Chapter 17: Bootleg Puyo Hat

Amitie wasn't sure what happened. She felt like she just woke up in class. But that couldn't be it, falling waking up in class felt different. And why was she lying on the floor for? "Boy, I feel weird~ Sound weird too~"

"Pin her down! Kuma!" That was Akuma, no mistaking it.

"She aware now!" That was the sound of Klug chickening. Was he talking about her?

Amitie got upon her own two feet, she was greeted by the faces of her classmates, Klug, Raffine, Lidelle, Amitie and Sig. They all had strange looks on their faces. Klug and Lidelle, in particular, looked fearful. There was also slightly off about them on reflection.

"Something wrong?" Amitie looked around. "Why's Silvana hugging Akuma?"

"We failed at preventing your creation demon! Kuma! She's too heavy for me. Raffine, Sig, guard the real Amitie. Everyone else, keep her at bay! Ma, kumakumakuma!" Akuma was urgent.

"Real Amitie?" Amitie's confusion was only furthered when Raffine got battle ready in front of Amitie and Sig hesitated on what to do.

Wait… Raffine got in front Amitie? "But I'm Amitie. That phoney must be fake." "Nuh-uh, You're the phoney, faker! I saw drop out of that mirror." The other spoke over the shoulder of an annoyed Raffine. "BUT I'M AMITIE! You must've come from the mirror!" "NO, DIDN'T LISTEN? I SAW YOU DROP FROM THE MIRROR. C'mon guys, back me up here." Everyone who's conscious agreed. They saw it too.

"I'm NOT. I'll prove it to you, Copy! Pop Puyos with me!" Amitie became increasingly annoyed, and a little scared. Why were they defending the Copy Amitie? Their faces were either scared or hostile towards her.

"Don't Puyo her, use plain magic, don't hold back, unless it will cave in the school! Kuma!"

Lidelle worked up the courage to face her. "I'm sorry that you're not real. I wouldn't want to be you right now."

"I told you that I'm real!" Amitie looked above Lidelle, to look outside the window. "Why're the window and door on opposite sides? And why is the chalkboard backwards?" This was hurting her head, does that mean?

"Get it through your thick skull you evil copy! You fell through the mirror, therefore your sight would naturally reverse. To put it simply…"

"NOOOOOOOO!" A chance to show off his intellect, Klug's cowardice was gone. As was his hearing.

"Ouch." The Amitie, behind Raffine yelped. "Be little nice, you guys… A phony copy or not, she's still me."

It touched Amitie's heart a little bit, even if it did come from Copy Amitie.

"Make no mistake, if she's a natural Doppelgänger unrelated to Amitie, then our Amitie is correct. But she isn't. Give Copy Amitie enough to time and she will kill and replace!"

"Kill?" Were both Amitie's reactions. "I-I won't let me! I'll go to my parents to prove it!" Amitie teared up. Amitie pushed Lidelle and Klug over and ran out of the classroom.

The other Amitie pushed Raffine aside to give chase. "Wait! You're going the wrong wa- Oopsie."

Akuma facepalmed. "Sorry, we couldn't stop her, Mr. Akuma." Lidelle told the teddy. "I just couldn't hurt someone that looked like Amitie without popping Puyos."

Akuma sighed, but not in an annoyed way. "I don't blame anyone for hesitating. But we still have to stop her before you'll never look at Amitie the same again."

"I'm going to look for both Amis."

"Be careful, Sig. Bring the Copy Amitie to me. Klug, make the mirror face the floor. Raffine could please come over here."

"Of course, want me to kick- I mean push Silvana off of you?"

"No, I want you to poke Silvana lightly with an electrified finger on this pressure point here. Not much electricity just enough to wake her up."

Raffine smirked as charged a little bit more than asked for.

*A little later, further away…*

Being unfairly ratted out by her beloved mother, thanks to the other her convincing them. She slammed in the door and ran far, far away from home and from the one they deemed the real Amitie. Her heart wasn't broken in two, because of everybody so for denying who she was truly was. It was shattered because of that.

As she aimlessly sprinted she had no idea where to go. If her circus buddies caught wind if this they'll probably have her committed. She could hide out in Lemres' town incognito until she can find peace. But how will she support herself? As Silvana put it she was a dumb ditz. A dumb ditz of no talent… She'd also have to hide her face. It made her lose her strength in her legs, she fell to the forest's ground.

"I'm so ho~wow~wow~wosed!" She howled. The ground felt really nice, nicer than she's ever been treated. She decided to lay down for a while until to tears stop.

"Ami, did the doppelganger hurt you?" It was Sig, and he called her Amitie! Her spirits lifted up as fast as she got off the ground. The fact his hand and red eye were on the wrong sides didn't bother her at all.

"Nah, I'm fine. Except I'm not… Dad recognized me at first, but the phony, and, *sniff* and, she's, and moooommyyyy! Waaaaaaaaah!" There she was on the ground again.

Sig got on her level and sat to her side and embraced her with the purpose of calming her down.

It felt so nice. For the first time since she felt weird in class. In fact, the weird feeling is more muted than before. Nothing can ruin this moment, maybe everything will be fine. 'Until the inevitable, anyway.'

"There's I wanna tell you." Amitie heard him scratching his head.

"Hmmm~ What is it, Sig?" She was still in the full comfort of her friend.

"Your eyes are red."

"Of course, I mean have you heard me crying?" Amitie was still very serene.

"I mean they're as red as my one eye."

"Huh?" That made her more alert.

"The eyes on your hat are too." With a shaky hand, she removed her hat.

Sig was right, her beanie's eyes were really red. But does that mean Sig was also right about her red eyes? Does that mean? No, that it can't be, even if it made her slightly deeper voice make more sense… And when did she get this subtle red tint in her blonde hair? She didn't dye it last night, she never did after that she botched it up the first time.

"Why? But I can't be, can I?"

Sig hoped this would this be the time to introduce her to the idea. It worked for Silvana, and that worked well as far as Sig was concerned, let's hope it does for her too. "You can live alongside with the other Ami, none of you have you have to go." Sig said like a single parent's child asking the parent when they'll come home. "You can be own person."

Amitie felt a bit betrayed, he thought all along she was the copy, she wriggled herself out of Sig's arms. "Mrrggh! Okay Sig, let's pretend I'm fake. Why should I do that? I wouldn't make it on my own! Everyone'd still hate me."

"So they won't kill you." Both winched a bit at the K word.

"Well if I am the copy, they're gonna kill me anyway, what does it matter?"

"You could wear a mask and live with Sil."

Amitie broke herself free. "Get real, she'll never let me live with her!"

"Why?"

"Because she said something mean to me!"

"I thought she insulted you because she liked you?"

"On any other day I would think the same, but it wasn't. She made clear she super duper hates me!"

Sig didn't know how to it follow up.

"We could call you Vibitia. It's a-"

"SHUT UP SIG! YOUR NICENESS MEANT NOTHING!" Amitie pushed with such force, Sig flailed his arms about before he fell on his butt.

"Ouchie-ouch." Sig rubbed his back as he yelped like he talked.

Amitie gasped. "Omigosh!" She shifted her eyes from and to her Sig on the floor in horror. "What have I done?" She darted deeper into the woods not looking back. "I'M SOOOOORRRYYYYY!"

"Wait. It was only a push…"

*Meanwhile…*

Silvana still was a bit twitchy from the wake-up shock. She failed to stop the creation of the Copy Amitie. Now there's another unhappy soulless person in the world.

Her classmates questioned why she did what he did. She lied about failing to stop her grandpa from being replaced to them shut up.

While like the other classmates were on the lookout for either Amities, Akuma requested that Silvana be the one to take Copy Amitie out. Sil wasn't sure why. Maybe he wanted to test her allegiance? Living here for months and causing no trouble, and running a respectable business didn't tip him off? Maybe he somehow knew her hatred of her kind or figured she was the best one to deal with the copy.

Whatever the case was Sil had no qualms with killing her, she burned or shattered those who dared to share her "Real Deal" face before and after their defeat. How desensitized she was after the first couple of times scared her in hindsight. Enough it made her shiver a bit, and not just because of the electricity coursing through her.

And now she simply had to do it again. But there is one difference: Copy Amitie does not share her face. Silvana seriously doubted it would trigger her instinctual doppelganger train of thought. It'll be a bit harder to do on top of not having killed anybody in a loooooong while. 'That's a good thing.' Sil liked to think if Arle visited she'd have more self-control… She wasn't too convinced herself.

But what would she do if she couldn't go through with it. What should she do? Give her a dream catcher and try to convince her and live with her like herself? While Sil doesn't really have anyone relatable around, giving her a mask would be useless since anyone with half of a brain cell could put two and two together. And everyone would be hostile towards her. And the lack of people recognizing her kept Sil sane. Trapping her in the same box she herself once was in is just cruel.

'I'm thinking too much about this… The real Amitie's safety comes first! And besides, if the real Amitie hates me right now, why would the probably enraged Copy Amitie listen? Now that's a scary thought, Amitie being angry, super angry. How would that look?'

Akuma taught Silvana some kinda people tracking spell. Despite its simplicity, it's a high-level magic spell requiring specialization or a lot of Magical I.Q. points only Silvana and Klug have. Sil was surprised her M.I.Q. was higher than Klug's when she found out a week ago, like by 50 points. She had a clue why that was. But now is not the time to think about it. She kept quiet about it anyway, she may've had a high M.I.Q. but Klug's annoying enough bragging about his higher normal I.Q. And no one wants another Klug that brags about M.I.Q. It's all about how good you can chain Puyo anyway.

Getting back on topic: She can't have Amitie being replaced on her conscience. She didn't wanna lose a friend. But if Amitie was lost, Sil didn't know what to do. Try to befriend Copy Amitie and give her a home with her or just plain kill her. She knew what was the better option, and hoped it wouldn't come to deciding…

*Meanwhile…*

Amitie was lost in thick of the woods, her brain pretzeled to find the way out. "Since when were the woods so big? What if I don't get out?" It was far from getting dark, but the sooner she's out of here the better.

And these were her footprints… She's been running in circles for at least four times. "This is hopeless… I'll just walk…" She was surrounded by benign creatures but who knows what will be after her at night. If she's not out of the woods soon she needed to find shelter. The forest had some cottages about, they have a "You're here" map in them.

She can dream, can't she?

She was thinking to herself to keep her mind off being lost. 'Akuma said the copy would think she's the real one. She thinks she's real, so do I but I have red eyes and everything is topsy-. Okay, Ami, stop thinking about it.' She clutched her head this, was too much.

Five circles later Amitie found something familiar. It's a treehouse she and her buddies made when they were really young, Ms. Accord and their parents had forbidden them to go into the woods again.

The thing still looked intact, if a little bit aged. Out of nostalgia Amitie felt compelled to climb it. She still fit inside of it, but that was a given if five kids plus Tarutaru were to fit inside.

Amitie smiled, they had finished the house itself but couldn't make much else like furniture before the ban. She was surprised the drawings on the wall were still there. Drawings of everyone by everyone, bugs and the "R+K" arrow-through-heart drawing she made herself. So many memories came rushing back to her. She felt actually happy for a moment.

It didn't last long, since everyone she knew was intent on killing her. She worried so much it actually started to hurt her. "I need to take it easy. Maybe I can use a nap. Wait, a nap?" Amitie tried to lie comfortably on the wood. "That must be it! I must be having a bad dream in class." Amitie pinched herself. "Yowchies! Oh noooooo~" Amitie cried herself to sleep, occasionally slamming her fist into the wood.

*Primp Magic School…*

It was your average day for the school. Scratch that, Amitie was doing better at magic than usual. "Oh, good job, Amitie." Accord praised.

"Keep it up like that and you might actually become a wonderful magic user, meow."

"Really, Popoi?"

"Meow don't know."

Accord giggled at her companion's quip. "Oh, don't mind him."

Every student praised her on a good job.

"Good job, Miss Ami." Lidelle was happy Amitie was one step closer to her dreams.

"I'm so sorry I called you a dumb ditz, let's be friends again." Silvana begged.

Tarutaru gave her a thumbs up. Raffine gave a polite golf clap, along with her trademark one eye-closed face.

"Keep improving like that and I just might give you a membership card to the mage club all of us geniuses go to." Klug boasted.

Amitie was glad her grades were good, but it was more important to her she was around her friends. It made her so happy~

So it aggravated her that it was all a dream from her short nap. This was the last straw! That weird feeling was back. Amitie felt it point her the way out. So followed it very un-Amitie like: with malice. She didn't think twice about it

*Back at Silvana…*

Sil felt a bit silly. The spell made her finger point to whoever she was looking for. It made her stick her arm out like an idiot. She hoped no one saw her like this or else people might give her more weird looks than her face deserves.

Her pointing arm twitched between somewhere around Amitie's home and Nahe Woods. "Owowowowowow!" That's a 96 degree angle, clearly, this spell was not crafted for two of the same person! Silvana dispelled it. "There has got to be a better way, I gotta practice the trapeze tomorrow." She kept on jogging towards either location while shaking arm of her own will. "I need the exact location of one of them… How can I do this without losing my arms?"

Speaking of arms, her arm bumped against her shoulder bag. It was a soft impact. Sil had her solution very conveniently in her bag. "Arms!" Sil pulled him out of the bag. "Okay, li'l buddy. Time for your first adventure, sorry it had to be a high stake one." She gave the thing one quick hug before he became her radar.

*Finally at Amitie…*

Amitie wasn't sure what to do. Her parents remembered their lessons on doppelgängers. Copitie was sure to get her sooner or later, apparently unable to reason with it. So where should she go hide? At home, school or somewhere else. At home, her parents are there to protect her. At school, her friends and Akuma are there to protect her. But alone on neutral ground, she might be able to befriend her. Needless to say, she was a bit nervous.

"Amitie!" The harlequin ran up to her friend.

"Sil?"

"Before you run away from me, again, there's no time to argue. Akuma asked me to protect you from your doppelganger."

"Why?"

'Uuum… Shoot! What was my lie again?' "My grandma was replaced, I know how they work. I told Akuma weeks back. But enough of that, trust me if you wanna live!"

"Uh… Okay."

"Stay close to me. We're gonna find the other you, while she finds us with her doppelganger sense." Amitie quietly nodded. This confused Silvana. "You're not scared?"

"Um, wha? Oh sorry. I was just thinking about Copitie."

"Cuppa Tea?"

"You know, Copy me? If I was her, well I guess I am her. But I like to be cheered up. But if I did she'd probl-"

"Get to the point, Am." Sil told her patiently. "I wanna make friends with her." "Are you out of your mind!?" The harlequin's response did not help Amitie's self-confidence one bit. "I know, I know, sorry it's not smart. But she has feelings like I do, even though she's fake, right? I wanna try."

Silvana sighed. "Am, I'm sure this won't work out." But she did like Amitie's consideration of her evil twin out to kill her. "But if you want her to be your friend. I'll handle it, I thought about it too."

"Get real, would you really do that?"

"I am real. And yeah, I would. Don't be surprised if turns out sour, she's probably super irrational, deluded, and full of… full of…" Sil began to shake.

"Sil? Are you okay Sil?"

*Sniff* "I'm fine."

"Kill her if you need to." Amitie did not have an easy time saying that. "For your grandma."

A little later, they found Copy Amitie in the woods. She was far off walking around trees. It was unsettling seeing Amitie like that. Walking slowly towards to them and her eyes half open and a big dissonant smile on her face.

Both Amitie and Silvana were equally unnerved for different reasons.

"Oh no." Sil whispered. She knew that face all too well. It was her face. Doppelganger Arle's face. The face she didn't make since after the day she kidnapped Sig. That's the smile of deluding herself, she had no idea what the eyes meant, though. She never thought about it. If she had to guess, maybe it a had something to do with the delusion or it was just the mirror's magic at work along with the smile.

"Jeepers. Sil, she's scary. It's like somebody else is walking my body." Amitie made no attempt to hide that she was scared. How much she was scared was a different story.

"Okay, Am. I think this a lost cause. But if you're sure you wanna befriend her you first off: don't call her fake or imply she's fake, not yet anyway. Don't call her Copitie, Doppel or anything like that. I doubt she'll like it." 'Because I wouldn't like to be called that.' "And finally please put a lid on saying "Get real". It's offensive… Towards her I mean."

Amitie nodded.

Deciding to speed this up, she walked towards her opponent. Before this all will eventually and inevitably will escalate. She took the time to observe Copy Amitie's appearance. Red eyes, red Puyo cap eyes, and that's about it. Otherwise, she looked the same. Oh nevermind, her hair had a subtle red tint to it.

This would've made Sil jealous months ago. This doppelganger gets to have relatively subtle differences. While she herself was created so obviously fake with a red colour scheme and the need the wear red. All the other doppelgangers were blue!…

Finally, face-to-face-and-face-behind-face-to-face with the Copy Amitie. And it just struck Silvana… Despite the things she listed at Amitie, she had no idea how to talk Copy Amitie out of that state. And even when she did, what next? 'This won't be as easy. Here it goes…'

"Hi Amitie, how's life. Don't worry, I know it's you." She winked at Copy.

"Wait, is sh-"

"Shut up, Am." She winked at the one behind her too. Amitie shut up.

"Not now, Silvana. Dad recognized me, but mommy said I was a fake, and then that witch behind you 'confirmed' it." There was anger behind it, but it was barely noticeable with how calm she was. 'She's name calling someone, she's lost it. This'll be a toughy.'

"Fufufufu, give me to me." "And then what are you going to do?" "Um… I'll harm her?" Sil tried not to laugh at this newbie. "Wow, you didn't think this through, did you? She'd be surrounded by the people around her. Ever heard of planning things out, premeditated murder, maybe?"

"JEEZ, SIL!" Amitie blurted out. The copy began the emote too, for just a bit.

"Sorry."

"I'm not a Dumb Ditz. I just." Copitie looked aside, thinking of an excuse. "Lost it in my notes." She kept the weird tone.

"You two are so hung up about that thing I said yesterday?" She curiously asked. Amitie looked at her shoes, Copitie barely reacted.

"Don't you contemplate it, missy! I misspoke! And I don't mean it anymore, but you guys could've put some tact into it. But not now. Am, you probably don't need to guess what I'm here to tell?"

"You wanna kill me so she can replace me just like all of my meanie ex-friends wanna do." She stayed uncharacteristically detached, but some more anger seeped through.

"What would you think if this Am, made a new identity for herself? And you can be the true Amitie."

"Wait who's side are you on!?"

"I don't like that idea, there can only be one me."

Sil faced palmed with two hands. Her blood slowly began to boil. "Are you just as stubborn, Am?" She asked the one behind her. Amitie didn't answer.

"Fufufufu, I don't want to wait any longer, let's pop Puyos to declare me the real one and get this nightmare over with it."

Sil reflected on those words, she had her flashbacks to every time she said this. "Hyaaah!" Amitie poked her out of it. That was Sil screaming. "I'm sorry. I won't let you."

"And why not?"

"Because Am here, and me. Want you to be happy. If could just snap out of YOUR DENIAL! I-I mean wake up, see the truth and just ACCEPT it!"

"Boy, Sil, you're really not good at this."

"Yeah, you're terrible."

"Hrmrmrmrmg, what I wanna say is, and hear me out, that if you become your own person (which might be hard for you, I get why) your ex-friends will become friends again. And you keep them as long as you don't off Am. And if you need a mask to do that I can give you one, you could pose as my cousin, I have a second bedroom in my caravan. You don't have to be a harlequin. But you do need a new name, though, but not a new personality at least. I'll be more tolerant of your clumsy and tactlessness. You'd do need a new name, so why not make it something nice! Like, um… How about Vibitia?"

"No, I shall be the only Amitie. Besides Sig suggested that already, same name even. It didn't work."

'Sig…'

"You'd better not've harmed him!" Amitie chimed.

"I pushed him…"
"You monster!"
"I regret it…"

"If it's only a push there's no harm. There's also no harm in TRYING MY PROPOSAL!"

"Get real, Mrs. Akuma, it'd be impossible anyway, I'm not the Copy."

Sil's blood was now fully aboil. "No, you get real! I had enough of your stubbornness, it's fully possible, and the first step just STOP BEING IN DENIAL ABOUT IT!"

"Fufufufufwah. How would you know? You never had to live through like this! Being hated by the people who once were your friends, your own parents not accepting you. You never had to live through this." She showed some anger again. But she wasn't the only one angry.

"Oh yeah? Say that right to my face!"

"You never had to- Cute face Silvana, looks fami- Arle!?" Sil forcefully took of her mask. It took the copy by surprise once Sil remade the ponytail. She's out the doppelganger funk.

"Arle!?" Amitie took a peek too.

"Yes! I mean no! I mean almost! Old habits. But I reeeaaally wished I was, and still sometimes…" 'Don't show weakness, Arl- Hrnnnngh Sil! She's still like Amitie right now, just keep talking.'

"I'm just like you, a doppelganger. And for several years, I would resort to anything to take my… herrrr place if you guys didn't treat me like my own person. I fact, I probably would've snapped back into madness like you. Thank you for the birthday party, by the way. It showed me I have a place here, and that I need to be more positive." She faced both Amities.

"Sil." They both said rather sentimental.

'I was already gonna be positive, but whatever makes them feel better.' Sil calmed herself down a bit. "You look at yourself, do you deny you're differently coloured?"

"No." Copy Amitie lamented.

"And that your sight is mirrored?" Amitie shook her head. "Your deeper voice? How about how ominous you acted for a moment there, it's unlike you." Sil could hear Copitie choke up at the truth.

"That means you're a doppelganger, just accept it." Sil sounded defeatist on that one. Her fellow fake continued to choke up. "If I can make a life for myself, so can you. You can start anew. And I meant it that you can live with me. Please try."

Copy Amitie's whole body was quivering. Clearly, she was thinking about it. "…no. It can't be, but all of my memories? My friends… Why is everything mirrored? I can't be fake, I'm the real one, fake Arle!" She threw a fit and immediately forced them into a Puyo battle.

Silvana sighed. "I'm sorry, Amitie. Just like I thought, she's beyond help and reason."

"I guess it can't be helped."

"I'm sorry, fake Am. But I must kill you now after you lose. I've done this many times before on other doppelgangers of Arle."

Copy Amitie gulped, her grip on the Puyos became looser than usual.

2 vs 1. It stands to reason the group that the group of two won. Copy Amitie became more of a wreck the more pressure piled on. This was her last moment. "Oh noooooo~" She cried underneath the rubble of Puyo.

Regular Amitie had a hard time herself. Her mind was occupied of everything that just happened. A scary her, Silvana had Arle's face, showing the fake her could reform but refused to. Resulting in that fight to each other's death.

Copy Amitie visibly twitched underneath all the Puyo. Sil, still maskless, prepared herself mentally. "Don't worry, Amitie." She patted the pile of clear Puyo. "I know a quick and painless way."

"No, please, Arle, Sil, Sig, me, anybody…" It was so muffled, it was barely audible.

"I can't watch!" Amitie covered her eyes.

Silvana sighed. She gets where's she coming from. "Plug your ears and turn around."

Amitie did as such. There was a bright flash from behind her. It made Amitie tremble. She refused to think about what it was.

Sil gently put her hand on her friend's shoulder. Amitie turned into a face-to-face with the relieved face of Arle. "It's over, Am. You're no longer in danger."

Copitie was gone, and they're significantly less Nuisance Puyo too.

"Don't ask."
"I wasn't going to."
"C'mon, let's get back to school, we still have a few hours and Akuma needs to know it's over."
"Okay…"

Amitie was a bit down.

"If you have any questions feel free to ask. And please keep my face a secret." Sil told as she made the mess she calls hair back into twintails.

"What makes you and Vib different, Sil?"

"Vib?"

"Vibitia. Why didn't Vibitia accept she was the copy and live like you?"

"An eleven years worth of failure and giving up for one thing." Sil blurted out without thinking about it.

"Eleven years? But doesn't that mean? Oh. I'm sorry, Sil." Amitie hugged tight.

"Ouch, owowowow."

"I can't even imagine what Vib must've felt. And you weren't even out of kindergarten. It couldn't have been easy."

"Don't feel sorry for young me, she's a multiple attempted murderer." 'And sometimes just plain murderer, but less doppelgangers can only be a good thing.' Sil broke herself out of the hug. Even if it contained all the sympathy her child self-needed.

"Wait, if everything told to me is true. Will you get super duper creepy like her when Arle visits?"

Silvana choked up. Amitie inadvertently created a nail to hit on the head.

"I'm sorry, was I being tactless again?"

"Yes." Sil's had a hard time saying anything. "When she comes to Primp. Please keep an eye on me, knock me out if you need to. I don't trust myself, being an evil doppelganger."

Amitie nodded with a worried but understanding face. "I'm only slightly more confident to keep myself in check, than Doppel… Vibitia."

"But you're not evil." "I beg to differ, Am." Sil did a little better. "Let's stop making this about me, this is supposed to be your sad moment." "But you're sad too." "Shut up, Am." Sil chuckled. "Let me live up to my job description for once and cheer you up…" She put her mask back on. "Gimme a sec." She searched her bag. "Candy!"

"Candy!?" Some spark returned to Amitie. "I wanted to give this all day as an apology for my outburst on my birthday. Thanks for that by the way." Sil smiled at the memories. "You still could've been more sly about interrogating me. And I also take that dumb ditz thing back. You're one or the other. Not both. Can you forgive me?"

"No."
"What? I saved your life too, what more do I need to do?"
"I wasn't at the party, so I didn't get to have fun. I just wanna have fun."
"Hmm… Fair enough. Whaddya wanna do? Get ice cream, go bowling, how about an adventure?"
"I wanna have a maskless sleepover at your caravan!"

Amitie pointed her finger full of excitement.

"…Or we go dungeon crawling, I left a lot of that crypt unexplored."

"Need help with my homework."
"We could see how far we can get on top of that cool tower."
"But my uncle is staying for a few days pretty soon."
"I could teach you some neat spells, or-"
"He's my dad's twin."
"Be my guest."

Sil replied without missing a beat.

"You also lied about your grandma, didn't you, Sil? For that, I'm gonna make you do the girly stuff Arle won't do!~" Amitie had a big dumb smile on her face.

"Don't push it, Am."

They chatted some bit. Got a few good laughs. "You know, you're really not much like Arle."

"Whatever differences we have I chalk up to the mirror's effects and those darn eleven years."

"Sorry if this is touchy, but you have a Carbuncle too?"
"Not until yesterday. I wish I had him much earlier, I was always really lonely at home."
"Can I see him?"
"Sure. He's here in my bag."
"Whoa, he's funny looking."
"Eh, the little guy grows on you."

Sil shook Arms to make his arms fly all about. Amitie couldn't stop laughing.

Back at school, Silvana announced to everybody that the Copy Amitie was gone. Akuma had permanently stripped the mirror of doing any magic again. In celebration, the museum curator dismissed the class early. The lesson on Doppelgängers was postponed until tomorrow.

"See ya later, Am."
"Okily Dokily. Later, Sil."

Sil sighed, she read the letter in pocket. 'You're free to converse with me about it later. Should you want to, of course. Akuma.' Well, here she was, in front of Professor Accord's office. She took a big breath in. She's gonna have a lot off her chest after today, or feel worse.

*Knock Knock* "Come in, ma, kuma! Ah, Silvana. I presume you are here to discuss your being with me?"

"Yeah. But first I wanna know why Accord's granddad had a mirror. And why get it now? Does she know?"

"I do not know. Perhaps it's coincidence. I never know with that woman, Kuma!" Whether Akuma was actually angry about that was hard to tell. "Oh for crying out loud, kuma!" He was miffed at the papers flying though. Catch them where he can.

"Why did you want me to get Copy Amitie?"

"Because I sensed you are magically gifted, with an uncannily strong magic aura, you would've overpowered her very easily."

"I think I'm more magically capable than Arle thanks to all the Pearl energy I absorbed from my fellow clones. It was emotionally draining though."

"Fascinating. Did that very same energy give you a conscience as well, Doppelgänger?"

Silvana twitched a little bit at the way the teddy addressed her. "Maybe? I'm more rational than my sisters, but that's not really saying much… I always thought it was the passage of time. But I guess that's possible too…"

"So all that was needed were more Pear- No, that wouldn't work."

"What wouldn't work?"

"Hmm. I suppose you have the right to know. I don't know how happy you are to be alive, and I wish for you to keep it to yourself. I'm indirectly responsible to the creation first Doppelgänger Mirror."

"Really?! What did you do?"

"I gave a friend of mine a spell book he needed. Some of my closest companions were replaced, and before I could stop them. They already transported hundreds of the blasted mirrors all over the world. IT'S THE BIGGEST MISTAKE I MADE IN MY LIFE, MA, KUMAKUMAKUMAKUMAKUMAKUMA! I've been doing my best to rid Primp of Doppelgängers and hostile demons in general, kuma, ma, kuma!" The bear went from solemn to angry in less than a second.

And here Sil thought she could rest easy for the day. "I'm sorry. But so why didn't just kick me out?"

"There's something different about you. I wanted to see what you were like."

"Well… What am I like?" Sil anticipated a negative verdict.

"Defective."

There it was. "Gee, thanks…"

"I don't see that as a bad thing, you are aware and upfront that you aren't the original. You haven't even tried to take her life either or even thought about it, whoever she happens to be, as far as I'm aware." He put his paws together, and let them rest on the desk.

Silvana sensed that Akuma is implying something, and it made her feel rotten. She shook in the silence.

The possessed plush closed the curtains behind him.

"You want me to show my face, don't you?" Deadpan was not a strong enough word.

"Yes, I won't tell anyone, you have my word." Sil took another deep sigh before she complied. She shyly took it off.

"Ah, that explains it. She's not anywhere near here… Is Arle dead?" Akuma cautiously asked.

Silvana shook her head. Akuma sighed.

"What a relief. HOW DID A MIRROR REACH ARL-"

"I counted two."

"TWO MIRRORS REACH ARLE'S WORLD? MA, KUMAMA!"

"I don't know, I'm just a victim of it…" Sil poked her index fingers against each other.

"Unbelievable."

"Both of them shouldn't be a treat anymore."

"I'll take your word on it, kuma!"

"Is there a way not make me want to, you know, not wanna kill Arle? So, I um… I don't have my friends here hate me for life if I slip up?" It was discomforting to just say it. It's like dealing with a devil, that wants to take the most important part of you. Except that that important part is horrible, and the devil is benevolent.

"First off, let's not presume that my theory that defeated doppelgänger energy making you less like one is correct. We don't need any more of them."

Sil nodded once in agreement.

"Ask Lemres, if anyone can do it, it's him."

"But Feli hates my guts! She'll be orbiting him like the moon. She can't be trusted with my face."

"Then I'll ask him, Feli doesn't mind me as much. If all else fails I'll look into it myself. I should still have the mirrors' creators notes somewhere." Akuma smiled, seemingly glad a doppelgänger didn't screw anybody he knew over.

"Thank you." Silvana smiled back.

"I can't make any promises, but I'll try, kumakuma, ma, Kuma!"

"Is there anything else, you want to confess while I do Accord's work?"

"Hoo, boy." The first therapy session Silvana, pre and post Doppelganger Arle, ever had. It was relieving telling someone her secrets she wouldn't even tell Sig, for fear he inadvertently brought them up in conversation. Sounds like something he'd do. She felt good. Having nothing on her face for once helped. And it only took less than an hour.

"I'm done with my work here. I must go back to my museum."

"'Kay. Thanks, Akuma. Would calling you my grandpa open too many old stitches?"

The bear was kinda taken back by it. "I'm afraid it does, Silvana. SO PLEASE, DON'T, KUMA!" Sil felt bad now for ever saying it. "But why do you want to call me that, I must ask?"

"I wasn't gonna use it. But you did kinda help make my mirror, right? I was kinda orphaned thanks to that. That kinda makes you my Grandpa. But I'll stop now. 'Bye." Silvana awkwardly closed the door.

"Until next time. And you can consider me your grandfather, just don't call me that. I don't wanna be reminded of it OR FEEL MY AGE, MA, KUMAKUMA! And I love your shows by the way."

"Thanks. Okay, 'bye Gramps." Sil grinned as she properly closed the door. But the door was quickly opened up again. "I almost forgot. I have a mirror at home and a ton of Amethyst Pearls in a chest. Can you disable it? Amitie's coming over in a few days and I don't want any accidents to happen."

~The End of Act 1~

Author's Notes:

This one of few finales I planned. So if I ever die or just as likely, give this up consider this the ending.

I'm not convinced Copy Amitie would've accepted her status. Not so soon anyway.

WIP Copy Amitie Spell set (They're Amitie's normal spells just said like this, obviously not in Doppelganger Mode): Why!?, But I'm your friend?, But that, Redundant, Redundant, Why am I-I A-Alive!? It was too depressing.

And why a Copy Amitie (not Doppelganger Amitie, because it rolls off the tongue better and is easier to type), and not something more like a Doppelganger Sig? I heard no one ask. It was on the table along with another Primp student. But when push came to shove I decided that Amitie would've been the best choice and the most emotional. A nice note to end on if this really is the end of the fic. Don't worry I'm not ill or dieing, but I am quitting!

Temporarily, like I said last time. See you after I write a One-shot (might become a bit more in both a plural sense and chapter sense). Amitie's name is in the title. And it's cut from the same cloth as this chapter in retrospect, and I'm not sure if you'll like it. After that, I have some "special" chapters planned, and after that I'm reeling in the sad stuff.

Akuma's role is a total retcon.

For those who already plan on reviewing this, which of the OC was your favorite? Not counting Vento, he did nothing so far.

- Yeti

- Mr. Amitie's Dad

- Copy Amitie

- Vento Verde [I case you do like him.]

Next up: A retelling…