Regenerator 228
Chapter 18
It had been a very exhausting day for poor Fluttershy.
First 228 had become depressed after mentioning his mother, then she had gone down to Ponyville just as is started to pour out, then she had to face Twilight and the very confusing emotions that had started to surface whenever she saw her, and finally she had told Twilight about her parents, which had made her cry, which had made Twilight hug her, which had made Fluttershy feel…. strange and that feeling made her cry even more.
It had taken her a full hour to vent all of her sadness, by then the rain had thankfully stopped and the sun was shining brightly, Fluttershy had pulled herself away from Twilight’s comforting embrace and left, albeit with another un-nameable feeling weighing her stomach down.
She had returned home, hoping that 228 had returned.
He had…. and he had found someone to bring home, too.
Fluttershy’s eyes widened when she saw the familiar form on her couch.
“Gilda?” she whispered, approaching the sleeping griffon tentatively. It was Gilda, Fluttershy recognized the purple markings around her eyes, the three feathers that hung down over her face and the three diamond-shaped markings on her neck. But that was were the similarities stopped, her fur was filthy, her cheeks sunken and her beak lacked her usual cocky/cruel smirk.
It was like staring at a mirror clone or something of the like.
How did she get in here? Why is she tucked in and…. is that fish I smell?! Fluttershy felt anger well up within her, This jerk thinks that she can just waltz in here, eat MY fish and stink up MY couch? I don’t think so.
Fluttershy moved to shake Gilda awake when 228 entered with an apron in one hand and a whisk in another. When he saw her he raised a talon to his pale lips and made a *Shhhh* sound.
“228? Wh-did….did you bring Gilda in here?” asked Fluttershy, trying to keep her voice low at the behest of her odd friend. 228 nodded and approached the sleeping griffon, he bent down and petted her head.
“Ssso her name iss…. Gilda?” he asked softly, looking at the yellow pegasus, who nodded with a confused expression etched into her features, “Uhm… 228? Why did you bring her here…. and-and how did you even meet her?”
228 told her everything: How he had caught Gilda trying to catch some of her chickens, which made Fluttershy angry, though her anger was short-lived when he told her about how he had scared her to get her to leave, only for her to utterly break down and beg for her life. Fluttershy saw the guilt in his eyes as he told her this and felt a pang of sympathy for her friend.
228 was just starting to recount his adventures with trying to make omelette when GIlda began to stir. Fluttershy and 228 stopped their chat as the griffoness slowly sat up, rubbing sleep from her eyes with a grubby talon, “Hello, Gilda.” said Fluttershy, trying to keep her voice calm and kind, Gilda stopped mid-rub and slowly let her talon fall away from her eyes, when she saw Fluttershy, the griffon winced and held up her talons, palms out.
“L-listen” she started, trying to keep her voice calm, “I-I know that I was a pretty big jerk the last time that we met. But I wanna start over, okay?”
Fluttershy simply raised an eyebrow.
Gilda sighed and gently got off the couch, Fluttershy saw her wince when her paws touched the floor. The griffoness approached the pegasus, who stood her ground and looked her in the eye, Gilda took a deep breath, then she said, “I’m sorry for making you cry.”
Fluttershy saw the red tint on her cheeks and the slight glimmer in her eyes, she knew that it must have been hard for her to apologize, so she smiled and said “I forgive you.”
Gilda smiled at Fluttershy and darted forwards, wrapping her in a tight hug, “Thank you. Thank you so much.”
“Uhm… you’re welcome.” said Fluttershy, her eyes watering, “I hate to be mean, but…. you really need a bath.”
Gilda let her go and backed away, trying to hide her blush, “Sorry…”
“Why are you so dirty… if you don’t mind me asking, that is?” asked Fluttershy looking at the griffoness. Gilda looked at her paws and mumbled something, Fluttershy leaned closer, “Uhm...what was that?”
“I said I haven’t been near a bath in a while, okay?!” growled Gilda, clenching her talons tight and causing Fluttershy to back up. Gilda noticed the unease in her eyes and immediately backpedaled, “Sorry…. I just…. I just really don’t wanna talk about it.”
Fluttershy nodded and gestured to the stairs, “The bathroom is the first door on the left, feel free to use it, but you and I are going to have a talk when you get out.” she said this last part with a stern gaze and crossed forelimbs, Gilda nodded gently and left the room; a second later the door to the bathroom opened and closed, a minute later they heard the sound of running water.
“Ssso….can I keep her?” asked 228.
Fluttershy started, “What? No! No you can’t keep her, she’s not a pet, 228!”
“I know that!” growled the regenerator, “I meant that she’sss…. homeless.”
“I can tell.” said Fluttershy, furrowing her brow, “Though I’m not sure that I’d want her in my house for longer than necessary.”
“Why?” asked 228, coming closer and kneeling so that she and him were eye-level.
Fluttershy sighed, “Because the last time she was here she was really, really mean to me and Pinkie Pie.”
228 stared intently at his friend while she recounted what happened when Gilda first arrived, how she had bullied Pinkie, scared Granny Smith, stolen an apple and roared at her. As she said this 228’s eyes narrowed dangerously and a low growl built up in his throat, but the growl died out when she told him about Gilda’s welcome party.
When she finished 228’s expression had gone from enraged to contemplative. He sat there for a few seconds, looking down at his talons, retracting them and extending them, all the while his eyes remained elsewhere. Fluttershy leaned in and rested a hoof on his hands, “Are you alright?” she asked.
228 sighed and looked at her, “Your story…. it….confussess me. On one hoof she, stole, bullied and made you cry” his hands clenched into fists, then relaxed, “but Pinkie laughed at her and...Rainbow pranked her, then laughed with the otherss when she ssslipped and fell.”
He placed his head in his hands and groaned, “I don’t understand and it’s hurting.”
Fluttershy’s eyes widened, “Are you saying that you can’t decide what to feel about her?”
228 nodded. Fluttershy averted her eyes, “To be honest I… I never really considered what happened from her point of view. It-it must have been very sad, seeing your friend laugh at you, having to be embarrassed in front of everypony. Maybe we should’ve gone about that a different way.”
“You don’t need to.” said a voice from the doorway leading to the stairs, Fluttershy and 228 turned and saw a still-damp Gilda standing in the doorway, not making eye contact with either of them.
“What do you mean?” asked Fluttershy, getting up and moving closer to the griffoness.
Gilda sighed, “I mean you don’t have to look at it a different way, because I deserved it.”
Fluttershy wanted to say something comforting to her, anything that would make her sound less miserable, but there was something keeping her from doing so. 228 got up and walked to her, he reached out and gently stroked the feathers on her head, “When I wass….not a monsster, me and my madre had a little chicken coop with the fluffiesst chickssss in all the world…. You’re a whole lot fluffier.”
Gilda gave him a small smile and leaned her head in, allowing 228 to pet her better. Fluttershy smiled at the sight.
The moment ended abruptly when both Gilda and 228’s heads shot up and turned to the side, then both of them said, in perfect unison, “I hear something.”
The trio crept to the window that overlooked the pathway leading up to the house and peered out. At first they didn’t see anything, but then a noise met their ears; it was the sound of many hooves on the ground and it was getting closer.
Soon after they heard the noise, they saw the shadowy figures of a dozen-or-so ponies coming up the path. Fluttershy gulped, feeling fear well up within her. They don’t seem very happy. she thought as their faces came into focus, And is that Diamond Tiara’s father?
The mob--for that is exactly what they were-- was comprised of 19 townsponies, led by Filthy Rich. All of the unicorns in the mob had their horns charged, the three pegasi were flying around in what appeared to be an attack formation and the earth ponies were all rolling their shoulders in preparation for a fight.
When they entered the front yard they stopped and Filthy Rich stepped forward, “Fluttershy! We know that you’ve been hiding a monster in your house and we want him to come out so he can pay for what he’s done!”
Fluttershy gasped and Gilda growled, 228 just flared his nostrils and narrowed his eyes.
“Fluttershy, get out here with your pet, right now!” bellowed Filthy Rich, getting red with anger. Fluttershy was stunned at the furious tone that the normally calm stallion took, she knew almost instantly that something bad had happened, she looked at 228, trying to get confirmation, but he was still staring at the darkening sky intently. So Fluttershy steeled her nerves as best she could and exited the house to meet with the mob.
When Filthy Rich saw her he narrowed his eyes and came forward, leading to mob with him. When he was close enough to reach out and touch her he said, “Listen, Fluttershy, I won’t mince words. My daughter saw that monster of yours trying to eat a young colt by the name of Featherweight.”
Fluttershy gasped and held a hoof to her mouth, then shook her head frantically “Oh no, no, 228 would never do something so awful.”
“Oh? And where is this… 228 now, eh? Hunting, perhaps?” asked Filthy Rich, his eyes gleaming coldly like the coins he earned every week.
Fluttershy felt her stomach drop, I let him go out to hunt, what if…? the seeds of doubt took root in her mind and she felt cold dread suck the very heat from her blood, What if 228’s really not a good-guy, what if he’s been using me? No! 228 is NOT a bad-guy, he helped me when I was discorded, apologized for all the harm he caused when the Leader was controlling him, even though it wasn’t his fault, and he even helped Gilda because he felt bad for her.
Fluttershy looked Filthy Rich in the eyes and said, “Mr. Rich, I did let 228 go out hunting, but I can promise you that he would never, ever harm a foal; the Cutie Mark Crusaders have met him and they got along with him once they got to know him.”
“The Cutie Mark Crusaders? That trio of foals who cause trouble for the town every chance they get?” asked Filthy Rich with a sneer, “Mrs. Fluttershy, my daughter told me that she saw that creature in the process of devouring Featherweight’s hoof, would you really take the Cutie Mark Crusaders’ word over my daughter’s?”
Fluttershy snorted, “Oh yes, I’d definitely believe the filly who’s been running the Foal Free Press, which has had such incredibly illuminating and--I’m sure--truthful articles about Mayor Mare being a stallion in disguise or Applejack being a werepony.”
There were a few snickers from the mob and Filthy Rich went from red to purple in anger, with a growl he stepped closer, his manner suggesting that he was going to get physical.
“I’m pretty sure that you don’t wanna do that.” said a voice from the cottage. Fluttershy turned back to the house to see Gilda watching from the open doorway, looking the picture of calm fury.
There were a few mutters from the mob. Fluttershy looked at Filthy and asked, “Did you even bother to have your pegasi friends check with Featherweight’s family to see if he was okay Did you look at all?”
Filthy opened his mouth, then closed it, finally he sighed and muttered “No.”
“Well then, I guess you don’t have all the facts, now scram.” said Gilda, walking up and standing next to Fluttershy. “But-but...you have-I mean-the creature-my daughter...” stammered Filthy Rich, trying and failing to find a new point to bring up.
He was silenced when 228 stepped out from behind the door frame.
It was like somepony had hit the “Mute” button on the mob, every single muttered word stopped as they gazed at the regenerator, who was looking very cross indeed.
228 stepped out, making the mob collectively take a few steps back, he walked until he was standing next to Fluttershy then, taking a breath, he said, “I am 228, I’d sssay that it’ss a pleasure to meet you, but…. you’ve all been really mean to Flutterssshy. If I were a different kind of pe-monssster I’d….*Hnn*...eat you all for that.”
The crowd let out a unified whimper and backed away a bit more.
“But” continued 228, “I’m not…. ssso I’ll let it sslide….just thiss once, though I will not be happy if you act like pendejos to her again. As for Featherweight, I did meet him, but I didn’t hurt him.” he turned his gaze on Filthy Rich, who gulped audibly, “Your daughter ssaw him checking my teeth; he left when sshe ran away.”
There was a chorus of “Ohhhhh”s from the mob, Filthy looked down at this hooves and sighed, then he looked back up at 228, “I’m sorry.” he said, pinning his ears back, “I was…. I was just caught up in the moment I suppose, I was just afraid for my daughter’s well-being.”
228 nodded, but Filthy noticed that his eyes were glued to the horizon, Fluttershy seemed to notice this as well and she asked him what was wrong.
“There’sss….ssomthing coming.” he said, narrowing his eyes and letting his nostrils flare open.
Gilda, who had also been looking off to the distance, took a big sniff, immediately afterwards her fur bristled and she got into a crouching position. “What’s wrong?” asked Filthy, feeling sweat began to bead on his brow.
“I can smell something.” said Gilda, ‘It smells like another predator, but it smells… different, kinda lizard-y.”
“And whatever it isss is coming thiss way.”: said 228 grimly.
“Oh dear.” said Fluttershy, looking apprehensive, “What do we do?”
“I’d suggest going into Ponyville and getting everyone to lock up.” said Gilda, taking to the air. 228 nodded, “I agree… thiss new predator sssmells…. nasty.”
Fluttershy turned to the mob, “You heard them. Go back to your homes and lock up, if they say that whatever is coming to Ponyville is going to be bad then they mean it.”
Filthy Rich, along with the mob, nodded, then turned and headed back to Ponyville.
Once they had vanished over the hill leading to the cottage, Gilda turned to Fluttershy, said “I’m gonna go see if I can find this new thing.”, then soared into the air and flew towards the town, leaving 228 and the yellow mare standing in the lawn.
Fluttershy shivered as a cold breeze began to pick up, the sun was setting slowly on the horizon, taking all of the day’s warmth with it. Fluttershy looked at 228, who looked back at her.
“Do think it will be bad?” she asked.
228 nodded.
Fluttershy bit her lip, then said, “Will you come with me into Ponyville so I can meet with the girls? I’m sure they’ll want to hear about this and figure out a strategy.”
228 smiled, “Of course, Fluttershy.”
She smiled back, then she locked the doors to her house, closed the shutters, and set off for Ponyville with her friend in tow.