Later on at the arena...
"Well, I can show my face in public again!" Stoick announced as he stood beside Patrick. "If someone had told me that in just few short weeks, Hiccup would go from being, well... Hiccup, to placing first in Dragon Training... Well, I would've tied him to a mast and shipped him off for fear he'd gone mad. Yes! And you know it! But here we are. And no one's more surprised...or more proud than I am. Today, my boy becomes a Viking. TODAY, HE BECOMES ONE OF US!"
"You ready?" Atticus asked Hiccup.
"I-I guess so..." Hiccup said, though still felt nervous.
"Be careful with that dragon." Astrid advised.
"It's not the dragon I'm worried about." Hiccup replied with a glance to his father.
"You're worried about your dad, right?" Atticus guessed.
"Yeah..." Hiccup admitted.
"Well, we better get out there with what ever weapon you choose." Atticus said.
"What are you gonna do?" Astrid asked Hiccup.
"Put an end to this," Hiccup replied only to get a dubious glance from her. "I have to try. Astrid, if something goes wrong... Just make sure they don't find Toothless or Spyro."
Patrick soon saw which weapon his son and Hiccup were going with.
"I will," Astrid told the boys. "Just... Promise me it won't go wrong."
"We can try..." Atticus said, a bit nervously before going as Hiccup picked out a dagger.
"It's time, Hiccup and Atticus," Gobber called. "Knock him dead."
"We'll try." Atticus said.
"Show 'em how it's done, my man!" Tuffnut jeered with a laugh.
Hiccup soon came into the arena with his dagger.
"I would've gone for the hammer." Stoick commented about his son's choice of a weapon.
Atticus and Hiccup were soon in the arena. "We're ready." The two said as they came into the arena.
"Oh, Atticus, please be careful, I know you're strong, but please..." Patrick hoped from the sidelines.
Atticus knew what he and Hiccup had to do. The Monstrous Nightmare was soon released before the two boys. Hiccup and Atticus raised their hands like with Toothless and Spyro.
"What are they doing?!" Stoick demanded.
"I'm not sure, but I trust them with what they decide to do." Patrick said.
"It's okay, we're not one of them." Atticus told the dragon before removing his helmet with Hiccup.
"Stop the fight." Stoick demanded.
"No! We need you all to see this," Hiccup replied. "They're not what we think they are. We don't have to kill them."
"I SAID STOP THE FIGHT!" Stoick growled, slamming his hammer which startled the dragon. "Out of my way!"
"Stop!" Atticus told the dragon as he blocked its path from Hiccup.
"Guys!" Astrid panicked.
The dragon looked ready to attack as it was frightened. Atticus began to do his best to calm down the dragon. Toothless and Spyro were hanging up until they heard cries for help and then went to go answer them.
"Stoick, please!" Patrick begged. "Don't hurt the dragons!"
Atticus began to start soothing The Monstrous Nightmare. The dragon growled and glared until it soon settled down.
"It's okay..." Atticus comforted. "No one's gonna hurt you."
The dragon seemed to trust him as it soon nuzzled up to him. Atticus gave a small smile to the dragon. Toothless and Spyro soon came, but that got everyone's attention.
"Don't even think about touching the purple one!" Atticus glared like a protective father. "Because if any of you touch or hurt him, I will end you."
Gobber looked just shocked to see a Night Fury up close.
"Same goes with Toothless!" Atticus warned.
Stoick stormed towards the dragons, not listening to any protests as he was raised and lived believing that dragons should be hunted. Patrick soon stormed in to keep Stoick from hurting either dragon.
"Stand down." Stoick told him.
"No," Patrick glared. "If Atticus says dragons shouldn't be harmed, then dragons shouldn't be harmed."
"Besides, the Monstrous Nightmare only attacked because you startled him!" Atticus also glared at Stoick.
"It attacked, and it's attacked before, dragons aren't capable of love!" Stoick glared back.
Spyro began to get angered from how Stoick thought about his species.
"You're being selfish!" Atticus glared, feeling both sad and angry, sad that the man wouldn't see the truth and angry that he was too arrogant to even listen. "I know dragons attacked, but they're just scared! They're not the predators, it's you and everyone else in your village!"
"That's right!" Spyro added.
"Look at this little guy..." Atticus said as he picked up Spyro and the purple dragon made a pout with cute dewy eyes, almost like faun Bambi. "Does this look like the face of a guilty dragon?"
"He's got ya there." Patrick said to Stoick.
Stoick growled as he looked angry and annoyed. Atticus pouted with Spyro as the purple dragon nearly looked like he was going to cry like a kicked puppy.
'Please work, please work.' Spyro thought to himself.
"They're not monsters... You are..." Atticus firmly told Stoick.
"So much like his mother..." Patrick whispered because of how Emily always stood up for what she thought was right, he did the same, but not as often as she did.
"They defend themselves, that's all!" Hiccup even said as help. "They raid us because they have to! If they don't bring enough food back, they'll be eaten themselves. There's something else on their island, Dad."
When Hiccup mentioned the island, it caught Stoick's attention.
"Their island? So you've been to the nest." Stoick replied.
"Did I say nest?" Hiccup smiled nervously.
"How did you find it?!" Stoick demanded.
"We're not exactly sure how." Atticus said.
"Well, Toothless and Spyro did," Hiccup added. "Only a dragon can find the island."
Stoick then suddenly stormed off.
"Oh, no, no. Dad, no! Dad! It's not what you think!" Hiccup panicked as he tried to stop his father. "You don't know what you're up against! It's like nothing you've ever seen! Dad, please! I promise you that you can't win this one! No! Dad, no! FOR ONCE IN YOUR LIFE, WOULD YOU PLEASE JUST LISTEN TO ME!"
Stoick gave his son a long, cold look. "You've thrown your lot in with them. You're not a Viking. You're not my son."
Patrick looked outraged that Stoick would say that.
"That was just cold..." Atticus pouted angrily at what the man said to Hiccup.
"READY THE SHIPS!" Stoick commanded as he came to the docks. "Set sail! We head for Helheim's Gate."
Atticus soon rushed off to get Spyro and Toothless.
"Stoick, you shouldn't be doing this," Patrick frowned. "Atticus is right to side with the dragons."
Atticus nodded as he got ready to leave with both dragons.
"Get out of the way." Stoick told Atticus.
"Never!" Atticus replied.
"Nobody talks back to me." Stoick glared.
"Someone just did!" Atticus glared back. "You need to be put in your place about hurting dragons, because it's just wrong!"
Crystal spikes began to appear.
"You won't talk back to me or tell me what to do, I'm in charge of this group, not you," Stoick scolded Atticus. "You don't even know what you're doing or what you are talking about."
"I've raised Spyro since he was an egg!" Atticus told him as crystal spikes started to spread.
Patrick cringed and smiled nervously as Atticus and Stoick got into an argument.
"Um, D-Dad? You might wanna calm down." Spyro gulped.
Atticus just growled towards Stoick.
"Where did these come from?" Stoick demanded once he found the crystal spikes.
"Uh, let's just say, don't make my son mad," Patrick suggested. "Alright, Stoick, apology accepted, right, son?!"
"Not until I hear him apologize and be sincere about it." Atticus said out of anger.
"Oh, but he did?" Patrick smiled nervously.
"DAD!" Atticus complained.
"Please, Stoick, for your own safety..." Patrick told the viking.
"Grandpa is right, if Dad stays angry, then everyone could be in danger." Spyro said.
Stoick didn't say anything, but he looked like he was defeated and realized that he was wrong.
"At least the Red Death isn't here." Spyro smiled nervously.
"I guess so..." Patrick said to the young dragon.
"Alright, I suppose I misjudged dragons... It's a generational thing..." Stoick admitted to Atticus to settle him down. "Also, I suppose Hiccup takes after Valka with his boldness and decisions."
The crystals seemed to stop as Atticus, Patrick, Spyro, and Toothless were curious about who Valka was.
"You all right now?" Patrick asked.
"Could I have a glass of water?" Atticus replied.
"Sure..." Patrick smiled as he soon got some water for his son and handed a drink out to him.
Atticus soon drank the glass of water as the crystals vanished as they soon heard dragon roars and where Atticus and Patrick could understand what they were saying.
"More dragons..." Patrick whispered with a sigh.
"And they sound scared." Atticus added as he finished his drink.
"Stoick, excuse us." Patrick told the viking.
Atticus and Patrick soon walked off together to check out the dragons.
"I think I might have just jinxed us." Spyro said.
"It's all right, Spyro, I felt like something like this was bound to happen in a time like this." Patrick said.
The Red Death dragon was soon shown and it looked just like in Atticus's nightmare which worried him.
"Sweet mother of Poseidon..." Patrick muttered.
Atticus's knees began to buckle. Spyro soon came to Atticus to give him a ride since Hiccup and the others were going to ride dragons, and where Stoick was being proven that dragons really did have feelings.
"Ruff, Tuff, watch your backs!" Hiccup commanded. "Move, Fishlegs!"
"LOOK AT US!" Tuffnut called out in surprise. "WE'RE ON A DRAGON! WE'RE ON DRAGONS! ALL OF US!"
"Get used to it." Atticus replied.
"Up, let's move it!" Hiccup told the others.
"All right, Spyro, just think of how easy it was in The Dragon Games." Atticus advised.
"You got it, Dad." Spyro nodded.
"Okay! Lout, Legs, hang in its blind spot!" Hiccup instructed. "Make some noise, keep it confused! Ruff, Tuff, find out if it has a shot limit! Make it mad!"
"That's my specialty!" Ruffnut smirked.
"Since when?!" Tuffnut glared. "Everyone knows I'm more irritating! See?!"
"I think both of you are the most irritating." Atticus groaned.
Spyro hid a small chuckle to that as that was pretty funny.
"Just do what I told you!" Hiccup told the twins. "I'll be back as soon as I can!"
"Don't worry, we got it covered!" Snotlout reassured.
"Yeah!" Spyro added.
"Hmm... It almost seems as though The Red Death doesn't have a blind spot..." Atticus said, then that soon made him worry.
"I think you might be right!" Fishlegs panicked.
"And if we try to find its blind spot, then the dragons will start getting dizzy." Atticus said.
"You sure about this?" Fishlegs asked him. "Are you serious?"
"Just trust me!" Atticus told him.
Hiccup began to get to Toothless.
"I hope this works." Spyro frowned.
"Me too, Spyro, me too." Atticus soothed him.
"Okay, hold on, hold on..." Hiccup told the others.
Spyro looked like he we was on the edge, but kept Atticus in flight as they waited for something to happen, and luckily, it had worked like they had hoped that it would.
"It's working!" Snotlout soon cheered.
"Yeah! It's working!" Fishlegs added.
"Great!" Atticus added.
Spyro and Atticus watched what was happening, but it was soon failing.
"No!" Atticus yelped.
"I've lost power on the Gronckle! SNOTLOUT! DO SOMETHING!" Fishlegs cried out as this wasn't working so well anymore. "I'm okay! Less okay...!"
"That had to hurt." Spyro winced.
Stoick soon came out as everyone tried to train and handle The Red Death which nearly seemed impossible.
"Dad, The Red Death looks like it has wings." Spyro told Atticus.
"Hm?" Atticus asked before taking a look. "Hey, you're right! I don't think I noticed that before."
"You guys see anything?" Hiccup asked.
"Yes, Hiccup, the Red Death has wings." Atticus nodded.
"Let's see if it can use them." Hiccup said.
"Yes." Spyro agreed.
Atticus and Hiccup soon came to test The Red Death with its wings as it snarled at everyone like a horrific monster. Toothless and Spyro began to attack The Red Death to get its attention.
"Oh, Atticus, I know you've been through so much, but please make it out okay." Patrick hoped for his son.
"You call those wings?" Atticus laughed at the Red Death to mock it. "I bet a griffin could beat you in five seconds!"
The Red Death soon became enraged from the mockery. Atticus and Spyro soon both made funny faces. The Red Death growled and began to swat at them, but was missing.
"Catch us if you can?" Atticus mocked.
The Red Death growled and lunged out, looking like it was going to eat him alive.
"ATTICUS!" Patrick panicked.
Atticus saw this coming and soon went up.
"I don't know where that boy gets that from..." Patrick sighed and shook his head, though was glad Atticus was still alive.
"COME ON!" Hiccup added to also mock the dragon as he rode on Toothless while Atticus rode on Spyro. "IS THAT THE BEST YOU CAN DO?!"
"That should motivate him." Atticus smirked.
The Red Death snarled and soon flew after them.
"Quick!" Atticus told Spyro.
Spyro and Toothless soon flew quickly away as the Red Death chased them as the sky turned gray. This would also be the perfect place for Toothless to do some sneak attacks. Fire was blown and Toothless blended in with the darkness due to his skin tone. The Red Death snarled, trying to keep up with Toothless and even possibly eat him, but had trouble along the way, and where Spyro smirked as he knew The Red Death couldn't find Toothless. Atticus coughed and waved the air a bit from the smoke, but he was doing all right with Spyro so far.
"WHERE ARE YOU!?" The Red Death snarled as it tried to look around for Toothless, but it was hopeless due to the blinding smoke and fog.
'He'll never find them.' Spyro thought to himself.
"Spyro, can you fly out of this smoke for a minute?" Atticus asked.
Spyro nodded and did just that so Atticus could get fresh air from being in the smoke for quite some time.
"Better?" Spyro asked.
"Yeah... Just needed some fresh air..." Atticus smiled. "You're such a good dragon, Spyro."
"Thanks." Spyro smiled back.
Eventually, a fireball came out and hit the Red Death's wing.
"Ooh!" Atticus and Spyro both winced, but in a good way as that was a good sign for them.
The Red Death snarled and flew all around only to get hit by another fireball by its wings, almost looking like lightning from beneath the smokey clouds while everyone else watched from the ground.
"Toothless is winning." Spyro smiled.
The Red Death roared and soon had a bunch of fire gush out of its mouth to burn down Toothless somewhere.
"Watch out!" Hiccup warned Toothless as they flew around.
Fire soon landed on Toothless's tail as Hiccup flew him around to take down The Red Death.
"That's bad." Spyro said, referring to Toothless's tail.
"Okay, time's up!" Hiccup frowned. "Let's see if this works."
"Come on, Spyro, time to help." Atticus said.
Spyro nodded and soon flew in to help Toothless and Hiccup against The Red Death. With the two of them working together, it would be easy. The Red Death snarled and tried to bite both Toothless and Spyro only to miss.
"Down." Atticus told Spyro.
Spyro nodded and zipped down beside Toothless as the Red Death chased them down.
'He'll never catch us.' Spyro thought to himself.
The Red Death roared as it was soon right in front of Toothless. Toothless glared and shot fire in its open mouth. Toothless and Spyro soon zipped out of the way as The Red Death snarled, but couldn't fly anymore from wing damage and crashed on the ground.
"Yes!" Atticus cheered.
Toothless continued to fly until the tail Hiccup made for him fell off and the Red Death whacked them both with its own tail, and Hiccup fell right off of Toothless's back.
"Hiccup!" Atticus gasped.
Spyro saw that and soon flew down quickly to catch Hiccup on his back. The others were panicking for both Hiccup and Atticus as it seemed impossible to survive the fiery pit caused by the Red Death. Patrick began to pray to the North Gods that his son and his friends would survive.
"Hiccup! Hiccup! Son!" Stoick panicked.
Atticus and Spyro looked okay and Toothless soon came out with them.
"Atticus, you're okay, but where's Hiccup?" Patrick asked his son.
Atticus and Spyro soon looked at Toothless as their answer. Toothless looked over and soon lowered his wings to show that he had captured and saved Hiccup from certain death.
"Hiccup! Oh, he's alive!" Stoick sounded relieved before looking to Toothless in gratitude. "You brought him back alive! Thank you... For saving my son."
"Well, most of him anyway." Atticus smiled sheepishly.
"Help us bring him inside." Stoick said.
"I'll get him." Atticus replied as he came to carry Hiccup as he was unconscious right now.