Rarity awoke to the echoing voice of Baloo as he spoke over the intercom. “Wakey, wakey eggs and bacy; Cape Suzette dead ahead.”
Rarity rubbed the sleep from her eyes. “Hmm?” She stretched her legs straight out into the air, wincing as her joints popped. Sleeping upon an airplane’s seat was not as comfortable as she would have preferred and now she was dealing with a stiff back and stiff muscles. Grumbling as she walked, she approached the cockpit. “We’re here?”
“That we are.” Baloo answered. Rarity rubbed her eyes again before gazing out through the window. She gasped at the sight that lay before her. In the distance were immense cliffs that were separated by a single, thin canyon that apparently served as primary entry and exit point to Cape Suzette judging by the air traffic.
“By Celestia’s horn,” Rarity gasped. “I have never seen such a thing in all my life.” She stared in awe at the sheer volume of air traffic. Zeppelins, planes, hot-air balloons, and small single engine gliders were all fighting for their own space as they flew through the canyon.
“Oh honey,” Baloo laughed. “You ain’t seen nothing yet.” He waited his turn in the queue before bringing the SeaDuck expertly through the narrow canyon. He dodged the ongoing traffic, diving beneath a massive Zeppelin while narrowly missing a twin engine shipping plane that made the SeaDuck resemble a gnat in comparison. Rarity couldn’t keep from yipping in surprise with each narrow miss but it soon became apparent that Baloo knew exactly what he was doing. They made it through the canyon without incident.
“Welcome to Cape Suzette,” Bagheera said.
“It’s beautiful!” Rarity exclaimed. Indeed Cape Suzette was beautiful. A vast harbor city that started along the beaches and stretched out to the cliffs, Cape Suzette seemed to be a bustling metropolis. She could see small suburbia houses, towering skyscrapers, and busy ports filled to the brim with boats of various sizes and shapes. Despite being on the ocean, it seemed that the primary source of transportation came in the form of planes and horseless carriages. She had heard of such vehicles but has never been privy to actually seeing them. She found their smooth, slick designs to be a thing of beauty and elegance and her mind wandered to what the Canterlot Elite would think of her if they found out that she had gotten the chance to see such technological marvels. Oh how jealous they would be!
“Do you see that tower over there?” Bagheera said while pointing. Rarity looked in that direction.
“How could I miss it?” she gasped. The tower to which Bagheera was referring stood in the center of the city. It easily surpassed the tallest of skyscrapers; standing like some kind of cement god overlooking the rest of the buildings. “It’s huge!”
“That is Khan Towers.” Bagheera explained. “Mister Khan’s central headquarters. Incidentally, it acts as the heart and soul of Cape Suzette.
“Khan owns that?” Rarity gasped.
“No,” Bagheera correct. He spread his front legs to encompass the entire city. “He owns Cape Suzette.”
Rarity’s jaw dropped. “What?” she exclaimed.
“That he does,” Baloo agreed. “Ol’ Khany has his claws in several pies.” Baloo blinked. “That sounds really good actually. Hey Baggs, can we…”
“No Baloo, we can’t.” Bagheera growled. “We have a schedule to keep.”
Baloo sulked.
“You see,” Bagheera went on explaining. “Mister Khan owns the banks and the banks are responsible for the loans that every businesscreature starts. If you ever start up an account in our banks, you are indirectly starting an account with Khan himself. There is not a single dollar that exchanges paws here that Khan hasn’t owned at one point in his life.”
Rarity felt a wave of nausea rise from within her gullet. “I had no idea.”
“Now do you see what I meant when I said I’ve seen royalty bow down to him? Whereas Princes and Princesses can control their own territory, Khan controls entire nations. A single command could create an embargo that can literally shut down an entire city within weeks; all without having to leave his office. A single swipe of the pen and he can create empires or bring cities to their knees. “ Bagheera could not keep the admiration out of his voice.
“How could anycreature be trusted with so much power?” Rarity frowned.
It was Baloo who answered. “We don’t trust him,” he said in a surprisingly bitter tone. “But what choice do we have?” He shook his head.
“Khan isn’t a tyrant,” Bagheera clarified. “He keeps the price of living reasonable and he never backs out of a deal. He holds himself responsible for any and all failures that rise up as well as giving credit to those who deserve it.” Bagheera shot Baloo a look. “You of all bears should know this.”
“You do?” Rarity asked.
“I saved Khany’s life once,” Baloo said in an embarrassed tone. “And in exchange he gave me anything I wanted. I, uhm, kind of made an ass of myself.”
“Kind of?” Bagheera laughed. “You asked the most powerful buisnesscreature in the world for a ping-pong table!”
Rarity chuckled. “Oh Baloo.”
Baloo flushed. “Anyway,” he said while raising his voice. “I suggest you buckle up. We are going to land in a few minutes.”
“As much as I would like too, I cannot take you to your hotel right away. Mister Khan has been eagerly waiting your arrival and he wanted to see you the moment you arrived.”
Rarity’s eyes widened. “I cannot see such an impressive creature looking like this! I need time to do my mane, prepare a dress, and apply make-up!”
“You look fine,” Bagheera reassured her. “Besides this is an informal meeting; a meet and greet if you will. It will only take a few minutes. Your actual business meeting will be tomorrow morning.”
“I-I guess?”
“Don’t worry. You’ll do fine.”
Rarity did not feel fine. In fact, she felt absolutely terrified. She could not remember a time in her life that compared to the fear she felt at this very moment. Normally when she was about to meet somepony of high importance, she felt on top of the world but not here. Not now.
She remembered the first time Celestia had invited her and her friends into the castle. She remembered how welcoming the castle had looked with its polished marble floors, beautiful tapestries, tinted windows, and bright colors. Khan’s office was the complete opposite. The walls were bare except for a large steel circle with a stylized K in its center. There were no paintings, no tapestries; nothing but naked, cold cement. The floor was just as cold; dark marble without a single rug or carpet to accent its lifeless gray color. Khan’s waiting room was just as bare. Only a single couch (blood red) stood off to the side for guests to sit. There was also the receptionist’s desk where an elderly female shrew sat. Despite her tiny body and age, she was able to hop around the desk, answering phones, taking down notes, and setting up appointments with very little trouble at all. However, while she may look like the sweet grandmotherly type, Mrs. Snarly lived up to her name. She was no-nonsense and several times Rarity witnessed her snarling at people over the phone. She spared not a glance in Rarity’s direction, only gesturing for the purple-maned to sit and be quiet upon her arrival.
Rarity did not have long to wait, however, before the two massive red doors leading into Khan’s office opened. Mrs. Snarly snapped his tiny claws to catch Rarity’s attention. “He will see you now.” She squeaked. Rarity felt as if her heart was about to leap from her chest as she stepped from the lobby into Khan’s personal office. The doors closed behind her causing her to jump slightly. She glared over her shoulders towards the doors before turning around to examine the vast office.
The first thing that came to mind was the sheer lack of lighting. The room was very dark save for a single beam of bright light that emanated from the windows in front of her. It took her a moment to realize that this set-up was designed so that Khan could see whoever it was who was entering his office before their eyes had a chance to adjust to the lighting.
The second thing she noticed was the foliage that lined the pathway leading up to Khan’s desk. A garden had been installed on either side of the pathway; a garden of tropical plants and twisting vines. There was not a single flower to be had in this garden instead a bunch of strange leafy plants that seemed to bulge at the end. Rarity stared at these bulges in wonder. Was it her imagination or did some of these plants have mouths? She shook the idea out of her head. Plants with mouths. How absurd!
Finally there was Khan himself. He was sitting on his haunches his back turned to her. He was gazing out the window, his shadow stretching the length of the room. Even as she stepped into his shadow, she felt the temperature in the room drop a few degrees as if his very presence scared the heat away. She refused to allow her nerves to get the better of her. She was Rarity for Celestia’s sake! One of the most important ponies in the fashion industry and she would not allow any creature to intimidate her. Taking a deep breath, Rarity stopped just behind Khan’s desk and cleared her throat. “Mister Khan?” she said in what she hoped was a strong tone of voice “You asked to see me?”
“Hmm.” He turned around. Rarity felt a shiver of fear rise within her stomach as she finally came eye-to-eye with Khan. She had expected another panther like Bagheera but in reality Khan was a massive tiger. His face, like most of his body, was orange with black stripes but beneath his chin following down the center of his throat and beyond was white. His yellow eyes gleamed in the dimly lit room and he wore a tight fitting black business suit with a white collared shirt beneath. A red tie completed the ensemble. She could see that his body was bulging with muscles which would have been something she would be more curious in seeing if it weren’t for the fact that she only came up to his stomach in terms of height. Even sitting on his haunches, Khan towered over her. “You are Rarity?” his voice was low, growling, with a Canterlot-sounding accent.
She forced herself to relax. “I am.” She answered.
Khan approached his desk, his paws making not a sound as he walked forward. He sat down before pulling out a manila envelope from a drawer. He opened it and began to flip through the information it contained. “Twenty five years old. Ponyville resident with contacts in Canterlot.” His perfectly shaped eyebrow rose. “One such contact being that of Princess Celestia and Princess Cadence.” He lowered the file to look into Rarity’s eyes. “To have the ear of royalty one must be quite important.” His voice remained neutral, not a hint of admiration or curiosity within. He looked back to the file. “Started working in fashion as a filly and has currently sold dresses to some of Canterlot’s more prestigious designers.” He closed the folder and set it down upon his desk. “Ms. Rarity, do you know why I have called you here?”
She repressed the urge to lick her lips. “I imagine,” she said in a strong voice. “That you wish to sponsor my work. After seeing all of this, however, I must admit that I am not s confidant in that fact.”
“Khan Industries deals in a lot of different business ventures,” Khan explained. “And the fashion industry is no exception. Your work has captured the attention of several of my colleagues and they have come to the decision that your talents are being wasted.” He removed several photographs from the folder. She recognized the dresses in the photos as all outfits she had designed. “My colleagues wish to expand your brand to the rest of the world.” His eyes narrowed into slits. “I on the other paw do not know if you are worth the effort.”
Rarity felt as if he had just slapped her across the face. “Excuse me?” she gasped, trying to keep her temper in check.
“You are a nobody.” He said matter-of-factly. “You have talent and you have gotten lucky with some of your designs, but you have yet to land a serious business deal. You do not have a brand. You run a small boutique out of your home that services bumpkins more so than the clientele that matters.” His voice lowered to a faint growl. “I do not have time to waste on nobodies.”
Rarity felt her ears twitch in irritation but she kept her voice calm. “Mister Khan,” she spoke in an even tone. “With all due respect, I did not travel for nearly a day to be insulted. While it is true that my business is not as expansive as others, my work has constantly been a grade above others. I have been given several opportunities to join forces with some of the most renown designers in Equestria and I have turned down each one of their offers because I did not believe that it meet my personal standards. Yes this may have not been in the best interest for my business but I would rather work out of my home than jeopardize my work.” She stared unflinching into Khan’s yellow eyes. “So I may be a nobody, but I am a nobody who produces quality over quantity and at the end of the day I would rather create something that I am proud of instead of garbage produced to make a quick bit.”
Khan clasped his front paws together in front of him. He stared deep into Rarity’s eyes, unblinking, without moving. Rarity heard stories about how predators could become as still as statues but she had never experienced it until this very moment. His chest wasn’t even moving though she could hear the faint whisper of his breathing as he inhaled and exhaled through his nostrils. Finally, after what felt like a lifetime, he spoke. “You will present a single dress by three o’clock tomorrow for my colleagues and me to review. I expect a list of materials used and the cost it takes to produce such a dress. A presentation shall also be written explaining the inspiration for the dress and your target audience.” He rose up onto all fours. “I look forward to seeing what you present.” Without another word, Khan turned around to return to his sky-gazing. Rarity blinked in surprised, unsure whether to thank him or leave without another word. She stammered out a shocked ‘Thank-You’ before leaving the shadowy office.
As she stepped into the elevator that would bring her to the ground floor, she felt as if her bones had been replaced with rubber but once the moment of fear had passé, she released a loud whoop of delight. “I did it!” she screamed within the confines of the elevator. Then the realization of her task dawned upon her. “Oh Celestia,” she gasped. “I have a lot of work to do!” she began pounding her hoof against the Lobby button of the elevator. “Hurry, hurry, hurry, hurry!”
She had a lot of work to do and very little time to do it.