1. His Purpose
Fwoosh
A cloud of white flakes flew up high into the water they were suspended in before trickling back down. Their steady but erratic dance created a very convincing mimic of a blizzard, despite how contained they were. If anypony else were around to see it, they might have been fooled into thinking that the globe actually contained a real, miniature world, with its own weather patterns. On its way down, the snow started to settle on a miniature glass house that borrowed heavily from the image of what houses looked like years ago.
Many years ago.
Hundreds of year ago, even.
After twenty seconds or so, the flakes all settled back down into the bottom of the terrarium. It was where they were destined to stay unless tampered with. The creature moving about inside the globe rued how still everything had become. With another flick of his antlers, the snow was once again suspended into the water, momentarily creating the illusion of a snowstorm.
"Hm-hmm!" he laughed merrily as he danced through the falling bits of white. His prancing pushed up some of the snow that had already started to fall back down, which increased the amount of time he had before he would have to push everything back up.
For a moment, he just stopped and stared straight up into the snow as it fell. His eyes grew unfocused, his gaze turning blank and emotionless. At that moment, he was running around. Even though he was motionless, in his head, he was free. The snow brought him somewhere else. Something about it made him remember. He couldn't remember much, but when he found a way to bring back some semblance of memory, he kept it.
And the snow, the very thing that surrounded him at all times, was his greatest treasure.
He just wished he could show his treasure off...his show was quite lovely, after all. Why wouldn't they want to see it? Of course they would like to, but his location on top of one of the tallest shelves in the Canterlot Royal Library didn't exactly give him a very consistent audience. In fact, he hadn't been noticed by anypony in...had he ever been noticed by anypony?
Just another part of his memory that escaped him.
Well, then he was just going to have to make new memories! He would be noticed! In fact, the very next pony that he saw was going to be his first audience! They were going to bear witness to his globe and what he could do with the snow!
"-haven't been in here in ages! It's like stepping back into my years as your student."
A voice! It was accompanied by the sound of hooves, so the voice was coming closer. This could be his chance! Strange, though, it sounded like more than just a normal pony's amount of hooves. How many were coming?
"Oh, I know! It's hard to believe that it's already been...eight years? That sounds correct. Time flies so quickly around here."
A shudder, starting up in his antlers, moved down his spine, leaving him feeling colder and more anxious than before. But why? What about the second voice disturbed him so? Oh, how he wished he could remember...
"Are you going to join me? I'm going to look through everything, see what's new...and probably re-shelve everything. Who knows how messy it's gotten in here without me obsessing over it?"
That was the first voice again. It was calm...sweet, even. It didn't provoke the same amount of mysterious terror that came with the second voice. Whoever owned the first voice was going to be his first audience!
"I'd love nothing more, but unfortunately, I have other matters that I must attend to. But do have a good time while you're here! Perhaps we could get back together sometime later tonight, after I lower the sun. Would that be okay?" the chilly voice said. He hoped it would go away soon. The sound of their hooves moved closer and closer to where he was kept, until they stopped almost directly under him. If the chilly voice wasn't there, he would have already started his show.
"That sounds fine, Princess! I'll be in here, probably losing track of time again," the nice voice said. He liked the nice voice. And apparently, the chilly voice belonged to some kind of Princess. The 'Princess' had said something about the sun that, once again, made him feel nervous. Maybe it meant something? Then again, maybe it didn't.
The room went silent for a moment while the two voices did something that he couldn't see. During this time, he took to pushing all of his snow to the center of the globe with his antlers, so that when he had his audience, he would be able to dazzle her! Because of the disconnect between his thoughts and his actions, he accidentally slipped and fell face-first into the pile of white flakes. He was so distracted by this that he almost missed the sounds of retreating hooves.
Hopefully, the chilly voice pony...the 'Princess', was the one leaving.
Once he had pushed himself out of the mound, he pranced over the edge of the globe so that he could see the owner of the nice voice and, hopefully, his first audience.
She was a purple pony with wings and a horn. She was pretty. Pretty purple. That would be her name to him, Pretty Purple. Or 'PP' for short. The reindeer snickered to himself, though he couldn't remember why what he was thinking was supposed to be funny. He just knew that it was.
Pretty Purple had somehow already gathered a stack of books from the shelves and was sitting with one, her legs tucked in underneath her. Prettier Purple. He wanted to show her his snow. She would see his white stuff and be super impressed and want to come see him every day!
Then...then he would be happy.
It was then that he realized that there was a problem with his plan: she was really absorbed in whatever book she was reading, and he was waaaay up on top of a bookshelf. How was she supposed to see his snow show? If she couldn't see it, then she wouldn't come back, and he would be alone...and...a-and...
Dunk
Before he knew what he was doing, he felt the impact of his antlers upon the glass. He had charged it, even though he knew it wouldn't break. He hadn't tried doing that recently, but something in the back of his mind told him that it was futile. But breaking out wasn't his intention this time; he just wanted to be noticed.
He jumped onto his back hooves, his front ones pressing against the glass. His heart sank a bit as he saw that Pretty Purple hadn't even heard him. She was just going to continue reading her book until she left to do something with the chilly voice and...she would never come back. Never again.
Never, ever ag-
DUNK! DUNK D-DUNK DUNK DUNK-!
The bit of pain that came with bashing his head against the globe's barrier couldn't compare against the thought of spending the rest of eternity alone, with no one to see him and his snow. What kind of evil had stuck him on top of a bookshelf, anyway?! Even if it were just a normal snow globe, why on a shelf? What purpose did a snow globe serve if it wasn't even visible?
What was his purpose?
That thought stopped the barrage of headbutts for a moment. What was his purpose?
...
His purpose was being the best snow globe ever, of course! Why else would he be in there? He was destined to make it look like it was snowing inside, without any kind of outside interference or help. And that was what he-
Was!
Dunk
Going!
DUNK
TO!
DUNK!
DOOO!
DUNK-crk!
A sharp gasp escaped him as the sound of splintering glass reached his ears. He wasn't the only one to hear the sound, however; the purple alicorn below also noticed it. Her ear twitched as she looked up. She wasn't too happy about being interrupted, but her curiosity overpowered her irritation, so she stood up.
"Hello? Is anypony there?" she asked the air. The little reindeer trapped in the globe liked her voice even more, now that it wasn't going to be followed by the chilly voice. It was the warmest he had felt in...had he ever felt warm? Again, his memory failed him. He assumed that if he hadn't felt warm in the past few days, then he had never felt warm. It just made too much sense to him. Nothing ever changed, so if something wasn't immediately familiar, then it was false.
But he had gotten Pretty Purple's attention! She was looking around the room for whatever had made the noise. It was his chance. Never before had he come so close to getting an audience! Now, all he needed to do was to help her zero in on his globe.
Dunk
He resumed the headbutting; it had worked before, right?
Dunk dunk dunk dunk
Pretty Purple started backing up against the closest wall, her ears flicking in every direction as they tried to locate the source of the noise. She needed to look up, not around! So desperately, he wanted to call out to her. He knew she wouldn't hear his voice, though; nopony ever heard his voice. He wasn't even sure if they spoke the same language.
Then she looked up.
It took her a second to spot his globe, but a quick scan along the top of the shelves revealed his forever home to her. Her ears stopped flicking and instead locked onto his location, waiting to see if the globe was in fact what she had been hearing.
Dunk
She flinched as he rammed his head against the glass one last time. Her eyes caught the movement as he ran around inside of the glass orb excitedly, sending up white flakes in every direction. Something or somepony was alive inside of the ball, and now she knew it.
Pretty Purple unfolded her pretty purple wings hesitantly, looking like she was about to take off. She stopped, seemingly changing her mind about taking to the air. Her wings folded back up before her horn lit up, her pretty purple magic channeling into it.
He had stopped his happy prancing so that he could look down to see what she was doing. The little buck ducked down lower so that he could see past the layer of snow that had settled on the outside of his globe. It covered the top, and he had no control over it for some reason, so he was forced to lean as low as he could to get the best view out of the clearer glass.
Their eyes met.
Somehow, despite their distance and difference in size, their eyes managed to lock together. Immediately, he felt a weight being lifted from his back that he hadn't even known he had been carrying. It almost reduced him to tears.
This was the first time he could remember looking into the eyes of another living being. Sure, he had heard them as they used the library every day, but he never took the time to get their attention. Why? Why had he never done exactly what he was doing now?
Pretty Purple's eyes lived up to the name he had given her. They were pretty. They were purple. But what he hadn't expected was the sheer amount of emotion he felt as he looked in those glimmering pools of...purple. He could feel her confusion. He could feel the slight anxiety she was experiencing. But most of all, he felt her curiosity.
She might have been slightly unnerved by the being inside of the globe, but she was vastly more interested in him. It was that interest that led her to surrounding his globe with her magic. He yelped and panicked as he felt his home move with her aura. The globe, after having been in the same exact position for so many years, moved away. Its absence exposed a circle of clean wood that the globe's base had covered for so long. It stood as a stark contrast from the surrounding layers of dust and grime that none of the maids had bothered to clean...ever.
His entire world lurched up in the bright purple cloud. The globe's occupant tore around his environment, sending up almost every white flake. After the quick moment of panic, he dove into the little hideaway inside the glass house and wiggled himself deeper into it. The only thing left visible to the outside world was his rear end, which wiggled a bit more as he tried to fit it inside. Normally, he could get inside if he focused and angled his body in just the right way. With how terrified he was at that moment, he had thrown concentration out and simply let his instincts rule him.
His globe floated gently down towards the curious alicorn below. He shivered slightly, waiting for every passing moment to be his last. She was so much bigger and more powerful than he was; she could have smashed his home with him in it and he wouldn't have been able to do a single thing to stop her.
But she didn't smash him. She just let his globe get closer and closer to her face. If his mind were any more rational or calm, he would have pulled himself out of the glass house to that he could have looked more presentable when she saw him up close for the first time.
Instead, the only thing she saw was his shivering behind sticking out of the hideaway.
"Uhm..." he heard Pretty Purple's voice boom over him as it reverberated inside the suspension liquid. She sounded really close now, and from the direction her voice was coming from...she was staring right at his little reindeer booty.
His new struggle began. He didn't want her staring at his butt! She was to be his first audience, and all she could see of him was his most private white fluffy zone! The surge of panic and embarrassment that shot through him pushed him enough to dislodge himself from the house. His little body tumbled back a bit, sending up a little cloud of snow.
The reindeer shook his head from side to side to get his bearings; being stuck inside of a dark place while the world around you moves is quite disorienting! He looked around, but almost dove back into the house when he locked eyes with the giant alicorn staring down at him. Both of her curious, purple eyes were even larger than his globe! She was just standing there, looking at him with an expression of shock that he couldn't quite read.
Oh, she was waiting for him to do something! But what could he do? He could show her his tree, or maybe his glass hideaway, or...
His snow. He could show her his snow! That must be what she was waiting for! She actually wanted to see him do tricks with his snow!
A single happy tear floated out from his bleary eyes and joined the rest of the water that surrounded him. He was finally going to have an audience. He was going to interact with another being the first time ever. She was going to be so impressed by his tricks that she would put his globe down lower so that he could show off for more ponies and brighten their day!
Or maybe...she would even keep him! A happy song threatened to burst from his fluffy white chest, but he pushed it down. Pretty Purple wasn't there to hear him sing. She was waiting for an awesome show spectacle! And by golly, he was going to give it to her.
An air of newfound confidence spread through him. He puffed out his chest fluff and struck a pose, the magic inside of him moving up until he felt his antlers tingle.
It was time.
To begin his show, he stomped his front left hoof. In response, the white flakes around him puffed up slightly, flowing around him like a personal cloud of magic. He spun around in a single circle, the snow following his movements and spinning. Instead of stopping as he did, however, the snow continued to spin, moving around him like rings around a planet. With a grin, he started doing a prance dance, the rings of snow staying with him.
He wished he could have seen it himself; from the look on Pretty Purple's face, he was already quite dazzling. It made him feel the best he had ever felt. She was already impressed, and he was only just getting started!
For his next trick, he whipped his head around in a semi circle and put more magic into his movements. The rest of the snow in the globe that had been untouched suddenly leapt to life. A blizzard was born inside the glass ball before Pretty Purple could even blink. The snow raged violently around, but the reindeer controlling it remained unaffected. He smiled happily at the giant alicorn before ordering the snow to stick to the sides of the glass, effectively blocking off any outside view.
Purple blinked at this and moved the globe around in her aura, trying to see if there was any section that wasn't covered in the white flakes. She couldn't find one.
Then, just as she was starting to worry slightly, a little circle of the snow was wiped away. The reindeer's smiling face peeked through the tiny window and stared at her. Despite her confusion and apprehension, the giant pony smiled back at him and clapped her hooves quietly. This made the performer so happy that he did an excited spin and powered down his magic. The snow floated down, as it was apt to do, and covered the scenery beneath it.
This included the tiny buck.
The only sign that he had been standing there moments before was a large white bulge in the snow. It was vaguely recognizable as the shape of a reindeer. Pretty Purple couldn't help herself and let out an amused giggle at the tiny buck's antics. He popped out seconds later, shaking himself off frantically. Though he at first appeared nervous that his mistake had cost him his performance, the happy smile adorning the face of his singular, giant audience member relieved his worries.
It didn't matter to him whether she was laughing, cheering or just smiling; as long as she was happy and entertained. If she was amused by his show, then he was living out his purpose.
For the first time ever, he felt like he had accomplished something important.
His knees buckled from the overwhelming joy spreading through his chest. He wasn't even done with his show, but he couldn't go on. The little performer crumpled down and collapsed against the bottom of the globe, prompting a shocked gasp from Pretty Purple.
What little snow that remained suspended gently floated down, covering the buck partially as he panted, trying to catch his breath. Even with how weak he felt, he still loved every second of it.
"Are you okay?" he heard the giant pony's voice boom over him. Her voice was so warm, so full of concern...it was so much better than the voices he normally heard from a distance during the day. Usually, the ponies that talked in the library were much more formal about what they said; they were usually just looking for something or needed help.
Pretty Purple was addressing him with a kindness that he hadn't heard before. It only sent another series of tingles into his chest, reducing him to a writhing, giggling mess. Purple's giant, concerned eyes watched him as he rolled around, singing a little tune to himself in his ecstasy.
"Excuse me? Can you hear me? Can you...understand me?" she repeated, her brows furrowing a bit in thought. The buck let his happiness flow out for a few more moments before rolling onto his belly and giving her a nod. Her eyes widened when she saw his response. To her, it must have been amazing that she was communicating with a being inside of a snow globe. "What is your name?"
"Blubble," he answered, the sound muffled by the water that filled the globe. He was used to it; the most noise he ever made was usually just happy sounds or grunts. No air bubbles came out when he tried to speak. Pretty Purple blinked and tilted her head. She needed a way to speak with him. Ever the efficient problem-solver, she starting sorting through every translation spell she could remember. It took some time, but she settled on a direct link spell that would let their minds click together like a bridge. Before she cast it, however, she wanted to make sure that the little buck was okay with having a spell worm its way into his mind.
"I'm going to cast a spell on us so that we can communicate, okay? I won't be able to hear every one of your thoughts. If you want to tell me something, think it and then act like you want to say it. The connection will only open when you do that, okay? Is that okay with you?" she asked, starting to gather her energy towards her horn.
The globe's occupant just sat there, looking up at her and tilting his head. He didn't really know what she was talking about, but she sounded nice about it, so he nodded. She gave him a warm smile before repeating the spell just as she remembered it, her magical aura gathering around the buck. With a snap very much like a plucked rubber band, the spell was cast.
"She's still looking at me and she's really pretty and she's big and why is she turning more purple?" his mind shot out, the link immediately overwhelmed. It seemed that whatever method she had told him to use, he hadn't used it. As a result, every little thought that was running through his mind the moment that the link was established flowed directly into Pretty Purple's head. The way he rambled on and on without any form of restraint reminded her very much of a certain pink friend of hers.
"Hold on, stop! Calm down calm down calm down!" she urged, her giant purple hooves waving back and forth over the buck's enclosure. He looked up at them and tilted his head to the other side.
"Big hoofers," he thought simply. After that random tidbit, his side of the line went silent. His eyes were locked up onto the purple beauty above him, waiting for further commands. He was her snow globe, after all. It was best to do what she said.
"Okay, good. Now...first of all, what can I call you?" Pretty Purple asked as she settled down and tucked her big hoofers underneath her body again. The buck followed her actions and tucked himself up in the same way as her. The mutual relaxation between the two calmed them both down a bit, though the buck was itching to show her some more tricks already. But what could she call him? He could tell her his name, but...what was his name? He hadn't introduced himself to another being in...ever?
"I'm a snow globe," he answered, his face a picture of serene honesty.
"Yes, but what's your name?" she asked again. The buck blinked in confusion.
"Um...I don't know? I don't think I have one," he responded. "Do you have one? I've been calling you Pretty Purple." The alicorn blushed again and turned her face away from him. The little reindeer was so confusing! She didn't know whether to feel sad that he didn't even have a name, or flustered that his name for her was basically him calling her attractive.
He wasn't even a pony! She hadn't seen one of his kind before, at least not up close.
"Y-yes. My name is Twilight Sparkle. Very nice to meet you!" she said. Though the buck was happy that he knew her real name, he couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed that her name didn't have any mentioned of the color purple in it. He had gotten so used to thinking of her as a giant purple pony that thinking of her as anything else seemed weird.
"Eh. You're still pretty and purple, so I wasn't wrong," he mumbled telepathically. Again, Twilight blushed, but she tried to ignore his lack of subtly and just took the complement.
"You're a reindeer, right?" she asked him warmly. She flashed him a smile, and received a flurry of happy, loving thoughts being blown over the mental link. Okay, so he was easily excited and was happy that she was talking to him.
"Yes! Well, I think so. I'm a reindeer, but I'm also a snow globe, you know? I don't know if I can be both or not," he reasoned, lifting his front leg and making a thoughtful gesture with it.
"Well, I have to call you something other than just 'Reindeer' or 'Snow Globe'," Twilight sighed. He agreed with her, but his mind was blank with what he should let her call him. Something that he liked...something that described him as a reindeer. He pushed up a bit of the snow, letting it float down around himself. The snow calmed him.
"How about just 'Snowy'?" he offered. The name, as obvious and silly as it was, made Twilight scoff at first. But the more she thought about it, the more it seemed to suit him. If he didn't have a name, and he was convinced he was part of the snow globe, why not call him something related to his home? She gave him a sweet smile as she set his globe down on the table next to her.
"Snowy it is. Now...what are you doing in that snow globe?"
Snowy stood up proudly and puffed his chest out, his wondrous chest fluff flowing in the water around him.
"It's my purpose!"
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It's his purpose!
kek
Wow, this is GOOD.
THIS IS MY SNOWGLOBE THERE ARE MANY LIKE IT BUT THIS ONE IS MINE!
This is just self-explanatory. Besides, somebody already made the joke.
All of your fics are bucking amazing! Just, wow. This is off to a great start!
Did you say Snowy?
Really?
Well, at a guess before reading the rest of the fic, I'm going to say Snowy was some sort of reindeer immortal who had winter-related powers that he was unable to control, so Celestia locked him into a globe to try and find a way for him to control his powers. Then she forgot about him entirely and put him on a shelf somewhere.
If Snowy could break the glass, though, that implies his bumping against the glass imparts actual physical motion. In which case I'm surprised he didn't bump against the glass in the past enough to push his globe towards the edge of the shelf, or perhaps even knock it over. Then again, he's probably far too scatterbrained to think of doing such a thing.