The Morning Wish

The Crayon Knight stretched his arms and yawned as sunlight streamed through his bedroom window. His blue armor hung neatly on its stand, crayon-colored trim gleaming in the morning light.

"Another day in perfect Creativia," he said, gazing out at the four crayon towers of his castle. Below, the land sparkled with every color imaginable. Gryphon-women soared through rainbow skies, their feathers shimmering purple and gold. Dragon-women tended gardens where flowers bloomed in impossible shades. Unicorn-women danced in meadows that shifted from emerald to sapphire with each step.

The Knight picked up his rainbow crayon sword and polished its colorful blade. "Everything's so bright and cheerful all the time," he muttered. "Sometimes I wonder what it would be like if things were... simpler."

He walked to his window and looked down at a group of goat-women painting murals on the castle walls, their brushes dripping with vivid paints.

"Just once, I wish everything wasn't so colorful."

The Fading Feathers

The moment those words left his lips, a strange rumbling echoed through Crayon Castle. The Crayon Knight dropped his sword and rushed to the window.

"What was that?" he whispered.

Outside, something impossible was happening. The purple and gold feathers of the gryphon-women were turning pale gray. The dragon-women's brilliant flower gardens faded to dull ash colors. Even the rainbow skies above began draining to a lifeless white.

"No, no, no!" the Knight shouted, grabbing his crayon sword. But when he looked down at it, his heart sank. The rainbow blade was already half-gray.

Down in the courtyard, a small sparrow landed on the windowsill. Its bright red breast had turned completely colorless.

"Help me," the sparrow chirped weakly. "Something's stealing all the colors from Creativia. It started right after you made your wish."

The Knight's eyes went wide. "My wish? But I didn't mean for this to happen!"

"The Color Drain has begun," the sparrow said. "If we don't stop it soon, everything will be gray forever. Even your crayon powers will disappear completely."

The Knight looked at his fading sword, then at the gray world spreading below. His wish was coming true in the worst possible way.