//------------------------------//
// Epilogue:  A Speech 
// Story: The Color of Apples 
// by Jet Howitzer 
//------------------------------//

(Epilogue.  It's not answering certain questions, since those will be answered in the sequel.)

You sat at a small bench as the Summer Sun celebration raged around you.  You didn’t feel left out, though, as a good number of ponies came by and thanked you for what you did for Applejack.  A few times you spotted your sister mingling with the ponies of Ponyville, and every time you spotted her she looked like she was having more fun than she’d ever had before.

And, much to your surprise you even spotted Twilight with a stallion that you hadn’t seen before.  They seemed to be talking quite a bit, and you noted with mild interest that the stallion was a pegasus, but more than that you couldn’t honestly say.  Though you remained seated for most of the party, the arrival of Celestia required you to pay homage to the ruler of Equestria.

When you heard your name called by the princess, you immediately stood up straight, looking towards the stage.  And there, on the stage, stood Applejack next to a smiling princess.  Considering that it was the princess who was speaking you decided to let it slide that she used your name.  You wove your way through the crowd till you arrived at the stage, and the Princess beckoned you to come up, and so you did.

“My little ponies, this stallion has gone above and beyond what we normally expect from a coltfriend.  He braved the corruption of Manehattan to save Applejack, the Element of Honesty.  And for this, we all owe him our thanks.  Without his efforts we would’ve lost something very dear.”  The stomping of hooves made you blush, and you offered a wave before lowering your hoof, feeling like a fool.  You heard the sound of a throat being cleared, and you saw Celestia motioning towards the small podium.

“Aw geez.”  You walked over to the podium, and suddenly you lost all coherence, and no words would come to you.  “Um…  Hello, everypony.”  The crowd remained silent, waiting for you to make some dramatic speech.  “I’d just like to say that…  Well, I’m not really that special.  I just did what I thought was right.  I’ve made, and will continue to make, my share of mistakes.”  You looked over at Applejack, and she gave you a warm smile.  “But, you should never be afraid to try.  Embrace the mistakes you’ve made, and let them guide you to a better future.  Nopony is perfect…”  You paused, finally realizing what your mind had been telling you all along.

“Nopony is perfect, and in that imperfection lies a special kind of beauty.  The kind of beauty that only that certain special somepony will be able to see.”  You stepped back from the podium, and you looked over at Applejack.  Without even the tiniest bit of hesitation you swept her hooves out from under her, holding her up with one hoof while you balanced on your other three.  “I’ll always be there, Applejack.”

“I know.”

You quickly plunged in, planting a massive kiss on Applejack’s lips, taking the time to savor the moment.  Were it not for the fact that your lips were busy you knew that you’d be smiling the biggest smile ever.

A single voice cut through the crowd, and you knew the stallion that voice belonged to.  Everypony in Ponyville turned to look a the grey pegasus as he shouted out above the crowd.  “Hey, Taupe, I knew you could do it!  But do us all a favor, and get a room!”

"Shut up, Storm!  You know I hate that name!"





The suited stallion slowly approached the desk that stood in the middle of the poorly illuminated room, all confidence sucked from his being.  The sound of his hooves on the floor echoed back to him moments after he took each step, forcing him to hear his own impending doom.  He knew the cost of failure, but he still hoped.  That damned unicorn swore that the earth pony and her coltfriend wouldn’t offer a significant challenge, but the coltfriend proved far more resourceful than he had feared.  At best he had thought he’d be a minor irritation.  Instead, he had proven to be a worthy adversary, truly worthy of the victory he’d earned.  Were they not enemies he could be friends with that stallion.

Finally he reached the desk, and he stopped, knowing that the pony in the chair knew he was there.  The voice that greeted him was the pinnacle of courtesy, but the anger laced within the words cut deeper than anypony could ever manage.

“I’ve read your report.  I must say that I am quite disappointed in you.  Truly, your failure is of grand proportions.”

“My lord, surely you can understand!  We didn’t have sufficient knowledge about the stallion.  All our reports indicated that he wasn’t anything to worry about.”

“I know what the reports said.”  The chair turned, and all the suited stallion could clearly make out were a pair of eyes, faintly glowing.  “And I also heard that you were one of the best mercenaries in Equestria.  It seems that you bought that title to go with your cheap suit.”  The eyes shifted color slowly, and the suited stallion found the words rising in his throat abruptly cut off.  “I trust that I needn’t remind you of the price for failure?”

“No, my lord.  I am aware of the cost.”

“That’s good, because your price was paid.”  With a casual toss a red unicorn head landed on the desk, a trail of blood forming as it slid across the smooth surface.  “Your failure, and his, were the same, and he paid the price for the two of you.  Now, my agents have discovered new intelligence, and so you’re going back out into the field.”  The voice lost all semblance of courtesy, and a slightly more manic tone set in.  “Don’t fail me again, or losing your head will be the smallest, and biggest, concern of yours.”

“Yes, my lord.  I will not fail you again.”

(Ooh!  Mystery!  Rate, and comment please!)