White Weewoos don't exist. *shifty eyes* Circulation: 192,109,998 Issue: 631 | 7th day of Awakening, Y16
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Dreaming in Color


by amethyst_81

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Many ages ago, when Faerieland was still young and looked down upon Neopia from the clouds, there was a great energy amongst the faeries to make their land a haven, a glorious refuge of beauty and imagination, the likes of which had never been seen. Water, Earth, Fire, Air, Light - all of the faeries combined their gifts to sculpt such a land, all that is, but the Dark Faeries. For the Dark Faeries wanted nothing to do with the lesser inhabitants of Neopia and preferred the isolation of the Faerie kind.

     Our story begins with the inspiration of the bright young Library Faerie, who wanted to share the eloquent faerie tales of her land with all of Neopia. Adventures of bravery, creativity, love, and loyalty - stories that would set the hearts and minds of their readers dancing and dreaming of the possibilities - all of this and more she would collect and display in a grand library. To achieve her dream, she accepted the aid of anyone willing to help her in the collection and organization of these stories, for many had been passed down for generations by oral tradition only and needed to be written for the first time.

     One such eager volunteer was a young sprite of a faerie Draik, called Ever. Like most of her species, Ever was blessed with a long-reaching memory, but Ever was special. Ever had a perfect memory. She could recall hours of stories, plays, and poetry, whether they had been read or heard, and days or years later retell them with absolute precision. It was this very quality that would define Ever's destiny, but for now, Ever was simply absorbing everything she could for the sheer love of literature. Contrary to what you might think, Ever was not the most helpful of volunteers - in fact the Library Faerie was often heard wondering aloud, and usually rhetorically, where in Neopia Ever had disappeared off to. The answer to that question was all too often that Ever was holed up in a tree with her nose buried in a brand new tale, reveling in the adventure unfolding in her daydreams.

     Ever had been tasked with transporting the completed tomes from Faerieland to the newly constructed library in the clouds, but inevitably her curiosity took hold and she'd sneak away to lose herself in a captivating new story.

     On one such occasion, Ever was stretched out comfortably on a study old oak above her favorite pool of water. She was entranced in a tale of Peophins and mermaids, her eyes half-closed as she fancied herself as the aquatic heroine of her own faerietale. Suddenly with a rush of cool air across her face, she was stirred from her reverie to see the ethereal figure of a faerie hovering above the pool of water. At first, Ever felt a wave of guilt wash over her, until she realized that the figure before her was not the Library Faerie. Then, excitement took over, and she mused aloud,

     "Am I on a Faerie Quest..?"

     The faerie responded, "Ever, you ARE on a quest, but it's not for me. You are on a quest for your own destiny; a destiny that affects all of us. I am here not to ask you for something, but to give you what you need."

     And with that, the mysterious faerie held open her outstretched hand, and in her palm rested a lustrous golden acorn that sparkled in the fading sunlight.

     "Ever, you have a gift, and one day you will need to call on that gift for a greater good. When that day comes you will need strength, faith, and this acorn. Keep it safe."

     "But, how will I know..."

     "You will know when the time has come, and you will know what you must do."

     And with that, a bewildered Ever reached out and delicately plucked the acorn from the faerie's palm just as she began to fade back into the water.

     Disconcerted by the strange encounter, Ever closed her eyes to gather her wits, and instead fell into a deep, dreamless slumber that left her atop the old oak until dusk had wrapped the valley in its velvety dark embrace. When Ever finally awoke, she would never have believed her memory of the strange visitor were it not for the tiny acorn in her hand...

     Weeks, then months, then years passed, and the Great Hall of Tales was a vibrant success. Neopians flocked from every corner of the globe to share in the wondrous retelling of the stories of Faerieland's history and folklore, and with each visitor came tales of other far off realms to add to the library. Ever stayed on at the library, delighting in each new story that she read and added to her repertoire. She was often the highlight of visits as she quoted and enacted scenes from her favorite epics. As the Library Faerie had hoped, Faerieland was now becoming the literary hub of Neopia, much to the displeasure of the Dark Faeries. They were increasingly displeased at the influx of outsiders in their realm, and often they were discovered to be making the roads to the library somewhat perilous to travelers. To help safeguard the Library and its visitors, Fyora approved posted guards around the perimeter of the grounds and deployed watch guards out onto the roads to report back any indications of trouble.

     It didn't take long for the pure-hearted faeries to grow complacent however, and one Faerie Festival day, it happened. Everyone's attention was focused on the big event over in Faerie City. The Faerie Festival was the biggest day of the year in Faerieland, and every detail from the music to the cakes to the decor had to be perfect. Ever was by herself readying the outdoor theatre at the Library for a performance of one of her favorite plays when it happened. Suddenly the skies darkened, and an ominous roar of thunder boomed in the distance. The clouds surrounding the Great Library began to swirl, and a forceful gale turned them into a funnel of mist that seemed to encase the entire edifice. It took every ounce of Ever's strength to break away from the unexpected storm, and as she fought against the intense wind, she looked down upon the courtyard she had just been decorating. What she saw was shocking, for never had Ever witnessed such spite and anger displayed by the faeries. The storm was no natural phenomenon, but a magical retribution concocted by all of the Dark Faeries' powers banded together in a single act of selfishness. It was powerful and horrible, and it was over in a matter of minutes. The Great Library was gone... just gone.

     Hours, then days, then weeks passed, and Faerieland mourned its loss. Sadness and despair settled into the land, and the bright colors of the landscape seemed to fade before Ever's very eyes. But it wasn't an illusion... in fact the colors of Faerieland WERE fading. Without the stories, plays, and poetry of the lands to fuel their imaginations and dreams, the world around them was becoming bleak.. The Healing Springs no longer healed the sick, the faeries no longer handed out quests, and the Fountain Faerie's magical waters only changed hopeful pets to a sad shade of grey.

     As the color of Faerieland continued to wain around her, Ever began to feel a sense of desperation. Despite living her dreary days in the same mournful existence as the others, her dreams were still vibrant and brimming with life. She soon realized, however, that she was the only one who retained the ability to dream in color. She wanted terribly to share her dreams so that she could somehow fight the oppressive sadness that threatened to ruin her beloved home. With nothing left to lose, Ever retrieved the strange gift given her by that mysterious faerie so many years ago. She never dared use it, for she wasn't sure that she even wanted whatever destiny it represented, but this day she couldn't imagine anything worse than reality.

     She launched herself out the door and took to the sky, flying at blinding speed to her favorite spot by the pool of water in the forest. Finally arriving, she sank to the ground and started to dig. She placed the tiny golden acorn into the hole she made and carefully packed the soft soil back on top of it. Unsure what to do next, Ever sat and stared at the small mound of dirt. She stared... and stared... and stared, until the strain of her eyes in the setting sun became too tiresome, and she closed them.

     A sweet lilting song slowly worked its way into Ever's ears until her eyes fluttered open. It was almost dawn, and the cheerful sound of a weewoo welcoming the first light of day cheered her heart. Ever leapt up and rushed back to the spot where she had planted her acorn. Stopping dead in her tracks, Ever's jaw dropped at the sight of a brilliant, vibrant, full-color tree adorned with hundreds of golden acorns glittering in the rising sun. Perched happily on one of its branches sat a cheery little white weewoo.

     She marveled at the glory of the color saturated boughs, and she slowly reached up to touch one of the multitude of golden acorns hanging delicately off of them. It came off with ease at her touch and she gently closed her fingers around it, feeling its gentle warmth in her hand. Solemnly, Ever approached the edge of the nearby pool and knelt down to peer into its depths. Staring back at her was nothing but her own forlorn countenance, and wishing to obscure her reflection, she tossed the acorn into the water.

     Suddenly, a mist rose from the surface of the pool, and Ever's eyes widened as the figures of three cloaked faeries rose from the water. The weewoo's song began again with a renewed energy, and the first of the faeries spoke aloud. It was the same faerie who Ever had met in that very location years ago.

     "Ever, you have completed your quest and discovered your destiny. You have the ability to not only restore the glory of Faerieland, but to ensure that the magic of our stories can live on to inspire others. If you choose to accept this destiny, we will grace you with gifts of the Faeries to help you."

     The cloaked faerie on the left stepped forward and lifted her hood away from her face to reveal the glowing beauty of Naia, the Fountain Faerie herself.

     "My gift is to grant you any color of your choosing. If you could become any kind of Draik in Neopia, what would you be?"

     Ever's eyes lit up as she was taken back to the dreams of her youth.

     "I always wanted to be a mermaid.." she whispered softly, and with a wave of her hand, Naia beckoned Ever into the pool. Ever stepped slowly, descending up to her waist into the crystal blue water before closing her eyes and diving in headfirst. When she emerged, Ever was a faerie Draik no more, but a gleaming azure water Draik! She gasped at the blinding beauty of her polished scales, and she sat speechless in awe of the amazing gift she'd received. Before she could gather her thoughts again, Ever was startled by the voice of the third cloaked faerie. It was the voice of Fyora! An amethyst glow illuminated Ever's face as Fyora removed her cloak and laid her hand upon Ever's wing.

     "Ever, you were born with the amazing gift of a perfect memory and an insatiable love of storytelling. What you need now is a faerie's immortality so that you may share it for... ever."

     And with that, Ever seemed to give off her own amethyst glow from the inside out, and when it faded, she felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders. The first faerie stepped forward and addressed Ever again.

     "These golden acorns, once tossed into the pool, will enable you to transfer your stories into the dreams of anyone who takes a drink from these waters. They will see them and experience them exactly as you do - in full vibrant color. You will have have the ability to exist happily both underwater and above it, and you have been blessed with the rare gift of faerie immortality - do you accept?"

     With a deep exhale, as if she'd been holding her breath forever, she said,

     "YES."

The End

 
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