//------------------------------//
// Prologue - Cavern 
// Story: Cutie Mark Caverns 
// by Tropical Applejack 
//------------------------------//

Darkness surrounded our heroes, only dampened by the light of magic given off by Twilight and Rarity. For hours now, they'd been in this cave, but it felt as if they'd been here all their lives. Celestia was the one that sent them all here, but she had unusually sent each of them individually rather than purposefully get them all together and send them as a group. She'd told each mare to find a way through the cave and to follow whichever paths they felt was right.

Only now did our heroes come to a crossroads: a divergence of the large tunnel into six smaller paths. As they approached, the magic lighting the passages became obsolete, as each tunnel gave off a sort of aura. Indeed, each one was illuminated, and each of the paths had its own color. By no coincidence whatsoever, the different hues corresponded perfectly to the colors of the marks upon their flanks. Of course, the ponies had no idea of this and thus did not question the bizarre nature of the cavern.

The group of friends took a moment, taking turns nodding at one another. Although they would normally stick close together, they all had the same order from Celestia: to go wherever they felt they needed to. She said that it would be an exploration of the individual: one more of the mind than the body, she had added.

Twilight was the first to approach the row of paths. Without being conscious of the fact, she was drawn towards the magenta light of the far-right tunnel. She had only meant to approach the wall, but there was no doubt a greater force at work. Still, she was unaware and ignorant of it.

Applejack, though influenced and wanting to follow the glow of red to the far-left, stepped up beside her friend and put a hoof on her shoulder. She asked if this is where they were meant to split up. The alicorn turned back for only a moment before looking again to the open tunnel in front of her. Twilight confirmed that this was where they were supposed to diverge from one another.

By now each of the others had already crept closer to a path. Applejack eased her hoof off Twilight and took a position in front of the red, glowing cavern. Red shone against orange; pink shone against yellow; light blue shone against pink; a deeper blue shone against white; white shone against cyan; magenta shone against violet.

They were ready to continue forward. They acknowledged each other a last time, letting one know how they'd see them on the outside, wishing good luck to yet another, and perhaps giving a nervous glance to one more.

The friends one by one stepped into their personal tunnel, hooves against rock, the trickling down of water being the only sound to accompany them.