Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The morning light rose over the farm, its golden light shining through the window inside the bedroom. Andy, who had already finished dressing for work today, had a look of worry on his face.

Today, he needed to talk to his friends about their treatment towards him. He was getting tired of it, needing to put his foot down once and for all. It was going to go good or bad, but this had gone too far and it was time to put it to an end. 

Andy recalled all the terrible things they did, from eating his own species, which they didn't even apologize for doing. Then having to win back his house key by playing a game with each of them. Finally they locked him inside of a dark barn, leaving him with a pumpkin demon. After that, they kept either brushing off Andy or had him do most of the work like a pack mule or put him in danger with their "jokes".

True, Andy had his flaws too, like not doing this. But it felt like his friends didn't even care about him or even what happened to him. Which is why he was going to talk to them and either the apple farmer got an apology or brushed off like usual. After having a light breakfast Andy went over to the front door and saw his friends: Claus, Melody, Margret, and Felix arrive.  

After preparing himself and taking a deep breath, the apple grabbed the doorknob and turned it "Ok Andy, you got to this. Hopefully they'll understand this time....."

".....So, anyway she was trying to get my attention....when...…" Felix was yammering as Andy made his way to them, making sure he had his keys with him this time so no one could steal them. Claus, Melody and Margaret were listening to the fish's tale, that they didn't notice Andy had made it to the picnic table. 

"Guys, we need to talk."

Claus put a hand up to stop Andy: "In a moment, Felix will be wrapping up his story...."

Andy had a shocked look "But this is what we need to talk about Claus, you guys need to understand-"

Melody shushed Andy, not even looking at him, she was more interested in Felix's story. Andy felt a little hurt by the same brush off attitude, going to Margret, hoping she'd be willing to listen "Hey Margret?" 

"Look Andy, we're a little busy, why don't you go off on your for a bit and we will talk to you later ok?" 

"But-" 

"Later."

The apple felt more hurt as he began to walk away, only stopping a little bit "I swear Andy.....Why can't you be quiet for once?" These words stung Andy, he left them to talk amongst themselves, tears streaming down his face.

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Andy sat at the lake, the tears flowing down into the lake water. His worst fears came true: Claus, Margret, Felix, and Melody didn't care about him at all. The apple farmer wiped some of the tears off his face before seeing the mailman come and drop off the mail. Once the letters were placed in the mail box, the mailman went off to deliver more letters to all the others like normal.

Using this as a chance to dry his tears, Andy opened his mailbox and began sorting through the mail. Most of the letters were Junk and Bills, Pamphlet for a town, Letter from a relative- wait. The apple flipped back to the pamphlet, taking a closer look at it: On the cover a green lawn covered in beautiful flowers and a strange blue rock. In the background was a red house with a blue roof and eyes?? The very back had trees covered in red, yellow, blue, and green.

More curious than before, Andy walked into his house, placing the letters on his table for later. Sitting on his sofa, the farmer looked through the rest of the pamphlet: It was for a place called Home, filled with all kinds of beings. On the back of the pamphlet, there was a final statement:

"With this colorful array of neighbors, you'll never have to feel lonely or out of place." 

Andy smiled at the last sentence, and once he got his mail taken care of, he made a call to a real estate agency, "Hello this Andy the Apple, I'd like to move.....to a town called "Home""

Chapter Text

~8 weeks before moving day~

Claus had bought some flowers and walked towards the farm to apologize to Andy for subbing him out last week. He noticed yesterday that the farmer didn't talk to the Clock nor to the other members of the group. Whenever they tried to approach the apple, he would glare and turn the other way. Hopefully Andy had a chance to cool down so Claus could make his apology.

On his way to the farm, the clock noticed the apple going into a real estate building and closed the door. Claus peeked through the window of the lobby, where he saw Andy sitting down in a chair waiting.

10 minutes later, an agent came out of the office door and asked, "Mister Apple?" Upon hearing his name, Andy sprang up from his seat and went inside the office. Agent followed the farmer and closed the door. Once the door closed, it left the smart clock to wonder what one of his close friends was doing in at Real Estate. Shrugging, he continued on to the farm, aiming to ask the others about the Apple's behavior. 

Back at the office, the agent received the following documents and photos of where Andy wanted to move to: Welcome Home. The realtor cleared her throat as she pulled the first set of documents out for Andy.

"Mr. Apple, I understand this is your first time moving and I would like to help you every step of the way. Welcome Home is a lovely place, but the neighbors can be a little excitable when it comes to a new neighbor. If you are moving there, what I can do is find you a spot nearby the woods. It'll be close so the neighbors can visit you but it gives you some space."

Andy smiled, "That sounds good! I'm thinking of bringing a bunch of my apple trees with me since it wouldn't be fair to leave them by themselves." The realtor handed him forms: His rights. Then the checklist. Insurance in case things were damaged, ruined, or lost during the trip, and a list of tree transfer companies.  

Once the forms got filled out, Andy got a general idea of the neighborhood, and the realtor was hired to help with the move, the meeting was over. The farmer left with renewed confidence, he was going to leave his old life and start new!

Back at the house: Andy the Apple went over the checklist after ignoring the others. He checked off needing to find a moving company then made a list of questions to ask the movers when the time came. Then budgeting came, taking a whole 2 hours due to the fact Andy wasn't too familiar with budgeting, but managed to pull it off. 

~6 weeks before moving day~

Felix was fishing by the lake when he saw a truck pull up to Andy's house. The workers brought in boxes, packing tape, bubble wrap, packaging paper, and markers. Andy contacted his grandma to give her his new address: "You be safe in your new home, ok Andy dear?"

"I will Grandma, I'll still visit you whenever I can"

Claus walked into the farm and saw the moving supplies truck in front of the farmer's home, blocking the window and Andy. The clock tried to enter the house to give the bouquet of flowers but it was hard to get past the workers. By the time Claus had an entry point Andy shut the door still talking to his granny. He wasn't even looking at the window where the clock was trying to get his attention and apologize.

"Andy!"

"Yes nana, I'll have time to visit you before I move."

"Andy!"

"I love you too, Grandma"

Andy hung up and left to make sure all the supplies were as he ordered: 10 large boxes, 15 medium boxes, 20 small boxes, 3 rolls of paper and wrap, 2 tapes, and finally 5 permanent markers. Claus went to the others, horrified at what he heard through the window, Andy was moving to another town! And it was likely he wasn't coming back for a while or never!

~4 Weeks before the move~

In the town of Welcome Home, Eddie was teaching the neighborhood on how to make paper airplanes. "And then you make the wings like th---" the phone rang, startling the mailman and neighbors into dropping their planes. The phone kept ringing even when they all picked up their airplanes.

The grumpy-looking neighbor named Frank Frankly looked at Eddie and huffed, "What's going Mr. Dear? I thought you said you weren't taking any calls during the crafting session." Eddie chuckled nervously, then went to pick up the phone and straightened his hat to look professional.

"Whether letter or parcel, whether snow, rain, or shine, we weather the weather and never decline! This is Eddie Dear of Eddie's post office speaking! How can I help you today?...…Sorry for the delay, I was a lesson......uh huh......Oh! You need an mail transfer, I'm on it!" Eddie grabbed a big book and a sharp pencil

"Ok, I need the name of the one that'll be transferring.......Andy Apple? Uh, I don't see that name on the neighborhood list...….Wait Andy is coming from another town, that means...yes, of course....." Eddie wrote the name and address in book "Got it! When is Andy coming.....in three weeks? That should give me plenty of time to memorize the route.....ok, goodbye!" Mr. Dear hung up with an excited look on his face.

Others who watched the whole call were confused as Sally walked up to Eddie, then said: "Eddie, who was that?"

"Axel Realtors, they've called about a mail transfer from another town! Meaning in 3 weeks, a new neighbor named Andy Apple is going to move here!" 

The whole building became flooded with excited chatter about the new neighbor that was moving to Welcome Home.

~2 weeks before the move~

"Ehuyp!"

An apple tree was hoisted off the ground and placed in a pot on a truck. Andy breathed in the air, happy to finally be on his own: no more rude people, no one telling him to do, he'll be free.

"Hey Andy!"

Melody skipped up to Andy, hoping to try and break the ice between them. The farmer looked into the paper trying to avoid talking to her "So where are you going to live Andy? Is it near or far? Do you have to stay at a hotel or will you be able to make it in one day?" 

Andy said nothing, not even making a noise of acknowledgement.  The little moon tried to get his attention but the apple kept looking at the paper, not wanting to talk to her.

They wanted him to be quieter so he was doing what they wanted him to do be: be more quiet. 

Inside the barn, Peter was trying to sleep but the sound of machinery kept him up. Groaning, he went to the window to see some of the little apple's trees being hauled up onto the truck, "What's this now?"  

Looking closer, Peter saw a 'For Sale' placed in to the soon-to-be former home of Andy, a cruel laugh escaping his mouth "HAHAHA! Oh, little apple do you think can escape me? No matter where you are Andy, I'll find you."  

~Moving day~

The group raced to the former spot of the farm as the last package was put onto the truck. "That's the last of the boxes, sign here and we should be able to get moving soon!"

Andy, without hesitation, signed the form: "I hope whoever owns this land will have a better time here than I did." the trucker smiled and whistled at his buddy. "It's set! Get ready to head out of this place!" 

"Andy, wait!!"

Andy didn't wait, he got in his car and turned on the engine, the truck coming to life. With the final wave, Andy and the truckers moved out of the house and into the world of Welcome Home. 

Chapter Text

The ride to Welcome Home took a solid 2 hrs and 25 minutes.

Andy and the movers added an extra five minutes by getting breakfast and taking a bathroom break. Soon they reached the forest where the town of Welcome Home was, the sun's golden light dancing in the trees leaves. Where the inhabitants were still sleeping. Eddie was already up, delivering the morning mail, taking a breath of fresh air:

"I do love early mornings. The way the wind blows the golden light and a truck driving up to the new neighbor's future house, and- Hold up!" The mailman jolted out of his thoughts, looking towards the new neighbor's home. By the house was a large truck with a car following behind, the two movers getting out and opening the backside.

It didn't take a second to clue Mr. Dear on what was going on: the new neighbor had arrived and they were moving in.

"They're here! Frank, I-I mean Mr. Frankly, the new neighbor is here!"

The mailman ran to his boyfriend's house. Frank and him have known each other for a while now. Ever since they first met during an Arts n Crafts session when frankly needed help making a butterfly. After the first meeting, Eddie Dear and Frank Frankly began getting to know each other and eventually started dating. 

Other neighbors woke to the sound of the truck as Sally poked her sleepy head out her window.

"What's going on here, Eddie Dear? Why is there-" she looked at the movers putting boxes into the new house, which was between hers and Poppy's "Oh my stars! The new neighbor has arrived! I need to call Poppy and Julie to inform them of our new friend's arrival!"

Howdy was walking to the new neighbor's home with Frank, Eddie, and Barnaby. "Alright Eddie, where is the new neighbor at? 'Cause all I see is the Moving guys!" Barnaby nodded, "Yeah, you were shouting up the whole area saying the new neighbor is here."

Frank huffed, not seeing the new neighbor, only the moving company "Well, if nothing happens soon, I'm going back to bed!"

"Here, let me help you with that!" Finally coming into view, Andy grabbed 3 big boxes from the worker, bringing them inside the house. Frank, Barnaby and Howdy had the most shocked & amazed looks on their faces: they have never seen an apple wearing white overalls or farmer shoes before, or a bountiful of apple trees!

"Well Eds, looks like we've got a farmer living with us now!"

"We should introduce ourselves later, it would seem a little weird doing it in our pajamas." Barnaby rubbed his head.

Frank nodded, "Plus we need to give our new neighbor space so they can adjust and have time for themselves."

With Home waking up, Wally saw the movers with Andy giving them their tip, to get the last of the boxes. Tree movers got the last apple tree planted, none of them displaying signs of transplant shock because it was early fall.

"Oh my, Home. Looks like the new neighbor here. They even brought Apple trees for us, isn't that the most?"

Home moved the cupboards like it agreed with Wally, the farmer saw the eyes of Home and waved while looking amazed. Andy then went inside to begin unpacking from the move.

"Squeak! Bang! Bang! Bang!" Home was banging with excitement, never had a new neighbor that had a positive reaction to Home before.

"Are you excited for the new neighbor too, Home?" Wally looked at his sentient house, who used his shutters as if to say "YES!" 

~12:41 pm~

Andy was taking a break from unpacking by napping on his couch when a knock at the door woke him up "Wha- Claus?! Oh, I'm coming!" Andy straightened himself out and opened the door to see the neighbors with a gift in each of their arms. 

"Oh! Hello there!" 

Frank was the first to speak up: "I hope we haven't disturbed you. Each of us wanted to give you a house warming gift." Andy smiled and opened the door "Would you all like to come in? I haven't unpacked yet but it would be nice to get to know my new neighbors"

"Oh! We'd love to come in!" Sally's eyes brightened with others nodding as Andy held the door open, letting the neighbors inside.

Inside, many boxes are still unopened, with the essentials unpacked: "Sorry for the clutter, still unpacking. Anyways, I'm Andy the Apple."

Howdy said up, "It's no problem! I'm Howdy Pillar, the owner of Howdy's Place! The store for everything you need and everything you don't!"  The apple chuckled a little bit as Julie bounced up to be with him. "My name is Julie, Julie Joyful! I love playing all kinds of games and can talk to plants!"

Andy looked at Julie with excitement "You can talk to plants?! That's incredible! But can you ask me to play any games ahead of time?" Julie smiled flattered, "Of course, Andy! Consent is important!"

Eddie and Frank introduced themselves: "I'm Eddie Dear, the mailman of Eddie's Post office! And this is....."

Frank smiled, "Frank Frankly, it's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Apple. If you ever need a fact about something or to deal with a bug problem, please contact me."

Poppy and Sally went on to introduce themselves: "And I am the marvelous, stupendous Sally Starlet! I put on the most spectacular plays seen! I enjoy being a star too. This is my fabulous friend, Poppy!"

Partige waved "Hello dearie, I do hope you'll come over after you settle in, we could bake or knit together." Last but not least, Barnaby and Wally came to Mr. Apple "Hello, Hello! Name's Barnaby b.eagle! I'm considered by most of my neighbors to be the funny one, if you need a laugh come visit me!"

Wally got the closest "and I'm Wally, Wally Darling, I'm so excited to meet you! Would you like to come over later? I'd like to paint a picture of you, Andy."

Andy looked at him with the sweetest grin, "Sure, I'd like to see more of this place to get my bearings."

With that, the group headed to the main area to open the presents.

Chapter Text

In the living room, Andy sat down at the edge of the cough so if anyone else wanted to sit, they'd have room. Barnaby, Poppy, and Howdy sat on the floor so they wouldn't lose space. Eddie, Sally, Julie, Frank, and Wally got to sit on the furniture, the painter deciding to sit with the apple.

With everybody seated, Frank cleared his throat to begin the gift giving: "Ok! Who wants to give their present to Andy first?" 

"I'll go first!" Eddie smiled as he picked up a big orange gift: "I want to be the first to give you a special welcome to our Home."  He handed Andy the gift, the apple farmer looking it over before opening it up: It was an Arts and Crafts kit, complete with an instruction manual and materials. 

"Ooooooh!"

Neighbors looked on in excitement as Mr. Dear explained the gift idea: "I hold Arts n Crafts lessons at my post office. I figured if you're not wanting to come right away, this kit should help you learn about Arts n Crafts!"

Andy looked excited: "I've never made Arts n Crafts before, this kit will help me, thank you Mr. Dear!" The apple placed the gift between him and Mr. Darling on the couch, to make a pile.

Sally decided to give her gift to Andy: "Here's your gift from the brightest star in the neighborhood!" The apple farmer opened the present: A clock with a day and night pattern, the hands were even the sun and moon. Wally went close to get a good look at the gift: "It's a pretty clock, Sally."

Starlet scoffed, "it's more than a regular clock. This clock produces a glow in the dark so Andy won't have to worry about stumbling in the dark. Plus, if the farmer needs reminders, this button will record what you say!" Mr. Apple looked amazed at what the clock was able to do: "This is amazing Sally, thank you for the gift." Sally Starlet gave a theatrical bow, then went to her seat.

Poppy stood up to give her gift: "Mine's a simple gift, I figured when you come over to help me bake, you'll need these" Andy pulled out an apron and a pair of oven mitts, with a note attached: "For our new friend!"

The apple put the oven mitts over his hands: "I didn't want to risk you burning or ruining your clothes while we baked. This should help." 

"Thanks! These fit like a glove!"

Barnaby and Howdy gave their gifts: A big book full of jokes and a gift basket full of things from Howdy's Place. Frank's gift was a crystal butterfly figurine while Julie's was a potted flower and three game boards.

Finally, it was Wally's turn, everyone was on the edge of their seats for the final gift. Andy opened the gift to reveal a scrapbook: "This is for all the memories you'll make here, isn't that the most?"

Andy pulled a wind chime, with pieces that represented the neighbors: "And this is so we'll be here for you, even if we aren't here." A touched look graced the farmer as he looked at the neighbors: "Thank you all so much for the gifts. When I came to this place, I expected you guys to be friendly but I didn't you all to come visit me the moment I moved here."

Putting a hand on, Howdy spoke to the apple: "We wanted to to make you feel welcome in our humble little town. It's not every day that we get a new neighbor!"

Andy chuckled as he rubbed his head: "Yeah that is true......say, while you guys are here, do you want some water?"

Barnaby nodded: "Sure, I'll take a glass, after all I ain't going to be a drip!" Andy began laughing at the joke, while Frank groaned. After composing himself, Andy handed the group a cool glass of water before getting a joke: "Hey Barnaby?" 

"Yeah?"

"Why does water never laugh at jokes?"

"Why?" Andy made sure they drank their water to the fullest to avoid spilling the water on the floor.

"It isn't not a fan of dry humor."

This made Barnaby, Julie and Howdy laugh the hardest, even Frank and Wally chuckled at the joke.  Andy beamed with pride as the rest of the visit became filled with laughter.

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Claus was looking at a picture of him and Andy, sadness in his eyes. His best friend had moved away from them without even saying goodbye to them: "Oh Andy, why? Why did you leave us behind? What did we say or do to make you leave? Was it because of what we did to you?" 

The clock put the photo back on the shelf, then watered the flowers he intended to give to Andy as an apology. Claus always liked Andy the apple a lot, eventually developing feelings for him but never told since he didn't know how Andy felt about him. 

Now the farmer has moved to another town, making it too late to do so.

Looking towards another photo near the window "It's lonely without you, I....I can't focus on anything!" Claus began crying, tears flowing to the ground. After he calmed down, the clock looked to the setting sun "Andy...….I hope you're safe." 

Leaving the window, Claus went to make some dinner, but the curiosity of where Welcome home was at, was too hard to ignore.

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"A few more strokes and it'll be ready."

"Oh, I can't wait to see it!"

Andy sat on a stool while Wally was painting him, with the coming twilight in the background. After the other neighbors went back to their house, Darling took Apple to Home to paint a picture of him.

Once 5 minutes had passed, the apple spoke up "This is nice: no mean pranks, no shadowy demon pumpkin after me. You wanted to paint me, now I can enjoy some peace."

Wally smiled as he finished, "Of course, the painting's done..... " His demeanor changed from happy to unnerving: "What do you mean by shadow pumpkin demon chasing you?"

Beads formed on the apple as he swallowed "Back when I lived with my former friends, they locked me in a barn with a figure named...….named...…Peter! He's some kind of shadowy pumpkin thing and he seems to want me above anyone else." Darling's whole face went black, only his eyes visible, his voice slightly echoing: "He's not going to take you, not my watch."

The whole room went cold and dark with only light coming from the window "W-Wally, are you ok?" The puppet saw how frightened this power was making Andy, so he took deep breaths to calm himself. Soon the lights came back on. Wally looking at the scared apple "So sorry, sometimes when I get mad a bad side of me can come out. When you talked about Peter, it made me mad."

Andy the Apple felt relieved that it was going to be safe: "That makes me feel better....you said you finished painting?"

The painter nodded and showed his painting to Andy: The apple was laying on a grass field, his eyes were bright and the smile was cheery. Mr. Apple looked touched "This is the best gift!! Thank you so much!" Darling's smile never moved: "Well I wanted to give you a special gift, neighbor. For moving here and becoming one of us, I say, "Welcome Home, Ha Ha Ha!"

Before Andy could express his thanks, the clock in the house began chiming as there was only a sliver of day left.

"Oh, it's gotten late! I need to finish up unpacking!"

The apple grabbed his painting and began to make his way to the front door, but stopped before leaving "Hey Mr. Darling?"

"You can call me Wally."

"Ok, I wanted to thank you from the bottom of my heart, for accepting me as a new neighbor"

"You're welcome. Oh before you go, I want to show you Home tomorrow"

"That sounds great! Goodnight Wally!"

"Goodnight" 

With that said, Andy went to his house, which was diagonal from Home. Which meant he had a straight path, the little light left making it easier to see by a bit.

"G'night Home" the door moved back and, like it was waving goodbye to the apple who was walking back.

Arriving at the house; Mr. Apple began finishing the unpacking process. It was 89 percent done thanks to Eddie and Howdy for helping him earlier to get the heavier things unpacked.  

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"And that's the last thing I need to unpack." 

The quilt went over the bed and Andy patted it down to make sure there were no wrinkles. Andy yawned, sleepiness overtaking his mind "What a day. I met nice people and I don't have to worry about the shadow demon...."

Drinking a nice cup of chamomile tea, Andy then did his nightly routine: First, put on Pajamas. Then, brush the teeth. After that, turn off the lights except for the lamp. Finally, put the nightcap on, climb into bed and turn off the lamp.

Before the sleepiness took over, Andy smiled "Tomorrow, I begin a new......" 

With that, Andy's eyes closed and he fell into the stillness of sleep. 

Chapter Text

The soft light of Morning shone through the bedroom window, waking Andy the Apple up from a dreamless sleep. Getting out of bed, Andy began his normal morning routine: Take a nice warm shower, dress for the day, eat breakfast, then head out for the tour, finally, doing the chores for the day. 

After finishing his breakfast, Apple went to the door when a picture fell out of one of the boxes. It landed on the floor, the apple farmer picking it up: "Hm? How did this get in the box?" The photo showed Andy, Margret, Felix, Melody, and Claus at a picnic, they all looked so happy. Andy had his eyes closed while the others had their eyes open. 

It was a joyous scene, even though he was still mad at them, Andy smiled at the memory. His smile turned to a frown, now that he had moved away from them.

"Sigh......."

A knock at his door jolted Andy the apple out of reliving a memory. Placing the picture face down, the farmer opened the door to reveal Wally Darling with Barnaby beside him. They both had warm clothes on to protect themselves from the upcoming autumn chill.

"Heya Andy! Ready for a tour of the Big City?"

"Yeah, let me get my coat so I don't freeze."

Once Andy had his coat on, he began following Beagle and Darling on their tour of Welcome Home. In the forest, a certain Pumpkin finally reached where he wanted to be "So this is Welcome Home, it's nice place. Shame you had to take me to this town, little apple."

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The first stop was at Eddie's post office, entering to see the mailman was getting ready to deliver the morning mail. Eddie put the last of the mail in his parcel before he noticed the three "Oh! Hello there! Welcome to my post office named Eddie's post office! If you need anything, stamps, glitter, envelopes, glue, paper, staples, tapes, markers and crayons, I got them!" 

Andy stared amazed by this "Oh wow! I'm thinking of getting some envelopes but I don't have a lot of money right now."

Mr. Dear handed him the envelopes "Here, everyone is welcome to the supplies free of charge!" This surprised the apple, as his coat slipped off a little "This......this is generous of you! I'll be sure to stop by soon for an Arts n Crafts session!"

"That sounds great! Can't wait to see ya there!"

Barnaby came up to Andy and told him: "Be warned that Eddie is a bit forgetful and clumsy. So don't act surprised if he forgets your mail or trips on his feet."

Wally wasn't much of a talker but still made sure to say his mind: "I can't wait to make Arts n Crafts with you, Andy. That would be the most....." Darling looked out of the window, he went silent. He was eyeing the forest before looking back at his friends, who looked at him in worry. 

"Everything alright there, little buddy?"

"I thought I saw someone moving in the woods"

Barnaby and Eddie exchanged worried looks. After a bit, the three left the post office while Mr. Dear went out to warn the others about the stalker in the woods.

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"Mmmmmm, this is the sweetest soda I've had!"

Andy was sitting at the counter while drinking one of Howdy's strawberry soda pops, his eyes showing pure joy. Barnaby looked at Apple while drinking his own: "Howdy makes the best soda pop! He's the best at making chili dogs!"

"Ah, come on Barn! I'm only a humble shopkeeper here, if others knew I could make sweet sodas, they'd be asking me to make them all the time"

The caterpillar wiped down the counter while conversing with Barnaby, he loved when the blue dog came. He could talk about things and Beagle would listen, but he didn't have a crush on Barnaby. True, the two had chemistry but both Howdy and Barnaby agreed to be friends.......for now.

"Mind if I gave you a nickname, Andy?" 

"Sure, what do you have in mind?" 

"How about Appleseed?" 

"Appleseed? Like the name in the legend of a guy walking about planting apple trees?"

"Since you're a farmer and everything, I figured you would like it!"

"It does have a nice ring to it"

Wally enjoyed his soda while keeping his eyes out for the intruder. When he couldn't find them, Darling was relieved and spoke up: "So Andy, what was your home like before moving to Home?" 

The farmer swallowed his soda: "Well before I moved here. I had acres of apple trees, a picnic spot, and a lake for swimming in, it was enjoyable. I had four friends or who I believed to be my friends named Claus, Margret, Melody, and Felix. We used to go to all sorts of things but then I found out that they didn't care about me." Howdy was shocked, but didn't say anything since he wanted to listen to the apple.

"They ate my kind without even saying sorry, then they stole my house keys, forcing me to play games to get them. The worst part of it was getting locked in the dark and then being left by myself to face Peter. After all that, they either made me work the most or brushed me off or pulled mean pranks on me."

Tears welled in Andy's eyes: "Did I do something wrong or are they tired of me? Why did they do that?"

"It could be that they don't have or understand Appreciation"

Frank had gone to the store for a butterfly net since his net broke, but the story of Andy interested him. Appleseed calmed down to ask Frank what he said: "What do you mean that they don't understand Appreciation?"

"Appreciation is giving something or helping as a say of thanks to someone's good qualities." Frank cleared his throat as he continued "Your former friends have only taken and haven't given to you, that's the opposite of Appreciation."

Soon their sodas got finished, and the three headed off on their tour. 

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"Now Andy's turn to jump!"

On their tour of seeing the houses, Julie had managed to get them into a game: "Come on Andy. Show that jump rope who's boss!" Barnaby was sweating bullets, the 99 monkies had tired him and Wally out, the painter on the ground, panting like nuts.

Sally watched the game along with Poppy not wanting to tire themselves out, though they did want to see the newcomer play. Taking a deep breath, Appleseed stepped under the jump ropes and waited for the playful one to begin the final round.

"Double Dutch, Double Dutch, Bake this man, Put him a pie and serve on a pan!" 

Andy kept jumping, only coming close to touching the rope. He wanted to finish the game on a high note: "Double Dutch, Double Dutch, Bake this man, Put him a pie and serve on a pan!"

"GO ANDY! WOO!"

Poppy cheered for the apple as the final jump rope fell down, Andy managing to avoid hitting both of them, albeit barely. Julie clapped as she set the ropes down, tired from the fun: "Wow Andy! I didn't know you could jump like that!" 

"It came from years of being on a farm......thanks for asking me to play, Julie...."

"Of course! I always love playing games!"

With a wave goodbye, Andy went off to rest a bit before getting the chores done. He was unaware of the pumpkin demon that was stalking him.  

Chapter Text

An axe came down on the log, splitting it into two pieces as they fell to the ground. Taking a drink of water, the apple held an Axe in his right hand, making sure not to trip. Andy picked up the log piece, placing it back on the chopping board, then chopped it into smaller parts.

It wasn't his favorite chore, but the farmer knew this was the best way for a roaring fire. After stringing the logs, Andy put them in a pile saved for any fires he wanted to have with his new friends.

Looking at the new pit, the apple saw a memory; he and his ex-friends were sitting on chairs, roasting marshmallows. It was the night the farmer saw a change inside of Claus the clock. He was a man of class, but after that night, he was more flustered, happier, and relaxed whenever he saw Appleseed. 

Of course, he now believed that happiness was a ploy to distract him from the truth. Appleseed put his Axe in the shed, making sure he secured it before going outside.

"There. Now all I need to do is tend to the apple trees."   

Grabbing the watering can, Andy went to one of his apple trees but stopped. He saw another memory: Margret needed help sorting the fruit and Andy was there to help. The memory had the mole and apple panting a little. Margret said a quick thank you and then walked away with the baskets. 

"Sigh......." 

He didn't understand. Why? Why are the memories of his so-called pals shown to him? Andy was supposed to be happy that he had moved. Why wasn't he happy?

"Gotcha!"

Frank's voice rang out, the bug enthusiast had ensnared the butterfly he was trying to catch before his net broke. This caused Andy to drop the can, his face getting a little wet from the splash: "Ah!"

Frankly turned to see the apple and headed towards him: "Sorry for startling you Mr. Apple. I was catching the rare Rainbon butterfly!" He showed the butterfly in the jar, clinging to a stick: It had frilled wings with a rainbow pattern. 

Andy wiped his face before looking at the Rainbon: "Wow! It's cool! You didn't mean to startle me, so it's OK."

Frank Frankly smiled before he looked at the butterfly, looking concerned: "I'm concerned, I've read that the butterfly comes to those who are unhappy or distressed." The farmer looked away with sad eyes, cluing the bookworm why the Raindon butterfly is there.

'SNAP!' 

The sound of a twig snapping startled the two out of their conversation.

Frank turned to the noise and not finding anything, Andy went up to him: "What was that?!" The bookworm got his net ready, tucking the jar in his bag: "Don't know but we're going to find out. Let's stick together."

"Right."

With that, the duo began searching the area for signs of the item who snapped that twig.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was the creepiest search.

Andy had a large branch for a weapon while Frank checked for an explanation for the twig breaking on its own.

At random times, a shadow moved past them, hearing footsteps, objects fall, or the feeling that they are being watched, making the duo more agitated. The setting sun was making this more creepy, lower light making it harder to see and making it easier to get snatched. 

Then came the worst part, the voice of someone Andy never wanted to hear from again: "Aw, are you looking for little old me?" The voice of the shadowy pumpkin demon, Peter. Frankly turned his head to find the voice, and when they couldn't find it, he quickly escorted Andy inside, locked the door, and called his neighbors for aid by pulling a rotary phone out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After 5 minutes of silence, the farmer felt a little relieved but was still worried. He kept an eye on the door to see if the pumpkin was trying to get in or when the neighbors would come to their aid. Frank stood by the door to jump at the intruder and keep watch for the neighbors. 

"Hey Mr. Frankly?"

"Yes, Mr. Apple?"

"You think it's safe? I mean, what if the intruder comes here? Or will they come after our neighbors?"

"Don't worry Andy, I told them to be extra careful coming here." 

On cue, a knock was heard, then the voice of the mailman rang out: "Frank?! Andy?! It's me, Eddie Dear!" Taking a peek out of the window, Eddie and the neighbors were outside, so Frank unlocked the door to let the others in.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Howdy, Barnaby, and Eddie went out to the orchard to find the stalker. Sally and Frank were on lookout duty, while Julie, Wally and Poppy stayed with Andy to keep him safe and comfort him: "We'll chase that rotten stalker and keep you safe, Andy."

"Thanks, but it might be someone that's out to get me. I could put you in danger." 

"Don't say that! We're glad you're here, Andy! If that means fighting a shadow, then we'll-!"  The door opened: "Bad news, we couldn't find the intruder, but the good news is that we fenced in the property, the intruder won't be getting in.

The apple looked up at the group: "Thanks for coming, but I'm so sorry if I took any time away by helping."

Frank patted the farmer's shoulder, with others joining in: "You don't have to be sorry about a thing. If you need help, we'll always be willing to do so." Wally and Barn nodded: "Yeah! Friends stick together!"

Sally and Eddie were next: "If someone wants help: getting mail, protection or something else, a friend helps without needing a reason." The star of the neighborhood smiled: "Plus Andy, you're one of the sweetest neighbors we've had."

"Friends always stick together!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Once the threat had passed, the neighborhood agreed that Andy should spend the night at one of their places. To everyone's surprise, the resident bookworm volunteered to keep the apple safe. His house wasn't lively but it had Eddie, one of the strongest and reliable neighbor. 

"Are you ready to go Andy?" Andy had a duffle bag with his pajamas, toothpaste, and his clothes: "Yeah! I have my things ready to go!"

Wally was heading towards the door when he noticed the frame facing the table and decided to take a look.

"Hey, what's this?"

The painter looked at the photo of Andy at the picnic: "Hey Andy, are these your ex-friends?"

Andy nodded: "Yeah, they were. This photo was taken when we went on a picnic. We had such a blast; the cool water of the lake, the food, everything. I was so happy that day. Of course, this was before I found out the truth." 

A tear escaped Andy's eye. It was obvious to Frank what was up: Andy was homesick.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Hello?" 

Frank was brushing his.....mouth when the phone rang. Andy had already fallen asleep on the couch as his boyfriend came up.

"Frank, who is it?" 

"It's Wally...."

Both Frank and Eddie listened to Darling: "I was thinking of curing Andy's sadness, but needed an idea on how to do it."

"Are you going to include the entire neighborhood?"

"Of course, ha ha ha."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Meanwhile, 2 hours away, Clau was hatching his own plan with Felix, Margret, and Melody. They would go to Welcome Home, find Andy, and try to make peace with him. 

It would be great or awful, but the clock would not stop until Andy was with them again. 

Chapter Text

In Howdy's place, the whole neighborhood except for Andy and Eddie, who were making sure that the fence was good and tight. Frank Frankly was the first to speak up: "So, we all know that Andy has been feeling down as of late. It's clear he has a bad case of homesickness." Others gasped in shock, taking a look of surprise, but Wally looked confused by the term and raised his hand: "What's Homesickness?" 

Frank cleared his throat: "Homesickness is a feeling of distress when you move from one place to another, Andy is homesick. He told me this morning that he sees memories of his time with his former companions and feels depressed afterwards."

Julie spoke up, with her hands raised like a student would do: "We need to turn that frown on Andy's face upside down!"

Sally nodded: "A wonderful idea, Juliette, but how do we cure homesickness for our new friend, Andy?"

Everyone began thinking of a way to cheer the farmer up, but nothing came to mind.

Finally, after 30 minutes had passed, Howdy was the first to say "How about we throw Andy a Housewarming party?" Barnaby chimed in with a pun close behind, "A Housewarming party? I thought Andy's home was already warm. Hahehehe!"

Howdy laughed, then clicked his tongue: "You're being a wise guy Barn, but I'm serious! If we throw a party that celebrates Appleseed moving in, then it might help cure his homesickness." 

Poppy was the last to say: "That could work, Howdy, but we'd need to distract Andy from finding out what we're planning."

Frank had a confident smile as he looked at the nervous bird: "I know someone that can distract the apple."

~Day 1 of planning the party~

"And then add one tablespoon of vanilla..."

Andy poured the vanilla beans into the bowl and began stirring them together while Eddie was getting the oven ready.

Partiage kept a good distance from the bowl, due to how terrifying and dangerous baking was: "Be careful now! I wouldn't want you to hurt yourself with those whisks!" 

"This isn't my first time baking, in fact. Last Christmas, I made cookies for Margret. She served us all cookies.....Margret...."

Andy's eyes drooped in sadness, causing Eddie to come over with a sympathetic smile: "Hey....it will be OK. You just need time to heal from your wounds, you'll feel better soon, I guarantee it!"

"Thanks Ed."

"Of course, now let's get these desserts ready for baking!"

~Day 3~ 

Julie, Wally, Eddie, and Andy were playing make-believe: "You'll never save the king, he's in the strongest prison!" 

Andy and Wally wore knight's attire while Julie had dragon's attire on her. Nearby home, Eddie had a fake crown and a blanket meant to represent royal robes, in a cardboard prison: "Oh save me brave knights!"

The apple pulled out a wooden sword: "This is the end of the road for you dragon! We will be taking back the king and restoring our kingdom!" They began "fighting" while Sir Wally tried to "rescue" Eddie, but Julie threw a green ball, mimicking the dragon's fire. 

"Nice try, you silly knight! I'm not going to let you take the king that easily."

The two kept up the attack, while the neighbors measured out what to place for the party and such. They figured with Andy preoccupied with make-believe, he wouldn't notice the party prep in the background and, thankfully, they were right.

"GOTCHA!"

Andy's sword touched Julie's back: "Ooooh, you got me! I feel dizzy......you've won.....Blah....." Julie collapsed to the ground in a dramatic way, revealing the "key" to Eddie's cell.

Wally had a happy grin: "We did it, we defeated the dragon, isn't that the most?"

Freeing Eddie from the cardboard prison, he grabbed a toy sword: "You have saved me and proved that you to be courageous, honorable Knights. I hereby promote you two to lords!" 

"And scene!"

Julie got back up with an excited look on her face: "That was great! You all did an amazing job. Extra points for Andy!"

Appleseed blushed: "Thanks guys, Melody loves playing these games.....Oh right....." a sad sigh escaped Andy, before he smiled "Thanks for the fun time, can't wait to have another play date!"

"Of course!"

~Day 5~

Early morning came and Andy was walking along the golden path with a scarf protecting his neck from the fall chill. He hoped that by going on a walk the apple could finally get rid of his ex-friends and the memories that came with them.

"Why? Why can't I let them go? Why do I still treasure the memories I had with them?"

The apple took a deep sigh, his breath starting to become visible as the temperatures continued to drop. Eddie started the morning delivery as being a mailman required him to be up early when he noticed his good pal.

"Hey there! Nice day ain't it?"

Andy looked and waved to Eddie, "Hey Eddie! I didn't know you got up early either."

"It's a mailman's job to get the morning mail in."

"Same thing with a farmer, you know. Although in the aftermath of a slumber party, Claus wouldn't let me get up for an hour....."

"Is everything alright Andy?"

"It's that.....when I left my old home, I hoped that my memories of my ex-friends would stay there, but the memories are still there."

Eddie listened before getting an idea: "Wanna take a walk together? This could help clear your mind."

"That would be nice."

~Day 7~

Eddie and Wally lead Andy, who was blindfolded, to the farm: "What's going on guys? Why am I blindfolded?"

Mr.Dear was on the apple's right side and Mr. Darling was on his left. This was to prevent Andy the apple from getting lost. "We're taking you to a surprise, Andy!"

"A surprise. What kind of surprise?"

"You'll have to wait until we get there....."

"How much longer?"

"Three more minutes."

"And now!" 

Andy removed the blindfold and saw the house transformed. Beautiful lights decorated the trees, the smell of delicious food, guests both inside and outside, and gifts. "What is this??"

He looked so delighted, Frank went over to the apple: "It's your house-warming party Andy. We figured we should cheer you up and give you a proper party in your new home." 

"Thank you....." 

Grabbing a hat, Andy went inside to party with the bug catcher following behind him. After a good 20 minutes, Andy was enjoying some of the cake he and Eddie had created when a knock at the door rang out: "I'll get it!" Julie's voice rang out as she went to see who was there. The sound of the door opening and footsteps could then be heard.

"Who is it Jules?"

The Rainbow Monster grinned as she motioned in the four the Apple hoped to never see again: Claus, Margret, Melody and Felix. The clock smiled gently and waved at Appleseed, who had the most horrified look..

"Hey Andy...." 

Chapter Text

"Nice place you got here Andy."

Felix looked around the living room, before seeing Andy's scowling eyes and his relaxed smile go to a tense frown. Claus, Melody, and Margret wanted to add their comments but the words died in their mouths, feeling the same scowl. The farmer and the monster went into the kitchen to say: "Julie, what are they doing here? I don't remember inviting them here or wanting to see them."

He hissed under his breath, looking at his four ex-friends, still angry and hurt by their actions.

Julie smiled at the angry apple: "Well, they said they wanted to come and visit you, I'm sure it's only for today! Besides, it would be a shame to be grumpy at your own party."

Andy's anger fizzled out in his eyes. He looked at Julie and said this: "You have a point Jules, but if it's alright with you, I'm not talking to the crashers. I will not talk to anyone that doesn't listen."  The monster nodded, understanding that the apple wasn't feeling happy with the crashers. 

Coming back to the living room, Claus walked up to the apple: "Andy! I must say this house is beautiful. Can we have a tour around the premises?" Andy walked past the clock, not even making eye contact, getting a plate of food to eat.

~10 minutes later~

Eddie gathered everyone for the gift giving in the living room, while those without gifts waited in the kitchen. Margret was the first to speak up: "Does anyone get the feeling Andy doesn't want anything to do with us?"

Melody nodded, followed by Claus and Felix: "Whenever I tried to talk to him, it was like I was invisible to him. He kept focusing on those papers instead of talking." 

Felix said, "Yeah, whenever we try to talk to him, he glares and walks away. I've never seen Andy so angry before." The fish looked at the living room, where Poppy's gift was the first to be given to the farming apple. Upon opening, it was another simple gift: a handmade quilt.  

"Thanks Poppy."

Poppy smiled: "I figured with winter coming up, you could use an extra quilt just in case. Plus you can just have one for upstairs and one for downstairs." Andy placed the quilt on his side, the fish looking back at the group.

"The bird just gave Andy a quilt."

"Doesn't Andy already have one?" 

"Yeah." 

~Another 10 minutes later~

Soon the gift giving passed, and Andy got really good ones:

A book on different bugs from Frank, a star lamp from Sally, an old-fashioned hat from Barnaby, the knight's costume from Julie, a cookbook from Howdy, a winter coat from Eddie, and a painting set given from Wally Darling.

"These were great gifts guys! I can't wait to use them!"

The four that had listened to their former friend getting his presents went in the living room before Darling spoke up: "I almost forgot! Home wanted to give you a special gift too! Everyone is allowed to come and see it!" Wally and Andy followed, with the rest of the party following them outside.

"Alright. Home, let's do it."

Suddenly, the ground began shaking and dark tendrils began reshaping the area around the house. Everyone except for Wally reacted to the ground tremors, holding onto something or wobbling around a little.

Next to the forest's edge, a large hole appeared and began filling with water. Andy's eyes widened as the water began to fill fast, reaching the top of the ground: "Did your house make a lake for me?" Darling nodded "Home has special abilities and they wanted to make your new place feel like home."

The apple smiled and hugged Wally tight, touched by this gift, as Appleseed had happy tears: "Tell Home I said thank you from the bottom of my heart. But its missing something." Wally titled his head "What's that?"

"A dock, I could do it. But it would take until spring to complete. But if all of us worked on it, we'd be done by the end of the week."

Eddie looked the most interested: "Like a big project?" 

"Yeah!"

 Felix came up, interjecting the conversation: "Are you going to make it like the dock back at your home?"

Andy rolled his eyes: "You mean the one at my former home? I think I'll do something new!"

Melody frowned: "We really miss you Andy! It's been different ever since you left!" 

"Missed me or miss tormenting me?"

Margret attempted to defuse the brewing fight: "Come on, Andy, you know we care about you."

Andy was so mad, but kept a calm voice: "Cared about me? If you truly cared, then why did you make me win back my own keys? Or put me in danger only to say it was a prank or make me work all the time, or brush me off instead of listening to what I had to say? Yeah, some friends you were!"

The neighbors nodded to each other, though they didn't want to get involved in the drama. They agreed with Andy, if his friends truly cared about him, they wouldn't do those things to him.

Claus was the last to try to convince the apple to move back: "Andy, we really do miss you. We miss seeing you picking apples in the trees, hearing the strum of your guitar, or smelling your delicious meals. Please come home Andy."

Not wanting to see anymore of this fight, the neighborhood went back inside, leaving Andy and the four alone.

"Andy? You good?"

The apple didn't respond to the clock, his eyes were obscured. Instead, he walked towards the door and opened it, saying one final thing with tears flowing down: "I can't believe we were even considered friends." 

Andy then went inside and shut the door on them, crying. 

Chapter Text

After the apple slammed the door shut, Claus and the others stood there in complete silence.

They had shocked expressions, but Claus had more of an ashamed look in his eyes. The autumn wind suddenly kicked in, forcing the four to go into Claus' car for warmth.

After 5 minutes of more silence, Melody was the first to speak up: "We can't give up! We'll have to find a way for Andy to be our friend again." The moon was trying to remain positive, thinking of scenarios that would bring the Apple back, but it was clear that she was in Denial.

"Melody......I think we'll have to face the facts. Andy doesn't want us as friends anymore." Margret said, with a sad look. She seemed to be giving up hope of Andy being friends with them again.  

Felix just glared out of the window, not wanting to talk. Claus looked the most depressed, before noticing the flower from the bouquet he intended to Andy as an apology.

The flowers had wilted due to the fall but one managed to survive. The clock picked the flower and put it in a mini vase, hoping he could still give the flowers.

"Maybe there's still a chance!"

This got the attention of the other three as Claus grabbed a piece of paper, wrote on it and went to the house.  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Andy managed to calm down, but still felt depressed deep down. Frank and the neighbors were trying to think of ways to end the situation before things escalated further. While they were distracted, Claus opened the window slightly.

'Shlink!'

A note had been thrown through and landed on the floor, catching the attention of the apple farmer and his friends. After picking up the note, Andy read it out for everyone to hear: "I know you don't want to talk to us but I want to know: Could we or maybe I help you with building the dock?"

Appleseed glared but responded with "No. Why do you even want to help?"  

He threw the note back out the window, but after 3 minutes, the note came back: "I figured that with how big this project is going to be, you could use all the help you can get."

This time Andy was surprised by the offer, so Howdy responded: "This is Howdy Pillar, and I know from your fight that you don't seem to care about Appleseed here, so are you truly willing to help us or are you blowing smoke?"

"I know that we are the least trustworthy people. I promise that everyone will help and  if nothing else, once the dock is completed, then we'll leave for good."

"Deal."

Claus smiled and went to tell the plan to the others. Felix didn't really want to help, Melody wasn't physically ready for heavy lifting, and Margret still felt she couldn't do anything but was willing to help.

~Day 1 of building~

Howdy had the best sales of the year.

Everyone in the neighbor bought materials for the dock: wood, metal poles, other building materials, and decoration materials. At the farm, Claus, Andy and Margret were measuring out the spot where the spot of the dock would be at. 

Claus looked at the apple with his tape measuring:"I got the left side all measured out." 

Andy didn't look at the clock but said "Alright. Soon we should be ready to start building and we'll never have to see each other again!"

Margret sighed as she finished measuring the right side, but Claus wasn't going to give up. 

"So Andy, how do you like living here in Welcome Home?"

"Are you trying to get me to move back?"

"I'm just asking a simple question."

Andy turned to the clock surprised. He never had anyone ask him how his day was, especially not his ex-friends.

Soon the neighbors came with the building supplies and looked at the sight. Baranby nodded at Frank: "I think we have a good idea to help Andy find peace." 

"For once, Barnaby, I agree with you."

~Day 3~

The skeleton frame of the dock sat on the lake's water as the sunlight was dancing on the waves.

Everyone was taking a break from the building while Andy sat at the lake's edge throwing a skipping stone. The clock came up: "May I sit next to you?"  Though still mad, Andy allowed Claus to sit down next to him: "It is a nice day, huh?"

Nothing.

"You know I can see why you love this place. It's quiet, the neighbors are nice, and you can feel like you are one of their own."

Andy nodded as Claus tried to skip a stone, only for it to splash down. A chuckle escaped Appleseed's mouth before he returned to his silent treatment, alerting Claus. The clock tried it again, and managed to get 2 skips on the lake.

Claus saw a relaxed hand and move his hand to grab it, only for Andy to yank away.

~Day 5~

"Got it!" 

Claus got a pile of wooden planks and walked towards the apple. Andy was hammering on the planks, not paying attention to anything, before seeing the planks dropped next to him: "I can get my own planks Claus."

"I know Andy, but I figured I could help you get this dock ready on time."

"The only help I need is for you all to leave for good."

"Andy....."

Andy turned his head away, refusing to talk to him as the clock walked away.

In another part of the dock, Claus was helping Eddie with placing the fencing while looking upset: "I don't understand it...I'm listening to him, trying to be nice,  but he still won't give us a chance to make peace with him."

"You did hurt his feelings by not being his friend. I even have moments of forgetting gratitude, but when I realize what happened, I apologize and try to make amends."

This gave the clock an idea. Maybe if he apologized, then at least it would give them closure.

~Day 7~

Andy the Apple was sitting on the edge of the dock, soaking his feet in the cool water when the clock walked up to him: "Shouldn't you be heading off with the others?" he asked coldly.

"I will be, but I need to say something to you. Can you listen?"

"Alright, I'll listen. What is it?"

"I wanted to say I'm sorry."

"What?" Andy's anger began fizzing out, hearing the words he never thought he'd hear.

Claus sighed "You're right, Andy. We were always putting you in danger, not listening to what you had to say, or making you do most of the work. We were always preoccupied with what made us happy, that we never learned how to be friends.  So, if you don't want us to be friends, I understand, but I wanted to come and make peace with you. Andy, you are the most patient, kindest and the sweetest person I've ever met. You deserve friends that can give you the same you give them. I'm just sorry we were never the friends you deserved." 

Andy didn't say anything as the clock finished with a wavering breath: "I don't expect you to forgive or want us as friends, but please know from the bottom of my heart, that I am sorry."

He got up to leave, but then Andy got up and hugged him, the clock feeling tears: "Oh Andy, can you ever forgive me?" 

"Of course I do. Can you ever forgive me? For giving up on trying to make amends."

"Andy, you do not need to ask for my forgiveness."

Once the tears had dried and they stopped hugging, Claus saw the neighborhood smiling: "You guys set this up?" 

Wally was the only one sitting in clear view: "Yes." Margret was in the car with the others waiting for Claus to arrive, with the window down. 

"Well thanks, I needed this." The clock was looking around the town, what was said next made the trio's hearts skip a beat: "You know....I should move here." 

Chapter Text

"You really want to move here?"

Andy was surprised at the news. The clock was thinking of moving here and becoming part of the neighborhood.

Claus nodded: "Yes, I know what you are thinking: Does he want to move here because I did? Yes and no. Yes, I would like to see you more, but this place is lovely and the neighbors are friendly." The other three in the car were panicking if Claus was going to move here, then they would lose another friend.

Margret went to convince Claus the clock not to move to the neighborhood: "Claus, be reasonable. If you move here, then how will we convince Andy to come back with us?"

The clock sighed "Now Margret, I understand. But we have to understand that Andy has chosen to stay here." Appleseed smiled at the clock, before noticing a vine snaking through the grass and coming towards him: "Guys?!"

Claus turned around, right as the vine ensnared Andy's ankle and dragged him into the forest, his screams echoing in the wind.

"ANDY!!!"

Claus the clock and the rest of the neighborhood immediately chased after their friend, leaving the mole and the other two behind to wait. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

After 10 minutes of being dragged along the forest floor, Andy was coiled up by another vine and came face to face with Peter the pumpkin: "I-It can't be! Y-You were in that barn, and you didn't come out after chasing me!"

The farmer was struggling against the vines that tethered him to the demon, who gave a dark chuckle: "Oh little apple, did you honestly think that it would be THAT easy to get rid of me?" 

"What do you want from me?" 

"Let me think; I could take your flesh, or I could rip out your soul, or have you kill those you hold dear. There's just so many things I could do, but I won't be doing anything yet. I want to savor this moment before I do anything."

"Please leave me alone!"

The apple tried even more to escape his restraints but the vines wouldn't budge, the Entity chuckling at the sight before hearing a twig snap, going from amused to agitated.

Andy also looked towards the sound but couldn't see due to the dimming light in the sky.

"Sorry Andy, looks like we have an unwanted guest. But don't worry, I won't be gone long."

Peter changed into his demonic form and began to stalk towards the source of the twig snapping. As soon as the pumpkin demon scurried off, Claus and the others appeared from behind the trees. 

"Andy!"

Andy looked to see his friends come up to him: "Guys, I'm so glad to see you." The clock made a shushing noise with Andy nodding.

Frank pulled out pruning shears while Julie went up to the vines: "Excuse me, could you loosen your grip? You might suffocate or squish Andy here." The vines loosened up, giving the bookworm a chance to cut the vines without risking the farmer getting cut. 

Once Andy was free, he quickly praised Julie and Frank for their incredible work before they all began to sneak out of the woods. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Back at the farm, Felix was enjoying the cool water when he saw the group running out of the woods: "You all look like you saw ghosts."

Claus was panting hard, looking scared. All of a sudden, a vine whipped at the group, causing them to fall in different directions and the vines also restrained Melody, Margret, and the fish. Andy fell the closest to Peter and began backing away from the pumpkin demon. 

"Now look what happened, Thomas. You're causing pain to all you care about, once again. You'll never be rid of me, no matter where you go!" The entity was closing in onto the poor apple, with only Claus still standing, watching this unfold. 

Right before Peter grabbed Andy, and out of desperation, the clock picked up the Axe and threw it. Peter made a horrible cry when the axe hit him on the head, the blood rushing down his face.

Andy used this to escape from the entity and went by Claus, who had a confident yet tense stance about him as the neighbors came to: "Leave him alone! I don't know who this Thomas is, but Andy shouldn't be their scapegoat!"

Wally came up to the two with a glare that told the pumpkin that he was not welcome here, as the entity growled, throwing the Axe on the ground and charged at the trio. 

The clock put himself in front of his crush, only for Wally to blink, causing Peter to wail in more pain with a bite mark on his hand. One by one, the rest of the neighbors began forming a barrier to protect Andy from the demon. 

Wally spoke with his voice echoing and his pupils turning red: "LEAVE. NOW"

Peter growled deeply, his green eyes glowing into Wally's red eyes before he backed down. It was clear he was outnumbered and even if he could fight, the wounds from the axe and bite were too painful to focus on anything else.

With that, Peter went back into the woods, giving a warning about he would be back. 

Chapter Text

Claus stood by Andy's side after the pumpkin demon skulked away into the woods.

The last thing he wanted was for that.....thing to come and take Andy away, pontenally to hurt him or to do something much worse. "Are going to be ok Andy?!" The clock exclaimed, holding Appleseed's shoulders as the farmer took a deep breath: "I will be knowing that I have my friends to protect me from Peter."  

Frank looked at Andy Apple with a concerned look: "What does that pumpkin even want with you anyway?"

Andy shrugged: "I don't know. He sometimes calls me 'Thomas' even though my name is Andy.  He loves to chase me around, and loves capturing me." 

Felix stretched and went over to the neighbors, who finished talking about Peter the Pumpkin: "What happened in those woods?"

Though Andy ignored him, the resident bookworm told the young fish what happened: "A demonic pumpkin whom Andy calls Peter took the apple into the woods for unknown purposes. We went in after him and managed to cut the vine holding Appleseed in place. We tried to escape in a stealthy way but a rouge twig gave our location away, forcing us to run."

After the explanations were made, the neighbors agreed that Andy was not safe at his house tonight.

Wally offered him to stay at Home, since his house was lively and they didn't like others that would try to take their friends away.

Claus loaded everyone into his car, gave a tight hug to Andy, and began to head back to his home while everyone else went too. They kept an eye out for any signs of the demon while Wally helped Andy get things for his overnight stay. 

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4 weeks had passed since the incident.

Although the neighborhood was more calm, there was a tinge of nervousness in the air. They often visited the farmer to make sure he was OK, though he insisted that when the Entity came back, Andy face them alone. The last thing that Appleseed needed was for his friends to get badly hurt because of Peter coming after him.

Frank gave a good counterpoint: Andy is their friend. Friends stick together, through the trials and dangers that life throws at them. Andy felt assured that he was safe, when the ground shook a bit.

Outside, between Barnaby and Frank's houses, a new house grew in the empty place. It looked like a Victorian house, with a clock near the roof. It even had a wooden glass door.

"Did you all see that?"

"Yes, when a new neighbor moves in, a new house grows for them that matches their personality."

Wally's eyes looked excited: "Oh my, Claus really is moving here! That's the most."

Andy's smile grew bigger, Claus was going to become part of Welcome Home. Claus the clock was becoming part of the neighborhood, Andy couldn't wait to show his rekindled friend around. 

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"No! You can't stay here!" 

Claus and Margret were having a fight after the clock arrived to move into his new house. Melody and Felix helped Margret, while Eddie and Wally helped Claus.

The clock frowned at the mole: " "Margret, I can't just let Andy be by himself, especially with that....THING running about the woods! Andy needs someone that can help him!" 

"The neighbors here are capable of doing so!"

"But they don't know Andy like we do! If something happens to Andy that the others can't solve, they'll need someone like us to help!"

"That's why we need him to come home!" Felix and Melody nodded, wanting Andy back.

"But this place is Andy's home too! He feels like he belongs." Eddie and Frank agreed with Claus, Andy belongs here.

Margret and Claus kept going back and forth with their arguing, until both of them agreed to go their separate ways before the fight escalated.

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After the clock finished unpacking, he and Andy went to the door, ready to explore the town.

Before that, they put coats on to keep the Autumn chill from ruining the tour and keep warm. "Ready Claus?" Andy held the door open for the classy clock as he walked outside: "Ready Andy." The two went out after Claus locked the door for safety purposes, in case someone wanted to jump them in inside the house.

The first stop on their tour was Howdy's Place, where Barnaby was enjoying Chill Dog while he and Howdy were laughing their heads off: "I take it Barnaby told a really good joke?" 

"Ha Ha Ha, yeah he did." Howdy wiped a tear, then composed himself: "Howdy do Andy, I take it you're showing Claus around the neighborhood."

"Yep! I figured this would be the best spot to start!"

"So this is like a grocery store?" 

"It has more than just food. Anything you need or don't is here!"

"How do you pay for anything?"

"You tell jokes to Howdy to pay for stuff!"

"I see"

Claus blinked but nodded, he was eager to get a new cuckoo clock since his old broke about 5 months ago. He looked at the caterpillar and cleared his throat: "Excuse me, Mr. Howdy, where do you keep the clocks?"

"Isle 2, next to the Bananas and you don't have to be formal with me! I want to be able to connect with customers!."

"Alright" The classy clock went to Isle 2 and grabbed a snowy forest Cuckoo Clock. After going up to the counter, Claus the clock went up to the caterpillar with a great joke in mind: "Hey Howdy, did you hear the story of how I got fired from the watch factory?"

"Oh no!"

"Yeah, I can't believe it either, it was after I put extra hours in my work."

Howdy and Andy laughed hard at the joke, even Barnaby joined in with his laughter. Claus grabbed the bag that held the clock and smiled. Although he was a sophisticated soul, not even he would pass up a chance to make a joke. 

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At the next stop on their tour, Claus and Andy went to Eddie's post office and were learning how to make an Orgami swan with Frank and Wally. Andy, Claus, Wally and Frank were watching for the next step with the paper looking like a diamond. 

"Now fold the bottom point up to the top point."

The trio did so, and created a pretty origami swan. The clock looked happy at it and held it like a delicate treasure, it's pretty features defined.

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Claus walked home after the exciting game of Chess with Julie, Sally, Poppy. In order for them to understand and play fairly, the clock did a practice round, so the girls would have an understanding of the game. 

Julie won 3 games, Sally on 2, Poppy won 5, while Claus the clock only won once. He congratulated the girls for winning and wanted to go to his new house, so he could get the layout out of his house.

He didn't notice the pair of green eyes watching him from the woods.  

Chapter Text

It was the middle of the night when it happened.

The whole neighbor were sound asleep, having pleasant dreams to keep them company. The only sounds that were heard were the chirping of crickets, the occasional hooting of an owl, the leaves crunching from footsteps coming from the woods.

They didn't know that Peter was hatching his plan to ensnare Andy and his little friends for good, starting by bringing the house he made into his nest closer to Welcome Home.

Moving deeper into the woods so Home wouldn't catch him and alert the others of his presence. The last thing he needed was for that painter's "house" to wake up and come after him, ruining his chance of capturing Andy. 

Once he was deep enough, the entity stuck his long claws into the ground and began to pull the abandoned house to him, all the while keeping the noise down to avoid waking anyone up. The manor began growing out of the ground like anyone that moved to the town, but the house was already built.

Peter liked abandoned houses, it tempted foolish people to enter for a test of courage or for exploration and it gave the entity free food.The shadow pumpkin used his tendrils to absorb the shock and muffle the rumbling as the house kept growing.

A swarm of bats was the only thing disturbed, because after the rumbling ceased, they flew away to another part of the forest. Soon the house was successfully moved to Welcome home and Peter went inside, finding the place empty and desolate.

"Ah, Home sweet home. Nice to see that the place is how I left it." 

Opening the door, Peter went inside the dusty, decaying home and shut the door, waiting for the moment to spring his trap.

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As the sun began to rise over the horizon, the neighborhood began waking up, one by one. Andy and Eddie were up already, attending to their morning duties.

Frank and Claus were the second to wake up from their slumber. They loved watching Eddy and Andy working happily, especially Claus, who would sometimes go to the farm early to watch the apple farmer doing chores and Frank would always wake up after Eddie, so the bug catcher could see his boyfriend do his job.

"Oh Andy...."

The clock sighed dreamily before a knock came at his door, startling him: "Coming!"

Once he got downstairs, Claus opened the door to see Eddie standing there with letters in his hands: "I have some mail for Claus.....I-I mean Mr.Clock." After thanking the mail carrier, and watching him head off to deliver more mail.

Most of them were usual, but one of them was different: it was a cassette tape and a cassette player sent by an unknown person. Claus took care of the mail, wanting to get that done first.

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An hour later, the whole neighborhood showed up, curious about the gift: "Where did this tape come from?" Frank looked at the tape, and then at the classy fellow who shrugged and spoke, "I don't know! But it must be important or it wouldn't have been mailed with its player." 

Wally looked at it: "Maybe you should play it to find out what's inside." Claus the clock nodded, placing the tape in its player and pressed play: 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Hey! 

If you hear this recording, then I need help!

I went looking for any weakness in the demon known as Peter the Pumpkin so someone can end him for good! I managed to discover something inside that house of his but I got captured by the pumpkin! I need you all to find the old manor and break me out of here!

Y'all are the only ones capable of doing this task. I need you. You're likely questioning how I know this.

Well, when Peter came back from that town just to the west, he was badly hurt. No one has ever even laid a scratch on him before.

That's how I knew that you'd be perfect. If all of you can harm the entity, then you'll be capable of freeing me! In return, I'll give you the weakness of Peter the pumpkin. I managed to plant 5 tape recorders around the building before Peter captured me. They should help you with finding me!

Before I go, my name is Ben and I know you can free me!"

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With that, the tape shut off, leaving the room in silence for a good 4 minutes.

Frank was the first to speak up, "So this Benjamin wants us to go into a demon's lair and retrieve them. Quite frankly, I think it might be a trap."

Andy looked at the bookworm: "But what if Ben really is in trouble? Peter might be doing really horrible things to them as we speak!"

Claus pondered for a moment, then got an idea: "I think both of you are right! There is a person named Ben that is being held by Peter, but the entity is using them as bait. How else do you explain the high voice but the strange way the tape got mail here?"

"So you think we should go and try to rescue Ben? Like being heroes?" Sally's eyes went big, dreaming of being a heroine before Barnaby spoke up: "Look, I hate to be that guy, but Frankie's got a point. Even if Ben is the real deal, how do we know he's not in cahoots with the pumpkin here? Plus, it would be an awful lot of work."

Poppy nodded, "Not to mention it'll be very dangerous."

They had a debate on the tape and what to do until Eddie came up with an idea: "Now hold on neighbors, no need to start bickering! How about we split into groups: Group A will be the one that goes to the manor while Group B stays in town to keep an eye out for trouble. We'll talk to each other via walkie-talkies."

Everyone was impressed, even Sally was, as she exclaimed: "That's a brilliant idea, Mailman! Having a group of us stay here will ensure safety and if Group A gets caught, then we'll have a chance of rescue!"

Howdy chimed in, "And if Benny is legit, then we'll have a way to defeat the pumpkin demon!"

Claus nodded, the others agreed to the plan, it was sound and simple. If one group got caught they'd have a chance at getting rescued.

True, there was a huge risk of capture, but there was a chance of hope, a chance to turn the tables on the demon.

Chapter Text

The ones in group A were Claus, Howdy, Frank, Andy and Wally.

Though the clock and Mr.Pillar insisted that the farmer and painter remain in the neighborhood, Andy told Claus that he could distract the pumpkin demon if they caught him. Wally wanted to help in any way that they could.

Poppy, Julie, Sally, Eddie, and Barnaby agreed to stay at Welcome Home and listen to the talkies for any trouble or if Ben was the real deal.

"Be safe guys." The red bird gave her friends a big but gentle hug while shaking a bit.

She was very nervous about them going to face that demon. Barnaby gave a reassuring smile and patted Poppy on the shoulder: "Don't worry Poppy, we'll be fine. If we ever get into trouble, you know what to do." 

Poppy nodded as Group A left Welcome Home, heading into the forest to find the manor holding Ben while Group B kept the town safe in case Peter decided to attack. As soon as Wally was the last one to enter the forest, Julie saw Margret's car pull up into the town.

"Hello Margret!"

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After 20 minutes of walking through the forest that surrounded the town of Home, Claus had found the manor, remembering that they explored it last Halloween to scare Andy.

Appleseed came up next to the clock, also looking in shock at the manor: "This is the manor that we went into to look for ghosts! I can't believe it's here and that Peter lives there." Howdy looked at Andy, who looked back: "Maybe old Peter couldn't afford to hire upkeep or the ghosts kept him from doing so."

Frank carefully looked at the building, before finding a tape recorder on the front porch: "Ben said there were going to be five tape recorders hidden in the manor. There must be more than just finding the recorders." 

Thud! Thud! 

Footsteps were heard coming towards them, telling the group to hide, using the porch and anything else they could find.

Right as they hid, the entity in it's true form came up to the porch, its steps slow and thought out, with its one eye scanning for intruders. 

Andy's heart pounded against his chest, his eyes wide open, and his body trembled as he covered his mouth to avoid making a sound. Peter came close to finding his hiding spot, but left because Andy's red skin blended in with the fallen leaves.

Once the demon went inside the manor, everyone came out of their hiding spots, breathing a sigh of relief: Frank and Howdy hid on the ceiling, Claus hid on the ground, while Wally hid in a similar pile of leaves. When Andy got out of his spot, he spotted one of the five tapes hidden amongst the reds, oranges, and browns and grabbed it, heading to the others.

"Hey guys! I found a tape hidden in the leaves!"

Wally looked at it with interest: "Good job Andy. This should tell us where the other four are." 

They put the tape inside and listened through the intro before they could hear where the next recorder was at, then they got it: "I managed to hide the recorder close to the kitchen! But I don't know, there might be some traps on the floor. I'll need to be extra nimble."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Here we go!" 

Claus had taken off his suit jacket and stretched his limbs out. The recorder was surrounded by strings that would activate traps. Peter watched this through a hidden hole in the kitchen, making sure the traps were set.

He hoped that the traps would ensnare Claus so he could whittle down the group protecting his prize. However, the classy clock was surprisingly nimble going though the strings.

He managed to get the recorder and the tape that was close by, though he got close to activating a trap with a loose foot, but got through just fine. Frank, Andy, and Howdy clapped, impressed by Claus' flexibility and how he got the recorder. 

"I must say, Clauses, that was very impressive! Who knew that you were so athletic!"

"Thanks Claus, you're really good at this. Maybe, after this, you could teach me some of your moves?"

"I-I would love you....I-I mean I would love to." 

"Hate to ruin the moment, but let's listen to the tape please."

"R-Right"

This time, the third recorder was hidden upstairs, behind one of many doors, and would require strategy to find. Frank felt under the door, if one had air despite the windows being closed it was a trapped room. 

The last door on the left side, was the room with the recorder. Peter narrowed his eye and thought the group had useful skills and they were close to the main prize. He smiled wickedly and prepared a special surprise for the group.

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"This way!" 

Wally and Howdy's challenge was to use stealth while the entity would roam the halls, looking for them. They managed to hide in the room with the final recorder, the tape next to it. Howdy spoke in the talkie "Alright guys, we'll be back soon." 

"Hm......who wants to play it?" 

"I'll do it." 

Andy walked forward and pressed the play button: "Congrats! You found the final recording. Now the last thing I have to say is.....Goodnight."  

Suddenly, the room filled with a green gas and the group one by one became unconscious. Andy tried to reach the door but his body went completely limp as his vision began getting blurry. His final words, speaking in the talkie were: "Someone.....Help."   

The last thing the apple farmer saw was the silhouette of Peter and his vines standing over them. 

Chapter Text

Peter had finished tying up the last of the group in his vines when he saw the glint of a flashlight from the forest.

His mind told him that someone was lost in the woods, but he wanted to be sure it was a pest: "Oh no, I can't have anyone ruining my fun this time. You all wait here while I go handle any unwelcome guests" With that, the pumpkin turned into his true form and left the room, locking it tight.

Outside, Eddie was leading the group to where Group A had been captured. It was time for a rescue mission as Felix was trying to grasp the situation, following the others: "So wait a second, this shadowy creature has been hunting after Andy ever since we locked him in the barn?!"

"You got it! And now that ugly gourd has our friends!" Sally growled, holding a rake, intending to cause bodily harm to Peter.

Poppy had brought a first aid kit, in case of any injuries or anything that needed to be treated. Though she was scared out of her mind about facing the Entity, Partiage was even more afraid of losing her friends forever.

The normally jolly and lazy Barnaby had the most serious and determined look on his face:  "Hang on little buddy, help is on the way." The dog held a plunger gun, and wore a helmet, itching to rescue Wally Darling. 

Julie wore her dragon outfit with a mirror and a bat, though not as heroic looking as the others, the rainbow monster wanted to wear this in hopes of intimating the pumpkin demon.

Eddie had his postal hat down to where you only see the eyes and they looked CROSS. His friends along with his boyfriend were captured by a sadistic pumpkin who was probably going to do all kinds of horrible things to them if they didn't get to them. 

"I can't believe Andy never told us about this." Margret was trembling, trying to make sense of what was happening.

"Maybe he forgot or it slipped your mind."

Suddenly, the loud footsteps and low growl of the shadow monster made everyone stop and quickly hide before it could find them. Once he was gone, the group made their way inside the manor via an open window.

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"U-Uh.....My head....." 

Andy slowly opened his eyes and found himself sitting upright against a wall, a vine coiled around his upper chest, holding his arms in place: "What the....? How did we?" Appleseed looked around, finding the others also entangled by the vines as the memories came flooding back: "Oh no! We're prisoners to Peter!"

Claus woke to find himself tethered to the floor, next to Frank, who was also recovering from the gas: "Andy? What happened? Why are vines around us?" 

"I do believe that the pumpkin was Ben and fell right into his trap."

"Yeah, and now we're his prisoners."

Howdy woke up dangling from the ceiling, with a vine holding his four arms close to his body: "Oh.....my head. I take it we got trapped by the pumpkin. Good thing, we all didn't go or we'd all be in deep trouble."

Wally was also tethered to the wall, not too far from Andy: "What are we going to do?" Howdy smiled, "Don't worry Walls, if I know anything about our friends then they'll be coming for us!"

Andy frowned, worried about their safety: "Peter's probably patrolling the forest right now. I'm worried that our friends might be in danger!"

Frank gave a reassuring smile: "If I know anything, my dear Eddie will be able to handle that over-sized gourd! He may be clumsy and forgetful at times, but Eddie Dear is the most reliable guy I know!"

Howdy nodded: "Plus we neighbors stick together! If something happens to one of us, then the rest gets involved."

Wally looked at Andy, shuffling a bit closer: "Plus, Barnaby's my best friend, so if anyone can help us, it's him." Andy looked towards the door and sighed: "I sure hope they're alright."

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Barnaby and Eddie snuck upstairs, using whatever they found to disarm or trigger any traps easily so they wouldn't get caught. The distant roars of the Entity could be heard in the distance.

Margret, Felix, and Melody came along, due to them wanting to help save Andy and Claus, they also knew the place better.

Julie and Sally were downstairs, hoping to fight the demon so that would give the rest a chance to escape with their friends.

Poppy was the only one remaining in the foyer, both as a lookout and as a marker; when the group got their friends out, Peter would undoubtedly chase them. So Poppy would be the marker to show them the exit while also tending to any injuries.

"Oh my feathers. I hope Eddie finds Frank and the others soon. Peter can come back any moment and do whatever he wants to us." Paritage said, while looking for any signs of the pumpkin demon, though with twilight approaching it would make it easier for the demon to get him.

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Inside the room where the group was being held, Claus was looking for a way to bust out when a knock at the door rang out: "Hello?! Is anyone in there?"

Frank smiled, knowing that sweet voice: "Eddie?"

"Frank? I-I mean Mr.Frankly?" 

"Eddie, it is you!"

"Hang on, y'all. We're busting you out!"

After two failed attempts, Barnaby broke the door open by using his plunger gun and gravity. Once the door was gone, Barnaby, with Eddie's help, freed everyone from the vines and then had a big reunion.

"I knew you'd come Barn!" Howdy gave the blue dog a tight hug along with Wally.

"Told you, Mr. Dear is very reliable." Frank gave the happiest smirk to Andy and Claus.

The Apple smiled: "It's good to have friends that are reliable and trustworthy. Speaking of unreliable and untrustworthy...." Andy flashed a glare at the mole, fish, and the moon before Poppy's panicked cries suddenly jolted the group to full running mode to the front door.

"Come on, let's get out of here before-"

A swarm of vines swatted at the group, forcing them into a circle while one of them held Poppy in the air as Peter materialized in front of them.

"Before I get back?"

Chapter Text

Peter looked about, making sure no one could jump at him, not seeing Julie and Sally hiding in the closet.

Once everything seemed to be clear, he turned to his captives with a smirk: "Did you honestly think I wouldn't find out about you coming? I can't have this spoiled for me." The rainbow monster peeked from her hiding spot, seeing the vines all over before getting an idea on how to help: "Psst Sally, see those vines?"

Sally nodded, before getting Julie's plan: "I see them, Juliet. But are you sure you can do this?"

Joyful nodded, "I know I can do this, Sally, but maybe you can help by fighting Peter once I knock him down." Starlet nodded, smiling at the plan as the gourd chuckled darkly: "You've lost! I finally have Andy right where I want him and I'm not going to let him go for a long time!"

Claus glared at the pumpkin and exclaimed, "You're a monster, Peter!"

"That so? Perhaps I need to show you all capable of, and let's use Claus as an example!"

A vine grabbed Claus, bringing him face to face with the Entity, a sharp vine behind the classy clock. "NO! LEAVE CLAUS ALONE!!!" Andy tried to stop the Entity from hurting his Clock friend, tears forming in his eyes: "Please! Take me instead, just let Claus live!!"

"You really do care about the clock? Good, then you can watch him die"

In the kitchen, Sally and Julie were stretching a giant rubberband that Julie pulled out of thin air, aiming right at Peter: "Ready my marvelous Juliet?" Julie Joyful smiled, putting on a helmet for safety: "Ready Sally!"  

With a leap, the ladies launched like a missile towards the demon, right as he was about to end Claus the clock's life: "Time to die for goo- What's that noise?"  The abomination looked up, only to see two pairs of feet coming right at his face.

'WHAM!!'

Claus looked as the pumpkin farmer laid on the ground, dazed from the kick Julie and Sally delivered to his face.

Frank was both amazed and proud of the monster as the vines he created wilted away, freeing the group. Andy ran up and hugged Claus tight, the neighbors following close behind before breaking away quickly, for they needed to escape.

A low growl was heard from the demon, looking furious at the duo who kicked him in the face: "That wasn't very nice of you to kick a guy in th face or trick them."

Julie glared: "Well it wasn't nice of you to hold our friends prisoner!" Sally got her rake ready to fight: "OR to try and kill one of them!"

The pumpkin glared before giving a wicked grin, his form began changing into his true form, growing large tree-like horns and sharp teeth. Though Sally and Julie planned to fight, Andy grabbed the star and Eddie grabbed the Rainbow monster, not wanting either to be hurt badly.

Margert was watching from the sidelines while Claus helped the four get away from the manor and join in with the others. Eddie had nailed wood to the door to try and slow down the raging beast. 

Something finally clicked in her mind why Andy forgave Claus, because he swallowed his pride and admitted that he was treating what was supposed to be their friend badly. He also bettered himself by doing that.

Maybe if they did the same, they could finally make peace with Andy, also make peace themselves.

"WE NEED TO RUN NOW!!!!"

The mole was snapped out of her thoughts when Howdy grabbed her arm, Felix was next to Barnaby and Melody was next to Poppy as they all began running, as their lives and freedom depended on it. While they ran through the forest, the frigid air of autumn was blowing in their faces, making it hard to keep their eyes open for long.

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Home was worried, it felt like more than an hour since the rest of the neighborhood went into the forest to rescue their pals.

Sally promised that they would be back in an hour, but if they were not back, she said to assume that they were dead, captured or late. Now dusk was upon the town and the group still wasn't back, leaving the house to assume that the worst had happened. 

Not wanting to wait any longer, Home went to create a puppet body for themselves to pilot. If their friends can't come back, then they will come to them and take them back from the Entity. 

Once the body was completed, the group ran out of the woods looking rough but still alive.

Home put the body in the closet and hugged the group with a rug. "Aw, did you miss me, Home?" Wally asked while patting the rug, before the sounds of heavy footsteps made the artist's eyes shrink in fear. 

Acting quickly, the house pulled the neighborhood inside and locked the door, leaving Margert, Felix, and Melody outside to face the coming demon. The mole whispered a plan to both Felix and Melody, who nodded as Peter looked around for the ones who had escaped. 

"Where did you run off to, little apple?"

"Who's little apple?" 

Peter turned to see Felix leaning against a tree near Poppy's house, Margret hiding near Home. He looked bored, as the demon went over to him and looked at the fish: "Fishy, little apple is the nickname I gave to your former friend Andy. Now why don't we save some unpleasantness by telling me where Andy is?"  

"I don't know where he is."

"Don't play dumb with me. You were in the group trying to rescue him!"

"Right, but let's face it, Andy is terrible at hiding. So if I knew where he was, you would know it too."

Felix watched the demon squint his eye at him, his blue eyes reflecting in the demon's. Suddenly, a figure darted out of the house, with three following close behind. Peter had a smile of pure evil, as he stood up and began running towards the forest.

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Once the figure was far away from home, they waited for Peter the pumpkin to show up. Instead, Eddie Dear, Claus the Clock, and Andy the Apple came running in: "Margret, what's the big idea about taking Andy's spare clothes?!" 

Margret had worn the clothes Poppy was going to give Andy the apple if his clothes got ruined in any way: "As in baiting that entity, so you can all get to safety." 

Peter immediately came out, interputing the brewing fight: "Well, well, look at what we have here. You brought Andy right to me. You might as well wrap him up with a ribbon too." Margret the mole immediately went to protect Andy, causing the pumpkin demon to chuckle.

"Do you honestly think this'll earn you Andy's forgiveness? You think it'll magically erase all the pain you caused Andy?" 

"No I don't." 

Andy was taken back by this, Margret and the other two pushed and pushed to forgive him. The mole sighed: "You're right Peter, this won't reverse the damage we've done to Andy. I'm doing this because I won't let you harm him or his friends! If Andy doesn't forgive us, then fine, but you need to leave."

"Who's going to make me? You?"

"Well let's think.....I might be capable but...."

A black tentacle came up and grabbed the Entity, squeezing him tight. The moon girl was riding on top of one, with a smile "Home isn't very happy with what you did, Mister Pumpkin. So you should leave while you still can." 

Peter could hear the growling from Home, he sighed in defeat. Although he wanted to get Andy, it was clear that he would be killed if he stayed any longer.

So he growled and made a threat that he would come back before he left the town for good.

Chapter Text

3 days had passed since the incident.

Home had become extra vigilant, and had often patrolled the woods for any signs of the Entity. They also had become protective of their neighbors, often checking on them and, if there was any sign of trouble, they would pull everyone inside and keep them in until the threat passed. 

Margret had given Andy back the clothes she had taken to lure Peter into the woods: "Andy, I know you don't want anything to do with us. But I hope that the neighbors here treat you better than we ever did." The Mole went to leave for good, but Claus stopped her and handed her an invite to a party he was throwing coming soon.

"What's this, Claus?"

"It's an invitation to my party. It would be a shame to leave without a proper send off."

"I don't know Claus, Andy isn't keen on mending our bond."

"Don't worry, I'll keep him behaving." 

Andy watched this from a distance; he was still unsure of forgiving Margret, Melody, and Felix but was willing to let them come to the party. Of course, right now, things needed to settle back down before any party could happen. 

~Day of the party~

Claus was getting his finest suit on, when he heard the doorbell ring: "Coming!"

He put the finishing touches on, then walked out of his bedroom to greet whoever was at his door. Taking a peek outside of the crack of the door, he saw Howdy Pillar with the supplies he ordered for his party. He let Howdy in, so they could both decorate for the party.

~Montage start!~

Howdy strung up the lights that would adorn the party, making sure none of the bulbs were burnt out.

The clock put up the streamers, taping them up so they would stay in place.

Claus poured the liquids into a glass bowl, and the result was a sweet yet tangy peach-colored punch.

Howdy got the ladle and the cups ready for the guests who wanted something to drink.

Both of them blew up balloons and placed them around the party place for an hour.

Finally, they made the food, they had fun and talked about life.

~Montage end!~

Howdy Pillar and Claus were looking around the room, proud of their hard work: around the room, the colors of red, brown, orange and yellow were seen all over. The color scheme and party were not only to celebrate the defeat of Peter, but also it was to celebrate the first day of Fall.

"Looks great! I can't believe how quickly and effectively we pulled this off!" 

"You have your friendly neighborhood grocer to thank for this!"

"Thank you, Howdy. Now all that's left is for the guests to arrive and begin the party."

20 minutes later, the guests arrived wearing warm clothes to combat the fall chill that had been building up for months and finally showed their teeth.

Felix shivered a little, burying his face in the scarf he wore for warmth: "Man, it's really c-cold." The mole looked at the fish, shaking her head: "I told you to wear something other than just your suit and a scarf!"

"It didn't seem that cold on the thermometer!"

Claus opened the door all the way to let the others in, with Felix being the first and Wally the last.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The party lasted until the sun started setting, and by that time most went home to rest for the next day.

Those that remained at the party were Wally, Andy, Melody, Margret, Felix, Howdy, and Eddie, and they were even starting to get tired: "I think I'mma head home, Claus. This party was really fun but I need to rest up for tomorrow." Eddie stretched his arms, and put his coat on.

"See you tomorrow."

Soon Margret and the others were getting ready to head off: "We'll see you OK Andy?" Andy smiled and hugged his acquaintance: "I look forward to it." 

With that, the trio left Welcome Home without Andy but with a new sense of vigor.