Blythe held Pepper and Penny Ling tightly in her arms as she was about to leave the Pet Shop before Mrs. Twombly caught her attention.

"Hey, Blythe!" she exclaimed. "Where are you going?"

"Oh," said Blythe, "I'm just taking Pepper and Penny Ling to the vet for a checkup. Pepper won't stop crying, and... Penny Ling doesn't seem to be breathing."

"Oh, dear!" exclaimed Mrs. Twombly. "Go right on ahead, but do hurry back. You don't wanna miss the International Pet Fashion Expo, do you?"

"Me neither," replied Blythe, before leaving the Pet Shop.

It was a relatively short walk to the local Downtown City vet. As she walked through the glass doors, she was immediately greeted by the sound of a new veterinarian. Dr. Edmond Timpson, who originated from London, England, was having a phone discussion with his supervisor.

"What do you mean 'tomorrow'?" he asked, making air quotes. "No, no! You said they'd be delivered today, not tomorrow, you stupid twat! Get it sorted now, or I swear to Christ, you're out of here! Is that clear?"

He hung up, and turned to see Blythe standing at the reception desk with Pepper and Penny Ling. "Ah! So you must be?"

Blythe's voice stuttered. "Blythe. Blythe Baxter."

"Right, of course! Ms. Baxter. Aaand…" He looked down at a teary-eyed Pepper and a comatose Penny Ling. "What brings you here?"

"Oh," exclaimed Blythe, "excuse me. This is Pepper Clark and this is Penny Ling. I've brought them here for a check-up."

"Of course, a check-up. Eh—" He paused. "What for?"

"Pepper won't stop crying and I don't know why," Blythe explained, "and Penny Ling looks like she's been knocked out cold."

"Ah, yes! Just step into my office and I'll have a look at them for ya!"

Dr. Timpson led Blythe and the two pets to his office, which looked similar to an operating room. He had Blythe sit down in front of this desk, where he made himself comfortable. Blythe placed Pepper and Penny Ling on the desk, and Pepper crawled up to Penny Ling's body, weeping softly.

Blythe cringed at the sight, then directed her attention to Dr. Timpson's name plaque. "Dr. Edmond Timpson, PhD?"

"That's my name, don't wear it out!"

"Huh," said Blythe.

"So, Ms. Baxter, tell me what happened."

"Okay," Blythe began, "it all started when I was preparing the pets for the International Pet Fashion Expo."

Dr. Timpson silenced Blythe. "The International… what?"

"Never mind that," said Blythe. "Pepper here said we needed to smell happy to make the judges happy, and I couldn't get my head around it. She then produced a variety of different scents — all of which smelt fantastic! Then the next thing I knew, Pepper was rolling on the floor crying and Penny Ling wasn't moving. She looked like the smell was so strong it knocked her out on the spot."

"Mm-hmm, I see. Not to worry, ma'am. You're looking at a trained veterinarian with a PhD in veterinary nursing. Allow me to examine these feeble creatures."

Dr. Timpson got up and picked up Pepper and Penny Ling from his desk before bringing them over to the surgical table. He layed them down on the table, where Pepper kept crying for her panda friend.

"Penny Ling…" she moaned. "Please don't go. I didn't mean for any of this to happen." She continued crying as she moved closer to the poor panda. Dr. Timpson observed at the sight of Pepper hugging Penny Ling's body.

"Why's the grey one hugging the purple panda?"

"Sorry," said Blythe, "you'll have to excuse her. She's feeling a little tense right now. From what I can tell, she's feeling sorry for what happened at the pet shop."

"You have a pet shop?"

"Of course," replied Blythe. "A Littlest Pet Shop, to be exact."

"Why is it called that?"

"Well," replied Blythe, "to put it plainly…"

Dr. Timpson silenced Blythe. "They're the littlest pet shop pets you've ever seen?"

"Exactly," Blythe agreed.

Dr. Timpson took a long look at Pepper and Penny Ling, and grinned. "Couldn't have said it better myself."

Blythe was about to leave him with Pepper and Penny Ling before he stopped her. "So… about that Pet Fashion Expo?"

"Well," said Blythe, "I've given it a lot of thought, and I've decided — I'm leaving Pepper and Penny Ling with you and going to the expo without them."

"Hm. Courage. That's what I believe this world needs more of. Ma'am, what you're doing, right now — you've made the choice to confront the uncertainty of this situation... with bravery. Valour, if you will. I must admit, I've never seen anything like it. Not from you, not from anyone, frankly. Ms. Baxter, you go to that expo, you strike your competitors down like the hammer of God, and show them what they're up against."

Blythe smirked before walking off. "Thanks."

Dr. Timpson sighed. "Never thought I'd make a speech like that, to be honest."

Blythe waved goodbye at him. "I'll be sure to check back on Pepper and Penny Ling tomorrow. And I can't wait to introduce you to Buttercream!"

Dr. Timpson waved back at her. "That's great! Do come back when you can!" He walked back to his desk, sat himself down and watched Pepper cry herself to sleep over Penny Ling's body.

"Hold on… who the fuck's Buttercream?"

Meanwhile, at the day camp, Zoe, Minka, Russell, Sunil and Vinnie were waiting anxiously for Blythe's return.

"When is Blythe coming back?" asked Russell, nervously. "I'm starting to get worried about Pepper and Penny Ling, especially Penny Ling."

"I have no idea," replied Vinnie, "but I'm more concerned about the International Pet Fashion Expo. Do you know how long it took me to make this costume?"

Russell agreed. "Well, you probably had it better than me."

Suddenly, the door opened, and Blythe re-entered the day camp. The pets were surely relieved.

"Thank goodness you're back, Blythe!" exclaimed Zoe.

"How did it go at the vet?" asked Minka. "Are Pepper and Penny Ling alright?"

"It went as well as you could expect," replied Blythe. "Now before anyone else asks, I've given it a lot of thought, and I've decided we'll be participating in the expo without them."

The pets were shocked. "But what about Pepper and Penny Ling?" asked Russell.

"Don't worry about them," Blythe assured him. "I'm sure they'll be taken care of. I've left them with the new veterinarian I met earlier. He's a little rough around the edges, but overall, he's a pretty nice guy."

"Well," said Russell, "okay. If you say so."

"Great!" said Blythe. "Now let's just settle down and take a few minutes to clear our heads. The cab should be arriving soon to take us to the expo."