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Neopia's Fill in the Blank News Source | 28th day of Running, Yr 26
The Neopian Times Week 90 > Short Stories > Learning to Cope

Learning to Cope

by taffychic

I stood quietly outside the door of my pet's room. I hadn't heard from her in almost a day and a half, and the fact scared me a little. Celestilla, the self-proclaimed world-famous gossip columnist, was usually both very visible and extremely vocal, but since the morning before she hadn't shown her nose outside the door. She was even refusing admittance to Andromeda, her best friend and photographer, and that was unheard-of.

     Tuning my senses to any noises that might tell me what was going on inside the room, I could occasionally hear the familiar clopping noise of my Uni's hooves on the wood floor. "At least I know she isn't in a coma," I muttered to myself. Determinedly, I scooted closer to the door and pressed my ear to the wood to catch any sounds I was missing. I yelped in surprise when an enormous crash sounded a few inches away from my eardrum. When my ears stopped ringing, I could hear Celestilla's voice grumbling curses at me. At me! I thought, reaching new levels of astonishment. Except in jest, Celestilla had never spoken a hateful word toward me in her life.

     "Darn you, Taffy, I know you're out there, probably worrying your ridiculous little head off about me. Well, I won't come out; I'm never coming out again! I'll just sit in here and write my column from watching NTV, and you can just go tell Andromeda that I won't be needing her services anymore. Now go away." A scratching noise on the other side of the door made me jump, but I soon realized that it was just Celestilla's petpet, apparently imprisoned against his will. "And take Shankly with you," Celestilla amended, opening the door a crack to let the whining Doglefox out. He scampered down the stairs and made a beeline for the back yard, yipping urgently as he went.

     Seeing my chance, I quickly shoved a foot and one shoulder in the crack before she could shut the door. With a quick shove and a wiggle, I was in the room, Celestilla before me. She sat down hard on her rump and squeezed her eyes shut. "Foiled again," she moaned.

     With a feeling of trepidation I took in my surroundings. Her room, usually somewhat tidy, was now a snorklesty. The shattered pieces of what had once been an expensive glass Uni figurine lay inside the door where Celestilla had thrown it at my head. There were empty boxes of chocolates and crumpled cans of CF Cola everywhere; either she had a hidden stash, or someone was supplying her through the window. The sheets on her pallet had been teased and twisted into a nest shape, as if she had lain curled up into a small ball for some period of time, and the rug in front of her mirror looked worn from much pacing. The blinds were drawn even though the day outside was lovely, and the room was in a faux twilight.

     Steeling myself, I walked to the window and opened the blinds. Celestilla turned her head away so that I might not see her face, but the changes were impossible to hide. The dreaded Makeover had struck again.

     "Celestilla, look at me," I said weakly. She obeyed, a pleading look in her eyes as I examined her new form.

     "Cartoonish" is the only way I could describe it. Short, chubby legs took the place of long, graceful ones. Her neck was much shorter and her gorgeous red mane was no longer flowing, but thick and shaggy. Her intensely blue eyes were lost in a hide of almost the same color. Before, she had stood waist high to me at the shoulder, but now her head barely reached my hip. And with the sad expression she was wearing now, she looked like nothing more than an equinized, scolded puppy. Silently, her stare pleaded with me to make everything all right again.

     I sat down on the floor and absently stroked Celestilla's nose, trying my best to think of something to say that wouldn't make the situation worse. Shankly crept into the room, hesitated for a moment, and then began licking the tears from the Uni's forelock. She rewarded him with a weak smile, and, encouraged, I cleared my throat.

     "Celestilla, I've been around Neopia for quite a while now. I was there when the Polypup became the Gelert and when the Gelert was made over, as well. A lot of people were unhappy when that happened, especially the people that already owned Gelerts and liked the way they looked before. They called it 'cutification' and the pound was full of abandoned, made-over pets.

     "We've been lucky; except for some re-shading, the Uni has remained basically the same throughout Neopian history. But I knew that it was coming. Everything must change, and most of the time it will change with or without our permission. Fyora knows, you've a right to be upset, and I'm upset too. But there's nothing you or I or anyone can do. We'll get used to it in time."

     Celestilla got to her hooves and turned to face me, an angry light in her eyes. "But Taffy, look at me! No one is going to take me seriously any more! We Unis were already stereotyped badly enough when someone came up with the idea that we're all empty-headed, giggling, fashion-obsessed ninnies, but now that our appearance reflects that stereotype people are going to walk all over us!" She turned to study herself in the mirror. Contemptuously she spat, "I might as well be a flat image on a computer screen for all the depth my appearance has now. This face couldn't show intelligence if the fate of Faerieland depended on it!"

     I sighed and came to stand behind her. "This from you, Celestilla! You, who have been misjudged by your appearance for all your life. You of all people should realize that there will always be stereotypes as long as there are people who are shallow enough to uphold them. It's up to you to prove those shallow people wrong.

     "And don't underestimate your fans, Celestilla. There are hundreds who read your column each week, and they will respect and admire you no matter what you look like." Celestilla looked thoughtful at this, and I smiled. Celestilla had already proved herself wrong; that face could certainly show intelligence after all. I quietly left, shutting the door behind me.

The End

Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed this story! Please keep in mind, though, that this is FICTION and only my way of expressing my opinion on the Uni makeover. I meant no disrespect to Uni owners, new or old; I think that pets should never be judged by appearance, "but by the content of their character." However, everyone is entitled to his or her own opinions, and I would be interested to hear others' views on the subject. Don't hesitate to Neomail me!

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