The world inside the dream bubble bloomed with lush, vibrant colors.
Towering trees shimmered with golden leaves, streams babbled with laughter,
and glowing flowers whispered secrets to the wind.
Unfortunately, this picturesque setting was rudely interrupted by a group of people hurtling through the air.
Stelle face-planted into the mossy ground with a loud
“Oof!”
Meanwhile, Boothill landed perfectly on both feet, arms crossed smugly.
“Ha! Just like landin’ on a bull in zero-G.”
he muttered, brushing some imaginary dust off his coat.
Stelle groaned, pushing herself up and shaking off leaves from her hair.
“Ow… what kind of dream bubble is this?” She glanced around, rubbing her face.
“Wait… where’s March? Where’s Danheng?”
Boothill’s grin faded into a scowl.
“Well, ain’t that just the perfect bucket o’ fudge.”
He spun around, squinting into the forest, but there was no sign of their friends.
“Darn dream bubble must’ve split us up. Figures.”
His boot stomped the ground as he swore under his breath, coming up with random replacements.
“Son of a biscuit-eating barnacle! Dang ol’ bubble got more tricks than a three-legged mule on roller skates!”
Without missing a beat, Boothill adjusted his hat and stormed off into the forest, leaving Stelle scrambling to catch up.
“Come on, face-plant—ain’t got time to lollygag! My Singing Queen needs rescuin’, and I ain’t lettin’ some goofy bubble beat me to her!”
Stelle blinked, struggling to keep up with his quick, stomping pace.
“Wait! We don’t even know where she is! You can’t just—”
Before she could finish, they reached a wide pond, still and clear as glass.
But right in the center of the pond floated an odd sight—an origami frog sitting lazily on a lily pad, puffing out little paper bubbles.
As they approached, the frog blinked, looking Boothill up and down.
“You there,” the frog croaked with a rustling-paper voice,
“are you the knight?”
Boothill stopped dead in his tracks, squinting at the frog as if it just sprouted two extra heads. “The what now?”
“The knight,” the frog repeated, its paper folds crinkling with each word.
“The one destined to save the Princess.”
Stelle couldn’t help but snicker.
“Boothill… a knight? Yeah, sure. And I’m the fairy godmother.”
Boothill shot her a glare.
“Pipe down, kid. This ain’t no time for jokes.” He pointed a finger at the frog, who just puffed another bubble lazily.
“Listen here, paper toad—what kinda fairytale nonsense is this?”
The frog only gave a nonchalant shrug.
“You’ll see soon enough. Head east to find your way.”
And with that, it disappeared with a pop, leaving only ripples on the pond’s surface.
Boothill threw his arms up.
“Son of a sweet corn kernel, this day just keeps gettin’ better and better.”
But he didn’t wait around—he turned and began marching east through the forest, muttering half-swears all the way.
Stelle shook her head with an amused sigh and followed after him.
After some time trudging through the enchanted woods, they spotted something peculiar up ahead—a small origami bird, folded delicately and glowing with a soft shimmer.
It fluttered in place, its wings crinkling like tiny bells as it hovered toward them.
“Boothill! Look at that—an origami bird!”
Stelle called, pointing at the floating paper messenger.
The bird flapped closer, perching neatly on Boothill’s hat before crinkling open to reveal a tiny, shimmering image of Robin’s face. “Boothill? Can you hear me?”
His heart skipped a beat.
“Singing Queen! That really you?”
Robin’s paper image gave a soft laugh.
“Yes, it’s me! I woke up in a castle—there’s a festival going on, and these little origami birds are everywhere.”
She paused, glancing nervously to the side.
“I think we’ve been pulled into a fairytale of some sort… and, uh… you’re playing a knight.”
Stelle burst out laughing, slapping her knee. “Called it! You’re definitely the knight, Boothill!”
“Shut yer trap, kid.” Boothill grumbled, though his cheeks tinged a little red.
He tipped his hat to try and hide it.
“Robin, darlin’, you alright? You ain’t hurt or nothin’, are ya?”
“I’m fine,” Robin replied, though there was a hint of worry in her voice.
“But… there’s something strange going on. The castle’s holding a festival for these origami birds, and they’re all acting like this is some sort of storybook. I think we’re supposed to play along to escape.”
Boothill grunted.
“A festival, huh? Alright, Singing Queen, we’re comin’ to get you. Where’s this castle?”
“Head east,” Robin said, her origami bird giving a soft flutter.
“But… Boothill, be careful. I overheard something about the dragon being involved too. And I think it’s waiting for you.”
Boothill rolled his eyes.
“Of course it is. ‘Cause nothin’ says a good day like shootin’ a dream dragon outta the sky.”
Robin’s image gave a small, knowing smile. “Just… be careful, okay? I’ll be waiting.”
The paper bird folded itself back up and floated away on the wind, leaving Boothill standing there, hands on his hips. He sighed heavily.
“Alright, let’s go, kid,” he said to Stelle, already heading deeper into the forest.
“We got ourselves a castle to storm.”
“You really are a knight in shining… uh,
cyborg parts, huh?”
Stelle teased, skipping along beside him.
“Zip it before I call you a toadstool...”
Boothill muttered, though a small, fond smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
As they pushed eastward through the forest, the whimsical atmosphere around them only deepened—glowing mushrooms, singing streams, and odd paper animals following them along the path.
It was clear now: they were stuck inside a dream-crafted fairytale, and there was no way out but through.
And somewhere up ahead, in the heart of the dream kingdom, Robin awaited—along with the dragon they’d have to face to bring her back.
Boothill adjusted his hat, determination burning in his eyes.
“Alright, dream bubble—bring it on. Ain’t no dragon big enough to
keep me from my Singing Queen.”
YOU ARE READING
𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙢𝙤𝙫𝙞𝙚...? - ʀᴏʙɪɴʜɪʟʟ
Fanfiction◜✧ A flim made by yours truly, Mr. Reca.
