Traveling through the tubes was a thrilling experience. It was like a fun carnival ride, but if the ride shifted your organs around in the process. Pinkie had experience with it through her lessons in the A Series of Tubes class, and also had experience with manipulating her body parts as a pony, so it didn't bother her.

What did bother her, though, was being sent on a case only a few seconds after arriving at Precinct 13579. She didn't even get past the Tube Lobby before she was introduced to her partner and fired off towards something called the "Mulligan Office Building". Still, when she and her partner exited the tubes, it left them both free to do whatever they wished.

"Okay, before we really get going, maaaaaybe we should introduce ourselves?" Pinkie grinned. "Speed stats: Olympia, 11 years old, favorite animal is alligator, favorite number is all of them, favorite color-"

"Duck!"

The next thing Pinkie knew, she was dragged to the ground. It took her a moment to reorient herself, looking around for anything that presented itself as dangerous. "Uh...what's...happening?"

"There's a duck." Pinkie's partner pointed at a lone duck waddling past them. "I...don't like ducks."

"Aww, why not? Ducks are great! Their waddling is so cute, and they can do really cool tricks in the water, oh, and there was this one time I saw an island in the middle of the lake with a house made for ducks! I wanted to go to it, but I couldn't, 'cause I can't fly."

Pinkie's partner stared at her. Pinkie responded in kind by smacking herself in the forehead.

"O...kay. Let's just go inside." Pinkie's partner rose to his feet. "The name's Otis, by the way."

By this point, Pinkie wasn't at all surprised that their names started with the same letter. "Olympia and Otis" did have a nice ring to it, though. "Nice to meetcha!"

When the duo were inside, they were quick to identify the problem. A man dressed in business-casual attire was floating in midair, though he looked disinterested at his predicament.

"Oh, Odd Squad." The man swung his arms in a desperate attempt to try and get down. "Please help me get down. I've been stuck up here forever and I really have to get to work."

Just as Pinkie was about to speak, Otis held up a hand. "Hold on. I've got this."

He took out a rope from behind his back. In a single leap and bound, he jumped up, tied the rope around the man, and pulled him down.

The act only lasted a few seconds, but Pinkie's jaw dropped all the same. She wasn't sure where to start first -- was Otis a disguised pegasus, like how she was a disguised earth pony? Did he have the same abilities she had? Were they secretly sibli- wait, no, that last question didn't quite make sense. Pinkie always had three sisters. If she had a secret brother, she was sure her mom or dad would've told her about him.

"Holy cheeseballs!" she exclaimed. "Otis, that was amazing! How...how did you do it?!"

Otis simply shrugged. "It's a talent." He bent down and tied the rope around a pillar.

"And you didn't mention this to me?!"

"We only just met." Otis glanced at the man. "Sir, would you mind explaining how you got this way?"

"Hopkins is fine, thank you. But anyway, I was walking towards my office when I suddenly started floating." Hopkins glanced upwards. "If it weren't for the low ceiling there, I would have gone all the way up."

Muffled screams caught Pinkie's attention. She swiveled her head towards the large window to her left, where, to her surprise, a dentist and a construction worker were quite literally left hanging, gripping onto two statues for dear life.

"Uh, Otis? You wanna get those two, too?" she asked, resisting the urge to giggle at her impromptu pun.

Otis looked, but didn't react. "Yeah. Be right back, sir."

A correction of "It's Hopkins!" was made, but Otis didn't bother to oblige as he walked out of the building.

Pinkie, for her part, found it suitable to try and befriend what had to be a client, going by how he hadn't panicked. "Hi, si- uh, Hopkins!" She grinned. "I'm Olympia!"

"Nice to meet you."

"Sooooo how long have you lived in Toronto?"

"Oh, all my life. And you?"

"All my life too, too!" Pinkie giggled. "Are you-"

"Office clerk. Sort of like what you guys do at Odd Squad, but I handle more financial responsibilities. Taxes, payrolls, stuff like that."

Pinkie gave a nod and decided to segue into a topic that was more her speed. "Hey, do you like sweets?"

"Of course I do. Who doesn't?"

There was an uncomfortable silence as Pinkie slightly leaned forward, silently pressuring Hopkins to talk more about what he liked to eat to satisfy his sweet tooth. But either he wasn't keen on talking, or something about Pinkie was unnerving him.

"Uh...so...what sweets do you like?"

"Cookies. Brownies. Maybe a croissant here and there, or an eclair."

Usually, when faced with someone who was boring, Pinkie would find it fit to fill the silence with her own brand of energetic joy. Now, though, she found herself looking out the window at Otis, who had the rope attached to the dentist in his teeth and was working on tying another one around the construction worker.

And there was, of course, the silence. The ugly silence. Hopkins looked, by all means, completely approachable. He was just a guy who had been affected by oddness. So why was he so neutral and bland? Was he, perhaps, still affected by oddness, and that was why he wasn't in a good mood?

"Okay." Pinkie took a deep breath and pulled out a notepad and a small pen from behind her back, both bearing the red hexagonal seal of the Investigation department. "I believe I can help you solve this. What did you eat today?"

"Uh...well, I had some toast with jelly and some orange juice for breakfast. And for lunch, I had a sandwich."

"Aha!" Pinkie thrust her index finger at him, striking a pose like that of a detective that just had a eureka moment. "What did you have in the sandwich?"

"Just ham and mayo."

Pinkie scribbled that down on her notepad. The concept of meat, as well as the concept of eating meat, wasn't too surprising to her, especially since the human world had meat made for consumption. What made her stop and think, though, was one of her many lessons.

"Food is one of the most common ways to contract diseases of both odd and non-odd natures"...that was what one of the Professor O's said. And there are a ton of villains who attack with food and stuff! So maybe...

She tapped the pen on her chin. Like turning on a light, it suddenly came to her. "Where did you get the sandwich?"

Hopkins paused to think. "It was from some crazy food vendor. She kept saying that if I ate her food, then she'd make me a balloon." He shrugged. "I thought I was going to get a balloon animal if I bought something from her, and I do like balloon animals, so I bought a sandwich."

"I do too!" Pinkie chirped. "Balloon animals can be made into so many cool shapes and-" She stopped and cleared her throat. "No, no, Pinkie, focus on the case, focus on the case!"

"...Who's Pinkie?"

Time seemed to stand still for a moment. Pinkie froze, looking into Hopkins' confused eyes. Ohhh Celestia no. How is it I spent all that time at the Academy and I still can't get the name "Olympia" to stick in my head?! Now I have to make up an excuse! Uh, ah, what would work...?

"She's...she was an old friend of mine!" She hastily adjusted her glasses. "Yeah, I, uhh, always liked saying her name, and it was a joke that we would always call each other by the opposite names. 'Pinkie' kinda sorta stuck with me, but I go by Olympia. That's my actual name. I mean, if it wouldn't, I wouldn't be an Odd Squad agent, would I? Haha...ha..."

If Hopkins wasn't convinced, his expression didn't give it away.

"Olympia?"

Pinkie turned around. "Otis!" She heaved a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness. You, uh...got the other floating people?"

"Yep."

"Great! Hey, guess what? I think I might've figured out the problem!"

Otis blinked in what could generously be called surprise. "That fast?"

"Yeah! See, uh, this...uh..." Pinkie began to gesticulate wildly, nearly knocking her glasses off in the process. "Hopkins told me he ate a sandwich that was sold by this weird lady who said she was gonna make everyone who bought her food balloons." Her eyes drifted to Hopkins' stomach, nearly tempted to crack a joke about all the times her stomach had grown from eating food but opting to focus her efforts on steadying her nerves instead. "So I'm thinkin', what if we go and talk to the weird lady? She might be the reason why all these people are floating!"

For a minute, Otis sat on the theory. Then he gave an affirmative nod. "Sounds good. Let's go."

"Wait! What about the floating people?"

"Tie them to one of the poles."

Pinkie turned back around and looked past Hopkins to where the three-dimensional square-shaped pole was. "Ah. Well, that'll work."

Once Hopkins, the construction worker, and the dentist were secured, and the information about the weird lady was gathered, Pinkie and Otis went on their way.

"...and you know, I really thought this case would take longer to solve. I mean, I learned a lot at the Academy, and so did you...probably, maybe...but it feels like this shouldn't be so easy for being new agents and all."

"There she is."

Otis pointed to a woman who was chatting with an elderly man, presumably trying to get him to buy one of her products. She certainly looked cheery enough, but also eccentric -- a blue shirt with poofy sleeves, a yellow vest, a watermelon-patterned apron, shorts that looked like they were sewed by jesters, and shoes sprayed with some kind of golden dust. Oh, and the transparent fanny pack that had six balloons tied to its strap. Couldn't miss that.

But what really caught Pinkie's attention was the hair. Brown and curly, embedded with curly streamers and marked with paper umbrellas in lieu of bows. The woman looked like she just walked out of one heck of a party, and Pinkie was instantly enamored with her. She quickly rushed over to the little stand the woman had, standing behind the man and waiting for him to finish.

"Hello! May I interest you in one of my sandwiches?" the woman asked, opening the door and reaching inside of her cart. "I have many different kinds -- peanut butter and jelly, cheese, ham...and if you eat my food, I'll make you a balloon!"

Pinkie's grin stayed plastered on her face for all of five seconds before it dropped. She had been taught that most villains recognized Odd Squad agents, but either this woman was blissfully unaware or was feigning ignorance. Pinkie couldn't tell which it was.

"Uh..." She glanced at the options. "N-no thanks! We actually, uh..." Her head swiveled to her partner. "Maybe you should take this one."

Otis nodded and took a step forward. "May I have your name, please?"

"Oh! It's Party Pam."

"Pam, we've been getting reports of people floating because of the food you're selling. Did you happen to serve a businessman, a dentist, and a construction worker today?"

Pam nodded. "Sure did! They were all fascinated by my lovely sandwiches. Would you like one?"

Seeing Pam push her sandwiches took Pinkie back to when she was a new employee of Sugarcube Corner, and tried to force pastries onto passing ponies because she really wanted their money. Of course, she had long since grown out of that strategy now, but she could sympathize with Pam, and she decided to jump on that advantage. "Pam?" she asked. "Exactly how much do you make in a day?"

"I...what?"

"You don't make much, do you?" Pinkie shook her head, as though answering the question herself. "And you thought making them odd would be a selling point." When Pam didn't answer, she continued. "Maybe it's a good idea to not threaten your customers with making them balloons. Oh, oh, I know! You can make them balloon animals instead! Like, if they ask for a cat, make them a cat! Or a dog! Or a giraffe! Those are the best kinds of balloons!"

With tears welling up in her eyes, Pam looked almost ready to cry. "Oh...my God. I had no idea," she murmured. "I did want to make more money, and I thought...making people into balloons...I mean I saw it in a commercial once, and everyone looked so happy!" She gave a sigh, running a hand down her face. "I am so sorry. Here, I have some pound cake handy."

Pinkie's mouth began to water as Pam reached into the cart again and took eight slices of pound cake out. She had to resist eating it, and further resist thinking of the colt she babysat named Pound Cake.

"Come with us." Otis said. "You can help us in bringing the floating people back down to the ground."

Pam nodded, placed the plate of pound cake on her cart, and began following the agents.

Pinkie, for her part, could probably see the whole "one problem is solved, another problem is created" thing coming.

Good news: the floating people were brought down to earth.

Bad news: there was still an unchecked one ascending into space.

Even worse news: it was Pinkie's boss.

Staring up at her while Otis attempted to undo his shoelaces, Pinkie's mind scrambled for solutions. She was perfectly able of rescuing Ms. O on her own -- it wouldn't be the first time she'd rescued an airborne being. But it was harder to resort to usual tactics in her new body. It wasn't like she could suddenly sprout wings, which...well, they were actually cardboard wings that somehow granted her the ability to fly. But even so, she couldn't grow a pair of wings in this form or make cardboard wings work here.

Suddenly, an idea came to her, one that would work in both forms. And in this wacky world, it wouldn't attract too much attention, or so she hoped.

Clenching her fists, she took a deep breath and bunched up her legs.

"Olympia, what are you-"

A loud whooshing noise interrupted the question as Pinkie leaped into the air. Faster and faster she soared through the sky, bursting through gray clouds and slightly shivering as the air grew colder.

"Ms. O, hold on! I'll save you!" she called as soon as she saw a dark speck. Her hands became outstretched, her ears only caught the tail-end of a response about seagulls, and her mind was focused on the task at hand.

I'll save you, and then we can become friends!

Without a word, Pinkie snatched Ms. O from the sky, then, in an arching motion, began descending towards the ground as though preparing to kick an opponent in the face. The fact that the younger girl wasn't screaming didn't click in her brain, though she held on tightly to the sandwich that was in her hand.

Finally, with a boom, Pinkie landed, her fist resting in the sizeable crater she had made. Otis, holding his extended shoelaces, stared at the feat with something that she somewhat recognized as mild awe. "You could've just eaten the sandwich and floated up to her, you know."

Pinkie fixed him with a look of confusion. "Why? That would just make the problem worse! Then who would save me? You? 'Cause you'd float up here too, and then someone would have to save you...it's an endless cycle!" She giggled. "My way was much better."

"I..." Ms. O coughed. "Thank you, agent. But how did you know...?"

"Pam told me!" Pinkie pointed to the woman, who was rounding the corner with her cart. "She admitted she sold you a sandwich that made you float. Why'd you buy one, anyway?"

"I was hungry." Oprah threw it backhand. Miraculously, it landed in a conveniently-placed trash can. "Given the track record of villains' fashion choices, I probably should have used better judgment."

Before anyone could respond, Pam rushed up with the cart. "Oh, thank goodness!" She sighed in relief. "Oprah, I am so sorry. I-I just needed more money, and selling to you...I mean, you run Odd Squad. You're rich!"

Oprah held up an index finger. "I run an Odd Squad precinct. Not the entirety of Odd Squad." Her eyes went half-lidded. "And no, I'm not rich. Even if I was, my money wouldn't change the fact that you're running a failing business."

"But..." Pam stammered for a minute. "Sandwiches are all I know how to sell! It's been my livelihood since I was a child! I couldn't possibly give it up no matter how much I failed at it!"

"You're losing money." Pinkie said sympathetically, laying a hand on Pam's shoulder. "Sometimes, you have to know when to fold 'em." She perked up. "Oh, I know! How about you start a party-planning business! I mean, 'party' is in your name and everything! And you're already a super-duper good baker."

Silence fell over the group. Pam tapped her chin. "Hmm...that's not a bad idea. Plus I could still make my sandwiches!"

"And other food!" Pinkie added. "I'm a bit of a party aficionado myself, you know. I'm happy to give you some pointers!"

"Oh, would you?" Pam wrapped her arms around Pinkie and hugged her. "That would be great. Thank you so much!"

"Anytime!"

Ms. O began to squirm. "Uhh, a little help here?"

"Oh! Right, sorry." Pam let go and moved over to her cart, grabbing a piece of pound bread and giving it to Ms. O. "Here you are. Eat this and you'll turn back to normal."

To Pinkie's surprise, Ms. O took a huge bite out of the pound cake. It wasn't until she swallowed the bite that the pony-turned-human let her go, breathing a sigh of relief when she didn't float back up.

"Thank you." Ms. O dusted off her skirt. "Of course, I hope you realize this means we need to take you into custody."

Pinkie saw Pam's expression change into disappointment for a brief second. She suddenly leapt in between the two, eye contact fixed on her boss. "But Ms. O, she's reformed now! We can't just throw her in jail! She didn't do anything wrong!"

"She committed an odd crime, agent. That's grounds for prosecution. If it were on accident, I could be a little more lenient, but she knew she was selling tainted sandwiches. Sandwiches that could have led to a pretty hefty death toll."

Pinkie opened her mouth to fire out a retort, but suddenly remembered all of the Academy lessons she had been taught about villains. They were mean at best and pure evil at worst. They were not to be trusted. And if persuaded, some could be reformed. But Party Pam was nothing more than a woman who had almost completely good intentions. She wanted a new business tactic, so she decided to make her sandwiches with the ability to make people float. She was misguided, was all. And Pinkie couldn't let her just rot in a jail cell.

"Can't she do something to avoid going to jail?" she asked. "Like community service, or helping Odd Squad!"

"Olympia." Ms. O held up a hand to stop her, gazing at her with pity. "We're talking about a person doing something that could have killed people. That's not something that deserves a slap on the wrist." She gently placed her other hand on her shoulder. "Pam will be fine. But you need to understand that not every villain can be saved. Some can" -- her eyes moved to Otis for a brief second before they moved back to Pinkie -- "but most can't."

A pitiful whine got caught in Pinkie's throat.

"It'll be okay." Pam assured, walking over to Pinkie. "I need to face the consequences for what I've done." She opened her arms and wrapped them around the girl in a hug. "If it weren't for you, I never would have realized that what I was doing was hurting people. So I have to thank you."

Normally, Pinkie would either be the one initiating hugs, or would be the one who immediately wrapped about four pairs of forelegs around the other pony doing the hugging. Now, though, she hesitated for a moment, her forelegs moving on their own and wrapping themselves around Pam's back thanks to her unconscious.

It's not fair. It's not fair!

But a deep part of her knew that, just like in Equestria, some things in life weren't fair. She couldn't be friends with everyone. She couldn't reform everyone. It was just a fact everyone had to learn at some point.

That didn't mean seeing Pam being taken away by her boss stung any less, though.

The only thing that alleviated some of the pain was seeing Headquarters for the first time. Her eyes shone with wonder at all of the activity going on, and it even led her to develop a secret handshake with Otis by chance, even if he adamantly denied it. She began to get excited, her mind pushing Pam to the wayside as she began to run through all the cases she could possibly go on. She got a break for the rest of the day to get acquainted with Headquarters, and decided to spend it by running through the halls, checking out various rooms, and ignoring Otis's pleas to stop.

When she got to the hotel for the evening and flopped onto her bed, she was still abuzz with adrenaline, but found room to think back on what Ms. O had told her about Pam, about villains receiving serious consequences after inflicting harm on others that could have led to death.

Every Academy lesson about villains has taught me that they get into serious trouble for what they do. I understand that. Tirek, Chrysalis, Tropical Cyclone...they did bad things and got in trouble for it. Once a villain, always a villain.

But Pam was different. Pam wasn't a villain. She was misguided. And what does Odd Squad do for misguided people? Do they still get taken into custody if they did something bad that hurt people?

Maybe...maybe it's all about intent. Wanting to harm people and not meaning to. Maybe...that's why Pam...

The thought unfortunately lay incomplete as her eyes slowly closed and she fell into unconsciousness.

Author's Note

Yeah yeah...it's been a while. Rest assured, I'm gonna try and get this multi-chapter piece out of the way bit by bit. I haven't had time to map out how it should end, but I'm about...halfway there, I'd say. Going to be making this one of my big projects that I hope to complete in 2025.