PART 2 OF 4:
(All artwork here belongs to the respected artist...even those that were commissions done for me 
)
)After the great battle against the Light and the Darkness, the six great species had gone their separate ways; Whatever peace that lasted between them all, came to an end quickly. Without the Champion of the Light to help guide them into the future, they eventually saw no reason to stand together as one.
The Buffalo returned to their own lands, but would stay on good terms with the dragons as they always have been. They would eventually migrate and find new lands to settle and expand.
The Zebras moved on and founded new lands to make their homes in. While they once saw the other species as friends, their views on the Dragons and other Ponies were not so good anymore; They saw the Dragons as greedy beings, and the ponies as just as selfish.
The Dragons remained distant from other species, except the buffalo. They did what they wanted and horded their treasures for themselves. They may have grown greedy, but they were once the most generous creatures this world had ever known.
The Pegasai, Unicorns, and Earth Ponies went their own separate ways and went on with their lives...with growing further apart from the other.
Even though the Darkness was defeated, Harmony was lost that day...just as the Dark Demon planned. While many would miss the dear pony that gave them hope, there were those, family friends and loved ones, that would miss him the most.
But he was gone...and it would soon become time for them all to move on, and make their own futures in the best way they could.
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OVER THE NEXT 3,000 YEARS...
After the passing of three millenia, much as changed. Both for good and bad.
The Zebras, Buffalo, and Dragons thrived on, apart from the other...but still with some friendly ties. While not the most active, the one thing they do excel at other than their own skills and strengths...is preserving the knowledge of the past...and the stories they were told of the battle between Good and Evil, as well as the great Champion that helped them fight for their freedoms.
The Three tribes of Ponies however...did forget. Spending so much time focusing on their own lives and the well-being of their own race, most had forgotten the great battle at the Champion. Their once great history...was nothing more than myth or lies.
There were some who kept what was left of the history passed down, in scrolls...though most were eventually lost.
The Dark creatures of the world, which included Changelings, Gargoyles and more, continued to cause trouble for most...while always waiting for the day when the Darkness would rise again...
The Supreme Master of Darkness, still imprisoned deep within the ancient prison of Tartarus...chained and forgotten...still yearned for the time when he would be free again. But...for complete dominance to be his to take with no challenge...he waited.
All the Darkness and wickedness from those lesser evils across the world, he was able to reach out with his mind and manipulate them...making him do acts of cruelty...in order to help him replenish his power slowly. Even the smallest acts of evil, even from those with good hearts, helped him recover...even from within his prison.
The Process would take hundreds if not another thousand years, but he would wait for when the world would be weak enough his return and his conquest to rise once more. Only this time...there will be no Light to protect them from his wrath...so long as the Champion remained inside his amulet; A prisoner of the Darkness for all time.
But even as Courageous Heart remained trapped inside, with the Light keeping him asleep in a protective cocoon...preventing him from aging of falling to the corruption of the Darkness...he dreamed and could see the world beyond at times.
He could even sense the eventual return of Tirek. But, he could see that the world's only hope would soon lie in the hooves...of one special little pony...in a thousand years to come.
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1,000 B.F.
While the rest of the world moved on, the Three Pony Tribes found life difficult...especially with the other always getting in their ways. Unable to come to an agreement, they set off in their own land to settle...far from the other.
They eventually founded a great land to settle, but once the three tribes ran into each other, the fighting resumed. But soon, they overcame their differences...and the three pony tribes became one...and called their new land that they would share together...Equestria.
Equestria would become a land of peace for all ponies. Soon, this beautiful paradise gave the ponies two special ones that would rule together, and raise the sun and moon forever: Princess Celestia and Princess Luna; The first two Alicorns.
The two sisters vowed to work together and protect their home and all their subjects from any evil that dared to bring harm to their Kingdom.
Eventually, the two alicorn Princesses discovered the Elements of Harmony deep within their home. Sensing their great power, with an origin unknown, they would use this power to protect Equestria forever.
The two princesses used their power and that of the Elements to fight off many evils:
King Sombra, ruler of the Crystal Empire, gained dark power and tried to spread his evil all over; No doubt he was manipulated by the Dark Demon himself. He was later banished by the two alicorn sisters.
Discord, Master of Chaos and Disharmony, caused much trouble around Equestria...until the Princesses used the Elements of Harmony to turn him to stone.
Other evils fell to them, and Equestria was kept safe.
Seeing that the two alicorn ponies were becoming a real problem, the Master of Darkness decided to destroy them...by driving a wedge through their hearts.
He soon whispered to Princess Luna, and convinced her to keep the night going forever. His words were sharp and cold as they continued on...manipulating the younger sister.
Finally convinced, Luna turned on her sister and accepted the Darkness and it's power. She became Nightmare Moon and fought Celestia for control of Equestria.
Princess Celestia was heartbroken by this, and had no choice but to use the Elements to banish her sister into the moon...where she would remain for the next thousand years. With her sister gone, Celestia took up the role of raising and lowering the sun and moon.
But...she would never forget this tragic day...and hoped her sister would return someday, to the way she once was.
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1,000 YEARS LATER...
Equestria continued to flourish over the next thousand years. Ponies and the cities around the land expanded and grew. Even some foreign creatures migrated here over the millenia. This land was truly a paradise for all...though mostly ponies.
Harmony became the key principle to Equestria, though Princess Celestia could no longer wield the Elements. Eventually, it would become time for six little ponies to rise up, discover their destinies, and become the new wielders of the Elements of Harmony.
Twilight Sparkle, Celestia's star student, was sent to Ponyville with her assistant, Spike the baby Dragon, to help arrange for the big event being held there. While the little unicorn loved to study, she was not interested in making friends...until she met five ponies that made her life special from that day on: Applejack, the Honest Earth Pony; Rainbow Dash, the Loyal Pegasus; Fluttershy, the Kind Pegasus; Rarity, the Generous Unicorn; and Pinkie Pie, the Laughing Earth Pony.
Together, they discovered friendship and the Elements of Harmony. With each Element of their own trait and cutie mark, they used the great power to defeat Nightmare Moon and return Princess Luna to her original state.
From that day on, Twilight would discover new lessons on friendship and spend her time in Ponyville with her new best friends. She would look forward to all the adventures that awaited her and the rest.
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4 A.H. (After Harmony)
After a few years since that wonderful day, the Mane Six continued discovering new friendship lessons, setting off on new adventures, and just having fun. Their lives were great since they all met. The bond of friendship that they shared was unbreakable...even in the hardest times.
They met new friends along the way and helped others whenever they could. They even encountered new and old villains that tried to take over Equestria:
Discord escaped and tried to spread Chaos again, but he was stopped by the six mares, and later was rehabilitated into joining the side of good...once he understood what having a friend meant.
The Queen of the Changelings, Chrysalis, tried to conquer Equestria through deception...twice. Both times, she was thwarted.
King Sombra returned to take the Crystal Empire once again, but he was destroyed for good after the Kingdom reclaimed its power and magic.
Each new threat was put to an end, all thanks to the Mane Six and their friends. Soon, the six little ponies would find themselves in a time of peace with no dangers in sight. At long last, they could relax and have fun...as the next Grand Galloping Gala was just around the corner.
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The day before the Gala, Twilight was busy reading some new books she got from the Canterlot Library, when she came across a old, worn journal...that made little sense. She was able to figure out the language a bit, and read on about a pony who stopped the Darkness long ago.
While Twilight did not understand what it meant, she did admire this pony she continued to read about. She even blushed a little at the thought of having a special somepony like him.
After reading as much as she could, Twilight went to bed. But, as she slept, she encountered a mysterious, cloaked pony in her dreams. He warned her of the return of the Darkness...and to be ready for when it does.
Twilight did not know who this pony was, but she could swear he was that pony she read about. When she awoke, she did not know if it was just a dream...or was real.
The night of the Grand Galloping Gala had arrived, and the six mares and one baby dragon got themselves ready and went together in style. Upon arriving, they had a wonderful time meeting family, friends, and enjoying the good fun and food. But little did they know that danger was soon to appear...
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Deep within the prison of Tartarus, lied the Supreme Master of Darkness...still chained and imprisoned within his cage. However, after all the Darkness and evil he had absorbed over the past few millenniums, he now had enough power to break free and escape.
Upon escaping Tartarus easily, The Dark Demon made his way to the one place that was a threat to his conquest: Equestria.
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The night sky around Equestria grew darker and the storms arrived as the Master of Darkness named Tirek invaded Canterlot. He would see that this paradise would become his new throne of evil.
However, Princess Celestia would not allow this to happen and tries to use her own magic to stop him...but it had no effect on him. Shining Armor, Twilight Sparkle's brother, could not push him out with his shield spell. Even worse: The Elements of Harmony did not even phase him.
All they had could not stop this monstrous creature. At that moment, Tirek summoned the Darkness and began to take control of everypony in Canterlot...which included Celestia, Shining, Cadance, and Spike.
Princess Luna managed to get herself and the Mane Six out of there and into the Everfree Forest. But, Tirek turned his gaze to Ponyville and Cloudsdale, and sent his new army of Dark Ponies to take control and corrupt the ponies that resided there.
Soon, within only a few hours, he took control of the three cities and transformed Canterlot into a dark, wicked fortress he named MIDNIGHT CASTLE.
The rest of Equestria...was his to take.
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At Zecora's hut deep within the Everfree Forest, The Mane Six and Princess Luna did not know what to do on how to stop the Darkness from spreading. Luckily, the wise Zebra happened to have a book with some details of a great battle that took place so long ago that many had forgotten.
With all that she revealed, the six mares now knew what they had to do: Gather aid from other creatures to help battle the Darkness. Zebras, Dragons, Buffalo, and other ponies were all over Southern Equestria and they could help turn the tide and free their homeland.
However, The hut was soon attacked by servants of Tirek; Forest creatures that fell under his power and were sent to capture the ponies. Trapped, there was no way out.
But thankfully, Zecora had a secret passage under her bed that would lead them far out of the forest. She would stay to buy them time. Luna decided to stay too...because since Tirek would use her to track the others...since she was a former servant. With their tearful goodbyes given, the Mane Six went down the tunnels and escaped.
Princess Luna and Zecora stayed behind and fought the dark creatures. While they seemed to have the advantage, they were soon overpowered, captured...and taken to Tirek. There, they became servants of evil...and Luna became Nightmare moon once more.
The Mane Six came out of the tunnels at the Rumble Ridge and saw what became of their home: Dark without a trace of sunlight. While they were scared and saddened, they had to stay strong and accomplish their mission to save Equestria...since it was their duty as Guardians of the Elements of Harmony.
They then decided it was better to split up in order to acquire the help they need at once. They divided into groups of two, said their goodbyes, and set off to save their home from the Darkness...and its Master.
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Applejack and Fluttershy traveled to Appleloosa to get help from the buffalo and settler ponies there...including her cousin Braeburn.
Along the way, they encountered Nightmare Moon in their dreams...but were able to resist her power. They were saddened by the fate that had befallen Luna for the second time...because of Tirek.
They were able to warn the town and tried their best o convince them to fight, since many were scared. But Braeburn agreed to help his cousin find the buffalo and see what happens then.
They travel out into the desert but get lost. Thanks to Fluttershy asking a friendly rattlesnake for help, they find the buffalo camp. There, Chief Thunderhooves and Little Strong Heart help them out by telling them of a song sung by their ancestors from long ago...about the great hero and how he defeated the Darkness.
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Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie made their way through the Hayseed Swamps to find the Zebra tribe. But in the end, the zebras found them...and help them prisoner for being ponies and outsiders.
The tribe leader Subira, who was discovered to be Zecora's Twin sister, knew why they came and that they sought their help. Normally, zebras were on bad terms with their pony cousins, but she was willing to give them a chance if they passed a test. The two mares agreed and took the challenge.
Rainbow and Pinkie passed the test and were welcomed into the tribe. They had a small party and learned a bit about the culture of the zebras. Soon, they would hear of the tales of the battle of long ago...and would set out with Subira to Appleloosa...in order to speak with the rest of the creatures that would be gathering there.
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Twilight and Rarity traveled south to the Badlands to find the dragons.
Along the way, they rested and Twilight dreamed of Courageous, and was happy to see him as he was her. They sent some time talking, and Courageous Heart granted her a small gift of the Light to help her when she needed it the most. Twilight felt such a warm glow in her heart, from the Light...and from the Stallion she had grown to admire and care about. Soon, her dream ended and she awoke.
After waking up, both Rarity and Twilight encounter the now-corrupted Spike, who was a full grown dragon under Tireks control. The two unicorns were hurt to see him like this, but Twilight soon used the Gift of the Light and freed Spike, though he remained fully grown for now. They were so happy to be together again. Rarity was the most happy to have her dragon back.
They then flew to the Badlands and encountered the dragons...including Garble. They were able to convince the Wise One (one of the three dragon leaders) to help them. They then all flew to Appleloosa to meet up with the others.
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Upon arriving in Appleloosa, Twilight and the others were all reunited after what felt like forever...even if it was only a day or two; Three tops. Now that they were together, it was time to come up with a plan to take back Equestria.
But, the Wise One reveals that no matter how many stand up to Tirek, without the Champion to call forth the Rainbow of Light along with the Elements of Harmony, there was no hope.
Twilight refused to believe it and revealed that she saw Courageous Heart in her dreams...but she had no evidence to prove it; The Gift she was given was used up and no longer helpful.
With nopony supporting her, including her own friends, Twilight ran away to the outskirts of town...crying. She pleaded for somepony...anypony...to help.
She then fell asleep and dreamed once more...
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Looking Through Your Eyes: www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUhMHh…
Twilight wept on in her dreams, only to be comforted when Courageous appeared once again. He warmed her saddened heart and brought her to place in her dreams that was beautiful and magical.
There...the two pranced through the flowers and grass, and relaxed together under a lovely starlit night
After a while, Twilight felt that she wanted to stay there with Courageous, but he said she had to go back. She refused to and knew there was no hope of saving her home from the Darkness. That...was not entirely true...
Courageous knew the only way, but did not want to put Twilight or anypony else in danger. She begged him to tell her. He finally agreed and was about to...until the Darkness arrived and pushed Twilight out of her dreams.
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Twilight returned to the real world and saw that Tirek had arrived to put an end to this rebellion. They were all afraid by his mere presence...but Twilight refused to surrender, no matter what Tirek offered, since his words were hollow and heartless.
He was about to turn everypony there into his servants for standing up to him, when Twilight called out Courageous's name...which cause Tirek's amulet to glow with the Light. At that Moment, Twilight figured it out that the Champion was trapped inside...and he had to be set free.
Twilight and her friends activated the Elements of Harmony and used their power when Spike got the amulet from Tirek...at a close call...and they used the power to set free Courageous Heart.
Tirek could not believe his mortal enemy was free after all this time. Everypony was in awe...expect for the Dark Demon and his minions present. Courageous summoned the Light to drive them away.
Tirek fled...vowing they would finish this battle soon.
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With Courageous Heart free, the other species now feel they have a chance to reclaim their home and save the rest of the world too. But many still have their differences with the other cloud their judgement.
Courageous stepped forward and helped convince everypony to put that all aside and work together not just for this battle, but for the their future. Tirek took that away once, which led to all this...but now the six great species had a chance to make things right this time around.
Hear his words of wisdom, from himself and the Light, the six creatures accepted the other and were now ready to march to the capital of Equestria, defeat the villain, and vanquish the Darkness for good.
After gather all the forces they had, everypony marched north...ready to end this war that has gone on for over 4,000 years.
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CHARGE OF THE LIGHT: www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Tgi-j…
As the army of good, also called Equestria's Light, arrives on the outskirts of Ponyville. They see the Dark Ponies within the town ready to defend their Master's Kingdom.
First they were nervous, but after a great encouraging speech by Courageous Heart, the Light of Equestria was ready to charge. After shouting their battle cries, the Ponies, Dragons, Zebras, and Buffalo all charged into Ponyville, knocking through and knocking out all that was in their way. In no time, they took the town.
Many were left behind to hold the city while the Mane Six, Courageous, and others were to fly to Midnight Castle. The had to succeed or the world would only know Darkness from then on.
The army in Ponyville held the line as best they could, even as Hydras charged into the town...pushing them back.
The group manage to make it to the castle and fight their way through every obstacle: A Rock Ogre...which Tirek summoned from far off in the world; Shining Armor and Princess Cadance, whom Courageous and Twilight had to fight and subdue; Discord, whom was controlled by Tirek...until Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie knocked him out.
After facing all of Tirek's best minions he had in his fortress, the group finally make it to his throne room...where the final battle could begin.
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Final Battle Music: www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUMGlH…
The Seven Ponies stood before the Master of Darkness and were ready to end this once and for all. However, Tirek had a score to settle with the Champion and ordered his bodyguards, Celestia and Nightmare Moon, to trap the Mane Six in a dark sphere while the Master takes on Courageous.
Tirek's power proved to be too great, due to all the evil he had absorbed and controls all over the world. Courageous fought hard, but in the end could not defeat Tirek alone...even with all the Light that remains.
Knowing he had won, Tirek was ready to end all this...until the Mane Sic prayed to the Light to give them the strength to save their home...and the Pony that has guided them through all this.
It answered them...
With even the smallest amount left, the Light pushed away the Darkness and freed everypony from the corruption all surrounding middle Equestria.
Everypony was freed and they felt that they had won...but it was not over yet. The castle began to crumble and everypony was brought to the outskirts of Ponyville by the Light. There, they beheld Tirek...and grown to an enormous size; He was now bigger than any creature alive in the world today.
He summoned the storms and vowed to destroy all Light, all Harmony, and everything else.
This would not stand with Courageous of the rest. They prayed that the Light would give them one last gift to help them banish this monster forever, the Light gave them its power and brought the Light Spirits of the Past to give them aid against this mighty foe.
Together, the Light and its followers fought against the Darkness and its Master
The Battle was long and hard, but in the end, the followers of Light and Harmony weakened the mighty demon...giving the seven chosen ponies the chance to summon forth the one source that could defeat Tirek: The Rainbow of Light.
Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow, Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Rarity called forth the six elements as Courageous summoned the Light once more. Together, the mighty Rainbow came forth and struck Tirek with all its power.
At that moment, Tirek cried out as the Light exploded around them all. It spread across Equestria and the rest of the world...freeing all that were corrupted, restoring all that was damaged and destroyed, and driving away all servants of the Darkness.
At that moment right after, Tirek faded away...vanquished by the Light.
The war was won at long last. The Light...had triumphed.
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Victory Celebration: www.youtube.com/watch?v=II04E2…
With the Darkness defeated, everypony and creature threw the biggest celebration ever:
All over Equestria and the rest of the world, all the creatures were dancing and partying all night long. This was truly the greatest event in all of the world's history: Many species that were torn apart by their difference, put all that aside to work together to save their home. True Harmony was finally achieved...now that they were willing to be friends will all those they fought beside in this great battle.
As for our heroes, Twilight and Courageous were honored as great heroes, learned the greatest lesson on Friendship, and became a couple. Since Courageous Heart chose to stay instead of go with his family and the rest of the Light Spirits, the Champion could not live a new life here in Ponyville, with all his new friends...and marefriend.
The others were happy for them and were proud of the two that got them through it all. The other mares, Spike...now restored to his baby dragon form...and the rest were ready to see what the future had in store for them.
And should evil ever arise again, they would face it...together
TO BE CONTINUED...
PART 1: courageousoflight.deviantart.c…
PART 3: courageousoflight.deviantart.c…
