Disclaimer: I don't own Littlest Pet Shop, Hasbro does.

Pepper's Dare

She can't believe she did that!

Pepper was hiding inside the storage room in Littlest Pet Shop, her rose-violet orbs covered in tears. A green thick fog stretch throughout the long crowded room

She still couldn't believe that she did that!

The female skunk always loves a good prank. Heck, she was the master of the art of putting a whoopee cushion on someone's seat before they sat down. However, this was one prank she wasn't laughing about. Ironically, she did this to herself. It wasn't even a prank to begin with! It was actually a dare! However, she would call this a prank because she actually ends up fooling herself in the long run. She tricked herself into believing she can do what the other female pets can do. Yeah, she wanted to blame Zoë (and she won't lied that there is a small part of her that does).After all, the little spaniel was the one who put her up to the dare, taunting her as she did. However, she knew Zoë couldn't take all the blame. She let her arrogance get the best of her and if there is one thing that she and Zoë got in common, it's pride. She knew not one of them was going to fall out towards the other until something goes too far.

Pepper put her front paws to her face, trying her hardest to stop crying. She was never the sensitive type and yet here she was, crying her eyes out over some stupid dare she did.

So why should she care that she couldn't act or do those girly things all her friends were good at. Why should she care she couldn't do her make-up right or couldn't flirt with any male pet by her walk and words?!

She shouldn't care at all. So why does she?!

'Because I do care, that's why'. She thought sadly. No matter what anyone said, Pepper was still a girl and like any girl (and as much as she does not want to admit this), she wanted to be told she was pretty.

"Pepper?"

She jumped by the sudden voice behind her. She quickly rubbed her tears away. There was no way she was going to let anyone see her cry. No matter how she feels now! She quickly turns around to see Sunil staring at her with concern. "Su-Sunil…" Her voice was cracking and dry. Properly from all the crying she was doing for the last past half hour. "What are you doing here? How…How did you know where I was hiding?"

"Um… I came to see if you were alright and how I found you…well, I figure you'll be here by the…um...the smell."

Oh…

"Sorry about that…" She chuckle nervously, noticing for the first time Sunil was holding his nose tightly in his little paw-digits. She was so used to her whimsical scents that it really doesn't bother her at all. Maybe it was because she was a skunk or maybe it was just her. All she knew she was so accustomed to her smells she wouldn't even notice she was releasing it on purpose. She managed adjusted the smell to the point where Sunil released his pink nose. It still smelled kinda funky here but it was better than before.

She looks away from him, hoping he wouldn't be able to see what she did to herself again. "Anyway, I'm fine, Sunil. I'm just…needed some quiet time alone." It was lame excuse but she wasn't going to cry in front of her blue mongoose friend. She heard the shuttle of footsteps behind her. She thought Sunil left until her chin was lifted up and her rose-colored eyes became connected to two familiar amber orbs. Her cheeks blushed by the sudden bold move from the normally shy mongoose. "Pepper…" He hesitates a little before speaking again. "What happen? Why do you look like this?"

Her ears went down in sadness. "This? You mean why I look like a banshee?"

He let go of her chin and rubbed his arm in shame. Once again, she managed to look away from him again. She didn't really blame Sunil for reacting the way he did earlier when she leap in front of him and Vinnie as they were watching a scary movie. They were too engrossed in the movie and her looking like an insane lunatic didn't stop them from screaming their heads off. Her gaze went to an old mirror standing near her. In the reflection of the dirty glass was a psychotic skunk who had too much makeup and greasy hair completely entangled like a rag-doll. She sighed. She might as well tell him.

"It was a dare." She said. Sunil looked a bit confused. "You were dared to scare us?"

She shook her head, angrily. She glared at him. "No! I wasn't trying to scare anybody! I was…" She trail off, looking at the ground for some sort of support. Her anger was cool down as her melancholy came back in her blood stream again. She wasn't good at this: Expressing her insecurities to people. She didn't wear her heart on her sleeve like Penny Ling. If she had any uncertainly with herself, she would hide it by cracking a joke or just not say anything altogether. She was supposed to be one of the confident and out-spoken pets of the bunch. "I was dared to impress a guy, ok?" She really hoped he didn't see her blush in embarrassment as she kept her head down.

"Me and the other girls…we were doing a questionnaire for fun in Blythe's room. Everything was good until we reached a question: What tactics do you use when you're trying to impress the guy of your dreams?" Then, her anger boils right back up as she thought what happen next. "Zoë had the nerve to comment I didn't have any skills in getting a guy." She didn't understand why she was telling this part to Sunil. Maybe she was still peeved at the diva? "One thing lead to another and next thing you know, Zoë dared me to impress a guy. Of course, I took it on. There was no way I was going to let Zoë get the last laugh. So, I came down from Blythe's room. Saw you and Vinnie watching some scary movie and…well…you know the rest."

The rest, she meant was Sunil and Vinnie running for their lives when they saw her looking like the creature in their movie. If she didn't run past a mirror, she would have never knew she look hideous.

"What does it have to do with…um…well?" She rolled her rose-violet orbs. Sunil was too kind sometimes. "Looking like a freak?"

"Yes. Why do you appear like this? Zoë didn't-"

She shook her head. "No, Zoë didn't do this. I…kinda did this to myself." She rubbed her arm in shame. "Forgot to use a mirror when I putting on the makeup." Yeah, Pepper really did do this to herself. She was so focused on proving Zoë wrong, she forgot the first rule in using makeup: use a mirror.

"I thought if I put some makeup on, it would help me out more. Boy, was I wrong."

She stared at the blue mongoose with sad defeated eyes. "She was right, though. I have no skills in getting a guy. I'm…just not into those types of things girls like. Stuff that make them cute in a boy's eyes." Like fashion or art or ribbon dancing…

A short silence accompanies the two pets before Sunil spoke up. "That's not true."

"Huh?" Pepper give the magician's a confused look as he continued. "Even though you are not into those types of girl activities, it does not mean you can't impress a boy with your personality. I mean, you are very funny, Pepper. You always have us laughing at your jokes. Also, you're very smart. You always have very interesting ideas for us to do for fun or to solve problems with."

"Yeah but I still don't act or dress like a girl."

"So, shouldn't that person like you for whom you are. Instead of what the type of things you do." Sunil gave her a gentle smile. "Even though you're not that type of girl Pepper, I think you're very cute in my eyes." It takes a second but Sunil's eyes widened when he realized what he just said. "Well….um…you know what I mean, right? I…ah…" She put a paw-digit to his lips, looking at him with understanding.

She knew what he was trying to say.

Pepper smiled a little. "I guess you're right." Sunil was right in a way. She could impress a guy with her jokes and ponder. Maybe she wasn't a lost cause after all. Still…

She stared at the mirror again with a sad expression. She still looks like she's Frankenstein's bride. After a minute or two, Sunil snapped his fingers. "Wait here!" He ran out of the storage room. Pepper wondered what he was doing until he came back with a bowl of water with a wash rag in it. A comb and brush tucked in his arms, his mouth gripping two or three plastic hairpins. Pepper blinked. What was he doing with all that?

He put the utensils on the ground in front of the comedian, grabbing the wet rag. "Now, hold still…"

Oh, that's what he's doing.

She didn't flinch or pull away as Sunil began to rub the makeup away with the wet rag. She trusted the blue mongoose to not do anything cruel to her, especially, when she expressed her feelings a little to him. She was still happy that Sunil said those things to her. She was really feeling distress when he and Vinnie screamed and ran away from her (though, she doesn't blame them when she was looking like some crazy person!). It was like her broken heart was mended together like nothing ever happen it in the beginning. All because Sunil said what he truly thought of her situation. If there was one thing she can count on Sunil was that he was honest with his thoughts and feelings. He was brunt on what he thought of the situations the pets always got into and always expressed his feelings whether those feelings were good or bad. However, he knew his limits. Sunil didn't want to hurt someone's feelings but he would speak his mind of what he thought in the situation. He would just say it in a more nicer manner. He wouldn't tell someone she look fat in that dress right in front of her face but tried to say it in a more kind way so that person's feeling wouldn't be hurt. The mongoose was not only honest but he was considerate as well.

Sunil dropped the rag in the bowl, taking the comb in his paws. He began to comb through her white locks.

Still, she couldn't help but blush on how close their bodies were. Pepper knew Sunil wouldn't do anything to her but her heart wasn't listening to her brain. The poor skunk could hear her heart was beating really fast with each stroke Sunil took with the hair brush (when did he switch hair utensils anyway?) and Pepper was praying Sunil wasn't hearing the loud tormenting rhythm. He properly didn't. He was working with calm and ease.

"There!" She snapped out of her thoughts. Sunil was now putting the hairpins in her hair. "Though I don't know if I did a good job or not."

She turns back to the dirty mirror and gasped. She look like herself but different. The makeup was gone, letting her look like mostly herself again. She said mostly because she appeared a bit more…prettier now as long white locks fall down her face and towards her shoulder blades. The hairpin gripped the sides of her hair so it wouldn't get into her face. She literally had to touch the mirror to see if that was her.

"Sunil, this is amazing! How in the world did you do this?" She wasn't one for makeovers but this was amazing if Sunil could make her looking like a model from an ugly toad in three seconds. The blue mongoose blushed from the compliments. "My owner… is a part-time makeup artist. I often watch her get performers ready before they perform on stage. Also, when I was young, I… helped my little sister with her hair a lot. She always hated the pet hair-styles so I always help her make her hair in a more unique style. It's really not that amazing, Pepper."

"Are you kidding me? You just saw me covered in makeup and hair gel. Not anyone could do this!" She even doubts Blythe or Zoë could do something like this. Who knew Sunil Nevla was a secret amazing make-up artist?!

Sunil smile softly as the skunk's excitement. "Well, if you say so. I personally don't think my skills in cosmetics are that impressive."

It was pure instinct or maybe she was just jovial from what he done for her, she personally didn't know what but right after he said those words, she hugged him tightly with her front legs and kissed him on the cheek. "It's impressive to me. Thank you, Sunil. For everything." She whispered in his ear.

She let go of him and tried her hardest to not laugh at the mongoose's blushing face.

Maybe this dare turn out alright, after all.

Author's Note: And that's the end of Simple Dares. Hope you enjoy this two-shot. I know I did. Thank you all for reading and reviewing this story. I'm not a fluffy writer if you have read my other works but I do like fluff and I don't mind reading it. So, I'm happy to get some practice with this.

Anyway in other news, I have made a poll for which story you want me to write next. Here are the options:

1 .) 'The Art of Chivalry' - A Penny Ling/ Vinnie fic. 'His skills of being a knight may be clumsy in their story but in real life, he's very graceful.'

2 .) 'Homesick' - A Blythe-centered fic. 'She will be home soon... and that missing piece in her heart will be full once again.'

3 .) 'First Sight' - A Zoë/ Digby fic. 'She knew he was the one the very moment she saw him.'

The one with the most votes will be written first. The poll will end at September 6th.

Until then…