This is a deleted chapter from Rise of the Fallen Moon. The reason I didn't include this chapter is because I wanted Rise of the Fallen Moon to be more from CatNap's perspective. This chapter takes place between the chapters Judas Kiss and Revelation.

Sometimes you must do the right thing even if it hurts you. Actions reify ideals. We must never stop striving to do good, to protect the weak and the powerless. This is the charge to all men of learning.

-Ken Liu

DogDay and Koa were silent. They were in shock. Unable to comprehend what had happened.

The fight between themselves and CatNap. CatNap was so close to killing them both, until Koa finished the fight. When everything settled down for the briefest moment, The Prototype showed up. Instead of aiding his 'disciple,' The Prototype betrayed and nearly killed CatNap, but Koa, who had nearly killed CatNap herself, saved his life.

Koa and DogDay watched the hatch in the ceiling where the Prototype retreated after Koa mangled his arm. They expected him to return suddenly and attack in retaliation, or even for CatNap, who passed out almost immediately after the Prototype retreated, to suddenly wake up and pounce.

After what seemed like an eternity, Koa dared to make a move.

Her legs still weak and her body exhausted, Koa slowly crawled from DogDay to the unconscious CatNap, pushing past the overpowering odors of burning flesh and singed artificial fur. His body was still smoldering from being electrocuted and burned, she cautiously placed her fingers on CatNap's throat to check for a pulse, but she immediately pulled her fingers away as they were burned from touching CatNap's smoldering flesh.

DogDay cautiously approached the scene as well. Careful not to startle Angel or risk waking CatNap, he quietly asked, "is he…"

He found himself unable to finish his train of thought. Emotions started to boil up inside of him. CatNap may have done horrible things to him and murdered his friends, but DogDay meant what he had said: CatNap was still his friend.

And he didn't want to lose him. Not now.

"No," Angel said tiredly. "He's still alive. But his vitals are weak. He needs medical attention."

DogDay released a huge sigh of relief before he said, "and you too, Angel."

She glanced to DogDay with her good eye and gave a tired smile.

After a bit, once CatNap's body was cooled enough and Koa could walk again, DogDay lifted CatNap to hold him over his shoulders and he and Angel made their way back down to the Gas Production Zone.

There was one thing they needed to do.

Once the large battery given by Ollie was plugged into the its receptacle, power was restored to the large machine producing the gas, and with a final push of the large button, the gas was redirected to the left pipe. Once it was done, the machine powered down, having drained the battery.

After that, DogDay and Koa heard a noise nearby. Figuring immediately it had to be Poppy, Koa mentally growled.

"DogDay, I want you to get CatNap to Home-Sweet-Home. You help him in any way you can. I will join you as soon as I can," Koa instructed quietly.

"Are you sure, Angel?" DogDay asked quietly.

She nodded as she turned to face him, "I'll be fine. I promise I'll join you when I can."

She paused to glance to the still unconscious CatNap on DogDay's shoulders.

"I don't think he's waking up anytime soon, and he urgently needs medical attention."

"You do too, Angel," DogDay insisted."We'll worry about my injuries later. We still need Poppy on our good side for now," Koa reminded DogDay.

DogDay tried to think of something else to say, but thought of nothing. Angel was stubborn. That was certain. But she was injured and bleeding. She needed medical aid just as much as CatNap.

"DogDay, do you trust me?" Angel suddenly asked.

DogDay looked her in her good left eye, and saw a pleading look. A worried look. He knew what he was being asked.

"If I didn't, I wouldn't be by your side right now, Angel," he said with reassuring confidence.

Koa visibly relaxed and gave a small smile of gratitude. DogDay gave a nod and made his way to Home-Sweet-Home.

Once he was gone, Koa walked in the direction the noise came from.

At first, there was nothing. Just an empty room with some large machinery in the center of the room.

"Good, you're here," Poppy suddenly spoke up nearby, making Koa jump a little. Poppy continued to speak with amazement in her voice, "and you've done it again: The impossible. Just like I knew you would. CatNap's gone… the Red Smoke is diverted. Everything is falling into place… thanks to you."

When she finished her sentence, a large hatch in the center of the room lifted up.

Poppy then spoke again, but her tone then shifted from reminiscing to pity. "But if we are to keep going then…" she paused. "Then you deserve to have the truth." Poppy then appeared on a high shelf, holding a red VHS tape.

"What do you mean? What truth?" Koa asked in exhausted suspicion, not ready to deal with more trauma.

"You came back because of your co-workers, " Poppy reminded Koa, and that immediately caught her attention. "You wanna know what happened. And why. This…" she held up the VHS tape higher, "this is your answer. We called it…. 'The Hour of Joy.'"

Koa looked over and noticed a TV nearby and walked to it. This was it. She was about to see what happened to her co-workers. Even though she already knew what happened, thanks to DogDay telling her after she rescued him from the Playhouse, she had to see it. It wasn't that she didn't trust DogDay. It was she had to know every detail. DogDay only knew from his prospective. This video could show her more.

Once she was right in front of the TV, the video started, broadcasting 'The Hour of Joy.'

It was exactly how DogDay described it.

It was a massacre.

A bloodbath.

Huggy Wuggy. Mommy Long-Legs. Kissy Missy. Boxy Boo. CatNap. The Delight Sisters. Even the little toys of the factory.

They all participated in the slaughter.

The workers were caught by complete surprise. There was no warning. No signs. By the time they realized what was happening, it was already too late. And by the time the video was finished, it showed every room in the factory was covered in mutilated corpses.

Koa fell to her knees. Never had she seen that much bloodshed.

And she could've been there. If that bear hadn't attacked her during that hunt, she would've died that day as well.

"I remember hearing every moment of it," Poppy said quietly.

Koa listened.

"It went on so long… so agonizingly long. They tried to hide. To run. Anything to stay alive. I remember their cries…" Poppy's voice started to crack as she remembered the horrors of that day. "'What's going on?' 'Why is this happening?' 'What are those things?'"

Koa felt herself growing ill as Poppy paused and sniffled sadly before continuing, her voice becoming angry. "Senseless slaughter… that's all it really was. They killed everyone… the guilty. The innocent. Didn't matter. All that death… didn't fix anything! And then, once it was all over… they dragged those corpses down below where they'd never be found. And they…. ATE the bodies to stay alive!"

With that, Koa started to tremble.

Just then, Kissy Missy entered the room from a side door and walked over to Poppy, who angrily stated, "The Prototype has to die! For this! For everything!"

Once Kissy was next to Poppy, she lifted her paws for Poppy to help the doll down. Once Poppy was in her paws, Kissy paused, watching as Koa trembled.

Kissy then held Poppy to her shoulder, silently telling the doll to climb onto her shoulder, and the pink toy slowly approached the woman. Carefully, Kissy placed her paw on Koa's shoulder in comfort.

Koa turned her head to face Kissy and Poppy with her good left eye. She didn't really know what to think at the moment. She couldn't really think.

So many innocent people were caught in the crossfire. So many lives lost because of some corrupt people deciding to play God and experimenting on His most precious gifts to the world.

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and release it slowly. She slowly stood up, careful with her injuries. Dwelling on it wasn't going to accomplish, change, or help anything. All she could do right now was try to make things right for everyone.

And right now, there was someone who truly needed her help.She turned back to the door she came from. Hopefully by now, DogDay had gotten CatNap to Home-Sweet-Home and started treating him. And DogDay was right when he said she needed it too.

But first…

"Are you okay?" Koa heard Poppy ask sadly.

"Yeah," Koa responded quietly. "Poppy, there's something that needs to be done before we continue our quest."

"But we need to go now," Poppy insisted rather sharply.

"Not like this," Koa said, gesturing to her injured shoulder.

"But-"

Before Poppy could protest, Kissy held her paw up to stop her. Kissy then turned to Koa, glanced to the door, then back to Koa.

Koa gave a small smile to Kissy in gratitude.

…

DogDay was starting to grow anxious.

He had made it to Home-Sweet-Home with CatNap, and he had found the right medications for CatNap's burns. For the last half hour he had been treating CatNap's wounds, and Angel still hadn't shown up.

He was starting to worry. Had she passed out from her injuries? Had something else happened to her? Did Poppy kidnap her again?

With that though, he glanced to CatNap apologetically, and got up to look for Angel when…

"YOU DID WHAT?!?!?"

That was Poppy's voice.

"I believe you heard what I said," he heard Angel reply calmly.

Just then, Angel, along with Kissy Missy and Poppy came in through the door.

DogDay gave a huge sigh of relief as Angel approached him and CatNap.

Kissy Missy paused in the middle of the room, Poppy, who was still on Kissy's shoulder, gave a shocked, disapproving look.

"Any changes," Angel asked out loud.

DogDay looked to CatNap with a worried look.

"No. I found the appropriate medicine for his burns and I've been treating them. That's as far as I've gotten," he explained sadly.

Angel nodded in response.

"He's a murderer! He participated in the Hour of Joy! He worships the Prototype himself! DogDay, he killed your friends!" Poppy aggressively reasoned.

"He was lost, Poppy. The Prototype manipulated him!" DogDay defended. "And the Prototype betrayed him!"

"That doesn't justify or change what he has done!" Poppy yelled.

"If I recall, Poppy," Koa suddenly spoke up in a challenging tone, "You said you wanted to save everyone, did you not?"

"Yes I-" she stopped.

"And there is more than one way to save people, Poppy," Koa stated. "Like DogDay said, CatNap was manipulated. He didn't know who else to turn to. But I believe CatNap can be saved from that."

"You can't be so sure of that! CatNap still murdered people!" Poppy said.

"I'm aware. I saw the tape," Koa again stated.

"You showed her the tape?!" DogDay yelled.

"She deserves to know," Poppy said.

"Not when she is this emotionally and physically exhausted, Poppy! This is too much for her to take! And I wonder why you didn't tell her of the Hour of Joy sooner, Poppy. Do you even care about her well-being?" DogDay suddenly challenged.

Koa looked to Poppy with an expectant look. DogDay brought up a good point.

Why didn't Poppy tell her sooner? And did she even care?

"What's that supposed to mean?" Poppy questioned.

"Angel told me about how you redirected the train to take her here instead of letting her leave like you promised," DogDay growled, slowly approaching Poppy and Kissy, though his eyes were on Poppy. "That's kidnapping! I want the Prototype's tyranny to end as much as you do, and I know I would still be CatNap's chew toy if you hadn't done what you've done, but I would never want you to kidnap somebody! All you've done is lie to and use her since she got here! You did nothing to help her! Instead the only help she got was a 'child' on a phone to assist her! She was nearly killed who knows how many times because of your deceit and cowardice!"

Kissy flinched at DogDay's anger. His teeth were actually visible to her. Though his words got her thinking as well. She glanced to Poppy on her shoulder.

Why didn't they help Angel? Yes, she was scared, but that didn't mean she wouldn't have been unwilling to help.

Poppy instead told her that Angel could handle it on her own. And she trusted the doll.

Though, looking at Angel, it was obvious the human was injured and exhausted.

She brought her paws to her chest in shameful remorse.

"She had it handled! She killed Huggy and Mommy! She's perfect for the mission!" Poppy yelled.

"I got lucky with Huggy and Mommy, Poppy! It was by the grace of God I wasn't killed by them! And as you can see," she shifted her shirt to show the deep scratches received from CatNap, "CatNap almost got me too! The only reason I survived CatNap was because DogDay saved my life!"

"If CatNap almost killed you, then why'd you save him?!" Poppy challenged.

"DON'T CHANGE THE SUBJECT!" Koa yelled as loud as she could. "I told you why I did what I did! You're asking too much of me, Poppy! I can't do this alone! I've lost a good amount of blood! I've got several cracked ribs! I'm half blind! I'm covered in bruises! And I've got a bad back! And you expect me to fight something like the PROTOTYPE?!"

Koa suddenly swayed in her stance, catching herself on CatNap's bed. Her hand went to her head to support it.

"Angel!"

DogDay was immediately by her side.

"I'm okay," she half-lied. "Just got light headed."

"Angel, you need medical help too."

"And you can give it to me, once we're done with CatNap."

"But you can't-"

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" DogDay and Koa suddenly yelled.

Poppy and Kissy flinched.

"You don't get to make the decision right now, Poppy!" Angel instructed.

"CatNap may have done horrible things, but I am still his friend!" DogDay growled.

Poppy made a move to counter them, but Kissy held up her paw.

"You too, Kissy?" Poppy questioned.

In response, Kissy actually grabbed Poppy in her paws and set her on the floor. The two looked at each other, Poppy in shock, for a brief moment before Kissy joined DogDay and Angel.

She looked to CatNap, then to the jar of burn ointment DogDay sat on a nearby table. She scooped up some of the ointment into her paw, and rubbed it on CatNap's head.

DogDay and Koa smiled to Kissy in gratitude, then joined her in healing CatNap, Poppy watching them all in disbelief and shock.

After the burn ointment was applied, Koa got to work in stitching up CatNap's wounds on his side and chest. Once that was done, they all wrapped up his wounds.

Once they were done, they stepped back to give him space.

Suddenly, Koa broke into a coughing fit.

"Angel," DogDay was by her side immediately.

Koa pulled her hand away from her mouth and flinched at what she saw in her hand.

Blood.

"Angel…"

Suddenly, her vision got blurry. She felt dizzy and lightheaded. Knowing she was about to pass out, somehow, she slipped her Grab-Pack off her shoulders and turned to DogDay as her world went black.

"Protect him…"

She collapsed.

"ANGEL!"

Trust is like glass, once broken, it will never be the same again.

-Unknown