As a fashionista with years of experience under her belt, Rarity had seen a wide variety of people walk through the doors of her boutique. Businessfolk, athletes, musicians, bikers, a certain Princess of Friendship, police officers, and more besides. Why, she even had the honor of helping Mayor Mare herself purchase a marvelous ensemble fit for her political meetings! However, Rarity had never seen a customer quite like the one she and Coco were ushering into the main shopping area: A silent woman draped in mystery! She was able to get over the initial shock and conduct herself appropriately, though. She was, after all, a lady of class, and she was not one to turn down a customer. Regardless, Rarity could not stop herself from gazing at the woman's outfit, even as she committed the chill from a moment ago to memory. This unique assortment of clothing had gotten the tailor's initial attention with ease, but it also revealed a troubling aspect of its owner. If she were to describe this aspect, it would be natural quiet intimidation. The hat, goggles, and bandages, she found, did a great job of bringing this aspect to life. Combine all of that with the way the woman walked and it was clear to Rarity that she was faced with someone who could make multiple people shake in their boots with her presence alone. As Rarity and Coco guided the customer to the center of the shop, Rarity looked at her co-worker and friend to find that she was quite nervous, her arms shaking slightly. Rarity could feel her own reigned in nerves, so she couldn't blame her counterpart. But, she could also tell that Coco was refusing to buckle under the stress, much to her pride. Still, she made the mental decision to be at her friend's side while tending to the customer, if nothing else but to help her charge get through this situation. Once they stopped at their destination and took a step back (two in Coco's case), Rarity took this chance to try to break the ice with the new patron in the hopes of calming her friend and getting the ball rolling at the same time. She looked right at the intimidating woman and began by greeting her while putting her well honed sense of lady-like propriety to good use;

"Welcome to Carousal Boutique, where everything is chic, unique, and très magnifique!"

The woman of mystery responded by slowly tipping her sizeable hat to both ladies with her right hand in utter silence. Rarity could always appreciate a polite greeting, even if it did come off as intimidating. Before she could say anything else, however, the customer reached into her right pants pocket, pulled out a smartphone, and began tapping and swiping on its screen with her right gloved index finger. The pair of fashionistas watched her out of pure curiosity, with Rarity opting to look upon her with a tailor's eye;

"Applejack would most definitely approve of the hat, given her appreciation for such headwear. It makes me think of fashionable wandering rogues," she thought to herself before narrowing her focus on the woman's face;

"No doubt there are stories behind the bandages and goggles. I certainly cannot imagine the awful ordeal the poor dear must have gone through to need that voice box."

She then lowered her focus onto the orange shirt and pants, her eyes shining slightly with recognition;

"The rest of her garments give the impression that she is a former prisoner. Perhaps, she has recently finished her sentence?"

Before Rarity could ponder further, the woman stopped messing with her phone and reached out to the tailor with her right hand to show her the screen. It depicted a notepad app with two typed sentences;

I need a new shirt, pants, and boots. Do NOT change anything else.

Rarity read the sentences twice before noting in her mind;

"Text-based communication, and yet, her voice box should allow her to speak vocally. I will not judge, of course."

With the noted requirements in mind, she turned around and walked over to the door that led to the stairs while happily telling the customer and Coco;

"Wait here, you two, I must get the measuring tools!"

Before Coco could so much as 'eep' in fear, Rarity walked through the door and closed it behind. There, the young fashionista stood, nearly within striking distance of a woman who was equal parts mysterious and menacing. She shivered slightly before looking away from her out of nervousness and fear. Just then, music began to play from the speakers that hung high on the walls in several spots through the boutique. At this point, hearing music at all was enough to calm Coco's nerves, this song in particular having begun with an intro that combined a confident electric guitar with soft electronic sounds. As the intro played, she dared to look at the customer again, only to find that she was gazing up at one of the speakers in silence;

"Maybe she's a music fan?" Coco pondered, hoping to find some measure of common ground with her. Within moments, the song's singer began to perform;

Power... Was all I desired.

At the precise moment when the voice of Sunset Shimmer echoed from the speakers, the mysterious customer's hands instantly tightened into fists. Fists that shook with a rapidly growing anger that, internally, she was trying to keep reigned in;

"That... voice..." she thought while mustering no small amount of self control. The continuation of the song did not help matters much;

But all that grew inside of me

was a darkness I acquired.

"Control... Stay in control!" the woman told herself with mental authority, even as one terrible memory after another flashed before her eyes. Other than her shaking fists, no other part of her body moved an inch. Coco, having witnessed all of this transpire, didn't have to be an expert socialite to recognize that she was angry. No, furious! Yet, Coco was confused;

"Why would that song make her act this way?" she wondered. Coco had never heard this song before, but she didn't sense any danger from it or its lyrics. The irate woman before her, however, was sending warning signs that screamed to her mind 'call Rarity now'! She was about to do exactly that when the doorbell rang again and the door opened. This, much to Coco's relief, had gotten the customer's immediate attention, distracting her from both the song and her anger. Now, most people would have been taken aback by the sight of a person who bore an appearance as menacing as hers suddenly gazing upon them.

However, Pinkie Pie was not like most people.

Pinkie Pie ran over to the woman before leaning towards the her face with a narrow, inspecting glare. Coco quietly, and nervously, gazed at the pair. With a soft hum and her right hand holding her chin, Pinkie inspected the oddly dressed customer for a good three seconds. After that, she loudly gasped while hopping in place, her eyes wide with shock. Right after landing, she loudly expressed her shock with words delivered at a rapid-fire pace;

"I've never met you before and I've met lots of people in Canterlot City! Which means you're a visitor, which also means-"

Pinkie gasped again, this time with a longer inhale than before, and declared;

"I haven't thrown you a 'Welcome to Canterlot City' party yet!"

Coco was, in a word, stunned. In all her life, she had never encountered someone as explosively energetic as Pinkie Pie before! The customer was also stunned, but she deftly kept that feeling internalized so that she could stand as stiff as a statue while looking right at Pinkie. While this whole encounter was taking place, Rarity had returned to the main shopping area while holding measuring tools in both hands. She walked over to stand with Coco at her right side, her presence alone helping to ease her charge's mind. With a soft titter, Rarity noted;

"Oh, such lovely timing."

She then walked over to her pink friend before greeting her with polite sweetness;

"A fine good evening to you, darling!"

Pinkie gave her friend a bright smile and an enthusiastic wave before turning her attention to Coco. Within moments of doing so, Pinkie gasped again before running up to her and exclaiming with glee;

"Oh my gosh! You must be Rarity's new co-worker and childhood friend!"

With no restraint whatsoever, she began to bounce around a positively stunned Coco while speed-talking out of pure excitement;

"My name is Pinkie Pie and I'm Rarity's friend too! I haven't thrown a party for you either, Coco! But, I'll solve that problem really soon, you'll see! Oh, we're gonna have so much fun-"

Rarity, with firm grace, grabbed her excited pink friend by her shoulders and told her sweetly;

"Pinkie, darling, we can discuss party-related matters later. Coco and I have fashion duties to attend to!"

Her words were enough to get Pinkie's attention and calm her down, which prompted Rarity to release her. She then looked over at the stiff customer and the stunned Coco before declaring with a friendly gleam in her eyes;

"Ladies, allow me to introduce you to one of my dearest friends and Canterlot City's foremost party planner: Pinkie Pie."

Pinkie waved at them both while giving them one of her famous giant smiles. Coco's mind was somewhat soothed by her natural cheer. How this happened, she could not figure out for the life of her. As for the customer, the distraction provided by Pinkie had calmed her fury enough for her to keep it safely managed. She gazed at Pinkie Pie with a considerably narrow glare that her goggles kept hidden from sight. In silence, she pondered;

"This one is fueled by either genuine positivity or something else entirely. Both, perhaps?"

Before the woman could blink, Pinkie zoomed up to her and slowly moved her right index finger up to her bandaged nose. Coco was about ready to yell at the peppy girl to stop her from accidentally inciting the customer's wrath, especially since a certain song was still playing;

Like a phoenix burning bright in the sky,

I'll show you another side of me you can't deny!

Amazingly, the woman was too focused on Pinkie's odd behavior to notice the music. The party planner slowly poked her nose and declared with the playfulness of a child;

"Boop!"

As far as Coco was concerned, Pinkie had accidentally pushed the detonate button on a living anger bomb! But, before she could try to prevent an explosion, she heard Rarity titter jovially. Looking over at her with an incredulous expression, she saw that the fashionista had the demeanor of a woman who saw no trouble in the situation whatsoever. Rarity looked at Coco and, with a knowing smirk, told her with a calming voice;

"Watch for a moment, darling. Trust me."

As frightened as she was, Coco knew she could trust her friend. So, she hesitantly held herself back while watching what was going to happen next. The customer said nothing and, for a good few seconds, did nothing in response to being booped. An old and powerful memory flashed in the woman's mind, one that inflamed certain strong emotions within her. The woman's wrappings and goggles, combined with self-control, hid any facial expressions she would have otherwise revealed. All of this pushed her to make a decision. Both ladies were still for two seconds before the woman brought out her right hand, slowly reached for Pinkie's nose with her right index finger and booped it in return. Being booped was enough to make her giggle while gently holding her nose with her right hand. Rarity chuckled before declaring with a beaming grin;

"Oh, darlings, you are lighting up the shop with your sweetness!"

Pinkie's giant smile, somehow, got even bigger after she got booped. Much to Coco's utter confusion, her poofy pink hair became slightly more saturated than it was before. Of course, hearing Rarity's voice stopped her from tackling the customer with an almost bone-crunching hug;

"Pinkie, could you be a dear and watch over my office for a bit? Coco and I must get our customer an updated ensemble," she suggested to her in a dignified manner. Pinkie saluted Rarity before zooming to the stairs, leaving a pink trail in her wake and closing the door behind her. The silent woman stood back up and watched Pinkie as she left while gently rubbing her booped nose with her right hand. Coco's fear was no where near as strong as it was before, thank to Rarity's strange friend. Of course, there was still the matter of helping the customer get new clothes, hopefully without her getting seriously angry. Again.

It didn't help Sunset's song was still being played in the boutique. But, it seemed like the bandaged woman was not actively listening to it. For the moment. After Rarity walked over to her and took a few minutes to get her measurements, she declared in a graceful and excited manner while placing her tools on the cashier's desk;

"Come along then, darling. Coco and I shall help you shine!"

Without further ado, Rarity briskly returned to the woman, took her by the hand, and guided her through the shop. Coco gulped upon seeing this, her fear rising to the surface again as she followed the pair. She tried oh so hard to look at Rarity and not at the menacing silent figure she was escorting. The trio moved over to the lines of shelves that held shirts in abundance and a wide variety. Soon enough, Rarity had begun searching the shelves for the clothing that would best fulfill the customer's request. Checking each shelf she could reach, she carefully inspected the garments they held. Coco helped by checking the shelves that her boss had yet to reach, if nothing else but to keep her frightened mind busy while still being of help. Sadly, they were finding that a lot of the clothing present were not suited to their needs;

"Too bright... much too soft... good colors but the thickness of the fabric simply won't do," Rarity noted to herself as she worked. Sometimes, she would pull some clothing out from a shelf to get a feel for the textures before carefully putting it back. Other times, however, she would simply inspect clothing with her eyes before rejecting them and moving on. Coco did very much the same things, only with a hint of nervousness and fear in her voice;

"T-this one is colorful, b-but it would clash with the bandages... This one is q-quite dark, but there's too much red m-mixed in..."

The poor girl was amazed she didn't drop any articles of clothing out of rattled nerves! Sometimes, she would listen closely while working, in case the mysterious woman exhibited any audible signs of danger. Nothing of the sort came up though, for she maintained her silent demeanor. Whilst she and Rarity worked, the song echoed without pause throughout the room;

Ambition... is what I believed

To be the only way to set me free.

Once she finished with her fourth shelf, Coco used a great deal of courage to turn around and check on the customer. She quickly saw that she had taken notice of a bunch of jackets that were hanging in a circle on one of the racks nearby. Coco watched with a shaky breath as the woman browsed the lineup of jackets before catching sight of a dark gray one made of faux-leather. Slowly, the woman took the jacket's sleeve into her gloved hands and rubbed it with her fingers to get a feel for its texture. Coco, with a gulp, couldn't help but think;

"How does she look so intimidating while checking out clothes?!"

Evidently, Rarity had also taken notice of the customer's behavior, for she had noted with polite enthusiasm while walking passed Coco and over to her;

"Ah yes, jackets such as that one are quite popular among the rebellious in our fair city. Note the round silver buttons that dot the front of the collar."

The woman checked the collar and quickly found the buttons in question, which were sewn into the fabric in a vertical line on each side. She inspected them while Rarity continued;

"I find that the buttons serve as a simple, yet effective way to make the jacket stand out when surrounded by matching colors without overtaking other aspects of an outfit."

The customer gazed at the jacket for a few seconds longer, as if pondering her choice, before taking it off of its rack with both hands. With grace, Rarity took the jacket out of her hands, carefully folded it up, and looked over at Coco. With a smile, she asked her;

"Could you be a dear and fetch for us one of the large shopping bags, please?"

Coco nodded and rushed over to the bags, which were neatly stashed in a large box under the cashier's desk. She was internally, and visibly, grateful to have this chance to clear her head and do a good job at the same time. After obtaining a bag, she brought it over to Rarity, who placed the jacket inside of it without letting the clothing lose its neatness. With a similar level of care, Coco took the bag back to the desk and placed it there while Rarity guided the woman over to another rack, this one holding a whole circle of shirts that consisted of various colors and designs. A still nervous Coco opted to watch from the desk as her boss explained to their customer with practiced skill and grace;

"Of course, even the smashing style exuded by a faux-leather jacket can only be strengthened by a proper undershirt. Since dark gray is clearly an important part of your color scheme, your undershirt should reflect that."

She sighed dramatically before adding;

"Oh, but using just that color would make the shirt blend in and that would simply not do. Additional colors, such as those used by a stylish design on the front, will make it pop!"

The woman said nothing while slowly crossing her arms.

"Her muscular, dark, bandaged, and menacing arms," Coco thought with a fearful shiver. All of her instincts told her that there was something more to those arms than what her eyes could discern. Something dangerous. Still, this woman was not causing any harm, so Coco felt no need to sound the alarm. As frightened as she was, she would not dare to ruin a potentially good sale for Rarity out of terror. So, she kept her eyes peeled on both women as Rarity browsed through the shirts on the rack. It took her a good ten seconds to find one that caught her eye, which she expertly pulled off of the rack by its hanger and turned it to let the customer see its front. She then explained with a beaming smile that could only come from her excitement over showing off interesting clothing;

"This one depicts a most chilling example of artistic contrast: the head of a man draped in a hood while nearly covered in a ghostly green hue. Note the green glow along the outlines of the hood and the head. Well, half of the head, to be precise."

From Coco's vantage point, she could not see the artwork on the shirt. But, she had worked in the boutique long enough to have seen it before and it always looked too spooky for her to gaze upon for long. She figured that was the intent, a fact that she was sure the customer would catch on to as Rarity went on while making sure to not look directly at the shirt's artwork;

"As you can see, the head's right side, our left, appears to be alive with no ghostly glow. It has old scarring in multiple places, yes, but it otherwise seems to be in good health. The rest of the head, however, is a much different story..."

She shuddered audibly before catching her breath and continuing with a more serious tone and expression;

"It is bruised, battered, and cut all over. The green spectral hue I spoke of earlier covers this half of the head in place of its skin color, its glow adding to the notion that this head belongs to a person who, in spite of everything, simply refuses to perish."

That, right there, was why Coco didn't want to look at that shirt's front if she could help it! The thing looked way too spooky for her tastes. At that moment, she noticed that the silent woman's head cocked slightly to the right when Rarity finished explaining the artwork, seemingly unfazed by its terrifying imagery. Rarity, after taking another breath, added while containing her internal disgust over what she was going to speak of;

"Thankfully, this shirt does not depict a single drop of blood or other, more gruesome, forms of physical damage. Still, I make sure to keep it out of sight of children when necessary."

A quick head shake later and she noted with renewed dignity;

"We've tried to sell it on numerous occasions, especially during Halloween. But, no one has dared to pur-"

The woman interrupted her by reaching out and softly poking the head on the shirt with her right index finger, and then angling her arm to point at the shopping bag. Seeing that brought relief to Rarity's mind as she gratefully expressed;

"Oh, thank you so much, darling! Keeping that shirt out of sight of Sweetie Belle and her friends has been a challenge to say the least. I hope it serves you well, especially since it is your size."

Recognizing what to do, Coco carefully took the shirt from Rarity, folded it up, and placed it in the bag. With that settled, Rarity declared;

"Now then, let us find you some suitable pants. Oh, but what kind, I wonder?"

Within minutes, the quiet woman found herself a new pair of dark gray pants that Rarity was quick to gush over;

"I'm glad to see these jeans have caught your eye, darling! You see, they were made with a single watchword in mind..."

She raised her right index finger up to the side of her face before continuing;

"Practicality."

She lowered her right hand to point at the jeans' pockets and noted with a beaming smile;

"It comes with a respectable assortment of pockets just below the belt area in abject defiance of the fashion industry's..."

She groaned in disgust for a moment;

"Disdain for letting women use more than our purses to carry our effects with."

Her smile returned with a vengeance along with the gushing;

"The jeans are also quite flexible compared to their contemporaries. Not quite to the level of yoga pants, mind you, but they still provide ample room to stretch and move about."

The customer took the jeans into both hands, allowed them to unfold, and slowly turned them around to count the number of pockets;

"One... two... four pockets. Two medium ones in the front and a deep one on each side. Useful," she thought to herself. She quickly noticed that these jeans already had a brown belt with a silver buckle attached to them, which she figured was simply part of the set. Once the jeans and belt were added to the shopping bag, Rarity guided the trio to the boots section. The customer gazed at the rows of footwear with great interest as the fashionista explained;

"Here, we have a wide variety of boots on sale. Let us see if Coco and I can find ones that are to your liking."

She motioned for Coco to join her, which she did so at quick pace wrought by nerves and dutifulness. The two looked through each row of boots, hoping to find one that would suit their patron's fancy. They went through tall ones, short ones, thick ones fit for workers, and more besides. The customer, however, had caught sight of a pair that instantly grabbed her interest. It was a pair that was standing at the far-right side of the middle row, out of the way of the other pairs. These boots were on the short side, yet they gave off an aura of raw toughness that the woman was quick to recognize. They were dark gray with a thick rigid bottom and a whole line of matching laces that went up to the collar. What had also caught the woman's eyes was the artwork on each side of the boots: golden flames rising up to about halfway towards the collar. Before she could inspect them further, Rarity called out to her excitedly;

"You have a good eye for footwear, darling!"

She turned to look at Rarity as she guided Coco over to the boots. Her tailor's eyes fixed on them, she gushed while pulling from an expert's memory;

"These boots come from a line of clothing fit for the discerning laborer. They were made with a focus on durability and comfort, so that their owners can use them for a lengthy period of time, regardless of the jobs they take on. Every part of the boots, from the heels to the stitching, was built with this mind. Of course, the fiery artwork is strictly an aesthetic choice and a fine one at that."

She shook her head and added with a smile;

"I used to rarely work with such a line, for I thought it veered too far away from beauty in favor of practicality. But, I've learned from an honest friend of mine that practicality and beauty can go together in ways that one may not expect."

The silent woman, while listening intently to Rarity's explanation, took the boots into her gloved hands and carefully inspected them. She felt their material's rugged texture as well as the rigid heels, arches, and soles while thinking to herself;

"Tough material... sturdy construction... these boots were made for getting into scraps."

The customer gave Rarity a satisfied nod, which prompted her to graciously take the boots into her hands and get them into the bag. Once that was done, she turned to face the two ladies and told them with excitement mixed with propriety;

"It is time for our dear patron to give her new ensemble a try."

Her excitement quickly overtook her restraint as she declared with the flare of a thespian;

"To the fitting rooms!"

Rarity gave the shopping bag to Coco, took the customer by her right hand, and practically pulled her through the door in the room, all with the speed and slight mania of a tailor fueled by fashion. The silent woman couldn't even react before she got taken through another door to the right of the stairs. Before she knew it, she found herself in a well lit room that had lines of sectioned off areas along the walls. These areas were divided by their own walls and had lavish lavender curtains for entrances. By the time the customer was released from Rarity's grasp and she was able to steady herself, Coco had joined them in the room with the stuffed shopping bag in hand. Without skipping a beat, Rarity told her patron with a bright smile while gesturing to the one of the sectioned off areas with her right hand;

"Go on darling, pick a fitting room and see how your new garments fit you! If you have any issues at all, do not hesitate to inform either Coco or myself."

After giving the tailor a nod, the woman turned to Coco and politely grabbed her bag. She then walked through the curtains for one of the fitting rooms on the right side and closed the curtains behind her. Rarity waited with bated breath and restrained excitement, while Coco tried to restrain her growing fear for her friend's sake. Regardless, she could not help but think;

"Oh, if she doesn't like her new outfit and gets angry over it..."

She gulped while thanking her lucky stars that the room they were in did not have speakers built in, so the music from before was barely audible from there. The pair of fashionistas waited for a little over two minutes of silence before the curtains were shoved open and the customer stepped through. Rarity's eyes shined like stars over what she was witnessing, while Coco had to hold back the urge to hide behind her friend out of strengthened terror. Now, the bandaged woman was rocking her newly acquired clothing as well as her hat, goggles, and bandages. The faux-leather jacket's silver buttons allowed it to pop from both sides of the collar, keeping it from blending in with the undershirt. The jacket itself was left unbuttoned, so the undershirt's striking artwork could be seen by all, much to Coco's dismay. The older articles of clothing did not appear out of place alongside the newer additions to the upper-body. In fact, they all visually came together quite effectively. The jeans, belt, and flaming boots visually connected with the other pieces of clothing just as well, the boots and belt buckle standing out without overriding everything else. Rarity, her keen tailor's eye being put to use, recognized what the customer now looked like. With a giant smile a soft voice filled with awe, she described her thoughts on the matter;

"You have the foreboding appearance of a mysterious rouge on the hunt... magnificent!"

Poor Coco gulped while thinking to herself;

"I hope she's not actually hunting anyone..."

Perhaps it was a good thing that she didn't know the truth at that moment in time.

Once the newly selected clothing was returned to the shopping bag and the silent patron had put her old clothing back on, the trio of ladies returned to the cashier's desk, with Rarity opting to manage it alongside Coco and the customer standing before them on the other side. Coco nervously tallied up the prices for each item in the bag via the cash register while Rarity out one item from the bag at a time to double-check their prices. Soon enough, the total price was calculated and the boutique's newest employee began to reveal it;

"Including taxes, the retail price for your new additions is..."

A frown formed on her face while she glared at the cash register, her mind deep in thought. Curious, Rarity asked her;

"Something wrong, darling?"

With another frightened gulp, Coco looked up at the customer and tried to tell her;

"The price is-"

She was interrupted by the nearby door suddenly being aggressively kicked open by a foot that wore pink sandals with thick blue heels and long white leggings. Right when the door was opened, the owner of that footwear, Pinkie Pie, cartwheeled over to where Rarity was standing. While she was slightly surprised by her friend's loud reappearance, Coco straight up jumped in shock when the door was opened. The silent customer, by stark contrast, showed clear interest by looking over at Pinkie, who was positively beaming at her. But, she exhibited no signs of being even remotely startled by her antics. Before anyone could ask what was up, Pinkie turned her bright smile towards Rarity and declared with absolute gusto;

"I'll help pay for her clothes!"

That took everyone else by surprise to say the least! Rarity, with wide eyes, responded;

"While I appreciate your generosity, I must warn you that the retail price is-"

"Too expensive for your mysterious customer to afford," was Pinkie's quick response. She then pulled her wallet out from her poofy hair, to Coco's utter bewilderment. As she opened up the wallet and looked through it, she explained;

"My Pinkie Sense warned me that someone nearby needs my help to purchase something she really wants. It only gives me this kind of warning if I'm able to help, so I shoooouuuuld..."

"Pinkie what?" was Coco's confused response. The quiet woman at the other side of the desk noted in her head;

"She's either extremely lucky or remarkably perceptive."

Pinkie rummaged through her wallet for a few more seconds before pulling out a wad of cash with her right hand while exclaiming with loud glee;

"I HAVE THE DOUGH!"

Coco covered her ears as a reflexive response to the explosive vocalized noise, while Rarity and the customer seemed to be unfazed by it. Without warning, Pinkie Pie ran up to the latter woman's side of the desk and offered while showing her a gigantic smile, one of the largest that the bandaged woman had ever seen, that was laced with boundless cheer;

"You can use some of your money if you want! I can handle the rest of the price."

There it was again, that powerful memory that shoved itself to the forefront of the woman's mind. Encouraged by this, she nodded her head in agreement, which prompted Pinkie to hop in place while giggling like a little girl who just got a yummy cookie from her parents. After the customer pulled some of her money from her own wallet, the two ladies worked with Rarity and Coco to pay for the clothing. Once that matter was settled, the customer placed her newly purchased items in the shopping bag before the two fashionistas escorted her to the exit. Rarity, true to form, bid her farewell in a graceful fashion;

"We thank you for your time and patronage, darling! We hope you enjoy your updated ensemble!"

"Do come again!" said Coco with a somewhat shaky voice while somewhat hoping in her head that this was a one-time visit. Once the silent woman was right at the door, the two ladies backed up a step or two to give her room. This allowed her to turn around to face them and tip her hat to them. She also made sure to give a short nod to Pinkie, who was watching them all from the desk with cheer in her smile, a smile that seemed to grow a tad larger in response. Once that was done, the woman turned back around and walked through the door while being as silent as she was when she walked in.

Rarity and Coco stared at the door for a few seconds before the former noted to the latter while giving her a sly grin;

"Do not think for a moment that I did not notice how nervous you were."

Coco turned her head to give Rarity a surprised look, which prompted her to go on with understanding painted on her face;

"I do not blame you, darling. That woman most certainly made a striking first impression on us both."

Coco appreciated her friend being so thoughtful, but she was not done yet. Rarity's understanding gaze was mixed with a proud grin as she added;

"Yet, in spite of your rattled nerves and whatever fears your mind might have conjured up, you helped us fulfill our duties in our humble boutique."

Coco was already moved by her words, but what came next made her feel quite bashful. Rarity took her hands into hers and declared with clear sincerity;

"You are dependable, Coco Pommel. A fine quality in both an employee and a friend."

The poor girl couldn't bring herself to speak after hearing that. All she could do was make little noises with her voice that Rarity found charming while looking off to the side. She had almost forgotten how it felt to earn praise from her old friend. Once Rarity was sure that Coco recollected herself, she turned to gaze at the closed exit door, her eyes narrowed slightly. She then admitted with a more serious tone of voice;

"What concerns me, darling, is how my body reacted when I first caught sight of our now departed patron."

With a head tilt to her right, Coco asked out of curiosity;

"How did your body react?"

Rarity sighed before explained;

"At the precise moment I locked eyes upon the patron, I felt an awful chill creep up my spine. It felt as if my instincts were warning me of danger. Yet, she did not show any signs of being even remotely dangerous during her time here."

Coco crossed her arms while thinking for a second or two before noting;

"Yeah, she looked really scary, but she didn't act like a brute looking to hurt people."

"Pinkie's Pinkie Sense would have sounded the alarm if that woman was dangerous to us," Rarity took note of in her mind. Speaking of Pinkie, she walked up to the pair while holding her chin with her right hand. After pondering with an audible 'hmmmmm', she said;

"She's not a meanie to the three of us..."

Just then, she had a thought that made her hair lose some of its poofiness, a thought that she expressed with sadness in her voice;

"Oh, I hope she's not a meanie to someone else!"

"I most certainly hope not, darling," Rarity responded with a consoling voice that eased her friend's worries a bit. Her eyes still fixed on the door, she then noted;

"I will not assume anything about this person. Still, it would be wise to keep our eyes and ears open."

A certain painful memory echoed in Rarity's mind as she finished with a subtle mixture of wariness and regret;

"No doubt, there is still much we do not know about this silent mysterous woman."

In terms of shopping trips, this last one was the certainly more unique than most of the ones that The Wrecker could recall. Still, she had gotten what she came for without incident and was now walking through the streets of Canterlot City with a bag full of garments in hand. She walked passed one alleyway after another in undisturbed silence until she abruptly stopped and turned her head to give the third one an intense visual inspection. It was evening and the sun had almost fully set. So, the alleyway was given very little light. Regardless, The Wrecker could see a large green closed garbage can with a black lid to the left of an otherwise clear path that led to another street. She glared at this path for four, almost five seconds before returning to her walk while mentally deciding;

"My eyes are playing tricks on me."

Unbeknownst to even her sharp perception, a metal device slowly inched its way out from behind the garbage can. It was so small that the garbage can could easily crush it if it was dropped onto it. It walked with six small silver legs made of metal that were sharp at both ends and had a grey cylinder casing that safeguarded its internal parts. Built into the front end of the casing was a black camera lens. The device walked up to the edge of the left wall at a careful pace. Slowly, it moved just beyond the edge and aimed its camera at The Wrecker as she walked off into the distance. It did this for two seconds before moving to keep up with her as stealthily as possible. With no one else nearby, there was little chance of the device being discovered by random citizens. This pleased its controller, who was maneuvering it about via the computer that was set up in a nearly pitch black room. Its only source of light was the computer's monitor, which easily created a striking silhouette of the controller. Displayed in the center of the monitor was the camera feed that was being provided by the six-legged device. With a face that showed no warmth at all, she declared aloud with restrained annoyance;

"My camera drone barely poked its left front leg out into view for a moment and she nearly caught sight of it. I must be more careful if I want to discreetly keep a sharp eye on her. After all..."

The memory of a cackle fueled by madness echoed within her mind as she finished with determination and anger in her voice;

"Carelessness leads to defeat and I will not be defeated again."

With that, Abacus Cinch went right back to controlling her drone as thoughts of her tattered reputation encouraged her further.

Author's Note

The Wrecker's got a new fit, but she now has Rarity's curiosity and Cinch is keeping watch...

What? Did you think I forgot about Cinch?! Joking aside, I simply couldn't find a good spot for a scene involving her in the earlier chapters. So, I had to wait for the opportune moment to slot her in.