The Grey Day of Spring

The morning of April fourteenth started like any other, Neopian citizens waking up to the chime of their alarms and the beams of sunlight that cut through the small gap in their drapes. Smiling faces were worn all around, even if they were not your typical 'morning person'. It was a warm day with a slight breeze, a sign that Winter still demanded some attention, despite the fact that it had obviously passed.

     Overall, Springtime ruled the land. Fresh flowers bloomed, sending their heavenly scent through the air. As the morning turned to day, many frolicked around in the green grass and felt the Sun's warm smile glow down upon them. But all Neopians were blissfully unaware of their surroundings. The Springtime was too perfect to pay attention, anyway.

     But on the outskirts of fair Neopia, something bad was brewing. The rich pinks, crimsons, yellows and oranges of the flowers were slowly fading and their straight posture was slowly drooping. Within a matter of seconds, the flowers had drooped completely. Petals slowly fell, leaving the flowers looking barren. And, worst of all, the colours were now completely gone and were replaced by the same, dull shade of coming.

     Soon, this dull and gloom spread all throughout Neopia! The fresh whites of the snow in Terror Mountain turned to a boring shade of grey. The royal colours of Faerieland were reduced to the same as everything else. And, in Neopia Central, the bright colours were slowly being chased down by a cloud of grey. Neopets looked up in fear as they saw a huge, grey cloud swarm around them.

     "The colours!" one Chomby cried as its beautiful yellow was stripped and replaced by the grey. The rainbow of the Rainbow Pool was changed to grey. The Money Tree no longer smiled its friendly smile, but it frowned instead and drooped much like the flowers that surrounded it.

     But despite this gloom, one person of Neopia wore the tiniest of smiles. High up in a crooked, grey tower was a faerie looking out of her window at the grey that surrounded her. "Have a miserable Grey Day, everyone," the Grey Faerie mumbled.

     Yes, it was her day to shine. Well, gloom, really. April fourteenth meant her gloom and grey was spread all around the globe, just like some kind of infectious cloud. The smiles and warmth of Springtime were long gone and Lady Grey was all that could be seen. Not one smile could be seen, except the small one that was resting on the pale lips of the Grey Faerie.

     "Tra la la la," she sang as she tore herself away from the window and descended a long, spiralling staircase. It was her favourite day of year. In fact, it was the only day of the year that she liked at all. There was no wind, no weather, no smiles. Just gloom. It was positively radiant. Well, in her opinion. The Grey Faerie skipped as she finished the staircase and walked out into the grey clouds of Faerieland. "Good morning, Tooth Faerie!" she said in a rather cheery voice as she passed the faerie.

     Ordinarily, the Tooth Faerie would have smiled with her gleaming white teeth. Her hair would have flown wonderfully in the wind with its rich blue colour. But today, she wore no smile. Her hair was the same, pale grey colour as everyone else's. "Oh... hi," she muttered in a dull voice.

     The Grey Faerie beamed at her before skipping along. It was such a wonderful day that she didn't want to stay in her home. So, she leapt into the air and fluttered her grey wings. She then flew high in the clouds, looking around at the gloom that was Grey Day. The warm colours of Tyrannia were dull and plain. The vibrant plant life of Mystery Island drooped and brought no exotic feel to the Island. And, it brought the Grey Faerie oh so much joy!

     "This is marvellous!" she said, but her words were soon halted by the most remarkable sight. The rainbow colouring of Neopia Central had faded. The bright and cheery faces of its residents were now neutral or a frown. And the flowers drooped in a perfect way. "It's... beautiful!" she exclaimed. With that, she changed her course and zoomed down to the gloomiest place in Neopia: Neopia Central.

     The Grey Faerie was dumfounded as she looked around. Gloom, glorious gloom! It filled every nook and cranny of the once bright and vibrant place. The Grey Faerie skipped around joyfully, taking in the wondrous gloom that surrounded her. She wore the brightest smile imaginable as she passed the dull figures. "How do you do, sir?" she asked one Techo. "You look glorious today!" she said as she passed a dull-looking Kacheek. It was a perfect day that could not have gone any better. She only wished that Grey Day could go on forever, making the globe 'Greyopia'! But she wasn't a wicked faerie, so Grey Day suited her perfectly fine.

     The Grey Faerie spent most of the day and all of the night wandering around Neopia Central. Many of the neopets had retired to their grey beds and grey pillows covered with thick, warm, gloomy blankets. But the Grey Faerie didn't care. She just skipped around with boundless energy like she had all day. The grey berries, the grey flowers, the grey sky. It was her idea of heaven and it was so easy to get caught up in the gloom, so much so that she was not aware that morning had come.

     Neopians now woke with a frown on their faces as a dull grey shot through the gap in their drapes. No-one smiled as they stepped out into the grey filled world. But that was all about to change.

     Clip clop, clip clop!

     Neopians turned their heads around, but they couldn't see the source of the noise. It sounded like a horse of some sort, though the couldn't be sure.

     Clip clip, clip clop! Tra la la la la la!

     A singing horse?! Neopians searched frantically for a musical horse, but the closet thing they could find was a grey Uni. So, just what was making that noise?! Even the Grey Faerie stopped and looked around. She squinted her eyes as she looked at the horizon.

     And there, over a hill was a pink hat decorated in flowers. The Grey Faerie gazed at it in horror, while all other Neopians looked at it in hope. The hat grew bigger and bigger until a green Grarrl could be seen from underneath the hat. She wore a bright pink dress and had a bright wooden basket filled with an assortment of flowers that were all vibrant colours. To the Grey Faerie, this was a horrific sight. But everyone else almost seemed to smile.

     After a short while, the clip-clopping of the Grarrl's heels stopped in front of the Grey Faerie. She stopped her singing and smiled brightly at all that surrounded her. "Good morning, I'm Rose!" she said brightly.

     The Grey Faerie clutched her ears at the cheery sounds that came from Rose's mouth. Rose paid her no mind. Instead, she turned to the grey neopets and smiled. "Grey, grey, grey!" she cried. "Where are the pinks?" she asked as she gave a pink flower to a grey Cybunny.

     Within an instant, the Cybunny returned to its pink colour. It grinned madly and began leaping in joy.

     "Where are the reds?" Rose continued as she handed a red flower to a neopet.

     It turned red and, like the Cybunny, began jumping for joy.

     "Heck, where are the COLOURS!?" Rose cried as she threw the basket of flowers over her head.

     Instantly, a cloud of flowers flew over Neopia, spreading colour and taking away the grey. Neopets everywhere cried in joy as they returned to their bright colours. The hills of Neopia were now green once again. The flowers bloomed, their heavenly scent erupting throughout all the land.

     "Spring has sprung once again! Let us dance, everyone!" Rose cried as she began moving and shaking to the natural sounds of spring. Everyone joined her and laughed and danced the warm Spring day away.

     All except one little faerie, who hurried home and locked her in her grey fortress. "365 days to go until next Grey Day!" she muttered miserably.

     Thanks to Rose, all was right in the world of Neopia. That is, until next Grey Day...

The End