The Mighty Machines

by Epicdiscord214

Chaos Storm

"Well, here are." Ricky said. "According to the map, whatever we're looking for, we're standing right on top of it."

"Uh, Ricky," Terry said, "I hate to break this to you, but..."

Ricky drew his eyes away from the map and looked around, but he was both disappointed and confused. It was nothing more than a flat, plain, dead valley. It was even worse than Brimstone Valley. It's just a big, gray field of sand.

"THIS PLACE IS DEADER THAN DEAD!" Terry shouted. "Seriously, how are we going to find something when there's nothing we can see."

"I don't get it." Ricky said. "The map says we're in the right place."

"Devastate?"

"What are you asking me for?" Terry asked. "I don't know what we're supposed to look for."

"You know, maybe it's not too late to go back working for Kul'as." Aaron said.

"Hey!" Marty shouted.

"Just a joke." Aaron clarified.

"Guys, what if we're on top of it?" Joe asked.

"Joe, quick repeating us." Ricky said. "The map says we're here."

"No, I mean, what if it's hidden where we can't see it." Joe said.

"Joe, look around." Marty said. "There's nothing out here too see; no mountains, no trees, and no grass. Nothing but sand. There's nowhere we can't see."

Joe took a moment before speaking again. "We can't see under the sand."

"What?" Ricky asked looking down. "I think he's right. Guys, let's dig."

"Dig?" Terry asked. "You're asking us to dig up this entire field until we find something?"

"Yes, I am." Ricky said. "Joe is right. This is the only place where it can be hidden. So unless you've got a better idea, then even though you can't, roll up your sleeves. Let's get to work."

Reluctantly, Terry followed Ricky's lead and started digging, as did the rest of the wirewolves. "I swear, if this turns into a complete waste of elbow grease..." Terry mumbled to himself.

"Diggah tunnah." Joe scatted. "Dig. Diggah tunnah."

Meanwhile, a mile behind them, Tartus and Greengear rested while the scientist was looking through his telescope seeing the wirewolves digging.

"It's really them." Tartus said putting his scope away. "I have waited so long..."

"Hey, boss, can we tear them apart now?" Emerald asked. "Please, please, please!"

"No, you idiot." Tartus said. "We wait until they understand what they're looking for. Also, we may need to move back a little."

"Move back?" Leaf asked. "Boss, we're already like a mile away from them."

"Doesn't matter." Tartus said. "Unless you want to be turned to roasted chicken, we need proper cover."

---

For an entire hour, the wirewolves dug relentlessly deeper down. After several minutes of grunt work, Marty called out to everyone.

"Hey, guys! I found something!"

Everyone got up from their holes and looked at the hole that Marty made. Everyone was surprised by how deep it went. They all worked together and formed a chain link to lift Marty out of it with what he was carrying at the time. He showed it to everyone.

"A chest?" Aaron asked. "What's inside?"

"I don't know." Marty said. "I can't pry it open. Devastator, I need you to open it."

"Devastate." Devastator took the box and opened it really easily. Marty looked embarrassed.

"Oh, sure, after I loosened it." Aaron said.

Devastator set the box down and everyone looked in it. Ricky reached in and picked up what they were looking for.

"It's..." Ricky said holding it for his friends to see. "It's... a yellow apple."

Everyone looked at how anticlimactic the whole thing is. Terry took the apple and looked closely at it.

"This... is... it?" Terry asked. "This is what we've been travelling the whole Neatherealm for? This silly, random object!"

"Hold on a sec." Aaron said taking the apple from Terry. "I think I know what this is. Lately, Kul'as has been searching for some kind of magical super-weapon. He called it the Golden Apple. I thought it was some kind of metaphor, but now, I see what they meant."

"Maybe it can be used as a juggling item." Joe said taking the apple. "Check it out." He passed around from his left hand to another and vice versa.

"Joe, quit being a silly sauce for a second." Marty said grabbing the apple and passing it to Devastator. "Look in the chest."

Inside the chest, there were many carved pictures.

"I can't read hieroglyphics." Ricky said.

"They're not hieroglyphics." Aaron said. "They're illustrations; stories with pictures."

"My favorite kind." Joe joked.

"Well, what does it say?" Marty asked.

"Well, according to this, the Golden Apple was created alongside the birth of chaos. It is the physical vessel of pure chaos. It was found by a revolutionary resistance in a dictated world. They thought the Apple could help them win their civil war, but instead it... Oh." Aaron looked worried.

"What oh?" Joe asked. "What happened?"

"Well... They lost control of the Apple, and it... destroyed their world."

That very sentence made the wirewolves very scared.

"Luckily, a whole bunch of residents survived and escaped into the Neatherealm with the Golden Apple locked in this chest. To make sure it wouldn't hurt anyone again, they decided to hide it and bury it deep enough so that no one could find it."

"Apparently," Terry said, "'no one' doesn't include a pack of desperate wirewolves."

"What else does it say?" Ricky asked.

"Just that the Golden Apple is... alive somehow." Aaron said. "It's also warning us not to make it react."

"React?" Ricky asked. "What do they mean by..."

Ricky was interrupted by a sudden yellow glow. Everyone looked and saw the glow coming from the Golden Apple that Devastator was holding. It glowed brighter and brighter while it levitated into the air. Suddenly, it shot yellow lightning everywhere, even far away. The wirewolves kept moving away from any strikes heading their way. It was a great big storm. Aaron watched a bolt hit a far-off mountain, and when the smoke cleared, it wasn't even there anymore.

"EVERYONE, TAKE COVER!" Ricky shouted.

"RICKY, THERE'S NO COVER TO TAKE!" Terry shouted.

"PROTECT ME, BOX!" Joe squealed holding the chest in front of him. A lightning bolt hit it and it dissolved. Joe was pushed back, but he tripped and fell in a hole he dug. That gave Ricky an idea.

"YES, THERE IS!" Ricky shouted. "EVERYONE, IN THE HOLES!"

"PHRASE THAT DIFFERENTLY, YOU MOOK!" Terry shouted.

Suddenly, everyone jumped down and avoided the lightning shooting out. It lasted for five minutes before the glow died down. Ricky pointed his head out and saw the Apple resting on the sand looking lie normal.

"What the..."

---

Meanwhile, Tartus and Greengear climbed out of a ditch and checked their area. Every spot besides the ditch wlooked like it was struck by lightning. The birds were shaking a bit, but Tartus had cheerful mischief twinkling from his good and robot eye.

"Boss," Jade said nervously, "What was that?"

"That... was our cue."

Author's Note:

Well, this could be a problem. The Golden Apple is based of the Greek legend of the Golden Apple of Discord. In the story, the chaos goddess, Eris, used the Golden Apple to get Hera, Aphrodite, and Athena to feud with each other. I thought I'd bring that into my stories, plus a little firepower. And before you ask, yes, this is what was buried in the first chapter, and yes, it's going to be very, very important in this and future stories.

Comments

[Hairy Konquerer]

Ok if that's gonna get Ricky and the others home I'm all ears to see how this plays out

[Epicdiscord214]

7627268 So what do you think of the Golden Apple?

[Hairy Konquerer]

7627295 pretty good. Can't wait for the next one