//------------------------------//
// The Calm Before the Storm 
// Story: The Mighty Machines 
// by Epicdiscord214 
//------------------------------//

"All right." Pixie Dust said almost completing drawing a circle around her cottage. "I'm almost there. One last character, and my darkness protection barrier is complete. Just need complete focus." She placed her chalk on the ground and carefully, slowly drew.
Suddenly, a large, booming noise came out of nowhere from the inside of her cottage. It spooked her and her chalk broke the circle. As soon as she noticed it, she grew furiously and went into her house, finding the wirewolves shaking their heads.
"Oh, you boys!" she growled furiously. "Why am I not surprised?"
"What happened?" Terry asked. "How did we get here?"
"I don't know." Ricky said. "I was just mentally wishing we were here, and then... Well, we're here. I think the Apple must have sensed my thoughts."
"Apple?" Pixie Dust asked. She drew her eyes at the fruit and gasped. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH THE GOLDEN APPLE?! THAT THING'S DANGEROUS!"
"Yeah, we noticed." Aaron said covering the spot where the Apple shot at.
"We got bigger problems." Ricky said. "Kul'as is going to need this thing to invade Equestria, and we're the only ones who can do something about it."
"So let's find a deep ditch and throw it away!" Terry shouted.
"We can't!" Aaron said. "Now that Kul'as has felt the Apple's power, he can find it anywhere. Pixie Dust, do you think your barrier can be used to keep him out?"
"Probably would," Pixie Dust said, "But you just made me mess up on my barrier. It'll take me three days to fix."
"Three days?!" Joe shouted. "We'll be dead in three days!"
"Don't worry." Ricky said. "I have a plan."
"Really?" Terry asked. "I don't think you even have a plan."
"I have... part of a plan!"
"What percentage of a plan do you have?" Marty asked.
"About... 12%."
"12%?" Terry asked. "That's not even a plan! It's not even a big concept!"
"Devastate."
"So what if it is better than 11%?" Terry asked. "What difference does that make?"
"Look, we can't keep bickering like foals!" Ricky said.
"Well, we're not ponies, either!" Aaron shouted. "We lost our claim as ponies a long time ago!"
Those words brought silence to the whole room. No one protested against it.
"Guys, I know we're not ponies anymore," Ricky said, "And we may not find a way to return to our original forms, but if there's anything I've learned, it's that even if you've changed on the outside, you still have your home in your heart. We may be wirewolves, but deep down, we're also Equines. And now, our home is being threatened, and we're the only ones capable of saving it."
"But... Ricky, this is Kul'as we're talking about." Aaron said. "I worked for the guy. He may be crazy, but he is also very dangerous and powerful."
"Also, Kul'as has that mad scientist with him along with an entire army of mutated Underlings." Marty said. "How are we going to combat all that?"
Ricky looked around at his friends, specifically Joe and Marty. An idea then popped inside of his head. He turned his head back to Pixie Dust.
"Like I said," Ricky said, "I have a plan."





Within the hour, Kul'as had Pixie Dust's house in his sights. His army was right behind him, and Creeper and Tartus stood at his sides.
"This is their idea of a stronghold?" Kul'as asked. "I've kicked sandcastles that were more secure than this."
"Hey, bosses!" Emerald said landing beside Tartus. "It's the wirewolves. They're at the front of the house."
Tartus closed his normal eye and zoomed in with his electronic one. He observed the wirewolves. "I don't see the Golden Apple, but their leader is holding a burlap sack."
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Creeper asked. "It's just six wirewolves. I'm sure we can tear them apart, especially with the powerful Kul'as fighting with us."
"ATTENTION, WIREWOLVES!" Kul'as shouted. "YOU HAVE SOMETHING OF OURS! RETURN IT TO US, AND YOUR ENDS WILL BE QUICK AND PAINLESS... AS POSSIBLE!"
"YOU WANT IT!" Ricky shouted. He lifted his arm back. "IT'S ALL YOURS!" He thrusted it up, and it flew towards the bad guys. The bag landed a few meters from the front of them.
Kul'as raised an eyebrow observing the bag. "That was too easy."
All the Underlings were urging each other into taking it.
"Creeper, go get it." Kul'as said to end the bickering.
Creeper gulped, but he didn't object to his master's orders. He approached the bag and slowly opened it. Suddenly, a tiny, mechanical beast jumped out and tackled Creeper. As they rolled around in the dirt, Kul'as, Tartus, Greengear, and all the Underlings just watched.
"Uh, that's not an apple." Verde said. "It looks more like a bully... or politician. What's it mean?"
"It means peace talks have broken down." Kul'as said. "Now, we do this the hard way. ATTACK!"
The Underlings began to charge directly at the heroes, who were preparing to strike back.
"Well, boys," Ricky said shooting little, nasty, metal critters out of his paws, "You know what they say, the bigger they are..."
"The more wirewolves they flatten." Terry said. He pierced his shoulder and scratched it. He then saw the scratch heal itself. "But I'm sure they're going to have a hard time finishing me."
"Yeah!" Joe shouted. He shifted his claws into boxing gloves. "Let's get 'em!"
"If I die," Aaron said showing off his shadow powers, "Make sure I get a bigger grave than you losers."
"Hey, Devastator, I got something for you." Marty said throwing a metal stick his way with his fire powers.
Suddenly, the stick opened up revealing a spikey ball-and-chain attached to it. Grinning, Devastator absorbed the mechanical stick and got it attached to his hand. His grin grew bigger as he swung it in circles. "Devastate!"
The wirewolves then charged at the Underlings guns ablazing. But before they could strike, they heard a roar. They looked and, coming from the east, there was a mighty cloud of inky blackness with gargantuan wings. It stopped when it hovered over them. The cloud then grew a green, ghostly face and large claws that look like they could strike ten feet into the ground.
"Wirewolves." the Phantom Blot moaned in a ghostly echo.
"That voice." Ricky said to himself before recognizing it. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me!"