"I think I found one." Starlight focused on the spell laid out on the ground in front of her, the miniature stylised recreation of the Crystal Empire dotted by clusters of moving lights of different colours, and occasional odd distortions in the image. She pointed with a hoof at one particular spot, where the buildings looked awkwardly curved, like looked at through a lense. "This seems pretty consistent. I'm sure one is here."
"Should one of us go?" Rarity asked, nervously looking past the barrier surrounding the rooftop.
"Too risky," Starlight said. "You're supposed to stay here, and I'm supposed to protect you. I'll send a message to the ground group, they can figure out who to send." She pulled up a piece of parchment, and wrote on it with a quill. "Thank Harmony they didn't figure out a way to mess with communications or intercept them," she said, largely to herself.
A stray bolt of magic hit the shield around them, exploding in a shower of sparks that rolled off the domed protection spell. No direct shots aimed at them yet, but Starlight doubted it would stay like that for long.
A grey pegasus appeared right at Starlight's side. Like nothing about it was in any way strange, Starlight again pointed to the same spot on the projected map. "There," she said.
The pegasus looked at the map, tilting her head, then noted down the position on her smaller, paper bound version of the city's layout. "On it," she said with a nod, and then she blinked back out of existence.
Rarity sat down, nervously swaying from side to side. "Do we need all these guards here with us?" she asked quietly.
"Not right now," Starlight conceded, "and I'll be the first to acknowledge sending them to help out there would improve our chances. But you will need protection, when and if the time comes, and you couldn't afford to have it be far away in those circumstances. We cannot put you at critical risk, even if it would improve our chances in the short term."
"We're letting the other Elements out there," Fluttershy noted. She nodded after a moment. "I know, yes. They're more likely to make it through than the average guard is." She took her mane in her hooves and stared at its stripe.
Starlight nervously looked at her. "It's not acting up, right?"
Fluttershy shook her head. "They understand. They don't like it, but they understand."
The piece of parchment at Starlight's side lit up momentarily, and she picked it up again. "Looks like they're actually sending those two."
"Hopefully they won't be hurt." Rarity again nervously looked outside. "Twilight wouldn't forgive herself for that."
One of the guards suddenly spoke up, also holding a piece of parchment. "Princess Celestia has been carried to safety," he announced. "Her conditions appear stable after a first analysis. She is currently being treated."
Everyone sighed in relief at the news, some more evidently than others, and Starlight looked towards the central palace not too far away from them. "Any news regarding the flying team?"
"Not yet," the stallion replied. "I'll inform you should anything come through."