Phase 09: The Last Piece – One of Us Now

Pinkie Pie's hot air balloon lands in front of what looks like a large ruin, only it's made of clouds. How could something like this even exist? Physics dictates that clouds...

... You quickly go over everything else in this world that you've seen that completely contradicts physics, and decide to let it go. Somehow you get the feeling that this isn't even the craziest thing you're going to see.

You were flying next to the balloon with Emma, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. Twilight, Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Spike were all inside the balloon. Dash (what you noticed a lot of ponies called Rainbow Dash) and Fluttershy landed on the cloud next to the balloon. They all look up at you.

"Come on, Vale," Rainbow Dash calls out to you, "It's fine. You are a pegasus technically."

Yeah, and technically I'm a unicorn too, you think to yourself. You and Emma look at each other, both of you a little concerned, but you slowly descend onto the cloud. Once you do, you're pleased to see that the cloud is actually solid for you. Soft, and bouncy, but definitely soft. You jump up and down to test it a little, and are happy with the results.

"I guess that's why you're an alicorn..." Fluttershy says thoughtfully, "That way, you can access every place in Equestria..."

"I guess that makes sense," Emma says looking at you. The balloon opens up, and Twilight slowly steps out, putting one hoof on the cloud. When it doesn't go through, she breathes a sigh of relief.

"Whew... Okay everyone, it's safe. The spell worked," Twilight says walking onto the cloud as well. Applejack slowly pokes her head out and looks around while Pinkie Pie hops out of the balloon, followed by Rarity and Spike.

"Y'all 're sure it's safe?" Applejack asks nervously, still in the balloon.

"It's fine, Applejack," Rarity says turning to her, but then has a mischievous smile, "Don't tell me you, of all ponies, are afraid of heights."

"Now lookie here," Applejack says, "I ain't afraid of nothin' especially not heights! Besides, ya'll remember, two years ago we came here ta cheer on Rainbow Dash for the Best Flyer's Competition, right?" she looks around at everyone, who all look awkward at that statement.

"Well, I do remember you being there," Twilight says slowly.

"Me too..." Fluttershy says with a nod, but then looks away, "But I remember you always avoiding the ledges that looked down on Ponyville..."

"And if I recall, didn't we have to promise ten times that you weren't going to fall?" Rarity asks tauntingly.

"W-well..." Applejack says looking rather embarrassed.

"I remember!" Pinkie Pie says happily, "She was all 'Ah'm sorry, partner, but Ah don't trust them clouds,' and Twilight was all 'It's going to be okay, Applejack, I've done this spell hundreds of times,' and Applejack was like 'That don' change a thing, Ah ain't goin, an that's final!' but then Rarity was all 'It's okay to be scared, Applejack, all you have to do is tell us. I'm sure Rainbow Dash will understand why you didn't come to see her when everyone else did,' and boy was Applejack mad about that, so what she did was-" Twilight put her hoof over Pinkie Pie's mouth.

"I think we get the point, Pinkie Pie," Twilight says with a smile.

"Applejack," Rainbow Dash begins, "Are you afraid of heights?"

"Ah said I ain't, so I ain't!" Applejack defends, slowly getting off the balloon to prove her point, which is kind of hard as you can see she's trembling, "See? Ah told ya'll. Now, let's get movin. That Piece ain't gonna find itself," she says walking forward. A gust of wind blows from under everyone though, reminding you all that you're on a cloud. Applejack too apparently, as she gave an extremely feminine scream (which does sound strange coming from her) and jumped right into your hooves, forcing you to fly a bit as to not fall over.

"Um... Applejack? Are you going to be okay?" Emma asks as Applejack holds onto you for dear life.

"My, my, my, how absolutely brave of you Applejack," Rarity taunts walking to the temple, "I feel so safe with you in the Guardian's arms right now."

Applejack gives an annoyed growl, and you set her down after giving her an apologetic smile. You get the feeling that she and Rarity don't get along too well.

After that little moment, you follow everyone to the front of the temple.

From this point forward, you have control of who enters the party. You can have up to four ponies in your active party, one of which has to be the Guardian. Note that while the Guardian's death doesn't equal game over, if all four active ponies fall, you lose the battle. Choose your party wisely.

~Cloudsdale Temple~

The monsters you see are all mostly bird types, which makes sense. The first part of the temple is a long hallway. You proceed forward until three falcon monsters approached you.

~Battle: Talon x3 (Play Song: Full Force)

"Get out of our way!" Vale shouted.

Vale, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash all ran forward and took a Talon while Rarity charged up her magic. Rainbow Dash's fighting style was surprisingly (or not) really violent, almost like Applejack, only more athletic and using the air a lot to do flips.

"Field Barrier!" Rarity shouted, casting a mass barrier spell on everyone (including herself).

"Rising Falcon!" Vale shouted, taking flight for a second and then flying through the Talon she was fighting.

"Crescent Moon!" Rainbow Dash shouted, doing a back flip kicking the Talon up in the air, "Swallow Dance!" she then said quickly kicking it higher in the air, "Eagle Dive!" she then shouted diving onto the Talon pushing it onto the ground, killing it.

"Who else want's some!" Rainbow Dash said. Pinkie Pie was able to kill her opponent with a Pow Hammer attack, and then went to help Vale, who was having a little trouble with her opponent.

"First Aid!" Rarity shouted, healing Vale. Rainbow Dash ran over to Vale fight.

"Havoc Strike!" she shouted, hitting the Talon continuously with her front hoof, "Crescent Moon!" she then shouted, killing it.

(Play Song: Won the Battle)

"Alright, next!" Rainbow Dash shouted getting on her hind legs flexing her front hooves in triumph.

~End Battle~

After that fight, you proceed onward through the hallway. At the end of the hallway you find a spiral staircase going down. As you go down the stairs, you notice Twilight looking a little down about something.

Title of Skit: Trust issues

"Princess Celestia knows about everything that goes on in Equestria," Twilight says, "The monsters in Applejack's farm... this temple near Cloudsdale, and the shrine in the Everfree Forest... Why didn't she tell me any of these things? I'm supposed to be her star student... She tells me everything..."

"Twilight?" Emma asks as you and her go over to her.

"Oh, Vale, Emma," Twilight says.

"Is everything okay?" Emma asks, "Vale said you looked a little down."

"Oh, I'm fine, really," even though Twilight says that, you can tell she's lying.

What do you tell her?
If you ever want to talk, I'm here
I won't bother you then

"Thank you," Twilight says, seeming to be comforted a bit, "I appreciate that."

"Okay then, we'll check on you later," Emma says as you two walk off. When you leave, Twilight looks down again.

"She does trust me... right?" Twilight asks herself.

End Skit

You continue down the stairs. As you run, you see Talons flying around, and strange spherical monsters that look to be made of stone. Two Talons fly over to you, also getting the attention of one of the sphere things.

~Battle: Talon x2, W-Elemental (Play Song: Full Force)

"It's party time!" Pinkie Pie shouted happily.

Vale, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash all charged forward while Rarity began charging her magic.

"Rising Falcon!" Vale shouted, flying past the Talons and going to the Elemental. Rainbow Dash used her Crescent Moon, Swallow Dance, and Eagle Dive combo, killing the Talon she was fighting, and went to help Pinkie Pie as Rarity used First Aid on Pinkie Pie.

The Elemental cast a spell, causing a small sphere of wind to hit Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash (Wind Blade). Vale ran back from the Elemental and fired her Arrow attack at the Elemental, which was already charging up another spell. When she realized that it was still casting, she ran over to it and began hitting it with basic attacks.

"First Aid!" Rarity shouted, healing Rainbow Dash, who used her Crescent Moon skill to kill the Talon she and Pinkie Pie were fighting. They ran over to help Vale, who took a Wind Blade attack directly. Pinkie Pie used her Prank skill, pulling out a Jack-in-the-Box that hit the Elemental in the face with a boxing glove. That... killed it...

(Play Song: Won the Battle)

Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie were standing together.

"Yeah! That was fun! We should invite them to my next party!" Pinkie Pie shouted gleefully.

"You do realize we're fighting for our lives... right?" Rainbow Dash asked awkwardly.

Rarity felt like she had gotten a little stronger. She learned the spell "Photon".

Pinkie Pie felt like she got a little stronger.

~End Battle~

After the fight, you decide to compliment Rainbow Dash for her fighting skills. Pinkie Pie is right there, of course (they've been together the entire time).

Title of Skit: Rainbow Dash the Wild

"I have to say Dash, I was wrong about you," Emma says, "Here I was thinking you were all talk, but you've got real skill."

"Uh, yeah!" Rainbow Dash says with an arrogant smile, "I've spent years working on my skills, not just flying, but fighting as well."

"Why is that?" Emma asks.

"Rainbow Dash wants to be a member of the Wonderbolts!" Pinkie Pie says gleefully, making Emma roll her eyes.

"Yeah, I knew that already..." Emma says, "But why does she practice fighting?"

"That's why," Rainbow Dash says, shocking you and Emma.

"Wait, WHAT? I thought they were performers?" Emma asks.

"They are," Rainbow Dash says, "But they double as a special defense for the Princesses in case they need it. In order to be a Wonderbolt, I've got to not only be a great flyer, but a great fighter as well, especially in these times."

"Wow, well I've got to say, even though it's a little wild, I think your fighting style is really good," Emma says.

"Rainbow Dash the Wild is the most heroic pony in Equestria!" Pinkie Pie says, "Right next to Guardian Vale!"

"That's right!" Rainbow Dash says, then realizing what she's saying, "Hey, wait a second!"

Rainbow Dash earned the title Rainbow Dash the Wild

End Skit

At the bottom of the staircase, you have to stop and marvel at your surroundings.

"I had no idea that it extended this far," Twilight says looking around.

"That's Cloudsdale for you," Rainbow Dash says, "This is more then likely the inside of the cloud now."

"How did any of this get made?" Emma asks.

"No one knows," Rainbow Dash says, "These ruins have been here for generations."

"Do you think..." Twilight begins, "the Piece of Courage has been here for that long as well?"

"I don't know, I guess," Rainbow Dash says simply, but Twilight looks down in confusion.

"If that's true... then..." Twilight says, you look at her with a concerned expression. She doesn't seem to notice.

"Twilight, are you okay?" Spike asks.

"Yeah Spike, just a little confused is all," she walks forward, "Guys, we should keep moving. The most important thing is getting that Piece of Courage for Vale."

Everyone looks concerned, but they continue to walk forward after Twilight. As they walk, a black mist appears under Fluttershy's feet. She seemed to notice something, because she squealed in shock and looked behind her.

"Everythin alright?" Applejack asks looking at Fluttershy.

"Um, yes... I'm fine..." Fluttershy says, running after everyone.

Pinkie Pie looks tired, so you decide to let her rest.

You switched her out at the right time, because you see there are different enemies in the second part. These enemies look like pegasi in black armor. Also, they had the mark of Chaos on their helmets. Two of them flew over to you with an W-Elemental as well.

~Battle: Chaos Pegasus x2, W-Elemental (Play Song: Full Force)

"Ya'll must be fixin for a beat down!" Applejack shouted.

Rarity as usual began charging her magic while everyone else charged forward. The Chaos Pegasi were tough opponents, as Rainbow Dash and Vale had hard times fighting them. Applejack on the other hand was going to town on the W-Elemental, who couldn't seem to finish it's spell.

"Photon!" Rarity shouted. An orb of light converged around the Chaos Pegasus Rainbow Dash was fighting, and then exploded. It apparently did a lot of damage, "I see, so that's your weakness," Rarity said, taking note.

"Crescent Moon!" Rainbow Dash shouted, hitting her opponent in the air. At the same time, Applejack used her Vigor skill to raise her attack, and Vale ran over to Rarity to cast magic with her.

Rainbow Dash continued her assault with basic mid air attacks before she did Eagle Dive hitting the Chaos Pegasus onto the ground.

"Lightning!" Vale shouted, hitting the Chaos Pegasus Rainbow Dash was fighting, killing it. Rainbow Dash went over to the second Chaos Pegasus and fought it for a while, as Applejack was getting pummled. When she was able to, Applejack ran off a bit to catch her second wind.

"First Aid!" Rarity said, healing Applejack, who then went back to continue her fight.

"Stampede!" Applejack shouted, bashing the Elemental into the ground. Vale ran over to Applejack and used her Arrow attack finishing the Elemental off.

"Photon!" Rarity shouted, casting it on the Chaos Pegasus that remained. It was already taking a beating from Rainbow Dash, so that actually killed it.

(Play Song: Won the Battle)

"That's no way to treat a lady," Rarity said stepping to the side elegantly and turning her nose in the air.

Applejack felt like she got a little stronger. She learned the skill "Demon Fang".

Rainbow Dash felt like she got a little stronger.

~End Battle~

Those enemies were strange, you think. So you decide to discuse that last fight with everyone.

Title of Skit: Enemy Ponies

"Okay, is it just me, or were those monsters a little weird?" Rainbow Dash asks.

"They looked like... ponies... but something is wrong," Rarity says thoughtfully.

"You don't think..." Fluttershy looks really worried, "I mean... we didn't just..."

"No way," Twilight Sparkle says suddenly, "There's no way Princess Celestia would send us on a mission to kill other ponies."

"Ah want ta agree with ya Twilight," Applejack says seriously, "But there's no mistaking what we just saw. Ah mean, they even screamed in pain."

"But we've seen that Chaos can produce monsters," Emma says, "Like the Chimera from yesterday, or the Condor."

"Yeah, and Princess Celestia is a pacifist," Pinkie Pie says optimistically, "Fighting monsters is one thing, but other ponies, come on people! Hello! That's not our Princess."

"Should we send a letter to Princess Celestia asking about it Twilight?" Spike asks.

"Um... well..." she seems indecisive. Maybe you should say something.

What do you say?
This is too strange
It's too soon to say anything

"Yes, Vale, as usual, is thinking the most logically," Rarity says, "For now we should continue onward."

"I agree," Fluttershy says, "I don't want to start thinking ill of the Princess. Not after everything we've all been through."

"It looks like we're almost there anyway," Rainbow Dash says, "So let's just keep moving."

Everyone parts, but Twilight is looking down again.

"Princess, you would at least tell me... right?" she asks herself.

End Skit

You decide now is a good time to send a letter to Princess Celestia anyway, so you go over to Spike when you reach a large door.

"Do you want to send a letter to Princess Celestia?" Spike asks you.

Send a letter to Princess Celestia (save)?
Yes
No

Spike writes down everything that's happened so far, and sends it to Princess Celestia.

"Done," he says, "Talk to me whenever you want to send something to the Princess."

With that done, you walk through the door, ready for anything.

You all run through the door, going into a large arena like room. In the far end of the room, you see the last Piece of Courage on a stand.

"Hey, that's it!" Rainbow Dash calls out. She's about to fly over to get it, but Applejack grabs her tail.

"Hold up! That's how it got me the first time!" Applejack says, confusing Rainbow Dash.

"What are you talking about?" she asks.

"They're always guarded by something," Twilight explains, "Remember the Chimera?"

"That was one of Chaos' goons," Rainbow Dash says crossing her arms, "Other than that, we could have gone in, got the piece, and got out in time for dessert."

"Speaking of dessert," Pinkie Pie says suddenly, "I brought the cup cakes if anyone wants any."

"Maybe later, Pinkie Pie," Twilight says.

You walk forward bit, looking around. You then notice the clouds around you get really dark and stormy. You look up and see a giant black and red dragon swoop down in front of the group. You hear a high pitched scream as it lands. You turn around and see Fluttershy hiding behind Rainbow Dash.

"D-dragon?! No one told me a DRAGON was here!" she screamed.

"Guys, get ready!" Twilight shouted, everyone bracing themselves for combat (but Fluttershy still hiding behind everyone).

~Battle: Belial (Play Song: The Struggle to Survive)

"Everyone, please be careful!" Rarity urged.

Rarity immediately charged up her magic, and Applejack started out with her Vigor skill. Rainbow Dash and Vale rushed over to Belial and began attacking it. Belial crouched down and slashed at Dash and Vale, sending them back.

"Field Barrier!" Rarity shouted, casting it on the group. Vale immediately used an Apple Gel on Rainbow Dash, healing her, and then ran off to the back lines to use magic, letting Applejack take over her place in the front line.

"Demon Fang!" Applejack shouted, fliping in the air like Vale, sending a shock wave to Belial. It only did a little bit of damage though.

"Lightning!" Vale shouted, doing minor damage as well, "It didn't work?" she asked in shock.

"Crescent Moon!" Rainbow Dash shouted, "Swallow Dance!" she continued as she finished the last attack, but the dragon breathed fire at her knocking her to the ground and stopping her combo.

"First Aid!" Rarity shouted, healing Rainbow Dash, who continued her assault. Belial flew up away from Applejack and Rainbow Dash, and over to where Vale and Rarity were. It slashed at Vale, actually knocking her out.

"NOOO!" she shouted as she fell out.

"Y'all 're gonna PAY!" Applejack shouted. She and Rainbow Dash began using all of their best attacks on Belial, eventually Applejack using her Stampede attack on it. She was able to do some damage, but she wasn't able to knock it to the ground.

Belial roared loudly, causing lightning bolts to fire from the sky onto the party. Rainbow Dash was able to dodge most of it, but Applejack got hit by the attack. Thankfully it didn't focus on Rarity, who pulled out a Life Bottle.

"Be more careful, darling," she said throwing it at Vale, reviving her. Once up, Vale ran over to Belial, who was getting hit by basic attacks from Rainbow Dash and Applejack.

"Demon Fang!" she shouted, once again the attack doing minor damage.

"Swallow Dance!" Rainbow Dash shouted, kicking the dragon a bit in the air, "Eagle Dive!" she shouted again diving onto the ground. That combo didn't do a lot, and Rainbow Dash was getting tired.

"Hey, take it easy on the Artes, sugarcube!" Applejack shouted.

"But this looks more awesome!" Rainbow Dash retaliated.

"Here!" Vale shouted, throwing an Orange Gel at Rainbow Dash.

"Good lookin!" Rainbow Dash said, feeling rejuvenated. She then resumed her skill assault.

"Photon!" Rarity shouted, the attack doing a little more damage than the others, but not a whole lot. Belial then began casting a spell.

"Don't let it finish!" Rainbow Dash shouted. Rarity had been using a lot of magic, so she even resorted to running over to the dragon and began slapping it with her hoof. Vale, who had been using her dart attacks, pulled out another Orange Gel.

"Here!" she shouted, this time throwing it at Rarity.

"How kind of you," Rarity said, running back to the back line to continue casting spells.

"Arrow!" Vale shouted, firing at the dragon, still only doing minor damage. Unfortunately they weren't able to stop it's spell.

When it cast it, a blade made of thunder came out of the sky onto Rarity, and then exploded, knocking her out.

"AHH!" Rarity screamed as she fell out.

"Damn it! I wasn't fast enough!" Rainbow Dash shouted. Vale was about to use Arrow, but something came over her.

"I've got it!" she shouted, "Demon Arrow!" she shouted, first firing her Arrow ability, then immediately doing a back flip doing Demon Fang. That combo did something, but still not a whole lot.

"This is NOT okay!" Rainbow Dash shouted, as they weren't sure if they were winning or losing the fight, but it felt a lot like they were losing.

"Watch out, 'kay?" Applejack said, throwing a Life Bottle at Rarity, reviving her. As she got up, Belial roared loudly again, making lightning bolts rain down on the party. They were able to dodge most of the assault, but Rainbow Dash got hit and took massive damage (electricity is her weakness).

"First Aid!" Rarity shouted, casting it on Rainbow Dash, healing her.

Applejack used her Vigor skill, and then ran over to Belial and began using basic attacks. She eventually used Demon Fang on it, still doing minor damage.

"Photon!" Rarity shouted, doing medium damage. Rainbow Dash did her Swallow Dance attack, actually killing it.

(Play Song: Won the Battle)

Rainbow Dash was breathing heavily, "That... was fun..." she said.

Vale felt like she got a little stronger. She learned the spell "Thunder Blade".

Rarity felt like she got a little stronger. She learned the spell "Acuteness".

Rainbow Dash felt like she got a little stronger. She learned the skill "Spiral Edge".

Applejack felt like she got a little stronger. She learned the skill "Beast".

~End Battle~

The dragon falls to the ground, and breaks into tiny pieces of darkness.

After it falls, you run over to the Piece of Courage before anything else happens.

After a long fight, you finally found all the Pieces of Courage. This means you can finally take on Chaos.

... You can't shake the feeling though that there's something you're forgetting. But all is well. With the friends you made on this journey, you should be able to conquer all odds.

After you acquire the Piece of Courage, all three pieces come together. They then break apart again, and turn into an armored chest plate with a crystal shaped like a sword and shield in the middle (it replaces the flight stone).

A new power has emerged from you. You now have the power of "Over Limit" and with it you learned the power of "Mystic Artes".

Mystic Artes are powerful artes that can only be used in Over Limit status. First, push L3 to activate Over Limit, and then use either an Arcane Arte or Mid Level or above spell while holding down the O button to activate that character's Mystic Arte.

"You did it!" Emma cried out flying over to you.

"So now you have yer own element," Applejack says as she and everyone else walks over to you.

"Courage, I think it suits you," Rarity says with a smile.

"This means you're one of us now!" Pinkie Pie says, confusing you and Emma.

"W-what?" Emma asks.

"Well," Twilight walks over to you, "We all have an Element. While ours all represent the Elements of Harmony and yours is a stand alone element, it still means there's a trait that you fully embody, that being Courage."

"So basically what she's saying is," Rainbow Dash says, "Welcome to the team."

"Congratulations, Vale." Fluttershy says with a smile.

You look around at all of them, and as they smile at you, you can't help but smile with them. You can feel their friendship for you, and it's empowering. Does this mean you also completed the second part of your quest, gathering the Elements of Harmony?

"Let's go back to Ponyville and celebrate!" Pinkie Pie says.

"I think that's a great idea," Applejack says, "That way we can all get a little rest too."

"Spike, send a letter to Princess Celestia," Twilight says, "Tell her that we found the last piece of Courage."

"Right away!" Spike says happily.

"Girls," Twilight says, even looking at you, "Let's go... home."

You and your new friends all exit the temple.

Back in Ponyville, Spike gives a loud belch, and a letter from Princess Celestia appears. He reads it, and then looks really surprised.

"Twilight! Princess Celestia wants us all to come to Canterlot tomorrow to celebrate Vale's victory!" Spike says.

"That's fantastic!" Twilight says, "There's so much I need to tell her!"

"What about us?" Rainbow Dash asks, "What are we supposed to do?"

"She says in the letter that everyone is invited," Spike says.

"Alright!"Pinkie Pie shouts jumpin gup and down, "The Princess throws the greatest parties! Well, next to mine, at least."

"And here I thought I would be bored tomorrow," Rarity says, "I better stop off at the spa! Fluttershy honey, you're coming too, right?"

"Um... well, I guess it's still early..." Fluttershy eventually nods, "Okay then."

"So, I guess we all meet tomorrow at Twilight's Library?" Emma asks.

"That's a good idea," Twilight says, "Meet at my house at one o'clock sharp."

"Ah'll tell Big Mac to cover for me then," Applejack says.

"Great, see you guys tomorrow then," Rainbow Dash says before flying off.

"Byezees!" Pinkie Pie says gleefully. Everyone parts in their own directions, but Twilight turns to you.

"This is going to be great!" Twilight says, "I can't wait to head back to Canterlot!"

"We should head back too then," Emma says, "That way we can rest up and tomorrow can get here faster."

"Good idea," Twilight says, "Let's get going."

She gives you one last smile, and the two of you walk back to her library, where you write a letter to Princess Celestia (save) and hit the sack.

Back in Canterlot, Princess Celestia is standing out on her personal balcony looking at the night sky.

"It's been two years since I gave Luna authority over raising the moon," she says to herself, "If things go the way I expect them to, I might need to trust her with the sun as well. My dear, beloved Twilight Sparkle, stay close to the Guardian, no matter what."

Author's Notes:

When I created this fight originally, I was surprised by how hard it was to keep everyone alive. As I'm simulating a video game, don't be surprised if everyone dies sometimes in the game.

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