Chapter Text
Playtime Co. The place where happy smiles and fun toys make the facade that hides cruel child experimentation. Each day, orphans that were under the care of the twisted company were tested for their skills and had their lives ruined to become living toys. All because of her. No one asked for this. What have they done wrong to deserve this pain?
"I hate this! It all hurts! I want this to be over!"
Hoppy shouted. her voice boomed throughout the room as tears rushed down her cheeks while she sobbed. Bobby rushed over the best she could to give Hoppy a hug despite her knee being sore, though her efforts were in vain as Hoppy pushed her away.
"NO! NO HUG IS GOING TO HELP! IT HURTS TOO MUCH!" "Hoppy I—I get it too but" "I HATE THIS SO MUCH!"
Hoppy curled herself into a ball and sobbed. Bobby comes over, wincing to the pain her knee to sit down and rub the rabbit's back. Trying to speak over the sobbing as tears swelled in her eyes
"I know...I'm the same way too...! but atleast we are together...even if it's little to nothing...we are alive...and together. Right?"
Bobby turned to her other friends, Hoppy having gone quieter.
"...Right..?"
"Ofcourse, Bobby! We all have each other!"
Dogday gets up and walks to the middle of the room with his usual chipper smile, or the best attempt at it. He stood proudly infront of group with his hands to his hips.
"C'mon guys! We are all here together and how about we focus on the good times we had with each other? We can turn this day around and—"
"No." Bubba spoke bluntly. "That won't help us Dogday." he added
"Bubba's...right." The bear muttered. looking down. "Thank you dearly for your kind words but, I'm tired...so tired"
Dogday looks around the room to meet the faces of despair, his smile dimmed to a frown now. He lets out a shaky sigh and sits on the floor.
"Sorry, Dogday." "No, Bubba , t's alright...I get you and Bobby"
The room is quiet. Tension is thick in the air. Everyone is in their own heads, only listening to their own thoughts in the room.
Days like these were normal. Thick tension and deafening silence accompanied the friends during their damnation in hell.
Days later
"Uhm...is everyone okay today?" Bobby asked softly
"...How can we be? This is so uncool," Kickin said as he crossed his arms, whispering his next statement. "Needles hurt so much"
"Huh?" "Nothing Bobby...just hate this..."
Hoppy stands up with her hands in the air. "Who doesn't? They keep hurting us! What did we ever do to them?"
"I know guys..." Bobby sighed
"A-are you okay?" "oh? I am! just tired heh...are you okay Crafty?"
"Uhm...I don't know...I keep seeing bad things when I close my eyes and sleep...and I— um..."
Craftycorn goes quiet, shaking her head while whispering to herself. She then flinches when she feels a hoof on her back. Turning to Bubba with a concerned look.
"Craftycorn? Are you sure you are alright? You've been quieter and you keep muttering to yourself?" "Yes...im alright thanks"
there's a bit of silence while Craftycorn can feel the other critter's eyes on her. She begins to slightly panic, smiling crookedly and waving her hooves around.
"Guys really! I am okay as I can be! P-promise!"
Her friends give concerned glances towards each other but don't press on further. Bubba moves his hoof of Crafty. Bobby turns to Picky, the pig thats currently laying on the floor on her stomach.
"Picky?"
Picky lifts her head to where she heard her name called.
"Are you okay?" Bobby asks moving closer and wincing to her knee.
"mmm....noo...I've never felt this hungry before! My whole body is in pain." Picky puts her head back onto the floor.
Bobby sighs before turning to Dogday who's been out of it the whole time. He's leaning against the wall with his head turned to side. Something is very much wrong, Dogday would've said something before and definitely not be so distant.
"Dogday? Are you okay?"
Dogday slightly jumps, similarly to what crafty did earlier and turns around.
"Huh? What was that?"
"Are...you okay?" Bobby repeated, sounding more worried.
"yea double D...you acting weird," Kickin exclaimed.
"I'm sure all of us have changed because of these events Kickin," Bubba states
Kickin scoffs and faces Bubba "Yea but DD is acting the most different, you know what I mean?"
"Guys...I'm okay...just thinking is all."
"What are you thinking about? Hoppy questions as she steps closer to be infront of Dogday and crosses her arms."...Nothing you guys have to be worried about! Haha..."
"...you don't need to lie! It's fine to be negative Dogday, Everyone hates this and we know you do too!"
"Now now Hoppy, I'm not lying! relax! I'm just thinking about...good memories I guess?"
"...Oh.."
Silence was once more invited into the room by Dogday's sentence. "Good memories" are now the object that's on everyone's mind
"I miss those times. We would play...I would be drawing...Hoppy and Kickin would be doing a challenge...Picky would be making food for a picnic...Bubba telling fun facts to Bobby or Dogday...."
"Yea...those times were fun! We are having fun together...!"
"mhm...great times.."
"but now we are here...suffering every day..."
"And they use needles...a lot of needles..."
"and you never get to feel full...and just pain.."
"and you feel so tired..."
"Oh C'mon critters! Lets try to be positive? we were just reminiscing good times of playing and having fun like Crafty saaid! We were doing do much activities!
"Dogday, It's hard to be positive when there are people that are constantly bringing you pain..."
Then, before an epilogue of stillness came, the door opened. There he stood. Purple fur and a long tail. With a familiar moon pendant, the critters immediately shouted
"CATNAP?!"
Catnap introduced the critters a plan. The end goal was to be free from the never endless torment that they had suffer through each day. All they had to do is follow the orders of what he called a god. He told the critters that his god's plan would let them fight off the shackles they are binded by. Despite Dogday trying to negotiate a different plan ,his friends all went with Catnap for the chance of freedom and childhood. To be active participants in the Hour of Joy.