Who Needs a Royal Paint Brush?

     Moving along, the Brown Uni came across a Faerie Queen Doll. It would make a perfect addition to her Usuki collection... even though it wasn't an Usuki. It would still be cool.

     "Hmm," the young Uni muttered, leaning against the cold, stone wall of the Hidden Tower. Her family had been visiting Faerieland today, and Cuni had requested to be dropped off at the Hidden Tower for awhile to gaze longingly at the items. Her older sister was to pick her up about now... but Cuni had expected this to happen; her sister would be late -- again.

     She stared at a framed picture of a Faerie Aisha above her and then glanced down at her Brown Miamouse, Shyle, who sat loyally at her side. "Wondew why day put a pictuwe of an Aisha dare. I mean, I've never heawd of hew befowe!" she muttered to her Miamouse. The Petpet blinked and cocked her head.

     Something caught her eye. The Brown Uni perked up, and gazed at the most beautiful item she'd ever seen. Across the room, the Royal Paint Brush's glass case seemed to glow from the sunlight one of the windows gave.

     Striding towards it, Cuni's eyes widened in awe. She reached it, and touched the case with her hoof. There sat the Royal Paint Brush, in all its glory, secured in a glass case. Cuni had never wanted anything more in her life.

     "Wook at it, Shy!" she breathed. Looking at her reflection in the case, her face fell. She was tired of boring old brown! She wanted to be painted royal, more than anything she'd ever wanted before. More than that Faerie Paint Brush, more than a Baby Blu, more than a million Usukis.

     The Miamouse stared and blinked, yet again confused. She scampered away, but Cuni hadn't noticed as she was goggling at the item in the case. Her eyes were fixed on the Paint Brush, and, lost in her daydreams, she didn't hear her sister enter.

     "Hey, sorry I'm late," said a Christmas Shoyru called Xrai from behind. "Hey, Cuni, hello! Are you coming?"

     Cuni shook her head, clearing her thoughts. "Xway!" she cried loudly, spinning around to face her. People stared at her for a moment, but she didn't care. "Xway, the Woyal Paint Bwush! I gotta have it!"

     Xrai glanced at the Paint Brush. "Sorry, sis, it's pretty expensive, isn't it?" she said, pointing to a piece of paper on the case that read 1,750,000 NP.

     "I know, bu--"

     "Sorry, Cuni," the Shoyru said, shaking her head. "I don't think Courtney would be able to afford it. Now, we gotta go! Where's Shyle?" They both turned to see the Miamouse chewing on a red rug in the center of the Hidden Tower. A few pets glared at them.

     Cuni scooped up her Petpet, and she and Xrai rushed through the door to exit the Tower.

* * *

Later that day, Cuni entered the kitchen to see a young girl with blonde hair sitting at the table. Upon seeing the Brown Uni, Courtney smiled.

     "Hey, Cuni, did you have fun at the Hidden Tower?" she asked, flipping a page in the Neopian Times she was reading.

     Cuni smiled innocently and sat down across from her at the table. "Yes I did, and Couwtney, I wanted to ask you somefing."

     Setting down the Neopian Times on the table, Courtney replied, "What is it?"

     "How much Neopoints do you have?"

     "Excuse me?"

     "You know, in da bank."

     "Why do you want to know that?" questioned Courtney. She sighed. "What do you want?" she said, knowing what Cuni was getting at.

     "A Woyal Paint Bwush!" exclaimed Cuni, giving Courtney big Puppyblew eyes. "Pwease? Pwease, pwease, pwease!" She was now pleading, begging.

     "Why do you want to be painted Royal?" her owner asked, folding up the Neopian Times and looking at her pet curiously.

     "Because," she said in the sweetest voice she could, "I am getting bowed of being Bwown."

     "Sorry," said Courtney, standing up from her seat at the kitchen table and shaking her head. "Right now, we just don't have the Neopoints."

     "But..." Cuni began, but stopped and hung her head in defeat. She stood up and sadly shuffled out of the kitchen.

     Up in her room, Cuni flopped down on her bed and punched her pillow in frustration. "What should I do, Shy?" she asked the Miamouse, who was now curled up at the end of her bed. Shyle lifted her head, glanced at Cuni, and rested her head in her paws again.

     Cuni sighed and buried her head in the pillow. "I want it so bad!" she said in a muffled voice, more to herself than to Shyle. In her head, she could picture the precious Paint Brush gently lying on the velvet, red cushion.

     There was a knock on the door. "May I come in?" said Xrai from the other side of the wooden bedroom door.

     "I guess so," grumbled Cuni, not lifting her head from the pillow.

     Xrai entered her room and sat down next to Shyle at the end of the bed. She stroked Shyle's soft, brown fur. "Courtney told me about your little conversation in the kitchen," she said quietly. Cuni said nothing, just sat there, motionless. "Cuni, I understand how you feel. There's a lot of things I want, too!"

     "Pfft," said Cuni.

     "...but you know what helps me?" the Christmas Shoyru said, looking at her younger sister. "To think about what I have, not what I don't have."

     Cuni now raised her head and stared at her sister, who got up from her seat on the bed. Her look of puzzlement made Xrai add, "Just think about it, okay?" With that, she left the room, closing the door behind her, leaving Cuni quite confused.

     "What'd she mean?" Cuni asked her brown Miamouse in wonder, turning to Shyle. There was no answer; she hadn't expected one, anyway.

     For a few minutes, Cuni thought about it. Think about what she had? Well, she had a nice Usuki collection. And a cool Miamouse. And a pretty Neohome to live in, with good quality bedrooms.

     She also had two brothers. She smiled as she thought about Snickers, her Starry Kougra brother. She could picture him quite clearly in her mind, playing his favourite game, Cheat. He was always there for her when she wanted advice, and he wasn't like most pets. Almost nothing seemed to annoy him, even when Cuni's old Mallard wailed at night when somebody got up for a glass of water. Okay, bad example....

     Now she thought of Alec, her older brother. He had been zapped by the Ray into a Aubergine Chia, and it had taken some getting used to. But now, she was quite fond of his new look. Cuni knew how Alec was sometimes quite sensitive about his hobby; reading. Some people made fun of him for it, but she didn't. When Cuni was adopted into the family, all he did was support her, so she now returned the favour.

     Then there was her oldest sister, Xrai. She and Alec fought more than Illusen and Jhudora, leaving Cuni and Snickers to deal with their arguments. When she wasn't fighting in the Battledome (or with Alec...) she could be a pretty good influence, Cuni thought. Like right now, giving her this advice and always being there for her.

     Suddenly, Cuni realized this was all given to her by Courtney. Her owner, the one who bought her Usukis, the Neohome, even Shyle. She created Xrai, Snickers and Alec and adopted Cuni. If it weren't for Courtney, Cuni might still be in the Neopian Pound!

     Her eyes lighting up, Cuni gently picked up her Miamouse and hugged her. "Shy, I am so gwad you're my Petpet," she said softly, now knowing that without Courtney, she wouldn't have Shyle, either.

     She placed Shyle back on the bed, hopped up, and trotted down the stairs. It all made sense, what Xrai had said; to think about what she had, not what she didn't have.

     Cuni had three great siblings, a Petpet, and the best owner in Neopia. She found Courtney in the family room now, sitting on the couch, drawing a picture in her sketchpad. The Brown Uni galloped over to her, jumped onto the couch, and hugged her owner tight.

     Surprised, but nevertheless pleased, Courtney returned the embrace. "I'm sorry Couwtney," Cuni said after they hugged, hanging her head in shame. "I don't need a Paint Bwush aftew all!"

     Grinning, Courtney forgave her. "It's okay, Cuni. How did you decide you don't need one?"

     "Xway told me to think of what I had, not what I didn't have," exclaimed Cuni.

     Courtney picked up her sketchpad, which she had set down on the coffee table in front of them. She flipped to the page where she'd been drawing, and showed it to Cuni, whose eyes widened.

     It was of a smiling, Brown Uni in the garden outside. In the picture, Courtney had made Cuni look like the most beautiful Uni in Neopia. She almost couldn't believe it was her.

     "The picture of perfection," said Courtney, almost in a whisper. Cuni smiled happily, and she looked exactly like she did in the drawing; cheerful, and in no need of a Royal Paint Brush.

     Now knowing this, Cuni hopped up and made her way for the front Neohome door. "Where are you going?" questioned Courtney.

     "Well, since I don't need a Woyal Paint Bwush, I've decided to go and stare at the Baby Paint Bwush instead," exclaimed Cuni, and with a little wave, she was gone.

     Courtney shook her head in wonder and sighed. "Xrai?" called Courtney. "I think you need to have another talk with Cuni when she gets home...."

The End