Morning Routines

Splash Doe stretched her hooves and yawned as sunlight streamed through the tall windows of her fortress bedroom. The ten-star hotel room sparkled with morning light, making the marble floors gleam like mirrors.

"Another beautiful day to protect Rainforest Meadow City," she said, bouncing out of bed with superhero energy.

She trotted toward her towel closet, ready to grab her favorite white cape for the day's adventures. The closet door swung open with a satisfying click.

Empty shelves stared back at her.

"What?" Splash blinked her big friendly eyes behind her blue mask. She stepped closer, her hooves clicking on the floor. Not a single towel remained on any shelf. Not her cape, not her backup towels, not even the tiny washcloths she used for cleaning her antlers.

Her phone buzzed with incoming messages. Three texts from her girlfriends all said the same thing: "My towels are gone!"

Splash's cream-colored muzzle dropped open. This wasn't just her problem anymore.

Emergency Restocking

Splash grabbed her phone and speed-dialed her best friend Crystal, a humanoid female goat with fluffy white fur and curved horns. The phone rang three times before Crystal's worried voice answered.

"Splash! Thank goodness you called. My bathroom looks like a tornado hit it. Every single towel is gone!"

"Mine too," Splash said, pacing around her fortress kitchen. "This is getting weird. Meet me at the city laundromat in ten minutes. Bring whoever else texted you."

The laundromat sat on Meadow Street, its bright fluorescent lights humming loudly. When Splash arrived, she found Crystal waiting with two more friends - Rosie, a humanoid sheep with curly pink wool, and Luna, a human girl with short black hair.

"Look at this," Luna said, pointing at the laundromat's front window. A handwritten sign read: "Closed for Emergency Restocking - All Towels Stolen."

Splash's ears perked up. "Someone hit here too?"

An elderly humanoid deer emerged from behind the building, shaking his head. "Strangest thing I've seen in forty years. Every towel, washcloth, and beach blanket - gone overnight. Security cameras show nothing but shadows moving around two AM."

The friends exchanged worried glances as thunder rumbled overhead.