Author's Note

Obsidian makes a new friend from an unexpected creature.

Chapter 5: A New Friend

Obsidian was visiting her parents' graves over Hearth's Warming Eve, she was just about to leave when she turned and saw a creature sitting alone on the hilltop across from where she stood on the far end of the large cemetery. She walked up and saw that it was a bug like a creature with fangs and large buggish eyes.........it was a changing. She walked up and sat beside it quietly. It turned its head and looked surprised at the pony beside it. The crudely cut tombstone was labeled with the name Aphrodite; she recalled that name her studies in mythology. The name belonged to the goddess of love, beauty & pleasure. Changelings feed off of the love of others. This change looked so forlorn and thin, after wracking her brain she realized that this creature had been in the form of a pegasus all year and she now just took the time to visit it. She realized she had cut herself off from the world, over the past six years she became a hermit. She broke down and sobbed realizing that the only time she was out was for work. She wrapped a foreleg around the changing and drew him close.

"Hi, I'm Obsidian. I'm the caretaker of the grounds and also I'm the one who buries the ponies most of the time. What's your name?"

The changeling replied, "I'm called Zeus, I've seen you here often.........what made you decide to come over?"

"Well Zeus, I felt a tingling of pain and I saw you on the hilltop and I finally came up to see ya. I can..........feel when a somepony is close to death or about to die. Come, I'll get you food and to get you warmed up."

The changing followed her down the snow-covered hill and into the cottage. Obsidian had put the soup on the hearth to cook by this time it was ready to eat. Zeus knew that all ponies knew that Changelings feed off love and yet he could feel that he was being given love by this pony. Most ponies he encountered had run him off. Being in his near starving state his magic ability to change form wasn't working.

"Obsidian......." He began, "besides feeding off love I can tell when some creature is dealing with loss. How long has it been?"

"Six years since my father passed on, granted I've never spoken to any pony about it. How'd you know?"

"I could sense it from the love you've given me.........I easily took your father's form months ago and taken the love from you but I couldn't. Knowing what it was like losing a parent that would be the cruelest thing is to take the form of one's deceased parent."

"May I ask? Why aren't you not with your hive?"

"I was kicked from it..........I wouldn't steal love, I asked for it.......let's just say it wasn't popular. My mother was of the same view and off we were sent. However, ponies showed us kindness and love through their actions. My mother passed at the beginning of this year of old age. I knew you saw me when I took my pony form, just counted the days until you were ready to come to my hilltop.