//------------------------------//
// S1E17: Peaches and Cream 
// Story: The Adventures of Peaches and Mandy 
// by marmalado 
//------------------------------//

The desk was dirty.

She had a job to do.

She loved cleaning, when she was able to get in the zone and become completely lost in her thoughts.

Lady Luck was certainly on her side today. Figuratively speaking. 

With rag in telekinetic grasp, she applied it to the desk and scrubbed furiously, gritting her teeth as she poured all her strength into it. She leaned to the left and then to the right, craned her neck up and then down, and the rage she had for cleaning this one damned spot began to hit the boiling point.

After her energy was spent, she panted and lifted up the rag.

"YOU SON OF A MOTHER-"

"Hey, cuz!"

She whirled around to find Peaches entering the bullpen, clearly in better spirits and with a big smile on her face. Her nostrils flaring, the hybrid's blue eyes seemingly glowed with anger as she became fixated on the one person who had disturbed her so.

"Oh, in business mode, I see."

Nothing. Just eyes growing narrower. Peaches swallowed a small lump in her throat.

"Is, um...this a bad time?"

An indignant grumble as the hybrid resumed cleaning, putting on a new coat of hydrogen peroxide disinfectant spray and watching it soak.

Peaches really wasn't sure where to go from here. She knew her cousin was an absolute time bomb right now, and that even a single puff of wind was enough for her to fly into a rage. But she didn't really know how to diffuse time bombs...let alone diffuse a living one.

And then she got an idea. A hasty idea, but still an idea nonetheless.

She glanced downwards at a small four-legged odd creature. Every inch of its features looked like a rather interesting, but certainly not cursed, mix of a domestic canine and a domestic feline. Long whiskers, four ears, six eyes, five tails, and an unidentifiable number of legs Peaches was scared to try and actually identify adorned its body, and it panted happily.

"OUT! OUT OUT OUT! GET OOOOOOUT!" came the primal scream, as the hybrid tried once again to rub the stain clear off of her desk. Her crazed mind could have sworn the stain was actively conspiring against her, not budging so much as a single inch.

"Mandy?" Peaches walked over, forcing herself to remain calm and collected. "I can get that stain out for you, if you want."

Mandy swiveled her head around again, and came nose-to-nose with the creature. She blinked. It blinked back, and gave a hearty "whuff" sound for an added touch.

"I don't see how that thing's fur is any better than this heavy-duty, tear-free, went-to-Mayhem-Tools-all-the-way-in-the-stinkin'-United-States-of-Utah-just-to-get, had-to-pay-$120-just-to-buy, THE-GUY-HAD-TO-GET-IT-FOR-ME-ALL-THE-WAY-ON-THE-ROOF-OF-THE-STORE, DO-I-REALLY-NEED-TO-EXPLAIN-IT-ALL-TO-YOU CLEANING RAG, PEACH."

Peaches' eyes widened at Mandy's sudden cold snap. Part of her was, of course, curious about what led Mandy to go to Utah to get, of all things, a cleaning rag from a hardware store just to clean what she had to admit was a pretty sizeable stain, but one that she didn't see the harm in keeping around until cleaning day rolled around. As clean as she was, she was no obsessive neat freak.

"I never said I would use its fur." she said, before reaching behind her back and producing a sterile cup filled with yellow liquid.

Mandy stared, her expression twisting into confusion and incredulity. "A pee cup. You're going to use pee to clean the stain?"

"Yes." Peaches produced an eyedropper next, and with careful hands, she placed the creature down on the table, popped open the cup, and gathered up some urine. "Watch and learn."

The catgirl squeezed the tip of the tool and let it hover above the stain. Within minutes, the urine was taking away the stain right before the duo's very eyes. Soon, all that stood was the bright red of Mandy's desk.

Mandy's jaw dropped. Her gaze went from the creature to the desk to the rag and back again, as her eye began to twitch. An entangled mess of sounds were produced by her vocal cords and shunted forth into the world for everyone to hear.

"Surprised?" Peaches chuckled. "This creature's pee can clean any stain on Earth. I found that out when she peed on a man's shoe, and it actually took off some coffee he had spilled on it."

That.

Is honestly.

The most disgusting thing I have ever heard.

But look at what it did! You've been trying to get rid of that stain for weeks, and all you had to do was have this odd creature piddle on it! Now it's gone, Oprah won't yell at you for it, and...

And...

Oh my odd...

"I wasted $120 for nothing."

Mandy slumped to the ground. The odd creature leapt down from the desk and immediately began licking her arm, to no avail as she adopted a dead look in her eyes.

"120? In Jackalope Dollars? Yikes." Peaches winced. "And you used it too...guessing the return policy doesn't allow used rags to be returned, huh?"

No response. Peaches expected flies to appear and begin buzzing over Mandy's dead corpse any minute now. She could have sworn she saw the girl pale just a little.

"Aw, pickleferries. I got shuffled off the ol' mortal coil, huh?"

The catgirl whirled around so quickly that her head would have nearly flown off of her body if she had moved it any faster. Standing behind her was another Mandy, who looked completely normal in every aspect. Any rage or shock she had before was utterly nonexistent. She moved over to her desk and examined it.

"Oooh, cool, she got the stain out! Thank odd, 'cuz I've been tryna do that forever and ever and ever and it just would not come out!" Mandy giggle-snorted. "Now Oprah won't have my head for dinner tonight! She can have that Salineburied Steak frozen dinner in her fridge!"

"How...what...how did- who is this?!" Peaches yowled, gesturing to the slumped-over Mandy clone that her supposed pet was now sniffing.

"A clone." Mandy waved a hand, and winced. "I'll admit, I'm not at my usual strength today, so I got a clone to help me out with removing the stain. I've already tried doing it myself."

"But timetastrophe rules-"

"Do not apply to clones." Mandy wagged a finger. "They apply to alternate selves, cuz. Not to clones. I had to bend the rules of reality to make that one happen. Twenty looong, aching years and many messups 'cuz for some reason I had no hands and it's really hard to do things without 'em..."

It was then that the hybrid turned around, and noticed exactly what was sniffing her supposed clone.

Her expression probably broke at least one world record somewhere in the Odd Squad Book of World Records.

"OOOOOOMIIIIIGOOOOOODNESS!" she squealed. The sound of glass breaking did nothing to deter her attention, and she threw herself to the floor to pick up the odd creature. "Lookitchu! Who's a cutie-patootie-woohooey? You are! Yes, you are!"

Peaches violently shook her head, regretting having forgotten her lesson of "don't question 95% of what Mandy does". It was a lesson she had learned many times over, but yet, Mandy continued to invent new gags from out of nothing and she was still surprised at every single one of them to some extent or another.

She smiled. "I named it Cream. I don't know what species of odd creature it is yet. Haven't had the time to go to Ocean and Fluttershy to have it examined."

"I love this world." Mandy grinned. "'Cuz in this world, you can clone a dog and a cat and get a really really great result from it, instead of having it be some weird mushied-up thingie that looks ugly!"

"And, uh...what other worlds are there?"

Mandy suddenly grew shifty. "N-nothing!" she chirped. "There are no other worlds outside this fic. Absolutely none. Nada."

Cream hopped up onto Mandy's lap right then, giving off sounds that were a sort of cacophonic blend between a high-pitched bark and a meow.

"I'm...sorry, I don't speak your language." Mandy tilted her head and stared up at Peaches. "Translation, please?"

"She says she wants to get to know you more." Peaches grinned. "She really has taken a liking to you."

"Jeez, that might be a new record. 'Fastest Mandy-Likeness Conversion Rate'...nah, doesn't have a good ring to it." Mandy lifted the creature up. "Sooooooo is she your pet or something?"

"It...um...y-you could say that...but a catgirl who can turn into a cat owning an odd creature as a pet seems a little awkward, don't you think?" Peaches scratched the back of her neck, wincing when her claws inadvertently came out and she nearly gave herself deeper wounds than what was needed. "It's more of a companion."

"Mm." Mandy's mouth pinched inwards. "And how do you know it's a she?"

Peaches simply shrugged in response to that question.

"Well, whatever it is," Mandy blinked. "Please don't ask me to babysit it again. It's too soon after the whole Natsu thing, I-I really just can't."

"Really? You sure? I could really use some help with taking care of it."

"No." Mandy swiveled her head around. "Read my lips, cuz. N. O."

"I-"

Mandy conjured up a permanent marker and scribbled the two letters on her lips. "Read 'em again."

Peaches groaned. "N-O. No."

"Better." The hybrid took a baby wipe from the container on her desk and wiped her lips off before the marker could really settle in. Lucky for her that she had used the kind of permanent marker where the word "permanent" was nothing more than a cheap and scummy advertising tactic.

She took the wipe, threw it in the trash, set Cream down onto the floor, and began to make her way down the right hallway.

"Where are you going?"

"To take a nap." Mandy's eyes were half-lidded, now. "Makin' a clone that's got more strength than you's not easy." A yawn slipped out of her. "Good 'noon."

"Good...'noon...?" Peaches' brow furrowed. Far be it from her to question Mandy's English skills, but as confused as she was, maybe she had a point with this new term. It was the same way Olive and Otto conversed about why winter wasn't also called "fall" because of snowflakes falling from the sky, only at least Mandy's logic in finding a balance between "have a good rest of your morning" and "good night" made some sense.

She glanced at Cream, who began panting eagerly. 

"You wanna go for a walk, huh?" Peaches said. "Well, all right. I wouldn't mind another round through the park. Come on."

With that, catgirl and her pe- er, companion were out the steel double-doors.





"Cream, wait! Stop running away from me!"

Peaches, tired and mere minutes from falling on the ground and staying there, rounded another corner. Cream very nearly left her sight by the time she did, no thanks to her massive advantage in sheer legpower. Had she and Peaches not gone for another walk, the catgirl would have been able to catch her easily.

As Peaches soared down another hallway, her eyes caught Cream suddenly go through Mandy's bedroom door like it was nothing. Her jaw dropped. 

"Y-you can phase through doors?!" she cried out, coming to a stop in front of the door and leaning down to take a couple gulps of desperately-needed air. Something unintelligible wheezed its way out of her -- perhaps it was the dread of what was to come that spurred the emotion of fear within her.

Once she had steeled herself, she opened the door, and gazed upon the sight that laid before her.

Cream was giving soft whuffs at a Mandy who was deep in the thralls of a dream and had a whole entire corner of her pillow stuffed into her mouth, completely drooled on and in the process of being chewed.

The whuffs grew louder in volume with every second that passed.

"Cream, what are you doing?" Peaches hissed through her teeth. "Mandy's asleep right now, she can't play with you!"

Cream responded by jumping up onto the bed and giving plaintive mewls as she nuzzled Mandy's arm. This, of course, did absolutely nothing to stir the hybrid away from whatever food-induced dream or acid reflux nightmare she was having.

"I'm sorry. But Mandy's next to impossible to wake up, and she needs her sleep!" Peaches made her way over and picked up Cream. "Trust me, she's not gonna wake up for a while."

Mandy's mouth let go of the pillow right then and there with a "mah" sort of sound. She hugged it tight against her body, her feet kicking wildly as she let out her usual, how-to-level-an-entire-one-hundred-story-building-without-even-trying snores.

Cream observed this rather strange occurrence, then dove into Mandy's tail and settled in, promptly making it her new bed.

"You...want to stay with Mandy?"

A couple yap-mews.

Now it was Peaches' turn to get flashbacks to Mandy's time with Natsu. How it had slept with her, only to observe her and use her love of sleeping against her. She had to admit, she couldn't shake the possibility that Cream would potentially do the same.

But surely she wouldn't maul Mandy or anything, right? She's been nothing but sweet since I've found her. And Mandy would stop her if she did try to hurt her. I know I promised Mandy she wouldn't have to babysit her, but...I have to keep looking for the culprit and I don't know how good this creature is at tracking.

Forcing herself to retain her optimism, Peaches chuckled. "All right, if that's what you want." She moved towards the door. "In the meantime, I'll run to the store and get you some food, okay? How's about fish?"

Cream barked rapidly, her tails all waving back and forth in various different directions with excitement.

"Fish it is! Be right back."

And with that, Peaches left the room, keeping a close eye on Cream up until she closed the door and couldn't see her companion anymore.

Cream, as short as her many legs were, felt a sense of strangeness in them that she could not describe, whether in English -- which, for the record, she was unable to speak, as her species hadn't evolved that far yet -- or in her bark-meows. They felt rather weightless, and as she ducked her head into Mandy's tail, her eyes bore witness to something utterly fantastical.

She couldn't describe it. For what it was worth, no one would be able to describe the innards of Mandy's tail, but even if she could speak English, there was no way she could even begin to put into words what she was seeing. It was a pleasantly chaotic mess of everything and nothing, a cosmic entity of its very own that would give Odd Squad a tougher time than any of the kid villains in its rogues gallery had given them over the course of several millennia. It was completely and utterly beyond comprehension of any single human mind the powers-that-do-be up there had ever crafted, something that transcended the very logic of oddness itself, the vast knowledge that agents had accrued since humans became a species. And yet, it was-

The sight of another odd being for only a split-second caused Cream to jerk her head free and back away. She let out a sharp exhale through her nose, and shook her head as she sat on her rump. The adorable head of a divine being with falsehoods and the hairy, spindly legs of a reprehensible hellspawn flashed through her mind, although she wasn't sure if that was what she saw. She growled, shaking her head furiously in an effort to clear her mind. It was lucky she had the mental acuity that very few others of her species had -- had that not been the case, she would have quite literally torn Mandy a new one and would have kept on living with not even a single tiny shred of regret inside of her.

Just as she came back to reality, she leaped off of the bed to avoid being crushed by 110 pounds of human. She blinked, and then swiveled her head back, to find that Mandy had rolled over and was scratching her tummy as she snored away. The nonsensical talk that ensued from her mouth was something that Cream had a hard time understanding at first, but she was able to make sense of it upon a closer listening.

(An important mission. Take over the Joir de Vivre Kitchen, eat the poisoned food supply, and save the city of 'Pair-ee'.)

(She is done, but there are still more kitchens in 'Pair-ee' to be devoured. Poisoned food or not.)

(She wishes she had more of her, because the best thing about her is that there are so many of her to share the wealth with.)

(...She has more of her now.)

(They've gone to the Eiffel Tower, made of checkerboard cookies and dreams.)

(Mouths open wide...)

Cream straightened. She couldn't look at the sight of Mandy sleeping anymore nor continue to figure out what she was saying. For one thing, it was boring, but for another thing, she didn't want to see any more of her tail...if she could even call it that. It weirded her out just thinking of it now.

She moved towards the Bedroom door and nudged it open, leaving as soon as she got the opportunity to and feeling relieved that her owner had only left it slightly ajar. With her not being confined to one room anymore, she was free to move about the 'quarters, so she decided to let her legs do the walking while her eyes took in the sights.





As Fluttershy made her way through Headquarters, her vocal cords trembled with the loveliest of tunes. It was a melody of ten simple notes that she could have sworn she had heard somewhere before, but could never place. Still, to her, it didn't matter where it came from -- it was pleasant on the ears and put her in good spirits, and that was all that mattered.

A force of a sensation in her leg brought her to her senses, and she looked down to find what was perhaps one of the most precious-looking odd creatures she had ever seen over the course of her career. Cream looked up at her and cocked a head out of curiosity before panting and wagging its tails.

"I've never seen that kind of a creature before." Fluttershy mused to herself, before leaning down to examine it closer. "It looks like a mix of a dog and a cat."

She had to wonder if Mandy had gotten some kind of a new pet, as the hybrid had been known for doing when she was a littler kid. Always grabbing "pets" (read: wild animals that animal activists would never recommend keeping as pets) off of the streets, Olive had to scramble to make sure everyone's rabies and tetanus shots were all kept up-to-date because it wasn't a night of fifty-five-degree weather without Mandy bringing home another Beauregard the Badger that eventually was let loose and tried to maul people.

The Pegasus shook her head to free the thought. "Hello, little one. My name is Fluttershy." she cooed. "Would you mind if I took you back to the Creature Room? Oh, I'd love to study you!"

Cream let out a series of bark-meows.

"Wonderful!" Fluttershy scooped the small creature into her hooves. "Let's go."

A happy bark this time around.

Upon arrival, Fluttershy sat Cream down next to the database computer, where she sat patiently.

"Now, I can analyze you." the Pegasus said. "Just let me input some physical attributes..."

Hooves flew across the keyboard at a rapid rate. Cream watched the feat for a few moments before her eyes scanned the room she was presently in. Her ears picked up the sounds of many odd creatures, and she couldn't help but tense as she listened for the sound of her most prominent and most formidable foe.

Nothing. She was safe. A sharp exhale left her nose as she turned back to the one who had picked her up, an odd creature in its own right with stubs and hair and some weird marking on her body that made it look nothing like the being who had found her originally.

Fluttershy examined the computer, where many different species of creatures were listed. She frowned. "Hmm, that doesn't narrow it down too much." A sigh then left her. "If only Ocean were here. He would be able to help."

Unfortunately, her partner-in-crime was on a break at the moment -- a rather unlucky break for her. As skilled as she was with creatures, she couldn't deny that Ocean had skills she didn't possess, and the same held true for the other way around.

She straightened her posture as her mind churned out an idea...

"Maybe I could go to the Big O!"

...and then shot down said idea within seconds.

"But that would be a waste of her time. For something so trivial..."

Cream tilted her head and gave a bark filled with worry.

"I'm so sorry, little one." Fluttershy scooped the creature in her hooves again. "I wish I knew what you were, but...perhaps you're a new species that Odd Squad just hasn't discovered yet."

Taking flight, she opened the door soared out of the Creature Room, making sure to close the door behind her.

"How about I analyze your behavior and take some notes? Do you want to go to the Dog Park Room?"

As Cream opened her maw to answer, a feeling of worry overtook her suddenly. Much like a human or a Technicolor equine with a gut instinct, she got the feeling that something was wrong with the one who had found her.

"Are you worried about someone?"

Cream tried desperately to wriggle out of her confinement.

The automatic double-doors opened, and in walked Peaches, who held a small bag of freshly-caught fish in her hands. She quickly raced to Mandy's room as fast as her feet would take her, which left Cream with little opportunity to catch up with her -- she may have had more legs, but Peaches had far more of a stride.

All it took was the slight loosening of Fluttershy's leg grip that allowed Cream to escape and begin chasing after its owner. "Oh! Wait!" she called, soaring after the creature with small wing flaps.

Peaches managed to reach the door of Mandy's room first. She grasped the doorknob and swung the door open, giving very little regard to the room's two occupants.

Or what she thought was two occupants, anyway.

"Cream...I'm back..." the catgirl wheezed, dropping the bag of fish on the floor before she looked around the room.

Her eyes narrowed slightly. She made her way to Mandy's bed, looking under bedsheets, under the bed itself, and even dipping a hand into Mandy's tail in case it just so happened that Cream had slipped in there.

Nothing. She took a deep breath, and tried to use her senses.

Mandy's reverberating snoring tickled her eardrums, but otherwise, she could hear no sign of Cream.

A deep inhale allowed a flood of sensations to enter her body -- the scent of fish, her own scent, and Mandy's own scent that smelled in a way she could not describe, neither bad nor good.

An intense and focused scan of the room with her eyes turned up nothing.

And quite obviously, the senses of taste and touch were non-applicable.

Peaches sighed, her entire body wracking with anxiety. "Cream...where could you have gone?" she pitifully mewled, as a knot slowly but surely began to twist and turn about in her stomach. Before today, she couldn't have attested to owning a pet, because to any normal person, it would have been weird for a catgirl who was able to turn into a cat to own another animal that was probably higher in the food chain. But now that she had Cream, she had become emotionally attached to it in a span of time that she certainly didn't think was possible. She wanted to love it and care for it like her very own, to give it a happy and healthy home where it could grow and thrive.

A loud snore cut into her running thoughts. She turned around and bore witness to Mandy continuing her trudge through another few hours or so of slumber. Some gibberish fell from her lips that Peaches didn't even bother trying to identify -- she would have, just to entertain herself and maybe even drive herself a little mad in the process, but as far as she was concerned, she was a little too far gone in her stress at the moment to do such a trivial activity.

The true battle of "should I or shouldn't I?" began.

Cream was in the room with Mandy last. Surely she would know where the creature went. M-maybe she just...got up to go to the bathroom or eat a quick snack or something, and she noticed her and played with her a-and...

...No. Mandy doesn't wake up for any of that stuff. She's been asleep this whole time.

But what if she was woken up by something, and she didn't go back to sleep right away?

No, she would go back to sleep right away. Don't be silly, Peaches.

I have to wake her up. She may not know where Cream is, but maybe she could help me lo-

Are you crazy? You know perfectly well the consequences of waking Mandy up before her time. She'll be mad, sleep-deprived, probably destroy a villain or maybe even an entire town...the whole world, perhaps...

Within the depths of Peaches' head, her cerebellum had already gotten to work. Her hands had started tentatively moving towards Mandy's shoulder. Inching closer and closer, like a predator stalking its prey, waiting to strike at the perfect moment.

"Peaches?"

A sharp exhale. The catgirl stopped and looked up at the doorway.

Her eyes began to water.

"Fluttershy? A-and...Cream!"

The creature gave a few happy yaps, racing over to Peaches and bounding into her outstretched arms. 

Fluttershy couldn't help but smile as pet and owner were reunited, her heart instantly warming when she watched Cream lick Peaches' face. However, her cyan eyes caught Mandy shifting in bed, and before she could shush the pair, the hybrid sat up.

"Who'zz been uppit n' dizzturbin' m' nap, mmm...?" came the sleepy murmur, as blue eyes found the trio but couldn't quite make sense of who they were or what was happening.

"S-sorry, Mandy." Fluttershy took initiative, hovering over to her. "Peaches was trying to find Cream, her lost...um..."

"Companion."

"Companion!" The Pegasus smiled. "Yes, companion. We're really very sorry for disturbing you. We'll leave so you can get some more sleep, okay?"

A large yawn caused Mandy's body to quiver, her vocal cords rumbling to produce a soft moan before her body's upper half flopped back onto the bed and the festival of snores and sleep-talking continued.

Once Fluttershy, Peaches and Cream were out of the room, the former explained her reasoning.

"I took Cream up to the Creature Room so I could examine it. I-I thought it was Mandy's pet, so I figured she wouldn't mind if I just took it and analyzed it really quickly while she slept...I didn't think it was yours!"

Peaches nodded. "I found her..." -- she made sure to emphasize that pronoun -- "...roaming around in the park. She looked so lost, and something in me just compelled me to bring her back to Odd Squad. Did you find anything in your analysis?"

"Not much." Fluttershy exhaled. "I was trying to figure out what species Cream is, but my search in the database didn't turn up anything, even after I inputted every one of her physical attributes."

Peaches' ears folded downwards.

"I'm really sorry, Peaches. I didn't mean to take Cream away, it's just-"

"Don't worry about it." Peaches held a hand up to stop the butter-yellow Pegasus before she could really get going on the overapologizing, then her gaze moved to Cream. "Now, Cream, I brought some stuff back for you, including the fish you wanted. You wanna go check it out?"

Cream's tails wagged, and she gave a few happy bark-meows.

"Okay, okay, calm down! We'll go right now." Peaches chuckled. "Come on."

"Um..." Fluttershy blinked. "Would you mind if I tagged along too? I'd love to do some more analysis on Cream and her behavior."

"Sure thing!" Peaches said, grabbing the bag of fish that she had left on the floor. "Take all the notes you need."





"Now, here's the fish..."

Peaches didn't even need to bring a plate. All she had to do was throw a fish on the floor and watch Cream go to town in gobbling it up. It was no Mandy's technique of "teeth sliding and bone-exposing", but it was good food going in a happy belly. That was what mattered to her.

"And heeeeere's a collar and leash for you!" Peaches reached behind her back and produced the items, both red in color. "That way, we can go for walks everywhere. How about that?"

As Cream gave a few happy yelps, Fluttershy let her mind wander on one particular subject. Specifically, how Peaches felt about dogs, since she had to have gotten the "walk an animal on a leash" concept from somewhere, and cats being walked on leashes was a rather rare occurrence in Toronto. Was she scared of them? Did she enjoy their presence? Who knew. But since she felt comfortable around Cream, Fluttershy had to suspect that it was the latter. 

"I didn't think you were the type to have a pet, Peaches."

The words came loose before she could stop them. She clapped a hoof to her mouth, her eyes widening as she mentally smacked herself for her social blunder.

"You think it's weird, don't you?" Peaches sighed. "First Mandy, now you. There's a reason why I call it a companion and not a pet."

"And...you're aware about Mandy and Natsu?"

"Natsu was...manipulative, for sure. And it did cause us all a lot of strife. But Cream here is as sweet as can be!"

That sounded a little too much like the auditory equivalent of a red flag for Fluttershy's liking. "Uh-huh." she said dubiously, before she forced herself to level her tone. "Well, I'd like to continue keeping an eye on it, if that's all right. For all we know, this creature can devour Headquarters in a day!"

"If you want to do that, I won't stop you." Peaches ate a fish whole. "You are the co-Director of the Creature Room, after all. This is your job."

Cream leapt up and frantically began licking Peaches' face, causing her to laugh. Fluttershy's eyes narrowed ever so slightly as she watched the feat. 

Sure, Peaches was nothing like Mandy. She didn't hold grudges for ridiculously long periods of time or get swayed easily by villains' tricks or bawl over kittens she found on the street. But she was smart, and that was what was throwing the Pegasus off.

I've never seen Peaches so...happy before. Not like that. It's like when...Mandy had Natsu. And I gave it to her to...care for...

Surely, Cream isn't all sweet. Even Angel has his dark and manipulative side, after all. I have to study her more and see what tricks she has up her sleeve, if anything at all.

"Fluttershy?"

She blinked. Peaches was making eye contact with her.

"Cream and I are going to go for a walk. You wanna come?"

"Hm? Oh!" Fluttershy shook her head. "Yes, um, yes, I would. I'm sorry, I was just lost in thought."

"No worries." Peaches waved her hand. "Let's go!"

Cream gave a few yips as it happily trotted alongside Peaches, with Fluttershy taking flight and hesitantly following them.





A hand rapidly shaking Mandy brought her clear out of her dream of eating the forbidden but edible snacks known as laundry detergent pods that strangely tasted like vitamin gummies.

"Mmmmmwhaaaaaaaat?!" came the plaintive cry, along with arms frantically waving in a way that would put the Wacky Inflatable Arm-Flailing Tube Donkey to shame. "Wouldja people pleazze quit dizzturbin' me f' five' minutezz...?!"

"Mandy, it's 5:00!"

The hybrid had no desire to listen to the words. They all blurred together in one nonsensical conglomerate that she didn't want to spare any mental capacity just to understand. Her hands touched skin...something round and high in the air...and then they made their way to a pair of triangular ears that felt all too familiar.

"...Peach...?"

"Don't tell me making a clone took so much energy out of you that you had to sleep for four hours?" Peaches frowned. "From my understanding, the process of making a clone in Odd Squad is pretty simple and low-effort."

A sleepy groan was her only response.

"Wake up, will you? I want you to see the cool setup I have for Cream!"

"Th' cool whazz-now...?"

Peaches heaved a sigh. She reached behind her back, produced a tall glass of Chocolate Moo-Moo Surprise, and shoved it in Mandy's mouth. She watched as her cousin coughed and spluttered before taking the shaking glass in her hands and sipping it clean.

"What'd ya hafta go and do that for?!" 

"Look, it's 5:00 and you look more worn-out than..." Peaches bit her lip. She couldn't finish that simile. "W-well, whatever, the point is that I have something to show you and it's very important."

"So important you had to wake me up from my nap?" Mandy threw the covers off and rubbed her eye. "Do you even know what I was dreaming about? My brain doesn't suddenly just decide to make me gallivant on over to Paris and eat out of every single kitchen there, and then go to the candy shop and gorge on stuff 'til I'm sick!"

"That just sounds like your everyday life."

"No it's not, and you can shut up before I up your shut."

Peaches had to bite back a snicker as she watched Mandy trudge for the door.

"All right, let's go see this thingie you say is so important. And it better actually be important!"

Only a few minutes later, it dawned on Mandy that what Peaches had wanted to show her was, in fact, not important at all.

"Oh my garmonbozia."

"I know."

"You said this was important."

"I know."

"You lied to me."

"...I know."

"You're a sadistic being of nature, cuz."

"...I know?"

"And ya had to drag Flutterbutter into this?"

"Okay, stop it."

Inside of Peaches' room was a tiny round playpen for Cream, along with all sorts of toys littered around the floor. Clearly, the catgirl had spoiled her new companion rotten, and even someone as airheaded as Mandy could recognize that.

As Peaches knelt down to play with Cream, Mandy took a seat next to Fluttershy, who was gripping a pencil in her mouth and scribbling something down on a piece of paper.

"Partner, what are you doing?"

Fluttershy scrambled backwards, her eyes growing wide as she dropped the pencil and the clipboard she was holding. "M-M-Mandy?!"

"Hiya!" Mandy waved and smiled. "Sorry if I scared ya."

"I-it's...fine." The Pegasus tried to bounce back, allowing her heart to slow its crazed beating as she got on her haunches once again. She eagerly took the pencil and the clipboard that Mandy had levitated over to her with a smile, setting them down onto the floor for the time being. "Did you have a good nap?"

"Oh yeah..." Mandy purred. "I could've kept goin' if Peach hadn't woken me up! I stuffed myself soooooo silly..."

Fluttershy watched as her friend began rocking back and forth. The hybrid entered a state of bliss, and the Pegasus was suddenly feeling a bit hungry herself. Still, she had a job to do, and filed away "get something to eat" as a small note in the back of her mind for later.

Mandy suddenly snapped out of her trance and shook her head. "Soooooo what're you doin', again?"

"I'm doing some research on Cream to find out what species she is."

"You haven't found anything?"

Fluttershy shook her head. "I analyzed her and tried to narrow down what she is using her attributes, but that didn't help much." She gazed at Peaches and Cream forlornly. "I wish Ocean were here. He'd probably be able to identify her species."

Mandy bit her lip. As much as she wanted to bet on Cream being a simple cat-dog hybrid, she knew that in such a world as Odd Squad, there was hardly such a thing as a simple cat-dog hybrid. Animals like that were child's play compared to creatures like Hopinbobs, Centigurps, and Friggle Frogs -- and that wasn't even getting into the vast distinction between the two terms. No...this creature had to have a name attached to it, a name that defined its species and set it apart from the array of other odd creature species living on Earth.

"What's wrong?"

Mandy blinked. "Huh?"

"You have a worried look on your face."

Sure enough, Mandy did, indeed, wear a worried look. It had happened completely subconsciously, and she tenderly touched her cheek before she spoke. "Yeah. I-I'm just thinking. About Natsu. About how I thought it was all cute and cuddly, and how you had me look after it...until it turned on me." Her eyes briefly caught Fluttershy's own, widening in surprise. "A small part of me thinks that Cream...she may not be what she seems, either."

Fluttershy nodded. "I understand. I've been having the same thoughts myself." she said. "Have you ever seen Peaches so happy about anything the way she's happy over Cream?"

A few moments passed as Mandy tried to wrack her brain. Ultimately, though, she shook her head. "No. I mean she's definitely never been as happy as how I get about things..."

Mare and child sat in silence as the minutes ticked by. They sat on the floor, watching their friend play with Cream like nothing bad was happening, like nothing bad would eventually happen, like they could just go about their daily lives and not have to worry about them at all.

Such terrible naivete. They couldn't risk naivete.

"Do you have a picture of the creature?"

The question snapped Fluttershy out of her worried stupor. She glanced at Mandy. "No. Why?"

"Either I badger Oprah and the Big O for answers, or nothing's gonna happen."

That's right. Mandy is close with the Big O. How could I have forgotten? Fluttershy began mentally slapping herself right then and there, for thinking that going to the ever-benevolent Big O with a creature problem was a waste of time on both ends. In truth, she had no idea how long the Big O had been employed with Odd Squad, but even though Mandy had picked her for her kindness and assistance in stopping the previous Big O, she had to wonder if she had been picked for having some kind of longevity backing her up.

"I'll ask them about the creature, and whatever I find out, I'll report back to you. In the meantime, if Ocean comes back, maybe you can talk to him about Cream and ask him if he knows anything about it!" Mandy chirped, feeling more optimistic now that she had a set plan. "Do you have a camera on you?"

"I don't." Fluttershy shook her head. "Do you?"

Mandy stood up. All she had to do was reach a hand inside of her hair and pull one out, a small black Odd Squad-branded digital one that had a slat at the bottom for producing photos similar to that of a Polaroid. "Always!"

Fluttershy watched the antics of Mandy the photographer go down. The hybrid held her eye up to the lens and focused on Cream, who was holding a bulky white rope in her mouth. All it took was one second of her staying still for Mandy's itchy trigger finger to go off before she darted to the side and snapped a few more pictures.

"Et voila!" The hybrid returned, levitating a photo of Cream to Fluttershy. "One for you and the rest for me!"

"Oh, wonderful!" Fluttershy smiled as she looked over the picture. "Now I have something to put into the creature database! This is sure to help me narrow down Cream's species. Thank you, Mandy!"

"D'aww, no prob!" Mandy waved a hand and began bouncing towards the door. "I'm off!" 

"W-wait, let me come with!"





"I took so many notes on Cream's behavior. I can't believe it likes to eat everything on the ground. Even the ground itself!"

"Like Daves, but they're cuter and they don't eat the entire planet!"

As Fluttershy and Mandy roamed the halls, the former reached behind her back and pulled out a set of notes.

"Would you, um...like a copy of my notes? To help you in asking about Cream?"

Mandy took the papers in her magical grasp and scanned through them, not noticing Fluttershy's surprised expression as she wondered how, exactly, the hybrid could walk with her vision obscured and not bump into anything.

"Ooooh!" Mandy's tail wagged. "Yes, I'll take these! They'll definitely help!"

Fluttershy giggled, then straightened. "Oh dear. I should go back to Equestria. I have put the animals to sleep at home. The poor things must be so tired!"

"Hey, what if you brought Cream to your house?"

The question made the Pegasus nearly stop. It was a good thing she didn't, though, and a frown settled on her face. "I did talk with Ocean about inviting odd creatures from this world to my home. But he said they should remain here, since they're so unusual."

Mandy nodded. She could certainly understand that logic -- Fluttershy's world had its fair share of odd creatures, but some of Odd Squad's might be downright weird even by Equestrian standards.

"Anyway, I have to go. I'll see you later!" Fluttershy took flight and soared off, giving a "And good luck on your search!" before she rounded the corner.

It took a while before Mandy began walking again. She read over the notes once, and then twice, to make sure she hadn't missed anything important. All that was there was how Cream reacted to the outside world and the strangers that lived within it, which wasn't all too helpful. Anyone who was anyone put on a nice front for strangers every time they went out. Mandy didn't -- she didn't really see the point in such a thing -- but she knew other people who did. And if Cream really had a nasty side, it would be shown right here in Headquarters.

A feeling of exhaustion and stress encased Mandy's entire being as she made her way into the bullpen, where Twilight and Rarity had just entered.

"Oh, Mandy! Welcome back!" Twilight waved eagerly.

Rarity opened her mouth to issue a greeting of her own, but her smile faded upon seeing her co-worker in such a wretched state. "Is something wrong, darling?"

"Wha?" Mandy blinked, and then her eyes widened, as though she had just come out of a trance. "I- n- no, nothing's wrong!" She gave a bout of sheepish, and hopefully convincing, laughter. "I-I was just lost in thought, that's all."

As Rarity and Twilight exchanged confused glances, something inside Mandy snapped.

Twilight was here. All-powerful, all-knowledgeable Twilight.

Oprah? Big O? Who needs 'em, Twi could prolly outclass 'em in smarts!

"Twilight!"

The alicorn blinked, surprised by the sudden calling of her name and the sight of a human's index finger that was pointed right at her. She was too stunned to respond, instead staring up at the owner of the finger.

"You've gotta be prof...pro...professor..." Mandy shook her head. "You know a lot about creatures! Read this and tell me if you know anything about this creature in particular!"

With the notes still standing in midair, Mandy floated them over to the Princess of Friendship, where she took them in her own magic aura and read them. Rarity craned her neck to her left in order to read the notes along with her dear friend, her expression twisting from pleasant to displeased to outright surprise.

Mandy twiddled her thumbs. Sweat began to pour down her face. As far as she was concerned, meeting up with Twilight was an opportunity. She didn't need to bug Oprah and risk getting yelled at, or go all the way over to the Big Office. She could speak to the smartest mare in Odd Squad and get the exact response she was looking for without all the extra work-

"Hmm...I can't say I haven't."

"Me neither."

...Or perhaps not.

Mandy's body physically deflated, ever so slightly. What had she said about Twi being able to outclass Oprah and the Big O in smarts? Was she within the five-minute return window to give that statement back to the Jumping-To-Conclusions Store for a full refund?

"It looks like a mix of a cat and a dog, though. Are you sure it's an odd creature?"

Add another anvil to the pile of them that were already pushing on her spine and making it scream in completely unfathomable ways.

"The thing eats dried cement, Twilight." came her voice, raspy and half-drained of energy. "It nearly ate through its own leash!"

"It sounds pretty harmless to me."

An eye twitch.

"Uh, m-maybe not completely harmless!" Now it was Twilight's turn to sheepishly laugh as she waved her hooves back and forth in front of her, hoping to avoid whatever wrath might be coming her way. "I'm sorry I can't help you, Mandy, really. But Odd Squad has so many odd creatures for being around since the caveman times, and research on all those species takes time. I'm not even halfway through."

"And for what it's worth, darling..." Rarity raised a hoof. "I certainly don't recognize this creature, either."

A heavy sigh left Mandy's body completely open for deflating even further. She ruffled her hair, her anger beginning to dissipate. "Well, it was worth a shot, I guess...back to work I go. Thanks for nothin'."

Twilight and Rarity watched the hybrid go with worried expressions before they left to attend to their own work, feeling bad that they couldn't help their friend with her issue. Although Twilight did make sure to file a note away in her brain to study and read more about what odd creature said friend was describing.





Work had caused Mandy to temporarily derail her plans of asking Oprah or the Big O about Cream, and so, she decided to get as much done as possible to free up the next day.

It was lucky for her that efficiency was one of her strongest traits, one that made her such a valuable asset to have within Odd Squad.

Still, for some unexplained reason, when she had gone to bed that night, it was like she had taken one of the most fast-acting sleep aid drugs on the market. About half a bottle of them, if one bothered to calculate.

Her deep sleep left her completely immune to the sound of the door opening, and the frantic "Mandy!" that came from the room's latest entrant.

Said entrant wasted no time rushing over to Mandy's bed and shaking the hybrid awake, her black tail lashing to and fro. "Cuz, wake up! Please wake up!"

Naturally, all Peaches got was a soft "mmm", an unintelligible grumble that told her that her cousin didn't want to be woken up, and then more loud snores that would make the most famous lumberjack in the country weep with envy.

"Please! It's about Cream, I need your help!"

Peaches' plaintive cries did nothing to sway the hybrid from her slumber. All that met here were more snores, unintelligible sleep sounds that ground into her brain like the inner workings of a coffee maker. By this point, she was getting a pretty solid workout in her arms just from shaking the hybrid back and forth in utter vain, although that amusing thought did nothing from stopping the tears that began to fall.

"You've had enough sleep! Why don't you-"

A growl cut into the catgirl's thoughts.

Low, ominous, and certainly not coming from the deepest of her cousin's vocal cords.

She swiveled her head to the source of the sound. Cream stood in the doorway, large off-white teeth bared in a show of aggression.

"C-Cream! Cream, I-I'm so sorry!"

For some unexplained reason, the creature did a 360-degree personality switch. Its aggressive demeanor switched to that of a scared animal on a dime, and she began yelping in fear as it scrambled away, as though Peaches had accidentally kicked her or stepped on some of her tails.

"Cream..." Peaches' eyes grew misty as she leaned out the doorway and watched her new pet run down the hall and turn a corner. "Why does she hate me now? Why such a sudden change?"

Aside from Mandy's snores, her musings went unanswered. She could feel her heart breaking in two, her brain allowing a memory to float to the surface about how the whole of Vallea had shut her out for years as though that would make a worthy comparison. In truth, that was just...well, not the truth. Years of isolation and bullying and abuse did not a worthy comparison to a friend suddenly hating her make, and she knew that.

But that didn't mean the feeling of abandonment didn't hurt any less.

She suddenly felt the same crippling loneliness again she felt when she first came to Toronto. After befriending everyone, she had vowed to never feel that same way again, and now that she did...she felt a sense of irrational paranoia infecting her mind.

Without even thinking, she lunged at Mandy. The speech she gave was completely unintelligible as her hands curled up into fists and began pounding on her chest as though she was dead and needed to be revived. Tears began to make their way down their face, pulled by the ever-persistent forces of gravity and emotion.

Peaches was so distraught in that moment that she didn't hear Mandy's ceasing of sleep sounds nor see her face turning into one of discomfort. And on that note, she certainly didn't initially feel Mandy's tail pushing her away towards the other side of the room as the hybrid turned over onto her left side.

"NO!!" came the eardrum-splitting screech, as the catgirl scrambled back to her cousin's side. "D-don't leave me! The nightmares, the nightmares are so awful...so awful, and, and I can't be abandoned like that again, I just can't!"

The lack of coherence in that sentence was something she probably would have laughed at in about twenty-or-so years if she looked back on it with the same optimism as Mandy. But she certainly didn't feel like laughing now -- not after recalling the sleepless nights she had back when she first arrived at Precinct 13579, which, she had to admit, hadn't really gone away even after her prolonged stay here. Sometimes, they still cropped up, and she couldn't stop them. Other times, they cropped up, and all she had to do was imagine Mandy or Pinkie Pie or some other exuberant character to brighten them up or even make them go away completely.

She started shivering. The tears came faster now, until she felt like she had no more of them left to give. Her claws came out as they took ahold of Mandy's shirt sleeve, the sound of ripping doing nothing to sway her from her distraught moment.

Something wet splashed against them, and she slowly opened her eyes to the color of red.

Blood.

I...did I just...

If she did, Mandy didn't so much as give a groan. She was completely oblivious to the injuries, snoring and sleep-talking away as though nothing had happened.

Peaches sheathed her claws. All she could do was stare at Mandy's exposed skin and watch the blood dribble down her arm like a haunting reminder. 

What is wrong with me?

It was a question the catgirl hadn't been meaning to ask herself. But regardless, she already knew the answer.

...A lot of things.

She had to wonder if Odd Squad offered therapy services. Surely they had to, what with these being children risking their very lives to fight things that could mark their premature ends. And if they did, surely a catgirl like her could attend therapy. Would she be classified as an odd creature? Did odd creatures even qualify for therapeutic services? Maybe she could ask Ocean or Fluttershy about it when she had the time.

"One order 'f macadamia cheezze...!"

Mandy sat up in bed, her eyes half-lidded as they struggled to adjust to reality. A yawn rattled about in her throat, capped off with a few lip smacks for good measure.

Peaches' eyes widened, her previous thoughts running away from her mind and not bothering to stick there even with the most effort she could muster. She backed away, ears folded against the sides of her head as she grit her teeth and prepared for a verbal smackdown.

"Wh'zz..." Slowly, Mandy's hand clasped her arm and pulled back. She squinted, she craned her neck, but for the absolute life of her, she couldn't put two and two together.

Her other hand reached for her Chocolate Moo-Moo Surprise drink.

Peaches tensed up.

Swig after swig after swig, and the glass was empty within just a few seconds.

In three, two, one, and...

"...Blood?"

The sensation of pain hit Mandy like a train, and she clutched her arm. "Oww!" she cried out. "What..."

Silence. Peaches could feel her cousin's gaze boring into her, and she knew she had to fess up.

"L-look, cuz, I can explain!"

"What? This was you?"

Peaches searched her eyes. No signs of anger, but rather, just simple confusion with a twinge of drowsiness. She had to stop herself from being irrational and thinking the hybrid was going to break all family and friendship ties with her over something as silly as an accidental injury.

But part of her told her that it was too late for that.

"It..." She bit her lip. "I woke up this morning and tried to pet Cream, but she nearly bit my hand off...and then when I opened the door, she ran right out."

Mandy blinked.

"I tried to wake you up because I wanted you to help me find her, but you were dead asleep and I..." Peaches started to shake again. "I don't want to be abandoned again! I can't! It, it was my entire life, I never wanna go back to that, ever!"

She broke down in tears. All Mandy could do was watch, rubbing her head and realizing that she might be far too early in the "I need to wake my entire being up" stage of her arousal to fully comprehend what was going on. Still, she got the basic gist of it, and threw off the covers.

"Cuz..." She tilted her head. "What're you talkin' about? Who abandoned you?"

Peaches didn't answer, just give a plaintive wail. Mandy held her close and rubbed her back, her own ears folding down along the sides of her head.

"Look, I'll help you find Cream. I plan on asking around and seeing if I can identify her species, at the very least." Mandy said. "There has to be some explanation for why she suddenly became aggressive with you after you've been nothing but kind to her."

This reassurance didn't help Peaches' fit of sadness all too much, and a few more choked sobs left her.

"I really don't know who else abandoned you..."

No, wait, that was a lie. Mandy did know. She had a pretty good idea. But unfortunately, discussing her cousin's life in Vallea under that utter slimy bastard who dared to call himself a king was only second on her list of priorities right now.

"But once I get this whole Cream situation resolved, we can talk about it whenever you want. 'Kay?"

Peaches swallowed a ball of saliva that had gotten stuck in her throat, then began wiping her tears away. She gave a simple small nod.

"Good!" Mandy stood up. "Now, lemme just go get some brekkie first, and I'll get started! Why don't you hang around the bullpen for a lil' bit and converse? It'll do ya some good! Oooooor, use that super-awesome nose of yours to track down Cream! I believe in ya!"

Peaches didn't even get a chance to answer before her cousin hopped out the door and down the hall towards what she had to assume was the Bathroom. With a shaky sigh, she, too, got to her feet, staring at the doorway for what seemed like hours.

Yeah...she'll find out more about Cream. She has to. I just want Cream back with me...together again...I bought all this stuff for her, and now...

She furiously shook her head. Now's not the time to get overly sentimental. I have to find Cream, and quickly.

Grabbing a tissue from Mandy's nightstand and giving her nose a quick blow, she made her way out the door to start the search that she hoped really wouldn't take her a long time.

After all, she could only take so much alone time before she broke.





"Thank you!"

"Not a problem, ma'am. You have a good day, now."

"You as well."

As Oprah waved goodbye to the deliveryman that had delivered a new stash of one thousand juice boxes, she got up to tear them open like Christmas presents and put them away. However, the sound of footsteps very nearly interrupted that activity.

"Hiya, boss!"

"Hi, Mandy." Oprah began prying open the first box. "Did you need something?"

"Weeeeeell, I certainly didn't come here for a friendly chat!" Mandy giggle-snorted at her own comment. "See, you've lived a loooooong long time..."

Oprah raised an eyebrow.

"Do you know anything about this creature?"

As Mandy reached into her hair and pulled out a photo of Cream, Oprah eyed it curiously. She tilted her head as her eyes narrowed, then tilted it the other way as her eyes narrowed further, and then her eyes widened considerably as she went slack-jawed.

"Is...is that..." She took a step back. "It is! B-but I thought those just existed in Odd Squad folklore!"

Before Mandy knew it, her boss was lunging for the box that she was trying to open before. She did it effortlessly, of course, and pulled out a juice box of a random flavor, sticking the straw into the top and taking a large sip.

"Well? What is it?"

"That, agent, is a Serpida."

Mandy's nose wrinkled. "A Serpida?"

"It's an odd creature that is a mix of two animals." Oprah explained. "They look and act friendly, but once they spend a couple days with someone, their view of them becomes warped."

"Uh...warped how?"

"A Serpida's most formidable enemies are spider-cats. When they spend enough time with a person, they will lash out at that person and attack them because they think they're a spider-cat."

"But if they're enemies, don't they attack each other?"

"Yes." Oprah nodded. "Serpidas will attack the person they've bonded with. It's led to many incidents and many hospital visits to boot. As well as...many casualties." Her eyes grew slightly misty. "Smaller Serpidas deal less damage due to their size, but still pack quite a punch." A sigh racked her body. "An agent I knew was a victim of a Serpida’s attacks. They took it home, bonded with it like it was their pet, and it turned on them a couple weeks later. At the time, I didn’t believe them when they told me. Serpidas were only known to exist in Odd Squad folklore tales. But this picture…"

Mandy held it out for Oprah to examine again. Silence filled the room for a few moments.

"Where is this Serpida?"

"Peaches has it. I dunno where she found it, but she took it home and...I guess she's been caring for it."

"For how long?"

"I...I don't know." Mandy scratched her head. "I only found out about it recently. So did Agent Fluttershy. She's been making notes of Cream's behaviors -- Cream's what Peaches calls the creature, see -- and she's put them into the Creature Room's database."

Oprah suddenly gripped Mandy by the shoulders. "You have to warn Peaches of what's going to happen. And you have to get her away from Cream before it's too late!"

Ignoring the pain that was rocketing through her shoulders at the moment from Oprah gripping them too hard, Mandy bit her lip. 

It's me and Natsu all over again...only at least Cream attacking Peaches seems to be instinct. Still, maybe the stars aligned in the shape of "no one in Odd Squad is allowed to keep odd pets" for a second time...and now my cousin's gonna be slaughtered by that thing she calls a pet.

Ohh, if only I'd just slacked off on work yesterday...now I know why Cream was so aggressive towards her. Oprah's right -- I have to find her and warn her!

Her mind only barely registered Oprah's lips moving in what she was 99% sure was her signature "Well, what are you waiting for? Go!" catchphrase, but her feet had caught on nonetheless. Before she knew it, she was running downstairs and through the steel double-doors, nearly tripping and falling a few times as she headed for the tubes.





After a tumultuous tube ride that ended with her stomach slamming against ground a few times, Mandy decided to take flight and begin her search.

Unfortunately, she forgot that Toronto wasn't what anyone would call a "small city". And she was only in the suburban part of it.

"She could be anywhere in this city!" she lamented, not even bothering to stop the groan that tumbled from her lips. "And I didn't even get the picture back from Oprah...when will she give her a badge phone already?!"

It felt like days before Mandy was able to find Peaches and Cream, and even then, she was confident it was just due to Lady Luck shining down on her once again. She swooped down as quickly as she could with mighty beats of her wings.

"PEEEEEEEACH!!"

"Huh? Nyaaah!"

Peaches soared to the ground just as Mandy flew over her. Cream, likewise, gave a couple scared yelps as she scrambled backwards at the sight.

"J-jeez, Mandy, don't divebomb me!" the catgirl snapped as she got to her feet, brushing dirt off of her dress.

Unfortunately for her, Mandy was in no mood to listen to that. "It's, he, I, was, it, is-"

"Whoa, catch your breath first! What's going on?"

Mandy took a couple gulps of air into her lungs. "Cream is bad. She's a Serpida. You have to get rid of her!" Her voice was practically a scream, her arms having about the same density as overcooked pasta noodles as she waved them around frantically.

"Get rid of Cream?" Peaches tilted her head. "Why?"

Mandy grabbed her cousin by the shoulders. "She'll attack you soon! She thinks you're a spider-cat! A-and when Serpidas think you're a spider-cat, they'll maul you and shred you to bits n' pieces n' kibbles n'-n' bits!"

Peaches blinked.

For a moment, Mandy was confident her cousin would listen and work out a plan to get rid of Cream somehow. After all, she was the smart one between the two of them. Surely she wouldn't just dismiss her words as some weird ramblings or the talk of someone completely and utterly insane -- Mandy could be insane to some, but she wasn't "shoo-in for the latest opening at the psychiatric ward" insa-

A laugh pierced her eardrums.

"Cuz! Are you overdue for your nap or something? You're speaking in crazy!"

Mandy's heart dropped at least ten stories. Maybe twenty. Elevators would weep at how fast her heart dropped, and it didn't even have a kill count yet.

"No, I'm not, I'm being legitimate!"

"Look. Cream is a sweetie. I know she was being really mean and elusive this morning and she tried to bite me, but we made up now! She was just having a bad day, that's all."

"She's beginning to turn on you!" Mandy slightly shook Peaches. "It's instinct. That's why she tried to bite you! Oprah told me everything!"

"Well, you can tell Oprah that she's wrong." Peaches said, gently pushing Mandy away. "I've had Cream for weeks now, and she's been nothing but nice! Er, most of the time."

All Mandy could do was stammer. She glanced at Cream, who gave a soft whuff noise that contained nothing but the pure and kind innocence of a happy pet with its owner, and she felt a part of her die inside right then and there.

No...she doesn't believe me. Why isn't she believing me?!

"Older relatives' knowledge is the best knowledge, cuz." Peaches ruffled Mandy's hair. "Go home and get some sleep. I know I woke you up earlier than expected and you must be tired. Some sleep will do you some good!"

The amount of vibrating Mandy did, coupled with a low deep growl, would probably have been enough to either send her to the astral plane, cause a few mini-earthquakes, or possibly both. To Peaches, however, it just made her look even cuter, and the smile on her face only grew bigger.

"Sleep is not my top priority right now!" Mandy snapped, in a desperate last-ditch effort to make Peaches see reason. "My top priority is getting you away from Cream!"

Peaches' smile suddenly turned into a harsh grimace. "It's not going to happen, Mandy. Cream and I have a strong bond. And it will not be broken just because you lay claim to it being mean!" A chuckle bubbled forth. "Maybe you're just jealous because you think I've been paying more attention to Cream than I have to you."

Mandy's skill of the English language flew right out the window. She could only stutter and stammer, with none of the noises she made even coming close to being anything of coherence. And it certainly wasn't anything within the language parameters of what Odd Squad's alien agents in space spoke, either. Even her mind was an utter pile of mush, her thoughts being mashed together in one grand amalgam produced by her very own purely-human brain.

And the worst part?

All the while, Peaches was watching the act with a bemused smile. That damn bemused cat smile that just mocked Mandy without even trying. She wanted to badly to wipe that smile clear off of her cousin's face, and it took every inch of her willpower not to land a punch as hard as the one she gave Olive in that dream the Dream Weaver concocted.

Finally, it seemed her brain was willing to work. Or the dominant hemisphere was, at least.

"Jealous?! I'm not jealous!"

"Sure. Keep telling yourself that, and maybe it'll start coming true."

An eye twitch.

Another eye twitch.

Mandy yanked her pony ears down, parted her jaws, and let out a piercing scream of utter anger and frustration that caught the attention of more than a few passersby. While still screaming, the hybrid took flight once more, going back the way she came without another word spoken.

Peaches watched her go for only a few moments, the smile still remaining on her face before she was jerked along the sidewalk by a dashing Cream. 

"Whooooa! Hey, wait for me!"





It never really occurred to Mandy that perhaps she needed to find other places to blow off some steam than bothering two busy Directors, but in this particular instance, venting to Olive and Otto was exactly what she needed.

As it just so happened, both of them were on their lunch break, it being a slow day at the precinct. Olive was reading the latest issue of The Shmumbertimes, her eyes skimming through an article about the unfortunate hospitalization of pop star sensation Alysha Webb after a drug overdose. Otto, on the other hand, was mindlessly staring at the ceiling, taking a swig of Dr. Shmumber soda.

The sound of footsteps made Olive look up. "Huh? Oh, hi, Mandy."

An unintelligible grumble became her only response as the hybrid flopped onto the couch, magically conjured up a five-pound bag of gummy bears that had the same density as a package of rocks not from Pinkie's family's rock farm, and shoved some in her mouth.

"Something wrong?"

Mandy stopped chewing. She adjusted the gummy bears in her mouth, pushing them to the far ends of her cheeks. "Do you really want to know?" she asked, not bothering to pay attention to whether any gummy bears flew out onto the floor or not.

Olive wasn't deterred a single bit by the bad vibes in the air. A smile formed on her face. "Sure! We're all ears."

"Yeah, what's up?" Otto chimed in, taking another sip of his soda.

Mandy pulled some gummy bears into the center of her mouth, chewed them up, and swallowed them. "You know about Cream?"

"I, um...can't say that I do." Olive said. "Are you talking about the food, or...?"

"No. She's Peaches' new pet." Mandy said, with a grating edge to her voice. "Peaches found her somewhere and she's been taking care of her. But unfortunately, I had the...rather disappointing pleasure of finding out that she's a Serpida."

"Peach? A Serpida?" Otto snapped his fingers in an "aww, man" sort of gesture. "Man, I knew something was off with her! She couldn't have just been an ordinary catgi-"

A hammer resting on his face stopped him cold, its head almost being rammed up his nostrils. He glanced at it with widened eyes, and then looked directly at the one who was levitating it, with teeth bared, eyes narrowed, and a low growl to complete the ensemble.

"S-sorry. I, uh...couldn't help myself." Otto said, pushing the hammer down slowly with his index finger and giving a meek grin. "Continue."

Mandy huffed and pulled the hammer back towards her, setting it on the couch in case either Otto tried one of his jokes again or Olive tried one of her snark bits. She swallowed the rest of the gummy bears that were in her mouth and had gotten slightly mushier. "A Serpida, if you don't know, is a hybrid creature that forms a strong bond with someone and then turns on them after a while."

"Turns on them?" Olive asked. "Why?"

"A Serpida's biggest enemies are spider-cats. When they spend enough time with a person, they think that person is a spider-cat and and they begin to act aggressive towards them. And then they atta- um, no, wait...a better word would be 'maul'. Yeah, they maul them." Mandy folded her ears down in a show of anger. "I tried to tell Peach what Oprah told me, but she's so..."

For the next few minutes, Olive and Otto watched as Mandy stammered in many pathetic attempts to come up with a more intricate word for what she was trying to say. Olive's eyes went completely half-lidded with bemusement, while Otto cracked a small smile and summoned every inch of his willpower to try and not laugh lest he wanted his skull bashed in.

Ultimately, Mandy gave up the fight. "She just won't listen to me!" she cried out, before giving another frustrated scream and proceeding to bang her head on the coffee table. Olive's eyes grew wide on pure instinct before she realized that she had switched out the coffee table's makeup from glass to wood a long time ago after Mandy had tried to kill a cockroach and instead ended up killing usage of her hand for several weeks.

Still, in spite of her surprise, she took initiative in giving the hybrid advice. "Unfortunately, there's nothing you can really do about it, Mandy. Remember, you can't help someone who doesn't want to help themselves."

Otto nodded in agreement. "Just keep a close eye on Peaches and protect her when the Serpida attacks."

"But-"

"Take our word for it."

The look in Mandy's eyes was nothing short of betrayal as she glanced at Olive. Take their word for it? That's the best advice they can give? Geez, put 'em through Harvard and make 'em therapists, I hear there's a shortage. "Take our word for it"...what, is there no magical solution I can use on Peach to make her listen to me? Some kind of unconventional thing like stealing the pet and maaaaaaaybe throwing it somewhere into Ohio? I have to let her do her thing and keep an eye on her at all times to make sure she doesn't get hurt by it?

History really is doomed to repeat itself. If "repeat itself" meant "move at least three chairs to change the timeline".

Silence filled the room. Deep down, Mandy knew they were right, but that didn't mean she was so keen on admitting it. She ruffled her hair and heaved a mighty sigh. "I just want Peach to be safe...but if she really does love Cream that much..."

Her heart began to grow heavy all of a sudden, with a feeling of utter dread and resignation.

"Guess there's nothing I can do about it."

"Besides, can't Peaches fend for herself against one tiny Serpida, anyway?" Otto asked, giving a shrug. "She has a few battle skills up her sleeve."

Mandy didn't feel like telling him about the size differences between each member of the species. "Yeah, but...I just don't want her to get killed by that thing!"

"Have some faith in Peaches. She'll know what to do."

"I hope so..." Another sigh. "Maybe she's right. Maybe I'm...just worrying too much because I need sleep."

Olive and Otto watched her get up.

"After all, 's not every day you wake up with gashes in your arm 'cause your catgirl cousin scratches you and screams about being abandoned."

Confused expressions, which Mandy didn't see, and even if she had seen, would have chosen to ignore.

"I'll see you guys later."

With a halfhearted wave, she trudged out the glass double-doors, her hammer following suit in the thralls of her magic in a last-minute "whoops, forgot this" memory glitch. All Olive and Otto did was watch her go, their expressions changing to one of concern as they glanced at each other. Only after a few minutes did they go back to what they were doing, her strife only being a footnote in the backs of their minds.





Teeth bared. Claws unsheathed. Expression twisted into an ugly grimace of pure, raw, unbridled anger.

A frown. Claws sheathed, as they usually were. Expression one of concern and worry, with not a trace of fear held in it.

"Cream? Are you-"

Then came her piercing scream, loud and booming, managing to reach the ears of every single agent in Headquarters. Mixed in with the sound of a cat's yowl, it was, perhaps, one of the many subjective auditory equivalents of Hell itself.

The scream cut off suddenly, and what met Mandy's vision was pure darkness before the scene switched like the snap of a finger.

Her view met a medical monitor, with all three lines completely flat. Five huge zeroes stared at her, almost taunting her like they were willing victims of a number hog.

"I'm sorry."

Two powerful little words that can change an entire situation. Depending on the context, they could lead to a mended relationship between two lovers, a fixed friendship between two friends, or a dying ship that had capsized and was taking every one of its occupants with it.

And, of course, there was the other kind of context they had attached to them.

It had hurt her when she had seen her cousin lying in a bed, oxygen mask on her face, entire being hanging on by a mere thread so thin that most patients' guardians would have gone the physician-assisted suicide route by that point. Pneumonia, like many regular and odd diseases, was not something to be trifled with, and Odd Squad was no exception to that long-standing rule of biology and common sense. Likewise, neither was Vallea or any of its many residents. (Although time would tell in how they reacted to odd diseases. She wasn't sure whether they had traveled there or not.)

Now, she was staring at a face whose beauty had been pockmarked every which way from the second Sunday of June. The limbs were much the same, four legs angled in awkward positions with bones broken to completely irreparable degrees, as was the tail, which was now nothing more than just a mere stub wrapped in white gauze.

"She's gone, Mandy."

Those were words she never thought she would have to hear. Not up until her adoptive mother died. Or one of the ponies died. Or Oprah, as the strong-willed and powerful Director she was, died.

The one-toned sound of the flatline displayed on the medical monitor drilled into her ears. She probably would have gotten more joy from the sound of the Alert Ready tones, because at least those had actual flavor and substance for something that could deafen an entire village. The sadness that rocketed through her body had made her start shaking, and she had to fight to keep her grip on the side rail.

She wasn't quite sure how much time had passed. All she knew was that she was screaming.

A long, painful, mournful scream that threatened to crack the glass windows of the Medical Bay and bring the precinct to a complete stop as they listened to the song of its second-in-command.

Before she knew it, she had somehow stopped screaming, like someone had taken a bullet straight to her windpipes. She was staring at a rather disappointed and angry Peaches, who was towering over her floor-bound body. Words tumbled out of her without her even thinking.

"Peach, I'm only trying to protect you!"

"What do you know?! You're just a kid!"

"Wh- you're not even from here! You weren't born and raised in Odd Squad like I was!" Mandy fired back -- a rather stupid and irrelevant rebuttal in her eyes. Not that she knew for sure, but she figured Peaches was around the same age as her, if not only two or three years older. Who was she to tell Mandy that she was "just a kid"? For all she knew, the hybrid could have been an immortal goddess and she was just hiding it the whole time.

"Cream is the sweetest creature I've ever met!" Peaches spat back, her long black hair and skinny black tail bushing outwards. "How dare you accuse-"

"You're going to get killed! Do you really want to fail in your mission to find who burned down Vallea just because of one tiny little creature?! Is that how you want to die?!" Saliva shot out from Mandy's mouth as she spit the words at her cousin like knives coated in venom. "Don't you want to die with honor and dignity instead of at the paws of that...that thing?! That's gonna be your cause of death?!"

Peaches took a step back, her angry expression faltering for a moment as she took in Mandy's words. Mandy herself, meanwhile, clapped a hand over her mouth, not expecting to dip her hands in the well of morbidity within this rather senseless argument. Perhaps it was her own doubts about Peaches surviving whatever attack Cream was going to go at her with that were resurfacing and twisting in her intricate mind. Perhaps it was her own cynical side bursting through and reminding her of just how contrived and complicated of a place her world truly was. 

She didn't know, and frankly, she didn't want to devote any resources to figuring it out. It was small potatoes compared to the current issue at hand.

When Peaches didn't speak after a minute or so, Mandy got to her feet. "Forget it!" she cried out. "You're on your own! Do what you want! I don't care anymore!"

Turning and stomping away, she felt anger swirling around inside of her gut. There was little reason why she shouldn't have slapped or punched or generally just beat up her cousin to make her see reason. 

But in this dream, she was not the one in control.

The sound of whistling wind stopped her in her tracks. She looked up, and found that her view had once again suddenly changed. Luckily for her, she knew the place well, and the anger in her gut began to subside.

"Haruko! Haruko, can you hear me? I need you, please!"

"Mandy."

The hybrid whirled around so quickly that she ended up falling on her rump. Standing in front of her was Haruko herself, ever-regal and ever-poised, gazing at her with her illustrious shining green eyes.

"I will never get used to that." Mandy muttered, getting to her feet. "Haruko, you have to help me. My cousin, she's in possession of a dangerous odd creature that's going to attack her. But I can't convince her to give it up and let go of it! She just brushes me off as immature and silly..." She rubbed her arm. "Any second now, it's gonna happen. A-and I won't be able to protect her when it does!"

"And why is that?"

"I'm asleep. And when I'm asleep...I can't really be woken up by anyone else." Mandy's eyes widened. "W-well, I can, but it takes me a really really long while."

A soft hum rattled in Haruko's throat.

Mandy clenched her fists. "I just want to keep her safe..."

"If I recall correctly..." Haruko said. "A while ago, you saved her from some villains whom she had willfully surrendered to, yes?"

"Yeah. What about it?"

"Mandy." Haruko blinked. "Do you not think that she can handle her own in combat?"

"I-it's not that I don't think she can, 'cuz I know she can, but...dealing with villains is a whole different experience than dealing with odd creatures!"

"I can sense the bond between you and her. It is quite strong." Haruko smiled. "It is clear that you really do care for her."

"I do. I love her to kibbles n' bits and I don't want her to get hurt!"

"You must believe in her, Mandy." Haruko took a few steps towards the hybrid, placing a gentle paw on her knee. "She may not be able to be convinced that the creature is a threat, but when the time comes...when it attacks her..."

Silence. Mandy tensed up. She held her breath as she watched Haruko's eyes slowly close.

"She will be prepared."

"But- but no one knows when it'll attack!" Mandy blurted out in one breath.

"I am quite certain that Peaches can fend for herself. After all, she traveled all the way to Toronto from Vallea just to find who attacked her town. Traveling that far...it is a feat in and of itself."

Mandy didn't respond. She just glanced down at the ground.

"And has Peaches not assisted you in taking down villains before?"

The answer to that question, of course, was a solid "yes". Peaches and Mandy were a true dynamic duo in battle, and together they had taken down many villains and the oddness they created. With Peaches' razor-sharp claws and Mandy's powerful hammer, they were nearly unstoppable. Even Oprah had to note how well of a team they made.

"Well, she...she has, but-"

"Believe in her, Mandy."

Haruko's voice was more firm this time. Mandy gripped the grass with her hand, pulling a few blades out and examining them as she tried to process what the kitsune was telling her.

In a final attempt to get some advice that would placate her, she said, "But what if she gets hurt?"

To which Haruko replied, "Then you can help her heal."

A failed attempt. Still, far be it from Mandy to question the will and advice of someone so wise and collected -- and her words had made her think.

Maybe Peaches really will be okay on her own. After all, Cream's a really small creature. If she's in her usual form, it wouldn't take much to knock it down to the ground and defeat it. Unless it can grow bigger...no, Oprah would've told me about that.

I guess...the best thing to do is to leave her be.

Even though worry had her heart in a vicegrip, she had to admit that the coils had loosened significantly.

"Worry and fear is nonexistent in the Magical Grasslands, Mandy." Haruko cooed, taking a seat and gazing up at the sky. "Come sit and relax."

And so, Mandy partook in the same song and dance again, sitting beside Haruko and trying to spot funny shapes in the clouds to distract herself for the time being, until it was her time to depart.





They sold Converses with no-slip soles. Oprah knew that.

It was just a shame that those versions weren't adopted into the standard work uniform for Odd Squad employees.

As such, her sprint down the hall towards Mandy's room nearly ended with her legs buckling under her enough to twist an ankle. She was more agile than that, though, and managed to catch herself just in time.

"MANDY!!" she screamed, breaking the door open with one mighty kick. "Come quick, there's an emergency!"

The agent in question was fast asleep in bed still, eliciting her usual loud snores and nonsensical sleep-talk. However, her face expression was contorted into one of discomfort as she slightly tossed and turned.

Normally, Oprah wouldn't have even tried to wake up Mandy, and would have just walked away. But panic was settling in, and any semblance of keeping a cool head went clear out the window.

"Come on, wake up!" she said, grabbing Mandy by the shoulder and shaking her.

That appeared to be a trigger for the hybrid.

"Peach, PEEEEEEEACH!!!" came the terrified scream, as Mandy woke up, spread her wings, and zoomed out of the room at about the same average speed as Rainbow Dash performing her most dangerous stunts.

Oprah blinked a few times, then slowly turned her head towards the direction of the doorway. "Well, that takes care of that..." she muttered, before she made her way out of the room.

A painful yowl, followed by a command to sit still, only made Mandy put on more speed, nearly knocking over agents and creatures in the process. She swooped up into the air and made a mighty landing at the entrance to the Medical Bay with the sound of a boom accompanying it, her magic throwing open the door.

"Cuz?!"

"Mandy!"

"Oh thank the-" A round of coughing interrupted Mandy, and she keeled over to catch her breath, folding her wings in. "Thank the jackalopes you're okay! I, I was so worried about you and I thought that you, you weren't gonna make it, and I wanted to protect you but Haruko told me that you would be okay and so I had to- ohh, I was asleep while you were attacked, why couldn't I have just stayed up just this once, and, and-"

"Whoa, calm down!" Peaches said. "You're-"

"I'M SORRY!!"

"...Huh?"

"I'm sorry!" Mandy repeated, leaping over and clutched the side rail of the cot Peaches was laying in. "I...I thought...I underestimated your combat abilities. I thought that Cream would murder you, and you wouldn't even try to fight back because...because you aren't..." She twiddled her fingers. "...you aren't used to dealing with odd creatures."

Peaches' eyes widened. "Cuz...I've fought oddness with you tons of times. Villains, odd creatures, you name it. You know that I'm quite skilled on the battlefield."

Mandy looked up, and it was then that she was able to fully take in her cousin's appearance. She was in her cat form, with stitches all over her body and two of her legs bandaged. Likewise, the tip of her tail was wrapped in gauze as well. Her eyes held fatigue, but also held a sense of warmth.

The hybrid couldn't help but start to well up with tears.

"I'm fine." Peaches assured. "Cream attacking me, it...it was...a shock, I'll admit. But look at me. I'm alive."

"But- but-"

"Look, Dr. O's treating me right now."

Sure enough, the Head Doctor himself entered the room, a warm smile on his face as he glanced at Mandy. "Some of her injuries are pretty severe, but otherwise, she just has a couple of scrapes and bruises. She'll need to stay here for a day or two so I can evaluate her."

Mandy's vision was becoming obscured by thick globs of water. "A-and Cream-"

"It's being treated by Fluttershy and Ocean. They're putting it in the Dangerous Animal Quarantine for now."

Mandy couldn't hold it back anymore. Her body heaved with sobs.

"Aww, Mandy, you don't have to cry-"

And then, the sobs turned into waterfalls, paired with pitiful wailing that made both Peaches and Dr. O cover their ears.

"Hey, easy, easy, you're gonna aggravate my wounds!" Peaches yowled, struggling to scramble backwards in the cot.

However, Mandy was beyond the point of listening. "I'm just so happy you're saaaaaafe!" she cried, nabbing Peaches and pulling her into a tight hug, which the catgirl scrambled to get out of before she added a broken spine to the list of injuries.

"Peaches, mind opening your mouth and saying 'aah' for me?"

The request was subconsciously met, no thanks to Mandy squeezing her cousin hard enough to where she had opened her mouth to protest in a loud ear-piercing yowl before Dr. O came along. He took an eye dropper and put three drops on her tongue, which she noted tasted rather bitter.

"That's a pain reliever." he explained. "It should start working in a few minutes. For now, you should be confined to Odd Squad and get plenty of rest."

As Peaches squirmed out of Mandy's grasp and landed on the cot again, she gave herself a quick shake before making eye contact with Dr. O. "And my shapeshifting abilities?"

"Your cat form is more beat-up than your human form. Thus, if you stay in the latter form, then the former form should heal fine."

Peaches nodded and moved her body so she laid vertically on the cart before a shimmer of light marked her transformation back to her regular form.

By this point, Mandy had calmed down, being reduced to mere sniffles as she glanced at Peaches' injury-free body. "Peach...I wanna stay with you."

"Mandy, don't you have work to do?" Peaches' nose wrinkled. "The sentiment is nice, but-"

"Mm-mm!" Mandy shook her head. "Forget about work! I wanna stay with you!"

"Forget about work?" Peaches chuckled. "You sure you're feeling okay?"

"I'm fine!" Mandy grabbed the chair that sat on the far end of the room, then conjured up two more to accompany the rest of her splayed-out body. "Here, I'll nap with you!"

Peaches didn't see it fit to argue with Mandy any further. She heaved a sigh. "All right. If that's what you want."

"I'll leave you two to it and check up on you again in a couple hours." Dr. O said, before he left the room with a wave.

Only a minute later, Oprah entered, her eyes wide with panic. "Peaches!"

"Oprah!"

"Are you feeling okay?" the Director asked, rushing to the catgirl's bedside.

"Still in a lot of pain..." Peaches gave a soft chuckle. "But to be honest? I've been through worse. I'll manage."

As Oprah opened her mouth to respond, a loud snore came forth to interrupt the moment. She swiveled around to find none other than Mandy, sprawled out on the chairs with half of her body hanging off of them and in quite the deep sleep.

The Director smiled and shook her head. "Ha. I was wondering when Mandy was gonna fall back asleep. Didn't even have any of her chocolate drink."

"She was adamant that she wanted to sleep with me. Unfortunately, Dr. O said that I have to rest here for a few days by myself." Peaches twisted her body to and fro in an effort to relieve tension that had begun building up in her back. "Did you know that Mandy actually thought I was weak in combat?" She laughed. "I mean really, a catgirl, like me, weak in combat? It's like she got amnesia!"

Oprah responded with a laugh of her own, a rather uneasy and hesitant one as she recalled more than one time that Mandy had, indeed, suffered through a bout of amnesia. Perhaps it was just luck that all of them were only temporary. Or perhaps it was that oracle that Oprah had summoned enough to the point where he was now charging a $25 base fee for all future calls.

"Yeah, well..." She smiled. "Mandy has a good heart. She's just looking out for you." A thought passed through her mind that made her perk up. "I gotta say, I admire your combat skills myself. Although maybe that's just because I've never seen a catgirl in action before."

"Well, I'm always looking to get stronger!" Peaches' tail flicked to and fro with anticipation. "Got any place I can maybe train?"

Oprah nodded, a smirk of her own settling on her face. "You're talking to the right gal. Come by my office once you're healed and we can discuss."

"Sounds great!"

"In the meantime, you rest up." Oprah glanced at the sleeping form of "Mandy, on the other hand, has a backlog of work. I'll let her sleep for now, but if she gets up, remind her, okay?"

Peaches gave a nod and a thank-you to the Director before she left, another sigh leaving her as she got cozy under the Medical Bay's provided sheets.

The sound of whirring marked the lights dying down throughout Headquarters, a symbol of another hard day's work coming to a close. That included the lights in the Medical Bay, which became downgraded to a dim setting at night in case of emergencies or simple Medical late-night work. Luckily for Peaches, she was able to see in the dark, and so, she was able to easily find her cousin and allow three simple words to dance in the air.

"Sleep tight, cuz."





A few days later, Peaches trudged into the Creature Room, nearly slamming into the door before muscle memory allowed her to pull it open. Her body ached a little, offset only a little by a round of painkillers she had been given earlier -- sleeping in a hard cot wasn't exactly the best thing in the world, but it was a good thing Dr. O had permitted her to start sleeping in her own bed again.

"Hm? Oh, Peaches!" Fluttershy greeted, turning around and hovering her way over to the catgirl. "Hello there. How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine!" A popping sound that Peaches could most certainly feel coming from her knee. "Um, mostly fine...has the research on Cream been going well?"

"Oh yeah!" Ocean turned his head and nodded. "We've inputted what we know into the creature database."

"We're so glad that Serpida didn't kill you!" Fluttershy clutched a hoof to her chest. "And we're even more glad we let it go before we had a chance to become its next victims."

Ocean's smile turned into a soft frown as he watched Peaches nearly keel over. "You feelin' alright, kitty girl?"

"I..." Peaches' eyes flicked from Ocean to Fluttershy and back again, a horrid sense of realization kicking in. "I'm just a little shaken still. I can't believe that Cream...really was that vicious." Her eyes widened, even more realization coming around to give her a kick in the gut. "And Mandy was right...ugh, why didn't I let her take it away when she was trying to warn me?!"

"It's okay, Peaches." Fluttershy put a comforting hoof on her friend's shoulder. "What's in the past is in the past."

"Best you can do now is apologize."

A slow nod met Ocean's suggestion. "You're right. I-I have to apologize to Mandy, now!"

As the catgirl soared out of the room, she stopped at the rail separating her from a terribly premature death, watching her cousin about to smash a gadget on the floor with her hammer and with Olive and Otto as the sole witnesses.

"'Kay." Mandy took a deep breath and raised her hammer high into the air. "Stand back, this is gonna get messy!"

A battlecry rattled in her lungs and was expelled in one mighty blow as she began to bring down the hammer.

"Mandy!"

"Wah!"

The sudden shout of her name caused the hybrid to whirl around, Olive and Otto giving startled yelps as they stumbled backwards. Her grip loosened on the hammer, sending it flying towards the caller...

Who ended up catching the handle of it clean in her hands before it could reach her face.

Mandy stared for a few moments, completely agape as she watched Peaches slowly exhale and rest the head of her cousin's weapon down onto the floor.

Both Directors could only exchange a surprised glance with each other, but at least they were better off than "ran into a problem and needs to restart" Mandy, who inched a pointed index finger up towards Peaches and struggled to form coherent English words.

Finally, after a few minutes, the words came. "Wow, you're...really good!" the hybrid cried out, sparkles forming in her blue eyes.

"I've learned from enough near-smash incidents with your hammer." Peaches said, walking over and handing Mandy's hammer back to her. Her gaze turned steely. "Now, on to business."

Mandy blinked as she put the hammer behind her back and took the full brunt of the gaze. "L-look, if it's about the fish I ate, I was really hungry and that fish looked really good!"

"No! It's...not that." Peaches chuckled. "I came to apologize."

"...Apologize?"

"When you came up to me and tried to take Cream away...I should have listened. Instead I just brushed you off as immature and silly, and I really shouldn't have." Peaches rubbed her arm. "You're an Odd Squad agent, and I'm not. You know more about odd creatures than I do. And I should have trusted your judgement. I'm sorry."

The catgirl closed her eyes, expecting Mandy to still act bitter and hostile towards her. The feeling of abandonment began creeping up into her heart, and she could feel irrationality begin to take over yet again as she began to recall all the other times Mandy had been hurt and needed more than just a few hours to spare some forgiveness.

"Aww, that's okay!"

She opened her eyes and blinked.

"I'm just really really happy you're alive after all this!" Mandy ruffled her cousin's hair. "Can't have our faaaaavorite catgirl dyin' when she's got a mission to complete, can we?"

And then, there came that laugh. That giggling and snorting that warmed Peaches' heart more than a fireplace in negative-degree weather. To her negative feelings and worries, it took the form of a single foot that punted them high into the sky enough to create twinkles in it. (Not literally, of course, but it would be rather funny if they did.)

"Oh, definitely not." she said, laughing alongside her cousin before she gave a pleasant sigh. "And speaking of the mission...I'm gonna go and have a little chat with Oprah. She promised to tell me where I can train."

Mandy tilted her head. "Train?"

"Well sure! There's always room for improvement." Peaches gave a shrug. "And whoever did burn down Vallea is probably super-tough. I'll need to be prepared."

"Weeeeeell..." Mandy pulled Olive and Otto closer to her in a hug, with one Director on each side and both of them developing surprised looks. "If ya ever wanna train, we three are your gals!"

"And guy!"

"And guy. We're your two-gals-and-a-guy."

Peaches blinked. "You'd...you'd really take the time to train me?"

"Of course, silly!" Mandy chirped, setting Olive and Otto down. "You're part of the Odd Squad family! I'm always up for trainin' ya! And Momma and Otto received toooons of strength training when they were made Directors!"

Olive nodded, brushing dust off of her suit in an attempt to compose herself. "It's true. I'm the strongest one out of us two, though."

Otto whirled his head around to face her. "What? No you're not!"

"Am too!"

"Am not!"

"Am too!"

The pair shot glares at each other that could melt butter. For a minute or so, it didn't seem like either one of them was going to back down. Peaches and Mandy watched the standoff with curiosity, the latter having a shimmer in her eyes as though rooting for one of them to win.

Eventually, their expressions relaxed, and they shared a hearty laugh. Peaches gave a smile, the small part of her worried that things were going to escalate slowly ebbing away. "Well, in that case...I'll consider it!"

"Yay!" Mandy joyously leaped into the air, her wings providing the extra lift. "Now go and see Oprah. She's super-duper strong! Stronger than Momma and Otto both, even!"

"Hey!"

"All right, all right!" Peaches laughed and began to make her way towards the left staircase. "See you later, okay?"

"'Kay! Have fun!"

Mandy, Olive and Otto all waved the catgirl off as she went up the stairs and disappeared into Oprah's office.

"Now..." Mandy gave a sigh. "Where were we?"

Olive pointed to the gadget, in one whole piece and still on the floor. "About to smash the Grab-inator?"

"Ah, yes."

Pulling her hammer out from hammerspace again, Mandy raised it up high and gave a mighty deep breath, channeling all her focus into her aim and precision. "Okay, stand back, for realsies this time!" she warned, narrowing her eyes.

Olive and Otto, of course, did as they were told. Had they not, either a gadget piece would have injured them, or Mandy's hammer would have. And they didn't want either.

Once Mandy was sure she had good aim, she riled up her lungs, let loose a primal and rather feline yowl, and threw the hammer down onto the gadget. A loud bang sound was produced, marking the destruction as a complete success.