Snipsy J. Scissorhooves was a simple unicorn colt going about his simple unicorn colt business. That is until one day, when he discovered the true meaning behind his special talent. Now, eager to prove himself to the whole of Equestria (and one little filly in particular), he takes a part-time job as a stylist at Rarity's expanded Boutique, and he quickly becomes popular with the female population of Ponyville. Very popular. Maybe...a little TOO popular.
Meanwhile, Pierre Escargot (known around town as 'Snails') struggles to occupy his time, without the constant companionship of his UBBFF (un-brother, best friend forever.)
Thanks to my pre-readers/proofers/editors: statoose, The Talkie Toaster, and Lord Pony; the two latter of which are my co-authors of the awesome PMV-sharing site PMV Today. Y'all should go check it out, once you're all done reading.
And very special thanks to BookWyrm for the new fan-art cover image. My very first piece of fan-art, and it is glorious.
Seriously, why does this have so many thumbs-down? It's a great story, there's no bad spelling, although that scene with the balls was maybe a bit much, but it otherwise seems good to me.
PS: Totally usin' 'Pierre Escargot' for Snails next chance I get.
I like it. Exploring Snips special talent and making hm less of dork is adorable.
This will have to wait on my RL list. I have some gardening to do. Oh, you think I meant outside? No! I'm just gonna play Minecraft.
1902978 Your grammar pleases me. I shall kill you -1st.
More please, I like the idea!
Give that barber some love
He deserves it for tolerating snail
Btw your introduction is way too detailed
Continue my good sir
This is excellent so far! I noticed no spelling or grammar mistakes, and the characterization is wonderful. Can't wait for more of this! It has Ze Magiks, if you know what I mean - that charm that really warrants attention.
-"Oh, cool!" Snails howled cluelessly. "You think we could borrow them for a little while? Snips keeps hitting me in the face with his."
F**K. F*****K...
-"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."
Ha, this was great. Gloriously silly and perfectly fitting for the FiM world.
-"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.
You did a spectacular job with Snips's character. This was no exception. :D
She stared at him while trying to look away, and nervously swirled her hoof through the dirt.
If I had one nitpick for this story, it's this; "[Verb], and [verb]," reads a tad awkwardly - especially when used many times, which it was here. I counted three (I think) instances of it. It's not a big deal, and this is somewhat of a stylistic thing for me, but I'd avoid doing it repeatedly.
Can't wait for the next chapter, keep up the good work!
You Don't Mess With The Zohan Meets MLP?
MOAR!!!
It would be cool if he could do excellent mustache trims too.
1903537 Time to read
i45.tinypic.com/2vw5lqb.gif
Romance? Why?
I liked it, I hope we get a description of what Apple Blooms hair looks like after getting cut!
Awsome, but it needs more chapters
SO AWESOME! This story was on the top of the page for a few hours tonight! Thanks everyone! That's amazing!
So, let's answer some comments.
1902978 Hey, I make PMVs on Youtube; I'm used to lots of hate. What I didn't expect was how many likes and favorites I got so quickly. You guys are all amazing. Also, it's all yours! I just wanted to give them fancy names for fun.
1903292 I always pictured Snips as being sort of a leader (akin to what Tiara is to Spoon). I just wanted to give them a little character besides "the two boys who always hang out together." I'm worried I might have gotten a bit too George and Lenny in this though.
1903723 Thanks a bunch! Glad you like it!
1903982 Oh, don't worry. There's a bunch more love for Snips coming up, and there's a lot of stuff that's gonna happen that I didn't write in the description.
1904190 You are literally and figuratively, so awesome. I'm glad you enjoyed my magicks, and I do consider myself a very charming person. Honestly, as I was writing, I started to see a lot of myself in Snips, or at least the way I wrote him. I liked your notes about my story too. Would you be interested in being my proofreader? I'd really appreciate having someone to catch my mistakes like that.
1904207 I don't really know how much it'll actually have in common with that. I just thought it up 'cause it's a cool title, and it works for the character of Snips in this story.
1904219 That might be a bit of a waste. There aren't really too many guys with awesome mustaches, unless you go to Canterlot or maybe Appeloosa.
1904285 Glad you could take a break from your square tomatoes to read my story. So how was it?
1904510 All ya need is some popcorn and you're all set.
1905268 Well, the easy answer is that I was hinting at Snips's little school-days crush on Apple Bloom. But it would be more accurate to say the events of this chapter are going to make his life a bit more...complicated. Although, while this will have some romantic-comedy moments, and POSSIBLY some sensitive material later on, this WILL NOT become a straight-up shipfic of any kind. Maybe.
1906096 I kinda wanted to leave that up in the air. I think it's clear from the reactions of Scoots and Sweets that Snips did a good job. But I was hoping to be ambiguous about how AB would react to it.
THANKS AGAIN GUYS FOR THE GREAT RESPONSES!!
1906324 Cool.
1906324 I stopped in the middle but I'll read it soon I promise.
This shows promise! (I like the name "Pierre Esgargot," too.)
I sincerely hope we get more characterization for Snails, other than the 'one fry short of a Happy Meal' friend. I know this story is supposed to focus on Snips (something I've never seen before), and I know this is only the first chapter, but still. Other than that, I love the descriptions and the fleshing out of a talent that is never shown in the show. Nice job!
Why am I feeling sorry for Snips now?
YES! Finally an update! And it's just as good as the last chapter!
This will be very interesting, and dare I hope for a quick update?
Either way, keep it up! I'll be waiting!
Some hair is going to get cut so hard!
I was going to send you those edits today, I swear. :(
2090281 I know, I'm sorry. But I was just so excited, I couldn't wait. Thanks for your efforts, though. I'll get you covered next time, alright?
2090290 Still want those edits? There were quite a few...
2090077 Sorry, I've just been so caught up in other projects lately, plus the new semester just started up. I'll certainly do my best to keep this going, though. Thanks for your continued readership.
2090159 You have no idea.
2090281 Sure, send them over. I'll give 'em a once-over and see what I can do with them.
Woohoo! Update!
I love this story and I don't really get why it has so many dislikes. 
2090404 Trust me, I would be way more concerned if there were more dislikes than likes. THAT would mean I'm doing something wrong. All this means is that there are some people who just go around disliking everything just because they enjoy being jerks, and that's okay with me. And yes, some people may genuinely not like my story, and that's fine too. Though I would prefer much more if those people would also leave a comment telling me what they didn't like, so I can try to improve it in the future.
The point is, I thank you very much for liking my story so far, and I truly appreciate your compliments.
Great chaoter, but we need more snips point of veiw, explore him, he is more than that puggy little guy with the eyebrows. Emotion!
But its still a great story! Cant wait for more.
2091216 I've gotten that note from a few people. Yes, this is still a story about Snips, but a story is more than just one character. And I'd like to take a little time to explore some other ponies in this universe. Don't fret, there will be more Snips in the rest of this story, particularly the next chapter.
I don't think I made it clear enough in the edited document, and for that I apologize:
I love this story. The charm, with subtle lines like this –
–Completing the annoyance trifecta, Apple Bloom found a stray spool of thread on the ground and chucked it at the pegasus, earning a satisfying 'clunk' against her helmet.
– just make it such a joy to read. Not to mention your characterization it spot-on; The dynamic between the crusaders; Rarity's sugary dialogue – exquisite!
Who else heard the word 'Naaaauuughty' go through their head?
2277064
There is already a story with Snips doing that.
Excellent Cutie Mark story. I love me some confidant and competent Snips.
I thought Snips was going to get his cutie mark through cutting somepony's mane out of glue.
But this works too. Even better probably.
Do I smell a hint of Snails x Scootaloo? STOP GIVING ME IDEAS
2277064 Wow. Now that's nostalgic. However, not really planning on getting quite so...weird, with this story.
2277404 Yep. From what little we see of Snips in the show, I never once got the impression that he was slow, or a dork, or a loser, or any other way he's portrayed in just about every other fanfiction there is. He just seems like a normal pony, and that's kinda what I was going for here.
2279093 Well, considering how often ponies seem to get stuck together in the show (especially the CMC), that may be a distinct possibility. But since I already used that in the first chapter with tree sap, I had to go another way for the Cutie Mark story.
2279348 That may actually be a possibility. You may have noticed Sweetie Belle starting to cozy up to Snips, who is still nursing his Apple fixation. Scootaloo needs somepony too; why not Snails? Though I must reiterate that there won't be any actual shipping material in this story, if I can help it. It's already starting to get away from me a little bit.
Thanks for the comments and praise, everyone! I really appreciate it!
You really need to stop releasing chapters before I can get to 'em.
Then again, that was partly my fault for not responding immediately. I hadn't yet gone over it again like you asked, so it's no big deal; but I had planned to. Right before you published, too...
2284605 It's alright. I only released the part that you already went over; the rest of it is still waiting, and once you look it over, I'll post that too.
2284618 Ah, alrighty then. I'll make sure to get to that ASAP.
Good grief. Rarity's going to get labeled as the town creep at this point. Yeah, I laughed, but it was one of those "I'm feeling really uncomfortable should I really be laughing at this" kinds of laughs. Let's look at it this way. If you were a dad, would you want a mid-late 20's guy making this sort of comment toward your early teen daughter after the prior statement? As I said, the prior statement can be excused by unfortunate implications, but the statement she makes afterward is basically saying "Yeah, I went there. Deal with it, jailbait."
Spike can be excused on the rationale that dragons age differently. Indeed, he has been alternately the most and least mature of the main cast. But thrown together with this conversation she has with snips just makes it, as I've said before, creepy.
Please tell me now whether or not creeper rarity will continue to be a thing because I want to know if I should still follow this or not.
Oh dear, Snips. What have you gotten yourself into
When I saw this update =
(Fun fact: Abyo and Snips have the same voice actor. Imagine Snips saying this right now
)
2289277 Thank you very much for your criticism. It's funny sometimes how I can write creepy without even trying (seen here), and when I actually try to write creepy, it doesn't come out creepy at all (Garland Silk in chapter 2).
I personally don't think Rarity actually meant anything by her comment to Snips; it was probably more of a Freudian Slip. It's been established by canon that she is not good with younger ponies. Note she frequently calls him "Mr. Snips" throughout this chapter; she was most likely more comfortable talking to Snips as though he were an older stallion.
I can't promise that things like this will totally disappear from future chapters, but I will try my best to tone it down. And as Snips gets more used to working for (and being around) Rarity, he'll probably adjust better to her demeanor.
Thanks again for your viewership!
2289358
Hrm. You bring up a very good point about her canon interactions with foals, treating them somewhat unsurely like fellow adults. All the same, if I were a parent in ponyville and heard those comments, I'd tell my offspring to please avoid being alone with her at any time- better safe than sorry after all. Still, I view racy!Rarity as a fanon creation. She does do classic sensuality and/or glamour, but not raciness- and I'm not sure I could be convinced that she would be racy "off camera" either.
Long story short, I guess what I'm saying is this Rarity doesn't ring quite true, and does so in a way that is rather uncomfortable. Could you explain why a canon Rarity would say that set of statements? If she isn't a canon Rarity, then what are the major differences in her character?
2289456 Wow. You are amazing. I never once thought that anyone would put that much thought into one of my works; certainly didn't expect it on my first fanfiction. Yes, I suppose you could say that I wasn't prepared for this. Okay anyway, let me try my best to address your concerns.
Now, I appreciate the importance of canon. But the greatest advantage (and the greatest challenge) of being a fanfiction writer is creating your own story (and your own characters) while simultaneously maintaining the spirit of the original material. I want it known right now that I like Rarity; she's one-half of the number one on my Best Pony list. What I like best about her is her command of emotion, and how she has the innate ability to evoke emotion from those around her. Being around her is like watching a great performance, while being pulled in to be a performer yourself. I feel that this translates well into her fanon personality (i.e. the characteristics of a temptress, or straight-up tease, in some cases.) But I also acknowledge that she is prone to rashness, overzealousness, and sometimes plain-old blurting any old thing that comes to mind without thinking. That statement that you quoted was my attempt at having her backpedal out of her somewhat rash behavior by using rational logic.
Not to mention, however much you may think I've altered Rarity's personality in this story, it's highly doubtful anything would've come of that exchange with her sister right there in the room.
I probably didn't answer your question very well. Sorry if I offended with this chapter. Thanks again so much for your keen analysis. It's been a pleasure.
Yay update! Soon Snips will be known the world over. Wonder how that is going to affect his relationship with Snips. Also, someone needs to get Applebloom out of the bonnet. Oh... and that only leaves one crusader unstyled. You shall not escape, Scootaloo.
I want to make mane silky smooth
2289278 Something wonderful, Scout. Something wonderful.
2289344 I heard it. I can't unhear it.
2289643 I have some ideas of who to put in the chair next, but I will keep that in mind.
2298701 Yes, this is good. You and I must disco. This is good.
2304726 Yes, but first I make fish.
2306834 A real man, he can disco AND make the fish.
2307342 ...would you like a pretzel?