Unicorn Genetics

“Been thinking about Silhy’s story.”

That’s the first thing my fiancée, Britny, says on a Facebook chat when I get home. “Silhy’s story” refers to a fantasy adventure novel she’s been working on for as long as I’ve known her. The inhabitants of this world all have strange abilities ranging from telekinesis and healing to invisibility and shape-shifting. Oh, and they’re unicorns. You know, those magical, happy, one-horned creatures every princess rides into the sunset at the end of yet another perfectly cheerful day of friendship and smiles. And I love it.

Before somebody demands that my ‘man card’ be revoked, let me explain: this unicorn world is not made of fuzzy sunbeams and rainbows. The characters face complicated problems. There’s war and death and outright betrayal. This is not the kind of world where a young princess can wander around safely. This is a real world with real problems, and I feel no shame admitting that it’s one of my favorite things to talk about.

I was introduced to the fantasy world of Perpetua when I was 15 years old when Britny told me about a simple, text-based online game she wanted to start. Being a 15-year-old boy, I thought it was kind of dumb, but I wanted to be a good friend, so I decided to give it a chance. I decided to create a stallion named Sergei  in the ‘neutral’ faction, and since I was the first one to do so, he became the faction’s king. Well, that’s pretty cool, I thought.

The game, though entirely text-based, was surprisingly complex. I was told that my unicorn had the power to heal injured unicorns and turn invisible. Each realm had a hierarchy of leadership positions, and there was a discussion board dedicated to combat, which I thought I’d try out. The breeding board seemed a little sketchy, but I could worry about that later. For now, I would just have to wait for more people to join and see where the game went from there.

 “Have I ever told you about how Silhy was able to turn into a dragon?”

Silhy is shorthand for Silharai, the daughter of the king and queen of the Light realm and the protagonist of Britny’s novel. I’m vaguely aware of this ability and that it has something to do with genetics. I also know that one of Silhy’s powers is invisibility.

 “Is it a genetic mutation related to the invisibility gene?” I ask.

She takes a moment to respond. “Sure.” We spend the next hour or so discussing the ancestry, selective pressures, and random genetic mutations that would create so many different powers. “I just tutored genetics last week,” Britny says offhandedly. “I am so a nerd.”

“One of the many reasons I love you, dear,” I reply. She sends me a kissing face emoticon in reply.

It didn’t take long for the trouble to start on Britny’s unicorn game. Another stallion named Azure decided to challenge Sergei for the throne. At the end of the battle, he transformed himself into a giant stone ball threw himself at Sergei at a deadly speed. We’d been battling for some time, and Sergei was weak. All I could do was dodge out of the way. We both fought well, and I knew the battle would be close.

The next day, Britny posted the results. Sergei had scored 27 points out of 30. Azure had scored 28 and took the throne. Sergei had fought well and was still in a position of power, but I felt defeated just the same. I found myself hoping I would get the chance to reclaim what I’d lost.

Britny only has an outline and partial rough drafts for her novel but, she’s already making plans for a sequel. It revolves around Silhy and two children of a Royal Light mare that goes rogue.

“It's the sister that's the problem,” Britny says. “The one I don't have a name for yet.”

“Stick,” I say just to tease her. Then I add, “This is why I don't name horses.”

Britny decides to try mixing the dragon mare’s parents’ names, Embriana and Ripitare. The first thing to come to mind is Retina, which is about as good as Stick. I suggest naming her Riboflavin, which doesn’t fly either. “I could call her Deoxy,” Britny says. “Like deoxyribonucleic acid.”

I can tell we’ve been talking about genetics for too long, but we play with it. “Well, ‘Dox’ makes me think ‘toxic.’”

She likes that line of thought. “Doxine?” she suggests. “Wait, that’s a wiener dog.”

After a few minutes, she has a name she likes. Toxine, the daughter of a rogue Royal Light and a powerful Dark king. Britny hasn’t told me many details, but it sounds like she’ll cause a lot of problems for Silhy. I can’t wait to find out what those problems will be.

The Darks declared war on the Lights, and I was worried. The fight board had new threads every day, and it was impossible to keep track of who was still alive and who had died. Sergei was no longer king, so I focused my attention on a subplot I had been developing between him and Apocalypse, and Dark stal I also controlled. Apocalypse had led a raid on the Neutral realm and killed Sergei’s queen. Sergei wanted revenge, and the war brought the two together for one last battle.

Britny was swamped from judging so many battles, so I decided to take this one into my own hands. That’s one of the things I didn’t like about the game. I felt like I couldn’t control the story the way I wanted. But this was my chance. This was my opportunity to let good win out and give the villain his just deserts.

Britny was happy to let me play out the battle the way I wanted. She knew I had too many characters and was probably happy to hear that I was willing to kill a few of them off. The duel was epic by my standards, and at the end, Sergei stood battered but triumphant over Apocalypse’s body.

It was a small victory in the overall scheme of things. The Darks were victorious, and the Light realm fell. Soon the Darks took control of the Light’s lands, and interest in the game petered off quickly after that. Within just a few days, the game was dead, and the world I cared so much about was gone. But at least Sergei had won his private war, and that was enough to keep me happy.

It’s after midnight Britny’s time, and we’re still talking about the plot of her novel. I’ve read a couple drafts of the beginning, but I’m still trying to figure out each character’s motivations. Why did Embriana turn evil? Why did Ripitare attack the record keeper? What happens after this battle? What happens to that character? The more I understand, the more I fall in love with the story and its characters.

Eventually, though, Britny needs to go. She’s flying out to D.C. to visit her family, and she needs to get to the airport. “Beware the wrath of Retina, also known as Stick!” I say just to make her laugh. She does. “Have a safe trip!”

“Goodnight, will do,” she says before signing off.

I go to sleep, wondering if any of my roommates will ask what I was doing up so late. I’m usually in bed by 11, and it’s almost 12:30. What would I tell them? “I was discussing unicorn genetics with Britny?” I smile as I picture the looks on their faces. Unicorns? Really?

As my mind shuts down for the night, I think about everything we’ve talked about. I could have taken the ‘manly’ route when I was 15, ignored the unicorn game, and missed out on all the fun we’ve just had. But I didn’t ignore it. And I did have fun, even if other guys think it’s dumb. Because unicorns aren’t just for little girls in princess gowns. They can be for people like me, too.