"So, the first thing we need to do to restore the Mighty Helm is to get some buildings set up." Applejack had a drawing board set down with some sketches scribbled on it, mainly showing Rockhoof and the island that they were on. "Without somewhere to live and co-ordinate, they ain't gonna stand a chance if danger shows itself."

"True, but the issue of finding materials on an island like this still stands." Rockhoof looked around the island, not a single tree caught his eyes. "We might need to make it back to the mainland, chop some trees down there, and deliver them to the island if necessary."

"Then there's the issue of trying to get everyone to come back to the island, let alone make it habitable for 'em." Applejack lifted her head from the plans laid out on the table to see how barren and lifeless the island was. Apart from the two of them, the place was practically deserted, and all that remained was an archaeological site and the temple where she found Rockhoof's shove.

"True, this island saw many a hardship in the time I spent in it. Such things like storms, rising tides, and many more. However, those were all back in the days when the Mighty Helm was properly established," Rockhoof paced back and forth, reminiscing of the time he spent in the past. "Now that a millennia passed, it's slightly understandable why the island has faced all this wear and tear. And yet, at the same time, it's also quite sad to see the old homestead reduced to this."

"Hey, hey. If it makes you feel any better, my barn's been torn down quite a few times in recent years." Applejack walked over and patted Rockhoof's back tenderly, looking into his eyes with a smile.

"But your generation has all the tools to rebuild. Not to mention, it's just a single house; nothin' compared to the titanic mass of rock and earth that was once my home." Rockhoof pulled Applejack's hoof off of his back and set it down slowly. "Unless there are magic spells that can repair this much damage, I fear that we might be grasping at straws here, Applejack."

"Well, there ain't no harm in trying now, is there?" Still retaining her smile, Applejack rolled her plans up and slipped them under her hat. "After all, it's better to do something and get nothing out of it than to do absolutely nothing at all."

"That's... an odd way to think about it." He cocked a brow and watched as Applejack took away the table and place it out of their way.

"Well, it's somethin' ah always tell myself whenever apple pickin' starts to feel repetitive and the like." Applejack placed the table down by the shoreline. "When you work on an apple farm for all your life, you start to get a thing for the labour part of it if you really invest into it."

"I always believed that hard work should merit reward in one form or another; no matter how small or huge the task at hand was." Rockhoof rapped the ground repeatedly with his rigid hoofs, leaving small holes in the ground. "There's no point in working hard unless there is some form of benefit for one pony or another..."

"Sometimes, the work is its' own reward, in a sense. Ah wouldn't have given myself such a darn good workout if I hadn't been working at my family's farm for so long." She felt her hooves, pressing against the muscle mass built up in them. "Y'know, some ponies might say that I've been doing the same exact thing over and over again, and that it's a tad insane, but I actually kinda like staying on routine. That way, there's no surprises, no slacking off, and a perfect little pattern I get to follow day in, day out."

"Interesting. And you never feel the need to change the routine up, or at least make it interesting?" Rockhoof rubbed his chin.

"If I did, it wouldn't be that perfect rhythm I find myself enjoying now, would it?" She tilted her head. "If you like what you're doing, why would you ever want things to be different?"

"Hmm... True that. But even with that same routine, me and the Mighty Helm were no strangers to adventure and voyages across the many seas of Equestria." Rockhoof turned to the sea, watching as the waves smashed against the cliffs and rocks, drenching them repeatedly. "When there were no dangers to our land, we would often seek out danger and quash it before it had a chance to spread." He gripped his shovel tightly.

"Well, maybe in Starswirl's time, but whenever evil rears its' ugly head, it usually comes to us half of the time." Applejack brushed her chest. "It always comes down to the magic of friendship in the end, and as long as we have it, there ain't no evil that we can't beat."

"Well, you have that right. It was able to banish the Pony of Shadows after all our other attempts to stop it failed." Rockhoof's smile returned as he patted Applejack in the chest. "Clearly, there is a lot about this new Equestria that we need to learn about as quickly as possible."

"Yeah." Applejack leaned back against one of the cliff walls and pressed a hidden switch that sank into it. The wall behind her opened up to reveal a cave leading down into the ground below. She stumbled and twisted her body to witness the opening of the secret passage, with Rockhoof quickly running to her side. "And from the looks of it, I've got a heck of a lot to learn about the old Equestria..."

"A hidden passageway, nestled deep in my homeland..." Rockhoof's mouth opened wide at the sight, and he took a few steps forward, completely unsure of where it would lead us. "Applejack? Do you mind joining me on this little adventure?"

"Ah... guess?" Applejack just looked at him, lifting her shoulders up. "Maybe? I don't know where we're gonna end up, though."

"That's just the thrill of the adventure, Applejack. You never know where your travels will take you, and the journey itself could be fraught with danger or wonder." He started to walk off into the cave. "But if we just sit back, loaf, and let lethargy take over, then what are we really getting out of anything?"

"Nothing. We get nothing from doing nothing." Applejack shook her head and followed after. "But I'm still not on board with this whole idea of just blindly venturing into unknown territory like this."

"But there's always something to be gained out of our ventures, even if they're small ones. And besides—" He pointed back to the entryway, which began to close itself, slamming against the roof and echoing throughout the now pitch-black cave "—There's no way back outside, so we have to keep on going."

Applejack shuddered at the sudden disappearance of the light, and held her hooves out in front of her face to try and see where she was going and whether there were any walls in her path. Though, it was made exponentially harder for her to move, as she had to take intervals to feel her surroundings out. Coupling that with the fact that the cave itself sloped down deeper and deeper into the abyss, and soon, she had absolutely no idea where she was going.

Rockhoof, on the other hand, was walking down the slope and into the darkness, letting the echoes of his hoofsteps be his map. He listened out carefully for it all, how each noise bounced off of the hollow cave and swirled around him and Applejack's heads. Then, when he felt a break, or a place where the noise had not been reflected, he took it upon himself to walk down that path, occasionally holding onto Applejack and leading her the right way.

"This isn't your first time in a cave, I guess." Applejack idly remarked as she evaded another wall.

"When I was at the front of the Mighty Helm's team, we were once tasked with finding our way in and out of a cave, to retrieve some ancient treasure that'd fetch a pretty penny in the market," he said. "But the second we went inside, our torches were blown out by the winds, and it was far too damp to make and sustain a new fire.

"So, my colleague, Firm Hoof, took it upon herself to use the sounds we made as her own torch, using them to fill out the blanks in her mind and navigate the lightless network of tunnels. Shortly after, the rest of us chased, and lo and behold, she lead us straight to our prize," his voice grew gradually, to the point where he was booming the last words. He cleared his throat. "Though, to be completely honest, getting out again was the hard part, because we were also carrying our reward, and we didn't want to lose it before we delivered it home."

"Firm Hoof?" Applejack lifted a brow, not that anyone would see it.

"She was one of the best ponies in my division. Whereas I was the bulk of the group's strength and fortitude, she was more into charging headlong into battle and leaving nought of her enemies, or the monsters of this world. She also made some fantastic ale and grub, but that's beside the point." He let out another doleful sigh and put his hoof to his chest. "Just thinking about her brings me back to the days before I met Starswirl, when we would sail the seas and act as a bulwark of strength and protection for the ponies of Equestria."

"You still can be, soon as we get out of this cave and re-establish the Mighty Helm, that is." Applejack patted his back softly. "I always believe that there ain't no end for anything, so long as you got ponies who can carry on the traditions of the old. Least, that's what Granny Smith taught me."

"Your Granny Smith sounds like a wise old pony, Applejack. She must've had quite a life..." Rockhoof, in the distance, saw a faint speck of light, illuminating the rest of the path. "I would very much like to meet her once all the other Pillars have settled down and re-acquainted themselves to this new Equestria."

"I'm sure that all the other Pillars would want to meet our families and friends... just as long as they don't freak out over the fact that six living legends, thought to be long gone, are standin' right in front of 'em." Applejack's face was finally blessed with the flicker of light as she finally stepped out of the shadows.

"Not to mention that those very same ponies are coming down with... what was it again?" He asked, holding his hoof out while lifting his eyes.

"Culture shock. It's what happens when you ain't been around long enough to see how much the world changed." Applejack nodded. "Say you live in a cave in the mountains for years on years, and you see this bright, shiny new home where your old one was. Seein' all those new ponies playing their new games with their new toys, buying foods you haven't seen before, or just doing stuff out of the ordinary entirely. That's what they'll all be going through."

"Interesting. And how they'll adapt will be all up to them. Whether they take it nicely, or run around stark raving mad with their loincloths on their heads at everything, I cannae say for sure." He turned another corner, and threw his hoof out to the side to stop Applejack from going further. "Anyway, we're here."

What stood before the two earth ponies was a giant stone door, with glowing runes at each side of it. Some of them vaguely resembled letters of the alphabet, while others had been drawn as if they were entirely new characters. The slab that they surrounded looked like it blended into the wall, and not much of the frame could be seen through the crags, but the two massive torches standing by the door illuminated them plain as day, while also warming Applejack and Rockhoof at the same time. At the very center of the door was a jumbled up picture, that looked like the pieces revolved to form something else. But at the moment, it was a bunch of irregular lines with no rhyme or reason.

"A door?" Rockhoof approached it, feeling sandwiched by the humid air of the fires by his side. "But what does it mean? And how in the world did it get here in the first place?" He reached up for the massive mark on the door and pressed it, feeling it sink into the rest of the door like a button.

A rumble filled the cave, causing small pebbles and dust to tumble from the roof of it down onto the backs and heads of Applejack and Rockhoof. The runes' lights began to shine much more vigorously, as they bathed the room in a warm, amber and topaz glow. The central piece of the door itself began to revolve and spin, causing the lines to take a new formation. Tumblers and mechanisms spun to life as the piece transformed into what looked like a picture of a helm.

"By all the stars in the sky..." Rockhoof felt a realization dawn on him as the doors began to open; the emblem emblazoned on it causing memories to resurface. "Can it be? Is it possible?" And with not another word, he ran into the door, leaving Applejack behind as she pursued him in.

Once the light had died down and both ponies readjusted themselves to their new surroundings, they were met with something that could have come straight out of a museum. They stood in what looked to be the heart of a mine, though with a lot less mining and a lot more ponies doing whatever they wanted instead. With a series of wooden, hoof-made structures. A titanic brazier stood in the middle, its' fires roaring vigorously as it spread embers around that dissipated as quickly as they came into being.

The very same logo that both ponies had seen on the door was everywhere in the mine: It was scrawled on flag garlands and large pieces of paper around the camp, along with it being marked on the armour and Viking-like attire of all of the ponies scattered around, most of which adorned helms themselves as they performed their duties. Forging gear on anvils, practicing their gear, flying through the tunnels at breakneck speeds, or trying to expand the place.

"What... is all this?" Applejack was the first of the two to ask as she walked towards the brazier, catching looks from the ponies around her.

"Either I'm suffering some kind of delusion after a leap forward to the next millennium, or this is the Mighty Helm..." Rockhoof's mouth stayed agape the whole time as he went to towards a large tent at the back. "I'd recognize that insignia anywhere, and I sure know a Mighty Helm pony when I see it."

"Want me to pinch you, just to make sure?" asked Applejack.

Then, silence befell the room, nothing more than the crackles of the flames could be heard as every pony in the mine turned towards Applejack and Rockhoof, seemingly unable to take their eyes off of the both of them as they stood in awe.

"Is this really happening?" one pony whispered.

"Have all of our prayers been a beckoning for his return?" said the next.

"THE Rockhoof, one the Mighty Helm's greatest heroes, here in the flesh?!" the next one was a bit louder than her peers.

The attention even managed to reach the central tent, and a large pony with a silver coat, pale magenta rugged mane and tail, and a large pointy helmet coupled with her Mighty Helm attire stepped out. Her cutie mark was almost identical to that of Rockhoof's, albeit with the triangles more coalesced and clumped together than his. At her first glimpse of him, she hobbled down the stairs, almost as if she had lost the strength in her own legs after seeing him. In the end, she finally came to his face, brushed it tenderly, and examined the Cutie Mark on his own rump.

"Are you... Rockhoof, the Almighty?" She asked, her voice laced with a very thick accent as she took a look at his shovel next.

"Almighty? I don't know about that, but Rockhoof is my name, miss," he replied, looking into her eyes.

"The Rockhoof, the Almighty? As in, one of the great gods of the Mighty Helm?" She asked, beginning to find more resolve in her voice as a smile crossed her face. "The one who stopped the volcano from painting our island with lava a thousand years ago?"

"God?!" Applejack lurched backwards and lifted her front hoof up, as the other ponies began to clamour around them.

"The volcano act? Yes, that was me. Though, I've no idea where the god part comes into play. I just did my duty as a member of the Mighty Helm." He held out his shovel, the steel reflecting the light from the fires all around the room.

"It's really him!" The lead mare pranced on the spot, immediately overwhelmed and giddy just thinking about meeting him at long last. "The very legend who fended off a volcano's fire with his own hooves and shovel! Rockhoof, the Almighty has heard our prayers and devotion, and has finally returned to lead us to prominence!" She threw her hoof skyward. "Glory be to him! Glory be to the Mighty Helm!"

"Glory be to him! Glory be to the Mighty Helm!" The other ponies all chimed in harmony, before charging towards the two ponies, cheering and hollering as they lifted Rockhoof up and carried him around the mine, singing sounds that sounded like shanties more than anything, their accents on full display as they slurred the lyrics.

All this time, I thought that they had all gone away, when in reality, they were all here, right under our noses, waiting for my return... Rockhoof couldn't do anything more than smile and bask in the adoration of his "followers" as they hauled him around the place proudly. I truly am a proud pony, for having created a legacy along with my fellows. I can only imagine the praise that Starswirl, Somnambula, Flash Magnus, Mistmane, and Meadowbrook are feeling right now...

Meanwhile, Applejack was just left in the dust, seemingly abandoned as all of the other Mighty Helm ponies took Rockhoof with them. Unable to muster up any words, she just took off her hat, held her mouth open, and just sat down before closing it up with her hoof.

"What... the hay just happened?" She asked herself before getting back on her feet and following the crowd of Mighty Helm ponies around the mine. "How are the Mighty Helm still around, and why aren't they up there instead of down here, in this dusty old place? And more importantly, what's all this nonsense about Rockhoof being some kinda god? All he did was hold off the Pony of Shadows for a thousand years and stop a volcano from coating the island..." She just rolled her eyes and watched him revel in the adoration of his followers. "Well, I'm happy for him whatever happens, but I just don't get all the sudden high praise he's gettin'. I'd better stay with him a bit, so it doesn't go to his head. Fame can do some funny old things to you, after all..."