The New Timeline

by Jongoji245

Snow Day

Though technically morning, it was eight thirty when the rooster announced the sun’s rising. Cosgrove was still dead asleep; he didn’t hear the Applejack and Big Mac walking down the stairs.

THUNK!

Cosgrove remained asleep

THUNK!

His ear flicked to the second sound

THUNK!

Cosgrove slowly opened his eyes before looking at the window. Snowballs were being flung at it. He walked over and slid it open.

“Hey what are you-” A snowball hit Cosgrove on the snout. He looked down and saw Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, their bodies deep in snow.

“Cosgrove?" - Scootaloo cocked her head - "What are you doing in Apple Bloom’s house?”

“We got snowed in." - Cosgrove rubbed off the snow - "Shouldn’t we be getting ready for school?”

“It’s a snow day," - Sweetie Bell hopped happily up and down the deep snow - School’s canceled!”

The window next to his opened with Apple Bloom peeking out, rubbing her eyes as she took in the light.

“What’s going on?” Said Apple Bloom

Cosgrove waved a hoof at her friends below, “They said it’s a snow day.”

Apple Bloom's face beamed, “It’s a snow day?!”

“Yeah, we can get our cutie marks in making snow mares!” shouted Sweetie Belle

“Or sledding!” Said Scootaloo

“Or even-!”

“Apple Bloom, Cosgrove!" - Applejack shouted behind the doors - "Close the windows!!”

The two foals hastily shut the windows. Cosgrove can hear Apple Bloom trotting excitedly as she shuffled through her dressers. He unfolded the covers that protected the egg from last night. Placing his cheek on the egg, Cosgrove felt the warm surface. He left the egg uncovered to cool it off. When he opened the door, he jumped at the sudden appearance of Apple Bloom wearing winter clothes from head to hoof.

“You wanna to go crusading with me and the Crusaders on the playground even though you aren’t a Crusader?” Asks Apple Bloom while bobbing her tail up and down.

“Well, I did get my homework done last night…" - Cosgrove scraped the ground - "Okay.”

“Yee-!” - Apple Bloom reared on her back legs before noticing her guest jumped a little. Lowering herself back on all fours, she grinned. - “Sorry.”

“Heh, heh, that’s okay," - Said Cosgrove before proceeding down the stairs - “But I need to get home first, my grandparents are probably worried sick.”

He hopped down the last few steps when Applejack came into view

Cosgrove placed his hoof on the door, “Thank you all for last night.”

“Much obliged to you too, Cosgrove.” Said Applejack with a tip of her hat.

Cosgrove walked into the outside world, using the trails made by Big Mac to walk out of Sweet Apple Acres. All across town, ponies were sweeping snow off their front door while community service ponies plowed the streets from time to time. However, as such services haven’t reached the general area of his home, Cosgrove jumped up the snowy hill. At one point he starts to slip when Lion Tamer snatched him up by the mane with his teeth. The middle-aged Earth Pony carried him into the house before placing Cosgrove down on the couch.

“So, how was last night?” said Lion Tamer with a warm smile

"It was... Fun." - Cosgrove drew his head back - "You're not mad... Are you?"

The middle-aged stallion raised an eyebrow, "Now why would I be mad, Cosgrove?"

"I hardly remember seeing you as a baby, but Mom would tell me stories of how you would be freaked out if I did something weird."

Lion Tamer sat next to him, "You are still young, but this is better for you. All of us need to come out of our comfort zone, as you say from time to time. From what I hear, I say you have been doing well."

Lion Tamer looked at his

"So, what are your plans for the rest of your first snow day?"

"Well... Apple Bloom invited me to "crusade." Said Cosgrove, using two of his dewclaws to add quote marks.

Lion Tamer gave an uncertain look, then stepped aside.

"Have fun then, Cosgrove!"

As Cosgrove ran back outside, his grandfather looked from the open door.

"Ponyville will be a wonderful place to grow up." Lion Tamer finished before closing the door.

Cosgrove hopped a couple feet before sliding on his belly to the bottom. He retraced his steps to the school playground where he found most of his classmates making snow mares, throwing snowballs at each other, or sledding (it would be too cold/dangerous to use the equipment such as the jungle gym). He looked around before spot the Crusaders having a talk.

"Is it a good idea to have a colt be crusading with us?" Asked Sweetie Belle

"Yeah, we don't know what a colt would need to earn a cutie mark." Scootaloo continued.

"Come on y'all, it wouldn't hurt just this once." - Apple Bloom answered - "After all if you buck an apple for him, you feed him for a day. But if you teach him to buck a tree, you feed him for life."

"How does bucking a tree have to do with a cutie mark?" Said Cosgrove, surprising his host from last night.

"It's some moral Granny would say." - Apple Bloom answered before turning to the Unicorn and Pegasus - "Now, you know what to do."

The group of foals split up into groups of two, Sweetie and Scoots, Apple Bloom and Cosgrove.

Cosgrove turned to his partner, "So how does crusading work?"

"Well," - Apple Bloom began to walk - "what we do is try to find our special talent together so that at least one of us can find our cutie mark."

"What do we do?" Cosgrove asked when a cream-yellow hoof wrapped around him.

Apple Bloom waved her hoof at the groups of children around them, "What would you do?"

Cosgrove looked around and saw a few of his classmates lying on the ground and moving their arms and legs up and down. The colt sat on his haunches, laid back, and did the same, leaving an impression of a winged being. He went further by flapping his ears back and forth. He sat up before standing up straight. Apple Bloom looked at his creation.

"A snow angel within a snow angel." - Cosgrove chuckled before looking at his flank - "But no cutie mark."

"Here," - Apple Bloom walked passed him - "let me try."

Apple Bloom followed what he did, including flapping her ears. She got up and looks at her creation.

"Your angel has more wings than mine." Said Cosgrove, pointing to the impression her bow has left.

"But no cutie mark either." Apple bloom droops her head, including her bow as if they are a second pair of ears.

"Hey, we can get our cutie marks someday." Cosgrove reassured

"But I want it now..." The farm Pony mumbled.

Cosgrove thinks of what to do next. He spotted a pair of foals that went by the name Dinky and Indigo Blue making their second snow mare. Noticing that the snow sculpture was horizontal, it gave him an idea. He dashed away from the farm filly and began rolling up a snowball as big as himself. He then rolled the next ball around half that size. As the snow became dense, Cosgrove struggled to raise the ball on top of the larger one. Apple Bloom helped him push it to the top. Cosgrove rolled one last ball a 1/4th of the second ones size. He passed the ball to Apple Bloom and stood on his back legs, gaining a hold of the "waist." The young earth Pony balanced the ball on her head as she climbed onto his shoulders. Holding onto the snow sculptures "shoulders," Apple Bloom pushed the ball into the top before sliding off Cosgrove's back.

The other foals looked in awe at the vertical snow mare (if you could call it one) as the two creators looked at their flanks. Still no cutie mark, to their dismay. They walked together to Sweetie Belle, next to an igloo, and Scootaloo, holding a sled, also having frowns on their muzzles.

"You too?" Asked Sweetie Belle, with the redhead and purple back nodded in silence.

"That stinks!" - Scootaloo protested - I thought my sleek sledding moves would've gotten me a cutie mark for sure."

"Ah Ha! Aiding the enemy!" - Cosgrove and the Crusaders turned to a well designed snow fort, nay, a castle, towering over them. On the rampart were Rumble, Shady Daze, Button Mash, and Pipsqueak.

"We caught you red handed Cosgrove!" Shouted Pipsqueak.

"Hey!" - Sweetie Belle stepped forward - "Did you get your cutie marks making that?" Sweetie Belle asked.

The colt's in the fortress looked at each other in confusion.

"What?!" Shouted Button

"I said did you-"

"We can't hear you!" Shouted Button.

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo walked up to the fortress before the former laid on her back and raised her hind legs. Scootaloo buzzed her wings as she balanced on her friend before being launched to the height of the rampart.

"She's asking if... You guys got... Your Cutie Marks... Making this..." Said the deep red-orange Pegasus each time before descending to the soft matter.

The colt's gave each other a look at their flanks, then turned to Featherweight and Cogsworth as they shook their heads.

"Nope, we don't have them." Pip spoke in his normal tone

"What?" Their foes below shouted.

"I said we don't have our cutie marks!" Pip repeated himself

Apple Bloom's ears became erect as she thought of an idea, "Hey, why don't we make a fort ourselves!"

That idea rang into the Pip's ears.

"The enemy is conspiring against us!" - Pip hopped onto the railing - Open fire!"

Immediately the four Ponies began their assault on the enemy. On instinct, the Crusaders slid inside Sweetie Belle's igloo and blocked the entrance. Still exposed, Cosgrove ran to the back of the igloo, hunkering down to avoid being hit.

"They're holding themselves in their igloo, Captain Pip." confirmed Shady Daze

"Right-O! Just where we want them!" - Pipsqueak hopped to the back of the rampart - "Cogsworth! Send out the war machine!"

The gate to the snow castle slammed opened as the war machine (or Cogsworth himself) rolled itself out of the castle. Armed with an ice breaker and a miniature catapult, the machine appeared unstoppable.

"Load me up!" Shouted Cogsworth while holding the release string in his mouth.

Featherweight scooped up a snowball and loaded the catapult. The red earth Pony tugged at the string, releasing the miniature payload onto the igloo. The Crusaders scrambled around, trying to get an idea for a counterattack when a yellow hoof scraped into the igloo. Sweetie Belle peaked out and saw a darker green eye.

“Cosgrove," - Sweetie Belle chirped - "What’s the situation?”

“Well," - Cosgrove looked from the side - "there’s a war machine that’s going to flatten you.”

Scootaloo shoved the Unicorn away and peaked out the hole, “What’s it’s speed, fast or slow?”

“Uhm," - Cosgrove peaked as much as he could without being hit by a snowball - "medium," - he looks back into the hole - "make that fast.”

Apple Bloom shoved Scootaloo aside, “Cosgrove, this igloo can’t take punishment of that magnitude.”

“Hang on I got an idea!” Cosgrove ran up the hill and smooshed the vertical snowmare before rolling up a new ball.

“Prepare for extermination!” Shouted Cogsworth as he began to step forward in his mission to destroy the igloo.

As they continued their assault Rumble spotted something odd.

“Captain Pipsqueak! We have an unknown object heading our way!”

Pip took out a small telescope and looked up the top of the hill, spotting a massive snowball. The small pony lowered the spy glass.

“By George…” Said Pip, his beady eyes now even smaller.

Back to Cosgrove, he was pushing a snowball three times his own size. He nestled it at the edge of the hill before stepping to the right of the snowball panting. Cogsworth is now halfway to the igloo while Featherweight kept loading and launching snowballs. Cosgrove’s eyes noticed a little too late that gravity took hold of the snowball.

“No no! Not Now! Not NOW!” He screamed as the snowball began to pick up speed and further increase in size.

“Abandon base!" - Shouted Button Mash - "ABANDON BASE!”

“A captain goes down with his fort!” Shouted Pipsqueak before being Rumble snatched him in the air.

Cogsworth was just there when Featherweight flew out of the way and the Crusaders hauled tail out of their igloo.

“Hey! What about the game?!” Shouted Cogsworth before noticing the snowball heading right at him. He tried to turn as fast as he could but the snowball smashed through the igloo and caught him inside.

The snowball crashed into the fort with a massive snowy mushroom cloud. All that was left of the fort was mush. Cosgrove ran to the remains and began digging for Cogsworth as the other students gathered around. Cogsworth pulled himself out of the snow. The paralyzed pony turned to find his wheelchair busted up and dragging on his hind legs. He gave Cosgrove a glare.

“You!” - Cogsworth struggled on his forelimbs to get to Cosgrove - “Do you have any idea how much this costs?!”

The other ponies began mumbling, worrying Cosgrove.

“It- it was an accident," - Cosgrove answered, lending the Earth Pony his hoof - "I was only playing...”

“Well you did it too much you… Stupid... Zebra!”

Cosgrove drew his ears back at the insult.

“Well well, looks like our six legged classmate is a two legged one”

The class turned to find Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon walking towards Cosgrove.

“And we all owe our thanks to our new classmate!” Diamond Tiara continued as the two bullies circled around him.

“We knew from the get go Zebras are bad luck.” Silver Spoon added

“I’m not-” Cosgrove was interrupted

“Sure one was okay but two is too much.” Diamond added

“I’m-” Cosgrove was interrupted again

“Matter of fact, she would make a great mother!" Diamond began laughing

Apple Bloom ran up to Cosgrove, “Shut up Diamond Tiara!”

“I AM NOT A ZEBRA!!" - Cosgrove tore off the extensions and jutted his hooves at Diamond's face - LOOK!”

The other students were astonished at the look of their second newcomer. Silver Spoon raised her glasses to get a better look.

“Oh, well… I take back what I said.” - Diamond spoke in a sympathetic voice before walking away from him as Cosgrove lowered his hooves - “You’re not a Zebra, You’re a just a mutant blank flank!”

Cosgrove looked at her once again as the two bullies began to walk back up the hill. Pip looked at his larger friend before glaring at Diamond and Silver. The pinto colt hopped forward.

“At least he isn’t alone you pompous windbag!” He shouted.

The entire class gasped at that remark.

“He didn’t!” Said Boysenberry.

“He did.” added Indigo Blue

Diamond turned around with a scowl on her face.

“What did you say, midget?”

“You're a fat, pompous, bad tempered old tyrant!” Pip finished, added each emphasis with a little hop.

Diamond gritted her teeth when Cosgrove stood up next to the little pony.

“Where are your insults now?” Cosgrove's face tensed as he stood his ground.

From afar, Sunset was in a conversation with Cogsworth's mother, Pin Wheel, when she spotted the argument.

Diamond immediately charged towards them, “You two stupid-!”

Blue-Green sparks shot out before Diamond bumped herself to the larger orange object. Diamond looked up and found the glaring eyes of Sunset Shimmer. The filly tried to run away, but it took her sometime to notice she wasn’t moving closer to the hill before being levitated by her tail.

“Silver Spoon!” She cried out, but the gray filly was already over the hill. Diamond flailed her hooves as she was face to face with the Unicorn. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry!! I won’t do it again! Please don’t hurt me!!” She hysterically begged.

Sunset raised an eyebrow, causing the filly to shield her eyes for whatever punishment the adult pony had in store. When she open her eyes, the boorish earth pony found herself back on the snow. She looked up, finding Sunset’s glare still un-wavered. Diamond drooped her head as she slowly began her walk home. When she noticing the filly’s guard down, Sunset unraveled her scarf, rolled it and made a whip like motion. The crack made Diamond dash out into the horizon.

The students were about to cheer when Sunset turned her glare at Cosgrove, Pipsqueak, and Cogsworth before walking up to them.

“Are you alright?” She asked of them, receiving a nod in return.

“Cogsworth!” - Pip and Cosgrove turned around to see Pin Wheel galloping towards them - “What happened to your wheelchair?!”

“He broke it!” Said Cogsworth, pointing to Cosgrove.

His mother raised her head, “Is this true?”

“Yes" - Cosgrove stepped forward - "but it was accident, honest.”

She looked at him with an earnest face, then turned to her son.

“Well… You were due for a new model anyway.”

“I… was?” Said Cogsworth dumbfounded

“I tried to tell you," - Pin Wheel rolled her eyes - "but you were too panicky about your old one.”

Cogsworth looked at Cosgrove’s face in shame before he was lifted up onto his mother’s back and trotted off towards home.

Sunset placed a hoof on Cosgrove’s shoulder, gave him a smile before walking back towards the library. Rumble walked up to him.

“You didn’t tell her about calling you a… you know what?” the gray pegasus asked.

Cosgrove turned to him, "Better to not talk about it and cause anymore fuss."

...

A month has past since then, and eggs the foals have been protecting have hatched. Ms. Cheerilee brought the students to Fluttershy’s house. Each one pair having their own duckling.

“I am so proud of you, class!" - Cheerilee chirped - "All of you would be excellent parents.”

Well, to most at least. Diamond Tiara was happy that the ordeal was done with.

“All right class, see you on Monday!” Cheerilee said with a smile.

Cosgrove was walking along with the other colts.

“So Cosgrove, you up for a game of Super Smash Bros?” Button asked.

“You bet! Just let me drop off my bags at home.” Said the three toed pony as he began to increase his pace to his home

“Hey” - said Cogsworth, now with a blue wheelchair - “About that one time, I want to say…”

“It’s alright, buddy. I don’t know what I am, but that doesn’t worry me all that much. See you guys later!”

Cosgrove was almost to the door when he heard a strange sound. It appeared to sound like a woodwind instrument, coming from the edge of the Everfree. Knowing of the tales, Cosgrove kept to the few bushes around his family property. In a first person worms eye view, Cosgrove moved a bush and looked in astonishment at his discovery.

“Why hello…”