On the train to Trotsylvania

The Journal of Cheese Sandwich

I left the station in Lunapest early this morning. The impression I got was we were leaving the west and then entering the east. The region I'm heading into is in the far east of the country in between three states in the Canterthian Mountains.

Cheese Sandwich pulled back his quill, reaching into his bag, and pulling out the letter from his mysterious client.

My friend,
Welcome to the Canterthians. I am eagerly expecting you. At the Morgo Pass, my carriage will come by to bring you to me. I trust your journey from Canterlot has been a happy one, and that you'll enjoy your stay in my beautiful land.
-Your friend, D

This wasn't the first time he'd read the letter from the mysterious Countess Dracula, but as he approached the station that would lead him to the Morgo Pass, the words brought new thoughts to his head. What did the Countess look like? He hadn't the faintest idea, he'd never met the mare. His predecessor, Moondancer, had gone to Trotsylvania the first time to meet the Countess, but when she returned to Canterlot, they found her to be nothing but a gibbering lunatic. She was currently holed up in Everfree Asylum. Cheese hoped that this assignment would give him enough of the money he needed to finally marry his fiancee, Pinkamena Diane Pie, or Pinkie Pie. All he needed was the Countess's signature and hoof print to make the documents official and everything would be finished. The Countess would be the owner of the Everfree Abbey, as well as some other locations in Canterlot, and Cheese would be paid enough to finally marry Pinkie. As the train came to a stop, Cheese gathered up his belongings and headed for the station to call for a carriage.

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The carriage ponies were nervous, there was no doubt. Cheese had asked them if they could take him to the Morgo Pass. They obliged, but were hesitant. He would have simply written it off as superstitious nonsense, but being a foreigner in this strange land, he held his tongue. As the carriage wove and twisted through the roads to the Morgo Pass, Cheese started to hear the atmosphere of the land. The howling of Timberwolves followed him in the carriage, the bumpy path not helping his nervousness. Soon, the carriage slowed to a stop, and the door opened.

"Driver, I think we're early. There's nopony here," Cheese said, pulling his luggage out of the carriage.

"They will arrive, Sir," the Driver replied, as his daughter handed him a necklace with the image of the World Goddess on it.

"To ward off the evil of the land," she said, then the carriage drove off, leaving Cheese alone on the Morgo Pass. The night was dark, save for the light of the full moon, and the Timberwolves were close. The mist made it hard to see anything for miles, then suddenly a large black carriage drove out from the mist. It stopped next to Cheese and the door opened of it's own accord. The stallion gulped, but stepped inside, as the door closed and the carriage drove on. Cheese looked out the window as he rode in the carriage, seeing that the wheels were dangerously close to the edge of the cliff face, and the TImberwolves picked up their howling. That's when he saw it. Castle Dracula. It was a spectacle to behold in both the sheer size and the mountain it seemed situated upon. A bolt of lightning shocked Cheese out of his thoughts as the carriage pulled closer to the gate of the castle. There was a series of strange blue rings close to the gate that seemed to burn with elemental fire. The stallion simply chalked it up as another strange happening in this strange, strange land. When the carriage stopped, and the door opened, Cheese got out with his luggage and headed for the front door. The wrought iron bars pulled back to reveal the interior of the castle and that's when he saw her. Dressed in a long red robe, and white nightgown, stood Countess Dracula. Her horn glowed with magenta magic, holding up a lantern, but it was her outward appearance that was most frightening. The stallion could see she was purple, but a pale, pale purple. Her mane, which he thought must have once been vibrant and colorful, was now grey and white, save for a small sliver of pink that showed on her bangs. Her eyes were the most striking feature. They were deep dark purple, yet Cheese could see a hint of red in them, though that could have been a trick of the light. She smiled very small and spoke in a tired, raspy tone.

"Welcome to my home. Enter freely of your own will, and leave behind some of the happiness you bring," she said.

"Countess Dracula?" Cheese asked. He was pretty certain that's who this mare was, but he needed to be sure.

"I..am..Dracula. And I welcome you, Mr. Sandwich, to my house. Please, come in," she said, her smile becoming bigger as she motioned for Cheese to enter. With a deep breath, the stallion stepped inside onto the hard stone floor of Castle Dracula. His mysterious host led him to a well laid out dining table, where three mares waited. One of them was a turquoise unicorn with a sea green mane, another was an ocean blue mare with a silver mane, and the third was a yellow mare with a pink and blue mane. All of them smiled at the approach of their Mistress, and pulled away. The Countess pulled out a chair for Cheese and motioned for him to sit. He did so, as a plate of fruit was put in front of him the by turquoise unicorn. "That will be all, Lyra," the Countess said. The unicorn bowed as she and the two others exited. The Countess smiled at Cheese as she poured him a glass of wine, placing a few slices of tomato and some of the freshly chopped lettuce in front of the stallion. "You'll forgive me if I don't join you, my friend. I've already dined, and I don't drink...wine," she said, with a smirk. Cheese smiled in return, turning his head to see a portrait on the wall. The mare in the picture looked very much like the Countess. Same mane, same eyes, but much brighter purple and her mane was a dark blue with purple and pink highlights in her bangs.

"Is she an ancestor? I can see a resemblance," Chesse said, taking a bite of the tomato. The Countess turned and smiled at the picture.

"The Order of the Dracul. The Dragon, you see. An ancient society pledging my ancestors to defend their cathedrals against the enemies of the World Goddess. But, that relationship wasn't so...successful," the Countess said with a dry chuckle. Cheese nodded, chuckling as well, prompting a growl from the Countess and leading to a sword pointed at his throat. "IT'S NO LAUGHING MATTER! We Draculs have a right to be proud! What power is so great as the warriors and kings whose blood flows through these veins?" the Countess roared, her voice echoing off the walls of the castle. Cheese's eyes widened in shock, as he pulled back, away from the sword. Taking a few deep breaths, the Countess lowered the sword. "Blood is too precious a thing in these times, Mr. Sandwich. The times of war are over. The great deeds of my family are simply tales to tell, now. I'm the last of my kind. Forgive me if I startled you," she said, with a slight bow. Cheese took a deep breath himself and stood up from the table.

"Please. I've offended you with MY ignorance, Countess. Forgive me," Cheese said, with his own bow. The Countess smiled, sitting back down.

"Come. You must eat, my friend. We have much to accomplish tonight," she said, as Cheese went back to eating.

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With a signature and a hoof print, the documents were primed. Finishing with a wax seal, Cheese smiled, straightening the papers. Only a few more words to sign off that he witnessed the purchase and they'd be done.

"I can't wait to go through the crowded streets of your Canterlot, and to see the rush and bustle of ponykind. To share in it's life, it's changes and it's death," the Countess said. Cheese smiled, standing up from the table in the Countess's study.

"There you are. You, Countess, are now the proud owner of Everfree Abbey. Congratulations," he said, hoofing the papers to the Countess.

"Your firm speaks highly of your talents, Mr. Sandwich. They say you're a stallion of good...taste. And, you're an excellent substitute to your predecessor, Ms. Moondancer," the Countess said with a smile, turning around and then freezing.

"You can rely on me, Countess, I assure you. Please, forgive my curiosity, but why ten houses in these precise locations around Canterlot?" The Countess didn't respond to the question.

"D-Do you believe in destiny, Mr. Sandwich? That even the powers of time can be changed to suit a single purpose?" she asked, her hoof shaking as she reached for the picture on the table. It couldn't be real. Throughout her long life alone as this..creature that she was, the Princess thought that the vampire had tricked her. Her beloved was simply dead and there was no rebirth. Now, however, as she gazed at the mare in the picture, she saw it was real. This mare WAS her beloved. The vampire had spoken true. She had the same eyes, same muzzle, even the same mane. A pity the picture couldn't talk. She longed to hear the melodic voice of her love. "The luckiest pony who exists in this world is the one who finds..true love," she said, for the first time in a while actually feeling tears come to her eyes. Not the bloody imposters she'd dealt with previously. Actual, salty tears.

"Oh, you found Pinkie. I thought I'd lost her on the trip here. We're getting married as soon as I return," he said. The Countess was silent, but inside, she raged. This young upstart. How dare he assume that her love was HIS to take. That he could make her beloved his FIANCEE! She had every mind to rip the stallion apart right there, but no. No. She would continue to play the part of the dutiful host until the preparations were finished. Now, she had REAL purpose to go to Canterlot aside from spreading her influence. She had waited long enough to be reunited with her beloved again. "Are you married, Countess?" the upstart asked, shaking the Countess out of her stupor.

"I was married once," the Countess said through her tears. "Ages ago, it seems now. She died."

"Oh. I'm very sorry," Cheese said. The Countess didn't need his pity.

"She was the fortunate one. My life, at its best, is a misery, Mr. Sandwich. She will make a devoted wife, and you a faithful husband," the Countess said, the words ripping apart her heart as she hoofed the picture back to Cheese. "Come. Write, my friend, to your firm and to any loved ones saying that it shall please you to stay with me until..a month from now," she said with a smirk.

"A month? Really? You want me to stay that long?" Cheese asked in astonishment. The Countess leaned forward, into his space, and answered him, for the first time, with a growl.

"I won't accept a refusal, Mr. Sandwich." With a curt nod, Cheese began to write, as the Countess disappeared into the emptiness of the castle. Things had now been set in motion.

Author's Note

Cheese Sandwich as Mr. Jonathon Harker. As much as I dislike the Cheese/Pinkie ship, I'm enduring it for this story. It's still a TwiPie story at heart. The next chapter will be the first time we meet Pinkie in the story, and our Lucy allegory, along with her three suitors. Hope you enjoyed, everypony. It only gets darker from here.