Chapter 17.5: ?
Arle had had it. She couldn't take it anymore. Like many times before. She had to face reality. Whenever she could anyway…
She knew. She knew for years. She was a Doppelganger. She gritted her teeth everytime she found herself admitting that.
Not it would stop her from doing what she was made for. If anything it fueled her desire.
"Why? I'm so much powerful than her!" She sobbed alone in her stolen caravan hidden in a cave. She slammed her fist against bed repeatedly. "What's wrong with me!" She somewhat asked rhetorically. "There has to be another way right? No matter how I look at it's a bad end…"
She gave up and tried to sleep. Ready to scheme.
A few years later, Arle decided to give it a shot again. An agonizing wait, but more desperate than ever. People had time to mellow out, they wouldn't think twice of Arle acting a bit odd now. All she had to do was track down Arle.
She spied for months, but couldn't find her. It took her a month more to find out she vanished into thin air randomly. Presumably by playing Puyo.
She had to go where she went. And through sheer determination transgressed the boundaries of time and space to find Arle.
At a cost. Doing so attracted some unwanted attention. Someone in this forest cleared his throat from behind the now startled Dop. Arle.
"Are you perchance Arle Nadja, the sorceress?"
Doppel turned around. There was a silhouette of a towering tall, lanky, 50s quiff sporting man. The shadow had visible eyes. They glowed a bright cyan light. In addition of a glowy question mark on its forehead and a blue tint all over. One thing that would make this picture complete is a smoking pipe.
It was quite unsettling. Doppel found herself a little intimidated. Its atmosphere was very oppressive and those eyes could probably steal a soul. She took a BIG step back. He seemed happy though until he asked again.
"I repeat." The blot's voice was… Very unique. It would catch you off-guard the first one hundred times you heard it. As weirdly fitting as it is intimidating. "Are you the sorceress, Arle Nadja?" Impatience comes to mind.
"Of course I am!" The clone said on instinct. She regretted it immediately. This thing didn't just rub her the wrong way. It massaged. It steamrolled.
"Muh huh huh huh ha." It laughed.
"Fuh huh huh huh eh…" Arle chuckled back nervously.
"Splendid. Allow me to introduce myself, though there's little point." It spoke like how the Dark Prince would speak to his best friend if he had one. Very friendly sounding, Arle didn't buy it. "They call me Ecolo. And I have a proposal for you."
"You want me to make you look normal?" She attempted to trash talk.
"Muh haha." He chuckled off, playfully pointing. It felt as genuine as an aunt with a Cheshire cat smile. "Oh, you. Almost. I need your help with magical power. You combined with my power, we could be SO POWERFUL! To flood a world with PUYO!"
That hit Doppel like a brick. "You monster!" She was absolutely disgusted. "Why would you do that?!"
"Muh ha ha ha."
"Fuh eh eh eh…"
"Muhahaha."
"Fuheheheh…"
"Muhahahaha! MUHWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
"I wanna go home!"
"Maybe I tell you later. You will help me, would you?"
"I'm not gonna help you." She wanted to run away for her own safety, but she got to Puyo battle stance instead. This thing is a danger to everyone.
"You don't have a choice in the matter." It jarringly lunged towards Arle.
She wasn't sure what happened, other than a sting. Everything seemed normal. Until she tried to look around.
She couldn't.
Her body moved on her own. It looked at her hands, stretched, looked all over her body and rubbed her hands together.
"Excellent, it worked."
That… was her voice… But not her words.
This is scary. She wanted to talk but couldn't. There's seemed no way to break free. It didn't even seem like the intruder could hear her.
Ecolo practiced his best teenage girl with attitude routine for his plan.
Arle tuned out for most of it. Her only joys she felt was the bittersweet feeling of seeing Arle's frienemies (who treated her like Arle) get manipulated, the fact she probably won't get crushed along with the world and the revolting sadistic pleasure Ecolo took out of it she was forced to feel too.
A redhead and Amitie did try to thwart their plans. 'At least someone is trying to stop this psycho…'
It was not until they found the third person trying to thwart the guest's plans. Well, due to an understandable misunderstanding they fought her at first. That blue and white dress shouldn't be an eyesore but it is.
Ecolo was standing far away, looked through binoculars on top of a mountain. He seemed to have a violent reaction seeing Arle fighting the other two. Dop. Arle felt what he was thinking. Something like: Did I possess the wrong one? Why do I feel so angry looking at her?
There was no way to be sure. But it was a good guess, as he was silently ranting to himself in circles. It was nice to hear something familiar.
Ecolo seemed nonplussed when the first five things collapsed, whatever they were. But seemed a bit angry Arle whenever was there to do it. As far as stomping the ground.
Dop. Arle tuned out even more.
When she realized her surroundings she was standing atop Ecolo Mansion's balcony. "Great job making it here guys." Ecolo welcomed in a way Arle would say with an understated snare at Arle. He kinda ignored Amitie and the redhead.
"We'll stop you doppelganger!"
"Gu gu gu!"
Arle and Carbuncle yelled.
"Muhaha. Ah, Arle. The sorceress of which rumors of have crossed the paths over space-time. Potentially powerful enough to cast any spell." Ecolo genuinely praised. "I should be lucky that this body seems to be more powerful than you."
"What're you talking about? You're just another of my doppelgangers. Aren't you Pierrot?"
"Muhahahahahaha!" It cackled as it walked inside.
"Hey! Don't run away!" Ecolo's enemies ran into the mansion.
Next thing the host cared to pay attention to was the battle in the attic. Which remarkably looked like outer space. Or was outer space.
All that mattered was the incoming Puyo battle. "Let's talk after the world's flooded. I just want to battle."
"Yeah! Together we'll stop whatever you're planning."
"Arle, let us help!" Redhead yelled.
"You sure, she's dangerous enough on her own. And now she's possessed. If you help me we have to fight as one."
"Fine! We three will beat you together!"
"And save Silvana!"
The Redhead and Amitie cheerleaded in a very cheesy way.
One battle later, Doppelganger Arle got exorcised by being crushed by… Garbage Puyo. That or that stupid jerk abandoned her. She would enjoy her freedom, but she was too busy quivering beneath on the five rock amount of Puyo. She fell unconscious. Not able to enjoy her freedom yet. And with Arle around, and in this weakened state, she'd likely never enjoy it again… But considering what she'd do with that freedom…
"Hey, are you okay?" Was the first she thing she heard was Amitie angelic(?) voice. "The bad man's gone. Wake up." She lent a hand to get Doppel back up.
"Ehr, wh-who're you?" The waking girl asked.
"Eh… Amitie… Are you sure it's a good idea?"
"Of course, Redhead." Amitie was so full of confidence in her statement.
"No way! At least cuff her. She's bad news, Am!" Arle scolded.
"Come on guys, this is Silvana! She's a friend! A good friend. A friend that won't stop dreaming even though I'm shaking her very hard. Wake up, Sil!"
"Huh?" Sil returned to reality, where she was sleeping on her side on her neat king-sized bed. Snuggling Arms.
"Finally!" Amitie was so relieved to see her awake she hugged from behind. Giving Sil a taste of her own medicine for what she does to Arms every night.
"Lemme go." She ordered.
And Amitie complied. "Okie-do-"
*Slap*
"Yowchies! What was that for?" Amitie rubbed her poor head.
"Because you woke me!" Sil answered like a grump.
"I was worried. Looked like you had a nightmare."
"I have complete control over my dreams whenever I want! Remember, Am?" She pointed up at the dreamcatcher.
"That's what worries me! You were shakin' and mumbling and turning and you can control your dreams. How can I not worry?"
"O-O-O-Oh… I'm okay. I was just… You know that Ecolo thing you told me about?"
"Yeah?"
"I was imagining me and the role of Arle."
"Why would you do that?" Amitie asked softly. "Didn't you want to be not Arle?"
"It's not about that!" Sil clutched Arms hard and stared at his fuzzy head. Though her glance was casted aside. "I think? It's more a thing of what could've been. Before woke me up." *Slapper*
"Ouch!"
"I was unpossessed by you, Arle and… Um… I forgot her name."
"Ringo."
"Ringo. And after being crushed by so much Puyo," Arms made a great stress reliever. "I was gonna pretend to have amnesia. And imagining how my lif-"
*Slappiest: The Amitieing*
"Ow." Sil made her plush buddy rub her cheek.
"Oh, sorry Sil. I didn't mean to hit you."
"Hrngh. Did I hit a trigger word or something?"
"Amnesia's not fun, Sil." Amitie said plain and simple. "You forget everything, and you're so confused. It's so irritating that you can't remember anything." Amitie teared up a little. "I got lucky Ringo helped me remember quickly before I started to worry. I can't imagine how my life would've been if I forgot all friends and my memories of them! You wanna forget all of that?"
"The dream took place long before I even met you. It's gonna be a harmless fantasy anyways. And… Maybe?… If I could forget my hate for Arle. I'd be much happier and everyone else too. Besides, I said I was gonna fake it."
"Sil…"
"It's too late for that now of course. I don't deserve the easy way…"
…
"Do think it would've helped Vibby?" Amitie solemnly asked.
"Who?"
"Vibitia?"
"Oh, um… Mayb- Well if she overreacted like jus- Can we just go back to sleep?" They just looked at each other. In silence.
Awkward silence.
Until Amitie grabbed her pillow and smacked Sil with it. She giggled.
"Or another pillow fight. That works too." Silvana grinned. "We nothing to do tomorrow, right? Let's make slumber party last a bit longer." She safely put away Arms and assaulted Amitie.
Author's Notes:
One more and last bonus chapter after this and then one last detour, writing another fic or two and then I'll commit my time writing this story until when I arbitrarily decide what chapter ends good enough to call the end of act 2.
I intentionally made the events of Puyo Puyo 7 wrong.
Originally the real 17.5 was gonna be my bad fanfic of this well received fanfic, of warelander fanfic where Sil trips discovers her red eyes have been contact lenses and was the real Arle all along with Dop. Arle enjoying her life in Madou world. Visiting only to gloat. It wouldn't have been canon. But I realized I could have only one good fake out and two in a row is a bit much.
If Doppelganger Arle returns I want her to be Dark Doppelganger Arle. Or at least as a skin. Dark Arle Doppelganger Arle. But only because she looks cooler. Doppel has more story potential.
After this I really wanna tone down the Silvana Pity Parties. I mean it's realistic that she'll never be truly over it. But I don't wanna hammer it in.
One last thing. I just remembered one of my favorite fanfics. "Princess of Bugs" by "SecretFlowerChild". It's a Zelda fanfic, between Link and Agatha. I bring this up because I do feel I subconsciously channel it sometimes writing this, not always, especially not here. Though it's way, way, WAY better written than this. I recommend it if you've played Twilight Princess. It's a cut above most of . High praise there…
Next up: Dreams
