Twin Souls

“How did you know my name?” I asked. He grinned. “Word gets around fast. It isn’t every day the other races see one of your kind walking around.”

I narrowed my eyes, “And what do you mean again?”

“Oh...I shouldn’t be surprised.” He walked back to the pile of books, neatly stacking them in a color code fashion. “It was hopeless anyways.”

“What are you talking about?” I followed him, helping him gather the books.

“Thank you,” He smiled, sighing deeply. “I guess it’s been a while. A few good years does that to you.” I was growing frustrated with his puzzles, but I found myself interested in his choice of words.

“You know Soul...A lot has happened since you left. The worlds gone to shit.” He said sadly. I cocked a brow.

“Great.”

“The Gardens are nothing but a wasteland of bones and dust. You can thank the ponies for that.” He grimaced. “You talked to her didn't you?”

I nodded slowly, “By her you mean…”

“Celestia, yes, she is mostly responsible for that.”

“I thought she was a holy immortal?”

He laughed, “Immortal? Nothing is immortal, Soul. Not even us.”

We finished sorting the books, which he thanked me for helping with. The books floated back to its original place upon the massively tall bookshelves. When the books were placed, he took a seat upon one of the little plush mattresses.

“That’s a story for another time though. Her sins have been forgiven at least.” He changed his gaze to Frozen.

“Go get the scroll, please.” Frozen nodded, heading away from our presence.

“A scroll?” I asked, curiously.

He nodded. “Yeah. Before you leave, I was going to teach you something first. You’ll most likely need it later.”

“What’s on the paper?” I asked. He shrugged.

“Don’t really know to be honest. You wrote it in some strange language a while back. You refused to teach me the language-Which by the way, will you ever do that?” He pleaded hungrily.

I smiled nervously, “Maybe some other time?”

His eager smile faded slightly, “I suppose so.” He noticed the scroll was before him, thanks kindly to Frozen. “Here it is. Go ahead and read it.”

I took the parchment from Frozen, opening it. Bah! It was plain English, how could they not understand it?

“This is in English, Arcane. How can you not read this? So much for the all-knowing gimmick.” I taunted, frowning.

He snatched the scroll from me and walked around the room, presumably in frustration. “That’s just the issue, Soul. This is English. Never, not even once in my long extensive life, have I ever come across any kind of language called English. How do you know this?” He glared at me, perhaps in jealousy. I chuckled.

“Random chance?” I offered, not much to the amusement of Arcane.

“Nothing is random,” He mumbled, “perhaps this is just another mystery for me to solve.”

Focusing my attention back on the scroll, I noticed it was a letter of some sort.

“Undoubtedly, there are only two of us that can read this.” I started aloud. “I know that by the time I am reading this, which is you, that everything will be different. If everything is as it had to be, everything we once were, is not any longer. If all is this way, then she must also be cleansed. Whatever you, or I call myself now, you must look for her. She is strong, but very weak. I exist, as she exists to stay together. Without her, the piece of the puzzle, all is lost. Soon I will go through it, and come back different. This difference is you, and she will suffer the same fate.” I read carefully, keeping each detail. The next few sentences caught my eye, so I read them silently. “Trust nothing, not even him.” My eyes floated to Arcane who was staring confusedly in return.

“Without a doubt, you have already been tricked by Void. I expected him to take advantage of this situation, but don’t worry. He is a fool. The truth behind his existence is that he is cursed to the afterlife. Betrayal and hatred guide his every movement. The story behind him is a bit too much to fit in this paper, so I’ll keep it short. Don’t listen to him, find a way to break free, and if you can, kill him. Together, he doesn't stand a chance, but alone, he will obliterate the world.

If you can, find Shadow. He’ll fill you in. Good luck to myself I guess.”

I folded the paper, and slipped it inside one of my pockets. I took a deep breath, and sighed.

“So you weren't kidding?” He said, clawing at the floor. He shook his head, “That idiot…”

“Hey! You’re talking to him you know!” I growled.

He glared at me, “If it’s true that you can’t remember anything, then I’ll be damned. I in fact know where she is, but the question is do you know her?”

“What even is she?”

“A human like you. I only remember you two though.” I froze.

There is another like me? I thought the professor stated I was the only one left? I have to find her!

“She was quite the beauty, still as young as you are, despite how much actual time has passed. Strong too, actually, she could completely kick your ass if I remember correctly.” He smiled, chuckling.

I sat down on the floor. “Arcane...What happened?”

He was silent for a few seconds before sighing. “Not sure...You told me you were going home after the war, and didn’t come back for another four hundred years.” Four hundred?! That’s insane right…?

“Which by the way, how did you two get separated?” He asked. I shook my head, frustrated. “I have no idea who she is or how we split ways. Everything before Ponyville is lost to me.”

Arcane sighed once again, trotting over to a gigantic window by the sides of the bookshelves. I soon joined him, gazing down at the small shack at the base of the mountain. “Truth is,” Arcane started. “I don’t really know myself. Look’s like we got a lot of stuff to do, wouldn't you say?”