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// Element of Laughter 
// Story: History of the Elements 
// by zombiepegasus226 
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The first element of laughter was a pegasus stallion named Pali. He was born in a gypsy caravan traveling around never staying in one place for more than a couple of weeks. Many of the ponies were from the three different tribes, mixed together to make up the caravan. With the different races of ponies they brought their own type of skills. The earth ponies made small simple charms and toys, while the unicorn’s brewed potions and other forms of remedies. The pegasi were entertainers using their flying skills to perform tricks. The Earth ponies and unicorns sold their wares to the town’s residents the pegasi had drawn over with their aerial acrobatics in the town square.  

But the pegasi weren't the only type of ponies who performed, a few earth ponies and unicorns had a few tricks and talents used to entertain others and earn money. Pali had showed interest in becoming an entertainer like his parents. He was being trained by them along with a few of the other pegasi in the caravan. Though he enjoyed watching his parents and others go through their routines, he was fascinated with the ponies who performed but couldn't fly. Pali would go over to the center of the camp after flying practice to watch the unicorns use their magic to juggle objects, and create optical allusions. It was interesting to see but the ones he liked to watch most was the earth ponies. Without the ability to fly or use magic they had different ways of performing.

Pali began going to the earth ponies learning how to play the lute, balance on a large ball walking up right to make it move or while doing a hoofstand. He began finding ways to incorporate a few things he learned into his aerial acts. Pali had been taught to play a few instruments but favored the lute, liking the way it sounded when played and had gotten good at it.  Pali was also known as a bit of a prankster playing jokes on the residents of the caravan.  Besides playing instruments and performing on the ground, and in the air he also liked doing a few comedic acts for the ponies in his caravan as well as for the town’s folk in the area they had chosen to stop at.

Once Pali had reached adulthood he had developed routines that would entertain the audience the most leading to a larger payment. On one of the caravan’s travels they stopped at a town nearly at the end of the earth ponies’ territory settling down ready to sell their wares while a few performers went out to attract the ponies in town and earn money. Usually the performers would go to the center of town where it was more crowded but the storm had the towns folk held up in buildings. Pali and the other entertainers spread out searching for inns and taverns.

He managed to find an inn where Clover the Clever and two of the other elements were staying. He began playing a few songs on his lute taking a few request when a group of pegasi entered the inn. After a while hostility between the earth ponies and pegasi edging toward a fight. Using a few of his comedic acts Pali worked to lighten the crowd and after a while all the ponies were laughing and drinking together. Seeing that a simple gypsy performer used his talent of making others laugh to eliminate a violent situation and bringing the ponies together showed that the pegasus was the perfect choice for the element of laughter.