Lyra used her magic to levitate and guide a sack of flour into the customer's saddlebag.
"There you go, Mrs. Cake," she said. She placed the bits she had received into the cash register, and leaned her forelegs on the counter. "Is there anything else you need today?"
Mrs. Cake's smile could have brightened the entire shop.
"Why, no. I believe this is everything." She brushed a stray strand of reddish-pink hair from her face. "I'm just so thrilled that Pinkie Pie told us about your little shop! My husband and I are able to bake almost half again as many cakes and pastries as we did before coming here." She gave a small laugh. "It must be really good for business being the only shop in Ponyville to supply such a wide variety of baking ingredients. Why, most of these things are only available in other towns!"
Lyra grinned. "It's our pleasure to bring together the best ingredients around to serve Ponyville's finest shops." Mrs. Cake blushed at the compliment. "Make sure to tell your friends about us!"
"I most certainly will!" Mrs. Cake beamed as she gathered her things and made for the exit. "Have a pleasant day, you two."
"Goodbye!" Lyra closed the door behind her. A moment later she spun around and trotted excitedly over to Bon Bon. "How was that? Did I do it right?"
Bon Bon laughed. "I couldn't have done it better myself. You know, you're actually starting to get the hang of giving quality customer service."
"Yayifications!" Lyra cried. "If we can get Ponyville's food sector behind us, we'll establish a long-term source of repeat business that will form the core from which to grow the company naturally!" She hopped up and down. "Isn't that exciting?"
Bon Bon stared at Lyra for a moment before blinking and shaking her head. "Has anypony ever told you that it's almost creepy just how good you can be when it comes to earning a profit?"
"Not that I can remember!" Lyra stopped hopping and shrugged. She walked over to the register and started counting bits. "I think we're making good progress toward this week's payment, but it's still not going to be enough. We need more bits!" She stamped a hoof for emphasis.
"How are we doing, anyway?" Bon Bon asked.
Lyra tapped a hoof on the counter as she thought. "We have Scootaloo out collecting easy contracts for the guild, but that's only going to realistically bring in a few hundred bits at most by week's end." She ducked down for a moment and reappeared with a chest full of bits. "Then there's the extra we had left over from last week, which comes to just over a thousand bits." She put the chest away and paced back and forth. "With the Cakes, Gustav Le Grand, and the Apple family all locked in as regulars now, we're on pace to earn an additional eight and a half to nine thousand bits this week."
"Not bad," Bon Bon said.
"Not bad, but not good enough. We're only on pace to make just over half of what we owe." Lyra blinked. "If we can't find some way to double our earnings fast, we're going to lose the shop!"
Iron Will watched the royal guards with interest. He had just finished eating a relatively satisfying lunch and was on his way to visit Lyra when he noticed them. One might see a few guards in places like Ponyville from time to time as they went about their business, but the number of them roaming about town on this day was out of the ordinary. There were too many, and they seemed to be searching for something... or somepony. Not one to beat around the bush, Iron Will approached one of the guards directly and asked what was going on.
"Official business. Stand aside, please!" the guard ordered.
Iron Will scowled, but obeyed. Once the guards had passed he decided to ask another pony what was going on.
"Word has it that monsters have been attacking ponies outside Canterlot," the young stallion who Iron Will had approached said. "Nothing major, and apparently nopony has been hurt, but I hear Princess Cadance and Shining Armor have come down from the Crystal Empire to lend their assistance."
"Nothing major, hmm?" Iron Will said. "Then why are there so many guards here in Ponyville?" He didn't wait for an answer. As he made his way to Lyra's shop, a plan came to mind. A crazy plan. A foolish plan, but a plan nonetheless.
"Welcome to Lyra's Ultimate— oh hey, Iron Will. Have you changed your mind about purchasing that blacksmith's hammer?" Lyra cantered over to the display and retrieved the hammer. "It certainly suits you. Here, take a few practice swings!"
Iron Will sighed through his nostrils and shook his head. "No, Iron Will has not come for the hammer."
A brief flash of annoyance passed over Lyra's face. "Well," she said, "okay then, but don't blame me if you come back for it later and it's already been sold! You can't just sit on these kinds of things forever." She returned the hammer to its display and smiled, the lost sale apparently forgotten. "So what brings you in today?"
"News," the minotaur replied.
"What kind of news?" Bon Bon asked. She came around the counter and sat next to Lyra.
Iron Will picked up a fresh potato and briefly pretended to examine it before returning it to its display case. "Word on the street is that Canterlot could really use help clearing out some monsters from around the area. The kind of help that the Adventurer's Guild might be able to offer."
Lyra's ears perked up for a moment, then drooped back down. "That would be great news — if Rainbow Dash were around. Sadly, the only reliable member of the Guild that we know of is Scootaloo, and she's definitely not ready to handle monsters. I doubt she could even handle a slime!"
"We couldn't even handle a slime," Bon Bon muttered.
"Right. The little flying pony can't handle monsters," Iron Will said.
Bon Bon raised an eyebrow. "And your point is?"
The popping sound of Iron Will's knuckles cracking made Bon Bon jump slightly. Iron Will grinned. "Iron Will can handle monsters."
"But, you're not part of the—" Bon Bon began, then blinked and looked up excitedly. "Wait, you're not saying..." She looked at Lyra, who was beaming and hopping up and down.
"That's right, little ponies," Iron Will said. "Iron Will has decided to re-join the Adventurer's Guild."