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Prologue - Cavern479 words
Path One - Honesty768 words
Path Two - Kindness1,018 words

Path Two - Kindness

Our hero found herself in a cave, a soft-glowing of pink shining against her yellow coat. The sound of her hoofsteps resonated in all directions, for it was an echo unlike any other, calling to her and drawing our hero closer as it did the ponies in other caves to her left and her right sides. It didn't feel malicious, nor even unwelcoming, but it had a sense of trial - as if ahead of her lied an obstacle to overcome. And yet Fluttershy did not cower nor flee; she pressed on, treading softly and listening to the echos all around her.

As she stepped over a rock and climbed a small, stone step, Fluttershy took a deep breath through her nose. The air smelled of something that was new to her. The cavern dripped, moisture on the ceiling falling like a light rain upon her mane. She wondered what the smell was. Flowers? Trees? A new animal, perhaps?

Neigh, life itself.

The tunnel opened up into a large dome, where the light became much brighter. Fluttershy, having entered, stood still and squinted, her eyes half-lidded and adjusting to the darkness. Meanwhile, she heard what sounded like the flapping of wings, and indeed she could soon make out the shape of a butterfly on her nose. The other colors returned to her. The butterfly was a beautiful shade of gold, shining with soft, silver trimmings along the edges of its wings. Its body was a brilliant shade of salmon. The wings flicked, and it flew off, freeing the rest of our hero's vision. What a sight it was to behold.

In front of her laid an oasis. The sound of running water marked this place as an escape from the outside world and provided comfort. She looked around as she trotted forward, taking in all the sights and staring in awe at the beauty before her. Fluttershy stopped and smiled. In front of her stood an oak tree not four times taller than herself. It was small for a tree, but its leaves twinkling in the pinkish light was enough to tell Fluttershy that its journey had only begun. Much like her own. Along the ground there wandered caterpillars and roly-polys and a lone squirrel. The latter sat up on its haunches and replied to Fluttershy's smile with its own before running up onto a loose branch, where it sat once more, still smiling at our hero.

From the ground there was sprouted grass of light and dark green colors, from lime to turquoise: from watery colors to icy patches. Fluttershy took another smell. Here, she felt more connected with the world. She turned her attention to the group of waterfalls to her left, the same place where one might find three familiar-looking butterflies, a stream flowing down from each of them. And behind two of them lay solid amethyst. Behind the third, light. And below the waterfalls? A pond of clear, glistening water that gave life to the aquatic creatures beneath the surface. It was this body of water that captured our hero's dutiful attention. Yes. She walked over, careful not to take life from the insects roaming the ground beneath her hooves.

The pond glistened brighter for every step towards it, and the sound of hoofsteps faded away, replaced with the soft flow of water. And Fluttershy, with no fear grasping her in this place, drank from the small pool. The water was cool, not quite so cold as to freeze the lips of visitors. Her hoof stirred in the water as she greeted the swimming critters. They huddled about, looking up at the giant, and happily danced about as she stepped into their shallow water. They took turns swirling about her legs, and our hero accepted the humble gift of dance by shifting her weight around to a shared rhythm. And as she did this, she felt at peace.

For several minutes she remained like this, almost hypnotized by the smells and the sights and the sounds, but the time finally came when her eyes traveled again to the open cavern high up on the wall. The water streaming from that one seemed... purer than that of the others, and Fluttershy found herself attracted to it - just as she had been attracted to this dome. Her wings spread out from her body, a warm breath escaping her as they did so. The creatures at her hooves made a slow, hesitant retreat as she lifted off the ground, wings flapping softly and with such an elegance that one could mistake her for an angel: majestic and pure: well-guided and devoid of ill will. And as the pegasus rose up to the passage, she knew what she embodied.

Kindness.

Kindness is the benevolent force that everyone - big or small - has the power to enforce. It matters not who you are or where you're from or where you're going; you can always spread kindness. It's not always easy, though. Not everything kind is easy to understand as such, and one must be sure to go further and help a friend escape their comfort zone rather than remain in a bubble at all times. Kindness is an incredible force wielded by many, and it always finds its way around. It's the act of keeping someone on the right path, whether that means mentally, physically, or spiritually. It means to assert someone on the path of forgiveness and good will. And in this way, perhaps those good doings will be passed on from one to another in the hopes that they too may carry on a new tradition: a generation of embodied kindness.

Kindness isn't always convenient, but it's always an available path. Fluttershy knows all of this, pulling herself up into the passage - for the waterfall has left her wings with little use as water flows through her mane and down her cheeks: down her back and over her breast.

In one place, a hoof pulls another that has fallen up from the ground.

In another, a butterfly flaps its beautiful wings in glee.

And Fluttershy smiles, feeling no evil.

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