Silent Fractures

Wormwood has to keep himself from sighing. "Bleeding Heart, The Reini..." He wasn't quite sure what to say. "We have to work together on this mission, so we need to get along. Bleeding, what more would you like The Reini to do?"

Heart opens her mouth to say something, and then visibly deflates. Defeated, she just says. "No, nothing, nevermind."

(Everyone starts walking down the path toward the cave. Continuing your conversations of course. )

"All right, we're here." Discord pointed to a large opening at the base of the gorge. "Now it's going to get a little harry from this point on so if anyone has any last minute questions please ask now."

"I have a somewhat important question, though this is directed at the group." He turned to The Reini. "What happened with you? I don't remember you being blue." He glanced at Cold Iron. "And what happened with you? You've got... things... on your chest." Wormwood is obviously not familiar with minotaur anatomy.

Dusk Raven wrote:"I have a somewhat important question, though this is directed at the group." He turned to The Reini. "What happened with you? I don't remember you being blue." He glanced at Cold Iron. "And what happened with you? You've got... things... on your chest." Wormwood is obviously not familiar with minotaur anatomy.

Heart looks around in curiosity. "I was right, you both did change." When Iron answers, she repeats herself. "And I was right, you are a girl... I recognize mamm- uh. Udders, I recognized the udders when I saw them." Heart kind of blushes. Not only was she speaking about anatomy, but she was almost speaking about anatomy the way a medical professional might.

"THAT'S what it is!" the Reini exclaimed, stamping a hoof and looking at Iron.
"I knew there was something different about you! but I figured you were playing with your outfit or something. Timepony gender politics don't exactly map well onto you less life forms..."

She grinned cheerfully at Wormwood.
[color=#0066ff]"Yeeeeeep, Iron killed me. Cut my throat. Mostly. Kinda got stuck half way through sawing through my vertebra, which is a good thing- I don't think even. I could survive a full on beheading. See, timeponies have this little trick we do. It's part of our biology; when we 'die', we get a new body, a new mind... The works. Whole new pony! Apparently Iron thought the old me was too grumpy to work with you guys... so you get super happy perky me instead! Any pancakes left, I suddenly have a craving..."[color]

Heart just stares at Reini as she explains, a familiar nausea creeping up on her. The she stares at Cold as he switches masks, and apparently sexes. "I...uh... yeah sure." Unconsciously, she shifts ever so slightly closer to Wormwood.

"Interesting," is all Wormwood can say. He didn't really like the timepony referring to them as "lesser life forms," but what could he do? He doesn't notice Bleeding Heart inching closer to him.

“Ok, I believe its time. Celestia, Luna would you please accompany us into the cave. We will need your support incase anything decides to jump out.”
They both nod. The hammer appearing next to Celestia, and two dimly glowing short swords on either side of Luna.

“Queen Gachile, I need you to set up a perimeter around the gorge, don’t let anything get through.”

“Being taken care of as we speak. 72 I want you to accompany them and give us a link to the other side.”

“Yes my queen.” 72 turns back into his changeling form and stands next to Wormwood.

“Well I should be off; I need to make sure none of my babies get too roughed up. Goodbye everyone it was nice meeting you.” Before any of you can protest she gives each of you a hug. She pauses at heart and gives her a little lick on the snout and a wink. She says her goodbyes to Discord and Celestia, and gives Luna a distant hoof shake. “See ya.” She says then flies off.

“Ok let’s go.” Everyone enters the cave.

As you travel deeper into the cave feelings of oppression and negativity get stronger. You reach the end. A huge white crack spits and sparks against the back wall.
“All right, I’m going to open this crack. You five run in.”

Celestia and Luna take stances on either side. Celestia’s hammer smolders intensely while Luna’s swords spin like saw blades at her sides.
“We are ready, open the fracture Discord.”

He nods and approaches the fracture. Digging his finger into the crack he pries the think wide open and instantly long black tentacles shoot out at him. Luna’s swords arch around and dice the tentacles.
“GO!” she roars.

Without hesitation 72 jumps into the fracture and disappears.

Cold Iron runs in after the Changeling into this unknown, after all this was the mission to go into there and figure things out...

Before any of you can protest she gives each of you a hug. She pauses at heart and gives her a little lick on the snout and a wink.

Heart's stomach churns, and she almost vomits on the spot, but she fights it back and does her best to keep a straight face.

In the cave, the tentacles freeze Heart on the spot... but when Luna command them to go, something just clicks in her. She doesn't even realize its happening, but in an instant she just runs at the horrifying doorway, and jumps through. Just before she does, though she turns and looks back at Wormwood.

"Oi vey." Wormwood gulps, feeling a bit of... hesitation. But when Bleeding Heart goes through, he follows without question.

The Reini waited until the other three were through. For a moment the manic grin-undaunted by the horrors sliding through the fracture- vanished, replaced with a steel line.

"Hmm."

Then, grinning again, she leapt after the trio.

Cold

Cold and damp

You appear to be standing on a metal catwalk of some kind. It surrounds the top of a tall structure containing a very bright light that continues to rotate shining out into the fog.

Heart shivers. "Well. That's not that bad. I was expecting horrible monsters. At least we've finally gotten away from those Chang-" she freezes mid sentence as she spots 72, whom she forgot had come along. "...yeah. Nice weather, anyway."

72 says nothing to Heart's comment.