//------------------------------//
// Found Out 
// Story: Up to Fate 
// by Onomonopia 
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Pinkie hummed a song as she and her husband walked down the streets of Stalliongrad, happily keeping an eye out. Ever since she had used her power to chase off Tirek's henchmen, the city had gotten a lot nicer. Ponies were actually smiling, the sun seemed to be out more often and she found her Pinkie sense wasn't going off as much as it had been. It was a good day.

'Do not lower your guard. Tirek still owns this land,' Nabu reminded her.

"I know, but it's such a nice day that I can't help but relax," Pinkie hummed. "Like nothing bad can go wrong."

'And now you've unleashed the most dangerous magic of all. The magic of a jinx,' Nabu sighed. 'I predict today will end with something on fire. All because of your words.'

"Stop being so negative," Pinkie said. She raised the list that Star-Swirl had given her of supplies that needed to be grabbed. Some of them looked like standard groceries, but there were other items on the list that Pinkie had no idea what to make of. Wormsroot? Dragon skull? Bald spot remover? She would never understand magic. She glanced up when she saw her husband trying to get her attention.

"I didn't want to ask this in front of Star-Swirl, but how much longer do you think we'll be staying here?" Cheese asked her.

"Why? Are you in a hurry to leave? Yeah, Star-Swirl might be a little weird, but he's been so kind to us," Pinkie reminded him.

"I'm not in a hurry to leave. Staying with Star-Swirl has been...nice. But we can't stay there forever. Either Tirek will find us and put Star-Swirl and Lil' Cheese's lives at risk or the being that Nabu is so afraid of will find us."

'I do not fear the being. I am being cautious. If you could sense it's power, you would do the same.'

"The point is, sooner or later something is going to happen," Cheese reiterated. "Either Tirek is going to make a move or we will have to. And I would rather it be us that made the move."

'That would be the best course of action,' Nabu agreed.

"Then why haven't we made a move against the tyrant? I've seen what you're capable of, Pinkie. With the power you can currently access, even Tirek would just be a spot on the wall against you," Cheese asked. Pinkie's response was to look at the stalls, scanning them for anything that was on the list.

'It is because, while she has done well in learning defensive and manipulation magic, she has not gained any growth in offensive magic,' Nabu informed Cheese. Pinkie wanted to snap at him, but instead caught Cheese's eyes and looked up sheepishly at him. 'She refuses to learn any magic that could be used to harm another. She will redirect spells if she is forced, but as for offensive power...she is sorely lacking.'

"Pinkie?" Cheese asked. Pinkie didn't respond. "Honey, what's the matter? Why aren't you-?"

"Because I don't want to hurt anypony," Pinkie whispered. "I...I nearly used this power once to kill another...and I still can't sleep at night. I'll learn to defend, to deflect and undo...but I can't use this magic to harm others."

"Even if Tirek doesn't give you any other choice? Even if this...super being gives you no other options?" Cheese asked. Pinkie looked him dead in the eye and nodded. "Oh honey...I love you." Cheese pulled her into a hug as he said this.

"You're not...upset with me?" Pinkie asked. "For not wanting to hurt Tirek?"

"Pinkie, let me tell you now, if I had that power, I would erase Tirek without second thought. I'm fairly certain any other pony would in your horseshoes," Cheese explained. Then he smiled at her and pulled her tighter. "But I didn't fall in love with you because you were like everypony else. You always do things differently. So far removed from the crowd that they would look at you like you were crazy. Yet you always make everything work out. And I'm sure you'll do it again here. I may not agree with what you're saying...but I trust you. I always will."

"I don't deserve you," Pinkie giggled. She and Cheese nuzzled for a moment, before both took a look at the list. Then a blinding light filled the street and when Cheese could see again, he saw that Pinkie now wore the garb of Fate.

"Nabu?! What's-?"

"We've been tailed!" Nabu roared through Pinkie. Pinkie, who was still in control, whipped around and summoned golden, paper chains that rocketed towards a building. Just before they impacted, something shimmered and jumped out of the way of the chains. The being became visible as it landed in the streets, giving Cheese and Pinkie a moment to pause.

The creature wore a top hat, a white mask and was dressed in a tux. Of course, first their eyes were drawn to it's four arms and fours legs, as well as the mandibles that clicked together. While it was a creature unlike any they had ever seen, Nabu filled in the blanks for them. 

'A servant of Tirek. You are either courageous or foolish to come face us by yourself,' Nabu said. 'So it is you that has been bothering my senses for the past week.'

"A week? This guy has been following us for a week?" Cheese asked. "And you knew? Why didn't you alert us of the danger?'

'Danger? From this creature? Do you alert your whole household when an ant slips inside?' Nabu chided, but Pinkie took over a moment later. "Whoever you are, just leave. You can't win and...at my current level I cannot ensure your survival if you were to face me. So please, just go."

The spider creature clicked it's mandibles, but whether or not it was speaking, Pinkie couldn't tell.

'Pinkie, you have my power. Language is not a barrier to you,' Nabu instructed. Pinkie nodded and glared at the beings head, entering into its mind a moment later. Within a matter of thoughts she learned all she needed to. The creature was named Anansi. It was here to learn about Nabu's power for Tirek. And right now it was supposed to distract her while some of Tirek's other henchmen attacked-

in a burst of light, Pinkie appeared in front of Star-Swirl's home. Her sudden appearance blasted away the satyr's that had the misfortune of being where she teleported. Cheese landed behind her and Anansi crashed into the alleyway next to the house, but that was the least of her concern's. For at the moment, Star-Swirl's house was engulfed with flame. With the wizard and her son both trapped inside.

Then she imagined it not burning and the fire ceased to be. The master of magic clapped her hooves together and a moment later both Star-Swirl and Lil' Cheese were outside with her, neither of them having any idea what was going on. Both of them were safe. But for those who had set the place ablaze, they were anything but.

"Twice. That is twice now that you've tried to harm me through me family and friends," Pinkie whispered. Yet even as she whispered, rips in reality began to form around her. The sky shifted through the full rainbow of colors before settling on unnerving. Pinkie slowly turned around to stare at the satyr over her shoulder, her eyes a blazing red. A thought passed and Anansi was dropped on the ground next to them, staring up at the mare with the same fear in his eight eyes that the satyr held.

"I could do anything to you for this. Toss you into the sun. Trap you as plants for the rest of your lives. Or just so thoroughly erase you from reality that your own mothers wouldn't remember who you were," Pinkie whispered. The satyr and Anansi said nothing. They only cowered. Then she lifted her hoof and looked at it for a second, seeing her own red eyes reflected in the gold.

"And I could do it all with a thought. Before I had time to reason or think. It's only thanks to Star-Swirl's training that I haven't already done it," Pinkie said. Then she looked back at her family, back at her son. And saw the look of worry he had on his face. Not for the satyr or Anansi. For her. It was all she needed as she turned to look back at her attackers. "Leave. And never let me see you in Tirek's employee ever again."

The satyr and Anansi were gone from her sight a moment later, whether they ran or she teleported them, she wasn't sure. She hated not knowing. Then she held out her arms and vanished, along with her family and Star-Swirl, in a flash of light.

†

"You know, when you said you imprisoned Celestia in the cradle of the sun, I was expecting to actually take a trip to the sun," Twilight told Tirek. "Not the center of the planet."

She and Tirek were standing above a giant, unending chasm of molten magma, a chasm that was larger than all of the cities of Equestria combined. The heat would have been unbearable if not for the magic of Tirek that protected the both of them. That was something Twilight had learned quickly. Tirek was far more powerful than when he had been in the other world, even when he had wielded the power of four alicorns and all of the magic of Equestria. And it still wasn't enough to stop this threat. Twilight didn't know how she felt about that.

"If I trapped her in a star, there is the chance she would have eventually destroyed it to come after me," Tirek explained. "But if I trapped her here, in the center of the very world she swore to protect, then perhaps what little self control she had left would prevent her from killing her subjects to escape. And for over two decades, I've been right."

"So she's in there?" Twilight asked. There was a small, metal cube that was being suspended above the magma with chains, similar to the ones that had entangled Twilight. It couldn't have been any larger than a small house. Twilight shuddered at the thought of being trapped in there for decades.

"Do not feel pity for her. She trapped her sister in the moon for far longer. Save your pity for Luna," Tirek instructed. "And be on guard. She may not be the same princess that you remember."

Twilight didn't get the chance to ask why, for a moment later Tirek had teleported them to the entrance to the black cube. He slammed a hoof down and the chains immediately retracted, unlocking the door and allowed it to fall forward into the magma. For a moment, there was only silence.

"TIREK!"

Celestia rocketed out of the cube, racing straight for Tirek with murder in her eyes. Tirek lashed out faster than Twilight could register, catching Celestia by her throat. He raised a hand and cooled some magma into a platform, which he then chokeslammed Celestia onto. She coughed and began to struggle, but Tirek tightened his grip and her struggling weakened.

"Hello Celestia, it has been a while," Tirek muttered. Celestia glared daggers at him. "I know you are angry, but I do not have time to wait for you to get over it. That is why I brought somepony who you may listen to."

Celestia cast her gaze over to the side and finally saw Twilight for the first time, her eyes going wide with shock. "Twilight?" she managed to choke out. Tirek guessed that she wouldn't try anything for a moment and let her go, allowing the princess to get up and walk over to the unicorn. "Is that...really you? You've gotten so big."

"Hi princess," Twilight said with a smile. 

"But how? Why are you here? And why are you with him?" Celestia spat at Tirek.

"Because...because he needs our help. Your's, mine and Luna's, to save the world. To save it from complete destruction," Twilight explained. Celestia looked at her like she was crazy. "I know it sounds crazy. But let me explain and Tirek can provide details. But...and as much as it pains me to say this..."

"Tirek's the only one who can save us all."