Alternate Battle for Dream Island

ABFDIA 8b: It's A Beast

The three of them just kept on walking.

And walking.

And walking.

What else was there for them to do? Bubble, Firey, and Snowball didn't have much else to look forward to in their lives other than... more walking. And yet more walking. And even more walking. And *still* more walking. Nothing but green fields to the north, and to the south, and to the east, and to the west. And all the other directions too. Not like any of them can tell their left from their right, so it's a good thing there's nothing to see *anywhere*.

They'd walk in one direction for as long as they could muster; well, they'd *try* to walk in a straight line, but there's absolutely nothing there to guide them, no point of reference. They'd just keep on walking, keep going for however long they felt like it, until one of them would finally, inevitably, snap. They'd shout a bit about how they got it all wrong, that they *totally* knew where they should actually go, they'd bicker, they'd squabble, then they'd ultimately agree to go in that new direction until the cycle repeated itself. It's not like any of them could refute the claim, anyway; especially when it's shouted loudly enough.

And so, they'd keep on going. Keep on walking. They'd pass the time by talking, talking about whatever inane nonsense happened to enter their mind at the time. Well, whatever they had as minds. Feels like they've already had that talk before; in a *desperate* attempt to stave off boredom, Snowball ended up staring at Bubble for a good few minutes, making her rather uncomfortable until Firey told him to knock it off.

*Something* could have happened then and there; they thought about it plenty. SB could have easily run up and popped her, he and the flame could fight about it afterwards, and so on, and so forth. It wouldn't be anything helpful, sure. If anything, it'd be the exact opposite. But at the very least it'd be *something*. *Anything*. Anything to satiate their desire for something to happen, for a new chapter of their life to begin.

Their thoughts often wandered back to Dream Island. Well, they were *constantly* thinking about the best way to get back there, of course. But they also thought about if there even was gonna be an island to return to. There'd been more than enough time for the fire's version of events to simmer in their heads, for them to consider the possibilities. Did it actually happen? Was it just the beginning of something worse? What else could have possibly happened while they were gone? Would they even want to know?

Only one way to find out, really. The three of them just kept on going. And going. Forward, backward, a little bit to the side. Sometimes they ran, sometimes they jumped up to get a better view, sometimes they'd climb up a hill, find nothing, then go back down. Over and over again. Time passed. Minutes, hours, maybe even days. *Maybe*. No one was keeping track, nobody bothered.

Then the rain started.

They noticed the signs, the trouble brewing, over the past half-hour or so; the sky darkening, the clouds covering, the atmosphere depressing. It was only a matter of time, they'd remark to themselves. Their day was gonna become just a *little* bit worse. But until it finally happened, they didn't really pay much attention to it. It was gonna arrive eventually, sure, but it's not like they could do anything about it. It was just one of those immovable certainties of the universe: the sun rose and set, the sky was blue, Needle was ignored and

It was the lightest possible drizzle; the sort you could only feel as little pecks on your skin if you *really* honed in on it, or if you listened *very* carefully at the pitter-patter of the impact of the drops. Snowball wouldn't sense it at all as it started, but Bubble and Firey would very much feel it *immediately*.

"Oh noio!" The soap bubble exclaimed. "RAIN!" The fire shrieked. Meanwhile, the mound of snow was immediately tired of their shenanigans. "What, you can't handle a little bit of water?" "Uh... *Yeah*?" The one that burned everything exclaimed. "Rain? Water? Water's my poison!" "It's already picking up!" Bub continued. "If it gets any stronger, Oi moight just pop!" "Maybe that's for the best." SB remarked. "You've been more of a liability for us." "SB!" The flame exclaimed. "Where'd you even learn those words? I thought you were-"