Best Served Cold
by SqueakyWheel.
Prince Blueblood slammed the menu down onto the table in disgust. Not a single item was anywhere near suitable to pass his royal lips. Why, even the names of the dishes themselves were common and vulgar sounding. "Hay fries? Daisy daffodil club?" he muttered contemptuously under his breath, "how vile."
How could Celestia send him on a diplomatic mission to such a dreadful place? Blueblood hated western Equestria because of places just like this. Salt Lick City was the perfect example of everything the royal unicorn despised. Everywhere he went he encountered the same thing. Commoners. They were allowed anywhere they wanted to go. Nothing was set aside for an upper class pony of his stature. They were such rubes that they didn't even seem to recognize him as royalty and brazenly spoke to him as if he was...
"One of them," he shuddered, finishing his thought aloud. His brow furrowed and he grimaced in utter disgust.
He glanced around the place looking for his royal guard escort. He had had enough of this cesspit of restaurant and was ready to leave. Now.
The prince had been fuming with such disdain at the offered fare that he hadn't noticed how quiet the room had become. As he looked around for his guard, or the waitress, or anypony for that matter, he noticed it had become darker inside as well. All of the curtains were drawn and the only bit of the lingering sunlight coming in from small spaces between them cast long yellowish beams that illuminated swirls of dust motes floating lazily in the now stiflingly warm air of the diner.
Had these hayseeds closed for the day and left him there at the table? How dare they, he thought as he slammed his forehoof down furiously on the table, causing dishes to rattle. A glass overturned and rolled away, shattering as it hit the floor. Blueblood threw back his head and bellowed, "GUARDS!"
No one answered.
From the corner of his eye, Blueblood noticed movement on the table. Startled, he looked back down and saw something step into view from behind the napkin holder.
It was about the height of the salt shaker. At first he thought it was a mouse and, horrified, reeled backwards in his chair trying to get away from the thing, nearly tipping over in his seat and sprawling onto the floor before catching himself.
Wait. That wasn't a mouse at all. It was... a pony?!
A very tiny pony was indeed what it was. It sat down facing away from him. Curious now, Blueblood brought his head closer to it. That white coat and flowing purple mane seemed familiar. He noticed the tip of a tiny horn from behind the top of her head. Was that...
"Rarity?" he asked in disbelief, as he remembered the mare from the Grand Galloping Gala. Was that really her? It couldn't be.
The miniature pony turned her head slowly, her luciously lashed eyes closed, the hint of a smile on her lips. Finally, she spoke.
"Why, Prince Blueblood. Fancy meeting you here."
Her voice was gracious but he sensed a note of malice in it. Suddenly her eyes shot open and she flashed a wide smile, but there was something terribly wrong. Her once large, aluring eyes were hollow, vacant, and darkly lined. In the dim light of the diner her face was somewhat covered with the shadow of her mane. Her teeth were long, needle like. Her grin was filled with dozens of them, a drop of saliva hanging from the tip of one.
"We had such a grand time at the Gala, we thought we'd come see you again," said an identical voice from over the prince's left shoulder. Blueblood spun around in his chair to see another tiny Rarity on the adjacent table.
"You were so chivalrous and behaved like a true prince," came another voice to his right. The royal unicorn's head jerked back around as he spotted yet another of the tiny white-coated mares on the counter next to the cash register.
The last vestiges of the dying sunlight faded from the room as the sun slipped below the horizon outside. Blueblood shivered apprehensively as the place darkened.
"Guards?" he whimpered pitifully as he cringed in fright. Again, no one answered. He turned his attention back to the diminutive menaces.
"Aren't you happy to see us," they all asked in unison. The prince recoiled in surprise.
Dread filling his heart, Prince Blueblood scooted back in his chair and stood up, eying the exit, as one by one dozens, no hundreds, of tiny, vengeful, bloodthirsty ponies emerged from behind objects all around the eatery. They seemed to be appearing everywhere. No matter where he turned he saw more and more of the purple maned ponies.
"Oh, you're not going anywhere, Your Highness," they spoke as one, their voices combining to a thundering roar in his ears. "We're going to make this the best night ever!" Their voices overwhelmed him.
They descended upon him en masse, tripping him up and knocking him to the floor, crashing down in a most undignified manner. One tore her vicious needle-like teeth into his hide and he howled.
"My, what beautiful blood! It really goes with my eyes!" The voracious little pony snarled and took another bite. Blueblood swatted at the horrific thing, panicking. It seemed to have no effect on the little beast.
Seemingly on cue, all of them ripped into his flesh, hungrily shredding his skin from his body. They gnawed and tore at him as he screamed in agony. He was overwhelmed, unable to fight for his life as the pain engulfed him and his terrified shrieks filled the emtpy dead air of the restaurant. Bones crunched, cracked and shattered in the myriad relentless jaws consuming him. He finally swooned from pain and loss of blood as he surrendered himself to his fate.
* * * * * * * * * *
Far away in her castle in Canterlot, Princess Celestia smiled as the magical glow dissipated from her horn. She spoke softly, "Best. Night. Ever."
