Though Princess Luna's night had long descended upon the land, it was far from peaceful. For tonight was not a night of bright stars or gloriously beautiful comets, but of a storm. Dark clouds stretched from horizon to horizon, and with every passing moment there came and endless stream of both heavy rain and random lightning strikes. The night was almost deafening with the sounds of thunder all around, and nopony in their right mind would ever wish to be out in weather such as this. Unfortunately, there were some out there who had little choice, such as those who sailed at sea.
Now most knew that ponies were, by and large, not a great seafaring race. After all, how necessary was sea travel when so many of their number could fly? But even so, there were times when they did indeed take to the waves, though it was mostly earth ponies and unicorns who did the deed. And so it was tonight that such a voyage was taking place. It was just off the coast, near some rocky cliff-faces, in the place known locally as Horseshoe Bay. A galley was being rocked back and forth by the relentless wind and rains, and ever did it's crew try their best to keep their ship from succumbing to the same fate as so many others on a night like this.
It was a scene of desperation, of struggle, and more importantly, of doomed chances. Every experienced seafarer knew that, in a storm like this, there was little hope of escaping it unscathed. But the crew kept on working, even after a stray wave had crashed into them, smashing their main sail in half, thus destroying whatever chance they had of successfully navigating to calmer waters, if such a thing existed at a time like this. But while all this was occurring, as the stallions and mares of that ship did what they could to try and survive, they had no idea that their efforts were being closely watched from nearby.
For there, lying in wait within the many dark and dank caves lining the coast, were creatures that few ponies had ever seen, yet all knew to fear. Resembling dark and decayed ponies themselves, these were the Changelings. They were creatures whose existence had been all but unknown until the menace known as Queen Chrysalis launched an audacious attack on Canterlot, and nearly succeeded. But, contrary to popular belief, there were many hives out there, and not just the one that had revealed itself.
They were spread far and wide, not only in pony lands, but of those belonging to many other races. Each hive was as different to one another as a pony was to a griffon. And yet all Changelings shared one common need, the desire to feed on love. The various hives and their respective Queens all had different ways of going about it, and these Changelings were no different. As they looked on at the increasingly-damaged vessel, one lowly drone stepped forward on it's rocky platform and gave a grim chuckle.
"More drowned ones."
An appropriate remark, for these were the Changelings of the Hagfish Hive. Though less well known as other hives, especially the territorial and aggressive Chrysalis Hive, those of the Hagfish were far fewer in number, though no less deadly. They hunted not in the open, gathering ponies en masse, but one at a time. Their victims were usually those attached to the seas, sailors and the like, whom they would lure in by taking the guise of helpless and drowning ponies lost at sea. However, there were times when other methods were used, and so it would be on this night.
A particularly large waved battered the ship, causing it to tilt a great deal on one side. The drones observing this tragedy knew that it would not be long before their soon-to-be victims were in the state they needed them to be. However, their enthusiasm for the upcoming hunt was lessened somewhat by the sound of approaching hoofsteps. Turning, their eyes widened and they bowed in deference at the figure who approached from within the cave. Larger than the drones, though smaller than the alicorn Princesses, was a Queen, their leader, who now joined them in watching their prey.
"How goes the voyage?"
One of the nearby drones rose from it's bowing position and gestured out towards the ship.
"Not long now, Queen Myxine."
The Queen, Myxine, nodded at that, and kept her clinical gaze upon the sea-bound vessel. Queen Myxine would, like most Changeling leaders, have earned the fear of any pony who saw her, but she did not bear the same resemblance to other Queens, such as Chrysalis. She was smaller, her body more sleek and streamlined, and her mane was short, only just reaching her neck, and was coloured a light blue. But her eyes were what would draw most, for they were truly something to behold. Not filled with anger and hate as Chrysalis' were, but calm, cold and devoid of the same sadistic joy of the hunt as other Queens might feel.
She looked on as wave after wave beat the small ship into oblivion, until finally, it gave way at last. The ship began to split in half, it's wooden construction shattering all along the split. As it began to sink beneath the roaring waves, Myxine looked on as a figure could be seen jumping over the side, plummeting into the dark waters below. A sound of hissing to her side caused her to look down, where she saw that her drones were all waiting eagerly. They knew that the one who fell would be their next meal, and were ready to "retrieve" them, whomever they may be. However, before any could take even a single step forward, their Queen moved a hoof in front of them, barring their path and gaining their full attention as the hissing died down.
"No. I will be the one this night."
There were some glances among the drones, but eventually they all bowed before her yet again. Nodding in response to this, Myxine stepped forward, towards the edge of the rocky platform they all stood on. Looking down at the waters below, the Queen gave an almighty dive down into them. Now some might be more than a little worried if their leader were to fall willingly into such violent and stormy seas, but not these drones. Their kind had been living in these cliffs and waterways for many generations. They knew their way around them, even on a night like this one.
And so it was that Myxine swam with the same speed and efficiency as one might expect of a sleek and agile fish, rapidly moving through the water, the crashes of the waves above doing little to stop her. As she approached the site of the sinking ship, she caught sight of her quarry. It was an earth pony stallion, creamy-yellow in his fur and chestnut brown in his mane, bearing a mark of a compass point on his hind quarters. It was clear from his lack of movement that he'd been rendered unconscious, though whether it was from the water pouring into his lungs or impacting the water, Myxine could not say.
Still, it wouldn't do to have her next meal die before she used him, so, swimming fast, she caught the unmoving stallion her her hooves before spinning around and swimming for the surface. Once above, the weather was, ironically enough, only now beginning to calm, as the waves became much easier to move around in. Catching sight of a nearby sandy beach, she carried her prey as well as she could, making sure to keep his head above water at all times. It took a while, but she finally managed to bring both him and herself ashore. Myxine gently laid him upon the soft sand, and knew from looking that it would be some time before he awoke.
So, knowing that she had some time to kill, she sat down and watched the sea beside them, as minute by minute the storm began to subside. As the minutes turned into hours, and the clouds parted, Myxine saw that the sun was beginning to rise on the horizon. It was here that her attention was drawn back to the stallion, who was beginning to stir. The Queen sensed that he would soon wake up, and so chose then to assume her disguise. In a flash of blue flame, the Queen of the Hagfish Changelings was no longer there, replaced instead by an earth pony mare, her coat a dark blue and her mane still retaining the same colour she bore in her natural form.
Having done this a few times, Myxine knew the kinds of mares sailors like. The young and fair maidens, whose manes were long and whose eyes were sparkling. The kind of innocent-looking girls one might hear from a fairy tale meant for children. Kneeling beside the stallion, she placed one hoof beneath his head, lifting it up gently, and looked down at his face. As his eyes began to slowly open, the sun had risen in earnest, and it's rays shone behind the disguised Myxine, illuminating her from behind as the stallion first laid his eyes on her. The Queen had to resist the urge to chuckle, for what luck must she have had for the sun's light to give her exactly the kind of appearance a drowning sailor would wish to wake up to.
The stallion's eyes lingered on her for a great deal of time, as Myxine gave him a warm smile. It was the kind of smile she'd never have on her face except when hunting, and she'd practised it well. Eventually, after staring at her in the same way that one might gaze upon a God, the stallion's eyes widened with shock as his head moved from left to right.
"Wha...what happened?"
Myxine had done this many times, and so already knew the story to tell. Speaking in a soft voice, she gave the stallion her story.
"It was terrible! The storm tore your ship apart like it was nothing! I was out on the coast, watching the whole thing. When I saw you fall to the water, I knew I had to help."
The stallion looked at her, his expression bearing one of increasing calm.
"You...you saved me?"
Putting on a practised and fake blush, Myxine smiled and turned away, putting on the false impression of being too humble to take credit for something like this. Though rare, there were times when the Hagfish Changelings turned the tables on how their hunts went. Instead of being the victims needing saving, they would be the rescuers, finding those lost or drowning and preventing them from meeting their ends at sea. The gratitude those ponies feel towards their rescuers becomes, with time, exactly the kind of love the Changelings feed upon. And if all went according to plan, that was exactly what Queen Myxine planned here.
However, this moment of calm was interrupted by the stallion, who turned from, her and looked out towards the sea.
"My...crew?"
Myxine faced him, her face bearing a look of remorse. Though like everything else she was showing him, that too was false.
"I'm sorry...but only you survived."
The stallion's face morphed into one of pain and regret. Myxine knew it well. He would blame himself, wishing that it was his crew that was saved instead of himself. She'd heard the story a dozen times in her life. Survivor's guilt, the called it. Though she did not show it, this annoyed her, for his emotions were drifting away from what she needed them to be. Taking action, she placed a hoof under his chin and drew his face to look at her once more. With their eyes locked onto each other, she put on her fake smile again before speaking softly.
"Shhh...it's alright. You're safe here."
Although still bearing a pained look, it was only temporary, as the stallion's eyes soon closed and he let out a long sigh, his face moving into her hoof. Myxine smiled, though this time for herself. He was like a child right now, being cradled by his mother. And like a child, he was also helpless, for Myxine knew that he felt it, the gratitude for being saved from death. She would stay with him now, for a time, and grow close to him as she had with so many others. She would take that gratitude and cultivate it, nurture it, until it finally bloomed into the love she needed so much.
Then, when that day came, she would invite him to a romantic moonlight walk on the beach, perhaps innocently suggesting that they explore the nearby caves together. And he would love her so much that he wouldn't say no. He would follow her, his saviour, the mare he'd pledged his heart to, never noticing until it was too late that the cave she brought him to would not be empty, or that his beloved mare no longer had the face he fell in love with. But now, she simply looked down at the stallion, still so tired from his ordeal that he'd fallen unconscious again. Leaning forward, Myxine brought her false face towards him, her lips barely an inch away from his, and whispered the only honest thing she would ever say to him.
"Enjoy your peaceful moment, dear stallion...while you can."
