Disclaimer: I do not own Adventures from the Book of Virtues. It is TM of PBS. Nor do I own Wonder Woman who belongs to DC Comics. No profit is being made from this story.

Zach Nichols and Annie Redfeather often went to see their animal friends on Plato's Peak whenever they had a problem or needed advice. Plato, Aurora, Aristotle and Socrates were always happy to help via a story or two from the Book of Virtues, and the kids were very grateful for this. Of course, that didn't mean that there always had to be a problem for them to make the trip up to Plato's Peak. Sometimes they just wanted to visit their friends. Such was the case today.

A few days ago, Socrates had announced that he planned to have another try at breaking the world record for the longest leap ever made by a bobcat. Today was the day and so after school Zach and Annie had come to cheer him on.

As they had done the last time, Annie and Aurora had measured out thirty feet exactly with a length of cable. That was the distance that Sock intended to clear. At the far end another piece of cable had been tied between two trees. All he had to do was make it over the cable.

"Okay everyone. This time I'm going to do it. This time I'm going to make history" said Sock as he took his run-up. Zach, Annie, Plato and Aristotle watched from a few feet away while Aurora looked down from where she was perched in the branches of a nearby tree. Aristotle was gripping the crown he'd made the last time Sock had attempted this jump.

"Here I go!" Sock exclaimed. With that he dashed towards the line.

"Come on Sock!" Annie cheered.

"Yeah! You can do it!" Zach added.

Sock leaped and sailed through the air but just like the last time he ended up face-planting on the ground with only his head and shoulders over the line. Aristotle sighed and looked down at the crown in his paws in disappointment. "No-one still gets to wear this" he said.

"Sorry Sock" said Annie sympathetically.

"It's okay Annie" he replied as he got up and dusted himself off. "I may not have cleared it all the way but I did better than last time, right?"

"That's true. You did go a few inches further" Aurora confirmed.

"Well then there we have it! All I've got to do is keep this up and I'll get the record in no time!" Sock said enthusiastically.

"That's the spirit Sock" Plato said with a proud smile. "You tried your best and you did well. That alone is reason enough to be proud."

"Yeah, you did great pal," said Zach as he scratched Sock's ears.

"Way to go Sock" Annie agreed.

"Thanks guys" he said and then yawned loudly. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go and take a nap. That really took a lot out of me."

"Okay Sock" Zach said with a chuckle. He glanced at his watch. "We had better get home too. We have homework to do."

"We'll see you tomorrow," said Annie. "Bye."

"Bye Annie, bye Zach" Plato and the others called as they got on their bikes and rode away.

"I feel a little bad for Sock" Zach said as they pedaled through the beautiful countryside of Plato's Peak. "I really thought he'd make it this time."

"Me too" Annie agreed. "But it's great that he didn't let it discourage him."

"Yeah, it reminds me of the stories Plato told us about perseverance" Zach replied.

"You know Zach, we really are lucky to have Plato and the others as our friends" Annie commented.

"That's for sure. I don't want to think about what our lives would be like if we'd never met them" Zach mused.

Annie started to reply but then she noticed something. "Zach, look at that" she said as she pointed at the sky.

They both brought their bikes to a halt. Zach looked up and saw that something was hurtling down from the sky, moving so fast that it was a blur. It slammed down to the ground somewhere in the distance.

"Whoa, what was that?" he asked.

"Let's go and take a look" said Annie excitedly.

"Hey wait a second, it could be…"

But she was already pedaling in the direction of the crashed object. Zach sighed and started after her.

"You know, I've seen movies like this" he said as they drew closer. "When two kids go and check out a meteorite and then some space alien comes out of it and eats them or something."

Annie chuckled. "It's not a meteorite. If it were, it would have landed much harder."

"Well don't blame me if some alien jumps onto your face" he said.

They emerged from the tree line and came to an abrupt stop as they saw what was laying just a few yards in front of them. On the ground in the middle of a shallow crater was a battered and bruised woman with long black hair. She wore blue shorts covered in white stars, red boots with a white stripe, a gold tiara and a red bustier with a gold W. Silver bracelets encircled her wrists and around her waist was a gold belt from which hung a gold lasso.

"Is, is that Wonder Woman?" Zach asked in astonishment. He had seen pictures of the famous superheroine in the newspapers and on TV, but he'd never imagined that he would see her in person someday. Spring Valley was a small, out-of-the-way town, far from the kind of places she usually operated.

"I think it is" Annie replied, her tone one of equal astonishment.

Wonder Woman groaned faintly and Annie's expression changed to one of firm resolve. "We have to help her!"

This time Zach didn't hesitate. Both of them hurried over to the downed superheroine and crouched next to her. She groaned again and her eyes opened.

"Get… get away. It's too…" she said, her voice trailing off as if speaking was too much effort.

"Don't talk. Save your strength" Zach advised. He and Annie helped Wonder Woman to her feet and supported her between them as she stumbled towards the trees.

"No time… must hide" she said weakly.

They made it to the trees and hid behind a bush. Zach and Annie gently laid Wonder Woman down on the ground and then peered out cautiously. As they watched, a figure floated down from the sky and landed in front of the crater where they had found Wonder Woman.

He was an imposing sight, two metres tall and covered from head to toe in gold body armour, including a smooth, featureless mask with two eye slits and a third for his mouth. He wore red gloves and boots, a flowing red cape and on his chest was an emblem of a red cross with an eagle perched on top of it.

Zach froze in fear. Having always had a keen interest in superheroes and their foes, he recognised the man immediately as Baron Blitzkrieg. He glanced at Annie and she gestured for him to keep still. He nodded slowly. They couldn't risk trying to move Wonder Woman or he'd surely hear them.

After a moment the villain laughed. "So, the verdammt Wonder Woman runs and hides like a whipped cur. Now no one can stop the mighty Baron Blitzkrieg!"

Still laughing he flew up into the sky and disappeared. Only then did Zach let himself resume breathing.

"Wonder Woman! Are you okay?" Annie asked.

"I think so" she replied as she slowly sat up. She was still in bad shape but she seemed to have fully regained her wits.

"Are you sure? We can get you to a hospital" Zach offered.

"I appreciate the offer but it will not be needed. I just need a moment to recover" she replied.

"I'm Zach. This is my best friend, Annie."

"Hi" Annie added.

Wonder Woman smiled. "It's a pleasure to meet you both. I am Diana, princess of the Amazons. Thank you for coming to my aid. You were very brave."

Zach grinned. "Hey, it was nothing."

"What happened?" Annie asked.

Wonder Woman's smile vanished. "Baron Blitzkrieg stole an important piece of microfilm from a government facility. I pursued him and we fought. I lost… badly."

"But it's okay, right?" Zach asked. "Like you said, you just need a moment to recover. Then you'll stop him."

She sighed. "What would be the point? I failed. I cannot defeat him."

"No way! You've beat him before!" Zach exclaimed.

"Something has changed. Blitzkrieg has become much more powerful. He defeated me with ease." She hung her head with a look of shame on her face. "I failed miserably and dishonoured not only myself but my people as well. I am unworthy to be the champion of the Amazons."

"But you can't just give up!" Zach protested. Seeing one of his idols so despondent was upsetting him too.

"Zach wait," said Annie. "Remember what Plato taught us about perseverance?"

He nodded, his expression brightening. "Yeah, you're right."

Wonder Woman looked up curiously. "Plato?"

"He's a friend of ours" Zach explained. "There's him, Aurora, Aristotle and Socrates, or Sock as we call him. Whenever we have a problem, they always have a story to tell that helps us deal with it."

"Well, Sock isn't much of a storyteller but he's still a great friend" Annie added.

"They sound like fine people" Wonder Woman commented.

"They really are" Zach agreed, sharing a knowing look with Annie. "One time I quit playing guitar because of how hard it was, but Plato told us a story about the value of perseverance. Would you like to hear it?"

"Go on."

Wonder Woman listened intently as Zach told her the story of Scarface. Of how the young Native American had travelled for many days and braved many dangers in his quest to find the Lord of the Sun and ask him to allow Scarface to marry the chief's daughter. When he had finally found the Lord of the Sun, Scarface had then patiently waited until the time was right. After saving Morning Star, the Sun Lord's son, from savage birds, Scarface had been granted a boon. He had asked for the chief's daughter to be released from her promise to never marry so that they may live in happiness together. The Sun Lord had granted his request and so Scarface had been able to marry his beloved.

"That is a most admirable tale" Wonder Woman admitted once Zach had finished. She sighed again. "But I have already proven my unworthiness. It is too late."

"No, it's not," said Annie. "I quit my karate class because I thought I was never going to earn my green belt. Our friend Aurora told us another story about perseverance that changed my mind."

"And what was that?"

Annie told her the story of The Stars in the Sky. A little girl who wanted to touch the stars in the sky climbed out from her bedroom window and met two fairies who showed her a rainbow and told her to go to the top of the stairs without steps. The little girl refused to give up until she reached the rainbow and then, when she had found it, she kept trying to run up it until she finally made it to the top. A shooting star had flown past and the little girl had reached for it only to miss and slide back down the rainbow. She had then woken up in her bed and at first, she thought the whole thing had been a dream. Then she opened her hand and saw that she had collected a handful of stardust.

"Plato also told us about Ulysses and the cyclops, but you probably know that one already" she added.

"I do" Wonder Woman chuckled. "What did you do after that?"

Annie smiled. "I rejoined my karate class and now I've made it to blue belt."

"And I kept playing my guitar," Zach added. "I had trouble learning all the notes and strings but finally I got the hang of it."

"And just today Sock tried to break a long jump record. He didn't clear it but he said he'll keep trying until he does," said Annie.

Wonder Woman nodded. "I see." She stood up with an expression of firm resolve. "Both of you persevered in the face of adversity, as did your friend. I will do no less. I will face Baron Blitzkrieg again and I will defeat him!"

"Yay Wonder Woman!" Zach exclaimed.

"You can do it!" Annie cheered.

Wonder Woman smiled. "Thank you, Zach, Annie. Give your friends my thanks as well."

"We will" Zach replied.

Wonder Woman flew up into the sky. They watched her go until she disappeared from sight.

The following day it was announced on the news that Wonder Woman had beaten and arrested Baron Blitzkrieg, and recovered the stolen microfilm. In an interview she said, "I wish to give thanks to two very special young people and their friends. I could not have succeeded without them. If you are watching this, you have my eternal gratitude."

Zach and Annie saw the interview. Later they went up to Plato's Peak and told Plato and the others the whole story.

"Wow, you actually met a real superheroine," said Sock. "I wish I'd been there."

"Me too" Aristotle agreed.

"We're glad you were able to help her," said Aurora. "Not only by getting her to safety, but also by restoring her self-confidence."

"Yeah, I can't believe that two regular kids like us were able to help out a superheroine" Zach replied.

"Anyone can make a difference Zach, no matter how great or small" Plato replied. "As long as they believe in the power of virtue."

"Yeah, like when we helped the Zigrodnys" Annie agreed.

"I know" Zach agreed. "Still, I wish I could be a superhero. That would be great. Flying through the sky, fighting bad guys…"

He threw a wide haymaker, but in doing so he lost his balance and fell into the Rainbowl river with a splash!

Everyone laughed affectionately as he stood up. After a few seconds he joined in the laughter.