Author's Note: I have finally finished writing the movie arc (I have the epilogue chapter of HTTYD already written). I am amazed that I have written 28K words of an animated movie. Whew, it was a long road, but at last, it is done. This is the current longest chapter I've written to date on this story (I wrote it in one sitting, too). So, here's a question, readers; should I cover the whole DreamWorks Dragons series for covering up the whole coming of age story for Bright? Let me know!
andreamassocco98: Toothless didn't want Luna to be seen, that's why only he was in the ring. Also, remember that this is my story, meaning that you may have ideas, but it's not like I'll be using them for the story. Just remember that, my friend.
Chapter 15: The Battle of Dragon Island
Broken-down catapults and trebuchets were bundled up and lowered from the cliffs. Below on the docks, Vikings were loading heavy artillery into the hulls of awaiting ships. Children and the elderly gather on the walkways to wave apprehensive farewells to the departing warriors.
Lastly, Toothless was loaded aboard Stoick's ship, chained down to a palette, muzzled, and restrained with a weighty neck ring. He looked exhausted, miserable. How did this happen…? was all he could think to himself.
Stoick crossed to the bow as the ship pushed off and joined the amassed armada of ships adrift in the harbor. Stoick's brow was furrowed, all warmth drained away. He turned west and glared at the horizon with cold determination. "Set sail! We head for Helheim's Gate!" He then noticed Hiccup watching from his familiar cliff-side perch beyond the village. Their eyes met, full of hurt and regret. He could see Hiccup slowly shaking his head in warning, but Stoick broke the stare and turned to Toothless, fuming. "Lead us home, Devil."
…
Hiccup watched, powerless to stop what was happening, but he wouldn't leave. Soon he heard wings flapping and something landed beside him. He turned and saw Bright, scarred on the right eye, on top of Luna. "Bright, I am so sorry for all of this happening. Luna, I apologize for what went wrong. Toothless…"
Luna put her paw on his lips, surprising him, but it silenced him with her gentle touch.
"It's okay, Hiccup," Bright smiled in reassurance to him. "We didn't know this would happen, either. But we didn't come here alone."
"Huh?" Hiccup tilted his head, but saw Astrid walking up to him.
The ships have cleared the horizon, as Astrid stood beside Hiccup. She approached cautiously, and stood beside him silently.
"It's a mess," she finally said.
Hiccup didn't respond.
"You must feel horrible," Astrid continued. "You've lost everything. Your father, your tribe, your best friend."
"Thank you for summing that up," Hiccup sighed. "Why couldn't I have killed that dragon when I found him in the woods? It would have been better for everyone."
"Yep," Astrid nodded. "The rest of us would have done it. Why didn't you?"
"I don't know," Hiccup shrugged. "I couldn't."
"That's not an answer," Astrid commented.
Hiccup became irate. "Why is this so important to you all of a sudden?" he wanted to know.
"Because I want to remember what you say right now," she replied.
Bright and Luna stepped aside.
Hiccup became angry, and loudly said: "Oh for the love of—I was a coward! I was weak. I wouldn't kill a dragon."
"You said 'wouldn't' that time," Astrid noted.
"Whatever!" Hiccup said, exaggerated, blowing up. "I wouldn't! Three hundred years and I'm the first Viking who wouldn't kill a dragon!"
"First to ride one, though," Astrid recalled.
Hiccup blinked, looking at Bright for support, but he shrugged in silence. Hiccup never looked at it that way before. "I wouldn't kill him," he realized. "Because he looked as frightened as I was. I looked at him and I saw myself."
Astrid turned to face the open sea.
Bright was beaming with pride for his friend. "A friendship that will last forever…" he mumbled to Luna, who nodded in agreement.
"What are you going to do about it?" Astrid asked, ignoring Bright's mutter.
"Probably something stupid," Hiccup replied.
"Good," Astrid smiled. "But you've already done that."
"Then something crazy," Hiccup added.
Astrid's smile grew. "That's more like it. Come, Bright!"
Bright nodded and they ran away from the cliff-side.
…
The armada coasted toward a shroud of heavy fog, hung like drapes from a low-hanging, ominous sky. The ships entered, one by one. Visibility dropped immediately. Flanking ships became ghosts. The armada disappeared, drawn into the blinding mist. Complete without. Nothing remained but the eerie creaking of wood on water.
Stoick was at the bow, he tapped his fingers on the gunwale, then looked at Toothless impatiently. Weighted down with chains, Toothless seemed unresponsive. "Sound your positions. Stay within earshot!"
Shouts pour in from all directions.
"Here!"
"One length to your stern!"
"Three widths to port!"
"Ahead, at your bow!"
"Haven't a clue!"
Stoick strained into the fog, as the calls continued. Massive, jagged sea stacks began to emerge, threatening to rip the ships to shreds. Gobber approached him, speaking under his breath.
"Listen…Stoick," the smith started. "I was overhearing some of the men just now, and, well, some of them are wondering what it is we're up to here—not me, of course, I know you're always the man with the plan—but some, not me, are wondering if there's in fact a plan at all, what might it be?"
"Find the nest and take it," Stoick replied, voice firm.
"Ah, good," Gobber nodded. "Send them running." The old Viking fall-back, nice and simple.
"Shh," Stoick whispered, noticing Toothless's ear plates were at the alert, quietly reacting to inaudible sounds. Stoick crossed to the stern of the ship and grabbed the tiller, moving the helmsman out of the way. "Step aside."
Stoick pulled the ship to a turn, covertly following Toothless's head movements. The ship barely missed a jagged outcrop that suddenly appeared out of the soupy fog.
"Bear to port," Stoick called.
The order was called from ship to ship. The bow barely made it past another sea stack, as Stoick continued to follow Toothless's cues, undeterred.
…
Hiccup raised the bolt on the Monstrous Nightmare's pen. Behind him, Bright was with Luna by her side, feeling anxious
"If you're planning on getting eaten," Fishlegs started, "I'd definitely go with the Gronckle."
Hiccup turned to his friends, watching him with folded arms. Tuffnut stepped forward with a scowl.
"You were wise to seek help from the world's most deadly weapon," Tuffnut said. "It's me."
"Uh…" Hiccup started.
"I love this plan!" Snotlout said, all pumped up.
"You're crazy," Ruffnut noted. "I like that."
"So?" Astrid asked. "What is the plan?"
Hiccup smiled, glowing in the support of his friends.
…
The ships followed in line through the gauntlet of rocks as orders were whispered from ship to ship. A dragon head loomed out of the fog, and the men recoiled…only to discover that it was a wrecked ship, impaled on a gnarled sea stack.
"Ah," Gobber said. "I was wondering where that went."
A clicking buzz became audible, growing louder. It filled the sky, converging in one general direction. Stoick sniffed the air. "Stay low and grab your weapons," he ordered in a low voice.
His ship suddenly jerked to a halt as the keel burrowed into shallow black sand. Stoick hopped overboard, landing on a sprawling beach. The buzzing suddenly stopped. Above him, a craggy volcano towered into the gloom. "We're here," he noted.
Behind him, several dragon-headed bows pierced the fog.
…
Hiccup stepped back from the door, drawing the Monstrous Nightmare out of its cave. It snorted, stepping into the ring, calmed by Hiccup's outstretched hand—focused on him.
The teens were bewildered, in awe. Bright was beaming to his friend, who was slowly coming to them backwards.
Snotlout nervously reached for a spear lying near his foot, but Astrid stopped him.
"Uh-uh," she shook her head.
Hiccup slowed to a stop in front of the teens, with the Nightmare inches from his outstretched hand. He reached over and grabbed Snotlout's trembling hand.
"Wait! What are you…"
"Relax," Hiccup said in reassurance. "It's okay…it's okay."
Hiccup replaced his outstretched hand with Snotlout's, putting him in control of the massive beast. The Nightmare snorted, but remained calm. Snotlout, by contrast, chuckled nervously—it's at once terrifying and amazing.
Hiccup turned and walked away, Snotlout noticed this. "Where are you going?"
Hiccup pulled a bundle of rope from a supply box. "You're going to need something to help you hold on," he said.
The teens eyed each other apprehensively, and looked up to reveal…all the dragons standing in the ring, facing the teens expectantly.
Bright was already on Luna's back. "Are we good and ready, guys?"
The dragons roared in unison, affirming their assistance.
…
Tree trunks, being sharpened and planted into the sand at angled rows. Boulders were being loaded into catapult baskets. And a war plan scratched in the sand.
Stoick loomed over it, looking determined. His generals were at his sides. "When we crack this mountain open, all hell is going to break loose."
"In my undies," Gobber joked. "Good thing I brought extras."
Stoick turned to face the men. "No matter how it ends, it ends today." He walked toward the base of the volcano wall, backed by several warriors. He raised his hand and dropped it.
A line of catapults unleash their two-ton loads into the cliff wall, it cracked and flaked away. Several more hits tore away at the hollow shell of hardened lava.
A final boulder shattered the fractured wall, creating a deep, dark opening to the cavern within. Silence. Stoick raised his hand and made a gesture. A flaming bushel was launched into the dark, lighting the walls…choked with dragons. Stoick pulled his hammer and rushed into the cave, brazen. Stoick gave war cries and slashing efforts.
In a chaotic flurry, the dragons suddenly rush out like bats from a cave. They took to the air, bypassing the ax-swinging Vikings and fled the island in a mass exodus.
The battle-ready Vikings dropped their weapons, confused. They cheered as one.
"We've done it!" Spitelout cheered.
Stoick didn't celebrate. Something was not right. He heard something, and he turned to peer down the dark throat of the cavern. A deep, rumbling roar echoed from the cavern. The ground under their feet trembled, with the ships rocking. Their sails filled with a blast of air.
The cheering stopped. Stoick's expression sank.
"This isn't over," he realized, turning to his men. "Form your ranks! Hold together!"
The men scrambled to organize themselves.
"Get clear!" Stoick called out his order.
The ground cracked, stone tore away, cascading like an avalanche. And through the settling debris, the silhouette of a gargantuan dragon emerged. The Monster stirred, furious.
"Beard of Thor…" Gobber gasped. "What is that?"
"Odin help us," Stoick whispered, aghast. A short pause, he ordered, "Catapults!"
The Vikings scored direct hits on the Monster. The burning stones bounced off the Monster's skin, as the Monster focused on the catapults. It crushed the first one, smashing it and its crew, rattling the beach underfoot.
Stoick raced toward the second catapult, he leapt and pushed a Viking out of the way just before the Monster crushed him under its forepaw. The Vikings scrambled in all directions.
"Get to the ships!" shouted a Viking.
"No!" Stoick yelled. "NO!"
The Monster blasted the ships like a mile-long flamethrower, as the ships were torched. Vikings dived overboard and masted came down.
Gobber joined Stoick. "Heh, smart that one."
Stoick looked up and down the beach for an answer. "I was a fool," he muttered, guilt-ridden.
The Monster raised its head to the sky and bellowed. The sound shook the beach, knocking Vikings off their feet. The island was its territory. "You fools! You think you could come here and kill me to take this island?" A deep, rumbling voice came from the Monster, but all the Vikings heard was deep growling.
Stoick stopped a Viking general. "Lead the men to the far side of the island," he demanded.
Spitelout nodded. "Right." He turned to the others. "Everybody to the far side of the island!"
The Vikings scatter into rocks like ants. Satisfied with the destruction of the ships, the Monster turned its attention back to the Vikings. They seemed to have vanished. The Monster sniffed the air, searching for their scent.
"You think you can hide from me?" the Monster spoke. "You are all but fools."
Gobber dropped in beside Stoick, like two soldiers in a trench. Fire blasted overhead, causing them to duck.
"Gobber, go with the men," Stoick ordered him.
"I think I'll stay," Gobber said. "Just in case you're thinking of doing something crazy."
Stoick grabbed him. "I can buy them a few minutes if I give that thing to someone to hurt."
Gobber removed Stoick's hand, clenching his forearm, determined. "Then I can double that time."
Stoick grinned. Friends to the bitter end. They broke cover and dash into the open, splitting up. Stoick rips a sharpened post from the ground and hurls it into the Monster's face. "HERE!"
The Monster spotted him. "Fool."
"No, here!" Gobber shouted at that moment.
The Monster fueled up to fire, glancing back and forth between the two men. The Monster focused on Stoick.
"Come on!" Gobber yelled. "Fight me!"
"No, me!" Stoick added.
The Monster remained focused on Stoick. This was it. The Monster reared back and inhaled. Gas began to amass, then…
A blast exploded against the back of the Monster's head. It turned, distracted, as—a Nadder punched through the flames, banking across the sky. The Nadder was followed by a Monstrous Nightmare, a Zippleback, a Gronckle and a Light Fury. They rolled in unison, revealing the group riding on their backs. Hiccup led, with Astrid clinging to his waist.
Bright was beside the Nadder on Luna.
Gobber and Stoick watch in slack-jawed, in awe.
"Ruff, Tuff," started Bright. "Watch your backs! Move Fishlegs!"
The Monster shook off the blast and snapped in their wake. "You are dumb, humans. You think you can ride on dragons and take me down? You are nothing but imbeciles to me!"
"Oh, you think you are so smart, Monster?" Bright sneered back. "Well, guess what, we are going to stop you. Right here, right now!"
The Monster snarled at him.
Hiccup directed his squadron out of harm's way. They climbed out of reach and circled each other.
"Look at us, we're on dragons!" Tuffnut called down. "We're on dragons, all of us!"
"Up," Hiccup ordered. "Let's move it!"
The dragons climbed past the Monster.
Gobber hobbled over to Stoick. "Every bit the boar-headed, stubborn Viking you ever were."
Stoick was speechless.
The Riders circled over the Monster's head, it was snarling at them—mostly at Bright and Luna.
"Fishlegs, break it down," Hiccup said.
"Okay," Fishlegs nodded from his Gronckle. "Heavily armored skull and tail made for bashing and crushing, steer clear of both. Small eyes, large nostrils. Relies on hearing and smelling."
"Okay," Hiccup said. "Lout, Legs, hang in its blind spot. Make some noise, keep it confused. Ruff, Tuff, find out if it has a shot limit. Make it mad!"
"That's my specialty," Ruffnut said in response.
"Since when?" Tuffnut asked. "Everyone knows I'm the most irritating. See…" His Zippleback head rolled around, letting him hang upside down.
Hiccup looked exasperated. "Just do what I told you. I'll be back as soon as I can. Bright, help them out, will you?"
"You got it, Hicc!" Bright nodded in understanding, patting his sister, who gave her short nod before flying with the Riders.
"Don't worry, we got it covered!" Tuffnut called to Hiccup.
"Yeah!" Fishlegs added.
Hiccup and Astrid peeled away. Bright and the teens bank and dive toward the Monster, splitting up. The Twins race alongside the Monster's head, taunting it.
"Troll!" Tuffnut said.
"Butt Elf!" Ruffnut added.
"Bride of Grendel!" Tuffnut finished.
The Monster unleashed a spray of fire at the twins. They barely dodged it.
Bright was on Luna as she flew up in the sky, gas building as the screech of a Fury came from her. Luna dived toward the Monster, firing a plasma blast at its back, causing it to roar in pain.
"Good job, Bright!" Snotlout cheered excitedly from his Nightmare's back. He was hanging behind the Monster's eyes with Fishlegs, banging away at their shields, making a racket.
The Monster opened its six eyes, spotting them.
"Uh, this thing doesn't have a blind spot!" Fishlegs noted, continuing banging on his shield.
Meanwhile, Hiccup and Astrid were on the Nadder, searching for Toothless. Hiccup spotted him among the burning ships. "There!" he pointed.
He steered the Nadder over the deck and handed Astrid the reins. He lined up his jump…and hopped off, guarding his face from the flames. He landed on the burning deck. "Go help the others!"
Astrid and the Nadder took off.
"Hiccup!" Toothless cried out in joy.
Hiccup fought his way to Toothless, he unbuckled the muzzle as Toothless shrieked. "Okay, hold on. Hold on."
While it was going on, Snotlout and Fishlegs were clanging their weapons against their shields, making the Monster wince. "It's working!" Snotlout cheered upon noticing.
"Good, continue with it!" Bright called down as Luna prepared for another plasma shot round. She built gas before diving toward the Monster, firing her plasma blast at the back of the Monster, making it wince painfully from the assaults.
The noise was confusing the Gronckle and the Monstrous Nightmare as well. Both dragons lost their bearings. The Monster trashed, knocking Snotlout off of his dragon and onto the Monster's gigantic head. Snotlout bounced across the top and came to a stop of the hundred feet drop.
"Argghhh!" he cried out in surprise.
Bright told Luna to halt her next advance, noticing Snotlout on the Monster.
Fishlegs's Gronckle went down in a spin of confusion. "I've lost the power of the Gronckle. Snotlout, do something!" He hurled Snotlout his hammer, who took it, as the Gronckle crashed and skidded to a stop. "I'm okay!" …then flipped over, crushing Fishlegs. "Less okay."
Bright shook his head. He looked to Snotlout, who eyed the Monster's gigantic, veiny eyes. He raised the hammer…
"I can't miss it!" Snotlout declared, hammering the Monster's, playing whack-a-mole. "What's wrong, buddy, got something in your eyes?"
Astrid flew by on her Nadder, catching Snotlout in all his heroics. "Yeah! You're the Viking!"
Snotlout grinned, finally vindicated in her eyes. In his distraction, he got thrown and landed heavily on one of the Monster's spines—clinging precariously. A close call. "Whoa!"
The Monster's tail swept across the burning ships, snapping masts like twigs. One follow down as it crashed onto a ship, revealing Hiccup working on the chains. He couldn't budge them, as fire licked his clothes. He looked up to see…the Monster blasting fire at the teens, enraged.
The Monster's giant foot crashed through the frame, smashing the bow under its impressive weight.
Hiccup and Toothless were thrown into the water in a maelstrom of burning planks and rigging. Underwater, Hiccup swam toward Toothless, while they were both caught in a mess of rigging, being dragged down.
"Hiccup!" Toothless struggled, the heavy palette settling into the rocky bottom like an anchor. Toothless have stopped struggling. Hiccup took one more hopeless tug at the chains—and he's almost out of air.
Suddenly, a meaty hand grabbed Hiccup, leaving Toothless while Stoick exploded onto the surface, pulling the boy to the shoreline through flaming debris. He lay him down, under the shelter of an overhanging rock.
"Dad…" Hiccup coughed, overwhelmed.
Stoick dived back underwater, between flaming debris. Toothless was drowning, but soon saw Stoick appear in front of him. Toothless froze. Stoick tore the chains off of the yoke, letting it float free.
Momentary stillness. They eye each other, through the churned up bubbles. Toothless lunged out of the bars—grabbing Stoick.
In an explosion of water, Toothless landed on the shore, setting Stoick down and releasing him. Hiccup was awed. The ground rumbled underfoot. The Monster screeched. Its massive claws stomped around in the smoke.
Stoick gave way as Toothless mounted the rock and raised his wings. Toothless turned to Hiccup, snorting.
"Let's go!" Toothless said.
Hiccup nodded. "You got it, bud!" He climbed onto Toothless and buckled himself in.
Stoick grabbed his arm. "Hiccup. I'm sorry…for everything."
"Yeah…me too," Hiccup added.
"You don't have to go up there," Stoick said.
"We're Vikings," Hiccup stated. "It's an occupational hazard."
They exchanged smiles.
"I'm proud to call you my son," Stoick said proudly.
"Thanks dad," Hiccup thanked him.
"You're his son, huh?" Toothless asked in amazement.
Stoick let go of Hiccup's arm, as Hiccup spurred Toothless on, charged with his father's belief in him. They rocketed into the sky as Stoick watched.
Astrid and Bright saw Toothless streaking through the sky, gaining altitude. "He's up!" she called out. She turned to the twins, who were arguing and punched at each other. "Get Snotlout out of there!"
"I'm on it!" Tuffnut said.
"I'm on it!" Ruffnut added.
"I'm on it first!" Tuffnut growled. "I'm ahead of you."
The twins spotted Snotlout on the Monster and steered their Zippleback in his direction. "Hey! Let me drive!" Ruffnut complained.
The twins peeled off, arguing as they raced each other to the Monster. Snotlout saw the Zippleback diving toward him and dashed down the Monster's head, as he ran up to the end of its horn…as the twins swept past, both missing him…but perfectly snatching him where the necks emerged. Ruffnut and Tuffnut eyed each other, surprised and impressed.
"I can't believe that worked!" Tuffnut said in awestruck.
The Monster spotted Bright and Luna, then inhaled, preparing to blast them. The siblings got caught in the suction, pulled toward the Monster's gaping mouth.
"Faster, sis!" Bright screamed.
"I'm trying!" she cried out.
The Vikings on the ground watch with dread. They hear the familiar whir of the…
"Night Fury!" Gobber shouted. "Get down!"
In the air, a massive blast jolted the Monster's head sideways, as Bright was thrown clear of its mouth, and his sister. He tumbled through the air, while the ground raced toward him, when…he was suddenly caught by the leg. Bright looked up to see Toothless.
"Did you get him?" Hiccup asked from top of the dragon.
"I sure did!" Toothless grunted, smiling at Bright, who smiled back gratefully. They flew over to a crowd of Vikings and sat Bright down, mid-run. Luna joined him, nudging him in relief. Toothless and Hiccup circle back to reengage—a black speck against the clouds.
"Go, Hicc!" Bright cheered, while the Riders joined him on the ground.
Hiccup and Toothless rocket past the Monster's head and climb, higher and higher. "That thing has wings. Okay, let's see if it can use them," the boy said to Toothless, who nodded. Hiccup pulled Toothless to a turn, and they plummeted, gaining tremendous speed.
The wind buffeted them as they targeted the Monster at supersonic speed. Toothless unleaded a fireball against the Monster's head. It went down with a rumble as they climbed anew.
The Riders and Vikings shielded themselves from the dust of the fallen Monster…until its wings unfold and extend.
Hiccup looked down as they put distance between them. "Do you think that did it?"
Suddenly, the Monster, enraged, emerged and rose into the frame…flapping its wings furiously. A daunting sight.
"Well, it can fly," Hiccup noted to Toothless, as they dive into the tangled sea stacks - they weave through the rock like rabbits through a briar. The Monster snapped at them, but couldn't reach them. Hiccup and Toothless pull ahead.
The Monster smashed through the canopy of rock and pulled in behind Toothless. It bursts through fifty-foot formations like they were saplings.
Stoick, Gobber, Bright and the teens watch as Hiccup and Toothless streak past, weaving through sea stacks.
"WOOO! YEAH!" The teens cheered their friends on.
"Go, Hiccup!" Bright added in the cheering.
A moment later, the Monster smashed the sea stacks to dust in hot pursuit. The Vikings' mood is quenched.
Hiccup and Toothless couldn't slow the Monster down in the air. Hiccup eyed the clouds above, an idea hits him. He locked eyes with Toothless. "Okay Toothless, time to disappear."
"You got it!" Toothless agreed. He pulled into a steep climb, heading toward the clouds.
"Come on, bud!" Hiccup shouted.
The Monster followed, closing in fast.
Hiccup heard the gas. "Here it comes!" They narrowly escaped a column of flame and smoke. They reached the low-hanging clouds and pierced them. The Monster followed, immediately losing them in the hampered visibility. It roared irritably.
"Come out, Night Fury! I know you are here!"
From out of nowhere, Toothless dived toward the huge dragon, blasting and puncturing a hole in its wings. Toothless and Hiccup were gone again before the Monster could get a shot of them.
"Stop hiding, and come out!" the Monster roared.
On the ground, the Vikings were staring up at the sky, listening to the resounding booms and watching flashes light up the clouds. Gobber placed a hand on Stoick's shoulder.
In the clouds, Hiccup and Toothless dive in again and again, using clouds to hide and surprise as they puncture the Monster's wings.
Finally, it bellowed in frustration and whirled around, unleashing fire in all directions. Hiccup saw the glow of fire cutting towards them. "Watch out!" he cried out.
The random blast clipped Toothless's tail. It was heavily damaged.
"Okay, time's up," Hiccup realized. "Let's see if this works."
He pulled Toothless into a turn. They flew directly into the Monster's face, taunting it.
"Come on! Is that the best you can do?!" Hiccup shouted.
"Is that really what you've got, old rag?" Toothless taunted, "I thought you were better than this!"
They jackknife into a steep dive. The Monster pursued. Toothless pumped his wings, racing faster than he's ever gone before. Hiccup and Toothless stay just ahead of the Monster - no longer trying to evade it.
Hiccup glanced back to the tail—it was disintegrating. "Stay with me, buddy. We're good. Just a little bit longer."
The Monster closed the gap, as Hiccup tucked and held Toothless steady, allowing the Monster to set its sight on them. The Monster narrowed its eyes.
"Hold, Toothless…" Hiccup whispered, just as the Monster opened its mouth with the familiar gas hiss emanated from its throat - ignition was coming. "NOW!"
He hit the pedals hard as Toothless extended one wing, they pivot in place, hurtling directly into the Monster's mouth. Toothless fired a plasma shot at point blank down the Monster's throat. Its amassing gas was ignited, backfiring into the Monster, erupting in a chain of blasts throughout its body.
Hiccup and Toothless burst from the clouds, the Monster hot on their tail, exploding from within. It glanced forward, seeing the ground rushing up. It threw open its wings, attempting to put on the breaks, but the punctured, damaged wings couldn't stop its momentum.
As the Monster choked on the expanding fireball, it saw Toothless suddenly pull out of the dive, streaking up, past its head. The Monster collides with the ground, head-first. It exploded like the Hindenburg.
Hiccup and Toothless weave through the Monster's massive back plates, and flailing legs—a high-speed recall of the free fall slalom run. The expanding fireball raced toward them, about to swallow them. They managed to clear the obstacles, as Hiccup glanced back. They've outrun the fireball. He looked forward in time to see the Monster's massive club tail careening toward them.
He tried to shift their direction, but the last shreds of Toothless's tail tore away. Hiccup's pedals went dead.
"No," he cried out. "No!" They couldn't maneuver, they were dead in the air.
The giant club tail clipped Toothless, tearing Hiccup from the harness and sending him tumbling against the backdrop of the fast-approaching fireball.
"Hiccup!" Toothless struggled with all his might to reach the unconscious Hiccup. But the fireball swallowed them both.
On the ground, Bright and the Vikings watched in horror as Hiccup and Toothless disappear into the boiling inferno.
"No…" Bright whispered, shaking his head in sadness, wrapping his arms around a saddened Luna.
A whiteout of ash was in the beach area, as Stoick came through. "Hiccup? Hiccup!?" he called out in desperation.
He was searching for his son, but everything was scorched. Even the ground was smoking from the terrible heat.
"Hiccup?! Son?!" Stoick tried again.
No sound, nor answer came.
Through the ash, Stoick saw the motionless silhouette of Toothless. Gravely, he whispered, "Hiccup…" He hurried over to the dragon's side.
Toothless was roughed up, but conscious. His scorched saddle, however, was vacant. Stoick looked to the sky in despair. He buckled to the knees, overwhelmed by the loss.
Luna and Bright approached the chief and Night Fury. "Toothless…is he…" Luna started, tears starting to fall from her eyes while Bright hugged her.
"Oh son…I did this…" Stoick whispered in sadness.
Astrid pushed through the crowd, her eyes welling up. She was followed by Gobber, as they flanked Stoick as he knelt, slumped over.
Behind them, a ring of Vikings form, keeping a respectful distance. As the smoke and dust clear, a ring of wild dragons could also be seen, gathering just behind and between the Vikings.
Toothless stirred, and groggily rolled his head toward Stoick. Their eyes met.
"Toothless…" Bright started, but went silent by the unresponsive dragon.
"I'm so sorry…" Stoick apologized.
Toothless heard his apology, unfolding his wings, revealing Hiccup, unconscious, clutched safely against his chest. Stoick's eyes widened.
"Hiccup," he cried out. He scooped Hiccup into his arms, listening to his heart, and then burst into laughter. "He's alive!" Looking at Toothless, he added, "You brought him back alive!"
Luna and Bright smiled, happy with tears in their eyes. Astrid surprised Bright by hugging him, causing him to widen his eyes in shock, before Astrid realized her mistake, releasing him.
"Sorry…" she apologized.
Bright was speechless.
The crowd roared, followed by the dragons. The Vikings looked around to find themselves surrounded.
Stoick leaned closer to Toothless, meeting him eye to eye. "Thank you…for saving my son."
"He's my buddy…I wouldn't leave him to die," Toothless replied, but he wasn't understood by Stoick. However, the chief smiled at the dragon, seemingly understanding his small warble.
Gobber approached them. He looked Hiccup up and down. "Well, you know…most of him."
Stoick glanced back at him. Gobber shrugged, redirecting his eyes toward…