Irhaboggle Pride (2023) I Saw the Signs and Symbols

Unicorn

Golden horn gleaming like a star in the sunrise, a pure-white unicorn tossed its silver mane and whinnied softly. Did it know it was being gawked at? Was it showing off? As if reading their thoughts, the unicorn pawed at the emerald grass with a golden hoof and again tossed its majestic mane. Its owner was no less mysterious, grinning warmly but refusing to answer whether or not the unicorn was trained.

"There a special occasion?" The old woman instead asked, glancing casually at the family of five.

"Nope!" The father, Nicholas, smiled broadly, hands resting on the shoulders of his youngest daughter. "We just noticed that you were in town and we decided that there was no time like the present!"

"We!" Darton, the other father, snorted. His hands used to rest on the shoulders of his middle daughter, but after hearing his husband's little remark, he crossed his arms. Nicholas, however, smiled innocently at him.

"It was convenient," he said, speaking both to his husband and the unicorn's owner. "I know you've traveled close to our area before, but never this close before."

"Well, you made a good call, sir!" The unicorn's owner smiled. "I know my friend can be... standoffish, at times, but that it is only because they care so much!" She turned a teasing wink on the shining stallion and received an indignant whinny in reply. She only laughed.

"That thing's not going to, uhh..." Darton pointed nervously at the unicorn.

"That thing is my partner!" The owner's smile vanished. "Neither of us will harm you if you will harm neither of us."

While Darton looked chastized by her sharp tone, Nicholas was clearly more interested in the unicorn than the owner.

"You three are lucky!" He encouraged his and Darton's daughters. "You guys get to go up close and pet the unicorn, real close and personal, like! Maybe if you ask really nicely, you'll even be allowed for a little ride!"

"Why can't you go, Papa?" the youngest daughter asked, biting her fingernails and staring up at him with wide, inquisitive eyes.

"Unicorns don't like boys," Nicholas replied, chuckling. It's ironic that they became a symbol of the gay community when they're the opposite of gay men. I LOVE guys! He thought, grinning as the unicorn's owner herded his and Darton's three daughters over to the large white beast.

Darton fidgeted and failed not looking anxious while Nicholas watched the unicorn dreamily. Right before his middle daughter went to pat its soft nose, though, it suddenly reared away from her. Its horn glistened a dangerous gold, but that was as far as it got before the owner stepped between the three children and the unicorn. While she commanded the unicorn to relax, she gestured for the three children to back away slowly and return to their fathers. At the same time, said fathers were rushing over (somewhat).

While Nicholas wasnted no time leaping into action, skidding to a half only when he saw his children running at him, his partner was slightly more hesitant. He didn't want him or his husband to acidentally trigger the unicorn into attacking. But its owner had it under control. Several minutes later, they all regrouped, the unicorn safely back inside its stable. Now, the only loose end was figuring out what the heck happened.

While everyone else was visibly shaken, the youngest daughter looked breathless with excitement. "That was wicked!" she whispered.

"I think... It was... my fault," the middle daughter whimpred at the same time. Unlike her youngest sister, she looked on the verge of tears.

"W-w-well, wh-what did you do?" Darton asked fretfully.

"Or what do you think you did?" Nichloas interrupted gently. She was the most anxious of all, and although he was not trying to shield her from the cosnequences of her actions, he genuinely could not remember anything she did to provoke the unicorn, and he'd been watching the whole time!

"B-b-because, it- it- it wasn't- wasn't... about me... being nervous..." she sniffled. "I... wasn't sure of it myself, and I... didn't plan on telling anyone so soon, but I... don't think... No. I'm not a girl. That why. Remember what Papa said earlier? They don't like boys..."

ooo

A couple years later, Princeton smiled at the unicorn, this time at a healthy and safe distance of 15 feet away.

"I said five feet would suffice!" The unicorn's owner called out.

"No thanks, ma'am, I'm all right back here!" he called back politely, smiling, hands behind his back, rocking back and forth on his feet.

"Big baby!" His youngest sister snickered, smile nasty until she turned around to face the unicorn. Unlike her brother, she was able to waltz right up to it and it immediately started nuzzling and licking her hands, a sign of familiarity. Their eldest sister said nothing, just barely concealing a smirk at the jokes of the youngest as she followed after her to pet the unicorn. She and the unicorn were both far more relaxed this time around.

Now that we know what set it off the first time... she thought, smiling grimly as she took her turn to pet the unicorn's warm, silky nose. Although, I wonder why Pop—Princeton—didn't want to tell us sooner. I feel bad that the unicorn accidentally outed him, but surely he knew that no one in the family was going to reject him just because he's trans!

Perhaps it was "big sister instinct", but on more than one occasion, she tried to gauge how Princeton felt being outed to his family by a unicorn. He seemed to think it was the funniest thing in the world and wore it as a badge of literal pride. If he was only covering up feelings of humiliation and resentment, his older sister had yet to catch him, but somehow, she didn't think that was the case. He really did find the concept of an unintentional unicorn gender detector hysterical.

Honestly, he looks more confident and happy now than he has at any other point in his life, so if he's faking, he's the world's best. Although, it really does sadden me... I'm glad he's able to be so out and free now, but was that part of why he grew up so shy? He's still shy, but not like he used to be... Princeton's oldest sister looked over her shoulder to see him smiling serenly from his safe spot 15 feet away.

Well, as long as he's happy, I guess that's all that matters! She finally decided, then she turned back to the unicorn and smiled.

AN: Just took the old part of folklore that said that unicorns get antsy around guys. Does that include transguys?