The Tales of Oathbound, The Mountain Hermit

"Oh I know! How about scuba diving?"

Apple Bloom shook her head at Scootaloo's suggestion. They were busy trying to think of what they were good at. Something that would get them their cutie marks.

"Nah, we tried that already. Besides, we couldn't try it again even if we wanted to, nopony wants to borrow us their gear anymore, not after we broke miss Cheerilee's."

Scratching her head as she thought, Scootaloo tried to come up with something. Eventually she just let her lack of ideas be known with a gruntled sigh.

Sweetie Belle was busy scratching the wall to mark that another one of Scoot's idea's being rejected. A fair tally had already marked the walls. She let out a frustrated groan.

"We're never gonna get our cutie marks if we just sit around like this!"

"Well, what do ya suggest we do? Nopony wants us to help, everything's been fine around here since Oathbound showed up."

The trio looked at eachother in realization, each one of the fillies knowing what the other two were thinking.

"That's it! Maybe Oath can help us out!" They said in unison.

Reaching the cottage that the Cutie Mark Crusaders helped build, they began to look around. The chimney was sending out black smoke to the sky, suggesting that there was indeed somepony inside. Stepping up to the door, Sweetie Belle knocked. No answer. Knocking once again, she listened for any noises coming from inside, pressing her ear against the door. The door swung open as she did so, causing her to fall into the mattress that had the word "Welcome" in yellow in it. Scootaloo and Apple Bloom did their best to hold back their laughs while Sweetie Belle looked back at them, eyes half-closed.

They sneaked around the building, looking for any clues as to where Oath could be. They didn't really want to sneak around in other ponies property, but there was no way of knowing what Oath would say if he found out that there were three fillies in his house. Slowly they reached the door to the meditation room, which Oath had specifically asked to be left as plain as possible during the construction of the house. The three never knew the reason behind it but they didn't question Oath's judgment.

Optional Background Music

The trio were surprised to hear some muffled noises coming from the room. Some sort of electric noise was carrying its way past the door. Slowly opening the door, they scuttled inside. The gray stallion that owned the house was in the middle of the room, atop a pyramid-ish collection of round stones, surrounded by differently colored streams of magic. Green and yellow, red and blue, pink and purple. All different colors, all moving to the same tune. A tune was coming from the guitar that Oath was playing. But not like any guitar the three had seen before. This one had been painted red over a black undercoat. The noises that came forth from it were also different, more electric. Like lightning captured in the strings. But that was not the strangest thing. The strange thing was the guitar-looking instrument with 4 strings that made low sounds which reverberated across the whole room. Then there was the drum-set which was sitting at the back of the room, with two sticks hovering in the air and striking the drums like they were going to break them. All the instruments were bathed in the cool blue glow that had become Oath's magical trademark. Oath noticed the three as soon as they entered, but he paid them no mind as he continued to play. Eventually the song reached its climax as Oath started playing to the extreme, his hooves moving back and forth across the guitar as noises of all kinds came forth. When the song ended, Oath looked upon the three, who recoiled as he did so. A chuckle came forth from Oath's throat.

"No need for you to be scared."

The three continued to watch Oath in silence before he spoke again, lifting his instruments to their spots on the wall, leaving only the drum-set where it was.

"True, I did not expect my hobby to be found about quite yet, but sometimes things just happen. Anyway, come with me, I still have some apple juice left from my last visit to Applejack's. You like apple juice, don't you? I'm not exactly confident that you three are of drinking age yet, so no cider for you."

The three bobbed their heads as they licked their lips, as if their memories of the last few minutes would have been wiped away.

Gulping sounds came from the three filled the kitchen as they dove into their drinks with wild abandon, Oath just looking at them as they finished their juice. The three had drank so much of it that Oath was not sure if they could hold much more without bursting.

Eventually Scootaloo spoke up: "What was that music you did in there? That was awesome!"

Surprised at the last word the pegafilly said, Oath responded with a smile: "Oh that. It's just something that I do to pass the time nowadays. Nothing special really."

"Nuffin' special? Hogwash, Oath! That 'tar o' yours is special indeed!"

A sheepish smile replacing his original smile, Oath scratched his mane.

"And the way you used the other instruments while playing that guitar in such a special way! I ain't seen anypony play like that!"

As an afterthought, Sweetie Belle added: "Then again, those instruments are all foreign to me. Where did you get them?"

Scootaloo rose up from her chair as she jumped up and down.

"Yea! Tell us, Oath!"

Another chuckle came forth as Oath took a comfortable position in his chair.

"Very well."

The story of how Oath came to be the owner of the red and black guitar was covered quickly enough. But the story of how he realized it was no old guitar, but a 'unitar' really captivated the three as he told them of how he was crafting music during that day. He couldn't forget it for that was the day when he told Fluttershy of how he felt towards her. Scootaloo grimaced a bit as the stallion recounted the whole day, all the romantic details included.

Eventually he told of how he had taken it upon himself to get the rest of the set and learning each instrument thoroughly. The story went on and on until Oath was so exhausted from speaking he had to drink a bit of the apple juice himself to moisturize his throat.

"And thus we are here."

As the three absorbed the information, Oath looked outside the window, wondering how long he had spoken to the Crusaders. The sun was about to go low, the moon would be raised any minute.

"Oath..."

Turning his head towards the fillies once again, he was surprised to see that they were looking at him with pleading eyes.

"Could you teach us to play like you do?" The three said in unison.

"What?"

"You heard us! We wanna learn to play like you do! We wanna see if we can earn our cutie marks as musicians!"

Oath was surprised, yet he should have expected it. The Cutie Mark Crusaders would do anything if they earned their cutie marks that way. If Oath would have told them that jumping down a well would have given them their cutie marks, they would have done it twice already.

"...If you wish."

The three were about to scream out in joy but Oath stopped their celebration short.

"BUT! There is a condition."

"Huh?"

"To truly learn how to play these instruments you must devote yourself to it. To know each note from the heart. To know what to do even if you were blindfolded. It is only through constant and devoted practice that one can get to this kind of level of expertise. Even though I may not have a cutie mark for music-making, I am not afraid to say that I could give a pony with a music-related cutie mark a run for their bits."

"But how can you beat a pony who's special talent is music?"

Thinking about the question for a moment, Oath finally answered, a serious look on his face.

"Do you three know everything there is to be known about cutie marks?"

"A cutie mark represents the special talent a pony is born with! Once they realize what they are good at, they get a mark on their flank to show it to everypony! That way they can use their talents for the good of all society."

"A good answer. However, have you heard of the "Cutie Mark Preference" theory?"

Confusion was the prime aspect of the three fillies faces as they looked at Oath.

"A theory presented by a pony who's name has unfortunately been forgotten by the ages. This theory states that if a pony devotes himself to an activity before they attain their cutie mark, even if it is not their special talent, then the cutie mark will prove to be one related to that certain activity. In short, the more you do a certain thing and the more you learn about it before you get your cutie mark, the more likely you are to get a cutie mark for that thing that you do, regardless of what your actual talent would have been."

The three just looked at Oath, each of their expressions showing how confused they were.

Sweetie Belle eventually broke the silence:

"But if you get a cutie mark in something you do instead of what you are good at, doesn't it mean that it is actually the cutie mark you were supposed to get in the first place?"

Oath let out a laugh as the confusion continued on the fillies minds.

"A good question, Sweetie Belle. But I won't discuss philosophy with you, not today anyway. I am prepared to teach, I just want to know if you are ready to do what it takes."

Immediately Scootaloo jumped up and landed in front of the three, on top of the table.

"I'm ready!"

Encouraged by Scoot's initiative, Apple Bloom put her hoof on the table.

"Me too!"

Looking over at Sweetie Belle, Oath waited for her response. She was thinking this thoroughly. Eventually she put her hoof on the table as well.

"Count me in!"

A smile was the reward for the three as Oath stepped down from his chair, motioning for the three to follow him once more.

"Then I shall teach you. But not today."

"Huh?"

"Look outside."

The sun was very low, the moon was about to be raised any minute.

"You might want to get home before you are missed."

With a zoom, the three were out of the house, almost taking the door out of its place as they did so. As he closed the door and turned himself towards the apple juice barrel which was open and pretty much empty, Oath sighed.

"What have I just gotten myself into?" Chuckling to himself once again, he answered his own question:

"Guess I need more juice."

The next day the three went to Oath's place as soon as they could, much to the chagrin of their caretakers. Applejack was not happy with Apple Bloom spending so much time with the gray stallion. She was mad enough when Apple Bloom didn't come home at the agreed-upon time. And now she needed her help with the making of some apple cider, but the filly just wouldn't have the time to help her sister.

"What's so darn important 'bout Oath's place anyway that she can't even lend her own sis a hoof?"

Big Macintosh just shrugged his shoulders.

Rarity was not that stressed about Sweetie Belle's new "hobby", even if she lacked the help that she needed with some of the new clothes she needed to complete. Spike would always be ready and within earshot.

As the trio reached the house, Oath was waiting for them, anticipation on the three's faces as they stepped up and lined up like soldiers ready and waiting for their drilling sergeant to bark orders.

"You three are ready?"

"Yes sir!"

"Then follow me."

"CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS MUSICIANS, YAY!' They yelled in unison, which made Oath stare at them for a second before he shrugged and continued.

They went inside the house and to the meditation chamber, which was blank in colours unlike last time. As Oath stepped up on to the pyramid of stones, his amulet started glowing in the colors of the rainbow. Next the colours all slipped out of the amulet and filled the air, all the different colours bringing different feelings to be seen by all.

Immediately, Oath stepped down. This caused the colors to dissipate. He levitated the same three instruments he used last time to the pyramid, letting them hang in there as he motioned for the three to step forward. As the three looked at the instruments, they slowly began taking deliberate steps in the direction of the instrument that appealed to them the most.

Apple Bloom placed her hoofs on the bass. Her words always carried meaning and when her friends had failed to bring up their points in conversations, she was always there to make the other ponies understand.

Sweetie Belle used her magic on the red and black guitar, Oath's magic letting go of it as she strapped it on herself. She was known for her singing capabilities, but she also liked being the centre of attention, not too much unlike Rainbow Dash.

Scootaloo sat on the stool that was at the back of the drums, picking up the drumsticks. She always liked making sure that she was remembered. She made the others dance to her tune. She wanted to make sure that whatever she did, she did it with a bang.

Satisfied with their choises, the three looked at Oath, who nodded. Their training began, each filly getting taught on every part of the instrument in question, both in book-form and practical demonstrations. Soon enough the three had songs thought up in their heads, a bit early, but better early than late.

The training continued for weeks, each session increasing their skills further and further. The three were frustrated however. Their cutie marks just would not show. Oath was seeing how it was affecting their perfomance and he eventually presented them with a plan.

"Girls, there's something that I think will make you convinced of you having made the right choice."

One could have painted question marks on their flanks at that precise minute as Oath chuckled.

"I think you are ready to do something that I was never ready to do. I think you are ready to make a band!"

They looked at eachother, a bit intrested but also slightly disintrested. They did not really want to do anything before they knew that this was what they were meant to do.

"You sure, Oath?" Apple Bloom said, a bit skeptic.

"I think you are ready. But it is not up to me. Your cutie marks will come to you eventually. But are you willing to make them come to you?"

The trio huddled up, whispering to eachother as they considered their teacher's words.

"He has a point... If this "cutie mark preference" or whatever is true, then it could be what we have been looking for." Sweetie Belle said, to which the other two nodded.

"But what if we're not ready?" Apple Bloom said.

"Of course we are ready! We are the Cutie Mark Crusaders!" Scootaloo said, grinning while she said it. The three eventually nodded in unison, before they stepped in front of Oath and said that they are ready.

"Then you only need to come up with the name of the band."

A moment of silence ensued as they looked at eachother, then their flanks. Then Sweetie Belle's face brightened up.

"We are the Cutie Mark Crusaders!" She repeated the orange pegasus' sentence.

Oath laughed as he listened to the unicorn filly's answer. 'Then it shall be so. Now, to reveal my plan.'

Oath took a map of Equestria, which had marks on it in the major cities and settlements. Manehattan, Phillydelphia, Canterlot, Trottingham...

"The plan is this. We go on a tour. Make your music known to all."

Stage fright visible on their faces as the three listened, Oath reassured them.

"No need for fear, girls. Just give it your best and you can walk away proudly."

Comforted by the words, the Cutie Mark Crusaders said in one voice:

"When do we go!?"

The Cutie Mark Crusader's tour went places that nopony had thought possible in such a short timespan. The three quickly gained a huge following of fans and ponies came from all over Equestria to hear their music. Their singles like Blank Flank, The Mark for Me, Crusade For Eternity and Crystal Cuties quickly became firm favourites, despite being released in such a short amount of time. Less than 2 months had passed since the three had first departed, but in this time they became Equestria's most known band. But for all their hard work, they did not get their cutie marks. The frustration was so clear that it was amazing that the three managed to put on their good looks for the crowd. Oath eventually decided that they should do something special.

"Good job girls! You really rocked the show!"

"Yea..." They said, a bit disappointed.

"We have one more place that we need to tour on and we will have been all over Equestria. I think you will like where we are going."

Yet again the three were confused. For all the complimenting and praising that Oath gave them, he was always somewhat cryptic.

Showing the map once more, Oath pointed at Ponyville. The three's faces all turned into wide smiles as they started screaming in joy. "Ah get to see my big sister!" Apple Bloom said, jumping up and down as she did so.

"And I get to see mine!" Sweetie Belle said, her smile wide as her horn was long.

"I get to see Rainbow Dash! I can't wait to tell her how much we've done!" Scootaloo said, flapping her wings like a humming bird but not really flying.

"Heh, that's what I like to see! About time you three took those sad faces off!"

But the three eyed their teacher for a minute, which caused Oath to get confused for a change. Eventually Sweetie Belle requested something.

"Oath? We'd like you to be our guitarist this time. You've made sure that we got this far. We want you to be there with us when we do our final stop before this tour is over."

Oath was not prepared for that. The three were so good that he wondered if they were joking. They were much better than he was. And all this management did not do much to improve his skills.

"Are you three sure? I am not as good as I was 2 months ago..."

"We are! We, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, officially invite you to become our fourth member!"

"Girls... I..." A smile came forth.

"Okay. But just this one time."

"WOHOOOO!!!"

As the day came and the four came to Ponyville, they all hurried to their families and friends to greet them after such long absence. Soon enough the craze of the CMC band engulfed the town as tourists came from every place, filling the town faster than one could think. In fact, Twilight probably could have calculated the true value of pi before all the guests to the show were accounted for. Other bands and perfomances also attended, like the Seagull Stunt Seminar, the Manehattan Party Mayhem and Derpy's "Guess What Went Wrong, Cuz I Sure Don't!" show. As Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were getting ready for the show, they were feeling honored, exhilirated and terrified at the same time. It was another thing to play for strangers, but to their friends and family it was a different thing entirely. Knowing that they could only give their best however, the three got their instruments all tuned up and ready to go. Before they could get out on to the stage, they were stopped by Oath and a few certain ponies.

"Hold up, girls. I think there's some ponies that wanted to speak to you." Oath said as the Mane Six stepped up.

"Sweetie Belle, you know that I do not think that highly of music but I just wanted to let you know that you three have made me convinced that you can indeed look fabulous while singing fabulously." Rarity said, a hint of a guilty blush on her cheeks.

"Scoot, I think you are more cool than I am right now, at least in your own way. I hate to admit it, but I could never find myself in your hooves. Show them what you are made of!" Rainbow Dash said, holding her hoof in front of her as Scootaloo brohoofed her before they hugged.

'Apple Bloom, Ah know how much ya loved workin' at the farm an' all, but Ah think you've found yer true callin'. Ah can look back and hold mah head up proudly today as Ah see ya play t'day.' Applejack said, holding her hat on her chest.

Big Mac stepped up and spoke, a rare event under most circumstances.

"Hold yer ideals close to yer heart and ya will always be doing what's right, Apple Bloom."

Twilight also spoke up, but to the whole band: "Alright, we've kept you long enough. Time for you to show us what the Cutie Mark Crusaders can do!"

Grinning, the trio stepped unto the stage and got met by a loud cheer from the collection of ponies, the amount of which was staggering.

But back stage Oath took a final look at Fluttershy before speaking up as he slowly increased the distance between them.

"Oh, and be prepared for a surprise, Fluttershy. You may have heard these three play before, but it's different this time." With that, the gray stallion joined the Crusaders on the stage.

Sweetie Belle hovered the mic over with her magic and spoke to the crowd:

"Hello everypony! Tonight we got a good show for you all! But first, I'd like all of you to know that tonight we will have a special guest. Meet Oathbound!"

A cheer went up as Oath stepped forward, his red and black guitar strapped on and ready to go.

"It's because of him that we have come this far. He was our teacher, our pillar of support and our manager. Tonight we want to show our gratitude so we asked him to join us in the final part of our tour as we play one of his songs in tribute to his wonderful wife, Fluttershy! Now let's wrap up this Crusade!"

[Unlike the other songs that the Crusaders had made, this one started with just Oath playing his guitar, another one floating by his side as it provided more melodic power to the strums. Soon the drums came into play, along with Sweetie's voice.

"So close, no matter how far.

Couldn't much more from the heart.

Forever trust in who you are.

And nothing else matters...

Never opened myself up this way.

Life is ours, we live it our way.

All these words I don't just say.

And nothing else matters...

Trust I seek and I find in you.

Everyday for something ne~w!

Open my eye for a different view.

And nothing else matters!"

With those words, the chorus began.

"Never cared for what they do!

Never cared for what they know!

But I know~"

And like that, the chorus was over, but the song was far from over.

"So close, no matter how far.

Couldn't be much more from the heart.

Forever trusting who we are.

And nothing else matters~

Never cared for what they do!

Never cared for what they kno~whoa!

But I know~"

As a solo came to play, Oath shook his head to the melody, making the crowd sway their heads in tune, making the song ring bells in their hears. But Oath took the initiative by taking the mic from Sweetie, who was slightly surprised but rolled with it.

"I never opened myself this way~

Life is ours, we live it our way~heyyy!

All these words I don't just say~eyy!

And nothing else matters!

Trust I seek, and I find in you!

Everyday for something new-hew!

Open my eye for a different view

And nothing else matter~herrs!

Never cared for what they say!

Never cared for games they play!

Never cared for what they do!

Never cared for what they know~whoa!

And I know~

YEA YEAH!"

Another solo entirely came as Oath's guitar began making the electric sounds the three had heard before when they first came to know of Oath's guitar skills. They could never learn to play like he did. It was like a rag was swept from under their hooves as the three just kept on playing. The crowd however was loving it, stomping the ground in approval.

All to soon it came to an end, however. The noise began to die down as the background guitar's sound became audible once again.

"So close, no matter how far.

Couldn't be much more from the heart.

Forever trust in who you are.

And nothing else matters..."

Sweetie Belle was absolutely stunned by Oath's perfomance. She could literally feel the emotion in the stallion's voice and came to the conclusion that she must do the same if she wants the crowd to react like that.

And the outro began to play, slowly dying down as the guitar grew more silent with each played note.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJJ_qnoF_yI)

The crowd stomped the ground in complete approval as the song came to an end. But the crowd was not prepared to see small lights emerging on the flanks of the three fillies as they finished. Scootaloo had two drumsticks and a drum. Sweetie Belle had a mic with some of it's wire winding around it. Apple Bloom had a bass with a couple of notes next to it. They were super excited, screaming like the little fillies they were. Oath smiled.

'Looks like this was the way it was meant to be after all.' He thought happily.

After the show was over and everypony had gathered their things before retiring for the day, the Mane 6 and the Cutie Mark Crusaders were at Oath's place, celebrating the three's discovery of their talent.

"Congratulations, girls! You really showed that you deserve those cutie marks!" Pinkie Pie said.

"Yea! You three really are something!" Rainbow Dash said, earning a quick smirk from Scootaloo.

"The music was bedazzling! I couldn't have been more proud of you, Sweetie Belle." Rarity said, a hint of a tear in her eye.

"Ah was always one for country-style music but ya three showed me that all this fancy-pants music can be nice too." Applejack said, a bit shamefully.

"But we couldn't have done it without you, Oath!" The trio said, to which the others nodded.

"Nonsense. The only one who can make you discover your talent is you. I just showed you the way."

"Stop being so modest! It's irritating..." Scootaloo grimaced, to which Oath replied with a chuckle. The others just laughed, the party continuing long into the night.

That day a truly valuable lesson was learned:

When doubt settles in and you do not believe there is anything special about yourself, you just need a nudge to set off the avalance that shows your true potential. A little help in making somepony understand that everypony is special can be the driving force that shows the others how much you can help if you believe in yourself.