In Odd We Trust

by marmalado

The Prerequisites

"Do I make myself clear, agent?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Then return to Equestria with your friends and get some rest. You begin tomorrow."

The conversation replayed in Twilight's head over and over again as she and her friends made their way through the portal. As usual, two royal guards were posted at the portal on Equestria's side who glanced briefly at Twilight and her friends, giving them a nod in unison.

The Princess of Friendship had opted not to tell her friends about the plan to deal with Odd Todd, instead hoping to travel to Canterlot to speak with the princesses on the matter. It was quite a shame that Ms. O had only given her a single night to get prepared; Twilight was all about careful planning, but it seemed there would be no time for that.

Waving a quick goodbye to her friends, she took to the sky to meet with the princesses, having no time to waste.

---

"Oh! Twilight! Wonderful to see you." Celestia moved over from her spot by the stained-glass windows in the throne room to greet her former star student, a small smile on her maw, her magenta eyes lighting up. "How is the other side? I have received many letters from you about...what was it called? 'Odd Squad'?" Indeed, every time Twilight came back to Equestria, she had written a letter detailing her experiences of the day, and those of her friends' as well. It intrigued Celestia quite often, as she mused whether it would be fun to surprise the humans on the other side by going through the portal herself. But not only did it seem too small, Luna would often interject, telling her it would be rude to scare them like that.

"Yes, but I've hit a bit of a snag." Twilight tried to calm down as much as she could, but even she couldn't fight the nerves bubbling inside of her. "See, there's a villain who they've been trying to deal with, a particularly harmful one. His name is Odd Todd." Celestia reacted to this news with an interested blink. "They have a plan in place, but to enact it, they need an agent. Ms. O picked me."

This news made the Princess's eyes widen slightly, but it only lasted for a brief moment. "And what is this plan?"

Twilight hesitated, biting her bottom lip and chewing on it in a fit of nervousness before answering.

"They...they want me to join his Todd Squad and overwhelm him with his own oddness."

Celestia knew just how big of a threat Odd Todd was. She didn't need to see him in person to make any judgments; Twilight's letters were proof enough. So hearing that one of her most cherished ponies was being sent out on such a dangerous mission left her in a conflicted state, one that left the room in a near-dead silence.

But she knew that friendship was strong. Friendship could power through most anything. And the tiniest spark inside of her told her that it would power through this villain and his motives, too.

She smiled. "Twilight. I trust this 'Ms. O' in whatever decisions she makes. This plan sounds like a wonderful idea. And having you be the one that stops him is even better."

"What?!"

"Even though you are going about this alone, you will always have your friends to help you. And I believe that friendship may be the key to reforming Odd Todd and stopping him from becoming an even bigger threat."

Twilight opened her mouth to say something in protest, but quickly closed it again. Maybe Celestia is right. Maybe friendship can solve this issue, like it has so many times in the past. If it helped mend relationships with Odd Squad agents...

Maybe it can help defeat Odd Todd too.

"However." Celestia raised a hoof. "You are not the only one that can impact this situation. In your letters you wrote of a girl named 'Olive' and how she was treated horribly by Odd Todd." It had saddened the Princess of the Sun to hear of someone in such a troubled state, even if that "someone" was a human she hadn't met. "If ever you need guidance, turn to her. She will be able to help you."

"But...Ms. O said to do this alone! I-I can't go against her wishes!"

"Ms. O has faith in her best agent. And I'm sure she has faith in you as well."

The assuring words made Twilight think. Yes, Ms. O did have faith in Olive -- that was clear. But did she have faith in the Princess of Friendship? Celestia thought so. And Ms. O had given her a mission. She couldn't let her down.

Taking a deep breath, she nodded. "Okay." Now she had the confirming words of both Princess and Director, and with that done, she could tell her friends as well. "Thank you."

Exchanging a hug with Celestia for what could potentially be the last time, Twilight took off towards her castle back in Ponyville, hoping it wasn't too late to tell her friends about the plan.

When the Princess of Friendship visited each of her friends, she surprisingly found all of them fast asleep, no doubt tired from work. With nothing else to do, she returned to her castle to get a good rest before her mission was set to begin.

---

As Luna lowered the moon and Celestia raised the sun, the six ponies met near the portal to discuss the mission that Twilight was set to go on.

"Are y' sure y' wanna do this, sugarcube?" Applejack asked.

"I must. If I don't, I'll be letting down not just Odd Squad, but Equestria as well. I must fulfill my duty as an agent!"

"And you're sure we can't help?"

"Positive. We can't go against Ms. O's wishes." Twilight shook her head in response to Rainbow Dash's question. "This is something I must do alone."

The Princess of Friendship stood facing the portal for a few moments, taking a few deep breaths. Once she felt confident she could handle things on her own, she stepped through, ready to begin her mission.

---

Twilight's hooves echoed along the monochrome floor as she walked, a chilly air sending the fur along her spine upwards. The building seemed to be that of an old hospital wing, perhaps, or home to apartments. Nonetheless, it gave the alicorn an uneasy feeling as she turned a corner and walked down the hallway, towards the metal door where a single torch lay angled next to it, its fire flickering but certainly not inviting.

This was the place Ms. O instructed me to go. I think...

Her heartbeat drummed in her ears, drowning out the deafening quiet, and it only got worse when she faced the door. Raising a quivering hoof, she gave three knocks, and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Is no one home? Twilight tilted her head, and raised her hoof to knock aga-

"Who's there?!"

The sight of Odd Todd abruptly sliding open his peephole door made Twilight yelp in surprise, her tail sticking straight up as she jumped what she was convinced was the height at which an average Wonderbolt performed during a show.

Odd Todd's eyes angled downwards to meet the pony who had knocked on his door, whose eyes were shrunken, her ears folded down, showing most signs of submission. His nose wrinkled almost in disgust as he spoke.

"Ugh, I thought for sure it'd be Fluttershy." he muttered, giving an eye roll. "But whatever. What brings you here?"

At this point, Twilight had calmed down from the scare, but nervousness still flowed in her veins, and she couldn't fight her legs shaking in fear, nor the tremble in her voice as she spoke. "U-um...I-I'm here to...j-join the T-T-Todd Squad?"

It wasn't the fear in this particular pony agent that excited Odd Todd the most right then and there. No, it was her proclamation that she wanted to join the Todd Squad. He almost wanted to take her in. But he knew better. He had almost gotten Fluttershy in his grasp, after all, and even she slipped out of it at the last minute. What made him think Twilight was any different?

"Well, first of all, stop shaking. I'm not gonna attack ya." he responded in a deadpan tone. "Second of all, if you're really interested in joining...how about you come on in and we can discuss this further?"

He closed the hatch, and a few seconds ticked by before he opened it again. "But make sure to wipe your hooves first."

Twilight, still feeling nervous, took a few tentative steps forward and did as instructed, wincing as the prickly mat's surface hit the undersides of her hooves. All the while Odd Todd watched her, until the door creaked open with echoing intensity and she stepped inside.

What met her eyes was mostly darkness. Only a single lit lightbulb hung by a string from the ceiling, and she instinctively lit up the tip of her horn to create a makeshift flashlight that would help her to see better.

"Don't get used to this. I'm planning on re-doing it soon. Some web developing company wanted to purchase it and we agreed to go halfsies." Odd Todd rolled his eyes.

As the alicorn mare made her way through the cluttered dark lair, she began to smell pie. Right. Of course he would have pie here. He's responsible for the pienado attack, after all. Secretly, she hoped that he wouldn't make her eat any. Who knew if it was somehow contaminated, or even if it wasn't contaminated, who's to say it wasn't rancid?

"Follow me."

Odd Todd slipped into a room far in the back, flicking the switch on the wall to reveal whiteboards covering all three walls. Each whiteboard had complicated drawings and notes, no doubt all pertaining to how to defeat Precinct 13579 and Odd Squad as a whole. Twilight winced as her horn stopped glowing.

"What? You didn't think this place was completely dark, now didja?" The plaid-suited villain shook his head and gave a soft chuckle, as if to say, "Wow, this mare must not have a lot of IQ points."

He sat down on a large bouncy ball and cleared his throat. "Now, before you join my wonderful organization, I have some odd tasks I'd like you to perform." Perhaps unsurprisingly, he seemed to have a list prepared, which he nabbed from a nearby table and handed to Twilight.

"'Grab a fish and turn it into a...'"

"Phone. It's a communication device. So we can stay in touch."

Communication device? A pause as the gears turned in her head. Ohh, he means like the badges we wear. She had learned about many technological wonders during her time at the Odd Squad Academy, badge phones being one of them. That didn't mean she was used to how they worked and why they were so necessary in this world, however.

"'Get ahold of Ms. O's special key in the oddest way possible.' What's this?"

"Ms. O- er, uh, Oprah..." Odd Todd corrected himself, realizing that he had no need to call Precinct 13579's Director by her formal title anymore. "She has a key that controls all of the lights in Headquarters. I'd assume it's if that honeydew melon becomes faulty...but I digress. You need to get the key from her and bring it to me."

Get the key...it sounded simple enough. After all, Twilight wasn't really joining the Todd Squad. It wasn't like Ms. O would deny her access to the key. Or at least she hoped she wouldn't. She nodded and continued reading the list.

"Last but not least...'Dye one piece of your hair white in the oddest way possible.'"

"You see the white stripe in my hair? That is proof that you have turned fully odd. You won't become a true member of the Todd Squad without it." He squinted as he eyeballed her mane in curiosity. "I will say, though...white doesn't seem like your color." His frown quickly turned into a smirk that certainly had no trace of any niceties. "Perfectly odd!"

"Really?" Twilight thought about what Rarity would say if she saw her with white in her mane. She'd probably faint! She chuckled at the prospect before an "ahem" from Odd Todd brought her back to reality. "Um...right. Anyway, I'll go and get started on these tasks. Any deadline?"

"As soon as possible. And report back to me when you're done."

She gave a single nod before turning to the door and beginning to head out.

"Oh, yes, you're Twilight, aren't you?"

The name referral made the mare stop dead in her tracks. She could feel some of the fur on her back stand up as the only thought running through her mind became "How does he know my name?" She swiveled her head back and made eye contact with him. "Uhh, yes! That's me. Agent Twilight Sparkle."

"Mm." The emotion in Odd Todd's eyes was unreadable as he stood up. "Well, there is one thing you should know about me, Agent Twilight Sparkle."

Every gut instinct in her was telling her to leave, now, this was a very bad villain, you don't want to do this at all. But her hooves remained rooted to the ground by some invisible force, and her wings were similarly locked into place.

"I have an exceptional sense of smell, and I'm certainly not like the rest of Toronto's villain lot. So don't even think about playing the game of betrayal with me. Precinct 13579 already tried that, and look where it got 'em."

The last thing Twilight heard was shrill cackling before she teleported away.

---

The sound of a teleportation flash was all Twilight heard as she kept her eyes shut. She could hear the soft sounds of beeping computers and muffled chatter, but she was too shaken to investigate the sources of the sounds.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, her eyes slowly opened...and she was flooded with the color blue, in every which way.

I'm...in the Tube Lobby. I'm back at Headquarters.

A heavy sigh of relief escaped her lips as she felt her body relax. She hadn't been thinking of any place in particular when she teleported -- all she knew was that she had to get away from Odd Todd. It was very clear to her why Olive and the others thought so negatively of him, and she knew that if Fluttershy had been fooled by his deceit, she would have been scarred for quite some time.

Odd Todd...he's nothing like the villains we've faced in Equestria. Discord, Tirek, Nightmare Moon...he's not like them. She wasn't quite sure what made him so much more evil than any of the Equestrian villains. Perhaps it was how Olive described his massacre in excruciating detail. Perhaps it was just the aura he gave off. Or perhaps it was the fact that he would be a definite shoo-in for an Element of Oddness, if such an Element of Harmony existed. Whatever the reason, Twilight knew that even in spite of her fear, she had to keep going with this plan. It's for Olive. Ms. O. All of Odd Squad, and Equestria. Princesses Celestia and Luna, too. They're all counting on me.

Taking a deep breath, she allowed her hooves to take her towards the Trophy Room, where she took the time to look at all the various accolades Odd Squad as an organization had been given over the years. It was quite an impressive collection, one that made her silently regret not reading up on Odd Squad's history and how they came to be. She made a mental note to return to the Odd Squad Library and scour the shelves once the Odd Todd ordeal was over and done with.

The metal doors hissed open as her violet eyes took in the sights of Precinct 13579's Headquarters once again. It was rather refreshing to be in what had become a familiar place, and for the first time since her mission began, a smile was placed on her maw.

"Twilight, darling!"

Rarity, who had been sitting at her neatly-organized desk, hopped off of her chair and trotted over to Twilight with a wave of her hoof. "Goodness, it feels like it's been a hundred moons!"

"I know. The feeling is mutual." A subtle shakiness entered the alicorn mare's voice, something that she hoped Rarity wouldn't pick up on.

"Hm? Is something wrong?"

Tempting fate is a bad thing.

"Uh, well..." The words struggled to come out, and all she could do was fix her friend with an uneasy stare.

"Has the mission not been going well?"

Time seemed to stop as Twilight moved her gaze to the ground. She wanted to tell Rarity everything -- what Odd Todd was like, what she had to do, and what he had done before she left -- but in this instance, the brain did not connect to the mouth bones.

On the opposite side of the coin, Rarity was growing increasingly worried. Something awful must have happened if Twilight looks so nervous...different from how her nervousness usually manifests, that is. She didn't want to pester her with too many questions, so she settled for waiting until the time was right.

After a minute, a loud sigh escaped Twilight's maw as she looked back up at her friend. "The mission is going fine." she began. "Odd Todd is..." A pause. "He's very odd. And very dangerous."

"Why of course! He did try and kill every agent of Precinct 13579 with contaminated pies, after all." Rarity remembered the story well from when Twilight had shared it with her and the other ponies on their way to the portal earlier in the day. It had shaken her initially -- to think of all those children, with their lives in the hands of one megalomaniac ex-agent, and how they managed to (somehow) survive. But she had the utmost confidence in Twilight, as one of her best friends, and just like the others, she wanted to see Odd Todd face swift justice.

"He gave me a list of things that I have to do before joining the Todd Squad." From behind her back, Twilight retrieved the list and levitated it to show Rarity. "It goes against everything I've ever been taught about Odd Squad, but I..." Her voice became even shakier than before. "I have confidence I'll be able to do it. If it means saving this place and everypony- everyone who works in it."

"Are you quite sure about that?" The unicorn mare's voice became soft, as did her gaze.

And it was that question and that expression that did Twilight in.

"Yes, I am. But Rarity, you- you don't understand. Before I left, he told me that he had a strong sense of smell and not to betray him. Otherwise, he'll try and kill me the same way he tried to kill everypo- everyone here!"

"Twilight-"

"This villain...he's more dangerous than any creature we've ever faced before. He's like Discord, but a thousand times worse!" She gave a ragged sigh. "Normally I wouldn't be so ridden with anxiety, but this is a new villain in a world we're not overly familiar with!"

"Twilight..."

"Who knows if the power of friendship will work for him the same way it's worked for all of the other villains we've beaten in the past?! It may not work at all! Or even worse, he'll succeed in taking over Odd Squad and the world will end!"

"TWILIGHT!"

Rarity's shout took Twilight aback, and as if Odd Todd had been the one calling her name, the purple-furred mare took a step backwards.

"Darling, I -- we -- have known you for so long. We have faced many challenges together, some great and some small. But each and every time, we have managed to push through whatever may stand in our way." She took her hoof and placed it under Twilight's chin. "And do you know why?" Twilight opened her mouth to answer, but Rarity took the helm in doing it for her.

"Because we've always had each other. The magic of friendship."

Right then and there, it was like someone had turned a lightbulb on in Twilight's head. Yes, the magic of friendship. She had bore witness to it and became a personal part of it growing up in Equestria, and the magic was just as strong in this world. Partners got along well with each other, some almost to the point of being non-blood siblings. Ms. O was always willing to help her agents whenever she needed it, because although she never showed it on the outside, she was a kind and caring person with lots of friends surrounding her. And the relationship between Investigation agents and Scientists was symbiotic at its best -- Scientists worked hard every day, building gadgets for agents to take with them onto the field, wielding them as powerful weapons against oddness.

In the midst of this revelation, she also remembered something that Celestia had told her the other day.

"However, you are not the only one that can impact this situation. In your letters you wrote of a girl named 'Olive' and how she was treated horribly by Odd Todd. If ever you need guidance, turn to her. She will be able to help you."

"Olive...yes, that's it!" Any trace of fear within her had completely gone away, instead being replaced by joy and anticipation as she smiled once again. "Have you seen Olive around?"

"Not recently. Perhaps she went out on a case?"

"Well, if I can't find her, then I'll go to Ms. O!" Twilight began to trot off towards the staircase leading to the Director's office, but suddenly rushed back, enveloping Rarity in a tight hug.

"Thank you so, so much. I'm so grateful to have you as a friend, Rarity."

The unicorn mare gave a soft, warm smile and a chuckle. "The feeling is very much mutual, Twilight. I wish you the best of luck on your mission. And never forget -- if you need me, or anypony else, we're always here for you."

Twilight could feel tears welling up in her eyes, but blinked them away. The last thing she wanted to do was enter her boss's office with two waterfalls of tears cascading down her face. Waving a goodbye to Rarity, she headed towards the staircase once more, feeling like a renewed mare.

I'll stop you, Odd Todd. Whatever it takes. For the sake of my friends. For Odd Squad. For all of Equestria.

I won't be afraid of you anymore. Just wait until you see what I have in store for you...