Alfred Wight, more commonly known across the world as the veterinarian James Herriot, finds himself in Equestria at the behest of Princess Celestia. While there, he encounters many strange cases, and generally feels quite out of his element. But Celestia has him set up practice as both animal and pony doctor in the small burg of Ponyville for a reason, and he finds himself as quite the fish out of water. Even so, the citizenry of Ponyville are just as colorful as the Yorkshire farmers he's used to, and it just goes to show that people are people, and patients are patients, no matter where you go.
This story takes place before the events of Friendship is Magic.
Rated Teen for graphic depictions of animal husbandry.
This will have sporadic updates, so please bear with me.
Thumbed up for being quite bizarre.
2349340 I wasn't going for bizarre, but I guess I should take what I can get!
Thanks for reading.
I was not expecting this as a crossover. Still, if you manage to write as well as Herriot did, then you've got yourself a follower!
Yeah, I read a few of his books and they were great pieces of work. It brings back memories.
2350009 To write as good as Herriot did would be quite a challenge. I hope to just maintain the flavor of his work. I'll do my best to keep up, though!
2350463 I've read most of his books, and grew up with the TV show on PBS. Because of him I even had delusions of grandeur about studying to become a large animal vet, but those were quickly quelled. Thanks for reading!
2351094
Yeah, even I had that thought but I never had the opportunity because doctors studies one type of body. While a vet has to study a whole lot more then just one type. Knowing this I never had a chance.
Ooo nostalgia! James Harriot was my first introduction to vets as a child.
2365578 Most folks, I'm sure!
Hmm...I have to admit this is one of the most interesting takes I've seen for a HiE fic. I don't think I've seen a doctor or a Vet (a real one) ending up in Equestria. I look forward to seeing how this story will play out.
2408380
Thanks! I know there's quite the bone of contention in the community regarding HiE fics, but I hope to pull this one off in a uniquely fun way.
2408515
Well he isn't a borny, an anti-brony, an angsty kid, a super-solider, a solider, or any of those other cliches so you are doing this in a unique way by default. Still I am impressed
2408536
But I really hope to go somewhere else with this one: I suppose it'll actually be a similar plot device as Megan had in the G1 series, if I were to compare. And angst has no place in North Yorkshire, or Equestria.
I've read (or at least started to read) one or two of those
2408650
The use of the pink pegasus crashing to a well and make a bridge made out of rainbows?
2408657
Now, to be honest, I did just say similar, not same.
2408665
right right, a pinkish alicorn with a main made of rainbows who did not crash into a well.
2408673
2408684
Unless of course Celestia did some how crash into a well upon entrance into out world
2408696
I'm pretty sure she came up out of a pete bog. Needless to say her language was rather uncouth.
2408710
Peat bog, don't think there are enough Petes in North Yorkshire to fill a bog... My Celestia is know to curse up a storm when flustered like that, though only those fluent in Old Low Equinic (which sounds suspiciously like Welsh) end up blushing.
2408717
Yeah, I caught that mistake after posting it. Could you imagine how hard it is to wash moss out of that much hair? Ugh.
2408745
Not just the moss but all the other crap in the bog, plus the the chemicals in peat bogs that can make bog mummies has to be murder on your hair.
2408759
indeed.
2408767
So then.... next chapter?
2408781
As they used to say on Science Ninja Team Gatchaman, "Look forward to it!"
2408793
I suppose they are on to something. There are still questions to be answered but I am sure that you will answer them when the time comes.
This concept really, really should not work, but somehow it does. You even write like James Herriot!
2542321
Thank you! Your vote of confidence is quite uplifting. This idea could easily go either way, I think... really great, or blow-up-in-my-face embarrassing. Only time will tell.
Interesting concept. I've liked it so far. Definitely going onto the favorites list for tracking.
2547439
Thank you very much!
Direct literature crossovers like this one tread a very thin line. They risk alienating the original audience if they get too close to the original writing without capturing the spirit of the source's characters.
There's a very well-reviewed Lord of the Rings crossover on here that I cannot bring myself to read for this very reason. Gandalf just doesn't sound like Gandalf.
I'd say you've got enough of the spirit of All Creatures Great and Small to get by. It is a bit jarring to read "Alf" instead of "James", but I think it adds to the story, and perhaps keeps me from expecting it to be exactly the same as those books that put me off being a vet for all eternity. :P
In any case, you have my thumbs up my good author, and I look forward to reading more!
2548238
Thanks for the encouragement! It is a challenge, when basing your work off of someone else's work to maintain the flavor of the original work. When it's something as beloved as Herriot's books, it is even more challenging. Tolkien's work is so difficult to build off of, with the thousands of pages of lore and world-building, even down to lays and epic poems, that it is nigh impossible to get full approbation from the fans when a derivative work is made, so I can understand the trepidation when reading something like that. My derivative work, on the other hand, is animal stories, which I believe is a bit easier, since I am dealing primarily with animals. I'm actually surprised that no one had thought of it before. Thank you for the fave, as well!
Condescension is "an attitude of patronizing superiority; disdain" - Twilight probably shouldn't tell Luna that to her face.
3280437
Also: voluntary descent from one's rank or dignity in relations with an inferior.
That was where I was coming from.
I loved reading James Herriot's works when I was in school, and I was recently mulling over the concept of a crossover where Opalescence is Oscar from All Things Wise and Wonderful. There's a couple of stories that could come out of it, but part of the problem is that canon Opal isn't the most likable cat.
3822606
Yes, Opal isn't necessarily the paragon of cathood that Oscar was. Oscar was one in a million.
Huh. This is one HiE I never expected. I haven't read the books, but I've seen the TV series when from when I was a kid. I'm really interested to see how this goes. Keep it up!
-W.S.
3827146
Thanks. I'll do my best!
This was one of the first stories I managed to stumble across on this page and I recently remembered it. It took me quite a while to find it but I still enjoyed rereading it a lot. Took me really back to a different time. Thank you for writing this.