Elsewhere in the gala, Gabby was with the rest of the ambassadors of different kingdoms. The mail griffon was very curious about the lives of the other species, so she asked them about it. “So, what do the other kingdoms look like?” Gabby asked.
“Well, the Changeling Kingdom is just a giant hive,” Thorax explained first. “Way before when Queen Chrysalis ruled the hive, it was all full of shape-shifting holes, and what we all do is just hunt and patrol. And since I’m the new ruler, the hive has gone through a lot of changes as time goes by. Of course, with the help of my friends.”
“I see. And you?” Gabby said to Queen Nova.
“Hippogriffs live on Mount Aris,” Novo explained after him. “Meanwhile, the seaponies live in Seaquestria.”
“Seaquestria?” Gabby questioned.
“Oh, yes. You see, hippogriffs have the ability to turn into seaponies, thanks to the magical properties in pear shards just like this one I’m wearing.” Novo showed Gabby her shard, which the griffon found very interesting.
“That’s cool. You can change your species?” Gabby questioned.
“Yeah, it’s pretty interesting,” Thorax admitted. “I didn't think creatures other than changelings could do it.”
“Can I see it in action?” Gabby asked.
“Now isn’t really the best place,” Novo explained. “Maybe if you visit Mount Aris, I will.”
“Well, I’m a mail griffon. There’s a chance I could stop by.”
"Sounds good to me," Thorax commented, "Ember, what do you think?" The Dragon Lord wasn't paying attention to the other creatures but instead focused on her dress. "Ember?"
The dragoness jumped and blushed. "I’m sorry. What?" she asked. “
"Do you think it would be nice if Gabby dropped by to deliver mail for the school?"
"Uh, sure. Whatever makes things easier for everyone." Thorax could tell something was up with Ember, but he decided to not bring it to attention as it was most likely about her emotions, something Ember didn't like talking about.
"So, did you bring anyone else to the gala?" Gabby asked.
"Yaks preferred to stay home," Rutherford spoke, "So, yak go by himself."
"And I did invited my daughter, Skystar," Novo added. "Now, where is she?" The creatures looked around until they could see a pink pony talking with a hippogriff that had a blue mane and blonde feathers. "There she is."
They all walked over to the hippogriff and pony, which Rutherford knew who she was. "Pink Pony," he declared.
The Pink Pony looked behind her and saw the yak prince. "Rutherford, you're back," Pinkie said cheerfully. She and the hippogriff looked towards Gabby and the ambassadors while waving to them.
"There you are, Skystar," Novo said.
"Hi, mother," the hippogriff princess said.
"Skystar, we have someone that's interested in meeting you. Say hello to Gabby." The said griffon walked up to the hippogriff princess, both of them looking at each with curiosity.
"Hi there," Gabby said. "How... Are you?"
"I'm really good," Skystar replied. "Though Pinkie is the only one here I really enjoyed my time with."
"How come?"
"It's so boring here. I wish there was some kind of pool around here so we could go swimming."
"I think it might be a little cold to do that."
"I know. Still, it would be fun."
"So, do you enjoy being a seapony?"
"Well, it's fun, but I just love being a hippogriff. I've spent so much time underwater that I just wanted to get out and explore Equestria."
"That's what I've been feeling too. Griffonstone felt like a prison to me. I just needed to get out of there. And I've only really been to Ponyville and Canterlot, but there's still so much I've yet to explore."
"I've only left Mount Aris twice. I wish I could get out more often."
"It sounds like you're getting along great," Pinkie whispered.
"Yeah," Gabby agreed. "Is there anyone else we can talk to?"
"Yak know crystal pony," Rutherford spoke.
"Ooh, there's one here?" Pinkie asked.
"Pony only one who wants yak's spare ticket."
"You can go and meet that pony," Ember said, "I'm going to go see someplace that isn't so crowded."
"I think I'll help you with that," Thorax said. The dragon and changeling couple walked away, leaving Novo and Rutherford with Skystar, Gabby, and Pinkie. They walked across the room looking for the crystal pony that Rutherford gave his spare ticket to.
The crystal pony they found had a blue coat and her mane was pink and violet, which matched her eyes. She noticed the ambassadors and walked over to them. "Rutherford, it's good to see you."
"Winter Quill," the yak announced. He quickly introduced her to the rest of his group, which she seemed interested in.
"Well, it's nice to meet you." She walked up to Queen Novo and shook her talon.
"So, how does it feel to be invited to the gala?" the hippogriff queen asked.
"Honestly, I feel pretty lucky. I can't believe that I'm actually here. I was honestly looking for a reason that I could talk to Princess Twilight so I could get my daughter enrolled at her school."
"I can try and find her for you," Pinkie proclaimed. She quickly bounced off to find her friend, leaving the rest of the creatures to talk with Winter Quill.
“So, where are you from?” Skystar asked.
“The Crystal Empire,” Winter explained. “It’s quite a place to be.”
“Why is it called the Crystal Empire?” Skystar asked.
“Empire made out of crystals,” Rutherford spoke. Skystar and Gabby gasped in amazement.
“That would be very nice to see,” Novo commented. Her daughter nodded in agreement. "So, what do you hope for when your daughter gets from the school?"
"Well, she's kind of... Well... Spoiled. I honestly blame myself for that."
"Oh."
"I'm hoping that having her interact with other creatures would get this spoiled behavior out of her."
"I guess it's worth a shot, but I wouldn't hold your breath."
"Quill won't know until Quill try," Rutherford spoke.
"I'm sure she'll get better once she warms up to the other creatures she'll be alright," Gabby guessed.
"I'm back!" Pinkie sang. She had Twilight walking beside her along with Spike.
“Oh, Princess Twilight.” Winter Quill didn’t quite know how to react other than bowing.
“There’s no reason to be that formal,” Twilight remarked. “Now, Pinkie said that you wanted your daughter enrolled?”
As the princess and crystal pony chatted, Spike reunited with Gabby. “So, what did I miss?” he asked.
“Not much,” Gabby admitted. “I’m still trying to figure out more about the other places in Equestria.”
“Yeah, there’s quite a lot.”
“I know that,” Skystar agreed. “There’s just so much to talk about.”
“Well, we’ve got some other guests from Appaloosa. I could introduce them to you.”
“That’d be great!” Gabby cheered. Spike led the guests away from the princess and crystal pony. Walking around for a bit, they found some creatures that were similar to yaks, though a bit different. They were a little rounder, their horns and hooves were smaller, and they both had headpieces with feathers in them.
“What are those?” Skystar asked.
“Bison,” Spike answered. “They’re kind of like yaks.”
“Yak want to know more,” Rutherford spoke. He walked past the dragon, griffon, and hippogriff and walked over to the bison.
“Why hello there,” the bigger bison said. “Who are you?”
“Prince Rutherford.”
“Well, I’m Chief Thunderhooves, and this here is Little Strongheart.” The smaller bison waved to the yak prince.
“Nice to see you again,” Spike said to the bison.
“Spike,” Strongheart said, “Same to you.”
“How have you two met?” Gabby asked.
“...Let’s just say that first impressions aren’t everything.”
“Agreed,” Strongheart commented. “Moving on, we were taking the chance to have one of our tribe enrolled.”
“That’s good to know. Twilight’s already talking with a crystal pony right now, so you might have to wait.”
“Well, it gives us a chance to chat with each other. So, what are your homes like?”
“Yaks live in Yakyakistan,” Rutherford spoke. “Very snowy place.”
“We live in the desert,” Thunderhooves said. “It can get quite hot there, though I have no idea how’d we survive in the snow.”
“Same with yaks in heat.”
“It would be nice to visit Yakyakistan,” Strongheart commented.
“Maybe bison should see Mount Aris.”
“What’s that place?”
“It’s where we live,” Novo said. “It the home of hippogriff and seaponies.” As the kingdom leaders chatted, Skystar and Gabby kept looking around the room.
“There are so many ponies here,” Skystar said.
“I know,” Gabby said. “I wonder if there are other dragons and changelings around here.”
“Maybe if we find Ember and Thorax we could find them.”
“Let’s go then.” They told Novo what they were going to do, and left them with the buffalos.
The hippogriff princess and mail griffon wandered around. “They’ve got to be around here somewhere. Where did they go?”
Gabby and Skystar flew upwards until they could see a group of six different looking ponies. The griffon gasped. “Look, there are the pillars!” she exclaimed.
“Pillars?”
“They’re the ones responsible for growing the Tree of Harmony. Spike told me about them. Let’s go and talk with them.” Skystar was still wanting to find out more about changelings and dragons, but she was wanting to know more about the pillars. She hadn’t heard of them before.
The pillars of Equestria were chatting between each other as the griffon and hippogriff showed up. “Why hello there,” the bearded unicorn said. “Who might you two be?”
“I’m Gabby. And this is Skystar.” The hippogriff prince waved to the pillar ponies looking between them.
“It’s nice to meet you. I am Starswirl the Bearded. My friends here are Mistmane, Rockhoof, Flash Magnus, Meadowbrook, and Somnambula.”
“Wow,” Skystar gasped. “It’s really nice to meet all of you.”
“Same here,” Mistmane said. “I’ve been interested in coming to Seaquestria. I’ve heard good things about it.”
“Yeah, but it gets boring when that’s your entire life.”
“I think you should enjoy what you have,” Rockhoof said. “You never really appreciate something until it’s gone.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s a bit of a long story. It started after we were free from limbo.” Gabby and Skystar were amazed as they listened to the story of the pillars’ return.
“And now we’re here,” Flash finished.
“Wow,” Gabby gasped. “That sounds... Pretty hard.”
“It was rather jarring how life has changed,” Somnambula admitted. “Some of us are having a harder time than others.”
“I think I know what that’s like.”
“Do tell,” Mistmane requested.
“Griffonstone... Is a mess. It happened years ago, but the long story short is that we lost an idol that caused all griffons’ greed to take over and... I don’t like talking about it.”
“I can see your struggle,” Somnambula commented. “Change is something that can be good and bad. While losing your idol is likely a blessing in disguise. The idol is simply an item that could be replaced with anything else. Friendship, on the other hand, is something that can’t be replaced. It’s something that isn’t represented by just an object. It requires others to interact with.”
“...She’s right,” Skystar said. “When I was stuck in Seaquestria I only pretended Sheldon and Shelly. They’re seashells that I wish could talk more.”
“Right,” Starswirl said. “I’m assuming that this gala is something special to you.”
“It really is. I don’t think I’ve been around this many creatures.”
“Me neither,” Gabby added. “There’s just so much we want to explore.”
“Only time can tell where you’ll go,” Mistmane said.
“Who knows,” Flash said, “Maybe you’ll be called by the map in Ponyville.”
“You really think so?” Gabby asked.
“My cousin told me that ponies other than Twilight’s friends have been called,” Skystar said. “There’s a chance. Hey, have you seen a changeling or a dragon around here? Other than Dragon Lord Ember and King Thorax.”
“I think I saw a changeling,” Rockhoof spoke. “He was over there and...” Before he could finish, the hippogriff and griffon flew off again. “Hehe, young ones.”
Skystar and Gabby kept looking around for the changeling, having no idea where it was. “Maybe we should’ve asked what the changeling looked like,” Gabby spoke.
“Don’t worry, I’m sure we’ll be able to tell who it is,” Skystar stated. She looked around until she saw a pony-like creature that was dark green with red horns. “That must be him.” The princess quickly flew down and got closer to the changeling. “Hi there.”
The changeling looked behind him to see the hippogriff princess with the griffon landing beside her. “What do you want?” the changeling grumbled.
“My friend and I want to chat.”
“Well, I don’t want to be here.”
“...So why are you here?”
“Because my brother wanted me to come out of my shell. I’m perfectly fine in it.”
Gabby knew this kind of behavior from experience, but Skystar was oblivious to this. “Well, you’re here, so we might as well talk.”
“Well, I’m not up for it. I don’t even know who you are.”
“I’m Princess Skystar, and this is Gabby.”
“Hi,” the griffon said.
“Listen, I know you’re wanting to talk to other creatures,” Pharynx said. “There are plenty around so just leave me alone.” He began to fly away, but Skystar wanted to keep talking.
“But I want to know more about changelings,” the hippogriff princess said.
“Then learn that I’m not interested.”
“But I’ve barely ever gone out of Mount Aris.”
“Then there should be someone who’s like you. Can you just leave me alone?”
“But I wanna know more about the changelings.” Pharynx was starting to get fed up. He gave a roar that shocked Skystar and a couple of the other guests before he stormed off. The hippogriff was very shocked by this. “Why did he do that?”
“Some creatures probably just don’t wanna interact with others,” Gabby noted. “I would know.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Most griffons are rather sour. Not wanting to do anything unless it gets them something in the end.”
“That’s... That’s not right.”
“I know, but it’s just how some creatures are. I do my best to be nice to them, but they just stay the way as they are.” Skystar didn’t say anything as she didn’t know what to say.
“They can’t... It’s just... They’re just as bad as the Storm King.”
“...Greedy creatures that only want to be by themselves?”
“Well... Okay, maybe not that bad... I...”
“Have you ever had this kind of conflict?”
“...Not really. I really only argued with my mother. I thought that most creatures wouldn't be like her. Since I was stuck underwater for most of my life I just wanted to do so much on the outside world. I thought it would be so easy after I was grounded.”
“I know what disappointment is like. I once tried to get a cutie mark.”
“How’d that go?”
“Well, since ponies are the only creatures that can get cutie marks, I couldn’t get one. The closest thing that I could get was a pair of wooden cutouts. I would show you them, but they’re at home right now.”
“I’m sure they look nice.”
“Oh, trust me, they’re great. I think your social skills just need a little bit of work.”
“I guess so. Maybe we could meet up again and have some fun.”
“Yeah. I don’t think the gala is a place where too much excitement happens. Though it is nice to chat with other creatures and take things slow. When we meet up again, maybe we could try something exciting.”
“Right. At least we got a pretty good friendship.” Gabby had to agree. While the gala wasn’t really the thing for creatures wanting some excitement, this did mean they would meet up again and have some good times in the future. “You want to get some desserts and get back to the pillars?”
“Sure thing.” With that, the hippogriff and griffon flew off to enjoy the rest of the night.