The Uni approached the table and took a seat beside his sister, Sadie, who had stopped eating her Neocrunch Cereal to give her brother a bewildered stare.

"The Uni sauntered across the chipped floor tiles to the table and sat beside his sister, not out of any sense of companionship or sibling affection, but because there were only two chairs. 'I am so out of place here,' the Uni thought to himself. 'Some day I will rise above all this. I must!'"

Sadie blinked at him slowly, droplets of milk falling from the spoon that had paused mid-way to her mouth.

"Dorean tried to hide his distaste as his ungainly sister stared at him stupidly, her jaws still working the artificially flavoured cereal she wolfed down every morning. He just barely suppressed the urge to tell her that chewing in that stupid manner made her resemble one of Neopia's duller Kaus, gnawing on grass in a Meridellian field. Sometimes it was difficult not to correct Sadie's myriad faults -- her poor manners, her slumping posture, her horrid fashion sense. Dorean did the best he could not to, or to gently correct her, but at least he took some comfort in knowing that the Mynci was probably too simple for her to realise his struggles."

Sadie slammed her spoon down onto the tabletop, splashing her brother with milk. "Dorean, for Fyora's sake, quit it! What are you doing anyway? Whatever it is, it's not funny!"

"The dashing Uni suppressed a sigh. Of course, it would never occur to Sadie that he was narrating his life as it happened. The poor girl had such a simple, tedious life, one that wouldn't have been worthy of narration, even if she had had the vocabulary to attempt it. What the Mynci didn't know, though, and couldn't possibly have guessed (since she was, as aforementioned, quite dense), was that even her dreary life would change that day..."

"Yes, it's going to change because I'm leaving the room!" Sadie snapped, shooting up from her chair.

Dorean continued as if he hadn't heard her. "...For everything would change that day. Yes, for the moment, the world seemed normal; it was just a regular morning in an average, if somewhat unkempt, Neopian kitchen. But beyond that lurked something only the greatest mind -- a mind like the humble narrator's, for example -- could have possibly envisioned..."

Dorean paused in his narration as he studied every feature of the shabby kitchen, appearing to memorise every chipped and peeling surface, and then retrieved a backpack from the rear of the mop closet. Placing the bag on the tabletop, he sat and continued: "The Uni hefted the bag onto the table and noted that the weight of the object it contained seemed appropriately heavy for the situation. He mused to himself that no momentous change could be easily contained within a lightweight package. Returning his focus to the backpack, Dorean slowly unzipped the zipper, allowing the moment to stretch itself out... well... momentously. His heart began to beat even faster, like a snare drum announcing the unveiling of something big. Something important. Something life-changing.

"The Uni finished unzipping the enclosure and reached into the shadowy depths of the backpack. He could wait no longer. With one triumphant flourish, he withdrew and raised high the critical article. He marvelled at how the smooth blue surface glinted in the shaft of sun that cut through the mote-filled air of the dingy room. He turned the ovate object until the golden 'N' on its front reflected that same golden sunlight. He blew gently to raise the small red cape and delighted in its furling and unfurling; it seemed to the Uni like the raising of a flag to the discovery of a new country, which would soon be he, himself.

"Dorean took a deep breath, preparing to embark on his transformation, but an incongruous splash of green and pink caught the corner of his eye. With a small snort, the Uni swept the box of Neocrunch Cereal to the floor and declared, 'Not today, sugary substitute for proper nutrition. This morning I eat like the hero I will soon become.'

"Once more the Uni raised the object and opened his mouth, savouring the moment and anticipating the imminent changes."

As Dorean froze to prolong the joyous expectancy, the door to the small kitchen swung wide and his sister scampered in. When Sadie saw what her brother was about to eat, she exclaimed, "Dorean! Is that a Super Negg? Where would you have gotten the Neopoints for one of those? And are you going to eat that? Do you know what we could sell that thing for? How much food we could buy with that kind of money?"

The Uni pulled the Negg even closer to his face, breathing deeply of its fragrance, and said, "Dorean chose to ignore the pleas of the short-sighted Mynci, she who could not possibly be expected to understand what miraculous changes would occur when he finally consumed the magical item. Of course Dorean had considered selling the Super Negg; he is, after all, a thoughtful and generous Uni, but he dismissed that notion as unnecessary. What the Mynci didn't know, in addition to everything else she didn't know, was that Dorean had access to an endless supply of Super Neggs. What the Mynci didn't know was that Dorean..."

"Even without having told her, there was a strange gleam in her eye, or maybe it was the very unladylike way in which she was standing -- feet planted firmly apart, hands clenched in fists at her sides, face turning a terribly unattractive shade of red -- that made Dorean think that perhaps she already knew.

"If the Mynci had bothered to lift her groggy head from that bowl of garbage she was consuming this morning, she would have noticed that her handsome brother had been spending some extra Neopoints lately. For example, the white Weewoo he had hired yesterday now fluttered beside him, dutifully jotting down his narration, which would be much more profitable than any paint brush once he became a famous hero. Yes, once his book was published, Dorean would be able to buy his little sister all the paint brushes she could ever want, if he so desired, (though, as he had observed before, nothing was likely to help that unfortunate girl.) He looked at her now, wondering what she was thinking as she started turning a strange purplish colour..."

Sadie, who had been shaking violently upon realising that her brother had taken her secret stash of Neopoints, the stash that she had been saving whenever she could for over a year now, suddenly had a serene look take over her troubled features.

"Sadie knew that she need not start a quarrel with her self-absorbed brother, for she had a plan forming in her head that would exact revenge far better than any words could..."

"Dorean didn't understand what Sadie was doing..."

"Sadie thought it should be obvious to Dorean that she had come to the realisation that a narration of her life would prove quite profitable, now that she had decided to plot against Neopia's soon-to-be number one superhero, making her Neopia's soon-to-be number one super villain..."

"Sadie was quite pleased, but pointed out acidly that the opinion of her puffed-up elder brother never had, and never would, matter to her. Case in point: despite his injunctions to the contrary, she still enjoyed eating little balls of sugar for breakfast, and did so every morning. And just as a parenthetical aside, Sadie privately reckoned that Dorean was just jealous because all he had to eat for breakfast was a dry raisin bagel. And he still got more cavities than she did, the Ptolymelon-for-brains."

"Dorean masterfully reoriented the narrative in the appropriate direction because his sister -- as was typical -- was unable to pay sustained attention to actually important things, such as his impending transformation into Neopia's finest hero."

"Sadie giggled and noted cheerfully to nobody in particular that Dorean was under the wild delusion that she was actually going to let him eat that Negg."

"Dorean giggled even louder --"

"--and like a girl--"

"Dorean flicked his tail irritably at the juvenile interruption of his sister. He resumed his giggling: as if Sadie would ever be able to stop him from doing what he wanted."

"Sadie pointed out that there were a wealth of times when she stopped Dorean from doing what he wanted, because most of his plans were often dangerous and always abysmally stupid."

"Dorean did not waste another second arguing with a patently dim nincompoop, and stuffed the Negg -- mff -- into his mouf --"

"DOREAN! DON’T YOU DARE!" shouted Sadie.

"'Too late,' spoke Dorean. Now, judging by her wrathful complexion, his sister was actually going to become his arch-nemesis. But our hero had no fear -- for he could feel a tingling that spoke of super powers to be imminently revealed..."

"Sadie ran after her foolish brother, but knew that it was too late. His strong wings could carry him far into the sky and she was... ah, forget it!" Sadie stamped her foot angrily, causing the cracked tile to jump slightly. She had started narrating only in an attempt to show Dorean how foolish it was, but there was no need to continue now that he had gone. Completely alone in their Neohome, the silence surrounded her like a shroud, but there was no reason for her to use her voice.

Sighing, she slowly walked back to her own room and threw herself down on her bed face-first. It had always been difficult being Dorean's little sister. Everything he tried seemed to come as effortless successes, which only reminded her of her own shortcomings. All through Neoschool, her teachers would always say how they expected so much of Dorean's sister, and each time they would be disappointed. One had actually asked, "Why can't you be more like your brother?" after she had gotten into some minor trouble. The Mynci had had to bite down on her tongue hard enough to bring blood to keep from shouting, "Because I'm not my brother!"

Sliding off of her bed, she made her way over to a mirror to consult her reflection, and saw the same plain face as always. The worst part of it all was that she did admire Dorean and wanted to be like him. Unfortunately that seemed impossible for her, and the way he treated her with disdain and annoyance only added to the problem. She loved, hated, and wanted to be Dorean all at the same time.

Movement in her mirror caught her attention. Spinning around to see what was in her room, her feet caught tangled in her rug, and she fell to the floor with a thud. Clumsy Sadie strikes again, she thought to herself as she rubbed her head and slowly opened her eyes.

A Meepit was sitting directly in front of her -- its abnormally large, creepy eyes staring right at her. She jumped into a sitting position and suddenly realised that the Meepit was holding a tiny pad of paper and a pencil. "What have you got there?" she asked, craning her head to look at the paper.

The Meepit began to write furiously. "The lovely Mynci had noticed her scribe. 'What have you got there?' she asked, her melodious voice wafting about the room like a delicious scent."

Sadie was beyond surprised as her eyes drank in those words. "Lovely Mynci"? "Melodious voice"? Surely this couldn't be a description of her, but then the Meepit began writing again.

"For a few minutes, Sadie was so surprised to find that she was the one whom the story was being written about and her arrogant brother, she almost didn't notice the basket just under the edge of the bed."

Sadie frowned and turned to look. Sure enough, there was a basket under her bed, just as the Meepit had written. Carefully, she pulled it out and was surprised to see an Evil Negg setting in a soft nest of shredded Neopian Times. There was no note or card -- only the Evil Negg. She had no idea who had given it to her as she slowly picked it up and stood.

Taking a deep breath, she resumed her previous narration. "Sadie had no idea who had given her the Negg. Since her brother had stolen all of her saved Neopoints to buy his Super Negg, she had thought this would have been impossible. Besides, she had been entirely serious when she had said she would become a super villain. At that moment, those had only been words.

"Yet now those words could become reality. A part of her was still hesitant wondering if this really was the answer, but deep in her heart of hearts, she knew the truth. Her brother had to be shown that he wasn't better than her, and this was the only way. Slowly, she took a bite of the Negg. It was bitter and burned her tongue slightly, but she could already feel a change coming over her..."

"As Dorean flew swiftly over the Altadorian hills, he spared but a fleeting thought to what his first experience as a superhero might be like. Would he be thwarting a lowly criminal like the Pant Devil, or would he be rescuing an Angelpuss from a tree? No matter what it may turn out to be, the Uni knew that the Neopet on the receiving end of his gesture would be eternally grateful.

"Dorean looked up at his companion, the ever-scribbling white Weewoo. The Weewoo's quill etched across the scroll as quickly as Dorean, the new superhero, flew across the skies. This Petpet had a special talent, for at the same time it managed to stay balanced perfectly on the hero's shoulders, but it didn't miss a word..."

Dorean's words were cut short as something flew into his mouth out of nowhere. The Uni coughed and spluttered, trying to spit whatever the object was out.

"Dorean... flying object... mouth..."

Even in this moment of desperation the Uni attempted to continue his narration. After a few more seconds of spluttering the object came flying out. It was a Banana Candy Rock, and Dorean could feel the areas it had touched already beginning to swell. His voice was weak as he once again began to speak.

"Dorean began to feel desperately ill, knowing that thing had been inside of him. The Uni was gravely allergic to bananas, but the only one who knew this was..."

"His sister," chimed in a voice as Dorean fell down to land on the rolling Altadorian hills.

"She was wearing a black face mask, her green eyes barely visible behind it. An evil grin was spread across the Mynci's lips, matching the equally evil black cape adorning her back. Dorean took a step back when he noticed the small, pink Meepit beside her, and the Weewoo on his back recoiled in disgust. This may be Dorean's new arch-nemesis, but he didn't feel threatened in the slightest."

"Sadie could do nothing but laugh in a positively evil fashion as she watched her brother struggle to spit out words. His banana allergy was already visibly affecting him, the throat swelling obvious to all and sundry. 'Mwahahahahhaha,' came the Mynci's evil laughter as she watched the Uni rise to his feet, a condemning glare in the supposed hero's eyes..."

"Despite his affliction, Dorean refused to step down. This would be a swift and easy defeat, for this Mynci couldn't possibly be a strong or fast as he, for she hadn't eaten a Super Negg..."

"The villain laughed once again at her opponent's naivete. He hadn't realised that she'd eaten a little something of her own, something that granted her powers of evil that rivalled his own."

"Dorean knew this was impossible as he lumbered forward, his golden hooves flashing in the sunlight. The sun was at its highest, the perfect time for a good old-fashioned showdown..."

Dorean spluttered out the last words, trying to say more but his allergic reaction to the banana had resulted in a newfound inability to speak.

"Sadie had the upper hand now, because not only would she win this battle, her book would also sell many more copies for she still had the ability to speak, and her Meepit companion continued to dutifully write her words down."

I have to find a way to cure myself, thought Dorean. I only have one chance to take this villain down, and I hate to admit it but I can't do it without...

Dorean began to scan his surroundings, hoping to find a nearby brook or otherwise pure source of water to alleviate his allergic symptoms. Though it wouldn't impede the swelling, it would at least allow him to continue his diligently accurate life's synopsis.

All of a sudden, an obnoxiously loud tear followed by a searing pain sent a surprised Dorean hurtling through the air. He tried to turn himself around so he would eventually land on his front hooves, but a numbness started to kick in throughout his body, preventing all movement. The Uni could barely breathe correctly, much less right himself in reaction to such an immediate attack. He tightly shut his eyes, bracing himself for impact with the ground.

"Sadie did not allow her brother a single second to search out any form of treatment -- instead, she conjured a sharp rock from her handy tool pouch, which she kept stationed at the left side of her waist, and took a swipe at her imbecile brother's cape, aiming to eliminate the Uni's ability to fly at great speeds. Fortunately, not only did she create a laceration in the cape, but she also formed a gash in her brother's side, of which the indescribable force sent him careening through the clear blue sky. The Mynci slowly dusted off her shoulders in beaming pride of her impeccable precision and watched as her brother slammed into the rocky earth fifty yards away."

Dorean found himself pinned to the dirty crust below him, unable to move his limbs due to his newly received wound and the lingering taste of banana in his mouth. His eyes slowly blinked open and shut as thoughts raced through his brain. He knew that he had been defeated and that this would be the last of it. For once, his sister had shown uncharacteristically clever and cunning strategy. She had outsmarted him, overpowered him, bested him, toppled him over with a vengeful fist raised above her sweaty brow.

Never had his sister beaten him at anything before. Whether it was a friendly game of Cheat! or a Neopia-wide essay competition, it was always Dorean who had come out on top. And yet, here Sadie was, taking the realization of his latest dream and throwing it to the wind.

The melodramatic Uni felt something brush against his face. With great lethargy he opened his eyes to find a thin, leafy plant undulating in front of his sullied mane. Holding it up was the bright beak of his Weewoo companion, which must have flown off and retrieved it while he had been writhing in insurmountable pain. "That's to... cure..." Dorean managed to rasp before the onset of an acute coughing fit.

The Weewoo pushed the herb into Dorean's open mouth and chirped cheerily as he waited for the cure-all's effects to set in.

"Sadie waited impatiently for her brother to recuperate from his failed attempts at heroics, cracking her knuckles in anticipation. Would the Uni ever rise again from the ashes of his latest defeat? The Mynci doubted it, but upon hearing this suggestion her Meepit complement appared dubious, actually expecting the buffoon's full recovery."

As the sun's rays shone brilliantly on the rolling Altadorian hills, Sadie appeared utterly disinterested with her surroundings. She hadn't expected victory to come so quickly and taste so... bitter...

"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all," she muttered to herself, feeling slightly guilty for inflicting such harm upon her sibling. "You know, I think I should go apologize. Yeah, we can just put this all behind us and call it --"

"Before she could finish her sentence, Sadie found herself entangled within the confines of a lasso of justice. Her soon-to-be-triumphant brother had used his unorthodox knot-tying skills to create the greatest rope bindings the world had ever seen, and decided to test its constricting grip on his unsuspecting enemy..."

"Sadie pre-emptively cut him off by blaming it all on the Evil Negg, whose effects were, by the way, still lingering, as indicated by the fact that she really wanted to give Dorean a noogie right now," Sadie's Meepit dutifully scribbled.

"Sadie could try all she wanted, but the lasso of justice was going to keep her reprehensible hands in check and they would not be administering noogies to anyone, much less him," retorted Dorean as his Weewoo friend fluttered excitedly and scribbled away, twittering to itself about noogies.

"Sadie wished that her brother would be quiet and listen for a minute instead of rambling incessantly, as was his wont, because she had something important to say, if she could only get a word in edgewise and / or suppress the urge to smack him upside the head with a rotten Fishwich."

"Dorean ignored the threat of imminent Fishwiching and asked his tied-up sister what she had to say that was so very important. Additionally, he wanted to point out that Sadie looked like a trussed Grackle-Stuffed Turkey, except not as tasty."

"Sadie wanted to say that she was still suffering from urges to do great evil, such as to paint her brother's hooves baby pink, and she really would rather not be suffering from them, because she was actually a nice person inside. Really."

There was a pause, and then Sadie's Meepit scribe resumed writing. "Sadie’s devoted Meepit friend wondered briefly what on earth was wrong with baby pink, and was quite vexed at the insinuation that this was an ugly colour."

"Dorean recoiled in horror at the thought of baby pink hooves, and proposed to find an antidote to the Evil Negg immediately."

A silence.

"Dorean and, amazingly enough, Sadie, sunk into quiet thoughts as they pondered this conundrum. Dorean put his super powered brain to work--"

"-- it gargled, drain-like --"

"--And he victoriously cried, 'AH HA!'"

"Sadie enquired as to what was so fantastic, please, because really right now the situation was completely terrible."

"Dorean smiled proudly--"

"Smirked arrogantly--"

"Dorean ignored the repeated interruptions. He pointed a little way off, where amongst the blades of spring grass lay a little nest made of shredded editions of The Neopian Times."

"Sadie gasped -- the nest was eerily familiar... and in it lay another Negg."

"Dorean correctly identified the Negg as a Negg of Purity +1. He was always correct, though, so this was no surprise."

"Sadie asked her brother to please fetch it for her, as she was currently bound hand and foot and also prone to violent, Evil Negg-induced thoughts about how fun it would be to dunk Dorean's head into a bucket of sludge."

"Dorean thought that it would definitely be nice to have his sister back to normal levels of evilness and accordingly walked--"

"Flounced--"

"--to collect the Negg, and if Sadie wasn't careful he was going to shove it into her mouth none too gently."

"Sadie decided to keep quiet at that point because she wasn't dumb enough to not know better."

"Dorean grasped the Negg of Purity +1, dusted off a few papery filaments of The Neopian Times, and held it to Sadie..."

"Dorean pulled the Negg back, defiantly denying Sadie of the cure to her evil. He was, however, graciously understanding of the Mynci's callousness. All that issued from her larynx was the Evil Negg speaking, and so he would forgive any insults or otherwise unacceptable behaviour from Sadie. Such mercy was, after all, the mark of a great Neopet, and Dorean -- superhero, champion of justice, endorser of low-sugar diets, knot-tying extraordinaire --"

"Self-deceiving, hypocritical gabber --"

"-- was the epitome of greatness, keeping the forces of evil at bay with aid of his lasso and faithful scribe/sidekick," he finished. Chirruping smugly, the Weewoo scratched down these lines.

"Sadie implored her brother to stop reciting his tagline and get on with the antidote to evil. The lasso of justice was cutting off her circulation, no doubt as a result of inferior knot-tying."

"Dorean wished Sadie would find some patience, as he had just been getting around to administering the Negg of Purity +1. He once again extended his arm and offered the Negg to Sadie --"

A sudden blur of movement left both the narrators dead silent, staring at Dorean's empty palm.

After a long moment of silence, the Meepit glanced from one soundless Neopet to the other, cleared its throat, and continued the narration in a squeaky voice. "In a move too deft and nimble for the Negg-enhanced eyes of both Dorean and Sadie, the traitorous Weewoo had swooped down and snatched the last remaining hope for the two siblings right out of Dorean's hooves."

Dorean clamped his lower jaw back in place as Sadie blinked and twitched, both of them slowly coming to.

"Uh... The swift-winged traitor had long since vanished into the grass, and by now was likely halfway across Neopia. On a somewhat related note, the Meepit scribe/sidekick of Sadie was having difficulty dictating and writing at the same time."

"Dorean was shocked," the Uni began slowly. "He was affronted at the audacity of his scribe, and ashamed that he had fallen for such a deception of loyalty."

"Sadie ignored her brother's injured pride and contemplated the new situation. After considering the recent complications, she fell into a curious combination of despair and the need to paint something a violent shade of Meepit-pink. There was slim to no chance of ever being rid of her evilness now. She would remain her brother's arch-nemesis for all time. Odd as it was, Sadie began to wish her brother would return to his pompous -- but first-person speaking -- self."

"Yes. Dorean almost would not mind having to put up with Sadie's dullness and boxes of Neocrunch cereal every morning. If only things might return to normal -- the natural order of good and evil and siblingry restored -- then the superhero and supervillain both would be satisfied."

Dorean and Sadie exchanged looks.

"Well? Is that it?" he asked.

"Sadie -- oh, I give up on this narration thing. I don't know. It should be. Now that we've come to an overdone moral of the story, can I get that Negg of Purity +1?"

"Upon reaching such a juncture, Sadie's obvious next course of action was to interrogate her Meepit minion. No doubt there was some sort of nefarious conspiracy at work, and the Meepit and Weewoo were in cahoots."

"Can I get untied first?"

"As polluted as she was by evil, her brother dared not release Sadie. He would ask the Meepit in her stead. But the pink scribe was nowhere in sight, though Dorean scoured the area with his supersight."

"To your left, Dorean," Sadie said. The Uni turned counterclockwise several times before discovering another nest of The Neopian Times scraps...

Sadie struggled against her binds to try and see what her brother was seeing, but to no avail.

"Move it, Dorean, I want to know what it is!"

"Dorean turned, pushing the new Negg in front of him so that Sadie could see it. It was a Treasure Map Negg, fine dotted lines covering its blue and green surface, all ending at the same spot, marked with a large 'X'. The Uni knew that it was rumoured that no two Treasure Map Neggs were the same, that each one led to a different treasure. Though they were more common than, say, an Evil Negg or Super Negg, this Negg could lead to better things for the siblings..."

"Dorean, what are you bumbling on about? Why don't you just let me go, and we can find out what the Treasure Map Negg is really for?"

"The Uni gazed into his sister Mynci's eyes. They were still clouded by the effects of the Evil Negg, and Dorean still couldn't risk letting her go. Her calm and sincere words now could just be a ploy --"

"-- but they're not --"

"-- for Dorean to let her go so she could steal the Treasure Map Negg and keep the treasure for herself!"

"OK. For one thing, I don't know why you're still talking in the third person; you don't have anyone recording your words now. Secondly, can we just get going? If we spend the whole time rambling we'll be stuck here for hours and hours..."

"Dorean would continue reciting his story as long as he could, for a reason unbeknownst to his evil, but still fairly dumb, sister."

"Dorean! I thought we were past the insult stage!"

"Dorean gave his sister a curt nod in way of an apology, for he wasn't entirely sorry but he also wanted this rivalry to end. It had taken his sister becoming a super villain for him to realise it, but in all truth the Uni really did care..."

Dorean's words were cut off by a loud rumbling sound. Sadie let out a peal of laughter.

"Hungry much, Dorean?" she sniggered.

"The Uni scuffed his hooves on the grass. The fact of the matter was that he was hungry, and now that it had been brought to his attention by the sounds of his stomach, he found the lingering scent of the Treasure Map Negg oh-so-enticing. He flicked the Negg into the air with a slight movement of a hoof, and slowly it fell... right into his... mouff."

Dorean's last words were muffled by the Negg, and he slowly chewed away, a giant smile spread across his lips as he did so. Sadie, on the other hand, was less than impressed.

"Dorean!" she exclaimed. "That Negg was going to lead us to the answer to this predicament, and once again you've ruined the day with your naive ways! You're a Uni; surely you could have just snacked on some grass!"

"Sadie's misconception that all Unis liked the taste of grass was just another insight into how little she actually knew her brother. Sure she knew his weaknesses, like his allergy to banana, but she seemed to have little willingness to know anything else..."

"That's not true Dorean! I know your favourite colour is green, your favourite time of the day is morning, your favourite season is Spring, and your favourite food... is apparently Neggs."

"Well, I know that you... like... something..." Dorean trailed off, realising that his own words had backfired against him. He didn't even feel like revealing how little he actually knew about Sadie by way of narration.

"You don't know anything about me, except what you see on the outside," Sadie whispered, her voice not showing any hint of evil. A single tear began running down her face from underneath her face mask.

"But... the hero knew that this argument could go no further. The Treasure Map Negg had done something to him; he felt a strong tugging pull toward the east. He looked up to see the sun slowly fading, and Dorean knew that he had an hour, possibly less, to reach the treasure before it disappeared forever. It was hard to explain in words what he felt, but it was a new knowledge that had struck him and the Uni knew he had to find it. Dorean knew he still couldn't let his sister free, and he also knew that she had purposely stopped narrating her own escapades so as to not reveal the evil still lurking within her. He would not be fooled by the tearful eyes, the sorrowful set of her mouth. He had more important things to do, things that affected the greater good, not the lesser evil.

"With one last pitiful glance at his sister, still tied with the lasso of justice, Dorean made the decision to leave her there. He would return later with the Treasure Map Negg's treasure, hoping that it would forever cure Sadie... and with those words, he leapt into the sky."

"'You can leave me here!' Sadie cried, but it was too late. Her brother had already taken to the skies, far from hearing range. He had been right when he'd said that Sadie had stopped revealing her every thought in the hopes that he would forget the evil still concealed in her mind, but her ploy had worked in a way. From behind Sadie's back her trusty Meepit companion once again revealed himself, in his paws a trusty knife. The Petpet began sawing at the lasso, releasing Sadie from her binds. She wasn't one hundred percent certain where Dorean had flown off to, but she did know that she would find him..."

"Dorean touched down at the entrance to the cave. This was the place the Treasure Map Negg's knowledge had led him, yet, Dorean was hesitant to go in. He didn't want to admit that he was afraid of the dark, even if no one was around. Yet, this was as light as it was going to be. The sun was already sinking over head, casting Dorean's shadow at the cave mouth. The Uni was nervous; he didn't know what he'd find. He took an uneasy step forward, then another. Gradually he got further and further into the cave, until all he could see was... nothing.

"The cave was dank and damp. The silence was unnerving; the only sound Dorean could hear was his whispered narration. His hooves clicked against stone occasionally, but for the most part the cave floor appeared to be mud. He was going further and further into the darkness. Dorean hated it, the dark. He was really scared, something he hated to admit because, well, superheroes aren't meant to be afraid of such trivial things.

"Suddenly, up ahead, Dorean could see a light. It was very faint, barely discernible by even the enhanced sight of the hero. He continued trotting forward, faster and faster until his hooves were only walking on stone, his clip-clopping echoing around the cave. Water dripped on the Uni's mane, and he shook it in an effort to remove the cold feeling. The light was coming closer, becoming stronger. Dorean blinked a few times when he finally recognised the source, something he'd never dreamed of seeing in his lifetime..."

"Dorean!" came a cry from behind the Uni. "I know you're in here!"

"Dorean couldn't believe it; somehow his villainous sister had managed to track him down. How she had done it he was uncertain, but he knew one thing was certain. While she was evil, she couldn't have possession of this object. Dorean reached out for it, brushing his hooves against it. He couldn't see a possible place to hide the thing, but he knew he had to, before..."

"It was too late. Sadie had already sighted the object her brother was trying to conceal. She had been smarter than he, bringing a brightly lit lantern into the cave. She wasn't about to reveal how she'd found him though. All she would say was that 'a little birdie told her'..."

"Dorean came to the conclusion that his Weewoo companion had told his sister his whereabouts. Why the Petpet had betrayed him was uncertain, but unimportant at that pivotal moment..."

"Enough!" screamed Sadie. "I'm sick of this narration nonsense. You were right when you said the evil was still dormant inside me, but now I'm letting it out. I can't have you take that thing, when it's so obvious that I need it more."

"That statement wasn’t true. With this, Dorean could have a lifetime's supply of, well, anything. Sadie on the other hand, would greedily waste it..."

Sadie stepped forward, her footsteps on the stone echoing. "Just hand it over."

"'Never!' declared the hero, pushing Sadie out of the way. He flapped his wings, but they grazed the low roof of the cave, and he realised that he could not escape this by flying. Instead, Dorean decided to rely on his Super Negg granted super speed, dashing past Sadie..."

"Only to be trapped by her sidekick," came a quiet, squeaking voice.

"Dorean couldn't believe it. The Meepit's grasp was so strong that even his enhanced strength couldn't help the hero struggle free."

"Now it's mine," Sadie whispered, taking the object from Dorean's hooves. "Let the days of evil under the reign of Sadie begin!"

"The Mynci's cackling echoed in the cave, along with the incessant squeaking of the Meepit and a squawking sound Dorean could only guess was the white Weewoo. The hero was crestfallen; this isn't the way he had wanted it to end..."

"What Dorean hadn't realised was that this wasn't the end, was that he hadn't been betrayed after all..."

"Dorean didn't recognise the new voice. He'd never heard it before..."

"The Weewoo fluttered down with great speed, shoving the Negg of Purity +1 down Sadie's throat. This had been the Weewoo's plan all along; for if she'd received the Negg of Purity earlier, Dorean would have never found the treasure."

"The voice was so deep, so un-Weewoo like that Dorean wasn't convinced it was the Weewoo at all."

"Well, believe it," came the soft words of Sadie. "Because the Weewoo is helping bring everything back to normal. Well, not quite everything, after all, what's going to happen with this Fish Negg we've found?"

"I think I've got a good use for it," smiled Dorean in the dim light of the cave.

"Dorean swept gallantly into the Neohome, his new Petpet by his side. After the whole superhero ordeal the white Weewoo had decided to stick around as Dorean's Petpet, just as the Meepit had decided to become Sadie's. On his back Dorean carried yet another torn Neopian Times lined basket. When he'd left the Neohome earlier that morning, on the way to the Trading Post, the basket had contained a rare and expensive Fish Negg. Now, it contained several things that he had traded for; among them Neopoints, Dorean's favourite Super Neggs..."

"Dorean! Don't tell me you went and traded that thing for a whole basketful of Super Neggs!" exclaimed Sadie, running into the room. "That would be such a waste..."

"Relax," smiled Dorean. "I got you something, too."

Sadie rushed over, pulling the basket from Dorean's back. She swiftly pushed Dorean's selfish purchases of Super Neggs to the side, revealing a box of Neocrunch Cereal. The Mynci lifted the box.

"Don't tell me..." she began, her face beginning to glow red in anger. "That you spent millions on yourself and only got me..."

"Surprise!" exclaimed Dorean, tossing an object into the air.

As it began to fall Sadie couldn't believe her eyes. The soft handle, the yellow tip...

"Oh, Dorean," she whispered as she held the Plushie Paint Brush in her paws. "This is the best gift ever!"

The End