//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 - Memories and Magic // Story: Little Lost Raichu // by CommanderX5 //------------------------------// Little Lost Raichu - Chapter 2 - Memories and Magic “Twilight, where are ya? Ah need yer help with somethin’!” Starlight recognized the speaker by accent alone and quickly shook dust from mane. Experimenting with magic sometimes ended with explosive results, and she hadn't expected any visitors at this hour. Once the light teal streaks in her mane and tail looked presentable, she trotted towards the source of the voice. We should start renting this place. So many rooms go to waste and the castle itself feels empty. She stopped in front of two staircases and waited for Applejack to approach. “If you’re looking for Twilight, she’s still having a picnic with Fluttershy.” “Ah shucks,” Applejack said with a disappointed swing of her foreleg, stopping herself in the middle of the stairs. “Wait a sec, yer almost as good at magic as Twilight, right?” Starlight raised an eyebrow. “Almost? I can keep up with her just fine.” She pointed at something or someone perched on Applejack’s back. “Who’s your little passenger?” The critter peeked from behind Applejack’s neck and waved. she said as the word “Rai” reached ponies’ ears. Starlight narrowed her eyes to take a better look. A few bandages were present on the critter’s head, with the most noticeable one being slightly above its tiny nose. With Applejack’s neck in the way, she walked to the side, and as she expected, bandages covered a fifth of the critter’s body. “This here is… Ah dunno exactly, that’s why Ah’m here.” “You want me to identify it?” Starlight asked. “Not just that, sugarcube,” Applejack said, once again walking up the stairs. She stopped in front of the unicorn and continued, “Ah found this little fella… girl... eatin’ mah apples, bein’ all beaten up and scared. We gave her food and took her to the vet, but…" “Yes?” Starlight asked with a hint of curiosity as she stared deeply into the critter’s oval eyes. “Dr. Fauna got her all patched up, but she told me that this critter has memory loss, and had no clue how to heal it,” Applejack explained. “Memory loss? How can you be sure?” Starlight asked. Applejack glanced at her passenger in pity. “Whenever we asked her about herself, her family or where she lives, she kept shruggin’, and she's a smart enough cookie to understand us just fine.” “Are you sure she isn’t faking it to get free shelter?” Starlight asked. the critter responded hastily with a shake of her head. She tapped her paws together and lowered her head. “Free shelter? Nah,” Applejack said with a shake of her foreleg. “Ever since Flim and Flam, Ah can recognize fakes from a mile away, and Ah wasn’t the bearer of the Element of Honesty for nothin’,” she stated while rubbing her chest pridefully. “Element of Honesty? Let me guess, you can easily tell if somepony’s lying and you’re a terrible liar yourself,” Starlight said with a smirk as she expected amusing response. “M-maybe,” Applejack said, pursing her lips and glancing around shiftily. “Anyway, can ya magic back her memories, or should Ah wait for Twilight?” Raichu asked herself. Was it something important to know? In the end the ponies didn’t understand her, so all she could hope for was for the ponies to be very talkative. With a determined stare and a firm stomp, Starlight said, “Just leave it to me, I got this.” She walked towards the library and gestured for Applejack to follow. This was it, a chance to prove her worth, and she wasn’t going to waste it. Raichu looked at the scenery with utmost curiosity, observing the lavender banners, crystal pillars and numerous doors that kept repeating through the long hallway. She stood on the tips of her hind legs and spread her forepaws. “Ya seem excited up there,” Applejack said as she glanced at her passenger. “Ah ain’t blamin’ ya. If all goes well, ya may get yer memories back.” Raichu tapped her paws and showed her teeth in a wide smile. “Are you sure she’s a wild animal?” Starlight asked. “She seems tame to me. Not to mention that most animals hiss, roar, squeak, but none keep repeating over and over words made of, what I assume is their own name. We can as well call her Raichu since keeps repeating it so often.” “She’s wild alright, but well behavin’,” Applejack said. “Ah never thought Ah would get attached to an apple thief, but she’s the nicest pest Ah met.” "Chuuu," Raichu exhaled sadly and her ears drooped, her enthusiasm gone. “Why are you calling her a pest? You’re hurting her feelings,” Starlight said, still remembering how her brutal honesty depressed Pinkie Pie a few weeks ago. Luckily, Maud agreed to stay in Ponyville after all and she remembered her lesson. “S-sorry,” Applejack said in panic. “Ah didn’t mean it in a mean way.” Raichu said in a depressed tone. Starlight's horn glowed with white-green aura as she used her magic to open the large double door. Raichu stared with curiosity at the aura of magic. “By the way, were you having any problems with her at the veterinarian clinic?” Starlight asked, giving Applejack a quick glance. “There was that one time when Dr. Fauna tried to take a blood sample,” Applejack answered, perching herself on a pillow in front of a big rounded table. Hundreds, if not thousand of books on tall bookshelves surrounded her from all sides. For some it was just a big stack of literature that would take a lifetime to read. For Twilight, it was a few months' worth of studying that she got tired of after the fifth read or so. Starlight chuckled. “Let me guess, she panicked at the sight of the needle and created a mess.” Applejack shook her head. “Actually…” “I must say, never in my life have I encountered or read about such an animal,” Dr. Fauna said, clapping her forehooves in excitement. She kept examining the mysterious creature with her brown eyes, studying Raichu’s every detail. “You won’t mind if I take a picture and run some tests once she gets better?” she asked Applejack. “Ah dunno, she’s wild,” Applejack responded, pointing at the critter sitting on a small rounded chair next to the table. The clinic was filled with tables, drawers and shelves, but no animals except for a few small critters resting on pillows were present. Raichu said with a nod, a fifth of her body covered in bandages. She observed the doctor whose coat was a light yellow with two-tone blue mane and tail. The weirdest thing however was a tattoo of a dog's head, cat's head, and white bird present on Fauna’s flank. Was it a meaningful symbol of sort? But then, something small caught Raichu’s attention. It was a white rat with a bandaged tail as it walked with short but quick steps. The two started to stare at each other curiously, as if fascinated by the other one. Tiny long tail, small long floppy ears, fur color similar to the one on her own belly, and those thin whiskers. Raichu had to admit, it was an adorable little creature, and it reminded her of herself. The rat stared back with wide eyes and straightened ears. Was it her large size that impressed her little creature? Or was it her long tail that it glanced at from time to time? Maybe the rat just saw her as a superior and more evolved version of itself? Whatever the reason, she could see nothing but admiration in those two silvery pupils. Raichu tilted her head towards the tiny critter and they sniffed each other. She exposed her paw, allowing the rat to jump onto the bronze edge. With the passenger on board, she raised her paw and started affectionately nuzzling the rat’s muzzle with her tiny nose. “She seems friendly to critters, so I doubt she’s a meat-eating predator. I’m also sixty percent sure she’s a female based on the tone of her voice. I don’t have any data about this species to confirm it, but she seems to agree with my deduction,” Dr. Fauna said before taking a syringe with attached sterilized needle between her teeth. She released it on the table and grabbed it with her hoof. “Studying her blood sample should reveal how healthy she really is and give me some useful data.” Rat screeched at the sight of the long needle, jumping from Raichu’s paw and hiding behind the pokemon’s shoulder. Dr. Fauna took a quick glance at her notepad. “Let’s see…You’re a bit bigger than a cat… and the scale said you weighed around twenty-two kilograms. I think a syringe of this size should do,” Dr. Fauna said, taking a slow breath before smiling and speaking calmly to her patient. “Now, please, don’t be afraid. I know needles looks sharp and scary, but I’ll be very gentle. You won’t feel a thing.” Raichu kept staring at the earth pony with a neutral gaze, not intimidated in the least. The little needle being nothing when compared to the large claws of the beast that left only a few scratches when slashing her belly. “If you’ll behave, I’ll give you sweets.” Fauna pointed at the basket filled with candy located next to a closed window. The mere word seemed quite intriguing. Dr. Fauna approached with slow steps while Applejack sat behind Raichu in case she needed to hold her in place. “Expose your arm, please,” the veterinarian said. She carefully moved the shining needle toward the paw, quickly locating a vein. With a slow movement, she pushed the syringe down, but the needle failed to pierce the skin. Thinking she was too gentle, she tried again with slightly more force, but with no effect. Raichu looked between her arm and the doctor pony, and rolled her eyes as the needle tickled her at best. Drops of sweat started falling down Fauna’s forehead as she put more and more force into her forelegs, glancing occasionally at her patient to ensure she wasn’t in pain. Much to her surprise, the large critter kept staring back at her with a bored expression, her head supported on the other paw. After half a minute of struggling, the needle broke in half, not leaving any mark on the pokemon’s fur. Raichu shook her head in disappointment while the rat on her shoulder giggled squeakily in amusement. “How can you be so squishy, yet so thick skinned? What are you even made of?” Dr. Fauna asked before securing the broken equipment inside a prepared box. “Ya sure are tough for someone this small,” Applejack commented before poking Raichu’s arm. Her hoof sunk slightly into the fur. How could something this soft be this durable at the same time?  Even the skin of earth ponies, known for their durability, could still be pierced with sharp objects. Dr. Fauna approached with the basket of sweets, catching Raichu off guard. “A promise is a promise. Eat some for your good behavior.” Raichu looked at the chocolate canes and lollipops and then at the veterinarian. She pushed the basket away and shook her head. Applejack placed her forehoof on Raichu’s shoulder and asked, “Ain’t ya still hungry? Ya were starvin’ when Ah found ya.” “You may seem fat for your size, but our previous tests indicate that you’re probably underweight for your species, so please, don’t be shy,” Dr. Fauna said in a calm and encouraging voice as she placed the basket with sweets on the table. That moment the rat jumped from the pokemon’s shoulder towards the basket, Fauna blocked his path with a hoof. “No sweets for you today, Mr. Patrik. Your behaviour today was anything but good.” Unable to communicate with words, Raichu pointed at her arm and then at the broken needle which was in the box for damaged equipment in the corner of the room. She pushed the basket to the side and shook her head. Dr. Fauna chuckled before taking a red heart-shaped lollipop from the basket and pushing it into Raichu’s mouth. The pokemon was about to protest, but sweetness overcome her taste buds. Her eyes sparkled. She grabbed the lollipop and started licking intensively. “You were a very good patient, so you can eat as many sweets as you want.” Overwhelmed with joy, she placed what was left of her lollipop on the table and spread her forepaws. She jumped at the doctor and hugged her neck, the force of the impact pushing the pony at the wall on the other side of the room. Applejack bit her lip and half-closed her eyes, raising her foreleg protectively as wood fragments started flying across the room. The noise of a loud crash followed. “Oh nelly, that had to hurt.” The white rat fell onto his back and started laughing while holding his belly, rolling left and right on the table. Starlight lowered the books she was levitating and narrowed her eyes, now staring between Applejack and the blushing critter, who was hiding curled under the table. “You're messing with me, aren’t you?" “Ah ain’t kiddin’,” Applejack said, still perched on a pillow. “She tried to hug Dr. Fauna, but ended up tackling her into a wall. It took us five minutes to wake her up, five more until the critter stopped apologizin', and at the end Ah swore to repair the hole once Ah’m done here.” Raichu yelled, repeating her name over and over while still covering her blushing face with her forepaws. “This little girl’s got no memories of her own strength,” Applejack pointed out. “Ah would kick trees from their roots when apple-buckin’ if Ah was in her shoes.” “Well, that won't be a problem for much longer,” Starlight said with a satisfied smile before pointing at the levitated open book titled as Arts of Mind Healing and Hypnosis. “A simple memory refreshing spell should do the trick. It’s categorized as a medium advanced magic, so casting it for me will be a breeze.” Raichu walked from under the table and approached the unicorn, now staring curiously at the levitating book. Magic? Whatever it is, if it can fix me I’m fine with it, she thought, her hope renewed. The smile on the unicorn’s face seemed reassuring. “Cheer up, little one, I’m a professional. One spell, and all your problems will be blown away,” Starlight said as she puffed out her chest and raised her head pridefully. Applejack took a step back. “When ya say it like that, it makes me worried.” Raichu felt her heart beating faster and faster, her smile widened and her ears straightened upward. This was it, a chance for this nightmare to end and for her luck to return. She was about to recover the missing part of her life. Memories of her family, home, everything from before being brutally thrown into the ground. Raichu shouted, balancing herself on just one hind leg and using it for a cheerful jump. Like a rocket, she shot upward, slamming into the ceiling as her entire head was now stuck in it. Her body and tail were hanging motionlessly while debris fell down and dirtied the clean floor. she said, her voice muffled by the crystal material she was stuck in. Starlight and Applejack stared dumbfounded at the two light-yellow feet for a few seconds before looking at each other. Starlight covered her own mouth with a hoof and laughed. “It seems we have a new chandelier for this library. All we’re missing are a few illuminating gems attached to her tail.” Applejack rolled her eyes. Raichu said with an annoyed frown, hearing the ponies despite the long distance from the floor. Starlight’s horn lit as she levitated the large critter down with a bit more rubble falling onto the floor. She stared at the tomato-red face and rubbed the top of Raichu's head, finding her embarrassment to be quite amusing. “Don’t worry, I’ll fix the ceiling with a spell once I’m done with your problem.” She lowered herself to Raichu’s head level and touched the pokemon’s forehead with a horn. She gritted her teeth and focused on the spell, her horn sparkling with magic. Raichu closed her eyes upon feeling a strong headache, but she wasn’t going to let a little discomfort get in the way. Starlight yelped as she was forcibly flung back, landing on her rear. “What… happened?” Applejack ran over and helped her stand. “That’s what Ah wanna know. Did it work?” Raichu massaged her forehead, trying to recall any memory, yet events from before her encounter with the beast were still missing. she said with a short “chuuu,” and shook her head. Starlight narrowed her eyes and cast another spell, this one scanning the large critter from top to bottom. Starlight gasped and took a step back. “She doesn't have amnesia, her memories have been sealed!" “Sealed?” Applejack asked, tilting her head to the side Raichu mimicked. Starlight stomped. “I know a thing or two about mind affecting spells… not that I’m proud of it,” she remarked, now looking at Applejack. “I detect a strong dark magic affecting her mind and my scanning spell confirmed it. Someone cursed her with a memory seal.” “Oh no!” Applejack shouted, raising her forehoof up to her face. “Are ya sayin’ someone was so mean to do somethin’ like that to this here cute critter?” “Cute critter? And here I thought she was a pest to you,” Starlight said in a mocking tone. “Don't mock me. Can ya do somethin’ 'bout this?” “Certainly,” Starlight said with a grin, more than happy to accept the challenge. Raichu took a step back, suddenly feeling uneasy around Starlight. She could sense something off about this unicorn’s aura, as if the pony was planning something reckless. Raichu steeled her nerves and closed her eyes. The ponies had only helped her thus far, and she was going to trust them. Starlight narrowed her eyes and once again touched Raichu’s forehead with her horn, her concentration way more intense. Raichu fell to her knees and gritted her teeth, her ears drooped, and paws trembled. A massive rush of pain went hammering through her head. But she wasn’t going to stop it when her missing memories were in her reach. She had to endure! Drops of sweat started to appear on Starlight and Raichu’s forehead as both struggled in their own way. Starlight from mental exhaustion as she maintained an advanced spell, and Raichu from pain as the seal on her memory was being bombarded with magic. "Raichuuuu…!" she screamed, her mouth opened widely. A pain she had never felt before overwhelmed her. What she felt after waking up in the crater, being attacked and slashed by beast’s claws, crashing into the tree or the ceiling, all of this combined seemed like child's play in comparison. It was no longer something she could easily ignore but a soul-wrenching agony. “Starlight, ya need to stop, yer hurtin’ her!” Applejack shouted as she kept protecting her face with a hoof from the magical bolts that were escaping Starlight’s horn. Luckily for Twilight, not a single bolt reached the shelves with numerous books. “N-not yet… the seal isn’t broken yet.” “Chuuuuuuuu...!” the scream continued for at least ten seconds before bolts of electricity from Raichu’s cheeks struck the unicorn’s horn. The moment the agonizing pain weakened, she ran, rolling and crashing into the corner of the room. She curled herself into a ball and held her tail between her trembling paws. P-pain… so m-much p-pain… She closed her eyes as her mind escaped the painful reality, seeking shelter in a world of dreams. Starlight collapsed. After several quick breaths, she whimpered and massaged her horn, only to grimace upon touching the burned edge. “I was… so close.” “That was too reckless, even for ya!” Applejack shouted with a firm stomp, her hoof leaving a mark on the floor. “Couldn’t ya tell she was in pain?” “B-but… this seal is a very powerful one, I only managed to crack it,” Starlight explained before standing on her trembling legs. “I need another try, maybe this time I’ll fully break it.” “There won’t be a next time,” Applejack said before pointing at the horrified critter. “Do ya think she’ll trust ya again after what ya pulled? Ah think not.” Starlight bit her lip at the sight of the curled critter, feeling a surge of guilt. She took hesitant steps forward and spoke softly, “I went overboard, I know, and I’m really really sorry.” She added in a whisper, “Please, don’t be afraid.” Upon receiving no response, she sped up, stopping in front of the curled creature. “Are you okay?” she asked, poking Raichu’s shoulder. Her eyes widened and her heart skipped a beat. Now overwhelmed with worry, she cast a quick scanning spell and sighed in relief. “She doesn’t seem wounded, but her brain is under a lot of pressure. I fear using magic on it again can cause a permanent damage.” She levitated Raichu upward and placed her on her own back, grateful that the critter was unconscious. Thanks to this she had time to prepare a proper apology, and Raichu didn’t feel the pain. Applejack held hat on her chest and said, “So in the end we can’t help this poor girl remember her past? Critter or not, Ah feel really sorry for her.” “Actually, we can. The seal may not be destroyed, but it is cracked. Her memories should return to her, little by little,” Starlight explained, bringing back a smile to Applejack’s face. “All she needs now is a safe environment and time.” “Ah see. Ah dunno if Granny will let her into our home, but Ah can always let her sleep on hay in the barn,” Applejack said. “Actually, I was thinking on letting her stay inside the castle. This place has plenty of empty rooms and she’ll be safe here,” Starlight suggested. Applejack raised an eyebrow. “Don’t look at me like that. I may be reckless, but I’m not stupid. I’ll be very careful,” Starlight said before lowering her head and rubbing her foreleg. “I really screwed up, so the least I can do is make up for my mistake.” “Fine, Ah’ll leave ya to it for now. But it’s only fair to let Twilight decide.” Starlight nodded. “Agreed.”