Just a quick note that Vinnie is not all 'crazy fangirl' in this story like he was in the episode. Yes, he was a really BIG one in "So You Skink You Can Dance", but the beginning of the Sunil-centered episode showed him reluctant when first watching the Shahrukh movie, and it was COMPLETELY unexpected of his to go NUTS over that bratty mongoose.
So heads up that in this story, he's actually got more common sense than any of the other pets, especially revolving around Sunil's feelings, since they're well, yeah, BEST friends. ;)
PLEASE READ AND REVIEW! ;D
_
Sunil blinked his amber eyes in both confusion and offense as the remaining pets glared at him with even more irritation.
Usually, they enjoyed his magic tricks, or at least his try at them. Of course, for some time this week, their support reverted to being 'open-minded' in such a harsh way possible.
Not harsh. Kind of mean, actually...
Of course...
The mongoose's eyes fell on the DVD case in Pepper Clark's paws. An exact animal of his species smiled knowingly on the cover, his glittering green eyes able to make any human female weak at the knees.
Shahrukh...
How ironic that someone like Sunil never really watched such movies, let alone, show any sort of admiration for an animal that made his own species proud.
Right now, Sunil felt like he just loathed the guy that was tearing his friend's attention away from him.
However, as Sunil scanned his group of friends, he noticed Vinnie shared no same expression of coldness, in fact, he was looking rather concerned during the whole situation.
That's why he was his best friend.
That seemed to boost some confidence in the wide-eyed mongoose as he straightened his hat and casted out his favorite wand.
"I got this trick right this time!" He exclaimed excitedly, hoping the atmosphere would change and he would gain some words of support.
Not even close. All he received were groans and mutters. He could have sworn he heard Pepper say 'give it up' under her breath. However, Vinnie managed a supportive smile, giving the mongoose a thumbs-up, at least close to it since he had only three scaly fingers.
Sunil managed a determined smile, then pointed at the lizard. "I will need a volunteer. Vinnie, how about you?"
"Oh, yes!" The lizard chortled quite gleefully as he stepped away from the others. "Yeah, this is twenty times better than some cheesy action flick!"
"That's tremendous cheesy action flick to you!" Russell glowered, pointing excessively at the DVD case still in Pepper's paws.
Vinnie just scoffed before he stood beside Sunil, who took out a large white sheet.
"Oh, nice," Pepper rolled her eyes in complete sarcasm, "a blanket that appeared out of nowhere. Are we done yet?" She asked hotly.
"That's not my trick!" Sunil retorted. "This is!"
Before Vinnie knew it, his entire body from head to toe was draped over.
"This better not ruin my hair," he couldn't help but say despite giving his full support to the magician.
"Trust me, my friend, it won't," Sunil assured him, waving his wand.
"That's what you said about the smoke bombs last week," Pepper snarked.
"Three endless hours of clean-up!" Russell cried angrily.
The mongoose chose to ignore them, despite how incredibly painful it was becoming to his self-esteem. He muttered a few words, knitting his brows together as he waved his wand over the layered lizard's head. Despite having confidence that this trick would work, he added a few mental prayers in hopes that his best friend wouldn't suffer some setback...
1...2...3...Sunil immediately spread his arms as if he was swimming in a large mass of water.
POOF!
Wow, that was more than Sunil expected as the blanket slowly fell to the floor, Vinnie nowhere in sight.
Sunil's eyes widened as his jaw fell in utter astonishment.
"I...I did it..." He muttered almost breathlessly.
He reached down and picked up the blanket, lifting it up. Yes, Vinnie was definitelynot there.
His jaw quickly closed, followed by a joyous smile spreading across his face.
"I DID IT!" He cried out incredulously, hopping and tapping his heels.
He bet the other pets were trying to take back their quips and nasty wits now!
"Guys, I-" Sunil turned to his audience.
Oh, how his heart, and what little self-esteem he had, fell...
The other pets' backs were turned from him, having returned back to the movie that was paused during Sunil's performance. They didn't even budge the slightest bit as a certain othermongoose emerged on the screen, taking down a villain while baby cubs cheered for him.
The blanket and wand fell from Sunil's limp paws.
He suddenly wished it was hewho disappeared.
_
During the course of the mongoose's act, Vinnie had his eyes completely closed. Though he had complete trust in Sunil, that didn't stop the lizard's doubt that it could possibly hurt.
And it quite did.
The next thing he knew, with a 'pop' emitted, Vinnie found himself face-first onto concrete.
Groaning, he quickly picked himself up, his fingers running delicately over his hair, considering that was the most important part of his body.
"The guys really need to start praising him," Vinnie murmured, though he managed a small smile. "That was really something."
The lizard scanned his surroundings, noticing he had been magically exited from the day-camp and onto the sidewalk. He raised an eyebrow as he saw various vans, equipment, and people shrouding a larger area of Downtown. Curiously, he took a few steps closer and noticed a scenic background displayed in the middle of the commotion.
Vinnie's eyes brightened with excitement. "Alright!" He pumped a fist into the air.
Sunil sat at a small corner of the day-camp, unable to drown out the fighting sequence music blaring from the television where the other pets were still glued to. His wand, cape, and hat had been discarded around him.
"Yeah, go get him, Shahrukh!" Pepper cheered, flailing her paws in utter praise as the screen flashed brightly with that other mongoose.
Amber eyes simply blinked with annoyance and slight rage as Sunil glowered at the 'hero' of the movie.
Big deal. It's not like any of that was real. At least Vinnie wasn't even the least bit impressed by such false wiring and effects; the lizard could do a waltz and save baby cubs faster than some sparkly-eyed comic hero wannabe.
Speaking of the lizard, where on Earth was he? Sunil swallowed, hoping his magic hadn't transported his best friend into another county. Or worse, Largest Ever Pet Shop...
"Hey, guys!"
The sound of a familiar cheery tone made Sunil's ears perk up before he looked toward the day-camp entrance. There dear Blythe Baxter stood, her sweet smile and twinkling eyes able to even remold the gloomiest situations.
The mongoose wanted to smile, but then it quickly faltered as he watched the other pets actually turn from their movie and greet their human friend.
Jerks...
"Look, Blythe!" Minka screamed happily, pointing a finger at the screen. "It's-"
"Shahrukh," Blythe said with a laugh. "Yeah, everyone knows that guy."
Oh, it was adding salt to wounds as Sunil felt even more despaired that especially his human friend seemed quite compatible with the 'Shahrukh craze'.
Blythe watched the screen for a few moments, and slightly cringed due to how completely cheesy the movie was being. Much like Vinnie's show 'Shake a Leg', the brunette really didn't think the Shahrukh movies were really the best. Well, not all of them, she was sure there was at least one she liked, although she had forgotten the name, apparently...
She scanned the pets who returned to watching the screen, smiles widened and eyes even wider. They were completely mesmerized by such a mongoose in action, especially Pepper.
However, there was one other mongoose that quickly came to mind.
Confused, Blythe's scanned the whole play area, until finally, she found Sunil huddled against a nearby corner, his legs gathered under his weight and his head lowered. He was certainly not smiling.
The brunette blinked in surprise, and immediate concern entered her heart as she made her way toward the depressed-looking mongoose.
"Uh, Sunil?" She asked gently, the way a mother spoke to her toddler. She bent down and laid on her knees, gazing at one of her animal friends. "Are...are you okay?"
"Wha-?" The mongoose broke out of his thoughts and looked up to see Blythe staring at him worriedly. "Oh, hello, Blythe!" He did his best to hide the sum-misery deep within his tone, even flashing a smile that was almost too painful for his face to accommodate.
But Blythe could sense something was up, and much like the time Pepper had used insult comedy too far with a very sensitive Penny Ling, she was going to confront it.
"Sunil," she asked, leaning closer. "What's wrong?"
"Wrong?" The mongoose panicked. "N-nothing is wrong!"
Before Blythe could gently push further, she was startled when she heard a cheer, and turned to see the other pets pumping their paws into the air, screaming Shahrukh's name and shouting out words of praise. All five of the other pets were completely mesmerized by such a cheesy action-packed film.
Wait, five?
Blythe immediately forgot about questioning Sunil as her head bolted up straight, fear evident in her blue irises as her head jerked from left to right.
"Where's Vinnie?"
Sunil mentally let out a sigh of relief, but felt the panic as well. "Uh, Vinnie, well-"
Both turned their heads toward the day-camp entrance, and there stood the lizard himself, smooth hair and all.
"Oh, man, Sunil!" Vinnie exclaimed. "That's got to be the best magic trick you've ever performed yet!"
A part of Blythe wanted to run over and embrace Vinnie, thankful he was safe and unharmed, yet the lizard's comment took her by even more surprise.
"Magic trick?" She asked, shifting her gaze at Sunil.
Before the mongoose could reply, Vinnie slid next to him, placing a congratulating arm around him.
"Oh, yeah, Sunil made me disappear!" He explained. "Next thing I knew, I was across the street where they were shooting some movie."
Blythe's blue eyes blinked, astounded by such news. She gazed at Sunil once more, a hopeful smile spreading across her face.
"Is this true Sunil?" She asked, how proud she was evident in her tone.
The self-esteem slowly began to rise as Sunil felt his cheeks turn a bit red. "Well, of course, although even I surprised myself-"
"Wait a minute!" The startled mongoose turned to Pepper Clark, her back turned away from the screen as it displayed credits.
By now, the others pets were completely surrounding Vinnie, eyeing him closely. Pepper was the first to speak.
"Did you say movie?" She skunk questioned.
"Well, yeah," Vinnie rolled his eyes, as if reluctant to explain. "I guess they're filming some new hit wonder or whatever."
"Oh, you saw the film crew," Blythe added with mild surprise. "Yeah, saw them pull up in the middle of the street hours ago." She tapped her chin and pondered. "I think they're making another Shahrukh movie, I'm not sure..."
"What?" The other pets, minus Vinnie and Sunil, exclaimed, nearly frightening Blythe.
Before the brunette could speak, Pepper and Zoe clung to her legs in desperation.
"Shahrukh is in Downtown?" Zoe cried.
"We got to see him!" Pepper pleaded, her fingers digging into the fabric of Blythe's pants. "WE GOT TO SEE HIM!"
"Oh, you're not serious, are you?" Vinnie scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Who wants to see that amateur?"
"Better than seeing David Copper-fail with the lousy act and sad excuse for a Houdini trick," Pepper snapped, pointing a finger at Sunil.
The mongoose was quite taken aback by such a harsh comment, his fingers entwined with each other to steady himself from such a painful impact. Blythe was just as horrified that Pepper had made such a nasty comment. But before she could even chide the skunk and demand she take it back, Pepper and the other pets quickly rushed out the door, leaving Blythe, Vinnie, and Sunil behind.
"What are you three waiting for?" Zoe demanded, glaring at them. "Blythe, you're the only one with transport! Get us there!"
And the Spaniel raced off, waiting with the others for their human friend to follow and get her scooter started. Blythe let out an exasperate sigh, then turned back to Vinnie and Sunil, the lizard gazing at his best friend.
"Hey, man..." He reached over gently, wondering how deep Pepper went with her comment. "Are you...?"
"It is nothing," Sunil assured him, doing his best to smile. "Let us...let us just get this over with and see if this superstar mongoose is actually present for the others' to drool over."
The way he had said that, it was like venom dripping from his tongue. And despite how calm yet pained his eyes appeared, no doubt fury and rage were present in those innocent irises of his.
Blythe wished she could spare a few moments to comfort Sunil and try to talk to him, but there was no scorn like a diva dog who was impatiently tapping a paw waiting for her.
The best the brunette did was scoop up Sunil into her arms and carry him across the pet shop, sending mental thoughts of comfort in hopes he'll brighten up. Sadly, it did little to appease him as Blythe saw the pain induce on the mongoose's face.
Vinnie trailed behind her as he watched her carry Sunil like a newborn. At least he could always count on Blythe to be the more sensitive one out of any of the girls, other than Penny Ling. He was satisfied with how caring and concerned she was for the falling magician.
But somehow, Vinnie felt it just wasn't enough as he sat himself in the passenger seat of the scooter, squeezing between an excited dog and a just as excited skunk.
_
The ride to the film lot didn't take long as Blythe parked her scooter beside a nearby light pole and the pets were now walking down the street, watching as crew members and other workers overtook the chosen section of Downtown.
Sunil remained quiet while the others chattered excitedly about meeting Shahrukh.
Oh, he's so awesome. Oh, he's so amazing. Oh, he's a super superstar above all superstars!
The mongoose just wanted to box his ears, growing sick with hearing such praise for another. This Shahrukh guy didn't sound all that great...he could make a human woman swoon but could he make a fellow pet disappear in seconds?
A sickening feeling of envy coursed through his body as he thought it over. Soon enough, they were standing right in front of a trailer that was parked beside the barrier that cut outsiders off from the filming lot.
"Oh, what do you know?" Sunil said aloud with as much sarcasm as Pepper had. "Looks like the 'great Shahrukh' isn't here."
However, he realized he had spoken too soon as the door of the trailer swung open...and it was as if a pound of glitter just struck him in the face.
There stood the other mongoose, stressed out but appearing just as real as he was in the movie.
The other pets, minus Vinnie, let out shocked gasps as they immediately rushed over to the animal celebrity.
"IT'S SHAHRUKH!" Zoe screamed while Pepper bounced beside her just as equally astounded.
Sunil felt his tail go limp and his arms followed as well as the other mongoose casually strolled out of his trailer, not even realizing he was standing beside him.
The magician regarded him closely. Winter blue fur with white patterning, and glistening green eyes that could be seen from a mile away. What was really intriguing about this other mongoose was the tiger stripes descending down his tail and across his head.
Looks of him were quite impressive, but Sunil still felt he couldn't be compatible with such a guy. He could possibly be another stereotype, any bigger than London Tipton or even Melanie Syrious.
"Is it really you?" Minka squealed, hopping from one foot to the other in place as her blue eyes sparkled in the presence of the mongoose she and other pets adored so.
The green-eyed mongoose blinked for a few moments, then he gave a smile that would make even the older human females faint.
"But of course," he said smoothly.
Vinnie just rolled his eyes and muttered 'airhead' under his breath. He was immediately pushed out of the way by Pepper, whose rose-colored eyes were even larger than the famous mongoose's ego.
"Oh, my gosh!" Pepper cried. "Oh, Shahrukh! I am such a big fan!"
The celebrity just smiled, as if he had heard such praise before, in which he had. "I'm sure you are."
"I really am!" The skunk giggled like a fangirl. "I have all the DVDs! I watch every clip of you on TrueTube! Every movie released, I've seen it! Especially 'Fantastic Mr. Mongoose', 'Dr. DoMongoose', and even 'Just Mongoose', which is my ultimate fave!"
Shahrukh's smile could not become any more prideful as he regarded his fans with an expression of satisfaction.
"I thank you very much, you're very kind," he told her before giving a traditional bow.
Opening his eyes, they shifted toward Sunil who still stood beside him, eyeing him just as well. Shahrukh had no idea why he felt surprised to see him, and not because he was another mongoose; he partied and dated several ones, as even a number of them were in some of his romantic, action-filled, comedies.
"Have we met?" Shahrukh couldn't help but question as he scanned the other mongoose from head to toe. "You look very familiar."
"He should," Blythe finally spoke, "he looks just like you."
Seemed Shahrukh wasn't that all surprised by Blythe suddenly able to understand him or he was too busy studying Sunil, which the other was doing as well. Blythe mentally smacked a palm to her forehead.
Come on! Her mind screamed as she watched the two compare each other, it is so obvious!
However, she remained mum as Shahrukh folded his arms with an annoyed expression, and Sunil following the gesture as well.
"I don't see it," the green-eyed mongoose stated blandly.
"Me neither," Sunil added.
Blythe just rolled her eyes and sighed.
"Sorry," she muttered, "it's just the whiskers, the tail, the black eyes...you know."
The two mongooses checked over each other once more. Then they both gazed at Blythe questionably.
"Oh, my gosh!" A nearby feminine voice screamed.
Shahrukh let out a horrified gasp.
"There he is, girls!" Another voice screamed.
He turned to his new friends with an apologetic smile.
"I must go now!" He said quickly.
And he immediately high-tailed it from there, and the others barely had time to get out of the way as a massive array of fangirls chased after his pampered tail.
"Wow," Blythe's voiced trailed off, "that guy is way popular."
"Of course he is, darling!" Zoe exclaimed. "He is the greatest mongoose celebrity in all the world!"
That second statement caught Blythe completely off-guard, and she wondered if Zoe made the mistake of calling him 'the greatest'.
Her eyes darted back at Sunil, who remained right where he stood when Shahrukh had been present moments before.
He did not look well.
A thought sprang to mind that Blythe should go over there and comfort him, however, she immediately checked her watch.
"Oh, no, I didn't realize what time it was!" She gasped. "I don't want to be late for my ice-sculpting class!"
She quickly led the other pets back to her scooter, taking small notice of Russell giving her a curious look.
"Ice-sculpting?" He asked.
"Jasper's idea," Blythe explained, holding back a chuckle at one of her human friends' suggestions. "As he said, 'Ice waits for no one'." She quickly repeated that verse in her head. "Which is true, because it'll just turn into water..."
She watched as Sunil was the last to settle himself in the passenger seat, lazily dragging himself inside while holding an even more depressing expression.
Blythe felt her concern grow deeper, just wishing she could comfort the poor mongoose in an instant. But she didn't want to be late, and Jasper would be very unpleased.
Thoughts of Sunil rummaging through her head, she hit the gas on her scooter and drove away from the filming area.
_
Arriving at the pet shop as quickly as having left it, Blythe parked her scooter on the sidewalk before the pets quickly filed out. Sunil was in no hurry as he just slid out of the seat, nearly falling on his face in the process before slowly removing his helmet and placing it with the others.
While the others chatted amongst each other, only Blythe and Vinnie noticed this new side of their mongoose friend.
"I'm worried, Blythe," the lizard told her as they watched Sunil gaze at his own feet. "He needs a serious boost of self-esteem."
The brunette gazed at the tiny lizard, giving him a grateful smile. "At least you're showing concern." She shifted her eyes toward the other pets, especially Pepper and Zoe. "I can't say the same for the others..."
Vinnie was about to speak when a horn blared in the distance.
"Oh, that's my ride," Blythe said with reluctance hinted in her tone.
She gave Vinnie a hopeful look that spoke 'take care of him until I get back'.
The lizard gave a thumbs-up before he and the others waved goodbye to their human friend. He watched as Sunil only gave a partial wave.
Vinnie could just see the disappointment in his eyes that the only caring person besides the lizard himself would be gone until later on.
Now they were both stuck with five rampant fan-pets and some unwatched DVDs in the day-camp.
However, his heart about stopped when he thought he saw a familiar winter blue head emerge from Blythe's scooter.
Oh, horseflies...
"You?" Vinnie cried, grabbing the others' attention.
Shahrukh hopped from the passenger seat, and smiled nervously at the others.
"Uh, hello!" He greeted as casually as he had been earlier.
Before Vinnie could say anything, Penny Ling let out a shriek.
"He's here!" She cried. "Here! As in right here at Littlest Pet Shop!"
Vinnie turned his nose away, feeling sickened that even she would resort to a 'Pepper nerve'.
"Fangirls..." He muttered under his breath.
"What are you doing here, Shahrukh?" Zoe asked, doing her best to hide the excitement in her tone.
"What does it look like I'm doing?" The green-eyed mongoose demanded with exasperation. "I'm hiding away in hopes of getting some rest and relaxation!"
"Oh, sure!" Vinnie turned to see Sunil fold his arms, a grim expression across his face. "Hiding away from the utter appreciation you receive endlessly!"
"Sunil, buddy..." The lizard spoke softly, feeling a vice-like grip of fear slither up his scaly tail.
"Oh, as if you'd understand!" Shuhrukh fought back.
However, Pepper immediately stood between them, though much closer to Shuhrukh. In fact, her paw was clinging to his.
"Sunil, come on!" She chided the other mongoose as another hand snaked around the celebrity's neck.
The amber-eyed mongoose felt yet another blow to his self-esteem as he watched Pepper, and the others pets, surround Shuhrukh once more, giving him even more praise than they had earlier.
"Oh, I got to show you my latest artwork!" Minka squealed. "It's the basic likeness of your perfection!" She pondered a bit. "Well, in a bit of abstract sense, actually..."
Sunil and Vinnie watched as the other pets dragged the famous animal into the shop, much to the green-eyed mongoose's delight.
"Oh, great..." Vinnie groaned.
He shifted his violet eyes over to his best friend, who looked even more stiff than before.
"Uh, Sunil?" Vinnie was almost afraid to ask. "You, uh, coming?" He pointed to the shop's entrance.
"Oh, uh..." The mongoose turned his head away from him. "In a moment."
"You sure?" Vinnie asked, gazing at him with even more worry.
"Yes, yes," Sunil snapped, waving him away. "Just go. I'll be with you soon."
The lizard took a few steps back before gazing at him one last time, then slowly scurried through the doorway.
As soon as Vinnie was out of sight, Sunil's eyebrows knit in a frustrated expression that was also mixed with anger.
After a few moments, he turned away from Littlest Pet Shop and walked off.
"I'll show them..." He muttered angrily. "I'll show that 'superstar' that I am great! And that I'll be much more appreciated somewhere else!"
And he knew where.
_
Sunil trailed his feet across the sidewalk, back bent downward and the most annoyed expression any mongoose could possess.
"I bet those guys don't even know I'm gone..." He scoffed.
And he could be right. They had ignored him from the start, and when that wasn't enough, insults with salt added to wounds in the process.
At least his magic tricks weren't cheesy compared to some of Pepper's stand-up jokes or Zoe's horrid songs!
The mongoose mind reverted back for a moment, realizing that he was probably trying to throw salt in whatever wounds they could have as well.
It wasn't nice, sure...but neither were they.
He felt wetness around the edges of his eyes, and the mongoose fought back what he feared would be tears. Penny Ling was the one to do all the crying, not him!
"Who needs them?" He shouted aloud before folding his arms and his expression darkening.
"They never appreciated me or my magic talent..."
The way those words exited his mouth, his throat felt clogged with hatred yet deep sadness.
It still hurt, and he doubt it would ever go away.
But he could try and ignore it as he found the familiar equipment and film cars surrounding the area he had been to earlier.
"Okay..." He sucked in his breath, trying to look at 'super' as possible.
Well, Blythe did say he and that egotistical mongoose looked alike, despite neither seeing it...
He nervously walked into the lot, hoping no guard or crew member would find him a fraud.
He gazed around the area, taken in the the various equipment and props all meant for certain scenes that only a certain mongoose could decipher.
"Shahrukh!"
Sunil became startled for a few moments, before he immediately calmed down, realizing that the name was directed at him.
He expected to find some crazy fangirl that had been hot on the other mongoose's tail earlier, but before him stood another kind of woman.
She was a tall, young, tanned woman in a simple gray blouse with a thin tie around her neck and jet blue skinny jeans. Her appearance was quite interesting as she harbored short, pixie-style brunette hair while a section of bangs brushed across her forehead was blonde.
What was even more interesting to note was her choice of jewelry, better yet, choice of where she wore it.
Tiny silver spikes shone on the two black wristbands, and a piercing was incredibly conspicuous on the side of her nose and one under her chin.
Despite that, Sunil thought she was quite a lovely woman.
"Where have you been, Shahrukh?" She asked in a thick British accent.
Here eyes were the calmest, most serene shades of violet Sunil had ever seen as they gazed at him in question.
It was too late to take back what he had brought himself into, the mongoose just shrugged, giving his best 'superstar' smile.
The woman's frown melted into a smile that was as pleasing as her eyes.
"Oh, you!" She laughed playfully as she bent down and ruffled his hair. "Always wandering off when we need you!"
Her hands were quite soft, and Sunil was unable to rid the goofy expression of satisfaction across his face.
Before he knew it, she had picked him up, intending to carry him back to Shahrukh's trailer.
Scratch that, his trailer.
"Got to powder that adorable face of yours before the next scene," the woman told him. "Let's get started and I'll see if I can squeeze in a quick back rub as well."
Sunil sighed happily as they entered the trailer, the make-up artist holding him close to her chest.
Finally, some real appreciation.
_