83. Rule of Three

Karla was perhaps the most Viking-like of the triplets.

As rash and reckless as her Berkian ancestors, she wasn’t one to think before acting. She tended to rush straight into a situation, and figure it out as she went along.

Usually dragging her siblings with her.

With a wild grin on her pale, freckled face, and an impish glint in her brown eyes, she was always on the move.

From the moment she could crawl, she was all over the place. Scooting around with a speediness no baby should possess.

And even before she could crawl, she’d cry and wail until someone picked her up. And then request that they run around, while she kicked her little feet in the air. Pretending she was the one doing the moving.

Staying in one place for longer than a few seconds was seemingly incomprehensible to her.

She was always eager to show off a cool stunt she’d barely learned, and then deny anything if she botched it. She had a bit of an ego, though nowhere near as big as her cousin Diego.

But Karla wasn’t without her gentler side.

Despite how foolhardy she could be, she always expressed remorse if her antics caused significant trouble. And she was willing to help her younger siblings out of a scrape at any time, especially one she’d gotten them into.

Even though it was only by about fifteen minutes, she was very prideful about being the oldest triplet. She had a habit of referring to herself as Big Sis In the presence of her brother and sister.

Mirabel found her energy invigorating, if a bit exhausting. Chasing after her daughter constantly grew old, at times.

Where the bespectacled woman enjoyed crafting or reading, her daughter needed space to run and something to kick. She tried to support her interests, and nurture the girl’s more caring qualities whenever possible.

Hiccup saw so much of his father in her, from her untamable mane of red hair, to her brash demeanor. But during the rare moments when she slowed down, and portrayed that kindness, he also saw both himself and her mother.

On occasion, she’d sit still in his lap while he read to her. But only stories with a ton of action.

Toothless also had three children, adorable little reptiles the family had named Night Lights.

Each of Hiccup and Mirabel’s kids had established a connection with one of Toothless and Nubless’ hatchlings, to each set of parents’ joy.

In Karla’s case, her Night Light was predominantly black. With patches of white around his paws, and on his belly. His green eyes sparked with a similar mischievousness.

She’d named him Dash, as he was the fastest of the three dragons. And the two loved nothing more than to chase after each other, crashing into all sorts of things without a care in the world.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Pedro was a dreamer.

In fact, it was very rare to catch him in the realm of reality.

He was always lost in his imagination, his deep brown eyes drifting off into space. His fluffy, curly dark hair was reminiscent of the clouds his head was constantly in.

It was very hard to get him to concentrate on anything.

He was also a creative, a trait he likely inherited from both his parents.

He was an artist, devoting great amounts of time to using pencils and crayons and whatever else he could grab to put his fantasies onto paper. And he was actually pretty good, for someone so young.

His drawings sometimes had focus, such as a place, an animal, or a person. Mirabel had his portrait of her permanently hung up in her room.

Though sometimes it was much more abstract. Just a splattering of colors and shapes, with no discernable meaning.

They had a rather funny picture of him as an infant, absolutely covered in paints. It was his first attempt to create art, and he used himself as the canvas.

He felt most at peace, while drawing or painting. He wasn’t the best when it came to words, usually speaking in short and rather silly bursts. Art was his preferred way of getting his feelings across. The brush was his sword, and he wielded it with pride.

Pedro was a mellow child, who tended to go along with whatever. Which made him a great lackey, for Karla’s more tricky endeavors. He greatly looked up to his older sister, though whether he was aware of the trouble she frequently got him in was unknown.

While he didn’t grasp the full context, he understood that his name in particular carried a lot of weight. He could be found at times, staring up at the portrait of his great-grandfather.

When he was just born, and Alma first learned of his name, she broke into joyous tears.

Mirabel tried to get involved with his fantasizing, always asking what he was thinking about. Most of the time he’d give a noncommittal shrug, or speak a short and nonsensical phrase. One she specifically remembered was “If potatoes have eyes, do they also have souls?”

Though even if he didn’t respond much, she could tell from his little smirk that he enjoyed their talks.

Hiccup loved the fact that his son was an artist, and had taken to showing him his old sketches. They’d draw together at times, mixing meticulous and thoughtful with zany and abstract. Each product was a masterpiece, in the man’s eyes.

His Night Light was mainly black, with blue eyes. Her paws, bottom jaw, underbelly, and nose were colored white.

Due to her assortment of white splotches, Pedro called her Dot. She had a knack for bringing him back to reality, with a well-placed nibble.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Peep was an awfully paranoid child.

Despite the fact that she lived in the safest place on earth, she was terrified of the big wide world around her. And nearly all who inhabited it.

Her pine green eyes were constantly flitting about for dangers. Her silky black hair always looked a little disheveled, from how many times she’d duck and dodge and flinch throughout the day.

No one knew quite why she was like this, she had been for as long as she could walk.

She had a very strong compulsion to hide. Behind her parents’ legs, nearby objects, and if she couldn’t find anything, she’d just bury her face in her hands.

In addition to shying away from the unknown, she’d hide even from people and dragons she knew and trusted.

According to the girl’s own logic, it wasn’t that she didn’t love her family. She was just also afraid of them.

She still wasn’t entirely cool with the fact that her house was alive, jolting with fear when she caught the tiles moving. Which made Casita very disheartened.

The only ones she wasn’t flinching from were her parents, siblings, and their dragons.

Her behavior was very concerning to Mirabel and Hiccup. They didn’t want their daughter to feel unsafe in her own home, with her own family.

They really hoped this was just a phase.

Especially because, whenever she allowed herself to relax, Peep was a captivating young lady.

She was a creative as well, but she was more focused on telling a narrative. She’d learned to write the quickest, though she wasn’t exactly good at it yet. And she used this skill to try and tell her own stories.

They were disjointed, barely legible, and made little sense, but she was expressing herself. Which was all the family wanted.

She also had a surprisingly sharp tongue, when she chose to use it. When she was older, she may be able to put her parents’ sarcasm to shame.

Mirabel loved it when she was actually excited about something. She’d go on and on about a character she was writing. Be it a tragic heroine, suffering at the hands of an evil tyrant. Or a unicorn who farts rainbows.

As softly as possible, she tried to encourage the girl to stop cowering so much. Especially around the people who loved her most. She felt she was making progress, as Peep was spending less time behind her leg recently. And when she actually flashed a smile at the dinner table one night, her heart exploded with joy.

Hiccup saw her, and was reminded of himself. When he was small, and meek. Though she lacked the tenacity he had, the drive to prove himself against the odds. He hoped her stories would give her an ambition, a goal to chase. Something she’d want so bad, it’d bring her out of hiding.

There were times where they’d sit, and trade jokes. Times he always cherished, especially when he heard her shaky little laugh.

Both Karla and Pedro were very protective of their younger sister, though they also grew exasperated when her cowering impeded their playtime. The moments when they’d all frolic together, as a trio, were when they were all the happiest.

The whole family tried to be gentle with her, in hopes that one day she’d come out of her shell completely. And wouldn’t feel the need to hide anymore.

Her Night Light had white scales, and his eyes were green. His nubs and tail were tipped with black, and his underbelly was periwinkle blue.

He was the first to discover their cloaking ability, so she decided to call him Ghost. Despite his small size, he tried to serve as her protector. Yapping at any and all perceived threats. Something she was thankful for.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There wasn’t just one, but two gift ceremonies coming up.

Sofia was turning five in a day, and Diego was just a few months away from the milestone.

Sofia, now a plucky young girl, was bursting with excitement. From the tip of her toes, all the way up to her massively poofy afro.

In the days leading up to the event, she was nearly always humming a jolly little tune. And as the day was now tomorrow, her humming had only increased in intensity.

Diego was beside himself with anticipation. The boy was just as hungry for adoration as ever, and his gift ceremony would be the day where all eyes were finally on him.

He’d actually calmed down, recently. Wanting to conserve his spotlight-hogging energy until his big day. Giving the family a much-needed break from his shenanigans.

But while the Madrigals were all ready for the party tomorrow, they still had to get through today.

And today, Hiccup had to stop by Berk for a moment. And he decided he was bringing the kids with him.

He was waiting outside, on that hill. And had told Karla, Pedro, and Peep to come meet him.

Which should have been simple.

But with Peep, everything was made a little bit trickier.

In the dining room, as people were starting to pour out, two out of three triplets sent annoyed glares to the table.

“Come on!” Karla groaned, in her bold voice. “Dad’s waiting for us!”

The girl stood in her teal dress, with her arms crossed. Tapping her foot impatiently. Her mane of fiery hair bobbed with each tap.

Casita tried urging the child to come on out, undulating the tiles she sat upon, which made her yelp with fear. But she wouldn’t budge.

Seeing her sister not moving an inch, Karla shifted her gaze to her brother.

“Talk some sense into her!” She requested.

“Uh…” Pedro, dressed in a sky-blue button-up, furrowed his brow. Trying to figure out something to say.

“We’re all just brains, floating in fleshy suits...” He spoke, in a laid-back tone.

Both his sisters, the one standing beside him and the one under the table, gave him funny looks.

“…Thanks, Bro.” Karla droned, not feeling very thankful at all.

A light, raspy voice spoke from underneath the table.

“H-How do I know it’s safe?” Peep asked, already quivering with fright.

Which made Karla roll her eyes.

“We’ve been to Berk before!” Spoke the energetic girl.

“Exactly!” Countered her paranoid sister. “It’s crazy over there!”

The eldest triplet faced the youngest with a bemused look.

“Peep, you think the bathroom is crazy.”

The thought of that screaming white bowl made the fearful girl shudder, in her turquoise dress.

The trio looked up as a fourth voice joined their conversation, dripping with wily intent.

“Oh Berk is crazy, alright…” Diego began, as he slunk forth.

Draped in his white shirt, beige shorts, and olive-green ruana, he grinned slyly. His tooth-gap on display.

“You gotta be really careful, and watch where you step…” He began, with slow and theatric movements. “If you don’t…”

“Ten-foot snakes will explode from the ground, and eat you alive!”

Peep released a frightened squeal, cowering further underneath the table. Pedro was thinking about pineapples. And Karla was unamused.

“Quit lying!” She demanded, hands on her hips. “You’re just trying to scare us!”

Bruno’s second son placed a hand over his heart, and raised one to the air.

“I swear, it’s the truth!”

The part about the giant snakes was true, at least. He really was trying to scare them.

Spotting his brother, levitating the dirty plates to the kitchen, Diego hastily pointed to him.

“It happened to Manny!” He said. “I was there, I saw it!”

Dressed in his dark green vest, adorned with faint star patterns, Manuel huffed at his brother’s antics.

“If I was eaten alive, how am I standing here?” The eight-year-old asked.

Diego sputtered for a response, bristling with agitation.

“St-Stop asking questions!”

With one last annoyed glance, Manuel continued on his way to the kitchen.

And as he exited, Mirabel entered.

“Diego, your mom was looking for you!”

At her word, the wily boy grumbled his way out of the dining room. Leaving the matriarch alone with her children.

“Hola, Mami…” Pedro waved, with a lazy smile.

Mirabel smiled warmly, upon seeing her babies. But she had a question to ask them.

“Guys, your dad’s been waiting for you outside…” She stated. “What’s the hold up?”

Wordlessly, her first two kids gestured to the third. Underneath the table.

Spotting her quivering child, hiding under furniture for the third time this week, the bespectacled mother crouched down with a sigh.

“Mija, I know you’re scared…” She didn’t know why, but she knew that’s what the girl was.

“But if you don’t face your fears, you’ll never stop hiding.”

“That doesn’t sound too bad…” Peep murmured. “H-Hiding forever, never being found, never being hurt…”

Mirabel’s concern only increased, but she was soon growing a grin.

She had her motherly ways.

“Okay…” She said, in a sing-song tone.

“If you wanna keep hiding, that’s up to you…” She retrieved a few objects she’d snagged from the kitchen, hiding them behind her back. “Meanwhile, we’ll be enjoying these…”

She held out five, crunchy disks. Each one dotted with brown lumps.

“…Cookies!”

Immediately, Karla and Pedro were jumping on their feet. Reaching up for the confections.

Handing one to each child, Mirabel took a bite of one herself. Really playing up the experience.

“Mm! Oh man!” She mumbled through her full mouth, sighing with delight. “Oh, these are good!”

Despite her fears, her worries, and her anxieties…

Peep would never turn down a good cookie.

The girl crawled out from the table, and began reaching up herself. An uncharacteristic grin on her dark-skinned features.

With a beaming smile, Mirabel gave her a cookie.

Watching the girl giggle and bounce around like any other kid, it was always a treat.

While Peep eagerly nibbled, she felt her frazzled hair being smoothed out by her mother.

“I promise, nothing’s gonna happen.” Mirabel said. “Besides, don’t you wanna see Grandma and Grandpa?”

Peep was terrified of her paternal grandparents, but she also loved them. Same as the rest of her family.

The girl gave a jittery nod, still chewing her sweet.

Pedro was pondering the exact number of strands that made up his grandfather’s beard.

And Karla, who was crazy about her grandpa, started hopping on her feet.

They could be hanging with gramps, right now.

What were they waiting around for?

“LET’S GO!” Karla shouted, with a manic grin.

She grabbed both her siblings’ hands, and began to rush out of the dining room. Tired of waiting.

“Oh, hold on!” Said Mirabel.

Before they’d left, she stuck the remaining cookie in her son’s hands.

“Give that to your father!” She called after them.

And as she watched them go, she couldn’t help but chuckle.

Her kids were such goofballs.

On the way outside, they found Sofia in the courtyard. Heading towards the nursery.

They figured now would be a good time to say hi. Even though Peep found greeting people frightening.

With a synchronization only those born at the same time could manage, they delivered a message to their cousin.

“HAPPY EARLY BIRTHDAY!”

The melodious girl, draped in a cream-colored dress and sporting a fluffy afro, jumped with surprise. Before turning around, facing the source of the noise.

When she spotted three sets of waves, one hasty, one lackadaisical, and one fidgety, she grew a kindly smile.

“Thank you ever so much!” She spoke, her soft voice having a strangely rhythmic quality.

Karla leaned against a wall, in an attempt to look cool.

“So, what gift do you think you’ll get?” She asked. “Something cool, like shark teeth? Or swords for hands?”

Peep didn’t think either of those sounded cool, and was now trembling even harder than she usually trembled.

Pedro was questioning the functionality of sword hands.

Sofia shook her head.

“Oh no, I wouldn’t like those at all…” She said, before growing a gentle smile. “I want something that could make people happy! That could bring joy to the whole village!”

“Shark teeth would make me happy…” Scoffed the energetic girl.

Casita clanked its floor tiles, pointing towards the direction of the front doors.

“Okay, we’re going!” Pedro giggled, as the floor wobbled him.

They waved goodbye to Sofia, and made their way to leave the house.

Though Peep stopped, just before the exit, and looked behind her. Back at the floor.

One, solitary tile raised up to wave her goodbye.

The girl released a horrified gasp, and quickly shut the doors. Stepping outside, into the sun.

They found their father, waiting alongside Toothless on the hill. The wind blowing through his auburn hair.

“There you guys are!” Hiccup said, grinning at his children. “I thought you got lost in there!”

He held a large, white box with him. They didn’t know what was inside, but from the smell they could tell that their maternal grandmother had made it.

Pouncing around near the two, were a trip of pudgy little dragons. They stopped their wrestling when noticing their friends’ approach.

Dash, Dot, and Ghost. The three Night Lights each waddled over to their respective triplet.

Karla and Dash were already running circles around each other. Pedro was too zoned out to notice Dot arrive, so she nipped his arm. Peep began laughing, as Ghost immediately took a defensive stance around her.

Hiccup watched his children, and Toothless watched his hatchlings, all of them being the best of friends. And felt their respective hearts threatening to combust with joy.

But playtime would have to wait, as they had a delivery to make.

At Hiccup’s call, the three kids all hopped onto Toothless. Their father sitting behind them.

Pedro made sure their dad got his cookie.

They took off into the air, the Night Lights fluttering beside them.

Peep covered her eyes, as she was dreadfully afraid of warping.

And in a flash, they were heading towards the land of their paternal ancestry.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As one could expect, Peep was terribly afraid of Berk.

Pedro found it interesting, in how it differed from his home. He could do without the smells, though.

And Karla absolutely loved the island.

The action, the danger, the meathead Vikings…

And most of all, her grandfather.

She and Stoick were peas in a pod, getting into all sorts of trouble.

She’d listen to his tales of epic battles, he’d show her fighting techniques meant for people much bigger than her, and she’d cheer him on while he wrestled wild boars. Among other things.

That’s not to say the man was neglectful of his other grandchildren, though.

He’d indulge in Pedro’s flights of fancy, even if he had no clue what the boy was talking about. And he was surprisingly gentle and patient with Peep.

While Hiccup was of course happy about this, he couldn’t help but feel the slightest bit cheated.

“Where was this Stoick when I was a kid?”

Teleporting onto the island, Toothless landed in the town square. Each little Fury plopping down beside him.

Before they’d even dismounted, they were approached by a trio of Vikings.

Karla lit up, when she saw who was coming. And immediately broke into a sprint. Dash followed after her.

“GRAMPS!”

Her shout carried her over to Stoick, who barely had a second to catch her as she launched at him.

He picked her up, and placed her on his broad shoulders.

“There’s my little Viking!” He grinned, rumbling with belly laughter.

From beside him, Valka smiled down on her grandchildren.

“Hello, you three!” She greeted. “Does Granny get a hug?”

Both Pedro and Peep stepped forth to embrace her, and Karla jumped from Stoick’s shoulders to Valka’s back.

Just as she promised, Valka was as involved with their lives as she could be. In fact, she’d insisted she come to the Encanto for a short time when they were newborns. Trying to help the new parents as much as possible.

They were thankful for it, even though they already had tons of help.

Smiling at the touching moment, the chief of Berk went to meet Hiccup.

“They’re getting big!” Astrid grinned.

Hiccup nodded, as an aching spontaneously grew in his back.

“They’re getting heavy…” He moaned.

While the shieldmaiden-turned-chief laughed, Hiccup retrieved the goods.

He pulled out the large, white box he’d been carrying. And handed it to Astrid.

“One freshly baked, Julieta Madrigal wedding cake!” He announced. “Ready for Fishlegs and Heather’s wedding!”

After having just a taste at Hiccup and Mirabel’s wedding, the Ingerman had been hooked. Nothing else would do, for his own ceremony.

“Just…keep it cold until then…” Hiccup suggested. “It’s not gonna last three days if you just leave it out.”

The newly instated chief took the box in her hands, and rolled her eyes.

“With the twins around, it’s not gonna last three minutes.” She snarked. “I’ve got Snotlout on cake guarding duty.”

Hiccup raised an eyebrow.

“And what makes you think he won’t eat it himself?” He asked.

Astrid readied a retort…

But she found she couldn’t deny his logic.

“Son of a half-troll…” She swore, realizing she’d probably have to keep the cake safe herself.

As she walked off, to find a secure location for the pastry, a red blur whizzed into motion.

“DAD!”

Karla zipped up to Hiccup, grabbing his shirt and tugging at it excitedly.

“Gramps said he’ll take us fishing!” She spoke, grinning wildly. “Can we go? Can we? Can we can we can we can we- “

“Okay, okay!” Hiccup laughed, tousling her frizzy red hair. “Just be finished by sundown!”

Both Karla and Stoick released simultaneous bellows of joy, pumping their fists in the air.

“Fishing? I-In the water!?” Peep squealed. “With all the sharks, and squids, and whales?”

Her words made Pedro’s eyes widen.

“Woah…can we catch a whale?” Asked the absent-minded boy.

Stoick chuckled, picking up all three kids into his burly arms.

“We can certainly try, lad!”

He carried them off towards the lake, while Hiccup and Valka watched them go. The Night Lights toddling after them.

“They’re such sweet little ones.” Valka sighed.

“Yeah…” Hiccup agreed. “They get that from their mom.”

“They get the manic energy, the attention span of a sparrow, and the crippling anxiety from my side of the family.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The night after, it was time for Sofia to receive her gift.

La Casa Madrigal was packed with people and dragons, all of whom were watching that third floor with anticipation.

Mirabel, Dolores, and Mariano all regarded a certain girl with great pride, as she climbed the stairs.

The girl, in her lovely white dress, placed her hands on the candle. She swore to benefit her home, while also staying true to her wonderful self.

She faced her door, swirling with a mystical energy.

She touched her doorknob.

And after a bright flash, she turned back around. Facing the crowd.

And from deep within her very soul, Sofia felt something.

Stronger than a desire, more powerful than a calling.

She felt an insurmountable need…

To sing.

With a soft exhale, Sofia closed her eyes, and clasped her hands together.

And when she next opened her mouth-

An absolutely enchanting melody flowed from the depths of her spirit.

She sung a wordless, harmonious tune. With the powerful pipes of an opera singer who’d been training for decades.

Her voice didn’t just sound like her voice, though.

There almost seemed to be musical accompaniment, coming from her and her alone. As if she willed an orchestra into being.

And most amazingly, were the visuals.

Astounding, fantastical illusions billowed out from Sofia’s being. Moving in time with her music.

The audience gazed in awe, as images of golden butterflies danced around the courtyard. Flapping and swaying to the beat.

And as everyone watched, and as everyone listened, they could feel their hearts filling with a great joy.

Shortly after it began, her song was over. Leaving all who heard it with a lingering sense of wonder.

And just then, her door was completed.

It was an image of Sofia, her eyes closed, hands clasped together, and her mouth wide open. In the midst of singing.

Musical notes floated around her, and it was garnished with serene imagery. Like a rainbow, a shining sun, and fluttering doves. Representing the beautiful mirages.

Not only did Sofia have a gorgeous singing voice, but her music created wondrous visualizations. And even seemed to affect the moods of those who were listening.

They had a new gift.

Both Dolores and Mariano were brimming with joy, as Sofia performed a dainty curtsy. Bashfully accepting the uproarious praise.

“Thank you! Thank you ever so much!”

She truly was happy.

A gift like this was sure to bring joy to the hearts of the townsfolk!

From the audience, Diego cheered the loudest. Excited for his cousin and best friend.

But when he was done cheering, he grew an eager smirk.

Because he knew that he was next.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A few months later, it was time.

Again.

Once more, La Casa Madrigal was packed with people and dragons. All of whom were watching that third floor with anticipation.

Diego strutted up the stairs, taking a moment to part his scruffy black hair. And smooth out his white suit.

He joined Bruno, Valentina, and Mirabel in front of his door. Grinning widely, without a hint of apprehension.

This was what he’d been waiting for.

Finally, finally, the entire village’s eyes were on him.

Just as his cousin, he swore to assist the town. While also staying true to his wonderful self.

And he knew he was wonderful.

His smile proudly presented his tooth-gap, as he gripped the candle.

And that smile didn’t fade for an instant, as he clutched his doorknob.

And after a burst of light-

Diego was suddenly beside himself.

The boy stepped back with surprise, when he noticed an exact copy of himself standing next to him.

He spared a glance to the audience, and saw that Camilo was still there. Observing with intrigue, along with the rest of the crowd.

So if it wasn’t him…

“Who are you?” Diego asked, jolting with apprehension.

The second Diego regarded him with a smug smirk.

“I’m your clone.” He simply answered.

Every trace of apprehension faded from the boy, who now regarded his double with amazement.

“I can make a clone?” The first child wondered, his eyes twinkling.

“You can make clones.” The duplicate corrected. “More than one!”

At his word, Diego tried really hard to focus…

And three other identical boys came out from behind him, each one spouting a phrase of some sort.

“Hey-O!” “It’s aliiive!” “Diegos in the house!”

Now surrounded by four copies of himself, the clones all surged forth. Tucking their hands underneath the boy, and lifting him up. Presenting him to the people, while he laughed with joy.

Diego’s door was finished soon after.

A group of nine identical boys, lined up in rows of three.

Every Diego had his eyes closed, except the one in the middle. Portraying that he was the original, who the copies spawned from.

Diego could clone himself.

They had a new gift.

Bruno and Valentina were very happy, of course. Though Manny felt a sense of existential dread.

There was now an infinite supply of his annoying little brother.

This was going to suck.

Diego ate up the applause gleefully, savoring the spotlight. Though his smug grin turned genuine when he caught Sofia, releasing a harmonious holler in his direction.

He was pretty pleased with his gift, as well.

After all, it was easy to have everybody’s attention if there was one you for every body.

And that wrapped up the current batch of gift ceremonies. Though it wasn’t like they were done.

Hiccup and Mirabel’s children were next in line.

And from their positions amongst the cheering masses, all three triplets shared one thought...

“What will our gifts be?”