In the Grasp of the Doppelganger. NEW! Canon Flavoured
Original by warelander, Rewritten by kirbymanx
Sig wasn't sure what happened to him, the last thing he could recall was him walking through the forest area near Primp's Magic School on the lookout for bugs, as he met a harlequin who called herself Pierrot. She directed him to a small nearby tent, supposedly wanting to perform a magic trick and right afterwards everything went white, it wasn't until now that Sig would regain consciousness.
Struggling to keep his eyes open, he looked straight ahead, not being able to make out anything as he was in what seemed to be a dark room. The area where he sat was a bit more lid, thanks to a small lamp on a near drawer, he seemed to be on a bed of sorts. Upon taking a look below he could see a pair of hands wrapped around his arms and waist, keeping him in a tight embrace from behind and a pair of slender legs to both his sites.
Indeed, as he managed to think straight again he could feel a seemingly female body pressed against his back, with a head leaning onto the back of his own, breathing easily into his neck. All of this really only added to Sig's confusion, how did he get there and who was this girl? He tried to get an answer, but only one thing that came to his mind: call out to this person and ask her. Not a complex plan, but it was all he could think of.
"...Wh-Who is there...?" Quickly, he felt as the head behind his own went to his right ear, quietly speaking into it. "Fufufu...Don't worry Sig, it's just me…" Her voice was very familiar to him, it sounded like Arle, it wasn't exactly the same, sounding a fair bit deeper, but it was close enough to be recognizable to him.
"Arle?" Looking towards his right shoulder, he met eye to eye with the girl looking at him as she leaned her head on his shoulder, she really did look like Arle, though her brown hair had a red tint to it, as did her eyes along with the latter went under a lot of stress. From what he could see her attire was different as well. Her breastplate was bigger, extending into shoulder guards.
Why was that? Did he just imagine it? At any rate, he noticed her smirking at him seemingly happy with the reaction she got. "Yes! It's just me, plain ol' Arle. It's been so long since we did anything together… I missed you, please stay a while."
It really has been a while since they last hung out, hearing that she seemed to know about it was enough for Sig to feel far more comfortable in the situation he found himself in, it really seemed to be just Arle, it didn't explain how he got here or why she was clinging onto him like this, but the presence of a friend was enough for Sig to be secure that things weren't too bad. One thing did strike him as odd though, Carbuncle was nowhere to be seen, something very unusual, since he and Arle were never seen apart from each other. "...Say Arle, where is Carbuncle...?"
After saying this he could feel how her grip around him got tighter as if she was anxious about something. "W-Why he is right there, on the dresser to your left!" Directing his gaze towards the left, he could make out an outline in the shadows that resembled the little rabbit-like creature, however, upon closer inspection, it turned out to be three yellow Puyos taped together to form a rabbit shape, with a strawberry on its forehead and four clothes pegs that were meant to resemble Carby's arms and legs, staring back at the boy with the typical jovial expression of your average yellow Puyo.
Now Sig was right back to where he started. There was clearly something fishy going on, otherwise, she wouldn't have to lie. "...That's not him…" He said in a dry fashion, turning around to see that 'Arle' was no longer looking at him, as she turned her head away, remaining silent while trying to avoid eye contact.
"...You are not really Arle, aren't you?"
'Arle''s face grew mad, breathing heavily, grasping the boy even tighter. She did her best calm before she eventually answered. "You're half right… I'm not the Arle you know. Long ago my soul was split into two… She's my other half. If Satan is to be believed." Now that the truth was out, she paused for a while, keeping Sig in her grip as she spoke up again. "...You can't imagine what it's like, I was stuck in who knows where. Floating around without a body for eternity. All alone, no company. Only to come home, getting a body, learning that a version of you that's living the life you wished you had… While I'm labeled a Doppelgänger."
Finally, Sig began to understand the situation, though there was still the question of why she brought him here. Before he could open his mouth to ask, he could feel her hand in his hair, smoothly stroking it, with no sign of roughness in her motions.
"I know, I sound crazy, but it's true. I've tried to take her place to set things right, but my attempt proved to be futile… I cease to exist whenever we're both in our homeworld for an extended period."
Her tone became more and more somber as she continued on: "I have been watching you and all of her other new friends since I've arrived here in Primp. I know a lot about you, Sig, your easy-going nature, your love for bugs and your genuine care for those you consider to be friends..." Clearly, she had taken a liking to Sig as she kept watching him and the others from a distance, he seemed amiable and on top of being quite absent-minded most of the time, also wasn't one to ask questions, so she should have had an easy time convincing him that she's his Arle. The idea of him being attentive enough to wonder about Carbuncle really caught her off guard.
"...So that's how you knew about me…" Sig kept a neutral tone to his voice and kept completely still, as he was busy with processing the info that was thrown at him, even with all the odd things that happened around Primp Town, this was the first time he had to deal with something like this.
"Indeed...and you know and you know what?…" Pausing mid-sentence she put her hand back onto his waist while pressing her head onto the side of his. Her tone a little more positive.
"About what?"
"From what I gathered you and Amitie have been friends with her ever since she came here to town and yet, she barely spends time with you anymore, only Amitie and this Ringo girl, but I can change that, I'll be your Arle from now on and I'm every bit as good as no good phoney, maybe even better."
Red Arle tried her hardest to make her plan as attractive to him as possible, it seemed like a win/win situation in her mind, she could take Blue Arle's place in Primp with no one but Sig would be the wiser, so what was there to complain?
Sig on his end, couldn't deny that he sometimes wished that Arle would spend more time with him again, since he had grown fond of the girl from another world, back when she was practically stranded in Primp and always kept close to him and his classmates, as she didn't have anyone else before other people from her homeworld slowly started to show up.
Even then, the idea of essentially replacing one of his friends wasn't something he could get down with. Even if they're the same person. Not seeing her as much anymore didn't make the friendship he shared with Arle any less meaningful to him. "...You can't just replace someone like this…"
That was it then, he wasn't going to go along with it, Red Arle released Sig from her grip, standing up and moving away from the bed they sat on while shooting a mean glare at the boy. "If you're going to squander this golden opportunity, then what are you gonna do now, huh? Try to kick my butt and then get your round of applause from her, for beating the doppelgänger!? Well, I won't allow it!" In her frustration, she got herself into a battle stance, as her hands started to glow from the magic energy she channeled. She was going to keep Sig around and be his Arle no matter what, never to be alone again!
At least, that's what she thought, since she was quite puzzled that he did not prepare for a fight, nor did he try to run away, instead he merely stood up himself and stretched out his red demon hand towards her. "You don't have to replace her…"
"What do you mean!?" Arle still kept an angry disposition and was ready for an attack, though, Sig remained calm.
"We can start over, you can be Arle, but I'll treat you like your own person, separate from Arle…and be a new friend…"
This remark made Red Arle falter, it was strange, he has an Arle shaped hole in his life, he has the opportunity to get her back, an Arle who's willing to pick up where she left off. Usually, implication alone that she doesn't deserve to be the Arle would have been followed by the beating of a lifetime. After all, she is the same soul as Arle then why wouldn't she be entitled to the same things as well?
Yet there was something about the foolishness of Sig's behavior that she found oddly endearing, by now he should have realized that she was bad news, yet he didn't reject her even after her plan came to light. Instead, he made an offer of sheer kindness, if a bit insulting, sincerely thinking that a little help from a friend could make everything right.
"...You naïve sap…" Arle was no longer willing to start a fight, crossed her arms and turned herself around, no longer facing Sig. For some reason all of this really got to her, was she seriously (if begrudgingly,) thinking about this? Should she really go through this? Her grievances are legitimate, but so are Sig's points if she's honest with herself. Trying to come to a conclusion the answers seemed to escape her, her warped mind was a big hurdle, not wanting to think about it. She kept silently thinking through the barrier, while also keeping an ear out for Sig, to make sure he didn't try to run away behind her back, she didn't hear anything at all, even though she had been keeping her back turned to him for a while, almost as if he fell asleep while standing, like she saw him do in the past.
Turning around, she saw that Sig was still standing there, fully awake, his hand no longer stretched out, but still looking at her. He seemed surprised that she turned back to him, as the expression on his face shifted a bit, it was still rather blank, but there was a spark in his eyes, something about it gave him a look of hope. Hope that she might reconsider. Arle both loved and hated that look on his face, it was warm and inviting in a way that no gaze towards her ever was, at the same time though, it really made her wish that the boy wouldn't make things so complicated for her.
Sighing, she decided to at least humor his offer, as she was now the one to keep her hand out, allowing him to place it into his red demon claw. It was a bit bigger than her own hand and it was known that Sig had a lot of strength behind it, though, thanks to his bug catching hobby he learned to be as gentle as possible with it. The feeling of having her hand covered in his made Arle a bit more comfortable about deciding, though she still wasn't entirely honest with herself if Sig really had a point. "Are you really sure this can work? You know everything will be confusing, right? Potentially two mes running around, everyone will call one of us fake, and that's going to be me… I get really violent if when that happens. I'm not gonna change my name… Not to mention, I doubt she knows my deal, besides replacing her that is... I'm also normally not this mentally stable."
He didn't answer immediately, seemingly thinking of solutions. "...How about we'll get you some professional help? Make your situation clear to anyone who asks. And when Blue Arle visits you you try to make up, maybe accept each as long lost sisters!" This was far more of a dopey Sig-like answer that she was expecting to hear, not to mention a bit cheesy and clichéd, but at the same time also logical?... She never would've thought of that on her own. Another reminder she's not all there… The sincere enthusiasm Sig had over it made it impossible for her not to grin, he was a bit of a derp, but an oddly adorable one in her eyes. It almost won her over completely.
She did need a little more convincing. "If this doesn't work out… Will you still be my friend?"
"Of course, like Arle, Amitie, Herman Bug, Lydia Bug, Bullhorn Bug, Biff Bug, Vibitia Bug, The Bonanza Bros. Bugs, Bay-"
Trying her hardest not to giggle, no matter the situation he would always have bugs in the back of his mind in some fashion, it's adorable. "Thank you~" She interrupted his list bug names. "I never wanna be alone again."
"No problem. I don't think you will be. You can stay at my place if you want." Sig ended his sentence while winking his right blue eye, to assure her of his confidence of Red Arle's future, as the pair just smiled at each other, having finally reached a common ground, to a point where neither of them even realized that they were still holding hands this entire time.
Eventually, they did depart their hands from each other, as an awkward silence filled the room, it brought the question of what they were going to do now. "...I think I know the next step…" With those words Arle went towards her dresser and picked up the 'Puyobuncle' she directed Sig towards earlier, removing the tapes and strawberry and clothes pegs from it and opening the thick curtains to the right of the bed, revealing a window that she promptly opened in order to release the Puyos back into freedom, as she watched them hop into a nearby set of bushes, that were colored almost orange by the gorgeous afternoon sky.
Red Arle initially felt somewhat heavy-hearted over this decision, even though her 'Carbuncle' was clearly just a fake, it did make her feel like she had a companion the same way Arle did in her jealous heart. 'Maybe she's willing to share the real Carbuncle. If he even likes me now...'
Those feelings were washed away when Sig came to the window as well, putting a hand on her shoulder in an approving manner. In silent agreement the two leaned themselves out of the window, simply to enjoy the scenery, they were in a small shack in the Nahe Woods, not far away from Primp Town and not far from where Arle (in her Pierrot alias) first lured Sig into her tent.
Indeed the town's magic school could faintly be seen in the distance, rays of light colored the way towards it from small gaps in the trees.
Sig completely lost himself in the sight, not noticing that the new Arle has now turned her gaze towards him, smiling from ear to ear. Just being with him made her hopeful that she really did make the right choice.
One of getting her life on track...
THE END…
Author's Notes:
So recently we, the west, have Doppelganger Arle's backstory. Warelander mentioned he regretted not knowing this. Because this polished his SigxArle shipping goggles something fierce. I'm not gonna explain why, even though it's in now way embarrassing. It's the same principle as explaining a joke.
I would say: "Why don't you remake it? No one's stopping you." On the other hand: I'm a bit of a trickster, and I like surprising people. And it's relatively low effort, so why not? Hope you like it, warelander. Consider the Story Favorites and Kudos yours partially because it's a rewrite and not a complete overhaul. I did it because I wanted to see it as well.
This doesn't replace the original In the Grasp of the Doppelganger and it won't spin-off in it's own From Clone to Clown. Please read the former, that'll make ware happy. The latter its sequel, reception is good.
While it it won't get a sequel, I may do a spiritual sequel in my own style waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay down the line.
Let me know when this isn't as close to canon anymore.