> Castlevania: Moonlight Sonata
>  by Stareyedwolf
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Meeting Under the Stars
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

There were many wild places in Equuis, where magic permeated the air and land. But none so wild as the Everfree. No harmony reached these woods. The weather moved in ways unknown to pegasi, the magic was older than any unicorn teachings, and earth ponies could not make the trees bear fruit. They did so according to their own wishes. Even the Alicorn rulers held no sway over the land in that place. The sun rose and set according to the Princesses but that was the limit of their control over the miles and miles of trees.



“Lulu, what is wrong?” A regal figure asked softly, mane billowing in an unseen wind. The white Alicorn was worried about her sister, Princess Luna.

“Tia, I have sensed something and I know not what it is.” Luna was looking out of the balcony into the night, but her expression was not her usual admiration as she looked at her stars. The dark mare was troubled, that much was plain to see.

“Sensed something? What do you mean?” Princess Celestia was puzzled. If there was a ripple of some kind in the magical field, she was confused as to why she herself had not also sensed it. Unless, of course, it was something only Luna could sense. 

“It is dreams. Always, I have sensed them. No matter what time of day or night it is, there is always somepony sleeping. This never bothered me before, as I assumed there was always random ponies taking naps throughout the day. But… Now I wonder about it.”

Celestia turned her head to try to spot where her sister was looking, but Luna’s gaze was not fixed. She was combing the Everfree with her eyes. What on Equuis was she looking for in there?

“What do you think this dreaming is, if it is not just our ponies?”

Luna’s face turned frustrated. “I do not know. I sensed a spike of awareness, a lack of dreams you could say. There was no one in my perception dreaming. This, in and of itself, should be no problem. But I became curious. Who was this last pony to wake up? I searched for the signature, but it led me not to a city or village in civil Equestria. It led to deep within the Everfree, where nothing resides with such complex thought.” 

Luna paused to gather her thoughts and Celestia had a feeling of unease. It was a hunch, a feeling in her gut that told her that whatever Luna was going to say next would take them down a new path. While the Princess of the Moon was ruminating on what to say, Celestia spoke up.

“Do you believe there is a pony living in the Everfree alone?” Celestia did not like what Luna implied with ‘there was ALWAYS somepony sleeping’. Was it something that was older than her, dreaming even as she was a filly? Luna had said ‘always’...

“I… do not think it is a pony. Nopony could have been sleeping for so long. I felt it has been slumbering for a very long time. The dreams are old and sluggish.” 

The Sun Princess was growing more concerned with each passing word. “Did you look into them?” Celestia almost hoped she had, if only to have more information, though she knew it would have been dangerous to look into something’s mind that was older and potentially just as powerful if not more than she was. 

“I tried…” Luna spoke quietly, making her sister ashamed she had hoped for such a thing.

“What did you see, Luna?”

“It was utterly alien. All I remember is strange architecture and stranger beings. But as I said, it has been asleep for a long time, longer than anything should be and yet live. Everything was blurry and distorted. I am glad it yet sleeps. I only got the chance to look because it fell back asleep shortly after it awoke. I—“ Luna cut herself off and her face became intense. 

“Is it awakening?” The question became redundant when Celestia stretched out her senses. It felt like Discord almost, a crackling energy racing down her horn.

Luna abruptly flapped her wings, taking off in a hurry. “Luna, wait!” Tia had no choice but to follow as Lulu sped toward the Everfree. She was apparently tired of waiting and discussion. She wanted to see for herself what had laid in wait their entire lives.



Princess Luna was growing more anxious by the second. They had been flying for a long time over the forest. She stopped her scanning of the ground to look out at the horizon. Accustomed to the night, she could see clearly by only the light of the moon and stars. What she saw was a vast wilderness, stretching on infinitely it seemed. She had had no idea that so much of the land lay uncharted. She had never bothered to look.

Celestia was flying behind her, and had long since stopped trying to talk her younger, more rash sister out of confronting what could be a very dangerous enemy head-on. Luna started descending, and Celestia’s anxiety grew. Was this the resting spot of a powerful foe, or friend?

As they sank below the tree line, they were puzzled at the unremarkable ground. Surely, there would have been a marker of some kind? But there was nothing. Just grass and undergrowth. Celestia and Luna conducted a cursory search of the earth underneath them. Again, they nothing nothing that would indicate a living being.

“Is this it?” The Sun Princess asked cautiously. “Maybe it's underground…?”

The question answered itself as the ground they were standing on shuddered. The Alicorn rulers jumped back in fright as what could only be described as a claw burst from the earth. Before they knew it, a second one burst up as well and together they heaved. The ground bulged up and they could only watch as a creature older than all of pony civilization was revealed.

It stood to its full, massive height. It was very tall, and the Princesses now learned what it was like to look up at somepony, even if it wasn't exactly a pony. It had a flat face for the most part, it's nose not on the same plane as its mouth. It seemed to be hairless except for a long and curly, white mane covering the top of its head. Rags hung from its long and powerful looking  limbs.  It's eyes were yellow and framed by white eyelashes. They surmised that it's face would also be white if it weren't streaked with mud.

Luna stepped forward, acting more confident than she felt. Celestia saw the hard look in her eyes, and lunged up to whisper in her ear. 

“Lulu, we must be careful with this creature. Try not to rough it up too badly.” Her words and tone was light, but her eyes spoke volumes about the anxiety she felt. The magical energy she was picking up from this thing was intense. Celestia held Luna’s eyes until the younger nodded.

“Creature, be you friend or foe?” Luna spoke with authority. The thing, which she assumed was a female by its long mane and delicate eyelashes, merely stared at her. There was no sound in the forest except the rustle of the tree leaves from the soft breeze. As the moments passed, Luna was getting more and more irritated. Was the mare-creature ignoring her? She knew that it was intelligent, that much was clear from the dreams she saw.

“Sister, it might not speak our language. Didn't you say this creature is very old? Tongues change with time.” Celestia spoke soothingly. Luna instantly realized her folly and blushed. If this thing had been sleeping as long as she thought, then there would be no way it would speak modern Equestrian.

“I knew that…” Luna thought she heard her older sister snicker mischievously but ignored it for now.

Her horn lit up and she gently brushed the creature’s mind with her own, trying to give of an impression of peace. Even if it turned out to mean them harm, she would not stoop to pushing her way into this strange mare’s mind. Her domain was dreams, which of course were located deep inside her beloved ponies’ heads, so she knew how sacred a creature’s inner most thoughts were. 

Celestia left her to it, not anticipating conflict but ready to leap to her sister’s aid should it prove dangerous. Luna was the most cut out of the two of them to impress their language onto its mind.

Luna’s probe was clinically assessed and found without malice, and granted access to the tall thing’s thoughts. ‘Being, what do you call yourself?’ The Moon Mare asked.
‘Alucard…’ A distinctly deep voice answered. Outwardly, it showed no reaction to her. 

‘Do you mean pony-kind harm in any way, shape, or form?’ Luna asked with trepidation. This was the moment of truth.

‘No.’ A simple answer, but a definitive one as well. Luna released a sigh of relief out loud, and Celestia calmed. ‘I will not harm them, as long as they do not harm me.’

Luna’s scowled at this. ‘Is that a veiled threat?’ She asked, angrily.

‘No. It is merely a statement of my intentions.’ The mind went back to silence, unfazed by her irritation at his (she was quite sure of it being a he, now) blunt wording.

‘I see... I shall teach you our language so we may speak properly.’ Luna dumped data into its mind then withdrew. It could sort out the information itself.

There was silence for a while. The Alicorn rulers assumed it was compartmentalizing the language but when it continued in silence, Celestia tentatively trotted forward to her sister’s side and spoke up.

“What may I call you?” The Sun Princess asked, feeling awkward but outwardly showing a grace that had become second nature to her. 

“Alucard.” Silence reigned again. Celestia abruptly thought that when Twilight met him (and she had a feeling it would happen sooner or later), she would be stumped.

“I am Princess Celestia. Pleased to make your acquaintance. And what manner of being are you, Alucard?” 

“I am a dhampir.” The undoubtably masculine voice answered, but the word meant nothing to her. 

“Well, let us come out of the cold. We shall take you back to the castle, if that is acceptable to you.” Celestia’s tone seemed kind, but was not a question. It was the same motherly tone she used with her ponies, which Luna thought was a little inappropriate. The Moon Princess would have to tell her that he had subtly threatened, or ‘stated’ in his own words, that he would not be adverse to dishing out punishment to those who picked a fight with him.

He moved toward them suddenly and strangely. It seemed like he just floated across the ground for a few steps but when the Alicorns got their wits about them and looked down at his legs, he was walking normally. Well, normally wasn't exactly right. His form was blurred as he moved slowly forward. It seemed like he was leaving a bluish trail of energy behind when he walked. 

Well… That was certainly something. The royal sisters had a feeling that a being such as this would cause quite the stir in Canterlot.

The chariot they summoned came as quick as it could considering the distance,and picked them up. It was pulled by tired looking pegasi who were startled awake when they saw Alucard. It was a tight fit for the dhampir, who looked ever so slightly bemused at their ride when he first laid eyes on it. He didn't smile, but Celestia thought she spied some small amount of humor in his eyes. She didn't know if she was imagining it but she preferred to think he had emotions, even if he didn't show them.

The pegasi huffed and puffed as they pulled the heavy form of Alucard. He most likely weighed more alone than what two pony princesses weighed together. There was no way all three of them would be able to fit in the small chariot, much less be pulled by the already tired flyers. 

The flight back to the castle was long and hard for the ponies pulling the chariot, but seemed short to the Princesses. They had much to think about. Who was Alucard at his core? Was there more like him, sleeping deep in the ground and waiting to be awoken? Or was he the only one, alone for as long as he may live?

Thoughts plagued them as they soared through the night sky, stars twinkling overhead. Only time could answer these questions. 


> Dark Dine-In
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

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.

> Bright Gardens, Dark Thoughts
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

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.

> A New Friend?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alucard had requested some papers and a quill to sketch some basic designs for his clothes while they waited on Celestia’s guests to arrive. He had a passing thought that his current action gave off the impression of picky tastes and an uppity attitude, but he could live with that. He preferred the term ‘selective’. 

Celestia was in her study doing some paperwork. The dhampir had no earthly idea what it was that Queens, or Princesses in this case, did regarding bureaucracy and the running of a country. His father had been less concerned with making laws and more concerned with conquering mortal lands, fending off the Belmont Clan, and bolstering his monster ranks. 

Therefore, he did not disturb his host and let her figure out her ruling affairs on her own. 

He surmised halfway through a sketch of a suit that there was no trends he had to conform to. He tossed that one out and began with a more complex outfit that he was familiar with. 

Alucard didn't have much done, only a few drawings because of their complexity, by the time a servant knocked on his door and alerted him that the guests had arrived. He gathered his crude sketches and walked leisurely down the corridors, led by a young mare with her mane in a tight bun. He did not ask her name, and she did not attempt conversation. He used the time to imagine the Princess’s guests.



Before Alucard had been collected, Princess Celestia greeted the Elements personally. They all bowed before her and exchanged pleasantries, then got down to business.

Pinkie could not contain her excitement over meeting a new pony and immediately started asking where he was and rambling about parties and how ‘I have to get out the invitations right away by the way here's yours and yours and yours and—‘. On and on she went, pulling little envelopes out of her frizzy mane and stuffing them into her friends’ hooves and even mouths on a couple occasions.

“Pinkie Pie, I do not know if that is a good idea.” Their fair princess spoke, halting the hyper pony in her tracks.

“What? Everypony deserves a party! If they don’t have a Welcome Party, how will they know they’re welcome? What if they don't get one and think they aren't welcome and get all depressed and leave and then we’ll never see them again and everypony will think to themselves ‘why didn't we just have a party!’ And then WE’LL be depressed and—“

“Pinkie, our new friend is very… quiet, you could say. And I think having a party with everypony in town would overwhelm him. Why don't you have a small party? Just you and your friends, and he can meet the others on his own terms.”

Pinkie got a far off look on her face, and scrunched her eyes. “A small party…” The cogs in her frizzy head were already spinning, thinking of ways she could make a small party fun. It wasn't her usual style but she could make it work.

“Rarity, our new friend needs some clothes. He is quite a big fellow, though.”

Rarity looked surprised at this. Why was the Princess telling her this? Maybe this stallion has some taste, she thought excitedly. “I would be honored, Princess! I'll just need his measurements and then I can get started right away!” 

Celestia turned to address somepony else while Rarity started making patterns in her head. “Fluttershy, our guest has a particular taste in food, and I think you would be most suited to telling him where he can get it.”

“M-Me?” The buttery pegasus asked quietly. Her talent was animals, so unless… Fluttershy gulped.

“Twilight Sparkle, our friend is not familiar with this land, so answer any questions he has. Though, I do not think he will ask very many. He catches on quite quick.”

“Yes, Princess!” Twilight Sparkle agreed wholeheartedly. She would attack this new task with everything she had.

“And Applejack, Rainbow Dash… Show him friendship.” Celestia smiled kindly to them. She did not know any tasks she could appoint to them specifically, and could see the disappointment in their eyes, even as they agreed without question.

Just then, a mare led someone down the hall. “Everypony, this is Prince Alucard.” Their eyes locked onto his knees confusedly, before traveling slowly up his form. It occurred to Twilight that Celestia had never said their guest would be a pony, so she couldn't reasonably be shocked.

Pinkie ran up to him without hesitation and stuck her hoof out, “Hi! I’m Pinkie Pie!”

He looked down at her with calculating eyes, shocked in his mind that these were Celestia’s guests. He bent way down and grasped her small hoof in his hand, knowing that the others were watching. “Charmed.”

The rest slowly trotted up to him, wary of him but trusting that their Princess would not introduce them to someone dangerous. They had no idea that even Celestia herself was a little wary of him. She hoped, in time, that Alucard would open up to them just like Twilight had. 

She could see Rarity asking about his style preferences, to which he handed over some papers. Celestia tried to pay attention, but her thoughts were on the way he had stared up at Discord’s statue and what he had said about the evil maniac. He was calm as ever, and if she could pin an emotion to his tone: rueful. ‘I think you are quite lucky … Did he kill anyone?’ Troubling indeed, but she would not judge him. Not yet. She would do what she was best at, trust her ponies. Nothing bad had come from that. They came through for her time and time again.

Celestia came back to herself. “You will all dine here tonight, and leave in the morning. Alucard, may I speak with you a moment?”

He walked over to her, and leaned down at her gesture. “I would like you to accompany them to Ponyville. I feel it will be more suitable, considering your need for meat. Fluttershy should be able to direct you on what is and isn't prudent to eat. She cares for many animals that are carnivorous.” 

He turned and gazed upon the shy pegasus with her butterfly adorned flank. ‘She cares for predators?’ Alucard felt a new respect for the pony.

Celestia continued whispering in his ear. “Many species in Equestria are intelligent, and hunting them would be murder. Another thing, please do not go into the Everfree without a guide. I know you woke up there, but it is still dangerous. It is uncharted land.” She narrowed her eyes at his snort, but said nothing. 

Alucard immediately disregarded her warning. He had faces countless monsters, and even made them his lunch if he was so inclined. He had no fear of a ‘dangerous’ forest in this sugar-sweet world. That warning was probably given to everyone, but they were most likely the natural inhabitants in this land. What was dangerous for ponies that didn't even come up to his waist was completely different than what he considered a challenge. He noticed Celestia’s glare and pointedly ignored it. If she thought a mean look would change his mind, she was a fool. 

After a moment, she wiped the look off her face and looked back to her ponies, who were all talking excitedly about a slumber party in the castle.

“Now, my friends,” she noticed their pleased looks at being called friends, “Prince Alucard will be accompanying you to Ponyville. Please show him a wonderful time. I will see you tonight at dinner.”

They took that as their cue.  After a bow, they walked away. They were all thinking about their tasks, except Applejack and Rainbow Dash who were chatting to each other.

Alucard began to walk away, though where he was going was a mystery to Celestia. In actuality, he had no destination. He was just planning on walking around until nightfall, and maybe going to the library if he could find it.

His thoughts were consumed as he strolled leisurely to nowhere about the ponies he had met, and the supposedly dangerous Everfree forest. He was unaware that the Princess was watching his trail disappear down the hall, and thinking her own thoughts about dangerous things in the forest. 

He had emerged from the very ground of where ponies were unable to walk safely. She wondered if that was a sign. ‘It seems every time I speak with him, I only have more questions.’




INTERMISSION 1

The ponies filed into the dinning hall, all with rumbling stomachs. As they took their places at the table, Alucard was up in his room and watching the moon rise. He wanted to get out of his room but didn't want to interact with anyone, so the easiest way to do that was head out his balcony. He looked all around to make sure no one was watching, before slipping smoothly into one of his other forms. His outline wavered and shrank, and with nary a sound, a large bat flew off the balcony railing.

Luna was walking the grounds, letting the cool night air wake her up. She was thinking pleasant thoughts filled with the starry skies and the bright moon. Suddenly, she thought of Alucard and how harshly she had judged him for his scary teeth, and felt bad. Her sister had given her a scolding for possibly causing offense earlier. She would have objected from the fact that Celestia was not her mother, if she hadn't seen the truth to the words.

The dark mare noticed a large bat taking a rest on a statue, and trotted up to it. “Hello,” she called softly to it. It spun around looking alarmed, caught sight of her and immediate took flight. “Wait!” She yelled after it, but it was gone into the night.

Alucard, meanwhile, was flying away from her into the night. ‘Are even bats sentient in this world?! Am I expected to converse with ponies as a bat, even?! Heaven above… Next time I'll just turn into a poison cloud and any silly pony who walks in and tries to speak does so at their own risk!’

Luna looked at his dwindling form, unaware of his fuming. “Oh well…” She sighed and continued on her walk through the grass, humming a tune all the while.

> Tension on the Tracks
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The train ride was smooth and he was told that it would be short, but it seemed to go on forever. The wheels clacked across the tracks and gave him all the time he didn't want to think about how thirsty he was. His throat burned and his eyes watered. He took a sip of the ice cold water in front of him. It soothed him, but it wasn't what he wanted. The small and colorful ponies were spread across the train. Twilight Sparkle was reading a book, Applejack and Rainbow Dash were bantering so loudly that he could hear them in the other car, Rarity had been sketching furiously while studying his own crude scrawls when he left her, Pinkie Pie was muttering about party arrangements and cake sizes, and Fluttershy had been studying him curiously.

Alucard sat in the dining car, and wondered when he would finally be able to indulge himself. As if she had sensed his thoughts, Fluttershy peeked her head through the door. She didn't come in any further, and seemed to be wrestling with what to do next. He turned toward her and stared at her patiently. This only seemed to make her more nervous. 

Minutes passed, before the dhampir took the initiative. Any other time, he would have stubbornly stayed quiet until she worked up the nerve, but his mouth was a desert that scorched all the way into his empty stomach. “May I help you?”

Fluttershy gained some courage suddenly, and slowly walked up to his table. What Alucard didn't know was that she had remembered the Princess telling her that he needed help. Even if it was to hunt animals, the word ‘help’ rang out to her.

“U-Um… The Princess… told me…” She trailed off, lowering her head. Alucard resisted the urge to roll his eyes at her overly meek bearing.

“Would you like to sit down?” He waited until she took the spot across from him. “Now, I am not familiar with this land. If you could tell me the proper places to hunt, I would be most grateful.”

“O-Oh! Well… Ponies don't h-hunt, so I wouldn't really…” She visibly trembled under the weight of his stare. ‘His eyes are so cold…’ She thought feebly.

“Surely, there are predators living in this area?” He swallowed a few times, hoping to get some saliva down his throat, anything to clear the terrible burning. But he had none. He had slept for so long, the ages passing him by effortlessly. He had been running on empty for centuries, if not longer.

“Well, yes, but… They live in the E-Everfree… No pony goes in there. It's too dangerous…”

“Then that is where I shall go.” He looked out the window again, calmly taking a sip of water. 

“You can’t! T-There’s manticores and… and timberwolves and cockatrices! Even hydras!” Fluttershy realized she was effectively yelling at him, looked at his annoyed face staring back at her, and shrank as low as she could into her chair. She cowered before him, hooves and mane in front of her face.

“I assure you, they are no threat to me. If it is my safety you are concerned about, then you have my thanks. But do not trouble yourself about it. However, if it is your safety that worries you, do not worry. I will not let them escape me.” His deep voice was rough with his hunger, barely more than a growl. 

Fluttershy whimpered in her chair at the barely contained violence in his words and tone, not believing what she hearing. Was he actually planning on going after one of those deadly predators? She peeked out from behind her pink mane and spied him licking his lips. What she thought was anticipation of his kill was merely because of his chapped lips. 

He was staring out the window, and saw a town on the other side. The train began to slow, so he quickly downed the rest of his water and stood up. “I believe we have reached our destination. Thank you for your insight.”

Fluttershy felt that the conversation had gotten away from her in no time flat. What she had been hoping to talk to him about was what was safe to eat, but had she inadvertently caused him to want to hunt fellow carnivores? Sure, they weren't quite sapient… So he was TECHNICALLY allowed to eat them…

Alucard pulled open the car door and ducked through it. Fluttershy followed him out, quietly trying to get his attention as they walked down to where the others were. He either didn't hear or was ignoring her altogether. The poor pegasus’s constitution was rapidly deteriorating and she began to sniffle. 

‘Those poor animals… They probably only have a few foals a season and if he starts killing all the parents… No! I can't let that happen!’ She dove in front of him, making him stop abruptly. He stared down with a scowl.

“May I help you, Fluttershy?” He rumbled quietly at her. Like a storm in the distance, violence was distant but still a possibility.

“You can't eat those predators!” At her shout, her friends in the car who had been oblivious to them looked up in shock. 

Alucard gazed down at her in silence. Her eyes were full of tears but fierce. He could sense magic coming from her gaze, compelling him to stand down. It enraged him. This frail little pony was trying to cast a spell on him!

“What do you think you are doing?” He asked, his tone louder than it had been the entire time he had been awake. His face was scrunched in anger, sharp teeth bared. He didn't have the patience or the presence of mind to realize what he was doing. All he knew was that he was hungry, his throat was on fire, this tiny creature was getting in the way of his relief by trying to cow him with her puny magic. The very thought offended him deeply.

Fluttershy weakened momentarily before she stared at him twice as hard. 

“You think to use magic to bend me to your will? Very well. Let me show how it's done!” His eyes turned bloody red and glowing, and he loomed over her. Her eyes turned from angry to scared. His usually calm blue aura was turned as red as his eyes, and she could feel that that distant storm was now completely over her. Every pony in the car was transfixed and their coats stood on end. They could only watch as Alucard, the elegant Prince who had been cool as a cucumber and completely unmovable, hovered dangerously close to violence.



Her stare was broken, and the unshed tears fell from her eyes unbidden. She whimpered piteously, defeated in less than a second. Sensing the cutoff of magic, he instantly stopped his own. The storm had passed. 

Everypony who had been consumed by his thrall was let go and yelling broke out. They all swarmed the now sobbing Fluttershy. Alucard took his leave in the chaos, walking out of the stopped train into the streets. Rainbow Dash was fixing to go after him, buzzing with energy and wanting vengeance. 

“Wait! Let me talk to him!” Twilight Sparkle said to her friend, hoping to stall her. She ran out after the dhampir before Rainbow Dash could argue.

Twilight Sparkle saw him ahead of her, briskly walking through town. He didn't seem to care that everypony was staring at him in shock. She galloped full speed at him, and caught up a little too quickly. Her head smashed painfully into his legs. 

“Ouch!” She rubbed her horn, looking up at him. He was frozen in the street. “Prince Alucard—“

“What?” He answered before she could finish. “If you come expecting an apology, then you are mistaken. I will not give one.” He turned around, looking at her with angry eyes. She gulped.

“Well… If you won't apologize, at least explain to me what that was all about!”

He paused for a moment. “Your friend tried to thrall me,” Alucard spat. 

“Thrall? What is that?” Twilight watched him breathe deeply. ‘What the hay did Fluttershy do that caused this?’

“A thrall is a type of mind control. Has she ever stared at something or someone and they immediately bent to her?” Alucard was calming down slowly. Apparently, they had no concept of this type of mind control. He supposed if they had no idea, then it made sense that Fluttershy would show no etiquette. She probably used it all the time without realizing.

Twilight thought hard. In truth, she had seen Fluttershy do things like that with large and dangerous animals, but assumed it was because of her special talent with them. “Well… Yes.”

“She tried to do that to me, bend my will to her. Excuse me if I get a little offended at that. Not only is it dangerous to the person she is doing it to if she is unskilled, it is a cruel and cheap tactic to get your way when people disagree. Do you understand?”

Twilight understood perfectly. But still… “I get it, but you could have explained that to her instead of making her cry like that. She was probably just trying to help.”

Alucard’s expression clouded with disbelief. Was this pony trying to scold him? “Forgive me, I was distracted by her attempt to rape my mind. I will impart a saying that was common where I am from. ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ It means that the punishment is equal to the crime. She tried to thrall me, so I did the same to her.” He turned away from Twilight’s gaping mouth. “If you will excuse me, I require food.”

Twilight watched him walk away, toward the forest. She had a feeling that Fluttershy would be crushed when she learned what Alucard had told her: in that every time she had used the stare on an animal, she had been using mind control. No animal she had used it on became friendly of their own will. Fluttershy had imposed that onto them.

Twilight had also learned that Alucard was harsh in his judgements. His elegant and calm demeanor was hiding a terrible temper, waiting to lash out at those he was angered by. She stood by her earlier statement. If Alucard had just calmly explained instead of punishing Fluttershy, then her friend wouldn't be crying her eyes out.

The clop of many hooves filled her ears, signaling the arrival of her friends. Twilight Sparkle sighed, not thrilled that she would have to explain this debacle to not only her friends but also Princess Celestia. To think that this day had started so happy, only to end so terribly. And it wasn't even lunch time.

> Lunch and a Show: I
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alucard walked softly under the leaves, sunlight shining down. It irritated his skin. In his weakened state of hunger, the sun was beginning to burn him. Ordinarily, he would not even notice it. Now, he was a common vampire. As much as his father was a tyrant and a madman, his blood did have its uses, but now he was without those benefits.

He sniffed deeply, trying to track down SOME kind of animal. All he smelled were the trees and flowers. He could hear something rustling in the brush not far from him, and wondered why it didn't smell like the usual. Alucard chalked it up to his weakness, and padded silently toward the sound. His eyes were wide and his mouth was watering. 

He burst through the trees, and grabbed ahold of the neck of whatever was in front of him. His eyes raked over it, only to find it was… Wooden? 

The struggling creature was made entirely of logs, but it was shaped like a normal wolf. Fluttershy’s words came back to him. ‘A timberwolf, I'd guess. Whoever named this thing must have thought they were quite clever.’

He came back to himself and found the poor creature drooling sap and twitching in his grasp. He dropped it to the ground, utterly disappointed. The thing started hacking wet coughs, worse for the wear but still alive, if only barely. Alucard moved on, no longer interested.

The dhampir stalked through the underbrush, silent as the grave he had crawled out of. He walked and walked, smelling and hearing nothing. His sharp eyes looked under every bush, but it seemed like the animals were avoiding him. He would need something big and confident in itself, both to slake his thirst and to not run at the sight of him.

He faintly heard a stream and decided to make a pit stop before he continued on. He was about to blindly push through the bushes to the water, when the wind shifted. Then the scent hit him. It smelled musky and warm. ‘Finally!’ Alucard thought with relish.

He crept as quietly as he could, so as to not startle his soon-to-be lunch. He didn't feel like playing with his food and just wanted to get it over with. His eyes and aura once again took a red hue. Like a bat out of hell, he burst through the undergrowth and onto the creature’s back. 

The manticore didn't even have time to wonder what was on his back, before Alucard grabbed the large, maned head and gave it a harsh twist. It dropped, no muss and no fuss. 

The dhampir started ripping out chunks of its mane so he wouldn't just get a mouthful of hair, and when he had cleared a patch, happily went to town. The animal hadn't yet breathed its last, and was only paralyzed. But Alucard soon took care of that, as he slowly gulped down every last drop of blood it had.

The hunter had become the hunted, without even realizing it. The beast was dead before he had even known what hit him. 

Alucard felt wondrous, his most primal urge satisfied. His belly was pleasantly full, and his throat had finally stopped feeling like he had swallowed coals. He sat back, noting the sloshing in his stomach. That amount of blood would last him a fair while. He smacked his lips and wiped his chin. 

He scooted over to where he guessed the animal had been drinking from the stream, and looked into the water. He had been a little messy, so he set to washing his face. 

After that was done and he was once again presentable, Alucard examined the remains of his meal. It was certainly a manticore, but… Cuter? It didn't look much like the one he had seen in Castle Vania. ‘Did evolution make EVERYTHING more adorable? How does it even threaten anything with those dull teeth and dumb look? Though, I suppose it must be fearsome compared those ponies…’

The thought of evolution and its wiles entertained him while he started on his way back to Ponyville. He took his time, no longer uncomfortable under the sun. The light streaming through the leaves was beautiful, and the grass under his feet was lush. 

He spied birds and squirrels in the trees, looking at him cautiously. When he made eye contact with them, they instantly took flight or scurried away into their dens in fear. This didn't bother him.

It was a pretty day, the sun was shining but the shade was cool. He took his time on the walk.

> Lunch and a Show: II
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rarity, meanwhile, was fretting over her task. She loved making clothes and would have been giddy to make some for Prince Alucard, but was now having regrets. ‘The strange creature sure has a temper’, she thought. 

Rarity was conflicted over his coldness. To make the clothes, or to not make them? Though, Princess Celestia DID command her to outfit him. That settled it for her right there. She shook her head to rid herself of her doubts and once again consulted his sketches. They were crude, but she easily saw the shapes that would go into the clothing. She had a passing thought about his fashion. Almost every part of his body would be covered when the outfit was finished. Was that normal for his kind?

As the fashionista stared at the paper hard enough to burn a hole in it, she began to get into the swing of things. Just when she was getting out her supplies and pondering what would go with his mane color, the door bell chimed. 

“I’m sorry, we’re closed today. If you could come back later, I—“ Rarity finally looked up from her fabrics and looked directly at… legs? 

He looked down at her with an unreadable face. Her eyes went to his slightly tangled mane and she was overcome with the urge to grab a brush.

“Lady Rarity, I realized I did not give you a color scheme.” His voice was quiet, and his eyes were raking her boutique. She found it a little rude that he wasn't looking at her while he was talking, but his polite tone made up for it.

“O-Oh! Yes, I was just wondering about that, actually.” She lifted the fabric she holding for him to inspect. His eyes locked onto it, and he strode forward. Rarity was more than a little intimidated by his size, but most of her fear was because of the outburst he had on the train. She had been terrified by his glowing red eyes and his tall form looming over Fluttershy, sharp teeth bared in challenge.

He reached out a hand and smoothed his fingers over the cloth. It felt soft, but it was a little flimsy. He supposed with the ponies’ fur coats, they didn't wear clothes for protection or modesty. It was a purely aesthetic choice. He would have to make do for now. Anything was better than the tatters he was in now.

“Well, what do you think? It's my best!” Rarity said with relish. Alucard looked down into her big eyes filled with pride. 

He merely gave a slight sigh and said, “It is soft.” Retracting his hand, he could see disappointment and some confusion over his lack of a response in her face. 

“Just soft?” She shoved it at him and gave a slightly strained smile, trying for a better answer, but he dodged without effort. She barely managed to avoid landing in a heap but quickly straightened out, checked her mane, and adopted a dignified stance. 

“Ahem. Well then.” She said as she trotted back to her workspace, keeping her nose in the air. But when she turned her head away from him, she was smiling. There was a myriad colors laid out, all bright and lively. Alucard wrinkled his nose a little at them, but quickly adopted a blank expression when the clothier whipped her head toward him. 

“I would prefer dark colors. Black, with red or gold accents. The accents aren't as important as the main color, however…” He trailed off, noticing her gaze lingering on his head. “Are you listening, Lady Rarity?”

“Yes, yes. Black, with red or gold. Though I think a robin’s egg blue would better suit your eye color…” She continued to rake her gaze around his head, but avoiding his face. 

“May I ask what you are looking at?” He asked a little sharply. She blushed lightly.

“Oh. Well, your hair is a little…” Rarity waved her hoof vaguely. “Let me just fix it!” A brush was whipped out of nowhere and flew at his head. At the same time, she rushed at him and jabbed him in the stomach with her horn. His rump hit a stool that had been thrust under him with the same magical grip she had on her hairbrush.

Alucard felt his dignity seep out of him piece by piece, as he suddenly found himself being primped by a small unicorn. This meeting had taken a turn he wouldn't have expected in his wildest dreams. 

“You have a wonderful mane, darling. You should take care of it better. I have all kinds of shampoos and product you can put in it that will make it so it never gets tangled again!”

Alucard could think of nothing to say to her sudden change of attitude. First, she was timid around him. Then, she starts giving him a hairdo? He had no idea that was just how Rarity was around people. Dramatic and always about looking sharp. If there was a bed head around her, the owner better watch out, because she was coming at them armed with combs and straighteners and hair rollers. It didn't matter what she thought of them. She just could not abide a pony not looking their best.

“Tell me, what DO you put in your hair? It's very silky!” She asked him excitedly. 

“I used the shampoo in the guest room at the castle.” He replied slowly, baffled that this was actually happening. 

“Oh! I have to ask the Princess what she puts in those rooms! Your mane may be tangled, but it is SO smooth! You have great potential, Prince Alucard! P… Prince…”

That’s right, she thought. He was royalty, though where his kingdom was she had no idea. And here she was, Rarity the seamstress, brushing his hair. She quickly finished, and stepped around him. His mane was mostly straight, though white curls framed his pale face. Now that he didn't have a bed head, all she had to fix were his clothes and then he would be a proper Prince.

“Now, why don't we get you out of your tatters! It must be better to be simply naked than were those rags.” 

His eyes widened at this. ‘Not even dinner first,’ he thought. When her magic started pulling at his clothes, however, he became a mite more serious.

“Now, Lady Rarity, I do not think—“ He felt his pants slipping and grabbed onto them. 

“I assure you, Prince Alucard, you would better off without those. Let me just—“ 

“On the contrary, I think you will find me much more suitable with them on.” He could feel the already threadbare cloth fraying in his hands as they fought for control of his pants.

“Do not be difficult, it does not befit one of your standing! Please, Prince Aluc—“ She choked off her words when the pants ripped in two. The Prince’s eyes closed, and he pinched the bridge of his nose. 

Rarity’s eyes were the size of dinnerplates. She looked up at his annoyed expression, her red face visible through her fur. “Oh. I can fix that.”






> Somniliquous
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alucard didn't know where to go now. He wandered the town, his hastily sewn-together pants a stark contrast to his eons old shirt. His belly was full, and the sun was making him drowsy now that it wasn't burning him. Even if he could no longer be hurt by it, he was still a nocturnal creature by nature. His body was whispering in his ear to sleep, and awaken only when the moon rose. 

“HELLO!” A voice yelled by his ear, scaring him out of his groggy state. He whipped his hand around and grabbed whatever had just destroyed his eardrum right out of the air. He looked at it and saw that it was that pink pony he had met at the castle. She was trying to talk around his hand, but was having no luck.

Alucard dropped her head and she landed in a heap. Quicker than even Pinkie Pie could start talking, he was gone. He went from holding her head to walking away and moving down a side street faster than she could get out the first word. 

As Alucard shook himself of that little encounter, he moved out onto another wide road. Pinkie Pie was searching for him not far away, but he was confident he gave her the slip. He looked up and spied a large tree with windows and two small balconies. Out in front of it, there was a sign that showed only a picture of a book. 

He gave a small exhale and walked up to it. If he was correct, this was the town library. ‘What else is there to do?’ Pushing open the door, two purple figures looked up in shock. It was Twilight Sparkle and some other creature. It looked like a little, pudgy dragon with no wings.

“I would tell you to come in but you already have.” Twilight said with a nervous smile, but there was a hint of steel in her eyes.

“Is this a public establishment?” Alucard challenged her back. She nodded at him, confused on where he was going with that statement. “Then why would I knock? Are you selective about who can read your books?” 

Twilight’s jaw dropped. She gaped at him as he began to move around the room and trace his fingers on the spines of her books.

“Hey, you can’t—“ the dragon spoke up, but he was halted by Twilight. She just shook her head at her small charge.

“Let me handle this, Spike.” She whispered. Louder this time, “Spike, this is Prince Alucard. He's new around here.”

“What's he a prince of?” Spike asked with curiosity. He was still a little hot about Twilight being talked down to, but he would put that behind him. He was a big dragon and had to act like it.

Twilight opened her mouth, but halted when she realized she didn't know. She turned her head to Alucard and was about to ask when the strange being spoke.

“My father was King of the Vampires, and the Prince of Darkness.” He spoke without a wit of interest in his voice. He didn't even look at them when he said it, just kept on moving methodically down the bookshelves. 

Both Twilight and Spike choked at Alucard’s words. ‘Prince of Darkness? That doesn’t sound friendly!’

The older of the pair questioned him, “Darkness, you say? Could you, uh, tell me about him?” Twilight hedged around it. She didn't want to upset Alucard, but she had to know about whether or not he was a threat. He had a temper, she had seen it for herself. But that didn't make him evil… Or so she hoped.

Alucard, himself, contemplated her question. His hand halted from tracing its path down the books. What could he say about Dracula without garnering the hatred of this peaceful species? It would be inconvenient if they came after him for deeds so far in the past, even if he was complicit in some of the evil acts.

But he was in a relatively good mood, blood still sloshing around pleasantly in his stomach. So he would humor the poor thing. “What would you like to know, Lady Twilight?”

“Well…” Twilight was expecting a rebuke for trying to pry, and hadn't prepared a question. But she wouldn't pass this chance up. “What was he like to you?”

“He was a loving father to me and a good husband to my mother. He treated those under him with respect.” 

She felt relieved at his words, but it didn't last. Alucard continued, “But make no mistake, he was a monster at his core. When all was stripped of him, he lashed out violently. He was a creature of Chaos, and the touch of his hand was poisonous.”

Twilight swallowed and felt herself beginning to sweat. This was Alucard’s father? “You keep saying ‘was’… What happened to him?”

The Prince’s profile looked thoughtful as he said quietly, “There was once a holy book among the species known as humans. One passage said, ‘Those who live by the sword, die by it.’”

Twilight looked down at the floor, then remembered something. “Your wisdom is pretty dark. ‘An eye for an eye’…”

“That was from the same book. My father was fond of it and read it when he thought no one was looking. I think it reminded him of something, but I do not know what. I picked up my own copy sometime after his death and read it quite frequently. Humans thought vampires were abominations and should all be killed. I find it a little ironic that he was fond of a book written by his hated enemy.”

Twilight was sweating buckets, but chilled to the bone. This conversation was a little much for her innocent mind. Hatred and death were dark subjects never talked about in a pony’s day to day life. Violence and the thought of murder… Just where was Alucard from?

“Prince Alucard… How far away is your homeland?” She looked up at him and met his eye. He gave a small smile to her but it was gone in a flash. 

“Do not worry, Lady Twilight, you have nothing to fear from humans or vampires. They are all far, far away from this place.” He looked down and saw the little dragon clinging to her leg with wide eyes. It was positively tiny compared to him. Dragons could become huge, so this one was probably a baby. 

Twilight and Spike breathed sighs of relief. She decided to move on to other topics. “Can you tell me about where you were from?”

Alucard had a feeling he would never find a book at this rate, so he decided to end their conversation. “Not now. I tire of talking.” 

Twilight was both disappointed that she couldn't learn more, and a little relieved that she didn't have to listen to his disturbing life. She was broke from her thoughts when he asked, “Is there somewhere that is completely black? A basement? A tomb, perhaps?”

“A tomb?! What do you want to do in a tomb?!” She yelled in confusion and horror.

“Sleep, of course. I can only sleep where it is completely dark and silent.” He was a little bemused by her obvious disgust of him sleeping in a tomb. ‘What is it they used to say? Don't knock it till you try it?’

“You aren't sleeping in a tomb! We have a basement, but you shouldn't even sleep there either! And why do you need to sleep anyway? It's the middle of the day!” She shouted at him, her voice going high-pitched in her horror. She could just see it now: NEW HEADLINE. STRANGE CREATURE FOUND HAUNTING THE FAMILY CRYPTS. Panic would spread like wildfire.

“Because I am nocturnal.”

“Oh. Well. I'm sure we can find somewhere that isn't full of corpses.” She would just use her considerable brain power to figure out where he could sleep.

“Do not worry. I can dig a hole in the ground.”  He was getting more and more exhausted as he spoke.

His words only made her even more horrified. “First, you want to sleep with corpses. Now, you want to be one!”

“I will not die. Air is no problem for me. I do not need to breathe.” With that conundrum of a statement, he began walking outside.

“Don’t… Need to breathe?! Of course, you need to breathe! Everything does!” Twilight chased after him, and saw him by the roots of the tree sinking his claws into the ground like butter. He was throwing huge clumps of dirt behind him.

“Not me.” He turned toward her sputtering face. “I told you my father was a creature of Chaos. He was not alive the same way you are, and neither am I.” 

“But—but—but—“ Her mind was boggling, and her heart was racing. ‘He DID say that…’

“Twilight, over here!” Spike called her. When she trotted over to him, he held a piece of parchment for her. “Why don't you write a letter to the Princess about everything you learned? I'm sure she'll know what to do! Don't worry about that guy. If he starts dying under the ground, he'll probably just bust right out. He doesn't seem the type to kick it from taking a nap, no matter how bizarre the bed.”

Twilight looked over her shoulder, and saw that Alucard had successfully excavated himself a hole and was laying in it. He started piling the dirt back onto himself, starting with his legs.

“I guess… Take a note, Spike!” He whipped out a quill, already inked. “Dear Princess Celestia…”

Completely covered in the earth, Alucard let the weight of it push out the air in his lungs. He relaxed quickly, and slipped into a light snooze.



> Red Tide Rising
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alucard’s mind drifted. It was dark, but he could tell he was in an ocean. Ripples marred its otherwise glassy surface. It was black all around him, but he could clearly see himself. The trail he usually gave off was much more powerful, and blue energy swirled around his hands when he looked down at them. 

A presence made itself known. The moon appeared above him, large and beautiful. It was different than the one he knew from before he had slumbered in the earth for all those millennia. It was bigger, and the craters in its surface formed a unicorn’s head. 

From the mare’s eye came a speck, falling like a tear, and it dropped down toward him. It sped like a comet headed straight for him. He observed it taking shape, and when the glow surrounding it died down, he could clearly make out who it was.

Princess Luna looked resplendent before him, her starry mane moving like water around her head. She lowered herself toward the earth, not realizing that it wasn't there. 

Her hooves sank into the ocean underneath her, and shock washed over her face. She flapped her wings to get out of it, but it seemed to be pulling her in. Hands made of the viscous liquid that Alucard was standing in without problem grasped and clawed at her, and began to drag her under.

Once she was buried in it up to her chin, he addressed her. “Princess Luna, what are you doing here?”

“Get me out of here! Unhand me at once!” The more she thrashed the further she went under. Soon she was spitting it out, and sputtering. 

“Calm down, Princess. Have some decorum.” At his cold words, she grew quiet and still and began rising back out of it. 

“What is this stuff, Alucard? It doesn't taste like water.” She was standing in it like him now, and it was clinging to her fur like glue but was slick and slimy.

“That's because it isn't.” He said nothing else, and didn't answer her. He knew that if he told the truth, she would become horrified and panicky. “Now, I ask again. What are you doing in my dream?”

“I am Princess of the Night, and my domain is the stars and all who sleep under them.” She said pridefully. She tried to adopt a regal pose, but it didn't work as well when you had to crane your neck upwards instead of looking down at them.

“That may be true, but it is not night and there are no stars. I am sleeping during the daytime.” At his words, she looked away quickly. 

“W-Well… That is to say…” Luna struggled to come up with an answer that didn't admit that she was spying on him. Most ponies didn't even realize she was there when she wandered through their dreams, and being caught so quickly and utterly left her flustered. “I… was simply making sure you weren't having a nightmare! It is one of my duties as Princess.”

Alucard hummed, not buying it for a second. But he would let her be for the time being. If she wanted to wade through his mind, he wouldn't stop her. She had done it once before when they first met, and when they touched mentally, he had detected not a single trace of malice in her. Perhaps she had made a good impression?

Or maybe, just maybe, he wanted to see how long she could take it in his head. A more sinister part of him wanted to see if she figured out what she was covered with and standing up to the ankle in, and what her reaction would be.

He sank down into the ocean suddenly, and started floating peacefully in it. His hair spread out behind his head like a fan. “As you can see, this is not a nightmare. I am quite at peace.”

“Yes… I can see that…” She was looking at the ocean beneath her, trying to puzzle it out. 

Alucard could almost hear those dusty wheels creaking in her head as they turned. He stared up at the moon and saw a slithering figure shoot across it? ‘What was that?’ He thought curiously. Luna heard his thought and looked up at the moon, herself.

“What was what? We are alone here unless you are dreaming of somepony else.”

Alucard was silent, already dismissing what he had seen as his mind playing tricks on him. Being aware that he was dreaming meant nothing. A dream was a dream. Things happened without reason here.

He looked toward Luna, and could see that she was starting to shake. “W-What are you looking at?”

“You do not seem comfortable here.” He spoke calmly. His eye was drawn behind her head. He could make out another speck, red this time. It was drawing steadily closer.

“I-I am… F-Fine!” She yelled irately at him. Her mind felt distorted, like it was being pulled at the same way her body had been. The physical body she had left behind in her room was growing farther and farther away. ‘What is happening?’ She thought in fear.

Alucard huffed slightly, realizing his fun was over. That was quick. “My mind is not the place for you. We are too different. If you stay here much longer… Let us say only that you will regret it.”

He could clearly discern that the red speck was humanoid now, but he could make out who it was. Inside the swirling red energies was a burning white mass. It had the shape of a man but without a face, there was no way to tell who it could be. 

He kept his eyes on the mysterious being who was getting very close now. “Go now, Luna! Before you lose the ability to leave!” 

“There is no dream—that I can—not conquer!” She yelled, completely delirious. The figure drew up behind her, and Luna’s shaking suddenly turned to vibrating. Her whole body was blurring at the edges. She seemed to realize something was there and looked up. 

The creature bent over her. Slits appeared on its face and opened up. Big, black eyes looked into hers. They were like a yawning void that beckoned her in. Alucard could not see what she was seeing. Whatever it was shocked her so bad, her mind abruptly disconnected from his. The strength of her passing jarred his sleep.

Alucard's body twitched awake under the ground. He arose from the earth like a zombie, and began wiping the dirt off himself. 

Looking up at the sky, he could see it was now red. The sun was slowly setting, though he could not see the moon anywhere in the sky. Looking around, he spotted Twilight Sparkle staring up at him, a book was laying open on the grass in front of her. Spike was next to her, holding a handful of gems up to his mouth. 

“Have a good nap?” Twilight asked quietly. Her eyes were wide, like she had been startled when he burst out of the ground.

Alucard was quiet for a moment, watching the sunset light up the sky. He ran through the events of his short dream. Luna appearing, a snake running across the moon, a mysterious figure, Luna bursting through one side of the wall of his mind and out the other…

“I do not know.”

“You don't know if it was a good one? Why not?” She asked with curiosity.

He did not answer her question, but asked one of his own. “Do you have a bath I could use?”

Twilight was predictably distracted by his subject change. “Oh, yes, of course. You ARE pretty dirty now…” She stood up and motioned with her hoof. “Follow me!”

Alucard took one last look at the sun, then walked after the small pony. 'How odd...' 





> 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.

> Digging Graves for Blades
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alucard and Zecora parted ways at the treeline, having spent the few short minutes left of the trip in silence. It was going to be a windy day, and he scowled into the breeze. His hair whipped around his head, tangling into knots. If there was one thing that he hated about his long hair, it was the fact that even the slightest stirring of air could tangle the curls into mats. Huffing, he walked into the fierce winds, as if he was competing with nature itself.

He continued wandering until he spied the cottage he had flown over the previous night. The animals moving freely about the lawn and the stream bubbling close-by made for a picturesque scene. He half expected a woman to come out of the door, dressed homely but with a face that betrayed nobility. Abruptly, his thoughts were drawn back ages through time to a woman who wore silks and satins, her hair like spun gold, with dirt under her nails that contrasted her fine clothing. 

His eyes locked onto a figure rounding from the back, a bag of seed in her mouth. It was the yellow pegasus from the train, Fluttershy. She hopped up onto her hind legs to pour the seed into a bird feeder, and then moved back to watch a few songbirds sing happily about their new food. Setting the feed-bag onto the ground, she smiled softly at the birds. The look in her eye almost endeared her to Alucard if only because he had seen the same passion for animals, birds in particular, in the same person he had just reminisced about. 

He moved forward toward the scene, cause the birds to fly away in fright. Fluttershy was confused for a moment before she spied him in her peripheral. Fear came into her eyes and she ducked her head, not daring to look him in the eye after the blowout of their last encounter.

The animals around her scurried away at his approach, until it was just them. Wind whipped around the two and the creek bubbled. After a minute of silence, Alucard turned toward her house, and he felt Fluttershy flick her eyes up at his profile. She could only look at him when he was facing away from her. 

"I once knew someone who loved animals. Every time I would see her toiling away with them, I could not help but admire her dedication to the creatures." He didn't know why he was telling her this. He was rambling, filling the heavy silence between them.

Her voice quavered up to his ears, "It is not easy work, but it's satisfying."

"She thought so as well. She had an especial love for birds of all kinds."

Fluttershy looked up at his profile, his eyes locked onto something far away. "I try to love them all, even the scary ones."

Alucard turned towards her again, catching her eye and holding it captive. "I..." He trailed off, not knowing what to say, and took the easy route. "I shall take my leave of you, Lady Fluttershy. I shall let you attend to your duties." He bent at the waist in a bow, and moved away from the pony. He felt foolish, getting caught up in times gone by and rambling about friends who had died so long ago that mountains had crumbled and new ones sprung up from their remains. 

I must be getting senile in my old age, he thought. He was so old that the system of keeping time had changed from hands to hooves. There was really no telling how long he had been alive. For some reason, he was glad that he no longer had a number to put to it. He feared how many digits it would have. 

Alucard moved purposeless across the grass, Fluttershy's eyes trained on his back. The animals were slowly moving back to crown around her hooves. She was puzzled by the strange Prince, and wondered why he had come to her. After a moment more, she returned to her duties and listened to the birds trilling their songs, as they had for far longer than she realized. 

The songs had changed over time, but Alucard was sure that Maria would have loved them all the same.
> Tangling Threads
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alucard made it back to town by the time the sun had fully risen. The air was still cool and misty, the grass and leaves still wet with dew not yet burned away by sunlight. He wondered who could be up yet, and saw only ponies he did not recognize. He passed a large red pony, setting up a stand with apples of all kinds and states. Applesauces, jams and jellies, small pies wrapped in paper with a larger one set for display in clear glass cake stand. Whole apples of different colors were shined to perfection and sitting in a wicker basket. The pony was meticulous in the placement of his wares, like he had done this many times and had long ago worked out the perfect system of how to fit the many products on the stand surface. 

Alucard passed him, catching his eye. The pony looked up, taking in the dhampir's expression with a critical and discerning eye and then looked back down to his stand. The pony knew a customer when he saw one and Alucard was definitely not a customer. A pony with bright fur and a dark red mane pranced up to him, smelling of flowers. She struck up a conversation, with most of the talking on her end, and the tall Prince was forgotten from his mind.

Alucard moved with purpose down the streets, twisting and turning through the town. His destination came upon him, a large carousel-shaped building with pony mannequins wearing long flowing gowns for parties or more modest clothing. 

He ducked through the door, and saw Rarity fussing with a cobbled-together mannequin that was distinctly bipedal. “Lady Rarity,” he began, announcing his presence in his deep voice. She jumped, spinning in place to see him. 

“Prince Alucard!” One of her front hooves came up to pat her freshly curled mane, though it was  more out of habit than actual worry for the hair. “I was just wondering how to get ahold of you today.”

“I am glad to have saved you some trouble.” He bent at the waist slightly, giving a small bow. He had no idea if she knew what the gesture meant. Ponies most likely showed deference in a completely different way.

“Not at all, good sir! I merely wanted your approval on the pieces.”

“Pieces?” He questioned suspiciously. He had not been awake for even a week’s time and he was already steeped in debt. 

“Well, yes…” Rarity responded, sheepish. “I got a little inspired and made more than one. There were so many parts to just one outfit! It was like a dream come true!”

He merely huffed out of his nose, and moved further into the shop. “Very well. Show me.”

Rarity gave an excited little shuffle before she got down to business, and began her showing. She had made it all. From capes to coats, all the way to cravats. Buttons and embroidery elegantly decorated the pieces and added a personalized flair to them. 

He spotted a small area with a screen that he could change behind, though it would cover only up to his stomach. He could not help but mumble, “What is the purpose of a changing screen when ponies are nude to begin with?”

Rarity seemed surprised at his question. “To make it a surprise! You go behind the screen, put on your outfit, and come out a new pony. It’s like a game.”

Alucard hummed in acknowledgment, and moved behind the screen to put on his first choice. As he was dressing, he heard the door open again, the small bell giving a chime. Rarity looked over to the new customer while Alucard worked on becoming decent again. Though he felt Rarity had given him too much and had no idea how to repay her, he was very glad to be out of the torn up rags he had been wearing before.

“Welcome to Caro-- Rainbow Dash? Whatever are you doing here?” Rarity asked, confused. She knew her friend wouldn’t come to her shop if she could help it. It was a terrible shame, in Rarity’s opinion. The mare had a delightful mane if she would only take proper care of it.

“Trouble in the Everfree. Fluttershy is a wreck, but what else is new.” Rainbow said bitterly. Her eyes flicked over to the tall prince who was stepping out from the screen. Rarity followed her eyes but was overcome with an entirely different emotion.

Alucard walked a little taller. Lady Rarity certainly knew what she was doing. Outfitted in dark colors that contrasted his white skin and hair, he looked and felt regal. Looking down to Rarity, he gave an uncharacteristic smirk.

“Your work is impeccable, my Lady.” He gave a bow. Rarity picked her jaw off the floor and twirled her hoof, indicating he spin to show the full outfit. The long cape strapped to his shoulders flicked and whispered around him.

“Dear Celestia, I have outdone myself. You look marvelous! We should burn those tatters you had on. You look every bit your title.” She paused for a moment, simply staring at him before she squealed in delight and did a little jig.

Rainbow Dash was not as effected with joy as her friend. She had a scowl on her face. Fluttershy had been a wreck after their fight on the train, and here Rarity was giving him a new wardrobe and making him look nice. 

Twilight had explained that Fluttershy had done something magical on accident and Alucard had been reacting to it the only way he knew. Something about cultural differences. What Rainbow knew, however, was that Fluttershy had been trying to protect her animals friends and Alucard had yelled at her for it. So in her opinion, he was untrustworthy. Something else occurred to her in that moment though.

“If you’re a Prince, why didn’t you have nice clothes to begin with? Why were you wearing those rags in the first place?”

Alucard’s eyes shot away from Rarity and onto Rainbow Dash. He was studying her in a new light. He hadn’t had much of an impression from before. They had not interacted in any way on the train. But she had just asked a question that either no one else had thought of, or they had been too polite to ask.

“Rainbow Dash, come now. I’m sure he had just fallen on hard times! We shouldn’t be asking about royal affairs so openly. Where’s your manners?” 

“Yeah, yeah, sure. Come on, Rarity. We should get going. I’m sure Twilight and the others are waiting.” Her eyes flicked back and forth between her friend and the large creature looming behind her.

“Oh, yes. We should go meet them. Prince Alucard, would you care to walk with us to Twilight’s? You’re staying there for the time being, correct?” 

“I would be honored, Lady Rarity.” His eyes stayed on Rainbow Dash, calculating.

They moved out of the shop and onto the street, Rainbow flying above their heads lazily. Weaving down streets, Alucard caught ponies staring openly at him. He was turning heads for an entirely different reason than before. 

They reached Golden Oak Library in only a few minutes. The rest of the group was standing outside the front, talking slowly. Fluttershy looked completely downtrodden. Upon their arrival, Rainbow Dash landed softly next to her.

The other ponies looked up to greet them, but instead looked up to the finely outfitted Alucard.

“Wow, you’re lookin’ mighty Princely today, uh, Prince Alucard.” Applejack drawled out.

“Thank you, and also thank the good Rarity, here. Her work is without compare.” He replied, smooth as silk.

Rarity blushed at his compliment. She seemed to be without words. The idea of being complemented by a Prince on her work, while he was wearing the work was overwhelming her.

“You look great, Prince Alucard. Anyway, girls, we should get going.” Twilight spoke, all business.

“May I ask what’s going on? I heard something about the Everfree.” He was genuinely curious. His eyes passed over Fluttershy, whose head drooped low to the ground. Rarity got ahold of herself and looked sadly at the buttery pegasus.

Twilight spoke up. “A new predator was spotted in the woods near Zecora’s house…” Alucard’s face fell a slight degree at that, though Twilight did not know why. She continued, “...and a dead body was found. Zecora came to speak to me about the new predator, then on her way back, she stumbled upon a manticore’s corpse.”

Alucard’s eyes widened at that. They apparently thought that the wolf she had seen had killed the manticore. They were correct in a roundabout way. They just didn’t know that the wolf was also standing in front of them.

Fluttershy spoke up, voice quivering. “Chewy hasn’t been back to visit me in a while… Then Zecora came out of the woods and said she’d found a body… That it looked…” She turned her head away, without words.

Gods above and below, they cannot be serious. Alucard couldn’t believe it. Did they know every animal in this entire area? He just happened to have fed on the one manticore and they knew it personally, and by name? That had to be what they were talking about. 

“Let us be off.” Alucard spoke, wanting to be done with the mess. He was absolutely sure that when they arrived at the Everfree, they would find a dead animal with only a small bite on its neck as the cause, and not a single drop of blood at the scene of the crime. 

Manticores are large predators. Alucard would not begin to be hungry until later, when the sun went down. Under the moon, he would start to thirst again. He huffed a small sigh. No manticores tonight, it seems.

The ponies walking beside him were blissfully unaware of his thoughts.


> Animal Autopsy
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alucard was back in the forest for the second time that day. The ponies were talking amongst themselves, theorizing on the manitcore’s demise and what it could mean for the town and the forest. The dhampir was silent, trying to anticipate the reactions of his small walking companions upon seeing the body. 

Rainbow scouted ahead for the body. The others followed her lead, picking their way through the brush carefully and on the alert. Their chatter was quiet and their ears moved constantly. It was easy to see that the forest made them uncomfortable. Zecora’s previous words floated through his head.

Soon enough, Rainbow called for them. The group went silent as they entered the clearing. A small brook nearby made the only noise, bubbling peacefully in contrast with the tense mood of the ponies.

The body was a husk, Alucard had truly taken everything it had to give. It looked mummified. The earth had only just started to reclaim its body, yet no scavengers had touched it. Either the animals of the forest could sense the unholy death it had suffered, or the lack of blood had spoiled the meat. 

Fluttershy turned away for a moment, squeezing her eyes shut at the sight. She looked stricken. But then she opened them again and they were steeled. Moving with purpose closer to the beast, she inspected it closely.

“It hasn’t been dead long, a day maybe. Two at most.” At her words, Twilight overcame her squeamishness and moved to stand beside her. 

The purple unicorn spoke up, “That must be why the wolf didn’t attack Zecora. It wasn’t hungry. But this body is whole… What did it take from it that made it look like this?”

“Maybe it took it’s water! So it’s all dried up now. OH! Maybe it stole the manticore’s soul, leaving nothing but a dead husk…” Pinkie said ominously, giggling morosely. The other ponies glared at her. Alucard simply boggled at the cheery pink frizzball. 

Pinkie’s smile fell only slightly at their response. “Sorry. That was a little dark.” She looked at the ground with concentration, trying to puzzle out what the appropriate amount of humor should be for standing next to a rotting corpse. 

“Anyway, Pinkie is right. It’s completely dried up. But why would it take its water? There’s a stream right over there.” Twilight conjured a notebook and quill, both floating in the air next to her head and writing independently.

Fluttershy moved up towards its head. Putting out a hoof, she gently pushed on the head to test a theory. “It’s neck was broken. That’s why there’s no gouges in the ground or blood on it’s paws. It had no chance to struggle.” 

The thought made Fluttershy sniffle a little. The poor thing’s life had been snuffed out in an instant. She wondered if it had even felt the pain from the break. How terrifying… It was probably getting a drink of water. Completely unaware... Alive and at ease one second and dead the next. She did not know if that was a mercy on the part of the killer or not. All she could discern was that whatever had taken down this big manticore was incredible efficient.

Fluttershy withdrew the hoof that was still rested on its head and looked down, spying its neck. Twilight moved up to where her friend was and followed her eyes. There was a patch of its mane missing.

“What is that?” She murmured to herself. 

Her friends had moved closer, but were a respectable distance from the body still. They were quiet, letting the two ponies work. Fluttershy took care of animals of all kinds, so she had dealt with unsavory things before. Twilight was a voracious consumer of knowledge, the smartest pony any of them knew. Between the two of them, with their combined expertise and cunning, there was no doubt in the others that they could figure out what was going on in this forest.

“Hey, could someone hoof me a stick?” Twilight called out over her shoulder. The others scrambled around, searching the ground. Alucard looked up, walking to a nearby tree and breaking off a small branch. He stripped the leaves and twigs off the side, then handed it to Twilight.

“Oh, thank you.” She took it with her magic, and prodded the patch. Alucard moved away back toward the others, getting a look from Applejack that could peel paint. She was getting ready to scold him furiously for carelessly ripping a branch off a tree, when Rarity, looking green as it was, nudged the farmpony with a meaningful look.

Twilight and Fluttershy ignored the whispered bickering that started behind them and continued their investigation.

“Look at this bite-mark. The shape is odd. Fluttershy, have you ever seen any teeth like this? This looks nothing like a wolf. Zecora said it looked like a regular timberwolf, but not made of wood. I had almost started to believe that the manticore had its magic sucked out or something else strange like that, but… Look at the position near the side of the neck.”

“It… sucked out its blood. Most have torn the jugular.” Fluttershy’s voice quivered through the air. The shape of this mark… She had seen this shape before. 

“Like a giant mosquito. But to take everything that it had… And there’s nothing on the ground. It didn’t spill a single drop...” Twilight continued to mumble to herself, but was no longer heard. 

Fluttershy knew exactly where she had seen this sort of shape. The way the canine holes were placed, the flatter front teeth… Her head turned to look over her shoulder. 

She had seen these teeth bared down above her, twisted into a fierce snarl with red eyes glowing above them. 



> Thrombus
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alucard sensed a stare being burned into the back of his head, and turned to face it. Fluttershy was looking up at him with equal parts fear and sadness. He looked away from her eyes, toward the side. 

Fluttershy continued to gaze up at him, studying his eyes. He did not look angry at her, or smug about his gruesome work. He looked resigned. Whatever reaction he was waiting for, however, didn’t come. Instead, she turned away.

“Twilight, I think we’ve seen all there is to see. I’m going back the cottage. Prince Alucard, would you walk with me?” At Fluttershy’s words, the other ponies went quiet. They looked back and forth between the two, confused. 

Rainbow was displeased, but she could say nothing to stop Alucard from going with Fluttershy. While he was not a Prince of her country, he was still Royalty. Her ingrained respect of the crown outweighed her suspicions. Until she had solid, irrefutable proof that he was up to no good, she would stay silent. 

She was rash, yes. But an idiot? Absolutely not. All she could do was observe and wait.

----------


Fluttershy trotted beside him, keeping a respectable distance between them. After a time, she stopped walking. Alucard stopped also, though he did not turn to her. Clearly, she was going to make a speech. He could almost hear the sharp, accusing words she would throw his way.

Fluttershy proved him wrong again, though. The only thing she did was ask a quiet question.

“Did he suffer?”

Alucard’s eyes widened, then closed. “No. When his neck was broken, he could not move or feel. He died quickly after that.”

She nodded to herself. A mercy, then… she thought. But another thought wormed its way up into her brain. It made her ill. “Why do you hunt predators, specifically?”

Alucard’s gold eyes opened slightly. “They are large and easy to find. If I was to eat rabbits or some other small prey, I would need to feed much more often. Predators also do not hide themselves unless they are actively hunting. They spread their scent around freely, to ward off others of their kind.”

At his logical reasoning, she was relieved. He was not hunting for sport, but to keep himself from going hungry. 

“Isn’t going after such strong animals dangerous? What if you run into a cockatrice, or a hydra?”

Alucard smiled a little. “Not as dangerous as you would think. I thank you for the concern, but I am very experienced.”

Fluttershy felt a small shudder from that. Experienced…

“Well… I can’t stop you. I don’t want you to starve, but…” The words burned in her throat. “The populations…”

Alucard huffed out a chuckle. “I am only one man, Fluttershy. I will not drive the whole forest into extinction.”

Fluttershy’s worries eased. I’m being silly. “You’re right.”

“If that is all, may we continue?” Alucard offered. Fluttershy paused, before nodding. They then continued forward, with the buttery pegasus leading the way. She ruminated in her mind everything she had learned about the tall figure walking slightly behind her, which wasn't much to be perfectly honest. A question was bubbling inside her, however. One that had been bugging her.

“Um… Prince Alucard… the friend you had, that you mentioned when we spoke last, the one that loved animals like me… What was she like?”

The dhampir was stricken for a moment, memories flying around his head like a swarm of bats scared out of their cave. “Why do you ask?” His voice was tight.

Fluttershy noticed his change in demeanor immediately. Her head dipped low, like she wanted to avoid his eyes, even though she knew he was purposefully not looking anywhere near her. 

“W-Well, it's just that, uh, you said that she was passionate about animals like I am. And, um, I've never heard of anypony with a cutie mark like, well, m-mine.”

Alucard's pursed his lips tightly together, to stop himself from making a vicious snarl instead. He imagined that baring his long, sharp teeth would not help this situation in the slightest. A situation he had put himself in when he had begun jabbering like a fool at the sight of a miniature horse standing near some birds.

He took a deep breath to swallow back some of the anger he felt at himself. He hated talking about Maria. Talking about anyone from the past. Actually, if he never had to speak again, he would most likely be fine with it. 

He took a second breath.

“Her name was... Maria.” How long had it been since he had spoken her name. He was filled with guilt at the thought that he wished it was longer. He wanted to hold the memories, the words deep inside. He wanted to hoard them, to share nothing of her to anyone else. 

You are your father’s child, a dark voice whispered in his mind. 

“She… was unique. She was…” Beautiful. Intelligent. Free.

Fluttershy looked up at Alucard, trying to read his face. She caught merely a glimpse before he turned away. 

“She made me see something in people that I had not seen in ages. I hated them. The humans. I hated them the same as my father did. In enough time, I may have forgotten the promise I had made to myself…” To Mother. “But… She reminded me. Not all at once. But the seed was planted, and that was enough.”

If even the slightest thing had been different. If I had simply killed Richter, as I had initially planned to… Who is to say what could have happened. There could very well be no ponies nor pony princesses. Only a king.

“She was important. Far more than I realized at the time.”

Fluttershy gazed at his back, always so tall and straight. Now he seemed to almost sag, like he had a crushing weight on his shoulders. Alucard, the foreign prince, who had seemed so regal, so refined. Fluttershy had always wondered what it was like to be a princess. To be like Celestia, who had grace and poise and always knew the right thing to say.

“But that is enough reminiscing. Those days are long gone. I am sure your birds must be low on seed. We best not keep them waiting.” Alucard drew himself back to his full height, and carefully straightened his clothing and brushed his hair away from his face.

Fluttershy quietly agreed with him and began leading them the trees once more. Being a Princess must be tiring.

Fluttershy would have to tell Rarity that on their next spa date. She would most certainly be interested.

The sun filtered through the leaves, golden and radiant. The earth smelled fresh, and song birds sang their hearts out to anyone that would listen. Alucard envied their simple joy.


---


High above them, a far more dangerous bird swirled on the winds. She was no falcon, nor eagle. She was barely shaped like a bird at all. Her torso was bare of feathers or clothing and shaped distinctly feminine, but she felt no shame for her nakedness. Her tangled dark hair flapped wildly in the wind behind her. On her face curved a jubilant smile, for her sharp eyes had spied a head of silky, white hair far more fetching than her own moving between the trees.

She allowed herself to watch him for only a moment longer, before she wheeled around to fly towards the heart of the forest. She would soar as fast as her wings could take her to her sisters. There was finally some good news.

The Tragic Prince was awake and aware once more, and the darkness stirred in anticipation. The King was gone, but his sole heir had returned. Perhaps it was time to start thinking about a coronation.