Mandy was a Torontonian, through and through. She was maybe born in Toronto, she was definitely raised in Toronto, and she superly-definitely lived in Toronto. Canada was her home and native land, and she wouldn't have it any other way.
In spite of this, however, she had made many trips to the United States for odd cases. Usually, it was to help out Directors in need, but that wasn't her only reason. Secretly, her going to the neighboring country for odd cases was also a springboard for her to take in the sights -- landmarks, food, good sleeping spots, and best of all, the ponies and people that resided there. She had made many friends in the good old U.S. of A, and she was sure she had at least one in all 50 states. Some were probably one-sided on her end, but that was okay.
But right now, she wasn't in the United States. She was in her hometown, at St. James Park, lying on a bench and drawing in a huge sketchbook she had bought on a whim with colored pencils that she...well, had also bought on a whim. She was randomly scatting as she scribbled absolutely nothing in particular, just running her colored pencil along the sketchbook for the fun of it.
"Mandy."
The scatting stopped. Mandy lifted her head and slowly swiveled it behind her. Her eyes landed on a chubby brunette-haired girl around her age, clad in a T-shirt, jeans, and sneakers. It took her a moment to register just who this girl was, but when she did, she looked about ready to burst into the air and explode.
"No. Way." Mandy sat up and grinned. "Is...is it..."
The girl outstretched her arms. "It's me!"
Mandy looked her up and down. Took in her beaming smile and warm expression. By all means, it was certainly the real deal.
"Sophie!" she yelled, leaping towards the girl and enveloping her in a big tight bear hug.
Sophia coughed. "H-hey, take it easy...oh..."
"Osh-kosh-b'gosh, I haven't seen ya in so long! Forever and a half!" Mandy set her friend down and threw her arms out. "A gaziiiiiillion eons!"
Sophia looked a little unnerved by Mandy's enthusiasm, but still managed to give a polite smile. "Heh...wow, I don't remember you being this energetic. And, uh..." She looked Mandy over and tilted her head. "You're cosplaying as...?"
"Oh, this isn't cosplay, silly! These are all genuine!"
Sophia blinked a few times, her brain trying desperately to stop her hands from reaching out and touching Mandy's wings, tail and horn. "They're...what."
"We have sooooo much to catch up on!" Mandy declared, as she began to bounce in place much like her partner was known for doing.
"I, uh..." Sophia fiddled with her index fingers. "W-well, why don't we go on a walk, and you can, uh...tell me all about your new, uh...features."
Mandy grinned, using her tail to scoop up her colored pencils and sketchbook and place them right into the tail itself. Sophia eyed the feat with a nervous stare, feeling sweat begin to pour as she realized that this certainly wasn't the same Mandy she had met all those years ago...if it was even Mandy at all.
Still, she went along with her old friend, who got to amiably chatting about her wild and twisted backstory.
"So that's how I got accepted into Odd Squad with all these things!"
Sophia's eyes widened. "I had no idea that happened to you, Mandy. I'm so sorry."
"Aw, don't worry about it!" Mandy waved a dismissive hand. "It still kinda stings a little, but now that Clementine and I are besties again, I've mostly gotten over it."
"I'm sure. So I guess the transformation made you a bit more perky, huh?"
"Yeah!" Mandy nodded, then her eyes widened. "O-oh, but by all means, tell me if it's too much for you! I know I tend to scare some folks away by how crazy I can get."
"Nonsense! I've gotten used to it by now." Sophia smiled. "Honestly, I need more energy in my life, anyway. Working at Dad's hardware store has been kicking my butt."
Mandy thought back to when she had visited the store. It was small, and didn't really have many customers. She still had a pack of nails she bought just out of sheer pity. "It's still thriving?"
"Now more than ever!" Sophia responded, her tone carrying a hint of exhaustion underneath the happiness. "He gets a ton of customers. He's practically the talk of the town!"
"That's great!" Mandy's tail wagged back and forth. "Did he come with you?"
"No. Mom did. She had some time off from work and decided to come with us-" Sophia's eyes widened as she hastily tried to backtrack. "-ah, I mean, with me on the plane. So we're staying here for a week!"
Sophia's slip-up didn't seem to faze Mandy in the slightest -- the girl wasn't sure whether the hybrid simply hadn't noticed or was just playing along, and definitely couldn't tell by the gasp she gave. "Yay! I have time to show you around the town!" She grabbed Sophia by the wrist. "C'mon, there's so so so many places ya gotta see!"
"Okay, okay, calm doooooooooown!" Sophia was yanked almost clear off of her feet by Mandy taking off in a run, her feet desperately trying to figure out what was happening and what they needed to do.
The pair visited many different spots all around town, but Sophia was quick to note the lack of diversity by the time Mandy had shown her the fifth place.
"And this is...uh..." Mandy's eyes moved from side to side. "Well, I dunno what it is, but it's a restaurant!"
"Mandy, all you've been doing is showing me restaurants."
Mandy made eye contact with Sophia, blinked, and then promptly blushed. "Ehehe...admittedly I'm a lil' hungry."
"Well, I've got some money." Sophia patted the pants pocket where her wallet sat. "Why don't I treat you to an early dinner?"
Normally, "treating you to a meal" for Mandy meant "I will waste at least half of my life savings on you by buying everything in the restaurant". It was for that reason that Mandy usually turned down offers to have meals paid for her, unless it was a pay-it-forward kind of thing where no one knew whom, exactly, they were paying for. Some people and ponies who did that, and then noticed her, were often regretful and left the restaurant muttering about how they would pay for someone else's meal...preferably the meal of someone who wasn't a giant glutton.
But Mandy had standards, of course. She knew that Sophia worked for just a little bit above minimum wage with no other source of income, and because of it, she decided to take things easy. Still, she felt like confirming, just to be sure Sophia knew what, exactly, she was getting into.
"Really? Y-you don't have to!"
"I insist!" Sophia said. "It's for my very best friend."
That did it. "Well if you're offering, then I'm in!" Mandy raised a fist into the air. "Let's go! Your pick!"
"How about Debbie's Pizzeria?" Sophia suggested. "I can take some home to my mom. She loves pizza!"
"All righty, let's go!"
Instead of teleporting or flying, Mandy opted to walk with Sophia, since the Pizzeria was only a few blocks away. The two got to talking once again, with Mandy pointing out other non-food-related sights along the way.
With a resounding thump, Oprah's forehead met her desk in a fit of exasperation, making the large stack of paperwork that sat beside her shift. "Where could she be?" she lamented, only lifting her head when she heard the sound of hoofsteps. "Oh, Pinkie!"
"Heya, boss!" Pinkie waved. "Didja need something?"
"Yes. Have you seen Mandy?" Oprah laid a hand on the stack. "This paperwork's been piling up and I haven't seen her since this afternoon!"
"Last I saw she was heading for St. James Park. I can give her a call!"
"Please."
With swift movements, Pinkie unclipped and opened her badge, tapped the 5 and 7 keys, and held it up to her ear as she began bobbing up and down in anticipation. The bobs grew less and less prominent, however, with each ringback tone she received.
"Hiya, you've reached Agent 57, Mandy! I can't come to the phone right now, prolly sleeping or tied up in an odd case or doing...whatever. Yeah. Anyway, if you just wanna leave me a message with your name and phone number -- and Jim, don't leave me your wife's personal information, that's uncalled for -- that'd be great, and I'll be sure to get back to ya as soon as I can! Thankies!"
A long beep was heard, which caused Pinkie to close her phone and clip it back onto her suit. "No luck. She's not picking up!"
Oprah growled.
"I could help out with the paperwork!"
This suggestion from Pinkie, offered as a sort of way to ease the tension, caused Oprah to give a heavy sigh as she rubbed her forehead. "If you're not busy yourself, you might as well."
"Ah, I've got some free time!" Pinkie trotted over to Oprah and stood back-first to her. "Just load 'em on my back and I'll send 'em down to the receptionist when I'm done!"
"Thank you." Oprah effortlessly took the stack of papers and gently placed them on the mare's back. Although she sunk a little under the weight, it wasn't anything spine-crushing, and she was able to ambulate towards the doors, albeit a little slower than normal. Oprah raised an index finger. "And if Mandy comes back, tell her I want to see her."
"Sure...thing!"
Within minutes, Pinkie had made her way to the elevator and went down to the first floor. Something in her told her to try for an arched-back shot with the papers, but she ignored it, not wanting to disturb the agents working down there and create a big mess to boot. From there, she placed the papers on her desk and got to work, her mind wandering every so often with worries of just where, exactly, her partner had gone.
The door to the quaint little Debbie's Pizzeria closed as Mandy did a stretch, her stomach satisfied. "Aah, that was great!"
Sophia, who had only bore witness to Mandy's crazy appetite just moments ago, gave a polite smile, her surprise at said appetite having died down some and being largely replaced with genuine, "maybe you should see a doctor" levels of concern. "I, uh...guess that transformation you went through must have really expanded your appetite, huh?"
"Oho, very." Mandy pat her tummy. "I can pack soooo much food into this thing!"
"Yeah, I'm aware. You packed away three large pizzas in one sitting."
"And I could've gone for my fourth one!" Mandy pointed out, making it clear that her restraint certainly didn't last any longer than a candy bowl at a party.
Sophia heaved a sigh and looked up at the sky, where orange reigned as the primary color and signified that nighttime would fall soon. "Anyway, it's getting late. Mom will want me home soon."
Mandy looked at the sky as well, blinking in surprise. "Oh wow, I didn't even know!" she said. "You wanna meet up again tomorrow? I can show you around our local Odd Squad precinct!"
"Sure!" Sophia nodded. "In St. James Park?"
"Yeah!" Mandy turned to leave. "I'll see you then!"
"Okay! Bye, Mandy!"
"Bye!"
Mandy watched her friend go in the complete opposite direction, a sad smile dancing on her face for only a moment as she disappeared into the distance. Wanting to get back home before a potential food coma settled in, she bounced away, her heart swelling at how great a day today had been. Meeting up with an old friend, especially one from before she transformed, was rare, and it was even rarer when it was a friend that Mandy had really bonded with and gotten to known on a deeper level.
Most would call it luck. Mandy called it "the Mandy magnet workin' its magic again".
As she bounced along the sidewalk, passing by people and ponies of all kinds, her head swiveled to the right as she eyed a rather desolate shop. Her bounce slowed into a walk, and as she kept on looking at it, she felt something tall and hard slam into her.
"Huh?" Mandy looked down, eyeing a girl who was about three years younger than her, with long brown hair and hazel eyes. The sunflower-patterned dress she wore showed more than a few dirt stains, but was otherwise pristine. "Oh! I'm so sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going!"
"It's fine." the girl said, not looking up at Mandy and instead picking up the heart-shaped trinket she had been carrying in her hand. "Um...have you seen a girl named Mandy around here?"
It was then that the realization of just who she was talking to slammed into Mandy. Her eyes widened in shock, and her lungs took in a large amount of air in one huge, almost dramatic gasp. "Nonono...my eyes are deceiving me!" She rubbed them accordingly, then shook her head. "Jessica?!"
Tucking the trinket away in hammerspace, Jessica made eye contact with Mandy and tilted her head. "How do you know my name?"
"I'm Mandy! The girl you're looking for!"
Jessica was skeptical. "You? But you look so different!"
"What, you want me to whip out an ID card or something?" Mandy rolled her eyes. "It's really me!"
Jessica squinted, craning her head every which way, scanning Mandy's features. It took her a minute to complete her visual analysis, marking the beginning of her findings with a nod. "Mm, yeah, I can kind of see it now. It's the face."
"Wh..." Mandy touched her face. "What's wrong with my face? I've already removed all fifty-five contacts from these eyes, now how much more blue do my eyes hafta get?!" A pitiful whine eked out of her. "Gotta visit Rarity and see what she knows about facial construction surgery..."
"Huh?"
"Nothing!" Mandy waved a dismissive hand, like nothing had ever happened. "It's just, this is so crazy! Meeting two of my old friends, whom I haven't seen in yeeeeeeears and yeeeeeeears, on the same day?!"
"I, um..." Jessica scratched her neck. "I came with someone. On a plane. She really wanted to see Toronto."
"I don't care how ya got here, so long as you're here, sister." Mandy gave a sigh. "If only the day was longer, I could spend some time with you!"
"That's okay. What about tomorrow?"
"Sure!" Mandy blinked. "Oh, wait. I'm meeting up with Sophie that day."
Jessica visibly blanched. "She's here too?"
"Yeah! She came here with her mom!"
Jessica didn't seem too sure how to respond to that. For the sake of keeping up the facade, however, she gave a heavy sigh. "Well, I guess it can't be helped." Just as soon as she resorted to resignation, however, she straightened up. "Wait. Unless...I can come with!"
Mandy reeled back with another dramatic gasp, then began bouncing up and down excitedly. "Yesyesyes! Of course you can! MeetmeinStJamesParktomorrow1PMgottagoplanbyeeeeeee!!"
"See..." Jessica watched Mandy peel past her and down the sidewalk, a happy squeal filling the relative silence of the streets. "...you...tomorrow?" she lamely finished, filing the time and the location away in her brain before continuing to walk in the same direction she had been going.
Normally, she would have been happy to see Mandy, even if she looked vastly different than when she had visited Jessica before. But the absolute last person Jessica had wanted to see in Toronto was...Sophia. Even the very thought of her name gave her the shivers, and she certainly didn't want to be associated with such a wretch. She had thought the brunette-haired girl had gone home on the next flight by the time she had woken up today, and her worries would be next to nonexistent.
But no...definitely not.
And now she was being forced to hang out with her tomorrow. Whoopee.
Heaving a sigh that turned into a groan, she began trudging her way back to the hotel she was staying at, hoping she wouldn't run into Sophia at all on the way there with how slow she was going.
"And you're saying that she hasn't been back here since this afternoon?"
"No!" Oprah cried out, nervously pacing around her office to the point where Olive, Pinkie and Otto were all worried she would start making an indent in the floor. "I don't understand. She left for her break and hasn't returned since. Pinkie tried calling her, but she hasn't picked up."
"Maybe she's injured?"
"Don't say that!" Olive snapped at Otto defensively. "I mean, she could be...but don't say things like that! If she's injured, then who knows what-"
The sound of distant, high-pitched squealing, followed by the very close sound of a huge crack forming in a glass door, stopped Olive cold. If it weren't for those sounds, one would hear the audible squeak of the girls' eyeballs turning in their sockets as she slowly swiveled her head backwards and looked behind her.
"Partnerpartnerpartner!" came the audible, non-squealy voice, and then over a hundred pounds of pony-human hybrid came barrelling in, bouncing up and down. "You won't believe who I just met!"
Pinkie's frown remained on her features. "Mandy, where-"
"Two of my bestest friends are here, in Toronto, for an entire week!" Mandy swept up the mare and clutched her cheeks, emitting another loud squeal. "And I'm hanging out with them tomorrow!" Another squeal, this time mixed in with giddy laughter that could only come from a Mandy hopped up on laughing gas.
"That's super great, partner!" Pinkie said, her frown turning into a smile. She raised a hoof. "But-"
"Mandy!"
The sharp and admittedly harsh bark of her name made Mandy's head turn. However, not even Oprah's upset expression could damper her raging excitement. "Oprah! You won't believe who I came across! My two bestest old friends are-"
Her lips being grabbed and comically stretched out by Oprah like pizza dough stopped their movement cold. "In Toronto and they're staying for a week. Yap yap yap. We get it." The Director rolled her eyes. "Is that where you've been? Pinkie tried to reach you and you didn't even pick up!"
Mandy responded, but her words were muffled and illegible.
"Really, I know you're excited about meeting your friends, but work is just as important. You had all of us worried sick!"
More muffled words.
Olive sighed. "At least you're not injured."
"Except maybe on the inside."
Olive stared at Otto half-lidded, jabbing an index finger at Mandy. "I dunno. Look at her."
Mandy was still speaking in unintelligible words, her arms flailing about as she kept going on and on about her old friends. It was clear that she was in no mood to listen to anyone right now, only wanting the people (and the lone mare) in the room to be listeners instead of talkers.
Otto blinked. "Fair point."
"What did you do, down an entire bag of sugar before you came back?" Oprah asked, mostly deadpan but with just a smidge of annoyance. She was no stranger to Mandy's hyperactivity, but she couldn't deny that it definitely got annoying at times...especially when her hyperactivity had a set source such as sugar.
Mandy continued waving her arms and attempting to speak.
"I don't think she's listening to us, Oprah." Olive pointed out. "She's too excited about her friends."
Otto looked at his partner. "What friends?"
"I..." Olive faltered, realizing that she had absolutely no idea who Mandy had referred to. "...don't know." She tapped her chin. "They're not from Toronto, so I don't think I would know them..."
"That's not important!" Oprah snapped. "What's important is that Mandy has to apologize to Pinkie Pie for sticking her with all that paperwork. It isn't fair to her."
"Aww, don't worry about that, Ms. O!" Pinkie waved a hoof. "Let Mandy be happy. She met up with some old friends! How often does that happen?"
"Knowing her, probably a lot..." Oprah muttered under her breath, before she gave a sigh. "Fine. But you're going to have to make up for it tomorrow, Mandy."
Mandy's impeded speech turned from excited to worried. Her ears flattened downwards as she slumped to her knees and clasped her hands together.
"Getting down on your knees and begging isn't going to get you out of this."
In response, Mandy closed her eyes, opened them to reveal the shimmers and sparkles within them, and gave a pitiful whine as a cherry on top.
Oprah stiffened.
The pupils grew bigger. The whine grew slightly higher in pitch.
"Don't..."
Even bigger, and even higher.
Oprah visibly winced, her eyes trying to look away at anything else in her office but those baby-blue puppy eyes. But her scleras were just two prisons for her irises and pupils, only if the scleras had stay-in-place lasers. She couldn't pry her own eyes away, and she was pretty sure Olive, Otto and Pinkie had averted their gazes somehow in anticipation of what was to come.
A growl rolled about in her throat. "I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!!" she roared, furiously shaking her head. "Fine! You can meet up with your friends tomorrow! Just put the eyes away!" She rubbed her own. "But so help me odd if you miss work the day after that, you will not be seeing the sky anymore, understand me?!"
"Mhm!" Mandy nodded.
"Good." Oprah released her grip on Mandy's lips, causing them to go flying back towards the hybrid's face and stick the landing with a resounding snap.
"Oww...that really hurt!" Mandy rubbed her mouth. "Jeezaloo, Oprah, are ya tryna reconstruct my face?"
"No, I'm trying to get you to settle down." Oprah crossed her arms. "Who are these 'friends' you've met, anyway?"
"Sophia and Jessica! They're from the United States. Sophie came up with her mom to Toronto! And, uh...Jessica came up with...someone." Mandy rolled her hand around. "Maybe with Sophie and her mom!"
Now Olive could connect the dots. "Oh yeah! You've told me about them before. Didn't they both used to live in Mississauga?"
"Yup! And then they moved to the States...and we kinda broke apart." Mandy looked crestfallen for only a moment before she got right back to it bouncing up and down again. "But now they're here! And I'm gonna spend all day with them!"
"Well, do they at least know about your..." Olive bit her lip, trying to find a delicate way to describe Mandy's extensions. "...current appearance?"
"Yup! I told Sophie the whooooooole story!" Mandy stopped bouncing. "Oh, but, uh, not Jessica. We didn't really have time to chat. But there's always tomorrow! When the sun will come out! Bet your bottom dollar that the sun will come out...tomorrow!"
Olive groaned at Mandy's impromptu song, pinching the bridge of her nose with her fingers to stop an incoming headache.
"All right, well...we hope you have a good time with your friends, Mandy." Otto said, Pinkie nodding enthusiastically next to him.
"Thanks, Otto! We're gonna have so much fun! I still gotta show Jessica around the town, she's gonna love it!" A grin sat on Mandy's face, one that quickly faded when her eyes shifted to Olive. "Momma, drop the snark."
"Whaaaat? Me, snark? C'mon..." Olive broke out into forced laughter. "I mean when would I ever snark, huh?"
A round of half-lidded stares were fired full-force at her, all of them saying the same thing: "Snarking is literally your bread and butter."
"Fine." Olive conceded. "Just make sure to behave yourself, at least."
"I will!" Mandy began making her way out. "Gotta go plan our awesome day of fun!"
The group watched as the hybrid flew over the rail that hung on the balcony, not bothering to show any concern for her falling and injuring herself -- for one thing, she was made of putty whenever she flung herself over and onto the floor, and for another, she was quick to catch herself in flight and was probably soaring to her room.
"Hey Oprah..." Otto broke the silence. "You're aware that Mandy will want to bring her friends to Odd Squad, right?"
Oprah shrugged. "I figured as such. Mandy has a sense of decency. I'm sure she won't wreck the place." The quaver in her voice on the last sentence made her tack on the addendum of, "If anything, Pinkie can accompany her. Or Peaches."
"Not a bad idea." Olive nodded. "At least she's safe."
"And uninjured." Otto added.
"You two better get back to your precinct. Sorry for the false-alarm call."
"Eh, it's fine. Things were winding down anyway." Otto placed a hand on his partner's shoulder. "Let's go, partner."
As the group exchanged goodbyes, with Olive and Otto leaving through Oprah's personal tube and Pinkie leaving to work on some more paperwork, Oprah turned to her desk and was greeted with a black cat sitting on it, giving a friendly meow. Oprah's eyes widened in surprise, until she realized that she really only knew one black cat.
"Oh. It's you."
Peaches transformed back to her humanoid form. "Well! That was rude. But I will ignore your tone out of respect for you." Her tail-tip flicked back and forth. "So Mandy's got some new friends, huh?"
"Old friends." Oprah corrected. "She'll probably be busy with them for...how long did she say? A week?"
"Aww, that's a shame. I kinda wanted to start teaching her how to hunt mice."
Oprah stared at Peaches with a nonplussed expression. "Mandy's not a cat."
"Hey, we're related. She has some feline blood in her!"
A heavy weight suddenly settled in Oprah's body. "Peaches...can I confide in you?"
Peaches tilted her head and smiled. "Uh, sure. My ears are open!" She crossed her legs. "What's on your mind?"
Oprah cautiously looked behind her, to see if any agents were willing to eavesdrop. Fortunately, with the day coming to a close, not many passed by her office, and even fewer stopped to listen through the broken and exposed glass door. Thus, she deemed it safe to (metaphorically) spill the beans to Peaches.
"See, Mandy meeting up with her old friends, it..." She bit her lip and stayed quiet for a few moments, before sighing in an attempt to relieve some of the weight within her. "I'm kind of jealous of her."
Peaches blinked in surprise. "Really? You didn't even have one friend?"
"Yeah, I did. Yucks Shmumbers." Oprah smiled fondly at the memory of the girl. "To make a long story short, she and I ran a fruit stand together. We bonded over our mutual love of fruit, but I always thought of us as business partners rather than friends. When I managed to stop a rogue Odd Squad agent from stealing fruit, I decided to join Precinct 13579 in her place, and Yucks and I drifted apart. And then I had O’Donahue."
The name sounded familiar to Peaches, and it was only a minute later that she realized who Oprah was talking about. "O'Donahue...your partner?"
"Old partner." Oprah raised a finger. "Before he disappeared, we were best friends. And then I became an Odd Squad Director and we...drifted apart, over time. Eventually he..."
A long silence filled the room. Peaches was patient, though, and waited for her friend to finish.
"He quit. Because my Director duties were taking up so much time, I didn’t get to hang out with him as often as we used to. He and I got into a nasty argument when we were trying to catch a villain known as Equal Evan. And we...broke up."
Peaches stopped for a moment, and considered Oprah's wording. "You two were...dating?"
"Dating?" Oprah looked almost aghast at the catgirl's calumny. "Odd no. We were friends. Strictly platonic."
"I...huh." Peaches blinked. "Either way. I'm sorry that happened to you. Must've been terrible."
"It's...fine." Oprah rolled her shoulders. "Just don't tell anyone about any of this, okay?"
Peaches nodded. "So O'Donahue and Yucks are the two reasons you're so jealous of Mandy?"
"Yes."
"But you have Olive and Otto."
"Co-workers."
"The ponies?"
"Co-workers."
"Mandy?"
That got a pause. And then, "A partner. A dear partner. Which, as you should know, also means 'friend'."
"Okay..." Peaches did know that. It wasn't exactly breaking news to anyone, agent, guest or client, who lingered in Odd Squad for long enough. "Me?"
"Mmm..." Oprah's mouth pinched inwards. "An acquaintance, maybe. I barely know you."
"Well, ouch." Peaches' frown quickly turned into a smile. "There's no time like the present! It’s like I told everyone: I was an outcast back in Vallea. You guys are my first true friends. So why not take the time to get to know all of you better?" she suggested. "I mean I know Mandy well enough, we’re cousins and all, but what about you?"
For a minute or two, Oprah pondered the offer. She had to admit that she had only talked to Peaches a handful of times, but hadn't really gotten to know her on a deeper level. Which was a shame, because Peaches had been staying at Headquarters for a long while, and Oprah was genuinely interested about the catgirl.
"I think...I'd like that. Very much."
"Good!" Peaches clapped her hands together. "So, um...why don't you tell me about your favorite gadget?"
"Oooooh, that's a tough one." Oprah tapped her chin in thought. "See, back in the 1800s, we didn't have gadgets, and so we had to make do without..."
As Mandy and Jessica sat on a bench at St. James Park the next morning, they watched people and ponies go by, chatting and playing and eating. Jessica slumped back with her arms drooping over the back of the bench, while an eyes-closed Mandy -- donned in a yellow T-shirt with red stripes and flower-patterned shorts instead of her usual suit -- happily felt the breeze on her face.
"Are you really sure we can't get going now?" Jessica complained. "I mean, we're losing daylight!"
Without missing a beat, Mandy responded with, "Hold on. She'll come."
Sure enough, Sophia chose that moment to rush up to the duo. "I'm here!" She stopped and keeled over, trying to catch her breath. "Sorry I'm late, Mom wanted me to-"
A pause. Mandy opened her eyes and watched as Sophia stared at Jessica for what seemed like minute after minute. Both girls shot each other death glares.
"Hello, Jessica."
"Hello, Sophia."
Mandy, for her part, didn't notice the bitter tones in each of her friends' voices, nor pick up on their hostility. "Great! Now both my bestest friends are here! C'mon c'mon c'mon, we got a lot to see!"
Both Sophia and Jessica found their wrists being taken ahold of by Mandy's hands, and their bodies quickly yanked off of the ground as they struggled to put their feet on it and follow Mandy at the very least.
"Uh, Mandy, it's nice that you want to hang out with me again, really!" Jessica said. "But...did you have to invite her?"
"Whaddya mean? You two are best friends! And you're my best friends!"
Jessica resisted the urge to bark out a stilted laugh. Unbeknownst to her, Sophia did the same thing. "Uh-huh. Well..." She shot a look at the other girl. "I won't mind."
Sophia's look quickly turned from amused to angry, as she growled at Jessica from her position next to her. The two girls then literally butted heads, baring teeth and both wearing looks primed to kill.
"Okay, now, first up-"
"Actually, Mandy, there's a place I want to take you to first." Sophia pushed Jessica off of her and fixed her with an innocent look. "If...that's okay with you, Jessica?"
Now it was Jessica's turn to growl in response, her fingers waving back and forth as though attempting to resist strangling Sophia right then and there.
"I'll take that as a yes." Sophia gave a complacent chuckle. "How about it, Mandy?"
"Sure! Lead the way!"
Mandy, blissful and oblivious as ever, let go of her friends' wrists. Before she turned around, Sophia used the free opportunity to get in one last sneer at Jessica before she confidently strode to the front of the group, beginning to head towards her preferred destination.
Only a few minutes passed before they arrived.
"Ta-da!"
Both Jessica and Mandy peered at the sign that hung above the door, which read "Got You Covered" in big bold lowercase letters. The storefront was painted in black, which looked a little ominous in the sunlight but certainly helped to make it stand out. It was a haven that only the purest bookworms could love.
Mandy gasped. "A new bookstore?!" she squealed. "Why have I never heard of this?!"
"My mom and I went the other day. She loves to read now, so she thought she could pick up some books as souvenirs. As she called it."
"Souvenirs?" Jessica scoffed. "That's so like your mom."
Sophia bit back any worded insult she could have spat out at Jessica, instead resorting to a low growl instead that told her to shut up.
"Cool!" Mandy reached for the door handle. "C'mon, let's go inside!"
Although initially reluctant -- and partially amused, because how had Mandy not noticed them going at each other's throats yet? -- both Sophia and Jessica followed their friend inside, heading down the stairs to the first floor of the store.
Said first floor was rather big, hosting a wide array of books in all sorts of different genres. For Mandy, who wasn't as avid of a bookworm as, say, Twilight, but loved to read, she was thrilled at the large selection, giving a happy cry while her tail wagged furiously.
"They have all-new books here." Sophia explained. "Everywhere else we've looked sells old books. And a lot of them...aren't in good condition."
A sigh forced its way out of Jessica, moreso out of tiredness than out of sheer pettiness for what Sophia was saying.
"Oh?" The other girl took notice. "Don't sigh, Jessica. I thought you loved books."
"Yeah, I used to." Jessica watched Mandy amble off towards the Fiction section, then fixed her sworn enemy with a pointed glare as the latest argument got well underway. "And now I don't."
"Hmm." Sophia examined her nails absentmindedly. "So now that Mandy's gone, tell me. What are you planning?"
"What? Whatever do you mean?" asked Jessica, with nothing short of innocence in her voice.
"You know what I mean. You're trying to steal Mandy away and have her all to yourself, aren't you? Again?"
"Oh, that's some hypocrisy coming from you, who's trying to do the same thing."
Sophia met this with a scoff. "Says who?"
"You've been doing it for years now. No one needs to 'say' anything."
Sophia slowly curled up her hands into fists, a harsh growl emanating from her. "If we weren't out in public, I'd strangle you." she threatened, getting up close to Jessica's face.
The other girl, however, merely chuckled. "I'd like to see you try! I've been taking karate classes recently. They're really starting to pay off!"
"So how about we do this?"
The words came so fast that Jessica barely had time to process them. "Huh?"
"We'll ask Mandy which one of us she likes."
"That's stupid. You think she's going to answer with you?"
"It doesn't hurt to try, you quitter."
A pause. The fight between both girls seemed to be at a stalemate.
Jessica's eye twitched.
"Oh, you're going down, you ugly witch."
And that was the moment when the shorter girl went after the taller one, attempting to get a slap or a punch in to no avail. Likewise, Sophia was attempting to do the same thing, and got a few slaps in before she realized that Mandy might be watching and ceased her fire.
"Oooooh, a new Wolves of the Wilderness book! Man, I hardly have time to read these anymore!"
Mandy looked up, turned her head to the right, and found Sophia putting Jessica in a headlock. Both girls noticed her staring at them and promptly paused their assault.
Jessica spoke up first, awkwardly laughing. "Hi! We were just, uh...play-wrestling. Like old times!"
"Tell you what, Mandy." Sophia released Jessica and promptly pushed her away, fixing Mandy with a grin as the hybrid met her smile with one of her own. "Why don't I buy you that book you're holding?"
"Really? Are you sure?" Mandy tilted her head. "I mean, I don't want you to waste your money or anything..."
"It's fine. I have a ton left over from my weekly allowance. I insist! It's always good for you to read more books."
Jessica let loose an audible scoff.
"Well, if you're insisting..." Mandy nodded. "Then yes! Thank you!"
"C'mon, let's go pay for it."
As Mandy followed Sophia towards the register, Jessica bit her tongue in order to suppress a cry of rage. Instead, she muttered under her breath one simple warning that was more a declaration for herself than for her opponent.
"Sophia...just you wait. I'll get Mandy back from you. You'll see."
The rest of the day was filled with all sorts of fun for Mandy and her old friends. She dragged them pretty much everywhere, from the movie theater to a high-scale restaurant to the amusement park, forgoing the plans to bring them to Odd Squad for now in favor of showing them around the town instead. Both Sophia and Jessica had a hard time keeping pace with Mandy's boundless energy, when they weren't at each other's throats making threats of violence against each other. They had learned that doing both at the same time was not a viable option, mainly because Mandy's tendency to talk incessantly and never shut up put a damper on whatever arguments they got into.
Still, their hostility didn't waver, and perhaps most impressive of all, Mandy didn't even notice their spat, carrying on like nothing was the matter.
As Jessica rushed into a nearby jewelry store to use their bathroom, Sophia and Mandy hung around out front.
"Hey, I have an idea!" Sophia said. "Why don't you and I hang out again tomorrow?"
"Really? But what about Jessica?"
"Oh, she's busy with her mom- uh, wait, no." Sophia bit her lip, attempting to backtrack. "She wants to go to Nathan Phillips Square and hang out with a couple of her friends who live here. Yeah!" She nodded. "But I'm free."
"Well, all right! Sure, we can hang out!" Mandy grinned. "Whaddya wanna do?"
Sophia had expected an answer to come to her naturally. However, nothing came to her. "Hmm...I'll have to think about it. Meet me at St. James Park at 1PM?"
"Yeah, you're on! Maybe I'll take you to see Odd Squad this time!"
"Oh. Yeah. I kind of forgot." Sophia laughed. "Are you sure it's okay with Ms. O?"
"Well...she never gave me permission, but I'm sure she'll say yes!"
"Sounds good to me." Sophia said, giving a halfhearted shrug that showed she was willing to roll along with Mandy, even if her predictions weren't so spot-on.
The door swung open right then, the little bell tinkling as Jessica stepped out. "Hey, I'm back. Did I miss anything?"
"I'm gonna take Sophia to see Odd Squad on our day of fun tomorrow!" Mandy grinned. "Oh, oh, maybe the day after tomorrow, we can have a day of fun, just you and me!"
Jessica blinked. "What...did..." Her gaze drifted over to Sophia, who was giving an innocent chuckle and a wave of her hand that said nothing short of "Buh-bye, Felicia."
That stupid little...she stole her out from under my nose! If I'd have known that was gonna happen, I'd have dragged her in there with me -- or even better, held it in! She took a deep breath in an effort to regulate herself, putting on a smile. "Um...I mean, that's great, Mandy! I'd love to have a day of fun with you!"
"It's a deal!" Mandy's smile remained on her face for a few moments before faltering. "Oh, pickleferries...I can't meet you two as early as I want. Work and all." She rolled her eyes. "So how about nights out instead?"
Sophia and Jessica, with their minds scrambled, picked up on Mandy's unintentional-not-so-unintentional slip of the tongue in mentioning that she couldn't meet them as early as Sophia wanted to. It was clear that she had changed her mind and wanted to hang out with both of them, and if there was one thing they had learned about the new and improved Mandy, she wasn't one to let up on some things easily.
So, they were forced to hold back for now, and go along with what she wanted. They figured the beef could continue cooking on the way back to their shared hotel room, where it would be out of the view of Mandy...and Sophia's mom.
"Sounds good to me." Sophia nodded. "Does 7PM sound good?"
"Sure does! How about you, Jessie?"
"7 works fine for me, too."
"Then it's a done and done deal!" Mandy gave a giddy laugh. "I can't wait!"
"Yeah, neither can I." Jessica remarked in a tone that was nearing deadpan status. "Um, look, we should probably head back to the hotel where Sophia's mom is staying."
"Oh! You're staying at the same place?"
"We rode on the same plane together."
This remark from Sophia made Mandy think for a moment. Neither one of them elaborated much on the plane situation, but then, in terms of vacationing, that didn't matter very much unless it was a large family. "Ohhh. Well of course, silly! You two are best friends!"
As the hybrid joyously laughed, Jessica and Sophia joined in with their own bout of awkward laughter, exchanging upset glances all the while.
"Anyway, I'll see you, uh...the day after tomorrow." The last words of Jessica's sentence were phrased almost in a question, as though unsure what Mandy really meant -- was she hanging out with each of them individually, or as one big happy group?
"And I'll see you the day after tomorrow. 7PM sharp."
Not bothering to get any official confirmation, the trio split, with Mandy taking off to the skies and Jessica and Sophia walking towards the nearest bus stop to hitch a ride back to their hotel. This, of course, left both of them free to continue the argument again.
"What. Did you do?" Jessica asked ominously.
"Why, whatever do you mean?" Sophia answered, in a contrarian and innocent tone of voice.
Jessica's eye twitched again. "Don't play innocent, you slimy little snake!" she snapped. "You scored a day to hang out with Mandy tomorrow, to have her all to yourself!"
"So what if I did? It's better than her hanging out with you! What with your holier-than-thou attitude and your overprotectiveness of her!"
Jessica scoffed. "Me, overprotective of Mandy? Now isn't that some projection!" She let out a harsh bark into the sky with the setting sun. "You're more overprotective of her than I could ever be in a lifetime!"
"Dumb argument you got there!" Sophia spat back. "I'm looking out for her best interests! I know what's right for her!"
"Yeah right! She's 11 and works for a government organization? Hellooooooo? She can handle her own, you nitwit!"
Both girls butted heads again, growls rolling about in their throats as they glared at each other with the fire of a thousand suns each. It felt like hours before they jerked their heads away, crossing their arms and settling on a unisonant "hmph". They refused to make eye contact all the way to the bus stop and all the way back to the hotel, but at least they had set standards for each other in the form of not getting into any more physical altercations for the rest of the day. They didn't really feel like getting arrested by police tonight -- assuming Toronto actually had an active police force.
With the fatigue getting to her after a long day of fun, Mandy yawned, a little squeak emanating from her as she did so. As she passed through the bullpen, her peripheral vision barely caught something purple and orange.
"Howdy there, Mandy!"
"Hi!"
The voices became clear now. "Hiya!" Mandy greeted Applejack and Twilight with a wave as they sat in chairs at the former's desk.
"Where have you been all day?" Twilight asked, setting her book to the side.
"Hanging out with a couple old friends of mine."
"Really now? Who're they?" Applejack asked.
"Sophia and Jessica!" Mandy chirped. "They used to live in Mississauga before moving to the United States. I haven't seen them in years, what with Odd Squad taking up too much of my time..."
The mares exchanged sympathetic glances. "Funny, I never heard of 'em." Applejack piped up.
"I don't think I've ever mentioned them to you." Mandy blinked. "Or maybe I did? I dunno, my memory's hazy."
"Are they joining Odd Squad?" Twilight inquired, a hint of excitement in her voice.
Mandy perked up. "Oooooh, that's not a bad idea!" She smiled, thinking about all the fun times she could have with them...and even getting Pinkie involved, too. However, the thought soon faded away as reality set in. "But as much as I'd love for them to join, they're too busy with their own stuff. And they prolly wouldn't work at this precinct anyway." She smiled. "But I'm bringing them here first thing tomorrow night!"
"Tomorrow night?"
"I skipped work today to hang out with them, and Oprah threatened me by saying that I wouldn't see the sunshine anymore if I skipped work tomorrow." Mandy gave a chuckle, as though unfazed by Oprah's realistic, absolutely-could-be-carried-out threat. Which, frankly, she was, because she felt she could best the millennia-old manageress in combat handily. She let out a gasp as an idea came to her. "Hey, would you guys be up for meeting them?"
"Of course! I'd love to meet your friends, Mandy."
"Me too!" Applejack nodded. "Maybe I can give 'em some tips on how t' harvest apples." She blinked. "Do they harvest apples?"
"No. But Sophia works at her dad's hardware store, if you know a thing or two about hardware."
"'Course I do!" Applejack chuckled. "If that's so, then I'd reckon we'd get along just fine!"
Mandy's ears picked up on the sound of muffled laughter right then, and swiveled to meet the sound in question. As she turned around, she saw Oprah and Peaches pass through the bullpen and continue down the left side hallway, both of them sharing a hearty laugh at something Mandy hadn't heard. She watched them walk, a smile on her face. "Wow, I didn't know Peach and Oprah were so buddy-buddy!"
"Who is?" Twilight asked, moving her head and watching the newly-bonded pair go. She blinked in surprise, a small smile dancing on her face as she realized what was going on.
"It's so nice to see my cousin making new friends!" Mandy chirped. "The two of 'em never really had a one-on-one conversation...at least as far as I know." She let out another yawn that ended with a squeak. "Anyhoozle, I'm exhausted. I'm gonna go get ready for bed. Got a lot of work to catch up on tomorrow!"
"Oh!" Applejack perked up. "Pinkie Pie wanted me t' tell ya, she did all your paperwork for ya."
"Really?" Mandy exhaled. "I'm not surprised. Is she here?"
"Nope! Went back t' Equestria about an hour ago."
"Drat...well, if any of you are heading back, tell her I thank her so so so so soooooo much for what she's done! And that I'll make it up to her. Somehow." She began bouncing towards the right-side hallway. "Allrightytightywhiteythanksbye!"
Before either Twilight or Applejack could say their goodbyes, let alone open their mouths to do so, the hybrid was gone.
"Sooooo..." Applejack's gaze moved back to Twilight. "Peaches and Oprah are friends now, huh?"
"Friendship can be very unexpected sometimes. Like how Mandy met up with her old friends."
"Mm."
"Hey, you two!" Peaches called from the Breakroom, neither Applejack nor Twilight having any clue as to how she got there.
"You're still working?" Oprah asked, having diverged from her newfound friend and begun the ascent up to her office.
"I was gathering some things up for Rainbow Dash." Twilight explained.
"And I was just finishin' up some paperwork before I headed back to th' farm."
Peaches, carrying a plate of haddock, made her way over to them. "Oh, have either of you two seen Mandy? I did want to spend some time with her, but if she's busy with her friends..."
Applejack gestured towards the right side hallway. "She came back just a couple minutes go. Left for her room, I think."
"Darn."
"Well, you two, finish up what you're doing. It's closing time." Oprah ordered, before turning and heading into her office.
"You know, it's weird. I thought Mandy was going to bring her friends to Odd Squad today." Peaches mused aloud.
"Maybe she forgot about it." Twilight offered, her horn glowing as she shuffled through a small container on her desk and pulled out a paper clip. "But she is bringing them tomorrow."
"Oh good! I do want to meet them myself, actually. Hope they think a catgirl roaming about here isn't too weird." Peaches had herself a chuckle at that. "What time are they coming?"
"Not sure. But it has to be pretty late since Mandy's working."
"Mm. Yeah, I forgot Oprah chewed her out. Not that I think she cares." The last sentence was nearly spat out with jealousy. "Well, can't wait to meet them! In the meantime, guess I'll search for the culprit myself."
"Good luck!"
"Thanks!"
With that, Peaches left as well, heading through the automatic double-doors.
"Ya need help with that paperwork, Twilight? Carryin' it down to th' receptionist n' such?" Applejack asked, pointing to the large stack that sat on Twilight's desk.
"Sure, I'd love some help! Thanks, Applejack."
"Ain't no problem at all." Applejack hopped off of her chair. "We're both headin' back t' Equestria, ain't we?"
"Mhm! And tomorrow, we'll make two all-new friends."
"Can't wait!"
As soon as Twilight laid the stack of papers onto Applejack's back, she helped the farmpony balance the stack all the way to the File Room, then went with her back to Equestria as they talked about Mandy's friends and what they were like.
Peaches' journey to find the Vallea culprit took her down Marigold Street, where she passed by people and ponies whom, when asked, had no idea what she was talking about, who the "Vallea culprit" was, or where they even were. However much she expected the answers, she figured it was worth a shot. Even talking to the alley cats brought up no results, although she was sure a few of them watched her go with glints in their eyes, which unnerved her.
As she dashed down the street, her sharp hearing picked up on the sound of arguing.
"If you weren't so stupid, maybe you could get it through your thick skull!"
"Get what?"
"The fact that Mandy is fine, obviously!"
The mention of her cousin's name made Peaches freeze.
"Yeah, right! You do know that Mandy's had a rough childhood? She's adopted, Jessica!"
"So? She's happy! She's sounded happy in every single letter she's sent us! What, are you gonna never let her out of your sight?"
"Yes, exactly! And then I'm gonna prove to you why she needs protecting! She's weak, and she's helpless!"
Now Peaches' curiosity was piqued, and anger was slowly beginning to grow inside of her. She darted closer to the voices, ducking inside a nearby alleyway and poking her head out. Standing in front of a small hotel building were two girls, one who looked to be around Mandy's age and one who looked to be a year or two younger than the hybrid. Both of them wore colorful T-shirts, ripped jeans, and sneakers.
The younger girl barked a cruel laugh. "No she's not! She’s got wings, a horn, a whole new appearance, new powers! Have you read any of the letters she’s sent?" She reached inside her pocket and took out a crumpled piece of paper.
"Here, here, I’ll read you one right now!"
"Girls!" The sound of an adult woman nearly made Peaches jump in surprise. When she poked her head out again, she saw a woman with dark blue hair stick her head out the front door. "How many times have I told you to stop arguing? Get in here this instant!"
The older girl huffed. "Yes, Mom."
"Fine."
With that, Peaches watched them go and saw the door close. She sat on the ground, her eyes fixated on it in thought. Those girls...could those be Mandy's friends?
No no, what am I thinking, they have to be. They were talking about her, so they obviously know her.
But it seems like they're fighting over her. Each of them trying to figure out what's best for her...if only Olive were here, she'd be able to educate them both on what their so-called "friend" is like now.
Either way, I wonder if Mandy knows about this...if not, she might be in for a shock.
Transforming back into her humanoid form, she made a mad dash for the stairs that led back to Headquarters, her mind running with a million thoughts as to who, exactly, the girls were and what their deal was with her cousin. Whatever it was, it couldn't have been good.
The next day, Mandy was quick to get right down to business. Filling out papers, solving cases, and repairing gadgets was the name of the game, and Mandy was determined to do it all. Lucky for her that efficiency was one of her strong, and most admired, suits.
"Hey, Mandy." Twilight trotted up, gadget caught in her purple corona. "Could you do me a favor and repair this gadget when you have the chance, please?"
"Yeah, sure!"
As Mandy used her own magic to take ahold of the gadget, Twilight's attention was brought by a hiss from Peaches, who was frantically waving her over to the left-side hallway.
"Twilight Sparkle, meet me in my room right now!"
"Huh? Peaches?" The alicorn regarded the order with confusion, but still made her way over to the catgirl anyway. Mandy looked up too, but simply gave a shrug and a small hum and got right back to work.
Getting to Peaches' room from the left-side hallway was no problem at all. "What's going on?" Twilight asked, as she took a look around the room she had been in only a few times before.
"Close the door."
Twilight did so, sensing the seriousness in Peaches' tone.
"Okay. So you know Mandy's friends? Her old ones?"
"Yeah..."
"When I went out last night, I saw them arguing with each other. Apparently one of them was talking about protecting Mandy because she’s weak and helpless. And the other one...thinks that Mandy is strong and is happy here."
Twilight sat on Peaches' words for a moment. She certainly didn't view Mandy as weak and helpless, but apparently one of her friends thought differently. "So what's your point?"
"I don't think they're actually friends of Mandy." Peaches theorized. "If they are, then they're sorely uneducated about what she's like now."
"Well, it has been a while. I think. She never specified how long it's been since she's seen them, exactly." Twilight blinked. "Does Mandy know they're arguing over her?"
"If she does, she's not showing it." Peaches said, rolling her eyes in annoyance.
"Mandy's pretty smart. I'm sure she'll catch on to what Sophia and Jessica are doing eventually."
"I hope so." Peaches tapped her chin in thought. "But perhaps you could help them become friends again? You are the Princess of Friendship, after all."
"I could, but the problem isn't between the two of them. It's between all of them." Twilight explained. "Once Mandy sees that there's a friendship problem, then I can work together with them to help solve it."
Peaches' expression twisted into confusion, her brain attempting to process how Twilight's mentality made sense but hurting the more she thought about it. Still, she was willing to go along with the alicorn no matter what confusing words she spat out. "Okay. So I guess we'll have to see what will happen in the coming days."
"Exactly." Twilight nodded. "In the meantime, can you keep an eye on them and see what happens?"
"Sure. Stealth missions are easy for me!"
The boastful tone wasn't lost on Twilight, who smirked for a moment. "Report back to me each day. That way, I'll be able to know what the trio's friendship is like."
Peaches nodded. "Good plan. I'll go and get started first thing."
"And don't forget, call if you need me."
Peaches sighed. "I would, but that'll be hard. I don't have a badge phone yet."
"Still?" Twilight's eyes widened, and then she face-hoofed. "All right then, I'll ask Mandy to coordinate something with Ms. O. Just borrow other phones in the meantime."
Twilight headed out, leaving the door ajar for Peaches to get out. The catgirl let out a sigh, wondering how, exactly, she hadn't been given a badge phone yet in all the time she had been here. Sure, she was a guest and not a full-fledged agent, but she would have thought that Oprah would have given her one so they could stay in touch -- or if not her, then the Big O herself. As much as she wanted to use her new friendship with Oprah to her advantage, she figured that Mandy was closer to her position-wise, and thus would manage to get her cousin a badge phone single-handedly. Taking advantage of a friendship to get what you wanted wasn't really ideal, anyway -- she knew it, and she knew Twilight would chew out her tail for it.
So, she slipped out the door and made her way towards the bullpen to await her new gift.
"One sec...there we go!"
"Thanks, Mandy!" Olive said, receiving a square-shaped gadget back from Mandy. "Otto will be happy to have this one back."
"'Cuz now it tastes like whipped cream and shoots out whipped cream?"
"Yup!"
Mandy's attention was broken away by Twilight trotting up to her right then. "Hey, Mandy, can I ask you something?"
"Sure thing, Twi! What's up?"
"Do you think you can convince Ms. O to give Peaches a badge?" Twilight asked. "I know she's not an agent, but she could really use one! For calls and stuff."
Mandy let in a huge intake of air in one dramatic gasp. "Well finally! You stinkin' writer, you waited 'til the 25th chapter to give my cousin a badge phone?" She scoffed, looking at nowhere in particular. "C'mon. You can do better." Her gaze moved to Twi. "Aaaaaaanyway, I could! One sec!"
Silence. Mandy began wordlessly counting, her eyes rolling to and fro as she thought.
Olive's brow furrowed. "Are you..." Her gaze drifted to the red smartwatch that adorned Mandy's wrist, and she only served to get more confused. "What are you-"
Not ten seconds later, she gave a happy squeal that molded into laughter. "Omigoshomigoshomigoshomigoshomigoshwehavethesamebadgenumber!"
Twilight glanced at Olive with desperation in her eyes, knowing that she spoke "Mandy-ese" far better. "The same...I'm sorry, what?"
"The same badge number!" Mandy ripped off her badge and thrust it into both of her friends' faces. "Look! I'm 57, and she's 57!" Another squeal and another laugh left her body. "Berightback!"
Before Olive or Twilight could say anything else, Mandy zoomed straight up to Oprah's office, blowing a small stack of papers an agent was holding completely upwards, much to their chagrin.
"What just happened?"
Olive caught Twilight looking at her. "Don't look at me." she said, her tone entirely flat as she stared at Oprah's office and expected the worst.
Sure enough, the sound of muffled shouting came forth, which was punctuated by a crack forming in one of Oprah's glass doors.
"Crumpets." Olive did her signature facepalm, pinching the bridge of her nose with her two index fingers. "I hope she's not going to make Mandy pay for that out-of-pocket..."
Mandy rushed back in seconds. "She said yes!" She gave a triumphant laugh. "All I hafta do is go to the Big O and get her to make one!"
Twilight watched Mandy's feet rapidly move on the floor like she was stepping on hot coal with bare feet. She had only seen Pinkie achieve that level of trotting in place, only what Mandy was doing wasn't really trotting because she was only half-pony and she had feet and not hooves.
Olive glanced around, watching as agents passing by stared at the trio. She began to feel uncomfortable with so many eyes staring at her, and gave a small shudder. "That's...great, Mandy, but do you think you can calm down a little? We're getting a lot of stares..."
"Stares schmares, tell Pinkie Pie to handle the paperwork, I'm gone!"
Twilight blinked. "To where?"
"The Big Office, silly! I'll be there and back faster than a jackalope on roller skates! Eating a pickle in the middle of August!"
"Oh great, you're turning into Obfusco." Olive groaned, immediately reaching behind her back and pulling out a bottle of Shmumbers brand aspirin.
"Berightback!" And like that, Mandy was gone by a feat of teleportation.
Once Olive put a few pills in her hand, Twilight grabbed the bottle from her grasp and dropped some in her other hoof. Both mare and child popped their pills and chugged their water in complete sync, both of them thinking the same thing.
We love Mandy, but a knock in her energy points would be better. Or just having her be sane for more than a minute, really...
In a bright flash, Mandy was back, charred, burnt, and with every piece of clothing ripped in some form of another. Her hair, also charred and burnt, stuck straight up, as did her tail. A few feathers fell off of her outspread wings as she moved them about. Truly, she was a sight for sore eyes, but all the aghast Olive and Twilight could do was look at her.
The hybrid keeled over, hacked a few times, spit out something that neither agent wanted to even try to identify -- for odd's sake, did it just move? -- and weakly reached into her pocket to pull out a badge that, surprisingly, hadn't gotten so much as a scratch in whatever scuffle she had gotten into. "Here...her badge." she rasped, letting out another cough that was coupled with a grin that revealed at least three missing teeth.
"What happened to you?" was all Olive could say within her shock.
"Accidentally teleported into the Big O's office right when she was checkin' on an experiment..." Another round of coughing ricocheted through Mandy's body, causing her to begin hacking again.
"And how did you get the badge so quickly?"
Mandy perked up. "Big O works fast!" She held out the badge phone. "Anyhoo, give that to Peach and she should be all set for calls!" She blinked. "Weird...I thought I thought this was gonna be resolved in some future chapter. Big plot point or something. Eh, writers will be writers. Whaddya gonna do?"
Twilight hesitantly took it, wondering how long it took before the aspirin kicked in. "Uhh...thanks, Mandy."
"Nonono, wait, I take it back!" Mandy yanked the phone out of Twilight's grip using her own corona, her head swiveling frantically throughout. "Where's Peaches?"
"Um..." Twilight bit her lip. "Tell you what, why don't you...get back to work?"
A meow startled the group, and three pairs of eyes looked down to see a black cat staring up at them. Within seconds, the cat transformed into its more humanoid form and gave a smile. "Hi! I'll take that off your hands. Er, hooves. Er...whatever, just give me the phone."
Mandy eagerly floated the phone over to her cousin, even taking the liberty of clipping it onto the left side of her chest for her. All she needed was the suit, and she would look like a full-fledged Odd Squad agent who was just a bit outside of the age requirements to become one.
"Thanks, cuz! How do I look?"
"Amazing!" Mandy grabbed Peaches by the shoulders. "Ooh, ooh, did you know we have the same badge number?! Looklooklook!"
Peaches gazed down at her badge, finding that her badge number read 55. "Um...Mandy, this says 55. Not 57."
A pause. "Whaaaaaa?!" Mandy ripped the badge off, looking at it up-close and from afar, turning it in every single direction to make sure her eyes weren't deceiving her. Sure enough, when she added up the letters in Peaches' name again, and then did it three more times to make sure, they added up to 55, not 57. "Aww...and here I was gettin' all excited 'cuz we had the same badge numbers. Now I feel like an idiot!"
"Well, look on the bright side. We'll be able to call each other, forever and ever."
That seemed to brighten up Mandy's mood considerably. "Yeah!" She bounced up and down.
"But...if you don't get back to work, there won't be a 'forever and ever'." Peaches smirked. "Besides, aren't you meeting your friends later?"
Mandy stopped bouncing in midair, her body slowly coming back to Earth as the realization ticked in. The second her feet touched the concrete floor, she gasped. "OmigoshIforgotthanksPeach!" she spit out in one breath before rushing to her desk and getting right to work without even sitting down first.
"Huh. That was easier than I thought." Olive remarked.
Peaches simply shrugged. "I've experienced her hyperactivity enough times to know what makes her tick for the most part."
"Can you repair Oprah's glass door, too?"
Peaches looked towards where Olive was pointing. The large crack was still in the door, threatening to break the door apart if it moved only a couple more inches. "Yeesh...I would if I could."
"Hey, Twilight..." Olive glanced at the mare. "Why were you being so secretive before? Are you hiding something?"
As much as Twilight wanted to fire a rebuttal of lies, she knew Olive was smarter than that and would probably sniff her out. She wasn't all too skilled at lying, anyhow. "Should we tell her?" she asked Peaches.
"Olive's a trustworthy agent. I don't see why not."
Twilight nodded. "Let's all go somewhere a bit more private."
"And that's the gist of it."
Olive had listened to the story with intrigue, her mind whirling with questions. Not that she had ever met Sophia and Jessica before, but she supposed she couldn't blame them for their attitude towards Mandy, especially since the hybrid had gone through a major change that she had never told them about. Still, she had to wonder if they had any ulterior motives in mind, though thinking about that made her feel queasy in a way she couldn't describe. "So Mandy's friends are arguing over her?"
Peaches nodded. "They haven’t seen her in a while, but must be pretty uneducated on what she’s like now, compared to...um...well, when she first met them."
"I’m having Peaches spy on her and her friends when they go out. That way I can gather more information about their interactions."
Olive put on an incredulous expression. "Why don't you just tag along yourself?"
"Mandy probably wouldn’t like that. As friendly and outgoing as she is, she likely wants to spend time alone with her friends. Peaches is more skilled at stealth than I am, so she’s going to be doing the spying."
The logic made sense to Olive, and so she nodded in understanding. A cat would be far less suspicious than a full-grown mare following a group of people around. "I'll admit, from what I’ve heard about Sophia and Jessica, they seem nice. But Mandy hasn’t seen them in a long time. At least...that’s what she’s said."
"So they probably don't know her as well."
"We don't have much to go on." Peaches crossed her arms. "Once I spy on them, I'll get more info."
"You know, if Mandy's bringing them to Odd Squad, it makes your job easier, Peaches." Olive noted.
Peaches blinked. "That's...true..."
"So all we have to do is wait until she comes back here with them."
Peaches and Olive gave sounds of agreement in response to Twilight's statement.
"Sooooo..." Olive scratched an itch on her head. "Why are we not telling Mandy about this?"
"Well, for one, she probably wouldn't believe us." Peaches rolled her eyes.
"And for another, she might think we're jealous of her friends or think we have some vendetta against them." Twilight exhaled. "It could cause issues."
Olive wasn't one to speak on Mandy's reactions to the matter -- her unpredictability managed to stump even her own mother sometimes."Fair enough. Let's see how things go, then."
Mandy had resolved to get to the park early, finishing up her work in record time, making sure she didn't do anything half-fast, and rushing there as fast as her feet and the tubes would take her. With loads of time to spare, she had found it fit to get in that daily nap she had sacrificed in favor of efficiency and hard work, with her body caving in almost immediately like that of a person who couldn't even go a single day without sleeping.
As foals and kids alike laughed and played, as adults of both the human and equine variety talked and ate and relaxed, Mandy slept. Her body sprawled out on a bench that looked fit for a king, with one arm and foot draped towards the ground, she snored, muttering unintelligible things that no one around her even bothered to understand. To those that knew her, her sleep habits were no surprise, but even to those that didn't know her, they just didn't pay her much mind, even as a popular Odd Squad agent.
While she was in a deep sleep, Sophia spotted her as she walked along the thin concrete path that snaked through the park. "Mandy?" she called tentatively, placing a hand on the hybrid's shoulder. "Hey, Mandy, wake up."
In response, all she got was a loud snore as well as a foot moving about limply on the ground.
"Weird. You were never a heavy sleeper." Sophia muttered to herself, resolving to shake Mandy even harder. "Come on, wake up already! It's me, Sophia, your one and only best friend, ready for a night out on the town, just the two of us!"
No response. The barrage of sleep noises continued.
"Mmm..." Sophia's mouth pinched inwards in disappointment, before she took in a deep breath and resolved to scream.
"MANDY, WAKE UP!!!"
This got the attention of quite a few parkgoers, who all turned their eyes on Sophia. She quickly waved them off with a smile and a nervous laugh, tempted to ask one of them to wake up Mandy but not wanting to disturb whatever they were doing. Just as she turned to leave, the sight of Mandy moving in her peripheral vision caught her eye, and she turned back around.
"Mrrrh...what're y' doin', m' tryna sleep..."
"Mandy! You promised you'd hang out with me today! Come on, I want to go see Odd Squad with you!" Sophia sighed. "Look, I'm sorry I'm late, okay? You know how my mom can be pushy sometimes, and she made me clean the entire hotel room before coming to meet you, and I just-"
A loud yawn, followed by a squeak, cut her off, and she saw Mandy rise to a sitting position. "Mm...Sophie...?"
Breathing an internal sigh of relief, Sophia asked, "Did you have a bad day at work or something?"
Mandy shook her head. "No, no...I was waiting for you!" Another yawn left her, and she stood up before shaking her body out furiously.
Sophia gave a smile. "Heh. You've certainly changed a lot, haven't you?"
"Y' could say that." Mandy rubbed the back of her neck. "Sorry. I guess you should know that I'm largely impossible to be awoken unless it's of my own accord. Part of the transformation. Don't ask about logistics."
"It's okay! Thank you for telling me." Sophia said. "Are you still up for hanging out?"
Mandy's energy levels heightened in one swift second. "Of course!" she chirped. "I'm gonna take ya to Odd Squad and you're gonna have the bestest time!"
"It's like you read my mind!" Sophia laughed. "Let's go!"
"Here, hop on my back!"
Sophia's smile faltered as she watched Mandy bend down and angle her back towards her. She stared at the pose for a few moments in confusion. "On...your back?"
"Yeah! It's another post-transformation thing. I can carry people and ponies on my back while I fly! Makes for great transportation."
"And this is safe?" Sophia asked immediately, more on instinct than anything else. Her tone was filled with worry, something that she hoped Mandy wouldn't pick up on.
"Yep! Don't worry, if you fall, I can catch ya!"
Sophia contemplated the offer for a few moments. Her falling wasn't necessarily a big deal to her -- she trusted Mandy to catch her, of course. No, what got her was the mere feat of getting on Mandy's back. What if she crushed the girl's spine? Injured her so badly that she became paralyzed for life? Was she willing to take that risk?
"Normally I'd say no, but a small part of me is itching to see what it's like."
Damn it, Sophia! Why?!
As Sophia carefully climbed onto Mandy's back, she asked, "This doesn't hurt?"
"Nope! Now hold on to my neck!"
"Gently, like this?" Sophia grasped Mandy's neck gently.
"You got it! And away we go!"
Before Sophia could object, the two girls were flying through the park, with Sophia eliciting a scream of terror as she got a first taste of what riding with Mandy Airlines was like.
"Holy cabaneros..."
Laying right in front of Sophia was a host of oddities, gathered in such a way that it was like they had gotten wind of her arrival in advance. Her eyes widened as she glanced at each and every one of them, as a lot of them were ones that she had never really seen before.
Mandy cleared her throat. "Welcome to the most sophisticated place on Earth! A place filled with wonder and amazement, where long-lasting friendships are made and dreams..." She got into a showy pose, doing jazz hands as she finished her sentence. "...come truuuuue!"
Sophia blinked. "This is...amazing!" She glanced at Mandy. "You work here?"
"Sure do! I've worked here for as long as I can remember! C'mon, I'll show ya around!"
A few footsteps brought the duo to the Lab, which was surprisingly empty but still very much alive in terms of lighting.
Mandy smiled. "So this is the Lab."
"Where Scientists make gadgets, right?"
"Yes!"
"Didn't you write to me once that one of your jobs is repairing gadgets?"
Mandy's expression and voice didn't falter. "Yes!"
"But you're not a Scientist."
"Nope! I work in the Investigation department as an agent. Repairing gadgets is more of a side thing for me."
"So why'd you say it was a job?"
Mandy opened her mouth, thought about the question for a minute or two, and then slowly closed it as her brain failed to provide her with an answer. She considered fixing gadgets a job, but it was clear her friend didn't think the same. And while she was at it, exactly what constituted a "job"? Was it getting paid? Was it doing something heavily laborious as opposed to something simple and minor? Was it being hired by a company's dedicated department?
...Okay, maybe she was getting off track now.
"Let's move on."
The next stop on the tour took the girls to one of the hallways.
"Wow, there are a lot of doors here." Sophia remarked, recoiling as her hand touched a door that was freezing to the touch.
"Well duh! Have you even visited an Odd Squad Headquarters?"
"Only once or twice, but I never saw the doors."
Mandy scoffed. "You should be afflicted with oddness more often!"
"Mandy, I'm not going to infect myself with oddness!"
Unbeknownst to the two girls, the feline form of Peaches watched them from behind a corner, only her head peeking out to spy on them. A smirk settled on her features as she watched them converse, taking mental notes as to what they were doing.
After a minute or so, Mandy held her hands up. "Fine, fine! Here." She turned around to face the abstract, brightly-colored door of her room and flung it open. "Aaaaaaaand here's my room!"
Sophia looked inside, eyeing the bed, the dresser, the cabinets, the sewing table, and all of the posters. It looked nice, for sure -- certainly nicer than her room -- but she couldn't help but feel pity. A frown settled on her face. "This is where you sleep?"
"Yuh-huh!"
Sophia stared at Mandy with a look of sadness. "You've never experienced living in a house?"
"Nope! This Headquarters has always been my home!"
There was a pause. Sophia bit her lip, looking from Mandy's room to Mandy herself and back again. The thought tumbled out without getting her consent. "Sad life to live, if you ask me. You deserve better."
"Whaddya mean?"
Sophia's gaze finally rested on Mandy. She looked completely innocent -- perhaps she hadn't noticed her friend's change in expression. Or perhaps she did, and she was hiding it. Sophia couldn't tell. "It's nothing." she settled on, trying hard to give a convincing smile, if only a small one.
Mandy gave a simple shrug. "Well, all right." She closed the door and pointed down the hall. "You see that door, painted in blue?"
"...Yeah?"
"That's Peaches' room."
"Who?"
Mandy blinked. "Oh! I never told you about her, did I?"
Sophia sadly shook her head. In a murmur, she answered, "You haven't written to us in a while."
"I know, and I keep meaning to! But work and life and...everything's got me soooooo busy!"
"I'm sure."
"Well...maybe I'll tell you when we meet up with Jessie!"
"Sure, if you want."
In the midst of her apathy, Mandy's words didn't click in Sophia's head. So as the pair walked through the halls and made their way back to the bullpen, she became lost in thought with Mandy's safety and well-being until the words finally made full contact with her brain.
Unfortunately, that was around the same time her eyes landed on her.
"Wait, what?!"
"You?!"
Sophia whirled on Mandy. "Mandy, you invited both of us here?!"
"I know, I know, I said I would hang out with you today and Jessica tomorrow." Mandy explained. "But since you two are bestest friends, I thought we could all go on the Odd Squad tour together! So I called Jessica and asked her to come over!"
The two girls were flabbergasted. A thick silence hung in the air, broken only by their heads turning so that they locked on to each other's gazes. Both of them thrust out their hands and their index fingers, with Sophia reacting first.
"I don't want her here!"
"And I don't want her here!"
"She's only out to hurt you!"
"Nuh-uh, that's you!"
Mandy's grin quickly turned into a frown. Her eyes shifted from Sophia to Jessica, her head tilting in confusion. Just as she opened her mouth to say something, however, the argument continued at full force.
"You keep letting her run around and letting her do her thing, but the girl was robbed of a home life, Jessica. She never had a home to grow up in." Sophia gestured to the area around her. "This dirty, rusty place? This is her living space! It barely qualifies as a home!"
"A home doesn’t have to be an actual house, you idiot. Home can be anywhere!" Jessica pointed at her friend. "Look at Mandy. Do you think she’s depressed? Because she sure hasn’t sounded depressed in any of her letters!"
Mandy looked in seemingly no particular direction and gave a shrug. Behind her, Twilight trotted up, eyeing the situation with concern.
"Well she's depressed now! Look at her!" Sophia screamed, her cheeks becoming aflush with red.
Jessica merely shook her head in disapproval and gave a scoff. "I've always said you needed therapy, and you're just proving me right."
Sophia, unable to come up with a witty comeback initially, stammered. "So what?! She can't even stand on her own two feet!" She gave a mighty exhale. "I knew I should have come sooner, but with my family’s responsibilities, I couldn’t catch a flight to Toronto if I tried. She’s had a terrible life. She doesn’t deserve a life like this!"
"And what makes you think that? If I had brought some of Mandy’s letters with me I would share them with you to back up my point. But rest assured she’s fine. We talked about this before you got on the plane. You were so worked up by her last letter that when your mom decided to go to Toronto you were the first on board."
Sophia crossed her arms. "So why did you come along, then?"
"Because I wanted to see Mandy too."
"And why did you want to see her so badly? To make sure she's okay? To make sure she's healthy and safe?" Sophia asked, her tone making her words come near a gloat just so she could call Jessica a hypocrite.
Unfortunately, Jessica wasn't too eager to play into her gambit. "Because we haven’t talked properly, in person, since we moved to the United States! It isn’t like she’s a stone’s throw away from us, Sophia!"
Another round of silence was fired into the air and lingered like thick fog. Tears streamed down Jessica's face as she glowered at Sophia, the other girl looking rather distraught as she stared at Mandy. Within her rage, she couldn't deny that Jessica was right -- it had been a long, long time since Mandy had written to them. And it seemed the hybrid knew it, too, judging from the way she shied away and rubbed her arm. The pony next to her gazed at Sophia with worry, and it sickened her.
"You need to quit being so overprotective of her. Just because your uncle was overprotective of you doesn't mean you have to do the same with Mandy."
Sophia's rage came back like a light switch, upon hearing mention of the one family member she cherished the most. Without even thinking, she raised her fist and charged. "Don't you dare bring my uncle into this-"
Her fist was caught in an open palm. She gasped.
"I would suggest you don't try that." Jessica said coolly. "I've been taking martial arts classes recently. Remember?"
"HOW DARE YOU?!" Sophia screeched, wrenching her fist free and backing off of her enemy.
Off to the side, Peaches joined the group, shapeshifting into her humanoid form. "Twilight!"
"Peaches!" Twilight turned to face her, relief in her voice. "Should we intervene?"
"I don't know. Mandy's just standing there." Peaches remarked, watching as her hybrid merely stared at the ongoing argument with an unreadable expression on her face. It was almost like she was in suspended animation, and it might have been the most still that either Peaches or Twilight had ever seen her.
Sophia growled. "I'll be taking Mandy back home with me." she spat. "Her letters are lies, Jessica. She's hiding her true emotions!"
"No she's not! Don't take her away from here! She works here! She lives here! She has friends and family here who love her!" Jessica gave a scoff. "You're insane, you know that?"
"I'm not insane! I'm doing what's best for her!"
"By being an..." Jessica stammered as she tried to come up with coherent words. "An overprotective parent, you think that's what's best for her?!"
By this point, Olive and Oprah had both joined the audience.
"What's going on?" Olive asked.
"And who are they?" Oprah pointed at Sophia and Jessica.
Before Peaches and Twilight could answer her query, however, Sophia marched up to Mandy, ignoring the shock radiating through the physical outwardly features of her body, and grasped her wrist so tightly that it was amazing how the hybrid wasn't reacting to any pain.
"Mandy...we're leaving. I’ll take you back to our hotel room. Surely my mom and I can make space for you." She sighed as she gazed around the bullpen. "You can’t stay here. It’s rusty and dangerous. You can find another job." Her face lit up with an idea. "I know! You can work at Dad’s hardware store! He’s always looking for new employees."
"Mandy, don't go with her!" Now it was Jessica's turn to come up to Mandy, placing her hands on her shoulders. "Sophia has...issues that she needs to work out. You’re happy here, aren’t you? Every single one of your letters...you have memories here. You have a good life here, with a loving family and lots of friends. Am I wrong?"
Sophia pushed Jessica with her free hand, sending the other girl stumbling a few steps backwards. "Let go of her!"
"No, you let go!"
"That can't be...Sophia and Jessica?" Olive blinked. "They're fighting over Mandy!"
"That's them?!" Oprah asked in bewilderment, before her eyes moved to Mandy. "But why is Mandy not fighting back?"
"She's not moving."
"I think she might be in shock." Twilight nodded at the three girls. "Come on, we have to save her before she gets hurt!"
The group took off. Peaches got there, first, grabbing Mandy by the arm. "Cuz, let's go!"
Sophia, shocked by the sudden appearance of what she deduced was an odd being of some kind, let her jaw hang loose for a few moments before she spoke. "Who are you?!"
"Get your hands off of my cousin!"
"Your cousin?!"
Twilight magically took ahold of Mandy's shoulder and shook it hard. "Mandy, snap out of it! Your friends are fighting over you! If things escalate any further you're going to get hurt!"
Olive and Oprah grabbed Mandy's other arm, but instead of pulling it, they opted to try pushing. Even with their combined strength, however, the hybrid didn't even do so much as budge.
"And who are you?" Sophia asked, whirling on the two Directors.
"I'm her mother!" Olive snapped. "Why are you hurting her?"
"You're her mother?" A million questions ran through Sophia's mind -- namely, how this girl, so young, was Mandy's mother -- but she set them to the side for now. "You...wouldn't happen to be Olive, would you?"
"Yes!"
A pause. And then, "So she's never even had real parents?!"
"Olive makes a fine parent!" Oprah screamed, in a voice that would have scared off any other agent but only barely fazed someone who wasn't an agent like Sophia.
Sophia didn't offer any kind of a rebuttal, instead setting her sights on Jessica, who had run around to Mandy's back and was pushing her. "Mandy is mine, Jessica!"
"No, she's mine!"
What followed was a few minutes of six girls fighting over one pony-human hybrid, yanking her body every which way like it was play dough meant to be molded. Yelling came from all sides, all mixing together into incomprehensible din that flew in one of Mandy's ears and out another. All the hybrid did was stare straight ahead, her pupils and irises not budging an inch as she raked through her memories.
All this time...I thought they were just arguing for the fun of it. Or that I was imagining things.
But...they really...
They hate each other.
How did I not notice? Was I really so caught up in hanging out with them after so long that I failed to realize there was an issue?
...
That's a rhetorical question, Mandy. You know the answer is yes.
Something clicked inside of her brain right then. Sensations of pain rocketed through her limbs and organs, all of them sending signals to her brain like a 911 operator receiving a ton of calls at once. Instinctively, she thrashed her body about, trying to throw the sources of her pain off. "ENOUGH!!" she screamed, tears pooling in her eyes and flying everywhere in the immediate vicinity.
At one point, she fell on her rump, but she didn't bother to get back up, instead burying her face into her hands and continuing to cry. She faintly felt a pair of hands let her go and a magical grip around her shoulder fade, but she didn't bother to see their sources.
Sophia raced over to Mandy and knelt down. "Mandy, you have to listen to me! Please!"
"Don't do it!" Jessica did the same. "Listen to me instead, I-"
"Shut up!! Shut up both of you!!"
The shout silenced both girls, making them back off as they stared at Mandy in shock.
The hybrid gave a hiccup. "Why are you fighting? I thought..." Her body trembled. "I thought you were friends!" Another hiccup. "I thought we were all friends!"
Looks of regret began settling on both Sophia's and Jessica's faces.
"I know we haven't seen each other in a while, but...is this what our friendship has become? You two fighting with me as the third wheel?"
"Well I have good intentions." Sophia said, in a bragging sort of tone. "You don’t belong here. Your family is a mish-mosh of...people and...ponies. Your living quarters smells like asbestos. You’re hiding your feelings, aren’t you?" She gazed at Mandy sympathetically. "Come with me, back to the US. You can live with me and my family. We’ll take good care of you. You can even have a stable job working for Dad!" She sighed and gestured to Olive, Oprah, Peaches and Twilight. "You don’t deserve them. They don’t deserve you. You’re a good person, and if you took my advice to heart you could-"
"Shut up!"
Sophia narrowed her eyes slightly. "Excuse me?"
Slowly, Mandy arose to her feet, and walked over to Olive, pulling the girl closer to her. "This is Olive. Sure, she doesn't look like a mother to you, but she's my Momma and she always will be."
She let go of Olive and pulled Peaches close, the catgirl giving a yowl of surprise. "This is Peaches. She’s my cousin who mistakenly thought I burned down her town. She was kinda weirded out by me at first, but she’s a part of us now."
Next was Twilight. "This is Agent Twilight Sparkle. She works here, and she's one of the bestest friends I've ever had. She's smart, kind, and a good leader as a princess of Equestria."
Sophia watched with a bemused expression. "And just what is your po-"
"And this..." Mandy pulled Oprah close. "...is Ms. O. Oprah. She's the head of this Odd Squad precinct. She's also a bestest friend for me, who cared for me and respected me and gave me all the love I could ever want. And I'll forever be loyal to her."
Jessica watched the introductions go down with a warm smile on her face. Sophia, on the other hand, was beginning to get agitated again.
"I know who all these people are! What's your point?!"
"My point is that I don't have bad friends or a bad family like you seem to think." Mandy let go of Oprah and gave a sigh, slowly closing her eyes. "Jessie was right, y'know."
Jessica's eyes widened. "I...was?"
"Sophie, you do need therapy. You don't know me at all. I'm not the same person I was all those years ago." Mandy opened her eyes again. "I've changed. More than you could ever know."
"I could've told you that."
"Don't think you're off the hook either."
Jessica paused for a moment. "What?"
"I don't wanna be friends with you two if all you're gonna do is fight over me." Mandy glanced at the sole pony in the room. "Twilight, do with them as you will, please."
"Mandy, wait. This is something all three of you need to work out." Twilight sighed. "I need to confess. Peaches and I were planning on spying on you to learn more about your friends. Peaches heard them arguing last night. They’ve...been arguing ever since you came across them."
Mandy was tempted to spit out that she knew that already. But as she wanted to know the truth and confirm her suspicious, she held back and stared at Sophia and Jessica. "Is this true? Have you two been arguing ever since you arrived in Toronto?"
Sophia and Jessica exchanged glances.
"Yes. We have." Jessica sighed. "We’re so busy with...jobs and school and other things in our lives. And we’ve been sending you letters, but-"
"You haven't written back to us in a long while!" Sophia finished. "I thought you had gotten hurt, Mandy. That’s why when Mom decided to travel to Canada, I came with. I wanted to make sure you were okay. That you were safe. And when I saw you, I thought you were hiding your feelings from us. But...that wasn’t the case." A look of regret settled on her face, for good this time. "I realize now. You’re happy here. You have a family and friends who love you so much." She gazed at Mandy. "But just to make sure...are you sure you sure you're not upset?"
"About my life? No. About our friendship being ruined? Yes."
Silence.
"I'm sorry!"
The words burst out of Sophia without thinking. When she caught herself, she took a moment to gather her bearings. "I’m really sorry. Jessica was right. I should have listened to her. And I shouldn’t have made you the third wheel in our argument, either." She ran the toe of her sneaker along the ground. "Just...maybe you could...be a little more timely with your letters? I-I understand you have work, but...even a phone call or an email can make a world of difference!" And then she turned on Jessica. "Jessica, I don’t want to fight anymore. You were right. As soon as we get back to our hotel room, I’m gonna talk to Mom about getting therapy." Her gaze flicked to Mandy. "Mandy’s happy. All I’ve been doing is causing her strife."
"So have I." Jessica stared at Mandy, her eyes beginning to well up with tears. "Mandy, I’m sorry too. Both of us were grossly misinformed about you. We should have taken your letters at face value."
Instead of answering, Mandy simply turned around, eyes closed and arms crossed.
"Mandy doesn't take getting hurt lightly." Olive explained. "It may take her a while to-"
"I'm sorry too!" Mandy whirled around. "This entire thing is my fault. I’ve barely had the time to contact you guys nowadays, what with work and daily naps and all my other responsibilities. The least I could’ve done was given you a call or something!" She did a facepalm. "This is how friendships drift apart…"
"But our friendship doesn't have to drift apart." Sophia smiled. "I want to be friends with you again, Mandy. And I want to be friends with Jessica, too."
"Same here!" Jessica said. "Even if you've changed, I'm up for getting to know the new you that you've become!"
Mandy stared at the two girls, her eyes beginning to quiver. "You...you mean it?"
"Absolutely!"
"Mhm!"
This reassurance was enough to dispel any grudge of any kind that Mandy had held against them, in what was a rather out-of-character moment for her. "Bring it in, ya big sillies!" she cried out, lunging for them and enveloping them in a tight hug.
"Well, it looks like they didn't need much of my help at all." Twilight remarked, not being fazed by Sophia and Jessica choking to death while pleading with Mandy to set them down.
"It's nice to see a friendship rekindled like this."
"Warms your heart, doesn't it?" Olive asked, putting her hand on Peaches' shoulder as the catgirl nodded. Next to them, Oprah gave a small smile of her own.
Eventually, Mandy set her friends down onto the ground, and they were able to catch their breaths.
"So..." Jessica coughed. "You invited me here to check out Odd Squad?"
Mandy gave a nervous laugh. "Yeah. My intent was to give you both a tour, but...I guess that didn't work out."
"Are you kidding?" Sophia's eyes gained twinkles in them. "There's still so much you haven't shown us!"
"Yeah! The Headquarters where we live looks so different. I want to get to know this one!"
"All righty then!" Mandy gestured to her friends. "We can start with a few of its inhabitants, whom I'm sure you've, uh...met."
Twilight, Olive, Peaches and Oprah all bowed and chanted in unison, "It's nice to meet you, Sophia and Jessica! Welcome to Odd Squad!"
Sophia marveled at the display, while Jessica tilted her head and pointed at Peaches. "You're Mandy's cousin?"
"Yep! I mistook her for the criminal that burned my hometown down to the ground. And then I found out we were related. We’ve been stuck like glue ever since!"
"Literally and figuratively!" Mandy added, with a snort-laugh.
Jessica's brow furrowed. "You two don't look related, though."
"Family genetics are complicated." Peaches gave a shrug.
Sophia glanced at Olive. "And you're Mandy's mother? You look younger than I expected."
"Adoptive mother." Olive corrected. "And yes. I get a lot more 'you look so young' comments than you'd think." She shook her head and chuckled. "But I've raised Mandy well."
"I can see that." Sophia smiled and let her eyes rest on Oprah next. "And you're..."
"Mandy's boss. She's my second-in-command here."
"Second-in-command?" Sophia's eyes widened. "Wow...she's in such a high position. It'd take me years before Dad promoted me to any kind of position like that!"
"What does your dad do, Sophia?" Oprah asked.
"He runs a hardware store. It's a family thing. I work there too. It's tough work, but very rewarding."
Oprah opened her mouth to say something, but was cut off by the sound of Sophia's phone ringing with a "ringity-ding-dingy-dong".
"Oh, it's him. Hi Dad, what's up?"
"..."
"What? You're kidding!"
"..."
"Daaaaaad, do we have to?"
"..."
"All right. I'll tell Mom and we'll be on our way back, okay? Love you."
"..."
"Bye."
Sophia tapped the End Call button and slid her phone back into her jean pocket.
"Did something happen?" Olive asked.
"Jessica, and everyone else...I'm sorry, but..." Sophia bit her lip. "We have to leave early."
"What? Why?!" Jessica whined.
"Dad broke his foot. Again. He won't be able to run the hardware store for a while until he gets better, and he wanted me to come back and run it in his stead."
"Can't he find other employees? What about Paul, o-or Janine?"
Sophia shook her head. "Paul's retiring next week, and Janine can't possibly run the shop on her own."
Jessica clutched Mandy's arm. "But we've only just made up with Mandy and now we have to go?"
"I'm really sorry."
"Don't be!"
Sophia blinked as she stared at Mandy. "Huh?"
"With the tube system, I can come visit you guys anytime! We have each other's numbers, too."
"But we wanted to spend time with you. Here. In Toronto."
"Yeah!" Jessica held Mandy's arm a little tighter.
"Look, if your dad’s injured and needs someone to run the shop, then that’s how it is!" Mandy gave a shrug, and then gasped. "I have an idea! When are you set to leave?"
"Dad said I should pack up and leave tomorrow."
Mandy's pony ears folded downwards. "Oh. That puts a dent in that plan then." she murmured in disappointment, kicking at the ground. "I was thinking we could spend the rest of the night together, but..." She rushed over to Olive and pulled the sleeve of her suit upwards, exposing her watch. "...it's already pretty late."
The sad vibes in the air seemed to get to everyone at this point, with Oprah, Peaches, Twilight and Olive all watching the three girls with disappointment.
Still, Mandy resolved not to let it get her down anymore. "Pre-bye-bye-hug?" she asked.
Sophia and Jessica glanced at each other, and then back to her.
And then, they lunged for her, scooping her up in a hug almost the same way she did to them.
On top of it all, they began to cry.
"G-g-guys, stop, you're gonna..." Mandy's pupils and irises were quivering, and however hard she tried to fight back tears, she had little to no defense and gave loud, pitiful wails filled with waterfall tears.
Instinctively, all four Odd Squad denizens whipped out their umbrellas from hammerspace, only acting surprised that the waterfalls seemed to miss Sophia and Jessica entirely.
"You're always welcome here anytime!" Oprah shouted over the noise. "Feel free to visit if you ever get the chance to come up here again!"
Sophia, with bloodshot eyes, swiveled her head around to look at Oprah. "We will."
Jessica, with similar eyes, did the same. "Thank you!"
Mandy's waterfalls ceased movement rather quickly, but the sobs and hiccups didn't stop. "I-I-I'm gonna m-miss you guys...s-so much!" she choked out.
"Same here." Jessica rubbed her friend's back. "Come on, Sophia. Let's go home and pack. And tell your mom."
Just as the two girls began to leave, however, Mandy stretched her arm out. "Wait! W-what time's your flight?"
"I'll text it to you." Sophia responded.
"'Kay! I'm gonna meet you two at the airport!" Mandy, now having a plan to say another goodbye to her friends, wiped her tears away and smiled.
Both Sophia and Jessica returned the smiles, and made their way through the double-doors of the bullpen.
And it was then that Mandy turned on Oprah, her arms flailing wildly.
"OprahpleasepleasepleeeeeeaseletmeseethemattheairportIgottaseethemoffand-"
Her words were put to an abrupt end by Oprah placing two fingers over her lips to silence her. "Of course you can. Go and see your friends off tomorrow, Mandy."
"Oh thank you thank you thank you! You don't know how much this means to me!" She scooped up Oprah and pulled her into a hug, ignoring the sounds of her choking and her cries of protest before setting her down moments later and giving a sigh. "I wish I could go with them..."
"You can always visit them." Twilight pointed out. "They're a tube ride away, aren't they?"
"Yeah! I just gotta find the time to do it. And write more letters…" A yawn suddenly escaped Mandy, which, in turn, made her realize that fatigue was quickly starting to settle in. "Better go to bed. If their flight’s early then I’m gonna have to get up early...and drink lots of Moo-Moo Surprise."
"If you get up any earlier than noon it'll be a shocker." Oprah half-deadpanned, giving a small smirk.
"Oh don't worry, I'll go back to bed right after. You know me well. Toodles!"
The three agents and one guest all watched their hybrid friend bounce down the right-side hallway before making a sharp turn to the right.
"It's really a shame that Sophia and Jessica have to leave." Olive said, to break the silence. "I was looking forward to getting to know them more."
"Me too. I didn't know Mandy had other friends." Twilight chuckled. "Though with how outgoing she is, it checks out."
"Well, it's like we always say." Oprah looked at Peaches, and it didn't take the catgirl even a single second to realize what the Director was trying to tell her.
"She continues to surprise us."
As it turned out, the flight wasn't early at all. 11AM was a pretty reasonable time to get up by Mandy's standards, and she figured she could earn back the missing hour from her daily nap.
The Toronto Pearson Airport was packed with people as well as ponies. Mandy was rather surprised at how well ponies had been integrated into daily life at the airport, from security guards to CATSA agents to flight attendants. Truly, it was one more step towards equality within both species. She had to wonder if there was an equine pilot out there somewhere. Pinkie aside, of course, because Mandy meant actual big planes with wings and jet engines.
Standing at gate B17 were Sophia and Jessica, who were waiting to board. Mandy could also see Sophia's mom with them, deep in conversation.
"Hiya!"
Sophia's mom turned to face her. "Oh, Mandy! My goodness, Sophie wasn't kidding when she said you'd changed." She gave a small smile. "I must say, I love your wings and horn."
"Oh! Uh...ha...thank you!" Mandy blushed just a little, not expecting her friend's mom to compliment her on her appearance. "Um, Sophia, say hi to your dad for me, okay?"
Sophia chuckled. "Will do. I'll tell him to expect a visit from you soon."
"Sounds good! Consider my schedule cleared!"
"We'll miss you." Jessica stepped forward, clasping Mandy's hands in her own. "Don't forget, you can always call us, text us, write a letter, email...just contact us if you need anything!"
"Likewise!"
The three girls shared a hug, Sophia's mom watching on fondly with a smile. Surprisingly, no tears were shed this time -- everyone had gotten into the stage of acceptance, with the hope that they were all just a phone call, email or letter away from communication.
As they went through the gate, everyone exchanged goodbyes. Mandy watched them go with tears in her eyes, her vision growing blurry even though she tried to keep it stable enough so she could see them.
She clenched her fists and sharply turned, biting her lip. She couldn't stand to see them disappear from her view -- it would only make her more sad, and she didn't feel like crying any more than she did yesterday. No, she still had to hold on to hope. Hope that she could keep the friendship going between her, Sophia and Jessica, by sparing a few minutes of her day to write an email or a letter to them, or give them a call. It was so simple, and yet she hadn't done any of that...
Maybe she was becoming a workaholic. A workaholic strained everything -- marriages, friendships, nearly everything in life. Olive had been one, before Otto helped her realize the value of fun.
That thought was concerning enough for her to wander over to one of the large windows overlooking the airplanes, staring out listlessly.
Her lips parted. She gave a shaky sigh as she placed her hand on the glass and looked out into the vast world that lay ahead of her.
"Stay safe. And stay happy, you two."