Hey everyone, this is Tombo, from last week. *waves* Remember me? What a crazy story that was! I'm still trying to figure what really happened... if I just wandered into a dusty old ruin, and imagined it all, or if it really was the Temple of Illusion! I guess I'll never really know for sure. Nice thing about imagination, though... the story can change! I'm sure you've wondered like me, how the same story can turn out differently. Well, here's the chance! The first two sections are the same, but the third was a cool idea sent in last week. What's even better, since three entries are already up, that means we'll have 12 sections this week! YAY! I'm sure the story will be quite different this time. I can't wait to see what happens! Good luck everyone! Oh... *whispers* and just between you and me-- no more spiders please. They give me the creeps; but don't tell my sister that!

"The intrepid explorer, Tombo, gazes through the dense underbrush. He silently creeps up on the unwary specimen... the vicious, ruthless Saminaracasaurus! However, the brave hero is unafraid. No hostile native shall keep him from finding the lost treasure of... umm... uh... Agbodloo!" the Kougra yelled as he leaped from the bushes, knocking over his startled "prey".

"Tombo!!!" his sister screamed, "What do you think you're doing?!" the Kyrii shoved her little brother off of her, then got up, dusting her pith helmet off.

"Aww sis, I was just playing! You know, make-believe!" the Kougra said, smiling innocently.

Samina groaned. "You and that game of yours... I swear! Could you just keep you head out of the clouds for ten lousy minutes?!?"

Tombo held his head down, and mumbled, "Sorry sis." The Kougra felt uncomfortable under his sister's harsh glare, and busied himself by pushing a small rock around with his paw.

The Kyrii gave him one more growl for good measure, then adjusted the backpack on her shoulders. "We'll, come on. We'd better catch up with the rest of the class, before we get left behi--"

The little Kougra looked up to see why his sister had stopped mid-sentence. "Uh-oh," he said. "Did we lose our field trip group again?"

Samina screamed, stomping her foot with rage. "Arghh! You ALWAYS mess things up, Tombo! Why do you have to go running around, oblivious to reality all the time? Now we've lagged behind, and are lost! When will you realise that there are NO aggressive natives, NO undiscovered ancient temples, and absolutely NO HIDDEN TREASURES!" Samina was screaming so loudly that her face was turning blue.

"Sis--"

"Come on!" she commanded. Breathing heavily, the Kyrii grabbed her brother by the wrist and started dragging him down the path. "We need to find our class!"

"But, sis!" Tombo protested.

"What?!"

"Look!" the Kougra cried, pointing to...

"Wow, Samina! How cool!" Tombo cried, bounding up to it. "This looks just like the undiscovered temple in my make believe games! I wonder how long it's been here... do you remember seeing it before?"

"Yeah, right..." Samina snorted. "It's probably a mirage, or some kind of hallucination or something. Possibly brought on by hunger. After all, I am really, really hungry. Although, that wouldn't be the case, if you would STOP daydreaming and QUIT messing up my life!"

Tombo pretended to ignore the comment about his daydreaming.

"About the hallucination thing, sis," he said. "How could BOTH of us have the same hallucination?"

"I don't know," Samina answered. "Anyway... c'mon! If we can catch up to the group, then--TOMBO! What are you doing?! Get back here RIGHT now!"

It was too late. Tombo had entered the dark mouth of the "temple". Blackness closed in all around him. He was going to explore this place, whether Samina wanted him to or not.

"The brave explorer barely manages to escape the deadly rage of the Saminaracasaurus." Tombo whispered, feeling his voice echo in the dark room around him. "He finds the temple he's been searching for. It is quite dark and soggy, but he will continue on, in search of the treasure..."

Tombo heard Samina's feet pounding after him. Any minute now she would catch him, ruin his adventure, and yell at him some more. However, that's when he heard some footsteps that couldn't have belonged to his sister...

...Tombo spun around. Samina's footsteps continued to draw closer, but the second set had stopped. His eyes searched the inky darkness. He could barely make out the form of his sister against the dim light of the temple entrance as she fumbled down the corridor. Tombo chuckled to himself, and, convinced that the second set of footfalls had only been his imagination, pressed onward.

At the back of the room, he discovered another corridor. "The explorer finds a passageway, possibly leading deeper into the ruins. He moves bravely forward..." Tombo said to himself, entertaining ideas of an endless treasure that lay beyond. The corridor itself was narrow, boasting sudden turns, rocky walls, and a ground of cool, packed earth. The Kougra, though mildly intimidated by the increasing darkness, beamed with excitement, racing down the path and abandoning all thoughts of his sister.

He eventually came to a large, bare room. Slabs of marble made up the walls and floor; torches fixed just beneath the ceiling cast a shimmering amber glow that spilled downward like luminescent water. Tombo held his breath in anticipation, his pupils contracting as he looked about the chamber in wonder. His anticipation became pure thrill as he spotted an elegant chair ahead surrounded by heaps of shining coins and jewels.

"Whoa, real treasure! Wait until I tell Samina...!" Just as he became fixated on the wealth before him, the familiar sound of footsteps reached his ears. He turned around, half-expecting to see his sister.

Instead, an aquiline face set with icy blue eyes stared back at Tombo, studying him with such curious intensity that he nearly bolted under its gaze. The creature stepped out of the shadows of the corridor, beak agape in a slight grin. Before Tombo stood a black Eyrie, feathers dew-spangled, muscles rippling beneath her silky fur.

The Eyrie tilted her head in a quick, almost mechanical motion. "Why ha-have you c-c-co..." She stopped for a moment and blinked, regarding Tombo with a bemused eye. "Why?"

"What's wrong with you? Why are you talking like that?" Tombo asked, putting on his bravest face.

"What do you mean? There is no-nothing wrong with me," the Eyrie returned, obviously just as confused as Tombo was.

"Of course there is! You talk funny!"

"I do not think so," she said, once again eyeing the Kougra curiously.

Well, she seems pretty harmless... Tombo thought, feeling his fear dissipate. "Hey, what's your name?"

At this, the Eyrie became visibly puzzled. "My... name? What i-is a name?"

"You don't know what a name is? It's something everyone calls you by," explained the Kougra.

"Then I do not... have a n-name." Her tone was flat.

"Really? Why not?" Tombo laughed. The Eyrie grinned a bit wider, then attempted to imitate the sound, though it came out forcibly harsh.

"TOMBO!" An angry voice reverberated through the room, sending both creatures a step back. From the passageway came Samina, her face twisted and red with rage. "Tombo, stop wasting time! So what if you found some stupid temple, let's just--" She halted abruptly as she noticed the Eyrie. Surprise claimed her features first, but quickly faded to irritation.

"Aww, come on, sis! Look at this room! Look at the treasure over there! And look at my new friend! She doesn't even have a name!"

"Tombo, you can make friends some other time! We have to get back to our group!" Samina retorted, impatient.

As the two siblings continued to argue, the Eyrie gazed at them as a child would in a mirror.

"Aww, Samina..." whined Tombo.

"I don't care, you idiot! We're leaving NOW!" Samina snapped, moving forward to grab her brother by the arm.

"I-id-idi-idiot." The Eyrie rolled the letters on her tongue, pleased by the sound she made. "Idiot!" She said proudly.

Samina stomped her foot and glared at the Eyrie. "What's your problem, anyway?"

"N-nothing," came the Eyrie's reply. "What is... idiot?"

"That's just like you, Tombo, picking up friends just as weird as you are!" Samina yelled, turning to her brother.

"Hey--" Tombo began in protest. He suddenly fell silent when he caught a glimpse of a large hole on the Eyrie's left shoulder. "Whoa..."

"Whoa what?" The Kyrii muttered, rolling her eyes. "Let me guess--"

"No, Samina, I REALLY mean 'whoa'," Tombo interrupted. "Come look at her shoulder!"

"I don't see-- what the...?" Samina trailed off.

A tear in the Eyrie's flesh revealed bones crafted of rusting metal and joints constructed of gears. They spun slowly as the mechanical creature shifted her foreleg.

"Y-you're a robot!" Tombo squealed with excitement. "This is so COOL!"

"O-of course I am. Are you not mechanical as well?" Was her only reply.

"Who and what are you...?" Samina asked...

"I-I am a robot, l-like you said. Idiot!" she added proudly.

Samina rolled her eyes. "Yes, we figured that part out... but what are you doing here? What's your name?"

"Sis, she said she doesn't have a name," Tombo whispered.

The mechanical Eyrie slowly cocked her head to one side and looked at the Kyrii. "H-here is this na-name thing you speak of. I have n-none. W-what is your n-name?" she asked.

Samina looked at her with an leery look in her eyes, so Tombo spoke up.

"I'm Tombo, and this is my sister, Samina. Since you don't have a name, we'll call you... Sekonee."

The Eyrie stared at him. Tombo thought perhaps she didn't understand, but then she spoke. "S-Sek-Sekoneeeee. Sekonee. M-my name is Sekonee."

She broke into a wide grin as she repeated her new name over and over to herself.

"Yeah, great, you have a name. Whoop-dee-doo. Now could you please help us find the way out of here? Tombo here got us a little lost," Samina said, glaring at her brother.

"L-lost? Sekonee," the Eyrie mumbled, not paying attention.

"Come on, Tombo," Samina muttered, grabbing her brother's arm and starting to drag him away.

"W-wait. Sekonee... will show you where I live. You, T-Tombo, want to see treasure? H-he knows where it is," the Eyrie smiled, jerkily motioning to follow her.

"Yeah! Let's go, Sis!" Tombo yelled excitedly, running up behind Sekonee.

"NO! Tombo!" Samina shrieked madly, running after her brother.

"So... Sekonee... who is 'he'"? Tombo asked the Eyrie, watching her movements carefully.

"H-he? Oh. H-he is the one in charge of all of us. T-the one who-" Sekonee broke off, pointing to an ornate door.

"TOMBO!! GET BACK HERE!" Samina screamed wildly...

..but it was too late.

The Eyrie leaned forward and pressed a large jewel in the center of the doorway with her beak. Behind the golden entrance, chains and gears creaked and rattled until the doorway slid into the wall, revealing a long, dark corridor with a faint light at the end. Tombo followed her in thoughtlessly, with his eyes as round as dinner plates.

"So this... this guy. What is he like? Will he share some treasure with me?" Tombo asked excitedly as he walked beside the black Eyrie.

"H-he shares h-his tr-treasure with e-everyone," she said in a distant voice.

"Tombo!" his sister yelled as she ran after him. "Get back--"

The rattling of chains and gears cut her off, and the Kyrii froze in terror as the door slammed shut--a mere hair's breadth from her tail.

"Tombo, what are you doing?" Samina hissed in a low voice as she ran up behind him.

"It's okay, sis," Tombo shrugged. "We're going to meet some cool guy who will give us treasure!"

"H-he sh-shares his tr-treasure with all I bri-bring," the Eyrie said in that same cold and distant tone that sent a shiver down Samina's spine. Who talked like that anyway?

The corridor gave way to a perfectly clean laboratory. The walls shone white, and hundreds of computer buttons glistened and blinked along twenty different screens. The monitors showed pictures of Neopets in both tunnels, underground and frolicking outside.

"Wow! It's almost like the Virtupets Space Station! I wonder if they're robots, too!" Tombo said, rushing up to one of the consoles and leaning over to look at the screen.

"Tombo, get back here!" Samina shouted. The Kougra rolled his eyes and walked back towards his sister.

"Hey! Where did--" He stopped himself as he saw Sekonee sitting in the entrance to the corridor. With wings folded along her back, Sekonee's eyes were closed, and the Eyrie's head leaned down to rest along her chest.

"Sekonee, are you all right?" he asked, walking closer to the Eyrie.

"Tombo," Samina implored, looking around with wide eyes. "I'm not kidding... I think we should leave! There has to be a way out of here... come on!"

"She won't hear you," a calm voice said from behind them, and both Tombo and Samina whipped around to face an Ixi.

"She's shut herself down, currently," he grinned.

"Hey! You're real!" Tombo exclaimed.

Samina narrowed her eyes at him. There was something wrong with him; he had shaggy gray-green fur, and those eyes... those weird yellow eyes.

"I'm sorry, but we need to go," the Kyrii insisted.

"Nonsense. You're looking for the treasure, aren't you?" he asked, then smiled at Tombo. "Yes... yes, I am real."

He turned toward the computer and looked over his shoulder at the pair.

"I'd be glad to share it with you. Just give me one moment to open the door," the Ixi said, pushing a button that caused the computer to beep.

"Tombo, we need to--" The Kyrii was interrupted by metal arms that came out of the ceiling. They both tried to run, but the arms firmly grasped them by the waist. Both Tombo and Samina looked at each other, then towards the Ixi, who was smiling.

"You're going to join our army. You'll be one of the hundreds of robotic Neopets that will take over Neopia," he said. "Think of the possibilities. It won't hurt... much, and you'll be invincible."

"Unless it rains..." Tombo said matter-of-factly.

"Shut up," his sister hissed. "Just a nice guy who wants to share his treasure, huh?"

Tombo flattened his ears and looked down at the spotless floor. She was right. He had been the one who'd gotten them into this mess.

Then, he thought he heard a sound...

"Psst, Sekonee!" Tombo said softly.

Samina kicked Tombo. "Don't talk to her! That stupid robot... she's the one who got us into this mess!"

Ignoring his sister, Tombo called to the Eyrie once again.

"Psst... help us, Sekonee. Your master is going to hurt us!"

Sekonee glanced at Tombo and smiled awkwardly, in an almost natural way. Then, without a word, the black Eyrie slipped away into the shadows.

"I told you, Tombo. She's a hunk of metal--"

Tombo glared at his sister, and growled, "No she is NOT! Don't you understand, Samina? All these pets were once normal Neopets like us!"

Tears ran down Samina's face. She broke into sobs, and struggled against the metal hands.

"I know! And we're going to become one of them! Oh, this is all your fault, Tombo! If it weren't for your stupid little games, we wouldn't be here... we'd be studying--"

Samina was cut off by a screech; the metallic hands opened, setting the two Neopets free.

"NO!" the Ixi yelled, jumping into the nearest chair and furiously punching every button. There was a look of wild astonishment on his face.

Samina gasped, and tugged at Tombo's arm. She then began pointing wildly up towards the ceiling.

"Tombo! Look! Look up there!"

Tombo followed his sister's pointing paw to see...

...Sekonee struggling with a beak full of wires and cables. Her eyes darted back and forth wildly, gears clicking and whirring with exertion. Feathers fell like a black rain, twirling, as the Eyrie's frantic wings whipped 'round and 'round.

"R-r-run!" she managed to utter before her jaw locked. "To... l-lef..."

"Tombo, this way!" Samina yelled yelled over the machinery's screeching. She pointed to a passageway on their left; Tombo, however, kept his eyes on Sekonee, begging her to follow. "Sekonee, let go! Come on!"

"I... I, n-no..." Sekonee's disjointed words were almost a soft cadence against the harsh grating of the failing mechanical arms. "L-left..."

"TOMBO!" Samina screamed, digging her nails into her brother's scruff. "We have to go NOW!"

"Samina, we have to get Sekonee! Who knows what he'll do to her?!?" Tombo protested, pulling in the opposite direction. His feet scrabbled along the polished floor, seeking purchase on a pile of gears and ropes that were merely inches from his face. "We can't leave her here... LET ME GO!"

"T-Tom... Tombo, go," Sekonee stuttered. "I..." she'd become further entangled in the wires, and her eyes seemed to glow, as if she'd remembered a fond memory. With a strange grin, she turned to gaze at Tombo; her eyes locked with his, and she stared at him with the same curiosity she'd had during their first meeting. "G-g-go..."

"Sekonee!" Tombo cried, but it was too late. Samina was already dragging him down the passageway; the Eyrie faded from sight, and the Ixi as well. He was too involved with his machinery (and Sekonee) to notice that his two prisoners had made their escape.

"Oww, sis... let go!" Tombo growled. "I can walk on my own!"

"I know you can, but that doesn't mean you will!" Samina snapped back, running as quickly as her legs could carry her.

The passageway was dark and cramped, though sparsely lit by some small torches that were fixed along the walls. Unlike the one in the laboratory, this tunnel was made of earth, and lacked the blinding white decor; instead, it was rocky and drab, and much easier to navigate despite the poor light.

"Samina, what's going to happen to Sekonee?" Tombo breathed as they ran.

"I don't know..." was Samina's short reply.

All of a sudden, they heard a terrible squealing. Filled with terror, both Tombo and his sister turned around to see a black shadow limping down the corridor, fighting to stay upright.

"RUN!" Samina cried, pulling at Tombo's arm.

"Sis, wait! I think it's Sekonee!" Tombo tore himself from his sister's grasp and took two cautious steps forward. "Sekonee, is that you?" he called.

"I-id-idiot!" the familiar voice sounded, almost cheerfully. "I... forward, go! Kee-kee-keep go-ing!"

"Wait, we'll come get you!" Tombo said in return, running towards the Eyrie. He reached her side in seconds, just before she collapsed.

"Ma-mal-mal-malfunct, I-I, go..." she whispered, icy eyes shifting from side to side. "F-a... malfunction, cannot..."

"Tombo!" Samina called, her tone fraught with worry.

"Not now, Samina!" growled Tombo.

"TOMBO! Listen to me!" his sister cried.

Tombo bared his teeth in a feral snarl, grasping one of Sekonee's paws tightly. "I said, 'NOT NOW!'"

"Tom-Tombo... over, look... behind, c-c-c-oming..." Sekonee uttered. "Be... hind..." Her eyelids flickered, then with a rusted screech, she fell silent.

Tombo whipped around and felt his stomach drop. At the end of the passageway, a robot army was advancing...

As the army closed in, Samina shut her eyes. She nearly yelled at her little brother for leading them to such a gruesome end, but for once, decided to bite her tongue. Resigned to her fate, she just closed her eyes and hugged her brother. With the grinding of gears closing in, she clamped her eyes even harder. However, they popped open when she heard her brother cry, "No! Leave her alone!"

Tombo had jumped onto Sekonee's broad back, and was now growling fiercely. "The brave hunter Tombo fears no mechanical army!"

Samina smacked her head.

"Come on, sis... play along," Tombo whispered to her. "Just say the words, and they will empower you."

Samina opened her mouth to protest, but had little fight left in her. Anything was worth a shot now. Taking a deep breath, and drawing herself up as much as she could, she shouted at the mechanical army, "The fearsome Saminaracasaurus demands that you aid us!" Wow, Samina thought, it kinda does help!

The robotic pets paused, as they'd become momentarily confused, then pounced on the three trouble makers.

Lifted over the heads of the mechanical Neopets, and marched into the depths of the cave, Tombo gave his sister a cheerless smile, "Well, at least we had one last great stand. Maybe it won't be so bad being mechanical..." Even imagining that he'd like being made into a robot wasn't enough to convince him, though. Samina then saw tears beginning to form around her brother's eyes, as the reality of the situation began to hit his young mind.

Just as she was about to try and say something that would console her brother, they were dropped to the floor. Dazed, Tombo saw them taking Sekonee into another room. "Please! Don't hurt her!" he cried.

The robots carrying Sekonee's limp form looked at him oddly, but proceded into the next room, whirring and clicking at each other. Tombo ran towards the door, but found that it had been slammed and locked shut before he could get there. He screamed and pounded on the door, but it was to no avail. Samina took a moment to look around. They were in a large cavern, filled with countless mechanical pets, but they seemed more curious than anything. They looked at her with the same wonder in their eyes that Sekonee's gaze had once possessed. Feeling uncomfortable, she edged back towards her brother, gripping him in a tight hug. Tombo was in tears, worrying about what they were going to do to his friend. Huddled together by the door, with no hope of escape, the siblings waited... and waited.

Hours later, the door clicked as it opened. Looking over his sister's shoulder, Tombo's eyes lit up...

..."Sekonee! What happened? Did they hurt you? Are you okay?" Tombo blurted out feverishly.

"Idiot!" she said. Tombo laughed at this and hugged her. As he embraced her, Tombo saw the confused look in her eyes.

"It's called a hug. It's something friends do." Tombo said to her.

"F-f-friends?" Sekonee responded.

"Yeah, a friend is like what you and I are." Tombo answered back.

"F-friend." Sekonee said again, then hugged Tombo.

"Okay, now that you two are all hippy doo, we're still surrounded by a bunch of robots with no way to escape!" Samina pointed out.

Sekonee then started making a bunch of clicking noises. After she did this, a shadow Gelert emerged, making some of the same noises.

"What's goin' on?" Samina whispered to Tombo.

"I'm not sure." he responded. "Uhh, Sekonee. What's happening?"

"T-this Sekonee f-friend." she responded. The shadow Gelert gave what seemed to be a smile.

"H-hi," it said. "H-h-help us, p-please."

That's when Tombo realized it. These weren't the scientist's "minions", these were his prisoners!

"Samina, we have to help them. They're prisoners! I just know that there has to be a way to stop that scientist, so that he'll never get to anyone else again!" Tombo said to his sister.

"That's a great idea! And after that, we can stop world hunger!" she responded sarcastically.

"I'm serious, Samina!" he yelled back, getting irritated.

"Okay then! But, how?..."

Several hours later, equipped with a carefully laid out plan, they bravely went into action...

"Ah, wonderful!" the scientist said, grinning. "I'll make sure to send you over some extra oil. And what of the Eyrie?"

"W-we have d-disposed of her, M-Master."

"I wanted to deal with her myself," he said with a snarl. "I had a suitable punishment laid out. However, I shall forgive you, since you've brought me these pets... partially."

There was a squeak as the Gelert gulped, but the scientist took no notice. "I'll set the sonic-ray to a low level," the scientist said, a nasty glint in his eyes. He pushed a button, and a large ray gun lowered from the ceiling, aiming itself at the Gelert. "Five seconds should teach you a fine lesson."

Samina and Tombo swallowed loudly, hoping their plan would work out. They had to draw the scientist away from his lab, where he kept a massive ray gun that he used punish those who showed any sign of insubordination. It was a devious device, which sent out a sound wave that resonated with the type of metal within the pets. At low levels, it caused intense pain. If adjusted to higher settings, it could shatter their gears from within.

"NOW!" Samina shrieked, turning and kicking the Gelert in the face. According to plan, the Gelert reeled, howling in pain. Tombo sincerely hoped that he hadn't hurt him as much as it sounded. Tombo pushed him aside, probably not acting quite as well as Samina had, and the Gelert skidded across the floor, pushing so that he would fly even farther.

Tombo and Samina hadn't gone too far into the tunnel before they could hear shrieks behind them: "Get them! Get them!"

Soon, there were plenty of robots heading towards them. However, they were all wearing clever smiles on their faces. "We have t-them t-t-trapped, Master!" one of the robots called.

"Very good. Bring them to me," he yelled back.

"W-we c-cannot, m-master," another robot clicked. "T-they are too s-swift to t-take hold of; we can only b-block them."

Muttering and swearing, the doctor left the safety of his laboratory and headed towards them, only to be immediately seized by Sekonee and several other mechanical pets. The Ixi began yelling and screaming in rage.

"Give up fighting!" Tombo announced proudly. "We have you, and we're going to set these Neopets free!"

To the surprise of both Tombo and his sister, the doctor stopped struggling for a moment, then laughed. "Are you kidding me?" he cried out. "Did you think I hadn't taken precautions to keep my precious robots from turning against me?" He pulled a small remote control device from his pocket and turned the knob to "annihilate". "You misjudged the range on my sonic-ray..." he said, grinning, as the giant raygun swiveled towards the crowd of pets...

...The Ixi gave a last wicked smile, then pressed the fire button. "No!" Tombo yelled, but then he noticed that Samina had a smile flashing on her face. "What are you smiling about? It's not funny! Sek--"

"No, silly... look!" she said, lifting her paw up and pointing towards the giant raygun. The Gelert, left alone in the lab, had ripped out several wires. The sonic-ray was smoking and sparking, as if it were about to explode soon. "Samina, we have to save the pets... hurry!" Tombo instructed.

Samina, Tombo, and Sekonee began to round up all of the pets, who were nervous and unsure about what to do. The three friends hurried the others outside, leaving the demented scientist shocked, and somewhat trampled. An explosion filled the air, along with dirt and debris, which rained over them for quite some time. After the dust settled, the three friends went in to see what remained. The entire lab portion of the cavern had caved in. However, the areas that the pets inhabitated, though thick with dust, still remained.

"Samina," Tombo began to ask, "What's going to happen to them now? I mean, I don't think there is any way to turn them back to normal."

"I don't supposed there is," she told him, "but maybe we can help them in another way..."

"There you two are! Where on Neopia have you been? The whole class has been looking all over for you!" their teacher chastised, just as Samina and Tombo approached their field trip group.

"Well," Tombo said, "We got a little... sidetracked. You see, we stumbled upon this civilization of enslaved mechanical pets, that were going to be used for a plot to overthrow Neopia... that is, until we came to the rescue, and--"

"Stop your foolishness!" the teacher yelled.

"Don't you call my brother a liar!" Samina screamed, stepping forward. "He may have an active imagination, but he's a good person, and what he said is true! He really IS a hero."

"Samina!" the teacher said, shocked. "This behavior is outrageous, especially from you! When we get back, I'm going to--"

From behind them, Sekonee stepped forward. "T-teacher, please t-teach Sekonee speak g-good! She t-teach her f-friends then! Happy t-to live f-free!" she squawked happily, the noise of her gears evident in her movements.

The teacher's jaw dropped, and he simply stared.

Sekonee decided to take that as a yes, and flapped her wings happily. Tombo and Samina grinned at each other. For the first time, Samina felt a sense of respect and pride for her brother growing in her heart. He was no longer a hero in just his imagination anymore.

The End