“It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived.“-General George S Patton

Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.

Fifteen steps in tap shoes to cross in front of the memorial.

Lieutenant Sun Light of the Royal Equestrian Ground Forces wore the ceremonial armor for the post, polished brass to a fine shine, spear held in his vector controller, and helmet plume finely brushed and even.

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The memorial was one of the battles of the Horizon War, one of the few major land battles of that conflict. Three thousand seven hundred and ninety-two names were carved into the black marble, by name and mark, of every Equestrian that had fallen in that battle.

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There was also the names of the six thousand two hundred and sixteen soldiers of the Imperial Griffin Army inscribed on that memorial. Lieutenant Knurl Wing of the Imperial Griffin Army crossed his path silently, in full ceremonial armor and fighting claws on his front claws.

Pivot. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.

The memorial was a half-circle built into a hillside, the names of the dead sorted only alphabetically. No ranks, only names and cutie marks , if they had any, adorned the memorial site.

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Every day, from dawn to dusk, there would be a guard for those that had fallen. They had all served to their very last, those that could not be recovered, their cortical stacks destroyed or too badly damaged for recovery. And, they would not be forgotten or left alone by anyone.

Pivot. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.