Doppelganger Arle ends up in a new world and meets another Arle, one who is considerably darker. Requested by huskynator on tumblr!

Duplicates

Having managed to escape her lonesome realm, Doppelganger Arle popped enough Puyos to transport into a new world. She had hoped to return home or at least land in some hospitable place, but her luck soured. While the city appeared normal, the complex, metallic skyscrapers reaching for the clouds clashed with the forest surrounding her. It was a land of both nature and machinery, one that made her gnaw on her lower lip.

Her world had never really delved into technology. All she could do was march towards the city. She was reminded of Gold Town with its sturdier buildings and paved roads as she entered the outskirts. With the hustle and bustle before her, she was disappointed by normalcy as people hurried to and fro to their mundane jobs and obligations. As they gazed at smartphones and chatted through strange ear pieces, she was tempted to turn back when a chill raced up her spine.

She suppressed a shiver. Violet puffs swirled around her head. A brief sensation of dizziness crossed her, but she was too powerful to surrender. Losing to a mere hallucination spell would have been a deep blow to her pride, so she dashed back into the forest before she could breathe in the plumes.

Gritting her teeth, she pivoted on her heels and clenched her fists. She scanned the shrubbery, finding she had gotten away from the city and sighed. She was much more comfortable in the shady stillness of nature compared to overbearingly loud cities.

Squaring her shoulders, she said, "Come out. I don't want to play games with someone who hides."

"Fufufufufu...hehehehehe…"

"Such creepy, annoying laughter," she scoffed, glaring over her shoulder. "Are you hiding in a tree? What a boring way to make an entrance."

The figure's heavy robes flipped in the wind as she leaped down from the branch. She raised her head, a maniacal glint burning in her muted gold eyes. She smoothed the creases in her long dress, her grin stretching into her cheeks as she fully took in her opponent.

Doppelganger Arle's eyes widened. Her lips parted but could not permit any sound to leave. Gripping her hips, she tilted her head and remarked, "Another me, I see."

"The universes really are wonderful, huh? Any version of Arle Nadja can exist so long as you knew where to find her," Dark Arle sneered, cracking her neck.

"It's vast, isn't it? The fragmented sea of realms." Doppelganger Arle smirked. "An Arle who lives in a world that blends elements of my own with another? Tell me about yourself. I'm actually fascinated."

"You can call me Dark Arle. What should I call you, pinky?"

Her eye twitched. She certainly wasn't that pink. "Arle."

"Really?" She twirled a short lock of orange hair between her forefinger and thumb. "Because I think I look more like an Arle than you ever could."

Dark Arle uttered a peel of laughter, her lower pitched voice cackling out and echoing in the forest. Doppelganger Arle narrowed her eyes and smoothed her bangs. Instead of responding to her juvenile jeer, she focused on the yellow rabbit sitting on another branch and straightened.

"Carbuncle?" She grimaced as he hissed at her and immediately jumped down onto Dark Arle's shoulder.

"Oh, yes, my Carby! He's quite dark, isn't he?" She nuzzled against his face, the notably wicked Carbuncle keeping his mouth open in a wide grin.

"That seems to be the go-to word for you." Doppelganger Arle approached, her fists swinging at her sides. She gazed at her newest counterpart, taking in her thick dress decorated in deeper blue hues. "What place is this?"

"My home is a mixture of two worlds. One that you call your own, and one that's known as Suzuran. It's a perfect blend. The very moment I was created, this world was given a chance to exist." Cackling, Dark Arle set Carbuncle onto her head and threw her arms up. "All because the original Arle became possessed, that caused my creation!"

"Ah, how interesting."

"Y-you don't sound interested at all! What's with that bored and blank look?"

Doppelganger Arle sighed. "I guess I'm not used to seeing an Arle who is so...bizarre? Wild? What would a proper word be?"

"How about...destructive? Heaven's Ray!"

From underneath her feet came a brilliant, purple magic circle. She thrust her hands down with Carbuncle bouncing around on her shoulders. Her uneven grin speared into her left cheek as several flashing bolts shot up from the ground dyed in blinding hyacinth light.

She burst into laughter, roaring that she had done it. She defeated the doppelganger almost too easily. It was not like the intruder had any chance to counterattack. She couldn't even fire back a Revia to reflect the spell, and as the dust cleared, Dark Arle continued giggling.

"Is that all?" Doppelganger Arle asked, a pale blue shield surrounding her body. Smoke filtered around it and wafted up to the sky. The earth underneath her feet was cracked and charred, evident that she had summoned the shield at the very last second.

Dark Arle gawked, her composure faltering as Doppelganger Arle snapped her fingers to deplete the shield. "U-uwaah! H-how did you-? But I-! You had no time to-!"

"When you have five hundred years to practice magic, you become a lot faster than the average Arle."

"So...so…" Swallowing, she felt Carbuncle bound off her shoulders. She grimaced as Doppelganger Arle quickly caught him, hugging the evil pet to her chest plate with affection burning in her eyes.

All she could do was sigh. She clearly lacked the magical prowess needed to compete with Doppelganger Arle. Even Carbuncle had decided she was the better Arle.

"It wasn't bad," Doppelganger Arle said, setting Carbuncle on her shoulder.

Lifting her head, she breathed out, "It wasn't?"

"Not at all. You had good form and the element of surprise." She chuckled. "I have superiority and experience, but you've piqued my interest." She stepped forward and linked their arms together. "What do you say we talk instead of fighting? I'm sure Arle would be shocked to see us come at her."

Letting Doppelganger Arle take her under her wing, Dark Arle broke into a sinister, mischievous smirk. "That sounds like fun! Let's bury her in Puyos!"

Together, Arle's crooked counterparts plotted for another day to face the heroine and her friends...