It Begins

"And what are you smiling at?" Merida asked as she drove herself and Hiccup up the road and towards Dunbroch castle.

Hiccup's mouth had been frozen in a happy smile all morning. He couldn't help it. "Nothing," he said with a goofy grin. It was just great to have a sex life again. And to just be with someone without having to hide anything.

Merida snorted and rolled her eyes. She had a pretty good idea what had him in such a chipper mood. She was equally happy to be with him. She smiled to herself as they drove through a forest road before the castle came into sight.

"Whoa," Hiccup said impressed as the castle came into view. It was huge, with great stone walls, resting on a cliff, and towering over the land. Merida stopped at the closed gates before she reached into her purse and pulled out some kind of remote. She pushed a button on it and the gate screeched before opening for them.

"Automated. Special security," she explained. There were normally guards as well, but her father had dismissed them since she was coming. They didn't want them getting too curious about why they were really here.

As they drove through the gate and into the castle grounds Hiccup looked around impressed. He could see the grounds set up with old style huts and houses resembling an old time village. Merida explained that local shop owners from neighboring towns would come and use them to sell their selections during the highland games. He listened in fascination. Soon they pulled up to the large doors of the castle.

Merida shut off the car and led him to the front. She pushed the large door open and it gave with a loud creak. Inside it was mildly dusty from not being occupied. Merida told Hiccup to wait by the door before she waked to another room. Soon lights came on. Merida came back and explained she turned on the generator and that the castle had been outfitted with electric lighting for convenience.

Then Merida ushered them both through the castle, taking turn and twists through its halls before she led them to a large room with bookshelves. Hiccup assumed this was the library until Merida walked to a shelf, she put her finger into a crack and gave it a slight push, then with click and a lurch the shelf moved to the side revealing a hidden door.

She pushed it open before she gestured for Hiccup to follow after her. Hiccup complied, walking down the dusty stairway as they descended. Merida explained that this was the hidden library that not too many people knew about. Only her family and her. It was here that she learned the true story of Mor'du and his sword. At the bottom of the stairs Merida pushed open another door to reveal a dimly lit room with numerous shelves of books and scrolls.

"Well this is it," Merida said casually.

"How do we even know where to start?" Hiccup asked as he looked at all the books. Merida didn't answer as numerous wisps suddenly appeared. Hiccup gasped in surprise before they began floating around the room, stopping to bob and point at several scroll and books.

"There it would seem. Hows your ancient Gaelic?" Merida asked jokingly.

"Might be a little rusty," Hiccup said with sarcasm. "But that's why I got this," he said as he held up one of his two briefcases. Merida raised an eyebrow as she looked at it. Hiccup walked passed her before he set on down on the table and one on the floor. Then she snapped it open. From inside the case numerous arms and claws and what looked like a scanner came out.

"This little baby will skim through every page of the books we need to go through. Then it will be sent to the supercomputer for translating. It will be a lot faster than trying to translate all of them," he explained. Merida beamed in happiness, glad she wouldn't have to read all the books and scrolls.

"Hiccup have I ever told ye how sexy your brain is?" Merida asked with a smile.

Hiccup blushed and smiled at her. Merida then looked down at the other briefcase. It was lime green with a symbol of a dragon on it. "So what's that one do?" she asked curiously.

"It's for emergencies," he said casually. Merida didn't question it as she went and picked out a scroll. Unfurling it she began to scan its contents. Even with Hiccup's machine they would probably be there for hours.

So with a sigh she sat down and began making out what she could.

Across the Pacific Ocean, a few miles outside of Berk was the town of Burgess. In it was a young woman in her late teens. She walked around the town park with her friends and enjoyed the beautiful day. And all the while she was being watched from the air.

"So that's her?" Limelight asked Frost as she hovered beside him.

Frost kept his gaze trained on her while she sat down on a park bench. "Yeah. That's her," he said softly. With everything looking quiet in Berk, Frost had decided to go check up on his sister. He did this occasionally, watching her from afar. He just wanted to make sure she was ok. He couldn't help it. He was her big brother.

"She looks like you," Limelight said as she looked her over. She had long brown hair like Jack's when he wasn't in disguise. "Why don't you say hello or something?" she asked.

"I don't know. Fear I guess. She thinks I'm dead. Probably better to leave it at that," he said shrugging. Limelight watched him, she could see the turmoil in his eyes. The desire to interact with her but not shake up her world.

She decided to do something about it. With a smile she descended, Frost watched her go wide eyed, wondering what she was up to. Soon she touched down in the middle of the park and waited.

And sure enough, "Oh my god! Is that Limelight?" someone shouted in surprise. She smiled as she was rushed by children and other townspeople, all staring at her in wonder. Even Jack's sister joined them.

She chuckled to herself before letting her hair glow a little. A gasp went through the crowd as they were now sure it was her.

"AWESOME!"

"Hey, how strong are you?"

"What are you doing here?"

"You're so pretty."

A torrent of questions and comments came her way. She looked up and with sigh Jack descended as well.

"Hey look, it's Frost!" came another shout. More people rushed forward, dividing their attention between the two heroes. Jack smiled and was a little nervous as his sister came up to look at him. He hadn't seen her so up close in such a long time. He was slightly afraid he would be recognized.

"Well Frost here just thought maybe you would all like a little snow day, wouldn't you Frost?" Limelight asked with a smile. All the kids look back at Frost hopefully. He contemplated refusing, but one hopeful look from his sister made him cave.

With a smile he raised his staff up before calling forth the icy winds. Soon snowflakes began sprinkling down from the sky. The children all shouted and cheered enthusiastically. Even the adults broke into smiles. Frost smiled as well, especially as he saw his sister catch a snowflake on her tongue.

But suddenly he was hit with snowball to the face. He sputtered and wiped it off to see Limelight smiling at him playfully.

"SNOWBALL FIGHT! BOYS AGAINST GIRLS!" she shouted. The children cheered before the girls began running to her side. They quickly began scooping up snowballs as the boys ran to Frost's. Soon snowballs were flying between the two warring sides. Frost whipped up an ice wall and began shouting orders like a military commander while Limelight just threw gigantic snowball at them.

Frost looked around to see his sister also joining in. He smiled. He was having snowball fight with her. He couldn't remember the last time he'd done that with her. After the snowball fight was over Frost froze the small lake, making it thick and safe enough for skating on. The children began running to their houses to grab their skates.

Diana, Jack's sister, was about to do the same when he stepped in front of her.

"Need some skates?" he asked playfully. She was about to answer when with a wave of his hand he made some out of ice for her at her feet. She beamed excitedly before she nearly fell over on the ice. Jack caught her and began pulling her along. Teaching her to skate.

He watched as she nearly fell over a few times but laughed as she got the hang of it. He looked over to Limelight and smiled at her. She smiled back. This was good enough for Jack. Being able to interact with Diana.

Even if he couldn't be in her life at least he could watch over her and make her happy.

After a few hours of going over the old scrolls and books Merida noticed the repeated mention of some kind of stone. And it apparently had some kind of relation to the standing stones she knew of nearby.

"Hmm," she said thoughtfully.

"Find something Mer?" Hiccup asked.

"Yes. There some kind of stone repeatedly being mentioned. From what I can make out it has some kind of connecting to the standing stones," she informed him.

"The what?" Hiccup asked.

"There are some stones nearby. Sort of like Stonehenge. They're said to contain some kind of powerful magic. And then there's some kind of 'lodestone', or something or other that can be used to complete some kind of ritual," she said chewing the inside of her cheek.

"That sound ominous," Hiccup noted.

"Aye. The druids who wrote these scrolls said it has something to do with the dark spirits as well. And that the Sword or Mor'du is somehow involved."

"So where is this stone?"

Merida only shrugged. She was about to reply when a wisp suddenly appeared. She looked at it as it began whispering and bobbing up and down excitedly. She raised an eyebrow and stood up to follow it as it began to float away from her. Hiccup watched as she followed it to a wall. Then it began to circle around an old torch on the wall.

Merida was confused before she reached a hand up and grabbed it. Pulling down she found it to be a lever. Pulling it all the way she heard a click before a small square brick in the wall suddenly shifted. Then it slid to the right to reveal a small nitch. Looking inside she saw something covered with a cloth. She reached in a removed it before she unwrapped the cloth.

In her hand was white shining stone. All over it were Gaelic symbols. It reminded her of the moon with its whiteness.

"I'm guessing that's the stone then?" Hiccup asked as he came to stand beside her.

"Aye," she said with a nod.

They continued to stare at it. The wisp circled her hand. Confirming that this was indeed the stone she'd been wondering about.

"It's getting late. Probably dark out. How about we head back. I've scanned all the books and scrolls anyway. When the computer is done we'll get the full story," he offered.

Merida nodded in agreement before she led them out of the room. As they walked out of the castle she eyed the stone in her hand. She wondered what exactly this ritual was. But she considered them lucky. They had both the sword and this stone. Their enemies wouldn't win.

Merida began driving them down the road from the castle as she contemplated what all this meant. Hiccup was also deep in thought as he tried to piece things together. He was contemplating calling Jack and Punz to update them on the situation when suddenly Merida hit the brakes hard.

"Whoa, what's up Mer?" Hiccup asked in concern. Merida looked straight ahead. He followed her gaze and his face paled. Standing up the road was Drago.

He had an evil smile on his face before he lifted up his pike and pointed the spiked end at them.

"Reverse!" Hiccup shouted. Merida threw the car into reverse before pressing down on the gas. Immediately the car flew backwards as Drago blasted a hole into the ground. He advanced as they kept backing up. Narrowly dodging a blast that could put a hole in the car.

When they reached the castle they unbuckled before Merida quickly grabbed her suitcase with her gear from the backseat. They leapt from the car right as it exploded from a well-placed blast from Drago. Unfortunately they couldn't get clear of the explosion in time and were sent flying by its force. So hard that Hiccup was knocked unconscious.

Merida gasped and cried out to him in worry before checking on him. He seemed fine expect for a bump on his head. Gritting her teeth she grabbed him and lifted him up. Luckily he wasn't too heavy. She made her way into the castle and into safety.

Meanwhile Drago came up to inspect the wreckage of the car. He growled when he saw no bodies.

"Easy there lad," Mor'du said as he came up beside him. "We'll get them yet. The princess is a clever one. But I have a pretty good idea of what she's planning," he said with a dark smile.

Drago smiled, relishing the thought of being able to finally finish off Fury.

"The hunt is on," Mor'du growled.

It was nighttime in Berk when the heroes returned from Burgess. They came back home smiling before they got in a quick nap. Then later that night Jack went to the supercomputer to call up Hiccup. He furrowed his brows when he didn't answer.

"Weird," he said aloud.

"What is?" Rapunzel asked at his side.

"Hiccup isn't answering. He always answers," Jack said cocking his head to the side.

Rapunzel snorted and rolled her eyes. "It's like two in the morning over their Jack. I'm sure they're asleep," he said dismissively.

Jack couldn't help but feel a slight uneasiness. But with a shrug concluded she was probably right. Then he noticed data being sent to the computer. He saw it was translating some old Gaelic symbols. He began reading through them curiously.

"I'm going to go on patrol," Rapunzel said putting on her mask.

"All right here I come," Jack said.

"It's ok, I can handle this," Rapunzel said.

"Are you sure. What if you run into Pitch again?" he asked in concern.

"I'll call if I do," she said with nod. Jack mulled it over before nodding in acceptance. With that Rapunzel made her way to the exit platform before she made her way to the surface. Jack watched her leave before turning his attention back to the computer. He was about to start reading when he gave up, opting to go watch some TV instead.

"Eve, inform me when the translation is complete," he said aloud before walking to the lounging area.

Above the streets of Berk Limelight watched the people go about their business while keeping a look out for any crimes. She flew above the streets at a casual and relaxed pace, sweeping them over. It seemed pretty calm tonight. She wondered where their enemies were.

She honestly still wanted to punch Pitch in the face for nearly having her kill Merida. But she pushed it to the back of her mind a she focused. She then smiled to herself as she thought about their team. She never would have imagined she would be a part of a superhero team.

She loved working with them all. It made her wonder what was going to happen after this was all over. Would they simply go their separate ways forever? Unlikely since the entire team were in relationships. She hoped they would continue working together. She felt stronger with them than without them.

But her thoughts were interrupted as a shiver ran down her spine. She recognized it as her body responding to the presence of dark magic. Narrowing her eyes she began glancing around to locate the source.

And then she saw him.

Down in an alley, standing there with a smug and amused grin was Pitch. He stared up at her, relaxed and with his hands behind his back. His eyes invited a challenge.

Clenching her fists she flew towards him. But when she drew near he simply stepped back and into the shadows before disappearing. She cursed in frustration, but then she saw him peaking around a corner at her. Hovering off the ground she pursued.

And so she chased Pitch throughout the city. He would always disappear before reappearing on a building or around a corner. She could tell he was leading her somewhere, and she was determined to find out where.

After at least ten minute of following him she flew into a construction site. It was an empty plot of land where a new building was going to be built. All around there were building supplies such as stacks of bricks, trucks, and a crane with a platform of girders.

Limelight stood out in the open, waiting for Pitch to show himself. Her blood was boiling and she let her power surge through her.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't the little flower," came Pitch's voice from behind. Limelight narrowed her eyes before turning around to see Pitch staring at her with a wicked smirk.

Limelight raised a finger to her ear to call Frost when Pitch spoke up. "Oh yes, that's right little flower. Call Frost. He's the one I want to kill the most anyway," he taunted. Limelight stopped. She gave Pitch a death glare. He'd gone way too far.

And though she knew he was probably baiting her, she didn't care. She was going to beat him. She let her hands hang at her side as she rolled her shoulders and took a breath to ready herself.

Then Pitch raised his hands up, immediately she was surrounded by a column of black sand. When it cleared she was in the old tower Gothel kept her locked away. She glanced around. Everything was exactly the same. Gloomy, dusty, dank, and devoid of life. But she knew better than to give in this time.

"This isn't real," she said aloud. Then channeling her energy into her fist she punched the ground. The illusion crumbled away. She glanced around, more determined than ever to fight.

"GET OUT HERE PITCH!"

Atop a building overlooking the construction site Pitch watched Limelight look for him. He was only slightly surprised to find his power of fear didn't work on her anymore. But the illusion had served it purpose. It had distracted her enough to allow him to get something off her person.

"Take them," he said holding out the item to his partner. Gothel stepped forward to take it. She looked down at Limelight and smirked.

"Keep her busy. As long as you can," she told him. He nodded. Stepping into the shadows he disappeared.

Gothel smiled to herself. Everything was going as planned. Limelight was the most dangerous out of all the team. Her power levels made her strong enough to fight Gothel and her allies singlehandedly. So Pitch would buy her as much time as she needed.

Stepping away she began to make her way toward the heroes' base.

"PICTH!" Limelight shouted angrily.

"Right here flower," Pitch said behind her. Limelight turned around with a snarl. He smiled before snapping his fingers. Immediately he was suddenly surrounded by nightmares. All sets of amber eyes were upon Limelight. Ready to tear her apart.

But she wasn't afraid. She was just angry. She was ready to fight.

Pitch stood there as his nightmares surged passed him and at her.

Hovering off the ground Limelight gathered her energy into her hands and flew at them.

Back at the base Frost went to the supercomputer. Eve had informed him of the translations being finished. So he decided to skim over them. Toothless sat beside him as he looked up at the screen. Then suddenly he heard the entrance platform become active.

He glanced over his shoulder to see Limelight entering.

"Back so soon?" he asked inquisitively.

Limelight just shrugged. "There wasn't much going on. And no sign of the Mor'du or his allies," she explained.

Frost nodded in acceptance. The suddenly by his side Toothless growled. He looked down to see him staring intently at Limelight. He growled lowly at her.

"Toothless, what's wrong bud?" Frost asked curiousnly. Toothless just kept growling.

"Oh I rescued a cat out of a tree. He probably smells that," Limelight said dismissively. "I got to use the restroom. I'll be back," she said walking down the hall. Frost just shrugged and turned back to the computer.

But Toothless watched her walk away before padding after her. Something wasn't right. It was her smell. She didn't smell like the normal Rapunzel. He wanted to attack her the moment he smelled her. But he didn't want to be wrong and hurt his master's friend. He followed her as she made her way through the halls. He followed her intently before she walked into a storage room. The door closed for a second before opening. He stepped in to find her looking at him.

"Smart doggie aren't you?" she said in a different voice.

Her voice confirmed his suspicious. This wasn't Rapunzel. Growling low his eyes became reptilian slits. She just stood there and smirked. Toothless didn't hesitate. With a snarl he leapt at her, intent on ripping the intruder apart. But when he made contact he suddenly passed through her.

He smacked into the shelf behind her form painfully. He whined in confusion before his ears perked up. He looked back to the door to see her standing there, an evil smile on her face. Growling low he prepared to lunge again when the door suddenly closed. He threw himself at it. Trying to break it down.

He snarled and barked angrily, but the door wouldn't open.

Outside Limelight stabbed the console with wicked black dagger. The panel sparked and malfunctioned violently and locked the door. She smiled to herself. So far so good. This should buy them some time.

Her plan was working perfectly.

Now all she had to do was deal with Frost. She had to get him to show her where the sword was and how to get to it. While also disabling the security. That shouldn't be too hard. He was a man after all.

And what man wouldn't succumb to a pretty face?

New chapter. Uh oh. Its going down.