Friendship in Chaosby Students-of-ChaosChaptersDesperate TimesUnwelcome ReceptionBonus chapter: Secrets of the PastDesperate TimesDisclaimer: I do not own the show My Little Pony or any of its characters, all rights go to Hasbro. Joker, Jester, and the rest of their family are mine however, and cannot be used without my permission. For character photos and bios of all OCs mentioned in the story, visit the Students of Chaos Tumblr at ‘ask-joker-and-jester.tumblr.com’. BOOM!!!! The sound of the sudden explosion, originating in the backyard of one three story house, shook the quiet streets of one Applewood suburb, shaking houses and echoing through the hills. This came as no surprise to anypony however, it was Thursday, and that meant only one thing. The twins were getting magic lessons. “That is it! I can’t take anymore, I QUIT!” One very singed Unicorn stallion bellowed, storming into the house, followed by two nearly identical teenaged Pegasii, one mare and one stallion. The mare had a predominantly brown coat, with several blotches of grey across it, including around her left eye and left wing. Her messy, uncombed mane and tail were a combination of green and black. Her eyes were a deep forest green, matching the tie that hung on her neck along with a white collar. Her cutie mark was the mask Thalia wearing a black and green jester’s cap on the left side. Her twin brother was nearly an exact copy, with a similar brown coat with grey blotches on his right eye and wing. His Mohawk like mane was neatly combed and slicked back in the front, and much like his tale and goatee had a green and black stripe pattern. He too wore a tie and collar, but his tie was a dark ocean blue to match his eyes. At the base of his tail there was a small purple band, and his left ear was pierced with a simple gold ring. His cutie mark was the mask Melpomene wearing the same black and green jester’s cap on the right side. They were met by an older Earth pony stallion and Earth pony mare. The stallion had a purely grey coat, the dull color offsetting his white and mint striped tail, mane and chin curtain. His chocolate brown eyes were filled with concern, his bushy mint colored eyebrows knitted firmly together. His cutie mark was that of an open mouth that seemed to be laughing into a microphone. The mare was brightly colored, a stark contrast to the stallion’s dull colors. Her coat was bright yellow, and her main was a combination of blue and purple, while her tail was a solid blue. Her mane was tied into a pony tail, separating the purple and blue. Her eyes where light blue in color, and her cutie mark was a simple brown book with a blue diamond on the cover. “What? Quit? Y-you can’t quit! Please, you’re the best magic instructor in Applewood, and nopony else is willing to teach our kids!” The Earth stallion pleaded. But the Unicorn shook his head, “No! I’m sorry Laughing Stock, but I just can’t take anymore! You and Fairy Tale hired me to teach Joker and Jester how to control their magic, and at first I thought I could but … Unicorn magic and Chaos magic are two very different things.” Laughing Stock nodded in understanding, but continued to argue, “I know, but isn’t there something you could do? Please.” “No, I’m sorry, but I’ve tried everything.” The Unicorn sighed, but then a thoughtful look crossed his face, “But … there may be somepony who can help you. Are you familiar with the creature known as Discord?” “You mean the Draconequus? The one that nearly got Equestria destroyed? That Discord?” “Unfortunately, yes. Look, I don’t know who else you could go to. Draconequii are beings of Chaos, if anypony can help the twins, it’s him. He lives in Ponyville, and they say he’s under constant watch from Princess Twilight and the bearers of the Elements of Harmony.” Laughing Stock remained silent for a moment, before heaving a heavy sigh, “I’ll take it into consideration, thank you.” With that he escorted the Unicorn to the front door, leaving the two Pegasii with the Earth pony mare. Fairy Tale turned towards the younger pair, she didn’t say a word, didn’t need to. Pegasus stallion’s eyes flicked toward his twin’s direction nervously, and her own green eyes met the floor with guilt. Fairy Tale gave an exhausted exhale, “Oh Joker-.” “I know, I know ok? It’s not like I mean for this to happen!” Joker snapped in frustration, cutting short Fairy Tale’s scolding words. Silence consumed the air, the tension so thick it was almost suffocating. It only got worse when Laughing Stock returned. “… Your mother and I need to talk, why don’t you two go upstairs and get cleaned up, ok? We’ll call you when dinner’s ready.” He suggested, his tone soft and gentle. The twins agreed, each receiving a loving nuzzle from their parents before they quickly trotted to their room to retrieve the towels and soap prepared for them. After they finished washing off the soot and dirt they returned to their room to wait until their parents called them down for dinner. Joker flopped onto her bed, “So, on a scale from one to ten, how much trouble do you think I’m in this time Jessy?” The only answer she received from her twin was a halfhearted shrug as he slumped to the floor next to her, not even bothering to walk over to his own bed. She snorted, pushing the back of his head playfully, “You’re no help you know that?” Jester simply shot her a grin over his shoulder, which was met with Joker sticking her tongue out at him. They fell into a comfortable silence after that, each too wrapped up in their own thoughts to bother starting any proper conversation. Their thoughts were broken only when they were called down for dinner. Dinner was a surprisingly quiet affair, a rare occurrence. It wasn’t a tense silence like before, but the twins still found themselves sending nervous glances around the table every so often. Soon dinner was finished, and the twins were beginning to hope that there was no punishment after all. But before they could return to their room for the night, they were stopped. “You two need to pack your traveling bags tonight, pack enough to last a few days.” Laughing Stock instructed as he cleared the table. The twins shared a confused look before Joker hesitantly asked, “Wh-where are we going?” “Your brothers will meet us at the train station. We leave for Ponyville first thing in the morning.” The Next Morning … Laughing Stock impatiently paced in front of the Applewood train station, stopping to glance at the station’s clock every few minutes. Joker, Jester and Fairy Tale watched him in mild concern, having never seen the grey stallion so worked up before. Eventually he came to a stop, only to practically growl to himself, “They should’ve been here by now, what’s taking your brothers so long? The train for Ponyville will be arriving soon, and we’ve still got to get our tickets!” Fairy Tale stood and gave her husband a loving nuzzle, but that only seemed to relieve a small amount of tension from him, “Laughing Stock please calm down. The boys will be here any minute, and we’ll have plenty of time to get our tickets and make the train.” “I know, I know, I’m sorry dear. It’s just, well -.” A sudden cry of, “Mom! Dad!” Interrupted his explanation, and they turned to find three Earth pony stallions trotting towards them. The first stallion looked to be in his mid-twenties with a bright yellow coat. His pompadour mane and thick trimmed eye brows were solid mint in color, while the base of his tail started as a light purple before changing to mint. His eyes were light blue in color, and matched the blue bow tie that was attached to a white collar around his neck. His cutie mark was a microphone with a blue bow tie on it. The stallion that followed him appeared to only be a few years younger. He had a light grey coat, and his messy fluff of a mane, tail, and goatee were blonde. It was difficult to tell what color his eyes were, as his unruly mane covered his eyes completely. His cutie mark resembled a brown horseshoe that had been lit on fire. The last stallion looked to be only a year younger than the second. His coat color was completely white, a stark contrast compared to the others. His mane and tail were a solid purple in color, and both were tied up with blue bands. His cutie mark was nothing more than a simple black bug being drawn onto a piece of paper, surrounded by red paint. “Bobbie Blue, Show Stopper, Doodlebug (in order of description)!” Joker cheered, bolting towards the stallions, her brother Jester hot on her heels. Laughing Stock heaved a sigh of relief before moving to greet his oldest sons, “It’s good to see you three again. Now, you boys go help your mother get our luggage organized while I go get our tickets.” With that he turned, heading straight for the ticket booth. He was greeted by an elderly Unicorn mare, “Good morning!” Then, upon recognizing Laughing Stock, her already cheery mood seemed to brighten, “Oh, Laughing Stock, it’s good to see you! What can I do for you today?” “Hello Diesel. I need seven tickets for the Ponyville Express, please.” Laughing Stock requested, already pushing the needed amount of bits towards the mare. A look of surprise crossed the mare’s face, but quickly disappeared once she caught a glimpse of his family getting their luggage checked. She turned to get the tickets, continuing the conversation over her shoulder. “The Ponyville Express huh? That’s almost a day and a half trip, awful long for a family trip. Any particular reason you’re going there?” A glimmer of hope crossed Laughing Stock’s face, “Well, if we’re lucky, we may just finally find a way to help Joker and Jester get their magic under control.” The Unicorn smiled brightly, “Really? Well, I wish you the best of luck. You’d better hurry now, your train just pulled in.” Laughing Stock took the tickets, saying a brief thank you and goodbye before joining his family. The Unicorn mare happily waved goodbye, but, as she watched the train pull out of the station, the smile on her face quickly disappeared. She closed her window before turning to begin writing a letter. “I’d better send the Ponyville train station a warning before they get there.” She muttered, a saddened expression settling onto her face, “I know Laughing Stock’s just trying his best as a father, but wherever Joker and Jester go, trouble is sure to follow.” She finished her letter quickly, sending it off in a flash of magic. Unwelcome ReceptionDisclaimer: I do not own the show My Little Pony or any of its characters, all rights go to Hasbro. Joker, Jester, and the rest of their family are mine however, and cannot be used without my permission. The morning of their arrival in Ponyville came quickly and calmly, as though all of Equestira simply chose to ignore the true importance of this day. The twins, who had long since forgotten their nervousness, were zipping about excitedly. Fairy Tale gave a small smile, “Joker, Jester, I know you two are excited, but please calm down.” Her request managed to distract Joker long enough for her to give a sheepish smile, “I’m sorry mama, but we just can’t help it! We’ve never been this far from Applewood before. Are we there yet? What’s Ponyville like? Is it nice?” “Easy there sweetie, you know we can’t understand you when you get excited like that.” Laughing Stock chuckled, “Now, we should be arriving in a few minutes. As for whether or not Ponyville’s a nice place, well, you’d have to ask Bobbie that one.” Immediately two pairs of wide, excited eyes turned to Bobbie, who could only manage a smile as he shook his head. “I’ll only tell you if you two sit down and behave first.” A dull ‘thud’ sounded in the car as the twins quickly took their seats, staring at Bobbie expectantly. “Ok then, guess I’ll tell you. You know, I only visited Ponyville once, and even then I was just passing through, but it seemed like a nice enough place. It’s not as big as Applewood, but everypony there is really friendly, it is where the kingdom of Friendship is after all.” Before Bobbie could continue the speakers in the car came to life, and the engineers voice rang through, “Next stop Ponyville.” Laughing Stock stood, “That’s us, everypony grab your bags.” The twins all but leapt from their seats, making a dive for their saddle bags. Their parents and older brothers simply rolled their eyes at their antics, before calmly gathering their own bags as the train came to a stop. When the family of seven stepped off the train they were surprised at what they saw. Nothing … there were no other ponies around, the entire station was empty. Immediately tensions rose, filling the air like a thick morning fog. Unconsciously, the twins were pushed into the middle of a protective circle. Jester huddled close to his sister, whispering nervously, “Where … where is everypony?” “Hiding, they knew we were coming.” Joker scoffed angrily, hurt evident in her voice as she glared at the ground. “The kingdom of Friendship isn’t looking so friendly to me.” Laughing Stock snorted. Suddenly, a new voice called out, “… Mr. Laughing Stock?” Turning the family found two Canterlot guards approaching them. “Yes, that would be me. Can I help you two gentlecolts?” “We’re here to escort you and your family to Princess Twilight’s castle. She and her friends are expecting you.” Without another word the guards turned, heading in the direction of Twilight’s castle. There was a moment of pause before the family followed. Joker and Jester were flanked on all sides by their family members, Fairy Tale and Laughing Stock in front of them, Doodlebug to their right, Show Stopper to their left, and Bobbie Blue bringing up the rear. The trip through town only served to heighten tensions, as it was just as empty as the train station. It also didn’t help that occasionally one or both of the guards would cast suspicious glances over their shoulders at the twins, which were returned by a glare and a snort by at least one of the older stallions. This tension was temporarily relieved when they were presented to Princess Twilight and her friends, only for it to come back in force when they discovered that both Princess Luna and Princess Celestia were also in attendance. Laughing Stock bowed, followed by the rest of his family, “Your majesties, we did not expect to see you here today. To what do we owe this honor?” Celestia gave a warm smile to the stallion, but her eyes fell on the two young Pegasii, “We’ve heard of many interesting things regarding you and your family, Laughing Stock, and when we heard that you were coming to Ponyville we decided to investigate these things ourselves.” “Yes, tell us, why have you come to Ponyville?” Luna prompted. “We’ve come to speak to Discord.” Laughing Stock answered without hesitation, his face set with determination. This got many surprised looks throughout the room, followed by soft mutterings between the Princess of Friendship and the Elements of Harmony. Celestia and Luna however remained unfazed, and simply waited for the stallion to continue. “Please, we come before you in desperation. My children, Joker and Jester, were born with the magic of Chaos inside of them. We’ve tried everything to help them control this gift, but we’ve run out of options, nopony else is willing to help us. As a father I beg of you, let us speak to Discord, he’s the only one who can help my children control their magic.” Rainbow Dash spoke up suddenly, “Whoa, hold up! You honestly expect us to believe that these two, these Pegasii, have the ability to use Chaos magic?” Fairy Tale stepped forward, “It’s true! You have to believe us!” “I’m sorry, but what you’re saying just isn’t possible.” Twilight argued. “It is possible, and they can prove it.” Laughing Stock insisted, turning to the twins, “Go on, show them what you can do.” All eyes fell onto the twins, and that’s all it took to finally break the tension. The white of Jester’s eyes suddenly began to glow green, and a purple smoke leaked from the edges while his pupils narrowed into slits. All at once, hell broke loose. Images from tapestries on the walls jumped to life, a pile of books that had been sitting by Princess Twilight’s chair took flight, and several paints and brushes leapt from Doodlebug’s saddle bag and began coloring the walls of the castle. Gasps of surprise quickly turned to shouts of terror as the objects began going after the Princesses and Elements of Harmony. Laughing Stock turned to his youngest son, “Ok Jester, that’s enough, you can stop now!” Jester gave a panicked shout, “I’m trying! I can’t control it!” Suddenly, laughter began to ring through the room, followed by a flash of light. When the light faded, everypony found that everything had been put back to normal. The tapestries were lifeless, the books were neatly stacked, and the paints and brushes were back in Doodlebug’s bag. Instead, Discord stood in their place. “Oh, that was absolutely wonderful! I give you two claws up, that was simply stupendous!” The Draconequus cheered, wrapping his paw around Jester, “I do have one itty bitty piece of criticism however. My dear boy, you’re trying too hard.” “Huh?!” The collective cry seemed to echo through the castle, and all eyes turned to give the Lord of Chaos a confused stare. He simply chuckled, “Exactly what I said, you’re trying too hard to control a magic that wasn’t really meant to be controlled in the first place. Don’t think, just do.” Silence fell over the room for a few short seconds, before it was broken by a sudden explosion of confetti. Startled, the ponies in the room turned to find Joker sitting with her eyes closed, purple smoke wafting from the edges. Slowly, she opened one eye, revealing a similar green glow and cat like pupil that Jester had earlier. A wide grin broke out on her face, “Hey, nothing exploded this time!” “And that’s just the beginning! You’ve done fairly well on your own, but you’ve only barely begun to scratch the surface of what your magic can do! I’d be more than happy to teach you … that is, as long as Princess Twilight approves.” “Wait … what?” The twins and their family demanded dumbly, not quite believing what they were hearing. The Draconequus turned to the Princess of Friendship, “Princess Twilight, I hereby request that I be allowed to take these two Pegasii under my wing, as Students of Chaos. I wish to help them learn all there is to know about Chaos, and how to use it in the name of Friendship, of course.” A muttered discussion broke out between Princess Twilight and the Elements of Harmony then, and the twins and their family waited with baited breath. Luna and Celestia simply sat and waited, as this was not their decision to make, and they were each lost in their own thoughts. It did not go unnoticed by either Joker or Jester that Celestia had not taken her eyes off of them through it all. For the most part her face was expressionless, but there was something underneath it. Something in her eyes looked unsettled, and there was a slight tension in her body, as though she expected the twins to attack at any moment. Finally, the discussion ended, and Twilight gave her answer, “… I will allow you to take these two on as your students only on two conditions. First, these two must stay in Ponyville, where these lessons will be taught. And secondly, they must check in with either me or one of the Elements of Harmony at the end of every week and give us a report on their progress. Do we have a deal?” The only answer she received was a vigorous head shake from the twins, who were so shocked they had forgotten how to speak. “Then it’s settled, as of this moment forward, Joker and Jester shall learn the ways of Chaos magic as Discord’s students.” A resounding cheer burst forth from the twins, echoing with the voices of their family members. Laughing Stock was so relieved, that he actually broke down crying, nearly crushing Discord in a thankful bear hug. Finally, things were looking up for his family. Bonus chapter: Secrets of the PastDisclaimer: I do not own the show My Little Pony or any of its characters, all rights go to Hasbro. Joker, Jester, and the rest of their family are mine however, and cannot be used without my permission. Canterlot Castle- Night The soft clacking of Celestia’s hooves echoed through the eerily empty halls of Canterlot Castle. She expertly wove her way through the many halls of the castle, before coming to a halt in the entrance of the Hall of Murals. The hall was bathed in a rainbow of colors as the soft light of the full moon shown through the stain glass windows. It was a hauntingly beautiful sight, but one Celestia only appreciated briefly before continuing into the hall in search of one window in particular. When she found it she stopped, fixing it with a gaze of silent intensity. The mural she stood before told the story of the return of the Crystal Empire. It spoke of how the empire had reappeared after 1000 years, how the Crystal Heart had been returned to the empire, and how King Sombra had been vanquished once and for all. Perhaps there was a detail that she had missed before, something that would help to calm the storm raging in her mind. But, as the minutes passed, no answer came. The mural remained unchanged, and the thoughts in the Sun Princess’s head continued to churn uneasily. Suddenly, the deafening silence was broken, “… You have not stopped thinking of the young twin Pegasii since we left Ponyville, sister. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you so troubled.” Turning Princess Celestia found her younger sister Princess Luna approaching her. She watched as the Princess of the night took a place beside her, before returning her attention to the mural. Celestia sighed, “It’s been a long time since we’ve seen magic, or eyes, like that.” “Yes, the eyes of the Chaos worshipers. I had thought we had ended that bloodline over 1000 years ago.” Luna nodded, her voice and expression calm. “So had I, it appears we thought wrong.” Silence rang through the air once more, neither sister daring to break it until they had properly gathered their thoughts. It was Celestia who spoke first, “They’ve never been this strong before, at least not this young. We were barely able to defeat the last one, will we be strong enough to fight back when they go mad?” “If they go mad.” Luna gently corrected, turning to face her sister, “It is as you said, they are young, and now they are on the path of Friendship. Perhaps this time things will be different. We just need to give them a chance, Celestia.” Celestia fixed Luna with a grim expression, “Is that not the same thing we said about Sombra, before he banished an entire empire for 1000 years?” With that Celestia left without another word. As the sound of her hoofsteps began to fade, Luna spared one final glance to the Crystal Empire mural, before turning with a sigh. She prayed that this time things would end differently. For everypony’s sake.
Desperate TimesDisclaimer: I do not own the show My Little Pony or any of its characters, all rights go to Hasbro. Joker, Jester, and the rest of their family are mine however, and cannot be used without my permission. For character photos and bios of all OCs mentioned in the story, visit the Students of Chaos Tumblr at ‘ask-joker-and-jester.tumblr.com’. BOOM!!!! The sound of the sudden explosion, originating in the backyard of one three story house, shook the quiet streets of one Applewood suburb, shaking houses and echoing through the hills. This came as no surprise to anypony however, it was Thursday, and that meant only one thing. The twins were getting magic lessons. “That is it! I can’t take anymore, I QUIT!” One very singed Unicorn stallion bellowed, storming into the house, followed by two nearly identical teenaged Pegasii, one mare and one stallion. The mare had a predominantly brown coat, with several blotches of grey across it, including around her left eye and left wing. Her messy, uncombed mane and tail were a combination of green and black. Her eyes were a deep forest green, matching the tie that hung on her neck along with a white collar. Her cutie mark was the mask Thalia wearing a black and green jester’s cap on the left side. Her twin brother was nearly an exact copy, with a similar brown coat with grey blotches on his right eye and wing. His Mohawk like mane was neatly combed and slicked back in the front, and much like his tale and goatee had a green and black stripe pattern. He too wore a tie and collar, but his tie was a dark ocean blue to match his eyes. At the base of his tail there was a small purple band, and his left ear was pierced with a simple gold ring. His cutie mark was the mask Melpomene wearing the same black and green jester’s cap on the right side. They were met by an older Earth pony stallion and Earth pony mare. The stallion had a purely grey coat, the dull color offsetting his white and mint striped tail, mane and chin curtain. His chocolate brown eyes were filled with concern, his bushy mint colored eyebrows knitted firmly together. His cutie mark was that of an open mouth that seemed to be laughing into a microphone. The mare was brightly colored, a stark contrast to the stallion’s dull colors. Her coat was bright yellow, and her main was a combination of blue and purple, while her tail was a solid blue. Her mane was tied into a pony tail, separating the purple and blue. Her eyes where light blue in color, and her cutie mark was a simple brown book with a blue diamond on the cover. “What? Quit? Y-you can’t quit! Please, you’re the best magic instructor in Applewood, and nopony else is willing to teach our kids!” The Earth stallion pleaded. But the Unicorn shook his head, “No! I’m sorry Laughing Stock, but I just can’t take anymore! You and Fairy Tale hired me to teach Joker and Jester how to control their magic, and at first I thought I could but … Unicorn magic and Chaos magic are two very different things.” Laughing Stock nodded in understanding, but continued to argue, “I know, but isn’t there something you could do? Please.” “No, I’m sorry, but I’ve tried everything.” The Unicorn sighed, but then a thoughtful look crossed his face, “But … there may be somepony who can help you. Are you familiar with the creature known as Discord?” “You mean the Draconequus? The one that nearly got Equestria destroyed? That Discord?” “Unfortunately, yes. Look, I don’t know who else you could go to. Draconequii are beings of Chaos, if anypony can help the twins, it’s him. He lives in Ponyville, and they say he’s under constant watch from Princess Twilight and the bearers of the Elements of Harmony.” Laughing Stock remained silent for a moment, before heaving a heavy sigh, “I’ll take it into consideration, thank you.” With that he escorted the Unicorn to the front door, leaving the two Pegasii with the Earth pony mare. Fairy Tale turned towards the younger pair, she didn’t say a word, didn’t need to. Pegasus stallion’s eyes flicked toward his twin’s direction nervously, and her own green eyes met the floor with guilt. Fairy Tale gave an exhausted exhale, “Oh Joker-.” “I know, I know ok? It’s not like I mean for this to happen!” Joker snapped in frustration, cutting short Fairy Tale’s scolding words. Silence consumed the air, the tension so thick it was almost suffocating. It only got worse when Laughing Stock returned. “… Your mother and I need to talk, why don’t you two go upstairs and get cleaned up, ok? We’ll call you when dinner’s ready.” He suggested, his tone soft and gentle. The twins agreed, each receiving a loving nuzzle from their parents before they quickly trotted to their room to retrieve the towels and soap prepared for them. After they finished washing off the soot and dirt they returned to their room to wait until their parents called them down for dinner. Joker flopped onto her bed, “So, on a scale from one to ten, how much trouble do you think I’m in this time Jessy?” The only answer she received from her twin was a halfhearted shrug as he slumped to the floor next to her, not even bothering to walk over to his own bed. She snorted, pushing the back of his head playfully, “You’re no help you know that?” Jester simply shot her a grin over his shoulder, which was met with Joker sticking her tongue out at him. They fell into a comfortable silence after that, each too wrapped up in their own thoughts to bother starting any proper conversation. Their thoughts were broken only when they were called down for dinner. Dinner was a surprisingly quiet affair, a rare occurrence. It wasn’t a tense silence like before, but the twins still found themselves sending nervous glances around the table every so often. Soon dinner was finished, and the twins were beginning to hope that there was no punishment after all. But before they could return to their room for the night, they were stopped. “You two need to pack your traveling bags tonight, pack enough to last a few days.” Laughing Stock instructed as he cleared the table. The twins shared a confused look before Joker hesitantly asked, “Wh-where are we going?” “Your brothers will meet us at the train station. We leave for Ponyville first thing in the morning.” The Next Morning … Laughing Stock impatiently paced in front of the Applewood train station, stopping to glance at the station’s clock every few minutes. Joker, Jester and Fairy Tale watched him in mild concern, having never seen the grey stallion so worked up before. Eventually he came to a stop, only to practically growl to himself, “They should’ve been here by now, what’s taking your brothers so long? The train for Ponyville will be arriving soon, and we’ve still got to get our tickets!” Fairy Tale stood and gave her husband a loving nuzzle, but that only seemed to relieve a small amount of tension from him, “Laughing Stock please calm down. The boys will be here any minute, and we’ll have plenty of time to get our tickets and make the train.” “I know, I know, I’m sorry dear. It’s just, well -.” A sudden cry of, “Mom! Dad!” Interrupted his explanation, and they turned to find three Earth pony stallions trotting towards them. The first stallion looked to be in his mid-twenties with a bright yellow coat. His pompadour mane and thick trimmed eye brows were solid mint in color, while the base of his tail started as a light purple before changing to mint. His eyes were light blue in color, and matched the blue bow tie that was attached to a white collar around his neck. His cutie mark was a microphone with a blue bow tie on it. The stallion that followed him appeared to only be a few years younger. He had a light grey coat, and his messy fluff of a mane, tail, and goatee were blonde. It was difficult to tell what color his eyes were, as his unruly mane covered his eyes completely. His cutie mark resembled a brown horseshoe that had been lit on fire. The last stallion looked to be only a year younger than the second. His coat color was completely white, a stark contrast compared to the others. His mane and tail were a solid purple in color, and both were tied up with blue bands. His cutie mark was nothing more than a simple black bug being drawn onto a piece of paper, surrounded by red paint. “Bobbie Blue, Show Stopper, Doodlebug (in order of description)!” Joker cheered, bolting towards the stallions, her brother Jester hot on her heels. Laughing Stock heaved a sigh of relief before moving to greet his oldest sons, “It’s good to see you three again. Now, you boys go help your mother get our luggage organized while I go get our tickets.” With that he turned, heading straight for the ticket booth. He was greeted by an elderly Unicorn mare, “Good morning!” Then, upon recognizing Laughing Stock, her already cheery mood seemed to brighten, “Oh, Laughing Stock, it’s good to see you! What can I do for you today?” “Hello Diesel. I need seven tickets for the Ponyville Express, please.” Laughing Stock requested, already pushing the needed amount of bits towards the mare. A look of surprise crossed the mare’s face, but quickly disappeared once she caught a glimpse of his family getting their luggage checked. She turned to get the tickets, continuing the conversation over her shoulder. “The Ponyville Express huh? That’s almost a day and a half trip, awful long for a family trip. Any particular reason you’re going there?” A glimmer of hope crossed Laughing Stock’s face, “Well, if we’re lucky, we may just finally find a way to help Joker and Jester get their magic under control.” The Unicorn smiled brightly, “Really? Well, I wish you the best of luck. You’d better hurry now, your train just pulled in.” Laughing Stock took the tickets, saying a brief thank you and goodbye before joining his family. The Unicorn mare happily waved goodbye, but, as she watched the train pull out of the station, the smile on her face quickly disappeared. She closed her window before turning to begin writing a letter. “I’d better send the Ponyville train station a warning before they get there.” She muttered, a saddened expression settling onto her face, “I know Laughing Stock’s just trying his best as a father, but wherever Joker and Jester go, trouble is sure to follow.” She finished her letter quickly, sending it off in a flash of magic.
Unwelcome ReceptionDisclaimer: I do not own the show My Little Pony or any of its characters, all rights go to Hasbro. Joker, Jester, and the rest of their family are mine however, and cannot be used without my permission. The morning of their arrival in Ponyville came quickly and calmly, as though all of Equestira simply chose to ignore the true importance of this day. The twins, who had long since forgotten their nervousness, were zipping about excitedly. Fairy Tale gave a small smile, “Joker, Jester, I know you two are excited, but please calm down.” Her request managed to distract Joker long enough for her to give a sheepish smile, “I’m sorry mama, but we just can’t help it! We’ve never been this far from Applewood before. Are we there yet? What’s Ponyville like? Is it nice?” “Easy there sweetie, you know we can’t understand you when you get excited like that.” Laughing Stock chuckled, “Now, we should be arriving in a few minutes. As for whether or not Ponyville’s a nice place, well, you’d have to ask Bobbie that one.” Immediately two pairs of wide, excited eyes turned to Bobbie, who could only manage a smile as he shook his head. “I’ll only tell you if you two sit down and behave first.” A dull ‘thud’ sounded in the car as the twins quickly took their seats, staring at Bobbie expectantly. “Ok then, guess I’ll tell you. You know, I only visited Ponyville once, and even then I was just passing through, but it seemed like a nice enough place. It’s not as big as Applewood, but everypony there is really friendly, it is where the kingdom of Friendship is after all.” Before Bobbie could continue the speakers in the car came to life, and the engineers voice rang through, “Next stop Ponyville.” Laughing Stock stood, “That’s us, everypony grab your bags.” The twins all but leapt from their seats, making a dive for their saddle bags. Their parents and older brothers simply rolled their eyes at their antics, before calmly gathering their own bags as the train came to a stop. When the family of seven stepped off the train they were surprised at what they saw. Nothing … there were no other ponies around, the entire station was empty. Immediately tensions rose, filling the air like a thick morning fog. Unconsciously, the twins were pushed into the middle of a protective circle. Jester huddled close to his sister, whispering nervously, “Where … where is everypony?” “Hiding, they knew we were coming.” Joker scoffed angrily, hurt evident in her voice as she glared at the ground. “The kingdom of Friendship isn’t looking so friendly to me.” Laughing Stock snorted. Suddenly, a new voice called out, “… Mr. Laughing Stock?” Turning the family found two Canterlot guards approaching them. “Yes, that would be me. Can I help you two gentlecolts?” “We’re here to escort you and your family to Princess Twilight’s castle. She and her friends are expecting you.” Without another word the guards turned, heading in the direction of Twilight’s castle. There was a moment of pause before the family followed. Joker and Jester were flanked on all sides by their family members, Fairy Tale and Laughing Stock in front of them, Doodlebug to their right, Show Stopper to their left, and Bobbie Blue bringing up the rear. The trip through town only served to heighten tensions, as it was just as empty as the train station. It also didn’t help that occasionally one or both of the guards would cast suspicious glances over their shoulders at the twins, which were returned by a glare and a snort by at least one of the older stallions. This tension was temporarily relieved when they were presented to Princess Twilight and her friends, only for it to come back in force when they discovered that both Princess Luna and Princess Celestia were also in attendance. Laughing Stock bowed, followed by the rest of his family, “Your majesties, we did not expect to see you here today. To what do we owe this honor?” Celestia gave a warm smile to the stallion, but her eyes fell on the two young Pegasii, “We’ve heard of many interesting things regarding you and your family, Laughing Stock, and when we heard that you were coming to Ponyville we decided to investigate these things ourselves.” “Yes, tell us, why have you come to Ponyville?” Luna prompted. “We’ve come to speak to Discord.” Laughing Stock answered without hesitation, his face set with determination. This got many surprised looks throughout the room, followed by soft mutterings between the Princess of Friendship and the Elements of Harmony. Celestia and Luna however remained unfazed, and simply waited for the stallion to continue. “Please, we come before you in desperation. My children, Joker and Jester, were born with the magic of Chaos inside of them. We’ve tried everything to help them control this gift, but we’ve run out of options, nopony else is willing to help us. As a father I beg of you, let us speak to Discord, he’s the only one who can help my children control their magic.” Rainbow Dash spoke up suddenly, “Whoa, hold up! You honestly expect us to believe that these two, these Pegasii, have the ability to use Chaos magic?” Fairy Tale stepped forward, “It’s true! You have to believe us!” “I’m sorry, but what you’re saying just isn’t possible.” Twilight argued. “It is possible, and they can prove it.” Laughing Stock insisted, turning to the twins, “Go on, show them what you can do.” All eyes fell onto the twins, and that’s all it took to finally break the tension. The white of Jester’s eyes suddenly began to glow green, and a purple smoke leaked from the edges while his pupils narrowed into slits. All at once, hell broke loose. Images from tapestries on the walls jumped to life, a pile of books that had been sitting by Princess Twilight’s chair took flight, and several paints and brushes leapt from Doodlebug’s saddle bag and began coloring the walls of the castle. Gasps of surprise quickly turned to shouts of terror as the objects began going after the Princesses and Elements of Harmony. Laughing Stock turned to his youngest son, “Ok Jester, that’s enough, you can stop now!” Jester gave a panicked shout, “I’m trying! I can’t control it!” Suddenly, laughter began to ring through the room, followed by a flash of light. When the light faded, everypony found that everything had been put back to normal. The tapestries were lifeless, the books were neatly stacked, and the paints and brushes were back in Doodlebug’s bag. Instead, Discord stood in their place. “Oh, that was absolutely wonderful! I give you two claws up, that was simply stupendous!” The Draconequus cheered, wrapping his paw around Jester, “I do have one itty bitty piece of criticism however. My dear boy, you’re trying too hard.” “Huh?!” The collective cry seemed to echo through the castle, and all eyes turned to give the Lord of Chaos a confused stare. He simply chuckled, “Exactly what I said, you’re trying too hard to control a magic that wasn’t really meant to be controlled in the first place. Don’t think, just do.” Silence fell over the room for a few short seconds, before it was broken by a sudden explosion of confetti. Startled, the ponies in the room turned to find Joker sitting with her eyes closed, purple smoke wafting from the edges. Slowly, she opened one eye, revealing a similar green glow and cat like pupil that Jester had earlier. A wide grin broke out on her face, “Hey, nothing exploded this time!” “And that’s just the beginning! You’ve done fairly well on your own, but you’ve only barely begun to scratch the surface of what your magic can do! I’d be more than happy to teach you … that is, as long as Princess Twilight approves.” “Wait … what?” The twins and their family demanded dumbly, not quite believing what they were hearing. The Draconequus turned to the Princess of Friendship, “Princess Twilight, I hereby request that I be allowed to take these two Pegasii under my wing, as Students of Chaos. I wish to help them learn all there is to know about Chaos, and how to use it in the name of Friendship, of course.” A muttered discussion broke out between Princess Twilight and the Elements of Harmony then, and the twins and their family waited with baited breath. Luna and Celestia simply sat and waited, as this was not their decision to make, and they were each lost in their own thoughts. It did not go unnoticed by either Joker or Jester that Celestia had not taken her eyes off of them through it all. For the most part her face was expressionless, but there was something underneath it. Something in her eyes looked unsettled, and there was a slight tension in her body, as though she expected the twins to attack at any moment. Finally, the discussion ended, and Twilight gave her answer, “… I will allow you to take these two on as your students only on two conditions. First, these two must stay in Ponyville, where these lessons will be taught. And secondly, they must check in with either me or one of the Elements of Harmony at the end of every week and give us a report on their progress. Do we have a deal?” The only answer she received was a vigorous head shake from the twins, who were so shocked they had forgotten how to speak. “Then it’s settled, as of this moment forward, Joker and Jester shall learn the ways of Chaos magic as Discord’s students.” A resounding cheer burst forth from the twins, echoing with the voices of their family members. Laughing Stock was so relieved, that he actually broke down crying, nearly crushing Discord in a thankful bear hug. Finally, things were looking up for his family.
Bonus chapter: Secrets of the PastDisclaimer: I do not own the show My Little Pony or any of its characters, all rights go to Hasbro. Joker, Jester, and the rest of their family are mine however, and cannot be used without my permission. Canterlot Castle- Night The soft clacking of Celestia’s hooves echoed through the eerily empty halls of Canterlot Castle. She expertly wove her way through the many halls of the castle, before coming to a halt in the entrance of the Hall of Murals. The hall was bathed in a rainbow of colors as the soft light of the full moon shown through the stain glass windows. It was a hauntingly beautiful sight, but one Celestia only appreciated briefly before continuing into the hall in search of one window in particular. When she found it she stopped, fixing it with a gaze of silent intensity. The mural she stood before told the story of the return of the Crystal Empire. It spoke of how the empire had reappeared after 1000 years, how the Crystal Heart had been returned to the empire, and how King Sombra had been vanquished once and for all. Perhaps there was a detail that she had missed before, something that would help to calm the storm raging in her mind. But, as the minutes passed, no answer came. The mural remained unchanged, and the thoughts in the Sun Princess’s head continued to churn uneasily. Suddenly, the deafening silence was broken, “… You have not stopped thinking of the young twin Pegasii since we left Ponyville, sister. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you so troubled.” Turning Princess Celestia found her younger sister Princess Luna approaching her. She watched as the Princess of the night took a place beside her, before returning her attention to the mural. Celestia sighed, “It’s been a long time since we’ve seen magic, or eyes, like that.” “Yes, the eyes of the Chaos worshipers. I had thought we had ended that bloodline over 1000 years ago.” Luna nodded, her voice and expression calm. “So had I, it appears we thought wrong.” Silence rang through the air once more, neither sister daring to break it until they had properly gathered their thoughts. It was Celestia who spoke first, “They’ve never been this strong before, at least not this young. We were barely able to defeat the last one, will we be strong enough to fight back when they go mad?” “If they go mad.” Luna gently corrected, turning to face her sister, “It is as you said, they are young, and now they are on the path of Friendship. Perhaps this time things will be different. We just need to give them a chance, Celestia.” Celestia fixed Luna with a grim expression, “Is that not the same thing we said about Sombra, before he banished an entire empire for 1000 years?” With that Celestia left without another word. As the sound of her hoofsteps began to fade, Luna spared one final glance to the Crystal Empire mural, before turning with a sigh. She prayed that this time things would end differently. For everypony’s sake.
