"DogDay, CatNap get down here please"Player called
They separated and went downstairs and followed Player into the Kitchen where Poppy, Hoppy and Kickin were waiting for them
"Oh great, look I don't wanna talk to them, cmon Moon"said DogDay
"Wait, sigh you don't have to talk to them, I just need to have a word with all of you, take a seat"said Player
They did so and CatNap started fidgeting as he was slightly anxious about the situation but his nerves were calmed down since DogDay had grabbed his hand
"Sooo Poppy told me about the incident, y'know the one where you punched the hell outta CatNap, what were in the hell were you guys thinking?"said Player
"I know and I'm sorry CatNap, I only really started to feel bad after we hurt you"said Hoppy which made DogDay scoff
"And you, as much as I respect you standing up for someone you love you know as well as I do that we don't turn to violence as a solution, I mean damn it you three how hard is it to follow a few simple rules?"said Player
"Well what about him, he pinned me against the wall last night"said Kickin
"You were instigating him, I mean you struck first over an argument that didn't concern you so the way I see it is that CatNap was defending himself, at least Hoppy can apologise for her actions"said Player
"... I'm sorry"said Kickin
"Well unfortunately that's not good enough, you, Hoppy and DogDay are grounded for two months, that means no phone or playtime and DogDay as for you I'm only taking your phone"said Player
"How is that fair?"said Kickin
"Because he protected someone who's living in a literal nightmare"said Player
"What are you talking about?"said Kickin
"Oh you don't kn-"said Player
"Player... don't, I hate talking about it"said CatNap
"Sigh I'm sorry to waste your time CatNap, I thought they'd give you a genuine apology but I guess I was just a fool"said Player
"My apology was ge-"said Hoppy
"I don't wanna hear it, go upstairs the both of you"said Player
They did so
"Sigh, again I'm so sorry for the whole ordeal Kitty"said Player
"It's fine..."said CatNap
"Look I know there's gonna be a lot of heat between you and Hoppy so I was thinking, maybe you'd wanna switch rooms? I just personally think it would be better as DogDay clearly won't bother you and you won't have to sleep with one eye open"said Player
"Okay... thanks I... don't know what to say"said CatNap
"You don't have to, it's just really unfortunate since I thought you two could make up... Hey me and Mommy talked and I've noticed how unhappy you are here so if you want, maybe you could go live with her... that's your choice though"said Player
DogDay immediately turned to him sadly
"Oh uh, that's a really nice offer but I'll be fine"said CatNap
"You sure?"said Player
He nodded
"Well okay, Poppy anything you'd like to add?"said Player
"I'm just disgusted, I'm just sorry you have to deal with that"said Poppy walking outside
"I think you guys should go outside but give me your phone first"said Player
DogDay did so and they walked out
"Why'd you do it?"said CatNap
"I had to, I felt like I'd be letting you down like I did at Playcare all those years ago"said DogDay
"Sigh... DogDay at this point I don't care what they do to me just as long as they leave you alone"said CatNap
"You and I both know they will... hey do you want to stay here?"said DogDay
"Yeah, why?"said CatNap
"You just seemed so unsure"said DogDay
"Don't worry, I'm not gonna leave"said CatNap
"Okay..."said DogDay
"CMON YOU CUDDLY CRITTERS ARE YOU GONNA PLAY WITH US OR WHAT?"Bobby called
"Yeah, cmon CatNap"said DogDay grabbing his hand and dragging him behind a makeshift line separating CatNap, DogDay and Bobby from Bubba, Picky and Crafty
"What's he doing here?"said Picky
"Oh cmon we need another team member"said Bobby crossing her arms
"Ugh fine"said Bubba putting four balls on the line
Once everyone was a fair distance away from the ball Huggy and Missy were wearing tacky referee outfits while blowing a whistle
"ALRIGHT TEAMS, YOU KNOW THE RULES, THROW THE BALL AS SOFT AS YOU CAN, NO STEPPING OUT OF YOUR BOUNDARY, IF THE OPPOSITE TEAM CATCHES THE BALL THEN YOUR OUT, HOWEVER IF THE BALL TOUCHES THE FLOOR AND THEN THEY CATCH IT THEN IT DOESN'T COUNT AND MOST IMPORTANTLY TRY NOT TO AIM FOR THE HEAD"Huggy announces obnoxiously
"ALL RIGHT, ready, set, GO"said Kissy
The teams rushed to the middle and Bubbas whole team had a ball and DogDay was clutching one
"Damn..."DogDay muttered
"FIRE"yelled Bubba
Bubba and Picky threw them at CatNap but he dodged them all with ease and Crafty threw one at at Bobby which was dodged
"The hell?"said CatNap grabbing the ball off of DogDay and immediately threw the ball at Picky's feet but she jumped away just in time
"Nice try traitor"said Picky picking up the ball
"REVENGE"yelled DogDay running right behind the line with Bobby and both throwing a ball at Bubba which made him duck and avoid the crossfire
A ball went straight for DogDays face but then CatNap jumped in between them and caught it while falling onto the floor
"NO WAY"yelled Picky
"Whistle YOUUUU'RE OUT"yelled Huggy
"CATNAP YOU DID IT"yelled DogDay excitedly
"WATCH OUT GUYS"yelled Bobby
Both CatNap and DogDay jumped back, avoiding two balls and CatNap threw his ball back which Crafty dodged, once they landed DogDay was hit in the face
"OH SHHHHH-"said Bubba
"Whistle TIME OUT"Huggy called
"You okay DogDay?"said Kissy
"Yeah, it's fine, I should've been ready... I'll get my revenge next round"said DogDay standing to the side
"Whistle PLAY ON AND NO AIMING FOR THE HEAD"yelled Huggy
Bobby threw a ball at Crafty which made her dodge but her horn accidentally collided with the ball which made it immediately pop as loud as humanly possible which made Crafty jump and CatNap took this opportunity to throw a ball at her shoulder which was successful
"Whistle YOUUUUU'RE OUT"said Huggy
"Sigh, is that really necessary?"said Kissy
"Oh, lighten up PLAY ON whistle"Huggy responded
Bobby threw a ball at Bubba which was caught
"Whistle YOOOUUUUU'RE OU-"yelled Huggy
He then got tapped in the back of the head
"You're giving me a brain haemorrhage, play on"said Kissy
"ALRIGHT LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, for the first time ever it's one on one, BUBBA VS CATNAP ROUND OF A PLAUSE PLEASE"Huggy announces
Everyone claps for them
"THE CROWD GOES WILD BUT NOW ITS DOWN TO OUR FINAL TWO CONTESTANTS AND NOW THE BALLS ARE GONNA BE REDUCED TO TWO"said Huggy getting rid of a ball and placing the two on the line
"READY, SET, GOOOOO whistle"said Huggy
CatNap stood still while Bubba ran for the balls, he threw both of them at him but he dodged them with ease, he picked them up and threw one at the ground near Bubba so he tried to catch it but another ball came his way so he dove to the right onto the floor avoiding both of the projectiles, he immediately got up and threw a ball back, CatNap dodged it but then he saw his monstrous form peeking at him from behind a tree which ruined his concentration and he took a heavy hit to the stomach which punched the wind out of him and made him fall to the floor
"Whistle BUBBA BUBBAPHANT IS THE WINNEEEERRRRR"Huggy announced
Kissy clipped him around the head again
"DO YOU NOT SEE THE WINDED CAT?"said Kissy
"Ah, alright alright"said Huggy
"CatNap are you okay?"said DogDay getting to his level
"Huff Yeah... I just need a moment... huff"said CatNap slowly getting up with the support of the worried dog
"C'mere CatNap"said Bobby hugging him
"Guys relax, he'll be fine"said Bubba
"Alright guys let's take a quick break and we'll get on with the next round, CatNap do you need Player to see if you're alright?"said Kissy
"No... I'll be fine"said CatNap sitting down with the rest of the critters
"Well... alright, good work team"said Huggy
They left the critters alone
"Hey, where's Kickin and Hoppy"said Picky
"Grounded"said DogDay
"For what?"said Bubba
"Well you know them, both partners in crime"said DogDay
"True"said Crafty
"Hey DogDay where were you when we were searching for caves"said Bubba
"Oh uh, I got tired so just decided to go home"said DogDay
"Yeah, it did get boring after a while"said Picky
"Hey, you feel better yet?"said DogDay rubbing CatNaps back
"Yeah... just a little embarrassed, I got distracted and it costed us the game"said CatNap
"Oh cmon, you did better than most of us right guys?"said DogDay
"Yeah, you were literally the star player"said Crafty
"You need to teach me how to do that"said Bobby
"I hate to admit it but you did okay I guess"said Bubba
"Yeah, it's just a game anyway"said Picky
"Hey, what distracted you? Is there something that's bothering you?"said DogDay
"No"said CatNap
His monstrous form loomed over him
"Liar"
"You sure?"said DogDay
"Yeah"said CatNap
"Oh and DogDay guess whaaaat"said Bobby
"What?"said DogDay
"Crafty's friends with CatNap again"said Bobby
"Thats right"said Crafty
"How have you managed that"said DogDay turning to CatNap who responded by lowering his head
DogDay sat there clueless until Bobby whispered in his ear
"Oh... you don't have to worry about that ever again, I shouldn't have done that to you"said DogDay pulling CatNap into him
DogDay walked down the cold and poorly maintained hallway clutching a bag full of snacks but he wasn't alone, a worker decided to accompany him in case there was any "mishaps" he was slightly disappointed by this as he wished to be alone but they really insisted on having a staff member bring him to where he wanted to be, after passing a few empty cells they stopped in front of a particular one
"Could you go... I don't want him to feel uncomfortable while we talk"said DogDay
"Sigh, sure but I don't know why you think so highly of this... thing"said the worker walking down the hallway
"Hey, Moon it's just us now"said DogDay squeezing the bag through the bars
A tall, lanky version of CatNap sat in the corner of the dirty cell facing the wall with his ears pinned down, he then turned his head to reveal his wide smile and his half crazed yet relieved eyes
"Sun...shine?"said CatNap walking on all fours towards the bag slowly
"Sigh, they still haven't fed you?"said DogDay
CatNap shook his head opening the bag to see all of the food
"Why... do you waste your time with me... Im a monster"said CatNap
"No you're not..."said DogDay
"They tell me I am"said CatNap
"They?"said DogDay
"The scientists, workers, everyone... they treat me like one, they yell at me, they beat me till I'm too weak to move, I'm always sick, Im always tired, I'm always hungry and in pain"said CatNap
"Oh CatNap, I really wish I could do something"said DogDay
"I don't expect you to... I just want this nightmare to be over, the only sense of relief I feel is when they let me see the children"said CatNap
"Sigh, look maybe I could convince them to give you a week outta here so you can actually get some sleep and a decent meal"said DogDay
"Don't waste your breath, they won't let you"said CatNap
"Why not?"said DogDay
"They're scared that if I regain my strength I'll kill them"said CatNap
"Would you?"said DogDay a little concerned now
"No... well not yet anyway..."said CatNap
"What?"said DogDay
"The Prototype has a plan, he'll save me"said CatNap
"THE PROTOTYPE? CatNap, what did I tell you the first day you came here"said DogDay
"YOU DON'T KNOW HIM, YOU TREAT HIM LIKE A MONSTER JUST LIKE HOW IM BEING TREATED, HE'LL SET ME FREE, HE'LL SET US FREE"said CatNap reaching for DogDays hand
DogDay pulled away from CatNap which made him tremble a bit
"He is evil, I don't know why he saved you but he doesn't have good intentions"said DogDay
"He does, I want freedom, I'm sick of this place... they won't set me free, ONLY HE CAN, HE'S MY LORD"said CatNap
"HE ISN'T A GOD, CATNAP YOU'RE LOSING IT"DogDay snapped
"WHAT DID YOU SAY TO ME?"yelled CatNap slamming against the bars
DogDay fell to the floor in shock
"... I'm sorry... I don't know what came over me"said CatNap
"CatNap, I can't be friends with someone whose affiliated with an evil puppet master"said DogDay
"If you have no respect for our God, then you can leave, you heretic"said CatNap tearing up
"Wow... I guess this fraud of a God means more to you than your real best friend... take care CatNap... I thought I meant something to you"said DogDay walking away from his best friend
CatNap just sat there sobbing in silence, he didn't want to push DogDay away but his thirst for freedom and loyalty to The Prototype wasn't allowing him to keep his best friend so he just sat there tired, broken and abandoned
"YOU SAIDYOUWOULD'NT LEAVE ME"
"YOU LIED, YOU LIAR, I LOVED YOU BUT YOU LEFT ME, I HATE YOU, YOU WILL SUFFER, HOWCOULD YOU LEAVE ME? I WANT TO HURT YOU
The monstrous form grabbed both of DogDays shoulders
"Looks like he feels bad... heh, it's too late now"
"Shut up"CatNap muttered under his breath
"Hm?"said DogDay
"Nothing... honestly... I don't even know why you're apologising, I'm the bad guy here"said CatNap
"We all are"said DogDay holding him a little tighter
"What do you mean WE?"said Picky outraged
"Not now guys"said DogDay
"I'm tired"said CatNap getting up and walking towards the doors but his way in was blocked by Huggy and Kissy
"Hold on Nap, Player said we should all stay outside"said Huggy
"Why?"said CatNap slightly agitated
"Says they're getting the surprise ready"said Kissy
"Sigh, I'll sleep in a tree then"said CatNap
"Wait you're not feeling up to another round of dodgeball?"said Huggy
"I don't think any of us are if you're gonna be shoving a whistle down our damn ears"said Kissy
"OH YOU LOVE IT REALLY"said Huggy kissing her cheek
CatNap smiled and walked up to a tree and curled up onto a branch but before he began to doze off he felt someone pat him on the head, he looked up to see Mommy on a branch above him
"Hey sweetheart"said Mommy
"Hi Mommy"said CatNap
"I never got the chance to thank you for helping me find a new place to live"said Mommy getting onto his branch
"Oh it was nothing, I couldn't do it without Bobby and Crafty though heh"said CatNap
"I thanked them earlier but I couldn't thank you since you tried splitting from everyone, I'm worried about you hon... you're not as active as everyone else and you always seem on edge"said Mommy
"I'm fine, it's nothing to worry about"said CatNap snuggling into her while purring up a storm
"You can talk to me"said Mommy pulling him into her chest where he purred even louder
CatNap woke up, freezing his tail off, he got up from the roach infested mattress and sat in the corner of the cell while humming himself a lullaby as a way of passing the time but it didn't take long until someone knocked on his cell which made him perk his head up
"HEY FREAK"yelled a worker
"Please... leave me alone"said CatNap
"You tryna tell me what to do?"said the worker opening the cell which made the feline freak out
"NO... PLEASE LEAVE, I DIDN'T DO ANYTH-"yelled CatNap
The worker jabbed him in the neck with a needle filled with sedatives and once he had injected him CatNaps vision went blurry and his tense muscles relaxed but he then felt a sharp sting burning his left side
"WHAT DID WE TELL YOU ABOUT SNAPPING AT STAFF"yelled the worker pulling out the scalpel in his side
CatNap then growled
"THATS NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS"yelled CatNap
He got stabbed in the leg and beaten in the face with a wrench
"TALK BACK TO ME AGAIN AND I'LL TEAR YOUR THROAT OUT"yelled the worker
"PLEASE STOP, IM SORRY, I'M SORRY"CatNap yelled while crying a river
After about an hour of continuous brutal beatings the worker stabbed him in the neck which immediately paralysed him due to the sudden sharp pain
"Talk to one of the critters like that again then next time I won't be so kind"said the worker closing the cell
CatNap started violently crying
"Why does everyone hate me so much... I'LL KILL EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU, THE PROTOTYPE WILL SAVE ME and once he does hehehe... YOU'LL ALL BEG ON YOUR KNEES LIKE THE FEEBLE DOGS YOU ARE"CatNap remarked while sitting and slowly losing his mind
CatNap shot up from the traumatic memory on the branch, Mommy was reading a book to The Smiling Critters, Kissy and Huggy were cuddling below him while the sun was setting so he decided to jump into Kissy's lap
"OH... Hi CatNap, did you have a nice nap?"said Kissy patting his head
"Yeah... yeah"said CatNap
"Of course he did, thats why he's called Cat NAP"said Huggy
"Yup that's what Playtime. Co was aiming towards, sorry for disturbing you two"said CatNap
"It's fine, between me and you he was getting annoying anyway"said Kissy
"Uhm, hello I can hear you"said Huggy
"Good"said Kissy
Before he could give a response she kissed his cheek
"You're my little nuisance"said Kissy
"Alright, I'll leave you two love birds to it, just real quick when can we go back in?"said CatNap
"Meh, beats me"said Huggy
"Really? Okay then"said CatNap walking towards the group and sat down next to Bobby who immediately put her arm around him
"Hiya Nap"said Bobby
"Hi Bobby"said CatNap
"You should've kept playing, the last two rounds were insane"said CraftyCorn
"Yeah I got revenge on them for both of us Moon"said DogDay
"Moon?"said Bubba
"Is that some pet name you gave him?"said Picky
"Yeah, why?"said DogDay
"We've just never heard you call him that"said Crafty
"What happened in those other rounds?"said CatNap
"Me and DogDay mopped the floor with them"said Bobby
"No you didn't, Huggy joined in because the teams weren't fair, you had a major advantage"said Picky
"Ooooh why didn't you play with us?"said DogDay placing his head on CatNaps lap
"I was tired Sunshine"CatNap purred
"You're always tired"said DogDay closing his eyes
"How long have you guys been waiting outside for?"said CatNap
"Three hours"said Bubba
"3 HOURS?! What the hell is this surprise Players planning?"said CatNap
"If we've been waiting this long then it must be big, do you think he's trying to throw a party?"said Picky
"Possibly, I mean what else takes 3 hours to set up?"said Bubba
Player walked outside
"Alright guys, ya ready?"said Player
"YEAH"everyone except CatNap yelled
Everyone walked inside and their jaws dropped, the entire place was decorated with balloons, party banners, multiple piñatas, games, gifts, a buffet and a massive cake in the middle of it all
"AAAAALRIIIIIIGHT, blood, sweat and tears went into this place so I really hope you all have fun"said Player
CatNap slowly backed away not wanting to be part of this celebration but there was no way for him to sneak off, everyone was playing games and eating
Poppy can easily see CatNap distancing himself away from everyone
"Hey CatNap... you okay?"said Poppy
"Can I go to my room?"said CatNap
"Now CatNap, Player put a lot of time and care into this celebration"said Poppy
"I... know..."said CatNap wrapping his tail around his leg nervously
"Are you okay? You look really on edge"said Poppy obviously noticing the way CatNaps tail wrapped around his leg
"Im fine..."said CatNap
"Then why are you trying to leave"said Poppy
"Im just really tired..."said CatNap
"Heh nothing out the ordinary huh"said Poppy trying to lighten up the mood
"I guess"CatNap responded plainly
Poppy's look saddened as she noticed how distant the cat was
"Sigh you still get memories of those things we did?..."said Poppy
CatNap tenses not wanting her to understand why CatNap was punishing himself until he dropped dead
"Yeah me too, you're not the only one who's angry at themselves..."said Poppy
"You don't deserve any punishment for it I do..."said CatNap
"Sigh, CatNap you can't live like this... I think it's time... You got help"said Poppy
"No... I don't need help..."said CatNap
"Sigh... after all these years of you wanting to be free of that hellhole you choose to reject it now?"said Poppy
"This isn't freedom... it's my punishment"said CatNap holding his scarred chest
"You got that scar because you stood up against that evil bastard, made things right"said Poppy
"After everything Ive done... there's nothing I can do that'll make things right... Im a monster"said CatNap
"No, you're not"said Poppy
"I AM"yelled CatNap
Poppy was slightly taken aback by his sudden outburst, CatNap immediately rushes upstairs. DogDay was play fighting with Bobby, they were basically throwing each other around and pinning each other down creating their own little wrestling game
"You asked for it DogDay"said Bobby wrapping her arms around both his legs decking him
"HEY STOOOOP"DogDay pleaded clearly enjoying his downfall
"NOOOOOO"she exclaimed hugging him tightly
They both giggled away loving each other's company while Bubba facepalmed
"Honestly you t-"said Bubba
"I AM"
Bubba, DogDay and Bobby all turn their heads to see CatNap running upstairs
"Oh no... Moon"DogDay pulls away from Bobby much to her understanding yet disappointment
He immediately rushed after CatNap and went into their room where he was sitting on his bed
"Hey Moon"said DogDay
"Not now DogDay... I need space"said CatNap
"Sigh you always need space I... sigh talk to me please"said DogDay
"I don't deserve any of this... I'm always gonna be a damn monster nothing will change what I did"said CatNap
"CatNap, it's not about what you did, it's about what you choose to do now"said DogDay
"Well I choose punishment, it's the only way to pay for everything Ive done"said CatNap
"Oh yeah? When will you ever feel like you've truly paid for everything you've done?"said DogDay
"I dunno, probably never"said CatNap
"Then why are you trying to repay an impossible debt that doesn't even need to be repaid"said DogDay
"Because it's better than just getting away with everything"said CatNap
"But you haven't sigh CatNap"said DogDay hugging him
CatNap didn't fight back and just let DogDay pull him into his warm embrace
"I don't wanna lose you again... I already lost enough"said DogDay
"Because of m-"said CatNap
"Shut up... Im tired of all this self loathing, Im not leaving you again you're my best friend, my Moon... cmon let's just go back downstairs"said DogDay
"Sigh, fine"said CatNap
DogDay let's go and grabs his hand
"Thank you..."said DogDay whilst his tail wagged slowly and he smiled weakly at the purple feline
The two toons went downstairs and they saw everyone surrounding a door
"Well, look who decided to join us"said Player
Everyone looked at the now awkward pair
"Hehe oh yeah... uh... sorry had to get our frowny feline down"said DogDay
"Anyway it's time for the highlight of the night"said Player
Everyone looked at Player in anticipation and then Players opens the door to reveal...
Mrs Delight...