Imagine, if you will...
An Equestria on the brink of war.
A standoff against a faceless enemy
that hides behind their threats.
Like a dark cloud, a sense of dread blankets the land.
And as the doomsday clock ticks towards midnight
one fateful act could spiral us towards destruction...
The time has come for us to stand
Protect our loved ones and our land
By Luna's grace we march tonight
To save our country, we will fight
We take up arms and fall in line
The drills we ran flood back to mind
Celestia's light we'll see again
Whether in this life or the next
Fight for our homes!
(For the thousands they've killed)
Never alone!
(We'll take a thousand more)
Protect the princess!
(We can't rest until we)
Defeat our foe!
We pressed on through 'til daylight broke
Celestia's light obscured by smoke
And while shells fell throughout the night
Our equine flag still flew ahigh
Fight for our homes!
(For the thousands they've killed)
Never alone!
(We'll take a thousand more)
Protect the princess!
(We can't rest until we)
Defeat our foe!
Fight for our homes!
(For the thousands they've killed)
Never alone!
(We'll take a thousand more)
Protect the princess!
(We can't rest until we)
Defeat our foe!
Out from my window I see fallout from the bombs
Through smoke and sadness, our young soldiers still march on
But just a month ago when we were more naive
Those soldiers were just children with futures they believed
They say enlisting is the hardest thing to do
But after that first strike I knew that I'd join too
They trained us night and day to trample any foe
We'll ship out, win the war, then come back to our homes
We heed the call!
The borders fall!
Protect Equestria!
We're soldiers now, no backing out
We will not stop 'til they fall at our feet!
These young bucks coming in, they think they know it all
Let's see how sure they are when they see their friends fall
I've served too many years to die in distant lands
But if my princess calls, I'll serve at her command
We heed the call!
The borders fall!
Protect Equestria!
We're soldiers now, no backing out
We will not stop 'til they fall at our feet!
We heed the call!
The borders fall!
Protect Equestria!
We're soldiers now, no backing out
We will not stop 'til they fall at our feet!
I didn't sign up to be a hero,
I just wanted my revenge
My very own lesson zero,
now I serve at their command
And I can't help being a little scared,
surrounded by strange things
But they say the training prepares us for whatever tomorrow brings
I guess I got what I was looking for:
I've been through my first fight
And my senses buzzed electric
when I had him in my sights
And though I followed through and watched him fall
with cold effective skill
Tonight I cried for the missing part of me I left in Ponyville
We face the demons in our way
(To live our truest life)
Keep moving forward every day
(Our past we sacrifice)
Though doubt and fear is always near
Together we'll get through
I'll be there by your side
We'll win this fight
It's been so long, I don't remember
who I used to be
But I guess that doesn't matter,
I'm just a cog in the machine
And I won't fight for some greater truth,
or a princess on a throne
I'll fight because I know I'm good at it, and it sure beats being alone
We face the demons in our way
(To live our truest life)
Keep moving forward every day
(Our past we sacrifice)
Though doubt and fear is always near
Together we'll get through
I'll be there by your side
We'll win this fight
They say you gotta stand for something,
no matter the cost
But what if what we stood for is the reason that we're lost?
We've condemned every nation,
every faction that isn't us
Cuz they feel differently about the things we say we love
They say to become a soldier who is worthy 'nuff to lead
You sacrifice your morals to advance the greater need
But should you ever look back upon the victims that you've shunned
You'll find that they surprisingly aren't from a different blood
We stand!
(For the innocent who can't defend themselves)
We fight!
(For the things that bring more good into this world)
The battle cries with tearful eyes can't mask the pain we cause
With every life we take, we lose ourselves
So as we climb up this mountain to advance towards our foe
I'm left with thoughts I'm wrestling and I'm hoping to ignore
So strange it seems, despite my role, there's a truth that I now see
How do I fight this enemy when he looks so much like me?
We stand!
(For the innocent who can't defend themselves)
We fight!
(For the things that bring more good into this world)
The battle cries with tearful eyes can't mask the pain we cause
With every life we take, we lose ourselves
So sad it took this final fight to discover this hard truth
And now it will be lost in time, just like my squandered youth
But if you happen to be reading this, whether friend or foe
I'm sorry if I mistreated you, please take my words and go
We stand!
(We fall...)
It's been eight years, eleven months, and eighteen days
And so very much has changed
We used to paint the world with love and tolerance
But now our palette's full of grey
And while I still have faith in ponykind
And I still hum the old tunes
I've grown so tired of this fight that just drags on
It seems the lessons that we've learned have all but gone
Long ago a wise mare wrote some humbling words
Celebrating differences
And if she was here, I'd bet that she'd be ashamed
To see what we've become
And while the happy thoughts of long lost days
Have since faded into black
A new day dawns with hope that we may change
And maybe learn from all our past mistakes
Celestia, I hope that day
Isn't too far away
We fought so hard for a concept that's lost
A battle that cost so much more than we thought, but not a
Single one of us raised a flag, we forgot
To ask ourselves to just stop, and assess what we got, and now
Empty-handed we stare up at the sun
A new day has begun, but we lost all the fun
Of imagining a world full of magic and hope
We no longer can cope without a show that provoked
A movement that turned this harsh world around
And built up a crowd that swore to uphold the values of friendship and peace
But now without it just falls to pieces
Our memories fade away, lessons lost to better days
And as the stars each flicker out, it seems our hearts have filled with doubt
How did we all divide? You used to stand here by my side
How could we still just fall apart when hope's a beacon in the dark?
So take the brother who stood by your side
Whose songs made you cry Who taught us to try and be the
Best versions of ourselves, live or die, and just
Turn a blind eye and tell him goodbye because you
Can't stand to be around someone who thinks differently
He can't be the god you want him to be
He's only a man who has flaws
Not a pony whose thoughts only include cupcakes and plots. It's flawed
You think you don't have secrets inside?
Take a look at mirror and try real hard to divide what you see
Versus what is hidden inside and tell me you're flawless
It's not even worth it to try
Our memories fade away, lessons lost to better days
And as the stars each flicker out, it seems our hearts have filled with doubt
How did we all divide? You used to stand here by my side
How could we still just fall apart when hope's a beacon in the dark?
So think about what you've lost when the music has stopped
And you look at someone without these preconceptions you've got and see
They're not so different from you and me
They don't gotta be like the fantasy in your head
This friendship is dead
And not because you scream and shout
Until the whole world knows who you are and what you're all about
But because you love your voice so much it blinds you from the truth
The only person you're fighting is you
Cuz I'm done.
Through the twisted wreckage
of a life that I once knew
A vision of Equestria
when it still held you
And memory of a quiet town
when we first had met
So full of life and joyous sounds,
a place I won't forget
(Never forget...)
(The friends we left...)
(Our lost Equestria...)
You found me on a lonely bridge
so far away from home
The letter that you dropped for me
now the only thing I own
And melodies of a distant past
still ring within my head
But no lost words or lullabies
will stop you from being dead...
(Never forget...)
(The friends we left...)
(Our lost Equestria...)
How could this be?
It should be me
You were too pure to go
Into this darkness all alone
They say you gotta stand for something,
no matter the cost
But what if what we stood for is the reason that we're lost?
We've condemned every nation, every faction that isn't us
Cuz they feel differently about the things we say we love
They say to become a soldier who is worthy 'nuff to lead
You sacrifice your morals to advance the greater need
But should you ever look back upon the victims that you've shunned
You'll find that they surprisingly aren't from a different blood
We stand for the innocent who can't defend themselves
We fight for the things that bring more good into this world
The battle cries with tearful eyes can't mask the pain we cause
With every life we take, we lose ourselves
So as we climb up this mountain to advance towards our foe
I'm left with thoughts I'm wrestling and I'm hoping to ignore
So strange it seems, despite my role, there's a truth that I now see
How do I fight this enemy when he looks so much like me?
We stand for the innocent who can't defend themselves
We fight for the things that bring more good into this world
The battle cries with tearful eyes can't mask the pain we cause
With every life we take, we lose ourselves
And though you faced your final fight
in a war zone far from home
Your words will not be lost in time,
they will live on in this song
And if you happen to be looking down
from the heavens far above
You helped us to remember:
We're better off with love.
After all the bombings,
the gunfire, and the smoke
After the tepid ceasefire
that has settled into hope
After the propaganda,
the battle cries, and pain
We finally get to see
our Equestria again
And though our nation's capitol
has fallen into dust
The spiral stairs that once were grand,
now just mangled rust
The earth beneath our hooves
still feels like our own
It may be burnt and broken,
but this land is still our home
And we sing for Equestria
A land where we all gather and we all feel right at home
Yes, we sing for Equestria
For the friends we will remember
until long after they're gone
And so with heavy hearts
burdened by the strife
We begin to make amends and start to build a brand new life
But for those who hear this story,
perhaps you picked up on the clues
This tale is less for us, you see,
but mostly here for you.
And we sing for Equestria
A land where we all gather and we all feel right at home
Yes, we sing for Equestria
For the friends we will remember
until long after they're gone
And though a new dawn promised hope for peace,
we stood with respect and reverence for those we had lost...
We finally understood the fight.
Not for our country, but for ourselves.
The struggle to find a purpose that empowers us
and those around us
rather than destroying those who we don't understand.
And we remember.
We remember the war.
We remember that when we give in to bigoted self-indulgence
and let our differences divide us,
we destroy who we are.
We stood against an enemy
with overwhelming force and an unstoppable will...
We stood against ourselves.
But now we have the opportunity to rebuild.
To improve.
To become more than what we were...
The opportunity to build
a better Equestria.