Chapter 14: New Dawn

The end of the war, and a few added scenes.

Two figures watched the battle far up above. Both were quadrupedal, but one was white while the other was a light golden yellow.

They were none other than Arceus, the Guardians of the Multiverse. The white Alpha Pokémon was sitting tall and proud atop his Multiversal Throne, from which he could see all that was going on throughout every universe in existence. "For the past three hundred years, those dragons and Pokémon have been trapped in a war that has torn them all apart."

"They're lucky their world has such pure souls," said the golden one. "But Archon, aren't there always enemies who seek to destroy that?"

Archon gestured to the battle below them. They could see the Night Fury and his rider puncturing holes in the Red Death's wings. "The brightest days can be darkened by the oncoming storm," he said. "But it also works the other way around. No matter the amount of darkness, the light will always shine its way through in the end. I doubt it will be any different for this universe, Archia."

Archia looked up at her mate. "Yet another reason why I'm glad there's more than just one of our kind," she said. "It would be very lonely out here without anyone to talk to. Of course, one can only assume."

Archon nodded before leaning over to watch as the Red Death exploded, and both the Night Fury and his rider fell into the flames below. "Protect the light," he said to Toothless, telepathically. Hearing him, Toothless tried to save his friend as the flames engulfed them.

When the flames finally ceased, and were replaced with ashes and dust, Team Go-Getters and the rest of the village was standing there, completely bewildered at what had happened. Astrid was the one who asked what they were all thinking. "Where's Hiccup?"

Snivels wordlessly knelt down on the ground, prompting a question as to what he was doing. "Tracking his scent," he said. He leaned down really close to the ground, closed his eyes, and took a good, long sniff.

"Toothless landed not far from here," Snivels said before sniffing the ground again. "He's a bit unconscious, and his flying equipment is burned, but he's otherwise okay." He sniffed again. "We should be able to find him in no time."

"But what about Hiccup?" Astrid asked, her voice on the verge of cracking.

Snivels sniffed the ground yet again. "All else I can smell is dust and ash. I can't get a good track on Hiccup."

One way or another, everyone was impressed by Snivels's power. "You got all that from the scent?" Snotlout asked in disbelief.

Snivels nodded. "Yep, I have an extremely great sense of smell. I guess you could say that I'm gifted in a sort of way."

Stoick then stepped forward. "Lead us to the dragon," he said desperately.

Snivels didn't bother to not listen to the chief. Finding his friend was more important than whatever he had to say to the stubborn, narrow-minded man. He took off running in the direction where the Red Death had exploded.

It didn't take Snivels long to find Toothless, but it took the young Snivy about a minute to realize that he had unintentionally left the others behind in the dust, which was difficult to see through. He got an idea, and whistled for Verne. Minutes later, the Noivern came flying over. Without missing a beat, Snivels climbed up onto Verne's back. With one small nudge, Verne took off toward the sky.

Snivels held on tight to the white fur around Verne's neck as the Noivern climbed higher and higher into the air. He turned his tail to the rays of sunlight that were shining down through the dust and ashes, a determined look on his face. Absorbing the sunlight through his tail, Snivels charged up the energy, which took the form of a glowing orb of sunlight above his head. As soon as the sunlight was fully charged, Snivels unleashed it toward the ground in the form of a powerful beam of light.

A Solar Beam.

As Snivels had suspected, the Vikings all saw the Solar Beam and came running. Snivels smiled proudly to himself as the energy from his new, powerful move dispersed and he steered Verne downward so they could land.

Stoick ran ahead of all of them at the sight of the downed Night Fury. Verne and Snivels landed nearby, examining their friend. There was no sign of Hiccup on the saddle, or anywhere near the dragon. Toothless stirred, rolling over a bit to reveal that his makeshift tail fin was completely gone. Disintegrated into ash.

Brumous soon ran to join his master, but froze at the sight before them. Stoick fell to his knees, muttering somewhat of an apology. "Oh, son. I did this." Snivels most likely would have said something about it being Stoick's fault because he hadn't listened, but he knew it really wasn't the best time to say something like that. Hiccup was the very first Viking he had ever trusted, and that was because of how different he was from everyone else. But now it seemed as though he had no one else to trust.

Astrid, Blaze, and the rest of Team Go-Getters pushed their way through the crowd that had gathered, desperately trying to see what had happened. They all stopped when they realized that there was no sign of Hiccup. Blaze pretended not to notice, but she could've swore that she saw tears welling up in Astrid's eyes. The Hiccup that she had grown to love was gone forever.

The Speed Stinger pack and the other dragons and Dragon-Type Pokémon also stared at the sight before them. Lockheed pushed his way through, bravely stepping toward the downed Night Fury. After gulping nervously, the young Speed Stinger bowed his head. Raptor noticed and did so as well. It wasn't long before all of the other dragons were bowing their heads in respect and sorrow.

It was at that moment that Toothless woke up. The first thing he saw was Stoick kneeling in front of him. Stoick seemed even sadder now. "Oh, son, I'm so sorry."

Toothless blinked and then looked at his wings, which were folded across his body. Curious, Snivels dismounted Verne and ran over to the dragon. He sniffed Toothless's wings and gasped. Lockheed ran over to see what was wrong. Snivels pointed at Toothless's wings, and Lockheed peeked in through the gap between the wings and Toothless's body.

Now Stoick was confused. Toothless then gestured for Snivels and Lockheed to stand back as he slowly opened his wings to reveal the lifeless body of...

"Hiccup!"

Stoick took his son from the dragon's claws and examined him. Snivels seized the opportunity to sniff one more time. His eyes widened and he ran right back to his friends as Stoick took off his helmet and pressed his ear to Hiccup's chest. Snivels met up with the rest of Team Go-Getters, and their spirits lifted, even before the chief spoke.

"He's alive! You brought him back alive!"

Vikings, dragons, and Pokémon alike all cheered. Overjoyed, Snivels hugged Amber tightly, which left her in a sort of trance. Smiling, Blaze looked up at Astrid, who looked happier than ever.

The dragons were all growling and roaring, and their aides even shot off an attack or two, but of no intention of doing any harm. Lockheed ran over to the rest of the pack and joined in their shriek-fest.

Still hugging Amber, Snivels shouted, "We did it! We did it, all of us! We all did it!" Then, without realizing what he was doing, he pulled out of the hug and kissed Amber on the cheek.

Amber gasped as she realized what Snivels had just done. Snivels's eyes widened as he realized it too, and he let quickly go of Amber. "Sorry, I guess I just...I kinda...I wanted to, well...I sorta..."

But before he could finish, Amber smiled, grabbed him by the shoulders, pulled him in, and kissed him full on the lips. Snivels's eyes widened even more, but after he realized what was going on, his eyes closed, and he relaxed and kissed her back.

Stoick didn't hesitate to place his hand on Toothless's snout. "Thank you for saving my son."

Then Gobber limped up beside Stoick, with Norward hovering not far behind. The two-limbed Viking looked at Hiccup, and shrugged. "Well, you know, most of him."

It took a long time for the entire tribe to get back to Berk, and it took them an even longer time to take in the news of Hiccup's condition. It seemed as though that no one was affected more so than Astrid. Ever since the flight she had with Hiccup, her feelings for him had grown. Being the greatest warrior and Pokémon trainer meant nothing to her now. Her only concern was Hiccup.

She had gone to the clearing in the woods where she practiced her axe-throwing, but this time, she didn't have any weapons. And as quiet as the forest seemed to be, she wasn't really as alone as she thought.

"Y'know, you've been acting a little unlike yourself since we got back," said a voice.

Astrid had expected Blaze, but instead, it was Snivels who had come to the clearing. She sighed. "I can't stop thinking about him," she said sadly.

Snivels jumped up on a nearby rock. "Y'know, usually when you can't stop thinking about someone like that, it means that you love them."

Astrid sighed again. "I've never even felt like this before," she said.

Snivels's shrugged. "Somehow, I'm not surprised," he said. "No offense, but you were acting a lot like, a kind word would be, a headache. Or, in Hiccup's case, a shoulder-ache." He chuckled quietly at his own joke.

Astrid didn't respond. So, Snivels did something that he had previously done only with Hiccup - he jumped onto Astrid's shoulder.

"You're not the only one who's worried about Hiccup. Toothless is just sitting near his bedside, we can't get him to move for anything. I know I could never stay sitting still for as long as he can. You can go ahead and deal with it the way you want to, but just keep in mind we're all here for you when you need us. Me, Blaze, Amber, Verne, Toothless and Stormfly."

"Stormfly?" Astrid repeated in confusion.

"That's the Deadly Nadder's name," Snivels explained. "You know, the one you flew on to the dragons' nest." He shifted nervously. "I'd assumed this was true, but this time I'll ask. Do you love Hiccup?"

Astrid thought long and hard about the question he had asked her, unsure of whether or not she should answer honestly. Finally, she replied, "I do love him." Then she glared at him warningly. "But don't you dare tell anyone."

Snivels chuckled nervously. "It's a little hard to keep a secret when you've vowed to never lie, but I'll do my best."

For the first time that night, Astrid smiled.

Snivels then jumped off of her shoulder and started to head back to the village. "Where are you going?" Astrid asked.

"To the forge," Snivels replied, looking at her over his shoulder. "As much as I hate to bring up the subject in your presence, I'm afraid that me and the others have some work to do."

Days went by, and nearly everyone was getting impatient, waiting for Hiccup to wake. And no one was more impatient than Toothless. The dragon refused to leave his friend's bedside, and he hadn't eaten or slept in days. Anyone would know better than to disturb the impatient Night Fury.

It was nearly three weeks after the war had ended, and Toothless didn't think he could wait any longer. He sniffed Hiccup's unconscious form, and warbled.

That was when Hiccup's eyes opened.

Happy to see his friend awake at last, Toothless nuzzled him. Hiccup smiled and lifted a hand to pat Toothless's snout. "Hey, Toothless." This made Toothless nuzzle him harder. "Yeah, I'm happy to see you, too," Hiccup said, trying to keep the dragon from pushing him off the bed. Then Toothless accidentally stepped on Hiccup's stomach.

"OW!"

Hiccup immediately sat up, clutching his stomach. That's when he noticed where he was. "Uh, I'm in my house." He looked back at Toothless, who was nervously fidgeting. "Uh, you're in my house!" Toothless then bounded all over the room. Hiccup was confused. "Does my dad know you're here?"

Toothless then bounded back over to Hiccup and sniffed him. Then the dragon jumped up and perched on the rafters. "Toothless, come on!" Hiccup said in frustration. He started to get up, when he felt something. Something different. He lifted the blanket and looked at himself. Toothless jumped down from the rafters and started to approach his friend. Hiccup was speechless as he examined his condition. Sighing, he swung his legs out of bed, revealing that half of his lower left leg was gone.

It had been replaced by a spring-loaded prosthetic.

Toothless leaned in and sniffed the prosthetic. Then he lifted his head and looked at Hiccup. Sighing, Hiccup hesitantly stood up and tried to walk. He took a step, and stumbled a little. Pausing, he took a deep breath before taking another step. This time, he started to fall, but Toothless caught him. "Thanks, bud," Hiccup said as the two of them made their way to the door, with Hiccup leaning against Toothless.

By the time the two unlikely friends reached the door, Hiccup had gotten better at walking with the prosthetic. Without hesitating, Hiccup opened the door to see a Monstrous Nightmare fly by, just like the night that he and Snivels became friends. Hiccup quickly shut the door before the Nightmare could see him. "Toothless, stay here," he said before opening the door again. This time, he noticed that the Nightmare had Snotlout riding on its back. As they flew off, Salamence followed, with Heat riding on his back.

The sight that met Hiccup's eyes was one he couldn't believe. Vikings and Pokémon were all living with dragons and Dragon-Types...in peace. Even the members of the Speed Stinger pack were interacting with other dragons, as well as some species of Dragon-Type Pokémon, most likely looking for suitable partners.

"I knew it. I'm dead."

Stoick and Brumous then appeared beside him. Stoick patted his son's shoulder. "No, but you gave it your best shot," he said. He then gestured to the scene ahead of them. "So, what do you think?"

It was then that the others in the village noticed that Hiccup was awake. They all rushed over to meet him. "Turns out, all we needed was a little more of...this," Stoick said, pointing at Hiccup.

"You just gestured to all of me," Hiccup said, without a single bit of sarcasm. Stoick smiled and nodded.

It was then that Gobber and Norward arrived. "Well, most of you," Gobber said. He then pointed to the prosthetic. "That there was made by your partners. And I gotta say, they sure know how to make a good leg. Think it'll do?"

Hiccup looked at his prosthetic. It was hard to believe that Snivels and his other Pokémon friends had made it. He shrugged. "I might make a few tweaks." This made everyone chuckle.

Just then, Hiccup felt someone punch him in the arm from behind. He turned to see none other than Astrid. "That's for scaring me," she said.

Hiccup was really annoyed. "Wha-what? Is it always going to be this way? 'Cause..." But before he could finish, Astrid grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him in for a kiss. It was short, but loving, and the message was clear: That's for everything else.

Astrid pulled away after what was only about two seconds, but to Hiccup, it seemed to last an eternity. Momentarily speechless, he finished, "I could get used to it." Astrid smiled at him.

"Ahem."

Everyone turned to see both Snivels and Blaze standing nearby. They each wore a smug grin. "Is there a reason you guys are looking at us like that?" Hiccup asked.

"If you don't know already," Snivels said, "Then you're probably more dense than I thought you were."

Blaze laughed. "Well, he is a guy, so..."

Hiccup didn't have any idea what Snivels and Blaze meant, it was easy to read that in his expression. "I know what you're thinking," Snivels said to his friend, "'What are you guys talking about?' Well, maybe you could ask her." He pointed to Astrid.

All eyes were now on her. Astrid sighed. "If you weren't my friend, I'd kill you," she said to Snivels.

The Snivy shrugged. "I've gotten threats worse than that, believe me."

Astrid sighed again in frustration, and a small hint of embarrassment, before turning to Hiccup. Guess it's now or never, she thought to herself.

From the look on Astrid's face, Hiccup was obviously expecting some of the worst. So it was a total surprise to him when Astrid suddenly hugged him tightly. Stunned, Hiccup hesitated before returning her affection.

"Don't tell anyone I said this," Astrid whispered, "But you're more than just a friend to me." She didn't want anyone else to hear, this was just between her and Hiccup, no one else. "After the flight, I realized that I was feeling something I never felt before. I didn't understand what it was at first, but I wanted to know more. You weren't who I thought you were, and you showed me something I could never have imagined. And when I saw you go down in battle, I thought that I'd never get the chance to tell you that..."

She trailed off. Was she really going to say it? Now, with everyone staring at them? There was still a chance they could hear her, and if they did, she'd never hear the end of it, especially from Snivels and Blaze. Making her decision, and knowing that Hiccup was still waiting for her to finish, Astrid turned her head so that her mouth was next to his ear.

"I love you."

Hiccup's eyes widened at what he had heard. Astrid Hofferson, the toughest and most beautiful girl on Berk, loved him? Unsure of what to think, he turned to Snivels and Blaze. The two Pokémon could somehow tell from the look on his face what Astrid had just said to him. They both nodded.

Now more confident, Hiccup hugged Astrid a little tighter. "I love you, too," he whispered, just loud enough for her to hear him.

Astrid smiled. "I know."

After a long, tender moment, there was suddenly two flashes of bright blue light. Astrid and Hiccup both pulled out of the hug and turned to Snivels and Blaze, but they were blinded by the bright light. Everyone's attention was on the two Pokémon, although very few of them could see what was going on.

After about a minute, the lights faded, and the sight that met everyone's eyes was almost unbelievable.

Snivels groaned. "Hey, what happened? I'm feeling a little light-headed." He blinked. As his eyes adjusted, he noticed that everyone was staring at him. "Wait, what's going on?"

After a few seconds of silence, Hiccup asked, "Is that really you, Snivels?"

"What?! Why are you guys all looking at me like I've got two heads or something?!" Snivels asked, extremely confused.

"No, there's just one," said a voice beside him, "But you should probably take a good look at yourself."

Snivels turned in the direction of the voice and gasped. "Blaze, is that you?"

There was a Blaziken standing where Blaze had been moments ago.

The Blaziken looked down at her hands and gasped. They resembled a bird's talons. She then grabbed at some of the fur, or feathers, or whatever they were, that covered nearly her entire body. They were a mix of red and yellow, with a hint of orange.

It took Snivels a minute to realize that the Blaziken he was looking at was really Blaze. He then turned and lifted his tail so that he could see it. It was longer than it had been, and there were three leaves instead of just one. One on the end of his tail, and two that were further up his tail. There was no mistaking what had happened now.

Both Snivels and Blaze had evolved. They were no longer a Snivy and a Combusken. They were now a Servine and a Blaziken. "Wow," Blaze said in awe.

"I know," Snivels said in excitement, "I mean, the two of us evolving at the same time? This is so cool!" They both turned to look at their trainers, who wore matching expressions of surprise and awe.

For a minute, they were all speechless, but Snivels's eyes suddenly lit up. He then rushed off, moving faster than he had been before. He then returned a minute later holding some equipment in his arms. "Before I forget," he said, walking up to Hiccup and handing him the stuff, "We made these for you and Toothless." He then grabbed one of the items and held it up.

It was a new, red tail fin for Toothless. Snivels opened it up to reveal what looked like a symbol that was a combination of a leaf and a flame. "What is that?" Hiccup asked.

Snivels smiled and pointed to the decoration. "It's the Team Go-Getters symbol. I made it myself." It was then that Amber and Verne finally arrived.

Hiccup was stunned. "I can't believe you guys did all of this."

Blaze smiled. "That's what families do," she said, "They look out for each other."

There was a moment of silence before Snivels said jokingly, "I don't know about you guys, but we are the weirdest family I have ever heard of!"

Just then, there was a banging sound, and everyone turned in the direction of Hiccup's house.

"Night Fury!"

Toothless then came bounding out, jumping on top of whoever was in his way. Team Go-Getters all laughed at the funny sight.

Without hesitating, Hiccup walked up to Toothless, and was about to get a knife to cut the ropes that held the equipment together, when Snivels walked up to him. "I can get that," he said. His leafy hand then glowed a light blue, and he used it to slice through all the ropes completely.

Snivels had learned how to use Cut.

Satisfied, Hiccup patted Snivels on the head. "Thanks, Snivs." Snivels just smiled before running over and jumping onto Verne's back with the others.

After the saddle, tail fin, and riding gear were all in place, Hiccup tested out the new tail fin with the new stirrup, which was designed to click his prosthetic in place. He turned to see Astrid beside him on Stormfly, and Blaze trying to balance herself on the Flygon.

It was then that Team Go-Getters all took off on their dragons, with the Speed Stingers following them.

This is Berk.

It snows nine months of the year, and hails the other three. The food that grows here is tough and tasteless. Most of the people and Pokémon that grow here are even more so.

The only upsides are the pets.

While other places have ponies, or parrots, we have...

...Dragons.

Next time...A new beginning!

Didn't expect that, didja? A double evolution! I'll be waiting in case Cottonmouth25 has a review to give for this chapter. If anyone else wants to review, follow, or favorite, then you may do so!

This isn't the end! Stay tuned for the next chapter!