Howling at the Moon
Alucard was bored out of his mind. Night had descended quickly, the sunset burning itself out until there was only the blackness of night. The moon seemed later than usual, but he paid no mind to it. It rose the same as every other night, and that was good enough for him.
He was sitting out on the balcony, enjoying the coolness of the night, simply watching the fog roll across the streets when he decided on what he would do to alleviate his boredom. He peeked inside to see Twilight Sparkle tiredly hunched over a book with a stump of a candle guttering next to her. Her head was bobbing whenever she closed her eyes. It was less of blinking and more of sleeping for a few seconds before waking back up.
Seeing that she could not be paying any less of attention to him, he moved back out onto the balcony. The rustling of the tree’s leaves in a slight breeze was all that was heard before he was gone. As he was falling, he summoned some of his magic and flew away on large leathery wings, one with the night. A few bats winging through the night saw his new form and followed behind him as he floated above the town and toward the outskirts.
He passed by Rainbow Dash’s house and looked on it with interest for a moment, but was quickly set on his way again by the sound of soft feathers whispering from inside. She was apparently awake in there, night owl that she was.
Alucard didn’t know that she had stayed up all night to finish a Daring Doo novel and was in the cloud-house flying in circles to burn off her excitement after the climax of the book. He flew on.
He came closer to the outskirts and flew over a wide field of trees arranged in neat lines, with a barn off to one side and tall farmhouse. He did not stop this time, having no interest in the fruit trees. He flew further, and spied a homely cottage on a hill. It had a chicken coop and a plethora of bird houses outside it. Owls were silently wheeling about over the property, seeking to get a quick meal from the mice that made the cottage their residence. He kept moving.
The bats flying behind him regretfully broke off from his tail when he reached the treetops of the Everfree. It wasn’t their territory and they weren’t going to encroach on it, and risk becoming lunch for a nocturnal bird of prey.
Alucard flew over the forest and looked for a place to land. Spotting a clearing some ways in, he landed. Searching within himself, he located a different soul burning dimly within his chest. He set the bat aside and took hold of something a little more mobile on the ground.
Large canines smiled in the night air, and fur so dark that it shined purple in the moonlight shook itself. His red eyes searched the brush for any would-be spies but saw it was clear, and he moved toward the tree line.
The light of the full moon broke through the canopy in shafts of white that struck across his body as he moved under them. All that was seen of him when he was in shadow were red eyes, glowing like hot coals. The night was his element, and he was master of its domain.
He moved through the brush, silent as a ghost on his large, padded paws. His nose picked up the scent of animal and he moved toward it. He came upon a hollowed out tree and saw something moving about the outside. It seemed to be inspecting the moss growing up the side of its home.
It turned toward him, and caught sight of his eyes. It sucked in a breath of air, and its eyes widened. He stalked up to it, watching its knees shake and eyes draw upwards as he towered over it, even in this smaller form of his. It was a small striped pony. He watched it hungrily.
Zecora, on the other hand, was terrified. She had never seen a creature such as this in the Everfree. And while she made no claim that she knew all of the forest’s secrets, she may have thought twice about moving in if she had known this was here. It did not look like a manticore, though they were menacing in their own right. A manticore’s face could emote. It always showed something, even if it was simply happiness at finding its next meal. This creature’s face showed nothing. Its eyes were red-hot and glowing, but they seemed so cold to her.
“Whatever you mean to do, get it over with.” This was not the time to be speaking in riddles. It turned away from Zecora the instant she spoke, confusing her. Did it not mean to eat her? ‘Maybe it is a spirit… I know of no creature that has eyes such as this…’
She watched him leave, her body flooded with relief at his departure. Zecora would definitely be putting out a warning for all those that had plans to go into the Everfree. And she would most certainly be staying indoors at night from now on. She had thought she was safe as long as she was around her own house, but the things lurking in the forest were bolder than she thought.
Quick as he came, he left. He walked away from the strange zebra, making a note of where she lived and to avoid it in the future. He preferred to not be branded a monster by these creatures. If worst came to worst, he would not hesitate to feed on them. He had killed humans and they were no less intelligent than these ponies. But as long as there was food in abundance in the forest, he would stick to the animals.
So he marched on, moving through the forest like a wraith. He was not nearly as hungry as he had been a day ago, so he walked at a leisurely pace. If he did not eat tonight, he figured the exercise was good for him.
Alucard walked and walked. He walked until the sky started to light up in the distance and the stars dimmed. The moon was falling and the sun was making its approach toward the horizon. He guessed it was about 5 o’clock in the morning. The night was a bust. He was happy that he was not quite hungry yet. He had only gone hunting out of boredom, a bad habit in the making.
As he trotted back into the clearing, he reached for his humanoid form and shifted back to two legs. He did not feel like flying back and attracting a swarm of followers. He moved quickly through the low-hanging branches and thick tree trunks, brushing aside saplings and hopping over roots. He was beginning to understand why the Everfree was not inhabited by ponies. Besides containing dangerous predators, it would be easy to roll an ankle if you weren’t watching where you were stepping. While he was not sure about the hardiness of ponies, he knew that horses were like glass cannons. They had powerful legs, but an injury was either a death sentence or a very costly and time-consuming recovery.
He mused on the difference between the old inhabitants of the land and the new ones, and almost did not hear something approach. If crept closer than he would have liked before he noticed it. It was the striped pony from the previous night.
He turned his head and looked at her when she stopped a few feet from him. She was simply watching him warily. He had two options: ignore her and be on his way, or do the polite thing and have a brief conversation. He chose the latter with reluctance.
“May I help you?” He spoke softly, his expression calm.
Zecora perked up at his words, clearly happy that she wasn’t dealing with some new species of creature looking for a meal. She was already shaken by last night’s encounter and didn’t plan on having another so soon.
If only she knew the red-eyed wolf from last night was standing right in front of her.
“I see that you speak with care, so if I dare, I shall approach. Do not hesitate to tell me if I encroach.” Zecora slowly walked closer, as if to get a good look at him. She noted his forward-facing eyes, and sharp claws, so she did not come as close as she would a pony.
Alucard on the other hand, took note of her lyrical speech and wondered what the point of it was. Was it a popular thing in this day and age to speak to strangers in poetry? He dismissed his musings and eyed the small pony, looking at her gleaming, golden jewelry. It seemed unwise to be wearing such eye-catching accessories in a place where you needed to avoid being seen by predators.
“May I ask your name, and… how you style your mane?” She said the second part quietly and with a small smile.
“I am Alucard. As for my hair, I wash and comb it frequently.”
She seemed disappointed that that was all he said on the matter, and made the judgment that he was simply lucky to have such low-maintenance locks.
He made to continue walking, and she trotted next to him. He glanced down at her, seeing that she was following, and decided to not question it.
“So, do you frequent these woods often?”
‘Is… is she hitting on me?’ He was baffled by this conversation starter. “No. Do you?” He offered back awkwardly.
“I do. I know these trees backwards and forward. I must, or else I’d be in a coffin.”
He gave a snort at her smart rhyme. ‘She planned that.’ “So these woods are considered very dangerous?” He had an idea but new information wouldn’t hurt.
“Oh, yes. Ponies avoid this area, out of fear. Even coming near will throw them into hysteria. Predators roam these parts, looking for a snack. Ponies stay back, lest they become food for a wolf pack.”
“Wolves, you say? Do you see them often?” He listened intently, curious to hear what she made of his appearance last night.
“Not usually, only every once in a while… But they have guile, and if they see you, they will fall on you in a pile. So I avoid them as best I can, and always give where I walk a good scan.” She looked into the distance while she said this, like she was thinking hard about something.
At her silence, he saw an opportunity. “Is there something wrong?”
She bit her lip, wondering if she should tell him. But Alucard seemed amiable enough. He was polite and did not seem put off by her speech. There was no narrowing of his eyes, and he did not try to trip her words up to prove a point.
She sighed. “Yes. I saw something last night that gave me quite a fright. I was home, tending to the lichen that grows on my house. A huge wolf came up to me, silent as a mouse. Its eyes were like burning coal, and it seemed to have a dreadful goal. I shudder to think about it even now. Thinking back to its cold look puts sweat on my brow…”
She took a deep breath before she continued. “I spoke to the creature, and upon its features was no sign that it heard. Not a sound was in the air, not the call of a bug or a bird.”
“What happened next?” He knew exactly what happened, but her musical words made it seem like an exciting story. He had a sneaking suspicion that if she told someone in town, it would spread like wildfire. Every pony who heard the tale would pass it on, if only to keep the magic going.
“It simply… walked away. It was for sure that that day would be my last, and all my exploits would be a thing of the past. But… it was not to be. I think now that what I had seen was a wayward soul, out for a stroll.”
That gave Alucard pause. “You think it’s a spirit?”
“It must be so! No eyes of the forest have such glow. Its body was a mere shadow.”
“I guess since it’s gone, we shall never know.” At his own rhyme, she looked up to him. He was unreadable, nothing showing in his face. His eyes bore down at her without his pace slowing.
For a moment, she wondered. ‘Could he be…?’
They continued walking in silence Alucard wondered about his newfound status as a spirit, and Zecora wondered just who, and what, she was walking next to.
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Alucard, the mares love your hair...
6398633
The fc*k mothering vampire tsf version?
Dayum alucard! Get some!
Just kidding keep up the good work!
Never played this Castlevania but I've heard good things about it save for the Voice acting. But... a used game cost me about 1000 crowns as used. How much it is in Dollars or pounds, I don't know.
6642515
The one that this Alucard is from is Castlevania: Symphony of the Night for the Playstation. It was re-released on Playstation 3 and XBox 360. Price varies depending on where you get it from, sorry to say.
Symphony of the Night is widely regarded as the best Castlevania game, so I'd say that its worth it at any price. Gameplay is absolutely amazing, but voice acting and story could use a bit of work.
Nice story so far, good work.
img12.deviantart.net/129f/i/2011/303/4/6/castleluna_by_csimadmax-d4ejlaa.png
Part of me thinks that Zecora might've been a bit more stoic in her first encounter with him, but on the other hand he is pretty creepy...
6650646
That picture is actually coming from an event in the game! If you fly as a bat around other bats, they will follow you. I believe and i could be wrong about this, but if you have the bat familiar equipped, he will have a heart over his head? Dont quote me on that. Does anyone else remember that?
6652833 Yep, I always got a laugh out of the twitterpated bats.
6652833 I love it please continue