Aureana trotted through the meadow, proud of the land she had created, yet a hollowness remained in her soul. Her hooves thrummed as she broke into a canter, trailing the golden feathers of her wingtips amid yellow and orange marigolds. She breathed in the delicate bouquet with flared nostrils and soaked in the warmth of the sun. Clouds of pollen dusted her in sparkling flecks, but the beauty failed to delight her.
Loneliness gnawed at her heart.
She halted on a knoll and surveyed the herds of horses grazing in contentment in the valleys. A mare nuzzled a newborn foal reluctant to drink. A pair of yearlings reared in play, squealing and nipping in a mock fight. The stallion king remained apart, his neck arched and tail high, keeping a watchful eye on his boundary for intruders. Even people busied about hunting game and gathering fruit, each clan living near a herd of horses to take care of them.
But she was alone. As alone as when she had lived in the spirit world. Whenever she approached the horses, her favourite creatures, they fled, dazzled by the power radiating from her in golden light. What was the point of having created this idyllic world if she didn’t participate in its pleasures? She wanted a partner, and not the short-lived horses who graced her land, living and dying in the natural cycle of life. Could she create an equal to fulfil her need for companionship and help her manage this physical world she had named Equinora?
Filled with fresh enthusiasm, Aureana considered her options. She wanted someone to complement her powers, not match them. She wanted someone who would challenge her thinking and inspire her to greater deeds. She wanted someone who would live for millennia.
Standing four-square, she drew power from the sun and wove the threads of energy into life, waving the golden horn on her forehead to outline the shape she desired. As the unicorn formed, she opened her heart and let her essence flow into the new being, a mate of her spirit.
A snort broke Aureana’s trance.
A snow-white mare with golden mane, tail, hooves, and horn stood before her, the unicorn’s sapphire eyes glinting like a deep lake. What had gone wrong? She’d wanted a stallion!
Aureana trotted around the newcomer, admiring her beauty even if she wasn’t what Aureana had intended. “You’re the moon to my sun, glowing with my spirit. I name you Moonglow, and grant you the power to see the future.” She opened her wings and ran her feathers from the tip of the Spirit Unicorn’s ears to the end of her tail.
Moonglow sniffed the ground and took a tentative step forward. Her skin twitched as if assailed by insects. Her eyes glazed over. Her lips trembled.
“Three from spirit, earth, and water
Three from light, air, and fire
Impart your soul to unicorns
So you never tire”
Aureana wandered the glade, deep in thought. “Create six unicorns? Yes, there’s much to do in managing a world.”
Using her golden hooves, she dug moist earth from the riverbank and created Echo, his body the colour of loam, his mane, tail, horn, and hooves bright emerald like new shoots in spring. Using her wings, she granted the Earth Unicorn the ability to transform wood and stone into food and medication for all the animals.
Moonglow and Echo greeted each other with whickers of delight, snuffling noses, and thanked Aureana for their creation. They pranced and snorted before galloping along the creek and jumping rocks, kicking up clods of soil in their exuberance. Leaving her alone. But there were four more to create. One of them would be her mate.
She stepped into the river and drew up water to create Tempest, his coat ocean-blue, his mane, tail, and horn the white froth of waves, and his hooves the black of tar. She gifted the Water Unicorn power over the weather, the rivers, and the seas. He emerged in a rainbow spray and chased off after the others.
Aureana stamped a hoof. Three more to go. The sun shone strong overhead. She captured its beams and absorbed the light to create Diamond, empowering her to traverse the land without the need to run. Like Moonglow, her body shone snow-white, but her mane, tail, and horn glistened silver, her eyes crystal, and her hooves black onyx. The Light Unicorn also galloped away to stretch her legs.
Aureana didn’t join them. Their creation had exhausted her. No matter, she must fulfil the prophecy, or else what had been the point of creating a Spirit Unicorn to see the future. And she still didn’t have a partner.
Holding her head high, she tamed the breeze teasing the grasses, called the winds ruffling the treetops, and sucked down the currents driving the clouds. Moisture beaded on her muzzle hairs and dripped to her hooves, forming a pool. The water shimmered and changed form into a dappled mare. She lay prone, tiny and delicate, as fragile as moth antennae.
Aureana lowered her wings and swept them over Dewdrop, from the tips of her black horn and hooves, over each rosette of grey on her body, and along the white wisps of hair of her mane and tail.
She nuzzled the mare’s shoulder. “Can you stand?”
Dewdrop opened her eyes and blinked. She sat up with her forelegs thrust in front of her and staggered to her feet like a newborn foal. After shaking in a spray of mist she coughed, tears seeping from the corners of her black eyes.
Concern flooded Aureana. “I will grant you the power of healing so you can mend whatever ails you.” She stepped around the Air Unicorn, stroking her with her wings, enveloping her in love.
Dewdrop staggered on wobbly legs.
Aureana led her to drink and guzzled the snowmelt too, chilling her insides to match the fear in her heart. Why was Dewdrop so small? Why wasn’t she strong like the others? Maybe her physique represented her element, light as air. Perhaps time would aid her.
Aureana must ensure the final unicorn was strong—a worthy mate.
Taking care to gather dry firewood from beneath the nearby aspens, she built a bonfire as high as her withers from sturdy boughs. She placed flints and dry grasses at the edge of the tangled branches and struck a spark with her hoof. A lick of flame tickled the kindling, sending up a spiral of smoke. The fire spread and caught the remainder of the pile, crackling and roaring in its own wind. She jabbed her horn into the raging flames and concentrated on the minerals of the world, inviolable, immutable.
The fire died down and the air stilled. Instead of a pile of ash, a unicorn stallion formed from the embers, his body glowing like hot coals, his mane, tail, and hooves as black as wet ash. Jasper, the Fire Unicorn, leapt to his feet, whinnying in challenge.
Aureana answered in welcome. He was magnificent! “Remain still while I add your power.”
“Power? Rid me of this pain!” Jasper trotted in circles, his head lowered with froth blowing from his mouth. Sweat lathered his chest and flanks.
Stunned, Aureana hastened to keep up with his agonised pace. Running beside him, she wrapped a wing over his back and caressed his rump. She raced in front of him and smothered his neck and head with her other wing, passing on the ability to shape earth and rock. As her wing slid from his face she stumbled in horror; instead of a smooth straight horn, the protrusion from his forehead twisted and curled like an ancient pine, mottled brown, knobbly and rough.
Had the fire been too hot? He was strong, there was no doubt about that, but aggression erupted from his every step, anger pulsed in his throat. She sent him love, cantering beside him as he tried to outrun his torment, galloping when he attempted to flee her help.
Nothing worked. She let him go.
Dejected, Aureana wandered off to be alone, scuffing up a cloud of dust that trailed her like a wake of inadequacy. Cresting a hill, she surveyed the land rolling before her: vast forests of pine and oak stretched to the horizon, sparkling waterfalls tumbled into rivers, and furred and feathered creatures went about their lives.
They gave her no joy. Her hope for an equal dissipated like mist.
Aureana introduced the unicorns to the regions she had made, teaching them to draw strength from the sun, the wind, and the earth. They invented challenges to test their powers and raced over the toughest terrain to strengthen their bodies. She didn’t join them. They developed the ability to communicate by mind from afar and block their own and others’ thoughts when necessary, but she didn’t share their thrills of discovery.
Aureana remained alone. Instead of creating a partner, she had six helpers to rule the world. They had taken to their roles so easily she had little to do. That had never been her intent.
Still she desired a stallion to fly by her side, someone to share her joys and worries, to dream with, and to build new creations. Someone like her. But how could she create him? She had used all the elements. The sun crossed the sky as she pondered her problem, her shadow moving around her as if it had a life of its own. Her shadow. That was how she could make a true equal of herself.
She located a high platform of stone and stood side-on to maximise the light she blocked. Absorbing the sunshine into her golden body, she pulled life from the rock, drew in the force of the wind, and threw all her power into her shadow. She poured more of her spirit into this creation than she had used for all six unicorns together.
Shadow came to life. As tall as her, he rippled with muscle, oozing power. His crimson mane and tail spewed like a volcano above his obsidian body. He was stupendous!
Then disappointment hit Aureana. Like the unicorns, he was wingless. She must have left her wings pinned to her sides while she worked. How could he join her in the delights of soaring among the clouds? As he finished forming, his forehead failed to sprout a long straight horn, his symbol of power. Instead, two horns curled around his ears like those of a ram, black and warped. How would he wield those? What power could she give him?
Shadow didn’t wait for her touch. He bolted from the ledge and galloped down to the valley.
She flew after him, desperate not to lose her partner.
Power cracked from the duocorn’s horns like lightning, searing the ground and bursting shrubs into splinters. Coneys and weasels scurried beneath his hooves, expanding as his force hit them and exploding in a mess of flesh and bone. Shadow didn’t need Aureana to grant him power from her wings—he already burst with more than she could give. Instead of the perfect partner, she had created a monster.
He upset the horse herds, killing the lead stallions and raping the mares. Landscapes Aureana had carved crumbled into dust at his touch. Plants she'd created withered and died in his wake. Animals she'd nurtured with love and care became malformed or riddled with disease. Aureana couldn’t keep up with the destruction. Shadow even harried the unicorns, mocking them as weak and ineffectual, destroying their unity.
Pain pierced Aureana’s skull. Gold flashed behind her eyes. She reared, screaming, and leapt into the air. She flew to the source of her agony and landed at a run, wings still outspread, horn pointed forward in a charge.
Shadow and Jasper fought, their chests crashing together with thunder.
Aureana smashed into them. “I demand you stop!”
As soon as they parted, she galloped to where Dewdrop lay on her side, covered in bleeding gashes, skin hanging from her in ribbons.
Dead.
Jasper raced over. “Shadow—”
Aureana heard none of his babbling. She blew into Dewdrop’s face, licked her muzzle, and nipped her ear.
No response.
She sucked in all the power she could hold from the sun, the wind, and the earth, and swept her wings over Dewdrop’s mangled body. Blood stained her feathers, clogging them in useless mats.
Dewdrop remained dead.
Aureana grabbed one of her own wings in her teeth and tore at the feathers. One came free. She spat it out and stamped on the useless plume. She pulled out another, and another. What good was her power if she created corruption and couldn’t even save Dewdrop? She snatched at her other wing and ripped out two more feathers.
“Stop!” Jasper lunged at her neck with bared teeth. “You won’t be able to fly!”
“Don’t give me orders!” Trembling, she stood over Dewdrop and hung her head as the world spun beneath her.
The other unicorns crept up, reaching out their noses and uttering words of consolation.
She ignored them. She had failed Equinora, her strength gone. “I must return to the spirit world.”
Moonglow whinnied in dismay. “You can’t leave! There are only five of us now. You must create another unicorn. It’s the prophecy.”
“No, I won’t create another. I will choose a strong foal and make each generation stronger. You are now the guardians of Equinora. Take especial care of the horses.” She cantered away, ignoring their pleas for her to remain.
Jasper raced in front of her, blocking her path. “What about Shadow?”
Aureana halted and looked around. “Where is he?”
Jasper snorted. “He’s gone.”
“I will deal with him.” Aureana resumed her gallop up the hillside. Once on higher ground, she straightened her remaining flight feathers and took to the air, struggling to stay straight and unable to gain height with her unbalanced wings. She sought Shadow, ranging in circles until she spotted his dark form. He galloped faster than she had imagined possible, leaving a wake of destruction, trees torn up by their roots and the earth churned to a quagmire. Herds of horses and deer fled in panic.
Swooping low, Aureana prodded him with her horn, driving him hard until they reached a valley of bubbling lava and steaming pools hidden among mountains of rock where nothing grew. He galloped between two pillars of obsidian into a narrow gorge.
She streamed power from the sun to block the gateway and flew in a wide circle, using thermals to aid her flight around the mountains. She lapped every entrance into the valley, building a barrier of power, adding layer after layer to hold Shadow forever in its embrace.
With barely enough strength left to fly, she sought solace at the far southern ocean. Her heart broke at having to leave the unicorns to protect Equinora. But she couldn’t remain.
She plunged into the surf. Leafy sea dragons and potbellied seahorses milled around her, their camouflage blending with the kelp wafting with the tide. They blew bubbles at her, tugged on her mane and tail, and tickled her face to cheer her up.
If she couldn’t stay on Equinora, at least she could give the unicorns companions to lessen their burden of guardianship. Blowing over the sea dragons, she granted them the freedom to roam salt and fresh water, gave them long lives and the ability to communicate with other species. The aquadragons thanked her, shining aquamarine and turquoise from her love as they darted and dived in trails of phosphorescence.
With Aureana’s encouragement, the seahorses left the water, wriggling up the sandy beach. She followed and enabled them to breathe through their long snouts. As she bequeathed them her remaining power, their dorsal fins split into wings and other fins transformed to pairs of legs like those of birds. Their skin hardened and grew protective scales of emeralds and rubies, diamonds and sapphires.
The brighter the dragons’ scales grew, the more Aureana dimmed, until her body became translucent. “Befriend the unicorns in my place.”
With a flash of golden light, she returned to the spirit world.
Shadow charged up and down the jagged peaks of savage stone that formed his prison. He explored every path, every niche of rock, every gorge. There was no escape. Damn Aureana! Why had she granted him so much power without the skill to control it? No matter what he did, nothing turned out the way he planned.
He must have his freedom! He must learn to control his powers.
With few creatures living at Obsidian Caves, Shadow practiced on spiders and insects, lizards and newts. Most died. When a few survived, albeit with disfiguring abnormalities or shortened lifespans, he moved on to bats and birds. But the colonies and flocks moved away, scared of his interfering. They wouldn’t be able to help him escape anyway. Emboldened by his power, he created storms and froze waterfalls, shaped valleys and redirected rivers—anything that might break down the barrier that contained him. Nothing worked.
A wolf pack sought shelter from the northerly winds, their ribs protruding and their fur falling off in clumps. They limped on bleeding paws, their toenails worn to nothing. They barely had strength to pant, let alone hold up their heads.
Shadow welcomed them into his cavern. “Warm yourselves near the lava.”
This time he would attempt something different. Exhaling over a pile of obsidian fragments, he transformed the rock into sustenance for the wolves. The molten pile steamed, exuding the ammonia tartness of raw flesh. The pack pounced, tossing their heads back and devouring the chunks whole. Their eyes brightened.
Shadow created more food. And more, until the wolves’ bellies swelled close to bursting and their movements slowed. They lay down, heads on paws, and slept. Their bodies grew and their coats thickened, their bones hardened and their muscles strengthened. Streaks of crimson threaded their fur and their canines lengthened into great hooks.
Delighted with his success, Shadow pranced around the cavern, anxious for them to wake.
The leader stirred. “That’s the best meal we’ve had in a long while. What can we do to thank you?”
Shadow didn’t hesitate. “Travel the whole of Equinora. Send all wolves to me. And annihilate every one of Aureana’s precious horses.”