Fairy Mary was shocked to see them return with a flying mouse and no wagon. Phineas and Dozer explained (through more arguing) to her what happened with the Thistles. She was glad they were safe, but asked to speak to Phineas privately.
When Dozer had left, Fairy Mary turned to Phineas. "I don't want you working near him anymore." She said flatly. "I know you think everything is fine, but he clearly has something against you and I don't want you two to end up fighting over everything."
Phineas nodded. "I understand, Fairy Mary. I didn't realize how much he hated me, but I wasn't going to ask to work with him anymore."
"Good." Fairy Mary said. Phineas turned to leave "One more thing, Phineas." He turned around again "I also think it would be best if you stayed close to the work shop from now on."
He froze. "What? How come? Why can't I leave the workshop?" he demanded.
"I didn't say you couldn't leave." Fairy Mary said sternly. "Just to stay close by. It's only a precaution."
"A precaution for what?" Phineas asked, becoming more frantic.
"It's just because your sight is so poor," Fairy Mary explained "It's just safer for you to stay here."
"That's not fair!" Phineas shouted. "I do fine without my sight! I saved our mouse! I didn't need my sight for that! And I do my work load just fine! The delivery went well before the Sprinting Thistles chased us! And what about preparing for Spring? Am I banned from that too? Am I not allowed to go to the mainland now?"
"Phineas, that's enough!" Fairy Mary snapped, shutting Phineas up nicely. "First off, no. You're not going to the mainland. That has nothing to do with your sight. Tinkers don't go. Even if we did, what exactly would you do there? You can't bring your seeing contraption with you. And someone would have to keep track of you. Not everyone can juggle you and work like I can. So I need you here where I can watch you.
"I'd be more at peace knowing you were somewhere I know you're safe. I don't want something like this happening again." She slapped his hurt shoulder and he winced. "You're lucky your little stunt earlier didn't get you seriously hurt or worse. So you'll do your Spring preparations here where you'll stay out of trouble!"
He couldn't find words. The anger had drained from him and was replaced with anguish. Silvermist had said he was Fairy Mary's favorite charge. He couldn't believe that now. After what she'd said, it felt more like he was a burden to her and everyone else in the workshop. She had been holding his hand through everything to keep him from making a mess of everything.
Fairy Mary realized how she came across a little too late. Phineas turned and ran from her. He was about to take flight when his foot caught on something on the ground. He tumbled forward into a spring loaded contraption one of the Tinkers was working on. It sprung, sending him flying with a shout into a load of baskets that a carrier pigeon had on its back. Startled, the pigeon took off and its load, with Phineas tangled inside, fell off its back. The tangled mess got caught on a tree branch, and Phineas finally jerked to a stop, dangling upside down, tangled in the ropes of the ruined delivery load.
He slowly opened his eyes at the sound of snickering. There were blurred figures of what seemed to be every worker in Tinker's Nook floating around him.
"That's a lovely little bobble hanging from the tree." Dozer's voice broke through the crowd. Phineas struggled to get his arms free.
"Maybe we should decorate all the trees in Pixie Hollow with bobbles like that." Another Tinker said. Phineas thought it might be Lucinda.
"No way." Dozer said, flying up next to Phineas. "This Bobble is one of a kind." He pushed Phineas and he started spinning.
"Stop!" Phineas cried. "Please stop!" The other Tinkers laughed. Some started jeering him, taking to calling him a bobble, others using it in place of his name.
"Bobble is such a useless Tinker."
"What good is a Tinker who can't see?"
"No wonder Fairy Mary has to hold Bobble's hand through everything. Look where it got him when he tried to fly alone."
"Bobble! Bobble! Bobble!"
He closed his eyes tightly, wishing this would stop. He struggled hard to get free. He was getting dizzy, but his head was spinning more from the humiliation.
The cruel laughter and teasing suddenly stopped and Phineas felt someone grab him gently, stopping the spin. He opened his eyes and saw Fairy Mary holding him steady as she untangled him.
"Is this how you treat your fellow Tinker?" she demanded, voice booming so all could hear. "We do not tease and torment someone for their mistakes. We are Tinkers. We fix things that go wrong. We do not laugh at someone who might be hurt." She got him loose and he floated for a moment. Fairy Mary looked like she wanted to say something, but he shrunk back from her and flew away as quickly as his wings would carry him. "Phineas!" she called after him, but he didn't stop.
Hurt and embarrassed, he flew over Pixie Hollow, not stopping for anyone who called to him. He found a hollow tree in the Autumn Forest and hid inside. He pulled his knees to his chest and let his wings droop. He lowered his head and let out a shaky breath. It was foolish of him to think he'd actually been favored by Fairy Mary. The other Tinkers were right. What good was a Tinker who couldn't see? He squeezed his eyes shut and felt the hot tears roll down his cheeks.