To be honest, Princess Celestia had no idea what she was doing in the small shop on a side street from Ponyville's main hub. She knew what she was supposed to be doing, of course, but she had no idea what she was getting done by being at "Whipstitch's Repairs." There were assorted colors of thread everywhere, including under her hooves.
If I needed a dress repaired or refitted, I could easily ask Rarity. Not only is she better-known, but her work has gained quite a bit of reputaion... This "Whipstitch" seems as if she may have set up shop in the wrong place.
Her mind flashed back to Pennington Inkwell, her sister's student and a pony that Celestia had come to know rather well over time.
Oh, ask Whipstitch! She can fix just about anything! The author replied enthusiastically. She's an old friend of mine! "Birds of a feather," as they say.
"Hello? I'm looking for a Miss... Whipstitch?" Celestia called out, readying herself to leave the small, seemingly abandoned shop.
"OH! Hello!" A mare's voice called out from the supply closet. The door was shut, and Celestia couldn't see any kind of light coming out from the crack at the bottom. "I- I'll be right there! Just give... me... a... MINUTE!" As the strain in her voice grew to a climax, a light-pink pony with a long, black mane came flying out of the closet, landing in a heap at Celestia's hooves. Through the open door, a small mouse scurried out, shot across the floor, and into a hole broken into the base of one of the walls. The hole was quite odd in itself, looking as if it had been made by some kind of projectile and accented by stains from some kind of red liquid. If they hadn't looked so much like blood stains, Celestia may have dismissed it as a mouse hole.
"Oh! Princess Celestia!" The pony, obviously the mysterious "Whipstitch," scrambled to her hooves and did the best bow that she could without planting her horn in the Princess's hooves. "It's a pleasure to meet you!"
Celestia rolled her eyes, expecting another flank-kissing pony who wouldn't even move unless commanded. To her surprise, after making her quick bow, Whipstitch jumped up again and ran to the hole, trying to peer into the darkness.
"You got lucky today, Mephistopholes, but just you wait! I'll get you eventually!" She waved her hoof at the hole for emphasis, gave the wall a good glare, as well, and retreated back to the Princess, looking up at her with her large, grey eyes. "I'm sorry that you had to see that, Princess. How can I help you?"
"Well, first of all, I could give you the number for an exterminator, if you need one... He's great with mice." Celestia was still eyeing the hole in the wall, trying to discern the source of what couldn't possibly be blood stains.
"That was no mouse... But I'll have him out of here in due time." If looks could kill, Whipstitch would have blown the entire wall to bits when she looked back. "In the meantime, what are you doing here? I mean, it's obviously an honor to have royalty here, but you wouldn't be here if I couldn't do something for you!" She walked back and shut the closet door, hiding away whatever secrets might be inside.
"Yes! Well, I'm afraid that something rather valuable was broken earlier this week..." Celestia reached back into a small bag and pulled out two halves of a large tome. "Pennington Inkwell told me that you were the only one that he trusted to repair the bindings on his older volumes, and I was wondering if you might be able to repair this. It's a 300-year-old lawbook from the Canterlot Archives." She levitated the two halves onto a nearby desk, where the pink unicorn immediately began to inspect it with a large magnifying glass.
"It looks like it was struck by lightning... A few minor singes around the edges, but mostly seared straight down the middle..." She looked up at the princess, her face furrowed in a scowl. "How did this happen?"
"Well..." Celestia's eyes rolled towards the ceiling as she tried to determine the best way to say it. "We have a new guest staying with us at the castle... And he's very excitable. When he gets startled, it's usually best to duck."
"Right..." Whipstitch looked down at the book again. "Give me a week, and you'll have your historical artifact back, as good as 300 years old! I doubt that you would want it as good as new if it's a museum piece..."
"So, you can fix it?" Celestia looked around at the thread, spools, and sewing needles laying around the store. "It doesn't seem like books are your specialty..."
"Your highness, I can sew anything from cheeseburgers to wedding dresses!" Whipstitch gave her an enthusiastic wink, letting her long, straight mane fall down and into her face. "If it's broken, I can fix it, don't you worry. Be here in a week, and I'll have it done for you!" With a quick exhale, she blew the strands of hair back out of her face and set herself to work.
"And... How much will it cost?"
"Eh, I'll figure it out later. Somewhere under 40 bits..." She muttered, already engrossed in her work. "Don't worry about it, your highness. It won't be much."
Not nervous around royalty, a bit strange, and all-business when it comes to her work. No wonder she and Pennington are friends! Celestia thought as she gave Whipstitch a polite nod. "Thank you, Miss-"
"Whipstitch! Just call me Whipstitch." The pink pony smiled and looked up from the volume, a small magnifying tool already fixed around her eye. "And don't worry! Just one week. That's all I need!"
"I'll be back in a week, then!" Celestia smiled, feeling a bit cheerful as she walked out again. And, if I hurry, I can even catch the train back to Canterlot!
Whipstitch's thoughts in the next few minutes were few and scattered. This is the same color as sandwich bread... She thought as she examined the thread that she was pulling out of the torn binding. I wonder what kind of sandwich I'll have for lunch today... She gently used a light amount of magic to dissolve away the remnants of the glue that had been used to hold the binding together. Maybe I could have some hay and- Her thoughts were instantly cut off as a new sound entered the room. It was a low buzzing noise, and grabbed Whipstitch's complete attention.
"Where are you?" She whispered, picking a single pink thread up from the floor with her magic. "Where... are you?" She knew that her query was close: the buzzing was obviously coming from inside of the walls of her home. All of her senses were primed. She could feel every tiny air current in the room, smell and even taste the tiniest scents wafting in the slight breeze. Every detail was glaring, and, most of all, she could hear the buzzing coming from the back corner of the room.
She turned slowly, trying not to startle her target. Her breath came slowly, not making a sound as she exhaled. I mustn't scare it... She thought as she advanced on the corner of the room the noise was originating from. A tiny black dot was flickering back and forth behind the curtain, silhouetted by the window's light.
She gently used her magic to pull back the curtain, revealing her prey: a bumblebee gently bumping back and forth against the glass. "Oh... There you are!" She whispered, a grin lighting her face like a spotlight. "Now, just hold still..." With the quiet hum of magic, the thread that she had picked up levitated and curled around the bee, tying itself around the bee's fuzzy abdomen. I... LOVE... BEES.
The bee, somehow recognizing her intention, turned away from the glass and hovered above her nose.
"I'll call you... Buzby!" She grinned and tied the other end of the string around her wrist and gently guided him back to her work table. "The other ponies on Tumblr are going to LOVE you..."
Theere shall bea no singel eunicorne that shall trie too affect the sunne.
"Wow, this old phonetics-based Equestrian is REALLY funny-looking!" Whipstitch laughed as she glimpsed one of the pages that she had set aside for the re-assembly of the book. It had been three days, mostly filled with small orders that kept her only momentarily distracted from her main project. Now, the book had been completely stripped to its most essential, undamaged pieces.
She didn't even notice the door open as she picked up one thread that she had saved from the binding. With a simple thought and a whisp of magical energy, the thread quickly unraveled into tinier and thinner pieces of string. With another pink aura of magic, she picked up an eye-held magnifying glass and placed it in front of her right eye and cringed to hold it in place.
"Hmm... It's aged poorly. There's hardly anything left of the original color."
"You say that as if it's stopped you before!" A familiar staillion's voice called from the open doorway.
"Hey, Penny!" Whipstitch grinned, but didn't look away from her work. After all, she knew what her friend looked like: a dark-blue unicorn with violet streaks in his upturned mane. "Thanks for the recommendation, by the way!"
"Don't call me 'Penny,' Whips!" The second unicorn rolled his eyes, but didn't seem to hold a grudge. "And, you're welcome! I was just coming over to see how that was working out!"
"Well, it's coming out rather well..." Whipstitch gently set the disassembled thread and the magnifier down on her working table and began pacing through the room, eyes locked on the thread-covered ground. "And your work at Inkwell Commissions?"
"Poor." Pennington leaned down, trying to follow her gaze. "I may have to go to Scorching Quill for some... financial help, again."
Whipstitch looked up for a moment, taking a brief but intense look on her friend's face. "You know that I could help you if you ever need anything, one friend to another." After a few seconds, she went back to looking at the floor. "We've both had problems getting buisness, but you just decided on something a bit more... specialized than me."
"That's alright, Whipstitch. Thank you, though! It's a writer thing. We all have our good times and our bad times, and we'll usually help one another when we need it." Pennington looked puzzled as she began to pace around the room again. "What are you looking for?"
"I'm looking for a thread... One that matches the original." She muttered, using her hoof to push aside several strands of string, then to pick up a light, sand-colored one that seemed to please her. "Wonderful!" She quickly trotted back to her workbench, setting out every piece in some semblance of order. "So, how can I help you, Pennington?"
"Oh! Right!" Pennington jumped a little as his original train of thought came rushing back to him. "I need some help... Advice, really." His voice dropped with the verification, making Whipstitch look up at him.
"Advice? That's a first!" Whipstitch cringed as the friendly sarcasm fell flat. "No laugh? Must be bad... So? Talk to me!" She placed the magnifier back in her eye and began her work. She always focused better while she was multitasking.
"Well, I need some help... With Twilight." Pennington seemed almost ashamed to say it. "We got into a fight again. It's stupid, but she's refusing to listen to me! She insists that she's right when she's not!"
Whipstitch rolled her eyes. Stubborn. These two were made for each other. "What is the fight over?"
"Well, I bought her a gift, but she thinks it's too expensive! I try to tell her that she deserves it, but she keeps telling me to take it back!" Pennington sat back on his haunches and folded his front legs across his chest like a child. "I tell her that I bought it for her, that she really is amazing enough, but she just won't believe me!"
"What exactly did you get her?"
Pennington balked at the question, looking nervously from side to side. "Umm... A jeweled necklace?"
Whipstitch raised an eyebrow, turning her magnified eye on the stallion and watching him squirm. "And... exactly how expensive of a jeweled necklace are we talking about?"
"Pfft! Does- Does the price REALLY matter, Whipstitch? I mean, come on, Twilight's just overreacting, right?" Pennington did his best to avoid making eye contact, but his stare kept drifting back to Whipstitch's unwavering gaze.
"How much, Pennington? I can't help you if you don't talk to me."
"Um... Three hundred bits..." Pennington mumbled, looking at the ground again. His face blushed with shame as Whipstitch dropped the magnifier in shock.
"Three hundred bits? Three HUNDRED bits! You just told me that you're going to have to go begging to Scorching Quill for money, and then you turn around and spend three hundred bits on a gift for your girlfriend?" Whipstitch's horn began to glow brighter as the threads around Pennington's hooves tied themselves into knots around his legs. In a matter of seconds, he was hanging from the ceiling by a mess of colored strings like a piñata. "You go and return that gift right now, get your bits back, and pay your own mortgage!"
"Look, Whips, I really think that you're overreacting..." Pennington hardly even seemed fazed by his sudden inversion, a fact that both frustrated Whipstitch and inspired a small amount of respect. "Maybe it's best if I just left."
"Pennington Inkwell, if you can't manage your own money, I swear, I'll walk into your store and start looking for things to sell until you break even again!" Whipstitch glared him in the eye, then sighed. "You know what your problem is, Penny?"
"That's Pennington..."
"I'm mad at you, I'll use whatever nickname I want!" Whipstitch walked back to her worktable and resumed her work on the binding. "You can't focus."
"That's rich, coming from you..." Pennington sounded as if he were going to continue his sarcasm, but a sudden death glare from the pink pony shut his mouth tightly.
"What color thread was I using?" Whipstitch asked as she tested shutting the newly repaired binding.
"Sort of tannish... Old-looking."
"Who's your favorite Princess?"
"Luna."
"What's your favorite Daring Do book?"
"Daring Do and the Dangerous Descent Into the Dragon's Den."
"What color's your mane?"
"Blue."
"What color's my mane?"
"Black."
"Where's Discord?"
"Frozen in stone in the Canterlot Gardens!" Pennington groaned and rolled his eyes. "Whipstitch, what is the point of all of thi-"
"One more question!" Whipstitch held up a hoof in protest to his protesting. "What color thread was I using?"
"Well, it was..." Pennington stopped cold as his brow furrowed. He started to speak, stopped, thought more, then sighed again. "Okay, you win this one."
"Aged tan, like parchment." Whipstitch shook her head in disappointment as she put another mark on a nearby chalkboard. "That places me ahead by ten points, now. You're so obsessed with living in the moment, you forget to think ahead! Return the necklace, pay your bills. Twilight would rather have you soundly provided for than a pretty piece of metal twisted around a bunch of gemstones..." Content with her work on the binding, she looked back up at her friend. "That's what you need to do."
"Well... Thanks, Whipstitch." Pennington finally smiled again as the threads untied themselves and he landed gently on the floor. "I guess I just needed somepony to set me straight. I'm going to take your advice right now!" He stopped at the door and a smug grin spread across his face. "I'm going to change my ways! I'll be a new pony!"
"You're not going to do a single thing I told you." Whipstitch didn't miss a beat, not even looking up from her work at this point.
"Not even one!" Pennington laughed, then walked out. "See ya, Whips!"
"Bye, Penny!" Whipstitch waited a moment, then smiled. "Well, he must not have heard me... Chalk another point up for Whipstitch!" The chalk moved again, striking through a set of five tallies. "Borrowing money from Scorching Quill, my hoof!" She looked over at Buzby, who was hovering at the edge of her desk. "You can't borrow money from yourself! I wonder when he'll realize that I know his little secret?"
Buzby only hummed in reply, his tiny wings somehow keeping him in the air.
"You're right! I need to get back to work. The Princess will be back here in a matter of days!"
"Whipstitch! I did it again!" An all-to-familiar voice rang through the shop with the sound of the bell above the door chiming.
"Just a minute, Derpy!" Whipstitch called as she trotted into the room, a Styrofoam cup held in the air by her magic near her head. "I was just having a little lunch."
"What were you eating?"
"Ugh, microwave soup again... It's not bad, but I don't understand how Pennington eats this stuff at every meal..." Whipstitch took a sip of the broth and shuddered.
"Yeah, I don't like how microwaves taste either!" Derpy grinned, and Whipstitch smiled in return, despite not understanding what the grey-coated Pegasus could possibly be talking about.
"So, what can I do for you today, Derpy?"
"Oh! Here..." Derpy reached into her saddlebag and removed a large mess of canvas fabric. "I broke my mailbag again..."
Whipstitch rolled her eyes, then smiled as she set the tattered bag on her desk. The holes were simple enough to fix, and with the help of a little magic, Whipstitch could fix them with almost no thought at all. "So, what happened this time?"
"Well, I saw Rainbow Dash coming, but I swerved left, and she swerved the same way!" Derpy shook her head. "We landed in a tree, and I guess the branches ripped it."
"Well, don't worry, it won't be any problem, Derpy!" Whipstitch bit off the end of one thread, then moved on to the next hole.
"Thanks, Whipstitch! By the way, I love your new pet!"
"Oh, you mean Buzby? Yeah, most ponies don't like bumblebees, but I LOVE -"
"No, I meant your mouse!" In that moment, the wall-eyed mare held in view the one creature that Whipstitch despised more than anything in the entire world.
"Mephistopholes!" Whipstitch growled as she jumped up onto the desk. Her hackles were raised and her teeth were bared, growling like a mad dog. "Grab him! Grab him!"
It was too late, however. The mouse jumped out of Derpy's hooves and began to skitter across the floor. Derpy, no more confused than usual, took her own leap. She sailed over the mouse, however, and slammed into the wall.
"Good job! You covered up his hole!" Whipstitch shouted as she jumped down to the floor. Derpy, however, was more concerned with the mouse. Mephistopholes had stopped when she had landed in front of him, but was beginning to walk forward again. The mouse's body began to grow longer and thinner, morphing and changing color and shape until it had become a viscious-looking snake. Derpy watched in horror as it slithered towards her, then coiled and prepared to spring.
"Oh, no you don't!" Just as the snake was about to bite into Derpy's face, a jam jar slammed down over it, trapping the now-snake under a transparent barrier. With a single deft movement, Whipstitch turned the jar upside down, slammed a metal lid on top, and given it a definitive twist.
"Ha! Take that!" Whipstitch didn't notice her friend's horror, reveling in her victory. Inside of the jar, the snake was now dissolving away into a black smoke that spun and slammed against the sides. "Not today, my friend! This one is airtight!"
"Wha- What IS that?" Derpy asked, shakily rising to her hooves.
"My sworn enemy..." Whipstitch grinned maliciously and set the jar firmly between two couch cushions. "You're not going to get out of there!" When she was sure that the jar wouldn't fall onto the floor, she turned to Derpy. her eyes lighting up with glee. "We did it! We did it! Oh, thank you, Derpy! I can finally get that stupid thing out of my hair! I'll tell you what, I'll repair your bag for free for the next three weeks!"
"You will?"
"Of course! Do you have ANY idea how long I've been trying to catch him? That little demon has been driving me nuts! I'll tell you what, let's go and get some muffins to celebrate!"
There was nothing that Derpy wanted more than to go and get some muffins, and despite the fact that she still didn't understand what had happened, she was happy to see her friend so excited.
It was time. Princess Celestia had waited the appointed week before returning to Ponyville. Now, she was back in front of Whipstitch's shop, ready to pick up her order.
Only two things had changed about the small shop. One: most of the threads on the floor had moved. Two: there were a few boards over the mouse hole in the wall, but they appeared to have been gnawed through by something akin to a chainsaw.
"Excuse me? Whipstitch, are you here?" Celestia called, listening for a reply.
"Uuuughhhh. Just a minute..." The moan came from somewhere in the back of the shop. Whipstitch emerged, bags under her eyes and dragging her hooves. Her mane was a ragged mess, and her expression made her look as if she had just tasted something bitter. "Oh, good morning, Princess. Your order is ready, give me just a minute..." She gave a weak curtsey, then dragged herself back through the door.
"Did it keep you up late? I know that book restorations can be a challenge at times." Celestia was more than a little concerned. This was a far cry from the vivacious pony that she had first met when she came to have the book repaired.
"Oh, no! No! I was up all night trying to catch Mephistopholes..." Whipstitch's voice was low, but still reached Celestia from the other room. "But he always plays dirty. I catch him in a jar, he turns invisible so I'll open it. I try to smoke him out of his hole, he messes with my central heating to make me freeze all night. I use Holy Water, he sets my house on fire. I set up a ring of salt, he puts anchovies in my midnight snack... It's all-out war at this point."
This is no ordinary mouse... "Are you fighting a demon, Whipstitch?"
"It seems to respond to demon-fighting techniques... and ghost busting techniques... and kryptonite." Whipstitch finally emerged from the door again, this time with a wrapped package. "Honestly, the only things that I haven't tried are the Elements of Harmony and burning down the house!" She gave a small laugh as she seemed to finally wake up completely. "But here's your order, nonetheless! Completed!"
Celestia looked down at the package, then pulled away the brown wrapping. There was the book, ancient as always, but looking as if nothing had happened to it. it was only upon close inspection that she was able to pick out a thin line where the spine had been split.
"This is fantastic! It's beyond anything that I expected!" Celestia smiled and placed the book in her saddlebag. "I do believe... that this may cover the cost?" She pulled a small box out of her bag and placed it on the counter. With a single thought, she pulled up the lid to reveal two solid silver earrings, each one in the shape of a large hoop. When she did, Whipstitch's eyes lit up with excitement, banishing nearly all signs of exhaustion.
"Princess, these are worth much more than what I was going to charge! Even one of these would cover it with bits to spare!"
"But they come as a set. Don't worry, Whipstitch, I pay what I think the job deserves." Celestia smiled. "Besides, consider the rest to be money to hire a good exorcist..."
"Thank you, your highness!" Whipstitch gave another short bow, then a long yawn. I think that I'm going to go to sleep, now, if you don't mind..."
"I'll put up the sign to say that you're closed." Celestia winked, then turned to the door. "Whipstitch. I can see why Pennington would recommend you to help me. I'll come to you again if I need another repair!"
"It's an honor, your highness!" The pink-and-black pony gave her a wink before disappearing through the door. "I'll treasure the earrings!"
"I just can't wait to get my ears pierced!"
Celestia barely heard the words as she shut the locked door behind her. She paused for a moment, trying to remember whether or not Whipstitch's ears had ever been pierced when they had been talking. Then, with a smile and a chuckle, she shook her head and walked away.
"Looks as if, once again, I've met a pony who is truly one of a kind..."