It Is Recommendsday, My Dudes #95 · 8:57pm Jan 11th, 2023
So there's a lot of weird ships out there. You get a few that work. Some are odd but fun. And a handful, once you hear about them and think a little, go "Oh. Ooooooh." And today I've got a pair that fall under that category. Because lemme tell you, pre-exile Princess Luna/Doctor Whooves is not one I would have anticipated but these two stories make it work.
We begin with I'd Only Dream Of You by the consistently amazing Silent Whisper.
Luna has, at the beginning, only been a princess for fifty years or so. But while she's had companions, most avoid her. She's too powerful, too fearsome, and somehow both too young and too old at the same time. So when she awakens to find her previous evening's companion gone, she asks the guard where her (former) lover had gone. At which point she finds that no pony left her rooms - and on further investigation, the pony she thought she spent the night with is discovered working at an inn on the other side of the city, insisting on having never met her. Until the next day, when she is approached by a completely different pony with the same hourglass cutie mark as her ex-lover, and he brings with him a fascinating story: that he is the same pony, and that he awakes in a new body each day.
So to start, this is a fascinating take on the Doctor's concept. It's got enough Whovian echoes to draw allusions, but is still quite a unique approach: seeing the Doctor as a body-hopping rider who's catapulted from one life to the next each day. It also makes him a thrilling match for Luna: not only is he (theoretically) just as immortal, he keeps serving her a fresh mystery each day.
As things progress, it continues to add context to Luna's early history and - eventually - the emergence of the Nightmare. Silent's talent really brings it through, as well. Chapter 6 (Dream) is a wonderful narrative slap in the face, particularly once you get the context. And the ending is just beautiful. While this isn't my all-time favorite of Silent's (that is and always will be the previously featured Rise Up) it's a wonderful short romance with a unique approach.
The other offering today comes from another top tier writer: Jade Ring. The story in question is A Moment in Time, which is in turn the safe-for-work version of the decidedly not-work-safe Right Place, Right Time.
In the midst of the Age of Chaos, Princess Luna wanders the halls of the Palace. She thinks about the raw horrors and frustration of fighting against Discord, as well as how it weighs on everypony involved. In the library there she finds one of their faithful researchers and Luna's confidante: Time Turner. He's working on a gambit to use against Discord and win the war - in fact, he's found one. A horrible but assured one, and a risky but bloodless one. They fight over which to choose. And then they love. Because the risky option is the only one where they retain their souls, and Time Turner is the only one who can make sure it's right.
Now, I will start by admitting that I love Jade Ring's work in general. He's crazy talented and pushed out a lot of excellent stuff (like the currently running Lawmare) and this is one I've liked for a long time. Ironically, I read the NSFW version and thought "Wow, this is really great. The sex seems a bit superfluous, though" and then failed to discover there was a SFW version for, uh. Like two and a half years.
Anyway, where we shine here is that it plays into some of my favorite tropes and characterizations: Luna The Warrior is here, fell and glorious even as she suffers under the weight of a horrible situation and the pressures put upon her; Time Turner is that wonderful singular advisor who is willing to stand up to her and holds to his morals even in the face of doom; and the ending plays into some of my favorite aspects of tragi-romance and sacrifice. And that ending is perfect as it stops in just the right spot and leaves the reader to tease themselves about what happens afterwards.
Plus, again. I loves me some tragi-romance. And this is top tier for that.
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