A Boy and his Watch
By TheAlienBrony22

The Reality Master,
Part 1

[Canterlot Castle, 3 minutes ago...]

Celestia and Luna watched in horror at what just transpired. One moment, Ben had become transparent, yet he was muted and it seemed like he was talking to someone, someone they couldn't see. Then, something seemed to happen when Ben looked behind him, worried at some other thing that must've just recently arrived. Before the two of them could do anything, or act on Ben's odd behavioral change, Ben stopped being Transparent, only to be enveloped in a bright white light as he screamed. Celestia tried to do something, but it was too late. Ben was gone in an instant.

"Sweet mother of ours..." Celestia whispered in a hushed tone, looking distraught. "Captain Time Crunch!! Front and center, immediately!!!" The Canterlot voice boomed and shook the castle to its core, frightening the many that could hear it from miles around. Soon enough, Captain Time Crunch immediately stood tall and at full attention of the princesses.

"Yes, Princess Celestia, what do you need, your highness?" The stallion asked, only to flinch, seeing the burning fury and the freezing cold look in her eyes.

"Put out an alert all over Equestria, ASAP, we have a code Helix! Get every last soldier you can and deploy them all across Equestria to find Benjamin Sparkle!" Celestia ordered.

"Code Helix? Well, that's a new one... Don't worry, Princess Celestia, we'll find that hairless monkey sparkle in no time!" Time Crunch stated, looking at the stallions in the room. "What're you lot waitin' on, a kiss from the princess for good luck? Get your flanks movin' lads! Get those hooves trottin' and spread the word to every last soldier, now, ya hear?!!"

The soldiers clamored to get out of the room and were on their way to the barracks to relay the orders to their fellow soldiers. Time Crunch saluted to the princesses as he followed after them.

"Luna, do you know where your night guard could've gone since your disappearing? They up and disbanded a few hundred years back and we've lost contact from them ever since." Celestia asked.

"I believe they might be in the Hollow Shades, but what does that have to do with finding this human? What is a 'Code Helix'? What arn't thou telling me, Celestia?" Luna questioned. Celestia stopped answering, only to move towards her throne and moving the seat's pillow, revealing some kind of combination lock. "Sister?"

Celestia began to quickly work the lock with her magic, in what looked like a very flimsy manner, only for the lock to suddenly disengage, granting the princess access to a bodysuit, much like the ones that the guards were starting to adorn. Celestia looked at the suit, then back at Luna, who seemed rather confused and very concerned for what might be happening.

"Luna, I would like to request that you don't intervene with this. You just came back, and I don't plan on losing you again... Please, for my sake, just go to your old room, and I'll have my highest ranking guards take care of you in my absence." Celestia solemnly stated, looking away from her sister. Celestia then removed her royal regalia, tossing it into the combination lock and closing it, re-locking it as she donned the bodysuit.

"Sister, what in Tartarus are you wearing!? We demand for thee to tell us in on what is happening!!" Luna demanded.

Celestia stopped and looked down at her sister, only to smile. 'Feisty and stubborn, as always... some things truly never change,' Celestia thought to herself. Celestia's smile faded and she chose her words carefully.

"This ally of Benjamin's, I never met them, or heard about them until now... but, something seems to have not gone as planned, and Benjamin might need assistance. I need to be prepared, in case this goes wrong. Now, head to your room and stay there till I say it's okay to come out... I'm doing this for your safety, Luna, and a lot has changed in a thousand years--"

"How much has truly changed, though?" Luna remarked, making Celestia stop in her tracks. "Dear sister, if you're going to put that suit on again, like last time, how much has truly changed?"

"...More than you think." Celestia answered.

[Meanwhile in Another Universe, Yosemite National Park]

As the evening hours set in on a forest, a flash of light manifested out of nowhere, revealing Paradox, and an unconscious Ben.

'Hmm, seems that Benjamin couldn't withstand the trans-universal travel technique. That should've been considered, hopefully I didn't fry his brain, or this will have been all for naught. I guess I'll have to wait for him to wake up on his own, but, I technically succeeded in my goal, to bring him back to his home universe, but it has changed a lot on its own without him to drive anything further. He's still got that Amnesia too, so that'll be the next goal. Make Ben Tennyson remember who he was.' Paradox thought to himself.

Soon enough, Ben's body began to stir, getting Paradox's attention. "Ahh, Benjamin Tennyson, finally decided to wake up, haven't yo--"

"You monster!!" Ben yelled out in a rage, scrambling up to his feet as he tried to land a hit onto Paradox, only to be met by his fists colliding with a tree, causing him to reel back a bit and rub his knuckles. Paradox just reappeared behind Ben, bemused, but curious as to why he keeps on trying to fight. "You killed him, you monster! What is wrong with you!?"

"Monster? Is that you're going to call me, now?" Paradox asked in a mock-intrigued tone.

"I was going to have him summon you so we could talk this out, face-to-face, maybe so I can get you to realize that you got the wrong guy!" Paradox just looked somewhere else, examining the area with more intrigue than he had for Ben's words, "But no, what did you do, instead? You killed someone with no remorse, not even a hint of mercy, so yeah, I'm calling you a monster for good reason, you heartless psychopath!"

"Oh, but Benjamin, I think you should be thanking me. You see, I brought you here so that things can return to normal, relatively, so to speak. To do that, I need you to remember who you are, and I need you to play along. Play nice, and I'll consider bringing you back to that pastel colored horse land," Paradox held out his hand to Ben, offering a handshake, "Do we have a deal?"

Ben swatted Paradox's hand and glared him in the eyes. Paradox was, needless to say, impressed. He never met a Ben who had the gall to not trust that he'll keep his word, but this Ben, he was very different.

"I Don't. Make Deals. With Bastards." Ben growled.

"... Well, that was unexpected, but considering you don't have a choice in this matter, let's just assume we shook on it, for the sake of simplicity," Paradox shrugged off momentarily as he walked in one direction, motioning for Ben to follow him. Ben debated on just going another direction, but it's not like he'd actually know where he was going, so, because he quite literally had no choice, he had to play along, so he begrudgingly followed the man in the lab coat, much to the man's appreciation. "I see you finally found your footing, good, because I'm going to show you something that'll be sure to jog that memory of yours back into high gear."

'The moment he slips up, I'm going to love and tolerate him like Tartarus has run out of room,' Ben thought to himself, smirking as he looked down at the Omnitrix. 'On a good day.'

After thirty-five minutes of walking, Paradox stops and steps out of the way, beholding an odd site for the human. "Behold, Benjamin Tennyson, your origins." Paradox beheld.

Ben stared at a crater, a crater that seemed to have grass growing all around it. At the center of the crater, was a big metal ball, one that seemed to be opened. Ben slid down the side of the crater and examined the sphere.

'Everything's starting to go according to plan, despite the setbacks,' Paradox rejoiced mentally.

"This whole thing looks like a hunk of junk. If this is my supposed origins, I really came up from less than nothing," Ben tossed the metal sphere over a couple feet as he looked back up at Paradox, "Where even are we?"

"We're in Yosemite National Park, the location of where the Omnitrix crash landed, and where you would then find it, and become the savior of your planet." Paradox answered.

"Do you have any idea of how little I know about this place, yet you talk like I've been here thousands of times?" Ben remarked.

"You just have to remember. You were 10, the year was some time in the 2000's, it was the start of summer vacation. You were excited to join your Cousin and your Grandfather on this road trip, and your first stop was Yosemite National Park. It was here that you found the Omnitrix, and utilized its power, facing certain doom every day, vanquishing the forces of evil. It was a granduous display, even for an inexperienced child that you were, once." Paradox exposited.

"Does this never-ending story have a point to make, or are you blowing hot air in my face for the sake of your ego?" Ben asked.

"The point is, you've made memories all over the United States, Benjamin. You've put more criminals behind bars than most law enforcement ever could. You even went to space, saving the universe as you stopped that watch from exploding, preventing the destruction of your universe, and let's not forget how you--"

Paradox seemed to go on and on, droning about how he was supposedly this cool superhero kid, even though Ben didn't feel anything like that coming to mind. Though his head did feel a bit fuzzy every time Paradox mentioned some kind of name he didn't recognize. Soon enough, Ben stopped listening and just climbed out of the grassy crater, walking in one direction as Paradox kept flapping his lips.

"If there was ever a time for this watch to give me a guy that can get me home, now would be the time... this is like my own personal version of Tartarus, and my punishment won't shut up." Ben grumbled to himself, fiddling with the dial on the Omnitrix.

'I hope Twilight and the others are okay, because I'm going to furiously man-handle that labcoat wearing nutcase, if he laid a finger on my family, or my friends.' Ben thought.

[Canterlot Castle, Celestia's Chamber]

Celestia used her magic to move everything aside, including her bed. She used a spell on the floor, her horn glowed a blue-ish color, all while the floor opened up a metallic stairway, to a metallic corridor at the bottom.

"This may be my only opportunity to see if this still works," Celestia trotted down the stairway, running down the corridor as fast as she could. She soon came to a door, with some kind of keypad requiring a code. "But I always hoped I never had to use this again."

Celestia carefully inputted several button inputs with the tip of her hoof, then the light on the keypad flashed green, letting the doors open with a rusty hiss, almost as if they haven't been opened in a long time.

Celestia flew inside, looking at the huge room she was in. She saw several ponies, strictly wearing the body suits with no signs of royal armor or any ties to the royal militia of Canterlot.

"The Magistress! She's returned!" One of the ponies called out, causing the other ponies to turn to the divine mare.

"Salutations, everyone, unfortunately I don't have time for extensive greetings... I need the thing to be powered up, at once. That's an order," Celestia trotted forward towards a podium, consisting of several buttons, switches, levers, and screens... but there was one button that stood out from all the rest. A huge gray button with a green DNA Helix on it, with the text, 'DO NOT PRESS, EMERGENCIES ONLY'. "Now's as good of a time to press this. Everypony, brace yourselves!"

Celestia smashed down on the button with both of her hooves, causing a set of white and green alert lights to start flashing in tandem as some kind of low reverberating tone echoed out repeatedly. The ponies looked up at a huge screen, seeing a flashing green back ground with a white DNA Helix present, as well with more text, 'CODE HELIX!'. The ponies scrambled around as they got to work, putting things together and re-connecting these huge wires to some kind of big mirror with a metal frame.

"C'mon everypony, move your flanks and give me some reports to work with 'ere, not some poetry manuscriptures!" A voice called out, drawing Celestia's attention to her right. "Lift with your legs, Zemor, not your back!"

In the midst of the scrambling and hardworking ponies was another creature, specifically, a Griffon. The Griffon had these reddish off-white feathers, accentuated by dark gray feathers and a dark gray lion's body. They had a bunch of feathers covering one of their eyes, but one of them was a shade of gray, almost looked like it was black in certain light, or just a bit of dust and ash smeared on her face. They seemed to have these brighter gray talons and a beak like that of a Roc.

"Saike, you're here?" Celestia called out. The Griffon, known as Saike, turned and looked at the Princess, seeming almost jittery. "I thought you'd be back in Griffonstone, running operations there."

"Things fell apart pretty fast, especially when some of them found out we weren't doing this for the bits. It fell apart pretty quick, so I came back to where I thought I'd be needed, which is here," Saike gestured to the whole room, "With a bunch of ponies who know how to get stuff done. Speakin' of which, why's the Code Helix alarm goin' off? You know something?"

"You could say that. I'm going in alone, but I need you to keep everything calm on this end till I get back. Is that understood?" Celestia asked, expecting an answer.

The Griffon smirked and saluted to the princess, "You can count on me, Princess. What's the occasion for this?" Saike asked.

Before Celestia could get another word, the huge mirror began to power up, glowing and warping slightly as the metal frame sparked with power from the electrical input it was receiving.

"I'll try to explain later, just trust me." Celestia answered.

[Another Universe, Yosemite National Park]

As Ben moved through the woods, he was at least relieved that he couldn't hear Paradox anymore, though that meant he no longer had any sense of direction.

"It's times like these where I wish I could just get some proper help," Ben muttered to himself.

Soon enough, Ben heard the distant sounds of talking up ahead. Curiosity getting the better of him, he stayed low and delved into the bushes, peeking out to see other humans.

The old man and the redheaded girl were like the ones he saw before, when he caught a glimpse of them through a portal as he was inside the Omnitrix. The other people, however, he didn't seem to recognize at all. There was another girl, only with long cascading blonde hair, a black dress with a red dress shirt underneath with its collar popped, and a white star was on the dress itself. There was also another guy, who seemed to look a bit like the redheaded girl, only with more prominent masculine features, wearing what looked like some kind of special jacket, clad in whites, grays, blues and blacks. His hair was shorter and wilder, but it seemed very curly and poofy too, almost reminded him of Pinkie's mane, but red.

'Who are these people, and why are those two so familiar? They're from that portal, but why is nothing clicking into place?' Ben thought to himself. Ben tried to think hard on why, but his head began to get fuzzy again, causing him to clutch his head and stir in the bushes. 'Damn it, my head... I gotta stop thinking, for now, it's actually starting to hurt.'

"It really does feel like so long ago, you know?" The redheaded girl said solemnly. Ben stopped clutching his head and listened close, "Ben may have been an obnoxious doofus, and a real dweeb too, but I'd be lying to myself if I didn't admit that I miss that."

"Yeah, it's odd not having Ben around. Crime's on a constant rise, prisons are becoming too expensive to repair, so it makes prison escapes easier on the criminals, and the super powered ones are already plotting. Some of them are still looking for Ben, for crying out loud!" The blonde girl exclaimed.

"As much as I didn't know about Ben being the alien heroes that showed up years ago, and I still don't believe he was, I can only hope Ben's still doing alright, wherever he is." the redheaded boy stated.

"Now now, kids. I'm sure Ben will come around soon... We just have to keep our hopes up and have faith that everything'll turn out fine." The old man reassured.

Ben felt something within him hurting. Ben tried to feel for where it was, but it didn't feel like anywhere in his body, but rather it felt emotional. Ben wiped his eyes, seeing that a few tears had escaped him.

'I don't understand, why am I feeling like this? I know it's normal to feel stuff like this, but I don't even know these people!' Ben tried to hold back more tears and keep himself from crying, but then something came to him, 'Wait... is this Paradox's doing? Is he trying to play to my emotions, just so I can give him what he wants?'

Before Ben could think any further on that thought, an armored vehicle sped into view, armed with spikes, weapons and a bunch of armor platings. the redhead girl stood her ground, as did the old man and the blonde girl, but while the redhead boy hesitated on where he stood, he too decided to stand his ground, putting his fists up and getting into some kind of fighting stance.

"This is gonna get ugly, isn't it?" Ben quietly asked himself.

The doors to the vehicle swung open, revealing a buff tan-skinned man, wearing some kind of spiked, sleeveless black hoodie with armor plating, and a skull design on it. He stepped out and cracked his knuckles, snapping his fingers as several other punk-ish humans stood by his side, armed to the teeth.

"Fistrick... You followed us here, didn't you?" The old man asked, bemused by the man's appearance.

"C'mon, old timer, you know you can't keep a mad dog down forevah!" Fistrick inclined with a smile. "Besides, after hearin' about your missin' brat, I wanted to throw my metaphorical hat into the ring, only if it means I get to fight him, one-on-one. If I can beat some super strong alien all on my own, I will have proved and displayed my dominance as a clan leader!"

'The people of this world are either brave, stupid, or just borderline insane... if these people have weapons, what are four people gonna do against them?' Ben thought to himself, cautiously observing from the bush. 'Wait, what am I thinking!? These guys are probably evil, I gotta step in and save these people!'

"Sorry Fistrick, but consider your offer denied. If and when we do get Ben back, he'll knock you, and your rebellious gang out of Bellwood, for life!" The redhead boy remarked.

Fistrick smiled, chuckling lightly as he turned his back to the four individuals.

"Bros!! Arms Up!!" Fistrick commanded.

The punks pulled out these weird metal handles and pressed some kind of button on them, causing them to suddenly morph into some kind of crazy weapon.

"Aim and Fire! Knock them out!" Fistrick commanded.

It was now or never, and Ben was never one to abandon those in need.

"NO!!" Ben yelled out, catching everyone's attention. Ben didn't even bother looking at one of the aliens he had selected, and just bolted out of the bushes, slamming on the Omnitrix as he was enveloped in a bright green light. Before anyone had time to react, Ben was replaced by some kind of strange alien.

In Ben's place was a tall and slender alien, composed of some kind of strange earthy rock, smooth to the touch, but also extremely jagged. Some portions of the alien's body was also comprised of some kind of pink-ish magenta crystal. Several of these pink-ish magenta crystals protruded from the alien's body, but the alien did wear some kind of suit, a white neck brace-type collar with a segmented white suit. The creature only had one singular green eye, and the Omnitrix's emblem was on the side of the alien's hip.

The alien leapt forward as the several punks fired these odd red lasers at the four humans. Before the alien knew what hit him, he was tanking gunfire for a bunch of people he didn't know, being attacked by more people he didn't know either. Ben was ready to just black out and accept his fate, but felt that the lasers didn't even scratch him. He looked at himself, seeing that he was glowing these vibrant colors.

"Huh... well, this is new. Out of all the weird things I've turned into, this definitely takes the cake," The alien kept examining himself, all while everyone looked at him, mostly in shock and awe. "Hmm... now I gotta come up with another new name. How about... Prism Clash? No, maybe Chromastone works better? I'll workshop it when I get back... if I ever figure out HOW to get back."

"So, you're that Ben Tennyson dude I've been hearin' so much about. Well, ya came at the right time. I'm 'ere to fight ya," Fistrick got into a stance of his own, smirking at the alien in front of him. "So, do you accept my challenge, bro?"

'If he calls me Tennyson one more time, so help me Faust, I'm going to knock him on his ass.' The alien thought to itself. "Ok, look, I'm not who you're looking for, Black Metal Libre, I'm just trying to get back home, and you're just being annoying. My name is Ben Spa--"

"Don't try your fancy words on me, Tennyson! I've been lookin' all across this world, even drilling caverns just to find ya, and I'm gettin' that fight I've been wantin'! So you're gonna fight me, whether ya likes it, or not!" Fistrick interrupted, stamping the ground as he clenched his fists tight. "Now come at me!!"

There was nothing but silence for a few moments. The alien stood still, albeit from some slight twitchy movements, and before anyone could react, the alien lunged forward and started to wail on Fistrick, who had been caught off guard by the sudden burst of speed.

"First of all, why does everyone keep calling me Tennyson? My last name is Sparkle! SPARKLE!! S-P-A-R-K-L-E!!" The alien continued to wail and beat on Fistrick, not even giving the man a chance to get a hit in, "Why do so many ignorant louts, like you, call me that!? I heard it enough from that labcoat wearing psycho prick, and he doesn't even know when to shut up!!"

The alien slugged Fistrick in the face, sending Fistrick down to the dirt. Soon enough, the glow on the alien's body dissipated, leading to the alien calming down, but still angry and irate. In a flash of red light, Fistrick looked up and saw a human looking over him, furious and angry.

"Listen here, my name is NOT Ben Tennyson. It never was, It's never gonna be, and if you call me that again, or threaten other peoples' lives again, so help me Faust I will find you, and I will pummel you again, do I make myself clear, monster?!" Ben growled, glaring a storm of daggers into the beaten man's eyes. "Do it."

"Do... what?" Fistrick asked, confused by the request.

"Say it... What's my name, you psychopath!? Go on, Say it. Say my name." Ben demanded.

"Ben... S-Sparkle?" Fistrick hesitated on his words.

"You got that right," Ben got up and pulled Fistrick up to his feet. "Now leave them alone, and don't come back. Sleep with one eye open, pal. One psycho got someone nearly killed because they tried to attack my family, and I don't intend to take that lightly, as I just demonstrated on you. Unlike them, I'm not a killer. I don't decide who lives, and who dies."

Fistrick groaned and made a motion with his hand, signaling for his 'bros' to holster their guns. They all piled into the car, with Fistrick at the wheel.

"This ain't over. I'm comin' for you, Sparkle Bro! No one beats Fistrick and gets away wit' it." Fistrick declared.

The car sped off and Ben sat on the ground, looking exhausted.

The four individuals couldn't really process what just happened, but the redhead girl walked forward, cautiously sitting down in front of Ben. She looked him over, shaggy brown hair, a strange watch on his wrist, those green eyes... He looked like the literal splitting image of Ben, but older.

"Hi... I hope you don't hold that sudden fit against me, I'm rarely ever like that. I just don't know what came over me--"

Before Ben could finish his sentence, the girl leaned over and squeezed Ben in a hug.

"It's good to see you too, Ben. It really is..." The girl said, smiling.

"Look... I don't think I'm who you're looking fo--"

"Ben, it's good to see you, son. I bet you have a lot on your mind, don't ya?" the old man stated with a warm smile.

Ben felt something in him stir. It felt warm, familiar, but at the same time, it felt cold and distant. Ben broke free of the hug and just looked like he was surrounded by strangers.

"Look, I don't know who any of you are, but can I ask a few questions?" Ben asked.

"I don't see why not, Ben, but why are you acting like an amnesiac?" Gwen asked with a chuckle.

"Because I don't know who Ben Tennyson is, and everyone seems to be mistaking me for them... Now, can I ask my questions now?" Ben stated flatly, getting impatient.

The girl's face seemed to look confused, but also happy, which seemed to make Ben feel uncomfortable.

'They think I'm lying, aren't they... that, or they think I'm setting up for a really bad punchline for a joke,' Ben thought to himself. 'Damn it, how do I get them to see reason?'

Before Ben could come up with a solution, The redheaded girl's eyes glowed blue, which sincerely freaked Ben out, causing him to yelp and frantically back away. Before he could get too far, however, his eyes began to glow blue too, and his body suddenly stopped.

"Gwen, stop! I think he's scared," The redhead boy exclaimed quietly, seeming worried.

"It's fine, Ken, I got him. Besides, Ben probably isn't familiar with us because we look so different, or maybe he has fake memories. Maybe if I--"

"Never start an idea with 'Maybe if I', that shows you're just winging it, and thus, you don't know what you're doing!" Ken argued.

Gwen ignored Ken, and focused on what she was doing, peering into Ben's mind as he seemed jittery. For a moment, she felt like something was wrong. The memories she saw, they felt authentic, completely not-forged memories. She saw Ben grow up through his perspective, everything he's gone through thus far, from facing some shoggoth abomination to standing against Nightmare Moon, but there was not a single memory of her, their grandfather, their adventures, Gwen felt like she might just collapse right there.

Then, she saw something. Ben, facing some kind of strange entity, glowing, almost as if it was made of some kind of light. Before she could figure out what she was looking at, she collapsed, as did Ben.

"Oh boy... Ken, you and Lucy help them into the Rust Bucket, I'll get the first aid kit ready, as well as get dinner started," the old man told.

"Yes Grandpa Max." Ken and the blonde girl, known as Lucy, concluded, looking down at the unconscious Ben and Gwen, then at each other with worried looks.

Everything was so simple back then, but now... Everything changes.

Author's Note

Well, this took a very sudden turn.

I originally wanted to make this its own thing, then make an Epilogue, but I think this requires a couple more parts. How ironic that this is how the Season kicks off.