Outside the Playhouse, the trio waited at the front. Mommy Long Legs gently placed DogDay on the ground. "Will you be all right standing on your own?" she asked. DogDay nodded. "I'll be fine, thank you," he said before looking at the Playhouse, concerned. "But Misha..."
Miss Delight turned to DogDay. "She'll be fine," she said, which made him look at her. "The company used to give the other orphanage special assignments once per week to test their intelligence."
Miss Delight looked at the Playhouse. "Out of all the children in that orphanage, Miss Misha had the highest score for her age," she continued. "Add that to her speed, and she'll escape those Ruined Critters in no time."
DogDay looked away and crossed his arms; the trio heard something from the back of the Playhouse, which made them look at it before sprinting toward it.
When the trio reached the back, Michelle came out of the slide and stretched her arms. "That was tiresome..." she said, lowly. Mommy Long Legs smiled and sprinted toward Michelle. "My little Misha!" she shouted.
When Michelle looked at Mommy Long Legs, she grabbed her and pulled her into a hug. "You're OK!" she shouted. Michelle chuckled a bit. "Well, besides being exhausted from running, yeah... I'm OK," she said.
After Mommy Long Legs set Michelle on the ground, Miss Delight approached her and hugged her. "I'm glad you returned to us safe," she said. Michelle smiled before returning the hug. "Thanks..." she said, lowly.
DogDay slowly approached the trio and looked at them. "Misha..." he said, which made Michelle look at him. "Words can't describe how grateful I am to you, but um..."
After Miss Delight let go, Michelle approached DogDay and held her hand out, which made him look at it, surprised. "There's no need for thanks," she said.
Michelle smiled. "I'm just glad I could free you from your prison," she continued. DogDay stared at Michelle's hand before kneeling and placing his finger in her hand. "I'm forever in your debt," he said.
The phone started ringing, which made Michelle let go of DogDay's finger before grabbing it. "Hey, are you alright? No ouchies or lost body parts?" Ollie asked.
Michelle smiled. "My allies and I are fine and all accounted for," she said. "Allies? I thought Mommy was with you?" Ollie asked.
Michelle looked at Miss Delight and DogDay. "We found a Miss Delight survivor while traversing the School and rescued DogDay from the Playhouse," she said. "Wow... you're a lot braver than I would be, risking your life over two toys you barely know," Ollie said.
Mommy Long Legs glared at the phone. "Mind repeating yourself, you—" Michelle raised her hand, which made her stop. "Well, there's an old saying: With great risk comes great reward."
Michelle looked at the phone. "Sure, I may have gambled my life with it, but if I had the option to change it, I'd still do the same thing if it means saving lives," she continued. "I see... well, I'm really glad you're OK..." Ollie said. "I don't wanna lose any more friends to this place."
Michelle stared at the phone. "Hey... did you see the shrine?" Ollie asked. Michelle looked away. "You mean the one made out of dead toys and the upper part of a human skeleton? Yeah, we saw..." she said.
"CatNap made it for the Prototype," Ollie said. "See, before CatNap turned into... CatNap, I guess there was some pretty serious accident."
Michelle was shocked and looked at the phone. "He almost died, but... they say that the Prototype saved his life, giving up his own freedom in the process," Ollie continued.
Michelle looked down. Was it genuine help? Or was it to manipulate CatNap to do his bidding? she thought.
"In CatNap's eyes, the Prototype is a superhero and has saved this place," Ollie said. "So, CatNap treats him like a God and kills anyone who opposes him. Us included if we're not careful."
The group was silent. "That shrine... did it scare you?" Ollie asked. "If you thought that was terrifying, just wait until you see the real thing."
Michelle stared at the phone. "Anyways, we're really close to the end," Ollie said. "I sent you a new key; you're going to the Counselor's Office instead."
The others looked at the phone. "It's not ideal... but it should have enough juice," Ollie continued. "If you can get that generator going and plug it in... I think we'll be done! And keep your eyes open for CatNap."
Michelle was concerned. "Every shadow and every flickering light is a hiding spot; he always stalks his prey first," Ollie said. "He'll take away anything you have to defend yourself. And when you're at your most vulnerable... he'll kill you. CatNap lives for the hunt; good luck, talk soon."
After the phone call ended, Michelle hung it on one of the hooks before looking at DogDay. "Was what Ollie said accurate?" she asked. DogDay nodded. "Very accurate..." he said.
Michelle nodded. "Well then, I think it's time we get this little reunion started," she said before walking in the statue's direction. "C'mon." As Mommy Long Legs and Miss Delight followed Michelle, DogDay stared at her before following her.
...
...
...
In the statue's room, Huggy Wuggy and Bunzo Bunny sat by the door. "It's been a while since the kid and Mommy went to that school," KickinChicken said.
Bubba Bubbaphant petted PJ Pug-A-Pillar's head as Ivy rested on his shoulder. "One possible guess why they're taking so long is that they encountered Miss Delight," he said. "It would take some time to escape that psychopath."
Bobby BearHug leaned against the wall and looked down; she heard chirps, which surprised her. Bobby BearHug turned her head to the source and saw the Mini Huggies looking at her, worried.
Bobby BearHug kneeled and gently placed her hands against the Mini Huggies' heads. "It'll be alright; she'll come back to us safely," she said.
The Mini Huggies wrapped their arms around Bobby BearHug, which made her gently wrap her arms around them. At least... that's what DogDay would say in this situation... she thought.
Huggy Wuggy and Bunzo Bunny heard a knock on the door, which made them look at it. "Chocolate or strawberry?" the voice on the other side asked.
Bunzo Bunny smiled as Huggy Wuggy picked him up and held him close to the door handle. "Strawberry!" he shouted before placing his hands on it.
With Huggy Wuggy's help, Bunzo Bunny opened the door, which revealed the group. "I'm glad you still remembered that," Michelle said with a smile. Bunzo Bunny smiled and held his arms out. "Welcome back, Big Sis!" he shouted.
Michelle hugged Bunzo Bunny. "Thanks..." she said. When Huggy Wuggy was close to Michelle, he lay his head against her cheek with a purr, which made her smile and pet his head. "Good to see you too, big guy," she continued.
The other toys approached the opening. "You're back," Bobby BearHug said. Michelle looked at the group as the duo stepped away. "Yeah, we had to take a bit of an alternate route," she said, "But hey, we got two new people in the group."
Michelle turned her head to the back. "One of which I think you're very familiar with," she continued. When Michelle stepped to the side, the group saw DogDay, which made the trio's eyes widen. "DogDay..." they said, lowly.
DogDay walked down the steps before looking at the group. "I see you stayed here when I told you to leave this place," he said. "It was a foolish thing to do, but..."
DogDay sighed before looking at the trio with happy eyes. "I'm also glad that you disobeyed the order," he continued. Tears fell from the trio's eyes before hugging DogDay. "We're just glad you're safe..." Bobby BearHug said, lowly.
As the others entered the room, Michelle looked at the group with a slight smile. I'm glad to see them in a good mood, she thought. However...
Michelle looked away with crossed arms. Their group is still hiding something from me... I might have to distance myself if they continue this route, she thought. Mommy Long Legs looked at Michelle and placed her hand around her, which made her look at her.
Mommy Long Legs leaned close to Michelle. "I'm sure they'll tell you..." she whispered. Michelle glanced at the small group. "And if they don't?" she asked.
Mommy Long Legs glanced at the small group. "Then you make another ultimatum, just like you did with Poppy," she whispered. "You'll know when you have to make it."
Michelle stared at the group before nodding. "Alright..." she said, lowly, before turning her head to Mommy Long Legs. "You rest up; you deserve it."
Mommy Long Legs looked at Michelle, concerned. "Shouldn't you rest, too? Surely all that running you did exhausted you..." she said. Michelle glanced away and rubbed the back of her neck. "Well, I wouldn't say it exhausted me..." she said.
Mommy Long Legs stared at Michelle, which made her sigh. "But for you, I'll relax for a bit," she continued. Mommy Long Legs smiled. "Good," she said. "Mommy is very happy."
Michelle chuckled a bit before approaching Huggy Wuggy. "Huggy," she said, "I need to get in my bag." Huggy Wuggy nodded as he kneeled. "Thanks, bud," Michelle continued before unzipping it.
Michelle started rummaging through her bag. "Let's see... we'll definitely want something to snack on," she said. "We'll also need something to cure some of this boredom. Where did I put it?"
As Michelle dug her hands deeper into her bag, a CatNap plush and a DogDay plush fell out of her bag. "Whoops," she continued.
DogDay looked in Michelle's direction and saw the plushies, which made him approach her. When DogDay was close, he picked the plushies up. "These are yours?" he asked.
Michelle looked at DogDay. "Yeah, I got them before they recalled the CatNap plush," she said before looking at the CatNap plush. "When my orphanage was trying to take away the other CatNap plushies, I lied to them and told them I lost it."
Michelle smiled. "But in actuality, I've kept him hidden from the caretakers," she continued. "And even though the reasoning of them being recalled made sense, I don't regret my decision to keep him."
DogDay was silent and looked at the plushies. "Here, how about we trade?" Michelle asked. DogDay looked at Michelle as she took the plushies before placing a bag of cookies in his hands.
Michelle smiled as she approached her bag. "You distribute those cookies to the other toys while I place these two back in my bag; sound good?" she asked.
DogDay stared at the bag of cookies as Michelle placed the plushies back in the bag. "Now for what I'm actually going for..." she said, lowly. Soon after, Michelle pulled out a book with a wizard on the front cover. "Here we are," she continued before zipping her bag.
Michelle turned her head to the other toys. "Hey, everyone," she said, which made the others look at her. "How about a little story before I head off to the Counselor's Office?"
The smaller toys smiled and cheered, which made Michelle giggle a bit. "Alright, alright, gather around," she said. As Michelle sat down, PJ Pug-A-Pillar wrapped his body in a circle before laying his head in her lap.
The smaller toys sat on PJ Pug-A-Pillar, while some of the larger toys sat on the ground. DogDay stared at the group and then at the bag of cookies before opening it. When DogDay was close to the group, he handed each toy a cookie before sitting down.
Michelle looked at the toys. "We've got a really good story," she said. "There used to be this older kid from Playcare named Matthew who would read this book specifically to the kids, including me and my friends."
Michelle showed the toys the book cover. "It's called 'The Adventures of the Word Wizard'..." she continued.
Michelle opened the book and showed it to the toys as they ate their cookies. "Once upon a time, in a faraway land lived a kingdom named Alphabia, home to a famous wizard known as 'The Word Wizard'..." she read.
As time passed, the toys stared at the book in awe and amazement. "But then, as the mighty dragon let out his fire breath, the Word Wizard casts his mightiest spell, 'Alphabet Blast'," Michelle read. "As both spells clashed, the Word Wizard was starting to struggle..."
After some time, Michelle held the book. "And so, the king of Alphabia gave the Word Wizard the title, 'Sir Word Wizard'. As the crowd cheered and chanted 'Sir Word Wizard', peace was restored to the kingdom, and everyone lived happily ever after," she read.
Soon after, Michelle closed the book. "The end..." she said, lowly. When Michelle looked forward, she saw most of the toys fast asleep. Miss Delight looked at Michelle. "What a wonderful story; you tell it so well," she whispered.
Michelle chuckled a bit and rubbed the back of her neck. "Well... I tried to bring out that same enthusiasm Matthew brought to the other kids..." she whispered. "Compared to my reading, I don't hold a candle to him."
Miss Delight shook her head. "You're being too modest to yourself," she whispered. "People have their way of telling a story, and you tell it very well."
Michelle stared at Miss Delight before smiling a bit. "Thanks..." she whispered before looking at the other toys. "Could you watch over them? I think I'm gonna head to the Counselor's Office." Miss Delight stood up. "Of course," she said before approaching Michelle.
Unbeknownst to the duo, DogDay opened one of his eyes as Miss Delight gently lifted PJ Pug-A-Pillar's head, which made Michelle stand up.
After Miss Delight gently placed PJ Pug-A-Pillar's head on the ground, she grabbed the book out of Michelle's hands. "Please stay safe," she said.
Michelle nodded before stepping over PJ Pug-A-Pillar; DogDay watched her as she walked toward the back. When Michelle was close to the pipe, a key with a red tag appeared inside.
Michelle grabbed the key and stared at it. "Are you planning to go there on your own?" the voice surprised her before turning around. Michelle saw DogDay. "I, uh..." she said before looking away. "Since most of the toys are fast asleep, I didn't want to disturb their slumber."
DogDay hummed a bit. "Then allow me to accompany you," he said. Michelle was surprised and looked at DogDay. "What? No, I can't do that to you," she said. "You were being held as a prisoner in Playhouse; I shouldn't..."
DogDay kneeled to Michelle. "It's alright... thanks to your storytelling and the sweets from your bag, I feel recuperated," he said.
DogDay looked at Michelle. "And besides... that area is where CatNap roams the most," he continued. "And if something happened to you, you'd be vulnerable... just like how Ollie put it."
Michelle stared at DogDay before sighing a bit. "I suppose you have a point on that," she said. "Fine... you can come with me."
DogDay looked happy before holding out the bag of cookies to Michelle, which made her take it. When Michelle looked inside, a single cookie remained. "I saved this one for you in case you were hungry," DogDay said.
Michelle stared inside the bag before closing it. "Thank you for that, but..." she said before looking away. "I... lost my appetite after going through the school."
DogDay looked at Michelle, concerned, as she put the bag in her pocket. "I'll be fine; I promise," she continued. DogDay stared at Michelle before standing up. "If you say so," he said.
Michelle smiled a bit before walking toward the stairs. "C'mon, we got a Counselor's Office waiting for us," she said. DogDay nodded before following behind Michelle.