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Hi, my name is Octicorn. As you might have guessed from my name, I'm half octopus and half unicorn. Or maybe you didn't, since Octicorns are pretty rare--as far as I know, I'm the only one.
Mom is an octopus and Dad is a unicorn. How did they happen to get married and have me? To be honest, I'm not really sure. Dad has a different story every time I ask.
Sometimes he says they met through a personal ad: "Unicorn seeks Octopus for fun, friendship, and possible strange-looking offspring."
Another time he told me that they met at a costume party where Mom was dressed as a unicorn and he was dressed as an octopus, and it was love at first sight. They had a great time talking and dancing all night, and were completely smitten. So when the party was over and the costumes came off, they were surprised but so in love that it didn't matter that they were different species.
I kind of like that story the best even though Dad might have made it up. He has what Mom calls a whimsical nature. His full name is Florian Eccentric Nostrils, and though his nostrils look normal, his personality is pretty eccentric.
Nostrils is our unicorn family name, by the way. I have a cousin named Marigold Heavenly Nostrils, and my full name is Octicorn Seafoam Nostrils. But that sounds kind of silly since I don't really have any nostrils, so I usually just tell people to call me "Octi".
"Mom, how did you and Dad really meet?" I asked one morning as Mom served me a bowl of plankton cereal with a side of fresh clover.
"Well, dear, your father decided to go swimming one day and got caught in a rip current," Mom replied. "I saved him from drowning, and when he regained consciousness, he declared his undying love for me." She smiled fondly. "Your father tends to be very dramatic, but that's part of his charm."
"That sounds an awful lot like The Little Mermaid," I said suspiciously. "Are you sure that isn't one of Dad's made-up stories?"
"What stories are you talking about?" Dad asked as he pranced into the kitchen. "Ooh, fresh clover for breakfast!"
"He was asking about how we met," Mom said, as she set a bowl of fresh clover in front of him, and sat down at the table with her own bowl of Plankton-Os cereal.
"Our love is rather like a fairy tale, isn't it?" Dad chuckled, and they stared across the table making goo-goo eyes at each other.
I'm happy that my parents love each other so much, but sometimes it's not easy being an Octicorn. I'm not quite an octopus and not quite a unicorn, so I don't really fit in on either side.
I have the body of an octopus---mostly. I only have four arms instead of eight, and I have a unicorn's horn on top of my head. I'm also white, like my dad--"pure as the driven snow," as he likes to say.
Unicorns tend to be vain and self-centered, although Dad is less so than most. He does like to admire himself in the mirror every now and then, but mostly he likes to talk about how beautiful Mom is, and what a wonderful son they have. I wish that everyone else could see me the same way.
Octopuses (or should that be octopi?) think I'm kind of weird because I don't look quite like them, and anyway, we mostly live on land because of Dad. Although we do have a really nice pool.
As for the unicorns, they also think I'm weird and not beautiful because of my octopus body. Did I mention that unicorns are kind of full of themselves? They're really into staring at their own reflections and jumping over rainbows and having Sparkle Dance Parties.
I never get invited to those parties. One day I came home from school crying because Ruby Glimmerhooves invited everyone in class to her birthday party except for me.
"Oh, honey," Mom said folding her eight arms around me in an embrace. It did make me feel a little better--octopuses give great hugs.
"Sometimes I wish I didn't look so different from everyone else," I sniffled.
Dad gently nuzzled my face and wiped away my tears, his nose soft and velvety, as unicorn noses are. "Octi, I know it's difficult," he said. "But being different isn't a bad thing."
"They all think I'm weird," I said. "The unicorns, and the octopuses too."
"Rather than weird, you are unique," Dad said firmly. "That means you're special. And someday, I promise, you will find friends who will appreciate how unique and special you are."
I knew he meant well, but it was hard to believe. "The kids at school think you're weird too," I said, then immediately felt bad because it was kind of a mean thing to say.
But Dad just laughed and said, "I am not weird, I am eccentric--and proud of it!" He pranced in place, doing a little unicorn dance, and I couldn't help but laugh along with him.
Mom laughed too and gave me another hug, saying, "You and your father are both one of a kind, and I love both of you exactly as you are!"
I felt a lot better then, and even felt a small spark of hope that maybe, just maybe, I would find a friend someday who would think I was unique and not weird.
***
Then one day, a new unicorn transferred into my class at school. She was pink with a curly blue mane and tail, and her name was Fern. Most unicorns had long, fanciful names like Lord Splendid Humility or Buttercup Sweet Meadow. But she introduced herself as "Fern. Just plain Fern."
Fern wore glasses, which was slightly unusual but not unheard of for unicorns. But instead of being elegant or stylish or sparkly, Fern's glasses were plain and sensible, with thick lenses and unadorned brown frames that were strapped around her head like a pair of goggles.
She also wasn't interested in the things that most unicorns were, like leaping over shimmering rainbows or splashing in majestic waterfalls. Instead, she was really into science: she loved math and chemistry, and coding software on her computer, and building robots in her laboratory.
The other unicorns made fun of Fern, calling her "Nerdycorn," but I thought she was pretty cool. I didn't know that much about science myself, but she did a lot of neat things with it, and I thought it was great that she was so passionate about it.
Fern was also kind and always willing to help others. She cleaned her neighbors' gutters and fixed broken items for her classmates. I had a glittery pink radio that I got for my birthday that stopped working after I took it to the beach when we were visiting Mom's family.
"Sand and moisture are bad for electronics," Fern said. "But the damage isn't too bad. I just need to clean it out and swap out this part and change the batteries...and here you are. Good as new!"
"Thank you so much, Fern," I said gratefully. "I'll make sure to be more careful with it from now on."
"You're welcome," Fern replied, looking a little surprised, maybe because our other classmates often didn't bother to thank her after she'd fixed their things.
"Ooh, look at the two weirdoes getting along," Buttercup said mockingly.
"The Nerdycorn and the Octicorn...they're made for each other," Ruby snickered, and the other unicorns all laughed.
I felt my face turn red, but Fern sniffed disdainfully and said, "Don't pay any attention to them, Octicorn." Head held high, she turned on her heels and walked away, ignoring their mocking laughter.
I hesitantly followed after her and said, "Sorry about that." The other unicorns already teased Fern a lot, and I felt like I might have made things worse.
"Why should you be sorry?" Fern asked. "You didn't do anything wrong. They're the ones who were being mean!"
"You're right," I said, cheering up. "Do...do you think...maybe we could be friends?"
I held my breath, bracing myself for rejection. I didn't think that Fern would be mean about it, but she seemed pretty independent. Maybe she was happy just doing her science experiments and didn't need any friends.
But Fern replied without hesitation, "Sure! Hey, how do you feel about science?"
"I don't know much about it," I admitted. "But I'd like to learn, and I think all the science things you do are really cool."
Fern's face lit up. "Really?" she said happily. "Nobody's ever told me that before." She gazed at me then, a thoughtful look on her face. "You know, I've noticed that you're ambidextrous...or would that be quadridextrous?"
"Huh?"
"It means you're equally adept with all four of your arms," Fern explained. "Instead of being left-hooved or right-hooved like most people."
"I'm great at juggling and dancing," I said proudly. "Though Mom's even better, since she's got eight arms."
"I bet you'd be great at science too, Octicorn," Fern said. "Want to come over to my house after school and see my laboratory?"
"Sure!" I said, excited to have made my very first friend. "And please just call me Octi."
"Okay, Octi."
***
Fern had an amazing laboratory--it looked like something out of a movie. It had a computer and a chemistry set with lots of beakers and test tubes full of mysterious bubbling liquids. There was also a computer and a small robot that Fern had built herself. She also had a 3D printer that could make all kinds of things: toys and robot parts and even cupcakes!
"After all, who doesn't like cupcakes?" Fern said as we watched the printer squirt bright yellow icing onto a chocolate cupcake and then top it with colored sugar sprinkles.
"I love cupcakes!" I agreed. "I'm pretty good at making them myself, although Mom and I do it the old fashioned way with a mixing bowl and oven."
"Nothing wrong with that," Fern said. "Cooking is a type of chemistry, you know."
"Really?" I asked.
"Really," Fern replied. "Maybe I can come over and make cupcakes with you one day."
"I'd love that!" I exclaimed.
So I invited Fern over to my house the next day. "I'm absolutely delighted to meet a friend of Octi's!" Dad said, prancing around with excitement. "Would you like some carrots? Or a bowl of fresh clover? Or maybe some artisanal hay?"
"Calm down, dear," Mom said soothingly, although I could tell that she was excited, too.
"It's nice to meet you, Mister Eccentric Nostrils," Fern said politely. "And you too, MIssus, um..."
"Just call me Octavia, Fern," Mom said.
"And I'm Florian!" Dad said. "No need to stand on formality!"
"Octi and Fern are going to make cupcakes today," Mom said. "Why don't we let them have the kitchen and go wait in the living room, dear?"
Mom gently coaxed Dad out of the room, winking at us as she left.
"I like your parents," Fern said, and I thought I would burst with happiness. All the other unicorns I knew thought Dad was weird for marrying an octopus, and the octopuses thought Mom was weird for marrying a unicorn.
Fern's own parents traveled a lot, she explained, which was maybe why she was so independent. And while they didn't understand a lot of the scientific things she studied, they fully supported what they called her "intellectual endeavors".
"They're scholars, too," Fern said. "They travel around the world studying unicorn culture and history."
"That's great," I said.
"I think so, too," Fern replied. "I'm really proud of them, and mostly I enjoy having the freedom to do whatever I want at home. But sometimes maybe I get just a little bit lonely when they're gone."
"You're always welcome to visit us whenever you get lonely," I said.
"Thanks," said Fern. "I just may take you up on that."
The cupcake making went very well. Fern explained the chemistry of cooking, and how the baking powder acted as a leavening agent that helped the cake to rise, while the salt kept it from rising too much. And she complimented me on how fast I worked--using all four arms, I was able to fill the cupcake pans in no time, and soon they were in the oven.
Mom brought us some snacks while we waited for the cupcakes to finish baking, setting bowls of apple slices and seaweed rice crackers on the table in front of us.
Fern picked up a seaweed cracker and looked at it with interest as I said nervously, "They're more of an octopus food. You don't have to eat it if you don't want to." I remembered how I had brought some to class and all the unicorns had said, "Ewww, seaweed--how weird!"
But Fern bit into the cracker, chewed and swallowed, and said, "I quite like it, actually. It has a nice umami flavor to it."
Mom beamed at her. "I'm so glad you like them, dear! I'll give you a package to take home with you."
"Thank you, Octavia," Fern replied. "That would be very nice."
***
Fern and I became fast friends after that. Sometimes I'd visit Fern's house, and she taught me how to use the computer and do some simple coding, and how to do chemistry experiments, and how to use the 3D printer.
At other times, Fern would visit my house, and we'd bake cupcakes or play in the pool or dance to music playing on the radio Fern had fixed. Sometimes Mom and Dad would join in on the dancing and we'd all have a great time.
Soon, the other unicorns at school noticed that we had become friends, and the teasing got worse.
"Octicorn and Nerdycorn sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G," they sang on the playground, then all burst into laughter.
I tried to ignore them, but Fern fumed, "I've had enough! I'm done with helping rude unicorns. The next time they need something fixed, they're on their own."
True to her word, when Buttercup's sapphire-bejeweled digital Flutter Phone broke, Fern kept her soldering iron packed away and simply shrugged.
And when the wheel on Ruby's Shimmer Bike snapped, Fern just shook her head and walked away.
They certainly didn't deserve her help, but the whole situation made me feel a bit sad and uneasy. But I didn't know how to make things better, so I didn't say anything about it, and Fern I continued working in her laboratory and playing at my house.
"You're right that it's Fern's decision whether or not to help those unicorns," Mom said when I told my parents what had happened. "All you can do is support her and be a good friend to her."
"All unicorns are a bit self-centered, though usually not malicious," Dad said matter-of-factly. "Your classmates are young and immature, but now that they don't have anyone to fix their things, perhaps they'll realize how much Fern helped them in the past and apologize to her."
"I hope so," I said, though I was rather doubtful about that. So far they weren't showing any signs of remorse.
***
A few days later, the biggest Sparkle Dance of the year was taking place. Part of me wanted to go, but Fern said she'd rather stay home and work on a centrifuge for a zero-gravity ice cream experiment.
"I doubt they'll even notice we're not there," she said.
"I suppose you're right," I sighed. "And if we did show up, they'd just make fun of us."
"This will be much more fun," Fern said firmly.
"Ice cream is always fun," I agreed, though secretly I was a little sad about missing out on the dance. Even if the unicorns teased us, I would have had fun dancing with Fern.
But it obviously wouldn't be fun for Fern, and I wanted to be a supportive friend like Mom said I should, so we worked on the centrifuge. I didn't quite understand what a centrifuge was, but if it involved ice cream, I was all for it.
We did have fun working on it, and I had almost forgotten about the dance when we heard a knock at the door. Fern opened it to find Buttercup, Ruby, and the other unicorns looking very upset.
"Fern!" Ruby cried. "You've got to come help! The Sparkle Dance is ruined!"
The other unicorns all began shouting at once:
"The confetti machine is clogged!"
"The rainbow synthesizer ran out of twinkle power!"
"The starlight bedazzler had completely stopped working!"
"We're sorry we were so mean," Buttercup said tearfully.
Fern stared at them, thought for a moment, and then slammed the door in their faces. She stomped back to her desk and began writing out some math equations, muttering, "I need to calculate the milk-to-sugar ratio needed to make ice cream on the moon."
Then she looked up at me, and must have seen the distress on my face. "You think I should help them, don't you?"
"Well..." I replied hesitantly. "That's up to you. I don't blame you for not wanting to help them after they were so rude to you. They said that they're sorry, and I hope that they really mean it..."
"But maybe they're only saying that so I'll help them," Fern finished. "And then they'll go back to being rude."
"That might be true," I admitted.
"But you would help them if it were up to you, wouldn't you, Octi?" Fern asked. She didn't say it accusingly, more like she didn't understand why I felt that way. To be honest, I wasn't sure myself.
"I guess...I still hope that we can become friends with them in spite of everything that's happened?" I said, trying to reason it out loud. "People think I'm weird because I'm different, but Dad says that being different isn't a bad thing. I'm hoping that they'll realize that too someday."
"You're a softie, Octi," Fern said, but she smiled at me. "Or rather, I should say that you're kind and try to see the best in people."
I blushed with pleasure. "Well, I try to," I said. "I think you're kind, too, Fern. You always tried to help everyone even when they weren't very nice to you. But it wasn't okay for them to be rude, and I'll support you whatever you decide to do."
Fern gnawed on the end of her pencil as she thought for a long time. Finally, she said, "I've always thought it was important to be smart, a good friend, and be willing to help others. I think that's more important than holding a grudge. So I'll help them save their Sparkle Dance--not for their sakes, but for mine, because it's the right thing to do."
"I'll help!" I said happily, and we gathered up her supplies and hurried to the Sparkle Dance.
Fern did most of the work, since I was still a beginner at all this science stuff, but I was able to assist--and my four arms came in handy.
"Hand me the multimeter and the digital calipers, Octi!"
Here you go, Fern!"
"Great, can you empty out the confetti machine and then plug in the arc welder? Now hook up those two nine-volt batteries to the rainbow synthesizer."
I touched a key on the synthesizer, and music and rainbow lights poured out of it. "It's working!"
"Almost done! Now all I need is an old soda can, some dental floss, and a bit of dry ice."
With just a little more tinkering, Fern managed to get everything working again, and the unicorns all cheered.
They gathered excitedly around me and Fern, saying, "We're so sorry, Fern--and Octi, too. We never should have treated you the way that we did."
"I'm sorry we called you a nerd--science is amazing!"
"It was so cool how you recalibrated that bedazzler!"
"We wish we could invent, fix, and create like you!"
"How hard is it to program in binary code?"
"Octi, it's so cool how you can use four arms at once!"
Fern promised to give them science lessons, and we all joined in the Sparkle Dance together.
"Octi, you are an amazing dancer!" Buttercup said.
"Thanks, but you should see me juggle," I replied with a grin.
***
From then on, no one called us names, and the unicorns invited us to join in on their dances, and gallops through fields of honeysuckle, and outrageously glittery games of horn polo. I thought maybe Fern wouldn't be interested in non-sciencey stuff, but she had a lot of fun playing with the other unicorns, and so did I.
As for Ruby, Buttercup, and the rest, they enthusiastically took part in Fern's science lessons as promised. They declared that science was as much fun as Sparkle Dances or jumping over rainbows, and soon they all had their own glitter-covered tool belts that they wore proudly.
When school let out for summer vacation, I was sad that I wouldn't see them at school every day.
"They're still coming over to my laboratory this weekend to work on the centrifuge," Fern pointed out as we sat at my kitchen table decorating cupcakes.
"Why don't you invite them over for a pool party, dear?" Mom suggested.
"Great idea!" Dad exclaimed. "We'll have music and dancing and of course, cupcakes!"
"And swimming," Mom added. "Since it is a pool party, after all."
"With floaties and beach balls!" Dad said. "And maybe some lounge chairs or beach blankets in case someone doesn't feel like swimming."
"Wait a minute," I said anxiously. "What if no one shows up?"
"I'm sure they'll come, Octi," Fern reassured me. "They're not mean and snobby like they were before. And even if they don't show up, I'll be there, and you and I can have a pool party together."
"Okay," I said. We had become friends with the other unicorns, and I knew Fern was probably right, but I still worried a little, remembering all the other parties I had been left out of in the past.
But I kept my worries to myself, and I sent out invitations and worked on party preparations with Mom and Dad and Fern.
On the day of the party, I was practically vibrating with nervousness, but then all our unicorn friends showed up chattering excitedly.
"Hi Octi, hi Fern!"
"Wow, you have your own pool--that's so cool!"
"Haha, that rhymes!"
"We brought glitter lights!"
"And chips and dips!"
"Ooh, do I see cupcakes?"
Soon we were having fun dancing and splashing in the pool and eating cupcakes, but I had another surprise when my octopus cousins showed up.
"Hi Octi, Aunt Octavia told us you were having a pool party. Looks like you guys are having a lot of fun."
"We brought seaweed crackers!"
I held my breath for a moment, but Buttercup said, "Ooh, those look interesting. Can I try one?"
"Sure!"
"They're good!" Buttercup exclaimed. "A bit salty, and a bit sweet, and very tasty."
"I want to try some, too!" the other unicorns said.
Looking a bit shamefaced, Buttercup told me, "I'm sorry I said before that your seaweed snacks were weird, Octi. I should have tried them first before judging them."
"That's okay," I said. "Thank you for apologizing. I'm really happy that we're friends now."
"Me too," Buttercup said, smiling with relief.
"Do you guys want to dance?" Ruby asked my cousins.
"Sure! Wow, those glittery lights are really cool."
Soon, the unicorns and octpuses were dancing and swimming together. My cousin Oliver pulled me aside and said, "I'm sorry I said that unicorns were weird. Your friends are actually really nice, and great dancers, too."
"Thanks, Oli," I replied. "You guys are great dancers, too."
"Hey everyone," Fern called out. "How would you feel about a Sparkle Dance party on the moon? I want to try out the zero-gravity ice cream machine!"
"What?" Oliver exclaimed. "Is that even possible?"
"It is with science," Fern declared.
"Science is awesome!" Ruby said, and the other unicorns cheered.
Soon, the unicorns and octopuses were talking about science and planning the moon dance party. I stood back and watched for a little while before joining in, basking in a glow of happiness.
"You see, son?" Dad said. "You've found friends who appreciate how unique you are."
"Yes, I did," I replied. "Though I never thought it would happen."
"I knew it would," Mom said, wrapping her arms around me and kissing the top of my head next to my horn. "Because you're my precious, one and only Octicorn."