The Balinor Chronicles: The Celestial Herd
Chapter Twenty Three: The Unicorns of Terra
When Acheates and Adonis arrived in the land which became the Empire of Terra, which became the Kingdoms of Jessenor and Balinor and Rekia, there was but one type of Unicorn.
The Wild Ones.
The Wild Ones refused to help man even in their gravest plight. They hid among their trees, content in their ways. After the arrival of Acheates and Adonis, everything changed.
A few Wild Ones, lured out of hiding by Adonis and Acheates, began to travel with man. Eventually these unicorns developed into two types: the Worker, he of strong and stocky stature, hardworking and wide in the whither; and the Athletic, he of the tall and light build, fast and elegant. These unicorns populated the countries of man.
With time, Rainbow unicorns bred with Working unicorns and Athletic unicorns to create the Royal Unicorns, found only in the Royal Stables of Balinor. Possessing the same gem as their forefathers, the Royals came in a variety of builds and heights, all loyal and enduring, all capable of some small magics. Their coats were a combination of Rainbow and Wild patterns, resulting in usual and uncommon varieties.
Another unicorn type was the Rekian. Descending from Morstan, a Worker-Athletic cross, the Rekians traveled with merchants across the White Mountains. Morstan's offspring developed to his same body type, and selective breeding resulted in a pure white unicorn. Their manes stuck up and their tales landed straight at the hocks. They were usually silent, though, as if the White Mountains, stretching from north to south, blocked the 'washing over' of magic from Balinor.
Then there was a sixth type of unicorn. These were the Shadows. They differed from the others in that they were solely of Valleyian descent. They were the Fallen, the Cursed.
Why they fell is but another chapter of this tale.