eighteen

HICCUP WAS WORKING ON A SECRET PROJECT AND HE SENT ALORA UP TO THE SECOND FLOOR, TELLING HER NOT TO LOOK DOWN AND TO STAY PUT. Of course, that's what he would've said if she wasn't passed out on her bed. So he had carried her up and laid her on his bed so he could work in peace.

Alora had a rude awakening when Hiccup ruffled her hair to wake her up. So she reluctantly got off the bed.

"Why'd you wake me up?" she mumbled.

"You've been sleeping for two days Aly," he told her.

"Wait. . . What?"

Two days?! She slept in for two days?!

"H-Has anything happened?"

"Uh. . ."

"Oh my Thor. Tell me."

He didn't. Instead, he decided to keep things to himself and that quickly blew up in his face later.

"Astrid wants us."

Alora gave him a puzzling look, but as she approached the training ground her eyes widened.

"Oh gods."

three hours later

Astrid forced Alora to fight her and Hiccup. . . At the same time. She used as much strength as she could to hold them back. But what they didn't realize was that she had a trick up her sleeve. She wanted this training session to end, so she was going to get her wish.

Alora took a deep breath and blew. But not in the way you'd expect. When she blew, it looked like the wind during a hurricane. Both fell back and the twins cheered, obviously enjoying the sight.

"Bravo!"

Ruffnut threw flowers at the brunette girl.

"Ruff, where'd you get those flowers?!"

"Hiccup!" Fishlegs said. "I've been looking for you. Johann is here and he wants to—"

"Johann? Oh, great! Where is he?" he asked, clutching his side.

"At the dock."

"I'll help," Alora said, pulling him up.

She walked them towards Toothless and helped her one-legged friend onto his dragon. She sat behind him and the two took off. Alora went with him because she was weary about the trader and didn't want him to walk into any traps. Apparently Hiccup requested oil, but the trader couldn't retrieve it. And just as Alora was going to volunteer to go, she heard something.

"Astrid," she said. "You should take Astrid with you."

The two looked at the young girl who was staring out into the sunset.

"What's wrong Aly?" he asked.

But she said nothing. Something was coming. She wasn't sure what, but she knew that it wasn't good (and that Johann was behind it).

When the two left, Alora started readying the catapults.

"What are you doing?" Snotlout asked.

"Preparing for the worst," she told him. "Something feels off. I can hear it."

"Don't you mean feel it?" Tuffnut asked.

"No. I hear it. Something's coming."

"Why didn't you tell Hiccup?" Fishlegs asked.

"Because that stupid secret project means something to him," she said. "Plus, I've got a few tricks under my sleeve."

∾

Alora hated being right. She didn't sleep at all. In fact, with her soaking up the sun for hours and days on end, she'd come to learn that she only needed to sleep every five days. Something else that had occurred now that her weird 'power' cells awakened. Since she learned that she took the chance and time to figure out what other powers she had.

As she felt Hiccup's hut shake, Alora immediately went out to look at the situation. She watched as a flock of Singetails hovered above them blowing up everything. But when she looked closer she saw that they weren't on their own.

"FISHLEGS! SNOTLOUT! RUFF, TUFF! GET OVER HERE!"

The group gathered as she started barking out orders. But of course, Snotlout took charge and gathered the dragons to take the fight to the Singetails.

Alora groaned and started firing all of the weapons on her own since she didn't have a dragon of her own. It was when she saw the rest of the dragon riders failing that she decided to take matters into her own hands. She watched as Hiccup and Astrid came back. But then, they fell back.

She was on her own.

What was she going to do? The whole place was surrounded and she had no one to lean on. Not even Astrid. She had no dragon and felt completely alone. Defenseless.

Except. . . She wasn't.

Alora went back into Hiccup's hut and decided to burn her documents into a fire. Then, she took his plans and stuffed them into her shirt. Alora started revving herself up to fight back.

So she knew she had super strength. Freeze breath. As well as super hearing. But there was still one power she had been secretly working on. And it was time to unleash it. She opened her drawer and took out the shirt that was hidden inside. She quickly changed and ran out the door where she saw a red Singetail circling her friends.

"Come to me Aly," Kara said. "It's okay."

Alora walked towards the edge.

Little baby Aly slowly walked towards the edge.

She took a deep breath.

"It's okay. I'll catch you if you fall."

With the courage that she had remaining she put one foot over the edge.

Baby Aly toppled over.

Alora felt the wind running through her hair.

"You did it Aly!" Kara exclaimed as she saw the baby levitate. "You did it!"

Alora opened her eyes and took control. She put out one fist and felt herself propel forward. She took out another fist as she watched her friends retreat. So as the night sky fell upon them, Alora decided to leave a warning.

She went back to the edge and used her new freeze breath to carve out the symbol on her bracelet. The grass quickly became frozen and she left without another word. She saw all the Singetails lined up in front of her. So she used both fists and a loud BOOM was heard, causing the dragons to stumble and fly upwards.

Astrid smiled, knowing exactly who it was.

And up in the night sky, Krogan finally saw what he was up against.

Hiccup saw his best friend.

One girl hovered in front of the moon. On her chest was a symbol. She glared at the other riders, giving them a look as if saying: You have no idea who you're messing with. And without another word, she flew towards the riders.

⬩⬩⬩⬩⬩⬩⧌⬩⬩⬩⬩⬩⬩

"So," Alora said, pulling out all of the pieces that were from Hiccup's hut. "When were you planning to tell us about your little Dragon Eye 2?"

"I could ask you the same thing!" Hiccup yelled. "Since when can you fly?! And what have you done with my shirt?!"

Alora glanced down at the green tunic that had the 'S' symbol sewn onto it in the middle.

"What? You guys have your signature look, why can't I have my own?!"

Hiccup groaned.

"The point is, what you did was risky," Astrid said. "But hopefully that'll show the other riders that we're not finished with them, yet."

"Look, I have these new powers now! I can freakin' fly!" she hesitated. "Sort of. Point is—"

"The point is that it's great and all that you've discovered these new things, but next time give us a heads up," Hiccup said. "And since you've mentioned that, you're now backup."

"Backup?!"

"If things go sideways, we're going to need someone to be able to pull us out. Someone who is capable."

"You're trying to sway my emotions by complimenting me so I can agree to be backup."

". . . Is it working?"

"Ugh! Yes."

"Great!"

"So, can we address the big yak in the room?" Astrid asked. "The Edge."

Alora looked out into the horizon. Over the last twenty-four hours the young brunette knew one thing, this was the beginning of a war.