Friendship in Chaos

Disclaimer: 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.