Twilight fainted right off the bat. I guess she had good reason, being as she was one of the ones who tried to banish her the second time around. Derpy looked worried but, didn't say anything and Andy just looked confused.

"So, let me get this straight. This Nightmare thing is in your head now?"

"Yes." Smokey answered.

"And you're calling it 'Smokey'?"

"Yes, for the moment her name is Smokey. Unless you can think of a better one." (hint-hint)

"Oh, it's a her. And she comes out when she wants?" I sighed and Smokey facehoofed.

"Listen, I've already explained this a dozen times already. I can only come out when he lets me. You should be able to tell from the voice change."  Derpy decided to ask a question of her own.

"You're not controlling him are you?" I shook my head.

"No, Derpy. We made a deal. The both of us will benefit from it, if we adhere to the rules." I answered. She had another ready to go.

"What's it like? Having an entire other being in your head like that, I mean?" I was worn-out and getting tired of the questions. I shudder to think of what would happened if Twi were conscious. I-er, We decided to have some fun with Derpy.

"It is strange and will take some getting used to, but it just kinda feels like we added another pony to the group, is all." Her eyes swiveled around in circles.

"Whut?" I chuckled loudly at the display, which earned me a wing slap. I got an idea. I guess you could say the hit knocked some sense into me. (first time for everything, I guess?) Levitating a piece of paper over to me I started jotting down a note to the unicorn laid out on the couch. Smokey wrote it out.

Dear Twilight

We decided to go out and enjoy the sights of the town. We took five hundred bits from the Prince in lieu of proper payment. Don't worry, we'll be back soon. Probably bring you back a doggy bag or book or something. maybe.

~Smokey~

She folded it and left it on the pillow next to her head. I didn't see any problems. Andy was the first out the door

"I'm so hungry, I could eat a horse!" Derpy and I just froze. He sensed something was wrong and turned his head around to see two vastly different reactions. I was laughing my ass off and poor Derpy was mortified.

"You wouldn't dare..." she growled. Her wings flared out threateningly, her head lowered and she pawed at the ground with her hoof like she was ready to charge. The grey griffon smiled grimly.

"As hungry as I am, I just mi--OOF!" he gasped as Derpy headbutted him in the gut. Not a terribly hard hit and her giggle only confirmed that she was fooling around. Still, I figured we had some time to kill. It might be fun to see how this turned out. Smokey agreed. What could be more fun than watching two friends knock each others brains out?

"FIGHT!"

"FIGHT!"

"FIGHT!"

"FIGHT!"

After Andy recovered from the initial hit, it devolved into a pro-wrestling match. I'm talking old school W.W.F., the kind me and my older cousins used to get into almost everyday. Smokey and I decided to do commentary.

"Thank you for joining us tonight in this not-so sold out arena in beautiful Bel Mare! I'm Kart Boss and with me is Smokey! How ya' doin'?"

"I'm doing great, Boss! Still talking to the voices in your head I see."

"Yeah. I got one that just won't stop. Speaking of things that won't stop, this action is starting to heat up! This match is for the.... the uh.....uhhhhh, what is this one for again?"

"No idea! Let's just enjoy the match-OOOOOOH! That looked painful! Let's go to the replay."

"......we have a replay?"

Andy had grabbed Derpy from behind in an attempt to put her in a full nelson but, with a creative move with her wings, she managed to slip away and trip him with her tail. He hit with a dull thud. With a hoof on each limb, she pinned him. I raced out and started a count.

"ONE"

"TWO" Andy flexed both wings and threw himself and her  into the air. He quickly positioned her for a picture perfect

piledriver. Her skull connected with the floor with a sickening CRACK!

"Aw man! That floor is never gonna be the same again. The mare, however, seems unfazed." Derpy then got her hooves around Andy's head and flung him into the nearest corner, where he landed on his ass, slumped against the walls. The pegasus charged toward him, turning at the last second.

"Is that? It is! One of the most humiliating moves known, the dreaded stinkface!"

"Normally, yes. But this is Derpy Hooves. The Iron flank of infinite destruction!"

Andy came out of his daze just in time to see her backside headed right for him.

".......mother." Smokey and I both winced at the impact. Not only was Andy K.O'ed, but there were small cracks along the wall where she hit.

"You want to call it?"

"I think we should, yeah." I strode over and held Derp's hoof up.

"The winner via failure to answer a ten count is Derpy!" She struck a victorious pose in the middle of the.... now half destroyed front entry. I looked around.

"Maybe we should get out of here now." I said to the other two. I never did figure out where the music came from.

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As we walked through the town, we noticed it was strangely quiet. Not a sound was heard nor was a pony seen.

"Where do you suppose everyponys at?" Derpy asked, her eyes swiveling every which way. I never realized she could actually control them. Every now and again I thought I could see a flicker of movement behind the windows of a few buildings.

"They're probably staying inside until the all-clear sounds." A thought struck me. "Twilight did send word back to Luna and Celestia that the problem was taken care of, right?" I asked. Derpy rubbed the back of her head and whistled innocently while Andy just cleared his throat and looked away. I groaned. I knew we had forgotten something. I could hear Smokey laughing her non-corporeal tail off in my head. I was about to ask one of them to fly back and report when I realized something. "I can do it! Face to face no less! I've been there before, I can teleport. I'll just lock onto Derpy here as a metaphysical anchor, and do-POOF!" I disappeared in a bright flash.

"How long do you think he'll be gone?" Andy asked. Derpy turned to him and shrugged.

"Heck if I know. Let's go find some food." She said and trotted off. Andy stood there, scratching his feathery head.

"Don't you need to stay in one spot, so he can come back?"

"Nah. He locked on to me. So wherever I am, he'll come right to the spot."

"Huh. Didn't know it worked like that."

"Neither did I."

"What?" The odd pegasus had stopped and was staring at a brightly lit sign. Andy thought he had seen one similar on Earth.

"Wha-Oh! Look! Three Fillies Shakes and Pies! Let's go there!" Ah, that had been it. there was just one problem with the idea.

"I hate to disappoint you but, he had the money when he left, you know." he explained. Derpy looked like she was about to cry. Her eyes watered and her bottom lip trembled. Oh no, not this.

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After a hop, skip and a jump through the in-between, I appeared in the castle. As my vision cleared, I realized I was looking at a door. My teleport spell should have put me somewhere near Luna, so I guess she's through there.

"Guess again, chief."

"Huh?"

*sigh* "Turn around." I did as Smokey said and found the Princess of the Night. She was staring right at me. I had popped in in front of her as she was heading out the door carrying a tea cup. Said cup hit the floor and broke when she saw the changes in my appearance. She then said something very un-ladylike.

"Shit." I gave a small wave.

"Hi! Long time no see, Lulu." I noticed the hoof I waved with still held the money bag. Oops. "Be back in a sec. We need to talk." I said and reentered the In-between. I opened a partial portal at the other end and tossed the bag through, smacking Derpy's flank. With a yelp, she spun around just as I closed up. All she saw was the bag hit the ground. I would have hung around, but I had pressing business in Canterlot.

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Luna was in shock.  That thing should not have been. That was the one last piece of the Nightmare that the Elements sparred. Why or how, she did not know. Out of fear she had sealed it in the deepest part of her soul. Now it was out in the world once more. Something seemed off about it, different than the Nightmare she once was.

"We need to talk indeed." she said out loud to herself. She cleaned up the shattered cup and went to the throne room. She sat on her throne and waited, so lost in thought, she didn't notice when Anthony reappeared to her left. A billowing white caught her eye. Anthony stood there with a smile.

"So, how was Bel Mare?" Her knight shrugged.

"It was okay, I guess. Took a tour, raised some Hell killing a vampire, saved Blueblood, found out I have a demon in me. You know, boring stuff." I told her as if were no big deal. She blinked.

"And you're okay with....." she trailed off. I picked up for her

".....Smokey? Not really, but she kinda helped me out so, for now we're straight."

"Smokey?" The said demon thing came out.

"Yes?" The Princess started a little at the sound of her voice. She cleared her throat.

"I thank-you for assisting my knight. I can sense that you intend no immediate harm, but I must ask you why you chose him? There were other knights before him."

"Simply on a whim. That, and I thought he was cute. Anyway it happened when you gave him that mark. I've been going over his memories in here. He was an actual human before he crossed paths with Discord?" Smokey asked. Luna nodded.

"Do you plan on staying with him?"

"Yeah, for a while anyway. Seeing everything through his eyes is interesting, I'll give him that."  She leaned in close to Luna. "And just between us, I think that gray one has a bit of a crush on him. He hasn't realized it yet though." she said with a giggle. Luna dead-panned.

"If he didn't before, I bet he does now." She said flatly. Smokey giggled.

"Nah, he's sort of taking a nap." she was saying before being cut off by a loud growl coming from my stomach. She made a snapping sound with my hoof. "That's right! He and the others were fixing to eat when he came back to tell you about your nephew. He hasn't eaten since early this morning. Could we be excused?" Smokey asked. Luna nodded rose.

"I think I'll join you."

"T'would be an honor milady."

"Oh you're back."

"Did I miss anything?" I asked with a yawn. The Lunar Princess couldn't help but laugh.

"Hm-hm, nothing important. We're just on our way to dinner."

"Oh good, I'm pretty hungry."

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Andy and Derpy stared through the darkened windows of the restaurant, their faces pressed against the glass. Of course it was closed! Everyone was hiding in their homes safe and sound from the vampire that they didn't know was dead.

"What do we do know?" Derpy asked her dining companion. She leaned against the door which swung open scaring the crap out of both of them. They looked in, a darkened kitchen beckoned them. Andy grinned wickedly. Every kind of sweet treat they could think of sat there, taunting them.

"My dear Derpy, I've got an idea. Just leave a hundred bits on the counter, to cover expenses. Tonight, we eat like kings!"

"B-but I'm a girl." Derpy protested. They slipped in and locked the door behind them. He walked into the kitchen and flipped on the lights, looking at all the different desserts. He glanced back at the pegasus.

"Like kings, my friend, kings." Some poor pony was going to be fired over this one.

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While Andy and Derpy gorged themselves on sweets and Anthony dined at Canterlot Castle, Twilight rolled over and off the couch, hitting the floor with a PLOP! The tile she landed on shook loose and bumped a table close by. A snow-globe fell over and rolled into a priceless vase, which of course went off the side and snagged the cord on some drapes, pulling them down as well. As the curtains fell, a small piece of a red gem slid free of a fold in the fabric and came to rest in front of the nose of the sleeping unicorn. Her eyes fluttered open in surprise, her mind trying to figure out where she was. The gem reacted when it hit the floor, and if she could have seen it, the whole building, sinking Twilight in pudding.

"That must be a Chaos Sha-glarblearble.." *smack smack* "This is pretty tasty!" * Nom-nom-nom SLURP!* "I have to eat my way to safety! It's the *burp* only way." She grabbed them gem with her magic and started eating her way to the window. "Best. Dream. Ever." She thought to herself as she opened the glass. The cool evening air hit her, bringing her back to reality.

"CELESTIA DAMMIT!" She hollered when she realized that she needed to go and get Blueblood. She teleported into his chamber just as his horn slipped under the chocolatey goo. She pulled him out with her magic and teleported the both of them to safety. Two chocolate covered ponies on the lawn in front of the former residence. The Prince was still out cold. He would sure be in for a shock when he woke up, what, with his house now being a pile of pudding and all. A flash an the flapping of wings announced the return of her friends. "Perfect timing." She thought to herself. Each of them carried a takeout bag. "At least that's something."  Anthony was about to say something. A cold stare from Twilight shut him down quick. "Yes the house is pudding. Yes, we're covered in it. Don't ask why or how, but I found a Chaos Shard. Whatever is in those bags had better be for me." she said with a small growl in her voice. After taking careful evaluation all three regretted bringing her chocolate pudding.