Dullahan

Based on 'The legend of Sleepy Hollow' and the mythology of the Dullahan.

Inspired by a prompt from titan-dragon

Happy Halloween everybody! Enjoy!

Prologue

Hysteria, October 1777

"Seize her!"

"Witch!"

"Demon!"

"Abomination!"

The light of the full moon illuminated the grove where a lone figure stood in the middle. Five black candles burned on the ground. Behind them an approaching enraged mob, in front of them a bloody massacre within the area the candles sat. This was the end, their deed was done, their mission was complete. The figure looked up at the stars shining brightly, blood dripped from their weapon as they turned to face their pursuers. That cold October night a gentle breeze blew as the lilies were stained crimson.

Berk, 30 October 2017, 9 PM

A large house, nay a colonial styled mansion, stood at the end of a long driveway. It was already late at night and a cold wind blew past two individuals who had just gotten out of a black Prius parked nearby. The car looked out of place between all the high end vehicles parked on the lawn. One of the boys was blonde and slightly chubby while the other was lanky and had a mess of auburn hair on his head. Both were dressed nicely in button up shirts and pressed pants. Despite the time of night the lights in the mansion were on and a loud techno beat could be heard.

"Hiccup are you sure this is a good idea?" Fishlegs, the slightly chubby teen, asked as they stood on the porch.

Hiccup nodded as he held up an envelope. He adjusted his glasses as they slipped slightly off the bridge of his nose. "We were invited." He told his friend who was still looking nervous.

"I know we were invited." Fishlegs whispered. "But are you sure actually showing up is a good idea?! I mean, this is Alexi Hofferson's party! She's the hottest girl in school!"

"So?" Hiccup asked.

"So?! So this party is going to be filled with the popular crowd!" Fishlegs hissed. "Have you forgotten then we get shoved into lockers almost daily by them?"

"I know Fish but it's already our senior year and this is the only party we've been invited to." Hiccup told his friend. "Don't you for once want to see what all the hubbub is about?"

"Hiccup, no one uses the word hubbub anymore." Fishlegs muttered.

"Well I just did so you are wrong." Hiccup smiled before ringing the doorbell.

"Alright I admit it. I want to see what all the fuss is about." Fishlegs confessed. "They say Alexi's parties are the hottest. Especially the Halloween ones."

The door swung open just as Hiccup was going to say something cheeky. They looked and saw a petite blond woman with a pixy cut lean against the door. She was dressed as Jack Sparrow and was holding a beer bottle.

"Evening Alexi" Hiccup and Fishlegs greeted. The blond just stared at them before saying "Welcome, I didn't think you'd come. Come on in." She said while stepping aside. Hiccup and Fishlegs entered the foyer and marveled at the decorations lining the place. Orange and black streamers hung from the ceiling, cobwebs hung in nooks and Jack O' Lanterns decorated the place. People were dressed as all sorts of creatures and were dancing to the music of the DJ that was playing.

"So what are you guys dressed as?" Alexi asked as she showed them to the living room.

"Ehm…. Ourselves." Fishlegs mumbled eliciting a giggle from the girl.

"Silly this is a Halloween party!" Alexi told them. "I'd have guessed that you guys be dressed as some nerds."

"Uhm…. Alexi, we are nerds." Hiccup reminded her. The girl sobered up for a moment to look at them closely. She leaned slightly forward and Hiccup had to lean back to avoid their noses touching.

"Hiya cuz!" Was suddenly said as a hand snaked around Alexi's middle. "You aren't hitting on my girlfriend are you?"

"Hello Snotlout." Hiccup mumbled as he took a step back. He looked down at his short cousin Scott who went by the name Snotlout for reasons unknown.

"Glad to see you two could make it." Snotlout told them as he held Alexi possessively. "What are you two dressed as Dork and Dorkier?" He laughed at his own joke and departed with his girlfriend before Hiccup or Fishlegs could answer.

"You know, I think we only got invited because your cousin is dating the hottest girl in school." Fishlegs commented. "How did that happen?!"

"I stopped doubting that miracles happen when those two hooked up." Hiccup stated.

"Don't you have a major crush on her?" Fishlegs asked as they walked to the beverage table. Hiccup nodded. "I'm over Alexi right now." He told his friend.

"Wait, when did that happen?" Fishlegs asked surprised. "I still remember you drawing hearts in your notebook like a love sick puppy.

"Fish, she hooked up with my cousin who thinks he's god's gift to women." Hiccup whispered. "I started doubting her sanity."

"Ah" Fishlegs replied as he understood the reason. "You know if you ditched the glasses and the sweater vests you'd pass for a hottie right. Why do you even keep your abs hidden? I'd kill for those!"

"Fishlegs have you been listening to your little sister again?" Hiccup asked amused.

"She saw you working out at the gym a few times." Fishlegs confessed.

"Is that why she has been leering at me and blushing?" Hiccup asked as Fishlegs nodded. "Don't forget the stuttering." He added as Hiccup let out a groan.

With a sigh he said "I'm not going to change my appearance just so I can snag some shallow girl. I'd rather have someone who likes me for my opinions instead of my muscles."

"Well I can understand that." Fishlegs admitted. He wondered how they'd stayed friends. Fishlegs met Hiccup at orientation Freshman year when he was still scrawny and short. Hiccup underwent a growth spurt around Sophomore year and came into his own. He now had more muscle, a swimmer's build and turned quite a few heads, both male and female. Fishlegs had overheard some of the younger years call him Hotcup and he was sure that his friend would join the populars but that didn't happen. Hiccup stayed his geeky, sci fi, dragon loving self.

The party dragged on. Slowly for Hiccup and Fishlegs who occupied a couch while having a few beers. It was nearly one in the morning when some guests started leaving and other fell asleep on every available surface. Hiccup wondered how Alexi would handle finding some guy sleeping in one of the giant vases while hugging a pumpkin.

"Looks like the party is dying down." Ryker Grimborn, one of the other popular guys, mentioned. "Should we head home too Viggo?" He and Viggo were brothers and quarterbacks on the football team.

"Nooooo don't go!" Alexi giggled. "You'll miss the surprise."

"Surprise?" Fishlegs mouthed to Hiccup who shrugged. They watched Alexi leave the room, stepping over several sleeping guests, only to come back with a wooden chest and a painting of a blond woman. The woman looked a lot like Alexi except that she had her hair in a long braid across her shoulder and her eyes seemed to be a lighter shade of blue.

"What is that?" Hiccup asked as she placed the chest on the table.

"I… found it while cleaning the attic." She admitted with slightly slurred speech and opened it to reveal a thick black leather bound book with her family crest on it. "It's a book of magic!"

Hiccup and Fishlegs looked at each other uncertainly while Viggo picked the book up and looked through it. "This has got to be a fake." He mumbled.

"No no no." Alexi exclaimed. "There is a legend behind it." She slurred and then sat on the floor. She urged the other five to come closer.

"Okay I'm curious." Fishlegs mumbled as he and Hiccup joined the huddle. "That book looks ancient."

Alexi patted the leather book before looking at those around her. "The year was 1775." She started while leaning against the couch. "As you know my family are the descendants of the founding fathers of Berk. But what you might not know is that they started in Hysteria."

"The town near here?" Hiccup asked.

Alexi nodded. "Yes, they were ultimately driven out of the Hysteria colony because of an evil ancestor. They then decided to create their own."

"This is the first I'm hearing of an evil ancestor." Fishlegs murmured. "What did she do what was so bad?"

"Witchcraft" Alexi whispered as she got a creepy look causing Fishlegs to scoot closer to Hiccup. "The family doesn't talk about this certain ancestor anymore. I only found this book and a painting of her in the attic."

"So what happened?" Ryker asked not at all looking afraid.

"This is the legend of the Dullahan." Alexi whispered as she touched the remote that controlled the lights. She dimmed the room making the atmosphere more ominous.

"Dullahan?" Snotlout asked. "What in heaven's name is a dullahan."

"It's a headless horseman or woman who carries their head under their arm." Hiccup explained. "It is said that the Dullahan uses the spine of a corpse as a whip." Fishlegs added causing Snotlout and the others to give them a weird look.

"What?" Hiccup asked as frowned.

"Cuz, you and your friend are just full of random knowledge aren't you?"

"Hey you asked." Hiccup retorted.

"Okay back to the story." Alexi butted in. "My ancestor was named Astrid Hofferson and the Revolutionary war raged when she was close to our age. The colonists were fighting for independence and Astrid was determined to do her part. She had a younger brother who was a year younger than her but he was bedridden because of illness. As the eldest of house Hofferson she felt compelled to join the fight for independence."

"But women didn't fight in the war then did they?" Viggo asked. Alexi scoffed. "Do you really think that that would stop a Hofferson?"

"Actually there are accounts of women, dressed as men, fighting in the war." Fishlegs countered.

"Oh"

"It happened some time later. She had established herself a capable fighter on and off of horseback. Her career ended in 1777 when for unknown reasons she dragged four wealthy and highly influential members of Hysteria away on horseback. They found her in a grove further out of the colony where she had ritualistically slaughtered the men."

"Why?" Hiccup asked as all eyes turned on him.

"No one knows. The mob captured her and dragged her off to stand trial. The people whispered that she went calmly with them with a smile on her face. Some say her eyes burned like she was possessed by a demon. They tell the story of how she had ripped a beating heart out of one of the men and was holding it when they captured her."

"EEUUW" Ryker gagged. "Gross."

Alexi ignored him and continued with the story. "She was tried and found guilty of witchcraft and was sentenced to death by beheading. The kicker is that the magistrate at the time of her trial was none other than her own father. Before the axe came down she merely smiled. They say her ghost now roams the grounds of the former colony, upon her trusty steed with her head tucked under her arm, looking for victims to spirit away to hell so that the demons may feast on their flesh. It didn't take long for rumors to spread. Astrid's father lost his position as magistrate, the family ostracized, and the Hofferson's were driven out of the colony."

"That is just…" Snotlout muttered as he looked a bit sick.

"Want to know the real interesting part of the legend?"

"What is that?" Fishlegs asked as he was not to subtly squeezing the blood out of Hiccup's arm.

"They say originally she was not sentenced to be beheaded but to be hanged but she lived and then they sentenced her to be burned." Alexi told them.

"Oh my." Fishlegs squeaked.

"Unfortunately the burning didn't seem to go so well either and they then sentenced her to be beheaded." Alexi laughed at Fishlegs' freaked out look.

"Fish" Hiccup whispered to his friend "I can't feel my arm." Fishlegs blushed upon realizing what he was gripping so hard and released it with a sheepish laugh.

"That was… an interesting story." Snotlout mumbled.

"Say babe why don't all of us go have some fun. It is Halloween." Alexi suggested.

"What do you have in mind?" Snotlout asked looking interested.

"Why don't we all drive over to Hysteria and give one of these spells a test." She laughed. The others seemed interested.

Hiccup looked uncertainly at Fishlegs upon hearing that. Fishlegs shook his head. "Sorry Alexi but I think you can count us out." Hiccup told her and the others.

"Are you scared cuz?" Snotlout joked.

"It's not like any of this is real." Viggo added as he stretched. "We're just going to mess around a bit."

"I think Fishlegs and I are good." Hiccup told them. He might not be superstitious but he wanted to stay out of trouble. "I think we'll call it a night." He told them as he and Fishlegs stood up.

"Cuz you're no fun!" Snotlout muttered as he rolled his eyes.

"Whatever you say Snotlout." Hiccup told them before they made their way outside.

"Let's go home Fish." Hiccup said as they walked to the car.

Alexi picked up the leather-bound book once Hiccup and Fishlegs had left. "So are we doing this?" She asked as Ryker came back with a six pack of beer.

Hysteria, 31 October 2017, 2:39 AM

Streetlights flickered as Snotlout parked near the Hysteric cemetery. The street was deserted this time in the morning and the four tiptoed to the iron wrought gates. Snotlout gulped as he looked into the cemetery. There was no light save for the full moon illuminating the various headstones.

"Let's go." Viggo told them as he opened the gate.

"Ehm…. Where shall we do this?" Ryker asked as they walked deeper into the cemetery. An owl hooted from a nearby willow causing Snotlout nearly let out a scream as he quickly put his hands over his mouth.

"Snotlout are you alright?" Alexi asked as she leaned against a giant gravestone. She was using her cellphone as a flashlight to check the book.

"Honey bear… I'm not so sure about this anymore." Snotlout told her as he looked around worriedly.

"Don't be such a baby Snot." Ryker laughed. "It's just the four of us here."

"Yes….. just the four of us, in a cemetery, on Halloween." Snotlout said hesitantly as he took a step back. He didn't notice Viggo sneaking up on him from behind. Viggo simply placed his hand on Snotlout's shoulder causing the shorter one to jump up in fright and shriek.

The brothers laughed at their friend's reaction. "Where did you come from?!" Snotlout asked as was trying to get his nerves back under control.

Viggo simply held up the six pack of beer. "You guys forgot this in the car." He told them.

"Guys quiet down for a second." Alexi suddenly said as she looked at their surroundings. "Do you hear that?" She asked.

"Hear what?" Ryker mumbled as he cupped his ear.

"It's probably the wind. Yeah…... just the wind." Snotlout mumbled.

"No, I thought I heard something over there." She said as she began walking towards the little hill further away. The others followed behind her. Soon the guys could also hear a sound.

"Is that someone grunting?" Viggo whispered as they slowed down near one of the trees. Alexi peeked around and her eyes widened before she quickly drew back.

"Alexi what did you see?" Snotlout whispered.

"There's someone there alright." She whispered back as she breathed deeply. "The guy is digging up a grave."

"It's probably the grave digger that works here." Ryker suggested. The others however gave him a weird look.

"Brother, grave diggers don't usually dig up an existing grave. Especially not this early in the morning."

"Oh"

"So what do we do?" Snotlout now peered from their hiding place and saw the man bend down into the grave to pick something up. "Do you think it's that grave robber that has been in the news lately?" he asked.

The others thought for a moment as well. There had been a string of grave robberies reported in Hysteria and Berk the last month.

"I don't know about you but that guy looks shifty. Come on." Snotlout told them as he stepped out from their hiding spot and yelled "Hey you! What the hell are you doing?!"

The shadowy man who had been digging was holding something in his hand when Snotlout shouted, startled he let the object drop before hightailing it out of there. "Hey you!" Snotlout shouted again as he ran up the little hill. "Get back here you creep!"

The others ran after Snotlout and when they finally caught up with him Alexi whacked him upside the head. "Don't you ever listen?!" She asked as Snotlout rubbed the back of his head. "What were you thinking going after him? He could have had a gun!"

"I don't think he was thinking." Ryker commented. "I'm more curious about what that guy was doing."

"Guys I think you should see this." They heard Viggo whisper and they turned to see him pointing at the object that the man had dropped. They used the flashlights from their phones and gasped when they saw what it was. There lying on the ground was a human skull.

"Okay I'm ready to go now!" Snotlout said as he took some steps back. The others didn't listen to him as they got curious. They approached the open grave and gasped when the light shone on the name.

"I don't believe it." Alexi whispered as she wiped some of the moss from the old headstone. "Here interred lies Astrid Maria Hofferson, born March 9 1757 - beheaded November 2 1777, tried and convicted for the crime of witchcraft."

"So that story is true?" Viggo asked Alexi as the four stood before the dug up grave uneasy.

"Did you actually doubt me?" Alexi fired back as she looked a little irked.

"To be fair honey bear you did have several beers." Snotlout mumbled.

"So was she an actual witch?" Ryker asked as he looked at his brother and two friends. Alexi got a gleam in her eye then and said "You know what. Why don't we ask her?" she then began paging through the leather-bound book.

"Say what now?" The others asked at the same time.

"I know I saw it in here." Alexi mumbled as she ignored them. "Aha!" She exclaimed and showed them the page which had the title Seance.

"Oh hell no!" Snotlout exclaimed. "There will be no calling the dead!"

"Snotlout seriously." Viggo huffed. "It's not like it's real. Your girl is just having a bit of fun."

"Right" Alexi laughed. "Look it says we don't even need a medium." She folded out a page which contained a magic circle with weird symbols drawn inside it. "All we have to do is for each one to hold one corner of the page and we recite some words. That's it."

Ryker and Viggo each grabbed a corner of the diagram. Snotlout reluctantly took hold of the third corner while Alexi held the corner opposite to him. Alexi then spoke the words that were written in the book with the added name of who they wanted to summon. "We bann dôð forðfædergêara. Oferhîeran ûser hrôpan swâðêana brâdian scrift ûs of pro ic. Spryttan besettan ûs of pro ic bieldo of Astrid Hofferson." (We summon thee ancestor of yore. Hear our call and come to us. Come to us spirit of Astrid Hofferson)

The others repeated the chant three times before they stopped.

"Okay now I feel like an idiot." Viggo huffed.

"Well what did you expect?" Alexi laughed before turning to her boyfriend. "See Snotlout. Nothing happened."

"Yeah" Snotlout laughed as he bent down to pick up the skull that the man had left behind. "So let's just put this back and then we can go." He mumbled as he took a step towards the open grave while holding the skull at a distance.

"What are you doing?" Viggo asked as he crossed his arms.

"Hey it's disrespectful to leave the dead like this." Snotlout told them.

"Guys….." Ryker mumbled.

"Snotlout put down the skull. We didn't open this grave and I don't see why we should put that skull back." Viggo muttered.

"We can't leave it like this!" Snotlout countered.

"Guys!" Ryker now shouted finally getting their attention. He pointed towards the sky and the others looked up to see a huge flock of crows circling them. The crows' caws filled the air as more joined the flock.

"Do crows normally do that?" Alexi asked still looking up. No one was watching the grave or they would have seen the dirt shift. Suddenly everything went eerily silent as the large flock of crows landed in the willows along the graveyard.

"Okay…. That isn't normal." Viggo murmured as the group stood in silence once more. It happened in an instant. All four grabbed their left hands as something was seared into it. When they opened their hands each carried a different symbol on their palms.

"Wh…...What was that!" Alexi shouted as she cradled her left hand.

Suddenly the ground broke and a hand grabbed Viggo's ankle as he was closest to the grave. Viggo proceeded to look down and let out an ear piercing screech of horror upon seeing the hand. The others turned and shouted in fright upon seeing what had happened.

"AAAAH!" Viggo stilled yelled as he tried to get away from the hand. The others scooted back in fright as Ryker went to help pry his brother loose.

"What in sam hill is that!" Viggo shouted as they all moved back. The hand lay limp for only a few seconds before it started clawing at the loosened dirt. The group of four didn't know what to do when all at once the crows let out raucous caws and a headless body emerged from the ground.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Everyone shouted before they ran in the direction of the wrought iron gates.

Alexi turned back to look and gasped when she saw the headless body stand on the hill bathed in the moonlight. "Alexi come on!" Snotlout could be heard shouting before her arm was tugged. The group made it back to the car and they each quickly piled into it. It was then that the others noticed that Snotlout still had the skull in his hands.

"Snotlout!" Alexi screamed. "Get rid of that!"

Snotlout quickly chucked the skull back. It landed on Ryker's lap and he chucked it to his brother who chucked it back. The skull was going back and forth while Snotlout was fiddling with his keys and trying to start the engine. "Can you guys quit it?!" Alexi warned it was then that she saw something in the rear window.

"Snot…." Alexi whispered as she urgently tapped him on the shoulder. Snotlout meanwhile was still trying to start the car.

"Come on you stupid rust bucket!" He growled. "Not now Alexi."

Alexi's tapping turned into her shaking him urgently as the headless body of a woman in a simple dress walked steadily closer. She noticed that the headless corpse carried an axe in one hand.

"Snotlout! Get this car moving!" She urged.

"I'm working on it!"

"Well work on it faster!" She growled as she turned his head around so that he could see the approaching spectre. The Grimborn brothers also turned and their eyes widened upon seeing the headless woman. The skull now lay forgotten on the car floor.

Snotlout turned the key in the ignition two more times now with more urgent urging from the others. The car finally started and he shouted "Eureka!" Then there came a tapping on his door windows. They all turned towards the sound and saw the finger of the headless woman incessantly tapping on the window.

"AAAAHHHHH!" They all screamed again as Snotlout hit the gas pedal. The car tires squealed against the asphalt as they raced away leaving the spectre in the dust.

Once they were out of Hysteria and on the lone road back to Berk they started to calm down slightly. Snotlout started to slow down and drove at a normal pace since he didn't want to get a ticket.

"Just….. What was that?!" Ryker gasped as he looked towards Alexi accusingly.

"Why are you looking at me like that?!" Alexi asked.

"Oh I don't know, maybe because you said some spell and we got these weird symbols on our hands and oh yes…. We just saw a headless woman with an axe." Viggo summed up looking quite worn out and on edge.

"Let's not point fingers." Snotlout mumbled.

"How can you say that Snotlout?!" Ryker commented. "You're defending her because she's your girl?!"

"What! NO!" Snotlout exclaimed and then said "Granted Alexi does get much of the blame since it was her idea…"

"HEY!" Alexi shouted but Snotlout kept talking "But we all did that stupid spell."

They drove in silence for part of the way until Snotlout spotted something coming up behind them in his side mirror.

"Where did that thing get a horse?!" Snotlout shouted alerting the others to what was coming. Their eyes widened upon seeing the headless woman now on horseback chasing after them. She wasn't that far behind either as they could make out the glowing red demonic eyes of the black as night horse.

"GO GO GO!" They all shouted as Snotlout once again stepped onto the gas pedal. 'What the hell did they step into?!' They all thought as the car speeded away from the headless horsewoman.

Berk, 31 October 2017, 4:12 AM

The car came to a screeching halt in the driveway of Snotlout's house. They were all breathing heavily from being pursued on the road. Snotlout's hands were trembling as Alexi tried to pry them away from the steering wheel.

"Come on babe." She said as she placed hands over his to stop the trembling. "I'm sure we got rid of her now."

"What was it even after?" He asked quietly.

"Probably this." Viggo mumbled as he picked up the skull that had fallen on the car floor. The others blinked while staring at the skull.

"What is that still doing here?!" Alexi asked wide eyed.

"Ask your boyfriend. He took it." Viggo countered.

"Okay, okay…. We can deal with this." Alexi thought before turning to Snotlout "Would your parents have any problem with us sleeping over?"

"Nah you can stay. They are away at a convention for the week." Snotlout told them as his girlfriend got a pensive look.

"Okay this is what we do." She then said. "We'll shove it into that dufflebag of yours." She pointed to Snotlout's workout bag "and then come morning we go dispose of it somewhere in the river."

"Are you sure that will work?" Ryker now asked as his brother placed the skull in the bag.

"You got a better idea?" Alexi shot back. She then went on to suggest. "Look we are all a bit high strung now. Let's just get inside and cool off. We might think of something better."

The four were on the porch as Snotlout fumbled with his house keys. He finally unlocked the door and the four crept into the house. Ryker had the dufflebag with the skull slung over his shoulder. Snotlout shut the door, locked it and then added the chain as well before activating the alarm. Once everyone was sure the door was locked they breathed a sigh of relief. That relief would have lasted if a terrified scream didn't come from the living room. They jumped and Viggo and Ryker actually hid behind Alexi who had grabbed a nearby umbrella and was holding it like a baseball bat.

"What was that?!" Viggo whispered as they now noticed a faint light coming from the living room. The four slowly crept forward with Snotlout and Alexi in the lead. Snotlout had meanwhile also grabbed an umbrella and was looking around uncertainly. When they came into the living room the group of four let out a sigh of relief as they saw Fishlegs and Hiccup asleep on the couch. A bowl of half eaten popcorn between them and the television playing an horror movie.

Viggo and Ryker came out from behind Alexi who mumbled "bunch of babies" while Snotlout went to turn off the TV. They had completely forgotten that Hiccup was living with Snotlout and his parents. He originally came from Iceland and his parents thinking he'd have a better education here sent him to live with his aunt and uncle.

Hiccup stirred slightly when the TV was shut off. He cracked one eye open and spotted Snotlout. Letting out a yawn, he stretched and sat up. Fishlegs also woke because Hiccup was moving around. "Hey we were watching that." He mumbled as he spotted the four.

"Nearly gave us a heart attack." Ryker muttered.

"Seriously. The movie isn't even that scary." Hiccup mumbled now more awake. "What are you guys even doing here?" he then asked. "I thought you were going to Hysteria. Just so you know I wasn't planning on bailing you out the next day if you got caught."

"Oh we went" Snotlout muttered as he took some a handful of popcorn to calm his nerves. His hands were still shaking a bit. He cringed when the popcorn was already going stale. "You never guess what happened."

"You performed a spell and ended up summoning a headless spirit who proceeded to chase you away." Fishlegs guessed and he raised an eyebrow at their gobbed smacked faces.

"How…. How did you know?!" Alexi sputtered.

"Uhm…. How did I know what?" Fishlegs asked.

"The summoning! The spirit! The chase!" Alexi nearly shouted as she looked at the chubby nerd in shock.

Fishlegs looked at her, then at Hiccup and then back at her before guffawing loudly. "Oh…..Thor….. HAHAHAHA…. That's a good one….. HAHAHA."

"Well that is new. I never expected Alexi of all people to play along with Fish's joke." Hiccup also laughed.

"Joke! That was no joke!" Alexi now shouted. "We saw her!"

"Saw who?" Hiccup now questioned but no one could answer as they heard the sound of wood cracking. "What was that?" Hiccup asked as he stood up and went to the front door.

"NO!" Snotlout frantically shouted as he dived and caught his cousin's ankles near the doorway.

"Snotlout what the hell!" Hiccup said as he grabbed the wall to balance himself. The others followed them and they now had a good view of the front door. There appeared to be something metal embedded in the door. It was removed and another crack was made soon after.

"What in the world?!" Hiccup exclaimed as he saw a hole being hacked in the front door.

"AAAAHHHHH" The others screamed as they backed away. The hole was then kicked open and in came the headless spirit.

"SEE! I WAS SERIOUS!" Alexi shouted in fear. Hiccup's and Fishlegs' eyes widened upon seeing the headless body.

"Oh God! She's going to butcher us with her axe!" Viggo shuddered.

"Actually that's a hatchet." Fishlegs remarked as he got a look at the weapon.

"NOT NOW FISHLEGS!" Everyone shouted as they all tried to retreat.

The headless spirit ignored Hiccup and made a beeline for Snotlout who was the closest.

"AAAHHHHH!" Snotlout shrieked as he tried to get away but the woman caught him by his pants. She raised the weapon, intent to cut off his head when Hiccup tackled the headless body.

"Snotlout what are you waiting for!" Hiccup yelled and Snotlout proceeded to wiggle out of the way. Hiccup was thrown off of the woman and she slammed him into the wall before planting her hatched an inch from his ear as a warning.

"Oh god oh god Oh god!" Meanwhile Fishlegs was panicking as he thought his friend was a gonner. But it seemed that the headless spectre wasn't after Hiccup and left him alone after the warning, turning her attention back to the four cowering in a corner behind a potted plant.

Hiccup noticed that only Snotlout, Alexi and the Grimborn brothers were being targeted. "It wants something." he whispered to himself as he quickly looked around. He then shouted "What did you guys take?!" just as the group of four split as the hatched nearly sliced off Viggo's head.

"Now is not a good time!" Snotlout shouted as he tried not to pee in his pants as he was cornered. Hiccup sucked in a breath and tackled the corpse again, knocking them both into the coffee table, breaking it.

Hiccup was kicked off of the headless spectre and scooted back as it now advanced on him. "Oh crap." He whispered as he narrowly avoided the hatchet coming down near his neck.

Hiccup was struggling with the weapon between them. The woman however was far stronger and lifted him up before sending him flying into a wall.

Hiccup's head hurt and his vision was starting to get blurry. He vaguely saw Fishlegs running toward him and helping him up. It seemed that the thing was now back to going after Snotlout and the others after getting rid of the obstacles.

"Fish….. You need to find out what they took." he muttered as he rubbed the spot on the back of his head that he knew would have a lump later.

"That's a little difficult." Fishlegs told him as he helped Hiccup to the couch. The others were still screaming and it appeared that they had rushed upstairs. "They are a little occupied to ask."

"Uh think, Hiccup, think." Hiccup mumbled to himself. It then dawned onto Hiccup. "Her head!" He exclaimed as he grabbed Fishlegs by the shoulders and shook him. "She didn't have her head!" Hiccup then looked around and he spotted the dufflebag thrown haphazardly near the stairs. Hiccup hurried to the bag and opened it. Fishlegs who was following him gasped upon seeing the skull. Hiccup quickly picked up the skull and hurried upstairs where the terrified screams were coming from. Fishlegs was following on his tail.

"Hiccup how are you going to stop her?!" he asked as they saw the headless woman stepping through a hacked open door.

"Her true name Fish." Hiccup told him as they raced to the splintered entryway. "Occult 101, Knowing something's true name give you power over them." The sight before them was chaotic. The headless woman had gotten hold of Alexi who was now sobbing. Mascara was running down her face as she pleaded for her life. She was holding onto the girl by her hair and had the hatchet ready to swing down.

"Astrid Maria Hofferson!" Hiccup called stopping the hatchet mid swing. Alexi let out a whimper as she saw the hatchet stop. Everyone stilled as the headless woman turned to the doorway where Hiccup was holding out the skull. Alexi was still sobbing as she was let go and she quickly crawled into a corner where Snotlout and the others were cowering.

The headless corpse moved forward until she was standing just a step away from Hiccup. She held out her hands as Hiccup placed the skull in them. Once the woman had the skull she placed it on her head and Fishlegs and the others gasped and watched in fascination as muscles and skin began growing rapidly. Her dress also changed from a simple grey funeral dress to pitch black armor. Soon Hiccup and Fishlegs were looking into the piercing blue eyes of a blond woman who looked no older than them. Her hair hung loose and fell in curls around her shoulders. Her lips were a rosy red and the moonlight that filtered through the bedroom window gave her an ethereal glow. She stood calmly in the room now and regarded its occupants with a cursory glance yet she didn't drop her weapon.

"Okay…." Hiccup mumbled. "Now that everybody is calm we can figure out what the hell is happening?"

The woman stood still but Hiccup did notice her give a small nod.

"Hiccup…." He heard Snotlout suddenly call.

"Yes?"

"Before we do anything you think I can go change?" Snotlout asked as he blushed. "I think I might have, sort of, kind of, peed my pants." He mumbled.

"Uhm…" Was all Hiccup could say to that.

Berk, 31 October 2017, 5:30 AM

It took Hiccup a while to get everyone to cooperate. They didn't want to move because the former headless woman was still in the room. Hiccup calmly asked her if she could go downstairs to wait. With a simple nod the spectre left, most likely satisfied that she got her head back.

Now that the room was supernatural free Hiccup and Fishlegs had another problem. Getting everyone cleaned up and downstairs where said supernatural entity was waiting.

Snotlout had to get new pants while the others looked quite frazzled. Hiccup couldn't blame them as they did almost get their heads chopped off. When he and Fishlegs finally got the four to the kitchen he plied them with large tubs of ice cream to calm their nerves.

"Hiccup why do you guys have so much ice cream?" Fishlegs was curious.

"Let's just say uncle Spitelout binge eats when he watches romantic soap operas." Hiccup told them as he saw Snotlout munch on a large scoop of Rocky Road.

So now here Hiccup and Fishlegs were at half past five in the morning, feeding a bunch of scared to death teens ice cream while a hatchet wielding supernatural woman was loitering around in the living room. Definitely not your average morning.

"Okay" Hiccup said once he was sure everyone was as calm as they could be considering the situation. He went and brought Astrid into the kitchen. Alexi immediately stiffened and scooted closer to Snotlout. Hiccup noticed Ryker gripping the counter while Viggo might have been trying to bore a hole into the woman. He raised his brow at his cousin however when Snotlout tried to be intimidating by using the ice cream scoop as a weapon.

Astrid lifted her hatchet and Hiccup had to jump in and stop her. "Wait wait!" Hiccup shouted. "Why are you still trying to kill them now?! You got your head back."

Astrid cocked her head to the side in a confused gesture and it seemed a bit strange since she had been headless a few moments ago.

"They carry the marks of evil." Was all she said as the four scooted back a bit.

"Okay, why not drop the hatchet for now and explain?" Hiccup tried to reason. "None of us have any idea what is going on here. So before I let you do anything to them…."

"HEY!" Four angry voices sounded simultaneously but Hiccup ignored them and still focused on Astrid, waiting to see what she had to say. Fishlegs meanwhile also took a scoop of Ryker's Cookies and Cream ice cream as the nerves finally got to him.

"They carry the marks of evil." Astrid repeated while pointing to their hands. Viggo and Ryker tried to hide their left hands but Fishlegs grabbed Ryker's and turned it over. He showed Hiccup the palm where a weird shape was etched into the skin.

"Do all of you have that?" Hiccup asked. The others slowly raised their palms looking embarrassed and nervous. Hiccup saw that each of their left hands bore a different symbol.

"What exactly did you guys do?" Hiccup accused. Those markings couldn't mean anything good.

"Just a seance! That's it!" Alexi told him. "We just called her…." She said pointing to Astrid "and then our palms burned."

"You four have awoken the very four demons that I had worked so hard to seal." Astrid stated.

"Demons!" They exclaimed together. "Wait so these things are demons?" Viggo asked as he pointed to his palm. Fishlegs snatched his hand and examined it.

"No these are demon sigils." He told them after comparing them. "Hiccup it looks like they are from Solomon."

Hiccup mentally cursed while pursing his lips. The others were looking at the two nerds funny as they had no idea what was going on.

"Okay who is this Solomon and where do I bash his head in?" Snotlout proclaimed.

"It isn't a who Snot, it's a what." Hiccup told his cousin. "Fishlegs is talking about the Lesser Key of Solomon, a grimoire containing spells to summon demons."

"To be more precise, the Lesser Key of Solomon also known as Clavicula Salomonis Regis, is a grimoire or spell book said to be written in the 17th century and consisted of material that was centuries older." Fishlegs summed up.

"What does THAT have to do with THIS?!" Snotlout now asked as he pointed to his palm.

"They are the sigils of four of the 72 demons." Astrid now spoke up getting their attention. "It shows the demons that have come to possess your bodies."

"Did you just say posses!" Alexi exclaimed as she had to steady herself on her seat.

Hiccup recalled something from the story that Alexi had told them at her party. "You killed four men in a ritualistic way. That is what got you sentenced for witchcraft." He stated and Astrid nodded at him. "Four men, four sigils." He mumbled as in thought then his eyes widened.

"Hiccup what is it?" Fishlegs asked curiously.

"He has figured it out." Astrid simply stated. "May I kill them now?"

"Whoa…." Hiccup quickly said. "There has to be another way!"

"Now just wait a minute!" Viggo now shoved the chair back. "Things are going way too fast here! Mind filling us in!"

Astrid looked at the group of four, her blue eyes seemed to bore into their very souls. With a sigh she began to explain fully "I had received secret orders one night to stop five individuals who were planning to unleash one of the demon kings of hell unto the world. They had somehow gotten hold of the Lesser Key of Solomon. Four lesser demons had already possessed four of the five men." Astrid then pointed to Alexi, "Anael the demon of Lust", pointing to Snotlout "Phaleg, demon of Discontent", She then pointed to Viggo "Muriel, demon of Lies", and finally she pointed to Ryker "Paimon, demon of Infernal Ceremonies".

"Who names a demon Muriel?" Snotlout had to snicker. "It sounds like someone's grandmother."

"I doubt you will be laughing when they use your bodies to summon Bael." Astrid said causing Snotlout to snap his mouth shut. "I had found the four demons, but the fifth man who was to be their king's vessel had escaped with the grimoire. These demons could not be left to roam the earth so I trapped them with myself."

"How did you trap them?" Ryker now asked.

"That night I used my own blood to draw a Devil's trap in the grove. Those men were no more than empty shells at that point. Killing them was the only way to expose the demons. The Devil's trap held them in place and bound them to my blood. They were fully sealed with my death. Now that you have revived me, you have also revived them and they will seek out the one wielding the grimoire that will bring their king to this plane."

Everyone sat stock still as they listened to her tale. They were staring at Astrid wide eyed and in shock until Alexi commented "But I don't feel any different. I don't think the others do as well." Ryker, Viggo and Snotlout nodded at this.

"The changes will come sooner than you think. These demons will grow stronger and they will have complete control over your bodies by the end of Allhallowtide. Then the only way to get rid of them is to kill the host."

The four gulped upon hearing the news. "So tonight?" Snotlout asked in fear now.

"Snotlout you guys have three days." Fishlegs told them.

"But she said Halloween." Alexi reasoned. "Today is Halloween."

"No Astrid said Allhallowtide. It's not the same thing as Halloween." Hiccup mumbled. "Allhallowtide is from the 31st of October until 2nd of November. It consists of three days, Halloween also known as All Saints' Eve, All Saints' day and All Souls' day."

"Allhallowtide is used to remember the dead, the martyred and faithful Christians." Fishlegs added.

"Oh" the four mumbled.

"How do you two know this much?" Viggo then asked curiously.

"We read" was Hiccup's only reply.

"Hey I read too cuz!" Snotlout stated indignantly. "No need to get sassy."

"The Playboy magazines under your bed don't count Snotlout." Hiccup told him, eliciting a snicker from Fishlegs and the others as Snotlout started blushing.

"I do have a small question." Fishlegs mumbled. "You said the demons were bound to you. So if you seal them again then you die also?"

"Their seal was broken but we are still bound. The only way to get rid of them now is to kill the hosts." Astrid told Fishlegs. "And yes if they die then so will I."

"Wait….. If we're possessed won't an exorcism work?!" Alexi now asked nervously. "We wouldn't need to die right?"

"The demons are bound to me. They will not leave your bodies because my presence acts as an anchor for them in this world now. The sealing ritual unfortunately acts as a double edged sword now. I had not foreseen being brought back from the dead."

"What if…." Hiccup mumbled to himself but the others still heard him. "What if we break the bond you have with the demons?" he suggested. "Exorcising them then wouldn't be a problem right?"

"If you can break the bond then yes. Exorcising them would work." Astrid replied.

"I think I might know some people who can pull that off." Hiccup stated.

"YOU DO?!" Was collectively shouted.

"I said might." Hiccup told them. "We will need to see them tomorrow…. I mean later today. For now I guess that everyone is tired. So I'd suggest you all get some sleep."

"Uhm…." Snotlout mumbled. "Whatabout her?" He asked pointing to Astrid.

"I do not require sleep but I can sleep if I want to." She told them.

"That's not exactly what I meant." Snotlout stated. "I don't think we'd be able to sleep soundly knowing there is some supernatural axe wielding entity in the house."

"I am not going anywhere and I'd prefer you four stay together. If the demons start manifesting faster than I anticipated then I won't have to hunt any of you down again."

"That doesn't fill us with a lot of confidence." Alexi mumbled.

"Look how about this. Alexi, Snotlout, Viggo and Ryker can share a room. Astrid and Fishlegs can stay in mine room. That way we can keep an eye on each other." Hiccup suggested.

"I guess that works." Snotlout muttered. "But I'm locking the door."

"A locked door didn't stop Astrid twice." Hiccup could have sworn he heard Fishlegs whisper.

"I'll agree to those terms." Astrid stated. "Now may I ask where I can hitch my horse?"

"Your horse?" Hiccup asked curiously and then Astrid proceeded to point to the hole in the front door where a red eyed black horse had poked its head through.

"My parents are going to kill me." Hiccup heard Snotlout whine as they had all forgotten about that hole.

Berk, 31 October 2017, 11 AM

It was now eleven in the morning and not everyone had gotten a good rest. Alexi, Viggo and his brother along with Snotlout sat at the table with bags under their eyes. Fishlegs was humming a catchy tune while making some breakfast and Hiccup was boarding up the holes in the doors. Last night Hiccup had Astrid place her horse in the garage and she was currently helping Hiccup by handing him nails.

"How can you two be so carefree in the morning?" Ryker muttered as he poured himself another cup of coffee. Snotlout snatched the coffee pot and refilled his cup as well. "You had… THAT in the room with you." He said indicating to Astrid who was now trying to help Hiccup who had accidentally hit his finger with the hammer.

Fishlegs blinked as he placed the food on the table. "You'd actually be surprised how easy it is to fall asleep."

Hiccup came into the kitchen and held his hand under the cold water. "I guess we can head out once we are done with breakfast." He suggested.

"Hiccup what about Astrid? Won't she stand out with her black armor?" Fishlegs asked as he took a few flapjacks.

'It's Halloween today. I doubt anyone would bat an eye." Hiccup told them. "They'll probably just think that she's starting early."

Breakfast passed in awkward silence when Astrid joined them at the table. She said that it was only polite since everyone was seated. Hiccup tried to make small talk but the others, with the exception of Fishlegs, avoided her gaze as they ate quicker than normal.

After breakfast the four piled into Snotlout's car and they followed Hiccup, Fishlegs and Astrid who were driving ahead of them in the black Prius belonging to Snotlout's mother. They drove through the small town and parked near the park.

Astrid was looking around curiously at the different cars. "You certainly have very unique metal carriages." She commented. "But where are the horses?"

"We don't use horses anymore." Hiccup told her. Astrid then peered curiously around at the different buildings. "What is that?" She asked pointing to a busy building.

"That would be a Starbucks." Snotlout told her as the others joined them.

"But I saw the same symbol a block back. Is that also a Starbucks?" She asked. They nodded and Astrid raised an eyebrow "Are these Starbucks so essential to need them on every block?"

"Yes!" Ryker and Snotlout shouted. Hiccup merely facepalmed as he knew of his cousin's caffeine addiction and it seemed that Ryker had one also.

There were some kids messing around nearby and Astrid turned to watch them. The others also turned and watched as two boys cornered a smaller boy who was yelling "You're wrong he does exist!"

"Liar liar pants on fire!" One of the bigger boys teased. "No way he's real!"

"Is too! My mom told me the headless horseman is real." The smaller boy shouted back.

The group watched as Astrid started walking up to the boys. Before Hiccup or Fishlegs could stop her she tapped one of the boys' shoulders. The larger boys turned and looked at Astrid "What do you want old lady?"

"You know you really shouldn't say that a headless horseman doesn't exist. Although I prefer headless horsewoman." She said and with that she took her head from her body. The boys watched her transfixed before the two bigger ones ran away screaming. The smaller boy just looked at her in awe. Astrid gave him a wink before placing her head back on her shoulders and then walked back to the others.

"Uh….So where are we heading?" Viggo asked as he looked around. He saw nothing remarkable about the street. They drove through it dozens of times. Hiccup pointed to a small shop situated between the butcher and a clothing store. There was no sign on it and the windows were darkened. Hiccup and Fishlegs walked to the door and then Snotlout and the others noticed some worn letters on the glass. They could just make out that it read 'The Sorcerer's Source'.

"Wait, we have an occult shop?" Alexi asked curiously as they walked inside. There were all sorts of odds and ends in the store. Glass balls, crystals, candles and what not. The atmosphere was dark and they could smell incense burning.

"Yeah this place was here since our Freshman year." Fishlegs commented.

"Hello again Hiccup" A voice greeted. The group turned to see a petite woman with black hair and green eyes standing near the counter.

"Morning Heather." Hiccup greeted. "Are the twins in? It's rather urgent."

"Why hello babe." Snotlout suddenly said as he approached Heather. "What is a fine woman like you doing in a stuffy place like this?"

"SNOTLOUT!" Alexi shouted as she grabbed him by his shirt collar. "How dare you hit on another girl when you're with me!"

"Meh, all you do is nag nag nag." Snotlout said. "I want to try something new!"

"What the hell?" Hiccup mouthed to Fishlegs. He knew that Snotlout had been pursuing Alexi all year long just to get a date.

"It's the demon of Discontent who is starting to manifest." Astrid explained as Snotlout and Alexi continued fighting.

"Did someone say demon?" A voice ran out as a blond woman came out from the back. She grabbed a magnifying glass and proceeded to spin Snotlout around before poking him everywhere and looking him over.

"Bro! We got a live one here!" She called out.

"Oh goodie!" A male voice shouted before another blond looking almost exactly like the first ran out of the back room. This one however was stroking a chicken.

"Who are you two?!" Ryker and Viggo asked in unison.

"Why I'm Ruffnut" The blond woman introduced.

"And I'm Tuffnut." The chicken stroking man said.

"And together we are the fantabulous owners of this little shop!" They exclaimed together.

"Hiccup, are these the ones that you said might be able to help?" Alexi asked as she looked at the twins skeptically.

"They might not look it but they are shamans." Hiccup told the others.

"So what do you all need?" Ruffnut asked. "Dream catchers, crystal balls, incense or the occasional love potions?"

"Well it's a little complicated." Hiccup said as he started to explain the entire situation to the twins. By the end of the tale they were looking at Viggo, Ryker, Snotlout and Alexi with curiosity. Hiccup had taken the black leather-bound book that Alexi had found with them and handed it to the twins. They were checking the spell used and mumbling quietly to themselves.

"So can you guys do it?" Fishlegs asked after a while as he also tried to hide the blush from the looks Heather had been sending him.

"Unbinding them should be easy." Ruffnut said. "We can do that right now. Please follow us to the backroom."

"Whatabout exorcising them?" Heather asked as she grabbed certain ingredients that Ruffnut indicated.

"An exorcism of this magnitude will need proper preparation. We don't have all the ingredients in stock." Tuffnut mumbled.

"I don't want my head to be lobbed off!" Snotlout wailed.

"Then you shouldn't have messed with magicks out of your league." Heather reprimanded.

"We never said we couldn't do the exorcism. We can have everything ready for tomorrow since you guys are on a time limit." Tuffnut mumbled as he handed a list to Heather.

"I'll go place the order right away." She said before walking out of the back room.

"Now we can break the bond but there is a catch." Ruffnut spoke seriously.

"What catch?" Fishlegs now asked and Ruffnut pointed to Astrid.

"Her"

"What do you mean?" Ryker mumbled as he scratched the back of his head in confusion.

"There is no way to naturally break this bond." Tuffnut stated.

"But you just said…" Snotlout huffed and crossed his arms. He raised a brow as Alexi had started ogling Tuffnut a few minutes ago. Hiccup and the others noticed it as well. "Demon of Lust?" He whispered and Astrid nodded.

"There is no natural way to break the bond but we got creative!" Tuffnut exclaimed. Hiccup facepalmed. He knew what happened when the twins got creative. The last time it involved shipping the butcher next door off to Timbuktu for trying to marinate that chicken.

"We plan to forcefully break the bond by…. Drumroll please!" Ruffnut smirked "Rolling back time!"

"WHAT!" Several people shouted.

"I know, genius right?!" Tuffnut laughed as he stroked the chicken.

"I still don't see what that has to do with her." Viggo said and pointed to Astrid who was giving the twins a weird look.

"Well we figured if we rolled back time for her until just before she made the seal then the bond would snap." Ruffnut told them. "Now messing with time does have some consequences. Our axe wielding woman over here would become just a normal human. However she must never cast the sealing ritual again."

"I get to be human again?" Astrid spoke up as her eyes widened.

"What happens if she does?" Fishlegs asked. The twins pondered for a moment. "Let's see, reality would probably be ripped apart since the sealing ritual can only be cast once by a person. So in the past she will have cast it, trapping the demon while simultaneously not having cast it once we reverse time."

Everyone blinked trying to understand what the twins were going on about. Heather had come back into the room and scowled at the twins. "I thought you guys said never to mess with time?"

"Eh…. we're making an exception." Tuffnut nervously stated. "It's not like we are sending a whole town back in time."

"Riiiight" Heather muttered. The others had a suspicion that the 'again' had been left out of the statement.

The twins decided to get to work as Tuffnut gave Hiccup his chicken to hold as he had started drawing runic symbols on the floor. Heather had ushered Fishlegs and Hiccup back to the front of the shop to wait since the twins liked to have some privacy with their 'patients'.

So now Fishlegs and Hiccup sat waiting in the store with refreshments provided by Heather and a chicken who decided to make Hiccup's lap her nest. Heather told them that it would take a couple of hours since they had a lot of time to turn back.

Berk, 31 October 2017, 3:24 PM

A few hours passed and Hiccup and Fishlegs had both nodded off. The chicken had made Hiccup's lap her nest and was preening her already fluffed feathers when the door to the backroom opened.

"Sis, I tell you we are geniuses!" Tuffnut exclaimed as they stepped out. Fishlegs was startled awake by the sudden noise and him startling also woke Hiccup up who shooed the chicken off of him before standing up.

"How did it go?" Hiccup asked with a bit of trepidation in his voice.

Both of the twins sported identical smirks as they moved out of the way to reveal four weary teens and Astrid who was now wearing a simple gray dress.

"What's with the dress?" Fishlegs asked as he watched the others yawn.

"Oh, he armor kind of dissolved when we started turning back time. I think this is the original clothing she was buried with." Tuffnut told the chubby boy.

"You know what?!" Ruffnut suddenly exclaimed. "It doesn't fit her at all. Why don't you boys take her next door for some better clothing."

Hiccup and Fishlegs both nodded while Astrid blushed faintly. She was feeling her arms and flexing her fingers as if to get used to new sensations. Then Viggo's stomach proceeded to growl loudly.

"That wasn't me!" Viggo quickly said.

"Sure!" Ruffnut sarcastically said with a roll of her eyes. "Why don't all of you go get some food. The exorcism ritual should be ready by tomorrow." She suggested as she watched her brother cuddle his chicken.

They all bid their farewells to the twins and proceeded next door to search for some clothing for Astrid. Alexi decided that she would be doing the lingerie shopping while the others found something Astrid would like. In the end they ended up buying a light blue sundress for her along with a pair of flats. Astrid was still as quiet as usual but she did put her hair into a ponytail and winked at Hiccup and Fishlegs.

After that was done the group went to a Burger King nearby to get some food. Astrid picked up the check and read it as Hiccup and the others paid. "This…. This is outrageous!" She exclaimed. "Five dollars for something you call a double whopper?! Are you people insane?"

"Actually it's a pretty good deal." Alexi said as she was trying to flirt with the cashier.

"Five dollars is a good deal?!" Astrid asked skeptically. "That would have bought me food for a week if not more."

"I guess you don't know about inflation." Hiccup told her as he showed her something on his phone. "It looks like a dollar in 1776 is now worth almost 25 dollars now."

Astrid cocked her head to the side as Hiccup proceeded to explain how today's prices differ. She nodded once she had a grasp on the situation. "So five dollars for food is good then." She said as they had decided to take the burgers home as Viggo's and Ryker's demons started manifesting. Viggo was trying to con some poor woman while Ryker was boasting that he should be treated like royalty.

Once home, they ate their meals in almost silence if not for Alexi practically draping herself over all the guys. Fishlegs was the most disturbed when she squeezed his thigh. Only Astrid and her hatchet got the woman to back off as she had proceeded to latch herself onto Hiccup's arm. Snotlout wasn't faring any better as he kept on ranting about things that could be better. Viggo was planning a grand scheme while Ryker was starting to make a throne for himself.

They had to wait a day for the twins to finish and with a sigh Hiccup asked the four to go back to their rooms to wait it out. He now knew why Astrid didn't want to separate them. What he didn't count on was for the four to sneak out of the house while he and Fishlegs were occupied talking to Astrid who wanted to try all the new things now that she was human again. It even appeared that she had developed an oreo addiction in the few short hours.

Like moths to a flame the four possessed teens were drawn to an abandoned construction site. The beginnings of what was to be a new suburban neighbourhood lay abandoned as the project was scrapped. The four mumbled as they took in their new surroundings. This place used to be the grove where the woman had sealed them. Now humans had overrun the forest with their expansion. There in a half finished house they found a man mumbling angrily as he was bend over and flipping the pages of a book.

"It will not work." Ryker spoke up authoritively causing the man to go rigid and look behind him.

"Who are you all?!" the burly man asked as he whipped around upon seeing the four teens. He swiftly closed the book that he was pouring over. Human bones littered the floor along with various pentagrams drawn on the walls.

"No no this will not do at all." Ryker mumbled as he looked at the failed summoning attempts. The others guessed that he must have been the grave robber that had been in the news lately. "These meager sacrifices would not be enough to summon our king."

"What….. What are you talking about?" The man asked as he backed away. Something in him was screaming that these weren't normal kids.

Alexi was sporting a smirk as she walked up to the man. Her hips sashaying seductively. She leaned close and asked "So what's your name?"

"A….A….Alvin." The man mumbled as he eyed her with distrust. She winked at him before grabbing the thick book that he was holding. "I'll be taking that now." She said with an edge of steel in her voice that made Alvin stop the protest that was on the tip of his tongue.

She returned to her companions with the book and Ryker began looking through the pages. "It has been so long since I've held the Lesser Key of Solomon." Ryker reminisced as he found the page he was looking for.

"Your ancestor did admirably by keeping this book out of enemy hands." Snotlout told Alvin who was just staring owlishly at them.

"Just who are you all?!" He finally managed to sputter.

"We are the ones who will release Bael and finish the work that we started centuries ago." Alexi stated as he eyes once blue eyes gave off an eerie red glow. "If we weren't defeated back then this world would have already been under the thumb of our lord."

"But I've tried everything." Alvin told him. "The summoning doesn't work."

"Of course it doesn't." Ryker mumbled. "You translated this part wrong." He told the man. "The sacrifice isn't supposed to be bones. You need a virgin."

"A virgin?" Alvin mumbled. "Where in this day and ge am I going to find a virgin?!"

"Leave that to us." Snotlout told him as he got a mad gleam in his eyes. "Now are you with us?"

"Of…. Of course." Alvin said as he imagined all the power and riches he could obtain. He had read his ancestor's journals, who had gone into details all the power that he would attain once he became Bael's vessel, and Alvin knew what had to be done.

"We do have to give you our thanks mortal." Viggo laughed as he looked around. "During Halloween the veil between worlds thins. Your rituals have thinned it further. Our lord will be most pleased."

"We must work swiftly. Those shamans will be a pain in the behind." Ryker muttered before turning to Snotlout. "Who did you have in mind for our sacrifice." Snotlout looked at his friend as he grinned from ear to ear.

Berk, 31 October 11:30 PM

Night had fallen and Astrid, Fishlegs and Hiccup sat on the couch. They had finally caught her up to the 21st century. She was still looking on in amazement at all the new inventions. Silently Hiccup and Fishlegs did make a decision, for their own health, to have Astrid stay away from the microwave.

It was nearly midnight when they decided to head to bed. They had been so absorbed in the conversation as Fishlegs eagerly asked Astrid about life in the 18th century that they had forgotten to check on Snotlout and the others. There was a thumping sound from upstairs and Hiccup went to the second floor to check it out. He knocked on Snotlout's room where the sound came from.

"Snotlout, guys? Everything alright?" He asked. "I'm coming in." He said before turning the knob. He still had nightmares when he had once walked in on Snotlout only clad in a towel while he was belting out the lyrics to a Celine Dion song. No siree. He did not want to walk in on a scene like that again.

Hiccup peered in once he opened up the door a bit. There on Snotlout's bed he saw Alexi sitting with one of her legs pulled up to her chest. He didn't see the others as he stepped into the room and was just about to ask when something hit him over the head. Hiccup crumbled to the ground as Viggo and Ryker emerged from behind the door.

"Let's hurry up. Snotlout is waiting in the car." Alexi said as she opened the window and went through. Viggo and Ryker picked Hiccup up and followed her.

"I don't get why I should be doing this." Ryker grumbled. "I'm the master of ceremonies."

"Oh get your self important behind out the window." Viggo grumbled.

"Shut up you damned silver tongue." Ryker grumbled to the demon of Lies.

"Now is not the time!" Alexi reprimanded. Meanwhile Astrid and Fishlegs had heard the thud of Hiccup's body hitting the floor. They dropped what they were discussing and raced up the stairs in time to see Viggo climbing out of the window.

"Oh no Hiccup!" Fishlegs shouted as he rushed to the window. He was about to try and climb through it to get to his friend. Astrid stopped him in time as she saw that he wouldn't fit. They then heard tires squealing against pavement and saw Snotlout's car racing away from the house.

"Oh god Oh god Oh god!" Fishlegs panicked. He grabbed Astrid by her shoulders "What's going to happen to him?! Where are they taking him?!"

"I'm guessing they are going to the grove where I sealed them the first place. It was where they had planned to summon Bael." Astrid told Fishlegs as she tried to calm him down.

"Grove? What grove?" Fishlegs asked urgently.

"I'm not sure where it is now. So much has changed." Astrid told him.

"I can pull up the old maps from the online archives. Can you pinpoint it on those? I can cross reference it with current maps."

Astrid nodded and they went to Hiccup's room where he kept his laptop.

"How can you be so calm?" Fishlegs asked as he started typing on the computer. Soon he was pulling up 18th century archived maps of Hysteria and Berk.

"They will likely try to use Hiccup in the summoning ritual. Midnight until three in the morning is the witching hour. They will likely use this time to enhance the magic." Astrid told Fishlegs plainly as she stared at the different maps. Fishlegs gulped nervously. "Panicking now will only lead to mistakes. Besides they will not succeed." She said with certainty and pointed to a wooded area. "There. We will get there before they get that far."

Fishlegs compared it to the current map of the area. "It looks like a construction site." He told Astrid as he zoomed in on the satellite map.

"Can you contact the twins?" Astrid asked. "We will need that exorcism much sooner."

Meanwhile the back of Hiccup's head hurt. He opened his eyes and tried to focus. Everything seemed blurry. It seemed he was being dragged somewhere. Looking up he saw that Viggo and Ryker were dragging him.

"There you four are." A new voice said. Hiccup looked forward and saw a burly man tapping his foot impatiently. "It's already midnight."

"Cool your horses Alvin." Hiccup heard the voice of his cousin, yet it had a much sinister feel to it. They dragged him into what seemed to be a half finished house. There he was tied down onto a table. Under the table was a summoning circle with several candles around it. The room had no lighting except the candles which gave it a sinister atmosphere. Hiccup looked to the left and right as he could still move his head. He noticed several pentagrams and summoning circles on the walls as well but they seemed to have been partially wiped away.

"This is him?" The man named Alvin asked. "Doesn't look much like a virgin sacrifice." was grumbled.

"Virgin sacrifice?" Hiccup asked as he lifted a brow.

"Why yes cuz." Snotlout smirked before patting him on the head. "It was either you or Fishlegs." He laughed.

"I'd rather it be you." Viggo mumbled. "You were easier to carry."

"Right….." Hiccup said as he let out a sigh. "You guys do know that this isn't going to work right."

Snotlout and the others just laughed at Hiccup. Alexi now came closer and said "Oh don't you worry honey. We won't damage your body. We'll need it after all for Bael to inhabit." She ran a finger down Hiccup's chest. "Besides after we summon our king I so hope to have some fun."

"Can I ask for a raincheck?" Hiccup asked as he gulped when Alexi's finger drifted rather close to his pants.

"Well you certainly are the first sassy sacrifice that we've had." Ryker mumbled as he opened the grimoire. Before they could begin the ritual however Alvin spoke up. "Now just wait a minute." He grumbled as he looked at the four possessed teens in anger. "I thought I would be the one getting Bael's power."

"Yeah why can't he?" Hiccup asked from where he was bound.

"The ritual requires a virgin vessel for our master." Ryker told him as he looked Alvin up and down. "I doubt that you qualify."

Alvin let out a huff as he looked at the demons. "Don't worry. You will be rewarded. You did after all set this summoning circle up to our specifications." Snotlout told the man.

"Guys…." Hiccup mumbled. "I really don't think that this will work." He told them again. They however were ignoring him as they took their places at four points. Alvin was watching silently as they started to chant. Alexi walked forward and sliced Hiccup's palm. Blood dripped down onto the table and floor. The blood hit the summoning circle and it started to glow an eerie red. Their chanting didn't stop as harsh winds started blowing outside. The candles' fire rose higher adding to the sinister feel of the room. The part of the floor which contained the summoning circle started becoming flexible and Alvin took a step back as he could make out sharp talons trying to break through.

Just as soon as the ritual started, it ended with the four possessed teens looking on in confusion. The candles were out and the gateway had closed yet their king had not managed to come to this plane.

"What happened?!" Viggo growled low as he looked at Ryker who wore a flummoxed expression as he began furiously paging through the grimoire.

"I told you it wouldn't work!" Hiccup said from his bound place on the table. They still ignored him however.

"I don't get it. We should have succeeded." Ryker mumbled. "There was nothing wrong with the circle. I checked it as you were tying him up."

"I did warn you guys." Hiccup now said as he finally got their attention. "Honestly you guys might want to pay closer attention to your captives. You all didn't even notice that I wasn't nervous at all."

Ryker groaned then as he facepalmed. "The only way that the ritual would fail otherwise was if our sacrifice wasn't a virgin."

"No offense but I did try to tell all of you multiple times." Hiccup sassed.

"No no nooooo" Snotlout suddenly shouted as he looked at Hiccup. "This can't be happening!"

"It happened Snotlout." Alexi growled as she was now glaring daggers at Hiccup. "We failed."

"No not that!" Snotlout exclaimed. "I can't believe that this nerd of a cousin got laid before me!"

Silence fell in the room as everybody was looking at Snotlout with an incredulous look. Even if he was possessed by the demon of Discontent that outburst was pure Snotlout.

"So what no-" Alvin started asking when the thunderous hooves of a horse could be heard. Alvin turned around and his eyes widened comically. He yelped and jumped aside as Astrid, on horseback, barreled into the room. She stopped next to Hiccup and used her hatchet to cut him free.

"Sorry for being a little late." Astrid told him as she helped him up on her horse. He sat behind her as she told him to hold on tightly. The black horse, who had lost his glowing red eyes, neighed before galloping out of the house before anyone could react.

"After them!" Viggo shouted. The demons couldn't allow any witnesses to remain alive. Alvin watched them run after the horse and decided then and there that all of this craziness wasn't worth his trouble. He quietly slipped out of the room and vowed that he'd just go back to potato farming.

Once outside Astrid slowed her horse to a trot. Hiccup noticed that Fishlegs, Heather and the twins were all outside and each was holding bushes of sage and other herbs. There was yelling coming from the house and they turned to see the four demons run out only to get flung back.

Hiccup raised an eyebrow and Tuffnut indicated to the ring of salt that they had placed around the abandoned building.

"Let's bust some demons guys!" Ruffnut gleefully yelled as they began their own chant while facing the four possessed. They lit the bushes of herbs and advanced towards the circle of salt.

Snotlout and the others were snarling at them as they approached.

"We hâlsian êow, un−cl¯æne, weald, onfæreld râd ðone as tintreglic wiðfeohtend, swâhwætswâ pro êored, ciricwaru heonu scuccen."

(We exorcise you, impure spirits, satanic power, every incursion of the infernal adversary, every legion, every congregation and diabolical sect.)

They chanted as they stood firm. The four on the ground were growling in anger as red eyes blazed.

"Tôêacan and æghwilc scuccen truma, attraction with pron ðe ic healsung êow, âwæc−nian mennisclic, nâðýl¯æs friðian furðor further ðâs duguð mândrinc râd wîdefeorlic."

(Accursed creatures and every diabolical legion, we adjure you, cease to deceive human creatures, and give to them the poison of eternal damnation)

"dôð orgilde wægn, âfrêon ûs of pro ic."

(From the snares of the demons, deliver us.)

They continued to chant until the demons could not take it anymore. With howls of anguish a dark mist left the bodies of the four teens. The herb bushes were almost burned up as they watched Snotlout and the others faint from the strain of being possessed.

"It's actually over." Hiccup heard Astrid sigh happily. "The last time I found the possessed too late. This time we were able to save them."

Hiccup nodded and then said seriously "Now…. comes the hard part."

Berk, 2 November 2017, 10 AM

The rest of the time passed uneventfully. Snotlout, Alexi, Ryker and Viggo woke up in Alexi's mansion after sleeping off the effects of the possession. They were all a little out of it and couldn't believe that they had slept more than 24 hours.

Snotlout was helping himself to his fourth cup of coffee while the Grimborn brothers sat on a couch. The mansion had been cleaned and it looked like the Halloween party had never happened. Alexi didn't know what to make of that and she sat in the living room looking at the painting of her ancestor. Snotlout joined her and asked upon noticing her pensive look.

"What's wrong babe?" He asked as she turned to him.

"Somethings don't add up." She said which also got the attention of the others. "I didn't notice it at first but…."

"But what?" Snotlout asked as he looked at her curiously.

"But now that I think about it, it all seems so strange." She mumbled. "I really should have noticed this earlier but the painting of my ancestor seems old but the canvas looks new." She said. "There was also very little dust and mold on it for being in the attic for so long."

"Wait… what are you suggesting?" Snotlout asked as he scrunched his brows together.

"What if someone planted it in my attic?" She suggested. "I called my dad an hour ago when I noticed it and he told me that everything from the Hofferson's was burned when an angry mob stormed their house in Hysteria, before they settled here in Berk. There shouldn't be any paintings left from that time."

The three others blinked owlishly at her. "And you didn't figure this out till now?" Viggo asked.

"I was so excited to find something like this that I didn't think about it." Alexi admitted.

"Okay but who could have planted the painting then and for that matter who could have painted it?" Snotlout asked as he took the portrait.

"I've been thinking, what about your cousin. Hiccup is great at art. You've seen his paintings in school." She suggested.

"You aren't serious are you babe?" Snotlout laughed. "How would Hiccup have known what your ancestor looked like?"

"Now that I think about it." Ryker spoke up as he frowned deeply. "How did Hiccup know Astrid's full name back in the house when he gave her the skull?"

The group turned to Alexi who shook her head. "I never told him her full name. Heck I didn't even know it until I saw it on the headstone."

"He was rather calm when the door was broken down." Viggo mumbled. "You don't stay that clm when a headless woman is breaking into your house."

"Also wasn't it convenient that Hiccup just knew the right people to perform the exorcism?" Alexi now asked. "Do you think he set us up?"

"Woah woah woah!" Snotlout suddenly exclaimed. "Babe are you actually suggesting that my nerdy cousin masterminded the entire thing?"

"What I'm saying is that something weird is going on." Alexi mumbled. "And your cousin and his friends just happened to have way too much convenient knowledge."

"Alright then." Snotlout stood up. "Why don't we just go ask them?"

So the group of four left Alexi's house and headed to Snotlout's where they knew Hiccup would most likely be at. Snotlout frowned when they arrived at his house and found that the front door had been fixed and looked as if it had never been broken. He opened the door and ran upstairs to see that the bedroom door that had been left in splinters was also good as new.

"Okay that is weird." Snotlout mumbled as they made their way to Hiccup's room. Snotlout, being Snotlout, simply opened the door and barged in. He suspected to see his cousin's room like it always was but his mouth dropped open along with the others when he saw the empty room. The walls were bare and there was nothing except a well made bed and an empty desk. Snotlout opened the closet to also find that empty.

"Did your cousin return to Iceland?" Viggo asked.

"Hold on" Snotlout told him and got out his phone to call his aunt and uncle. The phone rang a few times.

"Hello?" a woman's voice said on the other end of the line.

"Aunt Valka, it's your nephew Snotlout."

"Oh Scott, what can I do for you?" Valka asked cheerfully.

"I was just wondering if you knew where Hiccup went. Is he going back to Iceland?" Snotlout asked. It was silent on the other end of the line for a while until Valka spoke again. This time her voice was almost a whisper.

"Scott, I don't know what you are talking about." She said. "You do know what happened to your cousin right?"

"What?" Snotlout asked perplexed. There was a sigh on the other end of the line.

"I'm guessing your parents never told you." Valka mumbled. "Scott, your cousin died when he was just a baby."

"WHAT?!" Snotlout shrieked as his eyes widened. He felt faint.

"He came early" Valka told him. "Stoick and I gave him the name Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the fourth because all of them were born early. We hoped he would pull through but it didn't happen." She said sadly. Snotlout was speechless. His mouth moved but no sound came out. Finally he bid his aunt goodbye.

He quickly dialed another number while the others still looked startled from his outburst. "Hi dad" Snotlout said "Look I need to know about Hiccup."

"Sorry son. I can't tell you anything." Came from the other end of the line. Snotlout's frown deepened. "Hiccup's room is empty and aunt Valka just told me something disturbing." He heard his father mutter something but the man still insisted that he couldn't tell him anything. "Maybe when you're older." His father said in his ear as Snotlout hung up angrily.

Snotlout marched out of the house, the others following close behind while wondering what was going on. They hopped back into the car and Snotlout drove them to Fishlegs' house. There on the front lawn they saw a for sale sign. There was no Ingerman family living there anymore the real estate lady told them. Snotlout next drove to the little occult shop only to see it closed and empty.

"What in the world is going on here?!" Snotlout shouted frustrated. The entire street heard him and he received several curious glances.

Meanwhile Hiccup, Fishlegs, Astrid, Heather and the twins were stepping off a plane. Astrid was still a bit miffed that she couldn't take her favorite hatchet with her on that flying can. She and Hiccup were holding hands as they went through security and grabbed their luggage. They met Mr. Jorgenson, Snotlout's father, in the arrival hall.

"Congratulations." He told them as he observed the happy couples. Fishlegs and Heather only had eyes for each other while Astrid and Hiccup smiled at the man. "Sorry that you two had to hide your relationship." He told Fishlegs and Heather. The gave the man a nod. He then turned towards Hiccup and Astrid "I'm glad that you two finally got the chance to reunite." He told them. "My son and his friends have already begun asking questions. Don't worry I doubt anyone would believe them claiming they saw a headless horsewoman." Mr. Jorgenson then handed them an envelope. "Your next assignment, your contact will be a man named Gobber. All your personal items have already been sent, and yes that includes the chicken and the horse." He told them just as Tuffnut was about to ask. I wish you all the best." He said as he bid them farewell.

The walked to the car that was waiting for them. "Do you think that Snotlout will ever figure it out?" Fishlegs asked as they hopped into the large car.

"I doubt it." Hiccup told them. "I don't think even he would believe it once he hears it." Hiccup smiled as Astrid snuggled up next to him.

"Everyone be sure to buckle up." Ruffnut grinned as she started the car.

"Uhm…. I thought either Fish or Heather were driving." Hiccup mumbled as his eyes widened.

"Nope" Ruffnut giggled as she started driving. Even Tuffnut quickly arranged his seatbelt and was quietly praying. Ruffnut let out a cackle before hitting the gas pedal.

Epilogue

Hysteria, April 1776

The Revolutionary war was raging and Astrid had just gotten an important assignment. She was to extract a captured spy belonging to the growing intelligence network of General Washington. He had vital intelligence that could change the course of history. She did her job and that was how she had met the young man called Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the third.

Once back at headquarters the young man told the story of how five men working for the British had gotten their hands on a powerful book called the Lesser Key of Solomon. They were planning to summon five demons who would ensure the red coat's victory.

Astrid and Hiccup along with several other members were assigned to track them down and acquire the book. Over the course of their search the spy and the soldier fell in love.

Things came to a climax in October of 1777 after the British launched an invasion from Quebec. There in the small colony of Hysteria they had found their targets. Five influential men, four of which were already possessed and too far gone to exorcise.

Astrid made the decision. She would go through with it no matter how much Hiccup begged for her not to do it. He knew that she was a witch, she had revealed that and more to him.

Her last words to him "Will you love me tonight?"

His last words he whispered to her as she walked to the executioner in the days thereafter "I will wait for you."

Not long after Hiccup disappeared. There is no known record of him being killed in the war. He simply disappeared.

Berk, June, 2013

There were many who sat around a large circle chanting. The magic flowing through the air crackled. Those leading the chant were none other than Ruffnut and Tuffnut.

Magic flowed and as the melodic chant ended a bolt of energy shot down onto the circle. Where once was an empty space now stood a boy who looked no older than fifteen.

"Don't be afraid." A man said as he stood to greet their guests.

"Who are you?!" The boy asked suspiciously as he looked around.

"Et elegit nos in pugna toto corde" The man said.

"We the chosen shall fight with all our hearts." The boy translated from Latin. He knew that phrase well as he had coined it. It was the phrase of the organization they had started to hunt down the supernatural. He then calmed down as he looked at the others in the room.

"Where am I?"

"Not where Mr. Haddock but when." The man stated. "I'm Spitelout Jorgenson, a distant descendant. These are some of the members of the organization you and your partner miss Hofferson headed. Welcome to the 21st century."

Hiccup looked at his body. He frowned and then gave a questioning glance around. "Why am I so young?" he had been the same age as Astrid so he wondered what was going on.

"Spell side effect." Ruffnut spoke up. "We summoned your twenty year old self here but you ended up in a fifteen year old body unfortunately."

"So I'm stuck like this?" Hiccup asked. "Why did you even summon me?"

"Because Mr. Haddock, we need your expertise again and that of your partner."

"Astrid….. Astrid died." he told them sadly.

"We know Mr. Haddock but there is a way to bring her back."

Hiccup's head shot up upon hearing that statement. He looked at them wide eyed as if he couldn't believe it. "The twins have assured me they know a way." Mr. Jorgenson explained.

"So what do you want me to do then?" He asked. If there was a chance he'd take it.

"We have confirmation that Bael will be summoned again within the next four years. It is the only time and place we can revive Astrid Hofferson." A woman, who had introduced herself as Mrs. Ingerman, told Hiccup. "This needs meticulous planning. Are you up to the task?"

"Show me what information you have." Hiccup told them.

"Also, you'll be staying with my family. An identity has already been prepared for you." Mr. Jorgenson told him. "Let's just hope you survive High School that is starting in August."

"High school?" Hiccup asked with a curious tilt of his head. "I've acted as a spy for several years in enemy territory. How much worse can this high school be?"

Mr. Jorgenson chuckled "You'd be surprised."

-The End-