Let the Odd Adventure Begin!by Copper ClockworkChaptersOdd NewsOdd BeginningsAn Odd ExchangeIntroductions are Very OddPotions? How OddOddly Happening at the Same TimeAn Odd ConditionInside an Odd MindOdd NewsCloudsdale Corner Sunday Addition Fictitious Tale or True Oddity? By: Shady Groves Three days ago in Cloudsdale General Hospital’s Maternity Ward a unicorn filly was born to two pegasi ponies. This, however uncommon, is not unheard of. A few facts make this case unique. First of all, the filly is supposedly able to walk on clouds. How this fact was discovered is not known. Secondly, through extensive research, it has been confirmed that nowhere in the recorded family tree of both parents does any type of pony other than pegasus appear. It’s possible that this is simply the result of an unfaithful spouse, though the mother denies ever being with another stallion. I, in my personal opinion, don’t believe we will ever know for sure. It has been suggested by multiple sources that the Princesses will be looking into this filly and the strange circumstances surrounding her birth. <><><><><><><><><><><><> Canterlot Query Questions About Cloudsdale’s Unicorn Finally Answered? By: Inkwell Most ponies have heard of the unicorn born in Cloudsdale a month ago and the questions surrounding her existence. The Princesses have filed an official case on the filly, now named Cloudwalker. They have asked the parents for permission to study their daughter. It is unknown if the parents have answered. On another, stranger note it seems the filly has already acquired a cutiemark. Cloudwalker now proudly sports the image of a hoof on a cloud. While it isn’t the most creative cutiemark ever, Cloudwalker now hold the title of the youngest pony ever in the recorded history of Equestria to receive her cutiemark. This filly seems to be defying everything once thought of as fact. I, for one, can’t wait to hear more news on this incredible foal. <><><><><><><><><><><><> National Equestrian News Special Report By: Princess Celestia and Princess Luna Three months ago a young filly named Cloudwalker was brought to our attention. Normally, we wouldn’t pay much attention to the claims being made but, at the encouragement of some influential ponies in Cloudsdale, an exception was made. Since this time, we have received permission from the parents of the foal to run noninvasive tests and have come to a conclusion. We found that Cloudwalker was indeed the daughter of the two ponies believed to her parents. She comes from a pure pegasus line and, in light of this information, we concluded magic was likely the cause of this filly odd circumstance. Though we cannot find the source of magic that caused this filly to be born as a unicorn instead of a pegasus, we have determined that amounts that do not occur normally would be required. We have also concluded that it is extremely unlikely that another case such as this would occur. To be on the save side though, pregnant mares are advised to steer clear of any large collections of magic. Cloudwalker is a healthy, relatively normal foal that should be treated as such. She and her family will continue to live in Cloudsdale until further notice. Should the need arise; they will be relocated to a more suitable location. In the years to come, Cloudwalker will likely return to Canterlot to have other tests run. Odd BeginningsThe sounds of the Everfree Forest echoed in Odd’s ears as she trotted back toward her home on the outskirts of Ponyville. The path she was walking on was overrun with wild flowers and other plants but Odd was still able to follow it without a problem. The Everfree Forest was like a second home to her. She spent most of her free time either there or in her parents’ shop. “Cloudwalker, wait up!” Someone called from behind her. “You forgot your saddlebag at our hut.” Odd turned around just as Zumma barreled her over. The two of them rolled off the path and into a muddy ditch. Odd pushed the zebra off of her before standing up. Her once royal blue coat was now soaked with the dirty water. “Two things; don’t call me Cloudwalker and you’re now back on my debtors list. By the way, thanks for the mud bath, now I won’t have to go to the spa.” Odd huffed, sarcastically. “Do you know how long it’s going to take me to get all of this out of my coat? My parents are going to kill me. I’m late as it is; you and your brother wouldn’t let me leave when I needed to.” “I’m sorry Clo… Odd.” Zumma said, picking himself up. He bent down and grabbed Odd’s saddlebag out of the mud. He climbed out of the ditch and dropped the saddlebag next to him. “It’s going to take me as long as it takes you, you know. I hope nothing important was in there.” Zumma held out a hoof to help Odd out of the ditch. She knocked it to the side and climbed out on her own. She ignored Zumma’s attempt at an apology. Picking up her soggy saddlebag and throwing it over her back, Odd continued toward Ponyville. “Come on Odd. What’s the rush? You’re never this eager to get home. You hate living in Ponyville. You’ve hating being there since you moved here; you spend as much time away from town as you possibly can.” Zumma said. He trotted alongside Odd, surprisingly able to keep pace with her. “There’s some big wig coming here from Canterlot. My parents are hoping whoever it is will stop by our shop.” Odd said. She increased her pace, trying to loose Zumma. “All I know is it’s some unicorn that will be staying at the library. My parents figure that sooner or later he or she will need some new books and stop by.” “Still can’t see why they’d want you there.” “My mom is convinced once I see a ‘true’ user of magic, I’ll want to learn. She just doesn’t understand. She probably won’t ever understand how I feel about any of this.” “Odd, stop.” Zumma said, slowing to a halt. Odd reluctantly stopped a few feet in front of Zumma but didn’t turn around. Tears pooled at the edge of her eyes. Emotions she normally kept buried deep in her subconscious came flooding forward. “Why don’t you come back to the hut? Zach and I will cover for you. You can stay as long as you like.” Zumma whispered. “You know we have the room for you to stay the night if you want. We’re always here for you.” “I’ll come and visit you guys later in the week.” Odd said, resuming her walking. “Thanks for the offer though.” Zumma shook his head as he watched his friend walked back to the town she despised. That filly always makes herself a martyr. She needs to let herself live a little. Zumma looked at his friend one more time before heading back toward his home in the Everfree Forest. An Odd ExchangeOdd stopped outside the small cottage she and her parents lived in. She sighed and wiped her hooves off on the front mat. Thankfully, Celestia and the pegasi had made the day warm and kept the skies clear. The mud on her coat had air dried during the short walk from the Everfree Forest and the dirt now fell off in small chunks. Odd tried to fish her key out of her saddlebag before remembering that her parents never locked the door. “Ponyville’s crime rate is less than existent. The day when somepony breaks into our home is the same day when the sun rises of its own accord.” Her mother always said. Pushing hard on the door, Odd stumbled into the front hall. Dozens of odds and ends littered the floor in various stages of repair. Will they never learn to clean up? It is always my job to clean up their messes. Isn’t it supposed to be the other way around? Odd pushed whatever was in her way off to the side. She made her way through the many piles of junk to the stairs. She climbed up two flights to the top floor and entered her room. Grabbing a mane brush from her dresser, Odd trotted to the door that led to her bathroom. Odd was pleased to see the mirrors hadn’t been replaced by her parents yet. Hopping into her bathtub, Odd began to bush the dirt out of her mane, tail, and coat. It took her a good half hour to get enough dirt off to feel even slightly clean. Knowing she needed to hurry, Odd didn’t bother to take a shower to get the rest of the dirt off. Dumping the contents of her ruined saddlebag out onto the floor, Odd picked through the muddy papers and trinkets. She took what couldn’t be saved and tossed it to the side; the things that could be saved where shoved into another saddlebag. Odd raced down the stairs and, after making sure to lock it, out the door. She cantered into town, keeping away from the busier shops and restaurants. It took her an extra five minutes to reach “Odds and Ends,” her parents’ junk store, but it was worth it. Odd wasn’t a very sociable pony, though she knew how to fake it, and hated to interact with anypony other than Zach and Zumma. Even her own parents got on her nerves. Odd slowed down as she reached the store. The store’s door was wide open, on account of the warm day, and she was able to see inside. A strange, purple unicorn with a shaggy, darker purple mane was shifting through the stacks of items inside. Odd knew the identity of everypony in Ponyville and this pony was not one of them. Putting on an indifferent face, Odd walked inside. She walked around like she was a customer, rummaging through the piles. Odd assumed this was the unicorn from Canterlot and if he was from Canterlot then he would no doubt know who she was. That made her wanted to get as much information on this pony before he learned of her true identity. Working her way toward where the unicorn was at, Odd bumped into him with her backside. He went tumbling to the floor and Odd went tumbling after him. They ended up in a tangled mess with Odd squished beneath the unicorn. “I am so sorry miss. Are you ok?” The unicorn said, picking himself up. He held out a hoof for Odd to grab. “You don’t need to be sorry, it wasn’t you fault. I was the one the barreled into you. I’m just glad that we didn’t fall into one of those deathtraps.” Odd replied. She resisted the urge to smack the hoof away and grabbed it instead. The unicorn hulled Odd to her hooves. “I’m Odd by the way. It was a pleasure to ‘bump’ into you.” “The name’s Dusk Shine and the pleasure was all mine.” The unicorn said, laughing. “Odd? That’s a very ‘odd’ name. Is it a nickname of some type?” “I suppose it’s a nickname; more a title really. I gave it to myself years ago. I’m relatively proud of it.” Odd laughed at Dusk Shine’s little joke. “Do you have a nickname?” “Yes, I do, Miss Odd. Most ponies call me Dusk. So if Odd isn’t your given name what is?” “Well, Mr. Dusk, I’m sad to say that it’s a secret. You’re not allowed to know what it is. Besides, Odd is a much nicer name than what my real name is.” A small bell rang in the background as the two ponies talked with one another. A door in the back of the store swung open and two pegasi stepped out; one a pastel green with a golden jewelry box for a cutiemark the other a blue-grey with a half-rusted wheel as a cutiemark. They went behind a counter and began to flip through some papers. Of course that was before they heard their daughter speaking with another pony. The two pegasi rushed to where Odd was. They both hid behind one of the piles and watched their daughter. Odd talking with another pony; this was such a rare occurrence that her parents felt they had to observe it. Odd, being as aware as she was, knew her mother and father were hiding and decided that she no longer wanted to humor them. “You two can stop hiding now. Frankly, it’s kind of creepy.” Odd yelled. “Come out and say hello to Dusk.” The green pegasus stepped out first, pulling the grey pegasus behind her. “Um… Well, hello there.” She said. “I’m Treasure Hunter and this is my husband Polished Steel. ‘Odds and Ends’ is our shop. It’s a pleasure to meet you Dusk.” Hunter nudged her husband, signaling it was his turn. “We’re sorry for hiding like that. It’s just that Cloudwalker hardly ever talks with anypony for more than a few seconds. We felt we needed to be part of that moment but we didn’t want you two to stop talking so we hid.” “So your name is Cloudwalker, huh?” Dusk said, giving Odd a small shove. “Not such a big secret after all. Now why does that sound familiar?” “No reason; no reason at all.” Odd stated, giving her dad a death stare. She had hoped her rouse would’ve lasted longer than this. Although, Dusk didn’t seem like he was able to place where he’d heard her name before. Smiling evilly on the inside, Odd began to push Dusk away from her flustered parents and to the front door. “It was nice to meet you two.” Dusk called over his shoulder. “I’ll defiantly be back with some bits to buy some of those old books. Keep them on hold please.” Once they had made it outside the store Dusk began to walk under his own power. Odd and Dusk trotted alongside each other through the center of town. Odd forced herself not to run to one of the less crowded streets and keep in step with Dusk. Though she tried to keep her unease hidden, Dusk seemed to pick up on it. “You don’t have to walk with me if you don’t want to.” Dusk said solemnly. “I understand if you’re embarrassed. I am the new pony in town.” “No, that’s not the problem. I like talking with you; you’re quite entertaining.” Odd said. She sidestepped to get out of the way of a small group of talking ponies. “I’m just not very fond of crowds. I’m more of a loner, that’s all.” “Oh, I totally get it. We can take a different route if you’d like.” Dusk said, nodding. “By the way, we’re going to the library. I’ll be staying there while I’m in Ponyville.” As if on cue, both Odd’s and Dusk’s stomachs rumbled at the same time. “I have a better idea.” Odd giggled. “There’s a good café on the next block, I have a few extra bits with me, and you’re new in town; why don’t I buy you lunch?” “That, my dear Odd, sounds like a wonderful idea.” Introductions are Very OddOdd dove into her clover salad as Dusk ate his daffodil and daisy sandwich. Odd had finished her salad before Dusk had managed to take more than two bites. She patted her mouth with a napkin and took a long swig of water before speaking again. “So Dusk, what brings you to Ponyville?” Odd questioned. “I know that it managed to make it on the map because of the Elements of Harmony but there are much bigger and better places to visit.” Duck finished chewing his sandwich before answering. “I’m here to study. The library here rivals the one in Canterlot. The Princess believed it was the best place for me to go once I turned 18.” “So you know the Princess. Which one?” “Both of them… Well I guess that I’m better acquainted with Princess Celestia. I was her student for a number of years. She told me I had learned all I could from her and sent me here.” “I didn’t know the Princess had taken on another student. Everypony knows she was heartbroken when Twilight Sparkle passed on.” “Miss Sparkle was truly the only pony the Princess ever loved. I’m just a filler for the void she left when she died.” Dusk huffed spitefully. “You know what Dusk; you look a lot like the drawings I’ve seen of Twilight. Are you related to her in anyway?” “In a way, I suppose.” Dusk shrugged. “You had your reason for not telling me your name and I have my reason for not explaining it any further. Now if you want to tell me why your name sounds so familiar I’ll then be obligated to tell you why I look like Miss Sparkle.” Odd weighed the options in her head. Coming to a conclusion, she shrugged her shoulders. She placed the correct amount of bits onto the table and trotted off toward the library. Dusk hastily shoved the rest of his sandwich into his mouth and trotted after her. <><><><><><><><><><><><> Dusk caught up to Odd as she reached the library. The large tree building had a number of windows and other platforms built into it. The library was a strange but effective. It stood out enough that most ponies would be able to find it. Even so, Dusk still relied heavily on Odd to find his way there. Once they made it to the library Dusk’s jaw hit the floor. He had never seen such a mismatched yet beautiful building. He couldn’t wait to get inside and study the library from there. Dusk walked up to the door and rapped on it gently. Odd shook her head. She shouldered her way passed him and shoved the door open. “No pony locks their door here. It takes a little getting used to it.” Odd informed Dusk. She held the door for him to walk through. “In fact, a lot of things here take some getting used to.” Dusk tried his best not to feel embarrassed but the color that flooded to his cheeks gave him away. He walked through the door into the dark room beyond. Odd followed him and slammed the door behind them. Some of the books on the higher shelves tumbled to the ground. The bangs each of them made echoed and bounced off the walls. Odd cringed. This was not going to end well. “Who slammed the door?!” A booming voice asked. Because of the acoustics of the library, it was impossible to pinpoint where the voice was coming from. “How many times do I have to tell everypony that it destroys the bindings when those books hit the floor?” Dusk cowered behind Odd who just rolled her eyes and went to pick up the books that had fallen. She gave each book to Dusk and he stacked them on one of the many tables. His movements were sharp and carefully coordinated. The fact that Odd was acting so nonchalant did nothing to quash his fear. “There, they’re all picked up.” Odd huffed. “Now if you’d be so kind as to come and introduce yourself. I’m kind of getting tired of Dusk hiding behind me.” Color once again flooded Dusk’s cheeks. He was bumbling around like a foal that hadn’t gotten their footing yet. It was embarrassing; it was beyond embarrassing. It was more along the lines of mortifying. Hoofsteps echoed around the room as somepony walked up from the basement. A smallish tan earth pony mare stuck her head around the corner. She attempted to blow the thick locks of neon green hair out of her face to no avail. Realizing she couldn’t win, the mare gave up and smiled. Once she came further into the room, Dusk was able to see her cutiemark. The image of an open book with a pair of reading glasses lying across it adorned her flank. Dusk looked at his own flank. His cutiemark was of a large pink star surrounded by five smaller white stars. It was completely and totally not unique. “Sorry for the scare. Odd and all her little friends always end up knocking the same books over. I thought you were one of them.” The mare said, picking up the books Odd and Dusk had piled. “I’m Ancient Tombs by the way. I’m the current librarian of Ponyville.” “It’s… It’s nice to meet you Tombs. I’m Dusk Shine. The Princess said she sent you a letter informing you that I was coming. I hope you got it.” Dusk said shyly. He was still on edge from before. “Um… I think it’s around here somewhere. Nevertheless, I remember the gist of what it said. You’re from Canterlot and you’re here to study.” Tombs said, climbing one of the latters with the books still in hoof. She began to shelve them in the proper place. “One thing I don’t remember is where you’ll be staying.” “The Princess said I’d be staying here,” Dusk said, glancing around. “in the library.” The books almost went tumbling to the floor as Tombs burst into laughter. She wobbled on the ladder but managed to keep a hold of it and the books. “There’s no way you could stay here. There’s no place that isn’t covered in stacks of books. I suppose you’ll have to stay with me for now. At a later date, we’ll find you your own place.” “But there’s an apartment right up those stairs! I… Twilight used to live there!” Dusk blubbered. “She lived there for years.” “Sweetie, that was years ago. Once she moved back to Canterlot the upstairs became part of the library. All that’s up there is books, books, and more books.” Tombs said sympathetically. She climbed back down the ladder and threw a hoof over Dusk’s shoulder. “It’ll be fine. My house isn’t very far from here and it has enough room for the both of us.” “Why don’t you go show him where your house is?” Odd butted in. “I’ve got some things I’ve got to go do and I don’t want to leave Dusk alone. He doesn’t know anything about getting around town yet and needs a guide. Therefore I leave him in your capable hooves.” “Odd, wait! I don’t think you should leave!” Dusk yelled. He was too late though. Odd was out the door and halfway down the street before he had finished speaking. “That mare is fast when she wants to be.” Potions? How OddOdd burst through the wooden door, almost sending it flying off its hinges. She staggered into the room and tripped over a jar lying on the floor. Landing on her face, Odd groaned. She picked herself up and kicked the jar that had dared to send her to the floor. It shattered against one of the walls but not before knocking a number of tribal masks to the ground. “Zach! Zumma! I need to talk to you two.” Odd yelled to the seemingly empty hut. “And of course when I say I need to talk to you, I mean right now!” To the left of Odd a tapestry slid to the side and two zebras entered the room together, keeping in step with one another. They were the exact inverts of one another; where one was black the other was white. This was even true for their cutiemarks. The image of a simple, corked vile half-full of liquid was displayed on both of their flanks. The liquid was pure black for one of the zebras and sparkling white for the other. Both of the zebras glanced at the broken remains of the jar and rolled their eyes. They both began to clean up the mess Odd had caused with her entrance. This only served to annoy Odd; she hated to be ignored. The zebra with the white cutiemark spoke first. “I didn’t think you intended to come back today, Odd.” He said, hanging up one of the masks. “I assume this means you intend to collect on one of your favors.” “Not from you, I’m afraid, Zumma. I’m currently in need of Zach’s specialties.” Odd huffed. She paused before continuing. “Though, while I’m here, do you have that magic suppressant ready yet?” Zumma nodded and went back into the room he and Zach had emerged from. Now finished with cleaning up the shards of the shattered jar, Zach walked over to Odd. He stood a full head higher than she did and was forced to bend his neck in order to stare her in the eye. “I need a truth potion.” Odd stated. She returned his stare but it was clear she didn’t feel like playing the game. It had become a tradition of sorts that every time the two met they would enter a staring contest. Zach could clearly see that Odd’s heart wasn’t in it and gave up. “You know I don’t do truth potions anymore. The last time I made one for you no pony would talk to me for a month.” “Would you do it if I agreed to forget the ‘Great Cotton Candy’ incident that happened last year?” Odd questioned. This offer made Zach waver. He’d been trying to work off the Great Cotton Candy debacle since it had happened almost a year ago. Odd had taken the fall for Surprise, Ponyville’s resident party-pony and trouble maker; Surprise also happened to be Zach’s special somepony. If he refused, that kept her in the red-zone with Odd and that as not a good place to be. “I’ll do it if you throw in the gnome-thing and take half off the Cake Batter Blowup.” Zach said, sticking out a hoof. “Deal,” Odd said, shaking Zach’s outstretched hoof. She hated getting rid of so many debts in one fell swoop but, at this point, she had no choice. Zach trotted off to the back room, passing Zumma as he came back. Clutched in his mouth was a vile with a blue-grey colored potion inside. Zumma set it down on the ground in front of Odd but kept a hoof on it just in case. “This should take care of this morning’s incident, should it not?” Zumma questioned. “Half-way there.” Odd said, grabbing the vile. She pulled the stopper out with her teeth and tossed her head back. The horrible tasting liquid slid over her tongue and then down her throat. No matter how many times Odd drank that particular potion she couldn’t get over the taste. Zumma sighed. Muttering something under his breath, he grabbed the empty bottle from Odd and walked it over to a table on the far side of the room. “You know that the more often you take that suppressant, the less effective it is. I’ve already had to up the dose twice in the past six months just to keep what’s stored inside of you bottled up. If you keep burying the magic inside of you, you’re going to make yourself sick.” “I will never use magic!” Odd spat at Zumma. More to herself, she said, “It will never come to that. I’ll make sure it never comes to that.” During Odd small outburst, Zach had crept back into the front room. He had in his mouth a bottle with a pitch black liquid inside it. It was slightly ironic that the potion he was so intent on not making was the one he had gotten his cutiemark for. Odd took a deep breath and collected herself. Zach slid the vile across the floor to Odd, thankful to be rid of it. Picking up the bottle, she carefully placed it inside her saddlebag. “I relinquish control of that thing. As far as I’m concerned, it doesn’t exist anymore.” Zach said, throwing his hooves in the air. “I don’t know how you intend to use it and I don’t care.” Odd shrugged. She’d had this conversation with Zach before and it if she pursued it any further he would only stonewall her. It wasn’t worth the trouble; she had learned that a long time ago. “I’ll be back later this week.” Odd called over her shoulder as she walked out the door. “If you would please have my next dose of magic suppressant ready, that would be great.” Odd closed the door quietly and walked out into the Everfree Forest. She took a deep breath and tried to shake off her feelings of guilt. Collecting on favors from everypony except the zebra brothers was easy. Holding pony’s debts over their heads was just part of how Odd operated. In Odd’s life most ponies fell into two categories, those that owed her a debt and those that didn’t. The zebras were one of the only ponies that floated outside these categories. On occasion, Odd actually looked forward to seeing the two of them. In all honesty, she should hate them. Both of them practiced a form of magic, the thing that she despised more than anything in the world. Odd thought back to the time she first met Zach and Zumma as she walked back to Ponyville. It was about three months after she had moved to town. It had been a particularly bad day for Odd; at school they had been playing tag and a few of the foals had decided to cheat. Rather than being roped in, Odd had informed the teacher. Shortly afterward, she was dubbed “teller” and excluded from every other activity that happened that day. Needless to say, she never “told” again. Not wanting to go back to her home, Odd had wandered along the edge of the Everfree Forest after school let out. A sudden burst of courage caused her to want to explore the darkest depths. She stepped carefully into thick vegetation, forcing her way through. Thorns from the briars scrapped her legs and chest but Odd didn’t really care. The adrenaline from her fear made her feel alive. After Celestia knows how long, Odd had stumbled into a small clearing and two medium sized zebras. The three ponies had ended up in a giggling heap. Why they were giggling, none of them knew. After a few moments Odd realized that being in a pile was not such a good idea and sought to remedy it. She began to untangle herself and the zebras followed suit. They each took their time to compose themselves. Once the three ponies had introduced themselves and they struck up a conversation. They ended up spending the rest of the light hours talking with one another. Odd found it strange but she was actually enjoying herself for the first time since she’d moved to that Luna forsaken town. Odd found out that the zebras’ names were Zach and Zumma and that they were brothers. She also learned that even though Zach and Zumma were much older than she was they were the only ones that treated her as an equal. Odd snapped out of her reminiscing when she collided with something hard. It took her almost a full minute to realize she had hit the ground. Odd tried to push herself up but her body felt as heavy as lead. After struggling for what felt longer than Luna’s banishment, Odd collapsed back into the dirt. She tried to fight back against the black spots crowding at the edge of her vision but it was a losing battle. As Odd’s consciousness began to fade, she saw a black and white figure dart out from the edge of the Everfree Forrest. She felt herself being lifted up by somepony. The rocking motion of being carried was what sent Odd over the edge. She gave in and let herself be swallowed by the darkness. Oddly Happening at the Same TimeThough Tombs wanted to take Dusk straight to her house and let him settle in, she knew Odd wanted her to show the stallion around. Tombs knew better than to not do what that mare wanted. In the six years Tombs had lived in Ponyville she had only seen one pony that had gotten on Odd’s bad side. It hadn’t ended well for that pony. So Tombs dragged Dusk around the long way, pointing out everything important. Shops, cafés, and restaurants were all shown to a less than enthusiastic stallion. Had he had any idea where to go, Dusk would have slipped away halfway through the “tour” of the town. After a while, Dusk stopped paying attention to what Tombs was saying and focused on the scenery. Most of the shops that lined street had second floor apartments above them. He assumed that the ponies that owned the shop would live there. The commercial district slowly began to turn into a more residential area. Cottages and townhouses replaced the shops and restaurants.How cute. It looks really close to what I remember. It’s weird; it’s the fimiliar but different all the same. As his attention began to drift from the background to ponies inhabiting the town, Dusk began to notice a strange trend. Every time somepony spotted him, they quickly turned away. If they were with another pony, they would lean in close to one another and whisper. Now that Dusk knew what to look for, he saw that almost everypony was avoiding him and Tombs. They turned off onto side streets or ducked into stores. Though they were on what should have been the busiest street in town, it was deserted. “Tombs?” Dusk said, questioningly. “Why is everypony avoiding us?” “They’re not avoiding me.” Tombs laughed. “They all know I’m good. They’re avoiding you.” Dusk stumbled at Tombs comment. He fell a few steps behind but quickly caught up to the trotting mare. “Why would they avoid me? I know I’m new and all but that’s no reason to go out of their way to not meet me.” “While you being new in town does have something to do with it, it has more to do with who you were walking with earlier and the thing sticking out of your forehead.” Tombs grabbed Dusk around the neck and pulled him down into headlock. She bopped him on the horn, giggling. “It’s very, very odd for Odd to be seen with somepony like you.” Dusk fell back onto his rump as Tombs’ grip loosened. “Why would she not talk with me? She seemed very interested in getting to know me. She was really nice to me” Tombs gave Dusk a strange look, as if she was deciding whether to throw him to the timberwolves or not. She apparently came to a decision and trotted off down the road. She looked over her shoulder and called. “Are you coming or not?” Dusk stayed on the ground, dumbstruck, for a moment before scrabbling to his hooves. He ran after the tan mare as she turned onto a side street. As Dusk rounded the corner, he saw that Tombs had stopped in front of a skinny yet tall townhouse. The building was the same green as her hair so it stood out in the relatively pastel neighborhood. The door was already open when Dusk got there. Tombs held it open for him, motioning for him to enter. The room beyond was dark and dusty, much like the library. It also appeared to hold as many books as the library did. The stacks of books called to Dusk, inviting him to start tearing through them. His horn began to glow and a few books from the top of the stack nearest to the door began to float toward him, enveloped in mauve hue. He plopped down in the front room after taking a few steps. His eyes darted from one book to the next, drinking in the knowledge. “Go on and make yourself at home.” Tombs muttered. A little louder, she said. “Come on book-colt, your room if up here.” It took some effort, but Tombs managed to hull Dusk up the two flights of stairs to the top floor. She opened the only door and shoved Dusk inside. “Welcome to the spare room. You’re going to be staying here for a while, so go ahead and move some of the books out into the hallway.” Dusk barely heard what Tombs said. The sheer number of books in the room was overwhelming his senses. The smell of dust covered pages, the sound of silence, the feeling of thick parchment between his hooves; it was all too much. Dusk charged into the room, his horn alight and started organizing the books within. Dust flew into the air causing Tombs to sneeze. She crept into the room, careful to avoid the flying books, and threw open a window. She stuck her head out. Drawing in a deep breath, Tombs leaned out. She opened her eyes and gazed out at the street. The ponies that had hid were slowly returning to the streets. Looking further down the road, Tombs saw a figure that caught her eye. The pony was dashing from house to house, pausing for a second before running to the next. As it got closer to her home, Tombs say that the pony was a zebra. Fear leapt into her heart. The only zebras that lived anywhere near Ponyville were Zach and Zumma. Odd had left to go see them. Sure she hadn’t actually said she would but Tombs knew Odd well enough to know she had. “Dusk,” Tombs said, pulling him away from a book on magical signs. “Something is wrong. We need to go. Like, now.” Dusk snapped out of his stupor and followed Tombs down the steps. They stumbled out into the street, startling a few ponies milling around. The zebra spotted Tomb’s green mane and darted towards them. Dusk looked at the black and white pony in confusion. “Odd… Hospital… Tried to… Help... So stupid... Should’ve known.” The zebra heaved. “Zumma, calm down.” Tombs said. “Is it the Ponyville Hospital? Is that where Odd is?” Zumma nodded furiously. He motioned in the direction of the Hospital, indicating that they should follow him. Tombs began to run in the direction Zumma was pointing without question. It took her a moment to realize there was only one other hoof beat following her. “Dusk, you better move your plot or, Celestia so help me; I will burn every book in your room.” Tombs called, slowing down but not stopping. “Odd is in trouble and I’m not supposed to leave you alone.” Dusk took a tentative step then another. He thought of Tombs burning all those books and began to move a little faster. Though he was fairly certain that she wouldn’t harm any of the books, he wasn’t going to take a chance. He sped up to a trot and then a run. Tombs sped up and so did Zumma. Within a few seconds, the ponies were running at the same pace. Surprisingly, the couch potato Dusk kept up with the much more fit Tombs and Zumma. They raced through the relatively empty streets with ease. By the time Zumma, Tombs, and Dusk made it to the Hospital, they were all out of breath and had slowed to a fast walk. Another zebra was waiting outside the surprisingly cozy-looking building. He was pacing back and forth in front of door. He seemed like he was looking for somepony. With a burst of renewed energy, Zumma dashed forward. The other zebra glanced up with a worried look. That look of worry changed to one of rage when he saw Zumma coming towards the Hospital. As Dusk and Tombs reached the front entrance, the other zebra tackled Zumma and slammed him into the ground. Dusk made as if to help the pinned zebra but Tombs held up a hoof, blocking his way. She shook her head, unable to speak. She nudged the purple unicorn to the door. The two ponies left the two zebras outside. They rolled in the dirt, each one trying to get on top, but Zumma was at a disadvantage from the run there and back. Zumma was quickly pinned by Zach. “What did you do?!” Zach screamed at Zumma. “What did you do to her? I know you did something to her; why else would make us follow her every time she left our hut?” “I… Thought… I did the right thing… You know I did.” Zumma wheezed. The combination of Zach’s weight and his exhaustion was clouding his mind. It was getting more and more difficult for him to breathe. “She needs… She needs… Needs to… Do something… I can’t remember.” Zach slammed his brother into the ground again, trying to wake him up. “You have to know how to fix this. Odd is comatose and it’s your fault. She trusted you and me; she’d never admit it but she trusted us. You bucking idiot! Odd is never going to trust us again, with anything. We were the only ponies that could’ve gotten through to her.” Zumma’s face wrinkled as if he was trying to remember something. He nodded his head slightly. “I did what I needed to.” An Odd ConditionA cheery, red maned, white coated colt greeted Dusk and Tombs from behind the front counter when they entered the building. He politely asked them who they were looking for. His calm demeanor disappeared when Dusk told him to point them in the direction of the room Odd was in. The colt hopped from one hoof to the other as he explained that he wasn’t permitted to tell them. Tombs, who wasn’t in a very good mood after the run, yelled at the foal and told him, in no polite terms, to get the pony in charge. The colt ran off, happy to get away from the angry librarian. He came back a few moments later with a pale blue earth pony mare in tow. She sat down at one of the writing stations and looked at the two ponies questioningly. “I’m Nurse Warmth, how may I help you two?” The mare asked Tombs and Dusk. “I need to know what room Odd is in.” Tombs huffed. Her breathing was still heavy but wasn’t nearly as labored as before, so now she could talk fairly normally. “And I really need to know right now.” “Miss,” Nurse Warmth said calmly. “I am not able to give out information like that to ponies who aren’t in the patient’s immediate family. I’m sorry. Is there something else I can do for you?” “Look, you and I both know that me and those feather brains outside are more family to Odd than her own parents. So you’re going to tell me where she is or I’m going to sic everypony that owes her a debt on you.” Tombs said, slamming her hooves onto the counter. Her volume had increased and her voice was strained. “Now, what room is Odd in?” Though her face remained impassive, Nurse Warmth’s eyes betrayed her anxiety. It was fairly well known that Odd was a powerful force in the hierarchy of Ponyville. It wasn’t the greatest idea to make those with connections to her mad. “I can’t tell you.” Nurse Warmth stated. She picked up a folder in her mouth and placed it on the counter. “But I can take a little break and leave this folder here. I have no idea what one would do with the information in this folder. It’s only the list of the patients and what room they’re in.” Nurse Warmth turned around and, ushering the colt along with her, left the front room. The folder was enveloped in a slight glow. It floated into the air and then in front of Dusk’s face. He quickly flipped through the pages. His face lit up when he found the name he was looking for. The folder dropped back onto the counter as Dusk took off down the right hallway. Tombs followed closely behind the purple unicorn. Up a flight of stairs and down another hallway; it took them less than two minutes to find the room they were looking for. Both ponies paused outside the door; they each waited for the other to open it. Tombs relented and turned the handle. A blast of energy came barreling out, pulling the door form Tombs grasp and flinging it open. Odd was sitting up in the bed furthest from the door. None of the other bed had anypony in them. Dusk stepped into the room with caution. As he got closer to Odd, he noticed that, though her eyes were open, they were vacant. She was comatose, that was for certain; she didn’t react to Dusk or Tombs’ presence. However, the magic in the room did. The air began to move clockwise around the room, creating a stale breeze. The magic crackled in Dusk’s ears and made them pop. Dusk looked over his shoulder and saw that Tombs was even more on edge than he was. Her mane had poofed out and so had her tail; it gave her a rather strange appearance. “I’ve seen this before.” Dusk whispered. “But it was only in a colt that never used the abilities he had been gifted with as a unicorn and it was on a much smaller scale than this.” “Magic?” Tombs questioned. “She hates magic. Odd hasn’t ever used magic in the time I’ve known her. It hasn’t ever seemed to bother her before.” Dusk flinched at the mention of hating magic. So that’s what Tombs had meant when she’s said it was strange for Odd to be seen “somepony like you.” He shook his head. Whatever Odd thought of magic it shouldn’t, no it wouldn’t, affect how she felt about Dusk. He was going to make that mare his friend weather she liked it or not. “Odd’s will alone wouldn’t have been able to hold back that much magic. Some other barrier must have been in place.” Dusk explained. “The barrier broke somehow and now the magic is flowing without any direction. “Somehow we have to either drain all the magic from her or erect another barrier in her mind. Both aren’t very safe ideas.” Dusk took another step forward only to be pushed back by a strong gust of wind. “Whatever we do, it needs to be soon. Her body is under extreme stress and so is her psyche. Magic is as much a physical process as it is a mental one.” “L'éveil de l'oracle provoquera la chute de la royauté. La lune et le soleil se briser en mille morceaux. Seul le retour du crépuscule apportera l'harmonie.” Odd whispered. She repeated it again, a little louder than before. “L'éveil de l'oracle provoquera la chute de la royauté. La lune et le soleil se briser en mille morceaux. Seul le retour du crépuscule apportera l'harmonie.” “What in Celestia’s name is she saying?” Dusk asked Tombs. It was getting harder for them to here one another over the increasing roar of the magically created wind. “I’ve never heard a language like that.” Tombs’ face looked solemn. “It’s the ancient tongue of Cloudsdale. It hasn’t been spoken since the reign of Discord.” She said. “No pony should be able to remember it, let alone speak it.” “Yet you understand it, don’t you?” “Well, yes. But, in my defense, I basically live in a library; one tends to learn a lot of things in that type of atmosphere.” “So what is she saying?” “I’m not telling you.” Tombs said firmly. “Now do whatever you need to. I want Odd back to her normal self within the hour, so hop to it book-colt.” Dusk grumbled under his breath but figured Tombs had her reasons for not translating for him. He weighed the pros and cons of each approach in his head. Thinking was hard with the roar off the wind and all of Odd’s babbling. He did manage to come to a conclusion. Both were dangerous for him and Odd, but helping her reconstitute the barriers was a slightly safer option. A small voice in the back of Dusk’s mind gave him another reason to do what he was about to. “Right now, the only thing Odd is doing is protecting herself; she isn’t able to anything else. I need you to distract her so I can get close.” Tombs nodded. She pushed by Dusk, moving closer to Odd. The magical wind began to push her back. It was gentle at first but its intensity increased with each step Tombs took. Maybe, if she could get close enough, she could snap Odd out of it. Dusk crept along the edge of the room, coming around from the opposite side that Tombs was. Now that Odd was distracted it shouldn’t be too hard to sneak up her. Pausing a few feet from the bedside, Dusk muttered the spell under his breath. He needed to make sure he got it right on the first try. Dusk sprang onto the bed, landing next to Odd. He touched his brightly glowing horn to Odd’s and said the spell under his breath. Odd’s horn began to glow a pale blue in response to the spell. The mauve color of Dusk’s magic mixed with the blue of Odd’s, creating an indigo glow. “Tombs,” Dusk yelled. “you’re going to want to catch me now.” Odd’s chanting stopped at the same time that Dusk’s eyes rolled back into his head. Tombs rushed forward and managed to grab Dusk before he hit the ground. The magical wind died down, though Odd still remained nonresponsive. Tombs dragged Dusk to one of the empty beds and eased him into it. His horn was still glowing but it remained the indigo color. Whatever spell Dusk had used had somehow connected him to Odd. Tombs slumped to the floor and began to pray to Luna and Celestia that both ponies would come out of this endeavor unscathed. Inside an Odd MindDusk found himself at the start of a long, blue hallway. Doors lined both sides of the empty corridor. Good, the spell did what it was supposed to. It looks awfully clinical in here though. The spell Dusk had used had transferred his mind into Odd’s body. Now the two ponies were sharing real estate. Since Odd had been out cold, there wasn’t much of problem but if she woke up, and Dusk didn’t get out quickly, bad things would start happening. Pushing those negative thoughts to the back of his mind, Dusk shrugged and trotted over to the door nearest to him. The door was grey with a slightly blue tint. There was a golden plaque near the bottom of the door. Dusk squinted to read the small, chicken scratched writing engraved into the plaque. First Memory was printed. Dusk figured that every door in the hallway contained a memory that was significant for Odd. His instincts told him not to pry into Odd’s mind. Then again, if he did a little research maybe he could find out why Odd hated magic. Taking a deep breath, Dusk reached for the door knob and turned it. It swung inward. The space beyond was pitch black, without any color what so ever. Strange, my memories haven’t ever looked like that. I suppose everypony’s thoughts won’t look the same. Dusk tentatively stuck a hoof into the blackness. The darkness started to fade were Dusk had touched it. Swirls of light intermixed with the dark until only white was left. The light grew brighter and brighter, blinding Dusk. The light faded and Dusk found himself lying on his back. He tried to push himself up but something held his hooves down. He looked over and saw leather straps wrapped around them. He noticed something else; his legs weren’t purple, they were blue. Dusk realized that he wasn’t actually there. He was in the Odd’s mind, at the time when this memory occurred. But, why would she be strapped to a table. His experiences in Ponyville were just getting weirder and weirder. This would never happen in Canterlot. Dusk’s thoughts were interrupted by a figure casting a shadow over his eyes. “Now just relax. This doesn’t need to hurt as much as you make it. Stop fighting and it will be over much quicker.” The figure’s horn began to glow a sickly grey, illuminating the face behind the voice. It was a stallion with many worry lines etched into his face. He had a sparse, grey mane and an off-white coat. Soulless green eyes raked over Dusk/Odd’s body. Dusk suppressed a shudder. The grey light intensified and Dusk felt magic begin to probe his insides. As the magic began to work its way up his spine, Dusk felt an intense pressure blossom behind his eyes. He wriggled in pain but refused to cry out; he couldn’t let them win. The pain left Dusk’s head and began to move down to his stomach. All the air was forced out of his lungs. It felt like someone had head-butted him in the gut. Tears pooled at the edge of his vision but Dusk still refused to scream, no matter how much he wanted to. After what seemed like hours, the magic moved on to a different part of Dusk’s body, the pain moving with it. Dusk squirmed, trying to escape but it was useless. Dusk wanted to stop struggling but something, no somepony, in the back of his mind, won’t let him. I can’t do anything Odd wouldn’t do. She really is a strong willed pony. She never gives in. “Relax, Cloudwalker. Just let me do my work. Don’t fight it. Don’t fight it, Cloudwalker.” The stallion said in what Dusk assumed was supposed to be a soothing tone. “Just relax.” “Stop that stupid mantra! I will do what I want to!” Dusk screamed. “If you really want me to relax, get your evil magic away from me!” Dusk blinked and found himself back in the hallway. The door he was standing in front of swung closed slowly. Dusk still felt phantoms of the pain Odd had felt. Tears were trickling down the side of his muzzle but not from what he had felt but because he knew it was what Odd had felt. Though he figured he didn’t know all the reasons, Dusk felt he better understood why Odd hated magic. Magic was supposed to help ponies, not hurt them. He needed to find Odd and set this straight. Dusk continued down the hall but didn’t enter any more of the doors but he did continue to look at the names on the plaques. He noticed that the golden strip began to move upwards. The writing also improved greatly. The doors all looked relatively the same though their colors began to darken. As Dusk moved further and further away from where he had started, the doors began to get bluer. Dusk theorized that the darker the shade of blue the more recent the memory. It was a working theory but it was probably true. A crazy giggle echoed through the hallway. It surprised Dusk. He didn’t think anypony else was in here with him. It was kind of strange. A rouge imaginary friend or maybe an escaped memory, anything’s possible. “Hey Dusky, why don’t you come out and play?” the giggling voice asked. “I’m sure we’d have lots of fun.” “Um, maybe we would.” Dusk responded cautiously. “Why don’t you tell me who or what you are and then we can play.” Odd stepped out from one of the doors. She was smiling which wasn’t that creepy in of itself but the fact that she had just stepped out of a room with First Day in that Horrible Town written on it made it seem that way. “You should see that one.” Odd giggled. “It’s a lot worse than I remember. It was the worst day of my life. Well, the worst day besides that day in Canterlot, that other day in Canterlot, and that other day in Manehattan.” “Odd, what are you doing?” Dusk asked slowly. “Just taking a trot down memory lane, that’s all.” Odd said, giggling again. “Most likely I’m never waking up from this so I’m going to enjoy the rest of my life while I can. I find it funny that I’m going to die because of magic. I suppose I always though magic would be what killed me, but my own magic, well that blindsided me.” “You’re going to get out of here. I’m here to help you stop up the magic that’s leaking out.” Dusk said, thankful that Odd hadn’t gone off the deep end… Not yet, anyway. “I’m sure you know where the leak is.” “Of course I do.” Odd snapped. “But I’m not going to show you just yet. We’ve got a lot of other things to look at first. Namely your hallway.”
Odd NewsCloudsdale Corner Sunday Addition Fictitious Tale or True Oddity? By: Shady Groves Three days ago in Cloudsdale General Hospital’s Maternity Ward a unicorn filly was born to two pegasi ponies. This, however uncommon, is not unheard of. A few facts make this case unique. First of all, the filly is supposedly able to walk on clouds. How this fact was discovered is not known. Secondly, through extensive research, it has been confirmed that nowhere in the recorded family tree of both parents does any type of pony other than pegasus appear. It’s possible that this is simply the result of an unfaithful spouse, though the mother denies ever being with another stallion. I, in my personal opinion, don’t believe we will ever know for sure. It has been suggested by multiple sources that the Princesses will be looking into this filly and the strange circumstances surrounding her birth. <><><><><><><><><><><><> Canterlot Query Questions About Cloudsdale’s Unicorn Finally Answered? By: Inkwell Most ponies have heard of the unicorn born in Cloudsdale a month ago and the questions surrounding her existence. The Princesses have filed an official case on the filly, now named Cloudwalker. They have asked the parents for permission to study their daughter. It is unknown if the parents have answered. On another, stranger note it seems the filly has already acquired a cutiemark. Cloudwalker now proudly sports the image of a hoof on a cloud. While it isn’t the most creative cutiemark ever, Cloudwalker now hold the title of the youngest pony ever in the recorded history of Equestria to receive her cutiemark. This filly seems to be defying everything once thought of as fact. I, for one, can’t wait to hear more news on this incredible foal. <><><><><><><><><><><><> National Equestrian News Special Report By: Princess Celestia and Princess Luna Three months ago a young filly named Cloudwalker was brought to our attention. Normally, we wouldn’t pay much attention to the claims being made but, at the encouragement of some influential ponies in Cloudsdale, an exception was made. Since this time, we have received permission from the parents of the foal to run noninvasive tests and have come to a conclusion. We found that Cloudwalker was indeed the daughter of the two ponies believed to her parents. She comes from a pure pegasus line and, in light of this information, we concluded magic was likely the cause of this filly odd circumstance. Though we cannot find the source of magic that caused this filly to be born as a unicorn instead of a pegasus, we have determined that amounts that do not occur normally would be required. We have also concluded that it is extremely unlikely that another case such as this would occur. To be on the save side though, pregnant mares are advised to steer clear of any large collections of magic. Cloudwalker is a healthy, relatively normal foal that should be treated as such. She and her family will continue to live in Cloudsdale until further notice. Should the need arise; they will be relocated to a more suitable location. In the years to come, Cloudwalker will likely return to Canterlot to have other tests run.
Odd BeginningsThe sounds of the Everfree Forest echoed in Odd’s ears as she trotted back toward her home on the outskirts of Ponyville. The path she was walking on was overrun with wild flowers and other plants but Odd was still able to follow it without a problem. The Everfree Forest was like a second home to her. She spent most of her free time either there or in her parents’ shop. “Cloudwalker, wait up!” Someone called from behind her. “You forgot your saddlebag at our hut.” Odd turned around just as Zumma barreled her over. The two of them rolled off the path and into a muddy ditch. Odd pushed the zebra off of her before standing up. Her once royal blue coat was now soaked with the dirty water. “Two things; don’t call me Cloudwalker and you’re now back on my debtors list. By the way, thanks for the mud bath, now I won’t have to go to the spa.” Odd huffed, sarcastically. “Do you know how long it’s going to take me to get all of this out of my coat? My parents are going to kill me. I’m late as it is; you and your brother wouldn’t let me leave when I needed to.” “I’m sorry Clo… Odd.” Zumma said, picking himself up. He bent down and grabbed Odd’s saddlebag out of the mud. He climbed out of the ditch and dropped the saddlebag next to him. “It’s going to take me as long as it takes you, you know. I hope nothing important was in there.” Zumma held out a hoof to help Odd out of the ditch. She knocked it to the side and climbed out on her own. She ignored Zumma’s attempt at an apology. Picking up her soggy saddlebag and throwing it over her back, Odd continued toward Ponyville. “Come on Odd. What’s the rush? You’re never this eager to get home. You hate living in Ponyville. You’ve hating being there since you moved here; you spend as much time away from town as you possibly can.” Zumma said. He trotted alongside Odd, surprisingly able to keep pace with her. “There’s some big wig coming here from Canterlot. My parents are hoping whoever it is will stop by our shop.” Odd said. She increased her pace, trying to loose Zumma. “All I know is it’s some unicorn that will be staying at the library. My parents figure that sooner or later he or she will need some new books and stop by.” “Still can’t see why they’d want you there.” “My mom is convinced once I see a ‘true’ user of magic, I’ll want to learn. She just doesn’t understand. She probably won’t ever understand how I feel about any of this.” “Odd, stop.” Zumma said, slowing to a halt. Odd reluctantly stopped a few feet in front of Zumma but didn’t turn around. Tears pooled at the edge of her eyes. Emotions she normally kept buried deep in her subconscious came flooding forward. “Why don’t you come back to the hut? Zach and I will cover for you. You can stay as long as you like.” Zumma whispered. “You know we have the room for you to stay the night if you want. We’re always here for you.” “I’ll come and visit you guys later in the week.” Odd said, resuming her walking. “Thanks for the offer though.” Zumma shook his head as he watched his friend walked back to the town she despised. That filly always makes herself a martyr. She needs to let herself live a little. Zumma looked at his friend one more time before heading back toward his home in the Everfree Forest.
An Odd ExchangeOdd stopped outside the small cottage she and her parents lived in. She sighed and wiped her hooves off on the front mat. Thankfully, Celestia and the pegasi had made the day warm and kept the skies clear. The mud on her coat had air dried during the short walk from the Everfree Forest and the dirt now fell off in small chunks. Odd tried to fish her key out of her saddlebag before remembering that her parents never locked the door. “Ponyville’s crime rate is less than existent. The day when somepony breaks into our home is the same day when the sun rises of its own accord.” Her mother always said. Pushing hard on the door, Odd stumbled into the front hall. Dozens of odds and ends littered the floor in various stages of repair. Will they never learn to clean up? It is always my job to clean up their messes. Isn’t it supposed to be the other way around? Odd pushed whatever was in her way off to the side. She made her way through the many piles of junk to the stairs. She climbed up two flights to the top floor and entered her room. Grabbing a mane brush from her dresser, Odd trotted to the door that led to her bathroom. Odd was pleased to see the mirrors hadn’t been replaced by her parents yet. Hopping into her bathtub, Odd began to bush the dirt out of her mane, tail, and coat. It took her a good half hour to get enough dirt off to feel even slightly clean. Knowing she needed to hurry, Odd didn’t bother to take a shower to get the rest of the dirt off. Dumping the contents of her ruined saddlebag out onto the floor, Odd picked through the muddy papers and trinkets. She took what couldn’t be saved and tossed it to the side; the things that could be saved where shoved into another saddlebag. Odd raced down the stairs and, after making sure to lock it, out the door. She cantered into town, keeping away from the busier shops and restaurants. It took her an extra five minutes to reach “Odds and Ends,” her parents’ junk store, but it was worth it. Odd wasn’t a very sociable pony, though she knew how to fake it, and hated to interact with anypony other than Zach and Zumma. Even her own parents got on her nerves. Odd slowed down as she reached the store. The store’s door was wide open, on account of the warm day, and she was able to see inside. A strange, purple unicorn with a shaggy, darker purple mane was shifting through the stacks of items inside. Odd knew the identity of everypony in Ponyville and this pony was not one of them. Putting on an indifferent face, Odd walked inside. She walked around like she was a customer, rummaging through the piles. Odd assumed this was the unicorn from Canterlot and if he was from Canterlot then he would no doubt know who she was. That made her wanted to get as much information on this pony before he learned of her true identity. Working her way toward where the unicorn was at, Odd bumped into him with her backside. He went tumbling to the floor and Odd went tumbling after him. They ended up in a tangled mess with Odd squished beneath the unicorn. “I am so sorry miss. Are you ok?” The unicorn said, picking himself up. He held out a hoof for Odd to grab. “You don’t need to be sorry, it wasn’t you fault. I was the one the barreled into you. I’m just glad that we didn’t fall into one of those deathtraps.” Odd replied. She resisted the urge to smack the hoof away and grabbed it instead. The unicorn hulled Odd to her hooves. “I’m Odd by the way. It was a pleasure to ‘bump’ into you.” “The name’s Dusk Shine and the pleasure was all mine.” The unicorn said, laughing. “Odd? That’s a very ‘odd’ name. Is it a nickname of some type?” “I suppose it’s a nickname; more a title really. I gave it to myself years ago. I’m relatively proud of it.” Odd laughed at Dusk Shine’s little joke. “Do you have a nickname?” “Yes, I do, Miss Odd. Most ponies call me Dusk. So if Odd isn’t your given name what is?” “Well, Mr. Dusk, I’m sad to say that it’s a secret. You’re not allowed to know what it is. Besides, Odd is a much nicer name than what my real name is.” A small bell rang in the background as the two ponies talked with one another. A door in the back of the store swung open and two pegasi stepped out; one a pastel green with a golden jewelry box for a cutiemark the other a blue-grey with a half-rusted wheel as a cutiemark. They went behind a counter and began to flip through some papers. Of course that was before they heard their daughter speaking with another pony. The two pegasi rushed to where Odd was. They both hid behind one of the piles and watched their daughter. Odd talking with another pony; this was such a rare occurrence that her parents felt they had to observe it. Odd, being as aware as she was, knew her mother and father were hiding and decided that she no longer wanted to humor them. “You two can stop hiding now. Frankly, it’s kind of creepy.” Odd yelled. “Come out and say hello to Dusk.” The green pegasus stepped out first, pulling the grey pegasus behind her. “Um… Well, hello there.” She said. “I’m Treasure Hunter and this is my husband Polished Steel. ‘Odds and Ends’ is our shop. It’s a pleasure to meet you Dusk.” Hunter nudged her husband, signaling it was his turn. “We’re sorry for hiding like that. It’s just that Cloudwalker hardly ever talks with anypony for more than a few seconds. We felt we needed to be part of that moment but we didn’t want you two to stop talking so we hid.” “So your name is Cloudwalker, huh?” Dusk said, giving Odd a small shove. “Not such a big secret after all. Now why does that sound familiar?” “No reason; no reason at all.” Odd stated, giving her dad a death stare. She had hoped her rouse would’ve lasted longer than this. Although, Dusk didn’t seem like he was able to place where he’d heard her name before. Smiling evilly on the inside, Odd began to push Dusk away from her flustered parents and to the front door. “It was nice to meet you two.” Dusk called over his shoulder. “I’ll defiantly be back with some bits to buy some of those old books. Keep them on hold please.” Once they had made it outside the store Dusk began to walk under his own power. Odd and Dusk trotted alongside each other through the center of town. Odd forced herself not to run to one of the less crowded streets and keep in step with Dusk. Though she tried to keep her unease hidden, Dusk seemed to pick up on it. “You don’t have to walk with me if you don’t want to.” Dusk said solemnly. “I understand if you’re embarrassed. I am the new pony in town.” “No, that’s not the problem. I like talking with you; you’re quite entertaining.” Odd said. She sidestepped to get out of the way of a small group of talking ponies. “I’m just not very fond of crowds. I’m more of a loner, that’s all.” “Oh, I totally get it. We can take a different route if you’d like.” Dusk said, nodding. “By the way, we’re going to the library. I’ll be staying there while I’m in Ponyville.” As if on cue, both Odd’s and Dusk’s stomachs rumbled at the same time. “I have a better idea.” Odd giggled. “There’s a good café on the next block, I have a few extra bits with me, and you’re new in town; why don’t I buy you lunch?” “That, my dear Odd, sounds like a wonderful idea.”
Introductions are Very OddOdd dove into her clover salad as Dusk ate his daffodil and daisy sandwich. Odd had finished her salad before Dusk had managed to take more than two bites. She patted her mouth with a napkin and took a long swig of water before speaking again. “So Dusk, what brings you to Ponyville?” Odd questioned. “I know that it managed to make it on the map because of the Elements of Harmony but there are much bigger and better places to visit.” Duck finished chewing his sandwich before answering. “I’m here to study. The library here rivals the one in Canterlot. The Princess believed it was the best place for me to go once I turned 18.” “So you know the Princess. Which one?” “Both of them… Well I guess that I’m better acquainted with Princess Celestia. I was her student for a number of years. She told me I had learned all I could from her and sent me here.” “I didn’t know the Princess had taken on another student. Everypony knows she was heartbroken when Twilight Sparkle passed on.” “Miss Sparkle was truly the only pony the Princess ever loved. I’m just a filler for the void she left when she died.” Dusk huffed spitefully. “You know what Dusk; you look a lot like the drawings I’ve seen of Twilight. Are you related to her in anyway?” “In a way, I suppose.” Dusk shrugged. “You had your reason for not telling me your name and I have my reason for not explaining it any further. Now if you want to tell me why your name sounds so familiar I’ll then be obligated to tell you why I look like Miss Sparkle.” Odd weighed the options in her head. Coming to a conclusion, she shrugged her shoulders. She placed the correct amount of bits onto the table and trotted off toward the library. Dusk hastily shoved the rest of his sandwich into his mouth and trotted after her. <><><><><><><><><><><><> Dusk caught up to Odd as she reached the library. The large tree building had a number of windows and other platforms built into it. The library was a strange but effective. It stood out enough that most ponies would be able to find it. Even so, Dusk still relied heavily on Odd to find his way there. Once they made it to the library Dusk’s jaw hit the floor. He had never seen such a mismatched yet beautiful building. He couldn’t wait to get inside and study the library from there. Dusk walked up to the door and rapped on it gently. Odd shook her head. She shouldered her way passed him and shoved the door open. “No pony locks their door here. It takes a little getting used to it.” Odd informed Dusk. She held the door for him to walk through. “In fact, a lot of things here take some getting used to.” Dusk tried his best not to feel embarrassed but the color that flooded to his cheeks gave him away. He walked through the door into the dark room beyond. Odd followed him and slammed the door behind them. Some of the books on the higher shelves tumbled to the ground. The bangs each of them made echoed and bounced off the walls. Odd cringed. This was not going to end well. “Who slammed the door?!” A booming voice asked. Because of the acoustics of the library, it was impossible to pinpoint where the voice was coming from. “How many times do I have to tell everypony that it destroys the bindings when those books hit the floor?” Dusk cowered behind Odd who just rolled her eyes and went to pick up the books that had fallen. She gave each book to Dusk and he stacked them on one of the many tables. His movements were sharp and carefully coordinated. The fact that Odd was acting so nonchalant did nothing to quash his fear. “There, they’re all picked up.” Odd huffed. “Now if you’d be so kind as to come and introduce yourself. I’m kind of getting tired of Dusk hiding behind me.” Color once again flooded Dusk’s cheeks. He was bumbling around like a foal that hadn’t gotten their footing yet. It was embarrassing; it was beyond embarrassing. It was more along the lines of mortifying. Hoofsteps echoed around the room as somepony walked up from the basement. A smallish tan earth pony mare stuck her head around the corner. She attempted to blow the thick locks of neon green hair out of her face to no avail. Realizing she couldn’t win, the mare gave up and smiled. Once she came further into the room, Dusk was able to see her cutiemark. The image of an open book with a pair of reading glasses lying across it adorned her flank. Dusk looked at his own flank. His cutiemark was of a large pink star surrounded by five smaller white stars. It was completely and totally not unique. “Sorry for the scare. Odd and all her little friends always end up knocking the same books over. I thought you were one of them.” The mare said, picking up the books Odd and Dusk had piled. “I’m Ancient Tombs by the way. I’m the current librarian of Ponyville.” “It’s… It’s nice to meet you Tombs. I’m Dusk Shine. The Princess said she sent you a letter informing you that I was coming. I hope you got it.” Dusk said shyly. He was still on edge from before. “Um… I think it’s around here somewhere. Nevertheless, I remember the gist of what it said. You’re from Canterlot and you’re here to study.” Tombs said, climbing one of the latters with the books still in hoof. She began to shelve them in the proper place. “One thing I don’t remember is where you’ll be staying.” “The Princess said I’d be staying here,” Dusk said, glancing around. “in the library.” The books almost went tumbling to the floor as Tombs burst into laughter. She wobbled on the ladder but managed to keep a hold of it and the books. “There’s no way you could stay here. There’s no place that isn’t covered in stacks of books. I suppose you’ll have to stay with me for now. At a later date, we’ll find you your own place.” “But there’s an apartment right up those stairs! I… Twilight used to live there!” Dusk blubbered. “She lived there for years.” “Sweetie, that was years ago. Once she moved back to Canterlot the upstairs became part of the library. All that’s up there is books, books, and more books.” Tombs said sympathetically. She climbed back down the ladder and threw a hoof over Dusk’s shoulder. “It’ll be fine. My house isn’t very far from here and it has enough room for the both of us.” “Why don’t you go show him where your house is?” Odd butted in. “I’ve got some things I’ve got to go do and I don’t want to leave Dusk alone. He doesn’t know anything about getting around town yet and needs a guide. Therefore I leave him in your capable hooves.” “Odd, wait! I don’t think you should leave!” Dusk yelled. He was too late though. Odd was out the door and halfway down the street before he had finished speaking. “That mare is fast when she wants to be.”
Potions? How OddOdd burst through the wooden door, almost sending it flying off its hinges. She staggered into the room and tripped over a jar lying on the floor. Landing on her face, Odd groaned. She picked herself up and kicked the jar that had dared to send her to the floor. It shattered against one of the walls but not before knocking a number of tribal masks to the ground. “Zach! Zumma! I need to talk to you two.” Odd yelled to the seemingly empty hut. “And of course when I say I need to talk to you, I mean right now!” To the left of Odd a tapestry slid to the side and two zebras entered the room together, keeping in step with one another. They were the exact inverts of one another; where one was black the other was white. This was even true for their cutiemarks. The image of a simple, corked vile half-full of liquid was displayed on both of their flanks. The liquid was pure black for one of the zebras and sparkling white for the other. Both of the zebras glanced at the broken remains of the jar and rolled their eyes. They both began to clean up the mess Odd had caused with her entrance. This only served to annoy Odd; she hated to be ignored. The zebra with the white cutiemark spoke first. “I didn’t think you intended to come back today, Odd.” He said, hanging up one of the masks. “I assume this means you intend to collect on one of your favors.” “Not from you, I’m afraid, Zumma. I’m currently in need of Zach’s specialties.” Odd huffed. She paused before continuing. “Though, while I’m here, do you have that magic suppressant ready yet?” Zumma nodded and went back into the room he and Zach had emerged from. Now finished with cleaning up the shards of the shattered jar, Zach walked over to Odd. He stood a full head higher than she did and was forced to bend his neck in order to stare her in the eye. “I need a truth potion.” Odd stated. She returned his stare but it was clear she didn’t feel like playing the game. It had become a tradition of sorts that every time the two met they would enter a staring contest. Zach could clearly see that Odd’s heart wasn’t in it and gave up. “You know I don’t do truth potions anymore. The last time I made one for you no pony would talk to me for a month.” “Would you do it if I agreed to forget the ‘Great Cotton Candy’ incident that happened last year?” Odd questioned. This offer made Zach waver. He’d been trying to work off the Great Cotton Candy debacle since it had happened almost a year ago. Odd had taken the fall for Surprise, Ponyville’s resident party-pony and trouble maker; Surprise also happened to be Zach’s special somepony. If he refused, that kept her in the red-zone with Odd and that as not a good place to be. “I’ll do it if you throw in the gnome-thing and take half off the Cake Batter Blowup.” Zach said, sticking out a hoof. “Deal,” Odd said, shaking Zach’s outstretched hoof. She hated getting rid of so many debts in one fell swoop but, at this point, she had no choice. Zach trotted off to the back room, passing Zumma as he came back. Clutched in his mouth was a vile with a blue-grey colored potion inside. Zumma set it down on the ground in front of Odd but kept a hoof on it just in case. “This should take care of this morning’s incident, should it not?” Zumma questioned. “Half-way there.” Odd said, grabbing the vile. She pulled the stopper out with her teeth and tossed her head back. The horrible tasting liquid slid over her tongue and then down her throat. No matter how many times Odd drank that particular potion she couldn’t get over the taste. Zumma sighed. Muttering something under his breath, he grabbed the empty bottle from Odd and walked it over to a table on the far side of the room. “You know that the more often you take that suppressant, the less effective it is. I’ve already had to up the dose twice in the past six months just to keep what’s stored inside of you bottled up. If you keep burying the magic inside of you, you’re going to make yourself sick.” “I will never use magic!” Odd spat at Zumma. More to herself, she said, “It will never come to that. I’ll make sure it never comes to that.” During Odd small outburst, Zach had crept back into the front room. He had in his mouth a bottle with a pitch black liquid inside it. It was slightly ironic that the potion he was so intent on not making was the one he had gotten his cutiemark for. Odd took a deep breath and collected herself. Zach slid the vile across the floor to Odd, thankful to be rid of it. Picking up the bottle, she carefully placed it inside her saddlebag. “I relinquish control of that thing. As far as I’m concerned, it doesn’t exist anymore.” Zach said, throwing his hooves in the air. “I don’t know how you intend to use it and I don’t care.” Odd shrugged. She’d had this conversation with Zach before and it if she pursued it any further he would only stonewall her. It wasn’t worth the trouble; she had learned that a long time ago. “I’ll be back later this week.” Odd called over her shoulder as she walked out the door. “If you would please have my next dose of magic suppressant ready, that would be great.” Odd closed the door quietly and walked out into the Everfree Forest. She took a deep breath and tried to shake off her feelings of guilt. Collecting on favors from everypony except the zebra brothers was easy. Holding pony’s debts over their heads was just part of how Odd operated. In Odd’s life most ponies fell into two categories, those that owed her a debt and those that didn’t. The zebras were one of the only ponies that floated outside these categories. On occasion, Odd actually looked forward to seeing the two of them. In all honesty, she should hate them. Both of them practiced a form of magic, the thing that she despised more than anything in the world. Odd thought back to the time she first met Zach and Zumma as she walked back to Ponyville. It was about three months after she had moved to town. It had been a particularly bad day for Odd; at school they had been playing tag and a few of the foals had decided to cheat. Rather than being roped in, Odd had informed the teacher. Shortly afterward, she was dubbed “teller” and excluded from every other activity that happened that day. Needless to say, she never “told” again. Not wanting to go back to her home, Odd had wandered along the edge of the Everfree Forest after school let out. A sudden burst of courage caused her to want to explore the darkest depths. She stepped carefully into thick vegetation, forcing her way through. Thorns from the briars scrapped her legs and chest but Odd didn’t really care. The adrenaline from her fear made her feel alive. After Celestia knows how long, Odd had stumbled into a small clearing and two medium sized zebras. The three ponies had ended up in a giggling heap. Why they were giggling, none of them knew. After a few moments Odd realized that being in a pile was not such a good idea and sought to remedy it. She began to untangle herself and the zebras followed suit. They each took their time to compose themselves. Once the three ponies had introduced themselves and they struck up a conversation. They ended up spending the rest of the light hours talking with one another. Odd found it strange but she was actually enjoying herself for the first time since she’d moved to that Luna forsaken town. Odd found out that the zebras’ names were Zach and Zumma and that they were brothers. She also learned that even though Zach and Zumma were much older than she was they were the only ones that treated her as an equal. Odd snapped out of her reminiscing when she collided with something hard. It took her almost a full minute to realize she had hit the ground. Odd tried to push herself up but her body felt as heavy as lead. After struggling for what felt longer than Luna’s banishment, Odd collapsed back into the dirt. She tried to fight back against the black spots crowding at the edge of her vision but it was a losing battle. As Odd’s consciousness began to fade, she saw a black and white figure dart out from the edge of the Everfree Forrest. She felt herself being lifted up by somepony. The rocking motion of being carried was what sent Odd over the edge. She gave in and let herself be swallowed by the darkness.
Oddly Happening at the Same TimeThough Tombs wanted to take Dusk straight to her house and let him settle in, she knew Odd wanted her to show the stallion around. Tombs knew better than to not do what that mare wanted. In the six years Tombs had lived in Ponyville she had only seen one pony that had gotten on Odd’s bad side. It hadn’t ended well for that pony. So Tombs dragged Dusk around the long way, pointing out everything important. Shops, cafés, and restaurants were all shown to a less than enthusiastic stallion. Had he had any idea where to go, Dusk would have slipped away halfway through the “tour” of the town. After a while, Dusk stopped paying attention to what Tombs was saying and focused on the scenery. Most of the shops that lined street had second floor apartments above them. He assumed that the ponies that owned the shop would live there. The commercial district slowly began to turn into a more residential area. Cottages and townhouses replaced the shops and restaurants.How cute. It looks really close to what I remember. It’s weird; it’s the fimiliar but different all the same. As his attention began to drift from the background to ponies inhabiting the town, Dusk began to notice a strange trend. Every time somepony spotted him, they quickly turned away. If they were with another pony, they would lean in close to one another and whisper. Now that Dusk knew what to look for, he saw that almost everypony was avoiding him and Tombs. They turned off onto side streets or ducked into stores. Though they were on what should have been the busiest street in town, it was deserted. “Tombs?” Dusk said, questioningly. “Why is everypony avoiding us?” “They’re not avoiding me.” Tombs laughed. “They all know I’m good. They’re avoiding you.” Dusk stumbled at Tombs comment. He fell a few steps behind but quickly caught up to the trotting mare. “Why would they avoid me? I know I’m new and all but that’s no reason to go out of their way to not meet me.” “While you being new in town does have something to do with it, it has more to do with who you were walking with earlier and the thing sticking out of your forehead.” Tombs grabbed Dusk around the neck and pulled him down into headlock. She bopped him on the horn, giggling. “It’s very, very odd for Odd to be seen with somepony like you.” Dusk fell back onto his rump as Tombs’ grip loosened. “Why would she not talk with me? She seemed very interested in getting to know me. She was really nice to me” Tombs gave Dusk a strange look, as if she was deciding whether to throw him to the timberwolves or not. She apparently came to a decision and trotted off down the road. She looked over her shoulder and called. “Are you coming or not?” Dusk stayed on the ground, dumbstruck, for a moment before scrabbling to his hooves. He ran after the tan mare as she turned onto a side street. As Dusk rounded the corner, he saw that Tombs had stopped in front of a skinny yet tall townhouse. The building was the same green as her hair so it stood out in the relatively pastel neighborhood. The door was already open when Dusk got there. Tombs held it open for him, motioning for him to enter. The room beyond was dark and dusty, much like the library. It also appeared to hold as many books as the library did. The stacks of books called to Dusk, inviting him to start tearing through them. His horn began to glow and a few books from the top of the stack nearest to the door began to float toward him, enveloped in mauve hue. He plopped down in the front room after taking a few steps. His eyes darted from one book to the next, drinking in the knowledge. “Go on and make yourself at home.” Tombs muttered. A little louder, she said. “Come on book-colt, your room if up here.” It took some effort, but Tombs managed to hull Dusk up the two flights of stairs to the top floor. She opened the only door and shoved Dusk inside. “Welcome to the spare room. You’re going to be staying here for a while, so go ahead and move some of the books out into the hallway.” Dusk barely heard what Tombs said. The sheer number of books in the room was overwhelming his senses. The smell of dust covered pages, the sound of silence, the feeling of thick parchment between his hooves; it was all too much. Dusk charged into the room, his horn alight and started organizing the books within. Dust flew into the air causing Tombs to sneeze. She crept into the room, careful to avoid the flying books, and threw open a window. She stuck her head out. Drawing in a deep breath, Tombs leaned out. She opened her eyes and gazed out at the street. The ponies that had hid were slowly returning to the streets. Looking further down the road, Tombs saw a figure that caught her eye. The pony was dashing from house to house, pausing for a second before running to the next. As it got closer to her home, Tombs say that the pony was a zebra. Fear leapt into her heart. The only zebras that lived anywhere near Ponyville were Zach and Zumma. Odd had left to go see them. Sure she hadn’t actually said she would but Tombs knew Odd well enough to know she had. “Dusk,” Tombs said, pulling him away from a book on magical signs. “Something is wrong. We need to go. Like, now.” Dusk snapped out of his stupor and followed Tombs down the steps. They stumbled out into the street, startling a few ponies milling around. The zebra spotted Tomb’s green mane and darted towards them. Dusk looked at the black and white pony in confusion. “Odd… Hospital… Tried to… Help... So stupid... Should’ve known.” The zebra heaved. “Zumma, calm down.” Tombs said. “Is it the Ponyville Hospital? Is that where Odd is?” Zumma nodded furiously. He motioned in the direction of the Hospital, indicating that they should follow him. Tombs began to run in the direction Zumma was pointing without question. It took her a moment to realize there was only one other hoof beat following her. “Dusk, you better move your plot or, Celestia so help me; I will burn every book in your room.” Tombs called, slowing down but not stopping. “Odd is in trouble and I’m not supposed to leave you alone.” Dusk took a tentative step then another. He thought of Tombs burning all those books and began to move a little faster. Though he was fairly certain that she wouldn’t harm any of the books, he wasn’t going to take a chance. He sped up to a trot and then a run. Tombs sped up and so did Zumma. Within a few seconds, the ponies were running at the same pace. Surprisingly, the couch potato Dusk kept up with the much more fit Tombs and Zumma. They raced through the relatively empty streets with ease. By the time Zumma, Tombs, and Dusk made it to the Hospital, they were all out of breath and had slowed to a fast walk. Another zebra was waiting outside the surprisingly cozy-looking building. He was pacing back and forth in front of door. He seemed like he was looking for somepony. With a burst of renewed energy, Zumma dashed forward. The other zebra glanced up with a worried look. That look of worry changed to one of rage when he saw Zumma coming towards the Hospital. As Dusk and Tombs reached the front entrance, the other zebra tackled Zumma and slammed him into the ground. Dusk made as if to help the pinned zebra but Tombs held up a hoof, blocking his way. She shook her head, unable to speak. She nudged the purple unicorn to the door. The two ponies left the two zebras outside. They rolled in the dirt, each one trying to get on top, but Zumma was at a disadvantage from the run there and back. Zumma was quickly pinned by Zach. “What did you do?!” Zach screamed at Zumma. “What did you do to her? I know you did something to her; why else would make us follow her every time she left our hut?” “I… Thought… I did the right thing… You know I did.” Zumma wheezed. The combination of Zach’s weight and his exhaustion was clouding his mind. It was getting more and more difficult for him to breathe. “She needs… She needs… Needs to… Do something… I can’t remember.” Zach slammed his brother into the ground again, trying to wake him up. “You have to know how to fix this. Odd is comatose and it’s your fault. She trusted you and me; she’d never admit it but she trusted us. You bucking idiot! Odd is never going to trust us again, with anything. We were the only ponies that could’ve gotten through to her.” Zumma’s face wrinkled as if he was trying to remember something. He nodded his head slightly. “I did what I needed to.”
An Odd ConditionA cheery, red maned, white coated colt greeted Dusk and Tombs from behind the front counter when they entered the building. He politely asked them who they were looking for. His calm demeanor disappeared when Dusk told him to point them in the direction of the room Odd was in. The colt hopped from one hoof to the other as he explained that he wasn’t permitted to tell them. Tombs, who wasn’t in a very good mood after the run, yelled at the foal and told him, in no polite terms, to get the pony in charge. The colt ran off, happy to get away from the angry librarian. He came back a few moments later with a pale blue earth pony mare in tow. She sat down at one of the writing stations and looked at the two ponies questioningly. “I’m Nurse Warmth, how may I help you two?” The mare asked Tombs and Dusk. “I need to know what room Odd is in.” Tombs huffed. Her breathing was still heavy but wasn’t nearly as labored as before, so now she could talk fairly normally. “And I really need to know right now.” “Miss,” Nurse Warmth said calmly. “I am not able to give out information like that to ponies who aren’t in the patient’s immediate family. I’m sorry. Is there something else I can do for you?” “Look, you and I both know that me and those feather brains outside are more family to Odd than her own parents. So you’re going to tell me where she is or I’m going to sic everypony that owes her a debt on you.” Tombs said, slamming her hooves onto the counter. Her volume had increased and her voice was strained. “Now, what room is Odd in?” Though her face remained impassive, Nurse Warmth’s eyes betrayed her anxiety. It was fairly well known that Odd was a powerful force in the hierarchy of Ponyville. It wasn’t the greatest idea to make those with connections to her mad. “I can’t tell you.” Nurse Warmth stated. She picked up a folder in her mouth and placed it on the counter. “But I can take a little break and leave this folder here. I have no idea what one would do with the information in this folder. It’s only the list of the patients and what room they’re in.” Nurse Warmth turned around and, ushering the colt along with her, left the front room. The folder was enveloped in a slight glow. It floated into the air and then in front of Dusk’s face. He quickly flipped through the pages. His face lit up when he found the name he was looking for. The folder dropped back onto the counter as Dusk took off down the right hallway. Tombs followed closely behind the purple unicorn. Up a flight of stairs and down another hallway; it took them less than two minutes to find the room they were looking for. Both ponies paused outside the door; they each waited for the other to open it. Tombs relented and turned the handle. A blast of energy came barreling out, pulling the door form Tombs grasp and flinging it open. Odd was sitting up in the bed furthest from the door. None of the other bed had anypony in them. Dusk stepped into the room with caution. As he got closer to Odd, he noticed that, though her eyes were open, they were vacant. She was comatose, that was for certain; she didn’t react to Dusk or Tombs’ presence. However, the magic in the room did. The air began to move clockwise around the room, creating a stale breeze. The magic crackled in Dusk’s ears and made them pop. Dusk looked over his shoulder and saw that Tombs was even more on edge than he was. Her mane had poofed out and so had her tail; it gave her a rather strange appearance. “I’ve seen this before.” Dusk whispered. “But it was only in a colt that never used the abilities he had been gifted with as a unicorn and it was on a much smaller scale than this.” “Magic?” Tombs questioned. “She hates magic. Odd hasn’t ever used magic in the time I’ve known her. It hasn’t ever seemed to bother her before.” Dusk flinched at the mention of hating magic. So that’s what Tombs had meant when she’s said it was strange for Odd to be seen “somepony like you.” He shook his head. Whatever Odd thought of magic it shouldn’t, no it wouldn’t, affect how she felt about Dusk. He was going to make that mare his friend weather she liked it or not. “Odd’s will alone wouldn’t have been able to hold back that much magic. Some other barrier must have been in place.” Dusk explained. “The barrier broke somehow and now the magic is flowing without any direction. “Somehow we have to either drain all the magic from her or erect another barrier in her mind. Both aren’t very safe ideas.” Dusk took another step forward only to be pushed back by a strong gust of wind. “Whatever we do, it needs to be soon. Her body is under extreme stress and so is her psyche. Magic is as much a physical process as it is a mental one.” “L'éveil de l'oracle provoquera la chute de la royauté. La lune et le soleil se briser en mille morceaux. Seul le retour du crépuscule apportera l'harmonie.” Odd whispered. She repeated it again, a little louder than before. “L'éveil de l'oracle provoquera la chute de la royauté. La lune et le soleil se briser en mille morceaux. Seul le retour du crépuscule apportera l'harmonie.” “What in Celestia’s name is she saying?” Dusk asked Tombs. It was getting harder for them to here one another over the increasing roar of the magically created wind. “I’ve never heard a language like that.” Tombs’ face looked solemn. “It’s the ancient tongue of Cloudsdale. It hasn’t been spoken since the reign of Discord.” She said. “No pony should be able to remember it, let alone speak it.” “Yet you understand it, don’t you?” “Well, yes. But, in my defense, I basically live in a library; one tends to learn a lot of things in that type of atmosphere.” “So what is she saying?” “I’m not telling you.” Tombs said firmly. “Now do whatever you need to. I want Odd back to her normal self within the hour, so hop to it book-colt.” Dusk grumbled under his breath but figured Tombs had her reasons for not translating for him. He weighed the pros and cons of each approach in his head. Thinking was hard with the roar off the wind and all of Odd’s babbling. He did manage to come to a conclusion. Both were dangerous for him and Odd, but helping her reconstitute the barriers was a slightly safer option. A small voice in the back of Dusk’s mind gave him another reason to do what he was about to. “Right now, the only thing Odd is doing is protecting herself; she isn’t able to anything else. I need you to distract her so I can get close.” Tombs nodded. She pushed by Dusk, moving closer to Odd. The magical wind began to push her back. It was gentle at first but its intensity increased with each step Tombs took. Maybe, if she could get close enough, she could snap Odd out of it. Dusk crept along the edge of the room, coming around from the opposite side that Tombs was. Now that Odd was distracted it shouldn’t be too hard to sneak up her. Pausing a few feet from the bedside, Dusk muttered the spell under his breath. He needed to make sure he got it right on the first try. Dusk sprang onto the bed, landing next to Odd. He touched his brightly glowing horn to Odd’s and said the spell under his breath. Odd’s horn began to glow a pale blue in response to the spell. The mauve color of Dusk’s magic mixed with the blue of Odd’s, creating an indigo glow. “Tombs,” Dusk yelled. “you’re going to want to catch me now.” Odd’s chanting stopped at the same time that Dusk’s eyes rolled back into his head. Tombs rushed forward and managed to grab Dusk before he hit the ground. The magical wind died down, though Odd still remained nonresponsive. Tombs dragged Dusk to one of the empty beds and eased him into it. His horn was still glowing but it remained the indigo color. Whatever spell Dusk had used had somehow connected him to Odd. Tombs slumped to the floor and began to pray to Luna and Celestia that both ponies would come out of this endeavor unscathed.
Inside an Odd MindDusk found himself at the start of a long, blue hallway. Doors lined both sides of the empty corridor. Good, the spell did what it was supposed to. It looks awfully clinical in here though. The spell Dusk had used had transferred his mind into Odd’s body. Now the two ponies were sharing real estate. Since Odd had been out cold, there wasn’t much of problem but if she woke up, and Dusk didn’t get out quickly, bad things would start happening. Pushing those negative thoughts to the back of his mind, Dusk shrugged and trotted over to the door nearest to him. The door was grey with a slightly blue tint. There was a golden plaque near the bottom of the door. Dusk squinted to read the small, chicken scratched writing engraved into the plaque. First Memory was printed. Dusk figured that every door in the hallway contained a memory that was significant for Odd. His instincts told him not to pry into Odd’s mind. Then again, if he did a little research maybe he could find out why Odd hated magic. Taking a deep breath, Dusk reached for the door knob and turned it. It swung inward. The space beyond was pitch black, without any color what so ever. Strange, my memories haven’t ever looked like that. I suppose everypony’s thoughts won’t look the same. Dusk tentatively stuck a hoof into the blackness. The darkness started to fade were Dusk had touched it. Swirls of light intermixed with the dark until only white was left. The light grew brighter and brighter, blinding Dusk. The light faded and Dusk found himself lying on his back. He tried to push himself up but something held his hooves down. He looked over and saw leather straps wrapped around them. He noticed something else; his legs weren’t purple, they were blue. Dusk realized that he wasn’t actually there. He was in the Odd’s mind, at the time when this memory occurred. But, why would she be strapped to a table. His experiences in Ponyville were just getting weirder and weirder. This would never happen in Canterlot. Dusk’s thoughts were interrupted by a figure casting a shadow over his eyes. “Now just relax. This doesn’t need to hurt as much as you make it. Stop fighting and it will be over much quicker.” The figure’s horn began to glow a sickly grey, illuminating the face behind the voice. It was a stallion with many worry lines etched into his face. He had a sparse, grey mane and an off-white coat. Soulless green eyes raked over Dusk/Odd’s body. Dusk suppressed a shudder. The grey light intensified and Dusk felt magic begin to probe his insides. As the magic began to work its way up his spine, Dusk felt an intense pressure blossom behind his eyes. He wriggled in pain but refused to cry out; he couldn’t let them win. The pain left Dusk’s head and began to move down to his stomach. All the air was forced out of his lungs. It felt like someone had head-butted him in the gut. Tears pooled at the edge of his vision but Dusk still refused to scream, no matter how much he wanted to. After what seemed like hours, the magic moved on to a different part of Dusk’s body, the pain moving with it. Dusk squirmed, trying to escape but it was useless. Dusk wanted to stop struggling but something, no somepony, in the back of his mind, won’t let him. I can’t do anything Odd wouldn’t do. She really is a strong willed pony. She never gives in. “Relax, Cloudwalker. Just let me do my work. Don’t fight it. Don’t fight it, Cloudwalker.” The stallion said in what Dusk assumed was supposed to be a soothing tone. “Just relax.” “Stop that stupid mantra! I will do what I want to!” Dusk screamed. “If you really want me to relax, get your evil magic away from me!” Dusk blinked and found himself back in the hallway. The door he was standing in front of swung closed slowly. Dusk still felt phantoms of the pain Odd had felt. Tears were trickling down the side of his muzzle but not from what he had felt but because he knew it was what Odd had felt. Though he figured he didn’t know all the reasons, Dusk felt he better understood why Odd hated magic. Magic was supposed to help ponies, not hurt them. He needed to find Odd and set this straight. Dusk continued down the hall but didn’t enter any more of the doors but he did continue to look at the names on the plaques. He noticed that the golden strip began to move upwards. The writing also improved greatly. The doors all looked relatively the same though their colors began to darken. As Dusk moved further and further away from where he had started, the doors began to get bluer. Dusk theorized that the darker the shade of blue the more recent the memory. It was a working theory but it was probably true. A crazy giggle echoed through the hallway. It surprised Dusk. He didn’t think anypony else was in here with him. It was kind of strange. A rouge imaginary friend or maybe an escaped memory, anything’s possible. “Hey Dusky, why don’t you come out and play?” the giggling voice asked. “I’m sure we’d have lots of fun.” “Um, maybe we would.” Dusk responded cautiously. “Why don’t you tell me who or what you are and then we can play.” Odd stepped out from one of the doors. She was smiling which wasn’t that creepy in of itself but the fact that she had just stepped out of a room with First Day in that Horrible Town written on it made it seem that way. “You should see that one.” Odd giggled. “It’s a lot worse than I remember. It was the worst day of my life. Well, the worst day besides that day in Canterlot, that other day in Canterlot, and that other day in Manehattan.” “Odd, what are you doing?” Dusk asked slowly. “Just taking a trot down memory lane, that’s all.” Odd said, giggling again. “Most likely I’m never waking up from this so I’m going to enjoy the rest of my life while I can. I find it funny that I’m going to die because of magic. I suppose I always though magic would be what killed me, but my own magic, well that blindsided me.” “You’re going to get out of here. I’m here to help you stop up the magic that’s leaking out.” Dusk said, thankful that Odd hadn’t gone off the deep end… Not yet, anyway. “I’m sure you know where the leak is.” “Of course I do.” Odd snapped. “But I’m not going to show you just yet. We’ve got a lot of other things to look at first. Namely your hallway.”
