Soul of the Sky (HTTYD Runaway Fic)

Challenger

A/N: Previously on Soul of the Sky, Toothless challenged the Red Death. Now we must see who will win. For this battle is a fight to the death, and the loser will perish...
Hiccup
Toothless was faster than the Red Death, twisting and turning through the maze of sea stacks. But the queen just smashed through them like they weren't even there. The dragons of the nest watched the battle in frightened awe, amazed that Toothless had dared to challenge the queen.

"Think, Hiccup! How can we defeat her?" I ran through plans in my mind. Some crazy, some stupid, some useless, but none of them would work. Suddenly, an insane idea sprang fully formed into my mind. "Toothless, we need to go up." Almost before the words had left my mouth, Toothless was winging his way into the dark clouds, the Red Death snapping at his tail. We flew into the mist, losing the queen in the thick fog. Then Toothless started blasting. Every time she turned, we weren't there. Shot after shot landed on her wings.

The massive dragon roared in pain and anger. "COME OUT AND FIGHT, YOU USELESS COWARD!" Toothless ignored her, hitting again and again. Despite her confidence, she was weakening, and she wouldn't be able to fly much longer with her wings shot full of holes. She lashed out with her tail, aiming for us, but Toothless dived out of the way. As long as she couldn't see us, she didn't stand a chance of landing a hit. And Toothless was a Night Fury. He wouldn't be seen.

"What now?" Toothless called as he dodged the queen's clubbed tail. "We dive." I answered determinedly. "Ever played chicken?" Toothless snorted. "You're crazy, but it might just work. OVER HERE!" he yelled, flying over her snout. Then he dived, plummeting at insane speeds through the air. The Red Death was on our tail, opening her mouth to fire. "Not yet, not yet..." I muttered, then cried "NOW!"  as we almost hit the ground. Toothless rolled, firing six shots into her mouth. The gas that had gathered there ignited, and the queen roared in anguish. We shot up along her spine, racing the inferno.

Her tail loomed ahead of us, the spiked ball on the end heading right for me. "Oh no." were my last words as I was knocked out of the saddle. Darkness claimed me as the shadow swallowed the flames, and I saw no more.

Omniscient
Toothless drops after his rider, diving through the raging fire. If he loses Hiccup, none of this will have been worth it. He manages to catch the young Viking in time, wrapping his wings around him as the two hit the ground.

The other dragons gather around, whispering amongst themselves. Meatlug nudges Toothless' motionless body with her snout, keening in despair. All join in in a desperate song of grief and longing. The brave pair freed them of the Red Death's tyranny, but now they are gone. Toothless' prosthetic tail is burnt to cinders, but the saddle is miraculously still intact. Hiccup is nowhere to be seen.

Then Toothless opens his eyes. "I'm not dead yet." he groans weakly. And when he opens his wings, Hiccup lies next to him. The assembled dragons cheer as one. Sharpshot pressed his tiny head to Hiccup's chest, feeling his heart beat feebly. "He's alive!" the small dragon exclaims in awe. "You brought him back alive!"

"Well, most of him." Stormfly adds. Part of Hiccup's left leg is missing. Then she jumps backward in shock as Hiccup' eyelids flutter. "Well isn't that just fabulous." he mutters. "He's in shock." the Nadder comments. "The pain hasn't registered yet."

Suddenly, all the dragons are silent. Then, one by one, they bow their heads, acknowledging the pair as their new rulers. The beach is covered with them, a sea of dragonkind wordlessly pledging their allegiance. "No." Toothless' voice echoes loudly in the silence. "We are not your rulers. The alpha is not the king. The alpha is the protector." Shocking the others, the Night Fury bows his own head, Hiccup following suit. Dragon and rider speak in unison, making their own promise. "We vow to you that we will fight for all dragons. Because we are no more, and no less, than any of you."

A/N: ASDFGHJKL THE FEELS! I made myself cry with this chapter.
How do you like it? My favourite bit is when Hiccup and Toothless pledge allegiance to the other dragons. I think I did an okay job of redoing the unbearably emotional post-battle scene without the Vikings.
So long, Toothlets, and I'll see you in the next chapter!

Edit from future Isarn09:
Most of this chapter remains unchanged, as requested by a commenter ( @silver_light_dragon I think, forgive me if I misspelled your username).