//------------------------------// // A Lost Clone meets the Princess of the Night. // Story: A Lost Clone // by Ocelot the Devil //------------------------------// A Lost Clone meets the Princess of the Night “...And that is why I am in dire need of your presence, Princess Luna. I hope you’ll be able to help us both out since there’s no telling when Twilight might come again and investigate Kairi and the dark powers resting inside her body. With warm regards, Fluttershy.” Princess Luna’s first thought about the letter was surprise. Up until now she had never received any letter from anyone else - especially one of the Elements. Though as someone would often say it was a first time for everything. The second thing that ran through her mind was interest - a young child wielding darkness in both combat and a need to stay alive? It sounded incredulous… a bit too incredulous though. Luna had to wonder if the Element of Kindness was being serious in her words about the child… from the way that the letter was structured, it definitely seemed to be real enough. Lastly, there was worry at the fact that Twilight Sparkle had taken a special interest in this due to her stance that light was superior and darkness wasn’t. Damn Celestia. Sure, darkness was a dangerous tool when used in the wrong hands but a few miscreants using something for evil did not make the thing itself evil. If controlled properly it can be a powerful ability to have on your side. The fact that this Kairi had an entire suit made out of darkness was quite an achievement. The more Luna thought about it, the more she became intrigued. This was definitely worth investigating and plus she had a feeling that she was going to gain a new friend very soon. With her mind made up, Luna prepared herself for the trip to the eccentric town of Ponyville. She was oblivious to what would go down soon… (Two hours later...) Fluttershy was busy cleaning up her house all the while Kairi was spending her free time petting the animals that had surrounded her. To her surprise, they didn’t seem to cower in fear at her or the dark suit that was covering her body. It was definitely a nice change of pace and Fluttershy found it adorable for some reason. Lately, the pinkette had been feeling like she had truly established a friendship with the clone who in turn felt nothing but gratitude. However Fluttershy began feeling something else as well - a weird emotion along with butterflies in her stomach. Something was definitely amiss and the more she bonded with the red-haired clone, the weirder she felt. As Fluttershy was cleaning the kitchen, she felt a knock on the front door and got startled alongside Kairi who began to get worried a little. The pinkette dropped whatever she was doing and walked slowly towards the door but was already feeling nervous at the unexpected guest that was still knocking. What if it was Twilight? Did she come back to investigate the source that was Kairi herself? If that was the case then she would have to call Kairi and tell her that she would have to dismiss her suit and hide until the Element of Magic was gone or if things truly got ugly then they both would start running away. Fluttershy had stopped in front of the door before she spared a glance at Kairi who was shifting her purple-colored boots and looking nervous. The pinkette gave her a small smile that was hoping it would be convincing yet she herself felt like a broken record. Trying to relax, she took a deep breath and placed her hand on the handle before twisting it. Opening the door slowly, her fear immediately evaporated when she saw that it wasn’t Twilight, but a woman with moderate cyan eyes and fair skin while her long hairstyle had a moderate sapphire blue with grayish Persian blue outline color. She wore a royalty attire which consisted of a light-dark blue top with a Moon symbol that showcased her cleavage, a light blue arm bracelet was on her right hand while a disconnected long sleeve covered her left. Her lower attire was a dark blue skirt that covered her knees and lastly light blue sandals with blue soles adorned her feet. The dark crown rested atop her hair while a small string with a red rose held both the skirt and top together. If anything, Fluttershy was glad that none other than Princess Luna had arrived. “Princess, thank you for answering my call.” Fluttershy thanked with a bow yet Luna raised her hand. “No need for thanks, young one. If someone is in dire need of my assistance, I shall come henceforth. Now then - may I see the mystery child in question?” Fluttershy nodded and let her inside her house before entering the living room where Kairi was. Luna was surprised to see that Fluttershy wasn’t exaggerating when she wrote that letter. To see the young child in front and in a suit made out of darkness was something that Luna never expected to see in her life. “Fascinating…” Luna commented and placed a finger on her chin as she examined the young red-head from top to bottom. But then she turned her attention towards the suit that Kairi wore… it was definitely giving off a dark aura. Luna was impressed at how well this little one had survived while using the darkness to sustain herself. Kairi in the meantime couldn’t help but keep her eyes on the woman at all times. There was something about her that made the replica trust her… a sense of warmth and comfort was hidden inside the mysterious woman’s heart. She definitely wouldn't mind if she got to know her better. “Mhm… interesting. Fluttershy mentioned in a letter to me that your suit is the reason why you are still alive, yes?” Luna questioned with a raised brow. Kairi nodded. “Somewhat. But there’s also my replicated heart.” “Replicated heart?” Luna questioned in a confused tone before Kairi began to explain her life story and situation. The Princess of the Night just listened to every single detail and couldn’t help but feel sympathy for the child. Whatever experiments this ‘Organization’ did to her it wasn’t right… in fact, it was sickening. But there was one thing that caught Luna’s interest - the Keyblade. She had never heard of such a weapon before nor its capabilities. A mental note appeared in her head to investigate the lore of the legendary weapon and its capabilities once things were wrapped here. After a while, Kairi had finished her story. “...and I found myself in this world where Fluttershy found me and took me in.” Silence fell as Kairi wondered what fate had in store for her. Was Luna going to punish her and remove the suit forcefully in order to let her die? Was she going to inform Twilight about her? What would happen to her? All questions… no answers. And then Luna spoke with a small sigh. “After hearing your story… I can safely do this.” She paused and then embraced the replica in a motherly hug much to her surprise. Once she released her, Luna grabbed her hands. “I can’t imagine how much suffering you went through, little one. I offer you my deep sympathies in regards to having your memories be manipulated. Nobody, especially you, shouldn’t have to go through that nor your friend Roxas.” She told her. Never before had Kairi experienced this sort of behavior before. She didn’t understand why people were showing her sympathy. They had to understand that she was a clone! Not a flesh-and-blood person! Why are people trying to sympathize with her!? It just didn’t make sense… She never asked for this! She didn’t want to be created in the first place! She… she… She wanted someone… anyone. To keep her company and comfort her… like Roxas did while in Castle Oblivion. Her first response was to let out a couple of tears but nothing came out from her eyes. Was it because she was a replica and couldn’t stimulate emotions at least? It was the only explanation that she had. In the end, she just gave a sigh with a shrug. “It’s not your fault.” She assured the princess who didn’t say a word. It was clear that she too was trying to process how to deal with the story of the replica. After a small silence, Fluttershy spoke. “Princess… If I might speak?” Luna turned to her and nodded as Fluttershy continued. “About her heart and the suit that’s keeping her… is there a way to counter the darkness?” That’s what was on Luna’s mind at the moment - how to counter the light and darkness from clashing and make Kairi stop wearing the suit. Unfortunately, no answer was coming at the moment. She first had to see what she was dealing with and have the replica perform some tests in order to determine how she can help out the young girl. What she needed was the perfect spot and she knew exactly where they could start with the examination. It was decided and a smile appeared on her lips. “Very well… girls, I don't have an answer right now but I do have a plan in mind. One that could help me get to the bottom of this. First things first, take my hands. We’re going to need a lot more room than this house.” Luna told them. Fluttershy and Kairi shared a glance of worry at what the princess was planning but decided to humor her. Grabbing her hands, the woman muttered a strange incantation before a bright light glowed and filled the entire room. Once it died down, the three individuals had disappeared as if it was a magic trick that had just been performed. It once again became peaceful and quiet… however said silence was interrupted by the door opening very loudly as Twilight stepped in with a frown on her face. “I know I sensed the darkness in here! I can still sense dark energy somewhere in this room! Fluttershy, I know you’re hiding something! Come out and show it!” The librarian demanded but upon noticing that there wasn’t anyone in the room her frown turned into frustration. And with that she started looking around for any signs of darkness unaware of the fact that had she arrived earlier, she would have caught a glimpse of the Kairi Replica who was currently with Luna and Fluttershy. Boy, oh boy - would the three be surprised when they returned.