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// What Else Would I Do With Nothing but Time to Kill? 
// Story: Snow Feather, the lesser known Art Restorer of Canterlot 
// by dracone 
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Seriously, how did it come to this? Three weeks of nothing to do. All projects finished, no requests or commissions, finally finished my basic sewing practice and am waiting on more thread. So freaking bored. What's worse, I can only think of doing basic grooming. How bored am I? I just gave myself a thorough preening, I haven't had one of those since I was nine. In short, it's been ages since I had any sort of thorough grooming. Like I said, I am so freaking bored.



Note to self, get more tea, I just checked my beverage stores and I am sorry to repo

"Hello, anypony here?" A female voice said. I slipped a card asking what I could assist with, "Oh, not much of a talker, I seem to be a bit lost." Another one of those, oh joy. I slipped another card asking where she was trying to go, she slipped me a card asking directions an establishment called "Refined Equestrian", I almost gagged at the name. Also, I never heard of it and slipped a note saying as much.

"Really, that's too bad," said the voice on the other side, "I hear they have the latest trend in elite cuisine." Shoot me now, I seriously was looking around for a crossbow and bolt to shoot myself with, I can't stand anything with the word elite in it. But seriously, how do ponies keep getting lost and finding my shop? It's a good half-hour walk outside of the city's limits, I feel like I'm being tested. I slipped a card saying my feelings on the subject matter.

"Oh good," came the unmistakable voice of Princess Luna, "We wouldn't be much of a patron of the arts if those artists were rather dull up top," her old word style of speech was strangely comforting to me. "It is not often you find an artist that prefers to remain unknown to the masses and content in the works of others from ages past remain intact. Before coming here I spoke with your parents, both of them." I went rigid at the thought, my ancestry is something that earned me undesired looks from ponies. My mother, Gentle Wind, is a sweet soul and content in her duties as a maid, and I am sorry she had to end her employment with others over matters pertaining to me, in my younger days I did my best to stay out of sight and keep to myself. It was through all this I had found my talent, a set of skills that allowed me to be more of a background figure than a main character. "I offered up a job with myself, your mother said she'll think about it. I like her already, most ponies in her profession would jump at the chance. She's got a good heart, so do you." That just caught me more off guard, "you don't want to be hurt, it's why you keep yourself secreted away in your workshop out on the far edge of town. Most ponies in your profession would choose to be a bit closer to the nobility, but you don't like them much from what I can see." I strained to listen, there were multiple ponies in armor with weapons all about the shop, inside and out.

I slipped a note asking her true purpose for visiting my shop, I had suspicions but wanted confirmation.

"It was expected you wouldn't be one for chatting," said Luna, I could hear her smiling like a full moon on a starry midnight. "We require your services, my sister has recently come into possession of an old work of mine from many years ago, the work is now in rough shape. Thus far, every pony that claims to restore art assures us the work cannot be saved, despite their eagerness to have a high tier client such as Equestria's rulers."

I slipped a card saying I would have to spend some time with the piece.

"It is already waiting at your door in the back," replied Luna.

I pulled the back door open slowly, after checking my periscope to make sure the door was clear of any ponies. Just off to the side was a unicorn mare, it looked like she was using some sort of glamour so I was pretty sure the midnight green coat was not her real color standing next to what looked like a painting covered in a starry night cloth on an easel. I gave a sigh of annoyance before carefully pulling the door open.

“I’ll need to inspect your workstation, citizen,” said the mare, “regula...”

“Shut it,” I said in an annoyed voice, even more so that the first pony outside my very small circle of friends or family had heard my voice. I didn’t give a rotting barrel’s worth of care if they were Royal Guard, if they were going to treat me like a common charlatan then I was not going to give them the decency of proper respect. “I’ve actually restored Four-Hundred and Twelve rulebooks for the Royal Guard, the most recent one being last month. Said book happened to be a book on guard regulations dated nine months ago, and nowhere in that book does it talk about businesses that have to establish a rapport with Royalty. Yes, I have read all the books that were brought to me and memorized a considerable number of pieces. I’m not some simple charlatan, I actually take my work seriously. I don’t care who the ‘authority’ judging any work is, if they’re somepony highly recommended by the so-called ‘Canterlot elite’ then chances are they’re just somepony that is very good at telling those self-entitled fools what they want to hear. My talent can tell the true authenticity of a work, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to go around bragging about it. If a piece that’s brought to me is rubbish then I’ll let them know as soon as possible. Now, kindly pass me the piece so I can do my work. And yes, you can quote what I said to your superiors, all of them, exactly what I have said here. And one more thing, I don't care who a pony is, you can be a guard captain or princess of Equestria and I will still not permit you access to my personal workspace."

The unicorn smiled and floated the covered art piece over to me and said, “I will do just that, and I have a pretty good idea of what her response will be.” I headed back into my workstation, closed the door, and locked it. Just as I was setting up the piece to inspect it I heard the immense laughter of what I was pretty sure was Princess Luna getting a kick out of whatever was said to her.