Foreshadowing

A disaster was about to happen. What made this disaster different than the other disasters before it, was that it was planned. Because years before most towns were built, a town in the center housed several legends. Seven legends were made in the battle for the land. All Seven died on the battlefield. Or so it was thought. When the war was said and done, a town was built over the battlefield.

Stories of ghosts haunting the grounds and night terrors led travelers away. It wasn’t until the Princess herself came and declared the land safe, that the residents were content. Years passed and full body apparitions were being seen. The residents were suspicious of the town again.

One thing that made these apparitions different than the other ghosts, was that the residents knew for sure they weren’t going to harm anyone. The full body apparitions stayed long enough for word to get around, and never tried to hide. They would smile and look the townsfolk in the eye, but the town never noticed. Because what kept them different from the other ghosts, was the mask they wore. And the cloak that covered their body only sealed the deal.

The Seven Warriors of Legend were in town. They could have been guarding or haunting it, but the older residents didn’t care. Sometimes the Warriors would stop and talk with the residents, and sometimes they would keep their distance. Eventually the group would split up, and then they would only appear one at a time with days in between.

Then one day, the Seven appeared in town square. They were each looking a different direction with one in the center as the town gathered around. With a wave of their hands, the crowd was silent. The middle one lifted his hoof and grabbed his mask. The others did the same. At the same time, the Seven removed their masks and threw them into the crowd. Almost as if by magic, the masks formed solid and landed on each corner of the town square. The one in the middle threw his mask on the ground beneath him.

The gasps in the crowd were ear shattering. Every eye was drawn to the Seven. Each Warrior had eyes on them. Not every one of the Warriors smiled, and the crowd had the same expressions. The silence after the gasps lasted seconds, before the middle one spoke.

“For years we have protected this town, and today we can finally declare it safe. There is no longer any need for us to stay here. We died a long time ago, and it’s time for us to accept that. So take care of these, they mean a lot to us…” He said.

The crowd watched as the Seven removed their cloaks and also threw them into the crowd. No one moved as the cloaks landed next to the masks of their owners. Before the crowd’s eyes, the Seven disappeared from sight. The mayor walked into the middle to address the citizens.

“Everyone return to your homes. We’ll inform the Princess of recent events,” The mayor said.

Not a single word was said as the residents returned home. But no one noticed as a shadow walked in the crowd with a grin on his face. When the town square was clear, six of seven of the masks and cloaks were gone. The mayor looked over the remaining mask, his curiosity heightened. Taking the mask and cloak, he went into the town hall and shut the door. The echo sounded through the empty streets.

The colt of shadows entered the dark room. His hat tilted to hide his face. He looked through the dim light in the room to the shadow in the center. He lifted his hat off and waited.

“Did you get them?” The shadows asked.

“Not all of them…” The colt whispered as loud as he could.

“That can not be helped… how many?” The shadows asked.

“Three…” The colt whispered softly.

“What? What about the others?” The shadow asked loudly.

“I didn’t see the others…” The colt whispered, taking a step back.

“Well find out what happened to them, or I’ll have you fired ,” The shadow yelled.

The young colt ran out of the room in seconds. The shadows disappeared and the room was lit up. From the sides of the room ten mares stepped forward.

“Did you have to be so rough on him? He’s only a kid…” One of them asked.

“Yes, if we don’t get most of them, we’ll have to use drastic measures,” The boss said.

“Well why were you so surprised to only get three? How many do you need for the plan to continue?” Another mare asked.

“We’ll need them all… but we need half if we want to get the rest…” The boss said.

“So what’ll happen if he doesn’t find the others?” The mare closest asked.

“I’ll need to bait the others out. But let’s hope it doesn’t take that long,” The boss said.

The clouds loomed overhead. The blue in the sky was nowhere to be seen. Thunder cracked and droplets of water began to fall. There was no scheduled downfall today. The citizens were puzzled at this. Only one house remained calm, and the residents were content with the rain. They laughed and played. With each crack of thunder they exploded into more laughter.

Six foals were rolling and playing. They were seeing each other for the first time. But it would not be the last. They finished their playing and looked at each other; three fillies and three colts, two with wings and two with horns. The other two had warm smiles on their faces. They had never met before, but already they had a connection.

The clouds thickened and the rain intensified. Lightning rained down upon the town. Hail and snow fell as well. The city was engulfed in panic. The six foals were grabbed out of their pens and taken away. Their mothers and fathers tried to stop their crying as they loaded up the carriages. The play date was over, and the families were evacuating.

Six roads diverged on the town, and each went somewhere new. The roads split the foals into different towns. Their hometown was destroyed. When the storm finally stopped, there was nothing left. Each family took their child into the new town and settled there. The town was taken off the maps and declared abandoned. Nopony spoke of the incident again. That is, nopony except the parents of those foals.

When the parents told their child about the weather that destroyed their home, it was already years later. The children had grown and learned about life. They each had a different lifestyle they were used to. Almost all of them had accepted the fate of their hometown and accepted the new homes. They didn’t remember the old house, but it still had significance.

Author's Note

New Story, It’s going to be mostly serious. Deal with it. Although It’s not going to update as often as the other one. But there will be references in both. There’s going to be a few Background Chapters coming up, but don’t worry the actual story isn’t too far away.
I’ll be more focused on this then the other story at first, even though I’ll have less time to type overall. I’ll still be alive, so unless... something happens to my editor, I’ll still be posting. Yeah… something…
Next Time: The First Mask, Meet Spec.