"Well, if there is a blockade, maybe they have slaves...? And they don't want anyone seeing that or want anyone escaping? I would hope that isn't the case and I hope we don't have to find out." Collapse sighed and shuddered slightly. "I don't know, I really don't like that blockade. It doesn't sit well with me at all." Collapse's eyes would narrow a bit at that.
"That doesn't really sound right either. Why would they care about centipedes seeing their slaves?" she shrugged, waving her hooves idly in the air as a simple form of entertainment.
Some time later Magloria returned from her outside activities, looking tired and ready to go to sleep. After what sounded like a quick shower, she said goodnight to the others, beginning to head over to the bedroom with her stuff in it.
"That is a good point, honestly. I suppose we have a chance to find out coming up soon..." Collapse spoke as she completed her repairs to the fly ring the best she could. It would be best that she uses it sparingly.
Upon Magloria coming in Collapse would wish her goodnight. After Magloria was done, Collapse would also take a quick shower too. After drying off she would lay down next to Jump Start. If that cuddly look on Collapse's face is any indications, Jump Start would know what Collapse wants.
With the sound of a door closing, Magloria was in her room and out of sight again.
The moment that Collapse approached the couch, Jump Start shifted into a more collected position. She gave a nod to signal that Collapse was allowed to snuggle down next to her like before, then stretched and relaxed in a way that she was happy with.
Collapse moves in close to Jump Start and first Jump Start feels Collapse’s warmth press against her and then snuggle down next to her. Collapse was warm and soft, and gently embraced Jump Start. After a tired yawn, Collapse closed her eyes and headed off to sleep while embracing her earth pony friend.
When Collapse woke up the next 'day' to the smell of roasting mushrooms, she didn't wake up next to Jump Start. In fact, what she woke up on seemed to be quite hard.
Turns out at some point in the night she had rolled over and fallen off the couch and onto the floor, and hadn't been woken up from the impact.
When looking around the room, she found that both Magloria and Jump Start were already up. Magloria was busy checking over their equipment, while Jump Start stared at a plate of mushrooms which, if the fact she wasn't eating it was any indication, was intended to be for Collapse.
Collapse opened her eyes and stretched. She was disappointed she didn't feel the soft warmth of Jump Start next to her. Either way, it was 'morning' and it was time to get going for the 'day'.
Standing up with a yawn she would approach Jump Start and sit next to her. Of course she had to do something as she usually did. Bringing her hoof to Jump Start's nose quickly, she did a light boop onto her nose. "Boop. Good morning, how did you sleep?" Collapse asked, and then began to eat her mushrooms.
Looking over to Magloria she also said good morning to her as well.
This time Jump Start was ready for Collapse's attempt at pressing hoof to nose, and rose her own hoof to block it, smirking in response.
"Good morning." Jump Start replied. "I slept like I usually do these days. With you warmly pressed against my back and tail. You're extremely affectionate don't you know?" she said, letting Collapse get at the plate of food.
"She tried to crawl into my bed once, when we were on the Constance." Magloria said out of nowhere, not taking her eyes off of their things. "Said it was for 'bed strength testing' or something like that. Maybe if she went after one of the stallions on board, she would've succeeded in testing the strength of a bed that night."
Collapse giggled at Jump Start's blocking of her hoof and upon both of their statements together like that her face turned a deep red color as she giggled nervously. "Y-yes I am affectionate...I am weird and I know it. Its just that...being with other ponies is so soft and warm." she put a hoof to her chest earnestly as she spoke softly.
Looking to Magloria she would speak, "Yeah I wanted to see how strong your bed was, I know that one of the other beds snapped and I didn't want the same thing happening to you." although both of them could probably tell she had wanted more cuddles in doing so.
"And while that's all well and good for an engineer to inspect, the fact that you 'somehow' ended up doing the inspection at night, while I was in the bed and already under the covers is a little suggestive, wouldn't you think?" Magloria pointed out, turning her head just enough to glance over at the obviously embarrassed pony.
Magloria's tail shifted at bit as she returned to her inspection. Jump Start looked over to Collapse and whispered. "You really did that? Could you imagine what would've happened with someone less understanding?" she questioned.
Collapse could see the glance Magloria was giving her before she whispered to Jump Start, "I only cuddle with mares anyways. Stallions are *gross* but still, yeah, you have a point. I get in way over my head sometimes to be honest with you." Collapse whispered to Jump Start.
Looking back over to Magloria she noticed Magloria's tail shifting and thought that was quite cute but she'd never say that verbally. "Yeah in hindsight I shouldn't have done that. At least your bed was safe...not that it matters anymore." Collapse sighed and looked to the ground. The thought of Magloria sleeping warmly under the covers as Collapse 'inspected' the bed would play through her mind yet again.
Jump Start looked thoughtful for a moment, then continued to whisper. "You know, if you're really after her, I can't stop you, but I can tell you that you've chosen a really tough cookie to sink your teeth into. In the time I've spent working with her, she hasn't shown interest in anyone. Not even the non-ponies that we got occasionally."
"But she is interested in some things. You know she's had proper training, so she would've been interested in that. Plus she's always walking around with her earrings, so she at least appreciates a little bit of beauty. Perhaps if you found something pretty looking, like a pearl, and fashioned it into something she could use? Not something that would get in the way mind you, that would probably irritate her." she said.
Magloria spoke up at that point. "Well seems like we're all ready. A little low on food, but nothing we can't take care of by buying or gathering things." she said as she equipped her saddlebags and holsters.
Collapse was ready to go for all intense and purposes and unsummoned her fly ring. She had everything she really needed and was ready to go. Looking to Jump Stat she nodded in agreement. "Good idea, thank you. I just wonder. Is she the kind of cookie that is hard all the way through? Or is she soft on the interior, perhaps even warm? I am inclined to think she is hard all the way through so to speak, that makes her very in depth I am guessing." Collapse spoke to Jump Start.
"I know that I am capable of making something for her, I'd just need the materials to do so." she said, almost blushing a bit. She could imagine a blue cookie with the same coat color as Magloria. Perhaps with blue sugar chunks.
"I never really saw her much so I can't say for sure, but there is the occasional moment when she smiled, even here in the caves. There's something underneath her coat, for sure." Jump Start whispered one final time before moving away to get her own stuff.
Magloria looked from one to the other as she moved to the front door, wondering what they were talking about but didn't think it necessary to ask. Let private talk be private, unless it's an attempt at rebellion or a stupid plan.
She went outside and began preparing the raft that they would need, including adding what appeared to be a layer of sharp bars that pointed upwards and slightly outwards. What was she intending to use those for?
Collapse took Jump Start's words to heart and remembered when they first arrived here that Magloria had consoled Collapse about getting her fly ring back. All Collapse ever wanted was for Magloria to be happy, she remembered the way the blue mist made Magloria feel. It was surreal to see Magloria act like that, not only that but the fact Collapse actually managed to hold Magloria was remarkable. Either way, she had certain goals.
Upon exiting the front door Collapse stayed silent and proceeded to the raft. Assuming those bars to be some kind of shield to deflect nasty fish from getting into the raft. They had a few close calls last time. Upon the raft being complete, Collapse got in and was ready to leave.
Jump Start soon came out from the house as well, now properly equipped with her belt full of various tools and her saddlebags dry and free of any seawater. She too jumped into the raft just as Magloria finished off shaping the last bar of ice.
"Hopefully these won't prove to be a bad idea..." Magloria uttered under her breath. After a call to make sure they were all ready to leave and hadn't forgotten anything obvious, she cast the raft adrift, sailing it in the direction they knew headed towards the exit. Next stop, Luneshine Forest.
If Collapse had anything to talk about along the way that was important, this was her chance to talk, given how long the trip was.
Collapse leans back on the raft a bit as she looks down to her hooves, she hadn't forgotten anything. Once again the whole reality of the situation they are faced with sets in again as she looks over the river.
"Off the top of your heads, how many do you think were in similar situations to us and lived to tell the tale? Life sure is a wild dream." Collapse asked abruptly, not to either of them in particular. "As for these masks, there is only one way to find out. Let us hope for the best." she added optimistically.
Magloria responded first. "Do you mean how many have been on a boat in a cave, how many have gotten lost at sea, or how many have been down here specifically?" she asked.
"Because for the first two I would have no idea. Can't keep track of everyone in the world. The last one though, it's most likely that no one survived getting out of here and returning to where they came from. Only way I can think of that they would return home alive was if they found the entrance *first*, instead of getting their ship torn to shreds."
Jump Start spoke next. "We do know that at least one group came down here before us, but they didn't get out of here alive. Died doing what they loved, I guess." she said.
Collapse accepted these answers and nodded. "Hmm, yeah. Heres to hoping that we are the first to escape out of here alive...So whats the plan? We will try to find another route to bypass the blockade? We could have missed any number of entrances to an area that lay beyond that bypasses it, however if there were such entrances than I would also expect them to be guarded as well." Collapse replies, a hoof to her chin.
"Trying to find another route to bypass the blockade is the plan, yes. If what the seaponies said was still true today, then there's at least one other way through, and it's beyond the Luneshine Forest. That was the whole point of going through with making the masks in the first place."
"Sure it might still be guarded, but it's got to be better than going through that blockade." Magloria responded, watching as they passed by a massively fat snail near the shoreline, slowly moving along the fungal-infested ground of the mushroom forest they were passing by. If it wasn't so horribly gross, it probably would be a pretty decent meal, assuming you were desperate.
Collapse nods and looks to the massive snail. "Snails are gross. I've stepped on a few and they just go...splat but that? That is just gross." Collapse's face contorts in disgust at the massive snail as it moved along. "There still is the fact of the wind in the Luneshine forest. Perhaps we'll find out what is causing that along the way." Collapse replied as she watched the snail as they passed by. Hopefully they wouldn't be seeing any massive centipedes or anything of that sort, for those are *much* more gross than a snail.
"The masks are supposed to block whatever affects us. That mist didn't seem to really do much unless we were feeling loopy and approached them. As long as we're not loopy, they should be fine." Jump Start stated.
The rest of the journey they were undisturbed, aside from a group of toothy fish that they met the last time. The ice bars did their job well. Perhaps a little too well. There were a couple extra fish decorations on the raft by the time they were through.
Eventually they reached the part of the river where they could see the light of the Luneshine Forest. Magloria set the raft on the shoreline and both she and Jump Start got out.