Mandy getting hurt wasn't really an uncommon sight. The hybrid was very accident-prone, and by this point she was sure most of her bones had been broken at least once. To put it in perspective, most agents hadn't broken half of the bones she had once over, let alone twice over. She always got confused at the ones who somehow never had any bones broken at all, and bragged about it like everything they had was made of gold. She figured it was just a matter of time before they joined the Broken Bones Club, and the bragging was just them stroking massively inflated egos.
Luckily, this time around, she hadn't broken any bones. But she had received some pretty nasty injuries, and the pain was making her lose her second wind. As she limped into the bullpen, a groan rattled in her throat.
Pinkie, working at her desk, was quick to notice the new arrival. "Partner?" She got up and galloped over. "What happened to you?"
"Got beat up pretty badly by a rogue laser chicken." Mandy winced in pain, but still managed to put on a smile. "Their laser blasts can pierce skin, y'know that?"
Pinkie's expression was nothing short of worry as she examined the gaping, bleeding leg wound on her partner's left leg. "You should go see Dr. O!"
"I would, but last I heard, he was out." Mandy's head moved from side to side. "And there don't seem to be any other Odd Squad Doctors around, either." She shook her head. "I'll be fine. It's nothing a couple bandages can't handle."
"And some painkillers!"
Pinkie watched as Mandy's horn lit up, making a roll of gauze suddenly appear and land into the hybrid's hand. As she bent down to wrap the gauze around her leg, she couldn't help but give a cry of pain as the bandage touched her throbbing wound.
"Wait, let me help!" Pinkie offered, taking the roll in her hooves and unraveling it.
Mandy simply nodded. "Be gentle, 'kay?"
"Aww, it stuck to my hoof!" Pinkie whined, as she waved her hoof back and forth in a vain effort to get the gauze off.
It took a few minutes before the baker was able to fully patch up her partner's wounds. Though the pain still persisted, it wasn't nearly as bad as it was before, and Mandy was at least able to stand without feeling like she was getting crushed by a multi-ton construction vehicle.
"There ya go!"
Mandy took the roll from Pinkie's hooves and gave a sigh of relief as she tucked it away behind her back. "Thanks."
"So why aren't there any Doctors?" Pinkie asked. "If someone gets hurt then who's gonna help them?"
Truth be told, Mandy didn't have a good answer to that question -- she was no Doctor, nor did she work in the Medical department. "I'm not sure..."
"Agent Mandy! In my office, now!"
"And up I go." Mandy rolled her eyes, though it wasn't out of annoyance so much as it was out of amusement. "Thanks again, Pinkie."
"No problem!" Pinkie began to trot back to her desk. "Oh, and make sure to ask Ms. O about the lack of Doctors!"
"Will do!"
Ascending the staircase that led to Oprah's office wasn't really an easy feat. It seemed like every time Mandy raised her leg to put her foot on a stair, the pain shot through her body like a laser from a gadget. Still, she persevered -- after all, if the pain got really bad, there wasn't any harm in raiding the Medical Bay for some extra-strength painkillers. Or just getting them from Olive, now that she thought about it.
"You wanted to see me, Oprah?" Mandy called as her left foot hit the top step, giving a sigh of relief that now all she had to worry about was the flight downwards.
"Yes." Oprah watched as Mandy made her way inside, then gestured to her guest. "As you can see, Dr. O is here as well. Dr. O?"
Mandy's expression lit up. "Dr. O!" She flung herself at the Head Doctor, or at least flung herself at him as much as she could without reaching a ten on the pain scale. "Oh thank odd! Look, I-I just want some painkillers, please, I'll take anything, it hurts so so bad and-"
Dr. O held a finger to Mandy's lips. "Glad to see you too. But I can't just prescribe painkillers without see-" He stopped and had himself a good look at Mandy's covered wounds, where the blood from some of them had seeped into the gauze. "Oh. I see. Those don't look good. Well, in that case, I'll be happy to get you some."
Mandy gasped.
"When we're done here."
Her face fell. She began to pout as she climbed off of him and slunk back to her position behind Oprah's desk.
"Anyway..." Dr. O straightened out the uniform that sat under his teal lab coat. "As you might have noticed, I’ve been consistently busy between my Maintenance duties and my Medical duties recently. It seems that business has picked up." Dr. O gave an irritated sigh. "Not unlike the Maintenance department…"
"So Dr. O is looking for an assistant to help him out when he's not around." Oprah finished. "We were wondering if you had someone in mind."
Almost immediately, Mandy shook her head. She knew of no one who wanted to go into the Medical department and become a Doctor, in Precinct 13579 or otherwise. "Not that I can think of! But..." She tapped her chin. "Maybe you should do an announcement of sorts? Tell agents that you’re looking for an assistant and if they have any recommendations, or want to volunteer, then they can come to you!"
Dr. O and Oprah exchanged a look between each other, silently pondering the suggestion. After a minute or two, Dr. O nodded.
"That's not a bad idea. Let's do it."
"Perfect."
The trio made their way out of the office and onto the second floor of the bullpen. As Oprah took her spot on the stool she used to bolster her height so she didn't look like a small child yelling into a golden banister, she cleared her throat. "Attention, agents!"
Almost immediately, agents began gathering in the bullpen, muttering inquisitively over what their boss had to say.
"Dr. O has an announcement he would like to make."
With that, Oprah stepped off of the stool and let Dr. O take the stage. "Uh, yes." He adjusted his lanyard before speaking again. "Recently I have been very busy with both my Maintenance duties and my duties as an Odd Squad Head Doctor, and because of that, I am now opening a spot in the Medical department for someone to become my assistant. If any of you have any recommendations for agents who would like to be my assistant, or would even like to recommend yourself, please stop by my office."
This got the crowd excited, as whispers and murmurs were passed around like candy. One of the agents in the crowd who was the most excited was Sweetie Belle, as she stared up at Dr. O with sparkles in her light harlequin eyes.
"I'll be naming someone in a week. So please, don't hesitate if you've ever wanted to become an Odd Squad Doctor. Thank you!"
Dr. O stepped off of the stool, but his eyes, as well as those of Oprah's and Mandy's, caught Sweetie Belle pushing her way to the crowd.
"Dr. O!" she called, giving a few grunts as she kept pardoning herself and giving apologies to the agents she had shunted out of the way. When she finally got to the front, she sighed, then looked up at the trio standing above her. "Dr. O, may I be considered?"
Oprah blinked. "You?"
As did Mandy. "You?"
"Of course, Agent Sweetie Belle." Dr. O nodded. "But I must warn you. Being an Odd Squad Doctor is not an easy task."
"I'll do whatever it takes!"
"Dr. O, darling!"
The sweet and silky, easily recognizable voice followed one mare as she too made her way to the front. She hugged her little sister almost in a protective manner.
"Surely you're not going to go through with this?" she asked. "Sweetie Belle is just a young filly!"
"Stop intruding, Rarity!" Sweetie snapped, wrestling free of her sister's grasp. "I want a change of pace, and being a Doctor sounds like the perfect job for me!"
Rarity's expression twisted into anger, then into frustration. "Hmph! Well, if you so insist." She turned on her heel and began trotting away. "But do not come crawling back to me when you fail."
The words were spit with utter venom that pierced Sweetie's heart as she watched her sister leave, though she didn't dare cry in front of her fellow co-workers.
Oprah turned away from the crowd to face Mandy and Dr. O. "What's been going on with them?" she asked. "Agent Rarity's been slacking on cases lately, according to Agent Applejack. It's not like her."
Mandy heaved a sigh. "Sweetie Belle’s been talking about becoming an Odd Squad Doctor for a couple weeks now. When Rarity got wind of the news, she wouldn’t have it. Since then the two have been arguing nonstop!"
"Well, fillies are children, are they not?" Dr. O posed. "And Sweetie Belle is an agent of Odd Squad just like anyone else. So of course I'll consider her for the position."
The filly in question hopped up and down. "Yay! Thank you, Dr. O! I'll do my best!"
Oprah sighed. "Sweetie’s a very valuable agent. She’s really skilled on the field, although her gadget-handling needs work. If she wants to try her hand- uh, hoof at being an Odd Squad Doctor, then I won’t stop her. What about you, Mandy?"
Mandy's tongue partially stuck out straight from her mouth as she thought the proposal over. "You do have a point, boss." Her pony ear flicked. "I'll allow it too!"
"All right then." Dr. O nodded.
Sensing the meeting was over, the crowd began to slowly disperse, as agents went back to whatever tasks they had been doing beforehand.
"Now..." Mandy waggled her eyebrows at the Head Doctor. "About those painkillers..."
"Follow me into the Medical Bay."
Willingly ignoring Dr. O's disgruntled response, Mandy gave a cry of "Oh, happy yay!" before following him, humming a ditty as she did so.
"I'm sorry I wasn't here to help before." he apologized. "I'm not sure where all the Doctors went..."
"Aww, don't worry about it! Lucky for you that you're hiring an assistant!"
As Dr. O slid the door open and headed towards the cart that sat in the corner, Mandy watched as he rustled through a collection of pill bottles. Pharmacist she was not, but she couldn't help wondering if he would benefit from having an actual pharmacy somewhere. After all, if a Hospital Room could be built, why not a Pharmacy Room?
"Now where is it...I could've sworn..." Dr. O's muttering became incomprehensible. "Aha, here they are." He walked back over to Mandy and placed the bottle in her hand. "Take those as directed. It should help alleviate your pain."
Mandy glanced at the label. It didn't take her more than two seconds of reading before she popped two pills into her mouth, chewed them, and swallowed them. Surprisingly, they tasted like cherry-flavored gummies. "Aah...thanks, Dr. O!"
"Not a problem." The Head Doctor smiled. "Go and rest. I'll have a Doctor check up on those wounds as soon as I find one that's free."
"Got it!"
Mandy's pony ears only barely missed the sigh Dr. O gave as she headed out of the room. She read the pill bottle over and over again, and by the third time, something became apparent to her.
ODDPRAZOZENE
Take one (1) pill once daily until pain subsides, with or without food and/or drink.
Refills can be provided ONLY at Precinct Head Doctor's discretion. For refill inquiries, please visit the Odd Squad Academy.
DO NOT TAKE MORE THAN DIRECTED. Taking excess medication may cause dizziness, vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue, and/or in extreme cases, permanent loss of senses.
A churning feeling began swimming in Mandy's stomach as it gurgled.
Her vocal pitch dropped by several degrees as only two words could be eked out of her.
"Oh no."
As Sweetie Belle made her way through the bullpen, she saw her partners, who rushed to meet her.
"Hey, Sweetie Belle!" Apple Bloom greeted. "We saw ya earlier!"
"Yeah! Are you gonna become an Odd Squad Doctor?" Scootaloo asked, her purple eyes shimmering.
Sweetie nodded. "Yup! I'm gonna study all I can and be the best Doctor ever!"
"That's great! Maybe you can practice on us when we get hurt!" Apple Bloom rubbed her front leg -- a frequent spot for injuries due to her rambunctious antics.
"Riding on my scooter and doing cool tricks is super awesome! But it can hurt sometimes."
"Don't worry. You two will be my first patients. Promise!" Sweetie assured.
A frown settled on Scootaloo's face as she posed her next question. "How did Rarity handle the news?"
Sweetie heaved a sigh. "Not too well." Her tone dropped to one of anger. "She tried to stop me. Again."
"She should just leave you alone."
"Yeah, you're your own filly, Sweetie Belle." Bloom concurred. "If you wanna be an Odd Squad Doctor, then go be an Odd Squad Doctor!"
This lifted the unicorn filly's spirits. She gave a chuckle. "Thanks for the encouragement." Her posture straightened and she turned so that her side faced Bloom and Scootaloo. "All right. I'm off to the Odd Squad Library to study! Meet back up with you later!"
"Bye!" Scootaloo waved.
"Good luck!"
Sweetie galloped down the right-side hallway as fast as her hooves would take her.
Bloom sighed. "I wish Rarity and Sweetie would stop fightin'." she said. "They've been doin' it for the past couple weeks and it's really startin' t' get on my nerves."
"Me too." Scootaloo nodded in agreement. "But I hope Sweetie gets to be Dr. O's assistant!"
"And we'll cheer her on no matter what!"
As both fillies high-hoofed each other, they gave an elated cry of, "Cutie Mark Crusaders for life!"
A frustrated Rarity made her way through the halls. Although she tried to make her gait ladylike, she couldn't help but stomp in a similar manner as Applejack when she was upset.
"That Sweetie Belle! She has been doing just fine as an Investigation agent, and now she wants to become a Doctor?!" The fashionista gave an indignant scoff. "Well, perhaps I can try and convince Mandy to stop her. After all, she is very...persuasive."
By sheer coincidence, Rarity's hooves took her straight to Mandy's room, exactly where she needed to go. Not bothering to question it, she used her magic to grip the doorknob and open the door, whereupon she found the room completely empty.
"Dare I say, how odd...she's not here." she mused. "Normally she would be taking her afternoon nap around this time..."
"Rarity?"
The sudden call of her name nearly made the mare jump out of her fur. She turned to her right to find Applejack trotting up to her, a disappointed look in her features. "Hm? Oh, Applejack, it's you."
"Why're ya botherin' Mandy?" the farmpony asked in an accusatory tone. "Is this about Sweetie Belle again?"
"Yes!" Rarity's eyes held pleading. "Applejack, I simply can't let Sweetie Belle become an Odd Squad Doctor. It's far too dangerous for her!"
Applejack's eyes went half-lidded.
"Do you know what Doctors have to do?" Rarity continued. "They do...mm...rather icky work. Helpful, indeed, but I simply can’t bear the thought of my poor Sweetie Belle becoming enamored with becoming...mmm, uncouth!"
Without missing a beat, Applejack responded with, "Didja ever stop t' think about how Sweetie Belle's her own pony and can do what she wants? She wanted t' join Odd Squad and ya didn’t stop her then."
"Because being a part of Odd Squad is a wondrous experience and I thought it would build character!"
Applejack's muzzle wrinkled. With what emotion, Rarity couldn't place. The groan she gave, however, cemented it as being something of annoyance, at best.
"That is it! I've decided!" Rarity raised a hoof and stamped it onto the ground. "I'm going to make sure Sweetie stays an Investigation agent."
"And just what're ya plannin' t' do?"
"I'll have her shadow Dr. O. She can see all the disgusting things he does on a daily basis. Perhaps that will discourage her!"
"Well count me out." Applejack turned. "I may be your partner, but I ain't gonna help ya in any 'f this. And that's that!"
Rarity watched her leave, a pout on her face for only a few seconds before it was replaced with a small smile. "Well then, I'll have to go at it alone." She exhaled. "First thing tomorrow."
Nudging her way into Mandy's room, she quickly made a beeline for her nightstand, opening the second drawer and peeking inside. "Ah, I knew Mandy had some paper in here." she muttered, grabbing some in her corona along with a pen before closing the drawer. As she placed the paper on the nightstand, she began to write a note, making sure to do it quickly but not so quickly that her hoofwriting became sloppy. "And done." She set the pen down and giggled. "By the end of the week, Sweetie won't want to do so much as go into the Medical Bay anymore!"
With that thought in mind, she left the room, being sure to close the door behind her.
Mandy hugged the wall as she walked from the Bathroom to the bullpen. Lucky for her that what came out of both ends -- yes, to her misfortune, it was both -- wasn't all too bad, but she did feel like she needed a shower afterwards, and so, that's just what she did, making sure to clean every inch of her body.
What was the name of that stuff? Odd...odd what...? She reached behind her back and pulled out the bottle. Oddprazozene. Yeah, that's a mouthful.
Her stomach growled again. She wasn't sure whether she had to relive the horror in Round 2 or if she was just hungry.
"Hey, Agent Mandy!"
The hybrid blinked, struggling to keep her vision steady as a white blur with purple and pink tufts ran up to her. The voice was unmistakable, at the very least. "Hey, Agent Sweetie Belle." She put away the bottle and waved with her free hand.
"Are your wounds doing okay?" Sweetie asked, having noticed that her coworker was wearing bandages.
"Yep. Pain's gone away now...for the most part. Just some tummy pain." Mandy managed a weak smile on her paling face. "Um, w-while I have you here...how do you feel about shadowing Dr. O?"
This made Sweetie tilt her head. "Shadow him?"
"Yeah. Get a first-hoof look at what he does. It might help you..." Mandy lurched. "...in studying to be a Doctor."
"That sounds great!" Sweetie said. "But are you sure it wouldn't be bias?"
Mandy tried to laugh, but ended up coughing about halfway through her fourth one. "No, silly. You're watching what he does. You're not training under him." She rolled her eyes. "If ya wanted to be biased, you'd be tryna win him over with gifts and stuff."
Sweetie tapped her chin. "That's a good point." she mused, before she made eye contact with Mandy. "Is he available right now?"
"Last I saw he was...but we should go and check." Mandy's stomach gurgled again. "I need to go see him myself, actually..."
"Yeah, about that, are you okay?"
Mandy shook her head. "Your back can't support a hundred-plus-pound hybrid, can it?"
Sweetie's eyes widened. She blinked, as though realizing that Mandy's question was stupid to ask but still being surprised by it anyway. "No...but I can lean against your legs to help you walk, if that helps?"
Mandy simply nodded, and the unicorn filly took her position against her left leg. Together, the pair went down the hall slowly, with Sweetie having to right Mandy quite a few times as the hybrid kept hugging the wall.
Eventually, they made it to the Medical Bay, where Sweetie took the liberty of opening the door.
"Dr. O? Are you busy?" Sweetie called, watching the Head Doctor clean the half-pipe-shaped cot.
"No, but I'm just about to be." Dr. O said without looking up, gesturing to a man with furry arms who gave a sheepish wave. "Did you need something?"
"Y-yeah..." Mandy took out the bottle from hammerspace. "This...'zone' you gave me...it, uh...m-made me sick."
Dr. O finally looked up from his cleaning. It didn't take a second before his eyes widened. "Whoa. That's...uh..." He struggled to find the right words. "...not good. What, uh...symptoms have you had?"
"Diarrhea and vomiting." Mandy's eyes narrowed. "Both ends. At once."
"Oh. I'll have to make a note of that." Dr. O bit his lip and turned to his oddness-stricken patient. "Sorry, sir. If you wouldn't mind waiting outside for a few moments?"
"Sure." The man made his way past Mandy and Sweetie and stood right outside the Medical Bay.
"Close the door, Sweetie Belle." Dr. O instructed. Once the unicorn filly did as he said, he shook off his surprise and got down to work. "Are you still sick, Mandy?"
As if on cue, the hybrid's stomach rumbled. She managed a weak nod as her legs began to shake.
"All right. That's a long-lasting, fast-acting medication, and it should be fully out of your system in about a week. In the meantime, I want you to rest in bed until your symptoms subside. No going out, whatsoever, for anything. Follow the BRAT diet for food and drink consumption." He walked over to the corner of the Medical Bay, where a small sign sat on the floor. He pointed to each of the food items listed on it in turn. "That's bananas, rice, applesauce and toast. Other plain foods, like crackers, will also help you." Reaching behind his back, he pulled out a small bottle full of pink liquid that was easily recognizable. "And here's some Pepto Bermol. I know you can't stand the taste, but I would suggest taking this as directed." His voice peaked on "as directed", as though knowing exactly what Mandy's problem was in taking medication -- which was true. "If your symptoms persist, come see me again."
"You sound like a farm...uh..." Sweetie tilted her head in thought. "Those ads for medication. Yeah. You sound like those." She chuckled. "Did you get that, Mandy?"
Mandy gave another weak nod.
"Oh! One more thing." Dr. O raised an index finger. "Make sure you stay hydrated. Water is, of course, an excellent choice, but nearly any liquid will do. Juices, sodas, all that." He put the Pepto Bermol in front of Sweetie, who took it in her corona, and then he put the sign back in the corner.
It was then that Mandy's knees entirely gave out. With Dr. O's back turned, Sweetie could only watch in horror as her coworker slumped to the ground, slowly but surely.
"D-Dr. O!" came the terrified squeak. "Mandy? Mandy, hold on, okay?"
"What's-" Dr. O turned. His eyes widened and his face tried to pale, but something in him prevented the latter from doing its thing. "Mandy!" He glanced at Sweetie. "Sweetie Belle, we need to get her to bed, now."
"I- b- but..." Sweetie peered out of the Medical Bay towards Oprah's office, wondering if she should warn her. Ultimately, though, she decided that helping out Mandy was of a bigger priority -- after all, if Dr. O was here, everything would surely be fine.
"She's still breathing. If we can get her to bed, then she should be okay." Dr. O bent down and lifted Mandy up, surprised by just how light she was. He had picked up Mandy more times than he thought he should have throughout his lifetime, but he still got a dose of "wow, she's really light" almost every time.
As the pair left the Medical Bay, Dr. O turned his head towards his patient, looking at the situation with worry. "Just hang tight, sir. Once I'm done with this patient in a few minutes, I'll be right with you."
The man nodded, and watched as Dr. O and Sweetie lugged Mandy down the stairs and through the bullpen, passing by all sorts of agents who seemed confused as to what was going on.
Due to Sweetie's magic not being fully developed yet, it was a struggle for her to lift Mandy into bed. But with the help of Dr. O, she was eventually able to do it.
Mandy's breathing was labored. Sweat was dripping down her pale face, and some of her hair became matted with the stuff. For all intents and purposes, she looked like she was sick, and it wasn't all that far from the truth.
"Sweetie, can you take her jacket and shoes off?" Dr. O instructed. "Once you're done, administer the Pepto Bermol."
Sweetie began realizing something. All of the stuff Dr. O was doing, ordering her to do this and that and the other thing, had to be Medical department training. Even though she hadn't inquired about having him train her, it seemed that he was going ahead and using this medical crisis as a learning opportunity, which was a good thing in her eyes when she discounted the fact that Mandy was the one who was sick.
Using her magic, she tore off the hybrid's jacket and shoes, then levitated the bottle of Pepto Bermol in front of her as she took the plastic cup and cap off and began reading the instructions.
"One dose every half-hour as needed for diarrhea and nausea." she read aloud. As she squinted, she poured the liquid in the cup until it reached the exact amount of 15 milliliters, then put her front hooves on Mandy's bed to boost her height as she held the cup to her mouth.
Dr. O helped to raise Mandy up enough so that she could drink the liquid safely without choking. "All right, give it to her, Sweetie. Pour it into her mouth. Little sips..."
Sweetie did as she was told, inching the cup further and further towards Mandy's mouth, inch by inch. To her surprise, the hybrid was swallowing the liquid, though it was clear she needed to cough. The filly took the cup away from her and allowed her to do so, and it was then that the hybrid began hacking.
"I know it tastes bad." Sweetie assured. "But you'll feel better if you take all of this! Um..." She tapped her chin. "Oh! How about some water?"
"Good idea." Dr. O nodded. "Sweetie, go and get some. I'll finish up here."
The filly didn't need to hear any more. Her hooves took her out of Mandy's room and down the halls as fast as she could, tearing past agent after agent until she got to the Breakroom. There, she dug through the stand that held all sorts of assorted snacks, aiming for the bottom-most half-circle bin that contained bottles of water. Barely questioning the convenience of said bin containing water of all things, she grabbed a bottle and rushed back to Dr. O and Mandy.
"I got it!" she cried out. "I got the water!"
"Good." Dr. O set the Pepto Bermol down on the nightstand. "Give it to Mandy."
Sweetie opened the bottle and floated it over to Mandy, who took it in shaky hands. "Here! This will help get the yucky taste out of your mouth!"
It was then that the unicorn filly noticed that Mandy's eyes had become glassy. Not by much, granted, but enough to be noticeable to anyone who knew her well and had gazed into her eyes long enough to know what them being full of life and joy and innocence looked like. Sweetie was immediately concerned, of course, but all she could do was watch to see how Mandy felt.
The hybrid's stomach gurgled again. She took a few sips of water.
"A little more."
At Dr. O's urging, Mandy shook her head.
"Why not?" Sweetie's voice edged into a whine.
"It'll..." Mandy's voice, by contrast, became raspy. "Worsen it."
"Worsen what? The nausea? The vomiting? The diarrhea?" Dr. O smiled, shook his head, and held a hand up. "Don't answer that. Any water is better than no water. Keep sipping."
A few more sips, and Mandy was satisfied. She handed the bottle back to Dr. O, who took the cap from Sweetie's grasp and screwed it back on. Having nothing to hold on to, Sweetie's magic died down as she stared at Mandy intently.
"See if that stays down. If it doesn't, we'll go for another dose." Dr. O placed a comforting hand on Mandy's shoulder. "Don't worry about a thing. Diarrhea and vomiting happens to everyone. This will pass."
Sweetie's eyes widened in awe as she watched the Head Doctor provide all sorts of comforting words to his patient. Mentally, she began scribbling down notes, although she figured that "being nice to your patients" was less of a mindblowing fact and more of a given that was just plain common sense.
"Sweetie Belle?"
The filly blinked as she snapped out of her stupor. "Yeah?"
"Go relay the news to Ms. O. Tell her that Mandy's sick. Once you're done with that, call Olive and Otto and relay the news to them."
Sweetie nodded and began heading out the door once again.
"Oh, by the way..."
She turned around.
"Thanks for your help. I have to say, with a little more training, you would make a fine assistant."
In that moment, she felt like soaring into the air. Maybe doing a victory dance or two. Maybe running around squealing her little head off. But that was the old Sweetie Belle. The new Sweetie Belle was more mature now, and as such, she was above such things. Still, she couldn't help but let the excitement get to her. "Really?" Her eyes shimmered. "Thank you so, so much, Dr. O! I-I mean, you're welcome! I mean...ohh, darn it..." She sighed. "Never mind. I'll go make those calls now."
She awkwardly made her way out of the room, mentally slapping herself for her social slip-up in front of someone who could very well end up being her boss-under-a-boss-under-a-boss. She didn't dwell on it for very long, however, as she lit up her horn and encased her badge phone in her corona, opening it to punch in the numbers 6-3.
Olive, of course, came in a flash the second she got the news, popping up right behind Sweetie and scaring the filly. As did Otto, who only came with her so he could be the more sane one of the duo and keep his partner in line, while also helping out Mandy.
"Sorry for coming up here so suddenly, it's just that when you have a daughter who's horribly sick you wanna provide the best for her as in drop everything and rush right over you know?!" Olive spat out without taking a single breath.
Sweetie just stared. "Uhh...hi to you too, Olive. And Otto." She put on a nervous grin. "Mandy's in her room. She just had some Pepto Bermol. I have to go talk to Ms. O, so if you want to go in, go ahead. Just take it easy."
The filly watched as Olive quickly darted into the room, with Otto following as he mouthed an "I'm sorry" to his fellow coworker. Sweetie, for her part, simply gave a smile before rushing towards Oprah's office, whereupon she gave her the news that Mandy was sick and told her that she was unable to work until she felt better. Oprah understood completely, and while she was too busy to check on Mandy at the moment, she told Sweetie to give her second-in-command well wishes.
By the time Sweetie got back to Mandy's room with a large trash can in her corona, the hybrid was laying down. Her cheeks were a bright red, and she was heaving ragged breaths even in spite of the wet folded-up cloth on her head.
"Hand me the trash can." Dr. O ordered.
Sweetie did so without a word, and he placed it beside Mandy's bed. "How is she doing?" she asked.
"She developed a fever. 101, as it stands. Which isn't a listed side effect of the medication..." Dr. O glanced at Mandy. "...but with how she is, unexpected side effects shouldn't be put out of the question."
The hybrid's stomach growled again. Sweetie knew what that growl meant. It was a growl of betrayal, a growl that, in Mandy's words, was like "a tiny mini-me pounding on the walls of my tummy, screaming its head off 'til it's blue in the face and at least five years older." But the filly knew that Mandy wasn't up to eating at the moment, and so, she decided to keep her suggestions of such to herself.
"For now, we should let her rest."
"Wait!" Sweetie pointed at Mandy's bandaged arm. "What about her wounds? Could you check those?"
"Her wounds?" Dr. O looked at where the filly was pointing, then his face lit up with realization. "Oh! Her wounds! Ah, y-yeah, those, um..." He reached for her arm. "Would one of you mind getting me some antiseptic rinse and some bandages?"
"I will!"
The unisonant cry from both Director and Investigation agent made both human girl and equine filly do double-takes. They glanced at each other for only a moment before the fur (metaphorically) began to fly.
"Do you even know where the antiseptic rinse and the bandages are, Sweetie Belle?"
"Of course I do!" Sweetie yelled. "I've been helping Dr. O since before you guys came!"
"And Mandy is my daughter. I don't need your inexperienced hooves touching her!" Olive fired back. "I'll get the stuff Dr. O needs. You stay here. Keep Otto company or something."
Before Sweetie could object, the girl was already striding out of the room. The filly turned to face Dr. O with an indignant huff.
Otto shook his head and sighed. "I'm sorry, Sweetie. Olive's been like this since Mandy came back from her vacation in the Magical Grasslands. She's been protective of Mandy before, sometimes even overprotective, but...never like this!"
"Thanks, Otto. But I didn't expect her to understand the situation anyway."
"What situation?"
"I'm looking for an assistant to help me out in the Medical Bay because the work in Maintenance has been piling up again." Dr. O explained, as he began undoing Mandy's bandages. "Sweetie Belle offered herself up as a candidate."
"Ohhh." Otto nodded in understanding. "So are you helping him out here?"
"Unintentionally." Sweetie said. "I was talking to Mandy about me shadowing Dr. O to see what he does and stuff, but when we went to the Medical Bay to ask him about it, she collapsed."
Otto's eyes widened. He fixed his gaze on Dr. O. "How'd this happen?"
Dr. O gave a sigh as he put the bandages on the floor. "Medication overdose. She took two pills when she was supposed to take one."
"And...exactly what did you give her pills for?"
"Pain."
"For the wounds." Otto nodded again. "Gotcha. What was the medication?"
"Oddprazozene."
As Sweetie wondered what Otto had to gain from asking all these questions aside from knowledge he could pass on to Olive, the Director's eyes went half-lidded. "She didn't read the label of the bottle all the way through, did she?"
"Nope. And if I'm being honest, I wouldn't put it past her."
"Ugh, Olive's gonna rip her a new one when she finds out..." Otto muttered under his breath, though it was audible enough for Sweetie to hear. His voice returned to normal on his next words. "Can I help you take those off?"
"I'd rather do this myself, but thank you."
From there, Otto and Sweetie could only watch as Dr. O took off each individual bandage. In particular, the gash on Mandy's arm was deep, almost like a pool of nothing but the color red. It made Sweetie's stomach turn just looking at it, though she reminded herself that if she was going to be an Odd Squad Doctor, she had to get used to looking at nasty stuff like that.
Olive raced in when Dr. O began working on the last bandage, wrapped around the base of Mandy's tail. "I'm back!" she called, raising each hand to show the antiseptic rinse and bandages, as well as a bag of cotton balls just in case.
"Oh, Olive. Thank you. Bring the stuff here, if you will." Dr. O gave Olive a smile, and the girl walked over to give it to them. Sweetie could have sworn she shot her a smug smile, the kind of smile Otto described when he talked about her being too overconfident in her decisions. It made her blood boil, and she bared her teeth in retaliation.
Dr. O silently began working on cleaning Mandy's wounds. Sweetie decided to watch eagerly, her brain absorbing every action he did. Olive watched too, if only to make sure Dr. O did it right.
Five minutes later, he was done. Mandy was all patched up, and the only thing left to take care of was her vomiting and diarrhea.
"Mandy?" Dr. O gently shook his patient by the shoulder. "I'm going to give you one last dose of Pepto Bermol, okay? Then we'll leave you alone."
"But I'll still be here, just in case you need anyth-"
"Then we'll leave you alone."
The words from the Head Doctor were sharp and stern. They were also enough to get Olive to shut up, as she adopted a guilty expression that Sweetie wasn't buying for a second.
Mandy swallowed, and managed a simple weak nod -- an easy sign that she hadn't fallen asleep yet.
"All right. Let me sit you up." Dr. O placed a gentle hand on Mandy's back and slowly but surely lifted her up, the cloth falling in front of her. "Sweetie, get me the Pepto Bermol and pour another full dose, please."
The filly did as she was told, sweeping the bottle in her corona and dumping another 15 milliliters out into the small plastic cup that came with it. Once that was done, she floated the cup over to Dr. O.
"Here you are. Don't bother lifting it." Dr. O held the cup to Mandy's lips and began pouring it in. She began to drink it in little sips, her hand reaching for the cup in an attempt to try and hold it herself but Dr. O gently pushing it down as a silent reminder not to push herself.
She coughed again. Sweetie was quick to reach for the bottled water before Olive could even take a step.
"Thank you, Sweetie." Setting the plastic cup on the bed, Dr. O took the bottled water, unscrewed the cap, and held it up to Mandy's lips to allow her to drink it. She did so eagerly, taking more sips, bigger sips this time around.
When Mandy was satisfied, she stared at the cloth.
"I'll get you a new one." Dr. O picked up the plastic cup and set it on the nightstand, next to the Pepto Bermol that Sweetie had placed there. "You three, keep an eye on Mandy."
Agreements were shared among the trio as the Head Doctor walked out.
Olive was quick to get right to it. "You unicorns and your magic." She scoffed. "For a filly, you're quick on the draw."
"I have good teachers."
Olive chuckled derisively. "I'm sure." She made her way over to Mandy, who had flopped back down onto the bed. "Mandy? Are you okay?"
"Don't make her speak!" Sweetie snapped. "Can't you see she's not in the mood to talk?"
"Be quiet, Belle. The adults are talking."
"You're a child!"
That retort came from both Otto and Sweetie in unison. Olive willingly ignored it.
With great effort, Mandy's horn lit up in an array of colors. From its tip, a wisp of multicolored smoke weaved its way up until it formed a ghostly figure of its owner that floated in midair without the use of wings or a tail.
"Hiya!" It waved. "What's up my marshmallow peeps?!" It pointed at Sweetie. "Especially you. You're very 'mallow."
Olive's eyes shimmered. "Mandy!" She reached out to touch her adopted daughter, only to be surprised when her hand phased through her.
"Can't touch this." it said. "I'm a spooky ghost. All spooky-spoo-spoo. I'm only a projection. I..." It smirked. "...will be Eraser's mind."
Stares.
"Mandy's mind. I'll be Mandy's mind. Ahem. Waxing lyrical, as it were."
Olive stared at the projection with desperation. "What's wrong with you?"
"Momma, if I had to answer that question, we'd be here all day." It rolled its eyes. "But I assume you're asking about...that."
"Yes!" came the unisonant cry from the trio.
The projection sighed. "Long story not-so-short, I got wrecked by a laser chicken and needed painkillers so I didn't feel like a multi-ton truck rammed into me and sent me flying to Michigan." It rubbed the back of its neck. "So Dr. O gave me painkillers. I took two, 'cuz, y'know, I was metaphorically dyin'...but apparently you were only supposed to take one." Its eyes closed. "I'll spare ya the details of what happened next. Just know that, uh...stuff came outta both ends. At once. It was awful."
Olive outwardly cringed in disgust. As if to chime in with a piece, the real Mandy's stomach growled with ferocity.
"I'd advise ya don't let that get any louder than it already has." the projection said. "We don't want another repeat of The Fall of the Ruins 'Redacted Year."
Sweetie's head was spinning. Somehow, this projection of Mandy was even zanier and nonsensical than the original, which was saying quite a lot. She sat down on the floor and rubbed her head with her hoof as a headache began to form.
"The...The Fall of..." Olive shook her head. "Sorry, I, uh, don't believe I was present for that. Mind elaborating?"
"Simply put, my stomach has the power to bring down an entire ancient ruin. The sheer force of my insides moving and the sheer sound they make when they do -- with the help of getalsis, or whatever it's called -- can cause walls to crack, structures to shift, and floors to split into two." The projection of Mandy closed its eyes. "And before you ask, no, you don't need to run around screaming until your lungs dry up like raisins. Those things happen only when I'm at the 'if I don't eat food within the next five minutes then I will die' level of hunger, and that hardly ever happens 'cuz I can eat whatever I want, whenever I want!"
"Even if it's not edible..."
"Silence!" Mandy jabbed a finger at Otto. "Don't think I didn't hear that! I may only be a spooky-spoo-spoo but I still have ears."
"So what can we give her?" Sweetie asked. "Dr. O said crackers. Can she eat those?"
"Crackers? Yeah! I can eat ten boxes of those bad boys!" The projection threw its hands into the air. "But, uh, just gimme a few. I don't have much left in me, but with me, ya never know."
Otto glanced to his right and found Olive gone. He, nor Sweetie, needed to guess where she had run off to, and instead, they got to work on helping Mandy snack on her crackers that Sweetie herself had managed to successfully conjure up.
"Uh..." Sweetie rubbed her leg. "While you're here, can you...at least tell me if I did a good job?"
"You did excell-rific!" the projection chirped. "You'd make a great assistant, Sweetie Belle. With a lil' sleep, I'll be right as running rain!"
"Got a clo-" Dr. O's announcement was halted by him coming face-to-face with the ghostly form of Mandy. "Ah. Mandy. I see you're...feeling...better?" He glanced at the whole form of the hybrid, who could only manage to stare at him before she flopped back into bed. "Or not. What's going on, exactly?"
"I, dear sir-oh-sir, am Mandy's mind given a conscious form! You can call me..." The projection faltered. "Uh...w-well, how about Candie? Sounds similar enough to Mandy. And to be honest, she already thinks about candy at least five times every day."
Dr. O didn't say anything, instead staring at the projection that sat in front of him with a look of confusion.
"Ugh, whatever. Just put the cloth on me! I've got a fever, and the only prescription is more cold water!"
Olive pointed. "Is that supposed to be a reference?"
"Maaaaaaaybe?" Candie wiggled her eyebrows.
Dr. O, not wanting to get involved in the craziness, walked over to Mandy and put the cold cloth on her forehead. Her body shivered for a few seconds before it ultimately fell still, save for her chest and stomach rising and falling as she breathed.
"Oop, my time's comin' to an end." Candie announced, with a flourish of its opaque hand. "Mandy can't dream if I'm not stuffed in her squishy brain!"
"You mean spongy?"
Candie squinted. "Not funny, Otto." It waved. "I'll be seeing ya guys on the flip side! Or maybe the dip side! The flip-n-dip side!"
Before anyone had a chance to open their mouths, the bottom end of Candie's form began snaking towards Mandy's horn, swirling around its indents before the rest of the form followed suit. A bright light shone for only a few moments before it died down.
Otto, Olive, Sweetie and Dr. O looked at Mandy.
There, on her face, was a warm and pleasant cat smile. Her eyes were closed, and she turned over onto her left side as she began to snore through her nose.
The flecks of happiness in Olive's eyes were inching close to diabetes-inducing. "She's finally asleep!" she cried out, which earned her hearty shushes from the other three awake beings present in the room.
Dr. O began gathering up his supplies. "Sweetie, can you help me carry some of this stuff up to the Medical Bay?"
"Sure thing!" chirped the filly, renewed with motivation and hope from Candie's words as she began taking stuff with her magic.
"Well, seems like our work here is done." Otto firmly grabbed Olive's hand. "Let's go back to HQ, Olive."
"But..."
"Mandy will be fine. I'm sure Dr. O or one of the other Doctors will check up on her as needed." Otto glanced at the Head Doctor. "Right?"
"Of course." He glanced at Sweetie. "And by the way, before I forget, Sweetie Belle..."
She looked at him.
"You're more than welcome to shadow me if you wish. Consider caring for Mandy today your training, on an official measure."
Now it was Sweetie's turn to get excited. She was sure her joy meters could surpass Pinkie Pie's in that moment. The puzzle pieces were falling into place for her now. "Oh my Celestia..." she breathed, before she nodded furiously. "Yes! Thank you, Dr. O!"
Olive couldn't help but narrow her eyes. Normally she would be happy for Sweetie, but when the patient she was caring for was Mandy, it was a whole different rodeo, and she didn't trust any amateur doctors around her, Odd Squad or otherwise.
"And thank you, you two." Dr. O's gaze moved to Olive and Otto as he scooped up the old cloth in his hands. "Admittedly you might not have helped all that much, but any help is better than none."
"No problem!" Otto responded with a smile. Olive, remaining silent, managed a weak smile of her own and a single nod.
"Dr. O, what should we do with the trash can?" Sweetie asked.
"Keep it there. You never know what'll happen with Mandy."
Sweetie took all of the things she had gathered out of the room, with Dr. O following suit. Otto followed too, but stopped in the doorway when he felt a lack of a presence next to him.
"Olive."
No response.
"Olive."
"What? Can't I be with my own daughter?"
"Yes, you can. But not when she's sleeping." Otto turned, his eyes narrowing slightly. "We have work to do back at Headquarters. Our agents are waiting for us."
"I just want to make sure she'll be okay."
"She'll be fine." Otto reached behind his back and pulled out a small bottle of chocolate milk, which he unscrewed the cap of and then took a sip out of. "We took care of her."
Olive stared at him. "You didn't do anything."
"Don't play that game with me."
A tch made its way out of Olive.
"So. Are you going to stay here, or are you going to go back to Headquarters with me?"
"I think the answer's obvious."
With a sigh, Otto tucked the milk away behind his back for later consumption, stepped towards Olive, picked her up effortlessly, and walked out of the room with the same urgency as if he were carrying groceries home.
Olive, being the polite Director she was, did not fight back right away. Instead, she waited until she was out of Mandy's earshot to begin throwing a fit, pounding on Otto's back and screaming at him in protest like she was a littler kid.
Mandy, for her part, didn't hear a thing. Her mouth did, however, fall open, allowing the snores to grow more clamorous in volume as Candie led her through dreams of hot dogs and planets.
Throughout the day, Dr. O had two Doctors periodically check on Mandy, taking her temperature and gauging her dreams to make sure they were stable (and for research too, as an added bonus). Sure enough, Candie's claim of Mandy needing just a little sleep to get better was true, and even when asleep, both of them could feel strength being restored to the latter's body.
Olive, however, couldn't stay away. She had tried feeding Mandy in her sleep, making her drink in her sleep, even bathing her in her sleep, and all she had on her list of accomplishments was the third one, where she figured that Mandy had somehow grown enough so that she no longer was oppositional when being cleaned in her sleep. That, or she was just too tired to fight back. She wasn't sure which one it was.
Even so, she checked up on Mandy more periodically than periodically. It seemed like every time an Odd Squad Doctor was in there, Olive was watching them, watching her with unblinking chocolate-brown eyes, unintentionally terrifying them but not enough so that they couldn't do their job effectively. She watched, just to make sure that Mandy wasn't harmed. She watched, just to make sure that Mandy was safe and protected while she slept.
It wasn't until the next day that Mandy awoke, at noontime just as her internal clock rang its alarm. Her movie of playing in a large puddle of mud and getting herself dirty from head to toe ended, the credits rolled so that she stopped snoring and talking, and she slowly opened her eyes.
A tall figure towered over her, though not by much. Due to her drowsiness, she couldn't tell who or what it was.
It was probably a who, though, because it spoke, and whats didn't really speak.
"Rise and shine! Good morning!"
That was enough to scare Mandy into backing up, whereupon her head collided with the wall and she let out a cry of pain as she clutched it.
"Oh crumpets!" the figure cried out. "A-are you okay? I didn't mean to hurt you! Shh, shhhhhh, it's okay, I've got you..."
The figure squishing Mandy's head against her chest only seemed to make it hurt more. But at the same time, it was also kind of...comforting. Warm. Maternal. Like her dream of being swaddled in Olive's arms as she suckled on a chocolate bar, the warmth overtaking her body and allowing her to fall into a deep, dream-filled, eternal sleep...
"Hey, silly!" The figure shook her out of her daydream, then pushed her away from its body. "Don't fall asleep! You just slept for a whole day!"
Mandy groaned. The words were just gibberish in a language that was gibberish to her, but she was also complaining because her heat source had been given to her and then had been taken away. Also because she was sure that it was a school day and she really didn't feel like going.
The figure reached for the nightstand and grabbed a familiar plastic cup filled with brown liquid that was topped with a funky-shaped straw. A swirly straw, Mandy thought it was called, though she forgot its actual name. It held out the cup and smiled. "Here, drink this! It'll perk you right up."
A wafting scent filled Mandy's nasal cavities right then. Buttery, gooey, and hot, slowly approaching warm with every minute that passed. It made her stomach growl, and made her forget all about going to school.
"Ah, you're drooling!" The figure pulled out a tissue from...somewhere and dabbed it on Mandy's face. "I guess you want food, huh? That'll help too." It reached for the tray that sat on the nightstand and grabbed a plate of something tall, holding it in front of Mandy. "Here. Some waffles! With extra syrup, just how you like it! Otto and I made them special for you."
Mandy, of course, immediately went for it. Slowly but surely, her neck comically stretched towards the plate of waffles and she let her volumetric mouth descend on the stack vertically. Before the figure knew it, she had the entire stack in her mouth, her lips resting on the plate.
She stayed that way for about ten seconds.
"Uh, Mandy? Unless you're kissing the plate, you can eat the stack."
The hybrid didn't need a prompt from the figure, and she wasn't trying to make out with a plate, but she took the stack in her mouth regardless and shoved it all to one side, allowing her cheek to bulge similar to a squirrel's. She chewed it for a minute or two before she swallowed, gave a cry of elation, and let her tail wag.
"Oh, you like it! Good." The figure set the plate down on the tray and grabbed the cup. "Here, do you want a drink?"
Feebly, Mandy grabbed at the cup. Once it was placed in her grasp, she took a few eager sips, then bigger ones, then she resorted to pouring the rest of the contents into her gaping mouth. With a satisfied "aaaah", she dropped the cup on the floor.
As the waffles and the chocolate drink met the acidic contents of her stomach, her vision became clearer and her English comprehension began piecing itself back together. Now she knew who the figure wa-
A sensation hit her, right down where it hurt the most. She slid out of bed on her stomach and snaked her way to the door, where her head once again met a hard surface and her vocal cords once again rattled to produce a cry of pain.
The figure didn't need to question this latest strange behavior. It got up and opened the door. "I'm sure you know where the Bathroom is."
Mandy quickly slithered there as fast as her lithe body would move.
A minute or two later, she returned to her room on two feet this time around, rubbing her head with the hand she now had free. She opened her mouth, took an inhale to warm up her voice, and spat out a "Mornin', Momma!"
Olive turned to her and smiled. "How are you feeling?"
"So much better!" Mandy's tail wagged. "My tummy doesn't feel all gurgly, I feel cool as a cucumber, and...and..." Her face fell, quickly followed by her body as it slumped over.
Concerned, Olive reached out a hand. "What's wrong?"
"I hafta go to schooooool..." Mandy whined, lifting her body up and throwing herself at Olive. "Momma, I don't wanna go to school! Can'tcha call Headmaster O and tell 'em I still feel sick? Pretty please?"
Olive laughed and rubbed Mandy's head. "I hate to tell you, but you don't go to school anymore. You graduated from the Academy ages ago, remember?"
This revelation was met with a confused stare that slowly morphed into a happy one. "Ohhhh! Yeah yeah, I did! Ahh, thank odd, 'cuz I really didn't wanna go there today..."
"Well, you may not have to go there..." Olive pointed at the open door. "But you still have work."
Mandy simply stuck her tongue out and blew a raspberry of frustration.
"I think Pinkie Pie might be waiting for you in the bullpen. Why don't you go talk to her and see what's up?"
"I guess..."
"Attagirl!" Olive patted Mandy on the shoulder. "I'll step outside and let you get dressed."
A few minutes later, as the pair made their way into the bullpen, alive with its usual hustle and bustle, Mandy pouted. She really didn't feel like doing work either, but at the very least, it was far more enjoyable than going to school.
"Mandy."
Strangled yelps left both girls, with Mandy's hair and tail sticking straight up and Olive taking a few steps back. Standing in front of them was none other than Rarity, her azure eyes half-lidded as she stared at her coworkers with apathy.
"R-Rarity?" Mandy recovered first, smoothing out her hair and thrashing her tail in desperate attempts to restore them to some semblance of normalcy after she had just brushed them. "Jeez, don't scare us like that!"
"Well, I tried to talk to you earlier, but you weren't in the room. And then you fell ill." Rarity's tone made it sound like the latter in particular was more of an inconvenience for her than anything else, but held enough "I'm sorry you had to go through that" within it that made Mandy nor Olive question it. "Do you have a minute?"
"Sure."
"Alone?"
Mandy blinked. She turned towards Olive. "Er, Momma, you don't mind...?"
"Oh, of course not. I have to get back to HQ anyway." Olive began heading for the automatic doors. "I'll check up on you in a few hours, okay?"
"'Kay!" Mandy waved her off, then turned back to Rarity. "What's up, Rare-Rare?"
"It's about Sweetie Belle." Rarity moved her head from side to side to make sure her younger sister wasn't around. When she found the coast was clear, she made eye contact with Mandy again. "Don't tell me you're going along with this silly notion of her becoming a Doctor?"
"Silly notion?"
Rarity waved a dismissive hoof. "Perhaps you are unaware of how dangerous and messy being a Doctor can be -- after all, you've never worked in the position."
Mandy's pony ear flicked in confusion. "What-"
"Anyway, I want you to convince her to remain an Investigation agent!" Rarity slammed her hoof down onto the ground. "There is no way my Sweetie Belle is becoming a Doctor. They do good work, but they’re so...undignified!"
Now it was Mandy's turn to let her eyes go half-lidded. "So what, you expect 'em to wear tuxedos and fancy dresses to work?"
The hybrid's deadpan statement fazed Rarity a little. "W-well no!" she hastily attempted to backtrack. "But they could be a little cleaner..."
Mandy heaved a sigh. "Rarity, Sweetie is her own filly." She blinked. "Er, child. Whatever." She shook her head furiously. "The point is, she’s allowed to do what she wants. If she wants to be a Doctor then you have no right to stop her."
"But I'm her sister! And I have seniority in this precinct!"
"Both are true. But both are not excuses!" Mandy didn't bother to point out the subjectivity of the second statement. "In fact, if my memory serves me, Sweetie just got set up for shadowing with Dr. O. She’s going to watch what he does and expand her knowledge further."
Unaware that Dr. O had discarded the letter she had written when he had treated Mandy, Rarity recoiled with a dramatic gasp. "How dare you! You...you ruffian!"
"Don't talk to me that way!"
On and on, both mare and child argued, spitting out counter after counter, sprinkled in with a few insults.
"WILL YOU TWO CUT IT OUT?!"
The bellow made both of them stop, and turn their gazes towards the upset and frustrated face of their boss.
"I'm trying to do important paperwork and I do not want to be bothered, you hear me?!"
They stared. Exchanged glances. Continued their staring.
Oprah growled, low and loud enough to reach their ears, teeth bared in a snarl.
"W-w-we're goin'!"
"Yes, yes, right away!"
Hastily, Mandy and Rarity made their exits, ducking into the left-side hallway by the North Control Room to continue their conversation.
"As I was saying, Rarity..." Mandy began, not being up to arguing anymore. "I support Sweetie becoming an Odd Squad Doctor. There's nothing wrong with her wanting to expand her knowledge of other departments."
"But-"
"And you two are sisters, aren't you?" Mandy raised an eyebrow. "Wouldn't you stick up for Sweetie no matter what she does? Like true sisters?"
Rarity opened her mouth to fire off a retort that was hopefully complete this time, but ended up closing it. She wanted to tell Mandy that she had no business speaking about sisters when she was technically an only child, but like her, she was in no mood to argue any longer and threw the point in the trash. "I..."
"Think about it." Mandy turned. "I'm off to get some food for the Breakroom. Those waffles were good, but they were like eating pebbles. Definitely not filling enough."
All Rarity could do was watch her go, a frown on her face as she became deep in thought. She wasn't sure where she went after that, her hooves and the rest of her body running on sheer autopilot.
Peaches, returning to the bullpen from having cleaned herself in the comfort and privacy of her own room, shapeshifted back into her humanoid form as she approached her cousin. She had had a lot of time to think ever since said cousin went to the Magical Grasslands, and coupled with a lot of crying sessions, it made her come to a decision.
No longer would she look for the culprit who burned her town down.
It wasn't that she didn't care for the townsfolk -- for how much they harassed and bullied her, she did have a soft spot for them. But out of spite for King Ashero, she didn't want to play into his hands any longer. Her search efforts had all turned up fruitless, anyhow, and all she really wanted to do was be surrounded by the friends and family she loved. She never wanted to lose them, not now and not ever. If Ashero wanted to find his culprit so badly, he could keep doing what he had been doing in his attempts to capture her and Mandy.
"Hey, cuz!" She waved, her smile turning down into a frown when she spotted the bandages covering Mandy. "What happened to you?"
Mandy didn't bother to look up from her paperwork. "Laser chicken fight. Nothin' too serious."
"The bandages say otherwise."
Mandy slammed the pencil down onto the desk and glared at Peaches.
The catgirl didn't so much as flinch. "Why so down?"
"Sweetie Belle and Rarity have been fighting nonstop over the former wanting to become an Odd Squad Doctor." Mandy's ear flicked. "Rarity doesn’t want her to. She thinks that the job of being a Doctor is too messy."
"Well...she's got a point." Peaches shrugged. "Don't they do surgeries and stuff?"
"They do surgeries, and they help agents and townsfolk with both odd and non-odd illnesses."
Nodding a silent thank-you for the refresher, Peaches continued. "And Rarity's only against it because it involves getting dirty?"
Mandy had to take a moment to sit on that one. "Well...I guess she’s probably concerned for Sweetie’s safety too." Her expression brightened. "But Odd Squad isn’t what I’d call a safe place. There’s dangerous stuff around every corner! That’s what makes it exciting!"
Peaches playfully rolled her eyes. "For you, maybe."
Mandy sighed. "I just wish Rarity would see that Sweetie has a lot of potential. She does do well as an Investigation agent, but there’s no harm in trying other departments." She gasped in realization. "She could even be in both! Like Dr. O!"
"What did Oprah say?"
"She was fine with it. But Rarity just won't have it."
A pause fell over the two girls. Mandy closed her eyes in deep thought. After a minute, she opened them, and gazed at Peaches with ferocity.
"Cuz, if I went into the Medical department, how would you feel?"
Unexpected as the question was, Peaches didn't need more than a second to answer. "Well, I'd be happy for you, of course. You're part of my family. It'd be wrong if I didn't support you in what you did." She tilted her head. "And what about me?"
"I'd support you too!" Mandy began rocking back and forth in her chair. "You're allowed to do what you want. You're your own person." Her pony ears folded down. "If only Rarity saw that about Sweetie Belle."
Peaches gave a soft hum of thought. "Why don’t you take Rarity to the Medical building at the Odd Squad Academy tomorrow? She can see what Odd Squad Doctors do and maybe she’ll learn a little something."
Slowly but surely, Mandy's expression lit up. A big intake of air flooded into her lungs with one big gasp. "Oh my odd, that's a great idea! Ha, why didn't I think of that before?!"
Peaches smirked. "You're welcome."
"Thank you!"
"You're welcome."
"Thank you!"
"You're welcome." Peaches gave a chuckle. "Now, don't you have work to do?"
"Course I do!" Mandy fiddled with the bandage on her arm. "For one thing, I need to get better. If any more Doctors see me like this they’ll either think I’m a mummy or I direly need surgery."
"Uh-huh." The word spilled out with doubt. "Well, I'm going to go for a walk. You want me to bring you some fish if I catch any?"
"Sure! If you can cook it."
"I'll try my best."
As Mandy watched Peaches go, she sighed again before musing aloud. "Tomorrow...I'm gonna make Rarity see that being an Odd Squad Doctor isn't so bad. Maybe then, she and Sweetie will stop arguing!"
The next day had Mandy racing into the Odd Squad Boutique, putting a blindfold on Rarity, and marching her around town with hardly a word. If Rarity tried to self-correct herself, Mandy would re-correct her with the aid of magic that surpassed her own by a fairly sizeable margin.
"Honestly, Mandy..." Rarity complained. "If you're going to surprise me, then make it quick. I have quite a few orders for clients that I need to fill!"
Knowing that Rarity would continue to complain if Mandy took too long, the hybrid resorted to teleportation to get them where they wanted to go, and soon they found themselves on the walkway of the Medical building on the Odd Squad Academy campus.
"All righty...aaaaaand take off the blindfold!"
Rarity did so, and was immediately met by a sizeable building. It was diamond-shaped in appearance, though not shaped like one of the diamonds in her cutie mark and instead shaped more like if someone slightly rotated a square. It was a lovely shade of dark teal that she could admire, and it blended well with the lighter-colored lab coats of the Odd Squad Doctors that passed to and fro. People and ponies alike, all wearing the same garb, passed by them, coming both to and from the building.
"What...is this place?" she breathed.
"Medical building on the campus of the Odd Squad Academy." Mandy explained. "This is where all future Odd Squad Doctors go to train. It also serves as a handy-dandy nurse's office!" She blinked. "Or, uh...a hospital, maybe? A regular doctor's office?"
Rarity's awe was sapped away in a second. Not by Mandy's rambling tangent so much as the theories that began to form in her mind about why she had taken her here to begin with. "Hm. You don't say."
Mandy ceased her tangent and pointed to the entrance and exit doors. "C'mon, let's go inside!"
Rarity watched as her hybrid friend bounced her way towards the door, giving greetings to everyone whom she recognized. Hesitantly, she followed, if only out of Mandy's persistence more than anything else.
The pair stepped inside, where Rarity could see a front desk that was wide enough to stretch nearly the entirety of the room. Sitting at it were three receptionists, all wearing the same Odd Squad Doctor attire that Dr. O had back at Precinct 13579. Rarity supposed they were scheduling appointments, handling scripts for prescriptions, and doing other things one would normally get taken care of at a doctor's office, but also discussing classes, students, and the like.
"As you can see, there are a lot of Doctors here." Mandy gestured to the front area. "And I'm gonna show you what they do."
"If this is about Sweetie Belle, I can assure you-"
"Agent Mandy?"
The voice made both Mandy and Rarity turn around. Approaching them was an illustrious-looking unicorn, who had an orange-yellow coat and a dark orange mane and tail. Her cutie mark was of a bright yellow sun that was sitting above a small puddle of water.
Mandy gasped. "Rising Dawn!" She waved the mare over. "Oh, it's so good to see you! I didn't know you became an Odd Squad Doctor!"
"Yeah, just last week!" Dawn smiled. "It’s tough, but I’m so happy the Director of Precinct 33291 chose me. Mr. O’s a kind soul, but he’s such a klutz…" She shook her head, and it was then that her green eyes caught the eye of the unicorn who was with Mandy. "And is that Agent Rarity?!"
"Yes, it's me, darling." Rarity answered, more out of a reflex than anything else.
"It's great to see you!" Dawn leaned a little closer. "You know, I heard you were going to open up a location in Toronto. Has that happened yet?"
Rarity, for her part, forced herself to change her tone into something more pleasant. "Not yet. I've been rather...preoccupied as of late."
"Well, when you do open it, I'll be one of your first customers! You have my word!"
"I was going to show Rarity around the Medical building. See, her sister, Agent Sweetie Belle...she wants to move from the Investigation department to the Medical department. But Rarity…"
Mandy's head and eyes shifted to the left, where she saw Rarity turned towards the doors and trotting to the exit in a very typical ladylike fashion. Putting on a rather devious version of her usual cat smile, Mandy extended her tail and let it snake around the mare's stomach and back, then picked her up and plopped her right by her side again, much to her chagrin. Once the deed was done, Mandy's tail returned to its usual length, twitching a few times.
"...doesn't approve. She thinks being a Doctor is too messy and dangerous."
Rising Dawn, who had watched the act with nothing but indifference as someone who knew Mandy well, put on a small frown. "Well, it’s true that it can get a little messy sometimes. And helping agents and clients who are diseased isn’t exactly the safest task. But it’s super rewarding! You get to save lives, and help those who are sick get better!"
"Investigation agents do that exact same thing!" Rarity countered, even though her brain told her that it wasn't true in the slightest. To amend this, she added, "We save lives too!"
Dawn shrugged. "Maybe. I'm not sure. I'm not an Investigation agent!"
Rarity simply gave an exhale through her nose.
"I know Sweetie Belle is your sister, Rarity, but maybe it’s best if you let her choose the path she wants? I don’t know her personally, but she sounds like a responsible pony. Old enough to make her own decisions, maybe!"
At this, Rarity jerked her head away with an indignant "Hmph!"
"That's what I've been tellin' her." Mandy shook her head. "But she won't listen."
"Why does Sweetie Belle want to change departments anyway?" Dawn asked.
"The Dr. O of Precinct 13579 needs an assistant. So he’s going to name one in a week and he encouraged anyone with recommendations to come and see him. Sweetie offered herself up, and ever since then, her goal to be a Doctor has really ramped up."
Dawn nodded, then fixed her gaze on Rarity. "Have you two tried talking things out? Peacefully?"
Rarity bit her lip. "W-well..."
"I wouldn't say 'peacefully'." Mandy rolled her eyes. "They've been arguing for the past couple weeks."
"Hmm..." Dawn tapped her chin and fell silent for a few moments, a look of disappointment settling on her face. "I wish I could help you out more. I don’t have any siblings. But Rarity, maybe you should support Sweetie in her decision. I bet she would do the same for you if you wanted to go into the Medical department!"
Mandy's eyes widened as she remembered her conversation with Peaches from yesterday. As she opened her mouth to reiterate it to Rarity, however, the sound of hoofsteps on a tiled floor made itself known, and she turned to find the unicorn heading for the doors once more.
"I...am going back to Headquarters." Rarity's head turned, and she squinted at the hybrid who had brought her to the Medical building to begin with. "This has been a rather lovely experience, Mandy."
Mandy's mouth remained open as she watched Rarity go. However, she didn't use her tail, her magic, or any other means to bring the mare back, instead watching as she went from a walk to a trot down the forecourt that lied in front of the building until she became completely out of sight.
"Well there went that plan. Ka-blooey. Right in my face." Mandy heaved a sigh. "Thanks for the advice, Rising Dawn."
"Aww, it's not a problem!" Dawn waved a hoof. "While you're here, would you like me to take a look at your wounds?"
Mandy blinked, as though having forgotten that the wounds were there for a moment. "Ah. Ya noticed, huh?"
Dawn giggled. "Nothing gets past this mare's eyes!" She turned. "C'mon, there should be an exam room open."
"Great!"
Both mare and child began making their way towards the right door that flanked the front desk, catching up on their lives in between questions regarding pain levels and any vaccines Mandy might have missed at her last appointment.
As soon as Mandy got back, she went into her room. Although she had to wait 15 minutes for any side effects of the Loraloafen vaccine to kick in, she couldn't help but feel the teeniest-tiniest twinge of lethargy when she got back. She hoped it wouldn't turn into anything severe -- she didn't want to go through that again -- but it did put a tiny chip in her energy that she decided to recover by reading in her room. What didn't help her lethargy, though, was the fact that there were a ton of things weighing on her mind, things that she hoped she could resolve by way of a random chance in the form of a bright-eyed, white-coated filly.
"Mandy, Mandy!"
The hybrid glanced to her left to find Sweetie Belle in the doorway, a bright expression sitting on her features. "Oh, Sweetie Belle!" She waved. "What's up?"
Sweetie raced in. "I just wanted to say thank you so so much for letting me shadow Dr. O. It’s been really helpful! I’m learning a lot!"
"Glad you're enjoying it!" Mandy chirped. She set the book down on the table in front of her. "Y'know, if you wanted to know more about being a Doctor...I could take you to the Medical building at the Odd Squad Academy. I know a pony there named Rising Dawn who just became a Doctor last week. She’d probably love to teach you some things!"
"Really?!" The voice was almost high-pitched enough to classify as a dog whistle. "I'd love to go!"
"All right! Let's go tomorrow. I'll meet you there around...1PM!"
"Sounds great! Thank you!" Sweetie breathed a happy sigh. "I really appreciate you doing all this for me."
"D'aww, don't mention it! Anything for a friend." As Sweetie turned around and began leaving the room, Mandy extended a hand. "Oh! Um, Sweetie..."
The filly glanced at the hybrid.
"Before you go, can we..." Mandy twiddled her fingers. "...talk?"
"Sure." Sweetie turned back around again. "About what?"
"Your sister."
Any happiness Sweetie had was sapped out of her right then. Her ears folded downwards, and she put on an upset expression. "Oh. Her."
As Mandy got up from her seat, she used her magic to close the door for some privacy. "C'mon up on my bed."
Sweetie did so, taking a seat right next to Mandy.
The hybrid heaved a sigh, steeling herself for what she considered to be a heavy topic of discussion. "I'm not gonna hold anything back, Sweetie Belle." she said. "I’ve been trying to get Rarity to be more open about you wanting to become an Odd Squad Doctor. But it hasn’t been working."
"I hate how she has to intrude on my life all the time!" the filly cried out. "I'm not some little foal, I'm a growing filly! Why can't she realize that?!"
Mandy took a moment to let the cry ring into the otherwise-silent air. She flopped onto the bed. "Do you remember when you first came here, to Precinct 13579? How you wanted to be an Odd Squad agent just like your sister?"
Sweetie did the same. "Yeah...Rarity told me about Odd Squad and what it’s like. She fights all sorts of dangerous oddities. Laser chickens, blobs, the giant purple worm that spits beach balls...a-and I know it’s dangerous! But-"
"You accepted the risk and we let you into Odd Squad anyway."
"Yeah!"
"Might come as no surprise to you at this point, but Odd Squad isn’t exactly what I’d call the safest organization. Heck, I’ve had surgery done on my heart twice because of how strange this world and its people are." Mandy rubbed the part of her chest where her still-beating heart, and all that was included, lay. "One wrong misstep, one wrong fire of a gadget, one wrong move against a villain...it can lead to an agent’s untimely death."
"And that's fine by me."
The rough, determined tone made Mandy blink a few times in surprise. "Huh?"
"As long as Apple Bloom and Scootaloo are by my side, we can do anything!" Sweetie shot a leg up. "We're the Cutie Mark Crusaders!"
Mandy couldn't help but smile at the filly's enthusiasm. "Well, it’s nice that you’re brave. Bravery’s a good virtue to have as an agent!" Her gaze shifted to Sweetie. "It’s also a good virtue to have if you’re a Doctor."
A pause lingered in the air for only a moment, punctuated by Mandy beginning to fiddle with her hands.
"Look...something's been gnawin' at me the past few days. And I'm pretty sure it's not the Venus flytrap in my tail." Mandy's tail quivered for a few moments. "It’s not that I don’t want you to become a Doctor, and I’ll support you no matter what, but...you’re a really good Investigation agent. Oprah’s been singin' her praises about you ever since you decided to join Odd Squad." She closed her eyes. "You've said you wanted a change of pace, but...maybe you should consider if moving departments is your definition of 'a change of pace'".
"But I’m tired of getting the same small cases every day!" Sweetie snapped. "I want to get bigger cases. Things like fighting Hydraclops, laser chickens, and dinosaurs! But every time I ask Ms. O, she tells me I’m not ready yet!" She began gesticulating wildly with her hooves and legs. "I’ve been a part of Odd Squad for months! Why can’t I go on the cases that you and the others get to go on?! It’s not fair!" Although Mandy could barely see it, her eyes began to water. "I thought that becoming a Doctor might get Ms. O to see that I have potential too, but instead she thinks of me as some tiny foal!"
"Sweetie, that's not true. Even in spite of Oprah obsessing over you when you first joined Odd Squad." Mandy smiled. "I know her. She does her best to serve this precinct. She sees the potential in every agent. Every agent she meets, she makes them feel special, because she sees what each one of them is capable of."
"Well she doesn't see any potential or capability in me!"
"Yes she does."
Sweetie shot up. "No she doesn't!"
"Yes. She does." Mandy's tone was soft, insistent, and firm at the same time. "She saw potential and capability in me, and look where I am."
"You're a special case!"
"No I'm no-" Before Mandy could finish her retort, she blinked. "Actually yeah, never mind, you make a good point there."
Sweetie's declaration was like a cry to the heavens. "I'm going to become an Odd Squad Doctor, no matter what anyone says!"
Mandy's response was just as quick. "And what if Dr. O doesn't choose you as his assistant? What if he chooses someone else entirely?"
A long pause. Sweetie was reduced to stammering, trying to form a counter and being completely unable to. She stared at her hooves, feeling like steam was pouring from her ears.
Luckily -- or perhaps unluckily -- she had Mandy to voice what she herself could not, and she did it in a way that was nothing but smug. "Someone didn't think that far ahead."
A scream of frustration left a red-faced Sweetie as she sat up, hopped off of the bed, and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her.
Mandy, in response, simply let out a sigh of exhaustion. She had gotten a lot of things off of her chest, but none of them had seemed to help Sweetie and none of them had brought the relief she was so direly hoping for. If anything, it only made the whole situation worse, and for the rest of the day, Mandy had regret churning away in her mind. Any happy mood she still had left had been blasted into the depths of the bad place, and it was most definitely keen on staying there.
Day 4 of 7.
Mandy was slowly becoming mentally and physically drained.
As she lay on the ledge of the fountain that adorned the walkway of the Medical building at the Academy, with her right arm and leg drooped over the side, she let out a heavy sigh, her body quivering down to the last hair in her tail. She mindlessly stared at her reflection in the water for what felt like hours, her brain retreating into the darkest depths of her skull.
"Why the long face, Mandy?"
The familiar voice made the hybrid perk up and move her head to the right. Walking up to her with one pant leg rolled up and a bandage wrapped around her left leg was the Big O herself, who had on a friendly smile.
"Big O!" Mandy blinked in surprise. "What're you doing here?"
"Just heading inside the Medical building for a checkup. Got a nasty bite from a Clackreex on my leg a couple weeks ago and the Doctors are going to check to see if it healed."
Mandy's eyes drifted to the bandage. "Ouch. Clackreexes are nasty things..." She shook her head. "Though I can't sympathize. I've never been bitten by one."
"Lucky you! It hurts." The Big O took a seat next to Mandy. "Anyway, what are you doing here?"
"I'm waiting for someone. We're gonna go take a look inside the Medical building."
"Oh? And who's that?"
"Agent Sweetie Belle. She wants to become an Odd Squad Doctor." Mandy scratched her cheek. "When Dr. O announced an opening for an assistant, she began to...well..." Her tail twitched. "...go for it, I suppose?"
"Oh, I've heard about her from Oprah's reports!" The Big O nodded. "She's a good agent. Very skilled on the field. And her gadget-wielding is unlike that of any unicorn I've ever seen before!"
Mandy sighed again. "Try telling her that. She and I had an argument yesterday. She thinks that Oprah doesn’t see potential in her because she keeps giving her small cases to do. But..." She gazed into the Big O's eyes. "You and I know Oprah. She sees what each agent is capable of, and uses it to inspire them to go out and kick odd butt."
"That's true."
"It's just...if I hafta be honest with you..." Mandy curled her body up tighter, wrapping her tail around her right side. "I don’t think Sweetie’s fit to become an Odd Squad Doctor. It’s not where her talent lies. She does best in the Investigation department, but I just can’t get her to realize that. And Rarity, her big sister, is against her becoming a Doctor because it’s dirty and messy and dangerous." She rubbed her head. "It’s just all so much for me to handle…"
The Big O didn't speak for a few moments, in order to fully absorb and understand the situation. When she spoke again, it was with warmth and confidence. "Perhaps I'm not the person you should be talking to."
"Huh?"
"Have you tried talking to Dr. O?"
Mandy's mouth hung open. Even after her spat with Sweetie, talking to the Head Doctor had never crossed her mind. "Well...no..."
"If you have a talk with him, he might have some advice for you."
"That's..." Mandy gasped. Her eyes shone with renewed hope. "A really great idea! Why didn't I think of that?!" She grasped the Big O's hands in her own. "Thank you so much, Big O!"
The head honcho laughed. "It's not a problem!"
Mandy's badge phone ringing threatened to ruin the happy moment. "Ah, sorry. Lemme take this." she excused, unclipping her badge phone and holding it up to her ear. "Agent 57 speakin', how can I help ya?!"
"Mandy?!" came the sound of a familiar Southern drawl that sounded frantic. "I-it's Apple Bloom! We really need your help!"
A loud roar threatened to shatter all four of Mandy's eardrums into utter oblivion. The Big O's eyes widened in surprise as she watched the hybrid move her pony ears about and attempt to clean out one of her human ones with a free pinky. "What are you doing?"
"I'll explain when ya get here! Just please hurry!"
Mandy shot up on her hands and knees. "All right, I-I'm on my way! Stay safe!"
A muffled, high-pitched scream could be heard over the phone. It didn't take her a second to realize that it belonged to a certain orange-furred Pegasus filly.
"Oh pickleferries." was all she uttered as she snapped the phone shut.
"I know that roar anywhere." the Big O began, waiting to speak again until Mandy changed her position so that she was sitting on the fountain. "It's a Thertis."
"A what?"
"They’re sphinx-like creatures. They used to be extinct a long time ago...or so it’s written in the Odd Squad history books." The Big O idly kicked her feet. "But they’ve made a resurgence in recent years. They’re incredibly dangerous. One swipe from their claws hits you and you start turning into a Thertis! And they have bites that can poison you."
To say Mandy fell backwards into the fountain would be a huge understatement. It was more like she thrashed about on the ledge in shock before she did a tandem dive into it back-first, and all completely accidentally.
"Mandy!" The Big O peered into the fountain, which had a basin that was just a few feet deeper than most fountains. "You okay?"
The hybrid emerged, spitting out a small stream of water and coughing. Every inch of her body was soaking wet. "I've..." Another cough. "...fared better."
Although the Big O offered her hand to help Mandy out, she waved it off, opting to slowly climb out herself until she was laying on the ground. "Shield yourself. I'm gonna shake."
The Big O blinked in confusion.
Mandy got to her feet, and shook her body out like a dog after a bath.
Water droplets flew everywhere, and all the Big O could do was shield herself with her hands as she gave a yelp of surprise. When Mandy was done, she sat back down on the ledge and worked on emptying the water out from her shoes. "So how do I defeat this Thertis?" she asked.
The Big O began squeezing out water from her sleeves in vain. "Best way would be to use the Shrink-inator on it." She glanced at Mandy. "Or I guess in your case, a shrinking spell."
"I don't know any shrinking spells!" Mandy lamented, punctuating her complaint with a sigh. "Thank odd you know about them. I would've been charging into battle unprepared."
"If you do manage to shrink it -- what am I saying, of course you will -- capture it and take it to Ocean and Fluttershy back at your Headquarters. They’ll handle it."
Mandy put her right shoe on her foot and stood up, wincing at the uncomfortable feeling of her damp socks. "Thanks, Big O. For all the advice."
"No problem!" The Big O stood up as well and began to circle the fountain, heading for the doors of the building. "Wish me good luck on my examination."
"Good luck! Bye!"
Mandy quickly teleported away.
The Big O stopped her walking for a minute and turned towards the spot where Mandy had been. A seed of worry began growing in her heart, and she let out a small exhale. "Stay safe, Mandy."
Oprah's calm, quiet atmosphere had been just that. It was a rare moment of peace, where agents didn't barge in and hound her with all sorts of requests about paperwork and cases and why Joe from Nantucket didn't understand that he had the wrong number.
Unfortunately, that didn't stop any agent that decided to teleport in.
Which is exactly what Mandy did, as she landed on Oprah's desk and terrified the girl badly enough to send her toppling backwards in her chair with a mighty yelp.
As Oprah rubbed her now-aching back, she opened her eyes to identify who had disturbed her tranquility. "M-Mandy?!"
"Oprah. Where did the Crusaders go?"
Mandy's voice was low, almost ominous in nature. However, for someone as experienced and rugged as Oprah, Mandy's unusual tone was small fries. "I sent them to Fairway Avenue a while ago to help out a cli- aaaaaah..." She grit her teeth as pain began radiating all over her back, her fingers beginning to twitch. She could only eke out a single word after that. "W-why?"
Under normal circumstances, Mandy would have asked if her boss was okay, and then maybe offered her some spare painkillers. But the hybrid had more pressing things on her mind than saving someone she knew would come out okay in the end, however heartless it made her.
"Forget it. You're not gonna be of any help, 'specially when you can't even form one sentence!" she snapped, lighting up her horn and teleporting away.
Slowly, Oprah got on two feet and glanced outside of her office, hoping to flag down a passing agent.
"A-Applejack!" she spit out, waving her hand as frantically as she could. Which, really, wasn't all that frantic, but it was enough to catch the farmpony's attention.
"Ms. O? What's wrong with ya?" Applejack took a few steps inside.
"Get me..." Oprah swallowed a lump of saliva that was sitting in her throat. "No! Wait..." She moved about as slow as a turtle, not wanting to allow her spine the luxury of popping, because one of the caveats of being over a hundred years old was that once your spine popped, you were over and done with for the rest of the week.
Applejack, for her part, patiently waited for her boss to finish her sentence, putting on a look of concern.
"Help me with...this chair."
Blinking, Applejack trotted over to Oprah's desk, heading behind it and glancing at the tipped-over chair. "Sure thing! Just leave it t' me."
All it took on the mare's end was her grabbing the seat of the chair with one hoof and grabbing the back of it with the other, resting on her back hooves, then lifting it up, an action that took less than a minute. "There ya go. Have a seat."
Oprah shook her head. "I'm..." She ambled towards the coffee table. "I'm just...I need..."
"T' rest?" Applejack finished. Upon receiving a nod from Oprah, she smiled sympathetically. "I see. You just go right on ahead and rest, boss. I'll see if I can find a Doctor for ya." She glanced at the rack of juice boxes that sat to her left. "Ya want a juice box before I head out?"
A nod. Applejack, knowing she couldn't reach that rack by standing on her own two hind legs, decided to jump and grab one, beaming when she managed to catch a pineapple-flavored one in her hooves. It wasn't apple-flavored, of course, but she didn't care much about the flavor right now -- not when her boss was suffering. She trotted over to the coffee table and set it down.
Right then, a loud pop resounded within the room.
Silence fell.
Oprah began to quiver and whimper, in a display of what she would have constituted as weakness that Applejack hadn't seen before. The farmpony could swear she saw tears brimming in the Director's eyes, though she wasn't sure.
What she was sure she saw, though, was her jaws slowly parting.
The agonizing scream was piercing enough to make most any agent in the bullpen stop whatever they were doing and glance worryingly at the office that sat above them, and at the pony who had made a hasty retreat from it and flew into the Medical Bay as fast as her hooves would allow.
Within five minutes, a Doctor had set Oprah up with some ice, some painkillers, and some orders to rest and not move unless she was accompanied by a Doctor. They even gave her a call button like what hospital rooms had, much to her chagrin as she kept muttering about how embarrassing this all was, especially since it was in full view of one of her agents -- that is, up until she had asked said agent one question.
"Are you free for the rest of the day?"
"Sure! I've gotten all my work done. All I need t' do is check up on the farm back in Equestria."
And that was how Applejack found herself the not-so-willing servant of one injured Director, a job she would have "until I get better". Her boss's words, not hers.
Mandy's teleportation took her right to where Fairway Avenue met Hill Road. Immediately she could hear townsfolk clamoring, screams and yells flying through the air as Torontonians all ran and flew for their lives.
Even within the din, though, she was easily able to spot the odd creature that three fillies had decided to fight.
Her pony ears drooped. "Oh my chocolate-covered cheesecake." were the only words she could utter as her eyes laid upon the Thertis on the other side of the street.
The Thertis looked much like a naked mole rat in appearance, bearing the paws of a snow-white rabbit, the teeth of a shark, the tail of an alligator, and floppy ears that nearly touched the ground that wouldn't be too out of place on a cocker spaniel. On its back were large fairy-like wings that Mandy had to assume were either for decoration or, odd willing, flight, and on its head were a set of sharp horns that looked about as sharp as syringes.
As it turned to face Mandy, it let out a loud screech that broke the glass of the windows in the building behind her. The hybrid quickly scrambled out of the way, using her own wings to shield herself from any flying glass shards that got sent her way. "That's a Thertis?!" she cried out, her voice quavering. "I-it's...ginormous!"
"Mandy!"
The cry of a familiar filly snapped the hybrid out of her shock. Shaking her wings out in a desperate effort to try and dislodge any loose shards, she quickly made a beeline for the other side of the road.
"Scootaloo!" she called, sliding up next to the Pegasus filly who hardly had a scratch on her. Her hoof was shoved through a handle of a bulky gadget that the hybrid didn't bother to recognize. "You and Bloom both are gonna have a lot of explainin' to do when this is all over!"
"If we get out of this alive!"
Mandy didn't have the time to tell Scootaloo that was going to be a definite. "Where are Bloom and Sweetie?"
"They're still fighting that thing!"
Sure enough, off in the distance were the two fillies themselves, dodging swat after swat from the creature. Apple Bloom raced behind it, screaming in what Mandy could easily identify as blind panic -- she had no idea what she was doing, as it were.
"Do either of you have the Shrink-inator?" Mandy asked Scootaloo.
"I don't! And neither do Apple Bloom or Sweetie Belle!"
Mentally, Mandy ran through the inventory in her hammerspace spine. While massive enough that counting every item within it would lead to her death in her hundreds, she was still able to search her memories and recall signing out the Shrink-inator from Oona, or at least her iteration of the gadget. Shaking her head to clear her mind, she glanced at Scootaloo. "Okay, I've got it! I'm goin' in!" she declared. "C'mon and help me!"
The filly nodded, chasing after Mandy as she dashed towards the Thertis.
It gave a loud roar as it saw the pair approaching, and seemed to grow more irritated when they stopped in front of it.
Apple Bloom ceased her panicked screaming, her body flowing with relief when she saw who had come to her and the others' rescue. "Mandy!"
"Awright, I dunno what you are or where you came from, but I'm about to make you go extinct." Mandy reached behind her back and yanked out the Shrink-inator. "Again!"
With quick reflexes, she pressed the black activation button on top and fired a green laser beam at the Thertis. It shrunk, but not by very much, and the attack seemed to cause the creature pain more than anything else as it gave a piercing roar.
"Yeah, that'll show ya!" Mandy taunted, a smirk settling on her face.
The Thertis recovered from its bout of pain and leaned in close to the hybrid, giving a shattering screech that made her give a short scream of her own and wince in pain. When she tried to raise her arm to go for another shot, she found her entire body paralyzed.
"Mandy!" Sweetie cried, racing to the front of the battlefield.
"Sweetie!" In spite of her condition, Mandy tried to move to no avail. "Take this gadget...nngh...and use it on that creature!"
The unicorn quickly scooped up the Shrink-inator in her sap-green corona. "Got it!"
Just as she was examining the gadget to find its activation button, however, a paw slammed into her body with enough force to send her flying with a piercing terrified scream. Her small body hit the ground once, then twice, then again before it slid on the ground. The glow of her horn flickered and died unceremoniously, the gadget clattering to the ground where it had once been.
"Sweetie Belle!!" Mandy's scream was just as piercing and just as terrifying. A series of rapid breaths left her as she desperately tried to move, but while she did so, it was painfully slow. "Apple Bloom, go help Sweetie Belle!"
The yellow-coated filly nodded, rushing in the direction where her partner had flown. Scootaloo, placing her entire trust in Mandy, decided to stay put, awaiting her orders and hoping to help her out as one of two agents who were still in commission.
"She's probably bleeding..." Mandy shook her head, at a speed that was only slightly slower than her usual. "No, there's no time for that!"
Her paralysis wore off fully right then and there, and she made a mad grab for the gadget before the Thertis could step on it and shatter it. It turned its attention to her, growling before letting out a loud roar laced with spittle in between its teeth.
"Ha! Your rampaging ends here!" Mandy boasted, only a second before she fired another laser beam. This one lasted much longer, and caused the Thertis to begin shrinking, along with providing it a considerable amount of pain. With four pulses, each separated by two seconds, the creature eventually was turned into something no bigger than a mouse, and the small angry roar it gave was far more cute than menacing.
"All right, Mandy!" Scootaloo's wings buzzed as she floated in midair for a few seconds before her hooves touched ground again.
Mandy conjured up a magical bubble to place the creature in. "Now you're safe." she murmured, ignoring the protests it gave.
"Sweetie Belle! Wake up! Sweetie Belle!!"
Apple Bloom's desperate pleas brought Mandy's attention back to the other pressing task at hand. "Is she conscious?" she asked as she rushed up to the injured filly and her partner with Scootaloo in tow.
"I-I'm not sure!" Bloom responded, her eyes thick with tears.
"Lemme listen." Mandy waved the filly off and knelt down, turning Sweetie over on her back and placing her pony ear on her chest. Her eyes widened in surprise as the sound of a heartbeat made itself known, one that sounded unusually healthy. She lifted her head up and quickly examined her, noting that she had a large amount of bruises and gashes on her. Some gashes, including a few on her head, were actively bleeding. "She's got a pulse. But she needs medical attention, badly."
"We should get her to Dr. O's office!" Scootaloo suggested, Bloom shooting her a look of "thanks for stating the obvious".
"Even better than that. You two, huddle close to me." Mandy grabbed Sweetie in her arms, while Scootaloo and Bloom each took hold of a forearm. With a bright flash, the group, creature included, was gone, and they materialized again in the Hospital Room.
Dr. O, who had been cleaning up the room, set down his medical equipment and his rag, turning around. "Mandy? What's this?"
"It's Sweetie Belle." Mandy responded, trying to keep panic from working its way into her tone. "She needs to be treated, stat!"
"What happened to her?"
"She took a nasty hit from a Thertis."
Dr. O blinked. "A what?"
"A sphinx-like odd creature. It hit her with its paw."
"I see." Dr. O grabbed the filly from Mandy's arms and looked her over, his lips pursed tightly into a frown. "Her injuries look serious. It'll take some time to treat her."
"Can we stay and watch?" Bloom asked.
Mandy shook her head. "Apple Bloom, that's not a good idea. Let's leave Dr. O be. He'll know what to do."
"But Sweetie-"
"And you two are gonna tell me exactly what happened once I give this creature to Ocean and Fluttershy!" Mandy began marching out. "Now let's go."
As soon as Mandy made the delivery, she ordered Apple Bloom and Scootaloo to explain themselves.
"Well, Ms. O assigned us t' this woman’s home on Fairway Avenue, and we were goin’ there, but on the way Sweetie Belle was complainin’ about how we never get any big cases to solve. Then we saw this huge creature across the street, and Sweetie Belle ran towards it. We were gonna go too, but we saw the woman we were s’posed to help callin’ for us, and...we decided t’ ignore her." Apple Bloom rubbed her leg.
"So we went off to fight the creature, but I guess we were in over our heads." Scootaloo added, her tone not holding back with its shame.
Mandy glanced the two fillies over. "None of you got swiped by its claws or bitten?"
"I didn't."
"Me neither." Scootaloo gazed deep into her senior's eyes. "We're sorry, Mandy."
Mandy heaved a sigh. "I can't believe it. Now Sweetie's dragging you two into her issues." she muttered, running a head through her hair.
"Are we in trouble?" Bloom asked.
"Can't say for sure. It's not in my job description." Mandy shook her head. "But I know who can tell you if you're in trouble."
Neither Bloom nor Scootaloo needed to look at where Mandy was pointing. Exchanging a worried glance, they trudged over there themselves, with the hybrid following suit.
"You did what?!"
Bloom winced. "We're really sorry, Ms. O."
"We promise, this'll never happen again!"
Oprah, reclined on the couch with numerous pillows supporting her ice-pack-strapped back, groaned. No one knew whether it was from pain or annoyance. "You three need to know your limits. Do you know why I send you on small cases?"
"Because we're too inexperienced?" Bloom tilted her head.
"No, not that." Oprah bit back another groan. "Combating small things like blobs is the first stepping stone in fighting the larger and more dangerous oddness that lurks. As the months go by, I’ll give you bigger and bigger cases. It’s all about training, bettering yourselves, and having patience."
"Wish Sweetie Belle understood that..."
Oprah's eyes narrowed ever so slightly. "What are you talking about?"
Mandy stiffened. She hadn't expected Oprah to hear her, though her having exceptional hearing wouldn't be putting it past her. "She and I had a little...argument the other day." Mandy twiddled her fingers. "She thinks that because you send her on small cases, you don't see any potential in her."
"Oh that's a load of sh- aaah!" Oprah's body seized. She grit her teeth, sucked air through them, and released it in one big sigh as she relaxed her body in an effort to alleviate the pain that shot through her back. A minute later, she was composed again. "That's not true! I see plenty of potential in Sweetie! I know she's a very capable filly."
"Glad to hear it, boss." Mandy smiled. "Now say it to her face, when she's better."
Oprah growled. "But I can't believe she would be so reckless as to rush into danger like that. I thought she knew better!" She glanced at a worried Bloom and Scootaloo. "Look. I know you two were just trying to help your partner. You did good out there, and it was lucky that Mandy got there in time to save you."
"Does this mean we're not punished?" Bloom asked, with just the tiniest bit of hope.
Oprah fixed her with a thoughtful gaze, as though wanting to lay out her punishment right in front of her. Ultimately, though, her gaze, along with the rest of her expression, softened considerably. "Yes. You two are good to go."
"All right!" Scootaloo did a hoof-pump.
"But as for Agent Sweetie Belle..." Oprah's head moved towards the door as much as it would allow. "I'm going to have a long chat with her."
"Good. She needs it." Mandy nodded.
"And as for the woman you were supposed to help, you're still on that case, so go and help her."
Bloom and Scootaloo nodded, and quickly dashed out. Silence fell in the room.
"Soooo, uh..." Mandy rocked back and forth on her feet. "What happened to you?"
"You. You happened to me."
Mandy blinked. "Huh?"
"You teleporting onto my desk scared me enough that I fell over, and now I'm out of commission for a week." Oprah snapped. "Do you know how embarrassing it is to go to the Bathroom with a Doctor standing right outside the door? Or have a Doctor escort me to my own home and offer to become a temporary live-in nurse?"
A tongue stuck out. A pony ear flicked. And then a cheerful innocent "Nope, and nope."
Oprah sighed. "Mandy, when you get to be as old as I am, your physical features may rarely change, but you aging body will actively fight against you." She struggled to adjust her position on the couch. "Even a simple fall can leave you badly injured enough where you can't do anything for weeks."
"Okay, but there's no 'when'." Mandy pointed out. "I'm not immortal."
That earned her a squint. "I'd strangle you if I wasn't couch-ridden." came the indignant grumble. "I should make you my servant and have you wait on me hand and foot."
"But you have assistants for that." Mandy's finger jabbed towards a red button that sat on Oprah's stomach. "And you also have a belly button. Hospitals have that for calling doctors, you know."
Oprah's eye twitched.
"I made a funny!"
"I don't give a rat's butt if you made a pun out of what my umbilical cord used to be attached to or not." Oprah's expression turned into an ugly grimace. "You're missing the point."
"Which was?"
"Don't. Teleport. Into my office anymore!" The words were practically a scream. "Have some common courtesy! Even Twilight and Rarity trot in through the doors!"
"Usually."
"...What."
"There was that one time where Twilight teleported into your office to share a book she found in the Odd Squad Library. And Rarity did the same thing, but she wanted you to try on this ugly-looking dress." Mandy smiled. "I remember that one fondly. Never did I think a human could puke so much!"
Angrily, Oprah grabbed a pillow and placed it under her head. "Assistant?"
"Yes, boss?"
Mandy's eyes widened at the assistant who had popped out of seemingly nowhere.
"Put off all work, hold all calls, and get me a blanket. I'm going to sleep."
"Right away!" The assistant rushed off, and returned only half a minute later with a fluffy purple blanket, which she draped over her boss.
Said boss began taking her shoes off. "Thank you." she murmured, before snuggling deeper into the couch.
Mandy watched the assistant head for the desk. "You shouldn't go to sleep angry, y'know."
"Shut up." Oprah's annoyance was punctuated by a yawn. "Leave me alone and let me sleep, okay?"
Mandy opened her mouth, as though wanting to point out how she, and other agents, never let her sleep, but closed it. Instead, she resigned to a sigh and a shake of her head. "All righty. The hippochrisee is laughable, but all righty." She turned to leave the room. "Have sweet dreams."
When Oprah couldn't hear Mandy's footsteps anymore, her body truly relaxed. Her back was still achy, but the ice that was wrapped around her had-
"Hey, do you know where Rarity is?"
The high-pitched voice made the ache shoot from about a five to a one hundred right quick, taking Oprah's mood with it. "In her boutique in Headquarters, now shut up and let me sleep already!"
"Okay, thanks!"
Footsteps retreated again. The doors closed again. And Oprah, pissed off as she was, tried to get to sleep...again.
It's going to be a long, long day.
Inside the Odd Squad Boutique, Rarity sat at her inspiration desk in the way back, sketching out potential designs for a new line while humming a Soundcheck tune. Naturally, Otto was the one who had gotten the band stuck in her head, and normally she would be mad if their music didn't help her concentrate. With her talent and dedication, her new line of music-themed clothing was going to turn out great.
Her ears faintly picked up on the sound of a door opening and a bell ringing. "Hmm? Who is it?"
"Hey, it's me!"
"Oh, Mandy!" Rarity called. "Is something the matter?"
"Um...y-ya could say that!" Mandy twiddled her fingers. "It's about Sweetie Belle."
"What about her?" Rarity asked, an ever-so-small pit of dread beginning to form in her gut.
Silence. But just as Rarity was about to ask again, Mandy spoke. "She got severely injured in an odd creature attack. By a Thertis. She's being treated in the Hospital Room right now."
Rarity gasped. Immediately she flew out of her chair, knocking her sketch paper to the floor as she soared past Mandy and out the door. She only barely heard the hybrid's cry of "Rarity, wait!" as she dodged agents and creatures alike in her journey to the Hospital Room.
What she saw when she got there and flung open the door was a rather horrific sight.
"Sweet Celestia! Sweetie Belle!" Rarity held a hoof to her mouth upon seeing her sister lying down on her back in the cot, eyes closed and completely motionless. "Wh- i-is she going to be all right?!"
"She should be." Mandy said, coming up behind her and peering inside.
Rarity grit her teeth together. "Ooh, I knew becoming a Doctor was too dangerous for her! And now look what happened! She nearly died!"
"That's not the case, Rarity!" Mandy yelled. "You haven't even heard the whole story!"
"Then what is the whole story, Mandy?" Rarity glared at her coworker with icy eyes. "Certainly this was due to her disturbing fascination with becoming an Odd Squad Doctor!"
"No, it's not!" That exclamation caused Mandy to leap into the air. Realizing she needed to approach the situation calmly, she took a deep breath and planted her feet on the floor before continuing. "See, Sweetie and the other Cutie Mark Crusaders were on their way to a client’s home. According to Apple Bloom, Sweetie was complaining about not getting any big cases, so when a Thertis -- that’s a big sphinx-like creature thought to be extinct -- when that was spotted, Sweetie ran towards it. And so did Apple Bloom and Scootaloo. The three were fighting it on their own and would have been killed if I didn’t help them in time!" Mandy shook her head. "It was never about her wanting to become a Doctor. Sweetie has issues that go far beyond that. Hasn’t she talked to you about believing that Oprah doesn’t see potential in her?"
Rarity's eyes widened as the full story was unraveled for her. She rubbed her leg. "Well...now that you mention it, she did bring it up once...but I suppose I was so busy that I tuned her out."
"We'll have to see if this experience will make her change her mind about becoming an Odd Squad Doctor." Mandy's tail wagged back and forth slightly. "But I did give her some words of advice."
"You did?"
Mandy nodded. "She’s good in the Investigation department. It’s where her true talent lies. But she wants a change of pace, and I dunno if changing departments is really what qualifies to her as 'a change of pace'. She wants bigger cases, but...Oprah said it herself. She and her friends are gonna start out with small cases, then as the months pass, get cases that are tougher and tougher to tackle. It’s all about..." Mandy put on a small smile and did jazz hands. "...patience."
Rarity couldn't argue with that -- she could attest to the same thing when she became an agent, and the same went for Applejack. She sighed. "I see." She stared into Mandy's eyes with worry. "But what if she gets chosen to be a Doctor?"
"We'll have to find that out in a couple days." said Mandy, with a shrug. "I can't make Dr. O pick her, but...for now, you should keep an eye on your sister and make sure she'll turn out okay."
"Oh, I hope so!"
Mandy spread her wings and began to hover. "I'm gonna go get some work done. I'll be at my desk if you need me."
Rarity watched her go, then turned back to the Hospital Room. "Sweetie Belle...please be okay." she murmured, telekinetically closing the door and plodding down the hallways. By the time she had gotten back to the Boutique, she had lost almost all inspiration, and decided to hold off on sketches for her new line until her sister was better -- all except for one she began to draft, which depicted a three-layer purple-and-yellow dress adorned with musical notes. Rarity kept the image in her mind and vowed to begin making it for Sweetie as soon as she felt able to.
The next day came and went. Sweetie was improving, though it was clear she had a bit of a ways to go until she was completely healed. Rarity, of course, fretted, and when she went on cases with Applejack, the farmpony could tell she was easily distracted and had to do most of the heavy lifting in her stead. About the only beneficial thing that happened was that Mandy had finally gotten her bandages off, her wounds having nearly healed.
And so came the day before Dr. O's big decision.
Mandy was, of course, snoring away in bed, oblivious to Rarity slamming her door wide open with a frazzled mane and tail and an equally-frazzled expression.
"Mandy!" Rarity rushed to the hybrid's bedside and grabbed ahold of her shoulder with magic. "Mandy darling, wake up! Come quickly!"
A snort, and then a sleepy groan. "Zzo tired...leamme alone..."
"Mandy, please!" Rarity's voice edged into a whine that wasn't as high-pitched as her usual ones, but was enough to annoy at least someone in the vicinity. "It's about Sweetie Belle! You simply must see her!"
Mandy simply turned onto her left side with a moan, pushing Rarity away with her tail before giving a contented sigh.
Rarity knew she wasn't there yet, but she was close. Still, she gave an irate growl as she grabbed Mandy's fluffy blanket in her corona and yanked it off of her. "Agent Mandy, it has been at least a couple days!" she snapped. "Come and see my sister! It's the least you could do!"
That did it. With a "Wh-hzz-bl-huh?!" Mandy was awake, her head swiveling towards the white blob that stood in her room and her arm flailing wildly at it. "Z-zztand back, intruder! I-I'm armed!"
"Mandy! It's me, Rarity!" the white blob assured. "I simply want you to come and see my sister. Can you do that?"
Mandy yawned. "Can't I go back t' zzleep...?"
"It's 12:30, darling."
A groan. Then, a corona encasing a glass full of liquid, followed by one sleepy hybrid drinking it down to the last drop.
"Are you coming or not?" Rarity asked, trotting in place as she began to grow impatient.
Mandy swung her legs over the side of her bed and stared at the unicorn with half-lidded eyes. "Y' expect me t' change in front 'f ya?"
Rarity's eyes widened. "Oh! W-well, certainly not." She nervously laughed and began making her way towards the doorway. "Just meet me at Dr. O's office when you're ready."
As Mandy watched her go and closed the door, she let out another yawn and rubbed her head. "Jeez...that mare's got issues..."
About fifteen minutes later, Mandy was done with her wakeup routine. She had moved slower than usual due to her body still being achy from the party she attended last night -- and she couldn't deny that it was one of the best parties she had ever been to, courtesy of Pinkie Pie, of course -- but moving slower was better than not moving at all, she supposed.
She moved her glittery silver bow about in her hair, adjusting it until it felt right. "At least my bow's in position. Finally." she remarked with a sigh.
When she got to the Hospital Room, she found Rarity staring intently through the window on the side of the door.
"Hey, Rarity! What's goin' on?"
"Ooh, good news!" Rarity said. "Sweetie is finally better!"
Mandy's expression lit up. "Thank odd!" She stared through the window as well, watching as Dr. O said something to Sweetie that, for all her sharp hearing, she couldn't pick up on. "What're they talkin' about in there? Looks serious."
"I'm not sure." Rarity saw Sweetie hop off of the cot. "Ooh, here she comes!"
Both girls backed away as the door slid open, revealing the filly in the flesh. While still having a few bandages plastered to her face and sides, she looked to otherwise be in good health.
"Sweetie Belle!" Rarity lunged for her and hugged her tightly. "Oh darling, I'm so happy you're better! How are you feeling?"
"Um, Rarity-"
"Ah, don't say a thing. I'll treat you to lunch. Your choice!"
"Rarity, I-"
"And after we have lunch, we can work together on some projects, how about that?"
"Rarity!" Sweetie wriggled free from the other unicorn's grasp and forcefully pushed her away.
Dr. O emerged. "Sweetie has something she'd like to say."
A pause hung in the air. Rarity and Mandy both fell silent, staring at a nervous-looking Sweetie.
"Rarity...while I was being treated by Dr. O...I was thinking. About how I want to become a Doctor. About what you and Mandy said to me. About the fight with the creature. And...and…"
The filly squeezed her eyes shut. No one said a word for a few moments.
"I don't wanna become an Odd Squad Doctor anymore!"
The declaration rung through the entire bullpen. Agents looked up for only a moment, but otherwise returned to their tasks and duties. Rarity's eyes widened, as did Mandy's and Dr. O's.
"B-b-but Sweetie Belle, you were so passionate! You were studying so hard! What happened?" Rarity asked, in a tone that demonstrated genuine shock rather than anything superficial.
"Actually it was Mandy that got me thinking." Sweetie looked at the hybrid. "She said I should consider if going into another department would be a good change of pace for me. And she said I’m doing great as an Investigation agent with Apple Bloom and Scootaloo. I turned down her advice at first, but after thinking about it...I realized that she was right."
Mandy's head tilted. "I was?"
Sweetie made eye contact with Dr. O next, giving him a grateful smile. "Dr. O, thank you for treating me. You and the other Doctors are really great, and I love that you help so many agents here!" She shook her head. "But being a Doctor isn’t for me. My destiny is to be with the other Crusaders, kicking odd butt and helping other people and other ponies, not healing my coworkers." A frown danced on her features. "Is it possible I could be taken out of the running for being your assistant?"
Dr. O nodded. "Of course."
With that taken care of, Sweetie turned to the other two girls. "Rarity, Mandy, I'm sorry. I should have listened to both of you earlier."
"It's all right, darling. So long as you're safe." Rarity looked at the ground. "And...I suppose I should apologize as well. It was wrong of me to try and stop you from achieving your dreams." And then, back at Sweetie, with a smile. "Sisters should support each other, no matter what the endeavor!"
Mandy, trying hard not to cry, squeezed her eyes shut for a moment to prevent any tears from falling. When she opened them again, her gaze landed on Sweetie. "Are you doing okay after the attack?"
"Yeah. I was in a lot of pain."
"She had quite a few broken and bruised bones and some internal bleeding. I would imagine she got hit pretty hard. Regardless, she can’t go on cases until she gets better." Dr. O explained.
Rarity put a supportive hoof on her sister's shoulder. "It's for the best, darling. Once you get better, then you can show Ms. O more of your incredible potential!"
"Oh yeah!" Mandy perked up. "Speaking of Ms. O, Sweetie...she told me yesterday she wanted to see you."
The happiness got sapped out of Sweetie quickly, causing her to give a disheartened "Oh..."
"Rarity, why don't you go with her to the office?" Mandy suggested. "I dunno if she's available, but it doesn't hurt to check!"
"Of course. Come along."
Sweetie watched Rarity take a few hoofsteps, then reluctantly followed, her ears folding downwards out of nervousness.
Dr. O gave an exhale. "So. Tomorrow's the day."
"Huh?"
"When I choose my new assistant."
It took a minute for what Dr. O was saying to click in Mandy's head. "Oh! That's tomorrow!" She rubbed the back of her head. "Ha...it's been such a wild week." Her tail began bobbing up and down. "Have you decided who you'll pick?"
"Not yet. I'm going to put the candidates through a series of medical knowledge tests. See what they know. Then I'll choose."
"Oooooh, sounds exciting! You can count me there!" Mandy faltered. "I-I mean...y'know, I hafta be there, I'm Oprah's second and all...but yeah, I'll be there!"
"Glad to hear it." Dr. O's eyes widened. "Oh, I meant to ask you this earlier but I completely forgot. Do you mind being my guinea pig tomorrow?"
Mandy's face fell. "Aww, that's the fifteenth time someone’s asked me this year! Bein’ a guinea pig is horrible! They’re cute, but...they’re really not my type of pet…"
"No, no. I'm not talking about a guinea pig, like the animal. I'm talking about a test subject. For the assistant choosing." Dr. O explained. "My assistant will need to know how you function both physically and mentally, and what better way to put their knowledge to the test by using you, yourself, in the flesh as a patient?"
The clarification made Mandy feel a little better, though not by much. She trusted all the Odd Squad Doctors in regards to her health, because she knew what they were doing. But when it came to an agent in a different department entirely who was willing to be a Doctor...that was a different story. Still, she figured Dr. O wouldn't do anything too drastic, but wanted to make sure. "You're not gonna make me hurt myself, are you?"
"No. But we will look through your medical file." Dr. O smiled. "So what do you say?"
"Well...you do make a good point...and I guess it could be kinda fun, if you're just makin' 'em do small stuff." Mandy sighed. "All right, I'll do it."
"Great! We begin at 10AM tomorrow."
Mandy's eyes widened. "Awww, I gotta wake up early?!" she whined, bonking her head against the window and letting her body slump to the ground.
Dr. O was, of course, indifferent, his smile never wavering. "If you fall asleep, it'll give the candidates more of a challenge." His expression lit up with an idea, then a second later, returned to normal upon axing said idea.
"Ugh. No thanks." Mandy slowly rose to her feet. "The last time I fell asleep in front of a crowd I woke up to a ripe juicy tomato lodged in my mouth while tied above an open fire. That...that was terrible. Never again."
Dr. O watched her shudder, his expression changing to one of concern and worry as he wondered just what, exactly, led Mandy to nearly become roasted on an open fire. Ultimately, though, he shoved it to the wayside. Mandy got herself in weird situations; he knew that much. "All right. Well, see you then!"
Mandy waved and watched him duck back inside the room, closing the door behind him. She dragged her feet towards the bullpen and watched the life go by, ruffling her hair.
"Well this should be fun." she muttered, just before her pony ears perked up and swiveled towards the direction of Oprah's office. Curiosity overtaking her, she went upstairs, ducked behind the jutted-out portion of the wall that sat just before the office, and peered inside, listening to the muffled conversation between Oprah and Sweetie with Rarity as a chaperone.
"What you did wasn’t okay, Sweetie Belle. You ignored a client in need and focused on a different odd issue entirely -- one that was out of your control, instead of calling for backup."
"I know. I'm sorry." Sweetie apologized. "It won't happen again, I promise!"
"It better not." Oprah adjusted her position on the couch. "As punishment, I am putting you off the clock."
"Off the clock?"
"For a month, you will not be allowed to solve cases, whether alone or with the other Crusaders, under any circumstances. If you disregard this punishment then I won’t hesitate to extend it until you comply. Do you understand?"
"Yes. I understand."
"In addition, you are officially out of the running for becoming an Odd Squad Doctor and moving to the Medical department. You’ll remain an Investigation agent as you always have been."
Sweetie nodded. "That's fair."
"Thank odd you or the others weren't killed." Oprah exhaled. "Now go and rest up."
"Thank you, Ms. O."
The two ponies turned to leave. "Come now, Sweetie." Rarity said. "You may use my bed in the meantime."
With nothing else left to see, Mandy descended the stairs and began heading for her desk. When she got there, however, she was interrupted by Apple Bloom and Scootaloo making their way up to her.
"Mandy!" Bloom called, waving a hoof. "How's Sweetie Belle? Is she doin' okay?"
"I'd say she's doin' fine!" Mandy chirped in response. "She, uh...she's out of Dr. O's office. He ordered her to rest up so her injuries can get better."
"What a relief!" Scootaloo remarked, placing a hoof on her chest.
"Oh, uh, you two should be aware that she's 'off the clock' as well."
Bloom tilted her head. "Whaddya mean?"
"Simply put, she can't solve cases, whether by herself or with you two, for a month. Oprah punished her with that."
"Sounds pretty harsh. But it'll give her plenty of time t' rest up!"
"Yeah! Apple Bloom and I can handle cases for a while." Scootaloo nudged her partner, who gave her a smile. "We just got back from battling a rampaging kiwi!"
"With arms and legs and everythin'!" Bloom added. "It was so cool!"
"And did you eat it?"
Scootaloo rolled her eyes. "Duh, of course we did! I didn't know kiwis could taste so sweet!"
"They ain't better than apples, though."
Mandy smiled. "Well, that's good to hear. Don't forget that Dr. O's choosing his new assistant tomorrow. Even if Sweetie's not going to be in the running, you two should come anyway."
"Huh? Sweetie's not gonna be a Doctor?"
"Nope. Oprah forbid her from becoming an Odd Squad Doctor."
Scootaloo seemed disappointed by this news, but ultimately gave a nod. "Fine. I guess we'll come."
"Yeah, I wanna see who Dr. O's gonna pick!" Bloom agreed, with a more enthusiastic set of nods.
"Apple Bloom! Scootaloo! In my office, now!"
As the two fillies said their goodbyes to Mandy and booked it up the stairs, the hybrid turned back to her desk, took a seat, and began to get started on her paperwork. She couldn't deny that she was excited to find out who Dr. O was going to pick, even if she was a test subject for the competition that had to wake up early. That excitement kept her going throughout the day, all the way until bedtime.
"May I have your attention, please?"
The murmuring among the crowd of agents gathered in the bullpen stopped. A proud Dr. O stood on the seal, surrounded by a raised stage and two booths hidden behind curtains.
"Last week, I announced that I was looking for an assistant to help me out in the Medical department. After much consideration, I am proud to announce that I have narrowed the choices down to three candidates, whom are as follows." He cleared his throat. "Agent Orit, from the Science department!"
From off to the side walked a Scientist whose brown hair looked like he rolled out of bed without bothering to brush it. However, his smile was rather charming to those that interacted with him. He waved to the applauding crowd before taking a spot on the stage.
"Agent Olaila, from the Investigation department!"
Next to make her grand appearance was a girl with long strawberry-blonde hair, secured with a red bow at the top. She, too, waved to the applauding crowd before going to stand next to Orit, exchanging a wave with him.
"And last but not least, Agent Oswell from the Security department!"
It took a few seconds for Oswell to come out, but when he did, he did so with his hands and arms grasped tightly around him. He walked slowly, not bothering to acknowledge the crowd and offering up a nervous lopsided grin before he nervously gave a wave to his other two fellow competitors.
As the applause died down, Dr. O turned to face the stage. "Now. I will pose three questions to you. Your job is to answer them correctly. Understand?"
The unisonant cry of "Yes!" rung throughout the area.
"Then let's begin!"
The crowd erupted into excited applause. One could get excited just from being in the hallways, the vibes were intense.
A few Doctors brought a large silver table to the stage and set it down. They then reached into their own respective hammerspaces and pulled out all sorts of medical tools and ingredients, from liter jars that were older than old to leaves from some of the precinct's most exotically odd plants to fluids from some of the precinct's most exotically odd creatures, and everything in between.
"First of all, I'd like you to mix up the correct antidote for a patient that has been sprayed by the Flapperflorp plant." Dr. O pointed. "Aaaaand go!"
Immediately the three contestants got to work. Orit and Oswell stumbled behind the ever-efficient and ever-speedy Olaila, who began measuring out ingredients and mixing them like it was complete second nature to her. The crowd collectively cringed when Oswell managed to break a beaker, with the three Doctors who had performed the setup for the contest shaking their heads and facepalming in disapproval.
"I've got it!" Olaila said, holding up her mixture. "One cup of green tea, one cup of Squanzo Bonzo tears, and one cup of bay leaves!"
"That is correct!"
The crowd applauded, and Olaila blushed with joy as she took a bow. Orit and Oswell, ever the good sports, applauded as well, before they wished each other the best of luck in the next competition.
"Now, for the second challenge." Dr. O announced, only barely listening as the Doctors batted cleanup and got things ready for the final competition -- the second one would require no tools whatsoever. "Each of you, pick three diseases from the list shown in front of you."
With three separate dings, three scrolls dropped down from the air, dangling in front of the contestants.
"Your job is to tell me what treatments are available for those diseases. When I call on you, give your answers. Go!"
Each contestant scrolled through the extensive list, which contained a host of diseases of both the odd and normal kinds. The Doctors fixated on Oswell in particular, whose knees were knocking together. Clearly, he wasn't as accustomed to public speaking as Orit and Olaila were, who approached the list with more confidence.
"Ooh, this is so exciting!" Pinkie murmured from where she was standing beside Peaches in the crowd, trying to resist trotting in place.
"Yeah, I wonder what they're gonna pick." Peaches' tail wagged back and forth as she eyed the contestants with excitement.
Dr. O waited for a minute or two, then pointed at the first contestant. "Oswell!"
"Y-yes!"
"Please state the name of your diseases and what treatments a patient can receive for those diseases."
"Um...okay." Oswell took a deep breath and watched as the scroll rolled itself back up and disappeared. "Allergies, like those to pollen and pet hair, can be remedied with...with..."
His eyes widened. The crowd looked on nervously, unaware that the Security agent's nervousness was due to their heavy stares.
Still, he pressed on. "With allergy medications. Um...s-stomach aches, which can be caused by things like gas or viruses. Depending on the cause of the stomach ache, patients...can take various things, like supplements, and...um…"
Another pause. The Doctors exchanged looks. No one knew what emotions the looks had.
"Um...t-they...they can...they should chew their food slowly. And vomiting, which can be caused by...u-u-um...motion sickness or food poisoning."
"Good." Dr. O nodded and set his sights on the next contestant. "Orit?"
"Oh! Uh..." Orit cleared his throat, blinking in surprise as he saw his scroll roll up and disappear. "Uh, I’d like to start off with chicken pox. It’s caused by a virus and the disease can simply progress through your body. Pneumonia, which is caused from standing out in bad weather for too long and inhaling germs and can be treated by taking antibiotics. And float-itis, which can make you float and is treated by eating something heavy to balance your weight, like pound cake."
"Good." Dr. O turned to the next contestant. "And finally, Olaila."
The girl nodded with confidence and began. "I’d like to start with Lyme disease, which is a tick-borne illness. If you have Lyme disease, the best course of action is to take antibiotics which can come via intravenously or by taking them orally. Next is cellphone tooth, which can be caused by consumption of a badge phone and turns your tooth into a cellphone, and can be cured by making a call on a cellphone the usual way. And finally, measles, otherwise known as rubeola, a highly contagious virus. Um...measles doesn’t really have a tried-and-true treatment, but people can either get vaccinated against measles within 3 days of getting it, or they can get these protein shots. I think they’re called “immune serum globulin” or something like that. If the patient in question is an infant."
Silence fell. The crowd, the Doctors, the other contestants, and Dr. O all stared at Olaila with awe. The only word that was uttered from his mouth was a simple "Good!" which got the crowd riled up, cheering and applauding as best they could.
"Wow, Olaila's pretty good!" Twilight remarked.
Applejack smiled and nodded. "Tell me about it. She's got some whip-smarts, I can tell ya that much."
When everyone fell quiet, Dr. O spoke again. "And finally, for the last competition, I have a special guest to help me out. Please give a warm welcome to Agent Mandy, from the Investigation department!"
From the steel double-doors came an ever-energetic Mandy, bouncing up to the stage as she took in the crowd's raucous cheers like a sponge to water. She leaped up into the air and did a few spins before gracefully landing on her feet in front of the other contestants and topping it all off with a flourished bow. "Hiya, folks!"
"As I'm sure you're all aware, Mandy is a pony-human hybrid, and her body functions a little differently from most humans and most ponies." Dr. O gestured to the three contestants. "I would like for you three to each examine her to the best of your ability. You are free to do whatever you like, as long as it’s nothing drastic. And please, do keep it short." He pointed to the silver table next to the metal chair. "Your tools are located on the table next to Mandy. Olaila and Oswell, please step into the soundproof booths over there. I’ll come get you when it’s your turn."
Both contestants nodded and hopped off the stage, each giving the final remaining one a thumbs-up before ducking into the booths and closing the curtains behind them. Mandy took a seat in the metal chair, shivering at how cold it was.
"Orit, you're up first."
"All right." Orit approached the hybrid and exchanged a smile with her. "Okay, so this is a physical." He glanced at her wings. "Um...great wings you got there. May I feel them?"
"Sure!" Mandy chirped, spreading her wings wide. This got a few murmurs from the crowd, particularly from those who weren't all too familiar with the hybrid's wingspan.
As Orit gently felt the feathers on her left wing, he tilted his head. "You can fly with these?"
"Sure can! They're very durable."
"Uh-huh." Orit began to put a little pressure on the wing, glancing at Mandy nervously to make sure he wasn't causing her harm. To his relief, she was as happy as she could be. "And have you been doing wing exercises, by any chance? Building up their strength?"
Mandy blinked. "Oh. I, uh...never thought of that, actually."
"Why don't you contact Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Twilight about those?" Orit suggested. "They might have some good tips for you."
"Will do!"
Orit nodded. "All right. For the final thing, I'm going to test your reflexes, okay?" He grabbed a reflex hammer from the side table. "Just relax."
He knocked each of Mandy's knees twice, flinching as he saw her feet kick out in the same way they would if she was on a swing. "Can you do it again?" she chirped.
"Ah...n-no." Orit gave a nervous laugh as he put the hammer down. "And that's it! You're all set. Feel free to come see me with any questions, okay?"
"Yep yep!"
The crowd applauded as Orit stepped off of the stage and went towards the booths, glancing back at Dr. O to see who he was going to pick next.
"Oswell? Come on up."
The Security agent and the Scientist traded places, with the former giving the latter a "good luck" before he slipped into the booth. Nervously, Oswell slid up to the stage, giving a meek wave to the crowd before his eyes fell on Mandy.
Every inch of his body locked up.
Mandy looked friendly and approachable, but in his eyes, she looked about ready to eat his head off if he took one more step towards her. In his anxiety-ridden mind, he saw her with red irises, sharp teeth, and equine ears curled in such a way to resemble devil's horns.
The hybrid frowned and tilted her head. Just as she opened up her mouth to speak, however...
"I-I'm sorry! I concede, I concede! I-I-I can't!"
Oswell darted off of the stage and went down the hallway, much to the surprise and confusion of the audience as well as Mandy, Dr. O, and the Doctors.
"Well that was a thing that happened, huh?" Mandy quipped, like she was a comedienne on stage at a show.
"I, uh..." Dr. O glanced at Mandy. "All right, then. We accept Oswell's, uh...resignation." He made his way over to the booths. "Olaila? Why don't you come on out?"
The last contestant strode out of the booths, garnering a round of applause from the audience that was less than enthusiastic due to what Oswell had done. The girl didn't flinch, however, and instead made her way over to Mandy.
"Hi there, Mandy! How are you feeling today?"
Mandy stretched her body out. "If I'm bein' honest, a little tired." She exhaled. "Waking up earlier than usual isn't for me."
"I see. And have you been getting enough sleep?"
"Yeah!" Mandy chirped. "There are times where I wake up in the middle of the night though, usually from some weird dream I had or if I'm hungry or I need to go to the bathroom, stuff like that, but I'm always able to get right back to sleep after."
"Mm." Olaila grabbed a tongue depressor. "Can you open your mouth and give a big 'aah' for me?"
Mandy complied. Befitting her tendency to flair things up, her "aah" was in a gorgeous B note that stretched on even long after Olaila removed the tool.
"Mandy? You can stop now."
The hybrid closed her mouth, leaving her tongue sticking out.
"And, uh, pull your tongue back in for me, please."
The tongue went back in.
"Now, we're almost done, okay? I'm just going to check your heart real quick." Olaila reached for the stethoscope. "Try to relax."
As Olaila put the earpieces in and placed the tool's bell on Mandy's chest, her eyes widened in shock. "My...goodness, that's...normal!" She stared at the beaming Mandy. "I had expected it to be faster!"
"Really?" Mandy tilted her head. "I feel just fine! It is a little scary being up here and getting checked on with all these lovely folks starin' at me..." She gave a meek wave. "...but I'll live! I've been through so much worse."
"You certainly have." Olaila removed the stethoscope and set it down on the table, then reached for a syringe that held nothing in it. "How do you feel about shots?" Upon seeing Mandy's eyes widen, she chuckled. "Not a fan, huh? That's okay. Truth be told, I'm not fond of them, either." She glanced at the Doctors that stood off to the side. "One of you wouldn't happen to have a painting, would you?"
The Doctors exchanged shrugs. One of them reached behind their back and pulled out a sizeable painting that took her and the other two Doctors just to hold.
"Wonderful. Thank you." Olaila turned back to Mandy. "Look at the painting, okay? This syringe has nothing but air, so don't worry, I'm not injecting some weird virus into you or anything." She began looking at her patient's arm. "Take deep breaths, and relax."
Mandy bit her lip, but ultimately forced her body to relax and turn towards the painting.
"Three, two, one..."
Mandy's hair and tail bushed up, as it usually tended to do whenever she got an injection. She bit back a sharp yelp.
"And we're done!" Olaila reached over and grabbed a small square patch of gauze and a bandage, placing the gauze on the spot where she injected Mandy and taping it with the bandage. "There you go, all patched up!"
No response. Mandy's gaze was fully fixated on the painting.
"Ah, you three can put the painting away now." Olaila waved them off, before moving her hand up and down in front of Mandy's face. "Mandy? I have a reward for you! Don't you want a lollipop?"
Still no response. Even though the Doctors were struggling to get it back into hammerspace, Mandy still stared.
Olaila rolled her eyes and laughed. "Ah, I see what this is. This is an extra challenge, isn't it?" She winked at Dr. O, who looked just as confused as about half of the crowd. "All right, I accept."
Cracking her knuckles, she pulled out a tablet and tapped on it a few times. When she held it up to Mandy's face, a butterfly was flying about on the screen.
The hybrid's eyes moved away and became fully fixated on the butterfly, as though it was dragging her in with an alluring trance. All she was missing was the spirals in her eyes for a true hypnotic effect.
"That's it. Right this way." Olaila murmured, slowly moving the tablet until Mandy's head was facing the entire crowd. She glanced at the side and found the ON/OFF/SLEEP switch on the tablet, then flicked it to the SLEEP setting.
"Hey, where's the butterfly?!" Mandy whined. "Aww, it was so pretty and everything!"
The crowd oohed and aahed. Olaila tuned them out. "Mandy? I asked you if you'd like a lollipop, and I'll ask you again. Would you like one, as a reward for being a good patient?"
"A lolly? Really?!" Mandy nodded furiously. "Oh, Momma never lets me have lollies anymore! She says I steal too many from the banks." She could feel saliva beginning to build in her mouth. "What flavors ya got?"
"Oh, I have every flavor you can think of. I always carry around several lollipops. Sort of as an apology prize for clients I'm unable to help." Olaila reached behind her back. "Name it, and I'll pull it out."
"Cherry!"
Olaila blinked, having thought Mandy would go for a more exotic flavor. "Okay, well...cherry it is!" She pulled out a small cherry lollipop. "Here you are."
"Ooooh!" Mandy began tearing into the food like it was a Christmas present. "Thank you!" Her tail wagged back and forth as she stuck the lollipop into her mouth, happily sucking on it.
Olaila turned to face the crowd and bowed. "That concludes my checkup. Thank you."
The crowd began applauding. Dr. O did as well, a rather elated look on his face.
"Very good, Olaila!" He waited until the noise died down before he cleared his throat and continued, only barely registering Orit emerging from his booth. "Now, I will announce the 'winner', so to speak." He adjusted his lanyard. "The agent who will be my new assistant is..."
A drumroll sounded from somewhere. No one needed to guess the identity of the agent in the metal chair who had conjured up a drum set for the suspenseful flair.
"...Agent Olaila!"
The decision was rather predictable, but that certainly didn't sway the crowd any. Cheers and applause erupted to the point where, if it got any louder, a cinder block or two would be set to come loose. Olaila's eyes widened as she looked at the crowd, then to Dr. O, then to Mandy, then to Orit, who was also applauding her and giving a nod that truly showed how much of a graceful loser he was.
"Oh my gosh...I was actually chosen!" she exclaimed.
"Hey." Orit walked up to her and held out his hand. "You did a great job. Best of luck to you."
"Th-thanks!" Olaila responded, slowly taking the hand and giving it a few firm shakes. "You did great too, Orit. This was fun!"
Dr. O was the next to offer his congratulations, with Olaila uttering another round of thanks. Once again, he waited until the cheers and hollers had turned down to murmurs, and then completely died down to nothingness. He gestured to Olaila to speak, giving her a reassuring smile.
"Um..." Olaila nervously cleared her throat and tugged on her collar. "Ever since I became an Investigation agent, I started to wonder if my skill lied in solving cases. But through failure after failure, I began to realize that this department wasn’t the right one for me. I tried to see if there were other departments I could fit in, but...none piqued my interest. So when I heard that Dr. O was opening up a spot for a new assistant, I decided to go for it. And I realize that I was never meant to be an Investigation agent. I was meant to be an Odd Squad Doctor." She straightened up and smiled. "I’m proud to have the chance to work alongside Dr. O and heal the agents of Precinct 13579 and the clients that they come across on a daily basis. Thank you."
A few agents in the crowd began chanting the new assistant's name amidst a flurry of cheers. Dr. O quieted them down with a hand gesture. "I'd like to extend thanks to Agents Oswell and Orit, as well as everyone else who volunteered. On behalf of the Medical department, I wish you all good luck in your future endeavors!"
The crowd applauded once more before agents began to split, heading off in different directions.
"Hey!" came a shrill voice, followed by a "Pardon me, 'scuse me, nngh!" as a white filly darted in between agents. Finally, she got to the front of the stage and paused to catch her breath before she flung her head upwards to look at the agent in the position she had once yearned for. "Olaila!"
"Hmm? Oh, Agent Sweetie Belle!"
"Congrats!"
"Thank you!" Olaila hopped off of the stage.
"Um..." Sweetie rubbed her leg. "And good job out there. Your story's kinda similar to mine, actually."
"It is?"
Sweetie nodded. "See, I wanted to become an Odd Squad Doctor because I wasn’t sure where I fit in. And I wanted a change from being an Investigation agent. I thought being a part of the Medical department was a good choice, but...it wasn’t. My talent isn’t healing other agents. It’s solving cases and kicking odd in the butt!" She sighed. "I guess you could say that I had the opposite problem you had."
Olaila smiled. "Well, I'm glad you found your place here, Sweetie Belle. And I can see you're a little wounded."
"Yeah. I got into a fight with an odd creature a couple days ago. But I'm getting better." Sweetie tenderly touched the bandage on her cheek. "I know I'm supposed to be resting, but I really wanted to see who the new assistant was gonna be. And I think you'll do great!"
"I sure hope so! I'm gonna try my best!" Olaila rubbed Sweetie's head. "I hope you try your best too."
"You know I will!"
The pair exchanged hearty laughter. Sweetie felt the happiest she had felt in quite a while, her heart being lifted with joy like that of a sweet treat made out of whipped chocolate.
"Sweetie Belle, darling!" came a familiar silky voice from the right-side hallway. "Come now, let's get you back to bed, all right?"
Sweetie turned and gave a sigh. "Gotta go. Hopefully I'll see you around!"
"You certainly will. Get better soon!"
Olaila watched the filly dart off towards her sister, only becoming faintly aware of a tapping on her shoulder after a while. "Oh, Dr. O!" She smiled. "I assume I need some additional training before I officially switch departments?"
"Yes. We start first thing tomorrow. Be prepared and rest up."
"Will do!" Olaila gave him a wave as he left, yelping in surprise when she felt her stomach being squeezed and her being hoisted into the air.
"Olaila!" The high-pitched voice was unmistakable. "Congrats to you!"
"Ah, t-thank you, Mandy!" Olaila coughed. "But maybe you could, um...p-put me down?"
"Oh, right. Sorry!" Mandy complied. "So how'd you get so good at treating me?"
Olaila gave a bemused smile. "Surely Dr. O told you he was going to have all the candidates look through your medical file?"
A pause. Mandy blinked. Let her tail twitch in thought. And then the realization settled in. "Ohhhhh." She nervously laughed. "Forgot about that!"
Olaila laughed too, only her laugh was more out of amusement. She rubbed Mandy's head, causing the hybrid's tongue to stick out. "You're a real handful, Mandy. I think I'm gonna really challenge myself when it comes to you and your care."
"Yeah you are!" Mandy bounced up and down. "You treating me...it was kinda like how Momma used to treat my wounds and give me checkups and stuff." Her expression turned into one of pure bliss as she landed and began swaying from side to side dreamily. "That same motherly touch...so soothing..."
"I've heard that before." Olaila exhaled. "Anyway, I'm gonna head off. I've got training tomorrow, and I'll need to study all I can!"
"If you have any questions, ask Oprah!"
"Got it." Olaila waved. "See you around!"
Mandy gave her enthusiastic goodbye to the new assistant.
Inside the Bedroom, Rarity had finished tucking Sweetie into bed and was heading for the door.
"Rarity, where are you gonna sleep?" Sweetie's words were a tired slur, and her half-lidded eyes reflected the same feeling.
"Don't worry, darling. I'll find something." Rarity murmured. "You just get some rest."
"All right." Sweetie's words were punctuated by a yawn as she snuggled deeper into the sheets.
Rarity couldn't help but let her smile grow. "Sweet dreams, my little Sweetie Belle." Her words were a mere whisper as she left the room and closed the door behind her, and her heart swelled with joy as she thought to herself just how lucky she was to have such an outgoing and, dare she say, sweet little sister.
A few seconds later, she opened the door back up again, and levitated a small purple-and-yellow dress adorned with all sorts of musical notes towards her nightstand, where it would sit until its recipient woke up from her slumber.