When they returned to Jump Start Collapse would give her the hammer back and looked to their spoils. "6 little light bulbies and 1 crystal. I call that a win." she spoke, still under the effects but now that they were away from the forest those effects would probably begin wearing off. "
"I'll keep the crystal, you two can split the bulbs half and half I wonder what the seaponies will think. Probably time to start heading back that way anyway." Collapse stated, quite satisfied with 6 light bulbs instead of one.
"Sounds fine to me. Jump Start, will you be alright carrying 3 on you?" Magloria asked, apparently the effects having worn off already.
Jump Start nodded, scooping up the light bulbs and stuffing them in her mane, causing the light to become tinted a bright orange colour that shone around the cavern.
Magloria turned to Collapse, "Just be careful not to cut yourself with it. It looks sharp." she said, turning away with the intent to continue their journey to the next place Collapse wanted to check again. The Void Crags.
Collapse smiles as she puts them in her mane like that, she got an idea and smiled widely at that. "Good idea Jump Start. How about you put 1 in your mane and I'll put 2 in my mane?" she suggested to Magloria as they proceeded along towards the Void Crags.
If Magloria let her, Collapse would stuff 2 light bulbs into her mane. That would create a maroon tinted light ahead as they would proceed along their journey. With the Crystal she would cast a summoning spell on it and un-summon it. "So what do you think caused the Void Crags to exist?"
At Collapse's offer, both Magloria and Jump Start offered one of their light bulbs each, now evenly distributing them among the 3 of them. Magloria was hesitant to stick them in her mane, but ended up doing so anyway.
"I don't know what caused the crags. It could be absolutely anything from a dormant volcano to a massive cave in for a cavern below." Magloria said as they arrived at the river bridge, once more having to deal with the treacherous cliff at either side of their way home.
"Now what was it you wanted to check here again?" She questioned.
Collapse than would notice the soft blue light shining out of Magloria's mane and was pleased to see that. All of them had their own little light sources within their manes. She would have giggled at it if she didn't have the restraint to maintain a more or less straight face.
"As for what I wanted to look, I wanted to see again if those massive pits are truly bottomless. Perhaps I can charge up another brighter light spark and toss it down like I did before and we can watch it fall all the way to the bottom again, in a different hole." she suggested curiously. "Although I'm not going to stand right at the edge." she added in a serious manner.
Magloria shrugged nonchalantly and pointed a hoof over at the edge of the rocky ledge they were on. "Alright then, by all means. I don't expect much to happen though, since we didn't hear the bottom last time." she said.
Magloria simply sat back and let Collapse do her thing. Jump Start on the other hand had moved slightly closer to the edge, just taking in the endless abyss, or she would if she could see how deep and endless it was, given the blackness.
Collapse moved to the edge, just like Jump Start was. Her horn glowed brightly for a few moments until a much larger sparkling golden ball of light formed on her horn and fired off and began to fall down into the abyss that lay in front of them.
She also would grab a stray rock and throw it down in the abyss. Unlike last time which was just a small light ball. Hopefully this time they would see some kind of bottom or have an indication how deep the abyss truly was.
They both saw the light and rock fall... and fall... and fall... until the light got so far away that they could only see a dim speck, and even that faded away a few seconds later. No sound was heard.
Jump Start chuckled nervously. "Heheh... uhh, don't fall. We're definitely not coming back up if we do..." she said.
Collapse observed the results with disappointment. There probably was no bottom they could reach. At the least the idea of a bottom was still alluring.
Collapse looks to Jump Start in agreement and steps away from the edge. “Welp. Let’s continue…I wouldn’t want to fall in that abyss myself…” She also chuckled nervously, ready to move on.
Jump Start followed Collapse's example and moved away from the edge as well. With that little test over, Magloria got up again and led them onwards.
Not much else happened on the rest of the way, since they knew what they had to deal with, though Jump Start did complain that the diet of pure mushrooms was getting a bit stale.
They finally reached the lakes of Pearlth again. Magloria could finally create a new ice raft without it being impractical to use, so that's exactly what she did, letting everyone on it once it was completed.
Based on the doctor's estimations that applied the water breathing spell, the time that the spell would last on them was getting close to it's end. They would have until they fell asleep again before it wore off.
Collapse followed along the way and basically performed the same actions she did on the way here. When she would levitate Magloria and Jump Start across those gaps she would do so with gentle care. She also agreed with Jump Start. Mushrooms are good and all but she stated that when they arrive back at Pearlth they can look around and see what kinds of meals they had. Probably fish and kelp, if she had any guesses.
When they reached the lake Collapse would sigh with relief that made it back alive. She boarded the raft and said that she would like to tell the seaponies about what they had found. After that, they should likely get some rest. Collapse was quite eager to tell them all about what they had found, and show them the bulbs as well as the crystal. They should hopefully be able to analyze them and give more clues about them.
Magloria nodded and started moving the raft over to where she remembered the location that Deep Current worked at.
"Well, at least we're getting wet anyway, so that waterfall didn't matter much." Jump Start said as she squeezed some of the water out of her mane from the latest interaction with gravity-assisted water.
Once they were in the right spot, Magloria dove overboard and swam down to the building before entering, Jump Start in pursuit.
Collapse dove in and followed. The light bulbs in her mane glowed under the water which was interesting to see, as well as it was pretty. Her mane would keep the bulbs in place as she swam in pursuit. "Glad we are back to safety. Almost feels like home." Collapse remarked to Jump Start.
The hues of blue, purple and orange light that followed them around the place attracted the attention of seaponies everywhere around the general area they were in. Most were naturally curious about what the strange creatures they had seem a few days ago brought this time.
Getting permission to see Deep Current was a simple affair, and they quickly came to the entrance to her office. Magloria announced their presence, to the mild delight of the busy seapony.
"Oh, you're back! How did it go, did you find what you were looking for?" Current asked.
Collapse would sit down on one of the seats and look to Current. She was almost happy with the way the 3 of them got the attention. "Well, we found out why nobody would want to go to the exit. There is this massive blockade of Feline like creatures there. One of them attacked us but we fended them off. We decided to turn back because there was just too many of them and it was too risky to proceed forward." she stated.
Collapse would also tell them about the mushroom forest, the Void Crags and the various things along the way. Magloria and Jump Start could fill in on what happened if they wished. She also would show Deep Current the bulbs and the crystal they retrieved.
Deep Current took all of the information in, looking worried when Collapse explained about the felines, but intrigued when she mentioned the mushroom forest and showed the results of their brief exploration into it.
"These are extremely interesting..." she said as she brushed a flipper over one of the bulbs on display. "They're like the stuff we use down here, but work on the surface as well. I wonder if some of the plants could be brought here for use? In any case, I'm sure you could find someone that would pay for them."
"That crystal though... I have no idea what it could be for, though now that you mention it, I do recall something about a crystal filled mushroom forest... be right back." She swam out of the room and off to somewhere else in the building.
Eventually she came back with a tablet. "Here it is. Records of a 'Luneshine Forest'. Some seaponies took a wrong turn coming back from the exit and ended up encountering a strangely enchanting mushroom forest. They had to backtrack to the exit to find the river again."
Collapse nodded and took in the information that was told. While Deep Current was gone Collapse told Magloria and Jump Start they can sell 3 of the bulbs or however many they wanted to sell in order to have a longer lasting underwater spell perhaps, or something else that could be of use.
When Deep Current returned Collapse looked over the tablet. "Luneshine forest, hmm. Interesting name. It also has an interesting effect on your mind. When we went in there, there was this strange mist and effects that makes everything look pretty. If anything it is like being on some kind of drug." she states, as she looks at the record she told Deep Current of the path they took to get there.
"As for the crystal I would like to find some sort of scientist to analyze the crystal. Perhaps it has some sort of property that can be useful, or refined. As for the bulbs I suppose they can just be good decoration or neat things to have around. It would be cool if we had a cloning spell and could clone these bulbs. I would say it would be a possible idea to have seaponies return to the forest and harvest the resources that are there although I'd recommend them to be armed and prepared, those felines are extremely elusive and fast." she added.
Magloria replied that they would do so after they had finished their business here, since missing out on this would obviously be something that she wouldn't do. Jump Start agreed, stating she'd rather be here learning things.
Deep Current scanned the tablet further for information, before replying. "Yep, that sort of thing is what the seaponies recorded happening to them. Made it impossible for them to find the river going through the forest itself. That's why they backtracked through the exit tunnel until they found the river again."
"We don't really have a lot of scientists in this district, and even less that are geologists. You might need to go to the Hymid district or the Truhye district. There are more scientific institutes in those places."
Her whiskers flickered nervously when Collapse mentioned sending seaponies to the forest. "I'd rather not bring that up. It sounded dangerous even for you, and you could freely walk on land. We can't. We'd be at far greater risk if we went, and unless we properly study what you brought back and find them to be of incredible value, they're not worth collecting." she stated.
Collapse nodded in understanding to what was spoken and would keep the district names in mind although she requested a diagram or a map of where all the districts were in relation to one another so they could understand where they were in relation to one another.
"Yeah its understandable you wouldn't want to go in that direction so I don't blame you for that. The Void Crags are quite surreal too, I stood right at the edge and dropped a light that I made out of my magic and watched it fall. There truly was no bottom that we could see for all intents and purposes. It was unlike anything that I've seen before." she stated.
"As for the forests that we saw before there was the blue mushroom forest and then the one closer to Descent with green, red and blue mushrooms. I wonder what those forests are named and if you have knowledge of areas we haven't been to yet as we passed through that area, here, and then what we told you of. Is there any areas that are like that? That we haven't been to?" she asked.
Deep Current gave a casual shrug at the mention of the other types of mushrooms. "I wouldn't really worry about those mushroom forests if I were you. They're spread around everywhere, and are often used as food plantations for the different settlements. I think our closest one is... Sporesilt Forest? Just a blue plantation and one of our main food sources." she said.
"As for areas you've not been to, there are *plenty* of areas you haven't been to. There are many river branches leading to other settlements, which then go even further beyond from there. At least a dozen locations where we've settled, and even more which are wild."
Collapse nods. "Plenty of exploration to be done however we should take care of what we can here first such as the scientists taking a look at those bulbs and the crystal. Maybe we could get some kind appraisal for them to see how much they would sell for. Just an idea." she commented casually on what was being stated by Deep Current.
"Anything else you want to cover here, Magloria? Jump Start? I think that might be everything." Collapse commented on with a sweet grin.
"Yes, actually." Magloria said before looking directly at Deep Current. "You said that the seaponies found the Luneshine Forest after taking a wrong path from the exit, correct?" Deep Current nodded.
Magloria continued. "How far were they to the exit when they found the other path?" she asked.
Deep Current looked at the tablet again. "It doesn't specifically say, but they were near the end where they could see light coming from above."
Magloria thought about this. "We didn't even get far enough to see daylight, so then that means... It's possible that this is a path that leads *around* the massive blockade that the felines have set up." she stated.
Collapse's eyes widen at what Magloria stated there. "Woah...yeah, that is definitely something to look into. We missed that path then. Are there any references or knowledge of what exactly the light is what they saw? It could be referring to something else because as far as I know above us is the ocean itself so in order to see daylight we would have to reach a spot of land up above, not only that, we'd have to go up in relation to the surface too. Unless...there is a landmass we missed due to the storm and there was a massive valley on it, so to speak." Collapse stated, thinking deeply.
Deep Current shook her head. "Not really no. The closest thing in relation to light from above is the old sky that no one alive down here has seen. The only other thing that could be a bright light would be magma reservoirs, but those stay down low, not up high. Do keep in mind that the exit was something we couldn't reach the end of, with it's steepness and our mobility on land." she said.
"It was both stormy *and* at night." Magloria pointed out. "There could've been a landmass right in front of our noses and we wouldn't have known. No, our floodlights would not have been powerful enough to see something over several dozen kilometres of rain and water."
Collapse nods to the responses given to her. "It was at night? I didn't remember that, that makes a lot of sense actually..." Collapse replied and went silent for a bit at that. "Yes, than what was probably seen was daylight. That could very well have been the case. But whether it is or isn't, what matters is that there is another chance of returning to the surface." she stated.
"Perhaps what we could do is journey to the other settlements and see if they know anything more than the seaponies here. Maybe by going another way completely we can avoid that blockade and path we went entirely, and check out some other new areas along the way." Collapse suggested.
Deep Current frowned in thought. "I can understand seeing the other settlements if you just wanted to explore or learn about us, but we're the closest settlement to the only known exit in decades. Do you really want to hunt around for another one?" she stated.
"How far apart are these settlements?" Magloria asked.
"Anywhere between a couple hours to a day of swimming. Many of which are much further away, so the chances of a different path from them that leads back to the exit is low, if that's what you were thinking." Deep Current responded, directing the last part at Collapse.
Collapse nodded in understanding. "Well I see your point. How coincidental we ended up at the one that would be close to the exit. But I would like to stay here for a while, look around, get to know your kind. Because as far as I know we are the only three of the surface world that have interacted with you all." she smiled warmly at that.
"I wonder what the others thought about what we told you lot last time, too." she stated. "If I had it my way, when we get back I'd talk to our leaders back home and convince them to establish some sort of connection or trade between our populations. If this exit is at an accessible point from the surface, than I am sure eventually some traders and scouts can be sent out here but that is far in the future. Fun to think about though."
"It wasn't coincidental though, and we aren't the first to interact with them." Jump Start mentioned, before explaining the stuff they already knew. "We were told before, I think in Descent, that this place was the closest settlement to the exit, and we also were told that they've historically seen others come in through the whirlpool. Griffons were one of them." she said.
Deep Current shrugged, brushing off the idea of trades for now. "We'll get to that when it becomes a reality. For now though, I think that's all I can really do for you. So... go and enjoy the rest of Pearlth, and have fun exploring, or getting through the exit, whatever you plan on doing."
"Ah yeah, the griffons. Was more of referring to the first ponies, like ourselves but that is true." Collapse stated in agreement before looking to Deep Current. "Yup, thank you for your time. Your insight is always appreciated." Collapse chirped and looked to Magloria. She wouldn't object if Magloria had anything else to say.
"I think we'll have to update or extend our water breathing spell though. Maybe we could trade some of the bulbs we got in for a longer water breathing spell." Collapse suggested to the lot of them.
Magloria shrugged as she began to leave the office, thanking Deep Current as well as she left. Jump Start also gave her appreciation as she followed Magloria.
"Well if you want to do a direct trade, bulb for water breathing spell, then sure. A botanist, or the closest thing they have, or a biologist might find better value in them though. We'd have to find one of them first however, it really depends on if you want to be quick about it or not." Magloria told Collapse.
"Well I'd rather we be quick about it because we don't know how long our breathing spells have left to have. So let's go look for a botanist or a biologist. We can ask around." Collapse suggested as they swam away from Deep Current's office.
Magloria understood and began asking around for directions to what they were looking for. They soon got directions to one of the botanists in the district, and so Magloria began to lead them there.
They came to a building that looked like it had been etched out of a big piece of coral, or at least that's what the stained stones would have you believe. Various kelps, small corals and other plants were on display both outside and inside through the windows.
Collapse would look at what was on display inside and outside of the windows. "Fascinating, also pretty too." she said with a grin. When they entered the building she would look around for anyone to talk to. Should they find someone to talk to Collapse would say, "Pardon our intrusion, we are just looking for someone to talk to about these." she spoke, and took a bulb out of her mane and showed it to the seapony they found.
Inside there were several seaponies of varying colours and features. Most seemed to be shopping around for good plants to buy. Two of them appeared to be handling the sales and making sure the plants were well tended to, keeping the surrounding water clean... though it didn't seem like they did so with a brush or broom.
The seapony Collapse addresses, a dark green one with a light green tail, lighter green mane fin and few but long, white whiskers, notices the bulb. She must be in awe, because her pupils visibly dilate and her whiskers start quivering. "Woah... that's beautiful. What is it?" she asked.
Collapse smiled at the sight of the various seaponies about inside the building. Collapse imagined everything was so clean because of the water filtration systems in place around here or so she thought.
Upon seeing the seapony's appearance she thought they were adorable because of the whiskers. The whiskers on these seaponies is always adorable to see and she smiled more at the question and brings the bulb closer into view. "Well, its a bit of a long story..." Collapse spoke, and began to explain what the bulb exactly was and where it came from. She shows the seapony the other bulbs that were in her mane. After the end of the explanation Collapse would state, "We are looking for someone to analyze these bulbs. Perhaps see how much they are worth." she stated.
The seapony looked at the other bulbs. "Well uh... I'd imagine they would be worth quite a lot, if that's where you got them from. We've never had anything from there before. Let me just talk with my partner and I'll get back to you."
They swim away and over to another seapony, where they start whispering between each other. A couple of minutes later they seem to come to an agreement and swim back over to the group.
The green seapony speaks up again. "We're willing to make you an offer, as long as you sell these bulbs solely to us, at least when it comes to marketing."
Collapse waited patiently there and observed the seaponies conversing and come to an agreement. Collapse wondered what they were talking about but wouldn't question it as that would be quite rude of her.
When they return Collapse would look to Magloria and Jump Start. "I am thinking we could sell you 3 bulbs." she stated, noting how they wanted the bulbs to be sold to only them. "Perhaps when we head on out again, we can retrieve you more bulbs. Although I think one bulb for the 3 of us is a good idea so I wouldn't be willing to sell all of them. They make good personal lights without having to exhaust our magic." Collapse concluded.
While Collapse and the seapony was talking Jump Start began pondering over how they could use those light bulbs to better suit them. Perhaps they could construct a rudimentary lantern frame and stick the bulbs in there. If they had something reflective, they could focus the light for even better brightness as well.
The seapony was willing to offer 35 shells per bulb, which was the equivalent of a week's worth of food each. Considering they started out with a 150, or about a month, it was a substantial amount to be offered.
Collapse would take 3 of the bulbs and gave them to the seapony. "35 shells? How about we got up to 36 shells? I'd also like to ask for your name by the way, too. " Collapse smirked, it was clear she was trying to make the seapony smile. It would technically be considered negotiating even if it was just one shell more. Collapse was pleased with the amount that was offered.
The seapony look confused at why Collapse decided to raise the price by just 1 shell, but since it was a mediocre amount, she decided to just go with it. "Alright, 36 shells it is then. My name's Fan Leaf." she said as she claimed the bulbs, keeping them secure under one of her flippers.
The other seapony returned from somewhere else with a medium sized pouch, seemingly woven from a sort of seaweed. It must have some sort of preserving nature about it, because it was still green.
The pouch was offered to Collapse.
"Nice to meet you Fan Leaf. My name is Collapse, and this is Magloria and Jump Start." she motioned to the two of them and took the pouch with her magic. "Nice doing business with you. If we get more bulbs, we'll know who to go to." she spoke and extended a hoof to shake Fan Leaf's flipper. Fan Leaf would notice how different Collapse's hoof felt from a seapony's flipper.
After that, Collapse was ready to leave.
Fan Leaf's other flipper wrapped around Collapse's hoof, gave it a quick shake, then let go. She gave a goodbye as Magloria turned and left the store, with Jump Start following behind.
Their next goal was simple. Go to a medical building and get their water breathing spell extended. Some asking around proved to be an answer to that and soon they were outside a building. It was smaller than a hospital, but still had the looks of a medical clinic.
Collapse would proceed on into the building with the pouch held in her magic as she enters. Collapse believed that a week's long underwater breathing spell might be possible with the funds they have however she wasn't too sure on that. Upon heading inside she would look around for someone to talk to, and upon that she would ask how much a week long underwater breathing spell would be for the 3 of them.
Collapse gets the answer she was looking for from what appears to be a nurse or assistant, the proper doctor being busy at the time.
The cost turned out to not be that might higher than what they originally paid for the spell, maybe around double the cost, but still very affordable, and they could do it right now if they wanted.
Collapse looks to Magloria and Jump Start, then she looked to the nurse. Collapse would pay forth the amount of shells as needed and would follow the nurse towards the room where the nurse wanted to do the spell in. They might as well get this out of the way.
They were led into a room and told to wait until the doctor was ready. As they waited, Jump Start wondered if the stronger version of the spell would have an even stronger effect on them when it's cast. Even though she knew what to expect, it was still unnerving.
The doctor came in and went through the same procedure as the last time, giving a small tablet to each of them to swallow, to focus the effects of the spell, and making them spread out so there was no interference.
One by one each of them went through the effects of the spell, but intensified greatly. A powerful numbing effect went through their lungs, lasting for a minute even after the spell was over.
As they waited Collapse was also a bit nervous as she sat there. She didn't really like being in doctors offices and such longer than she had to, for whatever reason it got her a bit anxious but considering what they have gone through it was a walk in the park for her.
Collapse swallowed the tablet easily and moved away from the others as the spell was casted onto them. Upon the intense effects of the spell she would stand there for a bit in a daze for a minute as the spell went through. It was overwhelming to say the least and after it was over she was glad they wouldn't be experiencing this for a week. It was rather unpleasant but it was needed.
After all was said and done, Collapse would thank the doctor for their time and smiled sweetly as she thanked them.