Olive and Otto made their way into the bullpen of Precinct 13579's Headquarters, chatting away.
"Look, all I'm saying is that Lady Bread really shouldn't be going to the park if she doesn't want to get eaten."
"Yeah, but ducks shouldn't eat bread, Otto. It's bad for them. Besides, knowing her, she'd just turn them all into loaves of bread out of revenge."
Otto shrugged. "Eh, fair point, I guess."
As they broke eye contact with each other, their gazes both landed on an agent sitting at her desk, staring up at the sky with her fists on her cheeks, completely oblivious to any and all happenings surrounding her. A rather goofy smile sat on her face, and her eyes were half-lidded.
"Okay, I've seen Mandy staring off into space before, but this is new." Otto said, utterly confused.
Olive squinted. "Don't tell me those are..."
Sure enough, "those" were a slew of small pink hearts, floating up into the air a little ways before popping like balloons.
"Yep, they are."
A mischievous smile formed on her face as she strode over to the hybrid.
"Maaaandyyyyy!" She nudged her as a sly tone crept into her voice. "Who's the lucky person, huh?"
"Only the greatest pop star in history..." came the wistful response, Mandy not even bothering to make eye contact with either Olive or Otto.
Otto gasped, stars in his eyes as he exclaimed, "Soundcheck?!"
"Bradley Beli." Mandy stretched out her body and broke her concentration, and as she stared at the two Directors, they both noted she had hearts in her eyes. "I've got a ticket to his concert, and you couldn't pay me enough money to miss it."
Olive's eyes widened. "Ohh, now I know who you're talking about. That's the guy that travels all around the world and performs concerts and helps out charities and stuff. I've heard of him."
"How does that make him any different from Soundcheck? Or literally any pop star ever?"
"Because he's so dreamy..."
Otto just rolled his eyes.
"Wait. You have a crush? On Bradley Beli?" Olive asked incredulously.
"Yes!" Mandy nodded. "Can't you just imagine the wedding? It'll be so grandiose, so magical...I'll be striding down the aisle, clad in the most gorgeous wedding dress I've ever created...and you guys'll be my guests of honor!"
"In Odd Squad, 'magical' is a grandiose understatement of an adjective." Olive snarked.
"We'll live together in a biiiiig, spacious house!" Mandy gasped. "And maybe even have children!"
Olive's body stiffened.
Mandy sighed. "It's my biggest dream of all to be his girlfriend, and eventually, his wife. He's super-sweet too!" She stood up and pulled Otto closer to her. "Did you know that he's donated to over a hundred charities worldwide? That's a lotta charities! And a lotta money!" She waved a hand. "And his music, oh, it's far superior to Soundcheck by a mile!"
"Hey, you take that back!" Otto exclaimed, pushing her away. "Soundcheck is awesome!"
"But it's true! Bradley writes a lot of personal songs. Y'know, stuff about his life? Has Soundcheck ever written any songs about their lives? Or do they just write silly little cookie-cutter love songs?"
Otto opened his mouth to object, but closed it and settled for a growl when he realized that Mandy was right -- a majority of the boy band's discography was love songs that followed the same cut-and-print formula. That didn't mean he didn't enjoy every last one of them, though.
"One day, I wanna perform a song with him. It'll be the best thing ever!" She closed her eyes, took an inhale, and began to sing a song from Bradley's rather extensive discography.
"If I was to express my love to you, my dear
How would it be projected in- mmph!"
"You are not having children! Ever! Don't even think about it!" Olive snapped as she held a finger to Mandy's lips.
"Aww, but Momma..." Mandy lowered Olive's arm. "The greatest feeling to any mother is to have their child announce you're a grandma!"
"No, because it makes me sound old, and I'm not old!" Olive scoffed. "For Pete's sake, I still look like I'm 12! When my body ages 30 or so years, and when your body ages 30 or so years...then maybe I will reconsider."
"And when's that gonna happen, hmm? When the author decides to stop updating this fanfic?" Mandy rolled her eyes. "Anyway...you guys wanna attend the concert? It's gonna be great!"
"It'll be a hard pass for me."
"Nah." Otto shook his head. "Consider it payback for you saying that Bradley Beli is superior to Soundcheck!"
"As I said, I speak the truth." Mandy shrugged. "Ah well, if you guys don't wanna, that's on you!" She did her usual snort-and-giggle laugh. "Guess I'll go by myself!"
"As long as you two don't end up married by the end of the night."
"Love is a process, Momma." Mandy waved her hand. "Ya can't just fall in love and get married and live happily ever after in one night! Not in real life!" She giggled and snorted again. "That's silly-willy talk!"
"In storybooks, though, not so much."
"Well yeah, that's the basis of 68% of fairy tales." Mandy nodded at Otto. "Who knows about the other 32%, though. Tried and true!" She stretched her body out again and let out a satisfied sigh. "Anyway, did you two come here for anything?"
Otto nodded. "I have a lot of broken gadgets and Odie's off today. Think you can fix 'em?"
"Sure! And maybe I'll install some extra precautions, too. If Odie won't do it, then I will! Gimme gimme!"
It took a few minutes for Otto to give her every single gadget he had broken. There were more than she was expecting, and it got to the point where the pile of gadgets towered over her desktop computer.
"Ehe...thank you!" Mandy scratched the back of her head. "Didn't expect ya to have this many, though..."
"You should see what he breaks at his house."
"Hey!" Otto whirled around and turned on Olive, who only snickered in response. Giving a defeated sigh, he faced Mandy again. "Olive and I are gonna head back to our precinct, but if you wanna stop by and deliver those when you're done with 'em, that would be great."
"Consider it finito!"
Mandy waved the duo off, then turned back to the pile of gadgets. She would have normally felt utter dread at how much work she had to do, but a bigger priority was weighing on her mind at the moment.
"Bradley Beli...I will make you mine! Somehow! I don't know how yet, but somehow!"
Over in Grange Park, Bradley Beli's stage was being set up. Hammers pounded nails into wood, metal was being put into place, and everyone was working hard.
However, unbeknownst to them, someone was watching in the bushes from afar.
Striking against the shrubbery with her red-clad clothing and her tall hairdo marked with a heart-shaped hair deco was Laura Lovebloom, a dangerous villainess who aimed to have the market cornered when it came to the concept of love. Unfortunately, not everyone was so open and so receptive to her advances.
A growl rolled about in her throat. "Three months without finding anyone who wants to play Matchmaker. It's too much! If I want to keep my status as a villain, I need to find someone to work my magic on, and soon!"
As her eyes scanned the area, it didn't take her long to spot one particular girl dressed in Odd Squad attire and decked with funky-looking hair and a tail, hopping along the grass and humming a little ditty to herself.
"That girl..." Laura whispered, filing through the memories in her brain as a familiar feeling overtook her. She knew the girl from somewhere, but from where, exactly, she wasn't sure.
Until a minute later, it hit her like a truck.
Her memories took her to a scene she hardly recognized. It looked to be the top of the CN Tower, though.
Or maybe some other such tower. She didn't know.
What she did know was that she had a hammer pointed straight at her face, and it was only then that the puzzle pieces began clicking into place.
"Absence makes the heart grow fonder! And I think your absence won't make our hearts go yonder!"
She would have cringed at the terrible rhyme if it weren't for the crippling fear ricocheting through her body. "N-no, please! You don't understand, I-I have-"
"A wife and kids?" The girl rolled her eyes. "Yeah yeah, it's the same story from every villain."
"P-please." Laura's voice was shaky. "I've heard stories of you leaving villains on the brink of death, a-and I don't want that!"
"Then maybe you should've sat your butt down somewhere and re-evaluated your life by asking if villainy was really the career choice ya wanted to go with." The girl's tone was dead serious, lacking any of its usual cheerfulness. "And besides, forcing others to fall in love against their will is more of a crime than anything! Love is a process. You can't be married in a single night! That's not how love works!"
Laura bit back a growl, as well as the urge to insinuate otherwise.
The girl huffed. "If you promise not to commit any more odd felonies, then I suppose I can let you go. But!"
"Hm?"
"Try this stunt again, and your face will actually meet my hammer." The girl narrowed her eyes. "Got it?"
"G-got it!" Laura vigorously nodded.
"Then leave, before I change my mind."
No one needed to tell Laura twice. She quickly stood up and hobbled away on her one good leg as fast as she could. The pain was the least of her worries -- all she needed to do was to get away from that monster.
That monster who, while giving her an inadvertent time-out, had given her a wonderful opening once the time-out wore off.
"She spared me..." Laura chuckled and pulled her heart-shaped wand out seemingly from inside the bush. "And that was her mistake." Her gaze drifted to the stage next. "But does she even have a crush on anyone?"
Her eyes immediately fell on a group of three, who were walking towards the back of the stage. A blonde man and a brunette woman were flanking someone who certainly looked important, as he struck up a conversation with them that Laura couldn't hear.
A sinister smile crossed her face. Her wand began charging up with magic.
"Bingo. Looks like someone needs a little love from good old Laura Lovebloom."
"Hi!" Mandy chirped as she approached the stage. "Can I help you guys get ready?"
A dark-haired boy of about 14, who was assisting in assembling the floor of the stage, looked up. "Hm? And who might you be?"
"My name's Agent Mandy, and I work at this town's Odd Squad!" the hybrid greeted. "I'm a big, big fan of Bradley Beli, but I also love to meet new people, too!"
The boy chuckled. "That's nice. My name's Lewis Webb. I'm Bradley Beli's friend."
Mandy's eyes shimmered. "Nice to meetcha!" she chirped. "Do you travel with him?"
"Oh, all the time. We've been all over the world." Lewis stood up, his expression brightening. "And you know what? I bet he'd love to meet you. Bradley just can't go without meeting at least one Odd Squad agent in every place he visits. He loves Toronto especially. It's where he grew up, you know."
Mandy's heartbeat began to quicken. The shimmer in her eyes grew more intense. "Wow, really? That's so cool!" she said, struggling to stifle the squeak that was beginning to rise in her voice. "If he wouldn't mind, I'd love to meet him too!"
"All right! I'll see if he has some free time on his hands right now. Why don't you help with the lights in the meantime?" Lewis pointed to a small cluster of stage lights that sat in the corner of the stage's platform.
"Sure!" came the enthusiastic response, as Mandy flew over to the lights and began studying the metal structure that surrounded the stage so she could learn how to put them up properly. Her tongue stuck out as she realized that she didn't really know how to put up stage lights, but before she could ask Lewis for help, he was already gone. She gave a big huff and took a light fixture in her hands before swooping up into the air with it and searching around for something to attach it to.
She didn't get very far in only a few minutes, as every attempt she made to hang the fixture ended in failure.
"Hello?"
That voice. That silky, swooning voice that could only come from a human who was made to attract love.
Mandy knew it all too well.
A big grin formed on her face almost immediately. Her heart was beating so fast that it was a miracle how she wasn't dead (or, perhaps, one would think that it was just her average heartbeat given her hyperactivity). She slowly hovered down to the ground with the fixture in hand, setting it down and turning to face the one who had addressed her.
Black hair. Quite the tall stature, for being a teen of 15. Clad in a simple white T-shirt and blue jeans, with sneakers to complete the entire ensemble. Emerald-green eyes that had just two small warm flecks of that unknown color no one could identify.
It was like someone got crayons and colored Mandy in love.
She could feel sweat beginning to drip down her face. Keep your composure, Mandy. Keep your composure! Yes, your crush is speaking to you for the very first time ever in existence, but don't lose it around him! Just...act casual. Totally casual!
"Hi!" she forced out, like an actress that had just been handed a script and was told to read it in the most stilted way possible. "Y-you must be Bradley Beli!"
"I am. And you're Agent Mandy, of Odd Squad?"
"You got that right! It's such an honor to meet you!"
It took a heck of a lot of willpower just for Mandy to make her hand stick out so Bradley could shake it -- which he did, eagerly, while also giving a slightly puzzled expression at her stiff dialogue and reactions.
"Likewise." Bradley nodded. "I've heard of your feats from others in neighboring towns. They sure love to talk about you!"
"Aww, well, it's nothing really..." Oh my odd, stop blushing. Stop it right now. "I'm super-duper popular, but really, I just wanna kick odd butt for as long as I can! And, um..." She dragged the toe of her foot along the ground. "I really love your music. It's so cool how you sing about your personal life in addition to love songs!"
Bradley responded to this with a laugh that Mandy could best describe as "like fresh warm honey on a piece of toast that's made just right".
He's laughing, he's laughing! Don't freak out, don't freak out, don't freak out, your efforts are gonna be wasted if you freak out, don't freak out... Her brain simply kept repeating the three words over and over again, like the mantra of an insane person.
"Thank you!" Bradley said. "I appreciate Odd Squad being such a fan of my music."
Mandy opened her mouth to speak again, but before she could even say a word, a bright red beam hit her. Another bright red beam then hit Bradley in rapid succession, leaving both of them staring off into space for a few seconds.
The sound of approaching footsteps did nothing to deter their attention, as a young woman donning a casual business dress and a young man donning a business suit made their way up to them.
"What was that?" the woman asked.
"Mr. Beli, sir, are you all right?" the man asked, waving his hand in front of Bradley to try and make him come to.
And he came to, all right.
The sound of romantic music swelled from somewhere no one could identify.
"You know...I've always had a crush on you, Mandy." Bradley said, his voice almost a whisper as he looked into Mandy's eyes.
Mandy gasped. "You have?!"
From her little hiding spot, Laura quietly cheered.
"Yes! Yes yes yes, it worked!" She pumped her fist into the air and giggled. "Now, they'll fall in love, and stay in love...forever!" A malicious chuckle left her before she shook her wand, her smile falling. "Ugh, but my wand's magic is all spent. Better go recharge it." Giving a huff, she left her shrubbery spot of hiding and meandered off, not noticing Lewis's fixed gaze on her.
"So..." Bradley got down on one knee, pulled a small box out from behind his back, opened it, and posed one of the most exciting questions Mandy could have ever gotten in her life. "Will you marry me?"
That seemed to snap Lewis's attention back to the situation at hand. "Brad, no! What are you doing?!"
"Who is that girl?" Naomi tilted her head.
"Agent Mandy. She works for Odd Squad. She offered to help us set up for Brad's concert tonight."
Naomi felt a little uneasy all of a sudden, now that she knew who the girl in the impromptu relationship was. "Lewis, we heard two zaps coming from over there, but I don't see anyone."
"I saw someone. I couldn't make them out too well, though."
"Yes!" An elated cry from Mandy put a halt on the conversation. "Oh yes, Bradley, I will marry you!" She squealed and promptly trotted in place. "This is the happiest day of my life!"
All Lewis and Naomi could do was exchange odd glances, with Mark's own confused expression being added to the fray.
"Finally, my dream will come true...I'll finally get to spend some time with the man I love!"
And just when the trio didn't think things couldn't get any worse...things got worse.
Bradley and Mandy became engaged in a long and passionate kiss, absolutely full of genuinely romantic intent. Their eyes slowly closed, and the PDA went on for a lot longer than anyone would have liked to. Even some of those who were working on the construction of the stage had to avert their eyes out of discomfort.
"I can't believe it..." Lewis shook his head. "Bradley wasn't like this just a couple minutes before!"
Mandy pulled away from Bradley and sheepishly laughed before she gasped. "But wait! What about your concert tonight?"
"I'll postpone it."
Collective horrified and shocked gasps rung throughout the area.
"Mr. Beli, sir, you can't!" Mark stepped forward. "It's far too soon to just postpone!"
"I've made up my mind, Mark. The concert will be postponed." Bradley gazed at his assistant with green eyes that had become icy, and certainly lacked the warmth they had just seconds prior. His gazed flicked to- "Naomi, please set up the RV to accommodate a special guest."
"A...special guest?"
"Yes. I'd like Mandy to move in with me, as we will travel around the world together. We will get married here in Toronto, and then be on our way shortly after."
Naomi went slack-jawed. She wasn't sure how to respond to this query -- whether it was with a "yes, sir" or with active pushback. Luckily, Mark was there to take up the latter option.
"Mr. Beli, sir, I don't think this is beneficial for you or Mandy. You're a traveling musician, and Mandy has her own job here, working for Odd Squad. Are you really planning on making her travel around the world with you, at the cost of her employment?"
"She can work remotely, I'm sure."
Now it was Mark's turn to go slack-jawed -- only this time, it was for just how smooth the answer flowed out of the boy. He wasn't even sure if Odd Squad had a remote aspect to it, but he knew now wasn't the time to dwell on that.
"Mark, Lewis, let's respect his wishes." Naomi placed one hand on each of their shoulders. "If this is what Mr. Beli wants, then we should honor it."
Lewis bit his lip and went silent, but let out a sigh just seconds later. "All right."
"We'll get the RV ready for you, sir."
"Thank you. And as for you," He pointed to the construction crew. "Please disassemble everything on the stage."
"When would you like to postpone the concert to, sir?" Naomi asked.
"Hmm..." Bradley tapped his chin in thought. "Make it about a week from now. Mandy can take the time to pack her things and move into the RV."
A heavy sigh forced its way out of the assistant. "As you wish, sir."
Bradley nodded, watching the trio leave before he turned back to Mandy. "Now...what do you say I treat you to dinner? Your choice."
Mandy let out a whimsical giggle. "I'd like that a lot. And I have just the place in mind."
Arm in arm, the newly-engaged couple walked away, looking every bit like two people in love. Both of them had been shot through the heart by the bullet of love, but instead of the bullet going through the hearts, it split apart and extended a red string that tied both hearts together. It was made quite evident that no one could pry one person away from the other even with the strongest power tool in existence, and both Mandy and Bradley liked it that way.
For the next couple hours, Mandy felt like she wasn't just walking on Cloud 9 -- she was living on it in an entire ShumMansion.
While on the other hand, Lewis, Naomi and Mark were all coming up with a plan, deciding on one thing they knew had to be done.
"We have to call Odd Squad."
Mandy soon returned to Headquarters, belly full and in much higher spirits than usual. A yawn racked her body. "Jeez, it's been such a hectic day...better tell Momma and Otto where I'm going, too." she murmured, already formulating a plan in her head for how she was going to break the news to them.
"Hey, cuz." Peaches greeted as she walked up to the hybrid. "How was the concert?"
"Hmm?" Mandy tilted her head. "What concert?"
"I heard some pop star named Bradley Beli was having a concert, and you were going. Did you go?"
"Oh!" Mandy giggle-and-snorted. "The concert was postponed."
Peaches' gaze drifted to Mandy's right hand. There, on her fourth finger, sat an engagement ring, with a translucent diamond sitting atop a sterling-silver circle. Unaccustomed she was to weddings and the like, but it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what had went down.
"I-is that...is that...w-w-what I..."
"He proposed to me..." came the dreamy response.
Peaches took a step back, going completely bug-eyed. It was a wonder how the eyes didn't fall clear from her head, she was so shocked. Still, she knew she had to say something in response, and say something in response she did.
"HE WHAAAAAAAAAAT?!"
Hoofsteps quickly came thundering into the bullpen, and six ponies all gathered around the duo in alarm.
"What's goin' on?!" Applejack asked.
"Look at what's on Mandy's finger!" Peaches practically screamed, taking Mandy's hand and thrusting it towards the farmpony.
Rarity burst forward, lightly flank-checking Applejack as her azure eyes got stars in them. "Is that...a wedding ring?!" she squealed.
"Wow, you got married?" Pinkie smiled. "Congrats, partner!"
Twilight wasn't as receptive of the news, taking a step or two backwards. "I...I can't believe it." she uttered. "H-how...how did you...how even..."
"Aww, well, I'm not married yet!" Mandy chirped. "The wedding's soon. In the meantime, I'm moving into his RV and I'm gonna travel with him aaaaaaall over the world!"
"B-b-but that means you'll be leaving Odd Squad!" cried Fluttershy, feeling tears beginning to form in her eyes.
At this, Mandy simply scoffed. "Nah, I'll still be working here! I'll be remotely working!"
"I can't believe I'm saying this, but..." Rainbow Dash gripped Mandy's shoulders. "I really don't want you to go!"
"Dash, I'll still come back. Now c'mon, you guys can help me pack!" With that, Mandy turned on her heel and began walking down the hallway towards her room.
Peaches slumped to the floor. She wasn't sure what to be more shocked by -- the fact that an 11-year-old girl somehow went from "I have a crush" to "heck yeah, marriage" in the span of a day, or the fact that her cousin was actually getting married to some rich celebrity. It was almost too much to bear for her, and the realization that kicked in didn't help matters. "Oh no."
"I know! I feel the same way!" Twilight threw her hooves into the air.
"W-well, yeah, but...how's Olive's gonna take the news?"
The reactions of Pinkie and Rarity went sour right then and there, their expressions darkening as they realized that Peaches raised a good point.
"If I know Olive, she definitely won't be happy." Rarity mused.
"Yeah, I overheard her talking to Mandy about the concert today." Rainbow piped up. "She didn't want her to get married."
Peaches sighed and buried her face in her hands. "Well, Mandy's our second-in-command. If she really wants to get married to this 'Bradley Beli' guy...then we should honor it."
"What's Ms. O gonna do when she finds out?" asked Pinkie Pie, a worried edge to her voice.
"I don't know. She may just pry them apart by force. Which would end tragically."
Applejack took off her hat and held it to her chest. "Then I s'pose all we can do is hope for the best."
Murmurs of agreement rippled through the group, sharing her sentiment.
As nighttime fell, Olive and Otto had gathered at the latter's house for a sleepover, talking about a wide variety of subjects, from what was on the news at the moment to strange happenings they had seen.
"Thish chicken parmeshan is delish!" Otto said through a mouthful of the stuff, sitting on the couch and using old sitcom reruns as background noise.
"Glad you like it!" Olive called from the kitchen, setting the last of the plates from the sink into the dishwasher and closing it for the time being.
The tinkling sound of a doorbell rung through the house. Olive tilted her head as she made her way to the door. "Who could that be at this hour?"
"Olive, it's only 10 o' clock." Otto said, before he took another bite of his meal.
Olive opened the door, stepped a little ways outside, and was met with a Mandy that was surprisingly calm...perhaps a little too calm for her liking. "Mandy?"
"Hi!"
"Why are you here?" Olive asked, before she perked up in realization. "Oh! How was the concert?"
"The concert got postponed." Mandy waved a dismissive hand. "Anyway...I thought I should let you know that I've decided to move in with Bradley Beli."
"Move in with him?" Olive blinked in utter confusion, before the sight of something shimmering caught her eye.
Slowly, her gaze drifted to Mandy's hand.
And her body very nearly met the ground.
"Uh-oh." muttered Otto to himself. "Olive?"
"Otto." Olive said, her voice and body both about as stiff as boards. "Come here and look at what's on Mandy's finger."
Otto quickly shoved another bite of chicken Parmesan into his mouth and made his way over to Mandy. His eyes widened as he immediately spotted the engagement ring sitting pretty on her hand.
"Hooooolyyyyy jackalopes." was all he could say initially, feeling thankful that he had swallowed his bite before he looked at the ring. He took Mandy's hand in his own and began thoroughly examining the ring. "Is that what I think it is?"
"Bradley proposed to me. And...I said yes!" Mandy gave an excited squeal as her pony ears began to flap with as much intensity as the ears of Dumbo.
Otto's head began to hurt. "How...what?"
"He asked me to move into his RV until the wedding. And then, and then, we're gonna travel across the world together!" Mandy began bouncing up and down, now, a bout of giddy laughter leaving her.
Otto would have responded aptly if not for his keen eyes spotting the violently shaking body of his partner, still slumped in the same position she was when she first laid eyes on the ring.
Immediately, he backed away, knowing full well what was about to happen. And sure enough, Olive rose to her full, albeit short, height, her brown eyes burning with intense fire.
"I TOLD YOU NEVER TO GET MARRIED!! I SAID THAT, DIDN'T I?!" she screamed. "AND NOW YOU'RE GONNA RUN OFF WITH SOME FAMOUS POP STAR WHO PROPOSED TO YOU AND-"
"Okay, okay, l-let's take this inside, the neighbors are gonna get upset!" Try as he might to diffuse the situation, Otto's interference did absolutely nothing except put a damper on the conversation as he dragged Olive inside, Mandy following suit as she closed the door behind her.
A beat, and then the screaming continued.
"I REFUSE your marriage! I WON'T LET IT HAPPEN, YOU HEAR ME?!"
"Olive, calm down!"
"No, Otto." Olive whirled on him, her tone dropping and turning from fiery to eerily icy. "I told Mandy not to get married by the end of the night, and now she has a ring on her finger!" A strangled, choked sob forced its way out of her as her voice began to crack. "How else can you explain it?! How?!"
Mandy and Otto, both rendered in a state of shock, could only watch as Olive slumped to the floor again and began sobbing. Normally, Mandy would be by her mother's side, hugging her and comforting her. But as she was still under the effects of a villain's magic, her response was a little more skewed than that.
"Momma...I love Bradley. You know that." She blinked. "I'm not a little kid anymore. You have to respect my life decisions."
"She makes a good point, Olive." Otto said, kneeling down and placing a hand on Olive's shoulder. "Mandy is eleven. She's old enough to make her own decisions now. If she wants to get married and travel the world with Bradley Beli, then we shouldn't stop her."
If Olive wasn't so distraught, she probably would have snarked at Otto something along the lines of, "Says the one who inquired about us getting married when he first became a Director." But instead, all she could do was lean closer to the floor and begin slamming her fist on it, over and over and over again, until she was sure the bones in her hand would break.
Mandy bit her lip, unsure of what to say. She twiddled with her thumbs for a little bit, before deciding to go with the universal fix of "I'm sorry."
Olive stopped banging her fist on the floor. Her body was still shaking, but it was less with rage and more with distress and sadness. Still, that didn't mean rage still festered inside of her. She gave a big sniffle before she uttered her next words, holding the same icy tone as before.
"Get out."
"What?"
"If you're going to marry Bradley..." Olive slowly rose to her feet, her hands balled up into fists. "Then I won't call you my adopted daughter anymore."
Mandy blinked. "Wh- are you-"
"Disowning you."
Otto got to his feet and took a step backwards. Far be it from him to know what the word meant, but it sounded bad, and that was all he needed. "Olive, stop. You're not thinking rationally."
"I'm her mother, Otto, not you. And I refuse to let her be married." Olive's bloodshot brown eyes bore into her partner as she gave a heavy sigh. "But if she wants to disobey me, then that's her choice. Let her suffer the consequences of it."
"You're taking a leap that isn't needed." This backtalk earned Otto a hearty slap on the cheek, causing him to take another step backwards. "Ow, hey!"
"Both of you. OUT!!"
The reverberation of the word "out" very nearly shook the entire house. It was like Olive had somehow employed the Royal Canterlot Voice despite not being an alicorn nor someone from Canterlot. It shocked Otto and Mandy to the core, and they began shuffling their way out the door, Mandy close to tears while Otto looked forlornly at his half-eaten chicken parmesan.
"AND STAY OUT!!" came the final warning, before the door closed with a hearty slam.
Otto and Mandy stood and stared at the door for a long time -- completely solid, with the only windows being at the top that would have gotten Otto's butt kicked further if he so much as looked through it for a second.
The tears finally threatened to come forth for Mandy. "Momma..." she whispered, before she quickly wiped away the liquid in her eyes. "No. I shouldn't be sad. I'm with the one I love!"
"That you are." Otto soothed, placing his hands on Mandy's shoulders. "You're your own person, Mandy. I know you have a crush on Bradley Beli, and if you wanna marry him and travel with him...that's your choice." Sadness began worming its way into his heart, and his grip on her shoulders tightened as the heftiness of the situation plowed into him. Still, he felt compelled to ask the question that had been weighing on his mind. "But you're not leaving Odd Squad, are you?"
"No, I'm not. I'm staying with Odd Squad. I'll be working remotely." Mandy explained. "But after the wedding..."
"I really hope you don't move. What's Oprah gonna say?"
Mandy's eyes widened. She had forgotten all about Oprah entirely. "I don't know. I...I don't know how she'll take the news. Prolly not well."
"I'll tell her for you, then."
"You will?"
"Mhm." Otto nodded. "First thing tomorrow."
"Oh, thank you, Otto!" Mandy cried as she lunged for Otto and embraced him in a hug. "You're the best."
"No problem." Otto smiled. "Have fun with Bradley, okay?"
"I will!" she chirped. "Thank you again."
Breaking free from the hug, she turned and spread her wings before taking to the skies. Otto could have sworn her wings were glowing in a brilliant white, like they had been kissed by the moon, but he figured he was just seeing things.
As soon as Mandy became nothing more than a speck in the sky, though, his own tears came forth. He collapsed to the ground in a fit of sobs, with nothing but the sounds of the night accompanying him as he buried his head in his hands and became filled with anxiety as to just how he was going to face Olive tomorrow.
An hour later, Mandy had gathered up her things from HQ and placed them in three large suitcases, meeting Bradley at his RV, parked just outside the entrance to the park.
"Huh?" Bradley poked his head out from the kitchen as he heard the sound of someone entering. "Oh! Hi there, Mandy. I didn't think you'd come."
"Hi. S-sorry I scared you." Mandy scratched the back of her neck, the suitcases levitating alongside her. "Turns out I don't need a week to pack my things. I got most of it right here."
"Great!" Bradley smiled as he approached the hybrid. "I've already set a location for the wedding. It'll be in a few days. I just need to set it up."
"A few days? But Bradley, that's barely enough time for me to pick out a wedding dress!" Mandy said. "And I don't think a wedding is something you can set up on your own..."
"Nonsense. Just leave it to me." Bradley said. "First thing tomorrow, after you're done with work, that is. We'll go shopping for a dress then."
The effects of the spell overwrote any other rationality Mandy had about the timespan of the wedding. "Sounds wonderful." she murmured.
"Let me show you to your bedroom."
As Mandy walked through the RV, she noted how shiny everything seemed to be. She supposed Bradley was one of those people who liked to keep his place clean -- good for her. Still, it was her first time in an RV, and it felt vastly different from a house. It was smaller, although this particular RV could accommodate two bedrooms with ease, it seemed.
The door that sat next to the small kitchen opened to reveal a pretty decent-sized room, complete with a queen-size bed. Part of her wondered how such a room was even possible, but then she remembered what world she was in -- a world that was home to vehicles that contained a lot more stuff on the inside than it did on the outside, because screw physics.
"And I call the shower first." Bradley chuckled before heading to the bathroom that sat directly across from Mandy's new room.
"Okie-dokie!" she chirped, before throwing her suitcases down onto the bed. Instead of unpacking, though, she resorted to laying on the bed instead, using the remote on the nightstand to turn on the TV and allowing herself to float away in the meaningless noise.
It's a new time in my life. I have a fiance, and I'm getting married. It's a dream come true! She sighed. But Momma...she...she disowned me!
She rolled over onto her front, the sound of water running in the distance doing nothing to break her concentrated thoughts. She could feel tears well up in her eyes again, but forced them to go away as best she could.
The near-silence in the room lasted for a good long while. Fatigue washed over her, and she turned around to face the TV, now, instead of the headboard.
"I'm sorry, Mo- Olive." Mandy bit her tongue, the name sounding foreign as it danced and twirled about in her mouth. "But Otto is right. I'm my own person, a big girl who can make her own decisions. It's time you understood that...no matter what consequences you wanna throw at me."
With that, she went back to mindlessly watching TV, forcing herself to stay awake until she had access to the bathroom.
The next day, Mandy dragged her feet into Headquarters. She hadn't slept very well -- aside from the pain of Olive disowning her, she didn't want Bradley to be weirded out by her strange sleep habits -- and so she felt more drained of energy than usual, her hair and tail deflated slightly in a manner akin to her partner's whenever she got upset.
Due to the effects of the spell, however, this lack of energy did nothing to deter Mandy. She didn't end up sleepwalking, and she certainly wasn't about to develop temporary narcolepsy just out of one bad night of sleep. Clearly, it had somehow altered her brain regarding sleep, but it wasn't like she knew that nor did she care.
"Hiya, partner!" Pinkie greeted, making her way up to the hybrid. "Why do ya have such a frowny-face?"
"Olive disowned me last night."
The fact that Mandy had called Olive by her actual name and not by "Momma" flew right over Pinkie's head. She gasped. "She did?" A couple confused blinks followed. "Wait, what's 'disowned' mean?"
"She told me that I wasn't her adopted daughter anymore." Mandy murmured, her voice cracking slightly.
"Well that's not true! You'll always be her adopted daughter!"
"Try telling her that." Mandy gave a soft sigh. "Have you seen Oprah?"
"Yeah, she's upstairs in her office!"
"Thanks."
Her feet took her past Pinkie Pie and up the stairs to Oprah's office. The staircase felt like an insurmountable mountain, and she felt like collapsing on just the third step. Still, something in her knew that Oprah would be more upset if she were told of the news later instead of now, and Mandy figured she might as well get it over with.
When she reached the top, she gave three small knocks, causing Oprah to look up from her painting and give a "come in" hand gesture. Mandy obeyed, and walked into the office.
"I heard Bradley Beli proposed to you last night. And...you accepted."
Mandy's eyes widened, and she took a step back. Oh my odd, how...how did she...
No, wait. Otto said he was gonna tell her for me. Why am I surprised?
With that realization in mind, she nodded. "Y-yeah. I love him so, soooooo much! He's such a sweetheart. The wedding's supposed to be soon!"
"Well, I'd love to go, if you'll have me." Oprah gave a small smile. "And if you plan on having it on a boat, I can even be the officiant."
Mandy blinked. "Really?'
"Yes." Oprah said. "I didn't know it was a duty Directors had until a few years back."
"Uh-huh...well, it's something to consider." Mandy gave a nonchalant shrug. "But, um...you're not mad?"
"Why would I be?"
"Well, when I get married, I'll have to leave Headquarters and work at Odd Squad remotely. Bradley wants me to travel with him around the world!"
"I'll cherish what time I do have with you, then." Oprah said, her tone completely cool and her emotions being completely unwavering. "Honestly, it's not worth freaking out over. Not until you actually do move away."
Mandy squinted, trying to find some kind of sweat bead on Oprah's forehead that would be an easy tip-off of her words not being truthful. But whatever gambit Oprah was playing, she wasn't about to let her guard down and reveal it so easily. "You sure about that?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
Oprah calmly took a sip of juice from a grape-flavored juicebox. "Did you expect me to have a meltdown like Olive did last night?" She chuckled. "Please, Mandy. I'm more civilized than that. Adults tell stories of little girls growing up and getting married to the person of their dreams all the time. It's such a dumb and cliched stereotype in this day and age -- boys can have aspirations like that too, of course -- but that doesn't mean we girls can't have wishes of finding our lovers and getting married and waiting for death to pull us apart."
Mandy's nose wrinkled. "Are you just describing your own dreams?"
"Maybe I am. Maybe I'm not."
...Yeah okay, I'm not getting into a fight with her about romance logistics today. She huffed. "Well, I didn't think you'd be this calm, but...okie-dokie! Thanks for being so understanding. I'll, uh...be downstairs if you need me, I guess."
It was only when she turned and began leaving the office did sweat begin dripping down Oprah's forehead. She waited until Mandy had descended the stairs enough so she was out of sight before she breathed a sigh of relief.
"Okay, you can come out."
Two relieved sighs filled the office as Naomi and Mark poked their heads out from under both couches. It was a wonder how they even got in there, and an even bigger wonder how they were able to get out.
"So sorry about that. I wasn't expecting her to come."
"It's quite all right." Naomi brushed off some dust from her skirt.
"So you are Naomi and Mark, correct?"
"Yes. We're Bradley Beli's assistants."
Oprah nodded as the woman continued.
"Bradley certainly wasn't as...love-stricken as he was yesterday, but it was like he changed, somehow. It's a little hard to describe."
"Before he began to fall in love with Mandy, we heard two zaps coming from somewhere nearby when we were setting up for the concert. But we couldn't find anyone." Mark explained. "Bradley's friend, Lewis, said he saw someone, but he couldn't make them out well enough for us to provide an accurate description."
Oprah's eyes widened. "Two zaps? Has to be the work of a villain."
Naomi exchanged a glance with Mark. "You figured it out that quickly?"
"I will admit, I'm not a love guru. I am, however, an expert in knowing when something odd is a villain's doing." Oprah stood up from her chair and began heading for the doors. "Follow me."
Mark and Naomi were hesitant, but still followed the Director regardless, sending silent prayers to whomever-up-above that she knew what she was doing.
Once the trio arrived, Oprah cleared her throat. "This is Ozlyn, one of Precinct 13579's Security agents."
A girl sitting in the chair beside them swiveled around, her kinked brunette twintails bobbing along with her movements. Her dark hazel eyes laid eyes on the duo, and she smiled. "Hi! Nice to meet you!"
Mark and Naomi introduced themselves, and Oprah got right to explaining. "This precinct just so happens to store a villain database with every known villain, their skills, and their powers. Ozlyn, can you search for a villain with love-based powers?"
"Sure thing! Just give me one sec..."
Ozlyn spun back around and quickly tapped on the small screen that sat next to a large white lever. She then grabbed ahold of the lever and moved it about, scouring through a list of options based on the qualifications she was given.
"Oh. There are quite a few of them." she mused, beginning to read one villain's entry.
Oprah scrunched her mouth for a moment before she turned back to the two assistants. "Mark, Naomi, do either of you know anything else about what happened besides the zaps?"
"Not that I can recall..." Naomi shook her head.
"Ms. O, darling?" Rarity interjected, approaching the group with a guest by her side. "I've brought someone who says he wishes to see you."
"Hi, my name's Lewis. I'm a friend of Bradley Beli's." Lewis waved. "You're Ms. O?"
"Yes. But please, call me Oprah. 'Ms. O' is a title reserved for agents, not clients." Oprah smiled. "It's nice to meet you, Lewis."
"Likewise." Lewis's gaze flicked to Naomi and Mark, who both looked elated to see him. "I wanted to come with Naomi and Mark, but Bradley had me busy setting up for the wedding."
"You were there when Mandy and Bradley got zapped?"
"Yes. I remember seeing a faint figure in the bushes." Lewis tapped his chin as he took a moment to think. "Please don't take my words at face value, but...the figure was tall, thin...she definitely had a tall hairdo with something that looked like a heart in it. And she was dressed in red."
Ozlyn moved through the database, and gasped. "That narrows down the search! The only villain I could find who fits that description is one by the name of Laura Lovebloom."
The group took their time reading the entry.
NAME: Laura Lovebloom
THEME: Romance
FREQUENTED AREAS: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
DESCRIBED AS: Tall, beehive hairdo, always clad in red
WEAKNESSES: Magic wand is one-time-use only; needs frequent recharging
Laura Lovebloom is known as one of the most dangerous villains in Odd Squad history. Wielding a magic heart-shaped wand, she casts a powerful love spell on two people to make them fall in love with each other, with the effects being amplified if either one person has a crush on the other, and/or both people are in love with each other. The spell can lead to disaster very quickly, especially in regards to how it is broken, which can cause heartstrings to tear to the point of hospitalization. This has led to the deaths of approximately thirty (30) people and counting, and it doesn't seem like Laura has any intent of slowing down.
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"Laura Lovebloom?" Oprah tilted her head. "Odd Squad hasn't heard from her in months. Why is she resurfacing now?"
"If this 'Laura Lovebloom' did this, shouldn't we confront her?" Naomi asked, a twinge of rage and desperation to her voice.
"Even if we did, she can't reverse the effects of her magic."
"So how do we get Mandy and Bradley to break up?" Lewis asked, keeping an eye on the screen. His eyes widened as an answer came to him within seconds.
"It says here that for them to break up, they must have an argument and one of them must shout..." Ozlyn wrinkled her nose. "'I want a divorce'"?
"It seems fitting enough." Rarity gave a shrug.
"In Bradley's and Mandy's case, even moreso." Oprah added, before she sighed. "We have to break them up soon. If they get married, Odd Squad will never see Mandy again. And it's likely that you three will never see Bradley again, either."
"How's that?" Mark asked.
"Think about it." Oprah said. "Bradley Beli may love his music, but Laura Lovebloom has him on a one-track mind. He could potentially drop his music career and retire. And you two..." She pointed at Mark and Naomi. "...would be out of a job."
Naomi's eyes widened to be the size of saucers. "I-I hadn't thought of that!"
"Me neither." Mark shook his head. "We've been working for Bradley for so long, and have been to so many places on his tours...I don't know what I would do if that was all taken away from me."
Lewis, despite not having his employment at stake in this ordeal, took in the information, and was just as surprised as Bradley's two assistants. "Please, Oprah, is there any way we could..." He paused to think. "...maybe cause an argument to form between Bradley and Mandy?"
"It's the only choice we have."
"The effects are strengthened by how much love the victims have for each other. Even if it's just one-sided." Ozlyn reminded. "If you're going to cause a rift in Bradley's and Mandy's relationship, it has to be good."
Naomi barely heard Ozlyn's other words. The only thing that stuck in her mind was the first half. "Bradley...has a crush on Mandy?"
"Other way around." Oprah made a twirling gesture with her index finger. "Mandy loves Bradley very much, as well as his music. Even mentioning his name will make her swoon. I don't really know how it all started myself..." She scratched the back of her neck. "But either way, that means whatever Laura Lovebloom did to her and Bradley will be hard to stop."
"We have to do something!" Lewis cried out. "Bradley's been my friend ever since we were babies. I know Mandy loves him, but I can't watch his music career that he's built up be destroyed because of some rogue villain. Even if she does crush on him..." He clenched his fist, feeling utterly conflicted and confused even though the explanations were relatively simple.
"Um, if I may, darling...I think I might have an idea." Rarity moved to stand next to Oprah, tapping her arm a couple times to get her attention and clearing her throat. "If there's one thing I have learned in the time I have spent in Canterlot, it's that relationships can go sour very quickly, especially if it's due to a misunderstanding. If we stir up some conflict between Mandy and Bradley, it might be just enough to get them to break up!"
Oprah sat on this for a few moments, her brow furrowing before she nodded. "That's not a bad idea, Agent Rarity. But how exactly do we do that?"
Rarity gave a sinister chuckle. "By dipping into the old boring cliche barrel, of course. Are any of you fans of romantic movies?"
Once Mandy had some free time on her hands, she and Bradley agreed to meet at Bridal Cultural to start looking at wedding dresses. To their surprise, the store had quite the selection, and finding a dress that suited Mandy wasn't necessarily an easy task, even though she wasn't too picky.
Bradley held a small dress up that had a belt with a rose attached to its center, with the top half being lace. "How about this one?"
Mandy examined it closely, looking at every inch of lace on it. Her mouth scrunched up before she shook her head. "Too plain. I'm not looking for anything chic and magnonfiquique..." She slipped into her Rarity accent on the last few words. "...but I do want something that'll turn heads."
"Right. I'll keep looking. Why don't you have a look over there?" Bradley pointed to his left. "There's more stuff for girls down that way."
Mandy nodded and began weaving her way through display after display of dresses, looking through them to see which one she liked.
The sound of the doorbell above the shop briefly caught Bradley's attention, but he soon turned back to the display, only faintly hearing the conversation.
"I'll be right there, okay, Cam-cam?" called a girl of about 14, wearing blond curls and nothing more than a lacy T-shirt and jeans.
"Got it, hon." a boy, himself the same age, said, making his way to the right of the store.
"Excuse me, but are you Bradley Beli?"
That snapped Bradley out of it. His head swiveled to the left to find the girl staring at him, light admiration in her eyes but surprisingly not as much as a large majority of other girls. "Oh, y-yes, I am. Who are you?"
The girl giggled. "My name's Kayla. I'm here with my fiance, Cameron. We're getting married in a couple months!"
"Congratulations."
"Thank you!" Kayla said, beginning to blush. "Um, but see, Cameron is a professional DJ. He loves to make music, and he would simply love to play something romantic at the wedding! But we're not sure what he should play, exactly, and I was hoping that maybe you would have some tips."
Bradley listened, and then nodded, giving a soft chuckle. "Sure, I'm more than happy to give you tips. Come on over here and have a seat."
He motioned with his hand for Kayla to follow her to where a bench sat in front of some displays, subconsciously flopping down into the seat as he just now realized how tired he was. He didn't have time to dwell on how long he had been here, however, as Kayla quickly made her move.
She leaned in close to him, pulled his face towards hers, and puckered up without a single word spoken.
It didn't take long for Mandy to find a wedding dress she had liked, and she immediately rushed back to where she had last seen Bradley.
"Hey Brad, I found..."
Her eyes widened. The hanger in her hand that held the dress slipped and fell onto the floor, making a clattering noise that made more than a couple people and ponies in the store turn their heads. She felt a rush of emotions course through her, and as much as she wanted to look away, her innate sense of curiosity forced her to keep looking.
Deep in the thralls of a passionate kiss were none other than Bradley and some other girl the hybrid didn't recognize. Clearly, neither one of them had heard what she said, and went on to ignore her as they continued on their rather disgustingly enthralling, but perfectly fitting, PDA.
Tears clogging up her vision was finally enough for Mandy to tear her gaze away from the awful sight. She felt a pain in her heart that she couldn't identify. "Just forget it." she muttered, leaving the dropped dress where it was and storming out of the shop.
You knew what you were doing, and you knew it would hurt me, but somehow that still didn't stop you.
Mandy slammed her fist on her desk and gave a heavy sigh as tears began dripping from her eyes onto the desk. "I can't believe it. Bradley Beli, cheating on me! And before our wedding!" She grit her teeth. "If I had known the boy I loved was so despicably inexplicably awful, I never would've said yes to his stupid proposal!"
"What's this I hear about cheating on someone, darling?"
The familiar and smooth voice made Mandy's head lift, and her eyes met Rarity's azure ones of curiosity. "Brad...the one I love more than anyone else in the world...he's cheating on me with some stupid girl he met at the bridal shop we went to!"
"Oh, my, that sounds serious." Rarity said, trying her best to sound genuinely concerned. A devious look settled on her face as she trotted closer to Mandy and spoke quietly. "You know, I did happen to hear that he's not just cheating on you."
"He's not?"
"Oh no. He's been cheating with five other girls!" Rarity tutted and shook her head. "My, it's such an awful thing to do. But it's true. Bradley Beli is nothing but a filthy liar."
Mandy became paralyzed. Her mouth hung open and quivered slightly as she tried to form words, but only ended up pathetically whimpering instead, her eyes shrinking to the size of mere thumbtacks.
"It'll be all right, darling." Rarity soothed, laying a hoof on Mandy's knee. "Let me give you some advice on how to go forward, hm? All you have to do is talk things out with Bradley and-"
"MURDER HIIIIIIM!!"
The sudden 180 in mood, accompanied by Mandy combusting into flames, made Rarity stumble back and fall onto her haunches with a series of yelps. The flames seemed far more intense, and if Rarity were actually a marshmallow, she'd be completely charred and burnt within only a second or two.
Heavy breaths followed the cry of rage, before Mandy's gaze swiveled towards the steel double-doors. "I'M GONNA MURDER HIM!!" she declared, before marching towards the doors and exiting through them, agents making sure to quickly get out of the way as they passed by.
Rarity slowly got to her hooves and turned around, watching a couple shaken agents enter the bullpen and discuss amongst themselves what was happening with their coworker. The mare's reaction was rather similar, her heart still beating quickly as she could only utter two words in reaction to her friend's outburst.
"Oh my."
Bradley had eventually gone back to his RV after giving Kayla some advice, deciding to take the time to wind down and scroll through some news on his phone out of sheer boredom more than anything else. He felt a throbbing pain in his heart that he opted to ignore, thinking it was nothing serious.
"Same old, same old." he muttered, reading a story about another robbery at a local convenience store that, surprisingly, wasn't done by an Odd Squad villain.
The door slammed open suddenly, causing him to fumble with his phone until it collided with the floor and went sliding a little ways. He glanced at the sudden visitor. "Mandy! You're...uh..."
"Bradley Beli." Mandy called, her echoing voice rumbling throughout the vehicle. "So you think it's okay to cheat in a relationship, don't you? Weeeeeell, lemme tell you: I don't know what's worse, people who lie, or people who think I'm stupid enough to believe lies!"
"What? N-no, I didn't do that!"
"Rarity told me all about it!" Mandy jabbed her pointer finger at him. "You filthy disgusting cheater!"
"Mandy, please, if you'll just give me a chance to explain-"
"Explain what, that our love isn't as pure as the blue sky?!" Mandy sniffled as she felt her throat beginning to close. "Bradley, I loved you! I, I wanted to get married to you! To sing with you! You said we were gonna sing together at the concert when we went on our date yesterday!" A small anguished cry eked out through gritted teeth. "But now that I know you're cheating on me..."
Bradley glanced at his phone briefly, worried about what would happen if Mandy smashed it. But his love for Mandy was the main driving force of his life, after all. And grabbing his phone now would have bad intentions. "I would never cheat on you. Honest."
"Then how do you explain that girl you were with at Bridal Cultural earlier?"
"I was giving her tips on music for her wedding."
"And then you kissed her?!" Mandy scoffed. "If you were just 'giving her tips', that doesn't lead into a kiss!"
As much as he wanted to argue back, Bradley couldn't deny that Mandy had a point. Still, he was adamant about his version of events, and he was willing to do whatever it took to make Mandy understand it, and make her fall in love with him again.
"The kiss was..." He hesitated as he gazed into Mandy's fiery brown eyes. He didn't know she could get so upset, and honestly, it normally would have terrified him. Normally, he was terrified to commit to a relationship with someone who had anger issues, and it seemed Mandy was one of them. Under the effects of the love spell, however, her anger didn't deter him all too much. He shook his head. "Never mind. It was wrong of me, and I'm sorry."
Mandy gave a bitter laugh laced with poison akin to that of a Gila monster's. "Tell it to my tail."
"Y-you're not going to call off the wedding, are you?"
The question slipped out of Bradley before he even had a chance to react. Normally, Mandy would have said that yes, she was going to call off the wedding, why was she even getting married, all that jazz. Under the effects of the love spell, however, her anger just slightly dissipated. She gave a huff. "I'll...at the very least think it over. But I'm not staying here anymore. I'll be going back to Odd Squad."
"Mandy-"
"No ifs, ands, or buts, Bradley."
Bradley blinked. "But what about the concert? And our music? I was going to have you sing at the concert with me!"
"Yeah no. Not gonna happen. Cancel the concert." Mandy began marching towards her room. "You might as well pack up and abandon ship, budster."
"'Budster'?!"
He didn't get a response to his flabbergasted question of clarification, as Mandy ducked into her own room and began packing. All he could do was stare at where she once was and listen to the sounds of her stuffing her belongings into her suitcases.
It didn't take her long before she was leaving the RV just as quickly as when she entered, suitcases in tow and levitating besides her.
"Goodbye, Bradley."
A crunch.
Mandy's eyes widened as she backed up to see what she had stepped on. It sounded like glass, and so she became panicked, wondering if any had penetrated the sole of her shoe.
She was close -- it was Bradley's phone screen, now with a huge spider-web crack in it.
Her gaze moved from a shocked Bradley struggling to say something, to the phone, and back again. Her expression contorted into one of disgust before she huffed and left the RV without another word.
"Mandy, wait, I-"
The door slammed closed.
A few minutes went by in complete silence. Bradley picked his phone up from the floor and gingerly placed it on the table, eyeing the huge crack in it. Getting it fixed, however, was the least of his worries right now.
He sighed and laid his head on the table, his eyes closing as his heart throbbed with more pain.
"Ohh...what have I done?"
"Disowned her?!"
"Yes."
Oprah looked at Otto. "You didn't tell me this!"
"So I butchered some details..." Otto rolled his hands in a rather odd gesture. "The bit about Olive disowning Mandy is what I knew would get you riled up, so I played it safe."
Oprah groaned, and her attention turned back to Olive. "Olive, why? You are aware Mandy was attacked by a villain? She's under the effects of Laura Lovebloom's spell, she's not thinking straight!"
"I'm aware." Olive simply remarked, ignoring Oprah's and Otto's raised eyebrows of doubt. "But as long as she has that engagement ring on her finger, and as long as she's still in love with Bradley Beli, I'm not going to call her my adopted daughter. It's as simple as that."
Otto sighed. "I told you already, but let me tell you again in case you didn't understand me. You're not thinking rationally."
"Yes I am." Olive blinked. "The answer's quite simple: we stop Laura Lovebloom before she can do this to other people and to other ponies. I'll at least help your agents out with that, Oprah. But my verdict stays."
Oprah squinted as the gears in her mind began turning. Not a few seconds later and she came to a realization, blinking a couple times. "You've raised Mandy from the time she was a baby. You love her and cherish her just as much as you do Otto. Are you...are you forbidding her from falling in love?"
Olive's eyes widened. All she could do was stare at her old boss for a few moments, jaw hanging open but no sound coming out. Finally, a single word was uttered on a wisp of air: "Forbidding..."
"You heard her, partner. Mandy is a grown child." Otto blinked, and then shook her head. "However weird that sounds. But anyway. She is old enough to make her own decisions, including romance-based ones. If she wants to love Bradley Beli -- when she's not under some crazy weird love spell, mind you -- what's wrong with that?" He gazed into Olive's eyes. "Tell me honestly. What is so wrong with her wanting to love someone, and then wanting to marry the one she loves?"
Olive wasn't going to lie. Otto's fierce expression, and his even fiercer gaze, terrified her. She took a step back, her mind briefly contemplating running away but the rest of her body refusing to obey.
I'm a terrible mother. That one thought swam around in her head like a fish, and it haunted her. Try as she did to become a good parent from the ground up with no experience in raising children -- younger siblings, kids needing babysitting, or otherwise -- one of her worst fears was undeniably being a terrible parent. She knew Mandy loved her, but who was she to know whether the hybrid was telling the truth or not? For all she knew, she slapped on a mask when she woke up every morning and ripped it clean off before hopping into bed at night, because odd forbid her adoptive mother got mad. It was that very possibility that shook Olive to the core. As terrifying as pie was, in the grand scheme of things, it paled in comparison to being an inadequate parent. She had come to realize that over time.
Suddenly, she felt a wave of terror. Terror that Mandy was in the thralls of some villain who had picked her as one of the game pieces for the latest round of Matchmaker. She wanted to get her back. She had to get her back. But she had to amend things with Oprah and Otto first.
"You're right, Otto. I've been nothing but foolish, this entire time." She sighed. "It's just...Mandy's around my age. I haven't fallen in love, and neither have you. Or you, Oprah."
Oprah tilted her head, trying to search through her memories and see if Olive was right.
"I don't want her to grow up and leave me behind just because of some famous pop idol singer, that's all!"
Otto laid a hand on her shoulder. "Olive, Mandy won't leave you behind. You're her mother. She'll never forget you. Even if she does fall in love with someone and eventually marry them, she won't forget all of the fun times she's had with you. And she'll make many more memories with you, too. With all of us, actually."
"I suppose, but-"
"She's not gonna be thinking of you now. Not after you disowned her. That cut into her deep." Otto sighed. "After you kicked us out of your house, she got upset and burst into tears, but stopped herself after remembering that she was with someone she loved."
"That's understandable." Olive rubbed her arm. "I'm sorry for doing that, by the way. Even if I kicked Mandy out, I shouldn't have kicked you out too."
"Don't apologize to me. Apologize to Mandy." Otto blinked twice and began looking around the area. "Where is she, by the way?"
As if on cue, the steel double doors opened to reveal a Mandy that looked like someone that was fresh out of a house fire. All three agents couldn't resist giving collective gasps of shock.
"Oh no."
"Crumpets!"
"T-that's not a happy look!" Otto said.
The trio watched as Mandy whipped off the engagement ring she was wearing, and then threw it to the ground. With a loud bang from the head of her hammer, the ring shattered into pieces. Even the diamond adorning it broke.
It all happened in just a few quick seconds. Silence ensued after that. No one dared say a word, at least not for a few moments.
"You...did say you had a plan, right?" Olive whispered to Oprah.
"Well, Agent Rarity had one, and she was gonna put it into place, she said..."
"Whatever it was..." Otto gulped. "Looks like it worked!"
Mandy began approaching them, even though her eyes were somewhere else. Olive and Otto tensed up, while Oprah's innate strength forced her to keep herself calm.
"Olive, don't speak to her." the Director uttered to Olive through gritted teeth.
"R-right."
As soon as Mandy rounded the corner, everyone gave sighs of relief.
"I can still feel my heart racing..." Otto said, clutching his chest as he went to go sit down on the platform that encompassed the end of the slide on the right staircase.
Olive glanced at the object that was shattered. She knelt down to inspect it, letting out a gasp. "Hold on. Is this..." She eyed a few pieces of the diamond still shimmering. "This is! It's the engagement ring!"
"It is?" Oprah sounded elated. "That means Rarity's plan worked!" She clicked her tongue. "Ha, and I thought it was gonna be overly complicated like all the romance dramas adults watch. My fault for putting her drama queen status so high on a pedestal..."
"What was Rarity's plan?" Otto asked.
"Well, if push came to shove, it was going to involve some complicated love triangle thing. But basically, she worked with two teenagers to fabricate a relationship where they were getting married. The girl wanted Bradley's advice for her wedding on behalf of her fiance, and then she kissed him so Mandy would think Bradley was cheating on her when she came across them."
Olive scratched her head. "Is it just me, or does that plan sound like it has a lot of holes?"
She didn't get an answer to her question, as the doors opened once again and three familiar faces entered.
"Mark! Naomi! Lewis!" Oprah greeted. "Nice to see you back."
"You too." Lewis looked at Olive, then at Otto. "Oh, you have guests?"
"More or less. This is Olive and Otto, who co-lead another Odd Squad precinct nearby. Olive is Mandy's adoptive mother, while Otto is a friend of Mandy's."
As Olive and Otto greeted the three newcomers to the precinct, Naomi, Lewis and Mark each introduced themselves.
"You three will be happy to know that Rarity's plan worked."
"Is Mandy free from Laura Lovebloom's spell?" Mark asked. "We went to check on Bradley earlier and he was feeling rather distraught, but I don't think his side of the spell broke."
"Mandy's didn't, either." Oprah shook her head. "But I have a feeling she's on her way there. In the meantime, I've sent out a few agents to track down and take down Laura, so she shouldn't be a threat anymore."
"Oh good." Naomi smiled. "This shouldn't happen to anyone else."
"So all we have to hope for is that Mandy breaks free of the effects?" Olive asked.
"Yep. But the only way she can do that is if she declares a divorce. And it has to be true from the heart."
"Then maybe we should let things run their course."
"Yes, exactly." Oprah nodded at Otto's suggestion. "Give it a day or two and let's see what happens. No one interfere with the natural order of events."
Murmurs of agreement rippled through the group. Oprah, Olive and Otto, however, couldn't resist staring at the hallway that Mandy had went down, not bothering to hide their concern in their gazes. Sure, they were confident in waiting, but with Mandy's unpredictability, it was hard to see how things would go, even if she was under a love spell from a villain.
A yawn marked the return of Mandy to the waking world. Even though she relied on sleep to cure a lot of her ailments, the pain in her heart refused to go away.
"Not even sleep can take my mind off of him." she complained, flopping back down into bed just as soon as she sat up. "What's wrong with me? It's almost like we're...magnetic." She shuddered and violently shook her head. "But I don't want to be! I don't even want to be affiliated with him!"
Her body was already waging a war against itself. Here is where it upped the ante.
Her attitude towards betrayal fought with the effects of the love spell, like healthy blood cells going after cancer cells. That, combined with her literal aching heart, only served to make her feel absolutely miserable.
"But I love him..."
He's so gorgeous...no wonder all the girls want him.
"But I don't..."
He hurt you. That should be reason enough.
"But I love him..."
You two were absolutely made for each other. Even your names sync up well.
"Nngh, but I don't!"
He cheated on you with someone else. No...he cheated on you with five other people. That's mega-levels of egregious!
Mandy ruffled her hair. "Why is this so hard?! I love him, but yet, he cheated on me!" She could feel tears springing to her eyes as she rolled over onto her front, letting her chin rest on the pillow as she allowed them to fall and land on it, like drops of rain falling into the ocean.
It was only after a few minutes that she realized something. Her brain began to formulate a plan on what to do next.
"This is turning into a nightmare. An absolute nightmare! Olive disowned me, and now the love of my life decided to cheat on me with...with five girls I don't even know!" She gave a huff and sat up, giving an affirmative nod. "That's it. If I cut him out of the picture, it'll be one less problem. One less troublesome thing in my life. Let him have his stupid music career. Let him make all the rounds in the tabloids so they can turn a drama into a crisis. I'm not gonna be involved in it anymore."
She threw the sheets off of her and made her way to the door, flinging it open.
I know what I have to do.
She took a deep breath, and then exhaled it as though she were trying to blow Bradley away in hurricane-force winds.
"Bradley...you sick, despicable, and utterly vile being..."
Mandy clenched her fists and lifted her head up high.
"I WANT A DIVORCE!! AND I WANT IT NOW!!"
The words bounced off of the walls. Her eyes slowly closed. She didn't care who heard, or who came running. She didn't even care whether Bradley heard or not. Since their hearts were still connected, he had to hear her words even if he was halfway across the world.
Silence. No one came. No one responded, positively or negatively.
She felt three snaps in her chest, each in rapid succession.
Her eyes flew open as she gagged.
And then she started stumbling.
She didn't get very far before she fell to her knees, loudly and violently choking and gagging through gritted teeth while clutching her chest. With every gag, her eyes bulged out of her head, and the more she did it, the more the coils of pain wrapped tighter and tighter inside of her.
Nearby, the door to Peaches' room opened. "Huh?" she remarked, before her head swiveled to her right.
And her eyes widened.
"Sweet cattails, Mandy! Mandy!!" Peaches rushed to her side, calling out to anyone who could hear it, "Someone call Dr. O, now! Medical emergency!"
A cough forced its way out of Mandy, not made of mucus as much as it was made of pure blood. Somehow, she found it in her to give an agonizing and echoing scream of pain before she flopped down onto the floor.
The next few minutes were a complete blur for her.
I can't understand what they're saying...I just see a blue and a purple shape, and I feel a human hand shaking me...
Wait...Rainbow Dash? Medical Bay? Did they find me?
One sound that was prominent, however, was her heartbeat. It had gone from a normal RHR to about as slowed as one of a tortoise that had entered hibernation.
I have something coming down my mouth...drool, most likely.
...Fluttershy. I'm not dying. I don't wanna die. Please don't let me die.
Alicorns are supposed to be immortal, after all, right?
Her eyes slowly closed.
Wait...I'm being picked up...carried...
Her heartbeat grew slower.
This is it. This is where my life ends. Death not by descent from the sky, but by heart failure. With my last words being something about a divorce...
She slipped into unconsciousness, into the never-ending black that marked her expiry from the world.
"Mandy."
Who's calling me?
"I have been waiting for you."
You have? Are you part of the afterlife?
"Not necessarily."
Then who are you?
"Follow me and you will see."
...What's this warm sensation? It feels so familiar. This has to be the afterlife. If I stretch my hands out, maybe I can get closer...
...Sunlight!
"Open your eyes."
Mandy's eyes opened. It took her a little while to adjust to her surroundings, as well as adjust to how her body was currently positioned. As of now, she sat on the ground, legs splayed out in a V shape. What laid before her was, surprisingly, a meadow that she had seen often in her dreams. In the far-off distance, a red barn sat on the left, lined with white fence. Beyond that sat a curve in a road that looked freshly paved and painted, like no vehicle had ever touched it. Behind her was a large hill that rolled, dotted with white and yellow flowers galore, just like the rest of the meadow.
Her body felt completely weightless, like she was in space with no gravity, but she couldn't float. Some mysterious force kept her body pinned to the ground -- whether it was gravity or something else, she couldn't tell.
"Is this...beyond the gates of heaven?" she breathed, her words being swept away by a light breeze than ran through the area.
"No. You are mistaken."
Mandy's head whirled back and forth. "W-who's there? Who are you? I'm not in the fiery place, am I?!"
A chuckle was her only response.
Materializing from a mysterious haze was a gorgeous and regal-looking kitsune. Her seven tails seemed to be crafted out of the elements -- one out of fire, one out of earth, one out of lightning, one out of grass, and one out of water. The other two were trickier to pinpoint, as one looked like it was made out of the purple-and-white flames of magic, while one looked like a pink rotating drill that had gotten stuck in that position, with wisps of magic swirling around it steadily. Her green eyes were warm, friendly and inviting, and the same held true for the smile on her maw.
"It has been far too long." came the voice, as soft as a cloud. "It is unfortunate that it took you almost dying for me to contact y-"
"I'm dead?!" Mandy got to her feet and shook her head. "N-no, no, I-I can't be dead! I, I'm too young! I'm only eleven! I haven't even knocked out halfa my bucket list!"
"Almost dying." the kitsune calmly corrected. "Rest assured, you are not dead."
"Then how do you explain this place?"
"Come and sit by me, and I will tell you."
The kitsune took a seat on the grass, waiting for Mandy to sit down beside her. The hybrid reluctantly obeyed, only just now noticing that the feeling of fear didn't settle inside of her when she was panicking before.
"This is a place known as the Magical Grasslands. It is a place of tranquility, of wonder, of peace." the kitsune explained. "Long ago, many mythical creatures lived in these Grasslands as a clan. But they are long gone now." She closed her eyes. "Including myself. I am nothing more than a spirit now, roaming the Grasslands."
Mandy looked at her hands. "So am I a spirit now, too?"
"It is hard to say." The kitsune gazed at her, a frown dancing on her maw.
Mandy waited for her to elaborate further, but all she got was silence. She had a million questions laying on her mind, but she held out and instead shifted her gaze to the creature's tails. "So, um...you're a kitsune?"
"Yes." The kitsune nodded. "My name is Haruko. I am part of a special breed of kitsune known as the Elementals. We have tails that represent one of the seven main elements."
"But your tail has all seven."
"Yes. It is very rare for an Elemental kitsune to have all seven elements in their tails, as when we reach a certain age, we must head off to join groups separated by each element. Those who have all seven elements are often outcast." Haruko gave a soft sigh. "Which...was unfortunately the case with me."
"Oh..." Mandy blinked. "I'm sorry to hear that."
Haruko smiled before she continued. "I eventually found my home with other mythical creatures who called themselves the Arcanes, and I lived there for the rest of my life before I passed away and became a spirit."
"Wow." Mandy stared at the grass. "I...I didn't even know creatures like you existed. And I've seen a looooootta weird creatures!" A pause, before she asked another question. "Can you wield the elements and stuff?"
"Elemental kitsunes who have an element in their tails can use that element as a power, yes." Haruko nodded. "As such, those with one element in each tail can also use all elemental powers. But I do not prefer to use mine."
Mandy's mouth scrunched up. She was confused as to how Haruko protected herself, then, if using the elements was not an option. Still, one question weighed on her mind more than any other. "So why are you coming to me?"
"You will find out in time." Haruko responded. "But for now, you and I shall be allies. If that is all right with you."
"That's fine. But...why am I here?" Mandy gestured to the entire meadow. "If I'm not dead, why do I feel like a spirit? Even though my body's still skin and flesh and bone..."
"You may consider this limbo between the stars and the waking world. Your spirit remains here while your body is healed."
"Limbo..." Mandy gazed at the barn in the distance, and the fence, and the road. If this was actually limbo between life and death, it was a rather oddly-specific one. "Is this made just for me or something?"
Instead of answering, Haruko changed the subject. "Mandy, are you aware of what happened to you?"
"Um...I..." Mandy scratched her cheek, trying to remember. "I don't...really know. Last I remember, I was talking to Bradley Beli."
"Who?"
"Only the most handsome pop star in the world..." Mandy swooned. "I was gonna help set up for his concert, and then I actually got to meet him! It was the bestest thing!" She frowned. "But the next thing I knew..."
A pause. Haruko tilted her head as she waited for Mandy to finish her sentence.
"...I don't remember." Mandy stared at the grass below her. "It felt like I was doing something, but I wasn't in control of my body. Like I handed the reins to someone else entirely."
Her breathing quickened, second by second. "Oh odd, what if I killed someone and I don't know it? What if I killed Bradley and I don't know it?!"
Haruko placed a gentle paw on Mandy's arm. "Do not panic." she soothed. "Rest assured, Bradley Beli is fine. He suffered from the same affliction you did, but he will come out of this alive."
"But how do you know for sure?"
"Throughout these past two days, I watched as you prepared to marry Bradley Beli, and then subsequently suffered through an act of deceit and betrayal that led to your untimely breakup...and eventually, your harrowing medical crisis." Haruko explained.
"So...you can travel from this place to the real world?"
Haruko tried not to hesitate. "You can say that, yes."
"And how long have you been doing it?"
"A long time."
Mandy made a scrunchy face. One thing was for sure -- Haruko, as much as she had a way with words, was also very cryptic in how she spoke and was careful in how she chose her words. Prying answers from her wouldn't be an easy feat.
"And you didn't intervene?"
"It is not my job to interfere with the course your life is taking. Not in that way." Haruko said. "You are not my puppet. As such, I have no control over what you do, where you go, or who you choose to be with. My only purpose is to give you advice, and to be a shoulder to lean on in times of dire need."
"Advice?"
Haruko nodded. "Even when you are attacked by a villain."
"You're gonna say 'I have my reasons', aren't you?"
"No. But it certainly is not a false assumption to make."
Mandy sighed, closing her eyes and rubbing her temples as she tried to fully absorb the information she was given. It was only when she opened her eyes again that she noticed Haruko had stiffened, her eyes wide for just a moment.
"Haruko? What's wrong?"
"I can sense your friends. Your family. It is time you went back home to them."
"S-so soon?" Mandy said. "But I have a kajillion more questions for you! I'm-"
It took her longer than it should have to realize that she was being air-lifted by a mysterious force, floating up into the air. Luckily, it was a slow process, and it left her with just enough time to silently hug Haruko.
"W-will I see you again?" Mandy croaked out, through transparent tears without feeling.
"Perhaps, in a dream. Or perhaps, in the real world. Only time will tell."
Haruko held Mandy's hand as she floated higher. A gentle touch of her face and an examination of what was on her finger made her realize that she was crying, and that only made her cry harder. Who knew if Haruko's words held merit or not? For all Mandy knew, this was just some weird hallucination or dream she was having. Her brain was quite the weird bodily organ, after all, and in a world like Odd Squad, anything was possible.
She looked upwards, at the blue sky that was beckoning her with its purity and elegance. Voices began to push forth, although they were hard for her to make out. By the time she looked back down at the ground again, Haruko wasn't even a speck anymore.
Her spirit was lifted into the darkness, the Magical Grasslands gradually shrinking, more and more and more until it no longer became visible. A feeling of warmth overtook her, and she felt like closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep. She curled up into the fetal position, and let the mysterious force take her spirit to where she could hear the voices more clearly.
Something about her being alive, how she was going to be okay...
I'm going to be okay?
Mandy slowly opened her squished eyes. Light seared into them, and she immediately yelped in pain before rushing to cover them.
"Oh, thank odd you're okay!" came the tearful voice of Olive, who immediately yanked her body closer to her for a hug.
"We weren't sure you were going to make it." came the soft voice of Fluttershy, her expression full of concern as she saw Olive squeezing Mandy as tight as a prized stuffed animal.
Slowly, the hybrid's eyes opened. The harsh light didn't attack them now, which meant she had ample opportunity to regain her vision and look at her surroundings. Sure enough, she was in her room, with pretty much everyone at her bedside -- the ponies, Olive, Otto, Oprah, and Peaches had all come to see her. And Dr. O was there too.
She allowed Olive to let go of her, and a sigh left her lungs as she placed a hand on her chest. It was then she noticed her heartbeat, definitely not as resounding as it usually was. No...it was the opposite. It was...faint. Almost deathly so.
I'm not healthy. I'm sick. I feel sick. Miserable. Depressed.
Her gaze moved to what she was wearing. A full-length hospital gown encompassed her entire body.
No wonder I feel so light.
Curiosity got the better of her, and put a halt on everything but her current state of feeling and emotion.
"What happened?" she asked, her voice dry and raspy as she stared at Dr. O.
"You were under the control of a villain known as Laura Lovebloom." he explained. "To cut to the chase: when you shouted out that you wanted a divorce from Bradley Beli, it tore a few of your heartstrings, leaving your heart weak."
Mandy stared at him with a pure look of confusion. It was a wonder how she didn't start drooling from how her jaw was only slightly unhinged.
"Well, ya finally did it, Doc. You broke Mandy." Rainbow Dash clapped her hooves together. "Awesome work, I gotta say. Takes a lot to break her. I thought Pinkie would be the first one!"
"She's sick, Rainbow." Twilight rolled her eyes. "Of course Dr. O broke her. If you're being serious, then his attempt -- not that you could even call it that -- doesn't count."
Rainbow only gave a nicker in response.
Dr. O sighed and continued with his explanation, with no regard to Mandy's reaction. "The good news is, we were able to perform surgery on you to repair the heartstrings. The bad news is, you'll have to rest up. Don't put strain on your heart for the time being."
It was then that Mandy became faintly aware of a rather foreign sensation. Touching her chest again revealed that she had stitches in her, woven intricately like it was by the magic of Rarity herself.
"You'll be bedridden for a little while. Unfortunately, that means you also won't be able to solve cases."
"All the more reason to despite Laura Lovebloom's guts." Oprah chimed in. "Can't let her get away with putting my second-in-command out of commission."
A smell hit Mandy's nose right then and there. It was...pleasantly good. Her eyes fell upon a bowl of what looked like fruit salad, sitting right on her nightstand along with a nice tall glass of water. Using her magic to levitate the items proved to be fruitless, as no magic came forth, so she settled on grabbing the bowl with her own hands and pulling it closer to her, doing the same with the glass. Something told her to drink the water first, and so, that's what she did, chugging the thing until it was completely empty. She marked her completion of the drink with a satisfied sigh, before setting the glass down on the nightstand and getting to work on the fruit salad.
These are all heart-healthy fruits, aren't they? she thought. Not that it matters...I'll take anything at this point. Eagerly, she grabbed a slice of apple from the salad and ate it, relishing in its taste and giving a happy smile as she chewed the food.
"In case you're wondering, that's a fruit salad chock-full of stuff that'll help your heart." Dr. O explained, watching as Mandy began scarfing down more and more of the salad the more her appetite returned. "Try to avoid any fatty foods, as, on the flip side, they can put a strain on your heart. I've put a list of foods you can eat on your desk."
Mandy lifted her head from the bowl and stared at him, her mouth stuffed with fruit like a squirrel hoarding nuts for winter. She swallowed her bite, gave a single nod, and then went back to eating, Dr. O's words being nothing more than noise to her.
"I don't think she heard a lick of what ya just said, sugarcube." Applejack pointed out.
A minute passed, and Mandy was done with the fruit salad. She still felt ill with her heartbeat still being rather slow, and part of her still felt miserable, but her belly being filled had clicked on quite a few buttons in her brain.
"Was it good?" Olive asked gingerly.
"It feels like I haven't eaten in years!" Mandy squealed. "Man, who made that, 'cuz my full compliments go to the chef!"
"That'd be me." Otto said, a smug air to his voice as he made his way forward. "I decided to expand my horizons past making meatballs."
"And it surprisingly turned out good." Olive gently nudged him, which only earned her a scowl in response.
"Seems like you're feeling better." Peaches, in her cat form, hopped onto the bed and settled on Mandy's legs. "At least in the mood sense."
"Yeah...my head's still achy, though..."
"Hey, Dr. O?" Another Odd Squad Doctor poked her head into the room. "There's a patient with Cabbage Head who needs to be seen."
Dr. O gave a mighty sigh. "I'm sorry, but I have to go. Just keep in mind what I told you. Doctor's orders." The crowd parted for him as he left the room and closed the door behind him.
"Well, I guess now's a good of a time as ever to tell you about what happened, huh?" Peaches said. "You want the details, don't you?"
"Everything. Starting from when I left after work."
One by one, everyone contributed to the story. Even those who weren't there had gotten wind of the full story from someone else who was. Mandy went from joyous, to horrified, to relieved, and back again, all within the span of a couple minutes.
"Jeez, I know I have a crush on Bradley...but I don't wanna get married to him yet! It was sooooo weird. I wasn't even in control of myself or what I was doing!" She blinked. "Is Laura Lovebloom caught?"
"Yes." Oprah breathed a sigh of relief. "I sent agents out to capture her and bring her back here so she could receive proper comeuppance. Safe to say, they did so successfully."
Mandy smiled, but the smile went away quickly when she saw Olive's expression darken.
"Momma? What's wrong?"
Olive grit her teeth, then a sigh left her before she spoke. "When Bradley proposed to you, and you said yes...you showed up at my house because you wanted to tell me you were going to move in with him. I saw the engagement ring on your finger, and...I overreacted."
"Huh? How?"
"I refused to let you marry him. And..."
Otto put a supportive hand on his partner's shoulder as her body quivered slightly. It took a lot of willpower to say the next three words.
"I disowned you."
"Disowned?" Mandy blinked twice. "Wait, what's disowning?"
"Put simply, I refused to call you my adopted daughter anymore." Olive said, her voice beginning to develop cracks as she continued. "Even when I learned the truth about what happened, I stuck to my word. Otto helped me see that I was being foolish, and that...the truth was..."
Mandy tilted her head, concern settling on her face.
"I didn't want you to fall in love and move on and forget all about me!" Olive blurted. "Mandy, I'm so, so sorry. Disowning you is something I'll never do again."
If there was one thing Mandy wasn't prepared for, it was for Olive to come on up to her and suddenly declare that she was no longer her mother. The coils of pain re-emerged once again and slowly began snaking around her heart as the weight of the Director's words weighed on her.
Silence befell the room for a minute or two.
Mandy's eyes shimmered. "Do you Pinkie Promise?"
"C-cross my heart...hope to fly...s-s-stick a cupcake in my eye." Olive moved her hand accordingly, not noticing that there was snot rolling down her face.
"Here." Otto conjured up a tissue for her, and she took it eagerly, blowing in it with as much force as she could muster.
Mandy smiled. "I'm glad you opened up your eyes a little." she said. "It doesn't matter who I love or who I marry. I'll never forget all of you. If you want otherwise, sign me up for a lobotomy."
Pinkie breathed a sigh of relief at the fact her partner was now at a point where she could crack earnest jokes.
"Wait." Mandy's eyes went wide. "W-where's Bradley? He...he has to be okay! Haruko said he was!"
"He's in the hospital recovering. As it turned out, his heartstrings also got torn. But EMTs and paramedics rushed him to the hospital just in time." Oprah explained. "Who's Haruko?"
"She's..."
Mandy hesitated. A kitsune with seven tails that were all lovingly crafted from the elements that defined the universe...even in such a place as Odd Squad, she found it hard to believe. She probably wouldn't believe it if someone else had told her they saw the creature. And she was sure no one else would believe it if she told them, even with the organization's vast database of mythical and odd creatures.
Still, she had to provide an answer. She had to segue out of this topic and into a new one. Lucky for her that her social skills stats were pretty good.
"A friend." she concluded. "A nice friend that I met in a dream."
A pause. About half the group leaned in, a silent request for elaboration.
Silence. Clearly, Mandy wasn't about to give out any more details, proven by the confused look on her face.
"Well," Twilight broke the silence. "She sounds...nice. Maybe we'll meet her someday. Right?"
Her question was addressed to the group, who all gave non-committal grunts.
Mandy fiddled with her bedsheet. "I guess Bradley's concert is off now. A hundred Jackalope Dollars wasted on a ticket for nothing. Hope I can get a refund, at least."
"I'm sure you will. And if he decides to hold a concert, we'll all go." Oprah said.
Mandy's eyes shimmered. "Really? I-I mean, you guys don't hafta come if you don't wanna..."
"No, no, we insist." Oprah turned to the rest of the group. "Right?"
Another round of non-committal grunts was her answer. It was only by the slightest narrowing of her eyes that the grunts turned into murmurs of agreement instead.
"Aww..." Mandy felt her face become flushed with red, blissfully unaware of the fact that it didn't seem like anyone really wanted to go at first. "You guys really are the bestest friends in the whole wo-"
Only a second after she extended her arms out in an I-want-a-hug gesture, she stiffened. Without another word, she funneled some power into her horn, feeling relieved that her magic was working again when she saw it light up. A simple "berightback!" marked her swift exit from the room in a bright rainbow-colored flash of light.
As Peaches fell flat on her back from the light temporarily blinding her, everyone else exchanged looks of confusion, not knowing where Mandy went.
A minute later, and Mandy returned to her original position in bed the same way she went out. "Sorry about that! Y'know what they say about nature and how it calls and stuff..." She gave a bout of nervous laughter.
It was unanimous.
Yeah, there's no doubt about it. Mandy's back to her old self. At least for the most part.
"Ummm, so anyway..." Mandy scratched the back of her head. "Any 'f ya got any painkillers? I feel like I got pushed through a meat grinder and then packaged and then shopped through one of those lil' factories that make laptops ya see all the time in the commercials."
"I can spare you some of my extra-extra-strength aspirin." Oprah said, raising a finger to accentuate her next point. "It's just as good as intravenous injection. Minus the needle."
"I see your deal, and I raise you the answer of 'yes, please'." Mandy smiled. "And then I'll raise the question of if I can have a glass of wateeeeeeeerrr..."
It was like someone had taken the batteries out of Mandy's back, in all of its cartoonish glory. The top half of her body slumped forward, and she suddenly fell silent. This was enough for almost everyone to start panicking. At this point, it was like all ten of them were a hivemind that moved about and thought things and felt emotions in complete and utter sync. It was uncanny, especially given how none of them were familial with each other by blood.
"Whoa." Rainbow flew over and prodded Mandy with her hoof a couple times, more impressed than horrified. "Did she just die mid-sentence?"
There was no response but deafening silence.
"...Oh Celestia, she died mid-sentence."
"Ooh, ooh, if we revive her, will you all finally admit that death is cheap in Odd Squad like I've been saying for years?" Pinkie asked with a sly look on her face.
"Since when have you ever cheated death?"
"Have ya met me?" Pinkie nudged Olive's leg. "Better question, have you seen where we work? Every day we come here and we cheat death. It's so crazy..." She grinned. "But it's fun!"
Peaches was the only one who tuned out all the talk of Mandy suddenly dying. Rolling her eyes, she hopped off of the bed and turned back to her usual humanoid form, placing her hands gently onto Mandy's chest and slowly lowering her back into bed.
Not a second later, a low but loud rumbling cut through the chatter.
And then another, and then another.
"Aww..." Dash moped. "She didn't die."
"Rainbow Dash!" Twilight scolded.
The group peered past Peaches to find Mandy asleep, the rumbling sounds coming forth as a result of her snoring through her nose instead of through her mouth. A smile forming on her face, Peaches tucked the bedsheets over her, allowing her to snuggle and get comfy before she continued with her slumber.
With nothing left to see, the group left the room, taking the empty bowl and glass with them and making sure to close the door behind them.
Two months later, Mandy received the good news from Dr. O.
Her heartstrings had been fully repaired and she was no longer confined to her bed. It felt like an agonizingly long time, sitting in her room with nothing but a TV on a cart and the dream realm as her only company. If she had a bedpan and a personal maid then she could complete the whole sick-person-in-hospital trifecta.
With a renewed spring in her step and a nice clean suit on her instead of that sickening hospital gown, she bounced into the bullpen, feeling as light as a feather. She made sure to wave at every agent that stopped to look at her, feeling relieved to see more unfamiliar faces every day as opposed to once a week (whoo boy, did she have to compromise for that privilege).
"Mandy?"
Her head swiveled towards the stairs where Oprah was approaching her.
"Hiya, Oprah!" the hybrid chirped.
"Seems you're back to your usual self."
"Yep! Dr. O said I can finally go back to work!" Mandy breathed a sigh of relief. "Good thing too, 'cuz I was getting kiiiiinda bored just being cooped up in my room all the time."
"I'm surprised you aren't used to it, given how many medical crises you go through." The line was half snark and half surprise, and Oprah had to resist dipping it fully into the snark jar. "Anyway, Naomi just called me. She's stopping by with Bradley Beli in a few minutes. He recovered a couple weeks ago and he wants to speak with you."
Mandy's eyes darted to and fro as she racked her memories.
"Naomi is Bradley's assistant."
"Ah!" Mandy snapped her fingers. "Thank you. I guess my brain went..." She blew a long raspberry. "...for a moment."
The automatic doors opened, snapping both girls' attention away from the conversation and towards the new arrivals.
"Oh, there they are now." Oprah approached them with a wave, and exchanged greetings with them. Mandy hesitantly followed suit, stopping every few steps when her eyes laid on Bradley Beli.
Her heartbeat didn't quicken like it usually did. She didn't get that same ecstatic feeling she did when she first met Bradley in person. She still felt a romantic attraction to him, of course, but now she felt...awkwardness? Upset? Nervousness? She wasn't sure if there was even a word for it that she knew.
"Oh, Mandy!" Naomi greeted. "It's so wonderful to hear you're doing better."
"Hi, Naomi!" Mandy chirped, trying to sound as cheerful as she could. "I certainly feel better!"
Her gaze shifted to Bradley. "And Bradley, you're looking adooooooor..." She pinched her mouth in, stopping herself from voicing her inner thoughts and instead giving a bout of nervous laughter. "Healthy! As always! Healthy!"
Bradley laughed, in that soft and silky way that would have made Mandy melt if she were an ice cube. "Thank you, Mandy. I came here to speak in private with you." He looked around. "Is there anywhere around here we can, uhh...?"
"Sure!" Mandy said. "There's a room that's super-duper quiet, perfect for private chats! Follow me!"
While Naomi got to chatting with Oprah, Mandy led Bradley down the right hallway, bouncing all the way without even thinking of what he thought of her unusual manner of walking. It was just so instinctual to her, and by this point she had learned to block out any and all criticism of it, no matter who it came from.
After turning a few corners, the duo arrived at a door that was lined with all sorts of toys. "C'mon in!" Mandy chirped, opening the door and finding it dark save for some white Christmas lights strung up on the walls. Toys littered the floor, although it certainly wasn't as much as what she was expecting.
Once they grabbed a few chairs from nearby, they got to talking.
"I...I'm not entirely sure what happened, exactly." Bradley began. "My brain...I wasn't thinking straight. It was like I handed control of myself over to someone else."
"That's exactly what I said!"
Bradley frowned and ducked his head down. "I'm really sorry about what took place. I didn't mean to do any of it."
Silence. Mandy would have answered him off the bat, but for the sake of tension, she stayed quiet for a few moments until she spoke again.
"Whaddya hafta be sorry for?"
Bradley lifted up his head again and stared at her. "Huh?"
"I'll admit, I wasn't in the right state of mind either." Mandy sighed. "Laura Lovebloom's magic is powerful schtuff. I wasn't even aware of what went on until someone else told me."
Bradley nodded. "The proposal..."
"The moving experience..."
"Postponing the concert..."
"Offering for me to travel with you across the world..."
"Me kissing some other girl who wasn't even married..."
"Me getting jealous that you kissed some other girl who wasn't even married..."
"Us arguing..."
"Me going back and destroying the wedding ring and declaring a divorce..."
"Me having my heartstrings broken..."
"Me having my heartstrings broken..."
More silence. This time, it was broken by hearty chuckling.
"Y'know, all that wasn't even our fault. It was Laura's. And she's off the streets now." Mandy said. Noticing Bradley looking away with a downtrodden expression, she continued. "Hey, don't feel so bad! We're okay now, right? And that's what matters!"
Bradley couldn't help but smile. "True." he said. "Unfortunately, I won't be able to play in Toronto now. Or a host of other cities on my tour, for that matter."
"That's okay!" Mandy chirped. "Just make sure to come back someday. I really, really wanna see you sing and play!"
"I'll be sure of it!" Bradley chuckled. "Toronto is my home. It's where I belong. I can't not go without playing here on any tour."
The goosebumps began popping up on Mandy's skin. Her heart swelled with joy. She was slipping into that lovesick feeling again, and she accepted it with full force. However, she no longer felt nervous in front of Bradley, and she certainly didn't become an anxious wreck whenever she interacted with him in person. No...she viewed him as a friend, now. A near and dear friend that she just so happened to have a crush on. And she didn't get nervous when she interacted with friends.
"Thank you, Mandy." Bradley said, giving a small warm smile. "I hope that someday, we can get to know each other a little better. As our own true selves, and not under the influence of a villain."
Without warning, he stood up and embraced Mandy in a hug.
She was only one single command away from blue-screening. Her eyes went as wide as saucers, and she froze in place for a moment, her thoughts being the only thing still going as they had a conversation all their own.
Ohmygoshhe'shuggingmethisisthebestdayever!!
No, no...j-just keep your composure...don't lose it...
Wait, wait, I have an idea! Why don't you confess to him?!
Confess what?
Your love, silly! Tell him how much you love him!
Are you freakin' insane?! He's gonna be so weirded out!
Nonsense! Doesn't hurt to try! You two have grown closer, now, after all. It wouldn't hurt!
"Mandy?"
Do it now! You may never get a chance like this ever again! Seize it! Capre la diez!
Mandy blinked, and she shook her head, breaking away from the hug. "Whuzuh?" she muttered, before she took a step back.
"What's wrong?"
She could feel her throat close in a way that only asthmatics feared. Worse thing was, she was no asthmatic, but that didn't mean her breath didn't get caught in her chest anyway.
"Are you feeling okay?"
Sweat began dripping down her face. Her legs shook. She became a pure living embodiment of stage fright for a one-man show. She didn't have to look into a mirror to know that she looked like a blubbering, unintelligent, I-am-in-no-way-self-sufficient mess.
Finally, after a couple more seconds had passed, she summoned up the will to take a deep breath. And in that deep breath, she gathered up the words she wanted to say and expelled them with all her might.
"Bradley Beli, I love you!!"
Bradley's eyes widened in surprise. Before he could speak, however, Mandy continued, knowing what he was going to say.
"I've loved your music for a long time, a-and I've had a crush on you for a long long time, and I've wanted to sing with you for a long long long time! But then this whole skidoo with Laura Lovebloom got in the way and now it just feels kinda awkward 'cuz you proposed to me and stuff and I really don't want this feeling to go away just for something as silly as that and I really hope we can get together someday although I don't know if you're dating anyone or not so hopefully y-"
A finger placed to her lips stopped her blurting. She looked into those eyes...oh, those eyes. She missed those eyes. They still held surprise at her outburst, but also held just a couple tints of warmth and understanding.
Bradley slowly, ever so slowly, reached behind his back and produced a flower. Its five pink petals arranged ever so neatly, looking like construction paper but feeling ever real. Its filaments and anthers reaching towards the sky, up towards the sunlight so they could grow bigger and bigger. Its yellow stigma sitting perfectly in the center to wrap the entire ensemble of nature's gift together in one mesmerizing package.
"I want to give you this." he murmured. "It's a flower I found. A cherry blossom."
He gingerly placed it in Mandy's hair, making sure to align it so it didn't clash with her hair bow too much. Once he was done, he produced a mirror from his hammerspace spine so she could see his work.
She gasped. Tears began to pool in her eyes, and the surprise only added to the excitement that rocketed all about inside her.
He...he gave me a flower! Omigoshomigoshomigosh he gave me a gift!
Is...does this mean he's falling in love with me, too?
The tears cascaded down her face, now. "It's beautiful..." she breathed, gently touching it as she continued to be enchanted by her own reflection. "T-thank you so much!"
"It's no problem." Bradley started for the door. "And by the way..."
Mandy broke her concentration to look at him.
"The next concert you and your friends attend is on the house."
She very nearly dropped the mirror. She probably would have if she didn't have a death grip on the item. More tears fell, although she became numb to them.
He opened the door and placed one foot in the doorway. "I have to leave now. But I'll see you sometime in the future. Sooner, hopefully, rather than later." He gave a wink. "Be strong, okay?"
The door closed.
Silence followed for a few minutes afterwards.
And then Mandy took this opportunity to grab the nearest stuffed animal and scream in it.
She excitedly trotted in place, her tail wagging hard with excitement. As much as she tried to stifle herself, though, it didn't last for long -- she began ricocheting off the walls like a pinball, knocking all sorts of toys and shelves down. Once she was done with that, she resorted to running in circles around the room, giddily laughing and feeling as light as air.
After 15 minutes of nonstop excitement, she burst out of the room soaring, wings flapping as they took her through Headquarters and past all sorts of agents who got swept up in the good vibes she was giving off. Her brain re-formed itself from its liquid state it had been in when Bradley left, allowing her to have coherent thoughts and speak coherent words again.
She squealed. "Oh my gosh, does he actually have a crush on me?!" And then she huffed. "Nonono, that's silly, how could he have a crush on me?" And then, a moment of pause. "But it's always possible that he could have a crush on me and not view me as some silly-willy fangirl and then we'd have to date and then fall in love and then marry and then buy a house and then have kids but wait a minute, I don't know the first thing about love but I kinda do 'cuz I was affected by Laura Lovebloom's spell but how would I even know if he's falling in love with me if he's going away, I mean it isn't like I can contact him or anything because he probably has a million other fans and I'm prolly just one of 'em, I dunno, this whole thing's crazy complicated but that's just how love is, right?"
Unaware of her surroundings as she was, she had inadvertently wandered into a park, where all of her friends were sitting on a picnic blanket, enjoying lunch. They watched as Mandy continued to jabber on and on, pacing circles around them in some weird attempt to make a hole in the ground while they casually continued eating lunch.
"Uhh...she's been going like that for several minutes now." Rainbow pointed out after a short while. "Maybe we should stop her?"
"No, no. Let her go." Olive waved her hand before she took another bite of salad. "She'll tire herself out eventually."
"-but I think he actually loves me 'cuz why else would he give me the flower, I mean does he really go around giving flowers to all of the girls in the crowds of all of his shows 'cuz I should research if he does..."
"Well, there's Olive giving silly play-by-plays of every Burly Bears game..."
"Hey!"
"...and then there's Mandy going on about love." Rarity finished, a giggle rolling about in her throat as she ate another potato chip and continued to work on her crocheting. Olive merely scoffed and rolled her eyes at the subtle dig to her fandom of the best sports team in existence.
It took an awfully long time for Mandy to realize where she was -- so long, in fact, that everyone had finished eating and were all busy digesting their food while making casual conversation.
"Whuh-huh?" The hybrid tilted her head. "Why'm I out here?"
"Snap back to reality, whoops, here comes gravity!" Pinkie rapped, waving her hoof. "Hiya, partner!"
"You're in Cedarvale Park." Twilight explained. "We had lunch together."
"And you didn't even invite me?" Mandy pouted. "Well, that's okay. I don't need you guys anyway." She turned her back on the group and flicked her tail. "I'm not even gonna play 'What's Different About Mandy' with you."
"You have a flower in your hair."
Mandy whirled around at the unisonant response. She didn't think the sounds of her friends' voices together was scary, but here? Yeah, it was a little creepy, she had to admit. Especially since they spotted what was up with her right away. Did the cherry blossom stick out that much?
"H-how'd you know?!" she whined.
"It's a pink flower in a brunette head of hair. I think the answer's pretty obvious." Olive said, giving a roll of her eyes. "Who gave it to you?"
"Only the dreamiest person in the world, duh!"
"My goodness." Rarity stood up and made her way over to Mandy. "Bradley Beli gave you that flower?"
"He sure did!" Mandy hopped up and down. "He told me he'll see me sometime in the future, and he told me that the next concert of his that we attend is free! Free!" She grinned. "Now you all hafta go with me!"
Silence. A majority of the group shared uncomfortable looks. Some looked like they were devising plans to get out of the event.
"You know what?" Twilight stood up and exhaled. "I'll go. If anything, it'll be more research into what this world's music is like. I've never heard Bradley Beli's work."
"So will I."
Otto's jaw became unhinged as he watched Olive brush the crumbs off of her and stand up.
"I'll admit, I'm not really a diehard fan of his music or anything...but I'll be open-minded and give him a chance instead of basing my opinion on first appearances."
Otto stammered. Olive knelt down to close his jaw before she stood back up. "If Mandy's words are to be believed, he's not just another Soundcheck expy." A smug look settled on her face. "He's better."
Two down, eight to go. Mandy looked at each of them eagerly, a big planet-splitting grin on her face.
"Well, if I go...it'll be good to get away from work for a while." Oprah sighed. "Assuming the concert's at night?"
"I dunno. There's no date or time yet."
"Then if I can clear my schedule, I'll go."
Seven, now.
"I'd like to go." Fluttershy offered, standing up as well. "Maybe he can do a charity concert to help out the animals!"
"Concerts really aren't my thing..." Rarity shrugged. "But what's the harm? It would be nice to enjoy some good live music."
"Of course I'm gonna go with the bestest partner in the world!" Pinkie chirped.
"If'n I get all my work done on the farm, then I'll go too." Applejack nodded.
"The answer's obvious." Peaches smiled. "It'll be a good way to bond with my favorite cousin."
"I'm your only cousin."
"You don't know that."
Mandy made a scrunchy face as she realized the catgirl had a point.
Everyone looked at Dash and Otto. The former looked uncomfortable, the latter frustrated.
Finally, the Pegasus broke the silence with a groan. "Fine...I guess I can give him a shot." she said.
Mandy turned her back to the group and rubbed her face, then threw herself in front of Otto and put on the saddest and biggest puppy-dog eyes she could muster, giving a soft whine for the icing on the cake.
Otto, in turn, grit his teeth, but not even he could be immune to this ploy of Mandy's for long, and his face lit up. "Awww...all right, all right, you win. I'll go. Just to prove Olive wrong."
"You won't."
"I will."
Mandy squealed. "All right! The whole gang's comin' to the best concert they'll ever see! Soon! Hopefully!"
She wrapped everyone into a tight hug, with the ponies on the inner layer, where they got crushed by the more heavyset humans (and catgirl). Coughing ensued, as well as sounds of protest for Mandy to set them down until she complied.
With that matter settled, Mandy's attention shifted to another topic. It was lunch, everyone had eaten, but where was her food, she wondered. By the time everyone had snapped to their senses again, she had her body halfway buried in the picnic basket and seemed to be munching on something.
"You'd better not be snacking on the tablecloth in the basket again." Olive said.
"Nope, even better! A sammich!" Mandy replied, her tail wagging as she continued to eat.
Everyone looked at Twilight, who simply responded with, "Cardinal rule of meals: always pack extra food in case Mandy swings by. Lots and lots of it."
This was received with murmurs of agreement and some laughter as the group continued to watch Mandy go at it, knowing that free food was just one of the things that had made her day infinitely better.
The other thing was, of course, Bradley's gift. She would cherish it for the rest of her life, no matter what it took.
From afar, the spirit of Haruko looked on with a warm smile at what came forth as a result of Mandy's antics.
Oh, Annabelle...you would be so proud.