Son of Sombra

by Stargazer42

Servant in the Night

A Thousand Years Later

It was another day at Sweet Apple Acres for the Apple family. Applejack was busy bucking trees, Apple Bloom was helping Granny Smith with making the grape juice, and Big Macintosh was carrying carloads of buckets loaded with apples to the barn. They toiled all day but were working to getting everything settled before the winter came in. The wind started to blow as dead autumn leaves blew in Applejack’s face “C’mon ya’ll,” she said “you know the consequences if we don’t get these here apples picked.”

The wind increased in volume so much, it spun the wind vane until it came off the roof! It flew through the air continuing to spin until it hit Big Macintosh’s cart and broke the side of the cart spilling all the apples on that side. Applejack rushed over to help, the mounting stress obvious on her face. Granny Smith shouted “Them Timberwolves be a comin’!” over the dirge of wind which raced across the farm. Applejack took one look at the cart and exasperatedly whinnied “Does this really have to happen now? Come on Big Mac, looks like we have to take this load in by hoof.”

The work went slower this way, but at least they finished it. Applejack galloped back, three buckets dangling from her mouth as she placed them, bucked a tree to load them with apples, and then hauled them one at a time to a second cart Big Mac was pulling up. The day continued like this, hour after hour they strained and sweated even in the cold winds racing down from the chilly north hard the heels of the Wendigo’s that proceeded them. That night they went to sleep. Granny Smith had gone in earlier to bake their supper. When they came in, exhausted, breathless, and sweaty, she had had a wonderfully aromatic array of apple pies, fritters, and a cobbler spread out on the table. They ate greedily with voracious appetites, even Granny Smith ravenously devoured one of her own loaves slathered with Zap Apple Jam.

Applejack looked at them all “Well ya’ll,” she said “it was tough today, but it was worth it. We’ve got to keep going ahead but at a faster pace tomorrow because winter’s comin’ in. I’ll talk to Rainbow Dash about possibly redirecting some of this dog gone it wind. But if she can’t, we still gotta press forward.”

Big Mac nodded his head “Eeyup!”

Apple Bloom’s face fell as she took her spoon and played with what was left of her apple fritter. Applejack looked at her “Cheer up Sugar Cube,” she said comfortingly “it’ll be over before you know it. Besides, there ain’t nothin’ we gotta worry about. I believe in you and in us.”

Apple Bloom simply sighed, completely tuckered out from that day’s work and Applejack knew it. They all were. She got up from the table and started walking up the stairs to her bedroom “Night ya’ll,” she said looking back over her shoulder “get to bed early, especially you Apple Bloom. We’re gonna need all of the energy we can get.”

As they filed off to bed, Applejack chanced a glance back again and smiled. She really wanted them to have enough money this year to buy Apple Bloom a nice birthday present. Hopefully Pinkie Pie wouldn’t be overly extravagant again this year…but who was she kidding? It was Pinkie Pie after all. But Granny Smith needed a new hip and they now needed to replace that broken cart. She sighed and continued walking up the stairs. Collapsing on her bed, she drew the covers in and fell into a dreamless sleep.

Outside of her window, the night was at its full. A hunter’s moon waxed high in Princess Luna’s magnificent glittering night sky. Billions of stars were visible on a night such as this, only Twilight Sparkle would be up this late though, documenting the various orbits of planets and observing the constellations. There was one other though. A masked pony, covered hoof to nose in black. His wings were exposed and his shaggy long mane hid most of his face and forehead. He’d been watching and heard everything which Applejack had been saying all day. He also knew their work habits. He’d been doing this for a long time, it was clock work. Unknown to Rainbow Dash, he was the second fastest flyer in all of Equestria. His experience, agility, and speed had made him Captain of the First Wonderbolt’s squadron. Though his story, erased from the official history books, allowed for only three ponies in their entire world to know him, Princess Luna, Princess Celestia…and the Doctor.

He stepped out into the moonlight, his long black grey tipped mane fluttering in the gentler night breezes. He took a breath and dashed to the side of the barn. Grabbing five buckets in his mouth, he flew as fast as he could to the further edges of Sweet Apple Acres. Setting those down, he returned, making nearly sixty trips, placing the buckets in groups of three underneath every tree he could just like Applejack did. That was all he had time for this night, but he had to keep up his average. He then in a blaze of speed flew into the branches of each tree that had buckets and shook them. The apples plummeted to the buckets below. Twenty trees, done in about thirty minutes. He then took each full bucket and flew back to the barn. If he timed it correctly, then when the Apple family reached those portions of the farm, then they would be three weeks ahead of schedule by the time he was done. He’d been doing this all season long, only working when they were asleep. He was nearly finished. Sixty trees per night for the past five months. He didn’t want to make too big of a dent, but Sweet Apple Acres was enormous. He always felt sorry for them, especially the little filly who dragged her hoofs in at the end of every single day.

The more he observed, the more he came to respect and admire them. Particularly Applejack. She had a strong air of confidence about her that he liked. He wanted to do something nice for them, but he didn’t want them to know but he loved doorbell ditching and other such activities where he would do acts of unexpected service for other ponies in Ponyville. It seemed to brighten the other pony’s days, and so he continued. For the past seven years he did the same service for the Apple family. A different stretch of the farm each year. So far, Applejack didn’t notice, and that was just fine with him. When he was done, he took out a small bag of coins and quietly placed it on the cart where Big Mac would find it. It would be enough to cover the cart. He looked around, everything in order? He asked himself I believe so. Then he remembered. Earlier that week when Applejack and Apple Bloom were shopping in Ponyville, Apple Bloom pointed to a toy she wanted for her birthday. It was rather pricey and after much convincing and pleading Applejack promised that she would get it for her birthday if she worked hard and was good. He secretly purchased the toy and kept it hidden, waiting for just the right moment. But it wasn’t now.

He flew off at near the speed of sound out over through the hills of Sweet Apple Acres to Ponyville. He looked around him, and when it was clear, he started doing other works of service around the town.

The dawn broke over the horizon as the ponies began to awaken. Fluttershy began to make her morning rounds. Carrying a basket of vegetables as she gently flapped over to the various holes which her favorite animals lived, she greeted them “Good morning Mr. and Mrs. Vole,” she said cheerfully “you sleep well last night? How about you Mr. Hedgehog? I brought you all breakfast.” She looked down at the first hole and saw that there was already that morning’s breakfast laid out for them “Oh my,” she said “did you take anything from the pantry Mr. Hedgehog?”

He shook his head vigorously and started to speak “Oh,” Fluttershy said “somepony gave you the food? Who was it? You don’t know? A Pegasus? How long have they been doing this? All year! Is it always the first day of the week? Oh, I guess I didn’t notice.”

She flew back to her cottage saying “I’ll have to thank Rainbow Dash for helping me out with my chores that was very thoughtful of her.”

Pinkie Pie bounced through Ponyville and gave her usual morning greetings. Her eyes went wide when she noticed something different about it. She dashed inside excitedly exclaiming “Mr. and Mrs. Cake, come quick! You have to come see this!” Like lightning, she ran up the stairs, burst open the door, and repeated “Come! You won’t believe what I found!” They staggered out of bed. The little colts wide awake after Pinkie’s outburst, smiled in greeting to Pinkie Pie as their parents picked them up and brought them downstairs. Still bouncing, they opened their eyes wide with amazement as the previous night’s mess which had been caused by ten rush orders and a wedding had vanished without a trace. Countertops and windows which formerly covered in flower, icing, and egg yolk sparkled in the morning sun.

“Pinkie Pie,” Mrs. Cake asked “did you do this?”

“Nuh-uh,” Pinkie Pie responded her eyes narrowing “I didn’t, but I think I know who did!”

With the blink of an eye, she was out the door and running to Twilight Sparkle’s house. She got there, and gently tapped on the door. Spike opened it and let her in, “Hello Pinkie Pie,” Spike said “how can I help you?”

“Is Twilight inside?”

“Well yes, but?”

“I need to talk to her right away,” said Pinkie Pie “tell her it’s really, really, really urgent!”

“Okay,” Spike said “she’s up in her bed…”

She was gone again. Up on Twilight’s bed and bouncing up and down in her excitement.

“Thank you so much Twilight,” she shouted.

“Pinkie,” Twilight said “stop jumping on me.”

“Oh,” said Pinkie Pie as she hopped off. She rapidly continued “I just wanted to say, it was really, really, really, really, extremely, thoughtful of you to do that. I mean Mr. and Mrs. Cake were up nearly all night wondering how it was going to get clean, and I couldn’t do anything about it because I was not only watching the colts, and then they were stressed because of the ten last minute orders and the wedding they had to do…”

“Pinkie,” Twilight said “thank you, but it wasn’t me.”

“What?”

“I was up all night watching the stars,” Twilight continued “There was a Hunter’s Moon last night. I wanted to watch it because there was the possibility of there being a meteor shower. Not a big one but still significant. Spike had gone to bed and Owlowiscious was busy restacking the books. I was behind on several assignments I had to Princess Celestia this morning and when I came out, every book I needed was on my writing desk. I thought Owlowiscious had done it but he told me that he took an early night. I got my work done in record time.”

“So you didn’t help out Mr. and Mrs. Cake?”

“No,” Twilight said “it’s strange you thought so.”

“Yes indeed,” Pinkie Pie said slapping on a deerstalker and smoking a bubble pipe “this sounds like a mystery. One that needs solving!”

“It’s probably just some pony doing a good turn,” Twilight said “we shouldn’t…”

“But what if,” Pinkie Pie interrupted “it’s not! What if it’s a burglar! Or a ghost! Or a supernatural?”

“Pinkie,” Twilight answered “there’s no such thing. Now, is there anything else you need?”

“Well, no.”

“Alright then,” Twilight continued “how about we walk together.”

“Okiedokie, then!”

They walked downtown Ponyville and met up with Fluttershy. They also asked her how her day was when she told them about the animals already fed the first day of every week without her noticing.

“Strange,” Pinkie said still wearing the deerstalker. She tapped the underside of her lip with the mouthpiece of the bubble pipe “there seems to be a correlation here.”

“Pinkie,” Twilight responded “it’s just a coincidence, nothing more.”

“Ha,” she exclaimed and darted over Applejack had come into town to buy that day’s ingredients for her family’s lunch “we’ll ask Applejack if she’s seen anything.”

Sticking her nose into Applejacks she asked in an interrogating manner “Applejack, did somepony do something nice to you earlier this morning?”

“Well,” she said “as a matter of fact yes. Yesterday the family and I were working on the farm, but due to the wind blowing so hard yesterday, the weather vane on the barn spun off and broke the side of one of our carts Big Mac was usin’. This mornin’, I found not only a small bag of coins on the broken cart which will cover the costs, but when I went out to work this morning, I found that the section of the farm which we were gonna work today was already done!”

“What?!”

“Yeah,” she said “at first I thought that I had simply forgotten that, but then I remembered yesterday that the trees hadn’t been bucked over that way yet. When I looked around the other parts of the farm, there were similar sections. By my calculations we’re two and a half weeks ahead of schedule. So I came into town today to by some groceries.”

“Hold on a minute,” Pinkie Pie asked “don’t you think there could be Apple Rustler’s stealing your apples?”

“Nope,” continued Applejack “because when I opened our storage cellar where we keep the apples, I saw it stacked, organized, and right in front of our cider machine, already sorted!”

“Ah ha!”

“What is it Pinkie?”

“We have to ask Rainbow Dash next!”

With that the group moved on, not before Applejack gave a questioning look to Twilight who answered with a shrug of her shoulders.

“Rainbow Dash!”

Rainbow Dash startled and fell out of the small cloud she was snoozing in right on top of Spike “Hey guys,” she said rubbing her head “sorry Spike.”

“No problem,” Spike said.

“Rainbow Dash,” Pinkie interjected “did something nice for you happen today?”

“Well you guys showed up.”

“No,” Pinkie Pie said “I mean like did somepony do something nice for you today?”

“Well,” she said “somepony gave me tickets to this upcoming Wonderbolts show! I didn’t know if I could afford it this year. I remember talking about it with you guys. Did one of you get it for me? It’s a group ticket so we all can go! Its box tickets too! Best in the house!”

“Once again,” Pinkie Pie said “there is a growing and established pattern here. Now, the facts are these. One of us knows everything about the others and is doing nice things for them. However, it has to be the most unlikely pony to do something like this?”

Rarity was humming to herself as she arranged clothes on a mannequin when her door burst open and Pinkie Pie blew out a bubble on her pipe. She paced in front of Rarity as Rarity sat there dumb founded.

“Rarity,” Pinkie Pie said “we have ample evidence to prove that you are guilty of…”

Pinkie Pie gives Rarity a hug so big which makes Rarity’s eyes bulge “…giving the best thing to all of us ponies. I had no idea that you were such a considerate pony!”

“Um,” Rarity said “well, thank you, but it wasn’t me actually.”

“Huh?”

“I came home to find that all of my chores for the day had been done,” she continued “you remember that Hoity Toity asked me to make an entire line for her. I was so busy yesterday that I couldn’t think of anything else or get anything else done. So I continued on with my work. When I was finished, I was surprised that somepony did all my daily chores! I knew it obviously had to be my favorite Spikey-Wikey as he’s the only one who knows what to do without me asking.”

“Actually,” Spike said sheepishly, scratching his neck spikes “much as I’d like to take the credit for it, I was busy helping Twilight with all of her school work.”

“But then who…”

“Exactly!”

All eyes turned to face Pinkie Pie as she enlightened them “Some amazing pony has been doing all of these nice things for us, and it’s not just us, look around you. Every pony in Ponyville is happy because of this pony. We need to find this mare or stallion and have him be recognized, because trust me, as Ponyville’s chief happiness bringer, it’s a lot of hard work.”

“But Pinkie,” Twilight said “what if it’s just like the time when we were Mare-Do-Well. What if they’re doing these things because they’re just good ponies, like you.”

“I agree with Twilight,” said Applejack “a good pony who does this doesn’t need recognition.”

“Pinkie’s got a point though,” Rarity interjected “I’m sure it’s such a drag doing all of these kind things for other ponies. I for one think that any pony who does good works, be given proper thanks for their work. Why certainly, if I were such a pony, and ran around giving ponies desperately needed make over’s, I would want to have somepony give me a simple thank you.”

“It’s settled then!” Pinkie exclaimed “We need to find out where this good pony is doing their noble deeds and watch. Then we catch them, bring them before all of Ponyville! They should be given a parade, and presents, and…”

“Pinkie,” Twilight admonished “I don’t think that would be a good idea, at least for the party and the parade. But we could definitely find out who is doing this.”

Suddenly Applejack jolted “Oh my gosh,” she hollered out “I forgot its Apple Blooms birthday today! What with everything with the harvest going on, I’ve been working so hard I forgot! Later girls, I gotta go buy Apple Blooms present!”

With that she galloped away down the street looking for the Joke Shop that held the funny toy Apple Bloom wanted. She got there too late, another pony had purchased the last one right as she got there. Dejected she started walking back to Sweet Apple Acres, I don’t know what I’ll tell Apple Bloom she thought but she’ll be heart broken. I know she was really looking forward to getting that present.

As she walked into the kitchen where they were going to have lunch, Apple Bloom rushed over and gave her a big hug “Thanks Applejack,” she said “for being the best sister ever!”

“Shucks,” Applejack said blushing “why’s that? I didn’t do anything special.”

“Are you kidding? The toy you bought me was everything I wanted!”

“What?” Applejack looked over and saw the very toy which Apple Bloom had pointed out a week ago that had a note still attached to the colorful wrapping paper To: Apple Bloom From: Applejack. Bouncing all over the kitchen due a sugar high from eating a cake with zap apple icing which Granny Smith made, Apple Bloom gave her sister another big hug “This was the best birthday ever!”

Yeah Applejack now fully curious Pinkie’s right, I gotta find out who’s doing this.

“Hang on ya’ll I gotta go tell Pinkie something,” she said and ran off to Pinkie’s house.

The stake out was organized that night. Spike carried all of their supplies and they were dressed in black. Rainbow Dash was up in a cloud and she would point out where the mystery pony was, Applejack and Twilight would attempt to pin the pony down and reveal who it was. They decided that the first night, since it was the first day of the week that they should try Fluttershy’s home. Gathering their gear, they headed off and set up camp. Rarity wore a homemade but fashionable insect net hat, while the others had to be content with ointment. They needn’t have bothered though, what with the onset of winter bearing down on Ponyville, all of the insets were hiding at this point waiting for spring. Then they began to wait. Rainbow Dash began to nod of when she noticed movement down below and out of sight of the others. She whistled their signal down to them and they got ready. They watched as a pony, also dark clad, creep up to Fluttershy’s food shed, unlock it, and enter. The pony came out with a bucket of food in its mouth, then it stretched out its wings, and with a flurry of speed it darted to every single hole, placing the correct amount and specific food type for each animal before returning back to the shed. Gently the pony placed the bucket back inside and locked the door.

At breakfast they all talked about what happened the night before. Fluttershy said “I don’t know if I feel safe anymore. That pony opened my lock without a key, as if it knew it was always unlocked.”

“Well it is isn’t it?” Inquired Rainbow Dash.

“That’s aside from the point,” Fluttershy said “this pony, clearly knows my habits at least. It’s kind of creepy.”

“Yeah,” Rainbow Dash agreed “I mean the fact that this pony knows so much about us I mean. They’ve obviously been watching us for a very long time. That’s what spooks me.”