On Dragon's Edge, Meatlug creates Gronckle Iron, Hookfang heats the iron sheet, and Barf/Belch hammers the iron sheet into shape using both of their faces.
"All right, Meatlug, there we go. Good girl." Fishlegs said as they were working. "Hey, you know what I just realized? This is a new record for Gronckle Iron production." He then hugs Meatlug. "Who's a good iron-making machine? Yes, you are."
"Whatever. If it weren't for Hookfang, that would just be a glob of useless barfed-up metal." Snotlout stated as he showed Hookfang was hard at work scorching metal.
"Well, if it weren't for Barf and Belch..." Tuffnut was saying as he and his sister were doing their job.
They then show Barf and Belch beating the processed Gronckle Iron sheet with their faces.
"We rest our case," Ruffnut stated.
Hiccup, Astrid, and Windshear were doing constant patrols around the island to ensure no A.I.M. or Dragon Hunter agent got near them. They also took the fragments of the wall that were being made and placed them when they were done.
Steve was with the Avengers, using their gear for practice. Peter was also using some makeshift chemicals to try and recreate his web fluid as the rope wasn't going to help against his enemies. Stark was hard at work on recreating various gadgets from leftover fragments of his armor. Steve was with Barton and Romanoff, testing their skills to try and improve everyone's skills. Wanda was meditating trying to dive deeper into her mind to learn more about her capabilities to see if she could locate the fragments of the portal.
Time passes and the dragons and their riders are getting very tired. Hiccup on Toothless and Astrid on Stormfly arrive.
"Uh, Hiccup? I think Meatlug might be ready for a break. She's starting to lose her gag reflex." Fishlegs said, seeing his dragon getting tired.
"Guess the perfect little machine isn't so perfect, after all." Snotlout mocked.
"Have you checked your dragon? The giant oven doesn't look too perky, either." Fishlegs said, getting them to look over and see all of them were getting slow.
Hookfang snorts and collapses from weariness, accidentally shooting flames at Barf and Belch, who growl in response as they get upset. A fight breaks out amongst the dragons. Stormfly's spines trap Ruffnut and Tuffnut upside down on a tree limb.
"Uh, what?" Tuffnut asks.
Toothless roars in order to break the fight, but is misinterpreted by Hiccup. "Really? You too, bud?" Toothless screeched, getting their attention. "All right, that's it! Dragons, to your corners!"
The dragons went off while the Avengers came over when they heard the chaos and half of them did look exhausted.
"Hey, Hiccup. Did you know that upside-down you actually have a metal arm instead of a metal leg?" Tuffnut said with a chuckle.
"Uh..." Peter looked at Heather. "Why are they in a tree?"
"What is going on around here?" Steve asks.
"Hiccup, we've been working really hard on these reinforcement walls. Everyone is just tired." Astrid explained. "Look at the dragons."
"You know, Hookfang and I could really use a vacay," Snotlout stated.
"Vacation?" Tuffnut jumped at the idea. "Count us in. We'll grab our straw helmets and a chilling tale of Viking murder to read on some enchanted beach, laughing as the waves crash against us."
"Guys, I get that you're all tired, but remember why we're doing this," Hiccup asks them.
Snotlout groaned. "Oh, because you told us to."
"No, because Viggo is out there with a new armada that we know very little about," Hiccup stated, remembering the armada of weapons they had. "And when Viggo finally realizes he can't use the Dragon Eye without the key, he's gonna come looking for it. We can't leave the Edge unguarded again."
"Yeah, trust me, Cap here is getting a whole lot more Captain-y on us," Stark said with a groan, stretching his limbs. "Been cooped up in that suit all day."
"So, what's different?" Natasha asked sarcastically.
Stark looked at her with a dumbfounded look. "Really, Nat?"
Ruffnut didn't seem to get what he was saying. "So, yay or nay on the vacay?"
Hiccup groaned as he walked off. "Oh, gods..."
Peter then felt his web shooters going off, causing him to look down as the device zapped, causing the device to shoot webbing off in dozens of directions. He then watched as some strands knocked into the twins, which he used to yank them free.
"Ow!" Tuffnut cried.
"Looks like the formula needs some readjusting," Peter said, looking down at the shooters and sighing. "It was expanding within the cardigan."
"Steve's been working you guys too, huh?" Heather asks.
"Yeah, seeing M.O.D.O.K. reminded us what we are doing here," Peter said with a shrug. "Working on strengthening our skills, our defenses... its their way to show that they care."
"They're working both of our groups too hard, though," Heather stated.
"Oh, I agree," Peter replied as he sighed. "Times like this, Stark would surprise everyone with a little party he secretly put together and it would get Steve to calm down. I didn't usually go. No real reason to be there."
Heather wasn't sure she was following what he was saying the entire way, but she was getting the majority of his idea. "I think I am following. A little." She then backed off. "Thanks, Peter."
Heather went off to find Fishlegs and Astrid to tell them about her plan to get Hiccup to try and calm down. They made their way to Hiccup's hut where he is drawing on a map. Astrid flew in on Stormfly and Fishlegs on Meatlug with Heather on Windshear land outside then went inside his hut.
"Working on your map, huh?" Astrid asks.
"Need any help?" Fishlegs wonders.
"No, thanks, I'm kind of-"
"You sure?" Heather asks. "'Cause, you know, Fishlegs is really great with maps."
"Really great," Fishlegs chuckles nervously.
Hiccup however was beginning to understand they were here for something. "Okay, fine, out with it, you two. You didn't come all the way up here because you love cartography."
Astrid, Heather, and Fishlegs all shared a look. "We object," Astrid stated.
"We think everyone could use a break," Heather stated, crossing her arms.
"The dragons are really cranky from being overworked," Fishlegs said.
Hiccup sighed. "Guys, I thought we went over this."
"Just hear us out," Astrid said as she kneeled down.
"As you know, we've been making Gronckle Iron. A lot of it. In doing so, we've exhausted the supply of sandstone on the Edge," Fishlegs said.
"And as you know, no sandstone, no Gronckle Iron." Heather proclaimed.
"There's a nearby island that has a huge supply of it. It's also deserted, quiet, and would be a great place to relax, and take a little break from real work." Astrid explained.
"I don't really have a choice on this one, do I? Where is this island, exactly?" Heather asks.
Astrid points to a deserted island on the map Hiccup was working on.
Hiccup finally caved in and gave into their demands. Hiccup was packing Toothless' saddlebags, and Stoick and Gobber have arrived on Dragon's Edge.
"All right. Viggo would most likely wait for low tide and try to penetrate the lower wall, then come up through the arena." Hiccup told Stoick.
"Which is why you've secured it from the outside. Hiccup, Gobber and I have defended Berk from much worse than a bunch of namby-pamby Dragon Hunters." Stoick promises.
Hiccup sighed. "I know, Dad, of course."
That was when the twins arrived on Barf and Belch with Chicken, who clucked as they landed. "Ugh! Someone die? You two look like you're going to a Viking funeral." Gobber commented.
"This is our vacation attire," Tuffnut explained.
"Uh, this is not a vacation." Hiccup reminded him.
Ruffnut laughed. "Call it what you will. But we plan to kick off our shoes and let the worries of the day melt away."
Hiccup sighs in response.
Snotlout on Hookfang arrives. "Did someone die? Was it Fishlegs?"
Fishlegs arrives on Meatlug. "No, it's not Fishlegs. I'm right here and ready to go."
"Go where? No one ever tells me anything." Snotlout said, looking over towards Stoick. "Hey, Chief. What are you doing here?"
"I'm here to look after your base until you all return," Stoick said.
"Return from where?" Snotlout asks.
"You remember that vacation we were talking about?" Tuffnut asked.
"Yes!" Snotlout said, getting excited.
Tuffnut tried to subtly tell him through winks. "Well, it's not that. We're not going to a deserted island paradise to have any fun whatsoever. Instead, we're going to work, slave away in the sandstone mines."
Snotlout screamed in terror. "What?!"
Steve sighed as he placed his shield down and left it behind. "This feels a little ridiculous, Stark."
"Come on, Cap, the team could use a break," Stark stated. "I mean, we have been working nonstop for weeks to try and stop AIM from using that portal, and then we get flung into the past." He recapped as they left the hut where Wanda was walking past. "We need a break."
"I suppose you are right," Steve sighed. "Even back in the war, soldiers got time off."
"See?" Stark saw he was finally getting through to him. "You're getting it."
"You sure you don't want to come with us, Wanda?" Steve asks her.
Wanda decided she wasn't going to be joining them and was going to help fortify Dragon's Edge and meditate. "I am fine here. I was never much of a beach girl to begin with."
"You don't want Snotlout oogling, don't ya?" Stark saw through her lies.
"A girl can want more than one thing," Wanda shrugged as she walked off.
Steve rolled his eyes at the two. "And Nat and Clint?"
"Oh, we are going to enjoy this," Clint stated, walking past wearing some sunglasses. "Right, Nat?"
"Some time off in a world where no paparazzi and fans?" Natasha asked as they reached the hanger. "I am going to enjoy this."
"All right, saddle up. We need to get there before dark." Hiccup tells them, getting everyone ready to head off.
Tuffnut hands Chicken to Gobber. "Remember, Chicken eats six times a day. Small portions. She's trying to trim down. Then she gets "special time" before bed. You can read to her, tell her stories, massage her. But if you're reading stories, nothing too scary though. Horrible nightmares where she scratches and claws in the air. Stay about three feet away when she's sleeping."
Gobber nodded as he petted Chicken. "I got it, Tuffnut. I'll look after her as if she were one of my own."
"All right, everyone. Let's do this." Hiccup said.
The Dragon Riders take off from Dragon's Edge with the Avengers hitching rides as Stark goes as far as to keep his suit behind.
The Dragon Riders land on the deserted island with a lagoon and a freshwater pool in front of them.
"This place is insane! Look at that lagoon! Last one in is a rotten two-thousand-year-old egg." Snotlout cheered as he ran into the lagoon.
Snotlout jumps into a pool of water with a waterfall.
"Uh, all right, fine, just a quick swim, then it's back to work." Hiccup said.
The rest of the Dragon Riders and their dragons charge into the pool, except Hiccup and Toothless.
"Whoo-hoo! Whoo! Cannonball!" Fishlegs jumps into the pool in Cannon Ball style alongside Meatlug.
Fishlegs and Meatlug cause a big splash around the area. Toothless growls after he, too, gets a little bit doused.
Hiccup looked at Toothless and saw he was angry. "What's the matter, bud? Don't feel like a swim?"
Toothless growls again.
Hiccup shrugged it off. "Ah, okay. You just keep watch then," Hiccup then pats Toothless on the head then runs and jumps into the pond."Whoo-hoo!"
Peter laughed heartily as he stood at the edge of the waterfall, the crystal-clear water cascading down around him. With a wild leap, he dove into the shimmering pond below, breaking the surface with a dramatic splash that sent droplets sparkling through the air. As he resurfaced, his eyes twinkled with joy, taking in the scene around him.
Natasha, graceful and serene, had chosen a different approach; she reclined on the warm rocks at the water's edge, her feet playfully dipping into the refreshing lagoon, a contented smile gracing her lips. Clint was nowhere in sight, but just a short distance away, Tony Stark lounged in a hammock he had ingeniously fashioned from a jungle sheet, a coconut in hand, sipping leisurely as if he were on a tropical getaway. On the sunlit beach, Steve absorbed the sun's rays, his relaxed demeanor embodying the essence of vacation bliss.
Glancing around, Peter's eyes caught on Heather, who captivated him in an alluring what would be considered a similarity to a black two-piece bikini that seemed to accentuate her figure perfectly. The vibrant tunes of "Baby I Love Your Way" echoed in his thoughts—thanks to Qill's overly enthusiastic taste in music. He marveled at her beauty, mesmerized by the way the sunlight danced across her skin as she waded into the pond, sending gentle ripples radiating outward.
Just then, Clint swam over, breaking Peter's spell. He glanced at Heather, still intrigued by her presence. "What are you looking at?" Clint teased, a knowing glint in his eyes.
Startled, Peter splashed water in surprise. "Whoa! Clint, don't sneak up on me like that!"
"Why not? You make it too easy," Clint replied, his gaze flicking back to Heather, who had turned her attention to Peter. "Come on, man, it's obvious you have a thing for her. Why not see if you could make something happen?"
"Clint…" Peter sighed, weariness creeping into his tone. "We've been over this way too many times. She deserves someone better than me. Once Stark figures out the time machine, we'll go home, and she'll need to stay in the past."
"Who says she has to?" Clint challenged, frustration evident in his voice. "We've seen Kang mess with time again and again, but things still stay the same. Maybe if we let her—"
"Clint," Peter interrupted firmly, unwilling to let that idea take root. "AIM has already disrupted the timeline by sending us here. We can't keep meddling with it."
"Even if it means both of you end up alone?" Clint pressed, concern etched on his face.
Peter's gaze drifted back to Heather, who had quickly glanced away, her cheeks blooming with a shy blush as she splashed some water playfully to hide her embarrassment. "She'll find someone," he murmured, attempting to convince himself.
Clint rolled his eyes, recognizing Peter's stubbornness, as Peter swam off, seeking a moment of peace. The rest of the Avengers were well aware of the unspoken connection between Peter and Heather. They just needed to communicate openly with each other. Time, after all, is a malleable thread, and who knows? Perhaps Heather might choose to join them in the future when all this chaos subsided. Only time would unveil the possibilities ahead.
Hiccup approached the team as they and their dragons were relaxing in the waters.
"Okay, guys. Got that out of our system. Now it's time for the other kind of fun. Working." Hiccup told them.
Snotlout scoffed as he lay on Hookfang in the water. "Dude, lighten up. R-E-L-A-X. Relax."
Tuffnut nodded. "Take a load off, H."
"Those rocks aren't going anywhere. Unless you move them." Ruffnyt said.
Hiccup groans as Steve sees what is going on and approaches him. "Oh, not you, too. You're killing me."
"Hiccup, this is coming from a soldier who has been through a war," Steve warned him to try and listen. "I've led a squad of my own into battle time and time again. The one thing I learned is you can't expect them to be you. These guys are your soldiers. Good soldiers will work until their hands are raw and their backs break. But there does come a point when they need time to regroup, forget about being soldiers, and just be people. Otherwise... the war is all they are going to know."
Hiccup looked at his team and sighed. "You're right. I've been pushing them really hard. They deserve this."
Steve gave him a pat on the shoulder. "There you go."
That evening, the Dragon Riders and Avengers along with their dragons are gathered around a campfire. Ruffnut and Tuffnut emerge from the darkness with dishes of unsavory-looking fish.
Tuffnut then began to hand it out. "Dinner is served..."
Fishlegs gagged and held his nose. "What is that smell?"
Everyone retches because of the pungent aroma in the air.
Astrid looked over the plate and gagged. "What is this?"
Tuffnut spun around with his plate. "Oh, glad you asked, milady. That would be salt-encrusted sea bass with a salted seaweed gravy. Mixed in with salt and all finished with a little pinch of salt on top."
Hiccup after sniffing and tasting the dinner served by the twins gagged. "Whoa, that is salty."
Ruffnut was confused. "Too much, you think?"
Toothless sniffs the salted sea bass and snarls, expressing disgust. Astrid retches again.
Fishlegs tried to give it to Meatlug but she vomits. "Oh, weird. The dragons usually love fish, no matter how bad it tastes."
Snotlout tried to feed it to his dragon. "Hookfang won't even touch it, and I've seen him eat piles of yak dung. I mean piles of fresh-out-of-the-"
"Okay, we get it, Snotlout." Natasha stopped him from continuing. "Wanda might have had the right idea staying behind."
"Well, I chalk it up to underdeveloped palates. Both human and dragon."
Both twins headbutt then eat the salted sea bass, and make disgusted faces, but continue to choke it all down. Their faces showed they weren't enjoying it, but for some reason they kept munching it down.
"They are either the bravest or dumbest people in the universe," Peter commented.
"Dumb," Heather stated. "No question. Just dumb."
"Uh, I need to lay down." Tuffnut groaned as he fell over.
Ruffnut fell over as well. "Me, too."
The Dragon Riders and Dragons settle down to sleep with the Avengers following. Meatlug is furiously scratching behind her head. Peter looked over and shrugged it off, thinking that maybe Meatlug just had fleas or something. He wasn't the dragon expert, and if something was wrong, they'd likely notice.
"Shhh, it's okay, girl. It's sleep time. It's deep sleepy time." Fishlegs said as he went to lie down.
Later at night at the camp, everyone is sleeping. Fishlegs screams as he wakes up from a bad dream. He finds Meatlug is gone.
"Meatlug? Meaty? Where are you?" Fishlegs began to look around. "Oh, no. It's not safe out there got a Gronckle alone in the wild."
Fishlegs wanders into the bushes and forest, unknowingly passing by Meatlug's chewed-off saddle.
"Quiet and serene, my butt. Meatlug? Here, girl. It's Daddy." Something breezes its way across his path thus making him scream. "And I'm really scared, so it'd be great if you came out and..." He then sees Meatlug turned back and hovering in the air. "Is she sleepwalking? Oh, thank Thor. I'm here to take you..."
Meatlug turns around, drooling glowing orange saliva.
"...home?"
Meatlug snarls at him and opens fire, causing Fishlegs to shriek and run away.
"All right! All right! All right! I knew she was too tired. But I pushed her. Bad Fishlegs." He slaps himself. "Bad! Okay, listen, girl. I promise, no more work until you're..."
Meatlug charges at Fishlegs and fires a lava ball at him. Fishlegs screams and runs away once again.
"You know, this is really Hiccup's fault if you think about it. Shouldn't you be mad at him? Help! Somebody! Anybody!" Fishlegs hides in a stump and Meatlug passes by. He then runs back to camp where he sees the other Dragons are going wild. The others were asleep, but Peter was beginning to hear his senses wake him up, and looked around. "Everybody, wake up!"
"Huh?" Peter groaned, rubbing his eyes.
"Zip it, Fish Face. The sun's not even out." Snotlout groaned.
Fishlegs groans in annoyance. Meatlug arrives and confronts the other dragons as they look at the others.
"Oh, Thor!" Fishlegs cried.
"What the hell?" Peter asked, getting up and seeing the dragons. "Guys, get up! Now!"
Hiccup groaned as everyone woke up and saw the dragons. "What's going on with the dragons?!"
"I have no idea," Fishlegs said. "All I know is that Meatlug was sleepwalking, and when I found her she was in a really bad mood and chased me through the forest and tried to kill me."
The other dragons, except Toothless, start to drool colored glowing saliva. They look towards the Riders in a hostile manner. Everyone got up and collected themselves.
"I don't think they're playing." Hiccup said.
Stormfly prepared to shoot a blast at the Riders. "Stormfly, no!"
Steve slammed the ground, his shield flipping upward as he caught it just in time to block Stormfly's strike. "Go! Go!"
Everyone rushed to hide behind boulders. "This is all your fault, you know," Ruffnut told her brother.
"My fault?"
"Yeah. That stupid salty fish. They hate us because they went to bed hungry and now they're all cranky."
"That salt was properly pinched."
"Your brain is properly pinched."
A brawl occurs between the twins after pinpointing each other.
"No, it's not the fish." Hiccup said. "Look at their saddles. They've been chewed off!"
"It's a revolt. They're rising up against us!" Fishlegs cried.
"Oh, so this is what a robot apocalypse looked like in old days," Peter tried to joke.
"A what?" Heather asks, ducking to dodge Windshear's quills.
"Remind me to tell you about Ultron later," Peter said as he looked at the others. "Someone wanna tell me the plan!?"
"What is going on with them?" Natasha asks.
"I don't know. Why would they revolt against us?" Snotlout asks, crossing his arms, and glances at Hiccup, upset.
"You think this is my fault?" Hiccup asks.
The other dragons start to fire at the team, causing them to duck to dodge the strike. Toothless dives in to protect them, stopping the blast from reaching them.
"I really should have brought my suit," Stark sighed.
"Okay, everyone split up. If we're together, we're vulnerable." Hiccup tells them.
"Got it!"
"Don't need to tell me twice!" Clint yelled, rushing into the forest.
Astrid looked back and saw Hiccup staying behind. "Hiccup, come on!"
"It seems that Toothless is okay. We'll hold them off until you guys are clear. We'll find you." Hiccup said as he mounted his dragon.
Hiccup and Toothless began to take flight, shooting a plasma blast at Meatlug as everyone began to corner them.
"We better get out of here too, bud." Hiccup saw they were outmatched, only needing to hold them back a little while.
They took to the sky, only to be attacked, causing them to need to land on a pillar where Windshear and Stormfly shot their quills, causing the two to fall into the lagoon. The dragons watch for a moment to see if they resurface and then leave. A few seconds later, Hiccup and Toothless came out of the water and sighed.
"We better find the others before the dragons do," Hiccup said as he leaped back on Toothless.
Back on Dragon's Edge, Wanda was meditating in the Clubhouse while Gobber was looking for Chicken. She was able to hear and block him out at the same time due to the time meditating she has spent over the years.
"Chicken! Chicken! Here chicky, chicky. It's "special time"," Gobber called out, searching around the crates. "I've got a nice story to tell you about a sheep family and their igloo made of wool." He comes upon Skullcrusher napping. "Oh, hello, Skullcrusher. You haven't seen Chicken, have you?"
Skullcrusher burps up some small bones.
Gobber gasps. "Please, tell me you didn't.:
Skullcrusher licks his snout and reclines himself so that he can nap more comfortably.
"You did. You ate Chicken. Stoick is going to lose his-"
"Gobber," Wanda sighed when she overheard his panic. "That's not Chicken."
Gobber looked down at the pile of bones he was gathering. "It's not?"
"No," Wanda promises. "That's just some chicken legs and meat he got into."
"Oh, okay," Gobber was relieved as he dropped the bones.
"Gobber, are you bothering my dragon while he's eating?" Stoick asked as he approached.
"Uh, sorry, Chief," Gobber said as he stood up.
"Leave him be. He might try to take a bite out of you if he's feeling extra hungry," Stoick said with a laugh.
Gobber laughed sarcastically as he walked off. "Wouldn't want that, now, would we?"
"No. We wouldn't." Stoick chuckled.
Wanda rolled her eyes at her friends and closed her eyes again, beginning to meditate again.
Back to the Riders at the island, Hiccup was on Toothless while they were looking for the others. "Nothing. They must have really split up. See if you can pick up any sounds, bud."
Toothless emits a sonic blast but only detects the other dragons. They quickly rushed and hid behind some trees and bushes to stay out of their sight.
"Okay, those weren't the sounds we were looking for. I haven't seen them act like this since we trained them. They're hunting like wild dragons." Hiccup told Toothless.
A certain sound creeps into their attention to the other dragons: a bush behind them rustles. They shift to its direction and prepare to fight.
"And apparently, they're still pretty good at it."
Thinking one of the other dragons is behind the rustling bush, Toothless charges a plasma blast, preparing to fire. That was when Ruffnut came stepping out from the bush).
"No! Don't shoot!" Ruffnut cried.
Toothless swills down his plasma blast.
"Ruff! You okay?" Hiccup asks.
"No, I'm NOT okay. I'm cracking under the pressure." Ruffnut cried.
"Ruff, you're fine. Have you seen any of the others?" Hiccup wonders.
Ruffnut cried, "You said split up!"
"I know, but-" Hiccup gets cut off by the dragons snarling from above. "Get down!" They then hid as the dragons flew off overhead. "We need to find the rest of the Riders. Fast."
Ruffnut jumps onto Toothless and they fly off.
Clint, Fishlegs, and Tuffnut are tip-toeing through the forest. They looked up and noticed the dragons flying overhead.
"Meatlug! There's my Meatlug!" Fishlegs cried.
Meatlug snorts and before she sees Fishlegs, Clint pushes him to the ground out of sight. Tuffnut jumped in with them to stay out of sight.
"What are you doing?"
"What are 'you' doing? Trying to get us all killed?" Clint asked sarcastically. "You don't call out to the dragon hunting you. Or anything for that matter."
"Yeah, you almost gave us a one-way ticket to Valhalla," Tuffnut stated.
"My dragon is still inside there, Tuffnut. I can reason with her.
"Did you see the look in her eyes? That was the look of a killer. I know this because I see it in my own reflection. Pure killer," Tuffnut proclaimed as he snarls at Fishlegs.
Fishlegs gets startled by his act and screams. Tuffnut places his finger on his mouth to immediately shush him.
Steve and Stark were left together as they snuck around. Steve was the only one with a weapon, and Stark frantically looked around and picked up a rock as Steve kept his shield raised.
"What are you going to do with that?" Steve asked Stark.
"I don't know," Stark shrugged. "But it makes me feel better."
They then watched some bushes rustling, causing them to prepare to strike when Peter came rushing out with Heather. They shrieked when they saw Steve and Stark, thinking they were dragons for a moment.
"Oh, its just you guys," Peter said with relief.
Heather sighed in relief as well, "Yeah, we had a run-in with Windshear. She... she has gone wild. They all have."
"It's like they all have dragon rabies," Peter stated with a sigh. He then looked over to Heather. "Wait, is that a thing?"
"What is rabies?" Heather asks.
"Oh, right," Peter sighed. That was when his senses went off, alerting him of dragons. "We gotta move. Now!"
Everyone followed Peter since his senses would alert them when they got close to the dragons.
Natasha, Snotlout, and Astrid are in the forest in another location. They were hiding inside of a bush.
"I never should've trusted that dragon. The way he looks at me sometimes, I know he thinks of me as a dinner, or a light lunch, at least. I should have picked a less ferocious dragon, like a Nadder." Snotlout rambled.
"Snotlout, if you don't shut your mouth, I'm gonna push you out into the open and hope they eat you," Natasha warned him.
"Shh! I hear something." Astrid said as Hookfang snarled while Meatlug snorted as they flew by. They then flew off, leaving them be. "They're actually hunting us. How did it come to this?"
"Let's just hope Hiccup and Toothless get them before they get to us," Snotlout said.
As the sun was beginning to rise. Ruffnut, Hiccup, and Toothless are still looking for the other Riders. Fishlegs and Tuffnut run up to them in terror. Fishlegs and Tuffnut stop in their tracks, panting from all the running they'd done.
"Hiccup! Run!"
"Why? What's the matter?" Hiccup asks.
"Hookfang. He landed in the woods and he's coming this way!" Fishlegs warned.
Hookfang fires from behind as he closes in on the,
"Oh, he certainly is!"
Snotlout, Natasha, and Astrid come running from the same direction they were about to use as an escape route.
"Run!
"Barf and Belch are right behind us!"
Steve, Stark, Peter, and Heather came running in from aside them.
"Watch out!" Stark cried.
"Windshear is coming in!" Heather warns them.
"We played right into their hands." Hiccup realized.
"Technically, dragons don't have hands, so that expression doesn't..." Tuffnut said. "Maybe "We fell right into their talons"?"
"Are we really doing the grammatically correct thing right now when we are about to be ripped to shreds?" Clint asked, standing together with everyone. "Aliens, evil robots, HYDRA, Nazis, A.I.M., Kang, warlords, we've lived through all of that, just for dragons to be our demise."
"Yeah, kinda ironic," Natasha admitted.
"The point is, we're about to be..." Hookfang, Barf, and Belch jump from the bushes, both snarling. Windshear and Stormfly jumped out, completely surrounding them all. "...surrounded."
Hiccup and Toothless lead the Riders in another direction to flee, but they are stopped when Meatlug arrives on that same path.
"Other way!"
Stormfly lands, thus blocking the way then snarls. The Riders and Toothless are now cornered. Fishlegs whimpers. Steve raised his shield. Peter got into a fighting stance, even though he didn't have any of his equipment or gear.
"Hiccup, how long are we gonna wait until we make our next move?" Astrid asks.
"What 'next move'? I'm out of next moves." Hiccup admitted.
Toothless spreads his wings then roars and starts firing at the other dragons. That gave Steve the opening to toss his shield, knocking Meatlug out of the sky, and sending her crashing. While they're distracted, he shoots the ground in order to emit smoke and clear a path.
"That way!" Steve cried, getting them to make a run for it through the smoke.
It didn't take long for the other dragons to soon follow them. They ran across the area and found a cliffside where they saw a cave in the side.
"There! A cave!" Hiccup said.
They run into a cave, seeing the others approaching, Toothless shoots the ceiling, followed by large chunks of rocks falling down, sealing the entrance.
"Hope we don't run out of air," Natasha said.
"Hiccup, that's not gonna hold for long," Fishlegs warned them. "We need to find another way out of here."
Toothless starts scratching his ear while everyone is talking. Snotlout gives Hiccup a grumpy look.
"Just say it. I know what you're thinking." Hiccup sighed.
"All I'm saying is we wouldn't be in this position if your tyrannical behavior, due to your obsessive need to one-up Viggo, had not driven our poor dragons to the brink of insanity." Snotlout proclaimed in anger. "There, I said it."
"Wow. That was both dramatically impressive and logically sound." Tuffnut was impressed.
"Thank you, Tuffy," Snotlout said.
"You all think this was my fault?" Hiccup asked.
No one says anything, but Snotlout, Tuffnut, and Ruffnut give him an upset look; and Astrid looks away. Tony whistled and looked anywhere else, seemingly not wanting to share his opinion. Peter waved his hand in a so-so way. Heather scoffed and crossed her arms.
"Okay, well, how about this? If the dragons have been driven to the brink of madness, as you say, why is Toothless completely unaffected?" Hiccup asks.
"Great argument," Tuffnut said. "That would be just as logically sound, if it weren't for one small thing."
They then watched as he pointed at Toothless who had started to salivate glowing purple spit and become aggressive.
"Oh, come on!" Clint cried in range.
"Oh great." Hiccup sighed.
Toothless snarls at the others, purple saliva dripping from his mouth as he approaches.
"Look at me. It's me, it's Hiccup. Toothless, whatever's going on, we can get through this."
Toothless advances dangerously.
"Just talk to me. Toothless, just relax."
"Parker? Can you take him?" Steve asks.
"Us together? Your shield? Maybe." Peter shrugged. "Just say when."
"I am not going out this way!" Tuffnut cried before they could react, and he started flinging things at Toothless - helmet and things on his belt. Toothless gets hit in the head and then grunts. Tuffnut sprinkles him with salt. Toothless rolls over and appears to start seizing.
"Whoa! What the hell was that?" Stark asked Tuffnut.
"That, my friend, was salt. Just a pinch." Tuffnut said with pride.
"Salt?" Everyone asks.
"Hey, I didn't see any of you stepping up, so I went with what I had. And what I had was salt." Tuffnut defended.
"And you tried to feed us that stuff," Peter said in disgust.
A painful high-pitched sound comes from the thrashing Toothless, but he isn't making the sound. The others groan and cover their ears with their hands. Toothless shakes his head and three parasite-looking creatures fling off to the floor, squealing.
"Did you see that? It jumped out of Toothless' skin. That was awesome. Quick! Put it on me! Put it on me!" Tuffnut cried
Fishlegs reached down and picked up one of them. "Of course. A Grimora. That's why the dragons were hunting us."
"A Grim-what-a?" Natasha asks.
"Grimora. It's a rare parasite that attaches themselves to dragons and releases a toxin that causes them to turn wild," Fishlegs explained. "But Grimora usually only lives in freshwater."
"The lagoon." Natasha guessed. "Your dragons must have picked them up when we were swimming."
"They chewed off their saddles to get the Grimoras off of them. Not because they were rebelling," Hiccup finished. "See? And you thought I was working them too hard."
Everyone, including Toothless, gives Hiccup angry looks.
"Okay, you're right. I was working then too hard. Point taken." Hiccup gave in.
"Okay, so all we need to do is find the rest of your dragons and throw salt on them." Clint joked.
"Sorry, gonna have to disagree with you there, Hawky," Tuffnut said. "Out of salt. Used the last of it on T and then, you know, the salt-crusted sea bass, which, I might add, no one liked. Everybody likes salt now, but when it was on the sea bass... Nuh-uh."
"Well then, we're just gonna have to lead them to the next best salt location." Hiccup said.
"Lead them? They're trying to eat us. Did you forget that?" Snotlout asks.
"That just means that it shouldn't be too hard to get them to follow you," Stark joked.
"Yeah, maybe to get them to the water, but getting them in might be a problem.
Hiccup mounts Toothless, "Okay, bud. Plasma Blast!"
Toothless blasts the cave entrance back open and everyone rushes out. The dragons were not immediately visible as everyone searched around to try and find them.
Snotlout sighs in relief. "Thank Thor, they're gone."
Peter's senses went off, aleritng him of danger. "You jinxed us!"
All the Dragons sneak up and roar behind them, causing everyone to jump and spin to see them.
"Meatlug!"
"Hookfang!"
"Remember the plan! You'll be fine as long as you remember..." Everyone runs off screaming and the dragons follow. "... the plan."
Fishlegs and Stark were being chased by Meatlug. He managed to pick some rocks he recognized and was being chased.
"Please don't eat me. I love you! Oh, Thor!"
"You'd probably run faster if you dropped the rocks!" Stark cried.
Natasha and Astrid were being chased by Stormfly. They ended up running toward a beach, where they knew all they needed to do was get Stormfly's head in the salty water.
"Keep coming, Stormfly!" Astrid cried as she jumped into the salt water. Stormfly stops and begins to pace along the beach. "Come on in! Bath time. You love bath time."
Natasha then got an idea as she raced ahead, seeing Stormfly was a small bit from the water, and went for the heel. The dragon slipped and fell into the water, allowing them to watch as the parasites leap off and fly away.
"There ya go," Natasha sighed as she cracked her neck. "That's my idea of a vacation."
Back to Fishlegs, he and Stark have arrived at another beach area. They looked to the ocean and back to Fishlegs who caught up to them.
"Okay, what's the plan?" Stark asks.
"Pyrite. It's your favorite, girl." Fishlegs said, watching as Meatlug seemed to begin fighting the control as he flung the rocks into the sea. "Go get it!"
Meatlug jumps into the water and disappears. A moment later, several Grimora fly out of the water, followed by Meatlug who jumps out of the water and tackles Fishlegs happily.
"It worked! It actually worked!" Fishlegs laughs as Meatlug continues to lick him.
"That's... that's gross," Stark said. "This is why I don't have pets."
Snotlout is currently being stalked by Hookfang.
"Come on, Hookfang! Remember all those great times we had burning places down together? You really want to throw that all away?" Hookfang fires a blast at him. "Doesn't that mean anything to you?"
Snotlout runs off a cliff and falls into the sea, with Hookfang in hot pursuit. Grimora leaves Hookfang, and he grabs a sinking Snotlout and flies out of the sea.
"Yes! Five thousand pounds of raw dragon power back in action!"
The twins, who just grabbed two buckets of seawater, ran into the woods, followed by Barf and Belch.
"Stop spilling the water, will ya?"
"Stop yelling at me, will ya?"
"I'm sorry! I yell when I'm terrified! You know that!"
"I do know that, but it doesn't make it okay!"
The twins dodge around themselves, causing Barf and Belch's two heads to twist up and knock each other out.
"Now!"
The twins throw their buckets full of seawater on them. Grimora flies off of Barf and Belch and moves to a small boulder.
"See ya later, ya leeches!" Tuffnut cheered.
Then there was one. Heather rushed through the forest while Windshear chased after her. She knew her dragon was fast and deadly. So she needed to time this right. "Come on, girl, almost there!"
Windshear chased after her faster and faster, Heather still one step ahead of her dragon, racing towards the ledge. This was it. She stood there and watched as Windshear marched over and snarled.
"Got you, girl," Heather whispered.
"Incoming!" Peter came swinging in on a vine, using his strength to knock Windshear off and send her falling into the salt water.
Heather raced to the ledge and saw that Peter and Winshear caused a massive splash. She watched and waited for something to happen. The moment she was beginning to give up, Windshear came splashing out of the water with Peter on her back.
"Whoo!" Peter cheered as he leaped and rolled onto the ground, Windshear landing behind him. "This is yours, milady?"
"What?" Heather asks.
"What? Do people not really say that?" Peter was surprised to hear. "Oh well."
Heather then raced over to hug her dragon in relief, happy to see she was okay.
Everyone eventually trudged back to the Stables on Dragon's Edge, their bodies aching and fatigue weighing heavier on them than they had before their departure. The sun was dipping below the horizon, casting a warm glow over the landscape, but it did little to brighten their spirits.
Snotlout, leaning against a post with a weary expression, looked at everyone with a wry grin. "Hookfang and I have agreed on one thing: no more vacations for us," he declared, running a hand through his tousled hair.
Astrid nodded thoughtfully, brushing a few strands of hair from her face. "Honestly, I think the better plan is that when we need a break, we'll just stay a little closer to home," she admitted, her gaze lingering on the horizon where the last rays of the sun kissed the sky.
Natasha, ever the pragmatic voice in their group, chimed in, "Well, technically, this is your base," she pointed out, her arms crossed as she leaned against the stable wall, a small smirk playing on her lips.
Hiccup, leaning against the doorframe looking contemplative, sighed deeply. "Actually, the best plan would be for me to lighten up a little on my Viggo obsession," he mused, his brow furrowing slightly as he contemplated his own tendencies.
"And tyrannical behavior. Don't forget to add that to the list," Snotlout said, a playful jab that earned him a sidelong glance from Hiccup.
Stark, still nursing a bruised ego, turned to Steve, frustration evident in his tone. "And…?" he pressed as if expecting an excuse for their circumstances.
Steve shot him a look, the corners of his mouth twitching upward. "And what? We're stuck here because of A.I.M., and at 0600 sharp, I want to see you up, ready for training. Everyone else can sleep."
"What?!" Stark exclaimed, eyes wide in incredulity. "I knew you didn't like me, Rogers."
With a playful grin, Steve shrugged. "What was your first impression?"
Wanda entered the scene, her expression curious. "Guessing the vacation didn't turn out well?" she observed, scanning the weary faces around her.
"Eh, wouldn't recommend it to dragon lovers," Peter said with a lighthearted shrug, trying to lighten the mood, although the exhaustion clung to his words. "One star, review."
"One star? Too generous," Stark countered as they began to move away from the stables, his sarcasm cutting through the air. "Yet again, you with your bleeding heart."
"Bleeding heart? What's that supposed to mean?" Peter questioned, confusion etched on his face as he hurried to keep pace with Stark.
"You know exactly what it means, Pete," Natasha interjected, her tone even as she joined them. "Remember how worried you got for Heather?"
"I was just being a good friend, don't hold that against me," Peter shot back defensively, determination in his eyes as he followed the others.
Heather chuckled softly at the playful banter swirling around her, yet a whirlwind of emotions stirred deep within as she watched Peter walk away, his silhouette retreating against the backdrop of the clear blue sky. A tightening sensation gripped her chest, a complex web of feelings she had long kept at bay, twisting and turning in her mind like a restless storm. Astrid, ever perceptive, noticed the distant look that clouded her friend's eyes. With a teasing smile dancing on her lips, she approached.
"So, it's true," Astrid remarked, her tone light yet suggestive, causing Heather to jump slightly, her heart leaping into her throat.
"What?" Heather responded, her voice rising an octave in surprise, the warmth of embarrassment flooding her cheeks. "What's true?"
"Rumors spread fast around this group," Astrid said with a twinkle of mischief sparking in her eyes. "You have a crush on the friendly, heroic Spider-Man."
"What? No… no," Heather stammered, her defense faltering as heat spread across her face, a battle waging within her as she fought against the very idea.
"Heather, come on!" Astrid scoffed lightly, her knowing gaze piercing through her friend's feeble denial. "He's a genuinely nice guy, and I haven't seen that particular glimmer in your eyes before — not even when you had that little infatuation with Fishlegs."
"Really? Am I that obvious?" Heather asked, the sincerity in Astrid's words sinking in like stones dropped into water, sending ripples through her mind.
"Only to the non-oblivious," Astrid replied, a playful grin stretching across her face as she leaned closer, relishing in the unspoken tension.
With a resigned sigh, Heather turned her attention to Windshear, her loyal companion, and absentmindedly rubbed his back, seeking solace in the familiar gesture as if drawing strength from the comforting creature beside her. "No, I know it wouldn't work out. He said so himself. He needs to go home, back to the future… and I need to stay here."
"Is that your thinking, or his?" Astrid inquired, her voice tinged with curiosity, probing deeper as Heather fell into contemplation.
Deep down, Heather found herself caught in a labyrinth of thoughts and emotions, struggling to articulate the tumultuous feelings that threatened to engulf her.
Could she truly love a man from another time, when every fleeting moment they shared felt destined to be an unfinished story, a love bound to unravel before it could truly begin?