As she watched the frail, emaciated changeling shivering against the snow in a small nest made from fallen branches, Twilight Sparkle knew what she was supposed to do. As an Element bearer, her duty was to Equestria. As an alicorn and princess, she wanted to protect her home. And yet, she had not moved to take action and was still watching the former changeling queen Chrysalis from a couple metres off.
It was not as though Chrysalis hadn't been given chances to redeem herself, she had just always let them slip away. After her failed invasion she could simply have stayed away from Equestria or she could have attempted diplomacy, but instead she planned another attack. She foalnapped the Cutie Mark Crusaders and attempted to corrupt Twilight only to be nearly killed by the mare's superior magic. Even after capturing most of Equestria and then being all but totally defeated by her own kin, she still refused friendship. Starlight Glimmer had both figuratively and literally held out a hoof of friendship to her, and still Chrysalis had brushed it aside and swore revenge.
In her time as the Element of Magic, Twilight had learned that sometimes the only way to protect her home was extreme action.
King Sombra would never have stopped trying to enslave Equestria, the only solution had been to remove him as wholly from the world as they could.
Cozy Glow would have damned all of the world in her greed, so Twilight and her friends locked the young pegasus filly in the depths of Tartarus alongside the worst demons.
It was rarely easy to do what needed to be done, but Twilight had always been able to make that choice for the sake of her friends and family. So why was she hesitating with one of Equestria's greatest foes at her hooves?
The changeling hadn't noticed that Twilight was watching her, and continued shivering in the snow.
It was a clear but cold evening, even with no clouds in the sky the snow was already starting to fall again. The temperature would probably reach below zero overnight, the coldest it had been that year. Chrysalis' makeshift shelter could not really be called shelter at all, neither snow nor cold would be held off by the crumbling collection of sticks leaned against each other.
Chrysalis had spent plenty of nights alone and hungry in the wilds, but she was not prepared for snow. Even at its coldest, the Badlands never reached freezing temperatures. Even if she needed to deal with being too hot or cold, she could normally just shift into something meant to handle such extremes. However, she was so starved that she couldn't maintain another form for long.
Every changeling that Chrysalis had ever met knew the pain of hunger, and she had seen hives disappear from starvation. The only thing that changelings can consume for true sustenance was love, but meat could also stave off hunger symptoms for a time. That was not to say that a changeling couldn't die from starvation while eating meat, only that it allowed them an extra few months to find real food.
In the past few months, Chrysalis had eaten more meat than she had in her entire, very long, life.
There was no doubt in Chrysalis’ mind, she would not see another sunrise. She did not regret her life, she had made mistakes but had always put her hive first. She may not have been able to follow them in their Metamorphosis, and she hated the ponies that had stolen her hive. But still, she would die knowing that her children were fed. While she was not happy or even content with her life, she was glad that her purpose as a mother and queen was fulfilled.
Chrysalis let out a shuddering breath as a cold wind chilled her to the bone. She could have found shelter, she could have made a better one. Chrysalis chose not to for a simple reason. Ultimately, she would rather freeze than starve.
There was a sound of crunching snow that made Chrysalis’ ears twitch. At first she thought that it was a predator coming for her, a death worthy of a fallen queen. However, she soon realised that the sound was from hooves.
The cold had sapped all of Chrysalis’ strength, and there was a thin sheen of ice over her body. The pony didn't not speak as they laid down in front of Chrysalis and stretched a hoof and wing over the changeling's body, the warmth felt good.
Chrysalis opened her mouth a tiny bit and tried to taste the emotions running through the pony. The only one that she could distinguish in her weakness was love, not for the queen but love nonetheless. Chrysalis’ tongue lashed forward instinctively and brushed against the pony's lips.
“You're hungry,” The pony spoke with a voice that Chrysalis knew well. “Go ahead. I trust you to not take too much. Consider this your last chance to earn that.”
Forcing her eyes open, Chrysalis beheld the purple alicorn. Twilight Sparkle was wearing a warm looking hat and scarf, as well as saddlebags. Her eyes were closed, and even as Chrysalis shuffled closer Twilight made no move.
Too hungry to refuse the first meal of love in too long, Chrysalis opened her mouth wide and began consuming Twilight’s love. The love was for Twilight’s friends, Chrysalis could taste every distinct flavour. Underneath and slightly tainting the love, however, was an unmistakable flavour of despise for Chrysalis. She did not truly hate Chrysalis which kept the love palatable, but Twilight could not let go of what the changeling had done to her friends.
It was not easy to stop herself from consuming all of Twilight Sparkle’s love, but Chrysalis closed her mouth and laid her head in the snow once more. It would take a few minutes for Twilight to reorient herself after having so much emotion ripped out of her, but by sunrise she would no longer feel notably different than normal.
Now that her stomach was not quite full but definitely better than it had been, Chrysalis looked at the mare laying beside her with a more clear mind. Moments before, Chrysalis had accepted that she was about to die, how could Twilight Sparkle have changed Chrysalis’ mind so quickly?
The alicorn was young, in her late twenties at most. Unlike the other alicorns, Twilight Sparkle ascended because of the bond she shared with her friends. Despite, or perhaps because of those facts, she was able to achieve things that the other princesses could not. Reforming the Spirit of Chaos and always trying to see the best in her foes were not attributes Chrysalis associated with the other princesses.
Perhaps Twilight Sparkle's arrival hadn't changed Chrysalis’ mind, perhaps she had simply given Chrysalis perspective.
Twilight Sparkle slowly regained focus, she felt like she had a headache through her entire body. She also felt weak, like she had just performed the Running Through the Leaves. She could still feel Chrysalis beneath her wing, and was genuinely surprised that the changeling hadn't fled or left Twilight as an empty shell. It gave Twilight hope that maybe, just maybe, Chrysalis could be redeemed.
Opening her eyes, Twilight saw that Chrysalis was watching her. She also saw that Chrysalis had tears at the corners of her eyes. Chrysalis whispered to Twilight, and the mare knew that Chrysalis deserved a second chance to make her life right.
“I don't want to die alone.”
