//------------------------------//
// Prologue, Friendship and War; part 2: Avalanche 
// Story: Snipershy 
// by WarmenBright - SniperShy 
//------------------------------//

Prologue: Friendship and War part 2: Avalanche

The scenery in front of me was... apocalyptic, to say the least: the pouring rains that raged all thorugh the previous day and night had flooded the valley of Ponyville, turning its roads into muddy rivers so wide that the water level could almost lap the roofs.
The immense Mount Canterlot had slided down, leaving the huge mountain of the very previous day to just a small hill and pouring thousands of tonnes of rubble into the small valley of Ponyville.
Almost surely, the catastrophic avalance took with it the citadel of Canterlot, the millenary fortress home of the Equestrian politycs; that wasn't the biggest trouble for me, though: I had never been so worried for my friends before.
Galloping, I ran through my shed door, breathless while speaking to Angel.
"Oh Angel, I beg you, you stay here in the shed. I... I must go help those poor ponies!" and I dashed through the door, roughly at the speed of sound, heading to the site of the party: the ruins of Twilight's library1.

Hoof by hoof that I was getting close to Ponyville, more and more details were getting clearer; details that I could not see before:
Whole columns of pegasi were going back and forth through the curtain of the clouds; but in that ugly, grey ceiling there was more jumping to the eye. From the slopes of mount Canterlot a huge wall of smoke was going up to the sky, crossed by so many copper-colored lightnings in a mossy condensation.
A strong shiver ran through my wings, as I flew over the southern suburbs of Ponyville; every resident who was not capable of flying was piled on the roofs and attics, whence they were hanging pyrogems over the mud to make it evaporate.
Every enough powerful unicorn would levitate big bubbles of muddy liquid or blocks of rubble away, while pegasi would clean the sky from the dark smoke.
Doing slalom through that mess I finally made it to the site of the party, the big ruined oak where I could recognize many of our party mates; as I got closer I couldn't not spot the curly pink mane of Pinkie Pie, who must had been busy in a lit up conversation with a couple of Wonderbolts in hazmat flying suits.
I couldn't even land on the unstable branches, that the Element of Laughter jumped to me, all of a sudden.
"Oh, Fluttershy, you're finally here! how longammit did it take you? Can you PLEEEEASE speak to these fuckolts for me? Rainbow Dash and Twilight flew through the slopes, they had to find the Princesses or something like that. I wanted to come too but these poo-ey troopersy stood in my damn way!" a mare in a navy camo suit showed up, whose helmet couldn't hide her bothered expression.
"I am repeating it FOR THE LAST TIME, miss: as a direct order from Princess Luna, it's severely forbidden the access to the ruins of the northern area of Poniville to civillians and ESPECIALLY to non-flying ponies in general, due to the high threat of the rubble, which is likely to be magically irradiated by the wastes of Canterlot Citadel. Ergo, if you don't want to get irradiated, stay away" she said, in a threathening frown.
"OOOOH COMMMEOOONNN, what could ever be soo dangerous in flying over the rubble below? Nothing right? Oooor, maybe the Wonderbolts are hiding something? Isn't it so, lady You-can't-pass-cuz-I-am-hiding-a-thing-under-my-right-hoof?" jabbered the Element of Laughter in an accusatorial tone.
"I don't care about your speculations. You are a military? No? Then you can't pass" the mare stomped her hoof angrily on the wood of the branches.
"OOOOH but Fluttershy IS! She IS one of you! Fluttershy, show her that 'that' that they carved under your hoof, when Dashie entered in che civil service!" in fact, as the Element of Loyalty's personal equerry, I was forced to get the symbol of the Wonderbolts carved on the bone below my right hoof. That symbol officially conferred me as a Wonderbolt's level one gregarious. Slowly, I would raise my right, trembling arm, showing it to the pegasus officer. However, she rolled her eyes and flapped her wings, clearly bothered.
"Nevermind: gregarious Fluttershy, I IMPOSE you the interdition to patrol the northern sector of Ponyville. THAT IS AN ORDER" she roared, putting a special emphasys on the word 'impose'. It had come that time again; the time to make a decision.
A direct superior of mine gave me an order, yet that is against the prime directive of an Element of Harmony: to preservate the safety of another Element.
I never liked responsibility troubles, I guess I was wrong when I thought that it was clear.
"I-I, uhm... I mean" goddammit.
"Yes, uhm... as an Element of Harmony, I think that my priorities go above your orders, ma'am. I would never mean to disobey you but uhm... I have to go, ma'am"
"Fine. If it's like that, you and ONLY YOU" she groaned eyeing angrily over Pinkie Pie "can pass. Have fun in the rubble, miss Fluttershy" and simply went back to her business, groaning something about magic radiation. The Element of Laughter trotted close to me.
"How to ruin the bestest party" she complained, as if the Wonderbolts had been the worst thing that happened that day "Well, what are you still waiting for? Go find Twilight and Rainbow already!"
"But what about Applejack and Rarity? Where..." I replied, worried for the mare and the unicorn lady.
"Oh, don't worry about those two. They went to Sweet Apple Acres hours before this mess, to talk about 'affairs', if you know what I mean" she answered, waving her head back and forth "BUT WON'T YOU GET BLOODY GOING?" she jumped to me, almost making me fall from the branches of Twilight's library. I immediately flew away, towards the ruins of the northern Ponyville.
That zone was completely submerged in the mud, where concrete blocks and ceramic plates created  an instable 'surface', where it would have been impossible to stand on, among the ruins of the wooden houses and barns. All those forementioed things forced me to flit over that devastation while I was looking around, trying to spot my two friends.
The rocks were exhaling a strong smell that irritated my nostrils, bringing big tears out of my eyes because of the thin particles floating in the haze; after a while I began to cough as the smoke got thicker and thicker, before entering a purple bubble of clear air just by chance.
Right in the middle of it I could see Twilight Sparke: the purple alicorn was dashing all around a small hill made out of concrete ruins, whence she was throwing away huge boulders, helping herself with her magic while screaming and crying with apparently no sense, like she became crazy all of a sudden; Rainbow Dash was hovering around her in a worried look, and as soon as she spotted me she dashed right in front of me, tightly grabbing my shoulders.
"Oh Fluttershy, thank Celestia you are here! Since Twilight sensed that the Princess was down there she, like, lost control, I don't know, and started throwing rocks all over the place" her worried eyes dashing back and forth between me and our friend "Come help me, I checked the ruins, down there are located the remains of the Royal Armory! Any moment now Celestia could get smashed by a ton of enchanted weapo-"
"I found her! Quick, help me!" the pegasus mare got interrupted by the scream of the Princess of Friendship, who started digging through a little hole with her bare hoofs, widening it rock by rock. As soon as the opening got as wide as a little colt, all the three of us could see her. "Mother of StarSwirl..." commented Rainbow Dash2.
The Princess of the Sun was impaled on a long alberd, which penetrated his left Cutiemark and went out of the right side of her back, in a fountain of her noble blood spilling down in the dirty dust below her; the spear must had passed through her spine, paralising her whole; infact she couldn't move of a single inch, the only thing moving were her eyes, rolled down to us in a look both of pain and begging, her long etherial mane falling down, mixing with her own blood. Twilight couldn't survive the view, and fell down on her knees, sobbing loudly as rivulets of tears began falling down over her cheeks, then neck and then chest "Princess... mistress..." she said quietly, impotent while softly caressing Celestia's cheek with her trembling hoof.
I just looked away, not sure wether if cry, run away or try to console my friend "I told her" Rainbow Dash whispered in my ear "I'm going to find a medical patrol, the Princess must have the priority. In the meantime, don't let the egghead do anything stupid, such as trying to remove that spear by herself" the azure Pegasus ordered me, before dashing away at the speed of sound.
"I won't move of a single hoof..." I whisphered to myself more than to my friend, while sitting down on a ruined faience slab, out of the small cave where Twilight Sparkle was continuing to sob on the body of her old teacher. The roof of thick black clouds began to fade away in the noon sun, which sprayed it's luminous rays all over the New Ruins of Canterlot.
Hours later, all the six of us were in the acceptance room of the Clinic of Ponyville, waiting for the medical response of The Princess' conditions; the building resisted fiercely against the floods, pegasus paramedics leaving hurt ponies on it's small landing bay, on the roof, quickly filling the emergency operating rooms.
A white unicorn mare in a long, bloody white alb reached us, tilting left and right with her body as if she was about to fall asleep: she was one of the surgeons who assisted Celestia for the last six hours, since the medical patrol found her. 'RedHeart' was written on her ID card, in a fancy hoofwriting.
"Tell'us doc, how's the Princess?" asked Applejack, the least shocked among all of us. RedHeart took a soft, deep breath, and started explaining.
"So, She's alive, in the first place" she said "In second place, though, there are some... complications: as we thought, the alberd smashed the spinal column, wasting much precious Alicorn spinal medulla; Her intestines were half ripped apart, and the acids in her stomach combined with the weapon's magic, irredeemably burning away Her kidneys. Now, we managed to stabilize Her conditions just before it could be too late to, but without a replacement for Her kidneys She could survive just three or four days. A temporary solution could be a prototype of an acquagem blood-recycler, but it is an expensive and still dangerous technology. And even if we succeded with the operation She will remain paralized for the rest of Her life, for sure. It's not much, but it's the best we can do for Her" the medic concluded, while scratching her pink mane with her hoof.
"Uhhh, maybe it's better if we letcha talk with mah friend Twilight about that" replied Applejack; she clearly didn't get much of the point RedHeart tried to make, and turned to her purple friend.
"I have heard everything, Applejack" the Alicorn got closer "Miss RedHeart, I understand the odds of this procedure, and I will take all of the responsibilities that the operation will bring, both moral and financial, on my own shoulders" she said, almost whispering, her eyes lost in the void, looking at seemingly nothing in particular.
"I understand, Princess" the surgeon put her hoof, red because of the blood, on Twilight's Shoulder "I'll go prepare the documents. But first, you'd excuse me, I need to make me a corn coffee" she turned around, and crawled tirely through the corridors of the hospital, among both patiens and busy doctors.
All of a sudden the metal doors of the acceptance room opened, and Spike dashed through them, breathless.
"Twilight! Where the Sombra have you been? We are looking for your brother, we think he got trapped in the ruins! you have to come with us!" the little dragon yelled at her, worried.
"Mother of StarSwirl, Shining! Girls, I have to..." she tried to start an argument, tears began spilling down her worried eyes again.
"But of course Darling!" Rarity interrupted her "Go find your brother, we'll keep an eye on here for a bit" she hugged her tightly, trying to console her before the Element of Magic got out of her hooves.
"Thank you guys! I will call you back, when these damned waters will soothe down. Litterally" she made Spike jump on her back, her horn began to glow in her typical purple field "Goodbye, my friends" she stated, before disappearing in her magic field, teleporting away and leaving us in the hall of the hospital.
One after the other, each one of my friends returned to their respective duties and responsibilities: first, Rarity teleported with Applejack to Sweet Apple Acres, where both their families remained after the previous day's party; Rainbow Dash then returned on duty with the Wonderbolts, carriyng Pinkie Pie to Sugarcube Corner in the meantime. With nothing special to do, I remained alone in the acceptance hall of the clinic. Or so I thought.
After some time, I got to focus on a slight sobbing, coming from one corner of the room: it came from a little pegasus filly, azure coat and white mane, who was crying quietly on a plastic chair. I got close to the filly, getting down on my knees in front of her.
"Uh-Uhm, hey, you little filly. How... I mean, is everything okay? Where are your parents?" i asked the little pegasus, bringing her head to look at me softly with my hoofs. Her vitreus eyes lost in the void. Oh, sweet Celestia... I didn't think I would have liked her answer.
"Uh... I... my parents brought me to visit Canterlot, but everything started to fall down. Princess Luna brought us away, but when the teleport closed they weren't... I couldn't..." and then she started crying again, icy crystal tears falling to the ground.
"Oh my... you poor thing..." I hugged her tightly, feeling the cold coat against mine. She must had been really ill "What's your name?" I whisphered to her ear, softly.
"S-SnowDrop" she tried to answer, between one sob and the other3.
"Shh, shh..." I began to pet her mane, to calm her down "It's all okay now, SnowDrop. I'm Fluttershy by the way"
"Thank you, Fluttershy" she inspired deeply, clearing her throat and coughing a little.
"Now, now" I said "It's not safe for you to remain here. I am an Element of Harmony, and I can make you stay at my place, until the situation settles down, if you want to" I offered the little Filly
"Yes, thank you, Fluttershy" after she responded affermatively, we got out of the hospital; the air was almost clear, at that time, and sporadic rays of sunlight illuminated the small devastated valley.
"I live near the Everfree Forest, can you fly? You know, it'd be a long way trotting there"
"Yes, Fluttershy" she answered, flapping her wings impatiently "Shall we go?"