//------------------------------// // 4. White as Snow // Story: The Globe Trotter // by Carrier of Heartbreak //------------------------------// Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Twilight spent hours searching through every section of the library she could, but she couldn't find a single trace of any past situation relating to Snowy's. It was like whatever had been done to put Snowy in the globe like that, it had only been done once. The closest situation she could think of was Princess Luna's thousand-year banishment to the moon, but from what Twilight understood, Luna hadn't really been conscious for much of that. She had spent all those years in a dream-like haze, unable to think properly or really process the amount of time that was passing. It was closer to having her soul locked away than her entire physical being. Snowy, on the other hoof, was constantly aware...constantly awake. Twilight couldn't even begin to imagine how maddening it would be to stay away and locked inside of a tiny glass ball for...however long he had been in there. Her notes had pretty much just been a list of books not to check again, as they hadn't contained any useful information. Besides for that list, she hadn't been able to gather anything that could help her. The only useful thing she had brought were her apple slices, which had vanished very shortly after she had started looking. They had obviously been stolen by somepony, for a princess would never gobble down apples in such a barbaric manner. Rarity was starting to rub off on her slightly. With a sigh and a few blinks of her tired eyes, Twilight gathered her supplies back up and started her journey back to the table that Snowy was sitting on. Hopefully, those fillies that had gathered around him wouldn't simply pick him up and trot off with- "Oh, shoot!" Twilight cursed. She had just left him alone with a bunch of grabby fillies! What if they did just pick him up and walk away? There was nothing keeping him rooted to the table! What if they dropped him?! His globe was just a glass ball full of water! The panicked pony princess galloped back to her starting location, the fear coursing through her making her breaths quick and ragged. Visions of the globe, smashed and splattered all over the ground, flashed through her mind. Her heart nearly stopped when she imagined a tiny form on the ground among the pieces of glass, broken and bleeding...completely motionless. "SNOWY!" Twilight shouted in desperation as she burst out from a row of bookshelves and back into the clearing where she had left her reindeer friend. There, staring back at her with confusion and worry, was a group of resting fillies and one curiously concerned buck. They were all laying around Snowy, whose globe had somehow found its way onto the ground. It looked like they were having some sort of slumber party, but the during the day. One of them must have found some pillows, since every young mare had her own cushion to rest on. Even Snowy's globe was positioned carefully on a particularly frilly pink pillow. "Loud," Snowy told Twilight in her head. Her eyes were wide and her pupils small; she was glancing all about the room, still so convinced that something was wrong that she wasn't calmed by the sight of a perfectly unharmed Snowy. "Scary," he told her again, trying to get her to snap out of whatever panic she was in. "What's going on here?" she asked, her mane frizzing unnervingly. Her voice was definitely not as calm as it should have been, and the fillies took enough notice to know to back away from her. "Princess Twilight?" the original filly asked, her voice betraying a hint of fear. Snowy caught on to how she address Twilight after a moment. "She said Princess. Twilight, are you a princess?" he asked. Another shot of panic hit Twilight. Snowy had reacted so poorly to Princess Celestia's name. Did he have some deep-rooted fear of princesses? "Uhm...I...Snowy, I..." she stuttered into the link. "Pretty, purple, and princess. You must sure like that letter, Twilight," Snowy said innocently back to the now-flustered alicorn. She expected him to have a smirk on his face, but true to what she had seen from him, he was just looking up at her innocently. He was smiling, but it was more of a 'I love you' smile than a 'I made you blush' smile. Twilight forced herself to take a breath, her eyes closing tightly as she tried to regain control over herself. "Easy, Twilight, easy..." she thought. "Easy, Snowy, easy!" Snowy responded as he pranced excitedly around his enclosure. She let out a startled yelp at the sudden voice in her head. In her moment of disarray, she had forgotten that her thoughts were linked to another being, unless she willed them not to be. Of course, Snowy had heard her loud and clear. The fillies, still unsure about Twilight, were moving slowly away from her. One of them took it upon herself to grip Snowy's pillow and drag it carefully away with them. The purple alicorn saw this and broke out of her thoughts. "Wait! Wait, wait...it's okay. I'm so sorry about...all of that. I just got scared. I'm sorry, girls," Twilight hurriedly apologized. They looked back at her and tilted their heads slightly, but didn't return to where they had been sitting. She had scared them, and she knew it. "Uhm...I see you've all met my friend, Snowy. Has he been keeping you company?" The first filly nodded slowly and moved closer. "His name is Snowy?" she asked. Her voice was hesitant but she was willing to talk. Twilight gave her a little smile and nodded. "Yes. At least, that's what he wants his name to be," she told Jitter. The tiny unicorn's eyes widened and she glanced between the globe and the princess in front of her. "Wait...Princess, how do you know that? He can't talk in there," she asked, her tone more curious than demanding. Finally, something Twilight could explain easily; she was very good at explaining magic. "Well, uhm..." Twilight paused, realizing she hadn't yet caught the filly's name. "Jitter Bug," the filly answered. "Okay, Jitter, well it's actually very simple. Do you know how a bridge works?" Twilight asked. The whole pack of fillies, having regrouped back to original position and closer to the princess, nodded simultaneously. "Good! Now, a bridge connects two points that wouldn't be connected otherwise. Both sides can send and receive cargo, unless one side blocks access completely, so that nothing can go in or out. In order to talk to our friend, Snowy, I built a bridge between our minds with magic." She stopped a moment to let what she was saying sink in. A few of the fillies began excitedly whispering amongst each other. Jitter was the one to speak up. "So...you two can talk together...in your heads?" she asked, her muzzle scrunched up in thought. Twilight smiled warmly at her and nodded her head. "That sounds...invasive..." a different filly whispered from the back of the group. The princess couldn't stop herself from chuckling at the filly's advanced perception. Usually, the privacy of others didn't really seem important to most ponies until they were a bit older. Even then, sometimes it never really hit. Several times already, Twilight had tensed up while talking to Snowy, waiting for Pinkie Pie to somehow join in on the link's conversation. She didn't know why she was expecting it, it just struck her as something that the energized pink pony would figure out how to do. Privacy wasn't really something she knew too much about. "It might be, but I made sure he was okay with it first. Plus, we can both close the link at any time if we want to," Twilight explained further. The fillies all listened intently, some of their eyes wandering over to Snowy to see if he was agreeing with her. The little buck was giving nothing away, as he was rubbing himself against his pine tree to alleviate some offending itch. A couple of the listening fillies giggled at Snowy's antics. Even Twilight had to smile slightly at how oblivious he was. "So..." Jitter said, getting the alicorn's attention. "Can we open a link with him? I want to talk to him!" As soon as she said those words, the library was filled with shouts of approval from the group of fillies. "Yeah, I want to hear what his voice sounds like!" "I want to hear some of his stories!" "He still has to tell us what it's like in there!" "Uhm...g-girls...I...well, I'd love to link you all with him, but, uh...I wouldn't want to do something so invasive without all your parents' permissions!" Twilight answered desperately, her voice barely audible over the cheering fans. Somehow, they had all managed to hear her answer to their pleas. "Aaaawwwwww!" they simultaneously and loudly moaned. "SHH!" came an older mare's voice from somewhere behind them. The librarian on duty had finally found the source of all the noise, and by the irritated look on her wrinkled face, she was none to pleased about it. Twilight gave a little embarrassed grin to the mare and waved at her in an 'I understand' gesture. The ancient mare had been overseeing the library since Twilight was just a filly studying for her tests, and addition of the title of 'Princess' didn't change her behavior at all. With a snort and a curt nod, the mare shrunk back into the shadows, presumably to go berate some poor foal for breathing too loudly. A shiver went down Twilight's body, the feeling of being watched still very much present. "I think I might have known her as a baby," Snowy mused, his tone completely flat. It took Twilight a few moments of pondering to understand that he was actually telling a joke. The guffaw that came barreling out of her mouth was the furthest thing from becoming of a princess that one could imagine. She had no idea how ancient Snowy was, but the lack of a definite number made it even funnier to her. He could very well be much older than her...if that was even possible. "What? Did he say something to you?" one of the fillies asked, having caught on to her reaction. Twilight took a few moments to calm herself down. It was so much harder for her after she saw Snowy just laying calmly with his legs folded under him, a smug grin written on his face. He knew what he did. "Y-yes...heh heh hmm...eh-hem. Hee hee- he just told me a joke, is all. I don't think you girls would get it," Twilight deflected. They might have thought it was funny if they knew the details, but knowing the details was the part that might depress them and make them sad and worried about their new friend. Luckily, the fillies just grumbled. They must have been used to moving on after being told they wouldn't understand something. "Twilight? Are you over here?" a familiar, posh voice called out softly. Twilight's thoughts halted as she realized she had forgotten her own friend's visit. She had only just talked to her earlier that morning, how could she have forgotten already?! "Yes, right over here, Rarity!" Twilight responded, just loud enough for Rarity to hear her without drawing out the wrath of the librarian. The white mare in question stepped out from between two rows of books, her glamorous purple mane somewhat frazzled. She was panting slightly and her legs shook from her approaching exhaustion. "Oh, I finally found you...I still loathe the walk up here. And you always seem to drag me up here with you at some point whenever we visit Canterlot..." Rarity complained in a hushed but obviously irritated voice. She wasn't hostile, though, she was just whining out loud, like she usually did to ease her stress. "Mhmm," Twilight responded with a dismissive wave of her hoof. "How was your morning?" Rarity immediately forgot about her woes and launched into an excited tirade regarding the places in Canterlot she had shopped at and the ponies she had met. At this point, she knew most of the ponies that often moved about the streets of the city. Meeting only a new face or two per visit was getting to be routine for her. Being one of, if not the, hottest fashion designer in Equestria had its perks, and mama loved her perks. Twilight had been so absorbed in what Rarity was telling her that she forgot about introducing her to the very reason she had invited her up for another visit to the library. The purple alicorn took a second to look around, her eyes wandering over to the little glass orb that contained her new friend. Snowy was very aware of the new pony in the room. He was once again pressed up against the glass, his eyes wide and locked on Rarity as she obliviously prattled on about her earlier experiences. Twilight tried to get a hint at what he was thinking by listening to the link, but to her confusion, there was nothing but a broken static-like white noise coming from his end of the bridge. What was he thinking? How was he going to respond? "-and, er...uhm, Twilight? Did you hear me?" Rarity stopped suddenly, her voice breaking through Twilight's thoughts and pulling her back to her friend. Twilight's face darkened as she turned back around to face the slightly-miffed white unicorn. "Sorry, sorry! I was just, uh...well, to be honest, Rarity, I asked you to come here today so that you could meet someone," Twilight admitted. Rarity's eyebrow lifted and she tilted her head suspiciously. "Oh?" she inquired. Twilight nodded and stood up, moving far enough out of the way that Rarity could see Snowy's globe clearly. The fashionista's eyes widened, but narrowed in confusion moments later. "Yes, Twilight, that's a very nice snow globe. And you made me walk up all those stairs to see it because...?" Rarity asked, throwing Twilight an expectant look. Twilight sighed and planted her face into her hoof. She didn't have time for this. Twilight's horn lit, casting both it and the snow globe in her glowing purple aura. The little decoration lifted and she carefully floated it closer to Rarity, trying to make her point clear without having to speak. Rarity backed away a bit, surprised by the globe's sudden invasion of her personal space. The words she had been gathering in her head died when her large blue eyes settled on the form inside of the glass ball. Their gazes connected. Twilight held her breath, her anxiety levels raising for a reason she couldn't exactly pin down. It was like her nerves were being convinced to stress themselves out. The two stood there for almost a full minute, just staring at each other. Rarity looked baffled, but Snowy's expression hinted that he was struck silent in awe. To him, it was like he was staring up the very image of perfection. The giant white mare was a goddess, and he was just a lowly servant. Snowy regained movement first. He began frantically scratching at the glass barrier with his dainty hooves, desperately trying to break through to get to her. Rarity blinked and moved away, the tiny buck's sudden movements startling her out of her stupor. Snowy was undeterred by her hesitancy towards him and continued his assault against the glass. Twilight, worried by his reaction, tried to send a message to him over the link, but the only thing she got back was a painful tingling. The feeling was very similar to the one she had felt the day before, when he had gone cross-eyed and drifted away into his mind. "What's...T-Twilight...he's...what...?" Rarity stuttered, desperately searching for some answers. "Rarity, this is my new friend. His name is Snowy, and he's-" "A reindeer," Rarity finished. Twilight just nodded slowly, still scanning her friend's face for any signs of an incoming freak-out. Luckily, the spark of life was quickly returning to Rarity's eyes. "Is he..." she started to ask. "Is he...what?" "Is he real? Why is he in there?" Rarity asked softly, her eyes moving back up to meet Twilight's. Twilight answered by sighing and running a hoof through the top of her mane, the feeling soothing her slightly. "Yes, he's real. As for why he's in there...I don't know. As far as I can tell, he might have been locked away in there for...far longer than we've both been alive. Maybe. I don't know...Rarity, I really want to help him. I think he was hidden up on that shelf the entire time, and...he...thinks he's only useful if he's entertaining others with the snow..." Twilight stopped when she realized tears had found their way down her face. This was why she didn't like explaining Snowy's story to others, like those fillies. Just thinking about how damaged he could possibly be...it brought out the waterworks. Rarity moved closer and pressed her cheeks against Twilight's, wiping away some of the moisture that had been running down. "It's okay, Twilight...whatever he's been through, it looks like you helped him a great deal already. Now, I've never met a reindeer before, much less one locked inside of a snow globe, but that doesn't mean that others haven't. Have you talked to the princess about him, yet?" Rarity asked gently. Twilight shook her head slowly, the motion wiping most of the tears away and onto Rarity's white coat. "He..." Twilight had to clear her throat before continuing. "He had a really worrying reaction when I said her name in front of him before...I think he's really afraid of her, for some reason. I don't want to jump to conclusions, but...I have a feeling that she might have had something to do with him being trapped in there," Twilight said quietly, so that Snowy couldn't hear. He probably wouldn't have paid any attention anyway; he was still busy pawing at the glass in the direction of his pristine white goddess. "Oh...dear...is...Twilight, is he okay? He's been attacking the glass like that since he saw me," Rarity piped up. Twilight looked over to the buck just to confirm that he was, indeed, still trying to break out to get to Rarity. He was looking more desperate than he had when he started. "Snowy, what are you doing? It's just Rarity. She's not going to hurt you, I promise," Twilight tried to assure him. The white noise had faded out, but was replaced with him constantly saying 'Everest' over and over. To Twilight's dismay, his eyes had crossed again and he apparently couldn't hear her. "You're...just staring at him..." Rarity said, her face twisted in confusion. "Oh!" Twilight chirped. "No, I set up a mental link between us so we can communicate. The liquid in his globe doesn't let him talk, so the link is the next best thing. We can only hear each other, but...he's not responding to me." "Hmm..." Rarity mumbled as she lifted a hoof to her chin in thought. The little reindeer's eyes were no longer locked on her, since they were crossed. He was just looking in her direction. She didn't know who this little globe deer was, but from Twilight's reaction to his situation, she could tell he was definitely important to her. If she could do anything to help the poor dear, she would. "Would you be able to set up the link between us? I'm unfamiliar with whatever spell you used to do it." "Oh, um...okay," Twilight said before quickly casting the spell over Rarity. The white mare noticed an irritating tingle coming from the direction of the frantic buck. To her, it resembled the feeling of running out of fabric the day before she was due to show a new line of dresses that she was only partially finished with. "Snowy, dear?" she said hesitantly into the bridge. It was so odd to her, being able to hear her own thoughts as they rattled across the band-like mental bridge between her, Twilight and Snowy. The tingling feeling of dread stopped. "Snowy, darling, are you alright? You've been panicking ever since you saw me..." Rarity thought in as gentle a tone as she could. The buck stopped his assault against the globe and stared straight ahead. He wasn't even looking in Rarity's direction anymore. For a few awkward minutes, the three just sat there, waiting for something to happen or for something to be said. Finally, after five minutes or so, Snowy responded. "So white...like snow...know you somehow, but...know you...don't know you...who are you?" he rambled across the link to the two mares listening in. Twilight and Rarity exchanged worried glances to each other at how jumbled his thoughts were. "My name is Rarity, and it's very nice to meet you, Mister Snow," Rarity said politely to him. Snowy blinked his eyes a few times, his eyes starting to focus once more. The two mares let out a sigh of relief as he looked up at them with the same look of adoration he had been known for. "I'm a Mister?" he asked before curling up, lifting a leg and looking at himself. Twilight and Rarity blanched and quickly looked away, both girls unnerved by the sudden exposure. "Oh, look! Twilight, I got a thing!" the buck said cheerfully. His face was, as usual, completely devoid of any signs that he knew what he was doing. "That's nice, that's nice, please put it away!" Twilight yelled out loud, enough to draw an angry glance from a pair of elderly eyes staring at the trio from behind a bookshelf. Snowy tilted his head and lowered his leg, the fluff on his butt covering up his unmentionables once again. Rarity's face had turns from white to pink, her left foreleg covering her eyes from such a lewd sight. "You can look now," he told them. They both took their time looking back up, Twilight half-expecting to see him shaking his booty in their direction as a rude joke. Luckily, he was laying calmly under his pine tree with his legs folded. If the two mares hadn't just witnessed him look himself over, then they wouldn't have known anything was amiss. "Snowy..." Twilight, trying to move past the embarrassment she was feeling. "You went into your head again for a little while...and you said a name over and over while you were. Does the name 'Everest' mean anything to you?" Snowy froze up again, his eyes lowering to the bottom of the globe. A chill went through all three of them, Twilight and Rarity getting the runoff emotion from the little buck. "I...I don't know. It sounds like it should be important, but...I don't...ugh..." Snowy had to stop when his head started throbbing. To him, that had been the sign to stop thinking about whatever it was that he was trying to remember. So he stopped trying to remember. He just smiled innocently up at the two and shrugged. "Guess not," he said contently. Rarity, having finally lowered her leg to look at him again, lifted her eyebrow. Whatever was happening with his memories, there was something preventing him from recalling much more than a few details from recent years. Neither mare knew what was happening, but they knew that they would do whatever it took to help the poor buck out. Even if it meant talking to Princess Celestia about it. With or without Snowy knowing.