Phew! Took a little while longer to finish this but it was worth it! Enjoy!

NOTE: I DO NOT OWN HTTYD

A Tale of Two Dragons

The peaceful morning on Berk was undone by the loud sound of the alarm horn blowing. Normally, it would have been sounded if there had been an attack but not today. This alarm horn was meant for the training of the seven members of the Berk Dragon Training Academy.

Fishlegs Ingerman gasped and bolted upright from his bed. "Screaming Death attack!" the chubby blond boy said and jumped onto Meatlug, his female Gronckle, who was still asleep. "Wake up, girl! We gotta go! Come on, Meatlug, wake up!" Fishlegs said, shaking his Gronckle to get out of dreamland and get flying.

Hanging upside-down, the Thorston Twins, Ruffnut and Tuffnut, woke up to the sound of the alarm horn blowing. "Ugh…what's that horn for? Please tell me it's breakfast," Tuffnut said sleepily. "It's for the Screaming Death!" Ruffnut said excitedly, wide awake, and making her brother fully wake up. "Whoa, that's way better!" Tuffnut grinned as he and his sister got down on the ground and rushed out of their house and mounted Barf and Belch, their Hideous Zippleback, taking off.

"Up and at 'em, girl! Screaming Death!" Zenna Fiersome hollered to Stryka, her one-eyed female Night Fury, and grabbed her battle sticks and shield. Stryka rose from her rock slab bed and was immediately raring to go, her and Zenna flying out of the house faster than a speeding bullet.

Meanwhile, Astrid Hofferson and Stormfly, her Deadly Nadder, were headed for the Great Hall when…

"Whoo-hoo-hoo-hoo!"

Snotlout Jorgenson and Hookfang, his Monstrous Nightmare, flew by the two girls, nearly crashing into them! "Snotlout, what are you doing?!" Astrid yelled, glaring axes at the Jorgenson boy. "I'm sorry! Did I scare your girly little dragon?" Snotlout asked mockingly. "Out of my way! I have to get to the Great Hall," Astrid snapped at him. "No, you don't. I have to get to the Great Hall. You have to get to the armory," Snotlout informed her.

"Hiccup and Zenna assigned me to the Great Hall yesterday, you heard them," Astrid scowled at him. "Tell you what? Whoever gets there first, me, gets to guard it," Snotlout challenged her. "Fine with me," Astrid agreed before Snotlout suddenly tossed a couple of fish at her! "Snotlout!" Astrid yelled, Stormfly accidentally firing a few spines into a nearby house down below. "Ha! Ha! Astrid, I thought you liked cod!" Snotlout laughed when Astrid recovered from the fishy surprise. Growling, Astrid had Stormfly pursue Snotlout and Hookfang, harming the pompous Jorgenson boy being her main objective!

"Oh no…" Snotlout gulped and tried to make a hasty retreat but Astrid was relentless. Eventually, Stormfly and Hookfang crashed into each other and ended up in the Great Hall where they made a complete war zone of the place!

Toothless and Strkya landed in front of the Great Hall in time to see the people running out of the Great Hall while screaming in fear. "Not quite a good start to the morning…" Zenna sighed, shaking her head. "Oh, great, I can see my father's face already…" Hiccup sighed as well, wondering how on earth he was going to explain this mess to his Dad.

Stoick the Vast was not pleased.

He had been rudely awoken from his heavy slumber by the shouts of his people and had rushed outside to investigate. And what did he find?

His son, Zenna and the other Riders trying to stop an angry Astrid and an angry Stormfly and a terrified Snotlout and an also angry Hookfang from completely destroying the Great Hall!

Needless to say, Stoick was not having a good morning. With Gobber and Zenna's parents, he glared at the teens.

"When you told me you'd be running a Screaming Death attack drill I assumed you wouldn't actually try to destroy the entire village!" Stoick loudly told the teens off. "Uh, technically, Chief, it was just the Great Hall," Fishlegs piped up meekly. Stoick glared at him and Fishlegs squeaked, "And now I'll let you take it from here…" clamming up.

"Dad, this was supposed to be a practice run but it just got out of hand. I'm sorry," Hiccup apologized while Zenna made sure to stay between Snotlout and Astrid since the two bickering Riders looked ready to tear each other apart. "Eh, sorry doesn't un-burn Silent Sven's chest hair," Gobber informed Hiccup, motioning with his head to Silent Sven's smoking chest. "No, it certainly does not which brings me to your punishment," Stoick shook his head at the team. "Now, now, Stoick, don't be too harsh on them," Henna chastised the Chief. "Besides, we all know that the ones who really deserve to be punished are the ones who crashed their dragons and themselves into the Great Hall in the first place," Edgar said, giving Astrid and Snotlout a stern look.

But Stoick knew that, in some way, the other Riders all had a hand in this and thought it to be fair to give all seven teens the same punishment which was…

Clearing up Mildew's old cabbage field.

"Ugh, Mildew's cabbage field," Astrid grimaced. "Thor, take me now. I can't believe I'm setting foot on the old coot's field…" Zenna gagged, still hating Mildew. Fishlegs held up a rotten cabbage and sniffed it. "Hoo! Wow! This is revolting!" he gagged, dropping the cabbage like it was a hot piece of coal. The Twins, however, were munching on the cabbages like rabbits! "Actually, it's not that bad," Ruffnut said. "Yeah, don't judge till you try it," Tuffnut agreed with her before covering his mouth as he began to feel sick. "Oh, dear…" Zenna sighed, rummaging through her medical kit for some medicine. "I'm fine…" Tuffnut swallowed, feeling kind of sick.

Hiccup, meanwhile, surveyed the field before turning to his friends. "Okay, gang, my Dad wants this field cleared and ready for planting by the end of the week. Astrid, Snotlout, you two break down and clear out the big boulders on the far edge while…" Hiccup began to delegate the tasks when Snotlout butted in. "Actually that sounds more like a man's job," Snotlout said boastfully, standing alongside Hookfang. "Hm, you're right. Better give me Fishlegs instead," Astrid said casually. "Huh? Astrid, what do you see when you look over here?" Snotlout asked her, striking a pose. Astrid merely rolled her eyes and folded her arms across her chest. "Is that a serious question?" she asked. "You see 5, 000 pounds of boulder-crushing splendor," Snotlout said, hugging Hookfang's head. "Just make sure you don't slow me down, Boulder Boy," Astrid tapped his helmet before going on her way. Hookfang then shoved Snotlout forward, the pompous brat glaring at his dragon.

Toothless and Stryka warbled, not sure on how things were going to pan out, while Hiccup and Zenna looked at each other.

The teens immediately got to work. Fishlegs, Hiccup and Zenna cleared out the medium-sized boulders on one end of the field, the Twins worked on preparing the soil while Astrid and Snotlout, so far, had no arguments and were working well together.

Seeing their Zippleback chewing at the dirt to till it, Ruffnut and Tuffnut got an idea. "Hey, why do Barf and Belch get to have all the fun? Everyone's always telling us to use our heads," Tuffnut pointed to his noggin. "I was just thinking the exact same thing," Ruffnut smiled before they both got off their dragon and started digging through the dirt using their heads. "Those two clearly have brain damage…" Zenna sighed as Stryka blasted a boulder to pieces. Meatlug had just dropped a boulder onto the ground and was licking her scaly lips, wanting to eat the rock. "Now, now, now, Meatlug, those boulders are for catapulting not for eating," Fishlegs reminded her before glancing sideways to make sure nobody was looking and picked up a small rock. "But they do look delicious, don't they?" Fishlegs said, feeding Meatlug the little rock.

Seeing all of his friends working together, Hiccup smiled at Toothless. "You see, Toothless? It's all going perfect…" Hiccup managed to say to his best dragon friend before groaning when he heard Astrid and Snotlout arguing.

"What?!"

"What's wrong with you?!"

"Oh, don't say it…" Hiccup moaned, face palming himself. "You know, Hicc, it's rare to see Astrid and Snotlout arguing considering the fact that your Milady keeps rebuffing your cousin's affections…Seeing them fight for once…there's something you don't see everyday," Zenna piped up, watching the two argue with a slightly intrigued look on her face.

"I told you to stay out of my way! This is Viking work," Snotlout told Astrid while sitting on Hookfang. "Exactly. So, what are you doing here?" Astrid retorted.

Normally Hookfang and Stormfly tolerated each other. But, now, they suddenly turned aggressive and started attacking each other!

"Well, that's-that's productive…" Hiccup said sarcastically. "And strange…" Zenna said, noticing something odd. "Toothless, plasma blast!" Hiccup said, his Night Fury firing a shot to intervene. Flying over to the two bickering teens and their dragons, Hiccup tried to get them to cut it out when, suddenly, Toothless started acting up as well!

"Holy Shields, what the hell…?" Zenna murmured while Stryka whined worriedly. "Hookfang, stop! Heel!" Snotlout ordered his angry Monstrous Nightmare. "Stormfly, calm down!" Astrid said, trying her best to soothe her Deadly Nadder. "Whoa, bud, come on! We're-we're trying to break up the fight, not win it!" Hiccup yelped, struggling to keep Toothless under control. "Hookfang, calm down, Hookfang!" Snotlout shouted. "Stormfly! Stormfly!" Astrid said frantically.

But it was no use. The dragons kept acting crazy. Fishlegs and Meatlug had arrived and were watching the scene with Zenna and Stryka worriedly when Hiccup shouted, "Guys, back your dragons away from each other!"

"I'm trying!" Snotlout griped, pulling on Hookfang's horns. "Well, try harder! Okay, everyone to the rock pile!" Hiccup ordered. Managing to have some control over their dragons again, Hiccup, Astrid and Snotlout flew back to the rock pile and the dragons were calm again.

Getting off their dragons, Snotlout and Astrid walked over to each other and started yelling.

"What is wrong with your dumb dragon?!" Snotlout demanded.

"Guys…" Hiccup said before Astrid interrupted.

"My dumb dragon? Your flaming Snotmare was trying to barbecue us," Astrid glared at him.

"Guys…" Hiccup's feeble voice was drowned out by his cousin's yells.

"Snotmare?! Snotmare?!" Snotlout yelled and, then, looked at Hookfang. "I kind of like that," Snotlout said after a minute. "You would," Astrid taunted him.

"Guys!" Hiccup raised his voice this time but it still didn't work.

"Oh yeah, I would, huh?" Snotlout glared at Astrid who said, "Yeah! Yeah, you would!" prompting him to snap back at her with, "How about I call your dragon ugly!" and Astrid retorted with, "I'll tell you who's ugly!"

"This is going to require drastic measures," Zenna said, readying her battle sticks before Hiccup stopped her. "Toothless, Stryka," Hiccup nodded to the two Night Furies who both roared!

"Thank you," Hiccup told the two dragons before turning to his fighting friends. "Now, would somebody mind telling me what exactly was going on out there?" he asked. "Simple! Hookfang and me were just trying to do our job when Stormfly went crazy and started shooting at us!" Snotlout exclaimed. Astrid's eyes widened and she glared at the accusation. "You have got to be kidding! Hiccup, Stormfly and I were doing our job when this lunatic and his overgrown firepit started torching us," Astrid said in defense. "Oh, come on! When have we ever started a fight just for the sake of starting a fight?" Snotlout asked, earning deapan looks from Astrid, Hiccup and Zenna.

"Let me rephrase that," Snotlout said. "How?" Zenna raised an eyebrow at him. "Never mind. Do you two think you can work together? Yes or no?" Hiccup asked seriously. Astrid and Snotlout looked at each other, not bothering to even answer.

They would let this one fight go just this once.

"Good," Hiccup said, both hands on his hips, dismissing them. As the two bickering Vikings left on their dragons, Fishlegs went over to Hiccup. "Okay, that was weird," the chubby Ingerman said. "I agree," Zenna nodded. "Snotlout and Astrid trying to tear each other's heads off was weird?" Hiccup asked them, confused. "No, their dragons, Hiccup. As much as Astrid and Snotlout like to torture each other, Stormfly and Hookfang have always stayed out of it," Fishlegs pointed out. "And now, all of a sudden, they're arguing like their Riders. Doesn't that seem a little out of character for them?" Zenna asked Hiccup who raised an eyebrow and shrugged.

Later that night, Hiccup and Zenna were hanging out in Hiccup's house with Stoick and Zenna's parents. "So, son? How are things going in the field?" Stoick asked as his son and his son's best human friend set down two big baskets of fish for their two Night Furies.

Zenna gave her parents a look that clearly said, 'Not so good.' Prompting Edgar and Henna to give her sympathetic looks. Hiccup, on the other hand, said brightly, "Oh, Dad, it couldn't be going any better. We're moving like a well-oiled catapult."

Stoick kept talking as he sharpened his axe. "Really? Hm, because word around the paddock is that Astrid and Snotlout are trying to turn the catapult on each other. Come again?" he asked his son. Hiccup managed to force a strained laugh out of his throat. "Oh…Oh, that! I-It's just a minor…ah…disagreement. You know how they are," Hiccup said before somebody knocked on the door.

"Now who could that be?" Zenna raised an eyebrow with a coy grin on her face. "In fact, I'm-I'm sure they've already forgotten about it," Hiccup added, going over to the door. "Let's hope," Stoick said.

When Hiccup opened the door, he fully expected Astrid. "Hiccup, I refuse to work with Snotlout!" the blonde Hofferson girl said before Hiccup said, "Ah, Astrid, what a beautiful night! Let's talk outside!" and hastily went outside and closed the door. "Something's wrong," Stoick said to Zenna's parents. "Don't we know it!" Edgar and Henna agreed with him.

Outside, Hiccup and Astrid talked. "Uh, didn't we talk this out?" Hiccup asked his Milady. "You talked. We listened, as usual, but I'm not going to put Stormfly in danger by working with that muttonhead who can't even control his own dragon!" Astrid told him. Hiccup sighed submissively and said, "Fine! Fine! I will deal with it tomorrow, I promise."

"Thank you," Astrid smiled at him. "You're welcome," Hiccup replied and gave her a quick kiss before going back inside. Seeing his father's expectant look as he sharpened his axe as well as the knowing looks the Fiersome family was giving him, Hiccup quickly said, "Ah, just this Academy business. No big deal." Before the door knocked again.

"Hmmm…now who could it be this time?" Zenna asked, pretending to look thoughtful. Hiccup gave her a slight glare before saying, "Ah, let me grab that." answering the door.

Of course, it had to be Snotlout.

"Hiccup, I-" Snotlout began to rant before Hiccup said, "Oh, look! A full moon!" and pushed his cousin outside. "When he comes back inside, I have a feeling he's gonna lose it," Zenna remarked. "He's gonna have to let it out sometime," Edgar nodded. "Poor dear…He's already stressed out as it is," Henna sighed, pitying the Chief's son. Stoick merely shook his head and chuckled.

"You are killing me!" Hiccup told his cousin in exasperation. "Me?! Astrid has totally lost control of her dragon! She's probably distracted by my manly presence," Snotlout said angrily before flexing his muscles. "Are you insane?" Hiccup asked him. "Hookfang sees it! Don't tell me you don't!" Snotlout retorted, his Monstrous Nightmare not wanting any part in this conversation. Hiccup merely gave Snotlout a deadpan look. "Never mind. Here's the deal…" Snotlout began to say before Hiccup interrupted with, "Let me guess: You don't want to work with Astrid tomorrow."

"Exactly! Was that easy? Come on, Hookfang! Let's go think with our muscles," Snotlout grinned before leaving with his dragon. Hiccup sighed and went back inside his house, already weighed down by the stress.

"Problem, son?" Stoick asked, still sharpening his axe. "Uh, problem? What problem? No, no, everyone is happy. Everything is great," Hiccup smiled, hoping that his father wouldn't see the desperation in his eyes.

"Good to hear," Stoick said. "Yep! Yep! Yep, everything is right as rain," Hiccup said brightly. "If you say so," Stoick said casually. "I do! I…say so," Hiccup said, looking away from his Dad.

Zenna merely gave her one-legged surrogate brother a knowing look while Edgar and Henna began counting down the seconds.

Finally, Hiccup snapped.

"Oh, fine, you win! Snotlout and Astrid are driving me completely insane! They're acting like mental cases! I actually don't know who's worse, them or their dragons! I mean at least with the dragons you can lock them in their pens until they behave!"

Hiccup was all out of breath by the time he finished his 15-seconds-long rant while Edgar, Henna, Zenna and Stoick were all completely relaxed. "Feel better?" Stoick asked his son. "Uh…a little," Hiccup admitted, mentally exhausted. "Just let it out, lad. It helps," Edgar advised him, Zenna nodding in agreement. Then Stoick decided to give his son some fatherly advice.

"Alright, Hiccup, there's three ways to deal with Vikings who aren't getting along," he began. "I'm all ears," Hiccup said, ready to hear what his Dad had to say. "Option One: Give them both axes and you let them fight to the end," Stoick said, holding up his axe. "No!" Henna cried out in alarm. "That one sounds a tad, uh, permanent. What's Option Number Two?" Hiccup asked uncertainly. "You give them both maces and let them fight to the end," Stoick said, giving Hiccup a heavy mace. "That's also a tad bit permanent," Zenna informed the Chief while trying to keep her mother calm. "Do I even want to know what Option Three is?" Hiccup asked nervously.

"Oh, it's quite devious and can have grizzly repercussions. Then again, it can go down like a treat or about 50-50 either way," Stoick told him. "That gives a 50% chance of success and a 50% chance of failure. Even odds," Zenna remarked while Hiccup waited for his father to tell him what Option Three was. "I'm listening," he said hopefully. "You trick them into working together," Stoick said.

Hiccup looked thoughtful for a minute before he got an idea. "Zen, you think you can help me out on this one?" he asked his one-eyed surrogate sister. "Always ready to help, Hicc!" Zenna smiled and let Hiccup pull her upstairs to his room, leaving the adults to talk shop.

"A fifty percent chance of success and a fifty percent chance of failure. Stoick, aren't you even a little worried?" Henna asked her Chief in concern. "Not at all. Hiccup's a smart boy. He always finds a way," Stoick said as he put his axe and his mace away. "Aye, and don't forget, our daughter's always there for him," Edgar grinned. And Stoick nodded and smiled. Yes, Zenna had always been there for Hiccup and he had a feeling that that wouldn't change ever. Edgar and Henna's daughter was definitely Hiccup's most loyal follower.

The next day, Hiccup and Zenna initiated their plan. While the other Riders worked on one side of the field, Hiccup and Zenna had both assigned Astrid and Snotlout to the same area. Unwittingly, the two teens and their dragons worked on opposite ends of a hill of dirt until Astrid was the first to hear something.

"Shh…Do you hear that?" Astrid whispered to Stormfly, not knowing that Snotlout had just heard something as well. "Wait…It's coming from the other side of that hill," Snotlout said to Hookfang.

Climbing to the top, the two bickering teens saw each other face-to-face.

Realizing just exactly what was going on, Snotlout fumed. "Why that little Hiccup…" he muttered. "Option Three. Ugh, I should have seen that coming!" Astrid scowled before looking at Snotlout. "Well, Stormfly and I are gonna prove we're not the problem by working with you," she said defiantly. "Not as well we're going to work with you! Right, Hookfang?" Snotlout scoffed before he and his Monstrous Nightmare scuttled away.

Stormfly followed and she and Hookfang both flared their nostrils at each other, indicating that they were okay with this new arrangement.

"I wouldn't believe it if I wasn't seeing it with my own two eyes," Fishlegs remarked as he, Hiccup and Zenna watched from afar. "I've only got one eye and I still can't believe it," Zenna said. "Huh, I guess my Dad was right. Then again, I did put my own 'Hiccup Spin' on it (at this point, Zenna snorted and slightly elbowed Hiccup in the ribs to remind him that she had also helped him out in putting the so-called Hiccup Spin to the plan). That's what all great leaders do, Fishlegs. They take an idea, then, they shape it," Hiccup said proudly before Fishlegs nervously said, "Uh, Hiccup?" while Zenna turned his head to the hill.

Stormfly and Hookfang were at it again!

To make matters worse, both dragons had bucked off their Riders and, now, they were attacking each other!

"Great leaders are also often proven wrong," Hiccup said weakly. "Ya think?" Zenna asked him sarcastically.

It took a while, but the Riders were eventually able to get Stormfly and Hookfang away from each other and taken to the Academy where Hiccup finally decided to try a last resort idea.

"Astrid, Snotlout, your dragons are out of control but I think Zenna and I know why. This is the day the two of us have always feared would come. Your dragons have picked up on your animosity to each other and, now, they are behaving the same way," Hiccup said seriously. "Is it my fault that me and Hookfang are so in sync?" Snotlout boasted, his dragon snorting hot air. "Come to think of it, the answer might be a big fat yes," Zenna said as Hiccup grabbed a hold of his cousin. "But you have just given me and Zenna an idea. You both need to walk a mile in each other's shoes," Hiccup said, pulling Snotlout over to Stormfly while Zenna pulled Astrid over to Hookfang.

"Or in this case, saddles," Zenna added. "Perfect," Hiccup said as he and Zenna stood in the middle. "What's perfect?" Astrid asked moodily. "You two are gonna swap dragons for the day," Hiccup and Zenna told them both.

"WHAT?!" Astrid and Snotlout were shocked and horrified.

"That's right," Hiccup smirked. "You two have no choice. Astrid will ride Hookfang and Snotlout will ride Stormfly and you two aren't allowed to switch dragons until the day's over," Zenna added.

"It's a girl dragon!" Snotlout exclaimed, making Stormfly growl at him. "If you can learn to understand each other's dragons then, maybe, you can learn to understand each other," Hiccup informed them, not seeing how irritated Astrid was with Hookfang's nudging.

"This does not work well with my manliness," Snotlout glared at his cousin. "What manliness?" Zenna asked with an amused look on her face. "You can take the day off and just get to know your new best friend," Hiccup told him and Astrid.

"Hey, does that mean if we start fighting, do we get the day off too? Because we will. Watch!" Tuffnut piped up before Ruffnut began punching him! "See?" Tuffnut said, putting his sister in a headlock and the two of them continued wrestling. "You two fight all the time. What else is new?" Zenna shrugged. "Nope. The four of us and Fishlegs are gonna head out to the field and keep working. My Dad wants it done in time for planting," Hiccup said as the Twins continued fighting.

"I want that day off!" Tuffnut shouted. "Not gonna happen, Tuff!" Zenna told him.

While the others went back to the field and Astrid flew off on his Monstrous Nightmare, Snotlout thought it'd be good to take Stormfly out for a spin over the sea. And, he had to admit, Snotlout was impressed by Stormfly's endurance and speed. If he didn't know any better, she was almost as fast as either Toothless or Stryka! Then Stormfly swooped up, impressing Snotlout all the more.

"Whoahoho! Wow! Stormfly, you are one fast dragon. I mean Hookfang is fast but you are like crazy fast," Snotlout told the female Deadly Nadder as they flew up into the clouds and turned around. "Fast doesn't mean anything if you can't…stop!" Snotlout yelped as Stormfly suddenly landed on a sea stack. The sudden landing forced him forward off the saddle and sent him rolling over the dge of the sea stack and the poor Jorgenson boy was now hanging onto the rocks for dear life!

Stormfly peered over the edge to check if Snotlout was still alive and squawked."Okay, you can stop on a yak! Crazy…a little help?" Snotlout laughed nervously.

Meanwhile, Astrid was flying Hookfang through the woods. And she had to admit it but Hookfang was pretty agile for such a large dragon, slaloming through the pine trees like he'd been born to do it. Landing the Monstrous Nightmare, Astrid looked at a nearby tree. "So Snotlout's always bragging about how much firepower you Nightmares have," she remarked, Hookfang snorting in agreement. "Let's see what you got, big boy," Astrid smiled. Always up for a challenge, Hookfang let out a plume of flame that neatly incinerated the tree Astrid was looking at to a mere stump!

"Wow! Incredibly dangerous but cool!' Astrid said in amazement.

Stormfly was starting to like Snotlout. Boastfulness aside, the boy knew what he was doing and liked to challenge her to push her limits, something that she liked doing with Astrid. "Okay, you think you can bring the heat? Let's see how you do it, Stormfly!" Snotlout grinned. Squawking, the Nadder gladly accepted the challenge and fired her hot-as-the-sun magnesium flame, melting an entire sea stack like it was no big deal!

"Whoa! I gotta say that's pretty hot!" Snotlout said to her, impressed.

Flying over the forest, Astrid took a good look at Hookfang's wings. "Okay! Wingspan duly noted, not too much flaming, tail looks good…" Astrid said, looking behind for a second, before seeing what was up ahead.

"Tree!"

Yanking on Hookfang's horns, Astrid was stunned to see that the blast of wind from Hookfang's wings was so strong that it flung the tree in their way several yards away!

"Wow! I didn't know you could do that! Did you know you could that?" Astrid asked Hookfang, who growled with confidence. "I bet Snotlout doesn't know you can do that," Astrid smiled at Hookfang before they flew off to try some more aerial stunts.

Snotlout whooped as Stormfly gracefully twirled about in the air and skimmed the water with her wings. "Okay! This is pretty fun! Haha! I could definitely get used to this!" Snotlout laughed and lightly patted the back of Stormfly's neck once. Instantly, Stormfly fired a single spine that hit the top of rock dead center!

"Wow! Bull's eye with a single shot? Bet Astrid doesn't know how to do that. Let's do that again!" Snotlout grinned and got Stormfly to loop back. Tapping Stormfly's neck again, Snotlout watched in amazement as Astrid's Nadder let out a single spine that knocked the earlier spine off the rock!

"Aw, stop it! Now you're just showing off, which is fine by me. I'm all about showing off! Haha!" Snotlout laughed as he and Stormfly flew on to have some more fun.

It was already night by the time Astrid, Hookfang, Snotlout and Stormfly came back to the Academy. Hiccup and Zenna were patiently waiting for them with Toothless and Stryka. "Huh, it looks like the little switcheroo worked," Zenna remarked to Hiccup. "So how was it?" Hiccup asked his friends. Getting off Stormfly, Snotlut shrugged. "Stormfly's pretty good, for a girl, and she does melt solid rock in, like, half a second which is cool," the Jorgenson boy said casually. "She does, indeed. And Astrid?" Hiccup asked his Milady. "I guess Hookfang is pretty powerful and he's easy to fly, which is good if you have a little talent," Astrid replied, smiling. "Yeah! And I have a little talent…wait," Snotlout's ego inflated and deflated in a matter of seconds.

"And he finally admits to that," Zenna giggled, Toothless and Stryka chuckling their dragon chuckles. "Well, it sounds like you both have a better appreciation for each other's dragons," Hiccup said, stepping forward, and noticed that the glares his cousin and his girlfriend were giving each other weren't as murderous as before. "Yes, it's okay…It's…it's…nice," Snotlout mumbled.

"So that means maybe tomorrow you'll cut each other some slack?" Hiccup asked hopefully. "Yeah, I guess," Astrid replied with a deadpan look on her face. "Fine. Can we go now?" Snotlout asked, turning around. But, as he left, Snotlout looked over his shoulder at Stormfly, the Deadly Nadder squawked at him with soft yellow eyes. What Snotlout didn't see that Astrid was also looking at Hookfang, his Monstrous Nightmare rumbling at her.

When the two had left, Hiccup and Zenna looked at each other and smiled. "Looks like it won't be long before Astrid and Snotlout finally reconcile," Zenna said to Hiccup, who looked to Toothless and said, "Baby steps, bud. Baby steps."

The next morning, Fishlegs and Meatlug headed out early to the field. After seeing the chaos that had ensued with Astrid and Snotlout, the chubby Ingerman boy was determined to investigate the cause of Hookfang and Stormfly's aggression.

Feeding Meatlug a rock, Fishlegs smiled. "Okay, that should hold you over for a bit but I need you to focus now. We're looking for clues. Anything that will tell us why Hookfang and Stormfly are acting so crazy," Fishlegs told his dragon before going to the site of the fight. Looking at the footprints, Fishlegs thought hard.

"Nadder prints, excellent. Everything seems to be fine here. Then here's the Nightmare's. Mm-hmmm…still peaceful…" Fishlegs mused as he examined the individual footprints before walking over to the exact site where the fight between Astrid and Snotlout's dragons started. "Ah! And here's where the trouble started. But why here? Maybe it's something…" Fishlegs managed to ask himself before Meatlug smelled something and rushed past him to investigate. Seeing that his dragon had found something, Fishlegs said, "Meatlug, dig!"

Meatlug dug like a fiend, rocks and dirt spraying everywhere. "Keep going, girl!" Fishlegs encouraged her until they unearthed their find. "Wait a second…" Fishlegs then peered into the hole and found the culprit of yesterday's madness.

"I was right!" Fishlegs exclaimed, proving his hypothesis. Now he just had to report to Hiccup and Zenna about his findings.

Meanwhile Astrid and Snotlout had woken up early to feed their dragons. Or, more specifically, their dragons they had swapped dragons with. Snotlout had chicken for Stormfly while Astrid had a big tasty fish for Hookfang. The two teens cautiously walked to the arena, their backs to each other. When they turned around and saw each other, Astrid and Snotlout quickly hid the food behind their backs. "What are you doing here?" Astrid asked in surprise. "Nothing. Nothing. What are you doing here?" Snotlout replied.

Astrid wasn't buying his excuse and saw the chicken leg Snotlout was hiding. "Is that chicken, Stormfly's favorite? Did you come here to feed my dragon?" she asked curiously. "No…maybe…yeah…Well, what are you doing here? I smell something fishy," Snotlout said, holding up the chicken leg. "Fine, maybe I brought Hookfang a little breakfast," Astrid admitted, holding out the fish. "He loves breakfast! That was actually, well, nice of you," Snotlout told her. After a few minutes of looking at each other, Astrid and Snotlout realized what was going on.

"You like my dragon," they said at the exact same time. After a few seconds of letting that sink in, both teens looked at each other. "Don't tell anyone, okay?" Snotlout requested. The last thing he needed for his manly reputation was everyone finding out that he had a soft spot for Astrid's dragon. "Deal," Astrid agreed.

But when they went inside the Academy, Astrid and Snotlout were shocked to see Stormfly and Hookfang's cages busted open! "Our dragons are gone!" Astrid said in shock. What were they going to do now?!

Once the other Riders had assembled, Astrid and Snotlout filled them in. Naturally, all eyes went to the Twins first. "We've done a lot of dumb things in our life but we have never lost a dragon. Not a whole one," Tuffnut was the first to speak in his and his sister's defense. "I am very disappointed in you, young lady," Ruffnut looked at Astrid, making the Hofferson girl groan in annoyance. "Easy, Astrid. Let's not let tempers flare here," Zenna said, calming her down. "Okay, okay, uh…they can't be far. We'll split up the island," Hiccup said before Fishlegs and Meatlug flew in.

"Actually, Hiccup, I might know where they are," Fishlegs said nervously. "Well, Fishlegs, lead the way," Zenna said.

Without wasting another second, Fishlegs and Meatlug led the other Dragon Riders to Mildew's cabbage field. Down below, the could see Stormfly and Hookfang going at it again!

"Oh, not again…" Zenna mumbled worriedly. "We need to break this up!" Snotlout said frantically as he rode on Meatlug with Fishlegs. "Who knows what they'll do to each other?!" Astrid cried out worriedly. "I'm open to ideas," Hiccup said grimly. "Drop me in!" Astrid pleaded and Hiccup had Toothless swoop down so Astrid could get off. "Me too!" Snotlout said and Fishlegs had Meatlug hover close to the ground so Snotlout could jump off her back.

"Fishlegs, how did you know they were gonna be here?" Hiccup questioned his nerdy friend. "The more I thought about it, the more I wondered what made this situation different than any other. It was the field," Fishlegs replied. "The field?" Zenna repeated, confused. "We've been in a lot of fields," Hiccup told Fishlegs who shook his head. "No, no, no, not like this one," the chubby Ingerman boy told them. "What's so special about this particular field, Fishlegs?" Zenna asked. In response, the chubby blond Viking pointed to the hole Meatlug had dug earlier.

Growing in the dirt was a huge, fleshy root with bulbous bumps on it!

"Dragon Root!" Hiccup and Zenna said at once, recognizing the plant from the Book of Dragons and Bork's Papers, as the Twins and their Zippleback flew in. "Not Dragon Root! That is terrible!" Tuffnut exclaimed, completely clueless. "Y-y-you don't actually know what Dragon Root is, do you?" Hiccup raised an eyebrow at him. "Not even slightly. Not even the faintest. I mean I think I know what dragon means," Tuffnut replied. Fishlegs decided to bring the Twins up to speed. "Dragon Root is like Dragon Nip, only more powerful. Dragons crave it but, instead of making them happy and calm, it makes them…" he said before Tuffnut said, "Want to rip each other apart wing-from-wing?!"

"Exactly," Fishlegs and Zenna said in unison.

"Cool," Ruffnut said in awe. "Uh, no, not cool," Zenna told her. "Sounds good. Do they have it for people?" Tuffnut asked eagerly. "I sure hope not," Zenna shook her head. "Well we can't leave Astrid and Snotlout down there. We have to help!" Hiccup said urgently as Toothless swooped down along with Stryka.

With the Dragon Root still between them, Hookfang and Stormfly had all but lost their common sense and were ready to go on a rampage. "Stormfly, calm down! It's me! Everything is okay!" Astrid said, ducking to avoid her Nadder's poisonous spines. Snotlout, meanwhile, tried to wrangle Hookfang back under control only to get a face full of dirt when he missed his dragon's head. "They're ignoring us! How do we get their attention?!" he yelled to Astrid as Hookfang and Stormfly opened fire at each other. "Well I might have an idea. But it's stupid and reckless," Astrid replied, narrowly avoiding getting impaled by Stormfly's tail. "You had me at stupid!" Snotlout grinned.

As their dragons prepared to charge at each other, Astrid and Snotlout ran out into the very middle of the field and blocked their path!

"Stormfly, if you're gonna attack him, you'll have to go through me!" Astrid told Stormfly bravely. "Look, Hookfang, we both know you can totally kick Stormfly's tail but if you wanna try, you'll have to go through me!" Snotlout firmly told Hookfang.

Not willing to hurt their Riders, Stormfly and Hookfang backed off.

"Astrid! Snotlout! What are they doing?!" Fishlegs asked frantically. "I-I-I'm not sure but…I think they might be acting like a team," Hiccup said in realization. "Well…that's one good thing to come out from this madness," Zenna quipped as the three of them watched the two bickering teens finally put aside their differences to work together to keep their dragons safe.

Astrid was the first to gently place her hand on Stormfly's snout to calm her down. "There's my girl," Astrid smiled, her Nadder chirping happily. Snotlout nervously looked at snarling Monstrous Nightmare before carefully placing his palm on Hookfang's snout, calming him down. "Ah, you big knucklehead!" Snotlout grinned, Hookfang rumbling playfully.

"They did it! We have to get down there, but none of us can get close to that Root without our dragons going nuts," Hiccup said urgently. "That's not exactly true, Hiccup. Meatlug didn't go crazy," Fishlegs informed him. "It must be because of her…Holy Shields, Ruff, Tuff, get out of there!" Zenna suddenly shrieked, seeing the Thorston Twins and their Hideous Zippleback hovering close to the Dragon Root!

As soon as the scent of Dragon Root reached Barf and Belch's nostrils, the Twins' Hideous Zippleback began to go loco!

"Maybe Meatlug's rock diet makes her immune to the Dragon Root's effects!" Hiccup guessed before Zenna shrieked, "LOOK OUT!" and he and Toothless narrowly missed a fireball!

"I was afraid this would happen!" Zenna said, face palming herself, while Fishlegs yelled to the Twins, "What are you doing?!"

"They're out of control!" Ruffnut yelled as Barf and Belch opened fire again! "You guys are too close to the Dragon Root! Pull up!" Hiccup and Zenna shouted. "Pull up?! Are you two crazy?!" Ruffnut yelled to them. "Yeah! This is awesome!" Tuffnut grinned. "Those two are imbeciles," Zenna sighed, shaking her head.

"Hiccup, Zenna, we're going for the root! Cover us!" Fishlegs said in determination and he and Meatlug flew down while Hiccup, Toothless, Zenna and Stryka tried to keep the Twins' Zippleback focused on them while Fishlegs and Meatlug got the Dragon Root.

"Come on, girl, lift with your legs!" Fishlegs told Meatlug as a fireball exploded near their feet. "This is scary but in a good way!" Tuffnut hollered as Barf and Belch fired again! This time, Fishlegs and Meatlug had to back up to avoid getting hit. If they didn't get the Dragon Root out of the field, who knows what chaos would erupt?

Oddly enough, the Twins were enjoying the insanity and Toothless and Stryka had to fire warning shots to keep them from bringing Barf and Belch any closer to the Dragon Root. "We're so sorry about this!" the two surrogate siblings apologized when Toothless and Stryka's plasma blasts hit Barf and Belch. "We're not!" Ruffnut grinned. "This is the best day ever!" Tuffnut laughed as Barf and Belch coughed up another fireball that Toothless and Stryka quickly dodged!

"Hurry, Fishlegs!" Hiccup and Zenna shouted frantically as they dodged the Zippleback's blasts. Meatlug tried again but the Dragon Root was too stuck to the ground for her to lift! "She can't do it by herself!" Fishlegs shouted worriedly. "Yeah! Incoming!" Tuffnut yelled as Barf let out a huge amount of explosive gas. If Belch ignited it, Fishlegs and Meatlug would be blown sky high!

With their dragons safely out of the Dragon Root's influence, Astrid and Snotlout watched the rest of their friends struggle to put a stop to the craziness. "I think we better do something," Snotlout told Astrid who readily said, "For once, I actually agree with you."

"But if we get too close, our dragons will start fighting again," Snotlout reminded the Hofferson girl. "I think I have an idea," Astrid said, smiling mischievously. "Is it stupid and reckless?" Snotlout asked eagerly. "Maybe even a little bit crazy," Astrid smiled at him. "Loving it!" Snotlout grinned.

Meanwhile Barf and Belch had officially lost total control over themselves and it wasn't helping him that his Riders were encouraging him! Luckily, before Belch ignited the gas, Stormfly came flying by! "Astrid, you are a sight for sore eyes!" Fishlegs said with relief.

"Who you calling Astrid?" Snotlout grinned proudly. "Snotlout? What? Where's…?" Fishlegs asked in shock before seeing Astrid on Hookfang! "Looking for me?" the Hofferson shield maiden asked. "Astrid, what are you doing?" Hiccup was completely confused as well while Zenna smiled, knowing exactly what Astrid and Snotlout were up to.

"We switched dragons again. It's the only way we can keep them from fighting each other," Astrid explained. "He can sniff Dragon Root all day but Hookfang would never attack Snotlout! He respects him too much," Snotlout said confidently just as Barf and Belch swooped by, the latter of the two spewing out explosive gas near him and Stormfly!

"Do it, Hookfang! Wing Blast!" Astrid commanded, Snotlout's Monstrous Nightmare flapping his wings and blowing back the Thorston Twins and their Zippleback down to the ground!

"Yeah!" Ruffnut and Tuffnut both cheered before passing out. "Whoa, what was that?" Snotlout asked, eyes wide. "You mean, this?" Astrid smiled and had Hookfang do another Wing Blast to blow all the Zippleback gas away from the surrounding area.

But, to everyone's disappointment, Fishlegs and Meatlug still hadn't gotten the Dragon Root out of the field! "It's still stuck!" Astrid exclaimed. Barf and Belch were still under the influence of the Dragon Root and were about to go in for the kill when Snotlout said, "I'm on it! Stormfly, Single Spine Shot!" and tapped Stormfly's neck.

With one shot, Stormfly managed to cut the Dragon Root free! And before Barf and Belch could fly after it, Toothless and Stryka caught the Zippleback by the tail.

"That was amazing!" Zenna whooped. "Good job, guys! Fishlegs, can you take it from here?" Hiccup smiled. "Dragon Root, flyin' out!" Fishlegs waved and he and Meatlug took the Dragon Root far out to sea. Hiccup and Zenna, on the other hand, proudly looked at Astrid and Snotlout.

"You do realize what just happened?" Hiccup asked the two. "We totally kicked butt!" Snotlout grinned cockily. "Exactly, and you did it together. Astrid and Snotlout working as a team? Who would have thought?" Hiccup grinned at them. "I wouldn't have believed it unless I had seen it. You two were quite a team," Zenna smiled.

"Huh, not me. I try not to think," Tuffnut said. Amazingly, he and Ruffnut had recovered quickly and were on their dragon once again. "And as for you two, both of you are going to be mucking out the dragon stables as punishment for the insanity you and your dragon caused for the next two weeks," Zenna said sternly, earning groans from the Twins which Stryka instantly silenced with a scolding growl.

Astrid then looked at Snotlout and said, "That was some fancy flying on my dragon." To which the Jorgenson boy replied, "You know how it is. Chicks dig me." Making Astrid laugh a bit.

"Ha, yeah, that must be it," she said, Snotlout chuckling a bit. "Hookfang isn't always the easiest dragon to fly, Astrid. I have to admit…I'm impressed," he told the Hofferson girl, Hookfang warbling in agreement.

Fishlegs then had Meatlug drop the Dragon Root into the ocean, where no one would ever find it.

Astrid then asked, "So, uh, do you think I can have my dragon back now?" and Snotlout said, "Thought you'd never ask." And the two of them switched dragons. "Good to see you again, girl," Astrid petted Stormfly. "Aw, missed me? Hahahaha! We can do something about the girl smell later," Snotlout told Hookfang.

As the sun set, the seven Dragon Riders were almost done with preparing the field for planting. Astrid then walked over to Snotlout. "So, Snotlout, can you teach me how to do that Single Spine attack?" she asked. "I don't know if you can handle it. Why don't you show me that Wing clap-py thingy first then I'll think about it," Snotlout said casually, placing his hoe in the dirt. "How stupid do you think I am?" Astrid asked in jest. "How stupid is there?" Snotlout retorted but he was smiling.

Seeing the two finally getting along Stoick patted Hiccup's shoulder and ruffled Zenna's hair. "Option Three, not as exciting as One and Two," he remarked. "But sure does go down like a treat," Hiccup and Zenna both said, smiling.

Read and review! Those two things make me very happy.

-GuardianDragon98