//------------------------------// // Ch.10 - Joke’s On You, Pt.3 - Winter Wonderland // Story: Little Lost Pikachu // by CommanderX5 //------------------------------// Little Lost Pikachu - Chapter 10 - Joke’s On You, Pt.3 - Winter Wonderland A strong blizzard was circling within the mountain’s base, limiting the vision of any traveler foolish enough to trek this far into the snowy terrain. Ignoring the monotone world around her, a mare sat below the mountain’s peak, gazing listlessly at the similar scenery soaking up her surroundings. Using a dimly lit horn atop her head, the unicorn summoned a powerful shield, successfully managing to keep the raging storm around her at bay. Her attention focused purely on a mountain ahead of her as the thoughts swirling in her head became unreadable, even to the mare herself. The steady thrum of the powder hitting her barrier would have cast her to sleep, if not for the blistering cold stone she was perched on. The shoes she wore did little to help, but she bit her lip and endured for the sake of her friends. Pity was obvious in her wandering glances, searching the hills for a telltale sign of life, anything to reassure herself that her fears were silly. Nothing more than meaningless worries to pass the time. Still, as she chanted this new mantra to herself, her hooves never stopped twitching atop the snow. As she remained motionless underneath the mountain’s towering presence, her smaller friends were up there, climbing through the storm's hold and hiking up to the top. She had her magic to ward away the chills, but the pokemon had nothing but their fur. Shivering, she imagined the cold creeping around her climbing companions. The small accessories they wore could only do so much against the thin air that roamed high in the atmosphere. This did nothing to suppress the meaningless worries she tried so hard to ignore. As her desire to teleport to her freezing friends grew stronger with the passing seconds, something caught her attention from the corner of her eye; two blurry figures in the distance which seemed to be heading in her direction. Their slim figures were too small to have been one of the yaks or a local monster, and didn’t charge at her but instead moved at slow, almost comfortable pace. There was a possibility that they were simply crystal ponies traveling to Yakyakistan, but she didn’t plan to lower her guard just yet. She bit her lip, charged bits of magic into her horn and lowered her head, awaiting for the unknown travelers to get closer while under the safely of her own magical dome. Her barrier flickered briefly as she drew some power out of it and into a waiting spell, still unsure if she should go on the offensive or defensive as the silhouettes stalked closer. Slowly, step by step, both creatures became clearer to make out as the blizzard no longer hid their features. One creature seemed to have fins rather than hooves, blending in nicely with the snow’s blue glint, while another turned out to be a pony, but certainly not a crystal pony like she predicted. “Octavia?” After a series of quick leaps and launching himself impossibly far distances from one stone-platform to another, Pikachu stumbled up the snowy surface of the mountain. The strong blizzard assaulted his face and back, while the only thing keeping his tiny feet from freezing to the floor was his fleeting body heat. He lowered his head and wrapped himself with his paws, shivering from the overwhelming cold. White mist formed in front of his face with each deep breath, discovering the hard way that breathing became much more difficult at this altitude. The snow covered half of his belly and each step became harder to take the longer he trekked on. “Are you cold?” Nica asked before her tone shifted into a panicked one. ”Oh no! Am I pushing you too hard? I forgot you’re not used to this weather like I am.” Pikachu raised his head to look at Nica, whose nose was now very close to his own as she looked at him in concern. He summoned the few scraps of pride he had left and muttered, “Of...c-c-course n-not… I’m f-fine… I-I can barely f-f-feel it-t.” His teeth chattered together throughout his sentence, the grinding clicks echoing through the high mountain air. Whatever smile he tried to force vanished in an instant. “You poor liar,” Nica cooed before picking him up and pressing him into her soft belly while wrapping her forepaws around him to secure him in place. Using her tail, she wrapped her own scarf around his body, adding to the one he had on his neck. “Better?” She continued walking up the mountain once again with him in her tight, and most importantly, warm embrace. Pikachu smiled in relief at the sudden heat that flooded through his system. He had to admit, his guardian had an extremely comfortable stomach, one big enough to rest his weary body and supply him with a seemingly endless heat source. He nearly forgot he was in the middle of climbing a massive mountain, covered in ice and snow. Closing his eyes in bliss, a memory of a similar scenario flashed in his mind. He was scaling a much smaller hillside alongside Ash, facing their second trial of the Orange Islands, back when they were nowhere as battle-hardened as they are now. As the cold overwhelmed his miniscule body, he collapsed, slamming into the snow with his face and belly, only to feel Ash’s hands pick him up and then wrap his jacket around his frozen fur, putting aside his own well-being to comfort his chilled partner. That fateful day, he once again felt the care and affection his trusty partner showered him with. He wouldn't part with Ash for the world. His eyes peeked open from his daydreaming as he gazed at Nica with a look of pure trust. While he knew Ash wouldn’t hesitate to put his own health at risk for him, he learned that Nica would do the same for him, maybe even more if the situation called for it. In the past, he created a very strong bond with his trainer, and even though he met many pokemon and humans over the years, none of them were anywhere as close. Nica, however, was different. Every day or even hour he spent in her presence seemed to weave in another strand to create a bond similar to the one he shared with his trainer. He sighed from reminiscing and pressed his head harder against her soft, white fluff, thinking, Is… is it wrong of me that I wouldn’t mind delaying my return for a day or two… just to delay saying my goodbyes to her? He withdrew from the cozy resting spot and narrowed his eyes. Stop being selfish! Ash needs you. Just make the best use of your time while you’re here. We’ll have more than enough time to create some lifelong memories. His hardened expression softened as he looked at Nica’s determined stare, refusing to waver despite each step she took closer towards the peak’s summit. Maybe if I ask nicely, she’ll accompany me back to Ash. I could introduce her to him and show off some of her extreme battle skills. Ash would be overjoyed to meet the pokemon master’s number one partner, and I’m sure Nica would be just as thrilled. Even after she returns to her trainer, maybe we could still hang out sometime. That would be nice. After another minute of ascending the cliff, and a final gigantic leap into the air, Nica bypassed a few wayward storm clouds and landed on the peak of the mountain, now balanced at the very top, stabilizing herself on the tips of her rear paws. Pikachu found himself propelled upwards by his guardian’s tail, balanced on the heart-shaped tip. Despite feeling the gathered warmth disperse as he was pulled away from Nica’s embrace, he focused his attention on the beautiful view ahead. Before him rested a stunning expansion of untouched powder, sprinkled atop each mountain and covering the bleary stone pathways. The quaint fort of Yakyakistan, a town which once seemed massive from his tiny perspective, was now miniscule, even to him. Farther off in the distance, a proud city warded away the cold, sparkling structures crowding around a single tower, scaling the sky with how far it stretched into the atmosphere. Sunlight floated down upon him, dancing atop clouds that now were below him, showing him how truly high up he was. Though he barely walked, he still felt exhausted just imagining how difficult it must have been to hike all the way up. Pikachu raised his trembling forepaw over his head and narrowed his eyes, attempting to see the pony civilisation he currently resided in, called Equestria, yet the silhouettes of the towns were barely visible from this distance. “We challenged a three-kilometer tall mountain and beat it without a sweat. The four-kilometer tall one wasn’t all that difficult, and now we’ve reached the top of a mountain that’s around six kilometers tall.” She pointed at another colossal cliffside leaning against the horizon. “Look at that one, it’s so large! I think it’s the tallest mountain in this range! Or maybe even on the continent.” She squealed in excitement and added, ”Maybe even the largest on this whole planet! Wanna tackle it as well? If this view is this pretty, imagine how gorgeous that one will be!” Pikachu bit his bottom lip before whimpering at the prospect of another climb. While he had endured many powerful ice attacks in the past, there were still limits to how much cold he could handle, a limit which he was encroaching upon fast. If there was a great time to swallow his pride, it was now. “I’d… r-r-rather… n-not…” He gave a weak smile and gulped before looking at Nica in embarrassment. Nica nuzzled him in support. “If you wanted to stop, just say so silly! Starlight is waiting for us anyways, and she’s all alone at the bottom. I bet she can heat you up quite nicely with her magic.” She took a deep breath and asked, “Do you trust me?” Pikachu looked away from the sea of snow to look at Nica. He smiled sheepishly. “I d-d-do…” “I can’t hear youuuuuu!” “I trust you!” Pikachu shouted into the wind before his guardian grabbed his forepaws with her bronze-dipped paws. “Then jump!” Nica cheered before catapulting herself forward as far as she could, pulling a reluctant Pikachu along with her. In seconds, Pikachu found himself plummeting towards the ground alongside his guardian who still held his forepaw firmly in her own grasp. The funny part being that even though there was a great chance he would end up as a pancake at the bottom of the drop, he didn’t feel a hint of fear. Something about Nica filled him with a strong sense of security. The moment they were about to make contact with a jagged wall jutting out of the mountain, Nica swung her tail against it, pushing them further away as pebbles breaking away continued the descent alongside them. “I wonder how long we’ll need to fall before we reach terminal velocity. I’ve climbed mountains so often, yet I never found one with a horizontal cliff big enough to test the theory out,” Nica conversed with a calm voice. “Maybe Gliscor can help with that. It’ll be tough dragging him out in the cold, considering how much he dislikes it though.” “Y-you sound as if f-f-falling from such h-h-heights was something you d-d-id for f-fun,” Pikachu pointed out. Nica laughed. “What can I say. Training for years under Astra and evolving into a Raichu made me very strong and confident in my durability, while jumping and climbing never stopped being my favorite activity. Growing up atop a ridge can do that to you. Aside from avoiding super-effective ground type attacks, why do you think I can reach more than three hundred meters with my strongest jump? Believe me, it didn’t come easily.” She paused as they quickly reached their landing point. “Hold tight.” Pikachu blinked in confusion before being comfortably constricted by Nica’s tail and raised up above the Raichu's head. The limb was now shining and coated by a silver metal, glistening in the snow’s reflective light. He covered his face as a massive splash of sleet and powder followed the impact a moment later, yet the tail kept him up and stable despite the force behind it. He shook the snow from his body and he was lowered to the cold soft floor in front of his guardian. “Are you okay? You sure you didn’t break a leg again or anything? That was a pretty high fall.” Nica casually glanced down as she noted her legs and about half of her body were firmly encased in solid stone. “I’m fine, just give me a moment.” She pressed her forepaws against the ground and grit her teeth, struggling to release the hold the rocks had on her. Pikachu watched his friend’s grapple with the ground as it reminded him of the time when Tynamo slammed into his head from above, trapping him in the ground up to his neck. If he wasn’t shivering from the cold, he would be trembling from the memory of those numerous, powerful ‘Tackle’ attacks striking him continuously. Such a basic move used to its full potential proved harsh, even though he was quite tough during that battle. He shook his head and watched his guardian stretching her now free rear legs. “Finally done with the climbing, that was fast,” Starlight blurted out, appearing behind the two pokemon. Pikachu peered towards the source of voice, now managing to see Starlight despite the annoying blizzard blurring his vision. The unicorn wasn’t alone though, but in the company of a musician he remembered as Octavia and the pokemon Primarina, who was named ‘Battle-something’ by one of Astra’s close friends. “Octavia, Battleship, what are you doing so far in the Frozen North?” Nica asked as she ran over and looked up at the duo with a curious stare. Octavia smiled at the long-tailed creature while posh, puffy clothing and a scarf inscribed with musical notes were wrapped around the mare’s frame. A well-secured cello case was strapped across her back, and despite its giant size, she seemed to hardly notice she was lugging it around. Four emerald green shoes were present on her hooves, again with small notes dotted around each sole, as only the raised one was visible among the tall snow. “It is a pleasure meeting you so far in the north, Lady Nica,” Octavia said and then lowered her head politely in a bow, as did the pokemon. She raised her head and continued, “With Primarina as my new musical partner and escort, I decided to see if I can find a diversified audience in Yakyakistan, as well as show them the beauty of classical music. A cultural exchange is important in order to strengthen the relationship between our nations. Especially with how… extreme the yaks can get at times.” She gave an awkward grin, not needing to finish as her company already knew the secret meaning behind her words. The siren-like pokemon waved his fin in greeting. With his tail now half-covered by the falling snow and the upper part of his body being a pristine white, he camouflaged himself perfectly in the colorless environment. A translating collar with decorative seashells was wrapped around his neck, designed with a special flourish only Rarity could achieve. Octavia gave the water pokemon an annoyed glance. “I still find it difficult to believe that a pokemon of such wonderful feminine features is actually a male. Furthermore, I prefer to call you Premarin or Primarian rather than Battleship.” Primarina rolled his eyes. “Tell me about it. You would not believe how often people automatically assume I’m a girl. I’m pretty used to it at this point, though it does sting my manly pride,” he teased before lowering his long neck to take a better look through the raging storm. “I see you’re climbing up tall mountains and playing in the snow. Back in your favorite element.” He glanced at Pikachu. “And in nice company. Not a bad catch, Nica.” “Battleship!” Nica cried, quieting the smirking siren before hiding the blush quickly appearing on her face. Pikachu, oblivious to their exchange, approached Starlight and poked her foreleg. “St-Star-r-rlight…” “Yes?” “C-c-cold.” “On it,” Starlight said before concentrating a small burst of magic into her horn. She lowered her head towards him and cast the spell. Pikachu smiled cheerfully upon feeling the wave of heat banish away the cold sensation. “Sooooo muuuuuuuch beeeetteeer,” he cried in bliss, never wishing to experience the harsh sting of frigid tundra. The movements of his limbs were once again quick and responsive, no longer feeling as if encased in a solid chunk of ice. Nica leapt up in excitement before looking at Octavia with a gleeful expectation in her eyes. “I just adore your calm, peaceful music. Can you play it for us? Maybe something for a nice slow dance.” “A dance…” She glanced at Pikachu and then back at Nica, understanding sparking across her face. “Oh, I see how it is.” Octavia stood on her rear hooves and took off the cargo from her back. She took off the green shoes from her forehooves before grabbing her trusty cello and winking at Nica as she prepared her instrument. She rolled a bow with her right forehoof before moving it against the strings. “A little warm up before my audience in Yakyakistan will certainly do us good. Right, Premarin?” Primarina cleared his throat before raising his large fin up towards the sky, signaling the start of a wonderful performance. “You didn’t even have to ask,” he responded, quickly singing the music scale before his act. Pikachu’s bliss from the pleasant warmth was interrupted by Nica’s excited face popping into view. “Is something happening? What’d I miss?” The cello music filled the air, as well as Primarina stunning singing voice. Nica stood on tips of her rear feet and performed an elegant bow to her imaginary audience. “I would be very pleased if you agreed to become my dancing partner, Sir Pikachu. Will you do me the honor?” She maintained her half-bow while holding out forepaw to him. Pikachu took a step back, briefly caught off guard. A mental image of Litten telling him not to offend the nice lady flashed in his mind. He lowered his head politely before grabbing the bronze patch of Nica’s forepaw. “Gladly Lady Nica, the pleasure is all mine.” He already danced with a Raichu a long time ago during a casting session for a movie. If it would make Nica happy, he would play along. In fact, sneaking in a waltz with the lovely Raichu sounded quite appealing right now. A friendly dance with a great friend. Starlight sat behind the musical artists, summoning a little dome to prevent the blizzard from distracting them. Nica felt a pleasant warmth blossom in her chest as she screamed from joy deeply in her mind. The calm classical music. Primarina’s soothing singing. A comforting chilling wind. Small bouquets of blue flowers decorating their ears. A white, snowy field with tall mighty, mountains in the background. Could the atmosphere for the dance with the very pokemon she admired get any better? With the tips of her bronze paws holding Pikachu’s forepaws, she looked down at him and smiled in joy, her escort quickly returning the smile. The aura she sensed being a mixed jumble of enjoyment and playfulness, and something else she couldn’t quite put her paw on. Nica sank her rear paws into the powdery snow, not even noticing the chill as she lead Pikachu in a soothing side step. They elegantly twirled in circular motions, dancing to the rhythm of the live classical music being performed for them. Not even the ice was able to slow down their dance, each partner performing the steps as if practiced a hundred times over. Ducking underneath Pikachu’s arm, she pulled him back along the ice and spun him around with a playful smirk before catching his back and lowering him into a graceful dip. Octavia observed the scene alongside Battleship, both creatures watching in delight as they glided across their stage, pulling all attention to their heart-felt movements. With a nod to Primarina, they increased the tempo, the notes coming to life as they filled the air with a charming melody. Nica jumped from paw to paw, never standing still, never allowing the beat to constrict her own pattern. She fell back, allowing Pikachu to bear her weight for once and flipped backwards, grasping Pikachu with her tail without missing a single step. She could hear her partners exhilarated giggles as she held him into the air. Pulling away, he himself balanced on her heart-shaped tip and spun along with Nica, the two lost in a world of blurred lines and brilliant colors, simply the duo dancing through time. Lost within their own universe, Nica failed to notice as her hind legs shrunk, bringing her closer to the ground as her lengthy tail seemed to pull back in on itself. Both pokemon were the same height now, eye levels meeting with clarity. She circled her tail around his seemingly growing body and proceeded to waltz with him, going wherever the music decided to take them. They had goofy grins present on their faces, nuzzling one another as they strutted along the frozen terrain. Nica closed her eyes, continuing their side-steps as each hop in the snow became harder to take, the last one always easier than the next. The moment she opened her eyes, she blinked in confusion. The snow was now clawing up towards her neck despite her standing on the very tips of her rear paws, while Pikachu’s paws, which held her bronze patches, were now twice as big as before. The bouquet of blue flowers which decorated her ear now spiraled around her shrunken head, forming a crown weaved within her fur. However, this wasn’t the only thing that changed. Pikachu finally stopped dancing once noticing his partner had paused and released her forepaws. He lowered himself, now looking at her with a pale expression, draining the color away from his vibrant crimson cheeks and buttercup fur. His mouth hung agape as he sputtered out, Nica kept staring into those large, hazel eyes, which were now the size of her own belly. The snow suddenly became so deep and my surroundings are massive! I doubt everything just increased in size. Maybe it’s me who got smaller. The moment her hero stood up and stretched his forepaws towards her, she climbed up and perched herself on them, getting comfortable in his silky coat. She pointed her tiny forepaw at him. Nica stood up and walked across his forepaw before pointing at his new bulbous body. Gently tugging at his triangle pronged ears, she proclaimed, She leaped off her hero’s shoulder and directed him towards a nearby frozen body of water, allowing Pikachu to gaze in its reflective surface. She trekked back up his body and perched herself at the very top. Nica placed her forepaws on her hero’s cheeks and looked into his eye from an upside down position. Pichu shouted in alarm as Nica had to tighten her grip in order not to fall from the sudden movement of his head. He lowered himself to take a closer look at his blurred reflection. “What happened to you two?!” Starlight hollered as she levitated the changed pokemon from the snow before holding them in front of her face. She pulled the two translating collars from the snow a moment later, attempting to re-apply them with little luck. Octavia stopped playing her cello before safeguarding it and placing her sacred instrument on her back. She quickly put on her snow-gear and her boots before walking towards Starlight, who was still levitating both pokemon in front of her face, a look of shock and confusion prominent on her face. Primarina paused her chanting and followed. “Did something happen?” Octavia asked before narrowing her eyes, her attention on a miniature Raichu who now was small enough to have a picnic on her own muzzle. Her inner instincts demanded her to wrap the tiny pokemon into a hug and press it against her cheek, yet she resisted the urge and maintained her professional stare. “Obviously. Not only did Pikachu transform into… what I assume is his pre-evolution, but Nica herself shrank to such a miniscule size,” Starlight explained before raising her forehoof and placing Nica on the sole. “Pikachu’s forepaws, which were already small, now became half their original size, and yet they are still big enough to comfortably let Nica sit on them. Something's not right.” Octavia took a closer look at the sapphire flowers which drifted from Nica’s head and next to her on top of Starlight’s waiting hoof. “Is this… Poison Joke?” “What’s Poison Joke?” Starlight asked, unconcerned as the playful flower sat upon her hoof. Octavia’s eyes became wide in shock before glancing at Starlight with a judging stare. “Oh, of course. You recently moved to Ponyville, correct? You weren’t present the first time we encountered this… mischievous flora. The effect it had on the bearers of Elements of Harmony certainly was concerning.” Starlight chuckled and shrugged, “What can I say? I was governing my own village for such a long time and kept myself separated from the rest of Equestria. Twilight never mentioned any crazy incident involving a blue flower. Should I assume that this ‘Poison Joke’ has strong magical properties?” “Strong magical properties is one way to put it.” Octava nodded before her stare became even more serious than before. “Long story short, it is a flower that resides in the Everfree Forest and pulls pranks on all creatures that come in physical contact with it. It seems that now, Poison Joke thought it would be funny to change the appearance of Pikachu and reduce Nica’s size. The effect usually takes place after a few hours of contact. It can be quite shocking to those who do not know of the plant’s jests.” “You sure know a lot about it,” Starlight commented. Seeing curious stares directed at her, Octavia raised her forehoof and held against her chest. “Witnessing Rainbow Dash crashing into my neighborhood a few times, and later that day seeing and hearing Fluttershy speak with a shopkeeper with a very deep voice seemed to me as odd, even for Ponyville’s standards. I learned more about the reason behind it from the spa ponies.” “But there Is a cure?” Starlight asked before looking at the musician in worry, her eyes showing how much she pleaded for a dose of good news. After a few seconds of silence, she levitated Octavia closer and shouted, “Please tell me there is a cure!” “There is, thankfully,” Octavia added as the unicorn before her sighed in relief. “You can either visit Miss Zecora who lives deep within the Everfree Forest, or go to the local spa and ask if they still have some antidote left.” “Thank you,” Starlight vocalized before placing Pichu on the snowy ground and then levitating Nica onto his oversized head. She spread her legs apart for a balanced stance and concentrated. “It’ll take a few minutes of charging, but I can get us to Ponyville in no time with a long-range teleportation spell.” She focused her magic into the charge, unaware of the few blue dots sparking along her horn as it gently flopped with every movement. “I can’t hold it anymore,” Primarina gasped before snatching Nica from Pichu’s head with his fins. He pressed the tiny pokemon to his cheek and giggled. “You’re just soooo cute, you tiny sweetheart. That wittle tail and your adorable itty bitty cheeks. Oh, you little, cuddly, fluffy, precious cinnamon bun. I want to play with you, cherish you and protect you. I’ll use those few minutes she’s powering her spell to snuggle the heck out of you.” Nica chuckled sheepishly before giving up her limited freedom to the enthusiastic ally. Pichu smiled sheepishly, missing the constant weight and support present when Nica was perched atop his head. It was a struggle to resist leaping up and snagging the miniature Raichu back into his grasp. Octavia looked at Primarina with a look of disapproval, more so annoyed Primarina could break his composure while she was forced to watch. Starlight glared at the siren with an overpowering look of envy, furious with both herself for not thinking of it first and the pokemon for stealing the cuddle-sized Nica away. In a blinding flash of teleportation, Starlight appeared on solid and snow-free ground in Ponyville. Smoke was coming in puffs from her horn while she panted from the magical energy dispersed during such a long-range jump. She lost her balance and stumbled onto a bench, wiped sweat from her forehead and smiled proudly. “We’re here. Now let’s…” She paused and her ears drooped as two issues quickly were brought to her attention. The first one being that she didn’t appear in front of the Spa, despite remembering its exact coordinates due to her first meeting with Trixie. Instead, she was laying atop of Twilight’s castle next to a fountain and sunbeds. The second issue being the fact that she was alone. Pichu and the tiny Raichu were nowhere to be seen. She poked her own horn and gulped. “This isn’t good.” Nica blinked in confusion while perched atop of Pichu’s head, flanked from both sides by his pronged ears. Instead of seeing Ponyville’s spa waiting in front of them, she stared at the lines of towering trees in the darkened forest. While she wasn’t intimidated before, being at a different size somewhat changed that, while the shadows stalked them from all sides. Pichu said. Nica looked at the numerous thorny vines spiking towards them, alongside crimson dots peering out from behind the underbrush. Three gigantic flowers with jagged teeth accompanied the vines, which reminded her of the grass pokemon called Carnivine and the massive head of a Hydra. Both her and Pichu’s ears perked up at the rustling coming from the bushes, only for them to see a pack of creatures made of wood emerge, drops of green goo falling from their open mouths. Their fangs glinted in the limited light, eager for something to crunch into. A loud roar caught their attention as a massive creature with a big mane and scorpion tail approached them from behind. Nica said and gulped as her breathing rapidly increased. Each monster was practically a giant from her new point of view. Pichu reassured his frightened companion as he hid his own lingering doubts. He lowered himself to four paws, taking a fighting stance. Nica jumped on top of his shoulder with a single bound, keeping a close eye on her surroundings. Her senses sharpened as she heard Pichu’s breathing with her tiny ears. The creatures of the Everfree Forest and thorny vines seem to be even more aggressive than they were a few hours ago. To make matters worse, my hero became a weaker Pichu, and my powers are no doubt weakened as well. Were there this many here the last time we adventured in the forest? The day was going so well too. Her ears drooped as she realized her limited worth. Can I even be of use to him at my new size? What if I’m nothing but a burden or distraction. She shrank a little bit without even noticing, now being ninety percent of her previous small size. I want nothing but to protect my hero from danger with my power, and when an opportunity finally arrives, I’m tiny and powerless. I don’t want him to risk his life to protect me! Can I be even more worthless? She continued to shrink as the shoulder she balanced herself on suddenly became a little more spacious.