Reign leaned against one of the walls of the Academy, refusing to take her eyes off of Astrid as she ceaselessly drove her axe into targets. Today's training was a big deal for Astrid, and unfortunately for all of us, that meant she was a little on edge. She let out a cry and she penetrated the next red and white victim, refusing to break her focus.
"You want some of this?" She yanked out her weapon and just drove it into the next target. "That's right. Who's next?" And then, disconcertingly, she looked straight at us.
"I'm pretty sure that you-" Reign stopped for a second, as though attempting to collect her thoughts. "Yep, I think you got them. All of them." Her eyes darted around to survey the carnage. I knew she was worried about Astrid, especially recently. All of us were.
"Astrid's been killing inanimate objects all day," Fishlegs informed us.
"She's really wound up about the Flightmare," I sighed.
"Too bad she's wasting her time." We all glared at Snotlout as he wandered over to us. "When the Flightmare comes, the Hoffersons freeze. Right, Astrid? I mean, you are a-" She threw her axe just to the left of him, burying itself in the stone instead of his head. "-Hofferson."
Quickly, Reign stepped up and attempted to diffuse the situation.
"Okay, okay, let's take a deep breath. Just because Aurvandil's Fire is coming, doesn't mean the Flightmare is, too."
"Sure it does. Every ten years, the sky lights up with Aurvandil's Fire, and when it does, the Flightmare appears," Fishlegs explained. "Its spectral glow and banshee like scream are unmistakable."
"You were saying?" Astrid snapped, her glare bouncing back and forth between Reign and I. It's like she didn't want anyone to keep her sane.
"Thank you, Fishlegs," Reign sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Your extensive knowledge of the Flightmare is... timely, if nothing else."
"I do fancy myself to be Berk's leading authority on the subject. Here's a few more fun facts."
I shook my head as Fishlegs opened up the Book of Dragons. The last thing we needed was to encourage Astrid, or anger her any more than she already was. I hadn't been close friends with her as long as Reign had, but I knew just how crazy she could be. That was one thing they had in common: once their minds were made up, nothing could divert them from their intentions.
In some ways, she really was a Hofferson. Even if her bloodline said otherwise.
"Legend has it that the Flightmare is so terrifying, it actually freezes its prey in their tracks."
"Yeah, just ask Frozen Finn Hofferson. Right, Astrid?"
She let out a loud yell, then grabbed onto Snotlout and slammed him to the ground, planting her foot on his face to keep him from being able to move.
"You think it's funny, Snotlout?" She swung her axe dangerously close to Snotlout's face. "You think it's a joke that my family name was ruined by that dragon?"
"Well, I used to, just a couple of minutes ago, but now I can see how it might be upsetting you."
Everyone, including Snotlout, turned to stare at the twins as they brought a wheelbarrow filled with tomatoes into the Academy.
"Have you guys heard? The Flightmare is coming." Reign stepped out in front of Astrid, attempting to block her from the twins' view, which provided a barrier between the groups if Astrid decided to strike.
"Uh, guys, we're really trying not to talk about that."
"Hate to break it to you, but that's the only thing anyone's talking about."
"Well, that and Astrid's uncle."
"Hey!" Snotlout's voice was muffled by the boot crushing his mouth. "Have a little sensitivity here! Can I get up now?" Reluctantly, Astrid removed her foot from his face and allowed him to stand.
"Ugh. Whatever."
She ran over to Stormfly and flew away from the Academy. Reign cast me a worried glance, and I knew exactly what she was thinking. Before the two of us left, she turned to face the rest of the group, visibly annoyed.
"So thanks a lot, guys," she deadpanned.
"No problem. If you don't need us anymore, we have to get ready for the end of the world, so, see ya!" Ruff jumped into the cart, and Tuff wheeled her into the cage where the Monstrous Nightmare had once been held.
Having dealt with everything, Reign took off after Astrid, and I thought it best to follow her. She needed support for things like this. I followed close behind her as the sun set, and we found her tending to Stormfly. That worried look crossed her face again, and as my heart jumped, I reached out and squeezed her hand. For a moment, a smile returned to her face, until she glanced back at the girl she considered her sister. Astrid briefly glanced over her shoulder, looking at the two of us before going back to adjusting Stormfly's saddle.
"I don't want to hear it, Reign. I've waited my entire life for a chance to clear my family's name, and you're not going to stop me."
"Who said anything about stopping you?" Astrid turned and glared at Reign before Stormfly got up, and the two of them started walking away. "Okay, Astrid, I have to stop you." Sighing, Reign turned and looked at me, her expression changing to a sheepish one. "You're going to hate me for saying this, but if she's going, I'm going, too." I ran after her as she moved to follow Astrid.
"Look, nobody loves a new and terrifying dragon more than I do." I stepped out in front of the two of them. "But I need you guys here on Berk. If that thing does show up, it's gonna take all of us to fight it off."
"Not if it never gets here," Astrid fired back.
"Come on, Hiccup. Don't tell me you haven't been dreaming about the Flightmare: going after it, learning about it-- training it."
"You know, Reign, training dragons isn't the only thing I think about." I watched her expression change several times as she attempted not to laugh at me.
"Are you actually saying that to me with a straight face?" I tried my best to come up with something to fire back at her, but she knew me too well. Before I could say something else to her, Fishlegs ran up behind me, shouting.
"Hiccup!" He waved a rolled parchment in his hand. "I did the research you asked for."
"Uh, not now, Fishlegs."
"Oh, no..." Reign muttered.
"But I have the path of the Flightmare right here on this map. For generations, it's gone through the northern swamp on the way to the village-- same route every time. If I could only figure out why, we might be able to stop it."
"Fishlegs, Astrid doesn't want to talk about the Flightmare." I really hoped he'd take a hint and leave, before she got too much information.
"Sure she does."
"Sure I do."
"See? So, as I was saying, if want to get close to it, you have to be stealthy; virtually invisible in the dark."
"Kind of like a Night Fury?" Astrid looked at Toothless with a smirk on her face, while Reign began to cringe, realizing the craziness she'd chosen to support.
"Exactly like a Night Fury."
Well, there was no talking Astrid out of it at this point. And if Astrid was going, that meant Reign would go, and as much as I trusted her to be able to defend herself, the Flightmare was a dangerous dragon, and I wanted to be there to protect her. Besides, she had no idea how to fly Toothless, neither of them did.
"So, when do we leave?"
Offering that 'I'm sorry' smile, Reign got closer to me and placed a hand on my arm.
"I know this is a really stupid idea, but I can't just let her go." I let out a long sigh, but I knew there was no changing her mind. "Look, the moment it gets to intense, I'll grab her and we'll get out of there, okay?" Finally, I caved.
"We'll go as soon as it gets dark." She smiled at me, then suddenly leaned forward to kiss my cheek. I felt my face turn bright red, and I smiled at her retreating figure as she ran to get ready to defend us.
Soon as Gobber announced that Aurvandil's Fire had arrived, the three of us- somehow squeezed onto Toothless- took off. Reign wrapped her arms tighter than usual around my waist, and a part of me started to worry about her as Toothless took off.
"Okay. We are going to observe the Flightmare, Astrid," I called back. "We're going to see what we can learn about it and try to redirect it. If we can't, we are falling back to town. Understand?"
"Sure." Apparently, that wasn't good enough for Reign.
"Say the words 'I understand, Hiccup'," she pushed.
"Fine. I understand, Hiccup."
"Well that just instills me with confidence," I sighed. "There's the northern swamp." From below us, a distinct roar shot up. "Uh, sounds like we're getting close."
"Good. I can't wait to see this thing." Toothless dove down toward the swamp, and from the horizon, and unearthly, blue glow peered over the horizon.
"Uh, you won't have to wait long! Remember, observe only!"
The Flightmare seemed to sense our presence, and came up from its spot, spreading its wings to make itself appear larger, and although it didn't need it, more intimidating. As the light spread over us, our eyes involuntarily slammed shut, and Toothless dove closer to the ground, allowing him to turn around and head in the other direction.
"Okay. Well, it certainly lives up to the hype."
Suddenly, Astrid slid herself off of Toothless, landing on the ground a few feet below us.
"Astrid, what are you doing?" Reign screamed.
"What do you think I'm doing?"
"Sorry, Hiccup." Reign jumped from Toothless' back and rolled to land next to Astrid.
"Defending Berk, and my family honor! We'll see who's a coward!"
Quickly, I circled Toothless around and flew back toward where Reign and Astrid had landed. They came back into view just as Reign pushed Astrid out of the way, and the Flightmare shot some sort of mist from its mouth before flying away. She suddenly began to seize up, and all of a sudden, it looked as though she couldn't move.
The Flightmare had frozen her.
"Reign!" Astrid raced over to her side and yanked on her arms, but Reign couldn't move.
At the same time Toothless and I dove, the Flightmare went down and attempted to snatch up its frozen victim. It intensified the glow of its body, causing Toothless and I to flinch and abruptly land on the ground. As soon as my feet touched the ground, I lunged forward and threw myself over Reign, protecting her from the Flightmare. It roared again, barreling straight for us, and I knew we had to get out of here. Astrid hopped back up onto Toothless, and I wrapped my arms around Reign's waist and dragged her up onto my dragon, wrapping her arms around my waist so she wouldn't fall off as we shot up. The Flightmare chased us until we ducked into the cloud cover, and after a few minutes of searching, it turned and headed in the other direction.
"I think we lost him," I sputtered, slightly out of breath and still panicking from what happened to Reign.
Toothless landed back on the ground, and I immediately turned around and began to shake Reign. She couldn't be stuck like this. Please, Thor, she couldn't.
Thankfully, the glow from the mist that encased her started to fade, and she held a hand to her head as she shook it.
"What happened?" she looked from Astrid to myself, completely lost.
"The Flightmare sprayed you with some kind of mist. It paralyzed you."
"It... froze me," she muttered, looking around.
"I guess the good news is the effects are only temporary-- just long enough for it to strike."
"I knew my uncle wasn't afraid of that dragon." Reign leaned against me as the two of us turned to look at Astrid. At least she'd gotten her answers. "He was paralyzed by it."
That dragon had paralyzed Reign, and plenty of other people before her. This dragon was dangerous, and we had to keep it away from Berk. As long as that dragon followed the same path, it would keep wreaking havoc on Berk. We needed to figure out why it came to Berk, and figure out a way to get it to go somewhere else. I pulled Toothless up into the air and began to scan the ground.
"And, let me guess? We're falling back to town?"
"No. We're following the Flightmare. We are the only thing between that dragon and Berk." Astrid cheered, meanwhile Reign leaned her head against my shoulder, and I heard her whimper slightly.
The Flightmare dove over a large stack of rocks, and our eyes widened as a set of streams wove through the land before us. The only way we could see that stream was because something in it glowed bright blue, casting light up onto us. Whatever caused that water to glow must attract the Flightmare.
"Okay... what in the name of Thor?"
"It's kind of beautiful," Reign whispered, "but in an eerie sort of way."
"But what is it?"
"Glowing algae." I glanced back at Reign, slightly impressed. I moved Toothless to land beside the stream, and the three of us hopped off of him. Reign clearly was still shaken up about what happened, because her hand immediately slipped into mine, and she gripped it tighter than usual. She reached into the water with her free hand and allowed it to filter through. "The glow must be some sort of reaction to Aurvandil's Fire." We looked up into the glowing green sky, watching the ribbons dance across their blank canvas.
"This must be what the Flightmare is following." Reign and I stood. "That's why it always takes the same path to the village."
"Mmm... not getting it." Astrid shook her head.
"You ever try to get between Snotlout and a bowl of mutton?" I chuckled at Reign's comparison.
"Yeah. That's something you only do once."
The hiss of the Flightmare echoed from not far away, and I quickly pushed Reign behind a rock, hiding her from the Flightmare's gaze as Astrid dove down to our right. Carefully, the three of us poked our heads up from behind our hiding spot, and watched as the Flightmare drank water from the glowing streams.
"Oh, I get it! The Flightmare thinks we want its food." The blue glow of the dragon brightened as it swallowed down the algae.
"It attacks because it sees us as a threat to its very survival."
Finished with its meal, the Flightmare took to the sky once again, screeching right in our direction.
"And speaking of threats..." The three of us backed up, hoping we were enough in the shadows to lose the dragon.
"Quick, we need to get Toothless up in the air so we can hide." Reign looked to our right, and her eyes went wide.
"Yeah, don't think that's gonna happen." She pointed past me, and when my eyes rested on Toothless, I sighed. He'd been drinking the water from the stream, and thus, now began to glow a dark blue.
"Oh, Toothless."
Despite our cover being blown, we all decided to try and steer Toothless into the cloud cover. Maybe it would be thick enough that the Flightmare wouldn't be able to see us.
"You think we lost him?" Reign panted. Just as the words fell from her mouth, the Flightmare burst through the clouds and roared at us.
"Nope."
Toothless dove back toward the ground, but the Flightmare caught onto what we were trying to do and cut us off, intensifying its glow in hopes of blinding us. Toothless completely lost control, and began to plummet quickly toward the rock below us.
"Toothless!"
Somehow, when we made impact, no one got injured, but we didn't lose the Flightmare, either. It dove straight for us, and I watched as it opened its mouth to spray that mist.
"Toothless, roll!" He did as told, moving out of the way just in time to avoid being paralyzed. He then fired several plasma blasts in the direction of the Flightmare, but none of them managed to strike the dragon. "Toothless!" I rushed to his side and placed my hands on him, attempting to get him to stop firing. The Flightmare lowered itself down onto our level and roared, looking as though it were ready to lunge straight for Toothless.
"Hey!"
A rock suddenly struck the side of the Flightmare's head, diverting its attention to Astrid. Immediately, it attempted to grab her, but she managed to roll out of the way before it could touch her.
"Astrid!" Reign practically yanked me up onto Toothless, and as the Flightmare sprayed some of its mist onto the ground, we swooped in and managed to get her before the potential paralysis did. "Hiccup, look!" I followed Reign's point- again- to a cave in the rock formation ahead of us. We dove in and immediately banked right, fooling the Flightmare into thinking we flew straight. Once the coast was clear, Toothless slowly crept out from his hiding place, and the blue glow from the algae began to fade.
"At least the glow wears off. Toothless, sky!" We came back out of the cave and headed for a point as close to the cloud cover as possible, which would hopefully keep us hidden as we followed the Flightmare back toward the glowing streams.
"Okay, how do we stop the Flightmare before it reaches the village?" Astrid asked. I glanced behind me, then noticed another dragon and her rider heading right for us.
"Fishlegs," I declared with a smile.
"How's he gonna help?" Reign spat.
"By bringing you some reinforcements!" Reign nearly jumped at the sound of his voice, but her posture relaxed when she saw Fishlegs had brought Stormfly and Shriek along with him.
"Stormfly!"
"There's my girl." The two of them jumped off of Toothless and sat on the backs of their own dragons.
"Fishlegs, the Academy's supposed to be on lockdown," I scolded.
"I know, but I was following the stream because I think I've figured out a way to stop the Flightmare from reaching town." He pointed down to the water, and I caught on.
"We cut a new channel for the river..."
"...and divert the flow of glowing algae out to the sea."
"Exactly. Toothless, Shriek, Stormfly, Meatlug, it's time to do a little emergency landscaping."
"I'll keep the Flightmare from attacking you guys," Reign suddenly offered. "Shriek really won't be able to do much in terms of cutting a new channel." I blinked at her a few times, a million disastrous scenarios running through my head.
"Reign-"
"Too late! You know there's no changing my mind." She pulled Shriek ahead to lead the charge as we followed the Flightmare's path.
"A real, live Flightmare! It's-it's-it's-"
"It's mine." Astrid dove down to get closer to the dragon and pulled in front of it to cut it off. Before it could even register what she'd done, Stormfly fired straight into its face.
"I swear to Thor..." Reign muttered, pinching the spot where her freckles arched over the bridge of her nose. She moved Shriek to hover beside Astrid and had her scream at the Thunderdrum, knocking it back. With the two of them keeping the Flightmare occupied, Fishlegs and I had just enough time to get this done.
"Okay, bud. Time for us to do what we came here for."
Fishlegs and I dove closer to the land, and Toothless began shooting plasma blasts into the solid ground, beginning to open up a new path for the water. The glow traveled down toward the sea, while Fishlegs and Meatlug blocked the original channel so that the glow heading toward Berk would fade.
Unfortunately for us, the girls could only keep the Flightmare distracted for so long, and the second it caught a glance at what Meatlug and Fishlegs were doing, it dove for them.
"That a girl, Meatlug!" The Flightmare now hovered in front of them, staring them down for a moment as though attempting to assess whether they were a legitimate threat or not, before spraying Fishlegs with the paralyzing mist and knocking him from the back of his dragon.
"Hiccup, the Flightmare got Fishlegs!" Astrid called. She and Reign dove and continued to keep the Flightmare at bay, while Toothless and I rushed down to pick up the frozen Fishlegs and drop him back onto Meatlug. His paralysis seemed to not last as long as Reign's, as he quickly came to.
"What just happened to me?"
"The Flightmare, it's mist temporarily paralyzes you."
"Thank Thor. I need my legs. They're in my name, after all."
We landed and continued to fire at the ground, opening the channel to spread the water closer and closer to the sea.
"Look out!"
Reign suddenly emerged from the bushes and lept onto Toothless and the Flightmare chased her down. Astrid and Stormfly managed to get into the air and join us, along with Shriek, whom Reign dove back onto the second she was close enough.
"Okay, guys. We need to keep cutting that channel."
The Flightmare pulled in front of the new cut in the land and hovered over it.
"But the Flightmare is guarding it."
"I think I have a way to distract it." We all looked at Reign, ready to hear her solution. "The algae. Let's give the Flightmare a taste of its own medicine."
"Reign, lead the way."
We dove for a section of the stream far enough away from the Flightmare that it wouldn't see us at first, and allowed the dragons to drink the water as we flew over it.
"Time for a little midnight snack."
"Chow down, guys."
Once we got back into the air, the dragons began to light up. Toothless kept that same blue glow, Stormfly turned a triumphant yellow, Meatlug a green that matched that of Aurvandil's Fire, and Shriek a bright white, like the stars piercing through the night sky.
"I always knew that was our color," Fishlegs cheered. "I'm gonna knit you a matching blanket when we get home, Meatlug."
"Does anyone want to explain to me why I look like Odin's beard ate that algae?" We all laughed at Reign's question. "No, seriously, why are you guys colorful and we're not?"
"Okay, it's time to see who the real coward is."
We all took our place behind the Flightmare, and the moment it turned around, we all flew closer together, shooting a blinding light straight at it. It dove in an attempt to get away, but we each took a side, trapping it between the four of us. Confused, it collapsed onto the dirt and flailed.
"Toothless, let's finish off that channel." We sped along the line of glow we'd already created, and once we were close enough, Toothless fired one last plasma blast that end the glowing water spilling out into the sea below. The Flightmare took to the sky and looked around for a moment, then dove toward the new direction the water flowed in, heading out to sea.
"We did it!" I let out a sigh of relief as its glow faded.
"Not let's get home before anyone notices we're gone."
Our dragons, still aglow, took off into the night sky, and we headed back toward the village.
"I never got an answer to my question," Reign huffed, playfully glaring at all of us. I looked at the other two before carefully resting my gaze on her.
"Um, you absorbed every single color?"
"Is that supposed to be a compliment or an insult?" She flew Shriek in closer to me, and I flinched in fear she was reaching out to punch me. But, instead, she rested a hand on mine, and didn't move it until Berk came into view. From below, I could see Gobber and my dad standing their ground, and the alarm shot through the village.
"Okay, so they think we're the Flightmare..."
Thankfully, they both quickly seemed to realize we weren't the same color as the wild dragon, and they allowed us to land safely.
"Hiccup, slap me in the face," Gobber requested the moment our dragons touched the ground. "Your dragons are glowing. I must still be dreaming."
"Gobber, you're wide awake," I chuckled as the four of us dismounted, "and they are glowing. Long story. The good news is we drove the Flightmare away." My father's eyes went wide, and I swore I saw a smile underneath his beard.
"You did?" He placed a hand on my shoulder. "Well done, Hiccup. Well done. Everyone, you can come out of your homes! The Flightmare is gone for good." Doors quickly opened, and people murmured amongst each other as they gathered around us.
"Uh, excuse me? I have an announcement to make." Everyone focused their attentions on me. "We learned a lot about the Flightmare tonight, and I'll explain it all to you, but the most important thing we learned was that Fearless Finn Hofferson was indeed fearless." I looked back at the two girls behind me, and although Astrid was the only Hofferson by blood, I couldn't take my eyes off of Reign. "Just like all the Hoffersons." I watched as she blushed and looked down at her shoes, then nudged Astrid with her elbow and smiled at her.
"Sounds like you did your uncle proud, lass," Gobber said as he approached Astrid. Reign, meanwhile, made her way over to me and rested her head against my shoulder, looking up at the green ribbons in the sky.
"Now maybe we can just enjoy Aurvandil's Fire." I smiled down at the girl leaning against me when an idea came to me.
"Or, we could enjoy a nice flight under it? Just like-"
"-the first time I rode on Toothless," she finished. "I'd love to."
"I want a glowing dragon," Tuffnut proclaimed as he and Ruff landed Barf and Belch from... wherever they had been.
"Yeah, me too."
"Put that on Snotlout's list."
"I don't even want to know," Reign muttered as I led her over to Toothless and we took off.
Once he was steady in the sky, I turned my head around and smiled, then kissed her beneath the lights that had once illuminated our first flight together.