Infinite Laughter

Knowing what was coming, seconds before Discord was sealed in stone by the two Princesses and Wielders of Harmony, Celestia and Luna, he released an unknown part of his chaos magics into the general pony populace, to continue and grow beyond his control. This chaos, purer than anything he had created before and could ever hope to create again, went off into the world and committed acts of pure chaos, and eventually bits of it got absorbed by a few ponies, one or two of whom possibly having been made by the chaos magic itself.

This story is about a few of those ponies who absorbed the power and magics of the chaos released by Discord, and their grand - or not so grand - adventures in the land of Equestria, learning to control and harness their new powers as they attempt to uphold the remaining happiness in a world shunning all things not in complete harmony. What these ponies do not realize, however, is that in the years that they suffered under the tyranny of Discord, they learned something new. They learned how to laugh. This scourge of chaos was the scourge of all the happiness they had learned, and while few ponies realized it, even fewer ponies wanted to keep it from happening.

We begin our story of infinite laughter at the Fillydelphia Central Insane Asylum, the home of one of a number of ponies wielding the Remnants of Chaos... (cue Ghoulish Guise)

The green earth pony snickers as he relaxes in an office labeled "Egregious Element, Psych.D."
This attempt is much more successful than that time in Hoofington. They still haven't caught on that I'm a fraud! Much less that I've been having...fun with the attendees!

He snickers some more, before catching the gaze of his mask on the wall and falling dead silent, staring at the mask with a mix of fear and reverence.
It's time to go. I've been here too long. They'll catch up; they always do...

His face twists into a smile, as a thought grows in his mind.
Just one last thing. Can't have them not learn from their mistakes, now can we?

He takes down the mask, his only real possession, and hides it beneath his lab coat. He takes a moment to get into character before heading into the hallway, intent on leaving the Fillydelphia Central Insane Asylum in an exit they won't soon forget...no matter how hard they try.

He starts a calm walk around the asylum, appearing to check in on everything, before coming to a standstill in the center of the common area.
Why on Equestria they built this place inside of a tree I have no idea.

He shouts so that everyone can hear him. "Excuse me! Excuse me. My name is Egregious Element, I'm a doctor here, and I've just been handed an urgent, and horrifying bulletin. Please! Stop what you are doing, and listen."
He waits until everyone or at least the majority look at him then goes to speak, but gags. He holds a hoof up, clears his throat, and tries again. He gags again, but this time a small flame spits out from his mouth and lights a small patch of ground in front of him on fire.
That'll work.

He makes a horrified face, and fire starts spewing from his mouth and hooves. He starts yelling as though in horrific pain and runs around rampantly, spreading the fire as much as he can.

Meta:

The asylum turns to chaos, as ponies try to put out fires, save the patients and get them out of the building, and some simply run for their own, selfish lives. Their first priority should be to save the patients. All of them. Even the one nopony seems to understand the reason for being commited, the unicorn with a jacket with strange symbols on it. The jacket that nopony knows can only be released when a certain string is caught on magical fire, and why should anypony ever set this pony's jacket on fire?

(cue Runeheart)

Runeheart wakes up to the smell of smoke, he sighs, then says: "This one is burning down already? A pity, they had such good service." Runeheart then concentrates for a few seconds and weakens the door and tries to smash it open with his magic.

What actually happened:

The door goes flying in multiple directions, the biggest chunk hitting the mare going around and releasing doors to individual rooms in the head, and you hear a sickening crack, both on impact and when she hits the ground.

Another, tiny splinter hits Ghoulish Guise in the back of the head, just large enough for him to notice, but not damage causing.

Runeheart starts laughing so hard he's rolling on the floor as he watches the piece hit the mare.

Ghoul suddenly freezes; his yelling cuts short and the fire stops spawning from him.
...laughter? Someone's...LAUGHING at this? And it's not me, right?...no...not currently.

He slowly turns around to see the red colt rolling on the floor. His eyes go wide and he walks over to the colt wordlessly. His mouth twitches and jumps quickly between a worried frown and a slight smile. After a moment he says, "What...are you doing? Why are you laughing?" His voice is much softer than what he used to announce earlier, and cracks at the end of each sentence.

Runeheart doesn't even slow down his laughter as he points to the mare with a gooey liquid puddle around her head.

A burning chunk of the ceiling of the asylum falls and narrowly misses both Ghoulish Guise and Runeheart, revealing a view of the second floor. All the smoke that was pooling on the first floor gets sucked up to the second floor, though it is still difficult to breathe.

By this point, most other ponies have left the building, and somepony is dragging the injured mare out.

Ghoul just stared at the pony, before slowly turning at what he's pointing at. His eyes go wide and he quickly pulls out his mask and puts it on.
He's insane!...well I am in the remains of an asylum after all.

The earth pony takes another step away the rolling colt.
Just back away slowly, maybe he won't follow.

Another step. He's clearly trembling.
But what if he follows? He's got magic! And insanity! And magic!

Then the ceiling falls. The masked pony yelps, before sprinting out of the asylum without a second glance behind him. He hides the mask again as he moves through the exit.
Need to hide! Somewhere dark! Somewhere with...alcohol!

Runeheart picks up one of the fallen pieces of the ceiling with levitation and smacks the pony dragging the injured one upside the head as hard as he can. He then casually strolls out of the building. Humming to himself.

What actually happened:

"Now where did that pony go?" Runeheart says to himself as he looks around for the fleeing earthpony.

As Ghoulish Guise is sprinting out of the asylum, a pony suddenly comes flying out of the bar across the street and knocks him down.

(cue Androgyny)

When Runeheart comes out of the asylum, which collapses behind him, he gets thrown to the ground by a pony falling out of the sky for no apparent reason.

(cue Mad Nopony)

"Aaaagh! Dang it! That's the fifth time I've been thrown out of there tonight. Thanks for breaking my fall, stranger. I hope I didn't break your bones."

The strange pony gets up. It is a blueish earth pony with a blonde mane. His/her build appears neither masculine nor feminine, and the facial structure is somewhere in between. It speaks with a voice that also seems caught between both genders.

"WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!" The incoming Pony declares as it falls... And it starts to giggle after the impact with another pony. "Oh... That brings back memories..."

Xel Unknown wrote:"WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!" The incoming Pony declares as it falls... And it starts to giggle after the impact with another pony. "Oh... That brings back memories..."

"Why hello! I'm runeheart! What's your name?" Runeheart says as him and the pony collapse in a heap.

Lapis-Lazily wrote:"Aaaagh! Dang it! That's the fifth time I've been thrown out of there tonight. Thanks for breaking my fall, stranger. I hope I didn't break your bones."

The strange pony gets up. It is a blueish earth pony with a blonde mane. His/her build appears neither masculine nor feminine, and the facial structure is somewhere in between. It speaks with a voice that also seems caught between both genders.

The hit pony just lays still.
Owwww. Maybe...maybe if I just lay here they'll move away?..what if they're hovering over me though? What if they're slowly lowering a tooth filled maw to swallow me whole?! WHAT IF THEY'RE TRYING TO PUT A TINY HAT ON ME?!

He very clearly opens an eye and meets the pony's gaze, before shutting it and continuing to play dead.
Okay, not trying to devour me. Might put a hat on me...let's wait it out.

Quietkal wrote:The hit pony just lays still.
Owwww. Maybe...maybe if I just lay here they'll move away?..what if they're hovering over me though? What if they're slowly lowering a tooth filled maw to swallow me whole?! WHAT IF THEY'RE TRYING TO PUT A TINY HAT ON ME?!

He very clearly opens an eye and meets the pony's gaze, before shutting it and continuing to play dead.
Okay, not trying to devour me. Might put a hat on me...let's wait it out.

"You know, fella, it's polite to greet someone back when they say hello. Did I say hello? Well, if I didn't, hello. My name is Androgyny. Now get up off the ground, I saw you open your eye."

Says a much more feminine voice. If Ghoulish opens his eyes, he will see a particularly beautiful white unicorn mare with a perfectly styled emerald mane and tail standing where the androgynous earth pony had been.

Lapis-Lazily wrote:"You know, fella, it's polite to greet someone back when they say hello. Did I say hello? Well, if I didn't, hello. My name is Androgyny. Now get up off the ground, I saw you open your eye."

Says a much more feminine voice. If Ghoulish opens his eyes, he will see a particularly beautiful white unicorn mare with a perfectly styled emerald mane and tail standing where the androgynous earth pony had been.

The earth pony slyly opens an eye, before donning a look of confusion and raising his head to look at the pony. He squeaks in a voice ill-fitting for him, "...hello....weren't you somepony else just a second ago?"

Clockeye wrote:"Why hello! I'm runeheart! What's your name?" Runeheart says as him and the pony collapse in a heap.

The Pony on reflex points to her collar... Then shakes her head and frowns for a moment "nonono... I'm not that mare... Please refer to me as That Mad Nopony... That's all I am..." Then shen britens up again. "So how are you doing? And where are we at this one moment in time? Did anything noteworthy happen within the past few weeks or so?"

Quietkal wrote:The earth pony slyly opens an eye, before donning a look of confusion and raising his head to look at the pony. He squeaks in a voice ill-fitting for him, "...hello....weren't you somepony else just a second ago?"

"Maybe I was, maybe I wasn't. Didn't you sound just a bit different a moment ago, dear?"

The mare gives a small devilish smile.

Lapis-Lazily wrote:"Maybe I was, maybe I wasn't. Didn't you sound just a bit different a moment ago, dear?"

The mare gives a small devilish smile.

Ghoulish mimics the smile, and stands up. "I didn't say anything before that, dear. Name's Egregious; it's pleasant to meet you. Besides the fact where you tackled me."
He turns back to look at the burning and collapsing asylum, before facing the mare-thing.
"We should probably continue this conversation away from that."

Xel Unknown wrote:

Clockeye wrote:"Why hello! I'm runeheart! What's your name?" Runeheart says as him and the pony collapse in a heap.

The Pony on reflex points to her collar... Then shakes her head and frowns for a moment "nonono... I'm not that mare... Please refer to me as That Mad Nopony... That's all I am..." Then shen britens up again. "So how are you doing? And where are we at this one moment in time? Did anything noteworthy happen within the past few weeks or so?"

"Well other than the spirit of chaos being defeated I have no idea! I just got out of my asylum, I was looking for one of the staff that ran away screaming when you fell on me, wanna go find him?" Runeheart asks expectantly.

"Oh lovely... That really happened... And I feared that might've been a new game he was playing on me..." Mad Nopony shudders at the thought, then smiles. "Oh looking for somepony else? Oh why not! Sounds like fun..."

Quietkal wrote:Ghoulish mimics the smile, and stands up. "I didn't say anything before that, dear. Name's Egregious; it's pleasant to meet you. Besides the fact where you tackled me."
He turns back to look at the burning and collapsing asylum, before facing the mare-thing.
"We should probably continue this conversation away from that."

"Somepony's in quite the hurry to get out of here. I wonder why that could be... no matter. I'll humor you. Lead away."

Androgyny gives a highly sarcastic bow.