Chapter Text
The sun was shining bright in the sky, its rays gleaming down on Critter Valley, home of the Smiling Critters.
High up in a castle tower, sunlight crept in through the curtains, pulling a unicorn with a turquoise mane from her slumber. CraftyCorn’s eyes flutter open, yawning and stretching. Blearily, she rubs the sleep from her eyes with a hoof, stepping out of her bed and walking up to the window.
She pulls the curtains apart, letting the sunlight flood her room as she gazes at the town below. She spots KickinChicken and Hoppy Hopscotch, kicking a ball across the soccer field, their competitive spirits shining through as their gazes sharpen with fierce intensity. On the bleachers are Bubba Bubbaphant and Bobby BearHug, the latter of which cheering and whooping loudly whenever anyone scores a goal. The former is focused on a book in his hands, looking up occasionally at the game, before turning his attention back to the book.
PickyPiggy is nowhere to be seen, but the mouth-watering scent wafting into Crafty’s nose tells her that the pig is currently busy within her abode, presumably with something deliciously food-related. DogDay is standing in front of CatNap’s door, pounding a fist on the feline’s door and excitedly shouting for him to wake up (to no avail).
CraftyCorn giggles, covering her mouth with a hoof. Then, she walks over to her desk, snatching up her signature rainbow flower pendant. With a small cloth, she polishes it until it shines, causing her to let out a hum of satisfaction as she slips it into place around her neck. She grabs her sketchbook and art supplies, placing them into a satchel and descending the stairwell.
The doorknob turns with a click as Crafty steps outside, breathing in the fresh spring air. With a smile on her face, she closes her eyes, soaking in the sounds of town. Kickin and Hoppy are bickering over their game, but she can tell it’s lighthearted. She can hear Bobby laughing, and DogDay still pleading at CatNap’s door.
But upon opening her eyes and getting ready to meet with her best friends, she notices something. Her mailbox flag has been raised, indicating that she has received something. Odd, considering that she and the other Smiling Critters rarely get mail due to their close proximity to each other. Whenever they do get mail, it’s usually from the Nightmare Critters, who live a fair distance away.
She hums, skipping over to her mailbox and opening it, pulling an envelope from within. The envelope is stamped with a red wax seal, making CraftyCorn uneasy. Whenever anything with a stamp comes, it’s always something severely important.
She peels open the envelope, pulling out a small paper. She stuffs the envelope into her satchel, reading the letter.
As her eyes scan over the paper, her breathing becomes shallow, her white pupils shrinking into pinpricks as she takes a staggering step backwards. Hooves shaking, she drops the letter…
And screams.