Once Upon a Time: Ever After High (Book 5)

Ch.48 Ice cave

The next day, the weather seemed to be getting more colder and stronger. Wind was blowing snow everywhere and ice had pretty much covered everything. And in the 'Wonder diner', everyone was trying to stay warm as Lauren handed out some hot cocoa to everyone just as Crystal entered by pushing the door open against the wind as some snow flew in as she stepped in and let the wind slam the door closed.

"Crystal" Macy said "Can't you do anything about this weather? I mean you have your wand."

"I wish I could" Crystal said with a sad look "But this is powerful winter magic, the only one I know who can reverse this is my dad, but he's not here and I don't have his staff."

At that point everyone sighed.

"Well on the bright side" Lauren smiled "We don't have to go to school."

"Well now that I know where Noelle is hiding" Crystal said "I'm gonna go there and try to get her out of her trance, Aidan you still have the mirror?"

"In here" he held up his backpack.

"Okay great I need it" she held out her hands towards him.

"Hold on" he said "Are you seriously going to go against your sister alone?"

"That's what I'm planning."

"Uh no, you're gonna need some help, that's why I'm coming with you."

"Aidan, I appreciate that, but remember what happened last time when we ran into Noelle? She nearly killed you, she nearly killed you and your brother."

"So? I've faced things worse than your sister, and I've survived all of them. Although I almost didn't make it when I got trapped in the mirror prison, now that was torture. But you're gonna need some help, you can like distract Noelle while I go up to her and use the mirror on her."

"Uh..." she said with a worried look.

"Hey, it's gonna be okay, we can handle her."

"Okay fine, just be careful."

She then turned to everyone else.

"The rest of you just try to stay warm" she said.

"Oh we're trying alright" Julie said as she took a sip of her hot cocoa.

Following Kim's directions, Crystal and Aidan finally came upon the entrance to Noelle's ice cave.

"Wow" Aidan said surprised "How did we not notice this?"

"That doesn't matter now" Crystal said as she held onto her wand "We're here, I'll go in first."

So she entered the ice cave as Aidan followed and soon they entered inside the empty ice room.

"Whoa" they gasped as they admired the hideout.

"I gotta say" Aidan said with amusement "This is amazing."

"It isn't it?" Noelle suddenly appeared as Crystal and Aidan took a step back "I didn't think you guys would find me, but yet here you are. Hey how's the weather down there? Pretty cool huh?"

"I've heard that pun too many times" Aidan said with a bored look.

"Now I know why you two are here, it's because you're trying to stop me. But all I want to do is spread snow and joy to the world" she said with a sarcastic smile.

"Quit the act Noelle" Crystal frowned "We already know that you want to get rid of me. And I understand that you're really pissed at me for putting you in that urn, and I am so sorry for that, I truly am, I regret doing that."

"That's not the only thing, you called me a monster, and do you know how much that hurt me? It hurt a lot" Noelle said with a mad look.

"I'm sorry" Crystal said with guilt "I didn't mean it, I was just too shocked when you killed Jack, I panicked."

"You weren't just shocked, you were afraid of me, I saw the fear in your eyes, I see fear in everyone's eyes, including our parents. Which is why they preferred you over me."

"That's not true, they loved us both equally, we all loved you for who you were."

"And yet everyone adored you" Noelle frowned "They all couldn't wait for you to rule as their next queen. And while everyone was adoring you, I was hiding in the back afraid that I'm gonna loose control of my power and hurt someone, and now that I think of it, I should of let that icicle fall on you."

Crystal just stood there with shock.

"I was afraid of hurting someone" Noelle continued "So I kept myself away from people, always living in fear. But then my fear came true one day, you already know what happened. And hey I asked you to help me, and you said that you would always be there for me, and what did you do? Oh that's right, you called me a monster and put me in that urn."

"I said I was sorry" Crystal said with guilt.

"I guess I shouldn't be so hard on myself, I mean I've learned to embrace my powers, and now I can control them. But you on the other hand, it's easier for you to control your powers with your wand, now I never got a wand, and I figured that if I had a wand, I would be able to control my powers better, but since I didn't get a wand, I had to conceal my powers with those gloves."

At that point Crystal remembered that she needed to keep distracting Noelle so Aidan can use the mirror.

"Speaking of gloves" she said as she began to walk to the side "Where are they?"

"How should I know?" Noelle shrugged "I haven't seen them in a long time."

At that point Aidan slowly got behind her.

"But what's the use of them anyway?" Noelle said "I already know how to control my powers now, unlike you who still uses her wand."

Aidan then took his backpack off and pulled out the Grimm's Mirror.

"I'm actually getting pretty handy with my powers using my hands" Crystal said.

"Then why do you have your wand with you?" Noelle asked.

"Oh uh..." Crystal said as she tried to think of an excuse.

But when Aidan tried to use the mirror on Noelle, she suddenly used her powers to shoot out some large ice spikes at him as they pinned him against the wall as the mirror slipped out of his hands and slid across the floor. And as he struggled against the spikes that were pinning his clothes, Noelle made another ice spike appear that pointed straight towards his neck that he had to hold his head up away from the spike.

"Noelle stop" Crystal ordered with a worried look.

But Noelle just held out her hand towards Crystal as Crystal felt a strong force grip her neck as she began to choke.

"I knew something was going on" Noelle said "But don't you remember sis? I'm way more powerful than you, and there's nothing you can do to stop me."