The Faerie Festival

      Everyone thinks I betrayed Faerieland and Queen Fyora, but it was really the evil Maelstra. It all started a couple years back, when I reigned as Air Uber Faerie. I was the most beautiful faerie, there was no doubt. But the strange thing was, I was never vain. I mean, occasionally I would fret about my looks, but that is just the personality of an air faerie. I was unlike other air faeries, and that was what set me apart. That was what gave Fyora the idea of making me an uber faerie. Although the majority of the people were happy with me and thought I would make intelligent decisions, there was one group of faeries that despised me: the dark faeries.

      It all started when Maelstra had just been christened Uber Dark Faerie. At Faerie Academy, she would always pester me and tease me, and this was no different. She made it known to everyone how much she hated me. I believe at some points she even hated me more than she hated the earth faeries or light faeries. So one day, without my knowledge, she planned revenge on me. But this wasn't just some type of schoolgirl prank. She was plotting to ruin my destiny and life. And it just happened to be the day of the Faerie Festival.

      Naturally, I wasn't aware of hardly anything since I was so busy making sure everything went right. So when Maelstra pulled me aside to talk to me, I assumed it was about the festival.

      "So, what did you want to talk about, Maelstra?" I asked (no one called her by a nickname).

      "I want to discuss matters of great importance. Do not interrupt me, and if you utter one word, you're gone!" she hissed at me. It was at that moment I realized I was in danger.

      "Ever since the day I met you, Baelia, I have detested you. I want to put an end to your reign as a faerie, and I will do it tonight. No longer will you be a true faerie--I will turn you into the very first Grey Faerie! Wings turned into feathers, pale, ugly grey hair, grey skin and tattered dresses. That is what you will become. And there will be more after you, mark my word, Baelia! I am not yet finished!" and with that, Maelstra ripped off my wondrous, butterfly-like wings. As I turned grey by the second, my wings turned grey along with me. When I was truly a grey faerie, my wings withered away into grey dust. The only thing left now was puny, grey feathers on my back.

     Maelstra dumped the dust of my former wings on my head, covering my hair and face with ashes. She cackled insanely, laughing at my current state. At this point, I had lost hope. I dropped to my knees and cried, for all my beauty was gone. No one in Faerieland would want a pathetic, tattered creature like me. Maelstra's insults were in my ears, and I soon believed that there was no hope or justice in the world. Her insults were just replaying in my head, until they became a part of me. I was shoved off of the Faerieland cloud.

     I did, in fact survive the fall off of the cloud. Although my magic was slowly draining out of me, I still had the little I needed to live. Sometimes I know wonder if I made the right choice. Since the only witness to have seen me turn grey was a fire faerie, they believed her to be joking. They had never heard of a grey faerie, and were sure there could never be one. Maelstra still remained innocent, although she is far from it. I know not the total amount of grey faeries that now roam Neopia, but I know it is few for other faeries would have noticed by now Maelstra's evil deeds.

     Some say white is the absence of color, some say black is. But what is grey, then? As a color between black and white, what can it be besides colorless? It's the color of sadness, depression. It's the color everybody tries to avoid. I once had the perfect life, and now it has been reduced to nothingness, all in a day. All in a couple minutes, actually. So people who say time is nothing are wrong, so wrong. Time is precious, and when you find your true calling, enjoy life. Don't harp on about silly things, and focus on the good things that happened that day.

     For no matter what, there is always a better side. This what taught to me by my best friend, Rayanne the Light Faerie. It makes sense to her, because she is always so cheerful and positive. So was I, until fate twisted around and changed my life. I used to believe in this so strongly, yet now it is nothing but a bunch of words. You think everything is going well, and then something happens. It's all in the game of life, I guess.

     So as I walk along the lovely faerie buildings, it burns my eyes as I try and hold back tears. I see what I could have had--what I could have been. I recall the childhood memories of learning how to fly for the first time, making a first faerie friend. My parents were so joyous the day I first did my magic. It meant when I turned sixteen, I could go to the Faerie Academy. And I did, and brought home tons of awards and certificates in my honor. Even this reminiscence cannot make me smile. I haven't done so since the day of the Faerie Festival, the day I turned grey.

     Since I have my trusty, pale sea green cloak wrapped around me, no one can see I am grey right now. I merrily blend in with the crowd of humans and their pets. But then I realize I am doing exactly what Maelstra wants-she wants me to be her living puppet, and that is what I have become. Instead of taking charge, instead of being helpful, I mope about. I saw a human girl shivering in the cool air. I placed the cloak in my palms, and gently offered it to her. I saw her eyes warm in thankfulness, until she looked me over. Her face instantly turned into one of disgust.

     "I think you're mistaking me for a garbage can. I don't want trash like that," she said nastily, and shoved me away. I fell to the pavement. All eyes were on the girl and me now; it seemed the whole of Faerieland had gone on mute. In a corner, I saw a poor, shivering Aisha wearing thin, ragged, filthy clothing. In defiance, I picked up the cloak from the street and lightly gave it to the Aisha. Instead of the look of disgust the girl was giving me, the Aisha smiled radiantly and wrapped her arms around me in a tight hug. At first, I was surprised in this behavior, but I had enough common sense to return the hug.

     She put her scrawny paw in my grey hand, and we walked together. And for the first time in years, I smiled. I know I'm grey, and that I'm depressing and sad, but I smiled. A shimmer of grey sparkles went over my body, and it almost felt like I had gotten my old personality back. I laughed joyously and danced with the Aisha to the beat of the music. We ignored the looks of disgust, although there were fewer and fewer with each second as the people saw how happy we looked. These were all things I had not done since the festival, and now I'm living life all over again. Just remember one thing: there is always hope.

The End