Chapter 10 - Com Channel
Chapter 10 – Com Channel
Ow.
Ow, ow, ow, ow, oh, dear, I am repeating myself.
She pushed past the tidal waves of pain pulsing through her body, instinctively running a small scanning spell on herself before even thinking about opening her eyes. It was not becoming of a lady to worry all too much, so she had never made much of a fuss about it at the time; but now she was really starting to feel grateful for having taken those evening courses at the Ponyville hospital when Sweetie Belle had first started romping about with her crusader friends.
Though ironically it seems I needed it more for my own sake than for hers...ow.
Pain pulsed through her again as the scan completed, and if she had been able to draw anything but tiny, shallow breaths she would have gasped in horror at the results. By no means should she have been alive in the state she was; never mind conscious and able to cast spells. Her head was just about the only part of her that was intact; almost every single bone in the rest of her body seemed to have been smashed or broken one way or the other. There seemed to be precious little harm to her hide or organs – for which she was immensely thankful, since that kind of damage was far beyond what she could hope to mend – but her hard parts looked like a decent imitation of a certain piece of art she'd seen once. It had been, by and large, made up of cracked, brittle and broken glass.
Rarity cringed a bit, and the small movement sent another stab of pain racing through her body. Oh, stars! What did I get myself into? Did I tussle with an Ursa? Get tipsy with Applejack and challenge her to barfight? Cave-sit Fluttershy's bear? She wracked her memory for a reason to her predicament, and the morning's events came rushing back at her with all the subtlety of a racing locomotive. Ugh. No, it just had to be headbutting a mountain, didn't it. So very unladylike!
It was, perhaps, a foolish thing to do in her current situation, but some habits simply did not die; even in moments when she herself by all means should have. “This is...” she panted weakly, and winced as a thousand searing knives tore into her broken ribcage. But the show must go on.
“The...” Pain. “Worst...” So much pain. “Possible...” The world was made up of words and pain, and if she only could get the last word out the pain could stop. And Rarity forged on, heaving a breath that let her put enough force into her voice that it'd actually be audible to somepony not standing with their ears right over her mouth, as well.
“THING!”
The brief control she'd had over her muscles vanished like mist, and once again she was simply trapped, fully awake inside her own mind while her body was holding on to the last straws of her life.
For most creatures, this situation would've brought them to a state of mindless terror. The pain was washing out every other sensation she might have felt, and she was absolutely certain that without help her body would give up and die within minutes, hours at most. And given that she had crashed on top of a desolate mountain she'd never seen before, right after being teleported somewhere by a failing spell, getting help from somepony else did not seem like a very likely prospect at all. She was, by all means, a corpse waiting to happen.
Or so it would have been, at least, had she not been a mostly conscious unicorn with a very intact horn; not to mention one with double diplomas from the Ponyville Volunteers' courses in magical healing. And dear Nurse Redheart always said I was good with bones, as well. Nobody shall ever again say that a fashionista can't be practical as well!
She grasped at her magic and started her work, as methodically as she would with any piece of needlework. First, that femur needs to be put back together...
-/-/-/
“PC-K05, this is Aqua Jet on an inbound route approximately 95 clicks northeast of Cerulean, do you read, over?”
Misty was having a bit of a hard time focusing, she had to admit. For one thing, maneuvering her craft at this kind of low speed was a lot trickier than the high-speed high-altitude cruise she was used to. It was well near impossible to keep the craft stable at mid-range speeds for any longer time, so she had to rely on the vertical thrusters to keep herself flying, chugging along through the air at speeds more associated with your average railroad than a state-of-the-art jet as they approached the outskirts of her hometown.
She spared a look at Brock, who still had – as he almost always did – that squint-eyed mask of patient concentration covering his face. She could swear he'd be an amazing candidate if Kanto ever needed to send someone to talk with the monks in the west. Or win a poker tournament. For one thing, not a single muscle in his face had moved when she'd taunted him about touching the controls. The man's self-control was amazing, that was for sure.
The radio crackled to life, and the familiar voice of Cerulean's head nurse came through. “Loud and clear, Lady Misty. The pokémon center is ready and waiting to take care of the patient as soon as Aqua Jet has landed. Over.”
Right to point, as usual. If there was one thing you could never appreciate the pokémon centers enough for, it was their professionalism. “Glad to hear it. Requesting complete priority on the city airspace for Aqua Jet's landing, over.” One thing she was not all to happy to hear was the head nurse calling her lady, though – it made her sound old. Not that she was, of course; but as someone who had spent most of her career wearing a swimsuit, old age was not something she would face happily.
“Priority granted. Though I'd be pretty surprised if I saw another craft in the area – it's not like we have an airfield or anything. PC-K05, over and out.” Misty acknowledged the reply, and cut the line. This wasn't the first time they'd spoken over the radio during this flight; they'd already covered most of what they could gather of the patient's condition in their previous exchanges. Since there hadn't been much of a change in that, there wasn't much need for anything than the necessities. Necessities, like making sure she didn't crash headfirst into another airplane as she entered the city. Nearby airfield or not, safety protocols were there for a reason – and she wasn't like those other flyboys out in the sky, joyriding best they could and equipped with a full team of flying-types to carry them down if things went real sour.
So she focused best she could, shutting out as much as possible of any sounds that could disturb her careful maneuvers with the thruster controls. So much, in fact, that Brock couldn't catch her attention without actually shouting at her.
“Misty! The pokémon's moving!”
She gave a jolt of surprise, jumping slightly and causing the craft to wobble heavily. It took her a few seconds to regain control of it, but as soon as she did she redirected her attention slightly to the right. Indeed; the pokémon was breathing heavier than before, and the horn on its head gave was pulsing on and off with a blue light.
She had to turn her eyes forward again, but she could still very much hear it; and Brock's anxiety was practically permeating the air around them. Its tiny, shuddering breaths grew louder and heavier, and Misty felt herself mentally preparing for something terrible to happen as it built up, and up, and...
The purple-maned creature whimpered slightly.
Silence reigned between them as its breathing once more settled down into its previous pace, until Misty felt obliged to break the ice somehow. “Well, that was anticlimactic.”
Of course, once she said that, it didn't take many seconds for something to actually happen. The creature's horn lit up once more, but this time with a steady, blue glow that illuminated the cockpit with its light. A low, oscillating sound accompanied it at first, but this was soon washed out by the unmistakable sound of bones grating against each other. A shiver ran up Misty's spine and she had to focus all she could not to lose control of the craft, but the sound continued. She couldn't keep her eyes off it – she had to look, or she'd go crazy.
Swinging her head around, she fixated Brock and the creature in one look. “What's going on!? What is it doing, Brock?”
The older gym leader had a strange smile on his face, however – he was entirely fascinated by whatever morbid thing the pokémon was doing. “I'm not sure, Misty. I'm not sure, but...I think it's healing itself. Putting the bones back in place. Look.”
Misty did. She couldn't decipher much out of what she saw, and swung her head back forward to keep track of their course. “I don't see anything, Brock. If it's recovering, well, great. But that sound is driving me insane. Keep an eye on it and make sure it doesn't...” She couldn't come up with anything he should prevent it from doing. Her mind was going blank. “Just keep an eye on it!” She reached over for her helmet and jammed her head into its covering depths, sealing it to shelter her ears from that mind-grating bone-grating sound.
-/-/-/
She wasn't sure how long she'd spent working. It was hard, in a way, pretending like it was just another piece of clothing rather than the broken shards of her own body that she was putting together. For one thing, it hurt. Unless you were bad with the needle, sewing certainly never did; and even then it was only small pricks and pops of the skin. This was something else, on an entirely different level. Rarity had never felt any pain like this in her entire life.
Yet as bad as it was, the pain had eventually become little more than a dull, thumping undertone in the symphony of magic pouring through her body. In its stead, the more progress she made, the more prevalent an entirely different sensation became. She felt...stretched. Like she was trying to fit an all too small bracelet over an all too large hoof; all too many patches on a broken fabric. Or simply, she finally admitted, all too much magic on all too many shattered bones.
As much as she could try and heal, there were only so many threads of her that her body could hold on to at once. Giving her work a brief once-over, she had to admit that she'd managed to make good progress on the most vital parts. Her spine had been a neat wreckage, and she'd managed to put it back together without damaging any nerves. Her ribs still had cracks here and there, but the worst parts had been fixed – it'd have to do. Her legs were probably the worst right now, and she was fairly certain she wouldn't be able to walk on the pulverized mess her hooves were at the moment. No, Rarity, don't lie to yourself, she admonished. I will not be able to walk. Not at the moment, not for days, perhaps even weeks. And I should consider myself lucky, for if I were any other pony I would never have been able to walk again at all. It had really been a miracle of Celestia's own that had let her wake up when she had. If she'd let any more time pass, her body would've started piecing things together on its own; and that would've ended oh so badly that she couldn't even bear thinking about it.
Now, it was with some difficulty that she picked up her control of her own bodily functions again. Breathing came first, and was markedly easier than before now that she actually had a ribcage worth speaking of. It hurt, of course, but she'd grown used to that by now. What was a little more pain now, to what she'd already gone through while mending herself? She actually sniffed, and that as if on cue her hearing came rushing back as well. Noise! So much noise! What ever is going on here? She attempted to cover her ears with her still-fractured hooves, but was only rewarded with a good deal of pain and heavy pressure against her legs. She abandoned that line of thought for the moment; while she could move her body, most of it wasn't really in any kind of state to do so. Besides, after listening a bit she concluded that the noise was gradually fading away, going from a loud high-pitched whine to a lower humming sound with every second that passed.
So finally came the moment of truth; the one she'd been subconsciously dreading ever since she first realized the state she was in. After all, accidents that broke nigh on every bone in your body weren't exactly known to be very kind to your appearance, either. True, she hadn't seen any serious lacerations when using her scanning spell earlier, but things like tiny scrapes wouldn't show any results; she wasn't quite skilled enough with it just yet. For all she knew, she could have been transformed into some deformed, battered, bruised, broken, unrecognizable lump of scrapes and dust-matted fur.
And even so, she would eventually have to face her fears and open her eyes – and this kind of stalling had certainly never helped anypony. Rarity braced herself mentally for what laid in store for her, half-accepted her fate as a vile, tattered thing barely recognizable as a pony...and opened her eyes.
The first thing she noticed was the fact that she was tied down. A set of straps held her gently but firmly pressed against a padded, rubber-like surface. I'm on a stretcher. Somepony has found me! Well, at least that's- Then she looked upward and caught sight of the “somepony” in question, and that thought fled headfirst into the dark recesses of her mind.
First of all, it was no pony. It was hard to get a good look on things from the strange angle she was stuck in; ponies were not bats, after all, and as such were not all too used to hanging upside down. It was a strange creature, regardless. It had a spiky black mane, with furless dark skin on its face; it was wearing an ensemble of definitely outdoorsy clothing, and its dark brown eyes were squinting at her.
For a moment she was frozen in place, and could only look as the creature opened its mouth and turned to the side, uttering a series of growls and grunts she could not hope to understand. There were the pointed teeth of a carnivore in its maw, she instinctively noted; and that instinct sent a brief burst of panic through her, driving her to flee the scene as fast as she possibly could.
Which she duly noted to herself – a second later when she had managed to suppress the panic after undoing the stretcher straps with her magic – was precisely zero kilometers per hour. She was not going to do it tied up, but it was clear enough that these creatures could be reasoned with. After all, they had saved her. Well, at least, they did try – it is hardly their own fault that they came upon one who could do most of the rescuing on their own, Rarity thought with a marked amount of pride racing through her heart.
Instead of a futile – and illogical, not to mention unladylike! What sort of decent mare would run from a gentlecoltly savior, regardless of their species? – escape attempt, she nudged her paining body slightly toward the edge of the stretcher, and assumed a less uncivilized pose. And, to complete things, she reached out with her magic in the strange non-direction that let ponies use conjuration magic – she was no Twilight, and had never bothered to learn any of the theory behind the stuff – and produced a steaming cup of tea out of thin air. Judging by the way the creature had sounded to her ears, it wasn't very likely she'd be able to speak to them; however, civilized behavior was its own language. And what could possibly be more civilized than enjoying a cup of hot Earl Grey?
She took a few sips while casually gauging her surroundings. She was in a small room with metallic, angular walls; behind her there seemed to be an enormous window for some reason, but other than that it was like being stuck in a miniature version of Twilight's basement. There were instruments everywhere, and she could not recognize a single one of them; there was a second, empty chair beside her, angled toward the window.
Deciding there wasn't much more she could gain from simple observation, she turned to the creature sitting right in front of her. “Well, my dear gentlecolt! I suppose thanks are in order for your timely rescue.” The creature was staring wide-eyed at her, flicking back and forth between her eyes and her teacup, but there was no hint of comprehension in its eyes. Well, it was worth a try.
The creature stood up suddenly – it was quite tall, on its hind legs like that – and howled something incomprehensible toward the side. With a hissing sound, a section of the wall slid to the side and revealed a fair-sized door. The creature gave her another squinting look, before grasping the stretcher in its claws. “Oh!” Rarity exclaimed, and fumbled around with her magic a bit until she found the straps, hanging limply at the side. “Well, I suppose there was a point to these, wasn't there.” She gently wrapped them across her legs to keep herself in place, and put the teacup down beside her, before giving the creature a nod. It gave her yet another perplexed stare in reply, before shaking its head and lifting the stretcher. With heavy steps, it started to move toward the newly appeared exit, with her as an idle passenger.
They exited the metal room onto a large field of black stone. Outside, a group of creatures like the one carrying her were waiting, and her stretcher was set down on a wheeled metal cart. The creatures – perhaps they are nurses? – swarmed around the stretcher, chattering in short barks and growls, before starting to move her toward a large, angular building she assumed was a hospital of some sort. Well, this could certainly have gone a lot worse, she mused as they started rolling on ahead. It most definitely would have been unfavorable to wake up immobilized and starving on a random mountaintop Celestia knows where, rather than...wherever this is.
She frowned. This town's architecture – what little she could see of it, at least, from her present vantage point – was certainly like nothing she'd seen before, and she was quite well versed in matters like that. Oh well. Wherever it may be, it is still civilization, and that's that. She mulled over that thought for a while, as she approached the wide glass doors of the presumed hospital; they slid open as they came close by some magic she couldn't sense, and shut behind them once they were all through. She lifted the teacup with her magic – an act that drew confused looks from the nurses – and drew another sip of the now slightly lukewarm liquid. “Now, how am I to make myself understood by these creatures...” She downed the rest of the tea in a single gulp – there was no reason to let it go cold and wasted, after all. She may have begun this day with broken bones and a cup of tea, but with all certainty, she was going to end it on an entirely different tone. Teatime only lasted for so long, after all.
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Broken bones and tea, a pleasant way to start the day. Oh, not to mention spiky haired creatures with squinty eyes
Excellent chapter. I wonder what Brock said when Rarity summoned the tea. I can't wait for the next chapter.
I must say, Rarity, was in far worse shape than I had expected, being reduced to little more than a flesh bag with bones in it. That level of impact is rather severe, and it's awesome that she could stitch herself back together like that.
The bit with the tea was also excellent. Just... Poof... Tea, and thank you for rescuing me.
Gotta love Rarity's priorities.
First is the tea, then it's to figure out how to communicate.
Raricorn: The Classiness Pokémon.
That's what I'm thinking as Rarity epically summons herself some tea, at least.
I don't even care who gets the next update. I just want more of them. But that's just my impatience speaking. You're the only one who truly knows how long these updates take. =P
From what we've seen so far, I'm getting the impression that simply being in the Pokémon world is making the Equestrians somehow... better. Rarity knitting her bones back together (ouch), Rainbow feeling she's flying faster (and the thing with her mane, even), Spike blowing up a mountain under the influence of something, Fluttershy's Stare stuck on a low setting, and... well, Applejack's change is fairly obvious.
If this sort of thing keeps up, soon the girls will all look like Luna or Cadance, with powers to match.
Not that that's bad or anything. I like that sort of thing, when it's written well, and this is.
Rarity used Recover!
Unfortunately, she had about negative seventy percent of her HP before she did...
In any case, I'm quite impressed by Rarity's resolve and capability in such a situation. It makes sense that she's good with bones. They are crystals of a sort, after all.
Definitely looking forward to more, especially Brock's end of the attempted conversation and what the nurses make of the tiny, tea-summoning, bone-setting, not-on-fire Rapidash.
Oh, one more thing:
I can't help but imagine Rarity headbutting Groudon. And it is glorious.
I actually am impressed by Rarity's reaction. The first living thing she saw when she opened her eyes was Brock, yet she didn't panic until she saw his teeth. I would have thought seeing Brock (arguably the strangest character in Pokemon) would be weird enough.
And this was a broken chapter, indeed!
Can't believe I guessed that one right...
Am I the only one who thinks that Rarity's reaction would be akin to Celestia's? You know, tea and calm gratitude, all that.
Anyhow, an amazing chapter! Got any ETA for more?
Nah, take your time!
Keep up the good work!
3164658
It's super effective! (Lady's Fury - renders all normal attacks super effective)
Groudon fainted!
And a reason for that headbutt:
Groudon used Mud Shot!
3164646
The girls are getting a bit of a powerup across the board, in order to better match each other, the plot, and local elements. Rares' powerup is probably the one that feels like making most sense, though (apart from Dragonshy ofc).
Hooray for Rarity keeping her cool and not spit-taking all over Brock.
You clever bastard
I thought Rarity's magic was blue, like her eyes.
Unless there's a reason it wouldn't be here?
Other than that, I'll just say what everypony else is: Great work.
Also, I'd like to take an early stab at her type: dual-typed Ice/Steel; delicate and beautiful as fresh snow, and yet deceptively powerful and enduring underneath.
Also-also, and I'm sure you've been asked this plenty enough already, but will/has the addition of the Fairy type impact your typing for the girls? Or maybe just one pink and bouncy one in particular?
3165072
He has stated that he is sticking to the Pokemon from Silver and Gold, and that anything added after those would not be included.
Also, he posted the typings in an author's note somewhere around the start.
3165391
(Way more than frickin Jigglypuff)
*checks chapter 2*
Huh, so he did.
Bit of a shame, that. Pinkie's the most Fey critter in the whole Pokemon world
...
That said, it's his story to do with as he pleases. Something as petty as typing will not turn me away from the awesomazing story to come.
Name: Rarity
Type(s): Psychic/Rock
Nature: Sassy
Ability: Mender - Recover also cures paralysis.
Attacks:
Power Gem
Pin Missle
Psychic
Recover
3165072
Actually, it's blue like her CUTIE MARK.
fc02.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2011/106/2/8/rarity_cutie_mark_by_blackgryph0n-d3e1iiz.png
Her eyes just happen to match. The evidence is that Celestia's is golden like her sun mark while her eyes are magenta.
You could argue that Sweetie Belle's magic was her eye color... IF we knew her cutie mark, and it's unlikely the CMC will get their marks before the final season.
Pinkie being Fairy Type makes JUST ENOUGH sense the author could change their stance there, but I doubt (s)he will.
3165520
Your magic-color hypothesis holds no ground against the GREAT AND POWERFUL TRIXIE!
images.wikia.com/mlp/images/5/54/Trixie_brushing_her_mane_S01E06.png
Pink magic,
fc02.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2012/104/3/d/great_and_powerful_trixie_cutie_mark_by_noxwyll-d4w52v2.png
Silver and blue Cutie Mark,
images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130322041251/villains/images/f/f6/The_great_and_powerful_trixie_by_misterlolrus-d46goi5.png
And pink(ish) eyes!
...
So, yeah, no idea what's up with Celestia. Maybe she's solar powered?
Great!!
I love your depiction of Rarity. It reminds me of Kkat's story Fallout Equestria, and how Rarity's statue has the inscription "Be Unwavering" and gives the holder superpony levels of resolve and endurance.
Achievement Unlocked
Eye Opener: Actually get Brock to open his eyes.
I find it really funny how bizarre this must seem to Brock, Misty, and the hospital staff.
Hey, can someone repost that pic of Applejack with her crown thing again?
i think this is my favorite depiction of rarity i've found yet.
3165999
All magic was that color in season 1. It wasn't until S2 E3 that they used multiple colors for magical auras.
3164721
3165503
It does make sense that she's part rock-type since she has a weakness to mud (ground-type moves) and rain (water-type moves). Oh. And part psychic for her weakness to bugs and strength against ruffians (fighting-type)
3166984
3164658
Quite odd indeed, for all parties involved. More-so for the humans than Rarity. I wonder who will find pinkie... or will be found by her. Whoever it is, I hope they can handle her Quirky nature. (heh.)
3164481
Indeed. Probably something along the lines of: "Is that tea? If so, where did it come from?"
3167210 Wasn't it hinted at last chapter, or one of the most recent chapters, that Blue has seen Pinkie around his gym lately?
3167248
Oh right. It had been so long since I read that chapter that I'd forgotten. Hmm... the second half still applies. I hope he is ready for that, or at least as ready as someone can be.
3167210 Rarity's magic is blue in Suited for Success, during the Art of the Dress song, this is S1 E14, rarity's magic has always been blue.
3167404
Really? Hmm. I guess I should re-watch the series again.
3167425 Couldn't hurt to rewatch the series, also I just checked her introduction in episode 1 her horn glows blue, although objects held in magic did not glow most of the time in the first three episodes.
3164757
Was gonna say... If that's how tough Rarity is then Twilight must be a titan of magic. Or was the powerup to make her not be so far ahead? Seems like most of them are getting utility powers, though Dash is clearly a powerhouse. I hope Twilight has the right mix of genius and magical power.
3167432
If I recall correctly, their magic aura always matches their eye color.
3167432
Purple? What are you talking about, only Twilight has purple magic YOU SAW NOTHING
^^; In all fairness, this is actually the first time I ever write Rarity, and I've spent a while away from the series itself. Thanks for updating me, chaps. ^^
3167292
Seeing how badly trolled he got by Oak for it...no, I don't think he is. Then again, who'd be? ^^
3165461
I actually don't think Pinkie is that much closer to the Fairy type than she is the combo I made for her. Also, I haven't had the chance to see any of the new mechanics in action too much - I barely know the new type effect table, and I'd like to be able to skip out on doing too much more research on this fic, honestly.
3167154 Do you mean this one? 2273672
And of course, anyone willing is VERY welcome to do some drawery for other stuff here as well. In particular, Rarity in the next chapter will have some impressive things... HEUEHUEHUEUHESPOILERS
As always, thanks so much for your thoughts, people, and stay patient and wait for the next chapter...with a spot of tea. :)
3167887 For the most part, this seems right, Princess Celestia seems to be the only one we have seen who has not complied with this trend, having purple eyes, but golden magic, but this may have more to do with the fact that she is the princess of the sun then the the theory being wrong.
3168127
Granted, if we go by game canon, Oak can only barely remember Blue anyway, so that makes him less likely to believe him. You have to remind him of his name, for Celestia's sake, and agrees blindly with anything you say.
3168346
Well, "barely remember" is a bit harsh...I more see it as Oak being rather absentminded as an individual, and especially bad at mornings. But there is some forgetfulness there, indeed :)
3168562
Yeah... I guess I am being a bit harsh on the old coot.
3167210
Season 3, Episode 5:
images.wikia.com/mlp/images/e/e6/Trixie_admiring_Twilight%27s_amulet_S3E5.png
Still pink, still great.
3168942
True.
3167292 Does anyone truely ever truely "handle" Pinkie?
3171897 Nnope
3171897
3172503
Discord. Discord does. I swear those two are related.
3172756t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTdFwyW6URxggyKmA3edXx5UaETB8PjlxFFpAzTcvTLNmKvPPYp-iUOOFEm
3172781
Is there anything wrong with that? It would explain everything.
Let me guess... they'll have to put her in a Pokéball to use the healing machine on her?
3173097
While the games use this form of logic for common pokémon center visits, the anime has multiple times showed us this doesn't need to be the case. Also, in this case, the games do this mostly to save time and hassle.
3174415
And that's what is wrong with people like you - you never bloody stop whining, do you.
The "inside of a pokéball" scene was done in a very different way from what you imagine, actually (to nobody's surprise, you once again fail spectacularly to comprehend what's going on).
While the "suspended animation" is not quite like it, it's the closer of the three; the pokémon is stored in a compressed bubble of space, while their consciousness - their soul, if you will - rests. However, to allow the pokéball to contain them both - the rather fragile space-bubble on one hand, their conscious mind on the other - it is necessary that energy levels is kept as low as possible in the system. For this reason, the consciousness-stimulating part of a pokéball mainly operates as an energy reduction mechanism.
Various types of pokéballs can contain pokémon using different strength of both compression field and energy reduction to accomplish capture and containment. A tamed pokémon will normally rest in a zen-like state of calm as a result of the energy reduction mechanism. The act of weakening a pokémon before capture is not actually to cause them physical harm, but to push down their resolve and will to fight against the mechanisms of the ball. If they can resist hard enough - that is, raise the energy state of their consciousness enough to negate the energy reduction mechanisms that stop them from moving their compressed body - the containment space-bubble will break, forcing the ball to open again. This is also why "failed" captures result in useless, broken balls; the core mechanism is helplessly shattered once it is broken through once. On the other hand, while it is possible to disable the release mechanism of a ball to prevent its opening, it is impossible to kill a pokémon by destroying its pokéball - doing so only releases it from capture, and a previously tamed pokémon would (usually) have no problems returning to its master in a new ball anyway. Ultimately pokéballs are not primarily used to tame wild pokémon - that is the trainers' jobs - but to store them and allow facilitation of easy transport despite there being plenty of species that would have a hard time getting around otherwise.
What Rainbow did, however, was similar yet different. Once a ball has successfully memorized a pokémon and its consciousness and movement patterns, it becomes effectively impossible for the pokémon to physically break the containment field; the field modulator it follows the pokémon's movements, so to speak, and prevents the ball from shattering. However, the opening mechanism of a ball operates on a similar principle; while physically breaking the containment field becomes impossible, it is very possible for a pokémon to break out "legitimately" by fooling the ball that it's been activated. Essentially, when the button of a ball is pressed, the energy reducers are deactivated. This leads to the pokémon's consciousness returning to full power - even if it is asleep, its dreams provide enough activity - and triggers the release mechanism, decompressing the containment field and opening the ball. What Rainbow did was to exceed the capacity of the reducers enough that she fooled the release mechanism into thinking they had been deactivated, and open accordingly.
TL;DR - pokéballs are miniature Matrixes of varying construction, depending on ball type. You may qq as you wish, but zero shits will be given.
3173085 It would, but it would also be disgusting and disturbing seeing as how they're dating.
3177472
They don't necessarily have to be dating in this canon. Also, they've never stated how long Discord was imprisoned. They may be separated by like 10-15 generations. On a genetic standpoint, that's a significant amount of deviation... then again the problem might be the cultural/social stigma built from the problems with reproducing with close relatives. That is more on individual interpretation.
3177625 I know. That's just one reality among many in the multiverse. That is true, although, baring an escape during Luna's sentence, we can probably assume that it was at least somewhat longer than one thousand years. Yeah, at that point the blood-relation is pretty dilute. It could also have something to do with possible cultural/social stigmas having to do with reproduction across the species gap.
3177676
True. The implied, though obviously complicated, partial relationship between Spike and Rarity in the actual canon suggests that there are no stigmas around that, if only in Ponyville. Then again... it's so complicated that it's unlikely others even think of where it could lead, or even what stage it's at (friend, significant other, or anywhere between the two). It's rather unlikely that, unless that relationship develops into something noticeably more than close friendship, there will be no established view on such a relationship at the romantic stage.
Oh yeah, I'd forgotten about that. Part of the complication comes from lifespan and rate of development. As a dragon, it seems that Spike develops slower than ponies and takes longer to go to the next stage of life (he's still considered a baby dragon, not yet a child). How long would it even take for him to reach maturity, and how old would Rarity be when he finally did? It also seems weird to think that he's still an infant of his species, yet can fluently speak and reason on the level of a kid/pre-teen/young teenager.