Chapter 3. Dragons and Donkeys…Can Mix Part 3?

Dragon awoke with a growl in her throat as her memories came rushing back. Those puny little lesser dragons had managed to overcome her and knock her out of the sky! She could not smell Fiona or Shrek anywhere near her and while this was usually a blessing, it was worrisome at the moment. Even more worrisome was the sight that immediately greeted her: her darling Coco in the clutches of a Nightfury!

Dragon well remembered these arrogant jerks from her days as a hatchling. Her cousin had gone before their alpha, Daggerfangs, in a bid for help in the war against Berk and been laughed at. The one in front of her now even looked like Daggerfangs. But Daggerfangs had looked huge and terrible, especially to a hatchling. This one was a puny little morsel that she'd probably find stuck in her teeth very soon.

The little Nightfury backed away from Coco and looked like he was trying to show her respect. Dragon liked that, but it wouldn't save him. She was about to chomp down on the runt when Coco actually flew up to her and began pleading. "No, Mama, don't ate him! I saved me!"

Dragon fought the urge to smile. Her daughter's dragonese was more than rusty, but always funny to listen to. She'd miss it when Coco and her siblings learned to speak like their father.

"Coco, sweetie, you're confused. This dragon works with the mean humans that caught you." Coco responded by shaking her head vigorously.

"No! The mean humans who taken I is not they. Mean humans made pretend they to took me. Black dragon him and they try saving I, but bad skinny human with ugly voice make them not. Black dragon save I anywhen though."

Coco empathized her point by beginning to nuzzle the Nightfury. The latter awkwardly reciprocated after a moment. Dragon took in the scene with disbelief, then gave a great sigh.

"I can't believe it, but I know my Coco is too good a hatchling to lie, even if she does sneak off without permission and worry me sick." Dragon's expression turned stern on this last note and Coco looked sheepish. "Me sorry Mama, me just love Uncle Fiona. Me love you more, though."

Coco gave her best impression of her Uncle Puss' famous eyes and Dragon's face began to soften. It eventually shifted into a tired smile after another sigh. "I love you too, precious, but do this again and there will be trouble. Understand?"

Coco nodded vigorously. "That's my good girl." Dragon affectionately kissed the top of her hatchling's head before turning her attention back to the Nightfury. "What's your name, runt?"

"Um…that actually was my name for a while, but my rider named me Toothless and I like it. You can call me that too, if you like." Dragon smirked in appreciation of the Nightfury's nervousness. This one was at least smarter than Daggerfangs.

"Okay then, Toothless, let's talk. I owe you one for saving my little girl. What will it be?"

…

Hiccup groaned inwardly as he continued trading blows with the Dragon Hunter, Inferno against mace. He wasn't used to fighting this long without Toothless and the strain of it was beginning to take it's toll. His normal limbs felt like they weighed a ton and his artificial leg actually felt like it was going numb. If not for the distraction the twins had inadvertently caused, the guy would've already killed him from behind.

The Hunter suddenly raised his mace prepared to bring it down on the scrawny Viking's head. Hiccup just barely brought Inferno up to block, only for his opponent to suddenly swing low and knock his weapon from his grasp. The flaming sword was in the air for a split second and grabbed again before he could even try to reach.

"Ha! Is this really the legendary Dragon Rider? You're not so tough without your pet around, are ya?"

Hiccup was soon backed into a large rock by the dual armed Hunter and either too frightened or too proud to call for help. His enemy raised both weapons high in a slow and menacing fashion, his face bearing a cruel smirk. That was when they both heard the roar.

The new female dragon swooped down onto the battle field and made many of the Hunters immediately retreat. Toothless could be seen upon her back, looking rather excited at being a Rider for once. The strange hatchling could be seen sitting upon his head looking just as excitable even when they landed in front of two Vikings in battle.

Hiccup's enemy turned his attention away from him and charged at the new arrivals with supreme confidence. Toothless proceeded to easily blow out Inferno when it was close enough and the Hunter looked at the extinguished weapon in shock and dismay. Seconds later, he was swatted aside with a single swipe of the she-dragon's claw.

Hiccup watched all this in amazement, but quickly became annoyed when Toothless dismounted his new ally and began walking towards him. "What kept you, Toothless!? That guy almost had me!"

Coco began to growl and snap at the scrawny Viking from her place atop Toothless' head. The Night Fury was quick to placate her while flashing Hiccup an apologetic look. The latter eventually relented with a sigh. "It's okay, bud, let's just end this thing."

…

Fishlegs actually heard himself let out a whoop of joy as he and Meatlug tore into another group of Dragon Hunters with their "Gale Force Gronkle" move. His sword acted as a very effective third means of attack and Meatlug actually seemed to be spinning faster thanks to it's fantastic properties. Not to mention, he wasn't even feeling dizzy! Was there anything this sword couldn't do?

After looking over his scattered enemies with a proud smirk and admiring his reflection in the enchanted blade, the portly Gronkle rider caught sight of the ogres engaged in fighting Ryker. An idea soon formed in Fishlegs' head and he looked back at his reflection. It nodded confidently at him.

…

Ryker/Farquad chuckled to himself as he avoided Fiona's martial arts jabs. The few that managed to connect didn't even hurt his current body all that much. After a few more attempts, his cursed former bride took him by surprise and belched loudly in his face, disorienting him.. This allowed Shrek to grab him from behind and execute a perfect pile driver that left him face down on the island sand. Husband and wife then shared a smirk and unleashed a double flying elbow drop upon their old enemy that seemed to leave him down for the count.

"Well, guess ol' Farquad still comes up short, eh dear?" Shrek laughed to himself while his wife rolled her eyes good naturedly. The two walked off too late to see their enemy lift his head up with a groan.

Ryker/Farquad caught sight of the ogres' retreating forms and heard them laugh in unison. The sound filled him with rage and gave him the strength to leap to his feet. He slowly drew the twin swords his host body carried and hurled them right at the two. They missed the couple by a hair, becoming imbedded in the top a large rock that stood just behind them.

As Shrek and Fiona looked at each other in shock, Ryker/Farquad used his borrowed strength to pick up a large fallen tree and carry it while charging them. The two ogres soon found themselves pinned to the rock by the weight of the tree trunk while their enemy retrieved his blades. He grinned darkly as he pressed the two swords to their throats.

"I'm so going to enjoy this! Any last words? I suggest you make them quick."

"Meatlug, hug!" The part of Ryker that allowed Farquad to recognize Fishlegs' voice reacted too late as he was pounced upon and pinned to the ground. The Gronkle then turned and unleashed a lava blast onto the tree that trapped the ogres. They were free within seconds and no worse for wear.

"You guys okay?" Fishlegs asked as he petted his dragon atop the head to reward her. Shrek heaved a sigh of relief in return and nodded. "Aye, thanks to you. I guess I owe you one."

The portly Viking grinned and produced both a quill and the Shrek storybook from his saddlebag. "Does that mean you'll sign this?" The ogre rolled his eyes, but smiled slightly as he moved to comply. They were suddenly interrupted by the sound of Ryker/Farquad's struggles.

"Get off me you overgrown…dragon?" Something suddenly occurred to the possessed Dragon Hunter an evil grin slowly spread across his face. His mouth opened wide and a white mist began to pour out and float up into the air.

…

Hiccup couldn't help but scowl when he saw the two ogres come into view below. They had ruined what might have been his one shot at getting the Dragon Eye back from Viggo and for what? It's not like he would've really let that weird hatchling get hurt. He always had a plan.

They were just close enough to notice Fishlegs was with them when Toothless stopped short, eyes widening at the ghostly figure forming in the air only a few feet below them. Hiccup perfectly mirrored his expression as he found himself uttering a new phrase for the first time: "Odin's ghost!" The hatchling's mother was flying close behind and heard this as she also came to a halt. I don't think so, runt.

…

Farquad grinned wickedly at the fear on his enemies' faces as he revealed himself for the first time. He was almost ready to forget his new plan and attack them right away when he noticed Fishlegs' sword. "You, barbarian boy! What kind of weapon is that?"

Fishlegs slowly dismounted Meatlug and drew his sword, pointing the glowing blade right at Farquad. "Why don't you come down here and find out!?" The ghost pretended to ponder this for a moment. "Hmmm…I think not."

Farquad dove straight at Meatlug and entered her body before anyone could make a move. She immediately began to convulse as if in terrible pain. Fishlegs' bravado immediately gave way to his usual concern. "What is it, girl!? Talk to me!"

Shrek attempted to pull the Viking boy back. "I really wouldn't if I were you!" Fishlegs ignored this and reached out, only to have Meatlug unleash a rather menacing growl in response. The Gronkle turned and her face had morphed into an evil expression very similar to Farquad's with glowing eyes.

"Meatlug…?" Fishlegs backed away in confusion and fear at his Dragon's behavior. The possessed Gronkle responded by actually laughing and the sound was quite evil.

"Not quite, dear boy." Meatlug/Farquad proceeded to unleashed a stream of lava at the portly Viking. Fishlegs and the ogres' eyes widened at the oncoming attack and they screamed in terrified unison. Acting on instinct, the former quickly held up his sword like a shield.

The blade began to glow so brightly that Fishlegs was blinded a moment. When it faded, he and the ogres were surrounded by a barrier of energy that the lava harmlessly cascaded off of. A huge smile spread across his face as he gazed adoringly at the weapon responsible. "I love this thing!"

Meatlug/Farquad was both confused and annoyed by this turn of events. The possessed Gronkle launched two more streams of molten rock in rapid fire succession, only to be met with the same result. A third attempt was interrupted by the appearance of Dragon, Coco, Toothless, and Hiccup. The evil grin slowly returned to Meatlug/Farquad's face at the sight of the former.

"At last! I'll deal with you three later. Vengeance will now be mine!"

The possessed Gronkle's wings began to flap excitedly, though Meatlug/Farquad was clearly having difficulty lifting into the air. "What is this!? Why is this body so heavy!?"

Fishlegs growled in anger and tightened his grip on his sword. "My Meatlug has a healthy appetite, that's all. Get out of her body before I decide to make her eat you!"

The possessed Gronkle scoffed. "I'm already a ghost, you Neanderthal. Besides, I've already been that route and found it quite dull. I'd much rather see how one of you likes it."

This made Fishlegs and ogres go on the defensive, only for Meatlug/Farquad to chuckle. "That will be fun for another time. Maybe I should eat your leader first as a small appetizer? No, that won't do at all. He's far too skinny."

The possessed Gronkle pretended to think. "Oh, I know! What about one of your barbarian girls? The raven-haired one looks especially tasty, all lean and well muscled. What a treat she'd make."

Hearing this made Fishlegs lose it. With an angry yell, he ran at Meatlug/Farquad and swung his sword, only for his target to finally rise into the air and avoid it. "Ha! Now then, to vengeance!"

With these words, the possessed Gronkle few off towards the oncoming Dragon. She and Toothless just barely managed to doge the first lava blast, but Coco ended up with a burned wing. "Hey! What's the big idea, Fishlegs!?" Hiccup cried out indignantly at who he thought was his friend.

The new arrival hovered closed and the scrawny Viking immediately grew concerned. "Meatlug? Where's Fishlegs? And what's with your eyes?"

The only answer Hiccup received were growls from both Dragon and Coco as they eyed the possessed Gronkle with hostility. His concern and confusion only grew when Meatlug/Farquad began growling back. "Um…guys? What-?"

The next thing Hiccup knew, Toothless had fired a plasma blast directly at Meatlug/Farquad. The possessed Gronkle was too slow to dodge in time and ended up singed. "What the-!? What's gotten into you, Toothless!?

The Nightfury seemed to ignore his rider and began charging another blast. Meatug/ Farquad launched into the Gale Force Gronkle move the instant the shot was fired. To Toothless' shock, his attack bounced right back towards him and exploded just as his enemy struck at him. The sheer force was enough to send both he and Hiccup crashing into a nearby tree, completely destroying it.

Toothless groaned in pain and he lay on the ground, struggling to move. He looked over to where Hiccup lay and became frightened when he saw how still his rider looked. Was he…? The Night Fury forced such thoughts from his mind and began slowly crawling towards the scrawny Viking, praying to Thor that he was not too late.

Meatlug/Farquad noticed this from above and began to swoop down upon the helpless duo, eager to finish the job. That was when the possessed Gronkle was snatched out of the air by Dragon. She towered over the scene on her hind legs and looked down on Toothless with a somewhat smug expression. "Something wrong, runt? I heard you Night Furies were supposed to be unbeatable."

Toothless ignored this jab and smiled a gummy smile of gratitude. "Thank you, elder. Dragon scowled, clearly not impressed with this show of respect.

"Whatever. Let's have a look at your rock eater…or whoever this is." So saying, Dragon opened her claws and peered at the possessed Gronkle in her palm. Once their eyes met, familiarity entered the former's gaze.

"I remember you. You're that little twerp who gave me indigestion a few years ago. It's funny how you look just like you did the last time I saw you: a surprisingly large piece of-!"

Dragon was cut off by a lava blast right in her eyes. She roared in pain and ended up flinging Meatlug/Farquad away as she thrashed about. The possessed Gronkle was quick to regain control in the air and laughed evilly. "You see what happens, dumb beast, when you dare to trifle with the mighty Lord-!?"

This rant was cut off by an angry Coco charging in and biting Meatlug/Farquad on the snout. She managed to hold on for only a few seconds before being shaken off and sent tumbling back to earth. The impact further injured her burned wing and she cried out in pain, angering her still blind mother and causing Dragon to bite and claw the empty air in hopes of finding her nemesis.

The possessed Gronkle hovered just out of reach and glared down at Coco. "That hurt, you little freak! Just for that, I'm going to burn off those wings of yours and your ugly little head too!" Meatlug/ Farquad proclaimed before beginning to inhale. This lava blast would be the strongest yet.

That was when the cry rang out: "Stormfly, single spine shot!"The Deadly Nadder's projectile struck from behind and became stuck in the possessed Gronkle's rear. The next cry to ring out was another pained roar.

"OH GODS! Who dares assault the royal tush!?"This rhetorical question was answered by the appearance of a sniggering Snotlout on Hookfang with the ogres in tow. "Did you just say 'tush'?"

Next to appear were Heather and Windshear, Fishlegs sitting behind the former with his arms wrapped around her waist. Then there came Astrid and Puss in much the same manner with the blonde wearing a vicious smirk and stroking her dragon's head. The possessed Gronkle now knew who to attack first.

"I'll say this one more time," Fishlegs said in an uncharacteristically stern tone, "give me back my dragon!" The sword on his back began to pulse in an equally angry fashion. Meatlug/Farquad just laughed. "If you want her, come and get her!"

There was a pause, then Fishlegs nodded resolutely and drew his sword. It was brighter than ever. "You ready?"

This question was directed at Heather, who nodded back. She placed a kiss on his cheek as Windshear wrapped her tail around his ample stomach. The Razorwhip then charged the possessed Gronkle at full speed and proceeded to hurl Fishlegs through the air straight at their foe. The portly Viking raised his weapon high and looked poised to strike.

Toothless watched this all with wide eyes and winced when he heard the blade make contact. The Nightfury looked back after a minute and was surprised to see that Fishlegs had missed by several inches. His sword was stuck in the ground directly in front of Meatlug/ Farquad, who laughed loudly.

"You missed, you fat fool! Is that the best you've got?" Fishlegs pushed himself off the ground and looked up at the possessed Gronkle. He was smirking. "Yeah, it is."

Magic began to flow from the glowing sword and cover the surrounding area. When it reached Meatlug/Farquad, the possessed Gronkle began feeling odd. One huge sneeze later, Farquad's ghost was expelled. He simply floated there in confusion while Meatlug quickly flew back to her rider.

The overjoyed Fishlegs spread his arms wide for a hug, only to be tackled to the ground. He chuckled as Meatlug began licking his face. "I missed you too, girl."

Farquad rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. "Very moving, young barbarian, but futile. Have you already forgotten that I can simply possess-ano-?" It was then that the diminutive former Lord suddenly dropped to the ground, unable to float.

"Wha-what's going on!?" Farquad looked at his hands to find they were no longer transparent. He also saw something he hadn't seen in a while: legs. "I'm…alive!?"

Fishlegs smirked as he joined his friends in the air on Meatlug. "Not quite, but you're a lot more solid than before. You'll stay that way too as long as you stay close to my sword. I would run if I were you."

Farquad gulped and looked around, seeing he was surrounded by enemies. "Don't you think you're all being a bit hasty here? I adore dragons! I adore them so much that I wanted to be one for crying out loud! And have I mentioned how much I and all the fairy tale fre-folks have in common? I'm actually part dwarf."

The only response Farquad received was a flurry of spikes, fire, and lava headed straight for him. He ran away screaming and was actually able to go quite fast despite his short legs. "Let him go," Astrid ordered as he disappeared from sight, "We have more important things to deal with."

…

It was decided that Dragon would have to be taken to Berk. Gothi was the only one who could successfully restore her sight as well as treat both Hiccup and Coco. "Don't worry", Heather had said when the ogres were unsure of the plan, "we've got this. Windshear was blind when I first found her and I had to guide her for a while when she flew I'm sure I can do the same here. All you have to do is keep Coco calm on the way."

The young Dronkey responded to this by struggling to escape Fiona's grasp, desperate to try and comfort her ailing mother. The ogre Princess restrained her as gently as possible and tried to calm her with whispers of reassurance. Heather watched this for a minute before offering to try for herself. Fiona agreed and the Berserker Tribe girl began rocking the hatchling like a baby while she sang.

"The sky is dark and the hills are white,

As the Storm King speeds from the north tonight,

And this is the song that the Storm King sings,

As over the world his cloak he flings,

Sleep, sleep, little one, sleep

He rustles his wings and gruffly sings,

Sleep, little one, sleep."

Coco was soon nuzzling up against Heather's chest and making noises of contentment. "Whatever happens," Puss muttered as he took in the scene, "I must not cry. I must not cry." The swashbuckling feline threw his arms around Snotlout seconds later, burying his face in the Viking boy's chest to muffle his sobs.

"Stop it! Stop that, y-you dumb cat. M-man up, already." Snotlout half heartedly complained through his own tears. The two were embracing moments later.

"That was beautiful, Heather," Fiona whispered in awe as she took back the sleeping hatchling, "I've got to remember it. It would make a perfect lullaby someday. Don't you think so, honey?"

The ogre Princess flashed her husband a suggestive smile and Shrek quickly became flustered. "W-well, sure, I mean if we…that is, maybe we could-? Say, we should get a-goin! Hiccup looks pretty bad and that's really sayin' somethin' comin' from me. Heh."

"We can't just yet." Astrid spoke up, ignoring Shrek's nervous chuckle. "We still have a very important pair of people missing. Even with Hiccup in trouble, he'd never forgive us if we left them behind for any reason. After all, they're two of the Dragon Riders' most valuable members."

Everyone nodded solemnly. Even the ogres and Puss could understand Astrid's point after their short time together. "Okay everyone, let's go get Barf and Belch. Hopefully those stupid twins didn't hurt them too much."

…

Ryker awoke in his brother's quarters, laying on the bed. His head hurt and he felt like he had been sleeping for days. Why couldn't he remember anything ?

He turned his head and saw Viggo standing with his back turned to him. The younger Grimborn was studying his still unfinished plans for "Project Shellfire" and doubtlessly planning the next assault against the Dragon Riders. Same old, same old, it looked like.

"Brother, what happened? Has Johann returned from Duloc yet? Did he find the King of Dragons?"

Viggo chuckled slightly, but it sounded off. He refused to turn and face his older brother. "Duloc was a waste of time, I'm afraid. I dare say that questing for the Hidden World with Grimmel the Grisly proved more fruitful. Yes, dear Ryker, it would seem some things are best left in fairy tales."

Ryker raised an eyebrow at this odd statement. Had he actually caught a subtle hint of fear in his little brother's voice? By chance, his gaze landed on a nearby porthole and he thought he saw a rather short figure with a huge chin glaring hatefully inward. A second later, it was gone.

…

Farquad, his ghostly powers restored, hovered in the air and watched as the Dragon Hunter ship faded from sight. He then turned his gaze towards the endless ocean and smirked evilly as a new plot formed in his brain. He had spied on his enemies long enough to know that the Dragon Riders were taking the ogres and their dragon back to Berk and retained enough knowledge from Meatlug to know where that was. He also knew another island and another dragon that he now realized was just who he needed. He snapped his fingers and a portal to the Underworld formed in the middle of the waves, staying open just long enough for him to dive in with an sinister laugh.

End Part 3

Notes: Only one more part of this arc to go!