Just a little funny thought I had while watching Dragons: Race to the Edge episode, "The Next Big Sting." Also, a little way to jumpstart my muse. Enjoy, and please review!

PREFACE: IMPORTANT TO READ FOR CONTEXT. DO NOT SKIP!

This story picks up when the Dragon Riders first find the wounded Speed-Stinger in the episode "The Next Big Sting." For the sake of my story, Snotlout flew off on Hookfang after he voiced his disagreements about helping the Speed-Stinger, right before the Hiccup explains his initial plan for helping the Speed-Stinger to Ruff and Tuff. So Snotlout is already back on Dragon's Edge for this story. And for those who remember the episode, Hiccup's plan ends with Ruff being paralyzed from her waist up. Then, Tuff, Fishlegs, and Astrid manage to hold down the dragon while Hiccup begins to attach the splint. And that is where this little alternate scene picks up...

Anticlimax: an unsatisfying event that follows a period of increasing anticipation and drama.

"There!"

Hiccup hurriedly backed away from the wounded Speed-Stinger, admiring the splint that now adorned the dragon's injured leg.

The Speed-Stinger briefly hesitated, before springing to its feet. Astrid, Fishlegs, and Tuffnut (all of which had practically dog-piled on top of the dragon to hold it still) let out cries of surprise as the movement flung them backwards.

The dragon immediately made a bee-line for Hiccup, who in turn backed up nervously with his hands up. "Woah! Hey, hey!" he exclaimed in surprise, before switching tactics. "Okay...okay," he said quickly, lowering his voice to a more soothing tone. "We're here to help you."

Fishlegs grinned excitedly, easily recognizing Hiccup's practiced movements. "Ooo! He's gonna do the hand thing, right?" he asked no one in particular, practically quivering with excitement. "Please tell me he's going to do the hand thing!"

The 'hand thing' was something that all the riders had both seen and executed multiple times. It was the epitome of dragon training; the climax of a complicated and beautiful dance. It was a moment of complete trust between dragon and Viking. And it didn't matter how many times one witnessed the act, it never seemed to lose its awe-inspiring effect.

Especially when the one executing the maneuver was Hiccup, who practically invented the whole dance. Once Hiccup was in the zone, he looked every bit the famed 'Dragon Master' he was. This Speed-Stinger was as good as trained.

And true to Fishlegs' prediction, Hiccup stopped his retreat and held his ground. Eyeing the Speed-Stinger warily, he began to stretch out his arm.

The dragon squawked in warning, pulling his head back. Hiccup firmed his chin and closed his eyes, turning his head to the side.

Everyone could feel the tension in the air as he fully outstretched his palm, halting just before contact with the Speed-Stinger.

This was it. This was the magical moment. Any second now, Hiccup would feel the scaly nose on his fingertips, and would know that the dragon's trust had been earned. He would—

"OW!" he exclaimed, eyes jolting open as he stumbled back at a sudden pain. "What in the name of Thor?!" he continued, shaking his bleeding finger as the Speed-Stinger retracted its tail.

Fishleg's jaw dropped at the sheer anticlimactic nature of it all. "It stung you!" he gasped. Oh, the horror!

Hiccup glanced at his finger, and then at the Speed-Stinger, completely baffled. He had never failed to train a dragon! However, he soon realized he had a much more pressing question to deal with.

"I wonder which part of him gets paralyzed!" Tuffnut mused, leaning against his Ruffnut's paralyzed shoulder.

Hiccup barely had time to ponder the question before he found himself precariously balancing on his prosthetic leg. His arms flailed as he overcorrected, and next thing he knew he was flat on his face. "Of course," he muttered sarcastically, vainly attempting to move his right leg. "It just had to be my good leg. It couldn't be my left leg, noooo. That would make too much sense!"

He propped himself up on his elbows with a grunt—only to find the Speed-Stinger's head right in front of his, teeth barred and ready to attack. He let out a shout of surprise, trying (and failing) to get away.

"Astriiiid!" he yelled, officially panicking as he rolled around like a log in a last-ditch escape attempt.

"Tuffnut! Fishlegs! Get the Speed-Stinger!" Astrid commanded, strategizing. Oh, she was going to kill Snotlout for flying off!

Tuff let out a battle cry as the two charged towards the Speed-Stinger, a net stretched between them. The dragon halted in its tracks, momentarily confused. Astrid took advantage of the distraction and darted towards Hiccup (who looked extremely ridiculous as he continued to roll across the ground). In one swift movement, she grabbed hold of his arm and yanked him upright; practically carrying him back to the dragons as his prosthetic leg struggled to find solid footing.

"At least your flying foot is working," Astrid commented as she shoved him on top of Toothless. Hiccup rolled his eyes as he clicked it into place, extending Toothless' tail.

"Gotcha!" Fishlegs announced in triumph, tying off the net and trapping the dragon inside. He then let out a squeak of pain as the dragon's tail whipped through the holes, jabbing him in the shoulder. He involuntarily dropped the bundle as his arm seized up. The Speed-Stinger immediately began to thrash once it hit the ground, but the net held firm.

"Um, guys?" Fishlegs began tentatively, making no move to pick up the net again. Instead, his eyes were fixed on the surrounding rocks and forest. "I think I found the rest of the pack."

All sets of eyes followed his gaze, alighting on at least a dozen Speed-Stingers creeping through the undergrowth.

Straight towards them.

"Retreat!" Hiccup announced frantically, using his hands to manually place his other leg in the stirrup.

The riders rushed to mount up—Tuffnut none-too-gently helping Ruffnut onto Barf and Fishlegs struggling to balance on Meatlug with one arm. Astrid vaulted onto Stormfly, who in turn grabbed the netted Speed-Stinger in her claws. The dragon riders lifted off as one, hastily taking to the air just as the other Speed-Stingers reached the clearing.

When they finally trudged through the door to the Dragon's Edge clubhouse, nearly an hour later, Snotlout was reclining on a bench waiting for them. "What took you guys so long?" he asked nonchalantly, buffing his helmet. When no one replied, he glanced up. His eyes widened in shock as they landed on his battered friends, and he quickly revised his question. "What happened to you guys?" he exclaimed.

And while Astrid unceremoniously dumped the crippled and slightly demoralized Hiccup onto a chair and Tuff continued to play with Ruff's paralyzed jaw, Fishlegs wearily explained all that had transpired.

Snotlout had never laughed harder in his life.

Episode continues on as seen on screen.