Crushing It
It was night time at Dragon's Edge, and all seemed peaceful with the riders and their dragons sleeping in the clubhouse, rather than their own cabins. Their Autobot companions were at ground level in their vehicle modes and shut down mode. After the fiasco that was Dagger and his new alliance with the rogue Decepticons a week ago, the group deserved a little rest.
The only ones who weren't resting were Snotlout and Smokescreen, with the former sitting up in the clubhouse and the later standing guard at the base.
"Why do we have to be the ones on Rumblehorn watch?" Snotloud asked, before he noticed his dragon was fast asleep. "Hookfang, I'm talking to you." Getting no response from his dragon companion, Snotlout groaned and tapped into his comms. "Tell me you're getting something, Smokey, so I can catch up on my beauty sleep."
"Sorry, pal, but I'm not picking up anything." Smokescreen said as he scanned the area and came up with nothing. "Maybe this dragon won't be making an appearance for once."
Over the past few days, the group has been harassed by a new dragon that they have dubbed the Rumblehorn. They haven't seen it completely yet, but they know that it's big, fast, and very difficult to capture. It's been causing mayhem around their base, so they're hoping to catch it and then relocate it to a new island away from them. One of the traps they set was even tied to Hookfang's horn in case it came in close.
"We're never going to stop this crazy dragon from tearing this place up." Snotlout muttered. The moment he said that, the rope on Hookfang's horn was tugged, startling him into breathing a stream of fire right on the young Viking's butt, causing him to jump up and scream, getting all the riders to wake up. "Intruder alert! That's the third time this week!" He eventually made it to a trough full of water and dunked his butt in it to douse the flames. "Ah, sweet relief."
"Guys, we got something!" Smokescreen exclaimed, causing the Autobots to wake up and transform to robot mode.
"The Rumblehorn!" Hiccup exclaimed as he approached a man to see which trap was set off. "It's heading for the eastern beach!"
"This lizard ain't getting away this time!" Wheeljack said with a smirk as he and the other Autobots transformed and drove to the location, while the riders and their dragons flew up above them.
A few seconds later the group reached the eastern beach and came upon the trap the Wheeljack set fro this section. An Energon force field bubble that trapped anything that set it off, and they've caught something big in it, as it tried to bash it's way out of it.
"Finally." Hiccup said with relief as the riders landed and the Autobots transformed with their weapons set for stun. "We got it! Everybody stand back!"
"No telling how powerful this dragon could be." Arced cautioned.
"No way is he getting out of that thing, is he Jackie?" Bulkhead asked.
"I built that thing myself." Wheeljack said with pride. "Nothing's gonna get through that field bubble."
Tuffnut approached the force field bubble to get a closer look at their catch. "I didn't think it would be so smelly." Tuffnut said as he pinched his nose.
"I didn't think it would be so hairy." Tuffnut said with a cringe.
"You try shaving with a hook for an arm!" A familiar force said from inside the force field bubble.
"Wait a minute...is that..." Arcee said as she narrowed her optics.
"The Rumblehorn talks!" Tuffnut said in alarm. "Quick, smack it!"
"Get me out of this thing, you simpleton!" The light revealed the angry face of Gobber as he tried to punch his way out of the force field bubble.
"And it's got a bad attitude." Ruffnut said.
"Hang on, Gobber, I got ya." Wheeljack said as he knelt down and deactivated the device that deployed the force field bubble, letting Gobber land on the ground.
"Great, and here I thought we finally managed to catch that Rumblehorn." Bulkhead complained.
"Rumblehorn?" Gobber questioned in confusion. "What's a Rumblehorn."
"A real pain in our tailpipes." Bumblebee beeped.
"A new dragon that's been trying to chase us off the island." Fishlegs answered.
"Yeah, us and everything else." Astrid added with a light scowl.
"We've been trying to catch it and relocate it." Hiccup said.
"And as you can see tell, that hasn't been working out." Smokescreen said with a cringe.
"With you being the only thing we did catch." Snotlout said sarcastically. "Yay, us."
"Well, that wee little bubble may have caught me by surprise, but a dragon has better vision and could have blatantly seen it, since you left it in the open." Gobber critiqued. "Amateurs."
"Not too late to club him." Tuffnut said as he slid next to Hiccup before giving the motions of whacking the large Viking. "I could give a little 'ah! Uh!' You know, 'uh, uh, uh!'"
"Yeah, we should get back and check on the dragon base." Hiccup said as he walked off, much to Tuffnut's disappointment.
The group soon flew/drove back to base, they were given the sight of their base being in shambles. Training equipment laid across the ground, pieces of wood from the sheds up top were scattered, and even some equipment that the Autobots brought over were completely trashed.
"Well, let's see what you've done with the place." Gobber said as he walked up and inspected the damage he just saw. "It looks, well..."
"Trashed!" Astrid exclaimed angrily.
"Your words, not mine." Gobber said.
"Even the prototype Air Defense cannons are destroyed." Arcee grunted in frustration, as they worked hard on those to prepare for a Decepticon attack.
"The Rumblehorn must have hit us while we were out chasing you." Hiccup noted.
"Last chance, I can still club him." Tuffnut enticed as he stood next to Hiccup again. "Come on, club, club, club."
"As much as I love a good clubbing, even my own, it'll have to wait." Gobber said before he looked at Hiccup. "You and I have to talk. I've cone with disturbing news about your father."
"Is he alright?" Hiccup asked in concern.
"Oh, he's fine." Gobber said nonchalantly.
"That's a relief." Hiccup said with a smile.
"But, then again, not so fine." Gobber said suddenly.
"Well, which is it?" Arcee asked. "It has to be one or the other."
"Yeah, Gobber, you're killing me." Hiccup said in annoyance, but his worry returned. "Is my father okay or not?"
"Oh, he's as fit as a dragon. Unfortunately, he's as ornery as one to." Gobber said, earning a light growl from Toothless, which Gobber looked sheepishly at. "No offense." Toothless growled again, but covered his face with his tail fin, allowing Gobber to get back on track. "I've never seen him like this. Angry, shouting at everyone."
"Basically, like Kup in boot camp." Bulkhead said as he, and the rest of the Autobots shivered at the memory of the old Autobot drill sergeant.
"That pretty much sounds like vintage Stoic the Vast to me." Hiccup said nonchalantly, not really seeing what's wrong.
"You think I would have sailed on boat for a week if it were vintage Stoic the Vast?!" Gobber exclaimed. "He's driving the village crazy!"
"Well, why not ask Optimus or Ultra Magnus to talk to him?" Smokescreen suggested. "Those three are as thick as thieves."
"Those two can't cause they, Elita, Iron Hide, and Sideswipe are on a stakeout on a potential Decepticon mine on another island." Gobber informed. "Usually they can help calm him down and make him see reason, but since they're not there, he's turned into a complete madman!"
"Alright, I guess I better go see what's going on with him." Hiccup said. "I'll use the Groundbridge we have in the morning to head to Berk."
"Want me to come along?" Bumblebee asked with beeps.
"I think it's best I go alone, as we need all hands on deck with this Rumblehorn situation." Hiccup with a shake of his head, before looking back at Gobber. "You want to come back with me and Toothless in the morning?"
"Actually, I think I might stay awhile, help repair your wee dragon base." Gobber said as he inspected the damage. "See if I can't offer up some of my dragon-killing experience to help defend against that Rumblehorn. If there's time, I'll take Tuffnut on that clubbing."
"It works with Ruffnut." Tuffnut said from a distance.
"I get it." Hiccup said with a knowing look. "So, basically, you're just hiding from my father, which is probably why you didn't use the Groundbridge to get here and just sailed to have more time away from him."
"One might look at it that way." Gobber said sheepishly.
Hiccup smiled as he patted Toothless on the head. "Well, bud, in the morning we're heading to Berk." Hiccup said before everyone went off to turn in for the night.
/
Along the east end of Berk, the Groundbridge started up and created the portal for Hiccup and Toothless to walk through. The moment they arrived back on their home island, the dragon gave a look towards his rider.
"I know you prefer flying, bud, but the Groundbridge is faster and more convenient way of traveling." Hiccup reasoned, but still earned a snort from his best friend. "How about this, as soon as we figure out what's going on with my dad, then we'll fly back to the Edge." Toothless gave a light roar and smiled at that notion.
The two of them reached the center of the village, and all seemed pretty quiet. No sign of trouble or of Stoic's craziness, as Gobber informed them.
"Hmm, it's quieter than usual." Hiccup noted, before he heard his father's voice in the distance.
"Shoddy workmanship!" Stoic roared in anger. "That's what this is!"
"Okay, follow the sound of the angry Viking." Hiccup said sarcastically as the two of them walked to where Stoic was, which happened to be the armory.
"I said I wanted these weapons arranged by deadliness! Swords..." the rider and his dragon ducked when a sword came flying from the entrance, before more weapons came flying out. "...axes, bludgeons, then maces!" The weapon thrown hit a catapult they were hiding behind, which caused it to launch a sheep into the air. Stoic then exited the armory with a very angry look on his face, before looking back at the armory. "If I used them on you, you wouldn't forget how deadly they were!" He exclaimed before storming off.
Sven came out of the armory and instantly smiled when he spotted Hiccup and Toothless coming out of hiding. "Hiccup, thank Thor you're here! You've got to help us. Your father has become unbearable." Sven said.
"Well, to be fair, Sven, you did have the weapons out of order." Hiccup reminded.
"That's because yesterday he told me to arrange them by length!" Sven argued. "The day before it was by pointiness, and the day before that it was by name! Did you know he gave each weapon his own nickname?"
"Well, I have to time admit, that is pretty weird." Hiccup said.
"You think that's bad..." Crosshairs said as he and Jazz walked up to the group, with the former speaking. "When I was moving supplies, he yelled at me for putting them in the arena and said they belonged in the Great Hall. When I moved them, he yelled again and said they should be in the storage house, before he yelled at me again and said they should have been in, get this, THE ARENA!" Crosshairs exclaimed angrily as he was slowly reaching for his guns. "I swear, Hiccup, you better fix this, or I'm gonna-"
"Okay, okay, let's remain chill, Crosshairs." Jazz said placatingly as he placed a calming hand on the paratrooper's shoulder, before looking at Hiccup. "But seriously, Hiccup, you've got to get your dad under control."
"Okay, I'll go talk to him." Hiccup said as he and Toothless went off in the direction Stoic stormed off to.
"I mean, seriously; who names their mace 'Daisy?'" Sven asked in bewilderment.
"Sounds like something Hound would do." Jazz said, earning a chuckle from Crosshairs.
Hiccup and Toothless continued to wander in the direction of where Stoic stormed off to, before they eventually spotted him and Gothi in Mildew's old farm. This place brought back memories of the old cranky Viking that used to live there, most of them not very fond memories.
Stoic was still angry, but this time he was directing his anger at Gothi, who appeared to have been plowing the dried-up field. "For Thor's sake, you plow like an old woman!" Stoic exclaimed, causing Gothi to look irritated, before Stoic walked up and grabbed the plow. "Gah, hag. This is how you plow! It's so simple, you can't even..." Stoic continued to grumble in anger before he started plowing himself.
"Huh." Hiccup said inquisitively, before Gothi grabbed him by the neck with her staff and pulled him away so they could talk privately. "Gothi! You know, personally, I don't know what he's talking about. I love you plowing."
Gothi wasn't having it as she just stared at him with deadpanned expression.
"You are, by far, my favorite power in all of Berk." Hiccup said sheepishly, trying to get raise her spirits. "That-that's some good plowing right there." Gothi just silently growled in frustration as she angrily scribbled on the dirt, which Hiccup understood. "Uh, yes, I-I agree. He's totally out of control." Gothi finished her scribbling with an angry stamp from her staff. "Watch the language; he's still my father. I'll talk to him, I promise." With that said, the rider and dragon left the farm to go find the chief, who left not long ago.
The two of them looked around Berk for a bit, until they eventually came across him in the old arena/academy, where he was practicing throwing axes at a target, albeit missing terribly. Even a Terrible Terror crawled on top of the target and laughed at him when he missed four times.
"Ah!" Stoic exhaled in frustration as he was about to throw another axe.
"Ahem." Hiccup coughed to get his dad's attention, which nearly caused Stoic to nearly throw the axe at him. "AH! Dad, please don't kill me, it's your son!"
Seeing who it was, Stoic's demeanor turned into one of pure joy. "Hiccup!" Stoic exclaimed happily as he threw his axe overhead, which inadvertently hit the target dead center. Stoic rushed over and enveloped Hiccup in a tight bear hug.
"Good to see you to, dad." Hiccup wheezed out as the hug was cutting off some oxygen. "Now-now if I could just, um, breathe."
"I'm sorry!" Stoic said happily as he released Hiccup and gave him a hard pat on the back that nearly sent him tumbling forward. "Just happy to see my son!"
"Well, that's great. My-my cracked ribs and I are happy to see you to." Hiccup said sheepishly. "What are you doing all the way out in the academy?"
"Oh, well, I come up here for the peace and quiet." Stoic said as he pulled out a rag and started polishing a saddle. "Tired of hearing people complaining. 'Stoic, you're being too tough. Stoic, you're being too picky. Stoic you're cutting off my air supply.'"
To stem away from the awkwardness of the conversation, Hiccup looked at the saddle his dad was working on and smiled in recognition. "Hey, hey, is that Thornado's old saddle?" Hiccup said as he could see his own reflection off the polishing work his dad has done. "Wow, dad, you really kept it shiny."
Thornado was a Thunderdrum that Stoic befriended after saving him from and his friend from a group of wild boars. The two of them were quite a pair and real good friends, despite Stoic's past history about dragons. Unfortunately, their partnership didn't last for long as Thornado had to leave in order to take care of a pair of baby Thunderdrums who became orphans. Stoic, while saddened by this, understood that why it needed to be done; Thornado was being like him, a chief. They protect their kind, and make sure they are well taken care of.
"Well, just because one dragon is gone doesn't mean doesn't mean I'm going to let a valuable piece of equipment fall into disrepair." Stoic said, trying not to show his sentimentality, before he removed the axe from the target. "But enough about me. What brings my world-traveler son back to Berk?"
"Well-we-we still..." Hiccup said awkwardly, trying to figure out how to put it to words.
Sven soon interrupted as he came back to the arena. "Stoic, I don't mean to interrupt, but I've got those weapons arranged by deadliness, just like you wanted." Sven said happily.
"And who said I wanted them that way?!" Stoic roared in anger as he marched towards Sven. "Does anyone around here listen!"
Fortunately for Sven, Hiccup rushed in and stood between him and his father with his raised placatingly. "Dad, dad, dad! I just had a great idea." Hiccup said quickly.
"If it involves me hurling an axe a Sven's head, let's hear it." Stoic said with a little too much eagerness.
Sven, in fear, held a shield and made an escape. "Oh, I-I hear me sheep calling." He said quickly, before making a beeline out of there.
"I was thinking something a little more relaxing. Something to take the edge off." Hiccup suggested.
"Edge? What edge?!" Stoic exclaimed as he squeezed the axe handle too tightly, causing Hiccup to give him an expectant look. Stoic realized he was making a point so he sighed and loosened the grip on his axe. "Okay, I'm listening."
"Yeah, so I was thinking, why don't you take a couple of days off, come with me to see the dragon base?" Hiccup suggested.
"No, impossible. There's far too much to do around here." Stoic refused.
Seeing how that didn't work, Hiccup decided to try another approach. "Okay, dad. Well, to tell you what, if I'm being honest, the reason I'm really here is because I've got a dragon problem back on the island."
"Dragon problem? What kind of a dragon problem?" Stoic asked with interest and also concern for his son.
"Well, you see, we're trying to relocate a new species of dragon, and I thought with we could handle it with us and a group of Autobots, but it's proving more difficult than we thought, so we could really use your help." Hiccup explained.
"Well, I suppose I could spare a moment, if you really need me." Stoic said thoughtfully. It has been a while since he put the skills he's acquired hunting dragons to the test.
"Oh, we do. We really really do." Hiccup said assuredly as they walked out of the arena. "Now, before we head back to Berk, I just want to pick up someone else for the trip back to Berk."
"Who?" Stoic asked curiously.
/
Back at the Dragon's Edge, the dragon riders and Autobots just got done finishing a project Gobber suggested in order to keep the Rumblehorn out of their base, so it wouldn't wreck everything. A massive wall made out of boulders that surrounded the base, with a few lookout towers up top to keep a weather eye out for that troublemaking dragon.
"I have to admit, that's one impressive wall." Astrid said with an approving tone. "It should stop the Rumblehorn, at least from the ground."
"I'd like to Menasor get passed this bad boy." Wheeljack said with a smirk.
"Let's not tempt fate by bringing the Cons into the mix." Arcee said.
"I'm going to call it Greta, after my first love." Gobber said with a smile. "Large, sturdy, beefy, some might say." All of a sudden, they all heard a dragon roar from the distance, and knew that it was Rumblehorn approaching close by.
"Well, time to see if old Greta is beefy enough to handle an angry dragon." Smokescreen said with his eyes narrowing with readiness.
"It's combines from the west, and it's getting close!" Fishlegs exclaimed.
Astrid rode Stormfly up to the top of the wall to get a good lookout, and could see something in the forest parting the trees and making a beeline towards the wall.
"Dragon riders, mount up!" Astrid called out, as the dragon riders got on their dragons and took off into the sky.
"Autobots, get ready!" Arcee called out as well, getting the Autobots to bring out their primary weapons and ran off into the fray. The only one who didn't join them was Gobber, who stayed behind at the wall and placed his hand and hook firmly along the base of it.
"I'm not moving! The wall will hold!" Gobber said firmly. The moment he said that, the hidden Rumblehorn rammed into the wall, causing it to shake violently, but other than that, it still held strong, before it stopped, causing Gobber to gain a look of pride. "Ha ha! Told ya my Greta would hold!" The wall held, but the watchtowers above did not as they toppled over and were heading straight towards him. "Oh, Greta, how could ya?"
The log towers soon fell right on top of the area Gobber was standing, much to the shock and horror of dragon riders and Autobots. The group went to the rubble and started moving the boulders and logs away.
"Get him out of there before he's crushed." Arcee ordered as they all worked together to save the veteran Viking.
"Don't worry, Gobber. I got ya." Bulkhead said as he picked up two large logs and saw Gobber lying on the crumbled ground. "Gobber, you okay?"
"Good morning, mummy." Gobber said in a daze with his eyes a bit glossed over and moving in random directions. "Is it time for dragon killing school?"
"Well...at least he's alive." Bumblebee beeped sheepishly.
"And this wall held." Snotlout said as he patted the wall. "Too bad everything else got crushed." Just then everyone heard a roar and looked in the distance to see a dragon flying right towards them.
"Incoming! Yeah!" Tuffnut exclaimed as he had Barf and Belch started blasting the incoming dragon, which caused the other dragons to start blasting out of instinct, forcing the incoming dragon to swerve out of the way. "Fire! Fire! Use all weapons! Start blasting!"
Arcee zoomed in with her optics and saw that this wasn't the Rumblehorn they've been searching. "Tuffnut, stop! Hold your fire!" She exclaimed. They did and it was revealed to be Toothless carrying Hiccup and Stoic.
"Hey, it's us, you guys!" Hiccup exclaimed, thankful that Arcee stopped them before they blast him. Not only was Hiccup and Stoic on Toothless' back, but there was a small orange object being carried by the dragon's claws.
"Oh, sorry about that." Tuffnut said sheepishly as Toothless landed and he saw Stoic with Hiccup. "Nice to see you, chief. You're looking very fit. Your hands seem to be rough and well-worked. Anyway, welcome to Rumblehorn hell."
"Sorry your first time on Dragon's Edge isn't luxurious, Stoic. We've been having some...complications." Wheeljack said sheepishly.
Bumblebee noticed the orange oval object that was placed on the ground beside him. "What ya got there, pal?" Bumblebee asked in beeps.
"I figured I'd bring not just my dad, but someone else for a little support." Hiccup asked as the orange object unfolded itself, revealing itself to be the same Minicon they saved from Dagur and his rogue Decepticons.
"Fixit? What are you doing here?" Fishlegs asked with surprised curiosity. "I thought Ratchet was examining you."
"He did, and thanks to Medical Officer Ratchet, I now have a clean bill of stealth...wealth...health!" Fixit said happily.
"And yet, still got that stutter at the end." Astrid said with a slight chuckle, before looking at Hiccup. "So, I get bringing your dad, but why Fixit?"
"Well, with Ratchet being the medic for the bots on Berk, I figured the Autobots here could use a medic of their own." Hiccup reasoned.
Fixit looked around and noticed the damage to the base. "Oh my. I'm not sure if you are all aware, but your headquarters is not structurally secure." Fixit said.
"Yeah, we kind of noticed that." Snotlout said sarcastically.
"You weren't kidding about having dragon problems." Stoic said as he inspected the damage.
"Is anybody hurt?" Hiccup asked in concern.
"Well, sort of." Astrid said as she cast a wary glance at the still disoriented Gobber.
"Hello, lovies. Who'd like some figgy pudding?" Gobber said while holding a boot, causing everyone stare at him with a deadpanned expression.
"What's wrong with him?" Stoic asked.
"Well, chief, you could start with the peg leg, then you add in the hook, and the bad breath, weird neck. I mean, look at his neck." Tuffnut rambled on, before Snotlout cut him off.
"He'll be fine." Snotlout said dismissively. "He got hit by a watchtower."
Gobber just started laughing in front of Fixit at what he thought was a practical joke. "Ah, yer killing me! Who knew you were such a card! Oh, ha, ha!"
"All I said was it was nice to meet you." Fixit said in confusion.
"Hiccup, these Rumblehorn attacks are getting out of hand." Astrid said, wanting to get back on track. "We have to do something."
Stoic agreed wholeheartedly as he got into chief mode. "Okay, then; first things first, we start with-"
"Astrid, Arcee, you search the eastern coastline." Hiccup interrupted as he gave the orders. "Ruff, Tuff, Bulkhead, Wheeljack, you have the west. My father, Bumblebee, and I will take the middle of the island. Snotloud, Fishlegs, Smokescreen, you take care of Gobber and start fixing the place."
"Got it." Fishlegs said in agreement.
"You can count on us." Smokescreen said with a nod.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait a minute there, Dragon Master." Snotlout said with a frown.
"Hello little fella." Gobber said as he poked Snotlout in the chin.
"How come I have to stay behind." Snotloud complained.
"I'm a dragon." Gobber said as he began to growl and grabbed Snotloud's face.
"Okay, fine, you want to hunt down the unstoppable, bloodthirsty dragon?" Hiccup asked expectantly.
"'Bloodthirsty dragon,' huh." Snotloud said to himself.
"Oooh, look at my tail." Gobber said as he started wiggling his butt. "Do dragons chase their tails or do they breathe fire on them? I don't know."
"On second thought, I don't want to give you guys an unfair advantage." Snotloud said quickly. "So, I should probably stay behind and protect the Archipelago's national treasures."
"The sun is a shiny potato, made out of dawn butter." Gobber said in wonderment as he looked at the sun.
"And the moon is a scoop of ice cream." Snotloud said, playing along with the injured Viking's delusions.
Fixit rolled up to Hiccup with a curious look. "And what shall I do, Hiccup? I would like to be of some help, what with you saving me and making me feel at home."
"Fixit, I'm gonna have you be in the clubhouse and let us know if any more of our traps get triggered." Hiccup said. "The Rumblehorn damaged the island sensors so we can't track it that way, so it's the best I can give you for now."
"You can count on me, sir." Fixit said with a smirk as he rolled off to do his task.
Hiccup nodded at that and walked off for his mission, all the while Stoic looked at his son with an impressed look, before he, Bumblebee, and Toothless followed.
/
Soon the group of Hiccup, Toothless, Stoic, and Bumblebee went off in search of the mysterious Rumblehorn. While the humans and dragon were in the air, Bumblebee was in his vehicle mode below them and searching along ground level.
"Ah, it's good to be back up in the air again." Stoic said cheerfully as he inspected the beauty of the island. "No wonder you never come back to visit. This island is spectacular."
"Thanks, dad, but we're not going to keep any of it if we don't solve our Rumblehorn problem." Hiccup said.
"Right. When exactly did you start having trouble with it?" Stoic asked.
"A few weeks ago; we didn't even know it was on the island, and then suddenly it was everywhere." Hiccup answered. "First, it just went after wild dragons, then it started coming for us."
"And how many dragons has it killed?" Stoic asked seriously, wanting to know how violent or ruthless this creature was.
"None yet. This dragon is more than strong; it's fast, it's smart, and it's elusive." Hiccup said in a troubled tone. "We've never even gotten a good look at it."
"This does seem like quite the challenge, doesn't it?" Stoic asked in a more eager tone, knowing that this would not only be good way to once again sharpen his dragon hunting skills, but to spend some time with his son.
"Yes, it does." Hiccup responded with a smile of his own.
Stoic couldn't help but laugh in elation as he shook his son's shoulders. "Look at the two of us. Two Viking men on the hunt of a wild beast."
"See?" Hiccup said with a smirk. "You're cheering up already, right?"
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, son." Stoic deadpanned.
Just then, a group of Deadly Nadders flew up from the ground, and they could hear the faint sounds of an unfamiliar roar.
"There!" Both Hiccup and Stoic said at the same time while pointing in the direction where those Nadders flew from, with the former of the two accessing his comm device. "Bee, head to where those Nadders flew."
"You got it, Hiccup."Bumblebee beeped over the comms as he drove off at top speeds. Soon, all of them converged on the spot where the Nadders originated, but found no sign of their target. Bumblebee transformed into robot-mode to look around, but came with nothing. "Darn, we must have just missed it."
"You see what I mean?" Hiccup said in frustration to his father. "Every time we think we're getting close, and then nothing."
"Well we didn't see it fly away, so it must be on foot." Stoic theorized as he looked around. "But which way?"
"I think he went this way." Bumblebee beeped as he looked towards some toppled over trees and trampled on bushes.
"Perfect, we'll follow the trees it trampled over." Hiccup said.
Stoic smiled as he placed a hand on Hiccup's shoulder. "After you, son." Stoic said before they all marched in the direction the Rumblehorn went, with Stoic being eager for some action. "Ho ho, this is going to be great."
The two humans, dragon, and Autobot followed the trail of destruction the Rumblehorn caused, searching for any sign or clue of its whereabouts. The search went on for quite a while that the sun started to set.
Hiccup stopped from their trek through the forest as knelt down to inspect some bizarre dragon tracks. "These foot prints are fresh. We should be right on top of it."
Stoic rubbed his beard as his veteran mind was working overtime to understand this dragon's pattern. "It's the beast can sense us coming, and then changes direction." Stoic said as he rubbed his beard. A truly worthy adversary."
The group continued on their journey through the woods...
...never noticing something in the bushes watching them; growling in agitation.
The group moved over a toppled down tree, as Hiccup was starting to get a little frustration. "We've got to be getting close." Hiccup said.
"Ah, I don't think so. We've been here before." Stoic informed as he inspected their surroundings. "Look at the broken branches on the side of the trail. The beast has doubled back on us."
"Wait...you think it knows we're hunting it?" Hiccup asked in a troubled tone.
"No, I think it's hunting us." Stoic said strongly.
This caused Hiccup and Bumblebee to become alarmed as the Autobot deployed his Energon blasters and pointed them in random directions, in case the Rumblehorn attempted a sneak attack.
"Oh, that's good!" Hiccup said sarcastically and slightly nervous at the same time. "No, you know, I prefer it much the other way around."
"I think we should regroup at the base. Bring in some backup." Bumblebee beeped in suggestion, as he continued to hold up his weapon.
"If we retreat at the base, the Rumblehorn may still follow us and attack before we even get there." Hiccup said, before he noticed Stoic going up to a log. "What are you thinking, dad?"
Stoic grabbed a large branch from the log and ripped it off, before looking at Hiccup and Bumblebee with a smirk. "I might have an idea on how we're going to catch this beast."
/
"Well I've got my club and I got my rope, and I smell like a yak because I don't use soap. I'm a Viking through and through!" Stoic stood in the middle of the clearing, singing his song, all the while holding a rope in one hand and slamming the large tree branch into the ground.
Just then, with a mighty roar, the Rumblehorn revealed himself to the Viking chief. The dragon had mostly heavily armed green scales with armor-like plates along half its body, plus large wings with an impressive wingspan. The only parts of the dragon that weren't green was the spiked clubbed end of its tail, and it's head that had two large curved horns on the side and one long curved horn atop of where it's nose was.
Stoic was definitely impressed by the new dragon as he gave a battle-ready look. "Well, you're magnificent! And you've got a lot to say, don't you?" The Rumblehorn only roared in response, which didn't deter Stoic in the slightest. "Now let's see if you can back it up." Stoic said as he tossed the branch away.
The two of them charged at one another the same time, but then Bumblebee came driving up out of the bushes and tried to ram into Rumblehorn, unfortunately the dragon saw it coming and jumped right over the incoming Autubot. The Rumblehorn halted its charge as it roared at Bumblebee, who transformed back into robot mode and stared down at the new dragon. Bumblebee didn't release his Energon wepaons, as he didn't want to hurt the dragon, so looks like it time for good old-fashioned fists.
The Rumblehorn roared as it charged head first into the Autobot scout, but Bumblebee managed to grab it by the horns and held strong, digging his feet into the dirt as the dragon pushed him back. The dragon swerved it's head, causing Bumblebee to accidentally loosen his grip, which gave the Rumblehorn the opportunity to get out of Bumblebee's grasp and slam his club tail right on the side of the Autobot's head.
Hiccup and Toothless came flying in from behind and tried to drop a steel net on top of the Rumblehorn, but the large dragon saw it coming and made a hard left.
"Dad, get out of there!" Hiccup warned.
"Not a chance!" Stoic denied as he continued his charge at the Rumblehorn, before he managed to lasso the dragon's front horn. The dragon tried to throw him off, but Stoic still held strong. Seeing that this one was more trouble than he was worth, the Rumblehorn attempted to fly off. "Oh, no you don't!" Stoic pulled the top hard and slammed the Rumblehorn into the ground. Stoic and the Rumblehorn made eye contact, as they knew they were both warriors who would never give up, even if one of them was tied up.
"Dad, let go of the rope!" Hiccup called out. Just then, the Rumblehorn took off into the air, but this time he took Stoic along with him as they climbed higher and higher through the sky. "Dad, don't let go of the rope!"
Bumblebee's eyes widened in shock by what he was seeing as he walked up close to Hiccup. "Hiccup, you're dad is either really brave, or really crazy!" Bumblebee beeped.
"As someone who's lived with him all my life, I can definitely tell you...he is both." Hiccup said as he looked up in worry.
Meanwhile, up in the air, Stoic began to lose his grip on the rope as he climbed higher and higher into the air, before eventually fell and started to plummet. Rather than just leave it at that, the Rumblehorn made a turn and dived right towards the falling Viking chief.
"Oh, so you want a piece of me on the way down, do you?!" Stoic yelled, still wanting to continue this glorious battle despite falling to his supposed death. "Come and get me! Come on!"
The Rumblehorn came closer and closer as the two of them looked ready to end this, but then Hiccup and Toothless came flying in out of nowhere and grabbed Stoic.
"We better get back to Dragon's Edge for reinforcements." Hiccup said.
"Agreed." Stoic said as they flew off with Bumblebee driving up under them. Stoic looked back as he saw the Rumblehorn land on the beachside of the island. "This isn't over, Rumblehorn!"
The Rumblehorn just growled as it shook the rope off its horn, before giving a glare in the direction the Vikings, dragon, and Autobot went off to.
/
It was nighttime now at the Edge, and Hiccup, Stoic, Toothless, and Bumblebee had just returned to home base to see everyone hard at work making repairs, even Fixit was helping as much as he could.
"Where's Gobber?" Stoic asked.
The answer came when they saw Gobber chasing a bunch of boars and had some paint on his face.
"Boar pit." Snotloud said simply.
"He seems to have been dealt a major concussive blow to the head, but I am confident that in a few hours, he'll be back to full wealth...stealth...health!" Fixit said.
"Hiccup, did you find the Rumblehorn?" Astrid asked.
"More like he found us." Hiccup answered wryly.
"Yeah, big guy packs quite a punch." Bumblebee beeped as he felt where his jaw was.
"Wait, you went servo to claw with it, and it came out on top?" Wheeljack asked with a smirk as he lightly punched Bumblebee's shoulder. "What's the matter, Bee? You starting to lose your touch?"
"Just wait until you face it head on, Wheeljack. Then we'll see who is really losing their touch." Bumblebee said as he punched back.
"Ha ha! Gave us a good run that one!" Stoic said, still feeling the rush of excitement from facing the Rumblehorn before.
"We're gonna resupply, and then we are all gonna look for it." Hiccup said.
"Eh, I bet I can find him, like right now." Tuffnut said with a smirk.
"Oh, really?" Snotloud asked skeptically.
"Oh, yeah." Tuffnut said.
"Oh, really?"
"Yeah."
"How's that?"
"Wait for it." Tuffnut said as he held up his hand, before pointing it at the sky. "Bing!"
Everyone looked to where he was pointing and, sure enough, the Rumblehorn was flying down straight towards them. Everyone was shocked by this, with even Fixit screaming in fright and hiding behind Bulkhead's large leg.
"Whoa...that is a big boy." Wheeljack said in surprise.
"See what I mean?" Bumblebee beeped at him.
"What the-Ah!" Hiccup moaned in complaint, before looking at the other riders. "Everyone, get to your dragons. We've got to lure it away from the Edge." As he gave those orders, Hiccup still couldn't believe how skilled this dragon was. "It tracked us. All the way here."
"Impressive." Stoic admired, much to his son's displeasure.
"Dad, let's catch him first, then we can admire him." Hiccup said as the two of them ran up to Toothless and they took off.
"Autobots, stand your ground in case it gets past them!" Arcee ordered as each of them drew their Energon weapons, except for Bulkhead who deployed his mace.
"Let the big guy come." Bulkhead said with determination. "We'll give him a long overdue welcome."
The Rumblehorn roared as it flew closer and closer to the Edge, with Dragon Riders flying straight towards it. They paused in their flight, however, when a flock of Night Terrors got in their way and flew off in the opposite direction.
"Where are all the Night Terrors going?" Hiccup asked in confusion.
Just then, the Rumblehorn flew straight past the Dragon Riders, completely ignoring them. "And why isn't the Rumblehorn rolling us?" Stoic asked in confusion as well.
"Because it's following them!" Hiccup called out in alarm as he saw the Rumblehorn making a beeline for Gobber and Fixit, with the former still chasing after a boar, and the later trying to catch him.
"Mr. Boar, come back, please!" Gobber called out to the animal, unaware of the dragon flying in behind him and the Minicon. "I just want to have a friendly chat."
"Gobber, please! We must seek shelter before anything too extreme happen!" Fixit called out.
Hiccup, Stoic, and Toothless flew in from behind the Rumblehorn, trying to catch up to him. "Let's get his attention, bud." Hiccup suggested.
Toothless fired a plasma blast at the Rumblehorn, but the large dragon dodged it and landed on the ground. It gave a deafening roar that frightened away a straggling group of Night Terrors, before it set its sights upon Gobber and Fixit. With narrowed eyes, it charged at the concussed Viking and Minicon.
The other Autobots and Dragon Riders saw this and made their moves to try and dissuade the dragon from its course of action. Wheeljack transformed into vehicle-mode and tried to ram into, but the large dragon simply hopped over him, causing the Autobot to accidentally crash into Smokescreen and Bumblebee, who were trying to come in from the other side.
Wheeljack transformed as he and his two Autobot friends groaned in pain. "Okay, yeah, that was embarrassing." Wheeljack groaned.
"Stormfly, spine shot!" Astrid ordered as her dragon fired a spike, but it just bounced off the Rumblehorn's armored plating.
Arcee and Bulkhead then came running in to try and stop the dragon, but the Rumblehorn saw them coming and fired a large fireball at the ground in front of them, creating a large explosion that blinded them due to the dust cloud and smoke. Snotloud and the twins had their dragons fire a barrage of flame blasts at the incoming dragon, but their fire did nothing to deter it from its course.
"For as powerful as that dragon is, it doesn't seem to have a thirst for blood." Stoic noted to his son.
"Not yet, but it's still going after Gobber anf Fixit." Hiccup said with worry as he still watched the Rumblehorn charging and was not slowing down in the slightest. "I hate to do this, but it's the Rumblehorn or Gobber and Fixit. We may only get one shot at this, bud, so let's make it count!" Toothless gave a roar of acceptance as they watched and got ready to fire.
Stoic, however, didn't seemed convinced about the deadliness of this dragon. If it really has been on this island for a while, and was just as deadly as they all made it out to be, then why hasn't it killed any dragons? The only time it ever hurt someone was with Bumblebee, but it was just trying to get him to let go of it's horns. It may have attacked the Edge, but only when they were gone; and when it did attack when they were there, it never killed them, or even hurt them.
"This doesn't make any sense." Stoic said in deep thought, before he looked towards the Night Terrors flying away. That was when his eyes slowly opened in realization. "Unless...Hiccup, wait!" Stoic grabbed Hiccup's shoulders and pulled him back, causing him to pull back on Toothless which made the dragon miss his shot at the charging Rumblehorn.
"Dad, what are you doing?!" Hiccup exclaimed.
"Gobber, please, let us make waste...paste...haste!" Fixit exclaimed as he tried to push Gobber away from the boar he was petting, before he and the concussed Viking heard thundering steps behind him, and slowly looked back in fear. The Rumblehorn stood right in front of the two and gave a loud deafening roar, causing the Minicon to scream in fear.
The Rumblehorn leaned in close to the Minicon and gave him a good sniff. "Nice, blood thirsty dragon. Good blood thirsty dragon." Fixit stuttered fearfully as he shook a bit.
Gobber, however, was anything but afraid. "Oh, look, it's Pepe. My favorite pet yak." Gobber said happily as he then started to pet the Rumblehorn, much to the dragon, as well as Fixit's confusion. "We didn't eat ya on Snoggletog morning after all. No."
"I'm sorry...WHAT?!" Fixit exclaimed in disbelief. He knew Gobber was concussed from his injuries, but surely, he couldn't be this...well...stupid?
Arcee and Bulkhead walked up and were put off by what they were seeing. "What exactly am I looking at here?" Arcee said in bewilderment.
"Something we will never forget...in matter how hard we try." Bulkhead said with a weirded-out expression from the scene.
"If that dragon wanted to hurt people, he would have done it by now." Stoic said as he noted the dragon's change in behavior. "Something else is going on here."
"Like what?" Hiccup asked in confusion.
"Only one way to find out. Put me down next to him." Stoic insisted, which Hiccup obliged as he and Toothless set Stoic down near the dragon.
Gobber halted his petting of the Rumblehorn when he noticed Stoic approaching. "Stoic, you remember Pepe?" Gobber asked in his delirium.
"Yes, yes, Gobber. Pepe and I need to have a wee chat." Stoic humored him as he walked past Gobber to the Rumblehorn.
Gobber then waved to Hiccup and the other riders and Autobots. "Hiccup, have you met Pepe." Gobber called out.
"Oh, gods." Hiccup groaned in annoyance.
"After tonight, I'm going to be on shutdown mode for a few days to forget about all this craziness." Arcee said as he rubbed her fingers over her optics.
Stoic approached the Rumblehorn, who gave another loud roar, but Stoic wasn't deterred as he stared into the eyes of the great beast. "What is it that you really want, dragon?" Stoic asked, which the Rumblehorn responded by turning towards the ocean. While not entirely clear on what it wants, at least it was progress, so Stoic looked back towards the other riders. "I think this dragon is trying to tell us something."
The Rumblehorn gave another loud roar, before slamming it's head onto the ground. This seemed to create a weird reaction with all the dragons, as they all, except for Toothless, flew up into the air and started flying in a circle, much to the rider's confusion as they didn't instruct their dragons to do this.
"What is happening? What is happening? What is happening?" Fishlegs panicked.
"Guys, what's going on with your dragons?" Smokescreen called out in confusion.
"I think dad might be right about the Rumblehorn." Hiccup said as he noted the dragon's behavior. The Rumblehorn then surprised Stoic as he tossed him into the air, much to Hiccup's worry. "Dad!"
Stoic then landed right on the dragon's back, before it took off into the air. "Whoa there, big fella! Hold on there!" Stoic said as they flew off.
"Go get 'em, bud." Hiccup said which signaled Toothless to follow them.
"Good luck you guys." Bumblebee called out as he and the other Autobots watched them fly off. "Let us know what you find."
All the dragons and their riders flew off over the ocean, following the Rumblehorn to what he wanted to show them.
"Son, out there!" Stoic called out as something caught his eye in the distance.
Hiccup looked on to where his dad was pointing, and his eyes widened in shock as he saw a massive wave heading their way. "The sea level...is it rising?"
Hiccup had Toothless fly in closer to the massive wave, even flying under the curve of the water, in order to get a proper assessment of how massive it was. With that taken care of, he flew back to the home base where the other riders and Autobots were waiting.
"There's a giant wave heading towards us. The Rumblehorn knew it and was trying to get us to leave." Hiccup informed as he hopped off Toothless. "He was trying to save us! That's why he was chasing Gobber."
"That's why it attacked those wild dragons, but never actually hurt them." Arcee said in realization.
"I'm not buying it." Tuffnut said not really convinced. "Okay, guys, real quick, how long does it take to swim."
"Forget swimming, let's just get the Groundbridge up and hightail it back to Berk." Smokescreen suggested.
"No one has to swim, and we're not Groundbridging back to Berk." Hiccup retorted. "We just need to block the wave from hitting the camp."
"Isn't it a little late for that, Hiccup?" Snotloud asked, not really looking to risk his life if there was escape plan.
"Not unless we get big Greta back up on her feet." Wheeljack said as he gestured to the damaged wall.
"That's right; Gobber's rock 's big enough to stop the wave, we just need to reinforce it." Astrid said.
Well then, we better get to it." Bulkhead said as he narrowed his eyes at the incoming wave. "That wave will be on us in cycles."
Soon they all got to work on reinforcing the wall with more large boulders. The Autobots were using their strength to roll the boulders off the cliff so they would pile on top of each other, while the dragon riders used their dragons to carry boulders to various spots along the wall. Even Fixit was getting in on the action as he pushed a boulder on to the base of the wall.
"The wave's coming! Hurry!" Fishlegs called out, before he noticed a flaw in their plan.
"And what's worse, the wall isn't structurally built." Fixit exclaimed in dismay when he saw water leaking out through the wall. "This wall needs a 67% more intake if it wishes to withstand the force of the wave."
"You handle the cracks, son!" Stoic called out to Hiccup. "I've got an idea."
"You heard the man!" Hiccup said as he looked towards the other riders and Autobots.
"On it!" Astrid replied as she and Stormfly flew up high. "Stormfly, spine shot!" Stormfly fired several spikes along the wall, plugging up some of the leaks.
Bulkhead and Wheeljack came running up and pressing stalagmites into the wall where there leaks, plugging them couldn't help but smile at the irony of the situation they found themselves in. "What do you think the other Wreckers would say, about us building something instead of breaking things?"
"They'd probably think we scorched a brain module." Wheeljack said with a chuckle.
"Meatlug, spew!" Fishlegs commanded, causing Meatlug to fire several globs of lava along the cracks, melting the rocks together.
Stoic and the Rumblehorn flew up high and reached up to a large sea stack, which gave Stoic an idea. "Alright then, let's finish what you started." Stoic said, earning a roar of approval from the dragon. They charged right at the sea stack with the Rumblehorn blasting at the base of it with a few fireballs. "Full speed, big fella!" With its top speed, the dragon rammed head first into the weakened sea stack, causing it to topple over right on top of the wall.
Just in the nick of time to, as the wave just came in and impacted the wall, but thankfully it held strong. Everyone looked on in relief as the wall managed to protect their base, their home away from home, and it was all thanks to the new dragon that they originally thought was a menace.
/
The following morning, the riders and Autobots were hard at work clearing some of the rubble from last night. Their base may be still standing, but that doesn't mean there weren't that much damage to clear out.
"Man, we never had to worry about waves back on Cybertron." Smokescreen said as he moved some equipment back into place.
"Goes to show that we should always expect the unexpected on this planet." Arcee said with a smirk as Bulkhead came up with Fixit on his shoulders.
"Does this kind of excitement happen here all the time?" Fixit asked.
"Yeah, pretty much." Bulkhead said with a shrug, before smirking at the Minicon. "You still have a chance to back out."
"Not a chance, sir." Fixit said with a huge smile. "I've never had an adventure like this during my time on the prison ship. I am here with you all the bay...stay...way!"
"We're still going to see if we can fix that up for you, little buddy." Smokescreen said, causing them all to chuckle.
Hiccup, Fishlegs, Bumblebee, and Wheeljack stopped their work to watch the Rumblehorn fly around above them, with Stoic happily cheering along it's back.
"For a dragon that caused us so much trouble, he sure is as sight to see." Wheeljack said.
"Plus, if it hadn't warned us about the wave, we would have been wiped out." Fishlegs said in amazemnet.
"Not to mention it can track anything anywhere." Bumblebee said in beeps as they all watched the Rumblehorn do some flips, causing Stoic to laugh with excitement.
"Look at this guy. He's amazing." Fishlegs said in wonder.
"Yes, you can say that again, Fishlegs." Stoic said as he flew up to them.
"You know, guys, this is a whole new class of dragon." Fishlegs said in eagerness. "We need a name."
"Well, it tracked us down." Hiccup said in deep thought. "How about...Tracker Class."
"Tracker Class?" Snotlout repeated skeptically. "Yeah, right. That sounds like something I would come up with."
"Perfect." Hiccup said instantly.
"Tracker Class it is." Fishlegs said in approval.
"What? You like it? Awe, come on!" Snotlout exclaimed in disbelief.
"And, once again, he walked right into that one." Wheeljack said with a chuckle.
/
A few hours later and Gobber finally managed to make a full recovery. He decided to sail on back to Berk again this time, not because he needed to get away from Stoic, but just because he missed sailing across the ocean. Hiccup, Toothless, and Stoic were at the doc to see him off, along with the Rumblehorn.
"Gobber, I'm sure glad you're back to normal." Hiccup said.
"Yeah, not sure what all went on, but I'm still sore in places I didn't even know I had." Gobber said in confusion.
"Well, son, I'm glad I let you insist I come here." Stoic said gratefully.
"You know, dad, when I first came back to Berk, I thought you might be missing me." Hiccup said as he glanced towards the Rumblehorn. "But it was Thornado all along."
"Aw, I do miss that magnificent beast." Stoic said as he scratched the side of the Rumblhorn's head, much to the dragon's enjoyment. "We had some connection, he and I."
"Oh, I get it." Hiccup said as he rubbed Toothless' head. "I can't imagine what it would be like without Toothless."
"Well, Thornado can never be replaced, but this guy..." Stoic said as he gestured to the Rumblehorn. "We're a lot alike, he and I. We're both warriors, we're both leaders."
"And you're both hard-headed." Gobber added as he sailed off.
"Hard-headed, you say. She'll-crushing is more like it." Stoic said with a chuckle as he climbed onto the back of the Rumblehorn. He then paused when he remembered what he said. "Wait...that's what we'll call you. Shullcrusher!" The now named Skullcrusher roared in approval at that name. Hiccup smiled as he waved goodbye to his dad and was about to walk off, but stopped when Stoic spoke up again. "And by the way, son, I do miss you. A lot, actually."
Hiccup looked back at his dad as they both smiled at each other. While they both had duties that kept them apart, they still know that they'll always be there for each other.
With that said, Stoic looked down at Skullcrusher. "Alright, big fella, let's get back to Berk." Stoic said as they took off. "I've got the perfect saddle waiting for you."
Hiccup watched his dad and his new dragon flew off back to Berk, before turning back to the rest of his friends. "Alright, guys, we have a lot of work to do, so let's get to it." Hiccup said.
Even if there wasn't a crisis, a dragon rider and an Autobot's life is never dull.
/
Hey everybody, I'm back with a new chapter for this story after so long!
The reason why I've been avoiding this story was due to life, a bit of writer's block, and a need to focus on some of my other stories that caught my attention. But inspiration has hit me with this story and I have already set a clear path on where I want it to go, so I figured might as well get back into it.
This chapter was incredible difficult to get through, but not because it was hard or it was tough to write; it's actually the complete opposite. I just had no idea on how to incorporate the Autobots to do anything of importance in this chapter. This chapter was so much like the episode, I almost considered skipping over it, like I did with the episode of the Fireworm migration, considering I would just be rehashing the events and words completely. The reason why I didn't skip over it was because it gave us the introduction of Skullcrusher, and I just love the moments with Hiccup and Stoic.
I can assure you, however, the next chapter is going to be awesome, with it being an original chapter that is slightly based off of an episode of Transformers Prime. I can't wait to write that, and I also can't wait for you all to read it.
Well, that's all I have to say everyone, hope you enjoyed reading this. Stay healthy, stay safe, and I'll see you all next time.