In the Mining Pit, some of the larger toys were destroying larger rocks while the others were watching the smaller toys. Poppy sat away from the group and held her knees close to her chest.
Tears pricked Poppy's eyes before she lay her head against her knees. A pink arm lay against Poppy's head; she looked up and saw Kissy Missy as she petted her head. "No cry..." she said, lowly.
Poppy stared at Kissy Missy before looking down. "Sorry... I'm just so worried about her..." she said, lowly. Poppy clenched her hands on her knees. "If she doesn't make it... I could never forgive myself..." she continued.
Kissy Missy frowned a bit before wrapping her arm around Poppy and holding her close. Poppy sniffled a bit as Kissy Missy petted her head; they heard a door opening, which made them turn to the back.
Poppy's eyes widened when she saw Michelle, Kevin, and the Nightmare Critters come out of the room. "Misha..." she said, lowly, before turning to the others. "Everyone! They're here?!"
The larger toys that were destroying the debris stopped before turning to the back and sprinting forward.
The smaller toys, along with Bunzo Bunny, PJ Pug-A-Pillar, Yarnaby, Pianosaurus, Medic, Scout, and the Mini Huggies, surrounded Michelle. "You're OK!" a mini DogDay shouted.
Yarnaby laid his head against Michelle's side with a purr, which made her smile before petting his head. "For the most part, yeah... I'm OK," she said. The mini CatNap looked at Michelle's arms. "Are you like a robot now?" he asked.
Bunzo Bunny flinched a bit before covering the mini CatNap's mouth. "That was insensitive, Lucas; we don't talk about Big Sis's new arms," he said. Michelle giggled, which made the smaller toys look at her. "Not exactly..." she said.
Michelle knelt to Bunzo Bunny and Lucas as she held her arms out. "I'd be more considered like... a cyborg," she continued. "My arms are made of metal, but the rest of me is still flesh."
Lucas looked amazed as Michelle held her right hand out to him. "Wanna touch it?" she asked; he nodded as Bunzo Bunny let go of him. When Lucas placed his paw in Michelle's hand, he was amazed. "Wow..." he said, lowly, as he moved his paw.
The other smaller toys got closer to Michelle and felt around her arms. "That's crazy..." a mini KickinChicken said. A mini Bobby BearHug looked at the knob on Michelle's right arm. "What does that do?" she asked.
Michelle smiled. "It lets me switch between hands," she said before holding it between her fingers. "Watch my right hand." As the smaller toys looked at Michelle's right hand, she twisted the knob.
The purple hand retracted into Michelle's arm before the orange hand appeared, which shocked the smaller toys. "Woah!" they shouted.
Michelle stood properly and looked at the orange hand. "Now that I think about it, how do I shoot flares?" she asked. "I can answer that question," the group looked at the source and saw Bubba Bubbaphant approaching them.
When Bubba Bubbaphant was close, he pointed at the underside of Michelle's right arm. "If you check under your right arm, you should see a trigger with a trigger guard," he said.
Michelle stood up and looked under her right arm before spotting a black trigger with a large yellow trigger guard in a hidden compartment. "I made sure the trigger guard was big enough so the blue hand's fingers could fit," Bubba Bubbaphant continued.
Michelle hummed a bit before aiming to the right; she placed her finger on the trigger before pulling it, which shot a flare out of the orange hand.
Most of the smaller toys happily cheered while PJ Pug-A-Pillar barked and Pianosaurus made happy-like noises. "Very impressive, Bubba," Michelle said before pulling her left hand away. "You outdid yourself; thank you."
Bubba Bubbaphant looked at Michelle with happy eyes. "Think nothing of it; if not for your quick thinking, all the lives of Safe Haven would be lost," he said.
Michelle twisted the knob on her upper right arm, switching from the orange hand to the Omni-Hand before turning to Bubba Bubbaphant. "Well, if not for your inventions, I wouldn't be standing here right now..." she said before bowing. "I'm in your debt..."
As some of the larger toys approached the group, Michelle looked at Bobby BearHug, DogDay, CatNap, and Medic. "That involves you four too; thank you..." she continued.
Bobby BearHug looked at Michelle with happy eyes. "Like Bubba said, think nothing of it," she said, which made her smile.
"Big Sister," Michelle turned her head to the source and saw Katelynn with her hands behind her back. Michelle approached Katelynn. "Is something wrong?" she asked.
Katelynn smiled. "The smaller toys and I have a surprise for you," she said. "Close your eyes and hold your right arm out." Michelle nodded. "Very well," she said before closing her eyes and holding her right arm out.
Michelle heard something rattle against her right arm before it stopped. "OK, you can open them," Katelynn said. When Michelle opened her eyes, she was surprised to see her purple beaded bracelet. "How is this...?" she asked.
Katelynn smiled. "While you were unconscious, one of the scavenging groups found a beaded bracelet kit in Playcare," she said. "Half of the beads on your original bracelet were destroyed, but the ones with writing were still intact."
Michelle brought her right arm close and gently placed her hand under the bracelet. "The smaller toys helped me repair it and make adjustments," Katelynn continued.
Katelynn held her right hand out, which revealed the pink beaded bracelet. "Now you won't be the only one without a beaded bracelet," she said.
Michelle looked at Katelynn before smiling. "Thank you, Katie," she said before looking at the smaller toys. "Along with those that helped her." Katelynn smiled and hugged Michelle while her tail wagged, which made her hug back.
After Katelynn let go of Michelle, she looked at the other toys before noticing something. Michelle looked at the back and spotted part of Mommy Long Legs's hair behind a large rock, trembling.
Michelle frowned a bit before approaching Mommy Long Legs, which made the group follow. Michelle poked her head out and spotted Mommy Long Legs lying on the ground with her hand covering her face, sniffling and trembling, which broke her heart.
Michelle sat next to Mommy Long Legs and petted her head, which made her stop trembling. As Mommy Long Legs uncovered her face, Michelle noticed she was crying. "You're here..." she said, lowly.
Mommy Long Legs looked at Michelle's left arm before gently petting it. "Oh, my poor little Misha... I'm so, so sorry..." she continued.
Mommy Long Legs looked down. "I replayed that scene over and over in my head... knowing I could've done so much more..." she said. "I could've shot my arm to you quicker, I could've made sure every part of you was under my hand, I..."
Tears fell from Mommy Long Legs's eyes before looking down. "I wish I could've done more..." she said, lowly.
Michelle remembered Susan's voice from the TV, which made her look down with a frown. Michelle took a deep breath and exhaled before smiling at Mommy Long Legs. "It's OK..." she said.
Mommy Long Legs was shocked and looked at Michelle. "There are times we wish we could've done something more, but sometimes things don't come to fruition," she continued. "If things actually did go their way, then we never learn from our mistakes."
Michelle petted Mommy Long Legs's head. "But what's most important is that I'm still here, and it's thanks to you..." she said. "If you hadn't covered the rest of my body... I would've been dead instead of sitting here with you."
Mommy Long Legs stared at Michelle before tears fell from her eyes. Mommy Long Legs picked Michelle up before hugging her, crying; she smiled a bit with tears pricking her eyes before returning the hug.
Some of the group had tears pricking their eyes before all of them approached the duo and hugged them.
After the group separated, Mommy Long Legs placed Michelle on the ground. "Thank you for that, my little Misha..." she said; she smiled and nodded. "No problem," she said.
Poppy stared at Michelle before looking down; soon after, she clenched her free fist before looking at Kissy Missy. "Kissy," she said.
Kissy Missy nodded before picking Poppy up and placing her on the ground. Poppy looked at Michelle before approaching her. "Misha," she said.
Michelle was surprised and looked at Poppy. "Poppy? You usually don't call me by my nickname," she said. Poppy remained silent and looked down, which concerned Michelle. "Is something wrong?" she asked.
Poppy clenched her fists before looking at Michelle. "There's been something I need to tell you," she said before looking at the others. "To all of you, in fact..." Michelle looked at Poppy. "Well... we're all ears," she said. "What is it that you want to tell us?"
Poppy looked at Michelle. "Back at Safe Haven, you told me a secret that you never shared to anyone... not even to your closest friends," she said before looking down. "Well... I have something similar to that... a secret I never told anyone..."
Poppy turned her head to Kissy Missy as she looked at her, concerned. "Not even Kissy knows about this..." she continued before looking at Michelle. "It involves my father..." Michelle looked at Poppy. "Your father?" she asked.
Poppy nodded. "My father's name... is Elliot Ludwig," she said. The group stared at Poppy, shocked, before the smaller toys whispered to one another.
Michelle remembered the documentary back in Elliot's office before looking at Poppy. "The family death back in the 1960s... it was your death, wasn't it?" she asked.
Poppy nodded. "After I passed away... my father figured out how to bring me back to life as a toy..." she said. "My life sparked an interest in the Bigger Bodies Initiative..."
The group stared at Poppy. "After my father passed away... the company experimented on his corpse..." she continued before looking down. "Which led him to become the Prototype."
The group stared at Poppy with widened eyes. "So you're saying...?" Michelle asked. Poppy nodded. "The Prototype is Elliot Ludwig, my father..." she said before looking at Michelle. "I know it's selfish of me, but please, Misha... please help me stop the Prototype."
Michelle remained silent and looked down; soon after, she looked at Poppy with soft eyes. "You do realize what you're asking me to do, right?" she asked.
Michelle knelt to Poppy. "If you still want me to kill the Prototype... you're basically asking me to kill your father..." she said. Poppy remained silent before looking down. "Yes... I'm aware..." she said, lowly.
Teardrops landed on the ground. "But the Prototype... he's not my father anymore..." Poppy said. "He was a kind man... one that wouldn't hurt children, but now..."
Poppy sniffled as tears fell from her eyes. "Now I don't know him anymore... he's not the same father I used to know..." she said before covering her face with her hands. "I don't want to see him suffer..."
Some of the smaller toys had tears pricking their eyes; Michelle looked down in thought before looking at Poppy as she cried. Michelle gently placed her hands on Poppy's head, which made her stop crying and look at her.
Michelle gently smiled. "Alright..." she said as she gently wiped Poppy's tears away. "I'll do whatever I can to put your father to rest." Tears pricked Poppy's eyes before she tackled Michelle into a hug, which surprised her. "Thank you..." she said, lowly.
Michelle smiled a bit and hugged Poppy. "Anytime..." she said, lowly. Soon after, Michelle was determined and stood up while holding Poppy. "Listen up, everybody," she said.
The toys looked at Michelle. "The one obstacle we have between here and leaving this place with the orphans is the Prototype himself," she continued. "Whatever enemies he has in his arsenal will come after us for our blood."
Michelle looked at the smaller toys. "If there are those among you who don't want to face the Prototype, you're more than welcome to leave; I won't hold it against you," she said before looking at the larger toys. "If this place is Hell... then the Labs are worse than Hell itself."
The toys stared at Michelle; Kevin placed his hand on her right shoulder, which made her look at him. "You're not gonna get rid of us that easily," he said.
Katelynn stood beside Michelle. "Big Brother's right," she said before looking at the toys. "I might be speaking for everyone in saying we want the Prototype dead for hurting one of our own."
The large group loudly cheered, which made Michelle look at them; soon after, she smiled. "Thank you..." she said. Katelynn smiled. "No need for that, Big Sister," she said as she held her right hand out in a fist. "We gotta stick together."
Kevin smiled and held his left hand out in a fist. "Through thick and thin..." he said. Michelle smiled and held her right hand out in a fist. "Right," she said before the trio fist bumped.
The trio approached Kissy Missy before Michelle held Poppy out to her, who nodded before wrapping her arm around her and placing her on her shoulder. "With everyone's decision made, let's head to the Labs," she said.
Most of the group shouted with a 'Yeah!' while PJ Pug-A-Pillar howled, Yarnaby roared, and Pianosaurus made music-like noises before they approached the giant opening.
...
...
...
After Michelle opened the large shutter with both hands, the group traversed through the rocky terrain. Michelle looked around the area with the flashlight coming out of a hatch in her right arm. "How deep have we traversed this terrain?" she asked.
Doey looked at Michelle. "Based on the rocky walls... very deep..." he said. Michelle looked at the red beaded bracelet on Doey's left wrist. "You sure it's alright to keep that out? It could get damaged if we face a large enemy," she said.
Doey smiled. "Don't worry," he said as the beaded bracelet retracted in his arm, which surprised Michelle. "If we do face a large enemy, I can always hide it inside me."
Michelle smiled a bit. "That's good to know," she said. When Michelle looked forward, she saw a metal door. "Stay sharp, everyone," she continued.
As the group got close to the door, it opened on its own, which shocked them. "That just screams trap," Doey said with a deadpan expression. Michelle sighed a bit. "Trap or not, we don't have a choice," she said before the group moved forward.
When the group was close to the gate, they saw a bridge over poppy flowers and a giant room on the other side. "This is..." Michelle said, lowly. Poppy nodded. "The entrance to the Labs," she said.
Michelle took a deep breath and exhaled before looking at the group. "Let's move," she said; they nodded before crossing the bridge. When the group was on the other side of the bridge, Michelle spotted an Omni-Hand scanner.
Michelle looked at the remaining charge on the Omni-Hand. "Let's hope you're the last charge I need, or if there are stations that can recharge them," she said before aiming her right hand at the scanner.
The Omni-Hand shot off from Michelle's wrist before it touched the scanner. When the scanner finished, the last charge went dark before it retracted back to Michelle's wrist; the door before the group opened, which made them enter.
When the group was inside the room, the door behind them closed, which made them look at it. "No turning back now..." Katelynn said, lowly. As Michelle looked around the room, she spotted a white VHS tape on the counter before approaching it and grabbing it.
The others looked at the tape. "Do you think...?" Poppy asked. Michelle nodded. "More than likely..." she said, lowly. Michelle turned her head to the back and spotted a TV with a white VHS player. "Let's get this over with," she said before approaching it.
After Michelle inserted the tape into the player, the group looked at the screen. "Hi, my name is Leith Pierre, and I'm the Head of Innovation here at Playtime Co.," Leith said. "If you're seeing this, you must be very, very lost."
The group glared at the TV. "Well, rest assured, friend, our state-of-the-art laboratory is just up ahead," Leith continued. "Why don'tcha just go on inside and tap one of our scientists on the shoulder. Tell 'em you're lost; they'll be glad to help."
Michelle glared at the TV and crossed her arms as Leith laughed. "Alright, alright," he said before laughing a bit. "Let's be honest; you're not supposed to be here."
The group heard alarms coming from the other side, which made them look around. "This is the single most high-security, high-clearance section of the whole factory," Leith continued. "When somebody finds you down here, you will be shot."
The toys growled at the TV. "And before you get any ideas, don't think you can just sneak away either," Leith said. "No, the second you put this tape in, it set off an alarm. So if anyone's home, they know exactly where you are."
When Michelle turned her head to the glass opening, her eyes widened when she saw a shadow of a large toy with a square body and a square head with springs on its arms and legs connected to large hands with claws and square-shaped feet in the shadows.
Michelle stared at the large toy and stepped back. "Pretty nifty, huh? Security is very important to us here," Leith said. "If I were you, I'd start running."
The group turned to the door as the large toy sprinted forward with a roar, and the room started filling with Red Smoke. Michelle watched the door in horror as the large toy slammed its fist at the door and roared. "Boxy Boo..." she said, lowly.
---
A/N: And that's that(that is until Chapter 5 comes out). For those who've read my story from beginning to end, I'd like to thank you for sticking around and enjoying my work.
And if some of you are good at drawing, I'd like to see your work that involves this story, so long as you mention me on Tumblr or X(It's KawaiiSylveon98.).
It's been awesome writing this story as far as I can. For now, though, this story has reached its end. Thank you, and have an amazing day.