Tonight was a dark, rainy night in Canterlot. Cars drove up and down the streets while others simply walked with newspapers or umbrellas over their heads, protecting them from the torrent of rain drops falling from above. Not much can be heard on the streets of this busy city, except for music playing from inside the local bar, called 'The Stable'.
Seven girls sat close to each other while anyone who wished to sing could come up and play a song of their choosing. Rainbow Dash and Applejack were downing their fourth (or fifth) bottle of hard cider, Rarity settled for a simple glass of red wine, Pinkie Pie was guzzling a large pitcher of tequila, Sunset Shimmer was nursing on a glass of blueberry vodka, and Fluttershy, who was the only one who never really drank, decided to get a simple glass of water. Sci-Twi had decided on a water as well.
Each girl was conversing with each other, until the person singing had finished. They respectfully bowed and stepped off the stage. One of the bar patrons grabbed the mic and spoke to the crowd.
“Let's give Mr. Black Star a round of applause everyone!”
The entire bar, save for a few people broke into cheers and applause.
“Up next! We have a young man named Flash Sentry! Apparently he's got a song in mind as a dedication of today! Come on up Flash!”
A young man with tan/yellow skin and spiky blue hair walked up to the stage and took the mic, nodding in thanks.
“Thanks everyone. And yeah. I have a song that I've been wanting to sing for a couple weeks. Now since today is Veterans Day, I want to take a moment to thank the brave men and women of the armed forces who sacrifice their lives daily to keep this country safe. Without you, we would not know the meaning of freedom. My dad was a veteran from the war in Afghanistan. He joined right before I was born, when Operation Desert Storm was in full effect. Unfortunately....he came home with severe PTSD, and...he couldn't fight it for long...”
A few gasps escaped from the crowd, including from the Humane 7.
“After being discharged from the Marines after earning the Purple Heart...he committed suicide in his bedroom less than three months after he came home. PTSD is a very real thing that effects hundreds of thousands of veterans every single day. Before I start the song. I want all of you to think about something.... As of right now. There are over three hundred, to three hundred fifty thousand homeless veterans sleeping on the streets. And with each passing day, that number continues to rise. But that's not all...there are over 1.6 million veterans that are at risk of becoming homeless because of the ones effected by PTSD...out of all those brave men and women that served our country, over 68% of veterans have served for AT LEAST three years. These people have it their ALL, to protect us. They gave everything and yet we STILL fail them. We do NOTHING for them! Somewhere out there, is a veteran that doesn't understand why he's so easily tossed away like some piece of trash. They don't understand why there sacrifice has gone unappreciated, unwanted...out there is a solder that is thinking to himself, “what did I do wrong?”...and yet he STILL continues to fight, for what he thinks is right! At this very moment a veteran somewhere is losing his family! He doesn't understand the harm that PTSD can do to a family...and it isn't his fault. Another thing to think about...is that the divorce rate among military couples has risen to more than 45% just in the last five years! A study found that just this year there are over 500,000 veterans in the United States alone that suffer from PTSD!”
Sci-Twi shook her head at the statistics, astonished at what she was hearing. Fluttershy was already on the brink of tears.
“Somewhere out there, there's a veteran wandering the streets! Confused, clueless as to why his service went unappreciated! On average, a homeless veteran will spend 5 years on the streets. On AVERAGE! Somewhere...roaming the streets, a veteran is struggling to survive...doing whatever he can to make sure he says healthy...and at the same time, he's not getting the help he deserves. He has no way to cope. The veterans administrations that are suppose to help struggling veterans, only have enough resources to help a FRACTION of those in need! The worst part about all of this? In the time that it took me to tell you all of this...a veteran somewhere in this country took their own life...because they couldn't fight the battle anymore....nearly five to six thousand veterans die by their own hands every single year...that's one veteran almost every two hours...So next time you meet a veteran or a currently serving member of your military, take a few minutes and thank them. Tell them how much you truly appreciate their sacrifice.”
The entire bar was dead silent. The humane 7 were almost in tears by this point. Flash took a deep breath and nodded to the DJ, who started the music. A slow guitar riff started the song. Soon after, a slow drum beat followed. Taking a second to steel himself, he started singing.
“I spoke to God today...and she said that she's ashamed. What have I become? What have I done?...”
The bar watched intently as Flash shut his eyes, falling in tune with the song.
“I spoke to the Devil today. And he swears he's not to blame. And I understood...'cause I feel the same. Arms wide open! I stand alone! I'm no hero! And I'm not made of stone! Right or wrong! I can hardly tell! I'm on the wrong side of Heaven! And the righteous side of Hell! The wrong side of Heaven! And the righteous side! Righteous side of Hell...”
The speech that came before the song had already weakened the emotional walls that the Humane 7 had put up. But the song was making a metaphorical hole in their structures. Fluttershy was already tearing up, and Rainbow Dash was digging her nails into her legs attempting to keep herself under control.
“I heard from God today...and she sounded just like me. What have I done? Who have I become? I saw the Devil today. And he looked a lot like me. I looked away....I turned away!!! Arms wide open! I stand alone! I'm no hero! And I'm not made of stone! Right or wrong! I can hardly tell! I'm on the wrong side of Heaven! And the righteous side of Hell! The wrong side of Heaven! And the righteous side! RIGHTEOUS SIDE OF HELL!!”
The song immediately picked up as a heavy guitar riff tore through the song, adding to the intensity. Flash started head banging to the beat.
“I'm not defending...downward descending...falling further and further away. I'm getting, CLOSER EVERYDAY!!!!”
The sudden scream made Fluttershy cover her ears, as more tears started falling from her eyes. The song started to slow down a bit as Flash calmed himself, letting his eyes scan over the teary-eyed crowd.
“I'm getting, closer everyday...to the end. To the end, the end, the end, I'm getting, CLOSER EVERYDAY!!! Arms wide open! I stand alone! I'm no hero! And I'm not made of stone! Right or wrong! I can hardly tell! I'm on the wrong side of heaven! And the righteous side of Hell! The wrong side of Heaven! And the righteous side of Hell! The wrong side of Heaven! And the righteous side! Righteous side of Hell....”
The song came to an end and slowly faded out until the bar went silent once again. Flash gave a simple nod of acknowledgment.
“Thank you. Happy Veterans Day everyone...”
A split second later the entire crowd stood up with thunderous applause. The Humane 7 immediately ran over to the young man, wrapping him in a tight hug. Sunset was the first to speak.
“F-Flash...I-I'm so sorry about your dad...I wish there was something we could have done...”
Flash shrugged and smiled.
“It's okay...he fought for as long as he could. Besides...I'd say he's in a better place...”
Rainbow Dash, who was barely containing her own tears, lightly punched Flash in the shoulder and smiled.
“If there's anything you need big guy, you can come to us...”
Twilight nodded, unable to form her own words. She instead wrapped her arms around his neck tightly and buried her face in his shoulder, sobbing lightly. He smiled.
“Thanks girls. Happy Veterans Day...”
They all smile at him and respond.
“Happy Veterans Day...”
Author's Note
I do not own the 'Wrong Side of Heaven' song or the cover art. Link to the song is down below!
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=o_l4Ab5FRwM
