Chapter 26: Dance

Mango walked into the Day Camp area with her ears down and her tail dragging. Her heart had failed her, her brain had failed her, and now even her dreams had failed her. She remembered how hurt she had felt when her last hope had just disappeared. She had been lying on the forest floor, crying and in pain, and he had just left. There was no one left to help her. She was finally on her own. Her bright yellow eyes were duller than normal as she scanned the room she was in. Zoe had stayed over night and placed all the decorations like she had said she would. Mango had to admit that it all looked very festive.

Bunches of blue balloons the color of Sunil's fur were taped to the walls. They were large and covered with small light blue stars. Mango loved the way they looked when they bounced off of each other. Her ears perked up slightly as she noticed that other balloons were taped to the stage where Sunil would perform his magic trick. Some balloons had wiggled free and floated up on the ceiling but Mango did not mind. They only added to the fun feeling the room had. Yellow streamers covered the ceiling and the walls as well. They were made of a soft paper that Mango loved to caress with her paws. Once she had felt the streamers for long enough she wandered the room to see what else she could find. A banner had been hung over the door that said Happy Birthday Sunil and surrounding it was blue and yellow streamers intertwined. Confetti littered the entire ground in the theme's colors of blue and yellow. Mango knew that once the party was over they were going to have a lot of cleaning up to do. Giggling, Mango scooped some confetti off of the ground and threw it into the air. It gently floated down and landed on her head. She shook it off and went to check the DJ station.

Some DJ equipment was placed in a corner of the room for Buttercream Sundae to use once the party began. She lived in Sweet Delights and would be able to come at a moment's notice. Mango adored that hyperactive little bunny. There was never a dull moment with Buttercream Sundae in the room. Whenever Mango felt sad she liked to imagine her friend Buttercream asking her why she was so downy wowny powny and what she could do to raise her spirits to the sky with pie fly my. A smile formed on Mango's face as she took a moment to just look at the equipment. So far the party was going to be amazing.

A small pile of presents was piled up in the center of the room. Boxes covered in colorful wrapping paper and bows were stacked on top of each other. There was a total of seven. One from every pet and Blythe. Mango had not put her small, homemade present there yet. She had not had a chance to finish it and hoped that she had arrived at the Day Camp area early enough for her to get it done. She noticed Zoe asleep on some cushions and decided to stay silent. Zoe had probably been up most of the night to get the party together. She would need her rest once the party began. Mango gingerly tip toed over to the pile of toys. She pushed a few over, being careful not to make any squeak, and found the small notebook she had hid there the day before. It had been a hectic day and Mango had barely found any time to stash her journal. The yellow book was bright and she took a few minutes to look at the cover before opening it.

I have to make this the best present I have ever made. Mango thought as she found a pencil and began to write. She caressed her golden necklace as she did. Every now and then her eyes would wander to the ribbon that stuck out of the pages of the book. This has to be amazing. I need to show Sunil how much I care. I want to make sure he knows that he is the most sensitive, magical, cowardly, interesting, kind, incredible pet I have ever met. I want to let him know how much I enjoy spending time with him. How much I look forward to his magic shows. How much I love him.

Mango stopped writing immediately. Lost in her thoughts, she had simply been thinking the first things that came to her head. She had not really paid attention to what was happening in her mind and was focusing more on the task in front of her. But at that moment she realized what had happened. What she had said in her head… and how she had actually meant it. It could not be. That wasn't possible. After all the time she had spent trying to decide. After all the resources she had exhausted trying to come up with an answer. After all the pain it had caused her for the last few days. Was it really that simple? Mango felt like slapping a paw to her face. Of course it was that simple. She had only needed to take a moment to relax and just let the answer come to her. Her stomach flopped as she realized that she had been trying too hard.

Just to make sure that what she thought was the truth actually was the truth, she took a moment to think about Sunil. Before she knew what was happening her heart was racing a million miles a minute. Her mouth became dry and she began to shiver. Mango's eyes began to grow wide as she saw the image of Sunil in her mind. He was striking. His lean body, bright fur, and glowing eyes burned in her mind. Memories of the times she had shared with Sunil all raced back to her. When he had comforted her in the fire hydrant, when he had shared his special magic trick with her, and when he had confessed his love. Mango had felt unbelievable joy when she had heard him tell her he loved her. Now she could not wait for him to feel the same joy when she told him with absolute certainty that he was her one and only love.

"You can't force love. You just have to let it come to you." Mango whispered to herself as she thought about her discovery. A smile formed on her face. She could not wait for the party.

...

Russell was the first pet to arrive after Mango. He took one look at the concentration of her face and decided to quietly look around the room to see if everything was in order. Zoe had done a swell job. He had only had to straighten a few presents that had been out of line by two and a half centimeters. All in all it was a superb job. Maybe a little unsymmetrical with the placement of the balloons, but he couldn't expect everyone to have read the Manuel On How To Prepare A Symmetrical Party. He shook his head with wonder. What did these pets do when they were at home? Had any of them even picked up a book lately?

Russell laughed at himself as he realized that he knew one who probably had read even more books then he had. Mango seemed to always have a book stashed somewhere in the Day Camp. He had accidentally sat on a few once or twice. Luckily his spines hadn't damaged the book, but he sure had been sore for a while. Russell shivered as he remembered sitting on one of Mango's thousand page books. It had taken some time before he was able to sit comfortably. He couldn't blame her though. In fact, he had one or two books stored safely in the Day Camp as well for when things got slow enough for him to read. His light green eyes lit up as he recalled one book he had stored not too far from where he was at the moment. In no time at all he was comfortably sitting on the floor with a large novel in his paws.

He would look up every few minutes to check if everything was still serene. Mango was still scribbling away and Zoe was still napping. If a pet walked in he would quickly motion to the two pets and bring a finger to his lips signaling for them to remain quiet. The others simply moaned softly and went off in search of quiet things to do. Russell winced every time Minka moved. She was like a firework ready to go off. He hoped that Sunil would arrive soon so the party could get started. Blythe had said she would join the party as soon as she finished the birthday outfit she was making for Sunil. If his calculations were correct, which they usually were, she would be down in a few minutes. Once she arrived the others could get in their surprise positions.

Russell returned to his book and forgot about the other pets in the room for a few minutes. He was lost in an epic tale of heroes, sirens, and storms. Although it was unreasonable, he soon found himself hoping that the hero would make it out alive. Russell knew that no matter how hard he wished the book's ending would stay the same, but some books were good enough to reject common sense. Mango cried out in triumph as she finished writing in hers. The sparkle in her bright eyes hinted that her book might be one of those books. Before he knew what was happening the bell of the Littlest Pet Shop door began to jingle merrily as someone walked in. Quickly, he rolled into a ball and zipped over to the window to see who was arriving. It was Sunil's owners coming to drop him off for the day. It was time for the party!

"Everyone! Sunil is coming!" Russell yelled to the other pets.

Chaos ensued as the pets began scrambling to their hiding places. Penny Ling hid underneath a large pile of cushions. Pepper jumped into the toy bin, yelling in pain as she landed on one of her rubber arrows. Minka was huddled inside of the tire swing. She quickly snatched her tail up so it wouldn't hang in view. Zoe yawned and rubbed her eyes before dashing behind some large blocks. Mango quickly stuffed her book under a pillow before climbing inside of the fire hydrant. Vinnie was slower to reach his position because he spent a few minutes running in circles panicking but eventually he dove behind the large chair. Russell simply rolled into a ball and blended in with a pile of spiky ball toys. He heard a squeaking noise and uncurled enough to see Blythe opening the dumbwaiter. Frantically waving his paws, he motioned for her to stay inside. She smiled and nodded, leaving the dumbwaiter open a crack so she could see when to come out.

The Day Camp door opened slowly. Sunil was always timid when walking into a room and liked to stick his head in before fully coming inside. The other pets knew this and waited until he had completely stepped into the room. He had a look of utter confusion on his face as he glanced around the seemingly empty Day Camp. Tentatively, he took a few steps forward. His ears lowered as he tensed in anticipation. He knew that something was going to happen, he just didn't know exactly what.

"Calm down Sunil. There is nothing to be scared of." Sunil comforted himself softly.

Gaining more confidence, Sunil straightened his back and began to walk normally.

"SURPRISE!" Eight voices yelled out simultaneously as they jumped out from their hiding spots.

The sound of a shriek could be heard above the noise. Sunil's fur was sticking up, his eyes had shrunk to pinpricks, and he was at least three feet in the air. The other pets waited for him to relax and begin to breathe normally before approaching him. They all wore smiles on their faces. Mango stepped closer to Sunil and placed a paw on his back. Trying to suppress a laugh she gave him a reassuring smile before removing her paw. Russell swallowed a giggle and quickly explained to Sunil what was going on.

"Sunil, we all wanted to throw this surprise birthday party for you because you were in India for your real one." Russell said calmly.

"Were you surprised?" Penny Ling asked with a giggle.

"Yes." Sunil said while holding a paw to his heart.

"GOOD!" Minka yelled at the top of her strong lungs.

Mango sent a smile Minka's way before speaking. "We have lots of fun things planned. So why don't we get this party started?" Her tail wagged as she finished talking.

A chorus of cheers and hollers quickly proceeded. They all grabbed Sunil and dragged him to the area with the DJ equipment. The pets were full of energy and needed to burn some of it off. Blythe quickly joined in when she saw the pets beginning to dance. Laughter echoed through the room as they watched Buttercream Sundae get out the record she had chosen and begin to move the disk with her feet. Music blasted through the speakers and made everybody's feet begin to dance. It was an upbeat tune that had great vocals and an awesome rhythm. Perfect for dancing.

"Let's dance attack Jack!" Buttercream yelled out with glee as she began to scratch the record with her paws. Her ears were randomly moving around on top of her head in time with the music.

"What is she saying?" Pepper asked as she waved her tail around.

"Who cares!" Zoe responded with a twirl.

Everyone danced with joy as the song progressed. Waving arms flew through the air. Kicking legs swung on the ground. Heads bobbed back and forth. All the worries washed away as they danced. For a few moments everything was perfect. Vinnie decided to use the opportunity to try out some of his newest dance steps. His legs kicked up once, twice, three times before he suddenly fell backward and landed on the floor. It was not a long fall and he did not feel hurt. Maybe a little winded, but he recovered quickly. Everyone around him was too busy dancing to notice his accident. Not minding, he began to push himself up quickly, eager to rejoin the dancing. In his haste he slipped and fell once again. He tried to push himself up but to his surprise felt arms pulling him to his feet. His purple eyes went upward and rested on Sunil's golden ones. Vinnie cleared his throat and smiled awkwardly. He wasn't sure how to react. Sunil was his best friend, but they had been through a rough few days and he wasn't sure how angry Sunil was with him. At the moment Vinnie didn't know what to do.

Sunil just smiled and gently nudged Vinnie.

For a few seconds Vinnie just stared at Sunil. Then he realized the meaning of the nudge. Smiling with joy and relief, Vinnie pushed Sunil back a little harder and began to dance. Sunil quickly followed and began to do his signature robot dance. It was not a very complicated dance but he always felt happy when he did it. It made him feel powerful, like he actually was as strong as metal. Vinnie waved his arms and legs around in a complicated way. He enjoyed fast dances because it challenged his skills. Although they had not said a word both of them knew that everything was going to be fine. Whether it was the music, the fact that it was Sunil's birthday, or just their close friendship, everything seemed to have been fixed in a matter of seconds. All they wanted to do at that moment was to dance.

...

Mango panted heavily once the dancing had ended. She did not know how long the music had lasted but she guessed it was at least a couple of hours. She stretched and gave a small squeak when her back popped. Mango's legs were beginning to feel sore so she slowly moved them around. Her gaze drifted around the room to the other pets. It seemed that they were as tired as she was. Minka was actually laying on the ground out of breath. Of course,that was probably because she had spent the entire time racing around the room like a tornado. A smile formed on Mango's face when she noticed Vinnie and Sunil leaning against each other for support. They were breathing hard and beginning to slump on the ground but it was obvious that they were happy. Mango had never seen such a twinkle in their eyes. She did not know what had happened while everyone was dancing, but it had fixed their friendship. A sigh escaped her lips as she finally allowed her body to relax. Now she could go through the party with no worries.

I am so stiff. Mango thought as she took a few steps forward. There was still plenty of activities left in the party though and no time to waste.

"Alright everyone. Who wants to play some games?" Mango asked once she was able to move without wincing.

A small chorus of cheers met her ears as the pets tried to stretch away their soreness. Sunil laughed when Vinnie fell on the floor after his legs gave out. As a punishment, Vinnie grabbed Sunil's legs and caused him to fall as well. The two simply laid there for a few minutes as they tried to catch their breath. Mango resisted the urge to plop down next to them and focused on choosing a game for them all to play. She finally settled on one of Sunil's favorites. Her eyes lit up as she announced what they would be playing.

"Let's play Red Light, Green Light!" Mango yelled out.

The games were uneventful and unexciting. The very kind of games Sunil enjoyed playing. Minka was the first one out. This was because she did not stop moving when the first Red Light was announced. Instead she had proceeded to bounce around the room while yelling out the words Red Light. Her tail brushed against Mango's nose when she bounced by her. Eyes watering and nose twitching, Mango desperately tried not to sneeze. Her fur fluffed as she took a deep breath. But she was unable to contain it. Like a storm, it suddenly burst out of her.

"A-a-a-a-a-aaaaaaCHOOOO!" Mango sneezed. Sniffing, she sat down and waited for the others to finish playing the game.

I'm out. Thanks a lot Minka. Mango sulked. She had thought she had a pretty good shot at winning too.

In the end the Red Light, Green Light winner was of course, Sunil. He was able to go completely still in a split second. When he froze his fur did not even move. It seemed like he did not even breathe. It was as if he was a statue. Mango guessed he was able to be completely still because when everything scared you it was necessary to be able to hide in a moment's notice. What was a weakness in many things was actually his greatest strength when playing certain games. The other games all ended in the same way. Sunil was the victor and the other pets were left amazed at his skill. Mango felt immeasurable pride whenever he won a game. She did not mind losing as long as it was to him.

Come on Mango. Stop being such a sap. You find out you love him and suddenly he can do no wrong. I could still be mad at him. Remember when you got into that argument with him when Shahrukh was here? See, I can be mad at him. Mango thought in amusement when Sunil had won the final game.

Sunil glanced her way and gave her a shy smile as he accepted the other pets congratulations. He then proceeded to give a small wave in her direction.

No I can't. Mango thought as she gave a shy wave back.

...

Once the games were completed the pets all settled around the presents. It was obvious that it was time for Sunil to start opening. Obvious to everyone but the pet of honor himself. Sunil simply sat there watching everyone. He seemed to be waiting for someone else to make the first move. His tail was gripped firmly in his paws as his eyes darted at all of the pets looking at him. His big eyes were filled with anxiety as the silence stretched on. Finally, Russell realized that Sunil was not going to be the pet to start things off so he grabbed his own present and handed it to him.

The box was big and red with a blue bow tying it closed. With a smile, Russell gently placed it in Sunil's arms. It seemed slightly heavy and when Sunil held it his arms moved down slightly. Careful not to set it down on his paws, Sunil put the large box on the floor. He studied it for a few minutes before gingerly grabbing the bow. With the timid nature Sunil seemed to have with everything, he tugged at the ribbon until it came undone and fell into a pile on the floor. From the depths of the box Sunil lifted a large, leather bound book. The pages were slightly yellowed with age but none seemed to be severely damaged. The cover read Magic From The Magicians Of Old written in swirled, gold letters.

"Why, thank you Russell." Sunil said in awe as he opened the book. His eyes quickly scanned a few pages before he gently closed it and set it down next to him. "Who knows what I can learn from the magicians of old."

"I don't think that the book really is from the magicians of old Sunil." Russell said with a disbelieving look in his eyes. He stopped trying to explain that it was probably just a gimmick to sell the books when he noticed Sunil eagerly grabbing another box.

"That one is MINE!" Minka screeched as she saw Sunil raise a bright pink box over his head and gingerly shake it. When he opened it he was surprised to see a small, blank canvas. He turned to Minka with a confused look and simply pointed at his present.

"Thank you Minka?" Sunil said uncertainly.

"Silly Sunil, it's not done yet!" Minka said with a laugh and a roll of her eyes. She grabbed the canvas from Sunil's paws and set it against a wall. Quickly grabbing some of her paint cans she dipped her hands in them and prepared to fling her arms. Mentally counting to three in her head she waved her arms with a loud screech. Blue and yellow paint flung across the room and landed directly on the canvas. The paint exploded into the shape of fireworks all over the white background. Jumping up and down like a rabbit, she continued to toss more and more paint until the canvas looked like a complete firework display.

"Eee! Eee!" Minka yelled out as she ran over to retrieve Sunil's gift. "Here you go!"

Sunil accepted the still-dripping gift with a big smile. He made sure to wipe his paws off on his leg before grabbing the next box. The gift giving continued in the same manner and Sunil made sure to thank every pet once her received theirs. Zoe had given his a bedazzled cape and magicians hat. When Sunil had asked why it was so sparkly she had replied that it was for when he was famous and did shows in Vegas. That had brightened Sunil's face and caused him to giggle with joy as he donned the garments. Zoe smiled with delight when she saw the way the rhinestones gleamed in the light. He looked simply divine.

Penny Ling's gift was a box of tasty treats for him to enjoy when he got home. She explained that it was so he would not be sad once the party was over. After the gift had been put on top of the other gifts she had squeezed Sunil in a crushing bear hug. Gasping for breath and turning bluer by the second, Sunil thanked her and gave her a hug in return. Pepper gave him a rubber chicken flashlight so he would not have to fear the dark anymore. The light was brighter than expected and momentarily blinded Blythe and the pets. Sunil made sure to thank Pepper before placing the flashlight where it could harm no one else. Blythe's gift was a brand new birthday outfit. A deep blue sweater that had gold stars embroidered on the front and back. It was soft and not itchy in the slightest. Sunil smelled the warm scent of the cotton before rubbing it against his cheek.

"Here you go Sunster." Vinnie said as he personally handed Sunil his present. It was fairly small with a violet bow keeping it closed.

"Thanks… best buddy." Sunil said softly with a smile. He slowly took it from Vinnie's hands and stared at it for a few moments as if he wanted to make sure that it was actually there. Once the box was carefully opened Sunil saw that it contained a small, red ball. It was like a miniature version of the large ball that Vinnie and Sunil liked to toss to each other. He looked at Vinnie questioningly.

"We mastered catching the bigger one, so I figured we should go to level two." Vinnie said with a challenge in his eyes. "I think we can do it. Do you?"

Sunil stared into Vinnie's eyes. "I do." He replied with certainty.