Between Bassdrops and Bowstrings: The Nature of Cutie Marks and Destiny · 2:50am Jul 30th, 2016
A while back, someone made a fair point. In Bassdrops and Bowstrings, why is it that Octavia is automatically skilled with the Cello? And, beyond that, why is Vinyl not so awesome, right at first? After explaining it to the person in question, they made a comment that I should explain these things a little better in a blog post, as to explain my headcanon on these topics; namely, my headcanons on Cutie Marks and their relation to Destiny.
Lets start off with the argument made about Octavia. On the topic of her skill with the cello, I had planned on her being choppy at first, but then I considered Cutie Marks and their impacts on the ponies who have them. For instance, take Cutie Pox. Now, I know this isn't a Cutie Mark, per-say, but it is supposed to mimic a slew of Cutie Marks, making the pony in question act erratically. Without any prior knowledge, Applebloom suddenly became skilled in a score of odd traits, without ever having done them previously.
This becomes an issue again in Applebloom's dream episode - Bloom and Gloom - wherein she finds that, after having her Cutie Mark removed, she's unable to perform the talents she could previously. Again, this is a dream and not an accurate representation.
Then there is Magical Mystery Cure, of which I pondered on quite extensively. See, at first glance, it appears to contradict the prior idea that a Cutie Mark grants proficiency, as the Mane 6 couldn't perform their tasks, despite having another pony's Cutie Mark... But I believe that was due to a contradiction in their destinies disrupting the magic of their Cutie Marks. The song What my Cutie Mark is Telling Me lies heavily on the concept of destiny; that one is simply just good at what they do - almost like a prodigy - if their Cutie Mark says so. After all "It's got to be/my destiny/for it's what my Cutie Mark is telling me."
My primary support actually comes from Pinkie, Rarity, Rainbow and Fluttershy, interestingly enough.
In The Cutie Mark Chronicles those four of the Mane 6 discover their talents in interesting ways. Starting with the least solid and most obscure, would be Rainbow Dash. She never knew a Sonic Rainboom was a possibility. In fact, it's implied that she's the only one who could possibly do it. So, the fact that she was able to do it, completely on accident, as a filly is a nod towards the concept of Destiny. The same goes for Pinkie, who had never known a smile. However, after seeing the Rainboom, she was able to understand all the inner workings of a party, without ever having experienced one before. While Pinkie is the best party pony, I doubt she was the inventor of the party, so it begs to question how the knowledge got in her head.
The strongest evidence comes from the ponies with the most unusual abilities; Fluttershy and Rarity. Neither of them had any prior knowledge of what they could do. In Rarity's case, her destiny literally dragged her by the horn until she reached it and discovered her talent; the magical power to discover gems and the talent to make good use of them. As for Fluttershy, she literally fell into her talent; the ability to talk to animals. It is implied in her song So Many Wonders that she'd never been to the surface before, so how did she know she could talk to the animals? I can understand that, at some point, she had probably talked to birds, but that's a far-cry from knowing you can talk to a squirrel.
I used these facts, as well as a few others, to make a decision and I decided that Destiny would be guiding Octavia's hands. Or hooves. Whatever. Her skill was less her own and more the result of her Cutie Mark, sparking up in a flash of Destiny. Perhaps it's a little cliche, but I feel that it's part of the magic that resides in all ponies; the guiding hand of their Cutie Marks, pushing them towards one specific talent.
However, this concept isn't entirely foolproof. Vinyl has some troubles, as her actual obtaining of her Cutie Mark was... odd. She got her mark by watching another pony play music, if the comics are to be believed. Her talent isn't so much making music as much as it's a broad lineup, like Pinkie Pie and parties.
This meant that Vinyl had no idea what musical instrument to play, or even if she was supposed to be a musician at all. Maybe she was just meant to compose? Maybe she was just meant to remix? Never being completely certain in what she needed to do made Vinyl struggle to find that spark that drove Octavia, where the cellist had it simply handed to her. Upon finding her talent, though, Vinyl was drawn back into the guiding hand of Destiny.
It was meant to be a subtle thing, but perhaps I made it too subtle. 
So subtle, no one will catch it... Whoopsies...
Yes, this is just a copy-paste from the conversation itself and I'm sure some of you have already seen it. Still...
So, what are your opinions on this? Any of your own headcanons on the concept of destiny and how it drives ponies? Or do you think it doesn't exist at all? Let me know.
- Quillian B. Inkheart
/)(\
It's all kind of confusing to me. If cutie marks are pre-determined (maybe even before the foal in question is born, IDK), then why would the CMC waste their time trying to discover their cutie marks before they're supposed to in the previous episodes? Or maybe they just couldn't grasp the concept of destiny, given how young they are? IDK if that makes any sense, but that's my two cents. ._.
4121533
In my head, destiny is there, but it's not always forced on you. Look at the CMC in earlier episodes and you'll see them actively defying destiny. The episode with the talent show (Why can't I remember it's name!?) is a good example of that; each of them wanted to do something other than what they were good at. The show suffered as a whole and, while they still won something, it wasn't what they wanted.
The CMC are actually a very good example of this concept. Defying one's destiny will lead to a difficult life, as one is not following the plan of whatever magic that governs Equestria and Cutie Marks (Probably the Tree of Harmony). However, the moment they accept that they should stop fighting against the currents of destiny and just help others; Bam, Cutie Marks.
It's not that they're forced into it (at least not all the time,) but destiny is always there, sometimes with it's arms crossed, shaking it's head at you. No, it won't make you do what you need to do, but will make your life more and more complicated until you eventually give in and accept the role it has for you.
Personally, I think your cutie mark helps you fall into the area that you will excel the most in, but you still have to put in the work depending on who you are. For example, Octavia even without her cutie mark could have already been a cello prodigy due to her parents being deeply involved with music. At least that's how I always envisioned her parents. I had always assumed her parents were both good at string instruments and then one day Octavia picked up the cello and realized she had a gift for it as well.
The episode you are thinking of is "Show Stoppers."
4121641
Ah, right. Thank you for that. I didn't feel like Googling it while I was typing that up.
4121550
So would it be possible to get your cutie mark earlier than you otherwise would depending on what you do when given a certain opportunity? Because if Sweetie Belle's special talent is singing and she was the primary singer in the CMC's talent show performance instead of Apple Bloom, would she have gotten her cutie mark at that time as opposed to in season 5? I guess what I'm trying to say is that you kind of have control over when you get your cutie mark depending on your actions and the decisions you make in certain situations. Does that make sense?