Mao Mao had to admit, being a hero was exhausting.
As much as he'd grown to love Pure Heart Valley as his home, it was often difficult to protect the Sweetypies from the Sky Pirates, monsters, or even other criminals that would come to the town just to rob or scam the innocent (and, dare he admit, rather sheltered) townsfolk.
However, being a hero meant that, no matter how exhausted you are, protecting the innocent was the more important thing.
This is what he'd always been taught.
Which was why he was polishing Geraldine while sitting on Sofia (oh god, that sounded so wrong, the cat cringed), absolutely bored out of his mind.
It didn't take long at all, really, for Badgerclops to notice, sitting on the couch with a cup of coffee in his hand. "You alright, man?"
"No, I am not alright, Badgerclops," the black cat grumbled, setting Geraldine down for a moment. He threw his arms up in the air, looking exasperated. "There has been nothing to do for the past three days! No crime, no adventure, no beating up the Sky Pirates-"
"I mean, to be fair, we do kick their asses twice a week," Badgerclops muttered, blowing on his coffee a bit. "Can't really blame them for not wanting to be beat up for once. Everyone has a limit."
Mao Mao gave him a look, annoyed. "Okay, one: another quarter for the swear jar-" Badgerclops groaned. "-come on, man, we agreed we wouldn't swear so much after taking Adorabat in, you know that. Two: how am I supposed to become a legendary hero if there is nothing to do, no adventure, no foe to mop the floor with?"
Badgerclops rolled his eyes. "Do you honestly expect to win every single battle any time a baddie comes along?"
"I… well, yes," the warrior cat admitted, looking up at his friend. "That is what a hero is supposed to do, you know."
"Mao Mao's right!" a familiar voice squealed.
Mao Mao's face lit up a little as Adorabat flew over, her gold eyes shining with admiration as she flew right into her hero's lap. Mao Mao smiled softly at the little deputy, gently wrapping his arms around her and pulling her closer to him, all the while he blatantly ignored the knowing smirk Badgerclops sent his way. But, Adorabat looked up at Badgerclops, not yet done with her argument.
"Heroes always win in the end!" she chirped, smiling at her food loving friend. "After all! Whenever something happens, it usually ends up working out in our favor, doesn't it?"
Badgerclops opened his mouth to retort, but then he paused, thinking, and Mao Mao snickered quietly. He could practically smell the smoke of the old gears struggling to turn in the big badger's head.
Badgerclops, after a moment, huffed and lifted the cup of coffee to his lips. "Whatever."
"Come save my bacon, I'm really in a jam! Come save my bacon, I'm really in a jam! Come save my bacon, I'm really in a jam!"
Badgerclops yelped in surprise, and gasped as his coffee spilled all over the floor, and he screamed. "Nooooooooooo-!"
"YES!" Mao Mao cackled, jumping to his feet (while still holding Adorabat), clearly ecstatic. "Finally, something to do!"
"MORE VILLAINS TO SQUISH!" Adorabat screeched, flapping her wings, all the while laughing an almost evil laugh.
Badgerclops sniffed, looking heartbroken over his spilled coffee. "But… at what cost…?"
Mao Mao rolled his eyes. "Look, Badgerclops, I promise I'll get you another cup of coffee on the way there. How's that sound?"
Badgerclops, elated at the thought of getting more coffee, immediately rushed to the Aero-Cycle. "Come on, man, we're burning daylight!"
Mao Mao snorted. "Too easy."
Adorabat looked at Mao Mao, her eyes sparkling. "Can we stop at Muffins' bakery on the way? Please?"
"Oh, I don't know, Adorabat. You've eaten quite a few sweets yesterday."
"Oh, come on, Mao Mao! She's made some cobbler~" Adorabat said in a sing-song voice, knowing that Mao Mao would take the bait.
Mao Mao's mouth salivated at the thought of his favorite treat, and then he sighed, wiping his saliva away from his mouth. "Alright, alright, you win. But just this once, little lady."
"YAYYY!" Adorabat squealed, and Mao Mao couldn't help but smile at the adorably happy look on her face as he held her and carried her to the Aero-Cycle.
When the trio arrived, Mao Mao didn't waste time, almost flying off of the Aero-Cycle before the wheels even touched the ground, rushing to the castle doors.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Badgerclops shouted, lifting Adorabat into his arms and rushing after his friend. "Dude, you just left the hospital a few months ago. It may not be a good idea to kick any doors down right now."
"Oh, puh-lease, Badgerclops," Mao Mao said, rolling his eyes and waving his hand in the air dismissively. "I told you a thousand times that I feel fine. I know that I'm impulsive quite a lot of the time, but I know my body."
"Need I remind you that you and Orangusnake almost broke every single bone in both of your bodies trying to kill each other, and you shattered your entire skeleton saving his life?" Badgerclops rebutted, scoffing. "I'm just grateful that you didn't manage to shatter your own skull! If we have to make another trip to the hospital, the doctor will kill both of us."
Mao Mao rolled his eyes, and then, deciding to blatantly ignore his friend, he headed over to the castle doors anyway.
Badgerclops groaned, throwing his arms up in the air in exasperation. Adorabat just giggled quietly to herself at the little exchange as she perched on his shoulder. "Okay. Okay. Whatever. If you wanna break your foot, that's your business."
Mao Mao rolled his eyes again, and then he rushed over to the doors, kicking out his foot with brute force, causing the doors to fly open, with zero pain following after. He smirked at Badgerclops smugly, and the aforementioned badger simply rolled his eyes in response, before all of them rushed inside the castle.
"Your grace!" Mao Mao shouted as he ran inside. "We've received your distress sig-"
Cheers. A whole choir of cheers flooded through the throne room, overlapping with music, causing the three of them to jump, and Mao Mao looked up, baffled, his already wide green eyes widening even further as he realized that the throne room was full of Sweetypies, all faces adorned with wide smiles and excited eyes.
Badgerclops and Adorabat looked around, looking as equally shocked as Mao Mao.
"What the…" Badgerclops uttered, voice dripping with shock. "What the he-"
"Sheriff!" a familiar, flamboyant voice hollered, and then King Snugglemagne himself appeared, wearing a golden feather mask, along with a crisp black suit with a white undershirt, no distress at all apparent in his face or demeanor as he approached the trio, throwing his arms up in the air in a grand gesture to the rest of the room. "I am so thrilled that the three of you could make it!"
"Your majesty?" Mao Mao asked, flabbergasted as the king walked over and slung his arm around his shoulder. "Wh-what's going on? What is this?"
"Ohoho! My dear Sheriff," Snugglemagne chortled, practically leading Mao Mao across the room, followed by Badgerclops and Adorabat, who looked around the room in awe: colorful lights, chandeliers, string curtains, candelabras, feathers, lanterns, drapes, and masks were in the props and decorations. There were even light panels and posters of masked figures and scenes from classical art. Every Sweetypie in the room was wearing a deluxe feather mask or black lace mask with a crisp suit or a stunning ball gown, except for the trio in question. "We are throwing this gala for all of you!"
Adorabat gasped, her eyes sparkling. "For us?!"
Badgerclops' stomach growled as he passed by a snack table, and he licked his lips hungrily, and he quickly grabbed a plate, snatching up the sweets and snacks that were practically yelling his name. "Oh, I can get used to this!"
Mao Mao looked around and at the well dressed guests, and he looked down at his clothes, suddenly feeling a little underdressed.
"A-a gala? Oh, um, I- this is a huge honor, of course your majesty, but I think I am a little underdressed- well, all of us are underdressed, really-"
"Oh, Sheriff, please," Snugglemagne laughed, patting Mao Mao on the back so hard that Mao Mao was pushed forward a bit. "This is your gala; you can dress however you want!"
"Uh… thank you, my king. This… this is very generous."
Snugglemagne just smiled before he left the trio, practically dancing away.
Adorabat squealed in delight, excitedly flying around the air. "WE HAVE A PARTY!"
"Gala, Adorabat," Mao Mao chuckled, although he seemed to be rather hesitant about all of this. "I don't think we should stay for too long, though. We do have a job, after all."
"Oh, come on, man," Badgerclops huffed, glancing at the warrior cat. "Didn't you say that the last, and best, part of a "perfect adventure" was the big fat reward at the end?"
Mao Mao opened his mouth, then closed it as no response came to mind. Then, Adorabat flew over, perching on her hero's shoulder.
"Badgerclops does have a point, Mao Mao!" she said, smiling. "I mean, we do save Pure Heart Valley every day, and wouldn't a little break give us a good energy boost?"
Mao Mao opened his mouth again, but clamped it shut again, and then sighed in defeat.
"Alright, alright," Mao Mao caved, shaking his head, and he couldn't help but smile at the excited squeal that came from the little deputy, and he looked at her and Badgerclops (who was already stuffing his face). "You guys go and have fun. I guess I'll go cut loose, too, but if anything is about to go south-"
"We'll meet up back here as soon as that happens," Badgerclops finished, brushing him off. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, Mao Mao, we get it."
"Don't worry, Mao Mao!" Adorabat said cheerfully, trying to reassure him as Mao Mao frowned. "I'm sure that nothing will go wrong! We are heroes, after all! We'll squish the bad guys in no time, if any show up!"
"Well…" Mao Mao pursed his lips, and then sighed. "Okay, okay. Adorabat, don't try anything that the adults are doing, and Badgerclops, stay away from the alcohol."
"Ye, ye, whatfhefer," Badgerclops said, his face stuffed with food again.
Without hesitation, Adorabat squealed and flew off, most likely going to find her classmates from her kindergarten class, as there were other children in the gala, as well.
Mao Mao sighed as he walked away, shaking his head.
What did I get myself into?
☆☆☆☆
Waltz music bellowed through the room, and people from left to right had each other's arms wrapped around the other as they waltzed across the room, men and women, even some people of the same sex were dancing together as they pirouetted across the room under the spinning colorful lights.
Tanya Keys had to admit, it was way too easy to blend into the crowd. The king didn't even have his own guards patting down people for any potential weapons or tools that could be used in a grand scheme for a heist; all she had to do was transform into her signature leaf, slide underneath the door (which wasn't even airtight, she noted), and then transform into a panda and then just act like she was supposed to be there like all of the Sweetypies.
It was almost funny how easy it was tricking all of them, but that was what took the fun out of it for Tanya. It was too easy. There was no real challenge that would make stealing from the king rewarding, no actual risks that would spice things up. The only thing that she'd be looking forward to would be Mao Mao chasing her.
Speak of the devil...
As if he'd been summoned by her merely thinking about him, Mao Mao seemed to have materialized before her very eyes, mingling with the Sweetypies and talking to some kind of farmer bunny.
Tanya smirked to herself. Well, maybe I can find some kind of entertainment tonight...especially with Mittens within my reach…
Tanya then pranced across the room herself, gently pushing through the room herself, and, as soon as she was close enough, she gently tapped her finger on his shoulder. "Excuse me."
Mao Mao turned his head, his eyes widening a little in surprise, as he took in the panda woman in front of him, wearing a turquoise Victorian dress, with a matching turquoise mask. "Oh! Uh, hello there. Anything I can do for you?"
"Oh, no," she said, shaking her head, smiling cheerfully. "I just thought I'd come here to chat. Say, you're the sheriff, aren't you?"
Mao Mao's green eyes shone with pride, and he puffed out his chest, an arrogant smirk on his lips. "I am! The Sheriff of Pure Heart Valley, the only son of the Mao Clan, and a work in progress legendary hero."
"Oh, really?" she gasped, placing her hand on her chest. "Fascinating! I'll bet watching over Pure Heart Valley has been quite a handful, though."
"Oh, uh," he chuckled, a little nervously, "yeah, it has been quite the handful, but, well, it's worth it. Besides, Pure Heart Valley is legendary, sooo, of course, a legendary place like this needs a brave hero such as myself to protect it!"
"But, of course," she chuckled, internally smirking to herself. Wow, you haven't really changed, now, have you, Mittens?
Then, Mao Mao looked at her curiously, green eyes flickering with some kind of recognition. "Hey, have I… seen you around before? You… you just feel really familiar."
Tanya smirked. "Oh, yeah, I'm familiar with this town… I've been here before…" She looked into his eyes, and the panda's brown eyes were suddenly crossed with a turquoise sheen. "I think we both know that, Mittens."
Mao Mao's eyes widened and he froze up. "T-Tanya-?!" he cried out, but Tanya quickly placed her hand over his mouth before he could catch anyone else's attention.
Tanya smirked, dropping her disguise. Mao Mao's eyes widened and he cried out, but Tanya shushed him. "Shhh, Mittens. Don't wanna frighten your citizens, do you?"
Mao Mao narrowed his eyes and then pushed her hand off of his mouth. "What are you doing here? Are you up to stealing again?"
Tanya laughed a little. "Oh, I was, originally, buuut I mean…" The tanuki woman then extended out her arm, gesturing to practically all of the castle. "Your king doesn't have the best security right now, Mittens, and we both know that I love challenges. This, however… is not a challenge. Kinda sucks the fun out of it, you know."
Mao Mao gave her a deadpanned look. "So, you decided to bug me instead, because you were bored?"
"Oh, come on, Mao Mao," Tanya laughed, playfully shoving him. "We both know that I wouldn't bug you if I was just bored. I missed you!"
Mao Mao arched an eyebrow. "Or did you just miss messing with me?"
Tanya snickered. "Aw, Mittens, why can't it be both?"
Mao Mao blushed, his cheeks turning bright red, and he stumbled over his words a bit. "W-well, I- uhhh, um, I-I-"
Tanya laughed, and gently nudged him in the ribs with her elbow. "Oh, loosen up, Mittens. You're always so tense."
Then, she looked around, and saw a mini bar nearby, being run by some weird, pink rhino, and she smiled a bit. "How about a drink? To help us relax?"
Mao Mao looked at the mini bar, and narrowed his eyes at the pink rhino, before returning his attention to Tanya. "I don't know, Tanya. A villain may show up, and I don't want to be incompetent because of being intoxicated."
"Oh, it'd just be one drink, Mao Mao. One drink won't make you drunk. Please? Just for old time's sake?"
Mao Mao looked into her turquoise eyes, biting his bottom lip. A few fond memories swam through his mind, and he couldn't help the nostalgia that went through his chest, as well as something that made his heart flutter.
"Alright, alright," he caved, sighing. "But, only one drink. Okay?"
Tanya smiled and nodded, and then looped her arm around his, and walked him over to the bar. "Of course."
Mao Mao looked at her, his eyes softening, and he sighed.
It's only one drink, he told himself. What's the worst that can happen?
----------------------------------------------
"Stay away from the alcohol," my ass, lol.
Yeeeah, Emperor_Drakkon got me hooked onto Mao Mao: Heroes of Pure Heart, and I had the idea for this story thanks to a story with a similar idea called "Quest of a Lifetime" by Floopaslopp on Archive of Our Own!
Anyway, Emperor_Drakkon's birthday tomorrow, and the second Sonic the Hedgehog movie comes out tomorrow and he's going to go see it, so I thought I'd go ahead and get this story out before he go sees the movie!
Happy birthday, Emperor_Drakkon! You're the best! ^^