//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 // Story: Tick-Tock The Bet is Up // by Black Hailstorm //------------------------------// Chapter 1: And so it Begins. “What is it you humans say? Oh yes I can kill two birds with one stone.” Everything was in ruins. The city of Bellwood lay in nothing but waste and debris as fire spewed from collapsed buildings and the bodies of almost thousands lay either broken or too injured to move. In the very heart of all this destruction lay the beaten bodies of three figures and standing above them clad in shining dark blue armor, wearing a mask that hid his face, Count Down, his breath audible due to the filtering in his mask as if the very air here were toxic to him. As the armored being stood above his enemies Ben lay weak and too battered to lift a muscle, Gwen and Kevin not too far away as they were both unconscious. And possibly in comas. The young adult tried to move but found he couldn’t until a force lifted him up to his very feet. “Rise sapient” said the voices of the armored being. “You have done well in trying to save your planet, as you have done with friends many other times. However your will to resist is strong you cannot face off against a god” a myriad voices echoing the last word under the dominant voice of the alien. Ben blinked, clearing his vision as he stared down at the creature before him. “Why? Why are you doing this?” he asked weakly his voice tired, dry and breaking as he found he could not move his arm to dial in a alien. “What gives you the right to-” he yelled as the invisible force tightened around his body. “Enough mortal” Count Down ordered. “I told your people when I arrived that I had come to pass judgement on this world and all others. Yet they laughed. I do not understand human laughter, how could they laugh when I have instructed them they shall face their demise?” his meager voices once again echoing the last words for added emphasis. Ben didn’t reply. “Well then” the alien said turning around to face the ruined city around them. “I shall dispose of you soon enough. Your pain and suffering will not be long mortal” and with that the force began to tighten around Ben. “Wait!” Ben managed to scream before he could feel both his arms breaking, Count Down stopped. “You may speak” the creature stated in his monotone voice(s). Ben couldn’t think. Everywhere hurt, his body was covered in bruises, he couldn’t feel either of his arms. And he felt like any second now he’d pass out. But this was just like any other day. He’d dealt with much worse before. Gathering as much strength as he could to stay conscious the bleeding hero said as loudly as he could. “A bet.” “What?” the voices replied in response. Whether he was surprised or not Ben couldn’t tell, but he had to continue. He had to drag this out, because now that everyone had been defeated it was up to him to fix this. “A bet” he repeated. “Let’s” he paused so he could draw in a painful breath. “Let’s have a bet” he said managing a weak smile. “A bet?” the voices asked, sounding almost amused. “Query. Of what purpose would this bet be to us human?” the being said turning around and outstretching a hand to display the ruined town before them. “Do you not see the waste of your world now? I could be rid of it all with a simple snap of my fingers. And yet you wish to bet with a god, who could easily wipe you and everything out of existence” Count Down’s dominant voice demanded. The broken boy nodded, managing only a weak smile as best he could, despite the bleeding lip and bruises on his face. “Exactly” Ben said. “Give me time. Enough time to rest and regain strength. I’ll come back and fight you again. If you win then...I yield, you get to do whatever you want to all the worlds including earth.” Count Down remained silent, calmly listening to everything being said. “And if you win?” the dominant voice boomed drowning all the miniature voices out. Ben’s grin widened. “You leave and never bother us or any of the other worlds again” he stated with as much confidence he could muster through the fake grin. The words echoed. The armored figure whose face remained hidden behind the mask and the filtering underneath it continued to stare at Ben with humanoid like sapphire green eyes, weighing in his options. Finally he made a decision which came with a cold, vibrating laugh that accompanied the deep dominant voice with other smaller ones. The laugh was only accentuated by the lightning that flashed from the dark red clouds that hanged over the city above. Ben felt his head aching severely as he listened to the horrible laugh, feeling his confidence being drained as he heard his opponents cackling. “Very well then” the dominant voice of Count Down stated as he slowly released Ben, placing him gently on the ground. “For being the first creature to ever show such courage in the face of defeat I will give you the chance to prove yourself. You will have one year” he began. Immediately Ben opened his mouth to retort but was silenced as he felt a sudden force reel him forward to the powerful armored hand of the alien before him. Clutching his jaw gently yet firmly so that in a manner the boy could not speak, his armored fingers almost pinching into the skin. Count Down spoke again, more authority in his voice this time around. “You will have one year” he repeated his sapphire green eyes radiating a toxic color as he glowered down at his weak foe. “to recover and return back here to try and defeat me. If in one year you have not returned, I will slaughter all the cattle here like what you humans call Thanksgiving Day” he stated firmly. Ben gulped. “If you defeat me I will yield to your demands. If you do not, well then you will have to wait trapped in the other world till I have dealt with this one.” Ben’s mind froze. “O-Other world” he stuttered. “But of course. Surely you did not believe I would have you heal here?” he asked snapping his fingers as a line slowly bled through reality and opened into a portal of inter-dimensional energy. He gulped. “Where? Where am I going? The Null Void? Vulpimancer territory? Big Chill’s world where?!” he asked somehow managing to find the strength to clutch at the large fingers that held him in place. Count Down said nothing, he merely stared at Ben with nothing but indifference as he said “You’ll find out soon enough vermin.” Shoving Ben back he turned to the portal and waved his hand over it as an image began to form. Ben was still in a stupor, it wasn’t till the weak voice of Kevin called out to him, that he realized. “The watch Ben! Use it!” Kevin said before once again fainting from blood loss. Ben lifted his hand up and stared at the device. The Omnitrix, the most powerful alien device ever built by Azmuth and this was his chance to use it. Running his fingers over the interface the watch glowed, green. “Come on. Come on. COME ON!” he muttered to himself. “For once give me something I can use!” The head popping out of it’s lug, ready to be slammed down so that it could transfer the necessary information into Ben’s body, through his DNA and give him the powers, he either wanted or didn’t want. But it was too late. Before he could raise his hand to slam it down on the watch’s interface the device suddenly clicked open, flying off his wrist and the beeping dying down as it shut off. “You won’t be needing that where you’re going” Count Down’s voice said, though monotoned Ben could clearly sense the humor. Feeling a mix of inner rage and utter shock as he watched the device shut down and go off he watched it land into the behemoth’s metallic fingers as they curled shut, closing around on the device before it being enveloped by a bubble of darkness and fading into the creature’s dark blue and gold striped armor. He would’ve lashed out, but he knew that wouldn’t do any good as now that he was powerless. He closed his eyes, head dropping to the side in defeat. He’d thought he’d be able to steal the omnitrix back somehow. But without it now, how would he be able to defeat this creature in whatever world he was heading. How would he survive the new dangers that awaited him? Ben was snapped out of his thoughts as he felt a cold weighted touch on his shoulder. “Do not worry human” Count Down said in what Ben thought might be a soothing voice. “You will not be alone” he snapped his fingers and once again a portal opened up beside the one right next to it. “Now choose which one you will go into.” “What difference does it-” “Choose” the voices ordered more strictly, with warning almost. Ben sighed wiping his bleeding lip on his black green striped shirt he looked between the two portals. The one on the left had the hazy image of creatures moving about, and the other on the right had just about the same thing only it’s appearance seemed to be different altogether. “Well that’s a no brain er” he thought with a slight grin. “The one on the left.” A rumbling laugh from all Count Down’s voices made Ben’s grin slowly fade away. "A wise choice young hero" he shoved Ben in front of the portal with the slightly clear image of what would be awaiting him once he had crossed. “However a foolish choice for your friends” Count Down said as he raised his hand lifting Kevin and Gwen in their unconscious state and hurled them through the portal on the right. The portal shook, made a sound that sounded like a burp. Then closed with a shut, all while Ben watched his two best friends get sent like stones to their doom. The doom he had chosen for them. “You- You Bastard! I’ll kill you! I’ll-” the boy’s body froze as the invisible force once again wrapped around him, rendering him motionless. “There there Tennyson. As I have said, you will not be alone. You will have friends there waiting for you. As long as they do not think of you to be insane at first” he said with a grin, that seemed noticeable from behind the mask. Ben gritted his teeth, his body was a wreck, he hurt all over. He had just sent his cousin and best friend to probably their own deaths in a completely different world, and now he was starting to cry! Blinking away the tears as he slowly levitated to the portal Ben glared darkly at his opponent. “I’m going to take pleasure in beating you senseless when I get back chromedome” he said with venom. The armored alien merely laughed his sapphire green eyes once again glowing a toxic color. “And I look forward to watching you and all species tremble in fear. Or as you humans say ‘wipe the floor with you’” he said with an added chuckle as Ben sent a scowl his way. As soon as he had finished the chuckle though all manners of seriousness returned. “Well then Benjamin Kirby Tennyson. I will see you in a year. And if by that time you find yourself strong enough to fight and win. Then it is your victory. If not, I will” he said snapping his fingers as a multitude of people began falling from above and landing gently on the ground. “Crush all of you. And make you watch” the dominant voice said for the first time showing signs of true emotion. This sign merely made Ben shudder. “And I’ll be starting with him” he said pointing to one of the figures that lay on the ground. An old man with white hair, wearing a hawaiian shirt, and trousers. “Grandpa Max” Ben whispered, fear and anger taking over. Turning towards the beast he shouted, “If you lay a finger on him! On any of them! I’ll end you!” he snarled. “I’d like to see you try” the voices taunted. “Goodbye human, have fun in the world of Equestria” and with that the iron beast tossed the screaming young adult into the portal. As Ben fell through the rift he felt his body tingling, pain shooting through him as his fingers began to curl, change into something else. The pain was too great for him to bear. He blacked out. The sound of chirping birds filled the ears, of an unconscious body. His whole body sore Ben sat up, feeling strange...different almost. Though he was sure he’d get used to it, he assumed he’d just taken an alien form of some sort or whatever. That’s when it hit him. The events that occurred no less than hours ago. His body a mess his arms still sore the young man looked around, his neck feeling longer than it should be and the rest of his body feeling slightly off. He could hear whispering around him, maybe Count Down’s many voices had finally wormed their way into his head and were toying with him, but he didn’t care. Getting up the boy tried to stand on both legs only to fall to the ground and land on his hands. If you could even call what he now had still hands. Looking down a gasp followed by a painful grunt escaped the lips of Ben as he felt a sting in his sides and looked at his hands which no longer had fingers. They were instead replaced by...hooves. “What the heck is this place? And what am I?” he asked completely oblivious to the other creatures that appeared to be ponies? Trotting around him, whispering or stopping to stare. “You’re in Ponyville” a cheerful voice stated. “Huh?” Ben asked looking around only seeing ponies trotting about as if they were avoiding him. “Who said that?” he asked aloud, until a pink blur presented itself before him. “Hi I’m Pinkie Pie!” the pink earth pony exclaimed grinning insanely. Ben Blinked. “A talking horse?” he said not really surprised just confused. “Why was I sent to a planet like this?” “Well I’m more pony than horse” Pinkie said tapping her chin in wonder. “And you’re not on a different planet silly you’re in Ponyville!” she exclaimed flashing Ben another smile larger than before. “I’m in where?” he asked suddenly feeling the full force of his injuries coming back to him. “Oh nononono” Pinkie said worry taking over her cheerful demeanor. “We better get you to a hospital. Oh! I know Twilight knows what to do. I’ll go get her don’t go anywhere okay?!” the pink pony called as she ran off, who knows where. Ben fought to remain conscious. “Not like I have...a choice” he said weakly before passing out again. Hours passed, slowly Ben’s eyes fluttered open. Looking around he saw himself to be in a quite well done and well furnished room. “Phew” he sighed. “It was just a dream” he said turning around in the bed only to have his eyes fall on a lavender colored alicorn. “Hi” the alicorn said. “I’m Twilight Sparkle, you suffered a lot of injuries but thanks to Pinkie and the others we were able to help heal you before things got to serious." Ben stared more in surprise that he was staring at a winged unicorn, another voice above him made him look up and to his amazement pegasi were flying above him. “Oh..I hope your feeling much better now” the sweet voice of a yellow pegasus said. “He’ll be fine the guy looks plenty tough to me” the blue pegasus said flying next to her with confidence. “Now really everyone leave our new friend alone. He just woke up from his rest, and I’m quite sure he’ll need more after what he’s been through” a white unicorn with amazing hair she scolded while trotting in with a orange pony in a stetson following behind her. “Ya’ll velly mfould datch wat you’re saying” the orange pony said, laying a basket down beside the bed that had been in her mouth. Ben was still too surprised to say anything. He’d experienced tons of way more amazing, shocking and life threatening things before. But right now he was in front of magical creatures and that was something he had never seen before. Once he found his voice he cleared it, earning the smiles of all the mares surrounding him. “Um where am I” he asked meekly. The mares all looked at each other and it was Pinkie Pie who smiled throwing confetti everywhere in her exclaim: “Welcome to Ponyville!”