private Game of Trapped Love (RP with Dynamo Pad)

[Sphinx-Ara 3,517]

@Dynamo Pad

Sora would just sigh "I know, but the problem was I was just getting too stressed out about everything" he says, then smiles a little "We can still try and contact Dr Wolf, maybe he can give me some pointers on what course would be more suitable for me" he would say and nod "Today must be the day, perhaps they will announce the patch was to fix the dungeon" he would say, finding the quest board but also seeing his friends "There's my friends over there" he says, waving to them and approaches them.

He greets his friends and then introduces them to Dynamo, how-ever something had come up and three of them needed to log off. But they couldn't "What the?" One of them, a mare asks "I can't log out" she says, "Me neither" another of Sora's friends says, just as the bell chimes for the announcement.

[Dynamo Pad 10,777]

@Succubusted

"Hmm...I guess I can see your point. With school, a job, your life outside of school? That does sound stressful when putting everything together." He looked to her and nodded with a soft smile. "Yeah, you're right. You also did get your minor degree in game design. So, maybe we can go and see Dr. Wolf to help you out. If there's a major that suits you, then we can go from there. If not, then there are at least some options." He says, humming at the possibility of the patch. "What do you mean? Something along the lines of letting anyone taking on the dungeon. Regardless of having a giant party or not to tackle said dungeon raids/bosses? I guess that would be a good change, but I'm all for taking said dungeons on as a giant team. At least, that way, we can have a fighting chance for everyone to make it through in one piece. I've seen my fair share of dungeon raids where if one person falls, then the whole team falls with them. Remember the whole Leroy Jenkins?" He snickered at the old video, while shaking his head at how that game event unfolded.

At the mention of her friends, he smiled and nodded at Sora's four friends, who were grouped together. "Oh, cool. They seem nice. Hopefully they are friendly and I hope they'll like a new friend." He says, waving at the four friends. He soon stopped as he noticed that they started to panic. Something along the lines of not logging out. "Wait, what?" He raised an eyebrow, before going over to his menu to see if he could log out. Just as Sora's friends had been saying, the log out feature was gone. "Woah. Hold on a minute. What in Equestria is going on!? My log out button is gone too." He looked to Sora to see if she had any idea on what was going on, before he could hear a bell chiming in the distance. 

[Sphinx-Ara 3,517]

@Dynamo Pad

Sora also looked at his menu "Mine too, what th.." he was about to finish when the bells chimed and he looked up to the center of the area, every other player was there as well "Guess we'll find out, but..not to sound cliche but, I have a bad feeling about this" he would say as other players would talk among themselves about not being able to log out. A dark, shadowy figure would appear in the middle. 

"Player listen up!" it demands, and demand it did as everyone would turn to pay attention to the figure "For the last month, you have been playing Legends Online, but now..the game is going to play you" the figure smirks, though only it's teeth could be seen "As you would have noticed by now, your log in and out button has disappeared, that is because, there is no escaping this game..for now" he'd chuckle menacingly "the only way to leave the game is either death, and yes, you die here, you die in real life" he says "or to clear the final stage of the game, which..you will need to do, but how you do it is up to you" he then grins "Best of luck players" he then disappears, and as he does, the players true forms show instead of their avatars.

[Dynamo Pad 10,777]

@Succubusted

Dynamo looked at the center of town to see a shadowy figure had appeared. He couldn't explain it, but the blue unicorn felt an unnerving feeling in the pit of his stomach. "I guess so. Is it bad that I'm starting to have that same exact feeling?" He asks, but nodded in agreement with Sora. As the shadowy figure began to speak, Dynamo felt a chill ran up and down his spine. The way the shadowy figure spoke with such authority was very alarming. It was as if he had the fate of the entire game in the palm of his hands. With nothing else to say, Dynamo decided to see what this shadowy figure had to say to everyone.

As they spoke, Dynamo's jaw dropped slightly as his eyes began to widen. What he had been told was almost too much to bare. "T-This game is going to play...us? So, that's it then? W-We're basically trapped, until this game is completed?" He whispered softly to himself, but it was loud enough for Sora and her friends to hear him. The way the shadowy figure laughed had irked the blue unicorn. It was as if this being had won and there was nothing anyone could do to stop them. At the mention of being defeated was enough to make his blood run cold. "Oh, that's not good. I don't want to believe this, but what other explanation is there?" He shook his head and wished it was all a dream. In actuality, it was reality, but it felt like he was trapped in a nightmare. As the shadowy figure disappeared, Dynamo had to close his eyes as he and every other player was bathed in a bright light. It only lasted for a moment, but as he opened his eyes, Dynamo had noticed that he appeared as he was in the real world. "What in Equestria? What happened to my avatar? I-I am myself as if I'm in the real world. Why? Is this another part of the new game design?" He looked around to see that everyone had changed, as well.

[Sphinx-Ara 3,517]

@Dynamo Pad

Sora would look around then at himself "Aw come on, this was my one escape" he would pout for a brief moment "So hey Dynamo, this is..me" he would say "I guess" he'd look around, "Well least I'm not the only one" he sighs and then it really hit him "W-wait like..oh damn, it's just like that anime" he says "You know, Sword Art Online" he would say "Well this is..I honestly do not know how to feel about this" 

[Dynamo Pad 10,777]

@Etch Daydream

"I think everyone can agree with you on that, Sora. This was a sort of escape from reality, or at least an awesome game to play. Now? It looks like we're all in for the long haul this time." He sighs, looking over to Sora, before a look of confusion was on his face. "Sora, is that you? I hope you can forgive me as I'm just confused as to what's going on." He says, looking around to see that everyone else in the game had changed from their avatars. He remember some of the player's passing by during the first month of the game. Some he recognized, while some he didn't. "I guess whoever did this wanted to make this game more believable?" He shrugged his shoulders, before blinking a few times in surprise at the name of the anime. "Wait a minute. So, you're telling me that we're basically in the same situation as SAO? I guess whoever did this has a really bad sense of humor. I don't know how to feel about this either. I think we need to all find a seat and regroup. We need to think about where we all go from here at this point." He says, looking over towards Sora and the rest of Sora's friends from college.

[Sphinx-Ara 3,517]

@Dynamo Pad

Sora would look to him and chuckle "Y-yeah, this is real me" he would say "This game was sort of my escape from being well, this" he'd say and then listen to him some more and nods "The way it would seem, we are in exactly the same situation as the one in the first season of SAO" he would say "beat the game or die trying..or become like a merchant or broker" he would say and slump where he was sitting, "also sorry for making you think I'm a girl, you know, there are days I wish I were a girl" he would say and then his friends would come up to them "Well shit, we're trapped here" the mare says. 

Sora nods "Yep, and I think we really need to have a plan"

[Dynamo Pad 10,777]

@Etch Daydream

Dynamo tiled his head slightly as he heard Sora chuckle, but the chuckle felt somewhat forced and/or nervous. "I think I understand what you mean, but in a way, I feel as if I don't. I can understand the escape part as I feel stressed out at work from time to time. As surprising as that sounds." He returned the chuckle, but was trying to relieve the tension of their current situation. "I did watch up to the first season of SAO. So, I have a pretty good idea of how this is going to happen. I don't get what is going through that shadowy figure's mind, or how he thought this was a good idea, or why. What I guess I do know is that we'll have to figure out how far this game goes and then complete the game to the best of our abilities. I guess getting a job like a merchant, or any other job in this game will have to be an option too." He frowned as he took a seat a few feet beside Sora. "It's okay, but I just feel a little hurt. I see you as my friend. I just wish you could have told me sooner. Since we had been playing the game as a team for about a month. If there was a reason, then I can completely understand." He looked around to see that everyone else was still in a panic. Looking back towards the group as Sora's friends walked up to them. 

"Trapped in this game or not, we'll have to find a way to bide our time." He looked back over to Sora and nodded. "If it's not too personal, then maybe we can chat later. If that's okay, that is." He looked to everyone in the group, before continuing. "For now, we'll have to find a place to stay for the evening. Possibly for a while, if we are going to be stuck in the game. Afterwards, we'll have to make a plan of attack and ways to do quests, level up, and take on dungeons. Maybe we'll be able to find a way to beat the game and then we can all go home."

[Sphinx-Ara 3,517]

@Dynamo Pad

The mare nods "We could get like a guild house sort of thing" she says "After getting enough for it of course" she suggests as the others nod in agreement, she then looks to Sora and places her hand on his shoulder "Go on S, Dynamo seems like a good guy and he deserves to know the truth" she says.

Sora sighs "I'm sorry Dynamo, but the thing is, it isn't that I don't trust you, it's just that..I've had bad experiences coming out to others in the past" he says then breathes a deep sigh "When I said this was my escape, it wasn't just from the life outside of the game, but also my..bio gender" he would see "You see, I was born male, that's for sure, but in truth, I have never felt right being male in the slightest and..well I'm going through some counselling with my gender dysphoria and may even start hormone replacement therapy once we get out of this mess we're in" he would say to him.

[Dynamo Pad 10,777]

@Etch Daydream

At the suggestion of a guild house, Dynamo nodded slightly. He wasn't against the idea. He was slightly tired and just stressed from their recent events. "I guess that will work for now. Maybe we can pool our currency together and see what we can do. Afterwards, we'll try to find jobs and such where we can save up for a place to stay." He says, looking to one of the friend's placing a hand on Sora's shoulder. He wanted to ask what was going on, but he didn't want to force anyone to say anything. Rather, he didn't want to sound rude or anything along those lines. He decided to wait patiently and see how things would play out.

As he started listening to his explanation, Dynamo nodded as he had a look of understanding. "It's okay and you don't have to apologize Sora. It's like I had said. If there was a reason, then I can truly understand. I've had bad experiences with being picked on by bullies. It was bad to the point of every other student joining in to bully me. I know it's not the same, but it's something that I feel as if I can relate to you." As he continued to listen, he had a look of regret as if he had said something wrong earlier. He wanted to give the male griffon a hug for comfort to let Sora know that he was there for his friend. "I'm really glad that you told me. I don't know what to say as I have never known anyone going through something like this. I hope you can forgive me if I don't know the right words on what to say. I just want you to know that I'll always see you as my friend, Sora. I'm sorry you have to wait to go through this therapy, but I'm with you every step of the way." He held his arms out for Sora in case the male griffon wanted a hug.

[Sphinx-Ara 3,517]

@Dynamo Pad

Sora smiles "Thanks for understanding Dynamo" he'd say, nodding to what he would say and then listen to the mare and nods "Yeah, I think, what we need to do, is find other experienced players, and maybe organize a raid group" he would say, "Kind of like what they did in Sword Art Online" he mentions, "We should also keep an eye on the boards, as I've noticed we can still access them" he says "And we need to be alert, there are certain to be player killers about as well" he mentions.

[Dynamo Pad 10,777]

@Etch Daydream

Dynamo returns the smile and nods. "You're welcome Sora." He looked around at the other players, while wondering the same exact thought. "That's easier said than done. Seeing how there were only a few players who even got to play the beta. With this many players online, then there's no telling who's a beta tester and who's still a rookie." He sighed, shaking his head as he had to be optimistic. "The raid group for this dungeon only needs six players. With how the rules are now, then we'll need all the help we'll get. We can't be too careful at this point. Although, why should. we keep an eye on the boards? I'm a little lost on that." He tilted his head in confusion, before feeling nervous about Sora's last remark. "I never even thought about that. Most player's want to duel and then take the spoils of the loser. With what's going on, then there's more to lose than just a regular duel." He shuddered, before his eyes widened in shock. "Oh, no! I almost forgot! I told Button I was going to be in work tomorrow, but I can't now! I mean, I hope he and others hear about the news. I just hope there's a way to keep everyone stabilized, while not taking the VR helmet off. If we don't get eliminated here, then the outside help from the real world is a different story."

[Sphinx-Ara 3,517]

@Dynamo Pad

The mare nods "If this is happening very similar to SAO, then I suppose our loved ones will likely get some sort of notice telling them to not remove the VR helmet" she says "As that would just..yeah" she says then looks to Dynamo "ah, since we're all gonna be trapped here, names should be know, I'm Whinny" the mare smiles "the stallion is Cole and the dragon, well he's Emerald" she explains.

[Dynamo Pad 10,777]

@Etch Daydream

"The only one I know, who does know about this, is most likely Button. Seeing how he got me the game, before the midnight launch. My mom lives in Fillydelphia, but I guess she'll know in due time. Provided that the ones who made the game gave some sort of notice to all our loved ones." He says, nodding in agreement as that mare looked towards him. "That sounds good to me. Since we'll be here for a while, then it's better to have friends and allies. It's also nice to meet you Whinny, Cole and Emerald. My gaming name on here is Kyubiki Tenchu. If we're going by real names, then my real is Dynamo Pad. However, you can call me Dynamo as you all seem like really nice friends." He says, before turning his attention towards the others. "So, what should we do now? Is there a place to stay for the evening, or should we set up camp somewhere? Seeing how we can't log off, but this would also give us a chance to get to know each other."

[Sphinx-Ara 3,517]

@Dynamo Pad

Whinny nods as she thinks "Well there is the inn for starters, we probably should get ourselves some rooms before they all sell out" she suggests "I am thinking when we're not raiding, I might set up a shop, I've been leveling my crafting" she says.

Sora nods "sounds good to me Whinny, Cole, Emerald?" he asks as they had been chatting. Emerald looks to them "While you're right, there won't be a lot of the beta testers around, there would be veteran players from other games" he says "I suggest posting something on the boards, or checking them" he says "Also, nice claymore S"

Sora chuckles "Thanks, actually got it from the first boss fight Kyubiki and I did together"

[Dynamo Pad 10,777]

@Etch Daydream

"I think there's an inn about a block away. If we hurry, then we'll be able to get a couple of rooms. Hopefully, they'll give us a free stay for the evening. Given the situation we're all in, then the game could at least give us a form of accommodation." He says, nodding at the plan of when they wouldn't be raiding. "I guess I can try and take a couple of odd jobs or quests for the time being. Maybe if I find stray items from enemies, then I'll bring them back to you, Whinny. If you're leveling up your crafting, then we can make the most of making rare items to sell." As he began setting off towards the hotel, Dynamo looked back to Emerald and blinked a couple of times in realization. "Oh, right. I didn't think about that possibility. With other RPG style games, then there will be other experienced players. Sounds like one can't be too careful when it involves playing many different style kind of games." He knew that there might be a few regular ponies and creatures playing the game. However, he didn't factor in the idea of ponies with gaming themed cutie marks playing this game either. He could only imagine how tougher the game would be in the long run, but he knew this was something he had to be prepared for.

As he heard his gaming name being mentioned, Dynamo looked towards Sora and smirked as he raised an eyebrow. "Oh, so it's back to Kyubiki, then? What happened to using Kyu as the sort of nickname, Sora?" He rolled his eyes playfully and chuckled as he was clearly joking around. 

[Sphinx-Ara 3,517]

@Dynamo Pad

Sora chuckles "Sorry Kyu, still kind of in shock about what's happening" he would say and then nod "I agree with the plans, first get our rooms at the inn squared away and see if we can find some more veterans, discuss a plan" he says and looks to everyone "and Whinny, if you need help with money for setting up your shop, we can pool together" he would say "For now though, after we check the boards and get our rooms, I think we ought to do some quests to build up our treasury"

[Dynamo Pad 10,777]

@Etch Daydream

Dynamo chuckled along with the male griffon and shook his head. "No need to apologize, Sora. We're all going through a lot right now. I guess I was just trying to defuse any kind of worry by joking around. It's what my dad would do in times like this. Only that he was never stuck inside a video game." He chuckled once again, but nodded. "Do you think we should try to find an arrangement on who gets to stay in what room? Seeing how we'll pool our currency together, then it'll be good to save up for the time being. Considering we don't know if the first night stay at the inn is for free due to everyone's circumstances." He says, looking back to Sora and the others as he tilted his head slightly. "I'm all for the plan on checking the quest board, getting our rooms and questing. However, does anyone know what time it is? I'm just wondering so we can plan a sort of schedule of how long we should quest. This way, we can train towards a certain level and then figure out ways to tackle certain enemies. We're going to need a lot of strategy and veteran players if we're going to get out of this mess."

[Sphinx-Ara 3,517]

@Dynamo Pad

Sora would check his module "Uh it says..it's half past three in the afternoon" he would say "so we have plenty of time to sort things out" he would say, leading the group towards the inn "Now, I think we ought to agree to a few..guidelines" he would say "If there's a world boss, or even a high level monster that we are unsure of, we do not go it alone. We do it as a guild, and maybe see if others want to do it too" he says "that way, we minimalize the chances of one of us dying"

[Dynamo Pad 10,777]

@Etch Daydream

"Three in the afternoon, huh?" Dynamo repeated as he nodded at how much time the group had for the day. "Okay, then. So, that'll give us a bit of time to go questing, while planning out what we'll all be doing for the time being. That doesn't sound too bad, in my opinion." He says, nodding in agreement to Sora's response. As they made their way towards the inn, the gaming unicorn nodded at the suggestion the male griffon had given. "Given how we may have certain abilities that allow us to not be traced by a high level monster, then we can try and scout out the area. Just in case there is a high level monster if it's not possible to take on alone. I do like the idea as it's all about strength in numbers. If we do get more members for the guild, then some quests will be that much easier to accomplish. I just wonder if some quests will be given a chance to be taken on once again. Just like in World of Warcraft, where the boss of a certain quest spawns again and again to drop the quest item. I just hope that's not the case. Otherwise, other players might be in a bit of trouble."

[Sphinx-Ara 3,517]

@Dynamo Pad

Sora nods "One can only hope" he says, as they arrive at the inn "right everyone, lets get our rooms squared away, then meet in the common area to discuss what we want to do next" he would then look to the others "If two of you wanna room share to save money, that's fine too" he says, going to the npc and getting a room for himself, then goes up to his room to put away his crafting things, along with some other items into the chest and change his outfit before making his way back to the common area.

[Dynamo Pad 10,777]

@Etch Daydream

Dynamo nodded in agreement on both Sora's comment, as well as the mention of figuring out the rooms. The blue unicorn wanted to ask the others on who wanted to room with who, but frowned as Sora had left for his own room. He decided to wait with the others in the common area until Sora made his return. After some time had passed, Dynamo had noticed the male griffon had reunited with the others in the common area. "Hey. Sorry if we still have our belongings with us. Some of us had decided on rooms, while others were waiting until you returned. We'd like to get your opinion on how the room setup is going to look."

[Sphinx-Ara 3,517]

@Dynamo Pad

Sora nods "It's fine, Dynamo, if you wanna room share with me, that's fine" he says, tossing him the key "It'd save us money, plus while I was putting my things away, I read the guide, we're going to need a guild charter, and have a certain amount of signatures before we can be considered a guild" he says "meaning we will need more members, so I think while Whinny is looking at shops, we ought to look at getting those signatures and members" he then looks to Cole and Emerald who both nod, then to Dynamo "What do you think Kyu?"

[Dynamo Pad 10,777]

@Etched Daydream

Dynamo blinked for a moment as he was caught off guard from Sora, who tossed a key towards him. He managed to catch the key after almost dropping said key on the ground, before nodding at the offer. "If you're okay with sharing the room, then I'd like to be your roommate. I'll make sure to pay you back since we'll all be pooling our currency together." He smiles, before nodding at the information Sora was able to gain. "So, the whole guild thing is just like World of Warcraft. I remember being invited to a guild out of random and that was the end of that. To be fair, the leader of the guild had been inviting every single person in the game. So, it was pretty random, but it was both funny and epic at the same time. Even on a different server, someone invited me and they only needed about ten members to make the guild become official. So, I guess it all depends on how many player's we need to form the guild." At the mention of what the group would do for the time being, Dynamo nodded in confirmation as he turned to face the male griffon. "I think that's a good plan, Sora. How about we all split up into groups. Cole and Emerald can go together, while Sora and I go together, as well. We'll go around and look for anyone willing to join the guild. We'll pick a location to meet up in about an hour to see how the search went. Afterwards, we'll try and do a sparring match with the recruits to see if they have what it takes to be a part of the guild. That way, nobody will slack off in this game and we'll have a giant team ready to take on the first dungeon boss." He says, wanting to contribute to towards the plan.

[Sphinx-Ara 3,517]

@Dynamo Pad

Sora nods and smiles "Yeah, pretty much like any sort of other MMORPG. " he says then nods to Dynamo's idea, "That sounds good to me, splitting up will hopefully get us more signatures and new members rather than if we all stayed together"

Emerald nodded "I like the idea of sparring matches and training, we can ill afford to have slackers in the guild"