It was a cool summer day in Pure Heart Valley. Rays of sunlight bounced off of the rustic buildings of the townscape, blanketing the village in a shimmering yellow hue. The Sweetiepies chatted amongst one another aimlessly as they walked and shopped along the various storefronts darting the cobblestone roads.
Meanwhile, on the outskirts of town, the Sheriff's Department Headquarters stood silently among the forest that surrounded it, trees swaying in gentle wind that enveloped the valley. Everything seemed at peace. Well, it would have been if it wasn't for the arguing going on inside the small, wooden building.
Inside the living room sat Badgerclops and Mao Mao, clearly in the middle of a heated debate, as indicated by the copious amount of finger-pointing and hand motions going on. Seated directly in the heart of it, Adorabat awkwardly sat perched on Badgerclops' shoulder, once again helpless to watch her friends bicker over the most trivial things.
"Bro, are you sure Farmer Bun's going to let us buy any cobbler?" Badgerclops questioned, getting up from the sofa and stretching his fleshy arm against his robo-arm.
"Of course he would, why wouldn't he?" Mao Mao hissed back, arms crossed and eyes narrowed as his deputy.
"Oh come on, dude?" Badgerclops retorted, "You didn't forget what happened last time we were there? When you went all anime super-powered?"
"Badgerclops, that was only a minute situation. He appreciated the fact that I saved his farm from certain destruction!"
"Dude, he literally said he hated you."
"Tsk, tsk, silly Badgerclops! He was only saying how grateful he was in his special way."
"Ok, let yourself do what you want to believe, man. But I'm not going to be taking the fall for anything that happens from your ignorance."
"Ignorance, smignorance - let's just go already." Mao Mao grumbled, hopping off the couch, landing with a soft thud on the hardwood floor beneath. His gaze softened a little as he looked up to Adorabat. "You coming with us, Adorabat?"
"Nah," she replied plainly, "Don't feel like going out today. Is it alright if I just stay here?"
"Of course," Mao Mao replied, stroking the deputy gently on her forehead, "Just don't do anything crazy, all right?"
"Okay!" she beamed with a soft blush, flying off of Badgerclop's shoulder and perching herself back on the arm of the couch. "I'll see y'all later!"
"We'll be back before you know it, kiddo." Badgerclops grinned, fist-bumping with the blue bat before motioning towards the doorway. "Let's go, Mao!"
"Alright, alright!"
The duo quickly made their way through the door frame, the black feline sprinting behind before the front door eventually shut closed. As soon as Adorabat heard the Aercoycle rev up and speed off in the open air, she grinned devilishly.
"Finally, they're gone!" she exclaimed to no one in particular, "Now I can finally train just like Mao Mao!"
Without any hesitation, the blue bat swiftly flew through the living room into the open space of the Dojo. The sun was still casting it's yellow glow on the valley, illuminating the wooden beams in an odd yet captivating orange hue. The area was meticulously clean and organized, with no knife, no punching bag out of place. A definite trace of Mao Mao's mentality of perfection in heroism.
A small gust of wind blew through the area, making some of the training bags hanging from the raised roof sway erratically in the air. Adorabat, of course, expertly avoided them on her way through the area, until she landed in front of her destination - the weapon rack.
Her eyes beamed with wonder as she examined the numerous pointy-ended objects that occupied the wall. Blades, swords, nunchucks - you name it - and the wall had it in a various array of lengths and styles. Mao Mao loved practicing with different weapons in his spare time along with his regular training, so it wasn't surprising that he had amassed such a large collection of eccentric weapons.
Although those weapons were cool and all, Adorabat's attention was quickly drawn on the weapon which was seated on the very top of the weapon rack, lying silently within its golden sheath. With a quick flutter of her wings, Adorabat rocketed to the top of the rack, perching right in front of the prized weapon. With a careful grasp, she took the weapon and slowly unsheathed it.
All Adorabat could do was marvel at the golden blade in her wings. The weapon was almost immaculate in its form and its beauty. It's smooth, golden color shone brilliantly in the orange light that illuminated the dojo, reflecting light in a multitude of directions.
"It's...so much more pretty up close." Adorabat thought, still in awe at the legendary weapon she was now wielding.
The deputy had always wanted to practice with Mao Mao's prized katana, but she knew that he did not, under any circumstances, want her to wield it. He had told her many times that it was a blade that only the most experienced warriors could use, but she believed that was only just a fib. She knew that Mao Mao had wielded the blade since he was a child, close to her age in fact, so she couldn't understand why Mao Mao wouldn't let her at least try to practice with it.
But none of that mattered right now - Mao Mao was gone, and she was alone in the Dojo, free to practice with the prized blade as much as she wanted to. But as she went to move from the weapons rack, her body wouldn't. She began to feel a strange fluttering within her stomach. It was strange, and things only got weirder when she began to sweat as her mind began to swirl with thoughts. In her mind, she wanted to fight these weird feelings so bad, but in her heart, she knew that something was up. She wasn't just immobile for a reason. After a moment, she placed the sword back onto the shelf with an almost embarrassed sigh.
"This, this isn't right." the bat whispered solemnly as she looked back down at the katana, "A hero wouldn't do this, especially to someone that they care about."
Without another word, the bat picked up the blade once more, and then took the sheath in her other wing. With a silent nod, she slowly began to slide the weapon back into its sheath. She was almost to the sword's hilt before she-
"Adorabat! We're back!~"
In an adrenaline-fueled haze, Adorabat jumped in surprise, losing her grip on the precious blade. In what seemed like an instant, Geraldine was sent flying across the room, spinning awkwardly until she eventually hit the floor with an unceremonious thud. With eyes wide and pupils dilated, the small bat quickly flew down to see the damage, gasping in pure horror when she noticed that the tip of the blade had been bent backward into an unusable state.
"Adorabat?"
In a flash, the bat catapulted herself out of the empty dojo and plunked herself back down on the couch arm where she was resting before the two co-heroes left. To Adorabat's relief, the duo was in the kitchen, probably setting up the kitchen table to feast on their deliciously tasting pastries. The smell of fresh berry cobbler blanketed enveloped the home, accompanied by the sounds of utensils clinking against one another in their respective drawers. After a moment of silence, Mao Mao poked his head out of the hallway.
"Oh, there you are Adorabat." the feline said, his voice smooth and nonchalant, "Sorry we were gone for so long, Badgerclops couldn't decide what cobbler filling he wanted."
At that moment, all Adorabat wanted to do was scream. Her mind was racing to figure out a response to Mao Mao's mindless busy-talk. She had to come with some sort of distraction - before he could notice what had happened. She thought as hard as she could with her small brain before blurting out:
"Haha! Wow, that's sooo funny! Well, I gotta go practice the piano, see ya!"
Before Adorabat could get away, Mao Mao quickly approached her and sat right next to her, with a validly befuddled expression drawn on his face.
"Since when do you play the piano?"
"Since, uh...yesterday?"
"Adorabat, we don't even have a piano…"
An awkward silence quickly occupied the living room, causing Adorabat to absent-mindedly shuffle her wings. All Mao Mao could do was stare, pondering why Adorabat was acting so weird. He couldn't think of anything that had been bothering her, but yet again, she was a five-year-old. Maybe she didn't know how to explain what was troubling her. Before he could ask anything, Badgerclops poked his head out of the kitchen doorway.
"Hey Mao, could you shut the door to the Dojo! It's kinda getting drafty in here!" the badger yelled out bitterly, his voice coated in a tone of frustration and annoyance.
The second those words entered Mao Mao's ears, she knew it was over. The feline's emerald eyes widened as he swung his head around, glaring at the open dojo entrance, still ajar the way Adorabat had left it. It was almost unnatural how quickly Mao Mao sprinted into the Dojo, his body looking nothing more than a black blob as he flashed past Adorabat. She could not reach the room in time to stop Mao Mao in his tracks.
As soon as Adorabat entered the Dojo, she landed on the soft training mat below her feet. It took a moment of looking around before she found what she was looking for.
On the other side of the room, Mao Mao was kneeling, his front side obscured, but holding something in his paws. The feline was motionless, almost unnaturally silent, and still, his cape wavering in the gentle summer breeze.
Adorabat, of course, was terrified. All she could do was rub her wings together as she tried to think of how to deal with this situation. She could, of course, lie about what happened. Make up a story - yeah that would be simple. But then she thought back to what had just happened, Adorabat knew that Mao Mao would never believe her. She knew that there was no easy way out of this. She knew she had to come clean - not only for herself but for her mentor's sake. Her heart decided for her - she knew this was the right thing to do, the heroic thing to do.
With an audible gulp, the bat slowly approached the ebony feline, her small steps echoing through the empty training area. When she eventually reached her mentor, she shakily took hold of his cape in one of her wings and gave it a slight tug. It didn't take long for Mao Mao to spin around and face her, a look of wild bewilderment and messy tears covering his face.
"Adorabat," he choked, sounding like he had had a frog in his throat, "How, how did this happen? Who is responsible for this?"
"Well, um, you probably aren't going to like this, but-"
"Yes?!"
"The person who did this was. Well, it was.."
"Adorabat!"
"It was...It was...
"CUT THE CRAP, ADORABAT, TELL ME WHO DID THIS, NOW!"
"IT WAS ME, MAO MAO!"
Another veil of silence blanketed the Sheriff's Department Headquarters - only this time it was accompanied by a series of distraught sobs, which echoed through the side paneling of the wooden structure. The orange-hued light which occupied the area was darker now, but it still shone its color just as vibrantly onto the dojo's surface, enveloping the sheriff and the deputy in its glow.
In a silent motion, the feline took the deputy in his arms and pulled her close, arms wrapping gently around her torso in an awkward, yet sincere embrace. Tears streamed out of Mao Mao's eyes as he tried to comfort the bat as best as he could. He rubbed her back gently with one of his gloved paws as the other held her securely in place. The two of them stayed like this until the sobs eventually subsided, with only the occasional sniffle escaping from the young deputy. After another minute, Mao Mao pulled away from his deputy and placed her on his lap, wiping the last of her tears away from her brightly colored eyes.
"I'm sorry, Adorabat. I..I went a little too far. I hope you can forgive me."
Looking up at the feline, Adorabat placed one of her wings on his cheek, wiping some of his tears away from his eyes. The saddened and embarrassed expression sewn across Mao Mao's face made her feel guilty and angry at the same time. She knew she had to say something.
"No no, Mao Mao! I should be the one who should be saying sorry. I broke your sword, and it's all my fault! I didn't listen to you, and now you can't fight monsters anymore!"
"Adorabat…" the feline responded in a hushed tone.
"Yeah, maybe I didn't even practice with it, and yeah, maybe I had second thoughts, but I'm still responsible for what happened. I.. I have to make this right! Because it's something a hero...no, not even a hero. It's something that a person who cares about their friends would do."
As Adorabat glanced back up at the feline, she was happy to see that saddened expression has disappeared, being replaced with a small smile and happy tears. He again pulled Adorabat into another hug, but this time it was more grateful than comforting. After a moment, Mao Mao pulled away and gently pet the top of her head. The black cat let out a dry cough before he spoke up again.
"Adorabat, I don't even know what to say. You showed great courage in telling the truth, even though it would have been easier to hide it. One of the greatest attributes a true hero can possess is the ability to do what is right, no matter how hard it is to do so. Your actions show that one day you will eventually become that legendary hero that you've always dreamed you'd be. I'm so proud of you."
Adorabat's face turned a deep shade of crimson as she flew onto her mentor's shoulder and nuzzled against him, delighted at her mentor's praise.
"Thanks, Mao Mao!" Adorabat chirped, looking down at the bent blade seated next to Mao Mao's haunches, "But what about your sword! Is there any way that I can fix it?"
"Of course there is, but you definitely can't do it alone. It requires high precision tools to repair a blade of that stature. You'll have to fix it with Badgerclops, but I doubt he's in the mood to do so after-"
"Yo, are you two coming? I've been waiting for y'all for like fifteen minutes!" Badgerclops interrupted, his voice now even more impatient than before, "Come eat the cobbler, y'all!"
"I guess we can deal with this later." Mao Mao spoke as he got up from his place, taking Geraldine and her sheath and placing her on the side of the wooden door frame which led to the living room. "Let's go Adorabat, you deserve something special for being honest."
"Yay!" the bat squeaked, lounging comfortably on Mao Mao's shoulder as the two made their way into the kitchen.
Although the day had been a chaotic and stressful one, Adorabat was thankful that this whole ordeal was finally over. She was grateful that Mao Mao wasn't too stressed out about the whole incident, and that she wasn't in too much hot water for it. For the remainder of the afternoon, the Sheriff's Department enjoyed the various cobblers that Badgerclops had selected on their trip down to Farmer Bun's farm, with Adorabat and Badgerclops giggling in amusement as Mao Mao scoffed down as much of the tasty treat as he possibly could.