The Tale of the Two Horned Pony- Chapter 7

[superspyro3000 33]

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 7- The Kindness Teacher

 

DualCore’s first class was Rarity’s. While the rest of the school body were mingling excitedly, DualCore retreated to the halls. A dread that has only recently overcome him in Celestia's throne room resurfaced. Alone, he hurried forward, looking for the matching class number on his schedule. In his mind, all he wanted to do was to get his classes over with. After a few minutes of roaming the halls helplessly, he eventually found Rarity’s class. Nobody was there, but DualCore did not want to bother anyone else. It was clear that anyone who recognized him knew he was only enrolled as a punishment for his attack. Relieved, he sat by himself at the front of the class. The seating was organized by name. 

It was not until a quarter of an hour later that Rarity made it to her classroom, peering at DualCore impatiently. She had not gotten over the mess from this morning either. “Class doesn’t start for another 15 minutes. You should go say hello to the other students here…” Suggested Rarity curtly. “And get interrogated? No thanks.” Said DualCore blankly as he looked at his class assignments again. Rarity really did not want him in her class, but his resolution stumped her. She sighed exasperatedly. “Well, if you intend to stay, do yourself a favor and jot down the notes on the board.” She commanded, pointing to the chalkboard. Dualcore stared at the board and back to his desk. “With… with what?” he asked tensely. Rarity made another exasperated groan, looking as though she could snap at any moment. “With your quill and ink! Do you not have those? Do you even have a notebook?” “I… I don’t.” Said DualCore nervously. She gaped for a moment. “You are hopeless… So you don’t have any supplies to get you started?” 

Rarity expected every pony to be prepared, but the fiasco she endured picking DualCore up from his house frustrated her so much that it did not occur to her that he would come to school without any supplies. “At the very least, you have two horns… Could you manifest what you need?” Asked Rarity, her blood now starting to boil. “No… My powers haven’t worked since… well, you know.” DualCore admitted tonelessly, still refusing to look her in the eyes. 

Without his magic, he had nothing to get him by on his own. While being powerless did not excuse him, Rarity's attitude noticably changed. “So you can’t use any of your magic? You’re powerless?” She asked curiously. “No. I have no magic.” He replied with his head down. He was now slumped to his desk, the classroom now starting to fill up, and as the seats were occupied one by one, he went silent. Rarity gave DualCore an odd look. He did not know what this meant, but the next second, magically dropped upon his desk were a quill, a bottle of ink, and a few notebooks. “Here... I’ll let it pass this one time. But you will need to get your supplies this week.” Said Rarity quietly as she went back to her desk. 

 

The bells rang, and Rarity closed the door and introduced herself to the class. “Welcome to my Generosity course. My name is Rarity, and I also run the Carousel Boutique here in Ponyville. Here, you shall develop skills that make you a more generous friend.” The students were given their syllabi, and DualCore skimmed over his as Rarity continued on. He read through the course work, and another wave of dread hit him. Many of these assignments involved interacting with his peers. He was trapped so deep in his thoughts that Rarity carried a ruler to his desk and tapped it to his desk to regain his attention. “Let’s start by introducing each other, so everyone by seating order, please share your name and an act of generosity you are most fond of. If you can’t think of one, that’s okay. We will give you some to remember by Friends and Family night.” Rarity was looking subtly at DualCore as she spoke about the introductions.

The roll call was a bit much, DualCore thought. What to say was racing in his head faster than he could keep up. He was not ready, but he had to say something. Beads of sweat dropped down his face the closer his turn came. Before he knew it, it was already his turn. He stood up, and everyone watched him, waiting for him to speak. He froze on the spot, and trying to clear his throat, he mumbled, “My name is DualCore. Rarity gave me this quill and notebook.” He quickly sat down, feeling like he had bench pressed the whole school. Sitting next to him was a hippogriff named Gallus. When he introduced himself, he kept looking over at DualCore, and when he sat back down, he leaned over and asked, “So, you’re the big, tough pony who fought the head mare?” DualCore, looking back at him as he compressed in his seat, replied in the same toneless voice, “Yeah… Why do you ask?” Gallus’s feathers flustered, but he looked away, regaining his composure. 

“Nothing. Just wanted to know. You must be pretty strong to put Rainbow Dash in a wheelchair…” “Ugh, this again?” DualCore thought. He knew he had her class tomorrow, but he was not ready to visit her. Nobody had to come here as a punishment like him. Gallus continued. “So Duo, you staying on campus?” Duo? DualCore raised an eyebrow. He never went by this name before. “Nah, I got a house on the other side of the world. What’s with calling me Duo?” Gallus laughed under his breath. “Well, it’s got a better ring than Dual-Core…” He said back a little too loudly, and Rarity, who had caught wind of their conversation, intervened. “You may talk when class is through. For now, you’re on my time. So please pay attention!” Commanded Rarity. They both went quiet. 

 

Rarity’s class was, on the whole, strange. It was more because DualCore had to deal with her prior to coming to the school, but he was still thinking about his new nickname. Duo… It was simple, but he liked it. With little time to think back about his first course, he read through the schedule. His next class was Pinkie Pie’s, the laughter teacher. DualCore continued skimming his class schedule until a massive cannon blocked his path. He wondered if he was in the right class at first. All that was in the room were the same desks and board, but also a huge cannon. This left him completely dumbfounded. What was this cannon doing in the class? Hoping there was no assigned seating, he made an effort to sit away from the blast zone, but it was too late. The seats were taken, except for one right in front of the cannon. When the bell rang, the door closed, and the fuse ignited. 

DualCore braced himself, hoping he did not have to face an attack, but what shot out of the cannon surprised the whole class. Pinkie Pie shot out, bouncing along the walls as the confetti landed dead center on his desk. Pinkie Pie stuck the landing in front of her’s, laughing from the spectacle she had displayed. The class was applauding and laughing with her, while DualCore shook the confetti out of his mane. “Welcome, welcome welcome, everypony! I’m Pinkie Pie and I’ll be your laughter teacher this year! You’ll learn what makes each other laugh, and how to apply laughter to a healthy friendship.” DualCore was not sure how he felt about Pinkie Pie. The cannon was flashy, but he was the only student who wasn’t laughing.

Like Rarity, there was a roll call, only this time, everyone introducing themselves had to share something that made them laugh recently. When it became DualCore’s turn, he stood, but he had to stop and think- When exactly was the last time he laughed? The gears in his constantly cranking head were spinning, but nothing was coming to mind for him, and Pinkie Pie, whose smile began to fix, asked politely, “Ohh, come on… You have to remember at least one time you laughed in your life.” DualCore kept trying to recall a moment where he laughed, but he could not remember at all. Maybe if he was allowed to share a time he was laughed at, there were plenty of memories of that, but he sat back down and, in a low voice, said, “I don’t think I’ve ever laughed.” 

Pinkie Pie walked up to DualCore with an inspecting stare. She was not smiling anymore. “Hmmm, perhaps you’ll remember this?” Said Pinkie Pie reassuringly. She grabbed a doctor’s bag and pulled out a stethoscope and nurse’s cap. “Wait, what are you gonna do with that?” Asked DualCore with a break in his voice. Pinkie Pie put the end of the stethoscope to his chest and read his heartbeat. “Mmmhm! You definitely have one… but it’s not happy.” She tossed the stethoscope back into her doctor’s bag, and DualCore’s mouth fell open when she took out a fishing rod from her bag. “How did you keep that in there??” He asked in bewilderment. “Every pony knows the cure for heartache is a good laugh!” The class was staring at DualCore. Pinkie Pie took the fishing rod, and began to tickle DualCore with it. It was almost like magic. DualCore had several booming laughs forced out of  him as Pinkie Pie playfully tickled him with the pole, until he was laughing so hard he fell from his desk. When she was finished she simply stuffed the rod back in the bag with as little force as it took to get it out, and the class roared with laughter once more. DualCore eventually got back up on his seat, his fur standing upright in places, still in fits of giggles. What was this pony’s power, he imagined. “And that is your first lesson. If you have a bad day, come see me, and you’ll get to try the tickle stick!” Said Pinkie Pie with her usual smile. 

 

By the time Pinkie Pie’s class ended, she placed a sheet of paper showing the names of all the ponies and non-ponies in her 2nd period class, their seat placements, and what made them laugh, on the wall. Everyone came up to read it and they left in fits of laughter, and the reason hit DualCore as he saw it for himself. His name was written out, but to the right, Pinkie Pie wrote “Twosies- loves being tickled”. He was the only one in his class to have a nickname written down. “The nicknames are for the ponies that I feel need the most laughter.” Said Pinkie Pie from DualCore’s right side. “I’m sorry you haven’t laughed for so long, Twosies. I will be keeping an eye on you, and I’ll make sure you have at least one laugh every day.” When she trotted off to her desk to prepare her next class, she gave Duo one last smile before he left. In only two class periods, he already received two nicknames, and anyone who did approach him only wanted to confirm whether he really unleashed a giant bramble, or struck down the head mare. 

Lunch break had begun by this point in the day, and rather than sit at the tables- They were already filled with other students- DualCore decided to take his lunch, quickly ate it down to the tray, and went back to the hallways. With everyone sitting in the dining hall, this gave him his first chance to breathe as he explored the corridors, looking into every class. This was a rather large school, so big that there were classes going on while he looked around. He was minding his own business until he crashed into something that scared him pale. DualCore was face to face with himself. Too scared to speak let alone move, he gaped at himself, and his doppelganger turned tail and ran off. What was that all about, he pondered. Was the school haunted? It couldn’t have been if it just opened, but the pony who looked just like DualCore changed back to her normal form when she retreated back to the dining hall. It was a changeling. She sat with a group of students that were in both of his last two classes as he continued trekking the hallway. 

DualCore only had two more classes before the school was dismissed for the day. There was Fluttershy’s Kindness class, and then he had to report to the Head Mare’s office. He had two more classes tomorrow, followed by another visit to the Head Mare’s office. The only thing he heard about Fluttershy was that she was very soft spoken, polite, and had the sweetest friends to help her. If this was her reputation on the very first day, then this was a class he sort of looked forward to. The nicest pony DualCore could imagine was Pinkie Pie, and she shot herself out of a cannon aimed at his seat. He was the first to her classroom, and he sat at a random seat. The trouble was he was not the only pony in the room. “Get out.” said a sharp, but quiet voice. It was Fluttershy. Her lips tightened as she glared down at DualCore, who was ruffled by the abrupt hostility. “Why?” Said DualCore with a befuddled noise. “I thought we were allowed to stay a few minutes early. Rarity said-” “Rarity can make the rules in her class, but you’re in mine. Get out!” Said Fluttershy with a sneer. DualCore and Fluttershy locked eyes, and his temper began to falter. “Fine, I just realized I’m in the wrong class. I’ll go look for my Kindness teacher, since she clearly isn’t here!” DualCore picked up his notebook and quill, storming from the room. Fluttershy slammed her door. 

The bell rang a few minutes later, and DualCore, who was sitting by Fluttershy’s door, was fuming. He had to remind himself why he was here to calm down. He did attack Ponyville, and he was expecting more ponies to meet him with this same fiery energy. Compared to Rarity, who at the very least obliged to help him when he needed it, Fluttershy was not going to show any patience to him. Lunch period was ending, and the door to the classroom was gradually being loaded by other students, but DualCore was still face to face with a closed door. Fluttershy refused to open it until the entire class was waiting. Even then, DualCore waited outside, listening in to the conversations passed along. “Wonder what Fluttershy will have planned for us.” Said one colt to the unicorn behind him. “Yeah, the first period class got to see a bear!” Said that unicorn. “Phht, so that’s what she does? She has a bear that eats the misbehaving ponies?” DualCore mumbled to himself. 5 minutes past the bell, and the group of students were still at the door. It was not until DualCore stepped away when Fluttershy finally introduced herself to the class. “Um… S-sorry for the long wait. I had to… um… I had to have a small meeting with my little friends.” Sure enough, a group of small animals, one of them being a pouting rabbit, congregated on her desk. Fluttershy’s entire aspect changed on a dime. She was particularly soft spoken, but DualCore did not trust her attitude. Looking around, he noticed the seats were assigned here too. DualCore’s seat was at the very back corner, and his desk looked more worn than the others. Glaring solemly, he took his seat. 

“Um… hi. Welcome to my Kindness class… I’m your teacher… Um, my name is Fluttershy. Here, you will learn how to show those around you that you care, whether you are friends... or not.” She was more resolute near the end, leering at DualCore without a trace of subtlety. Her animal friends remained at her desk, quietly cheering her on. “I would like every pony and non-pony to introduce themselves to the class, so we can all get to know you.” “Not again…” DualCore mumbled under his breath, but halfway, he was met with another sharp glare from Fluttershy. Each student introduced themselves as normal, but when DualCore stood up, he was cut off by the next student in the next row. Fluttershy skipped him. Okay, maybe he was going to be last, so he sat back down. By the time the last student gave their name, DualCore stood, and just as the class looked at him, he was cut off again by a harsh voice. “Sit down!” Said Fluttershy in an uncharacteristically shrill tone. “Hold on, I’m in this class too! Why can’t I introduce myself?” Asked DualCore brashly. “Everypony already knows who you are! Now sit down!” Said Fluttershy quickly after. 

The entire time in Fluttershy’s class was like this. DualCore was treated like he did not belong there. The rest of the class noticed immediately. Whatever DualCore had done to Fluttershy, they all thought, must have been particularly heinous. Gallus and Sandbar were also in the class. The only students who went out of their way to talk to him were suddenly ignoring him, looking genuinely afraid and upset. Fluttershy would talk in the sweet, small demeanor with her other students, but hardened to stone the moment she had to address DualCore. Fluttershy hated him. This was clear enough to the class, and for some of them, that was enough to avoid DualCore altogether. Gallus and Sandbar avoided him completely from this point forward. He was now starting to regret choosing to come to this school. He could not rub off the feeling he deserved it, but why was Fluttershy so cold and unjust to him when his other teachers haven't been as upset as she was? when the bell rang, the class made their leave, giving DualCore a wider birth than before. As soon as he tried to leave, Fluttershy stopped him, sneering again. "I don't know what act you performed to get Princess Celestia to put you here, but I don't believe it! You can fool my friends, but you won't fool me!" DualCore was ready to leave, but to be held back like this chipped away at what was left of his self control. He held his tongue, the blood rushing to his head at a rapid pace. Fluttershy kept the door blocked, staring at him as the clock ticked. 2 minutes were left before he was late for his last class, and Fluttershy finally moved away from the door. With no time to retort, he bolted.

His final class was listed as “see Head Mare’s office". This was a long way from Fluttershy's class, so he sprinted frantically. He made more of an effort to hide from the other students as he ran, but nearly everyone was already in their next class by now. He found the office at the last second before the bell, and out at her desk was Twilight Sparkle. This was the first time since the battle between them that DualCore was face to face with her. “Please sit down.” She summoned a tiny stool for him to sit on, which scooped him up, and before he knew it, he was sitting in front of Twilight. “Princess Celestia asked me to help teach you the magic of Friendship. Here, you will be given additional time to complete your assignments, you will be able to talk to me if you have any questions or problems, and I will be giving you additional assignments outside of the established curriculum to help you become more acquainted with Ponyville. Do you have any questions, DualCore?” 

“One... When do we get out of here?” He asked breathlessly, looking out the window. “In an hour and a half…” Said Twilight as she eyed him over. DualCore’s ears drooped, and he was avoiding eye contact. “You haven’t had a good first day, have you?” At first, he kept to himself, but shaking his head, he burst out, “This place is mad!! My Generosity teacher attacked me from my bed and dropped me down the stairs! My laughter teacher aimed a cannon at me and shot herself out of it! There is something lurking in these hallways that looks just like me, and my Kindness teacher is a total witch!” DualCore unloaded his day on Twilight like emptying a heavy sack of sand. “I... " Twilight stammered, trying to sound comforting, but it wasn't working. "You’re here because Princess Celestia requires you to as a condition of your bond. There is nothing I can do about that.” The two of them sat in silence for a minute before she continued. 

“I have to make sure you are performing well in your courses, but I'm sorry that your first day has been rough...” After the day DualCore had, he was ready to go back home. He continued to look down, sighing heavily. “Look, I don’t know if I can do this. Making friends never came easy for me. When anypony did try speaking to me, it was all questions about that stupid fight, or that bramble!’” Twilight looked awkwardly at DualCore as he closed his eyes. “That is why you need to be here…” She said back gently. “Making friends isn’t easy, but if you don’t learn, you’ll never work up the courage to try. As for… what got you here, we will work that out as we go along the semester. You are not the only pony that's reformed with my help. Starlight Glimmer hated me so much, she traveled through time to separate me from my friends!”

“Wait, WHAT? Hold on, she traveled in time? Like, she just went to the past and changed things around?? You can do that??” DualCore looked up at Twilight for the first time. He had never heard of such magic before. “Yes, she did, but she reformed, and now she works at this school. She was my first student.” Said Twilight, now beginning to smile. DualCore could not help but notice the smile seemed forced, but it was more of a smile than he could work up. “So you taught her what you knew, and she is working here as a result?” He asked with more interest. “Yes, and I will do what I have to in order to help you…” Twilight was trailing off as she said this. While Duo appreciated the dedication, the last face he saw before blacking out came back to haunt him. It was Twilight’s, her face streaming with tears as he was moments away from finishing her off with a magical blast strong enough to snuff out the light of day. “....But you’re also scared.” He said in a low rumble. Twilight’s warm demeanor shattered. “Scared? Why would you say that?” She asked as a chill struck her. “Because I hurt you. You’re afraid I’ll turn on you and do it again…” DualCore stood, looking away to try and get the vision out of his mind. Twilight was not talking anymore. She was now looking at DualCore, unsure where this was going to go, but DualCore broke this short silence. 

“I made a promise to Princess Celestia. She offered me this chance. I guess she wants me to go through with it because she is supporting me... She even sent food to the house I'm staying in.” He said, still looking away. Twilight was still feeling tense, but she eased up upon hearing about how Celestia was handling the situation. “Heh, that sounds like her. She gives every pony a fair chance.” She said back as DualCore walked to the window, staring outside. “I can’t change the past. Even if I had my magic, I never learned time travel- I didn’t even know that was a thing! But…” He lost his focus for a moment. “Yes, DualCore?” Asked Twilight. “Nothing. Just know that if you can stop a time traveler, then I could learn something from you.” His voice warmed up, and he was now breathing more steadily. “I’ll stick to it, but I’m going to need a lot of help… My home in Artax County was horrible, but maybe Ponyville is better.” Twilight relaxed, and with her first real smile, she said back to him, “Ponyville is a great place to start. I even made my start here.” 

The period ended with DualCore and Twilight seeing a little more eye to eye than he expected. The end of school bells rang, and before DualCore was bowed out of Twilight’s office he asked, “Before I go, I gotta ask... What’s with the Kindness teacher? What does that two-faced bat have against me?” “DualCore! We don't call names in this school… And Fluttershy, well… She has not been herself lately. I was afraid she was going to give you a hard time.” Said Twilight as her ears fell. “I’ll have a word with her.” 

DualCore was halfway across the stone path out of the School when Rarity teleported in front of him. DualCore was scared so violently he yelped and fell into the water. Coughing and spluttering, and dripping wet, his voice cracked confronting Rarity. “What’d you jump me for?? Another bath?!” Said DualCore, shaking off the water like a dog. “I’m escorting you back home. I figured you would like a trip back…” Replied Rarity, helping DualCore out of the water. She tried not to get her teaching dress wet in the process, but this was in vain as she was as soaked as he was. “So I saw you and Gallus became friends in my class?” Dualcore's ears drooped again. “No.” He said so firmly that she forgot about her dress. “What?? What happened?” She asked suddenly. “The Kindness teacher is what happened! She treated me like dirt for the entire class and it scared everyone off!” Rarity caught herself trailing far behind DualCore as he walked off without another look. “Fluttershy? It isn’t like her to treat others like that…” she said catching her breath. “I think it is. Twilight says she has been out of it since my attack.” Rarity had to admit she was not wrong. Fluttershy was distant from everyone else lately. Even to her closest friends, she was not herself. 

“I wouldn’t worry about her. I'll take care of Fluttershy later today. What I would worry about is your living quarters.” Said Rarity, trying to change the subject. “Hm? But I already have living quarters. Why do I need to worry?” Said DualCore. “I mean you need to worry about cleaning your living quarters. I will be brutally honest with you. What I saw was horrific! And the fact that you stayed there for three days and didn’t do so much as bathe… Why did you let yourself get this way?” DualCore couldn’t answer this question. He flushed again, and without looking back at Rarity, he took a breath. “Because I’ve been through a lot… It’s hard to adjust, and I haven’t really coped with staying here. I’m sorry for what you had to go through. The truth is I ran away from my home when I was a young foal, and I never looked back. Stayed in that forest ever since.” Rarity kept up with DualCore as they walked along the marketplace. Several ponies stared at DualCore’s horns as they walked by. “Even so, you need to take care of yourself. I won’t tolerate excuses not to do that. Starting today, you will be taking care of yourself, beginning with your house.” Rarity took a turn at one of the shops as DualCore, who was awkwardly getting around the ponies staring at him, ran inside with her. 

Rarity left the shop with cleaning supplies, and she offered to help him clean his house if it meant he would keep it that way. For somepony who DualCore thought wanted nothing to do with him, he was surprised by how far she was willing to go to help him. As the two continued the journey to his house, DualCore looked back on his day as a whole. As bad as it was, he felt that surviving it was an achievement. Now that he knew what to expect, he felt more like he could somehow finish his courses. The only roadblock was Fluttershy. She was going to be the most difficult pony to deal with, so DualCore decided his energy was going to be put on her.

Quick writer's note. I want to apologize for this taking so long to write. This is a longer chapter than the others, so I hope that makes up for the long wait. Chapter 8 was already started, but I'm only now returning to it. Hurricane Helene knocked out my power and my internet for a few days, so I'm just glad I have a means to get more of my story finished!

 

Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys it, and there will be more to come!

Edited October 6 by superspyro3000