Espirit was awoken by a light pounding on her door, though she didn't realize it for a moment. At first she sat up and looked around, confusion on her face as she tried to determine what awoken her. Then she realized the soft sound she heard was somepony trying to knock on the cloud doors, the sound so muffled it could have been anything. “Who is it?”

“Lady Espirit, your presence is requested to attend a banquet in your honor!”

The zebra groaned and slowly stepped off her bed. She donned her robes and splashed water on her face, rubbing it off with a cloud towel. She then swung open the door and smiled. “I am ready to go! Are Steelhorn and Ganry coming?”

The negasi outside the room smiled at her and gave a nod. “Yes, they will be joining us later. The uhhh... griffon threatened to begin using his bow if we did not allow them another half hour of rest.”

The zebra giggled, holding a hoof to her mouth. “Of course he did. Is Silverwing there?”

“I do believe so. If you'd follow me?” The negasi then turned and trotted out. She couldn't help but admire how straight and even he walked, his shoulders broad and--

Her cheeks turned scarlet and she shook her head, trying not to imagine where those thoughts came from or where they led. Instead she just followed after the stallion as they made their way through the building and eventually into a large, square hall. The room was filled with griffons, pegasi, negasi, and even a few small dragons and changelings. When she stepped into the room one of the guards announced her, nearly every head turned towards her. She suddenly felt under dressed in her magical robes, surrounded by ponies wearing their greatest finery. She gulped and gave a little curtsy, before stepping forward into the mass of bodies.

Before she could make it a few steps, a familiar negasi moved up besides her. “Are you doing okay?” Silverwing asked. To Espirit's delight, the other mare was wearing her fighting garments as well, her body wrapped in black.

“Yeah, I feel a little under dressed. Is uhhh... are parties like this common?”

“This? Sometimes. We're heroes, after all. And don't worry, you're a warrior. The ponies here expect you to be dressed in something like this. It makes you exotic and interesting.” She reached out and ruffled the mare's mane. “But don't go anywhere with them alone, okay? Some of them are just... they're only interested in you for the prestige they think they can get from you.”

“Get from me? I don't have anything.”

“You have the hearts of the people,” Silverwing said firmly as she led the mare towards the drinks. “There are many who would fight for you or do all manner of things in your name, for the belief that you are a great hero who cares about the people. There are plenty here who will try to get your support, so they can get that support. So don't trust them.”

“You don't really trust anypony, do you?”

“Of course I do. I trust Steelhorn, Onyx, Clearpond. I trust the members of our company. But I don't trust strangers who are only interested in me because of my recent success. A year ago none of these ponies would have looked at me, even with my past. But now that I'm made a hero again... well...”

“I see,” Espirit said softly as she eyed the crowds. “I'll be extremely careful.”

“Good, that's all I ask. Be careful and safe. Oh, speaking of. I do believe the changeling queen will be making an appearance.”

The zebra's eyes bulged. “W-wait, really? She's here? I can't wait! Ohhhh, do you think she'll want to meet me?”

“She wouldn't be coming to this party if she didn't want to,,” the negasi said with a chuckle. She stopped in front of the punch bowl and slowly poured herself a cup. “Now, go enjoy yourself. Just remember to be safe and careful.”

“I will, okay, bye!” Espirit said with a giddy shriek before trotting off into the crowd. The moment she was separate from Silverwing the crowd seemed to close in on her. Griffons and ponies came from all sides, swarming around her and offering her drinks. She could barely make out what they were saying as they struggled to talk over each other. She finally stomped a hoof down, though it made no noise over the din and with the soft clouds. She was beginning to feel overwhelmed as they surged around her like buzzing birds.

Then one pony in particular caught her attention. A unicorn in the mass, though it wasn't Mirage. It was a stallion with a golden coat and a red mane. He pushed through the crowd, shoving some of them aside with his magic. “M'lady Espirit, would you care to join me outside for a moment? I have a message for you from one of your friends.”

“Yes!” the zebra said quickly. She gave an apologetic grin before quickly walking after the stallion, following him outside. Once they were out the door she let out a sigh of relief. “Thank you. So what was the message?”

The stallion gave a sheepish smile. “My apologies. I merely saw you being overwhelmed by some of the more... excitable guests and I wished to give you a moment to recuperate. There is no message, I hope I have not offended you.”

“Oh! No, thank you,” she said with a chuckle, before smiling up at him. “How are you doing that? Err, the cloud walking? Did Mirage cast the spell on you as well?”

“Oh, no,” he said with a light chuckle before holding out his hoof. “I am Goldencollar, one of the nobles of Crystalopolis. I do plenty of business here, however, so I've learned the spell to make travel simpler.”

She gave him her hoof and he pulled it to his lips, gently placing a kiss on it. Her cheeks flared red. “O-oh. So... you're a powerful mage, then?”

“No, I'm afraid I have nowhere near your capabilities as a mage, or your friends. It took me quite a while to learn the spell as it is outside my means.” He paused and looked inside. “You'd best return soon. But please, allow me to give you a moments advice. Stick towards the outskirts of the party. Diving into the center will get you bombarded by everypony at once as they struggle to be seen with you.”

Espirit nodded. “O-oh, right! Are they always like this?”

“When such interesting guests arrive, yes. It's quite rare to have a zebra here, let alone one with your talents.”

“O-oh, thank you. I really wasn't... I mean, I didn't do too much. Honest. I just healed them as I could. Err... Goldencollar?”

“Yes,” he said with a gentle nod. “I won't occupy any more of your precious time, but given the opportunity I would love to speak with you again. Sadly, I won't be at the party for much longer.”

“Oh? Why?”

“One of my guards has taken sick and I really must get back to ensure he is properly taken care of. I promised to make an appearance tonight, so I can only be here for a few minutes.”

“Sick? Oh! Perhaps I can help, I am a conjurer,” Espirit said with a nod, puffing out her chest proudly.

“Oh, aren't you the most kind and generous sort? No, I am afraid that it's something that magic cannot cure, just normal bed rest and relaxation. I do appreciate your willingness to aid me.” He gave a low bow. “Until we meet again, lady Espirit.”

She nodded, giving him a low wave and watching him walk off. A soft blush formed in her cheeks when she realized she was watching his flank a little too much. She shook her head and trotted back inside. She stayed near the edge, making her way towards the snacks and treats. She soon found herself surrounded by nobles, but not to the extent she had been before. She was even able to get the occasional word in as well. Most of what they said didn't make any sense to her, she knew nothing about fashion or the current trends. She spent a lot of time just nodding and agreeing with their ideas on weird things.

However, when talk turned to Celestia she knew exactly what to say then. “Absolutely terrifying. I don't think I've ever been so scared in my life, and I once had to flee from a tribe of centaurs. You could actually feel the power coming from her, as she corrupted the land around her. And so much power, too. If not for our own magic to defend us, she probably could have burned all of our forces to ash. I can't even begin to imagine what it would have been like if both she and Luna had been there.”

She couldn't help but notice how quiet all of the nobles had gotten.

“Err, of course, we were able to work together to stop her. It wasn't easy, though. If we had done something wrong, she would have destroyed us and then probably streaked across our back line. Honestly, we're all very lucky to have survived.”

“But... if she came back...” one of the nobles finally choked out.

“It would be a long, vicious battle that we'd hopefully survive again. We lost plenty of ponies in that battle, though. It wasn't a easy fight for any of us. I was lucky to have been where I was needed and that I had ponies there to help keep me safe while I kept them going.”

“B-but you're just a child,” one of the griffons said nervously. “S-she can't have truly been that dangerous if--”

“I have been training in conjury since before I was able to say my name. I have more experience in the arts than many grown conjurers. Not only that, I am NOT a child. I am young, but I am mature AND a capable fighter. My age has nothing to do with how big of a threat Celestia was.” She couldn't keep the anger out of her voice. “Do you think those ponies who gave their lives to defeat Celestia were just weak children? No, many of them trained their whole life to fight like that! She was no laughing matter, nothing we could just hope would go away on its own. It took hard work, working together and the willingness to sacrifice our lives to fight her.”

“Everything okay, Espirit?” a voice asked from behind. She turned around to see Steelhorn and gasped.

“W-wow! You look amazing!” the zebra said.

“Really? You think so?” the changeling asked with a light chuckle. She was wearing a very form fitting red sequined dress, which her wings had changed color to match. The holes in her hooves were now decorated with jewels around the edges. “It took a while to get perfect, but I feel I am ready to meet the queen. Is everything okay? I heard you yelling.”

Espirit blushed. “I-I didn't mean to yell. I just got very... annoyed and I guess I lost a bit of control of my temper. Sorry.” She glanced back and noticed most of the nobles had made their distance from her.

“I see. The changeling queen should be arriving soon, I can feel her.”

“Feel her?”

“It's kind of an... aura the queen gives off towards other changelings. It's kind of hard to explain without you actually being a changeling.” She gripped Espirit's hoof and dragged her off towards one of the corners. “Listen, I don't want you being surprised. She's probably going to know about the fantasia. I doubt she'll say anything though. But if she does, don't be too shocked.”

“W-what? But... but... oh...”

“Exactly. You've gotten a lot better at being a mare, but you still give off a few signs to anypony who has studied movements like that for so long.”

The zebra's face turned red. “G-gotten better? But I'm not even trying!”

That made the changeling stare for a moment. “Truly? I guess that explains why this form was chosen.”

“W-what?”

“Nothing, nothing. The next few years could have been... anyway, moving on. I just don't want you to panic or worry too much, okay? Lots of ponies take fantasia, she's not going to out you or get you in trouble for it. She'll be tactful.”

“O-okay,” Espirit said as she felt the nervousness within herself grow. “H-have you been talking with Silverwing?”

“A little, why?”

“Does she seem a bit over cautious to you? She told me to not go around other ponies without her.”

“She's a ninja, they're always cautious. I wouldn't worry about it too much,” Steelhorn said with a dismissive wave of her hoof. She pointed towards the door. “Here she comes.”

Espirit looked up and gulped, watching the door and waiting for them to open. They did and two changelings stepped forward, one on either side of the doorway. Then, the queen stepped into the room. As opposed to the fancy dresses and outfits most of the ponies were wearing, she was wearing something far more simple. A sleek red kimono. There weren't even any jewels or decorations attached to it.

“Presenting, ruler of the Cloudsdale changelings, Queen Chitin!” the announcer called out.

“C-can we meet her?” Espirit asked softly, eying the ruler. Chitin's eyes fell on her and seemed to just stare through her for a moment, before she began walking through the crowds towards them.

“I think you're going to meet her in a moment,” Steelhorn said softly.

The nobles parted way for the changeling queen, giving her a wide berth. She got plenty of concerned looks and none of the other guests seemed to want to get too close, for fear of what Espirit could not say. Within a few moments the queen stood before the two, gazing down at them. The zebra bowed her head.

“Hello, your highness,” Steelhorn said quickly, before bowing her head as well. “I am Steelhorn and this is Espirit, a pleasure to travel to your lands.”

“It is a pleasure to have you here,” Chitin said before bowing her head. “For heroes such as yourself, who risked almost certain death so we could all live yet another day, how could we do anything else but invite you? I am thankful that you have attended. Has all been well on your trip so far?”

“Oh, everything has been delightful,” Espirit said quickly, before looking up at the changeling. She was intimidating, but there was something about her lips. They were flat and blank now, but they seemed as if they might curve into a smile at any second. “I've met so many ponies while I was here, as well as griffons. I haven't met many changelings, though.”

“I'm afraid many changelings try to avoid this section of the city. It makes many ponies uncomfortable having my kind amongst them, especially due to us only being a recent addition to their forces.”

“Oh! I'm happy you were able to come, then,” Espirit said, the smile on her face getting bigger. “I didn't even know Cloudsdale had a changeling queen until I went on this trip.”

“That's not surprising, my presence here is a new development.”

“I'd actually like to talk with you about that,” Steelhorn said quickly. “My queen asked if I could speak with you about your joining of Cloudsdale. She wished to apologize for not sending an envoy sooner but--”

“Politics are never an easy game,” Chitin said with a smile. “To be honest, it is one of the reasons I almost didn't join the city. I can discuss it with you as much as you like.”

“Wonderful, I--”

“Can I come?” Espirit asked suddenly, shocking the two changelings.

“W-what? Espirit, this will just be boring political talk,” Steelhorn said quickly. “You don't need to--”

“Please? I want to learn more about this. The changelings and everything. I'll sit down and be quiet, I promise.”

Chitin chuckled and gave a nod. “I have no objections. After all, you all are the heroes, are you not? It would be rude of me to not at least attempt to be a good host.”

Steelhorn nodded. “Well, okay then. Come on, let's go somewhere more private.”

Chitin nodded and turned to walk out, the crowd parting once again. Espirit looked back at the party before shrugging. She had a feeling this would be a lot funner, anyway.