Monstrous Nightmare

The Monstrous Nightmare appeared in 2010 movie called How to Train Your Dragon. The Monstrous Nightmare is a large Stoker Class dragon that first appeared in How to Train Your Dragon.

No dragon is more ferocious, or feared than the Monstrous Nightmare. This gigantic dragon has a long, snake-like neck and tail, and is covered in red scales and long sharp spines. The Nightmare's gigantic head and mouth can swallow Vikings whole. It is highly aggressive, and will never run from a fight. Its fire is thick and sticky, clinging to walls and running down hills like a flaming river. The Nightmare also has a nasty habit of setting itself on fire.

Monstrous Nightmares come in many different colors such as purple, blue, scarlet, or green and possesses a long, snakelike neck and tail. Unlike some other breeds of dragon, it has no forelegs, and its ground-based locomotion is similar to that of Pterosaurs, except that it has a lower profile due to its sprawled wings; it can use its claw-tipped wings to "crawl" along the floor. Their horns might be used as a visual display and in defense, but the swept back position of the horns means it is unlikely to use them in combat. In most pieces of media, this dragon possesses two rows of spikes on it's back, but in Rise of Berk the spikes are replaced by two sails. Its stripe skin patterns seem to mimic that of a tiger's. Find more information on this here. The Monstrous Nightmare is 60 feet long, has a wingspan of 68 feet and weighed about 5,000 lbs.

By nature, the Monstrous Nightmare is fearless and proud. They are some of the strongest dragons around and they know it. Monstrous Nightmares are very aggressive. In battle, they are said to be the first to arrive and last to leave.

Incendiary in temperament and short on patience, Monstrous Nightmares would incinerate first and think second, according to Dragonpedia.

In "Heather Report, Part 2", Snotlout revealed that the Monstrous Nightmare enjoys its horns being pinned to the ground and Astrid was able to tame one by doing so. This dragon later returned and saved her.

According to Gobber the Belch, the best way to engage a Nightmare is to clamp its mouth shut, leaving it unable to open its enormous jaws, much like a crocodile (however, the rest of the dragon is free to do whatever it wants). They are also fast in a straight line, but not so good with turns according to Astrid Hofferson

Despite their name, Monstrous Nightmares are known to have a softer side. In Dream Works Dragons: Wild Skies, their favorite food are scented flowers. In the Comic "Dragon Down", Hookfang at least is known to be fond of eating rats so it is possible that all Monstrous Nightmares like eating rats. At several points of Dragons: Riders of Berk, Hookfang occasionally dozed off or was distracted by leaf, chasing a gull, or anything else, sometimes they don't even notice that an object as big as a rider falling off them. Being a hot-headed, feisty dragon, they will attack anyone in its way if spooked. Every time Monstrous Nightmares attempt to fight off Toothless, they are blinded by their aggressiveness that Night Furies are a far bigger threat than they think.

While other babies, which drool regularly, baby Nightmares are much different as they slobber packs of punch that their kerosene gel composition makes it akin to lighter fluid.

When born, baby Monstrous Nightmares hatch fast and fiery. They are quick to be separated from the rest of the litter and assert their independence within minutes of their birth, but this hasn't been confirmed as shown on the Dragon Breeding Island when some baby Nightmares were still with their parents. They were shown to be eager to join their parents when setting off the return migration to Berk but like all the others baby dragons, they are unable to fly well due to their small wing and the strong winds that are preventing them to take off.

It was revealed in the episode "Total Nightmare", that female Monstrous Nightmares are able to call males that aren't her mate, but another individual of their kind. As Hookfang was shown to help a female dragon of his kind to defend her eggs from Titan Wing Monstrous Nightmare. Male Monstrous Nightmares are shown to be determined to answer this distressed call.

Their mating habits are similar to a lion's, as seen in Total Nightmare; rival Monstrous Nightmares who are fighting for a mate will want to destroy the predecessor's eggs, much like a new alpha male wanting to destroy the previous alpha's cubs.

These dragons are also extremely territorial, protecting their young and helping other individuals of the same kind. In "Total Nightmare", Hookfang was helped a female dragon take care of her eggs. He also pit himself against a larger, stronger Titan Nightmare which was attacking them in order to dominate over it and protect the eggs.

The Titan Wing Monstrous Nightmare has shown to be fiercer and much more aggressive compared to average Monstrous Nightmares. They will fight for dominance over a female Monstrous Nightmare to have their own family, such as male lions do with a pride. Possibility that the Titan Nightmare may have killed the mate of the female Monstrous Nightmare. They will even destroy her first eggs to have their own eggs with the female.

Monstrous Nightmare can also store and heat fish by sticking them to its spines. The Nightmare can then engulf itself in flames and cook the fish, sort of like a barbecue.

If Monstrous Nightmares get a toothache, they would act strange, for example they won't eat for a few days. The dragon would then become agitated, act aggressive and then they will fire uncontrollably. As shown by Hookfang, tamed Monstrous Nightmares can also reject their owners and companions, usually only for a short while.

As seen in the comic, "Dragon Down", Monstrous Nightmares shed their scales periodically. This is a bit of a hazard for the environment and creatures around them, as the scales flame up and can start fires on the ground.

Powers and Abilities

 * Firepower: Monstrous Nightmares breathe an organic Kerosene Gel, which can be hotter than a usual flame and more powerful as well. Their fire is hot enough to burn down a tree in a few seconds. Its signature attack is known as the "Fire Jacket" or "Fire Burst". This ability makes it engulf itself in flames (according to Snotlout, by igniting the spit it coats itself in prematurely), resulting in an intimidating, offensive and defensive maneuver similar in appearance to napalm or other gel-based incendiaries. They are able to set any part of their body on fire shown they can do even on their horns. They are also able to fire off a larger and more powerful fire blast whilst doing this as shown in the first movie and School of Dragons. It also said that Fire Jacket ability also make the Monstrous Nightmare while running downhill makes it appear like flaming river possible spreading the fire on the tall grass. In the Dragons: Race to the Edge episode "Dire Straits", Hookfang is shown to shoot fire bolts underwater, although Gobber mentions dragons getting their head wet will momentarily make them unable to breathe fire. Monstrous Nightmares have the ability to Fire Burst to make their body temperature stay heated as they can dry off from being wet. This might be possible mistake from the Creators of Dragons: Race to the Edge as they made Toothless and Stormfly shoot fire underwater as well. The natural form of the Monstrous Nightmare's kerosene gel was shown to be green in color. It coats the dragon's hide, allowing a Nightmare to 'flame up'. The gel is also slimy, being easy to rub against a platform. It occurs in large enough quantity for a Viking to collect and store for other uses. The gel is highly flammable and is one of the tools to efficiently penetrate the Death Song's amber substance. Nightmare gel also appears to be water-soluble, as evidenced in "Dire Straits" when Fishlegs and the Twins experiment what might eat through dragon-proof chains underwater. Nightmare gel is not a good option.
 * Senses: The Monstrous Nightmare has also been observed to have a well-developed sense of smell, as Hookfang was able to find Snotlout's scent in "Defiant One" over a day as he was separated from the ocean. However, it is unknown how strong is their sense of smell exactly.
 * Strength & Combat: Monstrous Nightmares are among the most physically powerful dragons as they can send heavy Vikings far distance by using their tail and can send a Gronckle flying full speed with an extra heavy weight Viking riding on them by hitting with their wings. Monstrous Nightmares have even shown to be able to easily crush the Mangler that Hiccup had invented to use to capture Toothless with one stomp of their feet in How to Train Your Dragon. Monstrous Nightmares are among the most well-armed dragons, for they are able to use their jaws, claws, tail and horns as formidable weapons in battle. Their neck muscles are very strong, as they are able to carry heavy Vikings on their necks, sometimes with an extra weight of a teen Viking with no sign of any struggle, with a weapon, and with a saddle. Hookfang has proven for his kind that Monstrous Nightmares are able to toss an entire Night Fury with his mouth, despite having a toothache. Monstrous Nightmares, as proven by Hookfang, that they're able to lift the entire weight of a Fireworm Queen or can carry a large amount of weight. In "Snow Way Out", Hookfang is able to carry two of the Snow Wraiths, one in a cage, and another in a net with just his feet, and with the extra weight of Snotlout with no sign of trouble. They are quite powerful fighters, as they can show off their combat ability to try to fight off a Night Fury, just like how Hookfang has demonstrated to put up a good fight against Toothless twice, although the fight was broken up or unfinished both times. It said that Monstrous Nightmares will never run from a fight, but it is possible that if this dragon knows it can't win against a really powerful opponent, it will flee.
 * Speed & Agility: Nightmares have been shown to be quite fast, both on land, in water and in the air. Hookfang was able to catch up with Toothless in "Thawfest", though it is very well possible that this was the result of Snotlout's training, and that a wild Nightmare isn't capable of this. Nightmares on land have been observed as fast runners while in a straight line, although they have trouble making turns. They are agile and fast fliers as they are able to go around trees and able to dodge many arrows, as demonstrated by Hookfang and Fanghook also Nightmares are able to make flip in the air as well.
 * Swimming: Monstrous Nightmares have also been observed to be fast and agile swimmers, as Hookfang proved. It's unknown how long they can stay underwater, but it is possible Hookfang would have been able to hold his breath longer if he hadn't been burdened by Snotlout.
 * Climbing: Monstrous Nightmares are excellent climbers on both chains and many different types of terrain shown to be able to climb mountains and Viking catapult towers as shown in the first film. They can also climb against stone/metal walls while running quickly.
 * Intelligence: Monstrous Nightmares have shown to have very intelligent if wanted too such as if they get the good respect that they deserve from their owners, they can learn great skills over a day as demonstrated by Fanghook. But if they don't get sufficient respect from their owners they will sometimes to prank them and unexpectedly outsmart them, just like how Hookfang has demonstrated many times on Snotlout. Its also possible that Astrid's Monstrous Nightmare have shown that they are able to understand that the punch she gave to the Monstrous Nightmare was use as distraction to be able to save her life later from thrown off the cliff.
 * Wing Blast: They have a hidden ability that Astrid discovered is known as a Wing Blast, when she temporarily became Hookfang's rider in "A Tale of Two Dragons". They use their large, powerful wings to create a blast of wind that is so strong, it can even blow a fully-grown Hideous Zippleback to the ground. It's even able to push back the weight of Gronckle with the extra weight of a heavy rider while pulling off a dragon root but unable to pull out the root from the ground.
 * Endurance & Stamina: Monstrous Nightmares have high stamina and endurance, as was proven multiple times in the series. A Monstrous Nightmare from the first film is shown to take the raid of attacks from Stoick from his large hammer or with his bare hands though Hookfang even proved to take the attacks from Toothless the Night Fury with addition he even took hit from Astrid hammer. Their durable skin is able to bounce an arrow off their skin and the skin on their head is shown to be quite durable in the "Defiant One" though it is quite possible that a larger arrow that is such as one from Dagur's Crossbow might be powerful enough to get through the skin of Nightmare as Hiccup resisted Dagur to do kill wild Nightmare. They are able to endure Deadly Nadder magnesium blast that is very powerful enough to melt solid rocks but Hookfang was using their wings as a shield and are able to whist and can endure a very powerful lighting blast from wild Skrill to continue to fly. Monstrous Nightmare has great stamina as they are able to travel long distances. In the first film, Hookfang was able to run the whole arena when releasing from his cage and chase his prey such as Hiccup, Astrid, and an addition of fight with Toothless though he still has shown to be a great condition to back off from the fight. Though Monstrous Nightmares never really shown to be quite exhausted as many dragons do have great stamina on their side though if they do being pushed to hard to from traveling full speed they can show to be exhausted though they still can fly fast as Hookfang shown but they can get very sick and lose the ability to produce fire and if that happens they will get weaker and weaker until they die.
 * Kerosene Saliva: According to the Dragonpedia, young Monstrous Nightmares drool excessively as babies, as many species do. However, that drool contains the kerosene gel that coats the scales and makes it very volatile. In the game, Dragons: Rise of Berk, the description for Sven's Nightmare indicates that it "blasts poison instead of flame." It is widely thought this is an error on the part of the game, as Sven's Nightmare breathes fire in Dragons: Race to the Edge. However, it might be possible to consider this individual is 'spitting' kerosene-laden saliva. Kerosene is a toxic substance.
 * Jaw Expanding & Jaw Strength: Like snakes, Monstrous Nightmare is stated open their jaws wide enough to swallow a full grown Viking whole, which is shown when Hookfang is able to fit Snotlout's torso in his mouth. According to the Rise of Berk, Monstrous Nightmares are able to chew through anything, even the cages that they are trapped in. If this is possible, it might take some time for Monstrous Nightmares to break out from dragon proof metal cages.
 * Hunting & Fishing: According to Dragonpedia, as hatchlings, they are skilled hunters. Just like modern carnivores, Monstrous Nightmares seem to chase their prey down with their great stamina to tired them out to attack. As shown from Fanghook before being tamed he was hunting wild boar as he was chasing down his prey on land. They could hunt as solitary or can even possible as the pack if they hunted bigger if needed. With their swimming ability to hold their breath for a certain amount of time they can fish as they show of the pictures of the book that can hooked the fish on their spines. And they use that to keep their fish warm to eat another time. They might use their spines to hold more fish to feed their youngsters at their nest as they can store an amount of fish in their mouth and more on their spines.
 * Titan Wing Abilities: A Titan Wing Monstrous Nightmare is fully grown form that has shown to enhanced physical attributes and abilities that make them stronger in strength and bulk. Also, their range of fire is increased so targets can be hit at a further distance. Their fire breath seems to be quite brighter then average size Nightmare. Though it hasn't shown if they can use their fire burst as the Titan Nightmare hasn't shown this ability though if not able to quite possible loose this attribute for their larger and more fire power of their flamethrower. Titan wings are proven to be extremely strong able to toss away heavy dragons with its head that weighed over 5000 lbs without a struggle over their body or even knocking a dragon off in the air by using their tail. Though the Titan Monstrous Nightmare easily can defeat an adult Nightmare like Hookfang could be possible to give Toothless harder time for combat as Toothless fought Hookfang twice the Titan Monstrous Nightmare will be tougher challenger the proven to be more determination. They have a really durable body than average Nightmare which can take average blasts from different dragons, or even smashing into trees and other terrains by traveling at great speed. Quite possible took some attacks from Hookfang before Snotlout had arrived for the final time. Titan Nightmare has a higher stamina and speed than a normal Monstrous Nightmare. As proven to be fast enough to catch up to Hookfang who has been enhancing his speed for the past few years with hard training that can reach to close to Hookfang's tail. As the Titan Nightmare also proven to have greater stamina then Hookfang, as it might be possible belief that has battle Hookfang right before Snotlout, had return one last time seeing Hookfang on the ground that he appears to be out of breath as the Titan Nightmare was ready to continue the fight no matter. As Titan Nightmare even show their determination will be greater than average Nightmare as they willing to continue a fight and fly away in great speed. Though they are 'fully' grown and as big as their species can get as a Titan Wing, there may still have the hidden ability of the wing blast as more powerful than average Nightmare. However, this also causes maneuvering difficult, due to being heavier and possible the long tail, this means it can't stop itself as quickly and can't make tight turns. Though like average monstrous nightmares they can still swing their tail to whip.

Weaknesses

 * Flame Loss: The true weakness of this dragon is losing their flame as well as their fire burst protects them from hypothermia that could make this dragon become very weak and they can easily die from this. According to Fishlegs they can lose their Fire Burst from old age, exhaustion or injuries. Symptoms include flaky skin, pale coloration and inability to light up. Although Hookfang was shown to still be able to fly high, he quickly lost altitude. Their other weakness is tying up their snout that they won't be able to use their Fire Burst but they are able to still fight back.
 * Turning in Flight: Due to a Monstrous Nightmare's long tail, they can't pull up in time when charging in a full speed dive. They are very fast when running in straight line but bad at making turns as stated by Ruffnut. Also, Titan Wing Monstrous Nightmares are unable to maneuver as quickly as younger ones and have difficulty making sharp turns while flying. Their size hinders their mobility of flying and they can be taken down by younger Nightmares.