//------------------------------//
// 20. Heart 
// Story: Locksmith 
// by QuartzScale 
//------------------------------//

	Fairy Godmother made her way deeper into the dream world where the heart of the matter resided. The heart immediately reacted to the intrusion and turned into a platform revealing the enemies he would fight in the near future. She carefully floated to the center of the platform and the platform instantly lit up revealing a pedestal with an orb floating on top of it over the large pony with the dark blue armor. As she looked around the area I floated in near her.

“I felt something weird happening. Didn’t think this would be happening so soon.”

“Sorry dearie but it is better that we handle this sooner rather than later. I’m wondering about this thing over here. What happened that you got this particular item?”

“Oh that thing. Back on the world I ended up I wound up fighting a figure known as Nightmare Moon. She was apparently a big deal there. After fighting off her heartless minion I destroyed the nightmarish entity that was possessing that pony. It was this weird shadow creature made of negative energy. The keyblade took care of it and during my times asleep I noticed this weird orb floating on this… representation of my heart I guess. I don’t think much of it right now.”

Godmother floated over and examined the pedestal letting magic course through her wand. The orb didn’t react but the darkness all around did. I immediately stepped in front of her just as it formed to attack her. It instantly stopped and I stared it back into the shadows of my heart.

“I see… I think I understand now. You are resistant to darkness because you are facing physical manifestations of darkness. This particular orb seems to radiate envy. Envy is one of the lightest darknesses out there in the world. But it can always overwhelm sensibilities. I don’t know what this orb is doing for you but your darkness is stable for some reason.”

“I’m not sure on my side either. I just know it’s here.”

Godmother returned to the center and stared down at the other figures on the platform. I didn’t know what else to say about it. She pointed at the first one where the orb was.

“This one?”

“Nightmare Moon. She tried to turn a world to eternal night so the sun would never rise again. I think it was a possession thing but I’m not sure.”

“Was it a demon?”

“I really don’t know. The thing seemed to be made from nightmares taking form as far I can tell.”

She floated over to the chimeric overlord I now knew as Discord. The memories I received on the inner workings of this world were at least very thorough. I flew over and landed near the pedestal. She casted another spell examining the intricacies of what was going on in my heart before heading back to the center. 

“Can you explain them all?”

“Probably. I know their names and what they could possibly do but I don’t know if they are going to do it.”

“Go ahead and tell me about them. Yen Sid is on his way in to discuss things with you.”

“Right… Well the one you were at was named Discord. He is the Spirit of Disharmony or something like that. He’s a chaotic being and has access to chaos magic of some sort. The one below him is Chrysalis, the Changeling Queen. She’s a shapeshifter and feeds on emotions… somehow. The one next to Nightmare Moon is known as King Sombra, I think he’s a tyrant made of shadows or something like that. Below him is a centaur known as Tirek. He’s a conqueror of some sorts and is looking to control Equestria. Below him is the unicorn Starlight Glimmer. I think she will meddle with the aspects of time. I think there are more but I’m not sure about it.”

“How do you know about this?”

“I… I guess I was told by prophetic dreams you could say. Also they appeared the first time I was here in my heart.”

Godmother stared at me seemingly lost in contemplation. I shifted around and I finally noticed something. Anytime I was nervous or anxious my wings instinctively move in an attempt to fly me out of the area. It seems I’ve at least figured something out about myself… I wonder if this tic is the reason mares stare at me whenever I passed by. While I was idly reminiscing there was a burst of magic and Yen Sid stood next to Fairy Godmother.

“Hello there.”

“I see you already wound up here. It seems your heart is an exception towards a lot of others. Most of the times darkness would overwhelm anyone with it in their hearts. Strangely, this isn’t the case for yours. It is mostly dark but you still have a strong core of light within you. It’s not balanced but it’s not overwhelming you. I’ve only seen one other person like this… For now I can safely say you are indeed my apprentice Gray. Under my tutelage you should one day become a master. Though for now I think it is best if I have you grow through experience. Return back to your home… Equestria was it?”

“Yes Master Yen Sid.”

“Not too formal now. I haven’t been a master for many years now. Before you leave though I wish for you to meet three more members of this Tower. They are waiting for you in the foyer. They have something they wish to give to you.”

I nodded and they left the sanctity of my heart. I pulled off the Nightmare orb I received so long ago and gazed deeply into it. I saw nothing but nightmares. Nightmares that would reach out for me only to slink back to the darkness frustrated whenever I resisted their voices. Honestly it just didn’t appeal to me. It probably was the apathy speaking at that point and the honeyed words couldn’t break the cynicism that built up through the years. I replaced it on the pedestal and kept wandering around my heart. 

The maelstrom of darkness around my heart was eerily calm, serene even. The light that made up my core was brightly shining even in the darkest of conditions. At that point all I could do was dwell on what was lost. Regrets were had, mistakes were made, and futures were changed beyond anything I could have ever imagined. The bonds I once had had fizzled out so long ago but even now the inkling of new bonds were forming. Perhaps I should be more forward when dealing with the girls I’ve now met in my life. The only problem is dealing with what I am… Tell them I used to be something else… or just keep it to bare minimums. Words could be twisted to change how it goes. I could go the reincarnation avenue as well. The truth is so strange not even I could comprehend how to make it make sense. 

“No need to overthink things. We will cross the bridge when we get there… hopefully I won’t be burning it as well.”

I left my heart behind and returned to my dreamscape. There were a few new thoughts to go over for when I return to Equestria. Too many plans in my mind and little ways to handle it well enough. 

“Well I’ll cross that bridge when I get there.”

It took another three hours for me to wake up. I was still feeling the effects of the battle royale training I had. I was now more wary than I enjoyed being. I stepped out into the main room where Yen Sid sat at his desk pouring over one of the books he had pulled out. Neither Merlin or Fairy Godmother were there. I was about to ask when he pointed at another of the doors. He then went back to his book and I closed my mouth. It seemed like this was important so I trotted over to the door and entered the next room. There were three women inside seemingly fussing over this strange pauldron with an onyx stone embedded in the center. 

“Um… Hello?”

“Ah there’s the new keyblade wielder. Welcome Gray. We are The Three Good Fairies. I am Flora.”

“Fauna.”

“Merryweather.”

“We have been expecting you. It’s taken a bit of time and the measurements that Fairy Godmother took but we have finally finished crafting something for you. It’s not fully set but it should provide you ample protection should you require it,”

I looked over the pauldron and tried to remember what it was exactly. I only had memories about this from the Dream Realm. This was… the armor attachments worn by the three protagonists in Birth by Sleep. Flora, the red fairy, assisted in putting it on me. It was tight but not constricting and let me still move my hoof without too much trouble. I was a little overwhelmed at this point. There were too many nice things going on at this point and I didn’t know why. I had always been suspicious whenever I got something for no reason. 

That suspicion kept me alive more often than not. Once long ago, I received a mysterious package out of nowhere. Instead of opening it I left it in my office and wandered off somewhere else. A huge explosion came from that same office which I later found out was a warning from one of the perps who I had a case file on. Gifts could just as easily become traps. 

“Why are you doing all this?”

“What kind of question is that?”

“Now Merryweather… Let me handle this.”

Fauna took me aside while Flora and Merryweather seemed concerned about my tone. Something too good to be true. I knew these were good people based on what I remember but… Christ this was hard. The other three I needed help because I was desperate. This on the other hand, hoof, whatever was a bit too much. 

“Now Gray I know this seems like a lot but you are helping us more than we are helping you. We have seen many worlds wracked with devastation beyond even our comprehension. We know you don’t give trust easily. We know you fake a lot of your emotions from all the conversations you’ve had with the others. It’s time for you to take a few steps back to what you once were. It’s hard to open up again but from what I can tell you are working to fixing that already. This armor we are giving you will keep you safe and them safer. As long as you wield a keyblade you will be hunted down by the darkness regardless of how your heart is. You must protect it and them now.”

I mumbled out an understanding… I think. It was a lot to take in. Was I as easy to read as an open book? I guessed to mages of such magnitude I was easy to read. I have to try now and get better at… interactions or relationships. 

“Thanks… I’ll try to get better about this. It’s just hard…”

“No worries. We all have chains locked to our regrets.”

I nodded. I knew what regrets I had and what could possibly come from it. While I was still getting a stern glare from Merryweather she did seem more concerned about my mental state if her patting me on the head meant anything. Flora explained more about the armor piece and what the jewel on it did. From what Fairy Godmother told them the orb I received would react with the jewel when the right trigger is found to activate it. While it would be a long time before I could activate it I could still use the armor function. I tapped the jewel and suddenly I was engulfed in light.

As the light dimmed I stood in the center fully enveloped in armor. It was actually onyx as well almost jewel like in nature but felt like steel. I looked in the mirror nearby and noticed that every part of my body was covered in armor. When I lifted my wings I noticed that even they were covered slightly in a thinner metal while the edges had been sharpened to a razor’s edge. The membrane of my wings were held in a tiny magical field which made my wings appear as dark as the rest of my armor. Several parts of the trim had a midnight blue trim. I looked more like a dark knight than anything. Then the armor faded and I was back to my regular body.

“Uh… what happened?”

“Hm… Looks like it needs more ambient magic. Give us another hour to work on it and we’ll figure something out before you go.”

I placed the armor pauldron back on the table and left the room. I decided to discuss with Yen Sid more about the world in question. I needed a better frame of reference… also some training keyblades in case I ever needed to knight someone. I also decided to send a letter to those mares in question. Might as well finish this up.


Meanwhile…

Vinyl stood next to her friend Spitfire as they entered her shared home. What she didn’t expect was the arguing already going on inside. On one side of the room stood Raindrops and Redheart angrily discussing things that seemed trivial until she heard what the subject was about. On the other half was Octavia with another unicorn wearing a green hat and red smock. They were actually just watching the sparks fly when Octavia noticed Vinyl… with Spitfire.

“Uh… Vinyl. Why is there a Wonderbolt in our living room?”

“Oh well… She wants in too.”

Raindrops and Redheart immediately stopped arguing and turned to face Vinyl. Octavia kept a straight face throughout the whole thing until she facehoofed. Vinyl started laughing throughout the entire thing.

“Vinyl! This isn’t funny!” Octavia groaned.

“Are you kidding me. It’s hilarious!”

Her laughing was finally stopped when Spitfire covered her muzzle. She took a step forward and presented herself with all the dignity of a Wonderbolt. The words out of her mouth didn’t match the poise.

“So... where is this stallion you spoke so highly about? If he really is up to snuff I wanna meet him already.”

“He’s not here right now. He had to go back to talk to his master about his training.” Vinyl explained.

“Training? What kind of training?” The chorus of Redheart, Spitfire, and Fresh Coat came out.

“Well Spitfire, it’s… well it’s… Look, we don’t really know what he had to do. All we know is that he fights monsters. He didn’t tell us what kind of monsters because he was sworn to secrecy.” Vinyl sputtered out.

“Doesn’t that seem weird Vinyl? Wouldn’t he be working for the princesses then?” Spitfire pointed out.

“I don’t think so. He made it clear that he wasn’t working as a guard or under the princesses.” Octavia informed them all.

“Octavia and I found him after one of his missions covered in blood and almost dead. Right Redheart?” Vinyl focused on Redheart.

“Yeah, he was a mess. The magic in his system was breaking his body down. From what we could tell he looked like he had never been healed by magic in his entire life. We wanted to keep him from leaving for observation but he was insistent on keeping a promise. Dr. Horse said he nearly invoked a Pinkie Promise.”

All but Spitfire and Fresh Coat shuddered at the bullet that was dodged. Neither of the two wanted to know at that moment so Fresh Coat took the initiative. 

“So we can meet him soon though right?”

“Why do you all want to meet him though?” Vinyl asked while ignoring pointing her hoof at Spitfire because she already heard all about it when they had gotten back to the hotel room. Alcoholic confessions do nothing for actual sleep.

“I’m curious and interested.” Fresh Coat answered plainly.

“He was easy on the eyes and also curiosity.” Redheart looked away blushing slightly.

“If he’s tough enough I want to join in.” Spitfire forcefully spoke standing proudly while Octavia and Raindrops stared unamusedly at the three. Vinyl facehoofed this time.

“Vinyl how did you get Spitfire to agree… and here.”

“Well Octavia I got flown first class by an overeager Wonderbolt who couldn’t wait to meet somepony new. How did this unicorn-”

“Fresh Coat.”

“Sorry, How did Fresh Coat come to learn about this?”

“I was worried and accidentally spilled my guts to the first pony who would listen.” Octavia hung her head slightly sad.

“And Raindrops?”

“When I was sick she expressed interest and I was manipulated into this.”

“I didn’t manipulate you. I just asked and you agreed.”

“See. Manipulated.” Raindrops held a grim frown on her face.

All ponies around sighed and looked at one another unsure what to do. Said stallion was somewhere far away and it would be a long time until he would get back. Applebucking season was almost over in fact. A few days had already passed since the Baked Bads Bonanza and the only major event had been a stampede of frightened bunnies. Before anyone could say anything something fluttered down from the ceiling and landed on the floor before all of them.

Spitfire immediately looked around for any sign of forced entry while Fresh Coat and Vinyl lit up their horns looking for any sign of forced entry. Raindrops, Redheart, and Octavia cautiously approached the letter. When Octavia saw who it was from she calmed down significantly.

“Oh… It’s just from him.”

That revelation got the new girl’s attention. The biggest question hanging in the air was… how? Pushing their worries aside they listened to Octavia recite the letter.

Hello there, So it’s been a bit huh? I’ve finished my course. Never underestimate magical means of training. It was horrifying. Anyways I’ve pretty much finished up here and will probably be back tomorrow or day after. I look forward to speaking with each of you again. I’m gonna talk to my master about how much I can discuss with all of you later. See ya soon.
Signed, Nebula Gray.

“Well… looks like he’ll be back soon then. I’m sticking around to meet with him then!” Spitfire exclaimed.

“I’ll stick around too. I wanna meet this stallion.” Fresh Coat uttered out.

“I will as well.” Redheart slipped in.

“Ugh… fine. I’ll set up the guest room. Two ponies will have to take the couch.” Octavia grunted in annoyance.

“I could just fly home for the night Octavia.” Octavia grabbed Raindrops pulling her closer.

“And let these mares try to seduce him first. I think not.” Vinyl moved in and pulled Octavia to the side leaving a very flustered Raindrops behind.

“I’d thought you’d be angrier.”

“I was until I realized that we each bucked up. So I can’t be angry out of mistakes that happened. Though knowing you, you probably did it on purpose.”

“Psh… no I didn’t.”

Octavia gave her a flat glare and Vinyl wilted under her gaze. She knew Vinyl did it on purpose but said nothing else. At the very least he would be coming back soon. Then they could discuss the clusterfuck of a situation that came about because curiosity struck at the mares they spoke to.


I had just finished my conversation with Master Yen Sid. It seems he did keep special training blades for special occasions. When I asked about it he decided to give me a small supply of them. I had fifteen after that conversation. I also learned about the initiation to allow others to acquire a keyblade and the process of weapons turning into keyblades due to the strength of one’s heart. It seemed like emotions were the big factor of the process and would occur when one accepted themselves in their entirety. It seemed to be very involved and take a matter of time. He also showed me the process of putting light into the training blades. He performed the action because I still didn’t have a decent idea on how to perform said process. Once all of them were completed Merlin returned.

We discussed trivial matter about the status of my heart and he also changed the structure of my saddlebags making them nigh indestructible. He also placed an enchantment on them to act like his bag, shrinking down components and bringing what I need to the forefront whenever I required it using nothing but my own thoughts. He also spoke about equipping a special gummi piece to my ship.

“I call it the Warp-G Deluxe piece.”

“So… I can warp to places I’ve been to before?”

“In a sense yes. They also perform one more special function as well.”

“What’s that?”

“It breaks the instance of time for a split moment bringing you back to nearly the same time you left. It’s very experimental and there is only one in this entire universe but since you are going to be flying around anyways I might as well get some data out of this.”

“Gee… Thanks.”

“Now don’t worry my boy. I have personally used it myself so I’m not letting you go into this without making sure it is safe. I have only used it on smaller Gummi Ships and your ship I have taken the precaution of enhancing in my own way so you can have a living quarters on it as well. I don’t think we need to tell you about the necessity of keeping most of the things out in the universe secret. In your own words others must gain trust before we can trust them.”

I winced. It was something I would say and would follow almost to the letter. It also dictated what I would be doing to discuss with Octavia, Vinyl, and Raindrops. Still… I was at least prepared for any eventuality. Should they ever find out I could at least give them a way to help out. Equestria as a whole was engulfed in light almost like the Disney Castle world. I was certain there might be a Cornerstone of Light somewhere on that world.

“Is this a fine compromise Gray?”

“Yeah… Yeah it is Merlin.”

A quick smile and a hand to hoof shake finished our interactions. My saddlebags didn’t even feel heavy even though I was holding so many items. After the fight with the Heartless in the pseudo-World of Darkness I found an assortment of synthesis items. Most of the Shadows actually dropped dark shards and lucid shards. I had a small pile of each. The Darkballs got me very small pile of Lucid Crystals, only eight in total. Through the alignment of the gods or some such thing, one of the Invisibles actually dropped an Orihalcum. I was besides myself in wonder at that. The Neoshadows were weird and dropped something I came to find out as a Stormy Stone. It looked like someone took the wind and froze it into a crystal. Regardless I made my way back to the Three Good Fairies and watched their antics.

“Did you figure out the problem?”

“Yes… It’s a strange one though.”

“What is it?”

“Well your body had weird effects when under magic. We have had to readjust it so it would work on your world under that particular train of magic. It would have to be there to charge up.”

“That’s really weird…”

“I know it is but it’s the best we can do under these circumstances.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well… Merryweather and Fauna have both been discussing how something has been playing games with darkness out on other worlds. We’re unsure what it is but it seems to grow stronger with each world that falls to corruption. It’s slow and methodical. We’re unsure what it is.”

“I see… I’ll keep an eye out then.”

“You’d die.”

Merryweather stood in front of me making me back down… I didn’t.

“I’m too stubborn to die. Besides I wouldn’t fight fair in the first place. I’d rather no one else have to die.”

The three fairies contemplated my response and sighed. I was a stubborn person when I was human. I was still a stubborn pony as I am now. Besides… this gave me direction, a reason to keep trying. I needed something to work towards that could keep me constantly moving forward to face the day.

“Fine Gray. You must promise to stay alive. Heroics are fine but you shouldn’t throw your life away got it.”

“Yeah I get it. I’ll be careful then,”

I placed the pauldron back on my body and headed out of the tower walking back down the long corridor. As I exited the front door to the courtyard I saw Yen Sid waiting for me. He seemed lost in thought once again and I regarded him carefully. In his hand was a small red gem of some sort. I trotted up to him and waited for him to speak first.

“It was a short time but I’m glad we have met Gray. You must work hard and take steps to become a Keyblade Master. Grow your bonds and restore your hope. Before you head off I must give you this. This will allow you a little edge in conversing with some esteemed colleagues.”

“What is it?”

“It is a direct line to the Moogle Control Center, or Mognet Central. The hub for acquiring all the accoutrements of an adventurer. They will assist you on getting more items should the need ever arise. Remember that they deal in Munny and any on world currency would not work for them.”

“Thanks… Look, I’m glad for all this help. I just wanted to let you know I do appreciate all this even if my expression doesn’t show it. I’m lucky to have met all of you and gotten all the help you have offered.”

“You are welcome Gray. Do not be a stranger and drop by should you ever need guidance. When I feel you are ready I shall summon you for important matters.”

I merely nodded chuckling a bit as I put the gem into my saddle bags. He walked with me all the way to the ship in a calm silence. I smiled as I took my first steps onto the ship. I was… content at this point. I had a path to walk and ways to deal with it. There were still mysteries to look over but for now I needed to focus on my next destination… Equestria. I turned on the ship while Yen Sid walked back to his tower and I was instantly in space. I looked over the changes to the ship and marveled at how expansive the place was. If I didn’t know any better it was bigger on the inside now. I looked over the console and found the new option of the Warp G system. I clicked on the screen activating it only to be flung back to a seat as the ship warped off for Equestria. 

When I finally peeled myself off the chair I looked out of the cockpit window and saw Equestria below me. It was finally time to make a life for myself.



Inventory
Potion x3
Ether x1
Lucid Shard x25
Dark Shard x31
Mythril Shard x1
Nightmare Shard x1
Stormy Stone x5
Lucid Crystal x8
Bits x129
Munny x 3745