Sisters Forever

     Beda the small red Kougra smeared a rather large dose of glue onto the remains of an orange peel, and plastered it onto an indistinguishable blob, made from a great variety of odd items, from grass blades to Usuki doll ears, from dung to Neopoints. Beda beamed with pride at her work of art. Then she frowned.

     "There's something missing..." she muttered to herself. "But what?" She glanced about her room, in hopes of finding some object or inspiration that would hold the key to what she needed to finish this sculpture she had spent days of work on.

     Then it hit her.

     "A hair thingy!" she exclaimed. "That's what I need! One of those, whatchamacallits, hair clips!" Her face fell suddenly.

     "I don't have any hair clips..."

     But Beda was not one to let any obstacles get in her way. She was determined!

     "Eraka!" she cried out.

     If her older sister, Zenia, had been present, she would have undoubtedly corrected Beda, who had in fact intended to exclaim that famous word, 'Eureka!'

     "I've got it! Sibeal! She has tons of hair stuff! I bet she won't mind if I borrow one!"

     (Beda had not yet learned that "to borrow" meant to take something temporarily.)

     Determined, and proud of her idea, she set off towards her older sister Sibeal's room.

     Now, Sibeal had just been in the middle of polishing her hooves with a striking pink hoof polish. As she did so, she hummed a certain tune from the latest album of M*YNCI. Sadly, Sibeal was not the best singer, or hummer for that matter, and her humming alone could have turned a Rock deaf.

     Beda, being the determined, excited and possibly inconsiderate Kougra she was, gave no thought of knocking on Sibeal's door, and charged right in, screaming a series of unintelligible words, unintelligible due to the fact she said them so quickly.

     "SIBEALINEEDAHAIRCLIPRIGHTNOW!"

     Sibeal, startled by her sister's outburst, shrieked and spilled the contents of her bottle of hoof polish onto the bright pink rug carpet.

     "BEDA, YOU LITTLE TWERP OF A PEASANT!" she screamed at Beda. "Look what you, like, made me do!"

     "But Sibeal," Beda began, "I need a hair clip!"

     "Why, you little brat, why would I give you a..." She stopped. A mischievous smile played on the green Uni's face.

     "Alright, I'll, like, give you a hair clip! On, like, one condition."

     Beda looked at her curiously. "What sort of... condition?"

     "Oh nothing much," Sibeal answered, "just that you, like, be my slave for life!"

     Beda's mouth dropped open in horror.

     "Your slave?! Never! I shan't fall victim to a... uh... a prissy princess! I need a hair thingy, and you're not going to stop me from getting one!"

     With that, Beda made a tremendous leap up onto one of Sibeal's shelves that held a basket of hair accessories. Beda snatched a Superstar Hair Clip, leaped of the shelf, and bounded out the door.

     "BEDA!" Sibeal's blood-curdling shriek chased after Beda. "GET BACK HERE, YOU LITTLE BRAT, YOU'RE DEAD MEAT!"

     Though fear drove Beda onwards, she still couldn't help laughing and enjoying herself. Her sister was so much fun to taunt!

     As she ran through the house, she hadn't really been paying attention to where she was going, and bumped right into a certain blue-furred, winged bunny.

     Beda jumped back from her owner, an expression of guilt uncontrollably forming on her face.

     Her owner, Nonni, crossed her chubby little arms, and looked at Beda disapprovingly.

     "And what, may I ask, are you up to?" she said.

     "Uh..." Beda struggled to find something to say. "Uh, me no understand! Ugga-ugga!"

     "Nice try, Beda, now what did you do?"

     But before Beda could answer, a certain Sibeal charged through the door, screaming at the top of her lungs! Before Beda could make her escape, Sibeal leaped onto her and began making grabbing movements in attempts to snatch her hair clip.

     "Gimme it, you little brat! You slime ball! You thief! It's MINE! Give it to me!" she shrieked, as Beda resisted her attempts to take back the stolen property.

     "Erg, thief?! Me, a thief?!" Beda exclaimed in faked disbelief. "Why can't we just say that you, ah, gave it to me?"

     Nonni could only stare in silent surprise at her two squabbling and wrestling pets. Finally, her senses were restored to her.

     "Wha? HEY, YOU TWO, CUT IT OUT!!" she yelled at the top of her lungs.

     But Sibeal ignored Nonni's command. She continued to hold Beda down by the tail, while Beda continued to make attempts to struggle out of the Uni's grasp.

     "Hey? Aren't you girls listening?! I said cut it out!"

     Nonni marched over to them, grabbed hold of Sibeal's tail, and gave a sharp tug!

     Sibeal let out a howl of pain, let go of Beda, and crumpled into a sobbing mess. It didn't really hurt that much, but Sibeal was well known to dramatise anything, especially pain.

     Beda took her opportunity, and made a dash out the door... but Nonni grabbed hold of her tail before she could make her escape, causing Beda to trip, and fall face flat on the floor.

     Before Beda could give a cry of protest, Nonni said, "Alright, you two! I want total silence! Come on, Sibeal! Stop crying! You're far too old to be crying over such a thing!"

     Sibeal ceased her wailing, and gave a small sniff.

     "Now," Nonni continued, "how many times would this be?"

     "Twenty-five times this week," came the reply, from Zenia, a small yellow Kacheek wearing thick glasses, who had just entered the room.

     Nonni groaned.

     It hadn't just been that week. The two pets had been fighting ever since anyone could remember, and it seemed as if they would keep bickering, fighting and quarrelling till the end of their lives. And it was a strain on everyone, especially Nonni.

     "Twenty-five times? Girls, this is getting out of hand! How do you keep up with this?! I mean, wouldn't you spontaneously explode after the fifteenth time or something?"

     The three Neopets stared at Nonni.

     "Uh, I don't think that would be a likely reaction..." Zenia pointed out.

     "I don't want to explode!" Sibeal wailed.

     "What's a... 'spontalously aplode'?" asked Beda.

     Nonni sighed.

     "My point is, how can you fight so much? After all, it's not very lady-like to be violent, Sibeal."

     "I'm not being violent!" Sibeal protested. "Besides, she always starts it!" Sibeal pointed at Beda.

     Beda gave her a threatening growl, which didn't sound so threatening coming from an adorable Kougra.

     "It doesn't matter who starts it," Nonni said. "What matters is that someone finishes it!"

     "Tell that to Beda," Sibeal muttered.

     "I'm saying this to both of you," Nonni said, putting her paws on her hips, and adopting her 'responsible/strict owner' look.

     "So..." she said, "I'm going to have to... have to..." Even Nonni dreaded saying the word. "Punish both of you."

     "What?!" Sibeal cried out in disbelief.

     "But I'm innocent, I tell you!" Beda wailed.

     Every other occupant of the room stared at Beda.

     "What is their punishment to be, Mama?" asked the Zenia.

     Nonni's face sagged slightly.

     "Uh, well, what do you think it is, Zenia?" Nonni asked, in what she hoped was a challenging way.

     Zenia was not unnerved by this question. She was used to Nonni pretending that she had everything under control, as much as she was used to Nonni 'discreetly' asking for her advice.

     "Well, I'm in no place to punish my older and younger sister, but I would say that 'letting the punishment fit the crime' is a just way to punish," Zenia said.

     "Uh, just what I was thinking!" Nonni said confidently. "So I think it would be best if they..." She paused to think for a moment. "They spend their whole time together, doing everything together!"

     There was a deathly silence in the room, as Nonni stood there grinning proudly at her idea.

     "Are you crazy?!" Beda and Sibeal yelled simultaneously.

     "Er, Mama, don't you think it would be a bit risky?" Zenia asked.

     "Oh, no need to worry, Zenia!" Nonni assured her. "If they fight at all, another... pun... punishment will be coming their way!"

     Beda and Sibeal gulped nervously.

     "The... punishment will begin now!"

     "I HATE YOU!" Sibeal's scream rang through the air. "HOW COULD YOU, LIKE, DO THIS TO ME?!"

     But Nonni, having been prepared for her pet's loud protests, was deaf to Sibeal's cry... in fact, she had just placed earplugs in her floppy ears.

     "Argh! You're, like, totally ruining my life!" Sibeal screamed, and stomped off to her room.

     "Aren't you forgetting something?" Nonni called after her.

     She stopped at the door of her room, and turned to look at Beda, who was looking just as miserable as Sibeal felt.

     Sibeal let out a loud groan, and marched off to the kitchen, with Beda trailing after her, their tails drooping, and their heads bowed.

     *****

     And so the day went on. It was agonizing just to watch. Beda and Sibeal, though never exchanging words, acted coldly to each other throughout the whole day. And there was the occasion they would inflict their anger upon each other. Beda would snatch Sibeal's sandwich when no one was looking, and Sibeal, in the helpless position she was, could make no complaint.

     Sibeal would get back at the Kougra by 'accidentally' stepping on her tail or tripping her.

     Everyone else sensed the tension too, and a few, namely Nonni and Evelina, made bets on who would crack first.

     Later that afternoon, Sibeal made an arrangement with her friend, Viex the red Gelert, to meet in Neopia Central, at the Uni's Fine Clothing store. And, naturally, Beda had to come along.

     As they approached the clothing store, Sibeal came to a sudden stop and turned to Beda.

     "Now, listen up, twerp! You'd, like, better behave yourself, or else!"

     Beda stuck her tongue out at Sibeal.

     "Or else what? Mama says we're not aloud to fight, so, nya!"

     Sibeal turned her back to Beda, and proceeded into the store. As she did so, she muttered, "Since when have you, like, ever listened to Mom?"

     Sibeal caught sight of Viex browsing through some clothes racks.

     "Sib!" Viex squealed. "I haven't talked to you in, like, forever!"

     "Like, totally!" Sibeal agreed. "So, what's, like, new with you?"

     "Oh, nothing much."

     "Wish I could say, like, the same. Here I've got twerpoid tagging along behind me like a... oh my gosh, check out this adorable top!"

     And so she spent the next half-hour browsing and shopping, their purses growing ever lighter. And Beda becoming ever more bored.

     When she felt like she could take it no longer, Beda whined, "Sibeal, can't we do something that I want to do?"

     Sibeal looked at Beda in disgust.

     "Ugh, no way, rodent! We're very busy, and we, like, have no time for you!"

     Beda grumbled to herself. It wasn't fair! Sibeal was such a prissy princess! Beda never got to do what she wanted to do!

     Beda glanced about the shop, hoping to find a source of entertainment. Her eyes fell upon a particular clothes rack. She grinned to herself.

     "This'll be fun!"

     Only a moment later, Sibeal heard a loud crash behind her. Startled, she turned around to see the mutated Meerca, Meuka, running around, causing havoc throughout the store.

     "AAAHH!" she screamed.

     She grabbed hold of Viex's paw, and shouted, "Let's get out of here, before Meuka covers us in snot!"

     But Viex cried out, "That's not Meuka! That's Beda!"

     And she was right. Beda was causing havoc in a Meuka costume from the costume rack. She ran around, roaring, frightening and bothering other customers.

     The Uni shopkeeper screamed in horror as Beda knocked over several racks of clothes.

     Sibeal could only stare in horror at the spectacle before her.

     "RAAAWWR!" Beda roared, as she went charging through the shop, and right into the window display! Crash!

     The once neat and dazzling window display, was now merely a pile of clothes in front of a broken window. Outside the window, lying on the pavement, was a jewellery box that had been knocked out of the display and crashed through the window. The pile of clothes that was once a display now moved around slightly.

     The furious shopkeeper marched over the pile of clothes, reached her hoof in, and pulled out by the striped tail, Beda, now half in and half out of the Meuka costume.

     "Does this," said the shopkeeper, "belong to anybody?"

     "Let's get out of here..." Sibeal muttered to Viex.

     But just as they were making their way out of the shop, they heard Beda say to the shopkeeper, "I don't really belong to anybody, but that Uni over there is my big sister!"

     *****

     Beda and Sibeal trudged up Terror Mountain, towards their home on Blizzard Lane. Sibeal's purse was now completely empty from paying for the damage that Beda had caused. The silence between them was colder then the frosty air around them. The only sound was their hooves and paws crunching through the snow, and the barely audible sound of snowflakes hitting the ground.

     Throughout the whole journey home, Sibeal had been fighting the urge to scream, to shout, to make the loudest noise possible in Beda's direction. And then, when they were almost home, Sibeal lost it.

     She turned her blazing eyes on Beda, stopping where she was in the steep snow.

     "You... you..." she growled, "you selfish, inconsiderate, boorish, evil, poisonous, vulgar... ooh!"

     Beda now felt nervous and afraid in the presence of enraged Uni.

     "I... I..."

     "How dare you?! How dare you make a fool of me in public? How could you be so cruel and selfish? How could you be so devious and vile?"

     "Well... I..."

     "DON'T YOU HAVE RESPECT FOR ANYONE?!" she shrieked. "Or is it just me? Is your purpose in life to destroy mine?!"

     "I... I... it didn't... I didn't..."

     "I hate you!" Sibeal hissed.

     Sibeal turned her back on Beda, and made her way up the mountain, fuming with rage.

     "Yeah? WELL I HATE YOU!" came Beda's cry after her. "I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU, I HATE YOU!"

     She made her way up the mountain, half running, half flying, tears running down her face, and freezing on her cheeks. The cries of "I hate you" chased after her. She didn't know if they were Beda repeating the sentence over and over again or if they were echoes. And she didn't care.

     She stumbled occasionally, becoming colder by the minute... but not because of the snow or the weather.

     The energy to be angry had now left her, and she now felt tired and miserable. She sniffed.

     "I-I hate you," she mumbled pitifully.

     Exhausted by her outburst, and now her misery, she collapsed. Crying silently, she curled up into a ball, snow lightly decorating her with a strange, artistic beauty... and soon blanketing her.

     *****

     Beda was cold. She had been sitting in the snow for nearly an hour now, and she was sure that her tail would soon catch frostbite. She wasn't really sure why she had sat there without moving. She certainly hadn't crumpled into tears, like Sibeal. Perhaps it was the anger that kept her frozen to the spot or sadness... or maybe, though she hated to admit it, guilt. But why should she feel guilty?

     She glanced up at the sky. It was getting darker.

     Heaving a sigh, Beda began her climb up the mountain once again.

     As she made her way up, she noticed a large lump in the snow. This, of course, was not an unusual thing to catch sight of on Terror Mountain, but what caught her interest was the golden horn sticking out of the snow.

     She approached the lump of snow nervously.

     "Sibeal?" she said quietly.

     With a tentative paw, she prodded the pile of snow.

     "Sibeal?" she repeated.

     A small moan came from the pile of snow.

     "B-Beda?" came Sibeal's reply, through chattering teeth.

     "What're you doing?"

     "What's it look like I'm doing?" Sibeal said grimly, as she shakily got to her feet, and weakly shook off the snow, "I'm, like, sitting here, collecting dust!"

     "Looks more like snow to me," Beda said quietly.

     Sibeal rolled her eyes.

     "Oh, like, you would know!"

     She started up the mountain again, seeing that it was only another minute's climb.

     "Sibeal?" Sibeal heard her name being said softly by Beda. "Do you really hate me?"

     "Of course I hate you!" Sibeal shot back, as she continued climbing up the hill. A cold silence followed her.

     Beda had no idea why she said what she said next. Maybe it was something to break the silence that now befell them. Or maybe she just wanted to create a temporary truce. Or maybe it was something more... some hidden feelings that wished to be revealed, and showed themselves of their own accord. But whatever it was, there could never have been more meaning in two words.

     "I'm sorry."

     Sibeal stopped. She turned to stare at Beda in disbelief.

     "What?"

     "I said I'm sorry," said Beda.

     "You said... you're..." Sibeal stood there, gabbling. Beda had never before apologised to anyone! Not even her best friends, though they didn't really care much.

     "I'm sorry!" Beda shouted. "I'm sorry for making you spill your hoof polish, I'm sorry for taking your hair clip, I'm sorry for ruining the clothes store, I'm sorry for everything!"

     And then, Sibeal found herself saying, "I'm sorry."

     Now it was Beda's turn to look surprised.

     "I'm sorry," Sibeal continued. "I'm sorry for not lending you a hair clip, I'm sorry for attacking you, I'm sorry for saying I hated you, I'm sorry for everything!"

     Then Sibeal found herself running over to the small Kougra, and enveloped her in a huge hug.

     Beda sniffed slightly.

     "I am really sorry," said Sibeal.

     "I'm sorry too!"

     "I'll always love you, Beda, no matter how much we fight, we'll be sisters forever!"

     "Sisters forever."

     They stood there for what felt like hours, but what was in reality only a few minutes. Finally, Sibeal said, "We should be getting home. Mom will worry about us."

     Beda nodded her head.

     They climbed up the mountain, made their way to Blizzard Lane, pushed forward by a faint glow of happiness and relief. Outside of their house, Sibeal stopped. She turned to Beda, her expression stern.

     "If you dare repeat this little incident to, like, anyone," she said, "you're, like, dead meat!"

     Beda gave Sibeal a solemn expression, and said, "Mum's the word!"

     Satisfied, Sibeal went inside.

     Behind Sibeal's back, Beda grinned to herself. She couldn't wait to tell Ash and Cheeky about this!

     Some things never change.

The End

Viex belongs to midnightpopcorn. Ash and Cheeky belong to santana70.