//------------------------------// // Bring a Monster to School Day // Story: The New Timeline // by Jongoji245 //------------------------------// The class sat in their desks writing down their notes. Cosgrove however occasionally sketched a well-done drawing in the sides of the notes, much to Rumble's amusement. The ending bell rang. "Okay class, remember that tomorrow is Bring your Pet to School Day. I look forward to seeing your pets." The students walked out of the school room, each one discussing the pet they would be bringing. "I am so happy I can bring my cat Joystick," Button's helicopter hat twirled faster - "she really needs to come out more." Said Button. "Maybe my ferret can give her the exercise," - added Rumble - "He loves chasing cats." "If he can jump across a table that is." - Cogsworth shuffled his saddle bags before looking at Cosgrove - "What pet are you bringing?" "Uhm, well..." "Maybe he should bring himself." Said Diamond Tiara, bringing the colt's to attention. "Yeah, he's his own pet." Silver Spoon continued Cogsworth gave the two bullies a death glare. Cosgove turned to the two fillies, "No, I have a pet! And it's better than your schmoopy foopy poodle!" The students gasped at the statement, their first one this new school year. Diamond Tiara furrowed her eyebrow. "Oh yeah, you freaky blank flank?" - Diamond stepped forward - "Prove it!" "Tomorrow!" - Cosgrove sized himself up - "And if my pet wins you have to give the entire class the most exquisite lunches for the rest of the week." Cosplay betted. The classmates cooed at that winning; Diamond and Silver do eat a rather mouth-watering meal for a school lunch. Diamond curled a smile, "And if I win, you have to perform your little tricks at my birthday party..." "Diamond, how is that supposed to-" Silver was silenced by a light lavender hoof. "Wearing a tutu!" Diamond finished. The class gasped again at the spoiled filly's bet. Cosgrove raised a hoof. "Challenge accepted!" Cosgrove raised his hoof, spat on it, and stretched it out. Diamond's disgusted face watched the dripping hoof, not noticing her adversary's increasing smug. The boorish filly swallowed up some courage and bashed her hoof on his. Cosgrove added more to the wound by twisting his hoof, disgusting Diamond even further with the slushing noises. Diamond removed her hoof and instinctively rubbed it on Silver Spoon, much to her disgust. The two foals of the opposite gender turned and walked away, their respective friends following. "Diamond, are you sure this was a good bet?" - Silver rubbed a handkerchief on the dirtied spot - "He seemed so-" "Silver, please," - Diamond scoffed - "what worthless pet could he possibly have? Cosgrove walked back to his house, deprived of snow for now. He found that the door was locked, presumably, as Lion Tamer and Loopty Hoop are at work. But Cosgrove wouldn't fret all that much. Even when retired, Circus Ponies would find ways to maintain their health. Walking to the tree behind his house, the colt gave a running start, climbing up the tree, swinging through the branches and vaulted himself at the window to the storage room. Cosgrove walked into his room, took out today's homework, and began to write. An hour later he finished his work and walks down to the basement with a trash bag and mini shovel at hand. He turned on the light as it illuminated a ground covered with pears. Cosplay began shoveling the partially eaten fruit. "Tomorrow is a big day for you." He said as a large object moved and covered the screen. The next day, the student body gathered 'round as they presented each other with their pets. Each student has as follows: Apple Bloom: Winona Sweetie Belle: Opalescence Scootaloo: A songbird Cosgrove: Rumble: A ferret Button Mash: Joystick the cat Cogsworth: A wind-up toy Shady Daze: a mouse Snips and Snails: a guinea pig Golden Caramel: a goldfish Dinky: A parakeet Indigo Blue: a Venus flytrap Boysenberry: a chinchilla Pipsqueak: an English bulldog Featherweight: a hamster Truffle Shuffle: a fat cat Twist: A gerbil Diamond Tiara: a poodle Silver Spoon: another cat that rivaled Opalescence. "Well, well, guess Cosgrove didn't want to show up." - Diamond laughed - Guess he was too chicken to-" "Too chicken to what?" The student body turned to see Cosgrove on a tricycle as he dragged a wagon containing a six-foot crate with labels "handle with care." "What kind of pet do you have?" Indigo asked as she tried to peep into a hole. "Is it a lion?" - Pip rose on his back legs, placing his front ones on the box - Your granddad is a lion tamer is he not?" "Oh, it's even better than a lion." Cosgrove as he hopped to the top of the crate with a crowbar in hoof. "My class, as former member of the Barn and Bailey Circus, allow me, to introduce... Schnookums!" As soon as Cosgrove pulled off the lid the class stopped their cheering. They have a right to. This was no ordinary pet. The being known as Schnookums was about as tall as an Appaloosan Bison. The body was laced in different shades of red, the brightest being the plates on his back and part of his tail. The only part that wasn't is a gray, bony mask that split open, revealing a head with brown eyes. The beast looked at the students before slowly opening its mouth, revealing the baleen on the upper jaw, and made a small bellow. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon screamed before the other classmates screamed. Cosplay looked in confusion as they scrambled away with their pets. Back in the main part of Ponyville, Rainbow Dash was pushing clouds back and forth to today's weather pattern. Hearing distant screaming, she turned around and found the students and animals running towards the town. "Stampede!!!" Rainbow Dash screamed The alerted inhabitants below turned to the sound of their children running to home. Upon hearing them scream out the word "Monster," the adults began to panic too. Sunset Shimmer rushed behind Applejack's market stand as the students ran past them. Taking out her lasso, the Farm Pony roped her sister over to her. "What is this talk about a monster?" "A big monster..." - Apple Bloom tried catching her breath - "over at the school!" Apple Bloom said catching her breath. "Cosgrove!" Sunset teleported over to the school. When she saw the beast, the Unicorn became astonished. Cosgrove was standing in front of the beast, who became alerted to the Unicorn's sudden appearance and acted accordingly, stopping just a yard from her. Schnookums gave a low threatening growl at the unicorn as she activated her magic. Sunset slowly walked closer to the beast, who gave her a second warning by upchucking his last meal to the ground. Ignoring the odor, he sealed his face then turned his body sideways as he swung his massive tail back and forth. Cosplay was now worried; a blow from his tail could wound her, and Sunset was one of Celestia's finest. The Unicorn mad a dash for the colt, prompting Schnookums to swing his tail forward. Sunset slid under the tail, and just when Schnookums swung to the other side, she casts a spell and sliced off a quarter of it. Schnookums howled in pain as Sunset reached Cosplay. "Are you alright?" Sunset quickly asked. "Yes, but-" Sunset became defensive again as Schnookums began to regain himself before Rainbow Dash crashed into the beast, sending him down to the ground. Before he could rise up again, Applejack lassoed Schnookums around the neck. In a huge arc, the beast flung AJ into the air, though the farmer was able to land on his back and pulled hard on the rope. "What are you waitin' for, Sunset!?" - Applejack struggled from being flung off - "Send him over to next week!" Applejack struggled as the beast tried to shake her off. Sunset lit up her horn and aimed her spell at the beast. Just when the magic concentrated at the tip- "Stop!!" Shouted Cosgrove in the spell's direction. At the last second, Sunset aimed her magic to the sky just as it fired a spelled. It trailed up to the sky before exploding, leaving a cloud of smoke. "Cosgrove what are you doing?" - Sunset stamped her hoof "Schnookums is my pet!" Cosgrove answered "Your pet!?" Holding the rope, Applejack hopped off the beast and stamped a stake deep into the ground. Thanks to the Apple Family Knot, Schnookums couldn't break free, no matter how hard he pulled. "Your pet... Is a Brobdingnag?" Asked Sunset while rubbing her temples. "For how long?" Cosgrove wondered just what a "Brobdingnag" is before nodding, "Just before the last Winter Wrap Up." "And your grandparents find this okay?" "Mmhm." Sunset looked at Applejack who then gave a look at a now slightly irritated Schnookums as he thumped what remained of his tail on the ground. "He's tellin' the truth." Answered Applejack as she crossed her arms. "This is incredible!" - The group of ponies turned to Twilight Sparkle and Spike approaching the beast - "For centuries we only had armor pieces." "Centuries?" - Cosgrove asked - "What do you mean?" "We thought that the Brobdingnag went extinct in the Chaos Extinction 5,000 years ago." - Sunset answered before eying the beast - "And only left very few fossils." "Oh, this is exciting!" - Twilight clapped her hooves - "Spike, jot this down." Spike took out a scroll and quill as Twilight happy walked away. "Dear Princess Celestia..." Sunset turned Cosgrove around, "But fossils don't lie: The biggest individual is estimated at 38 meters tall." Cosgrove gulped as Sunset began to walk out of the school grounds. "In the meantime, slugger," - Applejack handed Cosgrove the other part of the rope - "I suggest you bring him back home." Near the end of the day, Princess Celestia finished reading the letter. "Sister," - Luna asked - "This development worries me. If there was one, surely there are more." "Maybe so, Luna." - Celestia looked to the outside world - "But as we encounter larger problems, we could have an important ally."