After settling into their newly constructed homes, the Avengers found themselves adapting to their unfamiliar sleeping arrangements. Wanda, Peter, Steve, and Natasha were particularly cautious about introducing bedding from their future world, so they had to acclimate to the rustic bedding in their new homes. This meant sleeping on wooden beds and using blankets made from animal skins or other traditional fabrics.
The onset of cold nights required extra layers, as they hadn't been accustomed to such weather conditions in the past. However, Natasha, due to her rigorous training in the Red Room and the austere environment she had endured, found the simplistic bedding and cold nights reminiscent of her past experiences, making her feel surprisingly at home.
Peter was one of the first to wake up since he was always a morning riser as that was when he would usually go on patrol. He walked out of the hut with a yawn, opening his doorway to then stretch and see the rising sun. Since he didn't exactly have a watch and he left his phone at the Tower, since he usually just needed his mask as it had the tech, he didn't know what time it was exactly. But he could guess it was sometime between five and seven. Yet again, that would be New York time he is thinking of. With everything being so vastly different, there is no way that he could know what the time is.
"Hey there." A voice called, getting Peter to turn and see it was Astrid. "Early start?"
"Always been a morning riser," Peter admitted as he stretched, cracking a few times due to the conditions he slept on. "And the fact I'm not exactly custom to your beds played a factor."
"Sorry to hear that," Astrid said as she stopped leaning on his hut. "Me and Stormfly were about to go on our morning flight." She said, starting to head to the stables where their dragons would sleep on occasion. "You wanna...join?"
"You wouldn't mind?" Peter asks.
"Nah, it'll be fun," Astrid promised. "And we could even catch some breakfast while we're out."
Peter decided to go with it and the two made their way to the stables where they found most of the dragons were still sleeping. All except for Stormfly. She squawked when she saw her rider and bounced her way over, where she then started to act as if she were a giant cat. Peter chuckled as he watched Stormfly caress her head across Astrid as she was scratching Stormfly.
"Come on, girl," Astrid said as they headed off. "Let's go for a flight."
As they ventured out over the vast expanse of the ocean on a beautifully clear night, Peter clung tightly to Astrid, not wanting to risk falling off while she skillfully guided her dragon through the skies. Astrid couldn't help but find it amusing to witness someone around her age acting like a scared child while riding a dragon. She had taken many people on her dragon before, and they all had a similar reaction the first time.
When Peter had ridden on Windshear previously, the ride had been slower and smoother. This time, however, Peter got to experience firsthand the exhilarating speed and agility with which they soared through the air, performing daring stunts along the way.
"How are you doing back there?" Astrid asked as she and Stormfly did a barrel roll.
"Well, it's a good thing that I haven't eaten yet," Peter admitted. "I would have lost it everywhere."
Astrid laughed. "You make jokes often?"
"They help distract me from my fear," Peter confessed.
"Well, try not to do it on my dragon," Astrid asked of him. "I will make you wash the saddle and Stormfly. And she loves baths."
Stormfly squawked at the mention of the word, getting Astrid to laugh and scratch her.
"Sorry, girl. Only if he loses his stomach on you," Astrid said as she chuckled. "But we should head back. Everyone might wonder where you are."
"Yeah, next time we should leave a note or something." Peter agreed as they flew on back towards the Edge.
Stark was one of the last few to wake up, and as he slowly opened the wooden door of his modest hut, a soft groan escaped his lips. Stepping outside, he stretched his arms, eliciting a series of satisfying cracks from his back. Little did he know, Steve was already awake and watching him with a mischievous grin, clearly relishing the sight of Stark's discomfort. During the war, Steve had grown accustomed to sleeping in uncomfortable situations, where beds were always too soft for him. Seeing the billionaire Tony Stark, who could undoubtedly afford the softest bed in the world, getting stuck with a simple wooden bed brought a genuine smile to Steve's face.
"You don't have to be enjoying this," Stark told him.
"I am trying," Steve said sarcastically.
"I miss coffee." Stark sighed as he walked off. "Where is everyone?"
"Clint and Nat are training with our new friends in the Clubhouse arena," Steve said, gesturing over to where they saw Natasha and Heather were fighting. The others were off to the side, seeing who was winning the fight. Hiccup seemed to be missing, and so were Astrid and Peter. "We still haven't found Parker or their blonde friend. They said she takes morning flights, so maybe our Spider friend went with her."
"Parker with a girl?" Stark couldn't help but laugh. Then they saw the Nadder flying its way over and making a landing. "Oh, there they are."
The two of them came in for a landing as Astrid jumped off of Stormfly and Peter slipped off when the dragon came to a complete stop. He was enjoying the flight, but standing on solid ground was making him feel much better.
"So, where were the two of you?" Stark asks with a smirk.
"We just went for a flight," Peter shrugged. "We were both up early, so we went for a flight and got to know each other. Apparently, it's normal for her."
"Hm," Stark said with a smirk still on his face.
"Hey, where is Hiccup?" Heather wondered as she looked around.
"It's strange, I haven't seen him all morning," Fishlegs admitted.
Then when they went to get their food, they found there was a note on the door. Seems that Hiccup was waiting for them on a nearby island and wanted them to join him. They decided to see what he was up to and all mounted the dragons to find him.
Hiccup was waiting for the group up on top of the mountain of a nearby island of the Edge early in the morning despite their annoyance. They weren't aware how far Hiccup was when they left their dragons, but luckily Stark spotted where he was using his scanners and zoom-in enhancements. One of the only functioning systems.
"Okay, Hiccup, you dragged us all the way up here," Snotlout tells him.
"What is it you have to show us? It better involve food or destruction. Or a combination of the two." Tuffnut warns him.
"I actually at least hope it was worth the hike." Clint agreed with Tuffnut. "I wouldn't mind some early destruction."
"I bet you're all wondering why I brought you here." Hiccup says as he's digging through Toothless' saddle.
"Yeah, that's what we said," Wanda commented.
"The answer is; to show you my latest invention." Hiccup says as he pulls out a strange contraption that looks like an old model of a glider outfit. "Presenting the Dragonfly One."
He gets nothing but stares from the rest of the group as Tuffnut just raises the chicken he befriended while living on the Edge.
"The chicken is not amused," Tuffnut says as the chicken continues to cluck.
"What is it?" Snotlout asks.
"It's a flight suit." Hiccup dumbs it down for him as he waves it around. "Don't all applaud at once."
"A flight suit?" Clint asks. "Looks an awfully-"
Natasha quickly stopped him. "Remember... timeline."
Clint rolled his eyes and recalled he couldn't reveal anything that could damage time. Like admitting they already perfected the 'flight suit' in the future. He muffly told her he got it and she let his mouth go.
"Hiccup, I don't need to remind you that we already have flying dragons. Why would we ever need a flight suit?" Fishlegs asks him.
"Well, what did we were to get separated from our dragons mid-flight? With this, we can fly solo until we can catch up with them." Hiccup explains while placing the glider on his back.
"When this doesn't work, and it clearly will not, can I have Toothless?" Snotlout asks him.
Toothless snarled when he heard that.
"Oh for Thor's sake." Hiccup moans and he walks up to the edge of the cliff.
"What do you plan on doing here?" Astrid asks.
"Jumping. Unless someone has a better idea." Hiccup tells her.
"This should be fun," Natasha says wanting to see how this one turns out.
"Should we stop him?" Peter asks the team.
"H-hang on," Stark said, wanting to see this. "Maybe this is how we get flight suits."
"I doubt it," Wanda commented.
"Relax, would ya? Feel that updraft? That's why I chose this place." Hiccup explains his plan. "It'll pick up my wings and I'll be floating on a bed of air." He promises and when he activates the wings one side of them gets stuck. "He-he."
"Or crashing on a bed of rock," Snotlout says as Hiccup is trying to fix it and he growls at him.
"Okay, everyone. Dragonfly one, maiden flight." Hiccup says before leaping where he hangs for a minute and he begins falling.
Everyone ran over to the edge to see Hiccup crashing toward the rocks. As he was doing so, Toothless then leaps to save him. He quickly tackled Hiccup and crashed into the lake beyond the sharp rocks.
"I don't know about you guys, but I was under the impression that a flight suit was supposed to fly." Tuffnut comments.
"Yeah, that looks more like a plummet suit," Ruffnut says.
"Well, you know what they say," Peter commented.
"When an idea sounds stupid, it usually is?" Natasha asks.
"Please, if I went by that, I wouldn't be here," Stark commented.
"At first you don't succeed..." Steve understood what Peter was saying. "He's definitely gonna try that again."
Hiccup indeed came back and was back at the top of the mountain and was showing the small adjustments that he had made to the suit.
"Okay, so I made a few tweaks. Now behold some serious flying." Hiccup said, turning to face the cliff once more. He then leaped and actually did manage to glide. "Yeah, baby!" For about two seconds. Hiccup then creams as he begins to fall. "Toothless?!"
Toothless then leaped once again, trying to stop Hiccup from hitting the rocks. They watched from above as the dragon splashed down into the water, getting some of them to laugh a little.
"How many times is he likely to keep this up?" Peter asked Heather.
"His record is maybe fifteen with his last invention," Heather admitted.
"This time, I absolutely know where I went wrong." Hiccup said.
"I could have told you where you went wrong, but I was enjoying the show," Tony said as he was sitting on a makeshift seat and even drank coffee. Which he somehow managed to come across in this time (Turns out his suit held onto a few packets that he had with him when they traveled). "I'd pay money for someone to do this."
"Thank you, Tony." Hiccup said sarcastically. "You see, it's all in the timing. I just judged the updrafts wrong. I assure you, I definitely have it now."
Toothless seemed to not believe that and was preparing to go again.
"Wait, Toothless. Don't worry, bud. I've got this under control." Hiccup said, waiting for the breeze to come. "See? There it is. Okay... now! Come on!" Hiccup then begins to scream as he falls, but the makeshift wings catch the air and he flies. Hiccup was waiting to hit the ground when he noticed he was actually flying. "Whoa! Wait! I'm flying? I'm flying! Woo-hoo!" He then began laughing. "Excellent!"
"I cannot believe that hunk of junk actually worked," Clint admitted,
Hiccup then saw a cliffside of rocks coming up, "Okay, right turn." Hiccup then gasped when he saw that the steering wasn't working and he couldn't turn. "Okay, well, I might have to work on the steering a little bit. Toothless!"
Toothless was about to jump when Wanda stepped ahead. "Hang on, I got this one." She then used her Chaos Magic to catch Hiccup using her powers and freeze him mid-flight quickly. "There we go."
Hiccup then was floating as Wanda dropped him onto the sandy area, causing a dust cloud to come up and cause Hiccup to caught. "Thanks for the save, guys." He tells them as they are making their way down. He then saw rhat his frantic movement broke a piece of the invention. "Well, it looks like our flight tests are probably over for the day."
Astrid flies in on Stormfly and lands next to him with everyone else following. "Okay, that's it. You're done with this."
Hiccup nodded with a sigh. "Right. For now."
Then out of nowhere, they heard what sounded like screeching come from somewhere nearby. It got them to frantically look around in worry, with Tony quickly raising his blaster as he looked around. Natasha raised her gauntlets. Clint drew an arrow. Peter raised his fists and prepared to fight. Steve raised his shield and looked around. Wanda is ready to strike with her Chaos Magic.
"What was that?" Steve asked.
Fishlegs seemed to know. "It sounded like a dragon in distress."
"Is that good or bad?" Peter asks.
"Depending on the dragon," Heather commented.
"Uh, guys?" Snotlout said in worry. "Something about that call seems strangely familiar. It is not a good familiar. Bad familiar." Then he hears flapping and notices the rest of the group is already gone. "Huh? Uh, guys?"
Hiccup called out from the back of Toothless. "Snotlout, come on."
Snotlout groaned as he ran to Hookfang. "You've got to be kidding me."
They flew through the chasams looking for where the screech was coming from. Flying through all of the caverns in the canyon while searching for what is making the noise.
"The calls are coming from up ahead." Hiccup said as they kept looking.
"I think we found it," Stark called, getting them to focus on where he was flying and approaching him.
Looking down, they spotted an injured dragon emitting a distress signal. This dragon was quick and grounded, bearing a striking resemblance to a featherless theropod dinosaur, much like a Velociraptor. Despite its inability to fly, it sported sail-like features on its head, back, and legs, and possessed diminutive, rudimentary wings. The dragon's name comes from the barbed stinger at its tail's end, similar to that of a stingray, complete with red stingers and matching red eyes. Its small pupils were akin to those of Terrible Terrors, while its head shape vaguely mirrored that of a blue shark. It boasted strong hind legs, each with a pair of front claws and a single rear one.
"A Speed Stinger." Hiccup recognized it.
Snotlout shuttered as it seemed they had dealt with these creatures before. "Speed Stinger. Why did it have to be a Speed Stinger?"
"You guys have seen these before?" Stark asks.
"It looks like a young one." Hiccup commented. "Why would it be out during the day? They're nocturnal dragons."
"That's a thing?" Clint asks. "Man, there is a lot about dragons we need to understand."
"Ah. Poor little guy." Snotlout said with no sympathy. "Let's head home! It's starting to get dark, and where there's one Speed Stinger, there's usually a whole pack of them!"
"Pack animals?" Stark was becoming intrigued. "What makes this guy so special?"
"They run really fast, and their tails have venom capable of paralyzing you." Astrid recapped to him.
The Speed Stinger tries to put weight on leg but falls back over, clearly in pain.
"Hiccup, its leg is badly injured and Speed Stingers can't fly." Fishlegs reminded him.
Hiccup nodded. "That's why we can't leave it to predators'." He then turned around. "Come on, Toothless."
Snotlout couldn't believe this. "Is he seriously going back?"
Astrid scoffed. "Snotlout, meet Hiccup. Of course, he's going back!"
Snotlout groaned as they all turned around. "Oh, come on!"
When they landed, Hiccup was the first to approach the Speed Stinger. The Speed Stinger screeches as a warning to keep them away.
Hiccup tried to soothe him. "Hey, whoa, no, no. Easy there. Easy, little fella."
The Speed Stinger then raised his tain and was prepared to strike.
Snotlout was still on Hookfang and seemed to be ready to go. "Hiccup, it looks like it can defend itself just fine. Let's get out of here."
Astrid shushed him. "Ssh! Quiet down, Snotlout."
Snotlout groaned. "You quiet down."
Hiccup sighed. "Unfortunately this little guy won't be a match for wild boars or dragons." He told them before turning to the Stinger. "A Speed Stinger without its pack is extremely vulnerable."
"He must've gotten separated from the others, and they had to go to shelter before the sun came out." Fishlegs guessed.
"Sounds right. Let's go." Snotlout said.
"Say the word, I will fling this guy into the water." Wanda offered the girls.
"Don't tempt us," Heather said.
"Snotlout, we can't leave him like this." Hiccup was getting sick of him. "We'll bring it back to Dragon's Edge, nurse it back to health, then bring it back here."
Snotlout groans.
"I could keep him still with my Chaos Magic," Wanda offered, quickly showing her magic. "Keep him from stinging us."
"No, let's keep your tampering with your powers to a minimum unless extremely necessary," Steve tells Wanda. "Stark might have tampered a little with pointing this fella out, I doubt it was enough to make waves to our time. But your powers are like a cheat code."
"I don't think that's how cheat codes work," Natasha commented.
"Like he would know," Peter commented.
Hiccup then seemed to have formed a plan as he approached the Stinger with the twins. "Ruff? Tuff? You understand the plan, right?"
Tuffnut nodded. "Yeah.
Ruffnut gave a thumbs up. "Definitely."
"Of course." Tuffnut pauses. "No."
Ruffnut agreed. "Nope. Nu-uh."
Hiccup groans. Alright. You secure the Stinger so I can set the splint with the broken pieces of Dragonfly One." Hiccup said as he showed the broken pieces. "And be careful! We all remember what these guys' stings can do to you."
Snotlout stayed as far as possible. "You don't have to remind me. I know exactly what they can do."
The Speed Stinger snarls at them.
"This plan is insane. You know that, right? If I'm saying it's insane, it's actually insane." Snotlout stated.
Tuffnut seemed to actually agree. "Actually, it is insane. And for once, it wasn't our plan."
Ruffnut nodded as she leaned closer to her twin. "I'm seeing a pattern here!"
Tuffnut muttered. "First that lunatic flight suit, now this. Could it be?"
Ruffnut seemed to become filled with glee. "Is Hiccup coming over to our side?"
Tuffnut then began to pray. "Oh, Loki, please let it be so! We will welcome him with open arms." He then began to speak ominously. "Teach him the ways of the truly disturbed!"
"Should we tell them we know Loki?" Clint asks. "I kinda wanna see their faces."
"Wait until we find Thor," Wanda snickered. "That'll really blow their minds."
Hiccup groaned. "Guys, please. Let's just do this."
The twins laugh as they approach the Speed Stinger. It roars and tries to hit one of them with its tail.
Tuffnut jumped out of the way of the tail. "Come and get me, Stinger. Fresh meat on the grill, right over here.
Ruffnut then waves her arms around to try and get its attention. "No! Over here! I'm all yours. Turn me into a pin cushion! I'll give it to you as a target. Ooh. It's my butt!"
Speed Stinger roars and tries to hit them again.
Tuffnut jumped around. "Is that it? That's all you've got?
Hiccup wasn't sure what he was seeing. "Guys, what are you doing? I meant to secure the tail!"
Ruffnut then stopped moving. "Hey! We know what we're doing!" The Speed Stinger's tail gets her in the arm. "Whoa! Whoa, whoa, what's happening to me?" I can't..." She freezes, unable to move the top half of her body
Tuffnut walked over and was shocked. Talk? She can't talk!" He then played with her mouth. "At least I think that's what she's saying."
"Hmm. Interesting." Fishlegs said. "Only part of her is paralyzed. Since it's an adolescent, its sting potency must not be at full effect."
"So it's kinda like baby rattlesnakes and their venom, they're more dangerous because they can't control the venom," Peter commented, getting a few confused looks from his Avenger friends. "What? It was on this documentary I saw."
"Was kinda expecting something to do with spiders," Clint admitted.
"I don't need to know everything about spiders just because of my choice of persona," Peter tells him.
"And how do we get it to sting her lower half?" Tuffnut said and got an idea. "Here, Speedy. Come on." He then got down and patted his knees as he whistled like he summoned his dog. "It's the whole lower half of Ruffnut. Come on. Don't you want it?"
Then the Speed Stinger tries to put weight on the injured leg but collapses.
Tuffnut then pounces on Speed Stinger. "Ha-ha! Yeah!" Then he notices an unpinned tail. "Uh."
"I got him!" Peter shouted as he tried to web the tail down. But the Speed Stinger quickly moved its tail out of the way. "Whoa. You weren't kidding about fast."
Steve then stepped forward as he ran and had his shield held high as he used it to block the stinger. Except the block left his legs exposed and he was stung and left frozen.
"Uh...this feels... odd," Steve commented as the venom spread through his veins rather quickly.
Steve's shield hand had then gone numb and his shield was left dangling while his leg went next. Steve fell onto his knee and moaned as half his mouth went with it.
"Thif if... nught okahy," Steve tried to speak.
Stark laughed as he approached Steve and even poked his numb arm. "Oh, this is too good!" He laughed as he walked over towards Steve and nudged him over while he couldn't stand. "Mock the iron suit all you want. But it seems I will be the one to survive this experience."
Astrid and Heather snuck up behind them and tackled the tail. "I got the stinger."
Clint shot out a bola arrow and wrapped it around the head. "I got the head."
Hiccup rushes to Speed Stinger and splints injured leg. "There!"
Astrid, Tuffnut, Heather, and Fishlegs get off of Speed Stinger and back away. It jumps up and runs at Hiccup, fighting the bola off of its face, but slows to a stop once it realizes Hiccup doesn't want to hurt him.
Hiccup tried to calm him down. "Hey, okay. Okay. We're here to help you."
Fishlegs seemed to get excited. "Oh. He's gonna do the hand thing. Please tell me he's gonna do the hand thing!"
Peter looked over to Heather. Hand thing?" Peter asked.
"You'll see," Heather said.
The Speed Stinger sniffs Hiccup's hand, then presses snout into it.
Hiccup was happy to see he got his trust. "Okay everyone, I think we're good. Now let's load him up and get him back to Dragon's Edge."
Peter then sensed something as he looked out to the forest while the sun began to set. "You know the pack is gonna do everything in its power to find it, don't you?" Astrid asked.
Hiccup nodded. "Yep. And that's why we have to get him back on his feet and back to this island as quickly as we can."
"Underoose, you okay?" Stark asked.
"Huh? Yeah. Guess I thought I saw something," Peter shrugged.
The rest of the Stinger's pack watches Hiccup and company take the injured youngster away.
Far off into the vastness of the Earth, on a small remote island, Thor, the God of Thunder himself finally awoke as he groaned and grabbed his head in pain. He fell further into the vortex more than the rest of the Avengers, meaning even though they spent practically the same amount of time in the vortex, he came out a little later.
"Oh, by Odin's ghost." Thor groaned as he stood to see he was somewhere he figured was Earth. "Stark?" He tried to use his comms. "Stark, do you read me?" He got nothing but static. "Ugh, unreliable Midgard technology." He then took the comm and flicked it away into the ocean. "All I have to do now is-"
Then before Thor could begin to search for his allies, the Bifrost opened up and brought Thor home. He flew and landed in Asgard where he slammed into the ground in pain. He looked up in shock to see Heimdall, but very much younger than he was the last he saw him.
"Loki!" Thor heard... himself(?) cry out. He then looked and saw a much younger version of himself standing with fury in his eyes. That old Thor that was bloodthirsty for war. "By Odin's beard, you will pay!"
Thor groaned as he put together what he was in the past. "Oh, by Odin's beard..."
Fishlegs was training the Speed Stinger and trying to reheal its leg while the others spent the majority of the night just talking and regrouping. Heather and Astrid were training with their axe throwing around the forest area of the Edge.
"So, what do you think of our new visitors?" Astrid asks Heather for her opinion.
"Meh, they seem pretty nice," Heather shrugged as she yanked her axe from the target. "That Stark guy seems a bit of s jokester."
"Him?" Astrid laughed. "Sure, he makes a few laughs at his own crew, but I would think that Peter was more of a jokester."
Heather nodded and had to agree there. "Yeah, Peter seems to be the guy who makes jokes to the team." She then became a little curious. "So... what was up with that whole thing this morning, you and him went flying?"
"Oh, he was just awake." Astrid shrugged it as nothing. "I was going on my flight and decided to invite him. Seems in his time, their beds are softer."
Heather laughed. "Time travel. Whispering Deaths, Changewings, Dragon Hunters, just when you thought you had seen it all..." She then threw the axe and hit a bullseye. "Does it bother you? That they don't know us?" She wondered as she drew her axe. "I mean, you'd think after everything we've been through and done, they'd know us."
"Who knows?" Astrid shrugged as she grabbed her axe. "Why are you so interested?" She then noticed the look in her eye. "Wait, do you like him?"
"What?" Heather asked with a laugh. "No... no, it's not that." She didn't notice the blush forming on her face. "I mean, he is pretty funny, pretty sweet, kind...and smart." She then started to realize it. "Oh, boy, I don't even know anymore."
"I mean, you did say that whole thing with Fidhlegs didn't work out," Astrid reminded her.
"Yeah, I know," Heather shrugged. "Uh, thanks for the training, Astrid, but I think I gotta clear my head." She said, walking off, wondering if she could get her mind off of it.
Peter was working in the blacksmiths while attempting to recreate his web formula. A lot of the ingredients were substitutes, and every time he thinks he is getting close, he ends up causing an explosion in his own face.
"You done causing explosions?" Clint asked from the doorway. "You're missing some entertaining stuff with Cap still paralyzed."
"What are they doing now?" Peter wonders, wiping the smoke off his face.
"Right now, Tony's got Cap with his shield in his limp arm, trying to lift it." Clint laughed. "Not funny on paper, but the sight is hilarious."
"I might take you up on that," Peter said with a chuckle. "Speaking of which, where's Ruffnut?"
"Taking his sister around on the dragon," Clint answered.
"Uh, Clint, Ruffnut is the sister," Peter informed him.
Clint froze when he heard that. "You sure?"
"Positive," Peter confirmed.
"Huh..." Clint whispered before he walked off.
Peter chuckled as he started to clean up his mess. "We call him the grandpa, and his hearing isn't helping his case." He then dropped a container and bent under the table to get it. "Does that make Steve and Tony the parents? Nat, I could easily see as the approving-disapproving aunt."
Heather happened to be walking by and approached him under the table. "Who are you talking to?"
"Gah!" Peter screamed as he flinched, jumping and slamming his head against the table. He then came out from underneath and saw Heather. "What are you doing? Trying to scare me?"
Heather couldn't help but laugh. "Sorry, are you okay?"
"I'll live," Peter promised, rubbing the wound. "I've survived a lot worse than a sneak scare."
"Sorry, I was passing and heard you talking to yourself," Heather explained.
"Yeah, I tend to do that," Peter explained as he placed the containers away. "Used to being on my own for so long, I just mumble to myself when I am alone."
"Really?" Heather asks. "You weren't always with the Avengers?"
"Oh, no," Peter chuckled. "I started this superhero business when I was fifteen. The Avengers were barely established as a team by that point." He then sighed as he finished putting everything back. "I only recently joined after getting out of college. I like the family dynamic that the team had. I... never really got to know that."
"What do you mean?" Heather wonders.
"Uh, well, I was about five when I lost my parents in a plane crash," Peter explained quickly, then noticed her confusion. "That's... basically, its a flying machine. Similar to what Hiccup was trying to make. Just... don't tell anyone I told you."
"Your secret is safe with me," Heather promised. "Sorry to hear what happened to your parents. Who raised you?"
"My Aunt May and Uncle Ben took me in," Peter answered. "Then... well, let's say I wasn't exactly as responsible back then. I made mistakes. Took it out on some people...and I lost my uncle."
Heather sighed as she heard his story. "Wow, you... have lost a lot."
"Yeah," Peter confirmed as he sat down. "But it all worked out. Spider-Man saved the world more than once. And I got a cool sub-family in the process." Then he gestured for Heather to join him. "What about you? From what I've heard from Astrid and yourself when we arrived, you're not a regular."
Heather sighed as she took a seat beside him. "Well, I met these guys a few years ago, but not in the best circumstances. I was sent as a spy with the threat of a man known as Alvin the Traitorous killing my family." She explained how she met the Dragon Riders. "They helped me save them, and we went our separate ways." Then she remembered what happened most recently. "Then... Dagur... someone who was working with the Dragon Hunters, he... he killed my parents and my whole village."
"Oh, my god," Peter said in sorrow.
"And, that is how I ended up meeting Windshear." Heather continued her story. "I nursed her to health and earned her trust. She was the only family I had for a long time. I was hijacking ships, looking for stolen goods from my village, returning them to whoever I could... that is how they found me again. They took me back in." She then groaned as Peter took a drink. "And then... I learned that Dagur was my brother."
Peter spat the water out in shock, and also since he wasn't used to the taste of their water. "What?!" He coughed. "He was your brother?"
"Yeah, I learned I was separated from my birth parents sometime before my adoptive ones found me," Heather admitted. "Then when I was found out as a spy, he was supposed to kill me, but he snuck me and Windshear out and vanished. Talk about crazy family, right?"
"Shocked to say, I can relate," Peter admitted. "Not to having a relative kill my family, but crazy relatives."
"Really?" Heather asked. "How so?"
"I have three siblings myself," Peter confessed, trying to take another sip of the water. "I've got two brothers and a sister back home."
"Three siblings?" Heather asks.
"Well, four technically." Peter shrugged as he recalled. "I learned I had a younger sister recently." He then saw the confusion in her eyes. "They're named Kaine, Jessica, and Ben, and the younger one is Teresa."
"You have four siblings?" Heather clarified.
"Well, technically, I only have one sibling. The others just kinda appeared down the line." Peter explained, only getting Heather more confused. "I have an enemy known as the Jackal. He was a brilliant scientist, who perfected human cloning. He could take one person and create a copy of them perfectly."
"Oh, gods, that idea scares me." Heather shuttered. "More Snotlouts."
Peter laughed at the joke. "Well, he got some of my blood and created clones. Not many survived, but the ones that did, he tried to send to kill me. It caught me by surprise, but I didn't kill them. Instead, I reformed them and they helped me take Jackal down. We've been seeing each other as family ever since."
"That's nice," Heather commented.
"Ugh, I haven't even thought of them since I was here." Peter groaned as he didn't even consider the future. "At least my home will be safe with them. Wonder what they think happened to me. What May thinks happened."
"Didn't they know?" Heather asked.
"No, we kept this mission under top secret," Peter explained. "Didn't want anyone figuring out we caught on, letting it get back to AIM. They have eyes everywhere."
"What do you think they'll do here?" Heather wonders.
"Knowing AIM? Do what they sought out to do." Peter stated. "Find a way to change history and wipe us from existence. From the past or the present."
Later on in the night, Hiccup and Astrid wandered over to see how the rehabilitation with Fishlegs and the Speed Stinger was going within the healing hut near Fishlegs' hut. They walked in and saw Fishlegs standing over the cage holding the Speed Stinger with Fishlegs aside him, holding his arm up.
"Have a look at this." Fishlegs opens the cage and lets Speed Stinger out.
The Speed Stinger runs around and roars. Seems that its leg has already healed up.
Hiccup was impressed with how fast he managed that. "Wow. Nice work."
"You guys work fast," Natasha commented.
"Uh-huh. All thanks to the carefully designed rehabilitation program based on trust and understanding." Fishlegs continued to lean on Meatlug when she then ran away from Fishlegs to play with Speed Stinger, leaving his arm dangling.
"What's up with your arm?" Clint wonders.
Fishlegs sheepishly began scratching his head. "Yeah, let's just say that the Stinger and I may or may not have had a few differences of opinion these last few hours."
Tuffnut begins to play with Fishlegs' paralyzed arm. "Look at that! It's like a dead old fish."
Fishlegs pushed away and walked off. "Okay, Meatlug, let's get back to work." Then he saw a wall of shields. "And we'll bring this, just in case." He tries to pull a shield off the rack, grunting as the shield drops and rolls away from him. He sighs in exasperation and grabs another shield with his good arm. He walks over to the Speed Stinger, where a mini obstacle course is set up. "Come on, little fella, you can do it! Alright. There we go, little guy."
"Huh!" Astrid commented as she saw him go around. "Ornery and stubborn, but it seems like it's actually accepting Fishlegs and Meatlug.
Hiccup nodded as he began to consider an idea. "Well, it makes sense, they are pack dragons. They can only function as a group. But if they accept you into that group then you have their allegiance."
Astrid seemed to figure out what his idea was. "Wait. You're not actually thinking of trying to train it? Are you?"
Hiccup was shocked that she seemed to see through him. "What? No! No. I-I could never."
Snotlout then entered the room. Well, well, well, lookie here. Our little friend can stand on his own two claws again. Only a matter of time before it's trying to sting all of us into oblivion." The Speed Stinger shrieks at him. "I vote to take it back to where we found it. I'll get the cage."
Hiccup groaned. "Snotlout..." The Speed Stinger roars at Snotlout. Snotlout screams as the Snotlout hisses at him. "Snotlout, he's staying here, okay? At least for the time being."
"Having a Speed Stinger around is way too dangerous, especially for me," Snotlout stated as the Speed Stinger ran in front of him and tried to sting him. Snotlout dodges it as Steve and Ruffnut walk in, both finally free from the venom. "Not even on your best day, pal."
Ruffnut ran in with glee. "Good news! The Stinger venom wore..." Snotlout dodged another strike as the Speed Stinger stung her. "Ugh!" She then fell over and hit the ground. "Oof."
Hiccup then raised his hands in a 'stop' gesture. "Okay, everyone. No sudden moves."
Ruffnut scoffed. "Who's got jokes?" She then dragged himself over to a chest in the room using her arms since her legs were frozen. "Frozen from the waist down. Come on."
Hiccup tried to settle the Stinger down. "Hey, settle down, big fella. I'm your friend, remember?"
Ruffnut grunts, trying to put her legs in a comfortable position while Tuffnut is preparing for a fight if needed. "Ruffnut, one. Dead leg, zero." She cheered just as her dead leg stuck out, kicking Tuffnut. "Not so dead after all."
Tuffnut marched over to her. "Hey. What'd you do that for?"
Ruffnut groaned. "Oh! Like I have any control..."
Hiccup noticed their fighting was upsetting the Stinger. "Uh, guys? Quiet down. I think he's agitated."
Tuffnut then went in to face his sister even closer. "That makes two of us. You better control that butt before it gets kicked." Then the Speed Stinger stings them. "Oh! Aah!"
Hiccup then became afraid. "Oh, I was afraid of this. Everyone take cover!"
Tuffnut runs away, but gets stung. Astrid grabs a shield and blocks the attack before it can sting her. Clint jumped and ducked underneath a box where he quickly drew his bow and arrow. He prepared to shoot as he looked around the area to get a clear view.
"Uh, where'd he-" Before Clint could finish his question, he was stung in the back as the Stinger ran off. "Oh, come on!" He then felt his head go limp and he dropped his bow in the process. "Oh, boy, going down!"
Natasha started to try and shoot the Stinger with her Widow Bites but saw that wasn't getting her anywhere and quickly climbed on top of the weapon holsters to get some distance. "Okay, this is getting ridiculous."
"Ridiculous or not, we've gotta figure something out!" Steve cried as he raised his shield, this time ducking down to help keep his legs safe from the Stinger.
"Please, remain calm. Everything is going to be okay." Fishlegs tried to calm them down.
Toothless jumps over Speed Stinger to avoid getting stung. Wanda squealed as she crested a barrier around herself and Natasha, watching the Speed Stinger attsck her shield. Stark shrieked as he shielded his face, watching the stinger trying to sting him in the armor.
"Ha!" Tony cheered. "Iron armor 1, Stinger 0."
Then the Speed Stinger runs at Fishlegs and Meatlug, who run away from it.
"Remain calm!" Fishlegs cried.
Speed Stinger stings Barf & Belch, Barf's side goes limp. "Barf!" Ruffnut cried.
Astrid called out as she stayed behind the shield. "Stormfly, spine shot!"
Stormfly and Toothless heard the Speed Stinger back into its cage. When it ran into the cage, Steve threw his shield, ricocheted off the walls, and then slammed into the cage. The door closed and the lock fell into place as the Speed Stinger screeched in anger.
That was when Peter and Heather entered the hut and saw the chaos that took place while they were gone. "Uh, did we miss something?" Heather asks.
"What was with the noise?" Peter wonders as he sees everything. "Whoa. We missed a lot."
Ruffnut struggles as she crawls over to Barf's side. "Guys, a little help here?"
"Uh, no." Tuffnut said.
While everyone met up at the main hut, Astrid watched as Barf and Belch walked out of the dome, with Barf's head paralyzed and dragging behind and continuously leaking flammable gas.
"That is really unsettling," Astrid commented.
Snotlout looked around the room at the stung and yet-to-be-stung victims of the Speed Stinger. "Mhm. Exactly as I thought this would end up. That thing is going to paralyze everyone on the island before this is over. And then there's going to be no one to take that stupid dragon back to where we found it."
"Snotlout, we are not abandoning it," Heather proclaimed. "You just need to learn to accept that he is going to be staying with us for a while."
"I mean, honestly, the little guy only seems to have a problem with you," Peter commented.
"He's right." Clint agreed, half of his jaw still paralyzed.
"Not so funny now, is it?" Steve asked sarcastically.
Hiccup sighed. "Alright. I'm too tired to argue with you. We'll talk about this in the morning."
Everyone walked off and left to go to bed. Luckily Clint was still able to walk despite his top half being mostly paralyzed. Natasha guided him to their sleeping quarters for the night. Ruffnut and Snotlout were the last two around.
Ruffnut quickly got his attention. "Hey, if you want to get rid of that Stinger, I'm in." She then grunts as she falls to the floor. She quickly tried to pick herself back up. "I don't know how much more of this I can take. I figure it's him or me."
The next night, not much went on during the day minus a bit of training in their new environment. Fishlegs approached the Speed Stinger to show today was the day its cast was removed.
"Good news, little guy. Your splint comes off today! Nurse Meatlug, if you would do the honors, please?"
Meatlug then shot a small blast of lava which burned off the cast around his leg. The Speed Stinger took a moment to
"Yeah, you see? No more pain. Whoa!" Fishlegs said as they watched the Speed Stinger run around them. "Wow! You sure had a lot of energy stored up, didn't you." Then he realized the Stinger was heading to a deep pond near the hut. "Oh, dear! Meatlug, quick, stop him! Speed Stingers can't swim!"
Meatlug went to do just that, just as she reached the Stinger, it made its way onto the pond. But instead of sinking, it ran around the pond as if it were walking on air.
"Whoa! How did you do that?" Fishlegs wonders as the Speed Stinger returns to him. That was when he saw that there was webbing on its legs. "Webbing. Of course. You can't fly, so you needed a way to island hop. You adapted, and evolved. Oh-ho! That's incredible! I have to tell Hiccup about this right away!"
Fishlegs informed Hiccup the next day so to let everyone sleep. Hiccup followed Fishlegs with Astrid and Stark with them as he wanted to see this improvement.
"This is enormous, Fishlegs. Finally, actual proof of dragon evolution. It's historic." Hiccup stated in amazement.
"I know, right!?" Fishlegs said as he opened the doors.
"And the Stinger webbing actually inspired me to make a few changes on a little something I've been working on." Hiccup commented.
Astrid growled. "If you say Dragonfly Two, I'm locking you up."
"Now hold on," Stark said to her. "I wouldn't mind some breakfast with a show."
Hiccup gave a look to show he was annoyed. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, Tony."
Fishlegs shrieked, getting their attention and they saw the Stinger was missing. "Oh, no. He's gone!"
Astrid was confused. "How could he have gotten out of this cage?"
"He couldn't." Hiccup seemed to have figured it out. "At least not on his own. And I think I have a pretty good idea who helped..."
Far off back to the island where they took the Speed Stinger from, Hookfang flew over a neighboring island while the sun was beginning to set as it took them most of the day to get there undetected by the other Riders. The Stinger began to snore, getting Ruffnut to look down at him tied up in her lap while Snotlout flew.
"Oh, how cute! He's dreaming." Ruffnut said.
Snotlout imitating a girl. No, he's not." He then went to his normal voice. "He's waking up. It's almost sunset!"
Ruffnut groaned as she knew what would come. "Oh, great. Ruffnut gets paralyzed. Again."
Snotlout then tapped the dragon's side to make him go faster like a horse. "Come on, Hookfang, fly faster!"
That was when the sun seemed to have set enough that the Speed Stinger was able to wake up. And then he looked to see where he was. He then struggled to free himself from the ropes as he got off of Ruffnut.
Snotlout became afraid. "Oh, no."
Ruffnut was worried but optimistic. "The ropes should hold. I tied them really..." The Stinger breaks free and Ruffnut gasps. "Whoops."
"Whoops?!" Snotlout asks. "That's all you got?!"
"There are other things I wanna say, but none of them are very ladylike," Ruffnut said.
Ruffnut was then attacked by the Speed Stinger as he stabbed her with his tail. Ruffnut began to freeze and couldn't stay on the dragon. "Uh-oh. Snotlout... Viking going... overboard."
Snotlout worked quickly as he grabbed Ruffnut to stop her from falling. The Speed Stinger then stings Hookfang and paralyzes his left side, causing him to fall from the sky and crash.
Snotlout screamed as they fell from the sky. "Uh-oh. Hookfang!"
Snotlout landed with the Speed Stinger in his hands. "Huh?"
The Speed Stinger licks him in appreciation.
Snotlout shrieked as he tossed the Stinger. "Aah! Ew!" He then ran towards Hookfsng. "Hey, watch the tongue!"
When Hookfsng burst into flames, that was when the rest of the team arrived and spotted them. The venom wore off from everyone, meaning they were able to all come to help.
Ruffnut walked over to them while slurring her speech. Hey, Hiccup. I got stung again. Just the right side this time. I tried to walk it off but I just kept going around in a circle."
Hiccup ignored her and walked over to Snotlout. "Dragon-napping, Snotlout? I mean, this is a new low, even for you."
Snotlout tried to defend himself. "I was trying to save us!"
"Come on, it's just one Stinger." Clint scoffed. "Nothing we can't handle."
The Speed Stinger screeched as their dragons surrounded him. That was when they heard screeching in the distance.
"Did... did he just call for help?" Stark clarified.
"Wow, Jurassic Park reference, much?" Wanda asked.
"Uh. You guys heard that, right?" Heather wonders.
"Kinda hoping I didn't," Peter admitted.
Fishlegs whimpered on Meatlug. "It was an echo. Please tell me that was an echo."
Peter then sensed something. "Uh-oh, spidey-senses tingling, guys."
"Your what is what now?" Tuffnut asks.
"My built-in early warning system. It senses danger. And a lot of it," Peter warned them.
Astrid seemed to know why. "Oh, no. The pack's come looking for it."
Snotlout wasn't following. "How is that even possible? Speed Stingers can't fly!"
"Yeah, but we did just discover that these particular Speed Stingers can travel across the water just fine," Fishlegs explained.
"What?! How?!" Snotlout asked.
"If we keep quiet, we might not give away our location." Hiccup said, trying to silence him.
That was when their Speed Stinger began screeching. That seemed to be enough as they heard the other Speed Stingers screeching.
"Well, that didn't work," Wanda commented.
"I'm guessing that very soon I'm gonna wish I could run in a straight line," Ruffnut said.
Snotlout marched over to the Speed Stinger. "You! I knew you'd rat us out."
There was then a loud screeching that got them to look up and see the heard of Speed Stingers. One marched forward and they guessed he was the Alpha as he had a different color scheme than the rest. He let out a screech and the Speed Stingers ran towards the group.
"Guys! Stand your ground!" Hiccup tells them as they are being surrounded.
Steve quickly raised his shield and blocked off a strike from a Stinger. "Avengers, take them down!"
"Wait, so now we can interfere?" Clint asked as he looked around, keeping his arrow raised. "I thought we weren't supposed to mess with time?"
"Self-defense, Barton!" Natasha cried as she opened fire on the dragons.
Clint then shot an explosive arrow, sending several Stingers flying. "Yeah, but when we were interfering earlier-"
"We can discuss how and when it is okay to get involved after we survive this!" Stark cried as he blasted a Stinger.
Peter then shot out his rope-shooter, wrapping it around the legs of a Stinger. "Whoo! They work!"
Ruffnut tried to get away as a Stinger came to strike Meatlug came in and defended her, getting stung herself. "Hey, girl, thanks." Ruffnut slurred.
They were being surrounded by dozens of dragons and Wanda saw that they were being overrun. "There... There are too many of them. Our only hope is to draw them away." Hiccup said.
Wanda then decided to help and groaned. "Screw it!"
Wanda then quickly used her Chaos Magic and slammed the ground, causing a giant forcefield of magic to surround them and stop the Speed Stingers from coming. "I can't hold this forever!"
Snotlout started to figure out what to do and looked to the Speed Stinger. "I'm not leaving anyone behind!"
Hiccup was confused. "Really? Since when?"
"Since right now!" Snotlout cried. "Don't ask me why, but I'm suddenly feeling selfless and heroic. Back! Get away!" He then grabbed the Speed Stinger and ran towards the barrier. "Don't worry guys. I'll be back." He ran out of the forcefield and got the other Speed Stingers' attention. "Come and get me, Needle Butts!"
Ruffnut waved weakly. "Go get them, Snotlout!"
Snotlout ran through the forest as he wanted the Speed Stingers to chase him. "Snotlout, Snotlout. Oi! Oi! Oi! Keep chasing." Snotlout then ran over and stopped as he turned and noticed that the Speed Stingers weren't chasing him anymore. "Gone?"
He then heard screeching from the Speed Stingers and turned around to see they were behind him.
"And that's because they're all here for the big ambush. This was a bad idea." Snotlout realizes.
That was when the young Stinger turned on the rest of his pack, stinging and paralyzing some of them. Snotlout watched as he ran around and stung the Speed Stingers approaching him.
"What the..." Snotlout was confused as the young Speed Stinger stopped in front of him. "Wait. I'm never gonna get you, dragon."
Then the Alpha of the group approached and screeches angrily. The young Speed Stinger turned on the Alpha as he then prepared to defend Snotlout.
"What?" Snotlout wasn't following.
Hiccup flew over and saw what was going on from above. "He's torn between his pack and the one that saved his life. Ours."
Snotlout was confused, "But he hates me!"
"But you're one of us. It's his instinct to protect you." Hiccup explained.
The young Speed Stinger and the Alpha began to stand at one another, preparing to fight. Toothless fired a shot to stop the Alpha since the young Stinger didn't stand a chance.
"Now get out of here before he realizes that he has to choose a side." Hiccup warned Snotlout. He then fired a few more shots to lead the Stingers toward the beach. "Okay, bud. Let's get these guys back in the water."
Astrid flew over to his side. "I brought backup."
Wanda was creating a giant red barrier of Chaos Magic so that the Speed Stingers couldn't continue to go inward to land and continue to make their way toward the beach. Windshear shot off some quills since Windshear was armored skin meaning the Stingers couldn't stop her. Stark blasted the Stingers when they came in his direction. Steve threw his shield to knock down a few trees to make sure they didn't try to return. Peter swung using the ropes and vines, carrying a few Speed Stingers he wrapped up towards the beach. Clint shoots a few arrows as Tuffnut flies in riding Belch, while Barf is still paralyzed and spewing gas.
"Woo-hoo!" Tuffnut cheered. "Yeah! Nice, Barf. I mean, freaky, but nice just the same. Oh, no."
The lead Stinger sees them and runs over the rock formation and stings Belch, paralyzing him too and causing the entire Zippleback to crash.
"Barf and Belch are down. We need to get rid of that Stinger chief." Hiccup said, eyeing the chief.
The Chief Stinger screeches and runs towards Hiccup and Toothless. The two then charged at him as Hiccup then placed his hands in some holsters in his suit.
"Toothless, separate!" Hiccup cried as Toothless and he separated mid-air and the lead Stinger missed and crashed on the sand below. Hiccup was flying around and gliding using his new suit. "Dragonfly Two, go!"
"Wow, is he actually flying?" Heather was amazed to see his suit was working.
"That isn't flying, that's falling with style!" Peter quipped, getting an odd look from Heather. "Right, nobody gets my references."
The lead Stinger rose again, poised to attack. In response, Steve advanced with his shield at the ready. Natasha's gauntlets were primed to fire. Clint had an arrow at the ready. Stark had his suit and gauntlets ready to go. Peter was eager for another round. Stormfly, Windshear, and Hookfang braced themselves for combat. Realizing he was outmatched, the Alpha Stinger retreated, abandoning the younger Stinger.
"Yeah! Swim away, Stingers!" Snotlout cheered.
Hiccup approached the young Stinger looked off to the retreating pack and sighed. "No. I'm sorry, but, little guy, you need to go back with your own."
The young Stinger seemed to understand what he was saying looked off to the pack and ran off to keep up with them.
"What are you doing? We can't let him go back with them!" Snotlout said.
"Snotlout, it's where he belongs. That's his real pack." Hiccup said.
Snotlout groaned as he walked off. "And just when we were starting to get along. Why does this always happen to me?!"
Astrid walked over to Hiccup. "Can you believe what that dragon did for us? He helped us, over his own Alpha."
Hiccup didn't seem as surprised. "For that little time, he was part of our pack. And we were part of his. Even Snotlout, somehow."
"Scared? Ha! That Stinger was more scared of me than I was of him." Snotlout stated.
Tuffnut looked out to the ocean. Hey, look! Isn't that them swimming towards us?
Ruffnut nodded. "Maybe they're coming back for you, Snotlout."
Snotlout immediately became afraid. "What?" Then he ran off into the woods. "No!"
Tuffnut chuckled. "They weren't swimming this way."
Ruffnut chuckled. "Look at him run. Stupid."
"Look at that, we helped out and time didn't collapse," Peter commented as he approached Steve. "Maybe the butterfly effect is wrong."
"Not to mention that AIM is likely going to start trying to change things," Stark commented. "But I feel like that we didn't do anything major to alter time."
"Hopefully." Steve decided to agree for now.
In a distant archipelago, nestled deep within the lush woods, a mysterious figure dwelled in seclusion. This enigmatic woman possessed striking, ebony tresses accented by a singular, ethereal white streak. Her attire, an elegant ensemble comprising a resplendent purple gown and skirt, exuded an air of otherworldly allure.
As she delved into her ancient tome, an uncanny sensation abruptly seized her, signaling a palpable disturbance in the air. This enigmatic individual was none other than Agatha Harkness, known to many as the enigmatic Purple Witch, her very presence suffused with an aura of mystic power. She felt something that disturbed the mystical realm. She felt the energy surge through the world and gasped as she recognized the sense of magic.
"The Scarlet Witch..."