//------------------------------//
// Chapter 3 
// Story: Hard Pressed to Impress 
// by Calm Wind 
//------------------------------//

MLP: FIM
Hard Pressed to Impress
By: Calm Wind
Chapter 3:





Rarity was so lost in her spiraling thoughts that she didn’t realize the familiar winding path they now walked. It was one that she recognized quickly and had seen many times in the past, but never walked and never thought she would, despite her dream to live similar luxury compared to what lay at the end. 

They were on a direct course to the Rich Mansion, home of Ponyville’s most successful family. Rarity put together that “Richard” must be a nickname Fancy had for Filthy Rich. She felt slightly giddy to see the inside of the mansion, despite her little sister not being too fond of a certain filly that lived there too (and never shutting up about it).

“I was about to express my wonder that you know Filthy Rich, but then again it doesn’t surprise me at all given your status.” Rarity made small talk with noticeable unease in her voice. She was trying to act natural, something that tends to not actually LOOK natural if you have to try. Fancy was now well aware that something was amiss with his host. The signs were becoming clearer and clearer as the day went on. He kept his concern to himself however because he knew she’d be happy at the end of this whole ordeal. 

“I’ve known Richard since I was just a colt. He was a good friend of my late father.” His voice seemed poised to continue, but he paused uncomfortably after mentioning his father. Rarity was shocked. Fancy had clearly let the fact about his father slip by accident and also clearly didn’t want to go into detail. She decided to act like she hadn’t noticed and kept in stride despite having flinched slightly in surprise. Fancy regained his perfect composure very quickly however and continued, “he’s been a valuable part in the growth of all my businesses. The growth of a company can be heavily influenced by the quality of your contacts. Having known Richard for so long made him an easy choice, which also makes luck a very strong factor.”

Rarity could agree with that, she had brief interactions with many very important ponies in the recent past and they were almost all by chance. She was on the radar, but she just needed a little push for a big chance. Fancy was by far the most likely to support her, and again she was lucky because he just showed up at an opportune time. She just HAD to be sure she could convince him she was worth his time and money, which by now she was convinced would be impossible.

Rarity had only ever viewed the Rich mansion from a distance. She knew the building was impressive, but even the front yard was something out of her dreams. The approach was heavily decorated with two large hedges about twenty feet apart. There were two brick pathways, one against each hedge, flanking a wide reflecting pool that extended the entirety of the approach. Every ten feet along the center of the pool was a fountain that had four arching streams that shot forth in an X formation. The hedges themselves were adorned with roses all over, and parallel to every fountain in pool were two marble statues of ponies, one on each side. There were a total of six pairs of statues along the way. The first two were earth ponies, the second two were unicorns, and the third were pegasi, repeating the order once more up to the large, black bar fence surrounding the mansion itself. 

Rarity could help but gawk at all of it. Fancy almost seemed to barely take notice, but then again this was probably normal to him. That and she was sure this wasn’t the first time he’d been here. A well-dressed earth pony stood guard just beyond the gates. He looked the two of them over before speaking.

“Do you two have an appointment?” He asked in a stern, gruff tone. Rarity kept her mouth shut tight, feeling slightly intimidated by the guard. As far greeting went, he wasn’t very friendly about it. Fancy however, only smirked and looked right past him, up to a balcony over the front door of the mansion. He took a deep breath,

“LET ME IN YOU FILTHY PONY!!” He yelled, startling both the guard and Rarity. He smiled contently, but the guard didn’t see so amused.

“Sir, I’m afraid I have to ask you to le…”

“Hahaha! I know that voice anywhere!” Filthy Rich’s voice came from the balcony. The guard turned to see Rich smiling down at them, “Let that wise-stallion in, I’ve been expecting him.” He addressed the guard. The guard grunted and nodded, opening the gate and allowing them to proceed.

The entryway to the mansion was a pair of large doors up a flight of five steps. Rarity was already taking account of how much larger the place looked up close and personal, and was hoping she’d be prepared for what interior was like. Despite her efforts, she knew she’d be giddy on the inside to see the lifestyle of the rich and famous. 

Rarity had to fight freezing in place when she entered. It was about twenty times better than she initially imagined it. The entrance could almost be described as a red carpet ballroom. There WAS a large carpet (only blue instead of red) that ran from the entrance down a long path within the lobby with stone pillars on each side every ten feet. The pillars did not extend all the way to the high ceiling, they were merely there to decorate and guide the main walkway. The room extended much further on both sides. The carpet continued to a flight of stairs that only went up halfway to the second floor before splitting off left and right and continuing to top. Filthy Rich was already descending the stairs to greet them.

“Fancy! My boy, how are you?” They met at the bottom of the steps, bumped hooves and shared a brief embrace.

“Good as can be Richard! You’re looking well.” They exchanged pleasantries. Rarity felt stiffer than a rock. No matter how many times she had been around important ponies, until she earned that status she would be incredibly nervous around them. The nervousness was doubled in this case.

“Ah miss Rarity! I had no idea you were an acquaintance of Fancy Pants.” Rich suddenly addressed her, making her visibly twitch and perform a one inch hop inadvertently. Her hat slid down over her face, but she quickly pushed it back up without missing a beat.

“Oh, haha, yes! I bumped into Fancy in Canterlot while on business with Princess Celestia.” She strained a smiled, hoping neither would notice the small beads of sweat forming on her brow. 

“Oh I can imagine he jumped at the opportunity as soon as you mentioned the princess.” Rich smirked and glanced at Fancy who returned the smirk. “This stallion NEVER misses opportunities. But let’s not stand around down here, the mid-afternoon weather is lovely, I’ll have some refreshments brought to my balcony.” He beckoned them to follow. Rarity stayed close behind as the two engaged in small talk. Unfortunately it seemed like she wouldn’t get to see much of the mansion. The stairs lead to a mezzanine that wrapped all the way around the perimeter of the lobby, right to the balcony that Rich had shouted to them from. The blue carpet continued along the walkways, with large flower arrangements and long curtained windows decorating them. Rich said a few words to a butler before leading them out. The sun was lower in the sky, not quite setting yet, but close enough to give more or an orangish sky. It was a beautiful view forming over the hills and Sweet Apple Acres in the distance. 

There was a table set up that had a glass surface with a cast iron frame, shined to a sparkle. The table was empty, but the butler soon returned with a bottle of wine and three small glasses. 

Rarity gulped. She was not about to turn down a generous offer from an important pony like Filthy Rich, but as far as her tolerance went, well, let’s just say it DOESN’T go very far. One glass was usually all it took to make her a little “happy”. She already was straining herself to impress Fancy in some way. If she embarrassed herself on top of it all it would be THE WORST. POSSIBLE. THING.

“So Fancy, anything new in your business deals?” Rich’s voice snapped Rarity back to reality.

“Ever since I contracted the new housing project in Saddle Arabia, profits have soared.” Fancy smiled proudly as the butler finished pouring a modest amount of wine in his glass and headed for Rarity. She bit her lip as she watched the red wine swirl into the glass. They were given very small portions, but she was still hesitant.

“You took quick action on that deal. It may have been a tad risky, but I knew you’d pull that through.” Rich carefully took a sip of his wine. It was interesting to see an Earth pony drink from a wine glass. Without magic, he had to tip and balance it on his foreleg, but he made it look easy.

“Oh don’t be so modest Richard, I couldn’t have done it without you. I had no idea there was land up for sale or that there were housing problems in Saddle Arabia. Thanks to your greater knowledge of Equestria-wide news I was able to jump on it.” Fancy chuckled while taking a sip. “Mmm, this is La Mare Rouge pinot noir correct?” Fancy asked, raising an eyebrow. Rich smiled and nodded.

“Good catch, imported all the way from the Griffon Kingdom. A tad costly, but you must leave an impression on your finest guests.” Said Rich confidently.

“Too true.” Fancy agreed, taking another sip. Rarity thought it was over, but Fancy just determined the exact brand of a wine with a single taste. There was nothing. No weaknesses in his armor. No opportunity to jump at. Could she really be in the presence of the perfect pony? 

No. It was impossible to be perfect. In fact he had just mentioned how a recent success would have been nothing without the help of Filthy Rich. Fancy even mentioned that he wasn’t quite up to date on events all around Equestria. It was miniscule, barely anything, but it was something. Something that made him appear to be not COMPLETELY perfect. As little as it may have been, it gave her confidence that maybe she could still impress him… somehow.

“Well I’m glad I could help you out. Ah, it really takes me back. Your father and I would have surely crashed and burned without each other’s help.” He reminisced. Rarity stole a glance at Fancy while hovering her glass near her lips. Unlike before, he showed no change in demeanor. Either she just imagined it before or, more likely, Fancy was very good at learning from his slip ups.

“Speaking of you, Richard, I can’t pass up this chance. I’ve been reading about your recent successes. You’ve been here in Ponyville for quite a few years now. I love this town, but admittedly it isn’t that much in terms of big business, how are you turning out these massive profits?” Fancy and Richard continued to talk business.

Rarity finally took a sip of her wine. It was purposely small, but she still winced a bit. The flavor was tart with a bitter aftertaste. However the two effects were perfectly mixed. It was definitely the best wine she had ever tasted, but she was afraid to take more than a few sips. A little liquid confidence, while possibly helpful in her current state, could backfire severely. She wasn’t willing to take that chance.

“The answer is simple Fancy, and you can see it from here.” Rich motioned a hoof off his balcony towards Sweet Apple Acres. “The Apple family’s secret recipe, Zap Apple Jam.” Fancy lifted an eyebrow with interest. Rarity was surprised, wondering how Applejack’s family had to do with Filthy Rich’s success. 

“Oh, do go on, I’m curious.” Fancy beckoned. Rarity took a look at Fancy. His demeanor had changed drastically. It had changed from his casual look to a strict analytical one. It didn’t surprise her in the slightest. A pony of his knowledge was surely good at paying attention and absorbing information. Rich continued,

“Since my family first established an estate here in Ponyville, our ancestors have always purchased Zap Apple Jam from the Apple family. It is a very unique product that has been produced by their Ponyville farm for three generations now. I admit to being quite a fan of it myself.” He left the table and walked towards the balcony edge. “However I felt there was more to be gained from this amazing delicacy, so I offered the Apples a proposal. I would take half of their stock and export it to far off places around Equestria. In places as far as the griffin kingdom and Saddle Arabia such a product is worth triple what they sell it for locally. We split the earnings two to one. They get 66% of the profits from my sales, and I keep 33% as compensation for exporting their goods. It has been beneficial for both of us. I do believe Sweet Apple Acres is planning to build some new high end additions to their farm with some of the recent earnings. I myself have enjoyed a good share of the profits, and have found reason to stick around this peaceful location for longer periods of time.” He ended with a smile.

“Clever,” Fancy rubbed his chin, “tell me, how much did last year’s shipment turn out?” 

“This year was especially profitable. About nine million bits.” Rich recited with pride. 

Rarity was mid sip, and nearly dumped the entire glass into her mouth as he revealed the value. If she did the numbers right in her head, that meant Applejack came away with six million bits. She knew that the farm was expensive to run and most of that would go into maintenance and other expenses, but Applejack had mentioned that they had saved up enough for new buildings. On the other side Filthy Rich mad three million in one business transaction. She had never even made a fraction of that much money total in her entire career thus far. If she had that many bits she could turn Carousel Boutique into a department store. Then she realized that while her thoughts were spinning through it all, she had accidentally drunk the full glass. She looked at the empty glass, mortified. She hoped the alcohol content wasn’t too high, because in a minute or two she was going to feel it.

“My, that IS quite a profit,” Fancy smirked, “I expect no less from my father’s partner in crime.” Rich returned to the table and finished his glass.

“Your father was a wise man Fancy. Most others in our field would have taken one look at Sweet Apple Acres and scoffed. You have to be willing to believe in ponies, and keep an eye out for the little things that have opportunities in them,” Rich turned to Fancy as he finished his glass as well, “Your father was the champion of risk takers, but he never did it blindly. You remember his favorite saying I’m sure.” 

“Of course,” Fancy smiled, glancing out towards the sun as it began to set, “The most valuable gems are always where you least expect them.”

Rarity took in the words and thought to herself. Both Fancy and Rich were unlike most ponies of high status. They both followed a firm belief that anypony is capable of success no matter what their status or function. It was both refreshing and inspiring. She went to rest a hoof on the table, but missed and wobbled in her seat. She yelped quietly as she regained her balance. Luckily, Fancy and Rich were to lost in nostalgia to notice, but she was panicking. The alcohol content in that wine was definitely high. She wasn’t drunk, but with her lack of any tolerance to speak of even the small amount was enough to make her feel a little dizzy. Not to mention she accidentally pounded it while her mind was trailing off on the sheer amount of money being handled with ease.

Rarity grimaced at her situation and began drilling herself on how to handle it. She had to focus. She had to concentrate, put thought into what she said before speaking, and most of all, try not to get too happy. She was known for being very giggly and talkative should she get a drink or two. This was NOT how she wanted to be while trying to give her best impression.

“Well, we should be on our way.” Fancy broke Rarity from her worrying as he checked his pocket watch, there’s something else I have to take care of before calling it a night early. I have to catch the morning train back to Canterlot tomorrow.” 

“It was good to see you again Fancy, you’re always welcome here. And you too Miss Rarity, any friend of Fancy Pants is a friend of mine.” Rich shook hooves with Fancy as he acknowledged her. She felt like she had just been sitting there and not really a part of their interaction, but this was the one case of the day where she was more of a guest than the host. She felt Rich’s offer generous and one she might take up in the future if/when she felt less intimidated by important ponies. Sweetie Belle might protest, but Rarity wasn’t about to let a personal vendetta of her little sister get in the way of luxury.


---To be Continued---