Luna had asked her sister for a private meeting in our room, so we were waiting for her arrival, Chrysalis in disguise.
"How was the look on my sister's face when you beat her horn on horn?", Luna asked out of the blue.
"Oh, she was sure to win and very shocked as she realized she was losing.", Chrysalis answered with a light chuckle. "I guess it was something like this..."
Chrysalis changed her appearance to Celestia and imitated her shocked reaction.
Luna laughed while Chrysalis changed herself back. I looked in surprise at Luna.
"What?", she asked. "She always was perfect in everything. It is nice to see her fail at something."
I still tended to forget that they were also normal sisters after all.
...
Finally Celestia entered the room, she looked a bit puzzled when she noticed the unknown mare but smiled when she noticed me.
"I'm so happy to see you back unharmed Alex, what had happened to you? We worried all so much."
"Well, that is exactly what we wanted to talk about, you see I have been abducted by a changeling before the wedding and had been imprisoned in the changeling hive. I would be dead by now if this mare hadn't helped me."
Celestia looked at her surprised. "It is a pleasure meeting someone who helps the ones in need.", she said smiling.
"Actually, we have met before.", Chrysalis answered and dropped her disguise.
The surprise and shock in Celestia's face was more than I ever expected to see from her, but she still only needed a second to fire a beam towards Chrysalis... which was blocked by a shield Luna casted just in time. Chrysalis flinched and made a step back. We had talked about it before, but an angry Celestia is very terrifying. I would have preferred a less dramatic reveal and something safer, but blue and black both wanted that moment.
"What are you doing Luna!", Celestia screamed while she still powered her beam.
"Please calm down sister, she is not an enemy.", Luna replied.
Celestia looked from one to another, and finally stopped her beam, but her horn kept on glowing, flickered for a moment and finally dimmed.
"Chrysalis saved you from death? Why?", Tia asked.
"After she failed to conquer Canterlot, the changeling queen... she is only a princess... tore out her wings, cut and punched her to near death, took her power and threw her out of the hive to slowly starve.", I explained.
"How many times do you have to tell that story, it is embarrassing.", Chrysalis grumbled.
"That was when she came back to save me from my cell, and we both helped each other on our way here.", I concluded my story.
Chrysalis coughed.
"I am sorry for everything I did and ask for forgiveness and a second chance."
Celestia looked very surprised about that, but not convinced.
"The changeling who abducted you, was it Chrysalis?"
Really not the question I wanted to hear. "No.", I lied.
"You did not abduct him Chrysalis?", she asked her directly.
Chrysalis hesitated for a moment. "It was me. I did abduct him.", she finally answered.
I saw a fire in Luna's eyes. I knew I was in trouble.
"I am surprised by your honesty.", Tia said puzzled.
"I want to come clean.", Chrysalis continued. "If I hadn't been nearly killed, I would have never helped Alex. I needed him to keep me from starving after Queen Lycosa drained me from all the love I had stored. But along our way we developed a friendship and I found the friendship towards me far better than anything I had stolen from others."
"I have been told that nopony got seriously injured during the attack.", I interjected.
"Of course not.", Chrysalis replied. "There is no sense in hurting or killing our food, if possible we just immobilize them, so we... "
I nudged my elbow into her side.
There was a silence between all of us.
"I do believe you.", Celestia finally said. "And I think you could be a powerful ally for us, but there will be restrictions on what you are allowed to do here, I will think about them and tell you tomorrow."
"Thank you, princess. Thank you so much.", Chrysalis said and bowed.
Tia nodded and left the room.
I was a bit afraid to look at Luna, she hasn't said anything for quite a while now.
"Luna, I am sorry...", I started but got interrupted by a slap on the face.
"How could you lie to me about something that important?", she asked with trembling voice. "Both of you, out of my room! I need some time to think!"
"I only did it because..."
"OUT!", she shouted.
We both hurried out of the room and the door got slammed behind us.
I rubbed my hurting cheek, a slap by a hoof was nothing I ever wanted to repeat.
"Why did you tell the truth about my abduction?", I asked Chrysalis.
"Did you see the flicker in her horns magic after she stopped the beam? If I focus, I can sense magic spells, and she had cast a truth spell onto the room, so she knew instantly if anyone lied. Because of your ability she could not read you, but as she asked me directly, she would have sensed anyway if I told a lie, so I decided to get some points for honesty.", she smiled at me. "And that is the reason why she was convinced so fast, she knew I was telling the truth."
"I am surprised how cunning you can be in any situation."
"Oh thank you.", she answered ruffling my hair.
"I am not sure it was a compliment... let's go into the city and eat something, I'm so hungry.", I said and walked away from Luna's room.
"But after that, I want to get some 'food' from you.", she answered while she was catching up to me.