Innocence, such a rare and cherished thing in the Equestrian wasteland. So valuable, so fragile and so utterly useless.

It is mostly seen in young children and the occasional stable dweller that leaves the safety of their respective home. Unless the individual in question is extra ordinarily ignorant of their surroundings, their innocence rarely last a single day in the "real world" as many insist on calling it. To see it break, is such a privilege and a moment so beautiful in its tragedy. Some enjoy being the catalyst of such a breakdown, I am not one of those ponies. Although I must admit that the subject fascinates me, and the impulse to shatter the dreams of hopes of the innocent is a strong thing indeed. Fortunately I am not so weak as to succumb to such base desires.

When Innocence dies you can generally divide the consequences into two broad categories. The first is when an individual is either incapable or unwilling to face the horrors of the world, and either their mind or their emotions shatter (occasionally both). The end result is a being that is so weak, defenseless and can even be characterized as prey in a world ruled by predators. The second case means the birth of a new monster, a creature so ferocious that it not only fights back but actively stalks and kills others of its kind. The exact nature of this monster varies greatly depending on the circumstances of the transmogrification, some might remember their past with fondness and strive to protect the innocent from suffering a similar fate. However, it is a lot more likely that the monster recalls their former life with feelings of rage and jealousy, and as such the cycle continues ever onward.

There exists however a third alternative, this is a feared and lauded event. In extremely rare cases the innocent neither gets destroyed, nor corrupted by the world we live in. In these few cases, it isn't a monster who is born. Instead the new creature is what is commonly known as a "hero", a defender of the innocent and a hunter of monsters. A creature of a whole another nature, a being so fierce and so virtuous that they decide to take on the wasteland itself. Worst of all? I suspect that one day, they might actually succeed.

When this theoretical event occurs, the world as we know it will end and it will return to a time ruled by innocents and heroes. A world where monsters such as myself no longer have any place... In truth, it is my greatest fear. In the present, I am a queen of monsters. In the future i might be considered vermin to be exterminated and I am not even sure I would disagree with the notion.

Étoile Van Hoof

Duchess of Vanhoover