The Mask of Atanciel

by sevenofeleven

Chapter 3

A few miles away from the Percheron Reservoirs
11pm

The scene shifted to Aaron riding in a SUV through the dark night. He didn’t understand why so he sat there blinking for a few moments. As more time passed, Aaron realized that he was being prodded by Well.

“Wake up, snap out of it!” Well yelled.

Aaron jerked and looked around. “What’s going on? I thought we dealt with the mask.”

Well sighed, “No, we just chased it up to some area near the reservoir.”

Aaron’s eyes darted all over the place. “Where’s Princess Luna? We could use her magic. Did Rainbow Dash show up?”

Well shook his head sadly. “We lost Princess Luna in Dos Broncos. She couldn’t fly fast enough. I called her a few minutes ago and she was still waiting for a transport. Rainbow Dash is with the Mane Six. Their transport got shot down somewhere in Dos Broncos. Who knew somepony there had an anti transport spell.”

A moment later, Aaron sighed and closed his eyes then he opened them. “So I guess Flash won’t show up with a golden container for the mask.”

A sign passed them on the right saying the Percheron Reservoirs were only a half mile away.

Well leaned forward. “No. So what happened in the dream? It must have been pretty interesting.”

“Rainbow smashed a glass horse. Princess Luna grabbed the mask with her telekinesis and Princess Celestia helped out. Flash showed up with a complete case for containing the mask. They decided to use a spell from Hoofvard to push the mask into space after Princess Luna went back to the moon,” Aaron said. Sadness was moving in fast. He wondered if they would ever defeat Atanciel.

Well laughed.

Aaron’s eyes narrowed.

“Really, Aaron, have you ever seen a incident get wrapped up so nicely? Even the few years I’ve been doing this has taught me that nothing is easy. Atanciel gave you a pretty fantasy so you would be crushed when you got back to reality. I say screw him and let’s save the world,” Well said.

Aaron nodded.

“Hey boss, there is a horse shaped hole in the fence up ahead. Do you want me to park the car here?” The driver said over the intercom.

Aaron hit the intercom button and replied. “Yes.”

The SUV stopped.

Aaron and Well left the car after undoing their seat belts.

Aaron avoided looking at the tired driver and team as they slumped on the ground.

Well and Aaron followed the path up the cliff side.

While they cantered up the path, Aaron sighed.

Well looked at Aaron. “We can win this.”

Aaron looked back at Well. “How could you come to that conclusion? Atanciel might be in the water already.”

Well shook his head. “No. One of Atanciel’s flaws is his narcissism. Somepony has to see him do things. He needs an audience. Remember in Horseald Square? He danced around so that we could see him. That weakness might be a way to defeat him.”

Aaron looked up for a moment. He wondered if they had a chance. But it was too late to consider, they were at the cliff.

At the top stood Atanciel. The glass horse was nimbly dancing at the edge of the cliff.

Don’t worry, I won’t hit the waves unless I want to. You gave me something of a fight, but now it’s over. Watch me as I dive and the city of Manehattan dies.

Well waved his left foreleg dismissively. “What did I tell you Aaron? Atanciel is all spells and no punch. So weak he has to use magic against us. Do you think he has the physical power to beat an earth pony and a unicorn?”

Aaron wasn’t sure where Well was going, but he tried to follow his lead. “Yeah, he could beat us with magic but not with hooves.”

Why should I fight you? I’ve already won.

Well sighed. “Too bad. He wins but is too stingy for another performance. Right Aaron?”

Aaron nodded. He hoped Atanciel would fight them. Maybe another opportunity to defeat him could happen?

Well, I guess I could indulge my bellicose audience. It would take me so little time to jump in the cool dark water. So let’s knock hooves!

Well’s and Aaron’s guns flew out of their holsters. They splashed into the night dark water almost at the same time.

Aaron ran at Atanciel while Well did the same.

At the last minute, Aaron rolled to the side and dodged a kick from Atanciel.

Well rolled and kicked one of Atanciel’s delicate slim legs. Cracks raced from where Well’s hoof hit the leg.

Aaron tried again to kick Atanciel, but got kicked himself. The strike drove the wind out of his lungs and pushed him into the dirt.

Ha Ha! Physical combat is not bad.

Atanciel reared up to trample Aaron but he rolled out of the way.

Aaron kicked Atanciel’s cracked leg. It shattered, throwing brightly colored shards all over the ground.

Well laughed. “Three more to go!”

Aaron was surprised that Atanciel didn’t say anything. He rushed at him again.

This time Atanciel dodged Aaron’s attack and counter attacked, sending Aaron into the dirt.

Even Well’s attack missed.

Aaron had a suspicion that Atanciel was cheating. He was probably reading their minds for their next moves.

Well tried another dodge and was almost trampled.

Aaron and Well stood back from Atanciel and gasped.

Well, you guessed I read your puny minds. Playtime’s over!

A beam of black energy struck Well and threw him in the air. He landed roughly on the ground a few feet away.

Aaron started running. He’d hoped to distract Atanciel, but he realized that didn’t work when his hooves stopped moving.

It’s finally over. I’ve won.

Well weakly sang, “Somepony once toucha my spaghet. Somepony is in thisa house!”

Aaron continued,”It’s gotta face but no body! It’s gotta face but no body!”

What are you doing? Stop that at once!

“They start touching but they don’t stop touching my spaghet but my spaghet is really worth nothing!” Well said weakly.

To Aaron, it seemed like Well was a bit stronger. His voice sounded like he had more life.

Atanciel began to shake his head and twitch.

Aaron turned and saw a glow on Well’s horn then Aaron flew toward Atanciel and struck him on the head.

The mask shattered with a bell-like tone.

Aaron was placed gently on the ground. He cantered over to Well, who was bleeding from his mouth. Then a look of horror crossed his face.

Aaron turned around to see what was going on.

The gold and white shards of the mask dissolved into a black shiny liquid. A few moments later, a pool formed on the ground. Then a grey and oozing pillar slowly rose out of the pool while it shrank.

Fear raked its claws down Aaron’s back as he watched the pool fade away and the pillar float off the ground.

“Finally, you dense creatures finally broke my prison! I guess I owe that equally dense griffon a reward for barely sensing my true nature. How about I summon it here and give it eternal life with eternal suffering? It’s the least I could do. My wardens, they tortured me with the knowledge that all I had to do was to destroy the mask for my freedom but then they messed with my mind so I couldn’t cast a spell or command another to free me. Eons spent with the key right outside my prison. Such cruelty. I will work hard to surpass that since I will have this world.”

Aaron watched as contaminant dripped down the side of Atanciel and faded away at its bottom. He also wondered how Atanciel could talk without any mouth.

Well sang, “Somepony once toucha my spaghet-”

“Stop that, it won’t work on me now. It seems that one of my enemies taught you stupid creatures a spell against me,” Atanciel interrupted.

Aaron was tired. His hooves shook and it was all he could do from collapsing into the dirt. All the fighting was over but he had some questions. “Why?”

“Why? What a good question. I’ll answer it and any others you have once this world is mine. Really, I will answer your questions. You will have plenty of time to ask whatever you want once you’re eternal with eternal suffering. Time to get to work.”

The small drops of contaminant stopped flowing down Atanciel’s sides and began to form large globes of black liquid that orbited it.

Aaron looked glanced at Well, his eyes were closed.

Heaviness filled the air like a great storm was coming. Aaron struggled to breathe.

Aaron looked back at Atanciel and the contaminant floating around him.

Then a strange portal appeared next to Atanciel.

Aaron glanced inside. He saw a dim room filled with pillars. On each pillar was a mask. One pillar didn’t have one.

A voice thundered out, “UNAUTHORIZED RELEASE!”

The force of the voice pushed Aaron to his knees.

“CONTAIN PRISONER!”

Atanciel screamed, “No! I’m not going back!”

Several of the contaminant globes flew at the strange portal, but they disappeared.

“COMPLY, PRISONER!”

Atanciel screamed again and cast all sorts of strange magic against the portal. Alien colors flickered and flashed.

Aaron had to close his eyes because it felt like a spike was being driven into his head when he looked at the unknown strange colors. It was so hard to take a full breath.

“COMPLY, PRISONER!”

This time, Atanciel started to scream louder as chunks of flesh were torn off of him and sent through the portal. Contaminant flew off of him as he began to shrink.

Aaron opened his eyes to look at Atanciel but as he covered his ears, the sound of tearing flesh was just too much for him. For a moment, he felt a small amount of pity. But then he thought about his victims. Yeah, he deserved what was happening to him.

When most of Atanciel’s flesh was almost gone he whispered,”I’ve told the hateful star and the two cursed sisters about this world. You will see doom within your lifetime.”

Then, after a few moments, all of Atanciel was gone. It happened so fast, he didn’t scream or there wasn’t enough left to make a sound. The portal closed and faded away.

Aaron gasped and panted until he felt better. He looked around. Other than Well who still lay on the ground, that was it.

Aaron cantered up to Well.

Well opened his eyes.

“How did you know about that song? Did you see it on Mootube?” Aaron asked.

Well weakly shook his head. “I don’t go on the internet too often. I like to read. An image of a cartoon bear appeared in my mind. Some entity told me to listen upa good. Learna thisa song or your world will go poofa. My job is to stop this world from going poofa, so I learned the song. It’s too silly for me.”

Aaron nodded. “Well, today this world didn’t go poofa.”

Well nodded.

They waited while the sound of approaching transports grew louder.

---

Several days later

9 am
AID(Anomalous Incidents Division)
Site eight
The office of Director Smooth Running

Aaron stood stiffly in front of the site director's desk. Unlike his desk, which just had one framed picture of his son, Smooth had several photos of his family and kids.

Smooth took off his glasses, blew on them and put them back on his muzzle. “Please don't stand there like you expect to be terminated. Sit. I have a lot to go through.”

Aaron sat.

Smooth took a breath. “All right, let's get to it. Your account of what happened to Atanciel seems final. I hope we don't see that thing at all again. There were so many lost while AO-351 was on its rampage.”

“It wasn't that peaceful in containment either,” Aaron said.

Smooth nodded. “You're quite right. Local law enforcement is still recovering from the nonsense that AO-351 did while heading north. Estimates say at least thirty-five dead creatures and one hundred or more injured. We lost Maregan Kelly, as well as several agents and a sound guy from ENN. Some security officers were also lost.”

Aaron frowned.

“Andhorsean Cooper is in containment. It seems that all of the pigment has been removed from his body. His eyes are red like those of an albino lab mouse. The strangest side effect was his blood. It uses some strange chemical to bond with oxygen. It's more efficient than hemoglobin. Other than those anomalous things, he could be back to work in a few months. Oh, yeah, he has strange dreams. We're still studying them and him,” Smooth said.

“I'm glad Mr. Cooper will be back on TV. What about Mind?” Aaron said.

Smooth looked down at his desk and up at Aaron. “That's a stranger story. To a zebra, stripes are important. Do you know that a zebra's stripe pattern is unique? But family members have similar patterns. To not have stripes is like losing one's uniqueness. I hope Mind's stripes grow back.”

Aaron leaned forward. “Is there anything that can be done?”

Smooth nodded. “Worst case, we get a cosmetic mage to paint stripes back on her. She also has problems sleeping. That's still being studied. The two translators from the Manehattan sub site will pull through.”

“That's good too. What about Ghadron Swiftwing?” Aaron said then leaned back.

Smooth sighed in relief. “Well, he's innocent of assisting in the containment breach. That's the good news. The bad news is that he has some mental issues from dealing with AO-351. It's possible he may not be able to work for AID anymore. Maybe. Let's see what happens later. He might recover. For your team and others, things are looking up.

Flash Bang and Broken Tongue both get commendations for their work. Your team gets commendations for their work too. Now, we will talk about you.”

“Should I stand up for this?” Aaron said. He was feeling nervous.

“No, keep your seat. Do you have any questions so far before we deal with you?” Smooth said.

“Yes, I do. As I wrote in my report, the mask mentioned two threats. One was an angry star,” Aaron said. He was glad to get a bit of a respite before dealing with his problem.

“I checked around and submitted a request upline. So far, no one has replied,” Smooth said.

“The other threat mentioned two cursed sisters. Do you have info on that?” Aaron said.

Smooth looked away for a moment and back. “I'm sorry but I can't deny or affirm that one. It's above your paygrade and mine to access that info. It's time to discuss your situation.”

Aaron nodded.

“Fine. I appreciate that you reported killing Dr. Soothing Balm without prompting. I sent the info upline. The upper managers sent me a reply. They have decided to allow me to handle the situation. They also gave me some interesting insights. The precogs have seen that if the doctor wasn't killed, the chance of an Omega level event was 81%. So your quick thinking did make a difference. Then again who knows what sort of breakthroughs the doctor could've done if she survived?

That being said, I've made up my mind. You will be put on therapeutic leave for at least six months depending on what the counselor says. I suggest that you take the time to come to terms with your issues with this situation. Barring another Omega level event, you won't be allowed back to work until your counselor gives you a clean bill of mental health. I'll need your gun and badge now,” Smooth said.

Aaron got up and placed his gun and badge on the desk. “What about the local police finding out I shot the doctor?”

“That has been dealt with. Take care of yourself,” Smooth said then stood up. He stuck out his left foreleg for a bump.

“Thank you sir,” Aaron bumped Smooth's fore leg and left the office.

---

When the transport landed in Fillydelphia, it felt like cold gray clouds seemed to follow Aaron as he sat in the car. He wondered if he would pass the mental fitness tests after what happened. So many ponies and creatures died. Yes, he didn't blame himself for their loss, but still he wondered if he did this or that would the death toll be lower. Then there was the loss of Soothing Balm. Her blood was definitely on his hooves.

Even though the police had considered the matter closed, Aaron still put himself on trial. How many future ponies would die because they couldn't take advantage of her research? Who appointed him judge, jury and executioner? Maybe that snap decision wasn't justified.

He was so busy beating himself that he didn't notice that the car had stopped in front of a white gabled house with two ponies outside.

“1350 Latigo Holder Boulevard,” The driver said through the intercom.

Aaron barely heard him while he wrestled with his thoughts.

“You're home, sir,” The driver said.

Aaron grabbed his go bag and left the car.

“Enjoy your day,” The driver said. He just got a mumble in response.

The car drove off.

For a moment, Aaron just stood there as the gray inside his head matched the clouds above him. It wasn't until he heard the joyful yell, “Daddy!” from Robbie that the clouds began to fade away.

His son galloped right into him and for one blissful moment, the sky was clear and the bright sun shone upon them. All of his worries faded away like fog in morning sunshine. Yes, he killed somepony's mother, daughter, friend. There would be others missing Soothing Balm too. But he had to carry on. His son's love was why he kept on doing his work at AID.

They hugged in the downpour until the housekeeper called them to come inside.

Comments

[Artist]

10314672

Ok.

Thanks

[sevenofeleven]

10314673
Oh I forgot to mention the show, "Criminal Minds."