//------------------------------// // Recuperation // Story: Regenerator 228 // by Hopefullygoodgrammar //------------------------------// Regenerator 228 Chapter 23 ********************* BEEP... BEEP... BEEP… That’s really annoying…. BEEP…. BEEP… BEEP… Seriously, I thought Paradise would be a little more relaxing… wait a second… Gilda opened her eyes, then immediately closed them when the harsh light hit them. She groaned and placed her talons over her eyes, she started to roll over, but stopped when she felt something attached to her arms. The griffoness blinked a few times and allowed her eyes to adjust to the light, finally seeing the many tubes and wires that ran from a bunch of blinking and whirring machines and into her arms. She looked up and saw a plain white ceiling with a dim fluorescent bulb at its center. I’m in a hospital. she realized, sinking back into the bed with a soft sigh. I actually survived the fight with those lizards. She looked around and felt a strange warmth pass through her when she saw 228 sitting on a too-small chair, his eyes shut in sleep. The warmth was gone a second later and replaced with a curious feeling of guilt mixed with confusion. Why did he stay here with me? she wondered, I’m not really worth the effort, am I? She was distracted from her thoughts when a brown stallion in a doctor’s uniform opened the door and stepped in, eyeing the still-slumbering 22 with trepidation and skirting around him as much as he could. Jerk. she thought with an audible huff that caused the doctor to turn to her, a large, forced grin appearing on his face as quickly as if he had practised it a thousand times in a mirror. “Ah, Miss Gilda, it’s good to see you’re awake.” he said, “We were wondering if you were ever going to wake up.” “Huh? What are you talkin’ about?” asked Gilda, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. “Well”  said the doctor in a cheery tone that made Gilda want to peck his larynx out, “You’ve been asleep for two whole weeks!” Gilda’s talons fell from her eyes, which now shone with disbelief “You wanna run that by me again, doc?” The doctor opened his mouth to speak, but he was interrupted by 228, who had come awake, saw that Gilda was conscious, and had moved across the room in a feat of speed that left both doctor and patient stunned, to see her. “Gilda!” exclaimed 228, wrapping his arms around the griffoness and pulling her into a warm embrace, which yielded a bashful blush from the hug-ee. “Hey, 228.” replied Gilda, “Could you ease up on the mushy stuff? I’m kinda achey and it’s...y’know….aw screw it, c’mere you!” She hugged the lanky mutant back with as much strength as she could muster. “How are you….feeling?” asked 228, pulling his torso away while still keeping his arms wrapped around his friend. An act which made the doctor look like he’d just seen a fresh evisceration. “‘M fine.” said Gilda, “You don’t need to be so...worried. I’m five by five.” “But you weren’t waking up.” said 228, looking her dead in the eyes, “They said you might never wake up and that made me…..sss-sad.” Gilda saw genuine concern reflected in those orange eyes. This surprised her greatly; she had never thought that 228 cared about her. It’s almost like he’s my….pfff, naw, no way. “Hey 228” she asked, “Did you stay with me all that time?” 228 cocked his head and furrowed his brow ridges. “Yess….yes I did.” he said after a terse silence, his thin lips pulling his crocodile-like mouth into a grin that would’ve scared anyone else, but it filled Gilda with a kind of bubbly warmth, like her blood had been replaced with shaken soda; it made her toes curl. “Thank you.” she said, smiling back and returning 228’s hug with as much gusto as her aching body would allow. She held the hug for a good minute before being interrupted by a familiar voice from the doorway. “Am I interrupting something?” Gilda hastily released 228 and turned to see Rainbow Dash standing half in and half out of the doorway, looking the picture of sheepish. “Uh….no.” said Gilda, hoping that her blush wasn’t showing through her fur. Rainbow Dash bit her lip and turned her head before saying, in an uncharacteristically low voice, “228, can I have moment with Gilda in private?” 228’s eyes narrowed to slits and he looked from the prismatic pegasus to the griffon whose eyes she was unable to meet. Gilda saw the hesitation in his face and laid a talon on his arm to calm him. “‘S okay, 228.” she said, “Me and Dash gotta talk, I won’t be goin’ anywhere, I promise.” 228 nodded and then slowly left the room; the uncomfortable silence that followed made Gilda wish that she hadn’t been so quick to dismiss him. The two former friends stood in silence, Rainbow Dash continued to stare intently at the white tiles of the floor as if she were trying to will them into swallowing her up. Gilda saw the insecure and saddened look on her face and said, “Dash, look at me.” Rainbow Dash hesitantly obeyed and Gilda was shocked to see the telltale redness around her eyes that came from crying. “What’s wrong?” she asked. Rainbow sighed, then said, “You almost died, G. Those Hunters could’ve killed you back in those caves.” “Yeah I know, I was kinda there.” said Gilda with a small chuckle. “That’s not funny!” said Dash, looking up at Gilda with some of her old fire behind her eyes, “You could’ve been killed! Doesn’t that mean anything to you?” Gilda blinked owlishly, then she shook her head, “I don’t see why you’re so upset, Dash. We haven’t been friends in a long time. So why do you care?” Rainbow’s jaw dropped and her eyes widened, “W-what?! Are you saying that I wouldn’t care if you died?” Gilda nodded. Rainbow Dash held a hoof to her mouth and shook her head, stunned speechless; Gilda continued. “I mean, why should you? I was a jerk to you and your friends: I mocked Pinkie Pie and almost beat her up a few times, I stole an apple, I nearly gave that poor old mare a heart attack and I roared at Fluttershy! Wh-what kind of a bitch monster would do that?!” Gida was unaware of Rainbow Dash’s hurt and saddened look at this point, and she kept going, gaining more ferocity as she went. “I’ve always been like that, Dashie, always. I’ve bullied, teased and bitched my way through life. I made my mother cry and my father hate me, I hurt my little sister so much that she had bad dreams about me. I picked on anyone who was weaker than me in flight school and I had the nerve to call you a bad friend.” She was shaking now, feeling deep, acidic regret boiling in her insides, ready to come out. “I’m a horrible person, Dash! I’m a freakin’ bitch, a worthless half-breed taint who wouldn’t know friendship if it bit her on the ass! Don’t you see, you stupid rainbow-headed dweeb? I deserved to die!” The instant those words had left her beak she collapsed back onto her bed as high, keening sobs tore their way from her throat. Rainbow Dash was, understandably, horrified by Gilda’s words. How could she say those things? she thought as she watched her former friend writhe on her sickbed. Dash gently cantered up to Gilda’s bed and reached out, touching her shoulder. Gilda turned to regard her through her tear-filled eyes. “How long have you been thinking this stuff?” asked Rainbow Dash, softly. “F-for a while.” admitted Gilda, “Ever since that day when I took off. I never really left, I just stayed in some caves or slept on some clouds over the Everfree. A-at first I was waiting for you to c-come and apologize, but then you didn’t I just sort of….stayed put, I guess I didn’t like the idea of going back home to beg my parents for a place to stay.” Rainbow Dash blinked in surprise, “Are you serious?” she asked. Gilda nodded. “Yeah, I...I just wanted to- I mean I didn’t want to be alone...I hate being alone.” “You could have come into town and rented a room!” shouted Dash. Gilda shook her head again, “D’you really think any of those ponies would give me a place to stay after what I did?” “You don’t know them like I do!” rebutted Rainbow angrily, “Maybe if you’d have apologized none of this would’ve happened!” “I couldn’t.” said GIlda, hanging her head sadly, “I’m a griffon, remember? My culture is based on pride and strength, not humility and compassion. I couldn’t bare the thought of apologizing, but I guess I lost my pride anyway, ‘cause by the time that 228 found me I was stinky and sick and depressed. So I guess I owe you this.” Gilda heaved a shuddering sigh and turned to Rainbow Dash, then, ignoring her protesting joints, she got off the bed and knelt in front of her. “I am so, so, so sorry for how I acted.” she said, looking up at Dash with pleading eyes, “I was awful to you and your friends. Can you forgive me?” Rainbow Dash held a hoof to her chin, “Hmmm…. well….you did say that you’re sorry. So...yes.” Gilda lunged forwards and wrapped Rainbow Dash in a hug, which the prismatic pegasus returned after a second. “Thank you.” whispered Gilda, smiling tearfully, “Thank you so much.” “You’re welcome.” said Rainbow Dash. The two held their embrace for another second before Dash let go and held Gilda at hoof’s length. “Get some sleep, okay?” she said, “You need to rest up if you ever wanna get outta here, trust me.” Gilda nodded, then got back into bed, sighing in relief as her aching body hit the soft mattress. Rainbow smiled at her and then turned to go, but, just before she got to the door, she turned around and said, “Gilda? Will you talk to Fluttershy? Not for me, for you. After hearing all that ‘I deserve to die’ stuff, I really think you need somepony who’ll listen to you, because, as shocking as it may seem, she doesn’t hate you and neither does anyone else.” Gilda turned her head and saw Rainbow smile at her, “You’re a hero now, and don’t you forget it.” Then she left, closing the door softly as she did, leaving Gilda to fall into the first truly comfortable sleep she’s had in ages.