When Darkness Falls

The Dragon Riders and Autobots continued their search for an island to set up as their headquarters, but it was easier said than done.

Hiccup and Snotlout were currently running from an angry pack of wild boars on one of their island choices.

"'Let's explore the island on foot. Rest the dragon for long trip home. I'm a mutton-head!'" Snotlout said while doing a terrible impersonation of Hiccup. They soon stop when they came to a steep cliff and turned to see the wild boars approaching them. "Okay, genius. What's our next move?" Snotlout said.

"Uh, weapons. We need weapons," Hiccup said.

"Got one!" Snotloud said as he tried to remove Hiccup's leg.

"Snotlout, let go!" Hiccup yelled shoving him away.

"What? I called dibs. Gimme!" Snotloud exclaimed.

"Get off me!" Hiccup said while trying to break free from Snotlout's grip.

The boars charged at them, but then the Jackhammer appeared out of nowhere scared them off when Wheeljack fired a warning shot with his cannons.

After that fiasco, Hiccup and Snotlout were with the other riders and Autobots and began to search for another island.

"Okay, so check that island off the list." Hiccup said.

"Woo-hoo-hoo, this is so exciting." Fishlegs said with excitement. "Searching the high seas for an island outpost to call our own."

"Yeah, I like that idea," said Ruffnut leaning back on Barf. "Move away from Berk, get my own place, away from you-know-who." After saying that last part she turned her gaze at Tuffnut, who was totally oblivious at her comment.

"Yeah, you're telling me, sister." Tuffnut said. "I'm sick of you-know-who. He never knows when to shut up. I want him out of here."

"Should we tell him?" Arcee said as she looked at Bulkhead.

"Let's see how long it takes for him to figure it out." Bulkhead said.

"Guys, let's focus," said Hiccup with a heavy sigh. "We need to find an island that's safe, secure and habitable for both us and the dragons."

"Blah, blah, blah. How many times do we have to hear that?" said Snotlout impatiently.

"Um, until we find what you're looking for," said Hiccup. He then noticed another island below them. "Let's check this one."

The island they landed on looked ideal, there was plenty of freshwater and there was through within the trees. It even had blue flowers all around.

"Not bad, not bad," said Hiccup scanning the island. "Lots of freshwater, seems like a plentiful food supply."

"Definitely seems like home base material." Arcee commented.

"And lots of cool blue flowers," said Ruffnut holding a bouquet of very familiar blue flowers and inhaled them. "I'm in!"

Astrid looked at the flowers and grew concerned when she recognise them. "Wait, aren't those-"

"Blue Oleanders!" Fishlegs gasped.

"Aren't those the flowers that you told us were poisonous to dragons?" Smokescreen asked nervously.

Ruffnut had brought the Blue Oleanders close to Barf and Belch's faces, but quickly drew them away.

"So, we're not staying?" said Tuffnut.

Then Barf and Belch sneezed causing a small explosion.

Fortunately, after the Blue Oleander incident three years ago, they made sure to carry an antidote at all times and cure the twin's dragon and were back into the sky.

Minutes later, they were back searching for another island. Fishlegs then noticed an island below them.

"Oh, this island is beautiful." Fishlegs said as he flew down towards it. "I even like those weird dots all over the-"

When they got close, Hiccup realized that they were not dots, but they were holes.

"Those aren't dots! They're Whispering Death holes!" Hiccup yelled.

Then they saw Whispering Death emerged over the holes.

"Been there, done that," said Snotlout.

"Next!" said Astrid.

"We're outta here!" Wheeljack said as he and the others flew away.

Fishlegs led them to another island, but it was the same island Hiccup and Snotlout discovered, so they end up running for the lives with wild boars chasing them.

"My bad! Should've crossed this island off the list!" Fishlegs yelled.

They all jumped off the cliff and landed on the dragons' backs and flew far away from the island.

Finally, after several hours, they seemed to have found a winner. The island they found had large forests and mountains and a waterfall.

"This looks pretty good," said Hiccup.

"Those cliffs could work." Astrid said while studying the island. "Good site line, easily defendable."

"Perfect lookout spots, as a precaution." Arcee said.

"Not to mention plenty of room to drive around." Bumblebee beeped.

"Yeah, it'll feel great to finally stretch our legs and trek our wheels instead of being cooped up. No offense, Jackie." Bulkhead said.

"None taken, Bulk. The Jackhammer's a beauty and all, but even I need a break from her." Wheeljack said.

"The location is great." Fishlegs said.

"It's perfect." Ruffnut said.

"Yeah, too perfect." Tuffnut said skeptically, causing all of them to stare at him in confusion. "I'm just saying, in the immortal words of the mighty Thor, 'When something looks too perfect, it probably sucks.'"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure Thor never said anything remotely like that." Hiccup said bluntly.

"Oh really? How do you know? Do you know Thor? Have you talked to him recently?" Tuffnut asked raising an eyebrow.

"No, but-" Hiccup tried to say.

"Well, because I have, mm-hmm. And I don't recall him mentioning you," said Tuffnut raising an eyebrow. "Look, I just have a feeling about this place, and I think we all know what happens when I get a feeling."

"We ignore it?" Astrid said as they flew down towards the island.

"Mark my words. There will be something wrong with this island, something mysterious, something horrible, something...something..." Tuffnut said fearfully.

Ruffnut just rolled her eyes. "Ya finished?" Ruffnut asked.

It was evening when they found a clearing big enough for them to land on, Hiccup began relaying instructions to the other riders.

"Okay, first thing we need to do is setup camp for the night." Hiccup said as he reached for his saddle. "We need dry wood for fire, we need freshwater and we need someone on traps."

However, the other riders and Autobots were more focused on building the actual outpost rather than setting up camp for the night.

"Snotlout, what is that?" Astrid asked.

Snotlout was drawing an S on the ground. "It's an 'S' for 'Snotlout.' I think aesthetically it will look nice flying over."

"That's ridiculous." Astrid said. "It doesn't matter what the outpost looks like. It needs to be functional and operational."

"What it needs is a Groundbridge platform so we can get back to Berk faster in case we need emergency supplies." Arcee said.

"You know what this place really needs?" Wheeljack asked with an eager grin to his Wrecker buddy.

"The biggest weapons salvo so we can bring the heavy metal." Bulkhead said with his fist pumped.

"I think we need some turrets in case of an aerial assault." Smokescreen piped in.

Hiccup try to look over the shoulders of his fellow riders in attempt to get their attention. "Uh, guys, what we really need is..."

"A place for rest, relaxation and replenishing after a hard day's work." Fishlegs cut in as he then reached into his saddle. "You're absolutely right, Hiccup. Look, Meatlug and I had some thoughts."

He then pulled out a shield with a model on top of it made of rocks and wood.

"Is that a hot tub?" Astrid asked pointing to a circle of rocks.

"No, that's the mud bath. The hot tub is over there," said Fishlegs point to the circle rock next to it.

Toothless growled to tell Hiccup that he was annoyed. "Tell me about." Hiccup said.

The twins looked at the model but soon grew concerned. "Wait a minute. Everybody stop. I don't see it." Tuffnut said.

"Me, neither." Ruffnut said with equal concern.

"See what?" Hiccup asked tiredly.

"Um, the boar pit." Tuffnut said like it was obvious. "Where is it? Where's the boar pit?"

"You see, the centrepiece of any good outpost is a boar pit." Ruffnut said sagely.

"Why?" said Astrid staring at the twin's incomplete confusion.

"Please enlighten us." Arcee said sarcastically.

"Everybody needs a little entertainment now and then, don't they?" Tuffnut said.

Everyone just stared at them in silence, until Fishlegs spoke. "Well, we do know where to get the boars."

Toothless then fired a plasma blast at Snotlout's S getting everyone's attention.

"Oops, sorry about that." said Hiccup feigning regret. "Okay, so, now that we have your attention, really need to set up camp for the night."

"Wait, what about the-" Tuffnut tried asking.

"Ah-da-da-da! Will talk about the dragon outpost design in the morning, for now, someone needs to get the water." Hiccup said.

"Probably a good idea. We'll get a fresh start on the outpost in the morning." Smokescreen said.

"I'll get the firewood." Bumblebee beeped as he transformed and drove off.

"I'll tag along." Arcee said as she transformed and followed.

"Ugh. I don't know about you, but I like whiney Berk Hiccup way better than Princess Outpost Hiccup," said Snotlout looking at Astrid.

"I know, right?" she said and gave Hiccup thumps up, showing that she was just joking.

Both Hiccup and Toothless sighed, while the Autobots chuckled lightly.

/

Later that night they were all sitting by a campfire while the dragons were laying down sleeping, but Toothless woke up when he heard a rustling sound.

"What is it, bud?" Hiccup asked.

"I'll tell you what it is." Ruffnut said, gaining everyone's attention. "Rats. Rats the size of yaks, no, it could also be yaks the size of rats? Yakrats! Wait, those could be adorable." He laughed. "No, no, I know what it is. It is yaks the size of dragons. Right, Toothless? You feel me, 'T'?"

Toothless groaned and fell back asleep, while everyone looks at Tuffnut strangely.

"We've seen some strange things before, but based on what we've seen on Earth, that's ridiculous." Arcee said.

"Well, you never know. It's a big world, so who knows what's out there." Wheeljack said.

"Yeah, but come on, there is no such thing as yaks the size of dragons." Fishlegs said while laughing.

Tuffnut then reappeared behind him making Fishlegs jump. "Yakdragons to you, my friend, and when you've heard their cries, you'll believe. Trust me."

"What would they even sound like?" Smokescreen asked curiously.

He then began shouting strangely causing everyone to cover their ears. "Rakay-ya-na-na-na-ohhhh! Pa-poo!" He yelled, before looking at the riders and Autobots. "That's right. Let that roll around in your head for a minute."

"You just had to ask." Bumblebee said to Smokescreen, who rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"All right, Tuffnut, knock it off." Hiccup said.

"Yeah, you're not scaring anyone." Snotlout said.

"Really?" Tuffnut said while moving so that his face was inches away from Snotlout's. "What if there were...snakes out there in the dark, hmm? Giant snakes? Snakes big enough to swallow a man whole and then barf out his bones?" Tuffnut said who then began making faces at Snotlout.

"Ha! Please. Barfing out bones." Snotlout scoffed, but then grabbed Hookfang's wing and held it over him. Everyone just stared at him including Hookfang. "What?"

"Please, if you really want a scary story, then I've got something." Wheeljack said with a smirk.

"Like what?" Astrid asked.

"The Driller." Wheeljack said in an ominous tone.

"Uh...maybe we don't have to talk about the Driller." Smokescreen said as he looked a little scared.

"Wait, what's the Driller?" Hiccup asked.

"It's just some urban myth back on Cybertron." Arcee dismissed.

"Or so they say." Smokescreen said.

"Personally, I think it's just some fairy tale used to scare young Cybertronians." Bumblebee beeped.

"Well, don't keep us in suspense. Tell us." Ruffnut said as she was excited to hear this story.

"Back on Cybertron, before the war, our ancestors faced a threat that was the last remnant of the ancient age of our planet. It was a massive worm that burrowed beneath the surface of our planet, and everywhere it went, it would leave nothing but death and destruction. Cities would crumble, lives were ruined, and all those that tried to conquer the massive monster, were never heard from again." Wheeljack said as he watched the other's reactions to the story.

While the dragon riders, most notably Snotloud, were a little nervous by the tale, the Autobots weren't deterred by the story, except for Smokescreen.

"The Driller was soon confronted by a wise old Cybertronian, who created device to lock the Driller into stasis. With the threat of the massive worm finally over, it was launched into space so it could never threaten Cybertron again. Legends, however, state that if you listen very closely, you can still hear the grinding of metal, as the massive worm burrows its way toward you from the ground below, it's teeth ready to cut you to ribbons." Wheeljack finished.

"Okay, maybe we should stop now." Smokescreen said quickly.

"Yeah, I second that." Snotloud agreed.

"Relax kid, that's just an old spooky story they told the cadets in boot camp." Bulkhead said.

"Out of curiosity, just how big was this Driller?" Fishlegs asked.

"You know those Whispering Death holes we saw?" Wheeljack asked, earning him a nod from the dragon enthusiast. "Imagine a hole ten times as big and you've got the size of its mouth."

"You know, I think that's enough scary stories for one night." Hiccup said.

"Agreed, we've got a big day tomorrow." Arcee said.

With that being said all of the riders and their dragons went to sleep, while the Autobots went into shutdown mode for the night.

/

Hours later, Tuffnut was soon awakened by animal noises. "Aah! What was that?" Tuffnut yelled in alarm.

He looked around and saw that the other riders, dragons, and Autobots were still asleep. He then heard rustling coming from the forest. He got up and entered the forest quietly, but then heard the sound of wings fluttering and jumped when he saw a shadow in the dark.

Tuffnut then saw the shadow again, but it was closer. "Yakrats! I knew it."

Then something rushed past behind him, making him jump, and slowly looked behind and then saw it was a chicken clucking at him.

"Oh, it's just a chicken." Tuffnut said relieved. "It's a tiny chicken. Well, hello breakfast!"

Before he could grab the chicken, he heard a roar behind him and it sounded like something huge. He turned around and saw a massive dragon in the sky, but he can't make much out, because it was so dark.

"Oh...my...Thor." Tuffnut gasped.

The other dragon riders and Autobots were still sound asleep, but were then awakened when Tuffnut started screaming in the distance.

"Help!" Tuffnut screamed.

They saw him running out of the forest looking as if he seen a ghost. He stopped in front of them and started panting heavily.

"Chicken...roaring...roaring huge chicken...chicken roar!" Tuffnut tried saying through the panting.

"Is he saying he saw a big, roaring chicken?" Fishlegs said while puzzled.

"Not a chicken. Dragon. Huge. Massive." Tuffnut said after finally catching his breath. He then looked at the other riders. "What's another word? Colossal."

"I thought I heard chicken in that sentence." Smokescreen said.

"Forget the chicken! We gotta get out of here!" said Tuffnut.

The other riders and Autobots didn't seemed convinced.

"Is anyone falling for this?" Astrid said yawning.

"We've been on this island for hours. I'm pretty sure we would have spotted a large dragon by now." Arcee said.

"I don't know." Ruffnut said as she saw the panicked look in her brother's eyes. "I haven't seen him this freaked out since he found a leech on his-"

"Okay, I'm gonna stop you there," said Astrid with a disgusted look on her face.

"Yeah, that's a little TMI." Bumblebee beeped.

Hiccup sighed. "Okay, fine, let's just check this out so we could all go back to sleep."

They all followed Tuffnut to the place he last saw this so called 'large dragon.'

"Okay, when this giant beast rips us limb from limb, I will expect a full apology from each and every one of you, and a handshake. No, you won't be able to shake hands 'cause your limbs will be gone." Tuffnut said as he led them.

They then heard rustling in the bushes and Tuffnut put his finger to his lip telling them to be quiet. Just as a precaution, the Autobots deployed their Energon weapons. Tuffnut jumped into the bush and swung punches at an invisible opponent, but instead of finding a huge dragon he found the same chicken instead.

"No! It was here, and it was huge. I'm not making this up." Tuffnut said trying desperately to try and get them to believe him. He then looked down at the chicken. "Here, tell them. You are standing right there. Tell them, chicken."

The riders looked at one another finding the whole thing bizarre. The Autobots withdrew their weapons and had a similar expression on their faces.

"Uh, you're scaring me, bro, okay?" Ruffnut said. "And we shared a womb."

"Maybe you were sleepy and thought you saw something." Bulkhead said.

"Either way, we should all go back to sleep." Hiccup said as he and everyone else walked back to camp.

Tuffnut glared at the clucking chicken in annoyance. "I can't even look at you right now." Tuffnut said while looking away. The chicken then crowed and Tuffnut glared back down at it. "What did you just say?" The chicken crowed and, feeling satisfied with that answer, he left it behind. "I didn't think so."

/

The next morning, the riders, their dragons, and the Autobots woke up.

"Okay, now, let's talk about outpost." Hiccup said.

"Since you brought it up, I've been working on my designs." Astrid said and showed her design of the outpost.

Astrid had drawn something that looked like a fort with skulls as its base and flaming spikes surrounding it and on top of the fort was Astrid herself holding a spear with a skull on it. "We'll set up lookout posts with interlocking fields of fire and-"

"Never get any rest." Fishlegs interrupted and then drew their attention to his model outpost. "But here, in my meditation garden-"

Snotlout then walked up looking annoyed. "Neither of those is S-shaped. Did you not see my design?" Snotloud said.

"Boar pit! Boar pit! Boar pit!" Ruffnut chanted.

"Where are we going to put the turrets if we're too busy building Fishleg's dragon spa." Smokescreen said.

"I think we should focus on the Groundbridge platform. We can notify Berk so they can assemble the parts for pick up." Arcee said.

"Maybe we should dig up a hole so we can get started on the weapons salvo." Wheeljack said.

"Guys, guys, listen to me." Hiccup said calmly. "We need one idea. We can't design six different outposts." He then got an idea. "Or can we? You know what, boar pit, great idea." Hiccup said and everyone just looked at him all structed.

"Whoa. What just happened?" Ruffnut asked.

Hiccup then turned to Snotlout. "Oh, and S-shaped? I love it."

"Don't freak me out, Hiccup. It gives me the willies." Snotlout said feeling creeped out. It was not everybody that Hiccup actually agreed with him so easily.

"I'm just saying, let's all come up with a design that we each think is the best, and then we'll vote on it. Does that sound fair?" Hiccup suggested.

They all just stared at him, but nonetheless they agreed walked off to brainstorm their own designs.

"What are you up to?" Astrid asked curiously.

"Nothing, nothing at all." Hiccup said innocently. "Just trying to keep the troops happy. You know what they say. Happy troops are, uh...happy...groups?"

Astrid wasn't convinced, but decided just to go along with it. Hiccup's plans, though sometimes crazy, did have results most of the time, so she decided to see how this lays out.

Hiccup then noticed they were shot one person. "Hey, speaking of troops, Ruff, where's your other half?" he asked Ruffnut.

"Yeah, it's not like you guys to be separated for too long." Bulkhead said as he noticed it as well.

"Don't ask me. All I know is this boar pit is not digging itself." Ruffnut said as she went off to do some digging.

/

Later that afternoon, Hiccup was watching the other riders and Autobots construct their model outposts. He was leaning against on Toothless enjoying the peace. Bumblebee came up next to them after doing a little drive by around the edge of the island.

"So how are things going with your plan." Bumblebee asked.

"Well, when you lean back and relax, do you know what sound you hear?" Hiccup asked as he and his guardian listened and didn't hear anything. "That's the sound of peace and quiet. You know, making them work together might be just the best idea I've ever had."

However, this peace did not last long. It all went downhill when Fishlegs grabbed a stone that Snotlout was reaching for.

"Uh, excuse me? My rock." Snotlout said glaring at Fishlegs.

"Oh, how do you figure?" Fishlegs asked.

"I need it! That rock makes the bottom of my 'S,' and I need my 'S'." Snotloud argued.

"Really? Your 'S'? Your genius architectural marvel." Fishlegs scoffed.

"Give me the rock." Snotlout demanded.

"Ah, since you put it like that..." Fishlegs held out his hand that was holding the rock, but before Snotlout could take it, he threw it at Meatlug, who ate it. "There. There's your rock." Fishlegs said with a smirk.

"Now that was funny." Wheeljack said with a chuckle.

"If by funny, you mean childish." Arcee said.

Snotlout, feeling like his work had been besmirched, got up and body slammed Fishlegs' model outpost, much to his horror.

"And there's your architectural marvel." Snotlout said smugly.

"And I've spoken to soon," said Hiccup facepalming himself.

"They lasted longer than I thought." Bumblebee said.

The three of them watched as Fishlegs and Snotlout began fighting and for some strange reason Astrid decided to join in.

"Come on Astrid, you're better than that." Arcee scolded as she pulled Astrid back.

"Easy there, buddy." Smokescreen said as he pulled back Snotloud.

"Save that energy, big guy." Wheeljack said as he pulled back Fishlegs.

Ruffnut then walked over to Hiccup with a sly grin on my face. "Hey, Hiccup, I'm ready for a dry run. You want to be the boar?" Ruffnut asked eagerly, causing Hiccup to back away in disgust.

Then Tuffnut emerged out of the forest, looking extremely battered and exhausted.

"Hey, you okay Tuff?" Bulkhead asked in concern.

"Whoa, what happened to him?" Ruffnut asked.

Tuffnut then explained what he's been doing all day. How he spent the entire day looking for that mysterious dragon he saw last night, along with the chicken by his side.

"You've really been out there all day looking for that dragon?" Hiccup said.

"Instead of digging up our boar pit? Priorities, huh." Ruffnut said.

"Or maybe he did see something that night." Bulkhead said.

"Oh, I saw something." Tuffnut panted with exhaustion, with the chicken next to him. "You did, too, you little backstabber. Tell them." The chicken clucked. "Oh, save it. You had your chance."

"Or this whole thing is a bunch of stinky yak dunk." Ruffnut said crossing her arms, still being skeptical.

"You know what? First of all, yak dung, when made in a nice tea, can be quite aromatic." Tuffnut said.

"How would he know that?" Bumblebee asked Bulkhead.

"I was there when he demonstrated. You don't want to know." Bulkhead whispered back.

"Agreed. But I still think you're just trying to scare everybody. There's no dragon out there." Ruffnut said.

"Yeah, there is, Ruffnut. You willing to put your mutton where your mouth is?" Tuffnut challenged.

"Oh, you're not suggesting..." Ruffnut asked eagerly.

"Oh, I am. I'm suggesting like a hot Gronckle in a lava pit, and you know exactly what that means." Tuffnut said.

"What's going on with you two?" Hiccup asked looking concerned.

"Silence!" Ruffnut yelled.

"I officially declare Thorston challenge." Tuffnut declared.

"Thorston what?" Hiccup yelled.

"Accepted. Usual stakes?" Ruffnut asked.

"Of course." Tuffnut agrees.

"What stakes?" Bulkhead asked looking extremely worried.

"It's very you don't want to know." Tuffnut said.

They then both spit into their hands and shook. They walked away mounting on Barf and Belch, leaving a bewildered Hiccup, Bumblebee, and Bulkhead behind.

With the twins' unknown challenge in the works, Hiccup was soon at the end of his rope. Toothless approached Hiccup sighing.

"I know, bud, I'm losing it too." Hiccup said.

All four of them looked back at the others and saw that Snotloud, Fishlegs, and Astrid got out of the Autobots grips and continued fighting.

"Want to follow and keep an eye on those two?" Bulkhead asked.

"I'm up for that." Bumblebee said.

"Ruff, Tuff, wait up!" Hiccup yelled as he mounted Toothless and flew after them, while Bulkhead and Bumblebee transformed and followed. "How about a couple of impartial judges for the Thorston challenge? For the love of Thor, take us with you!"

/

It was late at night and still they had not found Tuffnut's big dragon. Bulkhead and Bumblebee drove beneath them and managed to keep up. Tuffnut himself had fallen asleep and was snoring hugging his new pet chicken.

"Tastes like chicken...chicken on a stick...chicken à la mode." Tuffnut said in his sleep.

He almost fell off Belch, but Hiccup managed to catch him and placed him upright. "And that's where we should call it a night." Hiccup said.

"Chicken and ice cream." Tuffnut said while still asleep.

"Sure!" Ruffnut agreed happily. "Since we never found that quote-unquote Yakdragon, declare me the Thorston challenge winner and we can all go home."

"Uh, okay, sure." Hiccup shrugged. "Um, by the power, uh, vested in me, I hereby declare Ruffnut is the-whoa!"

They were all startled when they heard a loud roar in the distance, it was loud enough to awaken Tuffnut. Then they saw emerging from the trees was a large black scale dragon. Bulkhead and Bumblebee transformed back into robot mode and stared in awe of the massive beast.

"I don't believe it." Hiccup said.

"Me neither." Ruffnut said with a frown on her face. "Tuffnut wins the Thorston challenge."

"Yes!" Tuffnut yelled in triumph and looked at his sister smugly. "Told you. Now pay up." Ruffnut replied by kicking him in the face and the two began fighting one another, until Hiccup snapped them out of it.

"Guys, focus! Look where it's heading, straight for the campsite!" Hiccup said. They turned and saw that he was right, the dragon was heading straight towards the campsite. "If it catches those guys asleep on the ground..."

"They'll be pushing up lugnuts." Bulkhead said with worry.

The twins then took off, much to Hiccup's surprise.

"Guys!" Hiccup yelled.

As they were flying towards the dragon, Tuffnut looked at the chicken and smiled as it clucked.

"I forgive you to." Tuffnut said. He then placed the chicken on the top of his helmet.

"See you in Valhalla!" The twins yelled together.

Before Hiccup or any of the Autobots could stop them, the twins charge straight towards the dragon, which stopped to face them. However, something unusual happened, as soon as they made contact the dragon separated into several smaller dragons, like a colony of bats.

"What just happened?" Bumblebee asked confused.

"What in the name of-" Hiccup gasped. "It's not one big dragon. It's tons of little ones."

The twins had not noticed this at all and looked at one another in confusion.

"If this is Valhalla..." Ruffnut said.

"What are you doing here?" They both asked as they glared at one another.

"Whoa, check that out." Tuffnut said pointing towards the dragon colony.

He was pointing at one of the dragons, which was slightly larger than the Terrible Terrors. It had small teeth and a rounded tongue. It also had two small horn-like ledges on top of their nose. Its tail was short with four, short, thin spikes on it. However, while the other dragons were black this one was white and was slightly larger than the others.

The dragon retreat and the others seem to respond to it flying back towards it. The dragons encircled around and formed a giant version of themselves.

"They're joining backup around the white one." Ruffnut noted.

"He must be the leader." said Hiccup flying beside them looking at them in amazement. "It's amazing."

"They're more coordinated than the military units back home." Bulkhead said as he too was impressed by the little dragons.

Then, all of a sudden, the twins flew towards the dragons.

"Guys, what are you doing?" Hiccup yelled.

The twins then pulled out a net and places around the white one to take it prisoner. The moment they did the little dragons separated and flew around in random directions, acting all confused.

"Bam! Problem solved." Tuffnut said in triumph as they flew away. "All right, let's head home."

Hiccup looked at the little dragons as they continued to fly in random directions senselessly.

"I don't know about you, bud, but I've got a bad feeling about this." Hiccup said to Toothless who gurgled in agreement.

They then flew after the twins, with the two Autobots driving right behind them, heading back to the campsite. All of he, couldn't shake the feeling that things were about to get worst.

/

Minutes later the other riders and Autobots were showed the white dragon they captured, which was struggling trying to free itself from the net. It tried biting the ropes and gave a light roar at its captors.

"Amazing." Fishlegs said as he never seen this kind of dragon before.

"Pretty feisty for a little guy." Smokescreen said.

"It's sort of look like a Terrible Terror." Astrid said as the white dragon screeched loudly. "But bigger and meaner."

"Definitely has an attitude, that's for sure." Arcee said.

"And you said you saw hundreds of these things, Bulk?" Wheeljack asked his Wrecker buddy.

"That, or possibly thousands." Bulkhead said.

"And it seems like their nocturnal." Hiccup said. He looked at Snotlout, who gave him a blank look. "You know, they come out at night-"

"Yeah, I knew that. Noc-a-turnal. I was gonna explain it to them." said Snotlout gesturing to the twins, who are running around the chicken laughing.

They then turned their attention to the dragon in the net, who continued to screech at them.

"I say we should call them Night Terrors." Fishlegs suggested.

"Hey, I saw him first, so I get to name him." Tuffnut said firmly. The chicken then clucked at him. "No! You always say that."

He then turned his attention to the dragon at his feet. "Now, let's think about this logically." Tuffnut said looking down at the dragon and began to think. "They come out at night and they're terrifying. Terror of the night. I've got it! Smidvarg and the Gang."

Everyone then gave them blank looks.

"Does he actually hear the words that come out of his mouth." Arcee muttered.

"I like to think he's just living in his own little world." Bumblebee said.

"And Night Terrors it is." Hiccup said.

Then they heard a dragon roar in the distance and saw the newly named white Night Terror struggling to break free as if his life depended on it.

"What's going on out there?" Astrid asked puzzled.

"I don't know, or whatever it is Smidvarg doesn't like it, and the Gang ain't paying attention." Tuffnut said.

"Let's check it out." Hiccup said.

They then mount the dragons and flew towards the sound. The Autobots transformed and followed along. As they got closer, they saw the other Night Terrors being attacked by Changewings.

"Changewings!" Hiccup gasped. Toothless snarled at them as they attacked the defenceless Night Terrors. "I know, bud, not exactly a fair fight, is it? Let's even up the odds."

They then shot straight at the Changewings and Toothless fired plasma blast at a Changewing that was about to devour a Night Terror. It turned the face them and then suddenly vanished. He then reappeared behind them and was about to attack, but then got blasted by Astrid and Stormfly.

"No bullying on our island!" Astrid declared.

The Autobots transformed and switched into their default Energon weapons and open fired, setting their blasters to stun. They hit a couple of them and frightened them off, which was their goal. They didn't want to kill them, they just wanted them off the island.

"Why don't you do what you do best, and just disappear!" Smokescreen said as he fired at one Changewing flying above him.

A Changewing un-camouflaged itself behind Arcee and was about to fire it's acid at her, but Bumblebee saw this and pushed her out of the way, causing it to miss. The Autobot scout stood back up and fired at the dragon, scaring it away.

Arcee picked herself up and smiled at the scout. "Looks like I owe you one."

"You don't half to owe me anything, 'Cee." Bumblebee said.

"Still..." Arcee raised her blaster and fired a shot over Bumblebee's shoulder, hitting a Changewing that was flying straight towards him. Bumblebee turned back in surprise before looking at the smirking face of Arcee. "Now we're even."

Snotlout attacked a couple of Chagnewings that attacked some of the Night Terrors.

"Hey! You can't treat our dragons like that!" Snotlout yelled.

The twins then blasted another Changewing with Barf and Belch gas and spark attack.

"Only we can treat our dragons like that!" Ruffnut yelled.

"That should take care of them." Hiccup said as he saw the Changewings in retreat.

However, they saw a whole pack of them descending upon them, ready for their next meal.

"But what about those guys?" Fishlegs asked fearfully.

Hiccup pulled out his spyglass and looked at the incoming Changewings. There were so many of them that they didn't even bother camouflaging.

"Incoming!" Hiccup yelled.

"How many?" Astrid asked.

"Too many!"

"Why are they all coming here now?" Fishlegs said puzzled.

"Something must be drawing them here." Wheeljack said.

Hiccup then saw one of the Night Terrors screech him he realised what had changed. "It must be the Night Terrors. When we captured the white one, they all split up."

"Oh, of course! They flock into a shape of a giant version of themselves as a defense mechanism to scare off predators." Fishlegs said facepalming himself.

"And we just captured their alpha, so that's why their flying around crazy." Bulkhead said.

"And now that they can't defend themselves..." said Hiccup worriedly.

"They're lunch." Astrid finished.

"Oh, I knew this was gonna be bad." Hiccup said, cursing himself for not realizing it sooner. He then looked at the other riders. "We have to help them. I'm heading back for the white Night Terror. He's their leader, you guys hold them off as long as you can." Hiccup then flew back to camp and the other riders charge at the incoming Changewings.

Seconds later, Hiccup arrived at the campsite and hopped off Toothless. He ran towards the white Night Terror and removed the net. Once it was freed the white Night Terror took off, but not before it roared loudly in Hiccup's ear.

"Yeah, probably deserve that." Hiccup said sheepishly rubbing his ear.

The Night Terror then began to fly in the direction of the other Night Terrors, but then two Changewings appeared and began chasing after it. Toothless blasted one with his plasma blast, but the second one was out of range and was closing in on the Night Terror. Hiccup quickly mounted on Toothless and flew towards it, however, they were unable to reach in time as the Changewing began to close its mouth around the Night Terror.

Then, suddenly, out of nowhere the twins appeared and covered the Changewing in gas and then sparked causing an explosion.

"You leave our Smidvarg alone." Tuffnut said.

"Great job." Hiccup said flying alongside them. "Okay, you cover Smidvarg from behind, Toothless and I will lead the way." He then saw the twin smirk at him. "What? Okay, so it's growing on me."

They then led Smidvarg to where the other Night Terrors were located.

The riders and Autobots were holding their own against the Changewings, but they were getting overrun. Which was proven when a Changewing charged at the group of Night Terrors Astrid was guarding and knocked off both her and Stormfly down.

The two landed on a rock below them and recovered quickly to avoid a Changewing from squashing her. Astrid rolled away, but accidentally rolled off the edge of the rock, but she was able to grab hold of the ledge.

However, the Changewing was making its way towards and there was no way she would fend off against it while holding onto ledge.

"Hang on, Astrid!" Arcee said as she ran towards her. She fired her blasters at the Changewing, frightening it off. "You okay?"

"I'm good, thanks Arcee." Astrid said gratefully as she called her dragon. "Stormfly!"

Stormfly had recovered from the fall and was making her way towards Astrid.

Meanwhile, Fishlegs was dodging the acid blasts from the Changewing and would have gotten hit by one if Bulkhead hadn't shot at it. However, Fishlegs still panicked and flew into a flock of Night Terrors Snotlout was guarding and then slammed into him.

This caused both riders and their dragons to fall onto the ground. They looked up and saw Changewings descending towards them. They both screamed, but then the Night Terrors, which had merged into a larger version of themselves, roared at the Changewings and cause them to fly away. Both Fishlegs and Snotlout cheered as Hiccup and Toothless circled around the Night Terrors.

Everyone cheered as the large flock of Night Terrors scared off every Changewing invader. They all smiled as they had survived this night.

Hiccup, however, smiled for a different reason.

/

The next morning, the riders and Autobots were looking down at a diagram that Hiccup had created.

"What's this?" Astrid asked.

"A diagram of a new outpost. I got the idea from Smidvarg." Hiccup said. He then looked at the riders began explaining it to them. "So, see, I combined all your ideas into one giant base. And I was thinking we could call it the Dragon's Edge. What do you guys think?"

The dragon riders and Autobots looked at him and nodded in improvement.

"Okay, I just need to point out that this is the first time that has ever happened. Let's take a look." Hiccup said and bent down to the diagram. "Everyone gets to make their section of Dragon's Edge whatever they want it to be. Astrid, you can make yours the most heavily-armed bedroom in the known Viking world. And, Fishlegs, your place is quiet and secluded, overlooking the ocean, very serene, very relaxing, with lots of room for your very own rock garden. Snotlout, your spot is up here. Now, it's not S-shaped, but you can go S-crazy and paint them all over it."

"Yeah, I can! Snotlout!" Snotlout cheered.

"Boar pit! Boar pit! Boar pit!" The twins yelled in excitement.

"Yes, yes, aha! Glad brought that up." Hiccup said getting to feet and show them the diagram. "There's a space for one right under your hut. Just do me a favour and lock up the boars after you're done with them."

"You do care." Tuffnut sniffed.

"As for the suggestions that you guys made." Hiccup said as he turned to the Autobots. "Arcee, at the center of the Edge, we'll place the Groundbridge portal so it will be easily accessible. Smokescreen, we'll build towers along the east and west side with turrets to protect us in case of a Decepticon aerial assault. Bulkhead, Wheeljack, you can place your weapons salvo along the north side of the edge, just make sure you keep the twins away from the explosive kind of weapons."

"Nice." Wheeljack said with an approving smile.

"Heavily fortified and perfectly secured. It's pretty amazing, Hiccup." Arcee said.

"We'll connect the different sections with bridges, zip-lines and gangplanks. We'll have really cool stables with our own landing strip. And, of course, a dragon training arena. And in the centre, overlooking everything else, along with the Groundbridge, will be the clubhouse, the eye of Dragon's Edge."

Later that night, Hiccup examine the work they did during the day and looked really pleased.

"It's really taken up shape." Hiccup said in approval. He then looked at the other riders and Autobots. "And for one more addition to our new outpost...Tuff?"

Tuffnut didn't here, as he was too busy playing with his chicken and tickling it's beak as it clucked at him. He then looked at the other riders who were staring at him. "Uh, what?" Tuffnut asked. He then realized what he was supposed to do. "Oh. Smidvarg!" The chicken attacked him for some reason and Ruffnut laughed at her brother's pain. "What? Oh, I can't have friends now?"

The riders and Autobots turned and saw Smidvarg flying up into the sky and landing on a perch they had created.

"Well, if we're gonna share this island with them, I thought we should share the outpost." Hiccup said.

"Plus, it doesn't hurt that they seem to have an instinct to protect." Fishlegs added.

"And with their defence mechanism, we don't have to worry about wild dragon attacks on the island." Arcee said.

"They'll be like sentries. Right, Smidvarg?" Hiccup asked, looking up at Smidvarg.

Smidvarg just squealed and Hiccup took that as a yes. He then turned and looked at the twins.

"Okay, so, the Thorston challenge, when is Ruffnut gonna pay up?" Hiccup asked.

"Yeah, I almost forgot about that." Bumblebee said.

"She already has." Tuffnut said looking at his sister, who looked extremely depressed. "Can't you tell? I mean, look at her. She lost, so she had to switch clothes with me."

"Right. And if you have lost?" Hiccup asked curiously.

"Ugh. I'd have to swap clothes with her."

"Yeah, but you guys are exactly, uh-"

Astrid then placed her hand over his mouth. "Don't go there." She said.

Then, all of a sudden, Smidvarg screeched and all the Night Terrors circled around Toothless.

"What are they doing now?" Hiccup asked puzzled.

"I have no idea." Fishlegs said in confusion.

Smidvarg then flew into the air and the rest of his Night Terror flock began to circle around him.

"Hiccup, look." Fishlegs said in amazement.

Before they knew it they could change into a giant Night Fury and they all stared in amazement.

"Whoa! Awesome!" said Ruffnut.

"Amazing." Hiccup said.

"Can't wait to tell the others about this on Berk." Smokescreen said. The other Autobots agreed with him full heartedly.

"Impressive." Fishlegs said.

Toothless growled at the giant Night Fury and began to pose right in front of it. They all laughed and then the chicken in Tuffnut's hands began to cluck.

"Aw, chicken, I couldn't have squawked it better myself." Tuffnut said.

They watched as the giant Night Fury flew high into the sky and then with a mighty roar it separated into the hundreds and thousands of Night Terrors that had created it.

They may no longer be on Berk anymore, but if every day was going to be like this adventure, they wouldn't have had it any other way.

/

Hey everybody, here's the next chapter of this story.

So this episode was kept mostly the same, because I really couldn't find any way to make that many changes to canon. I tried to do my best to make some changes, but I couldn't think of anything.

Anyway, now that they are on the edge, things will start heating up soon. Now I would normally skip the next chapter but I've got some ideas for it, which play a part in a future chapter.

So, I'll see you next time everyone!