I listened to the events as Rarity and the others told them, remaining completely silent throughout. This was mostly because I was left speechless by the whole thing.

I wanted to be horrified, and to an extent I was, but oddly enough, I wasn't nearly as torn up or freaked out about what happened as I felt I should be. Sure, I could tell myself it was because everything had worked out in the end, and the others were alive and well, but deep down, I knew that wasn't it.

What had me speechless, and where most of my horror came from, was the fact that I had apparently been shoved out of my own body and replaced with some hideous monstrosity that was apparently supposed to be my pet? Or her pet?

Our pet?

I shook my head, not wanting to go down that particular road again so soon. At the very least, I now had a name, and that went a long way towards answering the one big question that'd been plaguing me.

I now knew for certain that I'd once been two separate entities, and the fact that I was here in Equestria as a pony and not in that weird other place, meant that the pony I was now had been taken over by this 'Skal-Gazaath'... who I also was.

As Rarity and the others finished speaking, I took a moment to close my eyes and breathe deeply. I took a moment to soak in the new knowledge I'd gained. I mulled it over in my head and came to a decision regarding my identity. It was a decision I'd made before, but had been thrown out the window when I met with Rarity and Pinkie.

I didn't want to have another breakdown if I could help it, and despite what happened, I still had almost no memory of being Skal-Gazaath. In light of that fact, and the fact that I did have memories of being Twilight Sparkle, I decided to fully identify as Twilight Sparkle, at least until Skal-Gazaath's memories came back.

Then it was back to worrying about who and what I really was.

For now I did my best to accept that I was a pony born and raised in Canterlot, tutored by Celestia, and sent here to make friends. I told myself I'd been possessed and that the apparent power I had over others was simply a result of that possession.

Nice and simple.

Except it wasn't because I had no idea what the true extent of these changes were or how my abilities even worked. Spike could completely rewrite events as they happened on a whim, and he'd been possessed by one of Skal-Gazaath's servants. If he had that kind of power, what could I, as Skal-Gazaath's host, do?

What kind of power did I wield?

The thought both intrigued, and terrified me. If I was host to this 'Dead Goddess', did I have some kind of power over life and death? What I did to Rarity and the others seem to suggest as much.

I had some of my questions answered, but now there were so many more. Just what had possessed Spike, and where was he now? I still didn't know Applejack all that well, but given her earlier behavior, she most likely had gotten suspicious when she noticed Spike had left, and Fluttershy must've gone along because she'd been worried about the baby dragon.

That's what I guessed at any rate.

The problem was that I didn't know what the servant was up to, and that made me nervous for the other two ponies who'd followed after him. According to Pinkie, the thing that took over my assistant had only done so to fix everything and make things normal again, so I might not have had anything to worry about, and aside from that, evidently Spike's possession wasn't permanent.

Strangely enough, I found that both a relief and a disappointment.

Then there was Pinkie herself and what the thing possessing Spike had told her. Would Skal-Gazaath really have punished her the way the servant said she would? The only thing she was guilty of was wanting to make ponies happy, and I couldn't fault her for that.

Frankly, I was of the opinion that it was a much better use for the gifts Skal-Gazaath had given her. I would've worried more about what happened to the town, and the fact that Celestia had been here and had seen what became of Ponyville, but that had all been erased, so there really wasn't a need to worry about it.

One thing I did worry about was this whole 'Awakening' thing. The way Skal-Gazaath's servant spoke, it was almost like I, as this 'Holy Vessel', was supposed to go around doing the same thing I did to Rarity and my friends from Canterlot, to everypony else.

At the very least, the servant seemed to think me 'Awakening' Pinkie was an inevitability, but I didn't want to change anypony else. I didn't want servants or slaves, or minions or whatever Rarity and the other three were now. I didn't want to kill ponies and bring them back to life like some kind of Necromancer.

Skal-Gazaath might've wanted to do that when she possessed me, but I wasn't Skal-Gazaath right now, I was Twilight Sparkle. In fact, now that I thought about it, I seemed to be in far more control of myself since I'd woken up.

Was it because of what happened with Belzot Magh? Did the experience somehow render Skal-Gazaath dormant within me? I didn't know, but I wasn't complaining. The constant dread and confusion was gone for the moment, and that was enough to make me happy.

Well, the confusion was still there, but it wasn't due to a crisis of identity. I still had questions, and not everything had been made clear just yet, so I set my remaining thoughts about myself and Skal-Gazaath aside, opened my eyes, and turned to my three friends from Canterlot.

"So what happened with you girls?" I asked with a small frown, "why did you leave and then come back?"

"Well for one thing," Lemon Hearts answered, rubbing the back of her neck, "it would've been weird for all of us to just suddenly be here in the room with you all, wouldn't it?"

I couldn't argue with that.

The one thing I wanted above all else right now was normalcy, especially after everything that'd happened up to this point. The three mares spontaneously popping into existence without any kind of magic being cast would look very suspicious, or at the very least, incredibly odd.

There was the lie I told to Spike about how Rarity appeared, and while it might've worked on Rainbow Dash, I somehow got the feeling Fluttershy and Applejack wouldn't buy it.

"Aside from that," Minuette continued, "we were told to check on Celestia without being seen, something about making sure everything stayed normal like You wanted."

"What? Why?" I asked, furrowing my brow in bemusement, "she would've just returned to the way she was after everything returned to normal, wouldn't she?"

"That's what we thought too," Twinkleshine replied with a nod, "we popped into the castle without anypony seeing us so we could spy on her, but I guess she sensed us or something, because she said something to one of her aides about checking the hospital and teleported off."

"We went back to our room in the hospital just in case she chose to pop in for a visit," Lemon Hearts finished, "and what do you know, we made it back just as she showed up to check the wards she apparently put on the door, which I guess explains why we couldn't get out the normal way. After that we came back to the library to check up on you... the normal way."

"Oh, I see," I muttered, frowning thoughtfully, "Celestia isn't like the rest of us—well, not like other ponies anyway. She's an immortal being with abilities beyond that of the rest of ponykind. Some would argue that she isn't even an actual equine, so it stands to reason that she might've had some resistance to whatever changes the servant made."

"I remembered everything that happened to me," Pinkie pointed out quietly, "but I'm not like other ponies either, I guess."

I gave the despondent pink mare a sympathetic frown before turning back to the others. I wanted to help Pinkie, but I felt there wasn't much I could think to do to help her.

I could exert my will and force her to be happy, but I was not going to do that. With what she'd gone through, she'd need more than just kind words, and I didn't know what else to provide her.

Actually, there might be something I could do after all, but...

"Did Celestia remember anything about what happened here?" Rarity asked suddenly, "does she suspect us or Twilight at all?"

"Doesn't seem that way," Minuette replied with a shrug, "from what little we saw, she was still getting ready for the Summer Sun Celebration."

"Good," I replied with a relieved sigh, "that's... good. At the very least I don't have to worry about that," I turned my attention to Pinkie, who'd been looking out the window with an expression I couldn't read, "Pinkie?"

She blinked and turned back to me with a questioning expression. I bit my lip nervously, unsure of how I wanted to approach the subject I was about to bring up.

"Pinkie," I began hesitantly, "do you... if you want me to, I could probably erase the memories of what happened to you," I winced as Pinkie's expression once more went blank, "I... I mean, what happened to you and the others was terrible, and I don't think it's fair that you alone have to suffer that kind of trauma, so—"

"Twilight, stop."

I froze, my mouth hanging open in surprise. The others looked at Pinkie with the same expressions—Rarity even looking somewhat indignant. Pinkie ignored the rest of them as she fully turned to face me, a grateful, but sad smile on her face.

"I appreciate the offer, really," to my further surprise, her sad smile suddenly became a hard scowl of conviction, "but I want something else, something that only you could provide as Her 'Holy Vessel'."

She moved closer, stopping a moment to glance down at the still unconscious Rainbow Dash before shaking her head and moving on.

"Ever since the Servant left, I've been thinking about what it said," she continued, "and y'know, I think it might be onto something."

"W-What do you mean?" I asked, taking a wary step back and trying to ignore the sudden stirring in the back of my mind, "Pinkie, what are you talking about?"

"Ever since I was a foal, Granny Pie and my Ma and Pa would always tell me I was meant for something greater," Pinkie's smile became more genuine, an odd glow in her eyes, like a rekindled fire, "because there was never any evidence of Her existence, I began to think Skal-Gazaath didn't actually exist, and eventually I stopped worshiping her like the rest of my family altogether."

I said nothing in response as I tried to push back a very familiar and very insistent sensation. I knew this feeling, it was the same thing I felt just before I killed Rarity, and knowing that, I began to panic.

No! I thought she was dormant!

"P-Pinkie—"

"Sure I had these neat things I could do, but I just chalked that up to having a little extra magic or something," Pinkie said, unaware of my struggle, "I dunno, I just thought it might've had a more mundane explanation than 'I was Gifted as Skal-Gazaath's Chosen'. It just sounded too silly to me."

"Pinkie Pie, I—"

"But now you're here!" she stepped right in front of me, her face inches from mine and her smile now as wide as ever, a strange, almost manic gleam in her eyes, "She's here, and the Servant was right, I need to reach my full potential, and you can make that happen!"

My eyes widened as I realized what she wanted me to do, and why the feeling was coming back. Before I could say anything in response, Pinkie took a step back, her smile becoming less insane and more subdued, almost serene and understanding.

"I still want to be your friend, Twilight, and I still want to make ponies smile," she said, her tone more relaxed, "as a pony, I think that's what I was born to do," she glanced back towards her flank, "it's what my cutie mark is for, but I have to accept that that's not all I am. That's not the only thing I was meant for."

She turned back to me, and though her smile was still calm, the eerie religious zeal had returned to her eyes. I looked back, my teeth grit and my body shaking with the effort of trying to hold back the overwhelming desire to kill the pink mare.

By this point I was convinced that's what she wanted, but that wasn't what I wanted. I didn't want to kill Pinkie Pie, I didn't want to turn more ponies into my servants. Unfortunately I could feel it becoming less and less about what I wanted, and more about what the Dead Goddess wanted.

"Both my family and the Servant were right," Pinkie took one step closer, "I have a duty as one of Her Children to serve, and that's what I'm going to do, but before I can truly take on that role, I need to reach that full potential."

She took another step forward, putting a hoof on my shoulder and forcing me to look into her eyes.

"Twilight," she nearly whispered, "I need you to Awaken me. You're a good mare, and I know this isn't what you wanna do, but this is my choice, it's my calling—the other role I was born into, and no matter how you or I feel about it, I need to fulfill that role the best way I can."

She stepped back, sat on her haunches, and spread her hooves out.

"So go on, don't hold back! Hit me!" she shouted with that same wide, friendly, infectious smile, "don't worry, I'll still be the same old Pinkie Pie you know and love, just... more subservient."

I stared at her.

The others, who'd been completely silent up to this point, watched the two of us with varying degrees of anticipation. I ignored them, my entire world focused on the pink mare in front of me.

It wasn't what I wanted.

I wanted to just be Twilight Sparkle and live my normal life. I wanted to make Celestia proud, I wanted to sit down and read a good book with my faithful assistant by my side, I wanted to watch my mentor raise the sun on a brand new day, I wanted to make friends.

In a sick, twisted kind of way, I guess I am making friends...

Seeing Pinkie Pie sitting there, ready to accept her fate, I finally began to realize that this was no longer about what I wanted. I realized that, in a very real way, Pinkie and I weren't all that different.

Pinkie just wanted to be free of her family's beliefs and make ponies happy, and yet she couldn't escape from what she was meant to do. I just wanted to live my own life like I did before all this madness, and yet I was thrown into the role of some kind of ancient powerful deity no matter what I did.

The difference between us, aside from the scale of the situation, was that Pinkie was accepting her fate in the end, and what got me was that I saw no regret or sadness in her expression. There was only a sort of contentedness, like she really believed this was for the best.

If I accepted that I was no longer just Twilight Sparkle, would I feel the same?

I closed my eyes and shuddered as the sensation washed over me. Taking a deep, shaky breath, I opened my eyes and gave the others one last glance. They all smiled reassuringly, Rarity nodding in understanding. I looked from them to Rainbow Dash, wondering what she'd think about all of this.

I don't know if this is a good idea or not, or how it'll all end... but I can't hold back anymore either way.

"I could make this a messy affair, but out of respect for your decision, I won't," I intoned, turning back to Pinkie with a proud smile, "as my Chosen... as one of my Children..."

...I'll simply ask that you die for me.

The others and I looked on as Pinkie Pie shuddered and slumped over bonelessly, her eyes glassy and her life snuffed out before she even hit the ground. My smile widened slightly as the mare's body shuddered again. A moment later Pinkie blinked, her cloudy light blue eyes vanishing behind a veil of swirling black.

As it turned out, I hadn't even had to command her to rise. Her status as my Chosen had been enough to allow her to Awaken on her own. After several seconds, Pinkie blinked again and her eyes returned to their normal bright cerulean hue.

With that, she hopped back up and groaned loudly, giving a long languid, catlike stretch. She sighed a second later and gave me a happy mock salute.

"Goooood morning, my Goddess!"

"Pinkie, dear," Rarity replied flatly, "it's nearly dusk."

"Eh, morning, noon, night, it's all just different times of day, and time is relative," Pinkie Pie answered with a careless shrug, "more importantly, Pinkie's back from the dead, and probably better than ever!"

Now that Pinkie had been Awakened, the sensation had passed, leaving me with an odd mix of emotions. I was still struggling with myself when I was suddenly pulled into a tight hug by an excited Pinkie. I cried out in surprise and was about to protest when Pinkie released me, the hug ending as quickly as it had started.

"Thanks, Twilight," the mare said more quietly, an earnest smile on her face, "I know it's hard to accept, but you did the right thing. This is the way it's meant to be, and I'm glad a pony like you was chosen as the Holy Vessel, and besides..."

She sidled up next to me, putting a hoof around my withers and pulling me close as she waved another hoof towards Rarity and the others.

"...we're all like one big happy family now, and it'll only get bigger!" she turned back to me, gasping in excitement, "ooh, maybe when Applejack and Fluttershy get back we can have them and Dashie join us, then we can all be besties and serve under the Great Skal-Gazaath. I can see it now..."

Pinkie went on like that for some time, shouting and laughing and gesticulating wildly as she bounced around between me and the others, talking a mile a minute. This was the happiest I'd seen the mare, and while I was still uncomfortable about what she was expecting of me, I couldn't help but smile at her antics.

Maybe this really was for the best.

Pinkie may have initially rejected her family's teachings and worship, but in the end, she'd been raised on those beliefs and had embraced them. I couldn't blame her for how she acted when it came to Skal-Gazaath.

When it came to me.

I still didn't know why the Dead Goddess had come to Equestria, or why she chose me of all ponies to act as her host, but running my mind around in circles wasn't getting me anything but more confusion.

I found myself thinking back to Fluttershy's words, and how she'd told me I didn't want to be a monster. She was right of course, I didn't want to be a monster. That was the last thing I wanted, but that didn't change the fact that was one.

I was once just a normal pony, but that was no longer the case, and it didn't seem like things were going back to the way they were anytime soon. I couldn't identify as just Twilight Sparkle, because I wasn't just Twilight Sparkle anymore, and I couldn't identify as the Dead Goddess Skal-Gazaath, because I wasn't just her either, nor did I really know anything about her.

I wasn't going to get anywhere by agonizing over my identity. Until more things were made clear, I was simply stuck as a confused pony who was playing host to some dark goddess from another world.

Yes, that's exactly what I was.

I didn't know who's consciousness had taken over, but it was clear my memories as Twilight had affected my behaviors and opinions, making me more simple equine than eldritch goddess... though I still had a nasty habit of wanting to kill and resurrect ponies on occasion it seemed.

In any case, that would have to be good enough for now, and if something else happened, I'd just have to cross that bridge when I came to it. I nodded to myself, still confused and still unsure, but on far more stable ground than I was before, thanks in no small part to Pinkie Pie.

Speaking of the mare, the others had just about enough of her boisterous attitude and Rarity was in the middle of trying to get her to calm down. I was about to step in and say something, but that didn't happen.

What happened instead was Spike suddenly appearing in front of us, right along with two familiar and very terrified ponies.

Author's Notes:

It's just about time for the stars to do their thing...