Previous Chapters Next
Close
Vanished1,696 words
Everfree1,890 words
First Contact1,470 words
The Annoying Flying Horse1,650 words
Harmonic Restoration Part 13,352 words
Harmonic Restoration Part 23,243 words
Nightmares Shared By Two2,452 words
The Leader1,027 words
Pain And Puppets2,580 words
Round 33,030 words
Getting To Know You2,289 words
Of Aliens And Cow-Birds 1,594 words
Cute Mark Crusaders: Freaked Out!2,843 words
The Palace Of Doors3,737 words
Rainfall3,569 words
A Griffon's Salvation2,547 words
Malfunction1,922 words
Kill The Beast2,749 words
Purification 2,555 words
Hunter2,454 words
Prey3,144 words
Growing Ranks732 words
Recuperation 1,819 words

A Griffon's Salvation

Regenerator 228

Chapter 16

Forty-Three minutes earlier…

Gilda watched from her cloud as Fluttershy left for the town.

It had been almost five months since she left in a huff after “Stinky” Pie’s party and only three months since she returned. Three months spent sneaking into the town under cover of darkness and stealing whatever food she could find. Three months of sleeping in caves or on clouds above the Everfree forest.

Gilda held back her gag reflex as a gust of wind caught her body odor and blew it back in her face, Three months without a shower. she thought as she turned her head to avoid another gust.

It was all so humiliating, having to sneak around at night and eat trash. She was better than this, she was still way more awesome than that wimpy Fluttershy, or that dweeb Pinke Pie.

Or even Rainbow Dash.

Gilda felt hot fury course through her at the thought of the stupid flip-flop who used to be the coolest friend in the whole world. She remembered how well the she had gotten along with Dash, how they would go around causing mayhem and pranking the wimpier pegasi. She smiled as she remembered those times, but her smile fell a second later when she remembered that those days were long gone.

All thanks to that stupid Pinkie Pie and that whiny Fluttershy.

The groffoness dug her talons into the cloud and gritted her teeth, It’s all their fault. she thought angrily, Why would Dash even give those dweebs the time of day, much less hang out with them? And why’d that stupid, pink freak have to get in me and Dash’s way?

She felt something prickle at the corner of her eyes and hastily drew the back of her talon across them; crying was for losers.

Gilda looked down at Flutterwimp’s little cottage, her sharp eyes scanning the surrounding area for her target. I know it’s gotta be here somewhere, I mean, look at all the animals she takes care of, she’s gotta have….yes! She mentally cheered when she saw the chicken coop.

Her stomach, which now looked like a deflated balloon, growled painfully and the griffoness took off and dived towards the ground, pulling up just short of a painful impact.

Gilda shook her wings to clear them of any extra dirt, then she stalked towards the chicken coop, unaware that she was being watched by a pair of orange-red eyes.

*****************************************************************************************

After Featherweight had left to pursue the pink pony with the small crown, 228 returned to Fluttershy’s house to find a hastily--scribbled note on the door that read:

Dear 228.

I went out to see Twilight, I’ll be back in a little bit, please come get me if there’s an emergency. Twilight lives in the big tree in town, you can’t miss it.

Fluttershy.

228 had merely shrugged, taken the note, and gone inside just as it had started to rain.

The regenerator sat down on the couch and closed his eyes, he was glad that Fluttershy was gone; the only sound that could be heard was the muffled sound of raindrops hitting the roof. 228 breathed in through his nose-slits and exhaled, feeling some of the stress leave him.

His relaxation was short lived, however, when he heard something hit the ground out in the backyard.

228 was on his feet in a flash, he went to the window and peered out. The rain fell in a silvery-gray curtain, obscuring his view of the trees that bordered the property as well as some of the birdhouses. But he could see the chicken coop… and the odd creature stalking towards it. 228 blinked, trying to confirm that he was seeing what he was seeing. He remembered learning about creatures that looked like the one moving towards the chickens, Griffons, that’s what they were called. his memory supplied, Part lion, part eagle and all violent. He remembered reading about them in some mythology book back when he was in school and he knew that they were not usually considered good creatures.

228 lifted the window up as quietly as he could, then he sniffed the air. The smell hit him and nearly made him gag. It was a rancid mixture of dirt, wet cat and sweat, but under that was a far more familiar scent: the scent of a fellow predator.

The regenerator saw the hungry gleam in the griffon’s sunken eyes as she started to unlatch the door to the coop, 228 hissed through his teeth, then turned and walked to the back door, which led directly to the chicken coop. I think it’s time to see just how scary I can be when I actually try.

*********************************************************************************

Gilda felt her mouth start to water as she looked at the chickens strutting around the coop, totally unaware that they were about to become dinner.

They’re all so fat, so juicy, maybe I can take some to go, I think I can make some into jerky. The trickle of drool coming from her mouth became a steady stream as she imagined the delicious, smoky flavor of chicken jerky.

She unlatched the door and opened it, the sound of creaking wood alerted the chickens to her presence and they immediately began to cluck and chirp in fright. Gilda chuckled as she stepped into the coop, blocking their only escape route.

“Now you’ve got nowhere to run.” she said, licking her teeth in anticipation.

“Funny...I wasss thinking the sssame thing.” said a thin, raspy voice from behind her.

Gilda whirled around, preparing to fight whoever was dumb enough to try and stop her from feeding. She found herself face-to-nightmarish- face with a monster straight out of a fairy tale. The threat that she had been preparing withered and died in her throat as she locked eyes with the creature, every one of her senses screamed at her to run as fast as she could; she knew a fellow predator when she saw one.

“H-hey, take it easy.” she stuttered, trying to figure out a way to get out and escape, “I-I just wanted to e-eat.”

The monster narrowed its eyes dangerously, “Fluttershy doesn’t like it when…. ssstrangerss try to eat her friendsss.”

Gilda’s eyes widened, “You know Fluttershy?” she asked, disbelieving. The monster nodded solemnly and Gilda didn’t know whether to scream or to laugh. After all, the very idea of Fluttershy owning a monstrous bodyguard was pretty funny.

Then the monster stepped inside the coop and all of the humor of the situation (what little there was) was sucked out, Gilda gulped and backed up farther, feeling terror bubbling just below the surface. If it were just another pony then she knew that she had a pretty good chance of intimidating them into leaving her alone; most ponies were pretty big wimps after all.

But Gilda instantly knew that she’s lose spectacularly in a fair fight, but she had to get away before the monster ate her.

Her eyes immediately spotted a small heap of loose dirt amidst the chicken shit and loose feathers. Gilda feigned a lunge, then rolled to the side, grabbed a handful of dust and threw it in the monster’s eyes. The monster roared in pain and stumbled back, allowing Gilda to slip by and get out the door.

Gilda bounded into the yard, spread her wings and began to ascend. But, just as she began to flap her wings, something grabbed her tail and yanked hard, pulling her to the ground and sending waves of pain up her back. She rolled onto her back to see the monster with her tail in its claws and a very angry expression in its face.

During the five months that she’d been gone Gilda’s griffon pride had been slowly, but surely eroding under the pressure of having to sneak around like a winged weasel, eating filthy trash, feeling her muscles slowly atrophy from her bouts of depression and having those bouts of depression in the first place. Now, as she watched the monster bare its fangs, the last shred of dignity left Gilda completely.

“Please, please don’t kill me!” she wept, tears pouring down her sunken cheeks and further matting the already matted feathers, she arched her back and clasped her talons together, “I’m begging you, with all of my heart, please let me go...let me go…. let me go….” , with that last word she dissolved into quiet whimpers and sniffles.

She felt the pressure leave her poor, aching tail and she opened her teary eyes to see the monster standing over her with a strange look on its face. Gilda rolled onto her belly and crawled forwards the monster, feeling like she was leaving pieces of her dignity in the mud; she didn’t even realize that the rain had stopped.

“Please, I swear I’ll do anything if you let me live…. just… let me l-live, I don’t want to die! I-I… I just want to live…”

She reached the monster’s feet and pressed her forehead against the tops, emulating the way that a griffon that had been beaten in combat might beg for his or her life. The very idea of imitating something so sacred filled her with shame, but she still wanted to live, at any cost.

She stayed silent for the next few minutes, awaiting her fate. She felt something wet hit the back of her head, followed by another and another, she changed a glance upwards and nearly started when she saw the monster’s face.

It was crying silently.

******************************************************************************

228 had never, in all of his new life, felt so bad for a creature.

He had only wanted to scare her, when she threw the dirt in his eyes, he had wanted to scare her even more for hurting him, but he had not expected her to start crying and begging for her life.

It was the sight of her grubby, tear-soaked face that truly drove home just how terrifying he could be and the guilt that he had been feeling for making her so upset increased by a thousand when she started to grovel at his feet.

He felt tears began to well up in his eyes as he watched her cry, he wanted to move his feet, but he knew that he would feel far worse if he did. She was swearing to do anything for him, was she really so utterly desperate and scared? The thought caused the tears to trickle down his gray cheeks.

The griffon looked up and her wet eyes widened.

228 sniffed and bit back a whimper, then he said, in a choked voice, “You...poor thing. Oh you poor, poor griffon.”

Then he bent down and gently wrapped his lanky arms around her too-thin body and lifted her up, not very surprised at how lightweight she was. He gently cradled her to his chest, ignoring how utterly filthy she was and how badly she smelled; all he could see was her leaking, terrified eyes looking right in to his own.

“I’m…*Hnnn* … going to take you inside…. and I’m gonna feed you and clean you up, okay?”. The griffon nodded silently, still terrified out of her mind. 228 smiled at her, then, still cradling her tightly, he went inside.

*************************************************************************

Gilda was surprised at the recent turn of events, to put it lightly.

She had expected to either be killed or sent away with a kick in the rump, she had not expected for the monster to start crying and pick her up. She felt like a ragdoll in its spindly arms and kept as still as she could as it carried her inside.

Once they were inside it placed her on a couch and left the room. Gilda considered making a run for it, but she didn’t want to anger the creature or scorn its sudden hospitality. So she just laid there and waited.

It didn’t take long for the creature to return. Gilda saw that it was carrying something big under its arm and she tensed as the images of chainsaws and knife collections filled her mind, but her fears vanished when the monster unfurled the object to reveal a large, warm blanket, which he placed over her, then he tucked her in and left again.

What in Tartarus was that? she wondered, feeling the warmth seep into her skin and relax her muscles. She was feeling less physically tense, but her mind was still jumping to various different scenarios, none of which had a happy ending.

It--no, HE, it has a male voice---he could be lulling me into a false sense of security and is preparing the oven for me. For all I know, he may have eaten Fluttershy and the other ponies in town!

Then the monster returned with a glass of milk and a plate of raw fish.

“I… took these from Fluttershy’s pond…. *hnnn*... I don’t think she’ll mind.” he said with a small smile as he placed the plate in her lap. She was about to ask him why she wouldn’t care when he continued, “I jusst hope that sshe isn’t too… *Hnnn*... mad when she returnsss.”

Gilda eyes the fish warily, before asking, “What’s in it?”

The monster cocked his head at her, “Meat and sssmall boness…. no poison, if that’ss what you’re thinking.”

Gilda started to stammer out a defense when the creature gave a small chuckle. “It’ss fine… *hhnn*... I do look sscary, but I won’t hurt you….. I Pinkie Pie…. *hhnn* Promisss.”

He made several motions with a talon before he picked up a fish. Gilda felt more of her fears melt away at the mention of the pink dweeb, she may have hated hated that mare’s sugar-coated guts, but it was good to know that she hadn’t been eaten.

Gilda was snapped out of her revere by the monster waving a strip of newly-sliced fish under her beak. She looked at it, then at the monster, then back at the fish. “You wanna feed me?” she asked, surprised, the monster nodded and held the fish closer.

Seeing that he wasn’t going to let up Gilda opened her beak and accepted the fish strip, she chewed slowly at first, but then her hunger made itself known and she wolfed it down, followed by two more strips. Then the monster picked up the glass of milk and held it out to her, Gilda greedily downed the glass and let out a small belch, the monster made a sound that she quickly realized was a giggle. The mere thought of something that scary making a sound that funny made her snicker.

After that she finished off the rest of the fish and downed three more glasses of milk, feeling drowsier and more comfortable as she did, she snuggled into the blankets, her body hungrily drawing in the soothing warmth.

She didn’t realize that the monster--if she could still call it that after what had happened---was gently petting her until she was half-asleep, and by then it didn’t really matter.

Author's Note:

You guys have no idea how much I enjoyed writing this chapter, I was listening to the Chant Of The Templars as I wrote the first half, then I just let the feels take me the rest of the way.

It was beautiful, man *Sniffs*

I've always thought that Gilda was an interesting character and I've loved reading fanfics about her, especially those pertaining to her getting redeemed and, yes, she IS a main character from now on,

So, get you Scootaloo and "You'll do anything?" comments out of the way, I only want to know if I did good on this chapter. I would make my friggin' day to learnt hat a made a Gilda-hater tear up as much as I did when I wrote this.

See ya'll in the next chapter :D

2,936 views

347