//------------------------------//
// The jor and the Dragon 
// Story: Legends of Equestria: Hesturland 
// by The Blue EM2 
//------------------------------//

The dragon sneered at Rockhoof as he looked down at him. "Well, well, well," he said. "What do we have here, eh? Some small grub who intends to challenge me? Good luck with that."

"You're responsible for all this?" Rockhoof asked, alarmed and surprised at what he was seeing. "All this carnage and destruction?"

"Indeed I am," the dragon smirked. "I brought about all of this, and there's nothing that the pathetic little ponies of this world can even do about it. Or those things called people. They make such lovely snacks, you know."

"What?" Rockhoof asked again. "This is a place where people live? I've never seen one!"

"Finally, you don't ask a question all the time," the dragon laughed, smoke belching from his nostrils as he did so. "Well, I suppose an introduction is in order. I am Torch, the mightiest dragon to have ever lived, and a being of limitless power. Nothing can stop or defeat me. Not even Flash Magnus with that fancy shield of his could see me off, only momentarily annoy me."

Rockhoof's mind lit up. "Flash Magnus?" he thought. "He's here, in this world? How did he get to this strange place?" He tried to move away, but found his path blocked by a massive claw in his way.

"I can't have you running off to any old place, can I?" Torch sneered. "You could get in the way, and the Benefactor wouldn't like that. As a matter of fact, he'd be very cross indeed. Not to mention Ember is being a pain in the shoulder again."

"Somebody has to stop you," said Rockhoof. "It might as well be me."

There was a momentary silence. Then a snort. Followed by a laugh. Followed by a bellowing so incredibly loud it shook the ground and all around it, knocking over another building and pulling trees up from their routes. "YOU? STOP ME? REALLY? You would make an exceptional comedian, Slatehoof."

"Rockhoof!" Rockhoof replied.

"You don't look tough enough to be a 'rockhoof'," replied the dragon. "You look small, weedy, easy to digest. Dragons have exceptionally powerful stomach acid, perfect for dissolving cows. A little horse like you would make a most convenient appetiser."





In that moment, Rockhoof knew he had to run. He had no weapons, and in his weakened state he had no chance of fighting this dragon at its own game. But there was one thing he was, and that was reasonably quick. And what he knew of dragons was that they were lumbering and slow. He sped off over the ground.

"Oh, so it's going to be that way, is it?" Torch bellowed. "Very well." He unfolded his gigantic wings, and started to fly towards Rockhoof, bearing down on him with all due speed.

Rockhoof suddenly turned to the left, causing Torch to overshoot, be unable to stop, and crash into a side of a mountain. Boulders and rubble rolled onto and past him as he pulled himself off the side of the hill, and his tusks caught another few boulders that bounced like basalt missiles to the valley floor. "Clever move. But not clever enough!" He took to the skies once again, and flew at Rockhoof, faster than before.

Rockhoof then had an idea based on his current positioning, and the prescence of a tree near to where he was. "Let's see him navigate around this," he smirked, and began to run round and round the tree as fast as he could.

The dragon followed, his wing beats continuing to pound the ground. Round and round he flew, trying to hold pace with Rockhoof, but he couldn't. Not only that, the world was beginning to look funny.

"Round and Round the Mulberry Bush, eh?" Rockhoof laughed. "You may be a lot bigger and stronger than me, but your turning circle is certainly a lot bigger!"

Torch shook his head and looked extremely confused. "I feel dizzy," he said, before suddenly shooting off at an angle. He crashed into a building... and through it... and eventually landed on a hill side, groaning as he lay there dazed.

Rockhoof smiled as he trotted over to the unconscious dragon. "Sweet dreams, my friend," he said. "Now, I have to continue my journey, preferably without interference. I think the map said it was this way?" He pointed to the exit of the valley, which lay to the rough south west of his current position. "Right then. Away we go! Next stop, the Louisiana Swamps!"





Rockhoof was walking and trotting for some time. The heat was incredible, and the humidity only continued to rise as he went on his way. The sky grew murkier and murkier as he went on. There was much in the land and on it, the mountains slowly giving way to rolling countryside and almost empty hills. The towns and villages seemed deserted, barring one where people were loudly protesting covid measures as a breach of liberty. It was at this time that Rockhoof began to get a rather low opinion of some humans, given that some of them were incalculably stupid and seemed to believe utter nonsense. Occam's razor was a simple solution to this one. Rather than a relative with the disease dying in hospital because a doctor killed them as part of a plot by the Democrats to get re elected, it is more likely the individual died of the diesease whilst in hospital. Oh well. The election had at least proven that common sense had prevailed, and Rockhoof had regained some faith in humanity. He trotted onwards, the forests giving way to murky swamps and dark, hot tree cover. Steam and smoke poured from the ground thanks to the humidity, and there was quite a fierce smell coming from something as an alligator lazily swam past, looking at Rockhoof with suspicion as he went by. Then, he dived underwater like a submarine and disappeared from view.

Rockhoof finally arrived in a small settlement, full of cute wooden buildings (some of which looked to be in a state of disrepair of sorts). He heart a great noise coming from the biggest of them, with what sounded like music and furious fiddle playing. He went into the door, and through it. He was too small to bash doors of their hinges.

When he entered, he heard the last strains of whatever the song was that they were playing.

"Fi- fo- fiddle- diddle!
Fi- fo- fiddle- diddle!
Hey- yey- yey- yey- oh- ho!
Hey- yey- yey- yey- oh- ho!
Hey- hey- din- gen- do!
Hey- hey- din- geli- do!
Hoo- rye- and- hott- a- cott- a ho!
Hoo- rye- and- hott- a-c ott- a ho ho!
Hott- a- cott- a- hotta- ko!
Hott- a- cott- a- ko- cott- a- ko- ho!
Fi- fo- fiddle- diddle -hi- ho!
Fi- fo- fiddle- diddle- hi- ho!
Ho fiddlee- ding- galli- do!
Ho fiddlee- ding- galli- do
Hoo- rye- hoo- rye oops- oops- ay!
Hoo- rye- hoo- rye oops- oops- ay!
Hotta- cotta- hotta- cotta- mi- fo- fo!
Hotta- cotta- hotta- cotta- mi- fo- fo!

"Downsides go up- hey! Outsides go wide
With a twiddle on the fiddle in the middle by the griddle
but Hurricane slept till Sonnabend!
Upsides go west- hey! Broadsides go boom! With a batter and a clatter
You can shatter every platter but Hurricane slept till Sonnabend!"

Rockhoof recognised the pony playing. "Stygian?" he said quietly to himself. "What's he doing here?" He then decided to make his presence known as Stygian was chatting with some other ponies. "Well," he said, in a thick Scottish accent, "I've arrived. Am I still in time for a drink?"

That got their attention. Stygian and Mage Meadowbrook both looked over and trotted over to him. "Rockhoof!" said Stygian. "Thank the Stars that you're OK! How did you get here?"

"I had a very long trek from West Virginia," Rockhoof replied. "And had to face off with a fierce fire breathing dragon along the way. I am rather smaller than normal, so that was an interesting logistical challenge. I caused him to crash into a tree."

That got a laugh out of Meadowbrook. "Sounds like you had quite the trip!" she said. "But Ah imagine yer tired now. This here place has got yer every need covered. Food, drink, board, they got it. Now, if you'll excuse me, Ah've got some business ta attend to back at the shop, so make yerself feel comfortable and just relax." She and Stygian then trotted out of the door, heading towards a large tree with a hole in it. A rather oddly shaped hole, rather like a giant alicorn.

Rockhoof sat down, ordering a Hellfire as he did so. He had many questions on his mind. Firstly, what creature had caused all this devastation? Secondly, normally he and Meadowbrook (and Stygian) had had to communicate with the help of Glowpaz fragments (which he seemed to be lacking at the moment). So how had he been able to communicate with Meadowbrook and Stygian with no difficulty at all?