About four days had passed since their Mars joyride, and the ripples of living in this altered timeline were impossible to miss. Kevin's cold shell was finally cracking—he was genuinely reforming. Vilgax had vanished entirely, erased from this reality. Ben, with surprising ease, had unlocked Master Control and now sported access to nearly twice as many alien transformations. Gwen's magic, honed through tutorials borrowed from a dozen worlds, shimmered with a finesse the original Gwen never dreamed of. Even the Rustbucket had undergone an interior overhaul worthy of a luxury RV: compact expansion spells made the bathroom roomy, the back lounge expanded into a sleeping loft—inside felt like a state-of-the-art motorhome, even though the outside looked unchanged.
That morning, Gwen was busy festooning their campsite with delicate lanterns, ribbon-draped poles, and a small table bearing a cake Ben had proudly bought. In a blur of blue and white, XLR8—Ben's state-of-the-art speedster form—shot by, sending streamers whirling to the ground.
"Ugh, Ben! Careful!" Gwen shrieked, racing to catch a tumbling lantern. "You've ruined all my decorations!"
"Sorry, I didn't want to be late," Ben panted, clutching a pink box.
From the forest's edge, Fred strode back into view, wiping mud from his boots. "All right, are you two done yet?"
"Almost," Gwen said, lifting her chin. She closed her eyes and whispered, "Aura Reparo!" In an instant, every ribbon, lantern, and even the cake's frosting swirls floated back into perfect place.
"Woah," Ben breathed. "Sometimes I wish I could do that."
Gwen gave him a conspiratorial wink. "Stick with me—basic magics are just the beginning."
"By the way," Gwen added, stepping back to admire her handiwork, "where's Grandpa Max?"
Fred grinned. "I left him chatting with some fellow campers. When they got nostalgic, I slipped away to check on you."
"Perfect," Gwen said, drawing an invisible circle in the air. "I'll just layer on some illusion magic to make this look like a normal campsite again—no one will know we've been here."
She flicked her wrist. The lanterns dimmed to a cozy glow, the cake blurred into a common birthday dessert, and the entire site took on an effortlessly rustic vibe. Gwen turned to announce their success, but the words caught in her throat.
A shock of pale gold light burst into being beside them: a swirling, pulsating portal. From its heart emerged a woman in a sweeping violet cloak embroidered with shifting runic sigils in shades of plum and rose. Her hood swallowed her face in shadow, and a half-mask of silver and purple hid everything from her nose down.
The figure rose in a graceful arc, then plunged toward Gwen with impossible speed.
"Gwen!" Ben yelled, surging into action as the portal snapped shut behind them.
He became XLR8 in a heartbeat, streaking into the void. Fred followed, flying after Ben.
Gwen cried, "Let me go!" as the cloaked stranger's grip tightened around her arm. She squirmed, heart pounding—then summoned every ounce of her power. Her eyes flared pink, and a ring of runes spun to life before her. A brilliant flash seared the air.
"Ahhh!" the woman shrieked, and Gwen fell free, tumbling through the portal's edge.
Ben darted forward, catching her mid-stagger. "You okay?" he asked, voice shaking.
Gwen sat up, brushing dust from her sleeve. "Yeah, but—where are we?"
Fred landed beside them, gaze darting across a scene neither had ever seen: humans strolling alongside aliens of every shape and size, hoverboards zipping overhead, and buildings that soared with impossible curves and glowing spires.
"I...don't know," Gwen whispered. "This is like another planet."
Ben pointed. "Look—there's a statue of me?" He blinked at the massive bronze figure, labeled BEN 10K. "Do I look different?" he asked Fred.
Fred smiled ruefully. "A few inches taller, and apparently a bit famous."
"And nice flare spell back there," Gwen added, still shaken by her own power.
Footsteps crunched on the plaza's polished surface. The cloaked woman reappeared, voice cool and amused. "I didn't expect such a dazzling display, Gwendolyn."
All three tensed. "Who are you?" Gwen demanded. "And where is this place?"
The woman's mask tilted in what might have been a smirk. "You always were a bit…slow, Gwen."
Ben bristled. "A friend of yours?"
Gwen shook her head. "I've never met her—right?"
Ben frowned. "Well, she clearly knows you."
Fred held up a hand. "That doesn't mean Gwen has to know her."
The woman sighed. "Stop your bickering."
Before anyone could respond, a deafening boom rattled the plaza. The statue behind them exploded into flame and debris. In a heartbeat, the woman swept her arms, conjuring a ruby-red hexagon barrier that snapped into place, shielding them.
"Seriously?" she muttered. "We fixed that statue just *last* week."
From the smoke, a massive silhouette emerged: part rhinoceros, part cyborg, steel plates gleaming, a menacing horn fixed with plasma emitters.
"Long time no see, Tennyson," the woman said, addressing Fred.
Ben swallowed. "Who is that?"
"Ah," the woman sighed. "Someone you'll meet soon."
She raised her hand, hurling orbs of crackling magenta energy at the rhino-man. They struck his armor with a clatter, barely slowing him.
"Stay out of this, Charmcaster," the cyborg snarled. "My feud is with Tennyson."
"Don't count your victories yet," she shot back. "I'm just getting started."
He unleashed a beam of scorching plasma from his horn. She ducked—but the attack grazed her, and she skidded backward.
"Not so fast," she gasped, regaining her footing. She clasped her fists, and from each point her blasts had struck sprang glowing crimson chains that snaked around the cyborg's limbs.
"You think chains will hold me?" he roared, dragging his feet.
Charmcaster glanced at Fred. He gave a curt nod, and in an instant, he shifted into his Kryptonian form. Faster than sound, he hurtled at the cyborg and tackled him into the ground.
Gwen barely had time to chant, "Terra Murus!" when stone precipices erupted behind the crashing rhino, pinning him in a makeshift cage of ancient Martian rock. He fell unconscious with a final clang of metal.
"Impressive," Charmcaster said, flying closer. "For a second-rate mage."
Gwen's eyes narrowed. "Second-rate? Excuse me?"
"Okay, someone explain what's happening!" Ben demanded, reverting to human mid-stride.
A soft voice behind them teased, "Still as impatient as ever, aren't you, dweeb?"
Ben spun around—only to have an apparition burst from a swirl of rose-tinted light and whisper "Boo!" He yelped.
Gwen's future self laughed, stepping into view in a flash of silver hair and half-smile. Fred blinked. "Gwen?"
"Hey," Gwen's older echo grinned, cheeks tinting pink. "Miss me?"
Charmcaster rubbed her temples. "This is not a family reunion."
Gwen folded her arms. "Actually—"
Ben cut in, exasperated. "What is going on here?!"
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