In-Between Eudaimonia Part 2
To say the least, it was troubling.
When the sunlight bled through her window, and Ringo woke up, she realized Arle was gone. She immediately called Maguro and Risukuma, but neither had heard from her. They searched throughout Suzuran without a hint of Arle's existence appearing anywhere. It was as if she had vanished into thin air, a power they had considered she used to disappear out of their lives.
Though, the same problem existed elsewhere. Amitie popped herself into their world and reported Lala had gone missing. She thought Lala had visited the wreckage of her home in the Nahe Woods to procure what few possessions she had left. When Lala had taken much longer than necessary, Amitie trekked out to locate her, only to discover small embers licking at the remnants of a charred hut. As if she hadn't existed, Lala vanished.
The disappearances weren't coincidences. Ringo theorized as much. They had a connecting thread. Arle and Lala were the only two survivors of universal devastation. Perhaps their Creator returned with a vengeance, wanting to smite them simply for living. But she dashed that thought, deeming it preposterous as Arle had slain Him after centuries of warfare. No magic was strong enough to bring back a deity as powerful as Him.
But it still weighed on Ringo's mind. She sought answers and found no results. Her hypothesis led to dead ends. When she visited the forest, the bark on the trees still scorched from Arle's duel with Satan, they provided no clues. It only brought back the memory of standing still, a magical blast coming right for her as she stood, transfixed and blinded, only for Ecolo to take the blow in her stead.
And yet, despite her constant pondering, the solution eluded her. It was a frustrating experience, her head pounding as she contemplated. Maguro and Risukuma urged her to direct her thoughts elsewhere, but she couldn't.
She wanted answers. What had happened wasn't a dream that was meant to be forgotten. She refused to let it become a memory, gnawing on her thumb as she sat in her bedroom. The moonlight shone through her window, providing a sliver of illumination. The only other light was the red numbers on her alarm clock that neared midnight, blinking in the dark. Sitting at her desk, she kneaded her pajama pants, wrinkling the fabric and distorting the green apple graphics. Her gaze fell to the trash can, where she found the mushy remains of a rotten apple core, the only clue to Arle's existence, aside from the bruises still marring Ringo's body that faintly throbbed when she turned in bed.
She sighed. Threading her fingers through her hair, Ringo rolled her shoulders back. Her attention landed on the ceiling, listlessly recalling the battles that had spanned over a single day. Cupping her mouth, Ringo closed her weary, stinging eyes, listening to the whispers of that day fidgeting against her brain.
Footsteps creaked in the hallway. It was probably her mother coming to check on her. Her parents had worried about her ever since she returned home exhausted and battered. It wasn't like one of her usual time-space jumping adventures; she had nearly lost her life, and the reminder twisted her stomach.
The door clicked as it opened. Ringo didn't bother to turn around as she said, "Sorry, Mom. I'll go to bed soon, I promise."
"Hey, Ringo."
She almost jumped out of her skin. The voice was soft, gentle, but with an air of authority. She whipped her head over her shoulder. There, standing in her doorway, was a magical girl in blue armor and hair the color of an early sunset. On her shoulder sat a mystical, yellow creature with a mighty jewel on his forehead.
Despite her smile, Ringo still grimaced. Arle Nadja, the one who belonged in her universe, offered a sad smile. Ringo sensed she had made a mistake, allowing her disappointment to show when Arle had come to visit her. She tried lifting her lips in a smile, but she could only force a grimace.
"Sorry. I know I'm not who you were hoping to see," Arle said, stepping into the room. Carbuncle cooed, fidgeting with his long ears. "Carby says he's sorry, too."
Ringo quickly shook her head and rose from her seat. "No, no. I'm glad to see you both. Did my parents let you in?"
Arle chuckled. "Actually, I played a few rounds of Puyo and popped my way into your hallway."
Her eyes widened. "You – you pinpointed a precise location through Puyo? That's a first if I've ever heard of it. We usually just end up wherever the blast takes us."
She twirled a short curl of hair. "That's why it took a few rounds. I miiight have ended up scaring the daylights out of Tee when I teleported next to him in his control room before leaving."
Ringo chuckled, shaking her head. Tee had always been calm and collected, but she supposed sudden surprises startled the mighty Tetris King. "I really gotta visit him soon. He'd go bonkers hearing about Ar-"
She bit her tongue. She sharply lifted her head, but Arle's expression was relaxed. Quiet understanding subdued both girls. Only Carbuncle's weak cooing filled the silence.
"Amitie told me everything," Arle said, rubbing her elbow.
"She got to you first, huh? I was hoping we could tell you all together," Ringo mumbled, "but uh, a week has gone by, so it makes sense that she jumped the gun. It wouldn't have been fair to keep you in the dark for too long."
Arle gnawed on the inside of her mouth. "Well, when Ms. Accord, Amitie, Raffina, and Sig returned to Primp Town, they came back with another girl. I was with a few of our other friends, and I was very curious to meet her. When I said as much, Amitie just-" Arle spread out her arms. "-launched into the longest story I've ever heard, and I swear, she said it in one breath. Her face was tomato red afterward."
The mental image of Amitie refusing to take a breath as she dove into the events of the day twisted the corners of Ringo's lips up. She imagined Amitie gasping, Sig and Raffina fanning her scarlet face. It was so like Amitie, with her jubilant eccentricity, to dump an entire story on someone, and Ringo, in her exhaustion, was now glad she didn't need to retell what had nearly been a true tragedy.
"Klug and Lidelle were so freaked out because the witch rumor was real, but Schezo and Rulue were, um, well, I think they were okay," Arle added, tapping her chin. "They didn't react in the way I was expecting. I thought they'd flip, but Schezo just said alternate realities were possible and reminded me of my doppelganger still running around Primp."
Ringo furrowed her brows. She had expected a grander response. She supposed a week had tempered Arle's astonishment, but another her had been running around Suzuran almost claiming lives. And for Schezo and Rulue to act nonchalantly to what Amitie had said, either Amitie's words lacked impact or they simply took it in stride, moving on from their dead selves in the decimated universe.
Ringo dug her fingernails into her palms. "She missed them tremendously. Did Amitie mention that?"
Arle nodded. "But they don't know her. They only know me. I'm Arle Nadja, and she's the Arle Nadja of somewhere else." Her chin dipped to her chest. "That's, well, that's how they reacted to my doppelganger, so I'm sure that's how they'll treat her."
The muscles in her arms tensed. Such blunt words suited Schezo and Rulue, but the Arle who fought tooth and nail for her friends had no one living for her. All she had was loneliness after centuries of bloodshed, her companions dead and erased.
Ringo sat back down. She threaded her fingers through a knot in her coils. She stared at Arle, seeing the other in her place, but to her surprise, Carbuncle jumped off her shoulder. He landed in Ringo's lap, his tiny arms hugging around her stomach. Ringo's eyes widened, but she quickly relaxed, gathering the small, rotund creature and embracing him, resting her cheek against his soft ears. His warmth emanated into her, filling her with a special kind of delight, a presence she hadn't felt in some time.
"Gu gu gu gu gugu. Gugugu guuu gu," he muttered into her shirt, and puzzled, Ringo looked to Arle for guidance.
"He says he's sorry about what happened to you, and he's really glad you're okay."
Ringo offered Carbuncle a slight smile. She rubbed behind his ears, Carbuncle nuzzling against her palm. "Thanks, Carby. I needed that."
Carbuncle bobbed up and down. He beamed, but he suddenly frowned. He twisted around in her lap, still holding on to Ringo's shirt.
Sensing an unspoken communication when Arle itched her nose, Ringo asked, "Is something wrong? I mean, what else could go wrong?"
Arle groaned behind pursed lips. She cupped her chin, brows furrowing. She commented that she was glad Ringo was already sitting down and holding Carbuncle, her words only making Ringo loosen her grip on the small, powerful animal.
With a sigh, Arle announced, "There's another reason why Rule and Schezo didn't really care much about this other doppelganger's history. I mean, I was worried about you and the others, and I felt bummed out hearing about her life, but they're far more concerned with something else that she's done." She swallowed. "Satan is missing."
"What?" Ringo hissed out. She leaped out of her seat, squeezing Carbuncle to her stomach. As he weakly kicked and wheezed, she spluttered, "But – but I – no, Arle, I mean, the Arle I met wouldn't do that again." She sharply shook her head and released Carbuncle, letting him hobble back to Arle. "Oh, no, what am I saying? She could. She can. She did it to me! And she's so powerful that she fought him on almost equal footing. Satan totally tried tripping her up with a weird mess of lies and misdirection and whatever, but I thought they could have moved forward after our fight in that empty void."
Aggravation spilled out of her. She tugged on the edges of her ringlets, split ends worsening. As Arle reached out to her, she remembered those grotesque faces the other Arle wore like interchangeable masks. They might have reached a conclusion, an understanding, but it didn't sit well with her at all that she had left without a word or a warning.
As she pondered, another thought hit her. Her mouth dropped, but she regained her composure. It felt silly to realize it so late at night, but she supposed it made sense. They came and went as they pleased, which was a far cry from vanishing.
"I haven't seen Ecolo, either. They're always popping in and out, but with what happened..." She sighed. "I dunno. I thought they would've tried making amends. Maguro is still furious at them, and I get why."
"Do you – do you think they were kidnapped?" Arle asked, approaching her. She leaned against Ringo's desk, resting her hand on her shoulder.
"I have no idea what to think. I've used every brain cell today, and I think anymore, they're gonna fry," she joked, her dry humor earning a polite smile. She reached up and cupped Arle's hand, feeling the callouses on her fingertips. "What...do we do? Where do we go from here? With three people missing, I just don't know what to do."
A few answers still itched in her mind. Venturing across the various worlds and dimensions was sound, but they were three people in an endless sea. They could have explored for years, and the chances to locate them were slim to none, needles in a haystack.
And Ringo was tired. She didn't want to spend the night mourning a friend she had made and lost. But exhaustion controlled her, and she leaned into Arle, who smelled of pine trees and spice.
"I don't think there's anything we can do until something happens," Arle quietly admitted.
With those words, Ringo closed her eyes. Her mind ached for rest, and she gave herself just that. Before she fell asleep, she felt Arle's strong arms wrapping around her and guiding her to bed.
As if the events of a single day hardly mattered, weeks had gone by without an update. Ringo, Maguro, and Risukuma went to school. Amitie, Sig, and Raffina did the same, albeit with a new classmate, who dedicated herself to training. Ringo was happy to hear that Lala was doing well, making friends and teaching ancient history to those who would listen. She heard Oshare and Gogotte were quite excited to see her again, sharing in couture and soup. She taught them dressmaking tactics and recipes from her old world, which Ringo got to enjoy when she popped over for a visit.
Lala was healthier. Her skin, although still gaunt in some places, had a healthy glow. Her hair was cut to her shoulders, no longer besmirched with dirt and leaves. Oshare had even remade her dress, the scarlet threads more vibrant than ever, and her bows were made of the finest silk.
Ringo was happy for her. She was happy for everyone in Primp. Amitie and Lala became nearly inseparable, practicing magic together outside of school. Lala frequently joined Sig to catch bugs, telling stories about the lost species from her world. Ms. Accord personally helped strengthen Lala's elemental sorcery, and Lala taught a class on her sleeping magic, Klug hardly giving her a moment's peace when he bombarded her with questions. And Lala had made good on her end of the bargain with Raffina. Every morning, she woke up to jog and train with Raffina, who unleashed a flurry of powerful kicks during their sparring sessions, never hard enough to bruise, but just enough to send Lala scrambling for the hills when she avoided them.
But Suzuran was the same. The same people, the same homework, the same fruits on the shelves in the greengrocer. It was better to explore other worlds than strolling on familiar sidewalks and visiting indifferent landmarks. Without a reason for why Arle had disappeared from her life, with the hole in her heart still fresh, she found it difficult to concentrate. While her grades didn't slip – her pride refused to lose a single A – she often slept, much to the worry of her friends.
It wasn't easy to move on from uncertainty, but she tried. She woke up each morning and faced the day. She met her friends on the way to school and hung out with them in the science room. They played Puyo, and they visited their friends across dimensions. They soared through the stars in the Starship Tetra; they ran through dungeons on Ally's world. Little by little, Ringo was becoming herself again, her smile a bit more genuine each day, until the wound in her heart finally stitched, surrounded by people who loved her.
And a month later, something happened.
"Ringo! Ringo!"
She stirred from her bed. She blinked her eyes open. It was the weekend, and she had wanted to sleep in after a late night of cramming for a test yesterday. As the voice echoed outside, she rolled over, spotting a smooth stone striking her window.
"What the-?" she mumbled, rolling out of bed. Her socked feet hit the ground, and she dragged herself toward the window, Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she yawned and opened the window in time for another stone to sail in over her shoulder. Yelping, she ducked to the side and watched as it bounced harmlessly toward her front door.
She glared outside. Maguro held his arm back with a rock firmly gripped, evidently frozen by her sudden appearance. Risukuma glanced between them, then he gently lowered Maguro's hand.
"Sorry," Maguro sheepishly called, rubbing his neck. He flicked aside the stone. "I got too rowdy there."
"You think?" she teased, her lips curling upward. She rested her elbows on the windowsill. "So, what's the rush?"
"The circus is in town," Risukuma stated.
Ringo blinked. As soon as he finished speaking, she heard it. Whimsical music was carried by the breeze. The sound of trumpets and laughter woke right her up. The jaunty, uplifting tunes immediately sprung Ringo into action, and after pulling on a new set of clothing, grabbing an apple on her way out, she skidded to a stop in front of her friends.
Polishing her apple on her sweater, she asked, "Shouldn't we have been given a neighborhood notice, or maybe it should have been mentioned in the news or around school? Because I don't remember any advertisements for a circus posted anywhere."
Maguro shrugged. "That's the thing. It just showed up."
"Like-" Ringo spread out her fingers. "-poof?"
"Poof," Maguro said, mimicking her.
Risukuma gestured toward the outskirts of their city. "It appeared over there. People have already gathered, and it's quite a lively crowd. So far, nothing has happened, so we came to you."
Ringo clicked her tongue. She supposed in the chaos that she might have missed any information about a circus. But that seemed impossible. Her classmates would have talked about a festival, and there would have been information readily available on the news. Even if the past weeks had been a haze of searching and classwork, Ringo felt a spring in her step as she started toward the direction Risukuma pointed.
"Well, I'm glad you guys woke me up! Let's check it out," she proclaimed, pumping her fist in the air.
They took off for the circus, hurrying down sidewalks toward the wooded outskirts. Risukuma led them, letting Maguro and Ringo hang behind him. As he observed the cluster of community members on their way to the circus, Ringo glanced over at Maguro. Although she couldn't see his eyes, and his expression appeared blank, she understood his thoughts, smiling at him.
"I'm doing better. I even went to bed at a reasonable time," she said, and the corners of his lips twitched.
"Glad you're not having a ton of gamer nights like me. I'm all over the place with a bunch of RPGs that I haven't finished," he replied, tossing his arms out. "Some of them have over two hundred of story, and their side quests sometimes take up a full five hours. Who has time for completing all of that?"
She gently tapped his nose through his bangs. "Uh, you."
He paused. "Oh. Right. 'Cause I'm spending my free time and nights playing them."
They shared a chuckle. As they walked toward the edge of the city, Ringo felt Maguro's arm gently brush against her elbow. He looked up at her, Ringo sensing his urgency as Risukuma observed the others flocking toward the festival.
"I'm glad you're feeling better," Maguro said. A bitterness coated his words. "After Arle ditched us without warning, I was worried. None of us took it well, but you took the hardest."
She softened her tone. "Aw, thanks, Maguro. I am doing much better now. I just needed time to recover. That was a hectic day, and-" She snorted on a laugh. "-can you believe she had all that baggage and never once mentioned she had a harem? That's a pretty weird detail to learn from Satan of all people."
"Definitely!" Maguro barked out a curt laugh. "Man, even an immortal sorceress or goddess or whoever shouldn't have any of that. It sounds like a plot straight out of a visual novel that I could buy online for cheap."
"I suppose a lot of people loved her," Risukuma pointedly interjected.
Ringo flatly leered at him. "Uh, I know you're all about love, Ris, but it's still weird."
Risukuma huffed, crossing his arms. Ringo and Maguro snickered at his plight. Their friend might have been obsessed with love, but some forms of affection were too extreme.
They pushed aside those thoughts as the scent of cotton candy struck them, its sugar so sweet that it nearly intoxicated them. They moved toward the scent, toward the trees where the battle between Arle and Satan had once taken place. Instead of lingering smoke, grilled meats and spices surrounded them as well, and as they came to the top of the hill, noticing a surprisingly sparse set of trees as if they had been chopped down overnight, they gawked.
Before them were stands filled with carnival food. Popcorn, hot dogs, cotton candy, ice cream, and most surprisingly curry were available for purchase. Between those stands were carnival games hosted by clowns performing tricks on unicycles and honking horns to attract attention. Balloon animals were made, and faces were painted at other stands. Families and friends ran across the grass to the various booths where stuffed animals and other toys could be won through games.
But the centerpiece, a massive scarlet tent had their eyes bulging. It towered over the trees. It could have fit a few houses comfortably inside. Lights flashed from within as clowns hurriedly carried chairs inside, supposedly finishing their set-up for a grand performance.
"So, uh, the circus really is in town," Ringo mumbled, gobsmacked. "How did this get here? In the middle of the night? With no one knowing? Who are these clowns?"
"Don't imply that it's plural, Ringo. You should be asking, who is this clown?"
She jumped, shooting her arms out along with Maguro. Risukuma simply looked over his shoulder as the others pivoted around. Their mouths dropped, and Risukuma jolted as well, his beady eyes bulging.
The voice belonged to none other than Ecolo. Dressed in an oversized white outfit with colorful polka-dots, their face had been decorated with a bulbous, fake red nose. It was the same outfit donned by the clowns, each of whom wore a mask that seemed suspiciously like Ecolo's face now that the shock had worn off.
"E-E-E-Ecolooo!" Ringo cried, clenching her fists. "Where have you been? What is going on?"
Ecolo crossed their legs in mid-air. "Aw, did you miss me? Do ya wanna kiss me?"
"No!"
Maguro raised his fist. "I'll punch you again."
"And I still don't know how you did that," Ecolo remarked before clearing their throat. "Oh, who cares about that little detail? I'm glad you all showed up."
Ringo squinted at them. She hadn't seen them all month, and now they decided to show their round face. She slowly crossed her arms, her friends matching her agitation. "Okay, well, so far, nothing's blown up, and it is good to see you're unharmed," she admitted, cocking her head.
Ecolo sighed dramatically, arching their back at an awkward angle. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, but this circus has been a real pain in the Puyos to set up. Making a routine, knocking down a ton of trees, and gathering the magic needed to appear-ify it all in one go was crazy hard! And we had to sleep in a cave across the country to rest up since she wanted it to be a secret! Sheesh!" They flung themself around in a perfect circle. "Ugh! I never played so much Puyo in my life. I even had to teach a certain sorceress how to play Tetris to lighten the magical load." They jerked forward, leaning closer to Ringo's face. "Honestly, I almost lost my voice with how long I had to talk to her about proper T-spin techniques."
Their words sank into Ringo's head. Realization dawned on her, and she uttered a sputtered gasp. She dropped her arms, heat blossoming on her face, the question on the tip of her tongue.
"But hey, I've jabbered on long enough! Showtime is so close! It's the early bird special, after all, so that makes for the first performance of the day! One day only, of course! Because it'll take another month to make up another unique routine!" Ecolo exclaimed, shouting over Ringo.
"Ecolo! Answer my question!" she barked, but Ecolo clapped their hands.
And in the blink of an eye, Ringo was seated. She jolted, twisting in her metal chair. She seized her armrests, gawping and spluttering, her ringlets hitting Maguro and Risukuma in the face.
"How did-? But we were just-? Outside on the grass and-! Now we're-!"
Risukuma gently gripped her shoulder. "Let's just chalk it up to Ecolo using a teleportation spell."
"And we should probably say hello to the people behind us," Maguro added, hitching his thumb over his shoulder.
As they spoke, and Ringo breathed deeply, she took in the red velvet cloth creating the large tent around the big top. A comfortable wind blew through the front flaps. Other metal chairs surrounded the stage, quickly being filled with people.
But where Ringo sat, she realized they were above the others in a box suite. She tried wrapping her around how that was possible considering they seemed to be suspended in the air, but no one questioned it. They had a perfect view of the stage, where the colorful lights slowly hovered across it, coming together in various patterns, and peering over the railing, she spotted a few other friends in seats near the stage. Ms. Accord was supervising her other students, and Ringo found a couple of Arle's friends with them. She also happened to notice a girl sneaking through the aisles who looked like Arle with magenta hair, and she tightly pursed her lips.
At Maguro's voice, she looked over her shoulder. While they had front row seats, more chairs were behind them, and only one was empty. Amitie, Raffina, and Sig took up those spots, the former breaking into a grin when Ringo noticed her. And in the final row of chairs were Arle, Rulue, and Schezo, Carbuncle sitting comfortably on Arle's head.
"Hey! I'm so glad you guys made it," Amitie chirped, beaming.
"Uh, not like we had much of a choice," Ringo said, Maguro and Risukuma exchanging a look.
Arle leaned forward, pushing her head up toward Amitie's shoulder while Schezo and Rulue narrowed their eyes on the stage. "How're you feeling?"
Ringo smiled, one also worn by Maguro. "Better."
Arle returned it. "Good. Well, we might as well sit back and watch, but be ready for anything, okay?"
Raffina huffed, tapping her foot. "I'm more than ready to go search for that layabout, if you ask me."
Sig held out his clawed finger, smiling as his ladybug perched upon it. "C'mon, don't be stringy. You're having her get a bunch of stuff for us."
"Which means her exercise routine isn't working. Her muscle tone and speed should have increased to the point where she'd return promptly."
"I think you're being stingy, too," Amitie teased.
But as Raffina glared at her, a hapless voice called, "I'm h-here!"
Ringo turned in the direction of the hapless voice. To her bewilderment, bags of popcorn and soda bottles appeared over the railing. They seemed to be pushed by someone, and she, Maguro, and Risukuma leaned over to lighten the load. They held out the treats for the others, and Ringo's eyes widened at the exhausted form of Lala, her brow drenched in sweat, as she carried herself up a connecting ladder.
"Oh, thank you for your help. I thought I was going to drop everything again," she wheezed, and she collapsed in her seat. Dragging her hand across her forehead, she sighed and picked at her dress.
"Well, you wouldn't have if you maintained your regimen," Raffina said, and Amitie's elbow dug into her arm. "Ow! What? Do you want to fight?"
"No. You're just being...stingy," Amitie bluntly stated with a hint of a smirk.
With Amitie's point proven, Ringo chuckled as Raffina huffed. She held on to a paper bag of popcorn and a bottle of soda. She inspected the wrapper, hearing the whispering of Rulue and Schezo. She couldn't make out what they were saying, but she supposed it didn't matter at the moment when the lights dimmed.
In the semidarkness, smoke seeped toward the stage. The audience chatter became subdued. A hope opened up in the stage, and a platform slowly rose from it, revealing a tall, supposedly dashing figure in a golden mask with flowing emerald hair.
"Is that Satan?" Risukuma asked. "Because I want to ask him where he got that enchanting mask."
And all once, Rulue came to life. She sprung up from her seat, a scream dying in her throat when Schezo snatched her wrist. He tugged her down, snapping at her to remain still. She squealed that she hadn't seen her beloved in a month, and Ringo suddenly wished she was next to Amitie's other classmates.
"Welcome," Satan called, his voice deep and alluring, "to the Puyo Puyo Circus! A place where hopes and dreams come true!"
Applause boomed as the lights brightened, Rulue's scream the most piercing. Clowns juggled, breathed fire, and lunged through hoops accompanied by a fanfare by a band of jesters. They raced around the stage on their unicycles, entertaining as bubbles and confetti blew out of cannons that seemed to float in mid-air.
But Arle snorted, tightening her grip on Carbuncle. "Oh, not this scheme again. No one better try to steal Carby this time or I'll cast Ice Storm on this entire carnival."
Ringo didn't acknowledge Arle's comment. She was more thrilled than she wanted to admit. The way the clowns stacked on top of each other, all stemming from one person, to how they played Puyo on top of elephants on top of tiny balls entranced her. Their tricks, such as fitting into a tiny car and summoning elemental magic to illustrate grand portraits, amazed Ringo, even if she power over electricity through her Puyo battles.
A cluster of balloons popped into existence, followed by a sparkling of controlled fireworks. Another round of applause broke out. In the center of the stage, Satan tempered their praise. He lowered his hands, easing the audience, and he cleared his throat, captivating everyone's attention.
"Now, we need a volunteer from this audience," he announced, setting his hand to his brow like a visor. "So, who can we call upon to take up this task?"
"You're not getting Carby!" Arle shouted, only to be shushed by Amitie.
"Carby! What a wonderful name for our volunteer!" Satan called, gesturing for the creature to come forth.
Undaunted, Carbuncle bounced out of Arle's lap. As she yelped and tried snatching him, Carbuncle jumped over the railing and bounded toward the stage. He hopped up towards Satan, tilting his head back to get a full look at him.
"Gugu gugugu gu guuu," Carbuncle said, and he stomped in place.
"Don't worry. There will be no deception," Satan said, and he gently gathered his old pet. He stepped off the platform and tossed Carbuncle onto the center. While Carbuncle rolled into a sitting position, he faced the crowd. "Now, I'll make Carbuncle disappear!"
Arle lunged from her seat, knocking over Raffina and Amitie. She hurled herself towards the railing, only stopped by Risukuma snatching her waist. He struggled to keep her still, but Arle writhed and screamed that she would not allow it to happen a second time.
Ringo and the others had to stand up to witness the trick. They crowded the railing, squeezing up against each other as a white light tinged with red and blue gathered in Satan's hands. As Arle screamed, pinned in place by both Schezo and Risukuma, they watched while Satan enveloped Carbuncle in it, and when the light faded, Carbuncle was gone.
But as the crowd hooted in amazement – and Arle roared in outrage – their eyes were drawn to the ceiling. Ringo followed where fingers pointed. A figure appeared dressed in a loose, ebony, and crimson ensemble that tightened around their wrists and ankles. They wore knee-length yellow boots with a pointed toe and heel, matching the yellow lapels around their neck like cloth jewelry. On their face was a colorful mask with the face painting of a clown secured around their face, and Ringo knew their identity.
"Pierrot," Arle growled, still struggling to free herself.
Pierrot clapped her hands. Carbuncle immediately materialized in her arms, earning cheers from the crowd. She held him above her head, then brought him to her chest in a tight embrace. She spun in place, bobbing as if on a trampoline. Rubbing her masked cheek against his head, she laughed as Carbuncle cheered, his stubby arms hugging around her neck.
She outstretched her free arm. Keeping Carbuncle close, Pierrot cackled. Her voice boomed and echoed, causing the tent to quiver. Ringo tightened her grip on the railing, listening to Amitie take a sharp sip from her soda.
"This is the final trick," Pierrot announced. "You've been a wonderful audience, but all tales must come to an end, no matter how long they take."
Light gathered in her palm. Kaleidoscopic hues swelled, growing larger to cover her hand. She thrust her fist above her head, and Ringo knew she was gazing right at her.
Waving her hand, jerking her legs up behind her, she called out a spell so familiar that it soothed them both.
"Bayoeen!"
The light burst from her hand and shoot upward. It quickly transformed into familiar structures that earned delighted cries from those who lacked magic. Brilliant flowers and Puyos floated from above. The scarlet blobs with their blinking eyes were like butterflies wafting in the breeze. The brightly colored petals were like rainbows as they scoured across the circus. They fell towards the stage and audience, many children in awe of what they were seeing. And intermingled with the Puyos and petals, falling with cute ribbons tied around them, were candied apples that smelled just as sweet.
Dropping her popcorn and soda, Ringo realized something else. They were apples, Puyos in the shapes of apples. (It also occurred to her that she had an apple on her person and had forgotten about it. Out of habit, she took a bite while her friends gathered the candied apples, the tang just as nice as the sugar.)
A smile tugged at Ringo's lips. It became so clear why she had vanished. Arle, or rather Pierrot, wanted to surprise them with something as grand as a performance. It was her way to apologize for her actions, even if Ringo had already forgiven her, and glancing between Maguro and Risukuma, both of them beaming at the show, she felt they shared her sentiments.
"Oh, Arle," Lala breathed out behind her. She cupped her mouth, stray tears in the corners of her eyes. "There is no one stronger and more vibrant than you. You're shining just like you did when you first stood against the Creator."
Arle stopped struggling in Schezo's grip. She stared at Lala, then let her face relax. "Your Arle is extremely powerful. She really must mean a lot to you."
Lala giggled. "She is. She really is the best sorceress I know."
"She knows how to be a showstopper, huh?"
Ecolo's voice hummed from above Ringo. She didn't flinch, either, cracking a wry grin at them. "And you helped her set this all up."
"Now you praise me after I worked my behind off magic-ing up those clowns," they huffed in good humor, "but still, this is a way better use of magic than duels to the death. It's way more fun! And wholesome! And there's no angst in sight!"
As Ecolo laughed, Ringo agreed. Peace had truly returned to Suzuran and their hearts. She was elated, calm, and thrilled, no longer needing to fear the unknown. And even if she still had stray bruises, they were healing, just as the wound in her heart had.
She finished off her apple in a few bites, flicked the core over her shoulder, and snatched a candied apple. She wrapped her fingers around the stick and chomped, the caramel and tart taste mixing perfectly. Sighing, she swallowed and took a few more bites, watching as Pierrot vanished into thin air with Carbuncle, enjoying her treat to the fullest.
She suddenly realized that Pierrot had vanished into thin air with Carbuncle.
"Uh, that's not good," Maguro whispered through his bite.
Before Ringo could turn around, Arle took off running. She pried through the others and threw herself over the railing. She roared at Satan to return Carbuncle, tackling him to the ground in front of the befuddled audience. Screams broke out, followed swiftly by pandemonium as people ran from their seats to the exit.
"Gimme Carbuncle back, Satan! I'm not going through another adventure just to wind up fighting another doppelganger!" Arle bellowed, violently shaking Satan, who still seemed to be in a trance. She jerked her head over to the magenta-haired Arle sitting with Ms. Accord's students when she started to get up. "Not you! You sit down!" (And Doppelganger Arle did, too befuddled to refuse.)
Whipping out her fan, Rulue proclaimed, "My darling! Don't worry, I, Rulue, will ensure you're protected from that brutish girl!"
"Hey."
Rulue hesitated, peering at Sig. "Uh, yes?"
"Is Satan all you think about?" he wondered, rubbing his ladybug. "Because that's weird. You should get a hobby."
Rulue let her mouth fall open. No one said anything. Ringo decided it was in her best interest to leave, and she started down the ladder with Ecolo, Maguro, and Risukuma in tow.
"Would you like some Ice Storm for that burn?" she heard Schezo ask.
They weaved their way through the crowd. Hearing Amitie calling out to them. Ringo reached through the people and grabbed her hand. She dragged her along, and in turn, she heaved the others along, too, who had apparently decided to follow along. Though Schezo and Rulue were notably absent, she assumed they had gone to either help or bicker with Arle.
Making their way outside, it wasn't hard to locate Pierrot. A quick jog around the back of the tent gave away Pierrot's location. She stood underneath a tree, her hood down and mask discarded. She swayed from side to side, her brown hair illuminated by the sunlight, but instead of noticing them, she hopped in place, still hugging Carbuncle.
"Oh, oooh, Kaa-kun! I will taaake four letters from one of my favorite wooords. I'll use them to spell something nice about yooou!" she sang, completely off-key.
"Looks like she picked that up from you, Ringo," Amitie said with a giggle.
"E-X-E-C-U-T-E-D!" Pierrot sang. "With four certain letteeers, it makes yooou cuuute."
Amitie balked as Ringo's mouth twitched in a tight smile. "Uh, on second thought, Ringo, I like your singing better."
"I can't believe the girl who tried trapping you looks like that." Raffina paused and glanced over at Lala. "Also on second thought, forget I said that. You're both ridiculous."
"H-hey! I said I was sorry a million times!" Lala cried, clenching her fists.
Her shout alerted Pierrot. She clamped her mouth shut and faced them. Blinking, she released Carbuncle, but he simply clung to her leg, smiling gently. Pierrot grinned back, and she scooped him up, nuzzling her cheek against his head.
"Hello, everyone. It's been quite some time," she said, approaching them. "How did you like the show?"
"It was awesome," Ringo exclaimed, holding out her half-eaten treat. "The apple Puyos stole the show."
"I didn't know you could transform Puyos into fruit," Risukuma said.
"And I didn't know you could add more stuff flying out of Bayoeen," Maguro added.
"Oh, just a modification charm will do that before you cast it," Pierrot replied nonchalantly, and she smiled, cuddling Carbuncle to her chin. "Isn't he just the cutest? I thought a tiny one was cute, but a bigger one feels like a plush. Maybe I could borrow him for the day?"
Ringo chuckled, tittering, "Uh, well, I wouldn't do that. Our Arle was throttling Satan thinking he had something to do with Carbuncle's disappearance."
"Huh? Oh, right, that idiot. I should probably release him from the mind control spell," Pierrot mumbled, and she snapped her fingers. "There. He's freed. He'll probably be hungry, though. Ecolo and I forgot to keep him fed."
Ecolo crossed their arms. "Uh, that was your job, Arle. My job was – huh? What's wrong?"
She grimaced. Carbuncle cooed, his ears reaching up to tickle her face. A flash of a smile split across her lips. Stroking between his ears, she said, "Sorry. I'd rather not be called Arle. While the name is dear to me, as it's still my identity, it also truly belongs to someone else. It wouldn't be right for me to usurp the real Arle of this dimension."
Amitie tapped her chin, perplexed. "What do you mean? There are tons of people who share the same name. You shouldn't have to give it up."
"Thank you, Amitie, but after everything that's happened, I think I'd like to start being called by something else. Something that...differentiates me and still connects me from who I used to be and who I still am." She swallowed. "Just so I can start over properly."
"What name should we call you?" Maguro suddenly asked, surprising Ringo. It was the first he had expressed a genuine interest in Pierrot that hadn't involved disdain in the entire month.
She stared at him, seemingly surprised he had addressed her. "Oh, for now, Pierrot will do. I'll always hold the name of Arle Nadja dear, but right now, I'm Pierrot until I find something that sticks." She snickered. "Ever since I was a kid, I was entranced by carnivals thrown in the villages I came across, right, Lala?"
Lala laughed, nodding. "Definitely! Remember the one that happened right after our kindergarten exam? Our teacher kept trying to bob for different fruits, but she ended up falling in the basket and getting soaked!"
"You mean the exam where you busted through the tower wall to fight me?" Pierrot teased.
"Wait! You can bust through walls? Have you been holding back in our fights?" Raffina jeered, cracking her knuckles. "Because I'm getting fired up at the prospect of your punches!"
"Um, tomorrow, I'll show you. W-we can go all out," she said, raising her hands defensively.
Ringo steered the conversation back on course. "Well, I think it's a great name. Pierrot it is."
"Suits a clown, after all," Maguro said, and Ringo's elbow dug into his shoulder.
Pierrot chuckled, her cheeks dimpling. "No, no, Ringo, he has a point. I'm dressed as a clown, and my behavior was like one, too." She proceeded to juggle Carbuncle, who happily cooed. "See? Clown behavior."
Maguro laughed, shaking his head, his tone cheerful as he said, "You should try stand-up comedy."
With Maguro's forgiveness, joy really had returned. There was a grin on everyone's face. Not a shred of animosity, enmity, or despair existed. They all had each other, a group of friends who had overcome impossibilities.
But even though Ringo knew the answer, she had to hear Pierrot's reason for her elaborate trick.
"I know why you set this show up," she said, and Pierrot hesitated, hugging Carbuncle. "You didn't have to go this far out of your way to apologize. We were already on good terms."
Carbuncle touched her chin. She grinned at him, footsteps approaching from behind the group. Ringo and the rest of them found Arle, Rulue, Schezo, and Satan approaching, the former's eyes widening as she came closer to Pierrot.
"I understand, but I felt I needed to go an extra mile. I wanted-" She sighed. "-I wanted to bring smiles to your faces as I used to in my world. Magic isn't a tool for revenge or destruction. My kindergarten teacher taught me that, and it took me hundreds of years to remember her lesson."
Ringo felt Arle's presence next to her. Pierrot's answer settled in her head, and she nodded. Pierrot had been isolated for centuries. She had lost her way after losing everything. She even lacked her little companion, Carbuncle.
All she had was her name and the dark thoughts swirling in her head like a tornado. And she had entertained those fantasies, bringing them into reality when she had been broken. But Ringo had forgiven her, and Pierrot had new ties, including a renewed bond with Lala, who silently wept and smiled at her oldest friend.
Arle stepped forward. Pierrot recoiled, her face falling. They took in each other, observing one another. The air seemed heavy around them, thick with tension, but Arle broke it when she held her arm out.
With a bright, chipper voice, she said, "It's nice to finally meet you, Arle."
Pierrot breathed out a sigh of relief. "Please, Arle, call me Pierrot. That name belongs to you first."
"Gugugu gu!" Carbuncle cried, and when their hands connected, he hopped on top of them, precariously balancing on their palms. They steadied him, their eyes meeting, their voices the same when they laughed.
It was perfect. And it was all they wanted.
Pierrot parted from Arle, who held Carbuncle. She gazed upon the faces of friends she had loved. Schezo and Rulue regarded her as a stranger, and Ringo patted her shoulder, ushering her toward them.
"Schezo. Rulue." Pierrot breathed out their names with reverence. "Sorry. I know you two aren't my Schezo and Rulue, but it's good to see you two are well."
"I can sense immeasurable power within you," Schezo remarked, resting his hand on the hilt of his sword. "Tell me, have you lived for centuries such as I?"
"I'm pretty certain you were asleep for most of those years," she snorted, sharing a smirk with Arle.
Schezo grunted, his nostrils flaring. He suddenly ripped his sword out of his sheath. The gleaming, sharp tip shot for Pierrot's throat, and she dropped Carbuncle, letting him scramble toward Arle. She refused to recoil, evenly meeting his glare as Ringo yelped, shouting for them to behave, her candied apple threatening to fill off the stick.
"I want you!" he shouted, his voice bellowing throughout the circus.
A hush fell over them. Only a prolonged squeak from Amitie occupied the silence. Pierrot stared at Schezo, gobsmacked. Ringo's hands found their way to her face. Maguro and Risukuma sucked in sharp breaths. Rulue fanned herself, and Arle furrowed her brow, her irritation palpable. Satan muttered in disbelief and closed his way, Ecolo dissolving into an electrical current out of sheer disappointment. Power generated in Carbuncle's gem, sparking and illuminating while he silently fumed, but Arle patted his head, stopping his rampage before he could begin.
"You need a hobby, too, man," Sig finally said.
Schezo winced, jumping in place. "N-no! Agh, not again! I obviously meant her power! How have you known me for this long and still don't understand my speech mannerisms?"
Pierrot massaged her neck, sighing. "Oh, Schezo, you old so-and-so. I missed you and your awful conversational skills. It seems Schezo in every dimension will never have the power to control his tongue."
"Th-that's so harsh! You know I want your power! Your power!"
"Uh-huh. Yeah. Okay." She raised her hand to her mouth and spoke to Ringo. "I can't believe I spent centuries waiting to meet Schezo and the first thing out of his mouth is an innuendo."
Ringo chuckled. "I guess you need to get used to it again."
"Hey!" Schezo cried, Amitie sympathetically patting his back.
"And Rulue," Pierrot began, turning away from Schezo as he shoved his sword in place, "it's good to – eh?"
Rulue's fist flew toward her face. Pierrot snatched it. A surge of power emanated from them and blew into the others. As they yelped and shielded their faces, Pierrot pushed Rulue's arm upward, the shorter sorceress breaking into a thin-lipped smile at the shock burning Rulue's complexion.
"Now, now, let's not fight about Satan. He's not my type," she sneered contemptuously.
"You captured my darling, and you forced him to play along with your little carnival," Rulue hissed, her knuckles cracking under Pierrot's grasp.
Her eyes widened, and she puffed out a laugh. "Is Satan all you think about? Don't you have a hobby? Because my Rulue had hobbies."
"That's what I said," Sig said.
Rulue tore her arm back. She blew on the reddened skin. Crossing her arms, she leered down at Pierrot, growling, "Don't try it again."
Pierrot chuckled from the back of her throat. "I don't plan on it. Good to see, or rather, meet you, Rulue."
The awkward encounter left the others on edge. Even Lala fidgeted with her ribbons, unsure of whether Pierrot would snap at her rejection. But Pierrot continued smiling, seemingly undeterred by their reactions as she turned to Carbuncle, lightly squishing his cheeks.
"Uh, are you okay? Or do we have to worry about being teleported away to a void?" Maguro wondered.
She beamed. "No, no, I'm fine. These versions of Schezo and Rulue were shaped by different circumstances. I have no reason to be upset."
Satan sighed. "Oh, that's good. I'm thankful you-"
"But if they continue pissing me off, I might destroy the world."
Satan bristled, his wings flapping outwards as the others flinched. Pierrot glared at him with an expression so distorted that Ringo dropped her treat. The others backed away, allowing their confrontation to blossom like roses on a thorny bush.
Pierrot stuck out her tongue and flashed a peace sign. "Kidding!"
The teens exhaled a collective sigh of relief. Even Satan relaxed, his wings clipping to his back. Ecolo laughed, rolling above them and stretching out their limbs, exclaiming that they were tired of talking. They wanted to play, and they shot their hands back to the booths, adding there were many games ready to be played.
"There's just one more bit of business," Pierrot said.
Risukuma hummed. "And what's that?"
Pierrot pointed to the tent. Everyone followed her finger and found Doppelganger Arle leering at them from behind it. She gasped and ducked, her magenta locks still visible. She gazed out again, narrowing her eyes with an eerie smile on her face.
"Is she...is she going to come out?" Pierrot wondered.
"Eh, it kind of depends on what's going on. Usually, she confronts us separately," Amitie admitted.
"She's been spying on us for a wicked long time, and she still gets our names wrong," Sig remarked with a roll of his eyes.
Raffina clicked her tongue. "Three days ago, she called me Lidelle. Do I look like I'm short and have green hair? I don't think so."
Arle scratched through her hair. "Maybe we should ignore her. She's-"
Pierrot waved Doppelganger Arle over. "Hey. Do you wanna come out? Say hello?"
Surprised by the acknowledgment, Doppelganger Arle winced. She poked her head back out, her smile still mischievous. Slowly, she dragged herself around the corner, coming to a point between Arle and Pierrot. Three Arles stared at each other, each with different colors for their hair and armor.
Doppelganger Arle chuckled, smirking. "Well, well, it seems I have another copy to destroy to assert myself as the real Ar-"
Pierrot's finger pressed against her mouth. Doppelganger Arle jolted, her pupils dilating at the gesture. Pierrot shushed her, the sight dumbfounding to the others, and she took Doppelganger Arle's hand. Arle seemed to sense her idea, and she picked up Carbuncle, holding him for Doppelganger Arle to pet.
"No, no, no. We're not doing that. Just relax and enjoy the day," Pierrot insisted. "Trust me when I say you don't wanna create a cataclysm out of jealousy and rage."
"Yeah, we're gonna put our differences aside for now," Arle added with a bright, toothy grin.
As Doppelganger Arle shifted her hand between Carbuncle's ears, she tried to say, "But I'm-"
"I can talk to you all about identity issues later. For now-" Pierrot cooed at Carbuncle. "-it's Kaa time."
Arle and Pierrot fawned over Carbuncle, who soaked up their attention like a sponge. Evidently unable to resist, Doppelganger Arle joined in the fun. They held up Carbuncle together, tossing him in the air as the little guy laughed and flipped, ears flopping all around.
"So, there's three Arles," Maguro said, watching the show.
"Yep," Ecolo emphatically replied.
"And despite the illogical nature of it all, we're just fine with this," Risukuma said.
"Yep."
"Well, we've been through enough wacky adventures that this is pretty common," Ringo said.
"Yep."
"Ecolo, you're a blob," Maguro said.
"Yep – hey!"
Another round of laughter came from the group. Amitie, Raffina, Sig, and Lala smiled at each other, the former suggesting they try out the carnival games. Amitie grasped her friends, tugging on Sig's claw with one hand and the sleeves of her girls with the other. She shouted her goodbye, hoping to meet up with everyone later, and Ringo waved back as they vanished into the throng of clowns and games.
Satan pivoted away, parting with a gentle word. Rulue and Schezo left with him, while Arle departed with Carbuncle and Doppelganger Arle. They went their separate ways into the circus, felicity following them. Arle waved, saying she wanted to try out the curry, her doppelganger and Carbuncle agreeing wholeheartedly.
That left the Suzuran students, Ecolo, and Pierrot together. They had the entire day to themselves. They could do anything they wanted. Playing games, sharing food, making new memories. Their future was bright, and Ecolo wanted it now.
"So, what are we waiting for? They've already got a head-start! Let's play!" they exclaimed, flexing their limbs.
"I wanna try those games! I bet I could win every prize!" Maguro shouted, pulling his kendama for a quick trick.
"And I'd like to take notes on the love happening right here, right now. It's in the air," Risukuma drawled, his pupils like the hearts he adored.
Ringo smiled at Pierrot and offered her hand. "Are ya ready?"
Their fingers laced together as Pierrot said, "Ready."
They ran off together, laughing. Toward the games, towards the fun, towards the future with the sun at its highest peak in the sky. Their story reached a new beginning, a life with each other that hadn't concluded, a new chapter to be written by them.
And Pierrot, Arle Nadja from a forgotten world, looked over her shoulder, staring at someone the others could not see, and she smiled at you for witnessing her story to the very end.
it's finished! thank you all so much for following along with this story to its completion! to everyone who commented, thank you so much! to everyone who gave kudos and bookmarked this fic, thank you! it's been an extremely long time since i written a multi-chaptered fic. i know i updated only a couple of times throughout the years - can you believe a second puyotet came out BEFORE this fic was finished? i can't believe it either! but still, while there are areas i would have liked to go back and change or make more cohesive (such as adding sig right away to amitie and raffina's part with lala, and especially since doppel's background was *still* debated in the english fandom during the first like eight chapters of this fic before being squared away), i'm still incredibly happy with how this fic turned out. again, thank you all so much for sticking around with me until the very end!
