My Cousin Apple Storm
Part 3: The Intervention
by Neoraichu
This story takes place after the events of 'The Saga of the Great Kingdom'.
...
A furious brawl was taking place on Sweet Apple Acres. The Apple were badly outnumbered, and things did not look well. Apple Bloom was hiding in the barn as per her sister's instructions. Applejack was down and manacled by all four legs with her sixth cousin standing over her in her Sleipnir form. Big Macintosh was downed by eight stallions, and was in the process of getting manacled led himself. Both Applejack and Big Macintosh got a little battered and bruised in the process of being taken down, subdued, and manacled. Dash was hovering over the barn, fearful of reprisals if she should try to help the Apples.
On the other side was the numerous agents of the Weather Bureau. While heavily damaged in the attacks from the Apples, they still had plenty of fresh fighters eager to step up. The ground was littered with the fallen stallions and mares who attacked first, battered and broken from crashing hooves or spinning mystical hammer.
But things changed in the last moment or so. Now the Sleipnir was gripped with berserk rage. She was attacking anyone nearby with no control or regards for her own safety. Only Applejack, laying on the ground and hardly moving, seemed to avoid her wrath.
Lady Overwatch backed further away from the battle. She had never witnessed berserk fury, especially from an eight-legged pony. Her smallish frame was gripped with a sense of terror. "Forget about subduing that creature!" she called out, "Take it down by ANY MEANS NECESSARY! I DON'T CARE IF IT COMES BACK TO CLOUDSDALE ALIVE OR DEAD!"
"FIGHT ME AT YOUR PERIL!" screamed Thordota, "I SHALL FIGHT UNTIL YOU ARE ALL DEAD AT MY FEET!"
The fury of her pronouncement made all of her assailants pause.
A light a bright as the sun appeared over the field, causing all but the berserk Sleipnir to wince and cover their eyes. Thordota was gripped with fury and didn't care if she could see or not.
"This is a real disappointment," said the light evenly in a womanly voice, "I expected better from you."
"Princess Celestia?" asked Lady Overwatch.
"By the power of light, let this violence end now."
The light seemed to double in brightness, driving out the violet impulses from everypony present. It was so strong in its effects that Thordota changed back into Apple Storm and colapsed on top of Applejack in exhaustion.
"Chain her!" howled Overwatch, "Chain her now!"
Five stallions jumped the weakened mare to slap the manacles on all four hooves.
"Now gather up these thugs and take them to Cloudsdale. Get the little one from the barn as well. Chain her if she resists."
"You aren't listening," said the voice from the light, "I'm disappointed in YOU, Overwatch. If anyone moves towards that barn an inch, they shall suffer my displeasure."
Wisely, no one moved.
"Me?" asked Overwatch, "What have I done?"
"You have exceeded your authority in pursuing this matter. I am most displeased with your arrogance and lack of control. Such a show of force against a clan as proud the the Apples is hardly called for."
"I protest! I am well within my rights to do this!"
"Your authority is what I allow you. It is nothing more. Dare not to forget that lightly."
"I!.. I!.." she stammered. Lady Overwatch dropped to her knees, bowed her head, and said "Forgive me, your grace. I forgot my place for a moment."
"Now you shall all be taken to Canterlot," she said evenly, "The injured shall go to the Castle Infirmary while the rest shall be assembled in the Royal Courtyard."
The most badly injured floated up first, vanishing in flashes of light. Dash watched from over the barn while Apple Bloom peeked over the half closed barn door. The moderately injured floated up and were gone next. Then the manacled Apples were floated up and vanished. Then the superficially injured were transported to Canterlot. After that, the rest of them, including Lady Overwatch, Dash and Apple Bloom, were floated into the air and vanished. Lastly, the bright light over the field faded away and vanished, leaving an empty field behind.
...
Applejack came to her senses in a hospital bed. There was a Nurse pony to her right and another to her left. She glanced down and noticed that she was still manacled tightly at all four pasterns. Her body was covered by numerous bandage wrapping, and she could feel the various salves and balms that were coating her bumps and bruises.
Then she looked to her right and left, noticing that Apple Storm was manacled in the bed to her right, and that Big Macintosh was manacled in the bed to her left. There was a bag of fluid next to their beds, and an IV drip tube ran down from their bags to one of their forelegs.
"It's a mild sedative," said one of the nurses, a white pony mare dappled with black spots on her flanks and thighs, threatening to overwhelm her cutie mark: A Nurses' Hat with a deep Red Cross on the front with four smaller Red Crosses in each corner. "We want them calm. We just don't need them getting violent once they're awake."
"We defended ourselves," snorted Applejack, "It twernt our fault this all came down likes this."
"I can just go by what I'm told," sniffed the Nurse. She waved her hoof towards the Royal Guards that were positioned at both doors to the Recovery Room.
The Guards at the right hand door parted as they made way for the not-so-glowing Princess Celestia.
"Your Majesty," said everyone in the room (not sedated).
The Princess went over to Applejack, smiled softly, and leaned down do that her horn touched the chain and manacles on her legs. With a pop, all the manacles opened at once. The Princess turned to one of the Nurses and commanded, "Have these chains removed from my presence at once. Applejack does not need them."
One of the Nurses gathered up the chains and gave them to a roaming orderly, who promptly removed them from the room.
"Thank you, your Grace," said Applejack.
"I think we need to talk."
"Aw heck, here it comes..."