Chapter 8: Charizard vs. Aerodactyl

Come on, you all knew this was coming.


Snivels often gathered information first before attempting to train a new dragon. It was always better to have all the facts first, after all.

Bigwings sat in front of the Servine, his blood red eyes narrowed in confusion. As much as Snivels couldn't help but feel the dragonet's eyes were burning into his soul, he was quite used to being stared at. He had to deal with it when he first spoke out loud in front of the Berkians, and he had dealt with it from dragons several times.

The Prince of Pokémon double-checked to see he had the paper and writing utensils he needed before smiling at the white, serpentine dragonet. "Alright, Bigwings, let's see what you can do."

The dragonet wasted no time tunneling underneath the frosted floor of the Ice Caves. He'd prefer dirt, but this would do.

Snivels had anticipated that. Whatever Bigwings was, he definitely had Whispering Death qualities. He hastily scribbled down what he'd seen on a blank sheet of paper moments before Bigwings burst out from underground and fired a few of his spines at the cave walls.

Then the dragonet let out a screech, and every other dragon who could hear it roared in pain and attempted to cover their ears.

Now on a roll, Bigwings sucked in a breath before several rapid-fire balls of flame came shooting out of his mouth. And once he started, he couldn't seem to stop. Snivels dodged several of the fireballs before the firing ceased, leaving a tired Bigwings breathing heavily.

Snivels muttered to himself as he took notes. "Gatling shots of fire..." Once he was finished, he smiled at Bigwings. "That is all I need to see. Now, your species needs a name. Since you're related to Whispering Deaths, and you're able to produce such a disorienting scream, maybe it should be..." He stopped to think for a moment before finishing. "Screaming Death. What do you think?"

Bigwings hissed in content.

"Then let's begin training, shall we?" Snivels asked rhetorically.

Moments later, Bigwings was surrounded by a multitude of different dragons, mostly dragonets. He hissed, this time in annoyance, and the dragons near him shifted away a little.

Snivels stood at the very front, talking professionally like a teacher. "As you may have noticed, we have a new dragon joining us today. Everyone say hello to Bigwings."

No one made a single noise.

Snivels continued nonetheless. "When we leave the Ice Caves, there will be a lot of conflict. Conflict means enemies, and enemies mean battle. One of the most important rules in battle is being able to tell friends from foes. So, what we're going to do is, one of you will come up in front of the group and tell everyone something about yourself. Knowing our allies is key in battle, as it helps us develop a bond with them, which is key to victory. Now, who wants to go first?"

Pin-drop silence fell upon the room. Snivels scanned the crowd of dragons in anticipation. "Anyone?" His eyes fell on Toothless and Ebony's dragonets. "Alba, let's start with you."

The blue-eyed, white dragonet jumped back a little in surprise. Snivels gently coaxed her forward. "Come on, don't be shy." Alba held her head down as she padded forward, following the sound of Snivels's voice. The Servine patted her head as she settled in front of the group next to him. "Now, is there anything you'd like to share about yourself?"

Alba took one look at all the dragons staring at her before she tucked her head into her wings. Whatever she grumbled out, no one could hear.

"That's okay," said a sympathetic Snivels. "We'll come back to you later." He escorted the shy little baby back to her siblings. "Who wants to go next?"

Seeing how no one else was volunteering, Terrorspin the Whispering Death slithered forward. The almost-fully-grown dragon didn't wait for Snivels to give him permission to speak. "My name is Terrorspin, and I'm a Whispering Death. I like getting my teeth brushed, and my favorite food is carp."

Bigwings eyed his (slightly) larger cousin with interest. At least there's one dragon I know I'll like.


Brandyn sat and stared sullenly at the two Cosmoem that were levitating in front of him. He'd pulled Ra and Camazotz out of his pocket hoping they would at least say something to him. Heck, he'd even take a teasing song about him and Heather being in love.

Not one. Single. Word.

A peck on the arm from Aria the Shiny Swablu got Brandyn's attention off his two partners. Aria opened her beak as soon as her trainer's eyes landed on her. He sighed, "Alright." He reached into his satchel and pulled out a small box filled with pastries like the one he'd offered to Bigwings. He grabbed one of the less decorative ones and gave it to Aria, who gobbled it right up before fluttering away.

"What are those?"

The question came from Heather. While Brandyn had been hoping for something else to take his mind off of Ra and Camazotz, he wasn't quite sure she was the person he wanted to talk to right then and there. Putting the box back in his satchel, he answered, "They're sort of a family recipe. The people on my home island practically worshipped Pokémon, and my parents and I used to make these little treats for them. We were gonna name these after we got back from our fishing trip, and you can probably guess how well that turned out." That last part was accompanied by a reasonable tone of sadness.

Heather glanced over her shoulder at Ninjark, who gestured for her to join Brandyn. Taking the Greninja's advice, she sat down on the icy floor next to her friend. "Do you still want to name them?"

"Every time I try, I'm reminded of my parents," Brandyn said, averting his eyes. "I can still hear their screams from when the boat overturned and they disappeared beneath the waves. I'm sorry, but it hurts too much."

Heather wasn't sure what to say. She also had some problems with her parents, but she'd never told anyone about it, not even Ninjark. Deciding the comfort of her friend was more important than her secret, she grasped his hand in her own.

"The people who took care of me on the Peaceables' island aren't really my parents," she said. "They just found me bundled up on their doorstep one morning. They didn't know where I came from, or who I was. The only things they found with me were a note with my name on it and a wooden horn."

Brandyn finally turned to look at her, though she couldn't tell if his eyes held surprise or pity. Maybe it was both.

Heather continued. "I never knew my real parents. I often wonder about them. I think, I hope, that they're still alive, and that they want to meet me as much as I want to meet them. You're luckier than I am. Even though you lost them so soon, you still knew your parents. Me, I just have to keep guessing."

Speechless, the only thing Brandyn's mind could command him to do was squeeze her hand tightly. Finally, he managed to utter, "Thank you." Then, almost without realizing what he was doing, he leaned in towards her.

Sadly, the moment was ruined by the arrival of Ninjark. "Why didn't you tell us before?"

Heather averted her partner's eyes. "I wasn't sure how to say it. And they were really the only family I had."

Smiling behind his elongated tongue, Ninjark kneeled down and laid a hand on his trainer's shoulder.

"No. They weren't."

It didn't take a genius to understand the meaning of those words. Heather smiled at her partner in thanks.

Brandyn went right back to staring at the silent and unmoving Ra and Camazotz, thinking to himself, I was not going to kiss her, I was not going to kiss her...


Save for the numerous times Drageist flew into the room to make sure everyone was still in one piece, Hiccup could safely say they were making progress with the prehistoric Pokémon.

All of the prevolved prehistoric Pokémon, aside from Amaura, were not happy with their frosty surroundings. They preferred warm environments.

So Hiccup and Toothless went to work gathering buckets of water and heating them with plasma blasts. Normally, Rock-type Pokémon would do just about anything to avoid water, but the heat radiating off the clear fluid was so soothing, they all went to dip their feet into one of the buckets. Omanyte, Kabuto, Anorith, Lileep and Tirtouga showed no hesitation dipping into the water, seeing as how it was their natural habitat.

Amaura, meanwhile, went all the way to the other side of the room to avoid the heat.

As the prehistoric Pokémon's demands for warm water increased, Astrid and Stormfly decided to join in and help. Because a Deadly Nadder's fire was among the hottest in the dragon world, the water heated by Stormfly became a favorite for the living fossils.

But the heat was also attracting the attention of a hungry Aerodactyl. And he preferred to have his food all nice and warm.

Straining under the weight of a water-filled bucket, Hiccup wheezed out, "I'm beginning to think it would be easier to take these guys to a warmer area."

"You said you wanted to gain a little more muscle," Astrid said teasingly.

"That was before I shot down Toothless," Hiccup reminded her. He then set the bucket down. "Besides, aren't you the one who's always saying I'm perfect just the way I am?"

Astrid turned away from him to hide her blushing face.

Without any warning, Fossilwing burst out into the open, and made a beeline for the first person that caught his eye – Astrid. He opened his talons to grab his prey. Astrid didn't see the Aerodactyl until it was almost too late.

I say "almost," because Hiccup managed to spot his wife's attacker just in time to do something about it.

He sprinted forward, despite the risk of his prosthetic slipping on the ice, and pushed Astrid out of the way of Fossilwing's talons.

"LOOK OUT!"

The blonde looked up immediately, and was just in time to see the Aerodactyl clutch her husband in his talons and take off. A blast of fire from Toothless just barely grazed Fossilwing's wing before the Night Fury pounced on the Aerodactyl's back, biting and clawing desperately to save his friend. Fossilwing flew this way and that until he managed to shake off Toothless, who tumbled to the floor in a heap.

"Hiccup!" Astrid cried out as she jumped to her feet.

Fossilwing's roar echoed off the icy walls of the caves as he headed down the tunnels, looking for an exit. Hiccup didn't want to be a victim of whatever Fossilwing was planning to do with him, but he also didn't want the Aerodactyl to drop him on the hard, frosted floor. So, he ended up clutching the Fossil Pokémon's talons like they were a lifeline.

When he ended up circling back around, Fossilwing lashed his tail and smacked Toothless right in the muzzle. He had barely lifted his head up before the Aerodactyl disappeared into the tunnel once again.

The noise caught the attention of the rest of the team, who came running into the room.

"What's going on?" Snivels asked.

His answer was a loud screech from somewhere in the tunnels.

"Aero!"

Drageist arrived in time to hear it, loud and clear. "Fossilwing..." the Giratina muttered.

All the other prehistoric Pokémon ran to hide, for they had no plans in becoming an Aerodactyl's dinner.

"Alright, everyone mount up!" Blaze called, well aware that Astrid would do anything to make sure Hiccup was safe.

There was no hesitation in regards to obeying the command. But poor Stormfly had tuckered herself out warming the water for the prehistoric Pokémon. She needed to rest until her shot limit was refilled. Astrid took note of this, and called out to her friends. "I'm gonna need another dragon!"

"Don't look at me," said Drageist. "I'd very much like to fly out of these caves with my dignity intact."

Snivels, who was mounting Toothless, pointed behind Astrid. "There's one right there."

Astrid turned to find herself standing face-to-face with Mortem. She glared at the baby Red Death. "Snivels, I am not flying on the back of the queen's dragonet!"

"Astrid, we're don't have time," Snivels nearly pleaded, "Just get on Mortem's back and we'll - "

"There is no way I'm going to - "

"GET ON MORTEM'S BACK!"

Astrid honest-to-Arceus jumped in surprise when Snivels yelled at her. What was probably even more surprising was that she did exactly what the Servine told her to do after she recovered from the shock.

"Everyone follow me," Drageist said as each member settled onto their mounts. "We Legendaries know the fastest way out of these caves."


Fossilwing was quickly making his way up, but it was far less straightforward than anyone thought it would be. The Aerodactyl had flown through what felt like a hundred different tunnels before he finally found his way out into the open air. All the twists and turns the Fossil Pokémon had made was beginning to make Hiccup very dizzy.

"Don't they ever make tunnels in a straight line?" the Haddock boy asked, trying to keep his eyes in focus.

Fossilwing's screech in agreement was the only nice thing he got out of the Aerodactyl's mouth that day.

Another minute of flying passed, and the first faint traces of sunlight finally started to show themselves on the tunnel walls. They were almost out!

"I should warn you, I'm probably not as appetizing as you think," Hiccup tried to explain, but, sadly for him, it fell on deaf ears as they shot out of the claustrophobic tunnels and into the open sky.

Victoriously, Fossilwing opened his maw. "Aerodactyl!"

The Fossil Pokémon's screech rang out over the entire glacier. The native Pokémon residents all stopped what they were doing immediately and turned their heads skyward, where a purple shape was rapidly leveling out and streaking back down towards a sea stack.

At that time, Drageist and Team Go-Getters made their way out of another exit not far from where Fossilwing had flown out. "Hiccup!" Astrid called, reasonably worried.

"I'm fine!" Hiccup called back. Then he muttered to himself, "I hope."

Fossilwing looked over his shoulder and roared in frustration as he realized he had company.

"Alright, guys, let's do it!" cried Astrid.

The dragons all flapped their wings powerfully, making a beeline toward the Aerodactyl. Fossilwing growled and flew away, not wanting to be on the receiving end of the mob that was heading his way.

From his position on Toothless's back, Snivels launched a Leaf Storm at Fossilwing. It looked like the move was going to hit when the Aerodactyl suddenly, and very swiftly, flew out of the way. Blaze's Flamethrower and Ninjark's Water Shuriken ended with the same result.

"He must be using Agility!" Brandyn hollered, gripping Buck's horns so tightly his knuckles turned white. "We need to slow him down!"

"How?" Heather shouted over the wind.

Brandyn's reply was calling out one of the Pokémon's attacks. "Sting, try a String Shot!"

The Beedrill buzzed obediently before raising his rear stinger and firing strings of silk from it. Some of the threads landed on Fossilwing, but the Aerodactyl easily shook them off and kept flying.

A glob of purple stuff sailed past the Aerodactyl's head, but he didn't even flinch. Blaze shouted to Adhesive, the one who had launched the glob, "Don't you know poison attacks don't work well on Rock-types?!"

"I didn't hear any of you coming up with better ideas!" the Poipole shot back.

Fossilwing then did a nosedive, and when he was close enough, pulled up just above the ocean, sending sprays of water every which way. Then he turned around to face his pursuers. Hiccup watched as Fossilwing's body glowed white and created a see-through afterimage of himself. The afterimage then started spinning quickly and formed a silver ball with a green core, which Fossilwing launched at Team Go-Getters.

The dragons quickly scattered to avoid the attack. Brandyn gazed at the orb in awe. "That's Ancient Power..."

Taking advantage of his distracted pursuers, Fossilwing then opened his maw and unleashed a powerful Roar attack. The force of the Roar strong enough to blow back even Drageist.

"He's even more powerful than I thought!" the Giratina exclaimed.

When they dared closer, Fossilwing launched another Ancient Power. This one struck Mortem right in the noggin. The Red Death dragonet spun out of control, knocking every other dragon out of the air before everyone came crashing at the foot of the sea stack Fossilwing was heading for. Adhesive ended up stuck at the bottom of the pile, groaning at the amount of weight pinning him down. "Am I gonna feel that in the morning..."

Not a moment later, Fossilwing landed on the sea stack, still clutching Hiccup tightly in his talons. Noticing the hungry glint in the Aerodactyl's eye, Hiccup cried out to his friends, "Somebody get me down!"

Launching herself onto the foot of the sea stack as soon as the she recovered, Amber dug her claws into the icy rocks as she started climbing. She was making good progress before she slipped and fell right back down to where she started.

"Astrid!" Hiccup called to her as soon as he saw her below him.

The Hofferson-turned-Haddock pulled herself out of the pile, stood up and looked around, hoping to find a flyer who could carry her up and help save her husband. But every abled flyer was dazed and confused, and Drageist had mysteriously disappeared.

Hiccup was about to call to her again, when he noticed Amber trying to climb the sea stack again. "What are you doing?!"

Amber ignored him as she dug her claws deeper into the gaps between the rocks. But the rock she was holding on to broke off, and she tumbled right back down. Not one to give up, she looked up at Fossilwing and shouted, "You leave our friend alone!"

Fossilwing just pulled down his lower eyelid and called down to her tauntingly. "Aerodactyl!"

The thought of Hiccup being eaten alone was nerve-wracking enough, but now Fossilwing was getting smart, too? What could be worse?

The answer to that question came in the form of Fossilwing licking his lips as he lowered his head to take a bite out of Hiccup.

Amber thought she felt her eyes get wet as she watched the Aerodactyl prepare himself for his meal. She'd said she could protect Hiccup if she absolutely had to, and she was failing.

"Somebody do something!" yelled Snivels, his voice full of fear and worry at the fate of his trainer and best friend.

Amber shut her tearful eyes, unwanting and unwilling to see what was going to happen next.

Then, for a few brief moments, everything was a blur.


Hiccup was preparing himself for the stabbing pain that came with Fossilwing's teeth sinking into his flesh when a light from below nearly blinded them. The one-legged hero strained to look over the edge of the sea stack, wondering what the heck was going on.

A glowing, reptilian shape was shifting and getting larger. The one horn on their head split into two, their flaming tail grew longer, and a pair of dragon-like wings erupted from their back.

When the light faded, Amber the Charmeleon was gone.

In her place was an amber-colored lizard Pokémon with huge wings and a flaming tail.

A Charizard.

The now fully-evolved Amber roared in determination as she shot a stream of fire from her mouth. Then, with one mighty flap of her new wings, she took to the air and flew straight towards Fossilwing.

Sensing that he was now in trouble, Fossilwing took off, heading for whatever way would get him the furthest from his new adversary.

Hiccup gripped the Aerodactyl's talons like a lifeline. Falling from such a height was still not on his list of things he wanted to do.

"Hiccup!"

Startled momentarily, the one-legged trainer stared at the Charizard that was flying after them. Amber called out to him again, "I wasn't lying when I said I could protect you!"

Smiling at the realization that Amber had indeed evolved to rescue him, Hiccup muttered to himself, "I know."

"Go get him, Amber!" Snivels shouted from below. "You can do it!"

The Charizard glanced down at her mate before glaring at Fossilwing and sucking in a long breath.

Hold onto your leg, Hiccup, 'cause things are about to really heat up!

A Flamethrower that was far more powerful than the ones she produced as a Charmander or a Charmeleon erupted from Amber's mouth. Fossilwing hastened to dodge the attack, the heat actually blistering his wings despite the type advantage he had over the Charizard. Hiccup felt the top of his head to make sure his hair hadn't caught fire.

White pine trees passed by in a blur when Fossilwing dove into the nearby woods, but it did nothing to slow Amber down. The Charizard, despite having never flown by herself before, matched his every move, a better flier than Fossilwing suspected.

When Amber felt she'd gotten close enough, she gave one of her recently learned, new moves a try. White streaks surrounded her body, and before Fossilwing could even blink, she struck him right in the back with great speed. Despite the hard impact from Amber's Aerial Ace, Fossilwing kept flying on strongly.

"Any day now," Hiccup muttered to himself as he fought back the urge to toss his cookies.

Okay, so Amber needed a new strategy. She didn't think she'd have to use one of her personal favorite moves, but the time seemed to call for it. After letting out a roar to get Fossilwing's attention, Amber winked at him, and several pink hearts appeared and floated toward the Aerodactyl. Before Fossilwing could figure out what was going on, the hearts hit him, and, just like that, he was infatuated.

"Gotcha," chuckled Amber.

Fossilwing actually giggled as he gushed, "You're so cute."

Amber gave him a smug and sinister grin. "Sorry, buddy boy, but my heart belongs to another."


It felt like an eternity before Astrid finally got a sign that her husband was going to be all right. The sight of an infatuated Fossilwing flying toward them, Hiccup still in his talons, with Amber in pursuit filled her with an appropriate amount of joy and relief.

When Fossilwing got close enough to their destination, Amber proceeded to show off the second move she'd learned upon evolving. Her hands became surrounded in a light green, claw shaped energy, which she used to strike the Aerodactyl's back.

Fossilwing cried out in pain at the force of the Dragon Claw, his talons finally releasing his grip on his former prey. Hiccup screamed as he plummeted, but Amber easily caught him on her back.

Adhesive had just managed to squirm his way out of the dragon pile when he was greeted with the sight of an injured Fossilwing plummeting down towards him. He had just enough time to shout, "Oh, come on!" before he was buried underneath the Fossil Pokémon.

Not too far away, Amber landed softly and allowed Hiccup to climb off her back. He'd just gotten his feet on the ground when Astrid came barreling into him and crushing him in one death grip of a hug.

Snivels looked up at his fully evolved mate. "You're not really replacing me with an Aerodactyl, are you?" he asked with a small pout.

Amber was about to answer when Fossilwing groaned and started picking himself up off the ground. "Not now, Snivsie."

Fossilwing turned to face his rival, only for Drageist to suddenly appear out of nowhere as a shadowy figure and slam into the Aerodactyl's back. Overwhelmed by the blow of the Shadow Force, Fossilwing slumped to the ground, defeated.

"Sorry I disappeared so suddenly," the Giratina apologized. "I had to wait for the right moment to strike to avoid causing harm to anyone else by accident."

Fossilwing shakingly picked himself off the ground to find himself with a noseful of the smell of a pastry. He looked down to find Brandyn offering him a friendly smile, along with one of the cupcake-like treats his Pokémon loved so much.

"Try this," the Aetherson boy suggested.

Unable to escape the emptiness of his stomach, Fossilwing opened his maw and took in the pastry with one bite. An explosion of deliciousness filled his mouth, and he eagerly swallowed the treat and opened his maw for another.

"No more," Brandyn said, shrugging.

The Aerodactyl let out a sad caw.

"But there's more in there," Brandyn said, pointing to the Ice Caves. "I'll get you some."

Fossilwing's frown immediately did a 180.

"But," Brandyn added sternly, "You have to promise you won't try to eat any more living creatures from now on. Especially not any of my friends. Deal?"

Fossilwing thought it over for a minute before nodding. "Deal."


Things back at the Ice Caves quickly settled down after the sudden adventure was over.

True to his word, Fossilwing never again attempted to eat any creature that was still alive, instead taking up a diet that consisted entirely of Brandyn's cooking. Maybe it was his imagination, but the homemade food pellets and bowls of natural-grown fruit, topped with his favorite dessert, tasted much better than any bite of meat the Aerodactyl had ever taken from his victims.

The Aerodactyl's love of the food Brandyn made for him is part of why Drageist allowed him to stay with Team Go-Getters. After all, Fossilwing was so much happier now than he'd ever been in the sanctuary.

Brandyn ignored the still, levitating forms of his two Cosmoem, smiling at Fossilwing as he licked his chops and sucked any remaining bits of food off of his claws and wings. "If you be good, you might get some more Poké Puffs tonight after dinner."

His response was a quick, obedient nod from Fossilwing before the Aerodactyl curled up to take his nap.

"Poké Puffs?"

Brandyn glanced back to find Heather standing behind him, a confused smile on her face. "Yeah, I finally got around to naming them," he said. "And I have you to thank for that." He continued as she sat down next to him, "I really appreciate what you did for me earlier. I owe you."

Heather blushed as she brushed a few strands of hair out of her eyes nervously. "It...wasn't really that big of a deal, I mean...I'm sure you would have done the same if it was me in that position."

Brandyn couldn't stop himself from saying, "Yes, I would." The rest came tumbling out his mouth like an avalanche on a mountaintop. "Heather, you're one of, if not my absolute, best friends. We may not have really known each other for very long, but I feel like I can really open up to you. I've really enjoyed being your friend. I like you, a lot. But I don't want us to be together as a couple because we are as Sirens in the Monsters of Berk universe. I want us to be together as a couple because we really want to. And if you're not ready for it, then I'll wait as long as it takes."

If Heather wasn't blushing before, she certainly was now. Of course she wanted to be with Brandyn! She'd assumed he didn't want to be with her, but he just up and told her that he did.

"Bran, I...I want to be with you, too," she stuttered out. "But, can we just keep it between us for now? Adhesive has already been going nuts about..."

"The Hiccstrid," Brandyn finished. "I know. Whatever works for you, my Siren."

If that was going to become a frequent pet name, Heather didn't mind it at all. In fact, it kinda suited her.

All other thoughts she might have had in that moment went flying out the window when she felt Brandyn lean in and kiss her tenderly.

Oh, great Arceus above.

Brandyn was kissing her!

Brandyn was kissing her on the lips!

Screaming internally, Heather reached behind his head and cupped his neck as she kissed him back.

Neither of them noticed Fossilwing peeking at them with one of his eyes half-open. Nor did they hear the draconic chuckles courtesy of an amused Windshear and Buck. For now, it was just them, and them alone.

Just the way they would grow to like it.


Amber found Snivels sitting near the entrance of the Ice Caves, with Bigwings curled up around him and napping. The Servine had dismissed all the dragonets from that day's lesson, which consisted of the exercise they'd been doing earlier and team-building games to help the baby Screaming Death feel more welcome around others.

The booming steps of the Charizard stopped as she sat down next to her mate. "If you're still waiting for an answer, I was definitely not trying to replace you with an Aerodactyl."

"I didn't really think you would," Snivels said as he stroked the sleeping Bigwings's head. "According to some of my closest friends, I'm apparently quite special."

"You are," Amber said, smiling. "And not one single thing in this universe, or any other for that matter, can ever change that."

Snivels lifted Bigwings's head off his lap before scooching closer to his mate. The Charizard wrapped her wing over his shoulders, pulling him in closer. The Servine responded by laying his head on her shoulder.

"You know," he said. "Now that you're fully evolved, you can be the Pokémon Queen." He continued as she gazed down at him in surprise. "Any member of the royal family can become the king or queen of Pokémon when they reach the final stage of their evolution, as long as they have all the right qualities for a ruler. You joined the royal family when you became my mate, Amber. If you want, the throne is yours."

Amber thought this over in her head for a good long while. Before she became a princess, Snivels was the one and only true heir to the throne. And he was willing to set his childhood dream aside so that she could lead the Pokémon as a queen. As selfless as his act was, Amber wanted him to keep that dream intact. For if she was going to be a leader, she wanted him to be there with her.

"If I'm going to become the queen," she said. "Then you're going to take the throne with me. As king." She smiled down at him. "You don't have to rush into your final evolution, though. I'm in no hurry to become queen."

Snivels smiled back at her. "Thank you, Hotcakes. Though it might take me some time to get used to having a Charizard as my mate. You have a double type advantage over me, after all."

"Guess this means I'm winning every argument from now on," Amber joked.

They both had a good laugh at that.


Poring over the notes Snivels had taken on Bigwings was how Hiccup spent most of the afternoon, when most of his friends were busy gathering themselves together after Fossilwing's rampage. He was so focused on the writing in front of him, he wasn't even aware of how much time had passed until he heard footsteps coming down the hall to his room.

A shock of straw-colored hair and bright blue eyes appeared in the doorway. It was Astrid, of course.

"Oh, there you are," she said, her voice full of relief. Hiccup looked up at her from his reading. He could tell she was probably worried something had kidnapped him again, since he hadn't announced where he was going to be.

Casually, the Hofferson-turned-Haddock pulled up a chair and sat down next to him. "I swear, if that Aerodactyl comes within even ten feet from you, he's getting a face full of my axe."

The mental image that her statement provided made Hiccup shudder. But he turned back to the open notes on his worktable, a noticeable frown stretching his mouth downwards.

"I'm more worried about our new acquaintance," he replied seriously.

"Why?" Astrid asked. "Snivels has a handle on Bigwings, doesn't he?"

"Maybe for now," Hiccup shook his head. "But who knows what we'll have to deal with when he gets bigger."

Astrid nodded, agreeing with what he said. It made sense.

Silence pervaded the room after the words had left his mouth. The two of them quietly descended into their own thoughts, at least until Hiccup noticed Astrid. She had her eyes on her lap and her hands clasped together – it was almost like she was internally wrestling with some kind of decision.

"Astrid?" he asked, leaning forward in concern.

In that moment, he did something that he rarely ever had the courage to do. He reached out and took Astrid's hand.

She glanced up at him apprehensively. "Hiccup, there's something I need to tell you," she answered. "Back when we were flying out to rescue you, Stormfly was too tired from warming all that water. I had to use another dragon. Mortem was the only available dragon that was large enough for me to ride, so Snivels suggested I take him. I didn't want to, but I knew I had to. So I did. I flew on the Red Death's dragonet."

Hiccup blinked. This wasn't the news he had been expecting. "Are you serious?"

"I wouldn't make this up, and you know it," she told him emphatically. "I've been blaming Mortem for something that wasn't his fault, I realized that today. Hiccup, I might not be able to let go of what almost happened to you, but I should know better than to hold a vendetta towards a dragonet who hadn't even been born at that time. I'm really sorry."

It boggled Hiccup's mind, it truly did. "Astrid, I don't blame you for holding a vendetta against Mortem," he said.

"You don't?" she asked. She'd expected him to be disappointed, at the very least, or leave the room, at the very most.

Nodding, he went on, "You're not the only one who was scared of Mortem when we found him on the island. I was terrified out of my mind. I thought, for a minute, that we'd have to face him like we did with his mother. I knew as well as anyone else that I could have been killed in that battle, but if no one else was going to do something about the war, then I had to. Maybe we're lucky Mortem hadn't hatched before the battle, but we can't worry about that now. He needs someone to take care of him, and that's what we're all going to do, as a team."

When he was finished, Astrid's hand was gripping his significantly more tightly.

"So, what should we do now?" he asked.

Smiling, Astrid pulled him in for a kiss. "We'll follow your lead," she said after she pulled away. "Bigwings."

The gears in Hiccup's head turned as he registered the meaning of that last word. He was the leader of Team Go-Getters, so, by dragon logic, he was essentially their bigwings.

Hiccup had a feeling that term wasn't going to get old anytime soon.

Not that he minded.

Not. One. Bit.


Whether it's the frying pan or the fire, we as a team must always stick together if we want to get through the hard times.

And when the hard times get even harder, you need to stand strong not only for others, but for yourself as well.


Merry Christmas and Happy Snoggletog to everyone in the Multiverse!