Disclaimer: I don't own Andy's Apple Farm (Video Game). I don't own the picture (cover). Or the song.

(qwertuno and SilentReadersMatter)

(Inspired by Centaurworld. And the Nowhere King twist at the end. Check it out, it's actually pretty good.)

(Hope you enjoy.)

He belonged nowhere, yet they insisted that he belonged somewhere. The group of that friends that pulled him free of his former master left him alone to his thoughts often as they came to check on him. Said it was for his health.

"Heya, Peter!"

"What do you want, Andy?"

God damn he hated that apple.

"Jeez." He grumbled, leaning against the door frame. "The others wanted me to come check on you. Mentioned you haven't been out in three days. Is...something bothering you?"

The look on his eyes told the pumpkin man Andy wasn't good at the comforting thing. If the group had it their way, they probably would've sent Margret instead. She seemed the most sympathetic and easy to connect with about your problems.

"...Fine." He wouldn't tell this apple about the ache in his chest and the urge to return to the barn where they'd rescued him. "I just want to get out of here..."

Peter whined the last sentence. Falling back into the bed, he layed there staring at the ceiling whilst hoping Andy let him go outside. His friends certainly didn't trust him enough without supervision. Afraid he'd kill 'em.

To be fair, he tried killing Andy before. Perhaps this was his personal karma. No leaving without the permission of the people who once had been his victims in attempted murder.

"You almost ended their lives..." Andy replied, uncertain of his decision. "Promise you wouldn't hurt them?"

"Whatever."

Peter closed his eyes, imagining the moments the entity and he were one in the same. The power through his veins, his conscious watching as the separate person controlled him and his body for their purposes, but the feelings of righteousness coursing through his mind, amazing to watch his victims squirm in their last moments before ending their lives on either a sad or happy note.

Sad for him, happy for them. Death released them from the torture the entity craved. Nothing would stop it from claiming what it felt like it deserved. A body. A mind. A soul.

"I do like you, Andy." He smirked, chuckling as he rose from his bed and towered over the apple looking frightened humanoid. He opened his eyes, a newfound emotion casted there. "Your little friends are mutual in their hatred for me. Don't think I don't notice those little comments."

Maybe a new puppet. As much as he hated these people, they were better than the crap he'd endured all these months before their little rescue was staged. Random, but staged. And it all started with little Andy wanting his keys.

"I did give those keys back." He pushed Andy out the door, following behind him. "Has to count for something. You set me free, not fixed me."

Andy sent a concerned glance in his direction. He didn't return the gesture, not bothered if anyone gave a damn about him or not. All he wanted was to leave and never return.

Even if they saved his life, Peter lived a miserable existence. Destined to be hated by his saviours, trapped nearly all hours unless hell forbid he wanted a walk in his own home.

"I'm trying my best..."

All in all, life pretty much sucked.

***

He observed the environments around them, the group talking a topic he didn't care nor wanted to clue in on. He saw their lips moving, somehow retaining the ability to interpret their words as they were spoken before they were actually uttered.

"So, Andy?" Peter propped his elbows in the table, leaning on his hands. "You enjoying your look little relationship with the clock?"

His head cocked the side in interest as Claus blushed, though subconsciously pulling Andy close to himself and the others protectively.

How cute.

"I-it's fine." He stumbled in his words. "We are fine. Together, yes? Why is it your business?"

"Claus!" Andy scolded, watching his head, the clock man rubbing the sore spot. "Sorry, Peter, he's rather cranky today. Didn't get enough sleep."

"I know." Peter smiled innocently. "I heard you doing the dirty need."

Andy choked on his drink, Claus raised his first in violent temptation, Melody blushed red as a tomato and turned away to hide it, Felix barked out laughter after their exposure, and Margret simply glared in obvious disapproval.

"Language."

"Language." Peter copied, mocking her parental tone. "I hear things, not deaf, nor blind nor dumb as you portray me."

Through the shadows he was supposed to have escaped, he noticed their dark presence arriving due the group's anger issues. The entity's servants hung around the group, feeding off their energy and not being noticed in their little mission absorbing their souls.

Don't see. Don't see. Don't see.

Peter found the irony amusing. As the shadows feasted off Claus, their eyes met and he flinched away, previous memories of punishments forcing a whimper out his throat. He pulled up his hood, tightening the rods, forcing the front of the hoodie to close more hoping they wouldn't see his eyes.

"Peter, we don't think that." Melody sent a glare toward Claus and Felix. "Some of us aren't polite enough to admit fear when it's due."

They were afraid? Hm, typical.

Their souls are delicious.

They only recognised irises. Their darkened forms casted a look as one had the audacity to creep even closer. Peter's breathing shallowed to where he was pretty sure Andy and his friends heard his little panic attack.

Breathe. Breathe. Breathe.

The shadows snapped, wrapping around his waist, a mini arm storming his back. Peter whimpered audibly, wishing they left him alone.

Vessel. Vessel. Vessel!

They refused to leave. Sounding like children before they were consumed, the mini shadows swirled around Peter changing the sank nickname they'd invented during his time as the puppet of the entity.

He misses you.
You left.
Abandoned us.

Their presence felt suffocating. Only way to out do the things were ignoring their whispers.

"I'm gonna take a walk." Peter told them, getting up off his chair and stretching. "I'll be back in a bit. Don't wait up."

With his hands in his pockets, Peter walked off without any permission of the others that he could wander around the premises on his own incase he were to defy them.

It felt so damn great to deny their wishes.

***

I hate them so much.

Was it normal to feel this way toward the ones who saved him? Risking their lives at being lost to the entity and having their souls sucked out of them just to set him free.

In return for his freedom, he endured months of mocking, bullying, snarky comments. They weren't thinking of his mental health and the state his kind would end up in.

Peter read them the room a lot more than they thought. He knew they knew he still had a connection to the shadows. Albeit ignoring them all the time to appease the little group. The shadows weren't happy with his decision.

Answer!
Is it them little friends?
Perhaps we would dispose them.
It would certainly draw his attention.

Their whispers lulled his mind into a state of peace. Finding himself walking in the woods near the dreaded building, his legs directed Peter while his mind was occupied blocking them.

He couldn't take their taunting.

Leave me alone!

He realised his mistake the moment their attention was drawn toward him again. He answered back. Responded to them as if he was back with them in the past. A mistake on his end.

A very bad mistake.

He responded!
How you been?
It hurts...
MAKE US WHOLE.

The shadows dragged his head, forcing Peter into looking at his once home. The cursed barn he considered a home in the past life as a puppet. An urge to keep walking and go inside to see him overpowered his senses, and Peter resisted through his mind as puppet his strings attached themselves to his arms and legs and even his head like ropes knotted snugly into an object.

Stop. Please! Please!

The shadows smiled. Swearing their moves upward, their upper lips shadowed off jagged teeth that would make monsters in the closer run toward the nearest exit just to get away from these damn demons.

Tears threatened to spill down Peter's cheek. He covered his emotions in front of the groups of friends he barely tolerated. The shadows were different, they'd seen him at his best, they'd seen him at his worst. They were the only ones to see him so weak.

He missed you. His precious puppet.

The shadows yanked his strings. Peter landed in the ground with a full in yelp. The barn came into the view, he swore there were white eyes watching his every move as the shadows forced themselves into his eyes, giving the the ability to see through their view on the world.

Just get a new one.

He saw Andy and co. talking about him.

"He has anger issues!"

"Felix..."

"He mocked our relationship, Andy. You can't just put up with him. You forced us to save him for no reason. He hates us, we hate him."

"Feelings kinda mutual.."

Peter screamed, punching a fist into the ground and destroying the patch of grass minding it's one business. Panting heavily, his imagined separating himself from the shadows as they were trying to enthral his mind.

Leave me alone. I want to be free.

You know they'll never like you for yourself. You'll be an outcast.

Maybe, but it's better than being with him.

The shadow hissed angrily, claws swiping at his skin. At this point Peter laughed like a maniac, mind half his one and theirs. Claiming it for themselves to own and possess. He was theirs and theirs alone. Once he belonged to them.

Even he couldn't deny the past experience.

"Peter!.."

Oh, leave me alone.

The barn sounded like a decent place now. He wasn't facing the apple or his snooty clock man boyfriend.

I've seen him spend money on crap he doesn't need. He has half the things I can only dream of, where can I hide?

He slowly faced the barn. The building stood out, almost beckoning him to come in and hide from Andy in there for the night, even if the shadows threatened to consume him whole.

Feck it.

Peter allowed the shadows to consume his body, fusing him into the energy as they took him to the barn. Through his eyes and travelling in the shadows' chaotic world, Peter saw Andy working around with a worried expression.

Also making out with Claus. He forced the shadows to pause for a second, then already reaching his request before he thought of a command for them to obey.

They implanted the seed of doubt.

Is he using me for his own benefit?

***

Landing in the barn, Peter genuinely chuckled at the shadows little prank in the couple. Wondering how their relationship would endear the doubt of a break up.

What they deserve.

He wholeheartedly agreed. Still drunk on merging once again, he smiled with the shadows powers flowing through his veins, slightly influencing his actions, emotions and heart.

Why do I fight this?

Visions past flurried hurriedly through his eyes, memories of previous tortured victims screaming to, 'stop, stop, stop!' With the entity in controlling him, forcing him to enjoy his influenced actions.

Peter gasped as they ended. He remembered why he tried escaping and eventually succeeded. He forced the shadows from his mind, whimpering in exhaustion as they exited his body, clearly angry at his second rejection.

You'll give in.

I'll do that when I'm dead.

They snarled like a dog. Chasing each other into the darkness, Peter walked to a more isolated areas in the barn. He needed the quiet. He needed the peace this place provided.

Drawing his knees to his chest, Peter slid down the wall, head placing itself on the front of his forearms. He closed his eyes and sighed softly, enjoying the momentary silence.

Sleep, Puppet.

His eyes which has closed without him knowing popped open. Seeing a shadow version of him leaning against his space, he felt it pulling some old strings and his eyes closed against his will.

The shadow puppet veneered in its successes against its older master. Forcing him to fall into an uneasy sleep until the sinister one above wished his presence.

The entity would know he was here soon.