A Lost Clone's Training in Darkness
A bright light had formed in the darkened area which grew and expanded until it resulted in 3 beings standing there and observing their surroundings… Well, one of them landed on the ground and let out a ‘Oof’ noise as they rubbed their butt.
“Ugh… that was a hard landing.” The figure spoke in the darkness which was soon followed by a clap.
The lights had turned on and filled the entire room along with revealing who it was that had appeared - Luna, Kairi Replica and Fluttershy. The pinkette and redhead looked and discovered that they were in an arena that was large enough to host tournaments or training sessions.
Kairi whistled. “Impressive… What is this place though, Princess?” She wondered.
In response to the question, Luna’s lips made way for a grin. “A little place bordering on the light and darkness - the Arena of Twilight. I often use this place to meditate and practice my skills.”
“Practice your skills, Princess?” Fluttershy inquired with a curious expression as Luna answered. “Fighting skills and magic as well. I’m into fencing.”
“Like Princess Celestia in the old days?” Fluttershy asked.
Luna gave a nod before turning towards Kairi. “Now then… we’re going to conduct a few tests before I can determine exactly how I’m going to help you out.”
“Tests? As in experiments that are deadly?” Kairi began to feel nervous and wondered if agreeing to come was already a bad idea. She started getting flashbacks to Vexen and his twisted experiments.
To her relief, Luna had other plans. “Nothing of the sort. I wish to see how well you can fight.”
“Oh? Is that it?” Kairi asked in a relieved tone. Easy as pie - fighting was in her blood after all. At least she thought it was going to be easy at first…
Until Luna smirked. “And I want to see if you can last long without using the darkness as a backup.”
Oh… that might be a little hard since she had drawn strength from the power of darkness. To not rely on it would be challenging… but if she wanted all the help that was possible then that’s what she would do. Plus, she can’t use her dark powers all the time.
Luna then closed her eyes as she began to mutter an ancient incantation that was unfamiliar to both Kairi and Fluttershy. What occurred next was the Princess of the Night glowing an aura followed by immovable dummies spawning all around the arena. Once that was done, Luna made a couple of gestures with her hands and muttered an ancient incantation that Kairi didn’t seem to catch onto due to the language not even sounding like English.
The dummies glowed for a few seconds before it disappeared. Kairi wondered where Luna was going with this… until she saw the wooden fingers of the puppets twitch. Ah, now she understands… she was going to stand her ground against a couple of puppets. Very well.
Kairi summoned the Soul Eater and got into position. Fluttershy was sent to a secure platform on the upper part of the arena to watch alongside Luna who appeared next to her.
“This should give us both a clear view of the performance downstairs. Fluttershy, I wish that you examine the entire fight and memorize every detail. Can I count on you for that?”
Fluttershy gave a nod. She’d give it her best to watch Kairi fight against those wooden dummies in the arena. Though truth be told… she was a little worried about the clone and her fighting capabilities. Little did she know that she was about to have the most interesting viewing experience.
Luna just sat patiently in her chair and watched as the clone began to fight against the now live wooden dummies. One thing that intrigued the princess was the child’s fighting capabilities and especially that sword of hers. She was hoping that the girl would last at least for a couple of minutes - maybe 3 to 4.
A wooden dummy attempted to strike Kairi from behind but she sideswept and sliced it in half. It disintegrated into sawdust as the red-head replica moved onto the next opponent and eliminated it easily.
A couple of slashes and swishes from her sword along with quick reflexes and she had defeated them all eventually. She started breathing slowly before dismissing Soul Eater and then looking up at Luna. “How’d I do?”
“Hmmm… very effective for a child your age. Not bad at all, honey. Now though - I’d like for you to have another go at the dummies again. But this time, I want you to use the power of darkness at your disposal.”
“Anything specific?” Kairi wondered with a raised brow as she flung her sword over her shoulder.
“For now, just use the darkness as a source of strength. Don’t rely on anything magical or your weapons. The darkness will serve as your shield against the dummies. Let them attack you and don’t do anything. Understand?”
Not relying on her sword and letting them attack… that would be a complication. But on the other hand, she would see just how much darkness she could use before exhausting herself. An interesting test indeed.
There was a bit of irony on that part since taking off her suit would result in her artificial heart’s light and darkness fighting and that would end with her dying completely. But if she used too much darkness would she still succumb to it? That was a good question.
In the end, it didn’t matter. She was still a creature born in darkness and she’ll no doubt die while staring in the face of darkness. Or maybe there will be a way to defy her fate? Only the future would reveal the answer.
For now, the second phase of the test began with dummies being spawned while Kairi concentrated and coated herself with a dark aura in the form of a shield. The wooden puppets charged forward and attempted to attack her yet they all got sent back as the replica stood still in a single place.
Seconds later, the dummies got up and attempted to strike her in multiple places only to be denied as the dark aura shield protecting Kairi remained in place without it being dismissed. Fluttershy couldn’t help but stare in awe. Just how much darkness was in this girl…?
The same question was on the mind of Luna. Kairi’s performance was definitely worth supervising… if there was any hope of giving the red-haired child a chance in the world of Equestria, then this test was one she couldn’t afford to fail.
A minute or two later, the puppets had all disintegrated into dust as Kairi stood to attention and looked at Luna who had performed the deed. “How’d I do?”
“So far, you’re doing pretty well, hon. Now we’re going to combine your attack and defense together… you’ll be using the darkness as a power up in your attacks along with defending yourself. Think you can handle it?”
Kairi just gave a nod. “I think I’ll manage. What exactly do you want me to use in regards to darkness?”
Luna paused to think as she placed a finger on her chin. “Hmm… powering up your sword and using dark-typed spells. Maybe even cast a barrier that would protect you… to see how long it lasts.”
“Alright… shouldn’t be a problem.” Kairi assured her and prepared for the next part of the lesson.
Utilizing the powers of darkness, she surrounded herself with a dark-like shield just as more dummies began to spawn. Luna and Fluttershy watched her from the platform.
While the pinkette knew that Kairi wasn’t going to have any trouble in taking on the dummies, there still remained a worried expression on her face. Despite having met her not too long ago, the red-haired girl was already someone whom she considered a friend. If something happened to her, Fluttershy wasn’t sure how she would be able to handle it.
As for Luna, she was keeping a closer eye on the girl’s fighting and darkness capabilities. The red-haired teenager slashed another dummy in half with her sword before she launched a dark-styled fireball that was colored in dark purple and white at another of her opponents. Hmm, she was very quick and agile… although, there was always room for mistakes.
Another thing that popped on her mind was the small amount of darkness that the girl was currently using at her disposal. It would seem that young Fluttershy wasn’t exaggerating in her letter when she said that this child was afraid of fully utilizing her Darkness. She was playing it smart… good for her. At least there wasn’t going to be any sort of trouble for the foreseeable future.
Seconds later, Kairi had finished slashing the final dummy which disappeared. Luna and Fluttershy teleported back down and the latter went to check up on her.
“You okay?” Fluttershy asked and received a nod from Kairi.
Before the pinkette could say anything, Luna spoke in her stead. “The lesson is at an end. You performed well, young one. I’ve gotten all of the data I need from the fight but it will take some time to get it analyzed. Hopefully the analysis will help determine the darkness inside your heart. Maybe there is a way for you to live a normal existence without everybody fearing you and calling you a creature of darkness.”
Kairi was hoping that was the case. If there was a way for her to live without the darkness by her side, then she might have a chance at a normal life. All she could hope was wait and see if the princess had an idea on what to do next.
Muttering the words, Luna casted the spell on herself and the two girls before they teleported away from the arena which became silent once more. In a flash of light, they returned back to Fluttershy’s living room… only to be greeted with a shocking sight.
The entire living room had been turned upside down… the coach and bookcases were flipped completely, the carpets were rolled up, chairs were thrown at all locations, some were even broken. Fluttershy was in complete disbelief… her home… it was vandalized.
Then she ran upstairs to check the rest of the house. Luna had a worried expression on her face. Who could have vandalized the poor child’s home…? A thief or someone else…? The Night Princess couldn’t be sure.
Fluttershy then came back down and her face was one of despair and sadness. “My home… it’s all vandalized. My bedroom, my bathroom… everything!” She yelled and felt the tears leak.
Kairi was overcome by a wave of guilt and felt like this was her fault. She looked down and sighed sadly. “I feel like I should leave… it’s all because of me that this has happened.”
Fluttershy looked at her in surprise but then she shook her head. “No, no… this wasn’t your doing. It was someone else… you don’t have to blame yourself for any of this.”
“But… but…”
“AH-HA! I KNEW IT!!!” A voice spoke.
All three individuals turned to see… none other than Twilight Sparkle herself who was having an insane grin on her face and pointing her finger at the replica of Kairi.
“I knew it! DARKNESS! There she is! The one who is using the powers of darkness at her disposal! I have you!” Twilight Sparkle declared and cackled evilly.
Fluttershy and Luna were both shocked while Kairi was stunned… this was definitely bad. VERY BAD!
The Moon Princess moved in front of Kairi and shielded her before she turned to look at Twilight. “Twilight Sparkle. I ask you that you calm yourself and dismiss these delusional thoughts from your mind and hear us out.”
“NO! I finally found her and now I can finally take her down!” Twilight declared and cackled once more.
Fluttershy was speechless… what the hell was going on right now through Twilight’s mind!?