The three Tree Friends stared up at the pickle dragon looming menacingly over them. None of them dared to move for fear of attracting the attention of the beast. "Handy?" Sniffles whispered.

"Yeah?" he whispered back.

"Do you still have something that you can fight with?"

The beaver nodded slightly and pointed at his tool belt.

"Good. I need you and Petunia to distract the dragon while I make a run for the tower. I think I should be able to get to Lammy." And, if she really is under the idol's control, I'll hopefully be able to "accidently" push her off. He felt bad about possibly having to kill her, but not enough to not do it; the good of many was worth one life.

The trio and the dragon stood there staring at one another. Then Handy broke the silence by pulling out a screwdriver and charging, crying out "hyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"

Everyone immediately sprung to action. The dragon roared and swiped at them while Petunia tried to keep him at bay with several bolts. Sniffles broke away from the rest of the group and made a mad dash for the tower. The bolts didn't do much more than annoy the dragon though, and Petunia had to jump out of the way to avoid being stomped flat. The beast barely glanced at Handy as he rushed at Sniffles with surprising speed for something its size.

The poor anteater was panting as he ran as fast as he could, but the dragon was quickly catching up. He heard Handy shout something to him and saw something glint in the air. He managed to catch it in one paw and held it up to see that it was a red Phillips head screwdriver. Turning back, he saw that the dragon had almost caught up with him and was preparing to lunge and take a bite out of him. Desperate, he closed his eyes and held the screwdriver out before him, hoping for some kind of protection. He could feel and smell the creature's hot, briny breath. He waited to be chomped. And waited. And waited.

Curious as to why he was still in one piece, he cracked open one eye and looked up. His eyes widened when he saw that the reason the creature hadn't eaten him was because the screwdriver had lengthened into a spear and was now stuck in his mouth.

The dragon raised its head and tried shaking it to dislodge the spear, but it was firmly stuck. Frustrated, the dragon settled for swatting Sniffles away with his tail.

Sniffle flew into Petunia and the two of them fell over in a heap. They looked fearfully up at the dragon that was leisurely making his way over to kill them again. Curiously though, he didn't pay much attention to Handy, who was currently beating his leg with a wrench. With about as much regard as one would give to a pesky fly, the dragon kicked him off to the side.

Handy was about to make another attempt at attacking the dragon when he saw his friends shake their heads and point towards the tower. Realizing, he nodded and ran for the tower while they kept the dragon's attention.

With Petunia and Sniffles distracting the dragon, Handy made it to the tower without incident. The structure reached high up into the sky and appeared to be made out of solid chocolate. Very solid, as Handy found out after circling and striking it several times. There were no visible doorways and even his strongest blows barely left a scratch on the structure. Looking higher, he saw that there was a single window near the top of the tower, and peering out through it was a small purple and white blob. He began digging through his tool belt in search of something that could get him up there.

"Pliers… straightedge… monkey wrench…." He tossed each item to the side into a growing pile as he listed them. "… scissors… measuring tape?" It could work. Pointing the end of the device at the window, he pressed one of the buttons on the side. An impossibly long strip of measuring tape shot out, knocking Handy to the ground while it zipped through the window, knocking back the figure above. Getting up and fixing his hat, Handy ran back over to the wall and pressed the other button. The measuring tape began to retract and lift Handy up off the ground. One inch… two inches… three inches….

At two feet Handy gave his trademark scowl at how slow it was going. At four feet, he looked bored. At six feet, he was practically falling asleep. His head was nodding and hat slipping off when a loud scream jarred him awake. His eyes darted about until he found the source and his heart filled with dread.

Sniffles had been knocked around a few times too many and was currently lying unconscious. Petunia was trying to drag him to safety but could barely shield herself from the dragon's assault. She had just narrowly avoided becoming dragon chow. The two of them were trapped, and she wasn't sure how much longer she could hold on.

Fiery determination filled Handy's eyes, and rather than waiting to be pulled up, he grabbed onto the measuring tape and began scaling the wall. The tape wobbled and shook, but he didn't care; there were people depending on him. He couldn't believe he'd forgotten that his hands could be used for climbing! I've really missed having them.

The dragon let out another roar, this time one of pain, and for a moment, Handy was suspended in midair facing a brick wall and holding on to nothing. Just as quickly, the measuring tape reappeared in his hands and the wall was chocolate again, though he had slid down a few feet. Frantic and afraid that whatever happened would happen again, he scampered the rest of the way up to the window and leaned over the sill, panting.

"Oooh, you made it!"

Handy lifted his head and looked over at the source of the voice. Lammy was looking at him from across a table, looking hardly worse for the wear. She was wearing a fine white dress over her woolen coat and a tiara made of what appeared to be marshmallows on her head. Several cards were spread out on the table before her. Handy then looked around at the rest of the room.

It was well furnished in white and purple hues. A soft carpet covered the floor and the bed looked incredibly comfy to the tired beaver. An elegant vase sat on the bedside table, and hung around on the walls were several portraits of Lammy and of Lammy with Mr. Pickles. Lammy didn't seem to be in any trouble. In fact, she looked like she was enjoying herself.

"Lammy! Are you *huff puff* alright?" Handy asked uncertainly.

"Never better!" she chirped cheerfully. "Isn't this fun?"

Handy wondered if maybe he actually had fallen off the tower and hit his head. "Um, isn't what fun?"

"The game, silly!" She walked over to the window and leaned out, watching the battle. "Good shot, Petunia!" she called out. She turned her attention back to Handy. "I'm a little surprised you're up here, actually. I thought you would have been down there by Petunia's side fighting Mr. P- I mean, the dragon. Ooh, close one," she winced. Sniffles had regained consciousness and barely avoided getting killed.

"Wha- a game? Really?"

"Well, of course. From what I've heard, you don't have hands. Plus, you don't really think Petunia can shoot magic bolts out of her hands, do you? Though I must say, that cleaning spell was really cool!"

"My hands… aren't real?" Handy looked down at them, heartbroken.

Lammy gave Handy a funny look. "Are you feeling okay?" She felt his forehead and then her own. "Maybe you've been running around too much. A nice glass of lemonade should help you feel better."

"Wait wait wait, you said you saw Petunia using a cleaning spell? I thought you've been in this tower the whole time!"

"Oh, I have been, I've just been using this magic mirror to watch you all while I waited." She pulled a pitcher of lemonade and a glass out from behind a curtain. "Ta da! Want some?"

Handy stared at her in silence until she began to fidget nervously. "Um, no thanks. My job was to get you down from the tower, so will you please come with me?"

"Okay." She giggled when she saw Handy climbing out the window. "How about we take the stairs? It's much easier." She moved one of the paintings, revealing a hidden lever that revealed a hidden set of stairs. Merrily, she began to skip her way down.

Handy stood there, eye twitching, before sighing in exasperation and following down the winding staircase.

"So Lammy, did you happen to spot the idol before we ended up in this… game?"

"Hm? Oh yeah, the idol thingy! Yeah, Mr. Pickles and I saw something like that! It was really weird though; the little statue started glowing and dissolved into a bunch of dust. Then there was a bright gold flash and next thing I know, I'm up in the tower and we're all here together on a little adventure!"

Handy was really starting to question Lammy's sanity and was about to ask her something when they reached what appeared to be a dead end. He watched Lammy reveal and pull another secret lever that opened a door to outside where the battle was still taking place.

Sniffles was the first to notice the duo emerging from the tower and quickly ran up. He grabbed Lammy's face and stared into her puzzled violet eyes. Confused himself, he pulled at her face and dress, searching for any trace of the idol.

"Umm, hello to you to?" she said when Sniffles finally let her go.

"I don't get it," Sniffles said frustrated.

"Don't get what?" Handy asked, confused by Sniffles behavior.

"The idol!" he shouted in exasperation. "I thought-" he hesitated, looking at their curious faces and realized there was no hiding it any longer. "I thought the idol had possessed Lammy."

Lammy still looked confused but Handy now looked irked. "So that's what Petunia was wondering about from the Crane House? You knew the idols could do something like that?"

"Well, only recently-"

"Sniffles! Why would you hide something like that from us? Especially something so important!?"

"Guys-"Lammy tried to cut in.

"You can clearly see what the idol can do! It made Lammy's fantasy real! It's given you your hands back! It can pretty much warp reality itself! Do you know how many Tree Friends would abuse that kind of power if they had it and give themselves up for it?"

"Hey guys-"

"Do you really think that we're that weak-willed?" Handy retorted. "That we're all just horrible, selfish people? How do we know you haven't been trying to collect the idols so that you can use their powers yourself!?"

Sniffles gasped, affronted. "Do you have any idea how much I hate these things? How much work and research I've put in to stop these things? How much it's killing me to write these plans right now? I'm doing this for the good of all Tree Friends! These things don't just kill us; they enjoy brutally maiming us and making us suffer! It's not a matter of being weak-willed; these things will take your character flaws, the very traits that make you you, and twist them around! They know how we think and they're manipulating us! It's not you that I can't trust, it's your flaws!"

"Guys, could you please-"

"Our flaws? Our flaws? How about your flaws? You're not Mr. Perfect here! What makes you oh so special that you get to decide what we know and when we know it? What makes you the mastermind here?"

"I wrote the plans we're following, I did all the research, and I've checked and double checked and triple checked everything! I know my own flaws and everyone else's! There can't be any mistakes because I made sure to do all the work myself! I'M THE SMARTEST ONE HERE AND I'M TOO SMART TO MAKE ANY STUPID MISTAKES LIKE THE REST OF YOU!"

"GUYS, STOP FIGHTING ALREADY!"

Everything suddenly went quiet. The only things that could be heard were Lammy's soft sobs and Handy and Sniffle's angry panting. Sniffles glared furiously at Handy, but then it dawned on him what he'd said. I'm too smart to make any stupid mistakes like the rest of you! But… I did. I know best… don't I? Have I been manipulated? Am I possessed by an idol?

Seeing Sniffles' angry expression morph into one of shock and horror concerned Handy enough to quash his own anger. "Are you okay?"

Sniffles slowly shook his head.

"A-are you two done fighting?"

The two of them turned to the lamb with small tears running down her face.

"I-I didn't mean to do anything to make you b-both so mad. I wanted y-you guys to be my friends. I j-just wanted us to have fun together, and M-Mr. Pickles said we could play pretend." She let out another sad sob.

"Mr. Pickles suggested this?" Sniffles was about to ask something else when there was a roar, louder than any they had heard earlier while fighting the dragon, and something flew into the trio, knocking them over. That something was a very beat-up Petunia.

Sniffles looked up and was terrified by what he saw. While earlier the dragon had been expression an almost malicious glee at tossing him and Petunia about, now its look was one of abject fury. What scared him most though, were the dragon's bright, gold eyes. Funny how none of us noticed that. I guess I was right; our mistakes are the same, just bigger. It was Mr. Pickles. It's always been Mr. Pickles.

He turned over to Lammy who had a similar, though less intense, expression of fear. "Lammy, listen to me, this is very important. Do you still have that lucky coin I gave you?"

"Huh? Y-yeah, it's in my pocket, but what does that-" Her mouth formed a surprised "o." "I-it's gone! I must have stuck it in the vending machine by mistake!"

"Lammy, we're not playing pretend. That idol made the fantasy world you created into reality, and now it's possessing Mr. Pickles." The dragon was now stomping towards them, the ground shaking and cracking as it did. "If we die here, we die for real. Do you understand that? None of us can get close to him, but if I'm right, you should be able to get right up next to him. So, we need to ask you a favor. We need you to slay the dragon."

"W-what!?" Her eyes were now wide with disbelief. "B-but you just said-"

"I know what I said, but listen, is Mr. Pickles really being a good friend? He knows what's going to happen if he kills us, and he's probably going to make sure this hurts as much as possible." The dragon was now standing before them, wings spread, and raised his head. A greenish light could be seen in his mouth. "Please Lammy, you have to stop him. Don't you know how dangerous he is?"

"But I can't kill him! I can't! I don't want to lose him! He's always been there for me! He's only trying to protect me! The only reason he kills you all is because he gets jealous, and I can empathize! I don't want to lose my only friend either."

Despite how battered she was, Petunia reached out and put a paw on Lammy's arm. "H-he's not you're o-only friend…. You've got… us too…" she managed to say.

"R-really?"

Despite her labored breathing, Petunia laughed weakly. "Of course…. Why do you think… we keep inviting you… back for tea?"

Trembling, Lammy stood up. "Y-you're right. Even if Mr. Pickles means well, I can't let him control my life any longer. I can't let him keep hurting my friends. Even if it means I have to… to kill him." She said the last three words in a faint whisper. Forcing herself to stand tall, she walked up and stood in front of her friends and shielded them with her body just as Mr. Pickles was about to immolate them.

Eyes widening, Mr. Pickles turned his head away at the last minute. The fires instead blasted the chocolate tower, reducing it to a melted and flaming ruin.

Lammy sighed in sadness, thinking of all the portraits inside that were now probably destroyed. It wasn't real. "Mr. Pickles?"

Lammy? What are you doing? Please get out of the way so that I can roast these troublemakers.

"N-no."

No? he leaned down close to her face. No?

"No. I won't let you hurt them anymore. Y-you have to understand. I'm glad that you've been my friend for so long. Nothing would ever make me want to change that."

Then why won't you let me get rid of them?

"Because…" she gulped, "because they're my friends too. I know you're afraid that I'll leave you if I find other friends, but Mr. Pickles, would I really do that? I know just as well as you do how much it hurts to be alone. How bad it feels when… when your friends leave you." Tears were now flowing freely down her face, but she didn't care. "I want you to know that, no matter how many friends I might make, you'll always be my very best friend. Nothing will ever, ever change that."

Mr. Pickles looked down at her with shocked and sad green eyes. But all I've ever done was to protect you! I don't want to see you ever get hurt.

Lammy nuzzled the dragon's face. "I know that too, and I love you for that. But you have to realize, keeping me alone for the rest of my life hurts me too. You just… you have to learn to move on sometimes I guess. Don't let the bitter past keep you from enjoying a sweet future."

Mr. Pickles had his head bowed in sadness and a single, giant tear leaked out of one eye. I understand. My poor, sweet little lamb. I'm so sorry. Can you forgive me?

"Of course I can." Lammy sighed, glad she could keep all of her friends.

It wasn't to last though. Mr. Pickles suddenly raised his head and began to thrash it around, seemingly in pain.

"Mr. Pickles! What's going on!?"

"I was afraid of this." All heads turned towards Sniffles who had a grim expression.

"What are you hiding from us now, Sniffles?" Handy accused.

"I'm not hiding anything! Mr. Pickles isn't truly a separate being. He has a mind of his own, but his entire existence is dependent upon Lammy's imagination. Mr. Pickles consciousness doesn't entirely occupy his pickle body, and as a result, the idol can completely transfer over. I have no idea how to fully explain it, but the idol… is now the pickle."

It's true… I can feel its thoughts inside my head… and yet… they sound like my thoughts… I can't tell what I think and what it thinks and… I think its winning. The dragon's eyes opened to reveal that a golden glow was creeping in and consuming the green.

"No! No! Hang in there Mr. Pickles; I'm sure Sniffles will figure something out! Right Sniffles?" she asked, desperately turning to the anteater.

He grimly shook his head. "The only thing I can think of is… destroying the idol."

"So we just have to find that stature then?"

"No, the pickle is the idol so… we have to destroy it."

"B-but that'll destroy Mr. Pickles!"

"Not exactly," Sniffles said. "I said earlier that only part of Mr. Pickles consciousness is connected to his body, so destroying it will only partially destroy him. He won't manifest to you anymore, but traces of him should still remain in your imagination."

"B-b-but…"

It's okay Lammy. Mr. Pickles voice was getting weaker now. I would rather die than kill you. Besides, if the anteater – Sniffles – is correct, I'll still be with you, and that is all worth it. He smiled at Lammy, the last of the green in his eyes slowly being swallowed by gold. Right here, my little lamb, he said barely audibly, pointing to Lammy's head. Then he arched back, totally controlled by the idol, and any traces of warmth in his eyes were gone.

"Now, Lammy! Do it now!"

Sobbing, Lammy reached into her dress and pulled out a small, silver wand. She pointed it at the dragon that was snarling viciously at her. "Goodbye, Mr. Pickels," she whispered. The dragon swooped down at her just a bright beam of blinding white light shot out of the wand. The other Tree Friends covered their eyes, but Lammy stood firm and watched, light reflecting off of her tears, as her best and oldest friend was consumed by the light. A faint golden glow emerged from the dragon's body, but it was quickly wiped out.

Even with his eyes shut and covered, Sniffles could still see the light. After what felt like hours, the light faded away and all that could be heard was loud sobbing. He lowered his arms and opened his eyes to see Petunia comforting a weeping Lammy who was cradling a charred pickle in her arms. He then realized that everything was now back to normal; the four of them were sitting in the middle of a wrecked school hallway, where one of the walls had been blasted away. Through the hole, Sniffles could see real sunlight. It was still morning.

Handy sighed and walked up beside him to look at the view. His hands were gone again and his familiar bandaged nubs were back. "The journey's only going to get harder from here, isn't it?"

"Yep."

"I think it's time you tell everyone the whole truth."

Author's Note: Wow, it looks like I was only a day late! Hope you've enjoyed the last chapter of 2014!

JaMaL HaDeS: I'm glad you enjoyed Lammy's character development! I try to better develop the characters that are going to be important in their respective arcs. The rest of the story has been outlined, though sometimes I find that while I'm writing the plan changes a little, so even I'm not always certain what will happen. I'm also really glad to have fans like you who've been around since the very beginning, and I hope you'll enjoy sticking around 'til the end!

So next arc is *shuffles notes around* ah yes! The amusement park! Before that though will be a chapter following one of the characters and what said character has been up to during the events of the previous chapters.