Night Gale's New Problem

   Lunar Dawn and Night Gale were well on their way to the train station. Lunar was kind enough to buy not only a ticket for herself, but also a ticket for Night. The morning was still a bit young as they occupied a bench together, their attire quite choiceful, well, for Lunar anyway. Night was in such a rush that he didn't put anything fancy on, not to mention the fact that he doesn't own any formal clothing. He, more or less, just combed through his mane to make it a bit more presentable. Lunar put on a nice dress with a sparkling bow. The two waited less than an hour on that bench, in silence, before the train to Canterlot arrived to pick up its passengers.

   "I don't see why you didn't just put some kind of tie on." Lunar whispered sternly at Night.

"I don't own any ties or bows like you!" Night whispered back. The two took their seats in the back.

"I don't even like being formal. It's feels like cramping when I wear something nice." Night stated, staring out the window he sat next to.

"Well, maybe I wouldn't be on you if we weren't invited by Celestia to join her for lunch." Lunar hissed back.

"It's Celestia, Lunar, she won't even mind how you and I will dress. She probably just wanted it to be casual." Night turned back to his friend.

"You've got to be kidding me. We are going to meet up with a princess, a princess, Night! It does matter how you present yourself to royalty!" Lunar slightly raised her voice. Night put a hoof up to her mouth.

"Shush! You hear that? It's the sound of not caring." Night truned back around after that, leaving the stunned mare next to him with a red filled face of anger.

   The train eventually reached the Canterlot platform after a few hours. As the train was unloading, Night allowed Lunar to step off the train before him. She was met personally by Celestia, then greeted Luna.

"Greetings, fair citizen." Luna greeted Lunar whilst shaking her hoof. "My sister speaks greatly of you, and your little friend."

Lunar stepped off to the side to reveal that Night was standing behind her. That's when Luna's eyes widened, looked at her sister, then back at the familiar stallion before them.

"Is that really..." Luna started, but was quickly cut off by Night's response.

"In the flesh and blood." Night had said with a grin on his face. "My, my, when I last saw you, you were a lot smaller than your sister." Luna's cheeks went a bright red for a few seconds and hugged her long lost friend.

   After the reunion at the platform, the small group was slowly making progress to the castle through Canterlot. Luna was happily talking away to Night Gale, Dawn was trail just behind Celestia, and Celestia made frequent stop greet her subjects.

"So, you stopped the Shadow Pony, but didn't go back to your time?" Luna asked with great intruigue.

"Well, he's actually trapped within my music box somewhere." Night responded with a smile on his face. Everpony seemed happy, but who was hiding their true feelings just happen to be behind Celestia as the group walked on. Both Princesses and their guests were greeted by  the royal guard when they reached the castle.

   Once inside, the four were being escorted through the halls around the castle to the dining room. Dawn was admiring the castle's achitecture while trying to listen to Celestia explain how it was built. Night and Luna were still chatting away, yet both still had an idea as to where they all were going somehow. Night didn't suspect that Dawn was a bit jealous through the fact he hit it off with Luna so well after see her in.. well... years. Night didn't really see Celestia or Luna as rulers, more like the sisters he knew before his first encounter with the Shadow Pony. He was their guardian then, they got along well, he even entertained them the best he could when they were just little fillies, and he did a pretty damn good job of protecting the two. Night was even their mentor in magic and offense when they became of age. Now, he's just a regular pony and their the extrodinary ponies everyone knows.

    The ponies were soon sitting at an enlongated table, all were waiting patiently to see what they get to eat since Celestia let one of the castel's chefs choose their meal. Guards came into the room with platters of silver, aromas of something that put saliva in the muzzle of the ponies that the smell entered their nostrils. Night was nearly leaning out of his seat when he smelled the aroma filling the room. The platters shined as they were placed on the table before them, lids were lifted to reveal... Apples, grilled apples. Dawn's face was struck with confusion while Celestia, Luna, and Night got some of the dish presented. She just looked at the food, not knowing as to what she should be doing.

   "You really should try it atleast." Night said to his friend, "It's really good actually."

"But... how do you even grill apples?" Lunar blurted out, tunring to Night.

"Simple really. Just start a fire and throw some apples on an iron plate over the fire." Night responded quickly before taking another bite from the apple. Dawn eyes the dish once again before finally taking an apple and biting into it. Dawn then smiled and took another bite of her apple.

"Mmmm..." Dawn released as she chewed.

"Good, isn't it?" Night asked, putting down the apple core with the other two from the sisters.

   "You two remember back in your training days, what we'd do in our off days?" Night asked Celestia and Luna with a big grin.

"Do you really think you can keep up, you old pony?" Luna taunted, ctaching Night's drift.

"Talking a lot of smack for somepony your age." Night snickered back at Luna.

"Celestia, what are they talking about?" Dawn asked, confused at why Luna and Night were snickering at eachother.

"Cider contest." She simply said, shaking her head.

"You. Are. On!" Luna bellowed, slamming a hoof down on the table. The platter jumped a few centimeters with the food.

"You two can compete later with the cider." Celestia stopped the hoax taunts between Luna and Night.

"Awwww... what's the matter? Celestia all grown up for a little competetion?" Was all Night could say before he burst out laughing and dropped to the floor.

   It took a few minutes before Night's laughter died off and Celestia shook her head once more.

"Glad to see that you still have your sense of humor Night Gale." Celestia smiled, silence soon followed her response. Luna looked over to where Night had landed to only find that he had disappeared.

"Sister, we might have a slight problem." Luna's face got serious.

"And what would that be, dear sister?" Celestia shifted her eyes to Luna.

"He's no longer in the room...." Luna said gravely, looking at her sister.

   Dawn started to panic at the fact Night was no longer around. Celestia had several guards search all over the castle for the stallion. Only, the results weren't satisfactory. Night Gale was nowhere in the castle, that's when Luna also started to panic while Celestia tried her best to stay calm in this situation. The table was cleared off, Luna retreated back to her quarters, Celestia in the throne room, and Lunar Dawn in the hall outside the dining room. Some odd number of hours passed when the trio returned to the dining room to check for anything clues as to what happened to Night Gale. A loud CLANG emitted from behind them. There, in the evening sun, stood the alicorn, covered in blood, shaking, and shock being masked by his wet mane. Several splotched of blood sat on the sword and stained the floor beneath it.

   "Night Gale, what just happened?" Dawn was the first to break the silence.

"Something very, very, very wrong with Time." Was the stallion's only answer to her question. "Yet, only one pony may know what the hell is going on."

"Who?" Luna asked, leaning in a bit closer.

"The Shadow Pony." Night raised his head to look at the three mares before him.

"You can't be serious, how are you going to get him out of that music box when you can't even find it?" Dawn questioned the motives of the stallion.

"Well.... when a team first discovered him encased in ice, I foolishly touched it. For the first few days after that, he spoke to me in my sleep. He's still in my subconcious, just need to project him."  Night got ready for a spell he thought should work. He took in a deep breath, closed his eyes, and focused. Night's horn lit up in the purple aura again. Sweat crossed his brows as a projection started to take from of the Shadow Pony, a lot smaller than before.

   "Shadow, I need your help. That little spell you pulled is starting to backfire." Night Gale started, the aura glowing brighter.

"I would help, but I'm not quite as powerful as I once was. Neither do I have my book." Shadow's voice was less deepened and less demonic. "Also, Night Gale, the spell not only affects you, it has the ability to wipe out the world as you know it."

"What? How will it do that?" Celestia asked, not knowing the real weight behind the words spoken by the Shadow Pony.

"The spell I performed on Night causes Time to try and repair itself. Only by wiping out the effected time period and the pony the spell was performed on. In my spellbook, there is a spell I created to implement any effected items. I do not fully know if it works on ponies though."

   "Where is your spell book, exactly?" Luna asked, staring at the projection.

"In the Citadel, Night Gale knows." The Shadow Pony then faded out as Night lost his balance.

"Night, stay on castle grounds for the night. Lunar Dawn you shall be escorted home." Celestia satrted up.

"I'm leaving at morning. Only I know where that old Citadel lies." Night excalimed, gaining full balance.

"Not without a bath first." Luna looked onward. Dawn was escorted out of the castle, Celestia seemed to have left the room without Night and Luna.