A faint smile of relief crossed my face as the giant tree adorned with a door, balconies, and windows came into view.

The Golden Oaks Library.

Technically I was supposed to check on how Fluttershy was coming along with the music, but I chose instead to completely forgo that visit and head straight for the library.

She seemed like a capable mare when she spoke to me, so I wasn't too worried about it. Besides that, I was mentally exhausted from all the madness I had run into today.

Thankfully Spike agreed, and was just as ready to call it a day as I was. I had long since stopped caring about the strange looks and not-so-quiet whispers I was attracting.

I still found them odd, but with how drained I was, I just couldn't bring myself to worry about it. On top of that, it actually did help that I had at least a tiny bit more insight as to what the problem was.

Though there was still a lot I didn't understand.

"We're almost there, Spike," I sighed, "and once we get in, we can finally put the rest of this crazy day behind us—at least until later tonight."

"Yeah, no kidding," Spike agreed with an emphatic nod, "today's been weird, Twi. I don't know about you, but when we get to the library, I'm gonna find a bed and nap so hard, not even an Ursa Major's gonna be able to wa—"

"Twilight, dear, a word if you please?"

Both Spike and I jumped, shouting in surprise at the sudden and familiar voice coming from right next to us.

I whipped around to face Rarity, who took a step back at our reaction. She collected herself quickly and smiled apologetically.

"Rarity?!" I cried in shock and bemusement, "w-what are you—how did you... wait, no," I cast a quick glance at Spike, "nevermind, I forgot you could cast a flashless teleportation spell."

Spike paid no attention to my lie, focusing all his attention on the mare in front of him. Once he realized who had shown up, he completely forgot all about her sudden and silent entrance.

I shook my head at the stupid grin that crossed his face and looked around me. Seeing there was no one in the immediate area, I turned back to Rarity with a small frown.

"Rarity, what are you doing here?" I asked worriedly, "I thought you were still cleaning up Town Hall?"

"I just finished not too long ago," Rarity replied, brushing her mane out of her azure eyes, "I'm terribly sorry for startling You like that, darling, but I thought it prudent to warn You before You reached the library."

"Warn me?" I asked, my frown turning quizzical, "warn me of what?"

In response, an open envelope with a card partially sticking out of it popped into existence landing neatly on top of Rarity's outstretched hoof.

"I'm still not sure how..." Rarity paused and glanced at Spike. She gave him a small smile and turned back to me, ignoring Spike's sigh of happiness, "...well, I'll leave that discussion for later."

I raised an eyebrow, but decided not to comment as I waited for her to speak again. Whatever she wanted to talk about must've had something to do with what happened earlier if she was changing the subject in front of Spike.

"For now, I came to tell You that after an... interesting conversation with an even more interesting mare, I was invited to a surprise party to be held in Your honor at the very library You were headed to."

"A surprise... oh, you've got to be kidding me," I grumbled, "this was the last thing I needed right now."

"Indeed," Rarity agreed with a nod, "You've had quite an exciting day I'd imagine, dear. That was why I told You ahead of time. Pinkie insisted I keep it a secret, but... are You okay, dear? You seem rather... pale."

"Rarity," I asked quietly, "this mare... Pinkie. What does she look like?"

Rarity eyed me in confusion but replied nevertheless.

"Well," she said uncertainly, "her name is Pinkamena Diane Pie, but we all just call her Pinkie Pie. She's... well... her name is quite apt as far as her coat, mane, and tail are concerned. All of it is pink—though the shade is darker for the mane and tail."

"Pinkamena... Diane... Pie."

The Pie Family.

As soon as Rarity mentioned the name 'Pinkie', that strange overwhelming fear gripped me. At first I didn't know where the fear was coming from, and it confused me.

That all changed when she spoke Pinkie's full name. When I heard that mare's full name, something clicked into place and the fear fell away.

Images and sensations flashed in my mind, things I couldn't make sense of, but were familiar all the same.

The sounds of battle from afar.

The smell of ash and blood.

A strange looking equine creature, felled in its own home—its coat black as unburnt coals, its mane and tail flaming curls of bright orange and ashen grey.

An older stallion whose cerulean eyes were dim, the veil of death settling over his weakened, bleeding form.

Though, despite his imminent demise, there was still a burning desire—a desperate wish yet unfulfilled.

Such a poor creature.

You've been through much, and I find your perseverance admirable.

I shall grant your final wish, desperate equine. Your family's legacy will continue... but my generosity is not without price, Dying One.

Tell me, feeble equine mortal, are you willing to pay that price? Are you willing to cast your mortal soul into the darkest depths of the Black Dimension?

...Very well.

"In Death, new Life is born, and the price for this Boon of Progeny is thus, the Pie Family is forever bound by My Will, and the Gifted shall practice Servitude Eternal should I ever deign to return to this world."

"Twilight? Are you alright, My Goddess?"

I blinked rapidly and raised a hoof to my head, trying to massage away the sudden pounding headache.

"Ugh... what?" I muttered, "Rarity? I'm sorry, I didn't quite—"

The knowledge that I had just said something strange, creepy, and very incriminating suddenly rose to the forefront of my mind, and I snapped a panicked gaze towards Spike...

...only to find the little drake snoring softly as he lay curled up on the ground.

"Wha... huh?" I spluttered in confusion, "Spike?"

"I'm afraid his current state of consciousness is my fault," came Rarity's apologetic voice. I turned back to the other mare and she smiled, "it seems Pinkie Pie's name invoked some kind of unintended reaction, and I know You haven't yet told Your dragon assistant about any of this."

"Oh, um... yeah," I replied, still somewhat stunned at the sudden turn of events, "I guess you could say that..." I turned back to Spike, "so... you put him to sleep?"

"I did," Rarity confirmed, following my gaze and smiling at Spike, "the poor dear was already tuckered out as it was," she looked back at me, her expression a bit more serious, "he'll remain asleep until either You or I give the command to awaken."

"Alright then," I replied, floating Spike's sleeping form over and onto my back, "thanks... I guess," I gave him one last worried look before turning back to Rarity.

"I remembered something—about Pinkie Pie, I mean. Well, her family anyway," I explained, "I don't remember everything, but I know there was some kind of deal I apparently made at some point."

"Oh?" Rarity replied, leaning forward with an intrigued expression, "do tell, darling!" she paused and turned to head in the direction of the library, "oh but I imagine you want to get this silly surprise party over with?"

"Right," I replied, following after the other mare, "we still have a bit of time before we arrive, so I'll tell you on the way."

As we trotted the rest of the way, I told Rarity of what I knew. As it stood, I had visited Equestria once before a long time ago through some means I didn't really understand.

Some dying stallion had begged me to maintain his family line, and I agreed. I didn't remember what happened to him after that, or what I did exactly, but I remembered the deal I made.

I remembered something about eternal servitude, and that it was supposed to be this Gifted that was meant to serve me in the future if I ever came back to Equestria.

Given the reaction I had to Pinkie's name, I surmised that it could only be her. Strangely enough, whenever I thought about the mare now, I felt no fear whatsoever.

Was I simply afraid of remembering?

If that was the case, then why, and what did it mean now that the fear had vanished? Was I supposed to do to her what I did to Rarity and the other three mares?

I shuddered at the thought.

"How fascinating," Rarity replied after I had finished, "to think, You had graced our fair country in ages past."

"Well, I get the feeling it wasn't quite that simple," I responded with a troubled frown, "but yeah, apparently I've been here before."

Rarity hummed to herself thoughtfully before responding.

"You know, that actually lines up with what Pinkie told me before she gave me this invitation."

"What do you mean?" I asked, furrowing my brow, "what did she say?"

"Well, it was the strangest thing at the time," she began slowly, "she knew I had... er... changed the moment she saw me. She even knew that it was You that caused the change."

My heartbeat quickened slightly.

"Oh, really?" I replied uncertainly, "and... uh... what happened next?"

"She..." Rarity paused again, "well, she seemed rather nonchalant about the whole thing, saying she was more or less in the same boat... probably."

"Probably?"

"Probably," Rarity confirmed, "her exact words. She also knew about the other three somehow."

"The other..." I muttered before widening my eyes, "you mean Minuette, Lemon Hearts, and Twinkleshine? How?"

"I'm not quite sure, darling, but I'm also not surprised," Rarity said, shaking her head, "Pinkie's always been a bit of an oddball among the citizens of Ponyville. Things like this are actually quite normal for the mare."

I was silent for a moment. I turned back to the path ahead to see that we had finally reached the library.

"So," I continued after a few moments, "you think she might be this Gifted, then?"

We both stopped in front of the entrance and Rarity turned to me with a small shrug.

"I'm not one hundred percent sure, but it seems very likely, dear," she answered, "with the things that mare is capable of—the frankly absurd and impossible things I've seen her do, again, I wouldn't be surprised if she turned out to be this 'Gifted'."

I look at Rarity for a few seconds longer, giving a slow nod before turning to the door. At the very least, I'd be able to ask Pinkie what she knew without freaking out.

I just hoped I didn't end up doing to the mare what I did to the others. Maybe she knew more about this 'Servitude Eternal' thing, and could explain exactly what that entailed.

Maybe she could tell me more about that memory.

"Well then, are You ready, dear?" Rarity asked patiently, "there's going to be several ponies in there, and it's... well, it's going to get rather loud."

"I... I think I'll be okay," I replied with what I hoped was a convincing smile, "let's just... head inside and get it over with."

Rarity nodded and pushed the door open.

"SURPRISE!!!"

"GAAH!"

I stumbled back in alarm, scrambling away from the bright blue eyes that filled my vision as soon as I stepped inside.

"I'm sooo glad You could make it! Honestly I was a bit worried because almost nopony showed up, even though I told them all it was to welcome a very special pony. They all said they'd come, but none of them showed, and that made me a bit sad, but there were a few that managed to make it and—"

"Pinkie, dear," Rarity interjected, as she stepped in behind me, "can you please give the mare some space?"

"Rarity!" Pinkie cried, stepping around me and pulling the white unicorn into a tight hug, "ohmygosh, I didn't think you'd come too!" she pulled back and frowned, "well, I mean, that's what I thought at first, but then I remembered that special bond you and Twilight share, and then I thought 'duh, of course she's gonna show'!"

As Pinkie continued to ramble on, I tried to reconcile this overly peppy pink mare with the somber, blank faced mare I'd seen when I first arrived.

To my surprise, it wasn't all that hard.

And what does she mean by 'special bond'? Is she talking about—

"Yo, Twilight! Over here!"

I blinked in surprise and looked past Pinkie and Rarity to see a familiar cyan pegasus waving at me with a large grin.

My heart skipped a beat as I saw the other two ponies standing at a nearby table.

Applejack and—to my dismay, Fluttershy—both stood opposite Rainbow Dash. They all looked at me with mixed expressions.

The farm pony eyed me with both concern and a bit of wariness, something I found odd given the warm reception she gave me earlier.

Fluttershy stood a bit apart from the others, most of her face hidden behind her long pink mane. When she noticed she'd caught my attention, she stood a little straighter and gave me a warm smile.

I would've smiled back if it weren't for that gaze that seemed to pierce right through me. The smile was one hundred percent genuine, but that somehow made it all the more unsettling.

I shivered involuntarily and looked away, turning instead to Rainbow Dash.

The rainbow maned pegasus seemed to be the only one unaffected by my presence for some reason, and I found myself curious as to why—not that I was complaining.

I gave them all a nervous smile and a small wave before looking around the library. I saw that the immediate area was completely decked out in colorful streamers, fallen confetti, and balloons.

There were several tables set up around the main room and piled high with all sorts of confections and drinks. I also saw a few party games here and there, though they looked as of yet, untouched.

Looking around, I could see that as festive as the library was, it was devoid of any actual party-goers save for the six of us and the still snoozing Spike.

"Sooo, what do ya think?"

I turned to see Pinkie smiling expectantly. I glanced at Rarity who nodded encouragingly before trotting off to speak with the others.

As I watched the other mares converse, I was suddenly and acutely aware that it was just me and Pinkie standing alone near the entrance.

I swallowed and gave Pinkie a shaky smile.

"It's... uh... it's... nice, Pinkie," I said without much enthusiasm, "you definitely caught me off guard."

"Oh pshaw," Pinkie scoffed, wrapping a hoof around my withers and pulling me close, "You don't gotta lie to me, Twilight, I know this is one pooper of a party. It would've been a lot more spectacular if the rest of the town had shown up like they were supposed to."

She frowned.

"A lot more spectacular."

For a moment I saw something odd in her eyes, but before I could glean anything from her look, she pulled away, her friendly smile back in place.

"Anywho, I'm sure the six of us can have just as much fun together now that You're here," she pronked over to a spiraling staircase that led to a door built into the ceiling of the first floor and stopped at the first step.

"I bet You have a lot of questions, huh?" she asked quietly, her back still turned to me, "well that's okay, because I do too, and maybe together we can figure something out."

I stared at her.

I... didn't know what to say.

She was right of course, I did still have plenty of questions left unanswered. I even suspected that Pinkie might have a few of those answers, but this?

Given what I saw in my memory, and her current demeanor, I knew there had to be more to Pinkie than what she was showing the others.

"You're not scared of me anymore.... that's... good."

I furrowed my brow.

"What?"

"Hey, girls?" Pinkie called out in her normal cheery tone, "I'm gonna show Twilight around the library, 'kay?"

"What?" Rainbow complained through a mouthful of cake, "but she just got here! She hasn't even tried this awesome cake yet!"

Applejack merely stared at Pinkie and I as she took a sip from her cup of punch, her face unreadable. After a moment she looked away, maintaining a stony silence.

Both Rarity and Fluttershy simply nodded and smiled before going back to their own hushed discussion. I frowned worriedly as I took particular note of their serious expressions.

Pinkie giggled at Rainbow Dash.

"Don't worry, Dashie, I doubt Twilight is very hungry," she assured, before turning back to me, "right, Twilight?"

"Uh, yeah," I replied hesitantly, remembering the incident at the farm, "you can go ahead and eat without me, Rainbow Dash."

Rainbow looked from Pinkie and I to the large three layer cake in front of her before shrugging and cutting herself another slice.

"Suit yourself, I guess. That just means more for me," she replied, shoving more cake into her maw, "don't take too long, alright? I wanna see if Twilight can match me and AJ at pin the tail on the pony."

"We won't be too long," Pinkie promised, "don't have too much fun without us!"

With that, Pinkie nodded towards the staircase before bouncing up the steps. After a moment's thought, I made sure Spike was secure on my back before tentatively following her up.

Once we reached the top, Pinkie pushed open the door and we stepped inside. To my surprise the entire second floor was a bedroom, complete with a bed on a raised platform, a vanity, a closet, and a small, fully stocked bookshelf built into the wood below the bed.

I was rather amazed at how... homey it was.

So this is where Spike and I are going to be staying...

The gentle click of a closing door caught my attention and I turned to see Pinkie looking back at me.

Any overt cheerfulness and mirth had vanished from her features, replaced with a more subtle smile. The look in her eye was one of intrigue and curiosity.

Though, beyond that I could see a bit of worry and even a little hesitation.

"So," I began, awkwardly shifting Spike on my back, "I'm assuming you wanted to talk?"

"Mhm," Pinkie replied before trotting over to the chair in front of the small vanity, "there's a lot to talk about, and not a lot of time before the others get suspicious—well, aside from Rarity I mean."

"Oh, right," I replied, rubbing the back of my neck, "she told me you had talked to her already. I guess that means you know everything already, huh?"

"I know a few things, but not everything," Pinkie replied airily. She turned the chair around and sat down before speaking again, "but what happened with Rarity isn't important right now."

She leaned forward in the chair, a wide, excited smile snaking its way onto her face. I took an unsure step back, suddenly wary of the pink mare.

"What is important, is that You've finally made Your way into the White Dimension at last, just like Granny Pie said You would!"

My mouth opened and closed uselessly for a few seconds.

"I... w-what?" I stammered, "Granny Pie? Who..."

Pinkie just giggled again and gave me another friendly smile.

"Welcome to Ponyville, Twilight Sparkle," Pinkie's smile widened and her eyes lit up with barely contained glee, "and welcome back to Equus... My Goddess."