GRUNDO INDEPENDENCE DAY SPECIAL

The Discarded Magical Blue Grundo Plushie of Prosperity
By Maggskaggs

Discarded plushie on a cloud,
Waits with drooping, teary eyes,
Sniffs and weeps so quietly,
Unloved, unheard, unseen he cries.
Was he once a beloved childhood toy
Of a pet long gone and never returned?
Who knows the story of the blue Grundo plush,
And his lonely abandonment, clearly unearned?

Another sniff, another sigh,
The Grundo watches happier pets skip by.

A Uni excitedly gallops on up
And dramatically comes to a halting stop.
Poking her muzzle to the motionless toy,
She jabbers away at it almost nonstop.
The plushie stares onward with unfocused eyes,
And the rejected pet turns slowly to go.
Scuffing her hooves with disappointment,
She suddenly spots Neopoints down below.

The Uni, excited, squeals, "Hooray!"
At least someone will smile and laugh today.

Mallow Mallow
By _Razcalz_

A dollop of sugar
and a gobbet of starch, a heart of
vanilla and a cooling in a
subzero winter sun:
that's all you give, that's all
a Mallow takes --
he'll have a Grundo shape
and candy-rough ears,
cherry-twinkle eyes and a
cocoa smile.

And he'll bounce, and he'll
slide, and he'll do what
no other can to draw out that
caramel smile of your
own -- and do you not yet
find it tugging?

A day in the snow
(for all his warmth, he's
not much keen on it himself)
and a day of many, and
when the hills shadow grey
and his own one
stretches far,
he'll say, "Oh!"
and leave a trail of sugar
all the way home.

A Cave of Silver Web
By Anjie

Something in the darkness dwells,
A shadow shifting there.
Deep inside the creature stirs
And moves forth through his lair.
The spindly step of many feet,
The scuttled, sticky sound.
A thump, a sickly, heavy form,
Slow dragged across the ground.

Glance where sunlight darts away,
Where nothing good may be.
You stand transfixed, too late to turn,
No chance left now to flee.
Forth he shifts through inky dark,
A form builds in the haze.
A creature that should not exist,
Stares blank with crimson gaze.

A shiver then, your eyes adjust,
You'll wish they didn't, though.
For now you view the creature whole,
His molten eyes, aglow.
Eight long legs of onyx black,
The weight of torso's bulk.
The manner in which the creature moves,
A rapid, shifting skulk.

Around the sheen of silver web,
Like crystal lights the black.
Be wary of their beauty, though,
For from them none come back.
The Grundo mutant ambles on,
You stumble from his stare,
Seeking, urgent, a way out,
But there is no light there...

Parlax
By Dragonstorm_75

Vengeance boils in his blood,
Sparking fire within his eyes.
Once of honour, now of hate,
Taking form within disguise.

A puppet under Sloth's command,
Scarred in heart, scarred in face.
Sent to kindle a sibling war,
Then to depart without a trace.

Split visage that served so well,
Now hid him from the losing war.
Sloth's defeat was looming strong,
And struck the Grundo from afar.

Injured by the shattered bondage,
The Grundo fled for higher ground
To dress the wounds so fresh
And wait for the great rebound.

For now there is nothing here,
Save for the whispers of the heart.
Sinister like the past-bound ghosts,
Sharper than the poisoned dart.

They speak of allies long forgotten
And of betrayal so readily done.
All in the past, distorted with truth,
Once so treasured, now undone.

Discarded
By Realmofmist

He decided to make his escape
Until he realised there was nowhere to go
No home to run to
His senses were fading
The rainbow city had shaded itself grey
All he could do was walk
As cold water pooled around his feet
His body ached of sharp pains
Developing in rapid motion
His search for a treatment
Discovering hope at the Healing Springs
"I heal scars, burns, and broken tissue,
Toys are not my speciality."
Wandering between walls of shaking heads
Lost in the denial of service
Turning around he witnessed his trail,
A cotton path leading to abandonment.
He watched as pieces were caught by the wind.
One by one just as he was, they were discarded.
His eyes burned red, he collapsed to the ground.
The last fragment of hope leaked out
Now pets pass by and they turn the other way
Not wanting to play, claiming he's broken.
He tried to escape the endless nightmare,
But there was no one to wake him up.
Now he's waiting for someone,
A stranger to fix him a home.
Not wanted; he's too hard to please,
So they just leave him discarded.

Gargarox: Grundo Chef
By Kitokat_mh

A bubbling, seething, steaming pot,
Releasing an almighty stench,
That creeps upward into your nose
Making your insides writhe and clench.

Steam fills the room as water boils,
Ingredients are chopped and sliced,
And tossed into the swirling broth,
Before more things are cut and diced,

Then grated, mashed, and ripped to shreds,
Ready to become tonight's main dish
In the one and only Grundo Cafe,
Where the food is tasty...ish.

Sludge and slime and random goo
Is transformed into unusual fare,
That you can buy at a good price...
And you can even eat it if you dare!

And who's in charge of all this mess?
Who does run this fine venue?
It is Gargarox: Grundo Chef
And his very 'special' menu!

Stargazing with a Faerie Grundo
By Rainbow_daydreamer

On cloudless nights she stares out at the stars,
counting each pinhole point of white in space.
I wonder: does she know how lost, how far
her ancient home is, hidden without trace?
Is she still seeking silver stars in place
of honeyed sunlight every day at dawn?
The shimmer casts its light on her sweet face
And makes a lie of where my pet was born.
The universe's child, fallen, forlorn,
Stares up at twinkling worlds she'll never touch,
Not knowing why or how her heart's been torn,
Light years from Doran, every mile too much.
I reach out for her hand in sudden fear.
My pet, already miles away from here.

On cloudless nights I try to fix the names
of constellations in the shifting sky.
Her fingers trace the patterns. It's a game.
From turning worlds, it seems like they drift by.
Each summer night we come out here, to lie
beneath suns' blazes turned to silver lights.
Is she still restless with the urge to fly
Where her ancestors flew, beyond the night?
Then soft clouds chase the skyscape out of sight,
And she is mine again, the moment passed.
No star-child fallen from celestial heights --
just my dear pet, hands buried in long grass.
She laughs, and turns her eyes to other things;
Yet stars still shine by daylight in her wings.

Bitter Bitter Typing
By Carrotbreath

Fingers sore and back tight,
Eyes bloodshot from lack of light.
Type, type, type, I know I must,
Or else those bots will make a bust.
Fatigue soon encloses upon
But I can't allow Virtupets to be won.

I pity myself and how I'm weak,
Even ache from Kacheek Seek.
Yes, Typing Terror sure is a chore,
One of which I can take no more!
I immensely admire that yellow Grundo
And the way his nimble fingers flow.

This Grundo is truly great!
Let's take time to celebrate
Him and all of his kind,
But be sure to keep him in mind
Because typing is such bitter sorrow
And he'll be doing it tomorrow.

Precious Plushie
By Ruby_petal

A little blue plushie up in the skies,
His body is soft and round.
Long blue ears with ruby red eyes;
He constantly waits to be found.
Neopets come and wonder why
This Grundo remains bound.
Many poke and often pry,
But this toy will make no sound.

The cold wind blows past the toy,
The blue plushie starts to pout.
He longs to be free, just like a Koi,
But it looks like there's no way out.
He hopes one day that a little boy
Will stop by and bring him about,
But this little boy has yet to enjoy
Him, and the plushie is having doubts.

Don't fear, little plushie! Hope will come
And bring you warmth and love.
Wait, little plushie, you won't feel numb
In the warmth of my rainbow glove.

Famous Grundos
By Grantauy

Grundos scattered through the past,
famous in history,
names known that'll always last,
some shrouded in mystery.

Some were good, some were bad,
and others in between,
but they were still all Grundos,
whether purple, orange, or green.

Let's take the Grundo Leader first,
taking all sorts of things,
forcing Neopians to fear the worst!
Think of all the despair he brings!

But Gargarox, a simple cook,
a famous Gormball player too,
might not merit a single look,
but he's still famous through and through.

And the plushie in Faerieland,
forever forgotten and alone,
can always lend a helping hand!
For that, it's always known.

Then there's Gorix, always brave,
fame he rightfully gets,
for Neopia he helped to save,
at the station of Virtupets.

Last but not least, the Grundo thief,
though he may be hard to see.
During his visits ever brief,
he steals from that freaky factory.

Though some shrouded in mystery,
these Grundos' names will always last,
forever a part of history,
characters scattered through the past.

An Ode to Grundos, Proud and Free
By Crystalkitten38

Grundos, oh Grundos,
The time has come yet again
To remember those darker days --
Sloth was all you knew back then.

A tortured life unlike any other
In a cold, lonely Space Station,
You laboured and you toiled.
Any sign of hope, he would smother.

But Sloth severely underestimated
The true power of your heart
And dreams of a life of freedom
In breaking his chains of fear apart.

Grundos, oh Grundos,
Your time surely did come
To rise against Sloth's tyranny --
No more living under his thumb.

How bravely you all fought,
Outlasting Sloth's evil in battle,
For the sweet taste of freedom
You always had sought.

Independence is yours now;
No longer must you tremble or cower.
May you continue to live in peace,
For today, we celebrate your finest hour!

Grundos, oh Grundos,
Forever rejoice and remember
That long-fought war for freedom,
So never again will you surrender!

A Grundo's Lament
By Mayfloziarea

In the world of Virtupets
Nothing is quite the same
We've never left the planet
Ever since the day we came
I remember I once was a baby
When I was swiped from my home
To where it is cold and dark and bare
And Grundos, Grundos are everywhere.

Oh, how we long for the days in Neopia
Where Neopets all freely roam
Where laughter, fun, and joy fill the air,
Where they all feel right at home.
Helpful Neopians and loving owners
Are the norm in the Neopets world,
But here at Virtupets, no one cares
About us Grundos, Grundos everywhere.

Here at Virtupets, you see,
We work all night and day
Without any rest or breaks at all,
But we never see our pay.
We know that he is watching us
With his steely glare.
He is observing carefully,
Us Grundos, Grundos everywhere.

Perhaps we were the unlucky ones,
Deprived of those loving days,
The joy of being created and adopted
To be loved, not treated like slaves.
Why were we the unlucky ones,
The only ones to suffer under him?
Life truly is extremely unfair
To us Grundos, Grundos everywhere.

Horrible names we had to endure;
Depressing environments
Were our everyday sight.
With nothing to eat but miserly plankton,
It is no wonder why we cry at night.
We only get to sleep for merely
An hour every day,
And then we will return to our lair
With Grundos, Grundos everywhere.

So many days have passed my eyes,
Yet the planet is still cold and bare
Where no flowers bloom, where no trees grow,
Where living is a nightmare...
But what is there that we can do?
We can't escape our fate;
We're condemned here,
We're Grundos, Grundos everywhere.

The Fulfilment of TDMBGPOP
By Squin

He is curled up all alone,
High on the clouds above,
Lost, without a home,
Devoid of care and tender love,
Nestled like a dove
In a nest of fluffy white,
Under the sun, cold and bright.

Could there be a toy more forlorn?
Could any have suffered more than he?
If toys were flesh, were born,
Would he have ever chosen to 'be'?
For he cannot be considered free,
Unable to move or even speak,
His future dark and bleak.

Yet all this does not phase
Him with so large a heart,
For this fellow has his ways,
Has prosperity to impart,
And when from his presence you depart,
You may find your pet more wise,
Or Neopoints may be your prize.