A Forbidden Friend

by Melanie J.
(Texas)

My small hooves clopped softly on the rocks as I walked through the creek bed. My ears were swiveling left, right, forwards, and backwards, listening for any danger. The moonlight broke through the tree cover and my small horn glowed a soft blue color when the silvery light hit it. I stepped high and lightly upon the soft muddy ground, hoping that my fetlock feathers would not get muddy.

This was my second time adventuring, well, anywhere. My mother made sure I stayed hidden in the lake and never came out. She said that the human’s must not know that unicorns are real, and especially not that they are around here.

Yes, there are unicorns here, although you would never think so at first glance, or second, or fiftieth. This lake is hardly the stuff of fairytales. It is very muddy, and has humans all around it, but that’s what makes it ideal. If you’re not expecting to see anything remarkable, you won’t look for it, right?

At least that’s how humans do it. So we are safe.

At least that’s what my mother says, but I would rather live somewhere up north where the water is clear and I can actually see in it.

We live underwater, being able to walk on it, swim under it, and breathe under it. In the daytime, we stay at the bottom of that horrible muddy lake, but at night, we get to walk on top of it when all the humans are asleep.

But I never get to. Only the unicorns with dark coats are able to go to the surface. That way they blend into the night.

I’m not allowed to go up to the surface, for my coat is pure white, without any blemishes or spots. It would be very easy to see, and that’s why I’ve never gotten to walk on water. Everyone says to be proud of my coat. That it is a blessing. I don’t believe them. It’s a curse.

Our leader, Mist, says that the rule is “an unfortunate necessity designed to keep all of us safe”. I think it is awful.

I want to walk on water in the moonlight that I was named for. I want to enjoy the feel of the open air and the waves splashing on my flank. I want to know what ground feels like beneath my hooves. I want to see creatures other than fish and turtles. And that’s why I am out tonight.

I went out last night and walked on the surface of the water, making sure the area that I was in had no houses with lights on in them; that way the humans wouldn’t see me.

Now tonight, I was getting my first feel of land! It felt amazing so far! I had already met a squirrel and a rabbit. The rabbit was polite, although a bit simple minded, but the squirrel was nuts! Hopefully the other creatures I meet will make more sense than he did.

And here I am. Living my dream. The wind picked up and swayed the treetops. It continued through them, past me, tousling my mane as it went. I nickered as it died down, savoring the feeling of it. My mane fell back to its rightful place and I started on my way again.

I was traveling up a small creek that connected to the lake. It was wooded and perfect for me because no one would see me there, and no humans would be there this time of night.

Or so I thought.

Just as I had relaxed and let my guard down, a strange sound came to my ears. I spooked instinctively, jumping into the air before I realized that this weird sound was not harming me. My ears pricked forwards towards it as I listened, judging whether to run home or ignore it and be on my way.

I bobbed my head, frustrated that I could not make sense of this sound that I had never heard before. It sounded happy and carefree. It was bouncy and calming. It made me want to sway with it. It was like, music!

I snorted when I figured out what to call this sound. Music. But what was making it? I stretched my neck out, trying to smell, but whatever it was was downwind. My curiosity aroused greatly, I crept towards the sound.

Closer and closer I came, all the while the sound was getter louder. Every muscle was tensed in my body, ready to turn tail and flee if the sound proved dangerous, but still I crept closer. I could hear a tiny voice in the back of my mind saying “Moonbeam, don’t do it! You’ll get in big trouble!” But I ignored it.

Suddenly I came to a clearing where the sound was coming from. Sitting on a rock, playing a weird shaped thing with strings on it, was a human. I immediately tensed to run, but something awakened in me. I stayed, but just for a little bit.

I had never actually seen a human before. My mother had described them as “long gangly things that walk on their hind legs and use their front ones for grabbing things. They don’t have any hooves, so they make hooves to put on their hind legs so that they can walk, and they have strange grabby things on their forelegs that they call hands. The females let their manes grow, but most of the males keep their manes short.”

So far, as I studied the human; who still hadn’t seen me yet; my mother’s definition seemed true. The human’s forelimbs were grabbing that strange thing that was making music, and its hind limbs; that were crossed underneath it; had fake hooves strapped onto the bottom. This human had a long mane with a pretty face, and by that I judged that she was a female human.

In that moment, the girl looked up and saw me. She gasped and stopped making the music. My eyes widened and I thrashed my tail in irritation at myself for being seen.

As I looked at her face, I saw that she was just as in awe with me as I had been with her just a moment ago. I held her gaze with my bright blue eyes for one moment.

A moonbeam fell upon me, illuminating my brilliant white coat and making my horn glow. I was quickly reminded that I was breaking every rule there ever was. Arching my neck, I reared up and turned in one smooth motion and galloped away back to the lake, leaving the human in disbelief.

The next night, I went out again to the same place. For some reason, I wanted to see the girl again. I didn’t know why except that I was curious. I wanted to know all about humans and their world that was forbidden to me. I had heard the saying “Curiosity killed the cat” and I just hoped that didn’t go for unicorns too.

I came into the clearing that the human had been in last night, but from a different way, and I saw her sitting with her back to me on the same rock as last night. She wasn’t playing her music thing, but she had it with her. Behind her was a backpack.

My nostrils flared as the wind blew a wonderful smell towards me. It was coming from the open backpack. I stalked closer, my hooves light on the ground as I closed the distance between this backpack and I.

I was right up next to it now, and I stretched my nose out to smell it and make sure it wasn’t dangerous. Then I stuck my whole muzzle in it and sniffed around for that thing that smelled good.

My lips found a crumbly moist thing and I nibbled it. My eyes widened. It was delicious. I grabbed the whole thing out of the bag and chewed it.

Right then, the human turned around. “My brownie!” She said, startled.

I flinched and jumped away. “No wait!” The girl called. She reached into her backpack and withdrew another one of those things called brownies. Sliding off the rock, she approached me, holding it out before her.

I took a skittish step back. What was she doing?

“It’s okay, girl” She said softly, her voice strangely soothing. “Want another one?”

I stepped closer. She didn’t look threatening, and she had the brownie for me. I reached out and snatched it from her hand, studying her as I chewed. Her hand slowly rose and her fingers touched my muzzle gently. I froze, and so did she.

I held my breath as we stood there for several seconds, just watching each other. Then I turned away from her touch and galloped away again. I heard her exhale and knew she’d been holding her breath too.

Her touch wasn’t bad. She hadn’t hurt me. I actually enjoyed her touch. I resolved to go back tomorrow night too.

Tonight couldn’t have come any slower! I thought as I trotted briskly towards the clearing the next night. My ears pricked forwards as I heard the girl playing music, and this time, her voice melded with it into a song.

“... and she is, bright white, like a moonbeam. And she is a light in the night, so beautiful. So beautiful...” I heard her sing. I stepped into the clearing and nickered. The girl stopped singing and looked up at me. I big smile broke across her face when she saw me.

“Hey, girl.” She said and slid off of the rock. She walked to me and held out her hand. I looked at her. She didn’t have a brownie this time, but she didn’t have a rope either. I pushed my muzzle into her outstretched hand, accepting her.

If I could replay the awed and joyful expression on her face again and again for the rest of my life, I would. Smiled is not a good enough word for it. Her eyes sparkled and her whole face lit up. I nickered again to her.

“Thank you.” She breathed; her voice a whisper.
I thought for a moment, but then answered her anyway.

“You’re welcome.” I spoke softly.

The girl’s eyes widened and she gasped. “You can talk?” She whispered. Her was voice barely audible.
I bobbed my head up and down.

“Yes.”

The girl was quiet for a moment. “Wow.” She finally said, seeming to struggle to take it all in.
“You mustn’t tell anyone about me, okay?”

She just nodded.

I waited for her to speak again, but she didn’t, so I voiced the question I’d been wanting to ask since I had first seen her.

“Do, do you want to be friends?”

The girl seemed taken aback. “Friends with me?” She asked.

I nodded.

She smiled quietly, more to herself than to me, it seemed. “I would love that!” She cried out, and then laughed at herself.

“My name is Moonbeam.” I said, nuzzling her.

She smiled and softly stroked my face. “My name’s Ellie.”