The Adventures of Peaches and Mandy

by marmalado

S1E1: The Familial Surprise

"Mm...hmm..."

The girl examined the gadget with a squint, giving it a couple taps to make sure the screws were tightened correctly.

"Mmm..."

"AGENT MANDY!"

"Wah!"

Oprah's shout caused the girl, known as Agent Mandy, to fumble with the gadget, nearly dropping it in the process. Her blue eyes shifted towards her boss, standing right beside her with a stern look on her face.

"M-Ms. O! I mean Oprah! Uh, y-you gave me kinda a bit of a scare, there..." She chuckled sheepishly, setting the gadget down on the desk where she had been working.

"No time for chitchat. People are being turned into large acorns and are being scattered around Trinity Bellwoods Park. I'm putting you on the case, so go to the park immediately!"

"Righty, will do!"

With her horn alight, she teleported away in a bright rainbow-colored flash.

Once she got to the park, she began to look around, flicking one of her pony ears in curiosity. "Weird. She said the park, but...I don't see any acorns." She giggled and snorted. "That silly Oprah, she gets worked up about the funniest of things!"

Just as she was about to head back to Headquarters, a loud rustling noise from nearby caught her attention. Before she could identify its source, however, the sound stopped.

"Coulda sworn I heard some sort of rustling..."

And then the noise came back. "There it is again!"

Her eyes scanned the area until she spotted a rather large bush. Holding her breath, she slowly advanced towards it.

Gah, jeez, don't let it be some kind of rabid animal or-

A large figure leaped from the bush, standing on four...well, Mandy couldn't really call all of them legs. It was two arms and two legs, kind of like a stance kids would take before going on all fours up a flight of stairs.

The figure, whom Mandy could see shapeshifting into a medium-sized black cat, hissed, causing her to take a few steps back. "W-whoa!"

She blinked a couple times, and then gasped as she realized what she was looking at. "Kitty! Or, uh...at least I think that's a kitty. You sure you're not disguised?"

"I'm not disguised as one, you idiot, I am one!" the cat spoke. "How da-"

Her going on offense was immediately hampered when she got a better look at who she was speaking to.

"No...that can't be...the ears..."

Mandy fiddled with the two pony ears that sat atop her head. "Oh, these old things? Well, I can te-"

"The tail..."

She swung her curly, poofy light brown tail, ever swirling like chocolate ice cream in a cone and adorned with a medium-sized red bow, around her, grabbing it with her two hands. "Wait, what's wrong with my tail?"

"And even the hair!"

Mandy's hair was of the same color as her tail, and just as curly, too -- only it also had a forelock which she used as a third hand sometimes. It looked like it was almost at a cheated angle when sitting next to her pale white alicorn-length horn.

"Whaaaaat, do I look recognizable to ya or something?"

"You..."

Mandy scoffed. "People know me from all over town, you're nothing new-"

Within a second, she had a cat on her face, clawing and scratching her. She took a couple stumbles back as she tried in vain to pry the cat off.

"Hey, hey, get off! I can't see!" Her shout was muffled, but in spite of this, her unexpected opponent was refusing to listen, continuing to scratch her face. The pain from the attacks didn't seem to faze Mandy, though, as she lit up her horn and attempted to remove the cat by magical means.

"Get...off!"

With a snap, the black cat went flying off, landing on her feet and giving an angry yowl.

"Man, you're...one feisty kitty, aren'tcha..." Mandy touched her face with her index finger and pulled it back, only to find blood. Likewise, her face was streaked with blood from the scratches she had received. "Great, I'm bleeding..." She winced in pain, feeling like crying right then and there as she pulled a tissue out from her back and tried to wipe the blood off.

"You aren't laughing now, are you?" the cat taunted, seeming to take great joy at having seriously wounded her opponent.

"Oh, you can talk!" Mandy said excitedly, before blinking twice. "Wait, why am I surprised?"

The cat groaned. "Let me tell you a little something." She shapeshifted into a human form. Mandy took note of the yellow dress adorned with a V pattern near its base, the black cat ears and tail, and the yellow band that she wore around her left arm. Her blue eyes burned with a fiery malice, and her long black hair bounced as she slowly marched towards Mandy. "My name is Peaches. You destroyed my hometown. You hurt so many innocent civilians, including my leader. And I...am going to make you suffer dearly."

Peaches had expected this...alien to flinch, perhaps cower in terror or run away. But instead, she merely tilted her head in confusion.

"Don't act innocent with me! I recognize you clear as day!"

"Aww, did I gain weight again?" Mandy tried to eyeball her stomach. "I thought the flying was s'posed to make me lose weight!"

Peaches couldn't help but give a growl of frustration, but it stopped right quick when she saw what Mandy was pulling out of her back.

"Anyway, I don't remember a thing about whatever you're talkin' about! But if your face doesn't have a reservation with my hammer, then I'm happy to schedule one for ya!"

Is...is she threatening me?! Peaches eyed the weapon that Mandy was holding. Short but sturdy in both its base and its head, it looked like a powerful weapon, and it definitely looked like Mandy wasn't afraid to use it. Nonetheless, however, she wasn't about to miss this chance to point out the idiocy in how "remembering burning down a town" correlated with "I'll attack with my hammer".

"You're as much of an idiot as I thought." she deadpanned, silently hoping that her snark wouldn't earn her a well-placed hit on the cheek.

Lucky for her that her supposed opponent wasn't the "fight first and ask questions later" type. "Yeah, I get that a lot! But what I lack in smarts, I make up for in style and power!"

"Your style looks horrifically tacky. Why are you wearing a suit?"

"'Cuz I work for Odd Squad! The bestest organization around, ready to fight oddness at a moment's notice!" Mandy giggled and then snorted. "Guess that includes you, 'cuz I haven't seen you around here before!"

"That's because I'm not from here." Peaches explained. "I'm from Vallea, which is a town far, far away from here."

"Oooooh! Whaddo they got there?"

"Apes. But they're not so big." she deadpanned once again, including an eyeroll with her snark this time.

"Ohhhh, so you're the odd one outta the bunch!" Mandy began to giggle at her (very terrible) pun.

"I was being sarcastic. Exactly how intelligent are you?"

"Apparently not intelligent enough to burn an entire town down to the ground...owwn!" Mandy winced at her bad rhyming this time around, but quickly did an emotional 180 and gasped as she came to a decision. "Now that you told me about yourself, let me tell you about myself!"

"Oh cattails...please, no..." Peaches buried her face in her hands, wondering exactly why she wasn't walking away from this eccentric anomaly by this point.

"Tough like rock, sweet as candy, I am known as Agent Mandy!" She took a bow. "Agent 57, at your service! Nice to meetcha!"

"Yeah, nice to meet you."

"I'm the funnest, most happiest pony-human hybrid agent you'll ever meet!" Mandy bounced in a circle around Peaches. "I love fighting oddness, sleeping, eating, and making friends, of course!"

Peaches suddenly found her lungs being squeezed dry of every last bit of air, and her gaze shifted to Mandy as she leaned closer to her ear. "I also bite."

The catgirl barely recognized Mandy's excited giggle as she could feel her face beginning to turn blue. Oh jeez...this is how I'm gonna go, huh? Death by...pony...ugh, whatever this thing is.

"Aww, c'mon, ya gotta put a smile on your face!" Mandy edged the corners of Peaches' mouth upwards, much to her chagrin. With what strength she had left, she attempted to wriggle free, but to absolutely no avail.

"Oh, jeez, all righty then, I'll letcha go." Noting how she was basically killing her supposed new friend, Mandy let go of her, allowing her to take a couple mighty gulps of air in. "S-sorry about that!"

Peaches looked up and opened her mouth to say something, but stopped dead when she took a closer look at her almost-killer. "Wait. I...I recognize you, actually."

"You do?"

"Y-you're...you're Aunt Kimi and Uncle Derek's child. And that means...we're cousins!"

"Hooooold it!" Using her magic, Mandy made a cup of water appear in an instant. She guzzled it and proceeded to do a hearty, self-inflicted spit take. "We're what?!"

"We're related!"

Related?! Ya gotta be kidding me! Mandy's face lit up as bright as the sun. I finally have some more family!

Just as soon as her face lit up, however, her expression turned to one of hesitation. "Wait, wait. Nonono. I-I don't know a Kimi or a Derek!"

"They're a distant bunch." Peaches said, dismissively waving her hand.

"Either way, this is great news! I hafta tell Momma!"

"Tell who?"

Peaches didn't quite get an answer to that question, as Mandy grabbed ahold of her once more and teleported away with her.

---

A girl of about 12, clad in a purple shirt, a navy-blue jacket and navy-blue pants, finishing her glass of water and setting it down on the table.

A boy of about 11, clad in a purple button-down shirt with a popped collar secured by a purple tie, a navy-blue jacket and navy-blue pants, messily eating a cookie while doing paperwork.

The girl sighed. "Otto, you're getting cookie crumbs all over the papers again."

"Shorry, Olive." Otto said, swallowing the piece of cookie that was in his mouth. "I've been trying to make crumb-less cookies for a while now, but my recipe isn't perfect yet."

A flash caught their eyes and they looked up, only to find Mandy suddenly standing directly in front of them with a groaning Peaches in tow. Immediately, Mandy let go of Peaches and rushed right over to Olive and Otto's shared desk.

"Momma, Momma, looklooklook! I have a cousin!"

Olive blinked as she watched Mandy's tail wagging back and forth furiously. Of course, when I'm in the middle of paperwork, Mandy always finds it fit to come along and disturb me, she thought. Last week it was her in a spider costume...

Sighing, she remarked, "That's nice, Mandy, but I'm kind of in the middle of something right now and we-"

She stopped as she took a closer look at exactly what the pony-human hybrid dragged in.

"Who's that?" Otto asked, taking the words clear out of his partner's mouth.

Mandy took a large gasp of breath and left her mouth open as though she was about to say something, but opened her eyes and stopped. A look of confusion slowly crept on her face as she laid her gaze on Peaches. "What's your name again?"

"Peaches..." the catgirl woozily said. "And can you warn me before you do...whatever it is you did?"

"Sorry!" Mandy giggled and pushed her cousin to the forefront. "This is Peaches, my cousin!"

"Cousin?"

"Yeah!" Mandy nodded furiously in response to Olive's question. "To some Aunt Kimi and Uncle Derek. Distant bunch."

"But you two don't look anything alike! You have black hair..." Otto pointed at Peaches. "And you have brown..." He pointed at Mandy. "And you two are of completely different species!"

"Genetics are a funny thing, partner." Olive shrugged. "So Peaches. Are Kimi and Derek, uh...part of your...species?"

"Kimi is a catgirl, like myself. Derek is human."

"Ohhh..." Olive and Otto said in unison. "That would explain it."

"Look, see? I have a new playmate now! Oh, we're gonna have so much fun!" Mandy couldn't help but bounce up and down with excitement.

"Don't forget your Odd Squad duties." Olive smiled as her eyes followed the movement of Mandy.

"Naw, I won't!" Mandy gasped as the realization of what she had come to the park to do in the first place hit her. "Actually, while I'm here, have either of you seen any giant acorns in Trinity Bellwoods Park?"

"We've gotten reports on those, actually." Otto tried his damnedest not to laugh. "Did Oprah send you to find them?"

"Yup! But I haven't found them yet..."

Otto gave a loud exhale through his nose, and he couldn't fight back the smile on his face any longer. Olive gave a groan and an eyeroll before she said, "Over by the cliff face."

Otto burst into laughter. Perhaps unsurprisingly, so did Mandy.

"Ahh, I knew that's where they were! Well, n-not really...I just got a bit sidetracked. Here!" She addressed her newfound cousin, pushing her further forwards to the point where she nearly did a faceplant onto the desk. "Why don't you socialize with these two, and I'll be right back!"

Just as Peaches opened her mouth to protest, Mandy was gone with another magic teleportation flash, causing her protest to be resigned to a heavy sigh.

Olive smirked. "A handful, isn't she?"

"How can you two stand her?" Peaches asked, her tone one of sheer disbelief. "She's really...annoying, and loud, and...the complete opposite of what us catgirls are!"

"Well, you're not wrong!"

"Otto! Have some consideration!" In that moment, Olive felt like slapping him, but instead settled for flicking him on the nose. As he clutched it in pain, she shook her head and sighed as she swiveled her chair around to face Peaches. "I guess now's as good of a time as ever to introduce ourselves. My name is Olive, and I'm a co-Director of this Odd Squad Precinct, 73955. This is Otto, my partner and other co-Director."

"Hi..." Otto shot Olive a dirty look before making eye contact with the catgirl. "Peaches, right?"

"Um...yes." Peaches tilted her head. "What is 'Odd Squad'? What's a 'Director'?"

"Odd Squad is an organization that fights oddness in any form." Olive explained. "Whether it's flying goldfish..."

"Odd villains..."

"Or any other oddity. That's what Odd Squad is there for."

Oddness? Peaches' brain began to hurt. The concept was so foreign to her, but then again, she didn't really think about what was odd or what was normal too much.

"Odd Squad has precincts stationed everywhere on the planet. Except for Moldova...nothing odd really happens there." Olive blinked.

"Oh, and to answer your other question..." Otto cleared his throat. "Odd Squad is comprised of many different ranked departments. I think there are about twenty?"

"Twenty ranks?!" Peaches chuckled. "What, are they all named after the Greek alphabet?"

Olive and Otto shared a look with each other, as though asking each other how this catgirl knew about the Greek language, let alone the concept of the Greek alphabet.

"No, no. Most of us are familiar with the main departments: Management, Investigation, Security, Medical, Science, Transportation slash Maintenance, and Creature Care. And the Big Office as well, of course." Olive explained.

"So since you two are Directors, that means you're in...Management?"

"Right!" Otto nodded. "We Odd Squad Directors keep our precincts running, assigning cases to our agents and making sure everything runs smoothly."

"And are you required to wear those outfits?" Unlike her previous comment directed at Mandy's outfit, Peaches' tone of voice was one of curiosity. She couldn't deny that their dominantly-purple outfits looked much fancier than Mandy's.

"Yes, they're standard wear for Directors. I'm the exception, though. Most Directors who are girls wear a skirt, but I made a specific request to get pants."

"After a lot of fighting."

"Ugh, tell me about it."

"Well, if it's any consolation, both of them are far less tacky than Mandy's. The purple and navy colors really blend well together! And your necklace..." Peaches pointed to the necklace that Olive was wearing, studded with two rows of indigo and violet beads. "It's wonderful!"

At this compliment, Otto did a playful eyeroll and a nonchalant shrug. It's like she's a human Rarity...

"Uh, thank you!"

"What department is Mandy in that she has to wear such unnecessary formal wear?"

"Unnecessary?"

Olive didn't get an answer to her question, as Otto rushed over to where a convenient diagram was sitting on an easel. "These are the eight main departments and their symbols."

He pointed one by one to each symbol. The first one was rather elaborate -- it was a white circle with a gray decagon inside, and then a disco ball with triangular panels inside of that. Peaches knew that this logo was most likely for the Big Office, since it definitely sounded like an important position and had an important symbol to boot.

Next was a violet octagon with violet triangles surrounding a solid violet octagon inside of it. Going by the color, she guessed that this was the symbol for the Management department.

The next one was similar to the Management symbol, a red hexagon with red trapezoids inside of it and then a red hexagon inside of that. Peaches was at a loss as to what department this one represented before she remembered that Mandy had been wearing a red tie, and was most likely in the Investigation department.

Otto pointed to the third symbol, a blue pentagonal padlock with five blue trapezoids surrounding its keyhole. Yeah, something tells me this place isn't known for its originality, Peaches thought. Definitely Security.

The fourth symbol was similar to the Security symbol -- no surprise there -- with its teal diamond shape as though someone had rotated a square, along with four long teal trapezoids surrounding another solid diamond in the middle that was adorned with a radical symbol. Peaches wasn't sure what this symbol was for at first, until she finally figured out that it was for the Medical department.

Next was a symbol that looked like a green flask, with three long green trapezoids inside of it. Unlike the other symbols, the trapezoids didn't surround any triangular shape. Peaches tilted her head.

"It's the logo for the Science department." Otto pointed out.

She nodded, and he moved on to the next symbol, which looked like a yellow lightbulb. Inside of the circle at the top were six trapezoids with curved bottoms that surrounded a solid yellow circle.

"Is that supposed to be Maintenance?"

"And Transportation, yes." Olive nodded. "Though that's not really apparent. The Maintenance part of the department came long before the Transportation part did."

"Huh." was all Peaches said in response as her eyes laid upon the final symbol in the set. It looked like the eye of a reptile, with a thin oval shape in the middle of the solid orange circle meant to represent its slit pupil. Surrounding the orange circle were six green trapezoidal shapes with curved ends, similar to what the Maintenance and Transportation symbol had. It all sat perfectly inside an orange circle that filled Peaches with a strange feeling of warmth.

"A department's ranking is determined by the number of sides each symbol has. Like, the Big Office is a...uh..."

"Decagon, Otto."

"Right, a decagon!" Otto gave a sheepish laugh. "Which has ten sides. The Management department's symbol is an octagon, which has eight sides, so on and so on."

This is a lot to take in...but at least it's a good distraction from Mandy. Peaches gave a soft exhale and rubbed her forehead. "So is Mandy ranked below you guys or what?"

"Technically, yes. But she's her precinct's Director's second-in-command, so I guess she's on equal footing with us." Olive shrugged. "I dunno. Oprah's explained it to me so many times but I still can't make sense of it."

"How does that work? You guys have seconds-in-command?"

"It depends on the precinct." Olive explained. "If you want to know more, you'll have to ask the Director at Mandy's precinct. She can take you to meet her when she comes back."

As if on cue, a bright rainbow-colored teleportation flash marked the pony-human hybrid's return.

"Speak of the agent."

Mandy placed a single hand on the desk as she began wheezing and hacking as though her lungs had given out on her. Peaches noticed that her hair and tail were slightly ruffled, and her angel-like wings were matted as well.

"Why don't you take a rest and I'll get you some water?" Olive offered, standing up and heading over to the drink bar situated on the right of the office.

"Yes...please..." Mandy wheezed out, slowly moving to the couch and plopping on it, beginning to pant like a dog.

Otto tilted his head. "Hey, uh, Olive..."

"Hmm?"

"Did you notice that Mandy has scratches on her face?"

A bolt of shock went rocketing through Olive's body with such ferocity that she nearly dropped the water pitcher she was holding. The cup she had been filling began to overflow and water spilled on the countertop.

"Partner, take it easy! Go help Mandy, I'll clean up the water."

It didn't take all of three seconds before Olive speed-walked over to where Mandy looked as though she was about to die of thirst, nearly bumping into Otto in the process as he made his way to the drink bar.

"Mandy, are you okay? You look like you've bled!" Olive gently touched Mandy's cheek. Peaches widened her eyes as the agent didn't seem to show any signs of pain, and instead went from being dehydrated to being perfectly fine in a millisecond.

"Aww, Momma, I'm fine! I did bleed a little, but the bleeding went away!"

"Otto, when you're finished, can you go to Dr. O and ask him for some antiseptic?"

"Sure." As he finished cleaning up the mess and grabbed the cup of water, he made his way over to Mandy and gave her the cup before quickly departing the office. Peaches watched him go, a guilty look beginning to form on her face.

"Here, drink some water."

Mandy did as she was told, drinking the cup eagerly, the tip of her tail flicking up and down as she relished the cold sensation that filled her mouth and soothed her throat.

"Um..." Peaches spoke, scratching the back of her head. "I was the one who hurt Mandy."

"What?!"

"I attacked her because I thought she was the person who destroyed my hometown." The catgirl bowed. "I'm really sorry."

She wasn't exactly sure what Olive was feeling. Inside, Peaches could see that she was hurt and a little angry, and she internally braced herself in the event that a fight would break out. But the rest of her face held a trace of understanding.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, a sigh left Olive's lips. "It's fine. Just so long as she isn't dead."

The sigh of relief that Peaches had been holding in finally made its way out.

"What happened to your town?" the Director asked.

"It was attacked. Someone came into town and began burning houses down, hurting many catpeople who were inside. I wasn't around at the time, but I got wind that it resulted in many lives taken. Our king tried to identify the culprit with witnesses' accounts, but...we never found them. And they had the same body shape as Mandy."

"That's quite unfortunate. I'm really sorry that happened." Olive yanked the cup that Mandy was now eyeballing out of her hands. "But I can assure you, Mandy would never do such a thing."

"Nope!" Mandy chirped. "I told ya, I never visited a Vallea!"

"I'm back!" Otto greeted. "Brought some cotton balls too."

"Ah, thank you!" Olive took the bag of cotton balls and the bottle of antiseptic liquid from Otto and got to work, taking out a cotton ball and pouring some of the liquid on it. "This may sting, Mandy, okay?"

She dabbed the cotton ball on some of the scratches that lined Mandy's cheek. To Peaches' surprise, once again, the pony-human hybrid began to giggle, and her tail began to flick again. "It stings and tickles!" she exclaimed.

"You want me to get bandages too?"

"No, these are fine." Olive waved a hand dismissively.

As the girl that Mandy had so lovingly called "Momma" continued to clean up her supposed daughter's wounds, Peaches felt conflicted about the being she had attacked. How can she stay so happy all the time? Even when she's injured, she still has a smile on her face. Only King Ashero was like that...able to take hit after hit and never let his smile fade...

She didn't hear Olive telling Mandy she was done, nor did she hear Mandy saying she was going to take her cousin to meet more people. All she could do was stare at this anomaly of a living being, who didn't feel much pain and seemed to be in a state of eternal happiness no matter what happened to her.

"Don't overwhelm her, okay?"

"I won't!"

Peaches snapped out of her trance and shook her head, noticing that Mandy was grabbing ahold of her arm.

"Now hold on, I'm gonna teleport again!"

Before she could say anything, the duo was gone in a flash of magic.

"She seems nice." Otto commented, heading back to his desk and taking a seat in his comfy office chair.

"Yeah. But a catgirl in Toronto is..." Olive paused. "Well, I've never seen a catgirl around here. And I've never heard of 'Vallea' either. Have you?"

Otto shook his head. "I just hope Oprah's as accepting of her as we are."

The two co-Directors quickly attempted to get back to work, but neither one of them could help but stare at the spot where their mysterious guest once stood.

---

In a flash of light, Mandy and Peaches arrived at the former's intended destination.

"And voila! Welcome to Precinct 13579, where I work, live, breathe, eat, sleep, and do everything my species is s'posed to do!"

"Whoa..."

What met Peaches' eyes were agents in all sorts of departments, phones ringing off the hook, and many, many different oddities, ranging from dinosaurs to people clad in plaid to rainbows in buckets. It was almost too much for her to handle, given how Vallea was a relatively peaceful place.

"There are so many...odd things!" she exclaimed, her eyes widening.

"Well no duh!" Mandy rolled her eyes.

"Mandy?"

The duo turned to their right to find an alicorn approaching them. With violet fur and a purple-and-pink mane and tail, she looked rather regal, and Peaches had to resist bowing just on instinct.

"Agent Twilight! Hi!" Mandy waved.

"Where've you been? We've all been worried sick about you!" Twilight chided.

"I've been battling acorns in the park!" Mandy chirped. "Or...uh, well...not really battling, more...turning people back from acorns."

"Who's this?"

"This is Peaches, a catgirl from Vallea and my cousin!"

"Wait, you two are cousins?" Twilight tilted her head.

"We come from a distant aunt and uncle." Peaches explained as she wondered how many times this particular tidbit was going to bear repeating.

"And...you have the ears of a cat? And the tail of a cat?"

"Oh, yes!" Peaches nodded. "All catgirls have those features."

"Interesting." Twilight smiled. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Peaches. I'm Agent Twilight Sparkle, an Investigation agent of Odd Squad Precinct 13579. Everyone just calls me Twilight, though."

"So you're of the same ranking as Mandy?"

"Yes."

Peaches nodded again in understanding before she let out a soft gasp. "Hey Mandy, why don't you take me to your Director? Oprah, was it? I have a question for her."

"All righty, follow me!" The pony-human hybrid took off towards the staircase that laid on the left side. Peaches, just now realizing that there was a second floor, followed suit.

"See you later!" Twilight called before heading off towards what appeared to be a laboratory.

"Knockity-knockityyy!" Mandy called in singsong as she poked her head into the office upstairs.

"Oh come on, just who i-"

Oprah, who sat at a desk at the back of the small office, looked about ready to throw down and take names, crumpling up her artwork slightly in the process. Upon seeing who was addressing her, however, her expression immediately relaxed. "Oh. Mandy, welcome back. Did you solve the case?"

"Yup, aaaaaaand I made a new friend! Meet Peaches, my catgirl cousin!"

The catgirl took a couple hesitant steps forward, feeling a shiver run down her spine. "Uh, hi. Are you...in charge here?"

"Yes, I am. Come and have a seat on this couch."

As Oprah pointed to the couch that sat to Peaches' right, the catgirl made her way over little by little and sat down, noticing how sticky the cushion seemed to be. Likewise, Mandy bounced her way over to the couch and took a seat next to her newfound family member.

"My name is Oprah. Or Ms. O, if you wanna refer to me by my title." The girl went over to the other couch and sat across from Peaches and Mandy. "I am the Director of Precinct 13579."

Peaches said nothing in response, instead taking in the sights of the one sitting across from her. She looked identical to Olive, with her two-rowed necklace, her purple shirt underneath her navy jacket, and her purple Converse shoes. However, unlike Olive, she wore a navy skirt as a bottom instead of pants.

"Psst! Introduce yourself!" Mandy nudged Peaches, which seemed to snap her out of her observational trance.

"Um...my name is Peaches. I'm a catgirl hailing from the faraway town of Vallea. Through our aunt and uncle, Mandy and I are also blood cousins."

"Aunt and uncle?"

"I know, we don't look related." Peaches explained to Oprah. "Aunt Kimi was a catgirl, while Uncle Derek was a human."

"Huh."

"I came here looking for the person who burned down my town, and...I initially believed it was Mandy. But it wasn't her. It was someone else." Peaches sighed. "I'm...sorry for harming one of your own."

Oprah's eyes widened. She glanced at Mandy and squinted slightly, her mouth beginning to twist into quite the malicious frown.

"Just forgive her! It was an honest mistake." Mandy waved a hand dismissively. "Besides, I came back alive, didn't I?"

Oprah shifted her gaze from a rather-embarrassed Peaches to a calm Mandy, back and forth, unsure what to make of this situation. After a half-minute of thinking about it, she sighed. "All right. I'll assume it was a case of false identity, then."

"Thank you." Peaches smiled. "Oh yeah, I meant to ask. Exactly what role does Mandy play in your...what is it called...'precinct'"?

"Mandy is my second-in-command, my most trusted agent. Has been for a while."

"But she is still in the Investigation department as an agent."

"Yes." Oprah nodded. "Mandy goes out into the field and solves cases like other Investigation agents do, and serves as a sort of substitute leader when I'm unable to lead for any reason. She is...the heart of the precinct."

"The heart?"

"Mandy brings such joy here with her antics. Always having a smile on her face, always comforting us and saving us when stakes are at their highest. She's one of the best agents I've ever had."

Peaches tilted her head. Weird. I expected her to be tougher than this. It's strange...no, it's odd to see her touched by whimsy for this...thing.

"Glad ya think so, boss!" Mandy's horn lit up, and a juice box floated from her hammerspace spine. "Here, have some juice!"

"Thank you." Oprah took the juice box. "You're welcome to have some as well, Mandy, of course. You too, Peaches."

"Um...I'll have to decline. But thank you." Peaches glanced at Mandy, who pulled another juice box out and got to drinking. It was quite a shame to her that now, she had two mysteries on her hands -- who attacked Vallea, and exactly who or what Mandy was. By all means, she acted completely human, but Peaches couldn't shake the feeling that there was something...alien about her that she couldn't place.

"So you're more powerful than I thought..." the catgirl mused. "But yet you didn't harm Vallea."

"Nope!"

A heavy sigh escaped Peaches' lips. "So the search continues." she mused.

"Oh!" Oprah glanced at her wristwatch. "It's already 5:00. How time flies."

"Oh no...I'm not gonna have anywhere to sleep. Vallea's too far away for me to return back by nightfall." And King Ashero told me never to return until my mission was completed...that too.

"Well, I see you're good friends with Mandy..."

"Yuparoonie!"

"Well, I...wouldn't say friends. More like acquaintances." A bout of nervous laughter left Peaches' lips.

"Tell you what." Oprah offered. "Why don't you stay here, in Headquarters?"

"Here? Are you sure?"

"Sure I'm sure. Mandy can help you get acquainted with some of the other agents here, and fix up a room for you."

"I-I couldn't possibly stay here!" Peaches shook her head. "I don't really take advantage of free hospitality..."

"I insist, Peaches." Oprah held up her hand. "Any friend of Mandy's is a friend of mine. You're welcome to stay here for as long as you want."

"I, um..."

"Just say yes!" Mandy nudged her cousin again.

"All right." Peaches sighed. "I suppose it couldn't hurt to have a comfortable place to stay while I search."

"Looks like you have a new roommate, Mandy."

"Yay!"

"Follow me. I have a room you can stay in."

Oprah got up from the couch and took another sip of her juice box as she headed for the glass double-doors. Mandy eagerly followed suit, bouncing up and down. Peaches watched them leave and begin descending the stairs, shaking her head once more before following them.

---

Peaches gazed upon her new room, her eyes widening as she took in the sights of her new bed pushed up against the back-left wall, the nightstand that sat next to it, and the blue paint that covered the walls.

"How do you like it?" Oprah asked.

"It's...really cozy and inviting." The words danced on the catgirl's lips as she eyed a shelf that sat high above, and a nice plush carpet that was spread out onto the floor.

"Down the hall and to your left is the Bedroom. That's where Mandy and the ponies here sleep."

"Wait, you live here?" Peaches turned to Mandy.

"Yep! For as long as I can remember."

"And there are other ponies?"

"Yep!"

"Agents Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy all work here in Precinct 13579. I'm sure you'll see them around...if Mandy doesn't introduce you to them first."

Peaches nodded. So there are five more that look just like Twilight? The alicorn mare had seemed friendly enough, but who knew what the other five would be like. It made her nervous just thinking about it.

A yawn escaped from Mandy. "Aww, jeez...I missed my naptime and everything! And now I'm hungry." She looked up at Peaches. "C'mon, Peaches, why don't I show you around town?"

"U-uh, maybe that's...not such a good idea." She put her hands up. "I don't think people here are familiar with the sight of a catgirl...especially not one like me..."

"You could just say you're cosplaying or dressing up or something." Mandy shrugged.

"Maybe..." Before Peaches could debate any more on the matter, a yawn escaped her.

"Why don't you rest up. I'm happy to make you something!"

As much as the catgirl wanted to say yes, a realization hit her like a truck. Her eyes scanned Mandy up and down, with her beaming smile and her bouncy curls. But something was missing.

"You...you're not...you!"

"Whaddya mean?"

"You're not...bouncing around and squishing my cheeks and pulling me everywhere!" Peaches waved her hands in the air to accentuate her statement.

Mandy scoffed. "Aww, c'mon. I'm very hyperactive, it's true. Sometimes I just get super-excited, especially when meeting someone new!"

Yeah, no duh, Peaches wanted to snark in response, but kept her mouth shut and continued to examine Mandy instead. For some reason, it never really dawned on her that the pony-human hybrid had a long horn and a pair of wings -- she had forgotten to ask about them in the whole debacle -- but now that she noticed them, they looked...weird.

"What is it?"

"Why do you have...a tail? And ears? And wings? And a horn?"

"Oh, all these?" Mandy did her usual giggle-and-snort laugh. "I got them when I defeated a Hydracops at sea. Like, a big sea monster!"

Peaches tilted her head.

"I dunno why it happened, and I did have a rough time with them, initially..." A downtrodden look crossed Mandy's face for a split second. "But I'm better now! I can clean floors super-fast, and fly, and, and, I can do magic!"

The catgirl sighed. "I never should have suspected you to begin with. The person that attacked my town didn't have any of those."

"D'aww, don't beat yourself up over it, silly kitty!" Mandy waved a hand dismissively. "Now, whaddya want to eat?"

"Well...some fish would be nice."

"Any specific kind?"

"Tuna?"

"Got it! Be right back!"

With a few leaps and bounds, Mandy was gone from sight, and Peaches took the opportunity to let another sigh exit her system, feeling her body begin to deflate.

"Darling, why do you look so sad?"

A soft and velvety voice broke her out of her fatigue, and she quickly turned around, giving a surprised yowl. What met her view was a unicorn mare with near-blinding-white fur and a mane of indigo, with striking blue eyes.

"Oh! Did I startle you, dear? Terribly sorry."

Peaches had a ton of questions about this mare, who donned the same top half of the Investigation agent suit that Twilight wore with the badge to match. Chief among them would have been about her accent, if not for her brain making her spill out another question first. "Y-you're another...pony?"

"Mhm!" The mare nodded. "The name is Agent Rarity. I, um...assume you've already met Agent Mandy?"

"We're, uh...actually cousins."

"Cousins?! Goodness, you two don't look anything alike!" Rarity tapped a hoof to her chin. "But then again, the same can be said for Pinkie Pie and Applejack..."

"Well, um...m-my name's Peaches, if you want to know."

"What a lovely name." Rarity's eyes drifted to the catgirl's ears and tail. "Oh, and I love the cat-ears headband and tail attachment you have. Very chic! Is it a costume?"

"They're real. I'm a catgirl. Part human, part cat."

Rarity blinked in response to this news. "My, you are quite fantastical, aren't you?" she mused, continuing to look Peaches up and down.

"What do you do here? Do you solve cases?" Peaches asked.

"Oh, well, yes, of course." Rarity explained. "I fight oddness here, and also run my very own boutique here in Odd Squad! I make all sorts of fashionable clothing -- dresses, jackets, anything and everything you can think of!"

A small smile crept upon Peaches' face.

"I also have three other boutiques in Equestria that I have the most generous ponies running."

She's into fashion...like me? Peaches didn't think it was possible. Everyone used to shun me and laugh at me because I made clothes...but here's someone that does it for a living...and is apparently very successful! Her eyes shimmered, and she made a mental note to talk to Rarity more in-depth later.

For now, though, one question loomed over her. "What is Equestria? Is it a land full of horses?"

Rarity nodded. "Earth ponies, unicorns, and pegasi, among many other creatures -- we all live there."

Before Peaches could ask another question, her eyes caught the sight of a blue-furred Pegasus mare with a rainbow-colored mane and tail flying onto the scene.

"Hey, Rarity, you mind if I get my spare suit from your boutique?"

"Not at all, darling! The door is open."

As the mare began to take off, she suddenly spotted the tall catgirl standing in front of Rarity. "Oh, hey! You must be new here. Client?"

"No, I...I'm sorta staying here for a bit."

"Cool. The name's Agent Rainbow Dash, by the way."

"I assume you're a Pegasus?"

"The fastest around!"

To show off, Rainbow Dash did a few loop-de-loops in mid-air.

"And you're a unicorn." Peaches pointed to Rarity.

"Indeed!"

"There y'all are!"

A voice, while warm and welcoming, brought nothing but more confusion for Peaches. The source quickly revealed itself to be an orange pony wearing a brown hat, her blonde mane and tail secured by red hair ties.

"Mandy's been tellin' me there's someone new 'round these parts. Welcome to Odd Squad!"

A myriad of questions rolled in Peaches' head. "I'll assume you're an...Earth pony?"

"Right! Name's Agent Applejack. Pleasure to meet ya!"

"Uh, hi...I'm Peaches, Mandy's cousin who hails from Vallea. Distant family." She ran a hand through her hair. "Just how many ponies are there around here, again?" Peaches asked aloud.

"It's just the six of us." Rarity responded.

"Well, not if ya count Mandy." Applejack pointed out.

"What do you mean?"

"Not sure if she's told ya this, but Mandy's known as a pony-human hybrid. Part pony, part human. So I reckon that would make seven of us."

She is? Peaches thought. Maybe she mentioned it and I just wasn't paying attention.

"Yeah, plus, she's an alicorn!"

Rainbow's voice brought the catgirl out of her thoughts, and she blinked. "A what-corn?"

"An alicorn." Rarity held up a hoof. "You see, when a pony has wings and a horn, that makes them an alicorn. And usually, when you become an alicorn, you become a princess!"

Peaches went completely slack-jawed. A princess?! So does that mean...was I just talking...to royalty?! She had to admit that she didn't know any princesses -- despite her hometown being run by a king, he was the only ruling authority as far as she was aware. But if Mandy was anything like King Ashero, then she was a princess only in name, not in professionalism.

"Now, now, partner, don't go overwhelmin' her." Applejack put a hoof on Rarity's shoulder.

"I'm sorry. I guess..." Peaches shook her head. "I just need some time to think about all this."

"Well, why don't ya tell us a bit about where you came from?" Applejack asked.

"Oh, I come from Vallea. It's a wondrous town that is populated by catpeople, like myself. We have a king, King Ashero, who keeps it running, and we-"

A singsong "Hellooo-ooooooo!" marked the return of Mandy, much to Peaches' relief as she internally sighed.

"I brought you your fish! Nice fresh tuna! Dead tuna!" An awkward smile crossed the hybrid's face that Peaches couldn't quite comprehend, noting that the smile was aimed at Fluttershy, whose eyes slightly widened.

"Thank you." The catgirl took the metal bucket from the magical grasp of her cousin. "Um...if you don't mind, I'd like to be left alone tonight. Just to think."

"Aww, you sure you don't want a sleeping buddy?" Mandy tilted her head. "I know being in a new place might be scary for you! And I've got a spare sleeping bag!"

"I'm fine. In fact, I'll, uh...start right now. Thinking, I mean."

"All right." Mandy shrugged. "See you tomorrow, 'kay?"

The four mares, along with Mandy, left the doorway of their guest's new room as she closed the door.

"I must say, darling, your cousin is rather...different." Rarity tilted her head.

"Like the flip side of a bit!" Applejack piped up.

"Aww, c'mon, guys, she was just feelin' a lil' overwhelmed." Mandy frowned. "Plus, she, uh...kinda suffered a bit of a devastating loss."

"Huh?" Now it was Rainbow's turn to tilt her head.

"She's been trying to find the person who destroyed her town and hurt the people in it. She thought I was the culprit at first!"

"But I don't recall anythin' about you goin' to a Vallea."

"My, that's simply awful!"

"Exactly!" Mandy sighed. "I just wish there was a way I could cheer her up."

"If anyone can do it, it's you!"

"Yeah, you always make us laugh, sugarcube!"

Rarity moved to touch Mandy's arm with her hoof, gazing up at her with the blue eyes she had come to love. "I'm sure with a little more time, Peaches will come to laugh, too."

The unicorn mare's words touched Mandy, but she couldn't help but wonder if this was something more suited for Pinkie Pie. But Peaches was her cousin, after all, and it was practically her obligation to make her feel welcome.

"Of course!" She brightened up. "I'm not ever gonna stop trying! I'm gonna make her happy if it's the last thing I do!"

The loud and low growl of a stomach interrupted the mood, and it didn't take long before everyone's gazes pointed at Mandy's stomach. She gave a sheepish chuckle.

"Uh, maybe after I eat."

---

As nighttime fell across Toronto, the beds in the Bedroom were mysteriously empty.

That is, all except for Mandy's.

The hybrid laid askew in her bed, sheets ruffled up and laying at the bottom of the bed, the snores emanating from her loud enough to knock down part of the Hoover Dam. As she exhaled, she muttered incomprehensible nonsense, and a trail of drool fell from her mouth.

Meanwhile, Peaches, being mostly nocturnal, was still awake, eating a fish from the bucket she had been brought -- on a plate, of course, because she wasn't that uncivilized. She set the plate down, sighing and retreating into her thoughts.

So Mandy wasn't the one who destroyed Vallea. But if it wasn't her, then...just who was it?

Tears began to prick at her eyes as she remembered what her king had said to her before she left.

---

"Peaches!"

A catperson with a lion's mane and a slender tail bore his icy green gaze down upon one of his subjects. In his hand, he wielded a staff, a long stick which took on the shape of a candy cane, but had a collar and a bell attached to its center. He wore a rather illustrious but royal uniform, or so everyone thought -- it was hidden behind a dark cloak that enveloped all but his lower arms and hands.

"I trust you to find this individual and bring them back to Vallea for justice. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"You leave first thing in the morning. And do not return until you have found them!"

His voice was booming and authoritative, echoing intensely throughout the throne room. It chilled Peaches to the bone, although it wasn't like she would tell him that.

What else chilled her to the bone was the order that she couldn't go back to Vallea unless she had the culprit in tow. She was aware that Vallea wasn't exactly the nicest place for her to stay, but for her to be barred from entering unless she had the culprit? It was absurd. By all accounts, she should have called him out on it.

But she didn't. That would have earned her a swift and severe punishment, and one that she did not want.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Like a broken record, she uttered the three words that would punctuate her exit as she turned and left the room, attempting to hold a confident air until she was out of sight of the king.

And it was only then that the tears began to fall.

---

It was a horrible memory.

I can't even go back home...if I do, I'll risk the wrath of King Ashero. I could be exiled from the town! Or worse...

She didn't want to think about what "or worse" meant, even though she already knew quite well what it meant. She felt tears running down her face, but couldn't bring herself to wipe them away. Instead, she gave a shaky sigh.

The least I can do...is try to get some sleep. I would go searching for the culprit now, but I haven't slept all day...mmm...

Her body weighed down by fatigue, she got up and set the plate and bucket on her new dresser that was lined up along the back wall, then collapsed on her bed and closed her eyes, the tears still coming.

---

A flurry of knocks at the Bedroom door marked the arrival of one pink pony who was rather upset over the events of yesterday. When she didn't receive an answer, she used her expendable forelock to turn the handle and open the door, immediately racing for Mandy's bedside.

"Mandy! Mandy, wake up, it's urgent! Wake up!"

She got no response. The hybrid was still fast asleep, having turned onto her side with her right arm drooped over the side of the bed. And naturally, she was still snoring away, as loud as ever.

The pink pony's mouth scrunched up, just before a growl and a cry of frustration came forth. "Wake. UP!"

"Pinkie Pie, give her some time!"

As Pinkie turned, she spotted a yellow Pegasus pony with a lengthy, light-pink mane and tail poke her head in the doorway before entering the room.

"Mandy doesn't wake up right away, remember?"

"Fluttershy, there's a new guest here and I wasn't told about it! Do you know how horrible that makes me feel?!" Pinkie complained.

"Umm...well, no, but...let Mandy introduce us to them first. Twilight and the others already met them last night."

A snort caught the mares' attention, and they watched as Mandy slowly opened her eyes, parting her jaws to let out a noisy yawn and a couple "mmm's". What followed was the sound of a bone pop that made Pinkie visibly wince.

"Ahhh, that's better! Sometimes the old spine needs a poppin'." She shook her head and allowed her vision to bring into focus the two ponies that gazed back at her. "Oh, hi...what're you doin' here...?"

"Partner, you brought someone new here and you didn't tell me?!"

Mandy grabbed a smoothie glass filled with her Chocolate Moo-Moo Surprise -- a rather sugary concoction made up mostly of chocolate milk -- off of her nightstand and sipped it clean within seconds. "Aww, Ponka, relax. Just lemme..." A yawn interrupted her words. "...wake up n' I'll take ya to her, mkay?"

"We'd love to meet her, if you don't mind."

"Sure!" Mandy hopped off of the bed and shook her body out in an attempt to fully wake herself up. "Happy to! Just lemme get dressed first."

A few minutes later and the trio were walking down the hallway, with Mandy fully dressed in her Odd Squad uniform.

"So she's your cousin?" Fluttershy asked, tilting her head.

"Yep. Distant family. Suuuuuuper-distant."

As soon as they arrived at Peaches' room, Mandy knocked thrice. "Hey Peaches, you in there?" she asked, although the question didn't matter since she opened the door anyway without waiting for a response.

What she found was Peaches in her human form, fast asleep with the sheets covering her as she elicited soft snores.

"Ehehe..." Mandy closed the door gently. "I, uh, forgot. She's probably nocturnal."

Fluttershy couldn't resist the opportunity to give a playful eyeroll.

"C'mon, I'll tell ya about her over brunch!" Mandy chirped, hopping away as the two mares followed suit.

---

A long pink tongue snaked its way over a stack of chocolate chip pancakes. Once it did a complete circle around the neatly-placed stack, its eccentric owner pulled the stack completely into her mouth, chewing it and relishing the taste for only a few moments before swallowing and giving a satisfied "mmm!"

"So her name is Peaches, and she's a...catgirl from a town called Vallea?" Pinkie asked, picking up her own mug of hot chocolate and sipping it.

"Essentially!"

"She sounds like a nice person." Fluttershy pointed out.

"She is!" Mandy nodded. "But...she's been trying to find who wrecked Vallea for a while. It's been bugging her a bit."

"Oh."

Suddenly, Mandy gasped as she got an idea. "I've got it!" She blinked. "Well, actually, no. I have two plans."

"Two?" Pinkie and Fluttershy asked in unison.

"I know cats like solitude, but something about Peaches...hmm." Mandy tapped her chin, struggling to retain some sense of coherency.

"Is there something wrong?" Fluttershy blinked before taking a sip of her own drink, some herbal green tea.

"I feel like maybe she has a bigger history with Vallea than I realized, and..." The hybrid paused, her eyes widening just before she let out a groan and let her head make impact with the table, causing the mares' cups to jiggle slightly.

"We're here to listen, Mandy." Fluttershy coaxed.

"It's just so complicated! Like, I feel like...Peaches may be an outcast."

Pinkie and Fluttershy both exchanged a glance with each other, the former looking more worried than the latter as she asked, "An outcast?"

"Yeah, like...maybe she's...well, she's not happy! I just..." The hybrid sighed. "I dunno. My brain's mush!"

"Well, ya did just meet her!" Pinkie waved a dismissive hoof. "Maybe you just need some time to warm up to her!"

"Just get to know her a little more. I'm sure you two will be friends in no time!"

"If anyone can do it, it's you, Mandy!"

The girl remained slumped on the table, taking a couple seconds to let her friends' words sink in. Sure enough, her next sigh became a sigh of relief. "Of course. I'll try my best! But first..." She glanced at her desk and giggled. "Gotta get some work done!"

"Allow yours truly to help!" Pinkie set down her now-empty mug and hopped off her seat, quickly making a beeline for her partner's desk.

"Gladly!"

As she watched them go, a small but sad smile danced on Fluttershy's face, her eyes shimmering as she silently wished that Peaches would be all right. As much as she wanted to interfere, she didn't want to intrude, and instead made a mental note to be a helping hoof for the catgirl should she ever need it, when the two met, of course.

---

With a stack of papers strapped to her back, Pinkie began to make her way down to the File Room, staggering a little bit before she managed to find her footing and walk straight.

Mandy sighed. "Glad I had Pinkie to help with all that paperwork. With her helping out, it was a lot more efficient then I thought it was gonna be!" she said aloud, standing up from her desk and extending her body upwards in a well-needed stretch.

Just as she returned to her regular position, however, a yawn made its escape. Her eyes widened in surprise before a knowing smile crept onto her face.

"And now, to enact my plan. The only one I have, of course."

With her mind freer, she was able to get her thoughts together, and had come up with the perfect plan to ease Peaches' worries and make sure that she would befriend her. Quickly, the hybrid snatched a piece of copy paper and gripped a pen in her magical grasp, cracked her knuckles, and got to scribbling. Once that was done, she put the pen back and allowed her magic to take hold on the paper before bouncing off to her next destination.

As she bust open the Bedroom door, she caught sight of Twilight and Rainbow Dash, surrounded by books and in deep conversation about...well, it was about the Daring Do book series, but it was a conversation that she couldn't care less about.

She made a quick beeline for her nightstand's top drawer, set her note down, opened the drawer, and moved her hand around in an attempt to find something. Her expression quickly turned from pleased to unamused, however, when she couldn't feel her fingers grasp her intended target, and let out a growl before jumping and somehow managing to put her full body weight on the dresser without breaking it, squirming her way inside. Almost the entirety of the top half of her body was now inside the drawer, including her face, her back legs kicking freely and her tail wagging back and forth slightly.

By this point, both alicorn and Pegasus mare had stopped their conversation and stared at the sight with confused expressions.

"I don't even wanna ask..." Rainbow rolled her eyes.

"Mandy, what are you-"

"You shush! I'm looking for something!" A gasp. "Ooh, found it!"

And then, a couple seconds of futile struggle. Back legs waving furiously, tail beginning to develop stray hairs, and a pony-human hybrid who had found herself at the mercy of when a complete lack of physics can become a detriment.

"Are you stuck?" Twilight asked, trying to hold back a laugh.

"No!"

A few seconds passed. Back legs falling still, tail drooping to the ground, and a pony-human hybrid who had found herself in a situation that she had deeply regretted getting into, but couldn't get out of on her own volition.

"...Yes."

Rainbow snorted, and then belly-laughed. Twilight, giving a sigh, only needed to light up her horn and smoothly (well, mostly smoothly) drag Mandy out, noticing that the thing she was holding in her hand was a stuffed toy leopard.

"Thank you." With her feet on the ground and the magical aura being released from her, she glared at Rainbow Dash. "And stop laughing, Rainbow. What I'm doing is very important."

"And what are you doing?" Twilight asked.

"Tryna make Peaches feel better!" the hybrid explained. "I figured I could give her this old stuffie of mine to cuddle with while she sleeps. It always helped me when I was little."

"It's nice that you care so much about her."

"Well, she's my cousin, Twi! I can't not!" Mandy said. "And now, I must go!"

In a blur, she nabbed the note and quickly left the room, leaving Rainbow staring after her in confusion.

"Where were we?"

Rainbow swiveled her head to Twilight, blinked a couple times, then said point-blank, "I completely forgot."

The door to Peaches' room opened just enough for Mandy to wriggle her face in. Her blue eyes scanned her surroundings and quickly fell on the sleeping Peaches, who had switched positions and was now facing the back wall.

Using her magic, the hybrid levitated the toy and the note into the room, setting the note on the nightstand and the toy in just the right position behind Peaches. She squinted as she adjusted the toy, pivoting it so it faced the same way as Peaches. Once she was satisfied, she pulled her face out of the doorway and closed the door as quietly as she could, her usual cat smile growing wider as she knew her plan had already been carried out. All she had to do now was wait for the results.

---

Peaches' eyes slowly opened. From looking out the window, the sun appeared to be setting. A yawn escaped her as she turned around to the other side...

And quickly found two big beady eyes staring back at her.

Startled, she yowled and promptly fell off the bed. "Oww! Ohh..." She reached an arm upwards and used her retractable claws to cling to her bedsheets as she hoisted herself up. "Lucky I wasn't in cat form..." she mumbled, rubbing her eyes and trying to get a better look at what monster had climbed into bed with her.

"A...toy?"

She picked it up and examined it, giving it a few sniffs for good measure. It looked clean and in good condition, but it certainly wasn't hers -- she was a little too old for plush toys.

Her eyes drifted to a piece of white paper on her nightstand. Picking it up, she read it aloud.

To Peaches:
One of my biggest motivators in life is to make others happy. I know something’s on your mind, and I wanna let you know I’m here for you whenever, wherever. If you need help searching for whoever destroyed your town, I’m your agent. But I’m not just an ally of yours, I’m your friend. And friends help each other. I hope that you can be mine as well, and maybe, you can open up to me about whatever’s buggin' you. For now, I thought Fluffy, my stuffed leopard toy, would help you sleep and take your worries away. Hope you don’t mind.

Yours truly with hugs and love,
Your cousin, Mandy

The catgirl read the note over and over again. She flipped the paper to make sure nothing was written on the back. But the messy scribbles, while messy but somehow legible, were unmistakable. There was no doubt that it was written by Mandy herself.

Are these...her true feelings?

"She...she wrote this..."

Did she really...want to be friends?

King Ashero...he...never said anything about me hoping to make friends or anything. And he was so straightforward...and why me, even? Why not some other catperson?

Why did he pick the one reject of the village to go on such an important mission?

Her eyes widened.

Unless...he did it for some other reason!

She flung open her door and looked up and down the halls, but there was no sign of life. She could feel tears begin to well up in her eyes again, but made no effort to wipe them away, and instead, she let them cascade down her face.

"I...perhaps..."

The door closed.

"Perhaps it's...time..." Her voice cracked. "Time to...time...to talk."

It was those five words that caused her body to run on autopilot. She walked towards the bullpen, eyes darting to and fro as if looking for something. From her lack of attention, she bumped into Oprah, giving an "oof" of surprise.

"Whoa! Oh, it's you." Oprah blinked. "Are you okay, Peaches? How are you doing here in Odd Squad? Enjoying it?"

The Director didn't get a coherent answer to that question, and instead, she found herself bearing witness to a horrifying scream, and then grabbed and embraced, by a now-fully-sobbing Peaches. "T-take it easy!" she said, resisting the urge to squirm her way out of this impromptu hug.

Luckily, it seemed that she didn't need to do that, as Olive and Otto came running into the bullpen from the Lab.

"What the heck was that?!" Olive exclaimed.

"Is everything okay?!" Otto quickly spotted Oprah and made a move for her, yanking her out of Peaches' grasp -- not that the catgirl seemed to care, as she continued to cry.

"Peaches, come on up into my office, okay? It's gonna be okay!"

That didn't seem to help, as Peaches went from outright sobbing into unintelligible blubbering, her nose beginning to run in the process. Olive and Otto could only stare, still bewildered by what was happening.

"Well don't just stand there, help me!" Oprah snapped, and as if on instinct, the two co-Directors helped to guide Peaches into Oprah's office.

Which didn't really help.

It seemed like hours before she seemed to be nearing the tailwind of her outburst, even though Oprah had told Olive and Otto that she hadn't been crying for long. With snot and tear stains on her dress, she didn't look like the most dignified catgirl in Vallea at the moment.

"Wait, what's that in her hand?" Otto's eyes widened, and he went to grab the paper from Peaches' hand. "It's a note!"

"What's it say?" Olive asked.

Otto read it aloud, causing Peaches to give a loud agonized wail.

"Peaches does seem very aloof. I guess Mandy just really wanted to bond with a family member." Oprah mused.

As she shook, Peaches took shaky breaths, gripping her dress tightly as the tears stopped falling.

"Got some tissues for you." Oprah offered, reaching behind her back and pulling out a small box of tissues. Eagerly, the catgirl snatched some and cleaned herself up, blowing her nose and trying to compose herself.

"I..." Ears folded down, Peaches attempted to string together a coherent sentence, but couldn't find the words.

Luckily, she didn't need to, as Otto piped up with, "Where'd you find this note?"

"It was...on my nightstand." She gave another shaky sigh. "I...I've been so distant from Mandy, because...she and I, we...we're so different. She's hyperactive, and annoying, and maybe she's not all that intelligent..."

Olive gave an angry "Hey!"

"No, no...she told me herself. But..." Peaches sniffled. "I-is it okay if...I confide in you?"

Oprah nodded. "Of course."

"We're friends of Mandy, after all!" Otto piped up.

"You can trust us 100%." Olive smiled. "What's on your mind, Peaches?"

"I...y-you see, I'm...an outcast. I never fit in with the other catpeople of Vallea. I was teased constantly, a-and I never really had any friends growing up. I was essentially...a loner. And when our king sent me away to find out who burned our village, I felt like I was a part of something bigger. Like he was giving me a chance to prove myself and make me a hero."

A fire began to settle in her heart, one that was so hot it almost gave her heartburn.

"But I realized...he did it to exile me from Vallea." She took another tissue and blew her nose before continuing. "It was never to make me a hero. It was never because he trusted me. Even though the culprit is still out there, I...I spent countless months thinking I was doing good for Vallea. That I could find the culprit and get fame and respect." She blinked. "B-but...when I met Mandy for the first time, and I got to meet all of you, I realized..."

For the first time in what seemed like forever, she smiled.

"You all are the first ones to ever be genuinely nice to me."

The trio shared smiles of their own, feeling their hearts touched by their new friend's story.

"We're in no way malicious, Peaches. We may have our bad apples..." Oprah winced. "But a large majority of us are kindhearted. And we'd be more than happy to be your friends if you want."

Peaches sniffled once more, her heart no longer consumed by fire but instead soaring with happiness and relief. "I would like that. Very much."

"Don't be afraid to come to us too, if you need anything!" Otto pointed out.

"Yeah, we're all happy to help you." Olive nodded.

"W-well, in that case...our king, he told me that...I couldn't come back to Vallea until the culprit was caught. And after realizing that he exiled me, I...I thought it over, and..." Peaches scratched the back of her neck. "I still want to search for the culprit as best I can." She blinked. "Can I still stay here?"

"Of course. As I said, you can stay here for as long as you want."

"Thank you. Please, let me repay the favor, at least."

"Well, I think there's a certain someone who would love a new friend." Olive smirked.

"I think I know who you're talking about." Peaches said knowingly. "But I'm not sure where she is..."

A loud smack sound interrupted the mood, and the group swiveled their heads to find Mandy squished up against the door.

"Oww! That'sh my noshe...and I'm not payin' for any shurgery!"

"Speak of the agent and she doth appear." Oprah playfully rolled her eyes.

As Mandy walked into the room rubbing her nose and wincing in pain, she spotted Otto snickering, and then taking a big inhale as he opened his mouth and raised his finger. "If you shay anything, Otto, I'll have your head indented enough to play golf with it."

The co-Director knew better than to give a witty answer to a threat like that, closing his mouth and settling on a sly smirk.

"Oh, there you are! What's up?" Mandy asked Peaches.

"I, uh...I found your note. And I want to say thanks." Peaches rubbed the back of her neck. "See, as distant as I was...you're the first real friend I've ever made."

Olive, Otto and Oprah were quick to shoot the catgirl looks of suspicion.

"T-technically speaking." She chuckled nervously. But I'd love to be friends with you, if you're still offering."

If looks could kill, the look on Mandy's face in that moment would set a record for the fastest murder time in existence. Stars formed in her eyes, and perhaps one of the biggest smiles she had ever made crept its way onto her face.

"Really?!"

Olive scrunched down and braced for impact.

"Superflytacklehug!"

In the time it took to blink, Peaches suddenly felt a hard force ram into her and tackle her to the ground. She then found herself being lifted up and squeezed once more, feeling the air go right out of her lungs.

"Don't kill her..." Olive sighed.

"It's nice to see them getting along. I think Peaches is gonna love it here." Oprah smiled as she watched Mandy let go of her cousin and allow her to regain her breath.

"Now, why don't I go and make you somethin' to eat? And tomorrow, I can take ya around town!"

"I'd love that!" Peaches nodded. "Can I have that tuna again, though? It was really good!"

"Hey, I'm one of the best cooks around here and I'm not lettin' ya forget it!" Mandy winked. "C'mon!"

As she bounded away, Peaches began to follow, but stopped to give the trio a wink before heading out. Likewise, they all smiled as they watched her head off with her new friend, knowing that having a catgirl, of all species, come into the life of Odd Squad was going to bring some interesting adventures indeed.

Author's Note:

And voila. The thing I've been working on for 4 years has finally come to fruition in a public medium. And I couldn't be happier!

As I've stated before in one of my blogs, The Adventures of Peaches and Mandy was my first actual MLP and Odd Squad crossover project that floated around in a bunch of Google Docs as I typed and re-typed the scripts. It was originally a way to get my creativity out, but as I began to flesh out the world and the characters, I decided to turn it into a full-on fanfic for the masses to see.

Again, I'm not aiming for professionalism with these -- this is more something I'm doing for fun. But that doesn't mean I'm not making an effort. Mandy and Peaches are just real fun characters to write, y'know?

I hope you all enjoyed this regardless of the disclaimers, and I hope you enjoy the other "episodes" I have in store. I have about two "seasons" planned, but I'm not sure about a third one. We shall see!