Hello!
School has finally ended for me, meaning more time to update my fanfics! YAY! :D
Thank you Songbird Rebel, Silverbird22, Samantha Peace Heartstar, Guardian's Solace, and Atea1793 for favoring, following, and/or reviewing this story!
And to answer your question Samantha Peace Heartstar, yes, Aqua is playing the role of the unicorn, but she will be referred to as the unicorn up until the part where her actual name comes in (Don't want to spoil too much for those who haven't seen the movie or read the book.)
Now, on with the story!
Chapter 2
Many days have gone by since she saw the young hunters. Since she learned that she may be the last unicorn in the world. And there wasn't a single second when she wouldn't think about this revelation.
She had lived all her life alone in the woods, being that unicorns are immortal and are accustomed to living alone in one place. The last time she had seen another unicorn was a very long time ago; how long ago, she couldn't recall since time seemed to stand still in the forest for as long as she had lived.
'What do men know, much less boys?' she pondered, 'just because they've never seen unicorns for a while doesn't mean they've vanished. We can be hunted, trapped, even killed if we leave our forests, but we don't vanish. Am I truly the last?'
Then one day, during a late afternoon stroll, a joyful voice singing caused he to look up to see a small visitor flying towards her. "Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay! My, oh my, what a wonderful day! Plenty of sunshine headed my way! Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay!"
The singer was a small tan butterfly with a thin blue body and blue spots on his wings. In his arms was an instrument made out of twigs, twine, and bark that somewhat resembled a lute (A/N: A lute is kind of an old fashioned version of a guitar in the medieval times).
"I am a roving gambler; how do you do?" the butterfly sang as he bowed.
"Hello there, butterfly! Welcome!" she said, "Did you come very far?"
"Oh I come from a land, from a faraway place where the caravan camels roam, where it's flat and immense and the heat is intense. It's barbaric, but hey, it's home," he sang back, flying around the unicorn's head as he strummed his instrument, "Won't you come home, Bill Bailey, won't you come home? My wild Irish rose."
He landed softly onto the unicorn's nuzzle, much to her slight annoyance, and she gently shook him off. "Please be a little respectful, butterfly," the unicorn scolded gently, "Do you know who I am?"
But he appeared to pay no heed as he continued singing. "I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream. I know you, The gleam in your eyes is so familiar a gleam."
"Say my name, then," she said hopefully, "If you know my name, tell it to me."
"Your name is a golden bell hung in my heart. I would break my body to pieces to call you once by your name!" the butterfly stated conversationally.
"Say it, if you know," she begged, her patience beginning to wear thin.
The butterfly did a small leap in the air as he exclaimed, "Rumpelstilstkin! Gotcha!"
"I should've known better than to expect a silly butterfly to know my name," the unicorn sighed dejectedly. 'But maybe he's seen the others,' she thought.
"Butterfly, in all your wanderings, have you seen others like me?" the unicorn asked, "Have you seen even one out there?"
"Out there living in the sun," the butterfly sang, not heeding her question, "Give me one day out there, all I ask is one!"
Her patience and hope run out, she began to trot away. "It serves me right for even asking," she scolded, more to herself than the butterfly. "All butterflies know are songs and poetry and anything else they hear. They mean well, but they can't keep things straight." Seeing that the fluttering insect hasn't left, she politely asked him to leave her be, but yet again he did not heed her words as he sang to himself.
"High diddle lee dee, an actor's life for me! A high silk hat, and a silver cane. A watch of gold, with a diamond chain!" The butterfly marched in midair as if in a parade before landing on a leaf, riding it as it floated down a tiny stream. "Yo ho yo ho a pirate's life for me! We pillage, we plunder, we rifle, and loot. Drink up, me 'earties, yo ho." He then flew back into the air as he sang yet another song. "Chim chim-in-ey, chim chim-in-ey Chim chim cher-oo! Good luck will rub off when I shake hands with you."
"I hope you hear many more songs on your travels. I need to find someone who knows me, who has seen others like me." It wasn't until what the butterfly said next that the unicorn stopped in her tracks.
"'Unicorn'. In old French, 'unicorne', or Latin, 'unicornis'. Literally, one horned: 'unus', one, and 'cornu', a horn," he recited, "A fabulous animal that resembles a horse with one horn that can only be seen by those who search and trust, and generally mistaken for a white mare."
Relief and hope filled her heart as she smiled. "Oh, you do know me! Please, have you seen the others? Tell me where they've gone so I may go to find them!"
The butterfly scratched his head as he slowly spoke, "Listen. Don't listen to me. Listen. You can find the others if you are brave. They passed down all the roads long ago, and the Red Bull ran close behind them and covered their footsteps."
"Red Bull? What is the Red Bull?" she asked.
His antennae stuck put and he jolted as if he was electrocuted. "Hold tight! Hold tight! Hold tight! Hold tight!" he exclaimed before speaking ominously, "His firstling bull has majesty, and his horns are the horns of a wild ox. With them, he shall push all the unicorns to the ends of the earth. Listen, listen, listen quickly!"
"I am listening!" she cried, "Where are the other unicorns, and what is the Red Bull?"
But the butterfly only laughed before flying away, singing once again, until he vanished into the leaves of the forest . "I only got myself and this big old world. But I sip that cup of life with my fingers curled… "
'At least he recognized me,' she thought sadly, continuing to stroll down the path, 'but could it mean anything? Or was the story of the Red Bull just another one of his songs?'
"They passed down the roads long ago…"
The sky was a blood red and the ground below was a deep black. In the horizon, a large mass of white rushed down the dark road as the sound of hooves pounding grew louder and louder.
The one in front of the group let out a neigh as it came to a sudden stop, its eyes widening in horror, and the others stopped as well when they say the danger. The reason they all stopped, that cannot be seen.
"And the Red Bull ran close behind them and covered their footprints…"
A deep bellow raised a panic among the unicorns as they whipped around at the sight of an enormous figure towering over them. Bright yellow eyes glowered down at the frightened herd as the creature came closer, pushing them further back towards whatever danger that they can no longer avoid.
"…he shall push all the unicorns to the ends of the earth."
Every single one let out a shrill whinny or neigh as if calling for help, but their cries and pleas were in vain as he came at them with one final step.
Blue eyes shot wide open and her head bolted upward as a loud whinny escaped from her throat. Heavy breathes breathed through her nostrils as she looked around to find herself still situated under a large tree on a hill in the deepest part of the forest.
Her entire body was trembling, not due to the cold air of night. The dream and the butterfly's words were still fresh in her mind.
'It was just a dream,' she told herself, 'yet why do I feel so unsure? What if they truly are in danger and need my help?'
The unicorn looked out towards the horizon.
The butterfly's words echoed in her mind. "You can find the others if you are brave."
Conflict in her eyes turned into determined resolve as she slowly stood up. The unicorn quickly went down the hill and soon reached the edge of the forest. She turned her head to the sight of all the animal inhabitants gathering to see her off. After bidding them a silent farewell with the tilt of her head, she ran. Her azure mane flew through the air as she galloped further and further away from her sanctuary and off to find the rest of her kind, wherever they would be.
I hope you all like it so far! :)
I know I've been really slow with these updates, but now that my summer vacation has finally begun, I'll have more time on my hands to work on my stories (hopefully).
If you haven't been aware, I'll be alternating between two stories as of now, so the next update will be for my other fanfic 'Lost in Darkness'.
Don't forget to favorite, follow, and or review!
Oh! And also, check out my Youtube channel! It's the same name so it shouldn't be too hard to find.
Later taters and have an awesome summer! :)