Understanding the Understudy

     “Hah! You’ll have to do better than that!” the Moehog cackled, plodding to stand before the Lenny.

     “Is that so?” She grinned in response. “Well, how about I show you my best?”

     “What!?”

     The Moehog began to back away fearfully as he saw dark energy gathering in the Lenny’s fingertips. He turned to flee, but she was too fast.

     “DRAIN LIFE!” she bellowed, pushing forwards with one wing as she stood up. A powerful purple blast shot forwards, and knocked the Moehog off his feet. A smaller ball of energy floated back lazily and replenished the Lenny’s health, which she accepted gratefully. “Looks like the tables have turned.”

     The Moehog groaned in response.

     **

     Hey. The name’s Lemonette2000 - You can call me Lemon - And that was my arrogant sister Fiolenny. She’s daddy’s little girl… Err, as a figure of speech, that is. She fights in the Battledome, gets all the books, goes fishing, and always gets to go to Coltzan’s Shrine.

     She makes me sick sometimes. It’s not as if our owner loves her more than the rest of us; no, Mike Jubman (That’s jubjub_man77 to you) would never be so cruel. He cares for all of us equally. But she’s talented. A quick learner, naturally strong and a vision of beauty, at that.

     What do I have going for me? I used to be a Red Usul, but grew sick and tired of being seen as the cutesy pet and downed a mysterious potion. Now, I’m a Mutant Techo, but I’m happy with that. Not that anyone else can see that; to them, I’m disgusting. Hideous. They could never stand the sight of me.

     I’m sarcastic. I’m cruel. Some have gone so far as to call me evil.

     And they think I could never be as good as Fio. But you know what scares me the most?

     Sometimes, I think they’re right.

     **

     “Hey, Lemon!” Fio laughed and waved. I returned the gesture half-heartedly, and she raced uphill to greet me properly. “Wanna go play some Cheeseroller?”

     “Aw, I just played that game,” I lied quickly. “What about Xenlovre?”

     “Xen?” Fio groaned. “You know the two of us don’t mix.”

     Yeah, I wonder why, I thought. “Well, Kip’s not busy, is he?”

     “He’s chasing his Hopso around the Ultimate Bullseye arena, and don’t even suggest Mike. He’s gone to bet on Turdles,” Fio argued. “Come on! We’re the girls in this family, we need to spend more time with one another.”

     Fio’s Angelpuss, Halo, miaowed loudly as if to agree. My Bloop (Limestone) rose from his slumber to see what the annoyance was. I picked him up and nursed him as I pondered my answer.

     “Fine, why not,” I sighed. A game or two wouldn’t hurt.

     Oh, how wrong I was.

     **

     “Aaaand that’s game!” Fio chuckled as she pushed her Alkenore Cheese across the finish line. I grunted, and then tried to pull my Brick Cheese out of the pothole it got stuck in.

     “Looks like your cheese melted there!” the Techo who ran the store mused as he wandered downhill.

     “…HOW!?” I began. “As far as I can tell, it’s made of bricks!”

     He ignored me, and began to pull at the cheese. I turned away, and walked downhill to where Fio was performing a victory dance.

     “Did you see me back there!?” She laughed.

     “All too well,” I sneered. “Do you have to rub it in?”

     “Aw, come on!” Fio jeered. “That was awesome, was it not? There was this big rock, and it was all like, ‘I’m-a gonna knock your cheese away’, but I was all like, ‘I DODGE TO THE LEFT’, and he’s all like ‘NO WAY!’ and then…”

     “IT’S AN INANIMATE OBJECT!!!” I finally shrieked. “WHAT IS THE MATTER WITH YOU!? YOU’RE A GENIUS, BUT YOU CAN’T PUT A BIT OF THAT BRAIN TO GOOD USE!?”

     Fio stopped, stunned.

     “Lemon…” she began. “Is something wrong?”

     “Oh, you should know!” I continued; despite my softened voice, I was far from calm. I was HYSTERICAL. “You’ve been gifted, Fio! You’re clever, charming, courageous, but either you don’t recognise that or you do and just throw it in everyone’s face!”

     “If you’re talking about Xen,” she replied coldly, “then he deserves it. He’s an idiot.”

     “Go easy on him,” I whispered dangerously. “He was born a Grundo, and was adopted from the pound when no one else would have him. He’s intelligent, and… Why am I even arguing about this? I’m talking about ME!!!”

     “I… don’t follow,” Fio said, dazed and confused. “What did I do? It was one game of Cheeseroller…”

     “It was your LIFE, Fio,” I answered angrily. “Everything you do, it’s perfect. You’re a born winner, and are destined for greatness… But you don’t think about anyone around you. You’re arrogant and self-centered. And YOU don’t live with prejudice! Sure, you’re a Lenny, but have you…” I began to choke; this was almost too hard to say, but I continued regardless. “Have you ever had to deal with their eyes? Their piercing, better-than-you gazes… It’s more than I can bear sometimes… And I just want to scream but you… You wouldn’t know anything about that.”

     And so I finished, nearly in tears and breathless. I looked up, only to see that while I was nearly in tears, Fio WAS crying. I don’t remember what I felt then. I might have thought that she deserved what I’d said; then again, I had been a bit hard on her.

     The reason I don’t remember? Because after I looked up, I felt a sharp pain in the back of my head and fell unconscious.

     **

     As I awoke, I was surrounded by an inky blackness. I tried to rise to my feet, but I couldn’t find the ground; I was floating in an indefinitely sized void. All that was there was me… And that Angelpuss. Halo.

     “What do you want?” I asked bitterly.

     He just turned his head, and miaowed.

     “I suppose you’re wondering why I said that to Fio? Well, she deserved it.”

     “Did she really?” Halo inquired in a booming voice; I was caught off-guard, and couldn’t pull together an answer. “Or are you just telling yourself that, to cover up your guilt?”

     “It’s… Nothing like that,” I answered angrily. “I just… wish I could live her life sometimes, but she doesn’t see how lucky she is.”

     “Then the answer is simple, is it not?” Halo replied. “You know the answer. But you refuse to accept it, because getting mad at those who are wrong is easier than instructing them. Correct?”

     “I… I don’t know…” I answered half-heartedly; but I did know. He was right.

     “Then, you must befriend your sister,” Halo continued. “And guide her.”

     “How can I!?” I snapped. “I’m stuck here, in this empty abyss!”

     “Foolish girl,” Halo chuckled. “You need only open your eyes.”

     And then I really did wake up… In a hospital bed, back in Neopia Central. Halo sat by my head, and licked me once on the cheek.

     “You’re awake!” Fio shrieked happily, hugging me.

     “Gwah! Not so tight with the hugging!” I gasped, and heard the rest of my family laugh in response. They were all here; Kip the Christmas Bori, Xen the purple Grundo, and my owner Mike.

     “You’ve been out for a while,” Kip said, answering my question before I could voice it. “About two hours; a Brick Cheese knocked you out when you weren’t looking, it would seem.”

     “That Techo lost his grip, and the cheese went flying,” Fio explained, pulling out of her embrace.

     “Knew it was made out of bricks.” I grinned. “Listen, Fio… I said some things I’m not proud of. And I was angry then, and wasn’t thinking straight. Could you forgive me?”

     “Isn’t it obvious?” Mike chuckled. “She already has! When you were knocked out, Fio carried you to Meridell’s hospital. But they decided you needed to be closer to home, so we all came down to Neopia Central. And Fio didn’t leave the side of your bed for a second.”

     “Apology accepted!” Fio jested. I laughed, and that’s when I discovered something wonderful; life isn’t about yearning for other people’s lives and possessions. It’s about loving your own life, and who you are.

     I nursed Limestone for the second time that day, and stepped carefully out of bed. Halo fluttered by Fio’s head, and the two of us walked out of the room with our own pets. Since I had rediscovered who my sister was, I had a lot to talk about.

     **

     We’re still working on our relationship. Fio still gets a little deluded with her dreams of grandeur sometimes, and I sometimes reply bitterly. I don’t think we’ve changed drastically.

     But our understanding of one another sure has.

The End