//------------------------------// // The Leader // Story: Regenerator 228 // by Hopefullygoodgrammar //------------------------------// Regenerator 228 Chapter 8 As 228 wallowed in the darkness, the Leader was stirring. The Leader was the largest of the five Plagas in 228’s body. He resided in the Regenerator’s stomach and controlled his less-intelligent brethren. Out of all of his siblings he was the smartest and most self aware, even going so far as to pick a gender and an identifying name for himself. Out of all of the five he was the only one who was able to communicate with the higher-level Plagas, like Osmund Saddler, Bitores Mendez or Ramon Salazar; and, out of the five, he was the one who had the most control over 228. Now he was the only one who was still thinking. His four siblings hadn't survived the “trip”, they were still functioning and kept 228’s regenerative capabilities working, but their neural pathways had been completely shut down by the sheer amount of magical trauma that had been inflicted on 228’s body. They can absorb radiation, but not magic  thought the Leader, I suppose that makes sense.  The Leader himself had been “Out of Commission”  for a while, but the sudden presence of an unbelievable power source had jump started his more basic instincts and he had immediately begun to drain the power from the source. The source was Discord, Master of Chaos, Spirit of Disharmony and a being who contained bottomless energy.  Needless to say, the Leader had gorged himself until every, single one of his facilities was regenerated. He didn't know the consequences of his actions until that Fluttershy equine had used that power of hers. He had felt that power as well and he was drawn to it, so he did something that, even at his level of power, he knew he couldn't do: he looked through 228’s eyes and stared right into Fluttershy’s. His had adapted to his new power quickly and had just wanted to get a visual of the creature that had stopped his host, but he had done far more than that, he had looked into her mind, he had seen every one of her memories. He saw her being bullied at flight school in a place she called Cloudsdale, he had seen her arrive in a town called Ponyville and meet new friends, he had seen her fight a manticore using only her kindness, he had seen her help defeat Nightmare Moon, he had seen her talk down a cockatrice AND a fully grown dragon. And he had seen the power that she possessed: the Element of Kindness. How very…. appropriate for her. He had looked deeper and seen the images of her friends, each bearing their own Element: Rainbow Dash, the Element of Loyalty; Applejack, the Element of Honesty; Pinkie Pie, the Element of Laughter and Twilight Sparkle, the Element of Magic. He had considered the possibility of taking one of the Bearers over, a host with that much power would be perfect, but he had seen what the Elements had done to Nightmare Moon and he was in no hurry to invoke their wrath. So he had turned his minds eye towards other possible candidates. He knew that he wouldn't be able to get near either of the Princesses without them sensing his presence, he couldn't rely on a host like Discord to not just remove him, he certainly couldn't possess a townspony without getting noticed and he absolutely wouldn’t stoop to such a level as to take over a common farm animal or even one of the beasts of the Everfree. So that left him with the…. what was it called?  Oh yes, the Rogues Gallery. If he took over one of them he might be able to make it look like just another revenge plot. But who to pick? He looked into the pool of memories, now fully used to his newfound power, and searched among the faces: Gilda the griffon was strong, capable of flight and would probably bond with him if he mentioned the prospect of revenge, but she was very low on magic, having only enough inherent magic to fly; so she wouldn’t do. The Great and Powerful Trixie had magic and a revenge scheme from her would be very much expected, but her magic wasn't very potent and she seemed a bit… soft for his tastes; so she was also disqualified. The Diamond Dogs were bipedal, powerful and their internal physiology probably came the closest that of a human’s, but they had absolutely no magic of their own and were far too stupid; the Leader checked them off, though he knew that their services could be easily bought, so he filed them away for later. That left only two. If the Leader had possessed lips he would have smiled. They were perfect: magically-inclined, strong and they possessed genius-level intellect. Now all he needed was a way out. He knew that he couldn't survive outside of 228’s body without a stronger dosage of magical energy, he also needed to test his powers, If I can change my form, then I can escape easier. he thought, But I need that extra boost if I am to…. to do what? He realized that he didn't have much of a goal outside of escaping 228, he had never been without the comforting voices of the Plagas Hive Mind and, now that all was silent, he had no real objective. What would Saddler want of me? the Leader thought, Well… what did Saddler want back on Earth? He wanted to spread us out over the world, to Purify those who hadn't already accepted us, but I can’t Purify this world, I can’t breed…. unless… The Leader searched through the roiling cascade of magic that filled him, trying to define some parameters, and what he found pleased him greatly. Focusing his magic, the Leader wrapped a shimmering, black aura around himself and began to meticulously change and shift every single cell and molecule in his body. Approximately 1 hour and 23.6 seconds later the aura dissipated, revealing the Leader’s new and improved body. Perfect,  just… perfect. she thought.