Laughter

by Diddgery

He hated being laughed at.

Sometimes he felt like he was born just to be laughed at. The way he looked, the way he sounded, the way he acted... even when it was entirely unintentional, they would still laugh at him. It didn't matter how many times they apologized or tried to be his friend. He knew the way they were. They just saw him as a joker, a clown, a jester. And they'd just laugh again, that same cruel laugh.

So he would try and make it seem like he wanted them to laugh. He'd ride around on a big ball and dress up in silly clothes. It's better when they're laughing with you, not at you, right? And that's what he tried. He tried his hardest to laugh with them at his foolish antics. He really, really tried. But things don't always work out the way you want them to.

Then there was the pink one. It was everyone's hero, this smiling little orb of happiness. And he hated it. He hated it just as much as he hated being laughed at. Why does the pink one get all of the recognition, all of the praise, all of the friends and gifts and happy memories? He even tried to become the pink one's friend once, a long time ago. And just like with everyone else, he was laughed at.

It was probably dumb luck that led him to learn about the comet. He never knew that such a thing existed. After all, a gigantic, mechanical, all-powerful, wish-granting space entity sounded entirely preposterous. But it did exist, and could help him. He could ask the comet for amazing abilities, even more powerful than those of the pink one. He could be a hero. And nobody would laugh at him anymore.

The only problem was getting to it. He couldn't do it alone, he knew that. But he didn't want to ask the pink one. He would have to get the pink one to find the comet by some other means, and then follow him. He needed a suitable diversion, a problem so large that it would force the pink one to seek an all-powerful and wish-granting space entity to put a stop to it. But he couldn't be the cause of the problem; otherwise the pink one would catch on. After all, how many times had the troublesome king gotten in trouble for his own actions?

His plan was simple. He had to sow the seeds of contempt and distrust in the two celestial beings that regulated the natural day-and-night cycle of the planet. It would be a long climb to reach their lair, and he would have to make two visits: once for the lunar being and once for the solar one. But it was worth it. He was willing to do anything to cease the laughter.

And lo and behold, his plan was set into motion! It was only a few days after his long and arduous climb that the news spread: the sun and the moon were fighting. Casually, he began to make remarks about the all-powerful and wish-granting comet. Surely, he said, such a being would be able to halt this fighting. But finding the comet was difficult...

Then the moment he had waited for. The pink one offered to find the comet and put an end to the fighting. He warned the pink one about how dangerous the journey would be, but the pink one took no notice. This brave little hero simply mounted a star and flew off into the cosmos.

He didn't want to, but he couldn't help it. A small giggle escaped his throat. Just a little chuckle. But it didn't take long to escalate into a cackle, and then culminated with shrieks of joy. He probably looked as though he had lost his mind, and chances are that he had. But he didn't care anymore.

It was finally his turn to laugh at the fool.