Standing on her balcony, Princess Twilight Sparkle looked out across Equestria. Her gaze swept across the grassy plains in the valley below Canterlot, over the distant forests crossed by rivers, and the far-distant, blue-gray, snow-capped mountain ranges. The sun rose up in the east, passing the horizon, guided on by her magic. That precious light spread across her kingdom, stretching from east to west, marking the dawn of morning.
As the light of her sun shined down on Canterlot, breaking her city from its slumber, she turned her gaze onto the city proper, letting her eyes dance and weave between the mansions and stores and towers, letting her eyes take in the polished, regal gleam of golden tower tops basking in her light.
And contemplatively, she turned her gaze away from her city. Turned right, faced her castle's garden. Looked down and saw the statue and wondered, 'What makes a monster?'
A queen, a thief, and a liar, forever sealed away. Trapped together in stone forevermore, locked in stasis by sun and moon and chaos. Never to awaken.
She had called the filly 'friend' and 'assistant,' and it was a lie.
The centaur knew no different and took what he wanted.
The queen sought only to destroy, rather than to protect.
She lifted her right forehoof and set it over the railing of her balcony, then draped her left forehoof over as well. Rested her chest against the railing so that her golden peytral pressed close to her heart.
An adolescent dragon soared into the sky from her city, welcoming the dawnlight with wings wide open to take in the warmth and love of her sun.
Pegasi foals danced through the air, weaving together in an intricate spiral around the dragon. And she watched as they flew over the courtyard, smiling and laughing and playing together.
For a time, she smiled as their musical laughter fell on her ears. For a time, she smiled as they flew through her peaceful dawn.
And then they were gone from her sight, and their musical laughter was too distant for her to hear. For a time, her smile lingered, and then it was no more.
She cast her gaze back onto the statue. Three of the worst beings she had known, and a thought weighed on her mind: 'What makes a monster?'
And she contemplated the thought before her as the sun rose higher, warming her world and greeting all of her subjects with a loving smile as they awoke. Yet her sun knew no different, and neither did her subjects.
Did monsters know different?
Her brow creased as she turned her gaze back out to the plains so far below her. Her eyes crossed the world until they stopped, focusing on a single small city near the Everfree Forest. Her little ponies would walk the streets and smile and laugh together without knowing any different, without knowing the danger that the forest once posed. But she knew different, because she had known the forest before they had, and she remembered.
She remembered a lot of things. Such was the blessing of immortality. And so she smiled.
And such was the curse of immortality.
Every smile, every laugh.
Every hug, every nuzzle.
Every scream, every tear.
Every wedding, every funeral.
Every moment spent together, every moment apart.
And so her smile faded, and her eyes dropped from the city of Ponyville, falling low to look down at some insignificant spot in the courtyard below.
"Immortality is what you make of it," she remembered, Celestia's voice as crisp and clear as the first time she had heard her mentor call her, "My Most Faithful Student."
She remembered that title. She remembered a lot of titles.
Most Faithful Student.
Friend and Confidant.
Teacher and Mentor.
Princess and Empress.
Protector and Heroine.
Mother and Guardian.
Bearer and Champion.
Thief and Judge.
Her gaze drew close to the statue again. A changeling, a centaur, and a filly. And again she wondered, 'What makes a monster?'
When had they chosen to be monsters? Lord Tirek, the most ancient of the three, had his opportunities to choose a different path. He could have chosen a different way, a better way. Queen Chrysalis, the most sadistic of the three, had her opportunities to choose a different path. She could have chosen a different way, a better way. And Cozy Glow, the youngest of the three, had her opportunities to choose a different path. She could have chosen a different way, a better way.
Lord Tirek had turned his back on his family, choosing instead to steal others' magic for his own gain. Queen Chrysalis had turned her back on her subjects, choosing instead to pursue revenge instead of protecting those who called her 'Queen.' Cozy Glow had turned her back on her friends, choosing instead to manipulate others for her own benefit.
And she looked on them, not with anger, but with sadness. So long ago, Equestria had celebrated their victory over them. She had celebrated that victory right alongside them. And she felt that it was good, because they were beyond redemption. She and her friends had tried, but the three had refused and so their fate was sealed.
Sealed forever.
And as time marched on, their near-victory grew to a distant memory, something she contemplated only rarely. For they had turned ponies against each other, but in the end, they had failed. And friendship had won the day.
And for a time, that friendship was good. Things changed. Years passed. Decades flew by. Centuries marched on.
The three of them, the liar, the thief, and the queen, had been some of Equestria's greatest foes. Before them, there had been many others, and since them, there had been many more. But even when the most sadistic of them threatened unspeakable evils on her friends, on her little ponies, she did not look at them with anger, she did not strike out of revenge.
She did not hate them, and she would not hate them. Nothing good came from hate. What good could ever come from hatred? Hatred sought to destroy and defile, hatred twisted good into bad. Yet not all were innocent, but she did not hate them. She always gave them a chance at every opportunity, and only if they rejected that chance would she cast her judgment. Out of love for her ponies, she rose to defend them. Sometimes alone, sometimes with others. Sometimes she stayed in the shadows, letting another rise up to the challenge so that they might learn and grow.
But she never struck out of hatred, only love. Only to protect, never for revenge.
She did not hate, because love conquers all. Such was a lesson she had learned long ago, that love was the most beautiful thing in the world. Love and friendship went together and were inseparable. Sometimes, she could not tell the difference between the two, so thoroughly woven together were they. And their intricate dance always made her smile, sometimes made her cry, because it was beautiful.
Standing on her balcony, she watched on. Guardian and Mother and Princess. The lives of her subjects might pass in but a few short decades, but that did not take away from their value or their beauty.
"Part of the beauty of life is that it ends," one of her closest friends had told her. And she remembered it, the way the unicorn's mane had grayed, the tears in her still-so-beautiful eyes, and warm, loving smile. And then her friend had passed on.
"Please don't cry, and never stop smiling," another had told her. Her friend's smile had been just as bright as the first day she had seen it. And then her friend had passed on.
"Never give up," another had said, a fire still burning in her eyes even as the years caught up with her. And then her friend had passed on.
"It's okay, Twilight. It's my time. Please remember to take care of everyone," another had said, her face still so soft and kind even with all the years showing. And then her friend had passed on.
But she had not been there for all of them. Such was an impossibility for her. And then her friend had passed on, and she did not hear the last words she had spoken, "Tell Twilight..."
And she mourned each and every one of them. Hundreds over the centuries and she remembered them all. Their smiles, their laughs. Their achievements and failures. Their strengths and flaws. And it all wove together in her, their legacy. Of them, the most special ones in her heart had their names etched into the back of her peytral so that she was always with them, because they were always with her. A part of her.
But she was not perfect. She had her successes and her failures.
And she remembered.
Her smile did not return, nor did her vision blur with tears as she turned her gaze onto another statue: five of her little ponies in a group hug together. Their faces both young and old at the same time; an illusion her memory played on her from watching them grow old. Two pegasi, two earth ponies, and a unicorn.
Five of the ponies who made her who she was.
But the statue was yet incomplete because it was only the five of them. The sixth pony was missing from that statue, and the sixth pony was her.
'One day,' was her hope.
Until then, she would carry all that they had taught her onwards to each and every new generation. She would be their guiding light and mother and protector, and they would give her a reason to keep going and never look back with pain or regret. She would never look back and long for what once was, because the future offered so much potential. She did not stay in the past, because lives were short, and each one a gift to be treasured beyond the near-infinite riches and near-infinite magic she held.
She would never again forget what they taught her.
She looked back onto the statue of her three greatest foes and wondered, 'What makes a monster?'
Thousands of years ago, she knew a pony who had once been a monster. Her name had been Luna, Princess of the Night. Tormented by jealousy and anger and hatred, Luna fell and made herself Nightmare Moon. Her sister banished her to the moon to protect her little ponies. And a thousand years later, Nightmare Moon had returned. She and her friends saved Luna.
Did that make Luna a monster? She could not and would not call Luna a monster.
And while she had never been as close to Luna as Celestia, she was proud to look back and call Luna 'mentor.'
Thousands of years ago, she knew a draconequus who had once been a monster. His name had been Discord, Spirit of Chaos. For fun he had broken reality and twisted it into his own plaything, not caring for the torment he inflicted on others. Luna and her sister had sealed him in stone. And two thousand years later, he freed himself. She and her friends had stopped him, and a short while later, saved him from his isolation. Taught him the magic of friendship. Taught him to share in their joy, to take pride in others' accomplishments, to love another more than himself.
Did that make Discord a monster? She could not and would not call Discord a monster, though she would have at one time.
And while over the years he had his ups and downs, she was proud to look back and call Discord 'friend.'
Thousands of years ago, she knew a unicorn who had once been a monster. Her name had been Starlight Glimmer. Out of heartbreak and betrayal, she had erased ponies' special talents and had traveled back in time to rewrite history, not caring how it hurt Equestria. She had given the unicorn a chance and had not once regretted it.
Did that make Starlight Glimmer a monster? She could not and would not call Starlight Glimmer a monster.
She had been proud to call Starlight Glimmer her first student.
And over the years, she had taught thousands of students. Some were closer to her than others. And she remembered their names and faces, remembered their smiles and laughs and scents, their quirks and strengths and flaws. Each one made her proud of them in their own way as she watched them grow and succeed, accomplishing so much in their short, precious lives. Seeing her students grow and accomplish so much always made her smile, sometimes made her cry, because it was beautiful. No two were ever the same, and she could spend an eternity watching her students grow and seeing them become so much more as they reached their potential. And it was always beautiful beyond anything else she had seen. For what was more beautiful and precious than life and love and friendship?
There were too many of them to list, and she remembered each one by name and face and hug and nuzzle. They were all her foals, her little ponies, no matter how old they grew, and though their bones had turned to dust, their magic lived on and would live on forevermore, until the end of time and beyond.
Stone would weather and crumble, paper would break down, memories and faces would fade, voices would be lost to time, the universe would grow cold and dim, and all things would come to an end- even time itself- but their magic would not. Their magic would always live on.
A breeze blew by, sending her mane to billow on the other side of her body. The sun rose up to its apex and started its descent. Birds flew passed, chirping their sweet, musical songs that always brought her to remember dozens of ponies.
And she closed her eyes and smiled. For what reason did she have to be sad? She had seen so many wonderful things, known so many amazing ponies, held so many friends dear to her heart!
And yet the thought still lingered in her mind, 'What makes a monster?'
She opened her eyes and again looked at the statue of her three greatest enemies. For a time she had hated them, but that hatred did nothing for her, only poisoning her. She had tasted the bitterness of hatred and so tainted was it that she had done things that, for a time thereafter, she regretted. She had been a monster herself for a time, but she would not look back on that time because it was not good.
Equestria may have forgotten, but she had not.
"Learn from your mistakes," Celestia had told her. And she took that lesson to heart and was better for it. For their love and forgiveness, she was eternally grateful. And for having been shown that grace that she did not deserve, she showed it to others who made mistakes as she had.
She would not hate them, because she herself had made mistakes as they had. She would not hate them, because she herself knew how horrible hate was. She would not hate them, because it was not in her nature. Out of love, she would tell them when they were wrong, but she would never condemn anyone.
She pushed herself away from the railing and walked back inside her bedchambers, then into the hallways of her castle. Every time another pony passed, she gave them a smile, because she knew how much of a difference a single smile could make- her friends had taught her that. She would brighten their day, no matter how hard it was- it was always worth it. She would wipe away their tears, no matter how much they cried- for their pain was something she shared in. She would take whatever they threw at her without complaint, no matter how much of her blood they drew- because she loved them. And she would always give them a chance, always do the right thing.
"Always be Kind, always forgive."
"Always be Honest, always truthful."
"Always be Loyal, always faithful."
"Always be Generous, always loving."
"Always be Optimistic, always smile."
"Always uplifting, never hurting another."
Her subjects, her little ponies, smiled at her, and they knew no different. And she smiled back. She shared in their triumphs, shared in their failures. She loved them, and they loved her, having known no different.
Perhaps others did not love the liar, the thief, and the outcast, but she did. Perhaps they did not deserve it, perhaps they would reject it and spit on her, and perhaps they would kill her if the moment they had the chance, but she gave them her love regardless. She would love them no matter how much they hurt her, no matter how they turned away from her offer, and no matter how many times they turned away from her offer. She gave them her love because it was the right thing to do.
Because once upon a time, she had been loved by the five very best friends anyone could have asked for.
Such was the blessing of immortality, that she had an eternity to carry that love on.
Author's Note
Well, this is a thing I wrote without any planning at all. I did not expect to end up with this, either. Literally just sat down, set the story title to "Do No Evil" named the chapter "Love" and then started writing for about 30-60 minutes.