A Walk in Each Other’s Step Out Shoes

     The Gelert twirled happily in her new dress. Its bright fuchsia material clashed with the Green of her fur, but the shopkeeper, a beautiful Blue Uni wearing a lustrous blonde wig, clapped her hooves boisterously for her. "Marvelous, dear!” the Uni cried. “It suits you perfectly!"

     The Green Gelert smiled and curtsied in gratitude. She then turned to a rather unhappy-looking Skeith sitting on a chair nearby. "What do you think, Herbie?"

     The Skeith eyed her frilly, blindingly bright dress and winced. "It's really pink," he said.

     The Gelert rolled her eyes. "Yeah, duh! But how does it look on me?"

     Herbie let out a huff of frustration. "I don't know, Angel! I don't know anything about silly girls' clothes."

     The shopkeeper laid a comforting hoof on the Gelert's shoulder. "I told you, dear, it looks nice! I doubt your brother here knows as much about fashion as we do."

     "Yeah!" Herbie agreed. "Listen to her, she’s the fashionable one!"

     Angel shot him an annoyed glare before following the shop owner back to the register to pay for her new dress. Herbie sighed in relief at being let off the hook. As he waited for Angel, he looked around at all the colourful clothes in the shop with disdain. He really didn't see what all the hype with getting dressed up was about. As if touching something gooey, he tentatively poked at the fabric of an Usuki shirt. Some glitter got on his hands, which only served to darken his mood.

     After Angel was finally finished haggling with the shopkeeper, the two left the store to explore the rest of Neopia Central. Angel insisted on wearing her dress out of the store, and at this Herbie rolled his eyes.

     Unfortunately for him, she caught him making faces. "Hey! What's with the attitude?"

     "You're so vain," Herbie sneered. "You remind me of Vira sometimes."

     Angel scowled. "How can I possibly remind you of her? Vira's an Acara! I don't look anything like her, silly." She waved a paw dismissively at him. "Besides, I'm not vain! I just think dressing up is fun.”

     "Whatever," Herbie grumbled. "Your silly girly clothes aren't a real hobby, they're just a waste of Neopoints. Neopoints we could be spending on Battledome items!"

     Now it was Angel's turn to roll her eyes. "You can't always have it your way, you know!"

     But Herbie didn't hear her, already rushing off to the Battle Magic shop. She giggled at how hard his little wings were flapping with excitement before she followed him inside. It was really no use arguing with him sometimes. His attention span was just too small.

     Later that day, Angel was reading a book about Faellies – the cutest Petpets in Neopia, in her humble opinion – when she heard a shout come from another room. It sounded like Herbie’s voice. She looked over at her big sister, a Starry Aisha named Janya, with panic in her eyes.

     Setting down her puzzle piece with a sigh (and a grumble of "I'll never find out what this is a picture of,") Janya hurried in the direction of the commotion. Angel hesitated — her book was just getting to the good part, and Janya was way more capable than her… but before she could settle down again, she heard another shrill cry from Herbie. The sound was so distressing, Angel just had to put down her book and see what was going on.

     Angel found Herbie and Janya in the kitchen, right next to the door to the garden. Herbie was scrubbing at his eyes with his big, yellow paws while Janya patted his back soothingly. "There, there," the Starry Aisha crooned. "Big Neopets don't cry!"

     "I'm not crying," Herbie snapped. He sniffed, very loudly. "Manly men like me don't cry.” He tried to put on a strong face, but ended up looking mostly pathetic.

     "What's going on with Herbie?" Angel asked.

     Janya sighed. "According to my knowledge of medicine – and the fact he's too terrified to enter the garden – it seems Herbie has Neophobia."

     "I'm not terrified of the garden," Herbie cried, in a last ditch effort to defend his toughness. "I'm just suspicious of it!"

     Neither of the others believed him, but they didn't say anything about it, allowing him his delusions.

     "Hey," Angel said, "what's the cure for Neophobia again?"

     Janya thought for a moment. "Hmmm. You know, I can't seem to remember! But we do live in Neopia Central, so I could run to the Hospital very quickly for a look."

     "That won't be necessary." Angel was grinning evilly now. "I remember what the cure is."

     "Oh!" Janya smiled. "Maybe you could tell us then, and I could go out and buy it."

     "I already own it!" Angel sang. "Wait here!"

     Herbie and Janya looked at each other warily. You could never trust Angel when she smiled like that.

     After ten minutes she returned, hiding something behind her back. "I bought these because they were super cute and they matched my dress, but apparently you aren't supposed to wear them unless you're sick! I felt so cheated, but I guess now they're not so useless, after all!" And with triumph, Angel finally revealed what she was talking about: a pair of dark pink, over-the-top sparkling Step Out Shoes.

     Herbie was naturally a Yellow Skeith but his face turned so red right then from embarrassment, you'd have thought he'd been repainted. "I'm not wearing those silly girly shoes!" Herbie yelled.

     Janya frowned, worried. "But what else will you do?"

     Herbie thought frantically. Suddenly, he got an idea. With a grin, he declared, "I'll just go to the Healing Faerie, of course!"

     Janya bit her lip. "But we can't take you to the Healing Springs, Herbie. Having Neophobia means you're too scared to leave the house."

     Herbie visibly deflated. "Oh, yeah. But, um, maybe if you blindfold me, I won’t realize we’re leaving the house?”

     Angel scowled. “Oh, Herbie, that’s ridiculous! I have the cure right here, so you might as well use it!”

     Just looking at those ridiculous, sparkly shoes was making him sweat. He couldn’t wear those! He’d look like a girl!

     Janya’s ears started to droop, mirroring the deep sense of worry she felt. “For Fyora’s sake, Herbie, can’t you just put on the Step Out Shoes?”

     Herbie clutched at his own shirt for support. “I…” He swallowed. “I can try again. Here, I’m not sick, I can go out into the garden, I just got a little dizzy because I was hungry, or I didn’t get enough sleep, or…”

     Despite the protests of the girls, he staggered to his feet and faced the doorway to the garden. The world outside seemed to loom, endless, green, menacing. He gripped the doorjamb on either side, steeling himself to look out at the grass, the toadstools, the flowers. He would step foot out of his Neohome. He would not be forced to wear those horrible, silly shoes! He wouldn’t… He just wouldn’t…

     As he lifted his leg, he felt a wave of nausea and fear hit him like a tidal wave. Herbie put his foot back on the ground, took a deep breath, and then prepared to step again. But just as he was going to, a Draphly fluttered through the garden. In the harsh, azure blue of the midday skies, it seemed larger, more menacing, somehow. And the trees out by the fence - didn’t they seem to glare and snarl, like those you’d find in the Haunted Woods?

     With a miserable groan, Herbie sat down on the floor, back turned towards the door to soothe his anxieties. It was no use. There was no way he was getting out of this neohome.

     He glanced to his right. Angel was still holding up the shoes, a big, Dr. Sloth-like grin on her face. The footwear glinted in the kitchen light.

     Herbie’s gaze fell to the tiled floor. “Maybe I can just live in the Neohome the rest of my life,” he mumbled.

     Angel tapped her lip. “You could do that… But how would you ever go to the Battledome?”

     The Battledome! Herbie hadn’t even gotten to go today! And he’d just bought a new Leaf Shield after the old one cracked, and he’d found the coolest new weapon yesterday at the Bazaar when he’d gone with Angel. He’d haggled with the shopkeeper for so long, and now, he’d never get to use it on that blasted Koi Warrior!

     Unless…

     With a laboured sigh, Herbie turned to Angel. “Okay,” he agreed, sadness saturating his voice. “Give me the shoes.”

     Angel clapped her paws excitedly. “Yay! We’re playing dress-up!” At his glare, she amended, “We’re playing, um, NeoHospital. Yeah. Stick your foot out.”

     Blushing darkly, Herbie held out his right foot. Angel wedged the first shoe on. It didn’t feel anything like his sneakers. He put his right foot down, wobbling somewhat when he went to lift his left leg. Janya offered him an arm of support, which he took. Standing in high-heel shoes was hard, let alone trying to stay balanced in just one!

     Angel put on the second shoe. Herbie lowered his foot, standing firmly now on both Step Out Shoes. He frowned. “Now what?”

     “I think you have to walk outside in them,” Angel said, helpfully.

     Outside! That’s where people were! He looked miserably at Janya, who was still holding his arm to help support him.

     She smiled gently. “I’ll go with you, if you like. I can shield you from anyone who might be passing by.”

     Herbie shook his head at the Starry Aisha. “No,” he said, “I’m good.”

     Herbie turned towards the door to the garden. Taking a deep breath, he walked over the threshold. He wobbled as he went, scowling at his feet. These silly heels couldn’t support his weight, could they? But the more he walked, the more comfortable he felt in them. By the time he’d reached the center of the Neogarden, no wave of terror or nausea gripped his chest. Instead, he breathed freely. He smiled up at the glittering sun. It kind of reminded him of the shoes.

     Suddenly, Herbie felt the tickle of grass between his toes. He looked down to see his feet were bare. The Step Out Shoes must have dissolved when he was cured.

     Janya and Angel ran out into the garden, cheering. Janya clapped her paws, and Angel slapped Herbie on the back. “See? That wasn’t so bad, you big baby!”

     Herbie blushed. “I guess I was just embarrassed because I thought pink and sparkles were for girls, and I’d look dumb wearing them.”

     The Starry Aisha laughed. "Is that all? Oh, Herbie! Pink is just a colour! You're not any less of a boy for wearing it."

     "Yeah, silly!" Angel grinned.

     Herbie scratched his neck, smiling sheepishly at the Green Gelert. “I'm sorry I said your love for clothes was silly.”

     “Yeah you are!” Angel replied, sassily. “My 'silly' love for pink, sparkly things is what saved you!”

     The little family laughed. To celebrate Herbie’s full recovery, they decided to head on over to the Battledome.

     Herbie finally beat the Koi Warrior, and used his winnings to buy Angel some new shoes.

          The End.