My Northern Star
A Harvest Moon: Animal Parade Fanfiction
Heya everyone! I finally started writing this fanfic after planning it for a long time. I can't write very often, since I have a full college schedule filled with essays, but I'm planning on updating this every time I get a chance to. I haven't played Animal Parade myself (since I can't read Japanese well yet), but I have watched every wizard video available and read up on a lot of game information. I'm very excited about Hikari (Molly in English, but I'm not fond of that name) as a main character, since I love her rather vague appearance. Also, though I always picture all the other main characters to be out-spoken, happy, and rather hyper, I get a different feeling from Hikari. Especially since one of the official statements referred to her as a "Kind(or quiet? I can't remember exactly) and gentle girl." I'm jumping at the chance to portray her as a bit low key. :
A couple notes:
-Takes place after the ringing of the green bell.
-Also takes place after the ghost Tom event.
It was strange how the dreary setting seemed to suck the warmth out of the summer air, leaving it chilled and brittle. Hikari wasn't used to the TamTam forest, especially at night, and it was a more unnerving experience than she had guessed it would be. After all, she'd met and helped a ghost just the week before! What were the woods in comparison to that? Just a bunch of trees… A bunch of thick trunks, rustling leaves, strangely spaced shadows, skeletal branches clawing at the air like hands… Oh dear, this whole thing was shaping up to be a big mistake. Hikaru glanced over at Fin, who was hovering closer than usual, and noticed the sprite's overly-nervous expression. They really should have done this in the morning…
It had been a full week since they'd managed to ring the green bell and restore Daren and the power of wind to the island, and they'd yet to repay the witch for her help. Hikari had [b]tried[/b], with Fin's encouragement, to thank the wizard for all of his assistance in breaking the spell, but that meeting hadn't gone exactly like she had planned.
---
She had opened the door hesitantly, causing a widening line of light to grow against the building's interior. She was a bit nervous, just as she had been the very first time she'd stepped inside the wizard's home. It wasn't fear that clenched her stomach, as Hikari had never been one to be intimidated by magic (which was probably why she had been able to handle the goddess and harvest sprites so easily), but the kind of unpleasant fluttering in the gut that you get around someone new and interesting. She was rather anxious to become friends (or at the very least, acquaintances) with the magic-user, though she hadn't really dwelled on the exact reason why.
The farmer had taken a few steps inside, peering up the small and twisting staircase to see the wizard with his eye pressed against the over-sized telescope's lens, just like he had been doing when she saw him for the first time. He didn't seem to have noticed her arrival at all, not even by the large path of sunlight pervading the room. Hikari paused for a moment by the bottom stair and wondered if she should attempt to come back later. He did seem pretty busy doing… Something. The girl didn't have a clue about what it could be, but it was probably important wizardry-stuff.
Hikari was already half way up the steps before she changed direction decisively, turning around towards the door. It wouldn't hurt to come back later instead… However, at that precise moment, the wizard seemed to realize that he wasn't exactly alone.
"Huh?"
The quiet voice made her give an unexplainable little jump of surprise, and she turned back quickly. "Oh, good evening!" She said cheerfully, smiling and taking the few remaining steps to where he stood.
She'd planned a conversation out on the way there. First she'd thank him for his help, and then she'd ask him about his likes, so she'd be able to give him a token of appreciation later. Then, if things were going well, she'd make enough small talk to build a bridge to bigger conversations…
None of that took place.
Instead, before she could open her mouth again, the wizard spoke again.
"Hmm…? Oh it's you…" There was a pause, but the farmer remembered his halting speech pattern from before, so she didn't use it as a way to slide into the conversation right away. However, after the seconds slipped by, Hikari was steeling herself to start talking again when the wizard finished his sentence.
"That's enough for today…"
How strange. She suddenly felt as if she were sinking…
---
So, after that, Hikari had moped around a bit before Fin mentioned that she still hadn't gone back to say thanks to the witch. The girl had been struck by the idea that maybe she'd be able to ask the magical girl a bit about the wizard while she was at it, possibly hitting two wasps with one stone.
So, that was why Fin and Hikari found themselves edging nervously through the dark forest. They had chosen to go for the visit after the sun set, on the guess that the witch may have the same kind of schedule as the wizard, who seemed to prefer night time to day.
"Auuuuugh~! Do you hear that?" Fin squealed, zooming in close and landing on the farmer's shoulder. She paused mid-step, freezing up and holding her breath. Despite the surprisingly loud thumping of her heart the girl could hear the faint sounds of an argument.
"What do you think it could be?" The sprite whispered, spinning around to hover behind her head.
"I'm not sure," Hikari whispered back, "but there's only one way to find out." Swallowing back a wave of nerves, the farmer and sprite edged (and floated) towards the sounds of the commotion. What they saw certainly wasn't what they expected.
"I saw it first!" The witch yelled, tugging with all her might against a huge purple and pink mushroom.
"No… I saw it first." The wizard semi-yelled back, not quite loudly, but with more volume than Hikari had heard him use before. He too was gripping the mushroom with both hands, struggling to pull it away from the witch. Fin and Hikari blinked a few times in confusion, watching the scene unfold in silence. After a couple more minutes of the tug-of-war match, both of the magicians pulled so hard that the mushroom flew up and out of their hands. All four of them watched it disappear over the line of trees, doubtlessly falling in another part of the forest.
"Now look what you did!" The witch snapped, crossing her arms angrily in front of her body. She seemed to notice the farmer and sprite standing a few feet away, and spun on her heel to face them. "That mushroom is really rare! It took me years to find that one!" She fumed.
"Yes… Tamtam mushrooms are rare… If you find it, you should bring it to me." The wizard said, turning to face Hikari and Fin as well.
"No! You should bring it to me instead!" Said the witch.
The two magicians gave each other one last glare, before stalking off in opposite directions.
Hikari and Fin were left alone, both still a little confused about what just happened.
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So, how was it? I plan on going through every heart line, so this fanfiction will probably go on for a while. Please read and review!