To say the rest of the day was tiresome would be a gross understatement, after Twilight had calmed down enough to not strangle every single pony she returned to the press conference. Once she returned many questions were asked ranging from simple thing like what she had in plans for the future for the Clockworks to outrageous questions such as whether she turned ponies into Clockworks; Twilight remained calm and answered each with a precise answer that the media couldn't twist out of context if they tried, something that made the reporters rather angry and Twilight very amused. As the press conference slowly came to an end Celestia announced her intent to give Twilight the lands surrounding Canterlot do to it being uninhabitable by any being other than them, at this the princesses entered the castle and gave a collective sigh.

"I wish you'd of let me do this more often Celestia, it was fun to watch those reporters squirm." Twilight said with a dark smile.

Celestia sighed. "Twilight... I think HK-47 would have done better than you." She said as she rubbed her forehead.

"Correction: Master was far too soft on those meat bags, I would have shot them all and user their internal circuits as festive decorations!" HK-47 said in a gleeful tone as he walked past.

Celestia looked at the HK for a moment before looking at Twilight. "Never mind." She sighed as she slumped down.

Luna chuckled. "Would you mind making one of those HK units for us Twilight?" I would really like to have one for dealing with the nobles." She said with a broad smile. "If they can completely shut down my sister then they are the perfect candidates for the job."

Twilight chuckled. "HK Units weren't made for the delicate are of diplomacy they are bodyguards and assassins not diplomats." She said as she patted Celestias shoulder. "And I'm used to dealing with Clockworks, they aren't like you ponies." She said with a sigh. "They’re better behaved."

"You’re a pony too Twilight." Luna said with a smile.

Twilight shrugged. "I guess, Clockworks are a lot more upfront with what they want, if a clockwork wants something it will just ask directly, and we don't exactly have that much tact when it comes to subjects" She explained. "Furthermore there are no Clockwork nobles and technically there's no hierarchy in place." Twilight said calmly.

The Princesses looked at Twilight confused. "Then how do you rule them or even make Laws?" Celestia asked.

Twilight shrugged. "Clockworks are made in different models that normally dictate their purpose in life, it's like a ponies Cutie Mark but rather than simply showing their special talent it shows what they were built for from the beginning."

Celestia tilted her head in confusion. "So a Clockwork can't decide what it wants to do in life because it's already set on that path the moment it's created?"

Twilight shook her head. "No, a Clockwork can choose another purpose of it want's." She said. "Many of the Clockworks that run the trains are actually were built for other task's the only one who was specially created for his role on the train is the conductor who runs it."

"So you don't force any of the Clockworks down their path, they can willingly choose to follow it or do something else?" Luna asked and Twilight nodded.

"It's hard to explain so give me a moment to think." Twilight replied before she sat down and tilted her head in thought, after a few minutes she looked back to the princesses and sighed. "Okay, so some of what I say won't actually be right because ponies don't exactly have the right words for what I'm about to explain but I think I have a way of putting it." She said with a frown. "So when a Clockwork is made they have a sort of 'model'- no that's not the right word... a template? Yes, a template that they follow, Guards are made from a 'Guard Template', normal Clockwork Ponies are made from a 'Civilian Template' and so forth. Now each template is made with certain advantages and disadvantages, a good example would be if I were to compare a 'Guard Template' to a 'Research Template'. A Guard Template is created with the traits of a guard in mind so they have enhanced strength parameters and are programed with combat protocols; on the other hoof we have the Research Model which is much weaker than a Guard both structurally and load wise however they are programed with specialized analysis programs and are specifically designed to be more intelligent than an Guard or Civilian Clockwork."

Luna nodded. "That makes sense but wouldn't that mean that they can only follow the path they were created to follow.

Twilight shook her head. "No, just like a Pony they have free will thanks to the soul fragment inside them." Twilight countered. "Like I mentioned earlier most of the Clockworks that run the train aren't designed to do so but they chose to do it because that's what they wanted. While a Clockwork can't surpass its limitations like a pony they can adapt and use them to their advantage, turning their weaknesses into strengths. There are several Clockworks that work in the Research and Development wings of the HUB and are a 'Guard Template'." Twilight said with a hint of pride.

Celestia frowned. "So how do they do it?" She asked. "If they are not from the specific Template type do they get an upgrade or receive the programs that help the Research Clockworks?"

Twilight shook her head. "No, they adapt." Twilight said causing the other two princesses to look at Twilight confused. Twilight sighed and turned to the princesses. "Like any living being that's faced with a challenge they can't normally solve they adapt and use what they have to their advantage, they may never be as skilled as a Clockwork who was made for a specific task but they can accomplish the same results... just at a slower pace."

Celestia frowned. "Seems rather counterproductive to have a Clockwork that's both slower and incapable of an act to do something they know they aren't meant to do."

Twilight shrugged their shoulders. "That's because you're looking at it from a pony standpoint." Twilight said with a sigh before her eyes lit up. "Ah, I have the perfect interpretation for you" She said as she looked at Celestia. "You're comparing them like you would compare a Unicorn who's natural talent is to cast shield spell to a Unicorn who's natural talent it to cast elemental spells, they can both do the other's job but they would both find the task harder than if they did what they were skilled in. However what's the difference, they're both Unicorn and can cast magic so what makes them so different?" She asked.

"They're not meant to do the others job because they aren't talented in it." Celestia replied causing Twilight to sigh and look to Luna who sat thinking.

After several moments Luna smiled and looked at Twilight. "It's not that they specialized in a certain field of magic or even that that they are specialized in a certain field to begin with but rather that they were naturally born with those skills." She said as Twilight smiled and nodded. Luna turned to her sister with a smirk. "Like with the Clockworks, each Template is created with a natural edge over the other but that doesn't mean they can't become skilled in the others field or ever surpass them through hard work."

Twilight smiled happily as she hugged Luna. "Yes, finally somepony gets it other than me and Eris!" She said as she hoof pumped.

Celestia frowned. "But still, if you set each pony on a path that would lead to them to using their full potential wouldn't it lead to a betterment of society?" Celestia asked.

Twilight yawned. "The branch that stands against the tide will always break but the branch that bends will remain." Twilight said as she began to walk away from the two princesses. "Anyway, it's been a long day and I'm tired." She said as she threw a wave behind her. "See ya in the morning Princess." She said as she walked down the halls of the castle and to her old bed chambers. When she reached them she saw the Guards playing another round of blackjack as the HK's chose to sit and watch quietly. "Where's Eris?" She asked.

"Statement: we don't know exactly master, but I would assume she is either in the C.O.R.E.S. Control Room or the laboratories you had built here." HK-51 said.

Twilight nodded. "Right, Gear go find Eris, and if she's in the lab feel free to poke around. You might find something useful in there." Twilight said with a smile as she pushed the doors to her chambers open. "The rest of you can take the night off. HK-47 and 55, you have night watch tonight." She said as she closed the doors. With a sigh she walked over to the bed and lay down in it with another yawn. "Tomorrow is another day." She said tiredly as she closed her eyes and fell asleep.

Twilight's eyes snapped open as she sensed something; slowly she opened her artificial eyes as it switched to a night vision mode and carefully looked around. For a moment she saw nothing till movement in the corner caused her to turn slightly and she saw the intruder. Twilight frowned a she continued to pretend to be asleep and the intruder slowly moved closer till they stood over here, they were as tall as Celestia but the horn was jagged and the wings were wrong. As the intruder leaned over her Twilight sprang into action her other eye snapping open as she transformed into her combat mode leaping out of the bed as a sword made of magic appear in her hoof.

The intruder stumbled back in shock causing them to enter the light of the open window and reveal shining black chitin with holes and tattered green wings.

"Chrysalis." Twilight growled as he narrowed her eyes. "If this is an assassination attempt then it was pitiful." She said before charging at the changeling queen.

Chrysalis's eyes widened in shock as she was slammed into the floor by the Clockwork Alicorn and lifted up in to the air by her hoof. "SO why are you here Changeling Queen?" Twilight asked her eyes narrowed.

"N-ot h-ee-re t-o fight!" Chrysalis wheezed out as she grabbed at the hoof around her neck. "Nee-d yo-r h-elp." She coughed out. Twilight looked at her as she struggled for breath before releasing her hold, chrysalis gasped for air and coughed as Twilight walked away from her still in the combat form. "I need your help Twilight Sparkle." She said as she finally caught her breath.

Twilight glared at her. "And why should I help you after everything you've done?" She asked.

Chrysalis looked at Twilight before sighing. "Judge me as you will but if what you said earlier today is true then you know the lengths a mother will go to for her children." She said causing Twilights glare to lesson. "The wedding didn't go as planned, I'll be the first to admit that, but not for the reasons you believe."

Twilight frowned as she looked at the Changeling queen. "Explain then." She said and Chrysalis nodded quickly.

"As you know we Changeling feed off emotions." the Queen explained. "Emotions such as joy, happiness and especially love are among the best for us while lust sorrow and apathy are less filling, and then there are emotions such as anger and hate which are like poison to us." She explained with a sigh. "We don't hurt those we feed on and if we're careful they don't even know that a changeling has fed, normally we do just fine with our methods and don't need to reveal ourselves."

"Then why the wedding incident?" Twilight asked.

Chrysalis sighed sadly. "Normally we don't have trouble keeping the Hive feed and even when there are times when our collectors return with less we simply dip into the emergency stores we hold to feed but a few months before the incident we were going through a food shortage and on top of this the tunnels that housed our emergency stores collapsed. I was forced to watch as my children starved and when the wedding reached me I was desperate and left with little choice."

Twilight nodded. "But why invade, you could have done what you always do and stuck to the shadows instead of impersonating Cadence." Twilight countered and Chrysalis hung her head.

"There is a condition all changelings have if we get to close to an extremely potent source of food and are starved. You ponies have something similar that you call an addiction and that is perhaps the best explanation for it. Love, while the most filling of all emotions, is the most dangerous to harvest even if the Changeling doing so is mentally stable. At the time I shouldn't have even attempted but in my weakened and desperate state I latched onto whatever I could." Chrysalis sighed sadly as she bowed her head in shame. "With Cadence being the Princess of love and your brother as her consort I was drawn to them like a moth is to light and as soon as I tasted there love all cognitive thought and plans I had vanished." She said in an angry voice. "I don't blame them for what happened and if I ever get the chance I must both apologize and thank them. Thanks to the Love I absorbed from your brother and the wave of love that repelled us we had enough to restock our stores and get back on our hooves."

Twilight frowned. "So you weren't thinking straight, it's that simple?" She asked as she rubbed her forehead with a groan.

Chrysalis nodded. "I'm truly sorry for everything; it was never my intent to do what I did. Actually if I'm being honest I'm lucky that you and Cadence managed to stop my plans when you did, had you been even a few minutes later I would not have been able to be saved." Chrysalis said.

Twilight sighed. "Can you explain?" She asked.

Chrysalis nodded. "The comparison I made between the states a changeling enters with Love absorption when in the state I was in and an addiction is more correct than one would think. The Love we feed on is diluted and mixed with other less pure emotions specifically to prevent the effects but when it is harvested the effects aren't dampened and as such we are subjugated to the full effects of it."

Twilight was quiet for a moment before looking at the Queen. "So in a pure form Love is similar to a drug for changelings, I assume that those who normally go out and gather it are trained to resist its effects or at the least are monitored for this addiction?"

Chrysalis nodded with a sigh. "You're correct; while I have some resistance to the effects the amount that flows from Cadence and your brother would cause even my best trained harvesters to go mad." Chrysalis sighed. "Ever since the invasion I've been quarantined within the hive, I was cut from the hive mind and forced on a strict diet that was designed to purge me of all the love I'd absorbed. Even after all these years my doctors only just recently cleared me to return to my duties as an active Queen a month ago and I'm not to be near a potent source of love for another few years, and that's if I'm lucky."

Twilight nodded. "Sounds like you had it rough." She said.

Chrysalis smiled sadly. "It was for the best, I can't imagine what would have happened if they hadn't done what they did." Chrysalis said before chuckling. "Besides given your state I'd say the years have been just as hard on you." She countered causing Twilight to chuckle.

"Despite how fascinating this talk has been and the knowledge you've given, you said that you needed my help." She said as her eyes hardened and Chrysalis saw the mask slip on.

Chrysalis smiled sadly as she took a more regal position and the two rulers looked at each other. Where the prior discussion had been a more light hearted topic what was about to be discussed was not something between aquatics but rather between rulers. "Princess Sparkle, Before the Canterlot incident one of my Generals sent several high ranking Changelings to monitor the situation and stance on our kind." She explained. "There were rumors that many of your former Nobility were planning to convince you princesses to hunt us down and destroy us."

Twilight nodded. "I was there when they proposed the idea." Twilight replied with a look of distain. "It was shot down rather quickly thankfully."

Chrysalis nodded. "I'm aware of that however the infiltrators were tasked to monitor the situation and insure that if anything were to happen behind closed doors we would know." Chrysalis replied. "Unfortunately due to this the infiltrators were not able to escape before Canterlot was destroyed."

Twilight frowned. "This could cause problems for your hive if the corpses were discovered."

"Or if they're found alive." Chrysalis replied with a sigh. "I believe they are alive Princess Sparkle, when a Changeling dies an imprint is left on the hive mind containing all the memories and experiences of their life however these changelings’ memories have not appeared."

Twilight nodded in understanding. "The few times we've had a Clockwork die all their knowledge and life experience was cataloged in the Data Center for viewing." She said.

"Data Center?" Chrysalis asked tilting her head.

"We Clockworks are quiet similar to you Changelings, we have a network that connects us all through the soul shards they possess; when they die the soul Shard is collected and taken to a special location where the lives and memories they contained are uploaded into a massive archive."

Chrysalis tilted her head in thought. "That sounds interesting, would it be possible for me to see it?" She asked

Twilight frowned. "I'd rather not, the Data Center is personal to me and my children; I don't want outsiders entering to be entirely honest."

Chrysalis nodded. "I understand, still will you help me find my children?"

Twilight sat for a moment in thought before sighing. "I'll help you but you sure you want to find them? After all what you find may be... unpleasant."

Chrysalis nodded. "I must find my children Twilight, you above all should understand."

Twilight sighed. "Fine but if I do this I have one condition." She said as she looked at the Queen.

Chrysalis shifted slightly on her hooves and looked down before nodding. "What might they be?" She asked.

"I want you to explain this to the other Princesses." Twilight said causing Chrysalis to tense as her eyes widened in fear. "I don't include Cadence, but Celestia and Luna need to know." Twilight quickly said and Chrysalis relaxed slightly.

"Thank you Twilight; I don't think I can be near Princess Cadence yet, or for a long time." She said muttering the last part. "Will we go now or tomorrow?"

Twilight smiled. "Tomorrow, I'll introduce you at breakfast but for now I will have Eris take you to an empty room." She said.

Chrysalis looked confused for a moment as she looked to the door and saw no one enter. "Who is Eris and where is she?"

Suddenly a strange noise was heard and a quiet voice was heard in the Queens ear. "Right behind you." It said causing the Queen to scream in panic and leap away and turning quickly to find a metallic Pegasus mare with metal wings, a tan coat, a brown main and eyes slowly appear as if she had been invisible. "Greeting I am Eris, Twilights Unified Personal Assistant." The Clockwork said with a bow.

The Queen slowly relaxed before bowing respectfully. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance Eris; I must say your skills in stealth are impressive." She said calmly.

Eris giggled happily. "While my brothers and sisters are all different I contain the programs, protocols and designs for all of the Makers projects." She said happily. "Now if you will, I shall take you to your chambers Queen Chrysalis." She said as he walked to the door and opened it. Chrysalis hesitated before nodding and following the Clockwork.

Twilight sighed as she watched the Queen leave. "Well this'll be interesting." She said before opening the door and seeing the two HK's standing quietly. "55 can you go find Scrap?"

"Affirmation: I shall find Guard Clockwork Scrap immediately mistress." He said as he walked off calmly.

Author's Note

Well this took a long time to get out and this is mostly due to other projects and real life. Anyway thanks for sticking with this story and I will see you in the next chapter!