Morning Reflection

Ms Paintbrush Beast stretched her arms as the first rays of sunlight streamed through the tall windows of Paintbrush Castle. She loved morning routines in her mountaintop home, especially checking her appearance in the grand mirror before starting each day.

She padded across the stone floor, her hooves clicking softly against the colorful crayon inlays. The mirror stood nearly eight feet tall, framed in shimmering metal that caught the light beautifully.

"Good morning, beautiful rainbow stripes," she said, stepping in front of the glass with a cheerful smile.

But the reflection staring back made her freeze completely.

The deer looking back at her was entirely white. No rainbow stripes painted her fur. No brilliant colors decorated her coat. Just plain, ordinary white from her pointed ears to her delicate hooves.

Ms Paintbrush Beast blinked hard, then rubbed her eyes with both hands. She turned around, examining herself from every angle possible.

"This can't be right," she whispered, touching her completely colorless arm.

The Urgent Message

Her giant magical paintbrush lay across the dresser where she had left it the night before. Ms Paintbrush Beast grabbed it with both hands, feeling its familiar weight.

"Maybe my x-ray vision can see what happened," she said, activating the paintbrush's power.

She pointed it at herself in the mirror. Through the magical lens, she could see her bones, her heart beating, even the breakfast she had eaten yesterday. But no rainbow stripes appeared anywhere inside her body.

A sharp knock echoed from the castle's front door far below.

"Ms Paintbrush Beast! Emergency at the laundromat!" called a voice from outside.

She rushed to her bedroom window and peered down. A small hummingbird hovered near the castle entrance, its green feathers catching the morning light.

"What's wrong, Zippy?" she called down to the bird.

"Someone's washing machine exploded and flooded the whole building with rainbow-colored water!" Zippy shouted back. "The entire street is covered in colored puddles!"

Ms Paintbrush Beast's white ears perked up. Rainbow-colored water? The same day her stripes vanished?

"I'll be right there!" she called, grabbing her black hooded cape.