Shaky Shears

By Castoro Chiaro

• September 8, 2012




Age: Early to mid 30s

Gender: Male

Species: Non-Pony

Appearance: While he looks like a pony normally, Shaky Shears is actually a Changeling, and a short one at that. He is very sickly and thin in his normal form, with no wings and a small, twisted horn indicating he is the equivalent of a "unicorn" in his species.

Cutie Mark: A pair of scissors cutting hair.

Personality: Apprehensive and constantly on alert, Shaky Shears is a ball of anxiety, always speaking in a quiet, self-conscious mumble and struggling to keep eye-contact. He has pretty low self-esteem, and will usually blame the misfortunes that befall him and those close to him on his own ineptitude. <br /><br />He'll be friendly to you if you talk to him, but he doesn't go out of his way to draw attention to himself. In fact, he prefers disappearing in a crowd. Definitely much more of a follower than a leader.<br /><br />His hive instincts haven't quite dwindled away, even over the years he's been in hiding. He keeps a schedule of all the things he intends to do in a day, and deviating from that makes him very anxious. Shaky likes feeling like he has a purpose and a place, and is always keeping himself occupied with some task or another. If he is given an order by someone he perceives as being his superior, he will follow it, even if it make him uncomfortable or goes against his beliefs. It is very rare that he will refuse to do something, given how little a backbone he has.<br /><br />He's picked up a few different skills on his travels and is eager to please. Praise is an easy way to win him over, and get him to follow you.

Backstory: Born a runt under the name of Pupa, Shaky's never been the epitome of self-confidence. His life was a constant struggle to keep up with his peers, as his grasp on magic was rather. Well. Shaky. He was constantly starving as a result, and grew up rather sickly and, on the whole, useless to the hive.<br /><br />During a small window of opportunity, he made his escape, running as far from the hive as he could get. No one bothered to retrieve him, and it's been assumed he died out in the cold wastes somewhere. He very nearly did, but he managed to slip into a small settlement on the edge of Equestria before he collapses from exhaustion. He made his way deeper and deeper into the land, donning new disguises all the while and feeding off what little love he could -- though it was usually pity for such a pathetic creature, which isn't nearly as satisfying -- getting further and further away from his past.<br /><br />He adopted the Shaky Shears persona after realizing he could harness more meaningful emotions when he provided things that others needed. And he came to LOVE manes and how they're trimmed, as he'd never seen such illustrious hair during his time in the hive and pecking around the small towns close to it. He was given the name Shaky Shears as a joke by one of his customers.<br /><br />He came to Ponyville via train, and has been settled there for over a decade, living on the peripheries of society and harnessing what little affection he can from his regular customers.<br /><br />He's not very good at giving mane cuts, which is why his own mane is so atrociously messy. He's quite good at keeping tails in order, though.