Stakasha was a Shadow Shoyru, and she lived a life quite unlike most Neopians. Her house was tucked away on the outskirts of Neopia Central, and surrounded by vegetable gardens, wheat fields, and orchards, which she and her owner used to feed themselves, rather than shopping in the marketplace. She had no brothers or sisters, and often played alone; in fact, she had never even owned a single toy. Her owner, Katt, was very open-minded, and let her pet try almost anything she wanted, within reason. Yet despite her lack of items, Neopoints, or a protective owner, Stakasha was very happy. She enjoyed school, being one of the top students in her class, and when she wasn't studying, she loved to make up stories, hang out with Katt, or practice figure-flying (it's a bit like figure skating, only in the air). There was one thing that annoyed her, though, and that was rich people.

Now, there isn't anything wrong with Neopians who have money, unless they hold it over other people. But Stakasha, who had never been in a store for anything but an emergency--such as during one winter, when the store of home-grown food had run out--felt that earning Neopoints, let alone hoarding and flaunting them, was a pointless, joyless endeavor.

And so that was how, although she was usually very friendly to everyone she met, Stakasha had grown to despise Sheena, a Faerie Shoyru classmate of hers. Sheena was the only pet in the whole school painted such an expensive colour, and to Stakasha, she embodied the entire upper class. The two Shoyrus had never even spoke to each other, but nonetheless Stakasha assumed that Sheena, like all the other rich Neopians that she hated, was a big snob.

The Shadow-coloured Shoyru wasn't mean to Sheena, because she didn't want to be a bully; she simply avoided the Faerie pet. Once, in third grade, when a rearrangement of desks had resulted in the two girls sitting next to each other, Stakasha had actually raised her hand and demanded to be moved. She was afraid that if she sat next to such a snobbish pet, she might become a victim of never-ending bragging, or worse, become a snob herself.

Although Sheena didn't deserve Stakasha's animosity, it seemed that the Shadow Shoyru found every oppurtunity to hate her. When Sheena got called on, Stakasha immediately thought that the teacher was favoring the rich. If she got an answer right, Stakasha jumped to the conclusion that she was being a showoff. When she solved a problem the wrong way, Stakasha was enraged, thinking that the endless quest for money was eroding society's ability to think. Everything Sheena did, from the most innocent everyday action to the biggest mistake, was interpreted as yet another failing of Neopians with money.

Yet, on a particularly warm day in the Month of Sleeping, Stakasha was thinking of other things. Being a non-furry pet, she didn't like cold weather, and was looking forward to taking advantage of the sunshine. After school, she rushed outside and started down the path to her home, which led through a small forest. Katt wouldn't mind if she didn't come home right away, but she planned to stop at home for a quick snack anyway. By the time she had reached the river that marked the woods' halfway point, she was going at a fast pace. Having eaten only a sandwich (made with homemade bread) for lunch, her mouth was watering at the thought of a nice, juicy orange. In fact, she almost didn't hear the frantic cries over the sound of the river.

"Help! Somebody help, PLEASE!"

Stakasha stopped. She recognized that voice. Slowly and reluctantly, she turned towards the source of the yells. One glance confirmed her suspicions; it was Sheena.

The Faerie Shoyru was in the middle of the river, at the deepest point. One of her wings was caught on a branch that was sticking up out of the water. It was preventing her from flying away from danger, but it also protected her from the strong current. She was trapped.

"Stakasha, help me! I can't move!"

Stakasha did not want to help Sheena. The second she saw the situation, she had assumed that the Faerie Shoyru had probably dived in on purpose, chasing after some dropped coins. After all, one of Stakasha's preconcieved notions about rich pets was that they could never stand to lose any of their precious money. But despite being unwilling, Stakasha knew that without help, Sheena might not make it. Heaving a heavy sigh, the Shadow Shoyru hopped off the bridge, fluttering down to her trapped classmate.

"Hold on to me. I'll get you untangled."

"No! We'll both be pulled under!" Sheena was hysterical. Stakasha merely rolled her eyes.

"Look, just trust me. And whatever you do, don't let go."

Sheena's eyes were as round as saucers with fear, but she nodded and clutched Stakasha's leg. Meanwhile, the airborne Shoyru went to work on the branch.

It didn't take long for Stakasha, who trained alone in the fields daily, to roughly tear Sheena free. For a scary moment, the drenched Shoyru was free-floating in the rushing water; but Stakasha's years of practice at figure-flying had built up her wings, and she managed to air-lift Sheena to the safety of the riverbank. The rescued pet lay in the mud, shaking and crying; Stakasha got to her feet in a split second, and glared at her.

"How did you get yourself there, anyway?" she asked, trying to sound indifferent but failing to keep the angry edge out of her voice.

Sheena looked up and sniffled. "I...I dropped a bag of coins."

Stakasha nodded to herself. This confirmed it. Sheena was nothing but an airheaded, money-grubbing snob. "I thought as much. How many coins was it, anyway?"

At that, the Faerie Shoyru looked like she might start sobbing again. "A whole thousand. And now it's gone!"

Although Stakasha had hardly ever had any contact with Neopoints, she had picked up enough knowledge from school to know that a thousand coins was not very much. In fact, in today's world of inflated prices, it was barely anything at all. And watching Sheena, who was so rich that she could afford to pay hundreds of thousands for a Faerie Paint Brush, sobbing over such a trifling amount, the Shadow Shoyru could no longer contain her underlying rage. She exploded.

"ONE THOUSAND NEOPOINTS?!?! HOW IN NEOPIA COULD YOU BE SO DUMB? I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU RISKED YOUR LIFE FOR THAT! YOU COULD'VE BEEN KILLED!!!"

"But it was all I had," Sheena said softly, looking hurt. "I was going to buy my brother an ice cream cone."

"Why doesn't he just have his owner buy him one? After all, she bought YOU that Faerie Paint Brush!" Stakasha didn't even try to keep herself from sneering this time. Sheena's behavior sickened her. And yet Sheena didn't get defensive, as Stakasha had expected. She only hung her head, looking very sad.

"My owner didn't buy me a Paint Brush," she said quietly. "I fell into the Rainbow Fountain in Faerieland."

Stakasha couldn't find any words for this situation. She was dumbstruck. Could it be that all the years she had spent loathing Sheena were wasted? Could it be that the Faerie pet she had labeled as a rich snob was really just another average Neopian?

Sheena slowly raised her head. "I guess this explains why you've always ignored me," she said. "You didn't even bother to get to know me."

Stakasha knew that trying to defend her actions would be pointless. Sheena was right, plain and simple.

"I always thought you were really cool, Stakasha," Sheena went on, looking angrier by the second. "You seemed like you would be such a good friend, because you didn't care about superficial things."

Now it was Stakasha's turn to hang her head; but she did it more out of shame then sadness. "Sheena...I...I feel really stupid..." she mumbled.

The other Shoyru ignored her. "But now I know that you, Miss Neopoints-don't-mean-a-thing, are the most superficial of them all!" she screamed, pointing an accusatory finger at Stakasha. "So I guess that you're not the only one who feels stupid!"

Sheena began beating her wet wings furiously, lifting herself off the ground. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to the Game Room," she snapped. "I promised my brother ice cream, and it's not like our owner can afford anything more than berries and omelettes, so I need to win back my one thousand neopoints before it gets too dark out. Thanks, by the way, for saving my life." With that, she turned and flew away, scattering drops of water on Stakasha's face.

But the dark-coloured Shoyru didn't mind the sudden wetness. Her cheeks were already stained with tears. She cried for a number of reasons; because she felt like an idiot, because everything that Sheena had said was absoloutely true; because she had missed out on making a potentially wonderful friend. Taking one last look at the broken branch sticking up out of the water, she turned and trudged home, her plans of eating oranges and frolicking in the sun forgotten.

That night at dinner, Stakasha was silent. She could usually talk to Katt about anything, but tonight, she felt like she couldn't admit to her owner what a horrible person she'd been. Even though she still hadn't eaten anything since the sandwich at lunch, she didn't feel any desire to eat. By the time Katt had finished her meal and was cleaning her dishes, the young pet was still pushing her salad around on the plate, trying to will herself to eat it.

Finally, Katt turned around and faced Stakasha, a slight frown on her face.

"Okay," she said determinedly, "that's it. What's bothering you?"

"Nothing," Stakasha immediately replied, trying to hide a carrot under a lettuce leaf.

"C'mon, we both know something's wrong. I only packed you a sandwich, and you told me that you didn't have any snacks on your way home. Plus, this is your favorite kind of salad. You told me so last week."

Stakasha sighed inwardly. With her fiery red hair, intense green eyes, and strong, direct personality, Katt was hard, if not impossible, to argue with. After a pause, the Shoyru took a deep breath and spoke in a quiet voice, still staring down at her plate.

"I...I made a big mistake. It's hard to explain. I messed up bad, and I don't know how I can forgive myself."

Katt tossed her hair. "You shouldn't."

Stakasha looked up, confused. "Huh?"

"You shouldn't try to forgive yourself," Katt explained. "Not yet, anyway. You should try everything you can to make it better first. Then, if it still doesn't work out, at least you know that you did your best."

Stakasha gave a small smile. Her owner had a knack for stating the obvious in a way that made it feel like a wise revelation. "Maybe," she muttered, more to herself then to Katt. "Maybe." Then she raised her voice and looked directly at her owner. "Hey, Katt, how do you find out where somebody's house is?"

The next day was a Saturday, so when Stakasha woke up, the first thing she did was prepare for the task at hand. The night before, she had figured out Sheena's address with Katt's help. Now came the hard part: the apology itself. Stakasha had planned out exactly what she wanted to say, but she was afraid that it wouldn't be good enough. How could words, even the most carefully chosen of them, clear away all the stormy weather between her and Sheena?

But still, she had to try. It was just as Katt had said: whatever Sheena's reaction was, Stakasha couldn't give up until she had given it her best try.

After a quick breakfast of toasted fresh-baked bread, spread with jam that she had helped squeeze the grapes for, the Shoyru headed out the door, clutching a small piece of paper. She quickly navigated through the streets of Neopia Central, occasionally referencing the address written on the paper. Eventually, she found the house that matched what she had written down. It wasn't a pretty sight.

The house was made of the very cheapest brand of cardboard. The inevitable rain and snow that came with winter had worn away the structure in some places, leaving gaping holes. There were no windows; in their places were hurriedly-cut squares, draped with tattered curtains in a futile attempt to hide the lack of windowpanes. The door had no knob or hinges, but was simply a flap cut out of the cardboard. Stakasha wondered briefly how the family kept burglars out; then her sharp eyes noticed the handful of tin cans hanging above the doorframe.

"Besides, they probably don't even have anything worth stealing," Stakasha said to herself. Then she clamped her paw to her mouth, feeling guilty for even thinking such a terrible thing. That guilt was on top of what she was already feeling from taking in the sight of the house. How, she thought to herself, could she ever have assumed that Sheena was rich?

Slowly, she walked across the dry crab-grass to the door, then paused for a second. There was no doorbell, and the door itself was too flimsy to knock on. Despite the lack of any locking device, it would be rude to just walk in. So instead, Stakasha cupped her paws over her mouth as a makeshift megaphone, and called out.

"Hello? Is anyone home?"

She waited, listening. From inside the house, footsteps could be heard. Suddenly, a blue Shoyru, about a head shorter than Sheena, appeared in the doorway.

"Wow! We have a visitor!" he cried with joy, and from the voice, Stakasha could tell that he was male. He was obviously the brother that Sheena had mentioned the previous afternoon.

"You must be one of Sheena's friends," he said excitedly. "I never thought I'd meet a real Shadow Shoyru! I've wanted to be painted Shadow since I was, like, an egg!"

Stakasha smiled at him. It was easy to see why Sheena was so fond of him. "I'm Stakasha. Is your sister around?"

"Yeah," he said breathlessly. Then he turned and yelled into the depths of the home. "Hey, Sheena! Someone's here to see you!"

For a minute, they both awaited the Faerie Shoyru's arrival. In the meantime, the little Shoyru stared up at Stakasha in wonder.

"My name's Sammy, by the way," he said. "I can't believe my sister didn't mention that she had a Shadow Shoyru for a friend! She's so selfish sometimes."

Stakasha smiled sadly. If only he knew how much Sheena really cared for him. He would probably be amazed.

Finally, Sheena herself appeared on the threshold. Mere seconds after seeing Stakasha, her eyes narrowed to angry slits.

"What are you doing--" she began, but before she could say 'here', she looked down at Sammy. Seeing the look of innocent admiration in his eyes, her face went from anger to resignation. Stakasha breathed a silent sigh of relief, knowing that the earnest young Shoyru had very possibly prevented a nasty fight.

"What are you doing standing out there on the porch? Come on in." Beneath Sheena's forced smile, it was easy to see her gritted teeth. Sammy, however, being shorter than his sister, was oblivious. The three Shoyrus stepped inside the run-down house, leaving the door open since it didn't close anyway. Once they got into the living room, which was decorated with a sagging sofa, a threadbare rug, and a table with a leg missing (surrounded by three rickety chairs), Stakasha made the first move.

"Sammy," she said with a friendly smile, "why don't you go play somewhere else? Sheena and I have a couple really boring things to discuss. You probably wouldn't be interested."

"Okay," said Sammy slowly. "But tell me before you leave, OK? I want to get your autograph!"

Stakasha nodded at him, and he quickly ran off into another room.

After sending Sammy on his way, Stakasha slowly turned around, dreading what she was about to do. Just as she had expected, Sheena's angry face was waiting for her.

"What are you doing here?" the Faerie pet hissed.

"Please just listen to me," Stakasha pleaded. "I came to apologize."

"Well, now you're here," Sheena retorted, "and you can see how poor I really am. You can now begin laughing."

"But it doesn't matter to mehow much money you have," insisted the Shadow Shoyru. "I mean, my family doesn't have any money either--"

"Don't you get it?" Sheena was obviously exasperated, but kept her voice down, shooting nervous glances in the direction Sammy had run off in. "Number one, you're penniless by choice, while I'm just penniless, period. Number two, if it mattered to you so much when you thought I was rich, there's no way it doesn't matter to you that I'm poor."

"You're probably right. And you don't have to forgive me, either. I just thought I should say that I'm very sorry for treating you so badly, and that I wish things had been different between us. That's all."

Stakasha was happy that she had gotten it out, and even happier that Sheena's anger seemed to be ebbing away. Then, something strange happened. The Faerie Shoyru began to laugh, cry and talk, all at the same time.

"It's"--she paused to sniffle--"funny, you know? For years, people have made fun of me for being poor, once they found out. And they never"--here she gave a little chuckle--"said they were sorry about it. But then you came along, and you're the first person to not tease me,"--she wiped her nose on her paw--"but you're still the first one to apologize! Isn't that just hilarious?"

"Umm..yeah, kind of. If you think about it enough." Stakasha allowed herself to relax a little, and let her guard down. The dangerous phase seemed to have passed.

"And here's what's even funnier!" cried Sheena, full-out laughing now. "I accused you of being superficial, for hating the rich. But hey, I do too! I'm the same way! I'm resentful every time I see a Faerie or Baby pet, too!" she giggled, elated at the odd irony of it all. "And after all this, I realize that I do want to forgive you, Stakasha. You know why?"

"Why?" asked Stakasha hopefully.

"Because, up until now, everyone has liked me before they met me, because of how I look. Then the dumped me after they saw who I really was. You're the only person, ever, to only start being nice after you got to know me. Isn't that how great friendships start?"

"Yeah," Stakasha said earnestly. "Yeah, it is." Then she thought of something. It barely had anything to do with a conversation about situational irony and the start of great friendships, and was certainly an odd thing to think of in a room full of broken furniture in a soggy cardboard house, but at the moment, Stakasha felt like there was no better thing in the world to say.

"Sheena," she said happily, "do you by any chance like to figure-fly?"

"I love it," she said, wiping her last tears.

"In that case, I think we'll get along just fine."

And with that, the two Shoyrus, who were silently enemies for so long, smiled at each other. "Then what are we waiting for?" cried Sheena. "I've got a killer figure-eight, and I'm not afraid to show it off!"

The pair walked out the door, hand in hand, smiling and bragging about their figure-flying abilities like they had been friends forever. They walked down the front steps, across the dry grass, and towards the empty field beyond, ready for a day of fun with their shared sport.

If you had seen the rest of that day from a Pteri's-eye view, you would have seen two Shoyrus, soaring through the air in death-and-gravity-defying patterns, laughing all the way.

And far below them, you might have seen a small speck, waving its arms and yelling about an autograph.