We left the makeshift camp, surrounded by others who had formed groups. As we walked away, groups began to split away, looking to cover as much ground as they could. As we walked, I did my best to stay away from Clover, and apparently she did likewise, because Clover kept Cookie and Pansy between us as we walked into the thawing snowfield.

Cookie and Pansy would occasionally glance at each other and chuckle.

I did my best to ignore them, which got easier and easier as the wind swept landscape became more prevalent.

My initial estimate didn't do the now barren waste justice. Trees hadn't just been frosted over, they had become spikes of windblown ice that seemed to erupt from the ground. The wind, even as it blew warm summer air, was stinging as nothing but the flat expanse stopped its rampage. Loose snow skittered across the ground with long sweeping motions, riding on the gusts of the intense wind. Yet even as we walked, becoming more and more alone as groups split away more and more, the edges of the spikes of ice were thawing and dripping liquid water, adding to the surreal environment.

"Look! Pony!" Pansy suddenly exclaimed. Our group, that is Cookie, Pansy, Clover, several Ponies whose names I didn't know, and myself weren't alone quite yet, so it came as a surprise to find somepony so soon. All of our heads whipped to look where Pansy was pointing.

At first I didn't see what she was pointing at, all I saw was another ice covered tree, but then I noticed the spear and Pony shaped lump sitting underneath the wind curved ice.

Taking shelter.

Pansy was off like a shot, flying over the glassy snow. Several other Ponies went after in close pursuit, dashing through the ice encrusted snow.

I followed after them.

By the time I reached the location, Pansy had already stood up from checking the Pony.

She shook her head.

"Go on, we'll bring them back. Make sure they get a proper burial." A Unicorn from another group stated. "You use those good eyes of yours to find anypony else."

Pansy nodded, biting her lip, looking like she was on the verge of tears. I put a hoof on her withers reassuringly.

"Come on Pansy, it may not be too late for others."

She nodded, and followed me back.

Now there were only two groups left in our caravan. But it was not long before we split apart.

We trudged through the snow, alone for the most part.

"So umm... Cookie;" I started, not quite sure if I liked how the warm wind howled like a Winter storm. "You seem to have a destination in mind, where are we going?"

"Yer right." Cookie replied. "I want ta figure out if the leaders of the expeditions survived. If they survived, they'll ether give us the most problems, or the most benefit. Ether way it's important ta find them."

"Wait, 'us'?" I asked. Cookie was sounding like she considered the camp that had gathered under Tia to be a single village... But surely it wasn't... Was it?

"Sure. After those, windy-goes;" she enunciated "What else are we all supposed ta do? Don't make a lick of sense ta split, especially if what Clover is right about them eating conflict. What choice do we have other than unite inta a single tribe? So ta speak."

"I- I haven't thought about it that way..." I admitted.

"I mean, shouldn't we be seriously considering stopping all the wars and fighting if that's what's causing the longer Winters? I, personally, don't see any other choice."

"I'm all for it." Pansy agreed.

Clover looked thoughtful, and the other Ponies weren't close enough to hear.

"But why Tia?" I asked. "You're suggesting to put her in charge of this combined tribe?"

"Well who else? Look, from what I've seen since yesterday, Tia's got a good head on her shoulders. Furthermore, she's got all of us working together already. If anypony's gonna be able to handle it, I'll bet it's gonna be her."

It was strange... Now that Cookie mentioned it... Tia had rallied all three tribes last night. So who was to say that all of these villagers from the separate tribes just... Didn't separate again?

The hard part was already half done, it just needed to be formalized and made permanent...

"I'd- I'd bring it up with Tia. If I were you." I suggested. "Don't want to suddenly drop this on her withers... If that's indeed what's going to happen."

"Would you bring it up?" Clover asked. "She knows you better than Cookie and is more likely to trust you."

"I'd rather not, it's Cookie's idea so she should be the one to suggest it, but I'll vouche for you." I replied.

"Appreciate it." Cookie nodded.

The conversation died down as we refocused on the field of thawing ice.

We walked for hours, leaving a long trail in the snow, which slowly turned to slush as the Sun rose higher. We found quite a few bodies, Ponies frozen and covered in snow, only identifiable by the lumps of snow in an otherwise flat expanse, or by exposed limbs sticking out of the thawing snow.

Many of them had wounds consistent with fighting.

It became obvious quickly that we were intruding on a battlefield.

We didn't bother trying to recover the bodies after a certain point, instead prioritizing finding anypony that may still be alive.

We did find a few Ponies, barely clinging to life. Huddled under ice shelves, clinging to their friends who had frozen to death, hiding under piles of corpses they had dragged together in a gruesome attempt to make some sort of shelter. For the few we did find, we huddled around them to keep them from freezing, all while calling to one of the groups that had caught up. One of the groups had taken to gathering and caring for any survivors found. It was to them we mainly called to as we kept the found Pony warm. They would come to us, with blankets and warm food, to sequester the Pony away with a cart.

As we advanced, the frozen ruins of the three war camps from the day prior loomed into view. I hadn't even realized I was close to the river everything was so flat. However the camps themselves had been thoroughly ruined. They all looked like a tornado had ran freely amongst them. Which may not have been far from the truth considering the Pegasoplian camp.

It was after the third or fourth alive Pony that I found the most peculiar thing.

At first it looked like a large mound of ice and snow. But, with the exception of the misshapen ice made from the wind coming off it, it was perfectly round. Too perfect to be natural. I approached cautiously.

What was this?

Curiosity drove me as I started to push thawing snow off whatever the thing was. Ice lay underneath, but it didn't seem that thick. So I started grabbing and pulling chunks of the ice off with my magic. Underneath that was the most confusing thing yet.

A solid opaque grey material.

Just what was this?

"Hey Thunder!" I called behind me, towards one of the Ponies in my group, who I now knew was named 'Thunder Cloud'. "I found something!"

"What is it?" he called back.

"I don't know!" I replied.

The stallion approached, his wings flapping as he kept out of the wet snow.

"Let me look."

I stepped aside to let him see.

He landed and bent down to peer at the strange grey substance.

"Huh... That is weird." he tapped on the flat surface.

Thonk thonk thonk.

The material seemed to vibrate, but held firm.

"Any ideas?" I asked.

"I think it's magical..." Thunder nodded. "Don't you know? You're a Unicorn."

"I know how to hit hot metal, and stab with a spear." I rolled my eyes. "Most of my education is Earth Pony."

"Could've fooled me." he shrugged.

I ignored that statement and continued.

"So magic? Do you know where Clover is? If it is magical she'll know."

"Oh! Um... I think so... Be right back." he trailed off, opening his wings and jumping into the sky.

Alone once more with the strange thing, I decided to spend my time constructively and clear off whatever snow and ice I could.

I was about half done when Thunder returned with Clover.

The look of curiosity vanished as soon as she saw the grey thing.

"Oh." she said simply.

I became only more confused as she approached and walked right up to the perfectly spherical grey thing.

Clonk clonk clonk!

"Master! Open up Master! It's safe now!" she called out as she knocked on the material.

Master? What was...

Oh! That's right! Clover was an apprentice wizard!

Silence reigned as the sphere didn't react in the slightest.

Clover's ear flicked in irritation.

"Stupid old stallion probably too busy meditating..." she mumbled under her breath as she took a few steps back.

"Uh...?" I moaned as she walked past me, trying to think of something to say or ask.

"Stand back." Clover instructed as she lowered her horn.

I barely had enough time to leap away before her horn ignited.

FREEEEEEEEEM!

A lance of fire leapt forward! Impacting the grey sphere furiously! The grey magic wobbled and rippled from the impact, not breaking it, but clearly disturbing it like a rock thrown into a calm pond.

Oh it was a shield of some sort!

Clover stopped her assault after a moment, the snow around and in front of her clearly more melted than the surrounding ice.

"That should get his attention." she stated.

True enough, the grey shield expanded slightly, knocking off whatever ice and snow I missed, and then promptly vanished. Now exposed were four Ponies, an older Earth Pony mare who wore a fancy pink frock, a Pegasus mare that I was surprised I recognized, and two Unicorns, a bearded elderly stallion who wore a ridiculously pointy hat and cape, both decorated with bells; And another mare I was pretty sure I'd also seen before.

"Master, did you fall asleep while casting again?" Clover called out, addressing the elderly Unicorn.

"Ah Clover, you survived." he calmly acknowledged, stepping away from the other three Ponies, whom had been laying or sitting down around him. "Well done, I trust the Windegos did not give you much trouble then?"

"Ah... Actually they did..." Clover admitted, rubbing the back of her neck. "But we took care of them!" she quickly amended.

"Most excellent. I expect a thesis on their weaknesses... It will be a most exciting read." the elder Unicorn nodded, advancing towards Clover.

"Actually, it wasn't me who defeated them..." Clover admitted.

The elder Unicorn stopped in his tracks.

"Hrm? Then pray tell who did?" he asked.

"It was actually Luna here who oversaw their slaying... And even killed two by herself." Clover gestured towards me.

And suddenly four sets of eyes turned on me.

I winced under the sudden attention.

While the Earth Pony mare and elderly Unicorn were indifferent, the Pegasus' and Unicorn mare's eyes lit up, with the Unicorn looking as if she had seen a ghost.

"I know you!" the Pegasus exclaimed as the Unicorn gaped like a fish. "You were that filly with the band of hornheads we detained years ago! The one that supposedly killed that Hydra!"

"Uh... Yeah." I self consciously rubbed my left foreleg with my right. "Commander Hurricane right?"

"You do remember me!" the Pegasus cackled, hopping into the air and hovering. "I knew you'd turn out to be special! You said you killed two of those things? I thought there was only the one! I'm glad I gave you that spear! No telling where we'd be if I hadn't!"

"Ah... Um..." I tried to speak as the Pegasus went on, not quite sure when it was going to be my turn to speak.

"That's all well and good..." the Unicorn mare interrupted. "But little filly, do you by chance know a mare by the name of 'Nebula Glow'?"

What the-? That was an odd question. What did Mom have to do with anything anymore?

"Uh yeah, she was my mother." I warily supplied.

"I- I'm sorry, 'was'?" the mare asked, her breath hitching.

"She was killed, by the Hydra that I ended up slaying."

"Oh..." the mare's features drooped. "Oh Nebula you poor fool..." she whispered under her breath.

"I'm sorry, do I know you? You seem awfully familiar..."

Seriously who was this mare? Something about her was so familiar... But for the life of me I couldn't place where I knew her...

"Oh, my apologies." the mare put a hoof over her heart. "I must still be frazzled from last night. My name is Princess Stellar Platinum... And I believe I may be your Aunt."

DUN DUN DUUUUUUUUN!