Up to Fate

by Onomonopia

Gods

'Are you ready?'

"No. But let's do this."

Pinkie placed the helm over her head, letting out a sigh as she felt the power take hold. Not that long ago she would have felt fear at wielding this much power, but not anymore. For she had felt a greater power. And she knew now that she would need everything Nabu had if she wanted to defeat the Maestro. If she wanted to stand a chance against him.

'I will give you everything you can handle,' Nabu said.

"Give me everything," Pinkie told him. Nabu didn't answer. Pinkie then turned towards her family, who were all smiling at her. "Wish me luck. I'll...I'll do my best."

"Good luck. And we're coming with you," Cheese Sandwich said. Pinkie's eyes widened, but before she could object Cheese held up a hoof. "We're coming. It's the end of the world, final battle, yadda yadda. And you would have to be crazier than I thought you were to think we won't be there to support you."

"But it will be dangerous! Far more dangerous than anything-"

"If you win the day is saved and we're all safe. If you lose we'll all be erased. With the amount of power that you two will be throwing around, we aren't safe anywhere except next to you," Cheese pointed out. Pinkie conceded his point with a sigh. "Besides, Tirek promised that he will protect us with his magic while you fight. That way we'll be...somewhat safe."

"Really Tirek? You'd do that for us?" Pinkie asked Tirek. He grunted in reply. "But I thought you were going to help me fight?"

"Help you fight that? No. I would make no difference. He would slaughter me in an instant and I would have died for nothing. No, I will be playing cheerleader on the side and praying to any god that will listen that you can prevail here," Tirek said. "I may be a boastful, rage fueled tyrant, but I am no idiot. I know when I am outclassed."

"But you'll be there to support me?"

"It's all I can do."

Pinkie smiled at him before she turned her gaze to her little colt, who was shuffling on his hooves as he looked up at his mother. "You can do it, mommy. I know you can. You're the greatest hero in the world, after all! And I know, because a god chose you. Only the best heroes get chosen by a god."

"You're all really dead set on coming with me?" Pinkie asked. The three nodded their heads, though Tirek took a little longer to decide. "Heh, I'm the luckiest mare in the multiverse. I don't deserve a family as loving and kind as you. I promise...I'll do all I can."

"That's all we can do," Cheese replied. "Star-Swirl would be proud."

'That he would. I know I am,' Nabu said. 'But are you certain you wish to bring your family? The danger...'

"Like Cheese said. They'll be safest next to me," Pinkie replied. "Besides, they're my strength. And I'm going to need all the strength I can get to win this fight."

'That is true. I suppose you are right. The danger will be everywhere after all.'

"Ready?" she asked them. Cheese and her son nodded. Tirek shrugged. Pinkie waved her hoof and in a moment they were gone. In a moment faster than a thought they arrived at the Canterlot Castle. Pinkie walked ahead of the group, using her magic to create shields around the other three that would, hopefully, protect them from the Maestro. Tirek added his own magic on top of hers, though from the look on his face she could tell he wasn't to impressed with his spell.

The doors to the castle opened before them, causing Pinkie to narrow her eyes. She knew she and Nabu hadn't used their power and when she glanced back at Tirek, he shook his head with a bitter smile.

"He's inviting us in. Well, never let it be said that Maestro is not a gracious host," Tirek chuckled.

"Stay behind me. Let me handle this," she told the group.

They advanced through the castle without any issues. No traps, no soldiers, no mind controlled allies that they had to try to break free. Just a short walk to the castle throne room. Once more the doors opened before them and there, sitting upon what had once been Tirek's throne, was the Maestro. His body was still the galaxy filled light, but now his mask had hints of a smile upon it. Pinkie wasn't sure how you made metal smile, but she'd seen weirder in the past few weeks.

"Ah, Pinkie. You've returned to face me. How...unexpected, surprising, glorious," the Maestro said. "I thought for sure after the beating I delivered onto you and Nabu that you would use his power to flee to the farthest reality to escape me. Or perhaps try to call for help from Nabu's allies. But, seeing as you are alone, I can tell that Nabu discovered what I have done."

"Nabu?" Pinkie asked.

'I did try to contact my allies, but his power prevented me from doing so,' Nabu told her. 'We are on our own.'

"It is better this way. No more interruptions. No last minute rescues by one of your annoying allies. Just two ungodly powerful beings fighting it out with the fate of a reality on the line," Maestro said. And for a moment his body seemed to bristle, before he sat back down. "But I'm sure you have some hero speech or something that you wish to say to me before we begin, so out with it."

"Very well. Maestro, you've hurt my friends, attacked my family and-"

An obelisk erupted from beneath the throne and blasted the Maestro clean through the ceiling. Pinkie teleported herself above where the Maestro had been launched to and rained down bolts of magic into his body. The blasts sent Maestro crashing into the land below, sending him crashing through the ground and toppling mountains. And where those mountains had fallen a colossal circle of magic encircled, encasing the land in a golden light before a giant pillar of magic erupted from the circle. It seared the land, disintegrated all in it's path and illuminated all of the heavens. Only when the light died down did Pinkie take a moment.

"And a bunch of other things. Think that worked?" she asked Nabu.

'No,' the helm replied.

"Brilliant." Pinkie glanced over her shoulder to see Maestro floating behind her, clapping his hands in mock applause. "Cutting off your heroes speech to sneak attack me. And that was quite a bit of magic that you threw around there. Have you...improved since our last meeting?"

"I'm trying to be more creative," Pinkie replied. She thrust out her forehooves to the side and instantly space itself collapsed on the Maestro, who grunted as he pushed back against space folding on him. "Because I realized something. I don't have to fight more violently to stop you. I just have to be more creative. Magic isn't about muscles or brain power. It's about creativity. And trust me when I say that is where I truly shine."

"Wonderful. Absolutely wonderful. Who knew that Pinkie, the crazy party pony, had such a side to her? You take to godly powers like a fish takes to water. No wonder Discord and you are almost always friends. And Nabu, thank you for this. I know you wanted to destroy me, but this is truly a gift. To see one of the Elements of Harmony become a god. A true god. I will relish this chance...but of course, to truly see how far you will go, I cannot hold back!"

Maestro's body flashed and space shattered around him, leaving the sky looking like shattered glass. Pinkie barely registered that the being moved before the next thing she knew she crashed into the ground. But not the ground of Equis. She looked around to see that she was on a different planet...and the that she couldn't recognize any of the stars.

"He hit me across the universe," Pinkie realized.

"Correct!"

A barrier of magic was around Pinkie before the Maestro had even finished former his words, blocking the attack of shattered magic. While her shield held, the blast was still strong enough to punch Pinkie clear through the planet and out the other side, causing the planet to erupt into a ball of fire. Maestro was on her again in an instant, his masks smile even larger than before.

"We both wield essentially infinite might, Pinkie. Why hold back? Let us make this the most entertaining spectacle for the ages!"

Shatter magic blasted her barrier, which began to crack under the strain. Pinkie's mind flashed and her form shifted to a two dimensional one, causing the shattered magic to sail harmlessly by her. Maestro slammed his fist into space and ruptured the two dimensional world. Pinkie teleported out of the way right before the second plain collapsed in on itself. She waved a hoof by the nearby star, extinguishing it and leaving the two in total darkness.

Maestro chuckled at her attack before his body was bombarded on all sides by attacks he couldn't see or sense. He slammed his hands together and created an even brighter star, illuminating space and allowing him to see that he was surrounded by an uncountable number of little alligators, all of which were snapping their jaws as they came in for him.

'Impale,' Maestro thought. And that thought became reality. All of the alligator's were instantly impaled by thought alone, causing them to fade away into dust. "You wish to hide in the darkness, Pinkie? Then allow me to show you true darkness!"

Maestro held up both hands and the darkness began to swirl around them. Darkness so dense and compact that the nearby planets, asteroids and even the stars themselves folded into it. Light bended, space warped and all of reality began to spin around the black holes the Maestro held. With a laugh he hurled them towards Pinkie, finding her as she was the one thing in the universe that was not being pulled in.

Pinkie saw the black holes coming, took in a deep breath to steady herself, before she thrust out her hooves...and turned the black holes into a flock of tiny cosmic butterflies. The butterflies, painted like the wonder of the cosmos, fluttered away, leaving a beautiful trail of light that illuminated the two gods.

"YES! That is it, Pinkie! Erase me, obliterate me, try to end me once and for all!" Maestro cackled, his delight apparent. "You truly are the most creative and insane of your friends. Oh, I must remember to give a version of you a fraction of my power in another reality. I must see what you will do with it. If you can go this far with that dusty old helms power, think of the possibilities you can cause with mine. Think of what you can do when you are free!"

"Free...is that what you think you are?" Pinkie asked. "You're not free, Maestro. You're a prisoner, trapped in a prison of you own design.

"How is that? I posses the ultimate power. I have versions of me in nearly every reality that is, was, or will be. I have seen and done things that would melt your mind should I try to explain them. So tell me, Pinkie, how am I not free?"

"Because for all your power, all your...you's and all you have done...you're still a slave to your desire. You have to see what will happen. No matter what it might do to you, those around you or what you're planning, you still have to know. You can't just...say no and let something go. So for everything you can do with your power, there is one thing you cannot do. One thing you cannot do that everypony else can. You can't walk away. You can't say no."

"Ridiculous. I can easily say no. I can easily walk away from any reality or any possibility," Maestro snarled back. "I am infinitely stronger than you. Anything you can even think of doing, I can do with ease. I am beyond you."

"Then prove it to me," Pinkie said. She extended her arms and simply floated in space. "Show me you aren't a slave to your desire. End this. Walk away...for five minutes. Just five minutes. And I'll admit you are beyond me."

"For five minutes, all you have to do...is not see what happens."

Comments

[Venerable Ro]

"Ridiculous. I can easily say no. I can easily walk away from any reality or any possibility," Maestro snarled back. "I am infinitely stronger than you. Anything you can even think of doing, I can do with ease. I am beyond you."

I'm not an addict, I can stop whenever I like!

[badninja]

Pinkie got him. He cannot stop himself. Hopefully this weakens him somewhat. Hopefully the other heroes are ready because that would be iconic for his downfall that the moment he stopped paying attention they found a way to breach his defenses.

[ultrapoknee]

Aw, that classic 'I can stop whenever I want' line.

[marcelojj]

10321145
You don´t understand. Anything Nabu can do, Maestro can do ten thousand more powerfull.

It´s not ´bout what one can do...but ´bout what one don´t do. It´s infinite power. The limit is one own mind, not the power itself.

[badninja]

10321432

No I understand. The issue is that our villain has proven time and again that he cannot stop meddling, looking to see what has happened and what could happen. He as others have pointed out is an addict he cannot stop himself. That is why Pinkie has him she and Nabu have just forcibly showed him that he is not in control like he claims. Now comes that had part kicking him out of this reality.

[FleetlordAvatar]

He's not going to walk away, calling it now.