In Odd We Trust

by marmalado

The Concern/Plan

The next day, work resumed as normal despite the shocking announcement Ms. O gave regarding Odd Todd's return. Many agents were still shaken up from the last time the ex-agent attacked, while others spread rumors that the six ponies would save them all-- something said ponies didn't take a liking to.

Otto and Pinkie Pie were a dream team, and at times when their respective partners were away, they would listen to Soundcheck songs, crack jokes, and eat lots of sweet treats. Pinkie shared baking tips and hard-hitting jokes with Otto, and in return, he taught her the joy of music and how to be serious when the situation required. Twilight made special note of the budding friendship, making a mental note in particular to ask Celestia about friendships across dimensions.

As Pinkie was telling Otto about the time Rarity got her head stuck in a flower pot (no thanks to being a victim of Rainbow Dash's latest risky stunt), the automatic doors opened, and in staggered a tired wreck of an agent. All laughing ceased right then and there.

"Agent Olive?" Pinkie Pie asked, her head tilting to one side. "You don't look so good."

Indeed, Agent 63 didn't look well. Her navy-blue jacket was off, her chocolate-brown eyes were a bit bloodshot, and her corkscrew ponytail was undone so long brunette waves fell a little past her shoulders -- a hairstyle she hadn't donned since she was young.

"I'm perfectly fine, Pinkie Pie." she replied, her tone near snappy and impatient, her voice in and of itself sounding strained and tired.

"Are you sure you got enough sleep last night?" Otto asked, naturally concerned for his partner's well-being.

"I'm fine." Her tone took on a less snappy emotion, considering this was her partner she was responding to. She took a seat at her desk and cleared away her supplies, setting down a book she wasn't carrying when she walked in. It landed with a hard thump, making both Pinkie's and Otto's eyes grow wide.

"Well, um...if you say so!" This earned Pinkie a glare from Otto, as he made a gesture to let him handle this issue. The pink Earth pony nodded, heading back to her own desk, which had been built only a week ago and was easily a standout among the others with party decorations strewn about its surfaces.

Otto moved his chair closer to his friend, fixing her with a serious brown glare. "Olive." His tone was sympathetic, but stern. He wanted answers, and he was going to get them, no matter how stubborn she was going to be.

"I told you I'm fine."

"No you're not. What happened to your jacket? Why is your hair not in a ponytail like it usually is? Why are there wrinkles under your eyes?" He paused. "I want answers, Olive. And I'm not accepting 'no'."

Nearly half a minute passed before Olive realized that it was fruitless to argue with Otto. For all his pros, he was a persistent little bugger. She sighed and fixed him with a tired stare, one with a small tinge of worry that made the 10-year-old flinch.

"I'm scared. About Odd Todd."

I should have known. Otto know his partner well enough to know that the only time she looked as stressed out as she did right now was when she was fretting over her old partner. It was a 'well duh' moment that made him mentally laugh at himself for being so stupid.

But it was fleeting, and he fixed his partner with another serious stare. "Olive. Odd Todd won't hurt you. We've beat him once, twice, three times. And we can do it again. I know we can."

"But with the ponies we run an even greater risk!" Olive practically shouted. "What if he kidnaps them? Goes to their world to wreak havoc? Turns them on us?"

"Shh!" Otto looked up, noticing a few agents glancing at the partner pair with worried expressions. "This isn't a conversation we should be having here. Let's go somewhere more quiet."

Olive obeyed, and she and Otto stood up, making their way towards the one room they knew was one of the quietest in Headquarters.

---

The door creaked open, and Olive and Otto stepped inside. The former nearly tripped on something firm, but squishy, and it took her a few moments to regain her balance.

Their eyes met piles of pillows, some in different colors. The room was most definitely silent, without a doubt. Otto shut the door and led Olive inside, where they took a seat next to each other, reclining against a large pile of pillows. It felt relaxing to the two of them, though Otto silently wished there was soft music playing to fill the void of silence.

But that was a petty complaint compared to the bigger matter at hand.

"Otto..." Surprisingly it was Olive who spoke up, and as she glanced at her partner, he could see tears beginning to well up in her eyes. "I'm terrified. I...I don't want Odd Todd to hurt me again. Or you. Or anyone else." Her voice cracked, which made Otto instinctively reach out his arms and pull his partner close.

However, this only made her break out into quivering sobs, each one sending a shiver down her body, as she went on a run-on sentence about how the ponies were great creatures and she was sorry for hurting them and did you know she wanted to meet Princess Celestia and Princess Luna one day to get advice for her own goal of being Ms. O's eventual successor?

Olive soon went from coherent sentences to full-on blubbering as she clutched Otto close. He could feel his suit being dampened by her tears, and he comforted her however he could, telling her that everyone was safe, they would stop Odd Todd even with the ponies' help, and who knows, maybe the ponies would be valuable assets in stopping other villains, should they choose to stay once the ordeal was over and done with.

It felt like a good portion of the day went by, but when Otto checked his watch it had only been a half-hour. He stared off into space, his mind whirling with thoughts of the future. This could be the biggest battle we've ever fought, or it could be another failed attempt on a minor scale, like with stealing the Flip-Flopper-inator. We don't know with Odd Todd, and that's one of the biggest problems -- he's so unpredictable. A sigh escaped his lips. But I have a feeling that Twilight Sparkle and her friends have more power than they let on. They'll help us no matter what happens. Fluttershy knows just how dangerous he can be -- I just hope the others know too.

He was interrupted in his thoughts by the sound of a soft snore. He sat up and glanced around, wondering if there was an unsuspecting agent who somehow overheard their conversation before falling asleep. Oh no. I hope not. I don't think Ms. O would be too pleased to see one of her best agents an emotional mess.

Then he heard a small thump. It was Olive, laying on her side, her stomach rising and falling in an almost rhythmic motion.

Otto smiled. The agent whom he considered his big sister more than anything else had succumbed to her exhaustion. Somehow, he knew it was inevitable -- he had seen what all-nighters did to her, and oftentimes, they ended with her falling asleep standing up, or even on Ms. O's desk in one particular instance (the Director did not take kindly to that...he still remembered her harsh scolding from that day).

It was lucky that behind his back, he had a blanket, one of the plush ones he had gotten at the Shmumbermart for no reason other than to feel how soft it was, not bothering to open the package until he had been freezing cold one winter night and decided to use it.

He didn't regret it.

He stood up with a small grunt, laying the blanket on top of Olive as she mumbled something unintelligible in her sleep. Grabbing a pillow from the pile he and Olive had been reclining on and placing it under her head, he kept a small smile dancing on his face as she stretched out her body like a cat before sighing happily and continuing to softly snore away, lost in the world of Dreamland.

A loud knock interrupted the mood, one that Otto knew too well. He raced to the door as quickly as his feet would carry him, but he didn't get a chance to open it, as one certain pink pony didn't have much of a patience streak.

"Hey, Otto! The big boss lady wants to see y- mmph!"

Her words were cut short by Otto, who placed a hand over the pony's maw as she still struggled to speak, her cerulean eyes darting to and fro. Eventually she stopped, which made Otto remove his hand, fixing her with a glare that could melt steel.

"Pinkie, don't you know how to enter a room quietly? Olive's fast asleep and you're gonna wake her up!" he hissed through gritted teeth, shooting a glance at his partner, who continued to lightly snore, but made no other movements. Internally, he sighed in relief.

Pinkie's gaze turned apologetic. "Sorry! But Ms. O came down and asked me to get you! She says it's important!" Her voice was a whisper now, having gotten the hint.

"I'll be there momentarily. I'm gonna take Olive to the Bedroom, so she can sleep in peace. Without being interrupted by obnoxiously loud agents." Normally, Otto would forgive Pinkie for any mistakes she made -- and believe you me, she made a lot of mistakes. But this was Olive. Otto's best friend, practically his sibling moreso than his teammate. He knew she needed sleep, and if he had to go so far as to hurt someone to do so, then that was what he would do.

Pinkie knew that behind Otto's fun-loving, loose exterior, he had a hell of a mean streak inside of him that came out whenever anyone hurt one of his loved ones. And even she knew that meant Olive -- a person the party pony had learned was one of the most important people to Otto. Muttering out a "sorry", she stepped outside and watched as Otto took careful steps towards Olive, lifting her up until he was carrying her bridal-style, the blanket still draped over her. Making sure she was quiet, Pinkie waited until Otto got outside to shut the door, using her prehensile tail to do so.

The two made their way quietly down the hallway, feeling grateful that the Bedroom was only a mere block away from the Pillow Room. As the door creaked open, they were met with two rows of beds on both sides of the room. Some agents were sleeping in beds already, their suits hanging up on coat stands next to their beds and their shoes and socks placed in front of the footboards. Otto opted to place Olive in a bed furthest from the door, similar to choosing a parking space farthest away from any cars. With the help of Pinkie, he got Olive's shoes and socks off and tucked her in, watching as a small smile crept along her face.

Sleep will take her mind off of Odd Todd, Agent 70 thought, as he and Pinkie opted to watch Olive sleep for a beat longer before making their way outside to the hallway.

Shutting the door, both human boy and pony let out a huge sigh of relief. Neither one of them enjoyed being quiet for very long.

"So. You said Ms. O wanted to see me?"

"Yeah! She said it was urgent!"

"Then I'd better get going! Bye, Pinkie!" And with that, Otto tore down the hallway faster than you could say "Dinner's ready!" Pinkie waved goodbye to him, calling after him that she would see him later before returning to her desk.

---

The sound of the glass door slamming open startled Ms. O, who had been fingerpainting and was about to dip her finger in some red paint. Growling, her steely brown gaze settled on Otto, who stopped to catch his breath.

"Where in the name of odd were you?!"

"Sorry, Ms. O! It was an odd emergency I had to deal with." Otto opted not to tell his boss about Olive's fears, realizing that she might want to tell Ms. O herself when the time was right.

"Well, anyway. Close the door and sit down. We need to discuss something important." The Director took a nearby washcloth and wiped her hands clean as she walked over to the light switch on the wall. Flicking it, the lights dimmed with a powering-down noise, the only sources of light being the bullpen beaming into the room and the green nightlights the office provided. Otto sat in a chair, fidgeting with his hands nervously without a word spoken.

"Odd Todd."

Jeez, she's cutting right to the chase. He didn't expect his boss to come straight out and utter a name that was practically synonymous with Satan. It took him a little bit to formulate a question in his mind. "Uh, um...w-what about Odd Todd?"

"We need to do something about him! Something to stop him for good!" Ms. O slammed a fist down on the desk, making Otto, and some of her items, jump a little.

"What about if we send one of the ponies to join his Todd Squad?"

"Too risky, it mi-"

Otto instantly regretted his words, and he clapped a hand over his mouth. Similarly, Ms. O also stopped, replaying her agent's suggestion in her head, over and over. The two stayed eerily still for a few minutes before the Director nodded. "That's not a bad idea. If they get in and find out what Odd Todd is planning, we can stop him before he has a chance to do any major damage."

She had a point, one that Otto nodded along to. Feeling a bit calmer now, he asked, "Who should we send?"

"Hmm..." Ms. O was the next to fidget with her hands as she thought long and hard. It was a tough decision -- she didn't get to know the ponies as well as her agents, and she heard it was because they felt intimidated by her. It was hard to judge who would be the right fit for the job.

"We could send Agent Pinkie Pie."

"Too fun-loving. I have a feeling she's not good at stealth."

"Fluttershy? She's met with Odd Todd before."

"Too...timid."

"Fair point. Uh...Rarity?"

"I feel like she would be better at defense than offense." Ms. O shook her head, a frown plastered onto her face as she knew that her choices were slim. She already shot down three ponies, which left three more.

"Applejack? Rainbow Dash? Twilight Sparkle?"

The three most obvious candidates. She took another moment to ponder. Rainbow Dash is strong and dependable, but she tends to rush into things head-first. Not a good fit. The girl mentally crossed the rainbow-maned Pegasus off her list. Applejack...she's strong too. Honest, leader-like. But... Why was Ms. O doubting herself? Sure, she had never had a 1-on-1 talk with the mare, but she knew that she was well on her way to becoming one of the Director's best agents. Still, the cons outweighed the risks in her mind. She may be diligent, but she can be stubborn too. I want things to go exactly as plan, an agent who won't disobey or doubt that I know what I'm doing. Someone who's done their research and acts with brains.

Someone like...Agent Twilight Sparkle.

A fist colliding with the desk sent Otto out of his own separate thoughts, making him jump again. "Twilight. Twilight is the pony I will send." Ms. O got up from her chair and wandered over to the juice bar, her stance rigid.

Otto opened his mouth as though to protest, but instead he opted for agreement. "All right. I don't doubt your decision, Ms. O."

"Good." The millennia-old ruler took a pair of tongs, placing ice cubes in a small glass before opening a juice box and pouring her favorite flavor in it: fruit punch. "Go and tell Twilight I want to see her in my office. NOW!"

Without another word, Otto stood up, turned on his heels, and obediently left the office to fetch the Princess of Friendship.

---

It was getting late, and many agents had already left for the evening, leaving the bullpen mostly quiet. Otto had taken the time after his meeting with Ms. O to get some paperwork done, distracting his mind of the problem that weighed on the backs of everyone who worked at Odd Squad. Throughout the day he had checked on Olive, surprised when, after the last 3 times, he found her still fast asleep. He began to grow worried that she had been afflicted with some disease, like sleep-itis -- which was known to affect insomniacs specifically. But he told himself not to worry and took his mind off things the same way he always did: with paperwork and Soundcheck.

Too bad that not even the all-popular boy band could drown out the loud muffled yelling that came from Ms. O's office every now and again. It almost seemed conveniently timed for when a song ended and there was a brief period of dead air before the next song began.

And it made Otto concerned.

He was absentmindedly staring at the glass double-doors, blocking out the noise around him -- which surprised Olive, the agent who had finally arisen from her lengthy slumber and exited the side hallway nearest her desk.

"Hey...Otto." Her greeting was interrupted by a yawn, her wavy hair tousled slightly. She did look a lot better since this morning, and seemed to be back to her normal self.

"Otto?" She repeated her partner's name again, cocking her head slightly as she glanced at him curiously before walking closer to him.

It was only when she practically yelled his name that he snapped out of his trance-like state, blinking at Olive as though he had amnesia and had no clue who she was. "S-sorry, Olive." he stammered out, shaking his head furiously. "It's been a long day. How're you feeling?"

"Great! Never better." Her voice was no longer strained and tired, Otto noticed, and that brought a small smile to his face. But the smile quickly faded away, which rung an alarm in Olive's brain. "What's wrong?"

The sound of the double-doors slamming open rung another alarm in Olive's brain, causing her to yelp in surprise and turn around. Otto stood up with a worried expression on his face.

He knew exactly what was happening, and to him, it was like a nightmare coming true before his eyes.

"No! I-I won't do it! Celestia and Luna...no, Equestria cannot risk losing a princess to someone like him!"

"This isn't a favor, Twilight Sparkle, it's a command!"

"I don't want to risk my life and die at the hands of Odd Todd!"

"If you won't do it then I'll travel to Equestria and get the princesses to do it for me!"

"They would never agree, Ms. O! You would have a war on your hands, a war across worlds. Ponies and humans would be fighting for millennia upon millennia, and there would never be peace. And you know who would be the catalyst for this war? Me, and my five friends. Your agents as well. Do you really want a war to define your leadership? Because I'm sure the princesses don't want a war defining theirs!"

All hostility seemed to linger in the air. The bullpen fell entirely quiet. Olive and Otto shared a worried glance with each other before glancing back at Twilight and their boss.

Ms. O felt like a wrecking ball hit her square in the chest. Her breath caught in her throat as she spotted Olive and Otto glancing at them. Her two best agents were scared, for vastly different reasons. Olive wants Odd Todd gone. It would be the best thing for her mental state, for her overall health. And Otto...

I promised Otto. He cherishes his partner to the moon and back.

"Follow me, Twilight. Please." The Director's voice sounded strained as she moved past Twilight towards the flight of stairs that laid behind the pony, beginning her descent, her head hung low. Twilight, still frustrated from the argument, followed her boss without a word.

"Olive?" Ms. O brought her gaze up slightly to meet her best agent's, who blinked in worry and confusion. "Are you okay..." She stopped, as though struggling to find the correct wording, but picked her request right back up again. "Are you okay telling Twilight about Odd Todd?"

Oh no. And here I thought sleep would help ease Olive's worries about Odd Todd. We wouldn't have to talk about him until the time came. But it looks like my plan is falling apart at the seams. Otto glanced at Olive, who clenched her fists tight.

Until suddenly, she unclenched them.

Her brown eyes took on a rarely-seen emotion, one that Otto knew meant that it was time to get the hell out of Dodge.

He nicknamed it the "Blaze Gaze". And if looks could kill, it would murder a man faster than any weapon ever could.

"I am. I am ready." Olive's voice was rigid, steely. She glanced from Twilight to Ms. O and back again; both employees looked surprised, but said nothing on the 12-year-old's new demeanor as she took a deep breath and began.

She recounted her story. Every detail, down to when she first met Odd Todd at the Odd Squad Academy. Her voice cracked a few times during the spill, Otto noted, but he let her do her thing and didn't dare interfere.

When all was said and done, she capped it off with one last request that told everyone she meant business.

"I want to get rid of Odd Todd. I want to do what it takes to make him pay for what he did to me, to Ms. O, to my partner, to all of Odd Squad. I want to stop him from hurting the ponies, the princesses, and all of Equestria." Her fists clenched again, but this time with a different emotion. "Even if it kills me."

Otto's slack jaw would have fallen clear off his face if there weren't tendons keeping it attached. He stifled a scoff of absolute disbelief and stared at Olive, who shot him a wink and a small smile.

"Well, agent? Do you see why I want this plan enacted?" Ms. O wasted no time in being impressed by Olive's sudden turnaround from being a trauma-stricken agent to a near-blood knight, instead choosing to focus on the matter at hand. Her icy brown gaze bore into Twilight, whose ears folded down in submission. Even though she was an Equestrian princess and stronger than most ponies, nothing was worth Ms. O's wrath.

With a sigh, she nodded. "Okay. I'll go through with the plan."

This eased the tension in the bullpen by quite a bit. "Lovely. Come back up to my office and we can discuss the details." Ms. O spun on her heel and began to make the ascent back up to her balcony-level office. However, Twilight opted to stay behind.

"I'm sorry, Olive. It's just...I barely know a thing about Odd Todd, a-and there are my duties in Equestria, and-"

"Save it." The girl held up a hand. "I understand completely, as long as you go through with it. Now go to Ms. O's office."

It surprised Twilight how quickly Olive accepted her apology, but opted not to speak on it, instead nodding her thanks and trotting towards the stairwell.

Meanwhile, Otto was still slack-jawed and still staring at Olive -- something she took notice of. She laughed, clapping the jaw shut. "All right, we get it, you're surprised. Spill the beans, partner."

"Olive! Y-you were amazing! How- how did...why did..."

"While I was sleeping, I had a dream. A sort of prophetic dream." she mused. "I was standing on the Odd Squad seal with nothing but an orange-colored floodlight shining down on me. A voice told me that I had to stand up for myself, that it was time I stopped living in fear." She took a pause to breathe, then continued. "The voice connected to a figure and I saw that the figure...was me! I was talking to myself. It was...pretty jarring, considering what my dreams are usually about." Normally Olive dreamt of oddities, which wasn't an uncommon dream for many Odd Squad agents. "But this one...it hit me. Hard. I-I'm not sure what it was, Otto, but...in that moment I knew. I knew that something had to change. About me. About this whole deal with my old partner." Her gaze turned softer as she took a seat in her chair, an entranced Otto following her. She glanced up, her eyesight growing blurry as her eyes turned misty.

"I don't want to live with this trauma for the rest of my life, Otto. It's a horrible thing. I want to...get better. So to speak." Olive knew it wasn't something that went away at the snap of a finger -- it could only be managed with the help of therapy, medication, and similar treatments. But she hadn't wanted any of those, instead believing for a while that she deserved to suffer with trauma all her life, to relive the memory of the pienado attack over and over again. "I think I can get better by helping these ponies and saving them from the very person that caused me pain a long time ago."

Now it was Otto's turn to get emotional, his eyesight turning blurry as tears welled up in his eyes. Without a word he lunged for Olive and enveloped her in a tight hug, which surprised her for a brief moment before she returned the gesture, laughing heartily for the first time in a long, long while.

The two stayed in that position for minute after minute in near-wordless silence, with only a mere few powerful words dancing on Otto's lips as he embraced his "sister" lovingly:

"I believe in you, Olive."

Comments

[raven618]

Wow, really emotional chapter.