Rainbow centaur's Arc

Chapter 2 of 3

Rainbow centaur followed the fairy mother into the kitchen. Everything shone brown and sweet. The counters were fudge. The pots were hollow chocolate shells. Bowls of strawberries and cocoa lined the walls. She pulled open a cupboard, then another. Sugar. Frosting. More cocoa. She frowned. "There is no salt here," she said. "No vegetables. No meat. I cannot cook lunch from candy alone." The fairies hovered near the door, their small faces sinking. The baby whimpered, hungry. Her firefly pet buzzed at the window and flashed its rainbow tail. It pressed against the glass and glowed brighter, again and again. Rainbow centaur stepped over and looked out. A cluster of trees stood beyond the mansion. Their leaves burned every color. Fat purple fruit hung from twisted trunks. Round bushes sat below, puffy and pale as bread. Her firefly darted in a circle, urging her outside. "Good idea," she said. She flew out the chocolate door. The fluffy horse trotted after her, hooves soft on the grass. She reached the strange trees and plucked a purple fruit. She bit it. Sharp and green, not sweet. Real food. She tore off a marshmallow bush and squeezed it. It held together like a warm loaf. "This will fill their bellies," she said. The horse nudged a low branch down so she could reach the highest fruit. She filled the horse's fluffy back with fruit and bushes and flew home fast. In the chocolate kitchen she worked quick. She sliced the purple fruit into a cold chocolate pot. She stuffed the marshmallow bread with berries. She squeezed juice from the fruit into cups. The fairies drifted closer, sniffing. The baby stopped whimpering. Rainbow centaur set the food on the fudge table. "Eat," she said. The fairies swarmed the plates. They laughed. The baby stuffed its whole face into a berry. Rainbow centaur watched them eat and grinned. Full bellies meant grateful hearts. Grateful hearts meant allies against Marina. "Now you owe me nothing," she said. "But I still need your help." The fairy mother wiped juice from her chin and nodded slowly. Then a shadow crossed the strawberry window. A rainbow-maned lion outside lifted his head and roared once. Wings beat the air. A centaur landed on the front steps. His coat blazed purple and orange, his mane every color at once, gold stars stitched down his chest. He was handsome, and he looked angry. He pushed through the chocolate door. The fairies froze. "Prince Aurelius Prismahorn," the fairy mother whispered. She dropped her berry. He stared at the empty grove through the window, then at the stripped branches piled on the horse's back. "You took fruit from my grove," he said. His eyes fixed on Rainbow centaur. "That grove belongs to the crown. And you fed it to rebels who plot against Marina." He stepped closer. "Marina is my ally." The kitchen went silent. Rainbow centaur's grin faded. Her allies had just made her a thief and an enemy in one meal.