ENGINEERS CREATE THAT WHICH HAS NEVER BEEN

The crunch of snow beneath hooves and the scent of flowers roused the engineer from a light and listless slumber. Bronze eyes snapped open sharply, though his his imposing form did not shift in the stillness of the cave. The figure of a rather tiny mare was briefly silhouetted against the sun as she walked into the cave, and Ulrik's eyes tracked her like a predator. With each step closer, she seemed to get even smaller, and the stallion was pleased to see that she was a horned noble like himself.

Social normalcies were lost in the mind of the genius, so he stood, still and staring at the new creature and examined her with a critical and unforgiving eye. She was small. Almost too small, but such a flaw could be forgiven. Her emerald eyes were unnatural and therefore beautiful as Ulrik craved the unusual and rare. The mare's lithe and beautiful figure was earthen brown, though the shade changed to suit her body. Two brands, obviously representing water and the earth were present on delicate shoulders, and he found another slight flaw as he was a follower of the dark. Still, this was only a subtle flaw. The material of her horn fascinated the stallion, and he desired to know what made it shine so... iridescently. Overall, the stallion gave the mare a functional rating just under the maximum and a beauty rating at the maximum.

Though he was not one for tender smells, the blooms in her mane were rather nice. A pleasant reprieve from oil, blood and metal that he usually spent his time slaving over. She said hello. He said nothing. The mare arched her slender neck to reveal a useless, clawed creature in her mane. Ulrik mused that a single, sharp exhale from his nostrils would sent the creature waving like a fuzzy banner. What purpose could it possibly serve? Ulrik glanced to his side as his metallic cat began to wake from its mechanic slumber. The hum of the gears was music, and he grinned, rustling the long, black and bronze beard beneath his chin.

"Lotus." he repeated in his deep, growling tenor. "I am Ulrik, the Edge's Mechanic. Though I am considering defecting. I am not keen on the hornless rabble taking part in the affairs of our more glorious kind," he said. Ulrik leaned over her neck and stared down the furry creature. "What purpose does this serve?"