//------------------------------//
// The Dragon's Test 
// Story: Untold Stories of Equestria: Episode One & Two- The Great Plague 
// by Sparrow9642 
//------------------------------//

	All of the Mane Six marched forward, into the Everfree Forest, which seemed less scary than usual for some reason. Even Fluttershy found the Everfree Forest less frightening, and more of a welcoming environment to everypony, which is an uncommon thing, seeing Rainbow had to literally drag Fluttershy just to get to the Everfree Forest.
"What the hay is going on here?" asked Applejack.
"Yeah. Fluttershy is usually afraid of the Everfree Forest, but now she's all find and dandy with it," added Rainbow Dash.
"I'm not sure, girls," answered Twilight. "I guess that Zecora's brew has become powerful enough to corrupt more than just ponies now."
"So, you're saying Zecora's brew has gained the power to corrupt an entire forest!?" exclaimed Rainbow Dash.
"Well, yes," replied Twilight. 
"This is bad! Really, really bad!" shrieked Rainbow Dash. "This is starting to seem like a Daring Do book I just read last night, where Daring Do has to enter an unknown environment that's been changed by Ahuizotl, using some newly-obtained evil magic. It was epic!"
"Focus, Rainbow!" snapped Twilight.
"Hehe. Sorry, Twilight."
"I don't mind this change the slightest," said Rarity. "I think it fits the forest marvelously."
"Me either," said Fluttershy. "It's not dark and scary anymore, making me feel more comfortable."
Twilight sighed, then continued into the Everfree Forest, which had been turned into a fun house.



Everypony proceeded deeper into the Everfree Forest, deeper than they had ever gone before, noticing that the Everfree Forest had again started to change, only this time it wasn't back to a scary or fun environment, but more of a spiritual environment, as if they had wandered into a different dimension. Everypony started to feel strange, and unwelcome at the same time.
"It it me, or does it seem like I'm starting to feel a bit queezy?" said Applejack.
"Not just that, but much heavier too," said Rainbow Dash. "I can barely keep myself flying."
"Perhaps you should join the rest of us, instead of straining yourself, Rainbow," suggested Twilight.
"No thanks," said Rainbow Dash. "This is perfect exercise for my wings, especially if Cloudsdale ever accidentally starts a severe storm."
"Suit yourself," replied Twilight, seeing Rainbow struggle.
As they continued walking, the gravity of the area seemed to get heavier by the second, eventually causing Rainbow to collapse to the ground.
"Come on, Rainbow Dash!" exclaimed Rainbow, struggling to get up from the ground.
Everypony else was struggling to even stay on their hooves, feeling as if the sky was forcing them to the ground, but with much effort they were able to stay standing, especially Applejack, seeing she was the most fit pony still on her hooves. 
"My stars, what is happening to us?" said Rarity.
"Care to explain, Twilight?" said Applejack.
Twilight didn't know how to respond, because she was unsure of what exactly was happening.
"I don't know what is going on, and had no idea this was even going to happen," said Twilight.
"Well, depending on how much further we have to go to this, Dragon's Trench, I'm not sure if I'm going to even be able to make it, sugar cube," said Applejack.
"How am I supposed to even go anywhere?!" snapped Rainbow Dash, still trying to lift herself from the ground.
"Use your "rainbow" strength, silly!" joked Pinkie Pie.
"Not the right time for jokes, Pinkie," replied Rainbow Dash.
"This is absurd! How are we supposed to continue when we can barely stand on our hooves, and one of us is down for the count?!" Rarity snapped.
"Keep trying, girls, otherwise, Equestria is doomed," said Twilight, trying to keep everypony together.
"Can't you just do a spell that would make this less difficult, Twi?" asked Applejack.
Twilight was unsure if she even knew a spell that could do such a thing, but she decided to think hard about it, due to her reaching her breaking point as well. The heaviness made it hard for her to even think straight, so she couldn't think of any solution, and was only mere seconds from giving up, until she suddenly felt the heaviness fade away.
"What the?" questioned Twilight.
The other six stood high on their hooves, including Rainbow Dash who had lifted herself from the ground.
"That's more like it!" said Rainbow Dash. "Thanks, Twilight! Whatever you just did helped alot!"
"Uh, sure, Rainbow," replied Twilight, confused on what just happened.
"What's wrong, darling?" asked Rarity.
"Oh. Nothing. I guess I'm just a bit exhausted from all that's happened today, that's all," replied Twilight.
"Aren't we all, darling?"
"Well, let's go get this Everfree Lotus or whatever it is, so we can all save Equestria, and laugh about it later," commanded Rainbow Dash, dashing forward, past a bunch of crystalized trees.
"Right. Let's get to it!" agreed Rarity, dashing forward.
As Rainbow and Rarity continued onward, Twilight just stood, confused in her stance.
"You alright, sugar cube?" asked Applejack.
"I'm fine, Applejack. Let's catch up, before those two encounter something in this forest," concluded Twilight.
"Alright. If you say you're good, then I guess that's fine with me," said Applejack, while continuing further into the forest.
Pinkie and Fluttershy followed, as Twilight and Applejack moved past the thickest parts of the forest. Rarity and Rainbow decided to take their time as well, unaware of whatever may wander in this part of the Everfree Forest, if they were even in the Everfree Forest anymore. The trees were coated in a crystal-like bark, and glimmered like diamonds and gems. Spike had even started to drool a little from the sight, but due to Twilight being present, he didn't dare to even try eating the bark, even though it looked scrumptious to him.
Rarity was also mesmerized by the sight, and was even tempted to take some of the bark for her boutique, but she knew that they already had enough problems to deal with at the moment, and didn't want to start anymore problems by stealing something so beautiful and sacred. She did her best not to even look at the bark, but that was pretty hard to do, seeing the bark was coated on every tree, and there were trees everywhere. She wanted to cry over how beautiful the bark was, but somehow kept herself focused on the task at hand, which was retrieving the Everfree Lotus.
After walking past the thickest pasture of the forest, the trail came to a small opening, with a gigantic trench at the end, which could only mean that they had finally reached Dragon's Trench. Twilight decided take the first steps toward the trench, seeing she had wings, and was a decent flier. She approached the edge of the bottomless trench, only to see a large group of sparkling flowers growing from the sides of the trench, in the deeper regions.
Twilight immediately recognized the flower as the Everfree Lotus, which was a black flower with pedals covered with crystal shards, and a blue stem. The Everfree Lotus was said to have been created as a fluke in one of Princess Celestia and Luna's sun and moon rises. The sun and moon were raised at the wrong times when Celestia and Luna were younger, still trying to adapt to their new-found abilities, and the alternation in time with the sun and moon created a strange reaction in the soils of Equestria. 
The soils of Equestria became infested with a crystal-like fungus, and spread all throughout Equestria. To stop the fungus from spreading any further, Luna and Celestia used their magic to rid away the fungus, and as a result of magic infusing the fungus, the Everfree Lotus sprouted from the grounds of the Castle of the Two Sisters, and was used as a substitute for many things, including medicines to cure incurable diseases. However, the Everfree Lotus became abused, and was removed from anypony's reach, to a place that only the two sisters could access at will, which came to be known as Dragon's Trench.
"It's here!" exclaimed Twilight. "The Everfree Lotus is here!"
"Well, what are you waiting for?" asked Rainbow Dash. "Swoop down and grab one, so we can save Equestria."
Twilight nodded her head, then spread her wings, so she could retrieve one of the Everfree Lotus's, but was stopped when she heard a roaring sound coming from deep within the trench. That's when it dawned on Twilight why it was called "Dragon's" Trench, and shook in terror as a giant dragon sprouted from the trench. Twilight gulped, awaiting whatever the dragon had in store for her.



The dragon peeped its eyes open and looked at Twilight with large amounts of curiosity, but Twilight couldn't tell if the dragon was angry or not, due to it's ancient face having no expression at all.
"Greetings, Mr. Dragon. My name is...
She was immediately cut off by the ancient dragon.
"SILENCE!" yelled the dragon. "Why have you come here, and for what reason?!"
"My name is Twilight Sparkle, and I'm a former student of one of the pony's that created you," spoke Twilight, trying to keep herself as calm as possible. "You probably know her best as, "Celestia."
"Celestia created the side of me that is full of all that is "good," young one. She created me to protect what you seek, and I see that you are telling the truth about being her former student," said the dragon.
"How can you tell?" asked Twilight.
"The two sister's magic gives me the power to do many things. Celestia gives me the power to see the good in a pony's being, while Luna's gives me the power to see the bad in a pony's being," answered the dragon.
"I see. The sun ables you to see all good, while the moon ables you to see all bad."
"Exactly, young one. You are a smart subject, and that is good. I also see that you use your gifts for good too."
"Mr. Dragon, I don't mean to be pushy, but Equestria is in great trouble, and we need the Everfree Lotus to save it."
"Only those of great importance are allowed to possess the lotus," claimed the dragon. "It must also be only for a dire situation."
"Trust me. This is a very dire situation."
"I see that it is, but the other subjects with you must be of great importance as well, young one."
"Oh. No need to worry about that," said Twilight. "My friends are of much great importance, because they each represent one of the Elements of Harmony."
"I'll be the judge of that," said the dragon. "If they are of true importance, they will come forth, and stand before me while I examine their souls. If they are worthy, I shall grant you the lotus. If they're not, then I shall burn each them into another dimension."
Twilight gulped. "Fair enough. Rainbow! Fluttershy! Rarity! Pinkie! Applejack! Do as the dragon says, otherwise we came here for nothing!" assured Twilight.
"Alright, Twi," said Applejack. "We're comin' out."
As promised, all five of them proceeded out of the trees, with Rainbow dragging Fluttershy by her tail.
"I sense one other subject. Who are they?" asked the dragon.
"That would be my loyal assistant, Spike. He's a dragon, just like you, and has a connection to Celestia too," confirmed Twilight.
"Fair enough. I sense no evil in this "Spike's" heart, so I'll make an exception."
Twilight let out a breath of relief, but it was far from over, because now her best friends had to pass the dragon's test. The dragon overlooked the other five with much curiosity, reading each of their hearts and souls. Twilight was literally holding her breath in suspense, and as the dragon started to speak, she started to sweat a little bit.
"There is much in each of your hearts. I sense large amounts of laughter, kindness, loyalty, generosity, and honesty. Each representing an Element of Harmony," said the dragon. "You have been through much conflict, but have overcame it with the magic of friendship, and no matter how hard times have gotten, you've always stood up for one another, even in the darkest times. Your bond is strong, and you have yet to accomplish much more in your lives. You are worthy of the lotus, fellow ponies."
The dragon reached down into the trench, pulled an Everfree Lotus from the trench wall, and handed it to Twilight. 
"Good luck, everypony. May you have a safe journey," said the dragon, as he dove back into the trench.
As Twilight held the lotus, she could feel the power of both Celestia and Luna inside the plant, as it sparkled in the sunlight. It was a power she had never felt before.
"You alright, Twi?" asked Applejack.
Twilight shook her head, until she came out of her daze. "I'm fine. Now, let's go save Equestria!"
"Right!" said everypony in unison, as they made their way back in the direction of Zecora's hut.



By the time the Mane Six, along with Spike made it to Zecora's hut, the hut was on the verge of nearly exploding.
"Come on, guys! There's no time to waste!" commanded Twilight.
All seven of them rushed into Zecora's hut, where Zecora stood exhausted from keeping the brew tamed for hours.
"Zecora!" yelled Twilight. "We've got the Everfree Lotus!"
Zecora looked at Twilight, nearly on the verge of collapsing. "There's no time to waste, my friend! Toss the lotus into the brew, so this plague can end!" exclaimed Zecora.
Twilight wasted no time, and placed the Everfree Lotus into the brew, immediately noticing the brew starting to calm, and the smoke starting to disipate.
"Please tell me it's over!" said Rainbow Dash.
Zecora nodded her head, as she collapsed to the floor.
"Phew. I've had enough adventures for one day."
"You think you have?" said Applejack. "I think we all have."
Twilight had noticed that Zecora's brew had turned a light pink color, and smelled delightful.
"Mmm, that smells delicious, Zecora," said Twilight.
"What exactly were you making, darling?" asked Rarity.
"My friends, I think I know the reason why, in the first place, why my brew went all awry. Plants from the forest, you see, need to be fresh, to create a fresh remedy. I believe I chose a rotten ingredient from a tree, and for my mistake, I truly am sorry." apologized Zecora.
"Apology accepted, Zecora," said Twilight.
"Yeah. Everypony makes mistakes, sugar cube," said Applejack.
"We understand, darling," said Rarity.
"As long as this never happens again, I guess we're cool," claimed Rainbow Dash.
"I really hope this never happens again," added Fluttershy.
Zecora nodded her head, as a thanks to the Mane Six.
"So, is this brew how we cure all of those corrupted by the previous brew?" asked Twilight.
Zecora nodded her head again, meaning the Mane Six still had one last task, before they could call it a day; they still had to cure everypony corrupted.
"Let's get to it then," said Twilight.