"--ey were tangible, 'Tia! I felt the armor on each one," Luna raved, walking through the halls of Canterlot Palace. Celestia snorted in disbelief, rolling her eyes as a grin curled upon her lips. "The only thing that I didn't quite get was how he did it."

"I don't know, Luna," Celestia sighed in reply. "I haven't heard of this spell before."

"So what do you think of him being the Captain?" Luna asked bluntly, turning to look up at her sister.

"I believe that since he won't be much involved with my guards, you should do as you deem fit," the elder alicorn replied. She turned down a separate hallway, leaving her younger sister to ponder the decision.

Luna continued on, walking down the labrynth of hallways with practiced precision. She turned right, walking up a flight of red carpeted stairs. She turned to the left at the top of the stairs, the carpet now a deep blue that matched her starry mane. She trotted along to the end of the hallway, reaching her own room. She opened the door to be greeted by the sight of multiple knee-high stacks of paper laying around the circular room. They coated the dark blue carpet like leaves would the autumn ground, except these papers were in massive bricks rather than a thin layer.

She sighed, lifting the stacks of paper with magic, placing them on top of each other, turning once knee-high blocks into chest-high towers. She shuffled along the path she had just cleared for herself, her mind absent from her physical presence.

Her mind wandered through a forest of possible subjects, each idea blending into the forest without standing out in any particular manner. As it wandered though, it came across a tree that stood out from the others. Her mind focused in on the armored unicorn that had managed to confuse her and peak her interest in him at the same time.

*

As the morning wore on, the sun ran its usual path across the sky. The breeze flowed through the trees of the Everfree, dull whistles playing softly between the trees. Smoke rose from a small clearing in the forest, rising lazily as though to join the clouds above. In the clearing, five equine figures gathered around a small campfire. Each of them were a solid black color, save for their insect-like eyes and wings. One of them proudly wore a sort of crown on its head, a horn sticking out in front of it. The other four were small, like school-foals.

"And you're sure this will work?" the crowned one hissed, prodding their humble campfire with a stick. "You remember the last attempt at impersonating royalty."

"We're positive, your grace," one replied. "It will work because we won't actually be the princesses. We will be the one that nopony has met before. They won't suspect a thing."

The other three hissed and nodded, backing their comrade up. The crowned one stared back at them, his eyes narrowed in thought. "Fine. We shall go through with it. But if it turns out we started Changeling War Three, my mother will have all of our heads."

The four smaller Changelings gulped before nodding and accepting the consequences. "Begin Operation Farmland?"

The crowned one smirked, his fang glimmering in the morning light. "Begin."

*

Darq watched the eastern sky, hidden in a dark cave on Canterlot Mountain. He remained far enough back to be shielded from the sun's bright light, but close enough to keep his silent vigil on the sky. His armor hung from a few pegs in the stone wall, each piece mounted in positions relative to each other to make the appearance of another pony in the small cave.

Hmph. So you applied for Captain, eh? I would congratulate you, but then again that might be the absolute stupidest move you've ever made, a voice rang in Darq's mind.

Oh, shut up, Sunburst, his own mental voice countered. I don't need your crap right now.

I would gladly back off and let you do whatever it is you're doing, but you know exactly what happens whe--

I know what happens, numbskull. That's why I chose the Lunar Guard, Darq mentally growled. His lips had curled back in an angry snarl, revealing a set of fangs.

And what happens when the royals find out? Sunburst asked.

Darq smirked at that, his golden fang glimmering brightly from the dark. They don't.

Then let's be hypothetical for a moment. What happens if they find out? Sunburst persisted.

Then perhaps they know a cure, Darq replied.

Fine. Just try to not be murderous near the royals or the guards, Sunburst's voice sighed in exasperation.

"Hey," Darq growled. That was self defense and you know it.

And then you ate him, Sunburst countered.

Darq's face deadpanned. He calmly inhaled, quelling his mind. You and I would not be alive if I hadn't. With that final thought, he rose to his hooves. He levitated his armor from the wall, returning each piece to its home on his body. He smirked as each piece covered more of his pitch black coat, leaving naught but his horn and eyes exposed. As the moon began rising above the horizon, Darq exited the small cave, following a quaint trail down the mountain, avoiding direct sunlight at all costs.

Author's Note

Yay. I have now set up my beacon in the dark to aim the story towards. I spent a few days trying to figure out who my antagonist needed to be, and I didn't want to use Changelings, but they were my best option. Oh well. :3

<3 DarqFox

PS: I'm a bit sick, so sorry if that last little section of banter was not quite up to snuff. I don't write well with a runny nose and a headache. :L