You Don't Mess With The Snips

Chapters

Humble Beginnings
The Stylist's Bond
The Tools of Change
Dinner at Rarity's
Magical Chairs
I Guess This Is Growing Up

Humble Beginnings

The town of Ponyville was reveling in a late spring day. A rare rainy morning had just ended. Celestia's sun was desperately peeking through the rapidly dispersing grey clouds to grant the town a pleasant, sunny afternoon. Things were finally starting to dry up again, and with little time to lose. For in just a few short minutes, everything that had just become clean, was about to become messy again.

One solitary ring of the massive bell adorning the schoolhouse signaled the end of another day of learning. The outpouring of students that followed was nearly explosive. There was a very good reason behind this: it was Friday. The little fillies and colts had the entire weekend ahead of them. They were free to do anything they wanted, within the limits of Equestrian law.

Most of them left the school immediately, bound for the town of Ponyville. A few stayed behind in the classroom with their friends to plan their weekend activities. Two young unicorns were left alone on the playground, occupying their time with a red rubber ball. One of the young colts, a stocky, blue little fellow named Snips, had arranged to stay behind that day to perform an extra-credit assignment under Miss Cheerilee's direction, and was just playing in the schoolyard to pass time until the classroom cleared completely. The other, his best friend Snails, was a taller, lankier colt with the appearance of a decomposing carrot. For his own benefit, he hung around Snips whenever possible, allowing his friend to make all the tough life choices he couldn't bring himself to handle on his own.

One could call it a 'friendship of convenience,' but that would imply that Snails also made Snips's life easier, as well. In fact, he did not. A fact that would become even more obvious as Snips bounced the ball back toward his friend, and it promptly became impaled on the orange colt's horn.

"Oh, come on, Snails!" he exclaimed with a frustrated huff. "That's the fourth ball this week you've busted!"

Snails awkwardly shifted the tattered remains of the ball away from his face, and addressed his friend with a sincere, if not a little dim, stare.

"Sorry, Snips," he uttered. The ball's airless corpse dangled on the side of his head, waving with every movement of his lips. "I'll get it next time. So...want to try it again?"

Snips shook his head. "We can't. You already broke all the balls I own. And I can't take one from the classroom, 'cause you'll probably just bust that one, too."

The taller unicorn lowered his ears, dejected and shamed as his hoof drew back a small pile of dirt. "Oh...yeah," he sighed.

"I keep telling you to hit the ball with the side of your head. That horn of yours is just too dangerous." Snips said, shuffling up to Snails and yanking the ball away from his horn. "Now what are we supposed to do?"

"Um..." Snails droned in thought. "We could play hopscotch again."

"Now, that's no fun," a shrill, taunting voice called out.

Both of their attention was drawn to its source. The gleam coming off of her ridiculous headwear was as telling of her identity as the mocking tone of her voice. Diamond Tiara stood behind them with her trademark mean-filly sneer, followed as she always was by Silver Spoon. Why the two of them were still hanging around the schoolhouse on a Friday afternoon was anypony's guess, and Snips wasn't about to waste the brainpower.

"...Seeing as how he can only count to three," Silver Spoon finished the insult that Tiara had started. Then they shared a derisive laugh. It was grating.

"Would you please just leave us alone?" Snips grumbled under his breath. "We don't need this today."

Either because he didn't hear their comments, or because he didn't register them as an insult, Snails turned to face them.

"Oh, hey girls!" he said with a wide grin plastered to his face. "Nice day, isn't it? Say, do you have any balls?"

Snips wished at that moment that he had hands like his other friend Spike, so that he could smack one of them against his face with all his might.

The pair of fillies nudged each other playfully, trading giggles in a most uncivil manner. They glanced over at Snails and give him their best insincere smiles.

"Only the biggest ones you've ever seen, dimwit," Diamond Tiara jeered snidely.

"Oh, cool!" Snails howled cluelessly. "You think we could borrow them for a little while? Snips keeps hitting me in the face with his."

Any ability the girls had to stifle their giggles at this point was completely gone. Now upgraded to full-blown bellows, Tiara and Spoon turned and left the two colts, making their way to the exit of the schoolyard. After a few seconds, Snails dropped his look of confusion for a look of even deeper confusion, bordering on annoyance.

"Hey! Come back!" he shouted, in a voice that was about 10% too loud for his friend's comfort level. "You were going to let us play with your balls!"

Snips could only shake his head with a little chuckle and a smile of disbelief. He trotted to Snails's side and draped a hoof over his shoulder.

"Snails, I love you like a brother, you know that," he sighed. "But sometimes, you make me want to take some sandpaper, and rub it against the part of my brain that remembers why we're friends."

"Oh..." Snails exhaled softly. "I didn't bring any. Sorry."

Snips gave Snails a friendly pat on the shoulder. "Don't worry about it. Come on, let's go see Miss Cheerliee about that math problem."

They left the playground behind and went around to the front of the schoolhouse. Just as they rounded the corner, they heard the beginning rumbles of an impending explosion. They knew exactly what it was, because they knew who was still inside the classroom. But they weren't for long. As the full force of the blast hit, the energy blew back both of their manes, with the added bonus of propelling three little fillies clear out of the side window. Thankfully, it was open at the time.

They landed in the middle of the sideyard, right where Snips and Snails had been before. The two of them had returned to observe, Snips out of concern for their safety, and Snails to check out the smoldering wreckage of a cool explosion. And also out of concern for their safety, once he registered the severity of the situation.

For a few seconds, they just lay there piled on top of each other, the tiniest trace of smoke billowing from their coats, which were slightly singed in just a few places. As their bodies began shifting, a noise of irritation erupted from the bottom of the heap.

"Would you get off? The two of you weigh a ton!" the boisterous pegasus beneath the pile shouted.

"Sorry, Scoot," the cream-yellow earth pony on top of her replied. "Didn't mean to crush ya like that."

"I guess we aren't getting cutie marks for chemistry, either," the mostly gleaming-white unicorn said with a mournful sigh.

The hilarious and often dangerous misadventures of these three fillies were a familiar sight to the young pair of unicorn colts. Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle, collectively known as the Cutie Mark Crusaders (and alternatively known as the CMC), had gained notoriety all over Ponyville for literally doing anything to get their cutie marks. So naturally, they went right past being shocked, and right into their natural boyish curiosity.

"Uh...you girls alright?" Snails was the first to speak up.

They immediately froze in place, realizing they had an audience. Their gazes ranged from gratefulness, to embarrassment, to indignant.

"Yeah, we're fine. Thanks," Scootaloo responded somewhat harshly.

"Scootaloo!" came Sweetie's admonishing squeak. "Sorry, boys. We just got into a bad batch of acetic acid. We're okay now, though!" Though under her breath, she still mumbled something about cutie marks.

"Oh, okay!" Snails smiled. "Long as you aren't hurt or anything! We gotta get going, though. Me and Snips are gonna go find some balls. Right...uh, Snips?"

Snips could hear Snails making noises with his mouth, but at that moment, the little blue pony was not available. His eyes had locked in on the little filly in the middle of her group of friends. The only one who hadn't spoken yet. Proud, hard-working daughter of the Apples. And she was looking at him, too. She had a curious look in her eyes, but he loved that look. There was a kind of worldly sparkle in them that absolutely captivated him every time their eyes randomly met.

He was honestly hypnotized by every part of her, but what he loved most was her mane. It was the most brilliant shade of red, somewhere in between candies and apples. Possibly candy apples, the kind that came fresh from Sugarcube Corner during Ponyville's Festive Fall Fair. It was clean, smooth and shimmery, which baffled him beyond belief, considering where she lived and what her family did for a living. And best of all, it was held back with the cutest pink bow, keeping every perfect strand away from her perfect eyes. In that brief moment, Snips was lost to the world.

But he was about to be found...in a big, big way.

"Hey, Snips?" said a tiny voice in his ear. "What'cha lookin' at?"

His mind refocused as he realized where the voice was coming from. He was looking straight at it. He grimaced at the implication: Apple Bloom had caught him red-hoofed. He wasn't exactly being discreet either, which doubled his embarrassment. He was about to stammer through an apology, when Scootaloo inadvertently saved him.

"I'm gonna go out on a limb here and assume it has something to do with that," she pointed to Apple Bloom's flank and barrel. It was spotted in a few places with some kind of strange golden substance. The pegasus filly was about to press her hoof against it, when Sweetie Belle sagely interrupted.

"WAIT!" she screamed most unsagedly. "Don't touch it. Let me see."

Sweetie Belle leaned in close to Apple Bloom's side, keenly eyeing the smudge. Then she gave it a quick sniff. Instantly, she recognized the smell.

"OH, COME ON!! Tree sap again?! How did that even happen?! We weren't even doing anything tree-related this time!"

"Sorry girls," Apple Bloom said. "We planted some maple trees over the winter, and we just started harvestin' the other day. Guess I didn't get all of it off me."

"Looks like you got a little in your mane, too," Scootaloo pointed. She leaned it again, attempting to wipe the offending sap away.

"WAIT!"

The words were out of Snips's mouth before he could react. And even quicker were the looks in his direction. Everypony was looking at him. Waiting for the next thing to come out of his mouth. He didn't know what it was going to be; he didn't even know why he spoke up in the first place. But he knew he needed to do something now, or he would look like an idiot. And with present company being who it was, that was something he couldn't afford. So he took a deep breath, and just dove right in.

"You can't just go tugging on tree sap when it's stuck in a pony's mane. It puts too much pressure on the roots. If you're too rough, the follicles are gonna get permanently damaged. We need to handle this situation delicately. I can cut that little patch out for you, Apple Bloom."

"And when did you become some kinda mane expert?" Scootaloo questioned him with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm no expert," he replied, flashing his cutie mark with a gleam of determination in his eye. "I'm just a pony who's great with a pair of scissors."

The Cutie Mark Crusaders looked at the silver pair of shears on the colt's flank, and then at each other. Then they looked back at Snips. The message was clear: they were very, very unsure.

"Please," he said, gazing passionately at the sap-coated filly. "I want to help you, Apple Bloom. Can you trust me?"

She looked left and right at her two best friends, then down to the ground. Her eyes darted in every direction, she wasn't sure which way to look. Finally, her vision settled back on Snips.

"I guess I can give ya a chance," she gave him a quiet nod.

"Okay. I promise it's gonna be just fine," he nodded in reply. He then turned to the rest of the group. "I'm going to need everypony's help to do this right. Is that okay?"

"Yeah!" Snails cheered in response. The other Crusaders were less enthusiastic, but they still agreed.

"Snails, I need you to go get my bag from the back of the classroom. You know, where we store them before class every day? You know what it looks like, right?" Snips tried to enunciate as clearly as he could for his friend's benefit.

Snails nodded in response and took off for the school's entrance. Snips smiled assuredly and turned to Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle.

"You two wouldn't happen to have a mirror on you, would you?"

"Oooh! I know!" the unicorn filly declared. "Follow me!"

She led them to the edge of the playground, which was surrounded by a natural fence of solid oak trees. She ran a hoof against the surface of a few of them, finally stopping in front of the fifth one. She gave it a few knocks and her face lit up with glee.

"Here it is!" Sweetie Belle announced. She circled around the tree and gave it a solid kick with one of her back hooves. A quiet hiss of air preceded a false panel popping off the tree's front. Inside the hollowed out tree, there was a full-sized mirror, reflecting back a perfect image of the group of ponies before it.

"Ha, that Pinkie Pie," Apple Bloom giggled. "Always ready for anythin'."

"Actually," Sweetie Belle said, "this one is my sister's. Rarity has mirrors hidden all over Ponyville. For fashion emergencies."

Snips stepped forward and placed his hoof directly in front of the mirror, not daring to touch it.

"No dings. No warbles. No imperfections at all. The body in the mirror moves perfectly in time with my own," he said, in a near chanting tone. "It's perfect."

Sweetie Belle nodded in appreciation, allowing the tiniest blush to grace her smiling face.

"Now Scootaloo, can you get up in that tree for me?" Snips asked.

"I guess," she shrugged. "What do you need me up there for?"

"If I'm going to do this right, I need some water," he explained, looking up to the sky. "There are still some grey clouds hanging around from the rain this morning. If I can bring some down here, can you shake some rain loose from them?"

"You want me to be a weather pony? Just like Rainbow Dash? I'M IN!!" she cheered. Her wings sprang to life, and she launched herself directly at the mirror-housing tree. She didn't climb, so much as she ran up the side of it. Taking her position on a protuding branch, she saluted down to Snips. "Weather Pony Alpha is in position!"

"Roger that, Alpha! Deploying rain cloud, we are go for precipitation!" Snips called out, a faintly blue aura surrounding his horn and a low passing cloud.

As the cloud floated closer to Scootaloo, Snips turned his head at the sound of hoofsteps behind him. Snails had returned and he had a saddlebag strapped around his waist.

"I got it, Snips! Here it is!" he shouted. Snails slid to a stop and unhooked the bag, letting it fall to the ground. Snips circled the bag with a critical eye. He looked up at Snails and narrowed his gaze.

"Snails...this is your bag."

"Uh huh," he nodded.

"I sent you into the classroom to get my bag."

"Uh...." Snails droned.

"Just...try it again, okay? Go to the back of the classroom, and get my bag, okay?"

The orange colt nodded vigorously and started to take off again. Snips was about to grab him with his magic before he got too far away, but it turned out he didn't need to, as Snails tripped over a small rock. "And by the way, make sure you have the right one this time."

Snips waited until his friend was completely out of sight before he moved again.

"Okay, let's do this," he said, opening the bag on the ground, and producing his favorite scissors and a fine comb. "Apple Bloom, can you sit down in front of the mirror, please?"

"Wait. You put your things in Snails's bag?" Sweetie Belle asked curiously. "Why would you do that?"

Snips looked up at Scootaloo with a nod. She began to kick at the cloud from the stability of her branch. A few raindrops fell onto Apple Bloom's head.

"I always keep my most important things in Snails's bag. That way, when Snails brings me his bag by mistake, I can still get what I need. This happens more often than you might think."

"But, if you knew your things were in his bag, why did you send him back for your bag?" Apple Bloom thought out loud.

"To get rid of him for a few more minutes," Snips replied instantly.

"That kinda day, huh?" Scootaloo smirked.

"He's a good guy most of the time. But right now I need to concentrate." He stated, moving behind Apple Bloom and raising the scissors and comb with his magic. "That reminds me. I need you to relax, Apple Bloom. But try not to move too much. I haven't done this with another pony before."

"How is that supposed to help me relax?" she asked, not daring to turn her head.

"Yeah, why did I say that?" he asked himself. "Look, just trust me on this, okay? Despite how I look, I know what I'm doing."

With that, Snips lifted the comb to Apple Bloom's mane, and began to sift through the waves and folds of hair, working the moisture of the rain cloud into her roots. The offending sap was still soft, so he was able to comb through it without too much difficulty. He was thankful for that; if it had hardened, he'd have had to cut away more than he would be comfortable with.

As he smoothed every lock and strand of the earth pony's mane, pressing with the comb and gently snipping away with his shears, the world around him slowed to a crawl. All that existed was the bond between him and the head of hair before him. It was waiting for him, calling for him. It cried for help, for change. He could sense it. He became lost in the sensation of sculpting the clay presented to him into a masterwork worthy of every fancy Canterlot art house. Soon, her mane was back to its pristine state, yet still he couldn't stop. He was compelled to create, to reach a level of perfection previously unheard of. A gentle tuck and curl followed a part and lift, as Snips continued to work his literal and figurative magic. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle could only watch in awe.

"You know, you don't actually suck at this," Scootaloo whistled. "I thought you'd be way more of a dork 'cause you always hang out with Snails. But you're actually really, really..."

"Please," Snips interrupted. "I need to focus here."

He returned his attention to his own little bubble, placing the finishing touches on Apple Bloom's mane. He used the remainder of his magic to lift any excess moisture from her hair.

"Okay, Apple Bloom. I think that does it. What do you think?"

The seated filly opened her eyes for the first time. The entire time, she had been too scared to look. But she finally made eye contact with the pony in the mirror. She couldn't believe it, that the one in her reflection was really her. She moved her hoof up and down to test it, and sure enough, it moved with her. She looked to her friends, hoping to gauge their reactions. They were astonished, looking back between her and Snips with stares are pure amazement. She couldn't tell if that was good or bad. What she could tell is that they were all waiting for her reply to Snips's question.

"I...uh, I..." she stuttered. After a few brief moments of fidgeting with her hooves, she stood up. She immediately took off running. "I have to go!"

Snips was left standing with the other two Crusaders, sharing their look of surprise and confusion. But within his expression, there was also a small amount of horror. He was worried that he might have blown his chance with her forever, and he cursed his boldness to the depths of Tartaurus. But while he was in the middle of his inward cursing, his best friend finally returned with the proper bag.

"Hey! I'm back, and I got the right bag. What's next?" he said, regaining his breath rather vocally.

"Too late, Snails. We already finished." Snips said flatly.

"Oh? So...how'd it go?" the skinny unicorn asked.

"I...I don't know. I think I blew it," he said with a little shake of his head.

Scootaloo hovered down from her position in the tree, landing directly on Snips's back. "I don't know what she's so freaked about. I thought it was pretty good for a quick fix," she said, patting the sullen unicorn on his head, before dismounting him with a perfect backflip.

"Uh...should we try to cheer her up or something?" Snails asked, watching Apple Bloom rush out of the schoolyard. With her eyes shut tight, she didn't notice the fence post in front of her until she ran through it, knocking it clear out of the ground. She ran crooked for a little while, but soon regained her balance and took off again.

"I would give it a day or two," Scootaloo remarked with her eyelids lowering.

Snips heaved out a heavy sigh and went back to his bag to put away his supplies. But before he made it back, he noticed Sweetie Belle standing next to him. She stared at him while trying to look away, and nervously swirled her hoof through the dirt. Finally, the white unicorn filly swallowed what was left of her fear and just asked him straight away.

"Snips....would it be okay...I mean, if you don't mind....would you....do me next?"

The Stylist's Bond

The very next day, the Cutie Mark Crusaders could be found making their way through the bustling Ponyville marketplace. Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom walked side-by-side, carrying small woven baskets in their mouths. An extremely bored Scootaloo trailed behind, pulling an empty red wagon with her scooter at what she considered to be an agonizing pace.

"Why did we have to come along for this? All this slowness is giving me fits!" she groaned.

The unicorn filly at the front turned back and mumbled something the other two couldn't understand, as their looks clearly illustrated. Realizing suddenly that she still had the basket in her mouth, she spat it onto the ground and cleared her throat before speaking again.

"I told you already! Rarity has a shipment of fabrics coming in from Canterlot today, and she's too busy to pick it up. So you're both here helping me because I can't get it all myself. And because you're my friends and that's what friends do."

"But this is so boring! This must be how Tank feels all the time!" Scootaloo groused loudly.

"If you need another reason, you still owe me for that thing with the catapult the other day," Sweetie continued, coming right up and tapping the pegasus's helmet with one of her hooves.

"But you landed in the lake!" the winged filly shouted. "It's not like you hit a rock or a tree or anything! I told you I knew what I was doing!"

"And yet we went first," came the concise interruption.

Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo stopped glaring at each other for the briefest of moments. They both turned to look at Apple Bloom, or as much as they could of her. After the events of the previous day, Apple Bloom had basically barricaded herself at Sweet Apple Acres. Despite her friends' insistence, she refused to leave her home without one of her grandmother's largest, most head-covering sunhats. Her eyes would dart about nervously from time to time as they were walking, like she could feel the entire town staring at her.

"Look, would you relax, Apple Bloom?" Scootaloo sighed. "Nopony's looking at your mane-cut. And even if they were, so what? We keep telling you, it looks great!"

"Yeah!" Sweetie Belle piped up in response. "That's why I went right after you. I wanted my mane to look as nice as yours."

She turned around to peruse the marketplace. Eventually, her eyes landed on the stand for which she was searching; Mr. Looking Glass's Fine Mirrors. There was a large assortment of paneled mirror glass scattered around the stand, all of varying sizes. Sweetie walked toward the stand and examined the purple cloth draping the main table, quickly identifying a cleverly-hidden loose thread. The filly then reached out and gave the thread a tug with her mouth, causing the cloth to rise like a theater curtain. The young unicorn grinned at the sight of another one of her sister's emergency mirrors. And for possibly the fifteenth time that day, she paused to admire her amazing new mane-cut.

Sweetie Belle's traditional curls had been smoothed and fluffed to give them a lot more volume, in addition to adding what she assumed was about two inches to her height. Her bangs, which usually ended in a tight little curl, instead began with a silky-smooth wave on the left side of her head, cascading down to the right and ending in a swirly flip. She couldn't help but smile every time she looked at her reflection that day; to her delight, her entire mane seemed to sparkle along with her smile.

"It's...amazing," she sighed dreamily to herself.

"Hard to believe that something like that came from somepony like Snips," Scootaloo responded, with a casual lean on her handlebars.

"Girls!" Apple Bloom snapped, sounding extremely annoyed as she pulled the hat down even further over her head. "I really, really, really don't want to talk about this. Can we just do this so I can go back home, please?"

Scootaloo seemed mildly annoyed at the farm-filly's snap, but Sweetie Belle gave a knowing nod, and lowered the stand's cloth back into its proper position. She picked up her basket from where she dropped it and started off again. After another short walk, they finally arrived at the imported fabric stand located right next to the train station. The materials that were being delivered were extremely delicate, and the close proximity of the stand ensured as little chance for disaster as possible. The royal-blue unicorn shopkeeper finished polishing his table and laid a fine roll of satin on it, closely inspecting the fabric for any minute imperfections. He was interrupted by three small passing shadows cast by the morning sun. He brushed his sky blue hair back and smiled down at the fillies now occupying his storefront.

"Ah, Miss Belle! How very nice to see you again," he greeted in his thick Prancian accent. He punctuated that greeting with a playful wink. "You're looking especially radiant today."

"Hi, Mr. Garland Silk!" she chirped, after dropping her basket again. "Thank you so much! It must be my new mane-cut! You like it?"

"Of course I do, miss," Silk replied. "But it's so much more zan zat. It's more like your mane-style is a reflection of sa belle âme. I can tell that you are going to make some special somepony very happy someday."

His kind and flattering words brought a healthy blush to Sweetie Belle's face, but Apple Bloom and Scootaloo were very quick to trade incredulous looks beside their red wagon. Sweetie and Silk shared a quick mutual laugh, followed by a little sigh to help them catch their breath.

"But enough of ze idle pleasantries," he said. "I assume zat you are here for Miss Rarity's order?"

"Yup!" Sweetie nodded. "She's too busy to get it herself, so she sent me! These new materials are really going to help with all the orders she's gotta finish. Is it ready?"

"It most certainly is," the stallion shopkeeper answered, as a soft white glow encompassed his horn. "Permit me help you load them into zat wagon of yours."

Garland Silk lifted a large basket from behind his stand, loaded to the brim with bolts of multicolored fabric. He motioned it carefully over to their red wagon. Unfortunately, the heat of that morning had caused a bit of sweat to gather on his horned forehead. Just as the stallion was about to lower the basket into the wagon, a tiny drop got into his eye, briefly ruining his concentration. A single bolt of fabric toppled out, ready to make contact with the ground to Silk's horror. But shockingly to him, the roll began to float just inches from the dirt, being levitated by a jade green aura. His eyes once again met the young white unicorn, who regarded him with a satisfied grin. He lit up with laughter at her quick-witted ability.

"Miss Belle, c'est merveilleux! You have been practicing your magic, I see! You become more amazing every day!" Garland Silk noticed that the strain of keeping the fabric levitated was beginning to affect Sweetie Belle. Rather than point it out, he courteously combined his magical power with hers to lift the fragile cloth back into the basket in the wagon. He then pulled out a smaller assortment of threads and ribbons, setting them gently into the smaller baskets which the girls had brought with them. "Now, you give my best regards to Miss Rarity, mon petit. Have a wonderful day!"

"I will, Mr. Silk! Thanks again!" Sweetie Belle called over her shoulder, as she took off running again. Her two friends followed closely behind.

Scootaloo, unable to tolerate their pace any more, buzzed her wings and shot out in front of Sweetie Belle, pulling the wagon around to effectively block her way. She removed her helmet and hopped off her scooter, trotting right up to the unicorn with a wry little smirk.

"Well, what do we have here?" Scootaloo inquired. "That stallion was being kinda sugary on you, wasn't he? Is somepony maybe not telling us something?"

"Oh, stop," Sweetie waved a hoof in response. "He was just being nice. Garland's been friends with my family for years."

"And are all your family friends that...affectionate?" Apple Bloom asked.

"That's just the way he is. Ponies from Prance are very...open with their emotions. Besides, it's not like he was being serious; it's just harmless fun...right?" she asked, a wash of realization coming over her face. "Although, now that I think of it, he did seem a bit more...flirty than usual today."

"I don't like it," the yellow earth pony stated simply. "This whole deal's starting to get...a mite strange. And I know exactly what's behind it."

Sweetie Belle's turn to be annoyed had just arrived, and with a particularly nasty look she returned to her basket. "Come on, we gotta take this stuff back to the Boutique," she said, gripping the handle in her mouth and walking around Scootaloo's wagon. Scootaloo gave Apple Bloom a quiet shrug before remounting her scooter and taking off for Rarity's shop as well. With another frustrated sigh, the number of which she had given up counting, the young apple-farmer gathered her basket and followed.

They finally approached the front door to the brightly-colored Carousel Boutique. The building was decorated in a very festive manner, ribbons and lace strewn up in every possible place. But Sweetie knew that however nice it looked on the outside, the interior must have been a disaster zone. Whenever Rarity had a massive set of orders to handle, that would always take the top priority, and everything else, cleanliness included, fell by the wayside. The filly had a sneaking suspicion that this was the real reason her big sister liked having her around on the weekends. But casting that thought from her head, she knocked on the door.

"Coming!" a spritely voice sang out from inside. Sweetie Belle faintly heard the rush of magical energy as it surrounded the door's handle. The latch turned and the door swung open to reveal the predictably disheveled workspace of Ponyville's top fashion designer. "Hello girls! Thank you so much for picking up the...."

Rarity appeared in the doorway from her private storeroom, stopping suddenly in her tracks as she saw her sister strolling casually through the front door. Her eyes widened in a combination of shock and elation.

"Sweetie Belle! When and where did you get that spectacular mane-cut?!" she nearly shrieked in surprise.

"Um, yesterday?" Sweetie Belle replied, confused. "It's the same mane I left the house with an hour ago."

"Oh, well I have been working too hard, haven't I?" Rarity sighed, mostly to herself. "Thank you girls again for retrieving my supplies from the marketplace. If you'd please just leave them there in the corner? Yes, that's perfect. Now before you run off 'crusading' or...whatever you plan on doing today, I'd like a word with Sweetie Belle in private."

"Okay, sure," Scootaloo nodded in Sweetie Belle's direction. "We'll be waiting outside when you're done. I'm sure Apple Bloom would like to find a nice bush to hide in or something."

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. She slipped through the open door without another sound. Scootaloo soon followed, pushing her vehicle beside her. Rarity closed the door with her magic and moved over to her plush purple couch beside the window.

"Come sit with me, dear. Let's talk, sister to sister," she said, climbing into one of the seats and offering Sweetie the one next to her.

"Um, okay," the younger sister replied with a nod. She jumped onto the pillow, sinking just a little into it. She looked intently at her sister, trying her best to prepare for whatever Rarity wanted to say.

"Sweetie Belle, I want you to tell me all about this new hairstyle of yours. How did it happen?" Rarity asked softly. She lifted a hoof to Sweetie's perfect mane and swept it gently away from her eyes.

"Well, it all started with our chemistry experiment yesterday after school. Things...kinda went bad, and long story short, Apple Bloom got covered in tree sap."

"Oh, again? Why didn't you come to me right away like you usually do?" Rarity inquired in a mock scolding tone.

"We were going to, but there was a colt there who was able to help us out by cutting the sap out of her mane." Sweetie said, mimicking the way the scissors moved through Apple Bloom's mane with her hooves.

"Who would that be, darling?" Rarity asked, her eyebrows belying her disinterested tone.

"It was Snips, one of the colts from my class. He's really, really good. So good, that I decided I wanted him to style my mane, too. And here we are," the filly said with a small smile. Rarity gave a self-assured nod and got down off the couch.

"I see. There's just one thing more thing, dear; have you gotten into any...let's say 'trouble', with any other colts in town?"

"Well, Garland Silk was really nice to me at the market today. Like, really nice. The other girls thought it was kinda strange, but I didn't see anything wrong with that." Sweetie replied, jumping down from her own seat.

"Oh, they just don't understand, Sweetie. The world is a very different place through the eyes of beautiful ponies like us. Sometimes, stallions will go out of their way to compliment or assist an attractive mare; it doesn't mean they want something from us." She paused briefly as she thought over what she just said. "But you should be careful out there, because sometimes they are after something."

"Something like what?" the younger unicorn asked as innocently as she could.

"Oh, that's a conversation for another time, dear. For now, tell me more about this Snips of yours." Rarity said, trotting into her kitchen. "I'm still listening, Sweetie. Just getting us some tea."

"Well, he's just amazing. He usually has this air of...colt-ishness about him, him and his friend Snails. Just looking at him, you wouldn't think he'd be very good at anything. But...when he's cutting manes, when he's engaged in his special talent...he does it so effortlessly. It's the most amazing thing I've ever seen."

Rarity emerged from her kitchen levitating a silver tea set. She gave her sister a quiet smile as she set down the tray. Sweetie Belle always tried her best to sound more mature around her big sister. And though such a refined manner of speaking didn't sound right at all coming from her little sister, Rarity still appreciated the gesture.

"Well, that's a common occurrence, dear," Rarity explained. "Performing our special talents is second nature to us. In some cases, we don't even have to think about it; it just comes naturally. When you get your cutie mark, I know you'll understand."

The elder sister sensed that she'd said the wrong thing even before she heard the little sniff behind her, the precursor to a fit of sobs that would be impossible to control.

"Oh Sweetie, don't cry. You have a beautiful new mane, you shouldn't ruin it. Why don't you tell me more about it?" Rarity suggested, giving Sweetie a comforting hug. The little filly nodded with a smile, though she still retained a bit of moisture in her eyes. "Tell me, dear, when this 'Snips' was styling your mane, how did you feel in that moment?"

Sweetie Belle sat down at the table, taking one of the cups between her hooves. She took a sip and gathered her thoughts. "It was...a really good feeling. I felt so pretty, and...special. When he was running that comb and those shears through my hair, I felt like I was the most important mare in the world. I...."

Abruptly, she set down the cup and looked at her sister with an extremely flustered gaze. "Oh, no. You don't think...you know, I...and he...?"

When the full extent of what her sister was asking finally hit Rarity, she shook her head violently with a very awkward laugh.

"No, no, no-no-no. Goodness, no. Sweetie Belle, I was hoping that I could save this talk for our first trip to the spa together, just the two of us. But I think now is as good a time as any, so I'm going to let you in on a little secret."

Rarity lifted her cup of tea and took a quiet sip. Sweetie Belle leaned forward in anticipation, ready for her sister's special brand of wisdom. Finally, the teacup floated back down to the table, and Rarity took a deep breath before continuing.

"You see, little sister, the bond between a mare and her stylist is...well, it's one of the most important things in the world. A stylist is a pony on whom you can always depend. They're there to take all the stress of the world away, to be there for you when nopony else is. A stylist has the amazing ability to take all the beauty buried deep within you, and bring it up to the surface for all of Equestria to see."

"That sounds a lot like a coltfriend to me," the younger sister observed.

"Dear, it's not quite like that. The stylist's bond is not a bond of love; it's a bond of trust. There's just something about the aura of a stylist; you aren't afraid to show them who you really are."

"That's exactly how I felt yesterday with Snips!" Sweetie Belle squeaked.

"I thought as much. It's the same reason I go to the spa so often. Lotus and Aloe are just so wonderful. They see me at my worst on a regular basis, yet they've never once been judgmental. They just work their special brand of magic, and in no time at all, I'm back to my own fabulous self." Rarity gave her mane a little flip as an accent.

"But what about Apple Bloom? Why doesn't she feel that way, too?" Sweetie asked, moving to the window. She spotted her friends waiting by the tree right outside. Scootaloo was leaning against her scooter, looking ready to nod off from shear boredom. Apple Bloom stood beside her, looking around nervously. Every few seconds, she would adjust the hat she wore to try and cover more of her mane. After a moment, Rarity joined her at the window.

"She's just confused right now, dear. She was exposed to some new emotions she's most likely never experienced before, and she isn't sure how to react to it. Just tell her what I told you and everything will be just fine." Rarity left the window and went back into her storeroom. A little rummaging noise could be heard as she shifted a few things around. "It's a shame, really," she said to herself. "If only I could show her, and everypony else, just how great it is to..."

All of the air inside the Boutique could've been taken away by Rarity's gasp. Sweetie Belle knew exactly what that meant: Rarity had just gotten an --

"I-DE-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!"

She burst out of the back room and sped right back to Sweetie Belle's side. "I know exactly what to do! Sweetie Belle, I want you to invite that amazing little colt to dinner tonight. I have a proposition for him. Do that for me while you're out with your friends today, would you?"

"Uh, sure. Okay," Sweetie answered with a weak smile.

"Oh, thank you so much! This is going to be just the best thing I've ever done!" Rarity exclaimed. She gradually regained herself and gave her little sister a quick hug. "Now, go and play with your friends, darling. It's the weekend and you should be enjoying yourself. Just...try not to do anything too dangerous. I know you enjoy your whole 'crusader' business, but I worry."

"We'll try, Rarity. And thanks for your help!" Sweetie Belle chirped. She trotted back to the front door but Rarity placed a hoof on her shoulder to stop her. A gorgeous tan sunhat floated from the backroom and landed on Sweetie Belle's head. The thin, wide brim was edged by fine pink silk, and the band shone with gems and feathers.

"Be a dear and give that to Apple Bloom. Granny Smith is a delightful mare, but Celestia bless her, she's hopeless when it comes to giant hats."

Sweetie Belle took the hat off to preserve her fantastic hairstyle. "I'll give her the hat, but I'm not telling her what you just said. I'll see you at dinner, big sis."

After giving her sister another hug, Sweetie Belle exited the Boutique. Rarity shut the door behind her and returned to the table. She gave a contented sigh as she cleared the table and levitated the tea set back into the kitchen.

"Mr. Snips, I have got some big, big plans for you. For both of us. But that can wait for later. It's time to do a little...research. And I know just the mare to see..."

The Tools of Change

Rarity pulled a silver ribbon from the basket next to the dais, fastening it tightly around the neck of the dressform before her. She eyed it keenly and pulled a needle swiftly in and out, securing the ribbon to the material of the dress. She allowed herself a satisfied smile as she pulled the dress off the molded plastic model. The unicorn gently placed the garment on a clothes hanger and hung it on a nearby rack. A quick look at the clock on the wall informed her that only a few hours had passed since Sweetie Belle left the Boutique. She glanced out the window, observing the beautiful weather, and decided that she had time for one more small errand. Rarity picked out a black sunhat with a single white silk rose stitched on the side; she wasn’t feeling particularly extravagant today. Finally, she employed a little magic to open the latch to her front door, and after checking herself in three more mirrors on her way out, she exited the shop.

The unicorn strode casually through Ponyville, allowing a gentle spring breeze to caress her face. She nodded gracefully to a few ponies she knew, as she traveled the short distance to the town’s library. In no time at all, the giant oak tree was before her. She straightened her hat one final time and brought up a hoof to knock on the door. Although her friend had taken up residence here, the library was still a public fixture in Ponyville. Today was Saturday however, so the place was bound to be essentially empty. The unicorn knocked anyway, out of respect for her friend’s privacy. Not to mention, her friend could be doing any number of things that would demand she not be disturbed.

She continued to wait patiently, until finally the door opened to reveal the library’s most diligent little attendant. His face adopted a pleasant smile as he identified the visitor standing at the door.

“Oh! Hi, Rarity! It’s really good to see you today. And well...every day, really! I mean, is there anything I...I mean, we...the library, can do for you today? We...I mean, I are-AM...I am at your service,” he stammered in the most adorably awkward way.

Rarity covered up a charming giggle at Spike’s antics and replied. “Hello, Spike. It’s quite lovely to see you as well. Do you mind if I come in? There’s somepony here with whom I need to discuss something quite important.”

Spike’s face nearly exploded with glee, but Rarity leaned down and shook her head gently. “I’m dreadfully sorry, Spike. But it isn’t you.”

“Oh! Right, sure. I understand,” he said, doing his very best not to sound disappointed. “Please come right in. Have a seat anywhere; there’s plenty of room today. I need to go take care of something. I’ll be back soon!”

“Take your time, dear,” Rarity called after him, as the young dragon headed through the door to the kitchen. She took off her hat and laid it gently on a wall hook next to the door. A quick glance around the room helped her locate her target. The table at the very back of the room was the only one occupied. A pony was sitting behind a large textbook, partially concealed by massive stacks of papers.

“I had a feeling you might be here,” Rarity said with a little grin. The dark magenta mare lowered the book and ran a hoof through her disheveled light pink mane.

“Isn’t that a little bit of profiling, Rarity? An educator has to spend her Saturdays in a library? Why wouldn’t you look for me at my house?” Miss Cheerilee asked, her head leaning on her hoof in exhaustion.

Rarity lowered her eyelids, giving Cheerilee her best ‘are you serious?’ look. Cheerilee sighed in defeat.

“I know, you caught me. Berry is a wonderful roommate. But our house isn’t the...quietest place in town on the weekend. I just needed a place to grade these assignments in peace, and Twilight Sparkle was happy to oblige. She and her little assistant have been very accommodating.”

Almost as if on cue, Spike emerged from the kitchen, balancing a tray in one of his claws. He approached the table and laid the tray down, gripping the drink pitcher firmly in his other claw.

“Another Chai iced tea, Miss Cheerilee?” he asked, pouring the beverage into two chilled glasses. “There’s one for you too, Rarity, if you’d like.”

“That sounds wonderful, Spike. I’d love to try some of your tea,” Rarity said with a gracious smile. She lifted the filled glass to her mouth, and pursed her lips for a cursory sip. To her delight, the tea was amazing. She was just about to voice her opinion to Spike, but Cheerilee was just slightly faster than her.

“You’re the best, Spike! You’ve done it again. This is divine! Any mare in Equestria would be lucky to have you in her life,” she said, running her hoof messily through Spike’s head scales.

“Thanks so much, Miss Cheerilee. That’s very kind of you to say....present company considering,” Spike said, adding a confident little smile in Rarity’s direction.

Rarity was rescued from having to address that sideways comment by a loud crash that emanated from the kitchen. That bang was followed by an unmistakable aroma, and its origin was confirmed by a thin trail of smoke billowing from the crack underneath the kitchen door.

“Extinguisher! Extinguisher!” screamed a voice from inside.

“No, no, no! And that’s why you don’t leave Twilight alone in the kitchen!” Spike said worriedly. “I gotta go help her! If you two will excuse me?”

With a final exaggerated bow, he bolted for the kitchen door, slipping through it as quickly as he could to prevent the smoke from escaping more than it already had. Rarity’s eyes followed him all the way to the door. As he disappeared through it, she turned back to Cheerilee and leveled a stern gaze at her.

“That wasn’t funny,” she stated tersely.

“Yes, yes. I know the rules: Stay away from the dragon, he’s yours,” Cheerilee groaned with a dismissive wave of her hoof.

“That isn’t what I mean,” Rarity said. “I’m talking about how everypony in this town somehow has the wrong impression regarding the relationship between Spike and myself. Honestly, we’re just friends. Why is that so hard to grasp?”

Cheerilee picked up her glass again and took a tactful sip of her iced tea. “I bet Spike doesn’t feel that way,” came her stark reply.

“And I wonder whose fault that would be? Honestly, giving him ideas like that. You aren’t exactly making my life easy yourself.” Rarity sighed her usual theatrical sigh.

“I’m a teacher, Rarity,” she stated in a matter-of-fact tone. “It’s sort of what we do.”

“Oh, fair enough,” the unicorn relented with a huff. “That isn’t really what I came to discuss with you, anyway. I wonder if you might be able to tell me about one of the colts in your class. Snips, I believe was his name? Apparently he cut some of the girls’ manes after school on Friday.”

“Oh, no,” the educator shook her head gently. “Did you want me to talk to him on Monday?”

“No, not at all, dear. I’m perfectly capable of handling that myself. Besides, I think it’s just wonderful. I’ve never seen Sweetie Belle’s mane look quite so spectacular before. Cheerilee, you probably know as much about him as any other pony in town, apart from his parents. Please tell me, how did this amazing talent of his originate?”

“Yes, I remember it quite clearly,” Cheerilee said, closing her eyes and imagining the scenario in her mind. “It was raining, so we spent the whole day indoors...”

“Okay, class,” Cheerilee announced to the room as she moved to the chalkboard. “Let’s move on to Geometry. It’s time to see who read the assigned pages of the textbook. Now, who can tell me the difference between a quadrilateral and a rectangle?”

Most of the students looked slightly uncomfortable at the question, and began flipping through the books on their desks in an attempt to find the answer. Some others in the back of the room didn’t even bother with the question at all, engrossed in whatever conversation they decided was more important than the lesson. Only one pony in the class seemed prepared for the question. She waved her off-white hoof through the air desperately, nearly knocking off her lavender glasses in the process.

“Ooh! I know! A quadrilateral is any shape with four sides, but a rectangle is a four-sided shape with four right angles,” she recited with a beaming grin.

“Absolutely correct, Twist! Very well done!” Cheerilee gave an approving nod. She returned to her desk and looked through her attendance sheet. “Now then, let’s see. Mr. Escargot, are you ready for your turn?”

The orange unicorn seated by the window did not react to the question. He had his head down toward his own desk, fiddling around with something in his hooves. His attention was finally garnered by a nudge in his side by his best friend, who was seated next to him.

“Hey, Snails,” Snips whispered to him. “Wake up! Miss Cheerilee is calling you.”

“She is?” he said at full volume, drawing a peal of laughter from the rest of the class. He looked to the front of the classroom with a weak smile. “I’m Snails.”

“Okay then, Snails,” the teacher said. “Maybe you can tell the class about the relationship between squares and rectangles.”

Snails’s eyes darted back and forth between Miss Cheerilee and his desk. He nodded to himself and answered, “Um, is it...rectangles have two pairs of sides that are of equal length, while all four sides of a square are the same length?”

“Yes, that is it, Snails. And how are parallelograms related to this?” she asked. She wouldn’t normally single out a student like this, but she had a theory she wanted to test.

The unicorn colt looked down again, then back up. “Uh, a parallelogram is like a rectangle, but it doesn’t have right angles.”

“Okay...and if you add up the angles in a parallelogram, what would the total be?”

Snails froze in shock. He didn’t expect so many questions directed to him. He looked back to his hooves, then at Miss Cheerilee again. Then he ducked under his desk, staring at the ground.

“Mr. Snails, I assure you that the answer is not under your desk,” she stated.

“It might be,” he replied, peeking up again.

“And why is that?” Cheerilee asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Well, I ran out of space on my front hooves, so I had to use my back ones.” Snails said with an endearing little grin. He punctuated his statement by holding up his forehooves. As he said, there was a large amount of ink scribblings all over them. The rest of the class once again broke into laughter, while his friend Snips just smiled and shook his head.

“Class,” Miss Cheerilee said sternly. As order restored, she walked up to Snails’s desk. “Now, Snails. This is just a lecture, not a quiz. It’s okay for you to take down your notes on paper. I’ll let this slide just this once, because this wasn’t a test. If it were, believe me, you’d be in a lot more trouble.”

Snails nodded silently. The teacher smiled back to him as she walked to the front of the classroom. “And for the record, class, the sum of the interior angles of any quadrilateral is always 360 degrees.” The sound of scratching pencils filled the room as the students wrote down the new information in unison.

The class continued on in this fashion for about another half hour. Cheerilee passed her desk again, this time glancing at the clock she kept there. The rain was still tapping away at the window, so she turned and addressed the class.

“Okay, kids. We’re going to wrap up this lesson, and take a brief recess. Now, since it’s still raining outside, I’ve prepared an arts and crafts activity for today. We’ll be making visual aids to cover the material we’ve learned in the last lesson. Please form an orderly line and circle around the art supply table in the back,” she instructed, pointing to a long table lining the rear of the classroom. “Once you have your supplies, return to your desks, and I will assign you each a shape. Then you’ll prepare a drawing, cut-out, or anything else that represents that shape. The only limit is your imagination.”

The students all did as instructed, grabbing a box of crayons, a pair of scissors, some synthetic glue, and a few sheets of paper from the table. Miss Cheerilee marked each student off as they passed her by at the end of table, and gave them each an assigned shape. When she finished handing out the shapes, she returned to her desk and allowed herself a moment’s rest. She relaxed gently as the near hypnotic beat of the rain outside coupled with the scratching and creaking of the students hard at work on their projects. It must have been about ten minutes, when she looked up again, and her eyes were treated to something astounding.

One of the desks was surrounded by a powerful light blue aura, and as she drew closer, she could see a pony seated inside. He remained still in his seat, while a solitary sheet of paper floated above him, and a pair of scissors swirled around in the air. It darted in and out around the paper, in what seemed to be an expertly choreographed dance. The scissors gently nipped at the paper, as it folded and creased in previously unseen directions. Eventually the shears and the paper floated back down to the desk and the aura dissipated.

“Snips!” Miss Cheerilee exclaimed. “What did you just do? And how?”

The blue unicorn colt wiped away the sweat that had gathered on his brow, and looked up at his teacher, unsure if her tone was one of approval or disdain.

“Well,” he began, “you told me to my shape was a hexagon, so I tried to come up with something that had that shape. Then it hit me: ‘snowflake.’ But I didn’t want to just draw one. If I was going to make something, I wanted to do something more.”

He lifted the shears into the air and twirled them around with his magic. “So I decided that I could use these things to make something even better than a drawing.”

Snips set the scissors down again and began the careful task of unfolding the paper. He took extra care not to tear it anywhere. After a few seconds, he held up the final result of his efforts. The snowflake he presented was indeed a six-sided shape, as he was assigned. But the design was anything but simple. Each arm of the flake had nearly a dozen different twists, flowers, swirls and other details, and they all spun around a central swirl of hearts and diamonds.

“Whoa, Snips! You made that? That’s awesome!” Snails said from his seat next to him.

“That’s really somethin’, Snips,” Apple Bloom said with a little smile, which Snips couldn’t help but return.

“Whatever, it’s not that great,” Diamond Tiara said with a superior scoff. Then she turned up her nose in a mocking gesture, which Silver Spoon immediately mirrored.

Snips suddenly felt a wash of pride, very happy that everypony (or almost everypony) was praising his talents. He sat up a little taller in his seat, and held his head higher than usual. Miss Cheerilee walked up next to him and place her hoof gently on his shoulder.

“Mr. Snips, I am speechless. I have never seen a pony use a pair of scissors the way you just have today. Stick with that, Snips, and I truly believe you can make a powerful mark on this world,” she said in an approving tone.

The little blue unicorn soaked in the praise with a massive smile, but he was distracted from his own inner reverie by a cavalcade of gasps pointed straight at him. He followed all of their eyes down to his flank, and that’s when he saw it. There was a blinding flash and a collection of sparks emanating from his lower body. It only took a second to fizzle away, but once it did, he was overjoyed at what had remained. The image of a silver pair of scissors had come to rest on his flank. It was the symbol of his special talent, the goal that he’d been aiming for his entire young life. It was his cutie mark.

“YES! Look at that! I got it!” he shouted in excitement. His classmates all cheered loudly for him as he showed it off left and right. Twist and Apple Bloom looked happy for him, but he couldn’t help but notice that there was a pang of disappointment in Apple Bloom’s face. He looked back to Diamond Tiara, and allowed himself a tiny, almost invisible smirk, as he observed the delicious scowl that had adorned her face.

“RRGH! I can’t believe that LOSER got his cutie mark before ME!” she groaned.

Snips turned back again, expecting the biggest congratulations from his best friend. But his mood was quickly deflated as he took in Snails’s look of utter depression.

“I’m...the last one,” he whispered. Snips nodded in realization. He thought it would be something like that, and as Snails continued, his suspicion was confirmed. “I’m the only colt in school with a blank flank.”

He got up from his seat and dragged his hooves all the way to the door. Snips bolted upright from his seat and called out to his best friend.

“Snails, wait! It’s just a mark, it doesn’t change anything, right? We’re still friends, okay?”

The orange unicorn turned back, fighting back tears as he kicked the door open behind him. “Just...leave me alone!” he snapped. “I need time to think.”

Without even waiting for a response from his friend, or a command to stay put from his teacher, he was out the door, and gone from the school entirely shortly thereafter.

“‘Time to think?’” Diamond Tiara repeated jokingly. “He’ll be gone for a week!”

Silver Spoon was the only one who laughed. Some of the students turned back to her and gave her a nasty look. The rest were too preoccupied with the situation with Snails to care. The teacher made a note to herself to deal with Diamond Tiara after class. Snips walked to the front of the classroom, internally debating whether he should follow Snails out into the rain and try to comfort him. Miss Cheerilee came up beside him and massaged his shoulder in compassion.

“I just don’t know what I should do,” he said with a heavy sigh.

“I know you want to help, Snips. But right now...I think it’s best if you just let Snails be. Just give it a few days, and everything will be back to normal before you know it,” Cheerilee advised.

“I hope you’re right, Miss Cheerilee. I really, really do.”

“COOOOOOOOOOL!!!!”

“Yeah, right there in the middle of a rainy day recess,” Snips wrapped up his story.

He had just been working on a little project in the park, when he ran into Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. They had apparently just come back from dropping off Apple Bloom at Sweet Apple Acres. Once that was done, they decided to take a walk to jump-start some ideas for obtaining cutie marks. When they spotted Snips in the middle of a grove of trees, they saw an opportunity to hear another cutie mark story, which Snips was happy to share.

“So you got a cutie mark from slinging a pair of scissors around and making a snowflake?” Scootaloo asked skeptically.

Snips nodded fervently in reply. “Well, yeah. It took me a long time to understand what Miss Cheerilee meant when she talked about my special talent. These scissors here,” he showed his flank again, “they aren’t just tools of art. They’re tools of change. A pair of scissors can turn anything into just about anything else. Like she said, ‘the only limit is your imagination.’ I believe that in the right set of hooves, a pair of scissors can change the world.”

“So, what is it that you’re doing here?” Sweetie Belle pondered as she watched Snips pick up his large gardening shears and turn back to the unruly tree behind him.

“Freelance topiary gardening. It’s a hobby of mine. The landscaping crew that maintains the park doesn’t mind at all, as long as I clean up the trimmings when I’m done. Check this out!”

He focused his magic into the clippers, and they floated up in the air, taking off at amazing speeds around the tree. He leaned his head slightly this way and that, guiding the tool ever closer to the branches. As the shears snipped away at each unruly bough, the remains followed them, caught up in the wind current caused by their speed. This resulted in a simulated hurricane of leaves and twigs surrounding the tree as Snips kept the shears under his control. Scootaloo continued to gaze on in pure captivation, while Sweetie Belle hid behind the pegasus in an attempt to protect her mane from the gusts of wind brought on by Snips’s efforts.

Finally, he was done; he cut off his magic abruptly and his clippers and the trimmings fell to the ground all at once. The blue unicorn turned around and smiled at the two fillies behind him, motioning to the newly trimmed tree. He had crafted a previously overgrown and uncontrolled mess of leaves and branches into a perfectly manicured work of art. The plant sculpture depicted three little fillies balanced on top of each other in dramatic poses, their flashy outfits and eye makeup simulated by expertly flattened and layered leaves.

“Hey, that’s us!” Scootaloo exclaimed. “At the talent show! Remember those costumes you designed, Sweetie Belle?”

“Yeah...yeah, I do,” the white pony answered hesitantly. “Kinda wish I didn’t though.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Sweetie Belle,” Snips said, lifting the debris into a nearby trash bag. “I thought they looked awesome! I really liked the way you all did your hair, too. Yep, that was a really good night. We all got medals! They were really shiny. Hey, how’d the whole ‘comedy’ thing work out for you?”

“Well, we’re still sorta working on that,” Scootaloo responded. “Comedy’s more like our safety net. If nothing else we try works, we can always come back to that. Now that I think of it, we haven’t tried this yet, have we Sweetie Belle?”

Sweetie Belle shook her head, “No. I don’t think we have. Snips, do you think you could teach us how to ‘topicary’ like that?”

Snips tied up the bag and gave them a shrug, “I guess I could give it a try. There’s plenty of trees around here. ‘Topiary’, by the way, Sweetie. Maybe we should hold off on that until tomorrow, though. It’s kinda getting late,” he said, noting the setting sun in the distance.

“Oh my gosh, that’s right!” Sweetie gasped. “I was supposed to tell you something! Rarity wants to have you over to dinner tonight! She has something she wanted to ask you. I think it has something to do with my mane.”

“Okay....I’m not in trouble, am I?” Snips asked with a little twinge of fear.

“Don’t worry about it, Snips,” Scootaloo said. “We were there this morning, and she couldn't stop gushing about it. I think you’ll be fine.”

Snips nodded, assured. “Well, okay then. Let me just go tell Snails that we’re leaving.” He took off to another area of the park. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle looked curiously at each other and soon followed.

“That reminds me, Snips,” Sweetie Belle said. “Whatever happened to Snails after you got your cutie mark? He just took off running, right? What about after that?”

Snips stopped in his tracks and turned around, his face a mask of deep thought. “I’m not really sure. After school, I looked for him everywhere. But I couldn’t find him. Eventually, I took Miss Cheerilee’s advice, and thought ‘if he doesn’t want to be found, it’s probably better to leave him alone.’”

Snips wiped away a small tear and started off walking again. “I was really worried our friendship was ruined. But the very next day, he came back to school, and he had his cutie mark, too! He wouldn’t tell me how, though.”

The group arrived at the intended destination. It was a much darker, secluded section of the park. The low hanging trees provided the benefit of shade, and captured any errant moisture from the outside. It was the perfect environment for snails, and predictably this was where they found Snails. He appeared to be laying down, staring intently at the dirt. They got closer to him, and saw that he was following the path of a pair of snails as they crawled slowly across the ground.

“Hey, Snails!” Scootaloo greeted. “We were just going to--”

“Shhhh!” Snails hushed her harshly, then returned to his intense snail-watching.

The bright orange filly glanced at Snips, entirely miffed at Snails’s treatment of her. “Hey, what’s his deal?” she whispered. “I didn’t even do anything!”

“He gets like this sometimes,” Snips whispered back. “Just watch for a little while, you’ll see.”

They looked over Snails’s shoulder and observed the little critters on the ground, shifting their bodies slowly as they reached across the patch of dirt. After a few minutes, they came up to a relatively giant branch on the ground, which easily matched their height. The two fillies were sure that the snails would not be able to clear it. Sweetie Belle even moved forward, intent on removing the branch from their path. Snips held out his hoof to stop her, though, and gave her an intense look. She acknowledged that this meant that she was not to interfere, and she returned to the spot where she had been standing. They were then shocked to see that the snails had lifted up their bodies, attaching their lower parts to the branch. Slowly but surely, they were both pulling themselves up and over. Snails nodded with the aura on an approving father and stood up to face his friends.

“Aren’t they awesome? They don’t move fast, but they’re always moving. And they have these amazingly adhesive lower bodies. It’s like billions of suction cups, all working together. It helps them get over anything. Did you know a snail can even walk along the edge of a samurai sword?” he said, his eyes lighting up with delight. They shook their heads, but Snails wasn’t deterred. “Anyway, they really remind me of me. Like, I’m not as fast or smart as the other colts, I know that. But as long as I never stop moving, and I always go forward, I know I can do anything!”

“Snails...” Scootaloo uttered in disbelief. “That just might be the most significant thing I’ve ever heard you say.”

“Yep, I’m a wise slug,” Snails said with a happy grin. He then noticed that two fillies were present when he knew there should be three. “Hey, is Apple Bloom not with you girls today?”

“Yeah, she’s still holed up on the farm. We had to put a huge hat on her just to drag her out of the Crusader HQ this morning,” Scootaloo said, brushing her hair away in mock frustration.

“Oh, you mean the Dash-keteers’ Secret Hideout?” Snails asked.

“Hey! What did I tell you? We’re not calling it that!” she replied in very real frustration.

Snips walked over beside Scootaloo and gave her a sidelong glance, asking her silently to calm down. “Just let him have it, okay? He’s having a really good day, by the looks of it. Better not to bring him down again. Don’t worry. I’ll talk to him later, because yes, we are absolutely not calling it that.”

The pegasus still looked a little annoyed, but she sighed and walked away, dropping the conversation altogether. Snips gave her a little pat on the shoulder as thanks, and turned back to Sweetie Belle. “How’s Apple Bloom doing, by the way?”

“Still not ready to talk to you yet, sorry. She’ll come around though,” she said, giving the blue unicorn a comforting look. “I think we’re starting to get through to her. So, are you ready to go now?”

“Oh yeah, that’s right!” Snips remembered why he came to find his friend. “I gotta get going, Snails. Sweetie Belle invited me to have dinner with her and her sister. I’ll see you around, alright?”

“Okay, cool!” Snails replied. “So...what should I do?”

“I know!” Scootaloo broke in. “Why don’t you come with me? There’s a few more things I wanted to try today, and I’m going to need somepony to carry my body -- I mean, carry me home, in case something happens.”

“You’re going to try to get your cutie mark again? By yourself?” Snails asked, seeming a little confused.

Scootaloo looked back at him, not really understanding why he thought that was a big deal. “Well, yeah. Sweetie Belle’s got plans, so there’s no helping that. And Apple Bloom’s having her little horsy-fit right now. If she doesn’t want to come out and crusade with us, that’s her loss, not mine.”

“But what if you got your mark today, and she wasn’t there? Won’t she be even more sad?” Snails mused.

Snips and Sweetie Belle looked at each other, trying hard to read each other’s expression. It was clear that neither one of them expected the orange unicorn have so much wisdom buried underneath that clueless visage. Scootaloo looked back to them, confused and defeated.

“Are we sure this is Snails?” she said to the pair of unicorns. Receiving dual shrugs, the pegasus filly sighed again. “Okay, fine. I’ll go back to Sweet Apple Acres and keep Apple Bloom company for a little while. Hey, Dr. Snails, you coming?”

“Uh, sure,” he said with a slow nod. “But, can we go the other way? There’s this really old unicorn in the park who stares at me all the time. Don’t know why, I never did anything to him.”

“Oh, you know how old ponies are,” Scootaloo said, nudging Snails in the side. “Most of the time, it’s just envy of youth. I bet it has nothing to do with you at all; he’s probably just mad at himself because of how much his life sucks.”

Snails gave her a big grin, thankful that she was trying to cheer him up. He walked past his friend with renewed vigor in his trot. “Okay, I guess we’re out, Snips. I'll see you at home tonight,” he said, giving a little wave.

Snips and Sweetie Belle both waved back, as Snails took the trail out of the dense area of the park, followed closely by Scootaloo. She quickly took off ahead of him with a superior smirk on her face. Snails took the silent challenge and started running after her.

Sweetie turned to Snips with a curious look. "What did he mean, 'at home tonight?'"

"Oh yeah, that. I'm kinda staying with Snails and his parents while my Dad's out of town," Snips explained. "They've been really nice, but I'll be glad when he comes home again."

After an understanding nod from Sweetie Belle, the two little ponies turned in the other direction and together, headed for Carousel Boutique.

Dinner at Rarity's

The town of Ponyville was bathed in a golden orange by the time they returned to the town square. Snips turned to the unicorn filly and admired the way her mane still glistened as the sunlight caught it in just the perfect way.

“Wow...that’s really, really amazing,” he murmured, just slightly short of breath.

Sweetie Belle stopped suddenly and regarded Snips with a bashful smile. “You really did a wonderful job, Snips. I’ve been showing it off to everypony. I wouldn’t be surprised if all the mares in town wanted their manes styled by you.”

“Oh, come on. You’re just saying that,” he said, a blush gathering underneath his deep brown eyes.

“I mean it. You’re really that good, Snips,” she said, circling around him playfully. “I feel all this energy and spirit building inside me that I didn’t have before, and I think it’s thanks to you and your amazing talents.”

The blue colt gave her a warm smile as they took off again. After another few minutes of walking, they made it back to the Boutique. Sweetie Belle opened the door and ushered Snips inside. The place had been cleaned, and the work that the shop owner had completed was carefully stored in the ample space in the back rooms. A sweet aroma--and even sweeter singing--guided them through the workroom, and through a door leading to the kitchen. They found Rarity inside, dancing about the kitchen with an impossibly gleeful look on her face. It was during one of her more elaborate twirls that she finally caught sight of them out of the corner of her eye.

“Oh, Sweetie Belle! You’re back! And it’s very, very wonderful to meet you, Mr. Snips. Sweetie, would you be a dear and stir the Bologneighse?” she asked, pointing to a steaming pot on the stove.

Sweetie Belle nodded and moved to the stove, suddenly realizing that there would be no way for her to reach the sauce effectively. She looked around for a second.

“Oh, yes. Too high up. Just a moment, dear,” Rarity said. She turned her attention from preparing the salad to assist Sweetie Belle. Instead, what she saw was her little sister igniting her horn, and using her magic to drag a footstool from the corner up to the stove. “Oh! Well, never mind then. Very impressive, little sister.”

“Thanks!” the younger sister said. She climbed up onto the stool and reached for a wooden spoon to stir the sauce. Rarity turned back to her salad, and added a few final sprinkles of Romaneo for flavor.

“Okay, I think it’s just about ready. Snips, you can take a seat right over there; we’ll bring the dishes over as soon as they’re finished,” the older sister instructed, motioning to the table.

“I appreciate that, but I’d really like to know if there’s anything I can do to help,” Snips offered, approaching the prep area of the kitchen.

“Oh, you’re sweet, but you’re our guest tonight. Besides, everything’s nearly done already,” Rarity said with a tiny laugh. “But if you’d really like, you can grab some plates and utensils from the cabinets over there.”

Snips nodded, opening the cabinets on the other side of the room. He removed three plates from the upper shelf and three forks from the lower, and dutifully set the table with three identical places. Rarity’s horn cast a light around three cloth napkins on the counter, and they lifted and twirled through the air, landing neatly in a standing position on the table like three flowing ballroom gowns. Sweetie Belle lifted the spoon to her lips and gave the Bologneighse a tactful taste. She hummed sweetly as the flavor assailed her senses.

“Sweetie dear, I know it’s delicious, but you’ll have to wait for the rest of us,” Rarity chided. “Now go on and sit down. I’ll take care of the rest.”

The young white filly leapt down from the stool, slightly embarrassed as she approached the table. The two young ponies smiled at each other as Rarity sent the bowl of salad over to the table. Snips grabbed hold of the tongs and began doling out the meal’s first course. As he filled each plate, Rarity checked another pot in which the pasta had been boiling, and determined that her dish was ready. She pulled a colander from another cabinet and drained the noodles in the sink. She then separated the contents into three equal portions and placed them in three bowls. The unicorn finished by ladling a generous amount of sauce onto each dish, bringing each one to the table.

“Presenting for your dining pleasure, our featured dish for the evening: Hoof-pressed Tailiatelle in a Porcaballo Bologneighse. Now everypony mangia, before it gets cold!”

They all lifted their forks and dug right in. Snips turned to Rarity with a thankful look as he took his first bite. His face alighted at the force of the food’s flavor, which was...

“Squisito, signora! This is amazing!” he exclaimed. The colt lifted the fork to his mouth again, relishing the taste of the thick mushroom sauce cascading over the noodles hanging off his fork. Once the bite was thoroughly chewed and swallowed, he reached for a drink that he realized was not there. He looked at Rarity expectantly.

“Oh my! The drinks! It completely slipped my mind!” Rarity shrieked, bursting out of her chair. “Some hostess I am! Just a moment!”

Sweetie Belle released a light sigh. “All the time, Snips. All the time,” she answered the question she assumed Snips was about to ask. Rarity returned to the table with and tray and pitcher, which she poured frantically into three glasses.

“Chai tea, courtesy of our dear Spike. I had a taste when I visited the library earlier today, and it was so delicious, I convinced Spike to make some for me to bring home,” she explained, finally relaxing in her seat.

“You went to the library? How come?” Sweetie Belle asked with a quizzical tilt of her head.

“I wanted to talk to Miss Cheerilee about Snips,” she answered. “She told me some very interesting things about his special talent.”

Snips held his place, with the fork in front his mouth. He looked back and forth between the sisters with whom he was sharing the table. He wasn’t really used to this much attention, and he wasn’t sure how he should react yet.

“You mean how he got his cutie mark? Snips told us that story in the park, right before we came back!” the younger sister said excitedly. “You should’ve seen him out there! He turned a tree into a statue of me, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo in our talent show outfits!”

“Topiary arts, eh?” Rarity said with a little smirk in Snips’s direction. “Very interesting, Mr. Snips. You know, I’ve dabbled a little in that myself. We simply must compare notes sometime.”

“Uh, sure,” Snips nodded, with an admittedly dumb look.

“Oh my, I’m sorry Mr. Snips. Here we are talking right over you, the guest of honor. I’m so embarrassed,” she said, nervously brushing her hair with her hoof. “You should be the center of attention. I must thank you so much for accepting our dinner invitation. I certainly hope we didn’t keep you from any obligations at home.”

The young blue colt shook his head. “No, not at all. There wasn’t any dinner waiting for me at home, anyway. Dad’s in Canterlot right now doing his stint as a palace guard, so I'm staying with a friend and his family until he gets back.”

“And...what about your mother?” Rarity asked.

“Well...no offense, Miss Rarity, but I’d rather not talk about that,” he set his fork down with a heavy sigh.

“Oh...that was insensitive of me, I’m sorry,” Rarity gasped out in guilt.

“No, no. It’s nothing like that. She just kinda took off one day. Like, disappeared. Don’t remember a lot of what happened, I was still really young. I asked Dad a couple times, but he wouldn’t tell me anything.”

“That’s...awful,” Sweetie Belle said. “I’m so sorry, Snips. I never knew...” She wiped away a tear, before moving out of her seat to give him a warm hug.

“It’s okay, Sweetie. Really, it isn’t that bad. I still have my Dad, and my best friend Snails. And now, I guess, you and your friends, too?” Snips asked with a tentative look. She nodded happily in response, putting an equally happy look on his face.

“I meant to ask you about Snails,” Sweetie Belle said, returning to her place at the table. “What’s going on with him? Yesterday, he couldn’t even bring you the right bag from the classroom. Today, it’s like he’s some kind of snail sage or something.”

Snips took another drink and wiped his mouth with the cloth napkin before responding. “Well, like I said, he’s a good guy most of the time. He has...moments sometimes where...have you ever had a friend who you wish would just stop talking?”

Rarity sighed in a slightly harsh manner and nodded. “Yes, I have. But we’re mostly fine, as long as nopony mentions cherries.”

“What about cher--” Snips began to ask, but Rarity quickly held up a hoof to cut him off.

“The walls have ears, Mr. Snips. Let’s just redirect to some other topic.”

“Sure, okay,” he said. “How about we move on to why you invited me over?”

“Yes, that does seem the logical path for this conversation to take,” Rarity agreed. “The truth is, I am extremely interested in your special talent, Snips. Sweetie Belle may have already told you this, but I am absolutely smitten with her new mane-cut. And I believe that there is a very lucrative market in this town for such beauty as that. That’s why I’ve initiated a plan to expand my Carousel Boutique to include a brand new Salon, and I want you to become my star stylist!”

“What?” Snips uttered in surprise. “You want me to work for you? But, I’m just a colt. I’m still going to school. I couldn’t accept a job like this!”

“Dear, I assure you I’m quite flexible. I’m more than willing to work around your schedule. And youth aside, your talent is something that simply cannot be ignored,” Rarity came around to Snips’s seat and leaned herself onto his shoulders. “You have a gift, Mr. Snips. Let me help you to cultivate it. I can make you a household name all over Equestria!”

“Famous, huh?” Snips thought, running his hoof through his short orange hair. “I haven’t really thought about that before. You really think I’m that good?”

“Well, there’s only one way to find out,” Rarity answered. “We’ll go into my work space, where there is much more room and lighting, and we’re going to have you style my mane.”

“WHAT?!” Sweetie Belle squeaked out in complete shock. “But Rarity, you never let anypony touch your mane! Not even the ponies at the spa! You always wrap it yourself!”

Rarity smiled at her sister, and gently massaged her back. She would have tousled her hair a little as she usually did, but her mane was not something to tamper with at the moment. “Well, normally that’s true, darling. A mare’s mane is sacred, one of the most important parts of her body. And since you’re both still young, I’ll leave it at that.”

“Like we haven’t taken a health class before,” Sweetie whispered covertly to Snips.

“But as a businessmare, it is my responsibility to know what I’m selling, and the best way to do that is to experience it for myself. Don’t you agree, Mr. Snips?” she asked, regarding him with a playful flutter of her eyelashes.

Snips gulped, suddenly a bit uncomfortable. “Well...I guess, if that’s what you want.”

Rarity leapt from her chair with a giddy cheer. “Oh, it most certainly is, you wonderful little colt! Now then, let me clear these dishes away, and we’ll retire to the Boutique’s workspace. Sweetie, if you’d please, grab a chair and a bath towel from my storage closet. Snips, through that door over there is my vanity,” she pointed to a door across from the one from which they entered. “Help yourself to any supplies you may need. I’ll meet the two of you in just a moment.”

They all split up to begin their respective jobs. Snips entered the dressing room and found a low cabinet holding a large lighted mirror. He searched the drawers and secured a number of hair clips, a comb, a pair of scissors, and a tiny squirt bottle filled with water. As he collected the supplies, the unicorn caught a glimpse of himself in Rarity’s vanity. Not being a vain pony himself, he didn’t often pause to check his appearance in mirrors. Today was different though. If the world was going to see him in a different light, then maybe he should try seeing himself differently as well.

Snips set the supplies down and gave himself a smile, but frowned when he noticed he still looked a little dorky. He tried a few ‘Blue Steel’ looks, flipping his mane around in an attempt to get some sparkles to materialize, but nothing he did seemed to improve his coolness. He wasn’t dejected for too long; he realized he still had room to grow, and he knew that under Rarity’s guidance he could grow into one of the most well-known and well-liked unicorns in Equestria. That is, if he didn’t blow this job interview, as it were.

“Snips?” came a voice from behind. He turned, jolted, as he saw Sweetie Belle standing in the doorway. “You were gone for a long time. Everything’s ready. You coming?”

“Uh....yeah. Yeah, I’ll be right there,” the blue colt replied very breathily. He did his best to shake off his nerves and gathered up all the equipment he’d selected from the drawers. He then followed the unicorn filly into the main workroom. Rarity was already in the chair in the middle of the room, taking a very relaxed posture. She saw the two younger ponies entering the room and gave them both a calm smile. This did nothing to assuage Snips’s overall nervousness.

“I have to be honest, Miss Rarity,” Snips said. “I’m not really sure I’m ready for this.”

“Oh, don’t stress yourself too much, young colt,” Rarity advised calmingly. “It isn’t good for your complexion. Besides, I trust you’ll do an amazing job. And if you don’t...well, it’ll grow back, and I’ve got plenty of hats around here until it does.”

“That doesn’t exactly fill me with confidence,” the young blue unicorn sighed. He moved behind Rarity and noted every line and swirl in her fantastic mane. It was already beyond beautiful, and he had no idea what he could do to improve on it. The sweat began to build, and his eyes began to scan the room, as though searching for a way out.

He was on the verge of fainting, when suddenly he felt something soft press against his cheek. It lingered there for a second or two before pulling away. When the shock to his system finally wore off enough for him to turn his head, he saw Sweetie Belle standing next to him with a brilliant rosy tint in her own cheeks.

“I believe in you, Snips. I know you can do it,” she whispered sweetly to him.

Snips looked back and forth between the two white unicorns, hoping to find some kind of clues as to whether this was a dream or not. “Did...did she just...” he stuttered.

“I think she did, dear,” Rarity replied, turning back to him. “Just relax and do your best. We both have faith in you.”

He allowed himself a quiet smile as he felt his heart rate slow a little. His resolve renewed, Snips focused his energy into the shears and comb.

“Okay...I’m ready,” he said as his eyes narrowed.

He lifted up the comb and water bottle to Rarity’s mane and smoothed it out with gentle brushes. Then he pulled the scissors up with another magical glow and began snipping away a little bit at a time. Rarity remained motionless as she felt the gentle tug of the comb in her mane. She found the experience to be very soothing, which was a bit of a surprise to her. As she felt her mane flatten against her head with the moisture, she gave a happy sigh, confident that this was a good plan after all. Sweetie Belle watched from the side, mesmerized as she was yesterday, by the magic that Snips worked into her sister’s mane. The blue unicorn was once again lost in his own world, where the only thing that mattered was the beauty that was in front of him, and the beauty that it could be. He indeed saw his future in this mane, and it would be up to him to seize it. Those were the thoughts that ran through his mind as he continued to work.

The tranquil scene was interrupted quite suddenly by a loud rapping at the window. Rarity opened one of her eyes, signaling to her sister to open it. Sweetie Belle moved to the other side of the room, right next to Rarity’s plush purple couch, to give the window a solid push. A pinkish blur appeared from seemingly nowhere, and materialized into the unmistakable shape of Pinkie Pie. She had her typical look of hyperactive happiness as she hung by her hooves from the window’s ledge.

“Hey Rarity! Hey Sweetie Belle! And...oooh, Snips! How are you doing today?!” she asked, noticing a familiar face in the room, but not one she was expecting. When Snips did not respond, or even look up to acknowledge her, Pinkie puffed her cheeks in very mild annoyance.

“Hello? This is the sound of my voice! It is trying to talk to you!” she cupped her hooves against her mouth to amplify her voice, despite also needing them to maintain grip on the ledge.

“Um, Pinkie Pie, are you levitating again?” Sweetie Belle asked, peeking behind the pink pony to the outside.

“Of course not!” the pink pony replied, pointing down. “Right now, I’m standing on Rainbow Dash!”

“And could we move this along, please?” Dash asked with a strain in her voice. “Pinkie looks like she’s made of cotton candy, but she certainly doesn’t weigh like it.”

“Well, I certainly hope not! Can you imagine how inconvenient that would be? Just a slight breeze and then whoosh, there I go! I wouldn’t be able to stay in one place for long at all! Although, that wouldn’t really change too much about me, now that I think about it. I’d be able to see all kinds of new, fun places. And I’d get to meet new ponies in all the new places, and make all new friends! Oooh, but I bet I’d have to stop them from trying to eat me, since I’d be made of cotton candy, but I don’t think I’d really mind, since I’d probably taste really good. I wonder if I’d have to keep from eating myself, or if that would technically just be me eating a part of my body, and that’d just be recycling since it’d grow right back. Would I even have organs if my body were made of cotton candy, would they be cotton candy organs, would they be able to eat things, or would I have to go the rest of my life not being able to eat? That’d be terrible, ‘cause there are so many delicious treats to--”

“PINKIE!” shouted Rarity, Sweetie Belle, and Rainbow Dash all at once.

“Oh, sorry,” Pinkie Pie chuckled with an embarrassed smile.

“That’s quite alright, dear,” Rarity said. “Though, if I may ask, did you come over here for a reason? As you can see, we’re kind of in the middle of something at the moment.”

“Oh, I was just passing by the Town Hall and I felt a little scritcha-scratch on my chin!” Pinkie explained, rubbing her chin as an example. “And I knew that means that somepony was talking about cherries!”

“Oh, no,” everyone except Snips said in unison.

“Pinkie Pie, I don’t mean to interrupt, but we really should get back to this important business meeting,” Sweetie Belle chimed in. “Do you think it’s possible for us to move this conversation to another time?”

“Hmmmm, okie-dokie-artichokey! Ooooh, artichoke! That’s what it’s missing! Maybe if I...” Pinkie continued her seemingly endless rambling, but was effectively silenced by Sweetie Belle’s magical influence closing the window.

“Thank you, darling,” Rarity praised her sister’s quick thinking. “That is not something I am prepared for at the moment. Pinkie Pie is an absolute joy at times, but like Snips says, sometimes I wish she’d just stop talking. Okay, then. Snips dear, are things going alright?”

The young stylist finally looked up from his work and smiled brightly. “I think it’s ready. Give me a second to clean up a little bit.” He looked over the back of Rarity’s hair, placing a few strategic pins here and there. He blew gently on her neck to chase away some stray snippings, earning a slight shiver in return. The colt finished his ministrations by circling the seated unicorn, taking in his work from all angles, and then taking his comb and flipping up her bangs one last time.

“And that’s what I do!” he cheered, flourishing his comb like a baton. Rarity opened her eyes at his announcement, trying to get any indication of what her mane had become out of her peripheral vision. She turned to Sweetie Belle, who had a massive smile on her face, and that put her at ease.

“Sweetie Belle, a mirror, if you’d be so kind,” Rarity asked gently.

The little white unicorn gave a short nod and ran to a dark magenta curtain nearby. She jumped up and wrapped her hooves around the golden drawcord, pulling it down and revealing another full-size mirror. Rarity had to control herself, or she would have rocketed straight through the ceiling at that very moment. Her mane had not been cut too short; Snips didn’t want to take that much of a risk on his first ‘professional’ styling. Instead, he had smoothed out the length of her mane, so the tight curl at the end was loosened and appeared more natural. She liked the way it framed her face and gave her a dressed-down ‘au naturel’ kind of glow. The front of her hair, usually waved and curled off to the side, was now allowed to hang playfully across her forehead. Her horn peeked out in the slightest way, appearing almost as a tiny diamond-shaped island among a flowing ocean of purple. Rarity was deeply moved by the poetic symbolism. But what she loved most of all was the way her mane had been layered just the tiniest bit; the way the colors seemed to phase and oscillate as she turned her head left and right, it was like having a hundred manestyles all at once, each one more captivating than the last.

“Mr. Snips,” Rarity murmured, nearly whispered. “I have been to the Grand Galloping Gala in, well, apart from Princess Cadence’s wedding gown, what I consider to be the greatest dress I’ve ever designed. I’ve been a very, very important pony; dare I say, the talk of all of Canterlot. I was even temporarily transformed into a crystal version of myself.” She paused a moment to catch her breath. “And yet, I have never, in my life, felt as beautiful as I do at this very moment.”

“YES!” Sweetie Belle cheered, bouncing around Snips and then clamping him a big hug. “You did it! You did it!”

“You most certainly did, Mr. Snips,” Rarity said, lifting herself out of her seat. She floated her towel over to a laundry basket near her storage closet. She trotted over to Snips and joined in on her sister’s hug. “And believe me when I say that if you can satisfy me, then you can satisfy any mare in Equestria! I don’t know how you did it, but I’m going to need you to do it again. And again, and again, and again....Then we should probably open up for customers.”

“And there’s that discomfort again,” Snips commented with a small blush.

“Oh, I was just being a tad facetious, dear. As you’re now an employee of mine, an interpersonal relationship would be quite unethical. Not to mention illegal. And, I didn’t want to say this before, but...eyebrows. Wow,” she said with a little giggle.

“What? What’s wrong with my eyebrows?” the colt asked, widening his eyes in surprise.

“Well, apart from the fact that they’re actually bigger than your eyes...nothing at all,” Sweetie Belle added into the discussion. Snips tried to look offended, but he was just too overcome with the joy of the situation. They all laughed together, and Rarity pulled him just a little bit closer to her.

“Remember this moment, Mr. Snips. This is the day that both of our lives began anew. With your amazing talents, and my connections in the fashion world, the sky is quite literally the limit for us. You and I, Snips. Together, we will change the world.”

"I believe that in the right set of hooves, a pair of scissors can change the world." his own words from just a short time ago echoed through his mind.

Snips’s eyes began to tear very lightly as the gravity of the situation finally caught up to him. He nodded his head appreciatively and leaned in close in acceptance of his new boss’s attentions.

“Miss Rarity...I think I’d like that very much.”

Magical Chairs

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.”

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.”