Laughing Jack

by brony laughsatme

Ball

It was my sixth birthday when my mommy just up and decided to move to Ponyville.

My stepdad had divorced her a year ago and she wanted to leave the memories behind or something, I don't know.

"Do you need help packing?!" My mommy, called through the house.

I was ignoring her. I refused to speak to her for the rest of my life, I told her so.

We were supposed to be packing but I didn't want to move. I never liked other ponies my age, so I really didn't

My mommy came in and started packing my stuff. I wasn't talking to her so I couldn't protest.

I instead went outside in our backyard and got my favorite ball, bouncing it a few times from my head to my back haunches.

I bounced it off my rump too hard, and it went a little too far. I turned around and it was laying beside the tree. I walked over slowly and was about to pick it up, when it popped.

I couldn't deal with it, my favorite ball had just popped out of nowhere. I felt tears in coming to my eyes and I started sobbing.

I heard what sounded like a happy chuckle. It was so happy but at the same time it was scary. But then a stallion walked out from behind the thin tree.

He was funny looking. He looked kinda like a clown. But he had a pointy black and white stripped cone nose, instead of a big red one. And his smile cheered me up. He had really sharp teeth that jutted out of his top lip the teeth were pure white. The smile seemed to be wanting to go on forever. It was a little scary, but I felt comfortable.

He held out a hoof as if ready to give me something. "Here take it," he said in a strange voice.

I looked at it, it was empty.

"Take what? Your hoof is empty mr," I said looking away and back to the wide open back door.

He started laughing very hard, almost like a crazy pony. "What do you mean?!" He paused for another insane bit of laughter. "I have your ball right here."

My head whipped back and sure enough he was holding a ball, but it wasn't mine.

"Oh I'm sorry mister but that isn't my ball," I said, gesturing to the completely back ball in his hoof.

His smile seemed to grow and he pushed the ball closer to me. "Call it a friendship present."

My face lit up, I never had a friend before. Mostly because I was a bit weird and never liked other ponies. But he was literally offering me a present and friendship.

"So you're moving," he said, giggling a little bit.

My face dropped, "yes, I don't want to though. I guess we can't be frie-"

I was cut off by him putting a hoof to my mouth and shushing me.

"We can still friends!! It just so happens, I'm moving to Ponyville too."

My face once again lit up and I looked up again with a new found joy. "Really?! Wow mister," I said cheerfully. He was chuckling to himself.

It seemed he was unable to go without some kind of laughter for ten seconds straight. It really cheered me up.

"Oh" he pause for another fit of maniacal sounding giggles, "you can call me Laughing Jack."

"Ok," I said growing a massive smile and beaming at him.

I heard my mommy calling my name and said my goodbyes. I ran to the door, but halfway there he called, "Hey?! Aren't you forgetting something?" He asked, gesturing to the little black ball.

"Oh right!" I yelled, I ran back to Laughing Jack and took the ball out of his hoof. I used my mouth to grab it. After it was safely in my maw, I tried to choke out a thank you. It sounded nothing like intended though but Laughing Jack just continued to smile at me.

I ran inside and left the back door open while I walked through it, mommy never shut that anyway when it was daytime.

I looked back at my new friend, he wasn't there. 'Oh well, I bet his mommy wanted him to pack too,' I thought to myself.

"Honey who were you talking too, Drake?" My mom asked.

I spat the ball out and kept it in place with a hoof. "Laughing Jack mommy," I said, completely forgetting my promise to her. I grabbed the ball in my maw again, bolting to my room to shove it in my toy box.

It had been a long carriage ride. We were going to a town called Ponyville. I liked my old house, I wanted to go back.

I did see someponies on the way, but none of them looked like Laughing Jack.

I started whining to my mom.

"Drake, honey, please stop. We're almost there."

"I want to go back home mommy!"

"We have a new home, Drake," she said.

"But mom," I whined.

"Drake, thats enough! I won't hear another word about this."

After that, I sat quietly in the carriage. I started tapping my hooves together but it did little to satisfy.

I stopped and looked around the carriage. I saw my bag of toys and hopped off the bench and landing on the carriage floor.

I trotted over to it and looked inside. The black ball was on top I pushed over the bag, watching my ball roll out.

I walked over to it and scooped it up with my hoof. I tossed it in the air and started bouncing it off my head. I kept this up, growing happier and more amused with each bounce.

But then, the trailer hit a bump and my head hit the ball to hard. I watched as it went out the open window, my heart slowly breaking at the sight.

My favorite toy left and time sped back to normal pace.

I had it, that was my limit. First my favorite home, now my ball... I started crying.