Love Between Riders 2: Nightmares

Taking Back Our Home

Berk lays in ruins. The darkness has taken over, and most of the vikings cry in despair. They lost their home, their place of comfort. Dragons do their best to ease the pain of their friends, knowing what it's like to lose a home unwillingly from the Queen.

"We have to go back. We can't just sit here and do nothing! It's been weeks!" Snotlout slams a fist on the makeshift table Hiccup made for meetings.

"I agree, Snotlout, but if we go back we could get killed," Astrid tries to reason with him.

"We need to formulate a plan or attack first," Fishlegs chimes in.

"I vote we bomb the place. That way we know we got all of the Shadows. Besides, it wouldn't be the first time we've rebuilt," Ruffnut adds.

Hiccup sits in a chair, hunched over and head in his hands. A deep and disturbed sigh escapes his lips as he listens. Astrid walks to him and rubs his back.

"It's gonna be okay, sweetheart," she tries.

"How is it? I can't even protect my own people. How am I supposed to get Berk back?" he trails off, his voice breaking. "At this point, it would probably be better if I go alone."

"Nah ah, no way. I'm not letting my cousin go and get himself killed," Snotlout leans on the table.

"You'll need us to watch your back," Tuffnut speaks up.

Hiccup draws the ancient sword. It hums with energy as he rests the tip in the ground. He stands up, the Dragon King armor of red scales enveloping him. They all stare in awe and a boy runs in.

"I'm coming with you!" Thorn pleads, hurt in his voice. "Starlight still hasn't woken up and I don't know what to do."

"Stay with her, young one. She will need you when she wakes up," Astrid kneels in front of him, placing a soft hand on his shoulder.

"But," Thorn starts, only to he cut off by a hand from the twins.

"Stay here and protect our people. They will need a strong warrior and a stronger trickster," they switch between sentences.

Thorn wipes away a tear and forces a smile. He heads back outside and hugs his dragon. He soon leaves to the makeshift hut where Gothi is staying.

"Alright, it's time we get moving," Hiccup mounts.

The gang follow suit. Toothless let's out his alpha roar and launches into the air, causing a streak of blue. Three more dragons follow and a roar of cheers from the people of Berk.

"You show 'em what we're made of!"

"Kick their sandy butts!"

"Give then the 'ole one-two!"

The gang circles the villagers as they say words of encouragement and soar through the sky towards Berk. Upon arriving, they can see Berk is nearly no more as the darkness had swallowed the color from it. Hiccup lets out a growl.

"It's time to take our home back!" he falls from Toothless.

He floats through the air with the flight suit. He dodges incoming sand and lands, rolling to break the fall and immediately lashing out at any Shadows lurking around him. Astrid had Stormfly send spikes. Hookfang lights up and flies through the crowd of sand people. Meatlug spews balls of lava, creating a large area of effect to burn the sand. Barf and Belch cause they destructive explosions, scattering anything in the way.

Everyone fights their hardest and eventually the sand demons start falling back. The Great Hall has been completely engulfed in blackness as the sand demons retreat inside. Hiccup rushes and Astrid follows suit. As soon as Hiccup enters the Great Hall, the mighty oaken doors shut before Astrid can follow. She bangs on the wood, trying to get in. She swings her axe but the metal only goes through the sand.

Her attention reruns to the sand crawling its way to her and let's out a war cry and enters the fray of battle once more. The twins start spinning, the whirlwind technique now perfected after so many years. Snotlout and Fishlegs use their mighty strength to cleave their way through the foes. Sounds are heard from inside the Hall but the gang is helpless to do anything for Hiccup. They continue the fight outside, having cut most of the demons down.

A faint glow shines around them. It seems that years of being together and training dragons among each other created a bond between them. That bond is now allowing them to strike their opponents down, just as the love of riders kept many safe in the past. The bond of the gang really is their own version of love for each other. The light grows brighter, the gang creating a circle to protects each other's backs. The dragons go around wth fire, plasma, magma, explosions and spikes and rocks to help their best friends.

"We've got this!" the twin shout.

"Keep them coming! I can do this all day," Snotlout roars as he cuts his opponents in half.

"Let them taste the wrath of our power!" Fishlegs pipes in.

"Come on, guys. We have to keep them away from the Great Hall!" Astrid says as they makes their way to the massive building.

"It's time to take Berk back!" they roar out, just as a gigantic pillar of light breaks through the roof of the Hall.