Ben 10 and the Planet of the Ponies, Pt.3

Ben couldn’t get what the Outsider had said out of his head. He kept turning her words over and over, the rest of the world a blurry, muted blob to him as he remained lost inside his mind, thinking about everything.

She’d said the Elements of Harmony were pure evil. And something was clearly, obviously weird about the place, as if there was something they were all keeping quiet that they didn’t want shared. Something was “off”, and he had to find out what.

At last he snapped out of it and turned, Princess Celestia cheerily placing her hooves together.

“However can I repay you?” She asked with a small, slightly sly smile over at Ben, now seeing him in a new light.

“We don’t need anything, really! We’d just like to stay a few nights and maybe get to know your wonderful town?” Ben said with a big, charming-as-possible smile on his face, Gwen and Kevin and Rook giving him a somewhat surprised look that he’d so quickly decided he wanted to stay there.

“Oh, we would simply love to have you here, darlings! I MUST get to work on setting up somewhere for you to rest your sleepy heads. With my sister out of town and on vacation with my parents, I’m more than happy to have her room temporarily converted so you can rest in style!” Rarity the Unicorn proclaimed, putting a hoof on her chest and giving them a polite nod of her head, the rest of the Elements in the main hall of the town’s majestic castle ramparts all nodding in agreement.

“We’ll go get our things from the ship and meet you at your home. Where is it, by the way?” Ben asked, scratching his head as Rarity waved a hoof in the air, smiling a bit.

“Oh, sweetie, you can’t miss it. It’s the loveliest fashion boutique in town. Deep, rich purple building to the west district with such fancy-”

“I reckon they get the idea.” Applejack said with a chuckle and a tilt of her head. “I’ll get mah family to help rustle up some grub for a big ol’ feast tonight, you can all eat in style over at Sweet Apple Acres and enjoy real down-home hospitality!”

“I’m sure it’ll be quite, ah, fulfilling?” Rook mused aloud, giving them all a deep bow before he and Ben exited the building, Gwen and Kevin following as they headed down the street. “…you are planning something?” He asked of Ben.

Ben gave him a “shh” gesture as quickly as he could before putting his hand back down, Gwen and Kevin raising their eyebrows in confusion before, at last, they reached the ship. Climbing up the ramp to go within, Ben locked the door. “Something is really up with these guys and I want us to start spying on them.”

“Spying on them?” Gwen asked, scratching her head in confusion. “…why?”

“Look, the Outsider said the Elements were pure evil.” Ben told her, waving a hand in the air. “AND there’s some big secret they all keep hiding. A phrase they keep using.”

“Their lips are sealed.” Rook interjected with a nod, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, pacing back and forth as Ben folded his arms over his chest. “I too noticed that. It is most unusual. In addition, I feel a sense of unease being here. My instincts are telling me this place is “off”.”

Kevin scratched his chin. “All I know is the singing is weirding me out. Something about the place don’t sit right with me either.”

“It IS rather odd that Absalom didn’t mention it. I would think that’d stand out.” Gwen admitted. “Alright. We’ll split up and spy on everyone, pretending to just get to know them, then we’ll talk about it later tonight.”

“We have to keep it on the down low.” Ben murmured, peeking out the ship window, that pony from before who had told them about the outsider lingering outside. “These ponies have really good hearing. I think some of them might be spying on us.”

The pony outside “hmmed”, turning and trotting off towards town, seeing Derpy sitting on a bench. He cleared his throat, Derpy turning to him.

“Yes, Chariot?”

“Listen, Derpy. Could you, ah…keep an eye on the Town Hall where the Element Cases are kept? I know the girls always carry the Elements around WITH them, but don’t let anyone see the cases unless it’s the visitors.”

“Of course.” Derpy said cheerily, saluting vigorously. “Anything for a friend!” She remarked. “But why them?”

“Sometimes an outside perspective is needed to balance things out.” The Earth pony remarked with a wave of his hoof. “The girls are kind of biased.”

“Oh, but the Elements are so wonderful! It would be AWFUL to try and take them away from us.” Derpy growled out. “That Outsider had no right-”

“Derpy, please just trust me on this. Please?” The Chariot gently asked, putting a hoof on Derpy’s shoulder as she nervously blushed, then nodded, trotting off. The Chariot sat down on the bench, burying his face in his hooves.

“Honesty is supposed to be the best policy. Why can’t I bring myself to follow it? Wouldn’t it be better to just tell the truth and get it over with?”

“You know how it’s supposed to play out. They have to find out on their own or else what they do doesn’t mean as much.”

But just because he said it to himself it didn’t mean he believed it.

…

…

…

…Pinkie Pie was, to put it simply…unusual. Ben had quickly picked up on that when Rainbow Dash had joined him on their trip to Pinkie’s house, Dash all-too-happy to hear more about Ben’s fantastic aliens.

“So you can turn into ANYTHING? Really? Darn near every alien?” Rainbow Dash excitedly inquired, eyes alit with fascinating joy.

“Cross my heart and hope to die. Any alien I come across I can collect their DNA with the Omnitrix. In fact…” Ben looked down at the alien “watch” he had on his wrist, holding it closer to Rainbow Dash as it “pinged”. “Yep. It’s collected your own species on here too.”

“So you could turn into a pony, huh? Well, that would be one heck of an improvement, being a pony’s amazing.” Rainbow Dash gave him a small smirk, flicking the long locks of hair that fell over her forehead back as they kept trotting down the dirt road that led to Pinkie’s pastel-painted house, looking like a giant gumball in the middle of town, a beautiful bright shade of pink that was perfectly round and quite a stark contrast from the faint yellows and oranges and blues of the other houses surrounding it. “But you’d never be as fast as me, even if you did turn into a Pegasus. Trust me on that.”

“I dunno. I’ve turned into some real fast aliens, Ms. Dash. I think I could maybe take you.” He told her as he faintly heard music echoing through the air from Pinkie Pie’s home, Ben blinking in surprise as Rainbow Dash shrugged.

“Aw, it’s Pinkie’s little ritual. How she gets ready for planning big parties like the one Applejack’s planning to throw tonight.” She informed Ben as she pulled the door open, a disco ball casting shimmering lights across the entryway, red, blue and green colored lights flashing their rays across the sides of the walls as a gigantic bucket of some kind was situated right in the center of what appeared to be a small stage in the middle of the living room. Ben’s mouth gaped open in surprise at the sight, Pinkie shifting her hips perfectly to the tune of the music blasting through an enormous black and white beatbox of some kind, clapping her hooves together as she danced around a large-looking cord that hung from the bucket-like thing over her head.

Heyyyy!
C'mon, take a booootttttle, shake it uuuup!
Break the buuuuubbleeeee, break it uuuuup!

Pinkie tugged down on the cord, sugar sweeping down from the bucket as it’s bottom opened up, revealing little slots for the sugar to drench her as easily as water from a shower. All of time seemed to freeze as Pinkie’s hair became oddly wet, and she tossed her hair back, doing a flourishing stretch as Ben gaped at the sight, the twinkling whiteness bathing her body over in an odd, almost glowing fashion as the music continued to blare.

Pooour some suuuugar on meeee!
Ooh, in the name of Love!
Pooour some suuuugar on meeee!
C'mon, fire me up!

Pooour your suuuugar on meeee!
Oh, I can't get enough!
I'm hot, sticky sweet,
From my head to my feet, yeah!

“What in the-”? He finally managed to get out, Pinkie finally making her way over to them, a big, almost seductive smile on her face as she held up a hoof, licking the sugar slowly off in a single lick of her almost gigantic tongue.

“Want a taste?” She giggled before Rainbow Dash nodded, giving her hoof a lick, almost taking the entire thing into her mouth as Ben glanced from her to Pinkie.

“Oh, uh…are you two?” He began to ask.

“Not really, but Dash’s pretty open with it, y’know? And nobody really minds.” Pinkie said with a shrug, Dash leaning in and licking Pinkie Pie’s cheek.

“You’re so sweet. LITERALLY.” Dash laughed.

“I’m gonna have the whole party set up right away!” Pinkie said, giving them a big salute before vanishing an instant later, then popping back up, balloons, streamers, kazoos, plastic dishes and little party trinkets now piled up in boxes around her.

“How did she move so fast?”

“I can see as GODS do.” Pinkie proclaimed dramatically, waving her hooves in the air in a dramatic fashion as the entire room seemed to darken, illuminating her and her alone as Ben inwardly gulped. Yeah, something was really weird with these people.  “I don’t know why the Outsider got so mean. She seemed nice when she first came here.”

“Did she even give you a name? Her real name?” Ben asked.

Dash and Pinkie tapped their lips, trying to think. “…um…I…” Pinkie murmured. “…I know it was a color-oh! Right! Green!” She remarked. “And you know, you look good in Green! I think the party should have LOTS of green balloons!” She added, diving into a box, pulling out currently-deflated balloons of green and cheerily smiling.

“Why do you have so many balloons?”

“Because this girl likes to party-all-the-time, party-all-the-time, party-all-the-tiiiiime!” Pinkie sang out, putting a hoof on her chest as Ben inwardly groaned. Ask a stupid question, get a stupid answer.  He hoped the others were having better luck than he was. So far all he knew for sure was the Outsider’s name. Nothing that really hinted as to some big, dark secret the town was keeping.

Rook. Rook had gotten Applejack, the Element of Honesty. And Rook was as straightforward and honest as you got. A square as a block of wood. Surely he’d get something.

“You worked on a farm too?” Applejack asked, green eyes looking over at Rook as she trotted alongside him in the field, the two of them having stumps wrapped in ropes, the other end tied to their respective hands. “I can tell, y’know. One shine knows another, I reckon.”

“Oh, yes. I would often tend to the fields out at my home.” Rook admitted as he gripped the rope he had tied tightly, gritting his teeth and smiling slightly. “And whilst there are many ways to remove an unwanted stump from a field, few are…so…” He grunted, exerting himself and then yanking the stump clear through the air. “SATISFYING!” He roared out, the stump flying clear through the air, landing over the fence with a THA-THUMP as Applejack let out a deep breath, launched her own stump over to join his in a small pile.

“Reckon course, mah friend.” She admitted, giving him a small tip of her hat as the two made their way down the field, Applejack kneeling down and inspecting the soil. “We’ll get a good harvest of corn from this thanks to you helpin’ me. I really appreciate your kindness. I mean, y’all didn’t have to do nothing after driving off that alien.”

“You are our hosts. It is only right we try to show the same courtesy to you that you are to us.”

“Well, that’s the law for us Equestrian folk, but yer new. Don’t really gotta do that, but it sure is darn decent.” Applejack said with a shrug as she led him into the barn, getting some buckets off the wall. “Let’s go get us some buckets so we can collect apples. Y’all gonna love our cider!”

“Wait. It is “the law”?” Rook asked, his interest piqued, his head tilting slightly as Applejack nodded.

“Oh, yeah, it’s the Law of Kindness to repay kindness back with more of it!” Applejck said. “All the Elements of Harmony are laws. Makes sense, don’t it? Everyone oughta be honest and kind and loyal! Everyone should always try to be happy and generous and friendly to each other.”

Rook turned slightly pale. He had a bad feeling he knew the answer to the next question he wanted to ask, but he composed himself as best he could. “What, pray tell, are the consequences for not really following such rules?” He asked. “What if, say, someone was to lie to Princess Celestia?”

“Oh, that would be just awful, pardner!” Applejack said with a dark frown. “Nah, that’s just plain wrong. Nobody should lie. Not ever!”

She hadn’t really answered it. But in a way, she’d told him everything he’d wanted to know.

“I see.” He remarked. “Well, I am certain you would never lie!” He said, trying to move on, giving her a small smile as they made their way out past the barn, birds fluttering overhead as they approached the immense orchard that made up a majority of Sweet Apple Acres, each containing ripe-looking, juicy apples. “I imagine the Outsider wasn’t harmonious?”

“Oh no, she was just an awful liar.” Applejack said with a raspberry. “Real bad apple, lemme tell you, pardner. Real bad apple. Said she just wanted to help us, but then she goes and turns on us! Tries to take the Elements and I just don’t know why…”  She blinked slightly, lips pursing. “It just don’t make sense, they help us see what’s right! Why would anyone want to get rid of them? Maybe if Celestia had just made her…” She trailed off, sighing, not finishing the sentence.

“…these, ah, apples? We have to collect them?” Rook said, quickly changing the subject, lifting up the bucket he had. It wasn’t technically a lie, and Applejack cheerily nodded back in return, though there seemed to be a faint hint of concern and confusion in her eyes, as if she’d been on the verge of saying something that had been bothering her, but she wasn’t sure just what.

What HAD she been about to say? “If Celestia had just made her”? Made her what?

Meanwhile, Gwen was looking over Twilight Sparkle’s immense and considerable collection of books, Twilight sitting next to her as Gwen raised an eyebrow, looking at the unicorn’s glowing horn. “So, can your, ah…magic be stopped by, say, somebody just grabbing your horn and blocking it?”

“No, of course not. That’d just be silly! Believe me, I’ve had Spike test it. It doesn’t work that way.” Twilight said, waving a dismissive hoof in the air, giving Gwen a big, cheery smile as Gwen tilted her head in confusion.

“Spike?” She asked, looking around the immense library within the tree that Twilight evidently called home, Twilight smacking her forehead with a hoof, cringing.

“OH! Buck it, I forgot to introduce you! Spiiiiike!” Twilight called out, a tiny, purple dragon making his way down the steps, Gwen blinking at how remarkably cute the little guy was as he cheerily waved at them. “Spike, this is Gwen Tennyson. She’s a human magic user who’s evidently half, ah…what’s the phrase?”

“Anondite. We’re magical beings, it runs in our blood.” Gwen said, putting a hand on her chest as she looked Spike over. “You’re Twilight’s assistant?”

“Oh, absolutely!” Spike said, but when he spoke, his voice was kind of raspy as he rubbed his throat. “Sorry. My throat’s kind of sore from yesterday, we were doing tests with voice-changing potions.”

“That reminds me, could you bring in Owlicious?” Twilight inquired, Spike giving her a snappy salute, wheeling around, little body bouncing off for a nearby doorway labeled “Lab” that clearly led down to the basement, Gwen noticing something rather odd. There were several remnants of burnt marks and scratches and scars over his body, very faint, but…she could see them. She blinked slightly, looking back at Twilight as Twilight took out a notebook, magically hovering a quill over to an inkpen and dipping it in to begin taking notes.

“Um, Twilight, do you often do experiments with Spike?”

“Oh, he doesn’t mind it! He’s a very dutiful assistant.” Twilight said dismissively. “I mean, I did hatch him from his egg, so-” She shrugged. “But the latest test doesn’t really involve him, it involves my other assistant, the owl-”

Her eyes went wide as Gwen gaped. A rather lovely-looking brown-furred pony with deeper brown eyes, a long, flowing golden mane and golden-furred hooves was now in the living room, Spike by his side as he gestured at the evidently transfigured owl.

“Oh MY!” Twilight proclaimed, hooves going to her cheeks, rushing over to his side as she caressed his cheek. “You just look amazing!” She murmured.

“Darling…” Owlicious remarked seductively, giving her a playful little kissy face. “Aren’t you sorry you had me fixed?”

“Um, ah…Owlicious and I have to, um…perform a few tests in private. Just to, um…make sure all the parts are where they should be, transformative magic is very difficult!” She remarked, waving a hoof in the air in a dismissive tone as she and the transformed owl headed upstairs, Gwen kneeling by Spike.

“Spike, can you tell me about the Elements of Harmony?”

Spike smiled broadly, almost…fakely. “Oh, they’re amazing! They’re just so wonderful. Everyone should follow the Elements. Do you?”

“Well…what are they about?” Gwen inquired calmly.

“Oh, Generosity and Kindness and Laughter!”

Gwen raised an eyebrow. “Then why are you covered in scars? That doesn’t seem very “generous” to not try and be more careful of you. Not very “kind”.”

“Twilight just…well, we do a lot of tests.” Spike said nervously, not meeting Gwen’s gaze as she put a hand on his shoulder, her expression full of concern as she spoke calmly and quietly.

“Does she ever test things on you when you don’t want her to?”

Spike cringed.

“Be honest, Spike. Please. It IS one of the Elements.” Gwen inquired again.

Spike’s mouth finally opened. “Sometimes.” He mumbled. “I have to, though. I mean, Twilight hatched me. Generosity should always be repaid with Generosity. That’s the way of true Harmony, isn’t it?”

Gwen didn’t have an answer. His face was too heartbreaking. And she just quietly stood up.

“I think I’m going to leave, Spike.” She murmured. “…be safe.”

…

…

…

… Kevin groaned as he tugged his face down with one hand, moaning in annoyance. Fluttershy had insisted that he get to meet her “animal friends” and all of them were staring at him as he kept demonstrating his unique absorbing ability again and again.

“You can really turn into any texture you like?” She asked, holding up a hoof and knocking against his shoulder, his form currently turned into mahogany from touching the nearby table. “Heh. Knock on wood. Pinkie Pie would like that.” She admitted.

“Yes, yes. I told you.” He sighed. “Look, I gotta ask. Why are you comfortable with all these animals in here? Don’t you get weirded out that a friggin’ BEAR’s here?”

“Oh, Mr. Bear would never, ever hurt me!” Fluttershy insisted, putting a hoof on her chest, the rather emaciated Bear nodding surprisingly eagerly as she walked over to him and nuzzled him slightly, giving him a big hug. “I love all the animals so much, and they love me!”

“I think I’m going to vomit.” Kevin moaned inwardly, the poor bear almost buckling beneath her grip. “She gives Mr. Rogers a run for his money.”

But he didn’t say that. Instead he sighed. “Look, um, I’ve got to, uh, go.”

“Go? But you just got here!”

“I mean, you know, do my business? Where’s the bathroom?”

“Oh. Just down the hall!” Fluttershy said, gesturing down the nearby hallway as Kevin shot up, racing past various portraits and pictures of Fluttershy with her friends of all shapes and sizes, shutting the door behind him as he wiped his brow, shaking his head back and forth before he let out a surprised gasp, a bunny poking its head out from under the sink in the bathroom.

“Geez, don’t scare me like that, Bugs! Get outta here! I gotta whiz.” Kevin insisted, jabbing a thumb at the door as he frowned. “Go ask your owner to get you a carrot or-”

The bunny violently shook its head back and forth, Kevin noticing a look of clear need on its face. Kevin frowned, the bunny hopping up onto the sink, turning on the hot water as, sure enough, steam began to rise up through the air, bathing the bathroom in its moistness. Kevin blinked, the bunny gesturing at the mirror over the sink.

“What?” The black-haired young man asked, confusedly staring at the mammal as it began to draw in the steamed-up mirror, standing atop the sink to write, Kevin’s eyes widening in surprise at what it was now telling him, his beard-stubbled mouth slightly hanging open.

HALF OF US ARE STARVING. HELP!

“Why?” Kevin murmured softly. “What’s this about?”

More writing beneath it.

NOBODY CAN ASK FOR MEAT.

“Why not? It isn’t…what, “harmonious”?” Kevin asked, confused by this, scratching his head.  

FLUTTERSHY SAID NOT KIND TO KILL FOR MEAT.

Kevin began to feel a shudder creep up in his body. He turned off the sink, the steam fading as he glanced towards the door, then back at the bunny. “I’ll find you something.” He muttered quietly, giving the bunny a small nod, the bunny making for the window, crawling outside as Kevin closed the window back up. He did what he needed to, exiting the room as he sat back down in the living room, the other animals looking into his eyes. And he now saw there was something that stood out among the animals. Specifically, animals like the bears…and the snakes…and the hawks and raptors in the room.

The meat-eaters. They looked so thin and weak. Like they hadn’t eaten anything in quite a while. Yet all of them were clearly unwilling to ask for meat from Fluttershy, she was in the kitchen, humming to herself as she began to pour some hot cocoa, their eyes filled with a mixture of nervousness and hunger as they glanced from her to Kevin, as if begging for help.

“No meat?” Kevin mouthed, the animals all nodding at once.  

“So, uh…that alien outsider. She didn’t seem very…kind?” He murmured. “Kinda mean.”

“Oh, just the meanest!” Fluttershy said, shaking her head back and forth. “She said awful things about the Elements…I mean, just…” She seemed to lose her train of thought, sighing. “It’s just inexcusable, really. Nobody should do that! I don’t know why I didn’t realize it before. I mean, she was rough around the edges, but we could forgive that, that would have been the kind thing to do. But she just kept pushing it!” She sighed, hanging her head. “I wish she’d just stuck to our rules. Princess Celestia made the Elements the Law for a reason, you know. It helps everyone be good to each other!”

“Yes, I’m…I’m sure.” Kevin murmured. “Say, I’m going to go for a walk, get some fresh air. I’ll meet you at that party later?” He offered with a small shrug, Fluttershy cheerily waving as he left her.

“Please don’t be a stranger, now! You’re always, ALWAYS welcome in my home!” She insisted, Kevin shuddering as he closed the door and made for the woods nearby, anxious to cut through and get to the spaceship to get at perhaps some strong drink.

“Yeah, that’s what I’m afraid of.” He thought out loud.