It had been over three hours since the entire incident had even started. The sun was setting and everyone's owners have yet to pick their pets up. Everyone was off doing their own things; Zoe and Pepper were working on a new humorous song together, Sunil was practicing his magic, Vinnie and Penny Ling debated on what form of dance was more efficient for the pet shop, and Minka...
Minka was painting...
Even Buttercream Sundae the buttercream-colored rabbit decided to drop by for a short visit.
And all through this time, not a single pet acknowledged or even looked at Russell.
After letting himself down the dumbwaiter alone, he immediately went to a plush pillow on the far side of the room. Bittersweet memories of him playing cards with Vinnie and Sunil earlier that day in that same exact area created an ice ball in his stomach.
Why did they get so angry at me? They all hate me... I wouldn't be surprised if Penny Ling told Buttercream to be mad at me as well...
The hedgehog thought he had cried out all his tears and couldn't possibly make any more, but he proved himself wrong when he felt semi-warm liquid falling down his soggy cheeks once again.
"Hey, Russell-bo-Bussell!"
The high-pitched voice startled him and he quickly looked up to see Buttercream smiling giddily at him.
"Pumper-Pinker-Pepper just told me how much of a doosy-woosy-gotta-get-boosy day you had!" the rabbit squeaked as she bounced around. She smiled at Russell again, and suddenly her ears dropped and her smile faded. She had a look of sadness mingled with concern. "Are you okay-dokay-lokay?"
"I'm... I'm fine..." the hedgehog rasped, looking back down at the tear-stained pillow.
"You don't sound fine-a-line," Buttercream rejected. "What happened, nappined?"
"Nothing... Please leave me alone..." He heard the rabbit inhale, ready to say something else, but no crazy made-up words tumbled out of her mouth.
All she said was, "I'm sorry..."
The sounds of hopping that gradually faded away was heard right after. He could've sworn he overheard Vinnie exclaim, "Buttercream? Why where you talking to him?"
Why did this had to happen to him? Him, out of all the pets. He had never acted so terribly before... Couldn't they have at least thought it was something other than... whatever this was?
Deeper in despair than he had ever been in his entire hedgehog-spanned life, he closed his eyes, exhausted from all the crying, and drifted into sleep.
But he opened them again when he heard the padding of paws grow louder and louder.
He looked down and saw two dark purple paws. Oh, no... It's Penny Ling... She's probably gonna scold me further or say she despises me rather than hate me...
Russell dared to look up to the panda's face and prepared himself to see hatred and fury flashing in her narrowed gray-purple eyes.
But there was none.
"Russell..." Penny Ling started, looking into his yellow-green eyes, eyes shining in sorrow and guilt. She looked down at her paws and tapped them together, ears lowering further down with every word she spoke. "Russell... I'm really sorry we said those horrible things... I'm really sorry... I don't hate you or despise you... I just feel so terrible for saying all those things to you!" Soon after she broke down into tears.
The sight of the sensitive panda crying right in front of him made Russell want to cry harder. However, he forced back tears and hiccups of grief and climbed out of the bed to face her. Penny Ling stopped sobbing when the hedgehog was standing in front of her and she looked past her paws covering her eyes.
"I...I'm the one who should be sorry, Penny..." Russell started, trying his hardest now to tear up. "I don't know what had gotten into me, but... It just... I-I don't..." Lost of words, he looked down, physically unable to look at the pet in front of him anymore.
Silence rung through the pet shop; even the other pets had stopped what they were doing when they heard Penny Ling cry previously and now they watched to see what would happen next.
"Minka's not a monster like you say she is-" Penny Ling finally began.
But Russell shot back at her, momentarily unaware of exactly who he was speaking to. "I'm sorry, okay? I don't know what's going on! I don't know why I keep seeing her with razor-sharp teeth and bleeding wrists! I just don't know!" With a wail, the hedgehog fell to his knees and continued sobbing. He wouldn't be surprised if the panda just stomped away, leaving him to sob.
He was surprised, however, that she didn't leave. She fell on all fours to match my new height and gently pushed her chilly wet nose into the back of my ear, almost as if affectionately on top of comfortingly.
"Don't worry, Russell," she whispered, her voice smooth as silk and sweet as honey. "Things will get better. They always do. Just remember that you are a Littlest Pet Shop pet; you are one of us and we won't ever, ever abandon you no matter what happens. Do you hear me, Russell Ferguson? We will never abandon you... We will never leave you... We will never give up on you..."
A/N: Yeeeaaahh, uhh... This is the best I could do after practically a year or something. Sorry, no Minka gore in this chapter. Instead, I wanted someone to actually help Russell and support him, and who would be better for the job than Penny Ling? (Fun fact: I was originally thinking about using Zoe.)
Also, I've been reading through my reviews and I must say this: I DO NOT HATE MINKA! I just wanted to use her because of her painting skills, and I was given the idea from Hotdiggedydemon's Swag. MOV when Apple Bloom used Discord's blood to paint the house. I love Minka; she's my second favorite female pet.
I'm gonna do my best to stay on top of things with my stories, especially this one and 2012 in Downtown City. Unfortunately, school is now just around the corner - literally, school starts next Monday - so it'll prove to be even more difficult on top of lack of inspiration. But I'll just have to give it my all! :D