Selene

Chapter Forty-One: Plot Soup

Sure, Hiccup had to roll the stubborn deadweight all the way back. Sure, the dragons (and Camicazi) wouldn't stop running into trees on their way back. Sure, the Vikings asked the same question over again a thousand times, and the only person left to help him replicate the formula was Mush, but it was all still amusing in its own small way. Like the behavior of confused dragons and how much it varied. Hookfang was a paranoid mess, Trooper clung to his shoulder in a permanent state of thinking about flying off to do something else while Ebony... really... hadn't changed at all. She'd be wandering around sniffing something, the charge would go out, she'd shrug and look for something else to satisfy her curiosity.

The sun had set and Shattermasters molten lava glowed brilliantly in the dusk.

"Soooo... how does this flat sheet of very, very thin metal help again?"

"It helps," Hiccup pat the poor confused gronckle who couldn't remember he was getting tired of making metal. "because we can wrap one of "Megaminds" antennae with it and he won't be able to continue doing this," He gestured the Vikings and dragons wandering through the dark like zombies.

"Wait, you brought it here?!?" Myrddin gasped for the hundredth time. "Why would you do that we'll forget-"

The antennae tapped together and the mad scientist blinked. "...Hiccup? When did you get back?"

"Myrddin I'm so glad you had the foresight to write everything down." Hiccup looked at the notes. "In Norse."

The metal cooled just enough to be comfortable to hold. Hiccup took it, and just as he hoped it was soft enough to mold.

"Alright cranky," He grabbed one of the antennae sneaking out of the shell. "Let's see if this works."

The Viking wrapped the shiny sheet of metal over the antennae, much to Megaminds chagrin, and let go. "Myrddin," He said before the dragon had a chance to tap the antennae together again. "Come over here."

Tap!

Myrddin walked up, staring at the shell. "What in the world is that?"

"The Mindbender."

TAP!

"Mindbender? You caught it? It turns into a shell?? Wait- you brought it back here???"

"YES!" Hiccup shouted delightedly, enough to get even Ebony's attention. "It worked! With plenty of metal to spare."

He turned to the gronckle who had sunk to his belly, one last, exhausted belch on his tongue. The Viking rubbed under his chin. "You are a lifesaver, Shattermaster, don't let any of these other dragons forget it!"

His tail thudded.

Hiccup thought about taking the heavy metal helmet off his head... but decided against it as he watched the nervous dragon try to pry the figurative 'boot' from it's charger.

Slowly regaining a sense of time the rest of the gang began to congregate.

"When did it get dark?" Dagur glared out at the night.

"What an unusual dragon," Pallus leaned down to the shell which was slapping antennae together with frustrated mutterings. "So... those are how it confuses people?"

"Yup," Mush answered before Hiccup.

Myrddin studied Hiccup's simple solution. "Brilliant. You found my formula notes I presume? ...Or I gave them to you."

"Gave, and thanks." Hiccup peeled the rest of the soft thin sheet of metal into sections. "Someone help me out I'm going to make a bunch of hats."

Liam jumped in and folded with his good hand. "Certainly. I'd rather not go through whatever it was I just went through again."