Was sung my magical cartoon ponies. The finale of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic was a week ago, and I still can't get over it. This episode pretty much blew anything I've seen in the past from My Little Pony out of the water. From a very intense villain, to a twisting story, to being beautifully storyboarded and animated, to absolutely God-like songs and score, to an all-out DBZ-style fighting sequence. This season has been different in many ways, including it's overarching continuity. While the majority of the season had fairly individual and "slice of life" episodes, Meghan McCarthy and her team have managed to interweave an overarching plot into them, making almost seemingly unrelated episodes come together. It was fantastic watching all of the callbacks and references to events and characters from this season, and how those individual moments each contributed to something much larger.

This episode had hands-down some of the best music of the series, both songs and score. Daniel Ingram only provides two songs for this two-parter, but they surely fill the void of 10 songs. From the princesses, including Luna (EEEHEEHEE!!), singing a song which I can only describe as everything I've already described it as and more, to the impressive finale song, Ingram, Steffan Andrews, and their team absolutely nailed it. And I simply cannot forget the music which takes up the majority of the episode: William Anderson's superb score, some of his best work! I wasn't sure if he would top his score from the season 4 premiere , but he delivered and then some. Not only did he hit on all of the reoccurring themes throughout the season, but he streamlined and embellished them so much it was amazing.

You'll Play Your Part is still something I just can't get over. A lot of songs have a hook in the chorus to pull you in, but this entire song is a hook. I can't get it out of my head and I hope it never leaves! We start out with some well-needed singing from Twilight as she explains how she feels. Complementing a great tune here is some fantastic acoustic guitar, quickly adding some strings and glockenspiel in the background. The song continues to build and add more instruments as Twilight sings, including more percussion, woodwinds, and choir.

After the second verse, Celestia joins in, singing for the second time since last season's finale, and Nicole Oliver's voice is just as amazing as ever. The backing track here resembles "Celestia's Ballad" from season 3's finale quite a bit. Next, the fandom explodes as Luna gets her first-ever singing part in the series, and who better to sing for her than Rarity's singing voice Kazumi Evans. Evans does a superb job here differentiating this singing from Rarity's, which is not easy. Cadance joins in, singing for the first time since "A Canterlot Wedding." The backing track builds adding the full orchestra in by the time we get to the chorus.

And holy crap the chorus. These harmonies are simply God-like. The three singers here just nail it. The backing track perfectly adjusts, adding a moving yet upbeat rhythm to the song. And can I say that Britt McKillip's part in the second bridge is absolutely beautiful. I didn't think Ingram and Andrews could top the first chorus, but as we get to it for the second and final time, he manages to add so much emotion to it via a key change and some great brass. I won't lie, the final chorus made me tear up multiple times, it was that emotionally strong.

I think I've calmed down enough to talk about this one intelligently, and I feel I should, as examining it fully is the only way to truly do justice to it. I can't talk about anything else until I talk about the opening song. In fact, I may never talk about anything else. Ever.

If you don't want to watch the whole episode, I've linked just the song in question here. In either case, you should definitely have this remix playing in the background as you read this.

Trying to learn and sing along with that song has given me a whole new appreciation for the musical director. I thought that Daniel Ingram had outdone himself with Find the Music in You, but it's becoming all the more clear that he put a tremendous amount of thought into this one as well. I noticed that the singers each use somewhat different registers, making it difficult for me to choose an octave. I obviously don't have much usable range in the octave it's sung in, but one-down or two-down is a tough call. It was in picking apart the different voice parts to figure out which octave to use for each that I made a startling discovery.

The composer went to such trouble to keep the characters' voices distinct and unique in the composition, and it shows through beautifully. Princess Celestia's phrases usually end with a large downward interval where a slight pitch increase would fit the pattern better. She defies expectation, sometimes to the extent of going in the opposite direction of the backing chords. Princess Luna ends her phrases more conventionally, with a building progression of a large downward interval, a small downward interval, hold, and then a small rise. Cadence splits the difference, getting the melody for the most part, and she always gets the sustained notes and thus has the decision as to whether or not to resolve the chord. The thing that really put this one over the top though, was that each singer keeps her distinct 'voice' as they move through into the bridge and the chorus. Celestia and Luna's parts sound counterintuitive because they were already singing the harmonics that match Cadence's before the three of them were even singing together! That is profound and brilliant and if it took me about 200 takes to figure it out then it was damn well thought out.

That opening song was amazingly poignant to me specifically, that's part of what made it so compelling, but I think that everyone has encountered a great deal of the concepts that it dealt with. Personally I could go through pretty much the entirety of Twilight's part line-by-line and point out exactly how each line applies to me. In fact, I think I will.

It isn't that I'm ungrateful
For all the things that I've earned

I've done many great things with my life. Things I never thought that I'd do, and which still amaze me. I've been very fortunate, and I find these days that the harder I work, the more fortunate I become. The strides I've taken thus far have been wonderful, and I never take for granted what I was given, and the value of what my efforts have wrought.

For all the journeys I have taken
All the lessons that I have learned

I've come a long way, changing and learning all the while. I'd hardly recognize myself if I were to meet me from just five years ago. The only equal of my gains in technical expertise is what I have learned of life and the world, and myself. The biggest thing I've come across, of course, is how much I have left to learn.

But I wonder where I'm going now
What my role is meant to be

YES. It is unfathomable to me that I could've come so far and yet still not know where all this is leading, what it all means. This potential that I have can do much, but what do I do with it? What should I choose?

I don't know how to travel
To a future that I can't see

I have learned so much, I understand so many things, and yet when I look at the road ahead, I am blind. Hell, I could write a second verse to this song just based on that!
How can I reach tomorrow,
when I can only see today?
I have no map to follow,
no light to guide my way.

I have my wings, I wear this crown
I'm a princess, this is true

I have labored long and hard to earn my own wings and alicorn magic. Their potential is great, but...

But it's still unclear to me
Just what I am meant to do

How am I to use it? I know only that wasting this potential would be a crime, but potential is just energy. It has no form or will or direction. That burden falls on my shoulders, and I feel like it is one I'm not ready to bear.

I want to have a purpose
Want to do all that I can

I can do a lot, probably. But WHAT?

I want to make a contribution
I want to be part of the plan

What is it? What is this thing out there that the world needs me to do?

Your destiny's uncertain
And that's sometimes hard to take

A tremendous understatement, but it shows that Celestia really understands where I'm coming from.

But it will become much clearer
With every new choice you make

Maybe... maybe it's not all one big thing. Perhaps destiny is just a long string of little things. You only see it when you add up all the little steps at the end. Perhaps it's only at the culmination of each little step that what they were leading up to becomes clear.

Patience is never easy
I understand wanting more

Apparently humility is not a lesson lost on the royal family. This one is another staggering understatement. Wanting more certainly isn't a bad thing. It is that drive that propels us forward into the darkness. Even if we are scared and don't know what may become of us. One thing is certain. In order to get somewhere, you have to want to get there first.

I know how hard it is to wait
To spread out your wings and soar

That's one of the most striking things about transitioning into the adult world. You're no longer assessed and rewarded in a very strict and regimented way. The fruits of your labors may take years to mature, with no encouragement whatsoever in the interim. It's a shock to many that early on, your salary and benefits often have very little to do with how hard you work. That's just not how business works. Salary is about leverage. How much are you worth to the company? How much do you cost to replace? Do you have better offers elsewhere? People in the real world don't reward you trying really hard and doing a good job. They reward results. And those results can take a long damn time to achieve. Not just twice as long as you think. Not even ten times as long as you think. Your ambitions with take hundreds or thousands of times as much effort as you expect, and the reward very well may still fall short of your expectations.

But you stand here for a reason
You're gifted and you are strong

Damn straight. A lot of people couldn't have done what I have. And a lot of people who could have, decided not to. That puts me in a pretty exclusive group.

That crown is upon your head because
You belong

Out of all the people that might've ended up where I am, only I am here, only I actually went through it. I belong here, because for better or for worse, I earned the position I am in.

Know that your time is coming soon
As the sun rises, so does the moon
As love finds a place in every heart
You are a princess, you'll play your part

Perhaps not any time soon. But that time IS coming. Sooner than I think, maybe? Only time will tell.

We understand you wanting more
A chance to shine, a chance to soar

And if that chance doesn't come to me, then I'll make my own!

Soon will come the day it turns around

If only I had your confidence, Cadence. But if you believe it so strongly, then perhaps I do too. Just a little.

Know that your time is coming soon
As the sun rises, so does the moon
As love finds a place in every heart
You are a princess, you'll play your part!