Dusk 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.”