The morning had been cold for some time, and a thick fog had crept in as time went by. For many upon the boat, the only sounds that could be heard was that of the waves gently lapping against it as it made its journey through the waters. The Captain of the vessel, an old earth pony stallion, had spent the better part of this trip just staring at those he'd taken aboard today. Seven ponies, all of whom were dressed rather odd to his eyes. But, gold was gold no matter who was giving it to him, so he'd never said a word about it. Instead, he and everypony else here just stood in silence, with the seven passengers right at the front of the ship, looking out with the hopes of making out their destination. At the very front of the group was a stallion, bigger than any he'd ever seen before, armed with what appeared to be a shovel of some kind, and with a look of determination upon his face. But, eventually, the chosen time came.
"Alright...we're here," he called out.
And sure enough, through the thick fog, they could see the outlines of a small wooden dock, jutting out from the edge of a rocky outcropping of land. The boat slowed down considerably, and soon, they were there. The Captain got to his usual duties, hopping off to tie the thing up at the docks, making sure the rope was properly secure, before turning to his passengers and giving them a nod of permission. The oldest-looking of them, a unicorn stallion dressed in blue, nodded back, and before long, both he and his followers began to disembark. The Captain watched each mare and stallion in turn, and when the last of them was finally off, the old unicorn turned to him, using his magic to levitate the promised small bag of gold he'd been offered. Taking it, the Captain gave a tip of his hat, then turned around and went straight back to his boat, leaving those seven to go about whatever business they had here.
And the seven themselves paid him no mind as they heard his boat begin to depart, soon being so far away that the fog enshrouded him from their sights. Now, they were alone here, and so moved as a group further inland. Slow were their movements, and their expressions were ones of both anticipation and concern at the same time. Rockhoof, again, was at the front, moving through the fog with slow steps. Soon though, he stopped, as did everypony behind him, for it was here that, with the sudden arrival of a gust of wind, the fog began to lift around them. As the area around them began to grow clearer and clearer, Rockhoof's eyes narrowed.
"...Home sweet home."
What they'd been told before had been true. There had indeed been an archaeological site here recently. But those ponies had long since departed, leaving behind this place largely as they'd found it. The remnants of long-gone homes and buildings littered the surroundings, and everywhere one looked, there was the distinct impression that this ancient place had not seen life or activity for hundreds, if not thousands of years. All of the other ponies, from Starswirl to Mistmane, looked around, their faces clearing showing difficulty in seeing this place like this. But, in the midst of it all, Rockhoof stood alone, and in utter silence. Slowly, he began to move away, and when the others saw him, nopony said a word. Before long, the massive stallion stopped at one ruined house in particular, setting his shovel in the ground before stepping closer and looking down upon it.
"Well...I'm back."
He was trying to sound strong, composed and in-control, that much was clear. But, beneath it all, there was a clear sound of sadness to his words. Pain threatened to break free in his eyes as he patted the ground before him, a place where grass and weeds had grown where once there had been none. A massive home now reduced to just the stone foundations, maybe with a few rotting pieces of wood here and there. It was a sorry sight, and for one who knew it, that discomfort was even deeper. But again, Rockhoof said nothing, even as he heard somepony begin to approach him from behind. From the corner of his eye, he could tell that it was Mistmane, and her voice, though aged, still retained its softness as she spoke to him.
"Are you alright?"
Rockhoof's eyes remained firmly on the old house in front of him as he replied.
"They're...they're all gone, aren't they?"
Mistmane did not reply, only nodding in conformation of his question, prompting him to continue.
"My friends...my family...all those who once lived here alongside me...they're all gone."
He let out a long sigh.
"It's just me now."
Looking to him, Mistmane gently placed a hoof upon his shoulder.
"They may be gone, but the legacy of this place may yet live. Those you knew here may have descendants, somewhere out there in the world, those who moved away from here as time went on."
Rockhoof nodded.
"Perhaps...like your friend? Whose descendant still maintains that garden you loved?"
Mistmane smiled, nodding back.
"Yes."
The sentiment did not seem to lift the stallion's mood, however.
"When we went through with Starswirl's spell, knowing we would never return...I'd made my peace with this place. But..."
He grimaced.
"...being here...actually having to see it, it..."
Rockhoof couldn't continue, and so looked away, the pain in his voice as clear as the sky above was slowly becoming. And that latter fact did not help matters whatsoever, as the lifting of the fog eventually revealed the entirety of the area, showing just how overgrown and forgotten this place was. Whatever thriving people had once been here, they were long gone now, and were likely never to return. And that thought weighed heavily on the enormous earth pony.
"This place is dead...just like them."
He frowned.
"And to all the rest of Equestria...we might as well be dead. To them, we're nothing but legends, as though we were never even real to begin with."
Looking back to his old home, he stepped forward.
"But we were real! We lived! We grew up, we had friends, we had lives of our own!"
In his frustration, he brought down a single hoof against the stone foundations of the house, sending a massive crack right through it. Naturally, such a display caused some concern for his companions, many of whom didn't know how to respond or how to speak to him right now. Instead, they left him alone for the time being, the only sounds being that of the sobs he was trying so hard to hold back. But, after several minutes of this, there was another who began to walk beside him. Slowly, Rockhoof turned to see that it was none other than Stygian, the youngest of their group. The small unicorn didn't say anything to him at first, instead just quietly sitting beside him and looking to the ruins before them both. Then, after considering his words carefully, he finally broke the silence.
"I imagine...you had many happy memories here."
Rockhoof's eyes drifted once more to the house, and he gave a short nod.
"Yes...we did."
Then, in a stark contrast to before, he started wearing a small smile.
"There was one time when we all got together for the summer solstice. We made a massive fire, right in the middle of the village. There was singing, dancing, revelry like there'd never been before."
The smile faded a little.
"This place...my people...we were so alive in that moment."
Stygian nodded.
"You were lucky. I never had a people of my own like that. I just...wandered. From place to place. Well..."
He turned to him.
"...until I met you and the others."
Slowly, Rockhoof looked down to him.
"I know, Stygian. We might not have always done right by you...but before the dark days...we always tried to be a people for you."
Stygian smiled back to him.
"And you were. You are. And if you want...we can all be each other’s people."
He looked over his shoulder, smiling again.
"You're not alone...just as I’m not."
In time, Rockhoof too looked behind him, seeing Starswirl, Meadowbrook and all the others gathered there. They were smiling to him in a warm and friendly manner, silently acknowledging and agreeing with what Stygian had said to him. It took some time, but eventually, the large stallion smiled once more, nodding to his young friend.
"I...I would welcome that."
Stygian smiled back, getting to his hooves again.
"If ever you need anything...just ask."
To that, Rockhoof considered.
"As a matter of fact...there is something you can do."
Though confused, Stygian watched in silence as Rockhoof turned, looking to all the rest of the group.
"If you're willing to help me...I would like you to bring everything you can get your hooves on here. Every piece of furniture that remains. Every plank of wood. Everything that once belonged to my people."
The rest looked to each other, and it was Starswirl who asked the obvious question.
"Why?"
Smiling, Rockhoof's voice was full of confidence.
"Because...there will be another fire here today."
He turned, looking one last time to his ancient home.
"It's high time my people...were giving a proper send-off."
