It was just before sunrise, and Luna was tired. Her hooves were dragging slowly, a hoof rising to wipe the last bits of sleep from her eyes. As she walked down a hall of the castle she began to wonder aloud of what her sister deemed so important when she could be sleeping or at least reading the rest of the chapter of a good book. She looked to the side where a pair of guards stood straight and at attention and chuckled. They were all the same to her; so rigid, so strict to the rules.

"Princess!"

They saluted, their bodies still rigid. She smiled slightly, and with another chuckle stated, "At ease."

They relaxed, but only slightly. Luna sighed and once again began navigating the labyrinthine corridors of the castle towards her sister's room. Even moving from one tower to another in Canterlot Castle was a daunting affair for anypony without a detailed map or a few decades worth of personal experience. Under her breath she continued chanting emptily...something about Celestia, something about needing her morning coffee...Luna was too irritated to keep her thoughts in any particular order.

The darkling abyss of her most beautiful midnight skies had already started glowing with the faint traces of what would be the sunrise's burning blaze in several hours, but even with the flickering promise of morning light the corridors were heavy in lingering midnight shadows.

Luna strode forwards, doing her best to appear purposeful but really wondering exactly what her purpose entailed. She bounded onwards, around one of the countless shadowed curves of the castle, but was immediately greeted not with further darkness but instead a surprised yelp and a flourish of papers.

"Oh my!" Luna exclaimed with a chuckle. She had been so engrossed in her own musings that she had not even been paying attention to the darkness around the corner she had just turned through, and had collided directly with a prim earth pony, sending her many parchments flying upwards like fireworks.

"Princess Luna! Oh, I am so sorry!" she exclaimed, falling to the floor in a bow before Luna in a Manehattan minute.

"It's quite alright, dear," Luna smiled, lifting the fallen papers up in her magic and holding them before the stunned mare. This pony was familiar...Luna had seen her around the castle and during some of Celestia's gruelling Day Court sessions. A secretary, or courtier of some sorts, but that was not the title Luna was searching for.

Eventually, the proper one came to her.

"Raven, is it?" she asked, giving the papers a gentle snap so that the mare would finally take the hint and retrieve them.

"Yes, Your Majesty! Again, sorry—"

"A complete accident," Luna shook her head. "Think nothing of it. You're working quite early, Raven."

"Just dropping off a few things to Princess Celestia's desk before I leave for Ponyville," Raven said. She had calmed down enough to form a weary smile, but Luna still saw the traces of intimidation on this poor mare's face. "You're...ah...you're up early yourself."

"Yes, by my sister's request," Luna nodded. Raven had said it with curiosity, and Luna had repeated the sentiment while making her own irritation quite clear. "You wouldn't happen to know why, would you?"

Celestia spoke often of Raven, echoing humorous little anecdotes that they had shared during lulls in Day Court, or mentioning some incredible bureaucratic feat that Luna forced herself to pretend to be interested by. She had been serving Celestia for quite some time and Luna was under the impression the two had become close friends, or at least as close friends as a princess and courtier could be.

"Hm…" Raven brought a hoof to her chin. She carried with her a strange mixture of youthful playfulness and experienced wisdom. "Sorry, Your Majesty. Can't seem to recall her saying anything to me. Not like Princess Celestia to forget something though—"

Raven began to riffle through her countless documents, as if expecting the answer to be within one of them. Luna chuckled and stopped her with a raised hoof.

"Not like you to do so, either. I'm sure it's a recent development."

"An important one, it seems," Raven nodded. "One that couldn't wait until morning."

"Believe me, it very well better be!" Luna exclaimed with mirthful bitterness, earning a chuckle from Raven. "Thank you, dear. I suppose I'll ask her myself. Enjoy your trip to Ponyville."

"Have a good morning, Your Majesty!"

Raven left with a smile, and Luna carried forwards through the castle wearing a subtle one as well. Surely Raven was right...Celestia would not bother her with some trivial matter, nor would she forget one that suddenly needed action. Whatever purpose she was needed for, Luna decided bitter, under-the-breath remarks should be held until she knew precisely the reason.

When Luna finally reached her sister's room, the promises of some distant glorious sunrise were already lingering on the brightening morning sky. Luna extended a hoof to the door as if to knock, but Celestia's singsong voice rung out before she even made contact with the heavy mahogany door.

"Come in, Lulu!"

Luna pushed the door forwards with her magic, creeping into Celestia's room as if it were some haunted house.

"Luna, good morning!" Celestia called, her magic brushing strangely against Luna's as she herself grasped the door and opened it further. Her room was as posh and proper as it had ever been, a tidily made and surprisingly humble bed in one corner, a tall bookshelf in another...Celestia's room was little else but a simple reflection of the calm and collected mare who resided within.

Of course, Celestia's desk was the exception; parchments, maps, and charts were unfurled in no particular order, and despite her efforts Luna could not make out what territory they were depicting from her position hovering in the threshold between the causeway and bedroom.

"Sorry to wake you so early," Celestia said, inviting Luna in with a smile. "But it's a...matter of importance."

"I presumed so. And hoped for your sake it was," Luna said with a grin. Celestia returned the joke with a smile, but Luna was startled to see some greater fear prevent the smile from possessing any measure of joy.

"It's about the changelings," Celestia said. She spoke firmly and quickly, wasting very little time as she immediately leaped forwards. "Recently I've been in...ah, correspondence...with their Queen."

Luna tensed in realization.

"Frankly, Luna, they are desperate. I've offered my help but they have no intentions of speaking with me. Instead...their Queen has requested specifically for you."

"Me." Luna repeated bluntly, vainly hoping to find refuge in feigning foolishness.

"Not only that, she was keen that it be swiftly," Celestia continued. "'Before I change my mind,' I believe she said."

Luna grimaced. Any doubt about what "Queen" Celestia was referring to was shattered in an instant.

"I remember before those thousand years, you had a friend in the changelings. Please Lulu as I said they won't speak to me but they'll speak to you."

Luna sighed deeply and closed her eyes. " I—I can't even imagine why Chrissy would want to talk with me, after all these years."

"Chrissy…" Celestia repeated with a tilt of her head, for but a moment, before the nickname registered and she narrowed her eyes. "You never told me your friend was…her."

Luna shifted uncomfortably next to her sister. She let out another sigh and stated honestly, "You never would have approved."

"She tried to take over Canterlot!" Celestia said, feeling her emotions leaning towards a breaking point.

"Because she was desperate! See, this is why they won't talk to you, Celly...you won't let go of the past."

Celestia heaved a sigh, a deep frown set on her face before she nodded and looked towards Luna. "Maybe you're right Lulu. I have been holding onto the past, but this is why I need your help, dear sister."

"Tia…" Luna began, bringing her gaze upwards from the plush carpet to meet her sister's eyes and instantly regretting it. She groaned and swiftly looked away from Celestia's wide, pouting eyes.

"Seriously Tia," Luna exhaled heavily. "I mean...just because I had a connection with the current Queen of the changelings doesn't mean it still exists."

Celestia smiled, although it was not without the distant traces of doubt lining its weary edges.

"It takes a little more than time to kill a friendship, Luna. And if that is truly what you had with Queen Chrysalis…"

Celestia trailed off, but Luna understood all the same. Chrysalis may have been an enemy to Equestria in times past, but in times even earlier she had been a friend, too. If they could restore that relationship once again...

"As usual, your wisdom on friendship is unparalleled," Luna conceded with a heavy sigh. She wasn't even sure whether she'd intended her remark to be sarcastic or not. "Fine. I'll go. But it's strictly diplomatic."

"I'd intend it to be nothing more or less," Celestia nodded. "You're the best advocate for peace, Luna. You're closer to Queen Chrysalis than anypony else."

"What happened…?" Luna said sadly. It was a question she had asked many times since the invasion, and never had she been satisfied with the answer history books or her sister had provided her. "She was never on strong terms with us politically...but never before would she try to invade us."

"I do not fully know," Celestia started; yet another echo of the same explanation she had always given Luna. One that made enough sense to fill the political gaps but not enough to explain the cruel turn that a mare Luna had once called "friend" had taken.

"When you...when Nightmare Moon was banished, she became estranged. I...held communications with the changelings through letters, but as every year passed, their correspondence slowly ground to a halt. Before the first century was past, I recieved no replies and eventually did not bother sending letters into the void the Changeling Empire had seemingly become."

"You should have tried at least speaking with Chrysalis!" Luna stomped a hoof on Celestia's floor, the forcible vibrations causing some stray bottle of perfume atop Celestia's vanity to dance wildly but not fall. "She would have listened, had you made an attempt to speak to her!"

"I...I did," Celestia was proceeding slowly now, cautiously. Luna could see the uncertainty in her sister's face as she clawed backwards through time to bring forth regretful memories of times better left unturned. "She...asked about you. Why you never returned, why all the letters she received were from me and not you. I tried to explain, but—she didn't understand."

"I'm…" Luna was speechless, managing to force out a few stuttering syllables at best. "She…?"

"I tried, Luna. I suppose I could have tried harder. I'm sorry."

"I am too. I didn't mean to accuse you of anything."

"You had every right to. I know this is difficult for you, sis."

Luna closed her eyes and nodded slowly. In the darkness she felt something warm and soft descend on her back. When she opened her eyes, she saw Celestia's wing resting there, her sister giving her an uneasy smile. Luna felt comfort in its shy, uncomfortable midst.

"Do you really think I can do this?" Luna asked, gazing intently into her sister's wide eyes with a pleading expression of her own.

"Of course I do, Luna. You're her friend. Friends understand."

"I don't know if she'll even want to speak to me!" Luna brushed Celestia's wing off her back and gave her own a frustrated flare. "How could she, after what I've done to her?"

"Friends forgive too, Luna," Celestia cooed softly. "If you don't wish to go, I fully understand. I can go in your stead. But Chrysalis is your friend."

"You're right," Luna turned back to face her sister, who was staring at her own hooves. "I'll go."

"Thank you, Luna," Celestia said. "I know that she'll listen to you. This will be good...for changelings and ponies...and, for you."