6th Sapphire Cupcake: [Video/Action for Goldenrod] Backdated to 18 July

[rather_eat_turquoise]

[Spike’s feed clicks on, but all that can be seen to start with is a lot of orange. And teeth. It seems Spike’s Trapinch, Pinchy, has deliberately turned on the feed without his trainer’s knowledge.

[Pinchy moves backwards so that the feed is centred squarely on him. In the background, Spike’s Pineco, Acorn, is trying to act like she’s not curious, shooting sideways glances at the pain in the butt biting pokemon. Spike is nowhere to be seen.

[Pinchy looks like he’s concentrating. To Acorn’s surprise, he starts glowing, and a brilliant white light fills the screen.

[A few moments later and where there was a Trapinch is now a Vibrava, looking smug. Pinchy inspects his new body, impressed, and flits around at lightning speed. Flying and dealing with that stupid trainer of his was going to be awesome. Pity he didn’t have his huge teeth anymore.

[Acorn looks really peeved. There’s no way that stupid, egotistical ant pit pokemon was stealing all the thunder! If he could do it, SHE could do it! She glares at him, and hops closer to the feed to give viewers a better look. This time she starts to concentrate.

[It takes a little longer than Pinchy’s evolution, but after a couple of minutes, Acorn starts glowing. Seconds later, a Forretress is sitting there, looking triumphant.

[Pinchy, however, is not impressed. In fact, he’s ticked off that Acorn stole his moment. He swoops down to attack her and they start getting into a huge fight in the Goldenrod hotel room.

[At the noise, Spike bursts into the room, looking panicked.]

Honestly can’t you guys just be fr...

...WHAT?!?

Comments

[video]

[usedearthquake]

Dude, congrats on having two Pokemon evolving!

[video]

[rather_eat_turquoise]

[Spike jumps at the voice, not realising the gear is still on. Keeping an eye on the two warring pokemon, he cautiously makes his way over to it, picking it up.]

That's weird. Maybe one of them turned it on.

Wait....evolved???

[Spike looks back over at his pokemon, confused.]

Which ones evolved?

[He scans the room, trying to figure it out.]

(Action)

[bestofthebest]

(Part of Rainbow wishes Twilight was here, but since she wasn't it was up to her -and possibly Rarity if she wasn't busy with fabrics; who knew what Pinkie was up to?- to help Spike with his dilemma.)

...You ever think about asking Twilight if she can get you a Pokemon egg? It might turn out to have an egghead personality!

(Action)

[rather_eat_turquoise]

[Spike wasn't expecting Rainbow Dash to come in, but then again, with the racket his pokemon were making, he wasn't surprised.]

Rainbow Dash!

[In a slightly panicked voice]

I have no idea what just happened!

...

And ha ha. I really don't need anymore eggs right now...

...although an egg head would be a welcome change...

(Action)

[bestofthebest]

Hmmm...(She thinks it over for a moment, maybe two...)

They just evolved to their next forms! Now they'll be even cooler in battle!

Yeah, you got a point. Long as we're here in Goldenrod, having another egg wouldn't help much.

(Ideaaa~! Stealing Rarity line - kinda.) That's it! (A beat, followed by a grin.) DARING! (Out pops the Grass type from Rainbow's Pokeball, standing at attention but does take a moment to nuzzle her trainer.) Mega~!

(Action)

[rather_eat_turquoise]

Wait...they evolved? Who evolved?

[Spike starts madly looking around trying to account for the rest of his pokemon. It takes a second before it dawns on him exactly who he's dealing with.]

You mean...that's Pinchy and Acorn??

[Of all the pokemon to evolve at the same time...why did it have to be THESE two?]

[Spike hoped Rainbow Dash's idea was a good one, as her Meganium popped out of the pokeball. It seemed to be becoming a routine for Rainbow Dash to use Daring to handle Pinchy...]

(Action)

[bestofthebest]

(Rainbow nods in response to Spike's stunned question, taking a moment to pet Daring before pushing her off.)

Yep! That's them. (A beat.) Give 'em your Sweet Scent!

(Rainbow motions for Spike to cover his nose while she does the same, as Daring emits a soothing scent to surround both Pinchy and Acorn.)

[rather_eat_turquoise]

[Spike quickly covers his nose and mouth, very well aware of how this was going to affect both his evolved pokemon. Tomorrow wasn't going to be pretty.]

[In a muffled voice]

Thanks Rainbow Dash.

I don't know why they keep fighting.

C'mon, what are the chances of both of them evolving at the same time? That's like...a billion to one, right?

I bet they're doing it on purpose now...

Maybe they were jealous of Raspberry?

[Video]

[hollower]

[Okay, seeing a large and rather toothy insect on screen is enough to have Perona yelp out of fright and drop her pokegear then and there - she's deathly terrified of most bugs - but the white light is rather curious... What's going on over there? Where did that red monstrosity go? What's that new one? A dragonfly? It's still creepy, but not half as bad as the oth--

Oh, there's...a pinecone now? Seriously, she has no idea what's even going on, coming to his world only ten or so days ago, everything is still so strange and new to her.]

What in the-- [The screen illuminates again as the pinecone creature begins to glow, and Perona shields her eyes from the harsh light.] Weeh! Too bright! What...it's happened again! You're the ones that changed, aren't you? What did John-kun say it was? That's how it happens though, isn't it? Ah...h-how strange. You can't change back, can you? Is that form permanent?

[The dragonfly this isn't so bad, but that fleshy, pink clam(?) is atrocious. The pinecone was actually better!]

[Video]

[rather_eat_turquoise]

[Pinchy and Acorn could hear the muffled comments through the pokegear, but were too busy with their fight to pay them any attention.

[Spike, on the other hand, quickly scooped it up shortly after he arrived, looking rattled.]

I'm so sorry! One of them must have turned it on.

[He ducked as Pinchy flew overhead, his tail smacking Spike in the face. Spike let out a yelp, one hand to his sore cheek.]

Unfortunately they can't. Once they evolve, they stay like this until they evolve again, if they do. Or at least, that's what Twilight says...

I can't believe he can fly now. This is worse than Nightmare Moon! At least as a Trapinch, I only had to worry about ground level attacks!

[Video]

[hollower]

[Oh, it's person now. This must be the trainer! Hm, such a young boy... How old does one have to be to set off in this world? It seems so unsafe, though her world was no different, probably even worse, actually.]

It's quite all right, little boy, I learned something interesting from it... [And continues to learn daily. Oh, but--fff, that poor thing! Was he okay? Could he really handle those two nasty things on his own?] What? Did you say attacks?! Have your creatures attacked you before?!! You shouldn't have anything that can harm you!

[Video]

[rather_eat_turquoise]

[Spike is a little indignant about being called 'little'.]

I'm not that little!

[He flinches as the two pokemon continue to bicker.]

Yeah, Pinchy always bites me. And he was the one I was given when I got here. And they wouldn't let me give him back...

[He looks over his shoulder at his new flying pokemon.]

But he doesn't have big teeth now...I guess that's a good thing...

[Video]

[hollower]

[Perona says nothing to Spike's indignant response, just a hint of a smile curling up on the corners of her lips. What cute boy...anyone with a young-looking face, or who's immature, or just younger than Perona is will be "little" to her.]

I didnt think they could actually attack people... [That's kind of scary. I mean, if someone didn't treat one of these creatures well, there could be a big problem, especially if powers were removed from people. Hell, these pokemon things have more power than any person here...could that mean people could actually be killed by these things? Even the so-called tame ones?] You haven' been, mmh...really injured, have you? N-Nothing more than a simple nip or bite? A-And it didn't mean any real harm...d-did it?

Sorry for the delay, I was total failboat in August! :(

[rather_eat_turquoise]

I wish they didn't attack people...that would make my life so much easier...

Well, not too badly. I mean, I have some scars from when he bit me really hard. [Spike holds an arm up to the camera to show off some newly healed white scars marring his skin.]

But nothing more than that. You have to be really careful when dealing with fire pokemon though because they can burn you. I got burnt by Rainbow Dash's Rapidash when I was sitting on it. My hands got really burnt.

[He inspected them for a second]

They took ages to heal.

No worries, I know how that goes sometimes. ♥

[hollower]

[Oh goodness, those do look nasty. And if it was enough to leave an actual scar, then...why in the world does this silly boy still have that darn things? If it were her, Perona would have kicked the damn thing halfway across the region! That or dumped it into that PC box thing to gather cobwebs for eternity. Considering the level or power these creatures have over the people now that they've been downsized in power and abilities...the risk doesn't seem worth it.]

E-Ehh, I'll keep that in mine when my egg hatches. But...why do you even keep such a thing? If it's continuously hurting you, then get rid of it! It's not worth risking your health to keep some nasty, biting bug around you! You're lucky the vermin didn't have any sort of disease.

[rather_eat_turquoise]

[Spike blinks. He hadn't really thought about why he still kept Pinchy. He glanced over at him with a frown. Why did he keep such an annoying pokemon?]

I guess...he was the one I was given when I first got here. So I kinda feel like I need to keep him. I mean, would you get rid of the first pokemon you got in here?

Also, Twilight always says you should never quit just when something gets too hard.

[He sighs]

If Fluttershy was here, she'd be able to handle him no problem.

[hollower]

[Ah--...that gets Perona to shut her mouth rather fast. She would never give up her pokemon, not a single one, and especially not her starter. But Bearsy was a sweet, adorable, and well-behaved dear. Still, she can kind of understand where this little one's coming from - she's already bonded with her pokemon, even if Mihawk can be a little cross with her sometimes.]

I--no, I wouldn't give him up. [She looks away from the viewfinder of the pokegear, setting it down in her lap after a moment of quiet thought.] ...That's some sound advice, you should continue to follow it. If you're dedicated, and lucky, you may be able to keep all your fingers in the future. And you'll have a good nakama to take care of you. Even if it is a bug.

[rather_eat_turquoise]

[Spike glances back over at the fight behind him. Looks like they're both starting to wear each other out. At least that was something. He straightens his shoulders, looking determined.]

Yeah, I'm going to show Twilight that I can be a great breeder! I'm not going to give up! Even if I have to wear thick gloves forever.

Uh...what's a nakama?

[hollower]

[Ahaha...she really isn't the right one to explain the word, given Perona's never actually had anyone to really call her nakama. The pirates of Thriller Bark were never that, not even Captain Moria - and her zombie servants were just that, servants. But every pirate, no matter who or from whence they came, knows what nakama is.]

They're the kind of people you'd do anything for - even sacrifice your own life. The people you trust to help you with anything and everything, the people you'd go to the ends of the world with, and fight any foe with. Nakama are the people that make up for your weaknesses, and amplify your strengths tenfold. Friends is too weak a word, and comrades doesn't hold the same weight, you'll know what they are when you find your own.

If you find your own, then life that granted you a great and immeasurable gift. A real treasure.

[rather_eat_turquoise]

[Spike cocks his head as he listens to her explanation, and frowns.

Well...I guess Twilight is a nakama. She will do anything for anyone, and she's saved Equestria a stack of times, against really dangerous things. But she's not just my nakama.

She's a nakama to all our really close pony friends. She'd do anything for any of us.

[It was a nice word. Spike would like to think that he'd be a nakama to someone one day, but worried that he'd let people down, or not be big enough or brave enough to be able to be one. Not like Twilight!]

Do you have a nakama?

[aquatically]

Whoa! What was that?! That was amazing!!

[She's never seen evolving pokemon. Really, she's only vaguely aware it happens. She's trying to read the thing, but there's so much to read, and she's been walking all day and she'd rather just chill with her squirtle than study and-- hang on she got distracted.]

They don't look like they get along very well... Did it make them cranky?

[rather_eat_turquoise]

[Spike is looking a little bewildered as he tries to come between the pair to stop the fight, but gets distracted by the gear.]
 
Uh...I think that two of my pokemon evolved? I’m sorry if the pokegear interrupted you! One of them must have turned it on and I bet I can guess who that was.

[There’s a crash behind him and Spike sighs. More of his hard earned money going towards fixing hotel rooms.]

They’re always like this.

I bet Fluttershy never had this problem...

[aquatically]

Mm-mm. No reason to apologize! It was actually really amazing to watch something like that, so I was glad I noticed.

[But a sheepish smile.] It sounds like it must be pretty, ah, eventful then. Maybe it's like a sibling rivalry? [Optimism!]

[rather_eat_turquoise]

[Spike's all but given up on the pair behind him. Besides, it's safer for him if he doesn't get involved. He's experienced that before. The outcome was not pretty. At least for him.]

Yeah, it's a shame I missed it.

[RIII....IIIIIP!]

Or maybe it wasn't.

[Spike throws his hands up.]

I don't know what it is about these two. They're more competitive than Rainbow Dash and Applejack! I don't know which pair is worse.

Twilight never told me it was like this between her and Shining Armour!

[aquatically]

[That does seem like quite the, erm, dangerous zone to intrude in. Asahina flinches at the sound of that ripping. Oh this is going to be a mess for this poor guy, isn't it?]

Are those friends of yours?

[But that question aside, really.] I think siblings are probably pretty different from family to family. But some of the most competitive people are siblings I think.

[rather_eat_turquoise]

Yeah. Those two are always competing with each other.

You don't want to be in the middle of one ofthose fights. A dragon could lose his tail getting between those two when they start.

[Spike thinks about times he's seen Sweetiebelle and Applebloom act around their older sisters.]

I guess that's true. But Twilight and I get along great, and we're practically siblings. Do you fight with any of your siblings?

[aquatically]

Eheheh... I can imagine it! But... it's not always bad to be competitive! I mean, I'm used to having to be pretty competitive with swimming!

[She smiles a little.]

It must be nice to have a friend you're that close to. [Asahina laughs sheepishly.] None to fight with! I wonder if I would, if I had a big sister.

[rather_eat_turquoise]

But I bet you didn't pony tackle your competition out of the way...

[Spike pauses and then grins.]

Yeah, I guess it is! I mean, I've known Twilight my whole life, so we're practically family. She hatched me when I was just a little purple and green egg.

I think everypony fights sometimes. Sometimes it makes you even closer friends.

[A pause and then a sigh.]

That's not the case with these two though...

Are your friends here too?

[aquatically]

No, you get penalized for physical contact with other competitors or leaving your lane.

[Wait.] You came from an egg? [Asahina looks a little shocked by that.]

Mm! I think you're right. Friends and family quarrels, but that's just part of being close to someone.

Yeah, a bunch of my friends from back home are here. It's nice. I'm on my way to meet up with them now.

Ahhh sorry for the massive delay! August was a bad month :(

[rather_eat_turquoise]

[Spike is amused at her surprise. He seems to be getting that a lot here - dragons don't appear to be very common in other worlds.]

Yeah, I'm a dragon. We hatch from eggs. But right now I'm only a baby dragon. [He sighed] I hope I get bigger soon...

I'm glad your friends are here too! It wouldn't be very nice being here alone. Where are you?

[video]

[divinewind]

[Temeraire watches the video with interest; he hasn't seen a Pokemon just decide to evolve like that, he's only seen them evolve during battle. Although getting into a fight indoors is very rude, and he wonders if he ought to try calling out to them to stop--or at least go outside where they won't break anything, because it doesn't look like they're being at all careful--, but Spike comes in before he does.]

Spike! [he calls out, just to let his friend know that the 'Gear is on.]

Are they always like that?

[video]

[rather_eat_turquoise]

[Spike is both glad and mortified to see Tem suddenly appear on the feed. How embarrassing, having the older dragon see him in this situation. He was positive Pinchy had done it on purpose. What other pokemon could be as devious as that toothy devil?]

Oh, uh, Tem! It's great to see you! It's been ages!

[KEERRRAAAASH]

[Spike winces, and tries to block the screen with his face so that Tem can't see what's on behind him.]

Nothing going on here ahaha.

[It was about that time that Pinchy decided his trainer deserved to see how awesome Pinchy's wings were...and smacked Spike across the back of the head.]

Owww! Okay okay! I get it! You can fly now! That's just...great. Yeah. Greeaaaat.

[Spike sighs, knowing there's no way he'd be able to fool Tem.]

Unfortunately yes.

I don't suppose you have any, er, advice on how to make them stop? They've been doing this since the day I got them! And that feels like an eternity ago.

[Video]

[friendyousohard]

Well, on the bright side, at least Pinchy doesn't have those giant teeth to bite you with anymore.

You don't have your Pokeballs on hand, do you?

[Video]

[rather_eat_turquoise]

Twilight!

[Spike gives her an awkward grin.]

Everything's going fine here, as you can see.

[Going by the destruction in the background, it's really not...]

I guess that's a bonus...except now he can fly.

I'm not sure which is worse.

[He looks around for the pokeballs that he almost never uses.]

Oh um...they're here somewhere...

[Spike shrugs helplessly.]

The problem is, neither of them like going in their pokeballs...

[Video]

[friendyousohard]

[Her eyes narrow pretty coldly at that one. Twilecture, engage!]

Well maybe that's a good reason to put them in them. If they're going to misbehave, they need to be punished. You never liked it when I sent you to your room, but I still did it because you'd done something wrong and needed to learn a lesson. And that's why you've grown up so well. Now you need to pass on those lessons.

[Video]

[rather_eat_turquoise]

[Spike crosses his arms.]

Yeah but I never broke out of my room.

I've tried that Twilight but they pop straight back out again on their own. None of the others do that.

I bet Fluttershy never had this problem.

[To demonstrate, he aims a pokeball at Acorn. She's swiftly sucked into the ball, but after a few seconds (and a lot of the ball jiggling), she pops back out again, glaring at Spike, while Pinchy gloats.]

See?

[Video]

[friendyousohard]

What. That's not supposed to be possible for any Pokemon except for Ghost-types. And even with the Ghosts they shouldn't have figured it out so quickly.

[She's halfway into analyze mode when she remembers: Number One Assistant in need of help. She shakes her head and goes back to the topic.]

Alright, in that case, bring them outside and let them have at each other. It's obviously what they want, and if you let them go until they're exhausted they won't be able to fight their way out of the balls. Just find a remote spot where they can't hurt anything except each other.

Sorry, I thought I had replied to this one .__.

[rather_eat_turquoise]

[Spike's expression is one of exasperation.]

I don't know why only those two can do it! I have to keep them out all the time.

[He stops, glancing over at the fighting duo.]

I guess that could work.

But what if they hurt each other really badly?

[friendyousohard]

Then you bring them to the Center and have Nurse Joy patch them up. They can't actually kill each other, so the worst that can happen is that they'll both be completely unable to do anything for a few days.

... Which might not be so bad, really, judging by what you've told me.

[rather_eat_turquoise]

Well...okay, if you say it's alright.

You're sure they can't kill each other right?

I hope Nurse Joy doesn't tell me off. She always gives me a look when I go in there.

[She wasn't going to forget all the wildlife Pinchy had sent to the centre easily.]

At least that means they'll be out of my scales for a while.

[Spike points at the pair and puts on his 'adult' voice.]

You two! Out! Now! Go take it outside! I'm not paying for you guys to destroy the room again.