The sound of beeping was the first thing that filled the room as Ice Storm started to regain some of her senses. The small beeps were the sounds of life to most ponies, but right now all they sounded like to Ice Storm were giant sirens going off with every beat of her heart. She started to open her eyes, and then immediately turned her head and tried to bring a hoof up to cover her eyes from the light. She winced a bit, however, as she moved, and slowly let her eyes adjust to the room.

“Guys! Guys!” Presteza yelled down the hall of the hospital getting quite the look from some of the hospital staff. “Icy’s waking up!” she said before she noticed the looks. She gave a sheepish grin to the staff before zipping back into the room where her friend was lying.

Ice Storm started to look around the room now that she could actually see again, and she noticed her friend immediately. Granted, she noticed the yelling, and the yelling was like an icepick stabbing into her head. She tried to sit up a bit, but winced again as she did, and she also noticed that her head felt a little bit heavier than normal. She watched as Winter Frost and Blueblood both also came into the room, followed shortly by a pony that she could only presume was either a doctor, or one of the nurses.

“Chert poberi, Blue…” Winter said nearly tripping over herself trying to get to the side of the bed.

“What did I do!?” Blueblood scoffed.

“Not You. You’re Blueblood. Blue is my nickname for her,” Winter explained, making Blueblood roll his eyes a bit before turning back to Ice. “Don’t you ever scare us like that again!”

“Ahh good. You’re finally awake. We were actually starting to get worried that you had done more damage to yourself than previously thought,” The Doctor spoke.

“Finally awake? Damage to myself? I don’t understand…” Ice Storm replied.

“Your friends explained to me how you were responsible for what ponies were able to make it out of the top of the spire before it collapsed. A commendable act indeed, but you were casting so much magic, that you started casting from your own life force. I’m sure you noticed that once you crossed that threshold, your magic started turning red?” the doctor asked.

“Honestly, I can’t say that I was really paying attention to the color of my magical aura at the time. I was more paying attention to where I needed to put ice so that we didn’t go flying off of it, and end up with a cacophony of broken necks from falling down Celestia knows how many steps at however fast that we were going. Faster than a speeding pegasus, that’s for sure,” Ice Storm recounted.

“Regardless, you’re suffering from Acute Aether Fatigue. Your aether pool is completely drained right now, and we are not sure how long it will take for it to recover. You’d apparently used enough of your life force to put yourself into a coma for three days.

“What!? Three Days!? What about the search and rescue!? What about the ones that we couldn’t get out!?” Ice Storm yelled, trying to push herself up.

“Icy… you are in no condition to help right now. I know how badly you want to be looking for survivors, but it doesn’t need to come at the cost of you not being one of them,” Presteza started. “We weren’t entirely sure ourselves that you were going to wake up… you used so much magic, you were literally bleeding from the base of your horn. That’s never a good sign.”

“Indeed it’s not,” The Doctor stated. “For your own safety, we’ve placed an inhibitor ring on your horn. It’s enchanted to only be removed or applied by a medical professional,” the doctor started, watching as Ice let out a groan. “So don't try to remove it on your own.

“So how long am I stuck in this?” Ice Storm asked.

“As long as it takes for your aether pool to recover, or at the very least, stabilize. This could be a couple days, this could be a few weeks. It completely depends how quickly your body recovers…” he said, getting another groan in response. “As for the wound on your side, we’re using a special imported salve from the zebras to help the wound close on it’s own and not scar. The wound wasn’t too deep, probably thanks to whatever armor you had on. In fact, that should be cleared up here in about a week. We’re going to be monitoring you for a few more days before we let you go,” The Doctor said.

“Might as well be a few months, or years for that matter. We have no idea when these things are going to strike again or what spell they used to take over the entire guard!”

“Miss Storm! I understand your plight, but in your condition, you are in no condition to fight anything. Even a simple levitation spell could kill you right now. Aether Fatigue is no joke, and you’re suffering from its worst form! It was a small miracle that you even survived as it is!” Ice Storm heard the doctor tell her, looking away from him with a disdainful look on her face.

“Come now Blue… There are plenty of fine ponies that are out there that are capable of keeping the Crystal Empire safe from future attacks. Besides, with Celestia and Luna both here now overseeing the recovery efforts, I’m sure everything will be fine.” Winter said.

“WHAT!?” Ice Storm yelled in surprise making her friends shriek back a bit. “This is a tactical nightmare… we can’t have all four of the princesses in the same spot! If they attack again they’ll go straight for them!”

“I think you need to give my Aunties just a bit more credit,” Blueblood chimed in. “True, from a tactical standpoint, having every ruler of Equestria in one spot would make a prime target. However, we must remember that this is Celestia and Luna that we’re talking about. The ponies that harness the very power of the celestial bodies that they wear on their flanks. Being a protege of Luna yourself, you should be acutely aware of her power,”

“It’s not the power that I’m worried about. Without knowing how they corrupted the guards in the first place the vikings could finish the job without ever having to come back!” Ice mentioned.

“Actually,” Presteza interjected. “If you remember, Icy. They only wanted the princesses to open the vault. I don’t think they were actually here to conquer. If they were, they’d still be here and you probably still wouldn’t be awake yet, if you would have even survived getting out of the city. I have to agree with the doctors and Blueblood on this one… You need rest, and the princesses can handle things from here. You’ve already shown most of the Crystal Empire how amazing you are… Don’t overshadow that by being so stubborn that you go and get yourself hurt even more!”

Ice sighed as she looked away. She knew that they were right, but she couldn’t just sit here and do nothing! There were still so many questions left unanswered! Although, she supposed that some of those could be answered in ways that would be less taxing for her body. “Fine, I’ll rest here and relax, but I’m not going to let this time go to waste either! Doctor! If it wouldn’t be too much trouble, I would like every book that the library has on the Crystal Heart. I wanna know how the Caribou were able to bypass the magic protecting the Crystal Empire to get here in the first place. I also want to see if it’s possible that they somehow corrupted the Crystal Heart to use as a catalyst for the brainwashing effects on the guards. I doubt I’ll find anything in the books, but it would at least give me some leads to follow once I’m out of the hospital!”

“Seriously?” The Doctor asked.

“What? It’s not like I have to use my magic to turn the pages. I couldn’t even if I wanted to remember?” Ice asked rhetorically, pointing to the inhibitor ring. “Besides, some reading material will make the however many days I’m in here go by faster,” Ice retorted, electing a giggle from Presteza.

“I’m afraid that she’s got you there, Doctor. I will go and see what I can find. Hopefully the library survived the invasion. I’ll find a couple adventure books for you as well, in case you get tired of reading history texts,” Presteza said. “Unless you’re secretly part Twilight and enjoy reading anything that’s reading.”

“Weeeell, anything that gives knowledge is a good book, but yeah… I can only tolerate so much history stuff. Still though, this is not without purpose. I just hope that I can find some answers. That anypony can find some answers. The fact that this was done once means that it can be done again, and I for one don’t want to see any more ponies get killed over something that could have possibly been prevented if ponies had known where the weak points were and corrected them.”

“Well, I suppose reading can’t hurt anything. Just make sure to let somepony know before you try to get up for anything. Preferably the medical staff, but anypony in the room will work. With you being bedrodden for three days, you’re still a fall risk until you get some of your strength back,” The Doctor said.

Ice Storm gave the doctor a nod, before noticing a familiar feeling between her legs. She wasn’t surprised. After all, if she was in a coma for three days they would have to do something to keep her from ruining celestia knows how many beds and pairs of lennons. Still, she wasn’t used to having them on with other ponies around. She usually saved her overnight protection for just that. Overnight. Thankfully The Doctor, nor Pressy had said anything about it. She knew that Pressy wouldn’t. She’d lived with the mare long enough to know that she wasn’t that kind of pony. It was the doctor that she was concerned about, but she presumed that they had a thing for the privacy of patients as well.

Winter sat down next to Ice, along with Blueblood while Pressy went to the library in search of the books that she was requesting. “So… all that aside, how are you feeling? That was a nasty wound that you took getting to the princess. If I had known you’d sustained that much damage I would have told you to stay in the back and I would have taken point.”

“Honestly, I’ve been better, and I could do without the ring on my horn, but it could be worse. Was I really out for three days?” Ice Storm asked.

“Almost four, actually. It’s already mid-afternoon,” Blueblood stated. “It’s part of why we were so worried. Though I would have been more worried had they actually left all the tubes and stuff inside you for breathing and stuff. The fact that you weren’t on a ventilator makes me think you weren’t quite as bad off as they suggested. Still, They are right about a few things, like your magic for one. I don’t know how it works, but I do know that Aether Fatigue is one of the few things that most unicorns actually fear getting because the state it puts your body in is well… deadly. Your immune system is weakened a bit because it doesn’t have your aether pool backing it, and yours was weakened even further from being wounded in battle. Not to mention, as the doctor also said… even a simple levitation spell can kill you. I think the only thing that would scare a unicorn more would be to hear a doctor say they have Miragomes. The Magic Death.”

“Bite your tongue Blueblood. We shall not speak of such things here. To do so entices the will of Karma, and I would not like to get on her bad side,” Winter Frost said looking to Icy.

“Relax Frosty. I’m sure if I had something like that the hospital would have me in quarantine or something. I’m pretty sure that’s actually highly contagious, because it feeds on magic,” Ice Storm said

“Still, there are certain diseases and ailments that aren’t mentioned in hospitals. It’s bad luck, and bad taste,” Winter countered. “Still though, this is one of the nastier things I’ve seen, and I grew up in Stalliongrad.

“Really? I would have thought that most cities in Equestria were prosperous and looked after one another…” Blueblood started.

“Ha!” Ice Storm started. “I don’t mean to be offensive, Blueblood, but if you believe that, you really need to get out of Canterlot more often. Outside of Ponyville, ponies will do anything to better themselves at the cost of somepony else. I was a victim of this myself in Fillydelphia before I was abandoned by my family and moved to Canterlot. Do you want to know why I had to move to Canterlot the first time?” Ice asked.

“Do explain…” Blueblood said, not sure if he really wanted to know where this was going. He likely already knew. After all, it took a rather eye opening event at the Gala to show him the error of his ways.

“It was a noble aristocrat named Golden Hoof. Came to town, and he fell in love with my mom's aquarium exhibit, and my dad’s jewelry store. He absolutely hated me, and he found every way possible to turn my own family against me. Be it a filly that couldn’t use magic yet, or a myriad of other issues that I had, a few of which I still have to this day, thanks to my father. I’m not going to go into the details, but let’s just say, when a five year old is thrown through a living room wall, it tends to do some permanent damage in some way.” Ice continued.

“Sweet Celestia… Why wasn’t this reported? Surely ponies in the medical facility would have noticed something,” Blueblood interjected.

“Normally they probably would have, but when you’re nobility, ponies look the other way because you have the bits or the power to make them do so. And then when a pony does actually need help, like after I left my own family so I wouldn’t get left to Celestia knows where, they all scoff and turn away. No pony in Filly would take me in because they didn’t want the ire of my parents. Such attention would ruin their own livelihoods. So I left for the once city that was always fabled to be the perfect city. Canterlot. And you know what I found there? Loads of ponies willing to help me! That was until they found out that I was from Fillydelphia and not from Canterlot.”

All of this information was leaving the prince aghast. Was this really how the nobility in Equestria operated? Why wasn’t Auntie Celestia doing anything about this? Was it possible that she didn’t know that this kind of thing was going on? He had so many questions that he knew there was no way for Icy to know the answers to.

“Aye, and Stalliongrad ain’t no much better,” Winter Frost spoke. “In Stalliongrad it’s everypony for themselves, and that starts at a young age. If you’re going to survive in a land that’s mostly ice and snow for a majority of the year, you kinda have to be like that. It’s difficult for us to grow food, but we’ve figured out how to use greenhouses to good effect and we keem post of our crops inside them. Otherwise, you’re just a tool for the city. IF you can’t do anything for the city, you’re ousted. We’ll at least provide them with a train to any other city though.”

“I’ll definitely have to bring all this up with my aunts later… Though surely you told Luna all about this though, right Ice? Something like this is something that she needs to know about. Especially if her guards are getting bought off! That defeats the entire purpose of them!” Blueblood said standing up. “I would love to stay and chat more, but these matters must get brought to the princesses’ attention, and I best would do it now before I forget about it later. I do hope you have a speedy recovery, and I will do my best to get back to see you before you get out. In the meantime. Get some rest.”

“I think I’m going to head out for the night too. It was good to see you awake, Blue. I’m sure both Twilight and Luna will be happy to hear that. I imagine that both will be by to see you at some point as well. Luna will probably want a recount of everything that happened in the Spire. She’s already gotten testimony from everypony else, and considering you’re her pupil, she’s probably going to have extra questions for you,” Winter said

“I don’t doubt it… It’s not likely that I’m ever going to be able to forget this any time soon myself,” Ice replied.

“Aye, it’s something I’m not likely to forget either. For now though, the only thing we can do is recover, and rebuild. We can focus on other things once we have more information, and once you’ve gotten some rest,” Winter said, making her way to the door. “Take care Blue, I’ll be back to see you tomorrow. For now, I have other matters that I must attend to.” she added.

Ice Storm waved goodbye to her friend before instantly going into thought about the events that had put her here. She looked for any way things could have gone differently. Obviously she would have rather the vault not gotten opened at all. It was the vault’s explosion that caused the structural integrity of the spire to fail. However, like Coffee said… if they were to engage in combat before the longship got taken out, the entire spire would have been toppled, and getting anypony out would have been impossible. She knew that she had done everything that she could, but she still felt empty… like she could have done more. So many ponies died that day because she wasn’t able to get them out in time. She didn’t know if anypony else in the lower floors even knew that they needed to leave. Thankfully it wasn’t the entire spire that collapsed, but it had done significant damage to the side that the top and crumpled down.

She remained in this deep thought until a knock at the door pulled her from it. She looked up to the doorway to find The Princess of the Night standing there. "It's good to see you finally awake, Ice Storm. When I first stopped in after I heard of your involvement with what happened, we weren't sure when you would," she heard Luna speak.

"I'm quite thankful of the staff here, even if some of the procedures are less to my liking," Ice said, pointing to her horn. "Though I can't help but wonder… if I was as bad off as everypony has been saying… Why wasn't I on a ventilator or some sort of sustainer? When I woke up, there was nothing of the sort on me. Just these oxygen tubes and some bandages."

"Actually, when you were first admitted from what I heard, you were. The nature of the wound, normally would have required magical healing, but without your own aether to interact with the spell, magical healing was not working, and you were barely breathing at that point. So for the first day you were here, you were on a ventilator. Once they got the wound sealed and stitched up, you started recovering faster. Thankfully their anti-scarring magic in the salve that they are using seems to be working. So, while you're having to heal the natural way, it at least should leave a mark," Luna started.

"That being said, I am going to need your account of everything that happened. You were the closest to the epicenter from what I was told when everything started so I need every detail that you can remember," Luna started.

"At first nothing seemed out of the ordinary," Ice Storm started before going further into the description of the events. She explained the tremors and how she could see the explosions outside before the spire was attacked. She explained the longship and told her about the one that they called The Red Jarl started making demands about a vault. She also told the princess about the ensuing conversation and how she didn't want to let him open it because if it was perfume enough that Luna and Celestia had to seal it away, then it wasn't something that he was going to be able to control either.

She also recounted the guards and how they're eyes glowed unusual colors when they were being forced to obey whatever commands had been presented. She also told the princess about the guard that had found Twilight, and he mentioned something called WRAITH. She visibly saw Luna's face turn to more of a scowl when she did.

"I see…" Luna commented. "Were you able to make out any details about this guard?"

"Not anymore than what would usually be on a guard. His coat was more eggshell than white, and he wore some kind of weird amulet thing that he was using to control the other guards," Ice replied. "But other than that, everything else was the same."

"I see. I will say it is rather disturbing that they have managed to infiltrate the guards. Alarming in fact. If we can't trust our own guards to protect us, then who can we trust?" Luna spoke.

"Me," Ice replied matter-of-factly. "And I know countless others that fought with me up in the spire… including ones that got left behind…"

"I know this is going to be hard, but do not worry about what you cannot control. Besides, they've been pulling a surprising number of survivors from the collapsed portion of the building," Luna answered.

"How!? That was a forty-five story drop! No pony should have been able to survive that!"

"I'm presuming a shield spell that absorbed most of the impact," Luna commented. "Though if I'm being honest, we find about two deceased for every survivor we find."

It did comfort the blue unicorn to know that there were some that had survived the fall. She wasn't at all surprised though when Luna told her the casualty report so far. "Unfortunately that probably means that whomever that was passing as a guard also had a contingency to get out…"

"That is very likely, and I doubt we've seen the last of him. Now, I'm presuming that right after the explosion was when you made the slide off ice? An impressive show by the way, even if it came at a cost. That ice is still in the stairwell, or what's left of it that is," Luna added.

Ice Storm blushed a bit from the compliment, but then nodded. "Indeed. I had to get everypony out and that was the fastest way to do so. If we had run down the steps otherwise, I fear we would be a part of the numbers that you're currently pulling from the debris."

"And that is something that I am very glad we didn't have happen. After all, I can't have my pupil getting squished under a pile of crystals now can we?" Luna asked with a smile. "Of course I'm also happy for the others that you helped as well."

Ice chuckled a few times before taking a breath, and then continuing. "There is still something that I don't understand though. What or who is WRAITH? I noticed your facial expression after I mentioned it, and then focusing on the guard… are they something that we, and by we I mean the general ponies, need to worry about?"

Ice watched as it was The Princess's turn to sigh before igniting her horn, closing and locking the door, and then creating a bubble of silence around them. "What we're about to discuss… doesn't leave this room. Once you know about WRAITH, your perception of who you can and can't trust will change. WRAITH stands for World Revolutionary Agency for Imperialism, Tyranny, and Hostility. It's members feel that the way of life in Equestria is… too complacent. That we've gotten too soft and that we can't defend ourselves. It's made up of ponies that have lost their light, or never had it to begin with."

"I don't mean to be offensive here Princess… but they did kinda just prove their point in the worst possible way. We were in no way prepared for what came at us," Ice Storm replied.

"That is somewhat true, but quick reactions from ponies like you prevented things from getting a lot worse. We're in the process of trying to solve that dilemma as well. Given your recent experiences, you would make a great asset to the Equestrian Protection and Information Command, or EPIC for short. You will need to talk to Twilight about that though. I can recommend you, but Twilight makes the decisions for that group. With any luck, we'll be able to get some more intel on WRAITH and figure out where they might be planning next. The other is, WRAITH has agents everywhere. Some of them can be the nicest ponies you'll ever meet, all part of their act. The more influence they spread, the more deceit they sow, the more power they gain. Right now they are no match for the four of us. But I fear they are starting to get closer than we would like to our level of power," Luna stated.

"So then EPIC is supposed to stand opposed to WRAITH… I guess I still don't understand… if they felt Equestria couldn't adequately defend itself, wouldn't it have made more sense to do something that would make Equestria better instead of basically trying to destroy harmony?"

"Unfortunately, they feel like they are trying to make Equestria better, and they don't care who they hurt along the way. Most of them don't have any Equestrian ties anymore. They use what contacts they have to create situations like this. They were behind a changling invasion not long ago on Nightmare Night back in Ponyville."

"Wait, there was a changling invasion in Ponyville on Nightmare Night? How the hay did I not know about it?" Ice Storm said surprised. "I mean, I have a shop in Ponyville. How did no pony mention this on any of the times I was there?"

"Mostly cause it wasn't well organized and there weren't any casualties. It actually ended up being a humiliating defeat for the changlings so there wasn't really a call for alarm. Plus they made the mistake of attacking with all six of the element bearers in town," Luna commented. "Though we only recently found out that WRAITH was behind it."

"Interesting… I'm gonna have to have a word with my store manager though, to find out why I wasn't made aware of such things though," Ice commented.

"Well, if there was no damage to your shop then I imagine that she didn't want to worry you over something that ended up being trivial. Seriously… without their queen… the changlings have very little cohesion. Until they can get one, or until Chrysalis reappears and can reunite them, they are no threat," Luna replied with confidence.

"That may be, but I still have plenty of questions. Right now one of my other friends is hopefully getting me every book the library has on the Crystal Heart. The Crystal Heart is supposed to protect the Crystal Empire from situations like this. After all… its barrier is able to keep out the elements of the Frozen North, and it was able to repel Sombra and other threats to the Empire. Why was it not able to detect this one, and how did the brainwashing spell get through? If the Crystal Heart was or could be used as a catalyst, then that opens up a plethora of problems. The first being trying to purify a corrupted artifact of that magnitude."

"I don't believe the heart had anything to do with the corrupted guards, but I am also seeking answers to those other questions. If you find anything out let me know. That being said, I must be returning to help with the search effort. Is there anything else you need before I go?" Luna asked.

"Maybee a written decree to take this stupid ring off?" Ice asked with a hopeful smile. She heard Luna give a small laugh at the question herself.

"Sorry my student, but not even I have the power to overrule a doctor's assessment. While I don't agree with the procedure, I understand why it's needed," Luna responded.

"Thanks anyway… Oh! Wait! Do they have any sort of symbol or anything that might give them away? That would at least make things a bit easier."

"There is, but it's almost always in a hidden spot, and it's different on most of their members. You'll get a full briefing on the mark and how to identify it when Twilight accepts you into the ranks of EPIC. Also when she does, I shall begin training you in the art of combat, and how you can more efficiently use your magic to help protect others. You're already a master of refining and creating Ice, but I can show you even more. We might even be able to get your teleport working right without making you sick all the time," Luna said with a smile. "That will be for another time though," she added, dropping the bubble of silence and unlocking the door only to find a doctor trying to get the door open. "Can I help you?"

"Oh… Princess Luna. I didn't realize you were in there… we noticed some irregularities in her heart rate, so we were coming to inspect it. I thought maybe something was going on otherwise." The Doctor said. "Please tell me you didn't remove the inhibitor. I know she's your protege, but she's in no condition to be using magic right now."

"I would never do anything of the sort. Like I told her when she asked, I do not have the authority to overrule a doctor. However, given the nature of our discussion, which I'm afraid I cannot divulge, I will be posting a few Lunar Guards by her door for the duration of her stay, rotating in and out," Luna told him.

"Is there something amiss, Princess? The Crystal Empire Medical Center prides itself on the comfort and security of our patients as well as their records. I assure you she's in good hooves," The Doctor replied.

"That may be, but there are larger forces at work here and I fear we may not be out of the woods yet. I would like the peace of mind knowing that I have one of my personal guards present at all times. She is the pony that rescued Princess Twilight, and that means she's made herself a target. While your security is admirable, this was not a request, but a statement. They will be here as soon as I send for them," Luna stated.

"Yes, princess…" The doctor replied, before returning to his rounds.

Ice couldn't help but giggle a bit at The Doctor's reaction. This got a look from the princess as she smiled. "I will be back when I can, though hopefully you'll be out before too long."

"Me too. I at least want to be able to help with the clean up efforts," Ice replied.

"When you get out, you are to go home," Luna said, getting a look of disappointment from the blue unicorn. "Icy, I know you want to help. And any other time I would be all for letting you do so. I am so happy to have a student that is willing to lay her own safety on the line to help protect others. That is what true nobility is. Right now though, without your magic I fear that you would be a hazard…" she continued, noticing the tears forming. "Hey… that doesn't mean anyone thinks that you are a hazard. You are a powerful friend, and one I want to keep from getting squished because she can't use her magic at the moment."

"Can I at least do some more investigating then? I don't need magic to read books or take notes," Ice asked.

"Wait until you've talked with Twilight first. Once you get accepted into EPIC you'll have access to higher tiers of information that you wouldn't be able to get otherwise. I don't doubt that she'll be by at some point once she hears that you're awake. She does want to personally thank you for saving her."

"Just doing what anypony else would have done, she said with a smile. "Thanks for stopping by, princess."

"You're welcome Icy, and may you have a swift recovery," the princess said as she departed.

Author's Note

Sorry this took a bit longer. This is part wasn't in roleplay so has to do some cross referencing to get my information right.