"Lu? Wake up Lu." Tia voice graced my ears.

"Hugh? What?" I sat up in fright.

Where was I? What was happening? Why was-

"Oh... Tia." I said, realizing it was only Tia standing over me. "Sorry, I've been up a while and-"

"Don't worry about it. I'm just surprised you hadn't slept sooner." Tia grinned, helping me to my hooves.

"Too much to... Think about." I shrugged. "Speaking of, how'd that meeting go?"

The Sun was beginning to set already, but had not yet touched the horizon. The sky was filled with oranges and yellows to the West, and blues and purples to the East.

"... Well enough I suppose." Tia said after a moment of hesitation. "I'm still not quite on board with making me the ruler of this... United tribe... But the others seemed to be impressed how well I handled the mess yesterday. And it's hard to argue that you shouldn't be in charge when a few important Ponies of the original tribes are huddling in your camp with nothing to their name but the clothes on their withers and a blanket you provided them." she shook her head. "Which, by the way, in the future, could you be a little nicer to them? The rumor mill was going crazy with how you, quote 'threatened to build a stockade'."

I couldn't stop the amused snort that came.

"No, I said 'that they were lucky we weren't considering building a stockade'. Besides, after all the raiding and pillaging that Hurricane and Platinum has done, I don't think there'd be too many protesters."

"Why not Puddinghead?" Tia's ears cocked in confusion.

"Uh... What about Puddinghead?" I asked. "She seemed to be pretty well behaved. Actually, now that I think about it, do the Earth Ponies hate the Clan leadership?" I continued. "Judging by Pansy's opinion, and personal experience, I'm not even sure why the Earth Ponies would join? I don't remember it ever coming up in Ùllahdmaiden..."

"You wouldn't, you weren't in the Mayor's office whenever the demands started coming in, and you stayed away from the tavern, so you wouldn't have heard the complaining." Tia supplied.

"I-" I stammered as I tried to come up with a rebuttal. I- No. I almost never went back to the tavern after initially arriving. The stink of alcohol and ale was too much for me. So I just stayed at home or kept working at the blacksmith's... "I guess I wouldn't then..." I finished stupidly.

"Don't beat yourself up, you were too young to have that drink and Appleflower knew it." Tia admonished. "Besides, we both know you don't do well dealing with Ponies."

"Thank you for understanding..." I meekly muttered.

"You're welcome Lu. Anyway, I was just about to go talk to Platinum, get this 'Aunt' business sorted out. Would you like to participate?" Tia continued.

"Please!" I nodded.

"Oh thank the Sun, I wasn't sure if you wanted to or not, and I'd feel much better with you there."

"Are you nervous?" I asked.

"It's not everyday the Princess of Unicornia comes by and claims to be your Aunt."

"Fair enough."

"Shall we go get this farce over with?" Tia bumped into me playfully.

"Let's." I bumped her back.

She chuckled as she led the way.

The camp had changed slightly while I had slept.

Of the snow windbreak there was no sign. In its place, somepony had the idea of stacking wooden crates, broken carts that had been over turned on their sides, and sheets of what looked to be sail cloth all around the perimeter of the compacted camp. If the blizzard came again, it would serve as a more sturdy windbreak. Where this morning had been hard packed dirt from the gathering of so many Ponies the night before, there were now a myriad of tents that had been taken, repurposed, and erected from the original four camps. The injured were still lain out on the ground, but that was changing as the Sun began to dip below the horizon. Healthy Ponies lifted and carried the severely wounded on liters made of wooden boards.

Tia navigated through the organized lanes of tents that all bore the sigils of Pegasopolis, Unicornia, and the Clans, with practiced ease. As if she had been walking amongst them all day.

"Have you slept yet?" I asked Tia.

"Not yet, I've been too invested in stabilizing the situation." Tia replied. "But I'm going straight to bed after this is handled." she yawned.

"We don't have to do this tonight. You can go to bed and we'll deal with this in the morning."

"No." Tia shook her head. "Tomarrow's probably going to be as busy as today. Besides, it'll give me the chance to get all the facts and sleep on it."

"If you say so." I conceded.

The Broken down cart I had given to the tribes leaders was exactly where I had left it, albeit now sporting a propped up sheet that formed a tent. The four Ponies lounged by a small fire they had started. Starswirl was quietly reading a book, Puddinghead and Hurricane were busy roasting something over the fire, and somepony must've found and returned Platinum's crown, for she was holding it in her hooves and examining it by the firelight.

Why somepony hadn't stolen it for themselves I didn't know. But then again... What good was gold in the middle of untamed wilderness? The closest town being at least weeks away of travel on hoof.

Nothing but dead weight I suppose.

"Platinum?" Tia called out. The Princess' head snapped up, startled.

"Oh! Celestia! Luna!" she responded. "Have you-"

"We have." Tia nodded. Platinum nodded in return.

"Come, in the cart. We'll have some privacy in there." she gestured towards the covered cart and stood up.

Tia nodded and started for the opening.

I followed.

Platinum reached the cart first and held it open, inviting us inside. All three of us ducked inside.

The light from the campfire hit the canvas of the covering, illuminating the otherwise dark interior with a diffused glow.

"It's not all that bad in here." Platinum began. "I can see why Ponies used these as tents. Thank you for it."

"You're welcome." I nodded as we all settled onto the floor of the cart. Tia and I on one side, Platinum on the other.

Awkward silence filled the makeshift shelter.

"So... Where should we begin?" Platinum asked after an uneasy minute.

"The beginning." Tia confirmed. "Start with how you knew Nebula Glow."

"Oh that's easy. We grew up together in the Crown Palace in Unicornia. We're- Well, I guess we 'were" sisters now... She the elder, I the younger." Platinum nervously smiled as she became lost in thought. "Except she and Mother never saw eye to eye... Nebula was the last sort of Pony you'd expect to be a Duchess of the Realm. As a filly, she'd run away into the woods outside the city, and bring back all sorts of rocks and strange bugs." Platinum's smile melted, becoming more natural as she became lost in the nostalgia. "Mother hated it of course. She'd send out guards to find Nebula, but Nebula made a game of it... A city wide game of hide and seek you might say." she chuckled. "It all came to a head when a group of enterprising thugs decided they wanted to foalnap Nebula while she was away."

Platinum paused as her eyes clouded over with memories.

"Poor fools hadn't known what they were getting into until it was too late." she muttered quietly to herself. But she continued, louder this time. "Nopony quite knows what exactly happened, but tales about a young lilac filly leading a group of full grown Ponies on a merry chase flooded the city. It all ended as Nebula tricked the would-be foalnappers into a constabulary cell and locked them all inside. Mother was furious. Not that Nebula had outsmarted the thugs no, but because Ponies were now targeting her daughter. She all but chained Nebula to a study desk with an endless march of tutors to teach her 'properly'." Platinum snorted. "It didn't work at all. The only Ponies who tolerated the job for any amount of time ended up being the Wizard's teaching warspells. To them, she was the perfect student." Platinum chuckled. "I guess she learned a few etiquette things from the other tutors after all..."

Platinum wiped her eyes with the back of her hoof.

"It all came to a head in the Royal practice yard. Nebula was dueling some of the students from the College of Warmages when she met him. A stallion by the name of Astral Light. Astral wasn't like the other students. He had been a promising recruit from the Royal Guard, who wanted to hone his natural talent for combat spells. He was a commoner practically from off the streets. Nebula liked him almost immediately. Oh not that she'd ever tell him or us though..." Platinum chortled. "The first bout was vicious, anything and everything seemed to be fair game. It all ended when he pinned her to the ground. I think his words were 'First blood is mine.'" Platinum let loose a full belly laugh as she continued. "Nebula's response was to kick him in the groin and push him away."

I heard Tia quietly snort in amusement beside me.

"After that, she'd rant and rave about him at all hours of the day... Irritated beyond words about every little thing he did. But while she thought she was alone, you could just tell she was thinking of him fondly." Platinum giggled. "I don't think anypony was fooled. Mother certainly wasn't. She started looking for any suitor she could find for Nebula. Sons of the Noble houses, sons of wealthy merchant guildsponies, anycolt that had some degree of standing in the eyes of the Crown was paraded in front of Nebula. And she refused them all." Platinum waved a hoof, gesturing for effect. "Nebula and Astral eventually eloped, without telling anypony beforehoof. Mother's guards found Nebula the next morning in a cheap tavern, with an easily made stone horn ring, smelling of drink, and intertwinned with Astral in bed."

Celestia let slip a full chuckle.

But I found myself confused.

What were they doing in the bed?

My inner thoughts, the ones I pushed away, about Clover made themselves known.

About how I wanted to wrap myself around her and start licking her-

Oh.

"To say Mother was most displeased would've been an understatement." Platinum continued. "She and Nebula were at each other's throats for hours. Arguing and screaming at each other." Platinum looked down at the floor as her nostalgia soured. "It all ended with Astral's discharge papers being signed, and Nebula signing her own disownment documents... After that she and Astral left Unicornia, and to my knowledge never returned."

Platinum fell silent.

"... They did return. They returned with me." Tia solemnly continued. "Luna hadn't been born yet, and I was barely five Winters old." Tia tapped nervously on the ground. "I don't know why we came, I was awestruck by the tall towers to notice... But Dad left us occasionally, only to come back dirty and smelling faintly of booze. I don't think he was drinking himself though..." Tia tapped her chin in thought. "Because he always came back sad and disheartened... He and Mom would share a hug, whisper to each other, and then return to normal. Until the day before we left. He came back happy and excited! He and Mom shared a happy kiss, and then the next day we left the city. When we returned to Queensford, he and Mom embraced once more, and then he left, continuing his travels. He never came back. Luna was then born a year later."

Silence fell.

While I couldn't know the other two's thoughts, I was unsettled by the full telling of the story. Whenever I had asked Mom, "Where was daddy?" she'd always respond with "Away." or "Elsewhere." Eventually I had stopped asking and left the matter alone. Additionally, I had thought Tia's visit to Unicornia was some sort of trip taken for fun. But now that I thought about it, and with context provided by Tia, they weren't there for fun at all. Astral, it felt strange to call this faceless stallion 'Dad', was busy looking for something while Mom watched Tia. But what or who I could not say, only that they returned to Queensford, Astral continued traveling, and never came back.

But, a more pressing question weighed in on my mind.

"So... Where does that leave us?" I asked outloud.

I must've startled them both, because they both jolted slightly.

"Oh right... Um..." Tia began. "Well, I believe her, she knew both Mom and Dad's names, it fits why Mom was at least educated as a Warmage, and we do look alike."

That last part was at least true. Looking at Platinum and Tia side by side, the resemblance was frightening. While I had already made the comparison earlier, it was an entirely different matter with them in the same tent.

"Then please tell me..." Platinum continued. "... How did my sister die?"

I felt my blood run cold.

A flicker of movement in the corner of my eyes told me Tia was glancing in my direction.

"Do you wanna tell it or-?" I asked, meeting Tia's magenta gaze.

"Uh... Yeah. I'll tell it." Tia said after a moment of hesitation. "You were still sort of young... Despite what happened."

I closed my mouth and let Tia do the talking.

"It was after news of Queen Sterling's death. The soldiers came to our village and told us the news. But they didn't leave any supplies for us to last the Winter with. They told us if we wanted food so badly, we should move South." Tia took a shaky breath. "It was less than two weeks later first snowfall blanketed the village. With no food and no help coming, our Reeve decided it was best to abandon the village and migrate South." Tia paused and reigned in her own emotions. "The road was long and hard. We could barely find any food, and with so many Ponies we drew the attention of many monsters. Including the Hydra." Tia took a moment to steady her voice. "It came during the night. We fought bravely, but nopony could hurt it... That is, except Luna. She was small enough to not be noticed, and had picked up one of our weapons and stuck it into a gap in its scales." Tia started to choke on her words, unable to continue.

"It was too late for Mom." I continued for Tia. "She had been hit with the Hydra's acid. There was nothing we could do but let her die in our arms."

"She- Didn't she use her magic? The Nebula Glow I knew would've destroyed a Hydra..." Platinum asked.

"No, she didn't." Tia sniffed. "The only reason I can think of is because she didn't like showing off in front of the other villagers."

Silence fell.

"Well..." Platinum started after a moment. "Thank you both for your time. But it's getting late and I suspect we both have things to think about."

"Yes, please." Tia yawned. "I've been up all night and day and would really like to retire to my tent." she added, standing up to leave.

I made to follow.

"Oh and Luna?" Platinum called one last time.

I turned to find the Princess watching my face.

"Thank you for avenging my sister."

"Does it count if it died before she did?" I asked.

"No idea." Platinum admitted with a slight shrug. "But you did it anyway."

"I see... Well, um..." I rubbed the back of my neck. "You're... Welcome? She was my Mother too, so I'm not sure if I can accept your thanks..."

Platinum closed her eyes and smiled.

"You remind me of her so much. She was Moon Marked too."

It felt like a Pegasus had pressed one of their thunder clouds to my spine.

"Wait... Moon Marked?" I asked. "How can you tell? Is it an actual mark somewhere? Is it how I smell? Is it-"

"Peace!" Platinum chuckled good naturedly. "Moon Mark is just a phrase darling. A term for something."

"But-"

"There is no actual mark Luna. It's how you act." Platinum explained. "Tell me, do you feel like you don't understand Ponies sometimes?"

"Uh..." I stalled.

The answer to the question was yes, obviously. But would I explain it like that? Does she mean exactly what she's saying? Or is it one of those weird phrases Ponies said, but meant something else?

"Yes?" I asked. Platinum giggled to herself.

"Oh dear," she cooed. "Yes you've got it bad. But don't fret! I'm not going to hold it over your head. I just know how to talk to you better."

"I'm... Confused."

"Luna?" Tia called from outside.

"Don't worry about it darling." Platinum waved. "Go with your sister and have a good night. I suspect you'll both be very busy tomarrow."

"Ok... Um... Good night then." I ducked out of the covered wagon.

Tia was waiting, standing by the fire.

"Everything ok Lu?" she asked.

"Oh! Yes. Sorry, she just had a few more words to say." I responded, walking to her side.

"Would you mind if I asked what they were?" she asked.

"She thanked me for avenging Mom."

"Ah." Tia nodded. "I see."

"Speaking of;" I interjected. "You need to see the insides of your eyelids."

Tia giggled.

"Yes, you're right Lu." she smiled. "Come, we're sharing a tent and it's this way." Tia turned to the two Ponies who were watching our conversation, Starswirl was still reading. "Starswirl, Puddinghead, Hurricane." she acknowledged. "Have a good night."

"Good night!" Puddinghead exclaimed.

"Night." Hurricane waved away.

"Hm? Oh, yes. Good night." Starswirl looked up from his book.

Tia then turned to the cart, and looked like she was going to call out. Except she stopped herself.

"Uh... Good- Good night Stellar!" she called to Platinum inside.

"Good night Tia!" came the slightly muffled reply.

"Stop delaying! You. Bed. Now." I gently nudged Tia with the flat of my forehead.

"Alright alright!" she cried out, moving along.

"Good night to the three of you." I nodded to the three around the fire.

"Good night Luna." they all replied.

Tia started leading the way voluntarily as we left the campfire behind.

"So..." I began, as we got out of earshot. "What do you think?"

Tia was silent as she kept at an easy pace.

"... I think we have an Aunt." she replied eventually. "And Grandparents, and cousins and Uncles and-"

"Keep in mind Tia, and I don't say this to be mean, but she was the one who sacked Ùllahdmaiden." We passed by a group of Ponies hauling another cart of scavenged supplies. "She killed friends of ours."

"I'm aware." Tia nodded sagely. "But according to Clover, Ùllahdmaiden was never burned to the ground. All they wanted was food to march further South. If we hadn't fought they wouldn't have killed anypony."

"Do you really believe that?" I asked incredulously. "They came with an army. Need I remind you."

"Why are you playing devil's advocate?" Tia asked. "You two were starting to get along when I left. What happened since then?"

"I-" I stammered.

Was I being unnecessarily judgmental?

No, I wasn't. Regardless how she treated me, she still had Ponies I knew killed so her army could eat.

"I just don't think we should trust her so easily just because she happens to be our Aunt." I explained. "Granted, would I like to get to know her better? Yes. If nothing else, it's a fascinating insight into Mom's life. But at the same time; She's Princess Platinum! How often have we cursed the Unicornian Crown for abandoning Queensford?"

A thought suddenly occurred to me.

"Oh stars above! Queen Iridium is our Grandma!"

Tia started to laugh.

"Yeah, I guess she is... Never thought the Noble House Mom came from would've been the royal family itself..." she commented.

"I haven't had the time to think about it..." I admitted as Tia lead me to another covered cart. She jumped up and pulled the flap open. "Remember, I just learned this a Moon ago in Ùllahdmaiden."

"Ah, sorry... Forgot." Tia replied as she helped me up into the cart.

Inside were two bedrolls and a few barrels and crates.

"With so many tents in the war camps, I was able to get a private one for us." Tia explained.

"Really? How many Ponies are here?"

"A few hundred... I think." Tia tapped her chin in thought. "I put Timber Sprout in charge of getting a census going. Don't know when he'll get back to me though..."

"Good. Because you need to sleep." I nudged a bedroll towards Tia.

"Yeah? And what about you?" she asked, unrolling the bedroll and slipping inside.

"Don't know. I'll probably stay up a few hours and then join you." I replied, sitting down on my haunches in the cart's open back.

"Oh..." Tia trailed off. "Well, good night then!" she rolled over and fell silent.

"Sleep tight Tia." I wished her as I watched Ponies outside walk by.

'Would you do me the honor of freeing me from my prison and claiming me for yourself?'

I... I had a lot to think about.

Next Chapter: Chapter 93 The Memories Part 52 Estimated time remaining: 7 Hours, 16 Minutes