Sweet Dreams

     Great Big Reason Number One: Grundos have to undergo a specialized operation on their jaws. Why? Grundos have trouble keeping their mouths shut all the way. That's why they drool like a baby Buzz. (You'll notice that the heroes never drool. This is because they have already undergone surgery.)

     Great Big Reason Number Two: They cry almost constantly at night. Again, why? It isn't because they want to annoy you and disturb your sleep, that's for sure... now, I could just list off facts and laugh as I watch your eyes glaze over in boredom, but I think that I shall have mercy on you, my reader, and encase the facts in a story.

     A green man with a weirdly shaped hairstyle towered over a green Grundo. His sable cape hung down his back, and he smiled with malice and wicked delight. The room around the Grundo was made of corrugated sheet metal, with a few blotches of slime carelessly splattered along the walls. She could see through the bars of a vent on the wall across from her, and beyond it were numerous high-tech looking monorails zooming to and fro on various missions. Several robots were walking their beats as automatic sentries. Above the Grundo was a smooth sphere of otherworldly gel, giving off a green radioactive luminescence. Her fearful eyes turned back to the figure in front of her. In his hand he held a beaker of a bubbling, putrid-smelling, disgusting green substance with flakes of nauseous yellow drifting in it. He thrust it down towards her mouth.

     "Drink," he said.

     It was a command, definitely not an invitation for a pleasure visit. She strained her head backwards, only to see many other Grundos behind her, looking on sadly as the monorails rattled outside.

     "This person is definitely in command here," she thought.

     "Drink!" he said again. His terrible shot eyes stared menacingly.

     "No," she said simply.

     He frowned, turned aside, and tapped a few multicolored buttons on a control console. A robot arm extended from the ceiling and grabbed her. The breath went out of her lungs as the claws of the mechanism wrapped tighter around her, crushing her like a kitten. Two spikes came out of the claw and forced her mouth open. She weakly struggled against it, vainly attempting to escape its forceful grasp. Her vision started getting hazy.

     The evil man laughed, and said something... a smile still on his face.

      "All right, #79885206. I guess that I'll have to do it for you, eh? I do hope you like it."

     He held the beaker up to her lips, and tipped the contents down her throat. With his other hand, he injected something into her mouth that kept her from regurgitating it in sheer horror.

     It was the worst-tasting thing you could possibly imagine. Her stomach flip-flopped in revulsion. The Grundo was aware of a searing pain ripping through her body, tearing her mind to pieces. Her muscles were bulging and expanding, her frame growing to enormous proportions, her bones becoming strong as steel... everything started to go grey. The last thing she could remember was screaming.

     The scream woke her up. She huddled in the corner of the bare cardboard hovel, sobbing with fright and relief at the same time. Her green hands covered her ruby-red compound eyes, which were shedding big tears one by one. Through the noise of her crying, she heard another pet waking up on the other side of the room.

     A blue Bori walked out of the shadows, his tail held high like a flag, brotherly sincerity and kind curiosity peeking out of his eyes.

     "What's wrong, Alih?" he asked gingerly.

     Sniffling back tears, she began.

     "Tehff, I... was having nightmares... that man... the drink... the other Grundos... "

     She burst into tears again, leaving the Bori blinking at her dream. He threw a bluntly clawed paw over her shoulder and started in a comforting tone.

     "Hey, Sis, remember that time when you saw Gryphani and I walk up at the Virtupets Space Station, and hoped that we would chose you?"

     She nodded in confirmation.

     Tehff continued. "Well, you got your wish. Right?"

     She nodded again, sniffling a few times.

     "Well, you came out of there as happy as a Blumaroo at pizza time, and we brought you to our Neohome. So what's up with the nightmares?"

     She stared out into the distance, sniffling. "Well, I don't know."

     Tehff rubbed his chin in thought, then stopped. "Alih, I think that you were dreaming about Dr. Sloth. Is that right?" Alihhai nodded her head. Tehff continued.

     "Well, your grandfather, fifty-seven years ago, first dreamed that dream. It's been passed genetically to you. Grundos have different systems than other neopets, you know, which is why memories and dreams can be passed down from parents to kids. That's what's happening to you. Although you never met Dr. Sloth, you're suffering for something he did. Virtupets space medics are trying to find a cure, but can't quite manage to get the formula right yet."

     Alihhai nodded, hiccoughed, and wiped her eyes.

     Tehff sat down next to her. "Try thinking about something else before you go to bed. Like our Neohome, for instance."

     "Our Neohome?" said Alihhai sarcastically. "Yeah, right." She glared at her brother. "It's got three rooms with three more planned, so there are entrances and exits everywhere. All of it is made of cardboard, and there is absolutely NO furniture WHATSOEVER in the entire place!"

     Tehff frowned and nodded. Alihhai continued, "And you're a genius, but I'm just average. We always get cheap food, except you. You got a Kreludan Rocket Cookie once. You've got all the Battledome items you can have, and I've got... count them... ONE."

     Her eyes darted around the room as she lowered her voice to a whisper. "I think Gryph is prejudiced towards you."

     "Hey!" said Tehff defensively, holding his paws in front of him. "Your Battledome item is worth as much and has as much punch as all mine put together! And you got a Brightvale Berry, which costs more than the Rocket Cookie. And you always get fed first."

      "Okay," said Alihhai sulkily, "but I still think he's prejudiced."

     Just then, Gryph came in, wearing his glasses and bunny slippers. His tousled red hair reflected the light from an empty doorway.

     "Hey, guys," he said. "I was just thinking... about Petpets."

     "Petpets?" said Alihhai and Tehff in unison, their ears and antennae perking up.

     "Yeah. Petpets," said Gryph, taking a sip of Neocola. "And I was thinking that you, Alihhai, could get a Wain, and Tehff could get a Felf."

     Alihhai's green face immediately assumed an expression of absolute and she began jabbering on about Wains.

     "Wains! They look up at you with their adorable eyes, and you get to stroke their smooth, yellow head, and they make sweet little gurgling noises when they play with their toys. Besides that, they come from Virtupets. Like me!" At the same time, Tehff was going on his own joyful babbling spree.

     "Felfs! They romp around, look at you with a wonderful expression on their face, and even zip around on flying Christmas Aishas. And besides that, they come from Mountain. Like me!"

     Then they spontaneously exclaimed the joyful word in unison:

     "Petpets!"

     "I'll start saving up today," said Gryph. He grinned a little, and then left the room, sipping Neocola. The door closed. As soon as it did, Tehff and Alihhai began jumping around the room and dancing for pure joy.

     "Petpets! Petpets! PETPETS!" they shouted together. Tehff was the first to settle down, but when Alihhai went to her corner, she was still giggling with delight.

     "Sweet dreams," said Tehff as he closed his eyes. Alihhai followed suit, still smiling. Soon, she was once again traversing the foggy, blurred state of subconsciousness. She dreamed of a little Wain, looking up at her with its adorable eyes.

The End