So here's the latest chapter…

I was thinking about some stories I could write that are really different than those on the site so you all wouldn't get too bored reading this. I guess I took a chance on this one and went with it. Oh well, I hope you all like it anyway! I could have gone deeper into the story but I didn't have the time, sorry.

Enjoy!

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Underdog

Hiccup was always the one everyone picked on, so they left me alone. But now that he's the hero, I'm the butt of their jokes. Sure, I wasn't ever brave or a good fighter or anything that made me stand out, but I was always big enough to hold my own. Hiccup had made enough mistakes to outshine me and keep me out of the line of fire. I never really noticed how good I had it until now.

I thought now that everyone had dragons they might want some help understanding the beasts, and I certainly could do that. But just like before, no one cared about the maneuverability of a Gronkle or the altitude a Deadly Nadder could gain. They only cared about improving their flying skills, and they went to Hiccup about that. I could show them some techniques that might help them. I knew every little bit about dragons and how they flew, so I could guess how someone could fly each one successfully. But like before, no one cared.

The only difference now was that they didn't just ignore me.

It all started one morning when I was telling Ruffnut about ways she could try to get her Zippleback to respond more precisely. I was only trying to be nice; the day before she and her brother were thrown into the ocean when their dragon hadn't made the turn fast enough to avoid hitting a boulder that had appeared out of the mist. She didn't pay attention at first, but I must have gotten through to her because she stopped mending her saddle and looked me in the eyes.

"…so if you practice that just a little bit, you two might be able to pull it off. It's crazy, but it could work." I finished with a friendly smile, and for once Ruffnut didn't hit me over the head.

She thought about it for a moment. "That…That makes sense," she paused, a bit unsure. We had never really talked before. "Yeah, I think I'll try that. Thanks." And for the first time, she smiled back at me.

Suddenly there was a loud bang as the door to the blacksmith shop was slammed open. In barged Snotlout and Tuffnut. They seemed their usual selves: arrogant, pompous, and brutal. But today, something was different. They were glaring at me.

Tuffnut was the first to speak. "Trying to tell my sister how to fly, are ya?" he said irritably. They must have heard me talking to Ruffnut from outside.

"Think you're a know-it-all, Fishlegs? Think you're the new flying instructor, huh?" Snotlout added. "We've all seen you fly your fat sausage of a dragon enough times to know you're no Hiccup." He gave me a look that made me feel like I wasn't a good two feet taller than him.

That hurt. It was true, I wasn't the most skilled flyer. But I was getting better. I tried some of my new ideas, but they still needed practice. I had made a lot of mistakes along the way, especially in front of the other teens.

"You just go around telling people this and that and you can't even do it yourself. Ha!" Tuffnut started laughing. "That's a good one."

He turned to his sister. "Don't listen to this joke Ruff. Come on, let's go show him how it's done." He gave me a smirk and turned to walk out the door and their dragon waiting outside. Ruffnut's face turned red, obviously embarrassed about…about taking my advice? She followed her brother and Snotlout out of the shop and never looked back.

It didn't make any sense. I was only sharing my knowledge, trying to be useful. So I wasn't the most skilled fighter or flyer, but did that really make me and the stuff I was good with something to laugh at?

From then on anytime I said anything about dragons someone would say 'Oh, here he goes again', or 'Fishlegs, go get a hobby. Better yet, why don't you just leave?' They made fun of me in every way: my looks, my faults, even my name. I had never known just how lucky I was not to have Hiccup's bottom spot until everything fell apart.

I was depressed all the time. I never felt like doing anything. Not flying, not reading, and not even going outside. Flying was like fighting now, and I was the new punching bag. When everyone was riding and learning about dragons, it didn't matter how much I knew, because I wasn't as good of a flyer as them. I was no Hiccup. Or was I?

Hiccup had been the joke of the village, he had been the one everyone scoffed at. He started at the very bottom and became the hero of Berk. Now I was exactly where he was. Could I do the same? I definitely couldn't be the first to befriend a dragon and kill the Green Death, but I could do something else. Maybe my techniques could work. Maybe, just maybe, with a little practice, I could show everyone they were wrong. I could do something great. Maybe, just maybe, by just being me… I could be just like Hiccup.

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Poor Fishlegs…We believe in you!

Thanks to all that are supporting me! Your simple responses mean the world to me. Love you all, and I hope I didn't disappoint.

―Equinelover12348