Work Text:
It was the betrayal that stung worse than the pain coursing through their body. It was spreading everywhere and they couldn’t do a thing to stop the inevitable. They would either die laying on the ground or one of the hostile toys would find them and end their life right then and there.
We were about to leave together.
Poppy’s sudden turn. They noticed something off with doll as soon as they freed her. The little thing had turned from cute and even playful into a serious and calculated doll. Searching their soul for their intentions and perhaps testing them to see if they would carry out her wishes. She wanted them to keep killing mercilessly as if they were a murderous machine without any thoughts of emotion.
I’m not with them anymore. I’ve gotten better. I’m atoning for what I did them.
They weren’t particularly religious, but they prayed to whatever deity up there for anyone to rescue them. This couldn’t be the end. They had worked too hard to just give up and be on their way to heaven or hell. Whatever place they ended up in, they knew that they deserved every last of bit of torture. The punishment suited for what they had done to these poor creatures.
The ex-employee closed their eyes as death seemed to be close-
“Don’t. Move.”
That voice.
It sounded exactly like Poppy. The ex-employee dared to peek open their eyes, almost jumping out their skin when they were met with the coldest gaze they had seen in these parts. The figure had a cloak chucked over them, but they could make out the red hair and blue eye staring back at them with equal measure. She pressed a letter opened of all things do their throat. It had been sharpened to be as sharp as a real blade. They gave her credit for the creativity of the weapon.
Poppy?
She must have been able to read their thoughts. The little doll let loose a gutteral growl, her irises sharpening into slits like an animal on the hunt. Observing their prey as she put down the hood to reveal her true appearance. In short, they were nothing less than horrified.
”Name’s Clover. My mistress’ name is Poppy, but we ain’t so friendly as she tried to kill us all.”
She easily slipped the weapon back into its holster as if by pure instinct. Without even looking, she determined the fatality of their injuries. She pressed one of her little fingers down on a cut, not doing so much as a flinch when the ex-employee cried out and tried swatting her hand away.
”Yes, a fine specimen. It’s been so long since I’ve seen a human. You’ll do nicely. I tend to like my victims alive.”
They didn’t even feel the dread. Instead, the urge to roll their eyes came and went as the doll suddenly held her head. Her eyes switched from a rosery brown to her normal blue hues. She groaned as a more innocent, yet still stern side must’ve taken control for whatever reason. Her hand went under her chin, her index and thumb stroking it as she seemed deep in thought.
”What to do, what to do. I could kill you, spare your soul the torment. Grant you some mercy. You know he’s looking for you, right?-”
The ex-employee squirmed as her hand settled on their head, patting it before started stroke their hair. They wouldn’t admit that it felt nice under her touch. Poppy’s always felt like they were treated as a possession. Like she owned them. She never let them out of her sight for that long.
”I could steal you away. Keep you as mine to torture. Your head and limbs would make quite the parts to my collection. Yes, that does sound good.”
Her giggle echoed off the walls. They were writhing underneath her hand. She was stronger than she looked as their head was pulled up, her hand wrapping around their neck as her eyes changed to those slits.
”I found you, human. I decide your fate from now on, little one. But I can’t carry you.”
She gestured to herself.
”Tiny body from being a poppy counterpart. Even if I do look a tad…different than the others.”
She winced at her own words. Her looks were an obvious sore subject for her to be bringing into the conversation. From their blurry vision, the ex-employee barely made out her features, but they could spot a few that stood out the most.
With a scowl she adorned a light blue pinafore dress, white undershirt, and scars covering her entire body. They reached out with one hand, only to have the wrist caught. Clover released the other’s head, stepping back and raising the cloak.
You’re different than her.
I ain’t exactly a copycat. There aren’t many of us around due to toys hating us so much that they want to see us go extinct.
The ex-employee wanted to ask so many questions based off that one sentence. Popp-…Clover looked around and spotted two mini huggies playing innocently on the train tracks.
”They’ll do.”
She did something they hadn’t expected. Clover clicked her fingers and almost immediately the two mini huggies paused, their eyes glowing a bright blue which indicated Clover’s control over their minds.
Snap.
They came forward to each side of the little doll. Standing above the ex-employee and just staring down at them. Eagerly awaiting Clover’s next wish now that she ensured that they weren’t threats for their safety.
Snap.
She once again clicked her fingers.
”As a Poppy counterpart, we inherited her influence over the other toys. Although we cannot use it when we want. Pick ‘em up.”
Her accent changed to a more southern sounding voice. The two mini huggies bent down, two pairs of hands grabbing the ex-employee from each side and carrying them in their arms. Clover seemed satisfied, humming in acceptance of her newfound situation.
Snap.
They snapped to attention.
”Follow me back to the hideout. When we depart, you two will not remember the location. You’ll think of this as nothing more than a dream passing and that you simply took a nap. I don’t want the overheads finding out like the last time.”
What the heck were the overheads?
”Goodnight, little human. You’re going to take a long nap.”
The ex-employee didn’t have to think before something slammed hard on the back of their head, effectively forcing their mind to shut down for the pain. They briefly felt themselves being lifted and dragged away and Clover speaking.
”I’ll fix you right up.”
Then everything became dark.
***
The next time they were awakened, the ex-employee felt strangely better than before. Their body wasn’t in agony if they even used a little energy to manoeuvre their eyes. Someone must have fixed and patched up their wounds from the crash. They no memory prior to their little kidnapping, but they were determined to find exactly what happened.
”WOULD YOU KEEP STILL?!”
”NO, YOU’RE TORTURING ME!”
”I’M TRYING TO FIX YOU!”
They briefly dodged an incoming book before having to fully duck under to avoid other heavy objects. A familiar and foreign voices were arguing over who knows what. The ex-employee slowly creaked open the door to a sight they never thought that they would see.
“TELL THAT TO YOUR OTHER VICTIMS!”
”THEY’RE DEAD. YOU CAN’T SPEAK TO DEAD PEOPLE!”
Yeah, definitely that Clover’s voice they heard earlier before she essentially had them kidnapped. The little doll’s cloak was hanging in the corner, the formerly mentioned stitching a wound on a Bron of all things. Somehow penetrating the skin and allowing the string to do its job. She had her back turned to them, but they could sense the glare that she was aiming at the mini Bron.
”You’re dramatic.”
”How did you hurt yourself this time?”
”Oh! I got ambushed by a couple of the others. Cat-Bee’s counterparts thought it would be funny to shove me near a grinder.”
Clover’s eye twitched. She grumbled to herself, biting the string to detect it from the foot. She playfully hit the other toy to which they pouted in return.
”Remind me to get rid of them. They’ve been getting too close. We were nearly caught the other day.”
”Relax, Clov. No need to be so paranoid.”
Clover’s head looked between them, the wall, then back at the Bron counterpart as if he was crazy.
”Yes there is, Bailey. We’re hunted for our sentience. I’ve been tortured by her. I COULD HAVE LOST YOU TO THEM.”
Her mini rant ended with a shriek. This Bailey shrunk into himself, whimpering as his eyes glazed over. As if this triggered something in the past and it came back to haunt him. Clover seemed to sense this as well, choosing to sigh and wipe her porcelain brow like she was tired. The bags under her eyes and the exhaustion creeping into her body said it all.
”You need sleep, Clover. It’s been months. You’re not her. I’m not him. We’re not invincible. Even if you’re leader, you need to let others take care of you-”
Her stance instantly hardened, body tending and her eyes became guarded. They were unreadable. A blank slate of what they used to be. Even when Poppy turned on them, it didn’t compare to the cold person this Clover had become.
”I take care of you. That was the bargain. It’s easier to be alone than to lose the ones you may come to care for. I can’t-…”
Both of her hands gripped either side of her head. Her eyes flashed between purple, brown, and blue. Tears threatened to welt and spill on their own accord.
“-I can’t afford to lose anyone, Bailey. I’ve lost too much. Soon enough I’ll have nothing left to live for.”
With that, the little doll jumped down and grabbed a needle from the nearest table. She injected into Bailey’s chest, his eyes dropping before eventually slumping against the bed in a deep sleep. The ex-employee witnessed Clover just staring at the needle, then she turned her attention to a picture of Poppy hanging on the wall. It had tens of hundred of darts and sharp objects stabbed into it. Clover screamed in frustration, throwing the needle so it hit the picture dead centre in between the eyes. Poppy was still smiling by the humans’ side. The doll’s counterpart gripped each side of her head, pulling at her hair as something of a sob and a scream escaped her mouth.
”WHY WERE YOU ALWAYS THE FAVOURITE TO THEM?! WE’RE DEGENERATES COMPARED TO YOU FREAKING MASCOTS!”
The ex-employee dodged an incoming vase, cringing as it shattered on the floor. The tension could have been cut with a knife. They stared as Clover looked at her reflection, accidentally gasping as she revealed her eyes. One was normal and blue, but the other…her other eye. It was stitched with a cross, fused shut and black and blue around it as if it was only healing slowly. Days at a time, maybe even years.
”You can come out.”
Her voice was calm now. Compared to Poppy, Clover was more unpredictable and dangerous. Poppy didn’t have it in her to physically fight other toys. She could manipulate, control, but never outright touch them. Clover pulled the cloak off the coat-wrack, threw it over herself and pulled above her head to cover her body. And possibly her identity as a whole.
Is she going to help me? Replace Poppy? Maybe this is a test.
Clover still hadn’t moved. The little Poppy doll’s head tilted to the side, a toothy smile upon her lips as a thought seemed to be running through her mind. She would be gaining something out of this.
”I can help you. But you have to do something for me. Prove that I can trust you. I saved your life, but I know you killed them. Mommy. Huggy. Well, I’m not so sure he’s dead. The rumours say that he’s probably alive. It’s what happens when your soul is dumped into a body over and over again. They always come back.”
They felt like they should’ve gotten that reference. And yet, they didn’t. They really were too old for this crap. They simply shrugged, nodding and heading for the door. They froze when they heard something akin of a whine. Clover’s eye was silver, looking around wildly and focusing squarely on them. Her arms reached out with her hands in a ‘grab me’ gesture. They were reminded of a freaking toddler wanting their parents to lift them into their arms.
”Pick me up?”
Or that was just how she coped. The ex-employee sighed, then picked up the little doll and put her in their shoulder. She found a space on their grabpack and themselves, peeking at the ex-employee from behind them as she sat on the space big enough to fit the little doll. They were surprisingly comfortable with the move. It didn’t feel like a ownership gesture with Poppy. Perhaps she had left them to die.
”…I feel like a little child again.”
How old was she meant to be? The ex-employee felt more sorry for these toys as the hours passed. Their backstories and attempts to kill them made them feel sympathy instead of fear and anger or rage. They were a ‘bleeding heart’ as Poppy commented once.
So, the ex-employee headed through the door and into the factory once again. They really hoped that they weren’t killed by this new risk. Another Poppy riding with them, but they weren’t Poppy. At least, not anymore. No, this counterpart had their own personality and even another name. And perhaps a few issues on her end, depending on whether her breakdown were justified. They ignored the loud beating of their heart. They had to trust that Clover wouldn’t turn her back on them.
I can’t help but think of the what ifs.
They were terrified of the outcome to this situation. Clover learned in close, whispering a sentence that sent a chill down their spine. They looked her in the eyes as a sort of thrill shone through the usually emotionless gaze of hers.
”This is going to be fun.”
***
She had actually fallen asleep on them. As they explored the new area, the ex-employee realised that Clover must’ve gotten bored and eventually succumbed to her tiredness. Her eyes had been drooping before they departed from her old hideout. And with them, she found a sense of security.
She trusts me already. Although she won’t admit it.
The little doll mumbled in her sleep, tossing and turning on the ex-employee’s back as they struggled to keep walking straight. They ended up with the idea to hold Clover in their arms. She was smaller than Poppy, but more deadly and ready to kill if anything got in her way.
Poppy never had a weapon.
”Did you kill her?”
Although the ex-employee had a suspicion that she was a bit of a sadist. These toys seemed to take pleasure in each other’s suffering. They paused when hearing a sudden whimper in Clover’s sleep, turning to face the ex-employee, then jumping out of their skin as shadows surrounded the both of them. For a second, they swore they heard whispers passing through the atmosphere.
Worthless.
You don’t deserve them. They’re better off without you.
All you are is a murderer.
Then they faded into Clover’s mind. The ex-employee heard the doll whimper once again. Her eye opened slowly, yawning like a child before it instantly hardened, the wall rebuilding itself so she wouldn’t let anyone on. It kind of hurt the ex-employee to know she suppressed her emotions. Poppy wore them on her sleeve. Clover kept them hidden at the bottom of a bottle that would soon be ready to be shattered.
”The night pack.”
Then the ex-employee heard whines, growls, all seemingly communicating into another language. Without Poppy, they weren’t able to understand what was being said between the toys. They looked toward Clover wondering if she would be able to provide the same ability as Poppy gave them. She stared at them like she had never been asked that question.
“I guess so? I don’t know. No one’s asked me to let them communicate with the others. Let alone the Huggies and Kissies’ language. Don’t ask me why they have their own language. None of us know either. Give me a second.”
She predicted what the ex-employee would ask. And they promptly kept their mouth shut. Clover actually giggled at the funny gesture.
A HUMAN? TASTY.
SHOULD WE EAT THEM?
I BET THEY’LL TASTE LIKE THE OTHERS.
The ex-employee flinched from the sheer loudness of the conversation. Clover rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly before abruptly cutting them down to the usual whispers. She sighed, wiping sweat off her plastic brow.
”Sorry, I haven’t used this much power in the last decade. I tend to get too busy to practice. My influence isn’t as stable.”
The ex-employee patted Clover from behind. She huffed, but accepted the gesture for what it was. Assurance. Comfort. Even when they didn’t utter a word, the human remained a mystery. The little doll slid the cloak over her shoulders, jumped off the ex-employee’s shoulders, sent them a small smile, then proceeded to go God damn crazy.
Literally.
The little doll crouched on all fours, one of her hands sliding the letter opened out of the holster. She walked toward the darkness, gesturing for them to follow. The ex-employee obeyed purely out of curiosity.
”This is a neutral zone. All of the kinds will be here. I am not welcomed. The Poppy dolls. Our kind is regarded as untrustworthy.”
Clover lifted half of the hair she let hang off one side of her face to reveal the eye and the scar that accompanied it.
”It resulted in this.”
No more needed to be said. Clover’s hair feel back in place, her climbing back onto the ex-employee’s shoulders before they set off into the darkness.
”Poppy would not be able to handle reality. The mascots have no idea how much us toys suffer. How our hunger rules our instincts. The mascots sit in their little stations all cozy and content and we’re left with dirt and grime.”
The ex-employee’s sympathy for these littler toys only further grew. Clover had only slept for around twenty minutes. Who knows how long she and the other counterparts had gone without a night’s rest? A chance to sleep without worrying if you were going to awaken the next day. The paranoia and mental breakdown suddenly made sense.
I’m so sorry.
Clover only shrugged. She slunk further into behind the ex-employee, her eye glowing in the darkness and looking almost innocent. But they knew. A killer doll hid behind the eyes of someone who had been tortured and forced to grow up against their will.
“It’s nothing we haven’t seen before.”
***
The halls were dimly light as they passed through multiple toy filled area. They scared the ever crap out of the ex-employee, but did nothing to attack them. It must’ve part of the neutral zones Clover had explained prior to their outing.
Where were those when Mommy Long Legs and Huggy Wuggy chased me?
The ex-employee wished that they had been told about the neutral zones before they nearly died to the mascots. The two of them were hellbent on ending their life. They hadn’t even done anything to deserve it! They worked at Playtime, but they weren’t that involved of whatever the higher ups had done. And yet, these toys blamed them for their actions.
It. Just. Wasn’t. Fair.
”Life’s not fair.”
They came to a halt as the whispered of the toys are stirred by their presence. Clover looked them in the eyes, and they nodded of their silent promise that they wouldn’t do anything stupid. They placed the little doll in a vent, her slipping off the hood so she could get a better view. She looked back at the ex-employee, a mix of worry and doubt hidden behind that wall in her eye.
”I can go through here to activate the door. It’s malfunctioned so your grabpack won’t do a thing. Keep your head down and don’t talk, stare, or even look for a minute at the others. They hate attention. And they especially hate me. We aren’t safe here. Be careful, human. I sense that we aren’t alone.”
The little doll walked deeper into the vent and disappeared without a few seconds. She left the ex-employee alone to deal with the toys staring at them like they were the prey and them the hunters. They only had one word for a situation such as this.
Fuck.
They had no choice. The ex-employee sighed to themselves, then started their journey through the hellish area filled with toys who would kill them upon learning their identity. They walked for a few minutes, keeping their head down and shuddering at the whispers. They were here. The toys were here.
Who’s this? They’re new.
Never seen ‘em before. Fleshie or toy?
They’re good either way.
The counterparts hung above in the upper levels just staring the new comer. A few sat in the corners, most were on the ground chatting to others who seemed to mind their one business. They kept their head down as instructed, even when a toy dared to poke their skin. They felt the eyes of the toys burning into the back of their head.
Don’t think about it too much. Clover, where are you?
I haven’t been here in ages. Give me time.
Counterparts of Huggy, Kissy, Bron, Candy, and even Mommy (the ex-employee had no idea she had her own toyline) were just staring as the ex-employee walked past. Just then, a hand grabbed their ankle, pulling them close to a light green mini Huggy who seemed to recognise them.
“You killed our leader.”
That started a frenzy. The other toys heard the commotions as they were gathering around the ex-employee and the mini Huggy who kept a firm grip on their arm.
Clover.
Give me a minute.
She responded in kind. The ex-employee’s heart raced as the toy tugged them closer to themselves, but they refused to show any weakness to this vermin.
They don’t deserve to be feared by you.
The ex-employee whipped their head around.
Poppy?
She didn’t reply.
A mini Cat-Bee actually intervened, her paw grabbing the mini Huggy’s furred arm, pulling them back with fear in their eyes and looking around wildly as if someone was listening in. She shook her head as the mini Huggy whined childishly.
”Neutral.”
”But they hurt master!-”
”Neutral.”
The mini Huggy looked between the ex-employee and the others toys, finally giving into their pleas and standing down. Shoving the ex-employee away, they weren’t even a few feet away when a crate dropped on their head, causing them to collapse on the floor face first. Presumably without a head by the time the others toys would have removed it anyway.
Snap.
A familiar clicking sounded through the room. All the toys automatically close, some of their eyes already glowing the familiar blue hue associated with her. A yelping was heard, then a mini Cat-Bee rubbed her tail as something snarled at them, driving them off with a whimper. The ex-employee saw a figure hiding in the shadows. They immediately recognised her.
Snap. Snap.
It had taken her long enough.
”Poppy?!”
The little doll matched the description of the infamous mascot. Her eyes were closed, reminding the ex-employee of the sleeping position they found Poppy in when they first met. This wasn’t her. She smiled, a familiar giggle ringing through the room and making the toys take a step back. She opened her eye, removed the bit of hair that always kept it hidden, and revealed herself in the dim lighting.
”Close, but fortunately I ain’t her. The door is open for us, little human.”
Clover’s eyes were completely black. The pulls covered in the colour, white pricks accompanied the clear signs of corruptions within the toys’ host. A toy suddenly gurgled, their hands grasping their own neck as they trapped to the floor, a weapon sticking from the back of their neck. Clover hummed, walking to the toy and picking up her choice of weapon before sliding it back into the holster. She walked through the crowd of toys who created a line, their fear showing through their lack of efforts to attack the doll weaker than them. She approached the ex-employee, extending their arms and they took it as a sign to lift the little doll into their arms. She hummed appreciatively, seemingly in an affectionate mood as she buried herself into the ex-employee’s chest.
”Mine.”
She looked back up up at them, stars in her eyes as an idea formed in her little mind.
”You in the mood for some fun?”
They weren’t sure what was wrong with the doll, but then she did something completely insane. Her eyes were now grey, and she leapt out of their arms and tackled a mini Bron to the ground. She stabbed him multiple times, indulging her beast’s instincts. It had been so long since she indulged her predator side. The humanity ruled for a long while. The toys immediately rallied against her, their own instincts kicking as Clover was thrown against the ex-employee. She climbed over their shoulder, holding the back of their neck tightly. The ex-employee glared at her before making the first move for the inevitable.
Getting the hell away from these monsters.
Clover had broken the rules of the neutral zone. And now, the toys were free to do whatever they wanted. Right now, their only wish was end the lives of this doll and the human daring to accompany them.
“I love chases, don’t you?!”
Nope.
No, they did not.
***
They were getting sick of these near death experiences. Every one of the toys was coming after them. They had to turn for their lives, occasionally hitting the buttons for the doors with the hands of the grabpack as they scanned and slammed shut on some of them. They wanted to scream from the pressure of getting away from these creatures.
What were you thinking?
And finally, they were done. The last door slammed shut, the ex-employee sighed in relief, sliding down the wall and onto the floor in a cross legged position. The little doll on their shoulders let out a ‘weeee!’ as she slid on their lap. Her eyes were still that grey colour from earlier. They wanted to see the blue so bad. To have the real Clover back with them.
But was she the real one?
A pang of guilt hit the ex-employee as Clover’s eyes switched to the blue, much to their relief. She rubbed her eyes sleepily, dragging her hand down her face and staring at the ex-employee as if confused. There was no red. No grey. Only the cold Poppy doll they met before when she begrudgingly saved their life.
”Forgive me, I don’t what happened.”
They flinched at how much she sounded like Poppy. Maybe they missed her more than they were willing to show. But Clover wasn’t a replacement. They weren’t like their superiors. They had treated the toys as best they could when interacting. Which wasn’t often. Whatever this new hierarchy was, the mascots were one of the most feared things to these toys. And that was saying something. Who was the most feared out of all of them?
“I apologise for that weak moment of mine.”
Clover looked at the ex-employee, then turned her head to state into the darkness of the factory. The despair in her eye was enough to keep them quiet. It was like they reminded her of someone else.
”It won’t happen again, sir-”
Clover put her hands at stifle the slip up. Her eye returned to the same blank pupil with the same blank iris. Perhaps blocking her emotions was her way of coping. The ex-employee couldn’t exactly blame her.
”Be honest. Are you looking for Poppy? I don’t blame you if you want to get rid of me-”
She drummed her fingers along the side of their leg. A bitter chuckle escaped her before she could stop it. The ex-employee gripped her hand into theirs, and she spilled some information to them.
”-Poppy was always favoured over me. But I never envied her. I preferred the background life. Staying in the shadows and just…playing with the others. We weren’t treated, but we had each other. Until the massacre. They went crazy and now I only have a few who remain. Including you, human. Congratulations, you’re on my list of people that are actually alive after hours of meeting us.”
Her eyes turned to purple, red, grey, then blue.
”We’re here now, human. There are dangers around every corner. And your little doll is hiding here watching us in the shadows. She’s just being petty because she knows that she betrayed you.”
The little doll reluctantly removed her hand from theirs, and started walking through a door with a huge sign attached above. The ex-employee almost automatically picked up the little Poppy counterpart whilst she yelped, almost clawing them when they settled her down on their shoulders. She huffed, but otherwise didn’t protest.
They would now be entering the Play-Care.