*shows up with a Starbucks* Doot de doot de dooo...well, this update's coming a little later than expected, but it's not that bad. I mean, it's only been...

*checks calander*

Wait...

*double-checks calander*

FORTHELOVEOFROCKYROADICECREAMIT'SBEENNEARLYTWOWEEKS OH MY GOSH I AM SO SORRY GUYS I DID NOT MEAN FOR THIS TO HAPPEN I PROMISE!

So I kinda found out that my finger was actually BROKEN, not just sprained, and then just today I got a re-check with the doctor to find out that it WASN'T actually broken and I'd been wearing a STUPID SPLINT THAT MADE TYPING NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE for NO REASON WHATSOEVER.

Oh and then I thew out my knee. So I've kinda been having a bad last couple of days. -_- This always happens right before my birthday, I don't know why...(P.S. my birthday is next week)

Anyways, I'm sure you didn't come to read my author's note, so I'll get on with the shout-outs now. :)

Astrid Lokison: I AM SORRY FOR KILLING YOU HERE IS THE UPDATE. XD And my finger's on the mend, so I'm fine. :) I had SO MUCH FUN writing that last chapter, so I'm glad you found it funny as well! :D Thanks for the review! :)

Sadie: Okay okay! XD You'll just have to read the chapter and see what happens! :) And your idea for The Beat of Your Heart is awesome! I'm not sure when I'll update that story next, but I'll definitely take your suggestion into consideration. :)

Guest (#1): Aww you're so sweet, thank you! :) I'm hoping to start my channel soon, so I'll put a link to it on my profile once I launch it. Your encouragement means a lot! :D I hope you continue playing piano, too! :)

Insert it here: Wow, that's quite the compliment! Thank you so much! :)

SnivyDragon: URGH I am so bad at the whole "Shellshocker vs. Shellfire" thing. -_- I guess that's what comes with typing a name wrong ONCE and then reallizing you were wrong, but your brain doesn't compute the information. :/ And yeah, I'm under the impression that the universe kinda hates me in general. XD I think I'm definitely going to launch my YouTube channel soon, so I'll put a link up in my profile once it's up. :) Thanks for the review and the encouragement! :D

TheMightyMuffin: Of course, because no story is complete without some added drama and suspense. :) Thanks for the review!

Guest (#2): Thanks! :D

WhovianDemiwizard: Oh dear...*backs away slowly* Honestly, I seriously can't understand why so many people like my writing sometimes. But if I ever find out any "secrets" I'll make sure to let you know. XD Yeah, I think everybody's kinda suspicious about the arrow...well, I ain't gonna say anything. *shrugs* I'll just say it in my writing. XD I seriously love Snotlout. He's got some great comedic timing. XD Anyways, thanks for the review! I hope you like the final chapter! :)

Margaret Helstone: Thank you very much! Yeah, I try to keep my updates relatively quick, because I know nobody likes to be kept waiting for very long, especially considering all the cliffhangers I pull. XD And it's good to know I'm keeping the whole thing "show-like"! That's something I always strive to do. :) Oh yeah, totally; I ship Hiccstrid like FedEx, so you can bet there'll be more Hiccstrid moments. :) Thanks for the review(s)! :D

SailorMew4: I know, right? :)

CloakedDragonWing3721: Hahahaha, I feel you. I want to see Hiccup get kidnapped as much as the next person, so I think it's safe to assume we'll see some of that later on. :)

Iris Patton: Thanks so much! My finger's feeling quite a bit better now, so I can do shout-outs again, which makes me happy! :) I'll try not to injure my fingers again in the future; believe me, I hate it just as much as you guys do. XD Yeah, well, we'll have to see what happens with the arrow in this chapter. :) Thanks for the reiew!

Galaxy-Mitsuko-Pegasus: I know, right? I seriously need to stop messing up my fingers. :/ But anyways, thanks for the review! :)

MartialArtistwithaPen: HAHAHAHA YES I'd love like a 1 hour loop vid of just Snotlout banging his head against the wall. That's something I could procrasinate to easily...XD I know, jamming fingers is no fun AT ALL, especially for us musicians. I literally spent twenty minutes the other day just staring sadly at my piano until my mom asked "Are you okay?" XD Thanks for the review! I hope you enjoy the last chapter! :)

Zoha Ven: Thanks! I'm having a lot of fun with these stories, so we'll see how it goes! :D Thanks for the review! :)

SingStar234: Maaayyyybe. *innocent halo appears above head*

FanWriter02: Hahaha, well, this time, the review worked! :D I always imagined the twins being the biggest Hiccstrid shippers of the franchise (besides maybe Stoick), so I thought it'd be fun to throw that little tidbit in there. XD Yeah...we'll see how the chapter ends...although most of you can probably already predict it...XD I think I'm definitely going to start my YouTube channel soon, so I'll put up a link on my profile once it's up and running. :) Thanks for the review! :D

Forever Me: Hahaha, I seriously doubt that's actually the case. I'm just a klutz with bad luck. XD Thanks for your reviews! And even if they did curse me, I'd still want to get them. XD

Aeon The Dimensional Girl: Yeah everyone's kinda already counting on some sort of crazy cliffhanger at the end of the chapter...guess we'll just have to wait and see, huh? XD Thanks for the review! :)

SilverGhostWolf777: *accepts hugs* Yeah, jammed fingers hurt. :'( But thank you for your concern! Getting reviews always boost my morale, so writing through the pain is totally worth it. :) I think it's hilarious that everyone just kinda assumes Hiccup is poisoned...it's truly beautiful. XD Anyways, thanks for the review! :D

boyscouts83712: AAAHHHH I DO NOT WANT TO BE GUTTED LIKE A FISH! *hides underneath the couch* XD I know you wouldn't do that, though; if you DID gut me, you'd never know how the story ended, and we couldn't have that now, could we? XD YES I love Snotlout and the twins! Their comedy is the best. XD Thanks for the review! :)

Anyways, this is the final chapter! I hope you guys have enjoyed it so far and I hope this final chapter makes you love it all the more! My final author's note is at the end of the chapter, bUT DON'T GO THERE NOW BECAUSE *River Song's voice* SPOOOIILLLERRRSSS!

"All the Night Terrors are accounted for, Hiccup," said Astrid, soaring into the Clubhouse on Stormfly. She dismounted a moment later and headed over to where Hiccup sat at the table, writing in his notebook with a piece of charcoal.

"Great," said Hiccup, smiling. "Snotlout should be back soon with the reports on the Deadly Nadders…"

As if on cue, Snotlout and Hookfang barreled into the Clubhouse, Hookfang ablaze and Snotlout screaming incoherently. He leapt off his dragon as fast as physically possible and stormed towards Hiccup.

"The Nadders are still here," said Snotlout, glaring, "and I risked life and limb to find that out. But why!? Why do we care if a couple of the dragons fly off!?"

"That volcano disturbed a lot of the island, Snotlout," said Hiccup. "If a lot of the dragons spooked and took off, chances are they'd head to Berk. If that happened, I wanted to give my Dad and the rest of the village a heads-up."

"But, of course," said Astrid, "since all the dragons are accounted for, we don't need to send any Terror mail to Berk."

"So I did all that for nothing!?" Snotlout complained. Hookfang snorted. "Don't you complain too, Hookfang!" Snotlout shouted. "You're the reason counting the Nadders was such a pain in the butt!"

Hookfang growled at him, swung his tail, and smacked Snotlout across the room. Snotlout hit resistance against the wall and sank to the ground; Hiccup and Astrid winced, as did Toothless and Stormfly, while Hookfang chortled in laughter.

Snotlout stood up, dusting himself off. "Oh yeah, yeah, laugh it up, Hookfang, laugh it up," said Snotlout. "But I'll warn you now, dragon. Don't bite the hand that feeds you, or you'll wake up with an empty bucket of fish one morning."

Hookfang growled at him, almost as if daring Snotlout to try.

"Well, it's late," Hiccup said, standing and clapping his hands together, "and we've all had a long day, so we should probably start thinking about turning in for the night."

"Yes, please," said Snotlout. "Come on, Hookfang, it's to the stables." Hookfang growled, but didn't budge. "Hookfang," Snotlout said again, but the stubborn dragon held his ground. "Hookfang," Snotlout said warningly. "Stupid dragon…"

He grabbed Hookfang by his horn and gave a hard yank. "Come on, Hookfang!" snapped Snotlout furiously, when his dragon still didn't listen. "Get up, you stupid - AHH!"

Hookfang jerked his head and flung Snotlout off and across the room once again. Snotlout hit the same wall, in almost the exact same place, and hit the floor once again. This time, Toothless and Stormfly warbled in laughter, and Hiccup and Astrid turned away to hide their grins.

Hookfang spread his wings and took off, leaving Snotlout behind. Snotlout jumped to his feet and raced after him, screaming, "HOOKFANG! WAIT UP! HOOKFANG!"

Astrid settled a hand on her hip and shook her head. "Looks like he'll be walking to the stables," said Astrid once Snotlout disappeared out the Clubhouse's door.

"Guess so," said Hiccup, and he took his seat at the table once again, looking over his notes. Astrid watched him, and then sank into the seat beside him.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing's wrong, exactly," said Hiccup, "it's just...well…"

"Are you still thinking about Viggo?"

Hiccup tensed, and then sighed. "Sort of…"

Astrid shook her head and rested a hand on his shoulder reassuringly. "There was nothing you could have done, Hiccup," she said.

"I know that," said Hiccup. "And I know that if it didn't happen, well, he'd still be trying to attack us. He'd still be trying to kill us off, one by one, or twist us and trick us until somebody gets hurt. Still…" He sighed again. "...I wish it didn't have to end like that."

Astrid sighed. "Me too," she said. There was a beat of silence, and then, Astrid spoke again. "What are you going to do now?" she asked. "Ryker's still out there, and so are the rest of the dragon hunters."

"I know," said Hiccup. "I'm pretty sure Ryker was initially after the Dragon Eye. He still doesn't know it's gone."

Astrid nodded. "Yeah, and I think for now that's news better not broken," she said. "Who knows what kind of tantrum he'll throw when he finds out it's gone."

"He doesn't know about Viggo, either."

Astrid nodded again, but this time she didn't add anything afterwards. Instead, she turned her attention back to Hiccup. "How's your arm?" she asked.

Hiccup glanced down. He'd washed and disinfected the arrow wound and wrapped it with bandages and gauze. "It's fine," he said. "I'll probably really be feeling it tomorrow, but for now it's okay. How about you? You aren't holding back any injuries, are you?"

"I told you I wouldn't do that anymore, didn't I?" Astrid replied. "It's like you said, Hiccup. We rely on each other. We can't afford to keep things hidden."

Hiccup nodded. "Right," he agreed. "Well, it's late. You should probably go to bed."

"Yeah," said Astrid, rising to her feet, "and you should, too, Hiccup."

"I will," Hiccup said with a nod, also getting to his feet - that is to say, foot. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," Astrid said, smiling. She kissed his cheek and left with Stormfly, heading towards her hut for some shut-eye.

Hiccup sighed, and Toothless bounded over, sitting next to his rider to watch the Nadder and her rider go. "Well, you heard what Astrid said, Toothless," said Hiccup, turning towards the Night Fury. "We should probably turn in, before she finds us."

Toothless nodded in agreement, and Hiccup mounted the Night Fury and headed off to their own hut.

…

When they arrived at their hut, Hiccup dismounted. The night air was cold, but not too cold (not as cold as Berk, at least), and the sky was filled with smoky clouds from the volcanic eruption.

"Alright, bud," Hiccup said, patting Toothless gently on the head and pulling the hatch open to their hut. "You did good today, Toothless."

Toothless growled his thanks and followed his rider inside.

Hiccup pulled his distinguished flaming sword from his belt and settled it on his desk as he walked by. "I've got some new ideas for Inferno," Hiccup said, "but they can wait. Right now-"

He suddenly stopped, reaching up to clutch his head, squeezing his eyes shut and gritting his teeth. Toothless noticed this new development immediately and spun around to face Hiccup, looking at his rider with big, concerned eyes.

"I-I'm okay, bud," Hiccup said (and he hoped to Thor he wasn't lying). "Just got dizzy all of a sudden...gah!" He stumbled forward, and Toothless ducked his head, managing to catch Hiccup at the last second.

Toothless cooed in concern, and Hiccup tried (and failed) to straighten himself up. "Thanks, Toothless," Hiccup said gratefully, but his voice was soft, his breathing suddenly labored. "I don't know what's going on…"

When he looked around, he saw double. Two desks, two staircases, two spare prosthetic tailfins on the wall. Everything went in and out of focus at different intervals.

"Yeah…" Hiccup said, his eyes dropping. "I'm pretty sure this isn't...good." His eyes closed, and he slumped forward against Toothless.

Toothless panicked. He growled and jostled his rider over and over again, hoping to garner some kind of reaction, but Hiccup didn't budge. Toothless carefully - ever so carefully - let Hiccup slip to the floor, and then, Toothless looked him over, nudging him and sniffing him worriedly.

He licked Hiccup's face. Nothing. He nudged his arm. Still nothing. He rolled him over onto his side. Still (once again) nothing.

Toothless was beside himself with worry for the longest time, and then, he remembered.

Astrid. She could help Hiccup.

Toothless turned and raced towards the still-open hatch leading inside. Just before heading off, he turned back, crooned once more at Hiccup, and then left to find Astrid.

...

"There we go," said Astrid, closing Stormfly's stable. The Deadly Nadder chowed down on chicken, a special treat from Astrid as a thank-you to the Nadder for all her hard work. "Goodnight, Stormfly."

Stormfly turned, chirped at her, and then went right back to eating a moment later. Astrid smiled, and then headed out of the stables, sliding the doors shut behind her.

"Alright," said Astrid to herself. "Guess I should be getting to bed, too."

She was heading that way when suddenly, up ahead, a blur of darkness charged towards her. Her mind fogged with exhaustion thanks to today's stress and events, it took her a while before she realized it was not a blur, but Toothless.

"Toothless?" she said, confused. The Night Fury skidded to a halt right in front of her, his eyes full of frantic terror. "Whoa, hey, hey, Toothless, calm down-"

But Toothless didn't calm down whatsoever. Instead, he retracted his teeth, clasped Astrid's forearm between his gums, and gave her a hard, firm tug towards the direction from whence he'd come.

It took Astrid approximately three seconds before she realized. There was only one thing in the world that could make Toothless this panicked, and that was-

"Hiccup," Astrid gasped.

Something was wrong with Hiccup.

Once Astrid said that, Toothless released her arm and took off, knowing she would follow him (which she did). She ran as fast as she could, and then a little bit faster.

Hiccup was fine literally five minutes ago. What had changed? Were there still hunters on the island? Was Hiccup in trouble? Was he being kidnapped? No, if that was the case, Toothless would have gone after Hiccup's captors instead of going to Astrid.

So what?

Toothless turned and bolted, straight towards Hiccup's hut with Astrid hot on his tail. Astrid finally stopped in the doorway, catching her breath and clutching the stitch in her side.

Toothless didn't stop at all, and instead barreled straight past her. Astrid watched him, and then blanched.

"Hiccup?" she said, releasing her side and moving forward, her breathlessness and the throb in her side both forgotten. Hiccup was on his side on the floor, his eyes shut. At first, Astrid thought that maybe he was just asleep, but Toothless knew the difference between sleeping and unconsciousness.

If Hiccup was just sleeping, the Night Fury wouldn't have been so panicked.

So it was something else.

"Hiccup, talk to me," Astrid said, kneeling on the ground by his side and rolling him over on his back, looking for injuries. "Hiccup," she tried, but there was no response. "Hiccup!" she tried again, and this time, she patted his cheek.

Instantly, she withdrew her hand in shock.

His skin was burning.

"What…?" Astrid said, feeling more and more worried by the second. "Hiccup…" She was about to try rousing him again, when she suddenly caught sight of the bandages and gauze still wound around Hiccup's arm.

This was the only apparent injury he had, and even though it'd happened hours ago, she still wanted to check it out.

She pulled out her dagger and sliced away the bandages, inspecting the gash. Her eyes widened, and she gasped, her dagger slipping from her hands and hitting the hardwood floor with a dull thunk.

"Oh, Thor…" she whispered. "Hiccup…"

…

"We have to go back for the Dragon Eye," a hunter told Ryker when they arrived at the dragon hunter base and got off their ships, walking through the sand leading towards their tents.

"Yes, that we do," agreed Ryker, "and we will, all in good time."

"The riders will know we're coming, though, won't they?" asked the same hunter, somewhat frantically, worry and panic evident in his voice. The sand merged into soil, and they walked continued walking through the grass, never stopping. "They'll be able to regroup and fight back. We won't stand a chance-"

"Don't worry," said Ryker, pulling one of his arrows from his quiver and examining it in the faint moonlight. The arrowhead was solid black, like charcoal, but hard and smooth like a stone. "They won't be regrouping any time soon."

He threw the arrow onto the ground, the arrowhead sinking straight into the soil, and kept on walking, leaving his arrow behind. "Gather your weapons," Ryker ordered, "and keep moving forward. We attack the Edge in three days, under the light of the full moon."

The hunters shouted "YESSIR!" and scampered off to do their new leader's bidding.

Behind Ryker was the arrow, still embedded in the ground, but now, the grass surrounding the arrow was black, withered, and dead.

Author's Notes:

I think it's hilarious that throughout this story I didn't say a single thing about "poison" and yet you guys just all mutually decided that the arrow Hiccup was grazed with was poisoned.

I was actually considering writing an "April Fools" sort of chapter that ends perfectly, with no poison or anything, just to throw you off, but I didn't make April Fools day in time to do that, so I obviously didn't do that. And besides, I'm not that evil. XD

Anyways, I feel like 90% of this story has been building the moat, and Snotlout and the twins getting mad at each other. :/ I'M SORRY BUT I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT ELSE TO DO but "Fire and Brimstone Part 2" should be a bit more interesting if it goes the way I plan.

"Fire and Brimstone Part 1" is now completed! You guys know the drill. Up next, "Fire and Brimstone Part 2"! And of course I had to end this with a cliffhanger; there's just no other way I could have possibly ended it, y'know?

Well I mean there were different ways it could have gone down, but you guys know me well enough by now to know that cliffhangers are the only real option, right? XD

Anyways, I hope you liked this story, and keep your eyes peeled for "Fire and Brimstone Part 2"! Make sure you check back on my profile every now and then, too; I've started adding a couple release dates for future fanfiction "episodes" and whatnot.

Oh, and kinda random: so, a lot of you over the past while have been asking me "how I write fanfiction 'so well'" (I blush like crazy whenever I hear that) so I did a blog post with some tips/hints/tricks on my writing blog. If you guys are interested, you can get the link to my blog on my profile. It's just a thought that came to me randomly while I was finishing up the author's notes, so I thought why not? Hopefully, if anyone decides to check that out, you can take something away from it. XD

Anywho, thank you all for reading, and I'll see you next time!

Cheers!

-BeyondTheClouds777