//------------------------------// // Oceans of Emptiness // Story: These Flowers Never Bloom // by Cerulean Voice //------------------------------// Morrow's moon sat high in the sky by the time we finally came to the edge of our known wood. The difference in atmosphere and decor was immediately obvious. The border between our perfect, ordered home and the corrupt, tainted beginnings of Vorjhan's territory was as distinguishable as night, from day. Morrow's white oaks, evergreen pines and tan birches grew no longer, ceasing on the bank of a small, shallow ford. On the other side grew hideous, gnarled replicas. I could feel the rage within Morrow growing. Her life force pulsed violently. "Mother, this is what I've told Father about," Celestia said. "These are the things I've seen. It only gets darker from here on in. We'll have to have our wits about us in there." Morrow gave Celestia a well-contained glare of disapproval. "How bad could it be, 'Tia?" Luna asked. "Even if we do run into some fell beastie in the depths, we can take them. We're the most powerful ponies that have ever lived!" "You don't understand, Luna; you never met Vorjhan. He's capable of anything. He made you out of a copy of myself, in case you've forgotten." Celestia walked ahead of us, igniting an illumination spell from her lengthy horn. The pseudo-solar energy pierced the gloom of our unnatural surroundings. Before us lay a wide path, with only one way in. "Usually I would have flown overhead, but..." she trailed off. No way were Morrow and I letting our daughters carry us over the wood. Not only would it drain them of energy, but their ability to protect us would be compromised, putting all of us in danger. "I hadn't forgotten. Thanks for reminding me," Luna said with a huff. "Girls, let's just stick together, all right?" I suggested. "We're here now, we're committed to seeing this through, so can we keep the banter to a min—" my voice was promptly cut off. Panicking, I bit down on the suffocating vine as I saw that the nearest trees had crept closer to us without our knowledge. The vine tasted foul, but it let go of me all the same. As I staggered back into Morrow, catching my balance, Celestia fired one of her solar-beams at the offending tree. Instantly, it burst into flames. I stared at the plant as a horrible screeching sound filled the air. Never before had I heard a tree scream so loud, nor shrivel up and die so quickly. Barely ten seconds after ignition, the corrupted mangrove and all of its vines were reduced to a pile of ashes. I felt a slight pang at the death of the plant, before I remembered that it had just tried to kill me. "So, are you satisfied yet, Ilias?" Morrow asked me. I turned to her, ready to counter with the fact that we were on our way to amend things, like she wanted. That is, I would have, had my courage not chosen to fail me right then and there. Morrow was beginning to look a little... scary. It was becoming more obvious by the moment that her demeanour had reverted to her less-than-appealing nature. The waves of anger I felt from her had only intensified in the past few moments. The sooner we end this, the better. "All right, Morrow. You were right. Yes, we should have done this sooner. But like I said earlier, let's just get on with it." * * * * * "Father, watch out!" The lion-bat-scorpion lashed at me with its freakishly long claws. Adhering to Luna's warning, I leaped back the way I came. "What manner of creature is this? Celestia?" "It's a manticore, Father. Usually, they only attack if their territory's invaded. Of course, anything is possible in this part of the world." "Did you ever fight one?" I asked as I ducked another swipe, this time, from the tail. No way was I getting myself stung by that menacing-looking thing; I felt certain it had the venom to end me in a matter of minutes. "If you did, I hope you took extreme caution, young filly." The disapproving click of Morrow's tongue drew my attention. I took in her body language; it seemed like a completely different pony had taken control of my wife. As I stared, I could have sworn that I saw her mane begin to shimmer— Luna's dark-tinged beam fired past my head, resulting in the loudest roar I'd ever heard. I realised then, that I'd been distracted and had turned my back, rather foolishly, on my predator. The manticore howled, tail and wings flailing back and forth as it tried to dispel the pain caused by my younger daughter's hit. "Let's hightail it, everypony!" she ordered. Celestia nodded. "I agree. The longer we linger here, the more danger we expose ourselves to." You don't have to tell me twice, I thought. That thing is fearsome enough. The four of us galloped further into the corruption, leaving the madly flailing mutant behind. * * * * * This forest feels so... dead. Dead and diminished. How can any life thrive here? With every step I took into the heart of Vorjhan's corruption, I felt my Earthen connection weaken. Soon, I won't be able to feel any life whatsoever. Soon, all I'll be left with is the feeling of Morrow's rage. Inversely with the feeling of life in the wood, her feelings grew more enraged the further we delved. I could feel the unrelenting waves coming off of her, flowing through the air, swirling around us. I was thankful that Celestia and Luna were spared those unique emotions of mine. Every step further was a weight on my back, threatening to drag me down. The weight burdened my mind, threatening to overcome my sanity. The emptiness of the wood ate at my psyche, pressing in on me. Though the moon had almost completed its descent toward the horizon, the forest had never felt darker. I was due to raise the sun in less than an hour, but I couldn't bring myself to feel up to it. We had wandered all night, hoping to make use of the cover of darkness. The wood rejects me. Its atmosphere blankets me. It's taunting me. It knows our presence is alien. It wants us to leave...