Celestia had read the note left for her by her sister on all she had learned about their dhampir guest, but admittedly it was short. Not much had been learned about the strange Prince, but there was an entire paragraph written about his eating habits and how they might deal with them. Luna’s plan to consult the Element of Kindness seemed logical, and Celestia decided she would write to Fluttershy and ask her advice after breakfast. It might be prudent, however, to simply have all of the Elements take a trip to the castle. They seemed to find it fun and their latent powers would be useful in dealing with Alucard.
Though, Luna’s disgust at Alucard’s apparent eating habits was worrying. Something would have to be done about that. Equestria had not had any visits from griffin diplomats since Luna had been reinstated as a Princess and a ruler, and it would not do for her to offend their neighboring kingdom because she had a weak stomach. It was a problem many ponies had, but it was unacceptable in a ruler. ‘Something must be done…’ the pale Alicorn thought.
Celestia was trotting down to the dining room, formulating plans all the while, when she spotted the cause of this train of thought already sitting in a chair and seemingly asleep. His eyes were closed and as she was making a new plan to scold Luna for making him sleep in a chair all night, he looked up at her.
She gave him a thorough once-over, noting his clean hair and slightly damp clothes. Celestia wondered why he was wearing the clothes at all. Maybe because he was hairless, he got cold easily?
“Did you sleep there all night? I apologize Prince Aluc—“
“I did not.” He made a note of her calling him a prince and briefly thought of correcting her, but it would only lead to uncomfortable questions of why he didn't prefer it. There was no easy way to phrase ‘I revoked my title because my father was a madman and was indisposed by the tip of my sword so I’m doubly not a prince.’ Though that only led to an even MORE uncomfortable thought. If his father was gone, did that mean he was king now? He quickly moved on from the unappetizing daydreaming.
“Princess Luna showed me to my quarters after we dined.” His voice rumbled to her.
“And you rested well, I hope?” She took her place at the table and a server brought a tea set and a selection of teas. Her eyes moved across them, trying to decide what she wanted.
“I did not.” His answer caused her eyes to flick up at him. “I have slept enough for a while.” Alucard clarified dryly. The Princess smiled at his meager humor, while his face did not move in the slightest. There he sat, the picture of seriousness. Her smile grew larger as she imagined an artist’s rendition of him next to the dictionary term ‘serious’.
Celestia decided she wanted a treat for the morning. “I’ll have the black tea, with sugar and lemon.” She turned back toward her princely friend about to broach the subject of his meeting of the Elements, but he beat her to the punch.
“If I may, I would like some new clothes. Do you know where I could find a reputable tailor?” the dhampir asked politely.
‘Perfect.’ Celestia thought with relish. “I know the very best. She runs only a small boutique in Ponyville, but her work is the best I've seen in quite some time. I would like to bring her and some others who are well-known in their community here as well, if you do not mind.”
He merely stared blankly at her for a moment before he said calmly, “It is your castle. You may invite whomever you wish to it.” Alucard didn't understand why she was asking him. Celestia was the ruler of her kind, so why ask was she asking him if she could exercise her powers? These horses were a strange lot.
Out of nowhere, paper and a quill appeared in front of her. The pen began scribbling furiously for moment before the scroll she was writing on burst into flames. The Sun Princess looked off into the distance, appearing to be waiting for something to happen. Not a minute had passed before another scroll materialized from a green flame in front of her eyes.
Quickly scanning it, her lips twitched upwards a few times like whatever was written amused her. When she was done, she lowered it and looked at Alucard again. He was watching with interest.
“They shall be here in about an hour. Is there anything you would like to do until they arrive?”
He thought about it for a second, considering heading to the library and looking for anything familiar to him but decided against it. There was no way anything from his time had survived and even if it had, he figured it would be housed at a museum. A wild thought struck him, a remembrance of his conversation with Luna.
“I should like to see the gardens.”
The white Alicorn glowed in the sunlight, and her dawn colored mane was swirling in a slight breeze. She was watching the mysterious dhampir assess the statues with his eyes. They were all works of art, their shapes hewn carefully from unremarkable rock by artists long passed. He saw old heroes, and even a few of them looked more like the ponies’ ancestors. He gave these an extra look.
“Are these of interest to you?” Celestia asked conversationally. “They are idealized stallions of old. I find them beautiful, myself. They are so strong looking, as if they could conquer the world with just the strength of their back and the speed of their hooves!” Her tone was surprisingly passionate.
“They are closer to your kind used to look like, so them being idealized at the time is not a shock. In my time, we called them horses and they were very strong, indeed.”
Her eyes widened. “Oh? Would you mind telling me about them? I bet they were great warriors.”
“They did not war unless at our behest.” He started to walk away, done with looking at them but Celestia was deeply unsatisfied with his answer.
“What do you mean ‘at your behest’?” She asked indignantly. His short statement was troubling in many ways. At her fiery words, he paused and realized his error. Of course, she would not be pleased to find out how horses had been used by man. He would have to choose his next words carefully.
“They were ultimately simple and peaceful creatures. They desired food and shelter, like everyone. We provided for their needs in return for their services.”
“What services?” She asked, with more calm. He could still see the fire in her eyes, ready to lash out again.
“Help with farming, or battle, or carrying things that humans were not strong enough to.” He didn't include humans themselves being carried, for obvious reasons. “They were integral in the survival of humankind. They were majestic, and many legends were written about their greatness.” The thought occurred as he was saying this, that the very legends that were written came true. Mythical and intelligent horses were roaming the land, though they were smaller than expected…
Celestia calmed at his flattering words. Clearly, the humans revered their knowledge and strength. She was none the wiser to his half-truths and highly edited history.
They continued through the gardens, Celestia pleased at her new insight into their ancestors and Alucard more cautious of his remarks.
Finally, they came upon what the dhampir was looking for, the Chaos being that Luna had mentioned. He stopped square in front of it. Celestia remembered what she had read of Luna’s letter. His father was a ‘predator and a being of Chaos’. She suddenly became worried about what he might do in front of Discord’s statue. Would he try to release him, to wreak havoc on their land once more? She watched, completely silent and still.
Alucard tilted his head as he stared up at the mismatched being. The Chaos inside this thing, which he had no doubt was still alive, was thin and watery. It was no wonder that the poor creature could not break out of its stone prison. It was probably all bark and no bite. He turned back toward the castle, done with his examination.
Inside the stone, Discord gave a sigh of disappointment at Alucard’s complete dismissal. He was still stuck in the blasted rock. The dhampir had POWER, and Discord imagined what fun it would've been to ruffle his feathers. Another day, perhaps…
The two immortals walked toward the castle, one relieved and one ruminating on the supposed Chaos being. Was that what was considered a threat in this age? Alucard imagined a Belmont finding Discord. They probably would've laughed as they whipped him to pieces, delighted for a day off.
“What did you think of Discord?” Celestia asked cautiously, not having the faintest idea of Alucard’s thoughts.
“I think you are quite lucky to have him as the Chaos in this world. Tell me, what did he do while he was causing trouble?”
“He treated ponies as toys to play with. He would use his mind games to manipulate and turn us against each other. Discord was evil and needed to be stopped, which was why we turned him to stone.”
Alucard dismissed his evil pranks, and latched onto the last part of her words. Why didn't they just kill him if he was so bad? Maybe he had never killed any ponies? He decided to ask, “Did Discord ever kill anyone?”
Celestia drew back with wide eyes. “Of course not. Even he would not stoop to murder.”
If that was the case, he was even more sure that Discord was no threat to him. This new world was certainly cushy, compared to his old one. He looked away from the white mare and continued his trek toward the castle.
The Princess walking beside him was disturbed at his automatic assumption that Discord was a cold-blooded murderer, the most heinous of crimes. She understood that some killed for food, but killing for sport? For amusement? She knew of no being that had committed such an atrocity. It was unthinkable. The more she found out of Alucard, the more she began to wonder…
Who is he? What kind of world is he from, to even consider a thing? The thoughts tied knots in her brain as they slowly strolled through the beautiful gardens. The lush grass and warm sun was the very opposite of Celestia’s dark ponderings.