For Twilight Sparkle, getting crowned as the reigning Princess of Equestria may have been the easy part. Handling both day and night may not be as much, but fortunately, Luna's there to help. Equestria was her garden once, and now Twilight was its gardener.
But when the amulet gifted to her to move the Sun and Moon begins to break down, and her tongue tied about it, where better for Twilight to talk to her marefriend about it, if not the realm of dreams?
After all, in Luna's own realm and garden, and to the mare she loved, surely, there are few secrets and worries to be kept between them.
Set after most of Season 9.
Featured from 23/06/2020 to 25/06/20.
7.3/10, from My Little Reviews and Feedback
Edited and proofread by VoxAdam, pre-read by SockPuppet. Thanks guys 
Top Twelve Finalist in the the Right Back At It Again 2020 Shipping Competition.
Part of the Pride and Positivity Event. Donate HERE and HERE to support the cause!
Cover by Amarynceus.
Huzzah! It's published!
Ooh that was lovely
Always have time for a bit of we’ll written TwiLuna. Very sweet!
This is magnificent. A rare case of top notch TwiLuna.
You captured the feeling of the dream realm very well along with the dynamics of Twilight & Luna. It feels like their relationship had grown and was pretty mature by the start of the fic. The ending was very romantic and sweet.
The way you described the dream realm was delightful and engaging and it was pretty easy to visualise the spaces they traveled to.
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Huzzah! Thank you so much for your help
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Thanks! I hope I captured them well - glad you enjoyed it
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All in all, glad you've enjoyed it!
Thank you for some lovely TwiLuna, and some cool world-building.
10299318
Thanks! Happy you've enjoyed it, both the relationship, and the world
*grinning from ear to ear*
Sledge, you absolute madman. This has gotta be one of the best TwiLuna stories I've read. The serene description of the Dream Realm, the dynamic between Twilight and Luna, the insecurity Luna feels after retirement, and the way Twilight resolves Luna's conflict, they were all flawless. Perfectly written. Best. TwiLuna. Story. Ever. 10/10.
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Aw, haha - I wasn't sure if I could do something that makes it stand out from other TwiLuna stories (of which there are plenty of excellent ones), so I leaned in on what Luna might be feeling after retirement and Twilight having to handle both day and night
. I'm glad this hit the mark for you 
Oooh - a fellow TwiLuna shipper?
That was a really good story. I loved how you incorporated the “Twilynanas” into it. Good job!
That scene is the perfect place to have Luna's deepest sanctuary.
And the flowers fit perfectly with her.
Of course! Twilight you genius madmare!
She would do this indeed, our Princess, bookworm always...
The Golden Oak Library, to flourish again in another realm as a steadfast repository of knowledge old and new. It does it justice.
I realize that I hear you a lot in Luna... or do I hear Luna a lot in you? Either way, you're so closely tied to her, now...
And Luna is a gardener as always. It's hard, to let something you grew yourself since time immemorial go, but I know she trusts Twilight; it'll never be a question of Luna's faith in Twilight, but her own sentimentality – a fully merited sentimentality.
A good TwiLuna story.
The night will last forever~
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Aye, I am
I came late to the shipping scene, but once I realised about just how much Luna and Twilight's setup worked and read a few marvelous stories, I was into them. And, yup, had to include a mention of twilynanas 
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Heh, I wished to touch on all the episodes we saw with Luna and Twilight, hence the mention of this sanctuary, and the Tantabus
This is, in my humble opinion, the one thing she would do. To create a repository of knowledge that shall remain eternal, in the form of her beloved home.
Well, I have been writing her for so long
A theme I wished to touch on was, of course, letting go. When you've done your duty for so long, it would be hard for her to even consider letting go. Which she tried to do, of course, and she loves Twilight with all her heart. But sometimes, it takes great courage to admit that deep down, a little part of you simply can't let go.
Glad you've enjoyed this tale
This is some really tasty Tuna.
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Glad you like it!
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That was some very fine Tuna. I'll need to hunt up some more to sate the need.
This was a wonderful story. Thank you for the pleasant dream.
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Good luck with that - there are plenty more in the sea, heh
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Glad you like it
Finally got around to reading this. Great job! The descriptions are wonderful, and you portrayed Twilight and Luna (and their relationship) well. I really like the idea of Twilight having a dream library that others can access, though that's just a minor part of this story.
The descriptions make me jealous, because my own dreams are, "There's this kind of weird place, I guess it's my university... wait a minute, this is nothing like my university, and I graduated ages ago."
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Thanks, happy you like it
I thought that, for however quick it was, it just seemed like the right thing for Twilight to do, her own flair for her new duties.
I suppose Luna and Twilight have the benefits of magical lucid dreaming to have such detailed dreams, heh
Man, I wish I could write this well. Perhaps you'd have to give me some pointers.
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Thank you! But I'm afraid I'm not that good in the technical side
I usually just let it flow, heh.
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How much for pointers? 10$? 20$? 3,000,000$?
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I have your reviewed your story, which you can read here. I hope you find it helpful.
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Thank you
Hrm, this has always been one of the hardest pairs to sell me, and stories where I actually enjoyed it tend to be the exception rather than the rule. Nevertheless, I went into this with an open mind because I had heard how highly it was spoken of by some of the people in the contest. Not to mention, a quick peek at your comments reveals that you had some very glowing praise. I do have to agree that you have a very good flair with your prose, and you have a smooth sense of action. For someone with so few stories, this is a skill to flaunt. You should be very proud. It really helped with the imagery of the story. I enjoyed seeing someone connect Luna's dream-garden as something she would treasure and be more than a pretty one-off scene in an episode, as it's something I've enjoyed referencing too. The gorgeous and magical garden is such a nice way to indirectly characterize Luna, and different characters having different dream cores is neat. (Though, Celestia's feels a touch underwhelming and confusing. If Twilight gained wings in a dream realm... does that not imply they aren't real in some way? How is she an Alicorn outside of dreams? Can anypony be made into a princess or such via dream-ception?)
The positives aside, I still can't really give this the upvote I wanted. The middle of the story felt a little dragged on at times. There was a lot more dancing around to the problem than a couple building up an intimate discussion of a problem, something I would expect two lovers who have been in a relationship for some time to do. This, combined with one or two scenes and moments that felt vaguely repetitive really hampered chemistry as a romantic couple, and instead I felt more like the romance took a turn for the drama tag entirely, and that I was reading a 'Twilight helps X character with a Friendship Problem ' story. While it could just be me not being convinced of any chemistry, there were at least a couple moments when it felt like you had a moment of affection just to try and remind the reader they were a couple instead of letting it happen naturally. (As an aside, this could be related to writing horse body language. I would recommend checking out the works of bookplayer for realistic romance writing and good use of body language.)
Ultimately, my lack of a vote comes from the core message of the story, or its 'solution'. In the end, Luna is worried about having to give up everything she has ever loved over an arbitrary sense of duty that she clearly doesn't fully agree with. There's no reason for her to have to forfeit everything she has ever excelled in or all the places and pastimes she treasured, but the story still ends with Twilight essentially taking all that from her just because 'Oh I'm the princess now, please give me all the things, thanks'. I don't feel that the solution ended up being one of togetherness at all, but instead the unhealthy one of Luna not being able to have anything to herself. She has Twilight absorb all her individual passions, and inviting Luna to them even though they were Luna's in the first place. It depressed me since I wasn't expecting to read a story where my favorite character was made to feel un-individual under the guise of it being uplifting. Luna's fear ended up coming true.
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Ah, what I wished to convey at the end was simply that the two of them didn't have to do this alone, one or the other, to share in trust of a space once held alone. Admittedly, I kind of wished I had poured the same attention to detail as with my previous Luna romance, Moonbug, and hence the middle suffered for that - I was writing this with far less leisure time than with Moonbug. But thank you for the constructive feedback, all in all
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You're welcome! As for the repeating scene, I think it was the one right after where they took off. There were two parts with very similar dialogue that both ended in a nuzzle right after one another, and it had me thinking I read the same thing twice. You're really good about having easy-flowing scenes and making sure something progresses in them, which I can appreciate. Definitely keep writing! Even with the awkward take on the moral/solution, I can still see why this made it so far in the contest.
i critique because i care, my dude
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Oh that
Thanks for the heads-up / feedback and encouragement, and oh yes, I have every intent to continue writing! Just... really slowly. I like to take my time, heh.
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Bro, all the cool kids write their stories at 3 AM.
Well, this was a nice read as well.
I really enjoyed the setup of the dream realm and all the personal touches/world-building you put into it. Stores where Celly or Luna struggle with retirement are hard to come by. (I think this is the only one I've found so far, really.)
The romance was sweet for sure. I like that this took place during what we can infer was an already well-established relationship. I do have to agree that the middle section between Luna fleeing and Twilight showing her Golden Oaks seems a bit draggy, but the pacing is good otherwise. I actually liked the moral/ending because it isn't super concrete. We (the readers) aren't sure if Luna will fully give up the Moon/the dream realm or not, but Twilight is willing to be there for her either way—and that's what's important. Luna hiding things from those she loves and cares about is essential to her character, at least, so to finally get it out there and be met with love and support is exactly what she needs.
Another story worth a fave from me.
Though, it might take me longer to get to your other story, given that I would have to read Spectrum first (and I'm very wary of most HiE).
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Huzzah
thanks for the favourite on this one, too!
Yeah, admittedly, I was strapped for time due to a combination of looming exams + (partially) the contest deadline, so, hence the 'off' pacing 'round the middle
. So in the end, somewhat less tight than Moonbug, but I'm glad it mostly landed - wanted to write this classic ship but against the backdrop of the later seasons, so that worked out!
Glad you've enjoyed it
Oh, and as for The First Second of Eternity, don't worry - made it as standalone as possible from Spectrum, so it can be enjoyed as such, heh.
Ah yes, my favorite mage of antiquity, Stars Whirl the Breaded. :B
This is the coolest shit. :D
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It's a stylistic choice to spell him that way but, hehe
You made me think that I spelled Bearded wrong for a second, oof.
10621615
I don't think you ever used his full name, so you're good there. :) I'm just poking fun.
10621655
Minor nitpick. Twilight straight up broke the Amulet that allowed her to handle the sun and moon. And if I remember right, it was never fixed. I could be wrong there.
Hence why Celestia and Luna merged their crowns into one for Twilight. Not only as a symbolic gesture (the true passing of the torch from the old to the new and the end of an age and the begining of a new.)
But also by putting their magic into it, allowing Twilight to handle the sun and moon.
Now I'm just rambling though. I do love the story.
Ah, TwiLuna. A ship that I enjoy from time to time, but never really engaged in too much thought. Probably because I'm just not as intrigued by Luna as so many other people are. It's not that I don't like her, it's just that I like other characters more.
But nevermind my preferences. What matters is the depth of this story, which it has in spades. Like the dreamrealm it takes place in, it is a myriad of interwoven details and suggested backstory that hints at so much more than was on display, as if every thread I could pull upon would yield a tapestry far larger than the story itself, and the story is composed of hundreds of such threads. Not so much the tip of the iceberg as the long distance blurry dot of a star in the sky hiding the depths of the planet it represents.
There's a lot to unpack here, and I find I quite enjoy this depiction of the dreamrealm, as some kind of infinite plane that allows them to effectively dwell forever on. It takes Luna from being the younger sister she is so often shown to be and makes her out to be, potentially, far older than Celestia ever could be. Which makes, in some ways, her lack of true wisdom and the difficulties she has with other people more stark, because for all the time she can dwell within, she was always alone. Yes, she could visit the little bubbles of dreams individual ponies might fleetingly have, but it was never the same as a true companion.
Till Twilight came along that is. Till Twilight showed she could master dream magic--a subject that I dearly wish season 9 of the actual show had touched upon, but unless I am misremembering never even once mentioned. The story makes it clear they were dating long before that, for whatever reason... something I personally would have liked to see a little bit of detail about... but nevertheless, they're together.
And I cannot describe how much I love Twilight's endless realm of libraries and knowledge. I love knowledge, I love reading, and I love the idea of it being preserved in such a way far more immutable than any paper, stone, silicon or vacuum-glass ever could be. With Twilight it will never be lost.
There were a couple of points it felt like this stalled out, but it got itself going again in a hurry, to a fun little satisfying conclusion. I quite liked this Sledge. If nothing else it helps prove the quality of your writing.
One day I'll read your version of Spectrum. One day.
Howdy, hi!
I loved this. It was such a soft romance story with Twilight x Luna. Your signature fairy tale-like reading was front and center and really gave this piece its slow-burn feel. Like how you describe in your author's note this romance was more of a smoldering, even flame instead of a roaring fire, and it's better for it.
The soft feel of this whole story is just so enjoyable and lovely to read. I love the chemistry between Lune and Twilight and it was honestly just an absolute delight to read all the way through.
Thank you for the read~!
Whew. I remember seeing this in the new box when it was released, but I didn't know you then so I took one look and skipped it.
What I didn't know was that your writing would eventually convince me to ship TwiLuna, and as I reread the story, you're just proving once again to be one of the best TwiLuna writers out there in the history of TwiLuna writers.
In the story, you definitely got the setting down pat, and you also let the relationship grow extremely well throughout the story, even with so few words.
I really love how Twilight is the perfect pony to just help out Luna and reassure her insecurities, because their relationship is just amazing. Credit where credit's due, this is amazing.
And as usual, the Luna gardener. Sledge, you never fail you put that in 🤣
tuna!
lavender continuity, and a beautiful rendering of Luna's dream garden. can't even not be a gardener in the Dreamlands!
oh no, the tuna is too good! oh no, blueagh
this is just what i expect Luna to say!
ooh, very intriguing
really liked this imagery, and the dreamlike landscape that preceded it
this would make me want to give Luna a hug, but that is what Twilight is for
hngh this is such a cute moment here, amidst all the pathos
this really gives the retirement of the Princesses a lot more weight than the canon, a great well to explore here. setting up Twilight's discovery of Luna's fears through her concerns about the amulet is very clever, a nice, subtle build.
memories of the first connection between Twilight and Luna, very nice. together with the Golden Oaks still being there, really underscoring that this is a collection of the most precious things to Twilight.
and a beautiful little slice of their future, showing Luna's fears didn't come to pass.
i loved how well the respective Dreamlands matched the aesthetics of the characters: Luna's all purples and blues and drooping giant flowers cultivated over millennia; Twilight's an idealized version of the Golden Oaks library. i could really imagine the setting in all its lush detail.
It was nice how lived-in and familiar Luna and Twilight's relationship felt. it felt very much like the transition of a romantic relationship from "dating" to "lifetime commitment", which isn't much of an observation because i'm pretty sure that is what the text outright said! but that's not a stage you see very often in fics, especially not in more understated events deeply informed by the characters. it was something that was very necessary, especially for this canon ship of Twilight and Luna, which you drew beautifully and perfectly.
Oh, this took me by surprise.
Not that I was ever doubtful of where the story was going, but how you made the trek there was perfect. I loved the visuals you made with the realm of dreams, fantastic yet still real enough as they're memories of the ponies there. Have to say, at first I was confused as to what Luna was hiding (Dying didn't made much sense for Luna) but the reason not only made perfect sense but the way you made the transition was also very perfect.
I loved this a lot, I loved even the little details that you sprinkle there and are fun to find (Would've made a list but am tired)
Great job and please keep this wonderful world of yours growing and expanding!