Chapter 30: Follow the Leader
Fishlegs was standing in the Great Hall and everyone at Berk was cheering his name. Hiccup and Toothless then approached him with a strong determined look.
"'Tis with great pleasure that I, Hiccup Haddock the Third, do hereby transfer all Dragon's Edge power, and all Dragon Rider leadership, both foreign and domestic, to one Fishlegs, Justin Ingerman." Hiccup announced.
All the Vikings cheered for some strange reason, Stoick had a tattoo of Fishlegs' face on his chest, Gobber with a really long hook with a sign of Fishlegs' face. Bucket played the drums, Mulch blew a horn and Spitelout strummed a sitar.
"Oh, he looks so good!" Astrid swooned as she and the other girls were dressed in white.
"He is the greatest!" Raeda added.
"He is so beautiful," Ruffnut added. "I love a man who's just slightly overweight."
"Hmm. I'll make him my man someday." Gothi said, who had somehow regained the ability to talk.
"I'm surprised it took Hiccup this long to appoint him." Hicca commented.
"I say it was worth the wait." Henry told her.
"Now that I'm moving towards my chiefly duties, I think of née Viking more of sound mind and pure of heart to assume the mantle," said Hiccup.
The crowd cheered even louder and Meatlug, who was wearing a tiara, landed right beside Fishlegs.
"Hiccup, Hicca, Stoick, Gobber, friends and acquaintances, I am truly humbled by the trust bestowed upon me by people I have long respected and loved. A people, I will now serve," Fishlegs said humbly.
"We love you, Fishlegs," Snotlout cheered.
"And I, you."
Fishlegs then sat down upon the throne and then all the dragons that fire blasts into the air to celebrate this occasion.
Then suddenly there was a massive rumble and Fishlegs opened his eyes. He found himself on the Dragon's Edge and one of the watchtowers and he had just fallen off it and landed in the snow.
It was then that Fishlegs realized it was all a dream and now he was headfirst in the snow. "Meatlug, help!" Fishlegs cried while kicking the air.
'Coming Fishlegs!' Meatlug warbled as she then flew down and picked Fishlegs out of the snow, much to his relief.
"You're always there for me, girl," Fishlegs sighed with relief.
Even upside down he could see an explosion coming from the Edge.
"Oh, no! We're under attack!" Fishlegs cried.
They then flew towards the Edge, but discovered that the explosion originated from the Thorston twins hut. There he could see Snotlout and the twins laughing.
"Oh, my Thor!" Snotlout yelled excitedly.
"What?!" Fishlegs roared.
As he got closer he found Snotlout was holding a jar of Monster Nightmare gel, Tuffnut with a torch in his hand and Ruffnut holding out one of the balloons they used to measure the wind.
"My Thor! That was amazing," said Tuffnut.
"Yeah! Do it again, Snotlout," said Ruffnut.
"Oh, I'll do it again, all right. Way too you get a load of this," said Snotlout as he tipped the jar slowly on top of the balloon.
Suddenly Fishlegs flew overhead and snatched the jar out of his hand. "I'll take that, thank you very much." Snotlout and twins glared up at him. "Monstrous Nightmare gel is not to be toyed with, it is for defending the Edge."
"Uh, hello? My dragon makes it," Snotlout pointed out. To prove his point Hookfang ignited. He then crossed his arms and gazed up at Fishlegs. "Besides, who put you in charge?"
"Hiccup and Hicca." Fishlegs answered.
Snotlout and the Thosrton twins just stood there in silence and then broke into laughter, much to Fishlegs' annoyance.
"Hiccup put you in charge of us?" said Snotlout when he finally controlled his laughter.
"Yes," said Fishlegs as he dismounted Meatlug. "While he, Hicca, Raeda, Henry and Astrid are out exploring, I am the de facto leader."
"De fake-o, maybe," Snotlout snorted. "But de facto? Don't-o think-o so."
"Yeah, this is not the way we remember it," said Ruffnut.
(Linebreak)
Flashback:
This morning, the Riders are in a clubhouse for a meeting.
"One more time." Hiccup said as he, Hicca, Raeda Astrid and Henry are on their dragons, about to take off. "While we're gone, we all agree that Fishlegs will be handling things." He said while gesturing to the Ingerman.
"So that means he's in charge while we're gone." Hicca added.
Fishlegs put his hands behind his back as he smiled with pride as Snotlout and the Thorston twins were playing cards.
"Yeah. Okay. Sure." Snotlout waved off.
"Yeah, yeah." Ruffnut said.
"Yeah." Tuffnut spoke next. "Everything you two say is something we'll listen to." He said, as the three weren't paying attention at all.
End of Flashback:
(Linebreak)
"I don't recall that, per say," Ruffnut said.
"But what I do recall is your lack of recollection," Tuffnut agreed.
"Oh, come on! Think about it," Snotlout said as he approached Fishlegs with a smug look and snatched the jar out of his hand. "Why in the world would Hiccup or Hicca put you in charge of anything?"
"My leadership potential, for starters," said Fishlegs.
Again Snotlout and the twins just are there in silence and then laughter faces off making him even more annoyed.
"Fishlegs, you can never be a leader," said Snotlout as he clutched his chest from laughing so hard. "A leader has to be brave."
"Adventurous," said Tuffnut.
"And a little crazy," Ruffnut finished.
"Or a lot of crazy," Tuffnut laughed. "That could work, too."
"Just give it to me," said Fishlegs trying to snatch the jar from Snotlout.
Snotlout then tossed it to Tuffnut, who then totted it to Ruffnut. They were playing piggy in the middle with Fishlegs as he tried desperately to grab the jar. Eventually Fishlegs gave up and walked away, sobbing.
"Buh-bye." Snotlout mocked as he walked off. He then turned back to the twins. "Okay, now where were we?"
"We were gonna blow your house," Tuffnut said.
Snotlout was about to agree, but then his face turned blank.
(Linebreak)
On the shoreline, Fishlegs and Meatlug were wandering around. Fishlegs was extremely depressed, the first time Hiccup had put him in charge and no one listened to him.
"There's much more than being a leader than just bravery." Fishlegs muttered. "You have to be quick-witted, lighten your feet, and have a keen eye for the unexpected. I have all those."
Then suddenly he heard a gruesome roar and automatically screamed in terror as hid behind Meatlug.
"Don't wanna know what that was," said Fishlegs. He then looked up. "Or do we?"
Bravely he made his way to a cavern and he could hear distant screeches coming from within it. Instantly he screamed and backed away from the cave.
"I'm not afraid," he said to himself. "I'm brave. I'm brave! And I'm even a little crazy."
He took a deep breath and placed a hand on Meatlug. "We're going in, girl."
Together he and Meatlug entered the cave.
"It came from within here, right?" said Fishlegs looking at Meatlug. Meatlug grunted. "That's what I thought, too. Maybe it was—" He gasped when he saw what was in the distance. "Meatlug, look!"
Ahead of them was some old sword buried in a rock, with ancient runes carved into it. At once Fishlegs began to examine the runes that were carved on the blade and the hilt.
"Look at the markings. Ancient," he breathed.
Fishlegs then tried to free the sword, but it was wedged in deep. He then turned to Meatlug. "Come and, Meatlug. Help me get this out."
As he pulled at the sword, Meatlug started to dig. He could feel the sword moving slightly. "Almost. Keep going."
Then with one great heave the sword came free and he rolled down a steep gradient. Meatlug wandered over to him, fearful of his safety.
"I'm okay, girl," Fishlegs called.
Meatlug spewed some lava that lit the cave. That was when Fishlegs noticed more ancient runes on the tunnel wall.
"What that—?" Fishlegs starred. He turned to Meatlug. "Meatlug, give me another blast."
Meatlug spewed some lava that lit up the cave even more. Fishlegs looked at the runes, but he was unable to decipher them, it was clearing Norse but in an ancient dialect.
"You know what, girl? I think you and I have stumbled onto an archaeological find for the ages," Fishlegs breathed. "I hope you're hungry, Snotlout. 'Cause you are gonna be eating your words, big time."
He then mounted Meatlug and they headed outside. "Come on, we gotta go tell the others."
(Linebreak)
Meanwhile back at the Edge, Hiccup, Hicca, Henry Astrid and Raeda had returned to discover that Snotlout and the twins had practically set everything on fire and had completely exhausted their entire supply of Monstrous Nightmare gel.
"I don't see what the big deal is. It's our stuffed yak," said Tuffnut gesturing to the steaming stuffed yak a foot away from them.
"It's not the yak, Tuffnut," said Hiccup as the three of them looked at the empty jars. "It's the Monstrous Nightmare gel you used to set the yak and fire."
"Which is really uncalled for and a waste of resources." Hicca added with a look.
"We've been harvesting it to defend the Edge from Viggo and his army." Astrid said.
"And thanks to you mutton-heads we have nothing left," Raeda said with a glare.
"All right, so we might've gotten a little carried away," Snotlout admitted.
"A little?" Henry questioned as he looked at the devastation around them. "You muttonheads really call this little!?" He yelled out.
"What's the big deal? It's not like we don't know where we can get more," Snotlout assured with a grin as he leaned against Hookfang.
"What if our dragons aren't around?" Hiccup questioned. "What if the Dragon Hunters attack again and we don't have the Nightmare gel?"
"This stuff is not a toy for your own enjoyment, it's a tool that we use to defend ourselves and our dragons." Hicca added.
"Hookfang can't replace all of it," said Astrid.
"Or did you forget what happens when he runs out of gel?" Raeda reminded.
"I didn't say he was going to," said Snotlout. "And I didn't forget what happens when Hooky runs out of his gel."
Henry then marched up to Snotlout, grabbed him by the tunic and then spun him around fast before tossing him over to Ruffnut and Tuffnut, causing them to crash into some burned wreckage.
As the three recovered from the impact, Henry stood over them menacingly, "Listen up." He said in a low tone. "Your irresponsible immature antics has cost us our supply of Monstrous Nightmare gels all because you use it to play games. So I suggest you three go out and restock our supplies to make up for the ones you wasted, or you're gonna see something that makes the Screaming Death look friendly." He threatened.
Snotlout and the Thorston Twins stared at Henry in fear while the Haddock twins, Astrid, and Raeda looked at him in surprise.
"Wow." Hicca muttered in surprise by Henry's attitude.
Raeda leaned over to Astrid, "And you thought Heather was hardcore." She whispered as Astrid nodded in agreement.
"Okay. Okay. We'll restock our Monstrous Nightmare gels." Snotlout said in slight fright as he raised his hand as the Thorston twins nodded their heads as they got on their dragons then left in the hunt for more Monstrous Nightmare gel.
Henry sighs in frustration as he calms down a bit before looking at the others, who are still staring at him in surprise. "Sorry, not often I lose my cool like that." he apologized.
"No, no, Henry. That was amazing." Hicca assured him with a smile..
"Yeah, you mind teaching me that move?" Astrid asked with a grin, looking forward to trying it out on Snotlout herself.
Hiccup then walked up to him with a grin, "Remind me never to get on your bad side." He joked.
Henry chuckled as his friends commented as Raeda then spoke. "Who taught you how to act like that?" Raeda asked in interest.
"I'm the son of the leader of the Dragon Hunters, remember?" Henry reminded them. "During my time with them before I went rogue, my uncle taught me any and every fighting moves he could, he told me that some brute force is the only way to keep the less intelligent in check."
"Well you got the less intelligent part right." Astrid commented as they chuckled.
"Hiccup! Hicca!" A voice cried, Hiccup and Hicca turned and saw Fishlegs hovering towards him on Meatlug with a sword in his hand. "You two are not gonna believe this."
"Yeah, no kidding," Hiccup grumbled as he and sister looked at the devastation around him. "We can't believe any of this." He then turned to Fishlegs with a disapproving look on his face. "Fishlegs, did you know this was going on?"
"Well, yes, I guess. Sort of. I told them to stop," said Fishlegs a little sheepishly.
"And?" Hicca asked with a raised eyebrow.
"And what?" Fishlegs asked nervously.
"And they didn't. And now we've got fires to put out all around the base and then emptied out the emergency supply of Monstrous Nightmare gel." Hiccup gestured to the empty jars.
"Fishlegs, we're on our own out here, okay? This kind of stuff just can't happen. Not with Viggo out there." Hicca pointed.
"I just… I… I'm sorry, guys." Fishlegs said apologetically. "You both know how the Throston twins and Snotlout can be."
"Yes, I do. But you're better than that. It's just… disappointing." Hiccup said.
Fishlegs watched slightly heartbroken as Hiccup wandered off. Hicca looked at him sympathetically.
"Don't feel bad Fishlegs, I'd like to see anyone keep a chain on those three." Hicca said.
"Yeah. But still, I should've tried harder." Fishlegs said as he walked off in sadness as Hicca and the rest of them watches him go, feeling bad for him
Hicca sighs as she places a hand on her forehead. "Hiccup should know that those three hardly listen to anyone, even us. He didn't need to give Fishlegs the disappointment. It was mostly our fault, we should've known better to leave Fishlegs alone with those three." She said, clearly seeing why Fishlegs feel down.
Raeda then approached her and placed her hand on her shoulder, "Don't beat yourself up now, Hicca, Fishlegs is doing his best. He is a dragon knowledge kinda guy after all. And I'm sure your brother didn't mean it." She assured her.
"Yeah besides, Fishlegs is a lot tougher than he looks, he'll be fine." Astrid added..
"I guess you guys are right." Hicca said while looking off to where Fishlegs went.
Henry then came up to her, "For now, let's make sure Snotbrains and those Thorsdumb Twins didn't waste any of the other supplies." He suggested.
"Good idea. Let's check our inventory." Hicca said as the four walked off to check their inventory, to see what else those three muttonheads have wasted.
(Linebreak)
Later that day, Fishlegs returned to the cavern and began sketching out the runes on the cave wall. Meatlug was holding a torch in her mouth to provide light while he sketched the runes.
Fishlegs then tossed away his brush in annoyance. "I hate it when Hiccup gets disappointed. Mad, I handle. Disappointment is so much worse. At least Hicca understands but Hiccup, that's just not right." He moaned in shame.
He then grabbed the torch from Meatlug and walked down the tunnel even further. "Keep going, girl. If we can show them what we found, he will—whoa!"
Fishlegs had been so busy talking that he didn't notice the steep gradient and stepped right into it.
"Meatlug!" Fishlegs yelled.
Fishlegs finally reached the bottom of the gradient and rubbed his head. He noticed that the gradient actually resembled steps, but before he could think more on it he was soon tackled to the ground by Meatlug, who then licked him furiously.
"I'm okay. I'm okay," He assured as he tried to fend off.
Fishlegs got back onto his feet and found himself in a new tunnel. Meatlug relit the torch and they began to walk down the tunnel.
"Okay. Let's see what's down here."
As they walked down he could hear screeching the distance and next second he saw glowing eyes in the distance.
"Uh, Meatlug?" he asked, Meatlug then spewed out some lava.
The glow of the lava revealed a bunch of Night Terrors, which bore a resemblance to Smidvarg due to their white skin.
Fishlegs jumped back in fright and dropped the torch, he turned around and found more of them directly behind them. He whimpered as the Night Terrors began to close in on them.
"Oh, Thor." He whimpered as the torch went out.
He quickly grabbed the torch and quickly relit it using a stone. He raised the torch and saw the Night Terrors wander even closer towards him.
"Uh… hello there," he said nervously as Meatlug growled at them. "My name is Fishlegs. And this is Meatlug. Say hi, girl."
Meatlug snorted. 'Hi.' She greeted him.
The Night Terrors were obviously not too impressed, because they screeched even louder and moved even closer towards him.
"Okay." Fishlegs said fearfully.
He then extended his hand out, hoping to have the same calming effect Hiccup and Hicca normally had on dragons. However, just as the Night Terror he tried to bond with showed it was calming down, it then screeched and he backed away quickly.
"Okay. Okay," he chuckled nervously. "Didn't like that, it's not a problem."
He then opened the satchel and Meatlug's saddle. "Oh. I gotta have something in here that you might…" He found exactly what he was looking for, food. "Boar rinds." He said, pulling out some food.
He then tossed pieces of boar rinds towards the Night Terrors, but they backed away from them suspiciously. 'Is this really food?' One of them asked, thinking they were poisonous, which was not good for Fishlegs.
"No, no, no, no, it's okay," he assured. "They're good. See?" He extended a boar rind towards Meatlug, hoping that if she ate it the Night Terrors would trust him.
Unfortunately, when she sniffed it she backed away growling at him. 'Ugh, I'm not eating that.'
"Really? Now you're a finicky eater?" Fishlegs complained.
Fishlegs knew that he only had one choice, as much as he hated it. He bit down on the boar rind and tried to eat a bit of it. Unfortunately, the boar rind was quite thick and it took quite a while for him to bite off a piece.
Eventually he was able to succeed and smiled at the Night Terrors. "Delicious." He said.
That did the trick, the Night Terrors sniffed at the boar rinds and began to eat them.
"Ah. Good, right?" Fishlegs asked in relief as he tossed a boar ring at them. He then looked at them with immense curiosity. "Look at this place, Meatlug. Hugh knew these guys were beneath us all this time?"
He then heard a shriek and turned to find a Night Terror landed on top of Meatlug. He soon realized that it was the only one that was not given a boar ring.
"Sorry, that's all I have," he said apologetically. "You know, you look a lot like a Night Terror I know. His name is Smidvarg."
The Night Terrors then shriek happily at the name. 'Cool name!'
"Oh, you like that. Well, I can't call you Smidvarg, because that's already taken." He frowned as he tried to come up with a name that was perfect for the young Night Terror. "But how about… Darkvarg? Get it? 'Cause it's, you know…"
Darkvarg then stuck his head in his satchel and fell to the ground. He then shook his head trying desperately to remove it.
"Oh. Oh, no, no, it's okay. It's okay," Fishlegs assured as he removed the satchel. "There you go. No problem. It's just a back. Watch."
He then placed the statue on top of his head and began to wander aimlessly and sung:
I am Darkvarg,
Just a silly in the—
The Night Terrors then screeched.
"Oh, you like that, huh?" Fishlegs smiled.
Then suddenly he found Darkvarg pushing him deeper into the tunnel. "You want us to go this way? Who am I to argue?"
Meatlug followed them, but she looked a bit jealous and grumbled all the way.
They soon entered into a cavern and Fishlegs just stared at the interior.
"What in the name of Thor?" he stared. He then turned to Meatlug. "Meatlug, give me a blast."
Meatlug then spewed some lava illuminating the cavern. It confirmed his suspicion, there were crates, weapons and lanterns piled all over the place.
"It's a lost civilization. Wow," Fishlegs said in awed as he starred. "These guys have made it their home. They've turned it into their own dragon village." He then noticed a large collection that resembled a throne. "Oh, I wonder who sits there?"
He then noticed another tunnel that led even deeper into the cavern.
"I wonder what's there?" he wondered as he walked down the tunnel. He soon found himself in another chamber. "Oh, another chamber."
Fishlegs frowned, he saw an opening in the ceiling and yet the Night Terrors didn't take the opportunity to fly out to find more open spaces. What also didn't make sense was that this chamber was larger than the previous one.
"I don't understand," he frowned at the Night Terrors. "Why are you guys crammed in there? It's so much roomier in here. I mean why wouldn't they—"
He soon got his answer when the sun shone down through the hole in the ceiling, the Night Terrors screeched as they flew away from the sun's rays.
"Oh, it's the sun," said Fishlegs. "You guys are cave dwellers. You can't be in the light."
He felt sorry for the Night Terrors, who were unable to leave and stuck in the smallest chamber. He then got an idea. "You know what? You guys wait here. We'll be back."
Fishlegs and made his way back into the previous chamber to get Meatlug.
(Linebreak)
Meanwhile, on another island that was populated by Monstrous Nightmares, Snotlout and the Thorston twins were out collecting Nightmare gel. Which unfortunately for the Twins was easier said then done.
The twins had located a Monstrous Nightmare who was eating some berries and were in the process of acquiring its gel. Ruffnut was sitting on a branch as she watched her brother holding out a fish on one hand and hiding a bucket behind his back in the other.
"Hey there, big guy." Tuffnut called as he swung the fish but the dragon didn't even notice him. "Don't mind me. I'm just a friendly old Viking not looking to harvest your gel or anything remotely close to that." He chuckled, accidentally revealed the bucket behind his back. "I mean, how crazy would that be?"
He then noticed he was holding up the bucket in plain sight and hid behind his back a second later, even though the Monstrous Nightmare didn't see it. Tuffnut then slowly walked over towards the Monstrous Nightmare swinging the fish in front of him.
"This ain't gonna turn out right." Ruffnut said to herself, who could only predict how this was going to end.
When the Monstrous Nightmare finally noticed the Thorston Boy, it roared and charged at Tuffnut, who screamed and ran for his life. Unfortunately, the dragon was able to catch up with him and brought its jaw down on top of his helmet and lifted him up into the air.
"Help! No, no, no!" Tuffnut yelled as the Monstrous Nightmare shook him around. "Ruffnut!"
"Hang on!" Ruffnut yelled, jumping off the branch.
However, instead of rescuing her brother, she picked up the bucket and began to catch the gel that was being flown off the Monstrous Nightmare as it shook her brother.
"Ruffnut!" Tuffnut yelled again.
"Good work, Tuff!" Ruffnut yelled now with the bucket half full.
"Thank you!" Tuffnut screamed, still being shaken around .
"Got it!" Ruffnut yelled now holding a full bucket of Monstrous Nightmare gel.
Unfortunately, at that moment, the Monstrous Nightmare had stopped shaking Tuffnut around and glared down at Ruffnut.
Ruffnut screamed and ran for it, but the Monstrous Nightmare tossed Tuffnut at her. The two of them collided and toppled to the ground, causing the bucket of Monstrous Nightmare gel to spill.
"I guess he digs his gel." Tuffnut said.
"Wouldn't you?" Ruffnut asked.
"Extremely flammable mucus coming out of every pore? Yeah, I can dig it." Tuffnut agreed.
His eyes widened when he saw the Monstrous Nightmare advancing towards them, looking quite angry. 'Ready for round two?' He growled.
Tuffnut screamed, but then an explosion blocked the Monstrous Nightmare path and next second Barf and Belch came flying down with Snotlout and Hookfang close behind.
Barf and Belch landed and growled at the Monstrous Nightmare. 'You can't barbecue our riders!' Barf snarled.
'Only we get to barbecue our riders!' Belch added.
The Thorston twins got up and glared at their Hideous Zippleback.
"You guys have been cutting it close lately." Ruffnut grumbled, crossing her arms.
"Yeah. No more hanging around Hookfang for you," Tuffnut agreed, gesturing to the red Monstrous Nightmare.
"Speaking of Hookfang." Ruffnut said as the two of them turned to Snotlout, "Why don't you give us some of his gel, Snotlout?"
Snotlout was leaning against Hookfang looking quite smug. "Because Hookfang's gel is my gel." He said.
Hookfang responded with a growl. 'You're Gel?'
"Our gel, sorry," he corrected. He then looked back at the twins. "And our gel is… well is… You know what I'm saying." He then traced a finger over Hookfang's body and showed them a tiny drop of gel. "Look, when we go into battle, one of us is going to be armed with a helmet with gel and one of us isn't."
"Unless, of course, you'd like to purchase some of mine. That could be properly arranged for a reasonable yet hefty price." He said with a greedy smile.
'Are you trying to use me as a get rich quick scheme?' Hookfang snorted.
The twins looked at one another and then back to the Monstrous Nightmare before Tuffnut grabbed the bucket and they charged the Monstrous Nightmare screaming. The two of them would rather be burned alive by a Monstrous Nightmare than purchase gel from Snotlout.
Snotlout smirked, knowing that they would come back eventually and decided to enjoy the show. He then scooped up some of Hookfang's gel and dropped it in a jar as he heard the other Monsterous Nightmare roar and the Thorston Twins yelped in pain.
"Oh, come on!" Ruffnut complained after another failed attempt.
(Linebreak)
Meanwhile, Fishlegs was getting the supplies he needed to help the Night Terrors.
"Okay," Fishlegs said, looking down at the materials. "Lumbar, check. Nails, check. Axe?" he listed.
"What you need your axe for?" A voice asked behind him.
Fishlegs turned around and saw Hiccup and Hicca entering his hut, with Hiccup holding out his axe with Toothless and Midnight by the Haddock twins' side.
"What you need your axe for?" Hiccup asked.
"Yeah, Fishlegs, you're not really one for battle." Hicca said in confusion.
"Well, if you two must know, I'm working on a personal project," said Fishlegs.
"A personal project?" Hiccup asked curiously as he tested the sharpness of the axe while Hicca was curious as well. "What kind of personal project?"
"All that I can tell you that it's, well…" Fishlegs trailed off.
"Personal?" Hicca guessed with an amused smile.
"Exactly." Fishlegs confirmed.
Hiccup handed Fishlegs' his axe and Hicca looked at her brother as she gestured to Fishlegs and Hiccup looked at him apologetically. "Listen, Fishlegs, Hicca told me about earlier and—"
"It's fine, Hiccup. It's fine. It's all good," Fishlegs assured. "All good in the archipela-hood." He then laughed as he made his way to Meatlug. "Come on, girl." Then as he flew off he began to sing a singalong. "Fishlegs is such a good human being."
Hiccup and Hicca frowned, they could tell that Fishlegs was up to something, but they couldn't put their fingers on it. Hiccup still felt guilty about scolding him earlier and really wanted to make it up to him.
"Don't worry bro." Hicca said, placing a hand on his shoulder, "You know Fishlegs isn't one to hold a grudge."
"Yeah. But still, I feel bad for scolding him when we put him in charge of the Edge with Snotlout and the Thorstons twins." Hiccup said in a guilt tone. "I should've known better." He added.
"Don't worry. You'll get your chance. Like Raeda and Astrid said, Fishlegs is a tough guy and not one to hold a grudge." Hicca assured as she placed a comforting hand on her brother's shoulder as Hiccup nodded in agreement, knowing that was true.
(Linebreak)
A little bit later, Fishlegs soon returned to the Night Terror caverns. He was hammering away on an attic door so that it would block the sunlight that ended into the cavern while standing on Meatlug.
"Ah… there we go." Fishlegs said with one last swing of his hammer.
Meatlug then landed back onto the ground and Fishlegs jumped off of her. He then grabbed a rope that connected to the attic door above them.
"That's what we call an attic door," He said looking at the Night Terrors. "That will keep out the sunlight so you guys won't be bothered by it. It is operated by a simple pulley system."
He then began to hammer a spike on a boulder and at once Darkvarg shrieked with pain. 'Owowowow!'
"Oh, sorry, Darkvarg," said Fishlegs apologetically. "Your hearing must be very sensitive." He then banged on the spike much more quietly. "Voila!"
He then turned to Meatlug. "Meatlug, care to demonstrate?"
Meatlug then bit on the rope and pulled open the attic door. At once the Night Terrors shrieked and backed away from the sun's rays.
"No, no, no, no! It's okay! It's okay!" Fishlegs yelled over the shrieks. "Look, Meatlug."
Meatlug then bit on the rope and pulled it back down and at once the attic door slammed shut.
"See? Easy-peasy?" Fishlegs smiled. "With this installed, this cavern becomes fully functional. We can put in better feeding stations, and even—Whoa!"
Suddenly the Night Terrors lifted Fishlegs off his feet and carried him away.
"Woohoo! What are you doing?" Fishlegs yelled. "Be careful. I'm a big boy. Hold on, Whoa!"
The Night Terrors had just carried him to the other chamber and pushed him into the throne. It took several seconds to realize what they wanted.
"Would you look at that, Meatlug?" Fishlegs starred as his dragon.
Meatlug just snorted as she entered the chamber. 'All I see is bunch of rocks.'
"Now this is how you treat a leader." Fishlegs said with a proud smile.
(Linebreak)
It was night now at the Edge, and the Haddock twins, Raeda, Astrid and Henry were standing in the dome. Hiccup and Hicca were pacing around worriedly, they were very concerned about Fishlegs.
"This is weird, Fishlegs have never been away this long." Hicca said in worried.
"Guys, I'm sure he's fine," Astrid assured. "You both know Fishlegs. He's probably taking out somewhere and some new foliage."
"Or maybe he found a pile of new rocks for Meatlug to enjoy." Raeda commented, knowing how Fishlegs love spoiling his dragon with her favorite rocks.
"Yeah, but he usually geeks out with me and Hicca." Hiccup pointed out.
"Yeah. And Meatlug wouldn't be enjoying rocks for this long. This is so not like them." Hicca added as she crossed her arms. "No matter how much kicking out he does, he always returns to the Edge before sundown."
Hiccup nodded. "It's not like him." He then looked at the four of them. "Do you think I was too hard on him earlier?"
Before they could answer, Snotlout and the Thorston twins returned.
Once they landed, Snotlout pulled out several jars of gel from his satchel. "Here you go, Hiccup and Hicca. My portion of Monstrous Nightmare gel."
"Good." Hicca nodded before turning to the Thorston Twins, "And yours?"
"Okay." Tuffnut said, opening their jars they looked inside it, but sadly there was only one drop of gel inside it. He then looked to the Haddock Twins as Snotlout gave the jars to him.
"Did you two waste all your Gel, blowing stuff up on the way here?" Henry asked with a glare.
"No we didn't! We just couldn't get much." Ruffnut admitted sheepishly
"Uh… we'd like to make a good faith of offer for Hookfang's gel," Tuffnut said to Snotlout.
"I told you the price is non-negotiable." Snotlout reminded them.
"Yeah, but if we buy in bulk, should we get a better deal?" Ruffnut asked.
"Oh, yeah," said Snotlout sarcastically. "In some alternate fantasy world, why not? But this is the real world!"
"Snotlout!" Raeda shouted at the Jorgenson boy as he jumped, "This isn't about you getting rich, it's about replenishing the supply of Monstrous Nightmare gel, you had a hand in exhausting! I'm sure Hookfang has enough to replace Ruff and Tuff's half so cough it up."
"Ugh, Fine!" Snotlout said in annoyance. "I'll give you two a 100% off discount." He grumbled.
"Awesome." Ruffnut said, with a smile.
"Though, that could wait until we're done itching." Tuffnut said as he and his sister began scratching themselves enthusiastically. It was clear that they must have landed in a pile of poison ivy. "We'll get back out there as soon as the scabs heal, or we pick them off and eat them."
Hicca made a disgusted face, "Yeah, but maybe after I give you two Poison Ivy ache cream and some medicine before the scabs come back to haunt you." She said as she led them back to her hut.
(Linebreak)
Meanwhile Fishlegs was relaxing within the Night Terror caverns. His head was pressed against Meatlug's belly and he looked up at the night sky from the attic door, which was wide open now.
"Now this is living! Oh…" Fishlegs sighed. "It's so peaceful."
He then got up and stretched his arms. "Well, it's getting late, or early. We should get back, girl. I think it's time to show everyone what it's like to be worshiped by an entire species of dragons."
He then noticed that he was surrounded by the Night Terrors and he made the most adorable face at them. "Oh, that's so cute, Meatlug. They want us to stay."
Meatlug snorted, indicating that she sensed something wrong.
"I understand your allegiance," said Fishlegs calmly. "Really, I do. But we'll be back tomorrow. Promise."
Unfortunately, the Night Terrors did not like that arrangement. They screeched at him and approached him in a threatening way.
"Uh, easy, guys," said Fishlegs calmly. "I told you. I'll be back in the morning."
He then tripped and the Night Terrors climbed on top of him. It became apparently clear that they did not want him to leave.
"Meatlug, hug!" Fishlegs cried.
Meatlug flattened her wings and Night Terrors flew away from her as she made her way to Fishlegs. "Get out of here, girl," Fishlegs cried.
Meatlug grabbed him and then took off, it took some effort but he was able to mount her. She first tried to make their escape through the cavern entrance, but more Night Terrors appeared blocking their path. She then flew up to the only available escape route, the open attic door.
"Go, go, go, go!" Fishlegs cried as the Night Terrors followed. "Up, Meatlug, up!"
Unfortunately, one of the Night Terrors grabbed the rope and the attic door began to close. Then a Night Terror knocked off of Meatlug just as she flew out of the attic door.
"Meatlug!" Fishlegs cried just as the attic door closed.
(Linebreak)
Back on the Edge, Hiccup was sleeping in his hut, but then a mighty crash hit both him and Toothless. Hiccup quickly got up and went downstairs to find Meatlug stuck in his doorway.
"What! Meatlug? What is it, girl?" Hiccup asked as he ran towards her.
She made a few worried growls and snorts, but he got the gist of what she was trying to say. "Is it Fishlegs? Is he in trouble? Where is he? Show us, girl."
(Linebreak)
After Hiccup removed Meatlug from his doorway, he rounded up the other Dragon Riders and they soon followed Meatlug into a cavern. Hiccup, Hicca, and Astrid led the way holding a lamp in their hands.
"Easy, Meatlug." Hiccup said as she took off.
"Slow down, girl." Hicca added, surprised that Meatlug is so fast.
"I've never seen her move so fast. She's way cooler than I thought." Snotlout said in amazement as he was surprised a big Gronkle like Meatlug can move that fast.
"Clearly Fishlegs is in some kind of trouble if Meatlug is this worried." Raeda stated, knowing if Meatlug is like this, Fishlegs' gotta be in deep trouble.
"Are we sure Fishlegs is even down here?" Astrid asked.
The Haddock twins noticed something that confirmed just that. "Yes, we are," Hiccup said.
Meatlug was standing next to the same ancient runes she and Fishlegs found and against the wall was the sword Fishlegs had found. Hiccup and Hicca recognised it as the sword Fishlegs had been holding when Hiccup scolded him.
Hiccup picked up the sword and examined it. "He had this in his hand last time I saw him," he said.
Hicca raised the lamp towards the ancient runes. "He must have discovered these along with that sword, I've never seen runes like these. From what I make out seems to be even older than Norse, it might very well be even older than us Vikings." She guessed.
"Is that possible?" Astrid asked.
"I don't know, but I'll bet you anything that Fishlegs was busy making this archaeological discovery." Hicca said.
Hiccup then cursed himself. "Why didn't I just stop and pay attention?" He said to himself for not listening to Fishlegs earlier as he then placed the sword in Toothless saddle.
"Beat yourself up later, we got an Ingerman to find." Henry told him.
"Yeah, yeah. I agree with you on that." Hiccup said as they made their way further down the tunnel.
(Linebreak)
Fishlegs meanwhile, was sitting on the throne against his will, he and the Night Terrors were sleeping peacefully. He then opened one eye in order to make sure the Night Terrors were fully asleep.
Once he was sure, he set off the throne, but then one of the Night Terrors awoke and shrieked. Almost instantly they awoke and Fishlegs quickly sat back on the throne.
"Listen, guys." Fishlegs said diplomatically. "This is a little ridiculous, don't you think? I mean, I'm touched that you think so highly of me. It's just… Well, this is kidnapping, which, as far as I know, is against Viking law." He told them.
He then remembered that he was talking to a pack of dragons.
"But, of course, why would a flock of dragons care about Viking law?" He asked himself.
Then they heard a rustling in the distance and at once the Night Terrors flew down the tunnel. Believing that his captors have left, Fishlegs removed himself from the throne.
He then saw that not all the Night Terrors had left, Darkvarg remained with him. Unlike the others, he seemed to be more carefree judging by how happy he looked and the wagging of his tail.
"Darkvarg!" Fishlegs chuckled innocently. "Hey, there. Me and you, we're friends, right? We have a connection." He then slowly backed away from Darkvarg. "Fishlegs and Darkvarg. Darkvarg and Fishlegs." He sang.
He then looked over Darkvarg and pointed and cried, "Oh, my Thor, what's that?"
Darkvarg turned, but found nothing. When he turned back to Fishlegs, he found that the Viking was running down the tunnel where the Night Terrors had vanished.
(Linebreak)
Meanwhile, the Haddock twins and the others were still looking for Fishlegs. Meatlug then led them to a steep gradient.
"What is it, girl?" Hiccup asked.
"You found Fishlegs?" Hicca asked next.
That's when they heard a distant screeching noise and Meatlug flew back over towards them. Hiccup lifted his lantern wondering what could cause such a noise.
They soon got their answer when an angry flock of Night Terrors appeared flying straight towards them.
"And what is that?" Snotlout yelled.
"Night Terrors! Get down!" Hicca yelled as she ducked down to avoid getting hit by the Night Terrors.
"Does something look familiar about these Night Terrors to anyone?" Henry asked as he covered his head.
"They're all white, just like Smidvarg." Raeda confirmed.
"I'll tell you what they are," Tuffnut started. "They're a gaggle of Smidvargs."
"A bevy of Smidvargs," said Ruffnut.
"Some would say bonanza, a symphony," Tuffnut then ducked when a Night Terror flew over his head, "A cacophony of Smidvargs!"
"And these dragons are not as friendly as Smidvarg and his Terrors, they're much more territorial!" Hicca added.
Their dragons then rushed to their rescue. Barf and Belch then release their gas and spark attack, blowing away a Night Terror.
"Need a little help here!" Raeda yelled as three Night Terrors soared towards her.
Sparkfire then uses her spine shots to get the Night Terrors to back away as they dodge the spines.
"Stormfly!" Astrid cried as she ran from a Night Terror that was swooping down towards.
Stormfly then placed herself between the Night Terror and Astrid, staring it off. Meatlug batted one with a batted tail bludgeon and Toothless and Midnight blasted each one with a plasma blast that was attacking Hiccup and Hicca.
"Thanks, bud." Hiccup said, to Toothless.
"Nice work, girl." Hicca said to Midnight.
Henry rolled out of the way of one Terror, "Guys, these things have the advantage here!" He said as Wildstar rushed over to him and blasted the Terrors attacking him.
Hiccup then looked towards the others. "Stay with your dragons! Do not try to battle these guys—" He heard Snotlout screaming, "On your own."
"Should've seen that one coming." Hicca said with a rolled eye.
Two Night Terrors had grabbed Snotlout's legs and were suspending him in mid-air.
"They're definitely not like Smidvarg, they're wild and aggressive." Hiccup said.
"Didn't just Hicca say that? Help me!" Snotlout yelled.
Hookfang then slammed into the ceiling which caused the tunnel to shake and rocks began to fall, scaring the Night Terrors. The two that had grabbed Snotlout released him and he landed face first on the ground.
"Ouch." Snotlout groaned.
"Snotlout, are you okay?" Hicca asked as she, Hiccup, Henry Astrid and Raeda ran towards him.
"Uh-huh," Snotloput groaned, giving the thumbs up.
Barf and Belch launched their gas and spark combination that pushed the Terrible Terrors back. Unfortunately they blasted the ceiling which made the tunnel unstable.
"The whole tunnel is starting to come down." Henry said.
"We need to get out of here." Astrid said.
"Back the way we came." Hiccup said.
"Dragon Riders, fall back!" Hicca called out.
They ran as fast as they could down the tunnel, but then they were cut off by a cave-in, Stormfly, Sparkfire, Wildstar, Hookfang, Barf and Belch were the only ones to escape leaving the rest of them with the Night Terrors.
"They'll find a way out." Hiccup assured.
"They know these tunnels better than we do." Hicca added.
"I'm not worried about them." Snotlout said, pointing upwards.
The Haddock looked up and saw Night Terrors are merging from a tunnel in the ceiling. Hiccup and Hicca couldn't see how they could get themselves out of this, they had no weapons and only Toothless, Midnight and Meatlug for protection. Toothless and Midnight kept on firing plasma blasts, but there were too many for him.
"Hiccup, Hicca, there's too many of them." Astrid said..
"And we're completely defenseless." Raeda added.
"And it's glorious." Tuffnut said, looking at the Night Terrors that were flying overhead.
Things got worse when Toothless and Midnight ran out a plasma blast.
"They're out." Hiccup said.
"That's six shots!" Hicca called out.
Then suddenly they heard a clunk in noise which disturbed the Night Terrors greatly. They winced in pain and covered their ears as best they could. Then to their surprise Fishlegs emerge from the steep gradient slamming two axes together.
"Fishlegs!" Hiccup yelled.
"You're okay!" Hicca yelled out.
"Hiccup, Hicca!" Fishlegs yelled.
Fishlegs ran up to them hugging the Haddock twins, Astrid, Raeda, Henry and finally Meatlug. He then looked at them apologetically. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you guys where I was going. It's just that…" He then noticed a Night Terror flying towards Snotlout, who had his back turned. He quickly picked up his axes. "Oh, we can talk about this later."
Fishlegs then slammed the axes together creating a massive clank that chased the Night Terror away. It also had a dazing effect on Snotlout and he kept on repeating the process again and again.
"Wow. That is cool," Tuffnut in amazement. "Keep doing it."
"Tuff's right. Keep doing it," Hiccup realized at the effect it was having, he then saw the dazed Snotlout. "Just not in Snotlout's face."
Snotlout then toppled over. "Snotlout outlout." He mumbled.
Hicca then quickly checks him, "He'll be fine. He took worse hits." She simply said.
"Well, that pretty much cuts the fun factor in half." Ruffnut said.
"Doesn't mean you should hurt one of your teammates." Raeda pointed out while giving Ruffnut a look.
"These guys are really persistent." Tuffnut added while gesturing to the Night Terrors.
"They're just protecting me." Fishlegs said.
"That explains why they are so aggressive to us." Hicca commented.
"We can use the axes to keep them at bay while we find another way out." Hiccup said.
"Follow me, guys." Fishlegs said with a determined look. "I'll get it out of here."
Fishlegs began banging the axes together and they certainly had an effect on the Night Terrors, who were cringing in pain. One by one the Riders, Toothless, Midnight and Meatlug followed him, except for Snotlout who was still in a daze.
Hiccup and Hicca were forced to grab his arms after he walked straight into a wall. "Come on!" Hiccup said, pulling the dazed Viking towards him.
"Keep it together, Snotlout." Hicca said while pulling Snotlout's other arm.
They made their way down the steep gradient and found the Night Terrors nesting chamber. The Night Terrors flew away from the sound Fishlegs was creating by banging his axes.
"Hurry! Grab what you can!" said Fishlegs as they ran past a few crates. "I know how to get out of here."
"Great!" said Hiccup as he drew the rune sword from Toothless' satchel. "Which way?"
"That way." Fishlegs said while pointing at the tunnel on the opposite side of the chamber, which unfortunately was full of Night Terrors.
"Great." Raeda muttered. "Got any idea how to get through that, Fishlegs?" She asked the Ingerman.
"I do, actually." Fishlegs said as he then gave a battle cry and charged, banging his axes together scaring the Night Terrors away. Hiccup grabbed a shield and joined in. Hicca drew her battle staff, Tuffnut grabbed a couple of spears, Astrid two battle-axes, Radea with her bow and arrow, Henry with a sword, Ruffnut a spear and shield and to Snotlout's dismay a door handle and the jug. Soon all the Riders were banging their objects together scaring the Night Terrors away as they made their way towards the chamber.
Toothless, Midnight and Meatlug held by roaring and spewing lava all over the place. They soon entered the chamber where they found the closed attic door.
Unfortunately, the banging was becoming less effective on the Night Terrors, which they proved by snatching Fishlegs' axes.
"They're getting used to the sounds." Fishlegs said, turning to Hiccup and Hicca. "We've gotta get that hook, guys?"
"How?" Hiccup yelled.
Fishlegs then noticed Darkvarg flying overhead. "Darkvarg. Yes! Can you help us out, boy?"
Darkvarg screeched happily and charged at the Night Terrors that were in front of them. The Night Terrors were shocked by this and were scattered, giving Fishlegs a clear run to the rope.
"He cleared a path for us. Hiccup, the sword!" Fishlegs yelled and then ran towards the rope.
Hiccup then tossed the sword into the air and Fishlegs jumped into the air. He caught the sword as it flew in mid-air and with a powerful roar he then brought it down, slicing the rope.
The attic door flung open revealing sunlight, indicating it was dawn now. The Night Terrors quickly backed away from the light. Fishlegs then saw Snotlout having trouble fending off two Night Terrors within the shadows.
He then reflected the sun's rays upon the sword, blinding the Night Terrors and saving Snotlout.
"Meatlug! Thorston Twins!" Fishlegs yelled.
Meatlug flew over towards the twins, who were having difficulty fending off the Night Terrors. She then grabbed them and took off into the air, much to their surprise.
Hiccup and Astrid mounted Toothless while Hicca and Henry rode on Midnight, who began to jump off the cavern walls and grabbed Raeda and Snotlout before heading towards the opening in the ceiling.
This left Fishlegs to defend the Night Terrors by himself by using the sun's rays with the sword. He then jumped onto Meatlug's back just as she flew past, with the twins now and back as well.
He then looked to Darkvarg, who was looking down at him. "Darkvarg, thank you."
Darkvarg shrieked happily and Fishlegs flew up to the whole ceiling closing the attic door behind him.
(Linebreak)
Later that day, Fishlegs was at his hut polishing the sword he found in the cavern. He will have to try and decipher the room a bit later, because he saw Hiccup, Hicca, Midnight and Toothless approaching him.
"Hey, Fishlegs." Hicca greeted him with a smile.
"How's it going?" Hiccup asked.
"I'm trying to make sense of this sword." Fishlegs said.
The three of them looked at each other slightly uneasy and then said at the exact same time, "listen, I want to—" Hiccup started.
"Me first, Hiccup," Fishlegs said. He took a deep breath. "As hard as it was for me to hear what you said yesterday… you and Hicca were right. If I had been stronger with Snotlout and the Thorston twins… we wouldn't have put the group in jeopardy by losing the Nightmare gel."
Hiccup shook his head. "Fishlegs…"
"I don't know how you both do it." Fishlegs said in disbelief. "You both lead by example, not by fear, or by bossing people around. I have a long way to go before I learn how to do that."
Hiccup sighed. "Fishlegs, listen to me. Hicca and I can barely control those guys on my best days."
"The most we can do is give them a job where it's okay to blow something up." Hicca added.
Then suddenly there was a huge explosion emanating from the Thorston twins hut.
Fishlegs blinked. "Was that—"
"Our new supply of Monstrous Nightmare gel, which proves my point," Hiccup finished.
"And I get the feeling Henry might give those three muttonheads another painful and firm lecture." Hicca added. "I think Raeda and Astrid would want to watch if they saw the explosion." She said with a chuckle.
"Knowing those two, it's not surprising." Hiccup said in agreement as they then turned and looked at Fishlegs. "Anyway, I should not have come down on you, okay? I was wrong. You show true leadership in those caves. With the Night Terrors, and then with us. Fishlegs, I would never hesitate to put you in charge."
"Okay, now that we're done with that, can I ask you two something serious?" Fishlegs asked.
"Sure." Hiccup answered.
"Anything, Fishlegs." Hicca said in agreement.
"Can we take a minute to geek out over the Albino Night Terrors and this sword?" Fishlegs asked, holding the sword out. "I mean, come on!"
Hiccup laughed. "I thought you'd never ask."
"We sure can." Hicca smiled as she chuckled in excitement as well.
The Haddock twins and Fishlegs then made their way towards Hiccup's hut so they could begin geeking out.
"Oh and Fishlegs, I promise next time we leave you in charge of the Edge," Hicca started before they heard Snotlout, Ruffnut and Tuffnut running and screaming in terror while a very angry Henry was on their tails.
"Come here you three!" Henry yelled as he chased after the three terrified Vikings.
"We're leaving Henry with you." Hicca finished with a slight chuckle.
"I agree." Fishlegs said with a smile while watching Henry chase after the three muttonheads after wasting their new supply of Monstrous Nightmare gels as the he and the Haddock Twins laughed at the sight, finding it nice to see Snotlout and the Thorston Twins see the consequences of their actions.