As the group left Home Sweet Home, KickinChicken looked around while whistling. "Damn... you weren't kidding about the power being out," he said.
Bubba Bubbaphant looked up. "The area above is like a starless nighttime sky," he said.
Michelle aimed the arm cannon's flashlight forward before walking forward. "Ollie should be calling us to—" she was cut off when a large figure sprinted past the others and quickly grabbed her before pushing her to the ground, which shocked them. "Misha!"
Michelle aimed the arm cannon's flashlight at the figure, revealing Kissy Missy growling with her teeth showing, which terrified her a bit. "Kissy..." she said in a low voice.
Before the group could do anything, they heard a female voice. "NO, NO! LET GO!" she shouted.
The group turned their heads to the source and saw Poppy running toward Kissy Missy before she held her arm with both hands, which made her look at her. "She didn't do anything wrong!" she shouted.
Poppy turned to Michelle, smiling. "We're actually here to help," she continued.
Kissy Missy looked at Michelle before letting go and standing up properly. Poppy sighed in relief and looked at Michelle while Kissy Missy held her arm and looked away with guilty eyes. "I'm so sorry about that, Michelle; this place makes her tense," she said.
Huggy Wuggy approached Michelle's left side before holding his hand out, which made her grab it before he helped her stand up. "It's fine..." she said before looking at Kissy Missy. "To be honest, I feel the same tension she's feeling, so I don't blame her."
Kissy Missy looked at Michelle before bowing her head. "Thank you..." she said in a low voice, which made her smile.
The Smiling Critters stared at Poppy with shocked eyes. "It's you..." they said.
Poppy turned to the trio, surprised. "Wait, you're from—" she was interrupted when KickinChicken glared at her. "Save it!!"
Poppy flinched a bit. "You abandoned us at Safe Haven for two and a half years, and now you show your face to us again!" KickinChicken shouted.
Bubba Bubbaphant crossed his arms with stern eyes. "The big boss in Safe Haven is still upset about you ditching us," he said.
Poppy looked at the Smiling Critters. "But I—" she stopped midsentence when Bobby BearHug sternly looked at her. "I'd save your breath; the people in Safe Haven won't forgive you for what you've done."
Poppy frowned a bit and looked down. "Hang on just a second," Michelle said, which made her and the Smiling Critters look at her.
Michelle approached the group, which made Huggy Wuggy follow her. "I may not know the full story about Poppy and this Safe Haven place, but if you give her a chance to explain her actions, you could get a better picture of what she's been through," she continued.
Michelle faced the trio. "I mean, for all we know, something more powerful than her was the reason she was trapped inside a case for those two and a half years," she said, which surprised them. "So I ask of you, before you judge her for her actions, give her a chance to explain herself."
Poppy looked at Michelle, amazed. "Michelle..." she said in a low voice.
The trio stared at Michelle before they sighed. "Fine..." Bobby BearHug said before sternly looking at Poppy. "You better have a good excuse back at Safe Haven, Poppy."
As the trio walked away, Poppy looked at Michelle. "Thank you, Michelle," she said.
Michelle stared at Poppy before turning to her with a serious expression. "You haven't forgotten the terms I set up about me being here, right?" she asked.
Poppy shook her head as Kissy Missy picked her up before placing her on her shoulder. "I haven't; I'm glad Ollie helped you get this far," she said. "He's the reason we found you at all."
Huggy Wuggy stared at Kissy Missy. "Kissy..." he said in a low voice.
Kissy Missy turned her head to Huggy Wuggy. "Huggy..." she said in a low voice.
As Michelle examined Poppy, she noticed a small crack on her right cheek. "Looks like the train crash hurt us both..." she said before sighing. "You've been through so much... you deserve an explanation; come on."
Kissy Missy turned away and walked forward, which made the duo follow her; Poppy turned her head to her and petted her cheek. "Hey, you'll be OK... we'll be OK," she said.
Soon after, the group stood by a panel with a poppy flower painted on it. Kissy Missy brought her hand close to Poppy, which made her get on it before she lowered it to the panel's keyhole.
Poppy grabbed a key with a poppy flower on it off her dress before putting it in the lock and twisting it, which unlocked the panel. After Poppy opened the panel, she grabbed the lever inside it before pulling it down.
The ground on the right side opened, which made the group look at it before a lift came out of it; they approached it before they got on it.
After the lift's gate closed, Poppy looked at Michelle as it started going up. "Listen, Michelle... I'm not your enemy, but I can't just let you walk away from this place," she said. "What's happening down here is bigger than all of us."
Michelle looked at Poppy. "And I need you... so we can get revenge on those who've tortured you..." she continued. "Who've tortured us..."
Michelle was concerned. "They didn't act alone; they were the disciples of the original: The Prototype," Poppy said.
Huggy Wuggy shuddered at the name, which made Michelle look at him before petting his leg, which calmed him slightly. When the lift reached the top, Poppy looked at Michelle. "Do the honors?" she asked.
Michelle nodded and turned to the machine with the button on it before aiming the right arm cannon at it and pulling the trigger. The green hand shot forward and pressed the button before it retracted back to Michelle, which turned the lights on.
As the lift started going down, Kissy Missy sat down and held her leg before rubbing it, which made Huggy Wuggy sit next to her. "The Prototype knows we're coming by now; you try to escape, and he'll kill you before you ever reach that door," Poppy said.
Poppy looked at Michelle. "He was the reason I was trapped in that... god-awful case!" she continued. "You have... no idea the things he's done! Let me help you kill him."
Michelle looked at Poppy, shocked. "Hang on, you're asking someone who hasn't even hurt a fly to kill this Prototype guy?" she asked rhetorically. "I don't know if I can even do that..."
Poppy looked at Michelle. "If you kill the Prototype, you can save so many lives, including your friends," she said.
Michelle remained silent and let go of the right arm cannon before crossing her arms. "And we've ALL seen you... how capable you are," Poppy continued. "You befriended Huggy; you befriended Mommy... you freed me and other tormented toys."
Michelle looked down and clenched her arms a bit. "You are perfect for this..." Poppy said.
When the lift was on the ground and its gate opened, Poppy looked around. "CatNap is coming; he's the final obstacle the Prototype has placed against us," she continued. "We can't stay here. Keep yourself and the others safe; Ollie will call you."
Michelle nodded before looking at Huggy Wuggy. "C'mon, Huggy; let's go," she said.
Huggy Wuggy looked down with a slight whimper, which made Kissy Missy look at him. Kissy Missy let go of her leg before petting Huggy Wuggy's cheek with a soft purr, which made him look at her. "Huggy go with Misha," she said. "Misha needs Huggy..."
Huggy Wuggy stared at Kissy Missy before nodding, and he stood up before approaching Michelle. After the duo got off the lift, its gate closed before it started going up. Kissy Missy stood up and waved at the duo, which made them wave back.
When the lift reached the top, the phone started ringing, which made Michelle grab it off the GrabPack's hook before the duo looked at it. "Hey, hey; it's me again," Ollie said. "It seems like Poppy explained everything now, and she turned on the Dome's backup power!"
Michelle looked at the phone. "What's the next step?" she asked.
"The plan from here is pretty simple," Ollie said. "We need to restore power to the gas production zone."
Michelle looked at the phone with a sweatdrop. How is that simple? she thought.
"First, go back to the Home Sweet Home building you were just in," Ollie said. "You should be able to find a big power cord somewhere around the porch."
Michelle grabbed the right arm cannon's handle and aimed the flashlight forward before the duo approached the Home Sweet Home. After the duo climbed the steps, they spotted an open hatch with a power cord. "We found it, Ollie; what now?" Michelle asked.
"Grab it and plug it underneath the statue," Ollie said.
Huggy Wuggy approached the power cord and wrapped his arms around it before pulling it; Michelle looked at him. "You got a good grip on it?" Michelle asked.
Huggy Wuggy nodded. "Good," Michelle said before aiming the arm cannon's flaslight to the statue. "Let's head back to the statue's room."
Huggy Wuggy nodded before the duo approached the statue; as Michelle looked around with the arm cannon's flashlight, she noticed the trio approaching them.
Bobby BearHug looked at the power cord in Huggy Wuggy's arms. "I see you're taking that back to the statue," she said.
Michelle nodded. "C'mon; the others are probably waiting for us," she said, which made the trio nod before the group walked forward.
...
...
...
When the group was close to the statue, Michelle approached the door before leaning against the wall and knocking on it with her left hand. "Chocolate or strawberry?" she asked.
"Strawberry!" Mommy Long Legs shouted behind the duo before quickly opening it.
The trio stared at Mommy Long Legs with shocked eyes. "She's accompanying you!" KickinChicken shouted.
Michelle turned her head to the trio, confused. "Uh, yes... is that a bad thing?" she asked.
Bobby BearHug nervously shook his head. "Not so much bad, but..." she said in a low voice before looking away and tapping her fingers a bit. "U-Um..."
Bubba Bubbaphant pointed at his head with his trunk, twirling it in small circles. "She might have a few screws loose..." he said in a low voice.
Mommy Long Legs deadpanned at the trio. "I heard that," she said, which made them flinch. "My little Misha, who are these pests?"
Michelle got off the wall and turned to Mommy Long Legs. "They aren't enemies," she said before glancing at the trio. "They come from a place called Safe Haven and want to rescue their group leader, DogDay."
Mommy Long Legs stared at the trio with squinted eyes before giving them a friendly smile. "Well, a friend of my little Misha's is a friend of Mommy!" she shouted before her eyes became serious. "So long as they behave..."
The trio nervously looked at Mommy Long Legs with a slight tremble, which made Michelle sigh a bit. "C'mon, we don't have all day," she said.
Mommy Long Legs nodded before stepping to the side, which made Michelle and Huggy Wuggy go down the stairs before walking forward. The trio looked at one another before they went down the stairs.
As the trio entered the room, they saw Bunzo Bunny playing with most of the Mini Huggies and PJ Pug-A-Pillar sleeping on the ground with Rose sleeping on his head.
Bubba Bubbaphant looked at them with a bewildered gaze. "She actually saved these toys..." he said in a low voice.
Bobby BearHug stared at the smaller toys, amazed. "I knew she was special, but not this kind of special," she said.
When the trio turned away, KickinChicken leaned toward Bobby BearHug and Bubba Bubbaphant while covering part of his mouth with his left hand. "Well now we know why he admires her," he said in a low voice, which made them nod in agreement.
Unbeknownst to the trio, Mommy Long Legs stood behind them with her head upside down and a creepy smile. "I'm sorry, but who's this 'he' you're talking about?" she asked, which made them look at her with panicked eyes.
At the booted-up terminal with a few different colored icons: two gray, two red, and two blue, Huggy Wuggy plugged the cord into the far left slot. "Awesome, look at that!" Ollie shouted. "Remember that generator you turned on inside Home Sweet Home? Well, that was a backup generator for that building."
Michelle hummed and nodded. "So there's a backup generator for each building; that's not surprising," she said.
"Now you've just taken Home Sweet Home's backup power and routed it here," Ollie said. "We're already halfway done."
Michelle heard Ollie hum. "But where to go next... everywhere is pretty dangerous around here," he continued. "That Playhouse especially; yuck!"
Michelle looked down. Even Ollie is against going inside the Playhouse, she thought.
"So... your best bet is probably the School; CatNap usually leaves that place alone," Ollie said. "I'm sending you a key now!"
When Michelle approached the pipe, she saw a key with an 'S' on it and a tag that said 'School' on it slide down the metal wire before it stopped in front of her.
Michelle grabbed the key and put it in her left pocket before looking at Huggy Wuggy. "You rest here, buddy; you deserve it," she said.
Huggy Wuggy nodded as Michelle approached the front; she stood near the stairs before looking at Mommy Long Legs while she was talking to the Smiling Critters. "Mommy, you're up," she said.
Mommy Long Legs twisted her head to Michelle, smiling. "Oh, goodie! I get to spend time with my little Misha!" she shouted before looking at the scared and trembling Smiling Critters with a slight smile. "It was nice talking to you."
Mommy Long Legs approached Michelle with a gentle smile. "Ready when you are," she continued.
Michelle smiled. "Then let's head off quickly," she said, which made Mommy Long Legs nod before they climbed the stairs and left the room.