Ed: Yaaaay! I've got the second chapter up!
Ageha: Wow, that was fast.
Ed: Well, when you have no life like me...
Ace: ...
Ed: What are you doing here?! You aren't even in this chapter!
Ace: You asked me...to do this chapter's...disclaimer...
Ed: Right. Go ahead.
Ace: Editor-nee-chan does not own...has never owned...and probably never will own...Harvest Moon or its characters. Her OC's...that is to say, my sister and I...are figments of her imagination.
Ed: Thank you, Ace. Now, on with Chapter 2!

Chapter 2: History Repeats Itself

"Ageha! Ageha, wake up!"

The tired farmer mumbled something incomprehensible and pulled the covers over her head. The Harvest Sprite Finn sighed exasperatedly. Hikari was so much easier to deal with! he thought, sighing. "Wake up, now!" he screamed in her ear.

"GAAAAH!" she yelled, sitting bolt upright. "I'm awake, I'm awake!" She looked around. "Huh? Who woke me up?" Finn cleared his throat and she gasped. "A fairy...?"

"How rude! I'm a Harvest Sprite!" He cleared his throat again. "My name is Finn. I was created by the Harvest Goddess to help guide your mother, and now I need to guide you–to the Goddess! She needs help!"

Ageha stared at Finn. "Sorry, I'm still getting over the 'created by the Harvest Goddess to help my mother' bit. How come I never noticed you?"

"I didn't want you to. Most people can't see me unless I want them to, but Hikari is an exception."

"This is ridiculous; I'm going back to sleep." She flopped back down and pulled the covers over her head again.

"Noooooo! Ageha, get uuuuuuup!" he whined, flying above her head in circles.

She groaned and sat up again. "Fine, I'm up," she muttered. "Happy?" Then she looked at her clock. "Finn," she said patiently. "You do realize that it's three in the freaking morning?!"

"Trust me, if this could wait, it would. Get dressed, we're going to go see the Goddess!"

Ageha pulled herself out of bed and stumbled to her dresser. "I hate you, you know that, right?"

"Yeah, yeah. Let's get going already; time's a-wasting!"

While it was a great honour and all to be in the presence of the deity, Ageha was also really tired.

"Thank you so much for coming, Ageha," the Goddess said as the rancher stood there trying (and failing) to stifle a yawn. "I know it's late, but I really need your help."

"Why?" Ageha asked.

The Goddess gestured towards the tree behind her. "This is the Goddess Tree. When it flourishes, the land flourishes—as does my power. But the tree is dying, Ageha. I need your help to save it."

There was a brief pause. Then Ageha asked the obvious question. "Why mine?"

"You are the daughter of the original hero, Hikari. What I need—"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, back up a second. My mom is a hero? What's that supposed to mean?"

"This same predicament happened once before, many years ago," the Goddess explained. "Your mother was the one who rang the five bells and restored balance to the land, also returning my power and bringing the Harvest King back."

Ageha knew the story of the five bells; her mother had told it to her countless times. A stranger came to Castanet, and saved it by ringing five bells: red for fire, yellow for earth, blue for water, green for wind, and purple for spirit. When the hero rang all five bells, the Harvest King returned, and peace fell upon the land.

But...I always thought that story took place hundreds of years ago! And now, to find out my mom is the hero in the legend of the bells... Ageha shook her head. It's so hard to believe...and yet, here I am, talking to a Goddess. Maybe there's some truth to it?

"What, so you need me to ring the five bells again?" The Goddess and the Sprite nodded. Ageha sighed. "Okay, what do I need to do?"

The Goddess clapped her hands happily. "Thank you so much, Ageha! Could you ring Alan's bell first? It's on the tenth floor of the Garmon Lower Mine."

"Garmon Lower Mine, tenth floor. Got it." Ageha turned to go, then paused. "Wait...if the Harvest King came back, why is the Tree wilting again?"

"That's why I need you to ring Alan's bell first. The Upper Garmon Mine can't be accessed until the Fire Bell is rung, because it powers the lights inside the mine. Once the Upper Mine can be accessed, I'll need you to climb to the top and see if you can find the King, or if he's left, if there's any indication of why."

Ageha rubbed her eyes and nodded. "Okay, I'll get right on that. But first, I'm going back to bed." She waved sleepily. "G'night, Miss Goddess." And off she stumbled.

Finn swirled nervously around the Goddess. "Do you really think she can do it? She seems a little...I don't know. She's definitely not Hikari, that's for sure."

She smiled at Finn. "Don't worry, Finn. It will be fine. Go with her, make sure she's okay." The sprite nodded and soared off. The Harvest Goddess looked behind her at the slowly wilting Tree. The ground beneath it had more twigs beneath it than it had before. Please hurry, Ageha, she thought desperately. Everyone's counting on you.