A navy blue unicorn stallion in a military formal uniform walked through the ruins of Canterlot Castle reminiscing about pre-apocalypse times, though the undead threat had been completely eradicated thanks to princess Twilight, the heartache and suffering of the surviving ponies had never gone away and likely never will.

The stallion walked through the castle, kicking debris out of his way as he went. There were workers buzzing around, ever since princess Twilight announced a restoration effort many working class ponies had been hired to restore Canterlot and the surrounding areas, the stallion suspected it was because of her former mentor and best friend since Canterlot was once their home and she wanted to honor their memory.

He sighed and looked at the workers doing their jobs, everypony he spoke to looked miserable, everypony lost a loved one. Some lost a parent, some a sibling or friend, some ponies like himself had lost a significant other in the fall, his heart ached each time he remembered his coltfriend, his smile, his laugh, every memory that involved him served to break his heart all over again, his dreams weren't even safe as he relived the moment he lost his coltfriend forever. He was forced to watch as he choked on his own blood, terror clear on his face while he was powerless to do anything about it.

His breath hitched and tears threatened to spill from his eyes, he blinked the tears back and took a deep breath to calm himself. He forced his body to move as he neared the gardens where the monument to the fallen of Canterlot was, where her majesty and her lover were buried, where his coltfriend was buried. The stallion wiped his tears as he walked, his lover would never want him to be sad, he'd want him to carry on and do his best to help the surviving ponies.

He slowly walked out into the gardens of Canterlot, he took his time as he enjoyed the views around him, the hired gardeners really had turned the gardens around since he was last there. The sun shining down on his fur caused him to let a tiny smile grace his features, he always enjoyed the days when the sun shined, it made the day a tiny bit easier to get through and Celestia knows he could use all the help he could get these days.

The military stallion nodded towards the guards on duty who saluted him, though he was only in Canterlot for one reason, he hoped to visit his coltfriend again, he made it a monthly tradition to come visit him and tell him everything that's happened in his life, it made the grieving process slightly easier. He hoped it also comforted his lover in his afterlife to know he'll never be forgotten and that he'll always be remembered by ponies as a hero who died defending Canterlot during the fall.

The stallion made his way to the memorial, the granite wall had all of the names of the deceased carved into it, he walked over to where they'd carved his coltfriend's name into the stone to be immortalized and remembered. His breath hitched as he put his hoof on Gentle's name, he was so proud of him, he'd saved nearly a dozen lives before that damned infected got a bite in on his neck.

"I miss you so much." He whispered, his voice wavering the whole time he spoke. It had been nearly two years since the undead were killed again, a year since he was granted his position as General of the Guard, but the events of the fall will stay with him forever.

The clopping of hooves on pavement behind him and clanking of armor gave away that princess Twilight was on site, he sniffled and turned around to stand at attention for her majesty. Upon seeing her he bowed, waiting for the order to rise before addressing her directly. "Your majesty, good afternoon."

"Good afternoon General Midnight, how are you?"

Platinum Midnight sighed and turned around to place his hoof back on his coltfriend's name, his mane was disheveled and the stallion was noticeably exhausted. "I'm.. Alright I suppose."

"You're visiting the memorial again?"

"Of course. I want him to know that I'll never forget him and that I love him so much." Platinum turned around to meet his princess's gaze. "I assume you're her to visit her majesties and princess Celestia's lover?"

"I'm sure your coltfriend knows how much you love him, he'd be proud of you and how far you've come since everything happened. Also yes, yes I am." She sighed, taking a moment to speak again "Celestia's lover's name was Sunset Shimmer, she was my best friend."

He nodded, he never knew who Sunset was to princess Celestia, but now that he knew her name he would make sure others did as well. "I'll make sure she isn't forgotten, princess."

Twilight smiled and looked at the list of names, her eyes landing on the names of her friends and loved ones. "Thank you Platinum, that means a lot to me."

Midnight since turned around to look back at the stone, tears yet again threatened to spill from his eyes as he remembered the last time he saw his coltfriend in a good mood. "The last weekend I had with him, we went to Donut Joe's, he always loved his maple bars. He had so many of them that day that he said he felt sick and I laughed at him for being an idiot." He sniffled and kept going. "We then spent the rest of the day walking around the park enjoying the day."

The purple alicorn draped a wing over his back and pulled him closer to her. "That sounds lovely, I'm glad you got to spend time with him and make some happy memories. The last memories I have of Sunset and Celestia was Sunset making a bunch of unholy jokes and Celestia looking like she wanted to kill her."

Platinum chuckled and looked over all of the other names on the wall. "I suppose we have to move on and make them all proud, huh princess?"

"I suppose we do, we can do it. We'll make sure the fall never happens again."

"We'll make sure nothing like it ever happens. I guarantee it."

Twilight laughed softly and pulled him closer, she was happy she at least had one friend by her side to be there for her.

Author's Note

I made myself cry twice while writing this fic, damn it.

Either way this fic ain't good, but it was fun (and emotional apparently) to write.