private Close Encounters of the Past (Private with Dynamo Pad)

[Sphinx-Ara 3,569]

OOC Thread here

It was an early afternoon in the small town of Ponyville, when the bunny known as Scarlet Rose was sitting inside of a small cafe, looking at the screen of her laptop with a sigh. "After so long of promising I would never return, here I find I am" she says to herself with a sigh and looks at an old photo of herself with a group of friends. What happened all those years ago, a gruesome murder of all her friends save for herself and one other friend, all linked to the airing of some strange TV show that was apparently impossible to record and only children remember it, their parents only saw static. "Candle Cove.." she whispers to herself before closing the laptop and thanking the waitress who had arrived with her drink and food.

She looks up a little and begin to drink her cherry cola soda and nibbling on her cheese and ham croissant before sighing once more "If only my..investigations, didn't bring me back here..so many old wounds not wanting to be re-opened" 

[Dynamo Pad 11,275]

@Scarlet Rose

As the afternoon sun was high in the sky, the blue unicorn, known as Dynamo Pad, was walking around the town of Ponyville. He had originally lived in Fillydelphia, but had moved to Ponyville after a few years. He was ten years old at that time and he had lived in this town for a few years. He had just gotten out of an arcade, playing any video game that he could. He had stopped playing as he could hear his stomach growling. That was what he had been doing for the past few minutes. He had been looking for a good place to get some food, but he didn't know where to go. After wandering aimlessly, he had stumbled upon a small cafe. "I haven't been to this cafe before, so why not." He says, walking up to the cafe and opened the door. He had been to places like Sugarcube corner and a burger joint, but he felt like having a change of pace. He could hear the bell ring to signify that a new customer had arrived. The door closed behind him as he entered the building. He walked up to the table and took a seat in a rotating chair. He was handed a menu to allow him to see what he could order. "I'll take a grilled cheese sandwhich, onion rings and a cola, please." He handed back the menu spun in his chair a few times. As the spinning came to a stop, he rested his elbows on the table, while resting his head in his hands.

[Sphinx-Ara 3,569]

@Dynamo Pad

The bunny sighs and lifted her head, having thought she had heard a familiar voice. She shakes her head, opening up her laptop again, and she looks at the desktop picture, the last picture taken before the murders happened. She closes her eyes and then opens up the video of the last time they were together before the murders and disappearances. They were playing around in the forest, Scarlet had borrowed her dad's video camera and they were playing a game of "Slender Tag", a game where the tagger was supposed to be Slendermane and those he (or she) caught were their proxies who helped 'capture' the others until there was only one left. She hadn't realized her volume was high enough for others to hear it as well.

[Dynamo Pad 11,275]

@Scarlet Rose

As he waited for his food to arrive, Dynamo's ears perked as he heard the sound of children screaming and laughing. He looked to his left to see a creature, who was watching a video on her laptop. He had mostly seen ponies living around Ponyville. Recently, there had been changelings, hippogriffs, yaks, griffins and dragons in town. Although, they were going to a school that specialized in learning about friendship. This creature was different. She looked like a bunny rabbit, but this rabbit seemed oddly familiar to the gaming unicorn. Curiosity was getting the better of him as he heard the laptop. 'I know it's wrong to spy, but I wonder what's going on.' He thought as he could vaguely make out the video of children playing games. He got out of his seat and made his way over to the white/gray furred rabbit. As he got closer, he discovered that the children in the video were playing a sort of game of tag. 'Why does that game look familiar to me? It's the first I've seen this, but it feels like I've played this sort of game.' He says as he saw the game and rules being implemented. "Um...excuse me? Miss? What kind of game are you watching? If you don't mind me asking, that is." He says, hoping to gain the rabbit's attention. 

Edited January 5, 2019 by Dynamo Pad

[Sphinx-Ara 3,569]

@Dynamo Pad

Scarlet looks up and squints a bit, seeing the blue stallion in front of her, then she looks to the laptop, pausing the video and sighs "You should know it, Dynamo, after all you helped me come up with it and the rules" she says, "Don't tell me you've forgotten me" she looks up at him, trying to force a smile "It's me, Scarlet Rose" she says softly, motioning for him to sit opposite her. 

[Dynamo Pad 11,275]

@Scarlet Rose

As he saw the rabbit look up to him, Dynamo felt a familiar warmth in his heart. He raised an eyebrow as said rabbit had said his name. "I made up the rules with you, but who are you? I-I didn't give you..." He stopped as he looked closely at the white/gray rabbit. A familiar flash appeared as he thought he saw a ten year old, smiling rabbit, who he had remembered from his childhood. He gasped as he smiled brightly at the familiar face. "Scarlet! It really is you!" He exclaimed in a hushed whisper. He pulled her into a tight hug, before blushing and pulling back from the hug. "I-I'm sorry about that random hug. It's just...I haven't seen you in such a long time. I remember you had to move away and I never saw you again, until now." He says, taking a seat right across from her. He looked at the video again and nods in realization. "Now I understand. That was Slender Tag. I remember you and I made up the game, the rules and everything." He says, smiling in nostalgia at how happy the two of them, along with the other children looked. He looked up to her to see a somewhat forced smile. He wanted to question her, but he didn't want to force her to answer. "What are you doing here? It's been about almost 10 years since I've last seen you? How are you and what have you been up to?" He asks as he tried to get back in touch with his long lost friend. 

Edited January 5, 2019 by Dynamo Pad

[Sphinx-Ara 3,569]

@Dynamo Pad

Scarlet squeaked as she was hugged and then put down. She looks up at Dynamo "Yes, mother sent me away to protect me" she says "But it would seem that my investigations will always lead me back here" she says and shakes her head "I am a..investigator of sorts" she says "and it would seem that our town isn't the only who had the..phenomenon of Candle Cove" she says and looks down "Plus, I really need some closure, those nightmares..they keep happening"

[Dynamo Pad 11,275]

@Scarlet Rose

Dynamo glanced down at the table he was siting at and nods. "I remember your mother told me that you needed to leave Ponyville for a while. I was really sad after that because she never told me why, but I knew it was for the best." He looks back up to look towards his old friend. At the mention of investigations, he couldn't help in raising an eyebrow. "So, you got a cutie mark for investigations? That's pretty interesting. Are these investigations to anything and everything, or is it to certain things? I remember gaining my cutie mark for video games. It was a little while after you left. A few years, to be exact. I had to deal with a couple of bullies in town and we had to settle our issues over a game. I found out that I was actually not half bad at video games and I managed to find my special talent. That, and I was finally able to find my magic that I was unable to use before." He says, his eyes widened slightly at the mention of Candle Cover. "So, it's that name again, huh?" His food had arrived as he thanked the waitress. He took a bite of his food and chewed slowly. Thinking about the remark Scarlet had told him. "I honestly never thought I would hear that name again. After you left, I had nightmares. It was here and there at different times, but it wasn't too bad. Nowadays, the nightmares just keep showing up. There are some days that I just have trouble sleeping." He says, pointing to the bags under his eyes.

[Sphinx-Ara 3,569]

@Dynamo Pad

"I was really sad too, as for a cutie mark? Well.. I'm not a pony, so I didn't get one, but investigations of the..paranormal and supernatural are my career, yes." she states and smiles a little at him, sipping on her drink "And you are right, it would seem that another town has had the..same problem as ours..except this time, they haven't found the children  yet, just know that their children are missing" she says, rubbing her temples a little "I'm glad to hear you got your cutie mark, I always knew it'd be something gaming related" she chuckles and shakes her head "It all leads back to that damned show" she says "Look Dynamo, did you ever discuss it with your mom?"

[Dynamo Pad 11,275]

@Scarlet Rose

Dynamo nods to the female rabbit's remark with a frown. "Yeah. You're mom didn't say where you were going off to. I was hoping she could have told me, so I could have written letters. It would have been nice to keep in touch with everything that was going on." He says, putting his head in his hands, before shaking his head with a sigh. "I'm really sorry about that. I remember we thought that you would get a cutie mark in the future. Only to be told by our parents that ponies can only gain a cutie mark. That, and I'm really tired. I guess I'm not in a good state of mind." He raised an eyebrow as she brought up there being missing children. "Now that you mention it, I haven't seen that many kids lately. A good majority would be in the arcade, or at school. Princess Twilight has put the whole town of Ponyville on high alert." He says, taking a sip of his cola. He chuckled at her remark, while nodding in agreement. "We did come up with a lot of fun games when we were younger. I guess a gaming related cutie mark was bound to appear at some point." He took a deep breath, sighing and shook his head. "I did, but that's the problem. My mom thinks I've gone and lost it. I've always told her that there was that show, but she always told me she only saw static. Every time I tell her, it's the same old story. Why? Had that happened when it came to talking to your mom, Scar?"

[Sphinx-Ara 3,569]

@Dynamo Pad

Scarlet nods "It is the same everywhere, the kids remember it, but the parents all say all they saw was static, and yes, mine said the same" she says and shakes her head "You and me both, I haven't had a good night's sleep in ages" she sighs and looks at him "Dynamo..look, I'm going to be doing a lot of investigating, possibly opening up old wounds that really should be left healed.." she says "S-so if you don't want to be involved, I understand but..I would appreciate hanging out even, like old times..Maybe..playing some Ponymon or some other game.." she smiles warmly but tiredly at him, she then raises an eyebrow "Why has she put the town on high alert? Was there more disappearances or murders? I was just in Manehatten, they're on high alert as well"

[Dynamo Pad 11,275]

@Scarlet Rose

Dynamo could only shake his head and sigh as he took another bite of his food. "I don't get what our parents couldn't see, but we were able to. I guess kids are more impressionable and are more susceptible to these types of things?" He put a hand under his chin as he tried to think things through. As Scarlet had asked for his help on these investigations, he looked to the female rabbit with worry. At first he wasn't sure what to make of this, but he could only smile softly. "I know this may sound dangerous and even frightening, but you've got me on board to help. We were best friends and I hope we still are. So, you can't go through this alone without your best friend involved." He says, returning the warm, yet tired smile. "I would also like that. It's been a while since I've played Ponymon and old, yet classic games. If you need a place to stay, then you're more than welcome to stay at my house. It has a guest room, so you won't have to worry about staying at a hotel." He says, shaking his head at her question. "It was more disappearances, so far. I honestly don't know what's been going on. She just announced everything to Ponyville and we all went into a panic. I'm also guessing this is more of an epidemic for Equestria. Given by what you said of this happening in Manehatten."

[Sphinx-Ara 3,569]

@Dynamo Pad

"More disappearances?" she asks, her eyes widening, she then sighs "I guess I will need to talk to Twilight then" she says "And whoever is in charge of the guard these days" she closes her laptop "And thanks D, it isn't going to be easy at all, but it'll be better with you here" she smiles and reaches across the table to hug him "Hehe, yeah, remember out little motto? The Bestie Squad, besties forever" she chuckles a little and shakes her head some. "Tell me, I have a feeling there is more to it than just a tv show that only children can apparently see" she says "Tell me, have you ever heard of the Dark Carnival?"

[Dynamo Pad 11,275]

@Scarlet Rose

Dynamo could only nod at the female rabbit's question. "Yup. I heard a rumor that disappearances have happened in Fillydelphia and Baltimare. I guess that's why my mom wanted to move to Ponyville. I guess since things like this have happened in other town. She may have been hoping that we could all get away from these disappearances." He says, trying to make sense about this whole conundrum. He nods in agreement to her remark. "I'll go with you. I'm really great friends with her student, Starlight Glimmer. She and I got to know each other for a few years after you left. The castle isn't that far from here, so I'll show you the way." He says, raising an eyebrow in confusion. "What did you mean by guards, if you don't mind me asking. I know Ponyville doesn't usually have guards. Of course, I could be wrong, so please correct me." He was surprised as she reached across the table to hug. He soon smiled and returned the embrace. "I could never forget the motto, haha. Besties forever and besties always." He chuckles as he was happy that his oldest friend remembered their motto. He folded his hands as he hummed in thought. "Hmm...I don't think I've heard of that. I'm guessing it's a type of circus, right? Why do you ask, Scar?"

[Sphinx-Ara 3,569]

@Dynamo Pad

Scarlet nods "It's just another common occurrence in places of these disappearances" She says and then looks to Dynamo and chuckles "Well you've certainly made something of yourself since I was forced to leave. I'm proud of you" she smiles sweetly at him "I mean, close friends with a friend of the Princess, that's quite something" she says and then finishes her food "Also, thanks for the offer, I think it will take you up on that, while I'm being paid well for this..I'd rather not spend it all on the hotel" she leans over and hugs him once more "I need to speak to the guards who are stationed here, see if any of them had seen or heard anything..strange lately" she says "I need to cover all of the base, if you know what I mean"

[Dynamo Pad 11,275]

@Scarlet Rose

"I just hope we can find out the reason behind these disappearances. It's becoming too common nowadays. The least we can do is to put an end to all of this. We were lucky to escape, but I won't let others suffer the same fate." He says, starting to remember more and more about the past. He shook his head as it wasn't the time or place to worry about such things. He smiles softly and chuckles in agreement. "I wouldn't say I've made something of myself. We just happened to bump into each other and accidentally took each other's book. We really found a common interest in magic, video games, board games, kite flying and being there for each other." He says, smiling softly at a recent memory. "We went to a convention together and she was there for me when I lost my dad. I knew right then and there that she and I would be true friends, no matter what."

He smiles and nods, while returning another hug. "You're welcome and it's no problem, really. You're my friend, so it's no trouble. I know what you mean. I've won tournaments, but then I'd hate to spend the money I got on the hotel." He chuckled as he could understand his friend's train of thought. "If you want to speak with the guards, then you'll be in a bit of a predicament." He says, finishing the food that he had ordered. "Ponyville doesn't exactly have guards. They are either not here, or they are all sanctioned in Canterlot and the Crystal Empire. The only guard you could ask is Spike the dragon. He's the number 1 assistant to Princess Twilight. That, and you can also ask the Elements of Harmony. I'm not sure if you've heard of them, but they are all friends with Twilight and a team. They would be the one's to ask, since they get help from the townsfolk to help guard the vicinity of Ponyville."

[Sphinx-Ara 3,569]

@Dynamo Pad

Scarlet thinks for a moment and nods "I see, so I guess it's a good thing we're going to the castle then" she says, "I need to really get all the facts, and seeing as the disappearances are happening here all over again, it's more serious and disturbing than I thought" she then looks to him with a serious and solemn look on her face "Dynamo..did they ever find the bodies of our friends?" she asks, "If they have, I need to see them, they may hold clues to all of this" she says "If not, then we need to return to that field to find them"

[Dynamo Pad 11,275]

@Scarlet Rose

Dynamo nods with a frown. "I guess it's also why they need to have more security. I trust Princess Twilight and the mane six. It's just...all this happened before Twilight ascended to the ranks of Princess. Ponyville is a great place to live, but these disappearances are getting ridiculous." He whispers softly, before continuing. "It truly is becoming disturbing when you think about it. Nowadays, Ponyville isn't regarded as a safe environment. Practically no place feels safe anymore, but still. I think Starlight is at the castle, so she can help us see Twilight." He says, noticing the serious and solemn look upon the female rabbit's face. He sighs and shook his head as he didn't know. "To be honest, I'm not sure. After all the disappearances and accidents, my mother took me to a specialist. She said she wanted me to forget everything. I can remember vague bits and pieces, but it's been so long. I guess what the specialists had done is starting to fade away. I practically begged her to keep my memories of you." He says, balling his hands up into fists. "You were one of my oldest friends that I swore that I would never forget." He says, looking up to return the serious look she had given him. 

[Sphinx-Ara 3,569]

@Dynamo Pad

"Mom wanted the same for me" The bunny says, looking down "That's why she sent me away to live with my aunt." she says with a soft sigh "We really need to get this whole thing finished" she says "And all leads have lead me back here and to the Dark Carnival and Candle Cove" she shakes her head and puts her head in her paws "Dynamo, why? Why did all of this happen to us?" she asks and looks up to him, losing the serious look, but he could tell she was crying. "I had to go into a psychiatric hospital for a while due to the nightmares" she says and looks at him, tears in her eyes, she then reaches over and hugs him tightly, burying her face into his chest, crying "I-I've missed you so much D-Pad"

[Dynamo Pad 11,275]

@Scarlet Rose

Dynamo could only sigh as he learned his oldest friend had gone through a similar fate. "I guess our mom's wanted what was best for us. However, they just don't realize what we truly went through. No amount of talking through the memories would have helped us. No adult could have understood." He says, nodding in agreement on completing this near decade of a mystery. "If everything lead back to these locations, then that's where we need to go. We'll go to the Princess and get this all sorted out." He says, becoming concerned as the female rabbit put her head in her paws. His heart ached as he could see her serious look dissolve into a look of sadness. "I'm sorry you had to go through that. I guess that's why I haven't heard from you for so long." He says, surprised at first by the hug. However, he soon walked around the table and sat down. Pulling his oldest friend into a tight and comforting hug. He tried to be strong for her, but a few tears had managed to escape and cascade down his face. "I missed you too so much, Scar. More than you'll ever know. Not a day went by when I wasn't thinking about you." He says, tightening the hug as he rested his face upon her shoulder.

[Sphinx-Ara 3,569]

@Dynamo Pad

Scarlet simply nods after she feels her oldest friend hug her back. She then wipes her tears and then smiles up at him. "Thank you Dynamo, you always did your best to stay strong for me, but as I said back then, if you need to cry, then cry" she says, still hugging him. After a while though, she returned to her seat and smiles, ordering another shake and a burger and fries "Same here, I thought about you a lot. In fact thinking about you is what helped me get through my time at the hospital." she says and kisses his cheek before gently wiping away the few tears that had cascaded down his cheeks. She smiles then nods "And so to the castle we go..after I eat, crying has always made me hungry."

[Dynamo Pad 11,275]

@Scarlet Rose

Dynamo pulled back from the hug as he listened to her comment. He chuckled slightly and shook his head. "You're welcome and it's what I did best. A lot of the others were not the best when it came to fear and other emotions. I'm no better because I was always afraid and wanted to break down. I guess I had to be brave for some who couldn't. That, and to me, you went through a lot worse between the two of us. I just want you to know that I'll always be there for you." He says, before continuing. "I remember you telling me that when we were younger. It's foolish to try and stay strong for so long, but it's always good to have hope. Sometimes it's good to have that moment of weakness. It shows that you're still a pony, or a creature, after all." He returned the hug once more as the female rabbit returned to her seat. As she ordered more food and another drink, he was surprised from the kiss she placed upon his cheek. A light blush had tinted his cheeks as she wiped his tears away. 'Does she remember?' He thought, blinking slightly as he was still as a statue. He wanted to question why she had done that, but in the end, he decided not to pry into that train of thought. 

"I guess we still have a lot in common with each other. Thinking about you was what got me through some difficult days. Especially on some days where I thought I thought I would go mad from the nightmares." He sniffed, grabbing a tissue to clear his noes of any sinus issues. "Sounds like a plan to me. It gives us some time to try and catch up. I remember you always wanted candy and other desserts when you were feeling better. I remember bringing you a cookie or a cupcake and seeing that cute and warm smile was the best kind of reward." He smiled softly at the faint memory.

[Sphinx-Ara 3,569]

@Dynamo Pad

Scarlet smiled and giggled a little at Dynamo's last remark "that little treat you would always bring to me after I was sad or upset always meant so much to me" she smiles at him as she quickly dug into her burger and fries "I would have messaged you if I knew your details" she says, and smiles at him "You were my best friend back then Dynamo, I hope we can truly reconnect and relive some of the best times we had together" she smiles "I still actually have your old Ponymon decks" she giggles "So, aside from getting your cutiemark and making friends with Twilight and her friends, what have you been up to?"

[Dynamo Pad 11,275]

@Scarlet Rose

Dynamo smiled and blushed as he saw the female rabbit smile and giggle. Seeing the old Scarlet was music to his ears. "I'm glad what I did meant so much to you. I can easily say the same thing. Whenever I had to deal with bullies, you were always there to stand up for me. I know I should learn to deal with Cosmic and Frozen, but you were always there to back me up. You helped to give me confidence to believe in myself. That's something I could never forget." He smiles as her support had warmed his heart. He chuckled sheepishly, running a hand through his mane. "I'm sorry about that. I guess I should've given you my address. That way, we could send letters wherever we were. You were taken away so suddenly that I had no time to process what was going on." He says, nodding with a smile at her comment. "You were my best friend back then too, Scar. In fact, you still are my best friend. I know we'll be able to reconnect our friendship and relive the good times." He says, eyes widening at the mention of Ponymon cards. "You still have them? I haven't played at times, but I did keep up with the meta. It seems like we'll have to upgrade our cards in the future." He says, closing his eyes to think about her question.

"Hmm...not much, to be honest." He opens his eyes to Scarlet's direction, before continuing. "I mean, I've competed in some video game tournaments. All the while, I've been working in an arcade that's been open for around a year. I'm hoping to make some video games in the future. I'm also hoping to attend EVO in a few months. EVO is the biggest gaming convention in the world. It's the convention that crowns some of the best gamer's in all of Equestria. I'm making sure I'm prepared for certain upcoming tournaments." He says, raising an eyebrow in curiosity. "I'd like to ask the same thing about you. What have you been up to these past few years, Scar? I remember you told that you're an investigator. I also remember you saying that was your dream job when we were growing up. Some kids thought that investigating legends and stories was crazy, but I thought that was cool. Have you discovered any of the legends that we all made games from?"

[Sphinx-Ara 3,569]

@Dynamo Pad

Scarlet smiles at him as she ate up the rest of her food "Have I..." she thinks for a moment "I have discovered some of the truths to some, yes" she says "A lot of it is due to mass hysteria, though there are still a lot of unknowns about the missing 411" she then smiles "Yeah, it's been quite a number of years since Ponymon came out and we got our cards" she giggles a little "So if we were to ever want to compete in competitions and such, we would need to update our decks to be legal" she giggles and then looks to him "don't tell me Frost and Cosmic still give you trouble? Even after all this time?" she shakes her head with a sigh and finishes her drink "Come on, lets get some treats and more drinks, then we can make our way to your place. I'd like to settle in just a bit more before we go to the castle, it would probably be best if one of us also sent a letter or something telling them that we will be visiting"