Rainbow centaur's Arc

Chapter 1 of 3

Rainbow centaur flew low over the meadow, her colorful wings beating fast, a rainbow bat gripped in one hand. Below her, a giant Venus fly trap held a tiny fairy baby inside its snapping green mouth. The baby wailed. Rainbow centaur laughed, because she loved a good rescue almost as much as she loved plotting war against Marina. She folded her wings and dove. Her fluffy firefly pet buzzed beside her, its rainbow wings flashing a warning glow. "Hold on, little one!" she called. She swung the bat hard. The bat cracked against the plant's thick stem. The Venus trap shuddered. Its jaws sprang open. The fairy baby tumbled out, dropping through the air. Rainbow centaur lunged and caught the baby in both arms before the ground could. The baby stopped crying. It grabbed a strand of her long hair and giggled. Rainbow centaur giggled back. "There. Safe now." But the rescue had a price. The plant she hit was not alone. A whole patch of fly traps hissed around her, angry now, snapping at her legs. A fluffy horse trotted out from behind the traps, round and soft as a stuffed bear. It nudged a path clear with its wide chest, crushing stems under its hooves. Rainbow centaur followed it out, the baby held tight. "Good boy," she said. "You know a way." The horse led her toward a grand mansion at the meadow's edge. Its walls looked like chocolate. Strawberry shapes decorated the windows. A radiant winged lion with a rainbow mane stood on the front steps, tall and proud. Behind him, small winged shapes flew out the door. The fairy's family had come looking for their baby. The fairies swarmed her, then saw the baby safe. Their fear turned to joy. The winged lion dipped his head. A fairy pressed her tiny hands together and spoke. "You saved our child. Come inside. Eat with us." Rainbow centaur handed the baby back to its mother. Warm smells drifted from the open door. She grinned. This was better than she had planned. A meal, a family, and a room full of grateful fairies. Fairies who might help her. "I would love lunch," she said. Then her grin sharpened. "And while we cook, I have an idea. There is someone I want to talk about. Her name is Marina." The fairy mother's smile faltered. Rainbow centaur stepped through the chocolate door, the winged lion at her side, and the plan she had carried for weeks finally had a table to sit at.