A Boy and his Watch
By TheAlienBrony22

Friendship is Galactic,
Epilogue

[Ponyville, 1 Day after Nightmare Moon's defeat]

It was a lovely new day in Ponyville, lovely being a relative term since everypony was already preparing for another celebration. The return of Princess Luna.

Everyone in town was having a good time, some of the local foals were excited to see the princess, probably because they didn't know that Luna was Nightmare Moon, but the connection was noticeable. Pinkie set off several party cannons, blasting confetti into the air as everyone began to party. At one of the tables, Applejack and Rainbow Dash watched on as they shared a couple of cold ciders.

"Gotta say, ah wasn't expectin' fer this party to be as big as it is, but then I remember that Pinkie organized this one," Applejack chuckled. "Ah hope she never changes."

"Yeah, she can be a bit much, we both know that for a fact, but you're right. I hope she never changes," Rainbow Dash said, chugging a bit of her cider as she cleared her throat. "Besides, she really knows how to throw a good party, no matter what the occasion!"

"And how," Applejack agreed.

The mares clinked their mugs together as they enjoyed themselves and lost themselves in the sweet taste of their cider. Meanwhile, Ben was transformed into Warlock Trot, dressed in what looked like a fortuneteller's outfit as he used his power of reading other ponies' potential to foresee what might come in the future.

"I sense great things for the both of you, just so long as you have each other's backs." The unicorn said cryptically.

The two ponies in front of him, being Lyra, a bright minty green unicorn with yellow eyes, an equally green mane, with a light white-ish gray streak, and another mare named Bon-Bon, an earth pony with a beige coat, pigment blue mane with a rose pink streak, and cerulean eyes. They both looked to each other and smiled, squeeing as they bolted away.

"Enjoy your foreseeable future!" Pinkie shouted out from the side.

"Y'know Pinkie, when I told you that Warlock Trot could detect how much potential anypony has, I didn't mean that I could see the future," The Unicorn remarked.

"Oh I know, but it's still fuuuun to tell people about what might or might not be in their futuuuuure!~" Pinkie singsonged.

"Yes, it is pretty fun, but let me see the potential this time around, I wanna see if it works like how I think it will." The unicorn rebutted.

Soon enough, a little filly came up and sat in a chair. She was a pegasus with small pegasus wings, an orange coat, a plum pink mane, and dark lavender purple eyes, with a noticeable lack of a cutie mark. The filly looked a bit upset, and already Ben could feel the strings on his heart getting yanked.

"Greetings, little pony. Here to see what your true potential will be in the future?" Warlock Trot stated grandiosely, trying to cheer the filly up.

"I did. I want to know if I'll ever be able to fly." The filly stated, looking down at the ground.

"Well, I can do that, so I shall. What's your name, little one?" Warlock Trot asked.

"Scootaloo..." The filly mumbled.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" Warlock Trot asked.

"It's Scootaloo, okay? Can we get this over with, please?" Scootaloo asked impatiently, crossing her forelegs together.

Warlock Trot nodded as he closed his eyes, and his horn began to glow, emitting a blue-ish green aura as Scootaloo was enveloped in that same aura. Warlock Trot was not that adept at seeing potential, but it always helped to help someone else realize who they might become sometime down the road. Whenever he used this ability, he was always able to see what attribute of a pony is stronger than the other, helping him come to an easy conclusion. With Scootaloo, however, nothing really specific came to mind.

To Ben, it was like seeing a character's stats in a video game, and Scootaloo's flight was hindered a lot by a bad luck of the draw when it came to her genetics. It hurt the hero to know that this filly may not ever get her chance to fly, but her determination and her will to keep trying was practically maxed out, though he did see that she was great at riding a scooter.

As soon as Warlock Trot opened his eyes, the aura dissipated and Scootaloo was expecting an answer. "Well? Am I gonna be able to fly, mister?" Scootaloo asked expectantly.

"I'd recommend that... you keep trying other things. Constantly flapping your wings will only wear you out, you have to keep trying in moderation. Just know that no matter what happens, don't let other ponies' words get to you. Maybe try finding some help with some ponies your own age, ponies who understand your situation a bit better. As long as you stay determined, and keep your will strong, you can do anything." Warlock Trot stated cryptically, his words shaky and uncertain.

Scootaloo didn't answer for a good bit of time, and when she looked up, she looked hopeful, a smile forming on her face as she got off the chair and held her hoof out for a shake, and Warlock Trot accepted, shaking the filly's hoof as she turned around. "Thanks mister, I'll be sure to keep on trying. I'm gonna see if I can still get some scooter lessons, bye!" Scootaloo stated, trotting off in one direction.

Pinkie poked her head in, "So, how'd it go?" Pinkie asked with a smile.

"I think I need to take a break," Warlock Trot stated flatly, enveloping himself in a flash of red light, reverting Ben back to his normal form. "I just need a moment to process what just happened."

"Okie dokie lokie! I'll take over from here, you go enjoy yourself, Benny!" Pinkie advised. Ben nodded and walked towards a buffet table, eager to eat.

Before the hero could get a morsel, however, he felt a feathery appendage wrap around him. Ben looked up and saw Celestia, with her sister Luna, on her other side.

"Greetings, Benjamin Sparkle, enjoying the festivities, thus far?" Celestia asked, a warm smile on her face.

"I'm enjoying it pretty well, and judging by how Twilight looks like she's having a serious muscle spasm," Ben gestured over to the dance floor, where several ponies backed away awkwardly as Twilight danced around ridiculously without a care in the world. "She's enjoying herself, too. She may not know how to dance, but at least she ain't ashamed to show it."

"That's wonderful, thou was worried thou would have to call for a doctor," Luna stated, seeming relieved.

"So, how are you royal ladies enjoying the festivities? Is it all that you thought it'd be, or does it not have enough of that 'Canterlot Flaire'?" Ben asked with a small grin, earning a sly smile from the bright white alicorn.

"Oh, trust me, Cadence's 19th birthday party was child's play compared to what the Gala's usually like," Celestia chuckled for a little bit, till her smile suddenly disappeared. "Unfortunately, while the party itself is fine, there's something we need to discuss, Benjamin... preferably, in private, and back in Canterlot."

Ben was about to take a bite of a cupcake, till his whole body felt numb. Ben looked at the princess, seeing a rather odd expression on her face. An expression he couldn't recognize, like it was anxious, but also calculating. Ben didn't say a word, but his own expression showed that he really needed some context.

"Let me preface this as simply as I can. I assume Twilight told you about the letter incident?" Celestia asked grimly. Ben nodded, slowly eating his cupcake as he paid his full attention to the princess that towered over him. "That letter ended up being some kind of trap. Whether it was intended for Twilight or for me, I can't say for sure certainty, but it was rigged with some kind of ward... It nearly killed one of the ponies I put in charge of finding its originator, and I can't help but wonder if you knew anything about this. They were adamant on getting something from you, specifically."

Ben finished off his cupcake and let everything sink in. "You can teleport us, right? Bring me to the castle and let's discuss this." Ben said sternly.

Before anyone could notice, Ben, Celestia and Luna were gone in a flash.

[Canterlot Castle]

As Ben and the Princesses manifested in the throne room, Ben could quite clearly pick up on the smell of something iron-y, and it made him feel sick.

"How long ago did it happen?" Ben asked, following the smell, much to the apprehension of his senses.

"It was around sometime yesterday in the early afternoon, a couple hours before I had prepared to depart for Ponyville, so more than 12 hours ago." Celestia explained, following the human as Luna tagged behind, looking pale in the face.

"This is a very serious call to war, who dares to trifle with the lives of innocent ponies!?" Luna gritted, feeling the burning sensation of bile rising in her throat as the scent got stronger.

As Ben stopped at one of the open doors, he saw several guards, clad in that same grayish body suit cleaning up the red substance that seemed to be everywhere.

"The letter was supposedly destroyed by the ward casted on it, but we have no actual idea on what their true intentions may have been, let alone who they are," Celestia said, cautiously stepping to Ben's side. "But we fear that you may have been their intended target, and they tried to get to you by attacking your family and trying to make me look like a malevolent monster."

Ben activated the Omnitrix, and without hesitation, he slammed it down, becoming Beelzebeast, and began to sniff around the room, but unfortunately, he could only pick up on the scent of the pony's blood, the one who was attacked by the ward upon its activation. Ben transformed back as he tried to think on something, and he looked back at the princesses.

"I think I know someone who might be able to help, but you'll have to forgive me if things get weird... Princesses of Equestria, do you trust me to call upon a new ally for help?" Ben asked cautiously.

Celestia and Luna looked at each other, perplexed, confused and curious as to what Benjamin had planned. "If you're referring to Venus, she's currently following the case, investigating everypony in Canterlot, with the exemption being you and your family, of course--"

"Venus probably wouldn't help much with this, anyway, she's busy with her guard stuff and I don't want to make it look like she's not doing her job. No, I'm talking about a recently new ally, and while he may seem a bit odd, he did give me another forewarning about Nightmare Moon's return prior, so he was technically helping me out," Ben took a deep breath and sighed, "Again, I ask, do you trust me?"

"Well, thou hast reunited the sisters of the royal family, and stopped my unruly behavior before it could go too far, I say, for a strange creature who is nothing like us ponies, thou hast earned our trust, for now, but we cannot speak for Celestia," Luna remarked.

"Benjamin, you have proven you are capable of facing some very dangerous things and overcoming great odds, whether on your own, or with the help of your friends... I trust you," Celestia concluded. "Call them forth, and hopefully some light shall be shed upon this grisly situation."

"Hey, D! Any chance you can show up right now? I don't really know how you do things, but I'd appreciate the help!" Ben called out. No response. Nothing called back, nothing felt out of the ordinary, there was just this ominous silence.

"Well, that didn't seem tooooo wooooorrrrrrrrrrrrrkkkkk...." Celestia's voice began to drag on, slowing down as it suddenly became silent.

Ben saw Celestia stop moving, her expression and her body frozen in place, frozen in time. He looked at the guards, and they were in the same situation. Ben looked at Princess Luna, and she was just standing still, unmoving, staring at him, frozen in time.

The environment around him dulled into whites, grays and blacks, all while a chaotic wail echoed out. In a flash of light, the man known simply as 'D' was standing right above Celestia, somehow balancing himself on the tip of her horn.

"G'Day, Mr. Sparkle! Took you long enough to call for me, and I didn't even have to tell you to! I knew you'd need your old pal, D!" D stated, hopping onto the floor and shaking Ben's hand. "So, how can I help you properly, Ben 10?"

"Ben... te- Y'know what, I'm not gonna question it this time, I'm getting to the point." Ben cleared his throat and looked D in the eyes, "Here's the problem, A pony almost got killed because of a weird ward on some kind of letter, and the princess is concerned that it might've been either an attempt on my sister's life, the princess's life, or to get me to do what they want, probably for nefarious and less than good purposes. I need some help, D, because I don't know anyone else who could help me with this, besides Venus, but she's already busy doing the legal part on this case."

"Sometimes to keep the law enforced, you have to break a couple more." D summarized. "Well, you called out to the right friend, Benny boy, what do you need me to do?"

"I have an idea on who might be behind this, so I need you to bring them here so I can get answers." Ben asked cautiously.

"Well, I can do that just by standing on my ring fingers. Consider it done, just tell me the name of the unlucky sap, and I'll bring him here faster than you can say--"

"Bring Paradox here, Discord." Ben stated firmly. D's words were caught in his throat, and a look of shock, confusion and uncertainty was plastered on his face as he faced the human, "Some weird guy that looks like a human, black hair, same skin color, lab coat, goggles, has a strange accent, that should be him. You're basically wearing a type of familiar mockery of his attire, so you must have met this guy before. He did say that you were trying his patience already, in a similar vain to what I was doing when I met him."

"How did you--!?"

"There was a saying that constantly echoed in my head since my time knocked out during Nightmare Moon's return. 'Do not fear the wicked words of Discourse, nor should you listen to the warped forewarnings of a living Paradox,' That sound familiar to you?" Ben asked. "I heard that phrase echo in the recesses of my mind as I focused on trying to stop Nightmare Moon, even after I pieced together the numerous hints and clues that I was unaware of, until I really thought about their connection and using context clues from the numerous things that have happened in the last few days."

Discord was completely confused. He had no logical idea as to how Ben was able to connect the dots like this, but he saw a solemn and reassured expression on the human's face.

"Look, I still consider you to be on my side of things, after all, as that quote stated, do not fear the wicked words of Discourse, nor should I listen to the warped forewarnings of a living Paradox, but I need to figure out what Paradox has to gain from all of this, if he has anything to gain from it at all. If it seems like he's just insane, or destined to wear a straight jacket in the looney stables, then I leave him in your slightly more capable hands." Ben took a deep breath and kept going, "I don't know a thing about you, but you were willing to give me a reminder of the warning about Nightmare Moon's return, and it paid off. If things don't go well, for me at least, make me a Pinkie Promise that you'll warn my sister, my friends and the princesses that Paradox is a danger to all of Equestria. Please?"

Discord didn't see this coming, and he was tempted to call shenanigans. Yet, the genuine look of determination in Ben's eyes showed that he wasn't gonna take Paradox's nonsense anymore, especially if it meant innocent people would get hurt. Discord smiled a toothy grin and shook Ben's hand.

"Alright, I cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye," Discord recited, only he literally summoned a cupcake and mashed it into his face, only to snap his fingers and remove the mess entirely. Discord then got ready to snap his fingers again, only to look at Ben with a serious and stern look, "Now, keep in mind, we reality warpers don't do this very often with entities like ourselves, so if this goes wrong, at least the timeline won't be broken... at least, I don't think it will. Oh! Also, big warning for you, Benjamin... Paradox is on kind of a... mental decline, so to speak."

Before Ben could ask what he meant by that, Discord snapped his fingers, only for Paradox to not show up. They waited hours, but there was still no sign of the strange man. "Well, that wasn't supposed to happen."

"Of course it was. Remember what you told me, Discord?" A voice called out from behind them. Ben and Discord quickly turned around, seeing Paradox, his clothes stained and a calm look in his eyes, but a wicked grin on his face. "Your power only reaches in Ponyville. No closer, and of course... No FURTHER!!"

Paradox snapped his fingers, causing Discord to scream, only for him to vanish in a sudden instance. Ben felt worried and tried to get the Omnitrix to work, yet, like the last couple times these two were involved, it wouldn't work.

"Now, time to go home, Ben Tennyson." Paradox said calmly.

Before Ben could get a word out, Paradox poked Ben's forehead and snapped his fingers. The world around Ben suddenly began to fade, and he screamed out, till eventually...

There was silence, and a white, endless, empty void.

Author's Note

So, things went from 0 to 100 pretty damn fast.