"After the Hour of Joy occurred, the Smiling Critters lived happily together for quite some time. That was until one day the Prototype came and found us. He claimed he was out of orphan children to run his experiments on…so he wanted to use us next."

"You mean this guy ran experiments on the kids? Why would he do such a thing after the scientists did so many bad things to him?" The human interjected.

"I'm not sure. But I have no doubt that he tortured those kids." DogDay answered.

"Being the leader of the Smiling Critters, I tried to protect my pack. But the Prototype was too powerful. I couldn't beat him by myself. That's when Catnap stepped up and tried to help me. He had attempted to put the Prototype to sleep with his red smoke. But the mechanical menace gagged Catnap, making him choke on his own gas. It had thoroughly knocked him out. We tried to pursue, but the Prototype threatened to kill our friend if we came after them. That monster kept Catnap hidden in his lair for weeks. We weren't sure if we would ever see our friend again. But one day he came back. There was something different about him though. Catnap didn't seem to recognize us, called us traitors. He used his red smoke to put us to sleep and then brought us to the Prototype.

"When I woke up from that deep sleep, I found myself and the other Critters strapped to experiment tables. To my left was Bubba Bubbaphant, PickyPiggy, and an empty table. I tried calling out to them. But their lack of response and the sight of their mangled bodies told me they were already dead. To my right was Kickin Chicken, CraftyCorn, and Bobby Bearhug. They were all still alive. But they appeared to be in pain….and so was I. The Prototype had started his experiments while we were asleep.

"That tyrant eventually came back, dragging a mangled Hoppy Hopscotch by the ears. The Prototype claimed she didn't have any more parts of value to him so he called on those monstrous little plushies. We were helpless to do anything as those demons began to eat our rabbit friend alive. I hoped I would never hear such screams of agony from my friends again.

"A little while later when the Prototype was gone, I managed to chew through my binds and then helped the others escape, too. With Catnap as his ally, the Prototype hunted us down, performed his awful experiments, and then ultimately killed us off….one by one…until I was the only one left."

"Gee, that sounds awful…." The human said. "So, how did you end up in the Playhouse with those little plushies? I'm sure it wasn't by choice."

"No, not at all." DogDay replied.

"I had a secret corner in the caverns where I had been hiding from the Prototype for years. But just earlier today, he finally found me. I sensed his looming presence and tried to get away. He taunted me saying: 'I've finally found you, puppy. There's no more running from me now.' I didn't get far when he picked me up by the throat. His skinny, metallic fingers were cold and strong. I closed my eyes as a bright flash from his eyes tried to blind me. A trick I had seen him use on Catnap many a time.

'Leader of the Smiling Critters, huh? You are nothing but a coward.' He said to me. 'You want to see your friend Catnap again? Well, if you join my mission, you can work alongside him.' Working for the Prototype meant capturing and killing fellow toys. I wouldn't do it. Not for anything. I opened my eyes a slit. Didn't dare do it too far since he could still use that flash on me. But I was able to spot some pipework lodged in the cave wall.

'I'll never join you! I'd rather die than betray my friends!' I weakly argued with him and kicked out. I landed a solid blow to that pipe. It became dislodged and spewed steam on the Prototype. Utterly surprised, he grunted and stumbled back, letting me go in the process. It distracted him just long enough for me to run away from him. I was panicked. My safest hiding spot had been compromised. Where was I to go now? I mindlessly ran, not knowing where I would eventually end up.

"After a while, I realized the Prototype couldn't possibly be following me anymore. I slowed to a stop, panting. My mind reeled, trying to think of a new hiding place. But I didn't have long to think. For the Prototype had called his ally to help chase me down. Catnap pounced at me from above. A swift but powerful cuff to the head knocked me out.

"When I finally woke up, I found Catnap's tail wrapped around my leg. He was dragging me somewhere. Hopefully not to the Prototype, I silently begged. But when I got a look at my surroundings, I realized we were in the Playhouse. More specifically, down the hall that led to our prison cells. Where the Smiling Critters had been locked up by the humans during PlayTime Co's operation for years. I could only imagine that Catnap was going to lock me in my cell until the Prototype was ready to see me. No way was I going back in there. So I tried to fight back. I pulled myself up and bit down on Catnap's tail. He yowled in pain and let me go. Once he let go, I attempted to run away from him.

'So that's how you want to play it, huh?' I heard him say. 'A little game of cat and mouse. And you have just made yourself the mouse.' The cat laughed in delight at the thought of chasing down his prey. I continued to run. His footsteps rang behind me. It sounded like he was gaining on me. But then his footfalls disappeared. I ran to the next room and closed the door. It was pretty dark in the Playhouse's main room. I had a hard time finding my way around and kept bumping into things. Suddenly, a light came on. Catnap appeared in front of me.

'I'm disappointed, puppy. You've made this too easy for me.' The cat taunted me as he stood on his hind legs and readied his claws. I wanted to keep running, but I knew I would never be able to outrun him. Especially in the dark. So I tried standing my ground instead.

'Catnap, why are you doing all this? The Smiling Critters were your friends, your family. Why did you kill them?' I asked him.

'My only friend is the Prototype. He saved my life after my so-called friends left me to die.' Catnap snarled back.

'Is that what the Prototype told you? We never did anything like that. He's filling your head with lies.'

'Silence! Your feeble attempts are only delaying your punishment. You should give up and join the Prototype's side.' Catnap was firm in his point of view.

'No! You're still my friend, Catnap. And I'll never stop trying to reach you. Please, you have to wake up from this madness!' I yelled at him, meaning every word I said. The louder I said it, the more hope I gave myself. And then I noticed my pendant starting to glow.

'Grah!' The cat yowled and shielded his face from the growing light.

'Huh? What's this?' I wondered, cradling my pendant in my paw. Never had I seen this happen before. It was much like the light that the Prototype used on Catnap….seemingly before he filled his head with those stories and lies. An idea started to come to me. If the Prototype could wipe his mind of those good memories….then maybe I could bring them back. Before I could do anything to further this plan, Catnap pinned me down. He made sure my face was pressed into the ground.

'I think you've done enough stalling. How about a taste of what your friends felt before they met their demise?' His paw slammed my face into the ground a couple times. The cat then wrapped his tail around my neck and dragged me along the ground. I felt myself get tossed into a wall. I whimpered as my aching body sat up. Catnap came and pinned me to the wall, keeping my arms outstretched. I felt something wrap tightly around my left wrist and then it happened to the right as well. Catnap let go and backed away. My arms were still forced outward and could not move. I looked to both my right and left to find straps tied around my wrists that dangled down from the ceiling. It kept me upright

'That's merely a taste of what your friends endured before they died. Would you like another dose of it?' Catnap sneered at me.

'You've become a real bully, Catnap. This isn't you at all. Do you really want to be a miserable person like the Prototype?' I asked between my heavy pants. This insult to the cat's master only got me another cuff to the head. 'Ugh!' I grunted as my head was jerked to the right.

'How dare you say that?' He hissed at me.

'You….were my best friend Catnap. I refuse to give up on you.' I panted even harder. 'You were always there for me…even in my darkest of times. It was your hope that made me into the leader of the Smiling Critters….and as your leader,' I looked into his eyes as my pendant started to glow. 'You will listen to what I have to say!' The cat grimaced and folded his little ears back in annoyance. Before I could get my pendant nice and bright, Catnap lashed out at me. He sunk his claws into my gut. My eyes bulged wide before a scream of agony belted from my throat. His claws puncturing into me was so painful. I wouldn't be surprised if I shattered some glass from how loud my cry was. When I could scream no more, my head hung down in defeat.

'Better not scream so loud, puppy.' Catnap whispered to me, lifting up my floppy ear with his paw. 'Those little plushies might hear you. Screams like that attract them…and the Prototype doesn't want you dead just yet.' He then removed his claws from my torso. Blood spilled out from the four puncture wounds. I had a hard time not screaming when those needles came out and the air hit them. I'm pretty sure I bit down on my lips in the process. His tail slunk its way around my neck. 'Just relax and take a little nap. I'll be back for you soon.' A puff of red smoke came out of his mouth as he said that. It danced around my nose and mouth, hypnotizing me into sleep.

"Later on, I began to wake up. My body was still strung up in my open cell. Catnap had not come back for me yet. A fierce pain was still stinging my gut. I could see a puddle of blood on the ground. If I kept losing blood like this, I knew I would die. My legs already started to feel a bit numb. I weakly looked up at the straps that were supporting my weight. They seemed like they were straining to stay in one piece. If I could just reach up and undo them, I'd be able to get out of the cell at least.

Using what strength I had in my legs, I forced myself to stand up tall. It was just enough height for my mouth to reach the strap at my left wrist. I tugged at it until the binding came undone. My arm dropped like a deadweight. I had to shake it to make sure I still had feeling in my limb. Once feeling had come back to it, I reached up and used my claws to tear through the other strap. Now all my weight had shifted to my numb legs. They wobbled and immediately collapsed under me.

"My body took a dive face first into the ground. The impact on my open wound caused a new wave of pain to spread through my body. My gut was in crippling pain. I bit down on my ears to muffle a scream that desperately wanted to come out. My body writhed on the ground, hoping the pain would somehow subside even for just a little bit. It wasn't going away. I had no choice but to endure the pain. My paws shook as I placed them under me and tried to stand. I managed to make it up. The pain seemed to get even worse as I tried to walk. My body wobbled from side to side. Even the slightest of breeze probably would've knocked me over at that moment.

"I had only made it a little ways down the hall when an inquisitive little squeak sounded behind me. My body froze on the spot. Had I been spotted? My wide and frightened eyes dared to look back. There in my cell was a little plushie DogDay. He inspected my blood puddle. Those emotionless eyes slowly looked up from the trail and saw me near the end of the hall. I held my breath, hoping he wouldn't do it. An earsplitting shriek emitted from the stuffed animal. A sound I knew all too well; the dinner bell for the plushies. It was their way of alerting the masses that a meal had been sighted.

"I gasped and began to run away. If only I could just get outside the Playhouse. They didn't go outside of there unless specifically called by Catnap or the Prototype. To find the nearest exit, I had to go through the main play room. Had to navigate the tubes and small spaces despite the crippling pain I was in. Every now and then I would toss a glance back to see if it was still following me. The stuffed animal sure was. And each time I looked, there were more and more of them pedaling those little legs after me. A whole army of them stampeded in my direction. My fear only escalated as they seemed to get closer and closer.

"The little DogDay one gave a yip. I looked behind, not knowing what that noise might mean. That was a bad move. Because it had been calling to its other friends that were hiding in a nook. When I turned back to the front, five of those little monsters charged from the front. They jumped and knocked into me. Their little bodies pelted into my arms, chest, and head. I grunted and ended up falling down face first. My wound took another hit. I could feel it oozing more blood as it was aggravated yet again. It was so uncomfortable to have it scraping against the ground. So I groaned and turned myself over. Those plushies came over to inspect me. The first thing they noticed was my bloody wound. Devious little squeaks came from them. One look in their greedy little eyes and I realized what they were thinking. Those five Critters that had tackled me took initiative to hold my arms down.

'Wait! No! No! Please, I beg you! Don't do this!' I pleaded to them. But my words fell on deaf ears. A group of them began to chomp down on my puncture wounds. I began to scream in agony as they ate away on my body. It was more pain than I could've ever imagined was possible. Tears streamed down my eyes as a devious Bubba Bubbaphant shoved my ear into my mouth to try and muffle my sounds. It giggled in delight at my torture. Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse, there was an awful crunch and squish….and then I could no longer feel my legs or tail. I looked down to find my upper and lower body separated. An even more intense pain came then. My scream hit its peak. The ear got spit out as I belted the loudest sound I had ever done. Its volume actually knocked some of those pesky Critters off me. They ended up giggling and dragging my legs away. Blood pooled around my body.

"I turned over what was left of my body. My paws dragged me a couple paces before they just gave up. Any hopes of getting out of there alive were gone now. All I could do was close my eyes and wait for the darkness to take me. My body was succumbing to the pain. I had no energy to even scream anymore.

'I'm sorry everyone. I couldn't protect you. I failed as a leader…but at least now I get to join you in the afterlife.' I whispered to myself as I was about to accept my end. But then you two showed up. I would've died there for sure if it wasn't for both of you. I really owe you….and I want to help with your mission."