> Snow of the Soul
>  by BloodSweatAndTea
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> I lived my entire life to go to Glastonburneigh!
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was a hot day, and a young pegasus by the name of Snowflake walked down a dirt road. Since she didn't like the hot weather, she only walked. She didn't want to fly, since that would mean she would get closer to the sun, and sun equals heat. It was simple maths. 

She had run out of water about a day ago, her mouth was dry and she was getting light headed. Every bone in her body was aching and wanted to collapse, but one, and one thing only, made her keep going.

"No! I'm getting to  Glastonburneigh, no matter what!" She yelled to nopony in particular.

It seemed the heat was getting to her head, until she saw a shadow cast over her. At first, she just thought it was a bird or some other flying creature. But she was more wrong then she thought.

"Hey! Hey, lady!" Yelled a mysterious voice that sounded like a manehattenite.

"What the...?" 

Snowflake looked everywhere for the source of the voice, but she just couldn't find it, until a pale green pegasus landed right in front of her. He had dirty blond mane, and had pale green fur.

"Hey, miss, how ya doin'?" He asked.

Snowflake didn't know what to think at this point. She didn't know if she was hallucinating, or this was really happening.

"Uh... Hi?" Snowflake said hoping that she wasn't talking to herself.

"Hey, I was flyin' over here, and I see a mare talkin to herself. That's pretty odd, if you ask me... You crazy?" He asked.

Snowflake was very offended by this. She was not crazy but she knew that this stallion would soon point her in that direction.

"Excuse me?" She asked with an attitude, this made the stallion laugh to himself.

"Uh-oh, looks like we got a sass over here!" He said looking towards an invisible crowd.

"You have the sheer nerve to call me crazy, and yet you're the one who's talking to nopony! And it's over a hundred degrees outside! How are you not dying of heat right now?"

The stallion looked at her with confusion for a bit, but then he realized what she was talking about.

"You mean this? This ain't nothing! Why are you even complaining about the weather? I think it feels nice, you drama queen!" He said while flying above Snowflake.

"I am not a drama queen! It's very hot right now, and I'm not one to be in this kind of weather!" Snowflake yelled. This did make the stallion back off, though.

"Gee, lady, no need to whine about it. By the way, your accent... It sounds familiar. You a Brit, or somethin'?" Snowflake wasn't surprised to hear that guess, it was pretty obvious.

"Wow, you actually know the answer? I thought that brain of yours was too simple to understand such detail." She said sarcastically, "Besides, at least my voice is more gentle than your annoying accent!" Snowflake said making the stallion blush in embarrassment.

"What d'ya mean, lady? My accent is from the best place on this Celestia given earth, Manehatten!" He said in defense, but right after he asked a question sounding as if nothing happened just then.

"Name's Gigglebox, what's yours?"

Snowflake was quickly getting annoyed by this pegasus, so in hopes he would go away, she told him her name.

"It's Snowflake! Now leave me alone!" She said trying to speed up her walking.

"Ha! Hahahaha! No, didn't your mom teach ya manners? You don't tell somepony to leave them alone so rudely." He said annoyingly. 

"No, but my mum most definitely did." She could help but mutter to herself. He was really getting on her nerves. 

But he then said something that nearly made her punch his lights out.

"Well, your name does explain a lot. Hates the nice weather, and is the coldest pony I've ever met." Snowflake was very offended by this comment. She didn't hate the weather, she just wasn't used to the nice weather becoming the same degree as hell itself.

"Will you just leave me alone, you twit!" Snowflake yelled angrily.

"Well, I won't leave with that attitude." Gigglebox said with his annoying high pitched voice.

"Ugh! You're like a rash that won't heal, you know that?" 

Gigglebox got a straight face and replied,

"Well... That was rude... You're mean!" He said, not at all unlike a five year old. 

He then flew off towards the opposite way.

"Thank Celestia!" Snowflake said to herself. Suddenly without warning she felt a slight rumble under her hooves. At first it was small, and barely noticeable, but in only seconds it turned violent and major. She panicked, she didn't know what to do. Under the stress, heat and sheer lack of hydration, she fainted. In her slumber she saw something that really scared her. 

She saw a giant black orb that swallowed other ponies. She heard the blood curdling screams from the ponies, and she couldn't do a thing about it. Suddenly, she saw herself, nothing too odd, but that would all change. She saw herself distort and turn into the same giant black orb.

Her eyes quickly shot open to see that she was in the sky. She felt hooves under her arms and quickly looked up. She was surprised to see that Gigglebox was carrying her with ease.

"Gah! L-Let me go!" She yelled in fear. Gigglebox laughed a little and said,

"Your wish is my command!" He said with wittiness, he then let her go which she caught herself with her flight.

"What were you doing, carrying me? I can fly well on my own!" She yelled furiously.

"Sorry, Snow! Didn't know you didn't like somepony saving your life!" He said.

This offended her when he called her 'Snow'. he had no right to shorten her name like that. But what made her curious was when he said 'saved her life'.  

"What do you mean? Saved my life?" She asked fearing the answer.

"Well, that earthquake was a big one. So big that it made a nearby tree fall. If I didn't pick you up you would find yourself under a tree. So, you kinda owe me an apology and a thank you." He said with a sly face. 

Snowflake didn't want to apologize, nor say thank you, but he was right, if he didn't save her, she wouldn't be alive right now.

"Ugh! Fine!" She paused looking at the ground, and then said slowly, and quietly, "Thank-you, Gigglebox, and I'm sorry for insulting you."

"Sorry, what was that?" He said putting a hoof to his ear.

"I said, I'm sorry, and thank you!" She said, gritting her teeth.

"There, now that didn't kill 'ya, did it?" He asked with cockiness.

"Nearly died!" She replied, that actually got a good laugh out of Gigglebox. Didn't surprise her, though, it is known that simple minded ponies are easily entertained. 

They flew for a little bit in silence, but Gigglebox broke the silence.

"So... Where 'ya going, anyway?" He asked with curiosity.

"If you must know, I'm going Glastonburneigh." Snowflake said with pride.

"Oh yeah? What's that about? What do you do there?" Gigglebox asked as he floated in front of Snowflake.

"Are you a complete hermit? Do you not know what it is? Glastonburneigh is the biggest event of the year! One doesn't 'do things' at Glastonburneigh!" Yelled Snowflake, with a lot of passion.

"Sorry, so what happens at this Glastonbur... Whatever?" Gigglebox asked dumbly.

"It's a long concert that lasts five days and- Wait, why am I telling you this?" Snowflake said with an annoyed tone.

"So what you're saying is... It's a hippy concert right?" He asked, this made Snowflake nearly knock him out of the air.

'It is not a hippy concert!" She yelled.

"C'mon, it has to be! It's a long concert that lasts five days, usually the length of a hippy concert. All it needs is a bunch of plant activists that want to, 'bring down the government man'" He said, mocking the voice of a hippy. 

Snowflake was looking very offended at the comment, so offended that she blushed in embarrassment. "Ok, ok I'm sorry, it was just a joke, Snow, Ok?" 

There was a slight pause, before she said, 

"Call me that again, and I swear, I will knock you into next Tuesday."

"Temper, temper!" He said, shaking his head at Snowflake.

She didn't reply. She as done talking to the pegasus. Whenever she spoke, it gave him ammunition for a stupid one liner. It stayed silent for a while, until Snowflake took the chance to ask where they were going.

"Oh, we're going to Ponyville, a real laid back place. We can stay there until you're ready to leave."

This confused Snowflake. Where did this 'we' thing come from? Another awkward silence occured until Gigglebox broke the silence.

"Well, just so you know, I think I know another reason why your name is Snowflake." This got her attention. Whatever he was about to say was going to be either a rude comment or a lame joke. 

"I think your name is Snowflake because you're kinda soft like it." This made Snowflake blush, she didn't know whether it was a comment or just a lame joke.

"Did that sound weird? I think it sounded weird." He said awkwardly. His awkwardness, however, did make Snowflake laugh to herself.

As they got to the edge of Ponyville, the sun was setting, and they needed to hurry so that they could rest at Ponyville. Once they landed, however, nopony was in the streets. It was sunset, but that didn't mean that a few ponies couldn't be out.  It was like a ghost town. 

As they walked the streets, they found a massive palace.

Snowflake let out a low whistle, "Somepony's loaded."

Gigglebox was now laughing hysterically.

"Hahaha! And you called me a hermit!"

Snowflake merely rolled her eyes at the pegasus.

"Here, we can check if anypony is in here, yeah?" Snowflake said, opening the door with Gigglebox at her side.

Without warning, she and Gigglebox were pulled in by a purple and orange hoof. This would be the moment when their lives would change their lives forever. 
> What happened?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Hey! Ever heard of asking?" Said Snowflake, annoyed.

"Ever heard of knocking?" Retaliated a blue pegasus.

"Fair point." Said Snowflake, nodding her head.

"We're so sorry, we didn't recognise you, and presumed you weren't from around here." Apologized a purple Alicorn.

"Oh, so this is how you welcome folk? By kidnapping them?" Said Snowflake sarcastically. 

"Do you even know what's going on out there?! You could have died!" Yelled the blue pegasus.

"Well, there was a pretty bad earthquake, but that's about the extent of it." Said Gigglebox.

"Oh, no!" A butter coloured pegasus gasped, "They don't know!"

"Don't know what?!" Demanded Snowflake, her patience nearing it's end.

The purple Alicorn merely sighed, and gave the pair a huge book, using her magic to flip it to the right page.


~*~


The Frostwind is a vast collection of souls, that have gone through some sort of trauma in their lives. It generally appears when it see's fit. It can generally be credited for most natural disasters if it is around at the time. 

The ways of the Frostwind are very peculiar. Although the souls have been consumed by hate, it appears to warn other ponies that have gone through, or currently going through, the same trauma as them. The only way this can happen, however, is to have a pony with magic abilities that is able to cast the spell*. What happens to the pony in question, however, is unknown, since the ponies that had gone through this experience have chosen to not tell anypony.

*if travelling in a group, anypony can be taken, not just the pony that cast the spell. 



~*~



"So, we've all basically got issues?" Asked Snowflake, looking up.

"You... could put it like that." Said a British-sounding unicorn.

Snowflake couldn't help but clap her hooves in joy at her accent.

Gigglebox had suddenly gone very pale. He thought it would go unnoticed, but no. Not today.

Because it didn't matter what he did, karma was never on his side.

And life always had to screw him over one more time.

"Hey, is something up?" Asked Snowflake, genuinely concerned. 

"No, no, it's fine." He said Dismissively, sounding considerably less hyper than usual.

"If you say so." Said Snowflake, shrugging as she walked away.

For once, he was actually glad that he had met somepony who cared as little as Snowflake did.


~*~


What started out as a fun camp had steadily escalated to a living hell. Snowflake was up at the front with a pink mare, working their way through every song known to ponykind (and a few more), while everypony else was whining about how hungry they were.

"Look, if we stop here, will it make them shut up?" Asked the blue pegasus mare.

"Probably not, but it's worth a shot." Replied an orange one.

"Wait, we're stopping for food?!" Asked Snowflake, utterly ecstatic. 

"Well, look at that, it actually worked. " said the orange mare, a tint of disbelief in her voice. 

"And I've got a tent!" She said, still ecstatic.

"Snow...flake," Gigglebox finished quickly, remembering her threat from earlier, "We all picked up tents before we left."

"So? I've got my own, and that's awesome." She replied, putting it up, "And unless anyone else has something to say on my tent, I'm going into my tent to eat." 

Once she was (presumably) out of earshot, the blue pegasus mare asked Gigglebox,

"Why does she have a tent again?"

"She was going to some hippie festival, and it obviously required a tent." He replied.

"IT'S NOT A HIPPIE FESTIVAL!"


~*~


Snowflake woke up in the very early hours of the morning, for no reason she could explain. She could hear something, very faintly, but it couldn't be what she thought it was... not without any rational explanation...

She poked her head out her tent, to be once again proved wrong by the truth. It definitely was what she thought, no questioning about it. 

She attempted to follow the noise, but with no light, she couldn't see what she was doing, making her usually clumsy self trip over a lot more than usual.

She eventually found it, and the source of it really did surprise her. She didn't have the best night vision, but it had to be...

"Gigglebox?!" She said in a loud whisper, startled by what she'd found.

A pair of equally startled, teary blue eyes looked at her, confirming her worst fears.

"Are you okay? Do you ne-"

"Don't talk to me." He said darkly, looking away from her.

"All I asked was-" She started, a touch of annoyance in her voice, but she was promptly interrupted by Gigglebox.

"Don't talk to me! What is it?! Do you think I'm weak? Defenceless? It wouldn't be news to me! Why don't you just go back to your perfect little world, where everything is just so?! Because the real world clearly isn't one you're used to!" He said, his voice full of anguish.

"Fine!" She said, loosing her patience with him, "I will! And I'll be sure to send you daily reports on how un-perfect it is! And do you know why? Because there is nothing perfect about this world! So, sorry to burst your bubble, but I'm very well acquainted with the real world! And I'm willing to bet anything that anything I've seen makes your life look like sunshine and rainbows!" She said, before storming of to her tent.

Gigglebox didn't want to admit it to anyone, even less so himself, but Snowflake was pretty terrifying when she was angry. 

> Shame
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The atmosphere around Snowflake and Gigglebox the next morning was painfully awkward. Snowflake made many attempts to make eye contact with Gigglebox, but he turned his head.

"Oh, will you two just kiss and make up already!" Yelled the blue pony (who they had recently found out was called Rainbow Dash).

"What do you mean?" Said Gigglebox. 

"Oh, please, it's painfully obvious that you two had some sort of lovers tiff last night." Said a white unicorn.

"WHAT?!" They both yelled simultaneously. 

"As if I would go out with him!" Yelled Snowflake, her voice starting low, but ending in a high pitched squeak, and pointing an accusing hoof at Gigglebox.

"Likewise! She's rude, snobby-"

"How the hell am I snobby?! That tree is probably more snobby than me!" Snowflake yelled pointing at the 'tree' (it was actually a bush).

"At least I don't worked up about the smallest of things!"

"At least I don't hide my feelings!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about!"

"For f-"

"SHUT IT!!" Screamed Twilight.

"Still, I would never go out with her. Besides,  I'm-" Gigglebox almost made the big mistake of finishing that sentance.

"You're what?" Asked Snowflake, cocking her head.

"I'm nothing!"

"Well,  you're clearly something."

"PLEASE! Don't start this again!" Said Twilight, breaking it up once again.

The group trudged onwards, even more awkward than before. 

"Still, you two would make a pretty good couple." Said Rarity, breaking the silence.

The two ponies turned their heads at the unicorn. 

"Don't go there again." They said, perfectly in synch.




A few hours later, the group was just ready to flop on the ground and sleep. Pinkie and Snowflake were at the front, steadily working their way through every single Dolly Partrot song ever, Gigglebox was at the back, tired and grumpy, Rarity was whining, and the entire group just needed a sandwich and some sleep.

"Can we stop here? I'm hungry." Said Rainbow Dash.

"IN MY COAT OF MAN- oh, sure, I'm hungry. " Said Pinkie.

"I-I don't think that would b-be a good i-idea..." squeaked Fluttershy, facing away from the group.

The black mist towered high above the rest of the group, and although it had no facial features, an undeniable sense of malice was there, ever present. 

Twilight ran to the front of the group, her horn sparking.

"Don't panic, guys! It's all under control!"

Her horn sparked more frequently, until eventually, her horn started involuntarily shooting beams at Gigglebox. He screamed a little, until he completely disappeared, leaving nothing but a scorch on the ground as proof that he ever existed. 




~*~




Gigglebox had no idea where he was now, he didn't know where Snowflake, nor the others, were. He was just floating in a giant celestial space. He tried calling out, but he couldn't speak. He tried moving, but he had no body. He was just there.

Suddenly, he saw a white screen appear. It showed a young mare. She looked about twenty years old, and she had a bright green mane, orange eyes, and had copper colored fur. Gigglebox didn't know what this was all about, but suddenly he saw different things happening. It showed a younger version of the mare watching what seemed to be a stallion being lowered in a casket. Then it fazed out, and turned into a scene with her in the rain, she had a face of sad loneliness. It then showed her with two old ponies, taking her into an attic. It showed terrible visions of her getting beaten and yelled at.

As she looked towards Gigglebox her eyes turned completely black, iris and all. Then it showed the current age at twenty years old. It showed a stallion, this time walking away from the mare, who was lying on the ground with cuts and bruises. Suddenly, her eyes turned black again, but this time instead of cutting to a different scene, it stayed. She was lifted from the ground by an invisible force. She distorted, and changed into an ugly, big, black orb that rushed to the stallion who was completely oblivious to what was happening. suddenly, the soul consumed the stallion. Gigglebox heard the blood curdling scream come from inside the soul. Then, as clear as day, a female voice pitched in.

"Yes, I was once attractive, wasn't I?"

The voice was echo-y, and spiritual. 

"But all the heartache and pain changed that. Now I am the true embodiment of sadness and fear. And I hate it! Driven by hunger, I cannot stop. Please, do not make the same mistake I made! Always keep happiness in check, Gigglebox, and this shall not happen to you!"

Gigglebox looked back at the screen and he saw himself, hanging from a noose, it showed him distort and turn into the same black orb. He heard himself scream and cry, and then everything faded to black.




~*~





Gigglebox opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was a very worried looking Snowflake, her icy blue eyes screaming "distraught".

"You're okay!" She yelled, throwing her arms around his neck. She suddenly broke away, and slapped his face.

"OW! Why'd you do that?!"

"That's for scaring me half to death!"

She slapped him again.

"And that's for being a massive twat!"

"Whaddya mean?"

"You were asleep, and you were talking in your sleep. Something about failure, that you're sorry. Why didn't you just tell me? I thought we were friends!"

"Really?"

"Well, yeah! You're a good guy! Now, since you are my self proclaimed friend, I think you'd better tell me about what all of that was about!"

"Sure?" Said Gigglebox, cautiously. 

"Positive. "

"Alright Snowflake, I'll tell ya. It was six years ago, and it was Hearts and Hooves day. Everypony had their 'Special somepony' " 

He made quote gestures with his hooves. 

"But me, I didn't need that yet. But I had a friend. Her name was Buzzkill, the two of us were great friends. The only thing is... She was the complete opposite of me. She was quiet, shy, and an all around soft spoken pony."

He paused, then continued. 

"It was the Hearts and Hooves Day dance, and everypony was going, the only reason I was going to go was because me and my buddies were just going to pal around at the dance, but at the end of school, Buzzkill went up to me and asked me... If I would like to go to the dance with her."

"Aww, cute." Snowflake said.

"P-please don't, okay? I'm trying to be serious here."

Snowflake was surprised to here this from her friend. She thought he was all fun and games, but hearing his Manehatten accented voice say that was a very alien concept to her.

"Sorry, continue." Snowflake gestured with a hoof.

"Anyway, when she asked me, I couldn't help but blush in embarrassment. I couldn't just lie to her, I-I had to tell her the truth. I had to tell her... My secret."

"Well, what is it?" Snowflake asked interrupting Gigglebox's story. She wasn't that good at hiding the fact that she was a mare of gossip.

"I told her I was..." He took a long breath of air. "I told her I... was gay."

Snowflake gasped in shock. She didn't have any trouble with gay ponies, but it still surprised her.

"Which I learned didn't work out for me so well. I made her heart break, Snowflake! And for the rest of the year, she wouldn't talk to me! My friends stayed away from me thinking that I was going to try to grab them or hit on them, so I was left friendless!" He was getting misty eyed. So was Snowflake. 

"Nopony deserves to be cast out like that!" Said Snowflake, outraged. 

He continued.

"B-but that's not the worst of it. I would get bullied, harassed, cast out. But being me... I still kept a smile on my face." He pointed to his face with tears running down his cheeks as he tried to make a fake grin.

"It didn't take long for my dad to figure out. My dad was ashamed of me. He hated me for being gay! The only pony I knew who accepted me for who I was was my mother. She was the one who would always fight my dad for me. She was the one who would always tell me 'It's okay, my little Giggle!'" He mimicked a woman's voice. 

"But... thankfully, she divorced my father. And knowing this, I thought that I would be sent to my mother's home to live with her. But no! My father was friends with the judge, he made him sign all the rights to take me to my father. Just so that he could abuse me even more!"

Gigglebox wasn't sitting in one place any more, he was up and pacing around. He had tears rolling down his face as he continued his sad story. 

"After my father one the rights to take care of me, I was granted a last word to my mother. And do you know what she told me? She said in her calm, and soft as silk voice, 'Always remember to smile, my little Giggle'."

Gigglebox couldn't help it any more, he started to cry. Snowflake comforted him until he got up to resume his story. 

"Ever since then, nothing went my way. My dad abused me, physically and verbally. Calling me a faggot, a colt bucker... But... I still kept the smile on my face."

He stopped to let out some more tears. 

"I have another secret. I've tried to take my own life. To escape the pain and sadness I've endured in my childhood. But I just couldn't find the bravery. My dad would call me a failure, and not a son of his. He would always say, 'He's not my kid, he's a faggot!'" He mimicked a gruff voice. 

Snowflake's expression quickly turned from pain to anger. She could only imagine how much it must have hurt to hear that phrase directed right at her. She paused momentarily, before a truly impressive amount of language flooded out of her mouth, some of which Gigglebox hadn't even heard before. He eventually got over the fact that it was possible to say that much in less than a minute, and continued. 

"Years went by, and was still living with my father. But one night, before I left to live on my own, I finally snapped. He called me a faggot again, and I argued and fought with him. I left, with all my stuff. And I never spoke to him again. The last time I saw him was at his funeral. He was in a giant massacre, it was terrible. It was at the factory he worked at, and I guess a worker got annoyed or something, and since he was a unicorn, he used his magic to burn up the place. With my dad in it." 

Snowflake was amazed at the detail of the story. She would've never thought that behind this fun, happy-go-lucky pony hid a sad, dark past. 

"And by the time his funeral came, I was done with the whole gay thing. I was done with love in general. I knew that if nopony accepted me when I was a boy, I knew they wouldn't accept me as an adult. And I made a promise to myself; since I couldn't make ponies like me for who I was, I would try to get them to like me for what I can do... Which is making them..." 

He stopped and let out in a low tone "Happy."

At this point, Snowflake had tears rolling down both her cheeks. She gave Gigglebox yet another hug, repeating, "Why didn't you tell me?" over and over.

It was strange, seeing the pony that had been basically nothing but brutal to him Since they first met cry over him.

But it did feel nice to know that somepony was on his side. And while Snowflake was a prick to him from time to time, she was pretty good to have around. How he felt about her hugging him was an entirely different matter, though. He never let ponies come into to much close contact with him. They'd only leave him later on.

But having the comfort of having somepony near him when he needed them was a feeling he missed. And to be perfectly honest...

He was kinda enjoying having Snowflake so close him.

She hastily wiped her eyes as she broke away from the hug.

"Sorry, I was always a sucker for sad stories. So, when are you going to tell the rest?"

"WHAT?!" He shrieked,  "Oh, no, no, no! I said, I gave up!

"That's stupid."

"I don't care!"

"You basically gave up your entire identity! Who are you supposed to be, if you can't be you?"

It was almost as though she had morphed into a love advisor before his very eyes.

"STOP MAKING IT YOUR PROBLEM!" He shrieked. 

"NO! You gave up what makes you... YOU! And the fact that you can just do that because of one closed-minded, unaccepting pony makes me feel sick. You could give up everything in that one string of words! Did that never occur to you?"

"Yes, it did! You can pressure me all you want, but I promise, it won't do any good!"

She stood up, looking down on Gigglebox with an icy glare.

"Fine."

And she left the tent without another word.

Gigglebox took a few moments to register what just happened.

"She gave up on me." He muttered.

"She gave up on me like that." 

"THAT BITCH GAVE UP ON ME!" He screamed, a burning anger everywhere around him. Cast out? Yes. Bullied? Yes. Given up on? Never. Even his dad still gave him food to eat and a bed to sleep on.

"Well, fine! Like I need to socialise with a snob like that anyway! She may not have cast me out like the rest, but she gave up on me!"

He sat down, his face red with anger.

"And to think, I even considered her a friend."

A small part of him still screamed at him 'go and find her!'.

But he wasn't going to give in to it. Not like that bitch.

He spent many hours in his tent, muttering and cursing to himself, but after time,he realised he wasn't even angry. 

He was scared.

Scared that at last, he'd found someone on his side, only for them to leave him, yo give up all hope on him. Snowflake was one of his very best friends, and knowing that she was mad at him made him feel very bad about something.

And the fact that she wasn't on his side made him feel as though something was missing from him. Snow was his back-up. His right-hoof (wo)man. She was there, and she had been since they'd first met.

He ran out of the tent, and straight into the forest. He had to find her. It was either that, or lose his best friend.  The forest was surprisingly empty, with very few trees. It would be easy to find her.

He screamed her name at the top of his lungs. No reply.

He ventured on. He wouldn't stop looking if all Tartarus broke loose right then.

Eventually, he reached a clearing, so he could take a break. He sat on a tree stump, to find a white pony, with wavy powder blue hair with wavy, electric blue stripes.

Snowflake.

She was sat in a tree, with the biggest of grins on her face.

"Forgive me?" She asked, still sat down.

"Yeah, I guess I was being a bit stupid."

"Nah, it was my fault."

"Look, Snowflake... I-I didn't mean to yell, I know you were just trying to help, and it got out of hoof. Now you're angry at me, and I don't blame you if you hate me now."

"No, no, I had no right to intrude into your personal love life. I'm sorry."

"No, you had every right to, Snowflake! And you're right! I gave up what made me me that day. Just because my father hated me for it. B-but you don't understand, Snowflake, you don't know how hard it is, being gay. Stallions don't want to be near me, nothing about me is attractive, and I would be lucky if I got some old fat pony to even like me. Let's face the music, Snow, I'm always going to be alone."

He got misty eyed once more. Gigglebox didn't know that Snowflake was doing the same. "That's another reason I gave up being gay. I knew that it wouldn't get me anywhere. But now I know I'm just some obnoxious, annoying, ugly, faggot, looser."

"Hey," she said to him gently, her voice soft as silk, "you're not alone. I'm still here. And I always will be, no matter what. Obnoxious? Not at all. Annoying? Slightly. Ugly? ...I don't think so..." He couldn't help but notice that her cheeks went a little pink as she said it, "Faggot? No! You're you! And a loser? Not at all. You're pretty awesome, if you ask me."

"That's just the thing, Snow! You don't understand it properly! You've got a rational head on your shoulders, and I'm glad for that, but you've never actually been through how hard it is!"

He whimpered to himself. Snowflake could hear it though, she thought it sounded horrible. She never liked it when her friends would cry. But she was also very surprised. Even though he cried in front of her before, the majority of stallions she had met would never cry in front of a mare, or if they did, they would deny it. She had major respect for Gigglebox being able to do so.

"A-are we still friends then?" She asked with a soft voice.

"Of course, Snow, of course."

This calmed both Snowflake and Gigglebox. Their friendship meant the world to one another. 

For a few minutes more they sat in the tree, but Gigglebox had one question that could change the moment for the worst or for the better. He was about to ask something that could change the path of fate.

"Um, Snow? C-can I ask you something... Important?" He asked hesitantly.

"Of course, Giggle, what is it?" She asked, blissfully completely unaware of the question he would ask.

"Before I said I was gay, di-did you... Like me?" Gigglebox asked quietly.

"What do you mean, 'before you said you were gay'? I still like you! We're friends!" Snowflake replied.

While he may have been changing the path of fate, it was still intent on putting him through hell.

"No, I mean... Did you... Like-like me?"

Snowflake's pupils dilated, and she instantly fell out the tree.

"WHAT?!"

She rolled around on the floor, waving her hooves in the air, completely lost for words.

"But-why did- it's just- UGH!" She yelled, and then flew back towards where they were they were camping.

It wasn't until minutes of sitting in that tree later that Gigglebox realized that he never got an answer.


> Of Cake, Near-Homicidal Ponies, And Awkward Silence.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

After a long night of little sleep and mourning over the possible loss of his best friend, Gigglebox woke up in the morning to something he thought he would never see.

Snowflake. 

With a knife.

The knife dangerously close to him.

His body froze. He couldn't move. He silently cursed at himself for being such a coward at such a time at this, but then he remembered.

Snowflake.

Knife.

His body turned to jelly again.

The most brutal, most insane mare he knew, was wielding a knife, a look of insane joy on her face, and a sticky, red substance on the knife.

"Wake up, sleepy, or you'll miss out!" The same high-pitched, British quality was there, but it was more...

Well, insane.

"Twilight managed to conjure up some cake! Get up, or you're going to miss out!"

Panic over.

Sort of.

"Celestia, Snowflake, have you got no shame?! At all?!" He shrieked, covering himself with with the sleeping bag.

"Sorry?" She said, shrugging her shoulders, "I don't see what the fuss is about, myself. I mean, we're all ponies, right?"

Her pupils dilated, and she suddenly seemed to remember what the fuss was about. The memories of yesterday afternoon flooded back to her, almost to fast for her to handle. She hastily dropped the knife in the floor and dashed out.

"There I go again, ruining everything with my big mouth." He sighed, picking up the knife for closer inspection.

Jam.

Just jam.

And he thought it was blood.

He couldn't help but chuckle at his mistake.

He walked out the tent, back into the clearing.

"You dropped your-"

"Well?" Said Rarity, somewhat accusingly. 

"What?" He asked, confused.

"Snowflake came dashing out of here, looking like she'd seen a ghost." Said Rainbow Dash, a mischievous look her face, "What've you been doing to her, you perv?" She continued jokingly, earning herself a kick in the shin from Snowflake.

"He didn't do anything. It's just something that happened yesterday." Snowflake said, in his defence.

It didn't stop her from budging slightly backwards when he came to sit near her, though.

"See! Ah told ya somethin' had happened last night!" Yelled Applejack, pointing at the two ponies.

The entire morning passed like this, with an awkward silence between Snowflake and Gigglebox, and the rest of the group jumping to conclusions whenever either one said something.

Snowflake was sat on the floor, in a world of her own, when a bit of paper was dropped on her lap.


~*~


Meet me in the same place as yesterday.

G.B


~*~


She immediately made her way towards the same clearing as yesterday, where she found Gigglebox in the very same tree. She wasn't so eager to sit on tree, purely because of the crippling ache in her wings and back when she woke up the next morning.

Before she even got a chance to sit down, Gigglebox had landed in front of her.

"You," he declared, pointing at her, "are driving me insane!"

"I've heard barely a word since this morning! All I wanted to know is if you liked me! And all I get is you becoming a stuttering mess on the floor!"

"So I became the mess? Because randomly popping a question like that out of the blue isn't going to turn someone into a stuttering mess! And how bad are you at reading body language?! When somepony freaks out, it quite usually means that they don't know, or that the question scared them!" Shouted Snowflake, quick to defend herself.

"Well, sorry, I don't speak woman-ese!"

They were arguing like little children argue over toys.

It was just like before.

And it was heaven.

"So, the answer to the question is..." Asked Gigglebox, making circular movments with his hoof.

"No, I don't. Happy?"

He sat down on the ground, and sighed.

"At least I got a proper answer off you this time." He said morosely, looking at the ground.

Snowflake couldn't help but feel guilty.  All she had to do was say yes, and then she wouldn't be in this position right now. She was used to comforting ponies when they got rejected, but not when she rejected them.

"C'mon, it's not that bad," She said. She went to put her arm around him, but though against it, and ended up awkwardly patting his head, "besides, I'd make a terrible wife. I can't cook, I rarely clean, and to be honest, I'm just generally accident prone."

"I told you." He muttered, picking at the ground with his hoof.

"What?"

"I'm just some unattractive faggot that nopony cares about." He said, a single tear running down his cheek, and hitting the ground.

"Don't you dare say that about yourself again!" Yelled Snowflake, jumping to her hooves, "I care! Your mum's still out there, somewhere!"

"Well, if you care so much, why'd you turn me down?!"

"Because I don't work like that. Caring about somepony isn't the same as liking them. We can still be friends, just not... like that."

He sighed yet again, and said, "Well, I guess I should just be grateful that somepony does actually care. Y'know, I haven't heard a mare say that to me in almost ten years." He said, looking up at her with a sad smile.

Snowflake had no words to reply to that, so instead, she hugged him.

"Stop crying, you're getting me all damp." Said Snowflake, slightly squished.

"Sorry." He said, wiping his eyes with his hoof.

"No, no, no... Stop, just stop! I should have a tissue somewhere..." She said, rootling around in her bag.

"You're going to have to make do with some paper. Sorry."

"Nah,  that's fine." He said, shaking the paper in an attempt to get it open from it's millions of folds. 

"Look, give it-" Snowflake was cut off by Gigglebox accidentally sticking the bit of paper in her eye.

She was hunched over, her hoof on her eye, and shaking.

"Sweet mother of Faust, are you okay?!"

She sat up, to reveal that she was in fact giggling at what just happened.

"I'm going to go right ahead and presume you're okay." Said Gigglebox, slightly bemused. 

"Yeah, I'm fine!" Said Snowflake, "Never better!"

"So, Snow-"

"Hey, hey, hey! When did we get the sudden transaction from Snowflake to Snow?!" She said, suddenly turning defensive.  The only ponies who ever called her that were her sisters and her oldest friends.

"Oh, crap, you are okay with it, aren't you?!" Said Gigglebox, not struck on the idea of having another argument with her.

"Of course I am." She said softly, leaning her head on Gigglebox's shoulder.

Gigglebox honestly didn't know what to think at this point. Was this a normal thing in Britain? Did it mean something? 

"And between you and me, I might like you, a teeny bit."

What she did next surprised both herself and Gigglebox. 

She lifted her head of his shoulder, and ever so slowly, gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek.

This, of course, made Gigglebox turn a furious shade of red.

He freaked out inwardly. What did this mean?! Was it just for some comfort? Did she mean it? Freaking mares!

"S-so, about eariler... I-if I asked you again, w-what would you say?"

Snowflake gestured for him to come closer and the whispered in his ear,

"Yes."
	
> Must've Been Love, Because He Hadn't Felt It Before.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"No, no, no... Please no!" Gigglebox said as he tossed and turned in his sleep. 

He whimpered a little, until he shot up out of his sleep. His eyes were misty with tears, he was sweaty and breathing very hard. He was having another bad dream again. He was sleeping right outside Snowflake's tent. He peeked in, to see her peacefully sleeping. How he wished he could have at least one night like that without having a terrible nightmare.

"Hmm... I wonder..." 

Gigglebox was very hesitant to do what he was about to do. He didn't want to change Snowflake's opinion of him, but he just needed this. He poked his head into the small entrance of the tent and did little bit of math in his head. He figured he would share the tent with Snowflake. So he quickly but quietly moved into the tent and lied down next to Snowflake, he was trying his hardest not to wake her up. He then closed his eyes and went to sleep.


~*~


Snowflake gently opened her eyes. She, for some reason, felt more comfortable than before. She was about to move until she realized something that nearly made her scream.

It was Gigglebox, sleeping next to her, and holding onto her like a scared child would hug it's mother. She was a little freaked out- 

Well, a lot freaked out- 

To see a stallion in her tent, holding onto her as she slept, but it still felt kinda nice to have somepony hold her while they laid there. Then Gigglebox woke up to see Snowflake awake as well. His eyes widened, and he blushed with embarrassment.

Then Gigglebox woke up to see Snowflake awake as well. His eyes widened, and he blushed with embarrassment.

"Oh, I-I'm sorry! I'll get out of here! I- I shouldn't have intruded!" He said in a loud whisper. As he was shifting to get out of the tent he felt a hoof on his shoulder.

"No, it's ok. Just tell me why you're here." Snowflake asked with a smooth, calm voice.

"I'm sorry, Snow, I just... I..." He couldn't continue.

"Well, what is it?" Snowflake asked with curiosity

"I had a nightmare, Snow, and usually back home, when I got nightmares... I would hold and hug a pillow until I fell back asleep. It was the only thing that would calm me down. Then I saw how peaceful you looked when you were sleeping and I figured... That you would be... as soft as a pillow."

Snowflake could see a hint of shame and embarrassment in Gigglebox's eyes. She couldn't help but feel sorry for him that he had to go for the majority of his life having nightmares and not having anypony to comfort him.

"I-I guess, you can stay, Giggle,  just don't kick me in your sleep, okay?" Gigglebox couldn't believe what he was hearing. He never thought that somepony would actually let him sleep with them. He giggled a little replying,

"Ok, I promise."

And with that he put his arm over her and cuddled up to her. She was kinda embarrassed having a grown stallion sleeping with her because of a bad dream, but it did feel nice. As they were about to fall asleep Gigglebox said,

"Thank-you, Snow."


~*~


Snowflake awoke the next morning slightly colder than before. She turned around to see...

Nothing.

Gigglebox had just completely disappeared.

And from her experience, she knew it could only mean one thing.

One awful, terrifying, horrible thing:

He was a morning pony.

Snowflake groaned as she flopped backwards into the sheets. Of all the ponies- all the ponies- she had to get the morning pony. She lied there a little longer, wallowing in self-pity, before she noticed something.

A cup of tea, sat there. She wasn't sure how long it had been there, but it looked far from fresh.

A random cup of tea can mean many things. It can mean that somepony's trying to say thank-you, or sorry. It can mean that you've been sleepwalking. It can mean that you're dying for a cup of tea and have started to hallucinate. 

She picked up the cup of tea, and, lo and behold, a note had been underneath it.

Thanks for last night. I guess I'm a bit of a sissy, but it meant loads to me, and I think it was one of the few nights I got more than 6 hours of sleep.

Gigglebox

Snowflake smiled to herself, and took a sip.

And she immediately regretted it.

Her finely-tuned, tea-critic taste-buds had almost been maliciously destroyed by the mess that she was holding. It was stone-cold, had no sugar in it, no-where near enough milk, and to make things worse, the tea-bag was still in the cup.

But, if she could teach him properly, he might be the sort of morning pony that ponies wanted around.



~*~



The next morning between Snowflake and Gigglebox was different from the others. They couldn't stop smiling at each other, and throughout that whole day, Gigglebox felt giddy every time Snowflake looked at him with a smile. They all travelled a little bit more, Gigglebox told a couple of jokes to Pinkie and Dash to keep them entertained, while Rarity was trying to get some answers out of Snowflake like an interrogator.

"Sooo, what happened?" She asked like a nosy school girl.

"What do you mean?" Snowflake asked with confusion.

"You know, you and Gigglebox." Snowflake quickly blushed at the mentioning of his name. The blush did give away something to Rarity to use.

"Do you want to die?" She said, the blush still not fading. 

"Ah ha! I knew something was between you two!"

Gigglebox suddenly popped up between the two.

"Yeah, now I'm between you two! Hahaha!"

Snowflake was glad to see Gigglebox in his usual happy chipper mood. She did enjoy it at times. But depending on the mood she was in, she did kinda get annoyed by it, though. But that didn't change how she felt about Gigglebox.

"So, what's the marshmallow askin' 'ya, Snow?" He asked, trying to fight back little giggles, although the comment did get some laughs from Dash and Pinkie in the background. Rarity got embarrassed, and slowed down to Applejack's speed, to probably gossip to her. Then Gigglebox suddenly turned serious and looked at Snowflake, who was now looking back.

"Hey, uh, Snow... I just want to say... Thank you." 

Snowflake couldn't help but blush and smile.

"Hehe, you know... I think you look pretty cute when you blush."

Snowflake didn't want to admit it, but she did like the compliments Gigglebox showered over her. 

"Mother of Celestia, you are so cute together!" Squealed Rarity, her hooves on her cheeks.

"Right, that's it!" Yelled Snowflake, preparing to tackle Rarity.


~*~


It'd been about three days since Gigglebox and Snowflake began their journey with the others, and they'd learned a lot from the others. Gigglebox and Pinkie traded jokes and some pranks, while Snowflake and Rarity gossiped about the current events with celebrities and all the stuff that was going down in Las Pegasus. But as they travelled, they would always keep an eye out for the black orb, in hopes that they don't come across the demon. 

But Gigglebox knew something about the black orb that the others didn't, and when ever he would try to tell Twilight or any of the others they would think he was joking or fooling around. They took Pinkie Pie more seriously then Gigglebox. The day went by pretty quickly, no problems or confrontations. But that night, Gigglebox would experience the black orb once more.


~*~


As everypony began to get ready for bed, Gigglebox made sure to post his sleeping spot near Snowflake's tent. He always felt comfortable and safe near her. Finally, everypony was asleep. So was Gigglebox, but he was having another dream.

He was in the same place as before, with the same white screen in front of him. Suddenly, his body materialized, and he could actually see his hooves. But then the black orb confronted him.

He tried to squirm out of it's grasp, but for some reason, it didn't attack him. To his surprise, he saw the white screen turn on and it showed the same mare as before only, she appeared to be covered in a gooey, black liquid. She had a sad but hopeful face. Once again she spoke,

"Hello, Gigglebox."

He couldn't reply, for the first part being he didn't know how to reply, second was because he couldn't speak at all. The mare realized this, and smacked her hooves together, giving Gigglebox the ability to speak.

"Gah! Geez, do you believe how difficult it was, just breathing through the nose?" He said, making the mare giggle a slight bit. She then turned very serious and said,

"Gigglebox, I need your help. Out of all the ponies here, you're the most pure. That's why I've only visited you." She said with her calm voice.

"But, I... I tried killing myself, what do you mean, I'm the most pure?" Gigglebox asked.

"That's the reason I need you to be at your happiest." She replied, getting closer to the screen.

"What d'ya mean?" He asked.

"I need you to get over your fear of your father, Gigglebox. I need you to gain closure." The mare replied.

"What! I-I'm not scared of my father!" Gigglebox yelled, clearly lying.

"You and I know both know that is not true, Gigglebox. That is why you still have nightmares. You need closure from your father, for the real threat is fear and sadness," But before Gigglebox was going to reply, but the mare continued, "I'm going to show you different scenarios of you and your father, and I need you to conquer them. Are you ready?"

"What do you mean, am I ready? W-what are you going to do?" Gigglebox asked, trying not to stutter.

"I'm going to put you through different scenarios from your life, you and only you will have to conquer those scenarios. But the last one will be the true test. That will not only test your bravery, but your love life altogether. Are you ready?"

Gigglebox was still surprised at this, but he knew that the only way out of this was to go through these trials.

"I guess I'm as ready as I'll ever be." He said shrugging his arms.

"Good. Good luck, Gigglebox."

Suddenly, the area changed. It turned into his old bedroom. He stood in the center and realized what time he was in. 

This was his first night without his mother.

Suddenly, Gigglebox saw a younger version of himself, but only by a couple of years. The younger version of himself only looked at him in fear.

They then heard a loud crash. It was his father bursting through he door, who was obviously drunk.

Gigglebox stood aside as he watched his father beat his younger self. Gigglebox was a sobbing at the scene. He didn't know what to do, until his anger got the best of him.

He went to his father, who was too busy beating the young Gigglebox to notice the older one. Gigglebox went to his father's ear, and whispered,

"How's this for a fag, dad?" The middle aged stallion looked at him, but was knocked back by Gigglebox's hoof knocking him into the wall.

Gigglebox tackled his dad through the wall, making them go through another room. His father wasn't there, but he saw the same younger version of himself on a stool in an empty dark room... 

With a noose hanging from the roof.

He saw the young stallion put his neck through the loop, and kick away the stool. He saw himself gagging and struggling, until off of nothing more than pure instinct, Gigglebox grabbed his younger version's legs and leveled them so that he could breath.

The young Gigglebox then pulled his head out of the loop and fell to the ground, looking at himself. Gigglebox couldn't help but try to comfort the child.

"Th-Thank you!" The young stallion said with a tight hug.

Suddenly, Gigglebox found himself in a large dark room with two over hanging lights. Then he saw two ponies, one he didn't recognize, and the other... 

Snowflake.

"What the...? Snow! Snowflake!" Gigglebox yelled, but was cut off by the orb's voice.

"Gigglebox, you are nearly finished with your test. All you need to do now is choose your fate. But for this one, you choose the one that makes you happier." 

Gigglebox glanced at both ponies. One was a handsome black stallion, with gold eyes and orange mane, with a giant white smile. Then to the left of the stallion stood Snowflake. She seemed lost in thought, not at all aware of anything around her. 

Gigglebox's mind was racing. He didn't know which to choose. Which one would make him happier? 

Thoughts like 'You basically gave up what made you... YOU!' Ran through his mind. He quickly went to the stallion, but made no contact. He just stood there, not moving, not doing anything. Gigglebox then said to himself,

"Choose the one that makes me happy." He then turned to Snowflake, still staring off into the distance, still miles away. 

He rushed to her, and simply inspected her. 

His first thoughts were her distinct lack of patience, her snarky, sarcastic attitude.

But the more he thought about it, the more it became clear.

She wouldn't be her if she didn't have any of those qualities. That mare...

She was the one he had fallen in love with.

He smiled, but let out tears at the same time, and leaned in on her face. Only inches from contact, he then softly said,

"I choose Snowflake."

He could have sworn he saw her look at him and grin in triumph. 


~*~


Gigglebox woke up with a start. An entire waterfall of emotions had suddenly drenched him, making him open his eyes to something that he should have seen since it had appeared right in front of him.

Gigglebox looked inside the tent to see Snowflake well and active, not asleep, and fully aware of his presence.

"Oh, hi, Giggle. Have another nightmare?"

He said nothing, he only stared at her and whispered in a low tone loud enough for her to hear,

"Choose what makes me happy."

"W-what do you me-" She was cut off by Gigglebox approaching her.

He put his hoof on her cheek, making her blush. Then, without hesitation, he planted his muzzle on hers.

Snowflake had no idea what to think of this moment, but she couldn't help but enjoy it.

Snowflake's lips were as soft, warm, and a little wet. He could help but notice that she had a very nervous breathing pattern. Gigglebox enjoyed this moment, for not just realizing who he loved, but what he was meant to be.

Snowflake on the other hoof, still couldn't believe this event happening. She didn't realize Gigglebox felt this love towards her, but she did enjoy the moment. His lips were firm and warm. Since they'd been camping for more than three days, she could feel a tiny bit of stubble on Gigglebox's muzzle. She couldn't help but close her eyes in pleasure. She stroked Gigglebox's mane. She felt Gigglebox's tongue dab at her lips, and, for some reason, she released hers as well.

Their tongues danced with each other for a while, until finally their muzzles departed. This was a new experience for the both of them, neither of them had kissed, let alone french kissed, anypony before.

Snowflake didn't know whether to slap Giggle for intruding so quickly or surprisingly, or kiss him some more for actually doing what he did. 

So she did both. She slapped him, making him scared of her for a second, but then kissed him once more. They fell to the ground, still kissing, still in each other's embrace. They finally stopped, and spent the rest of the night in each other's embrace. But, what they didn't know was that a nosy white unicorn was watching the entire scene unfold.


~*~


Gigglebox's eyes fluttered open. He could feel the gentle, calm breathing of Snowflake, who was laying close to him, her head on his shoulder. He wasn't sure how he was supposed to feel at a time like this, but damn, he felt amazing.

He looked at Snowflake once again. She moved a little, before waking up properly. She took a few seconds to recall the events of last night, and then brought herself ever closer to Gigglebox. He put his arm around her shoulders.

"Morning." She said, yawning a little as she did so.

If Gigglebox had the chance to wake up to that every morning, he would have snatched it up in a heartbeat. 

"Sleep well?" He replied.

"I guess," She said, totally relaxed in his embrace, "You?"

He smiled, before repling, 

"Best night yet."

"Good to hear." She said, nuzzling him a little.

He could feel a wave of warmth wash over him in that simple gesture. 

It must have been love, because it wasn't a feeling he'd experienced before.

"I love you, Snow." 

He braced himself for the impact. The taste of blood, possibly a few missing teeth...

But none of them ever came. The only thing he could taste was the sweetness that the word 'love' had left on his tongue.

"I love you, too."  She said.

No sarcasm, no malice, just the words and the truth behind them.

Gigglebox thought he misheard her at first. How she could reply so casually, but so sincerely at the same time, was beyond him. He could barely even begin to comprehend why somepony would love him.

But here he was, hearing those very words. The exact way they were said, the very pronunciation of each syllable, would forever remain etched in his mind. If you asked him to do an impression of what they sounded like in ten years time, he could do it flawlessly. 

"You do?"

"'Course I do, idiot." She said, smiling at him.

"Say it again." He demanded.

"I love you. Je t'aime. Ich liebe dich. How many ways do you want me to say it?"

"It doesn't matter how you say it, just as long as you mean it."

"Let me prove it to you, then." She said, stretching upwards, planting a kiss on his lips.

It didn't matter how much she did it, the same wave of warmth washed over him.

"Is that proof enough?" She said.

"More than enough."  He answered, pulling her closer.

"Good. I was beginning to think that you didn't believe me."

"I have absolutely no reason to think that you were lying." Gigglebox said.

He wasn't lying. In all the time he had known Snowflake, she hadn't lied to him. Not once.

"You therefore have reason to believe that I wasn't telling the truth." She replied.

"Stop, you're freaking me out." He joked.

"Oh, and you didn't when your Mr. Mysterious alter-ego came slipping in here in the middle of the night."

The sarcasm and malice had ventured out to make a sudden appearance. 

"What was even happening there? Y'know, I'm just sat, doing my thing, and then you come out of nowhere!"

"Well... it's just some stuff... that happened..." he said sheepishly.

"Because 'stuff' is so very descriptive, I know exactly what you mean by that." Her voice was dripping with sarcasm. 

"I don't wanna talk about it, 'kay?!" Gigglebox said, getting het up now.

"Then why didn't you just say so?! Geez!" 

Gigglebox shook his head. He wouldn't ever understand mares.

Snowflake, however, was looking down at the watch in her bag.

"How?! How is it six?! I can't be functioning before eight!"

"What's wrong with six? Six is a pretty good time to be up, if you ask me." Gigglebox replied casually.

"Yeah, but I didn't."

They argued for a little while longer, before they heard something.

Rustling, coming from the next tent along.

So the pony in it had to be awake.

"Shit!" Snowflake screeched in a whisper, "Get out! Now!"

Gigglebox barely had time to register what was going on, before he found himself on the ground, outside of Snowflake's tent.

With Rarity, of all ponies, stood in front of him.

"Um... hey?" He said, trying to act like nothing had happened.

"Don't worry, I won't tell." Rarity said with a smile.

Gigglebox suddenly turned pale.

"You mean... you saw..."

The mare in front of him nodded.

"Just excuse me a minute." He said, before flying of into a small cluster of trees.

His yells of anguish could probably be heard in the Crystal Empire.



> Insecure
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The rest of the day went surprisingly fast to Gigglebox. He still felt happy when Snowflake would smile  him, but he still felt worried when Rarity would stare at him with eyes that say "I know your little secret."

But something else worried him. It was the fact that the orb hasn't made a physical appearance in a while, apart from when Gigglebox was sleeping. He was hoping that maybe tonight would be different, and he would finally be able to tell the others.

That night they all did their own things. Rarity and Snowflake would gossip and debate about who wore something better on the red carpet in Las Pegasus, Twilight stuck her nose in some more books, and the other four just did whatever they could just to pass the time. As everypony was getting ready for bed, some already sleeping. Specifically Rainbow Dash and Rarity, Gigglebox was once again posting his sleeping bag outside Snowflake's tent. She approached him with a sly and mischievous face.

"Yeah, Snow?" Giggle asked while laying down his sleeping bag.

"First of all, you need a shave!" This confused Gigglebox for a bit until he rubbed his muzzle. He could feel some stubble growing, he blushed in embarrassment.

"Second of all, what are you doing out here?" Once again Giggle was confused at her remarks and questions.

"What do ya mean, Snow?" He asked dumbly.

"You don't have to sleep out here, on the ground. Aren't you going to sleep with me?" 

Giggle blushed at her question. He scratched the back of his head for a little and agreed with a shy embarrassed grin. It didn't take long for them to fall asleep together, the warmth and love they felt would quickly make them fall asleep.


~*~


Once again, Gigglebox found himself in the same deep space area. The only difference was that there was no white screen, but a door. He quickly floated to it, and struggled to open it. Finally, after some yanking, he got it open. All that came from the door was a bright white light.

Shielding his eyes, Giggle couldn't notice something else that was emitting from the bright glow. It was the same copper colored mare, only without the black goo on her. She had a proud smile on her face. She put her hoof on Giggle's head letting him know to uncover his eyes.

"Well done, Giggle. You're nearly finished with your task, then I'll be free." Gigglebox looked into the mare's eyes.

"And what would that one be, Shiny?" His little nickname for the mare made her giggle.

"Tell me a funny story." 

This confused Gigglebox. He was very talented at telling jokes, but better yet, telling funny stories. So he obliged. He would tell funny story after funny story. But as he told them, the mare would become more physical. Gigglebox didn't notice that before he started telling his stories, she was more transparent then physical. Kind of like a spirit, or a ghost.

By his final story about a stallion at church who opened canned vodka in the middle of a wedding, the mare was fully solid and was able to be felt. After Gigglebox finished his story, he felt the mare hug him tightly, waking him up. What would happen next would shock both Gigglebox and Snowflake.


~*~


He quickly woke up with sweat pouring down his forehead. He noticed Snowflake shifting, still asleep, with her forelegs holding onto him. He then turned to his left, seeing the mare, sound asleep while still hugging him. Gigglebox then looked up to nothing in general, and said,

"Dear Celestia, what have I gotten into?"

Gigglebox, being the skilled flexible pegasus he was, was able to silently slip out of the two mare's embrace. He then got out of the tent and rushed to a near by creek. He dunked his head into the water, trying to refresh, and hopefully clear, his mind. He rushed back to the camp sight and peeked into the tent once more, and saw Snow's pure white fur and blue mane, but then saw copper colored fur and light green mane. He let a few more drops of water drip from his chin, until he rushed to where Twilight was sleeping. He quickly shook her awake, making her quickly shoot out of her slumber. He gestured her to follow him towards Snowflake's tent. He then showed Twilight the new mare in the tent.

"What? Where did she come from?" She asked with a confused and startled whisper.

"Okay, first of all, I would like to point out that both of them are over eighteen, so I'm good. Second, say it, don't spray it, got it? Third, I have no idea! I just woke up and saw her next to me!" He said with a loud whisper. All the commotion must of woken Snowflake on account of the loud, startled scream coming from the tent.

"WHAT THE BLOODY HELL IS GOING ON?!" Snowflake shouted, surely waking the entire camp site, and possibly all of Equestria. All the vulgarities and curse words that came out of Snowflake's mouth really made the others, especially Gigglebox, shudder.

The copper colored mare stumbled out, or was most likely pushed out by Snowflake, who at this point was attacking the poor mare. Gigglebox was able to hold Snowflake back while the other mare hid behind Twilight in fear.

"LET ME GO, GIGGLEBOX, SO I CAN TURN THIS BITCH INSIDE OUT!!!" Gigglebox put a hoof over Snow's mouth and hushing her at the same time.

"It's okay, Snow, it's alright. She's the orb!" All the mare's heads shot towards Gigglebox, except the copper colored mare, who knew that he was speaking the truth.

"What are you talking about, Gigglebox? This better not be one of your little tricks!" Twilight said sternly.

"I swear, she's the orb! Ask her!" Twilight asked her a few questions, while the rest stayed silent. Finally, after what seemed to be years of waiting, the copper colored mare stepped forward.

"My name is Copper Shine. I am the embodiment of depression and anger, or, from what I know, one of them. I was once a normal mare like you, but then I had my heart crushed, and I turned into a dark, ugly demon. But thanks to Gigglebox, I'm free, and I will be able to aid you in you search for the final spirit. But sadly, we are closer to the spirit than we think."

She slowly looked towards Snowflake. She looked at everypony else in confusion.

"Why are you all looking at me?" She asked with a scared tone.

"I've seen the darkness inside of you Snowflake, it's not big enough to be a danger, but it still must be destroyed." 

The amount of anger she felt was evident in her eyes, but Snowflake showed nothing in her speech.

"Please, just stay away from me and my personal life."

"Please, just-"

"NO!" She yelled, her calm exterior shattering, "You can't possibly relate to what happened then! I'm sick of ponies trying to! You weren't there! You didn't see that mass destruction in the flesh! I did! I saw everything, and I've been living with that amount of guilt for years! You can't ever know how hard it is, because it never happened to you!"

No pony knew what either one was talking about, but it didn't take a genius to see that Copper had touched a sensitive topic. Snowflake, however, was now in her tent, silent.

Everypony else started making their way back to their sleeping places, apart from Gigglebox, who had poked his head around the small opening of the tent.

"Are you okay? It sounded pretty bad out there..." He tried not to sound scared, but listening to two ponies screaming at each other always made him feel helpless, for some reason.

"Piss off." Her voice was emotionless, and her back was facing him, making it impossible to read her expression.

"Please, Snow-"

"I said, piss off!" Her voice cracked on the final word.

"Please don't cry..." Gigglebox said reproachfully. 

"I'm not crying." She said, fiercely wiping her eyes.

"Don't lie to me, I'm not dumb."

She finally broke, openly sobbing as she held herself as her only comfort.

"C'mon, Snow..." He said, trying to put his hoof on her shoulder, before she slapped it away.

"Why don't you just go?" She sobbed, finally turning to let Gigglebox see her.

It was a look he knew all to well, and one that he had admittedly worn himself many times.

She looked like a broken little filly.

A poor child in a world where they didn't belong, where they had seen things no living being should have to see.

It made Gigglebox want to break down and cry with her. It was the exact same expression he had seen his younger self wear. A look of pure devastation.

Devastation over something that should have never happened in the first place.

"Snow, please tell me what happened. I'm genuinely concerned now."

"NO! Because if I was stupid enough to, you wouldn't understand!"

Gigglebox couldn't stand to see one of the ponies he was closest to in such a state of devastation, but it was clear that she wasn't going to co-operate, meaning he couldn't do anything. He left, but he got barely any sleep that night.


~*~


The next morning was painfully awkward between everyone. Copper had developed a serious phobia of Snowflake, who was hovering above the rest of the group, not really concentrating on what was going on around her.

Much later on, Snowflake had disappeared into a clearing once again. It took Gigglebox some time to find her, but he did it in the end.

He found her sat on the ground, lost in thought. 

"Seriously, Snow, lighten up!"

"What are you talking about? I'm happy for you." She said, looking up at him.

"Sorry?"

"You clearly chose that mare over me. I'm glad. She's absolutely stunning, she's probably smart... just basically everything I'm not." Tears started to spill at this point, "And I'm just happy that you didn't get stuck with a mare like me, because I wouldn't do you any good. I'm not perfect. She is. Like every other pony I've met. They're all perfect." She looked Gigglebox straight in the eye, and proceeded to ask, "Why couldn't I be her? Why couldn't I be the gorgeous, talented, smart mare? Why do I have to be the very opposite of all of those things? Why can't I do anything right? I just screw everything up! Why do ponies like me even exist? It's just hell, watching all your friends beat you in everything. The only thing I ever beat anypony in was music and art. But where are they going to get me? Why am I not perfect? Why didn't I make myself perfect? I just screwed up my entire life, just because I have so many flaws! Why couldn't I just be perfect from the beginning? It would have avoided so much! My imperfections hurt so many ponies! Just why, Gigglebox? Why am I not perfect?"

Gigglebox hesitated. He never liked it when his friends sad. But it was different this time, he actually felt emotional pain for Snowflake, watching as she poured out her very heart and soul to him.

But he had seen a lot of Snowflake, now. He knew that there was a sad, insecure little girl living inside her.

He put a hoof on her shoulder hoping that it would comfort her in anyway. He then said in a calm and low tone,

"Snowflake, you aren't any of those things that you say you are. You're talented, beautiful, smart, and let's face it, the best pony I've met yet." He let out a nervous chuckle, "Snowflake, not everypony here is perfect, but out of all of us, you are. Don't you ever say or think that you don't deserve to be here and you don't deserve to exist, because you do, Snow. And I'm gonna tell ya' somethin', Snow. If you were perfect from the start, then we wouldn't have met. You would possibly be under that tree and I would be hanging from a noose. I just want you to know that you're like an angel to me, Snow. You're my angel, sent from heaven. And if you don't want anything to do with me now, I don't blame 'ya. Copper may be beautiful, but she's not something that you are... She's not you, Snow. She's not the mare I love. You are. I love you more than anything on this earth, even more than life itself. I just hope you know that." 

He started to walk off, knowing that hewould probably never feel the warmth of love again, before he heard a voice say in a quiet whisper,

"You really think so?"

He looked up to see Snowflake, her eyes sparkling with tears, and the most adorable shade of pink gracing her cheeks.

"I wouldn't say it if I didn't, Snow." He said, gently wiping away a tear that had escaped her eyes, "Now show me that smile that I love to see."

A small, adorable smile found its way to her lips, and just like every time he saw it, Gigglebox fell in love with her a little more as soon as his gaze fell upon it.

"So look so beautiful when you smile, Snow." He whispered, and he placed his lips on hers. She responded, but she kissed him slowly, but with equal love and sincerity. She wrapped her forehooves around his neck, and he snaked his tongue through his lips and into hers, making her body melt against his slightly.

They then paused to catch some breaths of air. But before they started again, Snowflake said four simple words.

"You're my little Giggle."


~*~


There was obviously a problem that still hadn't been resolved, though. Snowflake was still as distant and dreamy as before, and had developed the attention span of a gnat. Something was clearly wrong.

The group had settled down after yet another unsuccessful day, when the mist finally decided to make an appearance. There was a lot less panic this time, partially down to the fact that it was half the size it was last time they had encountered it.

But the feeling of going wasn't one she wanted to feel again. Everywhere Twilight's magic struck her, the very place it touched her went numb, and she couldn't feel anything. In a matter of seconds, she had lost all feeling.

She suddenly found herself in a gorgeous space, a green-ish blue colour. She wanted to forever keep it imprinted in her mind. It was truly unique, more like a work of art than a real place.

She was rudely awoken from her daydream by a large white screen forming in front of her. Colours began appearing on it, forming shapes and patterns, until a mare appeared on the screen. She said nothing, but looked at Snowflake with eyes that seemed to bore into her very soul, that knew her most closely guarded secrets.

The scene changed very suddenly. The same mare was there, but she was much younger, only ten or eleven. A stallion was lying on the floor, blood oozing everywhere, and a knife deep in his stomach. The young filly made a wrong turn into the ally where the stallion was dying. 

Her young eyes stared at what was in front of her. She didn't fully understand it, Snowflake could tell from the look in her eyes.

The stallion looked at the filly, silently begging her to do something. He died in front of her, slowly ending his agony.

The filly stared at the corpse a little longer. She had a look of pure guilt in her eyes.

The screen faded to the mare again.

"It's horrible, isn't it? Feeling like you're not as good as everyone else." Asked the mare. She looked at Snowflake expectantly, wanting an answer.

"Yeah... really throws your self esteem in the gutter." Snowflake replied, looking at where the floor would be if she wasn't floating in an infinite celestial space.

"And what about after that, Snowflake? Why do you let it haunt you so much?"

"Why?!" Shouted Snowflake, "Because I could have done something!"

"What could you have done?" Asked the mare, still calm.

"I could have saved someone who had a life worth living! I'd rather have them live and carry on living their perfect life and die, than me watch them die and tear apart their family!" 

There was no way she was going to admit it, but her eyes had started getting blurry.

"And do you not think anyone would miss you?" Asked the mare.

"My friends were all better than me and wouldn't even notice my lack of presence, and I'm a middle child! No parent ever misses a middle child! I was just the failure who wasn't as good as anyone else!"

The mare looked at Snowflake, looking more serious than ever.

"Snowflake, listen to me. I can't really have you here much longer, but listen. You're letting something get to that you shouldn't. Don't.  You've grown up thinking that you're not as good as everyone else, but that's not the case. You've got to go now, so listen: talk to someone."


~*~


Snowflake awoke in her tent. Gigglebox was sat next to her, looking incredibly bored, but when he saw Snowflake awake, he immediately shuffled closer to her, clearly wanting details.

"Come on, then, spill!" He said, barely containing his interest. 

Snowflake glared at him, but knew that there was no way she was going to get out of it. She had to tell him.

"Okay, fine, you nosey bugger! So, you know the 7/7 bombings in London?"

"Yeah, it blew up two trains and a bus, or something like that." Gigglebox replied.

"I was in it." she said. She wasn't really in the mood to do some grand build up.

Gigglebox's eyes widened. He really wasn't expecting something like that to happen to Snowflake.

"I was in London with my mum, just having a general day out. We were on the tube, and all of a sudden, further along, there's this massive explosion. It was a wonder you could hear them scream over it. I barely had time to register what'd happened before another one goes off, closer to me, and then another one. It barely missed me. It's not the actual bombs, though. It was the fact that I saw hundred in front of me die, and I did nothing about it. I could have saved them. I could have saved them, and died in their place. They all had families, people who cared about them, and I did nothing about it!"

Snowflake could restrain herself any longer. She broke down, sobbing. She looked up to resume her story, and Gigglebox saw her face. He could almost see the very same filly.

"I just watched them die! I did nothing about it! I, the second best, imperfect pony, had a chance to prove that I could do something right, and I passed it up and let somepony else die instead! Somepony who had a life worth living!"

Gigglebox couldn't help but hold Snowflake for comfort, what else could he do? He's been in some life scaring moments before, but Snow literally saw somepony die right in front of her. That is more life scaring than anything else in the world, watching the last minutes of that pony can make anyone feel guilty. Giggle then notice that Snowflake was sobbing on his chest, making his entire front side drenched, but he didn't care. All he cared about was making Snow happy again.

"Shh, sh, sh. It's okay, Snow. It's okay, there was nothing anypony could do. Don't blame yourself for something that you wish you could have done. And Snow,  I'm sure all those ponies did have loving family and friends, but that's not your fault that those lives were taken that day. You're blessed to be here, Snow, and don't think that nopony here or in Britain wouldn't know that you're gone, don't think that for one minute. Because they would know, Snow, they would know. Snowflake, I once asked myself that once, but now I know that if I hadn't stopped myself from taking my life, I wouldn't have met you. I'm so sorry that you had to witness something so violent and horrible at such a young and innocent age, Snow. But just think, Snow, now all those ponies you've mentioned are in a better place now, now they aren't in pain, now they can't feel sadness or loneliness. Like I said, Snow, you're blessed to be here. And if you didn't deserve to be here, then you would've died in that event, but you didn't! Because the big guy in the sky knew that you had something to live for, whether it be in the future or today. And, Snow, to me..." Giggle whispered in her ear. "You're the definition of perfection." Gigglebox stroked Snowflake's mane to calm her down, but his little speech already did the trick, she was already half asleep in his embrace. But she was still able to speak, she said,

"You're right Giggle, I... love you so much, thank you." She dug her muzzle into his neck for extra comfort.

Gigglebox felt as if he was comforting a small filly instead of a mare, but as long as it was Snowflake, he could have it in anyway. A large wave of warmth washed over the two as they spent the rest of the night in each other's embrace.


~*~


It didn't even take Gigglebox three seconds to guess who was trying to get his attention. Their flyaway blue mane was tickling his neck slightly, and a very British accent kept on hissing his name.

He looked up to see exactly who he expected to see. Snowflake. She gestured for him to follow her.

He attempted to make conversation while they walked, but Snowflake couldn't concentrate properly. They finally reached a clearing in the forest. She sat down on the ground, and looked at him with serious eyes.

"So, I was thinking about this last night. We're finished looking for a slightly discoloured mist, so now what? We're going home. You're going back to Manehatten, the rest are going back to wherever the hell they came from, and me... Well, I've got to go home, too, haven't I?"

Gigglebox began to feel very worried. He had a strong feeling that he knew where this was going.

"I live more than a thousand miles away. And... Well, it's just not going to work."

Gigglebox could feel the tears rushing to his eyes.

"But, Snow-"

"We can still be friends, visit me sometime, but... It's just going to be hard. Too hard."

Gigglebox wasn't even going to try to stop the tears from pouring down his face. The very meaning of his life had just left him, alone, to fend for himself. He'd just grown so used to her being there, and then suddenly she'd gone, almost as fast as she had come.

"But I love you, Snow...More than anything..."

"Me too, but I don't want to risk hurting you."

"But you wouldn't, Snow. I know you wouldn't. And I wouldn't either. I couldn't, for Faust's sake!"

"You're not making this any easier for me, you know!" She shouted, sounding as though she were about to burst into tears. 

"It's not supposed to be easy!" He said, steadily getting angrier as the tears ran down his face.

"Well, when you're in Manehatten and you've found someone that's actually worth your time, you'll be thanking me, I promise!" A tiny tear ran down her cheek as she spoke. 

"But that's not going to happen, because none of them are you! That's all I want!" He said.

"You'll be singing a different tune when you get there, I'm telling you."

"But I won't. Because I love you, Snow. An ocean between us ain't gonna change that." He looked into Snowflake's eyes as he said it. They were slowly becoming blue pools of sadness.

"Look, if your so sure, then visit me in a month or something. I promise, you'll be over it by then."

"And if I'm not?" He said, eyebrow raised.

"Then I'll know you're an idiot." She replied.

Gigglebox didn't think he would laugh again. But there he went, chuckling a little.

Only your best friend can make you laugh when you know you shouldn't. 

Snowflake was his best friend. And she was the love of his life, too. She made his life worth living.

But the snow never lasts long. It comes, and you so quickly grow used to it making everything around it look beautiful. It makes the winter slightly more bearable. 

And Gigglebox had always known from a young age that his dad could beat him and put him down for all he was worth, but it would all escape his memory for the precious seconds that he could spend looking out his window, watching every individual snowflake making everything around him look like it couldn't get any better. He felt calm when he looked at snowfall.

But the sun comes out before you know it, as a cruel reminder that the most beautiful of things go the fastest. Suddenly the calm state of mind was gone, and he was faced with the cruel reality of his life. It wasn't ever going to get better. Not until next winter. And he can't escape to the fantasy of a normal life, where he didn't live in constant fear of waking up to a new collection of bruises on his body. He couldn't hide in his fantasy world of perfection.

But he could whenever Snowflake was with him. Because Snowflake was perfection. And it wasn't some childish fantasy, either. Snowflake was very real, and like all good things, she had to end.

But the thing that made it hurt the most was that she would always still be there. She would be out there, making someone else's life perfect. That person couldn't always be him.

He let a few more tears run down his cheeks, barely even realizing that the most amazing mare in the world had her hooves wrapped around his neck. He was feeling perfection for the last time.

"I'm going to miss you." She whispered in his ear.

He was hearing perfection for the last time. 

And then she looked straight at him, her perfect face covered in tears, and her eyes filled with loss.

He was looking at perfection for the last time. And it was a look he was going to miss.

And he didn't see perfection cry herself to sleep that night.
> Package From Manehatten: Handle With Care
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It's been five days since Gigglebox was on the journey of a lifetime. But it's also been five days since Snowflake ended their relationship, and Gigglebox hasn't felt the same since. He's been slower, less funny, and more quiet. But he knew that long distance relationships never work out. So he just went with the pain and loneliness. It wasn't as different as before he met Snowflake, the only difference this time was the fact that he knew that some pony loved him.

One night, Gigglebox had another nightmare, and off of pure instinct, while he was still half asleep, he felt around for Snowflake to be next to him so he can have some comfort and love with him. But all he could find was a lumpy pillow. For the rest of the night, he couldn't sleep. He sobbed to himself, as cruel reality reminded him that the only mare who loved him was hundreds and hundreds of miles away. He then looked towards his closet that wasn't too big, but moderately large. He got out of bed and walked towards it. Once he got there, he pulled out a small box. He opened it and pulled out a switch blade.

With tears still running down his face he switched it open. He put the blade to his throat. He was going to end the years of pain and sadness once and for all. 

But before he began, he saw something else in the small box. It was a small envelope. He picked it up and opened it. Suddenly, flashbacks from when the last time he saw his mother cropped to mind. She had given him an envelope, and told him not to open it until he felt like he was ready.

He used the blade to open the top and found two things; a note from his mother, and a small check with five thousand bits written on it. He read the note aloud.


"Gigglebox, my special, special boy,

Do you know what your gift is? You have the gift of making those around you happy and laugh. I know you haven't been able to make yourself happy now, but soon you'll be able to do so. And I want you to take this money and make yourself happy with it. Just remember to always keep smiling, my little Giggle.

With love, Mama."


Gigglebox sobbed even harder. His mother's smooth, looping handwriting reminded him of her, and how she could be anywhere, and he wouldn't even know.

He remembered all the happiness and joy he spent with Snowflake, he remembered the dream he had where he chose what made him happy. He picked up the small paper with the wealth written on it, and said in a low whisper,

"Choose what makes me happy."


~*~


The next morning was very busy for Gigglebox. He was busy planning a certain surprise for Snowflake. First, he went to the bank to cash in his check and got three thousand bits and left the rest in the bank. Then he went to the docks, to meet an old friend named Iron Anchor.

"Look Iron, all I need is this one favor! Then I'm out of your mane forever!" Giggle pleaded.

"Look Giggle, I'm your buddy and I would do anythin for 'ya, but the problem is that I would probably lose my job if I do this." Iron replied.

Him and Gigglebox went way back. Back to when Gigglebox moved into his apartment. When he did move in, Gigglebox found work as a shipment worker at the Manehatten docks. Giggle paused to think of a solution for his problem, then it hit him.

"I'll pay you." He knew that Iron had his prices, and Iron was a bit greedy for bits.

"How much we talkin' here?" He asked quietly.

"two G's" Gigglebox replied.

Gigglebox wasn't unfamiliar with haggling, he would haggle at pawn shops and antique stores.

"Make it twenty five hundred, and we got a deal, Giggle."

Pleased that Iron didn't go for something higher, Gigglebox gave Iron a check for 2,500 bits.

"Wait,Giggle!" Iron called back.

"Yeah?" Gigglebox replied.

"Your going all the way to Britain for some Brit mare that ditched you?" He asked,somewhat mockingly.

"Yes." Gigglebox replied tartly.

"I swear, you get more wack-o everytime I see you."


~*~


The plan Gigglebox and Iron had devised together was that they would put Gigglebox in a crate that was being shipped to Saddle Arabia, but would be relabeled to go to Britain. That night, when they were loading up the crates onto the ship that went to Britain, Gigglebox quickly hid inside the crate.

He was inside the crate for nearly a whole week, but he wasn't stupid. He knew to pack water and food for the trip. He even packed the same switch blade so that he could cut a hole into the wood for air. Apparently, spices and other food ingredients were supposed to go to Saddle Arabia, since when Gigglebox got out of the crate, he smelt like black pepper mixed with cinnamon.

"Mother of Faust, that's a cinnamon challenge I don't see the teens doin'. Hehe." He said with a chuckle. 

He found himself inside a giant warehouse full of crates and other boxes. He quickly found a way out of the warehouse through an open ceiling window. He flew out the top to see that he was in Britain. He could tell from the giant clock tower that towered over the other buildings. He looked out the window a little longer, pleased that he had actually made it this far, before he felt something wet on his face. They started coming more frequently, before a positive avalanche of water hit his face.

Rain. It had to be rain. Or as Snowflake would say, 'a perfect demonstration of British weather'.

He felt a tight feeling in his chest thinking about her. He could hear her voice saying those very words in his head.

Before he flew off, he went into the warehouse once again and pulled out a giant box that was about his size. This would be his best practical joke ever.

After doing a little bit of asking around, he finally found where Snowflake lived. He placed the box on her doorstep and got inside, before he closed the lid he knocked on the door and waited.

He waited  for what seemed like centuries, until finally he heard a very familiar voice. He wanted to jump out so badly, but he knew that he had to wait for the right moment.

"From Manehatten, handle with care?" The voice read aloud, obviously sounding confused. "I wonder who would send me something this huge? Couldn't be Giggle, he wouldn't be that dense. I hope." 

This confirmed Giggle's theory on who the voice was, quickly he burst out of the box and yelled,

"OR WOULD I?!!" He had a giant smile on his muzzle, but soon realized that Snowflake fainted from her surprise.

"Hehe, oops." Giggle said with a shrug.

Later on Snowflake finally woke up to see Gigglebox sitting beside her. He then told her his entire story about how he got there. Near the end, he couldn't help but feel incredibly stupid, since Snowflake informed him that it would've been easier if he'd just bought a ticket for a sea trip to Britain. But then she asked him why he did this in the first place, and didn't just move on with his life. He turned very serious and told her about the night he had.

"I'm sorry Snow, I just... I wanted to see you again and the night before I left I had, now this may sound kinda stupid, but I had another bad dream and for some reason or another, I hoped that you would be sleeping next to me so I wouldn't get too scared, but then I realized the truth. So afterwards I... I tried..." He couldn't continue,

"You tried what, Giggle?" Snow asked with a calm voice, expecting something very dramatic.

"I... I tried, slitting my throat." Giggle said as he looked down at his hooves, he could hear Snowflake's gasp of surprise and shock, he fiddled with a feather from one of his wings and said, "I just- I just needed my angel back." He said with a single tear running down his face.

This was the moment that made Snowflake realize that Gigglebox would cross the sea in a tight crate full of spices that could irritate the eyes majorly, and travel the very length and breadth of England, just to see her once again. With this she knew that Gigglebox would never forget about her or try to get somepony else. He would always stay loyal and loving to her. This thought made her hug him tight once more, but thinking that he needed some sense knocked into him, she slapped him in the face again. But this time he was expecting it to come, because when he turned his head back, he had a cute little smile on his muzzle and kissed the mare. But only seconds after Snowflake said one more thing,

"You still need a shave."


~*~


"My sisters are coming around soon, so if you want anything to eat, get it before they do."

"Oh, yeah? How many are there?" He asked cautiously. 

"Only two." She replied, her head in a cupboard.

She handed him a mug with a beige liquid in it.

"Drink." She ordered.

He took a sip. It was much better than any of his sorry attempts.

"You see that? That is how you make a cup of tea. Not the mess that you gave me."

Gigglebox was about to reply, but he was stopped by somepony knocking at the door. Snowflake ran to it with alarming speed, and the minute she opened the door, the once quiet house was filled with girlish chatter and giggling. 

A pegasus mare about five years older than Snowflake walked into the kitchen where Gigglebox was. She was white, with a short blue mane the exact same colour as Snowflake's, but with deep purple streaks, and her eyes were a greenish grey. She had another mare next to her, but she only looked about fifteen, sixteen at the most. She was a purple unicorn, with a deep blue mane with white streaks in it. Her eyes where the exact same shade of blue as Snowflake's. 

"Snow? Why is there some weird stallion in your kitchen?" Asked the older one, pulling a plate out of a cupboard. 

"Oh, him!" She said, "He's my coltfriend!"

The two mares looked at Snowflake in alarm, the older one dropping her plate.

"That was quick!" Said the younger one, breaking the silence. 

"Oh, like you've got any room to talk." Said the older one scornfully.

"Gigglebox, these are my sisters, Melody," She pointed towards the older one, and she gave a little wave, "and Stardust." She said, pointing towards the unicorn, who was very engrossed in her sandwich. 

"And they have apparently run out of food again, so they've come to eat all of mine. Can't you guys go shopping, or something?"

"Don't get paid till next week." Replied Melody, carrying a cup of pasta.

"And I just wanted to come." Said Stardust, taking another bite out of her sandwich.

Gigglebox couldn't help but envy Snowflake. This filly had unlimited access to her parents food, yet she had come around to Snowflake's house just because she felt like it. If he was going go have any sibling, he wanted that sort of sibling. 

"Anyway, this is Gigglebox, and he's from Manehatten. And he doesn't have a brain, or if he does, he's clearly not using it."

"Manehatten?" Repeated Melody, slightly confused, "So when did he get here?"

Snowflake and Gigglebox simply looked at Melody and said in perfect sych,

"It's a long story."


~*~


After having more long conversations with Snowflake's sisters, they finally left, leaving Gigglebox and Snowflake to themselves. Giggle scooted closer to Snowflake on the couch. Then, quicker than a flash, Gigglebox and Snowflake were in each other's embrace.

"I missed you, you know." Snowflake said playfully as she cuddled closer to Gigglebox.

"Well, I missed you more, Snow." Giggle replied as he gently nuzzled Snowflake, getting a small squeak of happiness from her. 

During this they didn't say a word to each other. They only snuggled closer to each other. Both Gigglebox and Snowflake felt their love for each other growing. Gigglebox could stay like this for hours. He'd forgotten how good it felt to be in the embrace of an angel. Giggle wrapped his forelegs around her as Snowflake used her wings as a blanket covering them from the British cold. Gigglebox, only inches away from Snowflake's face, stared into her beautiful blue eyes. They looked as though they were reflecting stars. Snowflake did the same and blushed. Slowly, Gigglebox planted his lips on Snowflake's. Both of their lips were warm and soft. Gigglebox, like last time, slowly slipped his tongue through his and Snowflake's lips, getting a small moan from Snowflake. Snowflake wrapped her hooves around Gigglebox's neck, bringing them closer together as their kiss got more passionate and loving as it got longer.

They departed, but only for a second.

"You're my little Giggle." Snowflake whispered.

Her voice was like silk to Gigglebox. Her breath tickled his muzzle. He couldn't help but giggle a cute little giggle at the fact that him and her were cuddling. He then started planting a little kiss on her neck, making her giggle too.

"Your giggles are really adorable, Snow." Giggle said as he stopped to take in the moment.

They started to become very sleepy. The warmth they had between them mixed with the genuine love they felt made them tired. Snowflake gently nibbled on Giggle's ear as they stayed in that little position, neither of them wanting it to end. It was just too good for the both of them.

It was so clear to them, they wondered why it took them this long to figure out that they were meant for each other. They realized that neither one of them would abandon or leave on another. They had unconditional love for each other that would never run out.

"I love you, Giggle, and I always will." Whispered Snowflake.

"I love you too, Snow, and I will always love my little angel."

"And I will always love my little giggle."