//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 // Story: The Mask of Atanciel // by sevenofeleven //------------------------------// The Mask of Atanciel Chapter 1 1pm Horseald Park Calming Word smiled as the warm sunlight hit her dark green coat. She shook her coal-black mane and tail as she trotted over to Horseald Park. At last, she could enjoy her twenty minutes away from fuming and bitching ponies and sip her four-bit green tea in peace. For a moment, she wondered if she should’ve gotten a lid for her drink. So far things were going her way. She got a table not marred by pigeon crap. The homeless ponies that lived in the park were not too smelly. Calming wasn’t alone in the park, there were other ponies enjoying the sights. She took a sip of her tea. It seemed like this was going to be a calming break for her. Then the griffon appeared. It was wearing a white mask with gold highlights. The fancy mask was at odds against the filthy lab coat that swished around. Calming frowned. The griffon stumbled into the park and started to dance around. Then it said that death wasn’t going to be a problem anymore. Calming watched the capering creature with dismay. This was almost as bad as the time the zebra colts came by with buckets and drumsticks. They had turned the buckets over and used them as makeshift drums. The racket had sent Calming galloping back to her office. Even worse, the noise of drumsticks smacking buckets could be heard from her office windows on the sixth floor. She took a few more sips of her tea. It was probably a good idea to get out of the park soon. Some sort of black stuff oozed from the griffon’s mask’s eye and mouth holes. She drank some more tea. There was still more than half left. If it wasn’t four bits, Calming would’ve dumped it already. Taking a drink up to her office was a waste of time. The phones would ring and she’d be back to work while the ice melted and the tea got watered down. The homeless ponies all had narrowed eyes and some had their ears back. It was clear to Calming they didn’t like the newcomer. Several ponies left the park bitching about buskers doing anything for a bit. The sick griffon began to stumble around and cough up gouts of black liquid while still trying to dance. Calming reluctantly kept her eyes on the griffon. She didn’t want to look at her drink and find the disgusting creature right next to her spewing his filth on her when she looked up. She didn’t understand why the griffon’s wings were fused into an withered lump of flesh. A few grey-brown feathers clung stubbornly to what were wings. Calming sucked down more of her tea. Gut churning griffon or not, she was getting her money’s worth. The griffon slumped to the ground, still coughing and spewing, while the homeless ponies and others headed for the exits. One pony’s overloaded cart squeaked a final farewell. Calming raised her head to check on the dying griffon and a breeze took one of the griffon’s remaining feathers and plopped it in her tea. For a moment, she thought about fishing out the feather and finishing off her drink. A vision of her lying at her desk while black liquids oozed and dripped from her nose and eyes made Calming abandon her tea and the park. She barely heard the diamond dog yell for somepony to call 911. It would be a while before she would return. 3 pm AID(Anomalous Incidents Division) Site Eight The office of sub director Aaron Hock Deep underground, a gray office with a gray desk and a few gray chairs was the scene of confrontation between two creatures dressed in white lab coats. A white-haired earth pony stallion with a dark brown mane and tail narrowed his brown eyes as he interviewed an evasive brown-feathered red-eyed griffon. “Can you tell me about this Anomalous Object(AO)? Designated: The Mask of Atanciel?” The griffon sighed. “Do I have to? The documents related to AO-351 will be sent to your site anyway.” “That might be true, but I think that we don't have the time to wait. You, Ghadron Swiftwing, are the supervisory researcher responsible for this situation,” Aaron growled. Ghadron narrowed his eyes. “Don't blame me for the containment breach! AO-351 is a nightmare in the flesh… if it’s even made of flesh!” Aaron sat back, unaware he had been leaning forward. This wasn't a criminal, this was a fellow AID member. At least, he tried to remember that. Containment breaches were serious business. There was going to be a high cost in bits, ponysonnel and maybe civilian lives. “Alright, let's try to calm down. Where did the name come from?” he asked. Ghadron sat back in his chair and relaxed. “We had two condemned criminals put on the mask. It wasn't hard. AO-351 creates a compulsion in subjects that makes them want to put it on. Then, when they wear it, their personality is gone. Replaced by Atanciel. It told us its name. We managed to take the mask off the second subject and he instantaneously became a rotting corpse. The first subject lasted three hours before his body turned into a pile of stinking flesh that looked like it had been in the grave for a few years.” Aaron frowned. Ghadron nodded. “Yeah, I know you ponies wouldn't do such things, but we had to know. After the two subjects died, the director forbade using people. I think the criminals were better off being executed. Having your personality erased is probably not pleasant. When the subjects wore the mask, a black contaminant leaked from the eye and mouth holes.” “What does the mask look like?” asked Aaron. “It’s a white mask with gold highlights. If you've seen the masks they used for plays, smiling for comedy, sad for tragedy, that's basically what it looks like. We have video of the mask changing from  tragedy to comedy or the other way around. Saw it once and that was enough for me,” Ghadron said, with a look of disgust crossing his face. “How did you acquire the mask?” Aaron prodded. Ghadron waved a claw. “That’s an interesting story. This was one of Daring Do's regrets.” Aaron peered at Ghadron. “Really?” “Yeah, she got the mask for a client and got paid well for it. Something about the temple out in Trotochtitlan got her hackles up and it wasn’t the nasty traps and tricks. We ran into her outside the manor in Greifshausen. At first we thought it was a meeting of the Marekissans. You know, the Flesh and Power folks, but no, it just was a bunch of rich ponies and other creatures. All of them dead and withered like somepony had dug them back up. There were also writings and pictures all over the walls. Not regular stuff, no, all of it were mind threats. Things that would damage or destroy your sanity and health just by experiencing them. Of course, they were made with blood and the black contaminant. Gah, what a cleanup situation! Thank Celestia that Daring Do wasn't allowed in. “What wasn’t a mind threat or a disgusting rotten corpse made my stomach churn. It was in the air like a nasty stink, terrible things were done at the manor. If you want to know more read the reports. I don’t want to talk about that place anymore.” Aaron grimaced then frowned. “Then you brought the mask to your site.” Ghadron looked away for a few moments. “If I knew then what I know now, I would've found the deepest hole and tossed the Level Five container into it. To be honest, what I saw and felt at the manor was enough warning. But no, we took the freaking mask home to Site Twenty.” “What happened next?” “Too much, Aaron, too much. The tests with the live subjects showed that AO-351 was very smart and probably manipulative too. The director forbade any more testing with people. So I did some more tests.” “What did you find out?” Aaron asked. Ghadron frowned. “AO-351 could animate corpses though they fell apart real quick. Statues could be animated too, but depending on the materials, they either decayed fast or slow. For some reason, glass decayed the slowest. Not sure why. “The contaminant that came out of the eye and mouth holes was...” “Well, go on.” “The stuff was made of blood, though we couldn't get any DNA. There were also substances that didn't show up on the Periodic Table or in any alchemical table. We started working on making materials to contain the mask. That was such a pain.” “Really? That's our job.” Aaron said. “Yeah, I know, but damn was it hard. Steel and concrete wasn't working. Cracks and rust showed up underneath the contaminant  and we had to go to other, more exotic materials. Plates using star - you know from the sky - and runed metals lasted a few weeks, but then we had to replace them. Exotic metal plates - are hard to make and take time. - They were failing faster than we could create or conjure them. And then we had the mask. I know it got pissed we weren't giving it more subjects - or victims, as we called them -  so it started putting the same nastiness on the walls it did at the manor. Eventually, the lights stopped working and we couldn't figure out why. The door would lock randomly as well. Cleaning crews had massive turnover because of that. According to them, the area around the mask was toxic and getting worse,” Ghadron said, frowning. Aaron gazed at him. “How could it get worse?” Ghadron sighed. “The cleaners and later researchers working near the containment area began to hear whispers. The containment area itself was drenched with contaminant. Heck, there were tentacles made of the substance coming out of the floor that attacked cleaners. They had to have armed escorts. There were writings and horrible drawings on the walls of the room as well. Stuff that would make your eyes bleed. Well, not really but you would regret looking closer or even at a distance. Lots of mind threats.” Aaron sighed. What Ghadron was telling him was pretty terrible. And now the mask was free. Who knows what it was doing now? “Did your translators find out anything useful from the drawings and writings?” Aaron asked. “Yeah, the sweet release of death,”Ghadron quipped. Aaron frowned. “Sorry about that. Most of the translators took the rope express or ended up in the psych lab. I ordered the labs close to AO-351 be moved to other areas. That did squat. AO-351 just worked harder. Even in my section, the lights flickered and buzzed like I was in a horror movie. Of course, the techs couldn't find anything wrong. Then we had our first breach,” said Ghadron, looking gloomy. “It was handled quickly, but we lost a researcher and a translator.” “Well, something must have happened for the latest breach,” Aaron said, placing Ghadron under his frank gaze. Ghadron looked away for a few moments before looking back at Aaron. “It was the Director. He just strolled into the containment area, put on the mask, and walked out. He used his support staff as meat shields. Some of the security officers did shoot, but others were confused. No one wanted to be the one that shot the guy who signs their paychecks. I didn't know the Director very well, but still, why?” Aaron leaned forward. “Sometimes in this job, ‘why’ is the hardest question to answer. My guess is that the mask is telepathic and it got into your director's head. Did you consider destroying the mask?” Ghadron leaned forward as well and struck the gray metal table with a balled up claw. “Yeah! When I saw the toll it was taking on me and my staff, I wanted to smash the mask. But I was scared. Real scared. I mean like, what if the mask isn't the form of Atanciel but its prison? Maybe that's what Atanciel wants. Maybe it wants to make us so angry and scared that we break the mask and set it free. I don't want to make things even worse. You've heard what it could do just as a mask. I just don't want to think about what it could do as a free mobile being.” He looked down. Aaron frowned. He said in a voice as cold as drawn steel. “Don't bang on my desk again. Compose yourself. We work for the AID and must conduct ourselves in a proper manner.” Ghadron sighed then looked up. “Sorry.” Silence filled the room for a few moments. Aaron broke the silence. “Do you have any good news?” Ghadron looked away then back. “Well, maybe. When it became clear that containment was going to be a pain, I reached out to Daring Do. She agreed to go with us back to the temple in Trotochtitlan. That was a bust, the area was a sinkhole. Stunk real bad too. We tried with a dreamwalker, a being that can see other people's dreams and memories. This one was the best, she even had a way that allowed others to view Daring's memories. We were even able to take pictures. They were a bit blurry but hey, we weren't too choosy. It was much better than what we had before which was almost nothing.” “The containment room had small cracks and even the gold container for the mask had some too. One of my researchers estimated that the container was thousands of years old. Eventually, it would fail. Maybe in the far future when we're both dead,” Ghadron said as he looked up. “Did you learn anything else? What about the creatures that made the mask? What about the case?” Ghadron looked back at Aaron. “Well, the case got melted down by the doomed folks in the manor. Tests of the gold revealed nothing anomalous. We still have the gold. There was something off about the memory ritual so we couldn't use the glyphs directly, though another group has been experimenting recently. The creatures that made the temple I found interesting. It seemed that they were humans.” “Humans are parasprite-tale creatures. They're not real,” Aaron said and frowned. Ghadron shook his head. “There were carvings of them in the chamber. Maybe some of them were still living and the stories came from that. You and I both know that some mythological creatures are based on real things.” Aaron shook his head. “No. It's quite possible that ancient versions of Diamond dogs or the Abyssinians could have reached that area.” Ghadron reluctantly nodded. “Maybe. I’d like to stay here if possible.” “I don't know. I'll ask the director about that. Somepony will drop by to brief you on what happens next.” Aaron picked up the phone on his desk and dialed Security. “We need a pickup here. Please take our guest, a griffon, to the guest quarters.” “Let me guess, I'm going to a containment facility?” Ghadron asked tiredly. “Well, you and your site are under investigation for the containment breach,” Aaron said coldly. It was quite possible that Ghadron wasn't responsible, but due to protocol, he had to pass the psych evals. Considering what he had experienced, it was highly unlikely Ghadron was going back to work anytime soon. For a few minutes, the office was quiet as both occupants wrestled with their thoughts. The guards came by. One was a male diamond dog and the other one was an earth pony stallion. Both of them had bullet-proof vests on and guns drawn. Ghadron gave Aaron a sad look before being taken away. When the door closed, Aaron downloaded the video from the hidden cameras in his office. Looking at the footage sometimes gave extra insight. Then his phone rang. “This is Director Smooth Running.” Aaron's ears and tail drooped. The only times he heard from his boss was to give him a new assignment, to praise him, or to punish him. “Sir?” Smooth continued. “Assistant Director Hock, please be advised that I have authorized the transfer of resources to you. Whatever you need, within reason, shall be available.” Something about that statement added more to Aaron's dismay.”Sir?” “Precogs have seen that this containment breach could lead to an Omega event.” There it was, the kick to the gut. Omega events were world enders. He wondered how a mask could trigger the end of the world. Also, he was now  responsible. If he failed, he’d never see his son again. “Sir? Why me?” “There is no one else available now. I don't have the luxury to wait for the best folks. Right now, you and your team are the best. Get all of them ready. As soon as you know where to go, get there. Keep me in the loop so I can get the locals onboard.” “Yes sir.” “Hock, even though you downplay the effects of luck, I will still wish you good luck.” “Thank you, sir.” His fore hoof shook as he dialed his tech specialist, Speedy Hack. She was a portly pink unicorn with a blonde mane and tail. Her blue eyes shone through her glasses. They might not be so bright once she got the news on the mission though. Speedy picked up. “What do you need, sir?” “Speedy, can you check social media for pictures of griffons wearing masks?” He heard keyboard keys being hit. “Oh my, sir, I think I found what you want. Poor thing. I’ve sent the video to your phone.” Aaron checked his inbox and watched the video of the director of site twenty dance and collapse. Even though he recognized the area as Horseald Square, Aaron wanted to make sure. “Speedy, where was this video shot?” “Horseald Square in Manehattan. Um, sir do I have to go?” Aaron imagined Speedy's tail and ears drooping. “I'm sorry but I need you on-site. Please get your go-bag and get to the transport.” “Yes sir,” Speedy said somewhat reluctantly, then hung up. Her reaction probably meant she had read the info on AO-351. Aaron sighed and got his go-bag out of a closet. Then he used speed dial to call up the other members of his team. Grey clouds hung over the tarmac. Aaron hoped that this wouldn't delay the flight. He walked by the sleek round transport to the group of pegasi that were pulling it. All of them had flight jackets and dark sunglasses that also contained data displays. The flight commander looked back at Aaron. “Ready to go sir? We have been briefed already, we're going to Manehattan.” Aaron nodded then walked back to the transport's staircase. While he went up the stairs, he thought how long before this mission would be over and if he would see his son again. Once he was inside, he locked the door and walked to his seat. Inside the transport was a nice brown and beige layout with a bit of maroon for highlights. The chairs turned into uncomfortable beds, but at least it was stocked with lots of food and drink. The flight commander's voice came over the intercom. “We will be in Manehattan in two hours. Enjoy your flight.” The transport tilted and flew up. Aaron took a moment to look over his team and gauge their temperament. He wasn't sure they could handle the pressure of dealing with an Omega Level event. Then again, he wasn't sure he could deal with it either. Well Read, a brown-maned and brown-tailed white-coated unicorn who specialized in magic and some tech, spoke. “I've watched the video and I wonder if this Atanciel has a problem with exhibitionism. If I were an evil being I would just slink into town and hide in some dark alley until my host died. Dancing around like this to gain attention is counterproductive.” Mind Gazer, a zebra mare with a background in profiling all sorts of unusual beings nodded. “It's like Atanciel is taunting us.” “Or it's telling us the game is afoot,” Soft Word said. She was a blue pegasus mare with brown and yellow striped mane and tail. Aaron nodded. “According to the IQ tests, Atanciel scored in the top one percent. It's quite possible that the creature was smart enough to rein in its answers. So we don't how smart it really is. I'm going to assume that it’s going to create a cult to help further its aims. We know it's also telepathic and quite capable of bending a site director to its will. We need a profile and some ideas on what it is planning to do.” Well Read nodded causing his unruly mane to bounce. “Well, it's a creature of decay so it might want to find a way to prolong its host's life.” Mind Gazer checked her cellphone. “I bet that it will also have a plan B. Not sure what it is.” Speedy frowned. “If it is a creature of rot, it'll probably want to find a way to spread it.” Mind nodded. “Yes. Since it has the form of a mask used for plays, it might be looking to do some sort of performance.” Now it was Aaron's turn to frown. Manehattan was the media center of Equestria. Heck, ENN, Equine News Network had its offices in the city. He pushed that thought back to focus on the conversation. “We have several avenues to explore here. Well, what do you know of healing magic?” Well looked out the window then back at Aaron. “I know some healing spells, but I think that Atanciel might need higher level ones. There’s a Center of Thaumaturgic Medical Studies in Manehattan. I can check to see who's the leader in that field.” Aaron nodded. “We will be working out of a AID sub site so we should have enough resources. Mind, can you help us with checking out the playhouses?” Mind nodded. “There are fifteen official playhouses and thirty secondary venues. Those numbers don't count bars that feature plays,” Well said. Aaron frowned. “We’ll deal with that later. Speedy, see if you can find out where the mask is. Soft and I will go to the hospital and look for the mask.” Speedy nodded. “Yes sir.” She started to fuss with her laptop. Aaron got up and went to the fridge for a coke, then walked back to his seat worried. Deep down, he knew this mission was going to be very dangerous.