The voyage seemed to take years. Not just because of the events-quite the opposite. It was boring. Very, very boring.
"According to my research, the Hayseed Swamps are the home of the legendary Mage Meadowbrook, the greatest Pony healer" Twilight tried to keep their spirits up, but it felt mostly like trying to entertain herself.
"She doesn't know anything about dragons, does she?" Spike sighed in frustration.
"No, not really" Twilight's smile dropped.
"What's the wildlife like, Fluttershy?" Hiccup tried to summon any enthusiasm.
Thankfully, Fluttershy perked up at the question.
"Oh, a lot of things! Like alligators, and catfish, and river turtles, and otters, and herons, and ducks!"
"Oh, we could go fishing! What's catfish taste like?" it was Fishlegs' turn to perk up.
"We don't eat fish, sugarcube" Applejack explained deadpan.
"But you do fish?" Astrid looked confused.
"Oh, it's not for us, darling-my family fishes for my lovely cat Opal. She does prefer it over the canned stuff." Rarity explained.
"The captain did tell me there were rods in storage, if you want to fish for yourself" Twilight offered.
"That's okay with you?" Hiccup asked.
"Fish don't talk, silly" Pinkie Pie giggled as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
The fishing was lean. Surprisingly there were very few fish they could even see, and none of them went for the hooks. It's as if most of the fish had just vanished. That's when it hit Hiccup.
"A dragon's been here!" he dropped his rod, Astrid managing to catch it before it fell in the water.
"Before ours?" Fishlegs gasped.
"I wondered why 'fang's been so cranky lately-he keeps falling behind us rather than going ahead" Snotlout for once was observant.
"Exactly-one of the dragons have been eating the fish before we got here and moving up the stream. We've got to tell Twilight! We're on the right trail!" this time Hiccup dropped the rod on the deck as he ran back to the cabin.
"Hey, check it out! I got an alligator and all I used was my leg!"
They ignored Tuffnut.
The "no fish" trail was hot as they followed it upriver on the small ship. Unfortunately, the physical trail literally dried up. The river became shallower and shallower as they approached the Everfree forest, and eventually the captain told them they had to turn back.
"We'll have to go overland through the forest" Twilight explained.
"We're close! I know we're close-I can feel it!" Hiccup clenched his hands anxiously.
"But you're not standing on a dragon. Are they invisible?" Pinkie looked around, confused.
"I'm a little worried 'bout supplies" Applejack was concerned, "We didn't exactly go shoppin' around Baltimare, and I ain't trustin' the grass in the Everfree Forest."
"I know one place with a roof and clean grass,. " Twilight suddenly remembered, "The old castle"
"Isn't that the place where we fought Nightmare Moon?" Rainbow Dash tilted her head.
"It's close to Zecora-she can't house us, but she knows where food is in the forest and can help us out" Twilight went on to explain.
"Castle? Zecora? Nightmare moon?! What is going on!" Snoutlout chose this moment to be melodramatic.
"They know where we can stay and someone who can help us with food" Hiccup explained dully.
"Oh"
Fortunately, it was only a short walk between the river where they disembarked and the castle itself; they were there by sundown. The castle was quite imposing, even to the ponies who had been there before, but Twilight found her courage, led the others inside and began to unpack her saddlebag
"D-do we have to stay here?" Fluttershy gave one last protest.
"It's the only shelter around here. If you don't feel comfortable, you can follow me; I'm going to see if Zecora can help us" Twilight said.
"Oh. I guess I should" Fluttershy weighed her intimidating options.
Hiccup couldn't help but be awed by the stone structure. The great hall on Berk was dwarfed by this edifice. It was made of a stone he was unfamiliar with, and his fertile imagination tried to figure out how it was built. If he could make a stone castle on Berk, not only would Stoick be impressed, but it would be invaluable in case of dragon attacks and storms. He knew Gobber would roll his eyes at the suggestion, but he couldn't help but dream up a new construction project.
"Hiccup?" Twilight interrupted his thoughts.
"Hm?" he said with a start.
"I'm going to my herbalist friend Zecora. Would you like to join me? Fluttershy and Fishlegs are going with me. "
"Uh, sure" he shrugged, but his curiosity was piqued again.
"Thanks, I really do appreciate your cooperation on this whole thing. Applejack, try to keep everyone in one piece while we're gone" Twilight gave him a smile before turning back to the ponies.
"Yessiree, ma'am. This ain't the kind of place I'd camp out at, but I guess it'll have to do" Applejack said with an understanding n
"I'll get some firewood. I saw some brush just an arrowshot away. " Astrid volunteered.
"I can start a fire!" Spike offered.
"You guys be careful-Twilight's told me about this place" said Hiccup.
"SLEEPOVER IN A CASTLE! WOO!" Pinkie Pie bounced up and down, completely immune to the gloom.
"You be careful too, sugarcube" Applejack called out as Twilight led her party into the woods.
Twilight tried not to be nervous in the Everfree. She'd heard stories all her life, and whenever she ventured into the place, there was always a danger she only overcame with difficulty and a lot of help. Fishlegs and Fluttershy weren't helping.
"How dangerous are the plants around here?" Fishlegs blurted out.
"Most of them are quite harmless species, but we've run into some fairly dangerous magical flora. I'd not touch anything"
"I wasn't going to"
"What about the wildlife?" Hiccup's curiosity overcame his fear.
"Mostly magical and mostly dangerous. Manticores, timberwolves, Ursas, cockatrice."
"They're not that bad if you know how to handle them, but they're still very dangerous" Fluttershy added in a whisper.
One part of Hiccup wanted to see these strange animals and plants, learn about them, commit them to memory. Another part told him he'd regret and that a boring trek would be much more preferable.
Fortunately, things were quite uneventful. It was a calm and quiet evening even in the Everfree. The only sound was the faint murmur of crickets, cicadas, and other insects. A distant buzz from an unidentified insect once was heard, as was the hoot of an owl.
Zecora's hut emitted a faint glow that led them there, the smell of her cookfire and herbs differentiating it further from the other trees of the forest. Indeed, it was a large tree that served as her residence, much like the library back at Ponyville. However, the gourds, dried plants, and lanterns hanging from the branches, as well as the presence of ornate carved wooden masks placed in seemingly strategic positions around it, marked it as a unique place even among ponies.
Twilight cast a knocking spell on the door to announce their arrival.
"My ears hear a magical sound; is my friend the princesses' student around?" a deeply accented voice rhymed out from inside.
"Yes, it's Twilight Sparkle and Fluttershy. I'd like your help on something that's come up"
"Whether magical or common, I can answer your request. Come in, come in, and be my guest" was the reply, the door opening.
The glow was brighter inside, of course, illuminating more masks, gourds, plants, feathers, furs, statuettes, cups, pots, spoons, pestles, mortars, and things Hiccup couldn't even identify. It reminded him of Gothi's place; there was an air of history and arcane knowledge there, of secrets and stories and ancient traditions.
"Well, well, well, what manner of creatures are these, who have ventured under the shadow-cloaked trees?" Hiccup turned to the speaker.
She was a pony like the others, but one very different. She wore hooped earrings, a bracelet and a collar, all made of gold. Her mane was stiff and erect like a brush. Most importantly, she was covered in black and white stripes from snout to tail, from mane to hooves. Some of the dragons had stripes and patterns, but nothing quite like the pony talking to him.
Twilight explained as best she could-Discord's meddling, who Vikings were, the Dragons of Berk, and the search for the dragons. She concluded with the arrival at the castle and the need for information and supplies.
Zecora looked thoughtfully at her guests, studying them, then finally spoke again.
"Food and water I can give you to last for some nights. And there is something more that has entered my sights. "
"A dragon?" Fishlegs asked hopefully.
"The creature I did not see, but I witnessed fire and smoke from among the trees. Dragons do live in the forest, my friend, but you must discover what lies at the end. From the northwest, where the wind blows sour, the fire came two days ago at this hour" she explained.
"Fire and smoke-sorry Hiccup, that rules out Toothless" Fishlegs concluded.
"It's not so much the dragon, Fish; it's finding them before they do too much damage and before we run out of supplies. Thanks so much for everything, Zecora." Hiccup said as she began to prepare the rations for them. It looked like dried fruit, nuts, seeds, and some odd-looking bread, but it was something.
"I must empty my pantry to feed you all-but if a dragon is here, my gift cannot be small"
"Have there been dragons in these woods before?" Fishlegs asked her.
"Gostir the Green, in the northern caves dwells. But my memory knows another that causes fear to swell" Zecora's tone turned grim, "In my fillyhood many years past, the forest was ravaged by a dragon's blasts. Eventually the dragon fled, but it left many in the forest dead. What caused the beast to flee I do not know; but life returned to breed and grow"
"Life, um, finds a way" Fluttershy agreed.
"Again, thank you for everything, Zecora" Twilight smiled at her old friend as they finished packing their bags with Zecora's food.
"I wish you all the best, my very unique honored guests" The zebra gave a deep bow as they left her hut.
"Zecora is a Zebra" Twilight explained, "I saw your confusion. They're a pony people living in Zebrica far to the south. They've got some really interesting history and magic, and Zecora's been a real help to us. She knows the forest in and out, and has incredible knowledge of nature and magic"
"You know, I was thinking about how much we needed a castle on Berk. Now that I meet this shaman, I think people like her are more important" Hiccup said thoughtfully.
"That's certainly what I learned from living here" Twilight agreed.
"Fishlegs, if you eat your rations now, then there won't be enough when you're really hungry!" Hiccup stopped to roll his eyes at his friend behind him.
"Sorry-I was just curious about the taste. " The other Viking pulled his hand out of the bag.
"I'll be happy when we're out of the forest." Fluttershy said.
"I thought you liked it" Fishlegs looked at her as he tied his bag shut.
"I don't want anyone getting hurt"
"Me neither, but it's something I've gotten used to"
"We haven't run into anything so far" Twilight tried to buoy her spirits.
"Yeah, I think it's gonna be a quiet night" Hiccup said.
Why did he have to say that and jinx it?
As they approached the castle, they could hear screaming and roaring. The walk became a run. Fishlegs and Fluttershy could move surprisingly fast. Even Hiccup with his metal foot found himself at a sprint.
Then they saw it.
"That's not one of our dragons!" Fishlegs cried out.
"IT'S A HYDRA!" Twilight screamed.
"Hydras follow the smell of dragon! It must have smelled them!" Fluttershy's voice raised in panic.
"We've got three of 'em!" Hiccup's eyes widened in realization.
"SPIKE!" they all cried out their conclusion.
Indeed, one of the colossal heads of the giant creature was chasing the little dragon, the immense neck stretching behind it, Applejack's lasso tied around it. Another head was biting down on Meatlug, trying to pierce the ironlike hide with it's sharp fangs. A third head was engaged in a furious battle with Hookfang, the smaller dragon snapping and blasting fire. The fourth head was fighting the four remaining Vikings at the same time as they hacked at the impervious scales with their swords and axes.
Rarity jumped on the head chasing Spike.
"Youbruteyoubruteyoubruteyoubruteyoubrute!" she pounded her hooves into the monster's skull, but was too small to deter its course.
Suddenly a bright violet beam struck its eye. The head reared up in a roar of pain, knocking off Rarity. As Spike ran to her side, the head turned to glare with its good eye at its attacker.
"Remember me, you big Cnidarian impersonator?! Want a second crack at me?" The small purple unicorn challenged the creature.
The hydra's head roared in defiance.
"I'll keep him busy! You try to get the heads distracted."
"Um, the scales are harder than any other nondragon reptile. You might want to go for its eyes if you want to fight it. I don't think you should, but I won't stop you" Fluttershy murmured.
"Fluttershy, get Spike inside the castle! Fishlegs, we'll need to free Meatlug if we're going to stand a chance-get a torch!" Hiccup immediately understood Twilight's plan, and he led Fishlegs to the fire. Fortunately, Astrid had gathered enough good wood-she had enough woodcraft to figure out which of the local trees had the best firewood, and they were still burning bright.
Meanwhile, Twilight ran at the hydra, her horn glowing. Suddenly, she blinked into nothingness. The Hydra's mouth closed around soil, not a pony.
"Down here! Keep following me!" Twilight called out from beneath the hydra. The head dove back to her, but she galloped around one of the legs. This second bite hit the leg instead, causing the head chasing Hookfang to cry out and turn to see what had happened. As the two heads hissed at each other, Hookfang dove to the head attacking the Vikings.
Just in time-the head was about to bite down on Snotlout. Suddenly it was engulfed in flame and reeled and pain. Seizing his chance, Snotlout motioned to Hookfang.
"Over here!"
The Monstrous nightmare chomped down on him again as he swooped near, but then tossed him in the air for the Viking to land on his neck.
"All right! Nobody interrupts my beauty sleep and gets away with it!"
As the head turned to fight the dragon, the other two heads focused on Twilight.
"Pinkie, Rainbow! I need a distraction!"
"On it!" With a jump start Rainbow Dash, who had been kicking at the head biting Meatlug, flew to one of the head attacking Twilight. With literally blinding speed, she spun around it, causing the beast to see nothing but a blur of rainbow. Given that one eye was still sore and shut from Twilight's blast, it reeled in a swoon.
Meanwhile, the other head dove down to attack Twilight…only to receive a pie in the eye.
"Pie in the face. Works every time" Pinkie Pie smirked triumphantly, "Hey ya big bully! Betcha can't beat Pinkie Sense this time either!" She pronked defiantly.
With the three other heads distracted, the Vikings began to attack the head chewing on Meatlug.
"It's no good! The scales are too tough!" Astrid yelled out in frustration, her sword rebounding off the monster's hide.
"GET AWAY FROM MY BABY!"
That was Fishlegs, armed nothing with a torch. The chubby blonde teen suddenly was on top of the hydra's head, jabbing a torch into one of its eyes. This finally caused a roar of pain that dropped the Gronkle.
"Whoa, where did that come from?" Tuffnut gaped, his axe falling limply to his side.
"I don't know but I really like it!" Ruffnut grinned.
"What we need is Barf and Belch. We need more heads" Tuffnut shook his head
"Well, we've already got 15 heads. Why do we need 17?"
"More heads are better-plus, those are dragon heads, and those count a lot more"
"What do you want? Just yell out 'HEY BARF AND BELCH, WE NEED TO FIGHT A HYDRA'?!"
A Zippleback's shadow covered the moon.
"Auðumbla, it worked"
Hiccup was just as surprised to see the Hideous Zippleback fly down to slam against one of the Hydra's heads. He had never been happier to see (and smell) that dragon before.
"Concentrate your fire!" Hiccup cupped his hands against his mouth to yell at the four riders as they swirled through the air.
As Astrid jogged over to Hiccup, winded, she could see the flames surround the hydra's head. It was unharmed, but it was in agony, struggling to breathe.
Meanwhile, Twilight was concentrating hard, blasting another head with a sleeping spell. It was relatively new magic for her, but it was her only chance to stop the head. Rainbow and Pinkie, meanwhile had led the other two heads on a merry chase, crossing paths to get the heads entangled with each other and the Hydra's legs. The tide was turning.
Then something went wrong.
The hydra shifted positions, and with a blow of its tail knocked Twilight into the castle's wall. A backswing swatted Hookfang out of the sky. The head fighting Twilight turned to headbutt Rainbow. The newly freed head turned to attack Barf and Belch, butting Belch, flinging Ruffnut to the ground and knocking Belch out cold.
Astrid and Hiccup turned towards each other.
"Well, I guess this is it" Hiccup said glumly.
"Hiccup…I love you. " Astrid blurted out.
"I love you too, Milday" It came out completely naturally. It was the truth.
"See you in Valhalla. We'll burn over the Bifrost together" she raised her sword to salute him, then turned to charge the hydra.
Wait a minute. Valhalla. Bifrost. Sutr. Fire.
"Wait!" he grasped her shoulder.
She turned, confused.
"I've got an idea. Try to lure him into the castle."
"I hate to admit it, but I can't move that fast"
"I sure can, sugarcube" Applejack, knocked down earlier, rose back up to the occasion, Rarity at her side
"Are you all right?" Astrid asked her.
"I've had better. I heard the plan, Hiccup. We'll try to lure him in, and I'll let the others know"
"I'll pack up everything and get Spikey and Fluttershy out of the way." Rarity nodded, "Do be careful, darling"
With a whinny, Applejack was off.
Hiccup turned to Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle, both stumbling to their feet.
"Are you guys gonna be all right?"
"Did anyone get the number on that thing? I'd like to file a report" Rainbow was cross-eyed.
"I'm going to make a headache potion when I get home. What happened?" Twilight groaned.
"Hydra broke free, I'm going to lure him into the campfire"
"How is a campfire going to help?"
"Barf breathes flammable gas"
"Oh. That's brilliant. "She blinked, surprised, "But you'll need to get that dragon over here with the hydra" Twilight then turned, managing to summon enough magic to splash Rainbow Dash with Water.
"I'm sorry I fell asleep in class!-oh, wow what happened?" Rainbow Dash shook her head awake.
"Rainbow, I need you to get me to the two-headed dragon" Hiccup pleaded.
"Gee, if you had want something that simple you didn't need to ask twice. For a moment I thought this was gonna be hard" Rainbow smirked confidently, her spirit returning.
"I'll help Rarity and try to get a spell to contain the fire. Hope this works" Twilight nodded before trotting off.
The plan went into motion.
"Pinkie, get the hydra to the campfire! Invite it over for marshmallows!" Applejack called out.
"Guys, we need the hydra back to the camp. Try to get it there without getting killed!" Astrid's voice joined hers.
Obediently, Pinkie Pie, Fishlegs, and Snotlout took one more shot at each head, then fell back, swooping (or bouncing in Pinkie's case) back to keep its attention.
Rainbow Dash, meanwhile, landed new to Barf and Belch.
"Can you guys move? Is Ruffnut okay?" Hiccup ran over.
"Four heads is too many." Tuffnut grumbled, "Oh, she'll be okay. I've hit her harder on purpose.
"Five more minutes, mom…I'm having a dream about a mead and a jarl…" She mumbled.
"Tuff, we need Barf to blow up the campfire. Barf needs to…barf on the fire while the hydra's still there. One big blast and we can send it packing." Hiccup said, grasping Tuffnut by the helmet to turn his head towards him.
"Hiccup, that might be the best idea you've ever had."
"WILL YOU PEOPLE STOP THANKING ME AND DO SOMETHNG!" He flailed in frustration.
Giggling maniacally, Tuffnut got on Barf, Hiccup sitting behind on the body, and Rainbow Dash supporting the limp wing.
"If this works, this will make this whole trip worth it" Tuffnut said to Rainbow
"I gotta say, you're right" Rainbow Dash grinned herself.
With practiced efficiency, Spike, Fluttershy and Rarity had cleared the camp of the supplies and left the campfire by itself. They got out of the way just in time to see Pinkie, Hookfang and Meatlug come in.
"It's a bit of a loss for archaeology" Rarity sighed, "but I suppose if Twilight can live with a singed castle I suppose it's worth it"
"This is going to ruin a lot of nocturnal animal's nights. We might blind them." Fluttershy agreed with regret as they trotted to the nearby woods.
"Hey, as long as we're not eaten, I can handle it" Spike rolled his eyes.
Unfortunately, the hydra got there before Barf and Belch did.
"I think that was my last fire!" Snotlout called out, "Where's Hiccup?"
"I hope he's close-I don't think her wings can take much more of this!" Fishlegs called back, noticing Meatlug's exhaustion as she struggled to keep aloft and to keep ahead of the Hydra's heads.
"You guys gotta try my mole!" Pinkie Pie was still chipper, "I remember the last time I made it, it had so much sugar I was up the whole night! And it was so hot I was breathing fire just like Spike!"
"What is she even talking about?!" Snotlout's confusion did not help his anxiety .
"I don't know but it sounds delicious" Fishlegs was more thoughtful.
Just as Meatlug dropped to the ground, a hydra head trying to chomp on her and instead ramming headfirst into the castle, Barf and Belch came into view.
"We need to give it all he's got! Every last bit of gas!" Hiccup reminded Tuffnut.
"Roger that." Tuffnut had put on goggles, "Beginning sequence….three…two…one…GO!" And he pulled hard on the reigns with a yank.
A huge flume of green gas poured out from the dragon's still-conscious head. Rainbow and Hiccup reeled from the smell as the stinking cloud the size of the hydra itself streamed out…and stood still in the air.
"Oh, for crying out loud" Rainbow Dash slapped her forehead with her hoof, dropped the dragon's wing, and then blew hard on the gas cloud with powerful flaps of wings. It seemed to take hours to float over. Time stood still. It floated around the hydra, halting it in its tracks. Even for a dweller of an aromatic swamp, the hydra found itself coughing on the foul odor. Twilight stood near, her horn glowing, magically erecting a force field around the hydra, the fire, and the gas. A tendril of the gas reached over to the fire as if prodding it…and then everything exploded.
There was a deafening thunderclap and a blinding flash. All other sights and sounds muted.
Hiccup went blind and deaf for a few minutes. Only slowly could he make out shapes and sounds.
"Well, I guess if we want to make s'mores, we'll have to make a new fire" Pinkie was saying.
"Whoa, I missed something really cool! Why didn't anyone wake me?" Ruffnut was yelling.
Fluttershy, who had covered her eyes out of sheer fear, was the only other one who could see. She and Ruffnut ran over to shake everyone awake.
"That was totally worth it" Hiccup heard Tuffnut say.
"I bet there's this big black stain on the floor. Ruffnut, tell me there's a big singe mark!" Rainbow Dash regained her enthusiasm before her sight.
"Oh yeah! It looks so cool! I can't wait for you to see it!"
"So awesome!" Rainbow squealed in excitement.
"Is everyone all right?" Hiccup yelled out into the darkness.
"Hiccup, is that you? Oh, thank the gods" He heard Astrid sigh in relief.
"Meatlug and I are alive!"
"Hookfang just stepped on me, so he's alive" Snotlout groaned.
"Next time, darling, please warn me to put on my sunglasses." Rarity was complaining.
"Whew, you're alive, Rarity! Where's Twilight?" Hiccup heard Spike.
No response.
"She's still breathing" He barely heard Fluttershy report, "Oh dear, she's out cold"