"There's no more Earth Ponies?" hollered a panicked pony in the pegasi group. Many ponies began to panic, but everyone was silenced by Luna's Royal Canterlot Voice. "ENOUGH!"

All of the ponies, including Lilly, stared up at their princess. "Yes. This is a tragedy. To lose a whole tribe of Ponykind is a heavy loss that weighs on us all. But do not fret. We still do not know who has all survived down there. Not all bodies have yet been accounted for. And there could be survivors. My guards and I are proof of this. Things may be grim, but panic and fear will get us nowhere! We must focus our efforts, rebuild what we can, and give proper burial to those who fallen to this great Calamity."

She then turned to the small group of five unicorns. All of which were possibly the last of their kind. "Stalwart Hoof, even though i know your name, i know not the names of the others around you. Please speak your names and professions, even you, my loyal guard. It is important for all to know."

"General Stalwart Bane, of the Royal Equestrian Army at your service," saluted the old stallion guard. Though he was old, feeble was far from what he was. This white stallion with a firey red mane was built like a warrior, and had the scars to prove it. His Cutie Mark bore the symbol a Shield and Spear, with a hoof branded onto the shield. At a distance, he could even be mistaken for a younger stallion, if it weren't for his beard, and his eyes. His eyes showed his age the most. They were not young and vibrant, but instead seemed withered with experience and wisdom. They also seemed just a tad gentler than most soldiers Lilly had seen.

"Vivid Spring, traveling scholar," Spoke a forest green mare with a crimson mane. She was around the same age as Lilly, as far as she could tell, and the only other mare in the group. Her Cutie Mark was that of a closed eye surrounded by rainclouds. She had a seemingly eternal stern and exhausted look on her face. But given what everypony had just witnessed and been through, Lilly didn't blame her.

"Fading Stone, Enchanter Extraordinaire! Or, well, i was until everything i owned on the surface was pummeled into nothing. You will reimburse me for those damages, yes?" Spoke a handsome, if not arrogant, dark blue stallion with an orange mane. Lilly didn't like him, he had "Asshole" written all over him, figuratively speaking. His Cutie Mark was that of a rising pheonix, a fact she was sure he held in high regard. Even though she was not normally one for violence, a part of her wanted to punch that stupid smug grin off his for some reason.

"Subtle Hoof, Construction Worker," spoke a handsome, well built black and white spotted stallion with a short, lavender mane. He had a shy, if not sad, expression on his face, and though he was almost equally as sturdy in build as Stalwart was, he seemed far less intimidating. He seemed well mannered and kind, despite his current mood. His Cutie Mark was that of a shadowy hammer swinging from the side. It was notable only because the hammer was a darker shade of black than the black parts of Subtle's coat.

Lilly then realized it was her turn. She took a long, shaky breath to calm her nerves before she spoke. "Shaded Lilly, Spellweaver." Lilly glanced down at her own Cutie Mark. A beautiful white lilly surrounded by gleaming stars. Memories flashed back to when she first got it, back to when she mastered her first spell. Lilly shook her head. That was a long time ago. And it didn't matter now.

Luna nodded, "Thank you. Now, onto reparations. We should work on rebuilding what we can of this city, and finding and burying the rest of those who have perished. We will also have to start rationing food, and start setting up teams for salvaging, both for food and resources. I--"

"Princess Luna, your majesty, i have a propostion that i'd like to put forth!" said Reed suddenly, interrupting the Princess. Luna did not seem to mind though, "You do? What is it?"

Reed took a breath to steady himself, "I want to propose we use a portion of whatever food remains to start a farm down on the surface. It'll take a few days to set up, and it'll likely be a few months before the first harvest, but it'll help in the long run."

"What our food? Do we even have enough for such a ridiculous endeavor?" chimed in a dark lavender stallion pegasus. Reed scowled, "I'm only asking for a portion of it, so that we can food in the future! You like to eat, yes? More than just for tomorrow?"

The other pegasus grumbled but otherwise remained quiet. Luna thought on this for a moment. "It is indeed wise for us to start planning ahead. We shall give you a small portion, say about twenty percent of what we have left? You and a small team of helpers will begin building this farm, but you will have to wait until after we finish burying and mourning our dead."

Reed bowed in compliance. "Now, back to what i was saying. We will need teams for scavenging, salvaging, and search and rescue," Luna explained, shifting in place, wincing for a moment as she was reminded of her two missing legs on her right half. Lilly frowned in worry, Princess Luna must be in a lot of pain.

"Me and the Wonderbolts can handle that!" called Rainbow Dash, flying forth with a few of the Wonderbolts at her side. Luna gave a curt nod of agreement. "And so you shall, but first, a few things have to be addressed."

Rainbow Dash and the others gave a small look of confusion as Luna suddenly turned to the small crowd of five unicorns. Lilly suddenly felt nervous as she noticed all eyes were on them. Thankfully, Luna finally spoke.

"First off, all teams that are dispatched to the surface from now on will require at least one unicorn in the group. Magic is an indispensable ally for us, especially in these circumstances. We know not what dangers or hazards we might face out there, and having somepony with magic at your side will be invaluable. All that i ask is that you protect them with your lives. We cannot afford to lose another tribe."

Faded Stone rolled his eyes, and muttered something to himself, however the rest of them simply nodded. After all, what else could they do?

Rainbow Dash nodded, "It's a deal." Luna merely smirked.

"Second off, since the Wonderbolts are our only surviving military branch that we can effectively use, i am putting General Stalwart in charge."

"Wait, what?! But I--" Rainbow Dash began to protest.

Luna cut her off, her eyes dead cold serious. "This is not up for debate."

Rainbow Dash gave a defeated sigh, "Yes, your majesty...."

Luna then turned to the crowd, "Everypony is now dismissed. We have lost much these passed few days, but we will persevere and overcome this, as long as we work together, and don't give up." There was no cheer or rally. Nopony was in the mood for it, but at least they seemed ready to work.

As Lilly and the others were about to leave, Luna spoke up, "Wait. I need to speak with you five," she motioned to the group of unicorns with her hoof, "And you too, Rainbow Dash. The rest can go."

Luna waited until the Town Plaza had been cleared before speaking. "I'm sorry to put so much burden on you five, but as the only five remaining unicorns we have left at the moment, we will need your abilities now more than ever. Perhaps we can alleviate such a burden once we find my sister, or Twilight, or perhaps other unicorns that have survived, but until then, you are all we have left."

"T'is a burden i shall bear with honor, your highness," General Stalwart said with a bow. Subtle Hoof simply nodded. However, Stone frowned, "You are going to reimburse me for my lost wares yes?" Before Lilly could make a retort, Stone then smiled with a wicked gleam in his eye, "Wait, so everypony will have to depend on me for enchanting wares and services, and my magic in general? This will be good for business, i might not even need the reimbursement. Maybe..."

"You are going to charge ponies for your help? Are you serious?! We've already lost our world, now you want to rob us of our every last bit too?!" Lilly scolded, angry that anypony would even think of such a thing.

Stone scoffed, "Do you think all semblance of civility should just be discarded as well? That we should all turn into barbarians just because the fucking world ended?! Besides, rob is such a strong a word, little lady. Business is a benefit for all involved. Besides, i'm not heartless. I'll offer a....discount....considering the current circumstances. Let it not be said that i'm unreasonable."

Lilly did not like his disgusted tone when he said the word "discount". She was about to go off on him, but Luna intervened. "I think keeping some semblance of civility will help calm everypony's nerves. I have no problem with you starting a business. However the terms of that are that your prices be fair and reasonable. Is that clear?" Stone begrudgingly nodded, "Yes, Princess."

Luna then turned to Lilly, awaiting her answer. Lilly sighed, "You have my services as the resident Spellweaver, my liege." Lilly then bowed in respect.

Luna then turned to Vivid Spring. She didn't seem happy about the idea, but she begrudgingly agreed. "You have my services as well, your highness."

Relief seemed to swell in Luna's face. "Good. Now, will all of you please come forward, please?"

With a bow, they all stepped forward. "All of you except for Rainbow Dash are all currently using the Cloudstep Spell, correct?"

They all nodded, and Stone added, "Obviously, we would all be falling to our deaths if we weren't."

"Rainbow Dash, please come and kneel before me," Luna asked with a curious look in her eyes. Rainbow Dash gave her a questioning look, but she complied.

"All of the rest of you, put a hoof on Rainbow Dash," Luna commanded.

"What for?" asked Stone.

"Just do it," chided Vivid Spring. And with that, they all put a hoof on Rainbow Dash. Suddenly, Luna put a hoof on Rainbow Dash's forehead, and magic began to surge through her horn. Then a pulse of a magic washed over Rainbow Dash and then surged up into the five unicorns. LIlly gasped as a jolt of magical energy surged through her, making the air in her lungs escape her for a moment. Then it was over, and she could breathe again.

It seems the others had experienced the same thing. "What...What did you do, your highness?" asked Stalwart, taking his hoof off of Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash took flight and then did brief self check, but seemed satisfied when she didn't seem to find anything different. "What did you do? That felt kinda tingly..." Rainbow Dash commented with a frown.

"A gift. In a time like this, i can't have you all wasting your magic for simple things. I have gifted the Magic of the Pegasi to each of you."

"She's right!" cried Spring. "I turned off my spell, and i can still walk on the clouds!"

Lilly hesitated. She was surprised by how much trust Spring had in the princess that she would test something like that so fast. But then Lilly also knew the Princess would never lie to them about something like that, and so, with a nervous sigh, she cut the magic to her spell.

Indeed, Luna's words were true. They could all now walk upon the clouds, without the aid of a spell.....

Author's Note

Alrighty, then! Glad to have found time for this chapter. I'm not sure how much time i'll have this week, but if i get the chance, i'll keep posting.

There most likely won't be a post on any of my stories next week though, but there's nothing i can do about that. Still, hope you enjoyed the chapter and story so far! See ya in the next one!