The Tales of Oathbound, The Mountain Hermit

Angel was getting nervous. He had waited a long time for his owner to prepare all the stuff for the picnic she promised. He wasn't happy when he heard that her husband, Oathbound was coming too. He wanted to have some time with her. Alone.

A knock on the door. Speak of the devil. With a sigh, Angel just hopped on to a corner to stomp his feet on the ground while waiting for Fluttershy to get downstairs so they can go.

The door opened with a miniscule creak as Oath entered. Fluttershy was at the top of the stairs, arranging the food for the picnic so that they are all nice and tidy in the basket. When she was done, she laid the picnic matress on top before descending the stairs. Oath smiled as Angel stuck his tongue out in his direction.

"No need to be so grumpy, Angel. I'll try and give you some leeway. I know that ever since the wedding Fluttershy has been a little focused on me."

The rabbits disposition didn't even budge. Oath expected that. Ignoring the bunny, he looked over at Fluttershy, who had just gotten over to the pair.

"Ready to go?"

A smile and a nod was all that the two needed. Stepping outside, the three started walking in the direction of a nearby hill that Angel had picked as their picnicing spot. The ponies that passed by gave them a wave, some of them stopping them for a minute to talk, but the three would eventually move on when Angel would get tired of waiting. Eventually the trio reached a small hill ending with a cliff overlooking the town. Oath gave Angel a wink as he told Fluttershy he would let them get things prepared while he would take in the scenery. Climbing to the top of the hill and getting to the edge of the cliff, he took a mouthful of the air that flowed from behind his back and towards the town. Such a lovely sight. Every little detail from the town could be picked out, ponies could be seen talking to eachother, the general noises of town life barely carrying itself to the top of the cliff. The cliff itself was quite steep. A long drop. Oath paid the drop no mind as he cleared his thoughts and breathed slower and slower until time itself seemed to slow down. His state of nirvana was broken by the sudden caw of a crow, that started pecking him.

"Hey! Stop it! What did I ever do to you?"

The crow kept on pecking, causing minor bleeding from some of the pecked spots as Oath tried to shoo the bird away. A step in the wrong direction was all it took. Oath fell backwards, almost down the cliff but he managed to grab on to the visible thick roots of a plant with his hooves. straining them to the limit as they twisted themselves to that painful position. The bird kept on pecking as he tried to think of something. His grasp was starting to fail him as he began to panic. He yelled out:

"HELP ME! I'M GOING TO FALL!"

In the distance, Fluttershy startled when she heard somepony yell for help. Angel facepalmed as the mare took to flight and towards the sound's source. Fluttershy was not sure where the voice came from, but it was urgent.

"Where are you? I can't see you..." She said, her voice not carrying far.

A hoof lost it's grasp, it's strength gone from holding on to the last strand of floral roots as dirt fell off the cliff. Oath was going to fall. The crow tried pecking at his sapphire-encrusted neckpiece. Oath realized that the bird was after his amulet!

That was his last thought before vertigo took its course. He fell from the cliff, his left hind hoof firing up a flare of pain as he kept on falling. His screaming went unanswered as he hit a rock with his flank. Crashing, tumbling through the air, his amulet swaying and hitting his neck with great force. One last time his nerves burned with excruciating pain before all turned to black.

Voices could be heard, audible, but seeming to come from miles away. Oath felt comfortable. This is what heaven must be like, he thought as he started to move his muscles before a jolt of pain quickly reminded him of what had just happened to him. The voices sharpened, now a lot closer.

"Doctor, I think he is waking up!"

Doctor? And was that Twilight Sparkle's voice? Eventually Oath gathered enough strength to open his eyes to see his friends all smiling at him.

"Howdy there, sugarcube! Ya took a mighty few hits there." Applejack said.

He tried to speak, but no words would come out.

"It's okay, Oath. The doctor is gonna make you feel all better, trust me." Twilight said, to which Pinkie and Applejack nodded.

"W... What happened? All I remember is falling and pain. Then it all went to black..."

"Well, ya fell of this cliff and like Ah said, ya took some hits. The doc said he would fix ya up in a jiffy, though!"

Feeling that something was off, Oath tried to rise up, but Twilight's magic held him in place.

"Don't try to move, you have some broken bones. You need to rest until they are all healed."

The doctor showed himself, the white jacket and his stethoscope filling all the classic signs of a good doctor.

"Your friend is correct, Oathbound. You were lucky to have been found so quickly. Fluttershy came as soon as she found you. You might want to be more careful when standing around cliffs that steep."

"I did not really want to jump off the cliff on purpose." Oath said, a bit dryly.

"I would have been surprised if you did." The doctor said, hovering his glasses in front of his face to clean them with a piece of cloth. Oath eyed daggers at the doctor, a bit undiplomatically. The glasses were mounted once again on the doctor's face before he continued.

"Don't worry, you won't be here for too long. A week or so and we can let you leave, though even then you will need to wear a crutch for a while."

Thinking about it for a while while looking at his injuries, Oath noticed that his amulet was missing. His alarmed expression and sudden movement earned another jolt of pain before he was forced back to his previous position.

"My amulet! Where's my amulet!?"

Confusion filled the room as Oath waited for an answer. Fluttershy eventually spoke up.

"I... I didn't see it when I found you. I was worried about you so I went to get help..."

Draining this information, Oath considered his options. He had no intention of breaking out of here, not while he was wounded the way he was. But if he didn't do something, the amulet could well be lost forever. He was not sure why he wanted to get it back. Perhaps it was because of the comforting feeling of the amulet's magic. Perhaps he was just used to being able to use magic. Perhaps he was just getting fired up for nothing.

"You can go and search for this trinket of yours as soon as you get out of here, just try not to get yourself back here too quickly."

A smirk on his face was the only thing heralding Oath's response: "No promises, Doctor."

He turned his gaze towards his friends: "Thank you, everypony. I just don't know how I coulda gone this far without you. I hope I can repay this some day."

"Don't sweat it, pal! Just gimme a holler if you want your favourite nurse, Pinkie Pie to make you have a good time here!" Pinkie said, donning a pink nurse's hat with a yellow cross.

A laugh was the only way he could respond to the pink pony's offer. "I'll keep that in mind, Pinkie."

The doctor gave a small cough and as the ponies looked at him, the hoof of the doctor pointed towards the clock, which showed that the time was getting late. It was almost 11 PM. Oath looked at the clock, confused. How long was he out?

"It would be best if you would let Oathbound here recover in peace."

"Of course, doctor. We'll come by to see you tomorrow, Oath!" Twilight said, before disappearing out the door, her friends following suite. The doctor eyed the gray stallion before wishing him a good night.

Soon enough sleep took over.

The week went over without much trouble, but the doctor was worried over the cough that he had developed over his stay. As promised, however, Oath was shown out the door with the crutch giving him a standing position so he could move about. As he hobbled to his house he found a bunch of 'Get Well' cards inside, from all his friends. A gentle smile and a tear were the only way he could respond to them, even if there was nopony around to see it. But he had other things to do. As Oath searched around his house, he found a book depicting illnesses of a magical nature - something which he had borrowed from the library some time ago. It was not what he was looking for, but he was interested.

Even though he couldn't find out anything about the amulet, Oath found a clue to what was causing this cough. A disease known as "Manavoid Syndrome". There are certain artifacts that allow earth ponies to perform magical feats, but usually for a limited time, and of limited power. He knew of these kinds of artifacts, as he created one himself - the horn that called him so long ago to Ponyville. These artifacts have sometimes been known to cause a kind of 'addiction'. The body craves for magic, and it consumes itself to sustain any magical energy left within it. It's the same as a unicorn using too much power, but unlike a unicorn, the magical power does not come back with rest. Only the constant use of an artifact of tremendous power could hold the disease back. That gave him reason to worry. If there was a chance the amulet was still near the place where he fell, Oath would find it, otherwise he could be in mortal danger. As he laid out the map of the town, he looked at the spot where he had gone with his wife and her pet. He was not sure about the surrounding area, but the crow must have a nest nearby. Perhaps Fluttershy could help him find the bird.

"A crow? I don't think there are any crows around here. They all nest a bit higher up in the mountain over there." Fluttershy said, pointing towards the spire of stone in the distance that extended so high as if to pierce the clouds.

"Well a crow made me fall off that cliff... If it nests in there, then I shall take back what is mine."

"Oath..."

"Hmm?"

"Why is that amulet so important to you? ..If it's okay for me to ask, that is." A violent cough came forth from the stallion as an answer, before actual words came out.

"I... I don't know. It almost feels like a physical need. Only thing I feel in my gut is that for some reason my life depends on it." A frown formed upon Oath's face, he didn't want Fluttershy to get worried in case this Manavoid Syndrome was not what was wrong with him. Fluttershy wanted to help, but she was not sure if she could help him at all. Eventually she just decided to keep her muzzle shut.

"I won't probably be back for a day or two, so you might want to make the others know."

"Umm... Okay..."

With that, Oath started walking away and towards his house where he would get his things. Well, walking as much as he was capable of with the crutch. On his way there, through the town, he kept on coughing. It just would not stop. Eventually a very worried Bon Bon came to offer a helping hoof, but Oath refused. He had to conquer this illness on his own.

It was a battle he was losing. Eventually, as other ponies looked at him in concern, he decided to trek it towards the hospital instead. The doctor was not that surprised to see him once more.

"Well well, looks like I was right about you, Oathbound."

With no strength to produce any counter-argument, Oath simply hobbled in to the building, eager to lay down. As the doctor looked him over, doing every possible test and scan he could, Oath just wanted for the pain in his chest to leave. It was like his lungs were going to burst. Another violent cough just increased the pain. His voice was becoming hoarse. It probably would not be long before he started coughing blood. The doctor eyed the test results in a disbelieving manner, being very unlike what he had originally thought.

"Well this is unexpected. You seem to be under a far worse condition than a simple cough. Your inner magical levels are dangerously low."

"If the pain from this cough is classified as simple, I would not dare think of the more complex options." Oath rasped.

"Have you undergone any surgical treatment before, Oathbound?"

A confused look was the only answer Oath had to that question.

"I assume that means no." A sigh came out from the doctor, as if to tell Oath that he was about to die. It was something that the gray pony would have wanted at that point.

The continued sentence was far worse than that.

"Your internal organs seem to be aging at a faster rate than normal. Your body's age is 10 years past your actual age."

"What? But how is that possible?"

A shrug. "Who knows. If I had to guess, I'd say it had something to do with your low levels of magic in your system. All we can do is slow the process down, but unless we don't find a solution to this you will be spending the rest of your life here on this bed. And that won't last long."

A neutral expression indicated that Oath was in deep contemplation of his situation. He wanted his friends here. They deserve to know the truth before it is too late - maybe they could even find the amulet before he died. They needed to know that he was capable of being cured.

"Could you call my friends over? There's something I need to tell them."

A nod from the doctor was all that Oath needed. As the doctor left the room, Oath was left alone with his coughing. He felt unnaturally warm as well. But he had to keep himself awake.

As his friends came over, they were shocked to find him in such a pitiful state. His skin didn't have it's almost glistening sheen anymore, instead small wrinkles started appearing. It was as if he was slowly decomposing while he was alive.

"My friends. Fluttershy. I am afraid to ask this from you, for it can be a dangerous task."

"Oath, what happened to you? You were just fine when you hobbled around with that crutch, but this!? If you asked me, I would have said that you had gone wrestling with dragons!" Twilight said. Funnily enough, Twilight could imagine Oath wrestling with a full-grown dragon. But not in this condition.

"Please. Listen to me. My amulet-"

"Oh for Celestia's sake, Oath! Stop talking about that amulet and look at yourself! You need to get better and worrying about some dusty old trinket is not going to help you!" Rarity said, disgusted.

"But-" Oath tried to say, yet he didn't get much of a choice.

"No buts, dear! You just lay there and let the doctor do whatever is needed to be done."

Oath looked over at Fluttershy, who was looking back, a tear threatening to drop.

"Listen to me. The crow that stole my amulet, you need to get it back!"

A facehoof from Rainbow Dash and Rarity was a reply Oath could only get before being barraged with more questions.

"Why the buck is that amulet so important to you anyway, Oath? Ya too worried about yer trinket gettin' dirty? Cuz even if yer ill like this, Ah'm not going to leave you like this until ya are up an' healthy!" Applejack said, crossing her hooves in an indication of her intentions not changing no matter what.

"Yea, what's so darn great about it? It's just giving you magical powers, surely you can learn to live without them, right? You're an Earth Pony!" Rainbow said, shrugging while at it. Oath looked at the pair in an intimidating manner for a second before he sighed. That second of gazing at the two made them shut their muzzles quickly.

"If you truly care about my health, then the amulet must be returned. If you wish to know what ails me, then heed my words, for I fear I may not have time to repeat them." A cough was like the seal on a letter, as nopony raised their voice afterwards.

"I... am not sure if I am correct in this, but I believe that I have been stricken with Manavoid Syndrome."

"Mana-what now?" Pinkie said, her head twisting until it was upside down. Twilight gasped.

"Manavoid Syndrome. It's a magical disease that is caused by magical "trinkets" like mine. The amulet was enchanted by Princess Celestia and gifted to me for my long years of service as Captain of the Guard. It gives me magical powers but unfortunately some individuals cannot live without the magical influence of such trinkets. Their body craves for magic but finds no source, so it eats away at itself. My body was satisfied with the amulet's power, but that crow..." Oath let the unfinished sentence hang in the air, allowing the others to take in the information.

"But... Is there anything we can do?" Twilight asked, realizing that Oath was in grave danger and getting closer to death's door with every second wasted.

"If the amulet is returned, then... I don't know what will happen. I believe it should stop this deterioration. But you need to travel to the mountain, where these crows supposedly nest."

Applejack stepped up and placed her hoof on Oath's chest, causing him to wince a little.

"Cheer up, Oath! We'll bring yer amulet back here lickety split!" It was a big change considering what the farmer had said moments before.

"Let it never be known that I, the mighty Rainbow Dash would not aid a friend on his death bed." Rainbow Dash said, which earned a mean look from the others. She just looked back. "What? He certainly isn't looking like he's ready for Wonderbolt training."

"True friends look out for eachother, Oath. We will do our best. And don't worry, I got a spell that can track magical artefacts! Your amulet isn't going anywhere anytime soon." Twilight said, her voice bringing comfort to Oath, his breaths coming a bit more easily.

"I can't wait to tell you how much fun you've missed once we bring that amulet back! All this laying down in bed isn't bringing you much good! Besides, you need a 'Good'N'Healthy Oathie' party once you're all better!" Pinkie said, hopping about.

"And I certainly won't watch a friend die while there is anything I can do. And don't even get me started on how funeral suits are out of style this season." Rarity said, shuddering when she finished her second sentence.

Fluttershy tugged a bit at Oath's mane, which caused the stallion to divert his gaze towards her.

"Oath... I... I want to stay here. With you. If.. If that's okay with you. I don't want to leave you like this. Dying... alone."

A tear came up from her eyes as she started crying. Oath gave her a shoulder to lean on, even though the weight of her head caused his bones to grind together with each heartbeat. Despite the effort required, Oath extended his other hoof over in an attempt to hug her. It was enough for her as she calmed down somewhat, yet the crying was not stopping. Oath understood how she felt.

"Shh... It's okay Fluttershy. I'll be fine. Your.. Our friends won't let us down." Oath corrected, brushing her mane with his extended hoof.

Looking over to the others, Oath nodded. Responding in the same way, the others silently left the room as the couple were left in there with the doctor. Soon enough they were flying in the air balloon towards the mountain, which was not actually that far from Ponyville. A sinister black smoke was billowing forth from the cave at the top, with occasional flashes of blue magic appearing for a fraction of a second before leaving no indication of ever being there other than the marks left in the Mane 5's retinae. Twilight's tracking spell also pointed towards the cave. Deciding that this was where the amulet must be, the five ponies ascended with the balloon, Rainbow Dash scouting ahead. As they reached the top and dismounted the balloon - Applejack anchoring the thing to a nearby rock - Rainbow appeared from the mouth of the cave. She was sneaking for some reason.

"There's somepony inside there. And this bird Oath spoke is there as well! The amulet must have been stolen!" Rainbow said, clamping her hooves together like a detective who'd just figured out the mystery at a crime scene.

"No need to jump to conclusions, Rainbow Dash, perhaps it was just the bird getting adventurous." Twilight said, though she was not that confident of those words herself.

Stepping inside the cave, the five ponies were not quite surprised to see the stranger inside. It was the thing besides him which looked peculiar. It looked like a cauldron. Green smoke rose out from the big container, which turned to black as it rose ever higher towards the ceiling. A flash of blue almost blinded the five as their eardrums were assaulted by a loud thunder-like sound. As they cleared away the residue noise they confronted the strange pony, who almost seemed to be deliberately inhaling the fumes.

"Hey, what the hay do you think you're doing? Why do you have our friend's amulet?"

The crow which was resting on a small rock let out a caw as it flied towards them. The stranger stopped the creature's effort in it's tracks. A green and purple lightning shot out from his horn, encasing the bird in energy as it let out more caws in its panicked state. The creature writhed in agony as the little cage of energy became smaller and smaller, leaving eventually nothing more than a small pin-prick of energy as the crow's cries for help were left unanswered as the five ponies were just standing there, aghast at the cruelty which the stranger had just expressed.

"Don't feel sorry for that miserable bird. It's usefullness was at an end. As is yours. You won't interfere with my plans anymore."

The pony turned towards the intruders to his cave, revealing his face. It was similar to Oath's, but jet-black skin with a purple mane, with hues of green cast over it by the bubbling cauldron's fumes. His eyes red were red, with a small dot of white on the center and they shone as if with a light of their own. A crackling lightning circled his horn, leftovers from the spell he'd just cast. His cutie mark was a broken bronze shield with a single red axe in front of it. Oath's amulet hovered next to the stranger, causing the others to look at it.

"You're looking for this? Too bad. I won't follow your instructions. He will die knowing his weakness was never to be cured. And he will know that I was the one that deserved to live in his place. Forcibly evicting me from my rightful place as the owner of my body will not aid you here, especially without the traitorous pegasus, Elements of Harmony."

As the others looked at the pony and listened to his words, Rainbow Dash gasped.

"It's you! You're the evil pony that possessed Oath!" She said, pointing a hoof at him.

An evil laugh came forth from the pony. Until now, the Mane Five had not taken notice of how demonic his voice was.

"Fastest in all of Equestria, eh whelp? Took you long enough. And you forget, my name is Oathbreaker and I didn't possess anypony! I merely took my what was mine!" The ebony stallion fumed at the speedster.

"Return the amulet to us now and nopony has to get hurt!" Twilight said, stepping forward. The others nodded at that.

A red axe appeared on the opposite side of Oathbreaker.

"It's infuriating how you think you can command me! Once this amulet is melted down and it's enchantment broken, you will die knowing the pain that I went through all those years ago!" With that, the axe spurred into motion, coming towards the others at lightning speed. Fortunately Twilight was able to cast a forcefield to block the axe as it closed in. The hateful energies dissipated as the axe came into contact with the unicorns magic, leaving no indication of ever being there. The pony in charge of the axe seemed to swell with rage.

"WHY WON'T YOU DIE!?" More axes struck the forcefield, Oath's amulet falling to the ground as Oathbreaker concentrated all his efforts on the magical barrier's downfall. Rainbow Dash sneaked around the ruckus and grabbed the amulet. But she couldn't get back undetected as the evil Oath looked at her, those eyeballs seething with hatred.

"Give the amulet back!" Once again axes came forward to strike, but Dash just danced around them, taunting him all the while.

"If ya want it so bad, then go on! Fetch!" She said, throwing it near the entrance. All his concentration was broken as he saw his goal. Rushing forward, he took only a few steps before a rock hit him in the head, dazing him before Dash bucked him straight in the jaw.

"Yeehaw! That's what yer gettin' fer hurtin' mah friends!" Applejack said, juggling a rock with a single hoof as she smirked in the black pony's direction, giving Dash a high-hoof as she passed by.

Twilight broke their celebrations short, however.

"Come on, we still need to bring the amulet to Oath!"

Nodding at her, the others merely ran straight out of the cave, Rarity grabbing the amulet with her magic while Twilight undid the knot that was holding the air balloon in place. As the mountain resceded, a black shape appeared at the cavern mouth, a voice carrying out to them.

"Your efforts are in vain. Even now he is drawing his last breath. But don't think I'm done with you." A final laugh from him was the last thing they heard before they turned their full attention to getting back to the town as soon as possible.

While this all was happening, the hospital was not doing so well. Oath was feeling sick in more ways than one. It was like his body was trying to tear itself apart. His heart wanted to burst out of his chest. He grasped at his chest as he bent his back in an effort keep the organ inside, Fluttershy just watching there, telling him to hold on. The doctor asked for nurses to come in and help keep him stable.

"Oathbound, we need to administer a sedative so we can help you. You'll feel sleepy after a minute."

A nod was the only response from Oath before he coughed once more. It was really hard for him to breathe now.

As the medicine entered his body and did it's job, he felt his vision blurrying. He looked at Fluttershy, who was trying very hard to fight back the need to cry.

"I'm not gonna make it..." He said, which caused protest in his wife's eyes. She wanted to say something, but there were no words for how she felt. Oath shed tears of his own as he coughed, this time with specks of crimson red.

"At least... *cough* At least I got to see your face before before I leave this world..."

Fluttershy shaked her head as her mane fell on top of his chest. Oath took it in his hooves and stroked it, before gently touching her face.

"Goodbye, Fluttershy. I love y-"

He almost rose into a sitting position as his body convulsed and spasmed before he laid still in the bed. The doctor and nurses hurried over with a strange looking device.

"Oathbound's heart has stopped, we need to give him CPR, stand back!" The doctor said, shoving Fluttershy back. She didn't want to leave him but he had told her to trust the doctor. Soon enough magic flowed through the machine, causing it to make a whirring sound which rose in volume before the doctor said: "Clear!"

The magical power flowed into Oath, seeming to reverse the effects of his disease somewhat, but the effect was negligible. Powering the machine again, the doctor was determined to not lose his patient. This continued for 10 or so minutes, but to no avail.

Eventually, as the doctor told them to stop, Fluttershy went next to her husband, his limp form making no motion at all. She asked: "I... Is he..."

The doctor looked at her, guilt the most prominent feature as he started to write on to a clipboard with his magic.

"I'm sorry, your husband is dead."

She broke into tears as she laid her face on the bed which muffled her crying as the doctor recited what he was writing on to the paper.

Twilight and her friends got to the hospital, hurrying as quickly as they could. As they entered his room, they were silent when they heard the doctor's voice, stopping in their tracks.

"-me of death: 2.54 PM. Cause of death is organ decomposition followed by cardiac arrest. CPR was given, but it did not help."

They gasped as they saw Fluttershy crying, her voice muffled by the bed. Tears came into their eyes as they realized they were too late.

"No way... We're too late!?" Rainbow Dash said, looking at the doctor, who gave a sad nod.

"Darn it!" Applejack said, almost looking like she would have grabbed the doctor and given him a piece of her mind.

"What an awful way to go..." Rarity said, looking at Oath's body, which was even more decomposed than it was before. He was looking like a gray-skinned version of Granny Smith.

"I'm sorry, Fluttershy. I truly am." Twilight said, putting a hoof on the mare's shoulder. She didn't pay any attention to it, too focused in her mourning.

Pinkie Pie was looking at the amulet which she was carrying, then at Oath, then at the amulet again, before crying so hard she caused waterfalls. Rarity was completely soaked before she realized it and moved out of the way.

Twilight looked at Oath, and her eyes found it hard to look upon his body. She wanted to look away, but she couldn't.

Looking at the amulet, she eventually grabbed it with her magic and hovered it to him, clicking it shut as it came to rest on the dead pony's neck.

"At.. at least we can make sure he gets the respectful burial he deserves." The tear that was dwelling in her eye dropped down her cheek and onto the sapphire, leaving itself there as if a part of the jewel.

"I'm sorry, Oath."

A flash of blue magic came from the amulet, blinding everypony as it enveloped Oath's form. Soon enough everypony could open their eyes to see what was going on. Oath's body rose to the air, encased in blue energy as the amulet was doing... Something. The various machines attached to Oath were gently taken off of him by the magical power of the amulet. Passing flashes of Oath could be seen, but they were not like what he was a moment ago. They were getting younger and younger with each little glimpse. Soon enough he was surrounded entirely by the magical force and as quickly as the magic had started doing its job, it stopped, flowing back into the amulet, leaving everypony stunned as Oath lowered back onto the bed. He looked like he was completely cured... But he wasn't moving.

A motion from his chest was the first sign, which everypony missed even though all their eyes were on him. The next was not to be passed as Oath's eyes opened wide, catching his breath as if he would have been underwater for hours. The others faces lightened up as they saw what was happening. Soon enough Oath felt like he was suffocating once more as he was hugged by 6 ponies at once, a grip tighter than he thought was possible. Alligators and their jaws had nothing on these ponies.

"Gah... Girls.. I can't.. breathe!" He said, struggling with each syllable due to the lack of air. They paid no heed as they kept him in their embrace. He eventually was let go and as he caught his breath, he looked upon each of them. They were all on the edge of bursting into tears once again, Fluttershy being chief amongst them.

"Everypony... Thank you. I don't know how you managed to do it, but you have my eternal thanks. I am forever in your debt." He bowed as much as it was possible for him to in his laying position.

"I said true friends look out for eachother, Oath." Twilight said, winking.

"And one thing the princess taught me is that friendship is one of the most powerful forces in the world. As we can see, it even defies death!" She said, before hugging Oath again.

After a moment of just laying there, taking in all the info that he could, Oath was curious as the five adventuring ponies told him of what happened in the cave.

"Who... who could be so cruel? What does he want with me?"

"Who cares what that bully wants!? He tried to kill you, Oath! And he succeeded in it once! We ain't letting that happen again!" Rainbow Dash said, semi-punching Oath on his ribs, though he didn't feel anything - the sedative still coursed through his veins.

He pondered on the coming days that he was sure would be revealing. This stallion was out for blood. His blood.

"Oathbreaker..."

A voice was inside his head. It whispered the black stallion's name in response.