The sound of beeping was the only constant in the dimly-lit operating room, where three surgeons huddled over a sedated patient.
"All right, what do we got?"
"Patient needs surgery to remove the liver and put in a new one."
"Sounds easy enough." The first surgeon looked around the room. "Where's Mandy?"
"U-um..." A quiet voice spoke up. "Here, but-"
"There's no room for error." the first nurse said. "You will be working with the other surgeons to remove this patient's liver."
"I-I-" Mandy, dressed head to toe in medical garb, looked terrified, and stumbled over her words. "L-look, I-I don't even have a doctor's degree! All I have is, uh...a hammer."
"We are facing a shortage of healthcare workers right now, and you want to opt out?"
"B-but if you kill a patient, it's...not gonna be pretty. And that's me being generous."
Mandy's eyes then fell on the one thing she didn't want to see: the patient's liver, in all its squicky glory. She couldn't stop herself from gagging and coughing, trying her damnedest not to puke inside of her mask.
"Get in there and insert the IV." the first nurse ordered, not seeming to care about her fellow surgeon and how she didn't particularly like her current circumstances.
"Th- th- th-" Mandy's legs began to feel like Jello, and wobbled like it too. "The IV?!"
"Yes. Insert it into the wrist here."
A gulp came forth as the hybrid contemplated asking why the IV needed to be inserted when the patient already looked sedated as it was, only for her to set that aside, not wanting to risk the consequences that might come about as the result of the chilling natures and attitudes of the other three surgeons. Using her magic, she took the IV needle and gently, ever so gently, placed it in the crook of the patient's wrist, slightly wincing at the shared pain.
"Good. Now, we wait."
"Um, don't you put the IV in and then wheel them to the operating room?"
The question tumbled out, but it didn't stop the other three surgeons from staring at her with their piercing, cold gazes and their twisted expressions of rage about to boil over.
"I-it's just a suggestion!" Mandy said, although she knew her halfhearted excuse wouldn't forgive her blunder.
"We are a high-tech facility, the most renowned hospital in the world. We know what we're doing, Mandy." the first surgeon said, her voice holding absolutely no trace of niceties within it.
A groan from the patient briefly broke the tension, and the three surgeons quickly turned their attention back to him.
"Vitals are steady." the third surgeon said, gazing at the screen above the bed where the patient laid.
"Now, I will do the honors."
"Oh no." came the squeaky voice of Mandy as she folded her ears down and shut her eyes tight in a worthless attempt to block out the disgusting squelching noises. She gagged.
"Look, I-I can eat a lot of food and not throw up, but a person's insides tend to gross me out..."
"Is that so?" The first surgeon turned to her. "Then how about you remove the rest of the liver?"
"R-r-removing...?" Mandy's eyes widened, and she vigorously shook her head. "N-no, I couldn't. I can't. I'm sorry, but death by surgery is not something I endorse. And I'm not gonna be responsible for this!"
The sound of a heartbeat emanated from somewhere, but she didn't bother to take the time to locate its source, instead coming to a horrid realization.
"This is a nightmare. An absolute nightmare! And I want out!"
"It is very hard to get fired from this facility." the second surgeon said.
"Dr. Price won't like this report, Mandy." the third surgeon added.
"Let me out!"
The hybrid ran towards the double doors, slamming them open and booking it down the hall. She passed nurses, doctors, surgeons, and all sorts of hospital staff, all of whom gave her the same icy glares. Even the patients were no exception, as they gazed at her with hurt looks on their faces and tears in their eyes, as though wondering why she wanted to quit and supposedly leave them to suffer in their pain and misery.
"C'mon, let me out of here! I don't wanna be a surgeon! I wanna be an Odd Squad agent!"
Her feet took her to a large window overlooking the city. She opened the window and used the last of her lung power to scream out a simple, echoing plea:
"LET ME OOOOOOUT!!"
"Let me out...let me out..."
Mandy tossed and turned in bed, her face contorted into a mix of pain and terror.
As if on cue, the door to the Bedroom opened, allowing Peaches to see what was going on with her cousin.
"Mandy?!"
The catgirl quickly raced to her bedside. "Mandy, wake up! Wake up!"
"I DON'T WANNA BE A DOCTOR!!"
The six words, brought forth by one of the loudest and most powerful voices in the entire precinct, marked the awakening of the shaken and rattled hybrid, with sweat dripping down her face and rapid breathing also marking her exit from one of the worst nightmares she had ever had (which, granted, was not saying very much, given how she hardly ever had nightmares).
"Were you having a nightmare?"
"I...it was horrible." Mandy's voice was shaky, and likewise, her body began to quiver. "I-I was a surgeon, and...and they asked me to remove someone's liver..."
Peaches opened her mouth to ask another question, but the sound of footsteps managed to catch her attention, and she turned to look at the doorway as Oprah made her way inside.
"What's going on? I heard screaming!"
"Mandy had a nightmare!"
"It was awful!" Tears began to prick at the hybrid's eyes. "I, I was gonna remove someone's liver a-and they were pressuring me to..."
From the way her eyes were beginning to develop enough water to put swimming pools to shame, Oprah knew what was coming, and threw her arms open as she made her way over to her. "All right, give me a hug."
That was the trigger for Mandy to start bawling like a baby, hugging Oprah and crying as hard as she could into her chest, her body wracking with heaves of sadness. It was lucky for the Director that the hybrid wasn't planning on flooding the entire Bedroom with her tears, instead fighting to utter out words within only a few minutes.
"Th-th-the thing is...I-I don't usually have these dreams..."
"You don't?" Peaches asked.
"Normally, Mandy dreams of a vast variety of things. She doesn't usually have nightmares."
"Hmm..." Peaches thought. "Now that you mention it, I've been having weird dreams as well. I usually dream about chasing mice, playing with yarn, you know, typical cat things. But lately, I've been dreaming of...flying. I've had wings attached to my back and everything."
"I've seen this before." Oprah pried Mandy off of her chest, wincing at her tear-soaked navy jacket. "Let's go to Dr. O. He'll help straighten us out."
As she and Peaches left the room, Mandy, still visibly shaken by what had transpired, slowly got out of bed and followed suit.
After a long series of tests, questions, and reassurances sent Mandy's way, Dr. O arrived at a conclusion.
"Mm-hmm, just as I suspected. It's Sleep-Transfer-itis."
"What?" Mandy tilted her head.
"It's an odd illness that mostly pops up in places where people work closely together."
"So is it a vice-versa thing or...?" Peaches asked.
"Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn't."
"Sometimes?" Oprah groaned. "Well, that makes it a little harder to pinpoint than last year..."
"Wait, you had this last year?" Peaches stared at Oprah incredulously.
"Olive, Otto, me, Oscar, we were all involved. Luckily, that means we're all immune now. Right, Dr. O?"
"Right."
"So how come Mandy's not immune?"
"I haven't gotten it. Neither have the ponies, for that matter."
"If my predictions are correct, however..." Dr. O turned and grabbed his clipboard, which had some notes scribbled on a piece of paper. "This year, Mandy will have to be the one to solve it."
The dumbstruck look that crossed Oprah's face, if weaponized, would have leveled the entire town. Likewise, Peaches also looked surprised.
"M-me?! Why me?!"
"You have the most control over your sleep and dreams. Your brain is controlled by a central...hub, of sorts. It primarily controls your magic usage while you sleep, as well as your sleep cycle." Dr. O explained. "According to my reports, the transformation you received while battling the Hydraclops may have altered your brain in a number of different ways, including how it handles your sleep." He smiled. "Which is why I entrust the task of curing everyone to you, Mandy."
"B-b-but curing everyone?! That seems like such a huge responsibility!"
"Well, if my agents don't get enough rest, I don't see productivity rates rising around here. No pressure."
By this point, Mandy had gone from being traumatized to straight-out hyperventilating, only minus the classic brown paper bag. More stray hairs began to pop out of place from her hair and her tail.
Peaches rolled her eyes. "Great, now you've made her even more panicked. Nice going, Oprah."
"You'll do fine." Dr. O reassured. "All you have to do is go around and ask agents about their dreams. When you find a connection between two agents, have them tap foreheads with each other to transfer the dreams."
As much as Mandy wanted to say she would try her best, her hyperventilation refused to stop, and she kept right on going for the next several minutes.
Peaches and Mandy roamed the hallways, the latter still looking a little traumatized from both her nightmare and the responsibility of saving...well, not everyone in the precinct, but a large majority of agents, most likely.
"Don't look so high-strung." the catgirl assured her cousin, before her face lit up and she snapped her fingers. "I have an idea. You said that you and the ponies haven't gotten sleep-transfer-itis, right?"
"Right..."
"So why don't we ask the ponies if they've had any strange dreams?"
Mandy's mood did a complete 180. Her face lit up as well, and she gasped. "That's not a bad idea! And I know exactly where we can start!"
A couple minutes later, the two girls were at the door of a rather spacious room that was covered in leaves and vines. Mandy knocked thrice, then opened the door.
"Hello? Fluttershy?"
"Hmm? Oh, hello, Mandy!" The yellow Pegasus waved. "Come in and close the door. You'll let a creature loose."
"What is this room?" Peaches asked, stepping inside and looking starstruck at her surroundings. She took note of what appeared to be a set of wooden cellar doors, two double-doors, and a desk with a computer and a keyboard with papers stacked on top of it. Running around the room were creatures, most of them small but all of them very odd in both nature and appearance.
"This is the Creature Room. It's where some of Odd Squad's creatures are kept. Agent Fluttershy and Agent Ocean run it." Mandy explained.
"When I first heard that Precinct 13579 had a Creature Room, I knew I couldn't resist going to work there!" Fluttershy giggled. "Ocean is a wonderful agent to work with. He knows so much about all kinds of creatures!"
"Fluttershy, have you been having any odd dreams lately?" Mandy asked.
"Odd dreams? Well, um...I have had this one consistent dream where I'm designing clothes. And it's such a wonderful dream, too!" The Pegasus blushed. "But, um, I'd rather be with the animals. Er, um, creatures."
"Hmm...so you must have Rarity's dream." Mandy mused. "Peaches, can you go fetch her?"
"Sure. I would, if I knew where she was."
"She might be in her boutique." Fluttershy pointed out.
"Okay. I'll, uh...I'll find it, I'm sure." Peaches chuckled nervously before leaving the room.
As the catgirl roamed the halls once again, she quickly found out that most of the rooms had changed. It seemed like it took her forever just to find the boutique, and that was only because Rarity had decorated it with flowers to make it a standout from the other odd rooms.
"Come in, darling!" Rarity called in singsong once she heard five knocks on the door.
"Hello?"
"Oh, Peaches, what a lovely surprise!" Rarity turned away from her sewing machine, her cup of tea levitating besides her. "Is there anything I can help you with?"
"Yeah, uh...have you been having any odd dreams lately?"
"Odd dreams, you say?" The unicorn tilted her head. "Well, I did have a dream last night about caring for all sorts of odd creatures. It was horrible...some of them were quite...unhappy with my efforts." She gave a small sigh. "It's rather strange, too. I normally have dreams that are more fashion-related."
"Hmm." Peaches nodded. "Would you mind coming with me to the Creature Room? Just for a brief moment."
Rarity took a sip of tea. "Of course, darling. Is something the matter?"
"There's been an outbreak of Sleep-Transfer-itis. Mandy and Fluttershy both have it, and it seems like you have it too."
"My, that sounds awful! Let's leave right away, then!"
Rarity turned her sewing machine off, set her tea down, and immediately bounded for her boutique door, Peaches following suit.
A "ding" noise sounded as Rarity and Fluttershy touched foreheads.
"Well, we've gotten that resolved." Mandy gave a sigh.
"Now, we just have to ask the rest of the ponies."
"And find out who has my dream!"
"Why don't we go ask Pinkie next?" Peaches's gaze drifted towards the door. "Where is she?"
"I think she's out on a case right now..." Mandy took a moment to think. "Maybe Applejack?" Her extensive hearing range picked up on the sound of a very familiar but very faint whistling sound. "Oh, speak of the pony!"
As the Earth pony farmer was making her way into Headquarters, dirty hooves and all, her ditty was interrupted by a cry that both sounded and felt all too familiar.
"HEY, APPLEJACK!"
"Huh?"
She glanced up towards the source of the sound. "Oh, howdy there, Mandy!"
The hybrid quickly took flight, swooping down into the bullpen and landing in her co-worker's path. "Have you been having any strange dreams lately?"
"Now that ya mention it..." Applejack tapped a hoof to her chin. "I remember havin' a dream these past few nights about me throwin' a party. But I was terrible at it!" She sighed. "Bakin' was easy enough, but keepin' everyone entertained? I just couldn't do it!"
"Ah. So it's likely you have Pinkie Pie's dreams, then!"
"Pinkie Pie's dreams? Why's that?" The Earth pony scoffed. "Why, I have dreams about farmin', not parties!"
"Sleep-Transfer-itis. It's, uh...a bit of an outbreak goin' around."
"Oh."
"If you see Pinkie, make sure to ask her about what dreams she's been having. If she has your dream, then touch foreheads with her, okay?"
"Got it!"
"Thanks, Applejack!"
Once the news was relayed to her coworker, Mandy went back to the Creature Room and confirmed her cousin's suspicions. Lucky for her, Peaches offered to keep working on helping others reclaim their dreams while she got some paperwork done, which she profusely agreed to. As the hybrid left, however, Fluttershy couldn't help but watch her with a worried expression on her face as she nuzzled an odd creature.
"She seems worried."
"Mandy had a nightmare about being forced into performing surgery on a patient. It was a bit, uh...traumatic for her." Peaches sighed. "I don't know if she can solve this in a single day. If she doesn't, she could have a similar nightmare tonight."
Fluttershy didn't say anything. As much as she wanted to help Mandy, right now, she was at a complete loss for just how she could help her. For all the years she had spent with her, she had little to no idea how to cure her nightmares and calm her down after having one.
Meanwhile, down in the bullpen, Mandy unclipped her badge phone and pressed the 1 key.
"Go for O."
"Hi, Momma."
"Oh, hi, Mandy! What's going on?"
"Um...can I, maybe...stay at your place tonight?"
"Funny you ask that, because I was going to ask you if you wanted to come over!" Olive chuckled. "I've been dying for your homemade mac and cheese for a while now. I'd have Otto's, but you know how he fumbles it."
"Really?" Mandy's eyes shimmered. Did an opportunity just play into my hands? she thought, finding it hard to stem the excitement growing within her. "I-I mean sure, I can make it for you! And show you how to make it and all that, sure!"
"Great! I'll be home around 8, so feel free to stop by then."
"All righty! See ya then!"
As she closed the phone and clipped it back onto her suit, the hybrid gave a satisfied and relieved sigh. This has to work. Nothing makes me feel happier and safer than being with Momma. If anyone can help me through a nightmare, it's her!
A loud scream pierced her thoughts and made her hair and tail both stick straight into the air in surprise. Her head swiveled towards the automatic doors, where a sobbing Pinkie Pie raced inside.
"Partneeeeeeeer!"
"Pinkie, what's wrong?"
"It's awful! I, I, my-"
"Hey, hey, take a chill pill and calm down!"
"My dreams of partying! They're...no mo-o-ooooore!"
Mandy rolled her eyes. "Ah. A dream problem. Where've I heard that before?"
"For the past few nights, I've been dreaming about apples! And then when I dream about apples I think of Applejack, a-and maybe it's a good dream, I dunno, but I want my dreams of parties baaaaaaack!" Pinkie started to wail, tears streaming down her face as her cries of anguish echoed throughout the bullpen.
Mandy, well aware of the irony in having one of her own partners cry in much the same way as her, let out a heavy sigh and kneeled down to the pink pony's level.
"All right, it's okay, Pinkie." she soothed. "Look, there's been an outbreak of something called Sleep-Transfer-itis. It's been switching everyone's dreams around."
Pinkie ceased her wailing, and quickly downgraded to just sniffles and choked sobs. "Really?"
"Really really!" Mandy nodded. "Now, why don'tcha go find Applejack? She has your dream. When you two find each other, touch foreheads, 'kay?"
Pinkie gave a loud sniffle and used her hoof to wipe away a few more stray tears, standing up and turning towards one of the side hallways by the double-doors. "I'll do that. Thanks, partner."
"No prob! Tell me how it went! And stay positive!"
The hybrid watched her equine co-worker leave for the left hallway, glad that nothing disastrous came of her wailing and that nothing disastrous came from her complete 180 in mood.
Still, it did leave her prone to complaining. "If only finding who has my dream and whose dream I have was so easy." She sighed. "This thing's so overly complicated!"
"Tell me about it."
Once again, the hybrid's hair and tail went straight up as she was startled by the voice of her boss, standing right behind her. This time, however, it was accompanied with a yowl that sounded similar to a cat's. "O-Oprah?!"
"I've asked most every agent present today about their dreams. None of them have had Sleep-Transfer-itis, so it must just be between you and the ponies." The Director exhaled. "Thank goodness. I don't know if we could've handled another widespread outbreak."
Mandy couldn't help but give a worried whine.
"Are you worried about having another nightmare?"
"If I hafta be honest?" Mandy nodded. "Yes. I've never had nightmares that terrifying! And I don't want them again!" A heavy sigh forced its way out of her. "I'm planning on staying over at Momma's tonight. She wants me to make my homemade mac n' cheese for her."
"Good. Maybe she can help you if you have another nightmare."
"I'm hoping so...who would have such atrocious dreams, anyway?"
Oprah simply shrugged in response to that question, uttering a sound that sounded like "I don't know".
"Anyway, maybe I can take my mind off of all this with some paperwork."
"Are the ponies cured?"
"Rarity and Fluttershy are. And Pinkie and Applejack should be cured by now...or, uh, soon, hopefully." Mandy's gaze briefly flitted in the direction of the left hallway where Pinkie had left. "I haven't seen Rainbow Dash or Twilight."
"I put them on a difficult case. They should be back soon."
"Better late than never, I suppose." Mandy's face then lit up with an idea. "Can you give an order for them to stay here? A-and the other ponies too? Just so maybe some Doctors can monitor their dreams and see if they're cured."
"Not a bad idea. I'll do that." Oprah nodded before turning on her heel and walking back up the stairs towards her office.
"They should all be around! Somewhere!"
Immediately after the Director became out of earshot, Mandy let out a groan, rubbing her forehead in exhaustion.
About a half-hour later, two of the latest victims of Sleep-Transfer-itis walked into the bullpen, manes and tails matted and bags under their eyes.
"Aww yeah, that was one of our best cases yet!"
Twilight gave a tired sigh. "Can't say I disagree, partner." Her gaze drifted to Mandy. "Hi, Mandy."
"Hi. There's been an outbreak of Sleep-Transfer-itis here in Headquarters. Everyone's been swapping dreams. Have either of you had any odd ones lately?"
"Oh, I already figured mine out." Twilight explained. "It was O'Donnell, in the Tube Lobby. We swapped dreams."
"Great! So you're cured?"
"Yep!"
"Wait, did you say odd dreams?" Rainbow asked. "I've been having those! I'm a cat for some reason, and I keep having this weird urge to hunt mice. Like, there's hardly a time when I'm not hunting!" She winced at the thought.
"Ah! So you must have Peaches's dream then, and she has yours!" Mandy cleared her throat. "Touch foreheads."
"What?"
"You heard me."
Rainbow's eyes widened, and her head swiveled to Twilight, who nodded but looked confused since Rainbow was there when she saw her and O'Donnell touch foreheads. Nonetheless, however, the rainbow-maned Pegasus looked wary.
"Why do we need to touch foreheads?"
"It'll transfer your dreams. Just do it to Peaches."
"Uhh...all right."
Within a few seconds, she was gone, taking flight and heading down the right hallway.
"Do you have Sleep-Transfer-itis too, Mandy?" Twilight asked.
"Unfortunately yes. I had a terrible nightmare of me performing surgery on a patient. But I don't know the first thing about surgery! And they tried to force me into doing it!" The hybrid gave a shaky sigh, not wanting to keep on reiterating the story more than she had to. "I'm hoping to stay at Momma's house tonight to figure out the problem. I just want my normal dream back!"
Twilight nodded in understanding. As much as she wanted to help Mandy out, she figured she had it under control, and decided to leave the situation be for the time being. "Well, I'll wish you luck. I'm going to go study in the Odd Squad Library a little bit and take a little break."
"All right! Have fun, Twi."
"Bye."
The alicorn headed in the same direction her Pegasus partner went, only keeping her hooves on the ground instead of dangling them in the air. Mandy watched her go, then got back to her paperwork, thoughts beginning to worm their way into her mind.
I really do need this resolved. Dr. O said I was the person who could cure everyone. But how can I, when I can't even cure myself? I don't know whose dreams I'm having, or who has my dreams. And I don't want another nightmare. She sighed once again. Staying up isn't really an option either. I'll just fall asleep anyway...
Her thoughts were interrupted by Rainbow Dash flying back into the bullpen.
"All right, I've got my dream back and Peaches has hers."
Mandy could only listlessly stare at her.
"Uh, Mandy? You alive in there?"
"Huh?!" The hybrid blinked. "Oh. Hehe. Sorry, Dash. I was lost in thought."
"Ah, don't worry about it. I was just saying that Peaches and I are both cured now."
"Great! Glad to hear it." Rainbow couldn't help that Mandy's tone of voice sounded superficial, but she chose not to comment on it. Instead, she watched as the hybrid eyed the clock. "J-jeez! It's 7:30 already?!"
"Yeah. Time flies, huh?"
"Apparently so! I have to get to Momma's house?"
"Olive? Why?"
"I'm sleeping over there tonight. Or, uh, hopefully. I-I mean she's gotta, she's my adoptive mother, I mean sacred hospitality, right?"
Rainbow looked a bit concerned at the bout of nervous laughter that slipped from her friend's lips. "Uhh...I guess?"
"Oh! Yeah, I almost forgot. Ms. O's gonna give an executive order for you and the other ponies to stay here, just to see if the Sleep-Transfer-itis has gone away for good."
"Sure, I can stay here for the night. Can't defy the chief's orders!"
"Thanks, Dash." Mandy stood up. "I'm gonna get ready. Lucky that I got most of my paperwork done, with a few stray papers still left to go."
I can't let her go on like this! Rainbow's brain screamed at her, and it was that thought that spurred the Pegasus to take action. "You seem a lil' stressed, Mandy. Somethin' buggin' ya?"
"I...well, yeah..." Mandy kicked the floor with her shoe. "I kinda had a nightmare because I have Sleep-Transfer-itis, and...I don't know whose dreams I have, but...I don't want another nightmare."
"Is that all?" Rainbow chuckled. "Relax! My tip for falling asleep and having awesome dreams is simple: just close your eyes, and think about stuff!"
"Uh...I already do close my eyes and think about stuff."
"Yeah, but if ya really get into it, you'll conk right out! Works every time for my Wonderbolts dreams!"
Mandy wore an incredulous look, but gave a shrug. "'Really get into it', huh? All right, sure, why not. It's worth a shot."
"Awesome! I'm gonna go grab a bite to eat, have a good night, Mandy!"
And within a few seconds, the Pegasus was already well on her way to the Breakroom, leaving Mandy no room to even say goodbye.
Still, she gave a scoff. "The mare's way outta touch..."
Five loud knocks at the door startled Olive and nearly made her drop her book. She got up from the couch and raced for the door, only to slip and trip on the carpet.
"Ooh, that didn't sound too hot..."
Well no duh, Mandy, she wanted to snap, but forced herself to bite back her words.
Getting on her feet, she slowly walked the rest of the way to the door, unlocking and opening it and giving an exhale. "Sorry about that. Tripped on the carpet. It happens."
"Aw, no prob!"
"Come on in."
As Mandy made her way inside and closed the door, a sense of warmth and familiarity immediately overtook her, and a small smile made its way across her face.
"Thanks for coming, Mandy." Olive said, making her way over to the kitchen. "As I said, Otto's mac and cheese isn't perfect. It, uh..." She scratched her neck. "He just adds some really odd stuff to it."
Mandy shrugged. "Eh, that's Otto for ya."
"Could you teach me how to make good mac and cheese, maybe?"
"Well duh, that's why I'm here!" A bout of unnatural laughter bubbled forth. "Wanna start now? My tummy's rumbling!"
"Sure!"
And that was how Mandy found herself feeling like she had her own cooking show on daytime television. Through careful instructions, she and Olive were well on their way to making mac and cheese that, while not perfect, was pretty good.
"See, the important thing is that you can't let go of the fork." Mandy explained as she used her magic to stir the pot full of uncooked pasta. "It isn't a one-and-done thing. You hafta keep stirring it!"
"Ohh...maybe that's why every time I cook pasta, it gets clumped up."
"Yeah. It happens. Clumped-up spaghetti's the worst of the bunch!"
Olive slid the small bowl full of melted cheese that she had previously set aside across the counter. "I have the cheese sauce we mixed." She snapped her fingers in realization. "Oh, we need bowls!"
She moved to the other side of the kitchen and grabbed a ladder to access the pantries, shuffling various dinnerware items around as she tried to find the bowls and muttering to herself how much stuff she had for just one person.
Mandy, meanwhile, became lost in thought, mindlessly stirring the bowl with her magic as assurance overtook her.
Maybe if I'm with Momma, I won't have any nightmares!
Oh, what am I saying? It's inevitable. Sleep-Transfer-itis doesn't seem like an on-and-off kind of disease. But why did Dr. O pick me to cure it? Just 'cause I have a different brain?
"Mandy?"
The utterance of her name broke her out of her thoughts. "Hmm?"
"I, uh, think the macaroni's done."
Peering into the pot, Mandy could see that indeed, the noodles had grown a sizable amount, and looked to be al dente.
"Oh!" A bout of nervous laughter. "Yes, yes, my bad. Can you get me a strainer?"
"Sure, one second."
Olive bent down and opened the cabinet directly below her, fishing around for, and eventually hooking out, a large strainer. She placed it in the sink while Mandy poured the pot's contents into it, watching the steam billow from the metal sink as though it was molten lava that had spewed from a volcano and hit land.
"Now, add the cheese sauce."
The noodles were poured back into the pot, allowing Olive to do as instructed and pour the cheese sauce in.
"And now, we stir."
It didn't take long for the smell of the cheese mingling with the noodles to hit both the girls' noses.
"Smells good."
"I can almost taste it!"
A few minutes passed before the mixing was complete, and the meal was ready to serve. Olive noted that it certainly looked a lot better than Otto's odd concoctions -- which wasn't too much of a surprise to her, given how good of a cook Mandy was.
"Aah-mmm!" Mandy's tail wagged as she took a bite from her bowl and tasted her creation.
"It's good, isn't it!"
"Delish!"
As the two girls ate their dinners in the living room, Olive asked, "Hey, why don't you stay over tonight? It'll be a fun bonding thing. We can play a game or two, tell stories..."
It was exactly the invitation Mandy had hoped for. She gasped and nodded enthusiastically. "I'd love that!"
"Great! Now, how about we watch a movie? Your pick."
As the hybrid swallowed her bite, she took a look at the stack of movies that was neatly organized on Olive's coffee table. She thumbed through them until she got to one in particular, which had a picture of a large, sprawling, green-leafed tree on its cover and a person gazing up at it.
"The Tree of Tomorrow. Looks interesting."
"That one? All right then."
Not even halfway into the movie, Mandy's eyes began to droop. The sounds emanating from the television became nothing more than pure muffled gibberish to her. A soft "mmm" marked her awakening and prevented her face's near-collision with the arm of the couch.
"You've been trying to stay up, haven't you?"
Mandy's eyes widened, and she swiveled her head towards Olive, giving her a look of concern and sympathy. She gave a sheepish chuckle that she hoped was genuine. "Maybe. This movie's super-intriguing."
"To me, not really." Olive shrugged. "But staying up certainly isn't like you, Mandy. What's going on?"
Oh pickleferries. "U-um, well...i-it's nothing of your concern, really..."
"Are you sure? Your voice sounds a bit...strained. You haven't been wearing yourself out, have you?"
"No, no, not at all! It's just that..."
Ugh, think think think...how am I supposed to convince Momma I'm fine? If I tell her I'm having nightmares then she'll panic, but if I don't tell her, then who am I supposed to tell?
Maybe I can kinda...I dunno, ease into it. With a really really dumb question. Once I do that, then I can divert the subject...stellar social skills!
"Did I ever have nightmares?"
She could spot Olive's hand close to her shoulder, before the Director jerked it away and waved it dismissively. "Oh, you had them all the time before you transformed. I'd know, too, because it left you a wreck the next morning. That's why you had Fluffy to chase away the bad dreams."
Fluffy...? Yes, she remembered. A stuffed leopard toy that Olive just happened to pick up at a local plant nursery while on a case, it became the hybrid's most beloved toy growing up, and she never went anywhere without it. Even after she got a little older, she couldn't bear to part with the toy, and it remained in one of her nightstand drawers, waiting for the call to action when she was upset or wasn't having the best of dreams.
Olive's eyes widened as she had mentally tried to find the answer as to why Mandy was asking what was quite an obvious question, then immediately realized. "Oh no. You haven't been having nightmares, have you?"
Oh pickleferries! "W-well, it's...mostly controlled by an illness. Um..." Don't you dare say it! "What was the Sleep-Transfer-itis outbreak last year like for you?"
"You have Sleep-Transfer-itis?!"
Aaaaand there it is. Nice going, dum-dum.
Mandy buried her face in her hands and gave a nervous whine, bracing herself for the barrage of words she knew Olive would hurl at her -- how did you get Sleep-Transfer-itis, who did you get it from, why aren't you taking better care of yourself?
But instead, Olive sighed and rubbed her forehead. "The outbreak of that illness last year was...hard to handle. The previous Dr. O worked hard to get rid of it. Me, Oprah, Oscar, Otto, we all got it. But it took quite a few days -- and a few awful nights -- to get all of our dreams back. It's amazing that you and the ponies never got it, but...I guess now..."
"We've all gotten it. Even Peaches was affected!" Mandy grabbed her tail and hugged it close to her body. "But see...Dr. O entrusted the task of curing everyone to me, a-and Peaches and I worked together to get the ponies' dreams back...but mine is..."
"What was your dream?"
"My dream?! Momma, it was a nightmare!" Mandy gave a ragged sigh as she reiterated the story to yet another person. "I-I was in a hospital, about to remove some guy's liver, a-and these surgeons were pressuring me to do it even though I had no idea how to perform any kind of surgery! It was terrifying! A-and no matter what I did, I couldn't get out..."
All Olive could give as a reaction was a wide stare and a couple blinks. She could feel her heart wrenching inside, just from seeing her adopted daughter go through so much pain because of an illness that she was forced to cure. It made her want to help right then and there, even though she couldn't. "Oh, Mandy...I'm so sorry." She pulled the hybrid into a tight hug, which she gratefully returned.
"I just don't wanna have that kind of nightmare again! And that's why I...I was trying to stay up."
"Well, if it helps..." Olive broke free of the hug. "Why don't you sleep in my room tonight? I was going to set up stuff on the couch for you, but-"
"I think that would help." Mandy gave a small smile. "You got a stuffed animal I could squeeze, too?"
"I might have one. But no guarantees. After all, you know I'm too old for them now."
Olive grabbed the remote and turned the TV off.
"Come on, let's go get ready for bed. And I call dibs on the bathroom first."
Both girls got off of the couch and made their way upstairs, a pit of worry settling in Mandy's stomach as she knew that, in spite of her reassuring talk with Olive, it was time for her to face the inevitable, to dive back into the hostile world of Dr. Price and the coldhearted medical staff he had under his control.
She feared it. But no matter what she did, no matter what magic she used or what odd anomalies existed, there was no way to avoid it.
She had to face it head-on.
The hoot of an owl pierced the night sky.
Nearly every house on Cypress Way had its lights out.
Two girls, sleeping in the same room, were both in different dreamlands.
One was softly snoring in her bed, her mind being coddled by the cosmic forces that led it it through a heavenly dreamland filled with all sorts of unusual oddities. At that moment, she was dashing on clouds, with a swarm of adorable and harmless spider-cat kittens following her and eliciting happy mews. She felt as light as air, free from all of her worries and strife for a single night.
The other was in her sleeping bag, not loudly snoring and drooling and talking in her sleep like she usually did, but rather, giving soft moans as her mind was gripped in the thralls of a poison -- a poison that traveled through the film that made up her own personal movie and consumed it.
It was time for the other one to face her nightmare once again. Only this time, she wasn't going to go down without a fight.
Inside of the hospital's administrative offices, she faced Dr. Price. A doctor with an extensive history of practicing in the medical field, well-evidenced by his array of trophies, diplomas, and other such awards and certifications. His green eyes pierced through people in a way that left most of them chilled to the bone.
"Dr. Mandy."
"U-um, yes? That's me."
"Some of the other surgeons have filed a combined negligence and refusal report with me. Is it true that you refused to perform surgery on a patient?"
"Yes, it is."
"May I ask why?"
Mandy cleared her throat. "I did not wish to risk injuring or killing a patient under our care, sir. I-I'm not a doctor. I have no medical knowledge."
She closed her eyes.
"And I'm resigning."
Dr. Price raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry?"
"I am resigning from my position." A sigh left Mandy's body. "I don't belong here. If I kill a patient it will likely mean this hospital will face lawsuits, and...I can't be responsible for that."
"Our hospital has not faced a lawsuit in 31 years, Mandy." Dr. Price narrowed his eyes, his gaze getting more and more intense with every second that passed. "If you quit then it will be the end of healthcare. People will no longer be able to go to doctors for health needs. They will have to care for themselves!"
A flurry of concerned murmurs was what Mandy's ears picked up, and she swiveled to find a slew of medical staff behind her -- surgeons, doctors, and nurses most of all. She could hear their judgements and feel their stares, and she couldn't help but shiver slightly.
But she did not waver.
She clenched her fists.
"I'm...not afraid of you."
She reached behind her.
And, for the first time since she had graduated the Odd Squad Academy, she did not grasp what she was intending to grasp.
"M-my hammer! It's gone!" She blinked. "B-b-but...this is a dream..."
"This is reality." Dr. Price stood up. "This hospital is mandated and overseen by the city council and the national government. They have passed a rule that states there are to be no resignations of any employee from this facility for whatever reason, as it maintains a 0% firing rate and a 0% resignation rate. If you feel so inclined as to...dishonor this rule, Mandy..."
The hybrid could feel her heartbeat quicken as she realized that she didn't have her main weapon to fight with. But once again, she did not waver.
"Dishonor nothing." she spat. "I refuse to let anyone die under my care because of my negligence. My resignation will be for the greater good!"
Dr. Price said nothing in response. Instead, he slowly raised his hand.
The sound of a quick fingersnap.
"Put her under sedation."
"No."
One surgeon and one doctor each stepped forward and grabbed Mandy's forearms, hoisting her up a little ways into the air. The screech that emanated from her was much like that of a cat when threatened. "No! Let me go!"
Out of sheer desperation, she attempted to light up her horn, a wave of relief briefly washing over her as she created a hemispherical force field that pushed her opponents back while also allowing her to teleport away in a flash.
She teleported to a hallway she didn't recognize, taking a few moments to recollect herself and regain her bearings. Her brief period of calm didn't last for long, however -- a series of rhythmic stomps caught her attention, and her head swiveled to her left to find more medical staff standing in lines of five and advancing towards her, each of their footsteps matching in perfect sync and perfect harmony.
"Oh no. They're coming in lines."
Her head swiveled to the right, only to be met by the same thing.
"And behind me!"
She looked up at her horn.
"I still have my magic." Her wings spread open and flapped vigorously, allowing her to gain lift. "And I can still fly!"
In the heat of the moment, she flew up high and waited until the two approaching armies were close to each other, then let loose a battlecry as she fired a huge magic blast from her horn. She couldn't see the result, and could only hear the zapping and crackling sounds of leftover magic. What met her vision when she did open her eyes, however, was all the medical staff lying on the floor in various degrees of pain, none of them seeming to be dead but some of them seeming to be in immense pain going by the screams and cries they elicited.
"I'm sorry. I don't want to kill anyone. You're not a threat. B-but...it was for my own safety."
Before she could take off and attempt to find an exit from this deranged asylum that dared to call itself a hospital, the sound of footsteps caught her attention.
"Mandy!"
She knew that voice. She hated that voice.
"No! If you sedate me in a dream then who knows what'll happen?!"
She quickly teleported away once again, landing at another hallway with a large window that allowed a bird's-eye look into a city she didn't recognize.
Attempting to open the window and failing, she gave a shaky sigh. "Let me out! Please!! I have doctors and nurses and surgeons chasing after me, wanting me to stay, b-but I can't! I don't know the first thing about surgery, or being a doctor!"
With tears in her eyes, she took a deep breath and cried out to the unfamiliar sky that she could not reach.
"WHOSE DREAM DO I HAVE?!"
The echoes that followed made her want to curl up and admit defeat. Waking up on her own volition from this torturous concoction brewed by her mind was something outside of her control, and if this place had more staff than Odd Squad had throughout the course of its history thus far, then she would be caught no matter how hard she tried or how far she ran.
But, like a serendipitous lightning bolt, a thought struck her.
"Wait. The previous Dr. O, she had Sleep-Transfer-itis, but the new Dr. O...has he had it?"
Her eyes shimmered. It was the breakthrough she had been waiting for, a breakthrough that would end her torment and Dr. O's.
She banged on the window with her own two fists, not caring what attention she got or what happened to her.
"Let me out! I think I got it!"
With a loud gasp, her eyes flew open and she bolted upright in her sleeping bag.
Almost immediately, her gaze shifted to Olive, who kept snoring away and turned onto her other side as a sign of any reaction to her adoptive daughter's sudden awakening.
Feeling her legs shaking, she stood up and quietly exited the bedroom, making sure to close the door behind her and keep her voice low.
"I can't go on like this. I have to see him. Now!" She gave a soft exhale. "Here's hoping I remember his street address..."
In her mind, she attempted to visualize her location, but could only imagine what Olive's bedroom looked like -- everything meticulously organized and placed, from the bed to the cabinet to every personal item of hers. Regardless, however, she tried teleporting anyway, and disappeared in a bright rainbow-colored flash.
She soon arrived in a dark room, only illuminated by the moonlight much like Olive's room was. Right away, she noticed that, in what should have been obvious from the get-go, Dr. O's bedroom was nothing like Olive's at all. Using the tip of her horn as a makeshift flashlight, she looked around, making sure she wouldn't bump into anything.
A soft moan broke her concentration, and her head swiveled to the left, where Dr. O was fast asleep in his own bed.
"Hmm...could it be...is he dreaming about...?"
As she carefully made her way over to him, her ears met the sound of muttering that she couldn't understand.
"Huh?"
"...out of the meadow..."
She gasped. "He has my dream!" And then, within a second, her face fell. "But what will transferring dreams do to him if he's asleep?"
All she could do was stare as she tried to figure out whether it was worth the risk. She certainly didn't want to harm Dr. O, but if she touched foreheads with him, the rest of the night would be a breeze for her -- no downing fifteen glasses of Chocolate Moo-Moo Surprise to stay awake, no falling face-first onto the sidewalk and falling asleep in the middle of an engaging conversation, and best of all, good dreams.
And after all, didn't he say to cure everybody? Surely that would include myself...and him.
Giving a determined exhale, she spread her wings and slowly made her way over to Dr. O's bed, hoping that the frequent, hummingbird-like flapping sounds her flight made wouldn't wake him up.
As Dr. O gave a small "mmm" and rolled over onto his back, his eyes slowly opened, only to find a large, airborne, blurry figure staring at him.
"Hiya! Ya mind if we trade dreams?"
She touched foreheads with him, and a "ding" sound could be heard confirming the dream switch.
"Thank ye thank ye! Sweet dreams!"
With a bright rainbow-colored flash, she was gone -- not that Dr. O cared, of course, as he went back to sleep within seconds, his brain not even bothering to try and comprehend what had happened.
She arrived back outside Olive's bedroom, fighting the urge to loudly celebrate and instead settling for a relieved sigh. "Knew I was able to solve it! Ooh, he's gonna be so proud when he wakes up!"
Giggling, she entered the room once more and got snug inside of her sleeping bag. A loud yawn escaped her, and she used up the rest of her energy to give a "G'night, Momma!" before falling back asleep.
7:30 in the morning.
Birdsong split the sky and brought a nice welcome to the people of Cypress Way.
Which, of course, included Olive, who also got the song of a doorbell as her wake-up call.
She awoke with a small "mmm", a stretch, and a yawn. Her brown eyes slowly adjusted to the sunlight that poured in her window, and she slowly eased into full consciousness.
With her legs swung over the side of the bed, Olive got up and rubbed her eyes, only to promptly trip on something hard and bash her face into the floor.
Instead of tossing and turning and moaning and groaning, Mandy had fallen back into her regular sleep habits, loudly snoring and muttering incomprehensible gibberish in her sleep, with her tail thumping on the ground like that of a happy dog's. As Olive looked back, she noted that the hybrid also had a wide-open cat smile stuck on her face, which led her to one conclusion.
"Huh. Maybe she managed to find out who had her dreams. Hopefully." The sound of the doorbell echoed through the house again. "Hold on, I'm coming!"
She quickly scrambled downstairs and opened the door, only to find a fully-dressed Otto with a donut in his mouth and a bag full of donuts in his hand.
"Hi, partner. Did I wake you?"
"Yes...but it's okay. I needed to get up anyway." Another yawn managed to escape her. "Oh, you brought donuts?"
"Of courshe! I've been to Junio'sh Donutsh sho many timesh that the shtaff know me by name now!" Otto boasted.
Olive merely rolled her eyes in a playful manner, wondering if he thought that was his biggest achievement of the day so far. "Come in. And did you bring plain?"
"Uh, yeah, of courshe. I'm not a villain." Otto snickered as he stepped inside, making sure to wipe the soles of his sneakers on the welcome mat before taking them off.
"Just have a seat on the couch. I have to go get ready."
"Okay, but hurry up before all the donutsh are gone!"
"Don't you dare."
Otto let out a loud and raucous laugh as he took a seat on the couch and finished eating his donut before digging around in the bag for another one.
As Olive went through her morning routine, she couldn't help but think of Mandy. It would be wrong to leave her here...but Oprah's going to get upset if she doesn't come into work. Maybe I should bring her. She set the thought aside for now, putting on her red tie and her navy jacket.
A distant thump caused Otto's head to swivel towards the stairs, and a few seconds later, Olive came stumbling down. "I-I'm here!" she called, landing at the bottom of the stairs with all the grace of the Noisemaker. "Sorry, I, uh...fell over my guest."
"Your guest?"
"Yeah, remember? I told you Mandy was coming over?"
"Oh yeah! She still sleeping?"
"Obviously."
The two Directors shared a hearty chuckle.
"But I might have to make a pit stop at Oprah's precinct on the way to work. It's been hit with a Sleep-Transfer-itis outbreak."
"Sleep-Transfer-itis?! That precinct had an outbreak of that last year!"
"I know. But now it's between the ponies, Peaches, and Mandy."
"Ohh." Otto took a bite of the donut he had fished out of the bag earlier.
"The ponies and Peaches were cured, but Mandy's been plagued by nightmares and hasn't been cured yet. At least as far as I know..."
Otto swallowed. "Well, how was she this morning?"
"She seemed fine." Olive shrugged. "I guess that means...maybe she cured herself?" She moved her gaze upstairs. "Anyway, let me grab her. It's about time we head to work."
"You want help carrying her?"
"I've got it."
Otto fished another donut out of the bag, a plain one with nothing on it, and held it out to her with nary a word spoken. He put on a knowing smile.
"Fine. Breakfast is served, and breakfast will be eaten."
"Yay!"
Mandy was soon relocated from Olive's bedroom to one of the couches in Oprah's office. Of course, she hadn't woken up, and continued to snore and sleep-talk away, but amusingly, she was still in the pajamas that Olive had lent her.
"I'm really sorry, Oprah." Olive said, having explained the situation regarding why Mandy was late for work.
"Don't be. Mandy's been very troubled with Sleep-Transfer-itis as of late. If she is cured, then Dr. O will tell us."
"Ms. O?"
On cue, Dr. O himself poked his head into his boss's office. "So sorry I'm late, but I couldn't help overhearing...and you'll be happy to know that Mandy is cured."
The face expressions of the trio had enough happiness in them to power at least thirty Lilliputian cities.
"She is?" Oprah asked, not bothering to fight the excitement that crept into her voice.
"How can you tell?" Olive tilted her head.
"I was having the same dream about meadows that I've had for the past few nights. But in the middle of the night, I was woken up by someone who said...something, and then touched foreheads with me. I couldn't really distinguish who it was, but they left about as quickly as they arrived. When I went back to sleep, I had my usual dream of working as a doctor."
Olive's mouth hung open as she tried to formulate a question along the lines of "how did I sleep through that" or "were the nightmares that bad", but nothing came out.
"Ms. O, I told Mandy that she would be the one to cure everyone because she is the one who has the most control over her sleep and dreams. And...I think she's done it. She's stomped out the second Sleep-Transfer-itis epidemic."
"But how do you know if Mandy's dreaming about meadows?"
"If she were having a nightmare, wouldn't she be tossing and turning?"
Olive gasped. "I think you might be on to something, partner!"
"If you want your suspicions confirmed, then allow me."
Dr. O reached into his hammerspace spine and pulled out a tablet and an electrode pad attached to a cord and plug that looked like what one would see on a pair of headphones or earbuds. He placed the cord into the headphone jack and the pad on Mandy's forehead, then got to typing. Within seconds, a holographic screen came up in the view of everyone that showed the current dream of the hybrid -- rolling around in the grass that made up a very expansive meadow, laughing, staring up at the sunny skies and enjoying the feel of a butterfly sitting on her nose. It was quite a change from her previous dream, and the trio couldn't help but smile.
"And just as I suspected. Her dreams have been restored!"
Sighs of relief filled the room.
"Hey, what's that device?" Otto asked.
"My tablet?"
"No, the wire."
"It's a sort of brain scanner. Oona made it for me some time ago. When the electrode pad is placed on the patient's forehead, it allows the person with the tablet to access the patient's brain activity."
Otto looked fascinated by the tool, his eyes shimmering as he watched the Odd Squad Doctor take the pad off of Mandy's forehead, disconnect the cord from the tablet, and place it and the tablet itself back in his spine.
"I'll take my leave. Have a good day."
Olive, Otto, and Oprah left him with a chorus of goodbyes.
"I'll let Mandy sleep. She's had a rough couple days, and she could use the rest."
Just as Otto was about to throw an addendum into Oprah's comment, Mandy ceased her snooze sounds and woke up. "Mmm..." She let loose a yawn. "Couldja keep it down? I'm tryna sleep..."
The sound of peeling caught the hybrid's attention, and she tried in vain to release her arm from the sticky grip of the couch she was laying on.
"Nngh..."
A louder peeling noise, which Oprah winced at, knowing full well why the couch was so sticky.
"Momma, you have one heck of a sticky sleepin' bag..."
"Uh, about that..." Otto sheepishly chuckled. "You're in Oprah's office."
"Otto?!" Mandy's eyes widened. "Jeez, Momma, if ya wanted t' invite Otto over, you coulda asked me first..." She blinked twice. "Wait, where am I?"
Oprah groaned. "Once again, for $400, can we put 'you're in my office' on the board?"
Mandy only blinked again. "Mmkay...?"
"And I admit, maybe I should get those couches cleaned sometime...way too much juice was spilled on them."
With a yank of her arm, Mandy released it from the couch's grip and gave another loud yawn. "Imma probably nap for the whole day...that dream about meadows..." She gave a small happy smile, closing her eyes as she thought back to the dream that she had.
"Hey...exactly how did you cure yourself, anyway?"
Mandy blinked twice. "...What?"
"Y-you know what, never mind." Olive waved a hand. "Go to bed, Mandy."
"Ahh, the four words I love to hear." As the hybrid let out another loud yawn, she teleported away, surprisingly not taking the couch cushions with her in the process.
"We have to head back to HQ, but we'll stop by later and see how Mandy's doing." Olive said.
"Good luck!" Oprah waved as she watched Olive go through her old boss's tube entrance, followed by Otto a few seconds later. Once she was left alone, she gave a sigh and decided to search around her own HQ for cleaning supplies so she could finally clean her couch (and save her skirt).
Just as Mandy had said, she had slept for the entire day, not waking up once to go to the bathroom or eat. It was made quite clear to everyone that her two nightmares had sapped a lot of energy from her, and so, she was left alone for the rest of the day.
As Rainbow Dash quite literally soared into work the next morning, however, she found Oprah hard at work in the Breakroom, food dishes of all sorts scattered about the table and the boss herself hard at work stirring some kind of batter.
"Hey, boss! You're here early."
"Ah!" Oprah whirled around and growled. "Agent Rainbow Dash, we have discussed this. Don't you remember what happened the last time you tried to scare me?"
Rainbow touched her neck with her hoof. She knew, all right -- she knew all too well. Even worse when Spitfire and a few other Wonderbolts happened to comment on it and recommended that she take a few days off from training to recover.
"S-sorry." she said. "Uh, what are you doing?"
"I got here early to make food for Mandy. She still hasn't woken up yet, but it's six in the morning. Knowing her, it'll be any minute now."
The Pegasus tilted her head, opening her mouth to ask what Oprah was talking about before her eyes widened. "Oh."
"Her stomach was growling something fierce, too...I thought it would destroy the entire Headquarters!"
Rainbow began to get terrifying flashbacks of the time that actually happened -- indeed, Mandy had been so hungry, and the growls her stomach gave out were so loud, that it caused a couple rooms in Headquarters to collapse to the point that they were completely unusable. That was how everyone learned yet another lesson about the pony-human hybrid: just like any animal, she had to be very well-fed, lest a person, object and/or place pays the price.
Oprah took another sip from her juice box. "This juice is the only thing keeping me going. I'm never taking Pinkie Pie's baking skills for granted ever again."
A dinging sound from the oven caught her attention, and she quickly took out what appeared to be a casserole of some kind.
"Green bean casserole?" Rainbow said, eyeing the dish and starting to feel a little hungry herself despite already having had breakfast.
Oprah sighed. "That should be plenty of food for her."
"Well, if she doesn't eat it, you could hold a feast?" Rainbow halfheartedly suggested, knowing just as well as her boss that Mandy would gobble everything up within minutes.
"Haha. Very funny." Oprah deadpanned. "Just make sure to get your paperwork done. You didn't turn it in yesterday."
"Will do!"
Oprah nodded before going upstairs and into her office.
Sure enough, by the end of the day, Mandy had demolished every single dish on the table. It was a miracle to most anyone how she didn't end up eating the dinnerware itself. She had also gotten a sizable amount of paperwork done, much to Oprah's surprise when she was informed of a wobbling stack awaiting her in the Filing Room.
Since the hybrid was feeling a lot better, she decided to go out with Peaches and hunt for the Vallea culprit.
"I'm proud of you. You managed to stop the second spread of a disease. That's not something a lot of people can attest to." Peaches said, as the two were walking in a more metropolitan area of the city.
"Yeah! I can't believe I was so nervous. It was easier than I thought!" Mandy frowned. "But I really don't like being thrown into the forefront as some kind of magicky curey person thingy."
"Magicky what?"
"I should throw him off a cliff..."
"What?! Who's 'him'?!"
"Maybe steal his medical supplies..."
"Are you talking about Dr. O?"
"Eat everything...in his refrigerator." Mandy stopped walking and gave a happy smile, as if talking about robbery and murder of a person that did little to nothing wrong was completely normal for her. Peaches, on the other hand, only shot her a look of confusion and worry.
The pair stood on the sidewalk for a few moments as people and ponies alike passed them by, some bothering to look, others moving along.
"Anyway, I'm hungry! Let's go get some mozzie sticks!" With a giddy laugh, Mandy took off running, leaving Peaches to stare at her before her legs finally made the connection to her brain and ran after her.
Yeah, she's a weird one for sure. But in a way, I've become endeared to her -- and faster than I thought. Maybe that's a good thing...? The catgirl exhaled. We make a good pair. I'm lucky to have her as a friend.
But I wonder if she views me as more than a friend.
I wonder if she sees me as...a sister.
Yeah. I'd love a sister!
Smiling, Peaches continued her chase of Mandy, her heart warming up but also bound by uncertainty as the thought lingered in her head.
In a large stretch of meadow-like land, a kitsune with seven tails, each representing a certain element, sat looking at the sky. Her chest became filled with familiarity, warmth, and realization, and she placed a paw to her chest.
"Agent Mandy...when you will meet with me is only in the hands of fate. It may be soon. It may be far into the future. But when the time comes..."
She stood up.
"I hope that you will accept me as your spirit guardian, just as your mother did so long ago."