Hopeful Hooves: A Unicorn Friendship Tale

CHAPTER EIGHT: MELODY'S STORY

Now we must interrupt Charity's story to focus on another unicorn. While this may seem off topic, it will soon be of great importance.

                                                                     Unicorn Island

On Unicorn Island, the Southwest — the opposite part of Charity's home kingdom — was in a morally good condition, and the King Jet, not a unicorn at all, but a winged horse, the offspring of a horse and an alicorn, was raising two daughters: one who was his daughter by birth, and the other was his daughter by adoption.

This daughter, Princess Melody, was not a full Equinicorn, but a Zunicorn, which is a hybrid of a zebra and an Equinicorn. She was sitting next to her adoptive sister, Princess Sugar Dust, who was going to be the next ruler of this kingdom. Melody's mind wandered to the past where she came from.

She was born in the United Kingdom to a Unicorn father and a Zebra mother who were bred in poor conditions. Not that she knew anything about her father; the only way she knew her father's species was by her mother's description of him. Melody inherited the ability to change colors and her gorgeous long mane from her father, and her zebra stripes and her strength from her mother. (Changing color is a trait that one may change their color, pattern, and hue depending on their environment, emotions, and temperature. It is not found in all Equinicorns, however. It is a dominant genetic trait when crossed with a different species of equine, but if an Equinicorn is bred with another Equinicorn, they are recessive traits.)

"He was pure white, just like the snow," she would say to her foal, "but he could change any color when he was in extreme emotions. He was very kind and gentle, and he wouldn't hurt a fly. Oh, if only pneumonia didn't take him, he would be here to be with you."

Mama was captured and kidnapped from her home in Africa and was sold here, the Cirque de Fouets. It was very dirty and tight. When her baby girl was born, she would sing her foal a song that she remembered to this day:

My sweetheart, whether I am near or far,

And no matter wherever you are;

I will be thinking of you, all the time,

Because you're always mine.

She often sang it when she was distressed after being separated from her mom all day only to see her at night. She sang it in the morning and at nighttime. Because of how happy her daughter would be after singing the song, even humming the melody, that became the source of her name.

Soon after, Melody was trained at the age of 1 year. She was and often chained, which would cut deep into her legs. She was beaten with a whip if she did not understand the commands. The other animals terrified her, especially the Tiger, which Mama would sing to calm her filly. She hated her life, and she wished to be freed like the rats that would eat their food. She felt like a clown with a grin painted on a sad face.

It got worse when Mama was sold to another circus, leaving Melody all alone. She tried to be cheerful, but the sight of the trainer would trigger her anxiety and she would fail, leading to more whippings. Her usual rainbow stripes would flash into a neon colors whenever she heard the cracking of his whip. It was a terrifying experience she had to encounter every day.

She once escaped out of her cage and attempted to run away from the circus. But the trainer managed to grab her legs and carry her to her cage. 

"You horrible little ____!" he cursed. "I don't ____ want to see you ____ running out of your cage wildly again, do you hear?" he shouted. The next thing Melody knew was that his fist was on her face. "If I ever see you running out and trying to escape, you'll be sorry!" Then she fell unconscious. This left a huge gray scar for the rest of her life that she braided her white and purple mane and tail to cover her scar.

But when Melody was 2 years old, she couldn't take it anymore. It was a night, when the other animals were asleep and when the trainer was sound asleep. Melody looked out of her cage. It was open and unlocked. This was her chance!

She ran out of her cage and as far as she could away from the circus as possible. She did not ever want to come back. She slept all night in the woods.

Then a black Winged Horse flew by her while she was asleep. 

"Where are your parents?" he asked. This startled her causing her stripes to turn a bright neon blue color.

"I — uh—I have no idea," the Zunicorn quivered fearfully. 

King Jet noticed the gray scar. "What happened there? Please tell me everything. I will take you to a vet."

"I—I believe I have lost them for good—my father, Frost, he--" her mane turned a dark blue, and tears formed in her eyes. "It was pneumonia, and my Mama's been sold to another circus!" she sobbed.

"Oh, my best friend Frost!" he exclaimed. "I knew he was in the circus with his wife and they were in bad conditions. I promised to rescue him and his wife, but I didn't know this would happen. I will keep my promise and raise you as my daughter."

"No, I better go back!" she sobbed, trembling. "If I don't come back by morning, that trainer will find me and he will beat me so hard."

"Is that how you got the scar?" he asked. "Then you are never going back. You will not go through this anymore. I will protect you from this guy at all cost."

They took a ship and sailed to the famous Unicorn Island, where she discovered that she was the King of the Southwest. He introduced her to his wife and his daughter Princess Sugardust—younger than Melody herself was.

Melody got along with her adoptive parents, of course; but it was a challenge when dealing with Sugardust, an alicorn who was one and a quarter year younger than her. Melody never had any siblings before, and neither did Sugardust. Melody was quiet, shy, and timid while Sugardust was the life of the party, bold, and outspoken. But the sisters loved each other. Sugardust would always reassure Melody and Melody would always stand up for her sister.

Though Melody was having a good time with her family, she had an immense desire, and that was her real family.