Little Lost Raichu

by CommanderX5

Prologue

Twilight walked towards Fluttershy’s cottage with her trusty assistant, Spike, perched on her back, both enjoying the warmth of the sun and the fresh air. A pleasant and relaxing picnic with a friend was exactly what they needed to forget about the recent fiasco with the publishing of the Friendship Journal. Their stroll didn't last long.

“Hey, Twilight! What's wrong?” Spike looked up from his perch on Twilight's back, trying to keep his balance with the checklist in his claws.

It took very little effort for Spike to identify what held Twilight Sparkle's attention, because there was a large, shimmering patch of air above the Everfree Forest, as colorful and shifting as Celestia's mane in a stiff breeze. He had to admit, he had never before witnessed something as unique and flickering as the light in the sky, which swiftly started shrinking in on itself. Well… maybe that one time at the Crystal Empire when the Crystal Heart was activated against King Sombra...

But just when it seemed like the spectacle was about to end, a mysterious figure was tossed from its remains in an explosion of colors. Spike shielded his eyes from the blinding rainbow shock-wave, losing sight of the falling object as it vanished in a clump of trees.

Spike covered his ears a few seconds later, overwhelmed by the thunderous rumble, which was followed closely by a resounding thud. He sighed in relief, more than happy that whatever had just crashed, he wasn’t anywhere near it. Only the considerable distance prevented him from cowering in fear.

"Five kilometres," murmured Twilight Sparkle. "Provided atmospheric conditions have not altered the speed of sound, and since it broke the sound barrier, speed of impact should be in-between 1,200 to 2000 meters per second. Most likely turned to dust from the impact… but depending on the material, part of it could have survived. Come on!" She burst up into the air in a flurry of feathers, leaving Spike to cling frantically to her mane. The checklist fluttered to the ground in their wake.

"Fluttershy! Picnic!" Spike gasped, feeling his secure grip weakening a bit more every second as he very slowly started to slide in the direction of Twilight's tail. He could grab onto her back with his claws, but that move was a last resort as it would at best hurt someone he cared about, and at worst cause them both to crash into the ground.

“I’ll apologize to her on the way. Exciting field research, here I come!”

Spike rolled his eyes.

Raichu groaned as she tried and failed to move her limbs, finding herself trapped in the cold clinging soil. Freeing her paws alone proved to be challenging enough.

It was obvious she couldn’t just lie in one spot for the rest of her life, she had to earn her freedom, but the pain in her bones and burning muscles didn’t make it easy. Her paws trembled as she pushed against the soil, and after a few seconds of struggle she freed the rest of her bruised and battered body.

It felt very nice being able to actually move for a change, yet two issues still needed to be taken care of.

The first one was a mouthful of dirt, it tasted terrible, and even spitting it out left the unpleasant aftertaste in her mouth.

Another issue was the annoying double vision, and there was no way she could make sense of her surroundings without getting rid of it. Luckily, all it took was blinking it away.

She tested her newly earned freedom by a quick round of stretching while ignoring her burning muscles, and next started staring at the crater she sat in.

It was an impressive hole, deep enough that she couldn’t see over the edge if she were to stand up, a feat Raichu had no intent of trying just yet. It was comfortable just sitting in the raw dirt under the shade of the towering nearby trees. Still, they didn’t look like the trees she was used to... though that did beg the question as to how she had gotten here, wherever here was.

"Raichu." It seemed to be an important word that crossed her mind, and she knew it had to be herself, but... Was it her name? Her family? Her species? The kind of impact she made in the dirt? No, that was a crater. She was fairly sure of that. ‘Raichu’ was... something else. And for now, it was all she had.

"What's going on?" she asked out loud as a depressed “Chuuuu?” echoed through the forest, alongside the chirps of the forest birds and the whistling of the wind.

Raichu looked herself over for any kind of injuries, finding only bruises and a few small cuts. All of her smooth orange fur was still intact, although matted by the impact, and the white patch of fur on her chest and belly was stained with dirt. Even the little bronze patches of fur on the edges of her legs were coated with the rich, dark soil of this strange place. She quickly shook and rubbed herself, shaking off enough sand from her coat to make a small beach. Now somewhat dirt-free, she made another self-inspection, trying to learn more about her own body.

Shape? Pear-like up to her neck, with a surprisingly wide, white belly.

Legs? Two rabbit-like rear paws, each with three toes, and two tiny stubby forepaws. All orange with bronze patches of fur on the edges.

Neck? A little stiff, but flexible enough for her to look over her shoulder and down, noticing the two bronze stripes of fur running along her spine. Thankfully her spine was still intact, just like  her bright yellow tail.

Tail. There was something about the tail that tickled at the back of her mind.

She flicked the tail back and forth. It looked like a thick yellow thunderbolt attached on a long, black whip, though the edge of the yellow thunderbolt wasn’t pointy, but heart-shaped. Continuing with her self-inspection, she shifted her attention to her perked up ears and her twitching nose.

Nose? Present, bronze, very small, somewhat flat, button-like, and slightly painful.

She bent down both ears to examine them. Each ear was floppy and misshapen, yellow in the middle and bronze on the edges with something like a tiny rolled twine at the end. For what purpose nature gifted her with said rolled twine was beyond her comprehension.

Eyes... well, without a mirror, she wasn’t going to be able to see what they were like, but they certainly worked, and that was the important point in any case.

The only real oddity that didn’t fit in were the spots on her cheeks that started itching when touched, and she felt as if something was building up and trying to leave her body.

Wherever she was and whatever she was were questions that wouldn’t be answered by just sitting around. Raichu climbed up the side of the shallow crater and took in her surroundings. What she saw did little to answer her questions.

Trees with broken branches, branches shaped like large hands and trunks in the shape of ghostly faces staring at her. Even bushes aided the spooky atmosphere with thorns growing from their branches. Was this forest haunted by angered spirits? Was every tree and bush ready to come to life and attack at any moment? Or was it just her imagination playing tricks on her?

A chill went through her bones. Wherever this place was, it was unmistakably dangerous, and an aura of hostility seemed to be all around her.

After taking a deep breath, Raichu looked down at the crater she had made and her eyes widened in disbelief. It seemed even larger from above, and there was an impression in the very bottom of the crater in the shape of her own body, right down to the ears. There was no way she should’ve survived an impact that brutal without at least a broken bone or twelve. In fact, it was a miracle she was alive at all.

She glanced at her trembling paws and the bruises that were starting to color her skin beneath the orange fur, then back at the crater. This was no ordinary fall, but without her memories, it was impossible to draw a conclusion as to how it had happened. How and why had she been thrown with such force? Would she ever get her memory back? And, most importantly, how did she manage to survive? Why was she still alive instead of being a flattened fluffy decoration on the dirt and stone?

A scary thought crossed her mind: What if this forest is filled with dangerous predators who would love to feast on her bruised body? She was weak and hurt, an easy prey for the hunters to track down and kill.

Oh, please, no!

Despite her best efforts, her ears drooped and her breath went out in a quiet "Chuuuu..." It was all she could force through her dry, earth-crusted lips.

Alone. Injured. Probably in danger. She rubbed her arm nervously and sat down in the dirt.

Closing her eyes and rubbing her forehead helped her clear her head from panic and confusion. Yet something felt odd. The pain was still there, but it didn’t bother her much. It was a familiar pain, even though she couldn’t remember being hurt before. The weakness and fatigue of her injuries was just an annoyance she could push into the background while continuing on. Was she used to being hurt and exhausted?

A growl from her stomach interrupted her train of thought.

She grimaced and massaged her belly. Whatever it was about her past could wait until she got something to eat and drink.

Using all four legs for a change, she walked slowly from one bush to another, scanning her surroundings in search for danger while sniffing each bush in a desperate search for food. She couldn’t help herself but occasionally glance at the scary looking trees, as if expecting for them to grab her at any moment, a mistake resulting in her little nose being pricked by a thorn. Still... shouldn't a thorn of such size pierce her tiny nose, or at least make it bleed? So why did it tickle at best? How could she remain calm in such a creepy place? How can she walk despite her injuries?

While massaging her nose, a blueberry caught her attention, calling her to action. A whole grove of bushes loaded down with vibrant blue berries lay before her, as if an oasis in the desert! More than enough to fill her empty pear-shaped belly and then some.

Her smile brightened and she licked her lips, shutting herself from her surroundings in her own bliss.

The good feeling didn’t last long.

The bushes shook slightly, and a rustling came from them. A loud one, as if someone else had discovered the berry bushes first and had no desire to share. Or worse, was going to eat her instead.

Backing up a little, Raichu called out, "Is someone there?"

There was no response other than the crunching sound of leaves, so she took a few steps to the side to get a better look. She regretted it immediately as she was startled by the loud hissing. Yet something felt off. She couldn’t see just yet whatever creature was hiding inside the bush, but instead noticed and even felt a strange malicious aura. Was this aura just an illusion made by her terrified mind, or it was an aftereffect of the impact… or maybe… Her thoughts were interrupted as the creature started to emerge.

A huge green snake with black spots and yellow eyes slithered out of the bush, its maw large enough to eat her in a single bite. Certainly, it wasn’t a figment of her imagination. The snake coiled its body tight while flicking its tongue out in the air, searching for its prey.

"G-g-good m-monster," Raichu said and backed up while waving her paws in attempt at calming the huge creature. She blinked in confusion as the snake stopped moving and instead started to stare at her. Did it listen to her? Was it going to show her mercy?

Then she realized just why the huge snake was reluctant to emerge from the bush when she heard loud steps and the noise of crackling branches behind her.

A loud bone-chilling roar echoed through the forest.

The fur on Raichu’s back stood straight up, and a cold shiver traveled down her spine. The snake had vanished back into the bush, and she more than happily would have followed if her body wasn’t paralyzed with fear. She trembled as the steps grew louder, and gulped the moment saliva started to fall on top of her head. Afraid for her life, she could feel her heart trying to escape her chest. What did I do to deserve this?!

She whimpered. “I d-don’t w-want to become a s-s-snack.”

Suddenly, an overwhelming terror ran down Raichu’s body, but something else overpowered her fear when she heard sudden movement. Her legs acted on their own, propelling Raichu forward in one huge leap. She didn’t need to look behind her shoulder as the solid ‘whump’ she heard told her enough. A mere fraction of a second decided between the massive poisonous stinger piercing deeply into her back or into the ground.

“That was c-c-close,” she stammered before whirling in place and crouching in anticipation of another attack.

Whatever it was that attacked her was far larger than the snake, and much more confusing. It had apperance of some sort of giant cat, but with wings, a red mane covering its chest and neck and a huge stinger that it was just pulling up out of the ground. It snarled at her, revealing a mouthful of sharp teeth, and lurched forward again with long, slow strides. More saliva kept falling from the beast’s mouth as it licked its lips.

“P-please, leave me alone!” Raichu squeaked.

Not wasting a moment, she darted in the opposite direction, hopping over twisted roots and hard rocks, breaking in and out of the thorny underbrush and nimbly weaving around the trees, trying desperately to lose her pursuer.

A moment later, Raichu was panting frantically, with her paws having to make ten steps for every long stride of the angry beast chasing her.

Then, it got worse.

Three other monsters jumped up ahead of the panicked Raichu, blocking her path.

She skidded to a halt, raising a cloud of dirt in her wake, and looked up at the weird tall creatures. Her ears drooped. In front of her towered three wolf-like abomination made out of wood, with flickering green flames burning at the bottom of their eyes. Little drips of green slobber trailed down their bottom jaws.

Raichu could do little but stare at the abominations before her, wondering if her fear of trees coming to life was well founded. Each of the monsters returned her gaze, only with more curiosity than hunger. In fact, they seemed confused, as if Raichu was not even the prey they were expecting.

It was too much. Raichu shouted, "Oh, come on!"

That didn’t seem to impress the wooden monsters, but the fearsome roar that followed did. The tree-monsters flinched, then bolted into the woods like frightened puppies, their terrified whines and whimpers dying away as they retreated, leaving only dust and little splinters of wood in their wake.

Raichu sighed, but her relief didn’t last for long. The monsters trying to ambush her ended up being a perfect distraction as the large beast caught up to her.

Knocked off balance by the beast’s long-lasting roar, Raichu rolled on the ground until her head collided with something. Unfortunately for Raichu, that something was hard.

Her ears buzzed, and she was now perched on the soft grass as if it was a bed, though the rocky pillow wasn’t to her liking. There was no time for rest.

Using one paw for support, she raised her head before opening her eyes. Her ears drooped and her face became pale at what she saw.

Before her was the large beast whose face was now close enough for Raichu to smell its sticky meaty breath. As well as four long fangs among the sharp teeth that were but centimeters away from sinking into her flesh.

Drops of saliva from beast’s mouth were nearly rhythmical with the beating of Raichu’s heart.

Raichu raised her head very slowly, afraid of what she might see. Her ears drooped and the pupils in her eyes shrank at the sight of a raised paw, ready to smash or snatch her little self. She rolled instinctively to the side, and the paw slammed down mere millimeters to her left, causing a tremor.

The beast towered directly above Raichu, and she could once again feel the sticky breath coming from its mouth.

She tried to dart away, but couldn’t move as something held her in place, and then the realization struck her. The beast didn’t miss, but instead pinned her tail to the ground with its clawed paw. She had just been too distracted to notice.

“Stupid useless tail!” she snapped.

Raichu grabbed her tail, tugging it frantically with no effect. She planted her hind legs into the ground for support and heaved, but only managed to sink her rear paws into the dirt.

Raichu shrieked in pain when another paw smashed her into the ground, leaving her legs now trapped in the dirt. A pained “chuuuu…” escaped her mouth.

Both paws withdrew before the monster slammed into her with a swift swing, smashing her against the tree. A crackle of electricity surrounded them both for an instant, making the beast recoil backwards, shake its forepaw and stare at it in shock.

Raichu’s eyes watered. Smashing into the tree back-first had hurt, but the heavy paw propelling her had its claws extended, adding long scratches to her injuries. While the pain was fairly weak and Raichu wasn’t bleeding, the continuation of abuse was beginning to really grate her nerves.

Using her opponent’s distraction, Raichu bolted away as fast as her legs would run, far faster than she had gone before. The trees blurred past while she dodged and darted between them, making her eyes water with the velocity and a cloud of dirt and dust follow close behind. The sounds of pursuit rapidly faded, but Raichu kept running, determined to find someplace in this dangerous world where she could make sense of her situation.