Containment is Magic 2: Chaos Risingby General SoarinChaptersChapter 1: NightmaresChapter 2: A New AssignmentChapter 3: ClassChapter 4: RequestChapter 5: The ReunionChapter 6: 1st AttemptChapter 1: NightmaresFollower Follower’s House, Ponyville, Equestria July 3rd, 2013 C.R The only sound that could be heard throughout the dark household was the steady tick tock of the sole Grandfather clock, giving the house an eerie dead feeling. In the house’s master bedroom, a certain unicorn stallion lay awake in his bed, staring at the ceiling. For Follower, sleep just didn’t want to pay him a visit. The past week had been hectic for Follower, with him being released from the LTF and adopting Apple Bloom as his daughter. After escaping Facility 1a, Follower was lucky enough to receive the honor of meeting the Royal Sisters, who were very interested in hearing the tale of the sole original survivor of the Containment Breach. Follower explained his story to the Princesses, who both congratulated him on surviving. Follower also received a promise from Princess Celestia saying that he would be released from the LTF’s control. A day later, Follower received word that Celestia had followed through with her promise, and had cleared him for release. He also got a letter stating that Celestia had approved his adoption request for Apple Bloom. Follower had been ecstatic about his fortunes, and quickly left for his house in Ponyville with Apple Bloom in tow. By the 26th of June he was back home, and started the rather long process of adjusting to normal life. Two days after returning home, Follower received a request from Mayor Mare asking him to take the job of teaching the fillies and colts at Ponyville Schoolhouse. Seeing no reason to refuse, Follower accepted the request and was informed that he would start work by the third of July. Many thoughts raced through Follower’s mind as he lay in bed. Will the students like me? Can I handle teaching younger ponies? How much will I be paid? The more Follower thought about the day ahead, the more restless Follower felt. Giving up on the concept of sleep, Follower climbed out of bed, and stretched his legs. Moonlight filtered through the windows of the bedroom, illuminating the room in a silvery light. Trotting over to the bathroom, Follower whistled a very quiet tune to himself. Quickly relieving his bladder, Follower spent some time staring at himself in the mirror. Even though his face was clean and free from marks, Follower felt as though it had changed during his time with the LTF. Maybe it was the fact that he rarely smiled anymore. Follower pondered on the thought for a few moments before a shrill scream shattered the silence of the household. Recognizing Apple Bloom’s voice, Follower wasted no time in sprinting out of his bathroom towards Apple Bloom’s room. Thrusting the door open, Follower saw Apple Bloom cowering in the corner of her room. A look of sheer terror was plastered on her face while small whimpers came from her mouth. “Apple Bloom, what’s wrong?” Follower asked, his voice heavy with concern. Follower’s voice seemed to trigger something for Apple Bloom, for she screamed again. “STAY AWAY FROM ME! AH’M NOT GOING TO LET YOU KILL ME!” Concern won over Follower, and he found himself slowly stepping forward. “Apple Bloom, it’s okay! Nopony is going to kill you! It’s only-“ Follower began, only to suddenly be charged by the scared earth pony filly. Letting out a cry of surprise, Follower fell back onto his rump, and tried desperately to push the frenzied Apple Bloom off of him. Apple Bloom managed to land a few strong punches on Follower’s muzzle before Follower managed to push her off. Now free, Follower scrambled back to the doorway, and watched Apple Bloom carefully. She looked up at him for a few moments, but soon collapsed onto the floor in a sobbing heap. “Ah’m so sorry Follower, ah’m just so scared…” Sighing softly, Follower walked over to Apple Bloom, and started stroking her back. “It’s okay Apple Bloom, I’m here now. I won’t let anything bad happen to you.” Follower continued to stroke Apple Bloom’s back for a while, until the cream colored earth pony finally closed her eyes again and fell back asleep. Carefully picking her up, Follower placed the sleeping Apple Bloom back in her bed and tucked her in. After making sure everything was alright, Follower closed the door to Apple Bloom’s room and started trotting back to his own room. Reaching it a few moments later, Follower immediately went back into the bathroom and looked in the mirror. A small splinter of bone stuck out of his head just under his left eye, causing Follower to flinch a little bit at the sight of it. Removing the bone fragment, Follower noticed that it now made a small scar below his eye that he couldn’t fix with his magic. Shrugging, Follower checked the rest of his face for any damages only to find that no other damage was done. A few moments later, Follower had exited the bathroom and returned to his bed. A replay of what just happened with Apple Bloom kept running through his head, and Follower found himself sighing deeply. This was the second time in a week that Follower had found Apple Bloom having nightmares. However this was the first time that Apple Bloom had lashed out and Follower couldn’t help but feel concerned. Should I take her to a therapist? Follower pondered the thought for a few moments, but shook his head. Apple Bloom would be fine, she only needed time. Bringing himself comfort, Follower closed his eyelids. Several images flashed through his vision, most of them being from Facility 1a. Struggling to keep his eyes closed, Follower saw more and more mental pictures of dead scientists and guards. A final image of a bloody smiling Jitterbug caused Follower to shoot up straight in his bed. Sweat poured down his body as the image of Jitterbug slowly disappeared from his vision. The blue earth pony mare still haunted his thoughts, and Follower desperately wanted to forget about her. Finally deciding that sleep was impossible without the help of magic, Follower quickly charged up a sleeping spell on his horn and casted it on himself. Follower’s eyelids quickly became heavier and heavier, and he soon fell fast asleep. Chapter 2: A New AssignmentLieutenant Flash Sentry Equestrian Royal Guard 1st Special Protection Regiment Canterlot Barracks, Canterlot, Equestria July 3rd, 2013 C.R “Lieutenant Sentry, it’s good to see you! How have you been?” asked Captain Shining Armor, as the orange pegasus stallion entered the room. Lieutenant Flash Sentry was not pleased when he heard that he was being sent out on another mission on his day off. Lieutenant Sentry gave the white unicorn stallion a quick salute before letting out a loud yawn. “What do you need Captain Armor?” Shining frowned for a few seconds, but quickly pulled up a seat. “Remember the Containment Breach that happened at that LTF facility in Manehattan?” Shining asked as he sat down on the seat that he had pulled up. Lieutenant Sentry nodded, giving Captain Armor a confused look. “Yea, I remember. We had to deploy two Special Response Regiments to assist them in containing the subjects that escaped. Why are you bringing it up?” Shining was silent for a few moments, before taking out a rather official looking folder and threw it to Lieutenant Sentry. “I just received word from General Bon Bon that we may have found the Catalyst. A D-Class by the name of Follower. You’ve bee-“ Captain Armor began, only to be interrupted by Lieutenant Sentry motioning for the Captain to stop talking. “I have two things to say. First, what the hay is this ‘Catalyst’? Second, why would a D-Class be believed to be this ‘Catalyst’? I thought D-Class were mostly criminals and scum.” exclaimed Lieutenant Sentry, a confused tone in his voice. Captain Armor sighed, slowly getting out of his seat. “What you’re about to hear is Top Secret and only a handful of ponies know about it. As you know, we were invaded for a second time by changelings two weeks ago. My sister and her friends were called in to use the Elements of Harmony to ward off the invasion, and were successful. However, it didn’t go smoothly, for Queen Chrysalis casted a curse on the Bearers of Harmony before she was defeated. That curse caused the bearers to fuse with the elements, which resulted in major psychological damage to them. Almost all of them were driven insane while gaining unique powers. Only my sister remained unaffected, while the rest of her friends were sent to Facility 1a for Containment by the LTF.” Captain Armor explained, keeping a neutral tone in his voice. Lieutenant Sentry frowned deeply, but motioned for Captain Armor to continue. “The Catalyst is the pony that my sister believes can restore her friends to normal mindsets. However Twilight failed to tell me how the Catalyst would do to restore the Bearers. My guess is that Follower has extremely high magical power, and that he’ll use his excess magic to restore the Bearers.” Captain Armor finished, taking his seat again. Lieutenant Sentry just stared at the Captain for a few moments and shook his head. “How could D-Class possibly be the ‘Catalyst’? They’re the lowest of the low.” Captain Armor shrugged and got back to his feet. “Twilight never told me why she thinks that Follower is the Catalyst, only that he is the potential cure for her friends. Anyway, your assignment is to intercept him at Ponyville Schoolhouse, and bring him back here.” Lieutenant Sentry was silent for a few moments as he tried to think of a response. “Alright sir. When do I embark for Ponyville?” Shining looked quickly at the clock on the wall, and cleared his throat. “You leave in an hour. I’m also giving you access to Lightning 1 with an escort. Any questions?” Shining explained. Lieutenant Sentry’s mouth simply dropped when he heard that he had access to Lightning 1. “You’re giving me Lightning 1? I thought it was reserved for use by the Royal Sisters only!” Lieutenant Sentry exclaimed. Captain Armor chuckled, quickly picking up the file that he had given to Lieutenant Sentry. “Indeed, but General Bon Bon ordered that it be made available to you. If Twilight’s prediction is correct, then Follower may be the only hope we have in curing the Bearers.” Shining replied. Lieutenant Sentry stayed silent for a few moments, before slowly nodding his head. “Alright sir, I understand. If there isn’t anything else, then I’ll be heading to the Armory to prepare.” Shining nodded, giving the Lieutenant a quick salute. “Good luck Lieutenant. We’re counting on you.” Smiling, Lieutenant Sentry returned the Captain’s salute and walked out of the room, leaving the white Unicorn Captain to himself. Flash Sentry loved flying. Flying was his way of escaping life’s problems, from minor annoyances such as being deployed on his day off to very big problems such as a death in the family. While he was still annoyed at the fact that his day off was ruined, Lieutenant Sentry had more important matters to worry about. He was in charge of picking up a critically important pony and bringing him back to Canterlot. While Lieutenant Sentry doubted that this former D-Class was indeed this “Catalyst” that Captain Armor spoke of, orders were orders and he needed to follow them. Flying close to the large golden chariot that he was assigned to protect, Lieutenant Sentry quickly diverted his attention to the terrain ahead. Rolling fields covered the land below, with the occasional house blotting the landscape. From the air, Equestria was simply a beautiful place to watch. Lieutenant Sentry’s thoughts were suddenly interrupted when one of the pegasui pulling Lightning 1 called out. “Lieutenant Sentry, we arrive in Ponyville in 12 minutes. You’ll be landing ahead of us ok?” Nodding, Lieutenant Sentry quickly braked until he was flying with the rest of the escort which had been trailing behind the chariot. “We’re there in twelve; get ready to land ahead of the chariot!” Lieutenant Sentry shouted. Each of the ponies trailing behind the chariot nodded, and wasted no time in soaring to positions ahead of the chariot. Satisfied with the upgraded formation, Lieutenant Sentry flew back to his position at the head of the formation. Only time would tell if this “Follower” was indeed the Catalyst that could save the Bearers of Harmony from eternal insanity. Chapter 3: ClassFollower Ponyville School House, Ponyvile, Equestria July 3rd, 2013 CR “Alright children, settle down. Class is beginning now!” Follower shouted, as he took his seat behind the teachers desk. With luck, the stallion had managed to get enough sleep, and was both excited and nervous to teach the class. The first thing he did at the schoolhouse was meet with all the students, and learn their names. With quiet murmurs, the students all took their seats, giving Follower expecting glances. Once the murmurs died down, Follower looked around the classroom for a bit, then grabbed a piece of chalk, and wheeled over to the board. “Today, we will be learning about the Griffon Kingdom. Do-” Follower began, before the classroom door was thrown open. A white unicorn filly with light purple and pink hair scampered in. “So sorry I’m late teacher, my caretaker woke me up late, and I got a long walk from the Carousel Boutique .” Everypony in the room was silent for a few moments until Apple Bloom jumped out of her chair, and ran over to the new arrival. “Sweetie Bell!” The two fillies quickly locked into a hug, where they stayed until Follower cleared his throat. “You can catch up with your reunion later, Apple Bloom, and... Sweetie Belle is it? Now please take your seats.” The two fillies quickly broke their embrace, and scampered to their seats. Closing the door again, Follower made a mental note of Sweetie Belle’s name, then moved back to the chalkboard. “Alright, now that everyone’s settled down, we’ll begin our lesson. Today we are going to learn about the Griffon Kingdom, and it’s unique inhabitants. Can anyone tell me what a griffon is?” The classroom stayed silent for a few moments, until a whitish gray pegasus colt by the name of Featherweight raised his hoof. “Griffons are a mix between a lion and an eagle, right?” Follower gave Featherweight a warm smile and nodded. “Yes, that is correct, Featherweight. A griffon is a cross between a lion and an eagle. Most griffons live in the Griffon Kingdom, while a few live in Equestria. Does anyone know who the leader of the Griffon Kingdom is?” The classroom remained silent for a few more moments, until Sweetie Belle raised her hoof. “I think it’s President Wilford.” Follower nodded, quickly pulling down a map of the Griffon Kingdom. “Correct Sweetie Belle, President Wilford is the current leader of the Griffons. As you can see by this map, the Griffon Kingdom is mostly mountainous terrain, so many griffons are used to-” Follower began, until he was interrupted by the door being opened again. Follower opened his mouth to scold whoever entered the room, only to shut it again when he saw golden armor on the newcomers. Three Royal Guards entered the room, before taking positions on the sides of the door. A few seconds of silence passed before another guard walked in, and stopped at the side of Follower’s desk. The guard was a orange pegasus stallion with a dark and light blue mane, and had designs on his armor that marked him as a Lieutenant. The guard gave Follower a brief suspicious look, then cleared his throat. “Mr Follower, by order of General Bon Bon of the Equestrian Royal Guard, you are to come with me at once.” Follower just stared at the stallion for a few seconds, then slowly got out of his chair. “Where are you taking me, and why?” The Lieutenant just gave Follower a hard look, then took up a leaning position against the chalkboard. “You’re being taken to Canterlot. As for the reason, that’s classified.” Follower glanced at his class, then back at the guard. “Who’s going to watch over the class then?” The guard smiled, getting up from his leaning position. “A sub will be brought in by the town within a few minutes. Until then, a guard will stay and watch over the children.” With a major question answered, Follower sighed, and walked over to the guard. “Alright, I’ll come with you. Apple Bloom! Come with me!” Without hesitation, Apple Bloom quickly jumped out of her seat, and took up a spot next to Follower. The Lieutenant glanced at Apple Bloom for a few seconds, then held up his hoof. “The filly stays here.” Follower just stared at the Lieutenant, then shook his head fiercely. “No, Apple Bloom comes with me. She’s my child, and I’m not letting her stay here without me.” The guard snorted in response, shaking his head slowly. “The filly stays.” At this point, a sense of anger was building in Follower’s chest. “Either Apple Bloom comes with me, or I’m staying here.” Follower growled, his tone low. The guard’s eye twitched, and he found himself getting out of his leaning position. “Listen here Follower. I’m here on my day off to pick you up, so you’re coming out of here whether you like it or not. I don’t care if I have to drag you out.” The two orange stallions soon found themselves in each others faces, having a stare down, until Follower shook his head. “Like I said, I’m not leaving without Apple Bloom.” There was a moment of silence, until the guard finally snorted. “Fine. The filly can come. Just get outside.” Satisfied by the guard’s change of heart, Follower trotted out the door with Apple Bloom in tow. The Lieutenant lingered in the classroom for a few moments, then walked out after Follower, grumbling deeply to himself. Chapter 4: RequestFollower En Route to Canterlot Castle July 3rd, 2013 CR (Shadowfire) It was silent inside the chariot as Follower and Apple Bloom sat across from Lt. Flash Sentry. Shortly after takeoff, Apple Bloom had fallen asleep on Follower's lap, something he was silently glad for. He didn't want her asking questions all over the place. However, not a word had been spoken since they had been picked up, and the silence had been getting to Follower. "Why am I being taken to Canterlot?" Lt. Sentry snorted in slight annoyance. "I told you, it's classified." Follower grumbled. "You can still tell me. There's nopony else around that's going to hear it, and I'm going to find out soon anyway. So why not just tell me?" "Because I wasn't given permission to. Look, the details are top secret, and the only reason I was told is because I had to know why I was getting you." Follower sighed. "Isn't there anything you can tell me? Anything at all? Seriously, if you can tell me one thing, I'll shut up for the rest of the trip." Flash's ears perked up at the offer. "Really? The entire rest of the trip? Well in that case, there is one thing I believe the captain would be ok with me telling you." Follower leaned forward in his seat, nearly disturbing Apple Bloom. "Yes?" "It involves the Containment Breach in Facility 1a." Follower's face blanched slightly at what he had heard. He opened his mouth to confirm what the guard had just said, but was stopped immediately by said guard. "Upupupupup, not another word." Grumbling, Follower slid back in his seat, crossing his forelegs over his chest. "Hey, it was your deal, not mine" Flash chuckled before gazing out the window. "Don't worry though, we're almost in Canterlot, so you won't have to be quiet much longer." Tracing Flash's gaze, Follower saw the castle coming up on they're left. Sighing in content, he closed his eyes, waiting until they landed. A couple minutes later "Follower! Wake up!" The sound of Flash's voice cut through Follower's sleep as he jolted awake, causing Apple Bloom to fall off his lap with a startled "Woah!" Apologizing, he helped her up, placing her on his back before turning to Flash. "We've arrived." "Lead the way Lieutenant." "Hmph." Flash led the pair up to the main gate, where he was stopped by two other guards. "Halt. Visitors aren't allowed in today." "These two are here on Captain Armor's order. Unless you want to answer to him, let us through." After a brief moment of hesitation, the guard resigned. "Very well. But anything they do is on you." "Understood." Flash then led them through the many winding corridors of the palace before stopping in front of a large set of iron doors. Turning to Follower, Flash instructed "Alright. Captain Armor and the Element of Magic are inside. They will fill you in on the details." The doors opened, and a loud voice boomed from inside. "Follower, please step inside. You too Lieutenant Sentry." Flash looked slightly surprised at the order, but entered nonetheless, Follower and Apple Bloom close behind. Upon entry, Twilight turned and noticed Apple Bloom on Follower's back. "Apple Bloom? What're you doing here? And why are you with Follower?" Follower spoke up. "I saved her from Rainbow Dash's pocket dimension during the containment breach. She helped me escape, and I found out she didn't have a family left. After it was all over, Celestia let me adopt her." "I see. Now, I'm sure you're wondering why we asked you to come here." "'Asked' being a relative term, but yes, the thought crossed my mind." At this point, Captain Armor spoke up. "You remember the containment breach at the LTF, yes? Well, new information has come to light, leading us to believe that you might be the key to reversing the damage done to the Elements of Harmony." Follower attempted to respond, but was cut off. "We will explain everything to you once we get to the facility. Basically, we believe that there is something special inside you. Special enough to break the curse that was placed on the Elements. I know you probably don't want to go back given what you have experienced, especially the containment breach, but this may be our one and only shot at restoring Equestria's greatest defense." Follower sat down, lost in thought as Flash stepped up. "But why am I here?" He asked. "You only told me to pick him up. I don't see what any of this has to do with me." Shining smiled. "True, but the thing is, you go back to work tomorrow. And your assignment, since the carriage drivers told me how well you two got along, will be guarding this stallion inside the facility, for as long as it takes him to finish this job. Could be weeks, could be months. Who knows? It could even take a year to finish it. Now go get ready." Flash almost opened his mouth for a rebuttal, but decided against it, simply grumbling as he walked out the door. Follower sat there for a few moments longer, thinking through what he'd heard. His thoughts were broken by Twilight's voice. "You will do it won't you? The entirety of Equestria depends on lifting that curse." Tapping his hoof to his chin for a few moments, he said "I will. On two conditions." Shining nodded. "Name them." "First, Apple Bloom stays here, guarded at all times. I don't want to take any chances of her getting hurt, especially if we're going back to the LTF." "Acceptable. And the second condition?" "If she's still there, I want to talk to Jitterbug. Please don't ask why, I have my reasons. Yes, I know she's a Keter class subject, but I need to talk to her." After mulling it over for a little bit, Shining nodded again. "Very well, I'll allow it. We head for the LTF tomorrow. A guard will be by shortly to show you and Apple Bloom to your room, and dinner will be brought to you when you're ready for it. Rest up though, you're gonna need it..." Chapter 5: The ReunionFollower LTF Facility 1a, [REDACTED], Equestria July 4th, 2013 C.R “Past these doors is the observation room for Jitterbug’s cell. Are you sure you want to open up past wounds Follower?” asked the LTF guard, as he stopped in front of a set of double doors. The night before had been rather stressful for Follower, with many questions running through his head the entire evening. He didn’t know how he could possibly help this Twilight Sparkle restore the Element bearers to proper mental conditions, but he knew he had no choice if it involved Equestria’s greatest defence. The next morning, he was immediately put back on Lightning 1, and flown to the LTF Facility where his life had nearly ended on multiple occasions. Follower just looked at the guard for a few seconds, then nodded slowly. “I must. Even though she lost it in the end, she was a great friend to me during the outbreak. I feel as though I owe it to her to apologize. How is her condition?” Follower explained, a rather sad tone in his voice. The guard looked at the clipboard he was looking at for a few seconds, then back to Follower. “After the Containment Breach, Jitterbug fell into a severe state of depression. Her sanity seems to have been restored, and her ability seemed to have changed. She no longer responds to psychological threats, only activating her ability when physical contact is achieved. She spends most of the time in the corner of her containment chamber, just crying softly to herself.” replied the guard, his voice flat. Follower nodded, then cleared his throat and pushed the doors open. The observation room was a rather uninteresting room, with a few chairs facing a rather large one way mirror. Follower slowly walked over to one of the chairs, then took a seat and peered into the mirror. The mirror gave veiw into a large concrete room, with nothing inside except for a bed, a toilet, a bathtub, and a bookstand filled with books. Sitting in the far right corner of the room was a blue earth mare, her body facing the wall. Follower was silent for a moment, then pressed a button under the mirror activating the room’s PA system. “Umm…...Jitterbug? Its…...it’s me. Follower.” Jitterbug's head whipped back and forth, trying to locate where the voice came from. "F-Follower? Is that really you?" Follower sighed deeply, then nodded. “Yes, it’s me. I just wanted…...I just wanted to apologize really.” Jitterbug sniffled. "Apologize? Why? You didn't do anything wrong." Follower frowned, then shook his head, forgetting that Jitters could not see him. “I was rather cruel about leaving you, and abandoned you in a time of need. Anyway, how have you been?” Jitterbug smiled a soft, sad smile. "I've been better. The guards are at least treating me nicer! But still, nopony wants to give me a hug..." “You know why nopony gives you hugs. I’m surprised you’re not angry with me. Why?” Follower asked quietly. Jitters chuckled softly. "Oh don't get me wrong, I was at first. For about a week, that's all I could think about. But after awhile, I began to realize why you did it. That's why I want to apologize to you." The room was silent for a few moments, until Follower shuffled his hooves. “Well… I’ve been chosen to cure several ponies here in the Facility. I wish I could cure you, but…..I honestly don’t know. If I could, would you be willing to try?” Jitterbug jumped up, eyes wide with a huge smile on her face. "Really?! You'd be willing to try for me? Why?" A small blush spread across Follower’s face, as he shuffled his hooves again. “You…..you’re honestly a great friend to have around. During the breach, you made me happy.” Slight confusion streched across her face. "I did? How so?" “I’d….I rather not say. Let me just check with Twilight. Are you fine with me leaving you for a bit?" "Um, yeah, that's alright. I guess... You are coming back, right?" “Yea! Well Ji-” Follower began, before a hoof landed gently on his shoulder, scaring him senseless. He flipped around, only to see Twilight Sparkle standing there, a slightly concerned look on her face. She just looked at him for a few moments, then cleared her throat. “Jitterbug, I’ve seen your file. Are you sure you’d want this? There always is the possibility of you hurting Follower. I’m willing to allow Follower to help you, but you need to be 100 percent sure you accept the risks that you’d be presenting to him.” Jitters faltered a bit. "It's up to you, Follower. I don't want to hurt you..." Follower felt everyone’s eyes drift to him, and he gulped nervously. “I’ll…..wait. Twilight, explain how this will work.” Twilight sighed gently to herself, pulling up a chair next to Follower. “I guess I’ve held it from you long enough. You see Follower, you have a special type of magic in your system. Mana Type 7, or the magic you have is more unstable than regular unicorn Mana, but it’s a lot more powerful. Mana Type 7 is incredibly rare to find, which is what makes you unique. From the few tests we ran on my friends, Mana Type 7 was used in the curse that drove them all insane. Therefore, I theorize that only Mana Type 7 will be able to defeat the curse!” Twilight explained. Follower was silent for a few moments, then pointed to Jitterbug. “And are you sure that I could help Jitterbug using this ‘Mana Type 7’?” Twilight nodded, turning her attention to the blue earth mare’s cell. “The only reason she has her ability is because the curse was somehow amplified using the elements. Various ponies were affected, and were given unique abilities, not just the Bearers. That’s why there are so many subjects here. Now that you know what you’re doing, are you going to do it?” She replied. Follower just stared at Jitterbug for a few moments, and then breathed out. “Alright, I’ll do it.” Chapter 6: 1st AttemptFollower LTF Facility 1a, [REDACTED], Equestria July 4th, 2013, C.R. (ShadowFire) Jitterbug's smile could hardly be contained as a loud 'SQEE!' resounded through her cell. "You will?!" Follower smiled back at her. "I will. Once Twilight tells me how I'm supposed to use 'Mana Type 7'." Twilight smiled sheepishly. "I guess I kinda forgot, didn't I? Using it is pretty simple, all you have to do is focus all of your energy into your horn and make contact with the subject, which is Jitterbug in this case." Follower nodded. Turning to the guard, he said "I'm ready. Could you open the door?" The guard did as he was asked, barely leaving the door open long enough for Follower to get through before sealing it again. Slightly miffed at the guard's fear, he turned to Jitterbug, who was nervously kicking her hoof at the ground. As he got closer, she seemed to lose some of her confidence. "Y-You know you don't have to do this, right?" "I know." That was the only answer she received as Follower's eyes closed in concentration. His horn began glowing faintly, and after a moment or two, another, brighter layer of light appeared over the first. After the fifth layer, Follower began sweating profusely, barely managing to get the sixth layer to appear. As Jitters reached a hoof forward to attempt to make him stop, the seventh layer shone brilliantly into existence and his eyes opened, glazed over in a pure white light as Follower's horn touched her head. ??? "Ugh... Where am I?" Follower's eyes opened to reveal a large, black wasteland, with several smaller plots of land floating in the air beside it. He began looking around until he saw Jitterbug sitting in the middle of the platform. "Jitterbug? Hey, Jitters! Where are we?" Jitterbug remained seated, not moving a muscle. Follower felt increasingly uneasy as he called out to her again. "Jitters?" He jumped as she laughed. Not because she laughed, but because it wasn't her laugh. It was twisted, evil sounding. Follower nearly fell over as 'Jitterbug' turned around to reveal a mouthful of sharp teeth and two bloody eye sockets instead of the beautiful, nervous features he was used to. 'Jitterbug' laughed again. "No, fool, that's not me. I am Yvtaela, the demon of loneliness. I've managed to kill everypony who's gotten close to this mare, and now it's your turn." Follower regained his footing and stared straight at the demon. "Bring it on." Yvtaela and Follower stared each other down for a few moments before the demon lept forward, letting out an ear piercing shriek as she got closer to Follower's head. Shifting his stance, he waited until the last possible moment before diving out of Yvtaela's path. Smirking as she landed on her face, he took the opportunity to fire a small bolt of magic at her, but recoiling when he saw it had no effect. Yvtaela laughed as she stood up. "You fool! Your pathetic spells have no effect on me!" She began charging at Follower once again, causing him to squeeze his eyes shut, bracing for the inevitable impact. It never came. Follower was instead greeted by a loud shriek of pain. Opening his eyes, he noticed Yvtaela clutching her foreleg with the opposite hoof, while white light poured out of a vicious cut. Looking up, he noticed that his horn was once again glowing brightly with the energy of Mana Type 7. Yvtaela shrieked again. "W-What is this?!? How could you possibly possess the forbidden magic?!? Only the Prince is allowed to weild it!" Follower tightened his stance. "Prince? What prince?" "You'll never know!" Yvtaela began hobbling towards him. "I'll kill you here!" Follower's eyes narrowed. "No, you won't." With that, Follower charged forward, watching the black wasteland turn white as his horn connected with Yvtaela's head. Real World Follower's vision returned slowly, eventually showing a concerned Jitterbug standing over him. Helping him to his hooves, Jitterbug began stammering. "A-Are you o-ok? D-Did it work?" Follower began moving towards her. "Only one way to find out..." Before she could react, Follower lept forward and wrapped her in the biggest hug he could muster. After a few moments, he let go. "Well, I'm not dead. I guess that means it wor-OOF!" Follower's breath was knocked out of him as Jitterbug wrapped him in an even tighter hug than he did. He began stroking her mane as she sobbed into his shoulder. "T-Thank you...thank y-you so m-much..."
Chapter 1: NightmaresFollower Follower’s House, Ponyville, Equestria July 3rd, 2013 C.R The only sound that could be heard throughout the dark household was the steady tick tock of the sole Grandfather clock, giving the house an eerie dead feeling. In the house’s master bedroom, a certain unicorn stallion lay awake in his bed, staring at the ceiling. For Follower, sleep just didn’t want to pay him a visit. The past week had been hectic for Follower, with him being released from the LTF and adopting Apple Bloom as his daughter. After escaping Facility 1a, Follower was lucky enough to receive the honor of meeting the Royal Sisters, who were very interested in hearing the tale of the sole original survivor of the Containment Breach. Follower explained his story to the Princesses, who both congratulated him on surviving. Follower also received a promise from Princess Celestia saying that he would be released from the LTF’s control. A day later, Follower received word that Celestia had followed through with her promise, and had cleared him for release. He also got a letter stating that Celestia had approved his adoption request for Apple Bloom. Follower had been ecstatic about his fortunes, and quickly left for his house in Ponyville with Apple Bloom in tow. By the 26th of June he was back home, and started the rather long process of adjusting to normal life. Two days after returning home, Follower received a request from Mayor Mare asking him to take the job of teaching the fillies and colts at Ponyville Schoolhouse. Seeing no reason to refuse, Follower accepted the request and was informed that he would start work by the third of July. Many thoughts raced through Follower’s mind as he lay in bed. Will the students like me? Can I handle teaching younger ponies? How much will I be paid? The more Follower thought about the day ahead, the more restless Follower felt. Giving up on the concept of sleep, Follower climbed out of bed, and stretched his legs. Moonlight filtered through the windows of the bedroom, illuminating the room in a silvery light. Trotting over to the bathroom, Follower whistled a very quiet tune to himself. Quickly relieving his bladder, Follower spent some time staring at himself in the mirror. Even though his face was clean and free from marks, Follower felt as though it had changed during his time with the LTF. Maybe it was the fact that he rarely smiled anymore. Follower pondered on the thought for a few moments before a shrill scream shattered the silence of the household. Recognizing Apple Bloom’s voice, Follower wasted no time in sprinting out of his bathroom towards Apple Bloom’s room. Thrusting the door open, Follower saw Apple Bloom cowering in the corner of her room. A look of sheer terror was plastered on her face while small whimpers came from her mouth. “Apple Bloom, what’s wrong?” Follower asked, his voice heavy with concern. Follower’s voice seemed to trigger something for Apple Bloom, for she screamed again. “STAY AWAY FROM ME! AH’M NOT GOING TO LET YOU KILL ME!” Concern won over Follower, and he found himself slowly stepping forward. “Apple Bloom, it’s okay! Nopony is going to kill you! It’s only-“ Follower began, only to suddenly be charged by the scared earth pony filly. Letting out a cry of surprise, Follower fell back onto his rump, and tried desperately to push the frenzied Apple Bloom off of him. Apple Bloom managed to land a few strong punches on Follower’s muzzle before Follower managed to push her off. Now free, Follower scrambled back to the doorway, and watched Apple Bloom carefully. She looked up at him for a few moments, but soon collapsed onto the floor in a sobbing heap. “Ah’m so sorry Follower, ah’m just so scared…” Sighing softly, Follower walked over to Apple Bloom, and started stroking her back. “It’s okay Apple Bloom, I’m here now. I won’t let anything bad happen to you.” Follower continued to stroke Apple Bloom’s back for a while, until the cream colored earth pony finally closed her eyes again and fell back asleep. Carefully picking her up, Follower placed the sleeping Apple Bloom back in her bed and tucked her in. After making sure everything was alright, Follower closed the door to Apple Bloom’s room and started trotting back to his own room. Reaching it a few moments later, Follower immediately went back into the bathroom and looked in the mirror. A small splinter of bone stuck out of his head just under his left eye, causing Follower to flinch a little bit at the sight of it. Removing the bone fragment, Follower noticed that it now made a small scar below his eye that he couldn’t fix with his magic. Shrugging, Follower checked the rest of his face for any damages only to find that no other damage was done. A few moments later, Follower had exited the bathroom and returned to his bed. A replay of what just happened with Apple Bloom kept running through his head, and Follower found himself sighing deeply. This was the second time in a week that Follower had found Apple Bloom having nightmares. However this was the first time that Apple Bloom had lashed out and Follower couldn’t help but feel concerned. Should I take her to a therapist? Follower pondered the thought for a few moments, but shook his head. Apple Bloom would be fine, she only needed time. Bringing himself comfort, Follower closed his eyelids. Several images flashed through his vision, most of them being from Facility 1a. Struggling to keep his eyes closed, Follower saw more and more mental pictures of dead scientists and guards. A final image of a bloody smiling Jitterbug caused Follower to shoot up straight in his bed. Sweat poured down his body as the image of Jitterbug slowly disappeared from his vision. The blue earth pony mare still haunted his thoughts, and Follower desperately wanted to forget about her. Finally deciding that sleep was impossible without the help of magic, Follower quickly charged up a sleeping spell on his horn and casted it on himself. Follower’s eyelids quickly became heavier and heavier, and he soon fell fast asleep.
Chapter 2: A New AssignmentLieutenant Flash Sentry Equestrian Royal Guard 1st Special Protection Regiment Canterlot Barracks, Canterlot, Equestria July 3rd, 2013 C.R “Lieutenant Sentry, it’s good to see you! How have you been?” asked Captain Shining Armor, as the orange pegasus stallion entered the room. Lieutenant Flash Sentry was not pleased when he heard that he was being sent out on another mission on his day off. Lieutenant Sentry gave the white unicorn stallion a quick salute before letting out a loud yawn. “What do you need Captain Armor?” Shining frowned for a few seconds, but quickly pulled up a seat. “Remember the Containment Breach that happened at that LTF facility in Manehattan?” Shining asked as he sat down on the seat that he had pulled up. Lieutenant Sentry nodded, giving Captain Armor a confused look. “Yea, I remember. We had to deploy two Special Response Regiments to assist them in containing the subjects that escaped. Why are you bringing it up?” Shining was silent for a few moments, before taking out a rather official looking folder and threw it to Lieutenant Sentry. “I just received word from General Bon Bon that we may have found the Catalyst. A D-Class by the name of Follower. You’ve bee-“ Captain Armor began, only to be interrupted by Lieutenant Sentry motioning for the Captain to stop talking. “I have two things to say. First, what the hay is this ‘Catalyst’? Second, why would a D-Class be believed to be this ‘Catalyst’? I thought D-Class were mostly criminals and scum.” exclaimed Lieutenant Sentry, a confused tone in his voice. Captain Armor sighed, slowly getting out of his seat. “What you’re about to hear is Top Secret and only a handful of ponies know about it. As you know, we were invaded for a second time by changelings two weeks ago. My sister and her friends were called in to use the Elements of Harmony to ward off the invasion, and were successful. However, it didn’t go smoothly, for Queen Chrysalis casted a curse on the Bearers of Harmony before she was defeated. That curse caused the bearers to fuse with the elements, which resulted in major psychological damage to them. Almost all of them were driven insane while gaining unique powers. Only my sister remained unaffected, while the rest of her friends were sent to Facility 1a for Containment by the LTF.” Captain Armor explained, keeping a neutral tone in his voice. Lieutenant Sentry frowned deeply, but motioned for Captain Armor to continue. “The Catalyst is the pony that my sister believes can restore her friends to normal mindsets. However Twilight failed to tell me how the Catalyst would do to restore the Bearers. My guess is that Follower has extremely high magical power, and that he’ll use his excess magic to restore the Bearers.” Captain Armor finished, taking his seat again. Lieutenant Sentry just stared at the Captain for a few moments and shook his head. “How could D-Class possibly be the ‘Catalyst’? They’re the lowest of the low.” Captain Armor shrugged and got back to his feet. “Twilight never told me why she thinks that Follower is the Catalyst, only that he is the potential cure for her friends. Anyway, your assignment is to intercept him at Ponyville Schoolhouse, and bring him back here.” Lieutenant Sentry was silent for a few moments as he tried to think of a response. “Alright sir. When do I embark for Ponyville?” Shining looked quickly at the clock on the wall, and cleared his throat. “You leave in an hour. I’m also giving you access to Lightning 1 with an escort. Any questions?” Shining explained. Lieutenant Sentry’s mouth simply dropped when he heard that he had access to Lightning 1. “You’re giving me Lightning 1? I thought it was reserved for use by the Royal Sisters only!” Lieutenant Sentry exclaimed. Captain Armor chuckled, quickly picking up the file that he had given to Lieutenant Sentry. “Indeed, but General Bon Bon ordered that it be made available to you. If Twilight’s prediction is correct, then Follower may be the only hope we have in curing the Bearers.” Shining replied. Lieutenant Sentry stayed silent for a few moments, before slowly nodding his head. “Alright sir, I understand. If there isn’t anything else, then I’ll be heading to the Armory to prepare.” Shining nodded, giving the Lieutenant a quick salute. “Good luck Lieutenant. We’re counting on you.” Smiling, Lieutenant Sentry returned the Captain’s salute and walked out of the room, leaving the white Unicorn Captain to himself. Flash Sentry loved flying. Flying was his way of escaping life’s problems, from minor annoyances such as being deployed on his day off to very big problems such as a death in the family. While he was still annoyed at the fact that his day off was ruined, Lieutenant Sentry had more important matters to worry about. He was in charge of picking up a critically important pony and bringing him back to Canterlot. While Lieutenant Sentry doubted that this former D-Class was indeed this “Catalyst” that Captain Armor spoke of, orders were orders and he needed to follow them. Flying close to the large golden chariot that he was assigned to protect, Lieutenant Sentry quickly diverted his attention to the terrain ahead. Rolling fields covered the land below, with the occasional house blotting the landscape. From the air, Equestria was simply a beautiful place to watch. Lieutenant Sentry’s thoughts were suddenly interrupted when one of the pegasui pulling Lightning 1 called out. “Lieutenant Sentry, we arrive in Ponyville in 12 minutes. You’ll be landing ahead of us ok?” Nodding, Lieutenant Sentry quickly braked until he was flying with the rest of the escort which had been trailing behind the chariot. “We’re there in twelve; get ready to land ahead of the chariot!” Lieutenant Sentry shouted. Each of the ponies trailing behind the chariot nodded, and wasted no time in soaring to positions ahead of the chariot. Satisfied with the upgraded formation, Lieutenant Sentry flew back to his position at the head of the formation. Only time would tell if this “Follower” was indeed the Catalyst that could save the Bearers of Harmony from eternal insanity.
Chapter 3: ClassFollower Ponyville School House, Ponyvile, Equestria July 3rd, 2013 CR “Alright children, settle down. Class is beginning now!” Follower shouted, as he took his seat behind the teachers desk. With luck, the stallion had managed to get enough sleep, and was both excited and nervous to teach the class. The first thing he did at the schoolhouse was meet with all the students, and learn their names. With quiet murmurs, the students all took their seats, giving Follower expecting glances. Once the murmurs died down, Follower looked around the classroom for a bit, then grabbed a piece of chalk, and wheeled over to the board. “Today, we will be learning about the Griffon Kingdom. Do-” Follower began, before the classroom door was thrown open. A white unicorn filly with light purple and pink hair scampered in. “So sorry I’m late teacher, my caretaker woke me up late, and I got a long walk from the Carousel Boutique .” Everypony in the room was silent for a few moments until Apple Bloom jumped out of her chair, and ran over to the new arrival. “Sweetie Bell!” The two fillies quickly locked into a hug, where they stayed until Follower cleared his throat. “You can catch up with your reunion later, Apple Bloom, and... Sweetie Belle is it? Now please take your seats.” The two fillies quickly broke their embrace, and scampered to their seats. Closing the door again, Follower made a mental note of Sweetie Belle’s name, then moved back to the chalkboard. “Alright, now that everyone’s settled down, we’ll begin our lesson. Today we are going to learn about the Griffon Kingdom, and it’s unique inhabitants. Can anyone tell me what a griffon is?” The classroom stayed silent for a few moments, until a whitish gray pegasus colt by the name of Featherweight raised his hoof. “Griffons are a mix between a lion and an eagle, right?” Follower gave Featherweight a warm smile and nodded. “Yes, that is correct, Featherweight. A griffon is a cross between a lion and an eagle. Most griffons live in the Griffon Kingdom, while a few live in Equestria. Does anyone know who the leader of the Griffon Kingdom is?” The classroom remained silent for a few more moments, until Sweetie Belle raised her hoof. “I think it’s President Wilford.” Follower nodded, quickly pulling down a map of the Griffon Kingdom. “Correct Sweetie Belle, President Wilford is the current leader of the Griffons. As you can see by this map, the Griffon Kingdom is mostly mountainous terrain, so many griffons are used to-” Follower began, until he was interrupted by the door being opened again. Follower opened his mouth to scold whoever entered the room, only to shut it again when he saw golden armor on the newcomers. Three Royal Guards entered the room, before taking positions on the sides of the door. A few seconds of silence passed before another guard walked in, and stopped at the side of Follower’s desk. The guard was a orange pegasus stallion with a dark and light blue mane, and had designs on his armor that marked him as a Lieutenant. The guard gave Follower a brief suspicious look, then cleared his throat. “Mr Follower, by order of General Bon Bon of the Equestrian Royal Guard, you are to come with me at once.” Follower just stared at the stallion for a few seconds, then slowly got out of his chair. “Where are you taking me, and why?” The Lieutenant just gave Follower a hard look, then took up a leaning position against the chalkboard. “You’re being taken to Canterlot. As for the reason, that’s classified.” Follower glanced at his class, then back at the guard. “Who’s going to watch over the class then?” The guard smiled, getting up from his leaning position. “A sub will be brought in by the town within a few minutes. Until then, a guard will stay and watch over the children.” With a major question answered, Follower sighed, and walked over to the guard. “Alright, I’ll come with you. Apple Bloom! Come with me!” Without hesitation, Apple Bloom quickly jumped out of her seat, and took up a spot next to Follower. The Lieutenant glanced at Apple Bloom for a few seconds, then held up his hoof. “The filly stays here.” Follower just stared at the Lieutenant, then shook his head fiercely. “No, Apple Bloom comes with me. She’s my child, and I’m not letting her stay here without me.” The guard snorted in response, shaking his head slowly. “The filly stays.” At this point, a sense of anger was building in Follower’s chest. “Either Apple Bloom comes with me, or I’m staying here.” Follower growled, his tone low. The guard’s eye twitched, and he found himself getting out of his leaning position. “Listen here Follower. I’m here on my day off to pick you up, so you’re coming out of here whether you like it or not. I don’t care if I have to drag you out.” The two orange stallions soon found themselves in each others faces, having a stare down, until Follower shook his head. “Like I said, I’m not leaving without Apple Bloom.” There was a moment of silence, until the guard finally snorted. “Fine. The filly can come. Just get outside.” Satisfied by the guard’s change of heart, Follower trotted out the door with Apple Bloom in tow. The Lieutenant lingered in the classroom for a few moments, then walked out after Follower, grumbling deeply to himself.
Chapter 4: RequestFollower En Route to Canterlot Castle July 3rd, 2013 CR (Shadowfire) It was silent inside the chariot as Follower and Apple Bloom sat across from Lt. Flash Sentry. Shortly after takeoff, Apple Bloom had fallen asleep on Follower's lap, something he was silently glad for. He didn't want her asking questions all over the place. However, not a word had been spoken since they had been picked up, and the silence had been getting to Follower. "Why am I being taken to Canterlot?" Lt. Sentry snorted in slight annoyance. "I told you, it's classified." Follower grumbled. "You can still tell me. There's nopony else around that's going to hear it, and I'm going to find out soon anyway. So why not just tell me?" "Because I wasn't given permission to. Look, the details are top secret, and the only reason I was told is because I had to know why I was getting you." Follower sighed. "Isn't there anything you can tell me? Anything at all? Seriously, if you can tell me one thing, I'll shut up for the rest of the trip." Flash's ears perked up at the offer. "Really? The entire rest of the trip? Well in that case, there is one thing I believe the captain would be ok with me telling you." Follower leaned forward in his seat, nearly disturbing Apple Bloom. "Yes?" "It involves the Containment Breach in Facility 1a." Follower's face blanched slightly at what he had heard. He opened his mouth to confirm what the guard had just said, but was stopped immediately by said guard. "Upupupupup, not another word." Grumbling, Follower slid back in his seat, crossing his forelegs over his chest. "Hey, it was your deal, not mine" Flash chuckled before gazing out the window. "Don't worry though, we're almost in Canterlot, so you won't have to be quiet much longer." Tracing Flash's gaze, Follower saw the castle coming up on they're left. Sighing in content, he closed his eyes, waiting until they landed. A couple minutes later "Follower! Wake up!" The sound of Flash's voice cut through Follower's sleep as he jolted awake, causing Apple Bloom to fall off his lap with a startled "Woah!" Apologizing, he helped her up, placing her on his back before turning to Flash. "We've arrived." "Lead the way Lieutenant." "Hmph." Flash led the pair up to the main gate, where he was stopped by two other guards. "Halt. Visitors aren't allowed in today." "These two are here on Captain Armor's order. Unless you want to answer to him, let us through." After a brief moment of hesitation, the guard resigned. "Very well. But anything they do is on you." "Understood." Flash then led them through the many winding corridors of the palace before stopping in front of a large set of iron doors. Turning to Follower, Flash instructed "Alright. Captain Armor and the Element of Magic are inside. They will fill you in on the details." The doors opened, and a loud voice boomed from inside. "Follower, please step inside. You too Lieutenant Sentry." Flash looked slightly surprised at the order, but entered nonetheless, Follower and Apple Bloom close behind. Upon entry, Twilight turned and noticed Apple Bloom on Follower's back. "Apple Bloom? What're you doing here? And why are you with Follower?" Follower spoke up. "I saved her from Rainbow Dash's pocket dimension during the containment breach. She helped me escape, and I found out she didn't have a family left. After it was all over, Celestia let me adopt her." "I see. Now, I'm sure you're wondering why we asked you to come here." "'Asked' being a relative term, but yes, the thought crossed my mind." At this point, Captain Armor spoke up. "You remember the containment breach at the LTF, yes? Well, new information has come to light, leading us to believe that you might be the key to reversing the damage done to the Elements of Harmony." Follower attempted to respond, but was cut off. "We will explain everything to you once we get to the facility. Basically, we believe that there is something special inside you. Special enough to break the curse that was placed on the Elements. I know you probably don't want to go back given what you have experienced, especially the containment breach, but this may be our one and only shot at restoring Equestria's greatest defense." Follower sat down, lost in thought as Flash stepped up. "But why am I here?" He asked. "You only told me to pick him up. I don't see what any of this has to do with me." Shining smiled. "True, but the thing is, you go back to work tomorrow. And your assignment, since the carriage drivers told me how well you two got along, will be guarding this stallion inside the facility, for as long as it takes him to finish this job. Could be weeks, could be months. Who knows? It could even take a year to finish it. Now go get ready." Flash almost opened his mouth for a rebuttal, but decided against it, simply grumbling as he walked out the door. Follower sat there for a few moments longer, thinking through what he'd heard. His thoughts were broken by Twilight's voice. "You will do it won't you? The entirety of Equestria depends on lifting that curse." Tapping his hoof to his chin for a few moments, he said "I will. On two conditions." Shining nodded. "Name them." "First, Apple Bloom stays here, guarded at all times. I don't want to take any chances of her getting hurt, especially if we're going back to the LTF." "Acceptable. And the second condition?" "If she's still there, I want to talk to Jitterbug. Please don't ask why, I have my reasons. Yes, I know she's a Keter class subject, but I need to talk to her." After mulling it over for a little bit, Shining nodded again. "Very well, I'll allow it. We head for the LTF tomorrow. A guard will be by shortly to show you and Apple Bloom to your room, and dinner will be brought to you when you're ready for it. Rest up though, you're gonna need it..."
Chapter 5: The ReunionFollower LTF Facility 1a, [REDACTED], Equestria July 4th, 2013 C.R “Past these doors is the observation room for Jitterbug’s cell. Are you sure you want to open up past wounds Follower?” asked the LTF guard, as he stopped in front of a set of double doors. The night before had been rather stressful for Follower, with many questions running through his head the entire evening. He didn’t know how he could possibly help this Twilight Sparkle restore the Element bearers to proper mental conditions, but he knew he had no choice if it involved Equestria’s greatest defence. The next morning, he was immediately put back on Lightning 1, and flown to the LTF Facility where his life had nearly ended on multiple occasions. Follower just looked at the guard for a few seconds, then nodded slowly. “I must. Even though she lost it in the end, she was a great friend to me during the outbreak. I feel as though I owe it to her to apologize. How is her condition?” Follower explained, a rather sad tone in his voice. The guard looked at the clipboard he was looking at for a few seconds, then back to Follower. “After the Containment Breach, Jitterbug fell into a severe state of depression. Her sanity seems to have been restored, and her ability seemed to have changed. She no longer responds to psychological threats, only activating her ability when physical contact is achieved. She spends most of the time in the corner of her containment chamber, just crying softly to herself.” replied the guard, his voice flat. Follower nodded, then cleared his throat and pushed the doors open. The observation room was a rather uninteresting room, with a few chairs facing a rather large one way mirror. Follower slowly walked over to one of the chairs, then took a seat and peered into the mirror. The mirror gave veiw into a large concrete room, with nothing inside except for a bed, a toilet, a bathtub, and a bookstand filled with books. Sitting in the far right corner of the room was a blue earth mare, her body facing the wall. Follower was silent for a moment, then pressed a button under the mirror activating the room’s PA system. “Umm…...Jitterbug? Its…...it’s me. Follower.” Jitterbug's head whipped back and forth, trying to locate where the voice came from. "F-Follower? Is that really you?" Follower sighed deeply, then nodded. “Yes, it’s me. I just wanted…...I just wanted to apologize really.” Jitterbug sniffled. "Apologize? Why? You didn't do anything wrong." Follower frowned, then shook his head, forgetting that Jitters could not see him. “I was rather cruel about leaving you, and abandoned you in a time of need. Anyway, how have you been?” Jitterbug smiled a soft, sad smile. "I've been better. The guards are at least treating me nicer! But still, nopony wants to give me a hug..." “You know why nopony gives you hugs. I’m surprised you’re not angry with me. Why?” Follower asked quietly. Jitters chuckled softly. "Oh don't get me wrong, I was at first. For about a week, that's all I could think about. But after awhile, I began to realize why you did it. That's why I want to apologize to you." The room was silent for a few moments, until Follower shuffled his hooves. “Well… I’ve been chosen to cure several ponies here in the Facility. I wish I could cure you, but…..I honestly don’t know. If I could, would you be willing to try?” Jitterbug jumped up, eyes wide with a huge smile on her face. "Really?! You'd be willing to try for me? Why?" A small blush spread across Follower’s face, as he shuffled his hooves again. “You…..you’re honestly a great friend to have around. During the breach, you made me happy.” Slight confusion streched across her face. "I did? How so?" “I’d….I rather not say. Let me just check with Twilight. Are you fine with me leaving you for a bit?" "Um, yeah, that's alright. I guess... You are coming back, right?" “Yea! Well Ji-” Follower began, before a hoof landed gently on his shoulder, scaring him senseless. He flipped around, only to see Twilight Sparkle standing there, a slightly concerned look on her face. She just looked at him for a few moments, then cleared her throat. “Jitterbug, I’ve seen your file. Are you sure you’d want this? There always is the possibility of you hurting Follower. I’m willing to allow Follower to help you, but you need to be 100 percent sure you accept the risks that you’d be presenting to him.” Jitters faltered a bit. "It's up to you, Follower. I don't want to hurt you..." Follower felt everyone’s eyes drift to him, and he gulped nervously. “I’ll…..wait. Twilight, explain how this will work.” Twilight sighed gently to herself, pulling up a chair next to Follower. “I guess I’ve held it from you long enough. You see Follower, you have a special type of magic in your system. Mana Type 7, or the magic you have is more unstable than regular unicorn Mana, but it’s a lot more powerful. Mana Type 7 is incredibly rare to find, which is what makes you unique. From the few tests we ran on my friends, Mana Type 7 was used in the curse that drove them all insane. Therefore, I theorize that only Mana Type 7 will be able to defeat the curse!” Twilight explained. Follower was silent for a few moments, then pointed to Jitterbug. “And are you sure that I could help Jitterbug using this ‘Mana Type 7’?” Twilight nodded, turning her attention to the blue earth mare’s cell. “The only reason she has her ability is because the curse was somehow amplified using the elements. Various ponies were affected, and were given unique abilities, not just the Bearers. That’s why there are so many subjects here. Now that you know what you’re doing, are you going to do it?” She replied. Follower just stared at Jitterbug for a few moments, and then breathed out. “Alright, I’ll do it.”
Chapter 6: 1st AttemptFollower LTF Facility 1a, [REDACTED], Equestria July 4th, 2013, C.R. (ShadowFire) Jitterbug's smile could hardly be contained as a loud 'SQEE!' resounded through her cell. "You will?!" Follower smiled back at her. "I will. Once Twilight tells me how I'm supposed to use 'Mana Type 7'." Twilight smiled sheepishly. "I guess I kinda forgot, didn't I? Using it is pretty simple, all you have to do is focus all of your energy into your horn and make contact with the subject, which is Jitterbug in this case." Follower nodded. Turning to the guard, he said "I'm ready. Could you open the door?" The guard did as he was asked, barely leaving the door open long enough for Follower to get through before sealing it again. Slightly miffed at the guard's fear, he turned to Jitterbug, who was nervously kicking her hoof at the ground. As he got closer, she seemed to lose some of her confidence. "Y-You know you don't have to do this, right?" "I know." That was the only answer she received as Follower's eyes closed in concentration. His horn began glowing faintly, and after a moment or two, another, brighter layer of light appeared over the first. After the fifth layer, Follower began sweating profusely, barely managing to get the sixth layer to appear. As Jitters reached a hoof forward to attempt to make him stop, the seventh layer shone brilliantly into existence and his eyes opened, glazed over in a pure white light as Follower's horn touched her head. ??? "Ugh... Where am I?" Follower's eyes opened to reveal a large, black wasteland, with several smaller plots of land floating in the air beside it. He began looking around until he saw Jitterbug sitting in the middle of the platform. "Jitterbug? Hey, Jitters! Where are we?" Jitterbug remained seated, not moving a muscle. Follower felt increasingly uneasy as he called out to her again. "Jitters?" He jumped as she laughed. Not because she laughed, but because it wasn't her laugh. It was twisted, evil sounding. Follower nearly fell over as 'Jitterbug' turned around to reveal a mouthful of sharp teeth and two bloody eye sockets instead of the beautiful, nervous features he was used to. 'Jitterbug' laughed again. "No, fool, that's not me. I am Yvtaela, the demon of loneliness. I've managed to kill everypony who's gotten close to this mare, and now it's your turn." Follower regained his footing and stared straight at the demon. "Bring it on." Yvtaela and Follower stared each other down for a few moments before the demon lept forward, letting out an ear piercing shriek as she got closer to Follower's head. Shifting his stance, he waited until the last possible moment before diving out of Yvtaela's path. Smirking as she landed on her face, he took the opportunity to fire a small bolt of magic at her, but recoiling when he saw it had no effect. Yvtaela laughed as she stood up. "You fool! Your pathetic spells have no effect on me!" She began charging at Follower once again, causing him to squeeze his eyes shut, bracing for the inevitable impact. It never came. Follower was instead greeted by a loud shriek of pain. Opening his eyes, he noticed Yvtaela clutching her foreleg with the opposite hoof, while white light poured out of a vicious cut. Looking up, he noticed that his horn was once again glowing brightly with the energy of Mana Type 7. Yvtaela shrieked again. "W-What is this?!? How could you possibly possess the forbidden magic?!? Only the Prince is allowed to weild it!" Follower tightened his stance. "Prince? What prince?" "You'll never know!" Yvtaela began hobbling towards him. "I'll kill you here!" Follower's eyes narrowed. "No, you won't." With that, Follower charged forward, watching the black wasteland turn white as his horn connected with Yvtaela's head. Real World Follower's vision returned slowly, eventually showing a concerned Jitterbug standing over him. Helping him to his hooves, Jitterbug began stammering. "A-Are you o-ok? D-Did it work?" Follower began moving towards her. "Only one way to find out..." Before she could react, Follower lept forward and wrapped her in the biggest hug he could muster. After a few moments, he let go. "Well, I'm not dead. I guess that means it wor-OOF!" Follower's breath was knocked out of him as Jitterbug wrapped him in an even tighter hug than he did. He began stroking her mane as she sobbed into his shoulder. "T-Thank you...thank y-you so m-much..."
