//------------------------------// // Dark Dine-In // Story: Castlevania: Moonlight Sonata // by Stareyedwolf //------------------------------// The Princesses stood in the courtyard, having already dismissed the guards back to their beds for a few more hours, watching Alucard take in his surroundings. They were quite proud of their home, and relished the awe that ponies had when they visited. “How familiar…” Alucard said softly. Luna and Celestia’s eyes widened at this. “Did you ever see a castle such as this?” Luna asked with no small amount of pride, and some curiosity. “I lived in one.” Their eyes got even wider. Was he a noble, or did he serve in his castle? Or even more shocking to think about, was he a long forgotten ruler of a nation? “Oh?” Celestia found it interesting to think they might be standing with an equal. “Were you a prince?” “My father was a self-proclaimed king.” Alucard spoke quietly, still staring up at the spires of their grand home. “I… see. Was he a good king?” The Sun Princess asked cautiously, hoping for a good answer. Alucard seemed to be mulling over the question. “… He was good to his servants, and respectful to his adversaries. But that is as far as his kindness extended.” Alucard said nothing about the way his father constantly tried to subjugate others. It would do him no favors admitting his sire was filled with cruelty. Celestia and Luna looked at each other for a moment before moving to lead their princely friend inside, though calling him a friend was a little premature. The royal sisters could only hope that they weren't dealing with the son of a tyrant. They repeated his words over and over in their heads, troubled. They walked through the castle in silence, Celestia parting ways with them shortly after they entered, citing her need for rest if she was to raise the sun on time. Alucard said nothing to this but in his head, he wondered what that could mean. He was alone with Luna, walking down the corridors toward who knows where. She was bursting with curiosity but she was also cautious of him. She had not forgotten what he had said to her while their minds were connected. “I imagine you must be hungry. If you don't mind me asking, do you eat grasses?” She inquired politely. “No.” Spoken without inflection, he merely kept walking his quiet steps beside her. She grew uncomfortable at his succinct dismissal. “May I… See your teeth?” She stopped, forcing him to stop with her or wander aimlessly in search of her kitchens. He turned toward her, staring coldly into her eyes before pulling his lips back. She inhaled sharply. Inside his mouth were startlingly white teeth. Her eyes were drawn to his razor-like canines. They looked much sharper than they should, even for a carnivore. A manticore’s teeth were large and scary but they were also dull. Alucard’s teeth looked as if they could rip out a throat with less than no effort. She had been walking beside a killer the entire time with no idea. Her eyes roamed his form, taking in his powerful looking arms and nimble claws. Now that she was looking, his grasping appendages had sharp nails on them, caked with dirt from ripping his way out of the ground. She looked back up at his face and his closed mouth, no longer showing off his clearly well-cared-for chompers. Now she knew why he had been so blasé about fighting back if someone tried to hurt him. Killing was probably second nature for him. “O-Oh. Well… We will have to work out where you can get your food, then.” She may be viewed as a goddess and have great magical prowess but at her core, she was still a pony. And ponies are herbivores. They were once prey animals. And those pony instincts were still inside her, civilized she may be, and they were screaming DANGER now that she knew what he was. She showed no outward signs of fear, besides a slight quaver in her voice. She cleared her throat to get rid of that, too. “We have no meat here, I'm afraid. Ponies are herbivores and other species are our friends.” She wracked her brain on what to give him. She was positive he must be starving, and she definitely didn't want a hungry meat-eater roaming the halls, but what could she give him? He spoke up, clearing her wayward thoughts. Her eyes were locked onto his mouth, catching glimpses of his teeth hiding innocently under his lips. Until she registered his words. “Fruit and grain will do, for now. We will cross that bridge when we come to it.” While she was relieved that he was being agreeable, she did not like the way he said ‘for now’. She made a decision to contact the Element of Kindness. She took care of carnivores so she would be the most knowledgable on the subject. “Good, good. This way to the kitchens.” They continued their trek through the lavish corridors. “I hope you like apples. We just received a shipment of them yesterday morning. The finest fruit Sweet Apple Acres has to offer. They do most of their business in Ponyville, but occasionally we reserve shipments from them if only because their product is outstanding.” She was rambling and about apples, no less. He said nothing to her fruity small talk, leaving her stewing in embarrassed silence. The walk dragged on and she wished they would just get to the kitchen already. The corridors seemed miles long. When they finally arrived, having spent the rest of the way in silence, she left out a small breath of relief. “Please, wait in the dining room. I will speak to the cook and have him make you something.” She trotted a little too briskly away from the dhampir, but was glad when she burst through the door. The cook had been busy looking over his meticulously organized recipes for something to wow the Night Princess for her late night/early morning dinner. The small papers went flying as he jumped out of his coat then stood stock still for his ruler. “Chef! Please prepare a light dinner for two right away! Not a five course meal. No hay or grasses. We have a guest who hasn't eaten in a while.” His expression became determined. This was his chance to really knock the shoes off of Princess Luna’s silver-shod hooves. “Coming right up, Princess Luna!” As she slowly walked out to the dinning room, she psyched herself up to talk to Alucard. ‘I should forget about this meat business for now. He said fruit was okay, so just roll with it.’ “Alucard?” She called out, looking for his large form. She spied him sitting at the table, one leg crossed over the other and examining his dirt-encrusted nails. It was a strange configuration of limbs to her, and she allowed herself a moment to stare before trotting over to sit across from him at the table. “So… Where do you come from?” Not her finest opener but she was curious, sue her. Looking up for a moment from his nails, he assessed her. There was a moment where she thought that he would not answer, and she almost grew irritated at the rudeness. “Here, from a very long time ago, it seems.” He held her gaze, waiting for her inevitable next question. “How long ago?” This was the question that she wanted most answered. How long had he been slumbering underneath their hooves and noses, this quiet predator? “From before my time? That had to have been thousands of years ago.” He merely looked at her, not letting on that he was logging away that nugget about her. She was certainly older than she looked, but looks counted for nothing in his experience. “From before your kind grew conscious thought, when another species ruled this world.” He folded his hands into his lap and watched her choke upon her tongue. “T-That’s…! Nothing lives that long! That would have to be…” She trailed off. Looking upon the table, eyes roaming its surface, she tried to digest his words. For now, she would forget about the first half of his statement, and concentrate on the second. “The species from before us… They were dhampirs?” “No. They were called human.” She looked puzzled at this, and he explained. “My father was a different species, and my mother was human. The product of this union is called a dhampir.” His nice but not nice father… More pieces to the puzzle. “What was your father?” She stared as she saw the first real expression cloud his face. He looked angry. Something else was there also, but she couldn't place it on his strange, flat face. “He was a vampire, a predator of humans, a being of Chaos.” Now it was his turn to stare as her face took on a hard look at his mention of chaos. “We have our own being of Chaos, imprisoned in stone in the gardens.” She said this as if it was a threat. She didn't know that being turned to stone was nothing new to him, and wasn't much of a threat at all. If this being was worth his salt, he could easily break free. She was looking intently at him, trying to see if being petrified was concerning to him in any way. He looked the same as he had looked almost the entire time she’d been with him: unconcerned and cold. Huffing, Luna was trying to think of something else to say when the food was brought out. It was a simple meal. A light salad with olive oil dressing, a choice between oatmeal with milk or coarse-ground grits with a dollop of butter melting on top, and for dessert: tart apple slices with an intricately decorated cauldron of hot, melted caramel. Good to see they were putting those wonderful apples to good use. They had iced water to drink. Princess Luna was about to get started when she saw a problem. How was Alucard to eat it? His clawed hands were filthy and would make a terrible mess besides. And his face was too flat to eat straight from the bowl without getting the food all over him. “Server, what is your name?” Alucard took initiative and spoke up to one of the quivering mares who had brought out the food. The poor pony looked to Luna for guidance, and received a gesture to go ahead. “S-Silver Platter! Sir!” The mare’s eyes were the size of, ironically, platters. He smiled, and Luna prepared for the pony to faint on the spot, but he cleverly kept his lips closed. He must have learned from Luna’s reaction to his pearly whites. “Do you have any clean spoons that the chef uses to taste the food?” “Uh, y-yes?” Silver Platter looked confused by his request. “Bring me two of them, if you please.” Alucard was polite, so as not to frighten the mare even more than just seeing a bizarre monster at the table already had, yet he spoke with an authority that she was familiar with. “Right away!” The mare trotted off quickly, and banging around was heard through the kitchen doors. Returning quickly, she carried a serving plate on her back with two spoons on a napkin. He took them gently from her back, unintentionally giving her an eye-full of his long, sharp claws. He had just succeeded in scaring her senseless once more. “Thank you, Miss Platter.” She squeaked a ‘you're welcome’ back to him and galloped away, almost losing her serving tray in the process. Luna stared after the terrified pony, then turned to her food. Alucard was starting in on oatmeal, ignoring the salad completely. The meal passed in silence and their bowls were soon clean. Alucard stared at the apple slices and waited patiently for her. Luna used her magic to grip the long fork and speared the tart fruit, dipped it into the thick caramel and tried futilely to not spill it anywhere before it reached her mouth. She always managed to get it all over the table. The dhampir paid no mind to her mess and speared his own slice, expertly rolling the fork between his fingers to make the caramel not drip onto the table. If there was anything his mother drilled into his head in her short time with him, it was table manners. He cupped his hand under the steaming slice to catch any wayward strings of sugary concoction. Luna watched with a small amount of irritation, and a larger amount of envy, at his perfect technique. Who ever heard of a carnivore with manners better than a princess? He ignored her glaring, silent as the grave except for the crunching sounds of the crisp fruit. He made no comment when she copied his technique. He merely ate his apples as if she wasn't there. When he finished, he took his napkin, wiped his mouth politely and sat with his hands folded in his lap. Luna finished the slice she was on and signaled for the plates to be taken away. The servers were more composed than Silver Platter had been, but were obviously cautious around the Princess’s oddly shaped friend. Whether it was because they were professional ponies who did not want to offend, or because they had also spied the talon-covered things attached to his forelegs, was not clear. Once they were done bussing the table and back in the kitchen, Luna stood up from her chair and began leading the tall dhampir toward the guest rooms. She decided to try for small talk again. “Did you like the apples?” She glanced at his face. Alucard didn't look at her when he answered. “They were very good.” Well, it was a positive answer. ‘I'll take that. At least he didn't complain.’ She no longer knew what to say, her one idea for conversation evaporating before her eyes. Luna was beginning to see a pattern, in that he would only answer direct statements and questions. His answers would be short and to the point; he cut right to the quick. At least it wasn't far to the guest wing from the kitchens. As they plodded along in silence, Luna took the opportunity to study her dhampir guest. He was leaving a trail as he walked that was different from the way Celestia's and her own main and tail swirled in the cosmic winds. She made sure he wasn't looking, which was not hard as he was completely ignoring her, and tried to scoop some of it up with her magic. It raced from his magical field back to her own, making her almost jump out of her skin. Dropping the energy quickly, her horn was still crackling painfully with energy even though only a small amount touched her. Alucard stopped and slowly turned his head to look at her. She was holding a hoof to her forehead and her eyes were watering. Looking up at him, she caught his expression. One of his eyebrows was raised and his lips were somewhat pursed. She had the feeling he was giving a look that said, ‘Are you quite finished?’ Luna blushed intensely. That had been a rookie mistake on her part. One would think that her age, she would have learned not to go poking her horn into random magic fields. “My apologies. I was curious about your energy signature.” He gave a soft exhale through his nose, and made a sweeping gesture with his hand. “Let us move on.” Walking forward, she trotted briskly to catch up and once again lead the way. The walk continued, with Alucard letting his eyes roam the castle fixtures and Luna analyzing the residual magic left in her horn. The Night Princess rolled the magic around and across her senses. It felt chaotic in a way similar to Discord, but darker. That was all kinds of worrying. When they reached a door larger than the rest, she opened it with her magic. The flow of it expelled the darkness she was analyzing inside her horn into the air where it disintegrated unseen. She let it go without fuss. “Here is where you can stay. This is the largest room we have, built for stallions of some size. The bathroom is through that door. Celestia will want to discuss some things with you in the morning, I'm sure. She will be up with the sun. I hope you have a pleasant night, Alucard.” She then took her leave. The dhampir ducked under the door, still way too big for the pony-sized entrances. He was glad he could stand up inside the room, though. He had a feeling this would be an ongoing problem in this new age. Quickly shedding his tattered clothes, he made his way to the bath. It was a small porcelain tub standing on shining wrought hooves. They had carved long fetlocks onto them, which would give it a primal look to ponies. He admired the craftsmanship for a moment before turning on the brass knobs. While the tub was filling up, he searched the rest of his new quarters. The room was lavish, probably meant for important guests. The bed was covered with silky sheets that would probably go unused while he was there. If he was to sleep, he would need to procure a coffin. His own was merely dust in the ground. It had degraded around his sleeping form long ago, back into the earth that is was originally grown from. Even if he could sleep in the bed, it would be uncomfortable. It was too small for his extreme height. The chest of drawers and desk were made from dark wood, and there was a multitude of candles around the room. There was an iron heater in the corner that had a small stack of wood beside it. He moved to the balcony, heedless of his own nudity, looking out at the view. There was no one out to see, and he doubted the ponies would care much about seeing his body. If their own rulers walked around stark naked, then the people probably did, too. The bathtub was getting close to filled so he went back in and carefully lowered himself into it. He couldn't stretch out, not even close, but the steaming water felt good regardless. He grabbed the soap and began the long process of washing. As he scrubbed ruthlessly, the water became blacker and his skin became whiter. The room was filled with the flowery scent of the soap, and the fruity smell of the shampoo. He wondered why it had female cleaning products in a male room but chalked it up to ponies preferring it over musky scents. Other than that, he had no idea. He raised himself out of the tub and toweled off, looking at his discarded clothes. They were dark and grimy with mud. He wouldn't be surprised if he found dead worms in them. Fat lot of good it did to get clean if he was just going to put those rags back on. He COULD go around naked like his hosts but if he had to run, it would be unpleasant. And while he didn't mind walking nude in his own room, Alucard knew he be uncomfortable showing his manhood to females. Even if they WERE sentient horses… He came up with a plan. First, he drained the tub. Then, he began filling it up again. He was going to gently soak them in water, then put them by the wood stove in the main room. They wouldn't be clean from only a soak but he didn't want them to disintegrate from the harsh scrubbing they needed. He would be presentable until he could find a tailor. While the tub was once again filling, he went back to the balcony and sat on one of the chairs. The sun was slowly rising above the horizon. Once his clothes were acceptable and sun was higher in the sky, he would meet with Celestia. Until then, he watched the sunrise for the first time in uncountable years.