Cancelled Story: Along Came a Spider · 3:47am Jul 16th, 2013
I have three characters I love dearly. Although they blend aspects from previous works not entirely my own, they are mine, and mine alone. The first is Reon Adler, a relic from my very first fanfiction ever. The second is a wandering bard that carried the nickname Journeyman, whose name I use as an internet handle and whose story I have yet to tell. However, the third might be my favorite: Dr. Edmund Sirus.
You may know the name if you've hung around me long enough. I've mentioned him a few times in conversation, I use his name as my Fanfiction and Fictionpress handle, and a few of you have seen me call myself a doctor on a few occasions.
I created Doctor Sirus in a role play a few years back. His story is in my head, but has nothing in common with MLP:FIM. However, I always wanted to tell his story in full, and not through a simple role play. I adapted his story for the fandom, as this fandom is the closest thing I have to truly expressing my creativity. However, I hit several roadblocks along the way. I could never figure out how to work a full adaption and the story has been in perpetual limbo ever since.
I called it: Along Came A Spider, a name you may have seen in my Story Progression box, and one as cancelled no less. Unless I am struck with true vision and can adapt it, it will stay that way. That's not to say I didn't do a little preliminary work on the first chapter before common sense kicked in. Here is an incomplete chapter of Along Came A Spider. I'll let what I have speak for itself. If you have any questions, feel free to drop me a line. Perhaps you might be the one to kick my ass in gear and start this story. This is a story where a man just wants to run and forget, but the spider is not willing to give up a fly firmly in its web.
Chapter 1: The Wayward Star
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The stallion was very sickly looking, with gaunt cheeks, thin build, and dark shadows under his eyes from a lack of sleep. While his fur was a dull orange, his hair was as black as pitch and blended into the shadows and night sky. He was garbed in little more than a standard doctor’s uniform, but while most Equestrian doctors had a simple standard issue labcoat, his was form fitting and perfectly tailored to his own slender body. A single pip was on his collar. Otherwise, he looked like every other earth pony.
He galloped down the streets of the unfamiliar streets. The buildings were solid and well built, but the aesthetic and materials were old and rustic. The inhabitants could barely be in the industrial age, if that. He cast his gaze forward. He saw uniformed and armored ponies before. Guards, possibly police or militia. However, they moved in formation under trained officers. Their armor was standard issue and mass produced. They were a standing army. They had to be. They would be trouble, and they also meant that he had very little time until he was caught.
He huffed and puffed. Although an earth pony, he was not in the best shape and certainly not built for extended physical labor. Strange. The two or three earth ponies he had seen before he escaped his landing craft were built like tanks. Another thought for later. He had work to do. He tapped the device over his ear.
“Initiate Interplexing Holonet device. Activation Code: Sigma, Tango, Charlie, Alpha, Delta.”
A calm, gender-neutral voice filtered through his earpiece, quiet enough so that only he could hear it, “PLEASE STATE NAME AND RANK.”
“Major Doctor Edmund Sirus, head of the Bureau of Scientific Research and Development. Serial number: RD15-273-18273.”
“COMMAND CONFIRMED. ACTIVATING HOLONET AND SECURE NETWORK CROSSCOM.”
A stream of data filtered over the Doctor’s visor: OS boot specs, preset specifications, and menus to activate different modes of vision.
“Security lockout: disable interplexing beacon.” Doctor Sirus stopped his gallop and backtracked a few steps. One of the streets was covered in darkness due to curfew. He ran down it and hid behind a cart covered by a tarp. After a quick peek revealed the contents to be brass kitchenware, he huddled in the shadows.
“WARNING: DISABLING THE INTERPLEXING BEACON WILL PREVENT ACCESS TO EXTERNAL WIRELESS NETWORKS AND THE DELIVERY OF S.O.S. EMERGENCY DISTRESS BEACON.”
“Understood. Deactivate the beacon and encrypt this holonet device against all foreign codes not authorized by Doctor Edmund Sirus or from a separate holonet device.”
“ACKNOWLEDGED. INTERPLEXING BEACON DISABLED. LOCKOUT PROCEDURE AUTHORIZED.” A 64 digit activation key flashed across his eyepiece, a random collection of letters and numbers. The doctor took a minute to memorize the code before deleting it from the holonet’s archive. He shrunk further into the shadows as he heard the clanking of armor. The patrols were getting closer. If these ponies truly were as primitive as he believed, they would likely consider him a threat. He did detonate his shuttle to prevent it from being tracked and so it wouldn’t fall into their hooves. Of course, he didn’t have enough time to verify he was on a preindustrial planet. It was best to stay out of the spotlight, at least until he could gather more intelligence.
He refused to speak until the sound passed and even then waited a minute to be sure before whispering, “Establish local area network.”
“NETWORK ESTABLISHED. LOCKOUT PROCEDURES CONFIGURED TO NEW NETWORK.”
“Query: Can a command given to this holonet device be overridden by a foreign signal?”
“ANALYZING.... AFFIRMATIVE.”
“Elaborate.” Doctor Sirus was only speaking at a whisper now, but his commands were heard all the same.
“THIS HOLONET DEVICE CAN HAVE ITS SECURITY LOCKOUT COMMANDS OVERRIDDEN BY ANY FOREIGN SIGNAL TAGGED WITH A HIGHER SECURITY CLEARANCE THAN: MAJOR DOCTOR EDMUND SIRUS.”
“Shit,” the doctor cursed, but the holonet’s AI kept on talking.
“DUE TO THE DISENGAGED INTERPLEXING BEACON, FOREIGN SIGNALS MUST BE WITHIN THIS DEVICE’S WIRELESS NETWORK RANGE.”
“Well, that’s something to work with,” The Doctor ducked once again as a crowd of civilian ponies ran down the adjacent street, all babbling incoherently.
“Query: Does this device have operational audio and visual channels?”
“ANALYZING.... AFFIRMATIVE.”
“Okay then. Analyze all vocals patterns and body language that do not belong to Doctor Edmund Sirus. Cross reference with linguistic databases and derive translation to Common.”
“WARNING: THE PREVIOUS COMMAND MAY HAVE A SIGNIFICANT MARGIN OF ERROR. DO YOU WISH TO CONTINUE?”
“Yes I do. I’m not going to live long if I can’t speak to these ponies.”
Doctor Sirus sighed heavily to gather his courage and ran out into the side street and followed the crowd of ponies.
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Nifty.
You should write more of it
1214066
I'd like to. I have the doctor's story scripted in its entirety. Throughout the role play, he got an entire backstory. If I write this, I know what happens in the impending story to the doctor and the ponies (for the most part), but it's the middle that I am unsure of. I don't have an adequate bridge between the two, That may seem simple, but not until you realize just how much there is to the character.