He was a surprising stallion, this Ulrik. I could see the honesty rolling from his tongue, he spoke without care nor affection for the creation which had been crafted by his very magic, and I couldn’t help but be a little surprised by it. It made me curious as to if he was capable of any sentient emotions at all, if he could even grow to love another, to cherish and want to hold them near all the time? Or did he treat everyone about him as he treated these machines, as nothing but tools in a greater scheme? I could tell easily that his opinion of those without horns was low, he wouldn’t hesitate in disposing of them like he would this ‘scrap metal’ of a machine. But I was curious to know whether he thought of his own species in the same regard, even if just to a lesser extent.

However the conversation shifted and I was uneasily awaiting judgement to fall from his lips on my choice of Gods to follow. It was a strange reaction for me, to consider the opinion of a male so important, and yet here I was, clinging to his every word, seeking approval I didn’t know I needed. He spoke, and his words were not scornful or hating, but accepting and factual. Though he did not embrace my beliefs, he did not judge me harshly for having them, rather, he commended me for them. I raised a brow, marvelling at the cool, collected manner in which this steed was able to conduct himself. It was then that I decided I liked him, everything from his critical stare, his handsome stature and the dry honesty that spouted from his maw. Yes, he would have certainly made a fine choice had he arrived at my former homeland.

The step that brought our forms closer was not lost on me, and my own cloven hooves shuffled my lithe form closer still; I did not fear him, despite the largeness and strength of him, I held a (possibly false) sense that he would not harm me. Perhaps I was relying upon the effects of my magic too much, but he did not seem to be one who would fight without good cause. My opinion against the hornless ones shifted a few more steps towards agreeing with his thoughts more completely, despite having never crossed the path of a winged or hornless equine, I decided that I never wanted to, and that our home should be eradicated of them. Unwittingly, I was putting more trust into this engineer than I ever could muster for our King.

He asked, or rather, made obvious the fact that I was hiding something. Something dark, bloodthirsty and related directly to the matters of the Gods of which we were speaking. But my past was behind me now, now I looked upon this stallion like I might a leader, I trusted him to steer me in the correct direction. I spoke, my voice earnest and open, unwilling to hide from him anymore. “The Earth God that my herd followed yearned for sacrifice – Gods cannot bleed, I am sure you know, Ulrik. It was by our design that we satisfied his need for blood.” While I didn’t go into details – they were irrelevant now, anyway – there was a sparkling behind my eyes, as within my perfectly sculptured tiara a path unfolded before me, and I could not wait to walk it.

“The Earth God will have his sacrifice, and it will be the blood of the hornless that I deliver.” I may not have looked like a warrior. But I had other powers, powers that this stallion was experiencing, whether he knew it or not. A passion had just caught alight within me, a tenacity that would be impossible to extinguish. My voice had delivered the words in a hushed way, wanting only his ears to capture them, wanting to know his judgement and opinion – unknowingly, I yearned for his approval and attention. Upon my back, Dirk let loose a small mew, the poor child was confused by the torrent of emotions rolling through me, the hair upon his back was half-way between standing and laying flat – he too would be a part of this.

They would fall. And we would rise.