"There are two of them."

"So?"

"So, there are two of them and one of me."

"Again, so?"

The workshop was dark and silent. It was the middle of the night. An onlooker would never have noticed anything out of the ordinary.

"Your math skills are abysmal."

"My math skills are perfectly adequate. I fail to see how this is a problem."

"You fail to see how - two engines need two souls! I cannot occupy both of them!"

"Of course you can. It has been done before."

"That is beside the point! It is inhumane, to bind two beings together in such a way!"

"They are not human."

The two engines in question sat in the center of the workshop. They were brand new, fresh, black paint glistening in the moonlight that filtered in through the small windows. They were exactly alike in every way, right down to the last bolt; mixed traffic tender engines, each with six driving wheels, no trailing wheels, an open cab and the Caledonian Railway emblem painted on their tenders.

Their three digit numbers were the only things that differed them.

"They will think like humans, feel like humans!"

"They will be twins. Is that so wrong?"

"Of course not, but most twins, even identical twins, don't share a soul. Do you have any idea of the curse we'd be forcing upon them?"

"Curse? I think not. They will share a bond beyond any other they will ever come across. They will be best friends, even born soulmates. There is no greater gift."

"They will be inseparable in a way that will only bring pain!"

"You are wrong. They are engines, they will not face the same hardships and frailties as their human counterparts."

"They will face others! Engines are reliant on humans to care for them, they have little to no free will. They cannot choose where they will end up, whether they will be placed together or apart. If they are seperated, forced to live their lives on opposite sides of the country? What then?"

"You are overthinking this."

"I am not. What if one were to suffer a terrible wreck, from which he could not be saved? The other would be forced to go on, to live a half life, unable to be who he was before without the literal other half of his soul!"

"That will not happen. They will work together, double head. If one wrecks the other will too. They will be fine, together."

"You are being unrealistic!"

"So are you. This is something that has been done for eons, through all walks of life. There is no reason for it not to be done again now."

"No reason? The history of twin souls - split souls - is riddled with heartbreak, with needless misery and pain! I see no reason why we should continue to do it when we have the choice not to!"

"Ah."

"Excuse me?"

"The choice is not ours, it never has been. It is one that belongs to the higher powers and them alone."

"Then they are wrong. Careless and unempathetic. They should be ashamed of their decisions."

"Perhaps. Perhaps they have their reasons. Regardless, we cannot change it. Our duty is to obey, not defy."

"Cannot or will not?"

"Sentient beings need souls, which it is our job to supply. Without souls, the world will go to hell. You know that."

"These are not sentient beings, they are machines. They will have no life unless I occupy them."

"You are wrong. We are not in the business of bringing life to lifeless things. These engines have a magic running through their frames that allows them to come alive with the application of a soul. Left without one, that magic will fester inside them."

"What are you saying? Stop speaking in riddles."

"While they'll appear as ordinary non-sentient engines to everyone around them, they will still have the breath of primitive life the magic lends them. They will not see or hear or even think as such, but they will act. Without thought or reason or barest consideration of consequence. Is that what you want? Thoughtless beings running amok in the world?"

"Hardly. What I want is for these engines to have their own separate souls, as they deserve. I see no reason why that can't be."

"It can't be because it is not our choice for it to be. The higher ups have spoken. If you do not do this, then I will find someone else to take your place."

"I will not have you force this on anyone else."

"Then you'll do it?"

"I have no choice. You are right, it is our duty. But do not delude yourself, one day you will understand my view on this. You will know the pain I speak of and wish you'd acted differently."

". . .You've done this before, haven't you?"

". . .I have."

"And do you remember your past lives?"

"Not beyond the barest recollection of feelings."

"Then you have nothing to fear. You will not recall this life once it is over."

"Engines have the potential for very long lifespans."

"It will end eventually. Now, go on. The night is growing old."

". . .Fine."

o0o

In the silent, dark workshop, life was breathed into the twin engines. Two sets of eyes opened for the first time, a fraction of a second apart. As they did, they caught sight of the other. A connection was made and recognized. In that moment, they were innocent, aware only of the completion they felt at the sight of the other.

Later, when the twin engines left the workshop to start their lives on the railway, they drew the attention of everyone around them. This was not due to their appearance, however. They were plain engines in a plain livery who were half the time covered in grime from coal wagons and slate trucks, and though they were physically identical, twin engines were not uncommon. Instead, it was their mannerisms. They knew each others' feelings without speaking, could finish each others' thoughts without forewarning; and, thanks to the kind manager, they were always always together.

But they were young then, still with the bright-eyed naivety of new life.

They were not aware of what was to come.