The Tale of the Two Horned Pony- Chapter 5

[superspyro3000 31]

For context, this story takes place at the beginning of the 8th season of Friendship is Magic. I am posting this story chapter by chapter, so stay tuned for updates. Other than that, I hope

that this years in the making story brings as much joy for you as it does for me!

 

 

Chapter 5- DualCore’s New Home

    The following evening, Twilight Sparkle and her friends met up in the throne room of the Castle of Friendship. The trial for the Two Horned Pony did not go as anyone planned, but Twilight knew that if Princess Celestia gave anypony a chance, then she had to have seen something no one else could. “Alright… So Princess Celestia has given us a new task. We have to teach this double horned pony what friendship is all about…” Said Twilight uncomfortably. “She believes that we can do it, but we need a plan. After what he’s done, I don’t know what could happen next.” She sat at her chair and used her magic to create a makeshift model of the school of friendship. 
    Twilight Sparkle was so excited about having a school of her own. She was able to create a learning environment of her own for others to follow, but with the prospects of having to teach a pony like DualCore, her biggest dream was mixed in with a nightmare. She had not gotten over the big confrontation, but Fluttershy was especially shaken. She was staring out the window, watching a group of unicorns lifting an old house from the brambles. Her friends never saw her this upset before. Rainbow Dash muffled through her cast. Nobody understood what she was saying, but it sounded along the lines of “Count me out!” Rarity also spoke out, “How does Celestia think we can just reform him? We barely know who he is!” Applejack butted in too, “And he caused enough trouble already. How much would he take if we gave him an inch?” Pinkie Pie spoke next, “True, but what if deep down, he is actually not that bad? You know, maybe he is just in a shell, and we get to help crack him out of it?” 
    “Pinkie Pie, we are talking about THE two horned pony! This pony is rumored to bring about the end of all friendship! And his actions don’t help! I just have to know… What does Celestia see in him?” Twilight sat with her hooves to her head, fishing for anything that could explain what was going on. Everyone stared at her. “Where did you learn about that…?” Asked Rarity with a shaky voice. Twilight, who was wrapped up in her thoughts, looked up. “About what?” She asked. “About this pony being the ‘end of all friendship’.” Said Rarity more clearly. Twilight flushed. She never told her friends about the passage on two horned ponies, and this knowledge only caused more of a panic. “So is Princess Celestia really going crazy?” Asked Applejack. Rainbow Dash muffled through her cast in agreement. Twilight, for a brief moment, became defensive. “Don’t say that! Princess Celestia has always known what she was doing…” Twilight became more distant saying this. There was a tiny pocket of doubt that grew in the pit of her stomach. She knew Princess Celestia had a reason to give him a chance, but was this really the right choice?

“Alright then… Say this pony was not as bad as we thought…” said Applejack, getting Twilight’s attention. “If there was anyone who could help him learn what friendship is all about, who else could do it?” Rainbow Dash muffled again in disapproval, but Rarity interrupted. “I don’t think anyone would want to. After what he did, nobody would want to go near him.” “Yeah, and we may be the only ones to do it! If we have to, why not try our best?” Pinkie Pie tried to put a hoof around Twilight, but her neck brace got in the way, and she winced. 
Twilight was thinking it over, and it was not like this was never done before. Pinkie Pie thought the same thing. “Look at Discord. He was our enemy once, and then he was given a chance, and now he’s our friend!!” Twilight had to admit she had a point. “And Starlight Glimmer. She is our friend too, and she used to be our enemy!” This was also true, as Twilight could remember the time she tried to change Equestria’s timelines. Reluctantly, Applejack conceded. “Maybe we could try it out. After all, we are teachers now.” The thought of teaching DualCore still made her shutter, but the evidence was overwhelmingly on Pinkie Pie’s side. She was the only one willing to try it out, but this was not new. Pinkie Pie was always willing to make new friends, even if they’ve caused trouble before. 
Twilight sighed heavily. “Okay, okay… Here is the plan. We need to understand who he is, and what we can do for him. If we have to teach him, we need to start gathering what information we can get. It means we will have to spend time with him outside of classes, but if Princess Celestia has faith in him, then perhaps we can help him.” The plan was laid out, and Twilight and her friends came to an agreement… Everyone except Fluttershy. She continued to stare out at the old house. Twilight left her chair and joined her. “Fluttershy… are you alright?” She asked, trying not to sound too worried. “...I’m fine,” Said Fluttershy flatly. “I know you don’t want to do this, but maybe we are the right ponies for this task… We just have to try.” Nothing could change Fluttershy’s mind, but outside of leaving, there was nothing she could do. Without stirring from her spot, her ears drooped. “I’ll do it…” 
This was enough for Twilight to step away. “I’m not excited for this either, Fluttershy… But we can do this. I believe in you.” Twilight then looked over to all her friends. “I have faith in all of you! We can do this! This is our school! DualCore is just our newest student, and we will do what we can! Besides, this is an opportunity for us to learn about him. This may be the second pony in Equestrian history to have two horns! This is our chance to learn how he came to be, what he can do, and if he reforms, he won’t be any more trouble for us!” 

While Twilight Sparkle fought to find the silver lining in this situation, DualCore was left more confused than ever. He was sitting in Princess Celestia’s throne room, surrounded by her royal guards. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna watched over him with sharp gazes. Luna in particular was showing much more interest with her stare, which made DualCore a little uncomfortable, but the silence was broken by Princess Celestia. “DualCore, I am Princess Celestia, and this is my sister, Luna.” DualCore’s urge to say “Nice to meet you” was quickly burned away by the intimidating aura cast by the surrounding guards. “You are being moved to Ponyville tonight. There is a house that is available for you. It was recovered from your bramble attack, but I trust that you will refurbish it as you please.” Celestia’s unblinking glare also made DualCore uneasy, but he could not hold this back any longer. “Why are you doing this?” He asked timidly. “Because I know more about you than you think. And from my understanding, you have no friends. Banishing you or turning you to stone would do nothing but satiate an urge to punish. You have one chance to turn your life around. You will not be allowed to leave Ponyville, and you will be required to pass your courses in the School of Friendship.” 
“Okay… but what if they all just reject me? What if my teachers and those other students…” He trailed off. Thinking about this hurt, and trying to keep his composure, he hardened up before he could show vulnerability. Princess Luna looked to him with a touch more sympathy. “Thou doth naught to fear, young Twonicorn.” Said Luna with a voice more gentle than she is used to. “Ponies who hast done wrong are often given a chance to set things right here. Thou deserve a sporting chance.” Celestia nodded, her sharp look fading. “Yes, you will be able to redeem yourself, and I hope you use this chance to see what friendship is all about.” 
DualCore gaped at the two sisters with disbelief, but he chose not to argue. “Well, if I have to… I just don’t know if I will be able to… you know… make friends.” He admitted. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna smiled. “Did you know that my sister once had the same fear?” Asked Celestia. He could not remember who told him, but he could faintly remember the castle he raided. “So a battle did take place in that castle…” Celestia nodded. “Yes, and Princess Luna, who took the name Nightmare Moon, caused plenty of trouble for Ponyville too. You aren’t as different as you look. You can prove that by giving us a chance to help you. Of course, you can refuse, and I will go forward with banishing you, and you can live out your days in isolation.” 
DualCore weighed in the two options. It would be nice to get this over with and go back to living alone, but what if he could make a friend here? “What makes Ponyville different from Artax?” He asked suddenly. This question hung around Celestia’s mind for a short while, but she smiled. “Ponyville is far more diverse than Artax County. There are unicorns, Pegasus Ponies, earth ponies, and alicorns alike. Additionally, non-ponies are allowed to enroll in the School of Friendship too. You’ll be among dragons, yaks, changelings, and far more breeds.” After what felt like minutes, DualCore made up his mind. “Alright. I’ll go to this school.” It was settled. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna smiled. “Wonderful. Your first day of school starts in 3 days.  This will give you a chance to make yourself at home.” The two sisters bowed DualCore from their throne as Luna called out, “I wish thou luck, young Twonicorn!”

It was now midnight, and DualCore had been escorted by Celestia’s guards from Canterlot castle to Ponyville. The forest of briars that split the town in half was still standing tall over the village. The bridge between the town and the Everfree Forest was in shambles, and the houses in its path were still trapped above, almost too totaled to be salvaged. He could see that the wall of thorns went so far, it reached the castle he had just left. The pit of his stomach churned. A whole walkway was ravaged by the thorns, and a group of ponies were tearing it down as he walked past. He could not linger for long, for the royal guards had him chained. “KEEP MOVING!” barked one of the guards. Aside from the wall of brambles, Ponyville was much larger than Artax County, or at least from what he remembered. Many of these homes had multiple stories, and they had the same pink color scheme across each home. 
The guards eventually stopped at an old rickety shack far on the other side of the town. “Here’s your new home…” Said the guard holding DualCore’s chains. It looked like it was carried to another land by a twister. It turned out this house was the only one that was salvaged from the bramble forest. It had to be carried down by a group of unicorns, and then it was rooted back to the ground. DualCore said nothing, as he stared at this new home. It was bigger than his hut in the Everfree Forest, and it was also bigger than his childhood home in Artax. It had two stories, and a domed roof with stained glass. The house looked ancient, older than most of the houses in the distance. Without another word, the guards took their leave. DualCore realized something crucial that did not come to him earlier. What about his belongings? He ran to the guards as they flew off. “WAIT! WHAT ABOUT MY STUFF?” He yelled, but all this accomplished was making the neighbors far off look out their windows, wondering who was yelling so late. 

DualCore’s head hung low as he approached his new home. The stairway creaked loudly as he made each step, and he opened the door. The house had no living room. It had a kitchen combined with a dining room, a single hallway leading to the house’s only bathroom, and the second story. The floor of the second story was missing. Pieces of the floor had fallen to the hallway of the first story. This was obviously a problem, because the only bedroom in the house was on the other side of the second story. He climbed the stairs, which also made loud creaks with each step, and with a solid jump, he made it to his bedroom. The only good thing about this room was the stained glass from above made the room glow a beautiful blue color. Other than that, the room was empty, with the only piece of furniture being an old bed with its springs loose on one side, and a large paperweight on one of the legs. The closet held a pair of thin sheets and a pillow, but nothing else. DualCore was immediately regretting his choice of staying. How was he supposed to live here without his personal belongings? He did not have any of his books or his supplies, his room was mostly empty, and he assumed the cupboard in the kitchen was probably empty too. He was starting over from the absolute bottom. Not a coin to his name or two to rub together. With nowhere else to go, he slumped to his bed, and he stared out at the window. The curtains were open, and he could see more of his neighborhood in the distance. All of his deepest anxieties, his fear of being hated by everyone, his fear of possibly being bullied, and his powers no longer working, all ate at him until he couldn’t lie down. 
For as long as DualCore could remember, he used to use his magic as a way to keep the threats of the Everfree Forest away from him. Dating further, he could remember his last day in Artax County, but he still struggled to recollect his memories. This brain fog was as concerning as his new lack of powers, but without his magic, he had no way of protecting himself. His brain continued to paint countless worst case scenarios throughout the night. How he went to sleep, he did not know, but eventually he fell into an uneasy sleep. Far off into the Castle of Friendship, Twilight Sparkle was also stirring in her bed. Having a plan did not stop her from having anxiety over having DualCore as her newest student. She thought about the injuries her friends sustained. She thought about Fluttershy, and she thought about those last moments before DualCore could finish her off. All that reassured her was Princess Celestia was there for her, and if anything could go wrong, she was prepared. Twilight fluffed her pillow for the fourth time, turning her head on the coldest side and wrapped up in her blanket. “Princess Celestia believes in me,” she said to herself. “I can do this… I can teach him.” She kept saying this to herself, until she, too, drifted off. 
 

Edited July 17, 2023 by superspyro3000