//------------------------------// // 3 - The Plan // Story: The Good, the Bad, and the Braeburn // by Revenant Wings //------------------------------// Shining Armor had barely managed to wake himself up when a visitor arrived at his room. The visitor was a steel-grey pegasus stallion with bright gold eyes. He saluted Shining Armor, and passed forward a small sheet of paper that he was holding in his mouth. Once Shining Armor had taken the paper, he spoke. “Sound Barrier with Celestia’s response, sir. She’s preparing the rest of your members for the trip. She’s also sending down some extra, simple weapons and supplies for defensive measures. She has also agreed to give a steady pay to those who help.” “Excellent,” Shining Armor said, now awake and very pleased. “Good timing and that’s exactly the response we need from Celestia. I knew she would allow for the backup. Now, then, I need you to go around with the others and start seeing who will help with reconstruction efforts. Make notices, post them in local shops so long as the proprietors allow, and prepare to have ponies signing up. But, for now, do not make note of a potential threat.” Sound Barrier left the room with a bow and Revenant Wings entered. He seemed relieved at the sight of Shining Armor awake. “Ah, Captain,” Revenant said. “Sheriff Silverstar has called us in. He wishes to know what your plan of action is.” “I believe we are starting to have one,” Shining Armor said. “If Sheriff Silverstar wishes to know what it is, I will tell you what it is then.” Revenant nodded and they walked out of the hotel and over to the sheriff’s offices. Sheriff Silverstar was sitting with the deputy colt and both of them were looking eagerly at them as they entered. “Captain!” Sheriff Silverstar exclaimed. He motioned to the grey-blue stallion. “This is Deptuty Mahaska. He is my trusted assistant and helper in our small force.” Shining Armor and Revenant Wings shook hooves with Deputy Mahaska. “Are there more of you or is it just you two?” Shining Armor asked. “We have three more patrolling the town,” Deputy Mahaska replied. “They’ve been taking extra shifts since the Changeling sightings. It was one of them, Lieutenant Roscoe, who found one of the Changelings that spurred us to call you.” “Very good,” Shining Armor said. “Now, you wanted us to tell you about a plan.” “Yes, I did,” Sheriff Silverstar said. “So, what have you come to tell me?” Shining Armor first showed him and told him the details of Celestia’s letter. “…and she promises to pay a steady wage to those who work for us during the reconstruction and after if they want to help us engage the Changelings.” “This is good news! I never expected to hear such news so quickly, and from Her Majesty herself!” “We have other plans outside the letter that Princess Celestia sent us,” Shining Armor continued, having Revenant roll up the letter once they’d gotten a good look at it. “We are beginning to hire those who wish to help us work on rebuilding the town – a few extra hours and bits a day while we help restore some of these old foundations and patch up any broken areas. I hope this pleases you.” “It does. But what about on the fighting front?” “I have no intention of bringing such matters to the ponies now,” Shining Armor said firmly. “If they hear there is the threat of Changelings coming to fight them, especially in those numbers, we may have a full-scale panic attack.” Sheriff Silverstar stroked his mustache. “Indeed,” he said thoughtfully. “If we begin by rebuilding, it will increase their confidence and gain their trust before even mentioning the idea of a Changeling attack.” “There is one, however, who knows of the intention to prepare the town for Changelings,” Shining Armor said. “And who is that?” “I spoke with Braeburn yesterday as you suggested. And, as you warned us, he is not the fighting type. He told me he’s not exactly up to fighting and would rather avoid it.” Deputy Mahaska slapped a hoof to his face. “The damn fool takes so long to spur to fighting it’ll be a wonder if he actually joins. Do you remember how long it took us to convince him there was a problem with the buffalo?” “Yes, I do,” Sheriff Silverstar said gravely. “Merely a week before tensions came to a peak and we fought each other. But we must not be so hard on Braeburn, Deputy. He is one of our most prosperous farmers and most successful businessponies. And it was his way of talking that won out eventually in the end with the buffalo.” “I am afraid that talking will not be an option with Changelings,” Shining Armor said. “They might act like it could be an option, but they used that opportunity to exploit a weakness in Canterlot’s guard. This is something we cannot take lightly.” “Agreed,” Revenant Wings chimed in. “And once they’ve exploited that weakness, it is not so easy to fight back. It took very complicated magic to dispel them, though we may have been able to counteract it sooner and more effectively if we knew. And yet we were blindsided.” Deputy Mahaska nodded. “We are all agreeing, however, that they are not to be trusted. We also agree, however, we cannot immediately introduce this to the townsponies. Perhaps Sheriff Silverstar and I could survey the buildings and see which need the most help. Then we can begin reconstruction at our weakest points.” “I agree, Deputy,” Sheriff Silverstar said. He turned to Shining Armor. “Allow us two days to go through the town – today and tomorrow. We will begin immediately unless there is something else that you would like from us.” “I would like for one of my men to speak with Lieutenant Roscoe,” Shining Armor said. “If we can get the information straight from his mouth, it could prove more helpful. I will try to contact Braeburn again in a couple of days to see whether his feelings have changed.” “Very good. I suppose if that’s all, I will let you go. It sounds like we’re moving, Captain Armor. We will proceed with the survey and let you know when we’re finished.” The party then split up. One of the other members of the sheriff’s department came in and Sheriff Silverstar asked him to take over the office work for a moment. The young stallion got to work immediately as Shining Armor and Revenant Wings returned to the hotel. The stallions were greeted to a small line of ponies coming out the hotel. They walked in to find Sound Barrier and another two stallions writing names and letting ponies know they’d be contacting them soon about helping with reconstruction efforts. Sound Barrier walked eagerly up to Shining Armor. “The efforts are working. We recently came back and set things up and had five ready to join right off the bat. And more have come lining up.” “At least we know we have their trust,” Revenant said. “Most seem happy or eager to join by the looks of it.” “Indeed,” Sound Barrier said. “Many are simply happy that Princess Celestia has decided to help out the town. It is a show of good faith.” “Good. But we must not tell them of fighting yet,” Shining Armor reminded him. “We haven’t,” Sound Barrier acknowledged. “Our efforts are only focusing on rebuilding and strengthening. Not a mention of the Changelings has been made. Except… except for one.” Shining Armor and Revenant Wings looked at each other. “Do you remember which?” “Yes,” Sound Barrier said quietly. “A stallion by the name of Braeburn. He came in here earlier asking for you. When we said you were talking with the Sheriff, he left you a message saying he wanted you to come out to his place tomorrow to talk about the Changelings.” “Why do you sound so insecure?” Shining Armor asked, noticing the stallion trying to make himself look smaller. “Because, My Captain,” Sound Barrier replied with a whimper, “he wondered if you were fit to lead it.”