"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.