Rise of Ruinous

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic: RISE OF RUINOUS

Chapter 17 - The Spirit of Corruption, Toxion

The time: Right after the Wonderbolts/ChangeWings air show in Shiftopolis.

Princess Celestia leads all the Bearers of Harmony and the other royals into the main room, where Discord awaits.

P.Celestia: You wrote to us?

Discord: I did.

Corinne: Wh-wh-what's up?

Discord points outside.  Twilight Sparkle looked out the window and gasped in horrified shock.  Growing ever faster in all directions from the middle of the Everfree Forest was a spot of nothingness, as if there was no life to be found.  The lavender unicorn snaps her head at the somber draconequus.

T.Sparkle: Toxion?

Discord: It can only be..... Remember, his weakness is.....

Fluttershy: Kindness.  *blinks curiously*  But why MY element against TOXION?  Wouldn't I be more suited against Hatetrol?

Discord: It's because you bust your flank helping every critter you come across.  Toxion's the polar opposite.

T.Sparkle: Well, let's go battle him then.

Princess Celestia nods, getting the Elements of Harmony out of the antechamber.  All the ponies put them on and rush to the scene of the corruption, Nightmare Moon flying overhead.

*INTRO SEQUENCE*

As guards cordoned the area off, Twilight Sparkle and her friends galloped into the area being corroded by Toxion.  Twilight Sparkle made a shield for the other ponies, to protect them from the toxins in the air and land.

Fluttershy: This is awful!

N.Moon: Welcome to the first leg of our fight against Ruinous.

T.Sparkle: Let's send him back where he came from!

All Ponies: YEAH!

Following the path of destruction, they were eventually able to locate Toxion.  Twilight Sparkle gasped, Toxion looked far scarier than Discord's description said he did.  Green toxic mist surrounded his hooves and his hair and coat were colored the most nauseating shade of green ever seen by pony eyes.  His skull-and-crossbones cutie mark glared out from his flanks with eyes that conveyed a sense of terror.  He regarded the Bearers of Harmony with a growl and a snort of toxic smoke that made several fish in the nearby pond go belly-up, the sight making Fluttershy gasp.

T.Sparkle: You ARE toxically evil.

Toxion: So you've noticed..... Or was it that traitorous scumbag, Discord, who told you about us?

R.Dash: He's NOT a traitorous scumbag!  He's our friend!

Toxion: You little FOAL!  Do you REALLY think he's your FRIEND?!

N.Moon: He told us ALL about you, your leader and your mission.....  And WE are here to put an END TO YOUR EVIL PLANS!

All Ponies: YEAH!!

Toxion: SHOW ME WHAT YOU'VE GOT!  TOXIC STORM!

Toxion conjures up a huge raincloud - but this cloud rained poison on everything under it.  The ponies scattered around to avoid getting caught, only to find the larger raincloud splitting up and chasing them all over the skies.

Toxion: There is NOWHERE to hide!

Fluttershy seems to be most adept at dodging the highly-poisonous clouds and rain, using all the trees - contaminated or not - to outmaneuver them.  Even Rainbow Dash and Pitstop were impressed.  As the clouds chased and rained on the other ponies, they wore away at Twilight's shield - but not fast enough for the poisonous pony.

Toxion: ENOUGH!

Toxion slams his front hooves down, a wave of poisonous water speeding towards the ponies.  Even Nightmare Moon was socked hard, Twilight's shield dispelling almost instantly!  The ponies grunted as the poison seized hold over them, some finding it a mammoth chore to even stand up!

Toxion: One more should-! WHAT?!

As the wave sped on through the forest, one pony was virtually unscathed, even by the wave - a VERY ticked-off Fluttershy!

Fluttershy: YOU..... BIG..... DUMB..... MEANIE!!!!!

Fluttershy pulled a loop and screamed out, her Element of Harmony glowing so bright, Toxion was backing off.  The charm appeared under her like a symbol, then the yellow pegasus glowed bright white.  When she emerged from the bright light, she was in a full suit of armor that reflected her element to a "T".  Her cutie mark was rendered in jewels and her necklace made up a jeweled chestplate.  She wore a Spartan-like helmet emblazoned with her Element of Harmony and her hooves were in yellow-gold boots.  She floated in between her friends and Toxion and growled.

Fluttershy: So, you wanted to see what I GOT?!

Fluttershy soared up in the air and dove at Toxion, picking up speed and surrounded by light.  Even taking several direct hits from toxic balls of sludge didn't stop the hurtling pegasus.  Everypony was amazed at this display as Fluttershy leveled off just above the poisoned ground as it seemed to purify right under her!

Fluttershy: BEGONE, YOU MENACE!!!  NATURE'S WRATH!

As Fluttershy flew at Toxion, the poisonous pony was held in place by roots around his hooves.  Toxion's efforts to get out of this predicament were futile as the roots gripped him hard and spread up his body to his back.  By the time the roots stopped growing on him, all but his neck was held down by them, making him a perfect target for a hard-charging Fluttershy, who executed a "Sonic Rainboom" of her own, butterflies of light erupting out of the explosion!

Toxion: NO!  THIS CAN'T HAPPEN!  NOT LIKE THIS!

Fluttershy: How's THIS grab you then?!

The "Rainboom" also healed the other ponies and they got into formation.  The Elements of Harmony pulsed along with Fluttershy's Element of Kindness for a few seconds before ALL the ponies - new and old - sent their harmony powers into the air, a 11-color rainbow crashing down on a wailing Toxion!  The spirit of corruption felt his body dissolve like sugar in water as the full-power of the Elements of Harmony permeated him!

Toxion: You may..... have-won-this-battle..... but our master..... WILL WIN THE WAR!!!

With a final scream, Toxion was no more, but the area of the Everfree Forest he corrupted still remained toxic.  Wiped out from exertion and the poisonous atmosphere, some ponies grunted as Twilight Sparkle started re-shielding everypony.

Fluttershy: *flies up*  That won't be necessary.....

The yellow pegasus closes her eyes as the butterflies on her armor glow.  As they glow, each beat of her wings sent out a pulse of light that purified the forest where Toxion's poisons destroyed everything!  Even Nightmare Moon was struck with a sense of pride as she witnessed Fluttershy single-hoofedly undo all of Toxion's corruption!  After a while, the Everfree Forest showed no sign of Toxion's arrival, the Element of Kindness doing a full side turn as she landed by her friends and reared up on her hind legs as her armor shrank back into her necklace.

Fluttershy: One down, six to go.

The ponies were amazed as they congratulated Fluttershy and expressed their happy shock at how powerful she was.  Later, at Sugar Cube Corner, a party was underway celebrating the ponies' victory over Toxion, butterflies the main focus of the decor as Fluttershy was the honored pony, the typically-excruciatingly-shy pony taking in the admiration.  After a while, everypony in attendance bowed as the princesses joined the Bearers of Harmony.

P.Celestia: I KNEW from Discord's briefing that Toxion was weak against Fluttershy's element, but from what you told me, all of us put together stand more of a chance against Ruinous' forces than I figured.

N.Moon: Ya see?!  The spirit of these ponies is stronger than even Ruinous' ambition to destroy everything.  We will win.

P.Luna: Ya know something, sis?  *Princess Celestia looks at Princess Luna*  It may be because she was me at one point, but I'm with *points to Nightmare Moon* her.

P.Celestia: Really?

N.Moon: Luna.....

P.Luna: The Elements of Harmony picked Applejack due to her honesty, Fluttershy due to her kindness, Pinkie Pie due to her penchant for making other ponies laugh, Rarity due to her generousity, Rainbow Dash due to her loyalty, Virtuna due to her empathy, Trixie due to her sincerity, Pitstop due to her humility, Zecora due to her tolerance of others and Corinne due to her respect for others.  Such relics of awesome power can only be passed on to those with incredible spirit..... and I believe in that spirit, sister, just like Nightmare Moon.  If the other ponies can replicate what Fluttershy did today, it's RUINOUS who won't stand a chance against US.

Princess Luna punctuated that with a nod of her head, the celebration continuing into the night.  In the Everfree Forest, the tangled mass of roots that previously encased Toxion fell away to reveal a handsome stallion with green hair and a light green coat with no cutie mark.  He wordlessly looked around that area of the forest, taking in its natural beauty.  A meadowlark landed on his head and sang a line, the stallion humming the next part as he holds up a leg, letting the little bird land on it.  He murrs as he nuzzles it, the meadowlark responding with a coo before flying back to its home.  The stallion then heads out of the clearing, humming to itself.

TO BE CONTINUED