For trunk's sake, my head is pounding. And I am extremely stiff. And the light piercing through my eyes is too bright.. I stretch, pulling my arms and legs out-

Clink! Clink!

What was that? My hands go to my eyes, rubbing them open and picking out any unwanted crusties. The world is more muted than I remember it. Don't panic, Tree. I look up; there's a hole up there which I could potentially escape from.

Wait. No, no. I remember now. Episode seven. I woke up and suddenly I was trapped inside Bottle. Right. How did I get in here in the first place? And how am I supposed to get out? Shattering Bottle is an option, but there's no way I'm letting myself or anyone else do that. It goes against our team's code.

It's so cramped in here, there's barely any room for my crown. My face is all squished in. I doubt I can shift around to find a comfortable position.

Bottle's face, I can see it from inside. It's strange, looking at her from inside herself. She looks like she's sleeping, but why is she sleeping outside? Should I wake her?

It's sunny. And warm. It must be so nice to really be outside right now, with the warm sun on my trunk and leaves...I miss it already. I suppose this is adequate, though. At least I can actually get some sun from inside here.

Jeez, this is actually making me hope Bottle shatters... What is wrong with me? I shouldn't be thinking that. I shouldn't-

"Woah! Hey, Tree! How are you doing?" Bottle chirps. Way to make me feel guilty with your positive attitude...

"I'm fine," I lie through my teeth, "I'm just feeling a little cramped. I'll manage. What are you doing, sleeping outside?"

"Oh, I just thought you'd like some fresh sun and air when you woke up!"

I attempt a smile. I wonder if she can see it. "Thanks. Do you know how I got in here?"

Bottle puts a hand on her cheek, thinking. "I dunno. One moment, we were trying to get the ball into The Losers' goal, and then the next, you were inside me!"

Great. "Oh. Well, I guess that doesn't matter."

Urgh, I can't even begin to stand up in here. I can move, but only barely. Hm, what if I'm trapped in here forever? Honestly, I doubt it, glass is easy to shatter- no, not this again. I can't just hope for someone to shatter Bottle. That's shameful.

I'm adaptable. I can adapt to this. It's fine. Maybe I'll just get used to this after a while. I can get used to this tiny space. I can get used to Bottle's extroverted personality. I can get used to not feeling comfortable. This is fine.

Still...I'm going to miss being outside. I'm going to miss soaking up the warmth of the sun. I'm going to miss the refreshing whistle of wind through my leaves. I'm going to miss standing in rain showers and letting the water rejuvenate me. I'm going to miss having solitary time. It's not relaxing when I'm cramped in a space that's barely big enough for me.

But I can't think about those things. I want to, but I can't think of getting out. To get out, someone has to shatter Bottle. And if Bottle is shattered on my watch-

"Tree?"

"Wh-" I almost snap. Aren't I being rude today. "Sorry. What is it?"

Bottle looks down, biting her fingers. I wonder what's on her mind? "I dunno.. I just felt really sad and anxious and scared all of a sudden. I don't know why."

"Do...you want to go into more detail?"

She shrugs. "It just felt like a wave of sadness. Suddenly, I was really unsure about everything and couldn't think properly." Her arms shoot out from her sides. "It felt like I was gonna shatter from all of those emotions! But I feel a little better talking about it with you, Tree."

"Well, I'm glad for that." I place a hand on her glass. "You've got nothing to be afraid of. It's probably just a feeling." It's strange that she just...suddenly felt that way. Bottle rarely bursts out in negative emotions like that, but she claims that she just felt sad all of a sudden. That in particular never happens.

"Thanks, Tree," she smiles. "I bet you never feel this way. You're always so confident and sure of yourself. I bet you have no insecurities whatsoever!"

I almost laugh. You'd be surprised, Bottle. Guess I can't tell her how I feel about this whole predicament. Not like I was planning to, anyway.

"Sure. Hopefully that feeling goes away soon."