Those on the ledge joined Hiccup, Toothless, and the other Night Fury in the air. Toothless' father chuckled.

[You finally granting my son a race?]

The other Night Fury snorted. Sandblast moved around Moondust, hovering where he could see Toothless and the other Night Fury. Hiccup watched Sandblast look between the two Night Furies before his gaze stayed upon the other one.

[Dad and Uncle Alpha will beat you easily.]

The other Night Fury laughed. [We shall see young Sand-spitter.]

[My name is Sandblast.]

Hiccup saw Toothless' gummy smile cross the other Night Fury's muzzle again.

[My apologizes, Sandblast. Now, Toothless, lead the way.]

Everyone followed Toothless and Hiccup to a series of sea stacks that had holes blown into them at varying points. Hiccup glanced up and down the length, his mind already wondering how they could create such a place back home so the dragons could use it to strengthen their flying and the Riders and their dragons could use it for training.

Those watching landed upon different sea stacks while Toothless, Hiccup, the other Night Fury, and Sunburn flew to one of the far stacks. Sunburn hovered directly over the sea stack while the two dragons and one human landed and spun to face the course.

[Ready?] Sunburn asked.

["Ready"]

[Go.]

Toothless launched. Hiccup tucked against his brother's neck. The other Fury sailed through the first hole a tail ahead. Hiccup felt Toothless' snarl. They shot through. Toothless' wings beat. Hiccup clicked the tailfin. They gained. The other Fury's wings snapped shut. He dove. Toothless chased him. Hiccup closed the tailfin.

The other Fury's wings flared. Beat. Another hole. Toothless coiled. Spun. They angled through. Toothless' roll completed. Wings beat. The other Fury stayed ahead by a tail. Second to last hole. A straight way. Toothless drifted right. Hiccup clicked the tailfin. They came even. The other Fury saw them. Grinned. Coiled. Vapor fluttered in his wake. He shot through the last hole. Went vertical. His wings flared. He flipped on end like Toothless did at the Red Death battle. Dove at Hiccup and Toothless.

Toothless snarled. Barrel rolled. Hiccup kept the tailfin where it should be. He heard screeching protests. Heard Gyda and the other humans yell Shadowfire's name. He ignored them.

Toothless banked right. The other Fury shot up from below. Toothless spun. The other Fury missed by a scale. Alpha magic and his connection to Toothless stirred, snarled, roared. Hiccup heard the other Fury screech. Toothless yowled. Those watching yelled and roared.

The other Fury dove. Toothless barrel rolled away. The other Fury banked around. Toothless chased him. Hiccup kept tight against his brother's neck but felt his soul's power growing. The other Fury's wings flared. Toothless shot past him. Hiccup heard the other's yell.

[Let go!]

Hiccup did not know what the other one meant. He ignored the words. Paid attention to the wing beats. He ducked. Still felt a tailfin against his head. The other Fury did the flip maneuver again. Came straight at them.

[Hiccup! Let it go!]

Hiccup heard gas build in Toothless' throat. He felt his soul's power swell to a point and something snapped. Horror cascaded throughout him.

"No!" he roared.

The tailfin snapped, forcing Toothless to bank. Toothless screeched then silenced as they spun out of control. Hiccup felt terror then peace as his soul reached out, connecting fully to something. His heartbeat became as Toothless'. His breath followed suit. Hiccup became Toothless and Toothless became Hiccup. Both flew out of the spin, not one flying and the other just operating the tailfin. They were one.

[Finally!] the other Fury cried. [Land you two. Hiccup, please forgive the Tall-singers. I don't think he wanted to do what he's done.]

Hiccup shifted and his eyes narrowed.

"Put her down!"

Shadowfire immediately fell to all fours and sat Astrid down, releasing her tunic from his muzzle. Stormfly nudged Astrid behind her. She and the other Berkian nest dragons that hovered around the sea stack began roaring and screeching at Shadowfire. Hiccup's eyes widen as Shadowfire kept his wings hunched and his muzzle touching stone. He never moved and he never responded to the other dragons. Gyda moved around Stormfly, bypassing the Nadder's effort to keep her away from Shadowfire, by ducking Stormfly's wings. Hiccup saw Shadowfire move then. He flinched away from his mother's touch. As angry as he was, Hiccup also saw himself whenever his father yelled at him and the rest of the village just watched and saw every moment he had been subjected to a group of tribesmen's words and no one else told them to shut up.

"Stop!"

Silence fell. Toothless landed. Hiccup dismounted, feeling the connection he shared in the air dull but still thrum in his soul. Hiccup walked past Astrid. Past Stormfly. Past Gyda. He stopped in front of Shadowfire's muzzle. Saw the tears glistening against black scales.

"Why?"

[I swore an oath,] Shadowfire whispered.

Hiccup's eyes narrowed. "To who?"

[Loki.]

"What did this oath bind you to do, besides hoisting my queen into the air on top of a tall sea stack and endangering her life?"

Shadowfire flinched. [Loki knew this would happen. He had Frost leave the room and told me this would happen. He said no one could stop the other Wind-shrieker. He said you had to go through that. He made me swear an oath to prevent the others from stopping him. He said it would help you.]

"Any other oaths that he made you swear?"

[To not say why Frost and I called you Alpha even though we said your story was not believed to be real at first.]

Hiccup took a deep breath. That had bugged him but it had not been an important issue with everything going on. It still remained a low priority. He turned, looking over his shoulder at Astrid.

"You okay?"

"Yes."

Hiccup held out a hand. She walked past Stormfly and took it. Hiccup ran the other hand along her face and neck, checking for himself.

"He only held my tunic, Hiccup," she whispered. "And he was crying while he held me up there. I heard him crying."

Hiccup turned back to Shadowfire. Silver eyes immediately snapped to the ground and the dragon hunched closer to himself.

[I will find a place far enough away that I am gone, alpha of the nest, but close enough Mom does not have to leave. Please don't exile her. Frost and Pale need her.]

Hiccup jerked. He thought that same thing when he first learned of his alpha magic. He released Astrid and hugged Shadowfire's muzzle.

"No," he cried, burying his face into black scales. "No," he said again. "The nest is your home, Shadowfire. You don't have to leave."

[Brother,] Toothless began, padding around Astrid. [You have to formalize it.]

Hiccup set back, staring into Shadowfire's eyes. "I forgive you."

He felt Shadowfire relax and saw more tears fall.

Literally Nobody: If they are not real to you to the point they can affect their own destiny, they will never be real to your readers. Ah. Good guess. I think the new chapter isn't going to answer much and only ask more.

Kirika: Are you asking who the human was that told the Way-guard to go? That would be telling. And good guess on Sunburn.