I do not in any way shape or form claim rights to Harvest Moon: Animal Parade or its characters, or story elements! All of that is owned by Natsume and Nintendo! All I own is this story/plot!

So please do enjoy! 3

Also, apologies if the format looks messy. It looks a LOT better in microsoft word, I don't know how to use formatting on this website, hah.

Edit: Also! A very nice person on deviantART has given me permission to use her work as my cover image! Her art is astounding, so go check out plainred on deviantart!

Chapter 1

New Faces

"Oh goddess, I'm so sorry!" A young girl shouted, staring at an older boy. The girl crouched over a large, ruined field that resembled what one might see on a farm, if it weren't completely destroyed. Crop stalks were ripped here and there in spots, their contents, beans and corn and other vegetables, spilled out over the muddy soil. Puddles of dark water swamped the once dry dirt.

"I swear I didn't mean to! Th-the horse…h-he just broke loose and…I-I-"

The girl was interrupted when the boy before her uttered in a very high pitched, womanistic voice, "Molly!"

"Molly!"

"Molly…"

"MOLLY!"

The girl let out a startled snort as she felt a nagging grip on her arm, which was currently shaking her from her sleep. Her chocolaty brown eyes flung open, showing them to match her messy brunette hair, and she sat straight up, only to fall backwards when a headrush fell upon her. After a few moments, she rose once more, slower, and let the person before her's outline come into focus.

A skinny, round-chested woman stood over Molly, her curled brown hair draped over one blue-colored eye as she looked down at her with a soft smile. "There you are, dear! Hurry, up! Up! Your brother is already waiting downstairs!" The woman said.

Molly gasped, jumping past the woman, out of the entangled sheets of her bed. "Oh goddess! Mom, I forgot to set my alarm, didn't I?" She gasped. She flew through her dresser's contents, which weren't much since her suitcases held most of her items, and picked out a very orange-colored outfit. She then disappeared into the bathroom down the hall.

The girl reappeared at the bottom of her stairs a fair twenty or so minutes later. Her brown hair was now pinned in places, forming it into a round shape that outlined her soft facial features. At the bottom it curled outwards. On her body, she wore a yellow undershirt, complimented by a yellow top, and a dark orange denim skirt. Over her white leggings were a pair of knee-high leather boots, fashionable, yet practical.

Molly searched the kitchen she had arrived in, and spotted the brown-haired head of her brother, who was talking to their father. "Kasey!" She screeched, and launched forward. She was met into the embrace of her brother as he pushed himself from the table at her caterwaul.

His hair was like her and her mother's, brown and long, though it was straight and thick as well, much like their father's black hair. The siblings twirled around in an excited hug while their parents looked on from the side of the room, smiling at eachother. Molly eventually pulled away from her brother and gripped his hands, jumping up and down, much like an 8-year old, despite her age, 19.

"Oh, Kasey! I'm so so sooo sorry that I woke up late! I was so excited that I could hardly fall asleep last night!" She apologized, purposefully forgetting to mention the nightmare she'd been trapped in.

Kasey grinned toothily down at Molly, ruffling her hair, to which she loudly protested with a grunt. "Don't worry sis! There's no need to hurry!" He soothed, emitting a chuckle. Kasey withdrew his hand, looking to his watch for the time. Molly nearly blurted out that they had a digital clock on the oven, since it was easier to read-at least for her-, but held herself back when Kasey spoke once more. "But…we do need to get going soon if we plan to get off the boat before dark." He murmured, tapping his watch twice before averting his gaze.

Molly bubbled with excitement once more, clapping her hands together, and nodded vigorously. With her mother, Molly disappeared upstairs to retrieve her things; two suitcases filled with outfits, a bathroom bag, and a box with several useless miscellaneous items that neither her mother nor father could convince her to leave at home. Kasey and the sibling's father helped load up the truck, and once everything was secure, Molly moved to give a large goodbye hug to her mother.

"Now dear, don't you give Kasey any trouble, you hear me? He's doing this all for you!" Molly's mother cupped her daughter's cheeks and gave her a soft kiss on the forehead. "And write me lots of letters! And don't forget to call! And make sure Kasey takes care of you! And…" She paused, smiling with watery eyes. "I love you both." She murmured, grabbing Kasey's wrist from where he'd been standing a couple feet away, and hugging her two children close to her chest.

"You two are growing up to fast…have a safe trip."

"Wow! Kasey! Look! Is that it?" Molly stood at the front of the boat, gripping the railing as she stared ahead, wide-eyed and mouth agape. The tap of footsteps could be heard as Kasey walked up behind his sister, along with an elderly man. Molly had come to know the man as Pascal, the captain of the ship, as well as a good friend of Kasey's.

Pascal moved to stand beside Molly, nodding to her as he tipped his hat away from his face. "Yess'm, that island there's Castanet." He murmured, his voice a scratchy, drawling tone. The island was a dark shadow, apart from the lighthouse, and Molly could only make out the shape of a tall mountain, and the light color of a sandy beach in the distance.

As they got closer, Kasey grabbed Molly's shoulders, pointing past her towards the island. "See that beach to the left?! See it?" Molly paused a moment, following his finger to see the white sand that shone brightly against the shadows that the sunset cast to the island. She nodded. "My farm's just past that!" He beamed, backing away and clapping his hands. "Oh boy! This is gonna be so exciting!" He cheered.

Pascal let out a light-hearted snort at the younger man's enthusiasm, before he lit up his pipe, one he'd been smoking earlier, when Molly boarded. The captain then turned away, heading for the doors that led to the captain's quarters. "We'll be dockin' in about 20 minutes, best get yer stuff ready." He murmured, before disappearing from sight.

Molly and Kasey disappeared as well to find Molly's things. It took them all but 15 minutes to get it all tied together, for easier transport, and they sat on the deck once more, watching the island that seemed to grow in size. Well, Molly watched it, Kasey just watched her, shaking his head in admiration for his little sister.

It wasn't long before Pascal tooted the loud horn of the boat, and a clunk could be heard, signifying they'd docked safely. Pascal emerged from his quarters, and stood near the railing, opening the gate. Two men, an older and younger, a girl, also young, and a horse stood on the dock.

The older of the two men carefully slid a plank of wood up to touch the boat, making for a not-so-safe looking walking platform. Kasey moved ahead of Molly, tugging the majority of her things, save for her box of miscellaneous items, off with him. After timidly shaking Pascal's hand in thanks for the trip, Molly shuffled off after her brother. Her movements were suddenly shy and unsure, as if everything were finally settling in. This place was so new! Kasey moved to stand beside his sister, grabbing the box from her hands, which also freed her to look around.

She avoided her gaze from the strangers who stood on the dock, instead observing her surroundings, which weren't much. The sky had grown dark, and all that Molly could see were what the street lanterns lit up for her. A building, whose sign read "Fishery" stood directly before the group. A metal sign hung beside it's doorway, which looked to be a fish. Molly smiled to herself, it reminded her of the creative little trinkets and signs her mother had always decorated their own home with. Before she could let her mind wander in the fond memories, Molly's thoughts were interrupted by Kasey's voice.

"C'mon sis, at least say hi." He murmured in her ear, walking up behind her and patting her shoulder.

Molly finally let her gaze travel to the three people in front of her. Her cheeks immediately lit up with embarrassment, and she waved at the strangers. "Oh, sorry. Hi…my name's Molly." She said, her voice unsure, but just as loud as it usually was.

The oldest of the trio stepped forward. He wore a large, straw sunhat, that shadowed most of his face and covered his gray-looking hair, but the friendly grin he bore was blatantly visible. He donned a vest that was covered with hooks and baits of sorts. As Molly looked closer, she noticed the man's eyes were squinted to beady slits, and he had wrinkles about his square face. "Of course we know who ya are, your brother here only brags about you all the time!" He boomed, extending his hand to Molly. "My name's Ozzy! I run the fishery with my son, Paulo, and my nephew, Toby!" Molly quickly extended her own palm, and the two met in a handshake.

Ozzy stepped back as the other man stepped forward. He resembled Ozzy quite closely, with squinted eyes and a sun hat tied around his neck, but his skin was much less wrinkled, and his face was rounded more. His hair was also a gray shade, but much lighter and fuller than Ozzy's. His left hand was entwined with the girl from before's hand. The boy reached out his free hand, smiling at Molly lazily. Molly took his hand as well, unable to hide her own smile as it replaced the timid grin she'd originally sported.

"Hi there. I'm Toby, and this is Renee!" He introduced, pulling the girl forward to stand beside him.

Renee smiled and waved shyly at Molly. "Welcome to Castanet! I work with my momma and papa at Horn Ranch! " She chimed softly with a light Southern accent. Despite her shy tone, her face was drawn up in a confident smile, and she stood straight, tilting her head to the new arrival.

Molly nodded, thankful to finally be officially welcomed. "Thank you! I hope I won't be a bother to any of you." She murmured, scratching the back of her head. "I'm very excited to be here." The three nodded to her, before Kasey finally spoke up again.

"Well, we best be off. Thanks for bringing Chalk for me, Renee." Kasey said, patting the horse that stood on the dock beside the large group. The large, white colored animal was now loaded with all of Molly's supplies, and it looked as if it were ready to move off. "Hope she wasn't any trouble?"

Renee shook her head, waving her hand. "No, no, none at all! She almost seems to listen better to me than she does you sometimes, Kasey!" She laughed, for once showing more open emotion.

Molly giggled at Renee's comment, which earned them both a harsh stare from Kasey. The two girls shared a glance of startled amusement, before smiling and laughing some more as the rest of the men stood around rolling their eyes lightheartedly. Eventually, Kasey had managed to convince Molly that it was time to head off, and the siblings, along with Renee (who apparently lived in the same direction as Kasey's farm) took their leave. After a goodbye hug and kiss between Renee and Toby. Molly soon was informed that the two were engaged.

As the trio walked, Molly and Renee chatted excitedly to eachother as if they were best friends already, while Kasey walked ahead pulling Chalk by the reigns. Renee pointed out several shops along the way. Most were covered in shadow, save for the bar which emitted loud music and a place up the hill which was apparently called the Ocarina Inn. Renee promised Molly that she would give her a tour tomorrow, which satisfied Molly.