//------------------------------// // Chapter 5: Proven Wrong // Story: Ballad of the Brobdingnag // by Jongoji245 //------------------------------// Back at the desolate Ponyville, the battle was growing very intense. The majority of the army was knocked out cold. Even when not at his full size, Schnookums was a force to be reckoned with. His wounds varied from the net marks from the failed operation to various burns caused by the ponies’ magic. Luna was in a much better condition than Schnookums, but she was starting to get exhausted. She constantly dodged building debris as Schnookums made his advances. Luna all of a sudden charged towards him and shot a string of magic at the Brobdingnag. He faltered a little before he saw the crushed ferris wheel slam at his collar. Schnookums crashed into a building and laid there for some time. Luna hovered over him. Is this it? Is it done? She waited for ten seconds, then exhaled and turned around. Suddenly Schnookums lunged out of the plaster and caught Luna’s left wing with it’s head armor. She screamed in pain as the Brobdingnag flung her side to side before flinging her into City Hall. The battered Alicorn laid in the rubble. Her wing clipped, there was no was she could escape now. Schnookums made his advances, shrugging off any weak spell Luna tried to cast him. He grabbed her and started to open his mouth. Luna started to activate her magic; if she cannot kill him from the outside, she most certainly could from the inside. However, Schnookums’ sense of hearing actually recovered over the battle and can hear the hum of magic. Schnookums closed his mouth and lifted Luna even higher to the air. Luna, accepting her fate, calmly closed her eyes. Just as Schnookums began the final blow, Luna’s “big help” arrived. A dragon suddenly latched it’s jaws onto Schnookums. Luna was released from the death grip into the hard floor. The question of why it came so late didn’t matter to her as she tried to stand up to no avail. The dragon continued to drag Schnookums across Ponyville. It unlatched it’s jaws, flinging Schnookums into the Carousel Boutique. After the dragon landed in front of him, Schnookums gave a bellow before being slapped in the face. Before he could respond, the dragon gave a double hammerfist to his back, crippling the Brobdingnag. As Schnookums laid there panting, the dragon walked over to the wounded Princess Luna. “Why do you come here,” -Luna eyed the giant reptile -Finish that thing!” The dragon looked back at Schnookums and then made a sneer. Unless the dragon is Spike, dragons are opportunistic mercenaries. The fire breather turned to the injured Brobdingnag. “Yes. First him…” the dragon turned back to Luna, Then you….” The dragon made it’s advance to Schnookums, who tried to get up. “Stay down!” the dragon roared as he kicked Schnookums onto his back. His cry of pain started to be heard for a long distance. Cosgrove slowly awoke to being inside a hut adorned with tribal masks and shelves containing several plants and pickled animals. He groaned a little as he felt a bandage wrapped around his head. He slowly turned his head to the sound of cooking to find a zebra working on a brew. Apple Bloom said she knew of a zebra, could this be what she was talking about? She turned her head around to see Cosgrove sitting up. “Thank all of Equestria’s sake you are awake.” Zecora greeted with a warm smile. “It was quite an endeavor for you to have been floating along the river.” Cosgrove cocked his head a little at how Zecora would rhyme, but if Apple Bloom was okay with that, so would he. He attempted to hop off the bed when the Zebra came up to him and placed her hoof on his bandaged chest. “You have suffered a lot in your chest. Please continue to rest.” Cosgrove laid back down on the bed as he heard a faint wail. “That sound is going about all day. It is no wonder you are determined, Cosplay.” said Zecora. Cosgrove sat back up at the mentioning of his nickname. “How do you…? “ He asked. “No need to feel silly, much was talked about you from a certain filly.” Zecora answered. Cosgrove scratched the back of his head, he wasn’t expecting to be that well known. Zecora came forth with a teacup in hoof. After receiving the teacup, Cosgrove smelled the fumes, he grimaced. “It is much more tasty than smelly. Please, have some tea.” Zecora said. Cosgrove took a brief sip. His eyes widened at how delicious the tea is and quickly, but respectfully drank the rest of the tea. But the loud wails of pain kept him from being happy. The striped colt stared down at the tea cup. “ I have heard of how Apple Bloom has told me of your gloom.” Zecora said. “I just don’t understand. The way everypony views Schnookums… its… its.” Cosgrove said. “Your friend would be truly alone if you too feared the unknown” Zecora answered, “I am certain that you were told by Apple Bloom, that I was once viewed as a being of doom.” Zecora continued, “Apple Bloom has put herself to the test and put this bitter fear to rest.” While Cosgrove hasn’t been told that much about Zecora, such a thought had him raise his ears. Cosgrove looked at Zecora again before looked at the direction of another painful wail. “He may not have much time now, but surely you have the means how.” Cosgrove frowned a little before he looked at Zecora’s shelf of potions. He walked up to them and fondled his chin. “Apple Bloom told me how she helped you cure her friends from the poison joke” -Cosgrove eyed the Zebra -“Have you ever cured a dragon?” Zecora exactly knew what Cosgrove had in mind. She grabbed a vile and walked up to her cauldron. “I do not have enough ingredients to make such a brew, but a similar potion I can do.” the zebra stated before putting the contents of the vile into the cauldron. Smoke immediately rose from the cauldron as she returned to the rack. A few moments have passed before Zecora opened the door to let out the smoke. She looked back as Schnookums dashed out. He had a saddle bag worth of potion bouncing on his back. “Go with speed and nothing shall impede!” Zecora shouted as Cosgrove continued to galloping. He raced up the steep hill a short distance away from Zecora’s hut. The Crusaders were just walking down a path by the Everfree Forest when Cosgrove jumped out of the bushes and continued galloping. As he continued to gallop, the forest became less dense until he finally made it to the Ponyville area. Alongside hearing the painful wails getting louder with each stride, Cosgrove also noticed a good ring of smoke covering the airspace of Ponyville. He climbed up a hill and saw the place his fellow ponies called a stomping grounds. Down the hill, what remained of the army laid in hospital beds. The doctors and nurses ran by each on to administer medications. One of the active guards looked to his left and sees Cosgrove running toward the camp. “Well what are you waiting for?” The soldier turned around and found Ironhoof in bandages right next to him. ”Make sure he doesn’t pass…” Ironhoof groaned, “Orders from Luna.” The unicorns that stayed at the camp lined up at the edge of Cosgrove’s direction. “Ready!” Cosgrove noticed the guards lining up. “Aim!” The unicorns lowered their horns, yet Cosgrove continued his charge, despite the world of hurt he going to be in. “Fi-!” Just as that order was issued a burst of light came between the colt and the soldiers. As the light faded away, Cosgrove lowered his foreleg and saw Princess Celestia along with the Mane Six. Celestia glared at her men. The soldiers, both of Luna’s and Celestia’s uniform, bowed down quickly. Applejack turned around, walked slowly up to Cosgrove, and hugged him in a tight embrace. Cosgrove started to tear as he returned an embrace. As they released each other they looked at Celestia who then raised up her right wing. Cosgrove walked up the alicorn and eyed the rest of the Mane Six walking up to him as well. The three toed colt then looked forward moved forward, increasing speed with each step as the Mane Six followed him. Back at the destroyed Ponyville, carnage resumes. Schnookums, now covered in nasty wounds, constantly tried to get up as the dragon kicked and punched him. At one point the dragon, more agitated than happy, grabbed Schnookums. “You are much tougher for one smaller than I,” the dragon craned its neck around, “But it matters not, you will perish. You and the one pony who called you enemy.” Schnookums then laid his head back. At the look of this, the dragon started to laugh. But that joy was short lived when Schnookums upchucked his last meal onto the dragon’s face, causing him to release Schnookums. As the dragon tried to clean his face, Schnookums charged up at him, slid, and delivered a heavy blow with his massive tail. The dragon was sent flying, not by wing power, into a corner of Ponyville. Schnookums looked at the direction of the fallen dragon before looking down to pant. Now he is wounded, tired, and now dehydrated. Princess Luna managed to struggle onto a rock while the dragon was beating the stuffing out of Schnookums. She looked down on the ground, thinking about her moments of regret as the ground shook. “I hardly make thee a meal.” Luna looked up, seeing Schnookums with his mouth agape. “Well what thou wait for?! End me!” Luna shouted. Schnookums did nothing, but close his mouth. He could just as well have eaten Luna as one last meal, but why doesn’t he? Luna wondered as the two continued to stare into each other. She has been in battles for a millennia, but there was one thing she noticed for the first time in her enemy. Schnookums’ eyes weren’t shown to be fierce, they were soft and calm. The alicorn now understood what Cosgrove meant and one that she was always blind too. Suddenly a fire ball smashed into Schnookums’ left side, causing him to topple over. Schnookums turned around to the source and, despite being dehydrated, attempted to upchuck again. But the dragon pounced on him with little effort. Schnookums was now too weak to get back up. The dragon raised his head back and just started lunging forth when he was struck by a purple stream of magic. Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash flew up to the dragon and began toying with him. Rarity and Spike arrived to Princess Luna with a first aid kit. Cosgrove, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy came up to the wounded brobdingnag. Applejack lifted his upper jaw and head armor as Cosgrove loaded up Pinkie’s party cannon with the potion. Though Schnookums didn’t see them, he did hear a soft voice saying, “Don’t worry Mr. Monster, you will be okay.” Suddenly a loud boom is heard. The dragon was continued to be toyed around by Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle. He would usually attempt to breath fire at one of the ponies before being pummeled by the other. However, the dragon wisened up and grabbed Twilight Sparkle and showed her before Rainbow Dash, preventing the pegasus from performing a Sonic Rainboom on the dragon. The dragon then grabbed the pegasus. The two mares were raised up to his face. “This is exactly why I hate ponies!” the dragon roared. Suddenly he spotted Fluttershy flying towards him. When she is at a close enough range, she performed “The Stare.” The dragon’s fierceness became fear itself as he started to cower away. However, when Twilight and Rainbow Dash were released, Fluttershy stopped staring and flew with them to a safe distance. “Fluttershy, why have you stopped?” Twilight Sparkle flew up to her. “Yeah, you could have scared him away!” Rainbow placed her hoofs to her sides “I didn’t want to stop either,” Fluttershy turned around, “but-.” A loud sound is heard in the fog. Then a series of thuds appeared, louder with each succession. As the dragon regained his senses, he squinted at the direction the sounds were coming from. Out of the smoke came Cosgrove, then Applejack and Pinkie Pie. The three winged ponies soon landed in front of the group when a massive foot landed to their left/Cosgrove’s right. Then another foot. All except Cosgrove looked up and saw Schnookums. Though Zecora’s potion didn’t heal his wounds fully, it was enough to regain his stamina. The dragon’s eye brows lowered as he bared his teeth. Schnookums then emitted a very long bellow at the dragon before beginning to walk. Rainbow Dash started to spread her wings when Applejack placed her hoof on the pegasus’ shoulder and shook her head. Suddenly Discord appeared right behind them. “My, my, Ponyville is in turmoil,” -the Dracaonequus snaked around the group - “And you put your faith in this one little colt with extra hooves” -Discord pinched Cosgrove’s cheeks but noticed the ponies not looking a bit worried. Discord smacked his lips, “If you need me, I will be in my room.” Right after, Discord disappeared in a flash of light. They look ahead to see Schnookums and the dragon push each other around. Despite being smaller than the dragon, Schnookums is actually putting up a much better fight this time. The dragon tried to push Schnookums away from him, even using his wings to grab the buildings, but it proved futile when the latter toppled the dragon over. Schnookums then began placing his foot on the dragon’s neck. Schnookums gave a very harsh look as he applied more weight to the dragon’s throat. When scratching the brobdingnag with his feet didn’t work, the dragon attempted to release the pressure by lifting the foot with his claws. He was able to do so enough to breath a small flame to Schnookums. The latter backer away, allowing the dragon to get up and fire another stream of flame. As the smoke cleared, the dragon began to smile, only to be disappointed when the brobdingnag was still standing with a very bad burn on his chest. The dragon attempted another stream of fire only for Schnookums to keep the dragon’s head from aiming at him. When the dragon ran out of breath, Schnookums grabbed him by the chest and threw him away. Princess Luna, now bandaged up, was held up by Rarity. As the two and Spike joined the rest of the group, Luna looked at the battle. Schnookums raised the dragon by the tail before slamming him down repeatedly. Luna’s vision soon started to fade as the battle continued, later becoming black.