//------------------------------// // Part Fifteen: A Return to Canterlot as Braeburn Sails On. // Story: The Elements of Lunar Harmony // by Paganbrony //------------------------------// The Elements of Lunar Harmony Part Fifteen: A Return to Canterlot as Braeburn Sails On. Such a wonderful sky… Such a wonderful view… The expanse of Equestria lay out beneath Braeburn as he flew through the air his mane blowing in the strong head winds his hat held firmly against his head with a hoof as he sailed on. Previously his journey had been a source of worry for him since he’d been blown into the horizon by a crazed witch the sheer force of the blast propelling him far away… Trixie!!! That damned witch had caused Braeburn no end of trouble for him and despite his best efforts he’d remained unsuccessful… …Now Braeburn wasn’t bothered about the fact he would have to hit ground at some point… At which time he was going to be one giant red stain at the velocity he was traveling… …He’d been going for some time and had had plenty of time to make his peace. Elsewhere below in Equestria… Princess Celestia was defeated… Between her own loyal guard and those toffee nosed upper class waste of spaces that had fled to the castle they had successfully managed to wear her down… In the days since the party began it was obvious Spitfire wouldn’t be coming back straight away so Celestia had begun work into finding a temporary replacement. Not easy when she was confined to the castle, her decision not to use her powers to repress her subjects was beginning to sound a bit fanciful to her after so long without sleep due to the pounding bass coming from outside. The Princess wondered if maybe going and joining them would be a good idea, after all she wasn’t a prude or stuck up, especially if you went by the performance of the higher class… What Celestia resorted to was to send out messages to all her outside contacts (outside of the partying Canterlot that is) in search of any Pegasus daft enough to try and restrain that damned team of hotshots. As she waited for responses she was pleasantly surprised to see Luna return but before they had even spoken and before Luna had even got a chance to explain events a feeling of dire dread had overtaken the pair and without a word Luna had just left, a strange look on her face. Along with thudding baselines Celestia’s heart began beating louder as a feeling of deep unease overcame her. Canterlot… One of the architects of this escalating disaster in the capital was stood on the roof of the wrecked city library as her companion a grey mare stood behind her frowning. “What…?” The Grey mare hesitated… What had begun as one heck of a party had turned into something far beyond expectations for her and it scared her a bit. “Um don’t you think we should call it day…? After all it has gone a bit far…?” The white and electric blue colored mare watched as phalanx after phalanx of drunken ponies marched past (mostly in good order…) below. Flags waving erratically on poles as their bearers staggered on, one at the head of each phalanx behind which an assortment of siege equipment looted from the museum and hastily assembled bass cannons followed. The assembled ponies all wore the armbands of the Party Political Party and saluted as they passed. “Nah…” Octavia sighed and hung her head as another of the ring leaders appeared suddenly from thin air beside them, Pinkie Pie spoke in a cheerful and singsong voice. “We’ve finished turning the frowns upside down on those misery guts guards, Canterlot is ours!!! Now no pony can stop this party!!!” “Not yet…” Pinkie and Octavia both exclaimed loudly as Scratch pointed a hoof at Canterlot castle. Octavia eye’s open wide in disbelief watched as Scratch rose up onto her hind hooves crossed her forelegs and laughed manically as the sound of out tune singing and massed hooves marching past continued on. Meanwhile no longer as far above Equestria… Braeburn was finally beginning to descend and from the looks of it somewhere very similar to his home Appleloosa… Thoughts of home pervaded his mind as he watched the ground grow ever closer and as he prepared to hit he realized that he was going to come down right in the middle of what looked like an orchard… Not so far below a cream colored mare was speaking to a grey mare at the gate to the orchard. “You lost my package! Ma dear I hope ya understand when I say that it was of the up most personal importance to me to get a hold of that there order post haste…” “A lonely mare has certain needs that need a taking care of, if you know what ah mean …” The grey mares apologies fell on deaf ears as the cream mare chewed her out and gave her a note to take to the firm who sent it to send a replacement forthwith… The mail mare sniffed the air momentarily before whispering to her self ‘apples’… Watching the mare take off into the sky the cream mare was more than a little surprised when moments later she returned carrying a rather handsome looking stallion grasped in her hooves… “That’s… That’s one heck of a compensation service ma dear…” The grey mare just cocked her head nodded then flew off in a different direction as she disappeared into the distance, the cream colored mare could have sworn she was flying upside down at one point… “Well howdy there stranger…” Braeburn lay on his back his eyes closed as he prayed to Celestia Luna and the Equestrian postal service. He opened his eyes to come face to face with a slightly older earth pony mare with bright green eyes that was now stood over him quivering with excitement. “H-Howdy there… Miss…” The mare giggled like a school filly at being addressed as miss by the young stallion, studying him up and down the mare liked what she saw… “Cherry… Cherry Jubilee…” “Where am ah…?” “This here is ma farm… Ah’m sorry ah didn’t catch your name?” “Uh Braeburn… Ma names Braeburn of Appleloosa!” Braeburn instinctively waved his hooves and as they brushed the underneath of Cherry Jubilee, he stopped his hooves on her chest. “Ah… Ah… Ah’m sorry miss ah didn’t mean to…” Cherry Jubilee rubbed her hoof on his chest as she moved his waistcoat aside… His golden coat long mane and firm strong body proved too much as the mare took a step back and bending down she took his tail in her teeth and dragged him steadily backwards towards her home… “Ah… …Miss!!!” Cherry Jubilee stopped and spat out his tail. “What is it dear…?” “Where are you taking me…?” “Ah’m taking you to ma home, ah need a good strong stallion round here and ya’ll do just fine... Any objection…? You got somewhere to be…?” As she resumed dragging him without waiting for a reply Braeburn watched her rump sway as she dragged him unceremoniously towards a large rustic looking house. Laying on his back traveling through the dirt and dust he shrugged, after all he couldn’t show his face in Appleloosa again and he’d failed to catch Trixie and in reality Luna was beyond his league… …The answer was honest… “Nope… Ah’m free to do as ah please…” “But ah don’t want to make a dishonest mare out of ya…” Cherry Jubilee laughed through his tail as she replied coolly. “How Sweet… Trust me darling there ain’t no cherry on this here tree but you feel free to buck it anyway…” Braeburn stayed silent as he was dragged on-wards as red as the cherries on the flank of the now humming mare…