The mood in the library was still and calm, yet there was an underpinning of uncertainty there as well. Within the main chamber, on one side, there was Applejack, Pinkie, Fluttershy, Shining and Cadence. On the other, closer to the front door, there was Ambassador Rarity and Captain Aurora. And in the middle, sitting by herself, was Twilight. The latter mare was carefully looking to the parchment in her hooves, occasionally adjusting her glasses as she studied each and every word. She read, then re-read, then re-re-read, trying to make sure she understood what was going on, and whether she'd properly understood what she now learned. After a while, and with the eyes of all her friends and acquaintances upon her, she sighed, carefully placing the paper down onto the table she'd been sitting by. She removed her glasses, a rare thing for her when she was among others, before turning to Rarity. There was yet further silence between the two mares for a time, but when it ended, Twilight spoke with some hesitation.

"Is...is this true?"

The Ambassador gave a firm nod.

"It would appear so. And believe me, we were just as surprised to hear about this as you are."

Twilight nodded back, placing her glasses once more upon her face, before turning to her other friends and family on the other side of the chamber.

"Well...it seems things have taken a turn."

Applejack frowned slightly, taking a step forward.

"So...what's it say?"

Looking back to the paper, Twilight gently placed her hoof upon it. She didn't recite the thing word-for-word, but she did give them the basic gist of it.

"By the request of Princess Celestia...an invitation has been sent to every national leader of all the realms that surround Equestria and beyond."

She took on a slightly shaken look.

"Her intention...is that these leaders all come together...for the purposes of forming a new relationship between those nations."

Slowly, a smile began to creep onto her lips.

"A great forum is being built, right within Canterlot itself, and there...leaders from all those nations can come together to create greater and closer relationships. Disputes can be discussed and mediated...and conflicts may be ended before they begin."

Shining took a step closer himself, looking to his sister with a raised eyebrow.

"So...the Princess is proposing some kind of...multi-national alliance?"

Twilight shook her head, turning to face her brother with a softer look.

"Not an alliance...a union. A way for our country and others to work together. A means..."

Her smile widened.

"...a means to foster peace and friendship."

She glanced back to the still-idle paper before her.

"This...this is wonderful news!"

Her enthusiasm sounded genuine, which was no surprise. This was Twilight Sparkle after all, and if there was one person in all of Equestria who hoped for peace between nations, it was her. Shining, who understood this desire of hers very well by now, looked over to Cadence. Silently, the two older ponies knew they were sharing the same concern, and that they should talk to Twilight about it. But, after a while, it was her brother who did the "honours", letting out a long sigh before walking over to her.

"Twilight...I realise that this all sounds good, but...we have no guarantee that this is going to really play out like you want it to."

Twilight looked to him with confusion, prompting a further explanation on the stallion's part.

"We're talking about nations that have never come together like this before. Countries and peoples that, let's be honest, have spent their entire history just focusing on themselves and their own concerns."

He gestured to the paper.

"I want peace too...but these leaders have no reason to attend this gathering."

But, Twilight, rather than seem upset at that notion, instead just smiled to her sibling, giving him a quick pat on the shoulder.

"I understand that it seems far-fetched, but I think we have every reason to believe that they'll come."

She too looked to the parchment.

"Princess Amore, for instance, has been friends with Princess Celestia for centuries, so she'll definitely come. King Thorax considers her a friend, so he's a likely attendant too. And given Princess Celestia's dealings with other nearby leaders, we may well have more coming."

Here, it was Fluttershy's turn to add her voice to things.

"I heard a rumour that the Princess is also inviting dragons to this meeting. Is that true?"

Twilight gave a quick nod to that, confirming the rumour, which, as one would expect, led to looks of astonishment for many of those present. That is, with the clear exception of Aurora, who actually looked incensed by that revelation.

"What?! You mean to tell me that your Princess is letting a bunch of dangerous fire-breathers into your lands?!"

Twilight gave her cyan guest a frown, and Aurora, realising what she'd just said, did her best to quickly compose herself, speaking in a calmer, yet still firm tone.

"Sorry...I mean no offense to your kid...but beyond him, ponies and dragons haven't exactly had the best of relationships."

Slowly, Twilight nodded, giving a deep exhale before turning to face her fully.

"I realise that. Our history with them has been one of almost constant conflict. We're either running away from them, or they're trying to cause havoc for us."

After a time thinking on that matter, Twilight's smile returned.

"But there's been a lot of talk from that corner of the world. The old Dragon Lord has apparently stepped down, and another has taken his place."

Cadence nodded in agreement, walking closer to her friend while speaking up.

"It's true. And while we don't know that much about their new leader, what we have learned makes us think that they might be more open to diplomacy than basically all of their predecessors."

Aurora, while unwilling to continue to stir up a fuss about the dragons, nevertheless seemed to still be uncertain, as evidenced by the loud and deliberate sigh she let out.

"I don't like it. A leader willingly opening her gates to outside powers like that...sounds dangerous."

Applejack looked over to the Captain and frowned.

"She invited yer leader too, remember? Y'all sayin' yer gonna be causin' trouble?"

Aurora frowned right back, and while it looked like the two would, yet again, be at odds with one another, they were soon put in their place by a sharp look from Twilight, who looked first to Aurora, and then to Applejack. They both knew that she wasn't willing to allow a fight in her own home, so they backed off from this course, at least for now. But, as a silence passed over them, Twilight then took on a look of thoughtfulness, and slowly turned to look at Rarity.

"So...will Queen Moon be attending?"

Rarity placed a hoof to her chin, pondering that question for a time. After a good long while of thinking, she gave a slow shake of her head.

"Difficult to say. Very difficult. All I know so far is that she's received your Princess' offer. Whether she accepts it or not...I cannot say."

Slowly, she glanced to her soldier companion.

"Our Queen...can be difficult to read sometimes."

Aurora gave her a grim nod, silently agreeing to that sentiment, before again turning, casting her gaze over to Shining.

"An offer like this, just straight out of the blue...she might suspect it's just a trap."

Shining looked to her with clear offense.

"Our Princess would never do something like that!"

Aurora rolled her eyes.

"She might not...but let's not forget that your country has more than a few in it who'd be more than happy to use this meeting as a chance to attack our Queen!"

She smirked.

"Not that anypony from your side of things would actually be a threat to her of course."

As had happened several times now, this room looked like it was about to erupt into just one more argument among them all. But, before such a conflict had the chance to truly take off, Twilight slammed her hoof down on the table, causing a utterly deathly silence among them all. They all looked to her, and she, in turn, took a few seconds of silence to get her thoughts together. Her expression softened, and she quietly looked to each of those who were gathered here. Once she had done this, she focused her attention on Fluttershy.

"...I have a child...just like you."

Fluttershy's face too softened, but she said nothing as Twilight looked again to Ambassador Rarity.

"...Just like you too."

Rarity also seemed taken aback, listening well as her lavender counterpart continued.

"We...all of us...we have a responsibility. Not just to ourselves...but to our children. Those who will be here long after we're gone."

She glanced back to the parchment, yet again placing her hoof upon it.

"If there's a chance for peace...even if it's a small chance...we have to take it."

Again, she looked to all of them.

"We owe it to those who come after...to leave them a world where our peoples, our nations, are friends...not enemies."

She turned, looking to the staircase just behind her, knowing Spike was upstairs and asleep in his room.

"Because I don't want my son to live in a world where he'll look to the nations beyond Equestria's border...and be afraid of them."

A silence followed, and as it progressed, much to the tension and bad feeling that had been felt before began to ebb away. All the assembled ponies looked to one another, sharing a mix of differing feelings. Uncertainty, confusion, shame, hesitation, and a great many more. Twilight's words had cut through to them, and nopony here could deny that they all wanted what she wanted, even if some there were too prideful to admit to it. After a while, however, Aurora let out a sigh and, with a tone far softer than she'd spoken with before, looked to her unicorn friend.

"...When's this meeting happening?"

A small but genuine smile crept onto Twilight's face, and she looked one last time to the parchment.

"Just two weeks from now. That's when the forum will be finished. If the leaders endorse what this union wants to accomplish, then they simply have to arrive. An absence, however...will indicate a vote against."

Fluttershy considered that.

"So...I guess we'll have Queen Moon's answer then?"

Twilight nodded, turning to look to Rarity, who gave a quick shrug of her shoulders.

"I think...she will have made her decision by then. That is all I can promise."

Twilight, considering that, cast her eyes to the window nearby, and the full moon out in the sky beyond.

"Well then...I guess we'll know in two weeks."