Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING! How to Train Your Dragon belongs to DreamWorks, and Amphibia belongs to Disney.


Marcy didn't remember what had happened after she collapsed in the street. Save for the occasional shouts and constant babbling. She remembered slipping in and out of consciousness. Faint and blurry images of her moving from place to place, though she couldn't specify exactly where. Then came the blackness that clouded her mind and seemed to have lasted for days. Pretty soon, the dark and empty world void that covered the world of unconsciousness began to fade away. One of the first things that came into mind was not where she was or if she made it back home, but rather the feeling of being sluggish. She knew that the events that had unfolded before had drained her of any form of energy she had left. Her entire body felt like it had been removed from its life force, rendering the poor girl's perception of things. Even her bones started to ache from being so worn out. Her eyes couldn't see anything but absolute darkness.

Then suddenly, a few images flashed in her vision, burning her brain like a hot iron. The Taiwanese girl could see glimpses of pictures that haunted her subconscious at that moment. Concepts relating to the events that happened the night before. She could see her friends laughing and having a good time at the party. Then she saw Tracy and all the other kids bullying her and dumping fruit punch all over her head. She could see the lying witch herself, finger beneath the nerd's chin and openly mocking her.

Before long, the images started to get more recent. Showcasing her running down the street, humiliated from her torment at the party. She saw an object fall from the sky and crash to the earth, and then she noticed an image of the pack of junkyard dogs closing in on her. Then finally, the last picture that appeared before her subconscious was the horrifying sight of the black dragon. Standing in the moonlight with its head high, wings expanded as it unleashed a vicious roar before firing a fire blast straight at her and sending the young girl back into the waking world.

Marcy's eyes snapped open, and her upper body jolted forward, yelling out as she felt a chill shoot up her spine. Her breathing was sharp and ragged. And her first impulse was to find out where she was. To her surprise, Marcy found herself in her bedroom. She was tucked in her bed and found a few bandages wrapped around her shoulder, right arm, and left leg. She could also tell by the light shining through the window of her room that it was at the brink of dusk. Meaning she had been out for quite some time. There was a second of long sullen silence when all of a sudden, she heard:

"Marcy!" a few voices cried.

She turned her head to see her two best friends, her parents, and a few other familiar faces in her bedroom with her; all spread out. They were barely taking notice of her waking up. At first impulse, Anne and Sasha rushed to her side. Anne climbed around Marcy's bed and against the wall, brushing the fringe from her face. Sasha came up from the ledge and enveloped both hands around her waist. They wrapped their arms around the more petite girl and cradled her like a baby from both sides of her bed. The soothing touches of her girls were enough to put Marcy at ease, and the fear in her eyes slowly faded.

"It's okay, Mar-Mar," Anne said softly, interlocking with the geeky girl's dominant hand. "You're safe now."

As her senses started to return to her, Marcy reached up and reached out to the two girls, bringing them in a tight hug. Tears already began to swell up in Marcy's eyes, and she was thrown into a complete sob. It broke her heart to have her friends see her like this, looking all broken and frail, but it also comforted her with the knowledge that they were here. Unfortunately for her, the moment was suddenly cut off when her parents approached her behind the girls. Anne and Sasha unwrapped their arms around the Taiwanese geek respectfully to give them room.

Had they not been there, Marcy would've frantically tugged at their arms back like a helpless toddler. However, she was more focused on determining whether or not her father would be mad at her for what happened last night. He clasped her free hand and held it tight, trying to soothe his daughter while her mother smoothed down the back of her messy hair. It was not what she expected, but she welcomed it, considering that this was extremely rare. She could only remember when she didn't have to deal with them scolding her when she returned from Amphibia.

"How are you feeling, honey?" her mother asked softly.

Marcy didn't answer at first, feeling a headache coming around. She winced as she grabbed the side of her head from the migraine. She let it pass for a few seconds before finally giving herself a chance to answer the question.

"I don't know," she answered honestly. "Peachy, I guess."

Afterward, Marcy coughed from how sore her throat was. The room almost panicked when a familiar face rushed over and offered the poor girl a half-full glass of water. When Marcy looked up to see who it was, she was surprised to know that it was Haddie. And this time without her hoodie up, thus revealing her pink locks and gothic face.

"Here," the goth girl said softly, handing it over to the other girl.

"Thanks," Marcy replied before sipping it down.

Haddie nodded respectfully in response before retreating to the safety of the group. It was very odd to accept something from someone she had only met in one day. But regardless of that, she was very grateful. Haddie was about the only friend she had ever made during that party. And was the only person who seemed to have similar interests as her.

"What happened?" she asked the group.

"You don't remember?" her father questioned, feeling somewhat curious.

At that moment, Marcy guessed that she had to recount everything that had happened to her last night. She attempted to recall everything she could remember from that night, yet her vision was still blurry, and it was hard for her to think straight. On the other hand, the group was patient enough to wait for her to regain her thoughts before hearing her out.

"I was at the party," she started. "And then... I'm, I'm not sure."

She winced a bit when she decided to sit up. However, her father was kind enough to help her up.

"We were having fun...and then Tracy and her posse.." she paused for a bit. "They surrounded me, called me names, then dumped fruit punch all over me."

She could hear her father's breathing stiffening. And her mother let out a small gasp. It was hard for a parent to listen to their children being humiliated by other children at a social gatherings, especially at parties. And it was much harder considering that they had just got their daughter back after she went missing for half a year.

"I was so sad...," she continued. "And then I was angry...and then scared."

Anne and Sasha lowered their heads in shame. She knew that it was all true. She felt terrible for them, considering that it wasn't their fault. Yet there wasn't much she could speak on their behalf since she was in on it too.

"I remember...running?" she recollected. "And then there was this blackout...I tried to get back home, but it was dark...And there were these dogs. Stray dogs. They tried to jump me, but I ran as fast as possible...Some got me...but I got away."

By then, the mood started to shift in the room after hearing the words' dogs' and 'jump.' The teens in the room began to get more curious about it, considering they never knew precisely where Marcy went, and her parents started to feel tenser. For a moment, Marcy thought of her unexpected encounter with the mysterious dragon and if she should tell them about it. Naturally, she decided to leave that part out, fearing that if she did tell them about it, then they would all probably panic.

"And then I ran into you guys...," she pressed on, though she started to get lost in her memories. "And then I blacked out...but that had to be a dream."

As the mood shifted again, Marcy turned to see her dad eyeballing her. The expression on his face started to get stern than before. The girl gulped silently. The last thing she wanted was for her father to scream at her in front of her friends.

"Marcy," her father began. "You had been missing for more than a few hours last night. We've searched everywhere for you, but we couldn't find you. I even called your cellphone, don't you remember that?"

She did recall her phone going off the night before. But it was definitely for a good reason.

"I don't know..." she found it hard to answer him with the pressure being forced upon her. "But all I remember is that it was dark...and I couldn't..."

"Marcy, I-" her father stopped himself the moment his voice was raised. Already he could see tears running down her eyes, and her mother gave him a scolding look. Mr. Wu caved in, taking a deep breath before speaking in a more, calmer manner, just as he did before. "We almost lost you again, honey. We need to make sure that you're always okay. And that means you have to pick up when we call you. Do you understand?"

Marcy nodded, knowing her father would get angry if she didn't say anything. Eventually, he warmed up to her, moving closer to her wrist and giving her a gentle kiss—a reminder that he still loved and cared about her.

"Thank you," he said softly. "We've already called your school's principal, and she's agreed to give you some time off. So you don't have to worry about going to school today."

"The doctors said that your wounds aren't severe," her mother added. "And that you should be better as of tomorrow."

Marcy smiled. She was grateful that she hadn't suffered any permanent damage from last night.

"Well, that's good to hear," she commented.

"But don't think that it means you're off the hook, young lady," Mr. Wu reaffirmed. "You still need to rest. Doctor's orders. The nurse has recommended that you stay until the end of the day before you can be relieved."

This earned a chuckle from the young geeky thirteen-year-old. Her father had always been a straightforward person.

"Yes, dad," she teased.

"We can cover what you miss in school in the meantime," Anne offered. "School hasn't started yet. So..."

"I appreciate it, Anne," Marcy acknowledged with a smile. "Really."

"If it's okay with you, I can cover all your dorky chest games," Sasha volunteered, though there was a semblance of dislike toward it. "Text me what to do, and I'll see if I'm good at it."

"And I can also help catch you up with Mr. Patterson," Haddie said from behind Anne. "If you're okay with that."

Marcy looked up and smiled. At least she had friends to count on, both old and new.

"I'd like that very much," she replied sweetly. "Thank you. All of you."

The group smiled in return. Some may not know it, but Marcy was highly grateful for them to be there to support her. Even after everything she had been through.

"We just hope that you get well soon," Maggie added, though it surprised the noirette girl to see her.

As the group smiled down at the Taiwanese teenager, Marcy started to notice that Anne and Sasha were feeling much more uneasy than before. Though it may not seem like it, Marcy felt they blamed themselves for what happened last night. And that they were starting to feel guilty about it. She could see it in their eyes. And how they constantly looked from her to the floor with sad, frowning expressions. When they looked up again, she locked eyes with them. Her face silently told them that she was aware of their uneasiness. And finally, the two girls looked at each other and decided to face with guilt. Alone with the one whom they've failed to protect.

"Mr. Wu, Mrs. Wu, can we get a minute alone with her, please?" Anne asked.

"Just for a few minutes," Sasha added.

At first, her father protested the idea, but the look on her mother's face was enough for him to think otherwise. Instead, he gave them a nod, rubbing the base of Marcy's wrist one last time before letting go. Next thing the noirette dork knew, everyone started clearing out faster than she could even blink. Even the nurse was bound to give the three girls some privacy before she could be given a chance to step into the room. Once they were alone, Anne took the time to sit on the other side of the bed. The Thai teenager gently took Marcy's hand and intertwined her fingers with her own. Sasha did the same with her other hand. Gently wrapping her fingers around them and firmly grasping with her muscles.

For a moment, there was nothing but a long sullen silence. Neither of the three girls has the wit, heart, or strength to speak up. Finally, after what seemed to be two-long-minutes, Anne decided that it was best that she break the silence before the three of them went crazy.

"Listen...Mar-Mar," Anne started. "About last night...at the party.."

Marcy could feel the tears coming down from her best friend's eyes. And watched them stream down from her left arm and connect with her own. She could also feel the same for Sasha, though it was more controlled than Anne. Still, she couldn't help but feel the guilt and sorrowful looks on their faces. Even though they never intended for any of this to happen.

"Anne, no," she tried to dismiss. "It wasn't your fault. I wanted to do it too."

"But if we'd been more careful with you," Sasha lightly sobbed, a strain in her voice developed through each word that came out of her mouth. "Or if we'd been by your side...then maybe..."

"Guys, it's " Marcy raised their hands and gently squeezed them to reassure them. "It's okay...I'm just glad that you guys are here."

Those words were the nail to the coffin for her best friends. For a moment after that, both girls burst into tears. And instantly, they wrapped their arms around the more petite girl. Marcy felt a few tears coming up from her smooth cheeks, but she focused more on comforting her guilt-driven friends than satisfying her personal needs. She always had put their needs above hers, except maybe back in Amphibia, but still, nonetheless.

"We're so sorry, Mar-Mar!" Anne practically squealed.

"We promise never to leave you like that again!" Sasha added, with both tears and snot running down her face.

As the two girls practically covered their friend's bed in snot and tears, Marcy didn't say anything. Instead, she was more focused on breathing. As well as basking in the presence of her two girlfriends. Along with the knowledge that they were here, with her, chasing away the fear and pain she had been forced to endure throughout that dreadful night. And the thought of the mysterious dragon lingered for a little bit before fading like a distant memory.


Washington D.C

Terri's first impression when landing in D.C. was how crazy everything seemed. For starters, just like back in their base in California, men and women were seen running all over the place. Most with mountains of paperwork in their hands, while others ran so fast that she could barely even get a glimpse of where they were going. To some degree, she felt terrible for some of the people she passed by. From the looks of some of them, they seemed to have been working tirelessly since the anomaly hit. And it's only been half of a day. As if her life since joining the Fbi hadn't been stressful enough.

Upon landing, she, X, and Jenny were sent not to the White House but to the Pentagon, which was two miles from the White House. There they were instructed to wait outside a room which led into the central control room. And this was after taking an elevator that took them several floors down, which was quite surprising to Terri, considering how massive it was inside. It almost made her wonder how many rooms there were. And more importantly, how many people worked here?

Yet, despite her first impression, she was amazed to see that Mr. X and Jenny weren't surprised. Though she figured that them being FBI agents in general, along with having to deal with other matters considering the safety of this country, would probably suffice. They waited for what seemed to be almost an hour now. And there was still no response from the people on the other side of the door.

During that time, they waited on a bench just outside. The Fbi director stepped out to use the restroom for a few minutes and hadn't returned. The three agents resorted to using their cell phones to pass the time. But it was so long that Terri started to grow bored again. Thus forcing her to make conversation with her colleagues.

"You know," Terri started. "There's a bunch of stuff about recent developments in technology by Rakke Corp. I don't know what it is, but everyone's going nuts about it online."

This brought the attention of both FBI agents. However, they seemed to be unfazed at the same time. Jenny shook her head in doubt.

"I'd have to see it to believe it. Right now, I think social media's more focused on gossiping about that singer...who was it...Becka Sugar and Anthony West the other day," Jenny commented. "It's a real shame."

"Weren't they considered high school sweethearts at one point?" Mr. X asked curiously.

"I wouldn't know," Jenny answered bluntly. "I'm not much of a fan of that stuff."

"I think I knew Becka when she came down to L.A. last year for Christmas," Terri added. "But I didn't get to know her personally."

"Huh," Mr. X replied, feeling puzzled. "What was she like?"

"Again, I didn't spend enough time with her to get to know her personally," Terri answered. "But she sang in the most beautiful voice. And brought so much joy to so many children. I think everyone on the block wanted to kiss her that night."

Mr. X chuckled. The agent seemed to be amused with the blue-haired doctor's story.

"That would've been something to watch," he commented.

Terri raised an eyebrow. But before she could comment, the Fbi director came back. Fashionably late, he was, but nobody seemed to care. The moment he decided to take a seat was when the door to the central control room finally opened. From which an assistant came out, sweating profusely from the urgency of the situation.

"Sir, they're ready for you," the assistant said.

By then, they all rose from their seats. Terri was the most pleased of the group after many hours of waiting.

"It's about time," she muttered to herself.

Once they were inside, it was a complete madhouse. There was a round table from which the executive board sat, arguing and coming up with different strategies. The President, a tall caucasian man with glossy black hair and wore glasses, was at the right end of the table, taking this whole thing in. His head was down, with his dominant hand covering his mopy face. He looked like he didn't want to be here as his board continued arguing about what they should do.

Terri would lie to herself if she didn't admit her disappointment. Here she was, at the beating heart of the United States of America, in the same room as the most influential figures in the government, who are now acting like children fighting over who gets first picking for opening presents on Christmas.

"Sir, we need to declare a national emergency!" one of the board members threw in.

"We need to overthrow these creatures and install our government within them!" another suggested.

"I say we blast 'em will all our nukes!"

"If we do that, our country will only have two weeks before crumbling!" one argued.

"Well, if we don't do something and these alien foreigners walk into a populated area, there will be a major catastrophe!"

"We need to get our top scientific minds on this," another suggested, though they could only guess who. "Get India on the line!"

"We should give these things a green card and make them proud to be Americans."

And the arguments went on and on. And the President just stood there looking completely hopeless. And if Terri was being completely honest with herself, she couldn't blame him. These people were practically idiots in her eyes. However, it was just a real shame, given her expectations. However, the President seemed relieved when he saw them alongside the FBI director entering the room.

"Mr. President," the director greeted.

"Thank you guys for coming," the President replied. "We've already just begun."

"Before we start, these are my colleagues," the director added, gesturing to his three companions. "Mr. X, Mrs. Jenny, and Dr. Terri."

The President moved quickly to shake each of their hands. This time Terri felt an uneasy feeling in her stomach. It must be from all the nervousness that clouded her body.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, sir," she formally greeted.

"No, please, it's all mine," the President responded. "I'm glad we have valuable experts in the room to help us with...whatever this is."

This brought a small smile to Terri's face. To be acknowledged by the President of the United States as a valuable expert, considering her background, has brought some form of importance to her. Mr. X, on the other hand, wasn't fazed. And shrugged the compliment off. Probably from being called that numerous times in the past. But she decided not to question him about it.

"Mr. President," he greeted bluntly.

"X," the President greeted back. "Now, please, take a seat. We have a lot to discuss."

With the pleasantries out of the way, the President ushered them to a couple of empty seats on both sides from where he sat. Terri and Jenny were the ones who took the two open seats, while X and the Director stood to the side—neglecting to sit and instead watching as the President worked his magic.

"Alright, now that we're all here," the President started. "Let's begin. Secretary Ross, can you please start us off."

With a nod, the Secretary stood up and pulled out a small remote. From there, he pointed the remote to the enormous screen just across from where the President and the rest of the cabinet were sitting, where a vast projection was lit up, showing footage of some of the events that had happened the following night. Including the power surge to the entire city of L.A. going dark and a few images of the attacks that have been reported following the wave.

"At exactly 9:30 p.m. last night," the Secretary of Defense started. "An energy surge knocked out power across the entire west coast. Several reports of unidentified creatures have run rampant an hour later across Los Angeles. What do we know so far?"

"Well, our first instinct was that it was an EMP," the cabinet member furthest from the President reported, presumably the Secretary of Homeland Security. "But an electromagnetic pulse doesn't have that kind of power."

"The next thing we thought was that it could be a prelude to a larger attack from our enemies," another member to the right of the President added.

"But then those creatures showed up out of nowhere," the Secretary of Homeland Security barged in.

"They're unlike anything we've ever seen before," the Chief of Staff commented.

"What are they exactly?" a member to the furthest left asked.

"I've said it before, and I'll repeat it," a member in the middle right suggested. "They're aliens!"

"What?"

"You've heard me," he reinstated proudly.

"What makes you think they're aliens?" the member across from him questioned.

"Well, look at them," he said, pointing to the screen. "They're foreign, not from this planet, and they don't match any species of any animal ever documented."

"But they breathe fire."

"Then they're fire-breathing aliens."

Terri cringed. The arrogance of that man gave her an unsettling feeling. It almost made her glad that she didn't have to work with him.

"Even if they were, how could we know for sure?"

Before the debate could continue, the President was forced to butt in.

"Well, looks like we're good at finding out what they aren't," the President said in a sarcastic tone. "Luckily, I've brought a few experts who could offer some light on the subject."

He then gestured to the two FBI agents and the doctor at his sides. They both rose from their seats and stood so everyone could see them. Terri gulped nervously, considering that she didn't do so well with multiple eyes staring at her. But she remained confident enough to prevent herself from looking awkward in front of the group.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I want you all to meet FBI agent, Mr. X," the President introduced, from which X gave a respectful nod. "And his co-worker Dr. Terri."

She waved nervously to the group. However, they were more focused on X than her. Yet she didn't mind. It just meant less pressure for her to deal with.

"X and his team have been working on investigating inter-dimensional activities in the last few years," the President explained. "They've been working tirelessly on uncovering the secrets of time traveling and unidentified creatures. And from what I have been told, Terri here has predicted when the surge would happen. And may provide us with some insight as to what we are dealing with. Is that right?"

There were a few gasps among the group and a couple of chatters among the board members upon mentioning her name. Already she could feel her nerves skyrocket. Yet before she could panic, a hand was placed on her shoulder. She turned her gaze to see that it was X's, reassuring her that she's got this. By then, the scientist had regained her posture and stepped forward.

"Yes, it is true," she said, loud and clear. "I have predicted the exact time and location of this event. And as a matter of fact, I might have an idea of what we're dealing with."

She then went to the front of the screen, respectfully yanking the remote out of Secretary Ross's hands. He wasn't very pleased with it, but she didn't care. She was now in the zone. She had been building up to this, and there was no going back. By the time she got a good view, she had clicked the remote and showcased one of the attacks that night. It was the most viewed by far. And was more transparent to see than all the others.

"During our uncomfortable ride to the Pentagon," she started, pulling the footage up to fullscreen so everyone could see. "I looked at the footage of one of the attacks. And this was two hours after it took place."

The footage showed a very intriguing scene in which a person was taping with a camera and was running through a street when he pans the camera toward the sky. In which a black shadow passed by, with what turned out to be three choppers in high pursuit of it. They watched as the footage showed the choppers firing missiles at the creature before it barrel-rolled and dodged them. The rockets hit what turned out to be the Wilshire Grand Center, presumably the tallest building in the entire city.

Screams were heard in the background as the missiles exploded upon contact, thus causing the building to topple down and create a hurricane of dust. To which reached the person with the camera, who ran for his life. And then it went stat. Before that, though, Terri re-winded the footage back to the shadow passing by and paused. She zoomed in on the footage to reveal the bottom of the creature, which took the form of a massive bat with scales.

"And after doing five minutes of research," she continued. "I noticed that the image was this creature has a striking resemblance to one that is well-known in our history."

She then pulled up another image from the internet. Thus, revealing a similar creature, this time with red and yellow markings but taking the form of a large wyvern. One that took the form of a creature straight out of a European myth. She pulled the image up right next to the footage and made a side comparison of the two. From there, everyone in the room could see that the two images were...somewhat familiar.

"And what are you getting at, with all this?" the arrogant member questioned.

Terri flinched but then set her focus back on the task at hand.

"There's only one creature that we know of that would have an identical resemblance to the one you see before you," she answered, turning back to the board.

It took the board to see the similarities. And it hit them shortly after that.

"Could it be?" Secretary Ross questioned in disbelief.

"Yes, ladies and gentlemen," Terri confirmed proudly. "Before you " is a creature many generations have told since the Medieval Era. An animal that has been accounted for by every culture and folklore that we know of thus far. A beast is well known for shooting fire and burning places to the ground. We got ourselves a case of a considerable discovery once thought to be just a legend. We have...dragons. "

There was a moment of silence in the room. One was to be expected, considering the reality of the situation. And then they did something that Terri did not expect to happen. Even the President himself did not expect it.

They all laughed.

Every bloody person in the room, save for their colleagues, the director, and the President, burst into laughter. The scientist found it rather insulting, considering her seriousness with all of this. It was no laughing matter since people were falling prey to what could be seen as such creatures. Once the laughing died, the arrogant board member had the gull to try to wrap this up.

"Okay, I think it's a little late for storytime, babe," he mocked. "Why don't we cut to the part where you say what they are."

"First of all, I'm not your babe!" Terri shot back. "Second of all, what I'm telling you is true. Dragons have been known to"

"It's absurd!" he rudely cut off. "Dragons don't exist. And that's a fact."

"The facts are in front of you!" Terri lashed out, slightly losing her temper in the process. "My research is 100% accurate. And I'm not a person who makes stuff up."

"Yeah, well, my gut tells me you are," he lashed back. "Now cut the stories and show us some real evidence."

"I agree with him," the Secretary of Homeland Security added. "There's no evidence to suggest that these creatures come from some fairy tales. Are you sure this is even accurate?"

Terri did not have it. The nerve these men had done not only laugh at her for bringing valuable information to the table but to disrespect her and discredit her work openly. That will not stand for her. She looked toward X and Jenny to back her up but decided against it. She was old enough to handle herself. Heck, she built an entire portal, for frog's sake. She can take this.

"With all respect Secretary," she said coldly. "I am sure that this is accurate."

"And with all due respect to you, doctor," Secretary Ross butted in. "But bringing false information into a disclosed area is a federal defense. And can fine you with 25 years in jail time."

"What?" Terri scoffed. "What I'm telling you is the truth. And hundreds of people in Los Angeles will die if we don't do something about it!"

Before the Secretary could argue with her any further, the doors outside the control room burst open. From which was followed by a deep and manly voice.

"The doctor is right!" he shouted.

Every in the room turned to the door to see the newcomer, who was revealed to be a tall fifty-year-old man with brown hair, dark eyes, a bald spot at the top of his head, and possessed a muscular form. He wore a standard, green military uniform, toppled with a medal of honor that hung on the left side of his chest. And he also wore a pair of glasses. Thus making him look more intimidating from a distance. Though what struck Terri the most about this guy was the stern demeanor he had painted all over his face. Well, and that he was probably the tallest man in the room. Maybe even more elevated than X.

Accompanying him were two other soldiers who each had a pair of rifles strapped onto their backs. As the man entered the room, the soldiers stood at the sides of the entrance. They were as still, as statues, as she could put it. As the man made his way toward the table, the President shook his hand.

"General," the President greeted. "It's quite a surprise. We weren't expecting you till tomorrow."

"Took a chopper," the General replied. "Much faster than going by car."

Everybody in the room looked to the Commander-in-Chief, expecting some introductions to be put in order.

"Oh, for those of you that don't know," the President started, fumbling with his words as he spoke. "This is General Hoffman. He was recently promoted for his efforts in battle."

"To which I am very proud of," the General added. "That being said, everything the scientist has said about this threat so far is true."

For some reason, Terri felt a shiver down her spine as the General talked. There was just something about him that was very...off. She didn't know what it was, but she wasn't sure if she liked it. However, despite the tension in her muscles and nervous system, it did comfort her that the intimidating 50-year-old man was taking her side and not bashing her like everyone else. Still, she couldn't help but shudder at his very presence.

"There's only one creature capable of spitting fire," he continued. "And they're as fearsome and unpredictable as they can get. I should know; I've had an unpleasant experience with one of those things myself. And I would've put it down if it hadn't scurried off and torched my choppers in the aftermath."

Everyone in the room gasped. Though the arrogant board member still scoffed. His self-pride was unwavering at this point.

"Okay, even if we could say that these creatures are actual 'dragons,'" he admitted, with a hint of doubt in that last word. "Why should we be afraid of them? We can blast them to oblivion."

Terri probably would've lashed out at him for his stubbornness, but before she could even move her lips and speak a syllable, the general beat her to him first. Though not in the way she was expecting. Instead of him raising his voice or outright telling him to shut up, the General slowly moved towards him. Until he was merely inches away from where he was sitting. Then, without warning, he slams his arms on the table, causing it to shake a bit. At the same time, he got up in the board member's face, making him shiver for a bit.

"Listen here, you overgrown weasel! Keep in mind that I lost a lot of men trying to fend one of them things off," he whispered sternly. "Let alone watch as millions of U.S. dollars are blown out of Uncle Sam's arse. So while sitting in your comfortable chair, think of all the lives at stake before you make presumptions about what are 'fairy' tales and reality. Be mindful of that, nerd!"

The board member nodded in response, earning a satisfied smirk from the General. Though to rub it in, the General went to the back of his chair and yanked his underpants from behind the board member, to which the man responded with an unsettling yelp. Everyone in the room cringed as the General pulled back harder. Even Terri herself, whose face began to scrunch up at sight. Although she liked the idea of stubborn people getting put in their place, she couldn't stand the form of brutality that the General was inflicting. It almost took her back to when she used to get wedgied by bullies when she was little for being a nerd herself.

It was a very unpleasant experience. After a few seconds, he let go of the board member's underpants, watching him briefly squeal like a pig afterward. While trying to relieve himself of the pain from being wedgied, the General turned back to the President.

"I'm not gonna lie, Mr. President," he said, looking the Commander-In-Chief directly in the eyes. "We're heading into dark times. The odds look like they're against us. And if we don't do something about these creatures, they won't stop with California. They'll hit all sorts of cities across the U.S., And we're talking Texas, Florida, Minnesota, and even D.C. itself."

The General turned on a projection of the entire map of the U.S. to prove his point. The President looked on with frightening horror as the forecast showed multiple landmarks with fire marks. Suggesting what the outcome would look like if he chose to do nothing.

"But that is why we need to send in everything we have," he suggested. "We need a hail mary path. We need raw power. We need to unload every ounce of weaponry and firepower in our arsenal. Expect the nukes. And blow these creatures straight to kingdom come. If you do that, Mr. President, I can assure you America will be secure. And all of its citizens with it. So what do you say? Do you have what it takes to save this country from the monsters that seek to destroy it? Do you have what it takes to be a patriot and save many lives? Do you have what it takes to be a natural-born leader, from which you were always chosen and meant to be?"

Now, at this rate, everybody in the room would've agreed. And it was pretty reasonable. Destroy the enemy before it destroys us mentality was rather logical. A few people in the room had other thoughts regarding this course. And Mr. X was one of those.

"Wo,wo,wo,wo,wo,wo,wo,wo," he said, a slight chuckle escaping his lips. "I hate to rain in on your red, white, and blue parade, Mr. Sunshine, but that is NOT how this works!"

The General then turned his hardened gaze toward the bald agent. Who countered with a glare of his own. Like the other guy, the General slowly made his way toward X. His death glare still fixated on him. Though to his credit, Mr. X did not back down. Instead, he hardened his glare as he stared at the hulking General. By then, he was already standing over him, though X refused to relent by any circumstance.

"Do you have a better idea then, baldy?!" he questioned, his hot breath touching the edge of X's skin.

"Um, as a matter of fact, I do!" X answered coldly. "Have you ever heard of the expression: 'Catch and release?'

"That's a cheap trick nerds use to violently subdue their prey and inflict their experiments before releasing them back to the wild."

"Then you know why we do that," X countered for a second time. "We're not animals. We don't just look at a meal and gorge ourselves without considering what we put in our mouths."

From how he looked at him, Terri knew that the General didn't like what Mr. X suggested. And regrettably, neither did he. This was probably not going to end well.

"Instead of wiping them into another chapter in history," Mr. X implied. "We should capture these creatures and study them. We don't know where they came from or how many of them there are. We should detain them and find out exactly why they're here and what they plan on doing."

"Why do that when you can eliminate them upfront?" General Hoffman shot. "It's much easier and more effective at saving lives."

"Of course, you would," Mr. X mocked. "That's all you army brats ever do. You shoot first and then ask questions later."

"You know, I like to think of myself as a guy who looks at the simpler things," the General replied. "Like who I must destroy to keep this country safe."

"Oh, and how's that working for you, huh?" X taunted. "With all those wars in Afganastan, it must be very stressful for you."

"That's enough, X!" the Fbi Director attempted to intervene.

Though his words ran on empty ears as the bald agent stared down the older General.

"You're one to talk," Hoffman shot back. "Or has that 'Hollywood stunt gone wrong' finally turned up to bite you in the arse? And yes...I know all about it. That was no stunt. It was just another one of your federal bureaucratic fakeouts! No wonder the FBI's been failing so hard."

X was on the verge of exploding before the President intervened again.

"Enough!" he shouted. Fortunately, they both had the decency to stand down when he raised his voice. A second later, the President took a deep breath before deciding. "As much as I don't want to admit it, X has a point. It's better to understand your enemy better rather than outright destroy them. On that note, I won't count on lives being lost. If these creatures are threatening the lives of many, then I won't stand idly by and see this country fall to ruin. I'm issuing a capture-kill order, with capture being the top priority. In addition, send a message to the Governor and issue a curfew to be safe. And LAPD, FBI, and National Guard patrol every city corner. Smoke these things out, and deal with them if necessary. Finally, unless there's no other option, I want them alive. Please bring them to a secret lair and study what you can about them. Maybe there'll be some secrets that we can learn from them. Is that clear?"

Although he disapproved of this course of action, the General was most pleased to hear the decision of the police and army to be involved with this. Despite the many protests for not killing these things, Mr. X was somewhat satisfied with the order. Still, it was something that everyone could agree on to an extent. Eventually, everyone in the room gave a nod of approval. And the matter was finally settled.

"Good," the President adjured. "Now let's get to it, people. We have a lot of work to do."

By then, everyone got up and started heading out of the room. Before that, the director pulled Mr. X. to the side and away from where Terri could hear them. He could see the director scolding X for his outburst from a distance. However, he seemed to be taking it well. While that was happening, the scientist caught a glimpse of the General waiting outside the door, talking to the two soldiers who had accompanied him.

She could see him whispering to his guys about something. Something she wasn't quite sure about. On top of all that, she started to develop this weird feeling about this guy. A feeling that mostly had to deal with distrust and concern. Along with the other feeling that he was up to something, she was intrigued to know what it was. That being said, her preemptive staring hadn't gone unnoticed. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Jenny from behind her. The unexpected welcome almost startled her had she not kept her gaze fixed on the General.

"What are you thinking?" Jenny asked curiously.

"I don't know," Terri answered. "But something tells me that we might see that guy again."

Half a second later, both women could hear X coming towards them. Shortly after he joined them, the General disappeared into the hall. With his men along with him.

"So what now?" the scientist asked.

"We're needed back at base," he answered. "Boss wants us to dig up everything we can about these things and see where exactly they are."

"Great, more traveling," Terri sassed. She could tell Mr. X had already picked up her sarcasm.

"Oh, come on," he replied. "Aren't you used to it at this point?"

The three agents shared a laugh before deciding to head back home. This was indeed a dire situation that they were about to face. Even though it may not seem like it, much blood would be shed before this was over. And not even the cunning wits of the Federal Bureau of Investigation nor the strength of the National Guard would be enough to render it from being inevitable. Fate still has many parts to play in these dark and grim hours. And nothing in the world can stop it from coming to fruition.


Elsewhere, Nightime

The sun started to set in the bowels of the junkyard from which Toothless resided. The esteemed king of dragons lay on top of a pile of junk, presumably the one he had awoken from upon crashing here. It wasn't very much, but it will have to do since the night fury didn't have any real options. He was settled on his right side; his tail curled up in a ball, and his wings folded up and hovering over his legs. His breathing was steady but staggering at the same time. Every bone in his body ached, his brain felt fried, and all the muscles were as hot as a baby fireworm. Initially, e couldn't stop thinking about how much pain he was in.

Sitting in this waste of a yard, these last few hours had probably been his life's worst few hours. Ever since the events of last night, ever since his encounter with these humans on that night, Toothless had developed a variety of new scars and injuries. Some still cause him pain even after a long period. Others scarred him for what he presumed to be for life. In the last couple of hours, he woke up and couldn't feel his left wing. And couldn't handle it ever since. It could be broken for all he knew. Yet he couldn't be sure. Then there were the many scars he bared from head to tail after being entangled by that weird metal stuff.

Toothless wasn't sure what it was, but one thing he knew for sure was never to get trapped underneath it again. It was as light as gronckle iron and sharp as a razorwhip's tail. He could still feel its tightening sting coiled around his forearms and wings. The first thing that came into his mind after the whole event was the fear of predators being drawn from all the blood from his wounds. But luckily for him, the pack of dogs didn't try to attack him ever since he subdued their leader. So at least, he had some form of peace. And for a dragon such as himself, he heals pretty fast. So it shouldn't take him too long to recover.

But aside from that, Toothless just felt dreadful. Not just physically but emotionally as well. The outer rim of his eyes started to redden, and tears ran down his eyes. Ever since he first appeared in this new and treacherous world, he had felt pain and misery. The pain is drawn from the number of times humans shot at him and from being entangled by that metal substance. Yet even then, it wasn't just the pain that forced his tears, nor the frustration of coming into conflict with a new type of humans that were much more advanced than he was initially used to.

It was also backed up by how Toothless felt so...alone. In a strange, foreign world, with no sign of his friends or any other dragons and no means of returning home. He wasn't even sure if they were even alive at all. But what hurt the night fury the most was that he might never see his mate again. Let alone his children, who were still eggs at this point. And he may never see them hatch into baby night lights. Babies that he would've considered to be his own. That fact alone had the dragon alpha devastated. It made him wish he never went into that cave with the Heartstone and that he hadn't gone there per Hookfang's request.

He was happy before all this unfolded. He had a home, a family, and an entire kingdom of dragons who loved and respected him. But now it's all gone and taken from him before his eyes. And leaving him here, where he had nothing. This was a nightmare he couldn't wake from. And the scariest part about it was that he had no idea where he was or even if there was any hope for him to survive. Sooner or later, the humans will find him, and there won't be any chance of escape when they do. And he doubted any lakes or ponds in the area had any fish for him to keep him alive. But besides the painful injuries he was forced to endure or the fact that there may be no chance of him returning home, one thing that ran through the dragon's mind, which stood out the most to him, was the human female that saved his life. And more specifically: why didn't he kill her when he had the chance?

He had her in his grasp and couldn't end her right then and there. He could've stopped her from alerting other humans to his whereabouts and perhaps kept this place, along with his presence, a secret. Yet he chose to let her live. Why?

For a while, Toothless pondered at the thought. His ever-growing confusion ran more profound than he had initially anticipated, coming up with any answer that could explain his apparent show of mercy. At first, he thought it was just for the sake of it, but he was more intelligent than that. He knew he couldn't risk her telling anyone about his existence. Then he thought it was because she saved his life by sparing her that he would consider his debt to her to be paid. But even then, he didn't owe her anything, to begin with, considering his intent from the start. Then he thought it was a show of honor, but even an honorable dragon-like himself knew the consequences to follow. The list went on and on, all with the same answer.

Even he wasn't sure about it. But as the night fury continued contemplating his decision, his mind returned to the image of the girl, who had cowered before him in the act of mercy. All he could remember was how fragile she looked. He had never seen a human who seemed so weak...so frail. And the look in her eyes when she gazed up at him...the regret and sorrow that came with it... he couldn't help but feel bad.

It became apparent to the alpha dragon that this human had stared at the face of death before. Though at that moment, she just felt so...hopeless. That despite her deeds, there was just nothing she could do. And he couldn't bring himself to do it. He had made many hard choices in his life. But one choice that he rarely made...was the choice between life and death. Who was he to decide if she should live or die? After all, in his lifetime, he learned that many deserved death and some deserved life. And was it right for him to give her the option of whether to end her entire existence or not?

No. That wasn't his decision to make. Whatever the reason was. Nor will it ever be. Perhaps he may never know the reason why he spared her. But he did know this much: it was not for him to decide who lives and dies. No matter how justified his reasons could be. That being said, the consequences of his mercy could either mean his salvation or his downfall. Whatever it was, the decision was still the same. He let her live. And that he just hoped that he had made the right choice.

Time passed by quickly. And darkness began to take its fold. As Toothless continued to slumber underneath the mountain of scrap, he glanced over to see that his wounds were starting to heal. A good start. His wing was still severely damaged, but he hoped it would recover eventually. Sooner or later, the pain that enveloped his muscles started to fade. And the night fury started regaining some of his strength.

His thoughts still began to wander around the subject of the human girl to the point where he started to develop a fragment of curiosity, particularly about her superior intelligence. In all his years of being around humans, there was only one human that he knew of that was as strategic and as cunning as that human. And that happened to be his best friend. Much about her reminded the dragon of him, and he had only met her for a single night.

Still, that didn't mean that he could trust her. She was still a human and probably a dangerous one too. And because of his act of mercy, she knows where he is. Who knows what she could do next? And the way he had it figured, even in a different world, humans haven't changed. They're the still rampaging warmongers they've always been, who shoot first and ask questions later. So the worse was yet to come. He just had to be ready whenever that time should come.

Another minute passed by when all of a sudden, there was a sharpness in the wind. One of which made his right ear twitch. At first instinct, the dragon's eyes shot open. And he lifted his head toward the direction of the disturbance. Though by the time his eyesight could catch wind of whatever it was, he was displeased to see that there was nothing. However, he was about to lower his head back when, from the corner of his eye, he caught wind of something. A small blue light glowed from several yards away. He squinted his eyes to narrow his vision and saw that the light source was underneath a large hunk of metal. It burned for a few seconds before fading away.

A part of Toothless wanted to lay back down and pretend he didn't see that. But instead, his curious nature started to take form. And his urge to investigate got the better of him in the long run. To the point where he needed to check it out. Therefore, the night fury rose from the ground with extreme caution, gathering enough strength to lift his body. He felt sore from all the injuries but could still pull it off. After that, he slowly made his way down the pile and toward the direction where he spotted the strange light. With every step he took towards it, the night fury sniffed around the area to ensure no one else was around. And so far, there were no familiar scents that would suggest so.

Growing up in a world where only the strongest survive, Toothless learned to trust his instincts. To rely upon all his senses to keep himself self-aware of his surroundings. But there was something different about this. As he drew ever closer to it, he developed a weird feeling. He wasn't sure what it was, but he wasn't used to it. And it was through neither instinct nor thought. This was something else.

He was only a few feet from the hunk of metal when suddenly, he stopped. He was dead in his tracks. Atop the metal, Toothless could see a strange figure, slumbering with its back turned towards him. The night fury narrowed his eyes and slightly tilted his head, using his eagle vision to get a better look. He could see a small patch of fur illuminating the back of its body. To which was covered in scales. A weird combination it was. And through the darkness, he could see that the hide of the figure was blue. And it wasn't exactly human, either.

Before he knew it, the figure began to rise from the hunk of metal, revealing a creature twice his size. It was hard to tell what it was at first, but it became more apparent once it turned its head toward the alpha dragon to face him. Next thing the night fury knew, he was shocked to stand in the presence of what seemed to be:

Another dragon.

Usually, Toothless would jump for joy at other dragons' sight. But surprisingly, he found something off about this one. For starters, it wasn't like any other dragons he had ever seen. It was, instead...unique. For it seemed to be more serpent than a dragon. It had a long, spindly body, no wings, possessed a pair of short dorsal fins on its back, and was coated with white-bluish-violet hair that was wrapped around her neck like a mane. With a small tuff at the end of its long tail.

As the head of the dragon became more visible, Toothless started to see that the dragon was a female with two intricately dark blue horns with swirls on top of her head, coupled with a short snout. Though what stood out the most to the night fury was its big purple eyes. From which glowed in the moonlight and stared directly at him. He felt its gaze pierce through the very depths of his soul. As if it was speaking to him without saying a single word.

There was another shift in the wind as the other she-dragon rose its head. It was instantly towering over the king of dragons by a few inches. Yet despite the majesty of this creature, Toothless was still on edge. Primarily through the way it was eyeballing him, locking its purple pupils onto his own. His heart began to beat rapidly through his chest, and his facial expression dropped. Half a second later, the foreign dragon started to glow.

And this time, it was the familiar glow he had seen a few minutes ago. Thus, making the other dragon look twice as prominent as he thought. Following that, the serpent-like creature took a step forward. A gust of wind followed shortly after. Toothless quickly jumped backward in fright, a sharp growl escaping his lips following that. A purple glow developed from the back of his throat as the night fury prepared a plasma blast. Yet he neglected to open his mouth if the dragon meant him no hard. As the dragon king continued to take steps backward, the serpent creature's glow started to get brighter. Eventually, Toothless had to shield himself with his right wing to prevent himself from being blinded. However, this proved to be a fatal mistake for the night fury. Because in doing so, he couldn't see the broken bottle scattered to his right.

By then, Toothless was unfortunate enough to step on it with his right back leg. Thus causing the night fury to jump and shriek in agony. Half a heartbeat later, the glow started to dim and eventually faded. And when the king of dragons turned back to the hunk of metal, the other dragon vanished without a trace. He looked back at the broken glass and then at the hunk of metal from which the serpent she-dragon resided, feeling somewhat confused. One minute he was staring into the eyes of another dragon, and the next, it was gone. As if she disappeared into a puff of smoke or if the night fury was hallucinating it all along. He couldn't say for sure.

And so, Toothless stood there, looking utterly puzzled. A moment passed before Toothless started thinking of heading back to the pile from which he slumbered. Before departing, the night fury looked back at the hunk of metal, still feeling puzzled, before deciding to sleep it off. So many things had happened in the last couple of hours, and already he started to feel more confused than ever. Unfortunately for the king of dragons, it was apparent to him that this was just the beginning. And that he was probably not going to sleep well tonight.


And that's the end of that! Thank you, everybody, for reading this. Few things before I end this. Firstly, Merry Christmas, everybody! I hope you're all enjoying the holiday spirit! I surely am. I've been meaning to get this chapter in before the holiday, but I've been so busy lately. At least you'll have something to read on this very special day. Secondly, thank Fanreader123456 and OMAC001 for your reviews in the last chapter. I highly appreciate those. And finally, please leave a review for this story. I encourage it to all readers who can make the effort. But either than that, it's pretty much it. Anyway, that's all for now, folks. Merry Christmas!