• Member Since 11th Nov, 2017
  • offline last seen September 8th

Antiquarian


Those who do not study history are doomed to repeat it. Those who do study history are doomed to watch other people repeat it.

Sequels1

T
Source

Friar Jacques de Charrette was tired. The Templars, his first Order, were gone, massacred by a treacherous King. His old wars are over, as the Kingdoms of Europe tear each other apart for land and power. Now a Hospitaller priest, and an old man, Friar Jacques expects nothing more than to live out the rest of his days in peace. But Providence has other plans in store for Jacques, and when a distant land has need of his aid, the dutiful warrior priest will answer the call.

He just would have preferred that someone warn him about the magical talking ponies.


Perhaps an odd foray into Human in Equestria writing, but I enjoy being unconventional. We often see modern men flung into the medieval world. What about a medieval man being flung into modern Equestria? A 14th Century Supplement in Celestia's Court is a companion volume, with a list of character descriptions (first chapter), canonical vignettes, and non-canon comedy chapters which will be added as time goes on. It is not required reading, but you may find chapters useful for context or amusing for the lack of context.

General disclaimer: this story is a work of fiction. 'My Little Pony' is the property of Hasbro and its affiliates. References to historical figures are made, but these are subject to creative license, and resemblance between original characters and those of other works are coincidental. I will make an effort to note when a historical reference is made in case people want to check the source material (and to cite my own sources), but these will be relatively few in number.

My Little Pony and its contents are the property of Hasbro, Inc. and its affiliates. Please support the official release.

Cover art is Heor Corbray by Nordheimer - it is the property of Nordheimer and I own nothing of it; thanks to lordelliot for finding the original, since I couldn't remember where I found it.

Chapters (44)
Comments ( 2876 )

i.imgur.com/uu9pmDP.gif

A promising first chapter! I look forward to reading the rest!

I...want....more!

Great writing, and a great concept. Keep it up!

not bad, not bad at all, looking forward to reading more

Haha, figure's you would write something like this.

8761481
Darn straight I will! One doesn't simply study something for the better part of two decades and not incorporate it.

Awesome. I eagerly await more!

OOOO I am EXCITED. And I love that you inserted Providence into this; I have a story with a similar faith/creation background and it's really pleasing to see it used in such a well-written chapter. I'm excited to see where this goes; you definitely have me hooked! Your characters are really strong, you've added in worldbuilding bits that fluidly flesh out the show's canon, and you didn't do the expected/usual shtick of starting things off with the human character and shoving them into the pony world, instead giving us some truly intriguing buildup before getting to that. GREAT job so far! Onto the next chapter!

*slams hands on desk* I LIKE THIS A LOT OKAY

Genuine freakin' historical fiction combined with ponies, well-written characters, Knights Templar, a mission from God, the human WILLINGLY choosing to go on the mission but still a little of the surprise "sucked into another dimension" fun - and it's all REALLY well written with no more than a handful of typos. I'm SUPER SAD there is only one more chapter up, PLEASE KEEP WRITING THIS

Perhaps an odd foray into Human in Equestria writing, but I enjoy being unconventional.

Alas, you didn't study HIE history enough, so now I'm doomed to watch you repeat it, and two ways at that.

Okay, first I'll be honest with my criticism: I felt that the fight scene with the timberwolves went on too long. I found myself skimming after a little while, mainly because of course we know he's not going to die, so maybe I got a little impatient. But BOY it was made up for at the end there with the MOST CLASSIC reaction to being stuck in a COMPLETELY WEIRD new universe. XD The "How? WHY?!" especially cracked me up because seriously most sensible question, "WHY IS THERE A PLACE WHERE PONIES CAN TALK" I'm still giggling a little maniacally at all of it. Also your first note in the Author Notes amuses me greatly. And I forgot to mention last chapter that I love that you named Jacques after Brian Jacques, he was a favorite author of mine as a kid. :D

GREAT JOB, PLEASE MAKE MORE

8761959

I don't think there's such a thing as a new idea in HiE anymore. From what I've seen, there's three types of HiE stories these days:
1) A premise that has been dead for years and should never be done ever again unless it's exceptionally well done, an example of this would be Conversion Beurau.
2) A premise that has been done to death but can still be passable depending on the details, an example would be Military in Equestria.
3) A premise which someone who was new to HiE might think is rare, but anyone who's folowed it for a while would know it's been done quite a bit. A good example would be stories like George Tresdale, God of... Something by DrOrcid.

Huh, I figured he was an Umbral, one of the race of creatures that created Sombra to free them from beneath the Crystal Empire where they were sealed. (From Fiendship is Magic)

8762084 And then: Adam and Eve in Equestria... that time when Equestria was the Garden of Eden and Discord was the snake in the tree... cuz it had wings. And Discord has wings. And it lies, and Discord lies! Like Satan! So Discord = Satan! DO YOU SEEEEEE!? :pinkiecrazy:

8762084 A NOVEL PREMISE: AJ tired of growing apples and instead decides to grow grapefruit! :applejackconfused:

8762135
Is that an actual story? If not then it should be. Also, why the hell are you still here? You commented on one of my stories back in 2015 or something, I can't believe you're still around.

8762141 I AM THE ALPHA AND THE AMIGA!! I AM A SUPER SANDWICH!! :pinkiecrazy:

Comment posted by DOOMRIDER deleted Feb 27th, 2018

From the beginning of the first chapter. This song depending on how fast of a reader you are.

Setting the story aside for reading later, I couldn't help but comment on your profile line regarding being doomed to watch others repeat history.

I'd say let's hope they at least do something horrible in a creative way, but they can't even repeat stuff with originality, let alone avoid the same foul mistakes time and again.

8762607
I once read a book (the specific title escapes me) wherein a man observes that we are in fact lucky to merely repeat history, for often we devise something new that is far worse. I find there to be some truth to this.

8762069
Thank you for the feedback on the fight scene. Pacing for fight scenes is one of the most difficult tempos to nail, as too little detail leaves the audience feeling cheated while too much feels like a drag. Part of why I've taken up writing fanfiction is to hone my craft so as to work on things (like tempo) for my actual work. As such, constructive criticism is needed. And I'm glad you found his horrified reaction to discovering the ponies to be amusing.

8762811
You're very welcome, I'm glad it was helpful. I quite understand, fanfiction is very useful for practice; I've always advocated it as the main reason I was able to improve my own writing. And yes, I have just a bit of a mean humor streak wherein I enjoy characters being thoroughly flabbergasted/thrown off their guard (but not to their true endangerment, and he's obviously not in real trouble here), so I got a kick out of that. XD;;; You did an especially good job with his broken thought train; I liked how he switched between two languages because he was so totally freaked out. It was well-written, and he'll be fiiiine~

8761931
Glad you enjoy it. The joy of working with the Medieval period for an HiE story is that, in some ways, many things would be incredibly jarring for the human, while in others they'd actually handle it better than the average modern man (i.e. the casual acceptance of the apparently supernatural). Rest assured, I'll try to avoid keeping you waiting too long for updates.

8762811
(Dangit now I feel a little guilty for being amused by his plight. I'm feeling more sympathy for him now, hope that fits what you were going for XD; )

8762831
To be clear, you are supposed to be amused. I think of it as not so much laughing at Jacques as it is laughing at the scenario. Heck I find it amusing, so if it's wrong to laugh at it than I'm in trouble too.

8762834
Oh thank goodness I was really worried I was coming across as some sort of sadist there. XD; Thank you for the reassurance. It's honestly one of my favorite plot points to just COMPLETELY throw the wrench between the protagonist's metaphorical wheel spokes and watch them sputter, especially if the character is normally level-headed since they wouldn't normally be in that kind of situation. It's tricky to pull off at times because it's easy to be enjoying the confusion so much that you let it go on too long, which is another reason I really appreciated your scene, as it had juuuust the right amount "WHAT THE ACTUAL CRAP" before the poor guy just gave up and passed out. XD; Looking forward to seeing how he does upon waking up!

Sounds really interesting....

Only im raging inside from just the description and cover art. Friar isnt any type of rank within the Knights Templars and the cover is a Hospitaller rather then a Templar. Even the description of the picture on DA says hospitaller...

Oh well, ill give it a read later anyway.

I also like Redwall. Do you prefer Martin or Matthias?

Interesting, VERY interesting

8762141 8762162
I asked myself a simple question about a month ago — it's not important what question — and I realized that I literally could not imagine FiM Fiction without Alondro. He's been a fixture around here for so long and commented on so many stories and blogs that he's become a sort of genius loci.


But, to the matter at hand:

In another shameful display, I admit to being aware that the English of the 1300s (and probably the French too) is wildly different from the modern equivalent.

(Nearly) All the dialogue in Usagi Yojimbo is written in modern English. To be "correct," it should all be written in Classical Japanese, but we happily ignore this fact because Usagi Yojimbo. Contrary to what a lot of people seem to believe, "fact" should not be allowed to get in the way of a good story (so long as it's clear that the story in question is thusly not factual).

(Warhammer 40,000 is the same way, where British English and Ecclesiastical Latin are used in place of Low Gothic and High Gothic respectively, even though there is no linguistic similarity between those languages)

Great story. I'll be follow this. Fav.

Looks like you were inspired by Les Visiteurs :heart:

8761959
It do look like a checklist of all the overdone trope of the genre, but at the very least it look more competent then other who came before.
I'm giving at a chance.

8762845
Glad to hear it. Looking back I realized that the way I said 'glad you enjoyed him freaking out' :pinkiehappy: could easily have come across as a sarcastic 'so glad to see you like his pain.' :pinkiecrazy: Not my intent, I assure you

8763544
Never read it, actually. Is it worth reading?

Comment posted by FridayPie deleted Feb 27th, 2018

8763071
Tough call, but on the whole I'll say Martin. Matthias I enjoy as the everyman character who stands up to become the hero because he is needed. Martin I enjoy as the soldier born to war who cannot leave the battlefield so long as there is a wrong to be righted. Matthias is a directly noble character who I enjoy for that reason, but Martin is a trope that I rarely seen done well but enjoy tremendously when it is: the Forever Soldier, bound to the sword by tragedy or need depending on your perspective but who bears the blade gladly because he knows that he protects the innocent. The concept of a soldier who will answer the call unto death, no matter how tired and battered they are, appeals to me. Matthias, too, would answer this call, but unlike Martin he actually gets a lot of peace and quiet before his final years. As a more contemporary comparison, Martin reminds me of Reinhardt from Overwatch. Who do you prefer, and why?

8763025
I cover that in the story. Most of the surviving Templars were folded into the Hospitallers who (at least now) do use the rank of Friar. Jacques is, in a sense, a man of two different Orders. Do you think the long description should be more clear about that?

8763686
No worries my dude, happens to the best of us. XD;

Actually , irony of that encounter is well placed, I anticipated it.

The story is brilliant. Modern language is fine for literary puposes. Just.. I think, in most cases, unless it is for comical or reader's perspective, protagonist would not perceive things through modern tropes. E.g.

felt pull of gravity - gravity is 18th century concept - he was descending, falling.

RD - acronyms are unknown to him, he'll hear something like english name Ardy (sounds just the same). Hay, if he'll hear that alot, he'll be sure that her name is Ardy and Rainbow is a petname/nickname until dissuaded.

If he could think clearly, he'd realized if those are fair folk, then kin of saved children would owe him his life saved thrice (each, if I remember folklore right). And later he certainly would think of AJ as of some kind of pony fey, for she's not able to lie and able to feel lies. Bearers fall into stereotype quite well, and Tree of Harmony must be a tad familiar concept (also, Tree of Life, though in our worlds there are 10 elements, and they were formulated a little later).
And Pinkie Pie might be Puck?

The way how you painted pictures of world, monsters, the town is just fabulous :duck:

8763687
Don't remember if it had book origin. It was a 80s comedy movie about french knight displaced into future. The was sequel and an american remake (which is far worse).

"Godefroy de Papincourt, Count of Montmirail (Jean Reno), is a 12th-century Gallic knight who finds himself transported to 1993, along with his dim servant, Jacquouille la Fripouille (Christian Clavier)."

No dislikes. That's how good this story is so far.

8763778
Most intriguing thoughts you offer. I may well end up tweaking a few things to accommodate some of these. Thank you

I think this is one of the best HiE fics I've seen

Login or register to comment