The fire brigade charges through the plaza. Four teens, tugging a large wooden cask on wheels. From it, they fill buckets of water to douse the flames. One among them is a cute, energetic Viking girl. Hiccup leans out of the stall to watch her.

"Oh and that's Fishlegs, Snotlout. The twins Ruffnut and Tuffnut. And... Astrid."

A SLOW-MOTION explosion erupts behind her, framing her in a sexy ball of fire. The others join her, looking awesome and heroic.

"Their job is so much cooler."

Hiccup tries to join them as they pass, but he's hooked by Gobber and hoisted back inside.

"Ah, come on. Let me out, please. I need to make my mark."

"Oh, you've made plenty of marks. All in the wrong places."

"Please, two minutes. I'll kill a dragon. My life will get infinitely better. I might even get a date."

"You can't lift a hammer. You can't swing an axe... you can't even throw one of these."

A Viking runs by and nabs the bola out of Gobber's hand, hurling it at a dive-bombing Gronkle. The bola binds its legs, sending it into a heavy crash.

"Okay fine, but..."

He rushes to the back corner of the stall and presents a bizarre, wheel barrow-like contraption.

"... this will throw it for me."

Hiccup opens the hinged lid of the device. An arm springs up, equipped with twin bows. They prematurely launch a bola, narrowly missing Gobber... and taking out a Viking at the counter.

"Arggh!"

"See, now this right here is what I'm talking about."

"Mild calibration issue."

"Hiccup. If you ever want to get out there to fight dragons, you need to stop all..."

Gobber gestures in Hiccup's general direction.

"... this."

"But... you just pointed to all of me."

"Yes! That's it! Stop being all of you."

"Ohhhh..."

"Ohhhhh, yes."

"You, sir, are playing a dangerous game. Keeping this much, raw...Vikingness contained. There will be consequences!"

Gobber tosses him a sword.

"I'll take my chances. Sword. Sharpen. Now."

Hiccup takes it begrudgingly and lobs it onto the grinding wheel. He stews... fantasizing...

"One day I'll get out there. Because killing a dragon is everything around here."

Nadders land, gathering like seagulls around a seemingly vacant house.

"A Nadder head is sure to get me at least noticed."

The Nadders clamber onto the building, tearing the roof and walls apart. Sheep pour out and scatter. Elsewhere, hippo-like Gronckles pick drying racks clean of fish and fly off like loaded pelicans.

"Gronckles are tough. Taking down one of those would definitely get me a girlfriend."

A stealthy, snake-like dragon head peeks over a rooftop, breathing gas into a chimney.

"A Zippleback? Exotic, exciting. Two heads, twice the status."

A second head pokes through the door and lights it. KABLAM! The two heads fly through the explosion, their necks zipping together to reveal a single body. It flies past Stoick as he climbs to the top of a catapult tower.

"They found the sheep!"

"Concentrate fire over the lower bank!"

"Fire!"

Boulders are catapulted at the corralling Nadders... Just as a huge red dragon whips past, spraying the base of the catapult with sticky fire.

"And then there's the Monstrous Nightmare. Only the best Vikings go after those. They have this nasty habit of setting themselves on fire."

It emerges from the flames, climbing the catapult with a leering, toothy grin.

"Reload! I'll take care of this."

Stoick takes on the Nightmare, face to hammer. Suddenly, a loud ballistic moaning streaks overhead. The catapult crew ducks.

"But the ultimate prize is the dragon no one has ever seen. We call it the-"

"Night Fury! Get down!"

"Oh, did Jack mention that already? Man, I thought I will be the one to introduce him."

Vikings everywhere take shelter. The Monstrous Nightmare suddenly stops fighting and takes flight. Stoick looks skyward.

"Jump!"

KABOOM! The Catapult explodes as though hit by an artillery shell... sending Stoick and the crew leaping for their lives.

"This thing never steals food, never shows itself, and..."

The sound recedes, leaving the crippled catapult in flames.

"...never misses. No one has ever killed a Night Fury. That's why I'm going to be the first."

Gobber trades his hammer for an axe.

"Man the fort, Hiccup, they need me out there! Stay. Put. There. You know what I mean."

Gobber charges in and starts hollering. WHAM! Hiccup pushes his wheeled contraption through a wall of clustered Vikings. He weaves through the ongoing mayhem, as fast as his legs can carry him.

"Hiccup, where are you going!"

"Come back here!"

"I know. Be right back!"

The Nadders have cornered the house-full of sheep. They close in, ready to spring upon them. Stoick suddenly appears, hurling fishing nets over them. The surprised Nadders are caught. Stoick and his men rush in. A Nadder blasts a hole through its net. Stoick leaps onto it, clamping his thick arms around its head, forcing its jaws shut.

"Mind yourselves! The devils still have some juice in them."

Hiccup reaches a cliff overlooking the smoking catapult and drops the handles to the ground. He cranks several levers, unfolding and then cocking the bowed arms of his contraption. He drops a bola onto a chamber and then pivots the weapon on a gimbal head toward the dark sky. He listens, with his eye pressed to the scope, hand poised on the trigger. He hears the night fury approaching... and turns his aim to the defense tower. It closes in for the final strike, completely camouflaged in the night.

"Come on. Give me something to shoot at, give me something to shoot at."

KABLAM! The tower topples. The blast of fire illuminates the dragon for a split second. Hiccup pulls the trigger. KERTHUNK! The flexed arms snap forward, springing the weapon off the ground. The bola disappears into the sky, followed by a whack and a screech.

"Oh I hit it! Yes, I hit it! Did anybody see that?"

Hiccup's victory is short-lived. A Monstrous Nightmare appears, slithering up over the lip of the cliff.

"Except for you."

On Stoick, holding down the netted Nadders. He hears a familiar holler and looks up to see... Hiccup running through the plaza, screaming, with the dragon fast on his heels. Alarmed, Stoick abandons the Nadders and runs off.

"Do not let them escape!"

Vikings scatter as Hiccup dodges a near fatal blast. The Nightmare's sticky, Napalm-like fire splashes up onto buildings, setting them alight. Hiccup ducks behind the last standing brazier - the only shelter available. The Nightmare blasts it, spraying fire all around him. Hiccup peers around the smoldering post. No sign of the Nightmare. He turns back to find it leering at him, blocking his escape. It takes a deep breath. Hiccup is finished. Suddenly, Stoick leaps between them, tackling the Nightmare to the ground. They tumble and wrestle, resuming their earlier fight. The Nightmare tries to toast him, but only coughs up smoke.

"You're all out."

He smashes the Nightmare repeatedly in the face, driving it away. It takes to the air and disappears. Winded, Stoick turns to Hiccup.

"Oh, and there's one more thing you need to know..."

The burnt brazier pole collapses, sending the massive iron basket crashing. It bounces down the hill, destroying as it goes and scattering the Vikings who were holding down the netted Nadders. The freed dragons escape... with several sheep in tow.

"Sorry, dad."

The escaped Nadders fly past with sheep in their clutches. The raid is over. The dragons have clearly won. The murmuring crowd eyes Stoick, awaiting his response.

"Okay, but I hit a Night Fury."

Stoick grabs Hiccup by the back scruff of his collar and hauls him away, fuming with embarrassment.

"It's not like the last few times, Dad. I mean I really actually hit it. You guys were busy and I had a very clear shot. It went down, just off Raven Point. Let's get a search party out there, before it-"

"STOP! Just...stop."

He releases Hiccup. Everyone goes silent, staring expectantly.

"Every time you step outside, disaster follows. Can you not see that I have bigger problems? Winter's almost here and I have an entire village to feed!"

"Yeah, hear that Jack? This is on you now."

Hiccup looks around. All eyes are upon him.

"Between you and me, the village could do with a little less feeding, don't ya think?"

A few rotund Vikings stir self-consciously.

"This isn't a joke, Hiccup! Why can't you follow the simplest orders?"

"I can't stop myself. I see a dragon and I have to just... kill it, you know? It's who I am, Dad."

"You are many things, Hiccup. But a dragon killer is not one of them."

Hiccup looks around to see many nods of agreement.

"Get back to the house. Make sure he gets there. I have his mess to clean up."

Stoick lumbers off in the opposite direction. Gobber leads Hiccup through the walk of shame. They pass the teen fire brigade as they snicker.

"Quite the performance."

"I've never seen anyone mess up that badly. That helped!"

"Thank you, thank you. I was trying, so..."

Hiccup avoids Astrid's glare and heads up toward a large ouse, standing prominently on the hill above the others.

"I really did hit one."

"Sure, Hiccup."

"He never listens."

"Well, it runs in the family."

"And when he does, it's always with this... disappointed scowl. Like someone skimped on the meat in his sandwich. Excuse me, barmaid. I'm afraid you brought me the wrong offspring. I ordered an extra large boy with beefy arms. Extra guts and glory on the side. This here. This is a talking fish bone."

"You're thinking about this all wrong. It's not so much what you look like. It's what's inside that he can't stand."

"Thank you, for summing that up."

They reach the doorway.

"Look, the point is, stop trying so hard to be something you're not."

Hiccup sighs heavily.

"I just want to be one of you guys."

Gobber eyes him sympathetically. Hiccup turns and goes through the front door. And straight out the back door. He hurries off into the woods, determined.