After being rescued by the Kyrii, Baelia was able to get herself a small place in Faerieland. And she was able to get some work at the Hidden Tower to keep her busy.

As she stood and headed to the back to check on her Petpets, one of the few things that could make her smile, she got a look at herself in a mirror. Stringy white hair, dull skin, and her patchwork dress. And the few feathers clinging to her back where her beautiful Light Faerie wings used to be.

And now, everyone and everything is turning grey, even Kari. Nobody should have to deal with this.

Her thoughts were interrupted with a sound at her door... She turned to see someone sliding an envelope through the gap at the bottom. Making her way to the door, she opened it to see nobody there. Closing it again, she picked up the envelope, tore it open and read the note inside...

Baelia wrinkled her nose. No doubt, another one of those schemes trying to swindle innocent Neopians. She was used to this, both serious inquiries and terrible scams trying to take advantage of her gloomy state. Despite her displeasure, she read on, expecting claims of being able to cure anyone of this ailment, for a fee. But she wasn't at all prepared for the next line.

You are not alone! Join us tonight at the Faerieland Bookshop for an evening of companionship, compassion, and comfort. May misery be defeated by the company of others!

She read and re-read the note, peering for some type of a small-print, some catch that was designed to entrap the most desperate of the afflicted. But it seemed to lack any tricks. It was stamped with the Faerieland Library insignia at the bottom, so it had to be real.

Baelia held it to her chest, looking off into the distance. A social event? She wasn't very comfortable going to those. But, this letter was seemingly hand-delivered to her door. It would be rude to skip out, wouldn't it? Besides, what's the worst that could happen?

She glanced to her reflection again, at the sad and tired girl who looked back at her. There was an unfamiliar spark in her eye, and a weak glimmer of hope in her heart, a glimmer she didn't want to see extinguished. Maybe she could try? Maybe it was worth it, just one more time? She swallowed the lump in her throat, wondering how she should dress...

Baelia gasped in surprise. The Bookshop was set up for a sizable gathering, shelves pushed to the side to make room for several tables and chairs assembled throughout the room. Seated in nearly every single chair was a grey Neopet or Faerie, dozens of them in all. She knew the grey curse was spreading, but this was far more than she expected.

She saw Kari lazily floating by one of the shelves, head hung. Among the grey Neopets, she noticed Inah, the Lenny shopkeeper from Terror Mountain, as well as a few of Neopia Central's prominent business owners. She even saw the Bank Manager Skeith seated in a corner, as he was too large to fit in one of the small chairs.

Despite the number of individuals gathered in the room, it was completely silent save for the occasional sigh. No one was making eye contact, choosing instead to stare at a table or off into the distance. It was, Baelia had to admit, kind of depressing.

"Oh! Baelia, I'm so glad you could make it!" came a voice from near one of the shelves. Baelia turned to see the Library Faerie emerging from a side door, carrying an armful of refreshments.

"I decided to see what your note was about," said Baelia, trying her best to sound excited so as to not to bring the mood down even further.

The Library Faerie smiled. "Well, please, make yourself comfortable. We're going to be starting soon," she said, placing the refreshments on an empty table near the back of the room.

Baelia sat down in an empty chair and waited in silence. She watched as a few more grey Neopets shuffled in, until finally, the Library Faerie glided to the front of the room.

"Welcome, everyone!" she said, a veritable beacon of sunshine in this particular room. Hardly anyone bothered to look at her, and those who did merely gazed at her with blank stares. Unbothered, she continued, "We're glad that so many of you chose to join us. As a cure to this curse is being researched, we have decided to host this event to provide a place for all of you to gather with those that understand what you're feeling. We have several activities planned that will hopefully brighten your mood, even if just a little. But before we get started, I'd like to introduce you to our host...."

A pastel-colored Ixi trotted up to the podium, looking absolutely out of place in the sea of grey.

The host shuffled her papers and looked out at the crowd with a smile. “Good evening, everyone, and thank you for coming to our event. As the invitation said, we believe that misery can be defeated by coming together as a community, and it’s so wonderful to see so many of us gathered to give each other support tonight.”

Baelia and The Library Faerie were the only ones to clap this time. All the rest of the audience maintained their frowns and blank stares. Out of sympathy for the host, Baelia tried to muster up a smile of her own.

“As we are all aware, the grey curse began in Neopia Central, but has since spread, little by little, throughout our world.” Trudy’s face fell. “My own dear aunt, Inah, turned grey a few weeks ago.”

The Lenny shopkeeper raised a wing from her seat in the front row, looking as though she was on the verge of tears. Baelia’s heart twisted at the sight.

“As anyone who visited her shop can attest, auntie Inah was the happiest person on Terror Mountain,” Trudy sniffled. “So when she turned grey, I knew I had to do something about it. Many of you know that I’m lucky enough to be able to spend my days traveling and pursuing my interests. Ever since Inah was hit, I’ve dedicated all of my time to studying the grey and curses with my dear friend, the Library Faerie. Both of us are dedicated to getting to the bottom of whatever is going on.”

These words elicited the biggest response of the night: energized murmuring from most of the audience members in the room.

Trudy seemed to perk up at the sound, and she leaned closer to the microphone to say her next piece. “Now, I must admit, this evening isn’t just for camaraderie in the face of this difficult time. It’s also for the Library Faerie and I to report some of the initial findings of our research…”

“We found that, at the scene of every new colourless victim, the culprit left what we believe to be a calling card,” Trudy began, looking to the Library Faerie as they shared an emotional glance. “Somewhere in all of the sullen and grey stores and places was a Bottle of Grey Sand.”

Baelia’s face twisted into a perturbed frown. “B-but what does it mean?” she called out, ignoring the stares it garnered.

“We’re still figuring that part out, unfortunately,” the Library Faerie admitted, tucking a tendril of brunette hair behind her pointed ear.

“However, that’s where all of you come in!” Trudy chimed in with a hopeful smile. She clasped her hoofed hands together and continued, “Has anyone else found a Bottle of Grey Sand? And, if so, under what circumstances? We believe that if we can catalogue enough of these encounters and experiences, we’ll be able to piece together a profile for our suspect.”

At Trudy’s call to action, a once fab, now drab Uni with billowing, blanched hair rose from her seat. It was Ellia, the renowned shopkeeper at Uni’s Clothing. She wore her usual fashionable attire, but it was nowhere near the same. The colour had been sapped away from the famous, once bright sweater and ascot combination. The Uni sighed, a frown distorting her features.

“I have a similar story I’d like to share,” she began…

"Same thing happened to me," the Bank Manager speaks up. "Thought I heard someone come in late at night, but no one actually did. Figured I was imagining things."

"I know; that's what I assumed too!" The Uni turned back to Trudy. "I shrugged it off and turned to go back to the till. That's when I saw the Bottle of Grey Sand sitting there on the counter. Then..." She leans forward. "It was like all of my energy just suddenly left at once. I could barely stay awake. And when I looked down..." The Uni's voice cracks, and Inah laid a comforting wing on her shoulder. The shopkeeper took a deep breath before speaking again.

"However, that's not all. In that moment, it occurred to me that whoever left the sand might still be in the shop. I turned back to the door just in time to see something slip through the closing door and disappear. I think it was a Neopet, but it didn't move like one."

"So what you're saying is..." Trudy starts.

"What I'm saying is that I think the sand was used as a distraction, so the culprit could sneak up and curse me without being seen. That's my theory, anyway." The Uni twirled her grey mane around her hoof.

"I think she's right," Kari speaks up. "I also found the sand right before I became cursed. But I didn't see only the sand—I think I glimpsed who... or what... did this. You see, it was late at night..."

This declaration elicited a few murmurs of sympathy from the crowd. Kari allowed them to quiet down before she continued: "I heard the shop door open again and I assumed Zaira had forgotten something and come back. I tried to continue on with my work, but... it just didn't sound like Zaira. It felt wrong, so I went to go look."

Baelia felt a trepidation at what would come next. It was a small comfort, but she at least knew who had sapped her colour and how. These Neopets and faeries must be frightened that some other evil has acquired this power.

"A bottle of sand was sitting on the counter, but the figure standing there didn't notice me at first. Its attention was on one of the boxes of Neggs. I was not intending to give out Grey Neggs for the Festival this year. This figure was standing over the box, though, and I could see the colour leaching from the Neggs into its hand, where it dissolved into black smoke and left the Neggs grey and rotten. In the light of this magic, I could make out some details," Kari explained. "The figure stood about as tall as an average adult Neopet. It, or rather they, were wearing a black cloak. The hand emerging from the cloak had evil-looking claws. I tried to conjure my own power, but the figure noticed me in that moment. It lifted its hand toward me and my own power seeped from me and into its grasp. While I was reeling, it fled into the night. I'm sorry I didn't get a better look. I'm sorry I couldn't stop this."

Tears welled in Kari's eyes. Inah and Ellia both sympathetically patted her on the back.

"That is exceptional information," the Library Faerie said. "Don't be sorry."

The Skeith Bank Manager was staring strangely out one of the windows of the Bookshop. "Kari, that figure you described," he said. "Did they happen to look like that?" All eyes snapped to where the Skeith was pointing just in time to see a black cloaked figure turn from where it had been watching through the window and vanish off into the night...

Everything stood still for a moment before Baelia heard a pattering of footsteps racing behind her. With a sharp turn, her eyes landed on Trudy who was rapidly making her way towards the door.

Baelia observed as the brightly-furred Ixi tentatively placed her hoof against the doorknob. With a sharp breath and a singular pause, Trudy yanked the entranceway open with a jolt. The biting chill of the nightly air shot into the room, and the Faerie could see a soft swirl of shimmering sand dancing amongst the gust.

Brow furrowed, Trudy bent down and sighed. “Well they left more than just a bottle this time.”

She was correct. Baelia and the rest of the group made their way to the Ixi, who was warily bent over a pile of grey sand. It was as if the entire doorstep had been coated in the mysterious, grainy substance - at least a couple of inches deep.

“We have to chase them!” exclaimed the Bank Manager, attempting to maneuver his way through the condensed crowd huddling near the door.

“No,” interjected Trudy, turning to face the room. “We don’t know how dangerous this individual is. We can’t be too reckless, isn’t that right Miss-”

She stopped, her bottom lip beginning to quiver as her eyes began to dart across the room nervously. Baelia turned, releasing a small gasp as she ascertained the situation.

The Library Faerie had vanished…

How will this story end?

Peering closer at the paper, Baelia noticed a small figure scribbled in the shadows of a shelf: a sad-looking Yurble holding a rather menacing-looking balloon. It was an image she recognized from other defaced posters she had seen recently. However, the Yurble was now holding a book too. And the title scribbled onto the book… she squinted hard, and could barely make out: “Relaxing 17.”

“Umm… Trudy?” She called out, voice cracking a little from lack of use. She almost never spoke above a whisper anymore. “They left something behind.”

Trudy bounded back to her side in an instant, taking the paper from her and peering closely. “Relaxing?” she asked, puzzled. “I don’t see what is relaxing about this situation…”

Kari, who had drifted slowly over (what Baelia wouldn’t give to be able to fly again!), looked over Trudy’s shoulder. An idea seemed to hit her, and Baelia saw a small spark in her eyes that had been dull a moment ago. “Relaxing 17… it must be a date! The Month of Relaxing starts tomorrow! But what happens on the 17th? That sounds… ominous.”

Trudy looked as if she was battling against a wave of fear and confusion, but with this new information she nodded decisively. “Good thinking Kari! And good eye, Baelia! I wouldn’t have noticed the paper in all this confusion. I must go to Fyora with this news at once. If something is to happen on the 17th, she must be prepared! Kari, would you come with me? I don’t think anyone should travel alone right now…”

Baelia felt a spark of something she hadn’t felt in a long time at the compliment, small as it was. She was so used to not being able to fly, not being able to smile, not being able to even go outside most days. Here was something SHE had found that nobody else had. The feeling quickly dissolved into a wave of anxiety as she realized that the Neopet leading the meeting was about to leave a crowd of sad and confused Neopians to their own devices.

Trudy called out over the murmuring crowd, “This paper left at the scene indicates something big happening on the 17th! Kari and I are going to Fyora now to report the Library Faerie’s disappearance and show her this new evidence, along with the tales of grey sand you all have shared here today. Please continue to gather as much information as you can, and reach out to me with any new findings. Be safe, travel together, and keep your eyes out. Thank you all for coming!”

With that, Trudy and Kari swiftly exited the building, hopping over the pile of sand. The crowd of grey Neopians sat there in silence for a minute, not really sure what to do next. Suddenly, something hit her: she had been experiencing these feelings for a long time now, but they were new to the other individuals of the room. They were used to small doses of sadness, maybe, but not this blanket of listlessness that had been covering the Grey Faerie for so long now. Baelia looked out over the group of tired, confused individuals, and did something else she hadn’t done in a long time: she walked to the front of the crowd and raised her voice.

“A-attention… everyone. I know you all must be confused… unsure of what to do next. Even though the leaders of the group are gone, I-I just thought it might be good for us to share our experiences together a little longer.”

She could feel their eyes all turn towards her, but no one spoke. A heavy air of hopelessness seemed to crowd the room. Baelia raised her voice again, determined to push through the feeling that told her to run all the way home and close herself in her room the rest of the day.

“This morning… I wasn’t sure if I’d come here today. Being in a social setting… it just takes so much energy. So much. But when I read the invitation, I felt something else inside me: hope. I decided to grab onto that and come here, even if I wasn’t sure. That’s something to remember… even in the darkest days, there will be little moments of light, and you can grab onto those. I can see you all did that too, so congratulations - it’s a big deal that you are here.”

She paused again, worried that she was rambling too long. But she felt a small ray of encouragement as she saw some of the audience members nodding to her words.

“However, even though I want to encourage you, I will say this: those little rays of light will not be enough, most days. And you will have to hear other Neopians, over and OVER again, tell you to just smile. Just do something fun. You’ll feel better. Well, that doesn’t always work. Don’t get mad at yourself because you know you should feel happy, but you just can’t-“ Her voice cracked, and Baelia closes her eyes, feeling damp tears on her cheek. How embarrassing! She hadn’t meant to start crying in front of these strangers, but she couldn’t hold back the weight of all those days wondering why she couldn’t just will herself to be happy again.

Suddenly, she felt a feathered hand on her shoulder. She turned to see Inah smiling sadly at her. “It’s not your fault, Baelia. I’m so sorry if any of us made you feel that way, or got frustrated with you for not being cheerful. Now we know how you feel. It’s a struggle. It’s amazing that you’ve kept going like this all these years. Would you please share with us what has helped you the most?”

Baelia stared at the Lenny in astonishment. She’d never thought of herself as amazing, just drab and sad. She smiled back at Inah, clasping her hand over her wing in thanks.

“Um, what has helped me the most is… my Petpets. They are so unconditionally loving, and they don’t judge you or tell you to be happier. If you’re crying, they might come over to lick your tears away and snuggle by your side, or they might continue their silly antics until you just can’t help but laugh a bit. That’s why I have Neopians bring me them for those Quests. I am hoping to make a Petpet Sanctuary for any unwanted Petpets out there, so I can help them the way they’ve helped me.”

Some of the gathered Neopians were nodding along again with little smiles - clearly they had Petpet companions that they cared for. Some looked wistful, like they needed that kind of companionship in their lives. Others looked doubtful.

“The point is, finding something you’re really passionate about, as well as surrounding yourself with supportive companions, can help you through this. I’m… I’m bad about the support part. I shut myself away from other Neopians. That’s why my Petpets are so important to me. And when I’m focused on helping a Petpet feel comfortable, I’m less focused on how uncomfortable I am. It might be something different for all of you, but there is SOMETHING that can get your focused on something. Again, it won’t take away these feelings, but it will help… like today has helped me. Talking to you all… I haven’t done this kind of thing in a long time.”

Inah looked out at the crowd from beside Baelia. “That’s right… when I came up here to comfort you, I wasn’t focused on feeling bad myself. I guess we can all help each other and ourselves through that at the same time?”

Baelia nodded, smiling. The crowded murmured again, this time in approval and hope. However, she held up a cautionary hand. “Like I said, don’t expect that these feeling will just go away. We can all still focus on solving this mystery and finding a cure. But until then… we can be here for each other. I… I suggest we meet back here once a week, to share anything we’ve found out, but also just… to share our hard times. You can get through this. We can be here for each other. And together, we can be ready for whatever happens on the 17th.”

The Grey Faeire smiled as the full crowd clapped this time. She had really done it… she had talked in front of a group and actually helped them. Maybe they COULD get through this - together.

The End.