//------------------------------// // Chapter 9: The ending // Story: Living in a dream // by tuominen03 //------------------------------// I went immediately to Sweet Apple Acres, looking for Braeburn. There I found Applejack and Big Macintosh, who were surprised by my unexpected visit. I asked them about Braeburn, and they replied me with a sad expression on their eyes, that he left Sweet Apple Acres in the morning to take the next train to Appelosa… “No!” I exclaimed. “I had to stop him!” I immediately ran towards the Ponyville train station. There was a lot of people there in that morning, but Braeburn wasn´t nowhere to be seen…I started calling him repeatedly but nobody answered me in those moments. The train was going to depart Ponyville soon, but I insisted calling my beloved Braeburn… Once the train left Ponyville, I thought all my hopes were lost, and I was to ready to return to my house, feeling miserable. But then…Somebody called me by name. It was Braeburn! He had his packs at his side. He apparently lost his train, but I couldn´t avoid feel an intense happiness about the mere fact of him being there, in front of me. “Stella…” he mumbled, with tears on his eyes. “I tried…I tried to return to my home to Appelosa…But I knew that I wouldn´t able to do that….Not without you…” I started to shed some tears of joy, and I ran towards him as he ran toward me. We then kissed passionately in the station, and then after a very expressing our true feelings to each other, we decided to return to Sweet Apple Acres, where everyone was surprised, but happy to see us. Braeburn decided to stay in Ponyville, and he started working in Sweet Apple Acres, where he started working with his relatives. I visited him every day, constantly helping him with the work. Applejack was very happy for us, and I told her that I wouldn´t have been able to get over my fears and doubts without the help of Twilight Sparkle and my sister. Applejack looked at me with a confused expression on her eyes. “But Twilight didn´t return to Ponyville yet…She is going to return to Ponyville tomorrow…” “But…But…Yesterday I went to her home!” I replied her. “Perhaps you confused her with another pony…” She suggested me, and I didn´t knew what to answer her. The whole incident about the magical crown inside Twilight Sparkle´s house happened in a very confusing, almost dream-like way. What if I actually imagined the whole incident? When Twilight Sparkle arrived at the next day, Applejack introduced her to me, but she acted in a very mysterious way, as if we had met before. Her sympathetic dragon companion Spike acted in the same manner. For a long time, I wondered if the whole incident with the crown and the vision of my sister actually happened or were just mere dreams, but I was never able to solve the mystery. I guess that Twilight and Spike are the only ones who know the real answer. Anyway, that didn´t mattered. Braeburn and I were very happy, and we both honored the memory of my sister Jewel each day with our love. Things started to changed positively around us as well: After some initial doubts, Big Macintosh and Rainbow Dash decided to give another chance to their relationship, and they become a couple. Two years after the start of our relationship, once we decided that we were mature enough to consummate our love, we got married in the cathedral of Ponyville, in a big ceremony were everyone was invited. A few months later, we had our first colt, which we named Marcus. We moved to our own farm, where we raised our own family, but we remained closed to Applejack and others, writing many letters to them and visiting constantly. Big Macintosh and Rainbow Dash got married too, a few years later, and they had many pony babies. One day, Twilight Sparkle and Spike visited us…While Spike played with Marcus and our other Pony children, Twilight asked me if I was happy. “Of course I am. I feel like I was living in a dream every single day of my life.” I replied her. “I am glad of that…” she answered me, smiling in a mysterious manner. We both looked at the sky at those moments. Maybe it was just my impression, but I think I saw my beloved sister Jewel flying in the middle of heaven, smiling at us. I shed some tears of joy, and Twilight asked me if everything was okay. “Yes.” I replied her, smiling and crying at the same time. “This is the happiest moment of my entire life.” And that´s the story of how my dream come true. The end.