Friendship and Keys

Sora sighed, and rubbed his eyes. So much reading, so little time.

"So... Darling..." Rarity said gently, sitting near him. Sora is like, 90% sure that this Library is abandoned. Like, there was dust on the counter, and on almost every book. "Can... Can you explain what you meant by your corpse and memories being female, but you being male?"

"Ah, right. Well... That was sorta a lie? My memories were turned into a physical manifestation because they wanted my power, and half of my body had control over memories herself. While my other half of my body, Roxas, was male, and was... My anger." Sora looked down. "I have a lot of that."

"... Anger? darling, I'd have asssumed you were sunshine and rainbows, if not a little more like Fluttershy, than Pinkie." Rarity said gently. "But, why do you have... Uh, three others, that came from you, but are also not you?"

"..." Sora just rubbed the scar over his heart. "It's... It's complicated, and relies on theories more than facts." He explained.

"Ah, so... Not a simple 'It's a long story', but a full blown, 'It's needing a full explanation, and I don't even know', hmm?" Rarity asked gently.

"Exactly... It's... I don't even have all the facts. It's a... A really, really long story." Sora sighed. "Enough for thirteen video games, or a series of thirty books."

"What's a video game?" Rarity asked. "And why do I suddenly dread you meeting Pinkie?"

"Doesn't matter. Anyway... Oh, here we are... Urgh, Filly Jargon." Sora groaned. "It's just got a bunch of things that parents would have taught when the Unicorn, Earth or Pegasus ponies are young... Like, foal kind of young." Sora said at Rarity's confused look. "

"Oh, like when I taught Sweetie Belle how to... Ah, I see. And you haven't been taught that." Rarity nodded.

"Nope. I learned Battle Magic first." Sora grinned. "Fire was my first."

"Fire...?" Rarity asked. "Most fire spells are... Peaceful." She said, confused.

Sora grinned, and sent a fireball at a candle, giggling as it lit, despite the size of it.

"... Oh." Rarity blinked. "How odd. Most Fire Magic is... Calmer." She said, gently lighting another, "or by making use of what's already there." She made the flame burn bright and harsh.

"Eh, it was eaasy for me to learn. Apparently I'm a magic Protégé." Sora looked over another book.

"... Hey, Sora... You really are a colt, aren't you?" Rarity asked gently.

"Yeah... I am." Sora nodded. "... I know I'm like this... And there's a reason, but..."

"No, no... I'm sorry. I'm truly sorry. I thought you were a filly, and... And that was wrong of me. Gender might not be as important for some ponies... But I understand it means something for you." Rarity said, looking sorry.

"It's fine, really, Rarity. It's fine." Sora sighed. "It's... I mean, my body... Uh..." Sora curled up a little.

Rarity stared at him, before handing a book to him. "This might be a little more... Helpful." It was a History and Myth book. Soar grinned. He did love learning.

Rarity shivered, when Sora was saying it was fine. He started to say something about his Body... And remembered he said that he had died around three or four times...

"Sora?" She asked.

"Mhm?"

"... Have... How... How did you come back to life?" Sora blinked, and put all the books down.

"... Long, long story... And needing to explain a lot... Uh... Ok, so uh... There are four types of beings..." Sora started, with a focused look. He grabbed a chalk board, and some chalk. "I should... Show you the symbols."

Rarity nodded, kind of worried for the colt now. "Go on..."

He drew a odd looking cartoonish heart, with a cross on the main part. "This, is the Symbol of the Heartless." Sora explained. "They're what's left, when a Heart has been overtaken by darkness... Or hurt."

"Hurt?" Rarity asked. "I assume this is more metaphysical than the literal beating heart of a pony... So... Do you mean... Like, the soul? How does that get hurt?"

"... A friend of mine... He had his heart... It was almost shattered. A large chunk was missing... I had just been born, and I reached out... And healed it. I gave him a part of my light. And uh... Lost, part of my light. It was filled with the ambient darkness that flowed from the wo- island, I was on... There was a little shortcut to the Realm of Darkness." Sora shivered. "And later on, when I was four... His heart was actually shattered, and I took it, to heal it."

"So, you took in some darkness, that would have flown into other ponies?" Rarity asked gently.

"Yeah... I... I took all that I could." Sora laughed. "I've been more Heartless, than Hu- Pony, since I was born." Sora said bitterly.

"Wait... Why is being a Heartless a bad thing? It sounds like you're able to heal Hearts..." Rarity said confused. Was she wrong about that?

"Eh... I don't know why they were originally made, but... No. They take Hearts, to make more Heartless." Sora said bitter. "Leaving behind, either nothing... Or a Corpse. A Nobody."

"... I'm so-" Sora made an upside down heart, that was spikey at the top. "My word. It's the opposite, isn't it?"

"Yeppers." Sora sighed, curling up more. Rarity couldn't help but think of a little kitten. "The Nobody is left, after the Heart is gone... Most of the time. There are less Nobodies than Heartless." Sora shivered. "The Nobodies... They feel wrong. They look wrong... They're not normal. At least Heartless have structure, physical mass, a reason for their forms and movement... Nobodies are more rubber, than body."

Rarity felt ill. And she's only hearing of these things, not... Not seeing them. Goddess Celestia... "I... I am suddenly glad, you're not drawing them." She said, feeling queasy.

"Trust me. Try fighting one." Sora shivered. "And I'm able to use a long ranged weapon, or magic, instead of getting close."

Rarity shivered. Sounds horrid. "And the other two, you mentioned?"

"Ah, right. Dream Eaters. They're... Fragments of Hearts." Sora said. "One that were hurt so badly, they had to go to sleep, or move on... They exist in Dreams, and Sleeping Worlds." Sora laughed. "They're mostly friendly... If they're a Spirit... Nightmares, are more... Violent."

"Ah." Rarity blinked. "I... I am not going to touch on that... Because that sounds... Uh... Creepy." She said, looking away.

"They're actually kinda cute. Like animals, and pets." Sora explained with a small smile. "I love Necho Cat." Sora said, smiling adorably.

"I... Sounds... Nice?" Rarity has to remember, Sora is a Colt. Not a Filly. "Alright... So they're friendly, for the most part?"

"Yeah, actually. Even Nightmares aren't that bad, as they're more trying to protect their hearts, and can be reasoned with." Sora said smiling. "... Unlike Heartless, Nobodies or Unversed."

"Unversed? What are those?" They sound... Odd?

"They're negativity personified." Sora shivered. "I... They're made by one person... But now, anyone can make them, with a bad enough feeling." Sora said, and shivered. "I would suggest, making sure you have a healthy release of bad emotions."

"Ah right... I better get home. I need to make Sweetie some tea." Rarity said gently.

"Alright. I'll just be reading for a while. See ya." Sora waved.

As Rarity stepped out the door of the Golden Oaks Library... She realised that Sora never actually explained how he came back to life, or even anything of his adventure.