Time Vigilante

Ugh... did anyone get the number on that train? I swear, I've never hurt so much in my life. Well, I guess there was that one time I actually got run over by a car, but that's another story. Back then, I could tell what hurt. This time, I can't even feel my fingers or toes, and it felt like I had several bones or body parts dislocated, or sticking out of my body. Hell, if it weren't for the fact that I could still feel my body, I'd be inclined to believe my spine was split it half and torn part way out of my back.

Wait a second... somethings not right. Sure, the pain comes with the feeling of your body parts being forcibly rearranged, but... shouldn't I be bleeding?

...I'm not bleeding. That's... I don't even... what? Okay, I need to check this out. I opened my eyes... only to immediately shut them. GOD that hurt! Seriously, how is it so bright!? I should at least be able to filter some of that light in through my eye lids, but that isn't happening. Now I really had to see what was up with my body. I tried to move my arm in front of my face to shield myself from the inevitable light, but I found myself struggling with my motor functions.

Now I was scared. This has never happened before. When I got hit by that car, I could at least move what I wanted, how I wanted, but now my arm doesn't seem to remember how to move the right way anymore! It's like some stupid troll went and remapped all the controls in my head to be backwards. I decided to forgo the remapping of my mental controls and simply opened my eyes. It hurt, but I had to see what was going on.

I blinked through the sunlight, making out small details at a time. I registered a tree. Then the foliage of a forest. Then the forest itself. I could just barely see the edge of a forest. There was what looked to be a cottage nearby, but it seemed inactive at the moment, aside from a borderline horde of little animals going in and out of it. It was kind of weird, but I could care less at the moment. I had to see what was up with my body.

I tunred my head to look down at my body, a little freaked out by the fact that my neck felt longer, and I froze at the sight that greeted me. This wasn't my body. The holed hooves and black chitin hide was evidence enough to that conclusion. I moved my tongue to feel my teeth and found two large fangs protruding from my mouth.

I'm... a changeling. Now I had greater interest in my surroundings. If I was a changeling, I'd better not let anyone see me. I could feel that I was lying in a bed of some kind. I looked around at the forest around me, but I didn't see anyone. I looked at the cottage, and the lights were on, but I couldn't have heard anyone inside over the noise the animals were making.

As I looked around, I didn't notice a little white bunny hop over to me and promptly kick me in the face. It didn't hurt, but it was enough to get my attention. I stared at his scowling face for a few moments, too stunned to begin to interpret what he tried to tell me in charades afterwards. There was only one bunny I knew who had the balls to simply go and kick someone like that. Angel Bunny.

Seeing I wasn't paying attention, he kicked me again. Thanks, Angel. You just stopped me from panicking. "Sorry, what?" I asked. I almost winced at the slight buzz in my voice, but that hardly mattered. Usually if something shocking happens, I have to force my mind into either a state of analysis, or ignorance to ensure my sanity, but with Angel there, there was no chance of me remaining in Ignorance Mode.

"I said, it's about time you got up, ya lazy bug!" I heard a voice say irritably. I also felt the irritation the bunny was radiating... I blinked. It appears as though communication with animals is possible for changelings, though with shapeshifting powers, I suppose it's only natural. "Come on! Fluttershy said she needed to see you when you got up!"

"Okay, just hold your horses. It's not every day you wake up in a body that's not yours." I pretended to snap at him. He needed to be taught some manners, and one way or another, he will learn.

And thus began the marathon of tumbling changelings and laughing bunnies. By that, I mean I spent about an hour getting laughed at by Angel whenever I failed to get my motor functions working properly. It was like playing QWOP, it was so frustrating! It was about as hilarious to the bunny watching too, but I managed to get it right after a while or so. My controls weren't fully remapped, but at least I had a full range of motion to go with. After getting mastery over my motor skills, I moved on to my next order of business.

"Alright, time to learn shapeshifting!" I proclaimed to my audience.

"Shapeshifting? How are you supposed to do that? Isn't that powerful magic or whatever?" Angel questioned. I felt his confusion as he asked.

"It's actually the innate ability of changelings. I just need to figure out how I'm supposed to do it..." I trailed off as I mentally went over the number of theories I'd read in fanfictions. One of them said all you had to do was imagine the pony you wanted to be, and that's it. I knew that couldn't be right, because it was too simple. Besides, the changelings actually use magic to change. That much I'm sure of. The question is, though... how do I access my magic reserves?

I did some searching through myself, and soon enough I found a sort of energy in my head. Not knowing how I was supposed to approach such a thing, I simply gave it a mental poke. I was thrown off my hooves by the recoil of the magic blast that was sent out of my horn. Luckily, it passed the trees without so much as scratching them.

"Okay... note to self: don't poke the magic." I said, as I continued to stare after the quickly vanishing green dot in the distance. I could feal the fear from the many animals around meas I sat my head on one forehoof in thought. Maybe I needed to mold that energy. I just need to keep it away from my horn while I work with it. Okay, here it goes.

I pulled my magic away from my horn, and molded it into a pony shape. As soon as I did that, the impression of a character creator popped into my mind. There were presets of all the ponies I already knew, and then there was the "custom" option. I went and selected the Fluttershy preset and pushed my magic into my horn. A flash of green fire crossed my vision, and I saw Angel's look of shock.

"How do I look?" I asked Angel in Fluttershy's voice.

"Like a unicorn version of Fluttershy." Angel responded. I raised an eyebrow, but I remembered a fact from that one story where Applejack was always a changeling. She'd said to become an Earth Pony, she had to push her magic into her hooves... maybe I need to do that. Push my magic into whatever body part that corresponded with the race. It'd certainly make disguising a bit harder, but I can deal with that.

I took the magic from my horn and pushed it to my small, insect wings, and another flash of green later, I could feel large feathery wings at my sides. "How about now?"

"Now it's a perfect copy! But can you act the part?" Angel asked, a hint of a smug tone in his voice. I nodded confidently.

"Yes, I'm sure I can. Where's Fluttershy, by the way?" I asked. Angel shrugged.

"Probably with that stupid bird band or whatever. Nowadays, she's always out, helping with preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration. Hardly has enough time for us anymore. That's okay, though. I'm always here to watch over everyone." Angel said.

"Summer Sun Celebration, huh?. Wait, didn't you say Fluttershy would want to see me when I got up?" I said to distract myself from the fact that I'd shown up during the very first episode of the show.

"Oh yeah." Angel replied blankly. "Let's go then. Wouldn't want to keep her waiting." He said while hopping away.

"Hold up. Wouldn't want to spread confusion at there being two Fluttershy's walking around would you? I'm going to make a Custom Pony." I explained. I closed my eyes in concentration and used the Character creator feature of my magic. Luckily I knew just what I wanted, so I didn't dwell too much on the options. After about a minute, I was a light orange coated unicorn mare with a flame colored mane and tail and emerald green eyes.

Summer Dash, at your service! Backstory and cutie mark prepared in advance! "Alright, let's go." I said before departing with him. He led the way first through the cottage, then on the path to town. Meanwhile, I fell into deep thought. From the info I'd gotten from Angel, nopony knew what a changeling was yet. I also learned that the Summer Sun Celebration was coming up, and the only time you hear about that in the show is in the first episode. So, by logical conclusion, I'd landed in Ponyville the day Twilight shows up.

Yep. I'm screwed. Oh well, best to live it out before Nightmare Moon comes to plunge Equestria into eternal night.

"Hey, who's that?" I heard Angel ask. I followed his gaze up to follows a chariot of royal guards delivering a certain purple unicorn to Ponyville.

"That," I answered with a false smile, "is the personal protege of Princess Celestia. She's here to oversee the preparations to the Summer Sun Celebration."

"Whatever. Come on, Fluttershy's just this way. I can already hear those birds." Angel said irritably. I snorted at his attitude and just followed him again. A minute later, and Fluttershy was within sight.The second I saw Fluttershy, Angel spoke up.

"Alright here she is. Now I'm outta here. I can hardly stand to be around such noise!" He whisper yelled before taking off for the cottage. I merely chuckled and shook my head at his antics. Then I carefully approached the shy pegasus while she directed her bird band. I sat there and appreciated the music as she directed it. As soon as she stopped the birds to correct the off-tune one, I stepped forth.

"I have to agree. Maybe you could bring that volume down a bit too. You're over powering the other voices." I said softly to avoid scaring them. Fluttershy turned in surprise, but she didn't leap up or squeak in shock. She was frightened, but not massively so. I gave her a kind smile, which she returned in kind.

"Oh, hello. I didn't see you there. Who are you? Um... that is, if you don't mind me asking..." She asked. I waved off her concern.

"It's fine. I'm Summer Dash. What's your name?" I asked, allowing my voice to raise a bit. I felt the animals become a little unsettled at the rise in my voice, so I decided not to allow my voice to rise any higher.

"Oh, um... my name is Flutter..." she introduced, trailing off at the end. I raised my hoof to shake hers.

"Nice to meet you Fluttershy." I said with a smile.

"You heard that?" One of the birds nearby asked incredulously. I never even bothered to react to him. Fluttershy took my hoof and shook it, saying it was her pleasure.

"Guess I'll see you around, Fluttershy. See you at the Celebration?" I asked.

"Oh, yes. I'll definitely be there." Fluttershy said, waving goodbye. I waved back and then trotted off. My next destination was the library, where I knew I'd find Twilight. I picked up my pace, heading towards the massive tree in the center of town. I took the road that lead straight there, and somehow, I managed to avoid bumping into Pinkie Pie as I passed Sugarcube Corner. I made it to the library just in time to see a green wisp flying out of the window. I walked into the library, and went straight for the stairs.

When I made it to the top, a nagging question stopped me. Should I really tell her I know everything? Should I really tell her about me being a changeling? Should I- wait a second, I'm a changeling! I can tell her about the future without ever risking my identity! All I have to do is disguise myself as a faceless pony. Somepony you can see but never know the identity of...

Mare Do Well! With a short second of focus, I was enveloped in flames, and I stood in costume. Without further hesitation, I stealthily trotted into the room to find a frustrated Twilight ranting over a letter.

"You're right, Twilight. Equestria is in danger. But you've always been wrong about friendship." I said cryptically in my natural changeling voice. Both of the room's inhabitants shot frightened gazes at me.

"What the- Who are you!" Twilight nearly shouted. "And what are you talking about?!"

"Me? I'm nopony. I have no name, past, or history. But you may call me... Time Crisis." I introduced myself dramatically.

"And just what do you want, Time Crisis?" Twilight asked cautiously. I could tell she was just barely stopping herself from simply blasting me apart. I'd better choose my next words carefully.

"Simple. I want to protect Equestria. I want to give it a safe future, and prevent the absolute destruction I've seen from coming to pass. But I can't do it alone. You're my conduit." I explained. Needless to say, Twilight was shocked.

"Me? But what  can I do?  I may be the Princess's student, but I'm not that powerful." She objected.

"But you can be. Listen, and listen well, Twilight Sparkle. The key to every victory is right here in Ponyville. Each element will stick with you all the way, and show you the road to victory, but first, you need to make friends."

"What?" Twilight felt like she'd just been dissed. Again.

"I know, as corny and stupid as it sounds, Friendship really is magic, and you won't win a single battle without it. Take another look at that letter the Princess sent you." I commanded. Twilight did so, and as she did, I spoke up. "Not once does it actually say that Nightmare Moon is just an old pony tale, or even just a fictitious story made to scare foals, does it?"

Twilight's critical eye widened as she saw what I was getting at. I could feel understanding dawn on her as she read. "So... Celestia knows Nightmare Moon is coming back... but the only way to stop her is with friendship? How does that work?"

"Magic runs on emotion, right Twilight? Well, the strongest positive emotion out there is the bonds of Friendship. So therefore, the strongest magic out there is the magic of Friendship." I rationalized. I then flipped through the book Twilight found to the page with the Elements of Harmony, and pointed at them. "The Elements of Harmony are the conduit for this magic."

Twilight took in everything I was saying like her life depended on it. Which it probably did. Then she asked the one thing I knew she'd ask, but hoped she wouldn't. "Do you know where the Elements are?" I let my head fall sadly, and felt Twilight's hope fall.

"Yes, but I'm afraid you will need to go and make friends first. And I mean true friends. The Elements won't work otherwise." I warned. With that, I turned to leave, but I knew Twilight would have one more question.

"Wait!" Twilight stopped me. I turned slightly to look over my shoulder at her. "How will I know who I need to befriend?" She asked, some hope coming back.

I stayed silent, as if thinking about my answer, and then gave it to her while trying to sound like I really didn't think telling her was a good idea. It was pretty hard, but I think I managed. "There's five. They each represent one of the elements. Laughter, Kindness, Honesty, Loyalty, and Generosity. You'll find the book on the Elements under E." I took a few steps toward the door before remembering Pinkie was planning a party for Twilight. "Oh, and watch out for the pink one later when all is said and done. She may be crazy, but all she wants is to put a smile on everypony's face. And that's almost always done with a party or two." And then I left.

Once the door was closed behind me, I shifted back into Summer Dash. No need for anypony but Twilight to see Time Crisis. Now, I had another role to play. Myself. I opened the door again, only this time, I acted apprehensive. I didn't even bother trying to be quiet about my entrance because I wanted Twilight to know I was there as I entered.

"Oh, what is it now?" I heard Spike mutter as I stepped through the door.

"Hello? I heard the princess's student came in, and I was hoping I'd be able to get some help?" I asked, sounding a little embarrassed. "But uh... if you're busy, I guess it can wait. It's not like my problem is an easy one to solve, nor is it world-threateningly important."

"Yeah, sorry. We've just been told that an ancient evil is coming back from a thousand year banishment to the moon and the only way to stop it is with the power of friendship." Spike said bluntly. I faked a wince at his words, then pretended to think it over for a second.

"Wait a second... you're telling me that the pony silhouette in the moon... is an actual pony?! Wow. I knew magic could do weird things, but I never expected that. Ooh! Hey, maybe we could take it on together! I help you with your problem, and you can help me with mine!" I said excitedly.

"That sounds fair. What's your problem then?" Twilight asks. I shuffled on my hooves for a few seconds in hesitation before speaking up.

"Well... as crazy and insane as it sounds, I'm not exactly from this world." I said, hopeful she'd believe me, but afraid she wouldn't. "Right now, I'm not only the wrong species, but the wrong gender. Freaky as hell, but I've managed to keep myself from freaking out... somehow."

I saw Spike doing the "she's crazy" gesture with his claws, and I sunk down a bit in disappointment. I just knew it'd be pointless. So much for the open minded love and tolerance you're supposed to find here. Twilight was giving me a weird look. I couldn't tell what it meant, or what she was thinking, but I could tell it wasn't good. I sighed in defeat.

"Oh well. I knew it was a long shot, but at least I know I took it. Guess I'd better start looking more into this God of Chaos I heard about." I said, trotting over to the door so I could go downstairs to the D section. That certainly got their attention.

"Wait just a second, let's not be too hasty here!" Twilight quickly stepped in front of me, blocking the way to the door. "I didn't say I didn't believe you. It's just-"

"Yes, you did. I count body language." I interrupted. Twilight blinked as she stared for a second, then shook her head.

"No, It's just that it does sound crazy, but it's not exactly unheard of. Starswirl the Bearded established through example that interdimensional travel was entirely possible. He also established the dangers of it, so nopony really does it. To hear that you did it, it just shocked me." I blinked. I had not expected that at all. Then I shook my head.

"Okay. I can accept that. But we've still got an ancient evil to take care of. So, where do we start?" I set us back on track. Twilight took on a look of stern determination as she turned around.

"Come on. I've got a book here that could help explain things." She said. As I followed her down the stairs, I listened as she explained everything she knew. She explained the Elements, Nightmare Moon, and of course the required ponies to represent the Elements.

"Okay, let's see if I've got this right. That old Mare in the Moon story is real, we need the Elements of Harmony to Purify her when she returns, and we need ponies who represent the Elements to wield them when the time comes. What were the Elements again?" I asked.

"Laughter, Kindness, Honesty, Loyalty, and Generosity. There's apparently a sixth Element, but nopony knows what it is." Twilight said.

"Hm... Well, from what this "Time Crisis" guy says, you could be the one who represents this last Element. The only question is, what is it?" I questioned. After a minute of letting Twilight ponder what the last Element could be, I spoke up again. "Well, no point in asking unanswerable questions. We'd better set out and find the ponies we need. The best way to do that, in my opinion, would be to check the preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration. Remember, we can't go running around telling everypony that Nightmare Moon is real. That'd either label us mentally unstable, or cause a panic, and we don't want either of those."

"Right." Twilight agreed with a nod. "Um.. I don't think I ever got your name.."

"I've been going with Summer Dash." I replied.

"Okay. Can you carry a checklist?" She asked. I shook my head.

"Maybe if I still had hands. I haven't figured out that telekinesis trick I've seen other unicorns use, either." I said.

"Then you'll need Spike. Spike, do you think you could take care of her... his... er..."

"Just use the proper pronoun. It'll be easier on everyone else." I told her. She nodded. Spike walked up to me and I bent down to let him climb on.

"Don't worry Twi. I've got the list covered on our end." Spike said. He showed me the list, and I immediately zeroed in on one name.

"Fluttershy? I met her on the way over. Shy one, she is. She's also pretty nice. I also gave a bit of advice to a few of the birds in her Choir." I said. Then I faked surprise, and gasped. "Wait a sec, she could be the Element of Kindness!"

"What make you say that?" Spike asked while checking Fluttershy off the list.

"I woke up at her cottage this morning. I think she might have put me there after finding me somewhere... Oh, and she's also got a rather docile bear living under her roof. When she gave advice to the birds that were singing, she said it in such a way that suggests she's very afraid of hurting anything's feelings."

"Huh. Alright, I'll write her down as a Possible Element. How about we go see how decorations are going. It says here a pony named Rarity is overseeing that." Spike suggested. I nodded, but inside, I couldn't help but facehoof at that. I know Rarity has an eye for detail, but she could be so indecisive at times. We might as well hurry over so she doesn't take too much time.

"Sure. Maybe we could check out Bonbon's confectioneries afterwards. We can meet up with Twilight at Sweet Apple Acres to check on the food." I turned my attention to Twilight "Is that good with you, Twilight?" I asked. She nodded before taking her list and saddlebags. Soon enough, we set out rather casually on our most important mission yet.