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// Prologue: Canterlot 
// Story: Hidden in Plain Sight 
// by ShadowGear 
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	Deep in the Everfree forest was a battalion of Changelings. Every Changeling in Queen Chrysalis' Hive had spent their whole lives preparing for this day. This was the day everything would change. The leader of this battalion walked over to a very specific soldier who was staring at a scarab placed on the ground.

"Corporal Sclerite! What are we waiting for?" asked Carapace.

"We are waiting for a signal Colonel!" Sclerite answered.

"What signal? Why did she give such an important job to somepony as low ranking as you?"

Sclerite thought for a bit. He wasn't exactly sure why he got this responsibility. The only answer he could have thought of was his position as Queen Chrysalis' personal apprentice but even that wasn't a good reason.

"Sir, with all due respect, Queen Chrysalis gave me a direct order. She never told me anything else other than I need to be ready for the signal," Sclerite answered.

Suddenly the scarab Sclerite had been staring at began to glow.

"That's the signal sir! Now is the time to attack!"

Carapace flew up to a tree branch to speak to the army. "Comrades! Today is the day we change our lives for the better! Today is the day we end the starvation that has plagued us our whole lives! The ponies of Equestria have had a thousand years of peace! But that doesn't mean we should underestimate them! We will all be walking into battle against the ponies! And we will come out on top! Today we feast! Then from that point forward we will never starve again! Now onward to Canterlot!" The Changelings including Sclerite cheered at Carapace's speech as they all took off in the direction of Canterlot and its shield. Sclerite followed at the rear where he noticed a nervous looking Changeling.

"Hey!" Sclerite said.

"Huh? Oh hi," he responded.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine. It's just that, why do we have to fight the ponies? Why can't we just be friends and earn love instead?"

"I can tell you from experience that friendship with the other races leads to sadness. I personally wouldn't want to feel that sadness again. Do you mind if I ask for your name?"

"I'm Thorax, what's your name?"

"I'm Sclerite."

"The Queen's apprentice? Wow I didn't expect to meet you."

"You know Thorax. You're quite different from most Changelings. Most either complain about my position or they make jokes about me being small and weak. After this battle is over we should meet up and talk some more. It'll be a nice change of pace from all the insults and jokes." Sclerite said as they arrived at the shield. The other Changelings were bashing against the shield and each bash made it crack a little more until the shield shattered.

Immediately the Changelings began to dive bomb the city and Sclerite found two royal guards in the streets. He aimed himself at the guards and flew towards them, picking up speed until he was surrounded in green magic. He crashed into the ground sending both guards in opposite directions, knocking one of them unconscious. Sclerite turned to face the guard that survived. The earth pony guard stood up and took a defensive stance as if expecting a charge. Sclerite fired a magical bolt and turned to find two Unicorn guards rushing towards him.

Sclerite rushed for cover in an alley way just as they began firing magical beams at him. Each time he poked his head out they fired a beam and he had to duck back in. Sclerite had to come up with a plan but then he remembered teleportation. He charged up his horn and teleported behind the guards and fired a bolt, hitting one of the unicorns. The other turned around and prepared to fire a beam but another Changeling dive bombed and hit the other one. He recognized his savior as Elytra and saluted to her before rushing down the street towards the castle.

As he ran down the road, he could see all the destruction that had befallen on the once great city of Canterlot, there were Changelings everywhere chasing down the remaining ponies. They had done it. From that point forward they didn't need to worry about food anymore. No more rations, no more stockpiling. Just feasting. Nothing could possibly spoil this day.

He then looked towards the castle where Princess Celestia and Queen Chrysalis were. A large pink bubble of love was growing rapidly with Changelings getting pushed by it and he turned to run away.

Sclerite felt himself soaring through the sky uncontrollably towards some forest. He began to flap his wings hoping he could control himself but it was too late. He was plunged into the forest. A tree branch hit Sclerite on the way down, landed face first into a tree trunk and then landed on his back, knocking him unconscious when his head hit the ground.