//------------------------------// // Magical Chairs // Story: You Don't Mess With The Snips // by The Invincible //------------------------------// The next week was a blur of activity to Snips. He went about his usual business at school, and spent any free time he had playing around in the park with Snails. To his surprise, those activities gradually began to include the Cutie Mark Crusaders as well. They were constantly coming up with new ideas to find their special talents, and although Snips and Snails already had theirs, they joined in just for the fun. He also took the time after these youthful excursions to venture over to Carousel Boutique, to prepare for his newfound employment. The term was still so foreign to him; he didn’t know of a single other pony his age who had a job, at least not in this capacity. He knew he had a lot to learn, and that his employer had a lot to teach. To his young mind, Rarity was a beacon of class and sophistication, somepony that was meant to be admired. The little blue unicorn wanted that for himself as well. Snips would often stay with Rarity late into the night, practicing his craft on her dressforms, magically modified to have realistic manes. He would also pick up on subtle cues to improve his etiquette and social grace, fundamental qualities that he came to learn would be crucial to his success as a stylist. Snips woke up one Monday morning, and recalled that to his delight, the school’s Spring Break was beginning today. He nearly flew from his makeshift bed in his friend’s room and rushed for the door. “Come on, Snails!” he shouted to the lump of pony in the bed next to his. “Spring Break! Let’s go for a run, see what kind of fun we can get into!” The sheets on Snails’s bed began to part as his head slowly emerged, as a worm emerges from an apple. He opened his eyes with obvious effort and audibly parted his dry, cracked lips. The sound he made resembled no known words; it more closely resembled a croak. “Oh come on, Snails,” the shorter blue colt groaned. “I know there’s no school, but are you really gonna just stay in bed all day?” Snails lowered his eyelids in exasperation. Snips looked a little perturbed, but he shrugged off his friend’s noncommittal attitude. Snails never did have a lot of energy in the morning. “Fine. I’ll meet you in the park later today. See you later, okay?” he said, opening the door with a swift kick. The lanky orange unicorn laid his head back down on his pillow, giving another short groan. This one was different in that it inflected up at the end, implying a question. “In fact, yes. Miss Rarity did ask me to come by if I had time today.” Snips answered. With one final groan, Snails pulled his blankets back over his head. Snips nodded to himself and left the room behind. He descended the steps and looked around the living room. Snails’s parents had already left for their own jobs earlier that morning, so Snips made his way for the kitchen and poured a glass of water from the sink. On a warm spring day like today, hydration would be key. The young blue pony carefully cleaned out the glass with a cloth he lifted from the nearby rack. Once it was totally dry, he placed it into the basket by the sink. Now feeling fully awake and refreshed, he left his temporary home and made his way through town. His gaze tilted up slowly as he came upon his destination. The Carousel Boutique was undergoing a minor addition to its side, as the skeletal frame of a new room was being constructed by a team of rough-looking stallions. He had grown acquainted with all of them over this past week, and as Snips looked on they moved around the wood and stone needed for the final product: a brand new Salon. The colt passed the construction site silently and approached the entrance to Rarity’s home and workplace. He gave three solid knocks on the door. After a few seconds the door swung magically open and Rarity greeted him with a wide smile and a wave. Her feathered, layered mane shook gently as her hoof moved up and down. Each gentle shift caused a slight color variation to her traditional purple, giving her hair the glistening allure of ethereal ocean of amethyst. “Snips, dear! So glad you could make it! Please, come in. I’ve just been arranging all the necessary supplies for le jour d'ouverture,” she said, milling about her workspace while carrying a small basket of towels and a box of new combs. “That’s our ‘opening day’, you see.” The young colt pushed the door closed behind him and made his way into the center of the room. “It looks like there’s still a bit of work to do, Rarity. Anything I can help with?” he asked. “That’s quite alright, darling,” Rarity replied as she lowered her load gently into a cardboard box. “There is a very important package due in the mail today; we can’t really do much more moving until it arrives.” “Really? What is it?” Snips asked, trying his best to reign in his curiosity. The gleaming white mare gave a charming little sound somewhere between a breathy exhale and a curt laugh. “Oh, I can’t tell you now, Snips. That would ruin the surprise!” “Oh, okay,” the colt said with an understanding nod. “So, is there anything that I can do for you?” Rarity finished packing the box she was currently working with, and lifted it onto a nearby stack. She sighed gently from the exertion of her magic and smiled over to Snips. “As a matter of fact, there is. We’ve still got one more lesson you have to complete before you’re totally ready to be a true expert beautician.” “Okay sure, no problem. What did you want to teach me?” he asked, walking a little bit closer. “Oh, I’m afraid that this isn’t a lesson that I can teach you, dear,” Rarity explained. “I’ve called in a friend of mine to assist us for today. She should be here any second.” Snips didn’t even have time to ask who it was. As soon as Rarity finished her sentence, a blast of silvery-pink glitter sprung up in front of their door. As the shroud began to dissipate, Snips immediately recognized the silhouette contained within; it would be near impossible for him to forget a cape and pointed hat like that. “No way,” were all the words he could force out. The pony inside lifted her hooves and shot them outward, pushing the cloud of sparkly dust away as easily as pushing away a curtain. She gave her trademark victorious grin and used her magic to summon a fan to set down right next to her. Then her horn lighted again as the switch on the device flipped to the on position. She cleared her throat and struck a heroic pose on her hind legs, as the fan blew a forceful breeze through her mane and her cape. “Yes, my friend! In fact, way! For the harbinger of your salvation has arrived! Gaze in amazement, as magical feats beyond all comprehension are conjured by the one, the only, the Great and Powerful TRIXIE!!!” Rarity rolled her eyes with a heavy sigh. “Oh, for goodness sake, Trixie. I have a door, you know. You don’t have to do that every time. And would you turn that fan off? You’re getting glitter everywhere.” Trixie seemed to visibly deflate as she brought all her hooves back to the ground. “You’re a lot of fun,” she stated flatly. A snap sounded out from her horn, causing the fan to disappear. Then she pulled her purple wizard’s hat from her gleaming silver mane and whistled out to seemingly nothing in particular. But when she did, all the glittery dust that had scattered around the room vacuumed itself into her hat. “Much better, thank you,” the white unicorn nodded with a smile. “I’m glad you could find time between shows to come by for a visit.” “Oh, of course, Rarity,” Trixie replied as she unclasped her cape. “When you told me the reason you needed me, I just couldn’t stay away. Your mane looks spectacular, by the way.” She lifted her cape up with her magic and gently lowered it into her hat. Once it was completely inside, she turned her hat over and over, and showed the completely empty interior to the two ponies in the room. Politely, they tapped their hooves on the floor in applause, though Snips was still a bit bewildered. Trixie bowed her thanks to them and winked her hat out of existence as well. “It’s great to see you again, Trixie,” the Boutique’s owner said. She moved over to Trixie and wrapped her up in a hug, which the magician instantly returned. “But...I...I still don’t understand,” Snips said confusedly. “You invited the Great and Powerful Trixie here? THE Great and Powerful Trixie? Here?” The light blue unicorn mare broke away from Rarity’s friendly embrace, and strode casually in Snips’s direction. “And why not? Can a world-famous unicorn not take a little time for her friends now and again?” Trixie asked, briefly flashing a playful look of indignation. “How are you, Snips? I heard all about you from Rarity. I can’t tell you how happy I am that one of my biggest fans has found his own life’s calling, as opposed to just running around causing trouble for other ponies.” “Oh...yeah,” Snips sighed. “I’m really, really sorry about all of that, Miss Great and Powerful Trixie.” “Please,” she said, laying a hoof on his shoulder. “You don’t need to use my stage name. Just call me Trixie.” Snips looked over to Rarity, trying to pick up some kind of cue from her. Receiving only an assuring nod, he asked the magical mare, “Trixie? Really?” “Of course, Snips. That name, just like my stage persona...it’s just part of the show. Could you imagine how exhausting it would be to act like that all the time? My goodness, my head would probably explode. Now then, shall we get started?” she asked, looking to Rarity for her consent. “Oh, don’t let me get in your way. Just do whatever you need to do, dear,” the white unicorn answered, turning to back to her packing for the big move. “I’ll be right here if you need anything.” Trixie and Snips nodded to her and moved to the other side of the room, giving Rarity a little more space to get her work done. The younger unicorn glanced back once more, and after a few seconds, turned to address his temporary mentor. Before he could think of anything to say, she held up her hoof and looked him up and down. “You look a little more...fit, than I remember, Snips. Have you been working out?” she asked with a playful nudge. Snips, seemingly at a loss for words, shifted his gaze in just about every direction but Trixie’s face. “Well, I...I guess, you could say. I’ve been doing a lot of running, maybe that’s it. Trying to slim down a bit. Image is really important; Rarity taught me that.” Trixie nodded. “Absolutely correct. And whatever you’re doing, it’s working, so keep at it.” “So...Trixie...what is it you’re going to be teaching me today?” Snips asked. Trixie buffed the edge of her hoof on her coat and gave the little colt a smirk. “Snips, today I’m going to teach you something that every pony in any profession should know, and it’s something that only a pony like myself can teach you. And that is...how to put on a show!” she announced brightly. “Put on a show?” Snips repeated. “But I’m not an entertainer, I’m a stylist.” “Snips, let me explain something to you: there’s nothing more important to a showmare like myself than the audience. Anypony can put on one performance. But if you don’t give them a reason to come back, there goes your whole career. The same goes for stylists like yourself,” Trixie said, poking lightly into Snips’s chest. “Anypony can go to any corner-store barber shop and get a mane-cut. So you need to give them a reason to come back to you. Give them something they can’t get anywhere else. You need to show them a little...” She ran a hoof through her mane, and in the blink of an eye, waved it through the air. The collection of tiny fireworks dancing around the ceiling accompanied her pronunciation of the word “FLASH!” Rarity looked up from her work again when the light from one of the little explosions caught the corner of her eye. She glared at Trixie authoritatively. “Now wait just a moment here! There are very delicate materials in this room, Trixie! I simply cannot have you shooting fireworks all over the place like that!” “Your materials are in no danger, Rarity,” Trixie assured her. “The fireworks you see do not really exist. They are merely an illusion, or to be exact a symbol of the fireworks.” “Oh, is that right?” the exquisitely-coiffed unicorn said in exasperation. “Fine, then. Just keep your illusions under control from now on. I don’t need anything else to complicate this renovation.” Trixie sighed in mild defeat again and waved the illusionary lights away. She turned back to her young student. “So there it is, Snips. You need a hook, an angle. A special trick that sets you apart.” “Okay, but...I don’t think I can make fireworks like that, Trixie.” Snips said, lowering his head in an embarrassed fashion. Trixie shook her head. “Very true, my young admirer. Nopony can do what I can. Nor do I think they should. Take my advice: you aren’t going to get far in life by copying anypony else. What you need to do is develop your own style. Figure out a way to apply your skills to your new profession in a way that will excite and entice potential customers and convert them into returning clients.” They both adopted looks of deep thought, mulling over what the magically gifted unicorn had instructed. Snips was at a total loss; he had never needed to impress anyone in his life. Nopony had ever really counted on him for anything. This was all so strange and terrifying for him, but he knew he had to put on a brave face. If he let on how afraid he was, he knew the world would hand him his tail on the first day. “I got nothing,” he said defeatedly. Trixie however, did not seem to be having that difficulty. He could see the idea turning over in her mind, and finally her eyes snapped wide open as she looked at him in earnest. “How’s your kinetic control, if you don’t mind me asking?” she offered, picking up a nearby basket of threads as a demonstration. Snips followed suit and picked up another one right next to Trixie’s. “Very good. But is that all you can do? I wonder...” “It most certainly is not,” Snips declared, putting on his best confident face in an attempt to hide his own trepidations. “I can do things with a pair of scissors that would turn your pointy hat inside out.” Trixie was floored, to say the least. She could think of no other response but to laugh uproariously and stomp her hoof uncontrollably. The light blue mare composed herself gradually and looked back up to meet Snips’s confused stare. “Oh, yes. Your enthusiasm is commendable, Snips. But perhaps you should brag after you’ve shown me what you can do,” she advised. Trixie looked over to where Rarity was still hard at work organizing her new salon’s supplies. “Rarity, may we make use of one of your wash basins and your sink, please?” “Of course,” Rarity said without turning away from her work. “Just don’t make a mess. Or I should say, more than it already is.” Trixie nodded in agreement, and lifted up a mid-sized wooden tub from the far corner of the room, which served as the shop owner’s laundry space. With a practiced angling of her head, she tilted the basin over the edge of a nearby sink, filling it part-way with water. Then she gently set it down in front of herself and Snips. “Now then, here’s what we’re going to do: Instead of the usual ‘spray down the customer’s mane with a squirtbottle’ you stylists usually do, we’re going to add a little bit a flash to it. So try to match what I do: use your magic to form a shell around the water, just like this.” Snips peered into the washtub and barely made out a faint sphere of magic just below the water’s surface. He kept his eyes fixed on it and Trixie bid it to rise from the water, high above both of their heads. “Now, once the water is right above your customer’s head, you create just a tiny charge in the sphere’s center. Once the burst is concentrated enough...” She narrowed her gaze in deep focus. Then her eyes widened again almost simultaneous to the water ball exploding and falling down on Snips’s mane, as though an invisible balloon surrounding it had just been popped. “And that’s a little something I like to call ‘waterworks’. So, do you think you can do that?” Trixie asked, using her magic to inch the basin closer to the smaller unicorn. He looked at the water, vision now slightly blocked by his now drenched mane. An idea crossed his mind as he shifted his glanced between Trixie and the water. “Sure, I could do that. But it just seems a little too...messy for a salon, don’t you think? How about if I try this?” Snips focused his own magical energy into the water, causing four small geysers to spring up in a square pattern. He gritted his teeth and strengthened his efforts, causing the little fountains to circle around the edge of the tub. Trixie was mildly impressed, but Snips was not finished. He cleared his mind of all other distractions; as he had done so often before when he was cutting manes, he blocked out everything but the water and the way it danced. He sensed every tiny molecule as they slid and bounced off each other, guided by his magic. He beckoned a modest amount of these water particles to the center of the tub. And with a slight nod upward, two thin strands of liquid emerged, twirling around each other in a perfect double helix shape. At the very top of their climb, they collided and sent down a fine mist of water, which landed gently in Trixie’s mane. She watched, understandably in awe but trying her best not to show it, as the mist traversed the overhead lights and amplified a ring of rainbows in the air. She caught sight of herself in one of Rarity’s many vanity mirrors scattering the Boutique’s workspace, and sent herself a subsconscious kiss as she saw her mane glisten even more brilliantly than she was used to. “Snips...wow...” the silver-maned unicorn gasped. “That was incredible. Beauty, grace, precision and control. It’s everything that magic should be. I’m so proud of how you’ve progressed.” She leaned in very close to Snips’s ear and whispered as silently as she could. “I’m just going to put this on the table. If this whole Salon thing with Rarity doesn’t work out, I would be overjoyed if you came to work with me. I could always use a proper assistant.” Snips, slightly shocked by the suggestion, responded with a grin. “Thank you, Trixie. I’ll be sure to keep that in mind. But right now, I’m right where I want to be. So I’m gonna stick with Rarity for as long as I can.” “Good,” Trixie said with a nod. “You passed the final test. Oh Rarity! He’s ready!” The shining white unicorn set down another box of supplies and turned around to face them. “Excellent! Thank you so much again for your help, Trixie. And Snips, I do indeed believe that we’re ready.” The swell of pride filling the room was suddenly cut by a strong knock from outside. Rarity moved between the two unicorns and approached the front door, swinging it open with her magic. “And just in time, too. The important package I ordered is here! Thank you so much, gentlecolts. Please set it down right over there, in the middle of the room.” The team of stallions carrying the large wooden crate grunted their compliance. They brought the parcel into the center of the Boutique’s circular foyer. Rarity floated a tiny sack of bits from a work table, and tied it securely around the neck of the nearest stallion. Feeling its heft, and realizing there was a healthy tip included in their usual fee, he smiled gratefully to Rarity and directed his associates back out the main entrance. The door shut swiftly behind them as they exited. Snips trotted up to the box, which was easily three times his height and twice as long as he was head to tail. “So, what’s in it? I think it’s okay to tell me now,” he asked his mentor and employer. “I suppose so,” Rarity nodded in response. “Trixie, would you mind assisting me with the packaging? I’m afraid my magic is not quite powerful enough to open it on my own.” “‘Powerful’ is my middle name, Rarity,” Trixie smirked at her own joke. “Move aside and let Trixie work her magic.” Trixie focused her unicorn aura around her horn, solidifying and elongated the energy into a flat, prying bar. She wedged the bar in between the wooden panels on one corner and began to pull. “You know, you could just use your magic to open the crate telekinetically,” Rarity observed with a curious expression. “I know that,” Trixie said simply. “But sometimes I like to use my magic in ways that challenge my body physically. Helps keep me in shape. I have a responsibility to my fans to maintain my image, after all. And that includes my breathtaking figure.” With a final grunt of effort, Trixie pried the front panel of the wooden box, which fell discarded to the floor. Her crowbar spell dissipated in a light purple flash, and she used a simple levitation spell to bring a tightly wrapped object from the parcel’s inside. “Snips, as my thanks for agreeing to take this job, I’d like to present this as my gift to you,” Rarity announced to the young unicorn colt. “I special ordered this from Canterlot last week; it’s top-of-the-line, at the cutting edge of salon technology. Something that no stylist should be without. Mr. Snipsy J. Scissorhooves, may I present to you....your chair (chair).” Trixie yanked off the plastic wrapping to reveal a stunning vision of silver and red. It was held aloft by a thick metal pedestal, meant to rise and fall and spin at the stylist’s whim. The brand new red padded seats shined like rubies, yet looked soft and pliable like silken pillows. It wouldn’t have surprised him if that’s what that seat was actually made of. He circled the gift again and again, looking between Rarity and Trixie was a look of quickly growing elation. “I can’t believe it! It’s amazing! You got this for me? A real stylist’s chair (chair)? I don’t really know how comfortable I am with how much money you’re putting into me,” Snips admitted. “Well, that’s what I think you’re worth, Snips. I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t think you’d be the best stylist this town has ever seen. And as for the money, don’t worry about that. I called it a gift, and that’s what I meant. The only money you’ll need to worry about is the bits you’ll be raking in.” “I’m going to get paid?!” Snips shouted in surprise. “Of course, dear,” the white pony laughed sweetly. “Did you think I’d just make you work for me without any kind of compensation? I’m not running a sweatshop here. This space is as much yours and it is mine now. And make no mistake: you’re the star of the show, and this is your chair (chair).” “Is there some kind of echo in here?” Trixie asked, looking all around the room. They had all noticed it, but now they all took the effort to investigate. Snips went to the door and opened it up. Outside, he saw two mares standing there right in front of him. One stood with her head low, a look of embarrassment on her face, while the other jumped up and down in pure, concentrated joy, her light green and white mane bouncing in time with her. Snips stared between the two of them, not sure how he should respond to seeing these ponies on Rarity’s doorstep, but Rarity broke in and saved him from having a bizarrely awkward conversation. She moved him out of the way, and smiled up at her new visitors. “Bon Bon! Lyra! How nice of you to drop by! What can we do for you today?” the white unicorn cheerily asked. The cream-colored earth pony looked over at her companion, who continued to bounce with an oblivious grin, and regarded Rarity with an uncomfortable smile. “I am so, so sorry about this, Rarity,” Bon Bon began. “What had happened was, we were visiting a friend at the post office, and Lyra, she overheard that somepony was having a...” she paused, appearing to dread the word she was about to say, “...chair, delivered today.” “EEEEEEE!! CHAIR!” Lyra squeaked in absolute happiness, continuing to demonstrate her widely-known proficiency for bouncing. “Yes, Lyra, we know,” Bon Bon shook her head, futilely attempting to shake the impending headache away. “So anyway, I knew I’d never hear the end of this until we found out where it was and who received it, so...” “So...you followed my mail all the way from the post office to my house?” Rarity suggested. She wanted to be angry, but the absurdity of the situation wouldn’t let her do anything but stifle a tiny chuckle. “It’s actually much worse than that,” Bon Bon answered. “See, we didn’t know who was getting the...you know what...so we had to follow the mail cart all over town until it dropped off the crate. We’ve been at this for a couple hours, and -- WILL YOU STOP THAT?!!” Bon Bon shouted, finally having enough of her friend’s constant bouncing and squeaking. Lyra came to a stop and looked around confusedly, almost as though she we was coming out of a trance. “And here we are.” “Whoo, sorry about that!” Lyra said with a cheery laugh. “Kinda lost it for a sec, there. I just got so excited about the new...” Her sentence fell victim to her own excitedness, and she devolved into mindless giggling. Bon Bon placed her hoof forcefully on Lyra’s back, trying to keep her grounded. “Be good, Lyra. I’m sure Rarity has very important business to take care of today. She certainly doesn’t have time for us and our nonsense,” she offered gently. Rarity glanced back to Snips, who looked just as confused as she did. But as an idea crossed her mind, she softened her expression and smiled to the pair of mares at her door. “As it happens, ladies, nonsense just may be my business today. Would you like to come in?” she asked, moving aside and welcoming the two in. “You mean it?!” Lyra screeched joyously. “We get to see the...eeee...CHAIR?!!” Bon Bon sighed as she followed her friend into the Carousel Boutique. “Honestly, Lyra. Sometimes I think you won’t be satisfied until you’ve sat in every chair in Equestria.” “So I have a thing for chairs, gimme a break!” the minty-green unicorn groaned in reply. “It’s not my fault they’re all so comfortable to sit in. Besides, I don’t get on you for all those impressions you like to do.” “Those aren’t impressions!” the candy-marked pony argued. “Once again, Rarity. I’m so sorry for taking up your time with this. What were you doing in here before we interrupted you, anyway? And why is the Great and Powerful Trixie here? I didn’t even know she was back in town.” Trixie, now clearing away the wreckage of the opened shipping crate, turned to greet them with a smile and a bow. “I just arrived a short time ago for a little visit. Rarity needed help training her newest employee, young Snips here,” she explained with a wave of her hoof toward the unicorn colt next to her. Snips nodded respectfully to the visitors and his name’s mention. Lyra divided her attention between the young pony and the shiny new chair, sparkles from the metallic finish catching in her eyes. “Training? Employee? What does that mean? Does it have something to do with the chair?” She blasted a stream of questions, keenly eyeing the chair while circling around it. “What is it for, anyway?” Rarity looked over to Snips, both sets of eyes silently conveying a single message: they were ready. She nodded with resolve and walked over to Lyra and the new stylist’s chair. “Well, we don’t officially open for another week or so; construction in still in progress, as I’m sure you’ve noticed. But for right now, I suppose it would be nothing but beneficial to give such honored friends a sneak preview, as it were. So, Lyra...Bon Bon...it gives me great pleasure to welcome you, the very first customers, to...SNIPS!” Rarity declared with an elaborate flourish of her hoof. The little blue pony stepped forward and gave Rarity a puzzled look. “Um...me?” he said, tilting his head a bit to the side. “Oh! That’s what I’ve decided to call our new salon, darling. It’s a marketing technique, you see. Everypony will be coming here for you, so why not put your name on the sign? Say, that’s a good slogan: “Everypony Goes to Snips.” Ooh, we’ll have to make flyers!” she clapped her hooves together happily. “A salon, huh?” Bon Bon said thoughtfully. “You know, you are due for a mane-cut pretty soon, Lyra. And I’m sure Rarity would be delighted to have such a connoisseur of fine...chairs, be the first pony to try it out.” “REALLY? YOU MEAN IT?!” the minty green unicorn said with exhilaration. “I get to sit in the...CHAIR?!” “Of course, but only if you promise not to say “chair” like that again,” Rarity nodded. “Snips dear, are you ready?” Snips looked back and forth between his supervising friend and his first actual customer, giving them both a broad smile. “I am. We can get started whenever Miss Lyra wishes. Miss Lyra, would you like to get situated while I prepare my supplies?” “Sure, let me just get in....ooh, this is nice,” the green mare said, her golden eyes sinking in relaxation as she adjusted herself into a comfortable seated position. “Yeah, this is a really good chair. So, what do I do next?” “You just sit back and relax,” Snips said soothingly. He pushed the water basin to the sink and refilled it, then put it in position behind the chair. “I’m about to take your mane on a little journey.” “Oh, he’s good,” Trixie whistled, coming right up next to Rarity. They watched as Snips focused his power into his signature scissors and his comb. “Well, he learned from the best,” Rarity answered with a chuckle. She employed her magic to dim the lights around the Boutique, so that only a single spotlight remained to shed its countenance upon the stylist and his client. He took a few deep breaths as he felt the connection strengthening, and his magic intensifying. He pulled four streams of water from the basin and began to guide them in a dance. Bon Bon watched the water spin and twist around with a curious expression , as she joined Rarity and Trixie off to the side of the room. “I’m still confused. What is this all about, Rarity?” she wondered out loud. “Bon Bon, my dear,” the dressmaking unicorn smiled in her direction. “All you need to do, is enjoy the show.” Snips looked over to her, and received an affirming nod. He closed his eyes and visualized the aura surrounding his tools, the water, and his intended objective. “So let’s go.” He kicked out with his front hoof to strike the level on the back of the chair. This action brought the seat’s backrest down slightly, and Lyra herself with it. And at that moment, the spiraling water structure reached its climactic peak, sending a cascade of fine mist into the mare’s mane. He used his comb to spread out the water, pushing it deeper into her white and green locks. Once the mane was fully prepared, he inhaled deeply and pulled up his scissors. This is when he truly began to work. The three spectating mares watched on in awe. Rarity, having seen Snips’s talent several times before and having helped him to perfect his craft, was not as phased as the other two. She glanced at them with a confident smirk as Snips continued his work. They stood in stunned silence as flashes of light surrounded him and his chair. Lyra looked up from her position, a stare of quiet relaxation plastered on her face. “I don’t...how is he doing this?” Bon Bon whispered. “I have no idea,” Trixie replied breathlessly. “But I do know that I’m going next.” Rarity continued to watch on silently as her new associate drew his shears in circles around the chair, creating a whirlwind with his magical aura. “I’m going to need one of those numbered ticket dispensers,” she observed quietly to herself. In an instant, the trance was broken and Snips lowered both his scissors and the magical field encompassing him. He used his magic to bring the lights back to their full brightness. A beaming grin flashed on his face as he took a celebratory pose. As the light fully returned to the workplace, he cheered out loud, “The Snips!” Trixie laughed under her breath as she approached the young colt. “Snips, do you mind telling me what in the world that was?” Snips returned her laugh and shrugged his shoulders. “I guess I just got carried away a bit. Still, it felt sorta right.” “Well, I think it works,” the magician nodded. “It’s just like Rarity said. When you have something that makes you special, you put your name on it. It’s your signature, an insignia. When ponies walk down the street, they’ll look at that mane and say, ‘oh yes, that’s Snips.’” “A signature, huh?” Snips thought. “Yeah, that works. Let’s go with that.” Lyra slid herself out of her seated pose and down to all four legs. She felt the floor beneath her hooves, and looked over to Bon Bon, who stared forward with a shocked sort of glee on her face. “So...Bonnie...how is it?” In lieu of a vocal response, the earth pony walked forward on very unsteady legs and gripped Lyra’s tail between her mouth. The sudden loss of equilibrium dropped Lyra to the floor, as Bon Bon continued to yank away, dragging her to the door. “Whoa, hold on, Bon Bon. Where are we going?” she asked. “Home. NOW,” Bon Bon responded through her gritted teeth. “Oh. Okay,” the minty unicorn smiled, suddenly grasping the situation. Rarity telekinetically opened the door from across the room, allowing the pair easy access to the exit. The cream-coated pony had nearly cleared the archway, pulling Lyra forcefully behind her, when the unicorn spoke up again. “So, yeah. See you guys later! Thanks for the mane-cut, Snips!” Once the doorway was empty, Rarity shut the door and floated out some towels from her supply closet. “I have a feeling she’ll be thanking him for something else in just a little while,” she said with a mischievous grin. “I have ten bits that say they don’t even make it home,” Trixie retorted. “Um, Miss Rarity...I, um...I think I might be having some second thoughts about this whole thing,” Snips said with a uncomfortable gulp. The white unicorn walked close to him and gave him a light hug, her own subtle attempt to calm his nerves. “Don’t worry. It’s just an indication that you are a true stylist. You have a special power, Snips. It is a part of you, and you should never be ashamed or afraid to use it for good.” “A ‘special power?’” Snips repeated. “Yes, Snips. A stylist can bring out feelings and emotions that are typically buried inside, and ponies will naturally react to that. Some of them may react in a more...physical way, but for the most part I expect they’ll just be really grateful.” Snips nodded unsurely at Rarity’s explanation, but suddenly came to another realization. “So...should we be concerned that they never paid us for the mane-cut?” Rarity shook her head and gave him a warm smile. “That’s quite alright, darling. If they tell even just one friend about what they experienced today, then it will all be worth it.” Trixie reasserted her presence with a bright little giggle. “I...do not think that that will be a problem.”