Life on the farm was never easy. It took a lot of work to run one, and the Apple Family was fortunate enough to have a lot of able bodied ponies willing to help. Unfortunately, they were short-hooved today.
The sun wasn't even up yet, dawn wasn't for another hour. But Applejack was already up and about alongside PInkie Pie, doing her typical morning inspection of the farm. Pinkie was not usually up at this hour, but she was still coming off of a late night rave hosted by Vinyl Scratch herself.
Pinkie yawned, which caused Applejack to give a warm, knowing smile. "Wassa matter there, Sugarcube? Ain't tired already, are ya? Day hasn't even started yet."
The party pony sneezed, and a flurry of confetti burst out of her ears. "Tired? ME? Never! I'll just drink some coffee, and I'll be bouncing off the walls in no time!" She said confidently. Applejack shuddered.
"Ah'd hate tah be in the way of YOU on caffeine, Pinkie." She said.
"Why?" Came the innocent response.
"Oh, never you mind." Their walk took them back full circle around the entrance to the farm, by which time the sun was starting to appear in the sky. "Ah really do appreciate yer helpin' out, Pinkie. Apple Bloom is off on a sleepover, so she ain't around tah help this mornin'." She led her friend inside. "How bout some breakfast b'fore we get started? We got fruit salad, apple cinammon pie, oatmeal-" The rest of the list was cut off by Pinkie's gasp.
"Oatmeal? Are you CRAZY?" Pinkie sputtered. "Never!"
"Y'all never did tell me why y'hate oatmeal, come tah think of it."
Pinkie snorted. "Oh, that's easy! I- oh! Butterfly!" She gasped, and raced after it. "Wait! Come back!"
Applejack hollered after her. "Be back in an hour, we got work tah do!" She didn't like the thought of Pinkie on an empty stomach, but one didn't exactly tell Pinkie what to do. She did whatever she felt like. Applejack only had her for a few hours anyway, as Pinkie had promised Mrs. Cake she'd help bake cupcakes for the afternoon lunch rush over at the bakery. The farm pony shook her head, and passed her brother, already hitched to his harness and preparing to plow the field.
"G'mornin', Macintosh. Lovely day, ain't it?"
"Eeyup." Came the baritone reply.
"Do y'all EVER take that thing off?"
"Nnnope." He went on his way towards the field.
Applejack shook her head. "Nice talkin' ta to you too." She said sarcastically, and pushed open the door to the shed, and stopped dead in her tracks. She blinked several times to convince herself she wasn't seeing things, and proceeded to poke at the Changeling sleeping on the floor with a stick. As a precaution, she grabbed her rope from its peg on the wall and attached it to the side of her work saddle. She was on the defensive almost instantly as the thing woke up and sprang to its hooves.
"Y'all got exactly five seconds tah tell me what yer doin' here b'fore we play a little game of rodeo."
The Changeling just sat there. They'd never been big conversationalists. Made Macintosh look like a Mockingjay by comparison. "Time's up. Y'all better git tah runnin'. Ah ain't got time fer shenanigans." The Changeling bolted down the path, squeaking in protest, and Applejack took chase. As they neared the town, Applejack only a few paces behind the frightened shape shifter, the Changeling put up a defensive. Changing first into a green unicorn, then a blue pegasus, it barreled around the bend which branched off towards the market square. Fluttershy was trying to buy a head of lettuce, and it didn't appear things were going in her favor.
Fluttershy lifted her hoof to wave, but Applejack just kept running. "Can't talk now, Fluttershy! Got a varmint tah catch!" She shouted in apology, and disappeared around the corner. Poor Fluttershy just looked Flabbergasted.
Once on the other side of town, a path stretched up into the hills. Her keen eyes picked up minute details, the Crusaders running towards town with what astonishingly appeared to be yet another Changeling in tow. Note to self, thank them later, she thought. Conveniently, she also spotted a multicolored tail hanging over the edge of a low hanging cloud. Oh, this wasn't going to be pretty.
"RAINBOW DASH!" She screamed.
The tail twitched. There was no response. Trying to wake up Rainbow Dash was about as safe as trying to invite a Timberwolf to a tea party.
"RAINBOW! WAKE UP!"
"Huz-wha? This better be good..." The speedster muttered.
"Changelings! Round 'em up!" Applejack yelled.
Rainbow Dash woke up immediately, and a blur of blue filled the sky. She sped towards the pegasus running from Applejack, and yanked it off the ground. The changeling with the Crusaders met a similar fate, and with a whirl of her trusty rope, the farm pony had 'em both hogtied together. Her and Rainbow on one side, the Crusaders on the other.
"Well that's one heck of a wake-up call." Rainbow Dash muttered. "What are they doing here? Can I beat 'em up? Please?" She sprang onto her back legs, her forelegs giving the air a heavy one-two punch.
"An excellent question," Applejack replied. "And no, we ain't beatin' nopony yet, so put down yer dukes. But First we get these varmints off th' street. Let's take 'em to Twilight. She'll know what tah do." She looked over at the Crusaders. "You three head on back tah th'farm, s'not safe with these things out here. Go get yer Cutie Marks in weed pullin' or somethin'. And STAY OUTTA MAH SHED!" She called as they ran off. "Ah got dangerous equipment in there!"
Applejack and Rainbow Dash, meanwhile, each grabbed a Changeling, neither of which seemed very happy about their situation, and started hauling them back towards the Library. Maybe they'd finally get answers.