Rainbow Guardians Chapter 2

 Chapter 2: Rainbow Academy

Something was gliding in the air. Was that a plane or a bird? No. It spun like a tornado, flying like an arrow. A flash of light landed on the soil. There were two figures visible in the dust. A human and a long-necked pegasus were standing tall. The human fell onto her knees, trying to regain composure. Her clothes were covered in dirt; her shoes were worn off. The pegasus nudged her, and she stood erect again. She was no one other than Nelly Starland. She got on her pegasus and attached some packs behind it. She also held a bundle of a golden-white kitty cat in her arms. Once everyone was aboard the pegasus, she took off into the air once more. Nelly directed her horse towards a pillar. The pillar was huge and made of jelly-like matter. There were spiral rainbows around it with a seal in the middle. At the bottom of the support, there was a button shaped like a hand. Nelly put her hand on it, and a riddle written in an ancient scripture appeared. It consisted of two lines which translated into:

It is both the start and the end.

It is something yours, yet something you lend.

Nelly scratched her chin, thinking. What could it be? How could a thing be both the beginning and the end? It was a profound thing, indeed. According to the rumours, the pillar of Rainbow Dimension chose unique riddles for everyone. It was true that Nelly was in a crucial situation. Her people would die if she didn't do anything… Then, Nelly had a sudden epiphany. That was it! That had to be it… It was the ever-proceeding circle of existence. Life! She inscribed the word 'life' on the transparent, soft texture of the pillar. Her writing started to sparkle, causing waves to cascade to the bottom of the seal. The seal perceived the frequency, and the eight stones on it glowed. The spirals loosened, revealing the campus of the Academy. Nelly left Alyra and Pineapple in the schoolyard and went to her dormitory room. She had learned where it was when she had registered at the school. Luckily, there was nobody in the dorm because she would have been ashamed. Her appearance was disastrous. Moreover, what would she tell them? Oh, sorry. My planet is under attack, but I ran away like a coward. No. She definitely didn't want to express that to anyone but an entitled person. Why was it like that? She didn't desire to leave her loved ones and her people behind. She was a possible heiress to the constitutional monarchy of Starland. Nelly had the responsibility to protect her homeland, which was nourishing her and the rest of the folk on it. She had to defend her lands to pay back her gratitude to both the Creator himself and the martyrs who sacrificed themselves to preserve it; however, it took nothing but a silly shock to make her escape.

***

Nelly let out a deep sigh and got rid of her riding outfit. She wore the emergency clothes from earlier. They were nothing special, but they were casual:  some jeans, a strapless green-purple top, and a pair of flats. Then, Nelly combed her light golden hair, threw it into a loose ponytail, and washed her face. The portal journeys always ended with the person covered in space dust. She watched herself in the mirror and tried her best to be joyful, although, she was a whirlpool of emotions on the inside.

She walked out of her room, heading to the ceremony area in the garden. Alyra and Pineapple rushed to her.

“H-hey, you two. Calm down!” she yelled, lifting her arms. 

Pineapple climbed onto her shoulder, and Alyra rubbed her neck against  Nelly. This time, Nelly let out a genuine smile. Maybe her planet was in danger, but at least she wasn't alone. They all placed themselves in front of the area. Many students were coming to the campus. They were all from different ranks, planets, and backgrounds. Nelly just wished to be a bit more fortunate in her studies. She scanned the area to see whether there were any familiar faces, but she couldn’t find any. It seemed like she was the only Starland student. She felt like an outsider, a lost stranger. When she was diving inside the ocean of thoughts, someone bumped into her forcefully.

“UGH, LOOK WHERE YOU ARE STANDING!”

“I’m really sorry. Are you alright?” Nelly replied, offering her hand. 

“Whatever, you bland blondie. Just don’t hit me again!” The girl brushed her off, carrying her suitcases.

“What a fire head!” Nelly murmured. “It suits her though with her reddish hair and eyes.”

“Hello, I saw what happened. Do you need any help?” asked another girl, touching Nelly’s shoulder.

“Thank you. I’m well enough, and it’s nothing I can’t handle.” 

“Glad to hear that. My name is Annalise Lovelonia by the way,” Annalise replied, extending her hand.

"I'm Nelly Starland." Nelly shook her hand. "You are from the royal house of Lovelonia I guess?"

“Indeed, and you can call me Anny. Pleased to meet you.”

“Same here, Anny. Also, these are my friends Alyra the Pegasus and Pineapple the Cat.”

Anny caressed both of them very carefully. Alyra was extending her neck for more gentle scratches, but Pineapple was a little reluctant and shied away from her hand. Anny shrugged and kept petting the pegasus.

Later, the instructors of the Academy appeared on the scene. The headmistress and her two assistants were at the front, forming a 'V' with the rest of the teachers. The headmistress took a vocal phone (a kind of microphone) and beckoned her other colleagues to provide order. A few minutes later, the annual introduction ceremony began. 

“Welcome, our fellow students! Welcome to your next level of education in our Academy. I’m Mistress Persephone. Firstly, I hope we all will have a wonderful and successful academic year. Secondly, the lessons are going to begin in the next three days. Feel free to explore the Rainbow Dimension and the campus. If you need us, we are in our offices.”

After Persephone’s speech, five professors stayed. Each of them had digital lists in their hands. Then, they began to read their documents.

"OK. Here is the light element dormitory list: Princess Nelly Elizabeth Starius Starland, Lady Amelia Orion, Lady Beatrice Andromeda, Miss Stella Wilkins, Miss Leslie Starson, and Miss Oprah Lewis. You are going to the top floor of the R1 block," a teacher declared. She looked around to find the rest of Nelly's group, but only Nelly was there. The teacher glanced at her oddly, searching for other girls. After scanning the crowd for another second, Nelly shrugged and went to her post. Unfortunately, another professor noticed Nelly's status and approached her.

“Princess, where are your elemental dorm mates?”

“They should have been here, but it’s a long story professor,” answered Nelly, sighing deeply.

“Alright, Princess. They have some time to arrive.”

The other teachers heralded the rest of the elemental dormitory lists, and the first day of the ceremony officially came to a close. Nelly and Anny stayed together, their stomachs growling. They decided to go to grab some lunch after that. 

*** 

Nelly and Anny bought some vegan rolls. Since Alyra and Pineapple were with them, they chose to have a picnic rather than be indoors. The only problem was the weather was so nice that most of the students preferred to stay outdoors, too. The jade hills of the Rainbow dimension were full of undergraduates from seniors to juniors. Anny and Nelly moved towards a giant oak tree. They sat on the grass, unpacking their food. Alyra wheeled around to find fresh herbs while Pineapple sought some juicy rodents or birds. Some tardy students couldn’t find any places near the oak tree. There were three of them, and they were a little perplexed about what to do.

“Where shall we sit? Everywhere is full,” said one of them.

“The shadow of this tree is large. There has to be a place for us,” replied another.

“Well, why don’t we ask these two girls to eat for a place?” asked the third girl shyly.

The third girl hesitantly approached  Nelly, holding her pack nervously.

"Excuse me, do you have any places for my company and me?"

“Oh, of course,” responded Nelly, scooching over a bit. “Feel welcome to sit with us.”

“Thank you.” 

They all settled next to Anny and Nelly. The timid girl had a tan complexion with long, navy-blue hair and peachy eyes, and the other one had a wheat face with almost maroon hair and eyes. Nelly glanced at that girl. She was really similar to the girl who had bumped into her. No, she looked like her twin! Then, it hit Nelly… It was her. Nelly tried her best to not interact with her. The last girl seemed quite lovely; she had light skin with crystal blue eyes. Her hair was in a long, silver braid. 

While they were eating, the timid girl reached out to Pineapple. Pineapple reacted coldly at first and pulled away, but once the girl scratched Pineapple under her chin, Pineapple leaned into her touch.

“Such a pretty kitty. Yes, you are. Yes, you are,” she murmured to Pineapple. Nelly just smiled at the scene.

“Well, since we all have eaten, why don’t we introduce ourselves?” inquired Anny, clapping her hands.

“My name is Neesha Dimenia. I’m from the Mental Arts Dorm.”

"And I'm Shanya Terra. I'm from the Earth Dorm."

"Pleased to meet you two," said Anny, shaking their hands. "I'm Annalise Lovelonia of the Emotions Dorm."

“I’m Julianna Volcanotopia from the Flame Dorm, but you can call me Julia,” said Julianna, looking at her phone.

“My name is Nelly Starland. I’m from the Light Dorm,” added Nelly, glaring at Julia.

After a while, they all headed to their rooms. They had to settle down before the lessons started. They entered the R1 block and dispersed to the other floors. Nelly and Julia were staying at the top level; Anny and Neesha were on the floor below them, and Shanya was on the bottom floor. The structure of the dorm was grouped according to similar elemental students' substances: fire and light, mentality and emotions, and, last, the earth. The earth had more floors than other elements because it was their local school; Mistress Persephone was regulating more contingent to them due to that. The other elements were organised parallel to one another. They had many common lessons in their programme. 

Nelly had a little problem. She had to find shelter for Alyra. According to what she heard, the Academy had barns for the pegasi and unicorns; however, they were mostly for professors. Nelly and the pegasus wandered around to find the stables, but their endeavours were in vain.

Meanwhile, Shanya, Julia, and Neesha went out to explore the campus more. Nelly headed towards the Spiral Forest beside the school with Alyra following close behind her. Shanya saw her ethereal white figure and changed her direction. It was the first time she witnessed a view like that. The white figure was almost glowing. İt had a long and slender body. Julia and Neesha realised her absence instantly, looking around for her. 

Shanya got closer to the white creature and recognised Nelly sitting beside the creature. She appeared confused; her head was between her hands, and her eyes were downcast.

"Oh, my flowers! Nelly, weren't you in your room?" asked Shanya, kneeling beside her.

“I was looking for a place for my pegasus,” replied Nelly.

“Oh, this ethereal beauty is yours? Poor thing!”

“Yeah. Her name is Alyra, and she is a swan pegasus,” Nelly explained, standing up. “Do you know a place I can stable her?”

When she was about to answer, Julia and Neesha joined them. They were panting very hard.

"Shanya! We thought you were lost in the woods!" exclaimed Julia, holding her knees. "Don't do that again, please."

“I’m sorry, girls. It’s just that I couldn’t resist when I saw this angel.” Shanya pointed out Alyra, patting her gently.

“Whatever. We found Shanya. Also, Nelly, is it yours?” Neesha inquired.

"Yes. I was searching for a place for Alyra."

“Well, why didn’t you use the teleport station on your planet?” huffed  Julia, crossing her arms. “Do you love your air fleabag that much? Or has Starland become a kingdom of beggars?”

“Oh, it is none of those; you firehead!” Nelly said shortly, about to explode at any second. “If your planet was under attack, and you were the only person who was fleeing from it, what the hell would you do?”

“What do you mean?” asked Neesha.

“It’s as clear as crystal. Starland is under the control of Negavise. They are probably holding all the transport channels, and I was the only one who could escape,” Nelly growled quickly, squeezing her fists.

“Oh, the Almighty!” The trio exclaimed.

Nelly confirmed the things she said with a sad nod, turning her back. Neesha and Julia put their hands on her shoulder.

“We are devastated to hear that,” said Neesha.

“We must tell it to Mistress Persephone!” squeaked Shanya timidly.

“We must.” Julia nodded and added, “Don’t forget that we also have an academic year to concentrate on.”

“So, you girls say that we should tell her of it later? But even a split-second is crucial!” 

“Nelly, please, you need to calm down first.”

It was no use; Nelly broke down into total chaos. She sobbed violently and began to make some inaudible noises. Neesha grabbed her phone, instantly sending a mental note. Mental notes were like text messages, but they were in thought form. The phone was acting as a receiver and was catching the thought signals. At the same moment, Anny's phone rang. On her screen, an image of a struggling Nelly appeared. She immediately got up from her bed and went towards the forest.

When she was there, Nelly was barely conscious. She was trembling madly, laying on Neesha’s knee.

“In the name of Cupida! What happened?”

Neesha told her everything that had occurred. Anny’s eyes widened with terror, and she started to rotate her core charm to focus on Nelly.

“I’m glad you called me. This gas will calm her nerves, but she should see a therapist right away.”

"I think we should organise a trip to the Spectral City to cheer her up," Told Shanya, calling Alyra. "I'm going to lead this angel to the pond on the campus. I think she can handle herself."

Neesha and Anny stared at Julia, squinting. Their eyes were implying something. It was something expectant, something almost insulted. Julia raised her brows and slowly winked.

“Alright, I’m going to carry her into her room, at least,” answered Julia, taking Nelly gingerly from the ground. She headed towards the light dormitory. 

The sun was drawing a halo on the horizon, flaring lavender and ginger hues, and it was leaving its heavenly throne to the queen of the night. The queen was coronated for her watch.