The web cannot be undone,
That has snared you here with me.
It binds us both together,
The best of enemies.

City of Canterlot, One Day Before the Changeling Invasion

In a cruel and imperfect world, the wedding of Shining Armor and Princess Cadence was going to be visible proof that world could still create perfection. The populace was awash in the exuberance of a fairytale come to life, though some of the nobility seethed in bitter jealousy. Wedding preparations continued despite the sad mental breakdown of one magical mare. The shield spell doming the city in a seemingly impenetrable barrier of protective force assured the citizenry that they were, as ever, free from danger.

As they did day in and day out, lesser stories continued to unfold. Normally, all of these stories would idly intersect, influencing each other in subtle ways. All that would change by the next afternoon. The changeling invasion of Canterlot would place the stories of thousands of ponies all on the same page, facing the same antagonists. Most of those stories would continue after the invasion, though one was about to come to an abrupt end. By the evening of the next day, the youngest stallion of House Valiant was going to be found missing, a victim of the changeling invaders...

City of Canterlot, Canterlot Castle, Chambers of Princess Cadenza

Cadence sat on a chair that somewhat approximated Celestia's royal throne, and found that it suited her quite nicely. The other chairs in her room were of lesser make, as was intended. At least the ponies had some ideas right, and it was only fitting that a ruler always be in a position that demonstrated her power, even while relaxing. She looked at the Solar Guard across from her, staring blandly at him. "Really, Rasp... you come to me impersonating the most generic and banal of ponies in this castle? You couldn't come up with something better to impress your queen with?"

The guard gave her a sly smile, and shook his head. "Your majesty, this form causes the least suspicion as I move about the castle, and requires the least energy. I wish to be at my peak when tomorrow comes."

With a dismissive flick of a hoof, Cadence signaled her general disinterest in further discussion on that topic. "Have you seen any of your brothers in the city?"

The guard shook his head again. "No, my queen, not a one. And not a whisper across the Commonality. Your other Infiltrators remain well hidden from the population at large, and from each other so far as I can tell."

Cadence nodded, her expression going more serious as the conversation continued. "Good. Continue to guard your thoughts. Princess Luna is annoyingly vigilant, and our Commonality is close enough to the dreams of ponies that her magic might detect it. I am having to expend significant resources keeping her distracted. But... this is not why you are here. You wished to see me, Rasp. What is this about?"

With a bow of his head, the guard who answered to the name Rasp drew in a breath and let it out softly. "Two issues, my queen. One is that I am... concerned. Never in my life have I seen you so radiant in power. I can -feel- it to my core. Between your draining of his love, and the drain of his magic by the shield's constantly being empowered, you will have rendered Shining Armor combat-ineffective by the wedding. If you cannot defeat Celestia herself, you will have the aid of the swarm. Princess Luna will be occupied elsewhere, Twilight Sparkle has been disgraced, and your position affirmed. You have even gained more emotional energy from the sympathy now being sent your way for your... aheam... suffering at the practice ceremony. Everything is going perfect."

Her eyes leveled, and Cadence seemed to know what was coming. "Get to the point, Rasp. Quickly."

Raps sighed out. "My queen, I am one of your Antithetical, it is my duty to cast a concerning shadow. You have never been as powerful. You have never had so much as now, we have never stood to gain as much as we’re about to. This is the point where jaded experiences tells me that everything usually falls apart. A point where one mistake in pride could cost us all. Since I was assigned to Canterlot I have known the euphoria of a feeding like I never have. Never have I been so full of energy, so powerful. I can barely hold the moments together. If this is what it is like for me, for you it must be...."

Cadence's hoof snapped down on the arm of her chair, making a loud clacking sound, cutting him off. She hissed softly, angrily. "Do not think to compare your experiences to mine, Rasp. You have as much conception of what it is like to be a queen as an ant knows what it is like to be a dragon. Your concerns are noted. What is your second matter?"

The guard gave a nod of his head, signifying his obedience. Dread curled in his stomach, though. They had a term for this; "Pony's Pride". The mistake of thinking that one had a special place in the universe, and that fate and circumstance were on their side. While that was often true for ponies, it was not for any other race. It was yet another reason among many that Rasp hated ponies. He was grateful the queen had ordered a halt to the use of the Commonality. He would not have wanted her feeling his emotions through the hive mind, her current state of arrogance would have been insulted. He would just have to hope, and that thought sickened him. Hope was for ponies.

"My queen, the other matter concerns one of the stallions of House Valliant. During my infiltration of the house, I chanced upon a source of nourishment unique to my needs. In fact, so potently empowered that he's been my only source of sustenance since my arrival. Bitterly miserable, and the absence of love in him is like a gaping wound. He is soul-sick in a way I have not encountered for quite some time." Rasp gave a smile to his queen. "I should like to keep him. With the right nurturing, he could be one of us, and another Antithetical in your service."

The changeling queen masquerading as the pink alicorn of love raised one eyebrow at Rasp. "Oh, really?" she said with a dry, but also doubting tone. "Rasp, in five generations you're the first Antithetical to survive to adulthood, and that only because of your innate sadism and willpower. I do not compliment quickly or easily; your ability has been a great asset to the hive, you have done your brothers and sisters a great service. Under normal circumstances, I would have made you one of my daughters by now, but..."

She didn't need to finish her statement, Rasp knew where this ended. If he were to become a princess of the hive, he would breed, and his offspring would be as he was, and they would all die because of it. He frowned, and nodded his head, and his attention was caught by one of the pony mannequins in the room. "Always the bridesmaid..." he said, muttering a pony phrase.

Cadence nodded back to him. "Indeed. But that cannot be helped. You know my point, though. It is not an easy thing to make a pony one of us. The idea of turning our food into us is repugnant on the face of it. Only rarely in our history have we felt it necessary. I want you to look me in the eyes and assure me this is not some misguided attempt to breed by proxy. Do you sincerely believe a pony... a PONY has the innate cruelty and malice to not only become a changeling, but become an Antithetical?"

Rasp smiled, a dark, pleasured, twisted, smile. "Innate to him? No, majesty, he does not. But the ponies have a saying: corruptio optimi pessima. Corruption of the best is the worst. He has a gentle soul, a feminine spirit, a giving and joyful heart, and his entire life has been one long cancer to his inner nature. Please trust me, majesty. I have been an outlier among our own race, and I know from a kindred life. The fates and destinies that guide ponies through the happy little utopia of their lives is potent, but not perfect. This little pony has slipped through the cracks. Their discard could be our benefit, though." Rasp stood up, and locked his eyes on those of his queen. "If he became one of us, this pony could exceed me, my queen. He might even earn a place as your daughter."

And that was just about as much as the Queen of the Changelings intended to take. That was one line crossed too many, even for an Antithetical whose job it was to offer contrarian opinions and unorthodox methods. She glared at Rasp harshly, snapped her hoof down again, and then pointed it at him. "AFTER the invasion. On your own initiative, and on your own time. And if this winds up being nothing more than you playing with your food, Rasp, you will return to the hive tenfold the emotional energy it takes for the pony's transformation, then watch as I devour him in front of you. I cannot believe you would come to me at so crucial a time with so wild and unrelated a request. Now go, I have much to work on before my.... wedding." Cadence narrowed her eyes at the guard. "And get your head screwed on, Rasp. You're letting your personal priorities come before the needs of the hive."

Rasp, chagrined and ashamed, bowed before his queen, and exited without further ado. Once outside of Cadence's chambers, he made his way through the hallways of the castle, walking with a silent scowl. She was right, of course. His eagerness to have someone like him, someone who felt what he did, was overshadowing his priorities. This could have waited, and her anger at his wild notions had almost undoubtedly made sure that any advice about pride and power would be forgotten. He should have stayed focused, should have stayed on mission, but that damn pony and the possibilities he saw had made Rasp as thoughtless as a newly hatched drone. Shame and humiliation lead to anger, and soon enough Rasp decided, as villains like him often did, that the best way to deal with the issue would be to take it out on someone else. He knew just who to pick.

Author's Note

I've had serious reservations about publishing this story, because it's been years since I have written anything, and even longer since I have written anything WELL. And even stronger reservations since this story takes place within the authorial universe of a close friend. That being said, I'm not going to get any better keeping my words to myself!

Rasp's reference to the "Commonality" as a euphemism for the hive mind of the swarm is a tip of the hat to the Taelons in the TV series "Earth: Final Conflict".

Special thanks to Korenav and WellaWeiss, not only for letting me set the story within their universe, but for their amazing help editing this chapter. Without their assistance, there would have been almost as many commas as letters!