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It is in the middle of the day when it all happens. Shadow is merely going through his work out routine, mainly consisting of punching a punching bag. All of a sudden, there is a flash of bright light and a png of a cat with a monocle, top hat, and spiffy mustache appears.
“DOUST EMO HEDGE OF HOG IN BLACK! I AM PROFESSOR CAT! TIS YOUR LUCKY DAY, FOR I HAVE MOVED MANY A PARTICLE TO TEACH YOU THE WISDOM OF STRATEGY. FIRST, YOU MUST LISTEN TO LEARN OF THE ULTIMATE AWESOME SUPER KICKBACK PUNCH ROUNDHOUSE POUND!”
“Alright. What do I have to do?”
“I JUST SAID AS SUCH, WERE YOU NOT LISTENING? YOU MUST LISTEN TO LEARN OF THE ULTIMATE AWESOME SUPER KICKBACK PUNCH ROUNDHOUSE POUND!”
“Fine. I’m all ears.”
Things go on like this until sundown with Professor Cat teaching Shadow, a slow learner, all the most powerful moves to exist in the world. After hours pass, Shadow is given a black belt in mastering the most tremendous fighting motions that could easily kill a t-rex.
“SPLENDIFUROUS. YOU HAVE LEARNED ALL I COULD TEACH YOU. NO MAN, NOR HEDGE OF HOG, HAS BEEN ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH SUCH A FEAT. AS A REWARD, I SHALL GIFT YOU MY ONLY DAUGHTER, HER HAND IN MARRIAGE.”
Yet again, there is another flash of blinding light. This time, a png of a pink cat with eyelashes emerges.
“Well hello there. You look like a bad boy. I like bad boys. We shall spend the rest of our days spreading the word of Chemical Romance. Until the world turns against us cuz they don’t understand us. No one understands us.” she says, whipping her hair to the side dramatically.
“No thanks I’m gay.” Shadow refuses.
“yOu dOn’T uNdErStAnD mE.” eGirl cat screeches, disintegrating into pixels.
“Well that was a weird day. I think I’ll go make a coffee shop for cats. Just in case any more appear. And I might turn it into a sanctuary too. But first, to become one with the night.”
The sun’s final touches on the ground fades as rays sink away. The day gives out to the night as Shadow nuzzles into his burrow. He dreams of happier moments, shared with Maria and his friends. Soon, the night turns back into day and awakens Shadow. Stretching his arms, he quickly springs into action to build his coffee shop cat sanctuary. Thanks to his superspeed and superstrength, Shadow manages to finish his project by midday. Because he’s a talking hedgehog, he attracts many customers. But, because of his menu selection, he deters many customers. People walk out of his shop complaining, grumbling, and posting about how he only serves coffee beans and tiramisu. A sad man walks along the path when he stumbles across the atrocious and heinous business. Mumbling something about a doctor and goat milk coffee, he wanders inside. His eyes widen with surprise as he sees a familiar black hedgehog at the counter.
“Oh. It’s you. What would you like? Coffee beans or tiramisu?”
“Shadow? What are you doing here? Isn’t this place new?”
“Yeah. I built it. So what?”
“You only serve coffee beans and tiramisu? No you gotta let me help. I made a mean goat milk latte when I worked with the Doctor.”
“Sure whatever.”
The two become fast friends with Stone’s addition of fancy coffee and baked goods. Shadow would run around serving customers and handing Stone the ingredients he needed. Stone would turn them into batches of delicious and savory treats. Together, their business blooms and their ratings went up. It wasn’t long until night fell again. As both closed up shop and cleaned, their lighthearted chatter shifted towards deeper topics.
“I’m glad we became a duo but I only came here because it reminded me of the Doctor..”
“Why’s that?”
“Well I used to make coffee for him all the time. Goat milk steamed at 62.5°C. Just the way he liked it.”
“Huh. So something so trivial meant something so common to you, huh?”
“Yeah. It really was. He loved it. And I loved him.”
“Maria.”
“Huh?”
“Maria meant a lot to me. And I lost her. She died trying to save me.”
“Doctor did that with me. Well would you look at that. We got done. You wanna go rest in the cat sanctuary? Petting some cats may help you some.” Stone offers, opening the door to the other side of the building. Stone and Shadow walk through the entrance and sit down against a wall. Curious, cats crowd around the both of them and one cat in particular nudges its head against Shadow. Reaching out to pet it, Shadow slows down realizing the remarkable resemblance to a friend he knew. This cat was an incredibly light orange, the color so faded it almost looked yellow. There was also a noticeable blue streak in its fur near the head, similar to the shape of a headband. Presumably, the streak could have been caused by an accident with paint. Adding onto the stark parallels, the feline’s eyes were crystal blue. Snapping out of his trance, Shadow continues his action of petting.
“Stone. This cat, almost looks like Maria.”
“Oh. That’s a good thing, right?”
“Yeah. It is. You know, I think she’d really like this place. If she didn’t already, she’d love cats.”
“Doctor was more of a dog person. He’d bark orders like one.” Stone lightly joked with a chuckle.
“I still miss him. A lot. He was my heart. We’d do everything together. He always cared for me even if he didn’t show it until the end. I never got to tell him just how much I loved him. But I’m glad he made how he felt known.”
“I wish I had more time with Maria. I wish she could be here to see me now.”
“I’m sure they’d both be proud of us. Who we are now.”
“You’re right. And we probably should turn in for the night.”
“I don’t have anywhere to sleep. Could I stay here for the night?”
“Same. And sure.”
“Alright.” Stone agrees, pulling out an eye mask from his pocket. “Goodnight Shadow.”
“Night Stone.”
The two rest against the wall and lean on each other, promptly falling asleep, exhausted by the day’s work.