You roll over in bed as the first beams of morning hit your closed eyes.
"Come on Celestia... just because you raise the sun doesn't mean you should so early..." you mutter, trying to will back the night.
Something stirs near your chest, a snowy mess of hair rising from the covers "Morning..." she mutters.
You chuckle and scruff the ball of hair "Morning Snowy."
From under the mess of hair are two ice-blue eyes that stare back at you, the muzzle attached to them smiling sweetly "Is it morning?"
Most people (and some ponies) would make a sarcastic remark about how it isn't.
But not you.
Not to her.
"Yeah, unfortunately," you reply, her smile growing "Wanna stay in bed today?" you ask and she shakes her head "No, I want to try it again."
You sigh and throw the covers off you, shivering in the early morning chill "Fine, let me get a shower going for us."
She smiles and your heart skips a beat in response.
Rushing off to the bathroom, you turn the single nob (Designed for pony mouths) and water sprays down, soaking your night shirt "Every time..." you mutter, tossing it into the hamper along with your pants and underwear.
Putting your hand under the water, you adjust the temperature for her and something touches your leg "Is it ready?"
You smile and pick her up "Of course, but I told you before to wait, you could trip."
She pouts "I am a grown filly, I can walk to my own bathroom."
You chuckle and lower her into the shower, jumping in after her and grabbing her lightly scented shampoo "Turn around." her eyes go through you, lost in her usual "Early morning stares". Grabbing the shower head, you spray her, eliciting a yelp and a kick to the tub "I'm up! I'm up!"
Stifling your chuckle, you step around her and lay your hand on her shoulder and she jumps a little in response "Don't do that~" she whines and you laugh, earning you a pout "It's not funny."
"Cold incoming," you say suddenly, pouring shampoo onto her back.
She shivers and then sighs "Thanks..."
Rubbing the shampoo into her coat, you work up a lather that encompasses the whole filly before rinsing her off, earning you a content sigh "I love your hands..."
You smile and grab your own soap to wash yourself "Good to know that our friendship is based upon nothing but my service."
She pouts "You know that's not what I meant..."
You pat her head "I know," and rinse your body off and she stares at you blankly "Hey, eyes up here."
She blushes "I-I'm sorry! I didn't know I was looking! I didn't mean to-" she starts spinning in a circle, her words picking up speed with her panic.
You burst out laughing and grab the towel off the door "I'm joking Snowdrop, come on, let's get you dried off."
She frowns and climbs out of the tub before you pounce, rubbing her with the towel, eliciting giggles and snorts from the white filly.
Removing the towel, you can't help but think about how adorable she is fluffed up "I... will... get you... for this..." she pants, still giggling.
Drying yourself off and grabbing a pair of underwear, you pick up the fluffy filly and place her on the bed before patting her head "Brushie time~"
She smiles and stands on the mattress, stock still as you brush her mane into her usual white and blue curls (How she styled her mane before you came along you don't know).
She stares at your chest, sighing in comfort "Mmmhhhmmm... that's nice..."
You scratch her head and she nuzzles your finger, tracing to your palm "Thanks..."
This makes you smile "I'm gonna grab my clothes" you turn around and poke her nose "Stay. Here."
She pouts and lays on her chest, glaring at your arm "Okay..."
You clutch your heart in mock pain "I wish you knew how cute you are."
She blinks and smiles "Go get dressed, we're wasting daylight... I think."
After a breakfast of toast, oats, and hay, you set out with Snowdrop leading "Cart to your left," you say and she turns to you "Uhhhh... which way is left?" You tap her shoulder and she nods before walking around and into the aforementioned cart "Who moved it?!"
"Sorry there Snowdrop, didn't see ya." Applejack apologizes, rubbing her neck
"I can relate..." Snowdrop mutters, rubbing her head.
"Did you just crack a joke? I'm impressed Snowy," you say, cracking a smile.
She glares at your chest "I am more than just a pretty face. Well, I was before I mangled it..." she sighs "My future as a supermodel is ruined!"
Applejack laughs nervously, obviously not used to Snowdrop's humour "She's joking, she wouldn't even know where the camera was," you whisper to the mare, and she glares at you "That's a mean thing to say."
"Nah, I know it wouldn't work out. So... where is your cart?" Snowdrop asks.
You pick up the filly and set her down on the other side of the cart, much to her protests and flailing "That's not fair! I can walk on my own! Hey! Put me down!"
You turn to Applejack "See you later AJ." she nods slowly, raising an eyebrow before heading to the center of town.
Snowdrop glares at the passing buildings "I'm still angry at you."
"What did the buildings do to you?" you ask and she whips her head around "Stop moving!"
You laugh and she sighs "... Why do you do that to me?"
"Because I love you" you reply and she sighs again "You always say that... but why?"
You pause but keep next to her, her leg bumping into yours every so often "You're cute, you like the same books as I do, and put up with me."
She frowns a bit "'Cute'... right, because I'm broken and dependent."
You sigh and look down at her "Do you remember what day it is today?" she stops and puts a hoof to her chin "Uhhh... Wednesday?"
You laugh and pick her up before jogging to sugarcube corner, where Pinkie Pie waves you over, holding a festive looking cupcake in her hooves "Morning guys! How are you Snowdrop?"
You both cringe at the mare's lack of volume control "Fine Pinkie, how are you?" with your free hand you motion for her to set the cupcake on a table so the two of you can talk alone.
She nods and you set Snowdrop down in a chair "I need to speak to Pinkie about her volume... again." she nods and picks up a newspaper somepony left on the table and opens it "Upside down," you inform her and she blushes "I knew that..."
After moving out of Snowdrop's range of hearing, you look at the pink mare "Are you clear on the fact that she does NOT want a party?"
Pinkie nods and smiles "I may be a little scatterbrained-" you raise an eyebrow "Okay, just scatterbrained-" you raise the other one and she huffs, still smiling "Okay, A LOT scatterbrained, but I won't forget"
You sigh "You said that last year too." and she cringes. Not wanting the fiasco from last year to repeat, an idea occurs to you "Pinkie promise."
"What?"
"Pinkie promise that you will NOT throw her a party." you say, and the mare nods, going through the nonsensical motions with a serious expression.
"Okay... and if you do... I will shave you bald, mane and all." she shivers and grabs her tail defensively "Nuuuuu... not my fur... I'm so pale I'm a marshmallow under my fur!" she licks her lips "Mmmmm... Marshmallows... I still think that Rarity would taste like one... or cream... or vanilla! But would that mean that Twilight would taste like grapes?! And what would Pumpkin taste like? Probably Pumpkins but... do ponies even have flavors? Do HUMANS have flavors? Oh my gosh! I wanna lick everypony! Well, I always do but for a different reason but now I wanna do it more! And first Rarity, to see if she does taste like marshmallows. Did I say that already? I think I did. Anyways, I like marshmallows in my mouth, all that gooey, sticky white stuff sliding down my throat. Mmmm... I get hungry just thinking about it! You wouldn't happen to have marshmallow fluff on you?" you had zoned out when she started rambling but tuned back in when she said that she wanted to lick everypony all the time and your mind went south from there, especially the "Gooey, sticky, white stuff" comment.
"Pinkie... Do you have a filter?"
"Nope! It broke and my insurance doesn't cover for a replacement. I mean, 40 bits?" she huffs "Though it was cool to sit on that power jack for hours and swing from the cables like a monkey!" she smiles and looks at Snowdrop "I do feel bad for her... never seeing how cute she is... she always seems so... distant."
"Maybe because she can't tell how far away you are?" you suggest and she frowns at you "It isn't nice to make fun of ponies."
You throw your hands up "Where I come from, being different didn't mean special treatment."
Before she can speak, you are already over with Snowdrop. She looks up from her paper as you speak "So, have you figured out what today is?"
She gives you a flat look "No, so how did your talk go?"
You explain how she went on a tangent as per usual but made her promise to a bit more quiet and Snowdrop smiles "Smart, using her pinkie promises like that."
You smile and wave Pinkie over, hopping with a plate of muffins on her back "Yeah?"
"Could you be a dear and bring us some biscuits?" she nods and hops back into the store and Snowdrop looks at you "We just ate at home."
You shrug "You may not weigh all that much but you have a bit of weight on you." she blushes "Sorry..."
"And oats go right through me," you add and she snorts "Yeah, you eat like a pegasus."
You puff out your chest "I will take that as a complement."
She smiles and then gasps "Is today the day you finally get a job?!"
You choke on your spit and glare at her "I have a job, I do odd jobs that ponies can't do, like pick noses." you say, raising up the inside joke you share.
Pinkie hops over and deposits a bag of biscuits on the table, deftly sliding the cupcake into another "Here ya go! 8 bits." you dig around your pockets and drop a 50 bit coin onto her hoof "Buy yourself a new filter, for our sakes"
She sticks her tongue out but takes it anyways "See you guys tomorrow!"
After depositing Snowdrop back on the ground, you grab the two bags and point her in the direction of the next place you planned on going, the music store.
Good Vibes is a local store that you and Snowdrop frequent, having made friends with one of the proprietresses, Octavia Philharmonica. As usual, she is sitting outside the shop, watching passing ponies and her partner in life and work, Vinyl Scratch.
"I hate sweeping!" Vinyl moans, looking at the earth pony whom sips her tea "But you know that if I did it you would still be asleep and then you couldn't make off-color jokes about my early-morning mood among other things."
The unicorn looks up and waves to the two of you "Morning guys! How's it hanging?"
Snowdrop's ears fold down "Why must she be so loud?"
You just wave back and Octavia nods to you, whacking Vinyl across the back of the head "Go get the music they ordered,"
Vinyl salutes and runs into the shop, Octavia sighing "Sorry about her, I honestly wonder what makes me put up with her,"
The white unicorn trots back out with a box suspended in her magic "Because I wub you and you wuuuuub me and I am a beast in-" "VINYL!"
The mare smiles and shrugs "I was gonna say the studio but that works too."
Octavia face-hoofs and grumbles "Of all the- why do I always fall for that?"
You seize the opportunity to grab the unicorn's horn causing her spell to stop and she groans "H-h-hey... h-h-hands off the merchand-oh goddess- dise pal..." you smile and look to Octavia for approval and she smirks "Thank you, I needed to get her to shut up for a few seconds... you can let her go now"
"Awww... But I got her by the handle..."
Octavia laughs "I know the feeling but she is very sensitive, so if you would let her go please"
Vinyl flails, muttering curses and promises of bodily harm and you look back at Octavia "She's still threatening me, I don't think I'll let her go until she decides to act civil," you drag the unicorn behind you and sit Snowdrop on a chair, taking one yourself, still holding Vinyl's horn, much to her annoyance "I'll geld you you jerk! I hate having my horn touched! Let me go!"
Octavia gives her friend a flat look "Maybe if you weren't threatening, he would have let you go by now."
Snowdrop giggles "It's thing like this that I am glad I'm an earth pony, no weaknesses like horn or wings." Octavia nods "Except your ears, you can't do much when I grab your ears," you say
Snowdrop flinches and Octavia laughs "I had no idea that you were that close."
"Snowdrop does get lippy when I ignore her," you muse and, noticing Vinyl's siIence, let her go, and she falls flat on her face
"...I broke Vinyl," you mutter and Octavia sighs "No, she just passed out, that happens to unicorns when their horns are messed with," Octavia sips her tea and looks at Snowdrop "So, how is your day going?"
"Fine, I walked into a cart earlier and mangled my face so being a model is an impossibility," she chuckles "Or it always was," she leans forward and rubs Octavia's face "How come you don't model?"
Spitting Snowdrop's hoof out, Octavia looks at you, mouthing "She still feels up other Pony's faces?"
"Only when she wants to make sure where they are," you mouth back.
"Well?"
"I did model but it cut into my music schedule and I couldn't do that to myself, not that Photo Finish doesn't offer whenever I see her," Octavia shrugs and Vinyl grumbles "Go away triangle-head mare..."
You get a devilish idea and Octavia picks up on it "No, you cannot draw on Vinyl, the last time you did that she went out and the whole town called her the 'White elephant' for a week."
"That was funny." Snowdrop laughs
"Considering you had the idea to start that nickname, I'm not surprised," you mutter and pull out a marker before Octavia can stop you and write "WHALE" on Vinyl's forehead and draw a monocle and a fancy mustache on her face "It needs something... Ah-ha!" you draw a harpoon on her flank and a tiny sailboat on her side "Call me Ishmael."
Snowdrop looks at you "What did you do?"
"Remember 'Moby Dick'?"
"Yeah"
"He wrote 'WHALE' on her forehead, a mustache and monocle, and a harpoon on her flank..." Octavia sighs and glares at you "Could you take your music and go? I have to wash Vinyl... again."
You shrug and help Snowdrop off the chair, grabbing the box from the ground.
Once you are far enough Snowdrop sighs "I hate other ponies sometimes."
"Why?"
"They always treat me differently, like I'm fragile." you snort "Well I'm not a pony, but I guess you hate me too."
She shakes her head "No, I like you because you don't treat me any different, but you are kind enough to not take advantage of me," she smiles "And I am grateful for that."
You smile back "I love you like I said, even though others may tiptoe around you, I will stand by you and give you whatever you need... so long as I don't need to do actual work." she giggles and raises her forehooves "Carry me."
You oblige and pick her up, placing the food into the box and carry her under your arm, smiling in contentment "Now where?" she asks.
You think for a moment and smile "The library!"
She huffs "I hate the library! There's nothing to do there!"
"You can read..." you reply and mentally face palm "Sorry, forgot-" she chuckles "I'm kidding, just no non-fiction okay? The 'Citated guide of the history of cheese' was boring as buck."
"Fine, a book of art then," you smirk and she slams a forehoof into your gut "Not funny."
"T-totally worth it..." you choke out, wondering if she ruptured your appendix.
"Are you okay?" someone asks and you look up, tears in your eyes "Y-yeah... thanks Bonnie."
Bonbon huffs at your nickname "Don't call me that... hello Snowdrop."
Besides you and a few other ponies, Bonbon is the only other pony in town who treats Snowdrop like an equal.
Snowdrop bows a little and Bonbon nuzzles her, earning a nuzzle back "Hi Bonbon, how's the shop?"
Bonbon reaches into her saddlebags and pulls out a lollipop "Pretty good, but sales are down due to the slow pegasus season." she hoofs the candy to Snowdrop who accept it, licking it happily.
Regaining control of your bowels (No evacuation this time) you tap Bonbon's shoulder and mouth to her "Are the parts ready?"
She shakes her head "I still need a few more hours to complete them, that's why I' m here"
"We were heading to the library but we may swing by after hours, that work for you?" you say, and she nods "Yes, and if you see Lyra, tell her to get her butt back home, I need her to help me."
Snowdrop taps your shoulder "Can we finish that guide to the galaxy when we get there?"
"Of course, see you later Bonbon." you pick her up and head to the library, whistling as you go.
"Hey Purple Smart!" you call, earning a giggle from Snowdrop "Stop calling me that!" Twilight replies, a book on her head "Uh... book hats are in I take it?"
"What? Oh!" she levitates the book off her head "I forgot I put that there... whoops."
"Nice move brain trust." Snowdrop chuckles.
"Eh tu Snowdrop?" she says then looks both ways, mouthing "Where are the parts?"
You set Snowdrop onto a cushion "I need to go find the book." you motion for Twilight to follow you to the back of the library "Bonbon said that they were incomplete and she needed a few hours at most to finish without Lyra's help."
Twilight sighs "If you're looking for her here, she hasn't been in since the meeting last month. I am ready with mine but without Bonbon's we're stuck..."
"I brought her here to stall and because she wanted to finish the 'Hitchhiker's' book."
Twilight nods and in a flash of magic the book is in your hands "What about Vinyl's?"
"In the box I brought. I wanted to tell you the bad news and this makes it easier to speak to you."
She nods and you walk back to Snowdrop whom had dozed off.
"She looks so cute when she's asleep," Twilight whispers and you nod, smiling "And we are about to make her happier than she's ever been."
She yawns and blinks, looking around "Hello? Is anypony there?"
You close your book and tap her shoulder "I may not be a pony but I'm here."
She blushes "Sorry about falling asleep, it's so quiet here and you were gone for so long that I-"
You chuckle "It's cool Snowy, I needed to catch up on my reading anyways, so, ready to have the socks read off of you?"
She smiles "I'm not wearing socks but sure."
You stand and walk over to her and she sets her head on your thigh "Ready?".
She nods "Ready."
And so you read, picking up from the crew of The heart of gold appearing at Milliway's and she giggled at the voices you made as you ignored the looks of annoyance Twilight threw at you.
Several minutes later, Snowdrop had dozed off again and you stroked her head softly, earning a few sighs of happiness
Twilight approaches you and smiles "I'm almost finished with the thing... I just need Bonbon to get her parts here."
You nod and look at the sleeping filly in your lap, giggling in her sleep "Thanks Twilight, would you believe she doesn't know what day it is?"
Twilight cocks her head "I thought Pinkie would have yelled it when she saw you this morning."
"You'd think so, but she must have some self control after all."
"I'd like to thinks so but... considering that she tends to over-react to everything..."
The door opens and Lyra walks in, a box levitating in her magic "Twilight?"
Twilight sighs "Over here Lyra, did you bring the parts?"
She nods and Twilight grabs the box in her own magic "Thanks Lyra, would you mind helping me, far away from anything flammable... or valuable?"
Lyra salutes, tongue out "Aye aye mon capitan!" Snowdrop whimpers and scoots closer to you before blinking "Wha-" you pet her head and she smiles "I'm sorry, I don't know why I'm so sleepy today."
You shrug "One of us has to be a waste of space, and for once, it's you." she frowns "You aren't a waste of space! You're my eyes! And you put up with me and my brokenness."
You lift her up "Yeah, you'd be modeling if you weren't broken right?" you say and she scoffs "Or still with a waste of space like you."
Grinning, you scruff up her mane, earning a scowl "Stop messing with my mane!"
"Why? I'm a useless waste of space," you reply and she sighs "You aren't a waste of space, please fix my mane?"
"Sure- Hello Nerdlight" you say and she growls before levitating two headband-shaped devices connected by a wire out from behind her "Here you go"
You nod in thanks and pick up Snowdrop who flails in your arms "Put me down! I can walk fine!"
"And soon you will see fine as well," you think to yourself, the headbands under your arm.
"Where are we?" she asks, pawing the ground.
"The hill where we first met," you reply and she cocks her head "Why? Is there something special about today?"
You laugh "You still don't know what day it is today?" she shakes her head "Wednesday?"
"Your birthday silly filly."
She gasps "I... it is?"
"Yup, and here's your present," you grab her and fasten the headband to her head, careful not to mess with her mane "What's on my head? Is this one of those funny hats you like to put on me?"
"No, I am about to grant your wish," you fasten your own headband and flick the switch on it, the cord glowing white as the magic and science took hold.
"What wish?" she asks, her eyebrows knitting adorably
"You said last month that you wanted to see what I saw, how cute you were, what a sunset looked like, what color was... oh wow," your vision dims for a moment before coming back and she gasps "Wh-what's going on?"
"Can you see what I see?" you turn your head from the grass and to the beautiful sunset
"See... is this what sight feels like?" she stutters, staring at your chest.
"Yeah, do you like what you 'See'?" you ask, the filly trembling, either from nervousness or excitement you can't tell.
"I-I don't know what I'm seeing now."
You chuckle nervously "Oh right... you don't know what anything looks like because you haven't 'Seen' it before, let me tell you..." you point to the setting sun "That is Celestia's sun" you move your hand around "This is a cloud, and..."
"Wait! Wait... what's that thing?" she asks.
"What is what?"
"That strange moving object" she says, her face contorting in confusion.
"That's my hand!" you laugh, thinking that you should have pointed it out first.
"Hand? Is this how a hand looks?" she asks, blinking.
You smile "Yeah... it's the thing I use... to pet you everyday... and hold your hooves at night," you pet her foreleg and she gasps, tears springing to her eyes.
"Is that... me? That's what I look like?" she grabs your hand and move it in turn with her words "My mane... my hooves... my mouth..." she drops your hand, tears rolling down her face "My... useless eyes..." she grabs you, hugging your chest, tears staining your shirt "Thank you..." she weeps, smiling "Thank you for sharing your vision with me. Thank you for letting me see everything with your eyes," you can't help but cry too, holding her close "This is just the beginning, you haven't seen the town yet."
She nods and looks at you "I just want to stay here and watch the sun."
You smile and look at the setting sun "Happy birthday Snowdrop."
She smiles and nuzzles your chest "Thank you..."
Author's Note
As I was writing this, I noticed that this is the first time I have written in the form of "You" instead of "Me" and "I".
Strangely, it was just as easy as with first person (Or is it pony?)
This was meant to be a serious story but my humor bled into it and when I proof-read it, I laughed to tears
I love the story of Snowdrop and this comic was just perfect for what I wanted to do with a possible one-shot
Enjoy!
-Midnight Felinus Mare
