Now let me clarify something for you.

I'm not a party person. Never have been, never will be.

I was at parties a few times with my friends. It wasn't that fun. Why, you ask? Because I was the only one in our circle of friends that could hold his liquor without going into a drunk rampage. While the others had their so called 'fun', I was stuck babysitting them so they didn't get themselves killed. Or worse yet, sleep with each other. Happened once. In my house, which they somehow broke into since my door is locked 90% of the time. True story. The sight was.... Worse than the mess....

'OH GOD IT BURNS! BRAIN BLEACH! BRAIN BLEACH, DAMNIT!'

I tried to sterilize my eyeballs with bleach that day. Here's a tip kids: Bleach in your eye hurts like a bitch with pointy and sharp iron heels, stepping on your crotch! It's like sticking barbed needles, that are on fire, into your eye, repeatedly. Don't. Fucking. Do it.

Naturally, I was blind for a week and it did nothing to help me un-see. None of my so called friends remembered much, but let's say the next weeks were pretty ackward. And quiet, which was a pain when you are practically blind.

When they actually were sober, they got into fights that I had to bail them out off... By flooring the opposing team. It's not that hard to take down a bunch of drunken idiots and still have them walk home afterwards. I also beat some sense into my pals, many times. It was for their own good.

So all in all: I. Am. Not. A party person.

Now here comes the big shocker. Pinkie Pie's party wasn't that bad. It was quite fun actually.

'Fun? There wasn't even any booze!'

That is Shade's way of thinking, not mine. And you don't need to drink yourself senseless to have a good time.

'What kinda shit logic 's that?'

Well anyway, everyone returned to the library, except Applejack who needed to finish some things up by her apple farm. Yeah, her family farms apples. Shocking, eh? As we stepped into the library, we immidietly walked into a suprise party Pinkie had put up in a matter of minutes, a feat that I consider Shade worthy.

That is not a good thing.

Other than Eve nearly getting a heart attack from a sudden yell of ”Surprise!”, all was good. I had to calm Eve down for a few minutes but the episode passed peacefully. The white unicorn, Rarity joined us after a while. Seems like she was done with Damien. Good luck for that magnificent bastard! Something tells me he'll need it.

So, everyone is having a good time and I saw it fit to give a proper introduction to all Twilight's friends. It went quite smoothly as far as I could tell.

Then came the part where I needed to answer things. Let me tell you how it all started exactly. It went kinda like this:

”It is simply a pleasure to have your aqcuintance, Hollow.”, Rarity, who was the last one I formally introduced myself to, said with a milder version of the sophisticated tone that Sage used. ”But I simply must ask, where did you get those clothes? The desing looks quite remarkable and simply unique!”

As she adored the way I looked, I became oddly nervous of the subject. Naturally I just couldn't keep my trap shut and had to set a few things straight.

”My body.”

”Excuse me?”, Rarity asked, confused by my sudden line and the choice of words.

”These are not clothes. This is what my body looks like.”, I clarify nonchalantly. I should have kept my trap shut.

Rarity gasped audibly, getting the attention of her friends. ”What! I thought that was just some costume you were wearing.” She was mildly panicking.

”Yeah, me too.” Rainbow butted in, raising an eyebrow.

Then came the question that started it all. ”Now that you meantion it, what are you exactly?” Worse, it came from Twilight.

I just looked at her in mild disbelief. ”Hasn't Sage told you?”

”Now, don't go shifting the blame on me.” The Unversed in question pipes up behind a book that he is currently reading.

”So you do know!”, I accused him.

”What! Why haven't you told me this, Sage?”, Twilight asks the Unversed scholar, who simply turned the page of his book. How does he do it so easily with no fingers on his hands?

”It didn't seem that important at the point and quite frankly, it would take too long for me to explain it in my terms. My vocabulary is quite vast and would make my analogy very difficult to fathom to some.” He says, staying annoyingly classy. I swear, he is using those words on purpose! ”Ergo, it will be much easier for everyone to understand if Hollow were to explain, as he would put it in more simple terms understandable to all.”

As much as I hate to admit it, I can see the logic in that. He isn't Intelligence for nothing. Even if he uses it to get me to do his dirty work.

'Screw him for that! Let me at 'em!'

”... Fine.”, I groan, letting a bit of my annoyance show. Yes, I'm willing to let my shell open for that. Can you blame me? ”What do you want to know?” As every pony's mouths are about to open simultaniously, I quickly add, ”One at a time.”

Their mouths close and- I just save myself from a barrage of questions didn't I? Close call. Twilight holds her foreleg up.

”Yes, Twilight?”, I say and gesture her to ask her question. Something tells me this is going to be a big one.

”What are you?”

”Human.”, I say, hoping that it's enough. Every other pony, except Rainbow and Twilight gasp. You know, since they already know.

”No, the... being you are now.”

Damnit all! It didn't work. Well, if I truly have to.

”At the moment I am what is called a Nobody.”, I begin as sit on the floor with my legs crossed under me. ”I am basically just a being of body and soul, as Nobodies have no hearts. An empty shell, if you prefer to think about it like that.” Somehow I just knew I would need to tell this in greater detail.

”You have no heart? How does that work?” Rainbow asked next.

Is sigh as I give an answer to her question. ”Then I need to tell you about the Heartless.” Their ears perk at the name of the beings. I continue. ”The Heartless are beings born from the darkness in ones heart. They are creatures devoid of emotion and are driven by a simple instict.” I have a dramatic pause. ”To seek and steal hearts.”

This gets an appaled gasp from the everyone, except Elie and Sage who most likely know the basics of the process.

”How can they such a horrible thing?”, Fluttershy asks.

”As I said, they are devoid of emotion. The reason for why they seek out hearts and steal them is to create more Heartless. The stolen heart is consumed by darkness and made into a Heartless.” I pause as I figured something out. ”It is quite ironic, actually. The Heartless are made from hearts, yet thay lack emotion.”

Everyone is listening with great interest, Twilight most of all. Guess her inner scientist want's to know it all.

”And that brings me to Nobodies.” Here we go. ”You see, when someone with a strong will has their heart stolen, the body and soul refuse to vanish, instead forming a new body. This husk becomes a Nobody, a being that is driven by an instict to steal hearts as well, but for a different purpose and not as strongly as the Heartless.” Dramatic pause. ”You see, Nobodies want to have hearts and lead themselves to believe that by stealing hearts they can reclaim their own. A thing that cannot happen under normal circumstance, I'm afraid.”

”So basically, Nobodies are prisoners of their own delusions.”, Twilight speaks up.

”That is a very spot on analogy.”, I say, actually impressed that she managed to point it out.

”So, is Sage a Nobody as well?” She continues with a question.

”As if!” Sage shouts from behind his book.

”No, Sage is a whole another being completely. Elie however is a Nobody.”, I explain. ”Sage is an Unversed, a being similar to the Heartless and Nobodies, but born from emotion. I don't know too much about them.” Because I have forgotten. Problem?

...Okay, good.

”Wait, if Elie and you are both Nobodies, why don't you look the same?”, Twilight continues with her line of question.

”That is simple. Heartless, Nobodies and the Unversed have many different types. My type is called a Samurai, Elie's type is called a Dancer and Sage's type is called a Mimic Master.”

”Mimic Master? Does that mean he can mimic what others do? That would be so neat!”, Pinkie Pie exclaims.

”Not precisely.”, Sage says, finally putting down his book. He instead pick up his larger tome and opens it. ”I will demonstrate.” The pages of his tome turn rapidly and stop at a certain page. A light shines briefly as a shadowy figure rises from the ground. It is an exact shadow copy of Pinkie Pie.

”What... How did...”, Twilight stuttered.

”Wow! That's super cool!” Pinkie exlaimed and giggled as the clone mimicked her every move.

Twilight looked at Sage and seemed to view him in a whole new light. ”How did you do that?”

”It is an natural ability of mine. A certain type of magic, I suppose.” He explained as Pinkie and her clone were skipping around the library. ”My dark clones are in everyway same as the original, if only more fragile.”

Just then Pinkie and her clone crashed against a wall. Pinkie was perfectly okay but her clone vanished in a cloud of shadows. She looked around and raised an eyebrow. ”Where did it go?”

”See what I mean.”, Sage says. ”They have all the abilities of the original but they can't take damage very well.”

I only realized now that Twilight was taking notes. Truly a scientific nature.

”Well that's kinda cool, I guess.”, Says Rainbow adding, ”For an egghead.” This earned her a light tap to the head with the corner of Sage's tome. ”Hey! What was that for?”, She angrily asked.

”Do not underestimate the power of literature.”, Was the Unversed's calm answer before he went back to his book. What was he reading anyway? Pisses me off that I can't read.

Everyone in the room stared at Sage.

”What the hay?”, Rainbow muttered.

”Oh, but we are digressing.”, I say to divert their attention back to me. ”The way you can tell each of these beings apart is by the symbol they bear.” I showed them the mark on my sleeve. ”This is the symbol of the Nobodies. The symbol of the Unversed is the one that Sage has on his robes and his tome.”

Right on que, Sage picks up his tome and shows the mark on it before laying it down and continuing with his reading.

”The mark of the heartless I cannot show you, but it resembles a crossed out heart. Of course there are a few Heartless that have no marks at all.”

After that a silence falls. I think the questioning is finally over. Good, I really don't want to-

”Uhh, I have one more question.” Damnit Rainbow, don't ruin this for me! ”Are Elie and Sage also humans?”

That... I did not expect. No use in lying.

'Because you suck at it?'

No. Because it's wrong to lie to such hospitable peo- ponies.

”In theory, yes. Then again, no. It is really complicated. Sage, you explain.” Sweet vengeance!

Sage just snorted and begun talking without leaving his book unattended. ”It is, to put it in simple terms, a soul fragmentation. An event where the soul shatters into pieces. This is the most natural cause of such things as split personalities.” That... actually would make some sense. ”However, Hollow's situation is different, for you see his fragmented soul has left his body and scattered here and there like litter. I and Elie over there are personifications of certain elements of Hollow's psyche. I am Intelligence and Elie is Femininity.”

The mention of Elie's made every pony in the room giggle. ”Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up.”, I scowl playfully.

”So, how does it work?”, Twilight asks.

”What?”

”What Sage just explained. How does it work?”, She repeated eagerly.

Uh-oh. This was a tough one. Honestly speaking, ”I don't know.” And then quickly added, ”Sorry to disappoint. I really have no clue.”

Twilight did seem disappointed. It was like watching a sad abandoned puppy, only without the puppy dog eyes.

'Why do you care?'

Why don't YOU care?

'… Touche.'

Fortunately, for me, everyones attention was taken when the door opened and in came Applejack... Who looked really mad about something.

'Don't you mean ''bout somethin''.'

Making fun of her accent... You really have no morals, do you?

'How the fuck should I know? I'm just a voice in your head.'

… I am starting to question my sanity... Oh no! Shade infected me!

'Sucker.'

”Oh my, Applejack. What happened to make you look so glum?”, Rarity gasped dramatically. I have come to notice one thing.

Rarity is a drama queen!

”That darn bat headed ruffian stole some of mah' apples!”, Applejack scowled.

I could not help but facepalm. Damien, what the hell man?!

”Really? He didn't strike me as the stealing type. He was rather civil, actually. And polite too. Allthough a little bit whiny when it came to details of his clothing.” Rarity told us. I wondered why some of her friends were looking at her in a weird way.

”I'm pretty sure he did it out of necessity.” I add to the converation. After Applejack gives me a questioning look, I admit, ”Fine, even I don't believe that. But it has happened. Nothing can change it. Forget and forgive.”

'What is it with you and your piece of crap philosophies?'

I don't need to explain... Anything... Especially to you.

Applejack taps her hoof on her chin for a while, most likely thinking through what I said. ”'Ah guess that makes sense.” You better appreciate this Damien! ”But 'ah ain't gonna forget that easily!”

Well, at least I tried. ”Fair enough.”, I say.

Then the farmer pony looked at everyone in the room. ”'Ah heard somethin' when Ah' came in. What we ya'll talkin' about? ”

I sighed, loudly. It was more like a groan in all honesty. ”I am NOT explaining all that again!” One time, sure. Another, NO!

'Now you are speaking my language.'

And you! Get out of my head! What are you anyway?

'Woah! On the first date? Really?'

….... Forget I asked.

A loud cough took everyones attention.Sage put down his book and stood up. ”I hate to break all the 'fun', but it is getting late. I suggest getting some rest for the night. I will tell Applejack what she missed in our conversation in the morning.”

Thank you Sage! I don't dislike you anymore. Not that I disliked you much, but you ARE kind of an ass.

After that everybody said their farewells and left to their respective homes. Twiligh was hospitable enough to let me and Eve stay at the library. Apparently this tree had a basement we could reside in for the night. I didn't mind. Elie asked if she could stay at Rarity's place. Good luck with that.

Sage just stayed at the library. No questions. No answers. Basically, without permission. He just sat there, reading his damn book, which's contents I still have no idea about, like a smug asshole he is!

…

Great! Now you made me dislike you again!

'Stop whining like a bitch.'

Shut up!

'It's your fault for never expressing yourself. Let all that bullcrap build up long enough and you lose it.'

…...... Oh God. It's making sense!

'Shut up. Sleep. Gonna smoke weed now.'

I slam my palm on my face, seemingly knocking myself out in the process.

'….... You are one dumb asshole, you know that.'

Hollow telling about his situation to the Elements and, you guessed it, INNER MONOLOGUE! Nothing too interesting in this one. The next... You just wait. I ain't telling you squat!

Somehow, this chapter was a pain in the ass for me to finish. I don't even know why! Maybe it's the insomnia kicking in. Maybe it's the madness finally getting too much foothold. Anyways, enjoy this chapter, if not send your hatemail to someone else because, quite frankly, I don't give a crap.

Also, seriously, don't try to put bleach in your eyes! You will lose your sight if you are not lucky!

Getting tired of this gag,

Doctor D Next Chapter: Can't sleep? Have some issues! Estimated time remaining: 38 Minutes