{Near Manehattan}
It was just after noon as the Wonderbolts were on their flight. Scanning the area just ahead of the legion as they made their way to Manehattan to reinforce their fellow ponies there. They could vaigely see the town off in the distance and Rainbow Dash had been waiting for the chance to avenge her fallen comrades at the Crystal Empire, she would have hoped that leading the Wonderbolts in the defense of Equestria would gain her a vast amount of publicity and popularity among the ponies in all corners of the land but the current situation involving Akatsuki prevented such thoughts especially due to Hidan being a member. She was deep in thought whilst barely maintaining enough focus to fly toward Manehattan. "Rainbow Dash!" Called out Spitfire, causing her to come back to reality as she turned to meet her gaze as they then came to a stop. Above a heavily forested area with a large dirt road cutting across it.
"What is it?" She asked as the other Wonderbolts caught up with them before halting a round them.
Spitfire looked down at the forest under them, slowly scanning the path below and the area around it so as to be on guard. "I saw movement in there, by the trees on either side of the road." She said in suspicion.
Rainbow then followed her gaze to the woods around the road. "What about it, they're probably small so the main force can just take them." She suggested.
Fleet Foot, another wonderbolt with a mane colored with cyan and a lighter shade of blue, chimed in. "I'm not sure. I think we should check it out ourselves so that if there are any bad guys down there, we can take 'em out before they have time to relay the legions position to the enemy." She argued and saw that the others easily agreed with a nod before they flew down to see what was up on the ground.
As soon as they reached the ground they folded their wings and immediately looked around so as not to be caught off guard. "Every pony, we need to split up and cover as much ground as we can before the legion gets here." She then ordered before they went off in their own direction.
After several minutes had passed, Rainbow heard several cries go off at once from her fellow Wonderbolts, sending a chill down her spine as her ears now stood as she turned to look behind her. "Oh no." She said to herself as she heard another two cries which she instantly recognized. "Spitfire, Sorin!" She yelled out in fear for them as she unfolded her wings. "Hold on, I'm coming!"
She then heard the sound of a twig snapping on the ground just behind her, causing her to jump into the air, using her wings to hold herself a foot off the ground. "Who's there!?" She demanded as she reached for her crossbow. She turned around and aimed it in the direction the sound came from. After a moment, she began to shift her aim from side to side as she slowly. Her ear then perked up a second time as she turned quickly only to find her self aiming at an oblivious rabbit who had now looked up at her, twitching its nose as it stared at her before running off. Rainbow then lowered her weapon in relief as she placed the crossbow onto its harness on her back. She sighed then started at a steady pace to find the other Wonderbolts as her in counter with the rabbit almost made her forget why they were even down there. She then looked to her side to see a brown blur come at her and crash into her before she could react, sending her onto the ground along with the blur and knocking the air out of her before hitting the ground with a loud thud.
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It had been a few days sense the legion left Canterlot and now, they were only a few hours away from Manehattan as Princess Celestia and her division of the legion was about to take down camp to continue to The Siege there, but she hadn't heard from the Wonderbolts sense they had left that morning to scout ahead of the legion as they had been doing in order to spot any potential threats that lay between the legion and Manehattan, and with that simple fact, she knew something was up, normally they would have been back by now, so she wondered what it was that was keeping them from coming back to report to them the all clear. She decided to take a small squad a guards with her in an attempt to find the missing wonderbolts. She walked toward to edge of the camp, in the direction of Manehattan as she noticed two, both consisting of six guards and upon seeing this, the had proceeded to them before as they all bowed in respect for her. She paused for a moment casually inspecting each of them before giving them a half hearted smile. "Rise my little ponies," she told them.
"Your highness, how may we be of service to you?" One of the captains asked with an easy going demeanor as the Celestia's smile started to become more genuine
she looked passed them and into the heavily forested path ahead of them; her smile slowly fading as she did so.
"It has been some time since the Wonderbolts left to scout the area ahead of us this morning, and now i'm worried." She stated; noting the raising in concern and curiosity within most of the guards. "It is for this reason that I have been led to believe that they may have been ambushed by the changelings in an attempt to stall us from getting to Manehattan." she then said, making it clear to the other guards what she thought of the situation. She stopped for a moment and sighed. "I wish for you to come with me to fond them and bring them back to the camp." Two of the guards behind the captains looked at each other briefly before looking back up to the princess. "Princess, if I may, I would like to inform the other captains that you are leaving the camp for a short while." said the guard with a more stern look.
She stared at him for a moment, "Yes, that's a good idea. You may go." she said in approval. The guard then nodded before flying off into the air. After seeing this, Celestia shifted her gaze to meet the other guards and within moments, she found herself walking at her normal rate. After a moment, she turned and noticed that the guards were staring at her, awaiting for her next command. "Come, let us find the Wonderbolts." she then said, causing the guards to salute and follow her into the woods ahead of the camp.
Some time had passed since they set out to find Rainbow Dash and her team and Celestia's guards looked around cautiously at the trees and bushes that surrounded the road while Celestia herself continued to stare ahead. Eventually, a pegasus pony caught their attention as it descended from the sky and the torn uniform and light blue mess of a mane and patches of burnt fur let them know that she was a member of the Wonderbolts and that something had happened to them. "Princess!" She called.
Celestia looked up to see her as she landed in front of her. "What happened to you...and where are the oth-"
"They got us...and it happened so fast!" She interrupted in a panic. "I had to leave them...I had to..." She finished vaguely after coming to tears and embracing Celestia's foreleg for forgiveness.
The embrace caused Celestia to open her wings and hold them in the air for a moment. "Just what happened and who are 'they'" she asked in a gentle but assertive tone.
"I thought I might find you here, Celestia." sounded a sudden ominous and minimizing voice that the ponies found eerily familiar. The guards looked around horridly, however, Princess Celestia just stood there with a certain fear in here heart. Her teeth shown as her quivering became only heavier as she continued to stare endlessly at the ground which Fleetfoot stood on.
Still stunned Fleetfoot looked up at her princess, noticing the same fear as she came to realize who had come. "Don't tell me that...you came personally...just to fell me and my few guards." Her expression fear, now beginning to mix with a bit of anger, darkened considerably. "Queen Crysalis..." She then gritted her teeth, making them even more visible as she furrowed her brows, replacing all fear with rage and disappointment.
"Princess, you have to get out of here and worn the rest of the Legion!" said one of the guards in a sudden yet predictable outburst. Celestia didn't respond, yet she still made it clear that she had no intention of leaving her subordinates to die for her. "Princess, please...If you don't go...then-"
"Enough!" Celestia snapped. "I will not leave you to fight and die for my sake." she then turned with an almost deadly look of disapproval etched on her face. "You and I both know that if I leave, then you will almost surely fall because you and the others haven't the strength to handle all these changelings let alone the queen of them!"
The guard captain stepped forward in silence, causing the princess to just stare with uncertainty now well within the mix of her anger towards Queen Chrysalis and fear for the lives of her subjects.
"Princess..." he then began." When I became a royal guard, I swore to you...that I would protect not only you, but everything that you stand for."
"Yes I understand, but you will surly be defeated in th-"
As she spoke looked up with a look a unbreakable dedication. "We are well aware of the threat before us!" he then snapped, causing Celstia to almost jump as she took a step back. "I'm sorry, but we must do this, even if it means our very lives, our goal isn't to win this small skirmish, but to stall for time in the hope that you are able to ready the legion in time for them to prepare a counter attack."
Speechless, Celestia closed her eyes forcefully as tears began to flow out from the sides as she turned away. "Are you...sure you wish for me to leave you?" she then asked in defeat.
The guard captain blinked taking his attention back to the changelings that surrounded them. "Must you ask?" he then responded. "Don't worry about us, we'll make sure to hold up our promise to ho-"
"Too late." Said Chrysalis harshly as sound of several blasts of magic sounded simultaneously, felling almost all of the guards including the captain.
Celestia gasped as her wings raised reflexively at the same time as her face turned from sadness to extreme hatred at the sight of her comrades' blood splash onto the ground just beneath their falling corpses, causing her to turn instantly and fire off a lethal beam of concentrated magical energy from her horn without thinking taking out a few changelings instantly. "Come out and face me coward!" she demanded as she looked from side to side furiously and when she had finally caught a glimpse of Chrysalis, she focused another beam of magic in her horn as she pointed it directly at her. "You're finished you cur!"