Equestria.
The first thing everypony thinks of when they hear about it is friendship and tolerance, and the happy aura that flows between every resident. Across the pony nation lies equines of all unique experience and values. It was, truly, a paradise that could compare to Heaven. But, really, nopony can really mark why. It almost reflects on how perfect the place is.
"Princess Celestia? The court is waiting."
The ruler of such a place was currently sipping a small cup of tea; not the greatest. Not terrible. A hint of something warm. Just the way she liked it. Celestia slowly placed one hoof down on the velvet rug, then another, and finally stood up, turning to her guard.
"Thank you."
Her steps were precise and in accurate delicacy; her guards moved with her in the thickest armor the castle could afford. This form has been kept for thousands of years, from the rise of the country to the banishment of her own kin. The princess could already hear the low sound of a conch alerting her presence before slowly pushing the doors open, revealing the bright light of the sun-- her own magic little touch, to her admittance.
The court was extremely slow-- mares and colts alike yelling at each other for what seemed like ages, small little things purchasing a couch that was secretly broken, "accidental" house fires, and even some colt (most likely snuck in, Princess Celestia noted as she planned to critique the guards yet again) who screamed about his fillyfriend leaving him and taking his lucky four-leaf clover as her payment.
"IT'S NOT FA-- FAY-ER-- GOOD!"
The colt weeped into the pedestal. The princess played along, bowing her head to mourn the loss of such a precious item.
"Don't worry, young one. We, and your mother, will find the culprit and put her to justice."
Sure enough, the colt's mother was listening in to the last sentence, out of breath from running around looking for her son. She gave the pony with a moving mane a thankful nod, taking the boy home for the evening. The next case walked up, being two colts in very important business suits-- one white with a black tie, the other black with a white tie.
"Princess Celestia, this man has been stealing my business!"
"Why, I never! I'll have you know you made a profit of 40,000 bits overall this year, and I've only made 32,500!"
"That's still money I could have earned! You stole my coffee business name and made a fool of my title!"
Celestia listened to them bicker about their money and pricing, taking a sigh to nibble a bite of some creme brulee she snuck over her royal table. A nearby clock rung in the background, signaling that it was 11AM. Only another hour, Celestia thought as she stared at the colts, but a revelation occurred...they seemed to just stop. The entire room was dead silent. The doors creaked open, making a few heads turn as the small male and his mother walked back slowly, with a look of fear on their faces. This made the leader suddenly scared.
"What is the meaning of--"
And just like that, it was chaos. Half the ponies in the jury began to turn into black equine shapes, with ferocious teeth and dripping venom. Anypony who didn't began to scream in terror as their lives were brutally taken-- or in this case, sucked away-- from them early.
Princess Celestia couldn't do a thing. Actually, she couldn't move a muscle, no matter how much she tried to go towards her subjects, all she could do is watch as another pony bit the dust. A tender hoof began to drift, slowly up Celestia's leg, then to her stomach, and finally both cold, rough hooves on the base of her neck. It was undeniable-- the Queen had risen from her slumber. Infected Her kingdom. Killed Her subjects.
"Hello there, Celly."
Every word was a dark, terrible shiver down Celestia's neck-- and suddenly became sharp pains as fangs tore into her. Even in the panic, the princess knew that this would be the day she would never wake up. Maybe, though...maybe she can do one last thing. Queen Chrysalis flew out of a window as the city began to turn into plumes of smoke. There was no time to save them. Celestia knew what to do.
She rushed down the hallways as the sounds of the hivemind began to terrorize her, sending her into a crawl as she reached the door of her bedroom, and finally made her drag her almost limp body to the quill and parchment. Every word she wrote was important; any mistake could be the end. Without hesitation, magic spread into the paper and flew towards the closest city. The princess felt weak, but victorious...
Maybe I should take a nap...
And then, she fell.
