Before we start this chapter, I have something to address. As you may have noticed, Silvana had two birthdays over the course of this fic yet she has remained sixteen the whole time. She stayed the same age as has everyone else.

This is no oversight, Silvana and Arle have been sixteen for years because the plot said so.

But now (for better or worse) there has been a glitch in the plot thanks to a certain twist (I can't say if it already happened or not, might be a delayed reaction). Not saying it's because it's groundbreaking, or amazing in any way. It just caused it, on a microscopic off-chance. A weak twist like the toast is burned could theoretically set it off. *Shrugs*

After this chapter, everyone will have advanced a year in age while everything else will stay the same for the time being. There is no time skip, characters just are a year older after this chapter all of the sudden. Personalities stay the same, give or take subtle maturing in the long run (god forbid) or character development.

Sorry for the inconvenience. This story will take itself seriously again in a moment. Please try to enjoy the chapter.

*Clears throat*

*Knock Knock* "Pizza delivery." Sil dropped everything she was doing to answer the door. Today's the day. What she didn't expect that day…

Was that Lemres actually had a pizza box on him. And it was still hot. Silvana was confused enough not to immediately pull Lemres to her living room. "What kind?"

"Gummy worms and wine gums."
"I'll pass."
"You sure?"

"I'm reminded of Sig's cooking." Sil lied. "I don't wanna die before you tell me what I need to do to habilitate. Speaking of which!" Sil grabbed Lemres by the wrist a dragged him to a couch of which she sat opposite to. She lifted her mask and looked at him with optimistic hope. "Please give it to me straight, Lemmy! Pretty please! I don't wanna die!"

"Heh… Ahem. I'm uh… How do I put this kindly?"

"Nooooooo…" Sil teared up.

"Nononono! You'll survive, I got multiple plans, two theoretical for now and one I've thoroughly researched that may work, and boy, was that some work. I just can't give you a watered version for the one likely to work."

"Ah… I forgot to make, tea."
"That's fine, I always have my own stuff on me."
"I need some… Can you eat up your Pizza in the meantime?" 'Looks so gross.'

*Prepared Tea and Arms later…*

"Okay, Lemmy. I've got Army." She gave her buddy a nervous squeeze.

Lemres found her endearing like this. "As I've said I have two theories. And one that will work but have to want it to work."

"Scientist theories, or just a theory theory?"
"Heh-heh. Surprised you know the difference. Officially a theory theories, I have yet to prove it. If none of these work or are all declined I will have to resort to unethical means. And I'd like to keep my job."

"As a businesswoman, I understand, Lem." She sat on the edge of her seat.

Lemres sipped some of the sugared tea.

"Let's begin with the two that might not work, but I wanna know your opinion."

"Tell me, Lem!"

"You need to travel the globe to find a Chaos Emerald. But it needs to be the purple one. That one presumably can cure you. And then travel some more to find some of the world's most accomplished geomancer and auramancers."

"I could do it. But I'm too attached to Primp, I love everyone here too much. To leave them alone with her for who knows how long, it be torture…"

"A fair assessment. My second theory is… Um… This verges on unethical, but would be more effective, technically."

"Bring it, Lem." Arms did a 'bring it' gesture.

"Okay, but you didn't hear it from me. We grab an amethyst pearl and power up a Doppelganger mirror-"

"WHAT!!"

"H-Hear me out, please. We nicely ask Akuma to make a mirror that makes Doppelgangers into Doppelgangers that would be in theory, works identically to the originals. But you're so far, you'll be a new person, yes, and you'd still hate Arle. But you'd be less troubled."

"Hmm… But it wo-"
"-n't be you and you need to die? Yeah, I figured. Your stories about that trip to Hell shot that right the Hell down. But there'd be one less sad you."

"Pass…"

"Thought you'd wanna hear it anyway. Now, before I'll tell what you'll need to do to dampen your instinctual wants, I need to explain something." Lemres reached out for his pockets, he dumped a bunch of wrapped taffy on Silvana's table. All Strawberry flavour.

"Okay, so taffy represents Amethyst Essence."
"Uh-huh."

Lemres unwrapped a few and stacked them up. "Let's pretend you can see the average lingering essence with sentience before it fades away to the underworld." Something only possible who're intune or have a lot of it concentrated. "Essence absorbs essence."

"Experienced that first hand, I have a lot of my fellow clones." Sil extracted some of it and drew a frowny face in it.

"True. That's why you represent this stack of taffy." Lemres pulled out a gumball. Machines use essence as fuel. "This represents any other essence, take your pick. Emerald, Saphire, Plain." Lemres pushed the ball against the stack, and then played with it as if it bounced off. "Exposed Amethyst essence can only be absorbed by Amethyst essence. But only partially."

"I knew that. What's your point?"

"I have reason to believe, having known you for as long as I have." Lemres pulled out a Lemon taffy and stacked it with the Strawberries.

"Hey! You just said Amethyst can't absorb any other kind essence."

Lemres clarified. "Taffy represents Amethyst. You are an amalgamation of many Doppelgangers of Arle, aren't you?"

"Uh, I suppose you could say that… I'm not really comfortable with that fact. It's not like I have their memories or anything."

"I figured as much. You've admitted as much that's a reason you've collected enough fragments of their essence, whether you knew it or not, to become more powerful and possibly to have come this far. This is where I started thinking." Lemres put Silvana's attention to the increased taffy stack, the pink parts.

"There's no way to prove it with Arles with of varying age groups. But I've observed enough. Look at the Lemon taffy sandwiched between the Strawberries."

'Where's this going?'

"Are they merged?"
"That sounds so rhetorical."
"Haha. Is it?"
"Eeeeeeeeeeeeh… Yeeeees?…" She looked the sticky stack once over. "Aaaand noo?"

Lemres snapped his fingers. "Correctamundo. A guess but correct non-the-less. They are merged, but you still take out the taste of the Lemon even if molded into a ball. You just gotta find it first. And like most clashing tastes, it spreads to other."

Silvana kept nodding. "Aaaand this means?"

"This Lemon is Amythyst essence's holding some traits from a Doppelganger not named Arle."
"Uuuh. Hm. Wait. No, not Feli. Huh? WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-

Chapter 50: In Essence, Am I?

-AAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?!" Silvana rubbed her ears from Amitie's yell.

"You figured it out did you? I figured. I had the same reaction…" Silvana became subdued, the cat's outta the bag. Time will tell how'll they'll handle it.

"So you're part Vibby?"

Silvana slowly nodded. "Eeyup. But the way I see it, I accidentally stole some of her positive personality traits that were dormant, I'm part you. I figured you should be the first I know. It's not the mask remover I was hoping for. That's for sure."

Amitie didn't know how to respond.

"And I've been thinking about it." Silvana clutched Arms tight. "And it makes so much sense to me… I've become a softy, I love being around others, I have smiles as doofy as your's underneath my mask. It explains the bursts of energy sometimes… My feelings on things change, I don't like it… I'm having a little identity crisis here…"

"You seem to be dealing with it well."

"Pfff. You should've seen me Yesterday in private… Who am I kidding, Lemres saw it. I had a fit… Your essence stirring inside me." Silvana put her hand her heart. She pulled some essence out of it and slung it around her finger. "Any nice-ities I've done, the improvements… They feel like they count for nothing… And I can't take it out, without knowing what's mine, or Vibby's." She crushed the essence with her hands. That's how it would look like to a second person. She simply absorbed it with frustration.

Amitie clasped Sil's hands. "Forgive me!"

The clown stared. "It's not your fault." He wriggled her hands free. "Who knows what kinda monster I would be without it this foreign essence influencing everything I do and molds me!... I'd be a goner."

"Oh, then it is my fault."
"Snrk. Sure is, Ammy. Aaaall your fault." *Wink*
"You're welcome! But you were on your way to becoming good when you moved in. I felt it. You wanted to apologize before this happened to you."
"Believe whatever you wanna believe, Am." 'Because I don't.' "I wish I was like this to begin with to spare my crisis."

"..."

"This is hardly my first, Ammy. Not even counting being Silvana. I… I… Uh. Well… Admittedly had a little fit discovering I was Bi, as well."

Amitie tilted her head. "There's nothing to ashamed of being Bi, Sil."

"Arle's asexual… I was asexual until Vibby's essence took place, any idea it is how confusing it is?"
"No."
"Suddenly I found myself attracted to boys and girls."

"Oh, s-sorry."

"Nononono! I should be thanking you for that at least, Sig's extra adorable now, and I do take comfort in knowing I can love, if superficially, feels nice. I do love me some eye-candy." The clown blushed, she can't believe she actually said it. "M-Makes me f-feel human."

Amitie blushed as well.

"Ammy?" Sil spoke softly.

"Yeah?"

"Ammy, have you noticed my personality changed over the course of the time you've known me?"

"Boy, did I ever?" Amitie recapped their early relationship, mostly Amitie's feelings on it.

"Oh! I forgot." *Sniff* "But it's true." Sil held Amitie. "Sorry for being a jerk. If those words mean anything."

"What do you mean?"
"I don't know if we would be friends right now if I didn't have your personality at least always influencing me. It feels like I don't have a choice. I'm so moldable. This is gonna make relapsing so much more painful knowing I'm not fully Arle. I feel like I have no agency in my own life, whether on instinct or otherwise."
"Get real! I'm sure you would've changed on your own."

"Does it keep you sane right now?"
"I have a split personality, Ammy. I'm by definition insane… (Not to mentio-.)"
"Want a hug?"
"…Yes."

*Onesided hug* And Silvana still clutched onto soft, soft Arms.

"C-Can I ask you personal questions, Ammy?"
"Sure, you're me."
"…" 'Be happy you didn't get her intelligence, Silvana. Or lack of skepticism for that matter.' "Do hugs calm you down, Ammy?"
"When I'm upset they do."
"…" 'It could just be a universal trait, it doesn't have to be the Amitie.'

"Thanks. I have a lot of questions that can't be answered, though… I'm not wholly Arle anymore… Say, it just occurred to me. Aren't you scared of me? I am part Vibby."

"You'd have killed me already if that was a problem. I'm not scared of you Sil, don't be silly."

'Wow.' "Ehmmmm…" *peck on cheek* her arms were tied up from the hug that just broke off.

The girls blushed.

"Eheheh~ Eh. So, what else did Lemres say?"

"Pffff. That my life is like a villain's story in one of Hohow's dumb comics."
"You just don't like the pictures, Sil."

"Well, he told me that I should embrace it if wanna be neutral on Arle and forget I'm a Doppelganger."
"That doesn't make sense. Vibby's a Doppelganger too."
"That part of her died with her, just not her bitterness. I took her peppiness…"

Silvana felt guilty for someone she didn't care for before…

"It certainly overrides my instinct, my happiest days I just don't worry about it."

*Hug* "You're welcome~"

"Thank you~ Sister."

"No prob…" Amitie jumped. "Did you call me, 'Sister'?" Christmas trees don't lit up compared to Amitie.

"Whoopsie, let it slip. Ididn'tmeantosaythataaaaaaah!" Silvana found herself to be so embarrassed. She let her arms flap rapidly. Her eyes were shut tight because of it. Her voice seemed to gain a slight increase in pitch.

"Hey! Is that your other personality, Sis?~" Amitie beamed.

"Ulp." Silvana suppressed it. "I feel so exposed..." She shrunk.

Amitie giggled, she held Sil's hands and locked eyes with Silvana. "Nice to meetcha, you probably know me already. But who're you, Sis?"

Silvana gained a wry smirk. "Hahahaahaaaaaaaaa! Ammy, please don't humanize it."

"Why not? She's a person too, Sil."
"No! It's only me."
"Sil, you don't have to hide Vibby from me."
'Vibby?'
"Don't be scared, Vibby."
"There isn't a second person in my head."
"Huh?"
"There's no Vibby. She's in hell, remember?"
"I think I'm confused?"
"That fit I threw was just me accidentally putting everything that's you in me at the horse's reigns."
"Oh…"
"I'm sorry. But please don't call that side of me Vibby again. I'm already fractured enough. I'm a Frankenstein of essences up here."

Sil giggled at her situation.

"So… How does it feel to Switch?"
"Like I'm a completely different person."
"But… It's not?"
"Yeah, no one up here who does whatever she feels like but me. Doesn't stop making it feel like brainwashing when described."

"What's the biggest difference?" Amitie asked playing with one of Sil's pigtails.

"Hard to say. I've been like this for a year… I haven't been purely me for so long… I like it, though. I feel more outgoingly social."

"Wicked! I'm happy for ya, Sis. You'll leave Arle alone like it's nothing."

"I hope. It's a small fraction of my mind. I have to put the effort into it. Lemres is still searching just in case."

"You'll be fine, Sis. I'll make sure of it." Said like a knight to her lady.

Silvana chuckled at her bestie. "Boy, you really wanna be sisters, huh?"

"Oh, Sil. You have no idea. I have wanted a sister since forever."

"Um… Are you sure, didn't have the… You know. Feelings for me?"
"I just wanted you close. Being your soul sister lets me do that. Arle'll technically be my sister. Plus it'll make Sig my brother-in-law, right, Sil?" *Smiley wink*
"We're not even a couple, yeeeeeet…"
"Get real, Sil, you guys so are… Anyway, please lemme just be your, Sis, Sis, please? Think about it. I bet you really want this too."
"…You're right."

Sil ungloved her hand and snapped her fingers. She found it easier to switch to her other persona this way. It's easier than just willing it.

Amitie witnessed the transition. Silvana sat up straight,, she'd just had a different aura around her (figuratively speaking). She seemed more happier and less cool.

"Fiddlesticks… I'm gonna be a lot more transparent to you…" Amitie fist pumped. "Okay, you win, Ammy. How about I officially adopt you into the Pierrot family (you get no nepotism, by the way)." Sil felt good about this.

Amitie gasped. "Yesyesyesyesyesyesyesyes! I'll make great-great-great granddaddy Pierrot even prouder."

"Heh. I'm sure he already is Ammy. Both of us, even, maybe…"

"We'll best the best of the best sisters! Serah and Claire! Maya and Mia! Lenna and Sarisa!"
"(I know literally none of those.)"
"Amitie and Silvibby!"

"Silvibby?" That just snapped Silvana's cynical personality right back. "Amitie. My name hasn't changed and it's not gonna change." Arms wagged his paw with Silvana's index finger sticking out.

"But it has."
"That doesn't count."
"Can I at least call you Silvibby? Oo, oo, 'Sil-Ammy'."
"Hurp. *cough* Call me Silammy again, Amitie, sure to be my dearest-soul-sister-soon-to-be-dearest-sister of mine, I will dock your pay."

"Wha? You meanie! What does your second personality think, Silammy? She gotta like it, right?"

"What do I think? When I channel you?" Amitie shyly nodded. *Snap* Silvana grew a big smile. "Well, now I think." The subtle high pitch came back. "5% off for starters!"

"Whaaaat?" Amitie felt betrayed.

"Ahahahahaaaa! Wooooo!" Silvana threw her arms and Arms around the younger clown. She stuck her tongue out in jest.

"Oh, phew, you're kidding, whadda relief."

"No, I'm not."

"S-Sis?"

"I hate that name and I think it sucks, and might actually dock your pay if you keep using it, ESPECIALLY in public. Capiche?" Silammy calmly explai- Dang it…

"Fun sucker." Amitie pouted.

"Say, Ammy."
"Yeah? How are you this childish?"
"Eh, it's a long story. Let's leave it at, I just am… Ha, Am. Am for now."

"Fuddy-duddy…" Sil felt embarrassed having said something like that. "I feel really young like this. It's embarrassing… Please tell me sometime, Ammy. This is a big hurdle, I can't go into public like this."

"You're gonna tell everyone?"

"I'm gonna tell everyone who needs to know. And anyone who asks. Having Vibby's essence more mangled with mine… Keeping my face and past a secret is enough. The less secrets to keep the better… Makes my life a bit easier, ya know. Even if it makes me look crazy if I don't stick with a personality. I'll be a schizo in public and that scares me." Sil subconsciously let her cheery personality falter again, it was difficult to upkeep.

"I see. No one can blame you, and no one shouldn't, Sis."
*Snap* *Giggle* "Plus. How'll we be sisters if I have to hide it, silly?"
"I hadn't thought of that!"
"That's because I'm the smart one~"
*Noises that begrudgingly agree*

'Okay, Sil. You haven't been yourself for a long time. You better get used to actually knowing it.'

"Who're you gonna tell now? Our parents? S-"
"(Your parents.)"
"Whazzat?"
"Your parents. It's awkward… C-Can we tell please tell Sig first?"


"Guys! I don't wanna do this!" Silvana was pushed forward against her by her soul sister and Sig. Pushed unwillingly to her death.

"Never know if you don't try, Sil."
"You gotta try, Sis."

The two whispered in the clown's ears.

Arle wasn't looking forward to this. Sig had briefed her on Sil's second personality. Beyond the promise of the Harlequin being nicer to her, the blue sorceress didn't know why she should care. If she didn't have anything better to do after delivering to her blocks, she might've politely not have humoured the blonde girl and the cyanette boy's plea.

"So…" Arle blew out air as she looked at her surroundings.

Sil had firmly snapped her finger. Her head was very Amitie. Still, she was frozen, scared of both Arle and possibly her delivery. She's sixteen, and she's about to embarrass herself by saying something childish. Her moment with Sig was bad enough even if he accepted her like always.

And now she has to interact with Arle by being concentrated on a personality that she wasn't even close to having been adjusted to.

The hatred was indeed muted looking at the person she could've been. 'I feel so wrong!'

"Please, Silvana. I don't have all day." Arle tapped her foot, nudging her head at her full delivery wagon with a broken off wheel.

Sig nudged and Amitie poked. "Uh… I'm. Like, sorry that I hate your dumb, stupid face! Bye!" Sil broke free and ran off for a glass of wine and just shut off.

Arle was embarrassed for her. "You weren't kidding, Amitie. She seems like how you would act if you were her."

"She'll get better." Amitie laughed on edge for her sister and Arle's concern. Sil's friends chased after her.

Author's Notes (Please read):
You see, it was never my intention to make Amitie love Sil, this was gonna be a little troublesome when this would happen. They're purely platonic now. Sil never really wanted it to begin with.

I've been building up to this moment since after Chapter 17. I've been hiding clues for ages, I've been quiet about this for just as long. How many of you have figured it out before?

It may've trivialized some character development. But I found it logical if Sil did absorb Copy Amitie's essence. She absorbed other Doppelganger Arle's essences, involuntary and unknowingly for a long time.

And plus, if Sil didn't absorb Vibita… I would've put it past me to have Sil commit suicide for many different reasons (for Sig's benefit for example) or succumb to her instinct and regress. This fic would've been shorter.

I'm sorry to all those who don't like this revelation, from now on Silvana will make a conscious effort to bring out the mostly passive Amitie personality out more. Meaning, while Sil had a merged version of Amitie and herself before with varying degrees of dominance without her knowing, she'll be a lot more happy-go-lucky Amitie while still being how we've known her since whenever the personality settled in. I've been affectionately been calling it "Amitie-Mode" or "Amitie-Mode Sil".

But don't expect me to point out what state of mind she's in from now on. That's for you to determine.

I encourage you guys to reread the story again if you want. I really did plan this out in the long term ever since I finished the Copy Amitie chapter.

Silvana's adopted family tree is screwed up.

Also, uh… One last thing. Article 13 passed, look it up if you haven't already. Due to that uh… This fic is possibly in danger. It'll be a little bit when it officially takes effect and even more when it's enforced.

Thanks for reading. The story won't be gone, it'll be uploaded on TheBlackKid's account. So there. I'll give them another polishing if that has to happen… Since on FanFiction at least, I can't attend to them as much.

I will still write the fic regardless, it might just become harder to share.

When the whole Article 13 debacle's over. If it passes or not on April 9 (I don't follow it, myself, they've been really sneaky with it). I'm gonna write a book regardless after it's over. It's a fiction book. I will still write fanfiction, I will still write SFCtC and other stuff. I'll just have less time for it.

You can find me on Tumblr, basically the only social media I use. It's .com. I'm not very chatty. But I will make the occasional update on this story's status.

In case Art13 lost completely: Good. The above paragraphs are gonna be a time capsule of how I felt.

In case Art13 ruins everything: Thank you guys for enjoying and reading it. I hope you keep reading if you didn't think it jumped the shark. I might just make the Google Docs public.

Thank you for enjoying the the ride regardless so far. I am not unapproachable, just a little crabby. Feel free to talk if you want.

I usually don't say 'please review/comment' because I don't wanna artificially get them like a YouTuber would. But in this case… Please review it. And I do mean review the series, your thoughts on the story, your favorite moments, the missteps, things you just don't like… It would do me good. I'm saving your reviews/comments in just case. They are important to me, just as important of my memory of the fic, as SFCtC itself. Please review.

Reminder: I will still work on this. But, not as often. This is not the true ending, it'd be more Sig-full if it was.

Finished on 28-03-2019. Released on 31-03-2019

Next up: Arle spies on Silvana.