"Pelican Town to Sims Town" - A Stardew Valley, Sims 3 Fanfic
*UPDATE 7/29/2022* This is no longer an active story - it has been completed. YAY! 😁 - so reading from here on out you will get to enjoy all the Chapters at your disposal without waiting for more up...
“Alrighty, do we have everyone here?” Harvey asked, glancing amongst the crowd and counting. “All except for Leah and Elliott,” Haley remarked, smacking on some gum she found in her bedroom end table. “Gee I wonder why?” Shane muttered. “Sorry everyone, we’re coming!” Leah declared, racing down the stairs brushing at her hair with her fingers, Elliott trailing behind her. Everyone in the room gave the two a questionable look. They both sat down in the empty loveseat facing Harvey which they were surprised a couple of the others hadn’t chosen to sit on instead of in a chair or on the floor.
“Nice of you two to join us,” Harvey said with a little smile and then cleared his throat. “Alright so I’ve called all of us here together so that we can discuss this ‘quest’ the Wizard sent us on in this new world.”
“What quest!?” Sam blurted out. “Yeah!” Alex added. “I don’t recall him giving us any details about it, unless one of you heard something I didn’t.” Haley nodded at his comment. “That’s exactly why I’ve brought us together to discuss it,” Harvey said, “but first, let’s talk about what happened, from the beginning, that brought us all here. Starting at the beginning should jog all of our memories.” He then looked over at the guys sitting on the left to the guys sitting on his right. “Guys do you mind if I’m the spokesperson for all of us on how we were summoned to the tower?” They all nodded, except for Shane.
“Yes, I mind,” the lone wolf of the group replied, “because the ladies might be interested to hear each of our accounts about it.” “They’re pretty much the same,” Harvey interposed, annoyed by Shane’s minding which he knew he was only doing to pester him. But Shane ignored his comment. “Besides who made you the leader here anyway?” “It kinda makes sense since he’s the oldest,” Sam voiced. “What?” Sebastian asked him, “I thought Elliott was the oldest.”
All eyes glanced over at Elliott and the man simply scrunched up his nose and shook his head with a knowing smile. Sam shot Sebastian a wide, happy grin, feeling victorious.
“Look this isn’t a matter of me being the oldest or not, or trying to be the leader,” Harvey said, “I just thought it would be a good idea for all of us to come together and discuss this so that we’re all on the same page and can figure out what exactly this quest is all about.” All the girls nodded to that. “Whatever…,” Shane muttered again. “Shane knock it off and let the man speak,” Elliott firmly addressed. Shane glared at him. “Make me bard boy!” Elliott’s mouth dropped in surprise at his name call. “I’m not a bard,” he countered, “I’m a writer!” “Well you sure look like one to me!” “Hey!” Leah cut in, eyeballing Shane. “No one talks to my boyfriend like that!” “WHAT!?” everyone cried out, staring at the new couple.
A dead silence filled the room as Leah tried to gather what she was going to say.
“Yes,” she began with, “Elliott and I are officially a couple now.” She gripped his hand and turned toward him with a loving smile. “It took us being apart like this to realize just how much we love each other. And we didn’t want to waste anymore time.” Elliott returned the smile with a blush and wrapped his arm around her, bringing her in for a cuddle. “Aww!” Emily faintly squealed.
Sam leaned back in his chair with his legs crossed, picking at the cuticles on his fingers as he said, “I guess it’s not too surprising since you two have always paired off together at the seasonal festivals.” “Yup, and they totally had s'ex upstairs,” Shane muttered again. “Alright…,” Abigail stopped all of them, particularly Shane. “Please continue the discussion Harvey.” Shane shook his head with an eye roll.
Harvey just stood there with a furrowed brow, still trying to process all that was said and revealed, but snapped out of his thoughts quickly. “Okay so from the beginning,” he restarted, “we were all going about our everyday business until we received a telepathic beckon from the Wizard right?” They all nodded their heads. “Saying something like, ‘I need you to come to my tower immediately. I have an important quest for you to embark on. Please make haste.’” “That’s what we heard too, right ladies?” Abigail confirmed. They all said, “Yes.” But then Haley added, “It was trippy! I was all like, ‘Who the blazes is talking to me,’ and then he kept repeating it over and over again until I said, ‘Fine! Okay! I’m coming!’” “Ditto,” Alex added, “It took me a few seconds to filter it out since my Grandpa was screaming at the TV as usual.” He shook his head. “I don’t think the Wizard would’ve taken No for an answer.” “The fact that he reached us telepathically is mind boggling,” Maru uttered, staring at the coffee table. “Mind blowingly AWESOME!” Abigail chimed in. “Oh how his powers intrigue me! It didn’t take me long at all to acquiesce to his request!” “Aqua what now?” Shane asked with a confused look. “Nothing,” she dismissed. Emily glanced past Harvey and replied to Shane, “She means she immediately heeded the Wizard’s call with excitement.” Shane pinched at the bridge of his nose. “Such big words...my brain can’t handle it.”
“Anyway,” Harvey said, “summoning us individually, the Wizard made it sound like it was a quest just for us, which I think was the idea to get us all intrigued about it so we wouldn’t refuse.” Sebastian and Maru shot glances at each other, confirming to each other that that was the reason they both went to the tower. “So it was only natural that we all were quite surprised to see the rest of you arriving at the tower with us,” Harvey went on. They all gave off different face expressions to that. “And now we know that he summoned us guys first, because you ladies arrived here...an hour behind us? Is that right Abigail?” “Yes,” she answered. “Why he didn’t send all twelve of us off together, I’ll never know, but it’s not important.”
“Maybe that would’ve required too much brain power that he doesn’t possess,” Sam said with a chortle. Sebastian playfully swatted his friend’s leg in agreement, chuckling too. “Perhaps,” Harvey acknowledged. “I don’t know how it was for you ladies, but once all six of us men arrived, the Wizard appeared out of nowhere before his bubbling cauldron and smiled, almost slyly, before thanking us for coming.” “Yup,” Haley confirmed, “and that’s when I felt creeped out!” “That’s when I started to feel a little nervous too,” Leah added. “Understandable,” Harvey said, “so tell us ladies what happened next for all of you?”
The girls all glanced over at Abigail for some reason, as if they deemed her the spokesperson for them. In a small way, the young woman was touched. “Well,” she cleared her throat, “he asked us if we wouldn’t mind him starting off with a chant and we all just kinda stared at him mindlessly and nodded.” “Uh huh,” Harvey acknowledged, stroking the edge of his mustache. “Then what happened?” Abigail lowered her gaze from him, her forehead wrinkling, deeply searching through her memories and then suddenly recollecting. “I remember the cauldron glowing brighter and brighter the more he chanted. He spoke in some strange language I’ve never heard before. Beneath the green smoke I could faintly see a dark blue liquid with white specks on the surface, like the nighttime sky. Then when he finished the chant he said something like, ‘The six of you I have chosen to embark on a quest of ...enlightenment’...I think that was the word.” “That’s right!” Emily blurted out. “I remember him saying that word too.” “I really don’t,” Haley admitted, “I was just standing there thinking, ‘Ugh get on with the details of the quest already!’” “I was standing there thinking the same thing,” Alex said, looking up at her with a blushed smile.
“What else did he say?” Harvey encouraged on. Abigail’s brow wrinkled again. “I’m not sure...I’m surprised I even remembered all that because I didn’t earlier…”
“Well after he said that,” Harvey continued, “I remember him saying, ‘once you allow yourself to become enlightened then will you discover what will give you the greatest happiness in your life.’” “He said that to you guys?” Maru asked, biting on a nail. “I'm pretty sure I would've remembered something like that.” Then she turned to her brother. “Do you remember hearing that too Sebastian?” Sebastian froze guiltily for a second as he shot a glance at Sam and Sam met his gaze with the same expression. “Uhh, no, sorry,” he replied, “Sam and I were kinda feeling giddy about the whole adventure so we weren't really paying attention. We were all like, ‘Sweet! We’re going on a quest for the Wizard! Rock on!’ And we high-fived.” To which they did right in that second. Maru squeezed at her forehead with her forefingers and whispered, “Unbelievable.”
“Okay!” Haley addressed with her hands spread out, “Did any of the rest of you catch what Harvey and Abigail heard?” The others just shook their heads, with Shane saying, “I think most of us just didn’t give a cr’ap about his wizardly mumbo jumbo and just wanted him to tell us what we were supposed to do on this quest.” “Yes!” half of them concurred. “He didn’t really give us the chance to ask any questions though,” Elliott said, “because it was towards the end of that ‘mumbo jumbo’ that the smoke began to rise from the cauldron and engulf us.” “Yes, but what he said at the end there is key,” Harvey stated, gripping his chin. “‘Once you have completed the quest, then will you return. How long it takes to complete will depend upon the hearts of each and every one of you.’” "Ohhh," they all said, remembering that part now. “My gosh Harvey how do you remember all this?” Emily asked, rubbing at her temples. “Compliments of medical school,” he said, looking down at her with a grin. “Alright then so what does it all MEAN?” Elliott frankly asked.
Silence once again filled the room as everyone thought for a moment.
Alex spoke first. “So the Wizard vaguely said that this quest is about becoming enlightened in something in this world? And in so doing we will find the happiness we’ve always been searching for?” “That is correct,” Harvey pointed at him with the finger that was resting on his chin. “Way to go,” Haley complimented her friend, playfully bumping her elbow against his shoulder. Alex blushed. “As far as I’m concerned,” Shane chimed in, “I already found all the happiness I need in Pelican Town.” “Oh really?” Abigail asked him, with folded arms and an arched brow. Harvey and Emily glanced over at him with a similar look. “...Yes,” Shane responded, hesitating to meet everyone’s gaze as he did. Then Emily looked thoughtful. “That’s the thing...why would he send us here to find the greatest happiness in our lives. Couldn’t we just have easily been able to find that in Pelican Town? Or in the whole of Stardew Valley?” “Apparently not,” Harvey said, having had the same thought. “I mean, that’s where our life is...it’s our home,” Emily continued. “What does this world have to offer that our world doesn’t?” The others nodded. “I don’t think it’s a matter of what it has to offer, but that it’s not some place...comfortable.” “What’s that supposed to mean?”
All eyes were glued on Harvey, except for Shane who just slumped into the couch with his arms folded and scowling, wishing for this meeting to be over already. “Harvey?” Maru encouraged. The doctor sighed. “So this is just my deduction which could quite possibly be incorrect so if the rest of you have any other thoughts, I welcome it. I think,” he paused, “this quest is meant to help us personally, not to help the Wizard. He sent us to this whole different world to challenge us, to help us grow in some way; maybe discover something about ourselves we don’t know is there. Because I don’t know about the rest of you, but I felt like I was in an awful stagnant state in my life back home.” They all lowered their eyes, clearly feeling the same; Shane included. “Maybe the Wizard took notice of that and is giving us this opportunity as a push in the right direction. And whatever we’re meant to learn or discover here will send us back home and lead us to that true happiness we’ve always desired in our lives.” He shrugged. “That’s what I think.”
There were a few nods of agreement. “But if this quest is supposed to help us as an individual grow,” Alex stepped in, “why did the Wizard feel the need to send all of us here together?” Before Harvey could answer, Elliott answered, “Maybe it’s because we need each other to find life’s greatest happiness.” He looked over at Leah and kissed her forehead. “I agree,” Harvey said, “we’re here to help and support each other. That’s why I think he concluded his little speech with ‘how long it will take to complete this quest will depend upon the hearts of each and every one of you.’ Helping someone comes from the heart. However it could very easily mean something much more than that.” “Your deduction makes a lot of sense Harvey,” Leah chimed in, leaning forward with her fingers laced together, “and it may very well be correct, but I can’t help thinking...why would the Wizard want to help us? What’s in it for him? As far as I know he’s a cold and arrogant man who's never had any interest in the residents of Pelican Town, let alone our personal lives.” “Perhaps he wants to change that,” Abigail spoke, her voice soft, facing away from everyone. She found herself really liking that idea and hoped it was true, especially since she always felt this strange connection to the mysterious Wizard.
“So we still don’t have a definite answer as to what this quest is,” Haley said with a hint of frustration. “Or even if it’s a quest at all! No offense to your thoughts Harvey, but I want the specifics. What exactly do we all have to do to get out of here?” “I’m with her,” Sam added. Sebastian nodded his head too. “We all want the specifics Haley,” Harvey acknowledged, “but we don’t have them. There’s a reason the Wizard didn’t give us much information which proves we’re supposed to discover the details and purpose of this quest together. My thought was just one idea, yet I could be way off. That’s why I suggest that first thing tomorrow we break up into groups and explore parts of the town and the countryside. Get familiar with it and meet some of the town residents. I’m sure there’s tons of clues out there that will help us figure out what we’re supposed to do to complete this quest. We are supposed to become ‘enlightened’ after all.” “Oh you’re sure to become super enlightened with all those drugs you’re carrying on yourself Harvey,” Shane muttered just loud enough for everyone to hear. “WHAT!?” everyone cried out. “Medicinal drugs,” Harvey immediately corrected. “Suuuure,” Shane countered, “he’s got like five filled syringes within his inner jacket pocket. Yeah! Those be rocket fuel!” “Like I said, they are emergency medical drugs,” Harvey reiterated, turning his gaze to face the others. “The Wizard summoned me to go on some unknown quest, so I felt the need to be prepared in case of an emergency.” Most of them nodded their heads at his cleverness.
“What kind of meds are they?” Elliott curiously asked. “Epinephrine, Adrenaline, a Sedative, a Tranquilizer, and some Antivenom,” the doctor replied, “though I doubt the latter will do any good here…” “How’d you know he had all that Shane?” Sam asked. “Caught a glimpse of them when he was frantically checking all of our pulses after we arrived for whatever reason,” Shane replied with a scoff. “Like ANY of us wanted you touching us Harvey!” Harvey shrugged with his hands spread apart. “I just wanted to make sure our bodies transferred over properly and were functioning normally.” “Well, checking your own pulse would’ve been proof enough geez,” Shane expressed. “I know,” Harvey sighed, “and I apologize to all of you guys for that. I just panicked a bit and...I guess I’m so used to looking after all of you that I inherently wanted to make sure you were alright.” They all lowered their heads, while Shane just shook his in disbelief. “So, back to the original subject, are we all in agreement that a thorough investigation of this world tomorrow is in order?” “Yes,” some replied, others simply nodded.
“I’m just wondering how long we’re going to be here,” Maru said with some anxiety. “It could be months...even as long as a year.” There was a hushed silence.
“I know…,” Harvey spoke, trying to stay strong in his demeanor, “and we will need to prepare ourselves for that. Which is why we must learn everything about this place as soon as possible and cooperate with each other the best we can, even when some of us don’t particularly like each other.” He shot a slight glance at the man sitting on his right. “You got that right,” Shane declared, referring to just about everyone in the room, but mostly to Harvey.
“Something tells me we’re gonna be here for a while,” Sam said, “because why else would the Wizard set up our bedrooms to include stuff that we enjoy? Is that how the rooms are for you ladies? Like there’s a drum set in the room that I share with Sebastian and there’s even a keyboard and guitar.” He and Sebastian high-fived at that awesomeness again. “Although I didn’t find a skateboard…” He frowned. “Ditto,” Alex added. “I got all this workout equipment in my room, even a football was nestled in the corner for me to throw around! I mean, how did the Wizard know?” “Oh we totally discovered the same in our bedrooms here. Isn’t that right Emily?” Haley asked, shooting a smirk at her sister for that validation. Emily simply nodded. “I didn’t notice that in the room upstairs,” Leah said. “Which bedroom is mine?” “That’s because you were too busy getting--” “Enough Shane!” Harvey snapped at. “You share a room down here with Penny,” Haley informed Leah. “The room across from yours is mine and Emily’s and Maru and Abigail yours is the room upstairs.” Maru and Abigail glanced at each other and just shrugged. “Did you happen to see a flute up there by chance?” Abigail asked Leah. “No sweetie, I’m sorry,” she replied and Abigail frowned. “However there is a very nice telescope up there for you Maru.” She winked. “Guess I did notice that.” Maru smiled, but then she gaped. “Oh my...whose bed did you two do it in!?” All parties involved went bug eyed and Leah instantly spit out, “I’ll change the sheets I promise!”
Soon there was a whole plethora of conversations going around and Harvey felt the need to hush them. “Alright everyone, let’s keep it down,” he said, gesturing with his hands. “Penny’s trying to sleep on the other side of that wall.”
“So are we done here?” Sam asked Harvey with a hint of a whine. “I’m starving! And tired.” “Yes, we are,” Harvey answered with a sigh, “this was a great discussion everyone. Thank you. Let’s make sure we get plenty of rest tonight because it’s going to be a long day tomorrow.”
They all stood up from their seats and continued to engage in some light conversation - mostly about plans for tomorrow - then the guys would return to their house so they could all turn in for the night.
“I really don’t think that’s a good idea,” Abigail said, overhearing. “Mind your own business Wiccan! I can do what I want!” “She’s right Shane,” Harvey said, coming over with Emily following behind him. “We still don’t know what dangers might be out there so it’s even more unwise to go venturing out in the dark. You can join some of us who are investigating the town tomorrow and we’ll find the Bar then, alright? You can wait.” Shane folded his arms with an eye-roll and muttered, “Yeah, whatever.”
Harvey and Abigail stepped away to converse with some of the others while Emily carefully approached Shane. “You know, I’d love to have a drink right now too,” she said, hands clasped behind her back, “because goodness knows this situation definitely calls for it! But...we can be strong without it for now.” She craned her neck to the side, trying to make eye contact with him. “You got this!” Shane shot her an unamused look and then glanced away again while shaking his head.
He was beginning to feel a great deal of anxiety, along with some tremors - which is why he mostly kept his hands in his pockets - and the fears going through his mind began to terrify him. Beads of sweat formed upon his brow again and it annoyed him. Weakness, in any form, was something he’d never allow the others to see.
Over my dead body...
:blush:
A wrap up "Shane song," I feel is appropriate to leave here. (I have a few just for him. :p ) Linkin Park may not be everyone's cup of tea, and usually they aren't mine, but over the years I've discovered they have some pretty deep and meaningful music.
