A Boy and his Watch

A Boy and his Watch
By TheAlienBrony22

Friendship is Galactic,
Part 4

[Carousel Boutique]

Rarity was sewing a few pieces of fabric together, all while sprinkling a few blue-ish green crystals along where the sewing marks wouldn't be. The unicorn took a deep breath and sighed, looking over at a photograph that has collected a fair amount of dust. She lightly brushed the dust aside, showing the first photo that she, Ben, and the other ponies took together when they were just kids.

"Oh, where does the time truly go? Hard to believe that it's been, what, eight years since this was taken? I really should make up for lost time, but I am in charge of royal decoration--" The mare's reminiscing was interrupted by the sudden and wild opening of the front door, revealing Ben, and a tired unicorn with a baby dragon on her back. She took a deep breath and put a hoof to her chest, feeling her heart beating faster. "Sweet Celestia, Benjamin! Don't you know that scaring a lady's not good for her heart?!"

Ben chuckled as he smiled. "Sorry Rarity, I guess I figured this couldn't wait, my bad. I wanted to tell you that Princess Celestia sent a couple special individuals down to check on the final preparations for the celebration," Ben stepped out of the way, letting Twilight and Spike be completely seen by the fashionable mare. "Plus, this helps with getting family introductions out of the way, too. Meet my siblings, Twilight Sparkle, and Spike Sparkle."

Rarity looked at the three individuals carefully. First at Ben, then at Spike, then at Twilight. "May I ask how--"

"Adopted." Spike and Ben said in unison.

"Fair enough. Anywho, you were saying that they were here to examine the decorations? As much as I'd love to show you all that has been done, I'm kinda in the middle of something. Although, I wouldn't mind picking the brain of the sister of one of my friends for... information~" Rarity said with a smirk.

"I'd be fine with it, though you'll have to forgive me if I tend to ramble," Twilight said with a smile. "But, I am here to make sure the decorations are in-fact up and are up-to-code. If you'll point me in the direction of where you put them up at, I'll gladly examine them myself."

"We could've just gone to town hall if that's what you wanted to do," Ben remarked, "This is why you have to be specific, otherwise I do stuff like throw a door open like a maniac."

"Well, no harm has come to the door, I dare say you've actually gotten more careful when doing these types of things, saves me several bits too on repairs." Rarity remarked, looking over the lack of destruction to the wall, or the door itself. "Well, if you want anything, or are looking to browse my wares for a special occasion, you know the place that's magnifique, The Carousel Boutique!!~" Rarity stated with a smile.

Spike yawned and waved Rarity goodbye as the Sparkle siblings made their way to Town Hall. Yet, the transparent figure still looms behind the human, like a guardian angel, or a devil in disguise.

"Benjamin Tennyson..." it exhaled quietly, sending a strange shiver up Ben's spine. Ben turned around quickly, but saw nothing, though he kept his hand on the Omnitrix's dial, and his thumb ready to press the button. Something didn't feel right, and if he wasn't told to trust Paradox before, he definitely didn't trust him now... only he was the one to call him Tennyson, instead of Sparkle.

[The Moon's Core]

"My Mistress..." A gruff, gurgled and growling voice stated.

"Optical. Status report on my return."

"Everything's going according to plan, your return will be swift, like the fall of the false princess." Optical stated with an infliction of pride.

"Excellent. Soon, Equestria, and all of Equus, will be bathed in eternal night once more, and I shall force them to revel in the pale moonlight."

Soon enough, the doors open up, and something that couldn't be seen steps next to the multi-eyed bat creature.

"My Mistress..." A near silent and hushed voice stated.

"Of course, something's come up to derail us... why am I not surprised?" Optical stated sarcastically.

"Camoyuu... back from your spiritual scouting mission, are you? What did you see?"

"S-Something very... troubling, My Mistress." Camoyuu stated with concern.

"How troubling are we talking here? More guards, tighter security, spells created by the false princess?" Optical probed.

"A new creature walks among pony kind. From what I've observed up close, this creature has the power to transform. He's become many strange creatures, and is acting as the main form of security for the celebration... We might actually witness a power struggle--"

"Transform? Strange creatures? Power struggle?! Is this strange entity an agent of the false princess or something else?! Are they a pony?!"

"No! That's probably why I didn't recognize them... though, I feel there might be even more divine power at play. During my surveillance missions to keep tabs on this new creature, I was caught in some sort of time stopping spell. I captured images of another strange non-pony creature, one that calls itself Paradox." Camoyuu stated with concern.

Camoyuu made herself visible, revealing that she was some kind of crustacean-like creature with cephalopod-ae-like tendrils and suckers. Her singular eye glowed a vibrant white color, showing an image of Paradox, trying to reach out to the human in question.

"Who are these fools? What kind of abominations are they?!" Optical asked, looking at the humans in disgust.

"Homosapiens... Bipedal apes of legend, once thought to be a myth. Not once have I ever heard of a shapeshifting homosapien before however, but this shan't be a problem. If this shapeshifting homosapien is anything like those overgrown horse flies, he'll be just as easy to squash beneath my hooves."

"Shall I prepare myself for battle, My Mistress?" Optical asked.

"Yes, but should this creature not be worth my time, let alone my full effort... you shall take care of him, while I dispose of the things that put me on this rock all that time ago."

[Outskirts of Ponyville]

"...And that's the story of my whole life, sorry if it was so short." Spike said with a smile. Twilight felt bored to tears when Fluttershy asked about Spike's life, but Ben could clearly see that the effects of being a hyper-fixated study nut has hindered his sister's ability to try and be interested and make friends.

'Guess I gotta give her that push to actually make some friends.' Ben thought. "So, Fluttershy, since the songbird serenade is ready for the celebration, any chance you'd be up to head to the Golden Oaks Library? I hear something's supposed to be happening there, something that might do my sister some good today."

Ben saw Twilight give him the most unamused and angry glare, like she could set somepony on fire just by looking at them alone. Ben smiled cheekily as he hoisted Spike up on his shoulders as Fluttershy followed them to the Library.

"I gotta say, I was so surprised to know that you and Spike were related to Ben, Twilight. Anytime you want to talk about anything, you can find my cottage just a little up the way, it'd be so fantastic to have some friendly company." Fluttershy said with a smile.

'Dear Celestia, why have you done this to me?' Twilight thought as she put on a fake smile.

[???]

"Hmm... Paradox should've shown up again by now. Maybe I finally got lucky and he gave up. Oh, who am I kidding, I'm not gonna be that lucky."

The chaotic being laid still in his recliner, munching on popcorn and gulping down soda as he kept a close eye on Ben, and nearly choked when Twilight and Spike came into view.

"So, the other two sparkle siblings have arrived in Ponyville, as well... I can't help but feel like something failed for the not-so-good Doctor Who rip-off. His intimidation and scare tactic seems to have--"

The sound of a loud THUD echoed out. Discord's attention was now turned away from his TV, only to see a big white crack form in the gray void that was his mind. Discord was, needless to say, confused, for a lack of better words.

"...failed? Oh, absolutely, but I knew it would fail, inevitably. Right now, my temporal ward on my letter is activated, destroying any trace of it and the card with the alchemy kit. I pity that poor mare, though, being so close to an active temporal ward can be, well... catastrophically chaotic."

Discord whipped around, seeing Professor Paradox, who looked like a serious mess. His clothes, tattered and ruined, covered in a variety of stains with a calm look in his eyes, despite the wicked grin plastered on his lips.

"Like the new form of decor I added? Figured this place could use a touch of light, so I decided to crack down and let some of the outside world flow within that sedimentary pebble you call a brain."

Discord had no words. He just looked back and forth between the new white crack and Paradox, unsure of which was more concerning. Needless to say, Discord just decided to ignore the time walker, yet was willing to keep a wandering eye on him as he kept his view on the TV.

"What, no words this time? No insults, no witty comebacks you've pulled from the depths of the pools of insanity that lay dormant in your mind? No remarks? That doesn't make sense, but for you, it kinda does... quite the Oxymoron you are, the fact that you're not supposed to make sense, makes sense, despite everything saying otherwise... what an impudent and unique creature, you are!"

Paradox walked closer, yet it seemed like he just got further away. Discord continued to ignore the time walker and focus on the TV, munching on his snacks as if he were some frightened child watching a horror movie.

"I'll be back for you, Discord, in due time... but if I were you, I'd be hoping that you escape sooner, rather than when you're supposed to. Save yourself the trouble, of facing my chaos head-on."

[Golden Oaks Library]

Darkness enveloped the interior. It was pitch black, either because the librarian couldn't pay the power bill, or it's usually this dark when no one's around.

"Yeesh, who turned off the lights in here? I'd offer some light, but I don't plan on burning a place down any time soon." Ben stated, fumbling around for a light switch.

"Great, now I have to watch my brother dance in the dark like an utter doofus... good thing my checklist's done, at least." Twilight groaned, sitting down in the dark library.

"I-It's not so bad, most p-ponies prefer to read in the dark a-anyway." Fluttershy stated, stuttering her words a bit.

"Your checklist isn't done yet, though, Twilight." Spike stated. Spike spewed a small green ember out of his mouth, lighting up the area around him and the two ponies a substantial bit, revealing the last objective. "Princess Celestia did instruct you to make some friends, and considering we flanked out on Moon Dancer's party for this, I'd say she has a point."

"Ok, I get it, I made friends before, and now I've become a bit reclusive because of my devotion to get my work done." Twilight groaned irately. "Ben, did you find the light switch yet?"

"I think I just found it. Just gotta turn it on and--"

There was a click. The lights had come on, but Twilight was in a small frantic frenzy the moment she saw that tons of ponies were huddled around them, cheering loudly as some kind of cannon went off, showering the whole place with confetti.

"Surprise!!" The ponies called out. Twilight nearly keeled over, if it wasn't for the fact that Fluttershy kept her from hitting the floor.

"Surprise!!" Pinkie called out, popping in out of nowhere, startling the unicorn yet again. "Hi, I'm Pinkie Pie, and I threw this party just for you! Were you surprised? Were ya? Were ya? Huh huh huh?"

"M-More or less... Ben, I need help!!" Twilight fidgeted.

"I knew this party had Pinkie's name all over it... No wonder I couldn't find her all day," Ben stated, helping his sister calm down. "Pinkie, these are my siblings. Twilight and Spike. Twilight, Spike, this is Pinkie Pie. Trust me when I say this, her surprise parties are a lot more, well, 'calm' than this."

"Nice to meet ya!" Pinkie said enthusiastically, shaking Twilight's hoof in a similar manner to how Applejack shook her hoof, only less violent. "Now enough introductions, let's party till we're purple!... er, well, I guess for you, more purple!"

"Fun." Twilight stated sarcastically.

As the party got started, Twilight found herself back in the company of the numerous mares she had ran into previously, with the exception that Spike and Ben were entertaining the pony populous.

"Well, Miss Twilight, how're you likin' this 'ere party? Pinkie's parties might be a bit too much for some, but they gotta admit, she puts in a lotta effort for these, especially for the newcomers that come to town." Applejack asked.

"It's fine, though I am still feeling kinda jittery," Twilight tried to get her tail to stop shaking and swooshing around, but that didn't help anything. "So, Pinkie thows parties like this, for new people? I thought it was someone's birthday today, or something."

"Nah, Pinkie's got even bigger plans when it comes to birthdays, though it's rare for her to use the party cannon for such a small party such as this. But hey, whatever keeps the party goin'!" Rainbow Dash explained, downing a mug full of some kind of substance. Twilight was rather unsure of herself about the party, mainly because she wasn't much of a party-goer, even when Ben tried to get her to have some fun, she was kinda out of her element. "Hey, if you're worried about what's in the mug, don't worry, it's non-alcoholic cider. The real stuff is going to the real celebration!"

"Fair enough, I suppose. So, how do you all know my brother? You're not into him, are you?" Twilight asked with uncertainty. The four mares burst out in laughter, and Fluttershy went into a giggling fit, which just made the purple unicorn all that more confused.

"Darling, Benjamin is more like a friend to us, rather than a love-interest. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with him being him, or any of his bizarre transformations," Rarity sipped on a cup of tea and took a deep breath to calm herself. "But, I prefer a stallion with a refined and exquisite taste for the finer and more royal things in life. Somepony who's not afraid to get his hooves dirty."

"If Ben were an Earth Pony, we'd be havin' a very different conversation, but ah'd like to explore my options, don't wanna settle down too soon, or ruin a friendship." Applejack stated.

"Yeah, gotta agree with AJ on this one. If Ben was a Pegasus, then I'd be on him faster than any mare here. But, again, like AJ said, I actually would prefer keeping Ben as a friend, rather than a fling that'll go nowhere and stamp our friendship into the ground." Rainbow Dash explained.

"Benny's more than a friend to me, he's like the brother I never thought I had, till I found out. Considering that Ben is human, and I'm an Earth Pony, well, even I don't have to tell you how that might not work, that or those in the comment sections can have a debate on the probability of interspecies compatibility, but I don't think it would work, at least not for humans." Pinkie said nonchalantly.

"Uh... what they said, works for me too..." Fluttershy said, basically agreeing with the other mares' opinions.

"Well, good to know, not that it matters, I'm sure if Ben was curious enough, he'd want to know what it'd be like, though I don't think it'd be any different from when he turned into a Unicorn, minus the replacing or complete removal of certain appendages." Twilight stated.

Silence, intrigue and a flood of questions filled the five mares' minds, and Twilight wished she could just stop talking.

'Well, this wasn't how I thought this whole thing would turn out, though I will admit, maybe I'll be able to check that last objective off by the end of the night... I just hope that old pony's tale is just that, an old tale.' Twilight thought to herself.

[The Moon's Surface]

"Finally... The barrier keeping me on this deity forsaken rock has weakened!! Tis' time for thine return!! Optical, to mine side!! AAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!"

"Yes, My Mistress! The time for your glorious and darkness-ridden return is at hand!!"