The Grey Hood Rumor
By Boldish42
I OWN NOTHING!!!!!! By Hasbro or something, however this thing works.

Just another day

Ponyville was bustling. A bright sunny day, a cool breeze, the market filled with ponies conducting business, it was a great day for Autumn Skies to acquaint herself with her new home. The burnt orange Pegasus had just moved to the expanding town to work as the assistant to calm eyes, a professor of meteorology studying the behavior of the everfree’s weather system. So far it had been boring. None of the forests infamously independent weather had been as dramatic as the locals made it seem. In fact the whole town seemed less exciting than she had heard. She had been told plenty of reasons not to move there including a very impressive presentation by her parents that had incredibly detailed graphs on subjects ranging from monster attacks to the estimated mental health of the average villager. Naturally she couldn’t resist such an interesting place.

Well now autumn had been here a week and nothing interesting had happened, even worse! She had heard that the famous elements of harmony themselves had just left town to attend something royal or something. Now nothing would happen for sure.

Walking to the marketplace autumn was distracted from her thoughts by two waste carts blocking her path. Looking past the carts she could see that the two mares pulling the carts had gotten caught up in a conversation, one that didn’t seem close to ending soon. Naturally, autumn flexed her wings, only to be painfully reminded of the sprained wing she got shortly after arriving in Ponyville.

“Uh, that klutz, you’d think an earth pony could keep their hooves on the ground easily enough.” Autumn grumbled to herself while scanning for an alternate path. Her search revealing a back street or alley or whatever, she wasn’t a thesaurus what did she care?

Ponyville being the small(ish) quiet(ish) place it was, the alley (road thing) was very clean and unobstructed. Coming up on a sideway to her left, autumn reflected again on what a nice, if so far boring place her new home was.

In that moment Autumn Skies was pretty happy.

Which was what made her sudden inability to move all the more jarring.

Her hooves refused to budge. Autumn looked to see if she was stuck, only to find her neck wouldn’t move either. Then her brain decided to catch up. Autumn realized all at once that since she turned down the alley her heart was pounding, her lungs desperately gasping, legs slowing, and soul filled with terror. That terror now filled her mind.

Wha... What’s happening? Where is this coming from?!! Autumn desperately fought through the fear to think, only to suddenly understand.

I am going to die.

The thought resounded in her head, through her body, and deep down into that which we call The Soul. She didn’t know where the thought came from, but she knew. This was Truth.

In that moment Autumn Skies was dead.

Which is what made her continued existence all the more incomprehensible.

Her eyes. HER EYES WERE MOVING! SHE WAS DOING IT! SHE WAS MOVING HER EYES! Yes now to just look down at herself… They won’t move that way. Why. WHY! LOOK DOWN! BY CELESTIA AND LUNA’S LIGHT LOOK DOWN!
…
…….
Look left.

It was a thought at the most basic level, beyond thinking, beyond instinct, or even reactions. This was a thought that came from just being, and her soul spoke in a way more commanding than any other force that ran through her at that moment to look to her left.

Her fear tried to move her eyes to the right. Only horror waits for me there!

Her eyes slid left.

Her mind tried to look down. Inspect myself! See what’s wrong with me!

Her eyes slid left more.

Her body tried to stay still. It’s difficult! Too difficult to move! Stay still, save my strength!

She looked left.

She saw a pony. A pony in a grey hooded cloak. With a stick, darker than anything she had ever seen, gripped in its hoof raised high. The pony struck.

In that moment Autumn Skies did not die, what was once Truth was unmade.

Which is what made her collapsing into an unconscious heap such a sweet relief.

Autumn Skies woke up. It wasn’t a gradual thing. Standing up onto her shaky legs, everything rushed back to her mind. Her eyes tore across the alley (street thing), but there was nothing. She was alone. She was alive. She needed a drink. Or maybe some food, ALL of it might be enough.

And so she made her way to the market, carefully. She kept scanning the alley searching for danger. When she made it to the open market, bustling with ponies, something deep inside her was soothed, she was safe. But she could still taste that fear, that pure terror, in back of her mind.

The Golden Glass, a restaurant with a lovely selection of only the finest in pony cuisine but more importantly a bar, quickly became autumn’s destination. On her way she noticed that the two mares that were blocking the road were still there. How long was I out?

Autumn made her way inside and right up to the bar. An orange earth pony working the bar made his way to autumn, but stopped in his tracks as he got near her.

“SWEET CELESTIA’S SUNSHINE! YOU SAW HIM!” the bartender yelled.

The entire population of the golden glass now was entirely fixed on autumn. This was uncomfortable.

“HEY EVERYPONY! SHE’S GOT THE MARK!” the increasingly annoying barpony continued to yell. Autumn was just about to suggest something rather rude to him when everypony swarmed around her. Autumn’s definition of uncomfortable was revised.

They sat all around her, nopony coming in touching distance but still it was rather unsettling what with all the STARING.

“Um…. Hello?” they kept staring. ”ok what is going on!” autumn finally yelled.

“You saw HIM.” One of the patrons spoke up.

“Him who?” she was quickly tiring of this.

“The Grey Hood”

Silence now took the room as all autumn could do was stare at them. They… they know??!How!?

“How do you know that?” Autumn whispered the question honestly scared of the answer.

Without a word a mare in the crowd pulled a small mirror from a saddle bad and aimed it at autumn. She took in the sight. Her usually bright and fiery coat looked as if she’d been bleached several shades, her eyes, they looked so tired, red and baggy, but all of this fade as she saw what had to be The Mark. A ring of black wrapped around her neck. Not paint or dirt or anything like that, just black. The same black as that stick.

Snapping her eyes to each pony in the room in a rising panic she practically begged. “Who, or what, is the GreyHood?”

“I hear it’s the Pale Pony come to collect you, but that the residual power from the Elements of Harmony drives him away at the last moment!”

“No! It’s a rare breed of changeling that feasts on terror!”

“I think it’s just some creepy stalker.” Somepony mumbled loudly.

“Not just a stalker but a serial killer! They came from up north and use some strange magic to hunt ponies! But I guess they must be pretty particular if nopony’s died yet.” Another pony added their two bits.

“It’s a ghost!” An elderly stallion exclaimed.

“A monster!” A panicked mare swooned.

“Super Hero!” some colt added happily to the speculation.

The explanations and theories kept coming, and kept getting louder until everypony was yelling.

“ALRIGHT EVERYPONY THAT’S ENOUGH!” The barpony yelled above the din. For a moment there was silence. “We all need to just calm down.”

“Yeah Half Full is right! We shouldn’t be arguing what the Grey Hood is. We should be making sure it doesn’t attack us!”

And so they all burst into a frenzy of activity. Some took salt shakers off the tables and started throwing salt all over. Others turned on their heads and chanted old sun blessings; you know the kind from ye olden stories. Actually it seemed everypony did something different. And some of them were very different.

Amidst this pandemonium there seemed to be only one pony not joining in, or rather one zebra. Finishing her drink she made her way straight to autumn. Nice Mohawk was just about the only thing to come to autumns increasingly confused mind, right up to the point that the zebra sat beside her.

“Hello my friend, zecora is my name. Living in the everfree is my claim to fame.” Such an exotic pony in a place like Ponyville and that’s her ‘claim to fame’? Wait is she rhyming? Zecora looked around the room at the eight panicking ponies, shaking her head sadly. “The pony in the gray hood deserves none of these fears. His efforts have saved us from shedding many tears.”

Now this was different. “Why aren’t you afraid zecora?”

Smirking at autumn the zebra locked eyes with her. “Ah… so a pony looking for truth I see, or is merely morbid curiosity? What reason do I have to be nervous? The pony in the grey hood provides a grand service. He is our guardian, protector, and collective friend, who keeps us from our untimely end.”

“What do you mean? What does he protect us from?”

Zecora, having finally found somepony that would listen, became serious. “Demons from the far off past, whose evil and darkness may forever last. Shades are their name, though you saw, smelt, or heard nothing. Their touch you have felt, its deadly grip to you is plain. The Grey Hood hunts them down. The task though is daunting, they are all around. That black rod, which left its mark, is no weapon of the dark. Against rock, house, or ponykind it will not fight. For the shades alone does it hold a deadly bite. Off in my homeland, to fight shades we had our ways. However, they are now the stories of long gone days. Stories told to young ones in the dark, in the hope that it would become wisdom's spark.”

“So wait, all we can do is rely on this Grey Hood to protect us?”

“Yes, or at least that is what I do, come let me treat you to an herbal brew. Or you can join them in their superstitious rites, I will not put up a fight.”

Autumn looked back at the small crowd. They all feared the Grey Hood, but zecora didn’t. Deep inside her, down beneath her bones, autumn knew.

It wasn’t the pony in the Hood that gave her terror. Besides, tea sounded lovely.

Elsewhere…

An empty alley (yes alley) was suddenly occupied by a pony in grey hood just appearing out of nowhere. The pony walked with purpose. There was somewhere he had to be, and he didn’t have much time.

“You’re late” a voice echoed out from the shadows. Stepping from the darkness was a sight that would frighten just about anypony, a changeling. It’s sinister smooth black carapace, its disturbing green eyes, the fin on the back of its head, or the holes in its legs. Truly it was not a pretty sight… to the ponies that had just decided to not even try to understand a changeling, or consider that not all wanted to suck out their essences.

“Hey mirage. Yeah I know I’m late, had a shade to deal with.” The pony brought his hood down revealing his powder blue mane, brown fur, and apologetically sheepish smile. He had promised her he’d be quicker for their switch after all.

“Yeah I know I could taste the terror from here, bleah! Did you know there’s a rumor going around that the shades are changelings feasting on fear? As if! That stuff tastes terrible! Like a…”

“I know, you’ve described to me, in graphic and imaginative detail the comparative flavors of emotions, including terror, many many times. But now I’ve got to go! In a hurry remember? Did I miss anything important?”

“You mean other than your day with your dad and sisters?” an unamused look was all Mirage got for her quip. “No, not really. Got ice cream, went shopping, etcetera etcetera. Really though, you could have let me handle it, the shade I mean. This is their day as much as yours.” At this mirage became somber. “Look, I understand, it’s your ‘special talent’ or your ‘destiny’ or whatever to save and protect ponies. But on a day like today, you should step back a bit, leave this to your friends, that’s what we’re here for.” Regaining her smile, she playfully punched him on the shoulder. “Go! And enjoy your family Periwinkle.”

“Hey you promised to just call me Perry!”

“Then be on time!” she called back as she donned her standard pony look and disappeared into town.

Sighing to himself, Perry started walking in the other direction where he knew he’d find his family. The young earth pony remembered his hood before exiting the alley, and summoned his power. His hood disappeared into the ether, waiting to be called back along with his black rod. His alter ego stashed away, Perry continued on.

“Really? An alley? Ugh Perry couldn’t you just have gone at sugar cube corner while we were there?”

“Eww! That’s so gross Perry! Ponies walk there!”

Looking up perry caught sight of two fillies. He didn’t hold back a smile. His little sisters, Honey Sweet and Pretty Strong, were making faces of disgust at the act mirage apparently told he had to attend to. She sure loves to put me in these situations.

“Hey what do you want from me? I’m just a stallion after all.” He called back.

“More like a big colt.” Honey, the older twin snarked back.
“Dad! Perry’s being gross again!” Pretty cried out.

Perry looked past them and saw the strong, town guard. The pony he looked up to more than any other, former royal guard, master of the Stone Hoof Style, devoted father. The steel grey earth pony with the black mane: Faithful Service, his father, was, in so many ways his idol, his goal.

Faithful firmly planted both back hooves in Perrys face in a flying kick.

“Perry! How could you!? To think my own son could befoul our lovely town in such a way!” faithful cried into the heavens. “Oh, my dear sweet Verdant! If you could see our son now and his poor life choices! If only you could be here to help me steer him down the right path! Why did you have to go?!”

“GET OFF OF ME YOU MELODRAMATIC MULE!” Perry threw his dad off of him, “... Uh, no offence.”

“None taken.” The passing donkey replied.

“Can we get going already?” Honey complained. “We still gotta set up the picnic.”

Oddly enough for the quirky family, they managed to make it to the picnic site without any other dramatics. It was a special place, at least to them, a place that held precious memories. A lonely short hill with a lonely umbrella shaped tree at its peak. In practiced moves honed over many such picnics, they had the whole set up in order shortly. Faithful walked up to the tree, with the sun setting behind it, and placed his hoof right next to a carving: A simple heart with names.

Faithful Service + Verdant Fields

Perry walked up and sat quietly beside his father. For a moment that was all, just the quiet company of two stallions, staring at the same name.

“I miss her, so much sometimes it hurts just to breath. You’d think I’d have gotten used to it by now, but I suppose that there are just some things that just never go away.”

“Yeah, I miss her too dad, every day.”

The somber, depressed mood hung over the two like a cloud. Finally honey just couldn’t take it.

“Oh come on! This is supposed to be a happy picnic you dopes! Snap out of it already!”

“Honey…just… let us have a moment ok? Let us remember her.” Faithful replied glumly.

“Think of who now?” a curious voice spoke up.

The two stallions whirled around to see the mare the voice belonged to. And there she was, the light green mare with the dark green mane. Her. It was…

"VERDANT! OH MY LOVE YOU’VE COME BACK TO US!!” Faithful once more cried out, in a display of dramatics that made all the pigs on the nearby apple farm flinch. This time however he wasn’t alone.

“MOMMA! Don’t leave us! Please! We’ve missed you so much!” Perry cried out in echo of his father’s performance.

Glancing down at the two stallions gripping her forelegs, Verdant looked up at her daughters with tired half lidded eyes. “They acted like I was dead again didn’t they?”

“yep” “uh-huh”

“Boys! I was gone for only a week! You have to calm down!”

Still gripping his mother’s foreleg, Perry felt it. That quiver that ran through the air. Another shade. Reaching out with his senses he felt it, and sighed in relief, he wasn’t needed. Mirage would make quick work of it. Yes he had friends that could take care of it, but he’d be ready, ready to help them, and everypony. That was what the Grey Hood did, but, for the moment, he was just Periwinkle Fleet: son and brother.

And these were the ponies that needed him most right now.

Author's Notes:

OK! first story! a bit of a prequel i wanna work on, except this takes place some time around season 3 and i plan on starting at the beginning of 1.

sooo... did you get it? my ham joke? i think i might rewrite it.

anyway. please constructive criticism. i can take it! i hope. i wrote this haphazardly over about 3 weeks.... i got distracted trying to make a feasible, reasonable, workable in story timeline for myself. I'm close! anyway if this seems a bit disjointed that is why. also it's 2 in the morning and i have work today(at the time of finishing anyway) so i'm just going to post and see what happens.

i came up with this idea a few months ago reading Quatro by Dirty Bit. i read bleach and enjoyed his story, give it peek. anyway that's where the basis of this comes from, but it is not a bleach fic. i just make a few nods. like the family except i didn't want to have the mother dead. it works for ichigo's story and world, but not so much what i'm doing.

so give a new contributor a chance! i know it isn't much with the poorly self edited pic, and story written on ms word and then copy pasted over. but i'd like to try and tell an interesting story if nothing else.

so here we go!