//------------------------------// // Hidden Talents // Story: Home On The Range // by Bluecatcinema //------------------------------// Many years ago... The ten-year old Big Red was lugging a stack of barrels full of cherries (fresh from the family orchard) to the Cherry Hill Ranch, as a favor to Cherry and her father. Now, granted, a task like this would seem rather ludicrous to give to a colt who was overweight and become winded after only walking not even a mile, but he was more than willing to do it for the girl he liked and her dad. But despite his good intentions, Big Red was practically panting like crazy as he was nearing the ranch. "Almost there..." He smiled, panting heavily. "Ain't nothing gonna stop me now." A rumbling noise above heralded the beginning of a storm. "...Except maybe that." Big Red groaned. The wind howled, thunder crackled, and rain fell, as the now drenched colt continued trekking through the storm. As he did so, one of the barrels fell off the stack, and started to roll away. "Aw, no!" Big Red set down the others and chased after it, catching it before it went too far. "Gotcha." As Big Red rolled the barrel back to the others, the wind started to tip another one over. "Oh no ya don't!" Big Red grabbed it just in time. The rain started to fall harder. Any rational pony would have sought shelter, but not Big Red. 'Ah promised Cherry an' her pa Ah'd get these barrels over to 'em, and that's just what Ah'm gonna do!' He thought. Big Red continued his journey, trudging through the wet mud, struggling against the powerful winds, and withstanding the torrential downpour, until he finally made it to Cherry Hill Ranch. Exhausted, he rapped on the door. Cherry answered, and was shocked by what she saw. "Red?!" She gasped. "What are you doing out in this weather?" "What's it look like?" Big Red smiled. "Bringing you and yer pa those cherries ya asked me ta get." "In this weather?" Maraschino gasped. "That's crazy! You should've taken shelter." "All due respect sir, mah pa always says 'if yer gonna do a job, then do it, an' don't let nuthin' stand in yer way'." Big Red declared. "And that's what Ah did." "Well, I have to admit, I am impressed by your determination." Maraschino smiled. "And you delivered those barrels right on time. Great work, kiddo." "Thank ya kindly." Big Red chuckled. "Red, your flank!" Cherry pointed. Big Red turned just in time to see a light erupt on his side. Once the light faded, he saw an image of a barrel with a cherry symbol on the side of it. "Mah Cutie Mark..." Big Red gaped. "Guess that's mah special talent right there: Mah determination." "Congratulations, Red." Cherry hugged him. "Well done, kiddo." Maraschino smiled. "Boy, wait until White an' the others see this!" Big Red grinned. "First, you should probably clean yourself up." Maraschino pointed out. "You're a mess, kid. Your mane's soaked, and your hooves are covered in mud." "Don't want to show off your new Cutie Mark looking like that, do you?" Cherry chuckled. "Oh, right." Big Red said sheepishly. "Come on in, Red." Maraschino smiled. "Make sure to wipe your hooves first." "Yes, sir." Big Red wiped his extremely muddy hooves on the door mat. "We may need a new door mat." Cherry remarked, noting the mud caked on it. The Present... Most of the trees in Big Red's personal orchard had been bucked clean, so he decided to take the boys over to Cherry Hill Ranch to perform any chores that needed doing. Cherry still owned the ranch, but she left the day-to-day workings in the hands of her employees. The head supervisor was an Earth Pony named Micro Manager. "Mornin', Mic." Big Red greeted the yellow stallion. "Morning, Big Red." Micro waved. "What brings you here?" "Ya got any chores 'round the place that needs doin'?" Big Red asked. "'Cause Ah got three volunteers, ready an' willin'!" "Who said anything about 'willing'?" Eclipse growled. "Well, I do have a few things that need doing." Micro admitted. "There's some cherry barrels that need carting over to the sorting bay, a fence that needs whitewashing, and this one cherry tree round back that we can't buck due to everypony being busy." "Consider 'em done." Big Red declared. "Ah'll even keep an eye on 'em for ya." "Thanks, Red." Micro smiled. "No prob." Big Red nodded. "C'mon, boys." "Mind telling us exactly why you're making us do this?" Eclipse asked. "Yeah, we could've had a nice lie-in today." Huckleberry added. "Guess again." Big Red declared. "Ah'm still aimin' ta teach you kids the value a' hard work." He pointed out all the working ponies around them. "Ferget cherry buckin' on mah little ranch. This here is what it's like ta have an actual job. Now, Globe, you get ta shiftin' those cherries, Huck, you whitewash the fence, and Eclipse, you can buck that tree." "Great..." Eclipse muttered. "Yeah, yeah..." Huckleberry sighed. "You can count on me, Big Red." Globe saluted. "Good ta see one a' ya has the right attitude." Big Red grinned. "Traitor." Eclipse hissed. "Now, split up, and let's get goin'." Big Red declared. The boys went their separate ways, out to perform their separate chores. Meanwhile, Big red decided to walk around the ranch, saying 'hi' to some old friends amongst the workers. "Howdy, gang!" He waved to a group of Earth Ponies, Pegasi, and one Changeling. "Red!" A Pegasus stallion smiled. "Nice to see ya." "Great ta see ya'll too." Big Red grinned. "Where have you been these past few weeks?" The Changeling asked. "We haven't seen you around lately." "Oh, Ah've been busy, doin' this an' that." Big Red shrugged. "Good to see you anyway, big guy." An Earth Pony mare smiled. "How's the missus?" "She's fine." Big Red chuckled. "I heard about her winning the bake-off." The Changeling declared. "Couldn't have happened to a better mare." "Suck-up." Big Red chided him jokingly. After talking a bit more, Big Red decided to check on the boys. Big Red started with Globe first, as he was worried the little pudgy colt might have the most trouble. It seemed his fear had been proven right when he saw Globe struggling with a barrel. He wrestled with the idea of giving the colt a hoof. But in the blink of an eye, Globe suddenly hefted the barrel onto his back, and started following the other barrel carriers. "Wait up, guys!" He called. "Well, Ah'll be." Big Red smiled. "Kid's got gumption, Ah'll give 'im that." Big Red followed behind, being sure to stay out of sight. He was pleasantly surprised to see that Globe was able to keep up with the other ponies despite his weight. He was even able to haul his load for longer than the others without needing a break. Once Globe brought the barrel over to the sorting bay, Big Red saw fit to reveal himself. "That was a mighty impressive showin' there, kiddo." He declared. "Oh!" Globe gasped in surprise. "Thanks, Big Red." "Ah had no clue you had so much stamina." Big Red declared. "Purty impressive for a colt a' yer... age." "Thanks." Globe smiled. "I may not be the most athletic pony, but I can keep going with the best of them. This one time, I walked all the way around a valley just to get some cold medicine for Eclipse. It's how I earned my Cutie Mark." "Well, Ah'll be." Big Red grinned. "Keep up the good work, kid." "You got it." Globe nodded, taking the empty barrel back the way he came. Satisfied with Globe's performance, Big Red went to check on Huckleberry, surmising that enough time had passed for him to have painted a sizable portion of the fence. What he saw when he arrived was something completely different: A group of local foals were painting the fence, while Huckleberry was lounging around nearby. "What the buck is goin' on here?!" Big Red yelled. Huckleberry leapt to his hooves. "Well, I, uh..." Huckleberry gulped. "We're paintin' the fence!" A colt declared. "Mr. Huckleberry told us how fun it was!" A filly chipped in. "He only charged us a bit each to take part!" "Oh, he did, did he?" Big Red glared at Huckleberry. "Well, Ah'm afraid the fun's over. Git on home ta yer mas, kids." "Aww!" The foals chorused as they dropped their paint brushes and left. "An' as fer you..." Big Red rounded on Huckleberry. "What were ya thinkin', scammin' innocent foals?" "Sorry." Huckleberry frowned. "Ya should be..." Big Red grunted... before frowning, "Just how'd ya ever convince 'em painting a fence wuz fun? Even Ah don't find paintin' fun." "Guess I've just got a way with words." Huckleberry said proudly. "Always have. In fact, that's how I got my Cutie Mark; I talked a pair of buffalo into giving me some turquoise in exchange for a few bottles of sarsaparilla." "An' yer proud a' that, are ya?" Big Red glared. "Kinda." Huckleberry said awkwardly. "Well, those foals ya tricked didn't paint all the fence." Big Red declared. "You can finish it up. Now that'll be somethin' ta be proud of." "Okay." Huckleberry sighed. He grabbed a brush, then tossed a small bag over to Big Red. "What's this?" Big Red asked. "The bits those foals paid me." Huckleberry told him. "The only reason I charged them was so ya could earn a little money for yer ranch." "That's downright generous of ya." Big Red admitted. "As much as Ah don't approve of ya scammin' those kids, Ah'm pretty impressed by that sharp mind a' yours." "Thanks." Huckleberry grinned smugly. "Now all ya gotta do is apply it ta somethin' a little less unsavory." Big Red frowned. "Think ya can do that?" "I'll give a shot." Huckleberry shrugged. "You do that." Big red nodded. Big Red moved over to the rear of the ranch, where Eclipse was bucking the large cherry tree. "How ya doin', Eek?" He asked. "First off, you don't get to call me 'Eek'." Eclipse snarled. "Second, I'm doing fine. I don't need you to check up on me." "Course Ah do." Big Red smiled. "Ya'll are my responsibility, ain't ya?" "Yeah, yeah..." Eclipse grumbled, bucking against the tree to send more cherry falling down. "Nicely done!" Big Red smirked, "Yer buckin' skill were just as good as mine when Ah first started." "Yippee." Eclipse deadpanned. "Oh come now, Eclipse, that's something to be pat on the back for!" Big Red smiled, as made to pat Eclipse on the back... But then Eclipse flinched away. "Don't touch me." Eclipse growled. "What are ya, some kind a' germ-a-phobe?" Big Red joked. "It was just a pat on the back." "I just don't like to be touched. Not by anypony, and especially not by you." Eclipse glared. "Now leave me alone so I can finish this job and get outta here." "Suit yerself, kid." Big Red sighed. "But just so ya know, it don't hurt none ta let folks in." "Yeah, whatever." Eclipse sneered, as he went back to bucking. Big Red frowned as he left the griffon to his devices, but as he did, he glanced back, he noticed Eclipse's face faltering, as if he were struggling to stay strong. "Poor kid." Big Red shook his head. "Got some demons rattling around that skull a' his..." Once their tasks were complete, the trio were escorted back to the homestead by Big Red. "You know, today wasn't half bad." Globe admitted. "It felt good, pitching in like that. And the other workers were really friendly." "I gotta admit, all that paintin' wasn't so bad." Huckleberry grinned. "Should've done it myself from the start..." "Huh?" Globe blinked. "Nothing." Huckleberry said bluntly. "That's what Ah like ta hear." Big Red smiled, "Now ya know what it's like to be an actual working pony." "Well, I think it was a big fat waste of time." Eclipse pouted. "Brought me all the way out there just to do what I already do every day since we came here..." "Hey, at least you got to get away from the place fer a while." Big Red offered. "Big whoop." Eclipse snorted. "All Ah'm doin' is tryin' to teach you kids the value a' honest work." Big Red declared. "Did we we even ask you to do that?" Eclipse growled. "I don't think so." "Geez, Eek." Huckleberry grimaced. "Ease off." "Yeah, it wasn't that bad." Globe added. "Whatever, traitors." Eclipse turned and kept walking. Globe and Huckleberry shared a worried look, while Big Red started thinking. 'Yer a tough sell, kid.' He thought. 'But Ah ain't givin' up on ya. Ah jest gotta try harder, is all...' Not so many years ago... Big Red went up the stairs of the homestead, heading for Shine's bedroom. "Lunch time, pal!" He called as he threw open the door. The twenty-five year old Shine was sitting on his bed, a piece of paper in his hoof. "Oh, hi, Big Red." He sighed. "What's up, pardner?" Big Red asked, recognizing the forlorn expression on his face. "It's nothing, Red." Shine shook his head, "What's for lunch?" "Hey, now, Shine." Big Red frowned, "I know you from when you were born, and I know when you're upset. You can tell me, Shine." "Okay, fine." Shine sighed, passing Big Red the letter. "Here." Big Red took the letter and started reading. "Dear Mr Paladin, we are writing to you in response to your application for joining the Royal Defence Legion has been rejected." He read out loud. "Although you have many admirable qualities, we do not consider you prime RDL material." "It's even worse spoken." Shine groaned. "...Hold on, ya were plannin' on joinin' the RDL?" Big Red asked incredulously. "Yeah, I was..." Shine frowned, taking back the letter. "I thought I would go and take after my old man in becoming a hero just like he did." "Well, Ah don't know about that." Big Red said worriedly. "Bein' in the army's a tough life, not ta mention dangerous. If anythin' happened ta ya, Ah don't know what Ah'd do." "Well, you won't have to worry 'bout that." Shine growled coldly, as he crumbled the letter. "As you just read, they turned me down. And I know why..." He glared at his blank flank, "Because I don't have a Faust-buckin' Cutie Mark!" "Ah'm sure it wuzn't that..." Big Red countered. "Oh come on, what else could it had be?!" Shine yelled, jumping to his hooves, "All my life, my lack of a Cutie Mark has dragged me down! It's gotten me laughed at, bullied, and pitied! Not to mention not knowing what my special talent is all this time has been driving me nuts!" He held up the crumbled paper. "This! This was my one chance to actually find out what I was good for and now, I can't even do that! Why don't I have my Cutie Mark, what in Faust's name is wrong with me?! "Nuthin's wrong with ya, pal." Big Red assured. "He said to the twenty-five year old blank flank." Shine spat. "Ya gotta calm down, bud." Big Red told him. "Ah know you want that Cutie Mark, but there's no way ta make it appear. Ah doubt even the princesses themselves could pull that off!" "That's it." Shine whispered. "What's it?" Big Red asked, confused. "I'll go to the princesses themselves, and ask them if they can make my Cutie Mark appear." Shine grinned. "Great idea, Red!" "Ah wuz jokin'!" Big Red protested. "Either way, I'm goin' for it." Shine declared as he made to pack. "I'll leave first thing tomorrow." "Shine, hold on!" Big Red stammered, "Ya don't actually think that they can help ya with yer problem, do ya?" "What other options do I have, Red?" Shine said in exasperation, "I've done everything I can think of to find my talent. My life will never be complete until I find out what I'm meant to do. This could be the last chance I have left of ever finding my mark in the world." "But Shine..." Big Red frowned. Shine took note of the sadness in his voice. "I'm sorry, Red." Shine sighed. "But I do not want to live the rest of my life without a purpose. I just... I just want to be somepony that dad would be proud of..." "Shine, if yer pa was here, he'd already be proud of you." Big Red smiled. "You... really think so?" Shine asked. "Ah know so." Big Red chuckled. "Yer pa judged folks by who they were, not by some picture on their flank. Ah'd say ya've grown into a fine young stallion, Cutie Mark or no Cutie Mark, an' yer pa would agree with me." "Yeah, I guess so..." Shine said humbly. "But if ya really wanna do this, Ah won't stop ya." Big Red declared. "Ah understand why ya feel ya haveta do this, so go, with mah blessin's." "Thanks, Red." Shine smiled. "You're the best." "Don't Ah know it?" Big Red joked. Big Red soon left the room so Shine could pack. A part of him wanted to try and convince him to stay, but it would be pointless. He knew it was futile to dissuade Shine when he was this determined. Just like White... The stallion felt a tear come to his eyes. "He's yer boy alright, White." He sniffed. "Real chip offa the ol' block..." Early the next morning, Shine was ready to leave. Big Red, Mist, and even Cherry had gathered to see him off. "Ah still can't believe yer really doin' this." Big Red declared. "Me neither." Shine admitted. "But I've got to try. The princesses could be my only hope." "Yer pa'd probably say the same thing if he were in yer place." Big Red sighed. "Ah'd stand by his decision, an' Ah'm standin' by yours." "Thanks, Big Red." Shine grinned. "Have a safe journey, dear." Cherry smiled. "And the best of luck to you." "Here's hoping." Shine nodded. "You... won't be gone too long, will you?" Mist sniffed. "Don't you worry, baby sis." Shine hugged her. "I'll probably be back in a week. And if you're good, I'll bring you back a souvenir, 'kay?" "'Kay." Mist nodded. Shine spread his wings. "Here I go." He declared. "I'm going to reach my destiny, one way or the other!" Shine took off into the sky. The others waved and cheered until he was out of sight. "Will he be okay, Big Red?" Mist asked. "'Course he will." Big Red chuckled. "He's a Paladin. Whatever's waitin' fer 'im in Canterlot, Shine'll face it head-on, ya'll see." "Who knows?" Cherry smiled. "Maybe he'll meet a nice mare while he's there?" "That would be nice." Big Red mused. "Maybe one a' them high society gals'll take a liking ta him. Guess we'll just haveta wait an' see..."