Although Twilight Sparkle was not a fan of carniverous meat, she still wanted to become a health inspector. While she already had a job at her library, she wanted to "branch out". Besides, her expertise of cleaning could perhaps clean up the fast food restaurants and guide them along the right path of success. However, another reason also pushed her to the career of a health inspector.
Rarity disappeared after she agreed with a stallion named Pat in a business venture. After the deal was made, Rarity was never seen again. Twilight found about this a week after the events happened. After a search party was established, Twilight remained oblivious as to who could have done it.
Twilight took note of the fact as she entered the dimly lit restaurant. The strobing light caused Twilight's eyes to strain. A couple of elderly stallions sat on the grimy tables and ate their greasy burgers. While Twilight was a vegetarian, the thought of having a quick bite pierced through her mind. She shook the thought away and walked up to the front stand. Nopony was present to serve any orders, although the sound of grizzling burgers could have been heard in the background.
As Twilight studied her surroundings, she knew this was perhaps the worst mess that Twilight has seen in a while. The tables were white, which clearly displayed the mess that appeared to permanently stain the tables. The wall was an ugly gray, some of the plywall starting to peel off. The restaurant had no windows, or any display windows, which made Twilight feel closed. The sign above the stand was old and worn and looked as if it was never cleaned at all. The cold air made Twilight shiver. Twilight started to think that perhaps she shouldn't be here. The sound of trotting steps snapped Twilight from her thoughts. The brown earth pony, wearing an old uniform with a small hat hiding his ginger hair, stepped up to the stand.
"Hello, there. Is there something I can help you with?" The pony asked.
"Hello. My name is Twilight Sparkle, and I am a certified health inspector. I believe your name is Pat?" Twilight said proffesionally. Pat made a friendly smile.
"That would be me."
"I would like to take a couple of tests, if you don't mind?"
"I have no problem with that," Pat said, opening the gate at the side of the stand. Twilight nodded and entered through the gate.
Twilight looked around the kitchen. Mold invaded most of the appliances, and the food was nearly expired. As Twilight studied the kitchen, Pat trailed her. Twilight pointed at the several problems of the restaurant, causing Pat's friendly smile to slowly disentigrate to a small frown. Twilight catched Pat looking at her strangely, which caused her a little concern. At last, Twilight stood at the door of the freezer.
"Do you have the key to the freezer?" Twilight asked.
"I think the freezer is just fine, if you please," Pat said almost robotically. Twilight blinked at Pat; usually, ponies don't say things like that to her, and most certainly not so vaguely. Twilight tried again.
"Urm, I'm sorry, but this is part of Equestrian law. I'm gonna have to go in-"
"Come another day."
"Sir, If you would please unlock the freezer and step asi-"
"I think the freezer is just fine," Pat said, much more direct and emphasized. Twilight took a step backwards and took out a clip board, with official text on it. She wrote with her magic and ripped the sheet of paper.
"I will come back tomorrow, but you must close your store until then. Goodbye, Mr. Pat." Twilight exited the store, leaving Twilight to wonder what he could possibly be hiding.
Twilight swinged open the doors the next day to find that no elderly stallions were present at the restaurant again. The restaurant as just as it was the day before; dirty and untidy. Twilight frowned and called for the store manager. No reply came back. Twilight tried again, but to no avail. Twilight entered behind the stand and studied the kitchen.
No improvement was made to the kitchen at all. The same mold was still there, and the counters were spotted with ketchup and mustard stains. Twilight trotted past the counters, before looking at them again. Studying the counters more carefully, she noticed the ketchup didn't look like regular kethcup. It was more like liquid, and splattered all over the counter. Beside the liquid, there was a butcher knife that was stained with the liquid. Twilight, out of curiosity, dabbed her foreleg into the liquid and licked it. The taste was salty and tasted like iron.
Blood.
Twilight took a couple steps back. She bumped against the other mouldy counter, which startled her. In her startlement, she took a look at the freezer door. The door was left a little ajar. Almost as if she was transfixed, she took a couple of steps forward to the freezer door. Mist slowly erupted from the door, making the floor appear to have sheets of fog covering it. As she faced the door, she took her hoof and reached for the door. She hesitated for a moment, then continued to reach out. She pulled the heavy door slowly and poked her head inside. Her eyes widened at the sight.
Ponies were dangling from hooks that pierced through their skin and dripped blood to the stained ground. At the center, a mare with a curly mane and white coat dangled from a hook that cut through the back of her mouth to the front, the piercing piece coming out of the mare's horrified expression.
Rarity.
Twilight started to feel vomit rising from her throat to her mouth. As the discoloured goop settled on to the blood stained ground, Twilight sat on her bum, staring at the dangling ponies, gently swaying side to side from the light breeze. Oh, sweet Celestia. How could this have happened?
Twilight trotted to the dangling corpse of Rarity and touched her white coat. Her cutie mark was taken out along with the skin of it, leaving a bloody gaping hole in it's place. Some of her hairs were pulled out. Her luscious eyelashes were taken out, along with her eyelids. Everything that made Rarity so beautiful was stripped away from her, leaving a horrible doppelganger. Twilight's lip quivered as tears started to roll down her cheeks. Amongst her sobbing, the freezer door creaked and slammed. Twilight twirled her body around to identify the noise. A familiar figure blocked the door with the bloody knife, his hoof raised above his head.
Twilight took a couple steps back, bumping into the cold flesh of her friend, causing her to gasp and lose her footing. Twilight fell on her backside, blood splashing on to Twilight's lavender coat. Twilight tried to crawl backwards, Pat coming more and more closer. Pat's eyes were red, blood splattered all over his muzzle. Twilight looked at his muzzle. Guts were hanging out of his mouth, it's juices dripping to the ground. Twilight's eyes widened as she attempted to crawl backwards. Pat's knife rose higher above his head.
"Ready to serve."
Twilight screamed as the knife pierced through her skin.
Author's Note
So this was a hell of a thing to write. Not because of the writing itself (In fact, I consider it my weakest story yet), but the fact that the site was down, which didn't allow me to save, which was frustrating, which led to me wanting to kill myself, which led me to suicide, which led me to purgatory, which led me to regeneration.
It was pretty annoying.
"Give me a stick; Don't be a dick." Riffmaster
