Chapter 1

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.

Chapter 2

View Online

AID private airport
5:30 pm

Aaron and his team stood as two ponies walked toward them. He wished they would move faster as they were pelted with small bits of icy hail. Behind them, two black SUVs and the teams pulling them waited.

One of the ponies was a green unicorn mare with an auburn mane and tail. The other pony was a light gray male earth pony with what was left of a red mane and tail. It seemed this pony was balding.

After what felt like an eternity, the sauntering pair finally walked up to Aaron.

“I'm Flash Bang,” she said and held out her hoof for a bump.

Aaron wanted to point out that they were wasting time, but decided to be civil. He bumped her hoof as well as the balding pony's.

He mumbled, “I'm B-broken T-tongue.”

After the introductions were done, they finally got in the black SUV and the ponies pulling it drove off to the AID Manehattan sub site.

As the car drove through the streets, Aaron faced Flash. “Do you know which hospital they sent the director to?”

Flash nodded. “No problem, my staff has already checked it out. We have security cam footage of the mask at the hospital, before one of the doctors took it.”

Aaron frowned. “Were you able to track the mask?”

Flash sighed. “Well now, we know who took the mask, so a team was dispatched to her home.”

Well looked out the window then at Flash. “I doubt she's going back home.”

Flash nodded. “No. We lost her when she left the hospital parking lot. I've sent an alert that the doctor is a person of interest. It's just a matter of time until we find her.”

Aaron forced himself to sit back in his seat. There was not much he could do now. He just knew time was running out.

6pm
Manehattan
Dialog and Drinks

Bar Runner, a rotund orange earth pony stallion, sat on his chair near the door. He looked around the bar and ran a fore hoof through his graying yellow mane. He thought about recent business. Things were slow, and had been that way for a few days. It would have been cool if someone showed up with a play or a stand-up comedy act.

As if he had made a wish using the diamond dog's paw, a cowled pony appeared. Bar looked closer, seeing that it was just a pony with a wrinkled and dirty pink hoodie. The sight gave him a chill.

“Do you accept performances?” the figure asked.

Bar nodded. “Yeah, but I want to see your face. I don't do business with folks that hide their face.”

The figure pulled back the hood to reveal a white mask with gold highlights.

Something about that should've made Bar more nervous, but he just shrugged it off. “Okay, we gots rules. No porny stuff and no excessive cursing. Other than that you're fine.”

Pink Hoodie nodded.

Bar peered at the new performer. For some reason, not seeing his eyes or mouth didn't make him nervous. “So, what's your name? You can use a stage one. Not being nosy but I need something to announce when I go on stage.”

“My name is Atanciel,” hoodie pony said.

Bar looked at the clock in the back of the bar. He had to go move his cart. The last time he didn't, the ticket was expensive. “Follow me. I'll announce you and you can do your thing. Oh, almost forgot. Where are you from? Gotta say that too.”

There was a long delay.

“Is ‘Unknown’ an acceptable answer?” Atanciel said.

Bar nodded, then made his way to the bar. Something about this guy should've been setting off his wacko alerts, but things seemed fine. He stepped on stage. “Hey folks. We have a new performer named Atanciel from unknown parts. Give him your attention and a warm welcome,” he said stepping off the stage.

A polite patter of applause followed him.

Atanciel stopped Bar with an out-thrust foreleg. “I apologize, but will you see my performance? I guarantee it’ll be something you won't see ever in your life again.”

“No, I gotta take care of my cart before they give me a ticket. All performances are taped, so I’ll see it later. I watch all of them. Good luck. I would say break a leg but I find that kinda cruel.”

Atanciel nodded then walked on-stage.

Bar left his bar feeling that his patrons were in good hooves. He couldn't wait to see the video. After finding his cart and moving it - something that took way longer than he expected - he returned. A half hour and change to move a cart, that sucked. His fears came back too.

He wondered if things were alright as he put his key in the lock. It wouldn't turn. Then the door rattled like something was pushing against it. Bar stepped back. A thought suggested that maybe he didn't want to open the door. He pushed it back. Several of his staff were strong bouncer types. They could handle a masked freak, although another thought doubted that.

Bar stepped back and stood outside for a few moments before trying his key again. This time, it worked. He opened the door just a bit. The stench of rotten flesh wafted out. He slammed the door shut and called 911. Things had gone pretty bad tonight and he wished he only had to worry about boredom.

Aaron looked out at the ponies trotting down the block to the subway. It was rush hour and traffic was stalled. He was wondering if they needed to switch to the subway when Speedy tapped him.

“Um, sorry sir, but Well and I found something,” Speedy said.

Aaron looked away from the window at Speedy.

“It seems that the foremost researcher in rejuvenation magics is a unicorn called Soothing Balm. Maybe if we can get downtown fast enough we can get her before Atanciel recruits her,” Speedy said turning her laptop around so Aaron could see a photo of the doctor.

“Where is she?” Aaron said.

“Still at the center,” Well said.

“Good work, Speedy and Well,” Aaron said before he called Flash.

“Yes, this is Flash,” She said.

“Well and I are going to pick up Dr. Soothing Balm at the Center for Thaumaturgic Medicine,” Aaron said then looked out the window.

“Okay. What do you need?” Flash said.

“Well and I will take one SUV and the rest of my staff can travel with you to the subsite,” Aaron said.

“Fine. Let me know when you're ready.”

When traffic lurched forward, Aaron's driver pulled over to the curb. Flash's SUV stopped next to it and opened its doors.

Mind wished good luck as she left with Speedy and Soft.

Aaron tapped the intercom button to speak to the driver. “We need to get to the Center for Thaumaturgic Magic.”

“Got it sir. Do you want sirens too?” The driver said.

“Yes but turn them off when you're two blocks away,” Aaron said, wondering if his gun was ready. No, he thought, his gun was ready.

“No problem. Make sure you have your seatbelt on,” the driver said cheerily.

The SUV jerked forward and then they drove up on the sidewalk sirens wailing. Ponies and other creatures dodged and cursed as the car drove past them before returning to the road.

Well looked at Aaron. “I hope we get there in time.”

Aaron looked back. “I hope so too.”

They reached the brightly lit medical center. Aaron was glad for small miracles; They were able to drive up behind a police car without having to push through the press. That’s when things went downhill. Several police officers were lying on the ground. He noticed that some of the cars had deep craters shot into them.

Well frowned. “I don't like the look of this. What sort of weapons are these guys using?”

Aaron didn't know. He took comfort in the fact that a few cops had survived and were crouched behind their cars.

Then the hostage takers came out with the doctor. There was a thestral, a diamond dog, and an earth pony. All of them wore black body armor and masks over their faces. Between the hostage takers was the doctor. She was a beige-coated auburn maned and tailed unicorn female. Her brown eyes darted all over the place as her captors dragged her down the street.

The cops fired at the hostage takers, but the bullets had no effect.

Aaron and Well moved up to a police car. A dead cop lay nearby with an assault rifle next to her.

Well poked his head up from behind the police car then crouched. “It seems that Atanciel has given them some sort of bullet-blocking shield.”

Then the diamond dog pulled out a submachine gun and sprayed the area with bullets.

Aaron felt some tear into the cop car, causing it to rock slightly.

“Interesting. It seems like the bullets are tainted with the contaminant from the mask, giving them more penetration. Wounds woul-”

“That's enough for now, Well,” Aaron interrupted, thinking about the situation. If the doctor was able to help Atanciel, things could go south quickly. Maybe losing the doctor would be the point that would damn the world and his son.

He gritted his teeth and made a decision. It would bite him in the plot, but if that was necessary to save the world, so be it. Aaron slunk over to the assault rifle and picked it up. Then he crouched behind the police car and waited for the diamond dog to reload.

Aaron didn't have to wait long. He hoped that the hours spent at the firing range and his several awards for sharpshooting would help him. A moment later, he popped up and took aim. Not at the captors but at the doctor. He fired and, a moment later, the doctor took a round to the head.

She collapsed.

The captors looked down, then back up, but Aaron was already hidden behind the police car. They left the body and ran toward a gray SUV.

The doors opened and three shiny black tentacles shot out and impaled the captors. Moments later, the bodies fell to the ground as rotting corpses. The SUV rusted away until it was a steaming pile of rotten rubber and decaying metal.

Aaron placed the gun on the ground. Atanciel’s display of power was unsettling.

Well looked at Aaron. “Are we facing an Omega event? I had to ask because I've worked with you for years and I know that you wouldn't kill a civilian like that for no reason.”

“Yes. I'll tell the other members of the team later,” Aaron said, sighing.

More sirens were wailing in the distance.

Aaron's cellphone rang. “This is Flash. I have bad news. It seems that Atanciel has done a performance in a local bar. Cleanup crews are onsite now. The bar is full of mind threats.”

“How bad is it?” Aaron grimaced.

Flash sighed,“Everyone inside is dead. The bar owner would've joined them, but he had to move his cart.”

“Fine. Send teams to the Center for Thaumaturgic Medicine.” Aaron said.

“I'm going to the sub site now,” Aaron said and took one more glance at the remains of the hostage takers.

Flash hung up.

Well and Aaron rode to the sub site in silence.

Manehattan sub site

Aaron sat in the gray manager's office staring at nothing. His mind churned. He had killed a civilian. Was this death justified? He had no doubts that the well-funded Manehattan police department would eventually find out who shot the doctor. They had his hoof prints on the gun. Who knows what security cameras were in the area? Maybe a cop saw him shoot the doctor. What if AID handed him over to the police?

On the other hoof, if the Omega event happened, there would be little time to no time to do anything. Again he wondered if that was enough of a justification for his answers. If he went to jail, he wouldn't be able to see his son grow up.

Speedy knocked on the door frame. “Um, sir, we have more bad news.”

Aaron nodded and pushed the rest of the thoughts away. It was time to concentrate on the matters at hoof. He noticed that Speedy seemed a bit dispirited. Maybe this wasn't the right time to tell his team about the real stakes.

The meeting room was the usual gray with a white databoard covered with pictures of a dead pony. His team, Flash and Broken, were sitting around the table eating slices of a cucumber and chive pizza.

Speedy trotted next to the databoard and opened her mouth.

Aaron shook his head. “I have an announcement to make that none of you will like.”

All eyes were locked on him.

“What I'm about to tell you doesn't leave this room. The Director has informed me that we're dealing with a possible Omega class event,” Aaron said looking over the room.

Everypony had lowered ears and tails.

“It's just a mask. Yes, it has anomalous properties and is sentient, but how can it trigger the end of the world?” asked Flash.

Aaron found an empty chair and sat down. “I don't know, but every second the mask isn't in our possession the more likely it is to happen. We must do our duty. Speedy, please continue.”

Speedy swallowed and then nodded. “Okay. This poor mare was found in Tompkins Square park. She wasn't exposed to Atanciel. Her condition seems to be from being overworked.”

“What else do we know about her?” Aaron said.

Speedy peered at her laptop. “Well, her name is Shiny Bits and she's a semi-famous glassworker.”

Mind reached for another slice. “Glass is one of the substances that has the slowest decay rate.”

Soft looked at the databoard. “Sand is pretty common. We can find some at a beach, park or even a sanitation depot.”

Well picked up a plastic cup of Pepsi. “Yes, but maybe they’re using sand from glassworkers. It should do what they want. Other sources probably have to be converted to a usable form.”

Aaron looked at the pizza wishing that they had mushroom or anything else. “Speedy, can you do a search on glassworkers at Shiny's level and above?”

“Doing that now, sir,” Speedy said.

Broken looked around. “I have a s-s-suggestion. Maybe we s-should c-check ENN? Almost every p-pony and other c-creature w-watches it. T-tonight Andhorsean C-Cooper is interviewing Maregan K-Kelly.”

Aaron had hoped that his housekeeper would tape it for him, but maybe he could one from the show, unless Atanciel showed up. “Flash, can you send agents to secure ENN?”

Flash nodded. “I have more info about the bar attack.”

Every pony looked at her.

Flash got up and walked over to the databoard. “Speedy, you saved this, right?”

Speedy said,“Yes sir. You can go ahead.”

Flash hit a button on the board and pictures of rotten ponies covered it. She pointed to to the one lying in a pool of shiny black contaminant. “This one is the doctor from the hospital. As you can see, she doesn't have the mask.” The picture changed to a video file showing a thestral entering from the right side of the screen to grab the mask before heading back the way it came.

“Can we see the performance?” Well said.

Flash nodded. “Yes, we scrubbed the mindthreats from this video. Unless you're a linguist, you're wasting your time. The performance is in some unknown language and hearing it exposes you to mindthreats. Two brave translators are in the medical bay downstairs. I don't know if they’ll pull through.” Flash sighed. “All of the patrons are dead. The bar looks like it has been neglected for at least ten years and some of the fixtures are rusty. Almost lost a cleanup crew member to a falling light. The bar owner said that they had a major renovation several years ago. My guess is that the degradation of the bar is a secondary anomalous effect from Atanciel's performance.”

Well looked at the board. “I see that there's a banner, and earlier shots don't show one. Was there anything useful on it?”

Flash shook her head. “No, the banner was a mindthreat.”

Mind took another bite out of her pizza. “So we now know that Atanciel is capable of conjuration.”

Aaron drank some more Pepsi. “I'll go to ENN. Speedy, please get more info on the glassworkers. We need to find out where they're working on the glass host for Atanciel. Also, Speedy, can you find out if any royalty are in town? The glass host might have a Plan B.”

“Sure sir. Let me see. I’ll look for my fave princess first. Checking 'Where in Equestria is Princess Luna?'” Speedy said while her fore hooves flew over the keyboard.

Well laughed. “They have a site that tracks Princess Luna's location?”

Speedy nodded. “Yes, Well, she's very popular among ponies and nightlife-loving creatures. You'd think that Princess Luna's Facebook page would have the same info but it's not her personal page. So they don't post all of her comings and goings for security reasons.”

Mind looked up at the board. “Maybe a princess would have the regenerative powers to resist the mask.”

Aaron stood up. “Flash, I'll need a car to get to ENN. Well, you're with me.”

Broken stood up. “Excuse me b-but I w-would like t-to g-go.”

Aaron nodded.

Speedy turned the laptop around so the others could see the screen. Then she tapped her head with a fore hoof. “Sorry about that, let me send this to the 'board.”

The databoard showed the website for a fancy fundraiser for “Best Hoof Forward”. Speedy clicked one of the icons. A picture of smiling colts and fillies appeared on the page. “So this fundraiser is for colts and fillies in Dos Broncos, the area north of Manehattan. Princess Luna is one of the special guests.”

Aaron looked at his team. It seemed that Atanciel might be moving on two fronts. “Alright, Well and Broken, come with me to the fundraiser. Speedy can you send the address to our devices?”

Speedy nodded and hit some keys.

Aaron looked at Mind. “Mind and Soft can you go to ENN and secure the area?”

Mind and Soft nodded.

Flash put down her slice of pizza. “I'll send a team to the ENN building. The team leader's last name is Colter. He and his team will assist you.”

Aaron left with Well and Broken while Mind left with Soft.

Soft looked out the window of the SUV as the passing lights painted her face different colors. She wondered if the world was going to end. There were so many things she wanted to do: raise a family, travel, and other things. All of those future desires would be undone. Soft kept an ear on Mind who was talking to the agents at the ENN building.

“What do you mean you can't find Colter or Maregan Kelly?” Mind frowned.

Soft had a feeling that things were starting to spin out of control.

“Okay, see if you can find some agents and at least secure Mr. Cooper. We're just a few minutes out.” Mind sighed. “I don't like this.”

Soft nodded. “It feels like a setup. Should we trust Colter if we find him?”

Mind shrugged. “Not sure. I'm more worried about Maregan Kelly. This would be the best time for Atanciel to get the largest audience.”

“ENN offices,” The driver announced over the intercom.

Soft smiled, it was wan. “It's party time.”

Mind laughed. “Not really, no booze or even soda. Let's get this done, even if this is the last thing we do.”

Soft frowned.

They left the SUV and walked into the building.

An AID agent met them. “My name is Tanner, I have some bad news for you. The first team sent to protect Ms. Kelly is dead.”

Mind frowned. “What about Colter?”

Tanner shook his head.

Mind looked around. “Call Flash and request more agents immediately.”

Tanner nodded and pulled out his phone.

Soft pointed to the elevators, “Sorry, which floor for Mr. Cooper?”

Tanner said two and hit speed dial.

Mind and Soft trotted to the elevator bank and got on a silvery elevator.

A few moments later they were on the second floor. The doors opened onto a sound stage. Straight ahead was Andhorsean Cooper reading a magazine at his desk. He was a white-coated, white-maned and tailed earth pony stallion wearing black rimmed glasses. To the left of him were a bunch of different cameras. Beyond that was a small stadium like setup with seats in columns going up to near the ceiling with a control booth in the back.

Mind frowned. “Where are the agents? I don't like this. I think Atanciel's people are here already. Soft, can you go and secure the control booth? We may have to shut this down if Atanciel shows up. If he starts to perform...”

Soft unfurled her wings. “What are you going to do? I could use some support in the booth.”

“I have to find and rally the remaining agents if they're still here and alive,” Mind said, then moved toward Mr. Cooper.

Soft flew toward the control booth. This was faster than galloping. After a few moments, she was at the door. Getting her badge and gun together, she opened the door.

A zebra stallion was inside looking at several monitors and listening to headphones. He looked at Soft. “Hey! Who in Tartarus are you?”

Soft replied. “AID, we may need to shut down this broadcast.”

The zebra frowned. “Let me guess, terrorists? I know you lefties don't like how conservative Ms. Kelly is.”

Soft sighed, but then remembered something that Mr. Cooper said. “Equestrian politics are like a pegasus: it needs a working right and left wing to move forward.”

A small smile covered the zebra's face. “Ahh, a fan. Mr. Cooper always did have a good mind for getting the best from his guests. Just wish he cut out the giggling.”

“Giggling?” Soft leaned forward.

The zebra grinned. “Oh yeah, recently Calf Kibbitzer started needling Mr. Cooper for a bit about it recently.”

Soft leaned back. “When this is over, you’ll have to tell me more.”

The zebra's grin grew wider. “As long as you don't quote me I can share some interesting dirt. Now, what do you need?”

Soft looked around. The console had a lot of buttons, switches, sliders, and lights. “We may need to stop the broadcast quickly. Can you disable the cameras and screens?”

The zebra looked at the screens then the console. “Why can't I check out the screens? That's how I combine the feeds from the cameras.”

Soft stepped up to the console. “These terrorists might want to broadcast some pretty nasty images. Trust me, you don't want to see any.”

The zebra nodded. “No, I don't. Name's Sound Bite.” He held out his left hoof for a bump.

Soft bumped his hoof softy and locked the door. She put her gun away.

“That won't stay locked since my bosses have the key,” Sound said then fussed with some controls. “Looks like Ms. Kelly is here, I recognize the dirty blonde mane and tail. Why is she wearing a mask?”

Soft cantered past the console to the wall. “Kill the monitors. Kill the-”

At that moment, the door was unlocked and a diamond dog and a thestral burst into the room. The thestral shot Sound in the head. He slumped over the console.

Soft flinched, the gunshot seemed to boom through the tiny booth. She had to force herself to not reach for her gun. Getting into a gunfight in such tight quarters would probably be fatal for her. It didn’t help that she barely passed the annual weapon proficiency test. For now, she could just stare at Agate and the thestral.

The thestral peered at Soft. “Agate, take out the pegasus interloper. She shouldn't ascend with us.”

Agate, the diamond dog, looked at Soft and pulled a gun from his back. He looked back at the thestral. “Sure, Grim Wing, I want to ascend.”

Grim Wing smiled. It was a cold and heartless smile. “We will both go to Elu'ya. There we will find all the virgin mares we want. Well, you’d find bitches unless you like mares too.”

Agate looked back at Soft.

She saw the fear in his eyes. He had a gun in his hands but he was scared. Maybe she had a chance?

Grim looked at the stage. “Wait, there's a zebra down there. I gotta take care of her. You take out the pegasus and then we will ascend, carried by our Master's voice!” Grim unfurled his wings and flew down toward the stage.

Shots rang out.

Agate pointed his gun at Soft before walking into the booth and locking the door.

Soft looked at the gun pointed at her. It sucked that it was probably the last thing she’d see in her life.

Agate sighed then looked around. For a moment his paws shook and then stopped. “I got recruited by Grim because of the money. At the start, it was good. Then it wasn't, by then I was too scared to run.” His eyes narrowed as he looked at the stage. “Oh crap, that mask is starting to speak!” He fired several shots into the console.

Sparks flew all over the place. The monitors filled with static.

Agate fell to the floor and covered his ears, beginning to whimper.

Soft cringed behind the still sparking console.

Something hit the window. Instead of shattering, the surface was covered with thousands of tiny cracks. It was like looking through frosted glass.

Soft faced away from the glass. She felt something was outside and at any moment it could break through and get her.

Agate yelled. “Stay away, don't let it get me!”

Soft heard more gunshots and the feeling of imminent threat faded away. She started to sigh in relief until she heard something at the door.

Agate filled the booth with fear filled shrieks.

The door opened and a black pony walked through. “Hey! What's going on?”

For a moment, Soft didn't recognize the pony, and almost pulled out her gun before she realized who it was. It was Mind, except without her stripes. “Mind? Is that you?”

Mind nodded. “Yep, it's me.”

Soft looked at Agate.

Agate pushed his gun over to Soft.

She looked in her saddlebags for an evidence bag and put the gun in it. “How did you survive, Mind? Atanciel started talking.”

Mind sighed. “It was like walking, breathing and hearing sewage. I could handle it, but then I felt my stripes fade away. Guess I was lucky, I focused more on that crazy thestral that was trying to shoot me than on my stripes. Then I shot Atanciel's host. She managed to crawl away. I had to check on you.”

Soft looked at the cracked glass then back at Mind. “What about Mr. Cooper?”

Mind's ears drooped. “When I left him, he had both forelegs covering his eyes. He was moaning about something that they hurt.” Mind pulled out her cell phone and called Flash.

Soft pulled out some restraints and put them on Agate's arms. “Did you shoot any AID agents?”

Agate shrugged. “I'll take jail over 'ascending' any day. Yeah, Grim would point them out and I would do the deed.”

Mind looked at Agate. “Did you shoot agent Colter?”

Again Agate shrugged. “Don't know. All I know is I shot some AID agents.”

“What do you know about Shiny Bits?” Soft said.

“Shiny Bits was an uppity artist nag. I don't envy what happened to her,” Agate said.

“What happened to her?” Mind said.

“Atanciel got inside her head and she just worked and worked, no sleep, no food. That's when I wanted to move on. Also, the great pay dried up. Cheap bastards. Oh yeah, Granite got whacked when he went for the doctor,” Agate said.

“Where are they working on the glass host?” Mind said.

Agate shrugged again. “What's the point in telling you? They're not there. I heard they were going to a fancy todo that featured a princess. I ended up in a van going to ENN.”

Mind prodded Agate with a fore hoof. “Humor us.”

Agate flinched. “Yeah, yeah. Go to 55 Horston street. It’s an old artist's commune.”

Mind looked at Soft. “Okay, you secure this area and I'll go find Atanciel.”

Soft nodded.

Mind called Aaron.

Soft thought about how close she came to death and hoped it would be a while before that happened again.

Aaron raced up the red carpeted stairs in the Baycon Theater. His hooves barely made any sound. The elevators had been shut down for security reasons. There was one more flight to go before they reached Princess Luna's rooms. He hoped they were in time.

“D-did you s-see the p-pony with t-the b-broken horn? S-so s-sad,” Broken said.

Well looked around. “It's still possible to still do magic with a broken horn. They do heal over time.”

“Really, even with p-plastic inside?” Broken said.

“Hmm, maybe not with plastic inside. What do you think, Hock?” Well said.

Aaron was prevented from saying anything when his cell phone started vibrating. He answered it. “Hock here.”

“This is Mind. We managed to secure ENN,” Mind said.

“Are you alright?” Aaron said.

There was a long pause.

Aaron's ears drooped. This was going to be bad news.

“Well, Atanciel got some syllables off and the area was affected. I have to submit myself to containment. I was exposed,” Mind said, then sighed.

“Are you okay?” Aaron asked.

“Um, nothing is leaking from my muzzle or eyes. I don't know if I’ll exhibit anomalous properties later. Flash is sending a containment team for me. They may have to contain Mr. Cooper too. He was also exposed. Soft is fine, she was in a soundproof booth. Maregan Kelly wore the mask so you know she's dead. I shot the host and she limped off somewhere,” Mind said.

“Did you get the mask?” Aaron said.

“No, until agents relieve me, I'll keep searching. A cooperative agent of Antaciel's told me the location of the lab where they were making the glass host. He also told me that a team was dispatched to the Baycon theater. I bet someone has the mask and they're either there already or en route,” Mind said.

“We're heading to Luna's dressing rooms now. Take care of yourself, Mind,” Aaron said.

“Hock, get that mask. I saw some terrible things when Atanciel spoke. We can't afford to fail,” Mind said.

“I understand,” Hock said and hung up.

Well and Broken looked up at Aaron.

“That was Mind. She and Soft secured ENN. There was some collateral damage. Now we have to focus on stopping the mask from reaching the princess. I'll tell you more when we get the mask,” Aaron said, readying his gun.

Well and Broken got their guns ready.

Aaron stepped up on the landing. He didn't like how quiet everything was. There was a door leading to the dressing rooms. A few steps in and he almost stepped on a dead guard. Too bad. That meant that enemies were near. He continued down the hall quiet as a ghost while Well and Broken followed.

Down the maroon carpeted hall, Aaron saw another unsettling sight. The door to Princess Luna's dressing rooms didn't have a guard posted outside. He knew that was standard procedure for royal security. Aaron wondered what was going on..

They opened the brown wood paneled door and slipped inside. There was a bit of dried blood on the floor. Somepony was talking on the other side of the wall. Aaron crept up. Voices were coming from the area around the corner.

“This midnight blue dress would look wonderful on you, your majesty.”

“Thank you, Fancy. I wonder where all of my guards are. I might have to call Security.”

“Ahh, your majesty. We have a fine mask for you.”

“Wait, white and gold? These are colors for my sister, not for me.”

Even though he wanted to rush around the corner and grab the mask, Aaron forced himself to creep around the corner and watch. He didn’t want to rush into a situation blindly.

He saw the white mask suspended by a telekinetic field change color to a midnight blue mask with black highlights. A brown unicorn mare was looking at the mask fearfully. A thestral held a box in front of the princess who was holding the mask.

Princess Luna narrowed her eyes at the mask. “Wait, this doesn't feel right. The magic that surrounds the mask is ancient and strange. Why would I want to wear such a thing?”

The blue energy around the mask changed to black and it moved toward the princess.

The brown unicorn mare squealed and galloped off.

The thestral laughed. “The Master wants you! Princess of the Moon!”

That's when Aaron heard the voice in his head.

So you are the one that's been dogging my steps. Well, I have to say, I thought you’d be taller. Well, you're too late. This weak creature will be my new host and you have failed. Let me show you a taste of your failure before you die.

The black mask became white with gold highlights and jumped onto Luna's face. She shuddered, then faced Aaron. A telekinetic beam roughly grabbed Aaron and dragged him across the floor like a foal’s toy. The mask changed from the comedic face to the tragic face.

Things will be soo sad for your world.

Atanciel’s horn flickered with a black glow then a black beam blasted the wall. Bits of melted plaster and brick flew away the hole. Aaron gasped as the spell holding him tightened as Atanciel leaped at the gap.

He was surprised when she flew upwards to the roof. There, she raised the moon.

Aaron watched as Atanciel sent black corrupting beams of magic to the moon, turning it gray and oozing. The sickly light shone down on the city.

The light made his skin itch and fur turn into a black liquid that dripped off of him.

Atanciel showed him a scene in his house where Robbie slept in his bed. His son tossed and turned in his sleep. Most of his beige fur was gone, replaced by gray skin that wept black contaminant. Even his eyes were starting to ooze the black liquid. Then his son started to wheeze. His last words, broken by coughs that splattered blackness on the bedsheets, were, “I miss you daddy.”

White-hot fury filled Aaron's heart. He howled his defiance at the mask's disgusting vision. It faded away and he saw that the white mask was near Princess Luna's face. “Fight, Princess! Fight!”

There was a bright blue flash and the mask went flying away from Luna. It would've smashed against the wall, but Well managed to catch it with his telekinesis and place the mask on the floor.

Broken tapped Aaron. “W-where's t-the t-thestral?”

Aaron looked around for the creature but had to stop when he saw Princess Luna canter up to the mask and rear up like she was going to trample it.

Well yelled. “No!”

Princess Luna stopped mid-trample. “Why?”

“The mask might be a prison of Atanciel and you might set it free!”

Princess Luna narrowed her eyes. “Who's this Atanciel?”

Well started sighing but he stopped when the princess glared at him. “That's the name of the mask.”

Aaron walked into the room followed by Broken and Well. “Sorry, Princess Luna, for barging in like this, but AID agent Well Read is correct.”

Princess Luna stepped back. “What's going on? Who are you?”

Before Aaron could answer, the thestral reappeared.

“Stay,” Atanciel whispered.

Everypony was frozen in place.

Aaron tried to reach for his gun but his hooves seemed to be glued to the floor. He could see that even Princess Luna’s glowing hair was still. Only her eyes moved around in panic.

The grinning thestral just sauntered by the surprised Princess Luna and the AID agents and grabbed the mask before putting it on and trotting out the room.

They had to stop the thestral, but it seemed like ages before as much as Princess Luna’s mane started moving again. As soon as he could free himself, Aaron hurried across the room, followed by Broken and Well. “How much time did we lose?”

Well looked at his watch. “Not sure. We may have to check clocks that are not in this area.”

Aaron shook his head. “No time, we'll find out later. Broken, can you stay and secure the building?”

Broken nodded. “Y-yes s-sir!”

Princess Luna frowned. “Is somepony going to explain what's going on?”

Broken raised his left fore hoof while Aaron and Well headed for the stairs.

Aaron stopped for a moment.

“Hock, why are waiting here?” Well asked.

Aaron looked around then at Well. “Atanciel might have placed mindthreats in the hallway and stairs. We can’t just look around for them. One glance is enough to damage or even destroy our sanity. I’ll need you to scan for mindthreats.”

Well nodded and took the lead. It was slow going as every few steps Well had to close his eyes and scan for harmful magic.

While they crept down the stairs, Aaron thought about their progress. On one hoof, they came close to an Omega event, but on the other, Luna somehow resisted the mask.

Finally, they were outside. Ponies trotted past them while others galloped down the street.

Aaron wondered what Atanciel's next move would be. He speed-dialed Speedy.

Her cheery voice came over the phone. “What do you need sir?”

Aaron smiled. “Speedy, we're at the Baycon theater and we need to find a vehicle that left recently. I think that's the one with the mask. You can probably verify that by checking earlier. Oh, what time is it?”

“9:45, sir. Are you okay?” Speedy said while typing away.

Aaron answered quickly, he knew that Speedy would sense the delay and ask questions about the rest of the team. The answers would probably add more stress to Speedy. Of course, what was happening would probably add enough to her. “I'm okay. You need to be focused.” He was relieved that they just lost ten minutes.

“As focused as an argon laser beam,” Speedy said. “I found a delivery truck, 'Spano's Bread'.

“Was it stolen?”

“Yeah, it was reported stolen a few hours ago,” Speedy said.

“Where is it?” Aaron said.

“Five blocks north of you. If you hurry, you can catch up. Go up Canterdam because the traffic there is lighter and then switch over,” Speedy said.

Aaron nodded as they burst out of the building onto the street. It took them a few moments to get to the SUV. He turned to the driver outside. “Go up Canterdam avenue until I tell you to switch to Broadway.”

The driver nodded.

Aaron and Well got into the car and shut the doors. A moment later, they had their seatbelts on the car started down the street.

Well looked out at the buildings. “I wonder where Atanciel is going now? We stopped him from performing.”

Aaron kept his gaze forward. “I bet he's going to find something to cause a lot of damage or just escape.”

Well glanced at Aaron. “Escape to where? We can call local cops and extra AID agents on him. I don't understand what his endgame is.”

Aaron called Speedy. “Do you know where the truck is now?”

“Three blocks ahead of you,” Speedy said.

After taking a quick glance out the window, Aaron hit the intercom. “Driver, can you cross over to Broadway? If you see a truck with the Spano's logo follow it.”

The SUV turned to the left.

“Fine Speedy. Am putting you on speakerphone. I have another task for you. Not sure if you can do it, not that I have no faith in you but I'm not sure how to phrase this. I think Atanciel is going to do something to affect millions of lives but I don't know what,” Aaron said.

“Well sir, I can put some mascara on my face, get it wet and have it run so I feel like a creature of corruption. I'll try to brainstorm something,” Speedy said.

Well leaned forward. “If I were the mask, I’d want a way to corrupt a lot of creatures at once.”

Aaron frowned. “How?”

Well leaned back. “Let see, how many ways can Atanciel spread corruption? Air is out, because there’s no reports of that.”

Aaron nodded. “The black contaminant is a liquid. Wait! Speedy can you search for reservoirs that serve Manehattan?”

They heard her hooves hit the keyboard. “Oh my, sirs, there's the Percheron Reservoirs. That's where most of the water comes from. If that horrible mask's stuff gets into the water, so many will die, or worse.”

Well looked at Aaron.

For a moment, Aaron thought someone told him to wake up. He looked around but there was just the scenery whizzing by.

Aaron looked back at Well. Aaron's phone buzzed. He answered it. “This is Hock, you're on speakerphone.”

“This is Princess Luna. What do you need to stop this? I'll be over your SUV soon,” Princess Luna said.

“Thank you, Princess. We think that Atanciel is heading for the Percheron Reservoirs so it can corrupt the water there,” Aaron said, expecting more bad news.

There was a too long delay before Princess Luna replied. “Are you sure? I need to have absolute proof before I enact security protocols to save the rest of the realm.”

“Which protocols? I doubt at this late stage any evacuation of Manehattan could be done,” Well said.

The answer came back cold and quick. “I'm sorry, but you don't have the clearance level to know more.”

Aaron took the phone off of speakerphone. “I bet that they’ll quarantine Manehattan by destroying all of the bridges and tunnels. I'm not sure what they're going to do for Dos Broncos or Whorsechester.”

Well looked out the window, remembering that he’d seen a sign saying they were on Broadway. “Maybe we should ask the princess for more info.”

Aaron shook his head. “No, we’ll concentrate on getting the mask” He turned on speakerphone again. “Sorry princess, we had to talk.”

“Very well. What are your plans for stopping these miscreants?” Princess Luna said.

“I don't want to engage them now. If something goes wrong, there’ll be too much collateral damage. I want to wait until we're in the Whorsechester area. The area before the reservoir has a low population,” Aaron said then looked out the window.

Princess Luna sighed. “You're cutting it too close. I think you should make your move either in Dos Broncos or Southern Yonagunikers. These areas have lower populations and we have some room to work without the mask being so close to the reservoir.”

Well frowned. “The Dos Broncos area is home to many poor ponies and other creatures. I don't see why we need to place them in harm's way.”

“Dr. Read, I don't think that decision is yours to make,” Princess Luna snapped.

Well's ears went back on his head.

Aaron frowned. He didn't like what Princess Luna had said, but it made sense. “Well, relax. We have to do what's necessary to stop the mask.”

“I've already called Princess Celestia and the Elements of Harmony. It’ll take time to get here. I suggest you call the local police to help you. When you cross into Dos Broncos, engage the enemy. Do you have any questions?” Princess Luna said curtly.

A small smile briefly crossed Aaron’s face. Celestia and the Mane Six would definitely be useful containing the mask. Another thought surfaced, it was much darker. What if one of the Mane Six got their hooves on the mask? He pushed that thought away. He couldn’t ignore that the calvary could arrive too late. All he had was what’s available now.

Well looked at Aaron.

“Speedy, contact the local police so we can take down the truck,” Aaron said.

“Yes sir,” Speedy said.

Well looked out the window and noticed the glow of flames in the distance. “Hock, you might want to see this.”

Aaron looked out the window. It seemed pretty strange to see a fire in the area they were driving through. “I hope this isn't related to what we're doing.”

Speedy spoke up. “Sorry, sirs and majesty, 911 calls have gone up in the areas you guys are driving through. All of the local police precincts have their hooves or whatever they use full.”

“Thanks Speedy,” Aaron said. He looked at Well. “We're on our own until the princess shows up.”

“Should we move up?” Well said.

“No, we wait for backup. I don't want Atanciel to concentrate on us,” Aaron said.

Well nodded. “You know, I was thinking, if we can get Atanciel to expend lots of magical energy, it might kill the host faster.”

“What if the mask moves to a glass host?” Aaron said.

“Well, it’d be weaker. Doing a lot of magic might make the host decay faster too. Let's wait for the princess to show up and then start banging away at the truck,” Well said then sat back in his seat.

“I approve of this stratagem. I hope we have enough power to deal with this strange mask. I'm still several blocks away, but I'll fly faster to catch up. Once I arrive we should begin our onslaught!” Princess Luna said.

It sounded good to Aaron, but he had a feeling that it wasn't going to be that easy. He could imagine the princess was spoiling for a fight since the mask came very close to getting her to wear it. She might be too angry to care that the mask must not be destroyed. He wondered if maybe they were wrong about Atanciel and it could just be smashed without consequence.

A sign came up saying two miles to Dos Broncos. Aaron wondered if they had what it took to take out the truck.

Princess Luna flew over the SUV when they were one mile away and engaged the fleeing truck a few feet past the welcome to Dos Broncos sign.

Again, Aaron thought someone was telling him to snap out of it. But again, there was just Well.
Aaron looked back at Well to see if he was joining the fight.

Well shook his head. “The magical exchange between Luna and the mask is too fast for me. I'll be lucky to protect our drivers and car from attacks.”

Aaron nodded and turned to look ahead. Blue and black blasts of magic flew between the truck and Princess Luna. He wondered how long she could keep up the constant barrage of spells. Too bad they didn't have the support of AID mages and or SWAT teams. He called Flash.

“Flash here,” Flash said.

“We need some magical support, can you help us?” Aaron said.

Flash sighed. “Well, we're trying to get another transport. One of them is busy helping the police. If we can get one, I’ll send it your way though it might get there too late.”

Aaron looked out the window. So far no flames or obvious chaos. “Do what you can.”

“Yes,” Flash said and hung up.

The truck started pulling away.

Aaron knew what was going on. His driver and team were getting tired. There was one thing he could do. Authorize Nitro. Nitro was a mix of drugs that enhanced the performance of drivers and teams. There were many side effects though. Each dosage raised the chance of a heart attack. Also, nitro users could damage themselves by overexerting their bodies. On the other hoof, Aaron needed to get close to Atanciel's truck. If they lost it, things could spiral out of control.

He hit the intercom button. “Driver, I'm authorizing Nitro.”

There was a sigh on the other end. “Sir, I'm not sure this is a good idea.”

Aaron frowned. He didn't like forcing the driver to take a drug that could kill them. “If we lose track of that truck in front of us, many will die. Please take the nitro.”

Another sigh came from the driver. “Fine sir. Alright boys, it's nitro time!”

Well peered out the front window. “I hope we just can do this once.”

Aaron nodded.

The SUV jumped forward and the sudden acceleration pushed Aaron and Well back in their seats.

The back door opened on the truck and a green pegasus stallion with a gun appeared.

Aaron tried to look past the pony to see the inside of the truck, but a curtain blocked his view.

The pegasus fired his machine gun at the SUV's driver and team.

“Oh crap!” came over the intercom.

Aaron leaned out the window to fire at the pegasus, but Well used his telekinesis to grab the shooter and toss him to the ground, where he got trampled by the driver and team.

The creature didn't even get a chance to make a sound.

A blue blur flew above them. “Rainbow Dash here! What do ya need me to do?”

“Greetings Ms. Dash. Agent Hock do you have any suggestions?” Princess Luna said.

The truck pulled away from the SUV like it was standing still.

Rainbow whistled. “Wow, that truck is moving! What are those ponies on?”

“Please, Dash, keep close to the truck. Agent Hock, we're going to try to keep up,” Luna said between gasps.

Aaron was quite sure the princess didn't fly this fast too often.

The truck was so far ahead of them Aaron could barely see it.

Well frowned. “Maybe we should have the driver take another shot of Nitro?”

Aaron shook his head. “No, it won't make them move faster. In fact, if a team member dies, the whole team’ll be slowed.” He wondered if they would catch up.

“What the heck? The truck is crashing!” Rainbow said.

Well peered at the truck. “Oh no! Hock, it's crashing.”

Aaron watched as the truck turned and wobbled on two wheels before hitting the road. Sparks flew as the metal scraped. Then the truck broke up, jagged sections of metal headed towards their SUV.

“Boss, boss, what do we do now?” The driver said through the intercom.

Aaron could hear the panic in his voice. Even worse, he could hear the screams of the truck's doomed team as the vehicle tore them apart in its death throes. They couldn't get out of the harnesses in time to escape.

Well's horn glowed as he blocked the flying metal pieces from the truck. They clunked and clanked as his magic pushed them off to the side of the road.

“Princess, Rainbow Dash, what do you see?” Aaron asked while peering through the windshield.

A bloody leg hit the window and made him jump.

“Oh man, those ponies...” Rainbow said.

“Keep it together Ms. Dash. We still have much to do,” Princess Luna said.

The rest of the wreckage headed for the side of the road.

Then Aaron saw it. A horse made of shining white glass burst through the wreckage. Several runes glowed on it but he could see a spreading darkness in some areas.

Well pointed to the glass horse. “There it is! Atanciel will be weaker now. We just have to push it harder so the corruption magic destroys the glass host. Princess Luna can you keep blasting the horse?”

For a few moments, they just heard the princess gasping. “Yes, I’ll keep blasting. Ms. Dash, can you strike the horse with your hooves?”

“Heck yeah!” Rainbow said.

Rainbow flew at the galloping horse and bounced off.

If this was a TV show, Aaron would've laughed, but they were approaching Northern Yonagunikers. At this speed, the reservoirs were not that far away. If that horse got to them and jumped in...

“Um, Luna, a little help here!” Rainbow said.

“Remember who you're talking to!” Princess Luna snapped.

Aaron sighed. “Please, Princess Luna and Rainbow Dash. If we don't smash that horse, many ponies will die.” It annoyed him that they were so far behind the galloping target. There was nothing they could do.

“Alright, I'll try again,” Rainbow said.

Princess Luna just gasped over the phone.

It seemed to Aaron that the horse was slowing down. The blackness seemed to cover more of the glass.

“Wait, did I just see it stumble?” Well said. “Yeah, it's slowing down.”

The SUV gained on the fleeing horse.

Aaron could see that the glowing runes were now flickering.

Then Rainbow struck the horse in the back and cracks spread from the impact.

The horse split in half. The rear shattered against the road. The front half somersaulted in the air and hit the road. The mask flew off of it.

“The mask. Get the mask!” Aaron yelled.

Rainbow grabbed for it and missed.

Well and Aaron watched as the mask headed for the ground.

Then Princess Luna grabbed it with some telekinesis. The blue of her magic fought with the black of the mask's power but she managed to keep a grip on it. “This is a foul thing. I hope you have a better way to contain it.”

The black magic from the mask started to travel up the blue beam but Princess Luna added more power to push the black back.

The SUV stopped near Princess Luna and Rainbow. Aaron and Well got out and ran up to the mask.

A familiar voice entered Aaron's mind.

Put me on and this won't happen.

Aaron saw an Equestria that was gray and oozing black. Herds of animated lumps of flesh wandered slowly. He was one of them with a smaller lump at his side. Black contaminant dripped from him but that wasn't the problem. It was the liquid left by other creatures. There was nowhere to go since the whole world was like this. But they couldn't stop trudging.

The smaller lump said, “Daddy, I hurt.”
Aaron just sighed. “I do too, Robbie.”

I swear I won't rest until I have this world!

“No, Atanciel, we have won. You will be sent away and by the time you return, if you return, you won't be able to do what you did here.”

Foalish and ignorant pony, you have no idea what sort of horrors lie at the edge of your feeble sun's reach! There's a star that already has a great disgust for mortal life. A few words from me and I can turn that contempt into hatred. You have no idea what it can do.

Aaron could feel the compulsion to pick up the mask slowly building in his mind. All he had to do was to reach out and things would be better. He shook his head, but the desire to wear the mask grew. If he took the time to call for help, at the first vowel, the mask would be on his head.

He pushed back the rising need for the mask and thought about the anti-mind control training. Coercive telepaths could be blocked if he could find something else to concentrate on. The problem was, he didn’t know anything that could fill up his mind. All of the songs he liked weren’t not that catchy.

Just when he was about to give up, he remembered what Robbie was watching on Mootube. Some stupid song about somebody touching something. It took several days to get that out of his head. An image of a cartoon bear’s head superimposed on a pony singer’s head appeared in his mind. “Somebody toucha my sphaget. They are in this HOUSE...”

Robbie had played the song several times and giggled loudly.

Aaron focused on the stupid song, and slowly the desire for the mask faded away along with its ravings.

For a moment, it seemed like he was in a racing SUV rushing down a dark road, but that feeling faded away.

“Can you do something to help?” Aaron said.

Well nodded. His horn glowed and the blackness around the mask was pushed back.
Then the blackness surged up the beam from Princess Luna. It almost reached her horn before she focused and pushed the darkness back a bit.

The ravings from Atanciel threatened to break through Aaron’s concentration. “Well, do something.”

Well gasped. “I’m getting so tired.” The blackness was pushed back as Well tried to help Princess Luna.

Poor Princess Luna was getting a nosebleed as she focused all of her power to push back Atanciel’s foul magic.

Aaron could feel his resistance being ripped apart. In a few moments, it would all be over for him.

Then golden magic covered the mask.

Well sunk to his knees along with Princess Luna. For a few moments they stayed in that position with their eyes closed.

Aaron stumbled into a bow and looked up. A smile of relief crossed his face. He had been so involved in fighting Atanciel, he didn’t see Celestia or her transport arrive. It was a welcome sight to see the Sun Princess’s horn glowing brightly in the darkness and containing the mask. Most of Aaron’s surprise had been swallowed up by crushing exhaustion. He pushed back thoughts of lying down and resting.

Well stood up.

Princess Luna sniffled. “You’re a welcome sight sister.” She stood up slowly.

Well and Rainbow bowed too.

Princess Celestia nodded. “What are we going to do with this?”

Princess Luna shrugged. “Tis a disgusting thing. Please tell me, Agent Hock, that you have a place for this.”

Aaron frowned. “We might have a place. But I wonder how we can transport this thing there. Please give me a second.” He called Flash.

“Flash here, we're a few minutes out,” Flash said.

“Do you have a container for the mask?” Aaron said.

“Yes. Just hold on for a few more minutes,” Flash said.

“Princesses, we have a container for the mask. It will arrive soon,” Aaron said.

Princess Luna smiled wanly. “Huzzah! Now we have to worry about putting this mask in containment.”

Princess Celestia frowned. “The last place they contained the mask failed. I have great doubts that any place on this world would work.”

“What about Tartarus?” Princess Luna said.

“Considering the types of creatures there, I wouldn't want to store the mask in that cursed place,” Princess Celestia said.

Well smiled. “Maybe you could send it to the moon?”

Princess Luna gave him some stink eye. “I will not tolerate my moon befouled by that mask.”

Aaron nodded. “The sun would destroy the mask and things might get worse.” He wondered how Princess Celestia knew of the problems with containing the mask. Was she a member of the secret ranks of upper management?

The sound of an approaching gray AID transport made everypony look up.

The transport landed and Flash galloped down the stairs. She was at the group in a few moments, carrying a golden suitcase. “We got lucky. I have a container that will block Atanciel's power. The story on how we were able to make the case is very interesting, but I'll tell you later.” Flash placed the container on the ground next to the mask.

Somehow, the mask was able to punch through the song in Aaron's head.

“I will tell the two cursed sisters about this-”

Flash used her telekinesis to open the case.

Princess Celestia and Princess Luna placed the mask in the case and closed it.

The angry screaming in Aaron's head ended abruptly. He sighed in relief.

Flash looked around at the assembled ponies. “So, what did I miss? What do we do now?”

Princess Celestia and Princess Luna frowned.

“We were trying to decide what to do with the mask. Sending it to the moon or the sun was ruled out. I have to say, I don't like taking the case to a site,” Well said.

Flash nodded. “How about just sending the mask out into space? Nopony will be able to go into space and even if they could, it’d be years or longer before it would bother anypony else..”

Aaron frowned. “We could just be bucking the can down the road for our children to deal with.” For a moment he thought about the threats Atanciel had made. He decided to put them in the report but not to tell anypony here. It might not be relevant.

Well nodded. “We're dumping our problem on some other lifeform out there?”

“Please give me a second. I need to research something,” Flash said as she started fussing with her smartphone. “The distance between stars is vast so I doubt the mask will just land on another world. We might get lucky and the mask could end up in a black hole or get grabbed by a neutron star. The best scenario, the mask just floats out in space for a very long while.”

Well looked up then down. “A black hole could solve our problem but spaghettification could destroy the case.”

Princess Luna’s eyes narrowed.

Well sighed. “Spaghettification at the edge of a black hole’s gravity well means that a person or object is stretched out long and thin. They don’t get covered in tomato sauce.”

Again, Princess Luna shot Well some stink eye.

Flash nodded. “Yes, but without an engine, the case couldn't escape. Even if the mask is destroyed, the being would have a hard time escaping the black hole's gravity. Even light can't escape a black hole.”

Aaron stepped in to speed things up. “Fine, how are we going to get the case into space?”

Rainbow raised her left fore hoof. “I can fly it out there.”

Princess Luna shook her head. “No, you have to fly very fast to escape Equus' gravity. Then you have to survive in space.”

“No problem. You or Celestia can cast some spells on me,” Rainbow said then smiled.

Princess Celestia looked at the case, then at Princess Luna.

Princess Luna shook her head. “No, no! I'm not going back to that dusty cold prison!”

Princess Celestia looked away from her sister. “Please give us a moment.”

Princess Luna and Princess Celestia walked away from the group.

Flash smiled. “Ah, yes! If they launch the case from the moon, it will go farther. The moon has less gravity.”

“Where is the Egghead princess? Oh yeah, there she is!” Rainbow said and pointed at the lavender-colored transport.

“Excellent, I'll get the ion engine spell from the Hoofvard researcher,” Flash said.

“Ion engine spell? Is that the one that works by emitting charged ions?” Well said.

Flash nodded. “The speed also doubles every few seconds. That was the flaw that they had problems dealing with. For our purposes it’ll do fine. Since there is very little friction in space, the case will just keep going when the spell fails.”

Princess Luna and Princess Celestia returned.

Princess Celestia gazed at her sister with love. “My sister has agreed to go back to the moon. From there she will fly from the surface and launch the case.”

Rainbow frowned. “I could do that!”

Princess Luna got a napkin from her saddlebags and wiped her eyes. “Yes, but it would take too long to cast the spells to protect you from the cold of space. I already know what to do. Thank you, brave Rainbow Dash for your offer.” Princess Luna sighed, “Celestia, let's get this done!”

Aaron bowed to the princesses. “I have work to do assisting the local police with the chaos that Atanciel brought to the city. Do I have your permission to leave?”

Princess Celestia nodded. “I wish you well in your career.”

Princess Luna faced Aaron. “I'm sorry if I was curt. You have done well protecting the realm.”

Aaron bowed again to the princesses and went back to the SUV.

Well followed Aaron.

If I was sitting beside you, I would clap. My dream was quite well done. Wake up, Aaron and drink deep of despair when you realise that you have failed to protect your world. Awake and embrace the true nightmare for you which is Reality.

Chapter 3

View Online

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.