“What in the hay are you talking about, Ditzy!?”
After seeing Writer attacked by some kind of monster, Derpy went for the latter's nearest friend, Ire Heaven of all ponies who was casually hovering on the air with Stormlight, talking mostly about the theater contest she had anticipated.
“B-But Ire, what I'm saying is true! I saw Writer got attacked by a monster!” Derpy said. And here she was, trying to convince Ire and Stormlight of the attack.
“Monster, monster, blah, blah, blah, blah! I don't believe any single word coming out of your mouth, Derpy!” Ire yelled at her with a scowl “Why don't you try and go convince somepony of your made-up story, I hope they believe to your lies, lier!” she glances at her friend, Stormlight “Come on, Stormlight, we don't have to do with this nonsense!”
As they are about to leave, Stormlight shouted a “Wait!” prompting Ire to halt “I believe her, Ire”
Ire's eyes widened “What? You believed to this reckless pegasus' story?” she was silenced by Stormlight's glare which made her change her mind “Fine...”
Spike looks at Twilight with concern as she reads a book about ancient creatures. He suspected it was not only the weather which is bothering her and if she was bothered only by the weather, why does she have to read a book about animals instead of books about the weather? But he was not going to press Twilight into making her talk, no he was going to secretly find out “Do you want me to buy some hayburger, Twilight?” he asked.
“Sure, but I want you to take Ruby with you,” Twilight said lazily. As if a cue, a unicorn mare wearing night guard armor came inside the library.
“Uh... Did somepony summoned me?” Ruby asked, confused why she went into the room for no reason.
“Ruby, can you please accompany Spike to the Café Hay?” Twilight asked without moving her gaze away from the page of the book.
Ruby saluted “Of course your high- I mean Twilight!” of course, Twilight doesn't want to be called something related to royalty so she ordered all of her guards to call her by her first name.
Spike and Ruby walk in the streets of Ponyville. Ruby had a solemn look on her face just like the other guards he seen in the previous years of his life “Ruby, can you please stop doing that, there's no reason to give ponies that look”
Ruby broke her solemn expression before looking at Spike “Oh, uh... Okay, Sir Spike”
“Do guards always have to do that? I mean nobody is going to mess with royalty right?” Spike asked.
“Yep, guards need to be stern to show that they aren't playing around or making displays. We guards aren't working only because for the armors and stuff, we are here to maintain control and protect both citizens and royalty” she explained with a smile “But we still do friendship things, I have a friend back in Canterlot, Silver Sable, she's a guardsmare wearing the same armor like mine!”
“Uh... Okay?” Spike said, unsure whether he should ditch her or not. She wasn't unlike any other guards he met except one of the stallions guarding the Canterlot Archives, though Ruby is more talkative than him and a little jovial.
He was too busy thinking he continued to walk until somepony hit him and caused him to fall on the ground. He heard Ruby yell in an aggressive tone. He shook the soil off his eyes to see Ire Heaven, standing up.
“Watch where you are looking at, little dragon!” Ire sneered at him, earning a scowl from Ruby.
“Who dares to hail a remark on the head of Princess Twilight Sparkle's assistant!?”
“Oh, yeah and who dares to challenge me!?” Ire yelled back at the Royal Guard. Both of them are now exchanging hostile gaze to each other. Spike swore electricity came out of their eyes.
“Oh, Spike we're so sorry for the trouble!” he turns around and saw Stormlight, shaking but was able to look at him with guilt “W-We didn't mean to hit you” Spike saw Derpy, looking at him with a look which 'There's no time for this!'
Spike stood up whilst Ire and Ruby continue their 'deadly' argument. He raised a claw at Stormlight and Derpy “It's okay, Stormlight. I'm okay. See?” he then turns around to face Ruby “Ire, Ruby, can you two please stop”
“But sir Spike. This mare has made an attempt to harm you, such crime shall not be tolerated!” she said dramatically. Spike reminds him of Rarity for her speech.
“Is arguing with a citizen is not considered a crime, jerk!?” Ire remarked, earning another scowl from Ruby.
“Enough fighting! Geez...” Spike said.
Ruby's eyes turn to look at Ire “You are only lucky that you haven't found yourself dragged to a dungeon, criminal scum”
Ire gave her a smug look “Try me, bitch”
“Ire, we don't have time for this. Writer is in trouble remember!” This caught Spike and Ruby's attention.
“Writer Rhyme is in trouble!?”
“A gentlecolt is in trouble!?” Spike and Ruby gasped in unison. The duo glances at each other and exchanged weird looks before glancing back at Ire's group.
“Derpy said she saw him being dragged by a monster into Windy Breeze's house” Ire reluctantly explained. She still hadn't believe Derpy and the only reason why she's tagging along the group is because of Stormlight, that mare is not safe whether she's not there to protect her.
“So why are we still standing here? We have to go and save him before he gets eaten!” Ruby told them. The night guard was suddenly filled with determination. She reared, kicking her forelegs on the air before galloping past them.
“Hey dumbass, Windy's house is in the opposite direction!
Windy spat out the zap apple jam Writer gave her. It doesn't taste good anymore, more like it tasted like garbage.
“The last vegetable you yet to taste is... Hooffel Sprouts” Writer hesitated. Hooffel Sprouts was one of the most disgusting food for herbivores, even a zebra will refuse to eat the bitter, limp food.
“Can you at least give me ketchup?” Windy asked. Using his magic, Writer levitates a ketchup out of the refrigerator and set it beside the plate. Windy said thanks before pouring Ketchup on her food. She then dives into her food, eating the sprouts and smearing her mouth with red ketchup.
“Whoa, calm down, Windy!” Writer said. Windy closed her eyes as she gulps down her food to her stomach. However, she felt her body refusing to let the vegetable go deeper to her body, and suddenly, she spits out the sprouts in random directions, flying like a bullet. One of the sprouts manages to break a window while the other one hit Writer on the head hard enough to knock him unconscious. Windy, flipped the table furiously, breaking the bottle and spilling Ketchup on the poor unicorn.
“I'm now a carnivore, am I?” Windy asked calmly. She was given no reply “Writer?” she looks to where Writer was, only to see the stallion laying on the floor covered with ketchup.
A scream filled the house belonging to Windy Breeze. 4 ponies and a baby dragon cringed when they heard the scream. It sounds like a pony's scream, but it was followed by a shrill chilling one. Stormlight cowered and hug the ground like a cat while Ire tried to maintain her solemn expression. Ruby was slightly shaking like a leaf on a light breeze, Derpy took one step back, and Spike had a fearful look on his face, though he gulped it down to his stomach, trying to be brave to save a friend in a 'life and death' situation.
“I'm very surprised nopony told Twilight about this. Everypony within 2 blocks would jump out of their skin if they hear that” Ruby mused.
“I guess everypony is very stupid and very ignorant” Ire spat spitefully “Oh, I HATE IGNORANTS!”
“Shut up, criminal scum. The monster is going to hear you!” Ruby hissed back at her. Ire humphed and shot her a glare.
“Ire, it's not the time to pick up a fight. really...” Stormlight muttered the last word with annoyance.
“Um, we should really go or else, Writer will die while we argue here,” Derpy told them. Everypony sans Derpy widened in realization. They moved what they guess is a kitchen window in the blink of an eye and peeked to see what's inside.
It was straight out of a cheesy but terrifying horror movie. A gruesome eldritch creature crouched beside their friend, Writer Rhyme. The stallion had his eyes closed, his mouth gape open, and his body covered in red substance. He was 'dead'.
Stormlight starts to whimper while Ire goes to comfort her albeit her gaze still on the horrific 'death' scene, Derpy covered her mouth, her lunch threatening to come out of her stomach, Ruby just stared in shock, and Spike fainted.
Ruby was the first one to recover. She let out a battle cry, not caring that there's a wall right infront of her.
When Windy found Writer's stomach moving gently, she decided to taste she assumed 'blood'. To her relief it was just Ketchup.
However, her relief was short-lived, when the wall to her left exploded, and a night guard came and yelled a war cry.
“CHARGE!”
Windy collided with the guard and they both crashed to the floor beside Writer. She was forcefully rammed against the wall behind and met the furious gaze of the mare “What did you do, foul beast!?” Windy didn't answer. She knew she was in trouble just because of misunderstanding, she read stories about this kinds of situations “ANSWER ME OR I WILL SHOOT BOLTS OF MAGIC RIGHT AT YOUR FACE!!” before Windy could even say a word, a debris was thrown at the guard that hit her helmet. The guard turn around to see Ire, giving her an irritated look.
“Geez, you don't had to be like Princess Luna!” she said, rubbing her left ear using her wing “You even destroyed a wall of somepony's kitchen. Do you even respect the dead!?” a popped vein came out of the head of Windy, angry that her 'friend' was saying something like she 'died'.
“How dare you talk to me like that, criminal scum!” the guard quickly forgot Windy to quarrel with the 'devil' “Your actions will not be tolerated any longer. I will sent you to the dungeons of Canterlot and charge you of insulting an EUP!”
“Try me, defenceless bitch!”
With the floodgates open, the rage of the night came out like a flood in the form of a unicorn charging at the Pegasus with a shout. Ire simply soar out of the way and the unicorn made friends with the wall beside the huge hole she made on the wall. The unicorn shook her head to get rid of the dust and glanced up at Ire, who was giving her an expression of a bully “You will never get me! Oh, and it's always effective since I dreamed of a Cozycorn!” the guard let a snort and went into a fighting stance. After pawing one hoof at the floor, she charged one more time, this time jumping and shooting bolts at the flying yellow pegasus. Ire dodged every Bolt and would always hail insults at the poor guard, who looks as if she's trying not to cry.
Soon, Derpy, Stormlight, and Spike came. Derpy and Stormlight approached Writer and Rhyme while Spike went infront of Windy. He stretched his hand as if to block her from the trio.
“Y-You will have to go through me first, zombie pony!” Spike said, his voice shaky but is actually showing some bravery. Windy simply gave him a poker face as she stood infront of him, inadvertently intimidating him.
Windy let ou a sigh “This is going to be a long day” and as a prize for her calm speech, everyone around her, including Ire and Ruby gasped, who both halt their fight to glance at her.
“It spoke!”
“Oh my Celestia, it spoke!”
“The monster spoke!”
“The foal beast spoke!”
“Of course it spoke!”
“AHH!”
In Spike's case, he screamed and fell on his butt before quickly backing away from the necromorph-turned pony. He stopped when he hit Writer's body “S-Stay away from me!”
Windy sighed. Again “Spike, do you know who i am before I turned into this... Thing!?” she gradually becoming irritated with Spike's fears and his reactions to her new look “Oh come on. I'm not that bad, besides, I'm still the same Wonderbolt everypony know!”
It was silent for the next few seconds. Derpy, Stormlight, Spike, and Ruby, who's horn still encased in pink magic stood likes statues while Ire stared at her, her wings flapping as usual. Writer is still unconscious. Windy stared at them, waiting for something to happen. It seems everyone around her is thinking whether or not they should believe her. Surprisingly, Stormlight was the first one to break the silence.
“I...Is that really you, W-Windy?”
Spitfire sighed as she watch a Cadet thrown out of the dizzitron like an angry red bird. Windy was absent, but this was the first time the mare was absent with no illness or an accident. Windy had no hobby to go slacking off like Thunderlane.
“Still wondering why she's not coming?” she look behind her to see Soarin, approaching her with a neutral expression.
“Yeah, but i'm also concerned of the weather. Nothing has happened and the sky is still red” Spitfire said, raising her head to look at blood red sky. It had been several minutes when this happened and there was a panic at Cloudsdale “I received a letter from the princesses. They are going to send guards just in case of an attack?”
“Attack? From who? The stallion in 'black'?” of course, Soarin wasn't serious about referring King Sombra. He had since made jokes about the enemy of Crystal Empire when he and the others are brainwashed by the latter.
“This is serious, Soarin”
Soarin's laughter ceased and he frowned “I know”
Ruby wasn't convinced by the talking creature. Yeah, she does have some resemblance of Windy Breeze, but that doesn't mean she will just simply let her guard down “I don't believe you, vile creature” she said.
“She's telling the truth, ma'am” she and everyone glance to see Writer, standing up on his legs. It seemed he regained consciousness just now “You misunderstood everything you see, all of the 'blood' is just ketchup” he explained. He took a ketchup from the floor with his hooves and licks it “Yep, it's definitely ketchup”
Ketchup? Ruby noticed a tomato covered in Ketchup laying nearby. She almost squealed to see her favorite vegetable. Without thinking, she levitate the 'tomato' to her mouth and swallowed.
Only for her body to refuse and made her throw up infront of everybody. After removing the 'tomato' from her outh, she finally saw what the 'tomato' actually was.
“This is Hoofell Sprouts!” she exclaimed.