Slowpoke (Guest): I honestly have no idea how to answer that...

EXT. TRAINING GROUNDS - AFTERNOON

[A Gronckle hovers above the ring, hunting victims as the teen recruits scramble. Astrid ducks behind a barrier to find Hiccup already there. She forces her axe at his throat.]

ASTRID Stay out of my way! I'm winning this thing.

"Wait, what are we competing for?" asked Tuffnut, stupidly. Everyone groaned, fed up with the Thorston twins already.

HICCUP Please, by all means.

[She darts off, CLOSING FAST on the dragon. The crowd above cheers her on.]

VIKING IN CROWD You got it Astrid!

[Hiccup stands and looks around. Amidst the crowd of onlookers, Stoick watches keenly, beaming with pride. He locks eyes with Hiccup, giving him a nod of encouragement. Hiccup adjusts his new helmet and forces a half-hearted smile. Unbeknownst to Hiccup, the Gronckle spots him and makes a bee- line toward him.]

BACK TO ASTRID

[... as she catches her breath behind a barrier. She scowls, focused, determined.]

ASTRID This time. This time for sure.

[With a FIERCE BATTLE-CRY she LEAPS from cover, axe cocked to throw.]

ASTRID (CONT'D) Aaaaaaaaaa...

[And as she clears the barriers, she sees that Hiccup has already laid the Gronckle out.]

ASTRID (CONT'D) ...aaaaaaauGGGGGHHHHHHHH! No! No!

[Hiccup shrugs, as unhappy with the situation as she is.]

ASTRID (CONT'D) NO! NO! SON OF HALFTROLL RAT EATING MUNGE BUCKET!

"Is that how you swear?" asked Honey Lemon.

[A loud CLACK ring out. From the crowd above, Gothi, the village elder, steps forward, tapping her staff. Everyone lights up excitedly.]

Eugene laughed. "Who's the old hag?" he asked. He felt a tap on his shoulder, and turned to see said "Old Hag" glaring at him. He gulped, and winced as she wacked him in the head with her staff.

STOICK Wait! Wait!

HICCUP So, later.

[Gobber snags Hiccup as he attempts to leave.]

Tadashi chuckled. Just like Hiro.

GOBBER Not so fast.

HICCUP I'm kinda late for-

ASTRID (LIVID) What? Late for what exactly?

"Flying my crippled dragon." said Hiccup. Toothless whacked him with his tail. "Ow!"

Baymax blinked his robotic eyes. "On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate your pain?"

"ZERO!" yellled Hiccup. Baymax fell silent when Tadashi whispered to him.

[Stoick holds out his hands to silence the jabbering crowd.]

STOICK Okay quiet down. The elder has decided.

[Thrilled, Gobber stands behind Hiccup and Astrid. He points to Astrid as the crowd waits in silent anticipation. Gothi shakes her head 'no.' The crowd 'Oooohs.' Gobber then points to Hiccup. The elder nods an affirmative 'yes.' The crowd erupts in cheers. Astrid turns a seething, deadly glare on Hiccup.]

GOBBER You've done it! You've done it, Hiccup! You get to kill the dragon!

"Yeugh!" said Hiccup despondently.

STOICK Ha, ha! That's my boy!

[Hiccup is hoisted onto the recruits' shoulders and carried out to the cheering spectators...]

HICCUP (MASKING PANIC) Heh, heh. Oh yeah! Yes! I can't wait. I am so...

EXT. HIDDEN COVE - DUSK

HICCUP ... leaving. We're leaving. Let's pack up. Looks like you and me are taking a little vacation, forever.

Stoick gaped. Hiccup had almost left?

[Toothless is nowhere in sight. Hiccup sets down his basket and opens it up, his head clouded with troubles.]

HICCUP (CONT'D) Oh..man...

[SHINK! Hiccup looks up to the sound of... ASTRID, sitting on the rock right in front of him, sharpening her axe.]

HICCUP (CONT'D) (SHOCKED) Aggh! What the-

(RECOMPOSING)

What are you doing here?

"Spying. What else would she be doing?" asked Rapunzel, rolling her eyes.

[She hops off the rock and back him down, spinning her axe threateningly. Hiccup's eyes dart around nervously, searching for Toothless.]

ASTRID I want to know what's going on. No one just gets as good as you do. Especially you. Start talking! Are you training with someone?

"If a dragon is a 'someone' then sure." said Hiro.

HICCUP Uh...training?

[She grabs him by his odd-looking harness.]

ASTRID It better not involve... this.

HICCUP I know this looks really bad, but you see...this is, uh...

"Acting lessons as soon as this is over." said Eugene, face-palming.

[They hear a RUSTLE coming from the other side of the cove. Astrid DROPS Hiccup to the ground and sets off to investigate.]

HICCUP (CONT'D) (PANICKED) You're right! You're right. I'm through with the lies. I've been making... outfits. So you got me. It's time everyone knew. Drag me back. Go ahead. Here we go.

[He puts her hand back on his harness, getting her to 'drag him back.' Astrid BENDS Hiccup's hand backwards, driving him down.]

HICCUP (CONT'D) AAAAUUGGGHHH! Why would you do that?!

Baymax almost said it again, but Tadashi stopped him.

ASTRID That's for the lies. Astrid pounces the hilt of her axe off of Hiccup's laid-out body.

ASTRID (CONT'D) And THAT'S for everything else.

[Hiccup's YELP is answered with A GROWL, coming from the other side of the cove. Astrid looks up to see... A NIGHT FURY. Toothless pounces toward them, snarling.]

HICCUP (FEEBLE) Oh man.

[She dives onto Hiccup.]

ASTRID Get down! Run! Run!

"I find it surprizing that she protected you." said Kristoff, rolling his eyes.

[Astrid pulls her axe, ready to take on Toothless.]

HICCUP No!

[Hiccup knocks Astrid's cocked axe to the ground, out of reach, then stops Toothless short of crushing her.]

HICCUP (CONT'D) No. It's okay! It's okay...

[Toothless pulls up short and lands hard, SPRAYING Astrid with sand.]

Everyone laughed at Astrid's expression.

HICCUP (CONT'D) (CALMING) She's a friend.

[Toothless snorts in disagreement. Astrid is frozen. Toothless looks from her to Hiccup and back to her, confused.]

HICCUP (CONT'D) (TO ASTRID) You just scared him.

ASTRID I scared him!?

[Hiccup makes a calming motion.]

ASTRID (CONT'D) (INTENSE WHISPER) Who is him?

HICCUP. Astrid, Toothless. Toothless, Astrid.

[Astrid backs away, eyeing Hiccup and Toothless together with pure disgust. She turns and RUNS for the village.]

"Da-da-da, you're dead." said Hiro.

HICCUP Da-da-da, we're dead.

Hiro and Hiccup jumped and looked at each other.

[Satisfied with Astrid's departure, Toothless turns away.]

HICCUP (CONT'D) (TO TOOTHLESS) Where do you think you're going?

Everyone, including Toothless, laughed.

EXT. WOODS - MOMENTS LATER

[ASTRID races through the trees. A large shadow overtakes her. She is suddenly SNATCHED into the air. Astrid SCREAMS.]

ASTRID Oh great Odin's ghost, this is it!

[Hiccup and Toothless fly Astrid to the top of a towering pine. It bows and creaks under their weight as Astrid dangles a hundred feet in the air.]

"Hights!" squeaked Wasabi.

ASTRID (CONT'D) Hiccup! Get me down from here!

HICCUP You have to give me a chance to explain.

ASTRID I'm not listening to ANYTHING you have to say!

HICCUP Then I won't speak. Just let me show you.

[Hiccup extends a hand.]

HICCUP (CONT'D) Please, Astrid.

[She eyes him and the dragon, then the ground far, far below. After a moment, she swats Hiccup's outstretched hand away and reluctantly climbs over the pedal, lines, and harness. She settles behind Hiccup, avoiding as much contact as possible.]

ASTRID Now get me down.

HICCUP Toothless? Down. Gently.

[Toothless leers mischievously. He spreads his wings slowly.]

"Oh no." said Baymax.

[With a WHOP, they fill with the updraft. Toothless releases the tree, tucks in his legs, and HOVERS in place.]

HICCUP (CONT'D) See? Nothing to be afraid of.

[Toothless suddenly LAUNCHES straight upward. Astrid SCREAMS. The acceleration is tremendous. Every downbeat bucks the saddle, heaving them into the sky, doubling their speed like a rocket. Astrid is thrown backward. She SCREAMS and hugs Hiccup for dear life, squeezing the breath out of him.]

"Oh look at the big, bad Sheildmaiden screaming." deadpanned Hiccup. Astrid punched him, fuming in embarassment.

HICCUP (CONT'D) Toothless! What is wrong with you?! Bad dragon! (mortified; to Astrid) He's not usually like this. Oh no...

[Toothless ROLLS and PLUMMETS toward the coastline far below. Astrid SCREAMS. Toothless rockets over the ocean waves, deliberately dipping them in the froth.]

HICCUP (CONT'D) Toothless, what are you doing?! We need her to like us!

Everyone but Astrid was practically in hysterics.

[Toothless rockets skyward and begins tumbling head over tail.]

HICCUP (CONT'D) And now the spinning. Thank you for nothing you useless reptile.

[Astrid clamps her hand over her eyes.]

ASTRID Okay! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Just get me off of this thing.

[Astrid is defeated, her aggressive energy gone. Satisfied, Toothless relents.]

"All it took was a sorry?" asked Eugene. "Touch-y." Toothless punced.

[They level off and head up into the clouds. Astrid opens her eyes again, and looks out over a world she'd never dreamed of. She reaches out and touches clouds, pierces columns ablaze in golden hues, and floats over a vast, alien sky- scape. Her terror is replaced by wonder. She grins, despite herself. Toothless rises above a blanket of clouds...]

DISSOLVE TO: EXT. SKY - NIGHT

[...and levels off under a starry sky.]

"Wow." said Fred.

[They emerge from a blanket of clouds under the dancing Northern Lights, shimmering in ribbons across the vast sky. Below them, Berk's torches flicker in the inky darkness. The new perspective is breathtaking. Astrid tucks her arms into Hiccup's vest, burying her chin into his shoulder.]

"Double wow."

[The moment is not lost on either of them. Hiccup smiles nervously. Toothless climbs past Berk's tallest peaks and heads out over open water, leaving the village lights behind them.]

ASTRID Alright I admit it. This is pretty cool. It's... amazing.

(BEAT)

He's amazing.

[Astrid carefully reaches down and pats Toothless' side.]

ASTRID (CONT'D) So what now?

[Hiccup groans. It's a problem without an answer.]

ASTRID (CONT'D) Hiccup, your final exam is tomorrow. You know you're going to have to kill...

(WHISPERED)

... kill a dragon.

The vikings winced.

HICCUP Don't remind me.

[A strange, unearthly din approaches. Toothless' ear plates suddenly stand on end. Panicked, he abruptly dives, dipping into cloud cover.]

HICCUP (CONT'D) Toothless! What's happening? What is it?

[Toothless BARKS at him. 'Quiet!' Suddenly, out of the dense cloud, a Monstrous Nightmare emerges.]

HICCUP (CONT'D) Get down!

[Hiccup and Astrid duck. The Nightmare calls out. A Zippleback appears to the other side of Toothless, boxing him in.]

Aunt Cass gulped and began nervously chewing at her fingernails. Seeing this, Jamie paused the movie and Neo face-palmed.

"We forgot."

"Forgot what?" asked Anna.

"Snacks!" yelled Jamie.

Tubes came out of the cieling, and buckets popcorn popped out, landing on everyone's lap, along with soda. A basket of fish for each dragon also popped out, along with some rocks for the Gronkles. Jamie continued the movie, and the people who had never had popcorn frowned and tasted it.

ASTRID What's going on?

HICCUP I don't know.

(BEAT)

Toothless. You've got to get us out of here, bud.

[Toothless HISSES. Other dragons, previously invisible in the thick clouds, appear all around them. HUNDREDS of them, all carrying fish and game in their talons.]

HICCUP (CONT'D) (WHISPERED) It looks like they're hauling in their kill.

[The Zippleback eyes them ravenously.]

ASTRID What does that make us?

Aunt Cass whimpered and started shoving popcorn into her face, oblivious to the strange looks people are giving her.

[The dragons BANK and dive in formation, plummeting through the thickening fog and weaving between towering, craggy sea stacks. They emerge at the base of a massive volcanic caldera, glowing with rivulets of lava. The flock of dragons fall into rank, funneling through a crack, and zipping through a winding tunnel. It gives way to a vast, steamy inner chamber, tiered with pocky shelves. Dragons of all breeds lay about, nested in hordes.]

"That's a LOT of dragons." said someone from the crowd.

[The arriving dragons fly in, dropping the fish and game into a central pit, glowing red and shrouded in mist. Hiccup is amazed.]

HICCUP What my dad wouldn't give to find this.

[Toothless peels away from the procession, landing on a small shadowy shelf to keep a low-profile. Hiccup and Astrid peek around, taking in the busy hive of sorts. They watch as the food continues to be dropped into the pit.]

HICCUP (CONT'D) It's satisfying to know that all of our food has been dumped down a hole.

ASTRID They're not eating any of it.

[Last to arrive is a dim-witted Gronckle. It hovers over the pit and regurgitates his paltry contribution - a pathetic little fish. As it falls into the steamy pit, a terrible ROAR rings out.]

"Uh," started Hiro.

[The Gronckle tries to flee, but before it can, a gargantuan dragon head juts from the steamy pit and SNAPS it out of the air.]

Fishlegs instantly covered Meatlug's eyes.

[Swallowing it back whole. Hiccup and Astrid recoil, terrified.]

Aunt Cass became aware of the stares of Hiccup, Astrid, and Toothless as she shoved popcorn in her mouth as fast as she could. "Stress eating!" she yelled, pointing at the two teens and Toothless. ""Because of you three!"

ASTRID (CONT'D) What is that?

"The Red Death." answered Hiccup.

[The monstrous beast SNIFFS the air, seemingly aware of them. It nears the ledge where Toothless is hiding... and ROARS. Several dragons take flight in fear.]

HICCUP Alright buddy, we gotta get out of here. Now!

[Toothless takes flight, barely evading the monster's snapping jaws. The behemoth dragon lunges for them, snatching a Zippleback out of the air instead. Toothless disappears into the winged exodus as thousands of dragons flee the caldera in fear.]

EXT. HIDDEN COVE - NIGHT - LATER

[Toothless glides into the cove and touches down on the moonlit beach.]

ASTRID (her mind reeling, talking Hiccup's ear off) No, no, it totally makes sense. It's like a giant beehive. They're the workers... and that's their queen. It controls them.

"That- actually makes sense." said Elsa.

[She leaps off of Toothless and runs toward the village.]

ASTRID (CONT'D) Let's find your dad.

HICCUP No, no! Not yet. They'll... kill Toothless.

(BEAT)

HICCUP (CONT'D) Astrid, we have to think this through carefully.

[Astrid eyes him, incredulous.]

ASTRID Hiccup, we just discovered the dragons' nest...the thing we've been after since Vikings first sailed here. And you want to keep it a secret? To protect your pet dragon? Are you serious?

[Hiccup stands firm, resolute.]

HICCUP Yes. Astrid's taken aback.

ASTRID Okay.

(BEAT)

Then what do we do?

HICCUP Just give me until tomorrow. I'll figure something out.

ASTRID Okay.

[Astrid PUNCHES Hiccup in the arm.]

ASTRID (CONT'D) That's for kidnapping me.

Rapunzel rolled his eyes.

[Hiccup looks to Toothless for support. Toothless SNORTS, dismissive. Astrid grabs him. He braces for another hit. She KISSES Hiccup on the cheek.]

ASTRID (CONT'D) That's for, everything else.

"HICCUP AND ASTRID, SITTING IN A TREE. K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" yelled the twins.

[In the awkward wake of the moment, Astrid hurries off... leaving Hiccup RUBBING his cheek, stunned. Toothless hobbles up, eyeing him.]

HICCUP What are you looking at?

Toothless chortled.