“Welcome!” exclaimed a voice, sounding slightly robotic, “See author? After rewriting this one line five times, you finally got something going!”

Something walks out of the shadows and appears to be… a male cyborg alicorn, with a bright red and purple mane and tail, a pure black coat, and a pair of robotic wing colored purple with black “feathers”. One eye looks normal with amber colored iris, while the other eye is obviously robotic with a black “sclera” and a glowing red iris. He looks over towards the confused reader and author.

“What?” he asked, then points up, “this is called a “bonus chapter” for a reason. It’s non-canon, but it is here to help us, or more specifically, you better understand the character that the winner will be interviewing, without causing spoilers.”

“Oh and my serial number is: 50U1-533K3R, but most call me Soul Seeker for some reason,” Soul said as he shrugged, then looked a stack of papers labelled ‘script: optional’, “let’s see… our interviewer today is known as… geh-na-rel?” someone whispers from outside of the story, “Gnarl, Gnarl… got it,” he looks back to the readers, “our interviewer today is... Gnarl!”

He pulls a lever right beside him, causing a portal to open up right beside him, after a few moments, there is a loud yell increasing in volume and suddenly… a creature lands on the ground next to Soul.

As Soul got ready to help him up, the… goblin?... gremlin?... got up and started cursing up a storm, “MOLDY! You putid pustule on a weasel’s rump! I told you to pull the lever on the left not the one on the right!”

After a moment of silence you can hear a faint echo of someone saying ‘sorry’ just before the portal closes.

“...That… was something,” Soul said, a bemused expression on his face, gaining the attention of… the creature, “never the less, welcome to the Q&A bonus chapter, how are you?”

“Who and what in the Nether Realm are you?!” the creature practically demanded, “and where in the blazes are we?! It smells like the back side of a skunk dipped in dog vomit in here.”

“I’m 50U1-533K3R, most call me Soul Seeker,” Soul answered, “I’m a cyborg alicorn, version 2.235, and we are currently located in void realm number 776. You wouldn’t happen to be Gnarl, would you?”

“Well that explains the smell, Void 776 was always a bit dank.” The creature said, then he held a hand up to his chest “Yes I am Gnarl, Minion Master and devoted servant of darkness. Now why am I here? I was about to get a little relaxation in the torture chambers before you opened that blasted portal. The screams would’ve been so soothing.”

“Sorry about interrupting your… relaxation time,” Soul said, then pointed a hoof towards him, “but you have won the contest for doing a Q&A with one of these four individuals,” Soul then moved his hoof to make it look like he should be holding something, when something appeared in it, a picture of four intimidating looking being.

“You can choose from Pyramid Head, the King of Silent Hill and Slayer of Sinners,” Soul said as a picture of a bipedal man wearing a pyramid-shaped helmet, wielding a large sword cover all the other pictures, “The Keeper, Protector of Families and Wrath of Parents everywhere,” another picture of another man instead wearing a safe with barbed-wire wrapped around it, carrying what looks like a giant meat-tenderizer, “Slender Man, Forest Guardian and Protector of All Things Innocent,” a picture of a extremely tall and bipedal… creature, wearing a tux with black tentacles behind him, “and finally, Nightmare, with too many titles to write for this short description, only The Protector of Children fits best with him,” a picture of a seemingly harmless purple bipedal bear wearing a pure black hat and bow-tie.

Gnarl looked at the first picture and a small grin split his face, “That blade is quite a sight, all the dried blood and guts gives him a pleasant aura of death and rotting corpses” He thought about picking him but decided against it, Gnarl could feel this ‘Pyramid Head’ was more of a middle of the road person then anything.

He turned to the second painting and sneered, “Keeper of Families? Feh! ‘Never trust family’, the first Overlord proved that when he was stabbed in his sleep by his younger sister.”

He turned toward the third painting, “I’ll give this one credit where credit is due, he pulls off the eldritch creepy vibe better than many I’ve encountered before. But innocence only lasts so long and no one is truly innocent anyways.”

He shook his head and looked toward the fourth painting and stared at it.

The longer he stared the more the grin on his face grew till it started to look like it might split his face, “Now this… Nightmare… is a piece of work if I ever saw one,” he chuckled evilly, “I pick Nightmare,” Gnarl says pointing at the painting.

“Alright,” Soul said, gathering magic in his horn, and shot it into the sky.

For a moment, silent ruled, until an explosion hit, causing a slight tremor, and a portal, seemingly made of shadows, opened beside Soul.

“We ask for the summoning of Nightmare,” Soul said looking towards the portal.

At first nothing happened, until an arm came through the portal and another, then a head, and the rest of the body.

The body did a few rotations of each part at each joint, ensuring there wasn’t any stiff joints or any malfunctions.

It then looked around and gained a look of confusion, “Where am I?” he asked with a soft tone.

“You are in void realm number 776,” Soul said gaining his attention, “you are Nightmare… right?”

“Yes...” he said, once again confused, “Who are you? And I thought there was only one void?”

Gnarl laughs at that, “There’s an infinite number of voids along with an infinite number of universes one for each.”

Nightmare looked at him with a questioning look.

“What he says is true,” Soul said, “I’m not going to repeat my serial number again, otherwise the readers will get annoyed, my name is Soul Seeker, and that over there is Gnarl.”

“I am a Grey Minion!” Gnarl exclaimed in rage, “Not a thing or a that you pilloc!”

Soul rolls his eyes and looks back to Nightmare who tilted his head with a confused look.

“...Readers…?” Nightmare asked.

“Yeah, you’re kind of in a story pal,” Soul answered, Nightmares jaw literally dropped off, to which he picked it up and put it back on, “and anything you learn here you will forget so… yeah…”

“...huh...” Nightmare said simply, “I guess that makes… some sense… I think?”

“Good,” Soul said, “We have already wasted a bunch of time, right now you are going to do a Q&A with Gnarl here,” he gestures over to Gnarl, “he asks you a question, and you answer it to the best of your ability.”

Nightmare shrugged, “Alright.”

“Well, I believe that is my que to start yapping.” Gnarl said as he turned to face Nightmare.

“Excellent,” Soul said.

He paused slightly seeming to gather his thoughts before he spoke,“I must ask, what made you? I can sense that you have a soul, having resurrected thousands of Minions myself, but I can see plain as the warts on a trolls arse that your body is completely mechanical in nature. Much like a Golems.”

“Technically,” Nightmare started, thinking, “this body was made from the anger, sadness, and hatred of a few other specific spirits that are actually trapped in similar bodies, and my soul is that of their vengeance. They were once children, which is why I decided to protect children, both physically and mentally.”

At first Gnarl listen with rapt attention, making mental notes to relay to his master when he got back, but then Nightmare mentioned that children were involved a frown marked his face. Gnarl may be Evil but even he knew better then to harm children. How else were the next generations of evildoers supposed to be born if children were treated as sacrifices. He decided not the tell his master about this, nothing good ever comes from harming children.

“Good question,” Soul said to Gnarl, then looked to Nightmare, “and great answer. Next question!”

Gnarl taped a clawed finger to his chin in thought, “Your name is Nightmare... does that have anything to do with what you do or is it just for show?”

“In a way, yes,” Nightmare stated, “I can literally jump into anyone’s nightmares or dreams, there are other being in that realm, the Dreamscape, called Nightmare beings, they fear me and for good reason. I-”

“Stop,” Soul said looking at a screen in front of him, “big boss no telling anyone about they yet, spoilers.”

“...Right...” Nightmare said, unsure how to act.

“WHAT?” Gnarl shouted in rage, ”Why that green nostiled, cross-eyed, hairy-livered, inbreed trout defiler! I wanted to know!”

“...” Soul was focusing on the screen, “...big boss says he’s heard worse from a broken meat grinder.”

“Why that pusillanimous-” Gnarl started again.

“The big boss wants to know if you want to go on like this or ask another question?” Soul said.

Gnarl huffs and crosses his arms in a grumpy manner, “Fine,” Gnarl said unhappily.

“The other three that you work with, out of all of you which is the most powerful? Or are you all equal in power?” Gnarl asked.

“Well,” Nightmare said, scratching his chin in thought, “We once did try to see who was the most powerful, the surrounding area took most of the damage, but...” Nightmare then looked to the pictures, “I might just say Pyramid Head, he has this thing where-”

“Also spoilers,” Soul said in a warning tone, to which Nightmare growled in reply, his body… ‘glitched’ for a moment.

Gnarl blinked in surprise, Nightmare’s body language completely changed for a split second, the only reason Gnarl could think that would happen was if… he grinned evilly and let out a soft chuckle.

“Nightmare, are you similar to your name sake? For example, real nightmares can take multiple forms and change at will, can you?” Gnarl asked with a completely innocent looking, but not feeling, face.

Nightmare looked surprised for a moment, then seemed to grin, “Indeed, however I can only change into other versions of myself, but…” Nightmare paused, then continued, “there is one of my forms that I have little to no control of and even then I cannot turn into it without having been angered beyond my limits.”

Nightmare then looked towards Soul, “And I have a feeling that if I say its name, or try to, you tell me it’s spoilers.”

Soul nodded, “Right on the nose.”

“If you want,” Nightmare said, looking back to Gnarl, “I could show my true Nightmare form.”

Gnarl’s eyes began to literally sparkle with happiness, “That would be most agreeable, I do so love a good nightmare. Always makes my black heart swell with joy.”

“Very well,” Nightmare said, suddenly there was a high-pitched noise causing Gnarl to grab his ears and shut his eyes in pain, even then he could still hear it and, just barely, also heard the sound of laughter.

Suddenly the high-pitched noise was gone and all was silent, Gnarl, slowly, let go of his ears and looked at Nightmare. It was apparent what has changed, it seemed to he now had clawed fingers, razor-sharp looking teeth, and at his waist looked like another mouth, he now wears a golden colored hat and bow-tie. He also looked a bit… decayed.

Gnarl gawked at the true form of Nightmare. His eyes wide with awe. An evil, and extremely creepy smile, slowly formed on his face getting bigger by the second. Gnarl gave a shudder of pleasure.

“You were intimidating before, but now you’re absolutely diabolic,” Gnarl stated, “I must say you dress to impress.”

“Well,” Nightmare said, his voice now sounding a bit more menacing than before, “from what I’ve been told, the form ‘whose-name-I-shall-not-say’ is much more terrifying. On scale of one to ten I once asked, my passive form was 3, my true Nightmare form was a 8 and a half, and my… currently unnamed form to avoid spoilers,” he said, both him and Gnarl glaring at Soul, “was scaled on a massive 17.

“So,” Nightmare continued, “try not to anger me too much, unless you want to be scared into the afterlife.”

Gnarl wiped a few tears away from his eyes and sniffled, “This has to be the most wonderful day in my entire life,” he said, his voice full of emotion, “Not only do I get to meet a being of nightmares but I find out he’s capable of getting even meaner than this?! I may just die of happiness… If I could die that is,” he smirked at Nightmare.

“Fun fact about us grey minions, we can’t die, no matter how much we’re smashed, burned, ripped, shredded, pulled, broken, or scared,” Gnarls eyes flashed with dark mirth, “So you’d have your work cut out for you if I did manage to make you angry, but I’m just so happy to be here that I won’t.”

“... I… uh...” Nightmare unsure of what to say, decided to take it in stride, “Thank you… I guess?”

“And I’m far older than you by a long shot so I’ve seen more evil and fearful things then you can imagine,” Gnarl stated matter-of-factly, “I’m actually coming up on my 3 millionth and 24 birthday in a few months.”

Nightmares eyes widened in surprise, “I will give you credit, that is an impressive record,” Nightmare stated.

“Thank you, I do try,” Gnarl’s smile could’ve curdled fresh milk.

“So, I have a few more questions for you,” Gnarl stated, “What is your favorite color?” Gnarl said plainly as if it was an average thing to ask in Q&A of this kind.

“Well,” Nightmare said, now scratching his chin with his clawed fingers, “I would have to say either red or gold, they are at such a level that they are equals.”

Gnarl nodded his head, “What… is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?”

Nightmare realized what he was doing and knew this reference, and then did the only thing most people would do in this situation, facepalm.

“Did.. did you just...” Nightmare then groaned, then started clapping, “well played, well… played...” then Nightmare scratched his chin again, “I wonder if Pyramid Head considers terrible puns as a sin...”

Gnarl just cackled loudly.

Soul looked at him, with a slight glare, then rolled his eyes, “Those two questions don’t count then,” he stated as a few mouse clicks are heard.

If looks could kill, Gnarls would have vaporized Soul. “You loathsome, diseased, droolling, cross-eyed, inbreed toesucker!” Gnarl shouted while jumping up and down, “That was comedic gold and you’re just going to delete it?” looking slightly like a jumping chimpanzee while he did so.

Soul raised an eyebrow at that, “No,” he stated, then pointed to a counter hanging in the air that said ‘11’ on it, “you have a limit to how many questions you have and I was making sure that you got all of your answers for your real questions and not the joke ones.”

Gnarl blinked,. “Oh,” he said before crossing his arms, huffing in annoyance, and grumbled, “you’re still a technicolor yawn though.”

“I can be a bit…” Soul paused in thought, then continued, “boring but it is how I am and how I will continue to be, besides you still have questions, yes?”

“Of course I do!” Gnarl proclaimed before turning back toward Nightmare, “I know you and your companions are in one of those Equis universes with all those… *shudder*... ponies, and while I can’t stand the sweet, loving creatures I know the readers would want to know if you have a favorite.”

“Favorite?” Nightmare said, then lifted his hat off his head with his clawed fingers and scratched his head, “I guess I would have to pick the pony named… er… I believe it was Sweet Bell?”

“Sweetie Belle,” Soul corrected, “her name is Sweetie Belle.”

“Right, Sweetie Belle,” Nightmare said, “and if you wonder why, when I visit her dreams she always sings the sweetest of songs that remind me of good times when I was younger.”

Gnarl had to hold back the gag he was about to let loose. That sounded like the most foul of tortures to him.

He composed himself and asked his next question, “What other battles have you and your companions fought? I assume there’s more than just your titles imply.”

“Well,” Nightmare said, and paused as he looked to Soul, to which he nodded, and Nightmare looked back to Gnarl, “we had fought off what have come to be known as the ‘Astral Beasts’, which consist of living versions of constellations.” Nightmare then shook his head, a sad look appeared on his face, “So many unnecessary losses, if only we could’ve done more...”

Gnarl nodded his head in understanding. Not all past Overlords were purely evil. Some had taken great lengths to make sure the lives of their subjects were safe and sound, not all of them succeeded though. He sighed and pushed away old memories that tried to resurface.

Gnarl turned toward Soul, “The next question is for you and Nightmare both,” Gnarl said, making Soul cock his head in confusion. “I know you said no spoilers but I was wondering if you and Nightmare would give the readers a… sample of what is to come to… wet their lips so to speak.” Gnarl smiled a sweet smile, and it looked horrifying on his face, “Would that be allowed?”

Suddenly a pop, like a balloon, was heard and a few pieces of paper appeared before Soul and he looked to Gnarl.

“The boss couldn’t have been clearer if he tried,” Soul stated, then looked towards the readers, “what will be coming up in future chapters will be bits of the main casts past, some flashbacks, and even some potential conflict, all I am allowed to give away per the boss’s orders is the Cult of Karma is here.”

At that statement, Nightmare’s eyes seemed to widen, with a hint of something that had never been seen by another living mortal in millenia, fear.

“Tell me you’re kidding,” Nightmare said angrily, “you’re kidding… right?” this time, his voice faltered a bit.

“It’s what the boss said I was allowed to tell,” Soul stated with little emotion, “though, for you, you understand, the readers don’t, nor will Gnarl… at least, not now anyways.”

Gnarl gawked at Soul, “That’s it? That even more cryptic than a polar bear in space drinking liquid nitrogen. And confusing too.”

Gnarl wasn’t happy, he never liked being confused, made his head hurt.

“Hey, I’m just the messenger,” Soul stated, shrugging, “but if you want to take it up with the boss I can easily give you the key,” he presses a button on a keyboard and a door about 300 feet tall looking like a simple, yet ornate, old castle door appears.

Gnarl looks the door over and smiles, holding out his hand for Soul to give him the key. Soul dropped a simple bronze key into Gnarls hand.

Gnarl grasped it and marched toward the door proclaiming, “Making my job difficult and blocking my questions. That’s an evil I will not stand for, I swear there’s going to be an inquisition!” Gnarl stomped toward the door with his fist raised.

“I feel bad for him,” Soul said, shaking his head.

Nightmare looked over to him, “Why do you say that?” he asked.

“Well,” Soul said, “he has always found a way to torture or kill someone he knew should not have the ability to die…. always...”

Nightmare’s eyes widened at that, “Then why’d you let him go in there?”

“Because the boss,” Soul said, pointing to his computer with his hoof, “promised he would not kill him… permanently anyway.”

Nightmare just froze as still as a statue, then his jaw once again, literally fell off, to which he picked it up and put it back on, and continued to look at the door that Gnarl walked through.

Then, the door started to closed, slowly, by itself, and just before it closed all the way they heard probably the strangest, yet somehow the most terrifying thing in the universe.

“NOT A PEDICURE! PLEASE HAVE MERCCCYYY!!!!”

Then the door closed all the way and it vanished.

Soul once again looked to the readers, “Welp, that is that I suppose,” Soul said, shrugging, “I hope you all enjoyed reading, and if anyone, besides Gnarl, can guess the reference he made, then we can see you in the next bonus Q&A chapter.”

“Will… will I be here again?” Nightmare asked.

“Maybe, maybe not,” Soul said, once again shrugging, “it is all up to the winner I suppose.”

Soul then lit up his horn, which had a blood red aura about it and a portal appeared beside Nightmare, energy gathered at his horn and he unleashed it at Nightmare to which yelled in surprised and was hit into the portal. The portal then vanished.

“Welp,” Soul said, “that takes care of-”

“NO ONE EXPECTS THE SPANISH INQUISITION!” said… one of the Spanish Inquisition.

“Except me,” Soul said as he pressed a key on the keyboard, causing a trapdoor perfectly sized for them to open up under them.

“CURSE YOU WINGED UNICORN!!!” said another one of the Inquisition.

Soul once again looks back to the readers, “Hope you enjoyed reading bye!”

Author's Notes:

The winner of the first contest was Gnarl and now we have another contest for the next bonus chapter, which was announced by Soul Seeker up there, by the way thank you Soul.

You're quite welcome sir.

Anyways, I bet you are wondering what happened to Gnarl, yes?

Well if you are curious, I suppose I could tell you or... I could show you

You see a room full of sunshine with a pink and fluffy unicorn, dancing on a rainbow, with a Grey Minion tied up to a chair with a gag and he seems to have pure terror in his eyes, all the while there is a song playing in the background.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWM2joNb9NE

Anyways, hope you guys enjoyed, see you all... in the next chapter! This is Brony, signing off!