My Cousin Apple Storm
Part 2: The Emissaries from Cloudsdale
by Neoraichu
This story takes place after the events of 'The Saga of the Great Kingdom'.
...
Applejack, Apple Bloom, Apple Storm, Big Macintosh, and Rainbow Dash sat at the picnic table enjoying their apple lunch. There was several bottles of sparkling Apple Juice, as well as plates loaded with hot and fresh Apple Casserole, Apple Dumplings, Apple Fritters, and of course, Apple Surprise.
Apple Storm was busy plowing through a plate of Apple Dumplings while Applejack just sipped her sparkling Apple Juice and stared at her voracious cousin.
"So Dash," asked Applejack, "Y'all enjoying your juice?"
"Yes," replied Dash, "It's most refreshing." =sip sip= "Wow, do you normally eat this much?"
"Oh no," replied Applejack, "not afore Cousin Apple Storm showed up. Those Asgardians just eats so much. Gives my brother Macintosh a run fer his money every day."
"I'm sorry Cousin. Asgardians just live hard and eat harder."
"It's all right," said Applejack, "Y'all does enough work to justify us keepin y'all around. It ain't like feeding another Big Brother is gonna make us go to the poor farm."
"Thanks Cousin, you're the best."
"Aw shucks, y'all just sez the weirdest things."
Everypony giggled.
Dash raised her hoof over her eyes, squinting at something at the edge of the horizon.
"What is it?" asked Applejack.
"There's some Pegasi flying this way," she said, "and I think its some big-shots from Cloudsdale in person."
"So they finally come in person, has they?" mused Applejack, "It's about time they all got neighborly with us n'all."
"There's a lot of them," said Dash nervously, "I hope they aren't here to make trouble."
"I ain't worried none," replied Applejack as she watched where Dash was looking. She could see a few specks on the skyline, but they just seemed to multiple as she watched them coming in. A few turned into several, than a dozen, then two dozen, and then three dozen. It was soon apparent that a small army was coming down to Sweet Apple Acres.
"Great horny toads," gasp Applejack.
Pegasi of every stripe, size and description were soon landing all around them and their little picnic. Dash and the Apples just looked in all directions, threatening to give themselves whiplash from twisting their heads around so far and so fast.
"They all don't seem that neighborly to me," said Big Macintosh evenly.
The larger and more official looking Pegasi pushed forward as they escorted a smaller and more elderly Pegasus mare in their midst.
Her body was a light pastel blue, with white and gray striped hair, mane and tail. Steel gray eyes stared at them will a cold and chilling gaze. She had her hair, mane and tail all bundled tightly against her, and she wore a large pair of bifocals over her nose and just under her eyes.
"Greetings from Cloudsdale," she said evenly, "My name is Lady Overwatch. I'm in charge of the Weather Bureau, and I've come to speak to you in person. Apparently Rainbow Dash has not been able to settle this issue to our satisfaction upon her own, and the intervention of a more senior staff member is in order." She glanced at Rainbow Dash as if she were disappointed, causing Dash to shrink away as she sipped her sparkling juice.
"So y'all think ya can just mosey on in here with a buncha your boys and intimidates us?" replied Applejack with more than just a touch of confrontation in her voice.
"I assure you that we're not here to intimidate anyone," replied Lady Overwatch.
"Well y'all is too late fer lunch," mused Big Macintosh, with Apple Storm belching for effect.
"Lunch is not required either," she assured the Apples.
"Well as the eldest member of the Apple Family so assembled," said Big Macintosh with a steady and unfazed voice, "Then y'all is just gonna have to talks to me. The name is Big Macintosh, you majesty."
"I'm flattered," said Lady Overwatch, "but I'm neither a judge nor Royal. The 'Lady' part is an honorific. Please just call me Overwatch."
Big Macintosh just nodded respectfully to her.
"So I'm sure that y'all came all this way fer something other than a friendly visit, so why don't we jus get down to the meat and potatoes, shall we?"
"You are quite perceptive, Mister Macintosh. We do have a matter to discus with you about the..." One of the largest Pegasi unrolled a scroll as she glanced at it. "About the Minor Thunder Goddess that we've heard so much about. I believe the Princess has named her 'Apple Storm Thordota' by her Royal Decree."
"Eyup," he replied, "an she's a right and proper member of the Apple Clan also by Royal Decree."
"Which is why I fear I must exert my authority of the Weather Bureau to place her under protective custody on behalf of all of Ponyville."
"So y'all wants to toss her in the slammer, eh?" said Big Macintosh defensively, "That all just don't sound very neighborly to me."
"You can't do that anyway," added Applejack, "Cousin Apple Storm gots her authority directly from Princess Celestia herself, an she's the only one who can arrests her fer anything."
"I don't require any authorization from the Princess in this matter. Now we can do this nice and quiet, or we can drag her off in chains. It's your decision."
"Now I really don't like your tone," scowled Big Macintosh, "Ain't nobody disrespects a member of the Apple Clan while I'm around." He emphasized his point by smacking one hoof into the other, making a loud 'clack' as hoof hit hoof.
"Very well," sneered Overwatch, "Chain Apple Storm and anyone else who resists you. I authorize you to use as much force as necessary to subdue them." Lady Overwatch backed away from the Apples as her muscle ponies moved in on them, several of them now dragging sets of manacles from their mouths.
"I suggests y'all leave my farm alone afore I has to get mad," growled Big Macintosh, "and y'all never ever wants to see me mad."
"Apple Bloom," said Applejack quickly, "run and hide in the barn! Hide out there til things is settled down out here!"
Apple Bloom obediently ran for the barn, and no pony tried to stop her.
"So think about this very carefully, Rainbow Dash," warned Overwatch, "are you with us or are you against us? Your future in Cloudsdale is on the line. Don't you think for a second that if you're against us, we'll spare you the chains or stop us from subduing you with the rest of these... pony hicks?"
Dash gasped and gulped as she looked from the Apple Clan to the ponies of Cloudsdale, severely shaking as she cried, "I'm so sorry Applejack... I can't... I just can't!" She leaped into the air and flew up over the barn.
"A wise choice, Dash. Very wise indeed."
"That's all right Dash," replied Applejack, "The Apple Clan can takes care of their own, help or no. We all is descended from Viking Warponies, the nastiest fighters to ever grace Equestria!"
Big Mac socked the first stallion to move in on him with a solid hoof to the side of the head. He fell like he took a full kick from the hind legs of a mule. Applejack doubled her hooves and smacked down the first stallion that stepped into her. While not quite as impressive as Big Brother, her attacker went down none the less.
A lightning bolt split the quiet air, making everypony pause as Apple Storm transformed herself from Earth Pony to the Minor Sleipnir Thunder Goddess, Thordota. Gripping her Magic Hammer, Little Mjolnir, by its strap, she spun it over her head. "You doth has verily earned thy-selves the wrath of Asgard," she snarled between clenched teeth, "Come verily forth and face your defeat!" The stallions who dared close on her were flung aside almost 10 yards or more as they were slammed into by the ever spinning Magic Hammer.
"There's only three of them," snarled Overwatch, "Overwhelm them and chain them up now!"
"Y'all don't counts so good," sneered Big Mac, "cuz an Apple is worth at least ten or twelve of you!" He slammed a second stallion, and then a third with his mighty hooves as if to just prove his point.
Applejack was too intent on double-hoofing her next target stallion to notice that a couple of mares were jumping her from her flanks, latching themselves onto her hind legs. "HELP ME, BIG BROTHER!" she gasp as she was taken down. Two more mares jumped on Applejack's back, pinning her under their collective weight.
But Big Macintosh was stopped by the four stallions who jumped him when he tried desperately to get over to Applejack. But no stallion could get between the scion of Asgard and her sixth cousin. Standing on her rear most legs, she used her front four legs and foremost hind legs to beat down on any stallion that dared get in her way.
"LEAVE HER ALONE!" screamed Thordota through her clenched teeth as her mouth frothed with fury and her eyes glowed like a lightning strike.
"It's the Berserker Blood!" shouted Big Mac as several more stallions jumped and pinned him.
The twirling hammer caught one mare after another, sending her flying with a sickening crunch of flesh and bone as it tore her away from Applejack, even though somepony managed to slap the manacles on her while she was down.
"I'LL KILL YOU!" howled Thordaota through clenched teeth, "I'LL KILL YOU ALL!"