Morning Patrol

Ms. Crayon Unicorn stretched her glowing blue wings as she stepped onto the castle balcony. The morning sun painted Artlandia in warm colors below her. Four crayon towers surrounded her home, their tips sparkling like birthday candles.

"Another peaceful day," she said, adjusting her blue mask.

She launched into the sky, her purple mane flowing behind her. Flying over the Art District, she spotted Brushy the paintbrush pixie watering rainbow flowers outside his shop.

"Good morning, Brushy!" she called down.

But something was wrong. Brushy's tiny wings drooped, and his usual bright smile was gone. He looked up at her with worried eyes.

"Ms. Crayon! Thank goodness you're here. Three of my friends disappeared yesterday. Swirly, Dabby, and Strokesworth just vanished!"

She landed beside him, her boots touching the cobblestone street. "Disappeared? What do you mean?"

"They went to deliver art supplies to the Marker District and never came back. Their families are so worried!"

The Vanishing Trail

Ms. Crayon Unicorn pulled out her glowing phone and dialed the Marker District hotline. "Hello, this is Emergency Services," answered a cheerful voice.

"Three paintbrush pixies are missing. They were delivering supplies to your district yesterday."

"Oh my! Let me check our delivery logs." Papers rustled in the background. "Yes, I see here that Swirly, Dabby, and Strokesworth signed in at the main gate at two o'clock. But there's no record of them leaving."

Ms. Crayon's blue eyes widened. "They're still there?"

"According to our system, yes. But that's impossible. No one stays overnight in the district."

She hung up and turned to Brushy. "We need to fly there immediately."

As they soared toward the Marker District, something strange caught her eye. Below them, a mail carrier otter was pulling a cart filled with invisible boxes. She could see the otter straining against the weight, but the boxes themselves were completely transparent.

"Brushy, look down there!"

The pixie gasped. "Those boxes... they're like the ones the missing pixies were carrying!"

Ms. Crayon dove toward the otter, her purple mane streaming behind her.