Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"Hey! No fair, I wanna hold it!" Spruce whined, tugging at his big brother’s arm as they all jostled for a turn.

"No, I get to!" Clay shot back, shoving Spruce aside.

"Me too!" Floyd added, squeezing himself between his older brothers, determined not to be left out.

John Dory, the eldest, puffed out his chest. "I’m the oldest, so I get to hold the egg first. Just like I did with the rest of you."

Clay smirked. "Yeah? Well, didn’t you drop Floyd?"

"What?!" Floyd's eyes went wide with horror as he turned to John Dory.

John Dory scoffed. "I dropped him on the bed! Totally doesn’t count."

Spruce lunged for the bright blue egg cradled in John Dory’s arms. “You’ve had it long enough! We want a turn.”

“Yeah, quit hogging them!” Clay added, reaching for the egg as well.

Floyd, ever the peacemaker, raised his hands. “Guys, let’s be careful. We all want a turn with our sibling, but if we’re not—”

“Yeah! So stop fighting and back off.” John Dory cut him off, tightening his grip on the egg.

Spruce huffed. “What do you even want to do with them, anyway? You’ve been holding them for hours.”

John Dory lifted his chin proudly. “I’m gonna climb to the top of the tree and show them what it’s like outside the cage.”

Floyd smiled. “That’s sweet, John.”

“Yeah, and pointless,” Clay scoffed. “They can’t even see anything from inside there.”

“I did it with all of you when you were eggs—now it’s a rite of passage,” John Dory declared as he climbed higher, the others following close behind, using their hair to launch themselves up. “Maybe one day, we can all actually leave this place… if King Peppy ever finishes those tunnels.”

“Fine,” Spruce huffed. “After you do your little tradition, can we finally hold them?”

“Sure,” John Dory said. “But first, I wanna get the light to hit just right. That way, the egg will sparkle.”

Spruce frowned. “How come you never told me or Clay about this tradition?”

John Dory shrugged. “Because you two were always too busy to notice. You were sleeping when I showed Clay’s egg, and when it was Floyd’s turn, you guys were off practicing a song.”

Reaching the top of the tree, John Dory pushed aside the last few leaves and grinned. “What a perfect day! Look at that warm yellow sun—clear blue sky, not a cloud in sight.” He lifted the egg high, letting the golden light pour over it. “And look at the way the sunbeams hit it… like a brilliant sapphire.”

The egg gleamed in the sunlight, casting tiny shimmering reflections around them.

“Wait… yellow?” Clay questioned, brow furrowing.

“Yeah, yellow. Like the sun.” John Dory waved a hand toward the bright orb in the sky, which seemed to wink at them.

Clay crossed his arms. “The sun’s not actually yellow. It’s light. Light is white—the condensation of all colors. We only perceive it as yellow because—”

“Blah, blah, blah.” John groaned, rolling his eyes. “Clay, stick to the fun dances. Books aren’t fun.”

“Hey! Books are fun—even the sad ones,” Clay defended. “You learn so much! Like dancing, nature, construction, the sun—”

“Bird!” Floyd suddenly shouted.

“Yeah, birds too,” Clay said absentmindedly.

“No, Clay—a BIRD!” Spruce yelped, pointing to the sky.

A large bird was barreling toward them at alarming speed.

“John!” they all shouted in unison.

Up until that moment, John Dory had been completely mesmerized by the egg—the future youngest member of BroZone, the sibling he would love and watch grow. He hoped it was a boy, but even if they had a sister, that would be just fine. They’d make it work. They’d always made it work.

“Yes?” he asked, finally turning toward his brothers—just as a blur of black swooped down.

Before any of them could react, the strange bird snatched the egg in its talons.

Their youngest sibling—gone before they could even hatch. John’s stomach dropped as he watched the bird disappear into the sky.

“Ohhh… sugar plums.”

Chapter Text

     Volcano Rock City – Central Stage

The lights blazed down, casting fiery hues over the stage as the crowd roared with anticipation.

David Reverb gripped the microphone, his voice smooth and powerful as he led the song.

“You tell me that you want me
You tell me that you need me
You tell me that you love me…”

Billy stepped in seamlessly, his voice blending with his older brother’s.

“And I know that I'm right
'Cause I hear it in the night…”

The Reverb brothers came together, their harmonies rich and electrifying. Freddie and Jimi’s backing vocals layered in perfectly, adding depth to the performance.

“I hear the secrets that you keep
When you're talkin’ in your sleep
I hear the secrets that you keep
When you're talkin’ in your sleep…”

The music pulsed through the venue, the stage alive with energy. The audience swayed, entranced by the magic of their sound. This being the end of their first song, the crowd of rock trolls was expected to show their appreciation in the usual way—by throwing things. It could be guns and roses or red hot chili peppers. Once, they even threw stones that wouldn’t stop rolling. No matter what, it was always their way of saying rock on.

But tonight was different.

Tonight was Billy’s first-ever performance, having only turned eight a few months ago. The band was eager to see what the crowd would throw in his honor. That question was answered a moment later when, out of nowhere, a bright blue egg dropped straight into Billy’s hands. The music stopped, and the cheers died down. The entire arena, which had been roaring just seconds before, fell into stunned silence. It was quiet enough to hear the lava flowing in the distance. David, as the oldest, stepped forward and cleared his throat, speaking into the microphone.

“Uhhh… did someone accidentally throw their egg?” He glanced at the crowd, then at the egg in Billy’s hands. “We appreciate the gifts, really, but an egg is kinda unsafe. If someone could kindly report their missing egg, we’d be happy to return it to the proper troll responsible.”

He smiled awkwardly. No one answered. Something about this felt… off.

“It fell from the sky!” someone from the crowd shouted.

“I saw a bird drop it!” another voice screamed.

David blinked at the egg in Billy’s hands, his mind racing. This was not normal. He quickly turned back to the mic.

“Okay, well… due to recent events, we’re gonna have to end the concert here. Hope you all understand. Good night, everyone!”

The crowd murmured in confusion as the brothers hurried offstage. Once backstage, David took charge. “Alright, Freddie and I will go to King Thrash. Jimi, you stay with Billy and take care of that egg at home until we know what’s going on.”

“You got it, bro,” Jimi said with a nod.

“We’ll follow your lead,” Freddie confirmed.

Billy, still cradling the egg, frowned. “Are eggs supposed to be this bright?”

The brothers leaned in for a closer look. The shell was an almost unnatural shade of blue—deep, vibrant, and shining like polished crystal. Definitely not the usual color for a rock troll egg.

“Maybe it’s got some kind of abnormality?” Jimi mused. “Or someone coated it in something. Looks kinda like a sapphire from the mines.”

David rubbed his chin. “I’ll mention it to King Thrash. Maybe that bird thought it was a gem and grabbed it, then dropped it when it realized it wasn’t.” He sighed. “Either way, we need answers.” The egg shimmered under the stage lights, and for a moment, it almost looked like it was glowing. Something about this didn’t sit right.

"Ohh, like that time Jimi didn’t like the toy that came with the Tyke Meal at RockDonald’s and threw it into the lava?" Freddie quipped, thinking on Jimi's words

Jimi groaned. "Would you shut up about that? I was like three! I didn’t understand the environmental consequences of my actions—or why we shouldn’t be polluting our lava."

David pinched the bridge of his nose. "We can have a proper talk about environmental safety later. Right now, we’ve got bigger things to deal with."

Freddie held up his hands in surrender. "Right, right. Let’s go." He followed David as they made their way toward the seventh upper ring of the volcano.

Jimi ruffled Billy’s hair. "You heard them, lil' bro. Let’s head home." He gently grabbed Billy’s arm, leading him along as the brothers made their way toward the elevator.

After stepping out, the group split—David and Freddie heading off to meet their neighbor and leader, King Thrash, while Jimi and Billy took the mysterious egg home to their parents.

As they walked, Billy glanced down at the egg. It still shimmered in the dim volcanic light, and something told him—this was only the beginning. his smile grew.

“Mom! Dad!” Jimi called as he stepped inside. “Where are you?!”

“We’re in the kitchen!” their mother, Echo, responded.

Their father, Gene, chimed in. “You’re back early—I thought you and your brothers had a concert.”

Jimi didn’t waste a second, rushing toward the kitchen to explain everything, leaving Billy alone in the living room with the lustrous blue egg. Billy sat down, cradling it carefully in his hands. The way the light hit the shell made it sparkle like a gemstone.

“I’ve never seen an egg look so pretty,” he murmured, gently running his fingers over its smooth surface. A thought popped into his head, and he grinned. “You know, I heard that talking and singing is good for an egg. So I’m gonna sing you a song—I hope you like it, lil’ dude… or dudette.” Clearing his throat, Billy took a deep breath and began to sing softly, his voice filling the quiet space around him.

“I could stay awake just to hear you breathing,
Watch you smile while you are sleeping,
While you're far away and dreaming…”

As his voice filled the room, he suddenly felt a rhythmic thump against his palms. The egg was moving—beating—like a tiny drum keeping time with his song.

Billy’s eyes widened in wonder. “Guess you like it, huh?” he chuckled, his excitement growing.

“I just wanna be with you,
Right here with you, just like this,
And I just wanna hold you close,
I feel your heart so close to mine,
And just stay here in this moment,
For all the rest of time…”

Tiny fractures snaked across the egg’s surface, shimmering under the glow of the well-lit room. Billy’s heart pounded as he watched in awe. The egg was hatching! Determined, he kept singing.

“Don’t wanna close my eyes,
I don’t wanna fall asleep, yeah,
And I don’t wanna miss a thing…”

With the final lyric, the shell was nearly covered in deep cracks, light seeping through the thin fractures. The excitement surged through Billy just as his parents and Jimi rushed out of the kitchen, their eyes widening at the sight before them.

“It’s about to hatch!” Echo gasped.

“Quick, get the tub!” Gene instructed, hurrying to grab a small container of lava—essential for a baby rock troll’s first moments.

Billy was just about to carefully lower the egg in when—

BAM!

The front door burst open, and in stormed King Thrash, followed closely by David and Freddie.

"Wait! Stop! Don’t put that in the lava pool!" King Thrash bellowed, his voice echoing through the room.

Billy froze just as the egg gave one final crack—and shattered in his hands.

The entire family turned toward the egg. The fragments of shell crumbled away, revealing a tiny troll, his skin an ashy pastel blue, his midnight-blue hair slightly damp from hatching. But what stood out the most were his eyes—deep, shimmering sapphire, glowing with curiosity and mischief. A heavy silence filled the room as the newborn troll blinked at the rock trolls surrounding him, taking them all in. Then, his gaze locked onto Billy’s. For a moment, nothing happened.

Then—