Tether Of The Soul

“Amber, Some times things stayed buried for a reason”. Amber slowly woke to a voice that echoed in his mind. ‘D-dad?’ Amber said softly as he slowly woke up. He remembered his father giving him that advice when he was a little foal. ‘Dad, I think you are right about that. I feel this quest to be naught. I do not like the way everything is being set up… The further I go down these halls, I feel I am getting further and further from you and everything good.’

Berath turned the corner ‘Ahh, my dear friend. You are awake. How was your sleep, pleasant I hope?’ Amber nodded groggily ‘It was quite different from sleeping on a bed of hay. Heh, My- um Berath. May I ask, how much further in this direction must we travel? I feel that I can no longer trust your words or actions anymore.’

Amber looked down at the ground, not knowing how to trudge forward with a pony so, so bizarre. Berath sighed softly ‘I do apologise for that sight. I do not know what has come over me as of late. I have my suspicions but I can not fully know if it is what I have thought it to be.’

Berath looked away from Amber’s figure ‘We only have a few hundred steps until we have reached our destination. I know this is a tall task but I must request your assistance still. May I still count on you?’ Amber nodded as he stood up ‘You can still count on me. I am glad I was able to ask you that question.’ Both Berath and Amber resumed their quest’s tale.

They managed to reach their destination but a black onyx slabbed door blocked their march forward. Amber walked up towards the door. The sheer height of the door was quite dizzying from where he stood, from his view, it looked as if the door grew upwards towards the earth's crust. Berath placed a hoof on Amber’s shoulder. Noticing this, Amber moved back away from Berath and the door.

‘Qouth, petath, uototh, socqest. Grant me entrance to the vault, magics of old and new’.

Berath moved his forelegs in a circular motion while his horn glowed purple. The runes started to glow on the door as the ground shook. The door was opening, and as it did so the stone wall started to show buried carvings. Amber took out the diary he kept with him and rushed a few sketches of the wall’s carvings. Once the doors fully opened, the room filled up with light. ‘Lo, behold the Vault’.

Berath said as he turned towards Amber. Amber’s eyes lit up from the contents of the Vault. ‘It’s… Everything is all here. The Entirety of Equestria’s history is here.’

Berath gestured for Amber to enter in front of him, ‘Everything you have sought after is now within your grasp. Do you believe yourself brave enough to take it?’

Amber looked towards Berath and nodded. ‘Then take what is rightfully yours to take.’ Berath said. Amber took his time to walk into the center of the Vault, Berath was in tow behind Amber. The room was hexagonal in shape, each side held different treasures. One was filled with gold, another was filled with shelves upon shelves of books. Amber’s eyes were glued to the pedestal next to him in the middle, it held a great emerald tome. ‘Is that?’ Amber asked.

Berath shook his head ‘Nay, it is not the tome you have been searching for. However, it will be quite useful to you. All you need do is open it.’
Amber looked over it, sizing it up. ‘Only I can open it?’ Berath nodded ‘But you have been here all this time Berath. Why haven't you opened it?’

Berath placed a hoof on the cover and motioned to open it, but the tome glowed bright orange. ‘It has repealed me. Nonetheless, this tome is marked by the same brand as the one on your flank. The hammer and chisel on this tome have a history. It goes far back to a family of stone smiths. This family was Queen Froyen’s personal sculptures and casters of her castle.’

Amber sat down listening carefully to Berath’s reminiscing. ‘It was said that one of the family's kin left to find new horizons. However, not a horse could verify this tale. That horse just disappeared one-night cycle.’
Amber pondered as he looked back up towards Berath. ‘How could you be this assured of yourself that I could be a relative of this family? I mean no disrespect but this all sounds farfetched to me. Yes, I do have the same mark on the book as my flank, but I got my cutie mark from my love of digging and finding out about the past. I couldn't even build a house of blocks to save my life. I just don’t believe your tale here Berath, I am sorry.’

Berath nodded. He threw the book toward Amber. Startled, Amber caught it. The book was heavy but it did not open from Amber touching it. ‘As I thought, this was for naught. I should have listened to Dad.’ Amber sighed softly. ‘I’m sorry Berath, I truly hoped that this would have helped us both, but we both were blinded by what ifs.’ Amber dropped the book to the floor.

Berath’s eye twitched from the book being dropped. He eyed down Amber but Amber sat on the stone floor with his back facing Berath. With a soft snarl, Amber felt a force hit his body from behind him. He tried to turn around to see what hit him, his nerves began to shout out pain to his brain. Looking down Amber saw that he was impaled by a golden spear. Yelping, he tried his hardest to alleviate the pressure that the spear was putting on his lungs. ‘If your touch does not unlock the book, Maybe your blood could be key. After all, we have yet to experiment on this problem. Now have we Amber?’ Berath said as he walked towards the wounded unicorn.

Berath placed a hoof on Amber’s chin and slowly pulled his eyes upward to be level with his. Amber looked onward with horror as Berath’s expression turned to a malignant scowl. ‘B-Berath why?’ Amber said weakly. ‘I have told you once before and I will not tell you again. You will address me as your king… Must I guide you with the proper manners?’ Berath whispered into Amber’s ear. Amber shook softly ‘N-no, please. I-I thought we were friends B-Berath. I thought you trusted me’. Berath continued to whisper ‘Oh, I do trust you, Amber. It’s your loyalty that I wish to bear fruits from. Our roles need to play out perfectly, but what disheartens me so Amber, is that I need to hurt you.’ Amber’s screams sang out in agony and joined with the rest of the echoes in Tartarous.

Darkness shrouded Amber's waking mind. Gone was the stinging pain of being struck by sharp weapons and rocks. He came in contact with defining silence. ‘H-hello? Any pony here?’ His voice faded in the void. A light shone down at Amber as he lay there.

A golden figure slowly descended from the light-bearing sky. ‘What a sore path you have decided to travel’. Once the figure gracefully landed, it gave out a hoof for Amber to pull himself up with. But before Amber could reach for it, he come crashing to reality from a wet splashing sound that he felt hit his muzzle. Amber felt some touch his tongue, it tasted like metal of some kind. It did taste familiar, it reminded him of when he fell and impaled his muzzle on a sharp bone that was protruding from the ground. He remember the taste of what it was. It was blood, his eyes shot wide open at the realization.

‘Good, you are awake. Now, since you are conscious again, Let the private tutoring in manners and proper behaviors commence.’ Berath said calmly as he pulled up a chair next to Ambers's broken body. ‘H-huh? Why can’t I move my legs?’ Amber weakly sputtered out. Berath ignored Amber’s question. ‘You, are a subject under our Queen: Queen Froyen. And you are in need of etiquette training. I-’. Berath was stopped by Amber’s screaming. Scowling from the improper interruption, Berath pulled over a cat-o-nine tail and swung it against Amber’s muzzle. The screaming died out to soft whimpers. ‘Never, Ever interrupt me again Amber Zepher. If you do so, you will wish upon the stars in heaven for a quick and painless death… You must know my dear sweet Amber, you are mine and mine alone. Till the end of time. Now, are you ready for your first lesson?’. Amber’s eyes looked up at his jailer with horror as he shakily nodded ‘I-I am B-bera…’ Berath’s muzzle scowly angrily. In response, Amber corrected himself ‘Yes, I-i am ready My, my, my K-king’.

Berath nodded in confirmation as Amber corrected his speech ‘Let us begin then, shall we? My dear, dear loyal subject.’