Lyra's Ultimate Item Emporium

by Thunderbug80

Chapter 26 - Payback

Lyra had only just opened up shop the next morning when Iron Will returned from his contract. She set down the brass plate she had been polishing and greeted him with a smile.

"Oh hey, Iron Will! Welcome to the shop. I'm sorry I can no longer offer you that blacksmith's hammer. Somepony else bought it. But hey, I guess that's the chance you take when you spend too much time thinking over a purchase instead of just outright buying it!"

Iron Will nodded absently and withdrew a coin purse, which he then gave to Lyra.

"You do know that you don't have to give us your contract earnings, right?" Bon Bon said as she finished putting change in the register. "Not that we're complaining, of course. It's been an enormous help." She looked at him and did a double take. She raised her eyebrows. "Uh, long night?"

"Several," the minotaur replied. He looked down at the various scratches on his arms and legs, and the stains in his clothing. "Nothing Iron Will couldn't handle," he said firmly. He busied himself with examining some of the latest items to go on sale. He seemed to be relaxed, but everypony in the room knew the other reason for his visit.

It was collection time.

Lyra was busy counting the contract payment when a group customers came into the store, so Bon Bon hurried over to serve them. By the time Lyra finished, she had counted the payment three times. A small frown was on her face.

Iron Will said, "Is there—ahem, Iron Will means to say... this week's payment—"

"There's enough," Lyra replied, and Iron Will's muscles immediately relaxed. She frowned again, however. "I can make the payment, but just barely." She shook her head. "I overestimated how much we would bring in these past few days. I had planned to have a nice buffer of several thousand bits for next week's payment but..." She trailed off, clearly upset at her miscalculations.

"How much extra do you have? If you don't mind Iron Will asking, that is."

Lyra stared at the floor. "Less than a hundred bits. I-I don't even know where I went wrong. Business has been as great as we expected. The contract money has helped immeasurably. I mean, I ate a few extra hayburgers the other day, but that shouldn't—"

Lyra was cut off by Iron Will's hand covering her muzzle. She looked down at it, slightly cross-eyed, before Iron Will removed his hand.

"Sorry. You made this week's payment," was all he said.

Lyra blinked up at Iron Will. A moment later, her smile returned.

"You know what? You're right. We did make this week's payment." The old, familiar look of determination returned to her face. "I did it last week, I've done it this week, and by Celestia, I'll do it for—" she looked thoughtful "—um, how many more payments do I need to make, actually? I can not believe I never asked that before."

Iron Will grinned. "One."

Surprises can be wonderful things. Under the right circumstances, they can bring even the most crestfallen of ponies to smile. And as it would happen, these were the right circumstances for Lyra Hearstrings.

Lyra's jaw dropped. "One!? I... I thought it would be at least two more. You know, like a 'you've got a month to pay this off' kind of thing. Really it would make more sense that way. Kind of a missed opportunity there, but you get what I—"

Her words were cut off by an enormous crash, followed by a shriek and several astonished gasps.

And so it must be pointed out that not every surprise is wonderful. Truth be told, many surprises can be outright awful. The sort of thing that can bring the even the most jovial of ponies to tears. Naturally, it should go without saying that this new surprise was one of those kind.

Lyra looked toward the commotion and her eyes grew wide.

"Oh no..." she whispered.

---

Lyra nudged onlookers out of the way with her head as she made her way towards a fallen display case. Merchandise that had been displayed upon it now lay broken and scattered across the floor. It was what was trapped underneath the case that bothered her the most.

Lying with her hind legs pinned under the fallen display case, tears streaming from her face, was Diamond Tiara. Lyra was by her side in a heartbeat.

"Oh my goodness, are you alright?" She looked around and quickly assessed the situation. "I need to get this off of you. Are you okay with me doing that?"

A weak nod.

Lyra moved into position and, after a moment's hesitation, Bon Bon came over to assist. Together they very carefully moved the display off the young pony's legs and set it aside. Lyra swept away broken glass with her hoof and asked Bon Bon to help keep the other customers clear. Bon Bon made to say something, but Lyra's attention was back on Diamond Tiara, so she remained silent and did as she was asked.

"How did this happen?" Lyra asked. Her mind was racing with ideas on how such a thing could have occurred. None of the displays had ever shifted or seemed unstable before, so she was at a complete loss.

Diamond caught her breath between sniffles and said, "I-I don't know. I... I admit I was here looking for items my father's shop doesn't carry and... I heard a noise, and before I could move..." her eyes then welled up with more tears and she became silent.

At that moment, the front door opened and a small, cloaked figure entered the shop. It only took a second for Scootaloo to take in what was going on before she rushed over to Lyra's side.

"D-Diamond?" she asked, her voice strained. "Oh my gosh, are you okay!?"

Diamond looked up, confusion showing on her face.

"S-scootaloo? Why would... you care that I-I'm hurt?"

Scootaloo blinked. "Of course I care! We might not see eye-to-eye, but I'd never want to see anypony hurt like this."

Lyra interjected. "Are you okay to stand up? It's okay if you can't. I'll get somepony to inform your father, and—"

"No!" Diamond shouted. Her ears laid back at the surprised looks on everypony's faces. "I-I don't want my father to know. He's... disappointed in me enough as it is. I... I'll be okay. I really don't want to cause any trouble." She took a moment to wipe a few tears away. "If... if there was a way to settle this without involving anypony else... I'd be okay with that if you were?"

At that moment Bon Bon appeared by Lyra's side. "Lyra, if I could borrow you for just a second." It was apparent by the look on her face that she considered it urgent, by Lyra held up a hoof.

"Okay," Lyra said. "If you don't want your father to know, I can keep it between us, though there were other customers in the store who might tell him anyway."

Diamond allowed a small smile. "It's okay. Father will believe you. He... respects you."

Lyra blinked with surprise, but quickly recovered. Diamond held out a hoof, which Lyra grasped and then helped the filly to stand up. Though her legs were a bit shaky, and she was bleeding from a small cut where the glass had gotten her, Diamond seemed no worse for wear. Lyra was surprised again when Diamond gave her a hug.

"So...um, what can I get for you to settle this without getting anypony else involved?" Lyra asked. "I still think your parents should know, but I'm happy to respect your wishes."

Diamond sat down and put a hoof to her mouth. "Well, I don't want to be a burden on anypony. I'm so sorry to cause any trouble..."

"Oh, it's no trouble at all! I'm just glad you're alright. And really, it's no problem."

A pause.

"I don't know... is a hundred bits too much to ask?"

"Lyra!" Bon Bon wasn't taking no for an answer this time. She lowered her head and nudged Lyra's bottom, pushing her until she was out of earshot of Diamond Tiara. A moment later, Scootaloo and Iron Will had joined them.

"This is why I've been trying to get your attention!" Bon Bon whispered. She glanced over at Diamond, gave an apologetic smile, then turned back to Lyra. "Lyra... I saw everything. That little brat was eavesdropping on your conversation with Iron Will. I didn't know what she was up to until just now. Lyra... she kicked that display over and onto herself on purpose! That's why she wants a hundred bits. She knows we won't be able to afford this week's payment without it!" She frowned and kicked at the floor. "Unfortunately I'm the only one who saw her do it. And I'm not about to call her out in front of customers. We'd look bad regardless of whether we're in the right or not!"

Lyra's and Scootaloo's eyes both widened simultaneously at this revelation, though Iron Will's narrowed dangerously. Lyra's mind went into action, trying to work out a solution.

Scootaloo, on the other hoof, sat down and stared at Diamond Tiara. Her face didn't show anger. It didn't show contempt. It showed concern.

"She's desperate," she whispered.

Bon Bon glanced towards Scootaloo. "I think you used the wrong word. 'Evil.' That's the word you're looking for, kid."

But Scootaloo wasn't backing down. "No. She's not evil. Not even I think that." She nodded towards the filly, careful not to look too obvious. "Look at her. She's bruised. Bleeding. And look there," she motioned again. "She's limping. Diamond really hurt herself more than she's letting on. That's not evil. That's desperation. There's more to this than just trying to shut this place down. That's part of it, but..."

Lyra nodded suddenly, though whether it was in response to Scootaloo, or simply to herself, nopony knew. She then walked over to Diamond. Scootaloo and Bon Bon followed, with Iron Will choosing to stay out of it.

"Deal," Lyra said.

Bon Bon made a sound, but bit her lip.

"R-really?" Diamond asked, as if uncertain. "If it's too much, I'll take less..."

"No," Lyra said. "One hundred bits is the least I can do for you. Please take it with my blessing, and I wish you a speedy recovery." She then leaned in and, before Diamond could react, gave her another hug. "I'm so sorry I can't do more for you right now."

Diamond was left speechless for a moment. She eventually recovered and, moving slowly, collected her payment and left. By then, the rest of the customers had cleared out. As the last pony exited the shop, Lyra took the 'Closed' sign and hung it on the front door early. There was a big mess to clean up, and it would be too late for any more selling once they finished.

She turned around slowly and met first Bon Bon's, then Scootaloo's, and finally Iron Will's gaze. She then sat on her haunches and sighed.

"I guess... this is it. I..." The rest of her words were cut off as tears began to roll down her face.

Bon Bon trotted over to her best friend and swooped her up in a hug. "Oh, Lyra. You did amazing! Nopony could ever deny that you were the best shopkeeper in all of Ponyville. Equestria, even! Don't you dare for a single moment think that you failed in any way."

As they parted, Lyra wiped her tears away and gave a small laugh. "Oh, Bon Bon. I wasn't crying over the shop. I was crying because I think Scootaloo is right about Diamond Tiara, and I meant what I said to her. I really do wish I could do something for her, but without a home I'll barely be able to help myself. Let alone, her!"

Bon Bon and Iron Will looked at each other, dumbfounded.

Scootaloo, however, had a different look on her face. She quickly walked over to where her saddlebags had been left and retrieved a large pouch. A moment later, she tossed it in front of Lyra where it made a large clinking noise. She spoke before anypony could react.

"Lyra Heartstrings, I knew you were awesome before, but this right here has proven to me once and for all that you're a pony I'm proud to work for. That's why I'm happy to donate all the bits I earned from this week's contracts directly to you. I've said it before, and I'll say it again. I am not going to let you lose your home!"

Bon Bon opened the pouch and did a quick estimate. "Scootaloo... this is more than double what Iron Will gave us!" Iron Will raised an eyebrow, but Bon Bon continued. "How in all of Equestria did you earn so much?"

Scootaloo beamed. "There's seven hundred and sixty bits in there. But... yeah." She blushed suddenly. "I guess I did have some help from a fellow guild member..." She reached into her cloak and withdrew a card, then gave it to Lyra.

Lyra immediately recognized the pony pictured on the card. She had already hired her, after all.

"I... I get to keep my shop. And Spitfire's an official guild member?" she asked. "Yayifications!"

Comments

[Malandy]

So many chapters, so soon!

And so many twists? Or at least big plots going on!

Cool!

And wow! Scoots' eval of Diamond! Nice! Along with how Lyra handled it!

----

Given how more realistic this scenario is handled, compared to how Recettear did it, I bet, that taking out a loan, maybe from the Ponyville Bank or something, to fulfill the Canterlot Debt, is a possibly viable option... Given how good she is at paying off the debt already, and owning a successful business is points in her ability to repay such a loan...

----

I wonder who bought the hammer...

[Flisky]

9222130
Scootaloo

In the comments of chapter 24:

Also of note, the blacksmith's hammer, which happens to have been the first item Lyra and Bon Bon ever obtained on an adventure, is the very same hammer Scootaloo is wielding in this chapter.

[Thunderbug80]

9222130
Scootaloo bought it. It was the first item Lyra and Bon Bon got on a contract, and an ongoing joke is that Lyra had been trying to sell it to Iron Will every time he stopped by.

[AyanamiRei]

Yayification indeed! <3

[Skarsnik]

yay

[Sollace]

Yayifications for another great chapter! This is currently the only fic that, when I see it's updated, I drop everything and immediately start reading.

[TheGreatEater]

Yayifications! Update!

[Alondro]

9222130 Thor. He needed a new one.

[djthomp]

Yayifications on the successful payment. Scootaloo best CMC.

[Alchemik]

Well, things are going well! Yayifications! *insert happy Lyra emoji*

[Dashie04]

9224545
She’s so adorable!

[Emperor]

= best CMC