"To put it quite bluntly," Celestia said, allowing the faintest hints of annoyance to creep into her voice, "I have been interested in engaging you diplomatically for some time, and have gone out of my way to make the effort any time I encountered one of your representatives. So yes, I would have quite liked to hear your side of the story. Trust is another matter, to be earned or accorded based on your actions, so you have little grounds to complain that we would not trust you when you have done nothing to earn it."

Never mind that she was addressing the Nox in all their shadowed glory; Celestia sounded precisely like an exasperated schoolteacher, or maybe a disappointed parent.

"We are well aware we do not have the full story or all the information we would like. If you are truly willing to share your perspective with us, just doing so would go much farther to earning our goodwill than all these dramatics and theatrics."