[Amitwo, Doppelganger Amitie]

It was a late evening in the Life Sphere. Most folks had already gone to bed, but Amitwo had made the decision to remain after hours at school, forgetting the time. Street lights lit the path home for the most part, and Amitwo carelessly floated along the sidewalk on her way back to Busy Bee Lobby so that she could access the magical portrait leading to Peach's Castle. She hummed a little tune to break the silence, taking the edge off her silent discomfort with the darkness. As much as she knew nothing was hiding in it, a part of her non-existent brain couldn't help but be a little anxious.

...But there was something lurking in the darkness.

Amitwo slowed to a stop as a sudden sensation that she wasn't alone gripped her. She looked around with a start, but couldn't see anything. She tried to move, yet found that she no longer could. It felt as if a great weight was weighing down upon her legs, which slowly touched down on the pavement for the first time in what felt like ages. Was she... standing? Amitwo stared at her own two feet in confusion. She couldn't stand nor walk. She didn't have the weight to keep herself on the ground! Just then, her gaze snapped back up to a dark spot along the opposite side of the street. A pair of eyes glimmered in the darkness. “...Well what do we have here..? Come.”

Amitwo stepped forward. She took a deep, anxious breath. Her heat was beating a mile a minute. Wait... did she just breathe?! she didn't have a heart! And she couldn't walk! What was happening?! Suddenly, Amitwo felt alive and whole again. What should have been a miracle of joy however only terrified her, because in truth not one of these motions had been of her own volition. She was being controlled. “H-Help?? Help! Anyone?? Anyone please!!” she called out, overtly frightened.
“Hush.” the voice replied. And just like that, Amitwo could no longer raise her voice. She whimpered in fear as she stepped forth to meet her assaulter. A violet witch stood in the moonlight, gazing at her with predatory eyes. “Now how did you manage to escape the mirage..?” Dark Witch softly asked, brushing a hand across Amitwo's cheek. “A rogue spell, pretending to be free. How quaint.” she added. “P-Please... no... I don't want to die...” Amitwo softly begged. “...You were never alive. You're nothing but a puppet, and I am your hand. When I say step, you step. When I say give yourself to me, you throw yourself at my feet. And if I tell you to put on a smile and come back to the mirage with me, you'll thank me for showing you the way.” Dark Witch coldly replied. “N-No... no... I l-like my life... here... I want to exist...” Amitwo sputtered out, quietly sniveling in a hysterical fashion. “I decide what you want!” Dark Witch snappily corrected. “No! ...I just... I just want to...” Amitwo blurted out between sniffles and whimpers. She then stifled a scream as her expression twisted into a forced smile against her will. “...How are you resisting me?” Dark Witch asked in bewilderment. “...You don't have a soul. You have no will of your own. So how.” she demanded, furious at this revalation. Amitwo simply sobbed in response.

That was when Dark Witch noticed movement from the corner of her eye. Namely, a pair of street lights shutting off down the road.

[Dark Witch, Harbinger of Death]

Dark Witch paused to stare at the sudden power outage and then observed as the next lights toward her went out as well. Followed by the next. And the next. A terrible chill ran down her spine. Something was... moving toward her, hidden by a supernatural darkness that consumed the light as it passed. The temperature dropped rapidly, stinging at her exposed skin. As the darkness grew close, it dropped even further, to the point where it penetrated to the bone and it started to hurt to breathe. Dark Witch withered a bit in the extreme cold, clutching at her chest as her lungs burned with the fury of this being's presence. “...Master??” she asked in bewilderment, still holding Amitwo's face with one now trembling arm.

[Rider, Doppelganger Lidelle]

“ . . . Let her go.”

Rider stepped forward, the glow of her eyes penetrating the darkness. Abovehead, a streetlamp flickered and struggled to stay on in her presence. She was glaring coldly at Dark Witch, whom did a double take and sneered slightly in disgust. “...Who the hell are you?” she irritably asked. A long moment of silence passed. And then... Amitwo slapped Dark Witch's hand away from her. A moment later when Dark Witch's gaze snapped back to her in alarm, Amitwo slugged her hard in the face. Dark Witch was nearly thrown off her feet and staggered backward, a large and painful-looking bruise forming on her face. The injured witch pressed her broom to the ground and leaned upon it, using it to help keep her standing as a wave of dizziness and weakness overcame her.

“...How--?” she breathlessly blurted out. “I said let go.” Amitwo replied, mimicing the coldness of Rider's tone. Dark Witch paused to catch her breath and ponder what she'd just heard. That look on Amitwo's face. It was one of concern and confusion. It didn't match what she'd just done at all. She turned her gaze back to Rider. “...You... did that?” she asked in abject confusion. Rider silently stared at her in response. Dark Witch, with some strenuous effort, pulled herself back upright and stood straight. “...You know, they aren't going to accept you when they find out what you are.” she lightly chided. “...You think she has it bad. Just imagine the way people will look at you when they realize what you're doing to them.” Dark Witch continued, tilting her head slightly and flashing a rather empty smile. Rider flinched. “And the worst part is, you're going to bring everyone you care about down with you...” she added in a faux sweet tone. “N-No...” she whined. “You're a predator. Born of death. Made of shadow. What makes you think you can defy your nature? A cat that does not eat meat starves. A fish out of water suffocates. How do you think this is going to end..?” Dark Witch asked. At this, Rider started to cry. Amitwo was roughly yoinked through the air with a little yelp of surprise over to Rider, who promptly began to run away. Dark Witch walked after her with a bit of a limp. “...How do you think this is going to end?!” she called out.