Gamer To Farmer

Chapter 25: Judgment Day

A/N: I can't believe that this is the final chapter. Be prepared for a very long chapter. I originally planned for this last chapter to be about four thousand words long, but as it turned out, it's a lot longer then that. Please enjoy this exciting conclusion.

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"This is as far as I can take you, Tint." The captain of the fishing vessel stated. Our boat was floating just outside of the Mineral Town harbor. I had jettisoned from the jet and made a rendezvous with Greg, the fisher from Mineral Town. He still had the remainder of the day to fish, so he would not be returning to town with me.

"Thanks a lot, Greg." I shook the fisher's hand before jumping over the side of the vessel. I was immediately greeted with a wave of cold sweeping through my body as I plummeted into the icy water. My lungs cried for air as I climbed my way up to the surface.

The fresh taste of oxygen came as a welcome invasion as my head broke through the layers of water above me. I looked around to familiarize myself with the watery surroundings. The boat had vanished leaving me without a rescue if I ever needed one. The shore of Mineral Town was barely visible above the crashing waves. That distant beach was my goal. My return to Mineral Town was going to come as a huge surprise to everyone. It was, after-all, over a year since I had set foot on friendly soil.

Overhead, the sky darkened. Night was fast approaching as I swam valiantly towards the shore. This was definitely harder than competing in any Opening Day festival. With the current against me, my progress came from great physical effort. My best guess was that I had covered only about have of the distance so far.

The waves crashing against my body were becoming too much of a taxation on my body. I wasn't exactly in the same shape that I had been before my prison term. "I need a rest." I muttered, allowing my body to float atop the waves. The slow rocking of the ocean was so soothing, I almost felt like falling asleep. It had been a very busy day and I was getting tired.

I guess that I must have taken a short nap, because my eyes awakened to see a full moon glowing brilliantly overhead. What were the chances of tonight being a full moon? Somehow, the full moon had been a bad omen that was symbolic of a recurring trend of unfortunate incidents. Hopefully, the same fate wasn't in store for this night.

I tilted my head back in the water to observe my destination. Some strange force had kept me from floating out to sea, instead nudging me closer to shore. I'm sure that there was the Harvest Goddess to thank for that. So many memories were coming back to me, increasing in number the nearer I got to Mineral Town.

My inner monolog was filling my head with constant chatter as I continued swimming towards shore. "Remember everything that Mineral Town stands for. The memories, the people, your family and friends. They'll all be gone if you don't make it back there. Plus, you didn't escape from prison to die floating out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean." The voice made a pretty good point.

The buildings of Mineral Town were alit with an inviting glow coming from the windows. The brightest of these lights was coming from the Inn. Apparently, the villagers were having a nice little party to celebrate their final day in Mineral Town. Tomorrow, this was all going to end for them. Or so they thought. Not if I could do something about it.

One light appeared out of place. Maybe my eyes were deceiving me or there was a light coming from the end of the dock. As I got closer, the light became cleared. I could swear that it was a solitary candle burning hopefully under the careful watch of a hunched figure draped in a heavy blanket. Somebody was out waiting.

A pair of unblinking brown eyes stared at the flickering flame. The watcher's concentration was broken when a few strands of shoulder length brown hair fell over the right eye. A hand came up and carefully tucked the stray strands back underneath the blanket. I was now close enough to see exactly who the watcher was. Either the salt water had gotten into her eyes or she was crying. I felt so bad to see my wife sitting out here, all alone in the cold. Knowing her, Elli had come out to the dock every day since our separation, awaiting my unlikely return. Now, I was here.

I silently swam beside the dock, stealthily moving past her post. I wanted this moment to come as a complete shock to her. My feet were now scraping against the bottom of the ocean, allowing me to stand up. I stole a quick glance down the dock to ensure that she hadn't noticed me yet. Elli's attention was still drawn to the diminutive flame of the candle.

Tip-toeing along the wooden planks of the dock, I sneaked up behind my wife. I cringed slightly as one board let out an awful squeak as I gently placed my foot down on it. "Go away." Elli ordered, not taking her gaze away from her light.

I stopped about a dozen paces behind Elli. A smile crossed my face upon hearing her voice. It was just as angelic as the last time I had heard it. "That's no way to greet anyone, least of all your husband." I scolded gently.

A short gasp escaped Elli's lips, extinguishing the candle's flame. In the darkness, I could hardly make out the outline of her gorgeous face as it turned to face me. I greeted her tearful gaze with a warming smile and held open my arms. In an instant, Elli had buried her sobbing head into my shoulder, clutching tightly to what she had lost. I gently caressed her, thankful that I had been given a second chance to hold onto her. "It really is you. I knew that you would come back." Elli choked out, stifling back the sobs that racked her body.

"I've missed you so much." I admitted tilting her chin up to receive a kiss. Her lips were ice cold, although they were warming slightly from the connection between us. After what seemed like hours, we broke apart from each other.

I leaned over, picking up the blanket that Elli had cast aside and draped it over her shoulders. This Fall night was serving up the normal blistering winds, chilling us to the bone. "We should head inside." I suggested much to Elli's approval. My wet clothes had practically frozen against my skin, stinging fiercely.

Elli was returning to her normal joyful demeanor. "I have so much to tell you, I don't even know where to start. Both Mage and Jack took their first steps and said their first words. Jack said 'Stu' and Mage said 'doggy'. I've been trying my hardest to keep the farm running in top order. The barn is full of sheep and cattle, the chickens are all healthy, and the harvests have been very kind. Those pineapples that you and Neil planted ended up being our savior on more than one occasion. The whole town has missed you. Ann and Cliff had a son who they named Cian. Gray and Mary had a daughter named Maria. Kai and Popuri named their daughter Shannon. And Rick and Karen named their son Brett, after you. Jack and Celia had another son, this one named Alex. Our farm won the sheep, cow, and the chicken festivals since you've been gone. It has been a very eventful year. Too bad that none of it matters because your father is just going to destroy all of this tomorrow."

I pulled Elli closer to me, determination sounding strong in my voice as I stated, "I'm not going to let that happen. Why else would I have come back unless I was going to do something about it?"

My wife looked up at me expectantly. "You and Neil have something planned?"

I was shaking my head before she had even finished the question. "I'm afraid that Neil won't be coming back to Mineral Town for a very long time. At least, not after the little escape stunt that we pulled. The same probably is true for the Harvest Sprites. If it wasn't for them, I'd be dead."
Elli gasped slightly at my remark. "They were going to kill you?" She asked in amazement.

"I can't believe it either. My Mother's has become too powerful, casually bribing the entire Canadian justice system to have her own son killed. I can't wait to get revenge against her." I chuckled slightly as I rubbed my hands together in anxiety.

Elli's face was full of concern as she forced me to stop. She forcefully turned me to face her, her face inches from mine. "I lost you once to false charges of murder, and I'm not about to let you get taken away for the real thing. I doubt that I could handle being without you for any longer. I know that she deserves it, but you just can't kill your own mother."

The sincerity in Elli's eyes was more than enough to sway me from my resolve. I owed it to her not to put her in such a lonely position ever again. Plus, there was plenty more that could be done against her that wouldn't land me in jail. At least for a long term. Anyone up for a dip in the ditch? I returned to my plotting, the evil grin crossing my face giving Elli something to be concerned about.

A rather dull atmosphere was coming from the Inn. Even with an open door, hardly a sound escaped the rather rambunctious Inn. Parties were supposed to be fun, but this one seemed to be rather somber. I told Elli as much and she nodded her head in agreement. A sparkle of mischievousness glimmered in her eyes as she came up with an idea. "Follow me inside, but wait by the door." She ordered as she draped her blanket over my body. I could guess that she was going to turn this into another surprise.

Elli, appearing rather dejected, entered the Inn. I silently followed her inside, unnoticed by the roomful of friendly villagers who were gathered. All eyes were on Elli as she pushed her way towards the bar. The room became deathly silent as the individuals considered what meaning that her presence meant. Finally, Kai broke the silence. "Even Elli has given up on Tint. Face it, everyone, he isn't coming back. He was the only hope that Mineral Town had left."

The crowd grumbled in agreement. I was hidden in the shadows, observing everyone who was gathered. The entire village was here, ranging from the elders all the way to the newest generation. My own children were also present. I was so tempted to reveal myself just so that I could go and touch them, but I had to wait. This was a cruel torture, but could turn out to be an interesting form of entertainment. My days in prison had been boring beyond belief, so I needed this fun.

Elli now turned on her seat at the bar, facing those gathered. "I propose a toast. Although he isn't here, Tint did everything he could for this town, even with all the challenges that he faced. I'm sure that if he was here right now, he wouldn't be moping about."

"That's right! He'd be passed out on the floor at Doug's feet." Karen announced, bringing an outburst of laughter from the villagers. I emitted a short chuckle at the truth.

My wife continued on with her speech. "What Tint would be doing right now would be thanking each and every one of you for making his time with us so memorable. You all have to admit that life in Mineral Town was quite boring and uneventful before Tint came here." I nodded my head in agreement, copying the actions of the villagers.

"I'm sure that some of you have some memories of Tint that you'd be willing to share." Elli hinted.

Stu was the first to clear his voice. I was amazed at how much he had grown. Now, he was almost a teenager. "I remember this one time when May and I were betting on who would win the Opening Day Festival. Well, I was betting against Tint, so he threatened to toss me into the ocean."

The crowd chuckled at the tale. May was quick to pipe up and add, "Hey, Stu! What about the time you fell off Mother's Hill and landed on Tint? You broke his shoulder really good."

"Speaking of Mother's Hill…" Ann began. "The day when Tint was looking for a date for the Harvest Festival, he fell down Mother's Hill and stopped at Popuri's and my feet. Then he tried to cover up his stumble by acting all smooth." I scowled slightly as the crowd had worked itself into laughing frenzy.

"You can't forget all of the times when we convinced Tint to run around town when he was drunk." Doug suggested. This one was coming as a surprise to me although the townspeople were all telling their individual tales. Elli nodded in my direction, signaling for me to make my presence known.

I casually stepped out from the shadows. "What exactly did you guys make me do?" I asked.

I was greeted with a set of amazed expressions and greetings. I offered a curt wave as I was surrounded by my fellow villagers. Giving into their demands, I was obliged to relate my tale to them. When I was done, I was still determined to find something out. "So, tell me, what did you make me do?"

Doug was reluctant to supply an answer, but eventually gave in. "Since you've come back home, I might as well tell you. It's the least that the town can do for having a chance to keep our village. When you got really drunk, we took you up Mother's Hill and reintroduced you to your old friend, the possessed tree. We had a huge betting pool going among the villagers to see how long you'd last in each battle. The last time you two fought, you lasted slightly over twenty minutes."

Amazing how my presence had turned a somber occasion into a joy filled reunion. We continued telling our tales well into the morning hours. In fact, we figured that we should call the party quits when the crude sun burned our hazed eyes when we glanced outside. That's right, we spent an entire night drinking. God, I love Mineral Town.

Mayor Thomas was quick to pull me aside as Elli and I were leaving the party. Stu had taken the kids home much earlier and were probably getting a half decent night of sleep. The Mayor on the other hand, was much more interested in ensuring that I knew of the repercussions of today's actions. "Tint, do you know how important today is for all of us?"

"Of course I do! I wouldn't break out of jail and come half way around the world if this wasn't urgent." I replied.

Thomas shook his head. "Look. I expect that you will treat your parents and their bodyguards with the utmost of respect. There is to be no violence. Just pretend that the inspecting party is made up of complete strangers." Good. I hate strangers.

I nodded my head in reluctant acceptance of Thomas' terms. How unfair of my parents to bring along bodyguards. Now, I had to get serious and focus on the single task of making Mage's Farm look presentable. "How long until our visitors arrive?" I inquired.

"Their private yacht is scheduled to arrive at the dock in exactly two hours. I expect that both you and Elli will be there to welcome the visitors. Remember, no violence." The Mayor gave me a final warning before heading home to make preparations of his own.

The walk home with Elli came as a welcome calm before the storm. My wife continued to tell me accounts of all the activities that I had missed out on. How regretful it is to know that you missed out on a year of your life during the most important time of all, when you are needed most.

Upon setting foot under the entrance sign I was greeted by a still energetic Homer, tailed by two younger dogs. "I should have told you that Homer fathered a litter of puppies last fall. The tinier one is Cujo and the other is Angst. Oh, and check the stable. Epona will be glad to see you." Elli explained.

During the walk to the stable I got to overlook my fields. Never before had I seen such a productive farm. The crops were all just about ready to harvest. Elli had done an amazing job during my absence.

I was surprised to see that the stable had been enlarged. The building now took up every bit of free space that had been remaining. Now at least ten times larger, I could only guess at what had happened. I pulled open the swinging doors and was immediately knocked to the ground by an overactive Epona.

I gingerly picked myself off the grass, grumbling a happy greeting to my horse. But then a second horse, this one pitch black exited the stable. It was the same horse that Tom had ridden at the Local Horse Race. Following Shadow came a sandy colored steed with a huge black spot on its left side. Another horse, this one looking exactly like Epona, except with a white mane, came next. Followed by another and yet another. By the time the last horse bolted from the stable, I counted twelve steeds in total.

I looked over at Elli, who merely shrugged. "What? I had a lot of extra money lying around and I've always loved horses, so I figured that I may as well buy a few additions to our stable."

The dozen horses playfully chased each other around the field, following a trail that had been marked out. As if living by a preset schedule, all dozen beasts returned to the stable, entering in a neat single file line. Once again, Elli gave me an innocent shrug. "I also happened to have a lot of extra time on my hands. Since I had nothing else of importance to do, so I learned how to train horses. As you can see, I ended up being very good at it."

I nodded my head in stunned agreement. The longer I was back in my town, the more confident I was becoming that there was still a slight chance of convincing my father to accept the farm for how it was. But, there was still the variable of my Mother's unwanted presence, although she had been banned from the town.

Elli tugged me in the direction of our house. I had a bad feeling that with her free time she might have found another task to do. I just hoped that she hadn't painted the indoors a strange color, like pink.

My fears were soon found to be untrue. Elli pulled me inside the house, slamming the door shut behind us. I suddenly found myself covered with searching, groping hands. "I missed you too, but that's no reason to go wild." I quickly admonished.

"Quiet." Elli placed a finger against my lips, hushing me. "Let's go to the bedroom." She suggested.

Two hours later, a loud knock on the door forced us to finish our romantic reunion. I rolled over, falling heavily onto the ground. "Ouch." I commented as I picked myself up off the ground. Now, I just needed to find an alarm clock to smash and life would be back to normal.

The knocking persisted, growing more impatient. "I guess they want to ruin our lives in a hurry." Elli stated as she began to get dressed. I was about to do the same when an evil idea crossed my thoughts. I had been having a lot of these thoughts recently. I slowly crept towards the staircase, preparing myself to scar my parents' vision. A disapproving shake of the head from Elli convinced me against it. Grudgingly, I pulled on my clothing and headed to the door. I wondered if my parents had learned about my escape.

I pulled open the door, revealing only Mayor Thomas. "Where are my folks?" I asked, looking around to see if they were trailing the Mayor.

"They are down at the beach. Your Mother refuses to come further into town until she's seen you." Thomas responded. So they had found out about the cancelled execution. That ruined one of the surprises that I had planned.

Soon afterwards, Elli joined me outside, the two little children hiding shyly behind their mother. Stu came pushing past us, eager to get to the stable and ride his personal horse, a black stallion with two large white patches over each eye, named Deuces. Elli quickly told Stu to behave himself before we followed the Mayor to the beach.

A crowd of villagers had gathered in the town square, attempting to get to the beach and speak their minds to the unwelcome visitors. A pair of burly bodyguards wearing suits held the crowd back despite being severely outnumbered. Somebody in the crowd noticed our arrival and ordered the crowd to make way for us. After some nudging and pushing, a path had opened up for us to the guards. The two bouncers moved aside to let us past.

The beach had been turned into some strange sort of diplomatic protection ring. My parents were surrounded by a circle of six more guards. A helicopter was parked further along the beach. The sight was more like a scene from a "protect the president from terrorists" movie.

Mother looked up from her book, eyeing me with disgust, before returning to her reading. My father, on the other hand, tried to hide his face from me. Obviously, he still felt guilty over betraying me at my high school "reunion". I felt like giving my father a piece of my mind, but held back. Judging from the size of the half dozen lackeys, any smart comments that I made might end up being my last. I might have tried it if Neil had been here, but then again, my brother always convinced me to do the stupidest things.

I stopped a fair distance away from the hostile appearing guards. "I'm waiting for an apology." I stated flatly.

"I'm sorry that you escaped." Mother muttered under her breath just loud enough for me to hear. I felt like lashing out with a stream of harsh insults, but decided against it. The look on the guards' faces was enough to frighten me off.

Mayor Thomas looked nervous as he stepped between me and my parents. The Mayor held up his hands to signal peace, announcing, "Let's just get this inspection done. I don't want anything unpleasant."

My father nodded his head, but seemed to be paying attention to something else. I followed his gaze up to the little shop on the beach. The door had opened and Kai with Popuri stood at the entrance. My father's gaze had brought some fear to my mother. It was almost like there were some past concerns that had been brought up by the sight.

The procession started our trek towards my farm. The crowd made their anger heard, loudly shouting insults at my parents. A frown crossed my face as I heard my mother complain about the rudeness of rednecks. If only I could just push her out of the circle of guards and into the angry mob.

Our group was joined by the other two goons, leaving their duties holding the crowd back. Once again, we traveled along the back path. How many times had I walked along this trail, whether it being my first trip after arriving here or the walk of shame on my way to trial. So many memories for such a simple thing as a trail.

Elli and I trailed behind my parents and their encircling guards. My father slowed his group as he passed by the Poultry Farm. His longing gaze drew another worried look from my mother. Elli leaned up against me, whispering, "I think I sense some past issues coming to surface." I nodded my head in agreement. First the strange attention that he gave to Popuri and no to the Poultry Farm. Something was definitely scratching at the surface waiting to be released.

We arrived at the entrance of Mage's Farm. Stu went rushing past on Deuces, glancing over at the arrivals. He quickly reared up Deuces before bolting towards the stable. A few of the guards stared around in amazement and awe. My mother was clearly surprised that the farm had been improved so much since her devious arson. Score one for me.

"Tint, I turn this tour over to you." Mayor Thomas said, bowing slightly as he headed over to the crowd who had followed us. This could turn into a very violent rebellion if the result turned out to be bad. I was confident that the farm could pass any inspection by any regular critic, but here, I was faced with a challenge by people I knew, who didn't give a damn about how well I did with my life. Biased people sure made the world turn slower.

I directed my hand over the field. "We are currently growing plots of grass all over the entire field. The harvest should be more than enough to feed our animals for the entire coming Winter." My father nodded his head in understanding as we now headed to the barn.

"This building, like every other one on the entire farm had to be rebuilt after Mom burnt everything down." I announced as I opened up the door. I held the door open, waiting for everyone else to go through, but nobody budged.

My father had fire burning in his eyes as he glared at my mother. "Is this true?" He demanded. My mother was fuming. "How dare you accuse me of something so diabolical! I was never in this town before in my entire life." So, she never told my father about coming to town. The plot thickens and my chances of revenge at my mother for her scheming had come.

"Do you count the time when your parents came to this town and you fell in love with dad? Obviously, this place is nothing more than a blemish on your life's tale. That's why you convinced your parents to include this town on a destruction list in their will. Your life was perfect before you came to this town. That's why you want it destroyed. You obviously don't really care about the feelings about your family, just the money. Hell, you don't even care about your husbands past. You want to erase everything that ever went even somewhat wrong in your life, just to receive your inheritance. I'm glad that I never knew that we were rich. It just ruins a person, turning them into a spoiled bitch!"

Elli looked at me with admiration. My father appeared to be crying, coming to grips with the reality of my speech. He doubted the dedication of his wife. My mother, meanwhile, appeared to be past the breaking point. She disarmed a guard of his weapon and pointed the pistol at me. "Ungrateful little whelp!" She screamed.

She was about to pull the trigger when my father's hand stopped her. Mother turned to him, expecting for him to take away the gun. Instead, he had a much more devastating attack to use. "I want a divorce."

"But… But… What about the money? Together, we could own the entire world. Why… Why would you give this all up?" Mother said, tears welling up in her eyes as she collapsed to the ground. I was just as surprised as she was. Apparently my speech had done more of an effect then I had anticipated. Score a second victory for me on the day.

"I'm sorry, but I don't love you anymore." My father began as he distanced himself from the sobbing woman. "I don't know what happened to you, but you've changed. When I had met you, you were such a sweet and innocent woman. Now, you're willing to screw over your son to be rich. Money isn't the only thing that brings happiness and Brett's shown that to me. He's shown so much spirit in coming out here and having such a wonderful life, all by himself. He's actually worked for his living and has done a great job at it."

Elli cuddled up close to me, engrossed by the drama unfolding before us. The bodyguards were confused over which of their charges to side with. My mother's sadness quickly changed to anger. "Fine! I don't need you! I'm going to keep all of my parents money to myself. You are no longer welcome in my house." She was screaming, frightening off the observers. Even the crowd could hear her raving.

"I'm sorry, but that's not the way it is going to work." My father was taking pride in the facts that he was about to state. "I was placed in charge of your parent's company, so I have to give the order to do any demolition. But, I'm not going to be giving that order. Mineral Town will stand." A roar of approval came from the crowd as my dad continued, "With Mineral Town standing, the requirements of the will cannot be met. That means that you cannot claim your inheritance."

I was amazed at this turnaround. I had a feeling that the tour was officially over and was thankful that I had saved my town. Meanwhile, the guards were conversing adamantly among themselves. The apparent leader of the group carefully approached my mother. "How are we going to get paid if you don't have any money left?" He asked. My mother shook her head, not knowing what to do. The leader motioned for his men to follow him as he left the farm.

My mother's life was ruined. It felt a little harsh, but she deserved it. From down near the beach came the roar of the helicopter taking off, probably with the guards abandoning my mother. "What are you going to do without me? Probably go off with that pink haired twit that you were dating before me. Fine!" My mother picked herself off the ground, stumbling away from us. I had no idea where she would be going, but it didn't matter anymore. I didn't care.

"Wow." I stated when the hubbub had died down. I was still having difficulty trying to comprehend all that had occurred. From what I understood, my father had just screwed over my mother's entire plan of world domination. Maybe I should have kept my mouth shut. Nah.

My father turned to me. He shrugged his shoulders as if to say that he was waiting for this day his entire life. "Tint, is it? Never thought that Brett suited you, anyway. I was wondering about something. Ever since the day I found out that you had come back to this farm where I was born, I knew that I had to come here. There was something missing in my life and I think that I've found it. Do you need another helper around here?"

I held out my hand and my father heartily shook it. "As long as you know that I am the boss." I said with a smile. Everything had turned out so well. I felt myself being surrounded. I looked around and found that the villagers had gathered around me. "It's time to celebrate!" I announced to a loud cheer.

THE END

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A/N: So it's over. I would like to thank everyone who has been there for me throughout this entire process. To all of the reviewers, for supporting my creation and being by my side in the good times and the bad. I am proud to look back at this and consider each and every one of you a true friend. To Mage, my true source of inspiration and eternal soulmate. Thank you.

My speech is a lot shorter than any Oscar speech. I'm having trouble believing that I finished it. I would now like to make a short announcement. My next goal is to finish my Dungeons and Dragons fic. After that, I will go back to all of my incomplete fics and finish them. I am unsure at the moment about my plans after that. I may go about writing a novel based on the real life romance between myself and Mage or do a second Harvest Moon: Back to Nature fic. Please keep me on your author alert list for any future fics that I create. Thank you and goodbye. It's been a pleasure.