For now... things seem to be working well for our little Scootaloo.
6288630 Everyone in the story is loosely tied to characters in Recettear. Sometimes, they are combinations of multiple characters. Sometimes, the connection is very loose.
One example of this is Trixie. She's a little Alouette, a little Caillou. However, at the end of the day, the character that Trixie is most based off is... Trixie. I won't be making any characters OOC just to fit in with some counterpart.
Take Scootaloo for instance. She's probably the most likely and capable of all the school-age fillies for going on an actual adventure. However, she's still just a little girl. She's still Scootaloo. Louie would have smacked that bear cub senseless, then probably used its mother's fur as a scarf. Scootaloo won the fight by not fighting. She would definitely not hit a bear cub.
6288670
Fair enough, but remember also that Louie can't really be blamed for that, it's simply the game's themes working against him there... and, you know, nature in general isn't as forgiving as Equestria's wildlife is. Scootaloo is a kid, and a herbivore, and in a magical land that make cows smart enough to have valley girl accents, Louise in the same situation in his world? The bear would have mauled him if he attempted peaceful negotiations.
Alright, I also understand your reasoning, but take away Recettear and we still have a story that is working off of characters presented from MLP, I'm not so much put off from them being like Recettear characters as I am them being all characters already shown in MLP, it's just a personal gripe I have about it and you don't have to make a whole new character to appease me.
6288720 Ah, so you'd like to see an OC or two.
Without giving anything away, there may be a few later on down the line.
6288762
Ah, thanks, just wanted something more understandable than someone from Ponyville picking up projects, you know?
Also, on the subject of characters, is BonBon a normal pony, or is she like in canon a secret agent?
6288798 I hinted at her capabilities when she threatened Iron Will, but I think that will probably be the extent of that. She's not meant to be the adventuring type in this story.
I got 5 bits that Fluttershy knew about Scootaloo being in the guild and set the contract up for her
For some reason I now see teh bear cub going to Fluttershys, and crying to Harry the bear, who looks at the missus, and facepaws, dragging his muzzle halfway to teh ground before it boings back.
6288996
Aww, too bad, she would have been an awesome adventurer.
Awwwwww <3 yayyyyyy Scoots! <3
That's really all there is to say on the matter. A great moment of personal triumph for Scootaloo.
Why do I have a feeling the brother will be either Big Mac or Shining Armor and the sister will be Maud?
Dat feeling when almost nobody believes in you and you show them all what you can do. Go Scootaloo!
[youtube=https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ANk8xlsp1pQ]
6445639 ... what fanfic? I was Hinting about pokemon
6445936
It might be Background Pony, but don’t quote me on that
I must admit that when Pinkie mentioned a diamond in the rough I did think of Diamond Tiara but I was still surprised that actually was what Pinkie meant. Also Lyra is pretty smart in following Pinkie's predictions even if Pinkie doesn't understand them better than anypony else.