Morning Light

Ultimate Crayon Doe stretched her silver gloves and stepped onto the balcony of her art-set shaped base. The morning sun painted Super Forest City in warm oranges and yellows below her. Deer families walked alongside human neighbors, heading to work and school.

"Another beautiful day to keep everyone safe," she said, adjusting her light blue cape.

Her phone buzzed. Mayor Elmheart's voice crackled through the speaker. "Ultimate Crayon! We need you at City Hall right away. Something very strange is happening."

She grabbed her giant glowing blue crayon, its magical light pulsing softly. "On my way, Mayor."

As she flew through the air, her cape flowing behind her, something caught her eye. The bright red roses in Mrs. Patterson's garden looked... duller somehow. The vibrant green leaves seemed less green.

She shook her head. Must be the morning shadows playing tricks on her eyes.

But when she glanced at the yellow school bus below, it looked more like a pale cream color.

The Gray Morning

Ultimate Crayon Doe landed at City Hall's front steps. Mayor Elmheart, a tall human man with graying brown hair and worried green eyes, rushed outside wearing his navy blue suit.

"Thank goodness you're here!" he said. "Look around the square."

She turned and gasped. The fountain's blue water had turned pale gray. The bright yellow taxi cabs looked like faded cream. Even the green park benches appeared almost white.

"It's spreading through the whole city," Mayor Elmheart continued. "Colors are draining away everywhere."

A small voice piped up from behind a nearby flower cart. "Excuse me, miss superhero?"

Ultimate Crayon Doe looked down to see an elderly human woman with silver hair in a neat bun and kind brown eyes. She wore a purple cardigan that now looked light gray, and her wrinkled hands shook slightly as she pointed down the street.

"I saw something strange earlier," the woman said. "A figure in a dark cloak was touching things, and wherever they touched, the colors just... disappeared."

Ultimate Crayon Doe's blue eyes widened. A Color Thief was actually stealing colors from her city.

"Which direction did they go?" she asked urgently.