//------------------------------//
// The Departure 
// Story: In Odd We Trust 
// by marmalado 
//------------------------------//

"Attention, agents!"

The familiar call rung throughout Headquarters as many agents from all sorts of different departments gathered in the center of the bullpen to watch their boss stride through the door and up the staircase, with more of her agents trailing behind her. She took a sip of the juice box she was holding as she came to a stop on top of her stool.

"As most of you know, a few months ago, six ponies came to our world and asked us if they could join Odd Squad. I agreed, and I trained them myself to be good, strong, and valuable agents of this precinct. Throughout their time here, each of them has proved their worth in spectacular fashion. One in particular undertook a dangerous mission with the help of the others, in order to assist in defeating one of our longest-standing enemies -- an enemy that has caused us great misery and strife." Ms. O paused to take another sip. "We should all be grateful to these six agents. They changed our lives for the better, and today, I would like all of us to thank them personally as they gear up to return to their own world for good."

The ponies all exchanged smiles, feeling their hearts swell up with happiness and excitement.

"First of all, may I present...Agent Rainbow Dash!"

The rainbow-maned Pegasus made her debut by taking to the sky and performing a couple loop-de-loops before hovering and facing the crowd of agents.

"Wow, heh. Where do I begin?" She rubbed the back of her head with her hoof. "Gotta be honest with all of ya, when Princess Celestia said that we would be exploring a new world, this wasn't what I was expecting. But ya know what?" She smiled. "This place turned out to be pretty awesome. And so are all of you. It felt cool to be an agent, going out there and kicking odd butt. Wish I could do it forever."

Rainbow's last comment stung Twilight like a knife to the heart. She folded her ears down, realizing that much like Rainbow, she too wanted to stay in this world forever. It did feel...wrong, in a way, to have to go back home and never be able to travel to this world again. But Twilight was aware that her friend had her own dreams and wishes in Equestria that she needed to fulfill.

"Anyway, thanks for an awesome time. Good luck out there!"

Rainbow's speech was met with roaring applause as she flew back up and did a couple more rounds of loop-de-loops before heading back to stand with her friends.

"A little showy, don'tcha think?" Applejack whispered to Rarity, who chuckled.

"Next, I'd like to present the premier party agent...Agent Pinkie Pie!"

As the crowd erupted into applause yet again, the pink Earth pony in question bounced forward to meet them, a smile on her face that could split the planet apart if it had the capability to. But tears still formed in her eyes and cascaded down her face nonetheless.

"Well. Isn't this ironic. The happiest pony here crying." Pinkie tried to wipe her tears away, to no avail. "But just know...just know that these tears are for you guys! I've had such a super-iffic time here, baking and fighting oddness and throwing parties galore! It's just such a shame-" A choke interrupted her speech, but she forced herself to continue on. "It's just such a shame that I never got to throw you all...a goodbye party...!"

Murmurs rippled through the crowd as they watched Pinkie break down and start crying. Soon, her tears of rain became tears that could rival Niagara Falls, arching from her eyes onto the floor as she wailed and wailed like a lost foal crying for its mommy.

Without thinking, Otto walked towards her and embraced her in a tight hug. He could feel the tears splashing onto his suit, but he didn't mind.

"Pinkie...before you came along, I didn't think there was any agent like me. Fun-loving, a true lover of cuisine, and a complete newbie when it came to solving cases. But you've been a great friend to me. One of my best friends."

The fun-loving pony calmed down, her body continuing to heave as she sobbed. She tried to utter a response to Otto, something along the lines of "you're my best friend too", but she couldn't.

"Shh. Don't speak. I don't need to hear your voice to know that you feel the same way." He could feel tears dancing in his eyes. Before he was able to stop them, they began falling down his face. "I'm really gonna miss you. I hope someday, you'll be able to visit me and the others again. Or, I'll come and visit you in Equestria. Somehow."

Twilight smiled, feeling her own tears threatening to come forth.

"Thank you. For everything you've done. Please, stay safe. And keep on baking for as much and as long as you can."

Otto released his grip on Pinkie just as she evolved into sniffling. She looked like a complete mess, with a tear-stained face and snot running down her nose. But how she looked didn't matter, not even when Otto handed her a couple tissues to clean herself. All she cared about was uttering the four words that she had wanted to say to Otto all this time.

"Thank you so much."

As she walked back to her friends and used the tissues to clean her snot and the rest of her face, the crowd applauded once again. Otto used a tissue he had nabbed from his coat pocket to clean his own face.

"I'll admit, I almost cried myself." Olive said. "Almost!"

"You two have such a great bond with each other, heh!" Oscar said. "I'm gonna miss Pinkie Pie, too. She was like that bright ray of sunshine that always cheered me up whenever I was having a bad day."

Before the trio's conversation could continue, Ms. O announced the next pony.

"Next, please allow me to present the epitome of fashion and grace, Agent Rarity!"

"Oh!" Rarity glanced down at her hooves, coming to the realization that she should have dressed to impress. But as the ceremony was sprung on her last-minute, she had no time to make an outfit, nor could she run to Equestria and grab something from her wardrobe closet. So instead, she was forced to settle for walking forward and toying with her mane as the crowd cheered her on.

"Thank you, Ms. O." She cleared her throat. "My time here has been absolutely wonderful. Although fighting is not really my thing -- I'm more into fashion, as some of you may know -- I am glad to have been able to help this world by beating oddness and restoring normalcy. I hope that someday, I may come back here and show all of you some of my most wonderful creations. You have highly...oh, now what's the word I'm looking for...'tek-noe-loh-gi-cal' suits, I believe."

"Technological." Oscar pointed out.

"Technological, yes, thank you, Oscar darling." Rarity smiled and nodded. "Perhaps when I learn a bit more about..."

"Technology."

"Technology, mhm. When I learn a bit more about that, perhaps I can assist in making new suits for all of you. They will be absolutely gorgeous."

Ripples of agreement swept through the crowd as some agents nodded and expressed their excitement. It was quite surprising to Rarity, how they wanted to put their full trust into a pony they had only known for less than half a year in regards to their outfits. But she supposed they were aware of the fact that knew what she was doing.

"But for now, I suppose this is where I must say to all of you, au revoir. Thank you, for giving me such a lovely place to work."

A final flip of her hair, a turnaround, a walk back, and the crowd began to erupt into applause again. Rarity smiled at her friends as they stomped their hooves, the Equestrian version of applause.

"Next, I'd like to present a hardworking agent and a farmer with a strong devotion to her family...Agent Applejack!"

The orange Earth pony walked forward, a small smile forming on her maw as she began to blush a little.

"Aw, shucks...I wouldn't know where t' begin." She chuckled. "Y'all have been nothin' but kind t' me here, and I truly appreciate it. But I gotta say, y'all don't seem to have as much of an appreciation of apples as I'd like...so next time, I'm gonna whip y'all up a bunch of apple treats to try. Ya don't know apples until you've had Sweet Apple Acres apples!"

"Yeah, apples!" shouted one agent in the crowd that Applejack couldn't spot.

"Uh, but I digress. I had a great time bein' an agent and all. I hope that y'all can rely on me for a helpin' hoof if the portal opens back up again."

Her speech wasn't so much met with uproar, but it still had its fair amount of cheers and clapping like the rest of them. Truth be told, it was to be expected -- Applejack had a tough time balancing work on the farm with work in another world. Granny Smith, in particular, wasn't as understanding of the mission Celestia had tasked her with as she had hoped. So she wasn't around at Odd Squad as much as she would have liked to be, something that she secretly regretted.

Ms. O cleared her throat. "Next, let me introduce a pony who is very shy, but whose kindness extends farther than you would realize. Please give a warm welcome to Agent Fluttershy!"

Swallowing a knot of anxiety that had formed in her throat, the Pegasus mare took a couple tentative steps forward. The agents all boring their eyes into her was something she didn't particularly like, and it almost froze her in place. However, she pushed herself to keep going until she was at the same spot where most of her other friends had stood.

Silence fell across the bullpen as her brain attempted to connect to her mouth. Although she could hear the confused murmurs of some agents, she cleared her throat and began to speak.

"U-um...hello, everypony. Um, everyone, I mean." A small smile formed on her maw. "I was very terrified of what your world had to offer at first. I-I mean, some of it...some of it is just so different than what we have in Equestria. But...I overcame my fears. I'm trying to be assertive here, just as I'm trying to be assertive back home."

The smiles of her fellow agents gave her a surge of confidence, and she stood up ever straighter as she made her voice even louder.

"Um, to those of you that have been bearing with me...thank you so much. I do appreciate it. I hope that all of the creatures and animals that have made their home here in Odd Squad, and all of the creatures and animals that have made their home out there in the world..." She had been careful to distinguish the two terms, as she had learned during her time as an agent that they meant two different things. "I hope they continue to live happy and healthy lives. Please, take care of them! And please, remember to be kind. Thank you again!"

The loud applause from the crowd startled her, and she quickly scuttled back, her body turning as rigid as steel.

"You did wonderful, darling." Rarity soothed, putting her hoof on Fluttershy's shoulder to comfort her.

"And finally, it is my honor to present the leader of this fine group of ponies, the agent who spearheaded the mission to defeat Odd Todd...Agent Twilight Sparkle!"

Pride swelling within her, the alicorn mare took a step forward to meet the audience that had nothing but praise for her, clapping and hollering and cheering with all their might. It reminded her of when she and her friends had defeated Discord, and how Princess Celestia had thrown a huge ceremony for them after their success.

She waved a hoof as the crowd settled down and allowed her to speak. "When Princess Celestia asked me to enter this world and explore it, I didn't think that such a fascinating place as this would be on the other side. And by joining Odd Squad, I feel like I've gotten closer to this world's greatest saviors." she said. "Being chosen for the mission of defeating Odd Todd was something that I was apprehensive to at first. I didn't want to risk starting a war between your world and Equestria. I didn't want to risk being the harbinger of Odd Squad's downfall if I failed. But I'm glad I did accept it. For the sake of Olive..."

Olive smiled and waved.

"And for the sake of all of you. With Odd Todd gone and you all now free from his reign of terror, I hope you live happy and fulfilling lives for many years to come. And I hope that someday, me and my friends can all come and visit you in this world once again." She nodded once. "Thank you all!"

As she listened to the cheers of the crowd, Olive approached her and enveloped her in a tight hug, something that surprised her. "Olive? I didn't know you were a hugger."

"Well, I wouldn't say I'm a hugger..."

"Bring it in."

The two stood there for a while, a smile gracing Olive's face as she hugged Twilight ever tighter until she remarked that she was losing too much air.

When the two separated, Olive said, "Thank you, Twilight. For everything you've done. It's an honor to have worked with you."

Before Twilight could utter a response, the girl was already on her way back to the crowd, who had considerably settled down by this point so that their boss could continue on with the ceremony.

"I'd like for you all to take this time to say your final goodbyes while Security agents bring out the portal." Ms. O took another sip from her juice box and gave a satisfied sigh as she watched the crowd disperse.

Twilight and the others walked up to Olive, Otto and Oscar, and began to converse with them for what was the final time.

"You don't like fashion?!" Rarity exclaimed. "Darling, why?"

"I've just never been into girly stuff like that. All I have is a plain gray dress that I wear for special occasions, and that's it as far as overly fashionable things go." Olive shrugged.

"Goodness, do I pity you..." Rarity shook her head.

"You're gonna hafta teach me how to play the sports you have here sometime. The ones we have in Equestria now are kinda boring."

"Gladly." Olive nodded. "And maybe if the portal opens up again, you can invite your 'Wonderbolts' here for a show. I'd love to meet them personally, too."

"I'll put in a good word with Spitfire when I get back, don't worry!"

Otto and Pinkie Pie, meanwhile, were busy sharing pastry recipes and tips, and gathering every bit of information they could about each other before the latter departed.

"Oscar...you wouldn't happen to have a Brave-inator?" Fluttershy half-joked.

"Oh, no. We only have about 10,000 gadgets, and a Brave-inator is not one of them, heh!"

"I'd really like to study gadget history if I manage to return. I don't think I ever got the full story of how you became Lab Director, Oscar. President Obbs was a little silent on the subject at the Odd Squad Academy."

"Sure! I could tell you the story right now, actually." Oscar cleared his throat. "So, it started when I was a little kid. I had wanted to join Odd Squad, but I..."

"Hey, Ms. O..." Applejack trotted up to the Director. "Y' ever tried apple juice boxes?"

Ms. O scoffed. "What flavor haven't I tried? This nose can sniff out any fruit."

"Really?" Applejack smirked. "If we ever come back here, you up for an apple sniff test? You can smell different apples and identify what kind they are. It's a game I like to play with my younger sister Apple Bloom sometimes."

"Ooh!" Ms. O's face lit up. "Bring it on!"

No matter what the topics of each conversation were, one thing was made clear in everyone's minds:

It's a good thing those Security agents are taking so long. I never want to leave anyone's side!





But as the saying goes, nothing lasts forever.

A group of Security agents made their way into the bullpen, making various sounds of effort as they struggled to pull the portal along with them. It was secured by ropes the same way almost any normal object being pulled would be, something that none of the ponies even bothered to question.

Eventually, they managed to place it in front of the steel double-doors, using the doors' strength and thickness to secure the ropes so the portal didn't suddenly fly off or try to escape by any other means (as portals were meant to do, on occasion).

Owen took a couple moments to catch his breath, then straightened up. "There, I got the portal all set up for you guys. You can leave whenever you're ready."

"We got the portal all set up for you guys!" the rest of the Security agents countered in unison, shooting dirty glances at Owen just before he declared his intentions to go on break and left.

Silence fell upon the room.

"Well...I guess this is it." Rainbow's voice quavered. Tears began to prick at her eyes, something that surprised the others since she wasn't known to cry all that often.

"See ya. Stay awesome."

The tears fell down her face, but in spite of the sadness that gripped her heart, she gave a small smile before spreading her wings and soaring into the portal.

None of the other ponies wanted to go next.

But they each knew that somepony had to.

Giving a heavy sigh, Applejack turned her back to the portal and took a step forward after a minute.

"It was mighty great, gettin' t' talk with y'all one last time." Like Rainbow, her voice quavered as she spoke. "Wishin' y'all the best of luck. Y'all stay safe now, ya hear?"

Twilight could have sworn she saw tears building up in the farmer's eyes before she leaped into the portal. Looks like she doesn't just cry on the inside.

Two down, four to go. It was getting ever harder.

Rarity sighed and turned around to face the crowd of agents.

"Do not forget to stay fabulous, darlings. And please...always, be generous. Remember: 'What appears as mine...'tis thine as well.'"

A small smile before she, too, went through the portal.

Three remained, now.

"Pinkie..." Twilight shifted her gaze towards the pink party pony, who had her eyes squeezed shut. "Please. I-I'm not ready to leave yet. Neither is Fluttershy."

Indeed, Fluttershy was staring at the portal in shock. No one could tell whether she had processed three of her friends go through it, but it was made abundantly clear that she wouldn't go of her own volition unless it was by the physical or magical means of someone else.

Pinkie's expression relaxed slightly, her eyes only merely remaining closed. Her mane deflated slightly, although it didn't go fully straight, and instead, it looked like she was wearing two flat, deflated balloons. Slowly, she turned around to reveal her tear-stained face and quivering blue eyes.

"I..." She struggled to find the words, her voice at a level of quiet that Fluttershy would appreciate. "I really enjoyed being with you all. Keep partying on. And keep baking...keep baking lots and lots of delicious sweets."

Olive, Otto and Oscar, who were at the forefront of the crowd, all exchanged worried glances. 

"Pinkie...your mane and tail..."

"Don't worry, Otto. It's just 'cause I'm sad." She looked up at him. "And, really...it's one of the best gifts a friend can receive, ya know. To know that your friend can be sad for your sake..."

"Pinkie, please." Otto's tone was one of urgency, a tone that Olive, as his partner, had never seen before, not even when he was on the brink of giving up on a case or in serious danger. "Don't spend time moping around here in Odd Squad. You have friends and family waiting for you back in Equestria, don't you? Won't they miss you the longer you stay here?"

Pinkie sniffled and turned around to face the portal, plodding towards it without saying a word to Otto in response. Before she stepped through it, however, she swiveled her head and let only a few words dance on her lips.

"Yes. Yes, they will. And I'm sure you'll miss me too."

And just like that, she was gone, on her way to Equestria with the others.

Now, only two ponies remained. 

One was adamant about not going.

The other one was still somewhat struggling to come to terms with what had to be done.

Fluttershy snapped out of her shock and surveyed the situation. Only she and Twilight were facing the portal -- she had assumed all of the others had left. Gathering her willpower together, she slowly stood up and turned around to face the crowd of agents. 

"Thank you. I-I'm so sorry if I've been a burden to you all in any way. But I appreciate everything. Please, once again...stay safe."

In contrast to her actions, she spoke rather quickly, and left through the portal in a flash.

And then there was only one.

Taking a deep breath, Twilight chuckled and turned around.

"I really don't know what more I can say to you all that hasn't been said already." She smiled. "But please know that my words hold truth. I've never regretted a single day here. And I know..."

She turned her back to the crowd and began marching towards the portal.

"...we'll see each other again."

The blue, ethereal void of the portal was beckoning her, but she wasn't quite done with her goodbyes yet.

She still had one more thing to say, one more lesson that she hoped to teach in full to not just Odd Squad, but all the inhabitants of this world someday.

"Friendship...is magic. Never forget that."

And just like that, she leapt through the portal. After a couple second had passed, it disappeared with a whirring sound and a pop, the ropes that had been holding on to it falling to the ground.

Most of the agents in the crowd, including the Security agents, dispersed after a couple minutes, heading off to continue life in Odd Squad as normal.

Ms. O, Olive, Otto and Oscar, on the other hand, only stood there and stared at where the portal used to be, in complete, stony silence.





Laughter and cheers filled the air as ponies gathered from all over Equestria to meet in Canterlot, all in order to celebrate the success and return of their six saviors.

As the large gathering room began to gradually fill up, Twilight and her friends waited down the hall to be summoned, excitedly chatting with each other.

"Goodness, I can't believe Princess Celestia is giving us a ceremony!" Rarity levitated a mirror. "I do look marvelous, don't I?"

"You look just fine." Fluttershy smiled. "A ceremony is something I expected. We did save Equestria from being consumed by oddness, after all."

"You bet we did!" Applejack said. "But do any of y'all know if there'll be a party afterwards? I'm starvin!"

"Me too!" Rainbow nodded. "I could eat sooooo much food right now."

"Well, lucky for you, I brought a timeless classic that's sure to make your tummy smile!" Pinkie reached behind her and pulled out a tray of chocolate cupcakes. "Ta-daaaaaa!"

"Awesome!" Rainbow immediately nabbed one and ate it whole, relishing its taste. "Mmm..." She swallowed and laughed. "Pinkie Pie, you've done it again."

"I know, I know. Save your applause." Pinkie waved a hoof and turned to the others. "Any of you want one?"

Fluttershy, Applejack and Rarity all shook their heads.

"Don't get too dirty, now. After all, we are presenting for the Princess." Rarity said, fiddling with her mane in an attempt to make it look clean and shiny.

"Twi? Ya want one?"

Pinkie picked up a cupcake and turned to Twilight, only to find her staring listlessly out the window at the rest of the castle, and the Equestrian skies above.

"Uhh...Twilight?"

"Huh?" The alicorn turned around, seeming startled by Rainbow's call. Blinking, she shook her head. "I'm good. But thank you for offering."

"Ah, well, more for us." Pinkie shrugged, and she and Rainbow got to demolishing the tray to the point it was a miracle none of them ate the tray itself, or at least part of it.

"Princess Celestia wishes to see you." An armor-clad unicorn guard approached the six mares and nodded. "It is time for the ceremony to begin."

Excited murmurs rippled among the group as they began to follow the stallion. 

Well, most of them, anyway.

"You comin', sugarcube?" Applejack turned around and addressed Twilight, having gone back to looking out of the window.

"Hm? Oh, yeah, yeah. I'm coming." 

She broke away from her spot and followed Applejack through the hallways, although she still had the same listless eyes. It was quite clear something was bothering her, but everypony was too wrapped up in the festivities to address the matter.

A fanfare sounded as the double doors opened, and in stepped the six mares who had bravely taken on their princess's mission and had come back with a victory. Each of them listened to the excited murmurs of the crowd as they marched across the red carpet to meet Princess Celestia, standing on the other side of the room.

"Today, we are gathered here to celebrate six ponies who took on a dangerous mission. A mission of exploring an unforeseen, unfamiliar world. Within that world, these friends were able to stop a villain whom had been set on destroying it, and in the process, grew closer with some of its inhabitants."

The Mane Six all shared smiles with each other.

"It is my honor to present Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie!"

The crowd stomped their hooves in applause as Celestia stepped back to reveal a small podium with a microphone sitting on a small stage Each pony stepped up onto the stage one by one, with Twilight taking her place at the podium.

"Thank you, Princess Celestia." She nodded. "We are honored to have had the chance to explore the wondrous city of Toronto, and the wondrous organization that resides below it. The agents of Odd Squad, Precinct 13579, supported us in becoming agents like them, and supported us in the defeat of Odd Todd. Although we admittedly knew little about him, his defeat has marked a new era for the Precinct. And in turn, it has saved Equestria from downfall and tragedy."

She fought to keep her voice steady as she continued to speak.

"I can only hope that someday, we will be able to return to that world once again...or the agents will arrive in this one."

She could feel tears pricking her eyes.

"But credit for stopping Odd Todd should also go to one of the world's inhabitants, Agent Olive. As somepo- someone who was personally affected by Odd Todd and his actions, she caused his direct and swift defeat by...ending his life..."

The other five ponies exchanged worried glances. 

"And we could not be more grateful..."

Princess Celestia could see her student breaking down. Without warning, she used her magic to gently remove Twilight from the podium and stepped forth.

"Thank you, Twilight. That was a lovely speech" She nodded. "In celebration of this momentous occasion, we will be holding a party in the next room directly after this ceremony concludes. In addition, a stained-glass window will be created in these friends' honor, which will be unveiled soon along with more details on when the unveiling will take place."

Twilight began to cry. Tears began streaming down her face, and she buried her face within her hooves in order to hide it. What she couldn't hide, however, was the blush of embarrassment that also came forth.

"Thank you all for attending. Please enjoy yourselves."

The crowd began to disperse, heading out of the meeting room and taking a right. Celestia exhaled a sigh of relief, and turned to meet Twilight and the others.

"Twilight..." the princess began. "Is there something on your mind you would like to talk about?"

What she got in response was a choked sob.

Her magic latched onto the double doors once everypony was out of the room.

"Please wait outside." she told the guards, who nodded and made their way outside before the doors closed after them.

"Whatever you need, sugarcube, we're here to help." Applejack spoke, her voice soft and calming.

"I...I..."

"You miss them, don't you?" Rainbow asked.

"Don't we all?" Fluttershy folded her ears down.

"But it's like we said...we'll see them all again someday. We just gotta have hope!" Pinkie's voice cracked during her affirmation, and she could feel tears pricking at her eyes.

A pause...

And before Celestia knew it, all six ponies were gathered around each other and crying their eyes out. She merely watched, giving a soft sigh. She could, perhaps, sympathize with them -- she too knew how hard it was to leave a world you had become so attached to, and never be able to return to it again. It pained her to see the saviors of Equestria so distraught by not being able to return to Toronto, to Odd Squad, to the people they had come to know, befriend, and appreciate. In that moment, she wished that she had the capability to reopen the portal for good, but for all of her power and abilities, it was one of the few things she was unable to do -- not to mention the risks it would bring.

After some time had passed, the group split apart, each one of them wiping their tears away and giving satisfied sighs. 

"Thank you...thank you for this celebration, Princess Celestia." Twilight stood up. "I -- we -- really did miss the agents of Odd Squad, more than we realized. I think a good cry was just what we needed."

"I am glad to see you all doing better." Celestia smiled. "Now go. I believe a party is calling you."

Pinkie, naturally, was the first one to begin heading out, the bounce in her step returning once more. The others soon followed, with Twilight giving her mentor one last hug before leaving.

Another soft sigh escaping her lips, Celestia followed them out of the room, glad that everything had been resolved and making a silent wish that the portal would be reopened so she and her sister, too, could someday visit Odd Squad and meet the agents themselves.





It had been a couple weeks since the portal connecting Equestria and Odd Squad had closed for good.

The agents of Odd Squad had, for the most part, resumed work. After all, Ms. O said, "oddness doesn't sleep, and it doesn't take breaks, either."

Olive continued to work hard towards her goal of succeeding Ms. O and being promoted to the Management department someday. Meeting Twilight and learning of her ascension to princesshood had inspired her to push herself, and she felt even more confident now that Odd Todd was gone. Shortly after his death, she had learned from Ms. O that Odd Squad had a therapy program for agents who had been deeply affected by oddness or just needed some help with navigating their mental health, and she had begun attending therapy once a week. Although she still feared pies, she had been slowly getting over her fear and trauma by eating things like cobblers and tarts.

Otto had kept up well with Pinkie Pie's promise, dipping his hands further into the well of baking as well as cooking. He had made most of the sweets that Olive had wanted to try, and although he still had a ways to go, he felt that if Pinkie were here, she would have been proud of his creations. He made sure to serve as Olive's emotional crutch, being there for her whenever she needed it and vice versa, but felt that he was starting to get used to Odd Squad and the oddities he had been battling, and realized that the ponies' arrival had, perhaps, helped to expand his knowledge of the equine oddities that this world had -- the ever-oppositional and stuck-up unicorns, the boastful and speedy pegasi, and the regular horses that would become victims of oddness from time to time.

Oscar was making new gadgets on the near-daily, although some of the ones he made were full of flaws and still had a way to go. After the Mane Six had departed, he had been working on a couple gadgets on the side, with handles made for hooves and wings so Earth ponies and pegasi could use them with ease, just in case the group ever returned. Although he knew the scientific data behind portals -- how they were dangerous more than helpful -- he still held a glimmer of hope that they would return to Odd Squad someday. And besides that, he had a backup plan for when he just couldn't wait any longer.

And as for Ms. O...she had her own set of problems. Namely, her juice box supply constantly running out every two weeks. But although she never showed it on the outside, she missed her equine agents dearly. It had touched her heart when she saw them go through the portal, not bothering to leave their suits or badges behind. It gave her hope that they would return someday. No matter what had transpired, though, never once had she imagined a group of six talking colorful horses would emerge in her Headquarters, even in spite of her living for over a century and having seen most every odd thing known to the organization. It would have been almost impossible to believe if she hadn't been born in a world where the concept of "physics" is completely nonexistent and anything odd goes. But they had been here. She had seen them with her own eyes. And now, they were gone. Whether they would return or not...well, the results from the time-traveling agents still had to come in on that one. But one thing she knew was that with Odd Todd gone, Precinct 13579 -- Odd Squad as a whole, as well -- would change for the better.





It was a cold and snowy December evening, the typical time for Odd Squad to break out the Christmas decorations and string them up.

Or at least they would, if any agent were here.

Tonight, however, there was only one employee.

Oscar was hard at work on a new gadget. More agents had noted that it seemed like he had been more and more busy in recent weeks, but no one knew why. He refused to tell anyone, citing that it was a secret.

The work on the gadget had gone faster than he anticipated, and once he had put the finishing touches on it, he sighed, taking off his glasses and noting how stained they were with debris. He nabbed a clean microfiber cloth from his hammerspace spine and got to cleaning them. 

Now, with that out of the way, he had something much more important to do -- something that he wanted to wait until everyone was gone to do.

Putting his glasses back on, he walked over to one of the walls where gadgets of all shapes and kinds hung on hooks. Easily spotting one in particular, he grabbed it and took it back to his work table. With its rectangular screen, black dials, and gray head, it looked almost similar to a very high-tech flashlight...to any average person, that is.

He tapped the screen, which lit up with a black hexagonal background, followed by the logo of the Science department.

PLEASE CHOOSE DESTINATION DATE.
01/01/2001

This was where he was at a loss. He wasn't sure what date to choose, and he even briefly contemplated putting the gadget down to avoid any consequences that came about as a result of what he was about to do, but he eventually settled on one specific date that was more random than anything else.

YOU HAVE CHOSEN DESTINATION DATE:
12/18/2015
IS THIS CORRECT?
✅ YES        ✖ NO

Taking a deep breath, he tapped YES.

THANK YOU.
PLEASE POINT HEAD OF GADGET TOWARDS MAIN USER.

Oscar bit back a groan as he followed the instructions on the screen, making another mental note to input some kind of "bypass instructions" code or instruction for the gadget for agents who weren't first-time users.

THANK YOU.
TIME TRAVEL WILL NOW COMMENCE.

He closed his eyes as a whirring sound filled his ears, and then, like the snap of fingers, he suddenly felt completely weightless.

Within seconds, he was back at Headquarters, inside his own Lab. As he opened his eyes, he let them adjust to the light and quickly looked around for any sign of his alternate self, wanting to avoid a timetastrophe and also avoid a very disastrous butterfly effect occurring as a result of his klutziness.

The sound of his own laughter caused him to perk up, and he immediately dove behind the front countertop, letting his sense of hearing guide him.

"Y'know, it seems like only yesterday that Mr. Fonts's friend had her child. Thank odd that you guys weren't called in to the maternity ward for anything, heh."

"Yeah..." An uncomfortable tone crept into the voice of what Oscar had to assume was Olive. "I remember there was one time some oddness was happening at the maternity ward of the Toronto General Hospital. Got a really nice lecture about how babies were born at the ripe old age of 12."

"Wait...what?!" Otto spoke now, his voice nearly echoing throughout the whole bullpen. "You mean you...did you..."

"No, Otto, I didn't witness a birth. That information, though...I've been trying to scrub it out of my brain since then. Adults are so fucking stupid, thinking that 12 years old is the right time to teach your kid about how babies enter the world."

"I learned about birth when I was 10."

"You're not serious, Ms. O."

"I'm more serious than anything you could ever seriously think of, Otto."

"Okay. The declining state of society."

Oscar could only hear silence. He had to admit that he, too, was a little shocked at Otto's comment. How did he get so cynical over the course of a few months?

Aw, who am I kidding? That's a rhetorical question, heh. He got it from Olive.

"Damn...he got you there." Olive chuckled.

"Fine, I'll call a touche. You've been hanging around Olive too much."

"She's my partner! What am I supposed to do, avoid her like the plague?"

The sound of sipping could be heard -- no doubt it was the unmistakable noise of Ms. O drinking out of a juice box.

But it wasn't that sound that piqued Oscar's interest. Oh, no.

It was the familiar whirring sound.

He wanted to peek, but he had to dig his fingers into the ground and summon all his willpower not to do so. 

Meanwhile, outside of the lab, a portal was forming. Olive, Ms. O, Otto and Oscar all eyed it with intrigue, with Ms. O in particular getting into a fighting stance in case whatever came out of the portal was a threat.

A purple leg stepped out, and then the bright face of a familiar alicorn.

Behind her, five other ponies followed suit.

"It...it can't be." Ms. O's jaw dropped as she relaxed her stance. Likewise, the other three agents had similar surprised reactions.

Once the orange Earth pony was the last to enter, the portal didn't close. In fact, it didn't do anything. It remained as active as ever.

"Ms. O. Olive. Otto. Oscar." The words danced ever softly on the alicorn's lips. "It's so good to see you again."

As Oscar heard a chorus of cheers erupting and the sounds of footsteps and hoofsteps, he smiled. 

So it's true. They really did find a way back.

That's all I needed to know, then.

But man, did I get lucky, heh!

It was quite easy to find the Day-inator from this time in the future, and Oscar was grateful that his alternate self was too excited over the ponies' arrival to notice him. He quickly followed the onscreen instructions and teleported himself back the way he came.

By the time he arrived back to the present, the earliest agents were starting to file into work for the day. He knew it would be a while before Olive, Otto and Ms. O arrived, so he had to hold onto his discovery.

Unfortunately, in this particular instance, Oscar's patience had become nonexistent.

A few hours later, Otto arrived into work to find Olive staring at a sticky note, her brow furrowed in confusion.

"Mornin', partner! What's up?"

"This sticky note..." She held it up to show him. All it reads is '12/18/2015', and it's from Oscar." She glanced at his desk and spotted another sticky note plastered onto it. "You have one too!"

"Which says the same thing." Otto tilted his head. "Is this supposed to mean something? Ooh, maybe it's a secret Christmas surprise! Or maybe it's the date that he's gonna give you a belated birthday gift!"

Whatever excitement he had was soon to be squashed by the angry footsteps of one Ms. O, sipping a juice box and gripping the sticky note in her hand like it was a stress ball. "Where the hell is Oscar? What does this mean?"

"We're just as confused as you are, Ms. O." Olive shrugged. 

"Hey, guys!" Oscar suddenly popped up from below, as though there was a secret hole in the floor he happened to climb out of. "You called me?"

"Yeah. You wanna explain this before I shove it down your throat?" Ms. O held up her sticky note.

"Someone's a little cranky today, heh!"

A quick growl from Ms. O made Oscar quickly get back on topic.

"A-anyway, mark that date in your calendars. A special someone will be coming to visit us."

"Special someone?" Otto blinked. "Who's that?"

All he got in response was a sly smile from his coworker as he walked off, leaving the trio to figure things out.

"Odd damn it, Oscar! Quit being so fucking cryptic!" Whatever rules Ms. O had of biting her tongue around her agents had gone completely out the window. "I'm gonna kill you if you don't get your ass back here and explain in full!"

"All right, all right, enough with the murder threats."

"Ohhh, big talking coming from the girl who actually committed a murder!"

"It was justified!"

As the two girls began arguing, Otto, realizing what the note and Oscar meant, gasped. "The ponies! Pinkie Pie, a-and everyone else! They're coming back!"

It was in this moment that he seriously regretted not having a calendar. In contrast to his partner, Otto forgot most important dates the second he was informed of them, and so he often relied on Olive as his calendar, much to her chagrin.

He opened his mouth to interrupt the girls' spat, but quickly closed it, knowing better than to get in between them -- he was liable to have his lights punched out if he even did so much as try. So instead, he simply looked ahead to the side hallway where the portal that connected across worlds once stood, and smiled.

Someday, Pinkie...we did say I'd see you again someday. You, and all of your friends.

Well...that "someday"...

It's closer than you think.

We'll all see you soon, saviors of Equestria. Just make sure to wait for us, okay?