Reformation for a bugby securyChaptersChapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 3Chapter 1"There is no fitting punishment for your crimes," Celestia said, her eyes filled with anger. Villains looked both helplessly and scared as they knew they were not escaping from Celestia's rage. "Hmm, that seems fitting," both Celestia and Luna said as they nodded in agreement with Discord's idea. "Oh, this is gonna suck for us, right?" whispered Cozy Glow. "Big time," Chrysalis and Tirek gulped at the same time just before they all hit by the white beam. The big cupcake was shattered to pieces and before villains could do anything a gray spots start appearing on their bodies. A few moments later they were sealed to stone. Nearby a whole scene stood Starlight ready approach the villains. Now they are at our mercy, it will be far more easer to convince them to accept the power of friendship. I wonder if is there some kind of rehabilitation program for Tartarus prisoners. Wait...what is Celestia doing? Ok, maybe not Tartarus right now. I guess it will be better left them like a statue for a while. We will check out on them a later and maybe offer if the friendship will not look so bad after living a couple of days as a statue. "Forever together. I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy," Discord said flicking Chrysalis horn. "FOREVER ?!", Starlight almost yelled as she was shocked by that statement, "Isn't that little bit much?". ============================== Several weeks later ============================== "So let me get this straight," Twilight asked with a raised eyebrow. "You want to release Chrysalis from her prison, put her on probation and try to reform her?" "Exactly," Starlight nodded cheerfully. Starlight was actually thinking about this reformation plan for some time and is now excited about putting her plan into motion. "Why would you do that?" Twilight asked. She was still processing the idea. "Well, I could use any excuse to avoid fulfilling your friendship lessons for some time." Starlight smirked. "Starlight!" "Just kidding...hehe" "Now seriously. Petrification is gross overkill," Starlight continued. "Slapping magic inhibitor on them horn a throwing them into a dungeon would be enough to keep her from doing troubles. Another issue that is bothering me is that what happens to Chrysalis and the rest of them is that 'Shadow Pony' thing all over again. Blasting to Limbo first. Ask questions later. Or turn to stone first in this matter." "And again everypony is perfectly fine with that. And that is not fair...," Starlight then took a small pause and sighed, "Because it could be easily me. I could get turned into stone for my crimes. Twilight opened her mouth to say something, but Starlight interrupted her with hoof and continue. "And maybe, just maybe I'm a little guilty that I wasn't able to help Chrysalis. You know, when she foalnapped you and princesses. Maybe if I was more persuasive I could change her mind a prevent her from trying conquering Equestria for the third time. I could prevent a lot of suffering. Especially for Chrysalis." "And finally, don't tell me that you don't feel at least a bit little of sympathy or pity for her," Starlight finished her argument. Twilight took a deep breath. "Yeah. You are right. I would be happy for Chrysalis realizing her mistakes. Did I tell you about that one time when we visited Chrysalis at the prison?" "Yes," Starlight nodded. "Chrysalis did ask me to give her a book. It was, of course, a trick so she could escape. She knew exactly which buttons to push so I would believe her," Twilight admitted her mistake. "But regardless I felt genuinely excited by the prospect that Chrysalis showed signs of reformation. I wanted Chrysalis to accept friendship. I did. But now I fear that Chrysalis will abuse every attempt of kindness and help for her advantage. I'm not sure that you will be able to help Chrysalis at all." "Well, the thing is...," Starlight pause to formulate her point. "I think I'm better at reforming villains then you," said Starlight smugly. "And what do you mean by that?" Twilight said. She glared at Starlight. "Well, I have a higher score than you. I have Stygian. And also whole changeling hive, but I will count that as one". "Pfff," Twilight scoffed. "What about Trixie ?" "Trixie was never a real villain. She was just a little jealous." "Jealous of what? " "Huups. I will tell you some other time. Who else?" "Well, what about you?" "Yeah sure, but you did that because you weren't able to stop me on your own. You needed to reform me because you couldn't stop me on your own." "Starlight! How could you say? I wouldn't turn you to the stone even if I couldn't stop you." "Oh, sorry," Starlight beeped realizing that she said a little too much. There was a moment of awkward silence before Starlight broke it. "But if it was ... say Celestia ... then I would be screwed!" Starlight said. "She wouldn't do that either!" "Well she banished her sister to the moon so I wouldn't keep my hopes high." "She is a ruler and ruler has to do tough decisions sometimes." "I bet that makes the life of living statue a lot of better." "Anyway," said Twilight. She really wanted to avoid discussing this topic. "What do you want from me?" "I want from you what you do best. Make a list," Starlight said. "List of what?" "List of reasons why should Chrysalis deserve a chance for parole. Then send the list to Celestia." "Why only Chrysalis?" "Well, I am not gonna reform than all three at once. They are far more dangerous together. Far better to reform them one after one. Also if I reform Chrysalis then the rest of them will be a piece of cake." "Are you sure you can handle Chrysalis on your own?" "Oh please. I manage to reform whole changeling army on my own. While facing Chrysalis herself and without any backup. Maybe Thorax technically reforms them, but the idea was mine! I am sure I can manage power-hungry, selfish and greedy queen," Starlight said. "She devoted her life to get revenge on you," Twilight pointed out. "And how that worked out for her?" "Not great...," Twilight agreed. "Well, are you sure about this?" "Yeah absolutely. Chrysalis deserves a second chance," Starlight said. "Look I am not saying Chrysalis doesn't deserve punishment. She does, but at the same time, she deserves the same chance you gave me. I didn't do it correctly on the first try either." "Alright, Starlight I am gonna help you." "So are you gonna send a letter to Celestia about releasing Chrysalis from stone." "Sure, but why not you?" "Well, you are Celestia favorite pupil and student and yadda yadda yadda. I think you have a better chance to persuade Celestia then me," Starlight responded. "Also, Celestia may not be the biggest fan of my approach to solving problems." "You mean like the time when you switched Celestia and Luna cutie marks so they would understand each other?" "Yep. For a second I thought Celestia would banish me to a moon for that one," Starlight giggled. "But it worked, right?" "Alright, but you own me big time for this." "You will not regret this." Starlight almost jumps as she was excited with success. "I know Starlight. You are a great pony". Starlight was ready to leave the room before Twilight expressed her last concern. "Starlight. Are you gonna be alright? After all, Chrysalis is a dangerous criminal." "Oh, don't worry. We are old pals." ============================== Later in Canterlot gardens ============================== There was a strong crack as the spell hit the statue and began to undo the petrification spell. A few moments later, Chrysalis's body slammed on the grass with a thump. Starlight horn starts to glow and suddenly a small blue soundproof barrier. Barrier surrounded both pony and changeling. Starlight wanted privacy for the following conversation. She was afraid that Celestia would cancel parole hearing just because Chrysalis would say something really stupid. Which she almost certainly will. "What? What is going on? Is my punishment over," Chrysalis groaned as her eyes adjusted to the outside world. When she finally saw who stood in front of her there was deadly silence. Nope not over. If stares could kill then Starlight would be struck down instantly. There would be probably only a pile of ash left of her. Starlight looked at the former Changeling Queen. Maybe after a couple of weeks of being petrified, she will be more willing to listen to reasons. "STARLIGHT GLIMMER! You! You! You insufferable worm!" Chrysalis shriek without warning. Or maybe not. There goes a therapeutic value of stone imprisonment. None whatsoever. Chrysalis barred her fangs and attacks Starlight. Or she would do that if she could be able a move her body. Apparently a couple of weeks in stone left will not do any favor for your body. She could barely lift her head. "How dare you to show your face in front of me?" Chrysalis shriek again. "I am going to rip off your horn and shove it to-" Starlight closed her muzzle with a magical grip. "Yeah, yeah. Good day to you too," Starlight sighed. "Did you missed me?" Starlight released her magic grip. Starlight wasn't particularly proud of herself of using magic on defenseless Chrysalis, but she needs Chrysalis to listen for now. "I missed you," Chrysalis said more calmly. "As much as having a brain tumor." "I am glad that you kept your charming personality Chrysalis. You always say the nicest things." Chrysalis huffed. "So Celestia finale grew a spine and she is going to execute me?" "What?" Starlight was shocked by that Chrysalis suggested something like this. Starlight maybe was a jerk in the past but she never even think about murdering somepony. That was utterly terrifying for her. "Absolutely not. There will be no killing. Actually this is a parole hearing where I offer you a chance an accept rehabilitation program under my hooves. We will deal with details later." Chrysalis just stared at Starlight with open eyes. She didn't expect that. "I have no interest in being part of this joke. I AM QUEEN," Chrysalis raised her voice. "I'm strong. I not gonna admit any weakness by accepting your mercy. Choke on your parole and jump of the cliff." She turned her head away from the Starlight's glare. "I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that Speak again," Starlight deadpanned and raised her hoof her ear. "You heard me well the first time, worm," Chrysalis hissed. "No, I think not. I think what I heard was: 'Oh sweet Celestia. Thank you, Starlight! Thank you for this once-a-lifetime opportunity to see the error of my ways and do something about it." Starlight said sarcastically. "I am so grateful for this that I will accept your offer because I want to have a normal life. Also, I don't want to spend the rest of my existence as a garden statue because I am not a complete idiot." Starlight snapped irritated by the changeling's stubbornness. Irritated as well, Chrysalis sucked the air into her lungs. How dare Starlight to speak with her like that. "Let me be clear. I don't want your mercy. I don't want to have to do anything with you Starlight. I would rather hug a bloodthirsty manticore. I am not gonna give you any form of satisfaction. To let you humiliating me like that. Mock me like that !" Chrysalis shouted and then continue with an almost begging tone. "Just put back into stone and let's be done with this comedy." Starlight took a breath to calm herself and continue. "I was excepting something like that. Luckily for you, I am just so great pony that not only I am not going to turn you into the stone, but also give you someplace to crash overnight." That pony must be joking. "Are you that stupid? I don't want anything from you! You stole everything from my life. Everything! You corrupted my subjects, stole my hive-" "Oh please stop with self-pitying nonsense," Starlight interrupts Chrysalis. "It is not gonna help you anyway. You are coming with me whatever you want or not." Chrysalis was not happy at all where this is going. "I won't let you ...," Chrysalis said trying to muster threatening tone as much she can. "What exactly are you going to do to stop me?" "Well I am going to-,!" Chrysalis stopped realizing that she can do very little in her situation. "Well, you can't seriously be expecting to me fall over and fall in the line just because you say so!" "I am very serious about that," Starlight said. "I had a really hard time to pursue Celestia to even consider the possibility of realizing you. It is technically a miracle that she had agreed with that and she is irritated at me because of that. I will need to complete like 10 friendship quests to smooth things over. I am not going to throw all that effort out of a window just because of your ego. I would appreciate it if you could last un-stoned for at least a couple of hours." "... So I have no choice? Nothing to say about this?" "Hmm, let me see about that. As far as I am concern, you are completely at my mercy and I can do with you whatever I want. So yeah ... pretty much," Starlight smirked at Chrysalis. "And what I want is you not being turned into stone. Does that answer your question ?" "Insufferable worm...," Chrysalis replied quietly then take a breath a continue. "You must feel all honor and mighty to gloat like that in front of a defenseless enemy. It must feel really good." "No, of course not," Starlight responded, trying preserving a serious tone. Just maybe a tiny little bit. Don't sue me. She shot a leaser beam into my back. "And if this whole 'reformation thingy' goes utterly and completely wrong and I don't change an even little bit?" Chrysalis asked. "Well, then you are going back to stone. But don't worry that won't happen. After I am done with your gonna be everybody's favorite bug. Or at least convince you to not scheming and planning to make lives of others miserable," Starlight responded. "So you set me free, force me into listening friendship lessons and then hope I will accept your friendship. And after that, we will all be wonderful friends. Just like that?" "No! I am not going to force you on listening to friendship lessons. Nopony deserves that. Not even you. But other things? Yeah, totally." Starlight nodded. "That is not a 'princess' thing to do." "You are right. Princess thing is to let you being left garden statue for the rest of eternity. It is a good thing that I am around to have second opinions on how to solve problems. That problem is namely you." "What I ever did that I have to suffer by listening to you?" Chrysalis grinned. "Ahh, that was a rhetorical question or you want me to make a list ?" "I am a Queen. I should not be putting up with this crap," Chrysalis snapped. "Too bad. You should think about before you choose to me like your arch-nemesis." Chrysalis took a deep breath. "Just for the record: I hate you so much, Starlight Glimmer." "Well you are not on my Hearth's Warming Eve card list either, but we will work something out." Chrysalis looked at Starlight for a few moments before she lowered her head and said nothing more. She was tired speaking to the pony she hated the most. "Well, it is official then. Your rehabilitation begins now." Starlight departed away satisfied with herself. That went more or less like she excepted. Of course, Chrysalis would refuse her offer. Being released from a stone after a long time is a ... emotional moment. Chrysalis is a rather impulsive creature. And for her ego would be utterly unacceptable to accept mercy from her enemy. No matter what would she say at this moment, she wouldn't convince Chrysalis to do anything. That is why Starlight gave Chrysalis no choice. What Chrysalis needs right now is at least a couple of hours of free time. So she could move on her own. So she could calm herself down. So she can have time and space to take things more rationally. Only after that can the reformation process further. ============================== Few moments later ============================== Starlight trotted back to the group of ponies consisting of Celestia, Luna, Mane Six. "So? What did she say?", asked Twilight. "She said yes," Starlight replied. "More or less." "And what is your plan Starlight?" Dash asked. "Are you gonna put mind spell on her and brainwashed her to be a good guy or just spank her until she says 'yes'?" Starlight rolled her eyes. "Haha. Very funny." Author's Note Yet another Chrysalis redemption fic. Just idea I got after watching season 9 finale. It is my first fic and there is obviously a lot of room for improvement and editing so please critique. Hope it is not too bad. Chapter 2"We transferred the prisoner to this cell about an hour ago," the guard said and pointed a hoof at the door of the prison cell. Celestia, Starlight Glimmer and the other two guards stood right next to him. "Did Chrysalis caused any trouble during transport?" Celestia asked. "Nothing too serious," the guard replied. "She was still very weak after that time sealed in stone. When she refused to move or tried to resist, we could overpower her quite easily. She hissed a lot and barked some insults at us, though." "Don't know what exactly," the guard added with a slightly amused tone. "Couldn't quite understand her with a muzzle on her snout." Starlight frowned slightly when the guard mentioned the muzzle but said nothing. "Good," Celestia nodded, turning her gaze to Starlight. "Let's lay the ground rules. Any breach of said rules will result in sealing Chrysalis back into stone." Starlight humbly nodded. Starlight didn't want to agitate Celestia in any way and she tried to look as grateful as possible. "Magic inhibitor must stay on her horn all the time unless it is an utter emergency. Chrysalis will be allowed to use her magic only after she is successfully reformed," Celestia said. "As for her changeling abilities, Chrysalis is not allowed to impersonate any living ponies and she is not allowed to steal any love without consent." "She needs love to survive, so she will need to 'steal' love at some point," Starlight pointed out with concern. "Of course, Chrysalis will be allowed to absorb a reasonable amount of love to ensure her survival. I believe you will find a peaceful solution for this issue," Celestia said. "Naturally Chrysalis must obey laws as any regular citizen. And I don't think I need to remind that I will not tolerate any attempts to escape." "I understand," Starlight said. "Will she be allowed to leave her cell?" "Only under your supervision. If Chrysalis takes even one step outside alone then I will immediately order to turn her into stone," Celestia said. "You may ask for assistance from the guards if you will need help." Celestia paused for a moment. "Now I will leave Chrysalis in your hoves. You can proceed with your plan as you see fit." "Thank you, your Highness," Starlight said. "Before I leave I want to say that I don't like it. I am very certain that Chrysalis doesn't deserve the compassion of any kind. I agreed with this plan only out of respect for you Starlight and because Twilight has a high opinion of you. I hope you will not make me regret putting my trust in you," Celestia narrowed her eyes. "And while I find your ability to forgive such a creature as Chrysalis admirable I need you to take this situation most seriously. If Chrysalis will cause harm to any of my subjects, while under your guidance, I will find you responsible as well. Is that clear?" Starlight sighed and nodded. "That is understandable." With that, Celestia turned around and headed away. One of the guards followed her. Starlight was then left alone with two guards. Each of them stood on one side of the door. "Do you want to talk to prisoner now?" one of the guards asked. His tone did not imply much courtesy. The guard didn't try to sound much sour either, but it was clear that he was not too enthusiastic about his duty to guard one of the dangerous prisoners held by Equestria. He probably didn't want to be here at all. "Yes," Starlight answered. It was cold and shadowy in the room. Chrysalis was laying on the floor, her back toward Starlight, at the opposite side of the cell. There were shackles on her arms and legs and muzzle on her snout. The small silver ring was placed at the base of her croaked horn. Starlight was mentally preparing herself to approach the ex-queen. She knew she was acting like a kind of a jerk to Chrysalis in the gardens. Now she was naively hoping that Chrysalis had calmed down enough so she could approach Chrysalis with more kindness. "Chrysalis..." Starlight whispered. Upon hearing her name, Chrysalis ears twitched and she slowly turned her head toward the source of the calling voice. Some words came out of Chrysalis snout but it wasn't quite clear through the muzzle. Algouht it was fair to guess that it was something like 'worm'. Hate oozing from her eyes supported that claim. Starlight approached Chrysalis with a few uncertain steps. She felt a little bit of anxiety at this point. Unlike at Canterlot gardens, she was alone with Chrysalis in one room. Although Starlight doubts that Chrysalis could hurt her with these chains placed on her, she couldn't remove the feeling of uncertainty completely. "I'm gonna remove that muzzle right now, so don't try anything funny," Starlight warned, not taking her eyes from Chrysalis. A snarling sound came from Chrysalis's snout, but she didn't try to turn her head away from Starlight. Starlight took that as a sign of approval and took several deep breaths to give herself confidence. Starlight walked around Chrysalis for a better view of the back of her head. Her horn lit with the magic aura and the magic grip unlocked the buckle holding muzzle to Chrysalis's neck. The muzzle was then thrown on the floor. Chrysalis then opened and closed her jaw several times and licked her lips with her tongue. Starlight then reached one of her hooves out and left hanging it in front of Chrysalis. In return, Chrysalis bared her fangs. After a few moments of embarrassment silence, Chrysalis's eye twitched. "What?" Chrysalis hissed. "I offered you to be my friend once. That offer is still on the table," Starlight said with a little pride in her tone. "I am big on of giving second chances." Hearing friendship offer, Chrysalis's smile grinned even more. "That pathetic sentiment again? What can possibly convince you that this time there would be any difference?" Starlight rolled her eyes and looked around the cell's ceiling, walls, and floor. "Things might be a little different this time." Chrysalis took look upon Starlight hoove, then leaned her head toward Starlight and suddenly spat in her direction. Starlight pulled her hooves back and sighed with little disappointment. Probably too soon, Starlight thought. "You mean that I am degraded to be your pet?" Chrysalis snapped. "Pet on a leash." Chrysalis held up her hooves with hanging chains to make a point. Starlight facehooved. "You are not a pet." Starlight pointed her hooves on the mentioned chains. "These are only for safety purposes. The moment I know I can trust you, I will be more than happy to throw them away." Starlight paused. "But I get the impression that earning trust could take a while." "I am chained to get trust about not being chained? Hardly ideal start, don't you think?" Chrysalis said. "Then again, what I could expect from a worm." "Well, there are hardly any ideal solutions for your situation that I could read from friendship handbook," Starlight said. "I am just gonna have to make it work with what I have." "Oh, I am feeling better every second now," Chrysalis said. "So what is your advice then, you so-called friendship-expert?" "Well, show some appreciation for what I am doing for you would be a good start. Something like 'Well since my carrier as a piece of garden accessories wasn't fulfilling as I might hope for, I am grateful that you give me some other option' kind of thanks," Starlight said. "Thig argument again?" Chrysalis deadpanned. "Show appreciation? For what? For not being turned to stone? Is that some kind of new requirement you ponies recently set as a standard for a living?" Chrysalis barked. "Don't expect me to say 'Oh Celestia, thank you so much that you allow me to breathe at all'." "Well, it is not standard for everypony. Just for individuals who tried to conquer Equestria multiple times and too stubborn to listen to reasons," Starlight said. "So this how it is gonna be, huh?" Chrysalis snarked. "I bet I will be hearing 'Chrysalis behave yourself or you will be turned back to stone' commands all time. You are just gonna threaten to me unless I bend for your friendship thing, right?" Chrysalis paused. "Well, you can save some time and do it right now." "Why would I do something like that?" Starlight asked. "It would be a real jerk move on my part to bring you here, offer you a second chance and then smack you with petrification spell. What kind of pony, do you think I am?" "The most unbearable one," Chrysalis said. "So no threats, huh?" "Yes," Starlight said. "Well, unless you are gonna be too stubborn about it." Starlight adds with a bit of amusement. "Well, then I want to like to point out one fatal flaw in your otherwise highly practical plan," Chrysalis said. "There is no way that I would willingly participate in your 'reformation program' or how you would call it. Not without any kind of leverage, which you just stupidly confess you wouldn't use." Chrysalis paused. "To put it simply: You will get nothing from me without forcing me. Not that you could force me to do anything in the first place." "I don't think I need to force you to do anything, at least not in the long-run," Starlight said. "You will do eventually some progress on your part." "And what makes you think that?" Chrysalis asked. "I believe that you are more determinant and resourceful then most ponies give you credit for. Your dedication for revenge, not that I appreciate it in any way, seems like you are willing to go to great lengths to achieve victory. This kind of determination and your sudden resignation to be put back into stone seems strange to me." Starlight paused. "It just doesn't add up." Chrysalis didn't comment that. "I don't believe that you wish to be put back into stone. I believe that you are stubborn just to spite for some reason. Or at least I want to believe that," Starlight said almost pitifully. "So there is a hope that you will come along. That is enough for me now." Chrysalis just stood her without reaction, with the proud and dignified expression on her face. If Starlight hoping for any indication of how much she was right in her statement, then she would be disappointed. She couldn't read anything from Chrysalis's face. "Well, I think I will leave to get some rest for now. We have a lot of work to do," Starlight said cheerfully. "I will come back later and bring some food, OK?" Chrysalis just snorted and turned her head away from Starlight and lay back on the floor. "I will take that as a yes," Starlight said. With that Starlight left the prison cell. Author's Note This chapter is a bit short but I want to finally make some update. Chapter 3Starlight sat at the table with Twilight, drinking apple cider from her cup. They talked at first about books, food, and oncoming Twilight's coronation. Then the conversation took a course about Starlight's first impression of Chrysalis. Meeting with Chrysalis left Starlight with mixed feelings of frustration and disappointment. Starlight wasn't very upset, she had no high expectations of the Chrysalis's reactions, but she wasn't cheerful either. She was fully expecting to Chrysalis act with bitterness and stubbornness but still secretly hoping for hints of some kind of appreciation. That was probably naive hope since it looked like that Chrysalis was now too full of anger to have any spare space for gratitude. Or Chrysalis just didn't want to give Starlight any hints that she, in fact, would need help from Starlight. Not that Starlight strictly needed Chrysalis gratitude for personal satisfaction but because it could provide some kind of information on how to reach Chrysalis. Some indication that Starlight was moving in the right direction. Right now it looked like Starlight would need to use a whip to make Chrysalis do anything at all. And some gratitude itself would be also nice since Starlight indeed freed Chrysalis's chitin-flank from stone. Her ungrateful chitin-flank apparently. Twilight looked rather bothersome at that point when the topic of Chrysalis came. Both friends waited in silence before Twilight finally said what she had in mind. "Are you really sure you want to deal with Chrysalis?" "Let me guess," Starlight said. "The moment you were excited for helping me passed and now you have second thoughts?" "It is possible that it's something like that," Twilight confirmed. "I am still wondering if what are you doing is the right thing to do." Starlight stood silent for a moment before guessing what Twilight had in mind. "...are we going to have now a discussion if Chrysalis is worth saving?" Starlight asked. "I get the feeling we are going to have that discussion." Twilight sighed. "I wouldn't say it like that, but basically yes." "Well if that is the case," Starlight said. "Could we just skipped a few parts and get forward to the end where we both more or less agree that is Chrysalis is indeed worth saving?" Starlight asked with a hopeful smile. "I would like to keep my spirit uncrushed." The reason Starlight didn't want to discuss Chrysalis's reformation wasn't that there would be any doubt about Starlight's inner motivations. The real reason was that despite Starlight's inner drive to help Chrysalis it was actually hard for Starlight to trying to justify and defend Chrysalis's actions with anypony in open discussion. With havoc that Chrysalis caused it was really easy to argue that Chrysalis should be sealed in the stone forever. At that comment, Twilight smiled a little but then again took a serious tone. "I understand your motivations and I always rooted for the idea that everypony deserves a second chance," Twilight said. "But Chrysalis...she is just horrible. Even what she did at Canterlot wedding pale in comparison with harm she caused when she came back with Cozy Glow and Tirek." "That is true," Starlight agreed. Twilight was trying to say something but now she just looked confused at Starlight, waiting what she says next. "Chrysalis is horrible and I am not gonna deny it," Starlight said taking a deep breath. "Look, I get it. Nopony wants Chrysalis around. I bet my five bits that I soon will get 'Hey isn't that pony who released that monster from stone and yadda yadda yadda' type of looks. That is something I will just have to deal with it." Starlight paused for a moment, sipping from her cup. "I am gonna level with you. I can see Chrysalis for what she is. Chrysalis is not some kind of lost and misguided soul. She is a cruel and uncaring jerk. She is a villain with big capital V," Starlight said. "I am not gonna say that I saw good in her at first sight or anything like that." Starlight took another sip. Twilight was silently listening. "What I see right now is bad and I would consider that what’s underneath her is even worse. I except to finds out things about Chrysalis not to be exactly nicest." "And you are still fine to try to help her?", Twilight asked. Starlight nodded. "Why?" Twilight asked. "Because I was pretty massive jerk myself," Starlight responded. "But in the end, I don't think I turn out that bad." "Oh common, that was completely different," Twilight said. "Yeah, because I only almost destroyed Equestria thanks to my time travel shenanigans, right?" Starlight asked. "But you didn't destroy Equestria," Twilight said. "And Chrysalis didn't conquer Equestria," Starlight responded. "Ok, I get that but tell why should you really do it?" Twilight asked. "Because it is the right thing to do and somepony should do something about it?" Starlight shrugged. "I know it is not much but what should I tell you?" Twilight sighed. "This is not an argument that I am gonna win, right?" "Probably," Starlight said with a bright smile. "Look, if it makes you feel any better, then don't think that just because I took pity on Chrysalis, does mean that she is off the hook for the crimes she has done," Starlight said. "I will just have come with more appropriate punishment afterward. Something that will keep her in line but at the same time, it would be more dignified so she wouldn't turn back to evil ways at the first bump on the road." "I guess that counts for something," Twilight partly agreed. "But ultimately none of these things make me even for a moment to think that Chrysalis is not worth saving," Starlight said. "Besides it is a bit of late to pull the plug now. Chrysalis is at my mercy now and I won't give up on her just because turn her back into stone would a little more convenient then tried to reach her." Twilight raised one of her eyebrows. "A little convenient?" "Ok, from a practical view it would be a lot more convenient," Starlight said. "But that's not the point!" Twilight reluctantly nodded. "I am not sure if I agree with it, but in any case, you have a lot of work to do." Twilight paused. "But how come you are so excited about it?" Twilight asked. "Reforming power-hungry tyrants doesn't strike me like some casual hobby to pass time and you can't know for sure that it would even work." "I am delusional about it," Starlight said. "That sounds sure sounds professional," Twilight giggled. "Does it helps?" "Well, I guess some healthy dose of naivety is a requirement for this kind of job," Starlight said. Twilight looked like she became more and more inclined to Starlight's idea, but she tried one last argument. "But what about that duel thing? I mean when she actually tried to beat you down and hurt you?" Starlight froze for a moment as a memory of her duel with Chrysalis struck her. Starlight would be lying if she told that is wasn't a traumatic experience. In fact, she was scared out of her mind at the moment when Chrysalis overpowered her. She was afraid that she was going to die. But over a short period of time Starlight was able to overcome the consequences of her encounter with Chrysalis and was able to forgive Chrysalis for that. Her previous experiences with stressful and challenging situations surely helped. Starlight took a deep breath. "You don't have to worry about that. I already forgive Chrysalis for that. I wouldn't be much able to help her in the first place if my own grudge would holding me back." Twilight was secretly proud of her former pupil for that kind of determination as she was able to forgive one of her worst enemies. "So you are going to help Chrysalis, despite me and everypony else thinking what are you doing is reckless and dangerous?" Twilight asked, amused. "Well, that never stopped me before," Starlight smirked. "You have answers for everything," Twilight said with a cheerful smile. "Out of curiosity, does Chrysalis appreciate your efforts?" "Hell no!" Starlight said. "She wouldn't accept any helping hoof even if her life depends on it." Starlight paused to take another sip. "Which very well may be the case right now." "Well if I can't stop from your self-destructive tendencies, then I wish you best of luck," Twilight said. "And what about you?" Starlight asked. "I mean what are you gonna do about my efforts to help Chrysalis." "Probably nothing," Twilight said. "What I mean is that I am not sure if I can ever forgive Chrysalis for her crimes." Twilight paused. "But I trust your instincts Starlight and I promise that I will not stand in your way and if you will succeed in reforming Chrysalis then I would truly happy for you." "Thanks, Twilight," Starlight said. "I really appreciate it." "Are you gonna see her soon?" Twilight asked. "Chrysalis I mean." "Yeah I should check on her pretty soon," Starlight responded. "I should probably take some cupcakes with me."
Chapter 1"There is no fitting punishment for your crimes," Celestia said, her eyes filled with anger. Villains looked both helplessly and scared as they knew they were not escaping from Celestia's rage. "Hmm, that seems fitting," both Celestia and Luna said as they nodded in agreement with Discord's idea. "Oh, this is gonna suck for us, right?" whispered Cozy Glow. "Big time," Chrysalis and Tirek gulped at the same time just before they all hit by the white beam. The big cupcake was shattered to pieces and before villains could do anything a gray spots start appearing on their bodies. A few moments later they were sealed to stone. Nearby a whole scene stood Starlight ready approach the villains. Now they are at our mercy, it will be far more easer to convince them to accept the power of friendship. I wonder if is there some kind of rehabilitation program for Tartarus prisoners. Wait...what is Celestia doing? Ok, maybe not Tartarus right now. I guess it will be better left them like a statue for a while. We will check out on them a later and maybe offer if the friendship will not look so bad after living a couple of days as a statue. "Forever together. I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy," Discord said flicking Chrysalis horn. "FOREVER ?!", Starlight almost yelled as she was shocked by that statement, "Isn't that little bit much?". ============================== Several weeks later ============================== "So let me get this straight," Twilight asked with a raised eyebrow. "You want to release Chrysalis from her prison, put her on probation and try to reform her?" "Exactly," Starlight nodded cheerfully. Starlight was actually thinking about this reformation plan for some time and is now excited about putting her plan into motion. "Why would you do that?" Twilight asked. She was still processing the idea. "Well, I could use any excuse to avoid fulfilling your friendship lessons for some time." Starlight smirked. "Starlight!" "Just kidding...hehe" "Now seriously. Petrification is gross overkill," Starlight continued. "Slapping magic inhibitor on them horn a throwing them into a dungeon would be enough to keep her from doing troubles. Another issue that is bothering me is that what happens to Chrysalis and the rest of them is that 'Shadow Pony' thing all over again. Blasting to Limbo first. Ask questions later. Or turn to stone first in this matter." "And again everypony is perfectly fine with that. And that is not fair...," Starlight then took a small pause and sighed, "Because it could be easily me. I could get turned into stone for my crimes. Twilight opened her mouth to say something, but Starlight interrupted her with hoof and continue. "And maybe, just maybe I'm a little guilty that I wasn't able to help Chrysalis. You know, when she foalnapped you and princesses. Maybe if I was more persuasive I could change her mind a prevent her from trying conquering Equestria for the third time. I could prevent a lot of suffering. Especially for Chrysalis." "And finally, don't tell me that you don't feel at least a bit little of sympathy or pity for her," Starlight finished her argument. Twilight took a deep breath. "Yeah. You are right. I would be happy for Chrysalis realizing her mistakes. Did I tell you about that one time when we visited Chrysalis at the prison?" "Yes," Starlight nodded. "Chrysalis did ask me to give her a book. It was, of course, a trick so she could escape. She knew exactly which buttons to push so I would believe her," Twilight admitted her mistake. "But regardless I felt genuinely excited by the prospect that Chrysalis showed signs of reformation. I wanted Chrysalis to accept friendship. I did. But now I fear that Chrysalis will abuse every attempt of kindness and help for her advantage. I'm not sure that you will be able to help Chrysalis at all." "Well, the thing is...," Starlight pause to formulate her point. "I think I'm better at reforming villains then you," said Starlight smugly. "And what do you mean by that?" Twilight said. She glared at Starlight. "Well, I have a higher score than you. I have Stygian. And also whole changeling hive, but I will count that as one". "Pfff," Twilight scoffed. "What about Trixie ?" "Trixie was never a real villain. She was just a little jealous." "Jealous of what? " "Huups. I will tell you some other time. Who else?" "Well, what about you?" "Yeah sure, but you did that because you weren't able to stop me on your own. You needed to reform me because you couldn't stop me on your own." "Starlight! How could you say? I wouldn't turn you to the stone even if I couldn't stop you." "Oh, sorry," Starlight beeped realizing that she said a little too much. There was a moment of awkward silence before Starlight broke it. "But if it was ... say Celestia ... then I would be screwed!" Starlight said. "She wouldn't do that either!" "Well she banished her sister to the moon so I wouldn't keep my hopes high." "She is a ruler and ruler has to do tough decisions sometimes." "I bet that makes the life of living statue a lot of better." "Anyway," said Twilight. She really wanted to avoid discussing this topic. "What do you want from me?" "I want from you what you do best. Make a list," Starlight said. "List of what?" "List of reasons why should Chrysalis deserve a chance for parole. Then send the list to Celestia." "Why only Chrysalis?" "Well, I am not gonna reform than all three at once. They are far more dangerous together. Far better to reform them one after one. Also if I reform Chrysalis then the rest of them will be a piece of cake." "Are you sure you can handle Chrysalis on your own?" "Oh please. I manage to reform whole changeling army on my own. While facing Chrysalis herself and without any backup. Maybe Thorax technically reforms them, but the idea was mine! I am sure I can manage power-hungry, selfish and greedy queen," Starlight said. "She devoted her life to get revenge on you," Twilight pointed out. "And how that worked out for her?" "Not great...," Twilight agreed. "Well, are you sure about this?" "Yeah absolutely. Chrysalis deserves a second chance," Starlight said. "Look I am not saying Chrysalis doesn't deserve punishment. She does, but at the same time, she deserves the same chance you gave me. I didn't do it correctly on the first try either." "Alright, Starlight I am gonna help you." "So are you gonna send a letter to Celestia about releasing Chrysalis from stone." "Sure, but why not you?" "Well, you are Celestia favorite pupil and student and yadda yadda yadda. I think you have a better chance to persuade Celestia then me," Starlight responded. "Also, Celestia may not be the biggest fan of my approach to solving problems." "You mean like the time when you switched Celestia and Luna cutie marks so they would understand each other?" "Yep. For a second I thought Celestia would banish me to a moon for that one," Starlight giggled. "But it worked, right?" "Alright, but you own me big time for this." "You will not regret this." Starlight almost jumps as she was excited with success. "I know Starlight. You are a great pony". Starlight was ready to leave the room before Twilight expressed her last concern. "Starlight. Are you gonna be alright? After all, Chrysalis is a dangerous criminal." "Oh, don't worry. We are old pals." ============================== Later in Canterlot gardens ============================== There was a strong crack as the spell hit the statue and began to undo the petrification spell. A few moments later, Chrysalis's body slammed on the grass with a thump. Starlight horn starts to glow and suddenly a small blue soundproof barrier. Barrier surrounded both pony and changeling. Starlight wanted privacy for the following conversation. She was afraid that Celestia would cancel parole hearing just because Chrysalis would say something really stupid. Which she almost certainly will. "What? What is going on? Is my punishment over," Chrysalis groaned as her eyes adjusted to the outside world. When she finally saw who stood in front of her there was deadly silence. Nope not over. If stares could kill then Starlight would be struck down instantly. There would be probably only a pile of ash left of her. Starlight looked at the former Changeling Queen. Maybe after a couple of weeks of being petrified, she will be more willing to listen to reasons. "STARLIGHT GLIMMER! You! You! You insufferable worm!" Chrysalis shriek without warning. Or maybe not. There goes a therapeutic value of stone imprisonment. None whatsoever. Chrysalis barred her fangs and attacks Starlight. Or she would do that if she could be able a move her body. Apparently a couple of weeks in stone left will not do any favor for your body. She could barely lift her head. "How dare you to show your face in front of me?" Chrysalis shriek again. "I am going to rip off your horn and shove it to-" Starlight closed her muzzle with a magical grip. "Yeah, yeah. Good day to you too," Starlight sighed. "Did you missed me?" Starlight released her magic grip. Starlight wasn't particularly proud of herself of using magic on defenseless Chrysalis, but she needs Chrysalis to listen for now. "I missed you," Chrysalis said more calmly. "As much as having a brain tumor." "I am glad that you kept your charming personality Chrysalis. You always say the nicest things." Chrysalis huffed. "So Celestia finale grew a spine and she is going to execute me?" "What?" Starlight was shocked by that Chrysalis suggested something like this. Starlight maybe was a jerk in the past but she never even think about murdering somepony. That was utterly terrifying for her. "Absolutely not. There will be no killing. Actually this is a parole hearing where I offer you a chance an accept rehabilitation program under my hooves. We will deal with details later." Chrysalis just stared at Starlight with open eyes. She didn't expect that. "I have no interest in being part of this joke. I AM QUEEN," Chrysalis raised her voice. "I'm strong. I not gonna admit any weakness by accepting your mercy. Choke on your parole and jump of the cliff." She turned her head away from the Starlight's glare. "I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that Speak again," Starlight deadpanned and raised her hoof her ear. "You heard me well the first time, worm," Chrysalis hissed. "No, I think not. I think what I heard was: 'Oh sweet Celestia. Thank you, Starlight! Thank you for this once-a-lifetime opportunity to see the error of my ways and do something about it." Starlight said sarcastically. "I am so grateful for this that I will accept your offer because I want to have a normal life. Also, I don't want to spend the rest of my existence as a garden statue because I am not a complete idiot." Starlight snapped irritated by the changeling's stubbornness. Irritated as well, Chrysalis sucked the air into her lungs. How dare Starlight to speak with her like that. "Let me be clear. I don't want your mercy. I don't want to have to do anything with you Starlight. I would rather hug a bloodthirsty manticore. I am not gonna give you any form of satisfaction. To let you humiliating me like that. Mock me like that !" Chrysalis shouted and then continue with an almost begging tone. "Just put back into stone and let's be done with this comedy." Starlight took a breath to calm herself and continue. "I was excepting something like that. Luckily for you, I am just so great pony that not only I am not going to turn you into the stone, but also give you someplace to crash overnight." That pony must be joking. "Are you that stupid? I don't want anything from you! You stole everything from my life. Everything! You corrupted my subjects, stole my hive-" "Oh please stop with self-pitying nonsense," Starlight interrupts Chrysalis. "It is not gonna help you anyway. You are coming with me whatever you want or not." Chrysalis was not happy at all where this is going. "I won't let you ...," Chrysalis said trying to muster threatening tone as much she can. "What exactly are you going to do to stop me?" "Well I am going to-,!" Chrysalis stopped realizing that she can do very little in her situation. "Well, you can't seriously be expecting to me fall over and fall in the line just because you say so!" "I am very serious about that," Starlight said. "I had a really hard time to pursue Celestia to even consider the possibility of realizing you. It is technically a miracle that she had agreed with that and she is irritated at me because of that. I will need to complete like 10 friendship quests to smooth things over. I am not going to throw all that effort out of a window just because of your ego. I would appreciate it if you could last un-stoned for at least a couple of hours." "... So I have no choice? Nothing to say about this?" "Hmm, let me see about that. As far as I am concern, you are completely at my mercy and I can do with you whatever I want. So yeah ... pretty much," Starlight smirked at Chrysalis. "And what I want is you not being turned into stone. Does that answer your question ?" "Insufferable worm...," Chrysalis replied quietly then take a breath a continue. "You must feel all honor and mighty to gloat like that in front of a defenseless enemy. It must feel really good." "No, of course not," Starlight responded, trying preserving a serious tone. Just maybe a tiny little bit. Don't sue me. She shot a leaser beam into my back. "And if this whole 'reformation thingy' goes utterly and completely wrong and I don't change an even little bit?" Chrysalis asked. "Well, then you are going back to stone. But don't worry that won't happen. After I am done with your gonna be everybody's favorite bug. Or at least convince you to not scheming and planning to make lives of others miserable," Starlight responded. "So you set me free, force me into listening friendship lessons and then hope I will accept your friendship. And after that, we will all be wonderful friends. Just like that?" "No! I am not going to force you on listening to friendship lessons. Nopony deserves that. Not even you. But other things? Yeah, totally." Starlight nodded. "That is not a 'princess' thing to do." "You are right. Princess thing is to let you being left garden statue for the rest of eternity. It is a good thing that I am around to have second opinions on how to solve problems. That problem is namely you." "What I ever did that I have to suffer by listening to you?" Chrysalis grinned. "Ahh, that was a rhetorical question or you want me to make a list ?" "I am a Queen. I should not be putting up with this crap," Chrysalis snapped. "Too bad. You should think about before you choose to me like your arch-nemesis." Chrysalis took a deep breath. "Just for the record: I hate you so much, Starlight Glimmer." "Well you are not on my Hearth's Warming Eve card list either, but we will work something out." Chrysalis looked at Starlight for a few moments before she lowered her head and said nothing more. She was tired speaking to the pony she hated the most. "Well, it is official then. Your rehabilitation begins now." Starlight departed away satisfied with herself. That went more or less like she excepted. Of course, Chrysalis would refuse her offer. Being released from a stone after a long time is a ... emotional moment. Chrysalis is a rather impulsive creature. And for her ego would be utterly unacceptable to accept mercy from her enemy. No matter what would she say at this moment, she wouldn't convince Chrysalis to do anything. That is why Starlight gave Chrysalis no choice. What Chrysalis needs right now is at least a couple of hours of free time. So she could move on her own. So she could calm herself down. So she can have time and space to take things more rationally. Only after that can the reformation process further. ============================== Few moments later ============================== Starlight trotted back to the group of ponies consisting of Celestia, Luna, Mane Six. "So? What did she say?", asked Twilight. "She said yes," Starlight replied. "More or less." "And what is your plan Starlight?" Dash asked. "Are you gonna put mind spell on her and brainwashed her to be a good guy or just spank her until she says 'yes'?" Starlight rolled her eyes. "Haha. Very funny." Author's Note Yet another Chrysalis redemption fic. Just idea I got after watching season 9 finale. It is my first fic and there is obviously a lot of room for improvement and editing so please critique. Hope it is not too bad.
Chapter 2"We transferred the prisoner to this cell about an hour ago," the guard said and pointed a hoof at the door of the prison cell. Celestia, Starlight Glimmer and the other two guards stood right next to him. "Did Chrysalis caused any trouble during transport?" Celestia asked. "Nothing too serious," the guard replied. "She was still very weak after that time sealed in stone. When she refused to move or tried to resist, we could overpower her quite easily. She hissed a lot and barked some insults at us, though." "Don't know what exactly," the guard added with a slightly amused tone. "Couldn't quite understand her with a muzzle on her snout." Starlight frowned slightly when the guard mentioned the muzzle but said nothing. "Good," Celestia nodded, turning her gaze to Starlight. "Let's lay the ground rules. Any breach of said rules will result in sealing Chrysalis back into stone." Starlight humbly nodded. Starlight didn't want to agitate Celestia in any way and she tried to look as grateful as possible. "Magic inhibitor must stay on her horn all the time unless it is an utter emergency. Chrysalis will be allowed to use her magic only after she is successfully reformed," Celestia said. "As for her changeling abilities, Chrysalis is not allowed to impersonate any living ponies and she is not allowed to steal any love without consent." "She needs love to survive, so she will need to 'steal' love at some point," Starlight pointed out with concern. "Of course, Chrysalis will be allowed to absorb a reasonable amount of love to ensure her survival. I believe you will find a peaceful solution for this issue," Celestia said. "Naturally Chrysalis must obey laws as any regular citizen. And I don't think I need to remind that I will not tolerate any attempts to escape." "I understand," Starlight said. "Will she be allowed to leave her cell?" "Only under your supervision. If Chrysalis takes even one step outside alone then I will immediately order to turn her into stone," Celestia said. "You may ask for assistance from the guards if you will need help." Celestia paused for a moment. "Now I will leave Chrysalis in your hoves. You can proceed with your plan as you see fit." "Thank you, your Highness," Starlight said. "Before I leave I want to say that I don't like it. I am very certain that Chrysalis doesn't deserve the compassion of any kind. I agreed with this plan only out of respect for you Starlight and because Twilight has a high opinion of you. I hope you will not make me regret putting my trust in you," Celestia narrowed her eyes. "And while I find your ability to forgive such a creature as Chrysalis admirable I need you to take this situation most seriously. If Chrysalis will cause harm to any of my subjects, while under your guidance, I will find you responsible as well. Is that clear?" Starlight sighed and nodded. "That is understandable." With that, Celestia turned around and headed away. One of the guards followed her. Starlight was then left alone with two guards. Each of them stood on one side of the door. "Do you want to talk to prisoner now?" one of the guards asked. His tone did not imply much courtesy. The guard didn't try to sound much sour either, but it was clear that he was not too enthusiastic about his duty to guard one of the dangerous prisoners held by Equestria. He probably didn't want to be here at all. "Yes," Starlight answered. It was cold and shadowy in the room. Chrysalis was laying on the floor, her back toward Starlight, at the opposite side of the cell. There were shackles on her arms and legs and muzzle on her snout. The small silver ring was placed at the base of her croaked horn. Starlight was mentally preparing herself to approach the ex-queen. She knew she was acting like a kind of a jerk to Chrysalis in the gardens. Now she was naively hoping that Chrysalis had calmed down enough so she could approach Chrysalis with more kindness. "Chrysalis..." Starlight whispered. Upon hearing her name, Chrysalis ears twitched and she slowly turned her head toward the source of the calling voice. Some words came out of Chrysalis snout but it wasn't quite clear through the muzzle. Algouht it was fair to guess that it was something like 'worm'. Hate oozing from her eyes supported that claim. Starlight approached Chrysalis with a few uncertain steps. She felt a little bit of anxiety at this point. Unlike at Canterlot gardens, she was alone with Chrysalis in one room. Although Starlight doubts that Chrysalis could hurt her with these chains placed on her, she couldn't remove the feeling of uncertainty completely. "I'm gonna remove that muzzle right now, so don't try anything funny," Starlight warned, not taking her eyes from Chrysalis. A snarling sound came from Chrysalis's snout, but she didn't try to turn her head away from Starlight. Starlight took that as a sign of approval and took several deep breaths to give herself confidence. Starlight walked around Chrysalis for a better view of the back of her head. Her horn lit with the magic aura and the magic grip unlocked the buckle holding muzzle to Chrysalis's neck. The muzzle was then thrown on the floor. Chrysalis then opened and closed her jaw several times and licked her lips with her tongue. Starlight then reached one of her hooves out and left hanging it in front of Chrysalis. In return, Chrysalis bared her fangs. After a few moments of embarrassment silence, Chrysalis's eye twitched. "What?" Chrysalis hissed. "I offered you to be my friend once. That offer is still on the table," Starlight said with a little pride in her tone. "I am big on of giving second chances." Hearing friendship offer, Chrysalis's smile grinned even more. "That pathetic sentiment again? What can possibly convince you that this time there would be any difference?" Starlight rolled her eyes and looked around the cell's ceiling, walls, and floor. "Things might be a little different this time." Chrysalis took look upon Starlight hoove, then leaned her head toward Starlight and suddenly spat in her direction. Starlight pulled her hooves back and sighed with little disappointment. Probably too soon, Starlight thought. "You mean that I am degraded to be your pet?" Chrysalis snapped. "Pet on a leash." Chrysalis held up her hooves with hanging chains to make a point. Starlight facehooved. "You are not a pet." Starlight pointed her hooves on the mentioned chains. "These are only for safety purposes. The moment I know I can trust you, I will be more than happy to throw them away." Starlight paused. "But I get the impression that earning trust could take a while." "I am chained to get trust about not being chained? Hardly ideal start, don't you think?" Chrysalis said. "Then again, what I could expect from a worm." "Well, there are hardly any ideal solutions for your situation that I could read from friendship handbook," Starlight said. "I am just gonna have to make it work with what I have." "Oh, I am feeling better every second now," Chrysalis said. "So what is your advice then, you so-called friendship-expert?" "Well, show some appreciation for what I am doing for you would be a good start. Something like 'Well since my carrier as a piece of garden accessories wasn't fulfilling as I might hope for, I am grateful that you give me some other option' kind of thanks," Starlight said. "Thig argument again?" Chrysalis deadpanned. "Show appreciation? For what? For not being turned to stone? Is that some kind of new requirement you ponies recently set as a standard for a living?" Chrysalis barked. "Don't expect me to say 'Oh Celestia, thank you so much that you allow me to breathe at all'." "Well, it is not standard for everypony. Just for individuals who tried to conquer Equestria multiple times and too stubborn to listen to reasons," Starlight said. "So this how it is gonna be, huh?" Chrysalis snarked. "I bet I will be hearing 'Chrysalis behave yourself or you will be turned back to stone' commands all time. You are just gonna threaten to me unless I bend for your friendship thing, right?" Chrysalis paused. "Well, you can save some time and do it right now." "Why would I do something like that?" Starlight asked. "It would be a real jerk move on my part to bring you here, offer you a second chance and then smack you with petrification spell. What kind of pony, do you think I am?" "The most unbearable one," Chrysalis said. "So no threats, huh?" "Yes," Starlight said. "Well, unless you are gonna be too stubborn about it." Starlight adds with a bit of amusement. "Well, then I want to like to point out one fatal flaw in your otherwise highly practical plan," Chrysalis said. "There is no way that I would willingly participate in your 'reformation program' or how you would call it. Not without any kind of leverage, which you just stupidly confess you wouldn't use." Chrysalis paused. "To put it simply: You will get nothing from me without forcing me. Not that you could force me to do anything in the first place." "I don't think I need to force you to do anything, at least not in the long-run," Starlight said. "You will do eventually some progress on your part." "And what makes you think that?" Chrysalis asked. "I believe that you are more determinant and resourceful then most ponies give you credit for. Your dedication for revenge, not that I appreciate it in any way, seems like you are willing to go to great lengths to achieve victory. This kind of determination and your sudden resignation to be put back into stone seems strange to me." Starlight paused. "It just doesn't add up." Chrysalis didn't comment that. "I don't believe that you wish to be put back into stone. I believe that you are stubborn just to spite for some reason. Or at least I want to believe that," Starlight said almost pitifully. "So there is a hope that you will come along. That is enough for me now." Chrysalis just stood her without reaction, with the proud and dignified expression on her face. If Starlight hoping for any indication of how much she was right in her statement, then she would be disappointed. She couldn't read anything from Chrysalis's face. "Well, I think I will leave to get some rest for now. We have a lot of work to do," Starlight said cheerfully. "I will come back later and bring some food, OK?" Chrysalis just snorted and turned her head away from Starlight and lay back on the floor. "I will take that as a yes," Starlight said. With that Starlight left the prison cell. Author's Note This chapter is a bit short but I want to finally make some update.
Chapter 3Starlight sat at the table with Twilight, drinking apple cider from her cup. They talked at first about books, food, and oncoming Twilight's coronation. Then the conversation took a course about Starlight's first impression of Chrysalis. Meeting with Chrysalis left Starlight with mixed feelings of frustration and disappointment. Starlight wasn't very upset, she had no high expectations of the Chrysalis's reactions, but she wasn't cheerful either. She was fully expecting to Chrysalis act with bitterness and stubbornness but still secretly hoping for hints of some kind of appreciation. That was probably naive hope since it looked like that Chrysalis was now too full of anger to have any spare space for gratitude. Or Chrysalis just didn't want to give Starlight any hints that she, in fact, would need help from Starlight. Not that Starlight strictly needed Chrysalis gratitude for personal satisfaction but because it could provide some kind of information on how to reach Chrysalis. Some indication that Starlight was moving in the right direction. Right now it looked like Starlight would need to use a whip to make Chrysalis do anything at all. And some gratitude itself would be also nice since Starlight indeed freed Chrysalis's chitin-flank from stone. Her ungrateful chitin-flank apparently. Twilight looked rather bothersome at that point when the topic of Chrysalis came. Both friends waited in silence before Twilight finally said what she had in mind. "Are you really sure you want to deal with Chrysalis?" "Let me guess," Starlight said. "The moment you were excited for helping me passed and now you have second thoughts?" "It is possible that it's something like that," Twilight confirmed. "I am still wondering if what are you doing is the right thing to do." Starlight stood silent for a moment before guessing what Twilight had in mind. "...are we going to have now a discussion if Chrysalis is worth saving?" Starlight asked. "I get the feeling we are going to have that discussion." Twilight sighed. "I wouldn't say it like that, but basically yes." "Well if that is the case," Starlight said. "Could we just skipped a few parts and get forward to the end where we both more or less agree that is Chrysalis is indeed worth saving?" Starlight asked with a hopeful smile. "I would like to keep my spirit uncrushed." The reason Starlight didn't want to discuss Chrysalis's reformation wasn't that there would be any doubt about Starlight's inner motivations. The real reason was that despite Starlight's inner drive to help Chrysalis it was actually hard for Starlight to trying to justify and defend Chrysalis's actions with anypony in open discussion. With havoc that Chrysalis caused it was really easy to argue that Chrysalis should be sealed in the stone forever. At that comment, Twilight smiled a little but then again took a serious tone. "I understand your motivations and I always rooted for the idea that everypony deserves a second chance," Twilight said. "But Chrysalis...she is just horrible. Even what she did at Canterlot wedding pale in comparison with harm she caused when she came back with Cozy Glow and Tirek." "That is true," Starlight agreed. Twilight was trying to say something but now she just looked confused at Starlight, waiting what she says next. "Chrysalis is horrible and I am not gonna deny it," Starlight said taking a deep breath. "Look, I get it. Nopony wants Chrysalis around. I bet my five bits that I soon will get 'Hey isn't that pony who released that monster from stone and yadda yadda yadda' type of looks. That is something I will just have to deal with it." Starlight paused for a moment, sipping from her cup. "I am gonna level with you. I can see Chrysalis for what she is. Chrysalis is not some kind of lost and misguided soul. She is a cruel and uncaring jerk. She is a villain with big capital V," Starlight said. "I am not gonna say that I saw good in her at first sight or anything like that." Starlight took another sip. Twilight was silently listening. "What I see right now is bad and I would consider that what’s underneath her is even worse. I except to finds out things about Chrysalis not to be exactly nicest." "And you are still fine to try to help her?", Twilight asked. Starlight nodded. "Why?" Twilight asked. "Because I was pretty massive jerk myself," Starlight responded. "But in the end, I don't think I turn out that bad." "Oh common, that was completely different," Twilight said. "Yeah, because I only almost destroyed Equestria thanks to my time travel shenanigans, right?" Starlight asked. "But you didn't destroy Equestria," Twilight said. "And Chrysalis didn't conquer Equestria," Starlight responded. "Ok, I get that but tell why should you really do it?" Twilight asked. "Because it is the right thing to do and somepony should do something about it?" Starlight shrugged. "I know it is not much but what should I tell you?" Twilight sighed. "This is not an argument that I am gonna win, right?" "Probably," Starlight said with a bright smile. "Look, if it makes you feel any better, then don't think that just because I took pity on Chrysalis, does mean that she is off the hook for the crimes she has done," Starlight said. "I will just have come with more appropriate punishment afterward. Something that will keep her in line but at the same time, it would be more dignified so she wouldn't turn back to evil ways at the first bump on the road." "I guess that counts for something," Twilight partly agreed. "But ultimately none of these things make me even for a moment to think that Chrysalis is not worth saving," Starlight said. "Besides it is a bit of late to pull the plug now. Chrysalis is at my mercy now and I won't give up on her just because turn her back into stone would a little more convenient then tried to reach her." Twilight raised one of her eyebrows. "A little convenient?" "Ok, from a practical view it would be a lot more convenient," Starlight said. "But that's not the point!" Twilight reluctantly nodded. "I am not sure if I agree with it, but in any case, you have a lot of work to do." Twilight paused. "But how come you are so excited about it?" Twilight asked. "Reforming power-hungry tyrants doesn't strike me like some casual hobby to pass time and you can't know for sure that it would even work." "I am delusional about it," Starlight said. "That sounds sure sounds professional," Twilight giggled. "Does it helps?" "Well, I guess some healthy dose of naivety is a requirement for this kind of job," Starlight said. Twilight looked like she became more and more inclined to Starlight's idea, but she tried one last argument. "But what about that duel thing? I mean when she actually tried to beat you down and hurt you?" Starlight froze for a moment as a memory of her duel with Chrysalis struck her. Starlight would be lying if she told that is wasn't a traumatic experience. In fact, she was scared out of her mind at the moment when Chrysalis overpowered her. She was afraid that she was going to die. But over a short period of time Starlight was able to overcome the consequences of her encounter with Chrysalis and was able to forgive Chrysalis for that. Her previous experiences with stressful and challenging situations surely helped. Starlight took a deep breath. "You don't have to worry about that. I already forgive Chrysalis for that. I wouldn't be much able to help her in the first place if my own grudge would holding me back." Twilight was secretly proud of her former pupil for that kind of determination as she was able to forgive one of her worst enemies. "So you are going to help Chrysalis, despite me and everypony else thinking what are you doing is reckless and dangerous?" Twilight asked, amused. "Well, that never stopped me before," Starlight smirked. "You have answers for everything," Twilight said with a cheerful smile. "Out of curiosity, does Chrysalis appreciate your efforts?" "Hell no!" Starlight said. "She wouldn't accept any helping hoof even if her life depends on it." Starlight paused to take another sip. "Which very well may be the case right now." "Well if I can't stop from your self-destructive tendencies, then I wish you best of luck," Twilight said. "And what about you?" Starlight asked. "I mean what are you gonna do about my efforts to help Chrysalis." "Probably nothing," Twilight said. "What I mean is that I am not sure if I can ever forgive Chrysalis for her crimes." Twilight paused. "But I trust your instincts Starlight and I promise that I will not stand in your way and if you will succeed in reforming Chrysalis then I would truly happy for you." "Thanks, Twilight," Starlight said. "I really appreciate it." "Are you gonna see her soon?" Twilight asked. "Chrysalis I mean." "Yeah I should check on her pretty soon," Starlight responded. "I should probably take some cupcakes with me."
