//------------------------------// // Humble Beginnings // Story: You Don't Mess With The Snips // by The Invincible //------------------------------// The town of Ponyville was reveling in a late spring day. A rare rainy morning had just ended. Celestia's sun was desperately peeking through the rapidly dispersing grey clouds to grant the town a pleasant, sunny afternoon. Things were finally starting to dry up again, and with little time to lose. For in just a few short minutes, everything that had just become clean, was about to become messy again. One solitary ring of the massive bell adorning the schoolhouse signaled the end of another day of learning. The outpouring of students that followed was nearly explosive. There was a very good reason behind this: it was Friday. The little fillies and colts had the entire weekend ahead of them. They were free to do anything they wanted, within the limits of Equestrian law. Most of them left the school immediately, bound for the town of Ponyville. A few stayed behind in the classroom with their friends to plan their weekend activities. Two young unicorns were left alone on the playground, occupying their time with a red rubber ball. One of the young colts, a stocky, blue little fellow named Snips, had arranged to stay behind that day to perform an extra-credit assignment under Miss Cheerilee's direction, and was just playing in the schoolyard to pass time until the classroom cleared completely. The other, his best friend Snails, was a taller, lankier colt with the appearance of a decomposing carrot. For his own benefit, he hung around Snips whenever possible, allowing his friend to make all the tough life choices he couldn't bring himself to handle on his own. One could call it a 'friendship of convenience,' but that would imply that Snails also made Snips's life easier, as well. In fact, he did not. A fact that would become even more obvious as Snips bounced the ball back toward his friend, and it promptly became impaled on the orange colt's horn. "Oh, come on, Snails!" he exclaimed with a frustrated huff. "That's the fourth ball this week you've busted!" Snails awkwardly shifted the tattered remains of the ball away from his face, and addressed his friend with a sincere, if not a little dim, stare. "Sorry, Snips," he uttered. The ball's airless corpse dangled on the side of his head, waving with every movement of his lips. "I'll get it next time. So...want to try it again?" Snips shook his head. "We can't. You already broke all the balls I own. And I can't take one from the classroom, 'cause you'll probably just bust that one, too." The taller unicorn lowered his ears, dejected and shamed as his hoof drew back a small pile of dirt. "Oh...yeah," he sighed. "I keep telling you to hit the ball with the side of your head. That horn of yours is just too dangerous." Snips said, shuffling up to Snails and yanking the ball away from his horn. "Now what are we supposed to do?" "Um..." Snails droned in thought. "We could play hopscotch again." "Now, that's no fun," a shrill, taunting voice called out. Both of their attention was drawn to its source. The gleam coming off of her ridiculous headwear was as telling of her identity as the mocking tone of her voice. Diamond Tiara stood behind them with her trademark mean-filly sneer, followed as she always was by Silver Spoon. Why the two of them were still hanging around the schoolhouse on a Friday afternoon was anypony's guess, and Snips wasn't about to waste the brainpower. "...Seeing as how he can only count to three," Silver Spoon finished the insult that Tiara had started. Then they shared a derisive laugh. It was grating. "Would you please just leave us alone?" Snips grumbled under his breath. "We don't need this today." Either because he didn't hear their comments, or because he didn't register them as an insult, Snails turned to face them. "Oh, hey girls!" he said with a wide grin plastered to his face. "Nice day, isn't it? Say, do you have any balls?" Snips wished at that moment that he had hands like his other friend Spike, so that he could smack one of them against his face with all his might. The pair of fillies nudged each other playfully, trading giggles in a most uncivil manner. They glanced over at Snails and give him their best insincere smiles. "Only the biggest ones you've ever seen, dimwit," Diamond Tiara jeered snidely. "Oh, cool!" Snails howled cluelessly. "You think we could borrow them for a little while? Snips keeps hitting me in the face with his." Any ability the girls had to stifle their giggles at this point was completely gone. Now upgraded to full-blown bellows, Tiara and Spoon turned and left the two colts, making their way to the exit of the schoolyard. After a few seconds, Snails dropped his look of confusion for a look of even deeper confusion, bordering on annoyance. "Hey! Come back!" he shouted, in a voice that was about 10% too loud for his friend's comfort level. "You were going to let us play with your balls!" Snips could only shake his head with a little chuckle and a smile of disbelief. He trotted to Snails's side and draped a hoof over his shoulder. "Snails, I love you like a brother, you know that," he sighed. "But sometimes, you make me want to take some sandpaper, and rub it against the part of my brain that remembers why we're friends." "Oh..." Snails exhaled softly. "I didn't bring any. Sorry." Snips gave Snails a friendly pat on the shoulder. "Don't worry about it. Come on, let's go see Miss Cheerliee about that math problem." They left the playground behind and went around to the front of the schoolhouse. Just as they rounded the corner, they heard the beginning rumbles of an impending explosion. They knew exactly what it was, because they knew who was still inside the classroom. But they weren't for long. As the full force of the blast hit, the energy blew back both of their manes, with the added bonus of propelling three little fillies clear out of the side window. Thankfully, it was open at the time. They landed in the middle of the sideyard, right where Snips and Snails had been before. The two of them had returned to observe, Snips out of concern for their safety, and Snails to check out the smoldering wreckage of a cool explosion. And also out of concern for their safety, once he registered the severity of the situation. For a few seconds, they just lay there piled on top of each other, the tiniest trace of smoke billowing from their coats, which were slightly singed in just a few places. As their bodies began shifting, a noise of irritation erupted from the bottom of the heap. "Would you get off? The two of you weigh a ton!" the boisterous pegasus beneath the pile shouted. "Sorry, Scoot," the cream-yellow earth pony on top of her replied. "Didn't mean to crush ya like that." "I guess we aren't getting cutie marks for chemistry, either," the mostly gleaming-white unicorn said with a mournful sigh. The hilarious and often dangerous misadventures of these three fillies were a familiar sight to the young pair of unicorn colts. Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle, collectively known as the Cutie Mark Crusaders (and alternatively known as the CMC), had gained notoriety all over Ponyville for literally doing anything to get their cutie marks. So naturally, they went right past being shocked, and right into their natural boyish curiosity. "Uh...you girls alright?" Snails was the first to speak up. They immediately froze in place, realizing they had an audience. Their gazes ranged from gratefulness, to embarrassment, to indignant. "Yeah, we're fine. Thanks," Scootaloo responded somewhat harshly. "Scootaloo!" came Sweetie's admonishing squeak. "Sorry, boys. We just got into a bad batch of acetic acid. We're okay now, though!" Though under her breath, she still mumbled something about cutie marks. "Oh, okay!" Snails smiled. "Long as you aren't hurt or anything! We gotta get going, though. Me and Snips are gonna go find some balls. Right...uh, Snips?" Snips could hear Snails making noises with his mouth, but at that moment, the little blue pony was not available. His eyes had locked in on the little filly in the middle of her group of friends. The only one who hadn't spoken yet. Proud, hard-working daughter of the Apples. And she was looking at him, too. She had a curious look in her eyes, but he loved that look. There was a kind of worldly sparkle in them that absolutely captivated him every time their eyes randomly met. He was honestly hypnotized by every part of her, but what he loved most was her mane. It was the most brilliant shade of red, somewhere in between candies and apples. Possibly candy apples, the kind that came fresh from Sugarcube Corner during Ponyville's Festive Fall Fair. It was clean, smooth and shimmery, which baffled him beyond belief, considering where she lived and what her family did for a living. And best of all, it was held back with the cutest pink bow, keeping every perfect strand away from her perfect eyes. In that brief moment, Snips was lost to the world. But he was about to be found...in a big, big way. "Hey, Snips?" said a tiny voice in his ear. "What'cha lookin' at?" His mind refocused as he realized where the voice was coming from. He was looking straight at it. He grimaced at the implication: Apple Bloom had caught him red-hoofed. He wasn't exactly being discreet either, which doubled his embarrassment. He was about to stammer through an apology, when Scootaloo inadvertently saved him. "I'm gonna go out on a limb here and assume it has something to do with that," she pointed to Apple Bloom's flank and barrel. It was spotted in a few places with some kind of strange golden substance. The pegasus filly was about to press her hoof against it, when Sweetie Belle sagely interrupted. "WAIT!" she screamed most unsagedly. "Don't touch it. Let me see." Sweetie Belle leaned in close to Apple Bloom's side, keenly eyeing the smudge. Then she gave it a quick sniff. Instantly, she recognized the smell. "OH, COME ON!! Tree sap again?! How did that even happen?! We weren't even doing anything tree-related this time!" "Sorry girls," Apple Bloom said. "We planted some maple trees over the winter, and we just started harvestin' the other day. Guess I didn't get all of it off me." "Looks like you got a little in your mane, too," Scootaloo pointed. She leaned it again, attempting to wipe the offending sap away. "WAIT!" The words were out of Snips's mouth before he could react. And even quicker were the looks in his direction. Everypony was looking at him. Waiting for the next thing to come out of his mouth. He didn't know what it was going to be; he didn't even know why he spoke up in the first place. But he knew he needed to do something now, or he would look like an idiot. And with present company being who it was, that was something he couldn't afford. So he took a deep breath, and just dove right in. "You can't just go tugging on tree sap when it's stuck in a pony's mane. It puts too much pressure on the roots. If you're too rough, the follicles are gonna get permanently damaged. We need to handle this situation delicately. I can cut that little patch out for you, Apple Bloom." "And when did you become some kinda mane expert?" Scootaloo questioned him with a raised eyebrow. "I'm no expert," he replied, flashing his cutie mark with a gleam of determination in his eye. "I'm just a pony who's great with a pair of scissors." The Cutie Mark Crusaders looked at the silver pair of shears on the colt's flank, and then at each other. Then they looked back at Snips. The message was clear: they were very, very unsure. "Please," he said, gazing passionately at the sap-coated filly. "I want to help you, Apple Bloom. Can you trust me?" She looked left and right at her two best friends, then down to the ground. Her eyes darted in every direction, she wasn't sure which way to look. Finally, her vision settled back on Snips. "I guess I can give ya a chance," she gave him a quiet nod. "Okay. I promise it's gonna be just fine," he nodded in reply. He then turned to the rest of the group. "I'm going to need everypony's help to do this right. Is that okay?" "Yeah!" Snails cheered in response. The other Crusaders were less enthusiastic, but they still agreed. "Snails, I need you to go get my bag from the back of the classroom. You know, where we store them before class every day? You know what it looks like, right?" Snips tried to enunciate as clearly as he could for his friend's benefit. Snails nodded in response and took off for the school's entrance. Snips smiled assuredly and turned to Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. "You two wouldn't happen to have a mirror on you, would you?" "Oooh! I know!" the unicorn filly declared. "Follow me!" She led them to the edge of the playground, which was surrounded by a natural fence of solid oak trees. She ran a hoof against the surface of a few of them, finally stopping in front of the fifth one. She gave it a few knocks and her face lit up with glee. "Here it is!" Sweetie Belle announced. She circled around the tree and gave it a solid kick with one of her back hooves. A quiet hiss of air preceded a false panel popping off the tree's front. Inside the hollowed out tree, there was a full-sized mirror, reflecting back a perfect image of the group of ponies before it. "Ha, that Pinkie Pie," Apple Bloom giggled. "Always ready for anythin'." "Actually," Sweetie Belle said, "this one is my sister's. Rarity has mirrors hidden all over Ponyville. For fashion emergencies." Snips stepped forward and placed his hoof directly in front of the mirror, not daring to touch it. "No dings. No warbles. No imperfections at all. The body in the mirror moves perfectly in time with my own," he said, in a near chanting tone. "It's perfect." Sweetie Belle nodded in appreciation, allowing the tiniest blush to grace her smiling face. "Now Scootaloo, can you get up in that tree for me?" Snips asked. "I guess," she shrugged. "What do you need me up there for?" "If I'm going to do this right, I need some water," he explained, looking up to the sky. "There are still some grey clouds hanging around from the rain this morning. If I can bring some down here, can you shake some rain loose from them?" "You want me to be a weather pony? Just like Rainbow Dash? I'M IN!!" she cheered. Her wings sprang to life, and she launched herself directly at the mirror-housing tree. She didn't climb, so much as she ran up the side of it. Taking her position on a protuding branch, she saluted down to Snips. "Weather Pony Alpha is in position!" "Roger that, Alpha! Deploying rain cloud, we are go for precipitation!" Snips called out, a faintly blue aura surrounding his horn and a low passing cloud. As the cloud floated closer to Scootaloo, Snips turned his head at the sound of hoofsteps behind him. Snails had returned and he had a saddlebag strapped around his waist. "I got it, Snips! Here it is!" he shouted. Snails slid to a stop and unhooked the bag, letting it fall to the ground. Snips circled the bag with a critical eye. He looked up at Snails and narrowed his gaze. "Snails...this is your bag." "Uh huh," he nodded. "I sent you into the classroom to get my bag." "Uh...." Snails droned. "Just...try it again, okay? Go to the back of the classroom, and get my bag, okay?" The orange colt nodded vigorously and started to take off again. Snips was about to grab him with his magic before he got too far away, but it turned out he didn't need to, as Snails tripped over a small rock. "And by the way, make sure you have the right one this time." Snips waited until his friend was completely out of sight before he moved again. "Okay, let's do this," he said, opening the bag on the ground, and producing his favorite scissors and a fine comb. "Apple Bloom, can you sit down in front of the mirror, please?" "Wait. You put your things in Snails's bag?" Sweetie Belle asked curiously. "Why would you do that?" Snips looked up at Scootaloo with a nod. She began to kick at the cloud from the stability of her branch. A few raindrops fell onto Apple Bloom's head. "I always keep my most important things in Snails's bag. That way, when Snails brings me his bag by mistake, I can still get what I need. This happens more often than you might think." "But, if you knew your things were in his bag, why did you send him back for your bag?" Apple Bloom thought out loud. "To get rid of him for a few more minutes," Snips replied instantly. "That kinda day, huh?" Scootaloo smirked. "He's a good guy most of the time. But right now I need to concentrate." He stated, moving behind Apple Bloom and raising the scissors and comb with his magic. "That reminds me. I need you to relax, Apple Bloom. But try not to move too much. I haven't done this with another pony before." "How is that supposed to help me relax?" she asked, not daring to turn her head. "Yeah, why did I say that?" he asked himself. "Look, just trust me on this, okay? Despite how I look, I know what I'm doing." With that, Snips lifted the comb to Apple Bloom's mane, and began to sift through the waves and folds of hair, working the moisture of the rain cloud into her roots. The offending sap was still soft, so he was able to comb through it without too much difficulty. He was thankful for that; if it had hardened, he'd have had to cut away more than he would be comfortable with. As he smoothed every lock and strand of the earth pony's mane, pressing with the comb and gently snipping away with his shears, the world around him slowed to a crawl. All that existed was the bond between him and the head of hair before him. It was waiting for him, calling for him. It cried for help, for change. He could sense it. He became lost in the sensation of sculpting the clay presented to him into a masterwork worthy of every fancy Canterlot art house. Soon, her mane was back to its pristine state, yet still he couldn't stop. He was compelled to create, to reach a level of perfection previously unheard of. A gentle tuck and curl followed a part and lift, as Snips continued to work his literal and figurative magic. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle could only watch in awe. "You know, you don't actually suck at this," Scootaloo whistled. "I thought you'd be way more of a dork 'cause you always hang out with Snails. But you're actually really, really..." "Please," Snips interrupted. "I need to focus here." He returned his attention to his own little bubble, placing the finishing touches on Apple Bloom's mane. He used the remainder of his magic to lift any excess moisture from her hair. "Okay, Apple Bloom. I think that does it. What do you think?" The seated filly opened her eyes for the first time. The entire time, she had been too scared to look. But she finally made eye contact with the pony in the mirror. She couldn't believe it, that the one in her reflection was really her. She moved her hoof up and down to test it, and sure enough, it moved with her. She looked to her friends, hoping to gauge their reactions. They were astonished, looking back between her and Snips with stares are pure amazement. She couldn't tell if that was good or bad. What she could tell is that they were all waiting for her reply to Snips's question. "I...uh, I..." she stuttered. After a few brief moments of fidgeting with her hooves, she stood up. She immediately took off running. "I have to go!" Snips was left standing with the other two Crusaders, sharing their look of surprise and confusion. But within his expression, there was also a small amount of horror. He was worried that he might have blown his chance with her forever, and he cursed his boldness to the depths of Tartaurus. But while he was in the middle of his inward cursing, his best friend finally returned with the proper bag. "Hey! I'm back, and I got the right bag. What's next?" he said, regaining his breath rather vocally. "Too late, Snails. We already finished." Snips said flatly. "Oh? So...how'd it go?" the skinny unicorn asked. "I...I don't know. I think I blew it," he said with a little shake of his head. Scootaloo hovered down from her position in the tree, landing directly on Snips's back. "I don't know what she's so freaked about. I thought it was pretty good for a quick fix," she said, patting the sullen unicorn on his head, before dismounting him with a perfect backflip. "Uh...should we try to cheer her up or something?" Snails asked, watching Apple Bloom rush out of the schoolyard. With her eyes shut tight, she didn't notice the fence post in front of her until she ran through it, knocking it clear out of the ground. She ran crooked for a little while, but soon regained her balance and took off again. "I would give it a day or two," Scootaloo remarked with her eyelids lowering. Snips heaved out a heavy sigh and went back to his bag to put away his supplies. But before he made it back, he noticed Sweetie Belle standing next to him. She stared at him while trying to look away, and nervously swirled her hoof through the dirt. Finally, the white unicorn filly swallowed what was left of her fear and just asked him straight away. "Snips....would it be okay...I mean, if you don't mind....would you....do me next?"