Rarity looked over the paperwork, running the numbers one more time, just to be sure. It was, of course, all in order, just like the last half-dozen times she'd checked it.

She took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves. She was excited, but this was a big step, no doubt. She'd dreamed of this for years, and worked her tail off to get even this far, but now it all hung on this meeting here today.

"Ms. Rarity?" The clerk called a few minutes later, holding open a door into the bank offices. "Mr. Moneybags will see you now."

She was shown into an office inhabited by an old, gray-maned stallion. "Ms. Rarity?" His voice was gruff, hurried. The placard on the desk declared him the owner.

"Yes, sir, that would be me."

The old stallion harrumphed. "Very well, let's get this over with."

"Sir?"

"The business plan, missy. You want a loan, and so you're supposed to tell me all about your great plans while I pretend they matter, and then we can be done with this nonsense."

Rarity knew she might be fighting an uphill battle trying to get a loan for a new business in the current economy, but she hadn't expected to be dismissed before even discussing it.

"Now see here girl, I haven't got all day. Just get on with it. Tell me about your pom-poms or your cupcakes or whatever so I can get to lunch."

"No," Rarity said. It wasn't supposed to be like this at all.

"Excuse me?"

"No, I will not 'just get on with it' if you're going to dismiss me before I have even had a chance to speak."

"Fine, then leave. Makes no difference to me."

"No. I am here to apply for a business loan, and I will not be bullied into leaving until you consider my application properly."

"Listen here little girl. This isn't play time. While I'm sure your parents and teachers are oh so proud of your 'ideas,' I don't give a windigo's frozen testicle. We're here to make money, not fund your dollhouse."

"It is not a dollhouse!"

"Could've fooled me," Moneybags said, pointing at the building sketch on the folio. "Looks frou-frou as a filly's story book."

"Oh, that is it!" Rarity shouted, fuming as she slammed the folder down on the desk. "You are hearing this plan whether you want to or not."

The next twenty minutes were a near-steady stream of carefully annotated figures, graphs, charts, projections, estimates, building plans, economic forecasts, and risk factors. Mr. Moneybags, despite himself, was actually impressed.

"So though I may be young," Rarity concluded, "I am fully prepared, and have a twenty percent down payment ready."

"You saved up thirty-thousand bits on your own?"

"Yes, as I said."

"Not your parents money? All yours, at your age?"

"Sir, my age is irrelevant. To be blunt, I am very, very good at what I do, and plenty of ponies recognize that and are willing to pay quite handsomely for it."

"This is still a lot of money you're asking for. With property taxes and other expenses, you'd be decades paying this off. You sure you want to go all in on something so long term at your age? What will matter to you in ten years? Will you even still care about this frilly dress-up stuff?"

Rarity sighed. The old stallion just didn't get it. "This may be just a 'frilly' idea to you, but having my own boutique, my own business, is something I am quite serious about."

Moneybags' stomach rumbled. "Very well, I'll have my secretary draw up the paperwork."

It was the answer she'd been hoping to hear for weeks now, ever since the meeting was first scheduled. But...

"No," she said, steeling herself, worried she might regret the choice she was about to make.

"Excuse me?"

"No, you're right. I don't know what will matter to me in ten years. But I suddenly find myself quite certain that not being in debt to a pony like you will be near the top of the list."

"Why you ungrateful little bitch!"

Rarity burst out laughing. "Oh, thank you so much for that," she said, collecting her folio from the desk with a smile. "Now I won't even have to worry about regretting this!"

Humming a pleasant tune, Rarity felt light on her hooves as she trotted out of the bank and into the sunshine.