Chapter Text
"...Poppy."
The Prototype's weapons for legs sink into the terrain. He opens his arms like he's hosting.
He sort of does look like a spider.
You tilt your head.
Poppy, Kissy and you are bound by Lilly Lovebraids's hair.
She locked so many doors with it- how does she still have hair-
"SUPRISE!" She gestures big, and bounces on her feet.
The Prototype leans around the table.
The rest of him filters in past the red smoke.
That's six. Unless all the head trauma caught up, that's six fucking legs.
How do you outrun something like that?
He doesn't give you a lick of attention.
Needle hands firmly placed on the table in front of Poppy.
"What did you do with them?"
Poppy stares at the spot his soul would've been.
"Where are the orphans?"
He leans in, bells jingling.
"Uh oh," Lovebraids sings a taunt.
The Prototype flinches at her voice.
"-She doesn't know!"
The Prototype thins out a hand, then stabs her emotional support toy like it's CatNap.
Without looking?
You gulp.
Not much you can do. You glance at Kissy, who looks back. Maybe she's also unsure?
"I did... what I had to. They're in... a Better Place now." His voice deepens into another.
"No..." Poppy breathes, looking at his needle hand.
"You're a monster!"
"I built us a home-" he raises a leg on the table.
You blink several times, catching eyes with Kissy again.
He's just SO not what you were expecting.
"-and kept us safe. And you repaid me-"
He looms over her.
"-by bringing in an outsider."
"Uh." Is all you can possibly say. You might be braindead from lack of everything down here. No wonder the toys went crazy.
The attention spot like shifts back onto Poppy.
"And plotting to destroy the only heaven you and I will ever get."
He monologues with feminine and masculine voices alike.
"I had hoped your time in the case would help you see reason."
He flexed his needles, and plucks Poppy up by the head.
Yowch. I need to do something.
"I see now this was my fault." He lifts her eye to eye. "You act like a child because... a child is what they made you."
The higher Poppy's raised, she eventually wiggles like a worm pinched from the dirt.
"You're hurting me!"
The Prototype shakes his head stiffly, "Don't be afraid. I can fix you Poppy. I can make you better."
Your brows furrow.
Come on, you have agency!
Do something!
"Stop." Poppy continues.
But the Prototype keeps pushing, until a tiny crack sound echoes. He twitches, like surprised by the consequence.
It's not a full detrimental crack.
Not on your watch!
Lovebraids's mistake was not tying your hands to the chair. You push up on your calves and wedge yourself between them.
Your chest heavy, sweat pooling. Your GrabPack impedes, but you manage to wiggle upright. He drops Poppy, now forced to be face to face with you.
Kissy screeches and writhes in her binds.
Poppy isn't moving.
This feels like another gulp scenario, but you haven't had enough water.
"And you." He leans close, and it's more personal than it was just sitting at the table. Kissy's breaking your ear. You don't even see Lovebraids. All you can do is look up at him. "The outsider. The Butcher, they call you."
"I was actually called an Angel for a lil' bit."
You correct.
"Shall we see what you look like, wrongside out?" His face snaps impossibly close like he did to Poppy.
He hesitates.
You see purple braids hunt Poppy's fallen form.
Yeesh, the devious look in Lovebraids eyes.
"Don't touch her." The Prototype swipes the hair away.
Consequently cutting Kissy free.
But you're still bound like a roast on a holiday.
"Well damn," you said to nobody.
Lovebraids sneaks off.
Kissy checks, perches, screeches, and lunges off the table!
She reaches deep and yanks on a tube connecting to Red Gas. The area fills with it.
You cough, eyes stinging with heaviness.
Stars, I'd think I'd be immune by now.
You shake yourself awake. You roll off the table with a heavy flop. Thankfully you don't feel it as hard with the gas.
All the thumping, and screeching- you're gonna puke.
You'd close your eyes, but you don't want to get stuck with Lovebraids. You fidget, and fidget!
Thud, thud.
Thud.
Okay that sounds a little close- "Woah!" one of his back legs accidentally pierces through the braids trapping you.
You duck under the table as their fight prevailed.
You peek from between your hands just in time to see Kissy land a nasty blow to some upper part of him. The red smoke seeps into your vision.
It clears out enough for you to notice everyone and their mom fleeing the party.
"Okay damn guys." You stretch and situate your GrabPack while huffing up the stairs.
You trot after Kissy, but she's always so fast. Poppy jostles in her arms.
Is this the time you finally catch up?
Lovebraids breaks through the door,
"UGH! THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!"
You sharp right.
Jumping over debris outside her house.
Another sharp right, you crouch slide off to GrabPack over the ravine.
"YOU'RE GOING IN THE BAD TOY BOX!"
She whisper shouts.
Oh stars, how far is she from you?
You can't look.
You look over the edge.
Buzzing with leftover adrenaline.
Another one bites the dust.
Maybe if she was chill, Lilly Lovebraids would've lived.
But no, you seem to rub everyone the wrong way.
At what point am I the problem?
You can muse later. You have to catch up.
That's all you do.
Catch up.