You Don't Mess With The Snips

by The Invincible

I Guess This Is Growing Up

Today was finally the day. The final telling ring of the school bell announced to all of Ponyville that summer had arrived. To the school-age ponies of the town, this was one of the greatest days of the year. They had worked hard, and they had earned their time off. Many of them were in a hurry to leave, bustling out the front door in almost a shoving manner. The last two to leave, not out of sloth but more of a lack of need to hurry, were Snips and Snails. The taller unicorn almost broke out with a yawn, but quickly shook it away.

“Alright, school’s finally out for the summer,” he declared with a bit of laughter in his voice. “Hey, Snips. You wanna go play some ball in the park or something?”

Snips adjusted his bag, pulling it tighter to his side. He’d had to do that a lot recently, he noticed. The weight of his bag had increased from the supplies he’d grown accustomed to carrying, and combined with all the work put into improving his image, it no longer fit around his receding girth. He wasn’t Canterlot-model thin, nor was he Snowflake toned, but he felt pretty good about himself.

Snips looked up from his personal attentions at Snails’s question. “Wish I could, Snails. But I gotta head over to the Salon. Rarity is gonna want me to get started as soon as possible. She’ll want me to work a bit more now that school’s out.”

“Oh. Okay, sure. I’ll guess I’ll catch up with you later,” Snails said, his voice dropping in disappointment. And under his breath, he added, “as usual.”

“Wanna come with me? I wouldn’t mind the company,” Snips said.

“No, it’s fine. I got other stuff I gotta do today,” Snails replied. Snips had no idea what kind of ‘other stuff’ Snails had planned, but something told him that Snails wouldn’t be in the mood to talk about it. Instead, the smaller colt nodded and then they took to walking together.

After a few steps away from the schoolhouse, they noticed three of their classmates cross their field of view at an excited pace. They chatted together animatedly, and their joy permeated the air, bringing smiles to the two colts’ faces as well. Snips’s face fell a little bit as he saw one of the girls break off from her friends and run in the direction of her family’s farm. He had seen her take this path every day since the incident that set the current events of his life in motion, and it killed him that he was still unable to find a way to make it right again. He sighed to himself, but then felt a comforting hoof from his best friend brush his shoulder.

“Don’t sweat it, Snips. She won’t be mad at you forever, you know. It’ll all be cool again before you know it,” Snails advised. “Alright, I’m gonna take off, too. Catch you later!”

Snips looked on as Snails bolted toward the two leaving fillies, quickly darting by them in utter defiance of his preferred name. He looked back and gave one of them a smug wink. Its intended recipient widened her purple eyes, a shocked gasp and a burst of laughter soon escaping her mouth. The young pegasus increased her pace, catching up to Snails and racing him side-by-side.

The little blue unicorn reached the schoolyard’s gate, smiling to himself as he considered how for once in their lives, Snails had beaten him in something. Snails and Scootaloo galloped at a near-frantic gait, now very far ahead of Sweetie Belle. Occasionally they would bump into each other in a playful manner, fighting for position on their own imaginary racetrack.

Snails thought he was doing a good job of keeping his feelings secret. Snips didn’t have any problem in letting him think that.

“Hey, Snips!” Sweetie Belle called out as she spotted him by the gate. “Walk me home?”

“Sure thing, Sweetie Belle,” Snips said with a nod. He trotted up to her side, and after an exchange of friendly smiles, they both began walking into town. After a while, Snails and Scootaloo had gotten so far in front of them, they couldn’t be seen anymore. Snips turned to his traveling companion, raising an interested eyebrow.

“Did you see what I saw back there? With those two, I mean,” he asked.

“Yeah, I think I did. Good for them, right? It’s kind of adorable the way they’ve been palling around with each other since Spring Break. Has Snails said anything to you about it?” Sweetie asked as she leapt over a small twig on the road.

Snips shook his head. “Nope, not a word. I think Snails is trying to do the whole ‘secret relationship’ thing. Too bad he’s so awful at it. It’s so ridiculously obvious. How about you? Has Scootaloo said anything to you girls?”

“Nah, she’s not really into all that mushy stuff,” Sweetie Belle said. “If she did have any sort of special feelings like that, no way she’d tell us. She’d probably bottle it up,” she added beneath a mask of reflection. “Next time I see her though, I might try asking about that. It might be worth it just to see the look on her face.”

“Bring me along, would you? I’d like to see that too,” the colt remarked.

The two young ponies proceeded to laugh their way back to town. As Ponyville’s central fountain came into view, Snips’s line of vision diverted off to another part of town. Sweetie Belle noticed his distracted gaze and cleared her throat to get his attention.

“I guess you’re on your way back to Rarity’s, huh?” the filly asked. Snips nodded in reply. “Makes sense. You’ll probably be there all the time now that school’s out.”

“I know,” Snips said, “it’s almost like I’ve been living there lately. You know, at first I wasn’t sure about this whole thing. But Rarity’s actually pretty nice, and helping her with the new Salon has been really, really cool. I feel like I’m really making a difference here in Ponyville; everypony seems to like their new manestyles.”

“I know I do,” Sweetie Belle said with a smile. “Thanks a lot for the touch-up yesterday. I want to keep this beautiful mane going as long as I can.”

Snips chuckled a little and brushed his own mane to the side with his hoof. “Hey, anytime. I’m happy that I could make you happy. Are we going the right way? Now that I think of it, I’ve never actually been to your house before.”

“It’s right down this hill,” the white filly pointed ahead. “See that pond down there? It’s the house right next to it. Dad likes to fish off that dock. Like, all the time. Sometimes, it seems like he does more fishing than sleeping.”

“Sounds like a stallion who has life figured out,” Snips mused.

“Oh, don’t you start with that, too,” Sweetie said, giving the colt a playful shove. “Alright, I think I can make it on my own from here. Say ‘hi’ to Rarity for me, okay? I’ll try to stop by later.”

“Hold on, Sweetie Belle,” Snips said, gripping onto one of her forelegs. “Before you go...I wanted ask about Apple Bloom. She seems like she’s spending a lot of time by herself lately. Have you noticed anything, let’s say, unusual about her?”

She sighed lightly and shifted a stray curl away from her face. “Well, yeah. Apart from me and Scootaloo, she doesn’t really talk to anypony. She seems really depressed about something, but we still can’t get her to talk about it. And we haven’t done any crusading with her in like, forever.”

The forlorn colt never had wanted to crawl away and hide in a hole as badly as he did at that moment. “I know what it is,” he sighed. “This is all my fault because of what I did. I wish I could just go back in time and make it so none of this had ever happened.”

Sweetie Belle leaned in closer to him and laid a comforting embrace around his neck. She stroked his mane calmingly and shushed away the impending sobs she could feel forming in his lungs.

“I know how you feel, Snips. Really, I do. But you have to get that out of your head,” the filly said, showing another flash of maturity. “Maybe all this happened because of what you did, maybe it didn’t. But even if it was, it’s okay. We all make mistakes, right? Instead of wishing to erase what happened before, you should be trying to fix it now.”

Snips nodded and wiped his eyes. “Thanks for trying to cheer me up, Sweetie Belle. But I still don’t know...”

“Snips, we’re friends, alright?” she answered with a smile. “And friends help friends whenever their friends are sad. Which is why I’m gonna help you and Apple Bloom solve this problem. Tomorrow morning, I’m gonna go to Sweet Apple Acres to find out once and for all what’s going on with her. How about if you come by around noon or so, and we’ll settle this whole thing, okay?”

“Okay. Thanks again, Sweetie. I gotta get going now. I’ll talk to you later!” Snips said with a short wave. Sweetie Belle waved back, bringing a bright smile to his face. A feeling of invigoration filling his hooves, he broke into a sprint toward the Carousel Boutique.

As Snips made his way back through town, he noticed many of the mares sporting his manestyles. Some of them gave him little smiles as they passed, while others looked away awkwardly. He felt like he could guess the reason behind that. He fought away the growing blush on his face and continued on to Rarity’s place of business.

Soon the Boutique came into view, and he cut his vision slightly to the left to observe the completed building attached to its side. It was a small gazebo-style building, similar in design and colors to the structure next door, only with a smaller spire and fewer adornments. In thin, stylized lowercase letters, a single word garnished the space above the entrance: “snips”.

He opened the door and laid his hooves on the bright tiled floor. Then he made his way to the shelf lining the back of the room, slid off his saddlebag and laid it down. He emptied the entire contents of the bag and organized them neatly on the shelf. Exhaling with a satisfied smile, Snips moved over to his personal stylist’s chair. He took a second to admire his frame in the reflection of the chair’s shiny metal, proud of all the weight he’d lost since he took this job. Then he took a cloth that was slung over the chair’s arm and polished a few spots on the pedestal. His ministrations were interrupted by sound of the door opening. He looked up to see his mentor Rarity entering the salon, glowing with positive emotions.

“Snips, bienvenue! How lovely to see you!” she said through the widest smile she could summon. “Getting all ready for the evening rush?”

“You got it, Rarity!” he said, mirroring her enthusiasm. “Thanks for holding down the shop until I got out of school.”

“Oh, not at all, dear. I needed a break from making dresses, after all. Thank goodness we needn’t be concerned with the distraction of school for now.”

“Yeah, my schedule is a lot more open,” Snips said as he put away the last of his supplies. “Just don’t forget I’m just a pony, not a machine. I’ll need time off once in a while.”

“Of course, dear. This business is all yours; I’m just staying on as a supervisor. Feel free to make your own hours, just remember that you don’t get paid unless you work,” Rarity said with a mildly strict tone. “And also, I’ve invested a fair amount into you and this salon. I expect to make that money back.”

Snips gave a crooked smile in an attempt to hide his unease, but he could understand Rarity’s situation as well. He’d already made a decent sum of money for his employer, and he intended to continue his hard work for as long as he was needed.

“Good,” the dressmaker said. “Now, let’s go ahead and open up, shall we?”

After flipping around the sign in the adjacent window, signifying the salon’s status as open, Rarity pulled open the front door. She knew the shop had become popular in the last month since the opening, and she did expect a good crowd tonight. But she didn’t expect a customer waiting outside the second she opened, and she certainly didn’t expect this one.

“Howdy there, Rarity! How y’all doin’ today?” came the twangy Southern greeting of Ponyville’s resident apple baroness.

“I...uh...yes. Applejack. Hello. How, um, how nice to see you. Would you...like to come in?” Rarity stammered.

“Well, that’s mighty neighborly of ya. I’d be glad to,” Applejack said with a smile.

Rarity moved to one side and ushered Applejack inside, pushing the door shut behind her. “Now, what is it that we can do for you, darling?”

The blond earth pony took off her hat and laid it gently on a nearby wall hook. Then she turned back to Rarity to answer. “Well Rarity, I been keepin’ an eye on this outfit yer runnin’, an’ I gotta say, I reckon ya done yerself mighty proud with this here barbershop. So I figured...ya know, one businessmare to another...that I might oughta come by, an’ give ya some business.”

“I...Applejack...are you asking me...to style your mane?” the white unicorn asked through short gaspy breaths. “EEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!! YESSS!!!! I’ve been dreaming about this day since we met! Oooh, I need to go to my room and get my sketchbooks. I have so many concepts I want you to look through! And we don’t need to stop at the mane; I have this simply divine ensemble I’ve been saving for just this--”

“Whoa-ho! Slow down there, Sally,” Applejack said. She had taken to gripping Rarity by the shoulders, because she was convinced the unicorn would float away if left unhitched. “This ain’t no fashion call. I was just thinkin’ with the summer months comin’ up, it might be a good idea to look into a more, whatchacallit, practical manestyle. Crop the ol’ gal down just a mite. What with all the heat we’re fittin’ to get, just won’t do me no good to have all this mane gettin’ in mah eyes, stickin’ to mah forehead an’ all. Weighin’ me down with all that--”

“Okay, okay, I’ll do it,” Rarity replied, wrenching herself away from Applejack’s grasp. “Just...stop talking about...” An audible shudder preceded the word, “...sweat. Snips, would you please prep the chair for our most valued customer?”

“Uh, actually Rare, I’d prefer it if Snips weren’t the one to do this. Nothin’ against ya, little fella, but I seen some a’ the work ya done ‘round town. Real nice, sure ‘nuff, but...I’d rather keep control over mah...baser instincts.”

Rarity looked over to Snips, and received an understanding, even a little bit grateful nod. She moved over to the shelf where Snips had laid his supplies and picked up a few with her magic.

“If you insist, darling. Customer satisfaction is our priority here at ‘snips’. Our star stylist is one of the best, but I’m no slouch myself. And if you want me, then I’m happy to oblige.”

“I thank ya kindly, Rarity. An’ truth be told, there’s another reason I decided to stop on by today,” Applejack said, moving back to the door. She gripped the handle with her hoof and pulled it open, then took a look around outside. She found what she was looking for after a few seconds of searching, a perturbed glance given down to the pony she’d brought with her. She gripped her little sister by her shoulders and carried her into the salon, despite the constant protest.

“Applejack, I told ya! I ain’t gonna do this! I just can’t!” Apple Bloom whined as her sister unceremoniously dropped her to the floor.

“Uh-uh! We ain’t doin’ this again, AB!” Applejack said, applying her strictest tone. “Y’all been mopin’ ‘round the farm fer goin’ on two months. Now we got the summer harvest comin’ up, and I ain’t about to have ya draggin’ tail through the busiest applebuck season our farm’s ever gonna see! Y’all are gonna talk this out right now!”

“Alright, alright!” the younger Apple sibling groaned. “I’ll do it. Just...gimme a minute, okay? I gotta...get mahself ready first.” She took a few deep breaths and walked over to the chair where Snips was still standing. “Snips...I...I wanna say, I’m...”

An air of discomfort permeated the room, which Rarity easily picked up on. “If I may. If you two would like some privacy, feel free to use Snips’s private breakroom through the door behind you. Don’t give me that look, darling. This is your workplace, after all; it’s only fair that you have a room to yourself where you can unwind.”

Snips still gave Rarity kind of a weird look, but he shrugged his shoulders in resignation. He turned to Apple Bloom and offered his hoof forward to her, leading her to the door. She regarded him with an awkward smile and walked past him to the still closed door. Snips pushed it open and allowed her to pass by, then he followed her into the room. A quick look around the room prompted him to whirl around in the doorway and narrow his eyes in Rarity’s direction.

“Rarity, why does my breakroom have a bed?” the unicorn colt asked.

“Oh, yes,” Rarity replied with a chuckle. “You see, I furnished the room with remnants from my old guest bedroom. This building cost a lot to construct, so I’m saving money wherever I can. I’m trying to turn a profit, after all. And honestly, why wouldn’t you want to have a nice comfortable bed in which to relax during a particularly trying shift?”

“I guess,” Snips said. “I’ll let you get to it, then. Just call if you need me.”

“Thank you, Snips dear. But I should be just fine,” Rarity said with a confident flip of her mane. “You just worry about the issue between yourself and Apple Bloom. I know how much it’s been bothering you; that should be your priority right now.”

The young colt nodded with a grin and moved back a bit to allow the door to close. He turned away from the door to see Apple Bloom already sinking into the softness of the mattress. She nervously swirled her forehooves around each other as she stared blankly into the patterns of the bed’s quilted blanket. She sighed quietly and reached up to her head, touching her hoof gently to the tan sunhat that Rarity had given her. Hardening her resolve, she slipped the hat off and laid it on the bed. Two months of growth had replaced most of the work Snips had done on Apple Bloom’s mane; the expertly combed bangs and playful wave on the side of her head were just barely visible. She gave him a nervous smile as he walked from the door to stand at the edge of the bed.

“Snips, before this whole thing starts,” she said, “I just wanna say I’m awful sorry ‘bout the way I been actin’. Ya know, avoidin’ ya in school, and...well, jus’ about everywhere. That’s plain rude, I know, and it ain’t no way to treat a friend.”

“No, Apple Bloom. I’m the one who should be sorry,” Snips replied. “It was my fault. I should have thought about your feelings before I just went to town on your mane like that. I was a thoughtless jerk.”

Apple Bloom shook her head. “It ain’t that bad, Snips. Y’all were just doin’ what you’re meant to do. As a Cutie Mark Crusader, I gotta respect a pony who’s usin’ their talent to their full potential. I know everypony’d expect the same from me.”

“I’m glad you’re so understanding, Apple Bloom,” Snips said with relief. “So, you aren’t mad at me?”

Apple Bloom ran her hoof through her mane, sliding a few strands behind her ear. “Well, at first I was. Or, I thought I was. I don’t really know what I felt, honest. But after a while, I started to think about how pretty y’all made me look, and I...well, I got kinda scared and confused, I guess. I couldn’t figure mah own feelings out, so I just locked ‘em up. I guess I kinda locked all mah friends out too, huh?”

“Wait a minute,” the colt said, holding up a hoof and starting to glow faintly in hope. “What...feelings, exactly, do you mean, Apple Bloom?”

“Well, I thought the way I was feelin’ was ‘cause I might like ya a bit. But then Sweetie Belle told me about how her sister explained the Stylist’s Bond to her, and I realized mah problem was ‘cause I had a hard time trustin’ ya with mah mane, since ya ain’t never cut it before.”

“Oh…” Snips said as his glow vanished. “I’m sorry, Apple Bloom. I didn’t think about how important your mane was to you, and how much you were trusting me. I wouldn’t have got so carried away and…”

Snips stopped his apology as the yellow filly’s words registered in his mind. “What was that about a stylist’s bond? Rarity didn’t mention that in my lessons.”

“Yeah, I didn’t really get a lot of it, either. But I think the gist mighta been somethin’ about how a stylist is a real important pony who makes ya feel pretty on the inside, but ya gotta trust ‘em enough to be who ya really are ‘round ‘em,” Apple Bloom explained.

“So, it wasn’t because you thought you liked me, after all?” Snips asked, a little disappointment poking through in his voice.

“Well...I guess not,” she said. The filly pulled her hat closer to her and smoothed the material of the brim, mostly out of a need to do something to avoid this awkward situation.

“That’s too bad, Apple Bloom,” Snips said. “Because I really, really like you.”

The filly laying still on the bed dropped her hat suddenly and shot her head up in surprise. Her mind went into overdrive, trying its best to process what she had just heard. Snips looked up at her with nervous energy in his eyes; she could tell he wanted her to say something.

“Huh-what?” She wished she could’ve come up with something smarter to say than that. Or at least something that didn’t make her sound quite so dopey.

Snips began pacing as he went over what he wanted to say in his own head. “I mean...yeah, that’s right. I like you, Apple Bloom. Like, a lot. I have for a really long time. You’re so strong and kind, and you’re always willing to help anypony who needs you. And...well, you’re the most beautiful pony I’ve ever seen. When I offered to style your mane that day...well, this is going to sound so corny...I just saw a chance to show you the beauty that I see every time I look at you.”

Apple Bloom held a hoof up to her mouth, hiding the smile creeping across her face. “You’re right. That is corny. But still, that’s one a’ the sweetest things I ever heard in mah whole life. Y’all really feel that way ‘bout me?”

“I do,” Snips nodded fervently. “Please, let me take you out tomorrow, as an apology. We’ll go down to the lake near your farm and have a picnic lunch. You know, get to know each other better.”

Apple Bloom climbed down from the bed, clutching her hat in her teeth. She dropped it again as she landed on the floor, walking to the spot where Snips had halted his pacing. “That sounds mighty nice, Snips. Alright, ya got a deal. On one condition.”

She moved directly in front of him and gently stroked his cheek with a forehoof, punctuated by a little tap. “Y’all gotta let me bring the lunch. Y’all got yer talent, I got mine. We clear?”

“Deal,” Snips replied happily. “Thanks again for talking this over with me.”

“Yeah well, I didn’t really have a choice, ya know? But, I’m glad I did, anyway. Woulda had to do it sooner or later, right?” Apple Bloom shrugged, picking her sunhat back up again. She suddenly froze in the middle of her toss, and instead of her head, set it back down on the bed. “Actually, why don’t you hold onto this fer me? I don’t think I’ll be needin’ it anymore.”

Snips nodded happily and walked back to the door to the salon’s main room. As he pushed the door open he beckoned back to the yellow earth filly with a smile. She walked up next to him and they left the room together. They saw Rarity hard at work beside a wooden chair by a sink. Applejack was in that seat, leaning her head far back into the sink. A showerhead hovered above her, connected to the sink by a long hose, and supported by Rarity’s levitation techniques. The white unicorn glanced in their direction at the sound of the opening door.

Applejack opened her eyes as Rarity shut off the water and removed the hose. She looked over at her sister and adopted a smile of subdued surprise. “Why, Apple Bloom! Ya ain’t wearin’ that hat no more! Y’all really did work it out after all!”

“Eeyup!” Apple Bloom replied joyfully. She pressed her side against Snips’s own and let out a barely suppressed giggle. “I think everythin’ is gonna be just fine ‘tween us from now on.”

“Well, I’m happy as a pig in mud to hear that, AB,” Applejack said, earning a disgusted shiver from Rarity. “Oh, lighten up, Rare. It’s just a sayin’, that’s all.”

“I know what it is, Applejack. That doesn’t meant it’s not unpleasant to hear about,” the unicorn mare said through her gritted teeth. She gave a sigh as she reset the showerhead in its holster above the sink, and then turned to where Snips and Apple Bloom were standing. “But I’m very happy for the both of you as well. I hope you’ve learned the importance of not hiding your feelings from your friends. It’s much easier to solve these kinds of problems if you just talk to each other. A very important lesson, if I do say so myself.”

“I understand, Rarity. Thanks so much!” Apple Bloom cheered. She turned to Snips and left a tiny peck on his cheek. “I’ll see ya ‘round, Snips. I’m gonna go home an’ see if Granny Smith’ll help me make a pie.”

With another massive smile, she bounded off through the front door and headed for home. Snips was left standing in place, dumbfoundedly rubbing the spot on his cheek that Apple Bloom had just kissed. Rarity looked at him with an eyebrow raised in interest.

“A pie, did she say? Now what, pray, was that all about, Snips darling?” she asked, not bothering to hide her smirk.

“Um, well...the thing about that is, we’re sort of...going out...tomorrow. Oh, that reminds me, I’m going to need tomorrow morning off,” the colt said.

“Your own hours, dear. Just come in tomorrow whenever you can,” Rarity answered while running a brush through Applejack’s mane. “Although, I may have to think about hiring some more staff, so I can create a regular schedule like a respectable business. I wonder who else cuts manes in this town? Maybe Photo Finish might be able to get me in touch with some ponies, or…”

“Uh, Rarity,” Applejack interrupted, “is this gonna take a whole lot longer? ‘Cause I got a buncha work left waitin’ fer me back at the farm, an’ I’m losin’ a lotta daylight here.”

In response to the earth pony’s question, Rarity pulled up a thin pair of scissors with her magic and worked them open and shut in front of Applejack’s eyes. “I know you only wanted a quick trim, dear. But even that will take some time. This isn’t like...cutting down a cornstalk, where you can just grab a sickle, pick a spot and start chopping. This is a very delicate procedure.”

“Uh, okay,” Applejack said in a confused tone. “But that doesn’t really answer mah question.”

“Just a little bit longer, Applejack. All that’s left is to trim down the back. Now are you absolutely sure you want me to do this? This is your beautiful mane we’re talking about; it would be such a shame to cut it all off,” Rarity said, looking sincerely into her friend’s eyes.

Applejack nodded her head in assurance. “I certainly do, Rarity. I think I can live with a short mane for a couple a’ months. An’ I’m pretty sure I can, as y’all might say, ‘make it work.’”

Rarity took a deep breath and brought the scissors behind Applejack’s head, prepared to begin the first cuts into her hair. Just as the sound of the very first snip floated into the air, it was silenced by a sudden knock at the salon’s entrance. The white unicorn glanced over at Snips, pointing him with her head towards the door. Snips looked at Rarity with an understanding nod and trotted over to the door. He opened it, and standing outside was an earth pony mare that he’d never seen in town before. Her coat was a light tan color with just a hint of a golden tint. Her blindingly blonde mane and tail were fluffed and puffed to the point that it looked like a pair of clouds were resting on her head and back. A similar cloud of fluffy hair encircled each of her legs, just above her hooves. Snips’s eyes traced very briefly to her cutie mark, the image of a fuzzy brown moccasin slipper emblazoned on her flank. She smiled down at Snips with peaceful calm in her azure eyes.

“Good afternoon, sir,” she said with a little bow as refined as her accent. “I’m new in town. Actually, I just got off the train. I saw a flier for this new salon there at the station, and everypony I’ve spoken to has positively raved about it. I was hoping to squeeze in a quick session with the head stylist, if they’re available.”

Snips took a deep breath, recalled all his lessons with Rarity, and finally smiled back to his new visitor. “Yes, of course. Our main chair is currently open, and we would love to have you as our honored guest. Welcome to ‘snips’. My name is Snipsy J. Scissorhooves, but you can just call me Snips. I’m the owner and lead stylist of this establishment.”

“Oh...my. You are the stylist? That’s...so interesting,” she said. She looked over to Rarity, garnering her attention with an interested gaze. “Then, who is this attractive mare over here magically manipulating the pair of scissors?”

The white pony laid down her shears gently and grinned in the new customer’s direction. “How nice of you to say, thank you. I am Rarity, and I am the primary investor and assistant manager of ‘snips’. He may look young, but Mr. Snips here is going to be the driving force behind a revolution of beauty in this town of ours, and soon all of Equestria. I assure you this, miss...I’m terribly sorry, dear, but I’m afraid I don’t know your name.”

“Call me Moxie,” the mare said, with a near invisible wink in Snips’s direction. “Now then, pleasantries aside, shall we get down to business, as they say?”

The young blue colt led the golden-maned pony over to the gleaming chair in the center of the room, and aided her into the seat. After that, he settled into his routine. He’d performed the acts countless times already; he kept the images of what he’d done before fresh in his mind, and he used them to improve with every customer. Snips pulled his customary basin from the side of the room and used his magic to begin the water’s intricate ritual dance. Moxie’s soft, fluffy mane absorbed the fine mist as it drifted down from the ceiling, causing it to flatten and cling to her head. She closed her eyes to keep the hair out, and her ears became more sensitive to the rush of red-hot magical energy. She sensed the scissors circling her head, and felt the pull every time they snipped a bit of her mane away. She felt the breeze brought on by the tool’s speed, drying out her mane bit by bit. Occasionally there would be a tug from a comb or a gentle prod against her cheek to turn her head a certain way. Through it all, Snips remained silent, focusing only on his task; he needed only to communicate through his magical influence, pouring a little bit of his soul into every clip of his scissors. His aura manifested as a cyclone of blue light, enveloping himself and his chair.

Rarity looked up briefly from her own work on Applejack’s mane, her face growing into a contented smirk as the earth pony herself opened her eye to sneak a quick peek. “Oh my, Applejack. Do you see something you like after all?” she said in a barely smug tone.

“Nah, it ain’t that. I just...I...what were we talkin’ ‘bout just now?” the orange mare said, half-entranced.

The stylist could do nothing but giggle to herself as she grasped a towel from a nearby shelf. She tossed it toward Applejack, mentally high-hoofing herself as it landed perfectly on her head. “We’re all done, dear. Go ahead and dry yourself off.”

As Applejack began running the towel through her mane, it blocked a large part of her vision. So she could only hear the clatter of the stylist tools and brushes as they hit the floor, and the victorious call of the controller of those objects: “The Snips!”

Snips pulled a broom from the corner and ran it smoothly around the chair’s pedestal, picking up any errant hair that had fallen from his customer. Once the floor was clean, he offered his hoof to let Moxie down from the seat. She gently laid her hoof in his and slid down to all fours again. The tan earth mare wandered slowly toward the salon’s full-length mirror. She looked over her new mane, turning her head around and taking the view in from several angles.

“It’s certainly nice. Very nice, actually,” Moxie said with a smile in Snips’s direction. “It’s just a little...flatter...than I’m used to? I guess?”

“Oh! Okay, I can do something for that,” Snips announced as his horn lighted up again. “Just stay perfectly still, Ms. Moxie. Things are about to get a little hot.”

Snips pulled a fan and a candle from the storeroom right next his private breakroom, and Moxie suddenly realized that his statement was very literal. He pushed the lever on the fan’s base and used his magic to amplify the fire. The hot air blew straight into the customer’s mane, instantly drying away any moisture that remained sticking to her locks. This caused her mane to fly outward again, poofing back into its original shape save for Snips’s efforts. The hair was just slightly shorter now, just with a bit of a curve to the right on top, and with a split in the back that allowed her hair to lay along both sides of her neck. She gave a sly wink to herself in the mirror still in front of her. Once her attentions to herself had been completed, Moxie looked to Snips, who had just finished putting away the fan and extinguishing the candle.

“Mr. Snips,” she said softly, “I have never experienced anything like that in my life. You are truly gifted, young colt.” The mare lifted her feather duster-esque tail and brushed it with a tickling motion underneath Snips’s nose. “I wonder what other...gifts you might have for me?”

She circled him very slowly, as a shark does to its prey, occasionally brushing her immaculate flanks against his side. On her last pass, she leaned her lips close to his ear, whispering a parade of silent proposals that only Snips could hear. And what he heard snapped his eyes wide open and stole his breath. His body froze from the paralysis of shock.

“No, no, no! Absolutely not!” came the instant and startling cry from across the room. Rarity, who had overheard the entire conversation since Snips wrapped up his work, ran over and started pushing Moxie from behind, straight toward the exit. “Madam, I appreciate your business, but I’m afraid I simply must insist that you leave immediately!”

Rarity opened the door and unceremoniously shoved her out, slamming the door behind her. “I mean, the absolute nerve!” she said to the closed up exit. She sighed to herself and turned to the traumatized young colt. “Snips, are you alright?”

Upon hearing Rarity’s voice, he shook his head a bit and then nodded. “Oh. Yes, Rarity. I’m...okay. Yes, I’m okay.”

“I am so sorry, darling. This is all my fault. I dreaded this sort of thing happening, but I never imagined it actually would.”

“Now do y’all see what I was tryin’ to say before?” Applejack asked as she deposited her used towel in a basket by the door to Rarity’s Boutique, which still housed the laundry room. “Y’all might do well to have some sorta rule list in here to stop this kinda thing from happenin’.”

“Yes, you’re absolutely right, dear,” Rarity replied. “Truth is, I had considered hiring somepony to handle security, but I had faith that ponies in this town would be able to exercise enough self-control that such a thing would be unnecessary. Obviously, that isn’t the case after all.”

“Well, she wasn’t from Ponyville, remember?” Snips said flatly, breaking his own uncomfortable silence. “She said she just got off the train.”

Both Applejack and Rarity cringed slightly as his monotone statement. They each glanced in the other’s direction, nodding a silent agreement. Rarity walked up to Snips and gave him a short hug in an attempt to calm him down.

“I think it’s best if we call it a day. Snips dear, why don’t you go home and try to relax?” the unicorn mare gently suggested. “You’ve been through a lot today. Don’t worry, I’ll take care of everything here; you just worry about getting yourself back together.”

“...Yeah. I...yeah, you’re right,” Snips responded in a dull whisper. He shuffled his hooves toward the door, which Applejack rushed to open for him. “I’ll do that. Rarity...thank you.”

He left the shop behind. There were still a good few hours before sunset, but he and his jumbled mind didn’t feel like doing anything else today, so he just took off for home. His hooves dragged underneath his body as though he were pulling a set of two-ton boulders, and he couldn’t bother lifting his head to look where he was going. By some form of extrasensory navigation, he found his way back to the home of his best friend where he had temporarily taken residence. Snips pushed open the door and looked around with a heavy sigh. Nopony else was home yet, so he just made his way up the stairs and dropped onto his bed in Snails’s room. For a decidedly unimportant amount of time, Snips stared up at the ceiling, counting imaginary dots and tracing cracks in the paint, because he didn’t feel like doing anything else. He certainly didn’t want to think about what had just happened at the salon. The young unicorn was content to just waste the rest of the day just trying to get his head back together.

At some point during his quiet solitude, the door to the bedroom creaked open and a big mass of orange broke into Snips’s line of vision. Snails had returned home, and with a long look at Snips on the side, he climbed up into his bed and sat down.

“Hey, Snips,” he said gingerly, trying not to instigate a tense situation. “Me and the girls were looking for you today.”

“You were looking for me,” Snips repeated in a grumbling tone, “but you didn’t think to look here before now?”

“Well…” the taller unicorn explained. “We figured you were working at Rarity’s place, so we went there just a while ago. But she told us about what happened, and I got back here quick as I could. You okay, pal?”

Snips grabbed a nearby pillow and slammed it over his head. “I really don’t want to talk about it,” a muffled reply sounded out through the object. “So, what did you do with all your time by yourself today?”

“I wasn’t by myself,” Snails announced proudly. Snips moved the pillow away and sat up. Even though he was still upset about his own situation, it was his intent to give Snails the courtesy of his attention. “Did a lot of running today...with Scootaloo. Yeah. A lot of running, and a lot of thinking…”

“Can I just stop you for a second?” Snips asked with a hoof pointed right at his friend. “Sweetie Belle and I were talking earlier. We were wondering, what’s going on with you two? You’ve been acting really weird since you started hanging out with her. Plus, you spend all this time together, and it seems like you’re getting really close.”

“Really?” Snails said with a quizzical tilt in his head. “I had no idea. It just seemed like we’re good friends to me. Isn’t that...you know...like us...sorta?”

Snips shook his head fervently. “No, Snails. I’ve seen a lot of that kinda behavior lately...in my…work, and that isn’t how good friends act around each other. So...do you like her? Tell me honestly, now.”

Snails rubbed his chin thoughtfully and closed his eyes. “I don’t know. I do know she likes me, and she’s obviously awesome. Hmmm….yeah, I guess so! How about that, huh?”

“Yeah,” Snips said with a nod. He was happy for Snails, and didn’t want to spoil his mood by bringing up what happened with Apple Bloom today. Let Snails think he was the winner, he thought. “So, what were you gonna say? You were thinking about something?”

Snails’s happy look crept away as the sun began setting, fitting the mood of the room. He looked down at a crease in his bedsheets and ran his hoof along it, readying himself for the impending conversation.

“Snips...I thought about this a lot, and I made up my mind. Tomorrow morning...I’m leaving Ponyville.” Snails sighed with confusing expression of pain and relief, looking up at the stare of surprise on Snips’s face. “Just for the summer, though. I’m going to Canterlot to work in my uncle’s restaurant.”

“Really? How come you didn’t tell me before? Did you just decide this today? Just leaving me--I mean, the whole town, all your friends, for a whole summer?” Snips asked somewhat harshly. “Why?”

“Come on, Snips!” Snails began, matching his friend’s intensity. “This is really important! I’m always behind you. The cutie marks, the job. You know? You have your destiny, and as always, I get left behind. I want a destiny too!” He looked down at his hooves despairingly. “I know I keep saying I don’t mind being slower, and I can do anything if I keep moving. But...I’m sick of playing catch-up to everypony in our class! I want...I need to find what I’m supposed to do with my life. I gotta do this! You get it, right?”

The blue unicorn sat up straighter on his bed, and brushed his unkempt bed mane out of his eyes. “You’re right, Snails,” he said with an apologetic glance. “I’m sorry I got so snappy before. I’m still kinda tense because of what happened. You sure you want to do this though? Seems like a lot of unnecessary pressure.”

“Yeah, I do,” the orange pony replied. “I talked it over with Mom and Dad, too, and they think it’ll be good for me.”

“What about Scootaloo? You’ve gotten so close the last few weeks. How do you think she’s gonna react when you tell her you’re leaving for the whole summer?” Snips asked.

“It’ll be fine. She’s a tough little filly, you know. What, do you think she’s gonna cry or something?” Snails laughed, but quickly became silent again. “Although, she might hit me a few times. Guess I should get ready for that.”

“Yeah,” Snips said, thankful that Snails was there to pick up his mood, and make him laugh again. “Snails, you’re my best friend. And if this is what you want to do, I’m with you 100%. You have to come back and tell me all about it, alright?”

“You know it,” Snails said with a beaming grin. He looked out the window and noticed the now fully darkened town of Ponyville. He yawned loudly and settled back into his bed. “Well, I’m gonna turn in for the night. Big day tomorrow.”

Snips caught his friend’s infectious yawn and laid his head down on his discarded pillow. Tomorrow, he would have to face an entirely new day. A day where his best friend was going to be leaving for an the whole summer season. A day where he would no doubt have to face the terrors of the salon once again. A day where he would have his first date with the filly of his dreams. He lowered his eyelids and let out one more exhale before drifting into a state of deep sleep..

“Right...Big day...Good night, Snails.”

Comments

[earthrise]

Well, Rarity might still be unintentionally creepy, but at least she knows certain things are inappropriate, and does something about them.

[Seether00]

Wait, I am a bit confused. Did that mare make a pass at Snips?

Scoots and Snails shipping. Never seen that before.

I hope we will get some hair cutting boss battles soon.

Snips vs. Celestia. Can he cut the ever ethereal mane?

Snips vs. Flufflepuff. Where does the mane end and the coat begin?

[Mr Stargazer]

3142870 from what I can tell yeah

[supahmariobroz223]

I would honestly like to see spike interact with snips and be jealous of him, or just be sad that he dosen't hang out with him and snails anymore, or something like that

[Visuality]

Is this supposed to be like "You Don't Mess With the Zohan?"

[Themaskedferret]

Edit. Felt my comment may have come across as more negative than intended so hoping to fix that.

I'm really enjoying this story a lot. I love your characterization of the foals as you really give them a lot of depth and make sure it still ties to what we've seen of them so it feels like a natural extrapolation rather than forced. I'm really enjoying Rarity's piece in all this too. She feels very well done and true to form which can be hard to pull off

I do feel like the latest chapter is a bit rushed though. I really enjoyed the reconciliation with Snips and AB as it felt very natural and sweet. My problem is that the time skip didn't feel like it had much weight so it was difficult to recognize it had happened.

The scene with Moxie was very gripping but I felt it was a bit awkward at the same time. It felt strange that you described her in such detail when it seems like we won't likely see her again.

As well I felt like she did an awful lot before AJ and Rarity reacted. Perhaps if you show that they're stunned in place or perhaps she's more subtle? As it is, she feels very overt and aggressive and so to have AJ and Rarity not react for so long almost gives the impression of them accepting it and then suddenly reacting. I think part of my confusion is it's really not clear what she exactly says or implies, I mean it's pretty heavily implied, but I think the scene would have more impact for me if it was clearer.

My biggest problem is I'm having trouble mentally fitting their ages. I mean as it is in the show the foals are quite young and almost seem like they're in the lower grades of elementary school, so to see them being so adult and Rarity willing to invest so much into a child that young feels uncomfortable to me.

I do hope you realize that anything negative is heavily outweighed by how much I'm really loving this story and I'm really regretting it languish on my read later list for as long as it did. I'm looking forward to seeing more of it and definitely talking it up among friends. I would describe it best as a somewhat rough diamond. There is a beautiful story on display and with a little polish it will shine even brighter.

[The Invincible]

4325989
Thanks so much for taking the time to share your thoughts on my story. I wasn't really expecting anyone to still be reading this. I appreciate all of the notes I've gotten, especially ones that are so well thought out like yours. I shall now address all your comments, point by point.

I do thank you for your praise of my characterizations, especially of Rarity. I learned early on that she's my favorite character to write for, so when it came time to write this, I knew I wanted to include her in some way. I didn't really have much to go on for the foals, especially Snips and Snails, so I had to fabricate a lot of it myself. Glad to hear it went over well.

It's funny to me that the longest chapter so far has been described as being 'rushed'. I understand what you're saying about the timeskip, and I feel like going right from Spring Break to Summer Vacation is a bit too big of a jump, but I didn't feel like anything really worth mentioning would have happened in that time. And on top of that, my editors constantly remind me to cut unnecessary fat from my chapters; there were multiple scenes in previous parts that had to be removed entirely because they slowed the story down too much. Thanks for your comment about the make-up scene, that was really nice to write.

As for the scene with Moxie, I can understand how her admittedly short appearance would lead a reader to think that she was over-detailed in her description. But don't worry, her part in this story is far from over. In fact, her actions in this chapter are sort of a jump-off point for a much larger story, which I plan to start in the next chapter.

And regarding her implications in this chapter, let me give you an insider scoop. The truth is, the original draft of this chapter, didn't even have that little whispering section at all, and Rarity jumped in right after Moxie said her last line out loud. But my pre-readers and I agreed that just that by itself wasn't powerful or suggestive enough to incite the emotional trauma I wrote for Snips, so we added that part in. As for Rarity and AJ not reacting until that point, it's hard to explain. I think Rarity trusted Snips to handle a little harmless flirting on his own, but when it became apparent in was more than that, she sprung into action. I guess I could've written that better.

You're dead on about the ages. I'm really aware that I'm writing the foals more mature than they are in the show, but it's kind of hard for me to write them more childish and still make them interesting. And though they are young, they do seem to be a bit smarter than their ages would suggest in the show, so that's kinda what I was hinting at. And as for Rarity and her investment in Snips, Equestria strikes me as a society where when a cutie mark appears, that talent becomes a major part of that pony's life. Rarity is just helping Snips improve his skill and profit from something he would probably end up doing anyway.

Finally, I thank you so much for being so honest in your criticisms of my work. To me there's no such thing as negative criticism, and anything you have to say to help me improve my work is just wonderful. If you're interested, I'd love to hear any notes you have to improve previous chapters. This would of course be just for personal enrichment. I've given up on submitting it to you-know-where; already been rejected twice for having a "dry", "cliched" and "depressingly un-funny" story.

Would you be interested in becoming an official editor for this story? I'm always looking for additional help with my work; never hurts to have an extra set of eyes during revisions. Since my video editing doesn't seem to be going anywhere right now, I think it's time to get back to writing. I've let this sit long enough. So, thanks for the push there, too!

[Themaskedferret]

4330316 Whew! Glad to hear my comments were taken in the spirit they were meant. I appreciate our responses to, they help add to my enjoyment immeasureably.

As for editing, I'm sorry to say but I'll have to decline. Real life has kept me busier than usual and so I'm not wanting to take on more commitments when I can't promise to give them the attention they deserve.

On the other hand, yay more writing!