Book Of Time

by HJSDGCE

Chapter Three - Silent Goodbyes

The entire month had been quite stressful for even the great Princess Twilight Sparkle. Since she was coronated into a princess, there had been many visitors coming into the library just to see her. Some would even take the chance to steal one of her feathers. In short, she had become Ponyville’s new superstar, even more famous than Rainbow Dash, to the extent that it annoyed the cyan pegasus. But even so, Twilight had problems. Big problems, and she knows that something’s up. Twilight walked up into her room from the library to get a perfectly-shaped sphere made of diamond and for some reasons, she must’ve misplaced it.

“Urgh! Where did it go? I thought I placed it right here!” She pointed at the opened drawer next to her bed. “SPIIIIIIIIIIIKEEE!!!”

Spike climbed up the stair to Twilight’s bedroom, gasping for air. “Y-yes, Twilight? Huuh, man I really need to work out. I’m beat!”

Twilight moved her head towards Spike before seemingly politely asking, “Spike, have you seen my diamond sphere?”

Spike moved back a bit, freaked out by Twilight’s crazy grin. The last time she looked like this was when the Want-It Need-It fiasco, and that did not end well. Spike pointed with his claw at the bottom drawer of Twilight’s bedside cabinet. “It’s… right… there…?”

“No it’s not! I checked it earlier and I couldn’t fin– Oh, here it is.” Twilight levitated the sphere into the air, teleported to the library, and placed the sphere on a pedestal. She carefully cleaned the sphere with a wool cloth, examining every detail for any imperfections.

Spike walked up to Twilight and asked, “Twilight, are you OK? You seemed a bit… You know, stressed?”

“OK? OK?! Of course I’m OK! Why wouldn’t I, Princess Twilight Sparkle, NOT BE OK?! I’M AS OK AS I CAN BE!”

Spike slapped Twilight in the face with his claws. It left a red mark on her cheek, but it didn’t matter. “What is wrong with you?!”

Twilight staggered back while looking at Spike, then tripped over some scrolls and fell on the wooden floor. She rubbed her head and looked over at Spike, who had tears in his eyes. Her eyes widen in realization, and she walked straight to Spike. She hugged Spike, whispering him an apology.

“I’m sorry, Spike. It’s just that… I’ve been so confused and everything. It feels like I’m going insane and I… I don’t know how to stop it. Hope you forgive me.”

“Y–yeah, I forgive you. Ever since that day you woke up from that coma, you’ve been acting strange. You stay up late at night, not that it’s not normal, but you just stay up and stare at a wall or a mirror. You skip meals, you avoid ponies, you even avoid me! It’s just… just like a nightmare.”

Twilight’s ears picked up at the last sentence. She thought of the idea of a nightmare, but she knows she’s not sleeping. The nightmare, all those living shadows, and the unicorn… She knows she needs help, and she needs someone who is an expert in this kind of situation. Princess Luna.

“Spike, I need you to take a letter for Princess Luna. Can you do that?”

Spike wiped away his tears, “Yeah, I think I can. Do you want me to write it for you?”

“No, this is a bit personal.” Twilight grabbed an inked quill and a piece of paper. A few months ago, Twilight discovered that Spike’s magical breath can be used to send letters to ponies other than Princess Celestia. All Spike needed was a vial of their magical essence and eat it. He also has to memorize their magic signature, so that he can always change his breath to send letters to other ponies. Spike ate some of Princess Luna’s hair, to her bemusement, and trained his memory so that he can send letters to Princess Luna.

Twilight began writing her letter as fast as possible.

Dear Princess Luna,

It’s me, Twilight Sparkle. I am feeling a bit under the weather lately and now, I’m having nightmares even at daylight. I don’t know what to do and I’m so confused and stressed that I just recently yelled at Spike. I keep seeing all these monsters and I’m afraid of them and yet, I know they’re not real. I can’t stop the feeling of fear I have towards them and I don’t know if they want to help me or kill me. There is also something about a ‘Book Of Time’ but in every book I searched, there was nothing written about that name.

Please, I require your wisdom and guidance for this situation. I can’t handle it anymore.

From your friend and niece,

Twilight Sparkle

Twilight rolled her letter and tied it neatly with a purple ribbon. She gave it to Spike, who with one blow, burned the letter and sent it to Princess Luna. Twilight can feel some comfort with knowing that the princess will help her.

At the exact moment after Spike sent out the letter, a different one came out as her burped it into existence. It had the Seal of Celestia on it. “Huh? This is from Celestia. Why would she give you a letter now?”

“Wait, what does it say? Maybe it has something to do with my condition! Oh this is terrible, Spike! I can’t have her knowing about this! She might revoke my title as princess! I’LL LOSE THE LIBRARY!”

Twilight was on the verge of breaking into a drama queen-like cry, but was shaken off by Spike. “Twilight! It’s just a letter about you staying in the castle. Nothing big.”

“Really…?” Twilight looked at Spike with tears in her eyes, and a pouting expression. That quickly changed to a smile, though tears were still present. “Phew, I thought it was serious.”

Just as she wiped away her tears, Spike threw away the letter into the shredder, shredding it into tiny long pieces of paper. “Huh, I wonder why Celestia keeps sending these letters. This is like, the third time this week.”

“I don’t know, Spike. I don’t know.” Twilight replied.

A moment of silence filled the library as the two observe the letter being shredded. Celestia had been sending her these proposals frequently for the entire month, and each one was rejected. Still, the Princess of the Sun kept on sending her those letters, till Twilight completely ignored those letters. They were starting to get annoying, and creepy as well. It was as if Celestia was trying to force Twilight to live in the castle with her, but in a more polite and calming way. As they wait for the letter, Spike broke the silence.

“Hey Twilight, if you ever get proposals like this, would you accept them?”

“What do you mean, Spike?”

“Well, what if some other pony gives you a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to live at your dream home and be happy and stuff, but you have to leave Ponyville? Would you go through with that?”

“Well, I… No, I wouldn’t. Cause my friends are here, and that’s all the reason I need.”

“Well, what if you have to leave me? Will you give me up for something else you want?”

That question took Twilight by surprise. She didn’t expect that, nor ever thought of it. She took a deep breath and answered, “No, I wouldn’t. It’s because you are my best friend and assistant. You were always there for me when others couldn’t, and you cared about me as much as Mom and Dad did. I would rather give up everything than leave you.”

Twilight rubbed Spike’s head using her hoof, with the latter giving out small giggles. She then hugged Spike with her right wing, blanketing him with warmth and purple feathers. “Thanks Twilight...”

---

A few hours later, a letter came for Twilight for Princess Luna. Unlike green flames when receiving letters from Princess Celestia, this one was light blue. As Spike was just about to open the letter, Twilight snatched it away from his tiny dragon claws and read it as quietly as possible.

Spike wanted to read the letter, but he knows it is personal to Twilight. So instead, he just stood there, waiting for Twilight’s respond. Twilight’s eyes rolled from left to right, reading its contents. Her eyes then went wide just before she burned the letter with an incineration spell. Spike could only gawk in surprised as the ashes slowly fell onto the wooden floor.

“What was that for?!” Spike exclaimed. Obviously he was angry. Not because Twilight wouldn’t let him read it, but instead it’s because Twilight was willing to burn to letter just so he couldn’t read it. Spike felt like Twilight didn’t trust him, which was very painful for the young dragon’s sensitive heart.

“I’m sorry, Spike. But that letter was confidential. It’s not just you, it’s everyone.”

Spike, his anger fading, only sighed. “Fine, but at least tell me that Princess Luna was willing to help.”

“Well, Princess Luna can’t help me. She was too busy with her work that she has no time to help.”

“What?! That’s horseapples! Princess Celestia had time to visit you, and she was ten times busier that Princess Luna!”

“Well, Princess Luna had a thousand years’ worth of paperwork and lessons, making her extremely busy. I guess we’ll have to figure this out on our own.”

Spike sighed in defeat and walked sadly to the kitchen. Halfway there, he stopped and all the scales on his body made a wave. He looked back at Twilight, who was looking rather tired and yet was still smiling, and made a glare. He walked towards the writing desk just behind Twilight and took a piece of paper. With a quill, he wrote something but was stopped by Twilight before he could finish it.

“Spike, what are you doing?”

“I’m writing a letter to Princess Celestia. She’s wiser and less busy than Luna, so maybe she can help! She’s also the eldest, making her the most experience.”

Before Spike could go back to writing, Twilight picked up the unfinished letter, scrunched it up and threw it into the trash bin. Spike, again gawking in surprise, yelled at Twilight. “What was that for?! Again!”

Twilight moved closer to Spike. She placed the tip of her hoof over Spike’s lips and whisper to him, “Spike, I want you to promise me not to tell anyone, especially my friends and Princess Celestia, about my condition. I don’t want them to know that it’s getting worst. I want them to know that I’m at the peak of my health. Do you understand?”

Twilight let go of her hoof before Spike replied, “B-but, why?”

“Like I said, it’s a bit personal. You wouldn’t understand.” Twilight said as she moved away before leaving the library. At the door, she glanced a bit, “Can you promise me?”

“I… I… I don’t know…”

“Just tell no one. And if you can do that, I’ll make you your favourite dinner!”

“Wait, really?! Roasted turkey, stuffed with sapphire and rubies, seasoned with topaz, cinnamon and Mom’s special sau– Wait a minute, are you trying to bribe me?! Twilight!”

“Urgh, alright! I did try to bribe you! But just promise me not to tell anyone?! Please!”

“Umm, OK Twilight. If it means that much to you, I’ll guard the secret with my li –”

“Thanks, Spike!” Twilight said before she slammed the door shut. Like before, Spike sighed. He was worried about Twilight’s condition but if it made her feel better to not tell anyone, then Spike would respect that. He walked back to the kitchen to make himself an emerald sandwich. All that talk about roasted turkey had made him hungry, and he’s the only one who eats turkey in the Sparkle family.

In the meantime, something abnormal was happening. The broken compass, placed inside the jewelry box near the mirror, was moving for once. Its needle was spinning wildly, before pointing to one direction.

---

It was nighttime in the peaceful town of Ponyville. Markets and shops closed, street lights turned on, and everyone is inside their houses, either sleeping or chatting while having dinner. Twilight actually did cook the gem turkey that Spike want, even though Spike knew she tried to bribe him. After dinner, they took a shower, Twilight apologized him (again), and as usual, Spike cleaned up the library while Twilight was studying, just before going to bed. Spike was right about Twilight though. She did look terrible.

Her hair, even though cleaned and brushed, started to have split ends and popping out. Her eyes started to redden and the bags under them didn’t make it any better. She was exhausted, to say the least. Spike felt more worry about her than this morning, but if Twilight says she’s fine, then Spike will respect that. While sweeping the floor, he noticed that Twilight was talking to herself and was scribbling something on a scroll. With a tap of his claw on the lavender unicorn’s shoulder, Twilight jumped and hid the scroll in one of the books in front of her.

Twilight turned around to find Spike, “Spike! You startled me!”

“Oh sorry, Twilight. I was just wondering when you’re going to sleep. You really need some.”

“Oh, well… I’ll go to sleep in a few minutes.” Twilight smiled.

Twilight kept on smiling at Spike, while the purple dragon gave her a confused look. This went on for a few seconds until;

“Well… OK then, I guess. I’ll just go finish up cleaning the library. Big day tomorrow, huh? With that meeting with Mayor Mare and the opening of Trixie’s third fast food chain, you’ll get your work cut out for you.”

“I think I can handle it.”

Again, awkward smile and confused glare. But this broke off as Spike left to finish his work without a response. Twilight went back to her books and the scroll she hid. She levitated the scroll out of the book and kept on scribbling on it. Whatever it was, she didn’t want Spike to see.

After a few minutes, Twilight went to sleep just like she said, leaving the young dragon to finish the rest of his chores. All that was left was to reorganize the books that Twilight left behind, before sleeping. Spike went to the pile of books and started to pick each one of them. Spike thought of the scroll Twilight was scribbling and decided to search for it. After a while, it ended with a failure. The scroll wasn’t in any of the books.

Maybe she put it somewhere else. Spike thought. He searched at the nearby vases, cabinets, even the trash bin. But to no avail, the scroll was nowhere to be found. Spike gave up afterwards and decided to go to bed, as it was already ten in the evening. He walked up the stairs into Twilight’s bedroom, climbed up into his basket, which was larger, and snuggled up in his warm blue blanket.

Before he went to sleep, he looked at Twilight. She was sleeping soundly, obviously due to tiredness. He then whispered, “Goodnight Twilight… See you tomorrow…” before falling to sleep.

---

About two in the morning, Twilight woke up from her apparent sleep and tiptoed across the library. There, she opened a hidden compartment under the wooden floors of the library, where she had study recently. She picked up a pair of saddlebags filled with some books, quills, inkwells, a bag of bits and a picture of her friends, including Spike. The scroll she was writing earlier was left behind in that compartment, just slightly opened. She was just about to leave the library but stopped midway. The compass!

She tiptoed back up into her room and opened her jewelry box. There, she levitated the compass, unknowingly to her that it kinda works now, and placed it in her saddlebag. She also took out a brownish cloth coat with her cutie mark symbol sewed on its back. The coat was made to protect her from any cold weather, in which is where she would be going. The coat also had a hood placed with an enchantment; it hides her face with shadows without affecting her vision or hearing when worn.

Again, she tiptoed down to the library and towards the exit. While sneaking there, she accidently stepped on a broken tile, making a creaking sound. She stopped and looked at Spike, who was rolling in his basket and mumbling something about ‘Applejack being evil’ and ‘humans existed’. She didn’t want to wake up Spike, as he could easily alarm everyone in Ponyville, especially her friends. He would try to stop Twilight from leaving, and she didn’t want to shove Spike in the closet.

After she was certain Spike had calmed down and went back to sleep, she opened the library door and exited the building. She locked the door behind her sing the spare key she kept under the potted plant, and ran off. With an unburnt piece of the letter she managed to save, she made an ethereal copy of the letter that Princess Luna had write her recently.

Dear Twilight,

If you must know, you are currently in grave danger. Not only you, but also those around you, especially your loved ones. Now, I want you to read these instructions carefully, and whoever you meet across Equestria, DO NOT let them know your identity. No one must know that the princess’s personal protégé had run away. Not only this will affect my sister’s reputation, this will also compromise your location.

Somewhere this night, you must go to the Ponyville’s train station. Bring anything that you may need for the journey, including anything that the unicorn left behind. There, my personal chariot, along with my Night Guards, will be at your service. They will escort you to a little town known as Hooveshire, further up north than the Crystal Empire. My guards will escort you the border gates, but they will only follow you there. These guards of mine are still relatively new, and not that well trained. I chose them because of that reason, so that no one would expect them to escort you. You might also need to pay them some extra money.

Once the gates have opened, you must follow the path and reach Winterclaw, the capital city of Gryphonia. There, find a griffon by the name Scribe Fraunl and he will help you from there. I must warn you though. This journey will be treacherous, the path is filled with dangers such as avalanches and looters. So, be wary of your travels.

If you must know why I sent you on this quest, it is because I and my sister have made an oath not to speak a word about the current situation you are in. Even though I have broken this oath by sending you this letter, it is worth it. I hope that you will succeed where many have failed.

From the Princess of the Night and friend,

Luna

P.S. Do not let Celestia find you. You might think this sounds crazy, but just don’t let her find you. She will not help you. She might say that she will keep you safe, but all she’s doing is prolonging the inevitable. You are the only one that can fix this.

The ethereal letter faded entirely afterwards, as they weren’t made to last long. What Twilight was surprised the most was how Princess Luna knew about the unicorn. Did she meet the unicorn before? Maybe an unwritten battle happened? Even so, Twilight avoid thinking too much of that. She just kept on running to the train station. Reaching there, she meets the two Night Guards that Luna wrote. She approached them, only to have two curved blades pointed at her neck.

“Who…”

“Goes…”

“There?!...”

The guards exchanged words as if they could read each other’s minds. Vaguely creepy, if you ask Twilight. She skidded back a little and replied, “I was instructed… to meet… you?”

They looked at each other and back at her. They only pointed their blades closer, and one of them said, “How can you –”

“– prove your words?”

Twilight thought about that question. How can I prove it? She decided to remember back the letter.

You might also need to pay them some extra money.

“Urgh…” Twilight groaned. With her magic, she pulled out her bag of bits and took out four golden coins, known as bits. She levitated it in front of the Night Guards, and they swiped it greedily. They then greeted her with a warm welcome, despite nearly trying to kill her.

“Welcome,”

“– Miss Sparkle.”

Twilight replied, “Umm… Thanks, I guess?”

The guards ignored her thanks and instead, walked to the chariot and strapped themselves ready. Now they were just waiting for Twilight to ride the chariot and give out the orders. Though Twilight was bemused by their rudeness, they’re still her only ride to Hooveshire. She walked up into the chariot and sat on the comfortable cushion provided. Wow, this is really good! How come the Princess never gave me one of these?

After she was comfortable, she lifted her hoof, “Alright then, let’s gooOOOOHHH!”

The chariot had been pulled at tremendous speed, faster than Rainbow Dash when carrying any passengers. Twilight wasn’t even able to finish her sentence yet and the chariot was already up high in the sky. Proves enough that they’re rude, but they are quite fast.

Twilight could feel the moisture and fluffiness of the clouds as they pass by her purple coat. The soothing air as it blows across the chariot, whistling tunes to her ears. Flying had always been calming for her, as if she could slow down time and appreciate what nature had given to the world. Due to her busy schedule, she could never fly just for leisure. She only flies when she has places to go, ponies to see, diplomats and rulers to talk with and avoid conflicts that can tear the multiple countries apart, stuff like that.

Sadly, this might be the only time she will be able to do this again. Afterwards, all hell will chase after her. She doesn’t know if she should trust Celestia or Luna, the rulers of her proud country and home. Celestia had always been her mentor and she had always trusted her for it. But after reading Luna’s reply letter, she can’t decide on whom to trust. Luna and Celestia rarely not see things eye to eye but when they do, it’s always something serious. Something that can threaten Equestria itself, and it has something to do with her current condition.

Something is terribly wrong with her, that’s for sure. Now what is she going to do? What if the scribe in Gryphonia doesn’t have the answers she needs? She can’t go back, not like this. And Spike… She betrayed him. She told him that she’s never going to leave him and yet, here she is. On a flying chariot towards Hooveshire, leaving her friends and family. Twilight looked back at Ponyville, shrinking in size from the distance. She recalled all the great memories she had while living there. Now, she must leave all those in the past behind her.

She can’t go back, no matter how much she wants to.

---

Celestia had walked up the stairs to Luna’s bedroom, the dark and gloomy sight of the stairways being the image of paradise for bats and spiders alike. Her hoofsteps on the stone stairs amplified from her golden shoes, echoing upwards in the tower. Due to the height of the tower, it took her some time to climb up the stairs, but that never tired her. She was strong and vigilant, and she loved her sister dearly, despite their quarrel a month ago. She would always love Luna, no matter what happened between them.

After a few minutes, Celestia managed to reach Luna’s bedroom door while maintaining composure and breath. She reached out onto the door and was about to knock the door, but noticed that it was slightly opened. She pulled back her hoof and instead, leaned her head slightly to the opened door. She whispered, “Luna, are you there?”

Celestia poked the door, opening it more till it was enough to fit her head through. She peeked through the door and looked around with her limited view. She couldn’t find Luna, and that is bad itself. When she was certain Luna wasn’t in her room, she opened the door and entered Luna’s dark bedroom. With each step, she walked in cautiously, knowing Luna and her tantrums. She observed her surroundings.

Nothing, not even a speck of dirt, seems to be out of place. Everything was where it should be, as if it wasn’t moved at all. Even her own bed was left untouched, and Luna was always lazy when taking care of her bed. Celestia kept on looking around, searching for anything misplaced or hidden. She looked to the left and noticed the balcony door was open. The answer was obvious afterwards. Princess Luna had run off.

“Oh Luna…”

With a glow of her horn, Celestia went deep into her mind, and entered the Astral Plane. The Astral Plane is a world between minds, connecting every living being’s thoughts, dreams and memories in one single universe. Only a number of ponies can walk through the Astral Plane unharmed, as most would either come out mind-broken or confused from what’s real and what’s not. The only reason Twilight was able to walk through the Astral Plane without going insane was because Celestia was there with her, protecting her from the harmful nature of that universe.

From the Astral Plane, she sees projections of memories and thoughts of other ponies, some which she knows while others are completely unfamiliar to her. A few meters away, she sees Luna, eyes closed and walking away from her. Celestia was about to call out for her, but Luna saw it coming.

“Hello, my dear sister.”

“Luna, I see that you knew I was coming. Where are you? What are you doing here?”

“I am here to block your mind.”

“Block my mind from whom?”

“From Twilight.”

Celestia froze. Her expression changed from worried to slightly angry. “How long have you known?”

“How long have I known that you were going to keep Twilight prisoner in a dream of insanity? Quite some time already, actually.” Luna said, turning around and facing Celestia.

“You know I had no choice.”

“You did have a choice! But you chose to ‘invite’ her to live in the castle where she will die in the most painful process possible!”

“What other choice do I have?!”

“You could have helped her! Instead of keeping her prisoner, you could have given her a chance to save herself!”

“We kept an oath! A vow that YOU made! You said that we are not to help those with that curse! And yet, here you are! Helping Twilight to find that book!”

“You’re right. I did break the oath.” Luna turned her back onto Celestia, “But at least it was better than letting her die like that.”

Suddenly, a bright flash emerged from Luna, blinding even the Princess of the Sun herself. With a tremendous force, it pushed Celestia back, out of the Astral Plane. Celestia gasped for air as her mind was boggled from the experience. She ran towards the balcony and looked up onto the Moon, shining darker than usual. Luna not just had run away, but had also blocked her from entering the Astral Plane, the only way to find Twilight instantly.

The only way to find Twilight is by searching her like a wanted criminal. She has to find her and quick, before the darkness of that book consumes her. Forever.

Author's Note:

Chapter 3 = FINISH

So yeah, I had a lot of problems with writing this chapter. There was so much confusion, and I couldn't hold my ground with a storyline. It kept changing in my head. But anyway, I finished it (different than the original idea) and I'm proud of it. I worked hard on the last parts of this chapter (noticed the extreme detail?) and I hope I haven't done any mistakes in writing.

Kinda weird to start of the chapter with an argument, but at least it got calmed down afterwards. The princess were the hardest to write, and the Astral Plane scene was probably my favourite to write.

I wanted to add some comedy, so I did it with the Night Guards. I liked the way some characters in cartoons talk like that. Makes me laugh every time. Also, I'm gonna add a new cast after a couple of chapters. Who, you may ask?

Why should I tell you that?

I wish my story gets accepted in Equestria Daily.

Comments

[Cerulean Voice]

This review is brought to you on behalf of the group: Authors Helping Authors:

Name of Story:
Book of Time

Grammar Score (out of 10):
5

Pros:
1 - You've built up an adequate amount of mystery and foreboding, in regards to the unknown unicorn stallion.
2 - The scene with the time-freeze and blood-red sky was creepy and instantaneously effective.
3 - I like the allusion to Twilight's temporary insanity from Lesson Zero.

Cons:
1 - The pacing of your story seems a little rushed. A lot of things happen in a relatively short space of time.
2 - You have a tendency to switch between tenses mid-sentence (past, present and future). This is a big no-no in writing.
3 - Overall, your writing style seems incredibly dry. Not a lot is being left to my imagination because I'm being told everything, rather than shown.

Notes:
While the premise of your story appears to have a nice hook, the bait slips off when it's revealed to be quite blunt. I understand that you haven't been writing for very long though. Your story is definitely brimming with ideas and potential, but a few things seem off to me:

“Man, it sure is cold in here.”
“That’s because you left the refrigerator door open! AGAIN!”
“Oops, hehe. Sorry Twilight.”

I'm pretty sure refrigerators don't work that way. A giant walk-in freezer, maybe.

Twilight’s eyes shot wide. She completely forgot about Applejack’s birthday! How could she have done that?! She zipped across the library and to her bedroom, looking at the calender placed nicely near the window. It was marked ‘AJ = CAKE’, which was kinda awkward considering it was Twilight herself who marked it.

Given how meticulous we know Twilight is with her scheduling and checklists, this seems incredibly out of character, even if she was distracted briefly by other things.

“I’m just glad that nightmare is over. They keep chanting ‘find the book’, whatever that is...”
That took Celestia by surprise. “Twilight, did you say something about a ‘book’?”
Twilight nodded with a curious expression. She then asked, “What’s wrong? Is there something surprising about a book?”

Celestia seems to immediately jump to the conclusion that Twilight MUST be talking about the book of time, even though nopony should even be aware of its existence.

Unknowingly to her, a tall ponylike figure was looking at her from the window.

Who is this mysterious unicorn, and why does he have a fascination with Twilight without prior provocation?

Anyway, this story takes place after Twilight's coronation. Meaning, she's a princess.
I decided to still make her a librarian for the fun of it and that (according to my headcanon) she must finish her studies in Friendship before she can become a true princess.
She also still has her crown.
Spike is an older dragon and he's also bigger. Not as big as those teen dragons, more or less like his usual size only taller a bit.
The CMC are grownups (hint in the chapter) but they still hang out with each other.

If Twilight is still Celestia's student and still has things to learn about friendship, why would (approximately) eight years have passed? (Based on what you say about the CMC)
I didn't think that Twilight was such a slow learner. One would imagine that becoming a princess meant she had already learned everything fundamentally important about friendship.

“Oh, this? I was doing an experiment on everlasting enchantments on ethereal objects.”

until

“Imagine the breakthrough in science and magic! You are able to make things out of thin air, which clearly is impossible since matter cannot be created or destroyed, only altered. If this works, I can make the impossible, possible!”

I'm actually unsure about what the purpose of Twilight's initial experiment with ethereal objects was supposed to accomplish. Is she trying to replicate the powers of creation itself? Hopefully this will be explored in greater detail further down the track.

You might seriously want to give this fic a grammatical overhaul, or maybe find a pre-reader/editor (why not both?) Your tense changes -- among other things -- are particularly jarring. You usually only want to change tenses when switching between direct action/dialogue and regression into thoughts/memories.

I'll continue to follow this story to see where it leads; for all I know, things have yet to be explained that aren't apparent in these early stages. The premise is enough for me, and I look forward to meeting your other characters when they're inevitably introduced. Three of my most favourite characters have yet to rock up (Gilda, Sunset and Lightning) so I await them with great earnest.

Enjoy your review! I hope you can take some advice from it and improve your skills. Now please be a dear and return the favour by reviewing my own story: These Flowers Never Bloom.