Teleporting home to Raspy Hill, Dark felt the world around him crumbling. His panic rose and his emotions were going wild. As soon as he forced his way into his own room, he slammed the door behind him nearly breaking the hinges.

He could see their faces still as if they were engraved behind his eyelids and he suddenly screamed, breaking any and all glass in the room, even cracking the thick windows a bit with his powerful aura. 

"Guh! Ahhhh! Hnnnn. . . " he cried with a fistful of his hair in his hand as he fell into his bed.

He had completely lost it. He shouldn't have. He should have kept his cool. He knew Actor was taunting him. Actor had WANTED Dark's breaking point and he gotten it. All he had to do was mention someone he had never really met before.

Celine.

Why did the mention of her name bring him so much agony? The mere thought of Actor wanting to inflict any harm on her or using her in any way to get to him. It angered him so much.

He took a few breathes, trying to calm himself. He had reacted to violently with his emotions, he needed to try and slow down a bit.

Dark had a thought if any of Sean's egos felt the same about Sean's siblings. Dark and the rest of the Iplier egos felt no connection to Thomas, Mark's brother or his mother but they were still apart of them in a way. Dark knew of the relation but the rest of them, since they were still so wrapped up in Mark's stories for them, felt no connection or relation at all. The connections they felt were for each other and Mark and his closest friends(since they were around most of the time with Mark). But he had to wonder if it was the same for the Septic Egos . . . Did Anti ever feel anything for Sean's siblings like familial love? 

He doubted it. Ever since Anti's freak-out, Dark was convinced that he felt nothing for anyone anymore. How could he?

Getting his thoughts off track, Dark's mind had calmed a bit and he just laid on his back on his bed looking up at the ceiling like an angsty emo kid thinking about life and death. Note he still had on Mark's 'Who Killed Markiplier' shirt so it made him a bit extra emo knowing the message behind it.

He was finally calmed down but he was still upset at his own actions. He ruined everything. All the progress he had made with everyone no longer mattered. They'd just go back to hating and fearing him again.

Suddenly his phone in his pocket rang and he groaned. Wiping his tears and clearing his throat, he pulled out the phone and looked at the caller ID.

Mark.

Screwing his eyes closed, he just got it over with and answered, "What?" he spoke softly.

Mark spoke almost threateningly, "Dark. . . . Come back right this second." he spoke in a motherly tone.

Dark grumbled, "No."

"Don't you 'no' me. You are going to come back here right this instant, finish your meal and spend the rest of the day with everyone like the happy family we are! And Actor is going to apologize for being a complete dick. Got it?"

He left no room for arguing but Dark was a sassy shit, "What are you gonna do if I refuse?"

"Then I'm going to drive all the way there myself, hog-tie you and drag you into my van and bring you here like a hostage to spend the rest of Thanksgiving with us."

Dark's eyes widened a bit. He couldn't tell if he was serious or not, "Mark. . . .they're afraid of me. What I did. I-"

"You confuse fear with shock, Dark. Of course we were surprised. You expect us not to be after being thrown into pitch black? Just come back, you goof"

Hanging up, Dark took a breathe, biting his lip anxiously. Whining a little, he groaned, "Am I going to regret this? Is he lying? Better not be" 

Dark stood up off the bed and fixed his clothes and hair before teleporting back into the dining room facing away from everyone. He could hear a hushed silence but that bothered him more than reassured him.

Slowly, he turned around and was immediately greeted by a hug from Mark, who brought him in close, "You overreacting moron".

 Just as quickly, Yandere jumped in, too, and hugged him as did King and Wilford and soon everyone except for Actor was joining in the group hug but Dark refused to cry. He didn't dare show any emotional weakness again in front of Actor. 

"It's okay, Dark" Mark rubbed his back, "We know that's a rough topic for you. Actor should have known better and he deserved your wrath."

Bing whispered, "Are you gonna delete him now?"

Mark hushed him, "I don't think he's done anything too bad yet to warrant that. Calm down."

Yandere grumbled, cuddling their face into Dark's chest, "He deserves it." Dark chuckled and ruffled their red hair. 

Pulling away from the group hug, Mark and the others set their eyes on Actor who casually sat at the table eating like nothing had happened, "What?" he spoke smacking his lips with food still in his mouth like a pig.

Mark growled, "Actor. Don't you have something to say?"

For a moment, Dark and Actor locked eyes dangerously but Actor was well versed in, well, acting, "I apologize for my inappropriate behavior. There. Are we done making it a scene now?"

Amy rolled her eyes, "I think that's the best that you're gonna get from him."

Grumbling, Dark gave Actor a unimpressed look, "Apologize to Eric. You were rude to him, too, earlier"

Eric looked ready to argue but wouldn't speak out, anxious.

Actor huffed, "Fine! I'm sorry, Eric, that I told you about the chicks being boiled and us eating them. I shouldn't have ruined your child-like innocence like that. So sorry"

Mark nodded, "Good. Now, Google, if you could please take him back to Raspy Hill, that'd be appreciated."

Google nodded, "Good. This drama is getting petty and stupid. Bing. You coming?"

He shrugged, "Hey, sure, why not? Someone's gotta make sure your circuits don't fry, old man"

Actor looked offended but didn't raise another argument which was strange and left with Google and Bing without question.

Dark was surprised Mark was making him leave but he breathed a sigh of relief. That was one less thing to worry about and he knew the Androids could handle themselves around him.

Wilford came up to Dark, noticing Actor's compliance as well, "Strange, dontcha think?" he winked at him and went back to the table, stealing Actor's food from his plate and putting it onto his leaving no room for Dark to reply.

Everyone else went back to their seats to finish eating when Host walked in with a smirk on his face, his chin in his hands in thought, "The Host admitted he was just as confused as Dark and Wil were about Actor's lack of argument of being sent home early. He had thought his plan had worked but as Actor's face contorted in rage at seeing the affection Dark received, he knew his plan was failing."

Dark stopped mid-bite and everyone stared at Host like he had turned purple or something.

"Where the hell have YOU been this whole time!?" Bim shouted at him but was ignored.

Mark narrowed his eyes, "Plan? What plan?"

"The Host replies that the Actor's plan was to get everyone in this room plus Google and Bing to hate Dark and love him instead. However, the Actor, forever stuck in his ways of revenge and hatred, looked over the love everyone shared for Darkiplier."

Dark hummed, finishing a bite, "I fucking knew that bastard was trying to cause trouble"

Although everyone was confused at this sudden 'plan', they weren't too concerned about it. There was no way any of them would hate Dark and love Actor instead. It was just insane. 

Mark shook his head, "So delirious still. Hope he gets over it."

Kathryn mumbled, "Let's not forget who made him the way he is. He won't get over it. He's a drama queen. Just like you" she mumbled the last part.

"Yes, Kat, I know" Mark grumbled, "Just saying. People change. Maybe he can, too"

"You said that before about him. Look what happened." Ethan piped up and a few heads nodded in agreement.

Mark sighed, "Yeah I get it but I can't just delete him without feasible cause, guys. It's like . . . .it's like murder to me. If I delete him, he's just gone forever and. . . . I have to believe that there's a part of him inside that can change. There's got to be"

Dark disagreed but didn't want to stir the pot. He was just happy the others weren't afraid of him.

The rest of the day went through great without Actor there(of course) and they all played games, posed for pictures and Dark even participated in a small football game. It was odd seeing Mark and his egos tackling each other. Amy and Kathryn were on the side sipping some tea and even Pam had come over for a short visit, bringing them all some goodies.

It was nearing night and soon it was time to leave back for Raspy Hill. Before leaving, Mark gave Dark one last hug, "I'm glad you decided to come back"

"Please don't say it-"

"I'm so thankful"

Dark groaned, "You're so cringey." he pulled away and the two laughed at each other.

Mark grinned, "Just remember, Dark. We all love and care about you. Doesn't matter that Actor bought everyone a catered meal and supposedly 'saved Thanksgiving'" he used air quotes, "We both know he had a hand in fucking it up to begin with thanks to recent news from Host. And besides. Actor's got nothing on you, man."

"Thanks, Mark."

Everyone said their last good-byes and they drove back home to Raspy Hill.

-88888888-

The next morning, Dark woke up in his bed, not even remembering really how he got there. He had been so tired from yesterday, he must have just dropped.

Getting up, he started his morning routine and went down the stairs to see Dr. Iplier there drinking some coffee, "Ah Dark! Just the ego I wanted to see!"

It looked like he had already been up for a while.

Dark glanced at him curiously as he poured his own cup and poured some sugar and cream into it, "What's wrong, Doctor?"

"I've been thinking. About what you said yesterday at the dinner table to Actor. Well, it IS quite strange that his wounds healed as fast as they did."

Dark sipped his coffee, "Go on"

The Doctor looked around first and motioned for Dark to follow him, "Let's go to my office. Don't want to have sudden unwanted listeners."

He nodded and followed the Doctor to his room/doctor's office. It was a similar set up that he had to Schneep's except a bit cleaner and somewhat more organized.

The Doctor set his coffee down and reached for some notes of his, "These are notes I made of the night Actor came to us. Two weeks ago. He had bruises galore, internal bleeding, a few broken ribs, and a sprained arm. I had told you before it would take a few days for his injuries to heal but . . .  I meant that only for the bruises."

Dark blinked in confusion, "Care to explain further?"

He nodded, "Yes. You see, with his internal bleeding and broken ribs, that should have taken over a month to heal. But he was walking around fine and completely healed in a matter of just a few days. I don't understand it, myself."

Dark narrowed his eyes and decided to play devil's advocate, "But Doctor, really none of us have gotten beaten down to that extent. How do we know that us, as egos, don't just heal faster than normal people?"

"That's what I thought at first!" Iplier shouted, "But that's not the case as I've come to realize last night. You see, I've been doing some tests on myself." he lifted his sleeve to reveal a bunch of scars. 

Dark flinched back, "Doctor, what the hell!? Did. . . did you do this to yourself!? Why?!"

Doctor Iplier nodded, unfazed, "Yes. But I had to be sure, Dark. I made these lacerations a week ago. If your theory about egos being able to heal faster was correct then judging by how fast Actor healed, my wounds should have healed themselves in a day. They just started to scab over."

Dark made a face, "You didn't have to prove your theory that way, Doctor. What about blood tests?"

Iplier shrugged, "Wanted to be sure. Besides, a blood test would have taken longer to diagnose this situation. Anyways that's not the issue at hand right now, Dark. Something fishy is going on here." he pulled his sleeve back down to cover himself back up.

"Fine. I'll look into it more. I bet Google has something on his cameras I'll look over them and see if I can find anything suspicious that he couldn't. Meanwhile. . . . Do you want to perhaps get a hold of Schneep to heal those? I remember a long time ago, Marvin had been making him healing potions. Could probably heal those quick without even a scar."

The Doctor shook his head, "No. It's okay, Dark. I know how you are about the Septic Egos. I'll live. Don't worry about it."

With a final short nod, Dark walked out of his office.

'I need to get to Google or Bing and see if they have anything weird on the cameras they couldn't detect.'

He was rounding a corner when he almost ran straight into Actor himself. The two paused their brisk walking before smacking into each other. Actor gave him a pompous sneer, "Dark."

"Actor"

"How was the rest of the party yesterday?"

"It was better without you" he snarled. Dark couldn't care less about being polite anymore. He didn't care.

Actor gave a mocking gasp, "Rude. Although I must say I'm rather impressed. You have all of them wrapped around your fingers. You've snared them all in like the predator you are."

Dark growled, "They're not prey nor puppets, Actor. They're my friends. My brothers."

"So you say all of Mark's egos are your brothers? What does that make me, then, Darkimoo? I came first. I'm technically your older brother, you know. You should listen to me."

"You're nothing to me" Dark came forward merely inches away from Actor's face, "Just as you are nothing to everyone else in this house. Even Mark is already considering deleting you after yesterday's incident."

Actor's eyes widened, "He would never!"

"You're right. You and I both know Mark's too much of a good person to do it. He looks for the best in everyone. He wants to give you so many chances to be a better person and to change. But you and I both know. . . . you can't."

Actor pushed him back, "How dare you! I am the Actor! Changing my personality is in my fucking name!"

"You can put on a mask all you want, Actor." Dark smirked at his apparent fear, "But you'll always be the cheap, lowlife clown begging for another penny. See you later, clown" with that, Dark took his chance to walk away, ignoring the seething man he left behind.

Perhaps it was a bad idea to taunt him with the idea of Mark deleting him but Dark didn't care at the moment. To make it a reality, he needed proof first of Actor's lying. Doctor Iplier was right. Things just weren't adding up.

As he got to Google and Bing's room, he knocked on the door. After a few moments, Google answered, "Yes?"

"Google. I need to see the video of the night Actor first came to the mansion two weeks ago."

Google took a second to look for data but then his face contorted in confusion, "Data unavailable"

"What? Why? Did you delete it?"

"No. I never delete any data myself from my hard drive. I don't know why it's gone. The rest of the data is there from the cameras except for that day."

Bing came up behind them, "What's going on, dudes?"

"Bing, can you pull up any information from the cameras the night Actor came two weeks ago?"

It took a second but Bing was confused, too, "No, man. No info there. Weird."

"Yes." Dark hummed, "Weird."

"I do, however, have camera data from yesterday at Mark's home" Google said proudly.

Dark narrowed his eyes at him, "Why do you guys have cameras set up at Mark's? You know what? Never mind. Just show me what you got. Find all angles on Actor."

Google let Dark come in the room and shut the door for privacy before pulling up the video.

There was nothing out of the ordinary at first. Just Actor lounging around for a while. But then something changed when Dark left to go outside to help put up the volleyball net.

Actor made his way into the kitchen and spoke to Eric who then ran outside in tears. Actor proceeded to turn up the temperature of the ham and raid the fridge. But he didn't do anything to the items. One moment they were there and then the next, the camera glitches and they were gone.

"What the?" 

They continued to observe.

Actor then watched in silence as the chaos ensued before tiptoeing outside to stab a hole into the volleyball they were going to use. Then he came back in and ordered food online. The rest was history.

"So that's how it happened" Dark spoke to himself, "He really was planning it all like Host said. Thanks Google. Bing. This sheds some light on some things at least."

"Is there anything else you wish to see, Dark?" Google asked.

Dark thought for a moment, "Do you have a camera in the attic?"

Bing nodded, "Yeah. I do. I'll pull it up now."

He pulled it up to see Actor sitting on his futon reading a book under a lamp.

"Is this now or earlier?"

"Right now, bro. He's just chilling it looks like"

"But. . ." Dark hummed, "I thought he was heading downstairs when I ran into him a few moments ago."

The thought went unanswered, "Anyways. As long as he's not causing trouble at the moment. Keep watching him. I'll view more later."

"Understood" Google nodded and Bing put the video away.

Dark walked out of the room but he was confused now more than ever. How in the HELL did he just make all that food in the fridge disappear into nothing? Was that his power? Is that really what he could do? The egos, including the Septics, all had their own abilities and skills. Marvin could use magic, Doctor Iplier and Schneep were well versed in the medical field, Yandere was good with weapons and tech. 

Google and Bing basically were tech. Host could see everything around him in different points of view like a book even without his eyes. Anti could glitch himself into technology and use it to teleport and even Dark himself could teleport and use his dark aura to some degree. He didn't really know what the aura could do, per se, but it was there. He thought it mostly to invoke fear in his enemies.

So perhaps it wasn't strange at all that Actor could teleport objects?

Dark spent the day thinking, trying to figure it out. He couldn't let it go. Surely Actor's plan wasn't over? There was still something up his sleeve, right? And with these new powers of his under light, Dark was concerned about what he could do next.

Meanwhile, Actor snickered as he watched Dark through his cracked mirror. 

'He's so naive. Just like Damien was. He doesn't remember that I was in the void, as well? It is a part of me just as much as it's a part of him and Celine.'

His thoughts raged when he thought of her. His ex-wife. He remembered the feeling of her ax in his chest. She had hurt him but he had done more to hurt her and that brought him joy. In her exhaustion, she was unable to keep up the illusion and stop the void and Actor from corrupting Damien.

He was glad she wasn't there now. She probably would have beheaded him on sight.

Actor had been watching Dark and the others through the mirrors in the house. Learning. Listening. He knew all their weaknesses and strengths, even Wilford's.

It was foolish of them to allow him to stay. While with them all, he only grew stronger, his power breaching further and further to reach Dark's level.

'But with him figuring things out as fast as he is now and the threat of Mark wanting to end me' Actor thought, 'It's time to move on to the next phase sooner than expected. With the void on my side. . . they don't stand a chance against me now.'

It as night now and Dark laid in his bed having fallen asleep in piles of notes he made about Actor and all that he could remember through his own and Damien's memories (however little he had). Actor entered the room like a shadow and smirked as he came closer to Dark's bed.

'So cute when he's sleeping. So vulnerable like a lamb. It's better that's he's like this when I do it. Don't want to cause a ruckus.'

He reached out his hand but just as he was about to touch him, Dark snapped open his eyes, having felt another presence in the room. He was about to shout and retaliate but he was too late.

Actor slapped his hand over his mouth with a laugh, "Sorry, Dark. But I am the hero of this story. I am the man who everyone will love and once all of you are out of my way then everyone will love me. Me. Not even Mark will be able to stop me. Have fun in the void, friend"

Actor was too strong and before Dark could do anything or try to push him off, he was gone.

Just like that.

Actor smirked to himself, 'Just like the DA, now. Have fun going insane in there as they did.'

When Dark opened his eyes again, there was pitch blackness. He tried to see anything at all but there was literally just nothing around. He took a few steps to feel the crunching of glass underneath his feet. He didn't feel the pain, though. 

'Maybe if I can concentrate, then that weird colored aura will show up?' it only ever really appeared when he was angry or upset but now was as good a time as any to get angry. A blue light illuminated from him suddenly like a wave and Dark swallowed at what he saw.

Mirrors and broken glass hung in the air. There were no walls. No end. There was nothing but mirrors. He ran over to the first one he saw that wasn't broken that would be his bathroom. 

On the other side he could see Actor smirking, fixing his hair, "Truly sorry, Dark. But don't worry. Your friends will join you eventually." he laughed, "Who's the clown now?"

With that, he walked out of frame and Dark slammed on the mirror through the other side.

"Actor! No! Come back here! Don't you dare fucking leave me here you bastard! No! Actor!!"

Dark felt the anguish hit him like a train. He was trapped. His brothers and friends were in trouble and there was nothing he could do about it.

He had lost.