After the qualifiers for the Equestria Games concluded at Rainbow Falls, Braeburn decided he'd been away from Appleloosa for long enough and it was time to return home. Much like with Soarin, he promised to stay in touch with the group as best he could, and hopefully he'd be able to make it to the actual Equestria Games at the Crystal Empire.
"Sure does feel good to be home again," Braeburn said to himself, as he stepped off the train at Appleloosa. "Feels like it's been ages since I was back here. I can't wait to tell everyone about Fashion Week and what went down at Rainbow Falls. Boy, I'm sure gonna have a lot of stories to tell."
But shortly after leaving the train station, Braeburn was surprised to spot what appeared to be an earth pony stallion in the distance. Said stallion was coming over the horizon, and appeared to be wearing what looked like a black cowboy hat and poncho, as well as a rubber chicken resting on his back.
"A stranger?" Braeburn thought to himself. "But why do I get the feeling I've somehow seen him before somewhere?"
Braeburn just stood there, watching as the mysterious stallion drew closer. It was now that Braeburn had a chance to see just what the stallion looked like. His coat was a light brilliant organish-yellow, his mane and tail were colored brown and looked strikingly similar to Pinkie Pie's, and his green eyes looked like they were containing hints of sorrow. What was most odd though, was his cutie mark. It appeared to be a grilled cheese sandwich.
"Howdy, stranger," Braeburn greeted, as the mysterious stallion drew close. "My name's Braeburn, and it's my job to welcome you to Aaaapleloosa!"
"Ah, so that's the name of the town, huh?" The mysterious stallion asked, looking at Braeburn. "Well, Appleloosa seems like an interesting sort of place."
"Uh, excuse me, sir, but I didn't catch your name," Braeburn commented. "You... uh do have a name, right?"
The mysterious stallion nodded, though he still seemed intent to keep up his somber appearance and tone of voice. "Name's Cheese, Cheese Sandwich."
Braeburn shook Cheese Sandwich's hoof. "Well howdy do there, Mr. Cheese Sandwich! So nice of ya to pay our humble little town a visit. What brings ya this way, if you don't mind me askin'?"
"Well, I just go wherever the wind and my 'Cheesie Sense' tell me I'm needed," Cheese answered. "Not that I mean to brag, but I'm actually a party pony of great worth. I like to call myself 'The Super Duper Party Pony'!"
Braeburn flashed a bright smile at Cheese. "Oh, so you're a party pony too, huh? Well that's good to hear!" Then he added. "I ain't a party pony by profession or anythin', but I like to think I'm sort of an unofficial one! I plan parties quite often, sometimes on my own and sometimes with help from Pinkie Pie!"
"You know Pinkie?" Cheese asked, his mood suddenly changing.
Braeburn nodded. "I sure do. In fact, I recently heard from Cousin Applejack that she might be a distant cousin of mine, fourth cousin twice removed or somethin' like that."
"Interesting," Cheese mumbled, and then he replied. "Well, I was just curious. Nice to meet a fellow party pony though."
"Huh, maybe you, Pinkie, and I could form somethin' of an alliance of party ponies!" Braeburn suggested. "Wouldn't that be cool?!"
"Thanks, but I much prefer to live my life on the road," Cheese explained. "I go from town to town and from place to place, wherever there's a party in need of planning, I'll be there. Right, Boneless?" He asked the rubber chicken on his back, said rubber chicken didn't reply.
"You give your rubber chicken a name, huh?" Braeburn asked. "You sleep with him too?"
Cheese nodded and blushed. "Sometimes, usually if I don't have a proper bed to sleep on. But such is the life of a traveling party pony, you get used to roughing it."
"So, I take it your 'Cheesie Sense' brought you here?" Braeburn asked the party pony.
Cheese firmly nodded. "But it doesn't seem like there's a party in need of planning, I guess my 'Cheesie Sense' is on the fritz again or something."
"Or perhaps, you just got here a little early and the party that needs plannin' isn't ready to be planned yet," Braeburn commented. "Either way, you're welcome to stay here and live with me for as long as you'd like. After all, we here at Appleloosa are known for our hospitality."
"Well, with an offer like that, how could I say no?" Cheese asked, his tone of voice changing to sound more upbeat. "Lead the way, my good sir."
Braeburn nodded happily, and led Cheese Sandwich through town, all the while thinking to himself. "How lucky am I?! I get to meet a party pony that could rival even Pinkie Pie, and one that claims to be a Super Duper Party Pony! Fate must've brought him here to help me plan the upcoming party celebrating the anniversary of peace in Appleloosa!"
Sure enough, the very next day, Braeburn announced said plans to Cheese Sandwich. "I've got just the party for you to plan! We here in Appleloosa are about to celebrate an important anniversary! It's the anniversary of peace between us settlers and the native buffalo tribe!"
"And you want me to help you plan it, right?" Cheese asked, to which Braeburn nodded. "Very well, it'll be nice to throw a party for such a grand occasion, instead of the usual birthday and surprise parties. Not that I mind doing them."
"Well, first you've gotta meet everyone, or at least the head of the buffalo tribe and his daughter!" Braeburn happily exclaimed, grabbing Cheese Sandwich by the hoof. "Come on, just wait until you see Chief Thunderhooves and Little Strongheart! I know they'll like you!"
And Braeburn was right, both Chief Thunderhooves and Little Strongheart were more than thrilled to meet a pony like Cheese Sandwich. They were impressed by his many stories, and the fact that he'd traveled all over Equestria.
"It is not often we are allowed to have such company," Chief Thunderhooves said in his booming voice. "If your parties are truly as magnificent as you say they are, then we look forward to being a part of this one."
"But I'm curious," Little Strongheart commented, looking at Boneless. "Why do you carry that rubber chicken around everywhere you go?"
Cheese seemed to be rather surprised at this statement, as if he were not expecting such a question to be asked. "Uh... it's a long and boring story," He hastily answered. "Let's just say that Boneless reminds me of somepony I once met, somepony that really inspired me to become who I am today," Under his breath he added. "But I doubt she even remembers me."
"I see," Little Strongheart replied. "Well, I do hope you'll stick around after the party, or at least some time before the party to hang out. You look like quite the traveler, and I wish I could be like you. Being able to go out and see the world sounds like it would be an incredible adventure. But I must stay with my tribe, it is tradition."
"Sounds like a silly tradition to me, no offense." Cheese commented.
"It's alright, I know you meant no disrespect," Little Strongheart said with a smile. "Now, you and Braeburn had best be going, that party isn't going to plan itself you know."
"Little Strongheart's right!" Braeburn cheerfully commented. "Come on, Cheese! Let's get back to town and start plannin' for that party! I can't wait to see what a Super Duper Party Pony like you can accomplish!"
The party festivities were arranged to be held in the center of the town, largely so that there would be plenty of room for all the buffalo that wanted to attend. There was a lot that needed to be done in the span of just a few days, and Braeburn was thrilled to have somepony to help him out. "I must admit, even though I've worked with Pinkie Pie on a couple of parties, I've never had anypony helpin' me out here in Appleloosa before," Braeburn said to Cheese Sandwich. "I sure am glad you came along when ya did."
"Hey, if there's a party in need of planning, I'm the pony for the job!" Cheese proclaimed.
"Then let's stop talkin' and start plannin'!" Braeburn happily replied. "I figured we could start with the refreshments and snacks, can't have a party without the proper catterin'."
"Well, let's go take a look and see what you've got so far." Cheese suggested.
Braeburn led Cheese over to a table that had been set up, upon which rested the current food and drink planned to be offered at the party. "Well, here's what we've got at the moment, Mr. Cheese Sandwich. You think it's good enough?" Braeburn asked.
Cheese eyed all the treats and drinks, letting his nose take in all the aromas wafting from the food. He could barely contain his enthusiasm as he happily exclaimed. "Wow, you've got some fine party snacks and drinks!" In a more serious tone he then added. "But do you have anything that's not apple themed at all?"
"Well, maybe a couple of things, I reckon I could probably arrange for stuff like sasparilla and some candies," Braeburn concluded, before he chuckled. "However, I can't help it if the menu's mostly apple based goods. It's a part of why we Appleloosans settled down here. So long as you don't mind stuff like apple turnovers, apple brown betties, apple fritters, and apple pie, you can't go wrong."
"Right, I see." Cheese commented. Was it Braeburn's imagination, or did he suddenly seem to be a bit less enthuisastic?
Braeburn didn't dwell on the matter for long, there were plenty of other areas related to the party that needed to be looked over. "So, now that food and drinks are taken care of, why don't we set up some party games?" Braeburn asked Cheese, leading him to a series of small booths set up on either side of the middle of town.
"Are all these booths just for party games?" Cheese asked Braeburn. "Even to a party pony like me, that seems a bit overboard."
Braeburn just laughed. "Maybe a little, but in this case if it's worth doin' then it's worth overdoin'!" He proudly proclaimed. "With your help, I'll bet we can get every kind of party game imaginable! Bob for apples, musical chairs, pinata, and of course 'Pin The Tail on The Pony' my personal favorite!"
Cheese was taken back by that unexpected statement. "That's her favorite game too!" He realized, but didn't say this outloud. "Yet I still haven't been called to Ponyville to truly prove myself to her, despite the countless parties she's probably thrown."
As the day dragged on, Braeburn started to notice more and more, that Cheese Sandwich's heart didn't seem to fully be into planning the party. Whenever Braeburn would make a suggestion or a comment, Cheese would often just reply with a simple, "Huh? Oh, yeah." or a "Sure, works for me I guess."
Braeburn tried everything to get Cheese to become more interested, but nothing seemed to work. But whenever Braeburn tried to pry and find out what was wrong, Cheese would firmly insist that it was nothing.
By the time the party planning was drawing to a close for the day, progress had been slowed down quite a bit. Unable to get Cheese Sandwich's approval or even suggestions, Braeburn was hesitant to go ahead with several major aspects of the party. "At the rate this is going, this party's going to be a dud, hardly worthy of a party hosted and organized by a self proclaimed 'Super Duper Party Pony' like Cheese Sandwich," He thought to himself. "Does this mean I'm losing my touch when it comes to cheering ponies up?"
Just then, the setting rays of the sun reflected off of some of the streamers, and when Braeburn looked closely he saw them give off a rainbow colored shimmer. Said shimmer was reflected in his eyes, and all of a sudden, he knew what to do! "Hey, Cheese Sandwich!" He called.
"Yes?" Cheese asked Braeburn, barely able to pretend he was interested in planning a party.
"Why don't you just head on home and get some rest? I'll manage the rest by myself." Braeburn encouraged.
"You really sure about that? I could still help you a little." Cheese suggested, he really didn't want Braeburn to have anymore reason to suspect something was wrong with him.
Braeburn only shook his head. "You've had a long day helpin' me plan everythin' and get it all organized, you deserve a good night's rest far more than I do. Besides, I'm always more of a night owl, so I'm used to stayin' out late."
Cheese sighed, but obeyed. "Well, alright I guess. But if you change your mind, just let me know." And the party pony turned and trotted back to Braeburn's house to spend the night.
Braeburn smiled, as he watched Cheese depart. "Don't you worry, Mr. Cheese Sandwich," He thought. "I know just what you need to put a smile back on that face of yours! I just hope I can pull it off in such a short amount of time." And once he was certain Cheese was nowhere in sight, he too set off, though not for home.
The next morning, Cheese woke up to find that Braeburn was nowhere to be seen. "He probably went out to get an early start on the party planning preparations," He thought, as he got up from the bed and made sure Boneless was close by, as he slipped on his shirt.
But when Cheese left Braeburn's house and started to make his way towards the center of town, he was surprised to find it almost completely deserted, as if all the inhabitants had just packed up and left in the middle of the night.
However, was it just Cheese's imagination, or did there seem to be the sounds of party music and excited chattering just over the horizon? His curiosity getting the better of him, Cheese slowly continued his journey towards the center of town, peeking around the corners of buildings and roads to see if he could spot anything.
When Cheese, at last, reached the center of town, he could hardly believe his eyes! The entire town of Appleloosa (and most of the local bufflao tribe) was gathered beneath a massive banner, while a bunch of colorful streamers hung limply along the sides of buildings, an entire chocolate fountain and a giant cake rested atop the food and drinks table next to the apple treats. And the banner itself read in large letters: "Happy Birthday Cheese Sandwich!"
"Surprise!" Braeburn shouted, as did everyone else gathered!
Cheese Sandwich was speechless! "How did you know it was my birthday today?!" To Braeburn he asked. "Do you have some kind of 'Cheesie Sense' or something? I couldn't sense that you had one."
Braeburn shook his head. "No, I don't have a sixth sense. In fact, I actually didn't know today was your birthday, it was just a complete coincidence," He then explained. "I saw you gettin' all unhappy, and I saw how that was affectin' your ability to plan parties. At first I could only think about you as a fellow party pony, and not as an individual. Once I did, I realized that even the best of party ponies can have their down days. And that even party ponies need somepony to plan parties for them. I decided a birthday was the best reason to throw you a surprise party, but since I couldn't ask you when your birthday was, I had to just host it today. If it hadn't been your exact birthday, could've been an early or late one."
"But, how did you manage to do all of this in just the span of one night?" Cheese asked Braeburn.
"Like I said, I'm a night owl," Braeburn cheerfully replied. "So it wasn't too hard to get everypony together and get everythin' we needed. The cake and chocolate fountain I ordered secretly from Sugarcube Corner, and had shipped here on the first train this mornin'."
Cheese smiled, even as he wiped tears from his eyes. "Thank you," He said to Braeburn. "You couldn't possibly know how much I needed a party like this. You've really cheered me up."
"Think nothin' of it, it's what we party ponies do best," Braeburn replied, and happily proclaimed. "Now come on, it's party time!"
The celebration lasted all day long, and into early sunset. Cheese Sandwich delighted in being the guest of honor for a change, and being on the recieving end of a well planned party.
At last, as the party goers began to disperse and call it a night, it happened! All of a sudden, Cheese began to shake and wiggle, his entire body behaving as if something was causing it to vibrate! Most noticeably of all, his cutie mark began to move like an accordion, even giving off a sound that sounded similar to an accordion if played.
Cheese jumped into the air as he happily exclaimed. "Woo-hoo-hoo! That was a doozy!" Once he landed, he adopted a more serious expression as he dawned his cowboy hat and poncho, and said to Boneless. "Well, Boneless. Looks like our next party is gonna be in... Ponyville. Hmm... yes, figured it was about time," A slight smile formed on his face as he added. "I'll finally get to see her again, and show her just how far I've come."
But before Cheese could leave, he knew there was one thing he needed to do. He approached Braeburn and gave him Boneless, as he commented. "Here, why don't you take this as a souvenir of my visit?"
Braeburn was surprised. "You really want to give me your special rubber chicken friend?" He asked Cheese. "I couldn't... what would you do without him by your side?"
Cheese only laughed. "Oh, you needen't worry. Boneless isn't the only special rubber chicken in my life. He's got plenty of younger brothers, just ask Boneless Two," He proceeded to pull out a rubber chicken that was similar to Boneless, but had a red number two painted on it. "I was going to give him to Pinkie Pie, seeing as she was the one who gave him to me in the first place, albeit quite unintentionally. But something tells me you were meant to have it."
"So, you're leaving already? And without even a goodbye?" Braeburn asked. "I mean, we party ponies really should try to stick together. Between you, Pinkie Pie, and I, I reckon we could form somethin' of a party pony alliance! An organization dedicated to bringin' smiles and cheers to every corner of Equestria!"
"As flattering as that sounds, I have to decline," Cheese commented to Braeburn. "My path is one that I must walk alone, a path of solitude and solo travel," Then he added. "But, if you ever do decide to get in contact with me for whatever reason, I have something of a small home in the town of San Franciscolt, Boneless should have the address." And with that, he departed. Heading off into the sunset with Boneless Two perched firmly on his back.
Braeburn couldn't help but marvel at Cheese Sandwich, as he watched the party pony disappear over the horizon. "Somehow, I get the feeling his behavior, costume, and method of entrance are oddly similar to something." He thought, as he carried Boneless back to his house. If he had been looking at just the right moment, he would've seen Boneless give off a rainbow glow.